Sunday, August 31, 2014

Canadian Rail Disaster Investigation....

The Canadian Rail disaster (one of the worst ever) was caused by lax regulations and poor oversight……Shocking I know.

When companies are left to do what they want to do, usually what they want to do is save money.  They do that by cutting corners.  That leads to people being killed.  In this case 47 people were killed.


Eighteen errors lines up to cause last summer's catastrophic derailment of a runaway train in the Quebec town of Lac-Mégantic, Canadian accident investigators said Tuesday, concluding an investigation that has revealed serious safety lapses in the transport of crude oil through Canada and the United States.

Among the factors: a "weak safety culture" in the railroad that transported the oil; a government agency that required safety plans from industry but did little to check them; and a train that consisted almost entirely of substandard tanker cars.

Those tanker cars -- known as DOT 111s -- still carry the bulk of the oil from the Bakken oil fields of North Dakota to ports on the east coast of the United States and Canada, although both countries -- spurred by the Lac-Mégantic tragedy -- are taking steps to phase them out.

The Lac-Mégantic derailment was among the most disastrous in modern North America. Forty-seven people died, some 40 buildings were destroyed and 53 vehicles were demolished when the 63 tank cars and two boxcars derailed and erupted in flames. About 2,000 residents of the community were evacuated.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) listed 18 factors contributing to the disaster, but declined to say whether any were more serious than the others. The accident may have been avoided if any one of the 18 factors were not present, the TSB's Jean Laporte told reporters.

Crude oil shipments by rail have increased dramatically in the past decade as oil companies have perfected technologies to extract oil from shale. The increase took a number of people by surprise, including government regulators, Tadros said.

In Canada, rail shipments of oil have increased from a mere 500 carloads in 2009 to 160,000 in 2013. In the U.S., shipments have increased from 10,800 carloads to 400,000 in the same period.

Tadros and Laporte said Transport Canada has taken measures of phase out the use of DOT-111 tankers -- one of three recommendations made in January in an unprecedented joint recommendation by the safety boards of both countries. But they sidestepped questions about whether newer, stronger tankers would have remained intact in the Lac-Mégantic derailment. TSB investigator Don Ross said there are "not enough data points" to determine whether newer tankers would have survived the incident.

The incident occurred July 6, 2013, when an engineer for the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway (MMA) parked the train for the night on a descending grade.

Investigators said the engineer set seven of the train's hand brakes, far fewer than the 17 to 26 needed to prevent the train from rolling. The additional holding power of the train's air brakes kept the train secure at first. But when a fire broke out in the lead locomotive because of a mechanical problem, the locomotive was shut down, an no additional air was provided to the air brakes.

A slow air leak led to the failure of the air brakes, and the unattended train rolled down the incline, reaching a top speed of 65 miles per hour before derailing seven miles away at a curve in Lac-Mégantic.

Many of the cars were split open, releasing large amounts of crude oil, which ignited, causing large fireballs and a pool fire.

The TSB said the railroad cut corners on engine maintenance and training, and that crude oil trains "ran largely unchecked" by Transport Canada, the Canadian equivalent of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

MMA filed for bankruptcy after the disaster. The railroad's Canadian assets have been sold.
Investigators also discovered that the oil was improperly described in shipping documents. It was labeled as a "Packing Group II" product, but was shipped as a less volatile Group III product.
Following the Lac-Mégantic disaster, the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued a safety advisory and announced an operation to conduct unannounced inspections and testing of the crude oil that is being shipped by rail.
Tadros, the TSB chair, said governments and the rail industry have made improvements, but more needs to be done.
Canada "still allows trains to be left unattended on a descending grade," she said. The government needs to do more than rubber-stamp companies' Safety Management Systems, which are intended to detect and address safety issues.
"It's not enough for a Safety Management Systems on paper; that SMS has to work, to do what it was designed to do," she said.

Saturday, August 30, 2014

H1B's about to start stealing US Nursing jobs too......

Most people associate H1B visa with stealing US IT jobs.  If you work as a nurse you probably don’t worry too much about H1B’s stealing your job……But you should be worried because you are up next. 

They can’t offshore nursing jobs to other countries, but they sure can bring foreign workers in to take the jobs here.  That is exactly what is being worked on.

There are no safe jobs.  All jobs can be replaced, and they are working on it as hard as they can.  Get ready.


A recent memo by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) now describes how nurses, who were not eligible because of past rules, now qualify to compete for the highly competitive visas.

The new USCIS policy memorandum last month now opens the door for nurses to compete for the H1B visas and if they get it, can join employment sooner, though their dependents would have to be on H4 visas. They can then pursue their Green Cards while at employment.

USVIS has now made three general groups of nursing jobs in the US eligible for H1B visa position:
·                     Nursing positions at healthcare organizations, under the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program. An H1B sponsor with ANCC Magnet status indicates that its nursing workforce has attained high standards of nursing practice and possesses at least a bachelor’s degree.
·                     Nurses performing specialized and complex duties usually associated with the attainment of a bachelor’s degree, such as: addiction nurses, cardiovascular nurses, critical care nurses; emergency room nurses; genetics nurses; neonatology nurses; nephrology nurses; oncology nurses; pediatric nurses; peri-operative nurses; or rehabilitation nurses.
Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) is considered a specialty occupation “due to the advanced level of education and training required for certification.” Some APRN positions include the Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM); the Certified Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS); Certified Nurse Practitioner (CNP); and the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA).

