Shell quits Irish fuel retail market

Author:  |  Category: Uncategorized

Saturday, July 16, 2005

Oil giant Shell has sold all its retail and distribution operations in Ireland to a distribution and logistics firm called Topaz. The businesses, which are believed to have an annual turnover of over €1bn, include 35 local distribution depots, 6 oil importation facilities, 55 retail service stations and the supply of fuel to 105 independent service stations throughout Ireland.

Shell is retaining its interest in the Corrib Gas field in County Mayo which it is currently developing. Shell has been known for some time to be anxious to exit the increasingly competitive Irish market. Since the arrivial of Tesco to the petrol retail market last year, a price war has raged in parts of the country. Althought Tesco only operates a limited number of stations in the republic, it has expressed a desire to expand throughout the country.

Ion Equity are the consortium behind the takeover which according to the Irish Independent is valued at over €100m. The business will be headed by former Emo Oil managing director Danny Murray.

Candlestick Bottom Reversal Patterns

Author:  |  Category: Financial Planners

By Sylvain Vervoort

With this article we have a look at the candlestick charts bottom reversal patterns. We will discuss a few strange names like bullish engulfing pattern, piercing line, bullish counter attack, bullish harami, morning star, hammer and inverted hammer, three white soldiers and more. If you need some basic clarification you can look for my articles “Introduction to candlestick charts” and “Candlestick charts basic patterns”.

Before looking at the bottom reversal patterns we have to define the rules for a bottom reversal to be a valid pattern.

– A bottom reversal is only possible AFTER a downtrend.

– Most of the patterns need a confirmation.

– A confirmation must appear one up to three candles after the pattern.

– This confirmation is a big white candle, high volume with the new up-move, a rising window, or breaking a resistance.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpcSMZwDfoE[/youtube]

– A reversal pattern during price reaction must be considered a continuation pattern.

– For the best result, you must combine candlestick patterns with Western technical analysis.

An unconfirmed pattern has no further meaning.

When in a downtrend, there is a small black body, not a doji, followed and enclosed by a bigger white body; you have a bullish engulfing pattern. Though not necessary, it is better when the white body also encloses the short shadows of the black candle. An exceptional occurrence at the end of a downtrend is a white body followed by a bigger black body; this is called a last engulfing pattern.

A piercing line is a bigger black body that is followed by a white body with a lower opening price than the low of the black body in a downtrend; however, the white candle closes above the midpoint of the black body. A confirmation is required.

A bullish counterattack is a bigger black candle in a downtrend, followed by a bigger white candle. Closing prices of both candles are at the same price level. Confirmation is needed.

A bullish harami in a downtrend, a white, but preferably a black body followed by a small white or black candle that is best completely covered by the first candle body. A bottom reversal signal after confirmation. Black-white and black-black, called homing pigeon, combinations are the most common.

A bullish harami cross in a downtrend is a white but preferably a black body that is followed by a doji that is ideally completely covered by the first candle body. A bullish harami cross pattern needs confirmation.

A morning star is a bigger black body, followed by one or more small black or white bodies below the closing price of the first black body. The white candle that follows ideally lays 50% or more within the first black body and has a rising window with the previous candle body.

A morning doji star is a bigger black body, followed by one or more dojis with a falling window below the closing price of the first black body. The white candle that follows ideally lays 50% or more within the first black body and has a rising window with the previous doji body. This is a stronger reversal signal than a morning star.

A bullish abandoned baby pattern is a morning doji star with a window between the doji and the black and white candle, resulting in an island reversal. The island can have more candles and more than one doji.

A hammer is a small white or black body close to the high price. It has a long shadow below with a minimum size of twice the height of the body. There is a very small shadow or no shadow at the top. A dragonfly doji is a specific version of the hammer pattern. Confirmation is required. A white body is more positive.

An inverted hammer is a small black but preferably a small white body near the low price. It has a long shadow above that is, at minimum, twice the size of the body. It only has a very small shadow or no shadow below. A gravestone doji is a specific version of the inverted hammer. A bottom reversal only after confirmation.

Three white soldiers are three white candlesticks with each bar having higher closing prices, close to the high of the bar. Opening prices of candles two and three are within the body of the previous candles. Many times, there will be a small reaction before the new uptrend is resumed.

This concludes my overview of the most important candlestick bottom reversal patterns. In the following article we will have a look at candlestick continuation patterns and we will also talk about some candlestick trading techniques.

