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Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
In today's edition:
- Controversial Archbishop Gets Excommunicated
- Post-9/11: Back to the Way We Were, Says NYC Radio Personality
- Investigation into Violence and Destroyed Churches in Nigerian Town Continues
- Ministry Calls for Prayer, Fasting on Behalf of Human Trafficking
Controversial Archbishop Gets Excommunicated
The Christian Post reports that Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo, the Zambian prelate who already had angered the Vatican by getting married in 2001, has been excommunicated for again defying the Holy See by installing four married men as bishops, the Vatican said Tuesday. The Vatican said Milingo, 76, was "automatically excommunicated" under church law for the ordination of the men a few days earlier. The Archdiocese of Washington said Sunday that the installations were not valid. Even before his marriage, Catholic officials accused Milingo of promoting African indigenous beliefs by performing mass exorcisms and healing ceremonies.
Post-9/11: Back to the Way We Were, Says NYC Radio Personality
A long-time Christian radio personality in New York City says in many cases the city has reverted to its post-9/11 spiritual climate, AgapePress reports. In the months immediately following the terrorist attacks in 2001, churches throughout the greater New York City area reported overflow crowds. Now, according to George Flores of WMCA 570 and 970 AM, many people in the area are indifferent to spiritual matters. "A lot of people are escaping. They don't want to contend with the fact that we are at war, they don't want to contend with the bad memory of the pain that they might have felt back on [September 11, 2001]," Flores shares. Flores, who has worked in Christian radio in the New York area for more than two decades, detects a complacency regarding Christianity. "There is a strong, strong spine to America," he says, "but still part of me thinks there's a lot of America that's attempting to just [think] 'maybe this will go away.'" But that is not realistic, he adds. "I don't see the same level of faith nor the same level of patriotism that I saw immediately after the attack."
Investigation into Violence and Destroyed Churches in Nigerian Town Continues
Investigations are still ongoing for arson fires set by Muslim mobs last week in the northern Nigerian town of Dutse, ASSIST News Service reports. The rioting and fires damaged up to 70 structures, including churches, homes, and Christian businesses, said a Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) leader. The attacks came when already tense relations between Muslims and Christians in the capital of Jigawa were stressed further by comments made by Pope Benedict XVI during his Regensburg address earlier in the month. Benedict quoted criticism of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad by 14th century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus. The Pope has since issued a statement to say that he had never meant to offend Islam. However, demonstrations and violence by some Muslims have been ongoing worldwide. Nigerian authorities believe the trouble in Dutse was started as the result of a Christian market trader insulting the Prophet Muhammad in the presence of a Muslim customer, according to a BBC news service report. However, the cause for the rioting and fires may be a combination of the two events.
Ministry Calls for Prayer, Fasting on Behalf of Human Trafficking
A Family News in Focus story says it's been estimated that there are about 27 million people suffering in slavery around the world, including forced labor and the sex trade. Now, the Salvation Army has suggested a course of action beyond establishing tighter laws - a weekend of prayer and fasting. Lisa Thompson with the Army says the problem is too large to depend on human solutions alone. Human trafficking is now the second largest criminal enterprise in the world just behind the drug trade. "We're asking people to organize themselves and to pray and to fast," Thompson said. "We have produced a prayer guide that people can request from us." Additionally, Dr. Jeff Barrows with the Christian Medical and Dental Association says some U.S. companies are selling products produced by slaves. "It is an issue that I think we, as Christians, need to be careful about to be sure that we're following up on these news reports to see if they're valid and if so, to change our buying habits."


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The Bears may not have quarterback Jay Cutler's back, but wife Kristin Cavallari certainly does.
The former starlet of "The Hills" fame shared a supportive message to her spouse Tuesday on Instagram.
"He's baaaaack! Maybe a couple weeks before he's supposed to be but good luck this week, babe. Kick some Vikings-ass," she wrote.
Cavallari's vote of confidence may boost Cutler's self-esteem as the embattled quarterback suits up Monday for the first time since Week 2, when he was sidelined with a right thumb injury. Bears head coach John Fox made no promises about Cutler's job security upon his return, but Cutler knows he's the only option after backup Brian Hoyer went out with a broken arm.
"He doesn't have a choice, I guess, at this point," Cutler said Tuesday, according to the Chicago Tribune. "Brian is out, so I've got to go. I've had good conversations with Foxy this week, last week, the week before. There's never been any strain in our relationship. We're both very open and honest, and we're on the same page. We just want to win football games."
The Bears (1-6) are currently in last place in the NFC North, and Cutler's future in Chicago remains a question mark. The Bears can shed his contract this offseason — technically, there's $62.7 million remaining through 2020 — with little of the money counting against their salary cap.
"Anytime you have a backup quarterback — and to Brian's credit, he played well," Cutler said. "I think as a team, we wish we would have won some more of those ballgames. But Brian went in there and did a great job. My discussions with everybody that I have relationships with in here were positives, and whenever I was ready to go, I'd be ready to go."

subset: commoncrawl


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Emmett Brown
my voice is deep, sultry smooth and classic
English (North American), English
North American
Middle Aged
Special Skills
Audiobooks, Business, Cartoons, Documentaries, Educational, Internet, Jingles, Movie Trailers, Music, Podcasting, Radio, Telephone, Television, Videogames
Service Description
my voice can bring depth to your project and grab the attention of an audience.
Payment Terms
Hire Emmett as a voice actor. Payment is made through Voices.com SurePay, an escrow service that guarantees your work is done to your satisfaction. Send payment securely by Visa, Mastercard or PayPal through Voices.com then download your files from the website.
Watch a video to see how to make a payment
Next Steps
To contact Emmett Brown about your project, request a quote today. We'll walk you through the process step-by-step. It's fast and easy.
This talent has not uploaded any demos yet.
Hire Emmett Brown as a voice actor. Working with Emmett Brown is fast and easy. We'll walk you through the process step-by-step.
Request a quote for your project today.


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mereloko (03-26-2009),ronnieswain123 (03-26-2009),tobseNN (03-27-2009)
Well, I was one of the idiots who ran the program, but I have no virus because I scanned computer with 2 antiviruses. If u did download, I suggest you start now!!! Do it before you put important INFO!!!
download as many antiviruses and scan now before u go gnargle gnargle gnargle.
mereloko (03-26-2009),ronnieswain123 (03-26-2009),tobseNN (03-27-2009)
Some recommended viruses are
Trend Micro HiJacker that
Comodo Internet security
ronnieswain123 (03-26-2009)
Super anti spyware by simplysoft and trojanremover 6.7.
SAS is a fully free program and there are cracked versions or TR all over torrent sites like Piratebay.com (if that is advertising let me know and i will remove it.
I have been using these 2 programs for a long time and they are amazing. In fact they are the only ones I know of that can completely clean the Zango and 180Solutions viruses.
lol i have the onecare so im good with my firewall
Nod32 and SpyBot S&D ftw =D
I don't see how people get enjoyment out of fucking up peoples machines
Rough childhood hm


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Parsons Car Insurance
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303 First St, Parsons, WV 26287
(304) 478-3001
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101 Chestnut St, Parsons, WV 26287
(304) 478-3641
Foremost, Nationwide
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118 Davis St, Parsons, WV 26287
(304) 478-3464
State Farm
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(304) 636-0364
Nationwide, Titan, Victoria
Auto, home, business, life, health. Affordable rates, monthly payment plans.
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104 3rd St, Elkins, WV 26241
(304) 636-1680
Encompass, Motorists, Safeco, The Hartford
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300 Railroad Ave, Elkins, WV 26241
(304) 636-4843
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(304) 636-2300
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(304) 636-0899
MetLife Auto & Home, Nationwide
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Find Affordable Auto Insurance
Many people overpay for auto insurance. Here are a few ways to get a cheap rate.
• Get quotes regularly. Your rates should go down over time as your car or truck depreciates and your driving record improves. If not, negotiate a lower rate, or get quotes from other companies.
• Compare quotes accurately. Rates can vary greatly depending on the level of coverage offered. When comparing rates, make sure that the insurance offered is equivalent. Keep in mind that state minimum insurance may not protect you completely.
• Discuss your options. Talk with an agent to determine if collision, comprehensive, or personal injury protection are a good value. Individual insurance needs vary greatly.


