Dollar jumps on yen, gives Japanese stocks a lift

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A pedestrian holding his mobile phone walks past an electronic board showing the stock market indices of various countries outside a brokerage in Tokyo June 19, 2014. REUTERS/Yuya Shino

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar was holding broad-based gains in Asia on Tuesday in a boon for shares of Japanese exporters but a burden for oil, gold and stocks in the energy majors.

As the dollar finally broke to a six-year peak on the yen and a one-year top on the euro, Brent oil sank to 16-month lows while gold carved out a three-month trough.

A falling yen tends to be viewed as positive for Japanese exporters and corporate profits, and helped lift the Topix (.TOPX) 0.5 percent to 1,305. That put the index within a whisker of this year's peak at 1,308.08 and a break there would put it on ground last trod in July 2008.

Markets elsewhere in the region were steady with MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan down a slight 0.1 percent.

Despite market concerns over China's economy, stocks there have been buoyed by talk of more stimulus and reform measures.

The CSI300 of the leading Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share listings put in its best performance in a year last week with gains of almost 5 percent.

On Wall Street, the Dow (.DJI) closed down 0.15 percent, while the S&P 500 (.SPX) fell 0.31 percent but the Nasdaq (.IXIC) eked out a 0.2 percent gain.

Energy led the decline, with the S&P energy index (.SPNY) off 1.6 percent and Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) down 1.5 percent.

Investors were now eagerly awaiting the launch of new products by Apple (AAPL.O) later on Tuesday in a much-hyped event at Cupertino, California.

Apple has fed high expectations, with promises by executives that the company's best product pipeline in 25 years is being readied inside its secretive facilities.

DOLLAR UP, POUND DOWN

In currencies, the dollar index (.DXY) climbed as far as 84.349, bringing into view the July 2013 peak of 84.753. A break there will take it to highs not seen since July 2010.

Giving bulls a boost, a research from the San Francisco Fed noted that investors are pricing in a lower trajectory for interest rates rises than members of the Fed itself are.

"The market's interpretation is that perhaps it had better re-price those expectations," said Emma Lawson, senior currency strategist at National Australia Bank.

The greenback raced to a high of 106.16 yen, while the euro slumped to a low of $1.2881. Investors were already giving the common currency a wide berth after the European Central Bank surprised on Thursday with a fresh round of stimulus.

Sterling was nailed to 10-month lows after a second opinion poll found a marked increase in support for Scottish independence just 10 days before the country votes on whether to break away from the United Kingdom.

The TNS poll found support for independence had risen six points to 38 percent, just a pip behind the 'No' camp at 39 percent. That follows a YouGov poll that showed approval of independence at 51 percent against the unity camp's 49 percent, the first to find a majority for a 'Yes' vote.

The YouGov poll caused tremors in financial markets on Monday, knocking the pound lower and hurting stocks of companies with a large Scottish presence. Sterling was at a fresh trough of $1.6092 early on Tuesday in Asia.

The gains for the dollar meant losses for commodities, with gold down at $1,255.70 an ounce after losing more than 1 percent on Monday.

Brent crude oil (LCOc1) eased another cent to $100.19, after slumping as far as $99.36 overnight, the lowest since May 2013. U.S. crude (CLc1) managed to bounce 30 cents to $92.96 a barrel.

(Editing by Eric Meijer)

How To Become An Expert At Article Marketing

Article marketing is one of the best marketing strategies that any business can use. It however must be well done if it is to bring the expected results it has been designed for. You can become an expert at article marketing without having to work too hard. By following a few writing guidelines, you can become an expert in this kind of marketing overnight. Here are tips that you can easily use to be the expert that you wish to be in article marketing.

Make articles useful

This is one tip that can determine how successful you are with article marketing. Articles which are packed with useful information will always bring positive results for you. The only way you will gain the confidence of potential customers is when you have useful information for every article that you write. Useful articles will also easily boost your ranking on search engines. Always use unique but useful content on your website and you will pass for an expert.

Structure the articles well

The structure of the articles that you write can determine how good they appear to your readers and how professional you appear to be in their eyes. You should make sure that all your sentences and paragraphs are short and clearly to the point. A block of text can be boring and won't hold the attention of your readers to the end. Shorter sentences and paragraphs will not only keep your articles interesting, but will also make it easy for readers to understand what you are talking about.

