The World's 10 Most Threatened Forest Hotspots

#5 in Conservation International's World’s 10 Most Threatened Forest Hotspots

“The Atlantic Forest stretches along Brazil's Atlantic coast and extends to parts of Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay. Also included in this hotspot is the offshore archipelago of Fernando de Noronha and several other islands off the Brazilian coast. This hotspot boasts 20,000 plant species, 40 percent of which are endemic. Yet, less than 10 percent of the forest remains. More than two dozen Critically Endangered vertebrate species are clinging to survival in the region, including lion tamarins and six bird species that are restricted to the small patch of forest in northeastern Brazil. Beginning with sugarcane plantations and later, coffee plantations, this region has been losing habitat for hundreds of years. Now, with the increased expansion of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, the Atlantic Forest is facing severe pressure from the issues tied to urbanization. Over 100 million people and industries that make up the vast majority of the country’s economic output, including manufacturing, agriculture, cattle ranching and timber harvesting, are dependent on the remnant forest cover for their supply of fresh water”.  Courtesy of Conservation International (CI) as published in the New York Times on Feb. 2, 2011.

The accompanying blogpost-article in the NY Times.  Be forewarned, apparently there is a problem with the figures given for the square miles of forests, both for 8,000 years ago, and the current remaining forests.  Thanks, Holly Porter-Morgan, for sending the links!

Check out the other 9 hotspots.  #1 Hotspot: Southeast Asia (Indo-Burma Hotspot); #2: New Zealand; #3: Sundaland (parts of Indonesia and Borneo); #4: Philippines; #5: Atlantic Forest hotspot in Brazil; #6: Mountains of Southwest China; #7: California Floristic Province; #8: Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa (coastal areas of Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique); #9: Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands; #10: Eastern AfroMontane (parts of Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Malawi, Burundi, Rwanda, Eritrea, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen).

NY Times Blog Post: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/mapping-10-forested-hot-spots/?ref=science

Maps: http://ci.smugmug.com/Media/2011/Maps-Worls-10-Most-Threatened/15610584_tvFU6#1166830260_QiqhT

Decoder cards: the Advocate General’s opinion

In 2006 the customers of a number of English pubs – the Red White and Blue, the Pig & Whistle, Earls, the Crabtree Inn and London House – settled down to watch the footy. Little did they know that this apparently innocent activity was to give rise to a staggering number of complex legal questions. These were referred in the cases FAPL v QC Leisure and Karen Murphy v Media Protection Services. Today Advocate General Kokott has given her opinion. She began by explaining the background:

‘Football Association Premier League … grants its licensees the exclusive right to broadcast and economically exploit the matches within their broadcasting area, generally the country in question. In order to safeguard the exclusive rights of other licensees, they are at the same time required to prevent their broadcasts from being able to be viewed outside the broadcasting area … Undertakings import decoder cards from abroad, in the present cases from Greece and Arab States, into the United Kingdom and offer them to pubs there at more favourable prices than the broadcaster in that State. The FAPL is attempting to stop that practice.’

The Advocate General’s proposed answers to the questions referred are:

1. Question 1 in Case C‑403/08:
Being ‘designed’ or ‘adapted’ within the meaning of Article 2(e) of Directive 98/84/EC means the manufacture or modification of equipment with the intention of providing access to a protected service in an intelligible form without the authorisation of the service provider. Where a conditional access device is made by or with the consent of a service provider and sold subject to a limited authorisation to use the device only to gain access to the protected service in particular circumstances, that device does not therefore become an ‘illicit device’ within the meaning of Article 2(e) of Directive 98/84 if it is used to obtain access to that protected service in a place or in a manner or by a person outside the authorisation of the service provider.

2. Question 3 in Case C‑429/08:
Article 3(2) of Directive 98/84 does not preclude a Member State from invoking a provision of national law that prevents use of a conditional access device in the event of breach of contractual agreements concerning the accessibility of programmes in certain Member States, following the provision of false names and/or addresses in the acquisition of the access device, or the use, for commercial purposes, of an access device intended for private or domestic use.

3. Question 4 in Case C‑403/08:
(a) The question whether works have been reproduced in whole or in part must be answered by means of an interpretation of Article 2 of Directive 2001/29/EC.
(b) Acts of reproduction occur where frames of digital video and audio are created within the memory of a decoder, as those frames constitute part of the broadcast author’s own intellectual creation.
(c) The display of a broadcast on a screen also constitutes reproduction.

4. Question 5 in Case C‑403/08:
Transient copies of a work created on a television screen linked to the decoder box have independent economic significance within the meaning of Article 5(1) of Directive 2001/29, whereas transient copies created in a decoder’s memory do not.

5. Question 6 in Case C‑403/08:
A copyright work is not communicated to the public by wire or wireless means, within the meaning of Article 3(1) of Directive 2001/29, where it is received or viewed as part of a satellite broadcast at commercial premises (for example, a bar) or shown at those premises, free of charge, via a single television screen and speakers to members of the public present in those premises.

