It's tragic that it's taken yet-another shooting - and another death - to remake the point that our nation's schools are, broadly speaking, not safe. Seventeen year-old Centennial, Colorado high school student Claire Davis died on December 21st after being shot at Arapahoe High School on December 13th. That follows the October 21st shooting in Sparks, Nevada, in which a middle school student shot and killed a teacher, then himself. It was less than a year after the horrifying school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut that claimed 26 lives.... 20 children and six adults. It's difficult to come to any other conclusion than school systems aren't equipped to protect our children.
It's worth noting that it's not their fault. The measures needed to defend a primary and secondary school are foreboding, and can be expensive, and therefore are politically unpopular. Sadly though, each school shooting victim's death chips away at the disdain for physical barriers and checkpoints at a school's doors. Enter View Systems Inc. (OTCBB:VSYM).
Top 5 Supermarket Stocks To Watch Right Now: Capital Product Partners L.P.(CPLP)
Capital Product Partners L.P., a shipping company, provides seaborne transportation of refined oil products and chemicals. It provides marine transportation services under medium- to long-term time charters or bareboat charters. As of July 13, 2011, the company?s fleet consisted of 22 double-hull tankers, including 18 medium range (MR) tankers, 2 small product tankers, 1 Suezmax crude oil tanker, and 1 Capesize bulk carrier. Its tankers are capable of carrying crude and refined oil products, such as gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, and jet fuel, as well as edible oils and chemicals, including ethanol. Capital GP L.L.C. operates as a general partner of the company. Capital Product Partners L.P. was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Piraeus, Greece.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Luke Jacobi]
Capital Product Partners LP (NASDAQ: CPLP) shares tumbled 5.1 percent to $10.40 after the company priced 15 million units at $10.53 per unit.
Ellington Financial LLC (NYSE: EFC) was down, falling 4.4 percent to $23.53 after the company priced 8 million shares at $23.92 per share.
- [By Tim Melvin]
Oaktree specializes in distressed assets, high-yield bonds, real estate and equities. The company currently earns an F-score of 6 and yields 7.7%, so the stock is an excellent fit for our active income portfolio. The stock trades at a slight discount to its Graham number valuation of $54. Oaktree is a best-in-class investment manager and has the potential for solid appreciation in addition to the high yield.
Capital Products Partners (CPLP)Capital Products Partners (CPLP) is a Greece-based shipping company that is involved in both petroleum products and the dry goods business. It currently has a fleet of 30 vessels comprised of 22 tankers and 8 dry bulk and container vessels.
Top 5 Electric Utility Companies To Own For 2014: IPG Photonics Corporation(IPGP)
IPG Photonics Corporation develops and manufactures fiber lasers, fiber amplifiers, and diode lasers. Its laser products include low, medium, and high output power lasers from 0.5 to 2 microns in wavelength; fiber pigtailed packaged diodes and fiber coupled direct diode laser systems; high-energy pulsed lasers, multi-wavelength and tunable lasers, and single-polarization and single-frequency lasers; solid-state lasers; laser diode chips and packaged laser diodes operating at 9XX nanometers; and high power optical fiber delivery cables, fiber couplers, beam switches, chillers, and accessories. The company also offers erbium-doped fiber and Raman amplifiers, and integrated communications systems; ytterbium and thulium specialty fiber amplifiers and broadband light sources; and single-frequency, linearly polarized, and polarization-maintaining amplifier products, as well as integrated laser systems, including welding seam stepper and picker, and laser marking and welding syst ems. Its lasers and amplifiers are used in materials processing applications; manufacturing of commercial systems; and research in advanced technologies and products by commercial firms, and academic and government institutions, as well as micro-processing, surface treatment, drilling, soldering, annealing, hardening, rapid prototyping, and laser-assisted machining. In addition, the company designs and manufactures dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) transport systems; a range of fiber amplifiers; and Raman pump lasers, which enable data transmission in broadband access and DWDM optical networks, as well as sells commercial fiber and diode lasers for use in medical laser systems. It markets its products to original equipment manufacturers, system integrators, and end users through direct sales force, as well as through agreements with independent sales representatives and distributors worldwide. IPG Photonics Corporation was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Oxford, Massachusetts.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Brian Stoffel]
Last week, I introduced�five companies I was considering as my stock pick for the month: Nuverra Environmental, Apple , IPG Photonics � (NASDAQ: IPGP ) , Dangdang, and SodaStream . Today, I'm going to tell you about the company I'm picking, the reasons why, and offer access to a special free report at the end of the article.
- [By Alex Planes]
What: Shares of IPG Photonics (NASDAQ: IPGP ) have lost 10% of their value today after the company disappointed Wall Street with weak earnings.