Use humor wisely

Humorous articles are always worth a read and you can use humor for your article marketing success. You however must make sure that you tell the right jokes within the article without blowing it out of context. When you know what is most appropriate, you will come up with excellent articles that will favor the article marketing goals you have in place.

Pick interesting articles

Apart from choosing content that will be appealing to your readers, it is also definitely important to choose topics that you find interesting. When you write about something you are interested in, you will be more emotional and your readers will feel this too in your writing. Articles you are interested in will always gain value with your readers compared to those you are not interested in at all.

Ask and value feedback

Asking for feedback from your readers is important. This is because from the feedback you will find very helpful ideas to improve on your article marketing skills. You will find out easily what appeals to your readers and make any improvements needed. Readers also love to feel valued and when you ask for feedback, they feel that you really are involving them which should be good for you and your business. Always value feedback that you get whether positive or negative as it can bring out the expert in you.

There is so much to article marketing and it is a powerful tool that any business can use. To find out more on this topic and other business strategy insights, please click on the link below.

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Where Can You Get Free New Books?

New books can be expensive, particularly depending on the subjects they tackle. But, a reading enthusiast will still buy books whenever they can to enjoy a good read. In modern living, it is possible to read books from tablets or even laptops. This does not however compare with having a tangible book that you can refer to as many times as possible in the future. It is made even simpler to get a handy book since it is now possible to download the books. There are actually sites that will give you access to download free new books that you love the most. Here are some of the top websites that you can use to get a hold of your favorite reads.

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This website offers Nook textbook downloads. These books resemble real paperback ones in their look, pictures and sizes. They are arranged in categories for your convenience and you can browse them to find your favorite books for download. Even when you choose a book that is chargeable from their site, you will enjoy a free sample first after which you can decide to go ahead with the download or not. The textbooks are in different languages and genres. There are however not many free books on the website.

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This is another great website for downloading books with just a simple click. Majority of the books on this site are about improving skills and studying and the advantage is that you can download all books in a certain category through a simple click. You might however need to sign up for newsletters to manage downloading the books. Those looking for excellent college books will find the site quite helpful.

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It has large book volumes that are grouped in recommendations, genres and popularity to make it easier for you to find the most appropriate books for your use. By looking at the reviews that are given by other readers, you are able to book one. You are also at liberty to leave your review for debatable narratives. Every book on the website comes with complete data, hence it is very easy to make a decision amongst the many choices that you have.

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The interface is the most striking feature of this website. It is designed to offer a pleasant experience with the search for the perfect books. It also offers detailed information on every literature piece that it has to offer. Neophyte writers will find the website a great place to start with creating a book and getting it popular within a short period of time. You are required to register to get access or buy the books that you are interested in.

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The ease of navigation offered by the website is perhaps what makes it stand out. The site map is very convenient for all users and it comes with a number of different options for book downloads. You will find anything from free kindle books, DVD and CD projects and audio books. It is the perfect site for devoted readers who do not care much about the details.

Newfreebooks.com is one stop destination for finding free ebooks & sharing pdf documents. The site has close to 7 million documents listed on the site for free.

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Small Sacrifices by Ann Rule - Review

Small sacrifices is another Ann Rule masterpiece, that tells the story of small town, Oregon resident, Diane Downs and how it is that she got to the point of no return. Diane Downs took her three children to a rural, back road, pointed a pistol through the car window and she shot to kill.

After performing this cold blooded act, Diane then proceeded to drive her children to the hospital. The first female child to be carried into the hospital was dead upon arrival. Two other children were rushed through the doors one after another. The second and third child, a young boy and girl, barely clung to life. The hospital staff worked feverishly to stabilize the surviving children as their mother acted indifferent.

Upon being questioned by Lane County detectives, Diane Downs told the story of meeting a stranger on the back road, who stopped her car, initiated an argument with her and as she struggled with him, he proceeded to shoot her children, right before her eyes.

Over the following months Mrs. Downs changed the story of what happened and her suspicions so many times that she made herself the prime suspect.

As prosecutor Fred Hugi got more familiar with the case and met the surviving children he vowed to continue investigating the case until it was solved, once and for all.

No one is entirely sure why Diane Downs wanted to dispose of her children, It is suspected that the motivation may have resulted from her obsession with Lew Lewiston, who was a casual fling and fellow employee she met at the Chandler post office. Mr. Lewiston refused to leave his wife for Diane and did not want to raise another man's children.

