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When Henry Kravis and George Roberts founded Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) in the 1970’s with the assistance of the First Chicago Corporation, the firm’s specialty was in highly leveraged transactions. Recently, however, aiming to make the businesses in their portfolio more ecologically friendly, they have rolled out an unusual green proposal that has dramatically changed the way business concerns and environmental activists function. Environmentally aware business practices went mainstream last year when Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co’s Henry Kravis and the New York based Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) joined forces. Key environmental matters like climate change and unmitigated consumption of water resources are a top priority in their corporate mission.

Eco-efficiency (the term was initially promoted by the WBCSD) defines their mission’s framework, utilizing techniques like waste reduction, recycling programs and using clean energy. Successful though it was the businesses who were participating did not grasp the full advantages of the project until Ken Mehlman, the head of the project and global public affairs, reviewed the program when it had been in operation for its first full year.

Much to everyone’s surprise, Ken saw that this program not only increased environmental responsibility, but also increased the the profit from all their business concerns as well. Nearly all of the businesses owned by Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co and Ken Mehlman today are actively participating in eco-efficiency techniques. All The Same, with a current business portfolio worth eighty six billion dollars, you can be sure that this was not an easy see what an enormous feat this is.

Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co along with Ken Mehlman are further expanding the initial program. The Climate Corps Program administrated by the Environmental Defense Fund is one of these, it campaigns for eco-efficient business techniques to students taking an MBA.

KKR and Ken Mehlman have taken the time to formulate a series of analytic tools which will be able to measure and manipulate resources. With this information available, any business may without a lot of effort evaluate all of their everyday operations and discover exactly how any problems can be solved while at the same time tracking their progress.

The business world has been completely changed by the efforts of these groups. Their developments have made going green simpler for companies in every sector and demonstrated that running a profitable business need not entail the hefty price of damaging the environment.

“America has become a vassal state to OPEC. Our military men and women are offered as a serf army to the OPEC nations. We use billions of US tax dollars and the blood of our soldiers to preserve the power of these unpopular governments. Wind power and solar energy could quickly free us from OPEC’s shackles.” – Hulagu’s Web

In the first quarter of 2005, the cost of a gallon of gas climbed to the highest price ever. In that same period ExxonMobil, the behemoth global oil company, surged forward as the largest and most profitable corporation in the world valued at more than $402 billion on Feb. 28th. The American public funded this success through military operations to secure the oil and in turn, pay for the success with higher and higher prices at the pumps.

While America politicians and businesses clamor over the dwindling global oil reserves, other countries are taking necessary actions to replace oil as their principle energy source. Germany and France have both implemented successful alternative energy programs, dramatically reducing their dependency on oil, and oil rich countries. This is perhaps one of the principle reasons why their governments are labeled as uncaring towards America’s political predicament with foreign oil. While America spends billions to secure oil resources with their military, Germany and France pour their wealth into expanding their alternative energy programs. It’s a race that America is losing. Politically, the American blight in the Middle East is of great advantage to countries in support of renewable energy, because these countries are getting a head start on the global race towards the technological development of more efficient renewable energy systems. Billions spent on preservation of the status quo of the OPEC nations assures France and Germany oil for the immediate future. At the same time, the money saved from opting out of participation in the Coalition can be used to build many alternative energy resources and research new methods of securing renewable energy. Well-orchestrated protests against American involvement in Iraq and other Middle East countries endears Canada, France and Germany to the world.

“Implementing alternative energy requires us to be motivated; as we know it’s much easier to simply hook into the ‘grid’.” — David Suzuki

Why is America so dependent on oil and unwilling to seriously turn to alternative energies to gain freedom from OPEC’s shackles? A principle reason is the naivety regarding possible options of renewable energy, coupled with the distorted way big oil and their hoard of PR people compare the cost of oil against the cost of other energy sources. The cost of a barrel of oil is used to determine its kilowatt/hour cost. That price is stripped clean of the billions spent each year for securing the oil. The barrel price only reflects OPEC’s asking price. Not considered in the kilowatt/hour cost is the tax money spent on military mobilization to assure the resources of companies like ExxonMobil reach American shores. The death of American soldiers and their overwhelming sacrifices to keep oil flowing, to power America, or to squander on SUV’s and ATV’s, is never considered as a part of the oil cost in the corporate offices of the energy titans.

