Guess what? Our future self is pretty unreliable, too. He/she doesn’t think that the task in hand sounds like much fun, either, and he/she is just as likely to put it off as you are. .
Actually, your future self is even more likely to put it off than you are because you’ve already established a pattern that putting off that important thing is okay. .
If you want to actually succeed in life, stop relying on your future self to take care of things. Now.
By RAHIM FAIEZ, Associated Press Writer Rahim Faiez, Associated Press Writer – 27 mins ago .
KABUL, Afghanistan – U.S. geologists have discovered vast mineral wealth in Afghanistan, possibly amounting to $1 trillion, President Hamid Karzai’s spokesman said Monday. .
Waheed Omar told reporters the findings were made by the U.S. Geological Survey under contract to the Afghan government. .
“The result of the survey … has shown that Afghanistan has mineral resources worth $1 trillion,” Omar said. “This is not an overall survey of all minerals in Afghanistan. Whatever has been found in this survey is worth $1 trillion.” .
Omar refused to provide details, referring reporters to the Ministry of Mines. An official at the ministry refused to discuss the survey, saying details would be released at a news conference later this week. .
A 2007 report by the USGS said most of the data on Afghanistan’s mineral resources was produced between the early 1950s and 1985 but much was hidden and protected by Afghan scientists “during the intermittent conflict over the next two decades.” .
The New York Times reported the $1 trillion figure in Monday’s edition and quoted senior American officials as saying untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan are far beyond any previously known reserves and were enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself. .
Americans discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, including iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium, according to the report. The Times quoted a Pentagon memo as saying Afghanistan could become the “Saudi Arabia of lithium,” a key raw material in the manufacture of batteries for laptops and cell phones. .
“There is stunning potential here,” the newspaper quoted Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of the United States Central Command as saying. “There are a lot of ifs, of course, but I think potentially it is hugely significant.” .
Geologists have known for decades that Afghanistan contained substantial mineral resources, including copper, gold and cobalt. But the resources have never been fully exploited because of decades of armed conflict and poor infrastructure. The Times said huge lithium deposits were found in Ghazni province — much of which is effectively under Taliban control. .
During a visit last month to Washington, Karzai said his nation’s untapped mineral deposits could be even higher — perhaps as much as $3 trillion. .
The mineral resources are a “massive opportunity,” Karzai said at a May 13 event with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton held at the U.S. Institute of Peace. .
The report in the Times said the USGS began aerial surveys of Afghanistan’s mineral resources in 2006, using data that had been collected by Soviet mining experts during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s. Promising results led to a more sophisticated study the next year. .
Then last year, a Pentagon task force that had created business development programs in Iraq arrived in Afghanistan and closely analyzed the geologists’ findings. U.S. mining experts were brought in to validate the survey’s conclusions, and top U.S. and Afghan officials were briefed. .
“I think it’s very, very big news for the people of Afghanistan and that we hope will bring the Afghan people together for a cause that will benefit everyone,” Karzai’s spokesman, Omar, said. “This is an economic interest that will benefit all Afghans and will benefit Afghanistan in the long run.” .
So far, the biggest mineral deposits discovered are of iron and copper, but finds include large deposits of niobium, a soft metal used in producing superconducting steel, as well as rare earth elements and large gold deposits in Pashtun areas of southern Afghanistan, the report said. Many of those areas are too dangerous because of Taliban activity. .
Charles Kernot, a mining analyst with Evolution Securities Ltd. in London, said it typically takes three to five years to get a lithium mining operation up and running. Factors include how close the deposit is to power sources and other infrastructure and the size of the deposit. .
And large lithium deposits may not mean an automatic windfall — given competition and the uncertainty of the market. .
“Bolivia wants to expand its lithium mining operations dramatically over the next few years so there is a risk of oversupply if demand from electric cars does not meet expectations,” Kernot said.
press play…listen for about 15 seconds, then read below. i read this a few weeks ago and it’s been in the back of my head for a while, i just never had the mentality to post/talk about it.
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A close friend of mine flew into Mumbai about a week ago. He had gone to India to volunteer with a charitable service organization. When he got off the plane he felt like he had food poisoning, so he checked into a hospital. The next morning he was dead. .
I was told a story this morning by one of my neighbors: .
Her best friend’s husband was driving with their three chidlren in Haiti a few days ago. The Earthquake came, and a building fell on their car. By the time they dug the car out two of the children and the father were dead. The youngest child survived because the father had protected the youngest child with his body. .