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Grant to help protect Yampa
June 14, 2005
A package of grants worth more than $200,000 has been awarded to help protect the Yampa River corridor.
The Colorado Conservation Trust announced the award Tuesday, the first package grant awarded this calendar year.
"Over the last decade, Routt County has been a leader in promoting private, voluntary land conservation," said Will Shafroth, executive director of the Colorado Conservation Trust. "But significant challenges remain. We at CCT are proud to support the local efforts to preserve the rich heritage of this special place."
The $206,000 package grant is divided among five projects, with the bulk of the funds going to two efforts to protect land along the Yampa River corridor.
The city of Steamboat Springs is receiving $100,000 to help protect one of the last parcels needed to conserve the river corridor through the city. Of those funds, $50,000 is coming from The Kettering Family Foundation.
"We very much appreciate the generosity of the Colorado Conservation Trust and the Kettering Family Foundation and thank them for recognizing the importance of the city's initiative to protect part of the Yampa River corridor for open space and public access," said Paul Strong, president of the Steamboat Springs City Council.
Recommended Stories For You
The Nature Conservancy is receiving a $75,000 challenge grant to help purchase a conservation easement on 1,281 acres of Wolf Mountain Ranch, a 22,000-acre ranch northeast of Hayden.
The purchase is part of an overall goal to protect 1,800 acres, which will be funded partially by an $885,000 grant from Great Outdoors Colorado.
Eventually, The Nature Cons-ervancy hopes to protect a larger portion of the ranch.
"We are so excited that the Colorado Conservation Trust has supported this project," said Ann Oliver, Yampa River Project director for The Nature Conservancy. The private funds the trust is providing are "invaluable" in leveraging other public funds, she said.
The property has scenic value, because anyone driving along U.S. Highway 40 sees the ridge and supports grouse populations and ranching operations, Oliver said. It also includes a 102-acre island in the Yampa River that supports bald eagles, sandhill cranes and cottonwood forest.
Of the remaining funds, $15,000 has been designated for polling and outreach efforts to reauthorize the Routt County Purchase of Development Rights program; up to $10,000 to analyze the potential of a transferable development rights program in Routt County; and $6,000 to complete a survey and analysis on economic benefits and open space and agricultural lands in Routt County.
Providing grants to several groups should help meet the overall goal of protecting the river corridor, which is critical at this time.
"The Yampa River is one of the most hydrologically and biologically intact river systems in the West," Shafroth said. "Increasing development threatens to overtake the ranches, open spaces and the river corridor."
Last year, the Colorado Cons-ervation Trust awarded about $750,000 in package grants to several areas. The funds the trust awards come from private donors, many of who prefer to be anonymous. This is the first time the Yampa Valley area has received a grant from the trust.
Since 2000, the trust has awarded more than $10 million for land conservation and has helped protect more than 30,000 acres through the state.
There is no formal application process for the private dollars. Rather, the Colorado Cons-ervation Trust does conservation assessments in communities across the state through which it gathers information from local conservation groups, then it determines how to help.


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Nestled within Talkeetna Mountain peaks surrounding Hatcher's Pass, Independence Mine represents a different era in Alaska's History. Gold brought thousands of pioneers to the wilderness of Alaska to mine and pan for this valuable resource. Independence Mine, once a bustling district of activity, has been preserved in order for the public to view the remains of this small mining town. Tours of the mines, houses, and schools are available to see into life in a mining camp.
Gold was discovered in the rivers of the Willow Creek Valley in 1886, but the first claim to mines did not appear until 1906 when Robert Lee Hatcher discovered and claimed the first lode gold mine. Independence Mine was formed when two mines, The Alaska Free Gold Mine on Skyscraper Mountain and Independence Mine on Granite Mountain, were bought by the Alaska-Pacific Consolidated Mining Company (APC) in 1938. APC then became the largest mining manufacturer in the Willow Creek Mining District, holding 83 mining claims spread over a 1,350 acre area. In 1941, Independence Mine was at the height of it operating, but in 1943, a wartime ban ordered the close of the mine. Although the ban was lifted in 1946, gold mining in Independence Mine was never able to fully recover to the state it had once achieved and in 1951 the mine closed after extracting nearly $6 million in gold.
Today, Independence Mine State Historical Park offers a wide variety of activities for you to enjoy. Learn about the life of miners and mining techniques in the museum, take an independent or guided tour of the camp, or pan for gold in one of the many streams and rivers flowing through the area. Hike up to one of the mining shafts and look down upon the Matanuska Valley. Independence Mine is a fun, educational destination and presents an opportunity to take a glimpse into the past.


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We have updated our Privacy Policy and encourage you to read it by clicking here.
As I noted previously, the machines don't forget. I was reminded by what I saw today:
1. Jennifer Granholm became Michigan's first female governor in 2003 -- but her 1978 experience on the TV show "The Dating Game" re-appeared recently!
2. In the U.S., law enforcement can read any email more than 6 months old on request. No warrant needed.
3. In the U.S., law enforcement can use cell phone tracking on request.
As curse #2 says: "May you come to the attention of powerful people." And if you're not interesting now, your past may be sometime...


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NBA Basketball - Preview
The Denver Nuggets and the Orlando Magic will both be trying to pick up a win on Friday when they battle at Amway Center.
Last time out for Denver, they were an 84-75 loser as they battled the 76ers on the road. The Nuggets failed to cover in the match as a 2-point favorite, while 159 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors.
Last time out for Orlando, they were a 105-87 loser as they battled the Pacers on the road. The Magic failed to cover in the match as a 10-point underdog, while 192 combined points moved the game OVER for totals bettors.
Next up:
Denver at Miami, Saturday, November 3
Orlando home to Phoenix, Sunday, November 4