Some feel adamant that alternative energy will not only provide cheaper energy but remedy or at least diminish the primary reasons for ongoing global conflict. Alternative energy provides the ability to offer a large level of redundancy in sources so that countries are not dependent on the natural resources of another nation. It also provides a much cleaner energy, reducing the tremendous pollution problem of fossil fuel. The profitability of alternative energy is an investment that starts today and pays off tomorrow.

Most alternative energy resources are much safer to produce and use. The oil business, however, has a bad history of subjecting even their employees to dangers in the production and transportation of the fuel. On March 23, 2005 a huge explosion erupted in an oil refinery in Texas wounding around 70 employees and killing 14. In the Tosco Avon Refinery in Martinez, California, an explosion in 1999 killed 4 employees. After an investigation that refinery was closed and lawsuits are still raging over the accident. Oil spills are another major hazards unique to the oil industry. Most are not as infamous as the Exxon Valdez Spill, but they all are damaging and happen frequently with ships breaking apart and trucks overturning. The results are death of people, wildlife and long term environmental damage.

How can America embrace alternative energy and reduce the dependency on politically volatile foreign oil? Realize that alternative energy is now cheaper for any country than oil. The military expense involved with the procurement of oil is a hidden fee, paid through taxes and with lives. The American working class pays the bulk of this burden as higher taxes than any other group. Education is the answer in the US, because the reality of alternative energy is realized by the simplicity and beauty of wind power and solar energy. It is insane to continue the ongoing effort, extending the use of a fuel that is so scarce, dangerous, polluting, monopolized, and produced by politically unstable entities. America’s energy crisis can be solved quickly with alternative energy. There is no need for another soldier to die on foreign soil, leaving loved ones to grieve. This should be America’s focus, not finding more oil fields or even destroying the Alaskan wildlife reserve just to squeeze a few more barrels out of the ground, to face the same problem in a few more years. Prolonging agony does not suspend agony — it saves agony for later.

For millions of years the sun has been shining down on our planet and will do so for many more eons. With the advances in solar energy starting right now, every electrical need could be satisfied with solar power and the grid. What America needs is a federal government New Deal that pours billions into renewable energy, instead of subsidizing big oil and shoring up corrupt oil producing countries. America probably will not get a deal such as this, because big oil owns too many of their congressmen.

The states themselves are an entirely different story. New Mexico just announced a $20 million dollar solar energy program to retrofit government and school building with solar panels proving some legislative entities actually have the guts to help lead America to a more energy sustainable direction.

Wind is abundant all over the world and in the USA it can generate ample energy, if promoted and utilized now. Advancements in technology will continually improve with the right backing, politically and financially. Wind turbines are quiet and have an unending resource to produce energy for any country smart enough to use them. The state of California and Texas have incorporated wind energy into their energy programs. Other states such as Massachusetts have been stymied by Senators like Ted Kennedy, who claims wind turbines are great but are unsightly and a threat to birds.

In the book “Hulagu’s Web,” Senator Katherine Laforge expressed that “The death of a bird a day is a much more acceptable price to pay than the life of an American soldier a day to secure our oil from some foreign land. Man is also part of the ecological system.”

Laforge’s rebuttal in David Hearne’s novel is one of clarity with regards to human responsibility for self-determination.

The oil industry and its cronies are famous for deceptive practices and self-serving logic.

“There is no such thing as clean energy,” Warburg said. “The Cape Wind project will have some adverse environmental impacts. Some birds may be killed by windmill rotors – the draft EIS predicts about one bird a day. The wind farm will be visible from some nearby coastal areas. Some may like the way it looks, some may not.”

The whole point of alternative energy is to provide sustainable, clean, cost effective, and localized energy to our communities. Communities must stand up to politicians and oil companies that want to hamper our emergence from relying on foreign oil. Sending jobs overseas does not solve the problem — it puts civilians in a war-zone. The tremendous profits that ExxonMobil makes with oil offers little incentive to their stockholders to help steer this behemoth to a more sensible energy sources. However, from deep within this 400 billion dollar company a small group formed Campaign ExxonMobil, a coalition of concerned shareholders. These cash-smart stockholders actually are fighting within this company to make change on the issue of global warming and ExxonMobil’s disregard for renewable energy, because they see a huge potential for profit if the company acts now.

