Is there a limit to the effect of sanctions on Iranian oil production?

OPEC figures show a general decline in crude oil production from the Islamic republic after it was hit with economic sanctions this summer, according to OilPrice.com. But has the effect of the sanctions reached a limit?

By Daniel J. Graeber,?Guest blogger / October 2, 2012

In this April 2008 file photo, Iranian oil technician Majid Afshari checks the oil separator facilities in Azadegan oil field, near Ahvaz, Iran. Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi said neither crude oil sales nor production is impacted by sanctions imposed by Western governments, according to OilPrice.com, despite the numbers showing otherwise.

Vahid Salemi/AP/File

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The Iranian oil sector may be lagging because of declining revenue needed to keep the domestic sector afloat.? The country was hit with economic sanctions during the summer amid growing concerns over its nuclear ambitions and OPEC figures show a general decline in crude oil production from the Islamic republic. U.S. energy statistics, meanwhile, predict Iran's crude oil production should fall more than 20 percent compared to last year's figures. From the Iranian perspective, however, all is well for No. 3 among OPEC nations.

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offers extensive coverage of all energy sectors from crude oil and natural gas to solar energy and environmental issues. To see more opinion pieces and news analysis that cover energy technology, finance and trading, geopolitics, and sector news, please visit?Oilprice.com.

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Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi said neither crude oil sales nor production is impacted by sanctions imposed by Western governments. The U.S. and European governments during the summer targeted the country's energy sector as punishment for transparency issues with nuclear research. This week's annual meeting for the U.N. General Assembly brought Iran's behavior in the global community to the center stage given nuclear concerns and Tehran's?allegiance?to the Syrian government. Nevertheless, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had provided leeway to some key U.S. allies. Despite a damning assessment from the International Atomic Energy Agency, Clinton said some countries would be shielded from sanctions for making "significant" cuts in crude oil purchases from Iran.
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"I am pleased to announce that Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom have again qualified for an exception to sanctions ? based on reductions in the volume of their crude oil purchases from Iran," she?said?in a statement.??(RELATED:?Will a Melting Arctic Help Postpone Peak Oil?)

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/zXrB6fuwH5M/Is-there-a-limit-to-the-effect-of-sanctions-on-Iranian-oil-production

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Yohji Yamamoto: 'Brand Advertising Is Making ... - Business Insider

Thos Robinson / Getty Images

At his recent Y-3 10th anniversary show in New York City, legendary Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto slammed the current state of the fashion world.

Yamamoto is a critic of the fast-fashion business ? retailers like Zara and H&M that bring the latest fashion trends to stores as quickly as possible.

He has a bit of a rebellious streak, and doesn't hold back when he has something to say.?

Now, he has some straightforward advice for young folks: fashion isn't all it's cracked up to be.

From an interview with Amanda Kaiser at Women's Wear Daily:

"Let me talk like an old man. Young people, be careful. Beautiful things are disappearing every day.

Be careful.?You don?t need to be [shopping at fast-fashion stores], especially young people. They are beautiful naturally, because they are young. So they should even wear simple jeans and a T-shirt. It?s enough.

Don?t be too much fashionable.?The brand advertising is making you crazy. You don?t need to be too sexy. You are sexy enough."

NOW SEE: Why The High Fashion World Will Never Take Kanye West Seriously >

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/yohji-yamamoto-fashion-designer-2012-9

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J&J diabetes drug effective in high risk patients

(Reuters) - An experimental treatment for type 2 diabetes developed by Johnson & Johnson proved effective at reducing blood sugar in patients on long-term insulin therapy and at high risk for heart problems, according to a study presented on Tuesday.

The drug, canagliflozin, also led to clinically meaningful drops in blood pressure and weight loss, both of which should be beneficial for diabetics at an elevated risk of heart problems, researchers said.

"It's always a challenge to try and reduce weight, reduce blood glucose, reduce blood pressure and here you've got an agent which will help you to reduce weight, blood sugar and blood pressure all in one go," David Matthews, one of the study's lead researchers, said in a telephone interview.

The data, from an 18-week sub-study of more than 1,700 patients, was culled from a much larger Phase III trial called Canvas that was part of J&J's application package submitted earlier this year seeking U.S. and European approval for canagliflozin. If approved, it would be the diversified healthcare conglomerate's first diabetes medicine.

Patients in the sub-study, which compared the drug at doses of 100 milligrams or 300 mg to placebo, suffered from type 2 diabetes on average for 16 years and were on insulin therapy for an average of seven years, having progressed from other medicines. More than half had a history of prior heart attacks, strokes or vascular problems.

