BestOfBid.com

Where can I found out who won what kind of government contracts?

Where can I find who has won local and federal government contracts?

when several contractors bid on a government contract, and finally one wins, isnt that amount/who won public?

where can i find what company was awarded a government contract? won't to find what company was awarded a contract from the government for work to be done on army posts

Should a contract with the government be just one sided? There are thousands of men and women that retired from the military service of our great nation that were promised free medical care and treatment for themselves and their families. Now that free Medical Care and treatment is a situation where if you don't pay you won't have medical care. I find it not fair to do the work and then the Government says we don't have a contract. The Officers and senior Noncommissioned Officers promised all enlisted and for that matter Officers as well that if we would stay in service that we would have free care for self and family. My comrades and I stayed in the service doing our country's bidding, and when have filled our side of the contract the government says that we never had a contract. Does that not qualify as a verbal contract? Besides not medical care that I was promised what am I not getting?

Any reliable contract IT company out in the WashingtonDC/Maryland area? I won a small government software contract and need a company locally to support it. I am looking for someone in the DC and Maryland area. Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

How can I get hired as a proposal writer? I am an editor right now but I want to get into the more lucrative area of proposal writing for government and other contracts. Not that interested in nonprofit grant writing. I live in Southern California, where there are a lot of military contractors and a decent amount of high-tech firms. I won't relocate. My bachelor's degree is in journalism with a minor in engineering. I have been working for news organizations for the last 2 /12 years or so. I don't really know anyone who would hire a proposal writer so networking opportunities are limited. I never see entry level proposal writing jobs advertised. They always want lots of experience. I support myself so I can't do anything crazy like quit my job without another one to go to or work for free unless it was after hours (I am willing to give up my second job). I'm especially interested in hearing from anyone who's done proposal writing. How can I get a break without having a friend in the industry? How did you get the government job?

how do you win government contracts?

What security can Government give for internet security? Hypothetetical scenario... I am the director of an International Design Company. you are an architecture & my partner is a fashion designer & we all rely heavily on data transfer, and downloads from our own server which is accessed by our staff of 200 throughout the world. If I’ve just won a multi million dollar design contract, what’s to secure our designs? Are our designs going to be manipulated by anyone who could access our own server?

how to win government contracts?

Have I chosen a poor business name? I am in the planning phases of a software development services business. The business will target government contracts with small business set-asides. We will not target the consumer market or small business market. It is not too late to change the name because the business hasn't actually launched. Other than a domain name, web server, and mail server there won't be much work in changing. The name is "CoderBrigade". I see both positive and negatives to it. First the positive. It is early in the alphabet. It is easy to remember. I own the domain name. Good domain names are hard to come by. It describes what we do. The bad points, courtesy of my wife: 1) sounds militant 2) Misleading; a brigade is usually a large organization. We are not. 3) "Coder" is not a respected title, as Software Engineer, etc 4) She doesn't think it sounds professional If you had the chance to pick a business name from the beginning, would you change what I have or go with it?

Can I be sued for starting my own business and stealing away contracts from my former empoyer? I am in a specialized field of science and my employer is a government contractor. There is a renewal on a contract coming up and I want to start my own business and have that business bring in the contract. I never signed a non-compete and I am in Nevada. Can my employer win in a lawsuit to the effect that I used my position as an employee to steal away government contracts or what issues am I looking at and what precautions should I take? Thanks for any help.

Why would western companies with all there riches and civilization bribe their way to win contracts in Africa? Recently, reports from international media indicted foreign firms for bribing government officials from Nigeria, Italy etc with huge sums of dollars to win contracts. The implication of this evil is to perpetually impoverish the already bastardized Africans and enslave them economically

Would would be an example of a Government Organization.? Government organizations are part of the business market. Contracts for government purchases are often out for bid, and the vendor with the lowest bid usually wins, unless they are proven not up to standard. What would be an example of a government organization and a vendor?

what a hell is china doing in africa? i think they just want to steal african resources to feed their booming economy, back here they tell their citizens that they are helping africa as if they offer assistances for free. all they do is buil a single primary school for free and offer bribes so that their companies can win multi billion dollar government contracts and tenders. chinese are so corrupt and all they are doing is just steal african resources and fool its citizens that they are helping africa. i am not american, leave america alone, face me!