Alternative energy communities will have a realized advantage over oil-driven communities in the future. Oil proponents are afraid of advancements in technology that could put an end to the oil hegemony, so they fight progress bitterly. Taxpayers, scientists and philanthropists will be the ones to compel governments to change policy and redirect our collective energies to beneficial results. We have to work together, not just as countries, but as wise corporations and citizens.

Wind turbines spin from the wind and store energy at a very impressive rate, while Thermal Depolymerization recycles bio-matter into usable crude oil and solar power gathers rays from the sun. Thermal Depolymerization has hit the break-even mark and is continually improving.

OPEC and big oil is not going away without a fight.

“Propped up against the base of the wind turbine was the body of Frank Payne. His blood soaked clothes glisten under the full moon as blood still oozed from his slit throat. A note hung from a knife stabbed into his face. Senator Laforge was overcome with anger and remorse as she stared at the gristly sight of her brutally murdered campaign manager. Why did they kill him? Has the big oil cartel supplemented intimidation, violence and political coercion now with murder to stop alternative energy programs? She reached for the note.” Chapter 10 Hulagu’s Web

Is this vision in Hulagu’s Web preposterous? Would companies with billions at stake, political cronies in their pockets and the most powerful army in the world securing their product, consider assassination an option to stop the takeover of Alternative energy? Let’s hope not, but selling oil at exorbitant prices and refusing to address the problem of global warming and simple pollution produced by fossil fuels leaves us with a bit of doubt. What is the answer to the energy crisis? Is it adding more resources to the problem, digging a bigger hole, or is it finding a new deal, a new resource, ample enough for thousands of years of technological advancement?

“The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind…” — Bob Dylan

About the Author

About the Author: Robert S. Leonard is a freelance writer and PHP developer currently residing in the Kingston area (Ontario, Canada).

Over the years, Glasgow has transformed into a exceptional city for business and touristry. These changes are reflected in their trade districts, museum, shopping centres, parks and lodging quarters for its ever raising visitors and tourists.

People have many Glasgow Hotels to prefer from as they are seen all over the metropolis. They can select to rest in cost-effective hotels or prefer grand ones. Some of them are very close to the airports and bus stations. Glasgow Hotels are renowned for their first servicing and advanced facilities.

Glasgow displays huge events annually. It is through these events that people keep returning to Glasow. The Celtic Connections Music Festival is held in January for two weeks. In February, the City of Love Festival is carried to honour St. Valentine. Another 2-week celebration happens in June as the West End Festival of Music comes about. A series of music concerts named RSNO Proms are done on the same month. Glasgow Jazz Festival is celebrated in July. And, the World PIpe Band Championships are held in August.

Glasgow does not possess any transportation system worries. Buses, cabs and subway trains move people all day long. Any place in Glasgow is served by bus stations and roads for long distance travel are also available. Also, there are two airports in the metropolis.

Glasgow’s climate is finer and better than the rest of Scotland. It lets you to appreciate its glorious scenery and take an exhilarating outdoor adventure. Visitants can find installations involved for windsurfing, mountain climbing, horse mounting and skiing.

A fabulous vacation awaits you in Glasgow. To have your trip very easy, be certain to rest in one of Glasgow Hotels.

Another poker online game to consider is the aforementioned Omaha eight or better, or Omaha Hi/Lo. The game is similar to regular Omaha except that in Omaha Hi/Lo the pot is split 50/50 between the best high hand and the worst qualifying low hand.

In order to qualify as a low hand the poker online player’s hand cannot have any card higher than an eight. Straights and flushes are not considered when judging a low hand, therefore best possible low hand is A-2-3-4-5 as Aces are counted as both a high and a low card. The straight Ace to five gives the player the unique possibility to win both the high and low pot.

In order for anyone to qualify low, there must be at least three cards of differing ranks 8 or below on the board. Low hands often tie, and high straights occasionally tie as well, as do, even more rarely, full houses. It is possible to win as little as a 14th of a pot.

Hands to avoid tend to contain mainly middle ranked cards, which are of little use for any low splits and which tend to generate lower pairs and sets, weaker flushes and lower straights and can be very expensive. Remember this when you play online poker.

