Tankers...

Tanker freight rates soared to their highest levels of the year this week as Asian importers scrambled to secure crude supplies from the U.S. after attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities took a big chunk out of global output.

“It’s been crazy over the last week and demand for very large crude carriers continues to be strong this week from traditional Far East importers like Korea, China and Japan,” said George Lazaridis, head of research and valuations at Athens, Greece-based vessel brokerage Allied Shipbroking Inc. “Oil majors like Exxon Mobil and Vitol have been very active seeking VLCC [very large crude carrier] bookings.”

London and Singapore brokers said daily spot rates for supertankers were quoted at above $43,000 this week from less than $30,000 before the Sept. 14 attacks in Saudi Arabia.

“Chinese importers have been advised by Beijing to avoid U.S. cargoes because of the ongoing trade tensions, but when there is so much demand, such things are sidelined,” a London broker said.

Free...

And all of you will be paying dearly more taxes to make me on the top of the democratic ticket. But it is not about money. It is FREE.

Drama...

Since the news broke that President Donald Trump made a request/demand that Ukrainian prosecutors investigate Joe Biden’s son, the president’s allies have blanketed cable news with allegations against the former vice president.

A New York Times reporter reminded viewers that “there’s a story here” about Joe Biden and his son.
Trump himself accused the Bidens of corruption.

To say Democrats are losing the ability to control this story would be an understatement. The allegations led Biden to angrily jamming his finger in a reporter’s face when asked about his son over the weekend, in an attempt to place the focus back where it belonged.

Media, for the most part, want drama, intrigue, and outlandishness. In Trump, they have a president who doesn’t hesitate to give it to them. Democrats, meanwhile, act as if such displays are beneath them, and cede the stage to Trump. Now, they may have to start prematurely to explaine many of the issues they ignore.  Just a thought.

Kibosh...

The years-long legal battle over a canceled big-bucks Manhattan wedding has finally reached a resolution.

Bradley Moss of Long Island and Amy Bzura of New Jersey were all set for a lavish, $378,000 wedding at the Pierre Hotel when the groom’s parents put the kibosh on the October 2016 nuptials.

The trouble began at a rehearsal dinner, when Moss’s parents, Robert and Wendy, got into a heated argument with one of the bride’s brothers.

They took it upon themselves to cancel the wedding against the couple’s wishes and called guests to tell them not to show up, according to court papers.

A tortured legal drama unfolded when Robert Moss threatened to disinherit his son if he didn’t kick Amy to the curb, and police were called to escort the would-be bride to collect her belongings from their apartment.

Annoys...

Optimism...

Looking on the bright side is more than a tool for taking life’s ups and downs in stride. An optimistic outlook is also good for your health, according to new research.

“Thought patterns and mindsets are the most intimate parts of our experience,” said Dr. Alan Rozanski, lead author of a meta-analysis on optimism.   "We have known for a few decades now that there's a relationship between psychological factors and heart disease.”

The new meta-analysis, which examined 15 studies on optimism and health and utilized data from 229,391 individuals, found that a person’s tendency to think positively about the future was linked with a 35% lower risk for heart disease, and a lower risk of death.

Rozanski, a cardiologist in New York, thinks a better application of the new optimism research might be to offer pessimism treatment as part of cardiac rehab programs.

Here it is. Just a thought.

The Core...

A New York Times editorial board member who raised eyebrows when old tweets critical of “white people” resurfaced, is no longer employed by the Gray Lady, a report said.

“Sarah decided to leave the editorial board in August,” Kate Kingsbury, a deputy editorial page editor told CNN. “But we’re glad to still have her journalism and insights around technology in our pages through her work as a contributor.”

In a since-deleted 2014 posting, Jeong wrote: “Oh man it’s kind of sick how much joy I get out of being cruel to old white men.”

Dumbass f–king white people marking up the internet with their opinions like dogs pissing on fire hydrants,” she wrote in another.

The Times stood by Jeong throughout blowback, but she remained a lightning rod for criticism through her one year tenure at the paper.

Denied...

Famed defense attorney Alan Dershowitz  forcefully denied that he had sex with an underage girl provided to him by Jeffrey Epstein.

Standing outside a New York City courthouse, Dershowitz pushed back against the claims by accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre.

"I've never met Virginia Giuffre. I've never had sex with her. And the reason I'm saying it is because it's true," Dershowitz said to a gathering of reporters after a hearing related to a defamation lawsuit filed against him.

The accused is usually a rich and famous guy and the accuser is what appears to be innocent young female.

There is more to the story that ought to be discovered before we blast the story out in the media. But the media is certainly after the hype regardless.      Just a thought

Onward...

