Separation-Scotland

Voters in Scotland will decide on Thursday whether to continue a 307-year partnership with England or declare independence from the United Kingdom. How did a seemingly fruitful union reach the breaking point? 

Business leaders and economists worry that an independent Scotland will not be able to prosper alone: its economy relies on revenue from North Sea oil, which has been falling sharply, and its per capita government spending is higher than the rest of Britain.

Scotland would not be able to use the British pound as its currency. And it would be “extremely difficult, if not impossible” for Scotland to join the European Union.

Major financial institutions such as the Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group, and the insurance giant Standard Life, have indicated they would move their registered offices from Scotland and incorporate in England.

Around two thousand Londoners gathered in Trafalgar Square early on Monday evening in an effort to persuade Scots to reject independence when the country goes to the polls on Thursday.

The European Union has 18 Countries, big and small. The world is moving together and that would be the outcome.

Scotland will stay in the UK. Just a thought.

Humiliated...

Iraq forces and Peshmerga pushed ISIS out of few villages in Iraq. As they entered one village, a horror story of a woman, tied to a tree, naked, repeatedly raped by the ISIS fighters. Another woman was discovered in a second village, similar treatment. The ISIS fighters, it appears, are “rewarded” by having their way with captured women.

ISIS has received attention for its savage beheadings, executions of captured soldiers and men in conquered towns and villages, violence against Christians and Shiites, and the destruction of non-Sunni shrines and places of worship. But its barbarity against women has been treated as a side issue.

Arab and Muslim governments have been virtually silent on ISIS’s systemic degradation, abuse, and humiliation of women. To the men of ISIS, women are an inferior race, to be sold off as slaves.

From ISIS-captured territory in Syria, a photograph of a line of women, covered from head to toe and tied to one another by a rope, as they were being led to a makeshift slave market.  ISIS set up marriage bureaus in captured Syrian towns to recruit virgins and widows to marry fighters, and also called on fellow jihadists in other countries to recruit brides for the fighters. 

[Haleh Esfandiari, The Wall Street Journal]

The Family-Palin!!

Sarah and Todd Palin had been invited to the 40th birthday party for a champion snowmobile racer and brought the children along. Most of the party was outside with dancing and live band.

At one point during the event, Bristol allegedly unleashed a “flurry of blows” at the host because a boy wanted to “have a go” at her sister Willow, the blog said.

The former “Dancing with the Stars” contestant  who has a 5-year-old son, Tripp, stumbled onto the floor and was ushered outside.

Outside, the entire Palin crew got involved, with Track allegedly ripping off his shirt and starting to throw punches. Todd Palin ended up with a bloody nose after the brawl, but it wasn’t clear how, the blog said.

 

According to Alaska political blogger Amanda Coyne, who also reported on the fracas, Sarah Palin yelled at one point, “Don’t you know who I am?”
One partygoer responded, “This isn’t some damned hillbilly reality show!”

Palin family members climbed back into their limousine. Before they left, however, Mrs. Palin unleashed several rounds of profanity and Track Palin made a vulgar gesture toward the crowd.

So what 's the big deal? The story is not clear. Someone must have an accurate video of the events.  Just a thought.

L'Oreal's App.

Lara Stone.

L’Oréal, the French beauty giant, released a Makeup Genius App that lets you see yourself in real time wearing products that aren’t actually on your face.

When you smile, pucker up, or wink, the virtual cosmetics move along with you. If you turn rapidly to the side, the screen lags a second before the digital mask jostles back into place. You can apply, say, a lip liner with a lipstick or choose from full looks such as Evening Smokey and Jennifer’s Nude, created with a bundle of products.

If you hold your phone here rather than here, the lighting will be different, and the color will look different.

The app has been downloaded more than 1.7 million times in the U.S. and France, the two countries where it’s available. Of course, L’Oréal hopes all that tapping will lead to purchases, either through its built-in e-commerce platform or at a local store.

The result is mesmerizing but can look over-the-top: Don't try it when home sick, it only emphasized sunken eyes and sallow complexion. 

It is a great idea.  Just a thought.

Contrave... Weight Loss Pill.

 

Contrave helped patients lose more weight compared to a placebo.

With Diet and Exercise, the drug is approved for adults with a body mass index of 27 or greater, with high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol and  with a BMI of 30 or above without compounding conditions.

In people with diabetes patients lost an average of 2 percent more weight compared to the placebo. 36% of people taking Contrave lost at least 5% of body weight compared to 18% of people taking a placebo.

The extended release of naltrexone and Bupropion combined in Contrave.

The diet pill can cause seizures, raise blood pressure and heart rates.  The FDA warns risks of increased suicidal thoughts behaviors and reported neuro-psychiatric.

Defined minor exercise and selective eating will do miracle.    [W.P.-Abby Phillip]

Just a thought.

Self-Destructive.

person in the Image is not related.

Shannon Conley of Arvada, Col. confessed to making online contact with a self-confessed member of ISIS. According to the plea agreement, Conley pledged over a series of conversations to marry a fighter in Syria, provide tactical support to the organization and engage in combat herself if necessary.

She joined the U.S. Army Explorers to gain training in armed combat and ignored warnings from federal agents to steer clear of a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.

She was arrested at Denver International Airport to board a flight to Turkey.

She faces five years prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing on Jan.

"The fact that she was arrested may very well have saved her life" her lawyer said. The life span of terrorist is very short. Halima, was the name she adopted after her conversion to Islam.

A sad story of a self-destructive style.

Just a thought.

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...!*

Image is not related.

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.