The Coming Second Life Business Cycle
By Matthew Beller
Posted on 8/2/2007
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Matthew Beller's Second Life avatar,
designed to resemble Ludwig von Mises
Ludwig von Mises once wrote that an economist "must be conversant with mathematics, physics, biology, history, and jurisprudence, lest he confuse the tasks and the methods of the theory of human action with the tasks and the methods of any of these other branches of knowledge." In modern times, with the increasing popularity of computer-based interactive virtual worlds, it may soon be necessary for economists to familiarize themselves with the intricacies of virtual reality, lest they confuse the tasks and the methods of real-world economics with those that apply to virtual reality.
Some economists might dismiss virtual worlds as an application for economics, given that they do not contain any resources that are traditionally considered scarce (lumber, steel, oil, etc.), but a closer inspection reveals that some virtual worlds contain real market economies complete with scarce resources, property rights, entrepreneurship, and exchange. Furthermore, real people underlie the inhabitants of virtual worlds, so we can therefore analyze their economies using Austrian economics and the science of human action.
One virtual world that is currently popular is called Second Life. Second Life was created by the San Francisco-based company Linden Research, Inc. and opened in 2003. It is an Internet-based three-dimensional virtual world where its 8 million unique residents can interact with one another.[1] Residents can create virtual clothing, hairdos, houses, airplanes, concert halls, video games, and endless other items by using an infinite supply of "primitives," which are atomistic objects that can be shaped, colored, combined, and programmed to behave in a particular way. Residents can then replicate their creations and sell the copies to one another at whatever price they set.
Second Life has attracted attention from Wired Magazine, The Economist, and other media with stories of a burgeoning economy and entrepreneurs earning their sole incomes by selling virtual goods and services. Accordingly, real-world economists and Second Life's residents alike could benefit from a closer look into the actual workings of its economy, and the effects of economic intervention.
Second Life's economy could reasonably be compared to that of a small foreign country dependent on tourism. Consumers are inhabitants of the real world who take what are essentially pleasure trips to Second Life, perhaps to meet new people at a dance club, shop for virtual clothing, attend a conference, or gamble at a casino. Like real tourists, consumers exchange their real US dollars for Second Life's currency, the Linden Dollar (L$), typically on a currency exchange run by Linden, called the LindeX. They then use their L$ to purchase goods and services created by other Second Life residents, and if they have extra L$ when they're done, they can sell their L$ for US$ on the LindeX.
Linden, essentially representing the state in Second Life's economy, does not generally interfere with economic activity. The Economist reports on Linden founder Philip Rosedale's attitude toward intervention,
"Mr. Rosedale prefers to rule Second Life with Adam Smith's 'invisible hand' only. To him that means treating every resident the same, whether it happens to be Toyota or 'an 80-year-old woman from India.' Both will pay the same price for their [virtual land]; what they do with it is up to them."
Proponents of private property and non-intervention would certainly laud such a hands-off policy. If Linden's goal is to create a setting for a stable, growing economy that will provide the most satisfaction to the most residents, it must avoid the pitfalls of interventionism that plague real-world economies. As Ludwig von Mises and others have shown, one interventionist policy creates distortions that must be fixed by other interventionist policies, which lead to problems that require further intervention, and so on, until the state controls every aspect of the economy.
Unfortunately, despite Mr. Rosedale's free-market rhetoric, a look at Linden's actual practices reveals that it has already started down the path of intervening in the economy. One critical example of Linden's intervention is that it has granted itself the ability to manipulate the single-most important commodity in any economy: money.
In the Terms of Service, the L$ is defined as "a limited license right available for purchase or free distribution at Linden Lab's discretion, and is not redeemable for monetary value from Linden Lab." By defining the L$ in such a way, Linden has granted itself the power of a central bank in managing Second Life's equivalent of a fiat currency. Linden can create as many new L$ as it wants, whenever it wants, and spend them or give them away at its own discretion. Also, because Linden maintains a peg of about L$270=US$1 on the LindeX, it gives the appearance that the L$ is as good as real-world money.
Fiat currencies are subject to much criticism, particularly by Austrians. However, they are not criticized because they cause undesirable economic distortions in and of themselves. Rather, they are criticized because, unlike commodity monies such as gold, they can be created from nothing, so are highly susceptible to artificial expansion and manipulation. This expansion, as the Austrian theory of the business cycle shows us, is the source of economic distortions that lead to unsustainable booms, followed by inevitable busts.
To establish whether Linden has in fact been manipulating the L$ supply and determine if Second Life is susceptible to bust, we can examine historical economic statistics published by Linden for signs of artificial growth in the L$ supply. The graph below shows Second Life's L$ supply since September of 2005, as well as the two consolidated sources of month-to-month changes in the money supply.
Your eye might be drawn to the sudden acceleration in L$ growth at the end of 2006 coincident with a significant increase in LindeX sales (where Linden is creating new L$ and selling them for US$), but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Ignoring the problems with the US$, LindeX sales represent inflows of real wealth into Second Life. When residents purchase L$ on the LindeX using US$ that they have earned in the real world, they are foregoing consumption in the real world in order to spend or invest their newly purchased L$ in Second Life.
It is actually the small, perpetual budget deficit that reveals something quite sinister. Unlike L$ sales on the LindeX, they do not reflect a flow of real wealth into Second Life. Instead, they are created by Linden to represent wealth, but no economic production was involved in creating them. These deficits occur when the weekly L$ stipends Linden pays to premium residents exceed its revenues from land rentals and other administrative services it provides to residents. In order to fund the deficits, Linden creates new L$ and injects them into Second Life.
In the United States, the Federal Reserve's primary mechanism for increasing the US$ supply involves purchasing debt securities issued by the US Treasury. Linden's process slightly differs in that it creates exactly as many L$ as are needed to make up for its budgetary shortfalls without ever issuing any debt. Every time Linden runs a deficit, the L$ supply instantly increases by an equivalent amount.
Linden's monthly budget deficit might appear insignificant in the graph, but in fact Linden has been increasing the money supply by an average of 6% per month this way. Annualized, it is more than doubling it each year. During the past year and a half, Linden created L$876 million through its deficits, which makes up over 33% of today's L$ supply. These figures certainly suggest that Linden has been artificially expanding the L$ supply, but there is one possible argument that would indicate otherwise.
Premium members who receive weekly L$ stipends pay Linden US$9.95 per month for that privilege. One could argue that this US$9.95 represents an inflow of real wealth into Second Life to make up for the L$ created through deficits, but this argument is tenuous. These US$ revenues are presumably used by Linden to pay its employees, maintain its servers, and pay other operating and financing costs, with the remaining profit or loss passed on to its shareholders. Unfortunately, as the graph below shows, there have been months when Linden's US$ revenues would not have been enough to cover the new L$ creations.
In September of 2005, Linden collected as much as US$98,000[2] from premium members, which is equivalent to about L$26 million at the L$'s current exchange rate. But during that month, it created L$36 million in order to fund its fiscal deficit. That means that even if Linden had not allocated a single US$ to its employees or incurred any real-world costs whatsoever, it still would not have collected enough US$ to match its newly created L$.
$25
"Second Life's residents could benefit from a closer look into the actual workings of its economy, and the effects of economic intervention."
Given the strong evidence that Linden has unnaturally inflated the L$ supply, Austrian economics tells us that there are a couple of potential outcomes that are likely to occur. In the first, Linden will stop running significant deficits at some point. With less L$ available to spend, residents will demand fewer goods and services, leading to lower prices and reduced profits. Previously profitable enterprises will go out of business and the wealth of many residents will decrease, slowing overall economic activity.
The other possibility is that Linden will continue running deficits to the point that a sufficient number of residents and speculators will recognize the L$'s frailty. In what Ludwig von Mises referred to as a "crack-up boom," everyone will scramble to redeem his L$ for "real goods," which, in the case of Second Life, is probably the US$.
As more and more people sell their L$ on the LindeX, Linden might choose to maintain its L$270=US$1 peg for some amount of time, but operating under the assumption that it has not maintained 100% US$ reserves, it will eventually run out of US$ or decide to stop selling them, and the L$ will depreciate rapidly. In either outcome, residents will discover that they possess less wealth than they perceived they had during the time leading up to the crash.
To summarize, it appears very likely that Second Life will experience at least some form of economic recession. Depending on its severity, it might result in Linden's losing many of its customers. If Linden wants to prevent this from happening and foster a stable, growing economy within Second Life, it should apply the lessons of Austrian economics to its policies: abolish restrictions on content, strengthen the ability of residents to enforce their property rights, and, most important, tie the L$ to a real-world commodity money backed by 100% reserves.
--------------------------------------...
Matthew Beller is a former employee of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and currently works for the Securities and Exchange Commission in Los Angeles. Send him mail. Comment on the blog.
The Securities and Exchange Commission disclaims responsibility for any private publication or statement of any SEC employee or Commissioner. This article expresses the author's views and does not necessarily reflect those of the Commission, the Commissioners, or other members of the staff.
Notes
[1] SecondLife.com/
Have you play : Second Life ? Economy ?
OK, long introduction, but in a lot of ways fairly correct. In many ways, Second Life is an economic system of its own and can act as it own nation-state. Until recently, that nation-state worked mainly under laissez-faire economics of libertarian policies.
Recently, a grid-wide ban on gambling was implemented, wiping out instantly a whole sector of the SL economy that had wider consequences. SL's oldest in-world bank is facing a monetary crunch as withdraws have exceeded deposits, resulting in tighter restrictions on account access. However, the widest consequence may not be felt immediately, and that is the de facto recognition of the value of the Linden dollar above and beyond the technical definition. I suspect that this is the blood in the water that will draw RL governments from about the globe into SL for the purpose of financial regulation (e.g. taxation).
I'm not too worried about the magic creation of Linden dollars by Linden Lab. After all, the value of any currency is based solely on its ability to be used as a conveyance of trade. If some creative accounting is needed to prevent hyper-inflation or deflation, then I'm in favour of it. I will say that fixing the Linden dollar to any RL currency is dangerous as that is simply that currency in another name.
Yes, there are dangers in fiat currency, but in RL even the use of precious metal standards has not always lead to a stable economy. Noting that the Linden dollar floats with RL currencies will simply be another money market in play. Wealth is indeed created in-world by its residents through production of items that do sell, and if the in-world money supply has to increase to meet that, the better,
Reply:http://www.secondlife.com
Reply:it's a game.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Externalities and Oil Firms?
hi, im doing my microeconomis project which is "globalization effects on Petronas". When the the firm digs up oil, suppply decreases, so in the long-run, price will rise and therefore cause a problem for consumers. But at the same time, this encourages research on other cleaner source of energy and also of course the hybrid car. So is the negative externality, the high price effect on consumers and the positive externality is in education(new technology) and less pollution(less carbon dioxide emission)? If yes, can you guys out there please give me more ideas of externalities by oil firms. If no, please correct me and also give me more ideas.
(would appreciate good websites for referencing or can just give me idea and i search myself for evidence)
Thanks. ^__^
Externalities and Oil Firms?
Hi, I am not sure if this helps, since it is vaguely to the side of what you are asking about. I do think that the encouragment of research is much less direct than regarding the depletion of supplies. Also I think that the use of oil has a wide variety of hidden costs to the environment (in bvery many levels) , health ( also on many levels like accidents, pollution, sedentary lifestyle)
But regarding oil/gasoline and externalities, try to do a web-search for
"The Real Cost of Gasoline", "Transportation Cost and Benefit Analysis" and "External Costs of Transport, Update study".
(would appreciate good websites for referencing or can just give me idea and i search myself for evidence)
Thanks. ^__^
Externalities and Oil Firms?
Hi, I am not sure if this helps, since it is vaguely to the side of what you are asking about. I do think that the encouragment of research is much less direct than regarding the depletion of supplies. Also I think that the use of oil has a wide variety of hidden costs to the environment (in bvery many levels) , health ( also on many levels like accidents, pollution, sedentary lifestyle)
But regarding oil/gasoline and externalities, try to do a web-search for
"The Real Cost of Gasoline", "Transportation Cost and Benefit Analysis" and "External Costs of Transport, Update study".
Thursday, August 19, 2010
If I wanted to market a product to single, well-educated, wealthy 21-29 year old British women where would I..
Where does this sort of demographic group congregate in large numbers? If the market research shows that our product sells especially well to single, young (21-29), well-educated British women (University Graduates + Public School educations), from well-heeled backgrounds, what environments and which type of locales should we concentrate the heaviest advertising? Where does this demographic group congregate in large numbers so they are sure to be reached with advertising? What type of businesses does this demographic element have contact with more so than other groups? What type of neighbourhoods would this demographic reide in, and where would they work? Which media outlets would they prefer? What type of pubs, restaurants, etc., would this group be found in within most British cities?
Believe it or not, I'm told this is one of the more difficult demographic groups to reach because they are seen as fickle consumers.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
If I wanted to market a product to single, well-educated, wealthy 21-29 year old British women where would I..
well, i think im one of those women, but for the fickle! So i hope this helpd - area central london, chelsea, kensington, knightsbridge, the city, regent street, south kensington, notting hill gate [some parts], mayfair. Restaurants - nobu / mayfair - zuma / knightsbridge - ok cant think of any more at the moment but i hope this helps.
Reply:take a body building course and open a massage parlour.
tee hee
Reply:gymnasia.
You are right about this lot being fickle, they are also astonishingly naive.
Any magazine which features Hollywood movies would get to them.
Marks and Spencers have a late opening for their food dept on a thursday night and you see these people in droves.
They spend unusually large amounts of time on line so prehaps the internet would be a good way to reach them.
Reply:You assume you need to go to them - but you could run direct mail (easy source data lists with these demographics - or list broker will) and other interactions (email/web viral) that would bring them to you.
If you want to go with the former you can look at engaging some media event company to put on show at many of these locations. They could also advise you re locations.
Reply:You could consider some advertising in a quality glossy magazine. They have both expensive 'inside' or on the cover advertisements, which may not be suitable for you at this time; however the classified section at the back may be a good start.
Perhaps you could also try to get some editorial in a magazine to 'showcase' your product, as a descriptive paragraph or two can do wonders to really get the readers interested in purchasing the product.
There are many local magazines too, such as 'Living South', 'Limited Edition', 'The Guide', etc which are aimed at the local people and appeal to a broad range of women you have mentioned. Try searching on the Internet for local publications in the areas you wish to market to.
You could also approach reputable shops and sell to them maybe as a concession or on a sale-or-return basis.
Good Luck
Reply:In London, try marketing it in central London.. Knightsbridge, Kensington, Chelsea, Notting Hill, Holland Park, Primrose Hill, Islington, Hampstead, the City, etcetc. Try it at places like Fresh %26amp; Wild, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, etc where they are likely to shop.
Reply:Noticeboard at Morrison's?
dr teeth
Believe it or not, I'm told this is one of the more difficult demographic groups to reach because they are seen as fickle consumers.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
If I wanted to market a product to single, well-educated, wealthy 21-29 year old British women where would I..
well, i think im one of those women, but for the fickle! So i hope this helpd - area central london, chelsea, kensington, knightsbridge, the city, regent street, south kensington, notting hill gate [some parts], mayfair. Restaurants - nobu / mayfair - zuma / knightsbridge - ok cant think of any more at the moment but i hope this helps.
Reply:take a body building course and open a massage parlour.
tee hee
Reply:gymnasia.
You are right about this lot being fickle, they are also astonishingly naive.
Any magazine which features Hollywood movies would get to them.
Marks and Spencers have a late opening for their food dept on a thursday night and you see these people in droves.
