Corruption,

Zhou Yongkang, China's powerful former security chief, has been under virtual house arrest since late last year. one of his former aides was just expelled from the ruling Communist Party.

Zhou is  the highest-profile figure caught up in crackdown on corruption. He is the most senior Chinese official to be ensnared in a graft scandal since the party swept to power in 1949.

Chinese authorities have seized $14.5 billion in assets from relatives and associates of Zhou, and they have called in more 300 of Zhou's relatives, political allies, proteges for questioning. [BBC]

Power, Position and Money.. the rest is history.

Just a thought

A true Devout

Dr. Kent Brantly.

 

Among his fellow devout Christians, 33-year-old Dr. Kent Brantly should be honored as someone who has lived the answer to the question of What Would Jesus Do? But he is a no less worthy example for those of any faith, or no faith at all. Even atheists could find a guide to goodness in asking themselves What Would Kent Do? What Jesus would do is what Brantly did when he agreed to work in an Ebola isolation ward in Liberia despite being admittedly terrified. 

A prayer is needed for this Courageous young man and his Family

The New Healthcare System.

.طريقة مجنونة لإنقاص الوزن في محيط الخصر

The affordable care act includes preventive care at no out-of-pocket cost on most health plans. This free preventive services help to put the focus on wellness, early detection and prevention instead of treatments and cures or lack there of. Preventive care covers everything from immunizations, shots, screenings and tests.

Women will have free screening to avoid breast cancer among other problems.  Free screening will discover high blood pressure and coronary artery disease. children will get free immunization for measles, hepatitis or some other serious disease.

Yesterday, the Union provided a team to help do some preventive care on its own. No payment, no line, and no wait till next year.

Very quick and efficient program. Cholesterol, Blood Glucose, A1C, Blood Pressure, Weight and Body Mass Index. Many jobs are doing the same, caring for their work force health and wellness. Keep your waist size and weight appropriate, you will avoid a lot of trouble.

You can still hate Obama Care, but enjoy the benefit. Obama will be gone in 2 years, but the good health and healthcare will last. Get Fit and stay healthy.

Just a thought.

Thermo Power...

A thermo-solar power station in Spain,  energy stored when the sun shines

Real gross domestic product  increased at an annual rate of 4.0 percent in the second quarter of 2014.  In the first quarter, real GDP decreased 2.1 percent (revised)

The U.S. economy created 209,000 jobs in June as the unemployment rate is 6.2% .

US crude oil price plummeted closing  $97.69. Production at peak levels from US refineries.

 "Most Arab states are actively supporting Israel against the Palestinians  and not even shy about it or doing it discreetly."As the New York Times put it, "Arab leaders, viewing Hamas as worse than Israel."

 With all that, Wall Street DOW went down 500 points. Go figure

Just a thought

Liew's Crime Spree?

U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey S. White sentenced Walter Lian-Heen Liew to serve 15 years in prison, to forfeit $27.8 million, and to pay $511,667 in restitution for stealing trade secrets from du Pont de Nemours & Company and then selling them to a state-owned Chinese company.

The sentencing judge described it as a“white collar crime spree” that included violations of the Economic Espionage Act, tax evasion, bankruptcy fraud, and obstruction of justice.The jury found that Liew filed false tax returns for USAPTI and Performance Group and made false statements and oaths in bankruptcy proceedings for Performance Group.

The court indicated that “the 15 year sentence was intended, in part, to send a message that the theft and sale of trade secrets for the benefit of a foreign government is a serious crime that threatens our national economic security.

Good Going.   Just a thought.

Family...

Image is not related.

 A former General Motors Co (GM.N) engineer was sentenced to a year and a day in prison and her husband was sentenced to three years for conspiring to steal trade secrets for use in China, federal prosecutors said.

Investigators accused Du of copying more than 16,000 GM files soon after the automaker in January 2005 gave her a severance offer. They said Qin later claimed, while pitching his services, to have invented some of the stolen GM technology.

