Wednesday, September 4, 2013

USA grants Terrorism License to SSG "syrian support group" aka FSA "free syrian Army"

WAR ON SYRIA; US Treasury Grants TERRORISM LICENSE To Obama Connected SSG For Funding & Arming NATO’s Free Syrian Army Terrorists; SSG Lead By Ex NATO Advisor

October 2, 2012 by   
Filed under AmericasFeaturedWorld
*ADDENDUM:  The link below is a MUST SEE INTERVIEW and follow up companion article:
2012.10.2 WAR ON SYRIA; BBC Interviews Brian Sayers, SSG’s Lobbyist For Terrorism Tries To Sell War As Peace; EPIC FAIL!! (deadlinelive.info):

On July 23, 2012 the US Treasury Department’s “Office Of Foreign Assets Control” issued a “License” to the Syrian Support Group Inc. (SSG) allowing this group to bypass laws and Executive Orders which restrict trade with Syria, including funding and arming NATO’s Free Syrian Army (FSA).
SSG’s so called “License” is akin to the old “Letter Of Marque” which turned Pirates into Privateers, or in modern terminology it’s simply a TERRORISM LICENSE. SSG can continue to fund NATO’s FSA terrorists until their TERRORISM LICENSE expires on July 31, 2014.
The idea that this is actually a TERRORISM LICENSE is supported by the following…
As of August 31, 2012 the SSG must provide monthly reports to the US State Department’s “Office Of Terrorism Finance & Economic Sanction Policy”.  I think the name speaks for itself.
I wanted to keep this short, but the following info must be noted…
The response to the “Application” for the TERRORISM LICENSE was sent to SSG c/o Asbahi Law Group, to the attention of Mazen Asbahi. Chicago lawyer Mazen Asbahi was appointed Director of Muslim & Arab American Outreach by the 2008 Obama Campaign but he had to resign when it was discovered he’d been on the board of a Islamic investment fund that also included an alleged Hamas fundraiser. The Hamas link is fairly weak, but the Obama link cannot be ignored. Are we supposed to believe that the only corporation granted a “License” to funnel millions of dollars directly to NATO’s FSA terrorists just happens to have an Obama connection?? Are we supposed to believe in coincidence theories????
Now we can’t leave out Brian Sayers, SSG’s Director Of Government Relations (ie, lobbyist)…
Brian Sayers has quite the career, ex NATO Advisor, ex Defense Operations Division at the US State Department, very impressive. Now Mr. Sayers is lobbying to fund NATO’s Free Syrian Army (FSA), which admittedly includes foreign Al Qaeda and Mujahideen terrorists, all via the US Treasury Department’sTERRORISM LICENSE, and requiring progress reports back to his old friends at the State Department’s “Office Of Terrorism Finance & Economic Sanction Policy”.
But maybe someone can help me with this part… I don’t understand how Mr. Sayers could graduate from university and immediately become Managing Director of a corporation… is that even possible? Also, is it possible to become Managing Director of a corporation that doesn’t exist? Perhaps my tracking skills are lacking, but if anyone can find “Private Digital Limited Corporation” please add a comment below.
The name sou

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

CEO's, BMI, and Waistline



Being fit matters.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324595704578241573341483946.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_emailed

New research suggests that a few extra pounds or a slightly larger waistline affects an executive's perceived leadership ability as well as stamina on the job.

While marathon training and predawn workouts aren't explicitly part of a senior manager's job description, leadership experts and executive recruiters say that staying trim is now virtually required for anyone on track for the corner office.

"Because the demands of leadership can be quite strenuous, the physical aspects are just as important as everything else," says Sharon McDowell-Larsen, an exercise physiologist who runs an executive-fitness program for the nonprofit Center for Creative Leadership.

Executives with larger waistlines and higher body-mass-index readings tend to be perceived as less effective in the workplace, both in performance and interpersonal relationships, according to data compiled by CCL. BMI, a common measure of body fat, is based on height and weight.
While weight remains a taboo conversation topic in the workplace, it's hard to overlook. A heavy executive is judged to be less capable because of assumptions about how weight affects health and stamina, says Barry Posner, a leadership professor at Santa Clara University's Leavey School of Business. He says he can't name a single overweight Fortune 500 CEO. "We have stereotypes about fat," he adds, "so when we see a senior executive who's overweight, our initial reaction isn't positive."

list of Fortune 500 CEO's Here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_chief_executive_officers

CCL staff detected the correlation after collecting hundreds of peer-performance reviews and health-screening results from the CEOs and other senior-level managers who participate in its weeklong leadership workshops in Colorado Springs. A pair of university researchers, using data from 757 executives measured between 2006 and 2010, found that weight may indeed influence perceptions of leaders among subordinates, peers and superiors.

