Posts
The "Clown Prince" Strives For Confrontation
"Clown Prince" obama strives for confrontation over affability, compromise in his political dealings and I--quite frankly--am amazed that The Bilderberg Group allows so much of this to happen. Sure there'll be some during the negotiation phase, but at this level?!?
The case-in-point is any number of compromises offered up by the BoehneRINOs during the most recently engineered political theatre referred to as the 'fiscal cliff.' Each one--no matter how much Speaker Boehner gave away--was rejected by "Clown Prince" obama. Any effort of compromise--past, present or future--has habitually been denied by non-conformity to the childish--"my-way-or-the-hiway"--policy obama has enjoyed his entire political career.
It's logical RINO Chuck Hagel will be or has been nominated for the Secretary of Defense is for the same reason obama refused any compromise in the aforementioned financial negotiations:
"My-Way-Or-The-Hiway!!"
While this looks like the standard obama position, but will evolve into several sub-points The Bilderberg Group will enjoy rubbing the republicRATics' noses in:
obama nominates someone not concerned with Israel's security;
obama nominates someone who will be soft on Iran's nuclear prospects;
obama nominates someone with compatible views on defense, someone aligned with those equally weak-minded on foreign affairs;
obama nominates a RINO that can be thrown back in the republicRATics' faces when they refuse to confirm!
Your comments?
Til Nex'Time....
Reference Lie-Barry:
http://thespisjournal.wordpress.com/2007/01/28/chuck-hagel-rino-of-the-week/
http://patdollard.com/2012/11/obama-vetting-extreme-rino-chuck-hagel-for-secretary-of-state-or-defense/
http://www.towleroad.com/2012/12/more-from-the-log-cabin-republicans-on-chuck-hagels-sincerity.html
http://weaselzippers.us/2013/01/04/report-obama-to-nominate-anti-israel-rino-chuck-hagel-for-secretary-of-defense-as-early-as-monday/
Showing posts with label Iran. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iran. Show all posts
Monday, January 7, 2013
Sunday, March 4, 2012
The Sunday 'Report;' 03/04/2012
What The National Pamphleteers Don't Report:
Hitler had lovechild who fought against Nazis: report
NEWSCORE
Staff Reports
New York Post
February 18, 2012
PARIS -- Intriguing evidence that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler may have fathered a child with a young French girl while fighting in World War I has been published in France. Material from both France and Germany including paintings, photos and German army records apparently add weight to Jean-Marie Loret's claim that he was the son of the Nazi dictator, Le Point magazine reported Friday. Loret never met his father and died in 1985 -- but he did serve in the French Army then the Resistance, fighting occupying Nazi forces during World War II. Loret's story, published in the magazine, is that he was conceived by Hitler and 16-year-old French girl Charlotte Lobjoie on a night out as the then-ordinary soldier took a break from the trenches in June 1917. Lobjoie apparently met Hitler when she [....]
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/hitler_had_lovechild_who_fought_OOqb50QF8vQ93Jdr4hWtRL
[Related Content:] Adolf Hitler’s long-lost collection of paintings discovered
by Eric Pfeiffer
The Sideshow
February 27, 2012
A piece of lost German artwork stolen during World War II, recovered last year (AP/Michael Sohn)A Czech historian has discovered a long-lost collection of paintings belonging to Adolf Hitler. The Telegraph reports that the unearthed works of art include a "massive" painting entitled "Memories of Stalingrad." Even though the battle of Stalingrad was one of the German army's most brutal defeats in World War II, the painting is said to have been one of Hitler's favorites. Historians tell the Telegraph that the collection could be [....]
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/adolf-hitler-long-lost-art-collection-paintings-discovered-184351309.html
[Related Content:] Inside Hitler's Private World
Never-before-seen pictures show how the Fuhrer spent his time at home.
by Eric Pfeiffer,
yahoo.com
SlideShow
January 27, 2012
Several never-before-seen photographs have emerged from Adolf Hitler's personal photographer, giving a first time look at Hitler's Berlin apartment and Bavarian estate. The Mirror reports that photographer Hugo Jaeger was one of the few photographers working with color photography at the time and was granted access to Hitler's living and study quarters, showing artwork and furnishings estimated to be worth millions even in pre-adjusted dollars. The pictures were taken in the two years leading up to the beginning of World War II.
It is rumored that Jaeger took as many as 2,000 photographs of Hitler and his possessions. However, in 1945 Jaeger is thought to have hid the photographs in a leather suitcase. As Life magazine reported: [....]
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/newly-discovered-color-photos-inside-hitler-private-home-163857939.html
http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,339540,00.html
Detection Points in the Terrorist Attack Cycle
by Scott Stewart
STRATfor.com
March 1, 2012
Last week's Security Weekly discussed the fact that terrorism is a tactic used by many different classes of actors and that, while the perpetrators and tactics of terrorism may change in response to shifts in larger geopolitical cycles, these changes will never result in the end of terrorism. Since that analysis was written, there have been jihadist-related attacks in Afghanistan, Nigeria, Yemen and Pakistan, an assassination attempt against the president of Abkhazia, and a failed timed-incendiary attack against the Athens subway. (The latter incident, which militant anarchists claimed, reinforces that jihadists are not the only ones who practice terrorism.)
But while terrorism is a continuing concern, it can be understood, and measures can be taken to thwart terrorist plots and mitigate the effects of attacks. Perhaps the most important and fundamental point to understand about terrorism is that attacks do not appear out of nowhere. Individuals planning a terrorist attack follow a discernible cycle -- and that cycle and the behaviors associated with it can be observed if they are being looked for. We refer to these points where terrorism-related behavior can be most readily observed as vulnerabilities in the terrorist attack cycle.
The Attack Cycle
Many different actors can commit terrorist attacks, including sophisticated transnational terrorist groups like al Qaeda; regional militant groups like India's Maoist Naxalites; small, [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/detection-points-terrorist-attack-cycle?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120301&utm_term=sweekly&utm_content=readmore&elq=d8f1a4fcb9d14419b2e769b7c6b339da
'Band of Brothers' soldier dies at 90 in Washington
Associated Press,
February 28, 2012
BURLINGTON, Wash. (AP) — Lynn D. "Buck" Compton, a veteran whose World War II exploits were depicted in the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers," has died, his family said. Compton died Saturday in Burlington, Wash., after having a heart attack last month, the family told the Los Angeles Times in a story Tuesday.
In January, nearly 200 guests, including actors from the miniseries, attended his 90th birthday party, the Skagit Valley Herald reported. "To us he wasn't really a war hero, he was just a hero, period," Tracy Compton told the Herald. Lynn Compton also is remembered for his legal career in California. He headed the team that prosecuted Sirhan B. Sirhan for the slaying of Robert F. Kennedy and was appointed to the 2nd District Court of Appeal in 1970 by Gov. Ronald Reagan. He retired from the bench in 1990.
He was awarded a Silver Star and a Purple Heart during World War II. But it wasn't until later [....]
http://news.yahoo.com/band-brothers-soldier-dies-90-wash-172718718.html
When You’re Holding a Hammer... Everything Looks Like a Nail!
Words and Music by Kyle Hill and Bryan Glover
He was a little man, just turned three
Took the present from his daddy’s hand
A genuine toy hammer
He started beatin’ to beat the band
He hit the floors and the wall, broke a lamp in the hall,
Started swinging at the puppy’s tail
When you’re holding a hammer
Everything looks like a nail [....]
http://www.holdingahammer.com/lyrics.htm
[Performance:] http://holdingahammer.com/
[The "Putz of Park Avenue"]
Sen. Schumer tells Clinton to pressure Saudi Arabia to pump more oil
by Ben Geman,
thehill.com
February 26, 2012 Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wants Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to press Saudi Arabia, OPEC’s dominant oil producer, to boost output as rising prices are hitting consumers at the gasoline pump.
A letter to Clinton on Sunday from Schumer, a top political strategist for Senate Democrats, comes as Democrats are trying to blunt constant GOP attacks over soaring gasoline prices.
“These skyrocketing fuel prices are directly linked to the global energy market, particularly Iran’s recent efforts to manipulate oil prices and the worry of impacts on supply from an escalation of regional hostilities,” Schumer writes.
“To address this situation, I urge the State Department to work with the government of Saudi Arabia to increase its oil production, as they are currently producing well under their capacity,” adds the letter, which was first [...]
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/212595-schumer-to-clinton-push-saudi-arabia-to-pump-more-oil
[Related Content] Why Does the White House Want to Keep Gas Prices High?
Staff Report,
askHeritage.org
date unknown
With the national average of gas prices hitting $3.65 a gallon, nearing $6 in some parts of the country, and poised to head even higher, America’s families are wondering when the bleeding at the pump will stop. But for Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu, those steep prices aren’t even a concern. In fact, he says his goal is not to get the price of gasoline to go down. Chu delivered those stunning remarks in testimony before Congress yesterday. When Rep. Alan Nunnelee (R-Miss.) asked Chu whether it’s his “overall goal to get our price” of gasoline lower, Chu said, “No, the overall goal is to decrease our dependency on oil, to build and strengthen our economy.” As shocking as his remarks are, they shouldn’t come as a surprise. Chu has a [....]
http://www.askheritage.org/why-does-the-white-house-want-to-keep-gas-prices-high/?utm_source=AH_Weekly&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=2012-03-02&utm_campaign=2012_Brand
[The "Putz of Park Avenue"]
['Putz' Related Content] Outsourcing Energy Jobs?
Chuck Schumer Willing To Sell Out America
ARRA News Service,
February 27, 2012
When reading the following comments by Sen Charles Schumer, consider the following: "Of the nineteen hijackers who attacked this nation on September 11, 2001, fifteen were Saudi Arabian. Moreover, each and every one of the nineteen hijackers was personally chosen and provided with training and financing by yet another Saudi native – Osama bin Laden."
Is This "Chucky" Satire Or Reality?
Top Democrat Senator Demands Increased Energy Production, Jobs In Saudi Arabia Rather Than Increasing American Energy And American Jobs
Sen. Schumer Wants Saudi Arabia – Not U.S. – ‘To Increase Its Oil Production’
“U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer Sunday called on the U.S. State Department to press the government of Saudi Arabia to publicly and unequivocally promise to increase its oil production...” (“Schumer Calls For Saudis To Increase Oil Production,” WKBW News [Buffalo, NY], 2/26/12)
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): “These skyrocketing fuel prices are directly linked to the global energy market… To address this situation, I urge the State Department to work with government of Saudi Arabia to increase its oil production…” (Sen. Schumer, Letter To Sec. Clinton, 2/26/12)
SCHUMER: “… lower production levels have a negative impact on global markets.” (“Schumer Calls For Saudis To Increase Oil Production,” WKBW News [Buffalo, NY], 2/26/12)
“Schumer shepherds his party’s messaging on a range of issues including economic stimulus and election themes that square off with the Republican Party.” (“Schumer’s Wall Street Backers Targeted In Tax Fairness Standoff,” Bloomberg, 2/27/12)
Unemployed Americans Would Like An Energy Production Job, Too
The unemployment rate is currently 8.3%. (“The Unemployment Situation – January 2012,” Bureau Of Labor Statistics, 2/3/12)
The unemployment rate has stood above 8% for 36 months (Feb. 2009 – Jan. 2012). (BLS, Accessed 1/24/12)
Average duration of unemployment was 40.1 weeks in Jan. 2012. (“Table A-12. Unemployed Persons By Duration Of Unemployment,” Bureau Of Labor Statistics, 2/3/12)
Gas Prices ‘Rising For The 20th Day In A Row’
“Gas prices continued their march toward $4 on Monday, rising for the 20th day in a row. The nationwide average rose to $3.70 a gallon, up one cent from a day earlier, according to the motorist group AAA. Only a month ago, the nationwide average was $3.39 a gallon…” (“Gas Prices Climb For 20th Day,” CNN Money, 2/27/12)
“The average U.S. price of a gallon of gasoline has jumped 18 cents over the past two weeks. That’s according to the Lundberg Survey of fuel prices, released Sunday...” (“18-Cent Increase In Gas In 2 Weeks,” The Associated Press, 2/27/12)
http://arkansasgopwing.blogspot.com/2012/02/outsourcing-energy-jobs-chuck-schumer.html
[Cartoon:] http://www.comicallyincorrect.com/devil%20sm.jpg
[Related Content] The Dis-United States of Gas Prices: Why Fuel Is So Cheap in Denver
by Jordan Weissmann,
contributors@theatlantic.com
February 23, 2012
Thanks to America's overwhelmed oil pipelines, some lucky drivers in the Rockies are getting a big discount on gas.
Gas prices have been on the rise for the past two months, as the international game of chicken between the West and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program has sent global price of crude oil up above $120 a barrel. In California, an average gallon of fuel now costs more than $4. In New York, it's about $3.90. Even in Houston, the gas-pumping heart of U.S. refining capacity, motorists are paying more than $3.50. The run-up has many contemplating whether gas prices could break the U.S. economic recovery, as they nearly did in 2011.
Yet up in the Rockies, as well as in parts of the Midwest, motorists have been getting spared, relatively speaking. As this map from Gas Buddy shows, prices in states such as Colorado, Idaho, and Utah are lagging well behind the national average of $3.65. As the U.S. Energy Information Administration points out, prices in the Rocky Mountain region were actually falling towards the end of January, even as the rest of the country saw average fuel costs tick up. It's not unusual for U.S. gas prices to vary by region, sometimes drastically. All sorts of [....]
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/dis-united-states-gas-prices-182602059.html
[Related Content] How High Gas Prices
Affect the Number of Layoffs in the U.S.
Political Calculations,
Townhall.com
March 3, 2012
How do high gasoline prices affect the pace of job layoffs in the United States? We now have the ability to answer this question thanks to a recent break in the trend for seasonally-adjusted initial unemployment insurance claim filed each week in the United States. Here, we note that the data for these new jobless benefit claim filings reflect major changes have occurred in the business outlook for U.S. employers making employee retention decisions. This delay corresponds to the typical weekly or biweekly pay periods that most U.S. employers have, where employers allow their current pay period to run out, with any changes they might make with respect to their staffing levels being implemented at the beginning of their next pay period.
For the most recently broken trend in U.S. layoff activity, we observed that average fuel prices in the U.S. rose above $3.50 per gallon in the week between 19 March 2011 and 26 March 2011, which showed up in the data for new jobless benefits being filed in the week ending 9 April 2011, which marked the beginning of the trend. The effect on U.S. layoffs was to derail the pace [....]
http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/politicalcalculations/2012/03/03/how_high_gas_prices_affect_the_number_of_layoffs_in_the_us/page/full/
4 Leadership Styles to Masterby Glen Blickenstaff,
The Turnaround Specialist
February 16, 2012
It's not enough to have just one way of leading: Different circumstances require separate management styles. When it comes to leadership it doesn't matter if you manage a company with 500 employees or one where you are the only employee. Either environment will disprove the myth that leaders should stick to just one leadership style that they have perfected. In a dynamic setting several styles will be necessary and the ability to adapt is key. There's a lot to learn from each leadership style and when to use it. Here's the four that basic styles:
1. Directive: One of the oldest styles and frequently described as autocratic. Someone using this style tells people what to do and expects them to jump to it.
2. Participative: This style seeks input from others and participates with those they are leading in the decision making process.
3. Laissez-faire: Typically a hands-off approach allowing for both initiative and the latitude to determine process to affect an outcome.
4. Adaptive: A fluid style that takes into consideration the context of the environment and the individual being led.
When we are highly stressed and up against tight deadlines we frequently act a little out of character. Have you ever been [....]
http://www.inc.com/glen-blickenstaff/4-leadership-styles-to-master.html?partner=yahoo-smb
The Geopolitics of the United States,
Part 1: The Inevitable Empire
Staff Report,
STRATfor.com
August 24, 2011
Editor's Note: Originally published Aug. 24, 2011, this installment on the United States, presented in two parts, is the 16th in a series of Stratfor monographs on the geopolitics of countries influential in world affairs.
