OPEC holds steady on output levels

OPEC on Thursday agreed to leave current production levels unchanged, citing an oversupplied market and "downside risks associated with the extremely fragile recovery."

OPEC president Jose Maria Botelho de Vasconcelos of Angola opens the OPEC meeting in Vienna Wednesday.

The announcement came as oil prices rose above $72 a barrel.

Gathering in Vienna, Austria, for two-day talks, the 12-nation Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said, "whilst there are signs that economic recovery is underway, there remains great concern about the magnitude and pace of this recovery."

"Market fundamentals remain weak, refinery utilization rates are low and product inventories have risen considerably," it said in a press release on its Web site.

The conference "reiterated its determination to ensure sound supply fundamentals and an adequate level of spare capacity for the benefit of the world at large," OPEC said.

In his opening address Wednesday, OPEC president and Angolan Oil Minister Jose Maria Botelho de Vasconcelos noted the effect of high levels of speculation and the "timing, the extent and the pace of global economic recovery."

OPEC member nations produce about 40 percent of the world's crude oil and 15 percent of its natural gas, the organization said.

Battle of the Budgets

Reading the papers, it's pretty easy to get a general idea about the State budget situation: it's bad.

But teasing out exactly what phrases like ERAF Shift, Prop 1A suspension, and Prop 98 repayment actually mean to us in practical terms is a little bit more challenging.

Lucky for concerned Oaklanders, the League of Women Voters has put together an event to help make sense of how decisions being made in Sacramento translate to tangible impacts here in town.

Come to the panel discussion next Tuesday at Oakland City Hall and get the scoop from Dr. Tony Smith, Oakland Unified School District Superintendent, Susan Muranishi, Alameda County Administrator, and Niccolo DeLuca, State lobbyist for the City of Oakland.

Here's the League's description of the event:

This year's California State Budget, precariously balanced, will have significant impact on local budgets and services. What will state budget cuts mean for Oakland schools, the City of Oakland, and Alameda County? Is there anything Oakland citizens can do about it?

The discussion will take place from 6 to 8 PM next Tuesday, September 15, at Oakland City Hall Hearing Room 3.

Read more: http://new-cycle.blogspot.com

Upgrades on the way

Funding for park maintenance in Oakland took a big hit in the City's new budget earlier this summer.

But the news for Oakland parks is not all bad. While some parks will soon begin to fall into disrepair (except, of course, those which have dedicated volunteers filling in the gaps left by the City), others are getting spruced up.

Two of downtown's historic parks, Jefferson Square Park and Lincoln Square Park, will soon be receiving some long overdue upgrades, courtesy of local redevelopment funds.

Today's post over at A Better Oakland outlines the improvements on the way for these two spaces, alongside photos of what they look like right now.

And if that leaves you hungry for more, you currently have an opportunity to learn about the history of downtown's parks at a new multimedia exhibit at the Oakland Art Gallery:

Pro Arts presents 10,000 Steps: A Profile of Four Squares, an exhibition of the artist group marksearch's multi-year participatory stewardship project in and around Oakland's historic downtown parks. These parks-Jefferson Square, Lafayette Square, Madison Square, and Lincoln Square, each occupying only one city block-are tiny spots of open space in the urban fabric of downtown, places where tai chi practitioners, men gathering for a pick-up game of basketball, kids in after-school programs, mothers with strollers, and the homeless can all come together.

This multimedia installation at Pro Arts will showcase the history of these parks and the diverse communities that surround them through image, text, maps and video. In celebration of the first phase of the 10,000 Steps project, the exhibit will incorporate an innovative series of events to familiarize the public with the parks and their neighborhoods, including guided walking tours (sponsored by the Oakland Heritage Alliance) and lunchtime demonstrations.

Read more: http://new -cycle.blogspot.com

Working closely

We developed the "Five-Day eBusiness Success clinic" for people who have limited or no business experience or technical skills, but want to achieve their goal of complete financial independence and security with a lucrative Internet business.

Working closely with our experienced real-world experts, you'll learn how to plan, research, build, and manage a robust online business from the ground up, overcoming any barriers that may have prevented you from succeeding online so far.

Unlike other training programs that can often take months to complete, we've compressed your entire learning experience into five intensive days, so you can be generating revenue within one week... and we guarantee you'll have a fully operational website already getting quality traffic by the end of your fifth day.

And because starting an Internet business involves none of the significant expenses typical of other new ventures -- like retail outlets or franchise operations -- participation in the clinic is a virtually risk-free investment.

Viral Web site mocks

Viral Web site mocks Wal-Mart customers.

It's a blog where people post, and make fun of, pictures of out-of-shape, poorly dressed and otherwise awkward people shopping at Wal-Mart.

The "People of Walmart" blog features photos taken by users at the mega-chain.

And, in less than a month, with no marketing to speak of, it's become the toast of the Internet.

"People of Wal-Mart," a gag started by two 20-something brothers and their buddy to share crazy pictures with their friends, has gone viral. Promoted largely on sites like Digg and Funny or Die -- and linked ad nauseam on Facebook and Twitter -- the site picked up enough traffic to crash its servers on Wednesday.

"I'm still baffled -- I really am," said Andrew Kipple, 23, one of the creators of the site, who said his team was frantically working Wednesday to add enough server space to handle the surge in traffic.

Photos on the site, sent in by viewers all over the United States, frequently feature overweight people wearing tight clothes, bizarre hairstyles (with versions of the short-in-front, long-in-back "mullet" leading the pack) and fashion crimes ranging from furry leg warmers to miniskirts that leave absolutely nothing to the imagination.

There's a guy enjoying a can of beer outside a Wal-Mart, a guy dressed as Captain America and another guy with a goat. Yes, a live goat.

Andrew and his brother Adam, 25, said they thought of the site after a visit to a South Carolina Wal-Mart where they saw a woman they believed to be a stripper, wearing an obscene T-shirt and leading a toddler in a harness. Around the next corner was a man with a beard reminiscent of the rock band ZZ Top.

giant Pfizer

Drug giant Pfizer to pay record $2.3B fine

WASHINGTON -- Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has agreed to pay a record $2.3 billion settlement to resolve criminal and civil liability for illegally promoting certain pharmaceuticals, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.

Officials from the Justice Department and the Department of Health and Human Services said the world's largest drug company promoted four drugs for use on certain ailments or at dosages that were not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

One of those drugs was the anti-inflammatory medication Bextra, which Pfizer pulled off the market in 2005 after it was linked to increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

"Pfizer promoted the sale of Bextra for several uses and dosages that the FDA specifically declined to approve due to safety concerns," the Justice Department said in a news release.

Planning and Start Business

Planning is critical to successfully starting and building a business. That’s why we’ve dedicated a section for it. Here you’ll find guidance on the tools and resources necessary to write a winning business plan. From sample plans to a business plan primer, we’ll get you started on this very important activity. Once your business is up and running, you’ll need to regularly review and update your plan to manage growth.

Starting a business requires you to complete a number of steps and make some key decisions. Though part of your overall plan, you’ll need to select a location, decide on a business structure, and obtain the necessary licenses and permits. In addition, determining which financing options will meet your short-term needs and long-term goals is crucial. Within this section, we’ll provide information on these topics along with guidance on buying an existing business, copyright and trademark issues, and getting support from an outside expert.