They spend unusually large amounts of time on line so prehaps the internet would be a good way to reach them.
Reply:You assume you need to go to them - but you could run direct mail (easy source data lists with these demographics - or list broker will) and other interactions (email/web viral) that would bring them to you.
If you want to go with the former you can look at engaging some media event company to put on show at many of these locations. They could also advise you re locations.
Reply:You could consider some advertising in a quality glossy magazine. They have both expensive 'inside' or on the cover advertisements, which may not be suitable for you at this time; however the classified section at the back may be a good start.
Perhaps you could also try to get some editorial in a magazine to 'showcase' your product, as a descriptive paragraph or two can do wonders to really get the readers interested in purchasing the product.
There are many local magazines too, such as 'Living South', 'Limited Edition', 'The Guide', etc which are aimed at the local people and appeal to a broad range of women you have mentioned. Try searching on the Internet for local publications in the areas you wish to market to.
You could also approach reputable shops and sell to them maybe as a concession or on a sale-or-return basis.
Good Luck
Reply:In London, try marketing it in central London.. Knightsbridge, Kensington, Chelsea, Notting Hill, Holland Park, Primrose Hill, Islington, Hampstead, the City, etcetc. Try it at places like Fresh %26amp; Wild, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, etc where they are likely to shop.
Reply:Noticeboard at Morrison's?
dr teeth
I wrote a book agent representative company, they referrred me to a publisher who's interested in my work?
but I've only described it, it's only 70% done as I said, but they said they want something to review in 10 days!!!
It's not a novel or fiction, it's science and based on much research. I wrote an abstract, is that enough? Do they want a sample of actual book text?
I'm a dry scientist, I admit it...but this book I want to appeal to the lay person for their personal application.
Should I write the abstract straightforward or catchy? I can write "Did you know that...etc." catch lines and introduce concepts, or I can write, "The purpose of this book is to articulate for the lay health consumer ways to..."
Help? I'm new to this. Thank-you.
I wrote a book agent representative company, they referrred me to a publisher who's interested in my work?
Did "they" say exactly what they want to "review"?
It's more common to get a request for either a synopsis or a few chapters. Hmm.
It seems to me you should ask your agent.
He/she/they (whoever actually represents you) could and should be able to answer this question for you... regarding whether it is a synopsis or chapters 'they' want.
That is what agents do, how they make their bit of the pie.
If "they" want a synopsis, I suggest a trip to a library to look in "The Writer's Market 2008" (or a book like it that a reference librarian recommends) and study their samples of book synopses (the 'good' and the 'bad')...and just read everything you can on how to write a good one.
Then take a description of your work down to as bare-bones as possible, to a paragraph even --and begin to build your synopsis from that. A good synopsis is usually just one page, and that includes addresses and whatnot.
By the way... Congratulations. You seem to be on your way.
I wish you luck now.
PS. If this science book is for lay people, I'd write a synopsis that lay people would surely understand. So I suggest that.
If that's what "they" want.
Keep in mind it may be some chapters instead... You need to find out from the people you're dealing with. More luck.
Reply:I don't know jack about non-fiction, but I know about an excellent writers' website which has quite a few published nonfic writers, some of them academics, who've walked the path you're starting and can probably answer your questions and give you additional advice you don't yet know to ask for. See the Writing NonFiction Books board at
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/index.ph...
Reply:Have you checked these people out through the usual sources? Preditors and Editors? Absolute Write Water Cooler's Bewares and Background Checks? Check carefully before you send anything to anyone. Normally a book proposal is what you first show an agent or a publisher for a non-fiction book.There are many books out there that teach you how to write one. Invest in one. But if you don't find the name on the Writers Beware lists, write to Dave K at Preditors or Victoria Strauss and James MacDonald at Absolute write and ask for advice. They are the people at the forefront of the Writers Beware scene. Pax-C
It's not a novel or fiction, it's science and based on much research. I wrote an abstract, is that enough? Do they want a sample of actual book text?
I'm a dry scientist, I admit it...but this book I want to appeal to the lay person for their personal application.
Should I write the abstract straightforward or catchy? I can write "Did you know that...etc." catch lines and introduce concepts, or I can write, "The purpose of this book is to articulate for the lay health consumer ways to..."
Help? I'm new to this. Thank-you.
I wrote a book agent representative company, they referrred me to a publisher who's interested in my work?
Did "they" say exactly what they want to "review"?
It's more common to get a request for either a synopsis or a few chapters. Hmm.
It seems to me you should ask your agent.
He/she/they (whoever actually represents you) could and should be able to answer this question for you... regarding whether it is a synopsis or chapters 'they' want.
That is what agents do, how they make their bit of the pie.
If "they" want a synopsis, I suggest a trip to a library to look in "The Writer's Market 2008" (or a book like it that a reference librarian recommends) and study their samples of book synopses (the 'good' and the 'bad')...and just read everything you can on how to write a good one.
Then take a description of your work down to as bare-bones as possible, to a paragraph even --and begin to build your synopsis from that. A good synopsis is usually just one page, and that includes addresses and whatnot.
By the way... Congratulations. You seem to be on your way.
I wish you luck now.
PS. If this science book is for lay people, I'd write a synopsis that lay people would surely understand. So I suggest that.
If that's what "they" want.
Keep in mind it may be some chapters instead... You need to find out from the people you're dealing with. More luck.
Reply:I don't know jack about non-fiction, but I know about an excellent writers' website which has quite a few published nonfic writers, some of them academics, who've walked the path you're starting and can probably answer your questions and give you additional advice you don't yet know to ask for. See the Writing NonFiction Books board at
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/index.ph...
Reply:Have you checked these people out through the usual sources? Preditors and Editors? Absolute Write Water Cooler's Bewares and Background Checks? Check carefully before you send anything to anyone. Normally a book proposal is what you first show an agent or a publisher for a non-fiction book.There are many books out there that teach you how to write one. Invest in one. But if you don't find the name on the Writers Beware lists, write to Dave K at Preditors or Victoria Strauss and James MacDonald at Absolute write and ask for advice. They are the people at the forefront of the Writers Beware scene. Pax-C
Will France surpass the USA as the primary protector of the Persian Gulf states?
Gulf states broaden contacts beyond US
By ROBERT H. REID, Associated Press Writer Sat Jan 19, 1:42 PM ET
CAIRO, Egypt - The promise of a new French base in the United Arab Emirates is the latest sign that Arab Gulf countries are expanding their commercial and military contacts to bolster security without appearing too dependent on the United States.
ADVERTISEMENT
President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced that France next year will become the only Western country other than the U.S. to have a permanent defense facility in the Gulf.
The deal comes at a time when Gulf countries want to protect themselves against a resurgent Iran. At the same time, they don't want to rely just on the U.S., with American prestige in the Middle East running low and the fear that U.S.-Iranian rivalry could drag the region into war.
France also plans to open a branch of its St. Cyr military academy in Qatar and take part in military exercises in February and March with forces from the UAE and Qatar. And France and the UAE have signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement as a first step toward building a nuclear reactor to help diversify energy sources.
"The UAE gets the advantage of playing the field a bit, not because it wants to walk away from the U.S. relationship but because this gives them leverage over both the French and Americans to get what they want," Mideast analyst Jon Alterman said.
France's new base will house up to 500 soldiers, sailors and airmen. By comparison, the United States maintains about 40,000 U.S. troops on bases across the Gulf — including Kuwait, the key staging ground for Iraq, and Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters.
The United States has been the dominant outside power in the Gulf since Britain closed its permanent bases in 1971. The Arabs are keenly aware that no European country can supplant the Americans as the primary protector of the oil-rich Gulf states.
"Perhaps they (Emiratis) thought that a French base would be a visible means of protection but in a less ostentatious manner, a little more discreet" than an American installation, said Stephane Lacroix, an analyst with the Sciences Po school of political science in Paris.
The new base also underscores France's claim as a global power capable of playing a role in parts of the world beyond its former colonial sphere of influence. The nearest French base is in Djibouti, a former French colony in the Horn of Africa.
French Defense Minister Herve Morin said the base would help France to support warships it routinely sends to the Gulf and "participate in the stabilization of the region."
Gulf governments and investors have been shifting away from the United States, seeking partners in Asia and Europe. The reasons for the shift are both economic and political, including strains in relations with the U.S. since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries have been looking to Europe for more consumer products as well as investments in areas such as high-speed railway systems, where the Europeans have unique experience.
For Gulf Arabs, Iran has made the need for leverage with the Americans all the more important. Although the small, wealthy oil sheikdoms fear Iranian influence, especially among their Shiite populations, they also worry that Washington's hardline stand against the Islamic Republic could drag them into conflict.
Gulf Arab leaders made clear to U.S. President George W. Bush during his visit to the region this month that they oppose trying to isolate Iran.
"We have relations with Iran and we talk to them and if we feel there is any danger (in the region) we will talk to them about it," Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said last week.
The threat of a U.S. attack on Iran has receded since the fall, when a U.S. intelligence report concluded that the Iranians stopped trying to build a nuclear bomb four years ago.
Nevertheless, Bush emphasized during his Middle East tour that he still considers the Islamic Republic a major threat, branding it the world's top sponsor of terrorism. He also warned of "serious consequences" if the Iranians attack American ships in the Gulf.
"We don't want Bush to take advantage of Iranian misbehavior and go to war," said Mustafa Alani, an analyst with the Gulf Research Center in Dubai. "France is more politically acceptable in the region. We don't want Americans to appear as the only protectors."
__
Associated Press reporter Natacha Rios contributed to this report from Paris.
Will France surpass the USA as the primary protector of the Persian Gulf states?
The French can't even take care of themselves. Remember WWI, WWII, etc.
Reply:If you read the article even it says France cannot replace the US as a major protector of the area. France had colonial/protectorate powers in that region after WW1 with Britain and had difficulties before. France does not have the means of projecting forces to protect the area quickly and is more of a symbolic trip line then anything else.
Reply:Sorry, the French Minitelnet is down for the day, I'm afraid that their plans to take over the world will have to be delayed.
Reply:About time the French got off their butts and did something.
Reply:THE FRENCH?
for christ's sake those cheese eating surrender monkies could be overtaken by a boy scout troop.
Reply:If the French want to go in there, go right ahead. They forgot about the Suez Canal crises, Early Viet war, thier luck against the Germans since 1870, and the overall fun the Americans are having. I am sure they will do a good job.. best of luck......the US had better have a back up plan to pull them out of this one.
By ROBERT H. REID, Associated Press Writer Sat Jan 19, 1:42 PM ET
CAIRO, Egypt - The promise of a new French base in the United Arab Emirates is the latest sign that Arab Gulf countries are expanding their commercial and military contacts to bolster security without appearing too dependent on the United States.
ADVERTISEMENT
President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced that France next year will become the only Western country other than the U.S. to have a permanent defense facility in the Gulf.
The deal comes at a time when Gulf countries want to protect themselves against a resurgent Iran. At the same time, they don't want to rely just on the U.S., with American prestige in the Middle East running low and the fear that U.S.-Iranian rivalry could drag the region into war.
France also plans to open a branch of its St. Cyr military academy in Qatar and take part in military exercises in February and March with forces from the UAE and Qatar. And France and the UAE have signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement as a first step toward building a nuclear reactor to help diversify energy sources.
"The UAE gets the advantage of playing the field a bit, not because it wants to walk away from the U.S. relationship but because this gives them leverage over both the French and Americans to get what they want," Mideast analyst Jon Alterman said.
France's new base will house up to 500 soldiers, sailors and airmen. By comparison, the United States maintains about 40,000 U.S. troops on bases across the Gulf — including Kuwait, the key staging ground for Iraq, and Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters.
The United States has been the dominant outside power in the Gulf since Britain closed its permanent bases in 1971. The Arabs are keenly aware that no European country can supplant the Americans as the primary protector of the oil-rich Gulf states.
"Perhaps they (Emiratis) thought that a French base would be a visible means of protection but in a less ostentatious manner, a little more discreet" than an American installation, said Stephane Lacroix, an analyst with the Sciences Po school of political science in Paris.
The new base also underscores France's claim as a global power capable of playing a role in parts of the world beyond its former colonial sphere of influence. The nearest French base is in Djibouti, a former French colony in the Horn of Africa.
French Defense Minister Herve Morin said the base would help France to support warships it routinely sends to the Gulf and "participate in the stabilization of the region."
Gulf governments and investors have been shifting away from the United States, seeking partners in Asia and Europe. The reasons for the shift are both economic and political, including strains in relations with the U.S. since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries have been looking to Europe for more consumer products as well as investments in areas such as high-speed railway systems, where the Europeans have unique experience.
For Gulf Arabs, Iran has made the need for leverage with the Americans all the more important. Although the small, wealthy oil sheikdoms fear Iranian influence, especially among their Shiite populations, they also worry that Washington's hardline stand against the Islamic Republic could drag them into conflict.
Gulf Arab leaders made clear to U.S. President George W. Bush during his visit to the region this month that they oppose trying to isolate Iran.
"We have relations with Iran and we talk to them and if we feel there is any danger (in the region) we will talk to them about it," Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said last week.
The threat of a U.S. attack on Iran has receded since the fall, when a U.S. intelligence report concluded that the Iranians stopped trying to build a nuclear bomb four years ago.
Nevertheless, Bush emphasized during his Middle East tour that he still considers the Islamic Republic a major threat, branding it the world's top sponsor of terrorism. He also warned of "serious consequences" if the Iranians attack American ships in the Gulf.
"We don't want Bush to take advantage of Iranian misbehavior and go to war," said Mustafa Alani, an analyst with the Gulf Research Center in Dubai. "France is more politically acceptable in the region. We don't want Americans to appear as the only protectors."
__
Associated Press reporter Natacha Rios contributed to this report from Paris.
Will France surpass the USA as the primary protector of the Persian Gulf states?
The French can't even take care of themselves. Remember WWI, WWII, etc.
Reply:If you read the article even it says France cannot replace the US as a major protector of the area. France had colonial/protectorate powers in that region after WW1 with Britain and had difficulties before. France does not have the means of projecting forces to protect the area quickly and is more of a symbolic trip line then anything else.
Reply:Sorry, the French Minitelnet is down for the day, I'm afraid that their plans to take over the world will have to be delayed.
Reply:About time the French got off their butts and did something.
Reply:THE FRENCH?
for christ's sake those cheese eating surrender monkies could be overtaken by a boy scout troop.
Reply:If the French want to go in there, go right ahead. They forgot about the Suez Canal crises, Early Viet war, thier luck against the Germans since 1870, and the overall fun the Americans are having. I am sure they will do a good job.. best of luck......the US had better have a back up plan to pull them out of this one.
Blue Ray / HD DVD the war continues. Update what do you think? I have no bias on either side.?
Format war is always a nightmare but hopefully one that will eventually come to a conclusion. So with the new events that have been taking place where is a consumer at from a buyer's viewpoint.
No Xbox, PS3 too much bias tension, or Beta/VHS comments. Why? Cause Sony developed both formats %26amp; sold VHS b/c it was inferior. They took the approach that the best product sells period, %26amp; underestimated the selling power of good marketing. Besides in modern research, tools like the internet allow buyers to be more informed about what they are buying. So comments really aren't relevant for our era.
Updates: WB goes exclusive Blue Ray. Joining Sony pictures, Fox, Disney and others. On HD's sidline there is Paramount. All though a lone wolf a very powerfull one still.
Price, if you look at the prices they really have met an even keel. Both players %26amp; movies. Blue Ray holds the advantage in the way that Samsung, Sony, LG %26amp; many others make Blue Ray players. Hd players only avail through Toshiba
Blue Ray / HD DVD the war continues. Update what do you think? I have no bias on either side.?