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Obama working Harder Than Ever To Get Rid Of Your Jobs........

Here it comes…….

Exactly what I told you was coming last January….Just in time for Labor Day. 

You thought I was kidding, but I wasn’t. Better get that Resume ready. Obama is working extra hard (behind closed doors) to make sure you are soon unemployed.

“The White House is considering proposals FROM BUSINESS and immigrant rights groups that are pressing President Obama to provide HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of new green cards for HIGH TECH WORKERS and the relatives of U.S. citizens and permanent residents.”

Notice nowhere does it say anyone is going to be getting Amnesty, because it was never about that. It is simply about replacing high cost US workers, with low Cost foreign workers. That is the most important thing.

This isn’t even about what is going on at the southern border. The replacement workers will be coming from India. They will be coming to replace you. So get ready.

If you work in IT my suggestion would be to start cleaning your desk now. Don’t wait. Once HR taps you on the shoulder things are going to start moving quickly. You don’t want to forget your family picture in all the turmoil. You might get distracted in the excitement of your new life being unemployed. So get a jump on these things now.

Also they may ask you to stay on and train your new replacement. Be nice to them. It is not their fault they work for less then you. Talk slowly, since they may not understand exactly what you are talking about. In your rage you might get excited and start yelling. Don’t do it. It is unprofessional.

If any of what is about to happen surprises you, than you clearly haven’t been reading my previous posts. None of this should be a surprise to anyone.

If you are an American worker you are the enemy. Your government will not stop until you are unemployed.

“The outside proposals (Outside proposals = Corporate proposals) delivered to the White House would MORE THAN DOUBLE the number of people allowed into the country on employment- and family-based green cards from the annual global cap of 366,000.” (You know how today, when you look around you see a lot of Indians….Well you are about to see even more)

“We believe that the theme for the package of changes you undertake administratively should be focused on opening the legal immigration system for more to benefit,” a coalition of businesses and immigrant rights groups led by Bruce Morrison, a former congressman from Connecticut, wrote in a letter to the White House this week.”

Business….Business…..Business….That is what it is all about. Not human rights…Not helping the less fortunate. It is about replacing you. That is it. Obama is only too happy to lead the charge to find your replacement. Don’t feel bad because if Romney won, it would be the exact same thing.

the administration has held 20 meetings in the past two months to solicit input from stakeholders (businesses). (Did you get invited to any of those meetings? Yeah me neither)

Opponents of such proposals, including many Republicans, have argued that increasing the number of immigrants allowed into the country to work could (Absolutely will) harm American workers in search of jobs (or who currently have jobs…but soon won’t) in an economy still recovering from the effects of a global recession.

“The increases in foreign workers demanded by corporate lobbyists would be in addition to the administration’s plan to implement amnesty by executive fiat, providing work permits to 5 to 6 million illegal immigrants (5 to 6 million less jobs for US workers. The high skilled jobs are going bye bye. The low skilled jobs are going bye bye. All the jobs are going bye bye. Fantastic.)

Happy Labor Day. Enjoy being home with nothing to do. You will have a lot more of that shortly.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/white-house-considers-proposals-to-sharply-increase-legal-immigration/2014/08/27/f808ffdc-2d23-11e4-bb9b-997ae96fad33_story.html

A 9 year old and an Uzi.....Great Idea.

When I was 9 years old I shot a 22 caliber rifle laying down on a mat. I guess times have changed. Now you hand a 9 year old an Uzi and then wonder why that brilliant idea doesn’t end with a happy ending. I guess since assault weapons are legal training everyone is the prudent thing to do.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/9-year-old-girl-accidentally-shoots-dead-gun-instructor-uzi-police-article-1.1917858

This is not the first time this kind of stupidy has happened. In 2008 an 8 year old shot himself to death with an Uzi too. Maybe they should just go back to the 22.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/27399337/ns/us_news-life/t/boy-accidentally-kills-self-gun-show/

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Warren Buffett Caught in the Burger King Scandal......

The Golden Boy Warren Buffett is caught in the middle of Burger Kings Traitorous activities. Warren is financing 25% of the anti American moves.
Warren Buffett always finds a way to avoid the criticism, it really is amazing.
Warren wants everyone to believe he is this average everyday guy, who just happened to make lots of money. Really it could have happened to anyone. At the end of the day he is just like you and me. He could be your grandfather. All that money does not define him.
The man can do no wrong.
In a lot of ways he reminds me of Lance Armstrong. Everyone loved Lance and he could do no wrong either. He stood on the top of the mountain, and everyone below him were corrupt and dishonest…..known cheaters. But Lance could beat them all, and be completely honest and trust worthy to boot. Sure there were rumors he was a maggot but never any hard proof. So everyone just had to ogle his every move. He was larger then life.
Warren to me is the same guy. He stands on top of the mountain, and everyone below him are liars and cheaters, and scoundrels. Wall Street is not a place for the faint of heart, but Warren went there and made more money then everyone else. He did it the honest way too. He is completely wholesome and good.. pure as the driven snow. He is a man that can do no wrong.
One day….Just like Lance, he will be exposed for the fraud that he is.
It has already started some.
I am looking forward to it happening a lot more.
Nobody makes more money then everybody else on planet Earth (minus Bill Gates) without having a lot of dead bodies hidden in the closet. At some point they are all going to fall out and he will be exposed.
Until then I guess everyone should keep worshipping him.

