Barrick takes $93m write-down on highland gold investment - China High Bay LED Lights

Barrick Gold CFO Jamie Sokalsky told analysts Wednesday the company has taken$93 million in impairment charges in the first quarter, "primarilyrelated to the write-down of an investment in Highland Gold." The world's top gold miner sold its entire 20.4% shareholding inRussian gold producer Highland, consisting of 66.2 million sharesat a price of 120 pence per share for total gross proceeds ofUS$130 million. The shares were sold primarily to new and existinginstitutional shareholders of Highland. Sokalsky said the write-down was partially offset by $36 million ingains from the sale of assets, forex gains and unrealized gains onnon-hedge derivative instruments. During Wednesday's conference call, Barrick CEO Aaron Regent alsoannounced that Barrick COO Peter Kinver would be retiring and wouldbe replaced by Igor Gonzales, the former chief of Barrick's SouthAmerican unit. During his nine-year career at Barrick, Kinver oversaw theconstruction of six new mines in five countries "and successfullyled the integration of Placer Dome's operations into Barrick'sglobal portfolio," Regent noted. LED Tube Lights T8

Kinver will work as a consultantfor Barrick during the duration of construction activities at thePueblo Viejo and Pascua-Lama projects. "Under Igor's leadership, the South American region hasconsistently demonstrated strong performance in production, costcontrol, project development and in the corporate socialresponsibility arena where he was focused on building positiverelationships with local communities," Regent observed, The company reported gold and copper production of 1.88 millionounces and 117 million pounds, respectively, during the firstquarter, compared to 1.96 million ounces of gold production and 75million pounds of copper output during the same quarter of lastyear. Gold total cash costs averaged $545 per ounce during thefirst quarter of 2012, while copper C1 cash costs averages $2.08per pound. First quarter production at the company's flagship Goldstrike minewas impacted by increased maintenance activities and constructionto preparation autoclaves as a part of the implementation of theGoldstrike thiosulfate project. Output was also impacted byoperational disruptions at the Porgera operation in Papua NewGuinea Despite the drop in gold production Barrick is maintaining itsfull-year 2012 gold production guidance of 7.3 million to 7.8million ounces at average total cash costs of $520 to $530 perounce. China High Bay LED Lights

However, Sokalsky observed that gold production in the secondquarter is expected to be even lower than first-quarter goldproduction, "primarily due to mine sequencing at Lagunas Norte andCortez and some planned maintenance of the roaster at Goldstrike." "Overall, gold production is expected to increase in the secondhalf of the year," he added, "mainly as the result of Goldstrikeand Lagunas Norte retuning to higher production levels and also,with the commencement of production at Pueblo Viejo." "Our second quarter total cash costs per ounce are expected to behigher than the first quarter," Sokalsky advised, "in line with thelower anticipated production levels, but are expected to decreasethereafter from the second quarter levels in the second half of theyear as lower cost mines contribute a greater proportion of overallproduction." He also advised Barrick continues to expect full year copperproduction of 550 million to 600 million pounds. "Our total copperproduction is expected to increase in the second half of the yearprimarily due to higher production at Lumwana and also the startupof production at Jabal Sayid." Sokalsky noted that Barrick has now "adopted the Brooks Hunt C1cash cost methodology for calculating copper cash cost per pound inorder to better conform our presentation to other significantcopper producers." In response to analysts' questions, Regent said Barrick's CerroCasale project is much further advanced than its Donlin Creek jointventure with NovaGold. "Casale permitting will likely be completedtowards the end of this year, so that project will be in a positionto make a construction decision a lot sooner, where Donlin isprobably going to take us three to four years to permit, so we're abit further away from making a construction decision." FINANCIALS Barrick announced Wednesday that it would pay a quarterly dividendof 20-cents per share on June 15, 2012, a 33% increase from theprevious dividend. The company reported adjusted net earnings of $1.09 billion or$1.09 per share for the first quarter of the year, an 8% increasefrom the adjusted net earnings of $1 billion or $1.01 per sharereported in the prior year period. First-quarter 2012 net earnings were reported at $1.03 billion or$1.03 per share, a three percent increase from net earnings of $1billion or $1 per share, reported in the first quarter of 2011. LED Tube Lights T8

The company also announced that this year's exploration budget of$450 million to $490 billion is about 40% allocated to majorexploration programs at Goldrush and Turquoise Ridge in Nevada andat the Lumwana mine in Zambia. The 2011 exploration program wasfunded at the $350 million level. SUBSCRIBE to Mineweb.com's free daily newsletter now.