I can’t even imagine the amount of pain the mother must be in tonight. .
My mind recoils from heartbreak. And it cannot deal at all with oblivion. The mind cannot imagine it’s own extinction. Somehow, we’re just not built that way. The mind just can’t imagine itself not existing. .
To have a relationship with death, without shutting down to it, withdrawing, or closing off my heart, I must find something else to identify with that is not my mind. And it is true that with great effort, I find myself noticing my mind turning. .
When I watch my mind, I find that the mind is not the one doing the watching. .
The mind cannot watch itself.
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serena, our first dog, was put to sleep last night, she was 13 and i knew her half my life. i don’t even know what to say about it, but this is the first time someone really close to my has died and i can’t say i was ever ready for it.
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love you, baby. . . .
not very happy here =p . . .
one of my favs… .
sucks.
would put a sticker on his work shirt. this was typical of our weekends that actually had an agenda. i keep thinking how amazing it would be if george we get a garage that brings everything that was good about the shop into private quarters. no insurance, no bills, just laughs and love. or maybe love and laughs? i dunno…but notice the lack of ‘cars’ in that equation haha =)
i clipped this from noriyaro.com‘s tribute. they’ve got so many pics of kuroi, including a bunch of his gangster ‘back entries’. . .
…just look at that. i mean really? i’ll put up some videos later that are just so fresh, even when we thought we saw everything. .
A real drifter will always just be looking for the most aggressive entry.
Pulling maximum angle.
Looking for the next corner.
Keep holding it.
Never lifting off.
Running forever.
Farewell Atsushi Kuroi. We will miss your clouds of smoke.
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by Shaun Tandon – Wed Feb 3, 6:36 am ET .
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The White House is standing firm on President Barack Obama’s plans to meet with the Dalai Lama, firmly rejecting Chinese pressure to snub him as rows escalate between Washington and Beijing. .
The Chinese government reacted Wednesday, saying it “resolutely opposes” the Dalai Lama’s visit to the United States and any of his meetings with US leaders. .
“We urge the US side to clearly recognize the high sensitivity of the Tibet issue and handle related issues carefully and appropriately to avoid causing more harm to Sino-US ties,” foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement. .
Days after defying Beijing with a 6.4-billion-dollar weapons package for Taiwan, the White House insisted Tuesday that China address human rights concerns in Tibet. .
“The president told China leaders during his trip last year that he would meet with the Dalai Lama, and he intends to do so,” White House spokesman Bill Burton told reporters. .
“The Dalai Lama is an internationally respected religious and cultural leader, and the president will meet with him in that capacity.” .
The spiritual leader is due in the United States for a 10-day trip later this month, his secretary said, and will be in Washington February 17-19 before speaking and teaching engagements in Los Angeles and Florida. He will return to India from New York on February 25. .
Burton said Obama remained committed to “building a positive, comprehensive and cooperative relationship with China.” The president has sought wide-ranging ties with the rising Asian power on issues from the global economy to North Korea. .
In October, Obama avoided meeting the Dalai Lama when he visited Washington. The move was controversial at home, but the White House said Obama did not want to sour ties with Beijing before his maiden visit a month later.
honda is always doing what they do. some good short films. call it smart marketing or call it a movement, but some are pretty inspirational. .
check out dreams.honda.com .
what will transportation be like 80 years from now? that question is crazy.
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if only today’s world treated the competition for a new, world changing vehicle as much as previous ones did in the space race. .
this video has tony vin diesel kanaan and tony hawk.
the holidays gave us a lot of different challenges with getting shots in the right light, focus, composition, and just general picture taking. most of the pics we took ended up being very mundane and can easily be done with a point & shoot, but it was definitely a learning experience. i found myself hitting up digital-photography-school.com before each occasion to get last minute tips to make the best out of our time…i had to resize for the blog and wordpress blands out the pics so check out the flickr for original format and full-size. it would prob be better to let you click the pic for the full size. note to self!
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christmas eve in staten island was truly a night i will never forget. so much food, so much family, and so much fun.
