Virtual guided tour ESO's Paranal Observatory. Saturday, July 30th, 15:00h CST. - YouTube - astrophysics

All the ESO observatories are located in the Atacama desert of Chile.Mt.Paranal is the main optical facility.ESO is sponsored by a consortium of 16 EU member states plus partner Australia.It's one of the main centers of astrophysics research in the world.Others include Mt.Mauna Kea Observatories in Hawaii and Kitt Peak National Observatory in Tucson,Arizona.Caltech operates the Palomar Mountain Observatory in San Diego County,California.Scientists from all over the world can book time at these observatories.

A journey to Proxima Centauri and its planet - YouTube - ESO - astrophysics

This video (silent) shows an artist's impression of a trip from Earth to Proxima b,the closest planet to our Solar System.As we leave our Solar System,we see the familiar constellation figures,including the Southern Cross (Crux) and the bright stars Alpha and Beta Centauri.We gradually close on a faint red star,Beta Centauri,the closest star to Earth and the faintest component of a triple star system.The final part shows the planet Proxima b,the closest exoplanet to our Solar System. ESO edited by Andrew Taylor Credit:ESO,/L. Calcada/Nick Risinger (sky survey.org) Located in Atacama,Chile,the ESO is supported by a consortium of EU member states.

Biden meets with Yulia Navalnaya, Alexey Navalny's widow, in California - CBS News - 22 February 2024

In the event,more than 600 new US sanctions were aimed at Russia and Russian individuals.Some were aimed at disrupting Russia's military industrial base by applying sanctions to foreign companies supplying components believed to be aiding Russia's war against Ukraine.Other sanctions were in retaliation for Putin's responsibility for the death of dissident Alexei Navalny.All the US sanctions were coordinated with the European Union.

Approaching the Brexit Vote,Hopes For Action in Europe

I'm hoping for a Sputnik moment-the collective realisation that,if we don't do something now,something bad is going to happen,said Mohamed El-Erian,referring to the Soviet Union's launch of the Sputnik satellite in 1957 that triggered the Cold War space race with the United States.Mr.El-Erian,chief economic advisor at Allianz,was commenting following the latest UK poll,which showed Britons leaning against approving the Brexit,the prospective British leaving of the European Union that goes to referendum on Thursday.*
If Brexit were to occur,it would add institutional instability and accelerate the journey to the neck of the T-junction of the global markets and the economy.Imagine this chair with one-and-a-half legs.Monetary union is complete;banking union halfway.We need to complete the regional architecture in Europe,and we need a lot better global policy engine.*
Mr.El-Erian is a native of Egypt and formerly headed the Harvard Endowment.He was most recently co-CEO and co-CIO at PIMCO.*
Allianz SE (Milan:ALV)

Today's European Issues on President's Mind-plus a Jim Kelly update

On the eve of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Europe by the D-Day invasion,the President of the United States reflected on a number of controversies in Europe today,and also on the release of a US soldier,Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl,by Taliban militants in Afghanistan.We are at a point where Mr.Putin has a chance to get back in the lane of international law,said President Barack Obama at a Thursday press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron in Brussels,Begium.If Mr.Putin takes those steps,it is possible for us to begin to rebuild trust.The fact that some Russian troops have withdrawn from the Ukrainian border does not mean we can afford three or four or six months of drift.
I have no doubt I'll be seeing President Putin at the D-Day observances.He and I have always had a businesslike relationship.I will be delivering the same message:Russia has a legitimate interest,but it's up to the people of Ukraine to make its own decision.The destabilising actions we now see,funded and encouraged by Russia,are unacceptable.If he continues undermining the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine,we will have no choice but to impose more sanctions,Mr.Obama indicated.*
On the issue of Scotland possibly leaving the United Kingdom,he noted that,from the outside at least,it looks as if the UK-Scotland union has worked pretty well,but ultimately that is for the people of Scotland to decide.As to Britain possibly leaving the European Union,it's important for us to know that Great Britain has a seat at the table of the larger European project.It's hard for me to imagine that project would go well without Great Britain.I'm sure the people of Great Britain will make the right decision.*
I'm never surprised by controversies that are whipped up in Washington,the President continued.We had a prisoner of war whose health had deteriorated,and we had an opportunity and we seized it,and I make no apologies for that.This basic principle that we don't leave anybody behind dates back to the beginning of the Republic.As Commander in Chief,I am responsible for these kids.I write too many letters to folks who don't get to see their children again.We don't condition whether we make the effort to get someone back,the President explained.*
Jim Kelly update:A large crowd of Buffalo Bills great Jim Kelly's friends and former NFL colleagues gathered in the Buffalo suburb of Batavia,New York Tuesday for the 28th Jim Kelly Celebrity Classic,the annual charity golf tournament of the Kelly for Kids Foundation.Jim is still in a Buffalo hospital recovering from six weeks of chemotherapy and radiation treatments for his recurrent oral cancer that has spread into his sinus area.
Jim's pain has subsided,older brother Dan Kelly said,but he will still need 6-8 weeks more rest after about another week in hospital,before he can be tested to determine how successful his treatment has been.
This year's tournament should raise more than 250,000 dollars,according to Dan.The Foundation has donated more than five million to regional charities since its inception.

