(Updates with January fundraising in third paragraph.)

Feb. 17 (Bloomberg) — President Barack Obama took aim at Republican presidential candidates without citing any by name during a three-day West Coast fundraising swing expected to raise more than $8 million for his re-election campaign.

“These folks who are running for president,” Obama said at a San Francisco fundraiser yesterday with approximately 2,500 people who paid at least $100 each. “Their philosophy is simple: we are better off when everybody fends for themselves and everybody plays by their own set of rules. I’m here to tell them, they’re wrong.”

Obama’s re-election organization and a related Democratic National Committee effort raised a combined $29.1 million in January, his campaign said in a Twitter posting this morning.

During the middle leg of a trip that raised almost $4 million from California donors, Obama sought to position himself as the defender of the middle class and Republicans as those who would seek to destroy it.

“They want to go back to the days when insurance companies could deny coverage, jack up premiums without any reason,” he said. “They want to spend trillions of dollars more on tax breaks for folks like me who don’t need it and aren’t asking for it.”

Obama is pointing to signs that the economy is rebounding as he seeks re-election with an unemployment rate that has been at or above 8 percent for three years. Today he will go to a Boeing Co. factory in Washington to promote his goal of doubling exports to $3.14 trillion by 2015.

Today Obama will also attend a fundraising lunch with 65 people at the home of Costco Wholesale Corp co-founder Jeff Brotman and his wife Susan in Medina, Washington, and a reception later in Bellevue Replica Watches, Washington. The two events expected to bring in at least $1.6 million.

Biggest Prize

California is the biggest electoral prize in presidential politics and Obama won there by 24 percentage points in 2008. It’s also been the biggest source of cash for his campaign, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington- based group that tracks political money.

Obama listed the accomplishments of his first term, including the health care overhaul, the auto bailout and the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell at a fundraising dinner yesterday with approximately 70 people at the San Francisco home of Nicola Miner, daughter of the Oracle Corp. co-founder Robert Miner, and her husband, novelist Robert Mailer Anderson. Tickets for the dinner cost $35,800.

California Economy

Singer Al Green performed his 1971 hit, “Let’s Stay Together” at the dinner. The song is on the campaign’s official 2012 playlist and Obama crooned the first line of the song at an event at New York’s Apollo Theater last month.

“I took a chance at the Apollo and I’m not going to take a change again,” he joked. Obama said after he gets re-elected he “might go on tour with the good reverend, be his opening act.”

Earlier yesterday Obama addressed 125 people who paid at least $2,500 per person to attend a luncheon at the Corona Del Mar, California, home of Jeff and Nancy Stack. He is the managing director of Irvine-based developer Sares-Regis Group.

California was hit hard by the recession. The state’s unemployment rate was 11.1 percent in December, compared with the national rate of 8.3 percent in January.

That won’t cool enthusiasm for Obama in the state, said Ari Swiller, an adviser to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a Democrat. California Democrats will be mobilized by issues such as vows by the Republican presidential candidates to repeal the health care overhaul, he said.

‘See the Reality’

“I don’t see any drop off at all, as people are getting more focus on it and starting to see the reality,” Swiller said in an interview.

Obama raised about $3 million for his campaign at two Feb. 15 fundraisers at the Los Angeles estate of soap opera producer Bradley Bell and his wife, Colleen.

After speaking to approximately 1,000 people at a concert featuring the rock band the Foo Fighters Obama attended an 80- person dinner co-hosted by comedian Will Ferrell with celebrity guests including George Clooney and Jim Belushi.

–With assistance by Hans Nichols in Washington. Editors: Joe Sobczyk, John Brinsley

To contact the reporter on this story: Kate Andersen Brower in Washington at kandersen7@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Steven Komarow at skomarow1@bloomberg.net

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(Updates with closing share price in eighth paragraph.)

Feb. 10 (Bloomberg) — Micron Technology Inc. President Mark Adams said prices of computer memory have probably hit their lowest after a slump that caused losses at three of the four largest companies in the industry.

In December the Boise, Idaho-based company, the only remaining U.S. maker of dynamic random access memory, or DRAM, reported its second straight quarterly loss as product prices fell amid slowing personal computer orders.

“I don’t think DRAM goes down from here,” Adams said in an interview ahead of a company analyst day in Scottsdale, Arizona. “It’s starting to feel like a stable market.”

Chipmakers are struggling to match supply with demand in the market for memory in personal computers, where plants take years to come online and can’t be shut down cheaply. Underlining that, 2011 industry sales dropped 26 percent to $29.2 billion, according to an estimate by market researcher Gartner Inc. That followed a 72 percent surge in 2010.