- [By Brian Pacampara]
Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, fiber-based laser and amplifier maker IPG Photonics (NASDAQ: IPGP ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.
Top 5 Electric Utility Companies To Own For 2014: POSCO(PKX)
POSCO engages in the manufacture and sale of steel products in South Korea and internationally. The company offers hot rolled steel for general structures, gas cylinders, hull structures, automobile structural uses, and machine structures; atmospheric corrosion resistant steel; steel for casting and tubing of oilwell pipes; steel for line pipes; and general machine structural steel, alloy steel, and steel for tools and machine parts, as well as steel for ships. It also provides cold rolled, galvanized, electrical, and stainless steel products, as well as titanium products. In addition, it involves in various activities, including engineering and construction, steel work maintenance and machinery installation, computer hardware and software distribution, economic research and consulting, rare and special metals manufacturing, rental houses construction and management, energy and resource development, architecture and consulting, electronic commerce, refractories manufacturi ng and sales, transporting and warehousing, and electricity generation. Further, the company engages in components manufacturing and sales, ferromanganese manufacturing, financial investment, LED lightning, coal trading, mine development, finance, iron ore mining and trading, harbor loading and unloading, spinning and weaving, and paper and cement manufacturing businesses; operates athletic facilities and a distribution center; and invests in venture companies and biotech ventures. POSCO was founded in 1968 and is based in Seoul, South Korea.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jeff Reeves]
Other options include Korean steel giant Posco (PKX), though admittedly this is much more of a global player and subject to commodity trends instead of South Korean growth.
- [By Jake Maxwell Watts]
Markets in Korea were higher for the seventh straight session, after a break for Christmas. The Kospi (KR:SEU) �was up 0.1%, near its highest levels in over three weeks. Index heavyweights Samsung Electronics Co. (KR:005930) � (SSNLF) �lost 0.1%, while steel producer Posco (KR:005490) � (PKX) �and auto manufacturer Kia Motors Co. (KR:000270) � (KIMTF) �gained 1.1% and lost 0.2%, respectively.
Top 5 Electric Utility Companies To Own For 2014: Joy Global Inc (JOY)
Joy Global Inc. is a manufacturer and servicer of high productivity mining equipment for the extraction of coal and other minerals and ores. The Company's equipment is used in mining regions throughout the world to mine coal, copper, iron ore, oil sands, and other minerals. The Company's underground mining machinery segment (Joy Mining Machinery) is a manufacturer of underground mining equipment for the extraction of coal and other bedded minerals and offers service locations near mining regions worldwide. The Company's surface mining equipment segment (P&H Mining Equipment) is a producer of surface mining equipment for the extraction of ores and minerals and provides operational support for many types of equipment used in surface mining. During the fiscal year ended October 28, 2011, the Company completed the acquisition of LeTourneau. On December 30, 2011, it acquired approximately 41.1% of Int'l Mining Machinery Holdings Limited's common stock to 69.2%.
Underground Mining Machinery
Joy is a producer of underground mining machinery for the extraction of coal and other bedded materials. The Company has facilities in Australia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, China and the United States, as well as sales offices and service facilities in India, Poland and Russia. Joy products include continuous miners, shuttle cars, flexible conveyor trains, complete longwall mining systems (consisting of powered roof supports, an armored face conveyor and a longwall shearer), continuous haulage systems, battery haulers, roof bolters, crushing equipment and conveyor systems. Joy also maintains a network of service and replacement parts distribution centers to rebuild and service equipment, and to sell replacement parts and consumables in support of its installed base.
This network includes five service centers in the United States and eight outside the United States, all of which are located in underground mining regions. This segment has a range of products, including Continu! ous miners, Longwall shearers, Powered roof supports, Armored face conveyors, Shuttle cars, Flexible conveyor trains (FCT), Roof bolters, Battery haulers, Continuous haulage systems, Feeder breakers, Conveyor systems and High angle conveyors.
Electric, crawler mounted continuous miners cut material using carbide-tipped bits on a horizontal rotating cutterhead. Once cut, the material is gathered onto an internal conveyor and loaded into a haulage vehicle or continuous haulage system for transportation to the feeder breaker.
A longwall shearer trams back and forth on an armored face conveyor parallel to the material face. Using carbide-tipped bits on cutting drums at each end, the shearer cuts 1.2 to 8.0 meters high on each pass and simultaneously loads the material onto the armored face conveyor for transport through the stageloader to the conveyor belt.
Roof supports use hydraulic cylinders to perform a jacking-like function that supports the mine roof during longwall mining. The supports self-advance with the longwall shearer and armored face conveyors, resulting in controlled roof falls behind the supports. A longwall face may range up to 400 meters in length.