Tax, tax and tax. Please choose carefully.

Chef..

Sandra Lee Christiansen (born July 3, 1966)^[2][1] is an American television chef and author.   

Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee premiered on the Food Network in 2003. Each episode contains an arts and crafts element, in which Lee decorates the table setting in accordance with the theme of the meal that she just prepared. She refers to these as "tablescapes".

Lee's second Food Network series, Sandra's Money Saving Meals, began airing on May 10, 2009.^[11] She has released 25 books, including Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade: Cool Kids Cooking and a memoir, Made From Scratch, which was released in November 2007.^[11] A magazine based on her show, Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade, was released in 2009.^[12]

In 2012, Lee won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lifestyle/Culinary Host for Semi-Homemade Cooking.^[13]

Also in 2012, she started a new monthly lifestyle magazine in partnership with TV Guide. She is also starring in two new shows: Sandra’s Restaurant Remakes and Sandra Lee’s Taverns, Lounges & Clubs.^[14]

As the partner of Governor Andrew Cuomo, she served as New York's de facto First Lady from 2011 to 2019, when the couple ended their relationship.

No to Beth...

Democratic donors on Wall Street and in big business are preparing to sit out the presidential campaign fundraising cycle or even back President Donald Trump if Sen. Elizabeth Warren wins the party's nomination.

In recent weeks, CNBC spoke to several high-dollar Democratic donors and fundraisers in the business community and found that this opinion was becoming widely shared as Warren, an outspoken critic of big banks and corporations, gains momentum against Joe Biden in the 2020 race.

"You're in a box because you're a Democrat and you're thinking, 'I want to help the party, but she's going to hurt me, so I'm going to help President Trump,'" said a senior private equity executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity in fear of retribution by party leaders. The executive said this a day after Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the House would begin a formal impeachment inquiry into Trump.

Combat...

In 2012 alone, an estimated 7,500 former military personnel died by suicide. More active duty veterans, 177, succumbed to suicide that year than were killed in combat, 176. The Army suffered 52% of the suicides from all branches.^[1]

In 2013, the VA released a study that covered suicides from 1999 to 2010, which showed that roughly 22 veterans were dying by suicide per day. Some sources suggest that this rate may be undercounting suicides.

A recent analysis found a suicide rate among veterans of about 30 per 100,000 population per year, compared with the civilian rate of 14 per 100,000.^[6][7] However, the comparison was not adjusted for age and sex.

The total number of suicides differs by age group; 31% of these suicides were by veterans 49 and younger while 69% were by veterans aged 50 and older.^[8] As with suicides in general, suicide of veterans is primarily male, with about 97 percent of the suicides being male in the states that reported gender.^[7]

Combat veterans are not only more likely to have suicidal ideation, often associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, but they are more likely to act on a suicidal plan. Especially since veterans may be less likely to seek help from a mental health professional, non-mental health physicians are in a key position to screen for PTSD, depression, and suicidal ideation in these patients.

The same study also found that in veterans with PTSD related to combat experience, combat-related guilt may be a significant predictor of suicidal ideation and attempt.

Oolong...

Researchers at St.  Louis University in Missouri tested extracts of various teas against several types of breast cancer cells. 

Researchers included extracts from green, oolong, black, and other dark teas. The results indicated that green and oolong teas could stop the growth of breast cancer cells; the two types of tea worked equally well against all the cell lines tested. Black and other dark teas had no effect.

“From our results, oolong tea, much like green tea, plays a role in inhibiting breast cancer cell growth, proliferation, and tumor progression,”

Also noted that oolong, like green tea, can confer additional benefits to regular drinkers, such as lowering cholesterol, abdominal fat, and it may even offer protection against other types of cancer.

Climate...

 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., challenged fellow candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders', I-Vt., "Medicare-for-all" plan, claiming it would set the country back ten years.

 I think Bernie’s proposal would leave us fighting a losing battle for 'Medicare-for-all' for the next ten years.

Instead of dealing with the fact that our economy doesn’t work for everybody,   climate change,  and other issues that we need to confront."

Just a thought.

Hunter...

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she was moving forward with a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.

 "Therefore, today I'm announcing the House of Representatives is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry."

Hunter Biden was named a paid board member of Burisma Holdings in April 2014. The company’s founder was a political ally of Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine’s Russia-friendly president, who was driven out in February 2014 by mass protests.

Yanukovych’s ouster prompted the Obama administration to move quickly to deepen ties with Ukraine’s new government. Joe Biden played a leading role, traveling to Ukraine and speaking frequently with its new Western-friendly president.