Burger King Backlash Begins.......

The Burger King Backlash begins. 

Yay!!!!!!

“By Monday afternoon, Burger King's Facebook page had more than 1,000 mostly negative comments about the deal”. 

(Those 1000 negative comments didn’t count my negative Facebook post…so really it should be 1001 negative comments.)

“Customer Gabe Givens wrote on Burger King's Facebook page: 'If you attempt to buy Tim Hortons for the purposes of evading US taxes, I will NEVER step foot in another Burger King again. Don't do it.”

(That is the spirit Gabe….Good for you. Tell Burger King to drop dead. Take your Whoppers and shove em. Oh and take down the American flag in front of your restaurants…..You don’t mean it, and it is insulting to see it flying there. A lot of people died for that flag, and to see it on your properties is insulting. The American flag represents real Americans and you no longer qualify.

(So Me and Gabe will be sitting over at Mcdonalds enjoying an all American meal and discussing how great our country will be once Burger King is out of the way.)

"A message from Mike Gee carried a similar sentiment. He said: 'Move to Canada to avoid paying taxes and I will never darken the door of a Burger King again. Does corporate greed in this country ever end? Shame!'

(I don’t know what “Darken the door” means but sounds good. If it means Burger King no longer gets any American money, than I support it)

Zach Bernstein added his disapproving voice to the debate. He wrote: 'I don't patronize corporations that engage in tax inversions, so if you do take that route, count me among the many Americans who will never enter one of your stores again.' (Me too….Count me too)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2734398/Will-way-Burger-King-face-boycott-plans-avoid-taxes-Canada.html

Congress is taking notice too. Even though Congress allows this to happen in the first place. They could easily stop this anti American activity if they chose. $10.00 tarrif on all Whoppers would make the point nicely. Unfortunately Congress is a fraud, and besides the yelling and screaming there isn’t much value to anything they do. But I support Sherrod Browns effort to snub Burger King.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/08/26/ohio-sen-sherrod-brown-calls-for-burger-king-boycott-over-mooted-tim-hortons/

"Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, released a statement Monday calling on consumers to boycott the home of the Whopper after Burger King announced late Sunday"

"Burger King’s decision to abandon the United States means consumers should turn to Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers or White Castle sliders," Brown said. "Burger King has always said 'Have it Your Way'; well my way is to support two Ohio companies that haven’t abandoned their country or customers." Wendy's is based in Dublin, Ohio, while White Castle is headquartered in Columbus."

"White House spokesman Josh Earnest wouldn't comment on Burger King's announcement on Monday (why not?), but said the president generally believes it's unfair for companies to pursue a tax inversion merely to pay less in taxes."

(President Obama needs a spine. He should have said “Burger King is Anti American. They should take all of their restaurants to Canada and keep them there”. Watching Obama fumble around is like watching the cowardly lion in the Wizard of Oz)

Monday, August 25, 2014

Britain Celebrates Burning The White House.....

Britain celebrates burning the White House with a cake....

Burger King Leaving America....True Patriots.

Burger King is about to run off to Canada to avoid paying their US taxes. Good for them. Screw America. America deserves nothing. America only exists for its consumers. 

Consumers who are supposed to magically have money…… just not from any US corporations.

From a corporations perspective it is only a one way street. The money flows out of your wallet directly to them. But it never returns the other way. Ever!

Two can play that game though. Next time you see a Burger King approaching, just drive right by. Don’t even turn your head and look. You keep the money in your wallet, and let them keep the sh*tty food behind their counter.

At the end of the night, when all the food is still sitting there (and the cash register is empty) let them explain it to corporate. When the CEO checks the numbers and has to explain the lack of money maybe he will figure it out. I am sure he will come up with something positive to tell the investors. Those guys are magicians with words. He can tell them about all the savings Burger King pocketed by not paying US taxes. He can then offer the irate investors all the leftover chicken sandwiches. I am sure those will make everyone feel better.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/08/25/burger-king-in-talks-to-buy-tim-hortons/14554245/

Qatar and Al Gore......

Qatar and Al Gore……..

Qatar – A tiny oil rich country located in the Persian Gulf, who supports all sides of every issue. 

If you need a friend, look no further than Qatar. They support Hamas. They support the Taliban. They support the rebels in Syria, Iraq, and Libya.

If you believe the Germans, Qatar is even funding Isis.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/20/us-iraq-security-germany-qatar-idUSKBN0GK1I720140820

Qatar also support The United States Military (and Britains military too).

Why should Qatar pay for their own armed services, when the United States will protect them for free.

Qatar built the longest airstrip in the Middle East, and invited the Pentagon to come set up shop. When Saudi Arabia told the United States to get out, Qatar rolled out the red carpet.

You want to know where the US Central Command (for the Middle East) is located…..That is correct, it is in Qatar. Our buddy.

With the US military sitting there, nobody messes with Qatar.

When there was no news organizations telling the anti American (Anti Israel) side of the news, Qatar stepped up and funded Al Jazeera. That news organization spent years bashing the United States, and supporting the terrorist point of view.

As the Qatari’s clapped (as the US warplanes took off from Qatari soil, to bomb the terrorists) across town Al Jazeera was reporting how awful the USA is.

That two faced strategy has worked out great for Qatar.