This quarter, prices of DRAM chips are still dropping as much as 20 percent, Brian Shirley, head of Micron’s DRAM solutions business, said in a presentation to analysts today. That’s in line with the company’s earlier projection. Demand, rather than too much supply, remains the problem, he said.

“There is certainly some macroeconomic softness out there right now,” Shirley said.

Appleton’s Vision

Encouraging signs include cuts in output by competitors and the end of shortages of hard-disk drives, which have held back production of PCs, he said.

Micron fell 3.1 percent to $7.91 at the close of trading in New York. The stock has gained 26 percent this year, compared with a 6.8 percent gain in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.

Adams was promoted to company president last week following the death of former Chief Executive Officer Steve Appleton in an airplane accident. Former Chief Operating Officer Mark Durcan has reversed his retirement decision and is taking on Appleton’s position.

The industry is inching closer to Appleton’s vision of a more stable business populated by few producers, Adams said.

Only Samsung Electronics Co., the largest maker of computer memory, which also gets income from mobile phones, flat-panel displays and home electronics, has remained profitable. Suwon, South Korea-based Samsung, the world’s second-largest chipmaker behind Intel Corp., spends more on new plants and equipment.

Looking for Opportunities

The latest memory-chip maker to come under pressure is Elpida Memory Inc., which this month reported its fifth consecutive quarterly loss. The Tokyo-based company said last week it was in talks with the government and creditors to try to reach an arrangement on continued support before an April debt- repayment deadline.

Elpida is the third-largest maker of dynamic random access memory, behind Samsung and Hynix Semiconductor Inc. Micron is fourth.

Japanese media have reported that Micron was in talks to invest in Elpida. Micron’s Adams declined to comment on whether his company is contemplating any specific transaction, including taking an interest in Elpida.

“We’re going to look at opportunities,” Adams said. The company now has more than $2 billion in cash reserves and in a market with more stable chip prices Herve Leger, Micron may use its balance sheet to lead more consolidation, he said.

–Editors: Cecile Daurat, Ville Heiskanen

To contact the reporter on this story: Ian King in San Francisco at ianking@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Tom Giles at tgiles5@bloomberg.net.

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He will be in the city on Wednesday, with five senior ministers, to attend services marking the first anniversary of the 6.3 magnitude earthquake.

"This will be a time to reflect on what has been lost," he said on Monday.

"Christchurch, and all of New Zealand Replica Watches, was changed for ever that day."

Mr Key says it’s also a time to reflect on what has been achieved since then.

"Recovery is making good progress, construction is under way on 26 significant commercial buildings," he said.

"Work has been completed on about 80 per cent of the 1406 buildings identified as needing to be partially or totally demolished."

Mr Key says that in the long term, Christchurch is going to be a very different city.

"It will be a vibrant, new and great place to live."

Talking to reporters here, Tiwari called BJP as a party completely drenched in corruption.

“Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is known for its dual face, character and working. But now I would like to say that the work done by the Bharatiya Janata Party would be remembered as a black-spot in the Indian politics. They have taken two such steps in the Indian political scenario for which people who have due respect for honesty will not forgive Bharatiya Janata Party and its current leadership,” said Tiwari.

Tiwari further said it is unfortunate that for the purpose of political mileage, BJP has not only joined hands with corrupt people but also tried to protect those whom they were opposing few days ago.

“I feel that the money laundered in the NRHM scam has been distributed sideways also. And the investigation on the leaders who have showed their interest in bringing Babu Singh Kushwaha in their party should also take place to see whether the money siphoned from NRHM has reached them or not. Otherwise the BJP who has been slamming the same person few days back and calling him corrupt and culprit in the case was seen presenting bouquet of flowers Replica Watches, garlands in their office. So I think that nothing beyond this could be said for the dual character of the party,” he said.

Tiwari further said that I would like to make a suggestion to BJP that they should speak on anything except the Lokpal bill.

“I would like to say that today if in Indian constitution the Lokpal bill had not been made then if somebody who is responsible for it is then it is BJP. They got frightened because all the chief ministers of the state where there is a BJP led government they said that you were not able to become Prime Minister but our government would meet the same fate as the government in Karnataka and its former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa had to face. There is no other party in the Indian politics than Bharatiya Janata Party, which is completely into corruption, and they have no moral and constitutional right. And they are even not capable of showing their face anywhere,” said Tiwari.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday raided Kushwaha’s residence for his alleged involvement in swindling funds allocated to the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), a Central Government’s health scheme for the rural population.

The investigating agency also conducted raids at over 50 other locations in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi.