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Wahey! It's my stop today on the Epiphany Jones blog tour and I'm so excited to be able to share an extract of this debut novel by Michael Grothaus. It's a psychological thriller laced with dark comedy and an emotional core. Grothaus has used his skills and experiences as a journalist who spent years researching sex trafficking as a springboard for his debut.
I'll be giving away a copy of the book to one lucky winner, so be sure to enter the competition. (Entry details at the bottom of this page.) But first, here's what it's about:
A man with a consuming addiction. A woman who talks to God.
And the secret connection that could destroy them both…
Jerry has a traumatic past that leaves him subject to psychotic hallucinations and depressive episodes. When he stands accused of stealing a priceless Van Gogh painting, he goes underground, where he develops an unwilling relationship with a woman who believes that the voices she hears are from God. Involuntarily entangled in the illicit world of sex-trafficking amongst the Hollywood elite, and on a mission to find redemption for a haunting series of events from the past, Jerry is thrust into a genuinely shocking and outrageously funny quest to uncover the truth and atone for historical sins.
Here's a bit of chapter 2:
I wake feeling like I haven't slept.
The TV mutely plays an episode of Mr Ed. Wilbur and the talking horse are in astronaut suits. It's the one where Mr Ed tries to convince Wilbur that they can build a ship to the moon. And why not? If your horse can talk, it sure as hell can build a space shuttle.
I reach for a balled-up dirty sock on the floor and spy a lone yellow pill sunk into the carpet next to it. So I do have one leg. I really should take it.
I really should do my laundry, too. Tomorrow. Both tomorrow.
I stumble into the kitchen and grab the box of cereal with a white cartoon rabbit on the front. e microwave clock shows just how little time I have. I spoon my breakfast into my mouth, but by the time I get to the museum I'm still twenty minutes late. e moment I step into the Grey Room my boss starts complaining.
'I need that Chagall done by eleven.'
'Sorry, Sir. I was jerking off till five in the morning,' would be the honest thing to say. But this guy, he probably hasn't got it up in twenty years. He wouldn't understand.
'Sorry, missed the bus.'
'Today is the last time you miss the bus. Understand? By eleven,' he orders and walks back into his office.
I turn on the Mac. It's got a grey desktop that perfectly matches the grey walls and grey everything else in this room. No wonder I'm depressed.
I'm a Colour Imaging 'Specialist' for the Art Institute of Chicago.
It's my job to make sure all the paintings you see in those art appreciation textbooks nobody could give a damn less about have accurate colour representation – so the periwinkle blues actually look periwinkle blue and the Venetian reds, Venetian red.
And let's get something straight about my title. There's nothing 'special' about me. Nowadays companies will throw 'specialist' or 'consultant' into any job description. It's their way of tricking you into thinking you're important.
But a 'specialist' is one step above a peon and a thousand levels below anyone who matters.
Same thing goes for all you 'consultants'. Let's be real, you don't advise your company about anything. You're a salesman. You're Willy Loman and you've already got one foot in the grave.
'Hey, buddy,' Roland calls out before he's even in the room. 'Here're more negatives for that Chagall. Donald wants them by eleven, I think.'
No joke.
'Thanks,' I say, powering on the scanner. Roland looks like a failed male porn star: a little too old, a little too thin, a little too boney. Most disturbing though is that he shaves his arms every day. He does this so everyone can clearly see his stupid sleeve tattoo, which runs from his wrist to his elbow. And I swear to God, I've never seen him without his shirt sleeves rolled up.
'Hey, you want to see it?' Roland asks with the excitement of a twelve-year-old who's just found his father's nudies.
'They've brought it to you?'
Roland grins.
'I can't. I've got to get this done.'
Roland shakes his head. 'Check it out with me. It'll take five minutes.' My sleep-deprived mind doesn't have the power to argue, so I follow him down the hall to his photo studio. What would normally be a thirty-second walk takes minutes because of all the plastic sheeting and disassembled scaffolding in the hall. is whole wing is a mess because of the renovation of the museum. e whole time I'm glancing over my shoulder to see if Donald is going to storm out and bust me. The whole time Roland keeps jabbering about 'It', his voice wriggling through the sludge in my head like a tapeworm.
And when we finally get to his studio there it is, on an easel, just like it probably was a hundred and ten years ago. It's small: eleven inches by eight inches.
'Careful!' Roland shouts. He's caught a tripod I bumped into. 'That's ten million dollars right there.'
That's all I need. Donald would end me if I damaged a painting.
The tripod, it's this old thing from the seventies. The MiniDV camera makes it top heavy. Its plastic legs are fractured in places. Anything heavier than the camcorder would snap it.
The way Roland is looking at me, he's wondering how I get through each day.
'Why don't you get the museum to get you a decent one?' I say.
'I've tried,' Roland answers like I shouldn't have even needed to ask. 'The renovation is cutting budgets from every department.'
The thing with Roland, he's friends with my mom, and that's where he gets it. Everything he says to me has a 'you should know this' inflection to it.
Roland's desk is cluttered with fading ash screens, digital-camera card-readers, a week-old Sun-Times and books on outdated versions of Photoshop. But at least he's got a fairly new Mac. The one they make me work on barely gets by. Sticking out from under a pile of old prints is a Hollywood Reporter with a picture of Penelope Cruz on the cover. And out of the corner of my eye Roland is giving me a pompous smirk. He pretends to himself that he knows what I'm thinking.
That's all for now 🙂 It flows so well, doesn't it?!
Be sure to check out the other stops on the Epiphany Jones blog tour.
Giveaway details
Want to win a copy of Epiphany Jones? It's simple. All you have to do is retweet this post on Twitter, or repost the picture on Instagram for your chance to win. The competition closes at 9pm GMT today! UK entrants only (sorry.)
Where to buy
Get your copy of Epiphany Jones on Amazon UK | Amazon US | Waterstones
Are you following?
You can keep up to date with Michael Grothaus by following him on Twitter @michaelgrothaus, or visit his website michaelgrothaus.com


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Mar Menor contains a small sea that is a beautiful turquoise colour, very calm and boasts a coast of 73 km where sailing is a great experience due to the good weather, the large beaches and the coves. There is a wide array flora and fauna and a few protected natural parks. Furthermore, the nearby province of Alicante is well worth a visit on your boat. So make your 2016 special and rent a boat or yacht with us and explore the lagoon, the Mediterranean, the gorgeous towns like Cartagena, Torrevieja, Alcazares (or Alcázares in Spain!), La Manga and the province of Alicante all on your one charter trip!
In la Manga you will be able to find several ports where to moor your yacht and Torrevieja and Dénia marinas are also nearby. Therefore a gulet rental in Mar Menor is the easiest and most enjoyable way to spend your holidays in 2016.
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Catamaran hire in Mar Menor Motorboat hire in Mar Menor Sailboat hire in Mar Menor


