Free trade with Korea‏

http://blogs.wsj.com/korearealtime/2012/04/30/gm-korea-to-import-first-u-s-built-chevy/

It was hyped as a great thing.  Who doesn’t love free trade….  What is better in an election year then to talk about all the MADE IN USA products being sold around the world.

GM Korea Co. will begin importing its first Chevrolet model built in the U.S. from this Friday, a move driven by the free-trade agreement between the two countries.  Yeah!!!!
The bilateral trade pact, which took effect on March 15, halved the import tax for U.S.-made vehicles to 4%. The U.S.-made Chevrolet Corvette Coupe will go on sale on May 4 in the domestic market and compete against the pricier Porsche 911 Carrera and BMW Z4.
GM Korea isn’t expecting strong sales of the two-seater Corvette but hopes the luxury sports car will boost its brand image and broaden its base of customers in Korea.  (Window dressing.  Nothing more then a PR move)

GM will also start exporting its first Chevy model assembled in South Korea to the U.S. from May. The one-liter Chevrolet Spark is built in its Changwon plant.
“Higher fuel costs seem to have generated demand for the mini car in the U.S. as commuter cars,” company spokeswoman Lim Young-mi said.
GM Korea, a 70.1%-owned unit of Detroit-based General Motors Co., is GM’s manufacturing base for mini and small vehicles.
Early in 2011, GM Korea dropped the Daewoo brand-name and adopted the Chevrolet brand-name in South Korea as part of GM’s rebranding strategy. All its new and updated models carry the Chevy marque, except for three models–the Alpheon large sedan, and the Damas and Labo mini cars.

So to recap…..

Gas guzzling, high priced Corvettes (Made in USA) shipped to Korea won’t be selling well.  But it looks good for the politicians. 

Small, cheaply priced, Made in Korea Chevrolets (even though they are really Daewoo) will be selling well (IN THE USA) because gas is $4.00.  So they title the article “GM Korea to Import First U.S.-Built Chevy” in hopes nobody actually reads what it is saying. 

GM is hoping people who want to buy Made in America, and buy a Chevrolet (to support the cause) won’t know they are actually buying Made in Korea Daewoo.  Wink Wink.

Yay.. free trade.

Sony

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/11/business/global/sony-revises-expected-loss-to-6-4-billion.html

They talk about the loss of 6 Billion Dollars.

They talk about possibly cutting 10,000 workers.

They talk about the need for profitability.

They talk about their loss in dominance.

They blame price competition.

They blame the US market.

They blame the currency markets. They blame the Tsunami. They blame flooding in Thailand.

They talk about tax expenses.

They talk about their credit rating.

What I don’t hear them talk about is what awesome products they are making or developing. They talk about everything except the one thing that counts. It is about the products. They used to make cool ones including Walkman, Playstation, Stereo’s, TV’s, cameras. Today they make nothing anybody cares about and I don’t see where that is going to change. I see a company without a direction and that never ends well. You have to innovate and they haven’t.

Made The Whole Thing Up.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7809174/syracuse-orange-bernie-fine-case-accuser-says-made-allegations

This guy should be put in jail for a long long time.

This is why you can’t have a system where you lock people away (at Gitmo) and never give them a trial because they are guilty and that is that.

This is why in our country you are innocent until proven guilty.

Many times even though everyone knows someone is guilty it turns out they are innocent. For example Richard Jewell who everyone knew was the Olympic Park bomber. Except he wasn’t. Like Steven Hatfield the guy the FBI thought was responsible for the Antrax attacks in 2001. Except he wasn’t. Like the Duke Lacrosse players who everyone knew sexually assaulted the stripper. Except they didn’t. What makes these cases terrible is when you have a real pedophile (like in Pittsburgh) it is that much harder to prove when this stuff happens.

Obama to confront Speculation...Or so he says.‏

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/03/obamas-weekly-address-no-quick-fixes-to-lower-gas-prices/

One month ago today Obama said “there is no quick fix for oil prices”. We need green energy. We need to not depend on foreign oil. We need to end tax breaks. Not one mention of speculation.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57415066/obama-seeks-to-confront-oil-market-manipulation/

Today Obama wants to “confront” speculation. Finally! Now he wants regulations and oversight. What a novel idea. Who could have thought of that idea? What changed in the last 30 days? Did Obama read my email? Oh right we are getting closer to his election and gas is $4.00. Nothing pisses off voters more then high gas prices.