Hard drives and internet distribution will be the real winners. The era of shinny plastic disks is over.
No Xbox, PS3 too much bias tension, or Beta/VHS comments. Why? Cause Sony developed both formats %26amp; sold VHS b/c it was inferior. They took the approach that the best product sells period, %26amp; underestimated the selling power of good marketing. Besides in modern research, tools like the internet allow buyers to be more informed about what they are buying. So comments really aren't relevant for our era.
Updates: WB goes exclusive Blue Ray. Joining Sony pictures, Fox, Disney and others. On HD's sidline there is Paramount. All though a lone wolf a very powerfull one still.
Price, if you look at the prices they really have met an even keel. Both players %26amp; movies. Blue Ray holds the advantage in the way that Samsung, Sony, LG %26amp; many others make Blue Ray players. Hd players only avail through Toshiba
Blue Ray / HD DVD the war continues. Update what do you think? I have no bias on either side.?
Hard drives and internet distribution will be the real winners. The era of shinny plastic disks is over.
How does this body of my business letter sound?
Dear Ms. Rathwell:
A recent article about the use of Bisphenol-A has inspired me to write this letter to you.
According to the article and my research, there are products in the market that contain Bisphenol-A which cause a number of health risks such as cancer in humans . As a consumer I am concerned if the products I am buying are safe or not. I applaud the decision that Mountain Equipment Co-op has made by removing products that contain Bisphenol-A. This has motivated me to boycott such products as well till Health Canada deems them safe. I am anxious as to know what results will Health Canada release next May.
Thank-you for reading this letter.
anything i need to change? is grammar okay?
How does this body of my business letter sound?
You may want to just say "Thank you for your time" instead of thanks for reading this letter. You may also want to replace "till" with "until." Finally, you may want to say "I am anxious to see the results that will be released next May by Health Canada."
Reply:hi you have done very well with youre letter, well laid out and good presontation, well done blue
braces for teeth
A recent article about the use of Bisphenol-A has inspired me to write this letter to you.
According to the article and my research, there are products in the market that contain Bisphenol-A which cause a number of health risks such as cancer in humans . As a consumer I am concerned if the products I am buying are safe or not. I applaud the decision that Mountain Equipment Co-op has made by removing products that contain Bisphenol-A. This has motivated me to boycott such products as well till Health Canada deems them safe. I am anxious as to know what results will Health Canada release next May.
Thank-you for reading this letter.
anything i need to change? is grammar okay?
How does this body of my business letter sound?
You may want to just say "Thank you for your time" instead of thanks for reading this letter. You may also want to replace "till" with "until." Finally, you may want to say "I am anxious to see the results that will be released next May by Health Canada."
Reply:hi you have done very well with youre letter, well laid out and good presontation, well done blue
braces for teeth
What is the mechanism by which consumerism causes economic growth?
If lots of money is spent buying valentines cards and golf clubs, that is measured as growth in GDP. Furthermore, this spending will likely be invested in writing cuter cards and designing more powerful golf clubs.
However, I don't see any value in this. Ie. on a desert island with two people, if you provide shelter and water and I catch fish ... and then i shift to making greeting cards and you shift to making golf clubs ... we'll starve.
Today, buying a computer may a) help a person work more efficiently; b) help fund research into IT -- which, 5 years from now may result in more productive supply chains ... buying a delivery van lets you a) deliver stuff; b) support designers of safer, more efficient vehicles.
I read that 70% of the U.S. economy is comprised of consumer goods. If half of those are more like valentines cards and golf clubs than like computers and vans ... how the heck does the economy grow?
What is the mechanism by which consumerism causes economic growth?
Consumer goods like greeting cards are only purchased when the economy is relatively well-off. On the desert island, you'd be too busy tryng to catch fish to think of greeting cards. More conumerism is a sign of an economy that has more resources tahn required for pure survival.
The basic thing is that money is spent. And while the profits of the greeting card company might be ploughed back into making niftier greeting cards (nicer mucis, more light, bells and whistles) you muct nor forget that the company is employing people, from designers to printers, cleaners... These people have to buy essential products (on top of consumer goods). Hence by spending on a greeting card, you allow the cleaner at the greeting card company to buy his/her bread. The baker might put soem of his money into his kids' education fund, then use the rest to pay the flour mill, and buy some pasta for himself... ...
The above si called the multiplier effect. Any dollar spent goes round the economy a few times. So spending on greeting cards isn;t that bad. Plus it generally makes the recipeint happy, that counts for something too , no?
Reply:Supply and Demand
Reply:It is all an illusion, a trick of smoke and mirrors. What really is economic growth? The reporting of a contrived metric used for political purposes. Always consider the source and follow the money. This country used to make more durable goods, we had more manufacturing jobs. Enter outsourcing, the buying of cheap labor and the selling of American jobs overseas. Exit manufacturing jobs, Enter service industry jobs. I can't swing a dead cat in my neighboorhood without hitting a hotel or restaurant. The economy is growing and so is pinochio's nose. I have always thought it utterly ridiculously obscene the amount of useless garbage that we created buy and sell in this country. We are all about quantity, and profit, quality and purpose a second thought at best.
Reply:it grows coz of the people, they wont stop buying valentine cards n golf clubs........ so the money goes n gets invested into more cards n etc....... plus they pay taxes n other stuff n thus the economy grows coz more n more people r buying these cards n golf clubs...........
Reply:The faster a dollar can circulate, the more items or services can be made or developed. That is why saving is bad. It takes dollars out of circulation and slows down the economy. By taking money (taxes) from the working people the government makes it harder for people to save money. And therefore a higher % of their earnings are recirculated faster. So then more items can be bought and sold. It is called the 'rat race'.
Reply:You don't need to see any value in greeting cards or golf clubs, as long as someone else does.
How about legal services adding to the GDP numbers, like we really need a lot of growth in that.
But the point is that someone wants it, or they wouldn't be paying for it. So if someone makes the decision that they would rather spend thier hard earned income on greeting cards than computers, then to them greeting cards are more important. And the idea of economics is to provide what people want, not what you think they should want. What good would making more computers and delivery vans be if no one wanted to use them, they really wanted some golf clubs. So instead, they drive around in a van to get to the golf course, instead of a more economical car, and play with old *** golf clubs. The experience is less enjoyable and less economically efficient. By your trying to plan the economy you have only added to ineffienct allocation of resources (unused computers and people wasting gas driving around in vans when a civic would have been sufficient), and made people's lives less enjoyable (not enough greeting cards to go around, and everyone having to play golf with old crappy clubs).
Reply:People !.
However, I don't see any value in this. Ie. on a desert island with two people, if you provide shelter and water and I catch fish ... and then i shift to making greeting cards and you shift to making golf clubs ... we'll starve.
Today, buying a computer may a) help a person work more efficiently; b) help fund research into IT -- which, 5 years from now may result in more productive supply chains ... buying a delivery van lets you a) deliver stuff; b) support designers of safer, more efficient vehicles.
I read that 70% of the U.S. economy is comprised of consumer goods. If half of those are more like valentines cards and golf clubs than like computers and vans ... how the heck does the economy grow?
What is the mechanism by which consumerism causes economic growth?
Consumer goods like greeting cards are only purchased when the economy is relatively well-off. On the desert island, you'd be too busy tryng to catch fish to think of greeting cards. More conumerism is a sign of an economy that has more resources tahn required for pure survival.
The basic thing is that money is spent. And while the profits of the greeting card company might be ploughed back into making niftier greeting cards (nicer mucis, more light, bells and whistles) you muct nor forget that the company is employing people, from designers to printers, cleaners... These people have to buy essential products (on top of consumer goods). Hence by spending on a greeting card, you allow the cleaner at the greeting card company to buy his/her bread. The baker might put soem of his money into his kids' education fund, then use the rest to pay the flour mill, and buy some pasta for himself... ...
The above si called the multiplier effect. Any dollar spent goes round the economy a few times. So spending on greeting cards isn;t that bad. Plus it generally makes the recipeint happy, that counts for something too , no?
Reply:Supply and Demand
Reply:It is all an illusion, a trick of smoke and mirrors. What really is economic growth? The reporting of a contrived metric used for political purposes. Always consider the source and follow the money. This country used to make more durable goods, we had more manufacturing jobs. Enter outsourcing, the buying of cheap labor and the selling of American jobs overseas. Exit manufacturing jobs, Enter service industry jobs. I can't swing a dead cat in my neighboorhood without hitting a hotel or restaurant. The economy is growing and so is pinochio's nose. I have always thought it utterly ridiculously obscene the amount of useless garbage that we created buy and sell in this country. We are all about quantity, and profit, quality and purpose a second thought at best.
Reply:it grows coz of the people, they wont stop buying valentine cards n golf clubs........ so the money goes n gets invested into more cards n etc....... plus they pay taxes n other stuff n thus the economy grows coz more n more people r buying these cards n golf clubs...........
Reply:The faster a dollar can circulate, the more items or services can be made or developed. That is why saving is bad. It takes dollars out of circulation and slows down the economy. By taking money (taxes) from the working people the government makes it harder for people to save money. And therefore a higher % of their earnings are recirculated faster. So then more items can be bought and sold. It is called the 'rat race'.
Reply:You don't need to see any value in greeting cards or golf clubs, as long as someone else does.
How about legal services adding to the GDP numbers, like we really need a lot of growth in that.
But the point is that someone wants it, or they wouldn't be paying for it. So if someone makes the decision that they would rather spend thier hard earned income on greeting cards than computers, then to them greeting cards are more important. And the idea of economics is to provide what people want, not what you think they should want. What good would making more computers and delivery vans be if no one wanted to use them, they really wanted some golf clubs. So instead, they drive around in a van to get to the golf course, instead of a more economical car, and play with old *** golf clubs. The experience is less enjoyable and less economically efficient. By your trying to plan the economy you have only added to ineffienct allocation of resources (unused computers and people wasting gas driving around in vans when a civic would have been sufficient), and made people's lives less enjoyable (not enough greeting cards to go around, and everyone having to play golf with old crappy clubs).
Reply:People !.
Do Conservatives Smile When They Buy Gas-As it Helps Capitalism's Winners (EXXON $10.9 Billion in Profits)?
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) posted a $10.89 billion first-quarter profit on Thursday, but still managed to disappoint investors as weak production volumes and low refining margins blunted the impact of record-high crude prices.
Earnings rose 17 percent year over year, and were the second-highest in U.S. history, but still fell short of Wall Street expectations, and its shares dropped 3.6 percent.
Exxon's near-record profits brought sharpened scrutiny from politicians and consumer groups, who are upset about sky-high gasoline prices at the pump.
Benchmark U.S. oil prices averaged a record of nearly $98 a barrel during the quarter, up about 70 percent from a year earlier.
Exxon posted record earnings of $40.6 billion in 2007, with revenue higher than the gross domestic product of Turkey, the world's 17th-largest economy. If oil prices stay above or around $100 for the remainder of 2008, the company could beat that mark.
Do Conservatives Smile When They Buy Gas-As it Helps Capitalism's Winners (EXXON $10.9 Billion in Profits)?
Sure, if everybody just tried a little harder, we could all be in the top 10%!
Not. As the dream continues to unfold, all that is happening is that you have to work ever harder to get the same standard of living.
Reply:What you really need to do is find out how much of that they made from producing crude oil and how much of it they made from selling gasoline. What you will find is that a very miniscule amount of that was made selling gasoline. The reason is that the retail fuels business is very difficult because these guys can't recover on the high prices of crude. Either way, exxon does not set the price for gasoline, and even less for crude oil, so you can't blame them.
Reply:Republicans enjoy spending $3.65 for a gallon of gas, because they know that the exorbitant profits earned by Exxon-Mobil will soon lead to more jobs being "created" and that will result in falling unemployment, increased real wages, and an economic boom. Of course, it will be three years into Obama's term, before those benefits kick in, but the Republicans know that prosperity is "just around the corner".
Reply:I smile, to think that we have a free market and that you can choose not to drive and use the product or continue with your gas guzzler and pay for the fuel is fair enough. How come liberals feel that they should share in a business' profits when they have done nothing but consume their product.
Reply:Nice of you to leave out their revenue numbers, which puts their profits in prospective. In Q1, Exxon had $116.9 billion in revenue, making $10.9 billion. Do the math and that's a 9.3% profit.
Sky-high gasoline prices are not the fault of Exxon. They're the fault of the Federal Reserve.
Reply:interesting that you left out the fact that they also payed 18 billion in taxes. so the government made more than the investors that put 14 billion back into the oil infastructure and exploration that you seem to gloss over as well.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0...
since you wont read the link.
HOFMEISTER: Well, the profit margin is a very average margin of about 7.5 percent. If you looked at -- let`s say, you used the 9.1 number. We also report a cost of replacement of goods, which is like a $7.8 billion number. And it took us $7.8 million on a revenue stream on $114 million. Nobody would say a word.
But change million to billion, the percentage is the same. Everybody gets upset. Because it is a big number. It`s a big number because we`re selling 3.5 million barrels -- that`s barrels, not gallons -- of oil a day into the open markets. And we`re selling some probably 8 million -- 8 million barrels of retail product.
BECK: But here`s the -- here`s the problem, John, I think people see these numbers, and it`s always coupled with this phrase: record profits. It`s always -- and so it only comes out when, you know, we`re struggling at the gas pump and it shows you having record profits.
HOFMEISTER: Record profits. We`re also spending record amounts on capital investment for new developments around the world. We`re also paying record amounts in taxes.
If we go back to the end of 2007, we made $27 billion in profit. We spent $25 billion on capital expenditures in the year. We paid $18 billion in taxes. Which people, a lot of elected officials don`t want to hear that number, because they don`t want to have to deal with it. We returned $16 billion to shareholders. Actually was quite a good year for everybody.
Reply:Would it make you laugh if somebody is dumb. People are paying for the war and gas. Won't they be laughing, your imagination.
Reply:Probably just as much as liberals, the government made more off of us at the pump than Exxon did.
Reply:Quit being dumb buy stock in Exxon Mobil Corp
Reply:Reactionary thought is the healthiest kind, right?
Would you spend $100 to turn that into $107? For every one hundred you spend you make seven? That's close to what kind of margins Exxon is getting for their investment, it just so happens that the capital required to stay alive in their industry is in the billions.
So the numbers seem huge, when in reality, it's nothing that any regular company or CEO would brag about. Their margins are small. Look into someone like Apple or Microsoft...check out what their margins are.
Stop and think once in awhile, eh?
Reply:Conservatives NEVER smile..They grin and bear it as they have been brainwashed to be independent, rather than interdependent. They are usually sexually frustrated, rather than sexually liberated closet gays rather than openly gay, always correct rather than questioning and exploring, all in all, a pretty sad bunch to have at a gathering.
Here is an Idea.. The other day pundits were explaining high gasoline prices, they said, not a supply problem, not a demand problem, but traders of futures drive the price per barrel, so simply....Get this....GOVERNMENT FORBIDS SPECULATION ON THE FOLLOWING:
ENERGY PRODUCTS,
FOOD
HEALTH PRODUCTS
(FEEL FREE TO EXPAND THIS LIST)
teeth grinding guard
Earnings rose 17 percent year over year, and were the second-highest in U.S. history, but still fell short of Wall Street expectations, and its shares dropped 3.6 percent.
Exxon's near-record profits brought sharpened scrutiny from politicians and consumer groups, who are upset about sky-high gasoline prices at the pump.