Whatever her reasoning, the murder weapon was eventually traced to a man who had reported it stolen, potentially by Steve Downs, who is identified as the children's father, therefore giving Diane Downs access to it.

The surviving children, Christie and Danny eventually remembered what happened and with the evidence and their testimonies, their own mother, Diane Downs was convicted and sentenced to the Valley State prison for women located in Chowchilla, California where she continues to be a model prisoner and protests her innocence.

During the length of the case Detective Hugi found himself becoming closer and closer to the Downs children. Christie and Danny Downs are happy, well taken care of and currently reside with Detective Freg Hugi and his wife Joanne.

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How Body Armour Functions

You must have landed on this page in search for truth. Yes, body armour may be a common term but somewhere between the lines you really are not sure what it is, where to find them and how it functions. There may be more questions lingering in your mind but as you browse through the net, the information you have gathered may have even made your understanding more perplexing than it was before.

If this is your first time, it can be quite confusing since ballistic vest is varied. They come in different styles, types, kinds and levels of resistance capacity. In short, you still have a lot of learning to do. First, let us understand what it is.

Bullet proof vest is a protective clothing a person wears in order to repel ballistic impact. Once the bullet is released from the rifle and hits the vest, the bullet will then be caught between the fibers of the fabric, gradually minimizing its velocity until it reaches to a full stop before penetrating through the skin of the wearer. Although it is not a guarantee that the ballistic vest will prevent a person from experiencing blunt force trauma cause by the strong impact of the bullet, at least he is assured of evading gun wounds and other serious injury.

Next, you need to know that resistant vest comes in various designs. Some are made for tactical purposes and others are designed to be concealable which can be worn daily without getting noticed. This is recommended for businessmen, politicians, secret agents and the like. This can be worn underneath your daily wear. It's very thin and light and can be availed in black or white color. Military or tactical vest on the other hand are much bulkier and heavier and are more conspicuous when worn.

Apart from its size and weight, these ballistic vests are also capable of resisting variety of ammunitions. Lighter or lower levels of resistant vest can also repel lower types of handguns like 9mm while higher levels of resistance capacity can withstand the ballistic impact coming from AK-47.

Another thing is, the higher the level of resistance the more costly it can be as well. However, unlike before these vests can now be bought in a much affordable prices. Manufacturers have discovered lighter materials that costs lesser than the materials used before.

So when buying for one, make sure that you already know not only the functions of bullet proof vests but also why you need to wear one. It is vital to figure out where to use it, why you need to don resistant vest, which reliable supplier to procure your gear and the size among the many pertinent factors to be considered.

Lastly, bear in mind that wearing one is not a 100% guarantee. You also need to equip yourself with proper training on self-defense. Alertness is also important so as to evade danger and possible threat that is coming your way.

Henry N is an expert with Body Armour. He's focused in assisting our law enforcers and even regular people to gain more knowledge about body armor manufacturer. For assurance of getting NIJ licensed products, Bullet Proof Vest Shop is the spot to look into.

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The Humanity of Justice, By: Burke E Strunsky

"The Humanity of Justice" is possibly the best book I've ever read on the modern American justice system. Relying on his own experiences as a Senior Deputy District Attorney in southern California, Burke E. Strunsky frames it this way: in a democracy, the justice system should not just be the objective interpretation of laws by professionals and systematic doling out of punishments based on precedents. The justice system is also an ongoing pursuit of what justice means. After reading Chapter 4, "The Jury: The Heart of American Justice," I had a renewed appreciation for the jury system as a quintessential component of a democracy. The jury is the "we" in "we the people." That is, the people have the responsibility and honor of deciding what justice is. Therefore, justice is a reflection of the moral will of the people. This book is about the people: the humanistic qualities and components of our justice system, but it is also a convincing argument that human emotions are a necessary supplement to logic and reason in deciding the psychological and sociological implications of crime, punishment and cultural analysis.