Of course it is one thing to talk about dealing with speculation. It is another to actually do something. My guess is this is just election year dramatics and nothing will change. That is just the way Obama wants it. He wants you to believe he is dealing with the problem and also wants to help his rich oil buddies. I will believe he is serious when the price is $1.28.

Under pressure to take action on rising gasoline prices, President Obama on Tuesday will ask Congress to implement a plan that entails strengthening federal supervision of oil markets and increasing penalties for market manipulation, a senior administration official confirms to CBS News.

Obama will spell out his $52 million proposal Tuesday at the White House (Why does this have to cost anything? Can Obama do anything without spending more money. I have never seen anyone spend so much and accomplish absolutely nothing.)

At issue is the increasing role of investment in oil futures contracts by pension funds, mutual funds, hedge funds, exchange traded funds and other investors. Much of that money is betting that oil prices will rise. Analysts say it is possible that such speculation has somewhat inflated the price of oil. (It is possible??? How about it is guaranteed)
Obama's plan this time calls on Congress to:

-- Increase six-fold the surveillance and enforcement staff of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to better deter oil market manipulation.

-- Increase spending on technology (What technology?) to provide better oversight and surveillance of energy markets.

-- Increase civil and criminal penalties against firms that engage in market manipulation from $1 million to $10 million. (They should be putting people in jail. Jail is a lot more effective then fines. Put the speculators in orange jump suits. Put them in jail cells. Close and lock the doors. Hang the keys on the wall and leave them there for 10 years. Then enjoy the affordable gas.)

Discovery heading to Smithsonian‏

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/space-shuttle-discovery-ready-voyage-museum-16147979

Space shuttle Discovery has one last mission to complete.

At daybreak Tuesday, the oldest of NASA's retired shuttle fleet will leave its home at Kennedy Space Center for the final time, riding on top a modified jumbo jet.

Its destination: the Smithsonian Institution's hangar outside Washington, D.C.

The plane and jet will make a farewell flight over Cape Canaveral before heading north. The pair also will swoop over the nation's capital, including the National Mall, before landing in Virginia.
Discovery first launched in 1984 and flew 39 times in space, more than any other shuttle. It is the oldest of NASA's three surviving space shuttles and the first to head to a museum.

Discovery's list of achievements include delivering the Hubble Space Telescope to orbit, carrying the first Russian cosmonaut to launch on a U.S. spaceship, performing the first rendezvous with the Russian space station Mir with the first female shuttle pilot in the cockpit, returning Mercury astronaut John Glenn to orbit, and bringing shuttle flights back to life after the Challenger and Columbia accidents.

Astronaut Nicole Stott had "mixed feelings" as she gazed up at Discovery. "There's no denying the sadness associated with it," said Stott, who was on Discovery's last crew.

It is not sad that The Shuttle Program is over. It is sad that NASA has no plan going forward.
3 Trillion Dollar Federal budget and they can’t find 18 billion for NASA. 700 Billion to bail out the Wall Street banks. You bet there is. 800 Billion in stimulus for paving roads that don’t need to be paved. Absolutely! 185 Billion to bail out AIG. No doubt about it. 1 Trillion dollars to cover tax breaks for the top 1% well that is a national priority. But NASA will have to go sweep out the hangers one more time because there is no money for anything else. Obama will spend money to create jobs. Just not on engineers, and rocket scientists. Road pavers are more important.

No Mentioning Dinosaurs or Birthdays....

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/editorials/dancing_dunces_iMkkfNzM6Xne2okZBvrTWP

DOE’s geniuses have banned dozens of topics like these from questions appearing on city student-achievement tests.They’re worried, they say, about accidentally triggering “unpleasant emotions” among some of the kids taking the tests, putting them at a disadvantage.
“Dinosaurs” might prompt thoughts of evolution — stressing out kids who believe in creationism.

