the Palestinian negotiating position explained

Saeb Ereqat: Over the Years, Israel Has Gradually Withdrawn from Its Positions; Therefore, We Have No Reason to Hurry

In a June 25, 2009 interview with the Jordanian daily Al-Dustour, Palestinian Authority negotiations department head Saeb Ereqat said that the previous Israeli government, under Ehud Olmert, had offered PA President Mahmoud ‘Abbas territory equal in size to 100% of the land occupied in 1967, by means of a land swap. Ereqat explained, however, that the PA would not agree to a land swap before Israel recognized the Palestinians’ right to sovereignty over all the territory occupied in 1967. He added that there had been a steady erosion in Israel’s position over the years, to the point that it had recently offered the Palestinians 100% of the territory; therefore, the Palestinians had no reason to rush into accepting the Israeli proposals. He stressed that the Right of Return and monetary compensation for the refugees were not mutually exclusive, and that the Palestinians would insist on receiving both.

Addressing the issue of Hamas, he said that nobody was asking it to recognize Israel, but that any government in which Hamas was a partner would have to recognize Israel and the commitments undertaken by the PLO.

Ereqat stated further that the Palestinians were acting in full coordination with Jordan and keeping it informed of all Israeli proposals and of their replies to these proposals. Regarding Iran, he said that it did not pose a threat, as was frequently claimed.

via MEMRI: Latest News.

Ontario banning use of handheld devices while driving

The Ontario Legislature has just passed a law banning use of handheld devices to talk, e-mail or send text messages. Expected to go into effect this Fall, the law allows hands-free use of such devices. Ontario will join Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nova Scotia in banning use of handheld devices while you drive. That means mp3 players and GPS devices not mounted to your dash are also included, not just cell phones.

via How drivers can avoid getting a ticket for using a cell phone.

Apple Touchscreen Netbook to Launch in October at $800?

Taiwanese news site InfoTimes reports [translation] that Apple is slated to debut its long-rumored netbook this October. Taiwanese companies Foxconn, Wintek, and Dynapack have reportedly received orders from Apple related to the manufacturing of the new device.

The report notes that Apple is looking to adopt a 9.7-inch touchscreen for the new netbook, slightly smaller than the 10.1- or 10.2-inch screens typically used at the large end of the netbook range.

Because Apple will adopt touch screen technology on its netbooks, Apple will not target low-end consumers, avoiding direct competition with Acer, Asus, as well as their less-than-500-dollars netbooks. Apple’s netbook (or a “tablet” as many call it,) will probably be sold at around $800 USD each.

Apple has repeatedly stated that although it has been looking at the growing netbook market, it is not interested in releasing a low-end netbook product that produces an inferior user experience as current products do. Other sources have recently “confirmed” that an Apple netbook is in the works, but claim that it will not arrive until 2010.

via Apple Touchscreen Netbook to Launch in October at $800? – Mac Rumors.

Marc Faber gets stimulated

Dr. Marc Faber concluded his monthly bulletin (June 2008) with the Following:

“The federal government is sending each of us a $600 rebate. If we spend that money at Wal-Mart, the money goes to China. If we spend it on gasoline it goes to the Arabs. If we buy a computer/Software it will go to India. If we purchase fruit and vegetables it will go to Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala. If we purchase a good car it will go to Germany. If we purchase useless crap it will go to Taiwan and none of it will help the American economy. The only way to keep that money here at home is to spend it on prostitutes and beer, since these are the only products still produced in US. I’ve been doing my part.”

via Marc Faber – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Honda confirms production of CR-Z, Fit Hybrid in 2010

Honda CR-Z Concept – Click above for a high-res image gallery

Honda has confirmed what’s been suspected for some time: the Honda CR-Z is coming next year and the Fit Hybrid will be released in late 2010.

The brief press release (below the fold) touts the two hybrids as the latest expansion of the automaker’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system, along with its focus on highly efficient, lightweight and compact conveyances.

The CR-Z, a sporty hybrid inspired by the CRX and unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2007, will go on sale in Japan this February, with the Fit Hybrid hitting shores across the Pacific later next year. Honda hasn’t explicitly announced whether the two models will be available in the States, but we’d expect a formal announcement when the production CR-Z and Fit Hybrid debut at the Tokyo Motor Show this October.

via BREAKING: Honda confirms production of CR-Z, Fit Hybrid in 2010.

