Archive for the 'Business' Category

From My Morning Inbox

Friday, July 10th, 2009

A Perfect Storm Is Brewing

by Pam Geller

I am a student of history. Professionally, I have written 15 books in six languages, and have studied history all my life. I
think there is something monumentally large afoot, and I do not believe it is just a banking crisis, or a mortgage crisis, or
a credit crisis. Yes, these exist but they are merely single facets on a very large gemstone that is only now coming into a
sharper focus.
Something of historic proportions is happening. I can sense it because I know how it feels, smells, what it looks like, and
how people react to it. Yes, a perfect storm may be brewing, but there is something happening within our country that has
been evolving for about 10-15 years. The pace has dramatically quickened in the past two.
We demanded and then codifi ed into law the requirement that our banks make massive loans to people whom we knew could
never pay back? Why? We learned recently that the Federal Reserve, which has little or no real oversight by anyone, has
“loaned” two trillion dollars (that is $2,000,000,000,000) over the past few months, but will not tell us to whom or why or
disclose the terms. That is our money. Yours and mine. And that is three times the $700B we all argued about so strenuously
just this past September.
Who has this money? Why do they have it? Why are the terms unavailable to us? Who asked for it? Who authorized it? I
thought this was a government of “We the People,” who loaned our powers to our elected leaders. Apparently not.
We have spent two or more decades intentionally de-industrializing our economy. Why?
We have intentionally dumbed down our schools, ignored our history, and no longer teach our founding documents, why we
are exceptional, and why we are worth preserving. Students by and large cannot write, think critically, read, or articulate.
Parents are not revolting, teachers are not picketing, school boards continue to back mediocrity. Why?
We have now established the precedent of protesting every close election (now violently in California over a proposition
that is so controversial that it wants marriage to remain between one man and one woman. Did you ever think such a thing
possible just a decade ago?). We have corrupted our sacred political process by allowing unelected judges to write laws that
radically change our way of life, and then mainstream Marxist groups like ACORN and others to turn our voting system into
a banana republic. To what purpose?
Now our mortgage industry is collapsing, housing prices are in free fall, major industries are failing, our banking system
is on the verge of collapse, Social Security is nearly bankrupt, as is Medicare and our entire government. Our education
system is worse than a joke (I teach college and know precisely what I am talking about.) The list is staggering in its length,
breadth, and depth. It is potentially 1929 x 10. And we are at war with an enemy we cannot name for fear of offending
people of the same religion who cannot wait to slit the throats of your children if they have the opportunity to do so.
And now we have elected a man no one knows anything about, who has never run so much as a Dairy Queen, let alone a
town as big as Wasilla, Alaska. All of his associations and alliances are with real radicals in their chosen fi elds of employment,
and everything we learn about him, drip by drip, is unsettling if not downright scary. (Surely you have heard him
speak about his idea to create and fund a mandatory civilian defense force stronger than our military for use inside our
borders? No? Oh, of course. The media would never play that for you over and over and then demand he answer it. Sarah
Palin’s pregnant daughter and $150,000 wardrobe is more important.)
Mr. Obama’s winning platform can be boiled down to one word: Change…radical change. Why?
I have never been so afraid for my country and for my children as I am now. This man campaigned on bringing people
together, something he has never, ever done in his professional life. In my assessment, Obama will divide us along philosophical
lines, push us apart, and then try to realign the pieces into a new and different power structure. Change is indeed
coming. And when it comes, you will never see the same nation again.
And that is only the beginning.
I thought I would never be able to experience what the ordinary, moral German felt in the mid-1930s. In those times, the
savior was a former smooth-talking rabble-rouser from the streets, about whom the average German knew next to nothing.
What they did know was that he was associated with groups that shouted, shoved, and pushed around people with whom
they disagreed; he edged his way onto the political stage through great oratory and promises. Economic times were tough,
people were losing jobs, and he was a great speaker. And he smiled and waved a lot. And people, even newspapers, were
afraid to speak out for fear that his “brown shirts” would bully them into submission.
And then he was duly elected to offi ce, with a full-throttled economic crisis at hand [the Great Depression]. Slowly but
surely he seized the controls of government power, department by department, person by person, bureaucracy by bureaucracy.
The kids joined a Youth Movement in his name, where they were taught what to think. How did he get the people
on his side? He did it promising jobs to the jobless, money to the moneyless, and goodies for the military-industrial complex.
He did it by indoctrinating the children, advocating gun control, health care for all, better wages, better jobs, and promising
to re-instill pride once again in the country, across Europe, and across the world.
He did it with a compliant media - Did you know that? And he did this all in the name of justice and…change. And the
people surely got what they voted for. (Look it up if you think I am exaggerating.) Read your history books. Many people
objected in 1933 and were shouted down, called names, laughed at, and made fun of. When Winston Churchill pointed out
the obvious in the late 1930s while seated in the House of Lords in England (he was not yet Prime Minister), he was booed
into his seat and called a crazy troublemaker. He was right, though.
Don’t forget that Germany was the most educated, cultured country in Europe . It was full of music, art, museums, hospitals,
laboratories, and universities. And in less than six years - a shorter time span than just two terms of the U. S. presidency
- it was rounding up its own citizens, killing others, abrogating its laws, turning children against parents, and neighbors
against neighbors. All with the best of intentions, of course. The road to Hell is paved with them.
As a practical thinker, one not overly prone to emotional decisions, I have a choice: I can either believe what the objective
pieces of evidence tell me (even if they make me cringe with disgust); I can believe what history is shouting to me from
across the chasm of seven decades; or I can hope I am wrong, close my eyes, have another latte and ignore what is transpiring
around me.
Some people scoff at me; others laugh or think I am foolish, naive, or both. Perhaps I am. But I have never been afraid to
look people in the eye and tell them exactly what I believe - and why I believe it. I pray I am wrong. But, I do not think
I am.

