too good to pass up…

look at this stuff.  Dubya slapping the troops in the face, in an underhanded way.

http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2008/04/8075_clapping_along.html

Kant rina.

youyo

Here’s something that speaks about the failure of the energy company, Entergy, to supply power in the post katrina New Orleans, and basically just shut down and walk away.

http://www.gregpalast.com/a-taste-of-palasts-armed-madhouse-1927-again/

jais

Katrina was an inside job…

So coastal cities should probably have an evacuation plain in the event a HURRICANE hits them.  Too bad New Orleans’ is nowhere to be found.  And its too bad a hurricane expert’s warning went unheard.

http://www.gregpalast.com/hurricane-expert-threatened-for-pre-katrina-warnings/

Ya it really sucks when you build levees to protect a storm surge that are eighteen inches too short.
Also, when it’s expensive houses that have been destroyed, of course there will be reimbursements.

http://www.gregpalast.com/18-missing-inches-in-new-orleans/

It seems the local paper of New Orleans knew what could happen to them were a hurricane to hit.  This was published 3 years before Katrina, and is a multipart article dealing with many of the nuances of the failures that could possibly occur.

http://www.nola.com/hurricane/content.ssf?/washingaway/index.html

Exxon really jerks my chain

Here’s a good piece on exxon mobile, and also the current political race for white house, if that interests you.

http://www.gregpalast.com/exxon-suxx-mccain-duxx/#more-1968

jais

FEMA you so baaaaadd.

FEMA gave the evacuees from Katrina some bad trailers. Newly found documents show OSHA detected dangerous levels of formaldehyde in trailers used to house Katrina evacuees as early as 2005—but FEMA mass distributed them anyway.

http://www.motherjones.com/news/update/2008/03/fema-toxic-trailers.html

Jais

things about katrina and exxon

Hey this doesn’t all necessarily fit under the subject I’m researching, but it is some stuff that I’ve stumbled across and is needed for the research.

Here is an Exxon Valdez rep telling the fishermen affected by the spill that they are lucky, they just don’t know it, because they have Exxon to help them.
http://www.gregpalast.com/media/ExxonValdezPromise.mpg

Here is some stuff for privatization of the relief effort in New Orleans

a press release by Entergy commenting on the the work its doing for the cause of environmental awareness, but mostly what its talking about is the economic feasibility of being able to maintain profits when trying to transition to a more environmentally conscious method. see 2008-01-01-Risk.pdf entergy press release

Jais

Halliburton from a while ago

these are good
An article about KBR, Halliburton’s subsidiary, getting outsourced jobs from the military, and in turn outsourcing them to them to contractors committing huge human rights violations.  Basically, KBR is getting its pipeline built and work done in Iraq with forced labor, through corporate bureaucracies.
“KBR’s subcontractors employ an army of workers to dish out food, wash clothes, clean latrines and carry out virtually every other menial task. About 35,000 of the 48,000 people working under the privatization contract last year were “Third Country Nationals,” who are non-Americans imported from outside Iraq, KBR has said.”
Not necessarily a profit swindle, but a human issue with undercurrents of profit.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-060423pipeline-story,1,4248561.story?page=1&ctrack=1&cset=true&coll=chi-news-hed

An article from election year 2004, about the extreme overcharging that Halliburton and KBR were billing to the Military for their work in Iraq. For instance, in a certain camp KBR billed for 42,000 meals a day, but only served 14,000.  THATS WRONG!!  don’t worry they’ve managed to repay the government a whopping $6.3 million.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/feb/18/iraq.usa

A good article summarizing the Restore Iraqi Oil (RIO) contract that was awarded to Halliburton, no bidding by other companies allowed.  Has led to rampant misuse of power, corruption, and mishandling of duties.  The army is working closely with this company
http://www.halliburtonwatch.org/about_hal/oilinfra.html

Why not make a little change on the side?  Halliburton encourages one of its employees to illegally sell warheads to Canadian guy.  Do you hear that Andrea?  Halliburton later denies it, and the buyer says “i din’t know it was iwegull”
idiots…
http://www.halliburtonwatch.org/news/warhead_sale.html

jaisissisisisis

Halliburton just keeps giving me this

This is a Senate Democratic Policy Committee Hearing transcription from Julie McBride, a former Halliburton employee. She talks about being condemned by Halliburton for speaking out about their policies on making profits through inflation of numbers.
(see document mcbride.pdf)mcbride.pdf