About the Author: Want to learn more about candle bottom reversal patterns? You can find technical analysis articles for free at my website:

stocata.org/

. Sylvain Vervoort is a trader and the author of a new book ‘Capturing Profit with Technical Analysis’ and a regular contributor to Stocks & Commodities.

Source:

isnare.com

Permanent Link:

isnare.com/?aid=444050&ca=Finances

Brazilian Vote Buying parliamentary commission present first joint preliminary report

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Monday, September 5, 2005

Brazil —The Post Office and Vote Buying parliamentary commissions of investigation unanimously approved on Thursday (1) their first joint preliminary report of activities. The text was prepared by their redactors, Osmar Serraglio (PMDB) and Ibrahim Abi-Ackel (PP), from Post Office and Vote Buying commissions respectively.

The deputies cited in the report are: Carlos Rodrigues (PLRJ), José Janene (PP-PR), Pedro Correia (PP-PE), Pedro Henry (PP-MS), Sandro Mabel (PL-GO), João Magno (PTMG), João Paulo Cunha (PT-SP), José Borba (PMDB-PR), Josias Gomes da Silva (PT-BA), Paulo Rocha (PT-BA), Professor Luizinho (PT-SP), Romeu Queiroz (PTB-MG), Vadão Gomes (PP-SP), Vanderval Santos (PL-SP), José Mentor (PT-SP), Roberto Brant (PFL-MG), José Dirceu (PT-SP) and Roberto Jefferson (PTB-RJ).

The report indicts 18 Brazilian deputies and the former deputy Valdemar Costa Neto [who resigned on August 1]. They are accused of illegal campaign finance activities, of placing cronies in strategic positions in government enterprises and getting kickbacks from them, and of receiving cash payments in exchange for voting in line with the government in the Brazilian Congress.

The redactors called the allegation made by some parliamentarians that the resources were used to settle debts with electoral campaigns a “lame excuse”. According to them it is “perfectly plausible” that the loans taken by the businessman Marcos Valerio at the Banco Rural and the BMG for the ruling Workers’ Party (PT) were false and created to make the illegal funds seem legal.

In regards to the denunciations done by deputy Roberto Jefferson (PTB) the report says:

  • Everything which he said that could be investigated showed to be true, including confessions against himself .
  • Everything that must be compared to other testimonies showed a great degree of truth. As a matter of fact, all of who, hurriedly, questioned him, saw their defenses collapse, before the successive discoveries.

According to the report, the businessman Marcos Valério is a not reliable person because of his contraditory testmonies.

The report says that several documents were identified and reviewed proving that large sums of money were withdrawn from agencies of the Rural Bank, in Brasilia and Belo Horizonte, as well as from bank accounts of the enterprises SMPB and DNA Propaganda. According to the documents the beneficiaries were federal deputies who received the money in person or through relatives, advisers, or persons nominated by Marcos Valério.

The report affirms that it is possible that some payments were made on a monthly basis, and others more or less frequently. Nevertheless, according to the report the periodicity of the payments is the less important fact.

Child killed by family dog

Author:  |  Category: Uncategorized

April 12, 2005

In what authorities call a terrible tragedy, a four-year-old boy was killed Sunday afternoon by the family dog. The Orange County, Virginia USA boy was playing in his back yard while their dog, a RottweilerGerman Shepherd mix, was chained to a stake.

The parents of the boy were home when the mauling occurred, but there were no direct eye witnesses to the attack that took place in the Placid Pines mobile home park. County Sheriff C.G. Feldman said, “We’ll probably never know what provoked the attack.” he told the Associated Press, “The boy had grown up with the dog.”

A CBS6 broadcast said investigators saw no signs of parental negligence, and the boy was their only child. No charges against the parents were filed. The dog was euthanised Monday.

Sheriff Feldman stressed there were no similarities or connection with an earlier case of an elderly woman killed in an attack by 3 pit bulls in the nearby county of Spotsylvania just over a month ago.

How Funeral Pre Planning In Forest Hill Eases Burdens

Author:  |  Category: Dog Rescue

byAlma Abell

Pre-planning a funeral can be one of the most loving things that a person does for their family. Nothing can eliminate the grief that follows the death of a loved one, but it is possible to take away some unnecessary problems. Professionals such as Evans Funeral Chapel and Cremation Services assist with Pre-planning in Forest Hill, in order to make their clients’ final wishes known, lift financial burdens, and more.