References to “birthdays” might freak out Jehovah’s Witnesses, who don’t celebrate them.

Some groups object to “dancing,” so that’s a no-no.

Topics that involve wealth and poverty might stir jealousy.

Oye!

Dinosaurs really existed. That is a fact. I have seen the bones. Creationism is not a fact. That is a hope. Hopes are for Religious schools. Facts are for real schools. Not mentioning them does not make the topic go away.

Birthdays are a real thing. Believe in them are not they are real. I witnessed two of them myself.

Dancing is real.

So I guess we are only going to teach things that don’t “Stress kids out”. So no wars. Might as well get rid of history. Probably shouldn’t discuss diseases so Science is out. Is 2+2 really 4? I am not so sure…. so we should just avoid math all together.

For crying out loud……..

Axl Rose Still a Jerk after all these years.‏

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2012/04/axl-rose-pens-open-letter-to-rock-hall-will-not-attend-asks-to-not-be-inducted.html


It is impressive when you can be a complete jerk across 3 separate decades.


Rose's open letter is printed in its entirety below.

To: The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Guns N' Roses Fans and Whom It May Concern,
When the nominations for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame were first announced I had mixed emotions but, in an effort to be positive, wanting to make the most of things for the fans and with their enthusiasm, I was honored, excited and hoped that somehow this would be a good thing. Of course I realized as things stood, if Guns N' Roses were to be inducted it'd be somewhat of a complicated or awkward situation.
Since then we've listened to fans, talked with members of the board of the Hall Of Fame, communicated with and read various public comments and jabs from former members of Guns N' Roses, had discussions with the president of the Hall Of Fame, read various press (some legit, some contrived) and read other artists' comments weighing in publicly on Guns and the Hall with their thoughts.
Under the circumstances I feel we've been polite, courteous, and open to an amicable solution in our efforts to work something out. Taking into consideration the history of Guns N' Roses, those who plan to attend along with those the Hall for reasons of their own, have chosen to include in "our" induction (that for the record are decisions I don't agree with, support or feel the Hall has any right to make), and how (albeit no easy task) those involved with the Hall have handled things... no offense meant to anyone but the Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony doesn't appear to be somewhere I'm actually wanted or respected.
For the record, I would not begrudge anyone from Guns their accomplishments or recognition for such. Neither I or anyone in my camp has made any requests or demands of the Hall Of Fame. It's their show not mine.
That said, I won't be attending The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction 2012 Ceremony and I respectfully decline my induction as a member of Guns N' Roses to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
I strongly request that I not be inducted in absentia and please know that no one is authorized nor may anyone be permitted to accept any induction for me or speak on my behalf. Neither former members, label representatives nor the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame should imply whether directly, indirectly or by omission that I am included in any purported induction of "Guns N' Roses".
This decision is personal. This letter is to help clarify things from my and my camp's perspective. Neither is meant to offend, attack or condemn. Though unfortunately I'm sure there will be those who take offense (God knows how long I'll have to contend with the fallout), I certainly don't intend to disappoint anyone, especially the fans, with this decision. Since the announcement of the nomination we've actively sought out a solution to what, with all things considered, appears to be a no win, at least for me, "damned if I do, damned if I don't" scenario all the way around.
In regard to a reunion of any kind of either the Appetite or Illusion lineups, I've publicly made myself more than clear. Nothing's changed.
The only reason, at this point, under the circumstances, in my opinion whether under the guise of "for the fans" or whatever justification of the moment, for anyone to continue to ask, suggest or demand a reunion are misguided attempts to distract from our efforts with our current lineup of myself, Dizzy Reed, Tommy Stinson, Frank Ferrer, Richard Fortus, Chris Pitman, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal and DJ Ashba.
Izzy came out with us a few times back in '06 and I invited him to join us at our LA Forum show last year. Steven was at our show at the Hard Rock, later in '06 in Las Vegas, where I invited him to our after-party and was rewarded with his subsequent interviews filled with reunion lies. Lesson learned. Duff joined us in 2010 and again in '11 along with his band, Loaded, opening in Seattle and Vancouver. For me, with the exception of Izzy or Duff joining us on stage if they were so inclined somewhere in the future for a song or two, that's enough.
There's a seemingly endless amount of revisionism and fantasies out there for the sake of self-promotion and business opportunities masking the actual realities. Until every single one of those generating from or originating with the earlier lineups has been brought out in the light, there isn't room to consider a conversation let alone a reunion.
Maybe if it were you it'd be different. Maybe you'd do it for this reason or that. Peace, whatever. I love our band now. We're there for each other when the going get's rough. We love our fans and work to give them every ounce of energy and heart we can.
So let sleeping dogs lie or lying dogs sleep or whatever. Time to move on. People get divorced. Life doesn't owe you your own personal happy ending especially at another's, or in this case several others', expense.
But hey if ya gotta then maybe we can get the "no show, grandstanding, publicity stunt, disrespectful, he doesn't care about the fans" crap out of the way as quickly as we can and let's move on. No one's taking the ball and going home. Don't get it twisted. For more than a decade and a half we've endured the double standards, the greed of this industry and the ever present seemingly limitless supply of wannabes and unscrupulous, irresponsible media types. Not to imply anything in this particular circumstance, but from my perspective in regard to both the Hall and a reunion, the ball's never been in our court.
In closing, regardless of this decision and as hard to believe or as ironic as it may seem, I'd like to sincerely thank the board for their nomination and their votes for Guns' induction. More importantly I'd like to thank the fans for being there over the years, making any success we've had possible and for enjoying and supporting Guns N' Roses music.
I wish the Hall a great show, congratulations to all the other artists being inducted and to our fans we look forward to seeing you on tour!!
Sincerely,
Axl Rose