Tim McNair, a general manager at Nazareth, Pa.-based guitar maker C.F. Martin & Co., says he was inspired to make some changes after spotting his "gut" on camera during a recent public-speaking exercise while attending the CCL workshop.

He wondered whether his colleagues had the same reaction to his appearance, he says, adding: "Would they think, 'If he can't keep his hand out of the cookie jar, how can he do his job?'"

So the 44-year-old, who says his peers' evaluations were somewhat harsh, recently rejoined the local gym, where he heads after work at least three days a week to run on the treadmill, cycle or stretch. He has also given up double cheeseburgers, steak, ice cream, Coca-Cola and Tastykakes, opting for a healthier diet of grains and vegetables. In four months, he has shed about 25 pounds.

The fitness imperative for executives is relatively new, says Ana Dutra, the CEO of Korn/Ferry Leadership and Talent Consulting. Time was, a company chief spent every waking minute at work, sacrificing exercise, vacation and kids' soccer games in the service of the firm. Employees were expected to admire and emulate this devotion. Now, executives are expected to take time off to "revitalize themselves," Ms. Dutra says.

She pegs the shift to the sudden deaths of high-profile CEOs, including McDonald's Corp. chief Jim Cantalupo, who died of a heart attack in 2004, 16 months after taking the post. His successor, Charlie Bell, died less than a year later of cancer at the age of 44. In 1997, Coca-Cola Co. Chairman Roberto Goizueta, a smoker, died weeks after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

The CEOs of today are also more visible than their forebears and must be camera-ready at a moment's notice, composed while courting investors and ready to respond in a company emergency. Excess weight can convey weakness or a "lack of control," says Amanda Sanders, a New York-based image consultant who has worked with senior executives at Fortune 500 firms.

"It's the leadership image you project," says Mark Donnison, 47, a senior executive director at Canadian Blood Services who has lost 25 pounds since starting an early-morning workout rotation of cardio, weights and yoga last summer. "Folks do see how you live."

Companies seek leaders with physical endurance, the better to manage global businesses and solve complex problems, says Mr. Posner, who advised Dow Chemical Co. DOW -0.56% on training high-potential global leaders in 2010 and 2011. Those leaders were instructed to build in regular time for exercise to help them withstand the constant travel and the demands of an overseas role. The training even incorporated such classes as Zumba, Pilates, tai chi and yoga, says Dawn Baker, Dow's global director of talent management.
Panera Bread Co. PNRA +0.48% founder and co-CEO Ron Shaich says he began working with a trainer about five years ago, in part to stay energized while running a growing company. Two to three times a week, he gets up for a 5:30 a.m. appointment with his trainer, and on Sundays he opts for a 90-minute run. The workouts have boosted his energy levels and helped him focus, he says.

In general, the executives in the Center for Creative Leadership study were healthier than the average American. They drank and smoked less and were more likely to exercise regularly. About half were considered overweight or obese, defined as having a BMI of more than 25. By contrast, more than 60% of Americans fit this description, according to a Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index last year.

The sample's leaner executives, defined as having a BMI under 25, were viewed more favorably by peers, averaging 3.92 for task performance on a five-point scale; heavier leaders averaged 3.85. Similarly, members of the leaner group rated higher on interpersonal skills.

The study controlled for factors such as age, race, gender, job level and personality traits. Results were similar across industries, says Eden King, one of the study's researchers and an associate professor of psychology at George Mason University.

To be sure, the perception of competence isn't the same as measurable leadership success. Executives who were part of the study say it's difficult to say how much of the perceived bias stems from their physical weight and how much from their own projected insecurity.

Weight Watchers International Inc. WTW -0.51% CEO David Kirchhoff, 46, recalls feeling painfully self-conscious when his weight was at its peak a decade ago, around the time he first took up the post. At six-foot-two and 245 pounds, he tried to hide his girth with oversize sweaters and pleated pants.

"I sucked in my gut a lot," says Mr. Kirchhoff, who has since lost 40 pounds. Now, he says, "I probably carry myself with more confidence and authority.

Write to Leslie Kwoh at leslie.kwoh@wsj.com
 
A version of this article appeared January 16, 2013, on page B1 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Want to Be CEO? What's Your BMI?.


Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Safety Checks, Too Few At Oil Refineries



via fuelfix.com and written
By Jaxon Van Derbeken
San Francisco Chronical 


California regulators have not been conducting the intensive workplace-safety inspections of Chevron’s Richmond plant and the state’s 14 other oil refineries that federal standards call for, a Chronicle investigation shows.

The limited checks that California inspectors have performed over the last decade have not led to a single fine collected from a major oil company, according to inspection records.

Those findings are backed up by a recently released federal audit of the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, which is charged with enforcing state and federal workplace-safety rules at California refineries. It found that the California agency had conducted “very few, if any” comprehensive inspections of oil and chemical plants under its authority.

Cal/OSHA officials said the federal auditors’ findings did not reflect the complete picture of their inspection and enforcement efforts. They said they would respond in detail directly to the auditors.
The federal report was completed not long before the Aug. 6 fire at Chevron’s Richmond refinery that destroyed part of the plant and, according to investigators, narrowly missed injuring more than 20 workers.

Federal investigation

Investigators with the federal Chemical Safety Board have said they are examining what caused a pipe in the refinery’s crude oil-processing unit to rupture, emitting hydrocarbon vapor that ignited. They are also looking into regulators’ inspection history at the Richmond plant.

A Chronicle review shows that California workplace-safety regulators conducted three planned inspections of the Chevron plant from 2006 to 2010, dedicating an average of about 50 man-hours per audit. That total is well below the 1,000 man-hours that federal auditors and investigators in other states averaged in recent, intensive refinery inspections of the type called for under federal law.

Refineries where those investigators found workplace-safety violations averaged 11 citations.
The California agency’s planned inspections of the Chevron refinery were mostly designated as being “partial” in scope, records show, and found no violations of workplace-safety rules.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration began its three-year refinery inspection drive in 2007, two years after a vapor cloud emitted by an overflowing refinery tower exploded at BP’s Texas City, Texas, refinery, killing 15 workers.

In launching the national effort, federal officials said that since OSHA promulgated industrial safety standards in 1992, “no other industry sector has had as many fatal or catastrophic incidents related to the release” of volatile chemicals as refineries.

In 2010, federal officials said the effort had uncovered a “deeply troubling” pattern of workplace-safety breakdowns among the 126 refineries that inspectors checked nationwide. Federal fines for refineries with violations averaged $76,000.

When the U.S. job-safety agency undertook the crackdown, California opted not to ramp up enforcement or seek federal help in auditing refineries, calling its own program sufficient.
The state has long said it has one of the nation’s most rigorous refinery oversight operations. From 2001 to 2012, the process safety management unit of Cal/OSHA performed more than 600 inspections at refineries and other locations, a total that encompasses not just planned audits but also investigations prompted by complaints and accidents, the agency said. Those inspections resulted in more than $3.4 million in fines, Cal/OSHA said.

However, a Chronicle review shows that, as at the Chevron plant, California investigators found few workplace-safety violations when it conducted planned audits of the state’s refineries.
In more than two dozen planned audits that the state workplace-safety agency performed over the last decade, it collected just one fine – $850 from a small, independent refinery in Paramount (Los Angeles County). In the other five instances in which inspectors cited refineries, the violations were quickly dismissed or settled without a fine.

The state did not provide information on how many man-hours those planned inspections entailed. But the average of 50 hours at the Chevron plant was far less than recommended by federal watchdogs.
The Chemical Safety Board has repeatedly called for far more comprehensive inspections – lasting “several weeks or months” under 1992 federal safety guidelines – for the nation’s oil refineries.

Kim Nibarger, a safety official with the United Steelworkers union, which represents 600 workers at Chevron’s Richmond refinery, said 50 hours is “not enough time to do a comprehensive audit.”
“If they are not finding anything here, it looks like they aren’t really looking very hard,” Nibarger said. “It doesn’t fit the bill for what they are supposed to be doing.”

Dean Fryer, a spokesman for Cal/OSHA, said the state has “created the greatest level of refinery oversight in the nation. There are no other states with such a program, and the feds do not have such an effort.”
Fryer added, “Refineries are regulated at a greater level in California than any other state in the nation. That’s why it’s been 13 years” since the last fatal refinery accident in the state.
Ellen Widess, chief of Cal/OSHA, said focusing on planned audits alone does not accurately portray the state’s enforcement efforts.

She said such audits “are not meant to be comprehensive, given resources and given the enormity and complexity of refineries.”