Like nearly all of the peoples of North and South America, most Americans are not originally from the territory that became the United States. They are a diverse collection of peoples primarily from a dozen different Western European states, mixed in with smaller groups from a hundred more. All of the New World entities struggled to carve a modern nation and state out of the American continents. Brazil is an excellent case of how that struggle can be a difficult one. The United States falls on the opposite end of the spectrum.
The American geography is an impressive one. The Greater Mississippi Basin together with the Intracoastal Waterway has more kilometers of navigable internal waterways than the rest of the world combined. The American Midwest is both overlaid by this waterway and is the world's largest contiguous piece of farmland. The U.S. Atlantic Coast possesses more major ports than the rest of the Western Hemisphere combined. Two vast oceans insulated the United States from Asian and European powers, deserts separate the United States from Mexico to the south, while lakes and forests separate the population centers in Canada from those in the United States. The United States has capital, food surpluses and physical insulation in excess of every other country in the world by an exceedingly large margin. So like the Turks, the Americans are not important because of who they are, but because of where they live.
The North American Core
North America is a triangle-shaped continent centered in the temperate portions of the Northern Hemisphere. It is of sufficient size that its northern reaches are fully Arctic and its southern reaches are fully tropical. Predominant wind currents carry moisture from west to east across the continent. Climatically, the continent [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/geopolitics-united-states-part-1-inevitable-empire
The Geopolitics of the United States,
Part 2: American Identity and the Threats of Tomorrow
Staff Report,
STRATfor.com
August 25, 2011
Editors Note: This installment on the United States, presented in two parts, is the 16th in a series of Stratfor monographs on the geopolitics of countries influential in world affairs. We have already discussed in the first part of this analysis how the American geography dooms whoever controls the territory to being a global power, but there are a number of other outcomes that shape what that power will be like. The first and most critical is the impact of that geography on the American mindset. The formative period of the American experience began with the opening of the Ohio River Valley by the National Road. For the next century Americans moved from the coastal states inland, finding more and better lands linked together with more and better rivers. Rains were reliable. Soil quality was reliable. Rivers were reliable. Success and wealth were assured. The trickle of settlers became a flood, and yet there was still more than enough well-watered, naturally connected lands for all. And this happened in isolation. With the notable exception of the War of 1812, the United States did not face any significant foreign incursions in the 19th century. It contained the threat from both Canada and Mexico with a minimum of disruption to American life and in so doing ended the risk of local military conflicts with other countries. North America was viewed as a remarkably safe place. Even the American [....]
http://stratfor.com/analysis/geopolitics-united-states-part-2-american-identity-and-threats-tomorrow
The 11 Brands With the Most Loyal Customers
by 24/7 Wall St.
February 28, 2012
When it comes to shopping, there are products we'll buy based on price, and there are products we won't. That generic ketchup may be on sale for 30% less, but you're still probably going to put the bottle of Heinz in your cart. It's called brand loyalty, and it's something every company that sells anything is striving to induce in its potential customers. Last week, research consultancy Brand Keys revealed which American companies do it best.
The 2012 Brand Keys report examines the customer loyalty and brand satisfaction of nearly 600 brands in 83 major product categories. Consumers surveyed were asked to rank the brands based on quality, level of enjoyment, ease of use, respectability, and other category-specific factors. Brand Keys gave [....]
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/02/28/the-11-brands-with-the-most-loyal-customers/
How The Khan Academy Works
[Website Content]
A free world-class education for anyone anywhere.The Khan Academy is an organization on a mission. We're a not-for-profit with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education to anyone anywhere.
All of the site's resources are available to anyone. It doesn't matter if you are a student, teacher, home-schooler, principal, adult returning to the classroom after 20 years, or a friendly alien just trying to get a leg up in earthly biology. The Khan Academy's materials and resources are available to you completely free of charge.
How it works for students
Students can make use of our extensive video library, practice exercises, and assessments from any computer with access to the web.
Complete custom self-paced learning tool
A dynamic system for getting help
A custom profile, points, and badges to measure progress
Coaches, parents, and teachers
Coaches, parents, and teachers have unprecedented visibility into what their students are learning and doing on the Khan Academy.
Ability to see any student in detail
A real-time class report for all students
Better intelligence for doing targeted interventions
Over 3000 videos
Our library of videos covers K-12 math, science topics such as biology, chemistry, and physics, and even reaches into the humanities with playlists on finance and history. Each video [....]
http://www.khanacademy.org/about
Soon You’ll Be Able to Buy a NASCAR Vehicle—
Or at Least One That Looks Like That
by Steve Goldberg,
time.com
February 29, 2012
In this week’s Daytona 500, the race consisted of 16 Chevy Impalas, 13 Ford Fusions, 11 Toyota Camrys, and 3 Dodge Chargers. But you’d have been hard-pressed to even tell them apart. That’s because ever since 2007, when the safety and competitive parity-inspired Car of Tomorrow, with its homogenous sheet metal, was introduced, brand identity in NASCAR has had as much individuality as fashion choices in Maoist China. Save for sponsor paint schemes and numbers, all of the Sprint Cup cars look identical, and none of them look like their namesake counterparts parked on car dealer lots and in showrooms.
This wasn’t always the case. During the early years of NASCAR, the race cars were modified versions of the production vehicles that everyone drove. Back then, in fact, it wasn’t uncommon for professional drivers to travel to competitions in the same cars that they’d race around the track. (A wreck could mean more than losing — it might necessitate finding another way home.) And the auto industry actively [....]
http://business.time.com/2012/02/29/soon-youll-be-able-to-buy-a-nascar-vehicle-or-at-least-one-that-looks-like-that/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+time%2Fbusiness+%28TIME%3A+Top+Business+Stories%29
Hybrid maker Bright Automotive goes bust
by James O'Toole,
CNNMoney.com
February 29, 2012
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Hybrid vehicle maker Bright Automotive has announced plans to close, blasting the Department of Energy for failing to finalize a loan that the firm says would have kept it afloat.
In a letter dated Tuesday to Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Bright CEO Reuben Munger and COO Mike Donoughe said they were withdrawing their application for a $314 million loan and winding down their operations. The executives claimed they had been strung along for the past few years as the government insisted on increasingly stringent loan requirements.
"The actions -- or better said 'lack of action' -- by your team means hundreds of great manufacturing and technical jobs ... and thousands of indirect jobs in Indiana and Michigan will not see the light of day," the letter said.
The Indiana-based company was founded in 2008 and had developed a prototype for a plug-in hybrid van, but had not yet begun manufacturing. Energy Department spokesman Damien LaVera said [....]http://money.cnn.com/2012/02/29/autos/bright_automotive/index.htm?iid=HP_LN
[Related Content] Chevy Volt, Perfect Car for the One Percent, Suspends Production
by John Ransom,
Townhall.com
March 3, 2012
General Motors reached another Obama milestone when they announced late on a Friday afternoon that they were suspending production of the Obama-inspired Chevy Volt for five weeks due to lack of demand.
Presumably the Volt was an attempt by GM to help Obama with his pledge to put 1 million electric cars on the road in return for the tens of billions of dollars in forgivable “loans” that the company got from the Obama administration from the TARP bailout. The hybrid gas-electric vehicle gets 25 miles on a full, overnight charge and costs around $40,000. To date, GM has sold around 10,000 vehicles. To put it in perspective, the Chevy Corvette has a sticker price of $49,600.
If the Volt’s not in the federal witness protection program, it ought to be.
“Sales also took a hit last fall when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a probe into why two Volts burst into flames days or weeks after severe NHTSA crash testing,” reports USA Today. Leaks from the cooling system were caused by shortages in the electrical system that prompted the fires. But the discovery came only after weeks of bad press for GM. Eventually the car company offered to buy back every single Volt for any consumer who was unhappy.
But lack of sales- and production- hasn’t stopped the government-owned car company from mapping out a marketing strategy that might have been fashioned by the marketing geniuses of the IRS and the United States Postal Service combined: “The Volt’s technology and its recent accolade from Consumer Reports make the Volt a marketing tool for Chevy,” said Alan Batey, vice president for Chevrolet U.S. sales, at the beginning of December according to Bloomberg. “This vehicle is about more than how many we sell,” Batey said. “This vehicle is a magnet around everything we are trying to do to showcase our brand.”
If that’s the case, it looks like a poor [....]
http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/johnransom/2012/03/03/chevy_volt_perfect_car_for_the_one_percent_suspends_production
Iran's Conservatives Grapple for Power
Staff Report,
STRATfor.com
March 1, 2012
Summary
Iran's parliamentary elections are scheduled for March 2. With most of the reformist politicians banned from participating, the elections are shaping up to be a competition between Iran's two dominant conservative camps: the populists, led by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and candidates supporting the clerical establishment, led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Though it is unlikely that even a large win for Ahmadinejad's faction would threaten the nature of the clerical regime in the near term, Ahmadinejad is trying to build a movement that can eventually wrest more control from the clerical elite. This election may indicate whether Ahmadinejad has made progress toward that goal.
Analysis
Iran will hold elections for its parliament, known as the Majlis, on March 2. These will be the first nationwide elections since the disputed 2009 presidential contest that saw the rise and swift fall of the reformist Green Movement. With many reformist leaders under house arrest or imprisoned and with the majority of the reformist parties barred from participating, the upcoming elections will be a political competition fought among Iran's conservatives.
The populist conservatives, led by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have been challenging the clerical elite, led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, since the 2009 election for ultimate control of the state. While the supreme leader's pre-eminent role in the government does not appear to be at risk in the near term -- even if Ahmadinejad's populist faction manages to take the majority of parliamentary seats -- Ahmadinejad hopes to build a movement that can sustain his push for a government less captive to an unelected clerical elite, and the Majlis has become a key battleground for this effort.
Intra-Conservative Rift
Iran's conservatives can be roughly divided into two camps: those who believe the supreme leader [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/irans-conservatives-grapple-power
Sheriff Arpaio’s Cold Case Posse Uncovers “Systematic Effort To Obscure The Truth”
by Doug Book,
westernjournalism.com
March 2, 2012
Since first announcing the formation of a “cold case posse” to investigate the legitimacy of Barack Hussein Obama’s claim to Constitutional occupation of the White House, Sheriff Joe Arpaio has been at once the object of legacy media smears and new media encouragement. And although the information gathered in the 6 month effort will probably not change the minds of many dedicated Obamabots, it has provided stark and irrefutable evidence that “person or persons unknown” worked long and hard in a systematic effort to obscure the truth about Barack Obama’s birth, heritage, and qualifications to serve as President of the United States.
Consisting of law enforcement officials and attorneys with law enforcement experience, Joe Arpaio’s Posse has turned up the following information: [....]
http://www.westernjournalism.com/sheriff-arpaios-cold-case-posse-uncovers-systematic-effort-to-obscure-the-truth/
Congressional staff bonuses plummet in 2011
Staff Report,
LegiStorm.com
March 1, 2012
Traditional fourth-quarter staff bonuses plummeted in the House of Representatives as budget cuts have taken their toll. The average congressional aide earned a 3.6% salary increase in the fourth quarter of 2011, an almost two-thirds drop from last year's rate and nearly half the previous low since LegiStorm started tracking salaries in 2000. LegiStorm added the House's 2011 fourth quarter salaries to our site today following yesterday's release by the House of Representatives. The new data allowed us to take our first look at the bonus habits of the 112th Congress. Many Republican members of Congress were swept to power on promises to cut spending, and the House imposed cuts to the amount that members could spend. Overall spending and bonuses were both down compared to previous years. In some cases, the bonuses were more than modest. Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) more than doubled his staff's average salary in the fourth quarter last year. The average aide in Moran's office made $26,750 in the fourth quarter, compared to an average quarterly salary of $12,160 in the first three quarters of the year, a jump of 120%.
Oklahoma representatives took the next two spots in the list of members handing out the greatest year-end pay increases. Both Rep. James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Rep. Dan Boren (D-Okla.) increased their average staff salary more than 65% for the final quarter. However, the average House aide made [....]
http://www.legistorm.com/blog/congressional-staff-bonuses-plummet-in-2011.html
How Can Chrysler Help Detroit?
Staff Report,
askHeritage.org
March 2, 2012
Did you know that there are no Volkswagen manufacturing plants in the Detroit area? Or Mercedes-Benz? Or Kia? Or Hyundai? Or BMW, for that matter? The Motor City has a well-earned reputation for having the greatest auto workers in the nation, yet honorable Michiganders largely build cars for only three companies. Apart from having their cars assembled in Michigan, it turns out that those three companies have something else in common: the United Auto Workers union (UAW). It also turns out that every other car manufacturer has something in common, too: not wanting the UAW to do to them what it did to the Big Three.
Today, President Obama will address the UAW, and he should receive a rousing welcome. After all, his terms of the auto bailout richly rewarded his union allies at the expense of non-union employees and private investors, giving them, among other prizes, a very large stake of ownership in Chrysler. And together, they stand adamantly opposed to “right-to-work” laws that would empower the nation’s unemployed to find economic security with a non-union job. Right-to-work legislation protects employees from being fired for not paying union dues. Without that protection, workers are forced to support a union financially even if they’d rather spend their hard earned dollars at home, if the union contract harms them, or if they’re opposed to the union’s agenda. And if they don’t, they lose their jobs. Obviously, when given the freedom of choice, many workers choose not to unionize. Twenty-three states have [....]
http://www.askheritage.org/how-can-chrysler-help-detroit/?utm_source=AH_Weekly&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=2012-03-02&utm_campaign=2012_Brand
Is Obama’s Regime In Panic?
by Doug Book,
westernjournalism.com
March 1, 2012
Although Nancy Pelosi responded with a glib “Are you serious?” to a reporter’s question about the Constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act shortly after the measure’s passage, her leftist comrades in the Department of Justice are not being dismissive of the issue any more. In August, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unconstitutional the “minimum coverage provision” or individual mandate which requires everyone purchase Obama-approved health insurance and penalizes those who do not. Judges Frank Hull and Joel Dubina of the 11th Circuit ruled that such an arrangement exceeds the power of Congress to regulate “commerce among the several states,” in this particular instance, commerce being the sale and purchase of insurance.
Obama’s legal brain trust had perhaps hoped the powers of Congress under the Constitution’s Commerce Clause would be enough to safely see ObamaCare through a flock of waiting appeals and into full operation. But Judges Hull and Dubina ended that bit of wishful thinking, writing a brilliant, decisive and thorough rebuke of the individual mandate in their 300 page opinion. And as their ruling conflicted with that of the 6th Circuit Court, a grant of certiorari by the Supreme Court to review the case was guaranteed.
The facts summoned up by Hull and Dubina will naturally have no effect on the 4 members of the Supreme Court Marxist left, but must carry great weight with thinking Court Justices. And it for this reason that [....]
http://www.westernjournalism.com/is-obamas-regime-in-panic/
Why the Electric Car Is Doomed to Fail
by Stacy Curtin,
Daily Ticker
March 2, 2012Auto sales for the month of February rocked.
Despite rising gasoline prices, consumers bought more cars last month than in any month since 2008. Estimates for total 2012 car sales rose from 14.1 million in January to 15 million in February. Chrysler's sales were up 40% for the month, while Ford (F) reported a 14% increase and GM (GM) a 1.1% increase, which is comparably small, but better-than-expected. The rise in sales comes as drivers are buying more fuel-efficient vehicles. Sales of the Ford Focus more than doubled month-over-month and truck sales for GM, Ford and Chrysler jumped more than 20% as consumers traded up for more models with better gas mileage.
With gasoline prices on the rise, it is no surprise [....]
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/why-electric-car-doomed-fail-150050289.html
Watch Out! 10 Interview Questions Designed to Trick You
by Jenna Goudreau,
Forbes.com
Secrets to Your Success
February 27, 2012
For the long-term unemployed or those workers looking for a change, getting an interview in today's market may feel like a win in itself. But once you're in the door, interviewers often put you through an obstacle course of deceptive questions with double meanings or hidden agendas. Do you know how to read the subtext?