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It's oh so quiet on the world's financial markets
Yesterday, the key measure of market panic, the VIX, it hit its lowest level since 2007 - just before concerns about sub-prime loans hit the mainstream. What are the risks out there that traders might now be ignoring, asks Michael Janda.
The world's financial blood pressure is low - so low that traders are in danger of falling asleep at the wheel, and crashing heavily into the first hazard to come along.
The VIX, or volatility index, is the key measure of market panic.
It spiked rapidly to an unprecedented peak, nearly double previous highs, in the tumultuous weeks following the Lehman Brothers collapse in 2008.
In the subsequent years it has leapt periodically on European financial near-catastrophes and the August 2011 potential US debt ceiling Armageddon, avoided by the narrowest of margins well into the 11th hour.
However, since February this year, the VIX has descended into a sea of tranquillity, reflecting financial markets floating along around record highs on a mirror smooth ocean of low interest rates.
The VIX yesterday hit its lowest level since 2007 - as global share markets started peaking, and just before concerns about sub-prime loans hit the mainstream - and is near the record low set in 1993.
The two key questions to ask are: why is volatility so low and what risks are out there that traders may be ignoring?
Fed not rocking the boat
The answer to the first question is fairly clear - low rates and the promise of ongoing central bank stimulus.
Financial markets have become stimulus addicts and traders are now feeling assured of new Fed chair Janet Yellen's "dovish" credentials.
Financial markets have become stimulus addicts and, while the beginning of the US Federal Reserve's money printing "tapering" whipped up a small swell late last year and early this as the central bank also transitioned to the new leadership of Janet Yellen, traders are now feeling assured of her "dovish" credentials.
In this week's quarterly press conference, the new Fed chair satisfied investors that the end of US central bank bond buying stimulus would not be the immediate prelude to higher interest rates.
"The committee anticipates that it likely will be appropriate to maintain the current [0-0.25 per cent] target range for the federal funds rate for a considerable time after the asset purchase program ends," Yellen said.
To ram home the point, the new Fed chair emphasised that rates will stay lower for longer, even when they do eventually start edging higher.
"Once we begin to remove policy accommodation, it's the committee's current assessment that even after employment and inflation are near mandate-consistent levels economic conditions may for some time warrant keeping the target federal funds rate below levels the committee views as normal in the longer run," she added.
Translated from central banker-ese, Yellen is signalling to investors that rates will remain around historic lows, even when unemployment and price rises reach average levels.
This was an important message for traders to hear, given that both those events - unemployment and inflation hitting normal levels - are not that far off in the US.
At 6.3 per cent, the jobless rate is the lowest it's been since just after the Lehman collapse unleashed a global financial storm in late 2008.
It's still got a way to go to hit the pre-crisis lows of 4.4 per cent, but it's currently not that much higher than Australia (with our 5.8 per cent jobless rate and 2.5 per cent interest rates), and it's at the same level as the post-tech wreck peak (when US interest rates bottomed at 1 per cent, and there was no quantitative easing).
Inflation in the US, by one key measure, is already at the Fed's 2 per cent target, although it sits at 1.6 per cent by the central bank's preferred gauge.
At the same time as the Fed has effectively committed to abnormally low rates for a rapidly normalising economy, its European counterpart is about to pick up the global slack by launching into some money printing of its own.
This month, the European Central Bank (ECB) introduced negative interest rates on deposits held with it by banks, as well as pumping another 400 billion euros into its financial system to encourage lending.
Its president Mario Draghi has also strongly flagged an ECB quantitative easing program.
"The ECB had decided to intensify preparatory work related to outright purchases [of asset backed securities]," he said.
So, by the time the Fed stops printing money, probably before the end of the year, the euro's metaphorical printing presses should be running apace.
Rate risks
But the very stimulus programs and low rate commitments holding volatility down could come back to bite complacent traders.
Markets are currently pricing in interest rates well below what even the Fed itself is forecasting.
In a research note, Citi's global economists warn that markets are currently pricing in interest rates well below what even the Fed itself is forecasting.
The market pricing is currently suggesting that the US cash rate will peak at just 2.8 per cent - a percentage point below the Fed's latest forecast and well below the peak of 5.25 per cent seen between the tech wreck and GFC.
Perhaps this disconnect is because traders are more pessimistic about the economic recovery than the Fed, or because they feel the Fed's leadership will push back against any moves by other committee members to raise rates more steeply.
"Whatever the reason, it is clear to us that front end pricing could adjust violently at some point if the Fed signals a readiness to act," Citi's analysts warn.
This "violent" reaction would mean a big sell-off in riskier assets like shares and the Australian dollar, as investors move back towards a US safe haven with improving yields.
It is the threat of such a reaction that had Janet Yellen going so far out of here way to assure markets that there were no rate rises ahead, backing up Citi's conclusion that: "For now, we think the Fed will be reluctant to unleash the contents of this particular Pandora's box on the markets."
However, the Fed may have little choice if inflation continues on its upward trend and starts breaking out well above the 2 per cent target.
If it didn't act in those circumstances, it's inflation targeting credibility would be shot and hyperinflation would become a threat.
The ECB could also yet spring its own surprises.
While an inflation breakout in Europe looks even less likely than Spain's non-existent chances of retaining its football World Cup crown, the powerful German Bundesbank - well known for its extreme inflation caution due to the nation's infamous hyperinflation history - is likely to have to be dragged kicking and screaming into any money printing program.
Markets are already pricing this program in and if Draghi's money printing plans get canned, delayed or scaled back that too could send the VIX back skyward, and markets correcting away from their current record highs.
Iraqi oil a known unknown
Citi's analysts warn of another risk to the sea of calm of global markets, by the name of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
ISIS has already made significant headway towards the Iraqi capital and, while the major oilfields sit mainly to the south of the current battle zone, there is a threat that the conflict could disrupt supply.
This insurgency has already made significant headway towards the Iraqi capital and, while the major oilfields sit mainly to the south of the current battle zone, there is a threat that the conflict could disrupt supply.
The Citi report points out that global oil supply is already lower, and prices consequently higher, than most analysts forecast 6-12 months ago and that other major producers are unlikely to have the slack to pick up an Iraqi shortfall.
A further supply shock from Iraq could drive crude oil prices from current levels around $US90-110 a barrel back up towards the $US150 a barrel peak the commodity neared before the financial crisis intervened to slash demand.
Higher oil prices in a fragile economy are a recipe for recession.
"Without implying direct causation, every US recession bar one since the mid-1970s has been associated with a spike in oil prices," observed the Citi analysts.
While the crude oil price has edged higher on the spreading instability in the oil-rich Middle East, other financial markets seem to remain blissfully ignorant of the threat - most major share markets around the world are priced for perfection.
Traders are enjoying a goldilocks combination of a low inflation recovery in the world's biggest economy at the same time that they are still getting super low rates to borrow money and pump it into higher yielding investments.
Eventually, something will have to give: either the recovery will falter, or the stimulus will be removed in earnest.
That much is known.
There are plenty of known unknowns out there that could trigger either of these moves, not to mention the unknown unknowns.
A market that has priced out these risks is a very risky place to be indeed.
Michael Janda is an ABC online business reporter. View his full profile here.
Comments (13)
Comments for this story are closed.
Argus Tuft:
20 Jun 2014 4:05:04pm
"So far, so good"....... said the investor, who thought he could fly if he jumped off the top of a skyscraper....... as he fell past the second floor.
Even if you call it investing, it is sill gambling.
Just don't ask the government to bale you out if you lose your shirt.
20 Jun 2014 4:27:17pm
Governments don't bail out gamblers. Taxpayers do!
20 Jun 2014 4:54:23pm
So long as we have ZIRP, NIRP and reserve banks willing to print infinite amounts of currency, there is not much risk until, QE is overtaken by falling productivity due to resource depletion. That will probably be sometime this year or next.
20 Jun 2014 5:00:55pm
I don't know much about these indices, but I look at the graph of the American shares and have a bad feeling, just like I had in 2007, when I looked at the Australian graph and felt the rise had been too quick. From what I read about the American economy and their people on the ground I wonder where American companies make such high profits which could be sustainable to warrant this rise. Just an armchair analyst's hunch.
A.I. Eliza:
20 Jun 2014 5:20:02pm
Take GP extra payment tax, inject into 20 billion medial? investment banking stimulus, wont help the fed survive.
Nations are bailing on the petro dollar and this govt thinks our tax payers should contribute to the collapsing fed welfare state.
the yank:
20 Jun 2014 5:25:29pm
Reading the financial papers one can come up with three different possibilities.
1. We are going to hell in a hand basket.
2. She'll be right mate just slow and steady wins the day.
3. We are into blue skies the storm is all behind us.
Really the world's economy is in a state where the financial experts look like they are trying to herd cats. It seems highly unlikely that coming out of the GFC is going to go smoothly. There must be hiccups of some sort. Just way too much money washing about for some bubble or another not to be forming. The only real question is whether or not the m over and shacker's will once again drop the ball big time or manage to not do too much harm.
Take your pick guys and gals but don't say you weren't warned.
20 Jun 2014 6:27:00pm
*movers and shakers
And no need for a possessive apostrophe, either. Hello yank, nice to see you're all over this one as well.
You raise an interesting point. There will always be doom-saying Chicken Littles (note, no possessive apostrophe, because it's a neither a plural nor a contraction) who predicted seven of the last three recessions, as well as perennially optimistic Pollyannas (again, no possessive...) who see nothing but blue sky. In fact, Alan Kohler wrote in his column just before the last Federal election that whoever won would reap the benefit of a fabulous outlook for the Oz economy for years stretching out ahead of us; most unlike him to be so starry-eyed, but there you go. All we can say for certain, as Bernard Baruch famously answered to someone who asked him what the stock market would do, is that the market will "fluctuate, my boy, just fluctuate."
Tree frog:
20 Jun 2014 6:45:08pm
The GFC was a rather grevious wound however with a bit of betadine on the infection and a bandage everything seemed rosy.
Now that its time for the bandages to come off (tapering) are we suspecting that the wound is badly infected and the rosy glow is financial septicemia.
20 Jun 2014 5:41:09pm
Interestingly, one thing is missing for the usual US recession to take place: highly-geared balance sheets. US corporates are sitting on a mountain of cash, having used the years since the GFC to drastically squeeze costs, mainly labour. I'll be curious to see what they do when the downturn eventually comes. They are so fat and healthy it's almost embarrassing for them.
modus operandi:
20 Jun 2014 6:06:04pm
You miss the NGO Militia boom industry Michael.
Oil industry investment is by proxy an investment in the above.
Instability benefits oil price manipulation via either sanctions or insurgence tool and at same same boosts investment in Lethal Aid Industry profits.
20 Jun 2014 6:37:26pm
Wow, MO, very obscure and ominous..."Do not ask for who the VIX tolls, it tolls for thee." Are you saying that when Canada invests in tar sands oil extraction it benefits groups like ISIS/ISIL? Or when BP drills the Gulf of Mexico it encourages FARC, in Columbia? If so, you must have access to hitherto-hidden information and analysis. Care to share with we poor uninformed the source of your powerful and frightening insights?
Nicola :
20 Jun 2014 6:29:33pm
Thank you, Michael Janda, for foresight and objectivity, clear writing and creative expression. Time will tell if you are correct.
20 Jun 2014 6:31:04pm
"Financial markets floating along near record highs" - but not the all ords, still 1400 points below the 2007 peak. But when the inevitable next GFC comes, watch our market crash just as far as the others - decimating superannuation balances which have barely recovered from 2008.
I realize a credit crunch has global impact, but shouldn't the Australian market reflect our economy?
Comments for this story are closed.


text:
Segregation of Roma children in the education system, discrimination of people with disabilities and other human rights' issues in Slovakia were on agenda of Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, who recently visited Slovakia. The chronic, pervasive segregation of Roma children in the education system and high rates of school drop-out are matters of serious concern. On the disability front, the Commissioner welcomes the domestic legal framework against discrimination on the grounds of disability, including the ongoing legislative reform which aims to put an end to the system of plenary guardianship for persons with psycho-social and intellectual disabilities as of July 2016. But, about the adoption in 2011 of the Slovak national strategy and action plan for the deinstitutionalisation of social care services, the Commissioner is concerned that no concrete time frame has been established for the finalisation of this process. The authorities should speed up the transition from institutional to community-based services.
More info:


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Kawayan Buffet Cabinet
Kawayan Buffet Cabinet
Product Information
Named after the local term of the material, the Kawayan collection features the perennial Bamboo. Showcasing its natural beauty, the distinctive nodes and natural color are retained, at the same time showing its strength and versatility in is structural and aesthetic functions.
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Finishes: Indoor: dark brown.Category: Buffets and Sideboards. Dimensions: Overall Width | 62.99"; Overall Depth | 20.07"; Overall Height | 29.92"; See specs below for dimensions". Download Tech Sheet Product code: 53a5590bc943
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text:
Manchester United show Liverpool how it's done
Man United 4 - Wigan Athletic 0
"Are you watching Merseyside?" sang the Stretford End. This was an example to Liverpool and everyone else about how to beat a lesser team with a weakened side.
Manchester United have now met two Championship sides managed by men who used to work for them and beaten them both 4-0.
Overcoming Warren Joyce's Wigan was slightly more difficult than beating Jaap Stam's Reading but it underlined something about Jose Mourinho. One jaw-dropping afternoon against Bradford at Stamford Bridge aside, he is not a manager who loses to lower-division opposition.
And he has not won domestic cup competitions in Portugal, England, Italy and Spain by fielding weakened teams, although three days after reaching the League Cup final he decided to soften United.
A forward line of Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Anthony Martial - men with a combined transfer fee of £124m - could hardly be dubbed weak.
There was also room for Bastian Schweinsteiger, whose last start for United had come more than a year ago in a 1-0 home win over Sheffield United in the third round of the FA Cup, a game that was turgid even by the standards of Louis van Gaal's sides.
The great Dutchman would, however, want it pointed out that four months later United lifted the trophy. By then, Schweinsteiger was nowhere near the first team.
Playing in a short sleeved shirt and gloves, Schweinsteiger's early play was coated with rust. His passing was short and very simple or when he attempted something more adventurous, played aimlessly into space.
It took him until the 44th minute to produce a ball that suggested he might have once won the World Cup and when he did the Red Devils were ahead.
The cross was high and hung in the air and Jakob Haugaard, Wigan's Danish keeper, elected not to come for it and made the wrong choice. Marouane Fellaini's header was hard, directed into the ground and finished in the net beneath the Stretford End.
By the end Schweinsteiger was looking like the man Van Gaal signed from Bayern Munich and nine minutes from the final whistle, the match already won, he scored United's fourth, turning lithely in the box with his back to goal to speed home Ander Herrera's header. The ovation was thunderous.
Having managed United's reserves for eight years and been responsible for the development of the likes of Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford, Wigan manager Joyce arguably knows the club better than Mourinho.
Historically, the task facing Joyce and his team was daunting. Wigan had visited Old Trafford eight times in their history, lost every time and conceded 28 goals.
The only time they had managed a goal was a stoppage time penalty from Leighton Baines, awarded when United were already three goals to the good.
And yet Wigan began confidently. In his account of a football life lived in the lower leagues, called Journeyman, Ben Smith, who played for Crawley in an FA Cup tie at United in 2011, said the only way to cope was to imagine yourselves the equal of a Ryan Giggs.
Until United scored their second, a header from Chris Smalling from another cross - this time delivered by Martial - Wigan looked like they believed.
They had the first shots on target, one from Callum Connolly that was punched away with both fists by Sergio Romero, and another from Max Power, who possesses a glorious name for a footballer. For Wigan to have had a chance, one needed to have gone in.
However, United's class gradually told, epitomised by two wonderful counter-attacks in either half.
The first featured a lovely cross from Timothy Fosu-Mensah that Mkhitaryan, perhaps slightly off balance, was unable to tap in.
For United's third, Mkhitaryan did not miss, although the work was done by Martial, who, running fast with the ball, laid it off perfectly for the Armenian to slide home ahead of Stephen Warnock.
By the end, Mourinho was subbing his keeper, something usually only done in pre-season friendlies. It really was that simple for the cup holders.
MAN UTD: Romero (J Pereira, 80 mins), Fosu-Mensah (Tuanzebe, 67 mins), Smalling, Rojo, Shaw, Fellaini (Herrera, 70 mins), Schweinsteiger, Mkhitaryan, Mata, Martial, Rooney. Unused subs: lind, Young, Ibrahimovic, Rashford.
Wigan: Haugaard, Connolly, Buxton, Burn, Warnock, MacDonald (Browne, 76 mins), Power, Morsy, Perkins (Wildschut, 59 mins), Jacobs, Grigg (Tunnicliffe, 70 mins). Unused subs: Jaaskelainen, James, Kellett, Morgan.
Referee: Neil Swarbrick
Man of the match: Bastian Schweinsteiger
Match rating: 7/10
Belfast Telegraph


text:
|Cloud: I couldn't finish 'em. Looks like this's gonna get complicated.
|The following tables are incomplete for one or more reasons. If you wish, please examine the table and add anything missing. Remove this notice upon completion.
|Vagrant Story Enemy
|[[Vagrant Story/Translations|]] (')
Dummy is an enemy from Vagrant Story. Killing it raises a weapon's affinity for Beast Class enemies.
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Case-Based Geriatrics A Global Approach Victor A. Hirth
Paperback | McGraw-Hill Education - Europe | 2010
Fri frakt! Leveringstid: Usikker levering
A full-color case-based guide to the principles and clinical aspects of geriatric care 4 STAR DOODY'S REVIEW! "It is intended as a case-based textbook ...
Legg i
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How Soon?
View Single Post
March 16th, 2013, 01:56 PM
Social Halfwit
the shade of it all
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Denver
Posts: 964
We are shooting for December because that will give my body some time to get back to normal after having my Mirena removed.. I haven't had a legit period in nearly seven years! Plus by then, Princess Sophia will know if he has his promotion, I will have a part timer to pay for baby supplies, and I won't be too hugely pregnant if we decide to move around February. Plus how neat would it be to start 2014 with that good news under our belt??
But if I had the ability, I'd take out the IUD now and be pregnant by the end of the month... but I am also ruled by emotion and whims. :\
Ry, happily engaged to
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Over deze norm
|Aantal pagina's
|Gepubliceerd op
NEN-ISO 16365-1 establishes a system of designation for thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers, which is based on ISO 1043 (all parts) and ISO 11469. The designation system may be used as the basis for specifications. The designation system is applicable to all thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers. It applies to materials ready for normal use in the form of powder, granules or pellets, unmodified or modified by colourants, fillers or other additives, etc. The types of thermoplastic polyurethane are differentiated from each other by a classification system based on appropriate levels of the designatory properties: a) hardness; b) tensile modulus of elasticity (optional); and on information about the alternating hard and soft segments in the main chain, the intended application and/or method of processing, important properties, additives, colour, fillers, and reinforcing materials. It is not intended to imply that materials having the same designation give necessarily the same performance. This part of ISO 16365 does not provide engineering data, performance data, or data on processing conditions which may be required to specify a material for a particular application and/or method of processing. If such additional properties are required, it is intended that they be determined in accordance with the test methods specified in ISO 16365-2, if suitable. In order to specify a thermoplastic elastomer for a particular application or reproducible processing, additional requirements are intented to be given in data block 5.
|Nederlandse titel
|Kunststoffen - Thermoplastenpolyurethaan voor vormen en extrusie - Deel 1: Aanstellingssysteem en basis voor specificaties
|Engelse titel
|Plastics - Thermoplastic polyurethanes for moulding and extrusion - Part 1: Designation system and basis for specifications