China Sea Dispute Heating Up‏

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/04/12/sea-dispute-escalates-as-china-and-philippines-deploys-more-warships/

China is trying to take the spotlight away from their best friend Communist North Korea, who is about to piss off the world by launching a Intercontinental missile. Why should everyone be angry at North Korea when they can also be angry at Communist Red China.

China has now sent a third ship to support its claim to the area known as Scarborough Shoal off the northwestern Philippines.

Philippine warships attempting to arrest the crews of a Chinese fishing fleet that had entered the territory sparked the latest dispute between the two Asian countries.

They were stopped from doing so by the arrival of two Chinese surveillance ships, which then ordered the Philippine warships to leave the area.

They refused arguing that its Philippine territory and have since sent a second warship to the area.

"We're not retreating from our own territory," Alexander Pama, Chief Vice Admiral of the Philippine navy said.

China also claims the rich fishing ground as its own despite it being within 200 nautical miles of the Philippines.

On the surface this would seem to be a minor dispute between two countries but it is in fact part of a much wider problem that may lead to U.S. military involvement.

No other country in the region recognizes China's sovereignty, but that hasn't stopped Beijing from marking its claim by any means it can.

This includes building concrete forts, occupied by troops on isolated coral reefs and placing concrete markers in other areas, even underwater, to support their claim.

Outside powers like the U.S. view the area as a key international waterway in which a large part of world trade passes through. Last year the U.S. said maintaining stability in the area is part of its "national interests."

U.S. aircraft carriers regularly pass through the South China Sea on their way to and from the Middle East.

And the second reason is it is widely believed that under the South China Sea there are huge quantities of oil and gas.

China and other nations who claim all, or part of, the area are hoping it will give them energy security.

The difficulty at the moment is that China is seen in many Asian capitals as a bully who wants to grab all of it and will only negotiate with each country separately.

The US will not be tough on China. Obama might act tough. He might say tough things. But Walmart needs to make sure their store shelves stay packed with Chinese made crap. People need Iphones. People need tainted dog food. Kids need lead covered toys. Obama needs China to continue to lend Billions to the US Government so he can finance his tax cuts for the rich.
So at the end of the day China can do whatever they want and nobody is going to say nothing about it.

Lumina 900 software Bug‏

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/technology/chi-nokia-finds-software-bug-in-lumina-900-20120411,0,4476648.story

The software is made by Microsoft. Microsoft laid off their competent American programmers and replaced them with incompetent Indian programmers. The results are clear.