Contract Finance: Investor needed? Does anyone know an Angel Investor intrested in investing in a US government contract? My company Free&Ben Inc. had just won a contract worth $5,358,000.00 to deliver 50,000 plastic sheeting to FEMA. See fema website for prove of the contract: http://www.fbo.gov/servlet/Documents/R/1437273 We are trying to secure a letter of credit that will enable our supplier from Vietnam to get the job done. I'm having difficulty meeting Angel Investors intrested in businesses outside of the US. If you are interested, or if the answers below are all you needed on your investment, please contact me at: benicom@email.com. #1. What will be the return on investment for the Venture Capital/Investor? 10% #2. In what time period will this happen? June 30 - September #3 What will be the annual projected sales at this point? As stated above.

i own a business in the IT industry, How can i find companies that have open bidding for a project? ? i want to take my company to the next level, how can i win contracts with businesses and governments? are there websites that have contract work avalible for companies to bid on projects?

wheres this story at CNN PMSNBC Feinstein routes government money to firm doing business with husband? Feinstein routes government money to firm doing business with husband | The Washington Times reports that Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) took unusual steps to route government funding to an agency that usually works from a separate stream of revenue just after the agency awarded her husband’s firm a lucrative contract. The FDIC gave Richard Blum’s firm, property management firm CB Richard Ellis, contracts to handle residential foreclosures at a higher rate than normal market price, even though CBRE had less experience in that market than other competing firms. And Feinstein got the FDIC the money even though she has no connection to the Senate Banking Committee, the body that normally deals with the FDIC: On the day the new Congress convened this year, Sen. Dianne Feinstein introduced legislation to route $25 billion in taxpayer money to a government agency that had just awarded her husband’s real estate firm a lucrative contract to sell foreclosed properties at compensation rates higher than the industry norms. Mrs. Feinstein’s intervention on behalf of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was unusual: the California Democrat isn’t a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs with jurisdiction over FDIC; and the agency is supposed to operate from money it raises from bank-paid insurance payments - not direct federal dollars. Documents reviewed by The Washington Times show Mrs. Feinstein first offered Oct. 30 to help the FDIC secure money for its effort to stem the rise of home foreclosures. Her letter was sent just days before the agency determined that CB Richard Ellis Group (CBRE) - the commercial real estate firm that her husband Richard Blum heads as board chairman - had won the competitive bidding for a contract to sell foreclosed properties that FDIC had inherited from failed banks. About the same time of the contract award, Mr. Blum’s private investment firm reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission that it and related affiliates had purchased more than 10 million new shares in CBRE. The shares were purchased for the going price of $3.77; CBRE’s stock closed Monday at $5.14. In other words, Richard Blum bought 10 million shares at the same time his wife arranged for an unusual and extremely large chunk of taxpayer money to go to FDIC. Blum must have been an investment genius to guess that his wife’s intervention would coincidentally precede the FDIC’s award, making CBRE stock more valuable. Blum’s investment made a $14 million profit for Blum and Feinstein and their partners. But of course, that’s all just a coincidence. The contract award to CBRE should raise a few eyebrows: The firm, known for its commercial real estate services, is to be paid monthly maintenance fees for each foreclosed property it handles, as well as commissions and incentives. The total compensation can range from 8 percent of the sales price on many residential properties to 30 percent for properties worth $25,000 or less. A smaller firm also won a slice of the work with similar terms, records show. Most real estate agents earn no more than 6 percent on residential, even on foreclosed properties, and CBRE doesn’t have as much experience in foreclosure sales as other firms, the experts said. FDIC awarded this contract to CBRE even though it’s more known as a commercial real estate property management firm, and it gave them more commission than agents usually get. Why would the FDIC deliberately award a contract at relatively unfavorable terms to a company with a weak track record in this industry? Perhaps they knew that the contract award would net them a lot more cash than they would have to pay out, thanks to the political connections at CBRE … and they were right. Now Feinstein wants people to believe that she and Blum had no idea that the FDIC would give CBRE this contract at the time she gave the FDIC $25 billion. How did CBRE get the contract — a lottery? They had to bid for the FDIC contract. Blum obviously knew that the bid was under consideration, or he’s the most incompetent board chairman in history. Feinstein expects us to believe that the board chairman would have no idea that his own company had a major bid under consideration for handling foreclosures at a time when foreclosures were exploding? Is that really going to be her final answer? At the very least, this shows a clear conflict of interest, especially with Feinstein suddenly jumping into the banking arena and FDIC at a time when her husband was doing business with them. It looks a lot more like a payoff and a shell game to allow her family to cash in on taxpayer-funded bailout money. (