When the United States needed to send (ultra dangerous) Gitmo prisoners somewhere (in exchange for Bowe Bergdahl) Qatar raised their hand and said send them here. We love terrorists.

When Hamas leaders go into exile, they also usually choose Qatar.

Want to know why you never hear about terrorism in Qatar, it is because everyone likes them. They are a country with no enemies.

Well no enemies except for Al Gore that is……

Al Gore made a lot of money telling everyone how bad fossil fuels are.

But when Al wanted to cash in on (his flailing) Current TV, he was only too happy to take piles of oil money (500 million to be exact) from (anti America) Al Jazeera.

If the stack of money is high enough, Al would sell his own mother.

Al will tell you all about how oil money is terrible….. except when it is going into his personal bank account.

The only problem (for Al) is Al Jazeera stiffed him on 65 million bucks. Now Al is suing Al Jazeera to get his oil money. He will not be denied one penny.

You get em Al……Man of principle.

http://variety.com/2014/biz/news/al-gore-al-jazeera-lawsuit-1201287970/

When Al Gore ran for president (in 1999) he had a net worth of 1.7 million. 15 years later he has over 200 million. He didn’t get that by filling out a time card, or sitting in a cubicle either.

Sure the last 15 years have been the worst economic time since the Great Depression. But that is for you…..Not for Al.

Al warned you if George W Bush became President it would be terrible, and it was…..For you.

The economy you are in, and the economy he is in, are not exactly the same.

Al was in the US House of Representatives for 8 years, and didn’t fix global warming. He was in the US Senate for 8 more years, and didn’t fix global warming then either. He was Vice President for an additional 8 years and guess what he didn’t do? That is right, he didn’t fix global warming.

But in the 15 years (as a private citizen) he has done incredibly well stacking piles of money, while simultaneously crying crocodile tears, about our environmental problems. The same problems he spend 24 years in positions of power not fixing.

Tomorrow if you set a personal goal of making100 million (in the next 10 years) you would probably fail. I would bet money you would not meet that goal.

But if you are a Clinton, or a Gore, making piles of money is as easy as breathing. That is what public service is all about. The self-sacrifice of putting your countries needs above your own (Wink wink).

Anyway good luck to Al Gore taking on Qatar….We will all be watching your tragic struggle.

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Sears lost 1 Billion.....Congrats.

Sears just reported losing 1 Billion Dollars in the last 6 months.  That is stellar.  They must be so proud.

This is their 9th consecutive quarterly loss.  The 30 consecutive month of declining sales.  No matter how sparkling the store displays (of Made in China merchandise) unemployed Americans are not buying any of it. 

Don’t despair though….I am sure next quarter Sears will turn the corner and prosperity will rain down.  Those unemployed Americans are just itching to bust through the front door and start spending.  Definitely don’t change the strategy.  Don’t lose faith that unemployed Americans are the best consumers.  Just stay the course.


So to recap….Despite it no longer being winter.

Sears failed miserably. 
Walmart failed miserably. 
Amazon.com failed miserably. 
Target failed miserably.   
Staples failed miserably.
Lowes failed miserably.


I could go on and on but you get the idea.  Made in China = Nobody is buying.  Not in the store.  Not online.  Not anywhere. 

On the bright side Obama said the economy is getting better….so there is always that.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/22/business/sears-holdings-posts-first-half-loss-of-nearly-1-billion.html?_r=0

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Electronic Medical Records......

Chinese Computer hackers just stole 4.5 million American medical records. You can thank President Obama for that. He is the one that made it possible for that to happen. Please send him a thank you note.
If you go back 5 years, when Obama was pushing Obamacare, he often spoke about the need to make all medical records electronic. He had a 5 year plan. TADA it has now been 5 years….. and the Chinese are looking at your X Rays.
Back in 2009 having electronic medical records were a reoccurring Obama theme. At the time I could never figure out what that was all about. I kept hearing him call for it, but I didn’t understand what the point was.
Then a few years later Edward Snowden kicked open the doors at the NSA (and went running down the street) yelling “Obama is tracking your every move…..Obama is tracking your every move…..” Then suddenly it all made a lot more sense.
If Obama wants to know everything about you….. listen to your calls, read your emails, track your movements, know where you shop, and what you buy, and how often you go, and every other thing you do in your life. Well your medical records are a pretty big part of who you are.
How is Obama going to know you went to the doctor for a tummy ache, if the medical record is in a steel file cabinet at the back of your doctors office? That does Obama no good. He needs that information online. He was only too happy to have your tax dollars pay to make it happen.
When you go to the doctor, you assume it is between you, your doctor, and the insurance company. Really it is between you, your doctor, the insurance company, the NSA, President Obama, and the Government of Communist Red China. Everyone is interested in your tummy.
So next time the nurse tells you to follow her into the exam room, you can just start undressing in the waiting room. Really it is pretty much the same thing as having electronic medical records.

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Synthetic Marijuana.....