Asia This Day:China,Japan,Australia

There's no doubt that we have to be relevant across the world,said Alex Malley,CEO of CPA Australia.In Australia at the moment,the politics are dramatic,but they're not good for the country.The whole world rests on integration with China.One of the sleeping giants is in agriculture and professional services for China.*Chinese industrial profits slipped from a 12.3% increase in May to an 11.1% increase in June.The causes include a slowdown in sales and rising materials costs.*Japanese consumer prices rose at their highest pace year over year since November 2008,a sign of inflation and economic recovery after two decades of deflation.*Asian markets will be responding this week to more Chinese and Japanese economic data,as well as a meeting of India's central bank.*China's move to a more consumer-based economy from rapid infrastructure development has repercussions for mining and mining services concerns.*China and the EU avoided a trade war Saturday by reaching a deal on imports of Chinese solar panels.*The MSCI Asia Pacific index was down 0.71% in early Monday trading.*CPA Australia has more than 144,000 members in 127 countries.It provides education,training,tech support and advocacy for its members,representing the accounting profession to all levels of government,regulators,academe,industry and the general public.

Should You Invest in the Wintergreen Fund

The direction in the West is improving.People are beginning to buy,said David J.Winters of Wintergreen Advisers LLC in Mountain Lakes,New Jersey.We still believe the future of the world is in the Asia Pacific.
We own a lot of Berkshire Hathaway BRK b shares.
The public are still hiding under their desks.They haven't gone back to the equity market.At some point,the bond markets are gonna go up and people will get crushed.People are still scared,both companies and individuals.
The US is a mature economy with lots of debt,unlike Asia.The EU in general is in deep,deep trouble and we just don't want to play because it's too hard.We love companies with no debt-you don't have a lot of risk.
Hong Kong is one of the great,great places.
David J.Winters manages the Wintergreen Fund,a global value mutual fund with much of the flexibility of a low risk hedge fund.It is #23 out of 287 World Stock funds as rated by US News.Morningstar Associates gives it four out of five stars.
The Wintergreen Fund has returned 13.26% over one year;and 4.85% over five years.Its expense ratio is 1.89%,which is considered Above Average in its category.In Mornngstar's opinion,however,the fund is Below Average in risk.
Wintergreen Fund(WGRNX)

GlaxoSmithKline Submits New Diabetes Treatment

On January 14,London-based GlaxoSmithKline,a leading pharmaceutical and health care company,submitted albiglutide BLA,an investigational once-weekly treatment for adult type 2 diabetes,to the FDA.The drug will also be submitted to the European Union in early 2013.
Albiglutide is a GLP-1 agonist,a biotech drug that is designed for once-weekly subcutaneous dosing.GLP-1 is a peptide,a short chain of amino acids, normally secreted from the gastrointestinal tract during eating which helps release insulin to help control blood sugar.GLP-1 secretion is absent or reduced in those with type 2 diabetes.
While GLP-1 rapidly degrades,the new treatment,albiglutide,has been engineered to have a longer duration of action.It is comprised of two copies of modified human GLP-1 fused in series to human albumin,a protein made by the liver,the company said.
Shares of GlaxoSmithKline closed flat at 44.83 in Thursday trading.
GlaxoSmithKline(GSK)

Exxon Mobil To Unload Japan Refining

Exxon Mobil has agreed to sell its Japanese refining unit to its Tokyo partner,Tonengeneral,for 3.9 billion dollars.The move is part of a trend by integrated oil companies to sell or spin off refinery operations in order to concentrate on more profitable exploration and production.
U.S. oil companies are bracing for a United Steel Workers union strike at their refineries.The strike could begin on Wednesday in the absence of progress in the contract talks.If the strike went three months,U.S. refinery output could be cut up to 11%.
A major concern of the union is worker safety.Eighteen workers have died in refinery accidents since the last agreement in 2009.
Asian shares opened lower on Monday on concern over an EU summit in Brussels on the Euro debt crisis,as well as the failure of U.S. growth to meet estimates.The MSCI Asia Pacific Index was down 0.37.
The New Zealand service sector saw slower growth in December.
India's Nifty Fifty futures index was down on concern that the recent rally in equities was excessive.
Exxon Mobil(XOM)
Update:Agreement between the United Steel Workers union and oil refiners including Exxon Mobil,Chevron and Valero,was reached late Tuesday,averting a strike.The ratification or rejection of the deal by a vote of union members could take weeks.