Benchmark U.S. oil prices averaged a record of nearly $98 a barrel during the quarter, up about 70 percent from a year earlier.
Exxon posted record earnings of $40.6 billion in 2007, with revenue higher than the gross domestic product of Turkey, the world's 17th-largest economy. If oil prices stay above or around $100 for the remainder of 2008, the company could beat that mark.
Do Conservatives Smile When They Buy Gas-As it Helps Capitalism's Winners (EXXON $10.9 Billion in Profits)?
Sure, if everybody just tried a little harder, we could all be in the top 10%!
Not. As the dream continues to unfold, all that is happening is that you have to work ever harder to get the same standard of living.
Reply:What you really need to do is find out how much of that they made from producing crude oil and how much of it they made from selling gasoline. What you will find is that a very miniscule amount of that was made selling gasoline. The reason is that the retail fuels business is very difficult because these guys can't recover on the high prices of crude. Either way, exxon does not set the price for gasoline, and even less for crude oil, so you can't blame them.
Reply:Republicans enjoy spending $3.65 for a gallon of gas, because they know that the exorbitant profits earned by Exxon-Mobil will soon lead to more jobs being "created" and that will result in falling unemployment, increased real wages, and an economic boom. Of course, it will be three years into Obama's term, before those benefits kick in, but the Republicans know that prosperity is "just around the corner".
Reply:I smile, to think that we have a free market and that you can choose not to drive and use the product or continue with your gas guzzler and pay for the fuel is fair enough. How come liberals feel that they should share in a business' profits when they have done nothing but consume their product.
Reply:Nice of you to leave out their revenue numbers, which puts their profits in prospective. In Q1, Exxon had $116.9 billion in revenue, making $10.9 billion. Do the math and that's a 9.3% profit.
Sky-high gasoline prices are not the fault of Exxon. They're the fault of the Federal Reserve.
Reply:interesting that you left out the fact that they also payed 18 billion in taxes. so the government made more than the investors that put 14 billion back into the oil infastructure and exploration that you seem to gloss over as well.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0...
since you wont read the link.
HOFMEISTER: Well, the profit margin is a very average margin of about 7.5 percent. If you looked at -- let`s say, you used the 9.1 number. We also report a cost of replacement of goods, which is like a $7.8 billion number. And it took us $7.8 million on a revenue stream on $114 million. Nobody would say a word.
But change million to billion, the percentage is the same. Everybody gets upset. Because it is a big number. It`s a big number because we`re selling 3.5 million barrels -- that`s barrels, not gallons -- of oil a day into the open markets. And we`re selling some probably 8 million -- 8 million barrels of retail product.
BECK: But here`s the -- here`s the problem, John, I think people see these numbers, and it`s always coupled with this phrase: record profits. It`s always -- and so it only comes out when, you know, we`re struggling at the gas pump and it shows you having record profits.
HOFMEISTER: Record profits. We`re also spending record amounts on capital investment for new developments around the world. We`re also paying record amounts in taxes.
If we go back to the end of 2007, we made $27 billion in profit. We spent $25 billion on capital expenditures in the year. We paid $18 billion in taxes. Which people, a lot of elected officials don`t want to hear that number, because they don`t want to have to deal with it. We returned $16 billion to shareholders. Actually was quite a good year for everybody.
Reply:Would it make you laugh if somebody is dumb. People are paying for the war and gas. Won't they be laughing, your imagination.
Reply:Probably just as much as liberals, the government made more off of us at the pump than Exxon did.
Reply:Quit being dumb buy stock in Exxon Mobil Corp
Reply:Reactionary thought is the healthiest kind, right?
Would you spend $100 to turn that into $107? For every one hundred you spend you make seven? That's close to what kind of margins Exxon is getting for their investment, it just so happens that the capital required to stay alive in their industry is in the billions.
So the numbers seem huge, when in reality, it's nothing that any regular company or CEO would brag about. Their margins are small. Look into someone like Apple or Microsoft...check out what their margins are.
Stop and think once in awhile, eh?
Reply:Conservatives NEVER smile..They grin and bear it as they have been brainwashed to be independent, rather than interdependent. They are usually sexually frustrated, rather than sexually liberated closet gays rather than openly gay, always correct rather than questioning and exploring, all in all, a pretty sad bunch to have at a gathering.
Here is an Idea.. The other day pundits were explaining high gasoline prices, they said, not a supply problem, not a demand problem, but traders of futures drive the price per barrel, so simply....Get this....GOVERNMENT FORBIDS SPECULATION ON THE FOLLOWING:
ENERGY PRODUCTS,
FOOD
HEALTH PRODUCTS
(FEEL FREE TO EXPAND THIS LIST)
teeth grinding guard
Questions about Birkenstock (the sandal company)...?
Yes, this is for a project.
But I've done my research, and still have a few questions I can't quite put my finger on (I'm a dude who cares nothing about fashion, and doesn't really have foot problems...)
1. What/who would you say is Birkenstock's Target Market? I'm assuming it's rather wealthy people more concerned with comfort than price...but I'm unsure of age, gender,socio-class status, etc, or other classifications
2. What are some competitors of Birkenstock? Basically, other footwear companies that focus on comfort, and/or quality sandals...
3. What type of competitive structure would you say Birkenstock is in? (not sure what this question asks, so feel free to answer how you see fit.) I think it's asking how Birkenstock has to market itself to get consumer attention and gain marketshare over other similar companies. But also maybe refers to distribution and/or other factors.
*Please be as thorough as possible in answers!
THANK YOU ALL FOR HELPING!!! BIG THANKS!
Questions about Birkenstock (the sandal company)...?
Cetainly target towards the young(18-30), both genders and white. I'm not sure about the wealthy thing (hippie's or yippie's), but defintely people who are concerned about quality, comfort and durability. Competitors would be Teva, Keen, Born or Clarks.
Reply:1. teenagers- im 15 n i dnt thnk i have one friend that doesnt have birkenstocks or rainbows.
2. Rainbows or any companies that make generic birkenstocks, i have the generic ones cause im lyke broke rite now
3.um i thnk birkenstock is doin ok. the thing is ppl, or atleast the ppl i kno buy the generic brands but jus call them birkenstocks cause they r just that much cheaper so i dnt really kno how much they r selling, but they r known.
Reply:I think that the target market would be middle aged people of both sexes that look for comfort rather than style and are willing to pay the price. As for the competitiors, I would say Born Shoes who make similar in style comfortable shoes that are priced within $50-$100 depending on style. Hope that helps you somewhat.
Reply:GUCCI LV FENCI prada handbag ,5A+ quality, super cheap price, 3-4days delivery, accept paypal payment ,welcome to order http://www.ReplicaTycoon.com
But I've done my research, and still have a few questions I can't quite put my finger on (I'm a dude who cares nothing about fashion, and doesn't really have foot problems...)
1. What/who would you say is Birkenstock's Target Market? I'm assuming it's rather wealthy people more concerned with comfort than price...but I'm unsure of age, gender,socio-class status, etc, or other classifications
2. What are some competitors of Birkenstock? Basically, other footwear companies that focus on comfort, and/or quality sandals...
3. What type of competitive structure would you say Birkenstock is in? (not sure what this question asks, so feel free to answer how you see fit.) I think it's asking how Birkenstock has to market itself to get consumer attention and gain marketshare over other similar companies. But also maybe refers to distribution and/or other factors.
*Please be as thorough as possible in answers!
THANK YOU ALL FOR HELPING!!! BIG THANKS!
Questions about Birkenstock (the sandal company)...?
Cetainly target towards the young(18-30), both genders and white. I'm not sure about the wealthy thing (hippie's or yippie's), but defintely people who are concerned about quality, comfort and durability. Competitors would be Teva, Keen, Born or Clarks.
Reply:1. teenagers- im 15 n i dnt thnk i have one friend that doesnt have birkenstocks or rainbows.
2. Rainbows or any companies that make generic birkenstocks, i have the generic ones cause im lyke broke rite now
3.um i thnk birkenstock is doin ok. the thing is ppl, or atleast the ppl i kno buy the generic brands but jus call them birkenstocks cause they r just that much cheaper so i dnt really kno how much they r selling, but they r known.
Reply:I think that the target market would be middle aged people of both sexes that look for comfort rather than style and are willing to pay the price. As for the competitiors, I would say Born Shoes who make similar in style comfortable shoes that are priced within $50-$100 depending on style. Hope that helps you somewhat.
Reply:GUCCI LV FENCI prada handbag ,5A+ quality, super cheap price, 3-4days delivery, accept paypal payment ,welcome to order http://www.ReplicaTycoon.com
Do Conservatives Smile When They Buy Gas-As it Helps Capitalism's Winners (EXXON $10.9 Billion in Profits)?
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) posted a $10.89 billion first-quarter profit on Thursday, but still managed to disappoint investors as weak production volumes and low refining margins blunted the impact of record-high crude prices.
Earnings rose 17 percent year over year, and were the second-highest in U.S. history, but still fell short of Wall Street expectations, and its shares dropped 3.6 percent.
Exxon's near-record profits brought sharpened scrutiny from politicians and consumer groups, who are upset about sky-high gasoline prices at the pump.
Benchmark U.S. oil prices averaged a record of nearly $98 a barrel during the quarter, up about 70 percent from a year earlier.
Exxon posted record earnings of $40.6 billion in 2007, with revenue higher than the gross domestic product of Turkey, the world's 17th-largest economy. If oil prices stay above or around $100 for the remainder of 2008, the company could beat that mark.
Do Conservatives Smile When They Buy Gas-As it Helps Capitalism's Winners (EXXON $10.9 Billion in Profits)?
Sure, if everybody just tried a little harder, we could all be in the top 10%!
Not. As the dream continues to unfold, all that is happening is that you have to work ever harder to get the same standard of living.
Reply:What you really need to do is find out how much of that they made from producing crude oil and how much of it they made from selling gasoline. What you will find is that a very miniscule amount of that was made selling gasoline. The reason is that the retail fuels business is very difficult because these guys can't recover on the high prices of crude. Either way, exxon does not set the price for gasoline, and even less for crude oil, so you can't blame them.
Reply:Republicans enjoy spending $3.65 for a gallon of gas, because they know that the exorbitant profits earned by Exxon-Mobil will soon lead to more jobs being "created" and that will result in falling unemployment, increased real wages, and an economic boom. Of course, it will be three years into Obama's term, before those benefits kick in, but the Republicans know that prosperity is "just around the corner".
Reply:I smile, to think that we have a free market and that you can choose not to drive and use the product or continue with your gas guzzler and pay for the fuel is fair enough. How come liberals feel that they should share in a business' profits when they have done nothing but consume their product.
Reply:Nice of you to leave out their revenue numbers, which puts their profits in prospective. In Q1, Exxon had $116.9 billion in revenue, making $10.9 billion. Do the math and that's a 9.3% profit.
Sky-high gasoline prices are not the fault of Exxon. They're the fault of the Federal Reserve.
Reply:interesting that you left out the fact that they also payed 18 billion in taxes. so the government made more than the investors that put 14 billion back into the oil infastructure and exploration that you seem to gloss over as well.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0...
since you wont read the link.
HOFMEISTER: Well, the profit margin is a very average margin of about 7.5 percent. If you looked at -- let`s say, you used the 9.1 number. We also report a cost of replacement of goods, which is like a $7.8 billion number. And it took us $7.8 million on a revenue stream on $114 million. Nobody would say a word.
But change million to billion, the percentage is the same. Everybody gets upset. Because it is a big number. It`s a big number because we`re selling 3.5 million barrels -- that`s barrels, not gallons -- of oil a day into the open markets. And we`re selling some probably 8 million -- 8 million barrels of retail product.
BECK: But here`s the -- here`s the problem, John, I think people see these numbers, and it`s always coupled with this phrase: record profits. It`s always -- and so it only comes out when, you know, we`re struggling at the gas pump and it shows you having record profits.
HOFMEISTER: Record profits. We`re also spending record amounts on capital investment for new developments around the world. We`re also paying record amounts in taxes.
If we go back to the end of 2007, we made $27 billion in profit. We spent $25 billion on capital expenditures in the year. We paid $18 billion in taxes. Which people, a lot of elected officials don`t want to hear that number, because they don`t want to have to deal with it. We returned $16 billion to shareholders. Actually was quite a good year for everybody.
Reply:Would it make you laugh if somebody is dumb. People are paying for the war and gas. Won't they be laughing, your imagination.
Reply:Probably just as much as liberals, the government made more off of us at the pump than Exxon did.
Reply:Quit being dumb buy stock in Exxon Mobil Corp
Reply:Reactionary thought is the healthiest kind, right?
Would you spend $100 to turn that into $107? For every one hundred you spend you make seven? That's close to what kind of margins Exxon is getting for their investment, it just so happens that the capital required to stay alive in their industry is in the billions.
So the numbers seem huge, when in reality, it's nothing that any regular company or CEO would brag about. Their margins are small. Look into someone like Apple or Microsoft...check out what their margins are.
Stop and think once in awhile, eh?
Reply:Conservatives NEVER smile..They grin and bear it as they have been brainwashed to be independent, rather than interdependent. They are usually sexually frustrated, rather than sexually liberated closet gays rather than openly gay, always correct rather than questioning and exploring, all in all, a pretty sad bunch to have at a gathering.
Here is an Idea.. The other day pundits were explaining high gasoline prices, they said, not a supply problem, not a demand problem, but traders of futures drive the price per barrel, so simply....Get this....GOVERNMENT FORBIDS SPECULATION ON THE FOLLOWING:
ENERGY PRODUCTS,
FOOD
HEALTH PRODUCTS
(FEEL FREE TO EXPAND THIS LIST)
Earnings rose 17 percent year over year, and were the second-highest in U.S. history, but still fell short of Wall Street expectations, and its shares dropped 3.6 percent.
Exxon's near-record profits brought sharpened scrutiny from politicians and consumer groups, who are upset about sky-high gasoline prices at the pump.
Benchmark U.S. oil prices averaged a record of nearly $98 a barrel during the quarter, up about 70 percent from a year earlier.
Exxon posted record earnings of $40.6 billion in 2007, with revenue higher than the gross domestic product of Turkey, the world's 17th-largest economy. If oil prices stay above or around $100 for the remainder of 2008, the company could beat that mark.
Do Conservatives Smile When They Buy Gas-As it Helps Capitalism's Winners (EXXON $10.9 Billion in Profits)?
Sure, if everybody just tried a little harder, we could all be in the top 10%!
Not. As the dream continues to unfold, all that is happening is that you have to work ever harder to get the same standard of living.
Reply:What you really need to do is find out how much of that they made from producing crude oil and how much of it they made from selling gasoline. What you will find is that a very miniscule amount of that was made selling gasoline. The reason is that the retail fuels business is very difficult because these guys can't recover on the high prices of crude. Either way, exxon does not set the price for gasoline, and even less for crude oil, so you can't blame them.
Reply:Republicans enjoy spending $3.65 for a gallon of gas, because they know that the exorbitant profits earned by Exxon-Mobil will soon lead to more jobs being "created" and that will result in falling unemployment, increased real wages, and an economic boom. Of course, it will be three years into Obama's term, before those benefits kick in, but the Republicans know that prosperity is "just around the corner".
Reply:I smile, to think that we have a free market and that you can choose not to drive and use the product or continue with your gas guzzler and pay for the fuel is fair enough. How come liberals feel that they should share in a business' profits when they have done nothing but consume their product.
Reply:Nice of you to leave out their revenue numbers, which puts their profits in prospective. In Q1, Exxon had $116.9 billion in revenue, making $10.9 billion. Do the math and that's a 9.3% profit.