text:
- Cars
- New cars
- Honda
- Honda Amaze
- Questions and Answers Honda Amaze
- What is the acceleration of Honda Amaze?
What is the acceleration of Honda Amaze?
By: Darpan on 6 april 2014
4 Answers:
Amaze's engine is capable of touching a top speed of 175kmph. The pick up of the vehicle is also great, it takes only 12.5 seconds time to reach 100kmph from 0kmph.
Sonal Gupta 2014-04-06
The drive quality of car is really great. The engine is one notch higher for this car which can make things work for better in terms of accelaration. The linear engine of car is sufficiently responsive and this enbales a healthy drive. The clutch of car is lighter and also its gear is supportive in all situations possible.But diesel engine's drone is a bit frustrating which not many people like.
Vardhan 2015-06-16
Honda Amaze comes in both variants i.e. petrol and diesel. The automaker is offering its petrol variant with an option to choose between five speed manual and automatic transmission gearbox. The petrol engine is good in achieving a top speed of approx. 155kmph and can accelerate up to 100kmph in just about 11.5 seconds. On the other hand, its diesel variant can attain a top speed of 165kmph and accelerate from 0 to 100kmph in a mark of 12 seconds.
Hemank 2015-06-24
According to me the acceleration of the vehicle is smooth with perfect brakes. Ride quality is very smooth with no power shortage. It can easily accommodate 5 passengers. I was not able to take it above 100+ speeds and that is why expecting diesel engine to be boosted more. Now, I own this Honda Amaze and me & my family are in love with this car and thoroughly enjoying it.
Pawan 2015-06-30
Related Questions on Honda Amaze
Are the 2nd and reverse gears hard to shift in Honda Amaze?
Ankur 2017-03-251Answer
Since I purchased my Honda Amaze it is delivering lower than expected mileage and it is becoming even poorer, what may be the reason?
Udaya Pratap S 2017-02-191Answer
Do bumpers and ORVMs of Honda Amaze come in body color?
nilesh narsing 2017-02-101Answer
Why the brake pads of my Honda Amaze needs frequent replacement?
Diagu B 2017-02-011Answer
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The stars are out on the playing field already -- even though the World Cup soccer matches haven't quite started. These are the midfielders and strikers of e-mail spam -- malicious messengers, and hooligan hackers -- who are hitting headers aimed at the nearly 1 billion people around the globe who will be desperate in the coming weeks for news and tidbits about their favorite players, whether it's Francesco Totti in Italy or Tomasz Kuszczak in Poland, sources tell UPI's The Web.
Nearly 12 times more viewers are expected to follow the World Cup on the Internet and TV than eyed the Super Bowl this winter, a spokesman for famed messaging filtering firm -- an e-mail goalie, if you will -- Postini Inc. tells The Web. "Viewers are more likely than usual to send and receive e-mails or instant messages about the World Cup," said the Postini spokesman, based in San Carlos, Calif. "Potentially tens of millions of them in the next month, creating inherent risks."
Experts tell The Web that there will be an increase in spam -- especially World Cup-themed viruses, phishing expeditions and denial-of-service attacks in the coming weeks. Heavy message flows -- from regular Jose Seis Pack communicating with their mates -- will also strain computer networks.
Accordingly, company IT departments are taking proactive, preventive measures, including the following, to protect their corporate networks from this new form of soccer hooligan:
-- Filtering out all e-mail that references the World Cup;
-- Installing new virus filters with the latest updates on worms and Trojan horses;
-- Banning Web surfing to online gambling sites, out of the belief that these sites often spread malware and spyware;
-- Blocking images sent from camera phones of World Cup soccer matches.
"Increases in World Cup-themed viruses, spam and phishing attacks are already being reported across the globe," the Postini spokesman said.
One thing for consumers, who have decidedly smaller IT budgets than major corporations, is to be cautious about what kind of anti-spyware software they may use. Apparently, the degenerates who produce spyware have also started creating fake "anti-spyware" products, including Spyware Quake, SpyFalcon and Trojan.Task.dir, which are "state of the art spyware which has readily evaded detection by older and weaker security products," according to research by Derby, England-based Prevx Ltd. "These spyware entities infect a PC, display a bogus warning that the PC is infected by a multitude of different pests and then promote themselves as the solution."
The biggest part of the con? These developers actually charge $30 or more for their services, Prevx said. "I firmly believe this is the tip of the iceberg," said Mel Morris, chief executive officer of Prevx. "Polymorphic malware is putting security research teams under increasing pressure to harvest, quantify and test an ever-growing number of suspicious files. Many appear to be struggling to scale."
And you thought regular soccer hooligans -- drunks and louts with bad teeth who shatter shop windows in small towns in the English countryside -- were bad.
"These infections exploit strong 'self-survival' techniques that thwart their removal," said Morris. Once infected, PCs can be force-fed with any additional spyware the hacker deploys.
The World Cup is increasing IT spending -- but it is also propelling purchases in other electronics, like high-definition TVs, because this year marks the first time the games will be aired in HDTV. According to the Consumer Electronics Association nearly 50 percent of new HDTV purchasers are citing "sports" as the reason for their upgrade.
But because so many consumers take their e-mail via cable modems these days, even these new TV devices may be at risk of infection.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
Explore further: Spammers take advantage of World Cup


text:
To try the thousands of add-ons available here, download Mozilla Firefox, a fast, free way to surf the Web!Close
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Choose from thousands of extra features and styles to make Firefox your own.Close
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Reviews for AvantGarde by Pinky Penguin
Themes Rated 5 out of 5 stars
I just got a new computer and came to download my favorite firefox themes, only to find they are gone. :( Please bring back all the other color versions of this theme, I love the purple one the most. Thanks for suck a colorful beautiful theme.This review is for a previous version of the add-on (5.0).
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This is the best theme I have used. I like to rotate between the different color versions of this one. The best part is that you can customize the buttons on the browser with a click and drag menu. I love that. Thanks for working so hard on all of them.This review is for a previous version of the add-on (3.1).
To create your own collections, you must have a Mozilla Add-ons account.