Buying a home can be an exciting time, but at the same time it can be frustrating and time consuming experience because of all the various issues that come up with buying a house. Most people don’t know the first thing about buying or selling a home, which can be a problem when dealing with brokers. This lack of knowledge can cost you greatly, as there are many things that need to be considered.

People in Seguin, Texas, have many real estate agents to rely on for help. By choosing a real estate agent you will benefit from his education and experience in the field. Your agent will also act as a “buffer;” they will be sure the selling agent is offering you a fair deal. Your agent will also give you valuable information about the neighborhoods in your area. As you let a real estate agent help you buy your home in Seguin, TX, you will be ensuring that you have the latest market conditions information. They will help you decide when the best time is for you to buy, allowing you to get the best investment possible.

The agent will also provide great assistance in the area of paperwork. Your file full of information could end up being between one and three inches thick. A small mistake in the papers could land you in trouble. Let your agent handle this, and you’ll be able to gain some peace of mind.

UK based service provider Virgin Media has recently announced the super fast mobile 7.2 Mb package. So far, Virgin’s greatest advertised speed has been 3.6 Mb. This speed is on par with other providers like Orange, 3 and O2. However, with this new offering, Virgin has zoomed past these contenders to catch up with Vodafone that already offers 7.2 Mb speed to its customers.

The Virgin super-speed mobile will require the use of the new 7.2 Mb dongle. Users can get the dongle on a one-month rolling contract or an 18-month contract. The data limits set are 1GB or 3GB per month (click to compare dongle broadband offers).

Sources from the provider claim that now Virgin users can watch their favourite movies and programmes using this dongle. iPlayer and YouTube streaming can be accessed easily owing to the high speed enabled by this offering.

However, it remains to be seen whether the advertised speeds are actually available to users. Internet speeds depend on a lot of external factors. While the 7.2 Mb advert means that the Virgin networks can handle this speed, it is not guaranteed that every time a user will be able to log on at 7.2 Mb speed.

However, the move is still being touted as a huge step ahead by Virgin top honchos. ED of mobile at Virgin Media Graeme Oxby expressed the company’s happiness at bringing this top-of-the-line offering to the market and reiterated the critical role that mobile broadband plays in today’s world.

Anyone can play a game of internet poker. There are nowadays such a variety of great online poker websites that this game of skill and chance has been transformed from a dying game rarely seen outside of Nevada casinos to easily one of the hottest games on the planet. What drove the game to become such a success today?

Ease of use, fun, and the choice of gambling with the choice of fake money or for huge hard cash drove poker sites into the mainstream from the moment the very first websites set up in the late 1990’s. Of course it wasn’t long before poker websites were being set up at an impressive rate to get their piece of the action. It’s easy to see that the cash, acclaim, and exhilaration available on the top online poker websites brought the first televised World Poker Tour to a worldwide audience in ‘02. The next year ended up with growth in individuals playing poker of about 500%, the ‘World Series of Poker’ hit TV and with it the famous player Chris Moneymaker, who played and dominated the competition. Poker devotees were transfixed when Chris made it look simple to go from working 2 jobs to living a life of luxury in merely one game. Moneymaker was living the dream everyone longed for and was paying for it by playing poker. Of course this made online poker even more appealing, and in 2004, this old fashioned pastime was pulling in an unbelievable billion dollars and the profits were still growing.

Today, the game has a world-wide appeal, devotees want to gamble in competitions with massive cash pots, but some like to enjoy a few hands without any risk. With the colossal choice available, there’s a spot for you in the game irrespective of whether you’re just starting out or a pro. It’s fun to look on while the experts on one of the top websites, you can find the greatest stars play regularly on various television channels. But, with the ability to wager ‘fake’ money and entirely eradicate any risks, you fundamentally can’t lose. You may even get addicted.

Online poker has brought the game back to life in a short period of time. So now that gambling online is so accessible and such a blast, it is a safe bet that the phenomenon is going to keep gaining momentum well into the future.

Even though Fannie May is an easily recognizable brand all over the USA nowadays, the company started out small. This much loved chocolate shop first opened its doors in 1920 in Chicago, and over virtually a century of trade it has grown into one of the nation’s favorite sweet shops.

