| Thieves steal from Safari Park
The lead was destined for the roof of the fire-ravaged mansion in the grounds, which is currently being rebuilt. But between Sunday evening and early Monday morning, raiders used cutting equipment to burn the doors off the large metal container where the eight tonnes of lead was stored. Safari park spokeswoman, Wendy Jackson, said the theft was an inconvenience but did not believe it would hold up the construction work. She added: “We are progressing very well with the house so it is not going to cause any major delays. .
Yazd: Welcome to the desert
Once an important station on the Silk Road, with its historic mosques, minarets and ancient clay buildings, Yazd has resisted other Iranian cities' rush for modernity. It may possibly be the most beautiful desert city in the world. The word "Yazd" means "worship" -- apt since Yazd is known in the Islamic Republic as "the City of Muslims." Most of its half a million population follow the Islamic faith devoutly. Yet for a city renowned for its religious conservatism, Yazd is far more tolerant and open-minded than cities more accustomed to tourists such as Isfahan and Shiraz. This may be because Yazd is also the birthplace of the Zoroastrian religion. Very little is known about Zoroastrianism in the West but its influence is far reaching.
Archive for January, 2008
Only GritsforBreakfast noted the posting, pointing to a Dallas Morning News editorial criticizing the agency's diversion of funds for correctional officers to office renovation. On Sunday, however, Austin civil rights watchdog Jim Harrington took issue with the job posting — noting that applications are only being taken for five business days and alleging that the commission had "buried" the posting on its site. The job posting is not prominently displayed on the TYC site. You have to search the jobs alphabetically to find it. And the window from job posting to closing is, clearly, small. The job pays up to $160,000 per year and suggests applicants have the "ability to maintain high tolerance to mental stress." Nedelkoff was appointed in December by Gov.
Dollar - Doomed At 1.45?
The worst of the lot included housing starts which dropped more than 10% and jobless claims which swelled to 337K against 312K expected. The news pushed the Fed Funds futures to a 75% chance of a rate cut in October dragging the dollar to new lows. To add insult to injury the TICs data proved shockingly weak, printing at -$69 Billion versus $60 Billion projected. Many analysts noted that the vast majority of the outflow was in equities during the massive liquidation in August. With equity markets having recaptured and exceeded their record highs, the expectation for next month is that many of these negative capital flows will reverse. Although the prospect of an October rate hike is quite real, as we noted in our brief on Friday, "Chairman Bernanke must be aware that further monetary easing so soon after the 50bp cut in September, would immediately spur speculation of yet more cuts before the year end and could easily push the EURUSD to the 1.4500 figure within a matter of weeks, destabilizing an already woefully weak dollar." Next week the US calendar is relatively uneventful with yet more housing data and durable goods on the docket.
Fire at PCA
A major fire broke out at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium here this afternoon completely gutting its top floor and damaging property worth crores. There was, however, no loss of life. The fire broke out at around 1 oclock and was apparently caused by a stray spark flying off the welding equipment in use during an ongoing renovation work on the floor. It spread across 11,000 sq ft within minutes fanned by the wind and the highly inflammable material lying on the floor and lining the walls and false ceiling.
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