Archive for January, 2010
‘Avatar’ wins China over as Chinese Government forces theatre owners to uphold domestic movie quota
China’s government has a quota system that only allows 1/3 of it’s movies in the country to be from foreign sources. Theatre owners were recently reminded of this after the movie “Avatar” became the highest grossing film in China’s history.
As of 12 Jan 2010, the film had grossed about $103 million compared to a domestic movie called Confucious which earned $5.6 million on opening weekend
Other movies such as 2012 have crushed it in China raking in $67.3 million in December.
Another big movie in China was Transformers in 2009 which was also very successful.
The Chinese government believes that their theatre owners should support the “expansion and development of the domestic film industry” over selling seats in movie theatres.
China is also violating long time World Trade Organization agreements by restricting music, movie and book imports from countries such as the US.
The 3D experience offered by Avatar has captivated Chinese audiences. The movie’s plot is also a familiar tone to Chinese free-thinkers.
China has it’s own propaganda machine, producing movies such as “The Founding of a Republic” that was the box office leader until the release of 2012 this year.
China recently asked that the 2D version of Avatar be removed from Chinese theatres.
The reason for 2D screenings being scrapped in China is a little unclear.
Movie theatre operators have said they were ordered to pull the version, though Zhang Hongsen, deputy head of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, denied that.
For more on movie theater design, visit www.franklindesigns.com
5 Red Flags That Can Delay or Kill a Home Sale
1. Underground oil tank or an old septic system.
Environmental issues can muck up a deal, especially in states with strict regulations. Underground oil tanks were popular in the Northeast at one time but are now considered a hazard because of potential leaks. Typically real estate agents suggest sellers remove tanks before putting the home on the market.
Septic regulations vary by municipality and some states such as Massachusetts require a system be inspected and meet strict standards before the home is sold. The repair or replacement can be expensive and time consuming so sellers should get the necessary approvals ahead of time. However, they should follow the timelines and dates required by their state and/or municipality.
2. A change in the terms of a mortgage.
Suddenly payments on a 15-year mortgage seem too high or high fees offset a low interest rate. Changing terms can restart the clock and delay a deal. By law, a lender is required to provide a good faith estimate of fees and rates within three days of receiving a mortgage application. Even if they are only being prequalified for a mortgage, potential buyers should ask for a good faith estimate so they understand fees and rates.
3. The lender is unknown to the real estate agents.
Delays in approvals, last minute changes in terms can snag a deal. Experienced agents at http://www.welcome2ky.com suggest having the buyers be pre-approved by a second lender, one both real estate agents work with and know can complete the work in a timely fashion. Then if a glitch comes up there will be a fall back.
4. Phone calls or e-mails are not returned.
Good communication speeds negotiations. When title companies don’t respond or when an agent dodges calls, it can slow down the process or be an indication of a brewing problem. Although there is no absolute solution, the best precaution is to be proactive.
If the seller is a bank, or the owner needs the bank’s approval (because the home is selling for less than the mortgage), the process can take much longer than a typical sale, and there is little real estate agents or buyers can do to hurry the process.
5. A property disclosure statement was left unsigned.
When buying Lexington real estate, The property disclosure informs buyers about any known problems or defects of the property and explains what sellers have done to repair or resolve them. The price offered by buyers should take the disclosure into account. Experienced real estate agents won’t allow sellers to agree to an offer until the buyer signs the statement.
Aren’t natural gas vehicles dangerous?
Looking into purchasing a car, but heard stories of hybrid vehicles electrocuting people during car accidents, and now these new natural gas vehicles just don’t sound right. Although they may be safe, could someone explain how the NGV may be dangerous? I like the honda NGV as I am an economy buff, but I have not been able to find the potential dangers of owning a car like this.
Thanks!
Not particularly, the storaged tanks are quit robust and can take a lot of punishment without leaking, more probably than the gasoline tank in conventional cars. Natural gas is actually lighter than air, so in the event of a leak, it will not pool in low places (like gasoline vapors or LPG), but will actually escape from any well ventilated area. Methane is not toxic (though in a closed area it can displace oxygen). It is stored as a gas so in the event of a fire, the tank will not BLEVE.
Are Natural Gas Prices Dropping as Well ?
Sense gasoline prices are down !! Finally , Will our national Grid bills be lower I have natural gas in my home, will the dramatic drop of gasoline prices make a difference on my bill.
Sure it will. Natural gas and gasoline prices are pretty much the same. Natural gas is a little bit more expensive but it’s price will go down too.
I wan to start a business to convert standard gasoline powered cars to natural gas powered.?
this would also include opening a natural gas fueling station. I would have to charge a road use tax just like they do on gasoline on a pwer gallon equivalent, but it should be less expensive than gasoline.
so the question is besides changing out the fuel tank, fuel lines and carburation, what else will i need to change on a car?
they make kits with everything you could check summit racing?
what are the advantages of natural gas to other gaseous fuels?
As others have said, it is quite abundant. However, none of the fuels from the earth are available in unlimited quantity. Therefore, we should evaluate how each is used best. Natural gas is easily piped to every house in a city/town, it is clean, it is quite safe, making it the ‘ideal’ fuel for distribution through underground pipes — and that should be its favored use! It should not be used for electrical generating plants because they use a great quantity all in one place. Recently there have been a lot of new natural gas electrical generating plants built so the power companies can avoid cost due to stack cleanup, etc. They should not be permitted to do that. Other gaseous fuels are not easily piped underground; propane has too much pressure to be that easy, and the others are not as abundant.
How much of a contribution does home heating oil, natural gas burning, etc. make to global pollution?
Compared to auto & truck emissions. In other words, if no homes were heated with oil, natural gas, propane, etc., would the amount of air pollution created annually be materially less? Or would there be no significant difference? (Please don’t give me "your guess"; if you have some hard facts, bring ‘em on; otherwise, don’t just tell me things like "well, you KNOW most pollution comes from cars." I’m not interested in idle speculation. Thanks!)
Because we cannot directly measure every single emission made by every home and every car, there can be no accurate information about this type of study. Any info you may find will be speculation. Until the output of every single car and home can be measured, all we can do (even scientifically) is idly speculate and share our opinions and ideas with others. In my opinion, cars emit less pollutants than homes heated with gases, especially since many homes now operate on electricity. Modern cars are designed with the environment in mind, while less work has been done to minimize emissions from homes. Since I live green for the most part, I try to minimize both by walking, riding my bike, or riding the bus when possible as well as wearing an extra sweater or blanket instead of turning up the thermostat.
Are there any measures taken in Obama’s new bills to pursue an installation of more natural gas vehicles?
Here is a list of everything to do with NGVs in the stimulus bill.
http://aftermarketcng.com/140/cng-in-stimulus-bill
Crude Oil Prices Expected to Rise
Elliott Gue of the Energy Strategist and The Energy Letter weighs in on oil and natural gas inventories, naming China as a major growth driver.
Duration : 0:8:14
Car runs on CNG – Compressed Natural Gas