Now they are giving the phone away for free. If people are smart they still won’t take it. I bet Apple executives are sitting in a board room in Cupertino California laughing their azzes off. They must be rolling on the floor. Microsoft is the biggest bunch of inept fools the world has ever seen.

Nokia has found a software bug in its Lumia 900 smartphone, its answer to Apple's iPhone, and is effectively giving the model away until it is fixed. They can’t start fixing it until the Indian programmers show up at work. It is the middle of the night over there so everyone will have to wait.

"It's like they stalled their engine when everybody is looking at them at the start of their race," said Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi.

Though one analyst who asked not to be named said it would only cost Nokia at most $10 million on likely sales in that period, it will be a big disappointment to a company struggling to revive its brand. It will only cost them 10 million dollars because nobody is going to buy a sh*tty Microsoft phone anyway.

Bobby Petrino = Scumbag‏

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7793936/arkansas-scandal-another-ugly-exit-razorbacks-coach-bobby-petrino

Bobby Petrino was a complete scum bag when he abandoned the Atlanta Falcons in the middle of their season. He said he wasn’t going to take a college coaching job but then did anyway. Coaches always preach “team” is the most important. There is NOTHING more important then your team. To prove it he then left.

Petrino made Long the April fool, initially failing to tell his boss that there was a female passenger on the back of his Harley-Davidson. If Petrino's coverup had ended there, he might have survived an embarrassing extramarital affair, at least professionally.
But the woman on the back of Petrino's motorcycle, Jessica Dorrell, was an Arkansas athletics department employee.

Petrino hired Dorrell, a 25-year-old former Arkansas volleyball player, as his football program's student-athlete development coordinator March 28.

Dorrell was one of three finalists among 159 candidates for the job. Petrino never revealed he was having an affair with Dorrell, or that he had made a $20,000 gift to her. Long said their relationship had been going on for a "significant period of time."

"I'm disappointed in his lack of judgment," Long said. "I'm disappointed in his failure to tell me the truth about it. Coach Petrino had a number of opportunities to share with me the nature of his relationship."

Dorrell, who graduated from Arkansas in 2008 and worked in the athletics department since 2010, was engaged to marry the Razorbacks' swim director June 9. Talk about a wedding crasher.

Petrino, who is married and has four children, not only misled Long and everyone else about the details of his motorcycle crash, but he also hired his mistress to work in his football program
The accident left Petrino, 51, with a bloody and bruised face, broken ribs and broken vertebrae in his neck. At this point, those are the least of his injuries. He just threw away a job that paid him $3.6 million annually, and his personal life is in a shambles.

Protectionism‏

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/11/business/economy/should-us-services-companies-get-breaks-abroad.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Example of other countries protectionism

Often, though, countries ban or place quotas on services from abroad that make these imports prohibitively expensive. One 2010 study estimated discrimination against services imports in some of the major emerging markets like China, India and Indonesia is effectively equivalent to a tariff on these imports of more than 60 percent.

Example of other countries protectionism

In Malaysia, for example, 80 percent of television programming must originate from local production companies owned by ethnic Malays. Brazil has similar quotas for movie screenings.

Example of other countries protectionism

In other cases, foreign laws make it extremely expensive or complicated for American entrants. In India, foreigners are not allowed to own more than 26 percent equity in an insurance company, regardless of how much the local partners provide.

Example of other countries protectionism

China has many similar partnership requirements, along with other limits on foreign businesses. For example, the government tightly restricts the routes of planes operated by foreign delivery services.

Example of other countries protectionism

Cigna has been selling health insurance in China since 2003 (with a Chinese partner), but has been allowed to expand into only one new province a year.

Example of other countries protectionism

A director at a major international bank — who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation from the Chinese government, as did managers at other companies interviewed about expanding abroad — said the organization has scores of employees in China, and about 90 percent of them are there solely to deal with the country’s regulatory issues and licensing requirements for foreigners.

