Fallen...

The value of Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil giant has fallen below the $2tn target after a tepid response from international investors to its stock market flotation.

Saudi Aramco will sell up to 1.5% of the world’s most profitable company. This would value the company at between $1.6tn and $1.7tn.

The IPO was initially expected to be the largest market debut of any company, offering up to 5% of the company.

 After a series of delays, Aramco’s IPO will offer a far smaller stake.

A Bloomberg poll of international money managers found the majority put Aramco’s valuation at between $1.2tn and $1.5tn.

Prices of oil has deteriorated in the past few years with no hope for recovery.  Climate change, electric cars and renewable energy, gave no chance for oil to be anywhere in the coming 10 years. 

Stents...

Stents and coronary artery bypass surgery are no more effective than intensive drug treatment and better health habits in preventing millions of Americans from heart attacks and death, a large study is shedding new light on a major controversy in cardiology.

Researchers have fiercely debated for years how best to treat people who have narrowed coronary arteries but aren’t suffering acute symptoms.

The standard treatment has been to implant stents—wire mesh tubes that open up clogged arteries—or to perform bypass surgery, redirecting blood around a blockage.    

Those procedures are performed even though these patients either have no symptoms or feel chest pain only when they climb a few flights of stairs or exert themselves in some other way.

The study is the largest and among the most rigorous research yet to suggest that while stents and bypass surgery can be lifesaving for people who are having heart attacks, they aren’t necessarily better than cholesterol-lowering drugs and other changes in health habits for most people with chronic, or stable, coronary artery disease, which affects about 9.4 million Americans.

Just a thought.

Lock...

Resist..

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday said "many, many, many people" were pressuring her to consider a 2020 presidential bid, but held that it is "absolutely not in my plans."

"I, as I say, never, never, never say never and I will certainly tell you I'm under enormous pressure from many, many, many people to think about it," Clinton told BBC Radio. "But as of this moment, sitting here in this studio talking to you, that is absolutely not in my plans."

After Trump tweeted last month that Clinton should enter the race to "steal it away from Uber Left Elizabeth Warren," Clinton shot back in a tweet: "Don't tempt me."

Overreach...

Quid Pro Que-3

Hunter Biden is not a political rival of no one.

Yawn...

Democratic lawmakers tried their hand at reality television with mixed results on Wednesday as they presented arguments to the American public for the impeachment of a former star of the genre, Donald Trump.

Unlike the best reality TV shows  not to mention the Trump presidency itself fireworks and explosive moments were scarce.

Devided...

Protest...

The protests, the biggest since 2003, have shaken the foundations of the Iraqi government. More than 250 protesters have been killed and thousands more wounded since the demonstrations began in early October, demanding jobs and better public services.

Roads are blocked and schools shut down. Many Iraqis fear an even bigger confrontation could occur between protesters and government security forces that include Iran-backed former militia members.

 the anger runs much deeper among protesters than a disdain for the Iraqi parliament.

" after the fall of [Saddam Hussein's] regime, we haven't seen anything good,". 

 "Parliament is just mafias and corrupt parties — all of them came to destroy this country," he says referring to politicians who returned to govern Iraq when Saddam Hussein was toppled after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

Why did we go there?

Courageous...

This will be the biggest farce in US history. As the smoke clears, the reality will devastate many.