"On the other side of the desk, hiring managers spend countless long hours interviewing candidate after candidate," says Joyce Lain Kennedy, a nationally syndicated careers columnist and author of Job Interviews For Dummies. "A tricky question may be used as a time management tool to quickly eliminate a less qualified candidate." Kennedy says that even if job hunters have rehearsed anticipated topics, an unexpected question may jar loose an authentic answer that exposes hidden problems. She outlines the top [....]
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/secrets-toyour-success/watch-10-interview-questions-designed-trick-194733833.html
Somalia: AMISOM, Government Troops Seize Al Shabaab Base
Staff Report,
STRATfor.com
March 2, 2012
African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali government troops seized control of al Shabaab's Masiah base in northern Mogadishu on March 2, Reuters reported. The capture gave AMISOM and Somalia's Transitional Federal Government control over the main road linking Mogadishu to central Somalia. The operation extended the city's defenses and will deny al Shabaab important ground from which the Islamist militant group has been attacking the population, according to statement by AMISOM Force Commander Maj. Gen. Fred Mugisha. [~~]
http://www.stratfor.com/situation-report/somalia-amisom-government-troops-seize-al-shabaab-base
Mexico Security Memo: Degrading Security in Puerto Vallarta
Staff Report,
STRATfor.com
February 29, 2012
Puerto Vallarta Robbery
Twenty-two tourists were robbed at gunpoint Feb. 23 in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco state, while returning to their cruise ship from a nature preserve as part of planned activities for their Carnival cruise. Masked gunmen stopped their bus and forced the passengers to hand over cash, cameras, watches and other valuables. Though no one was injured in the incident, the robbery demonstrates the degradation of security as a result of the ongoing drug wars in Mexico.
Targeting a group this large is unusual for the area for a number of reasons. Transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), commonly referred to as cartels, typically do not target tourists in Mexico's popular resort areas in order to avoid attracting unwanted attention. Local organized criminal groups try to avoid attacking tourists, and the citizens of resort areas try to prevent attacks on tourists, since all residents benefit from the revenue tourists bring to the area through the purchase of goods and through tour packages.
Local organized crime and TCOs may avoid targeting tourists, but the insecurity resulting from the drug wars helps individual criminals and small cells of criminals thrive. This robbery is likely the act of an isolated group of criminals. Since several competing criminal groups, such as Los Zetas and the Sinaloa Federation, are engaged in drug trade-related violence throughout Jalisco state, fewer law enforcement resources are available to deal with individual criminal actors.
CJNG Leader Arrested
Mexican authorities announced Feb. 23 the arrest of Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) plaza boss Adolfo Solis Bejarano in Veracruz, Veracruz state. Mexican marines reportedly [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/mexico-security-memo-degrading-security-puerto-vallarta
Until Next Sunday....
Hitler had lovechild who fought against Nazis: report
NEWSCORE
Staff Reports
New York Post
February 18, 2012
PARIS -- Intriguing evidence that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler may have fathered a child with a young French girl while fighting in World War I has been published in France. Material from both France and Germany including paintings, photos and German army records apparently add weight to Jean-Marie Loret's claim that he was the son of the Nazi dictator, Le Point magazine reported Friday. Loret never met his father and died in 1985 -- but he did serve in the French Army then the Resistance, fighting occupying Nazi forces during World War II. Loret's story, published in the magazine, is that he was conceived by Hitler and 16-year-old French girl Charlotte Lobjoie on a night out as the then-ordinary soldier took a break from the trenches in June 1917. Lobjoie apparently met Hitler when she [....]
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/hitler_had_lovechild_who_fought_OOqb50QF8vQ93Jdr4hWtRL
[Related Content:] Adolf Hitler’s long-lost collection of paintings discovered
by Eric Pfeiffer
The Sideshow
February 27, 2012
A piece of lost German artwork stolen during World War II, recovered last year (AP/Michael Sohn)A Czech historian has discovered a long-lost collection of paintings belonging to Adolf Hitler. The Telegraph reports that the unearthed works of art include a "massive" painting entitled "Memories of Stalingrad." Even though the battle of Stalingrad was one of the German army's most brutal defeats in World War II, the painting is said to have been one of Hitler's favorites. Historians tell the Telegraph that the collection could be [....]
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/adolf-hitler-long-lost-art-collection-paintings-discovered-184351309.html
[Related Content:] Inside Hitler's Private World
Never-before-seen pictures show how the Fuhrer spent his time at home.
by Eric Pfeiffer,
yahoo.com
SlideShow
January 27, 2012
Several never-before-seen photographs have emerged from Adolf Hitler's personal photographer, giving a first time look at Hitler's Berlin apartment and Bavarian estate. The Mirror reports that photographer Hugo Jaeger was one of the few photographers working with color photography at the time and was granted access to Hitler's living and study quarters, showing artwork and furnishings estimated to be worth millions even in pre-adjusted dollars. The pictures were taken in the two years leading up to the beginning of World War II.
It is rumored that Jaeger took as many as 2,000 photographs of Hitler and his possessions. However, in 1945 Jaeger is thought to have hid the photographs in a leather suitcase. As Life magazine reported: [....]
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/newly-discovered-color-photos-inside-hitler-private-home-163857939.html
http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,339540,00.html
Detection Points in the Terrorist Attack Cycle
by Scott Stewart
STRATfor.com
March 1, 2012
Last week's Security Weekly discussed the fact that terrorism is a tactic used by many different classes of actors and that, while the perpetrators and tactics of terrorism may change in response to shifts in larger geopolitical cycles, these changes will never result in the end of terrorism. Since that analysis was written, there have been jihadist-related attacks in Afghanistan, Nigeria, Yemen and Pakistan, an assassination attempt against the president of Abkhazia, and a failed timed-incendiary attack against the Athens subway. (The latter incident, which militant anarchists claimed, reinforces that jihadists are not the only ones who practice terrorism.)
But while terrorism is a continuing concern, it can be understood, and measures can be taken to thwart terrorist plots and mitigate the effects of attacks. Perhaps the most important and fundamental point to understand about terrorism is that attacks do not appear out of nowhere. Individuals planning a terrorist attack follow a discernible cycle -- and that cycle and the behaviors associated with it can be observed if they are being looked for. We refer to these points where terrorism-related behavior can be most readily observed as vulnerabilities in the terrorist attack cycle.
The Attack Cycle
Many different actors can commit terrorist attacks, including sophisticated transnational terrorist groups like al Qaeda; regional militant groups like India's Maoist Naxalites; small, [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/detection-points-terrorist-attack-cycle?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120301&utm_term=sweekly&utm_content=readmore&elq=d8f1a4fcb9d14419b2e769b7c6b339da
'Band of Brothers' soldier dies at 90 in Washington
Associated Press,
February 28, 2012
BURLINGTON, Wash. (AP) — Lynn D. "Buck" Compton, a veteran whose World War II exploits were depicted in the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers," has died, his family said. Compton died Saturday in Burlington, Wash., after having a heart attack last month, the family told the Los Angeles Times in a story Tuesday.
In January, nearly 200 guests, including actors from the miniseries, attended his 90th birthday party, the Skagit Valley Herald reported. "To us he wasn't really a war hero, he was just a hero, period," Tracy Compton told the Herald. Lynn Compton also is remembered for his legal career in California. He headed the team that prosecuted Sirhan B. Sirhan for the slaying of Robert F. Kennedy and was appointed to the 2nd District Court of Appeal in 1970 by Gov. Ronald Reagan. He retired from the bench in 1990.
He was awarded a Silver Star and a Purple Heart during World War II. But it wasn't until later [....]
http://news.yahoo.com/band-brothers-soldier-dies-90-wash-172718718.html
When You’re Holding a Hammer... Everything Looks Like a Nail!
Words and Music by Kyle Hill and Bryan Glover
He was a little man, just turned three
Took the present from his daddy’s hand
A genuine toy hammer
He started beatin’ to beat the band
He hit the floors and the wall, broke a lamp in the hall,
Started swinging at the puppy’s tail
When you’re holding a hammer
Everything looks like a nail [....]
http://www.holdingahammer.com/lyrics.htm
[Performance:] http://holdingahammer.com/
[The "Putz of Park Avenue"]
Sen. Schumer tells Clinton to pressure Saudi Arabia to pump more oil
by Ben Geman,
thehill.com
February 26, 2012 Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wants Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to press Saudi Arabia, OPEC’s dominant oil producer, to boost output as rising prices are hitting consumers at the gasoline pump.
A letter to Clinton on Sunday from Schumer, a top political strategist for Senate Democrats, comes as Democrats are trying to blunt constant GOP attacks over soaring gasoline prices.
“These skyrocketing fuel prices are directly linked to the global energy market, particularly Iran’s recent efforts to manipulate oil prices and the worry of impacts on supply from an escalation of regional hostilities,” Schumer writes.
“To address this situation, I urge the State Department to work with the government of Saudi Arabia to increase its oil production, as they are currently producing well under their capacity,” adds the letter, which was first [...]
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/212595-schumer-to-clinton-push-saudi-arabia-to-pump-more-oil
[Related Content] Why Does the White House Want to Keep Gas Prices High?
Staff Report,
askHeritage.org
date unknown
With the national average of gas prices hitting $3.65 a gallon, nearing $6 in some parts of the country, and poised to head even higher, America’s families are wondering when the bleeding at the pump will stop. But for Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu, those steep prices aren’t even a concern. In fact, he says his goal is not to get the price of gasoline to go down. Chu delivered those stunning remarks in testimony before Congress yesterday. When Rep. Alan Nunnelee (R-Miss.) asked Chu whether it’s his “overall goal to get our price” of gasoline lower, Chu said, “No, the overall goal is to decrease our dependency on oil, to build and strengthen our economy.” As shocking as his remarks are, they shouldn’t come as a surprise. Chu has a [....]
http://www.askheritage.org/why-does-the-white-house-want-to-keep-gas-prices-high/?utm_source=AH_Weekly&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=2012-03-02&utm_campaign=2012_Brand
[The "Putz of Park Avenue"]
['Putz' Related Content] Outsourcing Energy Jobs?
Chuck Schumer Willing To Sell Out America
ARRA News Service,
February 27, 2012
When reading the following comments by Sen Charles Schumer, consider the following: "Of the nineteen hijackers who attacked this nation on September 11, 2001, fifteen were Saudi Arabian. Moreover, each and every one of the nineteen hijackers was personally chosen and provided with training and financing by yet another Saudi native – Osama bin Laden."
Is This "Chucky" Satire Or Reality?
Top Democrat Senator Demands Increased Energy Production, Jobs In Saudi Arabia Rather Than Increasing American Energy And American Jobs
Sen. Schumer Wants Saudi Arabia – Not U.S. – ‘To Increase Its Oil Production’
“U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer Sunday called on the U.S. State Department to press the government of Saudi Arabia to publicly and unequivocally promise to increase its oil production...” (“Schumer Calls For Saudis To Increase Oil Production,” WKBW News [Buffalo, NY], 2/26/12)
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): “These skyrocketing fuel prices are directly linked to the global energy market… To address this situation, I urge the State Department to work with government of Saudi Arabia to increase its oil production…” (Sen. Schumer, Letter To Sec. Clinton, 2/26/12)
SCHUMER: “… lower production levels have a negative impact on global markets.” (“Schumer Calls For Saudis To Increase Oil Production,” WKBW News [Buffalo, NY], 2/26/12)
“Schumer shepherds his party’s messaging on a range of issues including economic stimulus and election themes that square off with the Republican Party.” (“Schumer’s Wall Street Backers Targeted In Tax Fairness Standoff,” Bloomberg, 2/27/12)
Unemployed Americans Would Like An Energy Production Job, Too
The unemployment rate is currently 8.3%. (“The Unemployment Situation – January 2012,” Bureau Of Labor Statistics, 2/3/12)
The unemployment rate has stood above 8% for 36 months (Feb. 2009 – Jan. 2012). (BLS, Accessed 1/24/12)
Average duration of unemployment was 40.1 weeks in Jan. 2012. (“Table A-12. Unemployed Persons By Duration Of Unemployment,” Bureau Of Labor Statistics, 2/3/12)
Gas Prices ‘Rising For The 20th Day In A Row’
“Gas prices continued their march toward $4 on Monday, rising for the 20th day in a row. The nationwide average rose to $3.70 a gallon, up one cent from a day earlier, according to the motorist group AAA. Only a month ago, the nationwide average was $3.39 a gallon…” (“Gas Prices Climb For 20th Day,” CNN Money, 2/27/12)
“The average U.S. price of a gallon of gasoline has jumped 18 cents over the past two weeks. That’s according to the Lundberg Survey of fuel prices, released Sunday...” (“18-Cent Increase In Gas In 2 Weeks,” The Associated Press, 2/27/12)
http://arkansasgopwing.blogspot.com/2012/02/outsourcing-energy-jobs-chuck-schumer.html
[Cartoon:] http://www.comicallyincorrect.com/devil%20sm.jpg
[Related Content] The Dis-United States of Gas Prices: Why Fuel Is So Cheap in Denver
by Jordan Weissmann,
contributors@theatlantic.com
February 23, 2012
Thanks to America's overwhelmed oil pipelines, some lucky drivers in the Rockies are getting a big discount on gas.
Gas prices have been on the rise for the past two months, as the international game of chicken between the West and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program has sent global price of crude oil up above $120 a barrel. In California, an average gallon of fuel now costs more than $4. In New York, it's about $3.90. Even in Houston, the gas-pumping heart of U.S. refining capacity, motorists are paying more than $3.50. The run-up has many contemplating whether gas prices could break the U.S. economic recovery, as they nearly did in 2011.
Yet up in the Rockies, as well as in parts of the Midwest, motorists have been getting spared, relatively speaking. As this map from Gas Buddy shows, prices in states such as Colorado, Idaho, and Utah are lagging well behind the national average of $3.65. As the U.S. Energy Information Administration points out, prices in the Rocky Mountain region were actually falling towards the end of January, even as the rest of the country saw average fuel costs tick up. It's not unusual for U.S. gas prices to vary by region, sometimes drastically. All sorts of [....]
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/dis-united-states-gas-prices-182602059.html
[Related Content] How High Gas Prices
Affect the Number of Layoffs in the U.S.
Political Calculations,
Townhall.com
March 3, 2012
How do high gasoline prices affect the pace of job layoffs in the United States? We now have the ability to answer this question thanks to a recent break in the trend for seasonally-adjusted initial unemployment insurance claim filed each week in the United States. Here, we note that the data for these new jobless benefit claim filings reflect major changes have occurred in the business outlook for U.S. employers making employee retention decisions. This delay corresponds to the typical weekly or biweekly pay periods that most U.S. employers have, where employers allow their current pay period to run out, with any changes they might make with respect to their staffing levels being implemented at the beginning of their next pay period.
For the most recently broken trend in U.S. layoff activity, we observed that average fuel prices in the U.S. rose above $3.50 per gallon in the week between 19 March 2011 and 26 March 2011, which showed up in the data for new jobless benefits being filed in the week ending 9 April 2011, which marked the beginning of the trend. The effect on U.S. layoffs was to derail the pace [....]
http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/politicalcalculations/2012/03/03/how_high_gas_prices_affect_the_number_of_layoffs_in_the_us/page/full/
4 Leadership Styles to Masterby Glen Blickenstaff,
The Turnaround Specialist
February 16, 2012
It's not enough to have just one way of leading: Different circumstances require separate management styles. When it comes to leadership it doesn't matter if you manage a company with 500 employees or one where you are the only employee. Either environment will disprove the myth that leaders should stick to just one leadership style that they have perfected. In a dynamic setting several styles will be necessary and the ability to adapt is key. There's a lot to learn from each leadership style and when to use it. Here's the four that basic styles:
1. Directive: One of the oldest styles and frequently described as autocratic. Someone using this style tells people what to do and expects them to jump to it.