Fannie May’s gift of mixing the best ingredients in just the right way made them so popular they grew to about 48 shops in just 15 years. During WWII rationing, the shops were closed, because they resolved not to debase the quality of their candy. Quite a number of these secret recipes are being produced and savored in the twenty first century.

Naturally all the chocolates are beautifully packaged. Remember to buy a beautiful presentation box or tin when the chocolates are for a present, it will add something extra. Have a box or tin as a gift for anniversaries or to say thanks, or even ask for a whole tower of treats for a friend, loved one, or work contact. You can buy a carefully chosen variety of fillings on the web site or you can personalize the order with special centers to make sure everybody has enough of the pieces they love most.

Fannie May nowadays have branches not only in America but in numerous other nations worldwide. So you can order from your computer and have your gift box delivered across America or even further afield. While there are some shipping limitations during the hottest weather, this chocolate producer is able to deliver presents anytime of year and will guarantee the quality of the chocolates when they reach their destination.

Even if you are diabetic or have an allergy, there is something for your dietary needs. Fannie May’s make candies with no added sugar and a lot more sweets besides. If you are planning a special occasion like a wedding, individual table gifts and wedding favors are available too. Pick up the phone or drop them an e-mail with the details.

Fannie May has grown into such a popular chocolate company and it is all down to its commitment to quality, its support and its tremendous variety. In fact, with types encompassing a great spectrum such as white, milk and dark chocolate, fruit, and maple flavors, your most difficult task is not to order their entire stock all at once.

Making a sale is normally less problematic if you are lucky enough to have good quality prospects. But it’s your responsibility to turn those leads into revenue. Salespeople achieve this in many assorted ways. The best way forward is to prioritize the prospects which have the highest likelihood of ending in a sale and make the greatest use of your time when dealing with them. Do you think this sounds hard? Maybe, but here are some simple tips on prioritizing motor insurance leads that will help you do exactly that.

When individuals ask for additional info online, a substantial number aren’t genuinely looking for insurance. Often these inquiries will end up in a complete waste of your time. Some internet queries are created by junk e-mail or automatic requests. In general these inquiries result in a tremendous amount of work without a great deal of profit. So, do make sure you’re getting the very best leads.

Customers who are inquiring about a new policy or need to change their current policy are the best leads. These prospects won’t need a good deal of work to turn into a sale. Which will probably trigger the obvious question, to wit: what is the optimal means of differentiating the better leads? One method is to apply assorted filters to sort the incoming car insurance leads into different folders according to the specific type of info you’re furnished with. Filtering by potential profit is likewise an exceedingly useful system. The easiest moment to close the deal is immediately after you receive an inquiry and it reduces the amount of effort required. The customer is definitely in the market for in your product, and better still requires it. As a matter of fact many in the insurance business who buy quality insurance leads say they only get back with a quote to the lead, and it is a done deal. So follow their lead and always remember to respond to new leads straightaway. The importance of handling the lead the right way shouldn’t be underestimated. Remember to include any extra information that the individual may have asked for. If the prospect has inquired concerning deductible options, do not forget to put them into the quotation. When all is said and done, by making use of a couple of suggestions which should help you work more effectively, you can get the most from your car insurance leads and improve your profits.

Stock reading glasses are obtainable with bifocal lenses where there is a line that differentiates the lower reading lens from the upper clear lens. No-line reading glasses perform the same function accept there is no visible line between the two lens viewing areas. As you move your eyes down from the upper half of the lens, the magnification increases slowly allowing you to see better at different close up distances. Reading glasses with tinted lenses are fashioned so that you can read in bright light. For reading in the sun, few people wear regular sunglasses with contact lenses underneath. You could also wear regular sunglasses with stick on magnifiers. The only genuine problem with stock reading glasses is that they may not work well for your eyesight.

There are numerous assorted types of reading glasses available. First you should decide whether you would like a full frame or a half-eye frame for your lenses. Full frame reading glasses appear to be regular eyeglasses, with a frame that wraps all the way around the lens, and the lenses sit straight in front of your eyes. Full-eye reading glasses are good for anyone that spends a long time focusing on materials close to their face. When you look up from reading, objects in the distance appear blurry. While half-eye reading glasses are flat on the top of the frame, and are designed to sit low on your nose so that you look down through the lens when reading. When you look up, you look over the lenses, not through them so objects in the distance do not appear blurry.