Thursday, February 4, 2010

Almanacs “The Almanac - Feb. 4 - Post Chronicle” plus 3 more

Almanacs “The Almanac - Feb. 4 - Post Chronicle” plus 3 more

The Almanac - Feb. 4 - Post Chronicle

Posted: 04 Feb 2010 04:31 AM PST

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Today is Thursday, Feb. 4, the 35th day of 2010 with 330 to follow.

The moon is waning. The morning star is Mercury. The evening stars are Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Uranus and Neptune.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Aquarius. They include Polish-born American patriot Tadeusz Kosciuszko in 1746; French cubist painter Fernand Leger in 1881; aviator Charles Lindbergh in 1902; legendary golfer Byron Nelson in 1912; civil rights activist Rosa Lee Parks in 1913; actress Ida Lupino in 1918; feminist Betty Friedan in 1921; actor John Schuck in 1940 (age 70); comedian David Brenner in 1945 (age 65); former U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle in 1947 (age 63); rock musician Alice Cooper in 1948 (age 62); actresses Pamela Franklin in 1950 (age 60) and Lisa Eichhorn in 1952 (age 58); country singer Clint Black in 1962 (age 48), actress Gabrielle Anwar in 1970 (age 40) and boxer Oscar de la Hoya in 1973 (age 37).

On this date in history:

In 1789, George Washington of Virginia, the commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, was elected the first president of the United States by all 69 presidential electors who cast their votes. John Adams of Massachusetts was elected vice president.

In 1792, George Washington is unanimously elected to a second term as president of the United States in a vote of the Electoral College.

In 1861, at a convention in Montgomery, Ala., six states -- Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina -- elected Jefferson Davis president of the Confederacy.

Also in 1861, the 25-year period of conflict known as the Apache War began at Apache Pass, Ariz., with the arrest of Apache Chief Cochise for raiding a ranch. Cochise escaped his U.S. Army captors and declared war.

In 1938, Adolf Hitler seized control of the German army and put Nazi officers in key posts as part of a plan that led to World War II.

In 1974, urban guerrillas abducted Patricia Hearst, the 19-year-old daughter of publisher Randolph Hearst, from her apartment in Berkeley, Calif.

In 1976, an earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale killed nearly 23,000 people in Guatemala and Honduras.

In 1997, a jury in a civil trial in Santa Monica, Calif., found O.J. Simpson liable in the killings of his former wife and her friend, and was ordered to pay a total of $33.5 million to both families. Simpson had been acquitted in his murder trial.

In 2004, a Pakistani scientist considered the key figure in his country's nuclear weaponry development admitted he leaked that technology to other countries.

Also in 2004, the Massachusetts Supreme Court refused to allow "civil union" as a substitute for same-sex marriage.

In 2006, widespread Muslim protests of published caricatures depicting Muhammad in a negative light turned violent. Angry demonstrators smashed windows, set fires and burned flags and Syrian mobs burned Danish and Norwegian embassies.

Also in 2006, nearly 100 people were killed and more than 250 injured in a stampede at a Philippine stadium where thousands were on hand for a popular game show.

In 2007, severe flooding in Jakarta killed at least 20 people and drove 340,000 Indonesians from their homes.

In 2008, U.S. President George W. Bush introduced a $3.1 trillion budget for fiscal 2009, including proposed increases in military spending but cutbacks in most domestic programs.

In 2009, gloomy January economic figures continued to stalk the nation. The U.S. unemployment rate rose to a 26-year high of 8.1 percent, auto sales sank and housing starts were at their lowest annual level in at least half a century.

A thought for the day: Ralph Waldo Emerson advised, "Go often to the house of a friend, for weeds choke the unused path." (c) UPI

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Stock futures off following overseas markets' lead - Tacoma News Tribune

Posted: 04 Feb 2010 04:31 AM PST

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Stocks dropped early Thursday as a rise in weekly jobless claims dampened hopes about a key employment report due Friday.