BBC Policy to Stifle Global Warming Science

BBC anchor Peter Sissons, who announced his retirement last month, has gone public with his criticism of BBC reporting standards, saying that political correctness now rules. As reported in the Daily Mail, he stated that “it is now ‘effectively BBC policy’ to stifle critics of the consensus view on global warming.”

“I believe I am one of a tiny number of BBC interviewers who have so much as raised the possibility that there is another side to the debate on climate change. The Corporation’s most famous interrogators invariably begin by accepting that “the science is settled”, when there are countless reputable scientists and climatologists producing work that says it isn’t. But it is effectively BBC policy… that those views should not be heard.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1199104/Peter-Sissons-BBC-standa…

via Energy Probe – Nuclear Power, Utility Reform.

Buddy, Can You Spare $5 Trillion?

I have been writing for months that I don’t think the US can find $2 trillion dollars this year and then come back to the well for another $1.5 trillion next year without serious disruption in the markets. Where do you find that much money when all the rest of the world also wants to borrow massive amounts? How much are we talking about? The friendly folks at Hayman actually spent the time to add it all up. This is not a comforting graph.

The graph shows the US will need to issue $3 trillion in debt. “Wait,” I asked, “I thought it was only 1.85” The answer is that the number has grown to almost $2 trillion (as I wrote it would). Then you need to add in off-budget items like TARP, state and municipal debt, etc. Pretty soon it adds up to another trillion. All told, Hayman estimates that the world will need to find $5.3 trillion in NEW government financing. Never mind the needs of corporations or individuals or commercial mortgages, etc.

I am still trying to get my head around this. Let’s hopefully assume that they made a mistake and it is “only” $4 trillion. Where do you find that kind of money in a global deleveraging recession?

The World Bank says that total world GDP in 2008 was $60 trillion (http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DATASTATISTICS/Resources/GDP.pdf).

That means we need to find almost 9% of world GDP to fund the new government debt. Gentle reader, this is a serious problem. And now the next chart. Remove sharp objects or take another drink. This one is titled “The Potential Shortage of Capital to Fund Treasuries.” They take into account the need for corporate borrowing, new corporate equity issuance, real estate debt, capital inflows and outflows, household savings, etc.

Bottom line? There is simply not enough available capital under current conditions to do it all. Something has to give. More household savings? More foreign investment (flight to safety, as the rest of the world looks even worse)? Reduced corporate borrowing and thus less GDP growth? Higher rates to attract more foreign and US investment?

The combinations are infinite, but none of them bode well. Increased household savings means less consumer spending. To attract more foreign investment (in the amounts that will be needed) will mean higher rates. And this is 2009. What happens in 2010? And 2011?

One trillion dollars is 7% of US GDP. And we will be running trillion-dollar deficits for a very long time.

Thoughts from the Frontline.

nanotechnology to create next-generation biomedical therapies

By manipulating matter at less than a billionth of a meter, MIT scientists are using nanotechnology to create next-generation biomedical therapies that hold enormous promise and peril for Minnesota’s medical device industry. Experts say nanotechnology holds particular promise for biomedical devices including targeted drug delivery, imaging and diagnostic tools, and tissue regeneration

via A promising niche for nanotech.

Iranian Ayatollah Montazeri Issues Fatwa Against the Regime

On July 11, 2009, the liberal Iranian website www.khandaniha.eu published a fatwa by Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, the most senior contemporary Shi’ite cleric. The fatwa was issued in response to a series of queries submitted to him by Iranian intellectual and cleric Mohsen Kadivar, pertaining to the legitimacy of the current Iranian government.

“A regime that uses clubs, oppression, aggression against [the people’s] rights, injustice, rigged elections, murder, arrests, and medieval or Stalin-era torture, [a regime that] gags and censors the press, obstructs the media, imprisons intellectuals and elected leaders on false allegations or forced confessions…  – [such a regime] is despicable and has no religious merit…

“The proud people of Iran know very well exactly how authentic [the detainees’] confessions are; they are like [confessions obtained] by fascist and communist regimes. The nation knows that the false confessions and televised interviews were obtained from its imprisoned sons with threats and torture, and that their aim is to cover up the oppression and injustice, and to [present a] distorted [image] of the people’s peaceful and legal protest…

“The state belongs to the people. It is neither my property nor yours… When the Shah heard the voice of the people’s revolution, it was already too late [for him]. It is to be hoped that the people in charge [today] will not let [themselves] reach the same situation, but will become more amenable to the nation’s demands, and as soon as possible…

MEMRI