About the author …
Pamela “Atlas” Geller began her publishing career at The New York Daily News and subsequently took over operation of
The New York Observer as Associate Publisher. She left The Observer after the birth of her fourth child, but remained involved
in various projects including American Associates, Ben Gurion University and being Senior Vice-President Strategic
Planning and Performance Evaluation at The Brandeis School .
After 9/11, Atlas had the veil of oblivion violently lifted from her consciousness and immersed herself in the education and
understanding of geopolitics, Islam, terror, foreign affairs and imminent threats the mainstream media and the government
wouldn’t cover or discuss.
Please use the power of the Internet to get this message out. Talk it up at the grassroots level.

A General Strike

Thursday, January 29th, 2009
My ”life coach” tells me I’m off my rocker.  She says people can’t
afford to take a day off from work.  She says many would be fired, however.  I
remember the Obama folks advising Americans to call in sick on Election Day in
order to get to the polls (as Democrats apparently can’t get their asses out of
bed one half hour early to perform a civic duty?).   
 
I want a general strike.  How about Wednesday, February 18, 2009?  The thought came
into my head when I learned The House of Representatives drank the stimulus
Kool-Aid.  So I’m off my rocker.  It isn’t likely most of my servile countrymen
and women will participate.  Things just
aren’t that bad at the moment and the only people really willing to participate
are already taking the day off as they’ve lost a job. 
 
The people who’ll be most critical of my idea are the ones
who keep telling me nothing will change until the people realize they’ve power
in numbers.  Others tell me the system
would crumble if businesses suddenly refused to collect the withholding tax and
I’m told we haven’t reached the tipping point quite yet.
 
So why do I suggest this now on short notice?  For starters I’ve a lengthy email tree.  Two, I’ve access to something most of you
don’t, which is 4 hours behind a microphone for 5 days each week.  While I can only reach 70-thousand most days I
can say it’s much more than most of you.  And this is the internet age.  Some of you have email trees longer than mine.  And networks through church and civic
organizations and lastly I’ll take your condescending replies because I pose
the question what the heck else can you do right now?  If it doesn’t come off you clearly support critics
claiming most Americans are mindless couch potatoes. 
 
Let me answer a few other critics.  Would you rather wait until July 18 when the
meltdown is complete?  O.K., then you can
wait.  There is nothing like making hay
when the sun shines but I understand the fight-flight reaction.  Would it hurt retailers if you stayed home
and didn’t shop?  Hey, you’ll buy from
these poor souls the following day.  I
would hope they would stay at home too.  Restaurants,
stores and gas stations could all close for the day.  Would it be painful for some?  Yes but no pain, no gain.  As for essential workers, well, have you ever
heard of the blue flu?  I’m sorry but
there would be discomfort and displacement.  It has happened before.  Read the
history of the decades of the late 1700s.
 
So I’m proposing a far fetched thought and you can think I’m
too much Don Quixote but I can’t just watch as my country unravels.  Have you a better idea?  Have you a better date?  Have you a better idea of making the point
without any violence?  Then let me know
or get the out of the way.  Next year at
this time we may not be able to afford such fantastic communication and as we
dig for roots in the forest we may not have any energy for action. 
 
Now I’ve been very polite and wait the rude cackling of the
idealistic left.  The way I see it, this
is a compromise.  The lefties will fare
far worse if this becomes civil war in another year.  Keep your powder dry.