2. Participative: This style seeks input from others and participates with those they are leading in the decision making process.
3. Laissez-faire: Typically a hands-off approach allowing for both initiative and the latitude to determine process to affect an outcome.
4. Adaptive: A fluid style that takes into consideration the context of the environment and the individual being led.
When we are highly stressed and up against tight deadlines we frequently act a little out of character. Have you ever been [....]
http://www.inc.com/glen-blickenstaff/4-leadership-styles-to-master.html?partner=yahoo-smb
The Geopolitics of the United States,
Part 1: The Inevitable Empire
Staff Report,
STRATfor.com
August 24, 2011
Editor's Note: Originally published Aug. 24, 2011, this installment on the United States, presented in two parts, is the 16th in a series of Stratfor monographs on the geopolitics of countries influential in world affairs.
Like nearly all of the peoples of North and South America, most Americans are not originally from the territory that became the United States. They are a diverse collection of peoples primarily from a dozen different Western European states, mixed in with smaller groups from a hundred more. All of the New World entities struggled to carve a modern nation and state out of the American continents. Brazil is an excellent case of how that struggle can be a difficult one. The United States falls on the opposite end of the spectrum.
The American geography is an impressive one. The Greater Mississippi Basin together with the Intracoastal Waterway has more kilometers of navigable internal waterways than the rest of the world combined. The American Midwest is both overlaid by this waterway and is the world's largest contiguous piece of farmland. The U.S. Atlantic Coast possesses more major ports than the rest of the Western Hemisphere combined. Two vast oceans insulated the United States from Asian and European powers, deserts separate the United States from Mexico to the south, while lakes and forests separate the population centers in Canada from those in the United States. The United States has capital, food surpluses and physical insulation in excess of every other country in the world by an exceedingly large margin. So like the Turks, the Americans are not important because of who they are, but because of where they live.
The North American Core
North America is a triangle-shaped continent centered in the temperate portions of the Northern Hemisphere. It is of sufficient size that its northern reaches are fully Arctic and its southern reaches are fully tropical. Predominant wind currents carry moisture from west to east across the continent. Climatically, the continent [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/geopolitics-united-states-part-1-inevitable-empire
The Geopolitics of the United States,
Part 2: American Identity and the Threats of Tomorrow
Staff Report,
STRATfor.com
August 25, 2011
Editors Note: This installment on the United States, presented in two parts, is the 16th in a series of Stratfor monographs on the geopolitics of countries influential in world affairs. We have already discussed in the first part of this analysis how the American geography dooms whoever controls the territory to being a global power, but there are a number of other outcomes that shape what that power will be like. The first and most critical is the impact of that geography on the American mindset. The formative period of the American experience began with the opening of the Ohio River Valley by the National Road. For the next century Americans moved from the coastal states inland, finding more and better lands linked together with more and better rivers. Rains were reliable. Soil quality was reliable. Rivers were reliable. Success and wealth were assured. The trickle of settlers became a flood, and yet there was still more than enough well-watered, naturally connected lands for all. And this happened in isolation. With the notable exception of the War of 1812, the United States did not face any significant foreign incursions in the 19th century. It contained the threat from both Canada and Mexico with a minimum of disruption to American life and in so doing ended the risk of local military conflicts with other countries. North America was viewed as a remarkably safe place. Even the American [....]
http://stratfor.com/analysis/geopolitics-united-states-part-2-american-identity-and-threats-tomorrow
The 11 Brands With the Most Loyal Customers
by 24/7 Wall St.
February 28, 2012
When it comes to shopping, there are products we'll buy based on price, and there are products we won't. That generic ketchup may be on sale for 30% less, but you're still probably going to put the bottle of Heinz in your cart. It's called brand loyalty, and it's something every company that sells anything is striving to induce in its potential customers. Last week, research consultancy Brand Keys revealed which American companies do it best.
The 2012 Brand Keys report examines the customer loyalty and brand satisfaction of nearly 600 brands in 83 major product categories. Consumers surveyed were asked to rank the brands based on quality, level of enjoyment, ease of use, respectability, and other category-specific factors. Brand Keys gave [....]
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/02/28/the-11-brands-with-the-most-loyal-customers/
How The Khan Academy Works
[Website Content]
A free world-class education for anyone anywhere.The Khan Academy is an organization on a mission. We're a not-for-profit with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education to anyone anywhere.
All of the site's resources are available to anyone. It doesn't matter if you are a student, teacher, home-schooler, principal, adult returning to the classroom after 20 years, or a friendly alien just trying to get a leg up in earthly biology. The Khan Academy's materials and resources are available to you completely free of charge.
How it works for students
Students can make use of our extensive video library, practice exercises, and assessments from any computer with access to the web.
Complete custom self-paced learning tool
A dynamic system for getting help
A custom profile, points, and badges to measure progress
Coaches, parents, and teachers
Coaches, parents, and teachers have unprecedented visibility into what their students are learning and doing on the Khan Academy.
Ability to see any student in detail
A real-time class report for all students
Better intelligence for doing targeted interventions
Over 3000 videos
Our library of videos covers K-12 math, science topics such as biology, chemistry, and physics, and even reaches into the humanities with playlists on finance and history. Each video [....]
http://www.khanacademy.org/about
Soon You’ll Be Able to Buy a NASCAR Vehicle—
Or at Least One That Looks Like That
by Steve Goldberg,
time.com
February 29, 2012
In this week’s Daytona 500, the race consisted of 16 Chevy Impalas, 13 Ford Fusions, 11 Toyota Camrys, and 3 Dodge Chargers. But you’d have been hard-pressed to even tell them apart. That’s because ever since 2007, when the safety and competitive parity-inspired Car of Tomorrow, with its homogenous sheet metal, was introduced, brand identity in NASCAR has had as much individuality as fashion choices in Maoist China. Save for sponsor paint schemes and numbers, all of the Sprint Cup cars look identical, and none of them look like their namesake counterparts parked on car dealer lots and in showrooms.
This wasn’t always the case. During the early years of NASCAR, the race cars were modified versions of the production vehicles that everyone drove. Back then, in fact, it wasn’t uncommon for professional drivers to travel to competitions in the same cars that they’d race around the track. (A wreck could mean more than losing — it might necessitate finding another way home.) And the auto industry actively [....]
http://business.time.com/2012/02/29/soon-youll-be-able-to-buy-a-nascar-vehicle-or-at-least-one-that-looks-like-that/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+time%2Fbusiness+%28TIME%3A+Top+Business+Stories%29
Hybrid maker Bright Automotive goes bust
by James O'Toole,
CNNMoney.com
February 29, 2012
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Hybrid vehicle maker Bright Automotive has announced plans to close, blasting the Department of Energy for failing to finalize a loan that the firm says would have kept it afloat.
In a letter dated Tuesday to Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Bright CEO Reuben Munger and COO Mike Donoughe said they were withdrawing their application for a $314 million loan and winding down their operations. The executives claimed they had been strung along for the past few years as the government insisted on increasingly stringent loan requirements.
"The actions -- or better said 'lack of action' -- by your team means hundreds of great manufacturing and technical jobs ... and thousands of indirect jobs in Indiana and Michigan will not see the light of day," the letter said.
The Indiana-based company was founded in 2008 and had developed a prototype for a plug-in hybrid van, but had not yet begun manufacturing. Energy Department spokesman Damien LaVera said [....]http://money.cnn.com/2012/02/29/autos/bright_automotive/index.htm?iid=HP_LN
[Related Content] Chevy Volt, Perfect Car for the One Percent, Suspends Production
by John Ransom,
Townhall.com
March 3, 2012
General Motors reached another Obama milestone when they announced late on a Friday afternoon that they were suspending production of the Obama-inspired Chevy Volt for five weeks due to lack of demand.
Presumably the Volt was an attempt by GM to help Obama with his pledge to put 1 million electric cars on the road in return for the tens of billions of dollars in forgivable “loans” that the company got from the Obama administration from the TARP bailout. The hybrid gas-electric vehicle gets 25 miles on a full, overnight charge and costs around $40,000. To date, GM has sold around 10,000 vehicles. To put it in perspective, the Chevy Corvette has a sticker price of $49,600.
If the Volt’s not in the federal witness protection program, it ought to be.
“Sales also took a hit last fall when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a probe into why two Volts burst into flames days or weeks after severe NHTSA crash testing,” reports USA Today. Leaks from the cooling system were caused by shortages in the electrical system that prompted the fires. But the discovery came only after weeks of bad press for GM. Eventually the car company offered to buy back every single Volt for any consumer who was unhappy.
But lack of sales- and production- hasn’t stopped the government-owned car company from mapping out a marketing strategy that might have been fashioned by the marketing geniuses of the IRS and the United States Postal Service combined: “The Volt’s technology and its recent accolade from Consumer Reports make the Volt a marketing tool for Chevy,” said Alan Batey, vice president for Chevrolet U.S. sales, at the beginning of December according to Bloomberg. “This vehicle is about more than how many we sell,” Batey said. “This vehicle is a magnet around everything we are trying to do to showcase our brand.”
If that’s the case, it looks like a poor [....]
http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/johnransom/2012/03/03/chevy_volt_perfect_car_for_the_one_percent_suspends_production
Iran's Conservatives Grapple for Power
Staff Report,
STRATfor.com
March 1, 2012
Summary
Iran's parliamentary elections are scheduled for March 2. With most of the reformist politicians banned from participating, the elections are shaping up to be a competition between Iran's two dominant conservative camps: the populists, led by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and candidates supporting the clerical establishment, led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Though it is unlikely that even a large win for Ahmadinejad's faction would threaten the nature of the clerical regime in the near term, Ahmadinejad is trying to build a movement that can eventually wrest more control from the clerical elite. This election may indicate whether Ahmadinejad has made progress toward that goal.
Analysis
Iran will hold elections for its parliament, known as the Majlis, on March 2. These will be the first nationwide elections since the disputed 2009 presidential contest that saw the rise and swift fall of the reformist Green Movement. With many reformist leaders under house arrest or imprisoned and with the majority of the reformist parties barred from participating, the upcoming elections will be a political competition fought among Iran's conservatives.
The populist conservatives, led by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have been challenging the clerical elite, led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, since the 2009 election for ultimate control of the state. While the supreme leader's pre-eminent role in the government does not appear to be at risk in the near term -- even if Ahmadinejad's populist faction manages to take the majority of parliamentary seats -- Ahmadinejad hopes to build a movement that can sustain his push for a government less captive to an unelected clerical elite, and the Majlis has become a key battleground for this effort.
Intra-Conservative Rift
Iran's conservatives can be roughly divided into two camps: those who believe the supreme leader [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/irans-conservatives-grapple-power
Sheriff Arpaio’s Cold Case Posse Uncovers “Systematic Effort To Obscure The Truth”
by Doug Book,
westernjournalism.com
March 2, 2012
Since first announcing the formation of a “cold case posse” to investigate the legitimacy of Barack Hussein Obama’s claim to Constitutional occupation of the White House, Sheriff Joe Arpaio has been at once the object of legacy media smears and new media encouragement. And although the information gathered in the 6 month effort will probably not change the minds of many dedicated Obamabots, it has provided stark and irrefutable evidence that “person or persons unknown” worked long and hard in a systematic effort to obscure the truth about Barack Obama’s birth, heritage, and qualifications to serve as President of the United States.
Consisting of law enforcement officials and attorneys with law enforcement experience, Joe Arpaio’s Posse has turned up the following information: [....]
http://www.westernjournalism.com/sheriff-arpaios-cold-case-posse-uncovers-systematic-effort-to-obscure-the-truth/
Congressional staff bonuses plummet in 2011
Staff Report,
LegiStorm.com
March 1, 2012
Traditional fourth-quarter staff bonuses plummeted in the House of Representatives as budget cuts have taken their toll. The average congressional aide earned a 3.6% salary increase in the fourth quarter of 2011, an almost two-thirds drop from last year's rate and nearly half the previous low since LegiStorm started tracking salaries in 2000. LegiStorm added the House's 2011 fourth quarter salaries to our site today following yesterday's release by the House of Representatives. The new data allowed us to take our first look at the bonus habits of the 112th Congress. Many Republican members of Congress were swept to power on promises to cut spending, and the House imposed cuts to the amount that members could spend. Overall spending and bonuses were both down compared to previous years. In some cases, the bonuses were more than modest. Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) more than doubled his staff's average salary in the fourth quarter last year. The average aide in Moran's office made $26,750 in the fourth quarter, compared to an average quarterly salary of $12,160 in the first three quarters of the year, a jump of 120%.
Oklahoma representatives took the next two spots in the list of members handing out the greatest year-end pay increases. Both Rep. James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Rep. Dan Boren (D-Okla.) increased their average staff salary more than 65% for the final quarter. However, the average House aide made [....]
http://www.legistorm.com/blog/congressional-staff-bonuses-plummet-in-2011.html
How Can Chrysler Help Detroit?
Staff Report,
askHeritage.org
March 2, 2012
Did you know that there are no Volkswagen manufacturing plants in the Detroit area? Or Mercedes-Benz? Or Kia? Or Hyundai? Or BMW, for that matter? The Motor City has a well-earned reputation for having the greatest auto workers in the nation, yet honorable Michiganders largely build cars for only three companies. Apart from having their cars assembled in Michigan, it turns out that those three companies have something else in common: the United Auto Workers union (UAW). It also turns out that every other car manufacturer has something in common, too: not wanting the UAW to do to them what it did to the Big Three.
Today, President Obama will address the UAW, and he should receive a rousing welcome. After all, his terms of the auto bailout richly rewarded his union allies at the expense of non-union employees and private investors, giving them, among other prizes, a very large stake of ownership in Chrysler. And together, they stand adamantly opposed to “right-to-work” laws that would empower the nation’s unemployed to find economic security with a non-union job. Right-to-work legislation protects employees from being fired for not paying union dues. Without that protection, workers are forced to support a union financially even if they’d rather spend their hard earned dollars at home, if the union contract harms them, or if they’re opposed to the union’s agenda. And if they don’t, they lose their jobs. Obviously, when given the freedom of choice, many workers choose not to unionize. Twenty-three states have [....]
http://www.askheritage.org/how-can-chrysler-help-detroit/?utm_source=AH_Weekly&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=2012-03-02&utm_campaign=2012_Brand
Is Obama’s Regime In Panic?
by Doug Book,
westernjournalism.com
March 1, 2012
Although Nancy Pelosi responded with a glib “Are you serious?” to a reporter’s question about the Constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act shortly after the measure’s passage, her leftist comrades in the Department of Justice are not being dismissive of the issue any more. In August, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unconstitutional the “minimum coverage provision” or individual mandate which requires everyone purchase Obama-approved health insurance and penalizes those who do not. Judges Frank Hull and Joel Dubina of the 11th Circuit ruled that such an arrangement exceeds the power of Congress to regulate “commerce among the several states,” in this particular instance, commerce being the sale and purchase of insurance.
Obama’s legal brain trust had perhaps hoped the powers of Congress under the Constitution’s Commerce Clause would be enough to safely see ObamaCare through a flock of waiting appeals and into full operation. But Judges Hull and Dubina ended that bit of wishful thinking, writing a brilliant, decisive and thorough rebuke of the individual mandate in their 300 page opinion. And as their ruling conflicted with that of the 6th Circuit Court, a grant of certiorari by the Supreme Court to review the case was guaranteed.
The facts summoned up by Hull and Dubina will naturally have no effect on the 4 members of the Supreme Court Marxist left, but must carry great weight with thinking Court Justices. And it for this reason that [....]
http://www.westernjournalism.com/is-obamas-regime-in-panic/
Why the Electric Car Is Doomed to Fail
by Stacy Curtin,
Daily Ticker
March 2, 2012Auto sales for the month of February rocked.
