An Englishman, Irishman & Scotsman

The Englishman's wife steps up to the tee and, as she bends over to place her ball, a gust of wind blows her skirt up and reveals her lack of underwear.
"Good God, woman! Why aren't you wearing any knickers?" her husband demanded.
"Well, you don't give me enough housekeeping money to afford any."
The Englishman immediately reaches into his pocket and says, "For the sake of decency, here's £50. Go and buy yourself some underwear."
Next, the Irishman's wife bends over to set her ball on the tee. Her skirt also blows up to show that she, too, is wearing no undies.
"Blessed Virgin Mary, woman! You've no knickers. Why not?"
She replies, "I can't afford any on the money you give me."
He reaches into his pocket and says, "For the sake of decency, here's £20. Go and buy yourself some underwear!"
Lastly, the Scotsman's wife bends over. The wind also takes her skirt over her head to reveal that she, too, is naked under it.
"Sweet mudder of Jaysus, Aggie! Where the frig are yer drawers?"
She too explains, "You dinna give me enough money ta be able ta affarrd any."
The Scotsman reaches into his pocket and says, "Well, fer the love 'o decency, here's a comb..... Tidy yerself up a bit."

Churchill's 3 Cardinal Attitude

I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught.

I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being anything else.

I am easily satisfied with the very best.
- Winston Churchill

Commodity: Chindia Fueling the Iron-Ore Gluttony

China is also fast becoming the world's iron-ore glutton. How so?
China needs iron ore to make steel for its construction industry, now the largest in the world. She needs the iron to help feed the new growth in construction — 20% in 2006, & 25% in 2007. She needs the iron to build residences, highways, railroads, subways and dams.
Just in Q1 2007 alone, China imported 100.2 million tons of iron ore, an increase of 23.4% over the previous year. If this pace continues through year-end, total imports for 2007 will easily exceed 355 million tons.
Looking over to India & into the future, the demand could be even larger. Right now, India's consumption of steel is still less than 90 lbs per person. In China, by contrast, it's over 500 lbs, and in South Korea it's about 2000 lbs, or over 20 times more than India's! If India just closes that gap by a modest margin, it could double or triple its demand for steel, causing equivalent growth in its demand for iron ore!
Many companies & countries are scrambling to secure iron resources! Steelmaking companies are suddenly realizing that their long-term, iron purchasing contracts are not enough. So they're in a panic to secure new supplies. Driven by its huge demands, China and India are leading the pack.
China is locking down iron-rich resources in Australia, where China's Baosteel and Australia's Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (FMG) have signed one of the largest partnership deals in Australian mining history — to supply up to 20 million tons of iron ore per year. China is seeking to do something similar in Canada, Brazil, and wherever iron ore is found.
In Colombia, Brazil's Votorantim recently bought 52% Acerías de Paz del Río, Colombia's second biggest steel maker, for $489 million. This means Votarantim now surpasses the giant Arcelor Mittal, as well as Brazil's own Gerdau and Companhia Siderurgica Nacional.
The biggest plays, however, are Australia (which exports over $8 billion worth each year) and Brazil ($7 billion).

Pay Attention to Two World's Largest Iron Companies: CVRD and BHP Billiton.

They control massive amounts of iron ore reserves and are among the largest suppliers to China and the rest of the world. Brazil's CVRD is the largest mining and metals company in the Americas and the second largest in the world. Recently, it has established a strategic alliance with Nippon Steel to produce iron pellets and iron alloys. The company invests more money every year than any other company in Brazil, and in 2007, it plans investments totalling $6.3 billion, including $2.12 billion related to iron alone.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the southern hemisphere, BHP Billiton is the only non-banking firm among the Australia's five largest. Compared to CVRD, its closeness to China and Asia is a major strategic advantage; the greater volatility of its shares, a minor disadvantage. But overall, the opportunity is similar.

My recommendation: Pay attention to these 2 counters but don't rush out to buy immediately. Wait for a pullback. This commodity party is not done yet.

Currency: Greenback Getting Hammered!

Concern continues to grow about the U.S. dollar, and for good reason: the U.S. dollar index is near a 2 1/2 year low. It is fast approaching the December 2004 low of 8085. The all-time low in the U.S. dollar index is 7819...and that was 15 years ago back in September 1992.

So what's making the dollar drop?

It's the growing concern about capital flow to the United States.

It's a simple equation: U.S. interest rates are still high on a relative basis, but many other countries in the world are catching up fast. And with the U.S. Federal Reserve apparently on hold for the time being - and the possibility of a Fed rate cut still in the mix due to slower economic growth here at home - investors prefer to stash their cash in other currencies that enjoy stronger fundamentals.

In other words, traders are sending their money elsewhere, because they expect European yields will continue to gain and move higher than in the U.S., especially if the slowdown theme in the U.S. gathers momentum.

So, my friends, still long on the dollar?

Kissing is a Habit - R(A)

Kissing is a habit, Fucking is a game,
Boys get all the pleasure, Girls get all the pain.
He says he loves you and you believe it's true,
But when your stomach starts to swell, He says the hell with you!
16 min of pleasure, 9 months of pain;
3 days in the hospital, A baby with no name.
The baby is a bastard, the mother is a whore.
It never would have happened, If the rubber hadn't tore .

Remember to always use protection, and use good quality ones, please...

New Management Policies

Dress Code
It is advised that you come to work dressed accordingly to your salary. If we see you wearing Prada shoes and carrying a Gucci bag, we assume you are doing well financially and therefore do not need a raise. If you dress poorly, you need to learn to manage your money better, so that you may buy nicer clothes, and therefore do not need a raise. If you dress just right, you are right where you need to be and therefore do not need a raise.

Sick Days
We will no longer accept a doctor's statement as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work.

Personal Days
Each employee will receive 104 personal days a year. They are called Saturday and Sunday.

Toilet Use
Entirely too much time is being spent in the toilet. There is now a strict three-minute time limit in the stalls. At the end of the three minutes, an alarm will sound, the toilet paper roll will retract, the stall door will open and a picture will be taken. After your second offense, your picture will be posted on the company bulletin board under the "Chronic Offenders category". Anyone caught smiling in the picture will be sectioned under the company's mental health policy!

Lunch Break
Skinny people get 30 minutes for lunch as they need to eat more, so that they can look healthy. Normal size people get 15 minutes for lunch to get a balanced meal to maintain their average figure. Fat people get 5 minutes for lunch, because that's all the time needed to drink a slim fast.

Thank you for your loyalty to our company. We are here to provide a positive employment experience. Therefore, all questions, comments, concerns, complaints, frustrations, irritations, aggravations, insinuations, allegations, accusations, contemplations, consternation and input should be directed elsewhere.

The Management.

Chain of Command

Slavery is so intolerable a condition that the slave can hardly escape deluding himself into thinking that he is choosing to obey his master's commands when, in fact, he is obliged to. Most slaves of habit suffer from this delusion...
- W H Auden

The best political weapon is the weapon of terror. Cruelty commands respect. Men may hate us.
But, we don't ask for their love; only for their fear.
- Heinrich Himmler

For those men who, sooner or later, are lucky enough to break away from the pack, the most intoxicating moment comes when they cease being bodies in other men's command and find that they control their own time, when they learn their own voice and authority.
- Theodore White