DELMARVA POWER OUT OF STATE WIND PLAN The Untold Story

Thursday, April 10th, 2008

From Jim Lanard, Director of Strategic Planning and Communications for Bluewater Wind:

Bluewater Wind’s offshore wind park is an investment in Delaware’s future by improving Delaware’s environment, providing much needed electric generation reliability and creating hundreds of “green collar” jobs for Delawareans.  While it may be that the out-of-state wind bids Delmarva Power has solicited cost less, they will not provide these same benefits for Delaware.  Replacing Bluewater Wind’s instate wind park with wind generated in Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, western Pennsylvania and Maryland will not create jobs for Delaware, will not enhance reliability and will not have the same environmental benefits for Delaware.

For months now, Delmarva Power has promised to reveal out-of-state wind bids by the end of March, but they now say the new release date won’t be before June 1st.  Delmarva has used the ever-lengthening release date as an effective way to prevent a decision from being made. Bluewater Wind offers the following facts to put Delmarva Power’s apples to oranges comparison into proper perspective.

Delmarva Power’s out-of-state wind energy plan will result in: 

  • Lost Jobs.  Bluewater Wind’s instate wind park will generate 400 – 500 construction jobs and 80 – 100 operations and maintenance jobs for the life of the 25 year contract.  Delmarva Power’s plan will not generate any jobs for Delaware.

  • Lost Economic Hub.  Bluewater Wind will establish Delaware as the economic hub to support the construction of offshore wind parks in the region, if Delaware becomes the first state to approve an offshore wind park.  This economic hub will position Delaware as a national leader in the new clean energy economy attracting other “green collar” jobs — purchasing wind energy from out-of-state will not.
  • Lost Teaching and Training Facility.  Bluewater Wind has committed to supporting a teaching and training program in Delaware, to be launched with a $150,000 grant, so that Delaware can be the training center for workers learning how to build, operate and maintain wind parks.
  • Lost Environmental Benefits.  Bluewater Wind’s offshore wind park will reduce polluting fossil fuel emissions in the Delmarva Peninsula; out-of-state wind won’t.  The National Renewable Energy Labs reports that, “according to the chief operating officer of the PJM  Regional Transmission Organization, wind energy displaced coal-fired generation about 70% of the time in this power market in 2006.”  In addition, offshore turbine foundations become artificial reefs and will benefit coastal aquatic life.
  • Lost reliability.  According to experts hired by the State, the offshore wind park, coupled with the proposed backup facility, will enhance electric reliability in Delaware.  This will help avoid future “brownouts” of the type Delaware endured a few summers ago. Purchasing out-of-state wind energy will not enhance reliability.
  • Hidden costs.  Delmarva Power’s out-of-state wind bid allows bidders to enter the PJM grid at any point on the system, which will likely expose ratepayers to transmission risks and higher costs than advertised due to inefficiency.  In addition, the contract Bluewater Wind negotiated with Delmarva Power guarantees liquidated damages and termination fees if Bluewater Wind does not perform its contractual obligations; the RFP for the out-of-state wind bidders does not require these protections.

The End Is Near

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008

If you have a cell phone, or any phone, you may have noticed that lately you’ve been getting an enormous number of phone calls from a company warning you that “this is the last call you’ll” get regarding your auto warranty which is about to expire.

If only. If only that were the “last call” on the topic of my auto warranty it would be a great day in Sunnydale! But NOOOOO! You may receive that “last call” warning two to three times a day, every day as I did. Well, finally someone has decided to act aggressively to prevent this type of illegal telemarketing.

This information was retrieved from www.verizon.com, I’ll highlight the key parts since it is rather long:

03/26/2008

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Verizon Wireless said today it has filed a lawsuit to stop unknown telemarketers from calling its customers and employees with an offer of an extended car warranty. The lawsuit, filed in New Jersey Superior Court, alleges the telemarketers illegally used an autodialer to reach Verizon Wireless customers and used “spoofing” techniques to mask the origin of the calls.

The lawsuit alleges that Caller ID showed calls were made from a variety of numbers with 281, 614, 801, and 562 area codes. But, when Verizon Wireless customers and employees attempted to call the numbers found on Caller ID, they generally heard a fast busy signal, indicating a non-working number.

“Telemarketers are using increasingly sophisticated methods, such as illegal autodialing, to harass our customers,” said Steven E. Zipperstein, vice president and general counsel of Verizon Wireless. “Whatever the method, these unlawful telemarketing calls are an annoyance to our customers and invade their privacy, and we will continue to use every weapon in our legal arsenal to stop this activity and protect our customers.”

