fredag 26 februari 2010

Petra Diamonds sold a 507-carat diamond for $35.3 million on Friday


LONDON (Reuters) – Petra Diamonds sold a 507-carat diamond for $35.3 million on Friday, breaking a record as the highest price ever paid for a rough diamond.
Analysts had estimated the value of the stone, one of the 20 biggest high-quality rough diamonds, at around $25 million.
"It is fitting that the Cullinan Heritage should achieve a sale price of $35.3 million, the highest sale price on record ever achieved for a rough diamond, as it has the potential to produce one of the world's most important polished gems," Chief Executive Johan Dippenaar said.
London-listed Petra said in a statement the gem was purchased in a tender by Chow Tai Fook Jewelry Co Ltd in Hong Kong.
Proceeds will help boost Petra's profit for its fiscal year to end-June after the firm swung to a first-half profit on higher production and sales.
AIM-listed Petra found the gem last September at its 74 percent owned Cullinan mine in South Africa, which it bought from sector giant De Beers in 2007.
The Cullinan mine has been the source of many large diamonds, including the world's largest rough diamond -- the Cullinan -- at 3,106 carats. That gem was cut into the Star of Africa stones that are now set in Britain's Crown Jewels.
Petra was a member of a consortium that paid $148 million when buying the Cullinan mine from De Beers, which is 45 percent owned by mining group Anglo American.

(Reporting by Eric Onstad; Editing by David Holmes)

Al Gore can surely find a chilling disaster to preach about

Ulf Nilson Expressen wrote following:
Free translation in English.

Al Gore can surely find a chilling disaster to preach about
The bad news is that the weather is downright sucks. In the short term it will be that the pulsations, shovel and curse the cold. Anyone who so desires may be happy for me to draw any particular rich imprecations against the airheads in the UN's climate panel IPCC, claiming that we are heading for a devastating global warming in which the Himalayan glaciers melt, Holland flooded and our dear old ball more or less uninhabitable. Yes, if not!
Yes, you know what I mean. Then the IPCC report was published, we have witnessed an incitement campaign - surely the most comprehensive in world history, though mostly because communication is so advanced. Scientists, politicians (especially the terrible Al Gore) and, unfortunately, all the world mediepellar have puked up millions of words - no, certainly billion! - About how awful it must be if we do not stop driving, stop burning coal, ending expel carbon dioxide, etc, etc. The basic message, which we often try to hide, is that we must submit ourselves to more rules and regulations, of course, formulated by experts and the noble politicians (as I write this I smile wrong) actually, yes, really want our best. But: The good news is that the bad news is wrong! Gradually, it has been leaked to the IPCC simply cheated, used ridiculously poor sources (including a student essay), and refused to take into account the facts that pointed in the "wrong" direction. And more. The head of the panel, Rajendra Pachauri, the Indian accused, as I understand it rightly, for corruption. In short: a vertigo of cosmic proportions.
But the reality is a noisy beast. And everything suggests that psychosis and mass hysteria will drive forward a positive development. What we call the market is about to take over - simply because there are billions to gain new energy. Around the World, but not least in the U.S. and China are preparing a new generation of nuclear reactors. Fine! In Sweden we should emulate. Wind power is probably an oblique tracks, but little benefit, it will be done and new methods to isolate buildings will reduce heating - and electricity bills! - Huge. Improved car engine is phased in and around the world improve manufacturing machines and processes. All this leads to more and more incisive research - and millions of new jobs! Those who wish may speak of a paradigm shift - radical and disruptive change.
In doing so, we glimpsed the extension and it is perhaps the best news of all, the end of the dictatorship of oil. And hence a drastically reduced influence in the countries that happen to have had the good fortune to sit on the "black gold".
The idea of Russia that need to support themselves in work and entrepreneurship is very attractive (though perhaps not for Putin). Hypocritical Saudi princes may cut down on his disgusting luxury and Iran might - might - be a democracy where even women are counted. The unpleasant Hugo Chávez of Venezuela may begin to strain the talking - to the delight of all sensible Latin Americans - and Al Gore can surely find a new chilling disaster to preach about.
And perhaps best of all. The car, which is a far the freedom machine for us ordinary WARE-SLAVE, still has his best time in front of him ...
Ulf Nilson

Posted on February 23, 2010 Updated February 23, 2010
URL to this page: Link to the Swedish newspaper

torsdag 4 februari 2010

Countdown to Launch begins

The countdown for space shuttle Endeavour's Feb. 7 liftoff began on schedule Thursday, Feb. 5 at 2 a.m. EST.
Tune into the STS-130 mission's Ountdown Status Briefing that will air tomorrow at 10 a.m. on NASA TV at www.nasa.gov/ntv.