I'll start wars-Dick..

Chris Matthews "Cheney was head of Halliburton. The oil company gave him a $34 million signing bonus to become vice president of the United States." 5/20/10 in an interview with Jay Leno on NBC's The Tonight Show.

The Bush family earned $894,880. The bulk from interest earned on blind trusts and as governor of Texas [70,554].

In Albuquerque, Mr. Kerry declared: “Dick Cheney’s old company Halliburton has profited from the mess in Iraq at the expense of American troops and taxpayers. While Halliburton has been engaging in massive overcharging and wasteful practices under this no-bid contract, Dick Cheney has continued to receive compensation from his former company.”

After listing some instances of Halliburton overcharging alleged by Pentagon auditors, Mr. Kerry asserted: “Dick Cheney received $2 million in bonuses and deferred compensation since taking office in 2001. And the independent Congressional Research Service found that under federal ethics law, Dick Cheney did have a lingering financial interest in Halliburton.”
By DAVID E. ROSENBAUM-NYT -Published: September 28, 2004.

Houston-based firm KBR, Inc., was spun off  oilfield services provider Halliburton Co. in 2007.

 

The company was given $39.5 billion in Iraq-related contracts over the past decade, with many of the deals given without any bidding from competing firms, such as a $568-million contract renewal in 2010 to provide housing, meals, water and bathroom services to soldiers, a deal that led to a Justice Department lawsuit over alleged kickbacks, as reported by Bloomberg.  By Angelo Young, International Business Times 20 March 13.

 

No wonder the drums of war sounds to some as "cashing, cashing".

just a thought.

Oil Prices falling?

 

Image of "OPIC" can you see it.

The oil market has become more bearishly positioned than it's been for several years.
Brent crude fell through $100 for the first time in 16 months, as Chinese import growth fell unexpectedly. Besides softer demand from China, the developed world is using less oil in general.

"There's as much as 30 million barrels sitting on floating storage, and it's got to go somewhere. Eric Lee, Citigroup energy analyst said his long-term forecast for Brent is $70 to $90 per barrel, and it could be starting to head in that direction.

So far OPEC is pumping 30 million barrels a day, and Saudi Arabia, the world's swing producer, has not said it would step back from its 10 million per day production level, analysts note.

John Kilduff of "Again Capital" said he expects to see WTI fall possibly below $80.
and the Saudis could easily change the outlook for oil. "If the Saudis don't respond, the price drop is going to be fairly swift." Any action is a double sword edge and may push the prices further down. 

The Saudi would survive on $70/barrel, while for now it is all about defeating the ISIL terrorists.

Just a thought.

Terminated...!*

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The Baltimore Ravens terminated Ray Rice's contract after a video emerged of the running back punching his then-fiancee in an Atlantic City hotel elevator.

The video shows Janay Palmer, now Rice's wife, being hit in the face in the elevator. Palmer then lunges at the running back before he delivers a blow that knocks her out. When the elevator doors open, Rice drags Palmer's body outside, leaving her face down on the floor, her legs still inside the elevator.

The NFL followed up by suspending Rice indefinitely, preventing another team from picking him up. Earlier in the day, the NFL said it had never seen the violent video before it suspended him for two games for domestic abuse.

Within hours of the video's appearance on TMZ.com, Rice's team, the Baltimore Ravens, tweeted, "The Baltimore Ravens terminated the contract of RB Ray Rice this afternoon."

That should never happened treating any body this way.  Waiting for prosecution. Just a thought.

Marijuana at Work.

Even in Colorado and Washington, marijuana-friendly states, a glance at online classified ads lays out an unwelcome landscape for marijuana smokers. "Please do not apply if you are NOT drug free or carry a medical marijuana card," warns one job listing for a mechanic in Denver.

Employers and business groups say the screenings identify drug-abusing workers, create a safer workplace, lower their insurance costs and, in some cases, are required by law

Courts have ruled against marijuana users, saying that companies have the right to create their own drug policies.

One company wrote in a brief to the court, employer can no longer maintain a drug-free policy" and could risk losing federal contracts.

Recently a handful of businesses in Colorado cautiously opened up to marijuana, said Mr. Graves of the Mountain States Employers Council. They decided their fears were overblown, and have asked the group to help them revise their drug-testing policies to remove marijuana from the mix.