Synthetic Marijuana, Sometimes called Spice, Sometimes called bath salts, sometimes called Molly. Sometimes called Smile. Sometimes called H Bomb. Sometimes called Potpourri. Sometimes called K2. Sometimes called Scooby Snacks.
If you don’t know what I am talking about, and you have kids, you should pay close attention.
This stuff is sold all over the place. Drug stores, gas stations, tobacco shops….It is marketed directly to (your) kids, through colorful packaging, and lots of clever names. Mostly it has been legal.
It is made of leafy plant material and looks like Marijuana, except it is laced with industrial chemicals. The Chemicals could put your kids in the emergency room. They could also put your kids into the mortuary. It is not a game.
This stuff first showed up in 2008 and has gotten worse each year. The government has tried to put a stop to it, but it is incredible difficult, because of all the deregulation.
Synthetic Marijuana is coming straight out of Communist Red China. Chinese scientists develop this stuff to poison your kids. As soon as our government cracks down on a specific formulation, the Chinese simply change the formulation slightly, and the product remains legal.
This cat and mouse game has been described as playing a game of whack a mole. Except this game has deadly consequences.
It is so bad in New Hampshire, that that state just filed a state of emergency to deal with the crisis.

Friday, August 15, 2014

Walmart concern for Made in USA......How nice!

Amazing what happens when the profit dries up, and the stock price goes down. 

After decades of leading the charge to end manufacturing in the United States, now suddenly WalMart is having a change of heart. 

Maybe a country full of unemployed people really isn’t going to be great for business after all. Maybe we should rethink our incredibly stupid ideas.

After shoving humpty dumpty off the wall (and laughing as he splattered on the ground below) the Walmart executives now scratch their head wondering if maybe they could put humpty back together again. You guys scrape up some of that goo, and I will grab these pieces of shell. Maybe we can make this happen.

Walmart Stores (WMT), which has pledged to buy an additional $250 billion in U.S.-made goods over the next decade, is hitting a snag as it tries to meet that promise: Some vendors keen to participate in the initiative complain that after decades of offshoring it has become impossible to domestically source even commonplace components for their products.

(All the factories have been boarded up (just like Walmart wanted) and all the employees are standing in the unemployment line. Companies want to buy made in the USA, but no such thing exists anymore. What to do….what to do……)

America's largest retailer has invited dozens of small- and midsize manufacturers that aren't necessarily interested in having a direct relationship with Walmart to come to Denver this week for a two-day matchmaking event.

The goal? To connect Walmart vendors hungry for key parts with manufacturers that have idle plants -- and to put those plants back to work cranking out components, such as small electric motors or polyester yarn, that have become hard to find. (The parts are not hard to find….They are in China. Exactly where Walmart told them to go.)

"We're going to try to match up [vendors] who are looking for component parts with factories that have capacity in the hopes that we can rebuild that supply chain that doesn't exist anymore," said Michelle Gloeckler, the Walmart senior vice president in charge of the initiative. (A supply chain that doesn’t exist anymore thanks to Walmart….They always leave out the important information. Luckily I am here to fill in all the blanks. You’re welcome!)

Critics of the retailing giant (Andrew) are quick to claim that Walmart, which built its empire on low prices, is partially (A lot more than partially) to blame for the sorry state of U.S. manufacturing.

Mary Bottari, a former trade analyst for Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, says Walmart's push for cheap goods "has fueled a global race to the bottom in wages and working conditions." And the Economic Policy Institute, a union-friendly think tank, estimates Walmart's trade with China alone has cost the United States 200,000 jobs. (They are missing a lot of zero’s)

Walmart disputes those claims, (of course they do) and spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan says Boston Consulting Group has estimated that the domestic-sourcing initiative will create 1 million jobs (more like 12 ) in manufacturing and related service jobs.

The "Made in USA" program was conceived as a way to help Walmart win back customers (Nah…I am still not going to shop at Walmart)

Walmart says the 18-month-old program is a winner with customers. It hopes the Denver event, which has attracted 100 component part manufacturers as well hundreds of existing and wannabe Walmart vendors, will allow it to rapidly increase the number of U.S.-made products available in its more than 4,200 U.S. stores.

(If Walmart was serious about fixing the “made in USA” problem they would simply say all products sold in our store need to be made in the USA by 2018. If not they will no longer be sold at Walmart. Problem solved. If thye do that then you can get your resume ready, because an economic boom is about to happen. The fact that Walmart doesn’t say that lets you know they are not really serious. They are just trying to get people (like me) to stop bashing them. But I am going to continue bashing them because it brings me such joy.)

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2014/08/14/walmart-plan-boost-usa-made-goods/

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Walmarts Crappy Forcast.....

Walmart is telling investors the remainder of the year is going to be just as sh*tty as the beginning of the year. Devastating news…..

Sales at existing United States stores, an important metric, were flat compared with the same quarter a year earlier (Not what Wall Street wants to hear fellas)

Traffic in its United States stores, which has been a problem for the company (Unemployed Americans don’t go to Walmart), fell 1.1 percent during the quarter,

The United States division at Walmart has been contending with dwindling traffic (As the jobs disappeared…… so did the consumers) and weak sales in recent quarters.

The retailer, the nation’s largest, relies on its domestic business (not Chinese business) for the majority of its revenue.

After an extraordinarily difficult winter (shiver), there was hope that the spring and early summer would bring positive news, but so far, retail results for the quarter have generally been muted. (I am shocked……unemployed people don’t buy things when it is cold… or hot….Who could have guessed.)

Walmart executives said Thursday that American customers continued to be cautious, concerned about the cost of living and the country’s employment landscape (Riiiiight employment…..The thing Walmart worked incredibly hard to make sure Americans don’t have any of. They did that by filling their stores wall to wall with Chinese made goods. They then Shunned any company attempting to make things in the United States. Congrats Walmart….. you are now the big winner.)