In the lawsuit, Verizon Wireless says that, beginning in January 2008, more than 2 million of its customers and employees received calls on their wireless telephones with a pre-recorded voice message indicating that the recipient’s car warranty was about to expire, and encouraging them to press “1” for more information. When a recipient presses “1”, he or she is connected to a person who asks for the make and model of the car. However, if the recipient asks for information about the company offering the policy, the representative simply hangs up and ends the call.

The lawsuit alleges violations of the Federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which makes it illegal to use an autodialer to make calls to wireless phones, as well as state fraud and privacy laws. By filing the lawsuit, Verizon Wireless will be able to use the discovery process to help identify the currently unknown telemarketers, and to get them to halt their practices.

Verizon Wireless’ record of protecting customer privacy puts the company at the forefront of the U.S. wireless industry. Over the past several years, Verizon Wireless has won permanent injunctions against individuals and companies that have engaged in illegal telemarketing and text message spamming to Verizon Wireless customers, and against those who have attempted to obtain information about Verizon Wireless customers to sell to third parties.

Finally, someone else has raised a fuss about these annoying calls! Hopefully with the power of Verizon behind it, this suit will put an end to the problem… until they figure out a legal loophole and start back up again.

We have got your links!

Friday, March 21st, 2008

LOTS of WGMD listeners have their own websites and Dan Gaffney gave everyone an hour to promote their hard work.  Many people have asked for the links - so here’s most of the links that were called in.

Do Not Call Registry - it’s not forever!

Saturday, August 4th, 2007

You’re smack in the middle of dinner – or your favorite TV show and the phone rings – telemarketer. 

Wait a minute – you signed up for the Do Not Call Registry when it first started!  Why are you getting telemarketers calling you again? 

There’s the rub – the registry is only good for 5 years!  If you signed up for the Do Not Call Registry after June of 2003 – you have to re-register again before your registry entry expires in 2008 – if you want to keep telemarketers from calling you at inconvenient times. 

Lois Greisman at the Federal Trade Commission tells WGMD the Do Not Call Registry has been hugely successful and they have over 147 million phone numbers registered. 

Some facts on the Do Not Call Registry:

  • Not all telemarketing calls are included – political organizations, charities and phone surveyors are still permitted to call, as well as companies you have an existing business relationship with or want to receive calls from.
  • When you register, your phone number will be on the registry the next day, however telemarketers have 31 days from the date you register to stop calling you
  • The registry is only for personal telephone numbers and you will receive an email from the registry which needs to be responded to before your registration is complete.  You can register up to three phone numbers
  • Cell phone numbers can be registered, but it is an urban legend that cell phone numbers will be released to a public listing allowing telemarketers to call you on a cell phone number.   
  • If you do receive unwanted calls – get as much information as you can – a phone number from caller ID, business name – or the number the telemarketer asks you to call if it’s an automated call.  Then register a complaint with the FTC.

Does the registry work?  YES!  I signed up just after Do Not Call began – and I’ve seen a marked drop in telemarketer calls.  However – I still see a lot of calls that spam my answering machine that are usually bogus “non-profits” which I now plan to file a complaint about if they persist.  I will miss the occasional prank I played on some telemarketers – my favorite was when MCI still existed and they were rabidly promoting their “Friends & Family” service.  My response to the telemarketer was that I had no friends and was an orphan!  My Mom thought it was funny - but I never heard from MCI again!

You can sign up for the Do Not Call Registry either by phone at 1-888-382-1222 or online at http://www.donotcall.gov/ .  You would use either of those options also if you want to verify an existing registry entry – or register for the first time.

 

 

Whos The Sicko?

Monday, June 18th, 2007

How about you?  Do you plan to go see “Sicko” when it comes to a theater near you?  I hope you do…as I certainly plan to…not that most of us don’t already know the state of the health care system in this country is absolutely abysmal and has been for far too long.  Read items like THIS and THIS (among far too many others like them) and one has to wonder how we stooped so low.  When did medicine become a “for profit” organization?  What happened to the Hippocratic Oath and “First do NO harm”?  If you happen to disagree with a more equal system, “socialised” medicine, how do you reconcile that disagreement with the 9 million kids who do not have access to health care…and what would be your suggestion?  I doubt there is another on offer…except for “I’ve got mine and so I don’t care”. 

One argument often heard is “Why should we pay for everyone else’s medical care” (with regards to a system similar to either Canada or the UK).  Why not?  We pay for it, anyway, as noted here…

“Marian Wright Edelman, of the Children’s Defense Fund, called the problem a “national disgrace.”  The crisis “not only costs lives of children and stress for families, but it also costs taxpayers money,” she added.