Sky-high gasoline prices are not the fault of Exxon. They're the fault of the Federal Reserve.
Reply:interesting that you left out the fact that they also payed 18 billion in taxes. so the government made more than the investors that put 14 billion back into the oil infastructure and exploration that you seem to gloss over as well.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0...
since you wont read the link.
HOFMEISTER: Well, the profit margin is a very average margin of about 7.5 percent. If you looked at -- let`s say, you used the 9.1 number. We also report a cost of replacement of goods, which is like a $7.8 billion number. And it took us $7.8 million on a revenue stream on $114 million. Nobody would say a word.
But change million to billion, the percentage is the same. Everybody gets upset. Because it is a big number. It`s a big number because we`re selling 3.5 million barrels -- that`s barrels, not gallons -- of oil a day into the open markets. And we`re selling some probably 8 million -- 8 million barrels of retail product.
BECK: But here`s the -- here`s the problem, John, I think people see these numbers, and it`s always coupled with this phrase: record profits. It`s always -- and so it only comes out when, you know, we`re struggling at the gas pump and it shows you having record profits.
HOFMEISTER: Record profits. We`re also spending record amounts on capital investment for new developments around the world. We`re also paying record amounts in taxes.
If we go back to the end of 2007, we made $27 billion in profit. We spent $25 billion on capital expenditures in the year. We paid $18 billion in taxes. Which people, a lot of elected officials don`t want to hear that number, because they don`t want to have to deal with it. We returned $16 billion to shareholders. Actually was quite a good year for everybody.
Reply:Would it make you laugh if somebody is dumb. People are paying for the war and gas. Won't they be laughing, your imagination.
Reply:Probably just as much as liberals, the government made more off of us at the pump than Exxon did.
Reply:Quit being dumb buy stock in Exxon Mobil Corp
Reply:Reactionary thought is the healthiest kind, right?
Would you spend $100 to turn that into $107? For every one hundred you spend you make seven? That's close to what kind of margins Exxon is getting for their investment, it just so happens that the capital required to stay alive in their industry is in the billions.
So the numbers seem huge, when in reality, it's nothing that any regular company or CEO would brag about. Their margins are small. Look into someone like Apple or Microsoft...check out what their margins are.
Stop and think once in awhile, eh?
Reply:Conservatives NEVER smile..They grin and bear it as they have been brainwashed to be independent, rather than interdependent. They are usually sexually frustrated, rather than sexually liberated closet gays rather than openly gay, always correct rather than questioning and exploring, all in all, a pretty sad bunch to have at a gathering.
Here is an Idea.. The other day pundits were explaining high gasoline prices, they said, not a supply problem, not a demand problem, but traders of futures drive the price per barrel, so simply....Get this....GOVERNMENT FORBIDS SPECULATION ON THE FOLLOWING:
ENERGY PRODUCTS,
FOOD
HEALTH PRODUCTS
(FEEL FREE TO EXPAND THIS LIST)
Questions about Birkenstock (the sandal company)...?
Yes, this is for a project.
But I've done my research, and still have a few questions I can't quite put my finger on (I'm a dude who cares nothing about fashion, and doesn't really have foot problems...)
1. What/who would you say is Birkenstock's Target Market? I'm assuming it's rather wealthy people more concerned with comfort than price...but I'm unsure of age, gender,socio-class status, etc, or other classifications
2. What are some competitors of Birkenstock? Basically, other footwear companies that focus on comfort, and/or quality sandals...
3. What type of competitive structure would you say Birkenstock is in? (not sure what this question asks, so feel free to answer how you see fit.) I think it's asking how Birkenstock has to market itself to get consumer attention and gain marketshare over other similar companies. But also maybe refers to distribution and/or other factors.
*Please be as thorough as possible in answers!
THANK YOU ALL FOR HELPING!!! BIG THANKS!
Questions about Birkenstock (the sandal company)...?
Cetainly target towards the young(18-30), both genders and white. I'm not sure about the wealthy thing (hippie's or yippie's), but defintely people who are concerned about quality, comfort and durability. Competitors would be Teva, Keen, Born or Clarks.
Reply:1. teenagers- im 15 n i dnt thnk i have one friend that doesnt have birkenstocks or rainbows.
2. Rainbows or any companies that make generic birkenstocks, i have the generic ones cause im lyke broke rite now
3.um i thnk birkenstock is doin ok. the thing is ppl, or atleast the ppl i kno buy the generic brands but jus call them birkenstocks cause they r just that much cheaper so i dnt really kno how much they r selling, but they r known.
Reply:I think that the target market would be middle aged people of both sexes that look for comfort rather than style and are willing to pay the price. As for the competitiors, I would say Born Shoes who make similar in style comfortable shoes that are priced within $50-$100 depending on style. Hope that helps you somewhat.
Reply:GUCCI LV FENCI prada handbag ,5A+ quality, super cheap price, 3-4days delivery, accept paypal payment ,welcome to order http://www.ReplicaTycoon.com
But I've done my research, and still have a few questions I can't quite put my finger on (I'm a dude who cares nothing about fashion, and doesn't really have foot problems...)
1. What/who would you say is Birkenstock's Target Market? I'm assuming it's rather wealthy people more concerned with comfort than price...but I'm unsure of age, gender,socio-class status, etc, or other classifications
2. What are some competitors of Birkenstock? Basically, other footwear companies that focus on comfort, and/or quality sandals...
3. What type of competitive structure would you say Birkenstock is in? (not sure what this question asks, so feel free to answer how you see fit.) I think it's asking how Birkenstock has to market itself to get consumer attention and gain marketshare over other similar companies. But also maybe refers to distribution and/or other factors.
*Please be as thorough as possible in answers!
THANK YOU ALL FOR HELPING!!! BIG THANKS!
Questions about Birkenstock (the sandal company)...?
Cetainly target towards the young(18-30), both genders and white. I'm not sure about the wealthy thing (hippie's or yippie's), but defintely people who are concerned about quality, comfort and durability. Competitors would be Teva, Keen, Born or Clarks.
Reply:1. teenagers- im 15 n i dnt thnk i have one friend that doesnt have birkenstocks or rainbows.
2. Rainbows or any companies that make generic birkenstocks, i have the generic ones cause im lyke broke rite now
3.um i thnk birkenstock is doin ok. the thing is ppl, or atleast the ppl i kno buy the generic brands but jus call them birkenstocks cause they r just that much cheaper so i dnt really kno how much they r selling, but they r known.
Reply:I think that the target market would be middle aged people of both sexes that look for comfort rather than style and are willing to pay the price. As for the competitiors, I would say Born Shoes who make similar in style comfortable shoes that are priced within $50-$100 depending on style. Hope that helps you somewhat.
Reply:GUCCI LV FENCI prada handbag ,5A+ quality, super cheap price, 3-4days delivery, accept paypal payment ,welcome to order http://www.ReplicaTycoon.com
Gary Spatz BBB Ripoff?
I know from experience. I have been there done it. Let me save everyone some time, money and most importantly your child’s hart!
The scam starts like this. You and your family are out shopping and you are contacted by a woman. She tells you how cute your child is and asks “have you ever thought about getting in commercials or TV?” She chats on and you are convinced you should attend the big “tryout” or should I say the big set-up. Well, after an hour or more of driving you arrive and there are many other children waiting for their “big break” also. After two hours and a dog and pony show were they try and get your child all excited. This is helpful in the big picture of trying to sale you an expensive acting class.
You now drive home and wait for the “Callback”. Everyone gets called back. The next day after a brief conversation on the phone you take another drive to their office and this is were the big hustle starts. We saw a man named Mike and his office looked like a move set. What a joke. All the phony photos on the wall and phony props, a real cheese ball this guy was.
After 10 minutes of b.s. he gets to the real reason for all the deception.
You need to spend $3000 on classes and then you will be invited to attend “performance” night. I then asked, what about all the negative things people are saying online? His reply was “don’t pay any attention to what people are saying online. “It’s just some crackpot” I then asked why they have an F with the BBB? He said they have only one complaint and that was the reason. NOT TRUE! They have an F because of their deceptive business practices. Well, I thought long and hard and decided to give it a try for my child. (I also new if I put it on a credit card I could dispute it later if need be)
We attend the first class and I start talking to some of the other parents that have been there for awhile. A LOT of them are NOT that happy with the whole operation, contrary to what “the Playground” wants you to believe.” The complaints were numerous including the fact that Gary dose not even teach! We attend two more classes that I sit in on and I talk to more upset parents.
My family finally decides to cancel this whole thing and get a refund. Boy that was not easy. Once they get your money they do not want to give it back. I guess the “cheese ball” had already spent the commission.
Here is the long and short of it. I have nothing to gain and my only goal is to share
my experience and offer some advise.
DO NOT DO BUSSINESS WITH THIS SCAM COMPANY
Go online and look up acting schools in Los Angeles. Call and talk with them. Go see a few places. I know this will take a little time but, your child is worth it. Make a decision after you have all the facts. Don’t let your child’s dream be ruined by Gary Spatz and his group of scammers. Just make sure you do a little research and then proceed. It can be a lot of fun and great for your child.
Want to complain? contact the Department of Consumer Affairs. They are already aware of Gary Spatz and this Eric Rottman guy.
Gary Spatz BBB Ripoff?
YES, we went through the exact same thing. We even had an appointment with the same guy. After reading this we did not bother to show up. I'm calling the BBB and the City Attorneys Office and file complaints. It may take some time but they will reap what they sew! Here is more on Eric Rottman.
Disappearing Act
Best: O’Brien Rottman Talent Agency vacated its premises and skipped town after D Magazine exposed its highly advertised model search as a “glam scam” in our March issue.
Reply:This is the SAME LIES you guys keep posting. Don't you have a life???
There's nothing wrong with Gary's school. His school is NOT a scam. I have a kid that goes there. Everyone is kind and honest there... unlike you guys. Report Abuse
hotels
The scam starts like this. You and your family are out shopping and you are contacted by a woman. She tells you how cute your child is and asks “have you ever thought about getting in commercials or TV?” She chats on and you are convinced you should attend the big “tryout” or should I say the big set-up. Well, after an hour or more of driving you arrive and there are many other children waiting for their “big break” also. After two hours and a dog and pony show were they try and get your child all excited. This is helpful in the big picture of trying to sale you an expensive acting class.
You now drive home and wait for the “Callback”. Everyone gets called back. The next day after a brief conversation on the phone you take another drive to their office and this is were the big hustle starts. We saw a man named Mike and his office looked like a move set. What a joke. All the phony photos on the wall and phony props, a real cheese ball this guy was.
After 10 minutes of b.s. he gets to the real reason for all the deception.
You need to spend $3000 on classes and then you will be invited to attend “performance” night. I then asked, what about all the negative things people are saying online? His reply was “don’t pay any attention to what people are saying online. “It’s just some crackpot” I then asked why they have an F with the BBB? He said they have only one complaint and that was the reason. NOT TRUE! They have an F because of their deceptive business practices. Well, I thought long and hard and decided to give it a try for my child. (I also new if I put it on a credit card I could dispute it later if need be)
We attend the first class and I start talking to some of the other parents that have been there for awhile. A LOT of them are NOT that happy with the whole operation, contrary to what “the Playground” wants you to believe.” The complaints were numerous including the fact that Gary dose not even teach! We attend two more classes that I sit in on and I talk to more upset parents.
My family finally decides to cancel this whole thing and get a refund. Boy that was not easy. Once they get your money they do not want to give it back. I guess the “cheese ball” had already spent the commission.
Here is the long and short of it. I have nothing to gain and my only goal is to share
my experience and offer some advise.
DO NOT DO BUSSINESS WITH THIS SCAM COMPANY
Go online and look up acting schools in Los Angeles. Call and talk with them. Go see a few places. I know this will take a little time but, your child is worth it. Make a decision after you have all the facts. Don’t let your child’s dream be ruined by Gary Spatz and his group of scammers. Just make sure you do a little research and then proceed. It can be a lot of fun and great for your child.
Want to complain? contact the Department of Consumer Affairs. They are already aware of Gary Spatz and this Eric Rottman guy.
Gary Spatz BBB Ripoff?
YES, we went through the exact same thing. We even had an appointment with the same guy. After reading this we did not bother to show up. I'm calling the BBB and the City Attorneys Office and file complaints. It may take some time but they will reap what they sew! Here is more on Eric Rottman.
Disappearing Act
Best: O’Brien Rottman Talent Agency vacated its premises and skipped town after D Magazine exposed its highly advertised model search as a “glam scam” in our March issue.
Reply:This is the SAME LIES you guys keep posting. Don't you have a life???
There's nothing wrong with Gary's school. His school is NOT a scam. I have a kid that goes there. Everyone is kind and honest there... unlike you guys. Report Abuse
hotels
Why don't Americans know the following myth about immigration?
Myths About Immigration (http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org/myth...
Immigrants send all their money back to their home countries
• In addition to the consumer spending of immigrant households, immigrants and their businesses contribute $162 billion in tax revenue to U.S. federal, state, and local governments. While it is true that immigrants remit billions of dollars a year to their home countries, this is one of the most targeted and effective forms of direct foreign investment.
(Source: http://www.cato.org/research/articles/gr...
Why don't Americans know the following myth about immigration?
You are right. The fact that they contribute to the US economy more than they take out of it IS a myth.
And this question has already been posted and answered:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...
Reply:There NO AMNESTY there leaving%26gt;
Reply:While they do pay some taxes, the truth is that they generally COST more than they pay. If an indigent illegal shows up in an emergency room the hospital is required to provide treatment regardless of their ability to pay. Three hours hooked up to an ECG and an X-Ray can cost over $3,000 or more and the illegal certainly isn't going to pay the bill!
We recently had a major wreck on the Interstate caused by an illegal (uninsured of course) who couldn't read the signs. The costs of that, largely borne locally, will run into millions.
I have NO issue with legal immigrants whatsoever. I'm flattered that they chose my beloved country as their adopted home; they can offer no higher homage. But I have a MAJOR issue with the illegals AND the employers who employ them at sub-mimimum wages.
If our government would just start enforcing the laws currently on the books the problem would largely solve itself. If employers were hit with the maximum penalty of $10,000 per day per undocumented worker (legal or otherwise) it would be more expensive to hire illegals that it would be to pay legal workers a living wage.
We have poultry processing plants in my area that are staffed almost exclusively by illegals making about $3.50 per hour, all under the table. They are raided a couple times a year and usually are hit with a measly $25,000 fine. In 2 or 3 weeks, 90% of the illegals who were rounded up are back on the production line! One of the production managers publicly admitted in an interview that the fine was just a cost of doing business but was still much cheaper than paying legal workers the $15 or more per hour that they demanded for such nasty work. When they get raided they do bring in legal local workers and pay them $15 to $18 per hour as "temps" but let them go as the illegals return. This has to stop NOW!
Reply:No myth, just reality.
Reply:Americans should also know those illegals already here in this country WIRE MONEY to pay off the coyote in the border regions to pay for their friends and family waiting to be ''turned loose''
The Govt. should tap in and confiscate this money being paid to Western Union and all those taco stores that wire money to the border regions.
THAT WOULD STOP A LOT OF THIS CRAP.
Immigrants send all their money back to their home countries
• In addition to the consumer spending of immigrant households, immigrants and their businesses contribute $162 billion in tax revenue to U.S. federal, state, and local governments. While it is true that immigrants remit billions of dollars a year to their home countries, this is one of the most targeted and effective forms of direct foreign investment.
(Source: http://www.cato.org/research/articles/gr...
Why don't Americans know the following myth about immigration?