Walmart’s core customers tend to have lower incomes, and have experienced the most difficult recovery from the recession. (Thanks to Walmart)

The only country in the division that had a sales decline at existing stores was China, where the company has struggled to gain a solid footing. (That is right folks…….China, the country we were all told was going to be the Utopia for Corporate America (with their 1 billion people) is the ONLY country to show a sales DECLINE. Makes me so happy. Americans don’t want Walmarts crappy products, and neither do the Chinese. Fantastic!)

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/15/business/walmart-lowers-forecast-as-us-sales-remain-weak.html?_r=0#

Cisco 6000 layoffs.

Cisco….. One of the many technology companies who went to Washington complaining they can’t find qualified US workers (so they NEED more foreign workers) is now laying off 6000 workers. 

8% of their workforce is being given the ol kick in the azz! Thanks for everything……Now get out.

This is the fourth consecutive summer Cisco has laid off thousands of workers. It is a tradition. Every summer thousands get shown the exit. The remainder of the year the company is very busy bellyaching they can’t find qualified people. If it wasn’t so tragic it would be amusing.

http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_26330914/biz-break-cisco-confirms-annual-summer-layoffs-hack

Cisco has made layoffs a summer tradition, announcing 4,000 cuts last August, 1,300 layoffs in July 2012 and a reduction of 6,500 jobs in July 2011.

(Employees love companies with a strong sense of tradition)

Cisco's earnings also revealed that the company shipped $13.3 billion back to shareholders in the form of stock repurchases and dividends in the recently completed fiscal year, a record for the company, and plans to repurchase another $8.6 billion in shares.

(Take the money away from the employees and hand it over to Wall Street. It is that “income redistribution” Fox News warned everybody about)

Silicon Valley tech companies have made a habit of spending record profits on stock repurchases and dividends as employee counts stagnate.

In 2013, the 150 largest technology companies in the Bay Area increased stock repurchases 148 percent and returned a record $97.5 billion to investors while the total workforce increased 3.1 percent.

Wallstreet gets 148% increase

Workers get 3.1% increase.

Everyone good with that? You don’t have to answer that because nobody really cares what you think.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

3 "Minor" Safety Violations at Millstone.

Millstone sited for “minor” safety violations.
A worker inhaling radioactive material is considered “minor”. Hey, that stuff happens.
Two contractors working on radioactively contaminated pipes April 20 failed to wear respirators that were not required by the plant.

A previous evaluation by the plant, owned by Dominion Resources Inc., determined that work on the replacement of a safety injection system valve should be done with respiratory protection.
However, two contractors (Contractors are people brought in who usually don’t know what they are doing….But they are cheaper) began machining radioactively contaminated piping to prepare for welding a new valve and were not wearing respirators.
(So you are inside a nuclear power plant and you decide to cut pipe without knowing what the pipes do? …Sure why not…..What could go wrong with that?)
A machinist breathed in a fine, dust-like material containing radioactivity that was from the interior surfaces of the piping being machined. Some of the material would likely have become airborne as the pipes were cut.
The nuclear plant also was cited for failing to maintain procedures at its two units to assess a loss of cooling during refueling operations.
(Why would you need procedures for a loss of cooling in a nuclear power plant? I am sure they can figure out a plan once a problem occurred. Cooling at a nuclear power plant is very over rated)
The NRC said Dominion established temporary measures (Turn on a fan) to correct the problem, including procedure changes to direct operators to the shutdown safety assessment checklists.
Federal regulators also said Millstone failed to maintain an adequate procedure for filling and draining reactors that incorporates guidance from the NRC.
Keep in mind we still don’t know what happened with the ruptured tank (spilling radioactive water) that occurred in May. These “minor” violations are separate from that minor incident.

Monday, August 11, 2014

Misguided Middle East Rage......

Over the last month I have read a lot of outrage towards Israel, as they have battled Hamas in the Gaza Strip. I am fine with this. People don’t like Israel and they are entitled to that opinion. They see Hamas as a sympathetic group, who are mere victims of Israeli aggression. The Gaza strip is seen as a humanitarian tragedy. To many Hamas is not responsible for any of the terrible things that have taken place there. Do I agree? No. Do I care if people think that? I do not.

What really amazes me though are the people who pretend to be outraged by the 1,900 dead Palestinians, but are completely silent on the 170,000 dead Syrians.

Right next door Men, Woman, children, and the elderly…… all dead and nobody says a word. No outrage of any kind. Why is that? 1/3 of the dead in Syria are Civilians. Yet you would think the only civilians being killed are in the Gaza Strip.

If the current level of fighting (in Israel) lasted 4 more years there would be 86,000 dead people. That is 84,000 less dead people than in Syria over the same time period.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Jul-10/263416-syria-war-toll-tops-170000-one-third-civilians.ashx#axzz3A5pThD8a

Yet Israel stirs rage, but Syria….Yeah not so much.

Just last week (In Syria) a woman was placed in a hole, while people threw rocks at her head until she was dead. They did that because she was accused of adultery.

http://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/Women-stoned-to-death-in-Syria-for-adultery-5678725.php

Can there be any worse treatment of a fellow human being? This is 2014 for crying out loud. Yet I have waited for some kind of daily outrage (of the type I continually see against Israel) but I have seen none. If Israel stoned somebody you bet people would be real upset. Yet when it happens in the Muslim world it is somehow less outrageous.