After 18 weeks of daily treatment, A1C - a common measure of blood sugar - was reduced by 0.65 percent in patients taking 100 mg of canagliflozin and by 0.73 percent at 300 mg versus virtually no change on placebo.

"These are clinically significant drops, no doubt about it," said Matthews, a professor of diabetes at the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism in Oxford, England.

The results were presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) meeting in Berlin.

Patients on canagliflozin experienced modest increases in both bad LDL cholesterol and good HDL cholesterol. The increase in LDL could be a cause of concern for heart patients, but might be balanced somewhat by the HDL increase, Matthews said.

The J&J drug also led to statistically significant reductions in systolic blood pressure at both doses (-2.6 mmHg and -4.4 mmHg), as well as reductions in diastolic blood pressure, or both ends of the blood pressure reading.

"Blood pressure certainly comes down in significant amounts, in fact in amounts that you would regard to be quite respectable in an anti hypertension agent," Matthews said.

The low dose of canagliflozin led to an average weight loss of about 1.8 kilograms (4 pounds) and those on higher dose lost an average of 2.3 kg (5 lbs) after 18 weeks of treatment.

Weight loss is a particularly attractive effect because obesity is a primary cause of type 2 diabetes and some older treatments cause weight gain.

Canagliflozin belongs to a new class of diabetes treatments called SGLT2 inhibitors that work by blocking reabsorption of glucose by the kidney and increases glucose excretion in the urine to lower blood sugar.

Deaths among the high risk patients in the study was about even with five in the placebo group and two each in the drug groups.

Most adverse events were deemed to be mild to moderate, although the incidence of discontinuation due to side effects was higher in the 300 mg group at 5.3 percent versus 1.9 percent for 100 mgs and placebo.

The most common side effect was genital infections, which Matthews said occurred in about 10 percent of women and six percent of men taking the drug. Other side effects included increased urination and hypotension, or low blood pressure.

As with prior canagliflozin studies, researchers did see signs of the liver problems that contributed to an FDA rejection of dapagliflozin, a drug from AstraZeneca Plc and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co that belongs to the same SGLT2 class.

"All in all, you've got no real safety signal coming out of the liver or the renal aspects (kidneys) that would give cause for concern," Matthews said.

"In terms of serious AEs (adverse events) there's really no signal at all. The results from this sub study suggest that canagliflozin could provide an important new treatment option for higher risk adult patient with type 2 diabetes."

And because canagliflozin worked well on top of insulin, it might prove to be a viable treatment to help type 1 diabetics as well, he added.

(Reporting by Bill Berkrot in New York. Editing by Andre Grenon)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/j-j-diabetes-drug-effective-high-risk-patients-100045499--finance.html

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In 1965 Ford Wanted Everyone To Steer With Their Wrists: What Could Be Safer? [Video]

In 1965 Ford's forward-thinking engineers actually proposed that drivers should steer using just their wrists. The company's radical Wrist-Twist system promised a more comfortable ride, a better view of the road and dashboard instruments, and a guaranteed two thousand percent increase in vehicular accidents. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/lat6Pa42Av4/in-1965-ford-wanted-everyone-to-steer-with-their-wrists-what-could-be-safer

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Mainstream media biased against 'flailing' Romney? Four points to consider.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney campaigns at American Spring Wire in Bedford Heights, Ohio, on Sept. 26. (Evan Vucci/AP)

A recent rough patch for the Romney candidacy led to this headline on The Atlantic website: "Romney is flailing in Ohio."

Flailing, obviously, is not the most flattering word. And Ohio is one of the few swing states on which the election could hinge. So are headlines like this an example of media bias ? conferring an aura on inevitability for Mr. Obama's reelection hopes ? or an example of straight reporting of campaign news? Part of the answer, pro or con, lies in the nature of the news business.

No, news organizations aren't biased

News organizations by nature are chasing news, this argument goes. They're not chasing Romney with pitchforks. The recent video footage of Romney talking about why 47 percent of Americans won't vote for him (people who are "dependent" on government and don't pay taxes) was worthy of coverage. And it was something the public itself began buzzing about. In turn, publications often echo one another for better or worse. When a topic becomes hot ? such as alleged difficulties for the Romney campaign ? pretty much everyone covers it.

If anything, some argue, media outlets with a conservative bent have gained stature in recent years. The highest circulation newspaper is The Wall Street Journal, Fox News "continues to pummel the competition" in cable TV, and radio hosts like Sean Hannity outdraw National Public Radio news, comments David Carr, who follows the media at the New York Times.