Example of other countries being against the USA having protectionism -

Developing countries have declared they (They being the USA) must liberalize trade in agriculture before even considering services, and Congress is reluctant to dismantle its generous agricultural subsidies. (US agricultural mega companies (ADM) have a lot of clout in congress)

Some business leaders also want to fight protectionism with protectionism rather than invest more efforts in trade negotiations. YES EXACTLY RIGHT. YOU FIGHT PROTECTIONISM WITH PROTECTIONISM. THEY GIVE US THE MIDDLE FINGER AND WE GIVE IT RIGHT BACK TO THEM. THAT IS THE CORRECT ANSWER.

Because some foreign governments allow only their own engineering firms to bid on state-funded projects, there are questions about whether American projects should remain open to international competitors. If they use protectionism then so should we. There is a reason why their economies are growing and ours is shrinking. We are really dumb!

“It’s not a level playing field,” said Greg’s Thomopulos, (Greg is a genius) the chief executive of Stanley Consultants in Muscatine, Iowa, and a past president of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers. He said the American government should retaliate by blocking foreign bids on American aid projects. I agree!

“We’re using American money and we need to showcase American experience,” he said. “What better way to help the job process than by employing American firms and American staff who pay taxes here?” I agree!

The possibility remains that some American workers could find themselves at a disadvantage if services are more easily traded, given that lower-level software developers already face competition from cheaper workers in places like India. I agree!

Greg should be brought to the White House and Obama should be putting a medal around his neck for being so smart. Then he should be presented to a joint session of congress where he should receive a standing ovation.

Mr. Jensen (Is an idiot!) , the trade economist (oooh a trade economist….. he must really know something.) at the Peterson Institute (Where?), acknowledges that some workers will be displaced, but said the United States would have a net gain in jobs (LIAR) if borders everywhere were more open. (They have been saying…. we are going to have a net gain in jobs for the last 30 years. The only problem is we don’t have it. When jobs leave more jobs don’t magically appear. That is called bullsh*t) His research (His research isn’t worth sh*t) also indicates that workers in business services displaced by trade have a much higher rate of re-employment than do displaced manufacturing workers. (How reassuring)

Perhaps the most basic legal constraint is not abroad but here in the United States, which has relatively tight immigration controls. (We have tight immigration? There are 20 million illegal aliens in the country. Tight immigration is not what we have at all) Services often require workers to travel freely across borders. Asking India to allow American consultants to parachute into Delhi willy-nilly is difficult if the United States cannot — or, more accurately, will not — reciprocate.

“We need to have a visa policy that allows businesses to operate efficiently at home and abroad, and that allows all professionals to be able to move back and forth between corporate offices,” said Jeffrey Schott, a former trade negotiator (With thinking like this from a former “trade negotiator” it is easy to see why our country is so f*cked up) and now senior fellow at the Peterson Institute. “If we don’t, why would anyone else?”

A 747 as a Private Jet‏

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/04/04/a-private-jet-with-space-for-both-the-rolls-royces/

The rich get richer and richer and richer and richer……..Must be real nice.

Defying the economic slump, celebrities, corporate titans and Internet entrepreneurs in recent years have upgraded to bigger planes, with leather seats, plush bedrooms and opulent boardrooms.

“The people we deal with were not too much affected by the crisis,” said Habib Fekih, the president of Airbus Corporate Jets.

Luxury comes at a cost. Prices range from about $31 million for a Bombardier Global 5000 to $65 million for the Gulfstream G650, which will be released this year. Airbus lists a price of $68 million for its smallest single-aisle A318 to about $245 million for the twin-aisle A350, which is under development. The company lists its new A380 double-decker at $389.9 million before any upgrades. In all, manufacturers sold 200 large jets in 2011, including 17 Boeing and Airbus private planes.

As planes have become bigger and fancier, their interiors have also changed greatly, incorporating the luxurious amenities once found only on private yachts. The owner of one Boeing private jet painted a copy of the Sistine Chapel on its ceiling, while one has a library aboard. Another insisted on mounting a sculpture of his horse in the cabin of his jet. Many have pianos, home theaters or saunas aboard.

“When I started in the business, around 1983, the interiors of a business jet were done by engineers who just put seats in a plane,” said Jacques Pierrejean, a French designer who works on cabins of commercial and private jets, as well as yachts. “Today, some private planes are more like second homes that fly.”