What Makes AMERICA so GREAT???? This is not my own work....but this article is written so well that all I can do is pass it on to the rest of you...Although there are many great things about America, that were left out of this article.....its still a fantastic piece of literature GOD BLESS AMERICA.......AND ALL THAT STAND WITH HER! 10 things to celebrate - Why I'm an anti-anti-American By Dinesh D'Souza http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi? f=/c/a/2003/06/29/IN290713.DTL America is under attack as never before -- not only from terrorists but also from people who provide a justification for terrorism. Islamic fundamentalists declare America the Great Satan. Europeans rail against American capitalism and American culture. South American activists denounce the United States for "neocolonialism" and oppression. Anti-Americanism from abroad would not be such a problem if Americans were united in standing up for their own country. But in this country itself, there are those who blame America for most of the evils in the world. On the political left, many fault the United States for a history of slavery, and for continuing inequality and racism. Even on the right, traditionally the home of patriotism, we hear influential figures say that America has become so decadent that we are "slouching towards Gomorrah." If these critics are right, then America should be destroyed. And who can dispute some of their particulars? This country did have a history of slavery and racism continues to exist. There is much in our culture that is vulgar and decadent. But the critics are wrong about America, because they are missing the big picture. In their indignation over the sins of America, they ignore what is unique and good about American civilization. As an immigrant who has chosen to become an American citizen, I feel especially qualified to say what is special about America. Having grown up in a different society -- in my case, Bombay, India -- I am not only able to identify aspects of America that are invisible to the natives, but I am acutely conscious of the daily blessings that I enjoy in America. Here, then, is my list of the 10 great things about America. -- America provides an amazingly good life for the ordinary guy. Rich people live well everywhere. But what distinguishes America is that it provides an impressively high standard of living for the "common man." We now live in a country where construction workers regularly pay $4 for a nonfat latte, where maids drive nice cars and where plumbers take their families on vacation to Europe. Indeed, newcomers to the United States are struck by the amenities enjoyed by "poor" people. This fact was dramatized in the 1980s when CBS television broadcast a documentary, "People Like Us," intended to show the miseries of the poor during an ongoing recession. The Soviet Union also broadcast the documentary, with a view to embarrassing the Reagan administration. But by the testimony of former Soviet leaders, it had the opposite effect. Ordinary people across the Soviet Union saw that the poorest Americans have TV sets, microwave ovens and cars. They arrived at the same perception that I witnessed in an acquaintance of mine from Bombay who has been unsuccessfully trying to move to the United States. I asked him, "Why are you so eager to come to America?" He replied, "I really want to live in a country where the poor people are fat." -- America offers more opportunity and social mobility than any other country, including the countries of Europe. America is the only country that has created a population of "self-made tycoons." Only in America could Pierre Omidyar, whose parents are Iranian and who grew up in Paris, have started a company like eBay. Only in America could Vinod Khosla, the son of an Indian army officer, become a leading venture capitalist, the shaper of the technology industry, and a billionaire to boot. Admittedly tycoons are not typical, but no country has created a better ladder than America for people to ascend from modest circumstances to success. -- Work and trade are respectable in America. Historically most cultures have despised the merchant and the laborer, regarding the former as vile and corrupt and the latter as degraded and vulgar. Some cultures, such as that of ancient Greece and medieval Islam, even held that it is better to acquire things through plunder than through trade or contract labor. But the American founders altered this moral hierarchy. They established a society in which the life of the businessman, and of the people who worked for him, would be a noble calling. In the American view, there is nothing vile or degraded about serving your customers either as a CEO or as a waiter. The ordinary life of production and supporting a family is more highly valued in the United States than in any other country. America is the only country in the world where we call the waiter "sir," as if he were a knight. -- America has achieved greater social equality than any other society. True, there are large inequalities of income and wealth in America. In purely economic terms, Europe is more egalitarian. But Americans are socially more equal