No6

Tesla Roadster as tested by Jay Leno. "Would I buy one? Well yes, I would be interested in it. Right now they’re $100,000, so consequently it’s something rich people would buy. But most new technology starts out with rich people. Antilock brakes started out on the big Cadillacs and Lincolns. They didn’t start out on economy cars. To start with it’s the rich buyers that can absorb the cost. Anybody who buys a Tesla now is making a statement about buying responsibly. It’s a way to make a high performance statement for the new millennium." Vital statistics Model Tesla Roadster Engine Electric motor powered by lithium-ion battery Power 248bhp @ 8000rpm Torque 200 lb ft @ 0-6000rpm Transmission Two-speed manual CO2 n/a Acceleration 0-60mph: 4sec Top speed 130mph Price $98,000 (£48,600) Verdict Electrifying proof there’s life after oil http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_...icle2036260.ece

Boom times? "Australia's uranium industry is preparing for boom times ahead, particularly since the Labor Party's weekend move to abolish its no new mines policy. Uranium mining companies are pushing ahead with applications for licences that once lay dormant. In South Australian alone the Government is fast-tracking 100 exploration licences in the wake of the ALP's policy change." http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2007/s1911650.htm

Some suggestions from Money Morning which might be worth further investigation. The big pure play is Toronto-listed Cameco (CCO), the world’s largest producer, with four operating mines in Canada and the US, major ventures also in Canada and in Kazakhstan, and even a stake in nuclear power generation. It has enormous high-grade ore deposits and managerial/technical expertise, and Sprott Securities is forecasting earnings per share to triple, to $3.15, over the next couple of years. It offers good upside potential at lower risk than most other options. It’s RBC Capital Markets’ “top pick” uranium stock. Other mining companies deserving consideration include: ► Denison Mines (DML, Toronto), with a seasoned management team, production in North America and a large portfolio of exploration prospects. It plans to ramp up its output five-fold over the next four years and is Sprott Securities’ “top pick.” ► Paladin Resources (PDN, Sydney) has started production at its Langer Heinrich mine in Namibia and has an equally substantial prospect, Kayelekera, in Malawi. Soaring profits should raise its earnings-per-share ratio to 15 times (the same as projected Cameco levels) in a couple of years. ► Uranium One (UUU, Toronto) is a newly-formed combine with actual or incipient production in Kazakhstan, South Africa and Australia. Ambitious development plans could ramp its output to 12 million pounds a year (the same target as Paladin’s) in five years’ time. ► Uramin (UMN, AIM London) expects its Trekkopje open-cast mine in Namibia to come into production next year and has other African interests. ► Energy Metals (EMC, Toronto) is perhaps the most interesting speculative stock, with a large portfolio of ore deposits in the US. It expects to start production next year. Justin Reid, analyst at Sprott Securities, suggests that “US-focused companies with solid assets” that have started the process to get operating permits and are “backed by good operating teams” could be takeover targets. Other interesting investment possibilities include: ► Geiger Counter (GCL, London), a new fund with a diversified spread of about 50 holdings in physical metal and the shares of producers, developers, explorers and service providers. ► There are several other funds that only invest in uranium itself, such as Uranium Participation Corp. (U, Toronto), and Nufcor Uranium (NU., AIM London). They tend to trade at high premiums on net asset value. ► Areva (CEI, Paris) is the world’s biggest nuclear engineering group. It mines uranium, designs and builds power stations, makes fuel rods and processes nuclear waste. Although 95 per cent owned by the French government, the remaining 5 per cent is in listed non-voting shares. http://www.moneyweek.com/file/28936/eleven...ree-energy.html

They could be a fad. The traditional bookies are a better bet IMHO. You may find some on-line gambling company where the share price takes off and your investment looks good, but then you get a PartyGaming. The old bookies are steady and even if there is an economic downturn, people (mostly men) will still want to have a bet. Perhaps even more so, as they will be hoping for that one big win. If you have to gamble, invest in the bookies.

I'm not sure you can trust anything with Russia right now, or the surrounding ex-Soviet states. They see the money in energy and want it. They benefit right now, but in years to come many governments and companies will think twice about doing business with them. Given their differences in the past, Russia v China down the road is going to be very interesting to watch (preferably from as far away as possible if some of the hardliners get into power).

Is BP going to spoil the party or will perceived bad news like this represent a buying opportunity?

Should be able to get a copy from Amazon (or others on the net). http://www.amazon.com/Theres-Girl-Soup-Roy...g/dp/B0000DGKI9 There must be a market in Hong Kong where you can buy a pirate copy for a few HK dollars surely?

I thought this bot had been iced?

By human beings? Zero chance this decade. Intelligent beings elsewhere may already have the technology and if they do, they would be so far in advance of us that we would probably only know they exist if they want us to. Very good advice.