Attention: men! take responsibility for your health and live longer - China Commercial Flood Lights

Heart disease is the top killer of Nebraska males. Being awareof your health and making small changes can help you toprevent, slow down, or treat illness. You can increase your quality of life even give yourself time tocelebrate more birthdays and holidays with those you love. Some things you can do include: Learn Your Family Health History Know and Understand Your Numbers (Blood Pressure, Blood Sugar,Cholesterol, Body Mass Index - BMI) Get Regular Check-ups High blood pressure is often referredto as the silent killer because no symptoms are present. You should talk to your doctor and be seen on a regular basis evenif you do not have any symptoms.

Pay Attention to Signs and Symptoms If you have symptomsthat you have not experienced before, or that you have had beforebut have never had them diagnosed, be sure to see your doctor rightaway! Get Physical Activity On a Regular Basis: Be active for atleast 2 hours a week. Include activities that raiseyour heart rate and breathing, as well as strengthen yourmuscles. Be Tobacco-free: Avoid smoking, chewing tobacco andsecondhand smoke. Inhaling other people s smoke causes healthproblems similar to those of smokers.

80% of all lung cancers are related to tobacco usage. Quittingsmoking has immediate and long-term benefits. Within 20 minutes after smoking that last cigarette, your bodybegins a series of changes that will continue to benefit yourhealth for years. Some Screening tests for men include: Obesity Have your body mass index (BMI) calculated toscreen for obesity. Commercial Flood Lights

BMI is the measure of body fat based onheight and weight. You can find your own BMI with the BMIcalculator from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at: bmi/ High Cholesterol Have your cholesterol checked regularlystarting at age 35. If you have diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease in yourfamily or if you smoke, talk to your doctor about testing thatstarts younger than age 35. High Blood Pressure Have your blood pressure checked atleast every two years. Colorectal Cancer Have a test for colorectal cancerstarting at age 50; sooner if you have a family history. China Commercial Flood Lights

Your doctor can help you decide which test is right for you. Diabetes Have a test for diabetes if you have high bloodpressure or high cholesterol. Depression Your emotional health is as important as yourphysical health. If you have felt down , sad, or hopeless over the last 2 weeksor have felt little interest or pleasure in doing things, you maybe depressed. China LED Tube Lamps

Talk to your doctor about being screened fordepression. Sexually transmitted infections/HIV Talk to your doctor tosee whether you should be tested for gonorrhea, syphilis,chlamydia, HIV or other sexually transmitted infections. Men take charge of so many aspects of their life their ownhealth shouldn t be any different. For questions, please call Four Corners Health Department @1-877-337-3573 or locally @ 402-362-2621.

You can also send any questions to: questions@fourcorners.ne.gov .

Florida continues to defy justice department warnings not to stoppeople from voting

The Justice Department warned Florida to stop purging ineligiblevoters, as it is against federal voter protection laws, but itappears that this election year wouldn"t go without the stateexhibiting its disgraceful efforts to do exactly the same. The Justice Department issued warning this week, prohibitingFlorida from stopping its people to vote, saying that it would bein violation of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. While it appears thatthe state, which is a key electoral battleground in thepresidential election to be held this year, might be defying thewarnings, a spokesman for the state said that a decision was likelyto be reached by Wednesday. "We have a year-round obligation to ensure the integrity ofFlorida"s elections. Co2 Fractional Laser Machine

We will be responding to (the JusticeDepartment's) concerns next week," Chris Cate said in an email message, insisting that only eligible votersshould be casting the ballots. In 2000, only 537 voters were allowed to cast their votes in favorof Republican George W. Bush George W. Bush over Democrat Al Gore Al Gore , with many complaining that hundreds were unable to vote. RF Beauty Equipment

Itshould be noted that some votes went uncounted, while others werecounted incorrectly. According to Governor Rick Scott, all non U.S. citizens in thestate, potentially 182,000 people, are all considered ineligible tocast their votes. While there is nothing wrong in doing so, Floridais not taking any necessary precaution to ensure that legalcitizens don't become victims of the purge process, said RonaldMartin of CNN. Diode Laser Hair Removal Machine Manufacturer

"The big question is, why now? Why would Florida, with astatewide vote coming up in 90 days, choose now of all times to dothis? That's a question the Department of Justice is asking,"Martin said. T. Christian Herran Jr ., chief of the Justice Department Voting Section, said that theVoting Rights Act requires the state to submit any changes made tothe voting list to the federal court in Washington or to theattorney general, but this had not been done by Florida."List maintenance efforts must also be conducted within anappropriate time period, and in a uniform and nondiscriminatorymanner," he added. An analysis of the voter registration shows that Hispanics, Democrats andpeople with no party affiliation are most likely to be ticked offas non-citizen voters.