Despite rising gasoline prices, consumers bought more cars last month than in any month since 2008. Estimates for total 2012 car sales rose from 14.1 million in January to 15 million in February. Chrysler's sales were up 40% for the month, while Ford (F) reported a 14% increase and GM (GM) a 1.1% increase, which is comparably small, but better-than-expected. The rise in sales comes as drivers are buying more fuel-efficient vehicles. Sales of the Ford Focus more than doubled month-over-month and truck sales for GM, Ford and Chrysler jumped more than 20% as consumers traded up for more models with better gas mileage.
With gasoline prices on the rise, it is no surprise [....]
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/why-electric-car-doomed-fail-150050289.html
Watch Out! 10 Interview Questions Designed to Trick You
by Jenna Goudreau,
Forbes.com
Secrets to Your Success
February 27, 2012
For the long-term unemployed or those workers looking for a change, getting an interview in today's market may feel like a win in itself. But once you're in the door, interviewers often put you through an obstacle course of deceptive questions with double meanings or hidden agendas. Do you know how to read the subtext?
"On the other side of the desk, hiring managers spend countless long hours interviewing candidate after candidate," says Joyce Lain Kennedy, a nationally syndicated careers columnist and author of Job Interviews For Dummies. "A tricky question may be used as a time management tool to quickly eliminate a less qualified candidate." Kennedy says that even if job hunters have rehearsed anticipated topics, an unexpected question may jar loose an authentic answer that exposes hidden problems. She outlines the top [....]
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/secrets-toyour-success/watch-10-interview-questions-designed-trick-194733833.html
Somalia: AMISOM, Government Troops Seize Al Shabaab Base
Staff Report,
STRATfor.com
March 2, 2012
African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali government troops seized control of al Shabaab's Masiah base in northern Mogadishu on March 2, Reuters reported. The capture gave AMISOM and Somalia's Transitional Federal Government control over the main road linking Mogadishu to central Somalia. The operation extended the city's defenses and will deny al Shabaab important ground from which the Islamist militant group has been attacking the population, according to statement by AMISOM Force Commander Maj. Gen. Fred Mugisha. [~~]
http://www.stratfor.com/situation-report/somalia-amisom-government-troops-seize-al-shabaab-base
Mexico Security Memo: Degrading Security in Puerto Vallarta
Staff Report,
STRATfor.com
February 29, 2012
Puerto Vallarta Robbery
Twenty-two tourists were robbed at gunpoint Feb. 23 in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco state, while returning to their cruise ship from a nature preserve as part of planned activities for their Carnival cruise. Masked gunmen stopped their bus and forced the passengers to hand over cash, cameras, watches and other valuables. Though no one was injured in the incident, the robbery demonstrates the degradation of security as a result of the ongoing drug wars in Mexico.
Targeting a group this large is unusual for the area for a number of reasons. Transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), commonly referred to as cartels, typically do not target tourists in Mexico's popular resort areas in order to avoid attracting unwanted attention. Local organized criminal groups try to avoid attacking tourists, and the citizens of resort areas try to prevent attacks on tourists, since all residents benefit from the revenue tourists bring to the area through the purchase of goods and through tour packages.
Local organized crime and TCOs may avoid targeting tourists, but the insecurity resulting from the drug wars helps individual criminals and small cells of criminals thrive. This robbery is likely the act of an isolated group of criminals. Since several competing criminal groups, such as Los Zetas and the Sinaloa Federation, are engaged in drug trade-related violence throughout Jalisco state, fewer law enforcement resources are available to deal with individual criminal actors.
CJNG Leader Arrested
Mexican authorities announced Feb. 23 the arrest of Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) plaza boss Adolfo Solis Bejarano in Veracruz, Veracruz state. Mexican marines reportedly [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/mexico-security-memo-degrading-security-puerto-vallarta
Until Next Sunday....
Sunday, February 5, 2012
The Sunday 'Report;' 02/05/2012
What The National Pamphleteers Don't Report:
[STRATFOR] Annual Forecast 2012
Staff Report,
STRATFOR.com
January 20, 2012
There are periods when the international system undergoes radical shifts in a short time. The last such period was 1989-1991. During that time, the Soviet empire collapsed. The Japanese economic miracle ended. The Maastricht Treaty creating contemporary Europe was signed. Tiananmen Square defined China as a market economy dominated by an unchallenged Communist Party, and so on. Fundamental components of the international system shifted radically, changing the rules for the next 20 years.
We are in a similar cycle, one that began in 2008 and is still playing out. In this period, the European Union has stopped functioning as it did five years ago and has yet to see its new form defined. China has moved into a difficult social and economic phase, with the global recession severely affecting its export-oriented economy and its products increasingly uncompetitive due to inflation. The U.S. withdrawal from Iraq has created opportunities for an Iranian assertion of power that could change the balance of power in the region. The simultaneous shifts in Europe, China and the Middle East open the door to a new international framework replacing the one created in 1989-1991.
Our forecast for 2012 is framed by the idea that we are in the midst of what we might call a generational shift in the way the world works. The processes are still under way, and we will therefore have to consider the future of Europe, China and the Middle East in some detail before drawing a conclusion. The 2012 forecast is unique in that it is not a forecast for one year in a succession of years, all basically framed by the same realities. Rather, it is a year in which the individual forecasts point to a new generational reality and a redefinition of how the world works. 2012 may not be [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/forecast/annual-forecast-2012?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120125&utm_term=engage&utm_content=link6&elq=2950de95f05044989f7971ae1b599454
3 Ways Facebook Plans to Exploit Users
By Jeff Macke
Breakout
February 2, 2012
In a move hitting the front page of nearly every newspaper in the world, social networking giant Facebook took the first steps toward an initial public offering (IPO) yesterday by filing what's called an S-1 form with the Securities and Exchange Commission. But folks desperate to buy shares still have to wait at least another three months until before see the company debut on a stock exchange under ticker symbol (FB). So why all the fuss? Because despite all we think we know about a company that counts a membership equal to more than 10% of the earth's population, Facebook's filing was the first chance for outsiders to see the different ways FB profits from users. A careful read of the S-1 reveals Facebook's plans to make even more money from members using the free service to connect with old friends. Earlier today my co-host Matt Nesto and I discussed 3 ways Facebook plans to exploit you the user, in order to justify their plans to increase revenues, profit, and valuation. The list may disturb you.
1. Facebook is going to "sell" users for $120 each
According to their filing, Facebook had 850 million Monthly Active Users (MAU) at the end of 2011. From that user base the company generated roughly [....]
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/breakout/3-ways-facebook-ipo-exploit-users-172215377.html
Big tax mines that could blow up your return
Missing these tax changes could bring some IRS attention, hefty fines
By Andrea Coombes,
MarketWatch.com
January 25, 2012
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Most people don’t have tax returns as complex as Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich or Barack Obama, but even if you aren’t reporting a Cayman Island account or many millions in S-corp. profits or book sales, there are brand-new pitfalls to watch for as you go to do your 2011 return.
Congress’s relative gridlock last year means there aren’t a slew of complex tax changes to deal with when you file this year — but there are some doozies that may trip up taxpayers.
For instance, thanks to a law passed in 2008, investors now face new rules and a new form for reporting cost basis for stocks sold in 2011. And now that brokers are reporting your cost basis to the IRS, too, it’s all the more crucial that you get it right. Also, taxpayers with financial assets overseas need to make sure they’re on the right side of new rules, and a new form, for reporting those assets. The penalty for failing to file the new Form 8938 starts at a flat $10,000 and rises [....]
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/big-tax-mines-that-could-blow-up-your-return-2012-01-25?siteid=nwhpf
Considering a U.S.-Iranian Deal
by George Friedman
STRATFOR.com
January 24, 2012
Last week, I wrote on the strategic challenge Iran faces in its bid to shape a sphere of influence stretching from western Afghanistan to Beirut on the eastern Mediterranean coast. I also pointed out the limited options available to the United States and other Western powers to counter Iran. One was increased efforts to block Iranian influence in Syria. The other was to consider a strategy of negotiation with Iran. In the past few days, we have seen hints of both.
Rebel Gains in Syria
The city of Zabadani in southwestern Syria reportedly has fallen into the hands of anti-regime forces. Though the city does not have much tactical value for the rebels, and the regime could well retake it, the event could have real significance. Up to this point, apart from media attention, the resistance to the regime of President Bashar al Assad has not proven particularly effective. It was certainly not able to take and hold territory, which is critical for any insurgency to have significance. Now that the rebels have taken [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/considering-us-iranian-deal?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120124&utm_term=gweekly&utm_content=readmore&elq=33869ed162fa4e9c8c3fda5fc1e61e23
Eric Holder's False Testimony Warrants Impeachment
by Editorial Staff,
Investors Business Daily
January 30, 2012
Scandal: For incompetence alone, Attorney General Eric Holder should resign in the wake of the illegal "Fast and Furious" gunrunning scandal. But fresh news that he knew of it and is covering it up warrants impeachment.
In the latest Friday night document dump — news released as to minimize its scandalous impact on the White House — congressional investigators learned that Attorney General Holder knew all along that a gun his Justice Department intentionally let fall into the hands of Mexico's cartels was used to murder U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry on Dec. 15, 2010.
Holder must have known right away because his Deputy Chief of Staff Monty Wilkinson received an email from then-Arizona U.S. Attorney General Dennis Burke telling him just that: "The guns found in the desert near the murder(ed) BP officer connect back to the investigation we were going to talk about — they were AK-47s purchased at a Phoenix gun store." According to the Daily Caller, the emails also showed that Wilkinson then "alerted" Holder about the killing of the U.S. agent. Since then, Wilkinson has taken the Fifth in congressional testimony and told investigators, "I don't recall," while the Justice Department on Monday [....]
http://news.investors.com/Article.aspx?id=599462&p=1&ibdbot=1
How Romney Would Rank Among The Richest U.S. Presidents
by William P. Barrett,
Forbes Staff,
forbes.com
January 24, 2012
There’s no question Obama is part of the 1%. His income is way above $350,000, which is generally considered the cut-off.
Mitt Romney
Today’s release of Mitt Romney’ tax return information for 2010 and 2011 makes clear that if he becomes President of the United States, he would be among the richest individuals to hold that office. But not the richest.
Romney reported adjusted gross income for 2010 of nearly $22 million. Of that, $8 million was interest and dividends. In this current economic environment of low interest rates and minimal dividends, an $8 million haul alone implies assets in the range of $200 million to $250 million. That’s in line with previous estimates and his own candidate’s financial disclosure statement, which lists broad ranges.
George Washington
For our money, George Washington wins hands down. In the largely tax-free environment that characterized colonial America, the Father of His Country was considered one of its richest residents, a product of his shrewd business sense, a marriage to a wealthy widow and several inheritances. He benefited from an older brother’s marriage into a powerful family, while early work as a surveyor helped give him a keen understanding of land. His Mount Vernon plantation grew to 6,500 acres, and he had other acreage in Virginia and what became West Virginia. Washington ran farms, started businesses and owned lots of slaves. Indeed, in their 1996 book, The Wealthy 100: From Benjamin Franklin to Bill Gates–A Ranking of the Richest Americans, Past and Present, Michael Klepper and Robert Gunther ranked Washington 59th, ahead of later-day moguls like J. Paul Getty, Microsoft cofounder Paul G. Allen and Ronald Perelman. The authors’ ranking methodology used estimated net worth as a percent of the gross national product at the time. Romney’s millions don’t even earn [....]
http://www.forbes.com/sites/williampbarrett/2012/01/24/how-romney-would-rank-among-the-richest-u-s-presidents/
[Related Content:] The Net Worth Of The American Presidents: Washington To Obama Infographic: Is Higher Education the Next Big Bubble?
Staff Report,
247wallst.com[Originally Published:] May 17, 2010
George Washington,the nation’s first President, was also one of the wealthiest men to hold the office. His Virginia plantation, “Mount Vernon,” consisted of five separate farms on 8,000 acres of prime farmland. Washington made significantly more than subsequent presidents: his salary was two percent of the total U.S. budget in 1789.
Our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, was not one of America’s wealthiest - any opportunity to make money after his term of office was cut short. He was born in a log cabin and served as an attorney for 17 years before his presidency. He owned a single-family home in Springfield, Illinois.
Editor’s Note: This article was first published on May 17, 2010. The net worth of any of the Presidents on this list who are no longer living cannot change, except as measured by inflation. The fortune of the presidents who remain living have changed somewhat, but it would be nearly impossible to measure the full effect of that over the last nine months. The value of Bill Clinton’s real estate may have risen. Jimmy Carter’s publishing royalties may have improved. None of these events is likely to have a substantial effect on the rankings.
The Net Worth of America’s Presidents is a study that can be updated from time-time-time, but the figures relative to the passage of a few years will almost certainly never be more than modest. 24/7 Wall St. has examined the finances of all forty-three presidents. This article provides net worth figures for each in 2010 dollars. Because a number of presidents, particularly in the early 19th Century, made and lost huge fortunes in a matter of a few years, the number for each man is based on his net worth at its peak. In the case of each president we have taken into account hard assets like land, estimated lifetime savings based on work history, inheritance, homes, and money paid for services, which include things as diverse as their salary as Collector of Customs at the Port of New York to membership on Fortune 500 boards. Royalties on books have also been taken into account, along with ownership of companies and yields from family estates.
The net worth of the presidents varies widely. George Washington was worth over half a billion in today’s dollars. Several presidents went bankrupt. The fortunes of American presidents are tied to the economy in the eras in which they lived. For the first 75 years after Washington’s election, presidents generally made money on land, crops, and commodity speculation. A president who owned hundreds or thousands of acres could lose most or all of his property after a few years of poor crop yields. Wealthy Americans occasionally lost all of their money through land speculation—leveraging the value of one piece of land to buy additional property. Since there was no reliable national banking system and almost no liquidity in the value of private companies, land was the asset likely to provide the greatest yield, if the property yielded enough to support the costs of operating the farm or plantation.
Because there was no central banking system and no commodities regulatory framework, markets were subject to panics.
The panic of 1819 was caused by the deep indebtedness of the federal government and a rapid drop in the price of cotton. The immature banking system was forced to foreclose on many farms. The value of the properties foreclosed upon was often low because land without a landowner meant land without a crop yield. The panic of 1837 caused a depression that lasted six years. It was triggered by a weak wheat crop, a drop in cotton prices, and a leverage bubble in the value of land created by speculation. These factors caused the US economy to go through a multi-year period of deflation. The sharp fluctuations in the fortunes of the first 14 presidents were a result of the economic times.
Beginning with Millard Fillmore in 1850, the financial history of the presidency entered a new era. Most presidents were lawyers who [....]
http://247wallst.com/2010/05/17/the-net-worth-of-the-american-presidents-washington-to-obama/
Infographic: Is Higher Education the Next Big Bubble? Part One
by EW News Desk Team
economywatch.com
January 26. 2012
Getting into a good university is not an easy feat. Securing a job upon graduation, in the current economic climate, is not easy too. However, the biggest challenge for most university graduates is paying off their education loan. It may sound preposterous that some have called higher education the next big bubble. Hardly surprising: The sum of student debt stands higher than credit card debt across the United States.
In 2011, Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, venture capitalist and part of Facebook board of directors, warned that higher education was a bubble waiting to burst. According to Thiel, the imminent higher education bubble bears striking similarities with the precedent technology and housing bubbles. Comparing universities to commercial markets, higher education is a major investment with poor payouts (job crisis) and market failure, leading some to question how much they have overvalued higher education in America. The higher education bubble may [....]
http://www.economywatch.com/in-the-news/infographic-is-higher-education-the-next-big-bubble.26-01.html
[Related Content:] Infographic: Is Higher Education the Next Big Bubble? Part Two
by: EW News Desk Team
economywatch.com
January 27, 2012
Almost two-thirds of all undergraduates in America take out education loans, and the total size of student debt is expected to cross the $1 trillion mark this year. With the weak job market out there, how are students expected to pay off their loans? Is the next big bubble really about to burst?
