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Politics : Support the French! Viva Democracy! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: epicure who wrote (4538)	1/7/2004 11:57:04 PM
From: epicure	Respond to of 7834

A friend sent me this :-) .............. I am passing this on to you because it has definitely worked for me... and at this time of year we all could use a little calm!!! By following this simple advice I read in an article, I have finally found inner peace ... the article read: "The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you've started." So I looked around the house to see all the things I started and hadn't finished....and before leaving the house this morning I finished off bottle of red wine, a bottle of white, the Bailey's, Kahlua and Wild Turkey, the Prozac, some valium, some cheesecake and a box of chocolates. You have no idea how freakin good I feel.... Pass this on to those you feel are in need of Inner Peace.

To: epicure who wrote (4538)	1/8/2004 12:06:39 AM
From: cosmicforce	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 7834

That's funny. Unfortunately, the first coat of whitewash is almost dry on the Halliburton zero-bid pork barrel .... Pentagon Auditors Set to Clear Halliburton By Sue Pleming 1-7-4 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pentagon auditors said on Wednesday they expected soon to receive documents from the Army that Halliburton paid fair prices for fuel brought into Iraq, squashing price-gouging allegations against Vice President Dick Cheney's former company. The Defense Contract Audit Agency said Army Corps of Engineers officials overseeing the oil contract had promised a "business case" that showed prices billed by Halliburton unit Kellogg Brown and Root for fuel delivered by a subcontractor were "fair and reasonable" and the issue would then be closed. "Once DCAA receives this business case stating that the contracting officer has concluded the subcontract fuel prices are fair and reasonable, that will conclude the DCAA audit work on this issue," said a statement from DCAA Executive Officer Dan Tucciarone. "The (Army Corps) contracting officer's decision precludes any further pursuit by DCAA of the issue, in as much as the contracting officer is the deciding authority for the Government on such matters," he added. The Army Corps of Engineers said draft documents had been completed and the final version would be delivered soon to the DCAA. He had no further details. Asked whether that meant price-gouging claims would be dropped against the company if the Army Corps document said pricing was fair, a defense official said that was the case. "We will consider the $61.7 million fuel-pricing issue as being resolved," said the spokesman. Last month, a draft Pentagon audit found evidence KBR may have overcharged the Army Corps of Engineers by $61.7 million for fuel brought into Iraq via a Kuwaiti subcontractor called Altanmia Commercial Marketing Company. The audit also examined other issues under two Halliburton contracts with the military, and the defense spokesman said all other contract costs billed to the government by KBR would be evaluated by DCAA. COMPANY DENIED PRICE GOUGING Halliburton strongly denied allegations of price gouging and said it bought the fuel at the best possible price and transported it under extremely hazardous conditions. Pressure eased on the company over the pricing issue after Army Corps chief Lt. Gen. Robert Flowers signed a waiver on Dec. 19 that KBR did not need to provide certified "cost and pricing data" related to a sole-source fuel contract with Altanmia. Flowers' unusual waiver came after lower-level Army Corps officials concluded KBR had obtained adequate price competition in May and bought the fuel and delivered it to Iraq at a "fair and reasonable price." Transporting fuel into Iraq has been a difficult, often embarrassing, mission for the Texas firm, which has faced a barrage of allegations from Democrats in particular, who say the company got the work because of its political connections. Cheney was chairman of Halliburton before he became President Bush's vice president three years ago. The contract to deliver fuel to Iraq is part of a bigger no-competition deal signed last March with the Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild Iraq's oil industry and is set to be replaced by two competitively bid ones to be announced by Jan. 17. The U.S. military said last week its own fuel agency would be taking over the job of bringing in fuel to Iraq. The Defense Energy Support Center is set to award new contracts for the job by April but until then, KBR will continue to do the work. The DESC issued a pre-solicitation notice on Wednesday, inviting interested companies to apply for work to deliver by truck kerosene, unleaded gasoline, diesel and liquefied petroleum from April 1 through June 30. No prices were provided on the government procurement Web page (www.fedbizopps.gov).

To: epicure who wrote (4538)	1/8/2004 4:49:37 AM
From: Dale Baker	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 7834

U.S. Could Lose Technology Dominance, Executives Say Group Sees Need for New Government Incentives Barriers to global commerce are not the right response as more technology jobs move overseas, Intel chief executive Craig R. Barrett says. (Dennis Brack -- Bloomberg News) By Jonathan Krim Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, January 8, 2004; Page E05 An organization of high-technology executives yesterday renewed industry calls for government spending and tax cuts to spur research, improved mathematics and science education and policies that make building technology infrastructure a national priority. With India, China, Russia and other countries rapidly becoming technology centers, the executives warned that without such measures the United States could lose its dominance in the knowledge economy. "Our competitiveness as a nation is not inevitable," said Hewlett-Packard chief executive Carleton S. "Carly" Fiorina. At a press briefing alongside Intel Corp. chief executive Craig R. Barrett, Fiorina cited declining federal government spending on research and development compared with other countries, as well as a kindergarten through 12th grade educational system that "remains a source of competitive disadvantage." Barrett also cautioned against erecting global barriers to commerce, a response to mounting concerns that technology and other companies are transferring tens of thousands of support center, data entry and software engineering jobs overseas to take advantage of lower wages. By some estimates by financial consulting firms, 10 percent of jobs at U.S. information technology vendors will move offshore by the end of this year. Throughout all U.S. companies, Forrester Research predicts the loss of about 3.3 million jobs by 2015. Already, some Democratic presidential candidates have criticized the practice. Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) has introduced legislation that would require employees of call centers to identify their location. Organizations of technology employees, many of whom remain out of work after the post-tech-bubble downturn, argue that companies are simply reaping greater profits at the expense of U.S. workers. In November, Indiana Gov. Joseph E. Kernan (D) canceled a $15 million contract with an outsourcing firm that would have had engineers in India upgrading state computers, even though a domestic contractor cost more. Barrett, chairman of the trade group Computer Systems Policy Project (CSPP), said such protectionist responses endanger the ability of U.S. firms to compete. He said Intel hires overseas often to gain local expertise, so that it can sell more products in those markets. Moreover, he said, migration of lower-paying jobs overseas is hardly new and is part of a recurring business cycle. He noted that a sizable portion of technology hardware manufacturing has moved overseas, without dire economic consequences. Fiorina said that what is likely to occur is a shift in the kind of technology jobs that will predominate in this country, such as those that requiring the ability to manage multiple systems and networks. She said the country cannot afford to be distracted by short-term financial and employment concerns. "The biggest barrier [to solutions] is our nation's attention span," she said. Fiorina insisted that the CSPP is "not lobbying." But the group put forth several proposals, and promised that its executives, who also include Michael S. Dell of Dell Inc. and Samuel J. Palmisano of International Business Machines Corp., would continue visiting Congress and the White House throughout the year to press its case. Palmisano and Intel Chairman Andrew S. Grove have made similar appeals in the past six months, under the banners of other trade groups. Among the CSPP proposals is an Infrastructure Investment Act of 2004, which would provide more favorable tax and regulatory rules to encourage building more broadband networks. The group also is pushing a Mathematics and Science Improvement Act of 2004, which would fund more rigorous education and school-testing in math and science. Fiorina said she could not estimate the cost of the proposals. But Barrett said they would be less than the $30 billion in agriculture subsidies that he scorned as investment in "19th-century technology."