In Iraq they are rounding up Christian children and beheading them. They are then taking the heads and placing them on poles (in the local park) as a warning of what happens if you do not convert to Islam. They are then making fancy music videos to celebrate (and promote) this success. Again I have seen no outrage on this either. The Pope is pretty upset, but on Social Media I have seen nothing.

Originally ISIS said if Christians paid a fine they could stay. Many of them did pay but were killed anyway. Mass executions are a daily occurrence. Line up your enemy (innocent people who have different beliefs than you) and shoot them all in the head.

ISIS is aligned with Hamas. They are birds of the same feather. They support each other. People sympathize with Hamas but stay silent on ISIS. Personally I don’t understand.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/isis-systematically-beheading-children-in-iraq-they-are-killing-every-christian-they-see-says-chaldean-leader-124594/

ISIS is burying people alive. To me that is outrageous. Yet I see no outcry on this act either.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iraq-crisis-islamic-militants-buried-alive-yazidi-women-and-children-in-attack-that-killed-500-9659695.html

Women are being gang raped by ISIS. Outrage for that? Nope!

http://www.inquisitr.com/1403656/islamic-militants-gang-rape-catholic-nurse-in-libya-after-beheading-construction-worker/

The kind of behavior taking place right now is the worst of the worst. There is no way to be any crueler (or intolerant) of people who do not share your views. Yet the only people being taken to task (in the news, by the politicans, and on social media) is Israel. If people are going to do that (it is fine but) at least be fair.

Israel has a long way to go, before their treatment of the Palestinians, is even close to some Muslim treatment of Christians. And some Muslims treatment of fellow Muslims.

People should get some perspective. The real tragedy isn’t in Gaza, but rather next door in Syria and Iraq.

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Tainted Peanut Butter......

One more example of deregulation NOT working. 

Unless your idea of working is people eating tainted peanut butter and dying. If that was the goal then this story should make you proud.

Just like GM knowing their ignition switches were faulty (and saying NOTHING) while people dyed.

This company knew their peanut butter was contaminated (with Salmonella) and also said nothing. Once again people died.

Notice the trend?

There were no laws requiring a test for salmonella. There were no laws preventing the shipment of tainted products either. It was assumed companies would do the right thing. But (as I like to point out) companies never do the right thing.

If you can

A) ship tainted product which might (and did) kill people, but make money doing it….Well why wouldn’t you?

B) You throw the tainted product in the garbage and lose money. Nobody ever chooses B.

The hope is once the dead bodies start piling up nobody realizes its because of your tainted product.

In this case people figured it out. Darn it!

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/breaking-news/index.ssf/2014/08/trial_of_peanut_company_leader.html

Witnesses say Stewart Parnell and others at Peanut Corporation of America knowingly shipped salmonella-tainted products, and that they sent customers lab results from other clean batches rather than wait for tests to confirm their products were free of deadly bacteria.

Defense lawyers correctly noted for the jurors that salmonella tests aren't even required by federal law. (Deregulation)

Parnell and his two co-defendants face long prison sentences if convicted of knowingly shipping the contaminated peanut products linked to a nationwide salmonella outbreak that killed nine people and sickened 714 across 43 states in 2008 and 2009.

Their plant in rural Blakely, Georgia, was shut down and the company went bankrupt. Long after consumers ate contaminated peanut butter, ice cream, energy bars and other products, the outbreak prompted one of the largest food recalls in U.S. history.

"If they didn't require it, it did not get tested," Samuel Lightsey, who managed the Georgia plant during the outbreak, (Translation….If the government doesn’t force me to do the right thing than I am not doing it. I really hope the government doesn’t force me.)

FDA inspector Janet Gray walked the jury through documents showing at least eight of those salmonella-tainted lots were shipped to customers anyway. (F*ck it….Ship it)

"There is no legal requirement for testing at all for salmonella," Tom Bondurant, Stewart Parnell's defense lawyer, told jurors during opening statements Aug. 1. "There wasn't then, and there's not now." (Companies do not need the government to tell them what to do. Free markets means free from government interference. Salmonella is good natural flavoring. People like it. The government needs to mind their own business. Oh your tummy hurts…huh Don’t tell anyone you ate our peanut butter. I gotta go)

Public outcry over the peanut case and several other outbreaks of food borne illness led Congress to pass the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011, which was supposed to give the FDA more resources and enforcement power.

Three years later, most of its rules have not been published, and the FDA still doesn't require that products be free of salmonella when shipped, said Hanson. His organization sued the FDA and won a federal consent decree ordering the agency to implement the law by next year.

Friday, August 8, 2014

Communist Red China Attacking US Corporations.....

Communist Red China is turning against US Corporations. Specifically they are turning against Microsoft. 

I know this is shocking news….Everyone put on your shocked faces. Who could have predicted The communist government of China would turn hostile to US corporations? You could knock me over with a feather on this one.

US corporations were positive that Communist China would be the center of open markets and skyrocketing sales. It is astonishing that the government will now not allow that to happen.

US corporations ran over and showed the Communists everything. This is how you make all of our products. These are all our secrets. We will tell you whatever you want to know. You want to see the source code to Windows….No problem. Bill will be right over.

There was no reason to keep secrets, because these were good trusted friends. If you can’t trust the Communists, then who can you trust? Isn’t that what the Cold War was all about?

Yes, yes, Tell them everything, because in the long run those people are going to buy all your products. No really, they will. Trust them.