Pfizer Acquires Biotech Firm

Pfizer,a world-leading drug producer and marketer,is to acquire FoldRx,a privately held company that specializes in innovative oral medicines to treat diseases caused by protein misfolding.Protein misfolding is increasingly considered an underlying cause of many chronic degenerative conditions.FoldRx's main candidate,tafamidis,is registered as an oral therapy for TTR amyloid polyneuropathy,or ATTR-PN,a progressively fatal genetic neurological disorder.The biotech firm has filed a marketing application for tafamidis with the European Medicines Agency,and the drug has been fast-tracked by the FDA.
To this point,only liver transplants have been available to treat ATTR-PN.Liver transplants are not uniformly effective and are often fatal in their own right.At least 8,000 patients worldwide have ATTR-PN,most of them in the European Union.
TTR is a liver protein that,when defective,gets lodged in peripheral nerve tissue,causing neurological disorders such as ATTR-PN.
FoldRx's small molecule therapeutics,based on proprietary expertise,are also being applied to a discovery program in cystic fibrosis,Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases.Pfizer sees the acquisition of FoldRx as a way to bolster its rare disease portfolio and assist the patients with its medical,administrative,manufacturing and marketing proficiencies.
Pfizer(PFE)

Prominent Investor Likes Gold

Jim Rogers,the Chairman of Rogers Holdings and author of several books,says the fundamentals are terrible for all the paper money except Canada's and Singapore's.This money has to come from somewhere.He's concerned about all countries.Nothing about the new rescue package is gonna get countries to cut their deficits enough to solve the problem.The European Union is ignoring their own rules.Even the present generation is gonna pay for this.
Mr.Rogers doubts if the Euro will be around in 10-15 years.It's continuing to weaken;be careful.The politicians all over Europe are using it as a scapegoat whenever there's a problem.It's a political currency,Jim Rogers believes.
The way things are going,people are gonna grab for something.The only thing they can grab for now is gold.It will certainly go up to 2,000 dollars an ounce by 2020.His children will own his gold,Mr.Rogers suspects.
Jim Rogers,a resident of Singapore,is a frequent guest on business television.Another Jim Rogers is the CEO of Duke Energy.
Duke Energy(DUK)

A Burdensome Bureaucracy

We have an urgent requirement in Afghanistan,General Craddock pointed out,that was 80 weeks to fulfillment.We got it down to 60 weeks;our goal is 35 weeks.There are urgent requirements on the ground.This is simply untenable.We cannot do this.NATO has no counter-piracy policy,either,though it has participated in individual operations.Internal guidance is slow.Parallel tracks for funding is a problem.We were unable to reduce the number of headquarters.We had to salami-slice each HQ to meet manning requirements.NATO and the European Union have to find opportunities to coordinate,sharing the burdens of procurement,counter-piracy and training.We have to get political direction to open those doors.For administrative issues,business issues,the routine business of the alliance,we need to move beyond consensus.The NATO Secretary General needs more authority for timely action.
I started as a lieutenant 37 years ago guarding the Fulda Gap.I am optimistic,but absent the balance,we may well face difficulties and problems in the coming years,General Craddock concluded.With his gray hair and spectacles,he had a grandfatherly quality as he quietly addressed The Atlantic Council of the United States in Washington,D.C.

A Drifting Alliance

The European Union buildings of Strasbourg were born of the blood of the first half of the 20th century,President Obama recalled.The Marshall Plan was an unprecedented effort that secured prosperity.Without firing a single shot,the NATO alliance would prevent the iron curtain of communism from descending across Europe.This generation cannot stand still.This is our generation;this is our time,and I am confident we can meet any challenge-as long as we are together.In recent years,we've allowed our alliance to drift.In America,there is a failure to appreciate Europe's leading role in the world.In Europe,there is an anti-Americanism that is casual,but can also be insidious.These attitudes are not wise;they do not represent the truth,the new president instructed.

EU Prepares for London

The European Union held a summit in Brussels,Belgium recently to prepare for the G20 summit in London in a few weeks' time.The EU pledged 100 billion dollars to the International Monetary Fund's reserves;seven billion to EU projects; and 68 million to non-EU members.It urged the U.S. and others to join in doubling the IMF's reserves to 500 billion dollars.President Obama will attend the G20 summit and the NATO 60th anniversary summit on April 3-4.The G20 is a group of the largest economies and emerging markets.NATO,the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is the Euro-American defense alliance.

The EU is Leading

In white shirtsleeves and a purple tie,Prime Minister Brown stated that the European Union is the world leader in development aid.As well,it is the leader in climate change reform,and in the quest for a trade deal.If we can't get one in the next few weeks,it may elude us for many,many months-if not longer.We've got to show this deal to a world that is becoming increasingly protectionist,Prime Minister Brown reflected.The iShares MSCI UK fund(EWU) gives investors exposure to the British economy.