Yesterday, we compared the similarities between the imminent higher education bubble and the 2005 housing bubble in the United States. The similarities cannot be denied, and the biggest difference between the two bubbles is that the higher education bubble is growing at a much faster pace.
Today, students in America graduate with an average debt of $24,000. According to some statistics, 10.8 percent of students from public schools default [....]
http://www.economywatch.com/in-the-news/infographic-is-higher-education-the-next-big-bubble-part-two.27-01.html
Mali Besieged by Fighters Fleeing Libya
by Scott Stewart
STRATFOR.com
February 2, 2012
Mali has experienced perhaps the most significant external repercussions from the downfall of the regime of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. Stratfor has discussed the impact of the conflict in Libya on the wider region since international intervention began in March 2011. Instability in Libya due to that country's deep internal fault lines meant that re-establishing a government would prove difficult. As we pointed out, that instability could spread to neighboring countries as weapons and combatants flow outward from Libya.
Reports now indicate that thousands of armed Tuareg tribesmen who previously served in Gadhafi's military have returned home to Mali. The influx of this large number of well-armed and well-trained fighters, led by a former Libyan army colonel, has re-energized the long-simmering Tuareg insurgency against the Malian government. These Tuareg insurgents have formed a new group, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA). In mid-January, they began a military campaign to free three northern regions of Mali from Bamako's control. The government of Mali has claimed [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/mali-besieged-fighters-fleeing-libya?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120202&utm_term=sweekly&utm_content=readmore&elq=df556daa8f64406988ab4c39e6cc562a
Media Act As Though Only Republicans Misbehave
by Editorial Staff,
Investors Business Daily
January 30, 2012
Journalism: What's the difference between Republican and Democratic political operatives who end up on the wrong side of the law? In the "unbiased" press, only the Republicans' party ID and connections merit attention.
In a blog post on Publius' Forum this week, Warner Todd Huston noted the glaring difference in how the media treated the recent arrests of Zachary Edwards and Tim Russell. Edwards, an Iowa Democrat, was charged last week with trying to commit identity theft against Matt Schultz, Iowa's Republican secretary of state, in order to pin unethical or illegal activity on him. Russell, a Wisconsin Republican, was accused of stealing money intended for relatives of veterans killed in action.
Both are terrible deeds, to be sure. But as Huston notes, only Russell's party affiliation and connections got played up by news reports. Russell, you see, was an aide to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, much-hated by liberals. The New York Times made this connection clear in its headline, as did Reuters and just about every other story about the arrest. But when it came to the Edwards arrest in Iowa, press accounts went out of their way to avoid even mentioning that he was a Democrat. The AP dispatch, for example, [....]
http://news.investors.com/Article/599441/201201301844/media-bias-exposed-in-recent-scandal-coverage-WEBHED-Media-Act-As-Though-Only-Republicans-Misbehave.htm
Meet Sheryl Sandberg: Facebook's Highest-Paid Employee
by Claudine Zap
Work and Money,
shine.yahoo.com
February 2, 2012
Mark Zuckerberg may be the face of Facebook. But Sheryl Sandberg can take much of the credit for the company's success. As chief operating officer -- and the self-described "grownup" in the room -- she was also the highest-paid employee at the social networking site. Her salary and stock awards last year: a cool $30.87 million, putting her on pace to be one of the wealthiest self-made women in the world once the company goes public.
Sandberg, who's second in command at Facebook, is often not just the grownup in the room, but also the only woman, which she finds mind-boggling. As she told an audience at TED in Washington, D.C., "One hundred and ninety heads of state; nine are women. Of all the people in parliament in the world, 13% are women. In the corporate sector, women at the top, C-level jobs, board seats, tops out at 15-16%. The numbers have not moved since 2002 and are going in the wrong direction." Sandberg, however, is moving in a trajectory that [....]
http://shine.yahoo.com/work-money/meet-sheryl-sandberg-facebooks-highest-paid-employee-203400199.html
Polarization and Sustained Violence in Mexico's Cartel War
Staff Report,
STRATFOR.com
January 24, 2012
Editor's Note: In this annual report on Mexico's drug cartels, we assess the most significant developments of 2011 and provide updated profiles of the country's powerful criminal cartels as well as a forecast for 2012. The report is a product of the coverage we maintain through our Mexico Security Memo, quarterly updates and other analyses we produce throughout the year.
As we noted in last year's annual cartel report, Mexico in 2010 bore witness to some 15,273 deaths in connection with the drug trade. The death toll for 2010 surpassed that of any previous year, and in doing so became the deadliest year ever in the country's fight against the cartels. But in the bloody chronology that is Mexico's cartel war, 2010's time at the top may have been short-lived. Despite the Mexican government's efforts to curb cartel-related violence, the death toll for 2011 may have exceeded what had been an unprecedented number. According to the Mexican government, [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/polarization-and-sustained-violence-mexicos-cartel-war?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120125&utm_term=engage&utm_content=link4&elq=2950de95f05044989f7971ae1b599454
[NY] State Assembly considering raising minimum wage
by Andrew Poole
The [Hornell, N.Y.] Evening Tribune
January 31, 2012
Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C,I- Corning) hasn’t seen a copy of a proposed bill that would increase New York’s minimum wage, but he already has concerns about such an action. Citing census data stating that almost half of United States citizens have fallen into poverty, Assembly Democrats announced Monday their intention to present legislation that would raise New York’s hourly minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.50, according to Associated Press reports. The increase would also be tied to the rate of inflation, meaning in future years as inflation rises the minimum wage would also increase accordingly. Palmesano said state minimum wage is tied to the federal wage, and that it would be better continue the same system and allow the market to determine what businesses pay. The state needs to be careful about increasing minimum wage because it could further hinder growth in a time when businesses are struggling financially due to the economy, added the assemblyman.
“Based on what I’m hearing, I’d have concerns supporting the legislation as is,” he said.
Businesses are already paying steep unemployment rate costs, said Palmesano. If minimum wage rises, other costs, including worker’s compensation, would increase. The assemblyman was concerned [....]
http://www.eveningtribune.com/news/x132488470/State-Assembly-considering-raising-minimum-wage?utm=c
The Best-Selling Cars of All Time
Staff Report,
247wallst.com
January 26, 2012 The most successful car in history may be the Ford Model T. While other models may have sold more vehicles, Ford managed to sell nearly 17 million cars from 1908 to 1927 — a period when car ownership was rare compared to today. The Model T was so successful that nearly every other best-selling car adopted its formula. The Model T was inexpensive to buy, inexpensive to operate, reliable and built by a large company that had hundreds of dealerships and trained mechanics. The other vehicles on this list, from the VW Passat to the Toyota Corolla, share all of these characteristics. The best-selling cars through history have appealed to a broad buyer base because they are within the reach of the masses. The best-selling vehicles have several other notable features in common. For one, the majority were introduced just before or around the same time that gas prices began to rise rapidly in the early 1970s, primarily because of [....]
http://247wallst.com/2012/01/26/the-best-selling-cars-of-all-time/
The Invention of the Internet
[videos, speeches, photo galleries]
history.com
date unknown
Unlike technologies such as the light bulb or the telephone, the Internet has no single “inventor.” Instead, it has evolved over time. The Internet got its start in the United States more than 50 years ago as a government weapon in the Cold War. For years, scientists and researchers used it to communicate and share data with one another. Today, we use the Internet for almost everything, and for many people it would be impossible to imagine life without it.
http://www.history.com/topics/invention-of-the-internet
Thousands of federal workers owe back taxes
by Ken Thomas,
Associated Press
finance.yahoo.com
January 27, 2012
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has preached that all Americans should pay their fair share in taxes, but a government report finds that tens of thousands of federal employees — from staffers in Congress to federal agencies and even Obama's executive office — collectively owe the government billions in back taxes. Data from the Internal Revenue Service found that more than 279,000 federal employees and retirees owed $3.4 billion in back income taxes as of Sept. 30, 2010. The data showed that 467 employees of the House of Representatives, or about 4.2 percent of the workforce, owed more than $8.5 million. In the Senate, 217 employees, or about 3 percent of the workforce, owed $2.13 million. Obama's staff was not immune, either, with 36 people in Obama's executive office of nearly 1,800 workers — about 2 percent — owing the government $833,970 in back taxes.
Obama used part of his State of the Union address Tuesday night to promote economic fairness, arguing for changes in the tax code that would create a minimum tax rate of at least 30 percent on anyone making more than $1 million. The finances of one of his chief Republican rivals, Mitt Romney, has been scrutinized because he, like many millionaires, pays a lower rate because most of his income came from investments, which are taxed at a lower rate. The IRS report attracted the attention of Republicans, who said it undercut the president's argument on taxes. "If Obama wants people to pay their 'fair share,' perhaps he should start with his own staff," [....]
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/thousands-federal-workers-owe-back-taxes-231332510.html
Venezuela Prepares as Chavez's Health Deteriorates
Staff Report,
STRATFOR.com
January 25, 2012
According to a report published by Spanish newspaper ABC on Monday and Tuesday, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez may only have 9-12 months to live as a result of his decision to prioritize presidential duties over personal health. Chavez's prostate cancer was reportedly discovered in January of 2011, at which point his prognosis was five years. Since that initial diagnosis, Chavez has repeatedly postponed treatments or skipped them altogether in the interests of concealing his illness and protecting his political position. The leaked report, which ABC says was given to the paper by "intelligence services" (much like a November leak to The Wall Street Journal), is dated Jan. 12 and reviews a medical examination Chavez underwent Dec. 30. According to the report, the South American president needs to undergo a painful, debilitating treatment that, while preventing him from working for more than a month, could extend his lifespan. If he defers the treatment, he will likely to die within the year. According to ABC, when presented with a similar conundrum in November, Chavez chose to stay in Caracas rather than travel to Russia for treatment -- out of fear that the political situation in Venezuela was not secure. We have no way to be completely certain that the report accurately represents Chavez's medical condition, but the tenor of the report matches a series of accounts given to Stratfor and other open sources.
Competition within the Chavista inner circle dominated 2011, as each of Chavez's closest associates sought to take best advantage of the turmoil that ensued when Chavez's bout of illness became public in June. The upcoming October elections have added urgency to this struggle. There is no clear successor to Chavez among the Chavista elite. However, Chavez in recent weeks appointed Diosdado Cabello as first vice president of the Venezuelan United Socialist Party and later named him President of the National Assembly. Clearly, a single faction has taken the lead. Cabello represents the pragmatic, militaristic wing of the Chavista elite. However, although powerful, Cabello is not particularly popular, and he is not likely to be a suitable replacement for Chavez in October.
The most believable political alternative to Chavez may actually come from the Venezuelan opposition. After years of disunity and infighting, the opposition is presenting its most credible challenge to Chavez since he came to office in 1999. Miranda Governor Henrique Capriles Radonski appears most likely to secure the backing of the opposition parties in the Feb. 12 primaries. Capriles has positioned himself as a man of the people, claiming he is the natural heir to Chavismo, but with a pro-business twist. The most important thing [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/geopolitical-diary/venezuela-prepares-chavezs-health-deteriorates?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120125&utm_term=engage&utm_content=link8&elq=2950de95f05044989f7971ae1b599454
Update on Global Food Commodities
Staff Report,
STRATFOR.com
January 19, 2012
Summary
Corn, soybeans, rice and wheat are the most important food staples consumed in the world. We monitor these commodities because market fluctuations can lead to domestic unrest in import-reliant countries. Below is an assessment of these vital commodities.
Analysis
Most countries have domestic agricultural industries. However, the majority of these countries do not produce more than what their populations can consume. Only a handful of countries are able to export significant quantities of key food staples to countries that cannot meet their consumption needs or experience temporary setbacks in their agricultural sectors.
Output from exporting countries is an important geopolitical issue. Increased demand for global food supplies can cause localized shortages and price spikes. Food shortages and price increases, in turn, can lead to political turmoil and social unrest in countries whose populations depend on these imports for survival. The most important staple crops consumed by populations around the world are corn, rice and wheat. Soybeans have also become an important alternative source of protein, particularly in Asian diets. Corn and soybean exports are largely dominated by states in the Western Hemisphere, while global wheat supplies are primarily grown by states in the Northern Hemisphere. Asian states account for the majority of all globally traded rice, but China, the world's largest producer of rice, consumes almost all of the rice it produces. The following breaks down the current status of each of the four major staple crops. Production forecasts are drawn primarily [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/update-global-food-commodities?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120125&utm_term=engage&utm_content=link2&elq=2950de95f05044989f7971ae1b599454
CFPB Wields New Powers with Director
by Diane Katz,
Research Report
heritage.org
January 30, 2012
Within hours of Richard Cordray assuming the role of director[1] at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), agency officials began exercising their newly expanded powers. Their immediate target is all manner of “nonbank”[2] financial services used by millions of households. While proponents contend that the new regulations will benefit consumers, the structure of the bureau—its unparalleled power magnified by an absence of accountability—bodes ill for most Americans.
New Director Prompts New Powers
The CFPB became operational on July 21, 2011, but was limited by statute to enforcing existing rules over banks and credit unions (with more than $10 billion in assets) until a director was nominated and confirmed. With Cordray in place on January 4, the bureau immediately launched its supervision of “nonbank” mortgage originators, brokers, and servicers, as well as payday lenders and private education loans, as permitted by statute following confirmation of a director. The bureau is also now authorized to supervise “larger participants” in other nonbank services. The CFPB has identified six such services for regulation, including debt collection; consumer reporting; prepaid cards; debt relief services; consumer credit; and money transmitting, check cashing, and related activities. The designation of “larger participants” must be finalized by July 21, 2012. Reflecting the overly broad nature of its powers, the agency may also supervise any nonbank that it deems as posing a “risk” to consumers or engaging in “unfair, deceptive, or abusive” practices. While unfair and deceptive have been defined in other regulatory contexts, the addition of the term abusive, which has not previously been defined in law, grants CFPB officials inordinate discretion.
Regulatory Excess Harms Consumers
There are some bad actors in the nonbank sector (as in all endeavors, including government). But at least 40 million adults benefit from alternative financial services, citing convenience, cost, or ease of qualification for doing so.[3] Contrary to conventional wisdom, there is no “void” of conventional banking in neighborhoods where alternative service providers locate, according to a survey by the Urban Institute.[4] To the extent that the bureau’s regulatory crackdown constrains [....]
http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/01/consumer-financial-protection-bureau-concerns-with-its-broad-powers
Germany's Role in Europe and the European Debt Crisis
by George Friedman,
STRATFOR.com
January 31, 2012
The German government proposed last week that a European commissioner be appointed to supplant the Greek government. While phrasing the German proposal this way might seem extreme, it is not unreasonable. Under the German proposal, this commissioner would hold power over the Greek national budget and taxation. Since the European Central Bank already controls the Greek currency, the euro, this would effectively transfer control of the Greek government to the European Union, since whoever controls a country's government expenditures, tax rates and monetary policy effectively controls that country. The German proposal therefore would suspend Greek sovereignty and the democratic process as the price of financial aid to Greece.
Though the European Commission rejected the proposal, the concept is far from dead, as it flows directly from the logic of the situation. The Greeks are in the midst of a financial crisis that has made Greece unable to repay money Athens borrowed. Their options are to default on the debt or to negotiate a settlement with their creditors. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and European Union are managing these negotiations. Any settlement will have three parts. The first is an agreement by creditors to forego repayment on part of the debt. The second is financial help from the IMF and the European Union to help pay back the remaining debt. The third is an agreement by the Greek government to curtail government spending and increase taxes so that it can avoid future sovereign debt crises and repay at least part of the debt.