Fines totaled $11,000

In addition to the planned audits, Cal/OSHA has conducted six post-accident and 11 complaint-based investigations at the Chevron Richmond refinery since 2001. Those probes found two serious violations and several minor ones. The fines for those problems totaled about $11,000.
Cal/OSHA officials say that, depending on the scope, some of those probes can substitute for planned audits.

Those post-accident probes and complaint-based investigations, coupled with the planned audits, better represent the state’s efforts, Widess said. “Just to focus on (planned inspections) is not a complete accurate picture of our total enforcement history with Chevron or, frankly, any refinery,” she said.

Critics, however, say Cal/OSHA hasn’t always been tough on Chevron even when it found problems.
They point to a $185 fine the agency issued against Chevron for a fire at the Richmond refinery in 2007. The state found that the company had not maintained a 20-year-old pipe valve, leading to a diesel fuel spill that caught fire and badly burned a worker.

Richmond City Councilman Tom Butt, a longtime critic of Chevron’s refinery operation, noted that motorists face stiffer fines for driving solo in a carpool lane.

‘I would be embarrassed’

“If I were OSHA, I would be embarrassed to issue a $185 fine,” he said. “What’s the point?
“Penalties are intended to do two things, provide some punishment and … get people’s attention so they won’t do it again,” Butt said. “Nobody’s behavior is going to change with a $185 fine, especially one of the largest corporations in the world.”
Randy Sawyer, head of Contra Costa County’s hazardous materials program, which monitors refineries but has no authority to issue workplace-safety fines, said the pipe that failed was a “serious problem.”
“It should not have been there,” Sawyer said. The fire was something that was going to happen eventually, as the corrosion got worse. It was just sitting there, forgotten.”
Widess had no comment on the $185 penalty, saying it was lodged before she took over last year.
Jaxon Van Derbeken is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jvanderbeken@sfchronicle.com

Monday, April 30, 2012

Safety Talk From OTC 2012



OTC: Talk of safety is everywhere, but will it translate into practice?


Yet two years after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, safety remains one of the overriding themes of this years mammoth trade show. It has gained prominence because of other spills in China and Brazil that have followed the one in the Gulf of Mexico.Safety – or at least the talk of it – seems to be everywhere at the Offshore Technology Conference. Three technical sessions and both luncheon speeches dealt with the topic on Monday alone. One seminar was titled “Deepwater Cementing: A Culture of Safety.” I must admit, I skipped that one.
What’s far more difficult to discern, though, is whether all the talk is doing much good. Safety, after all, is something that’s easily talked about. It is, in fact, the sort of topic that lends itself to seminar upon seminar – a ready made topic for unending discussion.
Implementing it, though, is far more difficult.
I only got to make a quick pass of the exhibit floor today, but much of the technology on display is designed to making drilling, and especially deepwater drilling, safer. That’s a good thing, but amid all the hardware is another lesson from the Deepwater Horizon disaster – technology alone won’t prevent another accident.
We can beef up standards for blowout preventers. We can make them bigger, make them able to resist greater pressures, but it still won’t replace the need for fundamental cultural changes that are the most effective tool for prevention.
For all the talk of safety around OTC, one presenter told me earlier, none of it is really revolutionary. Much of it, in other words, has been talked about before, perhaps even at this conference last year.
OTC, of course, isn’t the venue for industrywide soul-searching. It’s primarily a trade show, a place to make deals. Some of the sessions don’t require papers to be submitted, and even those that do don’t require them to be peer reviewed.
These can be dangerous times for offshore drilling, both in the U.S. and elsewhere. Worldwide oil demand is increasing the push into ever deeper and more complex environments. As BP’s executive vice president, Bernard Looney, noted earlier this morning, more rigs are moving back to the Gulf.The danger is that the industry may once again begin to rest on its laurels, to believe that its past safety record and some fancy new equipment is all it needs to prevent disaster.
With so much discussion of safety, the industry’s intent seems more than just paying lip-service to tragedy in hopes that it will be forgotten. It’s encouraging to hear so many discussions, but it will be even more encouraging to see companies acting on their words.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Corporate Staff HSE Advisor- Drilling

