Sanity returns to Iraqi capital? No Bid Oil deals reversed

What?? A serious, NON political Post?
I got tired of shouting STOP thief, to the republicans.

I missed this... It wasn't on TMZ (not that I usually go there...) or X17online.com

But the OIL Lobby lost their NO-BID one year contracts given by the IRAQI oil minister.
The NYTimes reported

that Iraq's Oil Minister, told reporters at the OPEC meeting this past Tuesday, that talks with the six companies (Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Shell, Total, BP), announced in June and then delayed,...
...had dragged on for so long that the companies could not now fulfill the work within that time frame. The companies confirmed on Wednesday that the deals had been canceled.

Geez Louise. Perhaps the Oil Minister actually follows US politics?

(Earlier this summer), a group of Democratic senators led by Charles E. Schumer of New York had appealed to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to block the deals, contending that they could undermine the efforts of Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites to reach agreement on a hydrocarbon law and a revenue-sharing agreement.

This criticism was conveyed to the Iraqi Oil Minister by the American Embassy in Baghdad in late June, and after that the deals were delayed.

“I’m glad the Iraqis heard our plea that to do this now would be bad for Iraq and bad for Iraqi-American relations,” Senator Schumer said in a telephone interview on Wednesday. “It’s a good first step. Now let’s make progress on the long-term” goal of passing a hydrocarbon law, he said.

Wow.. Real Hard News. As reported by the NY Times.


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OK, you wanted a Political discussion: Here goes.

The background I believe that:
* We're HEADING into a DEPRESSION.
* It's going to be as BAD as the last one.
* According to Robert Reich (former Sec'y of Labor under Clinton): The only number that he EVER saw, defining the
depression was that the unemployment rate hovered around 25%.
* We need a new deal.
* After 58 years of NO Health Care Reform (since 1950!) it will FINALLY be coming soon...
* We've managed to WASTE a FULL generation (from Zero to thirty) with decaying social, educational, and interpersonal skills.
* Our nation is no longer DOING (producing) anything.
SO, from these few premises, I have extrapolated a great deal of items to FIX our society...

But....
We need to make sure that a number of issues are resolved ALL at once.
If we don't do them ALL at once, its like juggling three RUNNING chain saws, but dropping one!

Here's what I came up with:

We need to do the FOLLOWING to FIX our Society:
* Create A Living Wage
* Create a National Single payer Healthcare
* Create a National 3-4 year draft (or alternate service)
* Create a Federally paid Day Care starting at six months
* Implement Tax Reform on the ULTRA Rich
* Lobbying (Political Reform)
* Education
* Infrastructure (road /bridge/Systems repairs)
* Lack of Training/futures
* Truth and Reconcilliation Commission
* A new "Manhattan" project, focusing on Energy INDEPENDENCE

See my other blog: http://sos-newdeal.blogspot.com for more details.

microSQUISH bids for YAHOO -- My thoughts

Micro$oft and Yahoo.

by Mark Brown
Usage: Creative Commons attribution with email back to me at markbnj at excite dot com

When asked about my feelings about the news this morning that Microsoft (MS) is seeking to acquire Yahoo (Y) for almost 45 billion dollars, my stomach churned. You see, Microsoft IS a monopoly that controls almost 90% of the market for computer operating systems.

I remember a few years back, a group of people in the United States sued Microsoft, claiming that MS was a monopoly(*). Among the different solutions, I liked one in particular. It was to split Microsoft into three different parts. An Operating Systems company, an Applications company, and an Internet company. If we fast forward, (or look back to the year 2000, when our society was first being taken apart by the current president, George W. Bush), we see that the Bush administration stopped the anti-trust prosecution and settled with MS.

I am both FOR and AGAINST this merger.

Pro-Merger
========

Microsoft is worried about its survival. Of course it wants to, and should be allowed to compete against Google. Now that Google has introduced live Google-Documents and Spreadsheets, Microsoft has (and has had) every right to compete, and compete hard against competitors.

Yahoo, and the companies that it owns are the most traveled to web location. Microsoft is an industry laggard in the Internet. Together, they can better compete against Google.

Google is the new Microsoft. Microsoft is no longer the incumbent. Google is the market leader. It is not fair to precent Microsoft from attempting to compete against Google.