Bankruptcy and the Nation State
The Germans don't trust the Greeks to keep any bargain, which is not unreasonable given that the Greeks haven't been willing to enforce past agreements. Given this lack of trust, Germany [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/germanys-role-europe-and-european-debt-crisis?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120131&utm_term=gweekly&utm_content=readmore&elq=e3a07cc3ff994dae9a31ae9235fcebee
7 Unexpected Uses for Your Microwave
by Hilary Meyer, Associate Food Editor,
EatingWell Magazine
shine.yahoo.com
January 31, 2012
Chances are you have a microwave sitting somewhere in your kitchen. They've gotten smaller over the years, but even the most svelte version takes up precious real estate. It's time to put that baby to work.
1. Cook fish - Cook a steak in the microwave and you'll end up with shoe leather. Fish, on the other hand, can be cooked perfectly in the microwave. Simply wrap your fish in microwave-safe plastic with a little seasoning (salt and pepper and some lemon, perhaps) and [....]
http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/7-unexpected-uses-microwave-164800328.html
Tiny Swiss town builds the world's first solar-powered ski lift
by: Adventure Journal
grindtv.com
February 2, 2012 Even though as the crow flies, the postage-stamp town of Tenna, Switzerland, isn't far from historic resorts like St. Moritz and Davos, Tenna is a one-horse town, one-shop, one-school, and one t-bar town. And that t-bar, the only ski lift in the whole valley, was on its last legs. But rather than let it die, locals raised enough money to update it and then went a step further: They built the world's first solar-powered ski lift. It's more than solar-powered, in fact -- it's a smart investment. The Tenna lift generates 90,000 kilowatt hours a year, or three times the juice needed to run the lift, and the extra power goes back into the grid, which makes money for the town, which can pay residents back. So what happens to the 82 solar "wings" when it dumps? Not a problem, because they rotate to follow the path of the sun in the sky and can be tilted to perpendicular during a storm, so there's no load and the snow slides right off. At $1.5 million, the project [....]
http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/32612/tiny+swiss+town+builds+the+worlds+first+solar-powered+ski+lift/
Until Next Sunday....
[STRATFOR] Annual Forecast 2012
Staff Report,
STRATFOR.com
January 20, 2012
There are periods when the international system undergoes radical shifts in a short time. The last such period was 1989-1991. During that time, the Soviet empire collapsed. The Japanese economic miracle ended. The Maastricht Treaty creating contemporary Europe was signed. Tiananmen Square defined China as a market economy dominated by an unchallenged Communist Party, and so on. Fundamental components of the international system shifted radically, changing the rules for the next 20 years.
We are in a similar cycle, one that began in 2008 and is still playing out. In this period, the European Union has stopped functioning as it did five years ago and has yet to see its new form defined. China has moved into a difficult social and economic phase, with the global recession severely affecting its export-oriented economy and its products increasingly uncompetitive due to inflation. The U.S. withdrawal from Iraq has created opportunities for an Iranian assertion of power that could change the balance of power in the region. The simultaneous shifts in Europe, China and the Middle East open the door to a new international framework replacing the one created in 1989-1991.
Our forecast for 2012 is framed by the idea that we are in the midst of what we might call a generational shift in the way the world works. The processes are still under way, and we will therefore have to consider the future of Europe, China and the Middle East in some detail before drawing a conclusion. The 2012 forecast is unique in that it is not a forecast for one year in a succession of years, all basically framed by the same realities. Rather, it is a year in which the individual forecasts point to a new generational reality and a redefinition of how the world works. 2012 may not be [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/forecast/annual-forecast-2012?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120125&utm_term=engage&utm_content=link6&elq=2950de95f05044989f7971ae1b599454
3 Ways Facebook Plans to Exploit Users
By Jeff Macke
Breakout
February 2, 2012
In a move hitting the front page of nearly every newspaper in the world, social networking giant Facebook took the first steps toward an initial public offering (IPO) yesterday by filing what's called an S-1 form with the Securities and Exchange Commission. But folks desperate to buy shares still have to wait at least another three months until before see the company debut on a stock exchange under ticker symbol (FB). So why all the fuss? Because despite all we think we know about a company that counts a membership equal to more than 10% of the earth's population, Facebook's filing was the first chance for outsiders to see the different ways FB profits from users. A careful read of the S-1 reveals Facebook's plans to make even more money from members using the free service to connect with old friends. Earlier today my co-host Matt Nesto and I discussed 3 ways Facebook plans to exploit you the user, in order to justify their plans to increase revenues, profit, and valuation. The list may disturb you.
1. Facebook is going to "sell" users for $120 each
According to their filing, Facebook had 850 million Monthly Active Users (MAU) at the end of 2011. From that user base the company generated roughly [....]
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/breakout/3-ways-facebook-ipo-exploit-users-172215377.html
Big tax mines that could blow up your return
Missing these tax changes could bring some IRS attention, hefty fines
By Andrea Coombes,
MarketWatch.com
January 25, 2012
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Most people don’t have tax returns as complex as Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich or Barack Obama, but even if you aren’t reporting a Cayman Island account or many millions in S-corp. profits or book sales, there are brand-new pitfalls to watch for as you go to do your 2011 return.
Congress’s relative gridlock last year means there aren’t a slew of complex tax changes to deal with when you file this year — but there are some doozies that may trip up taxpayers.
For instance, thanks to a law passed in 2008, investors now face new rules and a new form for reporting cost basis for stocks sold in 2011. And now that brokers are reporting your cost basis to the IRS, too, it’s all the more crucial that you get it right. Also, taxpayers with financial assets overseas need to make sure they’re on the right side of new rules, and a new form, for reporting those assets. The penalty for failing to file the new Form 8938 starts at a flat $10,000 and rises [....]
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/big-tax-mines-that-could-blow-up-your-return-2012-01-25?siteid=nwhpf
Considering a U.S.-Iranian Deal
by George Friedman
STRATFOR.com
January 24, 2012
Last week, I wrote on the strategic challenge Iran faces in its bid to shape a sphere of influence stretching from western Afghanistan to Beirut on the eastern Mediterranean coast. I also pointed out the limited options available to the United States and other Western powers to counter Iran. One was increased efforts to block Iranian influence in Syria. The other was to consider a strategy of negotiation with Iran. In the past few days, we have seen hints of both.
Rebel Gains in Syria
The city of Zabadani in southwestern Syria reportedly has fallen into the hands of anti-regime forces. Though the city does not have much tactical value for the rebels, and the regime could well retake it, the event could have real significance. Up to this point, apart from media attention, the resistance to the regime of President Bashar al Assad has not proven particularly effective. It was certainly not able to take and hold territory, which is critical for any insurgency to have significance. Now that the rebels have taken [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/considering-us-iranian-deal?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120124&utm_term=gweekly&utm_content=readmore&elq=33869ed162fa4e9c8c3fda5fc1e61e23
Eric Holder's False Testimony Warrants Impeachment
by Editorial Staff,
Investors Business Daily
January 30, 2012
Scandal: For incompetence alone, Attorney General Eric Holder should resign in the wake of the illegal "Fast and Furious" gunrunning scandal. But fresh news that he knew of it and is covering it up warrants impeachment.
In the latest Friday night document dump — news released as to minimize its scandalous impact on the White House — congressional investigators learned that Attorney General Holder knew all along that a gun his Justice Department intentionally let fall into the hands of Mexico's cartels was used to murder U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry on Dec. 15, 2010.
Holder must have known right away because his Deputy Chief of Staff Monty Wilkinson received an email from then-Arizona U.S. Attorney General Dennis Burke telling him just that: "The guns found in the desert near the murder(ed) BP officer connect back to the investigation we were going to talk about — they were AK-47s purchased at a Phoenix gun store." According to the Daily Caller, the emails also showed that Wilkinson then "alerted" Holder about the killing of the U.S. agent. Since then, Wilkinson has taken the Fifth in congressional testimony and told investigators, "I don't recall," while the Justice Department on Monday [....]
http://news.investors.com/Article.aspx?id=599462&p=1&ibdbot=1
How Romney Would Rank Among The Richest U.S. Presidents
by William P. Barrett,
Forbes Staff,
forbes.com
January 24, 2012
There’s no question Obama is part of the 1%. His income is way above $350,000, which is generally considered the cut-off.
Mitt Romney
Today’s release of Mitt Romney’ tax return information for 2010 and 2011 makes clear that if he becomes President of the United States, he would be among the richest individuals to hold that office. But not the richest.
Romney reported adjusted gross income for 2010 of nearly $22 million. Of that, $8 million was interest and dividends. In this current economic environment of low interest rates and minimal dividends, an $8 million haul alone implies assets in the range of $200 million to $250 million. That’s in line with previous estimates and his own candidate’s financial disclosure statement, which lists broad ranges.
George Washington
For our money, George Washington wins hands down. In the largely tax-free environment that characterized colonial America, the Father of His Country was considered one of its richest residents, a product of his shrewd business sense, a marriage to a wealthy widow and several inheritances. He benefited from an older brother’s marriage into a powerful family, while early work as a surveyor helped give him a keen understanding of land. His Mount Vernon plantation grew to 6,500 acres, and he had other acreage in Virginia and what became West Virginia. Washington ran farms, started businesses and owned lots of slaves. Indeed, in their 1996 book, The Wealthy 100: From Benjamin Franklin to Bill Gates–A Ranking of the Richest Americans, Past and Present, Michael Klepper and Robert Gunther ranked Washington 59th, ahead of later-day moguls like J. Paul Getty, Microsoft cofounder Paul G. Allen and Ronald Perelman. The authors’ ranking methodology used estimated net worth as a percent of the gross national product at the time. Romney’s millions don’t even earn [....]
http://www.forbes.com/sites/williampbarrett/2012/01/24/how-romney-would-rank-among-the-richest-u-s-presidents/
[Related Content:] The Net Worth Of The American Presidents: Washington To Obama Infographic: Is Higher Education the Next Big Bubble?
Staff Report,
247wallst.com[Originally Published:] May 17, 2010
George Washington,the nation’s first President, was also one of the wealthiest men to hold the office. His Virginia plantation, “Mount Vernon,” consisted of five separate farms on 8,000 acres of prime farmland. Washington made significantly more than subsequent presidents: his salary was two percent of the total U.S. budget in 1789.
Our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, was not one of America’s wealthiest - any opportunity to make money after his term of office was cut short. He was born in a log cabin and served as an attorney for 17 years before his presidency. He owned a single-family home in Springfield, Illinois.
Editor’s Note: This article was first published on May 17, 2010. The net worth of any of the Presidents on this list who are no longer living cannot change, except as measured by inflation. The fortune of the presidents who remain living have changed somewhat, but it would be nearly impossible to measure the full effect of that over the last nine months. The value of Bill Clinton’s real estate may have risen. Jimmy Carter’s publishing royalties may have improved. None of these events is likely to have a substantial effect on the rankings.
The Net Worth of America’s Presidents is a study that can be updated from time-time-time, but the figures relative to the passage of a few years will almost certainly never be more than modest. 24/7 Wall St. has examined the finances of all forty-three presidents. This article provides net worth figures for each in 2010 dollars. Because a number of presidents, particularly in the early 19th Century, made and lost huge fortunes in a matter of a few years, the number for each man is based on his net worth at its peak. In the case of each president we have taken into account hard assets like land, estimated lifetime savings based on work history, inheritance, homes, and money paid for services, which include things as diverse as their salary as Collector of Customs at the Port of New York to membership on Fortune 500 boards. Royalties on books have also been taken into account, along with ownership of companies and yields from family estates.
The net worth of the presidents varies widely. George Washington was worth over half a billion in today’s dollars. Several presidents went bankrupt. The fortunes of American presidents are tied to the economy in the eras in which they lived. For the first 75 years after Washington’s election, presidents generally made money on land, crops, and commodity speculation. A president who owned hundreds or thousands of acres could lose most or all of his property after a few years of poor crop yields. Wealthy Americans occasionally lost all of their money through land speculation—leveraging the value of one piece of land to buy additional property. Since there was no reliable national banking system and almost no liquidity in the value of private companies, land was the asset likely to provide the greatest yield, if the property yielded enough to support the costs of operating the farm or plantation.
Because there was no central banking system and no commodities regulatory framework, markets were subject to panics.
The panic of 1819 was caused by the deep indebtedness of the federal government and a rapid drop in the price of cotton. The immature banking system was forced to foreclose on many farms. The value of the properties foreclosed upon was often low because land without a landowner meant land without a crop yield. The panic of 1837 caused a depression that lasted six years. It was triggered by a weak wheat crop, a drop in cotton prices, and a leverage bubble in the value of land created by speculation. These factors caused the US economy to go through a multi-year period of deflation. The sharp fluctuations in the fortunes of the first 14 presidents were a result of the economic times.
Beginning with Millard Fillmore in 1850, the financial history of the presidency entered a new era. Most presidents were lawyers who [....]
http://247wallst.com/2010/05/17/the-net-worth-of-the-american-presidents-washington-to-obama/
Infographic: Is Higher Education the Next Big Bubble? Part One
by EW News Desk Team
economywatch.com
January 26. 2012
Getting into a good university is not an easy feat. Securing a job upon graduation, in the current economic climate, is not easy too. However, the biggest challenge for most university graduates is paying off their education loan. It may sound preposterous that some have called higher education the next big bubble. Hardly surprising: The sum of student debt stands higher than credit card debt across the United States.
In 2011, Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, venture capitalist and part of Facebook board of directors, warned that higher education was a bubble waiting to burst. According to Thiel, the imminent higher education bubble bears striking similarities with the precedent technology and housing bubbles. Comparing universities to commercial markets, higher education is a major investment with poor payouts (job crisis) and market failure, leading some to question how much they have overvalued higher education in America. The higher education bubble may [....]
http://www.economywatch.com/in-the-news/infographic-is-higher-education-the-next-big-bubble.26-01.html
[Related Content:] Infographic: Is Higher Education the Next Big Bubble? Part Two
by: EW News Desk Team
economywatch.com
January 27, 2012
Almost two-thirds of all undergraduates in America take out education loans, and the total size of student debt is expected to cross the $1 trillion mark this year. With the weak job market out there, how are students expected to pay off their loans? Is the next big bubble really about to burst?
Yesterday, we compared the similarities between the imminent higher education bubble and the 2005 housing bubble in the United States. The similarities cannot be denied, and the biggest difference between the two bubbles is that the higher education bubble is growing at a much faster pace.
Today, students in America graduate with an average debt of $24,000. According to some statistics, 10.8 percent of students from public schools default [....]
http://www.economywatch.com/in-the-news/infographic-is-higher-education-the-next-big-bubble-part-two.27-01.html
Mali Besieged by Fighters Fleeing Libya
by Scott Stewart
STRATFOR.com
February 2, 2012
Mali has experienced perhaps the most significant external repercussions from the downfall of the regime of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. Stratfor has discussed the impact of the conflict in Libya on the wider region since international intervention began in March 2011. Instability in Libya due to that country's deep internal fault lines meant that re-establishing a government would prove difficult. As we pointed out, that instability could spread to neighboring countries as weapons and combatants flow outward from Libya.
Reports now indicate that thousands of armed Tuareg tribesmen who previously served in Gadhafi's military have returned home to Mali. The influx of this large number of well-armed and well-trained fighters, led by a former Libyan army colonel, has re-energized the long-simmering Tuareg insurgency against the Malian government. These Tuareg insurgents have formed a new group, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA). In mid-January, they began a military campaign to free three northern regions of Mali from Bamako's control. The government of Mali has claimed [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/mali-besieged-fighters-fleeing-libya?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120202&utm_term=sweekly&utm_content=readmore&elq=df556daa8f64406988ab4c39e6cc562a
Media Act As Though Only Republicans Misbehave
by Editorial Staff,
Investors Business Daily
January 30, 2012
Journalism: What's the difference between Republican and Democratic political operatives who end up on the wrong side of the law? In the "unbiased" press, only the Republicans' party ID and connections merit attention.
