Author: Todd

creator of the fodder...
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Jad Mouawad and Mireya Navarro -or- 2 innacurate writers for the NY Times

These were the creators of an article that ran this morning titled: Teeth Gritted, Drivers adjust to $4 Gasoline.

Among a couple of inaccurate, opinionated comments one blatant distortion they provided was

“All this has led to a vast transfer of wealth from American drivers to domestic and foreign oil producers.”

Wrong. Or Epic Fail as it would be put on Digg. The transfer of currency to wealthy oil producers is occurring from Oil product companies world wide, not drivers in America. Specifically, Americans are paying current high prices to insure that the refineries (i.e. Exxon, BP, etc.) are going to be able to maintain their current profit levels 13 years from now. That’s right, the price of a gallon of gas today is set based upon the speculation of Energy Traders on 13 year futures. See my article a couple of days ago to learn what futures trading is.

With the media sworn to their own misleading, blanket statements it’s no wonder the population at large has no idea, zero, what makes the current price of gas so high. As long as our current prices at the pump are directly correlated to the current price of oil by these irresponsible writers people will still continue to think this is an issue of supply and demand. We are not in a situation where we need to pay this much at the pump or China’s going to take our gas to get to work.

We pay these prices so that the major oil product producers can continue to guarantee annual record profits to their investors many, many years from now. Should the international price for a barrel of oil come off it’s current record highs the excess in the price you’re paying at the pump today will be recorded as pure profit for the oil product producers, not the oil producers, years from now.

I said it in the previous post and I’ll say it again. Know this: Oil product producers (not oil producers) are going to make money or they are going to make more money. Under their formula there is no risk of loss.

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Why can’t you search and browse through all prints of a certain size on art.com?

I think I know the answer: If this were possible then people would go buy a frame and then browse for prints of a certain size to fit that frame. Art.com must feel this will result in a loss in sales of their outrageously priced frames and custom framing services. They’re probably not making a ton on prints by themselves so they are banking on the revenue from the frames. Therefore I feel their website is designed specifically to detract from people browsing for prints of a specific size to fit an existing frame.

Art.com is a located locally to me right here in Raleigh. I do think they have dominated the on-line decorative print store fronts so I find any alternate answer hard to believe. There’s no way their site designers can’t find a way to query all the prints of a certain size for a return result. Instead they require you to specify an artist’s name or title of a print before you can narrow down the size of the prints you want to see.

I might just buy the new prints for my office elsewhere due to this intentional inconvenience.

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Current gas prices are not the result of supply and demand.

It’s a common mis-conception.  US refineries have near record high stocks of gasoline.  The reason for the outrageous cost at the pump these days is a result of speculation by energy traders on futures.  Put simply, the major refinery owners are selling you gas at current prices based upon what they predict it will cost them to manufacture and replace that gasoline in the future.  It’s a mechanism to insure specific levels of profitability to investors.

So what if the prediction is wrong and the price of oil once again drops below $100 a barrel?  Then the current price elevation will go toward to the now annual record “windfall” profits of the petrol industry producers.  Trust in this: Exxon and the other gasoline manufacturers are going to make money or they are going to make more money.  They’re not gambling one micro percentage point of their projected revenue stream or profit levels.

This is not an overly difficult concept to understand but it does take a little thought.  Therefore it will continue to be sold as a supply and demand driven cost increase to the consumer.  The reality is that the refineries have plenty of gas and absolutely no chance of running out any time soon.  What you’re paying at the pump is insurance.  Insurance that big oil investors are not gambling a single dime as the cost of oil increases.  For all the nay-sayers I’m providing a link to the US Engery Administration website that details, in more complex form, exactly what I have stated here:

http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/feature_articles/2008/spgmogas2008/spgmogas2008.html

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The Bush tax rebate is doomed to failure.

Too little, too slow, too late. That sums up Bush’s “economic stimulus” package. The concept behind this stimulus was that 130 million Americans would get $300 to $1800 from the government and run out and spend it on canoes, juicers and other non-essential goods to “stimulate” the economy. It ain’t gonna happen.

Instead of dispersing the rebates quickly, without giving consumers adequate time to factor in their rebates to their bill payments, the IRS decided they would send out 130 million checks over a 3-4 month period. Even the majority of those who “e-filed” through services like Turbo Tax will have to wait into the summer for a check simply because their filing fees were deducted from their Federal return.

Every poll now shows that a huge majority of Americans will spend their rebate on bills or save it. We’ve had time to factor it into our incomes. We’ve planned this money into our budgets. Instead of being looked at as “found money” it will go to the credit card and mortgage company investors concentrating even more wealth for the elite 10% who control 90% of the money. Bush sure has taken care of “the Aristocracy” (his words, not mine). Down to his last moments in office he listened to his age old financial advisers who’s agenda has continuously been to look out for the haves at the expense of the have-nots.