Both defendants [Du and Qin] are U.S. citizens, and their case is part of a crackdown  on trade secret theft, whether involving China or other countries.

U.S. corporate victims of trade-secret theft have included General Motors, Ford, DuPont, Dow Chemical, Motorola, Boeing and Cargill as well as lesser-known companies.

The White House issued a report outlining a new strategic plan to combat trade secret theft from U.S. businesses, stating that “Trade secret theft threatens American businesses, undermines national security, and places the security of the U.S. economy in jeopardy.”

Just a thought.

McCain's Heroes !!!

Oil depot fire rages, threatening a greater disaster.

[April 22, 2011- Time] Sen. John McCain visited the Benghazi strong-hold of Libya’s rebel forces, a sign of creeping escalation in the conflict with Gaddafi.  He called the  opposition fighters  “My heroes”.

McCain renewed his opposition to President Barack Obama’s decision to scale back U.S. military involvement. He called for the U.S. and its partners to increase their support of and assistance to the Libyan opposition. 

[Saturday, 26 Jul 2014 ...Reuters]

Security in the Libyan capital has deteriorated following two weeks of fighting between brigades of former rebel fighters who have pounded each other with rockets and artillery fire in southern Tripoli near the embassy compound.
                
The violence is the worst seen in Tripoli since 2011. Libya is teetering toward becoming a failed state just three years after  NATO-backed war ended one-man rule.

You conclude !?      Just a thought.

Trade Secret's theft?? !!

    

The plan was for Kang Gao to do his exit interview with Two Sigma Investments, [a $21 billion quantitative hedge fund in New York], and jump to Citadel LLC, a rival firm in Chicago.  He ended up in jail.

He’s accused of stealing Two Sigma secrets and faces a potential four-year prison term.

The prosecutions come as Wall Street is increasingly protective of intellectual property. That include trading models, software codes, and strategies which have become more valuable as firms seek a millisecond advantage over rivals. 

Gao is the fourth Wall Street analyst or programmer to be ensnared in a crackdown by the D.A., on intellectual property theft from financial firms. That is only the beginning.

Just a [New] Thought.

World Conflict Consequences.

Ehrlich Architects-Abu Dhabi Parliament.

Syria: In the fourth year of the civil war, chaos rules supreme. The country is split between government troops, moderate opposition groups, Islamists, vigilantes and criminal gangs.

Iraq: With jihadists entrench their positions across the north and west, and the national army seemingly incapable of mounting a challenge, Americans and even some Iraqis have begun to ask how much blood and treasure it is worth to patch the country back together.

Libya: Washington assured Libyans the United States, together with the international community, was committed to the Libyan people.
But with post Gaddafi Libya bursting with heavily armed militias, the U.S is washing its hands off on the country.

Ukraine:The downing of the Malaysian airliner and ongoing fighting in Ukraine has been a trying time for the people. Ukraine tried to join with Russia earlier and failed. Now a conflict between Russia supporters and Ukraine Gov.

Gaza: Three Israeli teenagers were kidnapped while hitchhiking in the West Bank. They were found murdered weeks later. After extensive search for the perpetrators and mass arrests of Hamas members, more rockets fired into Israeli territory.

If you are at war, you feeding the hate of others and wasting your resources. While others are building theirs and their children's lives.

Just a thought.

Tattoos...?

Health Risks

It hurts to be stuck with needles over and over for an extended time–it’s risky too. Getting a tattoo can put you at risk for contracting a variety of illnesses from a bacterial infection to HIV.

Social Stigma
Tattoos still tend to be thought of as counter-culture by many. Some frown upon them as less than desirable and some employer uniform codes even go so far as to disallow tattoos to in the workplace. 

Uncertain Quality
You’re good to go for a lifetime (maybe a color touch up years down the road). But the trade off is that there are no do-overs. The artist you pick, the style you choose. 

• Just a thought.