A recovery in employment is seen as the biggest obstacle to a rebound in the economy and the unexpected increase in weekly unemployment claims provided another reminder that a recovery will be difficult.

The report reduced some expectations that the government's January jobs report on Friday will show that employers added workers in the first month of the year.

Concerns about employment and debt in European countries pounded stocks and drove up demand for safe haven holdings and pushed Treasury prices higher. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 120 points in early trading.

The Labor Department said unemployment claims rose 8,000 to a seasonally adjusted 480,000 last week. Economists had predicted claims would drop to 460,000. It was the fourth increase in the past five weeks. The number of lost jobs was the highest in two months and upended a sense that claims would resume a drop that occurred in the fall and early winter.

Friday's January report is expected to show employers added 5,000 jobs but that the unemployment rate rose to 10.1 percent from 10 percent.

The jobs figures overshadowed the Labor Department's finding that worker productivity rose more than expected in the final three months of 2009. Rising productivity can help boost company profits and but also can make it easier for employers to put off hiring.

Productivity rose by a seasonally adjusted 6.2 percent in the fourth quarter. Analysts had expected a 6 percent increase.

The drop in stocks also came as European markets tumbled on concerns about onerous debt levels in countries including Greece, Spain and Portugal.

The euro hit a seven-month low against the dollar. A stronger dollar can drag down stocks in the U.S. because it hurts companies that have large international operations.

There were bright spots. Many retailers reporting sales at stores open at least a year came in well ahead of expectations, a promising signs that some consumers are more willing to spend. Macy's Inc., for example, raised its profit forecast after sales rose and it discounted fewer items.

Manny Weintraub, president of Integre Advisors in New York, said the economy won't be able to recover and the stock market won't be able to extend its 11-month run if consumers don't eventually start ratcheting up spending. Improvements in unemployment would boost confidence of job seekers and could make those with jobs feel more at ease.

"That's the whole story. People feel if employment starts to improve you have a big multiplier effect," Weintraub said.

In the first half-hour of trading, the Dow fell 121.00, or 1.2 percent, to 10,149.55. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 15.99, or 1.5 percent, to 1,081.29, while the Nasdaq composite index slid 26.83, or 1.2 percent, to 2,164.08.

Stocks posted modest losses Wednesday, halting a two-day rally after the Institute for Supply Management, a trade group, said activity in services industries grew less than expected last month.

In other trading, bond prices rose, pushing yields lower. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell to 3.65 percent from 3.71 percent late Wednesday.

In afternoon trading, Britain's FTSE 100 fell 1.1 percent, Germany's DAX index dropped 1.1 percent, and France's CAC-40 fell 1.3 percent. Earlier, Japan's Nikkei stock average fell 0.5 percent.

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Ein Entertainment Co., Ltd. Has Released iPhone/iPod Touch Application ... - Earthtimes

Posted: 04 Feb 2010 06:11 AM PST

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TOKYO - (Business Wire) Ein Entertainment Co., Ltd. announced the release of iPhone/iPod Touch application, "World's Navy Series". This application is an album of official navies (including Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force) in 124 countries, which contains the photos and the detailed data of over 250 ships (currently commissioned, or under planning or under construction) such as "aircraft carrier", "submarine" and "surface combatant" provided and supervised by the editors of a specialty magazine, "Ships of the World".

About "Ships of the World"

"Ships of the World" is a specialty magazine published by Kaijinsha Co., Ltd. which has occupied the top position in the field of such publication in Japan since it was first published in 1957.

Product Information

This album contains valuable photos rarely seen and illustrations with detailed description provided for the most typical ships. Those rich informations of each ship are enjoyable with smooth interface and flexible search functions without stress. Moreover, the data such as population, GDP, defense budget, navy personnel, ships, aircraft and coast guard of those 124 countries is also included. This album can be used as a compact almanac to understand the current status of world's navies at a glance.