Here’s how it costs taxpayers money:

When Carol Martin’s son, Simon, had an infected toe, she could not afford to take him to the doctor. She cut a hole in his shoe and hoped it would get better. But it got worse.  After five months fighting red tape, she got public insurance for her son, but by then his foot required expensive surgery — a bill taxpayers swallowed.

“I’m not looking for a handout,” said Martin. “I just need assistance. Health care. That’s all.”

When uninsured children do get medical care, that care is often inferior. One study from Families USA said an uninsured child is twice as likely to die when hospitalized, when compared to an insured child.”

What would it take for any one of us to change our minds on this travesty?  I can tell you…our own child or children to die from an abcessed tooth, cancer or other serious illness simply because we, you, I lacked health insurance through no fault of our own and no-one gave a damn.

I don’t care…because it doesn’t matter…what the personal opinions are of Michael Moore.  Go see the movie…(June 29th. release date…if it comes here).  

  

ATT Profits Rise

Friday, February 2nd, 2007

” NEW YORK (AFP) - Telecommunications giant AT and T said its fourth-quarter profit rose 17 percent from a year earlier to 1.9 billion dollars, despite the costs of gobbling up two major rivals.”

And I’m not surprised!

How often do you check your monthly bills? How closely? That
particular chore falls to me so, the other day, decided I’d best take
care of them. We have AT&T only because I do need their overseas
service on occasion. Bill is always the same.very low.but this time I
noticed there was an additional charge. For their Worldnet Internet
Service. Eh?? Don’t use it, never have.never wanted to, mostly because
I think their charges for the service they provide is a rip-off.

So I called them this morning. After a five minute wait finally got a
live voice (I think though it sounded suspiciously robotic) and asked
for an explanation and resolution. Get the monthly fee off my bill or
it doesn’t get paid. The guy asked me if I was unhappy with the
service.Hahahaha! Told him I’ve never used their service because I’ve
never had it.he tells me I’ve had it for three years. (No, I haven’t
for I’ve had Verizon for at least that long and now running FiOS.)
Finally, he tells me they can close the account and credit me “for the
last three months.”

For the moment, that would do.I’m probably not going to let it rest
there. Seems to me there has to surely be a way they can check to see
non-usage of this account if, indeed, they have me listed as being an
internet “customer” that long. Just strange they’ve never billed me
for it until this month.

Now, I check my bills thoroughly, every month. I know this has not
been there, each month, for the last three months, let alone three
years because I certainly would have seen it and called them from the
get-go. But it did get me to wondering not only how often does this
happen to how many, but how.and why, from a supposedly reputable
company? Needless to say, they can’t remove the charge/give me credit
today but while awaiting a confirmation number of the “promise” for
future reference, if need be, he then asks if I’d LIKE to go with
their regular dial-up service. Uuh, no. I have a great service already.
Okay.”would you like an AT&T email address, then, for $5.95 a month?”
Uuh, WHY?

I’d hope everyone vets their standing bills, closely, but if not, please do.

Dont Believe Everything You Read

Wednesday, January 3rd, 2007

The buzz I hear in the Sussex County retail business community seems very positive about profits in the fourth quarter of 2006. I was therefore surprised and disappointed to read such a doom and gloom report in the local Cape Gazette:

Local stores report sluggish holiday sales

By Molly Albertson

Cape Gazette staff

With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season largely behind them and now that the presents have been opened and the credit cards put away, retailers are surveying their shopping season. They’re finding this year was disappointing.
Shop owners and sales associates said this season wasn’t as profitable or as busy as last year.

 

Further reading reveals the source of the negative report; a clerk, a manager and two small shop owners. Using a total of four small stores out of hundreds in the Cape region, to make such sweeping negative business conclusions is irresponsible reporting at best. A better headline would read, “Four Local Shops Fail to Compete”, or something of this nature. Molly should broaden her horizons and circulate among the positive crowd, next time she wants to report on business. Bonnie Ladd would be a good person to talk with next time; she sent me this e-mail:

Good morning Dan!!!As for the business sales…I work in the City Of Rehoboth and I spoke with a lot of the business owners in town. Comments I heard from them was that it felt like July…they loved it. Tom @ Wooden Indian said that he couldn’t keep Godiva Chocolate on the shelves….so that blows the small items out the window!! Many people said that the after X-Mas sales were great and that they were selling a lot of sale items. I know I traveled Rt 1 and the Outlets were PACKED!!! Jewelry was selling at Elegant Slumming, they were busy & I even made a purchase there. I think over all the businesses were not complaining as much as the article states. Have a Great Day Dan and Happy New Year!!!