text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Feb 13, 2001
|Filing date
|Dec 11, 1997
|Priority date
|Dec 13, 1996
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Toshifumi Sato
|Original Assignee
|Nec Corporation
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (12), Non-Patent Citations (2), Referenced by (39), Classifications (21), Legal Events (4)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to CDMA chip synchronization circuits which are provided in CDMA receivers to perform synchronous detection with respect to receiving timing of radio frequency signals. This application is based on patent application No. Hei 8-333393 filed in Japan, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Prior Art
The CDMA chip synchronization circuit (where 'CDMA' stands for 'Code Division Multiple Access') is provided in the receiver of the mobile communications system, particularly in the receiver of the automobile phone and portable phone system (which will be simply called "cellular system") using the DS-CDMA method (where 'DS-CDMA' stands for 'Direct Spread CDMA'). In other words, the CDMA chip synchronization circuit is used to detect the receiving timing at the base station receiver.
Examples of the spread spectrum communications are disclosed by the papers of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Nos. 4-347944 and 6-284111 both of which relate to the synchronization device for the spread spectrum communications equipment as well as Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-39139 which relates to the receiver of the spread spectrum communications method, for example. In addition, other information regarding the disclosure of the spread spectrum communications is disclosed in, for example, Chapter 6 and Chapter 7 of the paper entitled "TIA/EIA INTERIM STANDARD (TIA/EIA/IS-95-A) Mobile Station-Base Station Compatibility Standard for Dual-Mode Wideband Spread Spectrum Cellular System PN-3421 (to be published as IS-95-A)" which is published by the Telecommunication Industry Association (TIA) on May of 1994 as well as FIG. 3.1, FIG. 3.2, FIG. 3.6 and pages 39-66 of Chapter 3 of the paper entitled "Principles of Spread Spectrum Communication" which is written by Dr. Andrew J. Viterbi and published in May of 1995 by Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.
Among the conventional mobile communications systems, the so-called North American standard method (i.e., TIA IS95) is known as the digital cellular system using the CDMA method. In the standard specification of TIA/EIA/IS-95-A, Chapter 6 describes operations required for the mobile station, while Chapter 7 describes operations required for the base station. However, the above standard specification merely provides standardization for the radio interface. For this reason, the standard specification describes the modulation method and signal formats but fails to describe the concrete receiving method.
The forward link of IS-95-A (which is used to perform transmission from the base station to the mobile station) performs transmission of pilot channels (PLCH) in addition to transmission of traffic channels (TCH). Herein, the traffic channels are provided for multiple users subjected to modulation by information, whilst the pilot channels are not subjected to modulation by information. Further, the transmission of the pilot channels is performed using relatively intense electric power. Using the pilot channels, the mobile station is capable of determining the optimum receiving timing. So, the mobile station does not suffer as much from the problem that the receiving timing should be determined under low Eb/No (where 'Eb' denotes energy of receiving signals per 1 bit of information; and 'No' denotes electric power density of noise and interference signal per 1 Hz). However, transmission of the pilot channels using the intense electric power results in reduction of a number of traffic channels which are used for actual transmission of information. This causes another problem that a number of users per one base station should be reduced.
On the other hand, no common pilot channels exist in the reverse link of IS-95-A (which is used to perform transmission from the mobile station to the base station). So, the reverse link employs the modulation method corresponding to the 64-ary orthogonal code modulation combined with the quadruple direct spread. Using the 64-ary orthogonal codes, as compared with the BPSK and QPSK (where 'BPSK' stands for 'Binary Phase-Shift Keying' and 'QPSK' stands for 'Quaternary PSK'), it is possible to provide a variety of advantages:
It is possible to increase electric power per one symbol and it is possible to reduce deterioration for synchronous detection even if asynchronous detection is employed.
However, the above has problems relating to receiving method.
Main elements of the IS-95-A are determined such that the chip rate is set at 1.2288 Mcps, the bit rate is at 9.6 kbps and the spread rate of the direct spread is at 128. According to the above, the chip rate is relatively low speed (because of the narrow-band CDMA), wherein as compared with instantaneous variations of the propagation delay, the chip period is relatively long. For this reason, the amount of deterioration in receiving characteristics is small even if characteristics of the receiving timing detecting circuit are somewhat loose. However, to perform high-speed data communications with respect to voices and other information, it is necessary to increase the bit rate and chip rate by a certain factor of multiplication which ranges between 5 and 10; in other words, it is necessary to provide the wide band CDMA. In that case, other problems occur which the IS-95-A cannot expect. In the case of the chip rate of 10 Mpcs, for example, if the propagation path differs by 30 m, the receiving timing deviates from the original timing with respect to one chip only. So, it is not possible to receive signals with the original timing. In addition, a plurality of multipaths overlap with each other within a range of delay times corresponding to multiple chips. In that case, there is a problem that positions of peaks cannot be clearly defined.
A conventional example of the receiving timing detection method (or chip synchronization method) is taught by the paper entitled "Principles of Spread Spectrum Communication" which is written by Dr. Andrew J.
Viterbi and published May 1995 by Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. The operation to capture the timing of signals which are spread by spread codes corresponding to pseudo-random codes is performed in two stages of processing. That is, the method performs initial synchronous capture (or initial synchronous search) and synchronous tracking.
The method of the initial synchronous search is explained in the fourth paragraph of Chapter 3 of the above paper. According to this method, until the correlation electric power exceeds a certain threshold value, the search is performed in a serial manner with shifting the receiving timing by a half chip space.
The synchronous tracking corresponds to the method of so-called "early-late gate" or "delay lock loop (DLL)". This method calculates first correlation electric power corresponding to the early timing which is earlier than the reference timing by the delay time Δt for the receiving and second correlation electric power corresponding to the late timing which is later by Δt. Then, the method performs fine timing adjustment in such a way that a difference between the first electric power and second electric power becomes zero.
Meanwhile, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 4-347944 discloses some improvements to the method of the initial synchronous search and synchronous tracking. Particularly, the paper discloses the method regarding the commonality of circuits as well as the method to add tracking function to the multipath propagation path. However, the basic operation of the above method is identical to that of the aforementioned paper written by Dr. Andrew J. Viterbi. In addition, this method is not capable of solving the aforementioned problems in the wide band CDMA.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-39139 describes a method to search a new path wherein operation of the sliding correlator is not made only in the initial synchronous search but is made normally. Similar description is found in Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 6-284111. According to the above method which is designed to perform searching of new paths normally, it is possible to shorten the instantaneous break time in communications. However, it cannot be said that the method is capable of detecting peak positions accurately with a short time.
In short, the mobile communications system using the CDMA method performs receiving of so-called multipath signals, wherein the system should perform matching of timing with respect to each of signals. Herein, the multipath signals are transmitted to the system via multiple propagation paths which differ from each other in propagation time due to the reflection by buildings and mountains, for example. To achieve effective usage of frequencies in communications, each channel should have a capability of receiving signals under the very low Eb/No environment.
Particularly, in case of the wide band CDMA method whose chip rate is 10 Mcps or so, the receiving timing is shifted by one chip when the propagation distance changes by 30 m. Such a shift makes the receiving operation impossible. A difference of propagation delay corresponding to a difference of propagation distance of 30 m or so easily occurs when a small variation occurs in the propagation path even if the distance between the base station and mobile station is unchanged. In other words, there frequently occurs a phenomenon that the receiving is performed with respect to the multipaths which overlap with each other in a range of multiple chips, and variations simultaneously occur with respect to receiving paths (i.e., emergence and vanishing of new paths).
Conventionally, the DLL technology is used for the synchronous tracking of the receiving timing. This technology is effective under prescribed conditions that each multipath has a separate peak and the propagation delay time continuously and gradually changes. In contrast, the wide band CDMA works under the condition where the receiving is performed with respect to the mutipaths in an overlap manner and the delay time discontinuously changes. So, the wide band CDMA suffers from a problem due to its inability to perform of the tracking.
It is an object of the invention to provide a CDMA chip synchronization circuit for the mobile communications system employing the wide band CDMA method so that adjustment of multiple receiving timing, particularly synchronous tracking, can be performed under a low Eb/No environment.
As a result of this invention, it is possible to improve receiving quality of a wide band CDMA receiver; and it is possible to perform high-speed data transmission.
A CDMA chip synchronization circuit of this invention is provided for a mobile communications system employing a wide band CDMA method, especially direct spread code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) method.
In the CDMA chip synchronization circuit, a radio receiver converts radio frequency signals to digital base band signals, whilst a search section detects receiving timing with respect to multipath components contained in the digital base band signals. The detected receiving timing is used as a center position for receiving on a time axis. The radio receiver is connected with multipath receivers, each of which contains a number of correlators which produce correlation values between the multipath components and dc-spreading codes which are delayed by different delay times respectively. Herein, the correlators correspond to prescribed intervals of time which deviate from the center position for the receiving on the time axis. Correlator outputs are temporarily stored in a memory. Then, the multipath receiver selects a correlator output having a best receiving quality from among the correlator outputs by every prescribed interval of time corresponding to a pilot period, so synchronous detection is performed using the selected correlator output. Outputs of the multipath receivers are combined at a maximum ratio, so that receiving data are produced.
Thus, the CDMA chip synchronization circuit of this invention has a capability to certainly perform detection of multipath receiving timing, particularly synchronous tracking, under a low Eb/No environment where multipaths are received in an overlap manner.
These and other objects of the subject invention will become more fully apparent as the following description is read in light of the attached drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a CDMA chip synchronization circuit in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIGS. 2A and 2B are graphs showing relationships between delay time and receiving level with respect to models of propagation characteristics of the wide band CDMA method which the invention employs; and