In a blog post on Publius' Forum this week, Warner Todd Huston noted the glaring difference in how the media treated the recent arrests of Zachary Edwards and Tim Russell. Edwards, an Iowa Democrat, was charged last week with trying to commit identity theft against Matt Schultz, Iowa's Republican secretary of state, in order to pin unethical or illegal activity on him. Russell, a Wisconsin Republican, was accused of stealing money intended for relatives of veterans killed in action.
Both are terrible deeds, to be sure. But as Huston notes, only Russell's party affiliation and connections got played up by news reports. Russell, you see, was an aide to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, much-hated by liberals. The New York Times made this connection clear in its headline, as did Reuters and just about every other story about the arrest. But when it came to the Edwards arrest in Iowa, press accounts went out of their way to avoid even mentioning that he was a Democrat. The AP dispatch, for example, [....]
http://news.investors.com/Article/599441/201201301844/media-bias-exposed-in-recent-scandal-coverage-WEBHED-Media-Act-As-Though-Only-Republicans-Misbehave.htm
Meet Sheryl Sandberg: Facebook's Highest-Paid Employee
by Claudine Zap
Work and Money,
shine.yahoo.com
February 2, 2012
Mark Zuckerberg may be the face of Facebook. But Sheryl Sandberg can take much of the credit for the company's success. As chief operating officer -- and the self-described "grownup" in the room -- she was also the highest-paid employee at the social networking site. Her salary and stock awards last year: a cool $30.87 million, putting her on pace to be one of the wealthiest self-made women in the world once the company goes public.
Sandberg, who's second in command at Facebook, is often not just the grownup in the room, but also the only woman, which she finds mind-boggling. As she told an audience at TED in Washington, D.C., "One hundred and ninety heads of state; nine are women. Of all the people in parliament in the world, 13% are women. In the corporate sector, women at the top, C-level jobs, board seats, tops out at 15-16%. The numbers have not moved since 2002 and are going in the wrong direction." Sandberg, however, is moving in a trajectory that [....]
http://shine.yahoo.com/work-money/meet-sheryl-sandberg-facebooks-highest-paid-employee-203400199.html
Polarization and Sustained Violence in Mexico's Cartel War
Staff Report,
STRATFOR.com
January 24, 2012
Editor's Note: In this annual report on Mexico's drug cartels, we assess the most significant developments of 2011 and provide updated profiles of the country's powerful criminal cartels as well as a forecast for 2012. The report is a product of the coverage we maintain through our Mexico Security Memo, quarterly updates and other analyses we produce throughout the year.
As we noted in last year's annual cartel report, Mexico in 2010 bore witness to some 15,273 deaths in connection with the drug trade. The death toll for 2010 surpassed that of any previous year, and in doing so became the deadliest year ever in the country's fight against the cartels. But in the bloody chronology that is Mexico's cartel war, 2010's time at the top may have been short-lived. Despite the Mexican government's efforts to curb cartel-related violence, the death toll for 2011 may have exceeded what had been an unprecedented number. According to the Mexican government, [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/polarization-and-sustained-violence-mexicos-cartel-war?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120125&utm_term=engage&utm_content=link4&elq=2950de95f05044989f7971ae1b599454
[NY] State Assembly considering raising minimum wage
by Andrew Poole
The [Hornell, N.Y.] Evening Tribune
January 31, 2012
Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C,I- Corning) hasn’t seen a copy of a proposed bill that would increase New York’s minimum wage, but he already has concerns about such an action. Citing census data stating that almost half of United States citizens have fallen into poverty, Assembly Democrats announced Monday their intention to present legislation that would raise New York’s hourly minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.50, according to Associated Press reports. The increase would also be tied to the rate of inflation, meaning in future years as inflation rises the minimum wage would also increase accordingly. Palmesano said state minimum wage is tied to the federal wage, and that it would be better continue the same system and allow the market to determine what businesses pay. The state needs to be careful about increasing minimum wage because it could further hinder growth in a time when businesses are struggling financially due to the economy, added the assemblyman.
“Based on what I’m hearing, I’d have concerns supporting the legislation as is,” he said.
Businesses are already paying steep unemployment rate costs, said Palmesano. If minimum wage rises, other costs, including worker’s compensation, would increase. The assemblyman was concerned [....]
http://www.eveningtribune.com/news/x132488470/State-Assembly-considering-raising-minimum-wage?utm=c
The Best-Selling Cars of All Time
Staff Report,
247wallst.com
January 26, 2012 The most successful car in history may be the Ford Model T. While other models may have sold more vehicles, Ford managed to sell nearly 17 million cars from 1908 to 1927 — a period when car ownership was rare compared to today. The Model T was so successful that nearly every other best-selling car adopted its formula. The Model T was inexpensive to buy, inexpensive to operate, reliable and built by a large company that had hundreds of dealerships and trained mechanics. The other vehicles on this list, from the VW Passat to the Toyota Corolla, share all of these characteristics. The best-selling cars through history have appealed to a broad buyer base because they are within the reach of the masses. The best-selling vehicles have several other notable features in common. For one, the majority were introduced just before or around the same time that gas prices began to rise rapidly in the early 1970s, primarily because of [....]
http://247wallst.com/2012/01/26/the-best-selling-cars-of-all-time/
The Invention of the Internet
[videos, speeches, photo galleries]
history.com
date unknown
Unlike technologies such as the light bulb or the telephone, the Internet has no single “inventor.” Instead, it has evolved over time. The Internet got its start in the United States more than 50 years ago as a government weapon in the Cold War. For years, scientists and researchers used it to communicate and share data with one another. Today, we use the Internet for almost everything, and for many people it would be impossible to imagine life without it.
http://www.history.com/topics/invention-of-the-internet
Thousands of federal workers owe back taxes
by Ken Thomas,
Associated Press
finance.yahoo.com
January 27, 2012
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has preached that all Americans should pay their fair share in taxes, but a government report finds that tens of thousands of federal employees — from staffers in Congress to federal agencies and even Obama's executive office — collectively owe the government billions in back taxes. Data from the Internal Revenue Service found that more than 279,000 federal employees and retirees owed $3.4 billion in back income taxes as of Sept. 30, 2010. The data showed that 467 employees of the House of Representatives, or about 4.2 percent of the workforce, owed more than $8.5 million. In the Senate, 217 employees, or about 3 percent of the workforce, owed $2.13 million. Obama's staff was not immune, either, with 36 people in Obama's executive office of nearly 1,800 workers — about 2 percent — owing the government $833,970 in back taxes.
Obama used part of his State of the Union address Tuesday night to promote economic fairness, arguing for changes in the tax code that would create a minimum tax rate of at least 30 percent on anyone making more than $1 million. The finances of one of his chief Republican rivals, Mitt Romney, has been scrutinized because he, like many millionaires, pays a lower rate because most of his income came from investments, which are taxed at a lower rate. The IRS report attracted the attention of Republicans, who said it undercut the president's argument on taxes. "If Obama wants people to pay their 'fair share,' perhaps he should start with his own staff," [....]
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/thousands-federal-workers-owe-back-taxes-231332510.html
Venezuela Prepares as Chavez's Health Deteriorates
Staff Report,
STRATFOR.com
January 25, 2012
According to a report published by Spanish newspaper ABC on Monday and Tuesday, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez may only have 9-12 months to live as a result of his decision to prioritize presidential duties over personal health. Chavez's prostate cancer was reportedly discovered in January of 2011, at which point his prognosis was five years. Since that initial diagnosis, Chavez has repeatedly postponed treatments or skipped them altogether in the interests of concealing his illness and protecting his political position. The leaked report, which ABC says was given to the paper by "intelligence services" (much like a November leak to The Wall Street Journal), is dated Jan. 12 and reviews a medical examination Chavez underwent Dec. 30. According to the report, the South American president needs to undergo a painful, debilitating treatment that, while preventing him from working for more than a month, could extend his lifespan. If he defers the treatment, he will likely to die within the year. According to ABC, when presented with a similar conundrum in November, Chavez chose to stay in Caracas rather than travel to Russia for treatment -- out of fear that the political situation in Venezuela was not secure. We have no way to be completely certain that the report accurately represents Chavez's medical condition, but the tenor of the report matches a series of accounts given to Stratfor and other open sources.
Competition within the Chavista inner circle dominated 2011, as each of Chavez's closest associates sought to take best advantage of the turmoil that ensued when Chavez's bout of illness became public in June. The upcoming October elections have added urgency to this struggle. There is no clear successor to Chavez among the Chavista elite. However, Chavez in recent weeks appointed Diosdado Cabello as first vice president of the Venezuelan United Socialist Party and later named him President of the National Assembly. Clearly, a single faction has taken the lead. Cabello represents the pragmatic, militaristic wing of the Chavista elite. However, although powerful, Cabello is not particularly popular, and he is not likely to be a suitable replacement for Chavez in October.
The most believable political alternative to Chavez may actually come from the Venezuelan opposition. After years of disunity and infighting, the opposition is presenting its most credible challenge to Chavez since he came to office in 1999. Miranda Governor Henrique Capriles Radonski appears most likely to secure the backing of the opposition parties in the Feb. 12 primaries. Capriles has positioned himself as a man of the people, claiming he is the natural heir to Chavismo, but with a pro-business twist. The most important thing [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/geopolitical-diary/venezuela-prepares-chavezs-health-deteriorates?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120125&utm_term=engage&utm_content=link8&elq=2950de95f05044989f7971ae1b599454
Update on Global Food Commodities
Staff Report,
STRATFOR.com
January 19, 2012
Summary
Corn, soybeans, rice and wheat are the most important food staples consumed in the world. We monitor these commodities because market fluctuations can lead to domestic unrest in import-reliant countries. Below is an assessment of these vital commodities.
Analysis
Most countries have domestic agricultural industries. However, the majority of these countries do not produce more than what their populations can consume. Only a handful of countries are able to export significant quantities of key food staples to countries that cannot meet their consumption needs or experience temporary setbacks in their agricultural sectors.
Output from exporting countries is an important geopolitical issue. Increased demand for global food supplies can cause localized shortages and price spikes. Food shortages and price increases, in turn, can lead to political turmoil and social unrest in countries whose populations depend on these imports for survival. The most important staple crops consumed by populations around the world are corn, rice and wheat. Soybeans have also become an important alternative source of protein, particularly in Asian diets. Corn and soybean exports are largely dominated by states in the Western Hemisphere, while global wheat supplies are primarily grown by states in the Northern Hemisphere. Asian states account for the majority of all globally traded rice, but China, the world's largest producer of rice, consumes almost all of the rice it produces. The following breaks down the current status of each of the four major staple crops. Production forecasts are drawn primarily [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/update-global-food-commodities?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120125&utm_term=engage&utm_content=link2&elq=2950de95f05044989f7971ae1b599454
CFPB Wields New Powers with Director
by Diane Katz,
Research Report
heritage.org
January 30, 2012
Within hours of Richard Cordray assuming the role of director[1] at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), agency officials began exercising their newly expanded powers. Their immediate target is all manner of “nonbank”[2] financial services used by millions of households. While proponents contend that the new regulations will benefit consumers, the structure of the bureau—its unparalleled power magnified by an absence of accountability—bodes ill for most Americans.
New Director Prompts New Powers
The CFPB became operational on July 21, 2011, but was limited by statute to enforcing existing rules over banks and credit unions (with more than $10 billion in assets) until a director was nominated and confirmed. With Cordray in place on January 4, the bureau immediately launched its supervision of “nonbank” mortgage originators, brokers, and servicers, as well as payday lenders and private education loans, as permitted by statute following confirmation of a director. The bureau is also now authorized to supervise “larger participants” in other nonbank services. The CFPB has identified six such services for regulation, including debt collection; consumer reporting; prepaid cards; debt relief services; consumer credit; and money transmitting, check cashing, and related activities. The designation of “larger participants” must be finalized by July 21, 2012. Reflecting the overly broad nature of its powers, the agency may also supervise any nonbank that it deems as posing a “risk” to consumers or engaging in “unfair, deceptive, or abusive” practices. While unfair and deceptive have been defined in other regulatory contexts, the addition of the term abusive, which has not previously been defined in law, grants CFPB officials inordinate discretion.
Regulatory Excess Harms Consumers
There are some bad actors in the nonbank sector (as in all endeavors, including government). But at least 40 million adults benefit from alternative financial services, citing convenience, cost, or ease of qualification for doing so.[3] Contrary to conventional wisdom, there is no “void” of conventional banking in neighborhoods where alternative service providers locate, according to a survey by the Urban Institute.[4] To the extent that the bureau’s regulatory crackdown constrains [....]
http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/01/consumer-financial-protection-bureau-concerns-with-its-broad-powers
Germany's Role in Europe and the European Debt Crisis
by George Friedman,
STRATFOR.com
January 31, 2012
The German government proposed last week that a European commissioner be appointed to supplant the Greek government. While phrasing the German proposal this way might seem extreme, it is not unreasonable. Under the German proposal, this commissioner would hold power over the Greek national budget and taxation. Since the European Central Bank already controls the Greek currency, the euro, this would effectively transfer control of the Greek government to the European Union, since whoever controls a country's government expenditures, tax rates and monetary policy effectively controls that country. The German proposal therefore would suspend Greek sovereignty and the democratic process as the price of financial aid to Greece.
Though the European Commission rejected the proposal, the concept is far from dead, as it flows directly from the logic of the situation. The Greeks are in the midst of a financial crisis that has made Greece unable to repay money Athens borrowed. Their options are to default on the debt or to negotiate a settlement with their creditors. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and European Union are managing these negotiations. Any settlement will have three parts. The first is an agreement by creditors to forego repayment on part of the debt. The second is financial help from the IMF and the European Union to help pay back the remaining debt. The third is an agreement by the Greek government to curtail government spending and increase taxes so that it can avoid future sovereign debt crises and repay at least part of the debt.
Bankruptcy and the Nation State
The Germans don't trust the Greeks to keep any bargain, which is not unreasonable given that the Greeks haven't been willing to enforce past agreements. Given this lack of trust, Germany [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/germanys-role-europe-and-european-debt-crisis?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120131&utm_term=gweekly&utm_content=readmore&elq=e3a07cc3ff994dae9a31ae9235fcebee
7 Unexpected Uses for Your Microwave
by Hilary Meyer, Associate Food Editor,
EatingWell Magazine
shine.yahoo.com
January 31, 2012
Chances are you have a microwave sitting somewhere in your kitchen. They've gotten smaller over the years, but even the most svelte version takes up precious real estate. It's time to put that baby to work.
1. Cook fish - Cook a steak in the microwave and you'll end up with shoe leather. Fish, on the other hand, can be cooked perfectly in the microwave. Simply wrap your fish in microwave-safe plastic with a little seasoning (salt and pepper and some lemon, perhaps) and [....]
http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/7-unexpected-uses-microwave-164800328.html
Tiny Swiss town builds the world's first solar-powered ski lift
by: Adventure Journal
grindtv.com
February 2, 2012 Even though as the crow flies, the postage-stamp town of Tenna, Switzerland, isn't far from historic resorts like St. Moritz and Davos, Tenna is a one-horse town, one-shop, one-school, and one t-bar town. And that t-bar, the only ski lift in the whole valley, was on its last legs. But rather than let it die, locals raised enough money to update it and then went a step further: They built the world's first solar-powered ski lift. It's more than solar-powered, in fact -- it's a smart investment. The Tenna lift generates 90,000 kilowatt hours a year, or three times the juice needed to run the lift, and the extra power goes back into the grid, which makes money for the town, which can pay residents back. So what happens to the 82 solar "wings" when it dumps? Not a problem, because they rotate to follow the path of the sun in the sky and can be tilted to perpendicular during a storm, so there's no load and the snow slides right off. At $1.5 million, the project [....]
http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/32612/tiny+swiss+town+builds+the+worlds+first+solar-powered+ski+lift/
Until Next Sunday....
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