Yay...The economy is getting better.......Just kidding.‏

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-05/consumer-comfort-in-u-s-climbed-to-four-year-high-last-week.html

Yesterday (literally yesterday) the economy was improving. The sun was shining. The birds were singing. Happy days were here again. Throw some confetti in the air and lets celebrate our vibrant economy.

There’s a gradual acceleration underway in the economy,” said Michael Englund, chief economist at Action Economics.

“Today’s claims data and confidence reading put a positive spin going into tomorrow’s payroll report,” he said, projecting 210,000 jobs were created in March.

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-unemployment-report--20120406,0,5593688.story

24 hours later the sun is no longer shining. The birds are dead. The confetti is all over the street and nobody wants to sweep up the mess.

Job growth slowed to a slog last month and more workers dropped out of the labor market in a setback for the economic recovery and the momentum that President Obama had built recently from improving employment numbers. Employers nationwide added a weak 120,000 new positions in March, the government reported Friday, only about half of the job gains in each of the prior three months. Some of the slowdown was seen as a payback for inflated payrolls in the winter related to unusually mild weather.

Breaking News...Oil Market is a fraud‏

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/04/3537523/finance-expert-says-speculators.html

Holy Sh*t the oil market is a complete fraud….I can’t believe it…..I am appalled. You could knock me over with a feather with this breaking news.

I was certain it was all about supply and demand. I was sure gas was $4.00 a gallon because the Chinese economy was doing so well. I can’t believe a FIANANCIAL EXPERT would say the entire market is a sham.

I have only been saying the same thing everyday for the past 12 years. Except when I say there are no TV cameras or reporters. If there were maybe I could have saved the world economy a couple of trillion dollars.

Today's routine $4-and-higher prices for a gallon of gasoline have nothing to do with conventional supply-and-demand forces, Greenberger said. He formerly directed regulation of market trading in futures contracts and derivatives for the Commodities Futures Trading Commission.

"It is excessive speculation, which is a fancy word for saying that gamblers wearing Wall Street suits have taken these markets over," he said. (Made possible by the 2000 deregulation)

Financial speculators such as investment banks and hedge funds account for at least 65 percent of purchases of contracts for future oil deliveries, more than twice their traditional share, while buyers who intend to actually take delivery of the oil and use it, such as airlines, make up only about one-third of demand. The speculators bid up contract prices, sending oil and gasoline prices higher and reaping them huge profits.

Congress has tried (No they haven’t) to pressure the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to put limits (Regulations) on how many contracts anyone can buy, but financial interests (Big Oil) have stymied CFTC efforts in federal court.

The Energy Information Administration said Wednesday that U.S. crude oil inventories "are above the upper limit of the average range for this time of year." Total motor gasoline inventories also remain in the upper limit of the average range. Both were as of March 30. That means supplies are plentiful; there's no shortage pressure driving prices up.

Look up and Smile...Big Brother is watching you‏

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505266_162-57409759/drone-use-in-the-u.s-raise-privacy-concerns/

If you seem to always have the feeling you are being watched…..It is because you probably are. When they are done watching you they can also strip search you. It is all legal.

In February, President Barack Obama signed a bill that opens U.S. airspace to thousands of these unmanned aircraft.
The drones come in just about any size you want - as large as a passenger plane - or as small as a hummingbird.
There's no stopping this technology," "Anybody who thinks they can put this genie back in the box - that's silliness."

Everyone wants an eye in the sky: real estate agents to view properties; farmers to find thirsty crops; energy companies to build pipelines; local police departments want to launch neighborhood surveillance flights, or find hard to catch criminals.

The committee just passed legislation that the FAA estimates will put 10,000 drones in the sky by 2017.