Many senior citizens who choose Pre-planning in Forest Hill want to ensure that their survivors’ inheritances are not reduced by funeral costs. Clients of any age often contact funeral professionals, who help them prepay and design services around their wishes and budgets. These experts offer a range of packages that can include cosmetology, a casket, viewing, services, burial, and more. Clients can also choose arrangements that are as simple as a cremation with no services.

The time immediately following a death can be traumatic, especially since loved ones often have to make important decisions very quickly. Pre-planning eliminates this burden, since funeral professionals will immediately begin to take necessary steps, according to their clients’ wishes. The process can help avoid the family fights that can occur when no instructions are left and everyone has a different idea of what the deceased wanted.

Many people arrange and pay for their own services because they have very definite ideas about what their services should be like. Some choose unusual arrangements, in unorthodox places. They may want to pre-order a specific casket design, flowers, music, and programs. Funeral professionals specialize in carrying out client wishes to the letter. They will design funerals that range from basic cremation to elaborate church services. Pre-planning also allows clients to notify funeral directors of their affiliations with the military or organizations. These may qualify them for military burial, honor guards, or other special tributes.

Pre-planning funerals is often a way that people show their love for family members. When they arrange and pay for their own services, they save loved ones many financial and emotional burdens that can follow death. Pre-planning is also a way for people to ensure that they have exactly the funerals they want.

GNOME to be Ubuntu’s default desktop environment, Canonical to stop investing in Ubuntu Phone

Author:  |  Category: Uncategorized

Saturday, April 8, 2017

On Wednesday, Mark Shuttleworth, founder of the Ubuntu operating system, announced the open source OS will end its ties with the Unity8 desktop environment and that Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (Long Term Service) will be shipped with the GNOME desktop environment by default. Unity has been Ubuntu’s default desktop environment since it was released six years ago in 2011.

In his blog post, Shuttleworth explained growth of products are decided by the market and the community. Canonical, Ltd., the software company behind Ubuntu, could not gain investors from Unity8, Ubuntu Phone and the convergence shell. Instead, they are shifting their Ubuntu focus on to cloud and IoT (Internet of Things), which Shuttleworth notes finds application in “auto, robotics, networking, and machine learning”.

Canonical — after making controversial desktop environment Unity the default — launched their own smartphone in 2013, called Ubuntu Edge, with a crowd funding campaign target of US$32 million but could not cross the US$13 million mark. A couple of years later, Canonical partnered with bq, Fairphone and Meizu to launch Ubuntu phones. Unity worked for Ubuntu phones but did not perform well in the global market. “I’m not giving up! I will do my best to keep Ubuntu touch and Unity8 standing on both it’s[sic] legs!”, Ubports’ developer Marius Gripsgård posted on his Google+ profile on Wednesday.

“The choice, ultimately, is to invest in the areas which are contributing to the growth of the company”, Shuttleworth wrote in the blog. Following this announcement, GNOME tweeted, “Welcome back Canonical! Ubuntu 18.04 LTS to ship with GNOME by default!”.

Currently, Ubuntu is available in various desktop environments like Ubuntu GNOME (GNOME), Ubuntu MATE (MATE), Xubuntu (XFCE), Kubuntu (KDE Plasma), Lubuntu (LXDE) and Ubuntu Budgie (Budgie), though Unity remains the default for the upcoming version, 17.04 (Zesty Zapus).

Smoke from massive warehouse fire in Buffalo, New York USA can be seen 40 miles away

Author:  |  Category: Uncategorized

Monday, May 14, 2007

Buffalo, New York —A massive warehouse complex of at least 5 buildings caught on fire in Buffalo, New York on 111 Tonawanda Street, sending a plume of thick, jet black colored smoke into the air that could be seen as far away as 40 miles.

As of 6:40 a.m., the fire was under control, and firefighters were attempting to stop it from spreading, but could not get to the center of the fire because of severe amounts of debris. Later in the morning, the fire was extinguished.

“The fire is mostly under debris at this point. It’s under control, but it’s under some debris. We really can’t get to it. We’re just going to have to keep on pouring water on it so it doesn’t spread,” said Thomas Ashe, the fire chief for the North Buffalo based fire division who also added that at one point, at least 125 firefighters were on the scene battling the blaze. One suffered minor injures and was able to take himself to the hospital to seek medical attention.