Kushwaha has been named as an accused with 50 others including government officials in FIRs registered against the NRHM officials and private companies. They have been charged with criminal misconduct and abuse of office. (ANI)

(See OTEN for a database of tenders.)

Jan. 6 (Bloomberg) — Samsung Total Petrochemicals Co. bought 25,000 metric tons of naphtha for delivery to Daesan, South Korea, in the second half of February Landscape oil paintings, according to two traders with knowledge of the tender.

The company, which purchased the cargo yesterday oil painting, paid a premium of about $8 a ton above benchmark Japan prices, one of the traders said.

–Editor: Mike Anderson.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ann Koh in Singapore at akoh15@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Alexander Kwiatkowski at akwiatkowsk2@bloomberg.net

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Dec. 24 (Bloomberg) — Pink Floyd, U2, Nirvana, the Rolling Stones and Tony Bennett have the ideal Christmas box for fans.

Each offers hours of music — at a heavy holiday price.

Some artists are releasing their entire oeuvre in one box.

Leonard Cohen anthologizes excellently on “The Complete Columbia Albums Collection” (18 discs, $140, Sony), a nostalgic treat for those who haven’t heard those LPs in years. Check the nicely downbeat titles: “Songs From a Room,” “Recent Songs.”

Boxes of Robert Johnson (17 discs, $350, Columbia) and Aretha Franklin (12 discs, $130, Legacy) capture some of the most emotional blues, gospel and soul of all time.

“The Complete Smiths” (eight discs Vest Dresses, about $200, Rhino) is remastered from original tapes of the U.K. band. While this set misses some single medleys and mixes, it’s still exceptional.

Billy Joel’s “Complete Albums Collection” (15 discs for $199, Columbia) is spotty. He’s better served by the Legacy reissue of the classic “Piano Man.”

Only a Tony Bennett maniac would want him warbling 1,000 songs for a solid three days, including some dreadful Las Vegas casino numbers. “The Complete Collection” ($400, or $500 signed, RPM Legacy) is at least good value for each of its 76 discs.

Bennett’s life-work set comes at age 85; Wynton Marsalis’s likeable “Swinging Into the 21st” (11 discs, $80, Columbia) comes at 50; Sting’s excellent “25 Years” (four discs, $120, A&M) was released at age 60.

Rufus Wainwright, at 38, couldn’t wait that long for his “House of Rufus” (19 discs, $360, 101 Distribution), which shows he’s talented, prolific and needs a good editor.

The Grateful Dead’s “Europe ‘72: The Complete Recordings” (73 discs, about $800, Rhino) will leave rich Deadheads in seventh heaven. Me, I’d prefer “Live Dead” or “Grayfolded,” which restrict the band’s best concert showing to two discs.

Some of Phil Spector’s finest “little symphonies for kids” are on “The Philles Album Collection” (seven discs, $70, Legacy). The originals by the Crystals, Ronettes and Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans are 1960s pop gold, though overshadowed by the “Back to Mono” set and Spector’s 2009 murder conviction. “The Essential Phil Spector” is a snappy, cheaper alternative.

Pink Floyd’s heavyweight contender is “The Discovery Box Set” (16 CDs, $180, EMI). Those wanting more can spend another $120 apiece on the “Immersion” editions of “Wish You Were Here” and “The Dark Side of the Moon,” which come with pointless Floyd marbles and scarves. Much neater are the two-CD “Experience” versions for $20 each.

The biggest version of U2’s “Achtung Baby” has a copy of Bono’s Fly sunglasses and spreads the 20-year-old LP over 14 discs, with outtakes, rehearsals, videos and the follow-up “Zooropa” for $440. The slimmed-down 10-disc set is $130 and highly recommended. There’s a two-CD version too.

Nirvana’s 20th-anniversary edition of “Nevermind” (five discs, $120, Geffen) and “Some Girls” by the Rolling Stones (three discs, $143, Hip-O) will be too much for the average listener. Nirvana’s CD changed the course of rock Tanks and Camis, though the rehearsals and outtakes are ragged; the Stones LP, which includes “Miss You,” works fine as a slim, two-CD version.

Studio geeks will love the Beach Boys’ “Smile” (nine discs, $140, Capitol); their families will be driven crazy over Christmas with more than 30 takes of “Good Vibrations.” Primal Scream’s “Screamadelica” 20th-anniversary set (seven discs, $190, Sony U.K.) has more variety. Buy it for the 14 remixes, not the limited edition T-shirt. Two-CD versions are available.