This is the contract that was awarded to Halliburton for reconstruction. The 162 page Restore Iraqi Oil (RIO) contract outlines the expectations for the contract and what should be done. A good source for reference if something of the sort comes up, but very long and wordy also.
(attachment is too large for sending, let us see about this) rio_contract.pdf

This article is about Halliburton building temporary detention centers for an influx on immigrants. It is amazing the administration has awarded Halliburton another domestic contract like this after they have come under such scrutiny for overcharging. They may not even build these developments.
(see document The_New_York_Times2008-03-0 4_21-31.DOC) the_new_york_times2008-03-04_21-31.doc

smile,
Jais sir

Here are more stock video’s of various sort

The Safety Patrol (1937) 9:23
This video is a bit old, but provides good footage of a child telling an adult what the correct laws of traffic are (could be used in various context.
Title screen is a good shot at very beginning
school boys deserve credit for past safety and future 0:50
adults don’t follow guidelines 2:20
“women are very careless that way” 3:15
stepping out between parked cars, against rule #2 3:40
walking on the right side of country road 4:50
http://www.archive.org/details/SafetyPa1937

Safety: Harm Hides at Home (closer to seventies) 16:06
A very strange video talking about safety in the home, an alien gives a woman the power to protect children from hurting themselves.
Receive power and be called Gaurdianna Safety Woman 3:40
Fire safety is important, 500 people your age died last year 4:50
Fire Being extinguished (funny) 8:00
Finding gun, “every gun is a loaded gun” 11:00
Girl falling off a ladder 13:00
Chemical killers, montage of chemicals that are dangerous 13:40
“aware, alert, alive: safety is everyone’s business” 13:25
http://www.archive.org/details/safety_harm_hides

The Big Board (50’s sometime) 12:54
A video describing how the stock market works, selling stocks, stock brokers, selling, buying, suits
men in suits, broker discussing stocks 1:30
man holds stocks in animated fashion 5:40
broker buying different shares, calling various cities 7:20
handing off 200,000 shares 8:40
mad scramble of buying, selling confusing 11:00
http://www.archive.org/details/big_board

This video could fit under the subject of napalm effects, and dow
Inextinguishable Fire (1969) 25:00 by Harun Farocki
An art film (sort of) of the devastating effects of napalm on people, without ever really explicitly showing on people.  Is narrated in German. I haven’t watched and time transcribed the whole thing yet, would anyone like to watch this .  If not, I can watch it ( I probably will anyway, it just takes a long time for the film to load on the internet.)  This film is also available at the Video Data Bank.
link to the video http://www.ubu.com/film/farocki_inex.html
link to the vdb page for it http://www.vdb.org/smackn.acgi$tapedetail?INEXTINGUI

What Farocki Taught (1998) by Jill Godmilow
This I have not watched all of, but from what I have seen so far, I suspect what it is.  The director has just re-shot Farocki’s film, shot for shot, word for word, but in English.
Does anyone dealing with napalm want to watch this?
http://www.ubu.com/film/godmilow_farocki.html

yes ssss yes yais.

HELLiburton

These articles were obtained through a database, so I’m having a difficult time figuring out how to provide a persistent url to these articles; I obtained them through ebsco host database. Does anyone know how a persistent url can be obtained?

Guilty Plea in Iraq Kickback Case
BYLINE: By THE NEW YORK TIMES
SECTION: Section A; Column 0; Foreign Desk; Pg. 6
LENGTH: 220 words
July 14, 2007 Saturday
_-+An article about a Haliburton employee pleading guilty to receiving kickbacks for awarding Kuwaiti company $13 million in contracts to supply American army supplies.   guilty_plea_in_iraq_kickback_case_the_new_yo.doc

Title:
HALLIBURTON’S TEHRAN HIDEAWAY.
Authors:
Walt, Vivienne
Source:
Fortune; 2/7/2005, Vol. 151 Issue 3, p18-22, 2p, 1c
Abstract:
Looks at the operation of the Halliburton Company in Tehran, Iran. Report that the company hold a contract with Oriental Kish to drill for gas in Iran; Objections of some U.S. legislators to Halliburton’s operation in Iran despite official sanctions; Details of U.S. law regarding subsidiaries of U.S. companies in Iran; Comments of a Halliburton spokesperson on the company’s contracts in Iran.
Strange that Halliburton’s operating there when theres such a disdainful attitude towards diplomacy with Iran.
Full Text Word Count:
594  halliburton-in-iran.doc