You are right. The fact that they contribute to the US economy more than they take out of it IS a myth.
And this question has already been posted and answered:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...
Reply:There NO AMNESTY there leaving%26gt;
Reply:While they do pay some taxes, the truth is that they generally COST more than they pay. If an indigent illegal shows up in an emergency room the hospital is required to provide treatment regardless of their ability to pay. Three hours hooked up to an ECG and an X-Ray can cost over $3,000 or more and the illegal certainly isn't going to pay the bill!
We recently had a major wreck on the Interstate caused by an illegal (uninsured of course) who couldn't read the signs. The costs of that, largely borne locally, will run into millions.
I have NO issue with legal immigrants whatsoever. I'm flattered that they chose my beloved country as their adopted home; they can offer no higher homage. But I have a MAJOR issue with the illegals AND the employers who employ them at sub-mimimum wages.
If our government would just start enforcing the laws currently on the books the problem would largely solve itself. If employers were hit with the maximum penalty of $10,000 per day per undocumented worker (legal or otherwise) it would be more expensive to hire illegals that it would be to pay legal workers a living wage.
We have poultry processing plants in my area that are staffed almost exclusively by illegals making about $3.50 per hour, all under the table. They are raided a couple times a year and usually are hit with a measly $25,000 fine. In 2 or 3 weeks, 90% of the illegals who were rounded up are back on the production line! One of the production managers publicly admitted in an interview that the fine was just a cost of doing business but was still much cheaper than paying legal workers the $15 or more per hour that they demanded for such nasty work. When they get raided they do bring in legal local workers and pay them $15 to $18 per hour as "temps" but let them go as the illegals return. This has to stop NOW!
Reply:No myth, just reality.
Reply:Americans should also know those illegals already here in this country WIRE MONEY to pay off the coyote in the border regions to pay for their friends and family waiting to be ''turned loose''
The Govt. should tap in and confiscate this money being paid to Western Union and all those taco stores that wire money to the border regions.
THAT WOULD STOP A LOT OF THIS CRAP.
Why can't i be like a normal teenager?
i am 16yo. i feel so secluded from everyone my age. first off, i don't like to spend much time at all with people. i love studying philosophy, history, current events, literature, statistics..and i spend a lot of my free time doing research and reading on my own about these topics. i am totally out-of-touch with teen culture and though i have a few friends, i have a really hard time making conversation. i could care less about what celebrity did this or what this person at school said. i don't know how to use a cell-phone, text, not into sports, etc. my peers don't like to talk about the meaning of truth, consumer globalization and pluto's cave. i know people who think my parents must have influenced me to be like this. but it is all my choice. i live to learn and love to think and question everything. if someone talks about their computer breaking my automatic response is to marvel how all the little parts work together-mostly in considerably amazing accuracy. why am i like this?
Why can't i be like a normal teenager?
Who is to say whats normal?
That being said no one can tell you why you are who you are, it just sort off happens.
I guess im what you would refer to as a 'normal' teenager and i think you should still be who you are, but you should probably try to socialize more. Try and get into teen culture, im sure you will find something you like about it.
Dont stop being interested or researching these things you like, just dont devote so much of your time to doing it, get out, makes some more friends and try and share an interest in what they like and you can share your interests.
Hope this helped :)
Reply:Do what you enjoy, do what you love, do what you feel passionate about.
As to why you're like that... you have been blessed with an insatiable curiosity, and a desire to learn, and learn about subjects that matter, that mean something, and can make a difference. You're not swayed by the junk-food infotainment, celebrity BS, and mindless consumerism that drives 99% of your peers. Revel in your curiosity! Celebrate it! You are so much more mature than your peers, and probably so much more intelligent. Good for you! Keep it up!
Reply:You are who you are. There is no "normal"........not really. I never felt I fit in with anyone, and still feel that way. As long as you're happy with yourself, then that's all you need to be. I also think a lot, and wonder how things are made. You're just an intelligent, curious person.....not a bad thing! Find people whose interests mirror yours, and I'll bet you'll have tons to talk about. You may end up changing the world. You're not alone, believe it.
Reply:It's your destiny. Enjoy it.
Reply:There is so such thing as a normal teenager.
Reply:there is no such thing as a normal teenager....
You are just the way you are suppose to be..
Reply:I wouldn't worry about it. For the most part, I'm the exact same way and wouldn't want to be any different. You'll find your niche when you get out of high school and away from all the clicks and drama that goes with it. Don't sacrifice what you enjoy doing just to appear "normal" to a bunch of kids who still have a lot of growing up to do. Your intelligent and seem to have found yourself, while the majority of everyone else is still trying to figure it out.
Reply:Do you really want to be like a normal teenager? Sucked into the void of materialism and prancing about discussing the best ways to get laid, get drunk and get high? I know I'm generalizing, but I see the teens of today and despair.. If you've got a love for learning, hang on to it, if you've got a mind for philosophy, keep it. However, if you feel like connecting to people your age, start by listening. Try and find out what they're interested in, and just talk about that with them. If it happens to be rumours, gossip and celebrity crazyness, you dont have to be super interested...just listen and comment once in while. Truth, consumer globalization, pluto's cave. It's all interesting stuff, but it gets a bit heavy for people who just want to make silly conversation.
Reply:did i write this question? some parts sounded a lot like me. what is normal? normal doesn't exists. there are things that i consider to be normal but i don't think there is a universal "normal". and even if there was wants wrong with being different. if you like doing those things that's great. just be yourself. why change? i would only recommend you to try and be more social. you never know who your going to meet. keep on reading and never stop questioning everything. just accept yourself as you are.
Why can't i be like a normal teenager?
Who is to say whats normal?
That being said no one can tell you why you are who you are, it just sort off happens.
I guess im what you would refer to as a 'normal' teenager and i think you should still be who you are, but you should probably try to socialize more. Try and get into teen culture, im sure you will find something you like about it.
Dont stop being interested or researching these things you like, just dont devote so much of your time to doing it, get out, makes some more friends and try and share an interest in what they like and you can share your interests.
Hope this helped :)
Reply:Do what you enjoy, do what you love, do what you feel passionate about.
As to why you're like that... you have been blessed with an insatiable curiosity, and a desire to learn, and learn about subjects that matter, that mean something, and can make a difference. You're not swayed by the junk-food infotainment, celebrity BS, and mindless consumerism that drives 99% of your peers. Revel in your curiosity! Celebrate it! You are so much more mature than your peers, and probably so much more intelligent. Good for you! Keep it up!
Reply:You are who you are. There is no "normal"........not really. I never felt I fit in with anyone, and still feel that way. As long as you're happy with yourself, then that's all you need to be. I also think a lot, and wonder how things are made. You're just an intelligent, curious person.....not a bad thing! Find people whose interests mirror yours, and I'll bet you'll have tons to talk about. You may end up changing the world. You're not alone, believe it.
Reply:It's your destiny. Enjoy it.
Reply:There is so such thing as a normal teenager.
Reply:there is no such thing as a normal teenager....
You are just the way you are suppose to be..
Reply:I wouldn't worry about it. For the most part, I'm the exact same way and wouldn't want to be any different. You'll find your niche when you get out of high school and away from all the clicks and drama that goes with it. Don't sacrifice what you enjoy doing just to appear "normal" to a bunch of kids who still have a lot of growing up to do. Your intelligent and seem to have found yourself, while the majority of everyone else is still trying to figure it out.
Reply:Do you really want to be like a normal teenager? Sucked into the void of materialism and prancing about discussing the best ways to get laid, get drunk and get high? I know I'm generalizing, but I see the teens of today and despair.. If you've got a love for learning, hang on to it, if you've got a mind for philosophy, keep it. However, if you feel like connecting to people your age, start by listening. Try and find out what they're interested in, and just talk about that with them. If it happens to be rumours, gossip and celebrity crazyness, you dont have to be super interested...just listen and comment once in while. Truth, consumer globalization, pluto's cave. It's all interesting stuff, but it gets a bit heavy for people who just want to make silly conversation.
Reply:did i write this question? some parts sounded a lot like me. what is normal? normal doesn't exists. there are things that i consider to be normal but i don't think there is a universal "normal". and even if there was wants wrong with being different. if you like doing those things that's great. just be yourself. why change? i would only recommend you to try and be more social. you never know who your going to meet. keep on reading and never stop questioning everything. just accept yourself as you are.
Can someone help me with these economic questions?
38: Which of the following is not one of the roles of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)?
sets and enforces tolerable limits of pollution
cleans up polluted streams, rivers, and marshes
establishes timetables to bring polluters into line with standards
has the authority to coordinate and support research and anti-pollution efforts
46: A(n) _____ is an economic disadvantage, such as lower efficiency or higher costs.
diseconomy
noneconomy
net loss
unexpected loss
49: In 1652, the _______ became the first American colony to make coins.
Roanoke Colony
Plymouth Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
New Hampshire Colony
54: True or False: Typically, price controls are imposed in order to keep prices from rising to the levels that they would reach in response to supply and demand.
True
False
57: True or False: When a supermarket chain buys $10,000 worth of bread, it gets its money back much faster than when a piano dealer buys $10,000 worth of pianos.
True
False
58: True or False: The cost of producing a given product or service remains the same despite the volume being produced. This is what economists call "economies of scale."
True
False
59: True or False: Both profit and losses force businesses to change with changing conditions or find themselves losing out to competitors who spot the new trends earlier or who understand their implications better.
True
False
60: True or False: The advantage of a command economy is that vast amounts of knowledge about the needs and wants of the consumer do not ever have to be brought together, but are coordinated automatically by prices that convey what numerous people want.
True
False
73: True or False: The quality of available labor -- how hard people are willing to work and how skilled they are -- is at least as important to a country's economic success as the number of workers.
True
False
78: True or False: Telephone companies, like electric utilities, were once considered to be natural monopolies.
True
False
79: True or False: What early colonial prosperity in America there was resulted primarily from basket-weaving.
True
False
Can someone help me with these economic questions?
46. Net loss
54. True
57. True
58. True
59. False
60. True
73. True
78. False
sets and enforces tolerable limits of pollution
cleans up polluted streams, rivers, and marshes
establishes timetables to bring polluters into line with standards
has the authority to coordinate and support research and anti-pollution efforts
46: A(n) _____ is an economic disadvantage, such as lower efficiency or higher costs.
diseconomy
noneconomy
net loss
unexpected loss
49: In 1652, the _______ became the first American colony to make coins.
Roanoke Colony
Plymouth Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
New Hampshire Colony
54: True or False: Typically, price controls are imposed in order to keep prices from rising to the levels that they would reach in response to supply and demand.
True
False
57: True or False: When a supermarket chain buys $10,000 worth of bread, it gets its money back much faster than when a piano dealer buys $10,000 worth of pianos.
True
False
58: True or False: The cost of producing a given product or service remains the same despite the volume being produced. This is what economists call "economies of scale."
True
False
59: True or False: Both profit and losses force businesses to change with changing conditions or find themselves losing out to competitors who spot the new trends earlier or who understand their implications better.
True
False
60: True or False: The advantage of a command economy is that vast amounts of knowledge about the needs and wants of the consumer do not ever have to be brought together, but are coordinated automatically by prices that convey what numerous people want.
True
False
73: True or False: The quality of available labor -- how hard people are willing to work and how skilled they are -- is at least as important to a country's economic success as the number of workers.
True
False
78: True or False: Telephone companies, like electric utilities, were once considered to be natural monopolies.
True
False
79: True or False: What early colonial prosperity in America there was resulted primarily from basket-weaving.
True
False
Can someone help me with these economic questions?
46. Net loss
54. True
57. True
58. True
59. False
60. True
73. True
78. False
Are the Gulf Arab states ending their defense relationships with the USA?
Here's the article that covers the subject:
Gulf states broaden contacts beyond US
By ROBERT H. REID, Associated Press Writer Sat Jan 19, 1:42 PM ET
CAIRO, Egypt - The promise of a new French base in the United Arab Emirates is the latest sign that Arab Gulf countries are expanding their commercial and military contacts to bolster security without appearing too dependent on the United States.
ADVERTISEMENT
President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced that France next year will become the only Western country other than the U.S. to have a permanent defense facility in the Gulf.
The deal comes at a time when Gulf countries want to protect themselves against a resurgent Iran. At the same time, they don't want to rely just on the U.S., with American prestige in the Middle East running low and the fear that U.S.-Iranian rivalry could drag the region into war.
France also plans to open a branch of its St. Cyr military academy in Qatar and take part in military exercises in February and March with forces from the UAE and Qatar. And France and the UAE have signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement as a first step toward building a nuclear reactor to help diversify energy sources.
"The UAE gets the advantage of playing the field a bit, not because it wants to walk away from the U.S. relationship but because this gives them leverage over both the French and Americans to get what they want," Mideast analyst Jon Alterman said.
France's new base will house up to 500 soldiers, sailors and airmen. By comparison, the United States maintains about 40,000 U.S. troops on bases across the Gulf — including Kuwait, the key staging ground for Iraq, and Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters.
The United States has been the dominant outside power in the Gulf since Britain closed its permanent bases in 1971. The Arabs are keenly aware that no European country can supplant the Americans as the primary protector of the oil-rich Gulf states.
"Perhaps they (Emiratis) thought that a French base would be a visible means of protection but in a less ostentatious manner, a little more discreet" than an American installation, said Stephane Lacroix, an analyst with the Sciences Po school of political science in Paris.
The new base also underscores France's claim as a global power capable of playing a role in parts of the world beyond its former colonial sphere of influence. The nearest French base is in Djibouti, a former French colony in the Horn of Africa.
French Defense Minister Herve Morin said the base would help France to support warships it routinely sends to the Gulf and "participate in the stabilization of the region."
Gulf governments and investors have been shifting away from the United States, seeking partners in Asia and Europe. The reasons for the shift are both economic and political, including strains in relations with the U.S. since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries have been looking to Europe for more consumer products as well as investments in areas such as high-speed railway systems, where the Europeans have unique experience.
For Gulf Arabs, Iran has made the need for leverage with the Americans all the more important. Although the small, wealthy oil sheikdoms fear Iranian influence, especially among their Shiite populations, they also worry that Washington's hardline stand against the Islamic Republic could drag them into conflict.
Gulf Arab leaders made clear to U.S. President George W. Bush during his visit to the region this month that they oppose trying to isolate Iran.
"We have relations with Iran and we talk to them and if we feel there is any danger (in the region) we will talk to them about it," Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said last week.
The threat of a U.S. attack on Iran has receded since the fall, when a U.S. intelligence report concluded that the Iranians stopped trying to build a nuclear bomb four years ago.
Nevertheless, Bush emphasized during his Middle East tour that he still considers the Islamic Republic a major threat, branding it the world's top sponsor of terrorism. He also warned of "serious consequences" if the Iranians attack American ships in the Gulf.
"We don't want Bush to take advantage of Iranian misbehavior and go to war," said Mustafa Alani, an analyst with the Gulf Research Center in Dubai. "France is more politically acceptable in the region. We don't want Americans to appear as the only protectors."
__
Associated Press reporter Natacha Rios contributed to this report from Paris.
Are the Gulf Arab states ending their defense relationships with the USA?
They must not be moving away too quickly. Didn't we just agree to sell Saudi Arabia a kajillion dollars worth of weaponry ?
:-o
Reply:No. Part of President Bush's recent mideast trip included the gulf states, talking about coordination on security issues.