That is a dilemma. Do you want your coworker coming back from lunch after using the item? Just a thought.

Insulted‏? No way!!

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I asked to see a shoe behind the counter and [a salesman] said, 'Well, I'll show it to you, but it's very expensive.

Despite the feeling of condescension, I didn't leave the store," . In fact, it made me want the pricey shoe even more. 

Many high-end retailers have spent the past decade or so training staff to be less judgmental. A customer who arrived on bicycle, was mistaken for a delivery boy, and purchased a $10,000 watch.

Luxury consumers are among the most empowered consumers because of their wealth and ability to pay.  They wouldn't accept that kind of treatment. 

In a study to be published, they found that consumers who were treated poorly by sales staff were willing to pay 10 percent more than others. [Study, titled "Should the Devil Sell Prada?"]

So if you'r shopping, don't fall for that trick. You speak to the owner, refuse the ill treatment, then leave even bare foot. You'll be happier.

Just a thought.

Treatment of Women.

Kabul police said ten men wearing police uniforms stopped a convoy of cars, pulled out four of the women, robbed and attacked them.

One of the victims had to spend a week in hospital and another was said to be pregnant.

Seven of the men were arrested five were given a further 15 years for rape and three is on the run. All got the death penalty for armed robbery.

Kabul police chief Zahir said the men "confessed to their crime within two hours of their arrest".The trial on Sunday lasted two and a half hours.

Comment:
The process is just too quick, robbery, rape, pregnancy, confession, and trial.

It is important to teach all, in school, that women are mothers, sisters, wives and equal partners in life.

Women needs new uniforms. Just a thought.

Unfullfilled...

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A man was recently granted a divorce by a Mumbai, India family court because he could no longer deal with his wife's "excessive and insatiable desire for sex."

We've heard of people divorcing over a sexless marriage, but divorcing over too much sex? 

According to The Times Of India, the sex-fatigued husband first approached the court in January, claiming that his wife was "aggressive, stubborn and autocratic" and that she'd be harassing him for sex since they married in April 2012.

The man told the court his wife forced medication on him to boast his sexual stamina and threatened to hook up with other men if she remained unfulfilled. 

Due to wife's non-appearance before the court, the husband's evidence remains unchallenged on record. 

This wife's desire must be fulfilled. Use different pills.

Just a thought.

Corruption in Education??

 

The Chinese  government has banned "leading cadres" within the Communist party,  from signing up for costly business training unless they have official approval and pay full fees themselves.

Chinese officials are rushing to pull out after being banned from accepting scholarships as part of a widening anti-corruption campaign.

The decree will be a blow to China's booming business schools, where the cost of such part-time MBAs can be more than $100,000. In some schools, government officials were offered free enrolment to attract wealthy entrepreneurs seeking to build networks.

The head of one business school expressed dismay at the policy. He said all the officials who had enrolled as EMBA students had quit and that many executives from state companies, [20 per cent of the students] were likely to follow suit.

While full-time MBAs have always been the flagships of US business schools, in China these part-time EMBAs, is the degree of choice. However, in recent years some Chinese EMBA programs have been criticized for their high price tags and low quality.
[Lifen Zhang FT]

More to come.... Just a thought.

A mission to save lives

A volunteer nurse, the first Briton known to have caught Ebola in West Africa, was flown back to the UK for treatment on August 24 after contracting the virus in Sierra Leone.

William Pooley has been discharged from hospital as he told how "very lucky" he is to have survived the deadly virus.

Mr. Pooley was being treated with the experimental drug ZMapp – the same medication credited with saving the lives of two American missionaries earlier last month.

He was on a mission to save lives. Just a thought

Looking Good

The car is the next frontier for using "smart" sensors to gather and crunch consumer data. The move is part of the escalating fight over who can use technology to make money from drivers -  "The user experience is an untapped opportunity that will crown the leader in this space.

  

General Motors is preparing to launch the world's first mass-produced cars with eye- and head-tracking technology that can tell whether drivers are distracted. It will tell how hard a driver is thinking by monitoring the dilation of the pupils, and combines facial information with sensors for vital signs such as blood alcohol levels and heart rate.  The technology raises significant privacy concerns over how is data stored and handled. 

While "Safety doesn't sell cars - sexy sells,"   a safer other drivers may be happy with that.  Drivers who like to check their email, text, or do their make-up at traffic lights, beware.

Just a thought.