UK Coal is currently trading at 358.00p per share. In the last year the share price has ranged from 123.50p to 358.50p, but moonshot recently because of its property portfolio. Today it hit 358, it's losing money and makes me wonder where the upside is from here. This may be one for shorting in due course. I suspect the property portfolio was re-valued at the top end of expectations as that's what usually happens. Despite the case for coal, this one looks overdone.

It's ok now, I cleared the cache, so not a problem with the site.

This is the USA you are talking about. You need to be careful and I would suggest do it right, especially right now.

I have just had a quick look at this site Mansouryar, what is the event below? Is it - Space Technology and Applications International Forum? http://cdsweb.cern.ch/record/988331 http://www.unm.edu/~isnps/staifhome.html

Whatever it is, all I now get are the words IPB. Maybe something to do with the fact that I use Firefox and it is being blocked by NoScript or AdBlock for some reason. I will have a fiddle aound and see if I can get it back (unless it is something to do with the site right now?).

This assumes that that there was a cloned baby as it was believed to be a hoax or not proved. It does seem to have gone quite on that story though. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2883161.stm I do not believe you could get far enough away from the military or secret services (of many powers) if anyone came close to perfecting wormhole technology. They would find out. That's why it might be better for the person who gets close be in the public eye, maybe working in a University or one with close links to business and that way he/she is less likely to suddenly disappear. Even better if you can become a "media" scientist, a Stephen Hawking type, one that appears regularly in the press and TV. However, theory is one thing, the practical side of producing results is another and if it needs money, unfortunately it is government's and military with plenty of it. Some of course, may choose to disappear if the money is right. I don't think working with a group like the Raelians is a credible choice though.

An interesting view on coal from the Motley Fool.

Are the Saudis Approving Cheaper Oil? "Why would the kingdom, which boasts the world's largest oil reserves, cheer a price slump? In fact, the Saudis never felt comfortable with $70 oil, fearing that sky-high prices might kill off the global appetite for their single source of wealth. "There is concern that the volatility in the markets is so beyond anyone's control that it could cause severe damage to the world economy," says Sadad Al Husseini, the retired exploration and production chief of Saudi Aramco, the national oil company. The Saudis, he says, "are determined to try and manage better." http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/cont...z_europe_energy

I wish I could share the optimism here of the better choice, but I fear that if wormhole technology was developed or looked likely to be achieved, the military will get their hands on it, whether that is the US, China, Russia, etc. In private hands, the must protect the public card will be played by government, even more so now with the so-called "war on terror". Certain powerful vested interests will not allow this to florish in the private sector I'm afraid, other than as part of the military industrial complex, it's too dangerous. Of course that doesn't make it any safer if the military get hold of it, so perhaps it is best that it remains a theory until we as human beings evolve enough to not see such things as a means to fight and kill each other, but as something that we can all benefit from.

Money Morning asks, what's behind the oil price collapse, and if you like the conspiracy side of it, here's a new take. Shortly after Goldman Sachs changed the way it calculates its Commodity Index, the price of oil began to collapse. Could the two be related? The GSCI is used as a benchmark by the Oppenheimer Real Asset Fund - worth $1.7bn - as well as two of the world's largest pension funds, which manage some $200bn between them. Until this summer, US unleaded gasoline accounted for 8.45% of the GSCI. Now that's shrunk to 2.3%. "Goldman's changes probably induced arbs, commercial hedgers, and other traders to sell September and October unleaded gasoline future contracts," says Bill King in the King Report.

Which means they will probably never be popular in the US.

A BBC radio 4 programme this week on the Tesla car. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/news/inbusiness/inbusiness.shtml http://www.teslamotors.com/index.php?js_enabled=1

These new London based ETC's will trade in pounds? One of them is silver. http://www.thebulliondesk.com/ReportItem.a...Code=0830113743

This is interesting from Iran-Daily.Com Aug. 4--Iran, the second largest oil producer within the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), said Friday that crude oil prices may touch $100 a barrel on winter demand and geopolitical concerns, according to AFP. “There is still a possibility of crude reaching $100 a barrel due to geopolitical problems worldwide and peaking of winter demand,“ Iran’s Deputy Oil Minister Hadi Nejad-Hosseinian said, according to Press Trust of India. Asked by reporters if Iran would stop oil exports in the event of an attack by the United States over its suspected nuclear program, Nejad-Hosseinian replied, “I don’t think so.“ http://www.iran-daily.com/1385/2628/html/economy.htm#s164292

The US has had a trade embargo with Cuba in place since 1961, but could this be about to change? Cuba has a big oil find which is attracting interest from a number of countries, some of which, China and Venezuala, the US might not want having that close to it's back door. The need for resources may dictate that the US re-think it's policy towards Cuba. However, the other question has to be, will Cuba be interested? http://www.forbes.com/infoimaging/feeds/ap.../ap2913365.html