Positive News Update 10-05-05
US NEWS - THE ECONOMY
Orders to U.S. factories show
best increase in three months.
WASHINGTON - The Commerce Department
reported that orders rose by 2.5 percent to
$395.2 billion, led by strong demand for
computers and other electronic products.
The increase followed a 2.5 percent drop in July
which had fed worries that manufacturing, an
energy-intensive sector of the economy, could
falter as crude oil prices climbed to record levels.
However, the August rebound and a big jump in
September in a closely watched gauge of
manufacturing sentiment should ease those worries.
The Institute for Supply Management said that its
index surged to a 13-month high of 59.4 percent in
September despite the surge in energy prices and
the battering the economy took from Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita.
September was the industrial sector's
28th consecutive month of growth
The Institute for Supply Management said its
manufacturing index advanced to 59.4 percent
in September from 53.6 percent the month before,
for the industrial sector's 28th consecutive month
of growth.
It was the highest reading since the gauge hit 59.6
percent in August 2004 and well above the 54 percent
reading that analysts had expected.
A reading above 50 indicates the sector is expanding;
below 50 indicates manufacturing activity is shrinking.
The index is compiled from a survey of purchasing
executives in industries across the country.
Record High Construction Spending
In Washington, meanwhile, the Commerce Department
reported that construction spending climbed to a record
high in August, helped by a renewed boom in housing.
Even bigger gains are expected in coming months, spurred
by the massive rebuilding required in the wake of Katrina,
which hit the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, and Hurricane Rita,
which struck the coast last month.
The Commerce Department said total August construction
spending rose by 0.4 percent, the biggest increase in three
months.
It pushed building activity to an all-time high of $1.11 trillion
at a seasonally adjusted annual rate.
The increase did not include any hurricane-related activity
because Katrina did not strike until late in August. But the
government said all the spending on the rebuilding of homes
and businesses in coming months will add to the construction figures.
HEALTH NEWS
Fighting prostate cancer with pomegranates
Ivanhoe.com
A promising new study from the University of Wisconsin
Medical School in Madison, Wisconsin, USA, suggests that
pomegranate juice may ward off prostate cancer.
Pomegrantes are found to contain powerful antioxidants
that are effective at killing cancerous cells as well as keeping
cancerous tumours from growing as rapidly as they would otherwise.
Researchers tested pomegranate extract on cancer cells grown
in the laboratory and found the more extract applied to the cells,
the more likely the cells were to die.
Ivanhoe quoted the authors of the study saying, 'Based on the
present findings, it is tempting to suggest that the fruit
pomegranate and its associated antioxidants may possess
a strong potential for development as a chemo-preventive
and possibly therapeutic agent against prostate cancer.'
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Less is more: Working miracles in Nepal's rice fields
SciDev.Net
SciDev.Net reported: A new method of growing rice called
'System of Rice Intensification' (SRI) that has been tried
and tested in about 20 countries, is now catching on in Nepal.
Without requiring farmers to flood their fields or use chemical
fertilizers and pesticides, farmers report they have bigger
harvests and better incomes while using fewer seeds and less water.
The normal variety of local rice is used.
Positive News Network views this news as a sign of rising positivity
in the field of enviroment, documenting the growth of life-supporting,
evolutionary trends.
The new technique was developed in 1983 by Henri de Laulanie,
a French Jesuit priest in Madagascar. Tens of thousands of farmers
have adopted the method in the few years since researchers
introduced it into Cambodia.
Using ordinary rice and not genetically modified varieties, the secret
to success is said to lie in the cultivation method. Typically, a paddy
field needs 50 kilograms of seed per hectare, so the new method
which uses only ten kilograms of seed or less per hectare is
more economical.
Used in India, Laos, Sri Lanka, and elsewhere, farmers continue
to report that SRI provides bigger harvests and better incomes,
for less investment in seeds and water.
Positive Trends
Kadhafi seeks 'friendship' with United States
Libya's President Moamer Kadhafi said that his country is seeking
'friendship' with the United States. In a surprise announcement
by Kadhafi in December 2003, he said that Libya was giving up
the quest for weapons of mass destruction.
As a result, diplomatic relationships with the United States were
restored in June 2004. With his recent speech, the President kept
up the momentum towards normalizing relations.
Sharon and Abbas agree to meet
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader
Mahmoud Abbas agreed Sunday to hold their first summit
since Israel's pullout from Gaza as part of their efforts to
restart the stalled Middle East peace process.
The announcement came as a new flare-up in fighting
eased in recent days.
South American leaders call for trade zone
South American Presidents committed themselves to
establishing a continental free trade zone. No deadline
was set for a 32-point plan that would lead to an
economic bloc, unified by modern roads, railroads,
bridges, and airports.
The South American summit was attended by the
Presidents of Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Paraguay, Ecuador,
Venezuela, Brazil, and Argentina.
