Ridley Howard-Artistic view

In paintings ranging from jewel-like to large-scale, abstract to figurative, Ridley Howard explores the nuances of color, shape, and composition with exquisite sensitivity. All of his works—whether precisely composed geometric abstractions, land- and cityscapes, portraits of individuals, or scenes of couples making love—are, at their core, color studies. Howard strips his subjects down, forgoing narrative and visual details, transforming them into pristine, velvety planes of pigment and collections of shapes

https://www.google.com/search?q=who+is+ridley+howard&newwindow=1&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=p1lsU-jaL5OVyASKyYGQDg&ved=0CDMQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=673

Oil cost/price.

GDP component

Personal Consumption Expenditures  [$11.501 trillion].

Durable goods, [autos-furniture], financial and health care services.

Business investment includes purchases to produce consumer goods and business equipment.

New Construction in Real estate. 

Government spending added $3.125 trillion to the economy in 2013.

U.S. imports a lot of petroleum,   International trade deficit subtracted $569 billion from GDP. 

The indirect economic impact of foreign oil includes major U.S. Defense Depart. spending on troops, ships, weapons and equipment deployed around the globe to protect the free flow of oil.

When  $330 million [was $700millions in 2007] exits the U.S. economy each year, that’s equivalent to roughly three million jobs lost. Paying for gasoline at the pump serves as a regressive tax on lower-income families,  especially the 40% of Americans at or near the poverty line.

An increase in US oil and gas production, and reduction of consumption will create a boom in the economy, less inflation and less international problems.

Prices of oil will collapse by 2017.  OPEC will reduce quota of production of oil and reduce prices in order to make US production cost more than buying for $35/Barrel.

Just a thought

Syria.. Update.

Syria... Update

Exhausted and worn out from a year-long siege, hundreds of Syrian rebels left their last remaining bastions in the heart city of Homs under a ceasefire deal with government forces. 1,200 fighters mark a de facto end of the rebellion in the battered city nicknamed "capital of the revolution." Now the civilians may have some sense of security and peace in their home town as the foreign fighters leave.

 

"We are very sad for what is happening today. We kept urging the international community to lift the siege but there was no response," al-Homsi said. "We have lost more than 2,000 martyrs in nearly two years of siege."

 

Had these foreign fighter realized no one would help them, the problem in Syria would have been so much smaller. Let us not flirt with the availability of assistance. Not in this region.

 

Just a thought.

 

Nigeria's..Girls

More than 300 teenage girls were abducted from a school in Nigeria. The leader of a militant group took responsibility describing the girls as “slaves” who would be sold.

Hillary Clinton called the kidnapping “abominable”, “criminal” and “an act of terrorism.” 

GDELT’s data shows that the number of kidnappings in Nigeria has risen from just two in 1983 to 3,608 in 2013.

The United States assembled a special team to help that country’s rescue kidnapped schoolgirls before they are sold into slavery or killed.

It is a sad story for these families who live in fear of these criminal acts. It is time for Nigeria to pay attention to safe guard remote areas and free the kidnapped.

Now the Americans helping, militants will be arrested and sent to death raw. Their co militant will deny all activities and cry for their own human rights. See it unfold.

Just a thought.

The other...*!

Garvin reported his wife "disappeared" while vacationing in Key West. In reality she didn't arrive with him to Key west at all.

Florida Investigators, use Finger prints, dog search, credit card reviews, restaurant employees interviews, hotel cameras, toll both Camera, telephone communications, computers search, and a GPS monitor on his car. They tracked him to his wife's body.

Garvin agreed to a life sentence.

With the death of his wife, he is in prison, and his other woman is no longer.

There is no perfect crime.  Only ignorant persons think they can do that.  Just a thought.

Little guy...*!

              In a game dominated by millionaires and billionaires, this was a victory for the little guys. Owners Perry Martin and Steve Coburn bred an $8,000 mare to a $2,500 stallion to win the world's most famous race with their one-horse stable.

California Chrome made his move on the final turn in tandem with Samraat. It looked like those two would decide the outcome, until California Chrome sped away, winning by 1¾ lengths. A potential buyer offered $6 millions for 51% ownership was rejected.

So if you are the little guy, don't have much resources, and trying to achieve your goals, take it "straight from the horses mouth" work hard, train for it, be patient and you can do it". Then buy smaller Hats for the ladies.

Just a thought.

Identity Theft- Aereo....

A mother stole her daughter's identity to be a cheerleader[Listverse]

Much is at stake in the Supreme Court's decision in this case with Aereo. Broadcasters invest billions of dollars to create, acquire, and distribute the most-watched video programming in the country, and in the world. 

Aereo grabs broadcasters' signals from the airwaves without paying for them, stores user-specific copies of that programming in its servers, and then delivers that programming over the Internet live or on-demand for a fee. Aereo would prefer that everyone just focus on that second function (storage) but disregard the other two (theft and transmission). It is an illegitimate, unlicensed streaming service.

For that, the Supreme Court of USA will Ban Aereo completely.

For Aereo to survive, they must pay for the contents or merge with Broadcasters to provide contents to remote areas "the American way". Can't just take something that doesn't belong to you.

Just an [honest] thought.

Myself...*

NY City

Police arrested Christian Morales who, with a group of around 20 young men, made anti-Muslim statements and then began punching Mr. Singh, a Columbia University Professor, in the face.” The attackers dispersed after a call to the police.

"I think it’s critical to see that this is not the community we expect, and certainly not the country we expect,” Singh said.

Kansas City

Frazier Cross [73 years old] was a member of the KKK movement and someone who has repeatedly expressed hatred for Jewish people.

Cross a suspect in the killing of three people at two Jewish facilities near Kansas City could face the death penalty on state murder charges filed, prosecutors said. None of the people he is accused of killing were Jewish.
“Holding anger is a poison...It eats you from inside...We think that by hating someone we hurt them...But hatred is a curved blade...and the harm we do to others...we also do to ourselves.”

Remember...!*

Around the corner I have a friend, in this great city that has no end. Yet the days go by and weeks rush on, and before I know it, a year is gone. And I never see my old friend's face, for life is swift and a terrible race. He knows I like him just as well, as in the days when I rang his bell. And he rang mine, if we were younger then, and now we are busy, tired men. Tired of playing a foolish game, Tired of trying to make a name. "Tomorrow" I say," I will call on Jim"... " Just to show that I'm thinking of him". But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes, and distance between us grows. Around the corner!- yet miles away, "here's a telegram sir" "Jim died today". And thats what we get and deserve in the end. Around the corner, a vanished friend. by: Henson Towne.

Mirrors...*!

NY police commissioner Ray Kelly declared that striking down the city's "stop and frisk" policy would cost lives. It appears to have been an effective city-wide strategy against murder resulting in a drop of  statistics.

In a decision filed in federal court in Newark, U.S. District Judge William Martini dismissed a lawsuit brought in 2012 by eight Muslims who alleged that the NYPD's surveillance programs were unconstitutional because they focused on religion, national origin and race. 

The judge was not convinced that the plaintiffs were targeted solely because of their religion. "The more likely explanation for the surveillance was to locate budding terrorist conspiracies," he wrote. The surveillance was stopped.

Bratton adopted a “zero tolerance” policy for petty crimes, and a renewed focus on “quality of life” issues. The theory maintains and monitors urban environments which may stop further vandalism and escalation into more serious crime. He established the controversial CompStat system.

Seems like Kelly and Bratton are similar in many plicies.
Today I see more cops in the street. Hope the elderly are safer today more than yesterday.  
Just a thought