than any other people, and this is unaffected by economic disparities. Alexis de Tocqueville noticed this egalitarianism a century and a half ago and it is, if anything, more prevalent today. For all his riches, Bill Gates could not approach the typical American and say, "Here's a $100 bill. I'll give it to you if you kiss my feet." Most likely, the person would tell Gates to go to hell! The American view is that the rich guy may have more money, but he isn't in any fundamental sense better than anyone else. -- People live longer, fuller lives in America. Although protesters rail against the American version of technological capitalism at trade meetings around the world, in reality the American system has given citizens many more years of life, and the means to live more intensely and actively. In 1900, the life expectancy in America was around 50 years; today, it is more than 75 years. Advances in medicine and agriculture are mainly responsible for the change. This extension of the life span means more years to enjoy life, more free time to devote to a good cause, and more occasions to do things with the grandchildren. In many countries, people who are old seem to have nothing to do: they just wait to die. In America the old are incredibly vigorous, and people in their seventies pursue the pleasures of life, including remarriage and sexual gratification, with a zeal that I find unnerving. -- In America the destiny of the young is not given to them, but created by them. Not long ago, I asked myself, "What would my life have been like if I had never come to the United States?" If I had remained in India, I would probably have lived my whole life within a five-mile radius of where I was born. I would undoubtedly have married a woman of my identical religious and socioeconomic background. I would almost certainly have become a medical doctor, or an engineer, or a computer programmer. I would have socialized entirely within my ethic community. I would have a whole set of opinions that could be predicted in advance; indeed, they would not be very different from what my father believed, or his father before him. In sum, my destiny would to a large degree have been given to me. In America, I have seen my life take a radically different course. In college I became interested in literature and politics, and I resolved to make a career as a writer. I married a woman whose ancestry is English, French, Scotch-Irish, German and American Indian. In my twenties I found myself working as a policy analyst in the White House, even though I was not an American citizen. No other country, I am sure, would have permitted a foreigner to work in its inner citadel of government. In most countries in the world, your fate and your identity are handed to you; in America, you determine them for yourself. America is a country where you get to write the script of your own life. Your life is like a blank sheet of paper, and you are the artist. This notion of being the architect of your own destiny is the incredibly powerful idea that is behind the worldwide appeal of America. Young people especially find irresistible the prospect of authoring the narrative of their own lives. -- America has gone further than any other society in establishing equality of rights. There is nothing distinctively American about slavery or bigotry. Slavery has existed in virtually every culture, and xenophobia, prejudice and discrimination are worldwide phenomena. Western civilization is the only civilization to mount a principled campaign against slavery; no country expended more treasure and blood to get rid of slavery than the United States. While racism remains a problem, this country has made strenuous efforts to eradicate discrimination, even to the extent of enacting policies that give legal preference in university admissions, jobs, and government contracts to members of minority groups. Such policies remain controversial, but the point is that it is extremely unlikely that a racist society would have permitted such policies in the first place. And surely African Americans like Jesse Jackson are vastly better off living in America than they would be if they were to live in, say, Ethiopia or Somalia. -- America has found a solution to the problem of religious and ethnic conflict that continues to divide and terrorize much of the world. Visitors to places like New York are amazed to see the way in which Serbs and Croatians, Sikhs and Hindus, Irish Catholics and Irish Protestants, Jews and Palestinians, all seem to work and live together in harmony. How is this possible when these same groups are spearing each other and burning each other's homes in so many places in the world? The American answer is twofold. First, separate the spheres of religion and government so that no religion is given official preference but all are free to practice their faith as they wish. Second, do not extend rights to racial or ethnic groups but only to individuals; in this way, all are equal in the eyes of the law, opportunity is open to anyone who can take advantage of it, and everybody who embraces the American way of life can "become American." Of course there are exceptions to