Anti Merger
========

Microsoft is a monopoly. The US gave up its monopoly fight when it changed to a republican administration in 2001. The European Union didn't give up its fight, and won certain concessions from Microsoft.

It's time to use this proposed merger to DEMAND that Microsoft divide itself into parts.
Part ONE: Operating Systems and Languages
Part Two: Applications
Part Three: Internet, hardware and other companies

I feel that this MUST be an absolute requirement for any acceptable permutation of permission to be given by the Department of Justice. Microsoft has not changed any of its business practices. I think that once the Operating Systems Company is freed from the other two businesses, a great deal of benefits to everyone who uses a Microsoft computer will happen.

Without a separation of the OS from everything else, it is allowing Microsoft TOO much power to compete, and will even surpass Google, because of it's monopoly on the desktop.

An additional point I would argue for is that once Microsoft discontinues support for a version of its operating system, that the now discarded code should enter the public domain, and become open-source software. This will lead to new innovations, and even allow Microsoft to eventually compete for support contracts for its old unsupported OSes.

Summary
=======

Essentially, I think it's both a good move, and a bad move. Good for Microsoft and Yahoo, but terrible for consumers and other citizens of the United States. The negative effects of the deal can easily be mitigated by requiring Microsoft to divest itself (and the Yahoo Mail servers too) into different parts. I think this way, the playing field will be fairer to everyone, including everyone who uses a non-Apple (or non-LINUX) PC in the world.

By suggesting that older operating systems be recycled, we can encourage more competition and make our system much fairer.

Remember the following items from the DOJ anti-trust suit:

Internet Explorer is (STILL) distributed and required in Windows. IT cannot be removed from WINDOWS XP/2000/Vista.


Notes:
------
(*) You do remember that the Department of Justice sued Microsoft, don't you? The US settled, and the European Union (EU) didn't settle, and THEY got more then US consumers did.

Detroit: Who left the A**holes in charge?? (TransFormerS)

I laugh. I cry.. I sympathize for the people who still live in Detroit.

BuT:

WHO died and left A***HOLES in charge of General Motors?

They think they will win market share in THIS day and age by doing THIS???

Excite (AP) reports, "GM Hopes Movie Will Transform Sales"

In this photo provided by General Motors, a Hummer H2 is shown. The automaker is spending millions to promote and market its "Transformers" tie-ins. With a shrinking U.S. automotive market and amid stiff competition from overseas rivals, GM is banking on the exposure translating into sales.

Oh Irony of Ironies:
and I quote... (the director of the movie, says one of the cars, ...)

Bumblebee takes the shape of a well-traveled 1970s-era Camaro, prompting Fox's character to ask: " Why if he's such a super advanced robot does he turn into this piece of crap Camaro? "

Not long after, Bumblebee upgrades to the concept Camaro, an event that (..the director) said has been met with spontaneous audience applause at a number of screenings, including at a film festival in Italy.

GM is hoping car buyers have a similar reaction.

I say:
WHY the HECK didn't GM use it's BRAINS. WE DONT want the 60's MUSCLE cars ANYMORE.
STOP trying to FORCE FEED us these DAMN stupid Gas GUZZLERS! We're sick of them!

We want Gas saving cars. We DONT want the HYDROGEN car, and the BS research you're trying to force down our throats.

Start with diesels READY for bio-fuels.
Sell them READY to take WASTE Vegetable OIL (OR EVEN CLEAN veggie oil!--same difference.)

We don't WANT your damn sleazy 450 Horsepower cars that go 10 gallons per MILE!

to quote a book by Michael Moore "STUPID WHITE MEN!"

Arugh: Life Imitates Art

I hate Television

I think television was introduced to this planet 100 years too early.

That having been said, I DO like the Simpsons!

But this???

8-13 (aka 7-11) has just (this weekend) converted a bunch of (12 to be exact) 7-11's into Simpson's "Quik-Mart"s including Cartoon fronts.

This is to promote the new Simpsons Movie..

I wonder if I have to have seen all 15 18 years of the Simpsons before seeing the movie?

Nah, not even FOX would be THAT stupid!

Blecch

Oh, here is Original Article