Product name: < World's Navy Series >

For: iPhone3G/iPhone3GS/iPod Touch Category: Reference

Product introduction: http://einentertainment.com/english/product_ship.html

"World's Navy summary Version" Price: $13.99

iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/worlds-navy-summary-version/id352262999?mt=8

"World's Navy Aircraft Carriers" Price: $4.99

iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/worlds-navies-aircraft-carrier/id346433304?mt=8

"World's Navy Submarines" Price: $4.99

iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/worlds-navies-submarine/id346433545?mt=8

"World's Navy Surface Combatants" Price: $4.99

iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/worlds-navies-surface-combatant/id346433866?mt=8

Company Overview

EIN ENTERTAINMENT Co.,Ltd.

Established: July 2009

Ein Entertainment Co., Ltd. is an entertainment company that creates and delivers various forms of entertainment for worldwide consumers.

Main activities are;

- Planning and production of entertainment contents for iPhone and mobile phones.

- Planning and production of console games.

URL: http://einentertainment.com/english/index.html

Copyright: 2009 EIN ENTERTAINMENT Co.,Ltd./Ships of the World

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6165909&lang=en

EIN ENTERTAINMENT Co.,Ltd.
Satoshi Kanno, +81-3-6273-1240
support@einentertainment.com
Fax: +81-3-6273-1241

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Blomberg: Retiring writer Jim Lee a friend, mentor - Daily Tribune

Posted: 04 Feb 2010 02:51 AM PST

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Everyone has a mentor or two, such as relatives, friends, heroes and the like, who inspire and influence us throughout our lives. How about you?

Over the course of a lifetime, I've had my share, but the ones that carried my load were several outdoor writers -- columnists by trade -- that called Wisconsin home.

Out of the past and before my time were the likes of Gordon MacQuarrie and Aldo Leopold. Beginning in 1936 and for 20 years, MacQuarrie was outdoor editor for the Milwaukee Journal and recognized as the nation's first full-time outdoor writer. He inspired the masses with his regular columns and left a lasting legacy through tales of his beloved Old Duck Hunters Association.

And of course, Leopold, a wordsmith of worldwide fame, wrote scores of magazine and technical articles before writing his classic book "A Sand County Almanac," including a few guest columns in the Wisconsin State Journal and Milwaukee Journal.

As a lad, I sprouted while reading the likes of Mel Ellis and his "Notes from Little Lakes" and Jay Reed's weekly outdoor columns in the Milwaukee Journal. Twice a week their columns took me on journeys along outdoor sporting and nature trails. I was hooked on outdoor journalism.

I had the pleasure of meeting Reed late in his career, as well as Don L. Johnson and Ron Leys, all who wrote for the Milwaukee daily papers. More recently, and along the way, I met and became friends with outdoor columnists Tim Eisele, writing out of Madison, Jim Lee of Wausau and George Rogers of Stevens Point.

This past weekend, Lee bid farewell to his readers when he announced his departure from the outdoor pages of Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers. I can safely say as one of his biggest fans, I will miss his weekly adventures and reports on all things outdoors.

I met Jim more than a decade ago when he telephoned out of the blue and asked about a woodcock survey that the boss and I conducted each spring for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Survey. Subsequently, he joined my then 82-year-old mother and me as we traversed the White River state wildlife area before dawn in Waushara County for a USFWS spring mourning dove survey.

Over the course of 42 years, Jim went the extra mile for his readers -- keeping a sharp eye on Madison and the Department of Natural Resources -- and did it with a sense of humor and a deep regard for the natural world.

Jim's weekly columns provided his readership a wonderful insight and overview of north central Wisconsin's outdoors. Never afraid of tackling hot issues, his final piece took another look at future management of wolves in Wisconsin.

Thanks Jim, for the memories and inspiration. A good friend and mentor indeed.

Now, take some well-deserved time off and go fishing.

Ken M. Blomberg is a freelance writer and longtime resident of the town of Eau Pleine, northeast of Junction City. A graduate of UWSP in resource management, he currently is the executive director of the Wisconsin Rural Water Association. He can be reached at kbgsp@tds.net.

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