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the new addition with mom…
with gramps
and with great gramps!
santa even stopped by!
christmas day we spent at my house, there was snow on the ground and i wanted to go out, but never had a chance…
for the first time in my life, i found myself not opening gifts christmas morning and taking pics of my parents opening. hahahaha…
my dad’s such an easy present…
time to start cooking!
and another new addition! this was one of my favorite pics…
sisters
all the kids got my grandma a necklace with each one of their birthstones…
christopher, always goin for the soda!
definitely can’t wait for a wide angle, which will be our second purchase after a flash.
cleanup time!
off to michele’s fam!
so much wasted space to the right
more good food
cupcakes from crumbs in nyc
i like this picture
we have to work on focusing on more than one subject. up the aperture or manual focus? hmmm….
most comfortable position. ever.
went to see the tree in nyc, this proved to be the greatest challenge and sadly turned out the worst pics of the holidays. after reading about using the tungsten setting, i saw how much it really brought out the lights, but with our stock flash and inexperience, we just couldn’t get faces to look natural. we ended up switching to auto so the pics are usable and some post-processing would help, but next year…we will be ready!
almost got it =(
we then went to my sis’ a couple days after christmas…finally get my gifts!
the king in his thrown…
yummy dessert time!
i setup the camera to take pics in one minute intervals, it worked out for some nice candid shots and definitely made gift opening less stressful letting me focus on family time…
we all got moms the beatles collection. very cool i must say…
some post-processing will really make these look much better…
thinking about what it was like the day we got the 1j, the day we pulled angel’s car in, the day we met marcos and all the cool dudes. .
I miss it. I miss everything. .
By JONATHAN M. KATZ, Associated Press Writer Jonathan M. Katz, Associated Press Writer – 22 mins ago
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Haitians piled bodies along the devastated streets of their capital Wednesday after a powerful earthquake crushed thousands of structures, from schools and shacks to the National Palace and the U.N. peacekeeping headquarters. Untold numbers were still trapped. .
President Rene Preval said he believes thousands of people were dead from Tuesday afternoon’s magnitude-7.0 quake. .
“Parliament has collapsed. The tax office has collapsed. Schools have collapsed. Hospitals have collapsed,” Preval told the Miami Herald. “There are a lot of schools that have a lot of dead people in them.” .
The Roman Catholic archbishop of Port-au-Prince was among the dead, and the head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission was missing. .
The international Red Cross said a third of Haiti’s 9 million people may need emergency aid and that it would take a day or two for a clear picture of the damage to emerge. .
President Barack Obama promised an all-out rescue and humanitarian effort, adding that the U.S. commitment to its hemispheric neighbor will be unwavering. .
“We have to be there for them in their hour of need,” Obama said. .
Other nations — from Iceland to Venezuela — said they would start sending in aid workers and rescue teams. Cuba said its existing field hospitals in Haiti had already treated hundreds of victims. The United Nations said Port-au-Prince’s main airport was “fully operational” and open to relief flights. .
Aftershocks continued to rattle the capital of 2 million people as women covered in dust clawed out of debris, wailing. Stunned people wandered the streets holding hands. Thousands gathered in public squares to sing hymns. .
People pulled bodies from collapsed homes, covering them with sheets by the side of the road. Passers-by lifted the sheets to see if loved ones were underneath. Outside a crumbled building, the bodies of five children and three adults lay in a pile. .
The prominent died along with the poor: the body of Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot, 63, was found in the ruins of his office, said the Rev. Pierre Le Beller of the Saint Jacques Missionary Center in Landivisiau, France. He told The Associated Press by telephone that fellow missionaries in Haiti had told him they found Miot’s body. .
Preval told the Herald that Haiti’s Senate president was among those trapped alive inside the Parliament building. Much of the National Palace pancaked on itself. .
The international Red Cross and other aid groups announced plans for major relief operations in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country. .
Many will have to help their own staff as well as stricken Haitians. Taiwan said its embassy was destroyed and the ambassador hospitalized. Spain said its embassy was badly damaged. .
Tens of thousands of people lost their homes as buildings that were flimsy and dangerous even under normal conditions collapsed. Nobody offered an estimate of the dead, but the numbers were clearly enormous. .
“The hospitals cannot handle all these victims,” said Dr. Louis-Gerard Gilles. “Haiti needs to pray. We all need to pray together.”
jerseystreets.tv put together another amazing video for the clubloose banquet to recap the year. there’s some forsberg, so-rad, clubloose, all the goodness that made this year so fun……dammit!
i just love how music defines time just as much as it preserves it. i remember sitting in starbucks studying at some crazy hour and the barista played this whole album. maybe it was the unlimited tea, maybe the mind escape…but i was hooked for life.
di-ver-si-ty [di-vur-si-tee] . –noun, plural -ties. . 1. the state or fact of being diverse; difference; unlikeness.
2. variety; multiformity.
3. a point of difference.