They just left out one small tiny detail. Once you show the Chinese how to build all your stuff, guess what? They don’t need you anymore. They can make new factories, and produce your products without you. The best part is they can sell those products, and not give you any money. Aren’t free markets (in a communist dictatorships) fun? See China protects their companies (unlike in America….. where nobody gives a sh*t). Protectionism is mocked in the United States. In China it is used to achieve stellar results.

Bottom line is China will not open up their markets to American companies. They will say they will. But it never actually happens. So you can send them your jobs. You can send them your technology. But as far as making money on their consumers……Hahahahahah yeah right.

It isn’t just Microsoft being bludgeoned to death by the Chinese government either. There are lots of US companies. Apple has received similar treatment. The Chinese would rather buy an Apple knock off (made by a Chinese company) then an iphone. Besides slave laborers can’t afford IPhones anyway.

Capitalism is a beautiful thing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/29/business/microsoft-offices-in-china-are-targets-of-authorities-visits.html#

Chinas fake Iphone outselling Apple.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/2265523-xiaomi-is-a-big-threat-to-apple

Tainted Tattoo Ink.....

If you are thinking about getting a tattoo you might want to wait. 

There is tainted tattoo ink out there. The ink is most likely from China. I say most likely because the story doesn’t explicitly say the ink is from China…… but when you Google the company name White and Blue Lion, Inc it shows they import from China. So just do the math.

Contamination and China go hand in hand.

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/12502/20140808/fda-warns-public-of-infected-tattoo-ink-recalls-contaminated-tattoo-kits.htm

http://www.zepol.com/importer/North-America/USA/Pacific/California/City-Of-Industry/White-Blue-Lion.aspx

the FDA said that it became aware of the dangers posed by tattooing following the results of laboratory tests that found unopened tattoo ink bottles sold by White and Blue Lion, Inc., were positive for microbial bacterial contamination with one illness already reported due to use of the contaminated products.

Injecting contaminated ink can cause bumps in the skin, redness, swelling, discharge and severe pain at the site but the symptoms could be more serious in individuals with existing heart and circulatory conditions as well as those with weak immune systems.

Contaminated tattoo ink may also contain a bacterium that can spread through the blood stream and cause sepsis, a severe blood infection that could cause organ failure and even death. Every year, about 258,000 Americans die because of sepsis.

Bank Of America...Largest Single Fine Ever

Bank of America agrees to pay the biggest single penalty in history. Congrats to them. 

This fine comes after JP Morgan previously held the record for the largest single fine. Way to go Bank of America for not taking a back seat to anybody. Always remember there are no points for second best. When it comes to fraud, these huge banks are ultra competitive. You have to admire that.

When I look at the incredible sums of money that have flown all over the place in this housing /wall street debacle. There was the Hundreds of Billions lost to their initial bad decisions. There was Hundreds of billions (more) spent to bail out those bad decisions. Now there is the tens of billions paid in fines for all the bad decisions. It adds up to a real lot of money.

The only thing that still amazes me is that absolutely nobody has gone to jail for any of it. I find that astounding. Nothing makes me happier then executives in handcuffs. Yet it has been 7 years and I haven’t gotten to enjoy that sight once. Very disheartening.

When the Enron scandal happened it was pure joy watching their executives do the perp walk. Nothing brought a bigger smile to my face then seeing them placed in the back of a police car, hands shackled behind their back. It was pure joy. Everyday I wake up (with a smile) knowing Jeffrey skilling is still sitting in a jail cell. Today he is in a jail cell. Tomorrow he will be in a jail cell. It is really great.

But I feel like as a tax payer I have been denied that joy with the fat cat bankers. It is a real shame.

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/08/06/bank-of-america-nears-17-billion-settlement-over-mortgages/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0#

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Walgreens.....

A US Corporation is doing the right thing. It is almost unbelievable. 

President Obama might need to hold a press conference to acknowledge this incredible happening. Americans around the country will huddle in front of their TVs (jaws dropped) as Obama tells the story of a US corporation doing the right thing.

“My fellow Americans…. today something completely unprecedented has happened. A US Corporation did something that does not screw our great country..….Now please do not panic. This event does not signal the end of the world.”

http://money.cnn.com/2014/08/06/news/companies/walgreens-alliance-boots/

Walgreens says it will base its corporate offices in the Chicago area when it completes its acquisition of European drug store operator Alliance Boots.

Walgreens also said it was mindful of the public reaction to moving overseas (They must read my Facebook posts)

as well as the fact that a major portion of its revenue is derived from government-funded reimbursement programs. (Yes it doesn’t look good when companies happily take government money, but refuse to pay into the system)

initial reaction from investors was not pretty -- shares fell nearly 10% in premarket trading. (Wall Street DESPISES companies that do the right thing. It is hateful. It is unseemly. How dare they….)

A record number of companies have gone overseas this year in search of tax advantages. Nearly 50 moved in the first half of 2014, up from only 29 in the previous TWO DECADES)

A report from the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxes estimates that the U.S. will lose billions in tax revenue to inversions in the next 10 years. (Don’t worry folks…..they will just cut programs for the poor. It will all be fine.)

There has been a political outcry over the 'tax inversion' deals. Lawmakers in both parties agree that the system is broken (So fix it)

but disagree on what to do about it. (I got an idea….How about you fix it.)

President Obama recently called the practice unpatriotic. (I agree)