"That drone is not just picking up information on what's happening at that specific scene, it's picking up everything else that's going on,"

Should people be worried that Big Brother is coming to watch them? "Well, there's always that concern,"

"The average person probably doesn't even realize that these small, back-packable systems are used as extensively as they have been,"

College Debt - The Complete Story‏

College Costs are completely out of control….

http://www.forbes.com/sites/steveodland/2012/03/24/college-costs-are-soaring/

Student Loan Debt is over 1 TRILLION Dollars.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303812904577295930047604846.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

College Graduates can’t find any jobs.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/19/business/economy/19grads.html

Conclusion…..In 2012 you are probably better off buying MegaMillions tickets then throwing your money away on College. You can’t afford it…There are no jobs…. And once you are in Debt Obama’s thugs won’t ever leave you alone.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-26/obama-relies-on-debt-collectors-profiting-from-student-loan-woe.html

Unemployment mystery - Bernanke is confused.

http://money.cnn.com/2012/03/26/news/economy/bernanke-federal-reserve/index.htm?iid=EL

Bernanke is confused as to why the unemployment rate is going down. It is a “puzzle” to him. He is an idiot.

Government numbers show the U.S. economy has added more than 200,000 jobs each month since January, and the unemployment rate has fallen to 8.3% from 9% in just five months. Meanwhile, the U.S. economy has been growing relatively slowly, most recently at a mere 3% annual pace.

Bernanke called those figures a 'puzzle.' For the unemployment rate to fall that significantly, the economy should have been growing much more quickly.

Bernanke obviously forgot that Congress didn’t approve the extension of unemployment benefits out to 99 weeks. Now in many states it is only 79 weeks.

http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2011/12/23/unemployment-extension-passed-but-eligibility-for-full-99-weeks-may-decline/

Because of this people who used to be collecting unemployment compensation no longer are. So these people are now magically counted as no longer unemployed. That works out great in an election year. Hey look everything is getting better. Please reelect me. It is all just smoke and mirrors. Bernanke is too stupid to understand how the economy works. He should call me up so I can explain it to him.

Microsoft last desperate chance to sell phones‏

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57405796-94/at-t-promises-biggest-launch-ever-for-lumia-900/

If you can’t sell the phone then sell the marketing.

AT&T and Nokia are bringing out the big guns when they launch the Lumia 900 next month.
"At all levels, this is a notch above anything we've ever done," AT&T device head Jeff Bradley said in an interview with CNET, noting that includes the launch of the iPhone.

The device represents the best -- and some would argue last -- chance for Nokia and the Windows Phone platform to have a breakout hit, something both have struggled to do in the past.

For consumers, the blitzkrieg will begin right around when the phone launches on April 8. AT&T and Nokia are readying a massive television marketing campaign to raise consumer awareness.

The Lumia 900 will be the centerpiece at AT&T stores, with massive signs and posters promoting the device. Nokia and AT&T spent considerable time training store reps, and a majority of them will be carrying one with them at all times.

"Before you walk in to the store, you know this is our hero phone," Bradley said, referring to the Lumia 900's flagship status.

AT&T and Nokia believe they can succeed with the Lumia 900 where other companies have failed with older Windows Phone devices

The $99.99 price makes it the most affordable flagship phone AT&T has ever offered. Bradley and Weber declined to comment on how much of a subsidy was placed on the device, but Weber noted that Nokia was under a mandate to supply a quality phone at a lower price. He would only say Nokia was being aggressive with the price accordance to its strong push to get into the U.S.
Still, both executives note that the companies can't buy their way to success, and are hoping the different user interface -- which rely on live tiles and a look that's dramatically different than iOS or Android -- will draw in new and existing smartphone customers.

Kraft

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-03/D9TOEV9G0.htm

Kraft Foods Inc. gave its CEO a pay package worth $15.7 million in 2011, which represents a 17 percent raise from the previous year.

The compensation for Irene Rosenfeld included a salary of $1.5 million, stock and option awards worth $9.7 million and incentive-based compensation of $4.2 million.

All other compensation came to $276,000 and covered costs for use of the company aircraft, car expenses and retirement plan contributions.

Kraft is also in the process of slashing 1,600 jobs as it readies to split its business into two publicly-traded companies.

The split is intended to help drive growth by sharpening the focus of its business units on particular brands. (The split is intended to create two separate IPO’s which will make their executives even more rich. AT&T tried this stupid idea and it was a resounding failure. AT&T and AT&T wireless = Stupid!)