The Department of Justice is aggressive andis determined to stop Florida from taking any action that can stopAmericans from their right to vote.

Germans recover stuka bomber wreck from baltic sea... - Horn Speaker for Iphone Manufacturer

BERLIN -- German military divers are working to hoist the wreck ofa Stuka dive bomber from the floor of the Baltic Sea, a rareexample of the plane that once wreaked havoc over Europe as part ofthe Nazis' war machine. The single-engine monoplane carried sirens that produced adistinctive and terrifying screaming sound as it dove vertically torelease its bombs or strafe targets with its machine guns. Thereare only two complete Stukas still around. The Stuka wreck, first discovered in the 1990s when a fisherman'snets snagged on it, lies about 10 kilometers (6 miles) off thecoast of the German Baltic island of Ruegen, in about 18 meters (60feet) of water.

The divers have been working over the past week to prepare thebomber to be hoisted to the surface, using fire hoses to carefullyfree it from the sand. They have already brought up smaller piecesand also hauled up its motor over the weekend. They are now working to free the main 9-meter (30-foot) fuselagepiece and expect to bring it up on Tuesday, depending on theweather, said Capt. Sebastian Bangert, a spokesman from the GermanMilitary Historical Museum in Dresden, which is running therecovery operation.

Initial reports are that it is in good condition despite havingspent the last seven decades at the bottom of the sea, he said. "From my perspective there's a lot of damage

Imf report on new zealand economy offers support, warnings - China LED Tube Lamps

A report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that warns NewZealand's currency needs to be significantly lower in value tocontain a rising current account deficit sparked a debate Friday ofthe government's handling of the economy. The IMF 2012 staff report on New Zealand said the pace of thecountry's economic recovery was "likely to remain modest" withprojected growth of 3.25 percent next year led by thereconstruction of the earthquake-battered Canterbury region. It said the government's aim of returning to a spending surplus in2014-2015 would limit any adverse affect on economic growth duringthe recovery and put the government in a better position to dealwith future shocks. However, it warned, "New Zealand's large net liabilities present arisk. LED Tube Light Fixture

Despite recent improvements, the current account deficit isprojected to increase over the medium term as earthquakereconstruction activity gains pace and global interest ratesnormalize." To contain this increase and limit a long-term buildup of foreignliabilities, the New Zealand dollar would need to be weaker thanits current level, although its strength could dissipate over timewith the eventual tightening of policy rates by major centralbanks. Finance Minister Bill English said the report confirmed the IMF 'ssupport for the government's economic plan and its focus on gettingback to surplus and increasing national savings. "The IMF endorses our approach to getting back to surplus and therationale behind it," he said in a statement. "We are making progress and, compared to a lot of other countries,New Zealand is in reasonably good shape," English said. China LED Tube Lamps

"But it's important that we remain focused on becoming morecompetitive and productive, and giving businesses the confidence toinvest and grow, because that is how we will create more jobs andhigher incomes. "This cannot happen through fast-rising government spending anddebt, as it has in the past." However, the opposition Green Party said the report highlighted theneed for the government to have a wider economic plan, rather than"a narrow fixation on achieving fiscal surplus." Green Party co-leader Russel Norman said the IMF found that " theNew Zealand dollar would need to be about 15 percent weaker thanits current level" to stabilize the net international investmentposition at 2009 levels. With this year's Budget, delivered last month, projecting NewZealand's net international debt to exceed 200 billion NZ dollars(152.88 billion U.S. dollars) in coming years, a return to surpluswas important, but "should not come at the expense of widereconomic policy," said Norman in a statement. "It is not too late for the government to start listening toexporters and domestic manufacturers who are being madeuncompetitive by our over-valued currency and are crying out foraction on monetary policy," said Norman. Outdoor Led Flood Lights Manufacturer