Armored face conveyors are used in longwall mining to transport material cut by the shearer away from the longwall face. Shuttle cars, a type of rubber-tired haulage vehicle, are electric-powered using an umbilical cable. Their purpose is to transport material from continuous miners to the feeder-breaker where chain conveyors in the shuttle cars unload the material. Some models of Joy shuttle cars can carry up to 22 metric tons of coal.
FCT�� are electric-powered, single operator, self-propelled conveyor systems that provide continuous haulage of material from a continuous miner to the main mine belt. The FCT uses a rubber belt similar to a standard fixed conveyor. The FCT�� conveyor operates independently from the track crawler system, allowing the FCT to move and convey mater! ial simul! taneously. Available in lengths of up to 570 feet, the FCT is able to negotiate multiple 90-degree turns in an underground mine infrastructure.
Roof bolters are drills used to bore holes in the mine roof and to insert long metal bolts into the holes to reinforce the mine roof. Battery haulers perform a similar function to shuttle cars and are powered by portable rechargeable batteries. Battery haulers feature a flexible center joint allowing them to maneuver in tight conditions and do not use a trailing cable, which allows for maximum flexibility in the mining process.
The continuous chain haulage system provides a similar function as the FCT, transporting material from the continuous miner to the main mine belts on a continuous basis, versus the batch process used by shuttle cars and battery haulers, but it does so with different technology. The continuous chain haulage system is made up of a series of connected bridge structures that utilize chain conveyors that transport the coal from one bridge structure to the next bridge structure and ultimately to the main mine belts.
Feeder breakers are a form of crusher that use rotating drums with carbide-tipped bits to break down the size of the mined material for loading onto conveyor systems or feeding into processing facilities. Mined material is typically loaded into the feeder breaker by a shuttle car or battery hauler in underground applications and by haul trucks in surface applications.
Conveyor systems are used in both above and under-ground applications. The primary components of a conveyor system are the idlers, idler structure, and the terminal which itself consists of a drive, discharge, take-up and tail loading section. The Continental high angle conveyor is a method for elevating or lowering materials continuously from one level to another at steep angles. The Continental technology uses fully equalized pressing mechanism, which secures material towards the center of the belt while sealing the! belt edg! es together. The high angle conveyor has throughput rates ranging from 0.30 to 4,400 tons per hour.
Surface Mining Equipment
P&H is the producer of electric mining shovels and a producer of walking draglines for open-pit mining operations. P&H has facilities in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, South Africa, and the United States, as well as sales offices in India, Mexico, Peru, Russia, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela. P&H products are used in mining copper, coal, iron ore, oil sands, silver, gold, diamonds, phosphate, and other minerals and ores. P&H also provides logistics and a range of life cycle management service support for its customers through a global network of P&H MinePro Services operations strategically located within mining regions. In some markets, P&H MinePro Services also provides electric motor rebuilds and other selected products and services to the non-mining industrial segment. P&H also sells used electric mining shovels, drills and parts.
Mining shovels are used to load copper ore, coal, iron ore, oil sands, gold, and other mineral-bearing materials and overburden into trucks or other conveyances. There are two types of mining loaders: electric shovels and hydraulic excavators. Electric mining shovels feature dippers, allowing them to load volumes of material, while hydraulic excavators are smaller. The electric mining shovel�� use is determined by the size of the mining operation and the availability of electricity. Dippers can range in size from 12 to 82 cubic yards.
Draglines are primarily used to remove overburden to uncover coal or mineral deposits and then to replace the overburden as part of reclamation activities. P&H�� draglines are equipped with bucket sizes ranging from 30 to 160 cubic yards. Surface mines require breakage or blasting of rock, overburden, or ore using explosives. P&H MinePro Services provides life cycle management support, including equipment erections, relocations, inspections, service, r! epairs, r! ebuilds, upgrades, used equipment, new and used parts, enhancement kits and training. Each life cycle management program is designed for a particular customer and that customer�� application of the Company�� equipment.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dan Caplinger]
Caterpillar also lost fundamental support in one of the areas that have been keeping it going strong in the past: mining equipment. With the prices of gold and other commodity metals having fallen sharply, Caterpillar's mining business will be under pressure, and those conditions are likely to continue until heightened construction activity bolsters demand for industrial metals and pushes their prices higher enough to justify renewed growth of mining efforts. The share price performance of mining-equipment rival Joy Global (NYSE: JOY ) has echoed those fears, with its late-May earnings report including a nearly 12% drop in revenue and a lowered earnings forecast for the year.
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