6. Question 7 in Case C‑403/08:
The right to communicate copyright works by satellite under Article 2 of Directive 93/83/EC includes the right also to receive and watch that broadcast abroad.

7. Questions 6 and 7 in Case C‑429/08 and Questions 7, 8(c) and 9 in Case C‑403/08:
(a) Freedom to provide services under Article 56 TFEU (previously Article 49 EC) precludes provisions which prohibit, on grounds of protection of intellectual property, the use of conditional access devices for encrypted satellite television in a Member State which have been placed on the market in another Member State with the consent of the holder of the rights to the broadcast. It is irrelevant whether such devices were procured and/or enabled in the other Member State by the provision of a false name and false residential address. An individual agreement to use decoder cards only for domestic or private use also does not affect that conclusion.
(b) Freedom to provide services does not preclude national rules which allow the holder of rights to a broadcast to object to its communication in a pub, provided that the restriction of freedom to provide services stemming from the exercise of that right is not disproportionate to the share of the protected rights to the broadcast.
(c) It is irrelevant for the purposes of the present references for preliminary rulings whether the provision of national law infringes freedom to provide services because it applies to programmes included in a broadcasting service provided from a place in the United Kingdom but not from any other Member State.

8. Question 10 in Case C‑403/08 and Question 8 in Case C‑429/08:
Where a programme content provider enters into a series of exclusive licences each for the territory of one or more Member States under which the broadcaster is licensed to broadcast the programme content only within that territory (including by satellite) and a contractual obligation is included in each licence requiring the broadcaster to prevent its satellite decoder cards which enable reception of the licensed programme content from being used outside the licensed territory, such licence agreements are liable to prevent, restrict or distort competition. They are therefore incompatible with Article 101(1) TFEU; it is not necessary to show that such effects have actually occurred.

Guardian report here.

FT report here.

The Daily debut flops: What went wrong?

The inaugural edition of The Daily was a dud. Unless it suddenly gets a whole lot better, we all can save the 99 cents it hopes to collect each week from subscribers.The Daily debuted yesterday as the first scratch-built news publication for the iPad. But the initial edition of the long-awaited News Corp. project, which consisted of the barest possible news report backfilled by a bunch of vapid

50 Mbps Ethernet Takes on DS3

DS3 connections have been the traditional upgrade path for companies that have outgrown their T1 lines. But now there’s a newer technology service that gives you more bandwidth at less cost than DS3 and offers an easy upgrade path. That service is 50 Mbps Ethernet.

Let’s see why DS3 has become such a popular bandwidth service and why it will likely be replaced by Carrier Ethernet. A DS3, sometimes called a T3 line, isn’t simply 3x the bandwidth you get with T1. It is 28x the bandwidth. So if you have a 1.5 Mbps T1 line and you upgrade to DS3 service, your new bandwidth is about 45 Mbps. Those numbers are actually rounded so the multiplication isn’t exact. There are also overhead bits that must be assigned to manage a DS3 circuit.

As you might suspect, T1 and DS3 are in the same technology family. The tipoff is that DS3 is also called a T3 line. The “T” designation comes from “T-Carrier,” a set of specifications developed by the phone companies right after WWII to convert analog telephone trunks to digital. The T-Carrier specs are based on a 64 Kbps channel called a DS0 for Digital Signal level 0. A DS1 is comprised of 24 DS0 channels or 1.536 Mbps plus 8 Kbps for synchronization and maintenance for a total of 1.544 Mbps. That’s the T1 line speed.

A T3 line is also composed of DS0 channels at the most basic level. What’s so important about DS0 is that it is exactly the right size to carry one digitized telephone call. These channels can also be used to carry data packets instead of phone conversations. Package 672 DS0 channels together plus synchronization and maintenance bits and you have a DS3 running at 44.736 Mbps. That’s the T3 line speed.

T1 lines were designed to be delivered on 2 pair of ordinary twisted pair copper telephone wiring in a multi-pair binder cable. T3 lines were designed to be delivered on coaxial copper line or microwave transmission. Today, fiber optic cable is generally used to transport DS3 and higher bandwidth services. Bonded copper pair may get the job done over short distances, but is only found in densely populated cities.

The fact is that an upgrade from T1 to DS3 is a major move that requires equipment replacement, perhaps significant construction costs, and a considerable monthly lease price increase. Once you run out of bandwidth on a DS3, you need to move up to the next level of compatible services, OC3, at 155.52 Mbps.

What’s the competition for T1, DS3, OC3 and above? It’s a completely different family of network services called Carrier Ethernet, also known as Metro Ethernet. Carrier Ethernet has more in common with LAN Ethernet than it does with T-Carrier technology. T-Carrier was designed to transport telephone calls. Ethernet was designed to transport data packets. Yes, Ethernet can also be used to carry phone calls and does so exquisitely on converged voice and data networks. An Ethernet connection used to transport telephone traffic may also be called a SIP Trunk.

Now, let’s look at the replacement services for the old T-Carrier system. EoC or Ethernet over Copper is a direct replacement for T1 lines. There are two major benefits to going with EoC. First, the bandwidth is higher. A 2 or 3 Mbps Ethernet over Copper service replaces a 1.5 Mbps T1 line. The cost for both services is roughly the same. When you want to, you can upgrade to 10 or 20 Mbps over copper for more bandwidth.