Pumping federal money into oil reserves that are full, military contractors and the wild west banking sector will be Dubya’s claim to fame. Meanwhile working Americans will continue to lose their homes and jobs because Corporate America must keep and increase their profit margins. The American worker, once every companies greatest asset, is now viewed viewed as the greatest expense and liability when trying to show a return to share holders. Has it dawned on any ardent supporters of capitalism at any cost that the ultimate price may be capitalism itself? I know it sounds Marxist to label capitalism self imploding but is it happening right in front of us? You cannot concentrate wealth while creating poverty, under any label, without disastrous consequences.

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Hey IT Guy – Work on your resume.

If you’re looking for your next IT job work on your resume. Personally I quit updating my resume on Monster and Dice regularly because every time I made a change two weeks or more of phone calls would follow. A lot are from Indian call centers for staffing agencies. I do not respond to these at all because they are pure opportunity chasers taking chances on big returns for a small percentage of candidates placed.

Lately I’ve been doing the hiring again. Soon I’ll be taking on another desktop support person and Sys. Admin in Raleigh. I’m reminded why only a small percentage of the IT resumes out there get noticed and others get passed over. These problems could negatively affect a resume in any industry, not just IT. They are mostly unintentional oversights or problems caused by lack of attention to detail. Some are blatant fact manipulation. Here’s the basics of what draws or detracts my attention to or from a resume. Some of these will might increase your resumes visibility on job boards.

  1. Spelling – Use the spell check. The English one.
  2. Grammar – I will hire a foreigner, but not one that obviously can’t communicate in good English because they can’t write it.
  3. Simplicity – Good formatting makes all the difference. Personally I don’t look at a resume that isn’t formatted with some thought using proper chronological order. I don’t want to see the first job you ever had bagging groceries listed first or certifications glorified before experience.
  4. Present an index or bullet points of your skill set under your objective. This will really help on job boards because most headhunters are searching by keyword and the more matches you get the more communication you will receive.
  5. Don’t submit your resume for jobs you’re not qualified for after making quick modifications to fit the posted requirements. This is usually obvious to the hiring manager and it will only come back to haunt you at interview time.
  6. Don’t try to emphasis or supplement corporate or industry certifications for experience. Certifications are generally considered to be a plus these days, not a requirement like professional licenses.
  7. Narrow down your resume to a specialization if possible. I always thought my resume was too broad in terms of technologies I’ve administered when I was applying for a jobs with titles like “Exchange Administrator”. Now that I’m in Management I feel a little better about presenting a spectrum of experience. Starting out I would suggest getting your foot in the door with a specialization. If you genuinely have experience in more than one area of an industry keep multiple resumes highlighting accomplishments in each discipline and field them to opportunities accordingly.
  8. Know what you’re really worth. Decide and post your salary requirement ahead of time. This could save everyone a lot of time. If you’re too high you won’t get called and you can’t eat the cost of living decrease anyway. If you’re low a recruiter will question the authenticity of your experience or smell desperation. Get in the right range and you’ll get a call. Believe it or not I’ve learned that most headhunter’s really do know what a position is worth, not just what their client’s willing to pay. You should too.

I’m sure I’ll think of other things I could add to this list over time. All I can say is that these are some of the rules I follow and it works for me. But I am a headhunter’s worst nightmare – a waste of their time. I receive as many as 70 headhunter communications a month and respond to less than one a year with genuine interest. At this point I even have recruiters leaving job descriptions on my Contact page.

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The black White Collar Democrat

Despite the outpouring of Internet, media and primary support for Barack Obama I personally don’t think he can, or will, beat John McCain. I have history in support of my analysis. Barack is a white collar Democrat. Historically only blue collar Democrat’s have beaten Republicans in a toe to toe match up. Barack can get the minority vote. He can get the rare suburban white collar Democrat vote, which is often seen in the wild but rarely travels in social circles, but he cannot get the blue collar workin’ man’s vote that’s necessary to carry states like Ohio. Remember Ohio? The place where the blue collar vote swayed to the right away from Kerry to give us Dubya? Kerry was another white collar Democrat.

Oddly enough Clinton has the blue collar in this race. Her hubby wore the blue collar too as he won two elections. White laborers like guys called “Bubba”. Barack can’t carry these Democrats. They won’t vote for him. So while the DNC may give Barack the nomination by way of super delegates the truth is Hillary is, in fact, probably more likely to beat McCain in the general election. Polls have show this to be true throughout the primaries. If you believe the polls.

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“Citizen’s Media Integrity Board” – A good idea?

A Huffington Post commentor posted the following recommendation in response to an article regarding the possible opportunities for criminal action against Rush Limbaugh for election tampering.  Althoughthe post is very senstational I actually agree with most if not all of this idea:

“Election tampering Laws will only be enforced if it helps disenfranchise minority voters.

ABOLISH this government! Patriots Day April 19th, Philadelphia Independence Hall 9am:
State and Territorial Governors will assume authority over all Federal Agencies pending Ratification and Amendments to the Constitution including but not limited to: Ban on ALL forms of Torture, Publicly funded elections only, Mandated media contributions of equal time for all qualified campaigns, Ban on any form of Bribery of any nature to all public servants, Establishment of Citizen Media Integrity Board with Mandate to ban Campaigns from media for false or misleading adds and revoke broadcasting licenses from any broadcaster misusing the public airways and cable networks for false or misleading commentary or propaganda.