Shortly after 8:00 p.m. as many as 3 explosions rocked the warehouse sending large mushroom clouds of thick black smoke into the air. After the third explosion, heat could be felt more than 100 feet away. The fire started in the front, one story building then quickly spread to three others, but fire fighters managed to stop the flames from spreading onto the 3 story building all the way at the back.

According to a Buffalo Police officer, who wished not to be named, the fire began at about 7:00 p.m. [Eastern time], starting as a one alarm fire. By 8:00 p.m., three fire companies were on the scene battling the blaze. Police also say that a smaller fire was reported in the same building on Saturday night, which caused little damage.

At the start of the fire, traffic was backed up nearly 4 miles on the 198 expressway going west toward the 190 Interstate and police had to shut down the Tonawanda street exit because the road is too close to the fire.

At one point, traffic on the 198 was moving so slow, at least a dozen people were seen getting out of their cars and walking down the expressway to watch the fire. That prompted as many as 10 police cars to be dispatched to the scene to force individuals back into their cars and close off one of the 2 lanes on the westbound side.

One woman, who wished not to be named as she is close to the owner of the warehouse, said the building is filled with “classic cars, forklifts, and money” and that owner “does not have insurance” coverage on the property. The building is not considered abandoned, but firefighters said that it is vacant.

Officials in Fort Erie, Ontario were also swamped with calls to fire departments when the wind blew the smoke over the Niagra River and into Canada.

It is not known what caused the fire, but a car is suspected to have caught on fire and there are reports from police and hazmat crews, that there were also large barrels of diesel fuel being stored in one building. Firefighters say the cause of the blaze is being treated as “suspicious.” The ATF is investigating the fire and will bring dogs in to search the debris.

Iran’s morality police crack down on un-Islamic dress

Author:  |  Category: Uncategorized

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

The Iranian police forces have faced criticism from Ayatollah Hashemi Shahrudi, the head of the judiciary who was appointed by Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, for their re-invigorated campaign to do away with un-Islamic dress.

Ayatollah Shahroudi proclaimed, “Tough measures on social problems will backfire and have counter-productive effects.” Others have, of course, made it clear that un-Islamic dress can lead to moral corruption, engender innumerable vices, and hurt the Islamic character of the nation.

Some believe that no one had any issue with the creation of an Islamic atmosphere. The core of the matter revolves around the implementation of the Islamic dress code; additionally, heavy-handed measures should be shunned. For instance, Mehdi Ahmadi, information head of Tehran’s police, told Al Jazeera: “Some citizens may complain about the way the law is being enforced but they all agree with the plan itself.”

According to one student, “You simply can’t tell people what to wear. They don’t understand that use of force only brings hatred towards them, not love.” Nevertheless, Hojatoll-Islam Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, Iran’s interior minister who is in charge of policing, prognosticated positive feedback from the populace when he said, “People are unhappy with the social and moral status of the society. They expect that the fight against social insecurity be properly implemented.” Thus, Hujjat al-Islam Pour-Mohammadi re-iterated the necessity of proper implementation and methodology towards the restoration of morality in the Islamic Republic. Islamic officials and religious people affirm that this is indispensable to promote righteousness, curb sin, and bring open sinners to justice.

Following the Islamic Revolution in 1979, hijab became mandatory in Iran for every woman including foreigners after over 98% of citizens voted for an Islamic government. Women may face caning up to 74 strokes for failing to observe hejab. In this recent crackdown, the authorities have arrested many citizens throughout the country. Not only have women been taken into custody for their hair being uncovered on their foreheads and tight clothes that show body shapes, For men they need to cover from knee to their waist as according to Sharia Even a foreign journalist was detained because the photograph on her press card was indecent.

It has not been clear whence the directive for the re-newed clampdown emanated. Some have blamed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad while Gholam Hossein Elham, the government spokesman, stated to reporters, “The police work as agents of the judiciary to confront crimes. The government as an executive body does not interfere in the affairs of the judiciary.” The following pre-election speech seems to corroborate this latter statement:

In reality, is the problem of our people the shape of the hair of our children? Let our children arrange their hair any way they wish. It doesn’t concern me and you. Let you and me overhaul the basic problems of the nation. The government should fix the economy of the nation and improve its atmosphere…[It should] better psychological security and support the people. People have variegated tastes. As if now the arch obstacle of our nation is the arrangement of our kids’ hair and the government disallowing them <He chuckles>. Is this the government’s responsibility? Is this the people’s merit? In actuality, this is the denigration of our people. Why do you underestimate and belittle the people? It is the real issue of our nation that one of our daughters donned a certain dress? Is this the issue of our nation and the problem of our nation?