Elvis Costello’s “The Return of the Spectacular Spinning Songbook” (three discs and book, $250, Hip-O) commemorates his lively Los Angeles concerts this year. The contrarian star has been telling fans not to buy it and instead try Louis Armstrong’s “Ambassador of Jazz” (10 discs, $150, Universal). He might add “Live in Europe 1967” by Miles Davis (four discs, $35, Legacy) or Jimi Hendrix’s “Winterland” (four discs, $50, Experience Hendrix), which both feature instrumental virtuosity.

This year had a bumper crop of deluxe versions of many rock classics — all about $20, a fraction of the price of their weighty box-set brothers.

The best include “Songs in A Minor: 10th Anniversary” by Alicia Keys, “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs” by Derek and the Dominos, George Michael’s “Faith,” the Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Psychocandy,” Pearl Jam’s “vs. and Vitalogy,” and Suede’s albums. Reissues of Queen’s output and the Who’s “Quadrophenia” were triumphs of packaging over inconsistent music varying from the peerless to pretentious.

Many box sets are manufactured in limited quantities, so prices are approximate and vary among retailers and online sellers. Download prices also differ across services.

(Mark Beech writes for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

–Editors: Jim Ruane, Farah Nayeri.

To contact the writer on the story: Mark Beech in London at mbeech@bloomberg.net or twitter.com/Mark_Beech.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.

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Jan. 30 (Bloomberg) — Shares of the following companies had unusual moves in Philippine trading. Stock symbols are in parentheses and prices are as of the noon break in Manila, unless stated otherwise.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index fell 0.8 percent to 4,644.49.

Energy Development Corp. (EDC PM) slumped 10 percent to 5.66 pesos, its biggest decline since April 2009, after the nation’s largest geothermal company said repair works at its BacMan plant will be extended. First Gen Corp. (FGEN PM) Casual Clothes, Energy Development’s parent, dropped 10 percent to 13 pesos.

Manila Electric Co. (MER PM) dropped 1.8 percent to 269 pesos. The nation’s largest power distributor plans to invest 42.6 billion pesos (989 million) through 2014 even amid lower distribution rates. It spent 33.8 billion pesos from 2008 to 2011, the company said in a disclosure to the stock exchange.

Philex Mining Corp. (PX PM), the nation’s largest metals producer, lost 2.5 percent to 23 pesos, the biggest drop since Dec. 15. Spot gold fell for the first time in four days Guest of Wedding Dresses, dropping as much as 0.7 percent to $1,726.43 an ounce, while copper futures on the London Metal Exchange declined as much as 1.8 percent to $8,370.75 a metric ton.

Union Bank of the Philippines (UBP PM) gained 1.3 percent to 74 pesos, a record high, after reporting profit last year rose to 6.6 billion pesos ($153 million) from 5.35 billion pesos in 2010.

–Editor: Matthew Oakley

To contact the reporters on this story: Weiyi Lim in Singapore at wlim26@bloomberg.net; Cecilia Yap in Manila at cyap19@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Darren Boey at dboey@bloomberg.net

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Addressing the delegates of the India Energy Congress 2012 here today, Shinde said that while the country has made remarkable progress in the power sector during the 11th Plan, a lot more still has to be done.

He said that during the 11th Plan period the country has added about two-and-a-half times of the capacity that was added during the 10th Plan period.

Shinde said that 80,000 MW capacity is under construction for the 12th Plan.

Emphasizing on the need of energy conservation through efficiency improvement, Shinde reiterated India’s commitment to cheaper, sustainable and clean power.

He said that through various initiatives such as star labelling of products, the achievement in the avoided generation capacity during the 11th Plan will be over 10,000 MW.

Shinde asked the delegates to look into the issues affecting the power sector such as prices of fuels and the local problems.

Regarding AT and C losses, Shinde said that while the Government has launched the schemes such as Restructured-Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (R-APDRP).

Adding that Smart Grid can be another answer in this direction, he said that it is also necessary to find out other causes of transmission losses such as theft and non-billing.

Shinde said the Ministry is taking steps to bifurcate the losses between the commercial losses and losses due to other reasons including technical and theft.

Underlining the importance of renewable energy, he said that the cost of solar power is gradually coming down.

Shinde said that there is a need for a greater focus on research and development in the field of solar photo-voltaic.

Secretary (Power), P. Uma Shankar, speaking on the occasion said that there are a number of issues which need to be deliberated including availability of ports and rail facilities for transporting imported coal, availability of land, water and ash disposal facilities for thermal power plants and financial health of distribution companies.

The two-day conference being attended by delegates from India and abroad is deliberating on emerging opportunities and challenges in energy sector. (ANI)

Picture: Ronnie Corbett The Pride of Britain Awards 2011 – Arrivals London Replica Watches, England ….