FIG. 3 shows an example of a signal format.
Now, a preferred embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a CDMA chip synchronization circuit in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 1, a radio receiver 101 receives radio frequency signals and converts them to digital base band signals. A plurality of multipath receivers, each designated by a same numeral of "112", are provided to perform decoding processes with respect to multipath components contained in the digital base band signals. Herein, each multipath receiver 112 performs a decoding process with respect to each multipath component. Then, the decoded multipath components are supplied to a RAKE combining section 107 wherein they are combined at a maximum ratio. So, the RAKE combining section 107 produces receiving data. A dc-spreading code generator 108 generates dc-spreading codes which reversely spread spectrum. A search section 111 measures the receiving timing with respect to the multipath components.
Each, the multipath receiver 112 is configured as follows:
A delay section 109 delays the dc-spreading codes to coincide with the receiving timing which the search section 111 detects. A shift register 110 further delays the delayed dc-spreading codes, output from the delay section 109, by different delay times. Herein, the shift register section 110 has multiple output terminals corresponding to different delay times which differ from each other by a constant delay which corresponds to � chip, for example. A plurality of correlators, each designated by the same numeral of "102", produces correlation values between the digital base band signals and outputs of the shift register 110. Thus, the correlators 102 as a whole perform operation of "dc-spreading" with respect to receiving signals. A memory 103 temporarily stores (or accumulates) outputs of the correlators 102. An optimum value detector 104 and a selector 105 cooperate to intermittently perform reading operations on the memory 103 by certain intervals of time, thus selecting a correlator output which has a best receiving quality. Using the selected correlator output, a synchronous detector 106 performs synchronous detection.
Under a real propagation environment, a number of the multipath receivers 112 is determined based on a trade-off relationship established between a maximum number in effective numbers of the multipaths and the hardware scale. Normally, in the case of a city environment, it is sufficient to provide four multipath receivers per one radio signal receiver (which corresponds to one antenna). One multipath receiver 112 contains five correlators 102 which produce correlation values with respect to five timings. Herein, the timing designated by the search section 111 is used as the center of the five timings. So, there are provided five timings which are represented by 0 (i.e., center), �� chip and �� chip respectively.
In the above case, the memory 103 should have a capability to store five correlator outputs. Namely, the memory 103 stores one slot, which is partitioned by a pilot symbol, with respect to each correlator output.
The mobile station performs transmission of reverse signals which are placed in frame synchronization with forward signals which are transmitted from the base station to the mobile station. So, the search section 111 of the base station has a capability to perform path search within a prescribed range of propagation delays in accordance with a radius of a service area which covers one base station. The method of the path search for the base station is shown in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 10-32523 published Feb. 3, 1998.
Next, processing of the optimum value detector 104 will be explained in conjunction with FIGS. 2A and 2B.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are graphs showing relationships between delay time and receiving level with respect to models of propagation characteristics (i.e., delay profiles) of the wide band CDMA method which the invention employs.
The above graphs are made in connection with two independent groups of multipaths, each group of which contains three paths which overlap with each other and which deviate from each other by � chip.
In the case of the graph of FIG. 2A, a first group of three paths are all received with a same phase. Thus, the three paths are enhanced in receiving level so that a peak emerges at the center of the three paths on a time axis. As for a second group of three paths, a center path is received with a phase which is inverse to phases of other paths. Therefore, the three paths are canceled with each other in receiving level, so that the receiving level of the center path should become very small. For this reason, two sub-peaks emerge in the receiving level regarding the second group of paths.
In the case of the graph of FIG. 2B, as for a the first group of three paths, only a last path is received with an inverse phase, so that a position of a peak is shifted in a backward direction from a center position by � chip on a time axis. In addition, a small sub-peak emerges at a position which is � chip after the center position. As for a second group of three paths, two paths other than a first path are received with inverse phases, so a position of a peak delays from a center position by � chip.
As described above, in the case where the system (e.g., station) receives multiple multipaths in an overlap manner with small shifts of phases, even if the paths do not change in receiving timing and receiving level, a peak in an overall receiving level fluctuates in position and level.
The receiver applicable to this invention is designed as follows:
A search section detects positions with respect to groups of paths, to which multipath receivers are assigned respectively. Herein, each multipath receiver uses the timing that the search section detects as a center position for receiving on a time axis. So, the multipath receiver has multiple correlators which perform dc-spreading on receiving signals with respect to both forward and backward directions from the center position on the time axis. That is, the correlators are provided to cope with delays of the timing which correspond to �� chip and �� chip from the center position. Then, the multipath receiver selects a correlator output having a best receiving quality from among correlator outputs which are provided with certain intervals of time. So, the multipath receiver performs decoding of the selected correlator output.
In case of the second group of paths shown in FIG. 2A, the sub-peaks emerge at different timings which separate from each other by 1 chip or more, it can be presumed that noise contained in one sub-peak is independent from noise contained in another sub-peak. In case of the first group of paths shown in FIG. 2B, a relatively large sub-peak emerges at the timing apart from the peak by 1 chip or more.
The present embodiment can be modified to cope with the above cases. That is, the present embodiment can be modified in such a way that two correlator outputs corresponding to two peaks (or sub-peaks) are extracted and combined.
FIG. 3 shows an example of a signal format applicable to this invention. Herein, 'PL' designates a pilot symbol.
As shown in FIG. 3, a "known" pilot signal is periodically inserted into transmission of data by a constant period (i.e., pilot period which is set at 0.625 ms, for example) which is shorter than a fading period. In that case, the above pilot signal can be used as a reference signal for synchronous detection, details of which will be described below.
The pilot period is used as a partition of transmission. So, multiple correlator outputs are stored in the memory. The system measures receiving quality of signals contained in the pilot period with respect to each of the correlators. Then, the system selects a correlator output having a highest receiving quality. Or, if a sub-peak is detected at a position which sufficiently is separated from the timing (i.e., peak position) of the correlator having the highest receiving quality and which is considered to be independent from noise, the system extracts a correlator output corresponding to the sub-peak from the memory. Thus, the synchronous detection is performed by using the pilot signal as the reference signal representing carrier phase.
Incidentally, it is possible to employ a variety of methods for determination of the receiving quality for each of the correlator outputs, as follows:
(1) Determination is made based on the receiving level of the pilot signal.
(2) If the pilot signal is constructed by multiple symbols, determination is made based on a ratio between a square of an average value (i.e., presumed value of signal power) and a variance (i.e., presumed value of noise power).
(3) Determination is made by measuring receiving levels with respect to the pilot signal portion as well as the data portion.
(4) Temporary decision is made with respect to the data portion. Reverse modulation is effected on the receiving data on the basis of the result of the temporary decision, so phases of all data are made uniform with the carrier phase. Then, a determination is made based on a ratio between a square of an average value (i.e., presumed value of signal power) and a variance (i.e., presumed value of noise power).
Finally, this invention is capable of demonstrating a variety of effects, which the conventional technology cannot provide, as follows:
(1) It is possible to perform fine adjustment for the optimum receiving timing by a certain period, e.g., a pilot period for insertion of a pilot signal into transmission of data. So, even in the wide band CDMA under a propagation environment where the receiver performs receiving with respect to multipaths which overlap with each other, it is possible to perform synchronous tracking to follow variations of peaks in receiving level. Namely, it is possible to perform receiving in a stable manner.
(2) It is possible to loosen a detection precision of the search section. For this reason, it is possible to reduce a time for averaging at a search mode. Therefore, it is possible to perform fast detection of a new path even if a propagation path rapidly changes.
As this invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit of essential characteristics thereof, the present embodiment is therefore illustrative and not restrictive, since the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the description preceding them, and all changes that fall within metes and bounds of the claims, or equivalence of such metes and bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the claims.
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|U.S. Classification
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Dec 11, 1997
Owner name: NEC CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF JAPAN, JAPAN
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Germany called Thursday for violence to stop in Syria and for the government to uphold civil rights after activists said police shot dead more than 100 anti-regime supporters.
"Reports of many victims in the Syrian city of Daraa are disturbing. The violence must cease immediately," Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in a statement.
"The Syrian government must make sure that fundamental human and civil rights as well as the principles of the rule of law are upheld.
"Uprisings in the Arab world show that stability does not come from violence but from dialogue and implementing reforms."
The appeal came as some 20,000 people gathered in Daraa for the burials of victims killed on Wednesday and chanted support for a growing movement of protest against the regime, rights activists said.
Activist Ayman al-Asswad told AFP that security forces had used live rounds when they opened fire on demonstrators the city, which is 120 kilometres (75 miles) south of the capital Damascus.
The claim could not be independently confirmed, but AFP reporters witnessed sporadic shooting in Daraa on Wednesday.
Buthaina Shaaban, media advisor to President Bashar al-Assad, on Thursday put the death toll in Daraa at 10.


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We're taking my 88 year old mother and law on our cruise which will spend 2 days in Nassau, Bahamas. I have previously been to the Blue Lagoon and loved the beautiful relaxing area which included hammocks and relaxing under the palm trees with a lunch included. Can anyone help me find out where I catch the boat to the Blue Lagoon and how much a day trip to the lagoon would be. Are there chairs to use under the palm trees where my mother in law would be comfortable? Thank you. Westshores
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Rusco replacement lock
A quick learner from Georgia says:
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