Corporate Drilling (Oil & Gas) HSE Staff Position 
Houston, Texas USA

Description


This position is responsible for working with theOperations Drilling VP’s, HSE Directors and Business Unit (BU) Drilling Groups to assure optimization of Drilling HSE performance through evaluation of  Drilling BU incident statistics and trends, implementation of policies, standards, procedures, guidelines and contractor management . Risk Management, and Mitigation, TRIR Evaluation and Reduction.
  • Direct interaction with contractors developing safety improvement opportunities to drive contractor’s performance towards "Zero Incidence".
  • Participate in industry safety groups; e.g. API, IADC, AESC, ASSE, etc.
  • Provide inspection and audit support of contractor safety management systems and activities, as required.
  • Collect and report on contractor drilling incident statistics.
  • Assist in the organization and facilitation of, and attend, key peer assists, peer reviews, and risk assessments, as requested.
  • Assist Supply Chain and Operations Businesses in assessment of contractor evaluation and selection.
  • Assist, or lead, investigations of significant incidents, as requested.
  • Keep current on processes and technologies that  maintain a best-in-class safety performance.
  • Coach and Mentor Field Drilling HSE Specialists.
  • EnsureHSE policies, standards, procedures and guidelines are understood and followed in the Drilling Business Groups.
  • Communicate regularly with Operations HSE Managers to ensure the lines of communication remain open between operations and drilling functions.
  • Participate in HSE Audits and  Assessments.
  • Maintain strong knowledge of Federal Regulations and Industry Best Practices.
*LI-YY

Qualifications


  • Minimum 15 years of oil field experience with minimum of 5 years in Drilling/Workover –
     minimum of 5 years in HSE
  • College degree – 2 year Industrial/Fire & safety or 4 year any discipline (CSP preferred)
  • Risk Management and mitigation skills
  • Management of Change Process skills
  • Presentation skills to all levels (contract worker to C-Level Executives)
  • Written and Verbal Communication skills
  • Organizational skills
  • Contractor Performance Management and Evaluation skills
  • Analytical and Problem Solving skills
  • Teamwork skills
  • Strong auditing and incident investigation skills (TapRoot)
  • Well Control knowledge and experience
  • Leadership skills
  • Management experience
  • Behavior Based Safety (BBS) Concepts
  • Federal/Country and State Oil & Gas Regulations (TX Railroad Commission, DOT, PHMSA, EPA, OSHA, TNRCC)
  • Strong computer skills (Microsoft Products)
  • Willingness to travel domestic/international
  • International exposure

Job

 - Drilling (Oil & Gas) Environmental, Health, and Safety Staff Advisor

Primary Location

 - United States-Texas-Houston

Organization

 - Corporate Staff Function (Individual Contributor)

Schedule

 - Full-time
Kevin Overton
Charter Search Consultants
EnergyEHS@gmail.com
(832) 264-7200

Monday, January 30, 2012

EHS Coordinators and Specialist (Sr. and Jr) HSE Manager

Charter Search Consultants                                                     
 17318 FM 2920   Tomball   Texas 77377
Attn:  Kevin Overton   
  EnergyEHS@gmail.com
(832) 264-7200


Needs EHS Coordinators, and Mangers in the Barnett, and Marcellus (upper PA) Regions..  

Basic Strengths Needed:  Unconventional Gas Exploration, Production, Gathering, Pipeline Construction and related business acumen.


Skills/Knowledge Required:  Bachelor Degree or Higher (must have)  NO EXCEPTIONS!


1.   Implement HSE assignments requiring broad knowledge of HSE principles, theories, concepts, compliance issues and regulations. 

2. Provide cost-effective HSE guidance and recommendations to Drilling, Completion, and Field Services Operations as they strive to operate at a maximum economic rate while complying with HSE in regulatory requirements and company HSE policies. 

3. Develop, gather, and maintain HSE data for routine HSE reports and regulatory documents. 

4. Work with more senior HSE professionals on complex assignments to continue to increase HSE knowledge. 

5. Manage HSE company-wide projects including committee involvement and support. 

6. Investigate HSE incidents and develop corrective actions, Continuously work to reduce TRIR.

7. Assist Operational departments with ensuring contractor compliance, and Safe Operation via Safety
    Briefings in the Field and Field Safety Audits
 
8.   Conduct and/or assist in pre-job meetings and safety meetings as required. 

9. Assist in auditing contractor HSE performance and policies. 

10. Process hazard assessments. 

11.  Participate in the HSE field reviews and training programs. 

12.   Assist Operations in waste management activities. 

13.  Availability/On Call in Emergency Situation, therfore May be required on relatively short notice to 
       travel to field locations to provide HSE support to Operations. 

14.   Interface with federal and state agencies, i.e., OSHA, EPA and State regulatory agencies.