The New York Times
January 29, 2008 Tuesday
Late Edition – Final
Halliburton Profit Rises
BYLINE: By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SECTION: Section C; Column 0; Business/Financial Desk; Pg. 6
LENGTH: 119 words
DATELINE: HOUSTON
A synopsis of the most recent quarterly profits for Halliburton. company has been adding people and equipment in the middle east and elswhere.  halliburton-profits.doc

The New York Times
July 24, 2007 Tuesday
Late Edition – Final
Sale of KBR Bolsters Profit At Halliburton
BYLINE: By BLOOMBERG NEWS
SECTION: Section C; Column 0; Business/Financial Desk; Pg. 7
LENGTH: 298 words
The enormous financial gains Halliburton made about half a year ago from the sale of its subsidiary, KBR, the largest military contractor in Iraq.  kbr-deal-halliburton.doc

The New York Times
May 1, 2007 Tuesday
Late Edition – Final
Senators Question Halliburton Executive About Dealings in Iran
BYLINE: By MICHAEL LUO
SECTION: Section A; Column 1; Foreign Desk; Pg. 6
LENGTH: 814 words
DATELINE: WASHINGTON, April 30
Talks about Halliburton defiance of sanctions on Iran, and their dealing with business there. American companies cannot do business with countries that are said to have sponsered terrorism, like Iran.  senators_question_halliburton_executive_abou.doc

Title:
The heat is on.
Source:
Economist; 6/26/2004, Vol. 371 Issue 8381, p66-66, 2/3p, 1c
The article focuses on Halliburton, an energy and engineering-services company that has received much negative publicity since the start of the war in Iraq. America’s vice-president, Dick Cheney, used to run the firm. Its Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR) division has been dogged by allegations of favouritism. Henry Waxman, a Democratic Congressman, is conducting hearings on the matter. One controversy has concerned the number and cost of meals served by Halliburton to soldiers. Pentagon auditors declared that KBR may have charged taxpayers for more meals than it actually served. Revenues of Halliburton’s engineering and reconstruction arm, which includes KBR, soared last year, due mostly to work in Iraq. The firm’s two contracts in that country–to provide logistical support and to rebuild oil infrastructure–could eventually bring KBR over $18 billion in revenues. Yet while the rest of Halliburton increased operating profits in 2003, the engineering division posted an operating loss. KBR is a labour-intensive, low-margin business, in contrast to Halliburton’s oil-field services arm, and it exposes employees to great danger. Indeed, KBR may well be weighing on Halliburton’s share price. The political controversy around Cheney’s role may have made investors nervous.  the-heat-is-on-halliburton.doc

Title:
THE MASTER BUILDER.
Authors:
Thottam, Jyoti
Allbritton, Christopher
Butters, Andrew Lee
Dusevic, Tom
Fattah, Hassan
Purvis, Andrew
Thomas, Cathy Booth
Zagorin, Adam
Source:
Time; 6/7/2004, Vol. 163 Issue 23, p38-44, 6p, 3c
Abstract:
Reports on how many Iraqis are angry with the rebuilding efforts of the United States and specifically, Halliburton Company; Belief by Iraqi businessmen that they are being cut out of the profitable rebuilding industry; How Halliburton is a constant target of violence and the subject of rumors of corruption; Halliburton’s share of the rebuilding contracts in Iraq; How the company is paid for the work; Death of employees and insurgent activities which has slowed their work; How the U.S. Army has suspended payment to the company for high charges for feeding the troops; Profit vs. risk factors which play a role in Halliburton’s decision to stay in Iraq; Critics who protest Halliburton’s unchecked power; Changes which have been made in company policy in response to the critics; Why the Iraqi’s feel cut off from economic recovery.
This looks like a good article.
Full Text Word Count: the-master-builder.doc
2808

Title:
Rewarding Halliburton.
Source:
Multinational Monitor; Jul/Aug2005, Vol. 26 Issue 7/8, p4-5, 2p
Abstract:
Reports an increase in the profits posted by a Halliburton unit, KBR, that handles U.S. Defense Department contracts in the second quarter of 2005. Award fees received by KBR from the department; Examples of preferential treatment provided by the department to Halliburton; Worth of unreasonable expenses incurred by KBR based on the assessments made by military auditors.

yice.