Next time, post a link to the article, not the whole article.
tooth bleaching
Gulf states broaden contacts beyond US
By ROBERT H. REID, Associated Press Writer Sat Jan 19, 1:42 PM ET
CAIRO, Egypt - The promise of a new French base in the United Arab Emirates is the latest sign that Arab Gulf countries are expanding their commercial and military contacts to bolster security without appearing too dependent on the United States.
ADVERTISEMENT
President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced that France next year will become the only Western country other than the U.S. to have a permanent defense facility in the Gulf.
The deal comes at a time when Gulf countries want to protect themselves against a resurgent Iran. At the same time, they don't want to rely just on the U.S., with American prestige in the Middle East running low and the fear that U.S.-Iranian rivalry could drag the region into war.
France also plans to open a branch of its St. Cyr military academy in Qatar and take part in military exercises in February and March with forces from the UAE and Qatar. And France and the UAE have signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement as a first step toward building a nuclear reactor to help diversify energy sources.
"The UAE gets the advantage of playing the field a bit, not because it wants to walk away from the U.S. relationship but because this gives them leverage over both the French and Americans to get what they want," Mideast analyst Jon Alterman said.
France's new base will house up to 500 soldiers, sailors and airmen. By comparison, the United States maintains about 40,000 U.S. troops on bases across the Gulf — including Kuwait, the key staging ground for Iraq, and Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters.
The United States has been the dominant outside power in the Gulf since Britain closed its permanent bases in 1971. The Arabs are keenly aware that no European country can supplant the Americans as the primary protector of the oil-rich Gulf states.
"Perhaps they (Emiratis) thought that a French base would be a visible means of protection but in a less ostentatious manner, a little more discreet" than an American installation, said Stephane Lacroix, an analyst with the Sciences Po school of political science in Paris.
The new base also underscores France's claim as a global power capable of playing a role in parts of the world beyond its former colonial sphere of influence. The nearest French base is in Djibouti, a former French colony in the Horn of Africa.
French Defense Minister Herve Morin said the base would help France to support warships it routinely sends to the Gulf and "participate in the stabilization of the region."
Gulf governments and investors have been shifting away from the United States, seeking partners in Asia and Europe. The reasons for the shift are both economic and political, including strains in relations with the U.S. since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries have been looking to Europe for more consumer products as well as investments in areas such as high-speed railway systems, where the Europeans have unique experience.
For Gulf Arabs, Iran has made the need for leverage with the Americans all the more important. Although the small, wealthy oil sheikdoms fear Iranian influence, especially among their Shiite populations, they also worry that Washington's hardline stand against the Islamic Republic could drag them into conflict.
Gulf Arab leaders made clear to U.S. President George W. Bush during his visit to the region this month that they oppose trying to isolate Iran.
"We have relations with Iran and we talk to them and if we feel there is any danger (in the region) we will talk to them about it," Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said last week.
The threat of a U.S. attack on Iran has receded since the fall, when a U.S. intelligence report concluded that the Iranians stopped trying to build a nuclear bomb four years ago.
Nevertheless, Bush emphasized during his Middle East tour that he still considers the Islamic Republic a major threat, branding it the world's top sponsor of terrorism. He also warned of "serious consequences" if the Iranians attack American ships in the Gulf.
"We don't want Bush to take advantage of Iranian misbehavior and go to war," said Mustafa Alani, an analyst with the Gulf Research Center in Dubai. "France is more politically acceptable in the region. We don't want Americans to appear as the only protectors."
__
Associated Press reporter Natacha Rios contributed to this report from Paris.
Are the Gulf Arab states ending their defense relationships with the USA?
They must not be moving away too quickly. Didn't we just agree to sell Saudi Arabia a kajillion dollars worth of weaponry ?
:-o
Reply:No. Part of President Bush's recent mideast trip included the gulf states, talking about coordination on security issues.
Next time, post a link to the article, not the whole article.
tooth bleaching
Literature?
My assignment is to note a current trend
(which I choose for it to be the increase number of men
in consumption of men's cosmetics) within the last 5 years
and to write a literature review on a consumer behaviour topic
(which I have chosen Self-Concept, incld: attitudes and motivation)
related to this trend.
I have to search for a total of of 10 - 15
journal articles with regards to this topic of interest
and was adviced by my lecture to use keys words
(i.e. self-concept, consumber behaviour, marketing)
when conducting the research. I was advice to read
the abstracts of the articles before reading through the entire piece.
However, despite of my thought in its usability through reading
the abstract, the article seems to be irrelevant when I actually
read through the body.
May I ask then how can I search for articles that are
relevant when writing a literature review on this topic?
Thank you for your time and help.
Literature?
I like your topic---I would think that there would be tons of information. I'm assuming these have to be scholarly articles...the only practical advice I can think of is to check out some of the LESS scholarly periodicals that cater to the demographic about which you're writing (eg. 'Esquire,' or 'GQ' magazines---as well as their websites.) You might find some inspiration there. This was probably not very helpful, but I wish you good luck!
(which I choose for it to be the increase number of men
in consumption of men's cosmetics) within the last 5 years
and to write a literature review on a consumer behaviour topic
(which I have chosen Self-Concept, incld: attitudes and motivation)
related to this trend.
I have to search for a total of of 10 - 15
journal articles with regards to this topic of interest
and was adviced by my lecture to use keys words
(i.e. self-concept, consumber behaviour, marketing)
when conducting the research. I was advice to read
the abstracts of the articles before reading through the entire piece.
However, despite of my thought in its usability through reading
the abstract, the article seems to be irrelevant when I actually
read through the body.
May I ask then how can I search for articles that are
relevant when writing a literature review on this topic?
Thank you for your time and help.
Literature?
I like your topic---I would think that there would be tons of information. I'm assuming these have to be scholarly articles...the only practical advice I can think of is to check out some of the LESS scholarly periodicals that cater to the demographic about which you're writing (eg. 'Esquire,' or 'GQ' magazines---as well as their websites.) You might find some inspiration there. This was probably not very helpful, but I wish you good luck!
The average UK salary is now £31,290 per the average US salary is $36,764. Does this worry you?
Just doing some research today and came across these statistics. Factoring in the exchange rate UK average salary is 64,538.86 or UK residents make $27,774.86 more than the average US citizen. I think it's time we do something about our weak dollar or the USA consumer is going to get hammered.
The average UK salary is now £31,290 per the average US salary is $36,764. Does this worry you?
where in the uk do you live,id love that type of salary i always thought the average was 14000 and below.
Reply:How much more heavily are they taxed though? I think the UK is more socialist economically. A lot of that money might be going to the government.
But yes, we should do something in this country about low salary average. Raising minimum wage would be a good start. Maybe they'll let us join the EU? That would stabalize our currency. :P
Reply:I kow what you meen Went to UK last year xchange rate was ONLY -1.90 then so I didn't buy anything other then a couple nick naks and well i had to eat but did a lot of window shopping
Reply:The british empire reigns again.
Reply:Yes but anyone will tell you that they have to pay twice as much for things as you do.
Reply:I'm not at all sure you're right about the average UK salary. That sounds v high to me if it is supposed to be an average.
Either way, we need to earn more than Americans cos I may be wrong but I believe our cost of living is higher than in the US?
The average UK salary is now £31,290 per the average US salary is $36,764. Does this worry you?
where in the uk do you live,id love that type of salary i always thought the average was 14000 and below.
Reply:How much more heavily are they taxed though? I think the UK is more socialist economically. A lot of that money might be going to the government.
But yes, we should do something in this country about low salary average. Raising minimum wage would be a good start. Maybe they'll let us join the EU? That would stabalize our currency. :P
Reply:I kow what you meen Went to UK last year xchange rate was ONLY -1.90 then so I didn't buy anything other then a couple nick naks and well i had to eat but did a lot of window shopping
Reply:The british empire reigns again.
Reply:Yes but anyone will tell you that they have to pay twice as much for things as you do.
Reply:I'm not at all sure you're right about the average UK salary. That sounds v high to me if it is supposed to be an average.
Either way, we need to earn more than Americans cos I may be wrong but I believe our cost of living is higher than in the US?
How does this body of my business letter sound?
Dear Ms. Rathwell:
A recent article about the use of Bisphenol-A has inspired me to write this letter to you.
According to the article and my research, there are products in the market that contain Bisphenol-A which cause a number of health risks such as cancer in humans . As a consumer I am concerned if the products I am buying are safe or not. I applaud the decision that Mountain Equipment Co-op has made by removing products that contain Bisphenol-A. This has even motivated me to boycott such products too till Health Canada deems them safe. I am anxious as to know what results will Health Canada release next May.
Thank-you for reading this letter.
How does this body of my business letter sound?
"As a consumer I am concerned if the products I am buying are safe or not."---I am concerned with the safety of the products I buy.
" I applaud the decision that Mountain Equipment Co-op has made by removing products that contain Bisphenol-A."---has made to remove products
"This has even motivated me to boycott such products too till Health Canada deems them safe."---This has motivated me to boycott such products until Health
" I am anxious as to know what results will Health Canada release next May."---anxious to know the results Health Canada will release next May.
Reply:It is a complain and not a business letter as you mentioned. It is very well drafted complain.Well done.
Reply:Remember that a BUSINESS LETTER is a letter about business, and not a personal letter in disguise. This is what you seem to have here.
Its not clear who Ms. Rathwell works for.
If you know the article in question, cite it correctly. The combination "too till" should be simply "until".
What exactly do you want Ms. Rathwell to do for you. She can't let you know now what Health Canada will decide.
Reply:I see some commas need to be added. Also it is until not till. A comma is needed between risks and such, consumer and I, too and till. It is I am anxious to know what results Health Canada will release next May not the way you have it. Remember a business letter needs to have the address of the recipient.
http://esl.about.com/library/howto/htbus...
Reply:very well done
A recent article about the use of Bisphenol-A has inspired me to write this letter to you.
According to the article and my research, there are products in the market that contain Bisphenol-A which cause a number of health risks such as cancer in humans . As a consumer I am concerned if the products I am buying are safe or not. I applaud the decision that Mountain Equipment Co-op has made by removing products that contain Bisphenol-A. This has even motivated me to boycott such products too till Health Canada deems them safe. I am anxious as to know what results will Health Canada release next May.
Thank-you for reading this letter.
How does this body of my business letter sound?
"As a consumer I am concerned if the products I am buying are safe or not."---I am concerned with the safety of the products I buy.
" I applaud the decision that Mountain Equipment Co-op has made by removing products that contain Bisphenol-A."---has made to remove products
"This has even motivated me to boycott such products too till Health Canada deems them safe."---This has motivated me to boycott such products until Health
" I am anxious as to know what results will Health Canada release next May."---anxious to know the results Health Canada will release next May.
Reply:It is a complain and not a business letter as you mentioned. It is very well drafted complain.Well done.
Reply:Remember that a BUSINESS LETTER is a letter about business, and not a personal letter in disguise. This is what you seem to have here.
Its not clear who Ms. Rathwell works for.
If you know the article in question, cite it correctly. The combination "too till" should be simply "until".
What exactly do you want Ms. Rathwell to do for you. She can't let you know now what Health Canada will decide.
Reply:I see some commas need to be added. Also it is until not till. A comma is needed between risks and such, consumer and I, too and till. It is I am anxious to know what results Health Canada will release next May not the way you have it. Remember a business letter needs to have the address of the recipient.
http://esl.about.com/library/howto/htbus...
Reply:very well done
Okay help me understand this..?
okay help me understand this..
Back in the early 90's there were electric cars with limited range (60-70 miles) and reliability in the first EV-1s to ship, but better (110 - 160 miles) later.
Research says the average driving distance of Americans in a day is 30 miles or less and that 90% of Americans could use electric cars in their daily commute.
However, the cars did not become available beacause? GM spokesman Dave Barthmuss argued it was lack of consumer interest due to the maximum range of 80–100 miles per charge, and the relatively high price oil companies were afraid of losing out on trillions in potential profit from their transportation fuel monopoly over the coming decades..Fearful of losing business to a competing technology, they supported efforts to kill the ZEV mandate. They also bought patents to prevent modern NiMH batteries from being used in US electric cars.
So we're using what? 70 year old technology? getting charged 3-6 dollars per gallon,and have global warming to worry about..umm yeah have we been asleep?
Okay help me understand this..?
What you are forgetting is that electric cars are outside the price range of the average American family. That is why they have not succeeded. Not saying that this absolves those who can afford them and still don't buy them, but until there is a massive price drop in the electric car market, they can not, and will not, succeed.
Reply:It is all because Big Oil, and countless other oil companies have deals and/or are friends with the CEO's and high ranked bussinessmen and women.
That is also the reason why the federal government doesn't sponsor as many bills involving alternative fuels, cars, or resources. It is all about greedy lawmakers and lobbyists.
That is also why hemp farming isn't allowed in most states, because it is so plentiful that it would damage all of the other materials in the industry and make the Gov. look bad..
We have such a fantastic government.
Love the country, hate the gov.!
Reply:You watched who killed the Electric car eh?
Good movie.
The problem is the government is so deeply rooted in oil that they withdrew from the funding of EV1's and had GM motors take all of them off of the road. Then putting hydrogen on the road (way more expesive and still a pollutant) they can make money off of that because it is still oil based. Government is still making money.
And we have been asleep.
The problem is wed have to get an independent car company to do it, wich takes a lot of money. But no worries. Sometime next year theere is a hybrid car coming out that is supposed to get 72 miles per gallon
Reply:We'll be waiting a long time for the Big Three to produce an electric car. In the meanwhile, Mitsubishi (i-miev) and Subaru (R1e) and Nissan (Cube) appear to be the next production electric cars available in the US, hopefully in 2010. The i-miev, R1e and Cube are based on an existing IC cars available in Japan. The New York Times has an article about Subaru testing a couple of i-miev's in Manhattan.
There are smaller companies producing electric cars (I'll stick to freeway capable for now) but essentially they are conversions, not 'factory' cars per se (based on another manufacturer's platform, i.e. the Tesla = Lotus Elise, and the xBox = Scion xB for example)
These vehicles are supposed to have top speeds above 65 MPH, so they will have freeway capability. As with all EVs, range is still the issue to some people. I drive five miles to work in my electric car, and use my gasoline car from time to time on weekends. (I used to ride a bike, but there are too many distracted, dangerous drivers around these days).
For me, the electric car serves over 90% of my driving needs. It makes sense for my personal situation, just as a Suburban makes sense for some people. In my case, parking a Suburban would create problems due to parking space availability for that length of vehicle. If I traded my electric car for a 12 MPG Suburban, it would cost me about $3.00 a day to drive the 10 miles round trip.
The electric car costs me about sixteen cents a day for 'fuel' (2.5 kWh electricity at 6.5 cents a kWh). A high-MPG fossil fueled car (at 50 mpg) would cost 73 cents, and the 'average' 25 MPG car would cost about a buck fifty. "Affordability" is relative.
As electric vehicles become more mainstream, the range will increase, and the price will go down. Sort of like HD TV's - they were thousands of dollars just a year or two ago, and today you can buy them at Costco for about $500. Economies of scale, and all that. They could easily produce an EV with 100+ miles range (yes, they have heat and air conditioning...) as they have in the past, but just don't have the will or a long enough view.
The Big Three US automakers will eventually produce electric cars, but for now they are comfortable with business as usual. They said the Prius wouldn't ever sell because it was a Hybrid and no one wanted them. Guess who's selling Hybrids now...
Reply:Do you really think it's a conspiracy? Could it possibly be that maybe there's no way to build an electric car that (1) works and (2) someone can pay for?
Let everyone know about it when you actually see a Tesla roadster coming down your street. We wait with anticipation: they're about a hundred thousand bucks, and they won this year's Vaporware award.