Strunsky doesn't mystify the reader with romanticizations of courtroom drama and complexities of the law one might find in a Hollywood crime drama or a law class respectively. It is a demystification, but an enlightening one. While this seems like an overzealous or glorifying review, the book deserves this encomium because it integrates justice and the role of humanity itself within the ongoing project of American society as the pursuit of justice. When you finish reading it, to be sure, you will come away with a better understanding of the American justice system and you will be implored to look at real and fictional criminal cases with more critical eyes. You might consider, or reconsider, the very idea of justice, not just as some drifting abstract signifier, extracted from case law and dispassionately applied to subsequent crimes, but rather what it really is in a democratic justice system: something "we the people" reconstruct with each particular case. Strunsky provides ethical and practical comments in discussing some of his past cases (often brutal and horrific crimes he has prosecuted). This commentary never seems partisan and is always an elucidation. In other words, he does not dazzle you with incomprehensible court jargon; he explains it. For example, rather than using tactics to "trick" the jury into seeing a case his way, he explains (often misunderstood) jargon such as "abiding conviction" and "reasonable doubt" so the jury knows exactly what the court is talking about. He wants the jury (and all citizens) to recognize their individual roles in a social dynamic, to think like humans (thus, the title).

Among these broad contexts of justice and humanity, are the cases themselves. Some issues in the examples discussed are: flaws in capital punishments, the hypocrisy of clergy-penitent privilege, and the effective use of narrative in arguing the case. Strunsky presents the argument that we can improve upon these and other issues with a common sense (humanistic) approach to the pursuit of justice. Strunsky also devotes considerable time to crime prevention: socially in terms of gun control (a common sense look at this controversial topic) but also the economic, individual, and psychological precursors of crime: from prenatal care to adulthood. Strunsky brings what I think is a necessarily subjective, human spirit to supplement what is often thought of as an objective, law-written-in-stone institution.

Reviewed by: Nicole Sorkin, Pacific Book Review

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Book Review - Mob Fest '29: The True Story About the Birth of Organized Crime

Mob Fest '29: The True Story About the Birth of Organized Crime was written by veteran mob writer Bill Tonelli, and while I don't think this is a great book, it's certainly an excellent book that deserves your attention. Tonelli has written about organized crime for the New York Times, Slate and Philadelphia Magazine, as well as several full-length books on the subject, certainly an impressive resume and not one of whom is wet behind the ears as far as the mob is concerned.

I would have given this book 4 ½ stars if that were possible, but since it's not on Amazon's options list, I gave it the full five stars.

It's exasperating and I really don't understand the caustic one-star reviews that are splashed across the review page of this book. Saying Mob Fest '29 is poorly written may be an opinion, but it also may be a vendetta. Look up the term sock puppeteers and you'll get an understanding of what I'm talking about. In my opinion, and I've been a published writer for almost 40 years, this is a well-written book; maybe a little rude in spots, but certainly well enough written that Tonelli keeps the reader reading, and that's the result any good writer strives for anyway.

In these one-star reviews, readers complain Tonelli is quoting other books to make a point. Well, that's exactly what writers do. They research books related to the subject they are writing about and they attribute the quotes, instead of writing them like they were their own original words.

Tonelli, a true pro, did extensive research for this book, going as far as to interview top-notch crime writers like Jimmy Breslin and Mike Dash. Concerning the legendary (imaginary?) huge Atlantic City mob summit in 1929, Tonelli digests the facts as he sees them. Then he comes to a conclusion, which I won't divulge for obvious reasons. I happen to not totally agree with Tonelli's conclusion, but I understand his reasoning and he may be right about certain events or non-events, which, according to mob lore, have always been presented as gospel when they may have been total bunk.

For instance, there is a question as to the validity of the famous photo of Chicago mobster Al Capone bouncing on the Atlantic City boardwalk with Atlantic City mob boss Enoch "Nucky" Johnson and three other mob dignitaries (This picture is on the cover Mob Fest '29). Capone is on the far left and Johnson is on the far right.
Was the picture a phony posted in the Heart-owned New York Evening Journal to discredit Johnson? According to Johnson - it was.

Tonelli noted in Mob Fest '29, which was originally posted in Chance of a Lifetime by Grace D'Amato, "I never walked with Capone. I told people that the New York Evening Journal's photographer superimposed two photographs. If you noticed, I had a summer suit on, while Capone and his cronies had on winter clothes."

The supposed reason why Hearst would do such a dirty deed to Johnson was that Johnson was fooling around with Hearst's girlfriend and Hearst hit Johnson where it hurt him most: in his reputation.

Like Tonelli says in Mob Fest '29, "Hearst was the press baron who instigated the Spanish-American War to boost readership. After that, faking a photograph didn't seem much of an ethical stretch."

Despite the troubling one-star reviews, mob aficionados should enjoy Mob Fest '29.

I know I did.

You can see my blog: Joe Bruno on the Mob at: http://www.joebrunoonthemob.wordpress.com

My website is: http://www.Mobstersgangs.com

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