Orders to U.S. factories show
best increase in three months.
WASHINGTON - The Commerce Department
reported that orders rose by 2.5 percent to
$395.2 billion, led by strong demand for
computers and other electronic products.
The increase followed a 2.5 percent drop in July
which had fed worries that manufacturing, an
energy-intensive sector of the economy, could
falter as crude oil prices climbed to record levels.
However, the August rebound and a big jump in
September in a closely watched gauge of
manufacturing sentiment should ease those worries.
The Institute for Supply Management said that its
index surged to a 13-month high of 59.4 percent in
September despite the surge in energy prices and
the battering the economy took from Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita.
September was the industrial sector's
28th consecutive month of growth
The Institute for Supply Management said its
manufacturing index advanced to 59.4 percent
in September from 53.6 percent the month before,
for the industrial sector's 28th consecutive month
of growth.
It was the highest reading since the gauge hit 59.6
percent in August 2004 and well above the 54 percent
reading that analysts had expected.
A reading above 50 indicates the sector is expanding;
below 50 indicates manufacturing activity is shrinking.
The index is compiled from a survey of purchasing
executives in industries across the country.
Record High Construction Spending
In Washington, meanwhile, the Commerce Department
reported that construction spending climbed to a record
high in August, helped by a renewed boom in housing.
Even bigger gains are expected in coming months, spurred
by the massive rebuilding required in the wake of Katrina,
which hit the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, and Hurricane Rita,
which struck the coast last month.
The Commerce Department said total August construction
spending rose by 0.4 percent, the biggest increase in three
months.
It pushed building activity to an all-time high of $1.11 trillion
at a seasonally adjusted annual rate.
The increase did not include any hurricane-related activity
because Katrina did not strike until late in August. But the
government said all the spending on the rebuilding of homes
and businesses in coming months will add to the construction figures.
HEALTH NEWS
Fighting prostate cancer with pomegranates
Ivanhoe.com
A promising new study from the University of Wisconsin
Medical School in Madison, Wisconsin, USA, suggests that
pomegranate juice may ward off prostate cancer.
Pomegrantes are found to contain powerful antioxidants
that are effective at killing cancerous cells as well as keeping
cancerous tumours from growing as rapidly as they would otherwise.
Researchers tested pomegranate extract on cancer cells grown
in the laboratory and found the more extract applied to the cells,
the more likely the cells were to die.
Ivanhoe quoted the authors of the study saying, 'Based on the
present findings, it is tempting to suggest that the fruit
pomegranate and its associated antioxidants may possess
a strong potential for development as a chemo-preventive
and possibly therapeutic agent against prostate cancer.'
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Less is more: Working miracles in Nepal's rice fields
SciDev.Net
SciDev.Net reported: A new method of growing rice called
'System of Rice Intensification' (SRI) that has been tried
and tested in about 20 countries, is now catching on in Nepal.
Without requiring farmers to flood their fields or use chemical
fertilizers and pesticides, farmers report they have bigger
harvests and better incomes while using fewer seeds and less water.
The normal variety of local rice is used.
Positive News Network views this news as a sign of rising positivity
in the field of enviroment, documenting the growth of life-supporting,
evolutionary trends.
The new technique was developed in 1983 by Henri de Laulanie,
a French Jesuit priest in Madagascar. Tens of thousands of farmers
have adopted the method in the few years since researchers
introduced it into Cambodia.
Using ordinary rice and not genetically modified varieties, the secret
to success is said to lie in the cultivation method. Typically, a paddy
field needs 50 kilograms of seed per hectare, so the new method
which uses only ten kilograms of seed or less per hectare is
more economical.
Used in India, Laos, Sri Lanka, and elsewhere, farmers continue
to report that SRI provides bigger harvests and better incomes,
for less investment in seeds and water.
Positive Trends
Kadhafi seeks 'friendship' with United States
Libya's President Moamer Kadhafi said that his country is seeking
'friendship' with the United States. In a surprise announcement
by Kadhafi in December 2003, he said that Libya was giving up
the quest for weapons of mass destruction.
As a result, diplomatic relationships with the United States were
restored in June 2004. With his recent speech, the President kept
up the momentum towards normalizing relations.
Sharon and Abbas agree to meet
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader
Mahmoud Abbas agreed Sunday to hold their first summit
since Israel's pullout from Gaza as part of their efforts to
restart the stalled Middle East peace process.
The announcement came as a new flare-up in fighting
eased in recent days.
South American leaders call for trade zone
South American Presidents committed themselves to
establishing a continental free trade zone. No deadline
was set for a 32-point plan that would lead to an
economic bloc, unified by modern roads, railroads,
bridges, and airports.
The South American summit was attended by the
Presidents of Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Paraguay, Ecuador,
Venezuela, Brazil, and Argentina.
posted by Mr. Positive! at 9:02 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home