The seat of Authority in our Nation was forcibly removed from the hands of Tyrants and secured By The People For The People. And it Shall Not Perish From This Earth.”

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Castleton’s McLamb charged with Tax Conspiracy

Breaking news on the Castleton Saga.  Let’s just hope he outs Suzanne Clifton.  I’m sure she’d love to have this completely covered by her scapegoat.  Maybe she didn’t do anything that qualifies as “illegal”?  There’s only two ways to look at her actions and if they were not malicious then she’s grossly incompetent and should be removed from every single business organization she’s involved with.

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/2814409/

The more I think about this I want more answers.   What motive would Jay McLamb have for not paying the payroll taxes to the Feds if the money was kept “by the company” as the N&O reports?  Incentive had to come from somewhere.  Suzanne Clifton is the “sole shareholder” so it’s not like Jay was boosting his share value and he probably wasn’t out writing company checks for personal purchases.    And I doubt we will learn that he just liked living on the edge by cheating the Feds as a work related hobby.  There had to be a kick back for him to perform this fraud.  The incentive could have only come from one place.  I would imagine the words were something to the effect of “fix the revenue so my company won’t go under or your don’t have a job”.  But that’s just intuitive speculation.  Personally I hope he cuts a deal and rolls on this bitch.

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Bank of America’s new overdraft policy as of 03-01-2008.

First, I should elaborate that I have not been hit with this.  I was informed of it by a supporter of House Resolution 946: The Consumer Overdraft Protection Fair Practices Act.

Apparently Bank of America is one of the first bank’s to implement a new process of charging overdraft fees to punish their customers yet again.  As of March 1, 2008 customers will no longer be charged a $35 overdraft fee when a transaction clears their account without available funds.  Now a “pending transaction” or one that has not posted to the account can automatically invoke the $35 fee if it puts the acount in the red.  So what’s this mean?  An example will explain it best:

Lets say you have $425.00 in your checking account.  You go to dinner with your significant other and spend $45 at Applebee’s or another affordable restaurant.   When the check comes you provide the waitstaff with you BOA debit card.  Through a complete accident the waiter types $450.00 into the keypad instead of $45.00 and receives an approval code. Prior to this new fee processing schedule by BOA this would be no major ordeal.  Many consumer have been told by cashiers “don’t worry that transaction won’t be settled and the hold will come off your account in 3-5 days” which it does.  And the waiter swipes the card again and enters a transaction for the correct amount $45.00 which Bank of America, by their own policy, approves even though the account is now “overdrawn”.

The next day you check your BOA account on line.  It’s negative (-$140.00).  Wait a minute.  What the ****?  You only spent $45.00.  Here’s how BOA’s systems now process transactions and fees:

Beginning Balance: $425

Accidental Pending: $450

Balance: (-$25.00)

Over the limit fee: (-35.00)

Pending: $45.00

Over the limit fee: (-35.00)

New Balance (-$140.00)

Eventually the accidental transaction of $450 will not be settled and it will drop off.  But instead of paying $45.00 for dinner you have spent $115.00 through no fault of your own (the original $45.00 plus the two $35.00 overdraft fees).  In an investigative converstation with a Bank of America Employee I was told these overdraft charges for pending transactions would not be refunded under any circumstances.

I can’t believe this is not getting more attention than it is.  This is the first time those who argue “don’t spend more than you have” and preach “personal financial responsibility” in defense of the banks have no ground to stand on.  This is stealing, plain and simple.  It is evidence that the banking industry has elevated itself above the laws and morals we claim to have founded this country on.   Now more than ever we need support for House Resolution 946 because once the other major banks conclude that BOA has punished their customers for profit, yet again, they will follow suit.

The media will not cover this topic because the major media outlets fear the loss of advertising dollars.   The banking industries crimes against consumers must be made known through viral propagation on the Internet.  Consumers must be given the option to remove their accounts from “overdraft protection” policies and the banks must be made to refund a percentage of those fees lawmakers consider excessive.

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Move the Firefox 3 Home Button back to it’s original location.

After downloading Firefox 3 Beta 4 this drove me crazy for about 20 minutes and I could not find anything on-line that detailed how to get the home button back on the navigation toolbar.  I have no idea why the guys at Mozilla changed this.  As far as I’m concerned the Home button is part of routine navigation, not a bookmark.

  1. Make sure you have the Bookmarks toolbar open and the Home button is displayed.
  2. Right click on the Home button and select Customize.
  3. Drag the Home button to the Customize Toolbar dialog box.
  4. Now drag the Home button back up to the Navigation toolbar where you want it.

That is the illogical sequence required to get the Home button back to where it’s suppose to be.  It would be nice if we could just drag the button straight from one toolbar to another.  Other than this minor annoyance I’m relatively impressed with Beta 3.

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