Yes, they are

Sure, the news business is about chasing ratings and stories that have water-cooler appeal. But the "Fourth Estate" is so labeled partly because it has a public-service mission, not just a profit motive. Plenty of nonliberals concede that Romney's "47 percent" remark is a legitimate issue. But many of his backers say the media have taken those comments, made to a group of campaign donors in May, out of proportion.

And aren't there other hot topics? The Obama administration?s shifting characterizations of the recent attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, should be a news topic, writes Kirsten Powers at The Daily Beast website ? "if the mainstream media could feign interest in the terrorist attack." Other media critics point to other issues, such as Obama "green" initiatives such as the Solyndra investment that have cost taxpayers billions.

A group of prominent conservatives recently wrote an "open letter to the biased news media" on the subject, arguing that the public should tune them out.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/tQYIlouHMQk/Mainstream-media-biased-against-flailing-Romney-Four-points-to-consider

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Messi wants more than accolades

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updated 6:11 a.m. ET Oct. 1, 2012

MADRID (Reuters) - Lionel Messi wants to be remembered as a good friend and colleague to his team mates rather than as the best player in the world, the unassuming Argentine said in an interview on Monday.

The 25-year-old Barcelona forward has won three consecutive World Player of the Year awards, and is expected to be in the running for a fourth this year, after scoring an unprecedented 73 goals in all competitions last season.

"I prefer to win titles with the team ahead of individual awards or scoring more goals than anyone else," Messi told Spanish daily EL Pais.

"I am more worried about being a good person than being the best football player in the world. When all this is over, what are you left with?

"When I retire, I hope I am remembered for being a decent guy. I like to score goals but I also like to have friends among the people I have played with."

Messi is expecting the birth of his first child, a boy to be named Thiago, in the next month, but does not seem to have been distracted on the pitch.

He has netted 10 goals in all competitions so far, under Pep Guardiola's former assistant Tito Vilanova.

The relatively unknown Vilanova appears to have settled in to his new role quickly and the side top La Liga after a perfect six wins from six.

Vilanova has been helped by a prior knowledge of many of the players, including Messi, from his time spent working in the famed Barca youth academy 'La Masia'.

"I was pleased with the news that Tito was the replacement for Pep," Messi added. "I have known him since I was a lad.

"Tito was the first person who had faith in me, because at the time I was a substitute or didn't play, and he was the one who made me starter in that category (Under-16s).

"I know him well, he's open. He tells you things to your face without any type of problem, I like this."

Barcelona resume their great rivalry with champions Real Madrid on Sunday, when Jose Mourinho's team visit the Nou Camp in La Liga having already overcome the Catalans in the Spanish Super Cup back in August.

"It's the best feeling to beat Madrid because of the importance attached to it," Messi said of the 'Clasico' as he went on to detail the strengths of their eternal rivals.

"Madrid kill you on the counter-attack," he said. "They have extremely fast forwards, and the link-up between the defence and the attack lasts only five seconds and it is a goal. They don't need to play well to score three against you.

"I am lucky enough to know well (fellow Argentines) Gonzalo Higuain and Angel Di Maria. Higuain isn't in the game, touches the ball twice, and scores two goals. Madrid score goals out of nothing."

(Reporting by Mark Elkington, editing by Justin Palmer)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp

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Messi wants more than accolades

Lionel Messi wants to be remembered as a good friend and colleague to his team mates rather than as the best player in the world.

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PST: Is Bradley's health a USMNT concern?

PST: Crucial midfielder hasn't played for Roma in a month because of a thigh injury. Can Jurgen Klinsmann afford to take any chances when it comes to player of his ability?

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/49237474/ns/sports-soccer/

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BAE moving military operations to Texas, 160 workers affected

WEST CHESTER, OH (FOX19)- BAE Systems?has made a major announcement regarding the future of their West Chester facility.?

The company will cease military production at the site and transfer the work to their Sealy, Texas facility by the end of the first?quarter of 2013.

All commercial armored vehicle, transparent armor and JLTV engineering work will continue in West Chester.?

"The decision to transition the military production work from our West Chester site to Sealy streamlines our organization, reduces cost and improves our competitive position," said Frank Pope, President of BAE Systems, Inc.'s Land & Armaments Sector.?

Approximately 160 employees that currently support military production will be affected by the change at the West Chester facility.? It is anticipated that most of the affected employees will be released from the company between November and the end of the first?quarter of 2013.

BAE Systems acquired the military production business through its purchase of Armor Holdings, Inc. in 2007.

This is the latest in several rounds of cuts at the company.

Copyright 2012 WXIX. All rights reserved.

Source: http://butlercounty.fox19.com/news/news/98303-bae-moving-military-operations-texas-160-workers-affected

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