Electric cars are still impractical because there are no batteries with anywhere near the required power density. Compare the energy contained in a shot glass of gasoline with that of a Size D battery, and you'll get an idea of the difference.
While computers and electronics in general have taught us to expect exponential progress in technologies, the reality is that most products--batteries, especially--develop far more slowly and incrementally. Batteries are certainly better than they once were, but not a great deal better, and there's no reason to expect the sort of ten-fold improvement that you've come to expect from, say, cell phones or microprocessors.
Note also that the tiny costs of recharging an electric car ("runs on 34 cents per day") presumes that someone else is paying for the maintenance of the roads, for law enforcement, and all the rest of the infrastructure that's supported by fuel taxes.
Reply:The fault lies with YOU. You can buy an electric car. There are many choices.
GM was right. No one wants a crappy car with no heat or air when gasoline is so cheap and plentiful,
You are selling the 'greedy' capitalists short. If people would buy it, they would build it.
have perfect teeth
Back in the early 90's there were electric cars with limited range (60-70 miles) and reliability in the first EV-1s to ship, but better (110 - 160 miles) later.
Research says the average driving distance of Americans in a day is 30 miles or less and that 90% of Americans could use electric cars in their daily commute.
However, the cars did not become available beacause? GM spokesman Dave Barthmuss argued it was lack of consumer interest due to the maximum range of 80–100 miles per charge, and the relatively high price oil companies were afraid of losing out on trillions in potential profit from their transportation fuel monopoly over the coming decades..Fearful of losing business to a competing technology, they supported efforts to kill the ZEV mandate. They also bought patents to prevent modern NiMH batteries from being used in US electric cars.
So we're using what? 70 year old technology? getting charged 3-6 dollars per gallon,and have global warming to worry about..umm yeah have we been asleep?
Okay help me understand this..?
What you are forgetting is that electric cars are outside the price range of the average American family. That is why they have not succeeded. Not saying that this absolves those who can afford them and still don't buy them, but until there is a massive price drop in the electric car market, they can not, and will not, succeed.
Reply:It is all because Big Oil, and countless other oil companies have deals and/or are friends with the CEO's and high ranked bussinessmen and women.
That is also the reason why the federal government doesn't sponsor as many bills involving alternative fuels, cars, or resources. It is all about greedy lawmakers and lobbyists.
That is also why hemp farming isn't allowed in most states, because it is so plentiful that it would damage all of the other materials in the industry and make the Gov. look bad..
We have such a fantastic government.
Love the country, hate the gov.!
Reply:You watched who killed the Electric car eh?
Good movie.
The problem is the government is so deeply rooted in oil that they withdrew from the funding of EV1's and had GM motors take all of them off of the road. Then putting hydrogen on the road (way more expesive and still a pollutant) they can make money off of that because it is still oil based. Government is still making money.
And we have been asleep.
The problem is wed have to get an independent car company to do it, wich takes a lot of money. But no worries. Sometime next year theere is a hybrid car coming out that is supposed to get 72 miles per gallon
Reply:We'll be waiting a long time for the Big Three to produce an electric car. In the meanwhile, Mitsubishi (i-miev) and Subaru (R1e) and Nissan (Cube) appear to be the next production electric cars available in the US, hopefully in 2010. The i-miev, R1e and Cube are based on an existing IC cars available in Japan. The New York Times has an article about Subaru testing a couple of i-miev's in Manhattan.
There are smaller companies producing electric cars (I'll stick to freeway capable for now) but essentially they are conversions, not 'factory' cars per se (based on another manufacturer's platform, i.e. the Tesla = Lotus Elise, and the xBox = Scion xB for example)
These vehicles are supposed to have top speeds above 65 MPH, so they will have freeway capability. As with all EVs, range is still the issue to some people. I drive five miles to work in my electric car, and use my gasoline car from time to time on weekends. (I used to ride a bike, but there are too many distracted, dangerous drivers around these days).
For me, the electric car serves over 90% of my driving needs. It makes sense for my personal situation, just as a Suburban makes sense for some people. In my case, parking a Suburban would create problems due to parking space availability for that length of vehicle. If I traded my electric car for a 12 MPG Suburban, it would cost me about $3.00 a day to drive the 10 miles round trip.
The electric car costs me about sixteen cents a day for 'fuel' (2.5 kWh electricity at 6.5 cents a kWh). A high-MPG fossil fueled car (at 50 mpg) would cost 73 cents, and the 'average' 25 MPG car would cost about a buck fifty. "Affordability" is relative.
As electric vehicles become more mainstream, the range will increase, and the price will go down. Sort of like HD TV's - they were thousands of dollars just a year or two ago, and today you can buy them at Costco for about $500. Economies of scale, and all that. They could easily produce an EV with 100+ miles range (yes, they have heat and air conditioning...) as they have in the past, but just don't have the will or a long enough view.
The Big Three US automakers will eventually produce electric cars, but for now they are comfortable with business as usual. They said the Prius wouldn't ever sell because it was a Hybrid and no one wanted them. Guess who's selling Hybrids now...
Reply:Do you really think it's a conspiracy? Could it possibly be that maybe there's no way to build an electric car that (1) works and (2) someone can pay for?
Let everyone know about it when you actually see a Tesla roadster coming down your street. We wait with anticipation: they're about a hundred thousand bucks, and they won this year's Vaporware award.
Electric cars are still impractical because there are no batteries with anywhere near the required power density. Compare the energy contained in a shot glass of gasoline with that of a Size D battery, and you'll get an idea of the difference.
While computers and electronics in general have taught us to expect exponential progress in technologies, the reality is that most products--batteries, especially--develop far more slowly and incrementally. Batteries are certainly better than they once were, but not a great deal better, and there's no reason to expect the sort of ten-fold improvement that you've come to expect from, say, cell phones or microprocessors.
Note also that the tiny costs of recharging an electric car ("runs on 34 cents per day") presumes that someone else is paying for the maintenance of the roads, for law enforcement, and all the rest of the infrastructure that's supported by fuel taxes.
Reply:The fault lies with YOU. You can buy an electric car. There are many choices.
GM was right. No one wants a crappy car with no heat or air when gasoline is so cheap and plentiful,
You are selling the 'greedy' capitalists short. If people would buy it, they would build it.
have perfect teeth
Will the USA be supplanted by France as the primary protector of the Persian Gulf states?
Gulf states broaden contacts beyond US
By ROBERT H. REID, Associated Press Writer Sat Jan 19, 1:42 PM ET
CAIRO, Egypt - The promise of a new French base in the United Arab Emirates is the latest sign that Arab Gulf countries are expanding their commercial and military contacts to bolster security without appearing too dependent on the United States.
ADVERTISEMENT
President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced that France next year will become the only Western country other than the U.S. to have a permanent defense facility in the Gulf.
The deal comes at a time when Gulf countries want to protect themselves against a resurgent Iran. At the same time, they don't want to rely just on the U.S., with American prestige in the Middle East running low and the fear that U.S.-Iranian rivalry could drag the region into war.
France also plans to open a branch of its St. Cyr military academy in Qatar and take part in military exercises in February and March with forces from the UAE and Qatar. And France and the UAE have signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement as a first step toward building a nuclear reactor to help diversify energy sources.
"The UAE gets the advantage of playing the field a bit, not because it wants to walk away from the U.S. relationship but because this gives them leverage over both the French and Americans to get what they want," Mideast analyst Jon Alterman said.
France's new base will house up to 500 soldiers, sailors and airmen. By comparison, the United States maintains about 40,000 U.S. troops on bases across the Gulf — including Kuwait, the key staging ground for Iraq, and Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters.
The United States has been the dominant outside power in the Gulf since Britain closed its permanent bases in 1971. The Arabs are keenly aware that no European country can supplant the Americans as the primary protector of the oil-rich Gulf states.
"Perhaps they (Emiratis) thought that a French base would be a visible means of protection but in a less ostentatious manner, a little more discreet" than an American installation, said Stephane Lacroix, an analyst with the Sciences Po school of political science in Paris.
The new base also underscores France's claim as a global power capable of playing a role in parts of the world beyond its former colonial sphere of influence. The nearest French base is in Djibouti, a former French colony in the Horn of Africa.
French Defense Minister Herve Morin said the base would help France to support warships it routinely sends to the Gulf and "participate in the stabilization of the region."
Gulf governments and investors have been shifting away from the United States, seeking partners in Asia and Europe. The reasons for the shift are both economic and political, including strains in relations with the U.S. since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries have been looking to Europe for more consumer products as well as investments in areas such as high-speed railway systems, where the Europeans have unique experience.
For Gulf Arabs, Iran has made the need for leverage with the Americans all the more important. Although the small, wealthy oil sheikdoms fear Iranian influence, especially among their Shiite populations, they also worry that Washington's hardline stand against the Islamic Republic could drag them into conflict.
Gulf Arab leaders made clear to U.S. President George W. Bush during his visit to the region this month that they oppose trying to isolate Iran.
"We have relations with Iran and we talk to them and if we feel there is any danger (in the region) we will talk to them about it," Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said last week.
The threat of a U.S. attack on Iran has receded since the fall, when a U.S. intelligence report concluded that the Iranians stopped trying to build a nuclear bomb four years ago.
Nevertheless, Bush emphasized during his Middle East tour that he still considers the Islamic Republic a major threat, branding it the world's top sponsor of terrorism. He also warned of "serious consequences" if the Iranians attack American ships in the Gulf.
"We don't want Bush to take advantage of Iranian misbehavior and go to war," said Mustafa Alani, an analyst with the Gulf Research Center in Dubai. "France is more politically acceptable in the region. We don't want Americans to appear as the only protectors."
__
Associated Press reporter Natacha Rios contributed to this report from Paris.
Will the USA be supplanted by France as the primary protector of the Persian Gulf states?
Well lets look at the numbers, France has one base, the US has dozens and dozens; I'd go with no.
Reply:I'd laugh if it were true. A Rebirth of the French Empire?
Anyways, France is a much safer ally then the US. After all, they didnt go into Iraq, they must be ok right? Much less crazier than Bush wanting to tackle Iran head on and cause WWIII. Their will be a lot of petro-dollars flowing into France if this actually comes to fruition. I can't wait...
btw. The French didn't get knocked around in WWI. They got butchered and still the Germans didn't get into Paris. Just the word Verdun made Frenchmen scream in their sleep 20 years after the war and cry when the Wehrmacht waltzed into Paris
Reply:I don't trust the French, they are the reason we got sucked into Vietnam... who really cares what they say they're going to do, they'll eventually turn tail and run...
Reply:lol,the french.what a joke.
Reply:The French couldn't protect themselves from a Girl Scout troop. Every where they go they get their asses kicked. Just stay at home and make bread and wine.
Reply:Probably not, I tend to look at the French through their history, they were knocked out of the 1st world war, knocked out of the 2nd world war. So historically speaking, they are good at surrendering in the event of war.
Reply:It's not like France has been selling arms to Middle Eastern countries for decades. Oh wait, they have.
By ROBERT H. REID, Associated Press Writer Sat Jan 19, 1:42 PM ET
CAIRO, Egypt - The promise of a new French base in the United Arab Emirates is the latest sign that Arab Gulf countries are expanding their commercial and military contacts to bolster security without appearing too dependent on the United States.
ADVERTISEMENT
President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced that France next year will become the only Western country other than the U.S. to have a permanent defense facility in the Gulf.
The deal comes at a time when Gulf countries want to protect themselves against a resurgent Iran. At the same time, they don't want to rely just on the U.S., with American prestige in the Middle East running low and the fear that U.S.-Iranian rivalry could drag the region into war.
France also plans to open a branch of its St. Cyr military academy in Qatar and take part in military exercises in February and March with forces from the UAE and Qatar. And France and the UAE have signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement as a first step toward building a nuclear reactor to help diversify energy sources.
"The UAE gets the advantage of playing the field a bit, not because it wants to walk away from the U.S. relationship but because this gives them leverage over both the French and Americans to get what they want," Mideast analyst Jon Alterman said.
France's new base will house up to 500 soldiers, sailors and airmen. By comparison, the United States maintains about 40,000 U.S. troops on bases across the Gulf — including Kuwait, the key staging ground for Iraq, and Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters.
The United States has been the dominant outside power in the Gulf since Britain closed its permanent bases in 1971. The Arabs are keenly aware that no European country can supplant the Americans as the primary protector of the oil-rich Gulf states.
"Perhaps they (Emiratis) thought that a French base would be a visible means of protection but in a less ostentatious manner, a little more discreet" than an American installation, said Stephane Lacroix, an analyst with the Sciences Po school of political science in Paris.
The new base also underscores France's claim as a global power capable of playing a role in parts of the world beyond its former colonial sphere of influence. The nearest French base is in Djibouti, a former French colony in the Horn of Africa.
French Defense Minister Herve Morin said the base would help France to support warships it routinely sends to the Gulf and "participate in the stabilization of the region."
Gulf governments and investors have been shifting away from the United States, seeking partners in Asia and Europe. The reasons for the shift are both economic and political, including strains in relations with the U.S. since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries have been looking to Europe for more consumer products as well as investments in areas such as high-speed railway systems, where the Europeans have unique experience.
For Gulf Arabs, Iran has made the need for leverage with the Americans all the more important. Although the small, wealthy oil sheikdoms fear Iranian influence, especially among their Shiite populations, they also worry that Washington's hardline stand against the Islamic Republic could drag them into conflict.
Gulf Arab leaders made clear to U.S. President George W. Bush during his visit to the region this month that they oppose trying to isolate Iran.
"We have relations with Iran and we talk to them and if we feel there is any danger (in the region) we will talk to them about it," Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said last week.
The threat of a U.S. attack on Iran has receded since the fall, when a U.S. intelligence report concluded that the Iranians stopped trying to build a nuclear bomb four years ago.
Nevertheless, Bush emphasized during his Middle East tour that he still considers the Islamic Republic a major threat, branding it the world's top sponsor of terrorism. He also warned of "serious consequences" if the Iranians attack American ships in the Gulf.
"We don't want Bush to take advantage of Iranian misbehavior and go to war," said Mustafa Alani, an analyst with the Gulf Research Center in Dubai. "France is more politically acceptable in the region. We don't want Americans to appear as the only protectors."
__
Associated Press reporter Natacha Rios contributed to this report from Paris.
Will the USA be supplanted by France as the primary protector of the Persian Gulf states?
Well lets look at the numbers, France has one base, the US has dozens and dozens; I'd go with no.
Reply:I'd laugh if it were true. A Rebirth of the French Empire?
Anyways, France is a much safer ally then the US. After all, they didnt go into Iraq, they must be ok right? Much less crazier than Bush wanting to tackle Iran head on and cause WWIII. Their will be a lot of petro-dollars flowing into France if this actually comes to fruition. I can't wait...
btw. The French didn't get knocked around in WWI. They got butchered and still the Germans didn't get into Paris. Just the word Verdun made Frenchmen scream in their sleep 20 years after the war and cry when the Wehrmacht waltzed into Paris
Reply:I don't trust the French, they are the reason we got sucked into Vietnam... who really cares what they say they're going to do, they'll eventually turn tail and run...
Reply:lol,the french.what a joke.
Reply:The French couldn't protect themselves from a Girl Scout troop. Every where they go they get their asses kicked. Just stay at home and make bread and wine.
Reply:Probably not, I tend to look at the French through their history, they were knocked out of the 1st world war, knocked out of the 2nd world war. So historically speaking, they are good at surrendering in the event of war.
Reply:It's not like France has been selling arms to Middle Eastern countries for decades. Oh wait, they have.
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