3 Basic Deck Design Elements}

Author:  |  Category: Construction

3 Basic Deck Design Elements

by

Richard Vande SompelDecks are no longer simple rectangles located at the rear of a home. Homeowners are utilizing three basic deck design elements in creating outdoor living spaces that will meet the needs and tastes of their occupants.

The ideal deck should not blend completely in with the house but at the same time it should not be shockingly different. Three elements to consider when designing a deck to match with a house and yard are mass, shape and color.

A deck’s visual mass is not just a function of its actual size. Constructing a deck low to the ground or utilizing railings that are low or not too heavy looking will enable the deck to recede and appear smaller. Allowing large beams to be visible, using thicker or more ornate railings as well as using wide facing boards will work to make the deck appear more massive.

In order to make the house to which the deck is attached seem less massive, plant trees or tall shrubs beside it. To increase the area of the deck without causing it to look too large for the home, plan it in such a way as to hug the house rather than just project out into the yard. The wraparound deck is an excellent choice for wrapping the deck around one or more corners making the deck seem to be an intregal part of the house rather than a solitary structure.

The shape that is chosen for the deck should be in harmony with the lines of the home. The deck alignment should be more horizontal than vertical.

Consider the overall shape of the house. An L-shaped deck can mirror that of the home. A plain looking home can be enhanced with a boldly shaped deck while a house with a confusing shape can benefit from a more simple deck shape.

Perhaps it’s time to consider a deck that is uniquely different such as one that incorporates a tree, is an island deck or even a peninsula deck.

In terms of color the traditional approach is to stain a deck to a redwood or cedar color or allow the deck to weather to its natural grey. However it might be more meaningful to consider applying a semitransparent or solid opaque stain to the deck. The advantage is twofold. The pigments in the stain will help to ptrotect the wood from the sun’s damaging utraviolet rays. But more importantly it is possible to obtain the desired color and look that will go best with the house.

In the end, the application of these three basic deck design elements will go a long way to assisting homeowners with the creation of deck designs that will fulfill their desires and tastes.

Richard Vande Sompel is a professional deck builder of 35 years and over 850

decks built and is the author of “How to Plan, Design and Build a Deck from Start to Finish”. To Discover More AboutDeck Design

and Claim your 2

FREE Deck Plans, Insider Report, MP3 Audio and discover everything to know about building a deck visit: DeckBuildingRevealed.com

Article Source:

eArticlesOnline.com}

Al Sharpton speaks out on race, rights and what bothers him about his critics

Author:  |  Category: Uncategorized

Monday, December 3, 2007

At Thanksgiving dinner David Shankbone told his white middle class family that he was to interview Reverend Al Sharpton that Saturday. The announcement caused an impassioned discussion about the civil rights leader’s work, the problems facing the black community and whether Sharpton helps or hurts his cause. Opinion was divided. “He’s an opportunist.” “He only stirs things up.” “Why do I always see his face when there’s a problem?”

Shankbone went to the National Action Network’s headquarters in Harlem with this Thanksgiving discussion to inform the conversation. Below is his interview with Al Sharpton on everything from Tawana Brawley, his purported feud with Barack Obama, criticism by influential African Americans such as Clarence Page, his experience running for President, to how he never expected he would see fifty (he is now 53). “People would say to me, ‘Now that I hear you, even if I disagree with you I don’t think you’re as bad as I thought,'” said Sharpton. “I would say, ‘Let me ask you a question: what was “bad as you thought”?’ And they couldn’t say. They don’t know why they think you’re bad, they just know you’re supposed to be bad because the right wing tells them you’re bad.”

Contents

  • 1 Sharpton’s beginnings in the movement
  • 2 James Brown: a father to Sharpton
  • 3 Criticism: Sharpton is always there
  • 4 Tawana Brawley to Megan Williams
  • 5 Sharpton and the African-American media
  • 6 Why the need for an Al Sharpton?
  • 7 Al Sharpton and Presidential Politics
  • 8 On Barack Obama
  • 9 The Iraq War
  • 10 Sharpton as a symbol
  • 11 Blacks and whites and talking about race
  • 12 Don Imus, Michael Richards and Dog The Bounty Hunter
  • 13 Sources