Hillary on Oil Profits

Exxon Mobil Makes Monster Profit

Oil Giant Raked In $40.6B In 2007 - Biggest Annual Profit In History For U.S. Company

(AP) Exxon Mobil Corp. on Friday posted the largest annual profit by a U.S. company - $40.6 billion - as the world's largest publicly traded oil company benefited from historic crude prices at year's end.

Exxon Mobil also set a U.S. record for the biggest quarterly profit, posting net income of $11.7 billion for the final three months of 2007, besting its own mark of $10.71 billion in the fourth quarter of 2005.

The previous record for annual profit was $39.5 billion, which Exxon Mobil reported for 2006.

The eye-popping results weren't a surprise given record prices for a barrel of oil at the end of 2007. For much of the fourth quarter, they hovered around $90 a barrel, more than 50 percent higher than a year ago.

Crude prices reached an all-time trading high of $100.09 on Jan. 3 but have fallen about 10 percent since. .......

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/01/business/main3777996.shtml

I wonder how much of this is ending up in Lord Bush an his "cronies" pockets?

Puppy Mills - News- msnbc.com

Puppy Mills - News- msnbc.com: "Puppy Mills"

WCYB-TV

updated 7:05 a.m. ET, Thurs., Jan. 31, 2008

Bill targeting puppy mills advances in Virginia House of Delegates. Legislation to crack down on illegal puppymills narrowly cleared a Virginia House of Delegates committee.

The Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee voted 9-8 on Wednesday to endorse Delegate Bobby Orrock`s bill and

send it own to the Appropriations Committee for further consideration.

Virginians who maintain 20 or more female breeding dogs would have to obtain a local business license, submit to inspections by

local animal control officers and keep extensive records.

Supporters of the bill said it would help alleviate the horrible conditions that exist at many puppy mills. Last year, more than

1,100 dogs were discovered at one Carroll County puppy mill.

Opponents argued that the proposed regulations are excessive and that they duplicate federal efforts.

Wolfowitz Gets New Job At State Department

White House Insider Forced From World Bank Gig Will Now Head Powerful Arms Control Panel

(AP) Former World Bank chief Paul Wolfowitz will head a high-level advisory panel on arms control and disarmament, the State Department said Thursday.

The move by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice marks a return to government for Wolfowitz, a conservative with close ties to the White House. As deputy defense secretary under President Bush, he was a major architect of the Iraq war.

Wolfowitz was replaced as World Bank chief last June after a stormy two-year tenure. His leadership was undermined by a furor over a hefty compensation package he arranged in 2005 for a bank employee who was also his girlfriend. ...

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/24/politics/main3750568.shtml


I just don't even know what to say about this deal. Evidently this is the Bush administrations "Good Ole' Boy" system at in all it's glory. And they don't even care who knows. Can we survive another year of this? HT

But I Could Be Wrong

Boy, don't we all feel like this sometimes?

Robert E. Lee Day

Robert E. Lee day is an unofficial Southern holiday observed on January 19 of each year. The day is a day of remembrance and celebration. Remembrance of a man who gave his utmost for a cause, and put duty, faith, and service above all else. Robert E. Lee day is a day that all Southerners say, "Thank you, General, for all you did." January 19 was Robert E. Lee's Birthday.

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He was a great man and one of my heros.
He was a great Christian and a Leader of unimaginable character and conviction.
HT

CAKE Music Video "War Pigs"

Man, Cake did a great job on this old Black Sabbath song. Funny how after 28 years this song is still as pertinent today as it was then. HT

www.cakemusic.com

THE DOCTOR WILL SEE YOUR CREDIT NOW

Posted: Friday, January 18 at 04:32 am CT by Bob Sullivan

The folks who invented the credit score for lenders are hard at work developing a similar tool for hospitals and other health care providers.

The project, dubbed “MedFICO” in some early press reports, will aid hospitals in assessing a patient’s ability to pay their medical bills. But privacy advocates are worried that the notorious errors that have caused frequent criticism of the credit system will also cause trouble with any attempt to create a health-related risk score. They also fear that a low score might impact the quality of the health care that patients receive.

Fair Issac Corp., developer of the FICO credit score, is one of several investors in Healthcare Analytics, the Massachusetts start-up that is developing the hospital risk tool. Another investor is Tenet Healthcare Corp, one of the nation's largest hospital operators. Stephen Farber, who resigned as chief financial officer of Tenet in 2004, is the CEO of Healthcare Analytics.

Several published reports have described Healthcare Analytics product as a MedFICO score, computed in a way that would be familiar to those who've used credit scores. The firm is gathering payment history information from large hospitals around the country, according to a magazine called Inside ARM, aimed at “accounts receivable management” professionals. It will then analyze that data to predict how likely patients will be to pay future medical bills. As with credit reports and scores, patients who've failed to pay past bills will be deemed less likely to pay future bills.

The idea sounds ominous to Pam Dixon, who runs the World Privacy Forum, which studies medical privacy issues.

"This is a bad idea and I don't think this benefits the consumer at all," Dixon said. "And what about victims of medical ID theft? Are we going to deny treatment to these people because they have a terrible MedFICO score?"

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I knew it was coming to this. The so called "Health Care" industry has become nothing but big business catering to it's stockholders. If they charged a "Fair" price for their services it would be different. They charge what they want because we have no alternative. Ninety percent or more of us are now one accident or sickness away from bankruptcy. I think it's time for a decision on national health care. I say my taxes go to help our own citizens instead of the blowing up and then rebuilding of Iraq. Not to mention all the illegal immigrants we are now supporting. I would love to see a little return on my investment in this country. Hillary says she is willing to try to fix it and I'm ready to give her a shot at it.

Welcome to America! Now Speak English or Get the Hell Out! HT