The replacement for DS3 or T3 lines is 50 Mbps Ethernet. You get a modest increase in bandwidth and you’ll likely see a significant reduction in your monthly line services bill. It is not uncommon to pay half or less for 50 Mbps Ethernet compared with DS3.

You’ll need a fiber optic connection for either service. There is no standard fiber service that runs at the DS3 speed, so it is delivered on a SONET OC3 service using just a third of the available bandwidth. Ethernet is far more scalable. 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps and 1000 Mbps are standard network speeds, but you can get a wide range of increments between these levels. A good strategy is to order the Ethernet bandwidth you need now with an eye to easily upgrading to an incrementally higher speed as needed. The trick is to have an Ethernet port installed that can handle the maximum bandwidth you anticipate needing. If you have a 100 Mbps port, you can get 50 Mbps Ethernet out of that port now and then upgrade in steps to the maximum capacity of 100 Mbps later. Often, this can be done quickly and easily with a simple phone call to your service provider.

Are you anticipating a major WAN bandwidth upgrade, or are you already using DS3 service and either want more bandwidth or lower pricing? If so, get 50 Mbps Ethernet pricing and availability before you make any decisions. It’s a service that will serve you well in the coming years and offer a compelling cost savings as well.

Top Valentines Day Stocks

Most people know when Valentine's Day is, but in case you missed the memo, it is Monday, February 14, so if you haven't done the shopping for your Valentine, then you better get cracking. One option is to give a gift of shares of stock in companies that may produce Valentines Day related products. Here are some stocks that may benefit, including chocolate, jewelry, flowers, greeting cards, and gift wrap.

Hershey (HSY), founded in 1894, is the largest manufacturer of chocolate in North America and one of the largest chocolate and candy companies in the world. Hershey's Kisses were invented in 1901 and the Hershey chocolate chips were introduced in 1928. The stock trades at 22 times earnings, with a CD beating yield of 2.7%.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Inc. (RMCF), based in Durango, Colorado, makes and markets caramels, creams, mints, and truffles. The company, which was founded in 1981, has over 300 franchise locations in 40 states, along with Canada and the United Arab Emirates. The P/E ratio is 15.8, and the yield is a delicious 3.9%.

1-800-Flowers.com Inc. (FLWS), the largest publicly traded flower seller, also sells plants, gourmet foods, cookies, cakes, candies, wine, gift baskets, and other gifts. The company recently generated negative earnings, but trades at 31 times forward earnings.

Tiffany & Co. (TIF), founded in 1837, is one of the top jewelry companies in the world, with over 60 U.S. stores and over 100 international locations. The metric carat as a weight standard for gems was developed by a Tiffany gemologist. The New York City flagship store is home to the 128-carat Fancy Yellow Tiffany Diamond. The stock has a PE of 23, and a yield of 1.7%.

Blue Nile Inc. (NILE), founded in 1999, is a leading web based retailer of diamonds and fine jewelry, and the largest online retailer of certified diamonds. The stock has a PE of 66.

Signet Group plc (SIG), owns 1,400 jewelry stores in the United States, under the trade names of Kay Jewelers and Jared The Galleria Of Jewelry. The stock has a P/E ratio of 17.

Zale Corporation (ZLC) has over 690 jewelry stores in throughout the United States. The company has recently generated negative earnings.

American Greetings Corp. (AM), founded in 1906 and based in Cleveland, Ohio, is the largest publicly-traded greeting card company in the world. The stock has a PE of 10 and a decent yield of 2.6%.

CSS Industries Inc. (CSS) markets gift wrap, gift bags, boxed greeting cards, gift tags, tissue paper, decorations, and decorative ribbons and bows. The stock trades at 17 times forward earnings, and a yield of 3.3%.

You will notice that more than half of these stocks pay fairly decent dividends. If you like high dividend stocks, check out the free listings at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. You can also find other unusual lists of stocks at wsnn.com, including Beatles stocks, birth control stocks, cloud computing stocks, and stem cell stocks.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Second Week of February

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends'. This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets. In flat or choppy markets, you have to be extremely careful.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable Excel list of the stocks going ex dividend during the next week or two. The list contains many dividend paying companies, all with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the market capitalization, the ex-dividend date and the yield.

Navios Maritime Partners L.P. (NMM) market cap: $797.3M ex div date: 2/7/2011 yield: 8.8%

AmeriGas Partners, L.P. (APU) market cap: $2.9B ex div date: 2/8/2011 yield: 5.7%

Cedar Shopping Centers Inc (CDR) market cap: $392.6M ex div date: 2/9/2011 yield: 6.1%

Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) market cap: $24.1B ex div date: 2/9/2011 yield: 5.4%

Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY) market cap: $40.1B ex div date: 2/11/2011 yield: 5.6%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out the high yield utility stocks and the Monthly Dividend Stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com.

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Happy Chinese New Year of the Rabbit!