these core principles, even in America. Racial preferences are one such exception, which explains why they are controversial. But in general, America is the only country in the world that extends full membership to outsiders. The typical American could come to India, live for 40 years, and take Indian citizenship. But he could not "become Indian." He wouldn't see himself that way, nor would most Indians see him that way. In America, by contrast, hundreds of millions have come from far-flung shores and over time they, or at least their children, have in a profound and full sense "become American." -- America has the kindest, gentlest foreign policy of any great power in world history. Critics of the United States are likely to react to this truth with sputtering outrage. They will point to long-standing American support for a Latin or Middle Eastern despot, or the unjust internment of the Japanese during World War II, or America's reluctance to impose sanctions on South Africa's apartheid regime. However one feels about these particular cases, let us concede to the critics the point that America is not always in the right. What the critics leave out is the other side of the ledger. Twice in the 20th century, the United States saved the world -- first from the Nazi threat, then from Soviet totalitarianism. What would have been the world's fate if America had not existed? After destroying Germany and Japan in World War II, the United States proceeded to rebuild both countries, and today they are American allies. Now we are doing the same thing in Afghanistan and Iraq. Consider, too, how magnanimous the United States has been to the former Soviet Union after its victory in the Cold War. For the most part America is an abstaining superpower; it shows no real interest in conquering and subjugating the rest of the world. (Imagine how the Soviets would have acted if they had won the Cold War.) On occasion the United States intervenes to overthrow a tyrannical regime or to halt massive human rights abuses in another country, but it never stays to rule that country. In Grenada, Haiti and Bosnia, the United States got in and then it got out. Moreover, when America does get into a war, as in Iraq, its troops are supremely careful to avoid targeting civilians and to minimize collateral damage. Even as America bombed the Taliban infrastructure and hideouts, U.S. planes dropped food to avert hardship and starvation of Afghan civilians. What other country does these things? -- America, the freest nation on Earth, is also the most virtuous nation on Earth. This point seems counterintuitive, given the amount of conspicuous vulgarity, vice and immorality in America. Some Islamic fundamentalists argue that their regimes are morally superior to the United States because they seek to foster virtue among the citizens. Virtue, these fundamentalists argue, is a higher principle than liberty. Indeed it is. And let us admit that in a free society, freedom will frequently be used badly. Freedom, by definition, includes the freedom to do good or evil, to act nobly or basely. But if freedom brings out the worst in people, it also brings out the best. The millions of Americans who live decent, praiseworthy lives desire our highest admiration because they have opted for the good when the good is not the only available option. Even amid the temptations of a rich and free society, they have remained on the straight path. Their virtue has special luster because it is freely chosen. By contrast, the societies that many Islamic fundamentalists seek would eliminate the possibility of virtue. If the supply of virtue is insufficient in a free society like America, it is almost nonexistent in an unfree society like Iran's. The reason is that coerced virtues are not virtues at all. Consider the woman who is required to wear a veil. There is no modesty in this, because she is being compelled. Compulsion cannot produce virtue, it can only produce the outward semblance of virtue. Thus a free society like America's is not merely more prosperous, more varied, more peaceful, and more tolerant -- it is also morally superior to the theocratic and authoritarian regimes that America's enemies advocate. "To make us love our country," Edmund Burke once said, "our country ought to be lovely." Burke's point is that we should love our country not just because it is ours, but also because it is good. America is far from perfect, and there is lots of room for improvement. In spite of its flaws, however, American life as it is lived today is the best life that our world has to offer. Ultimately America is worthy of our love and sacrifice because, more than any other society, it makes possible the good life, and the life that is good. Dinesh D'Souza's "What's So Great About America" has just been published in paperback by Penguin Books. He is the Rishwain Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. E-mail: thedsouzas@aol.com.

Contractor of federal government, not paying employees for holidays?? Is this legal? I work for a company that is contracted by the federal government. We are currently in the process bidding for a new contract, which ended September 30, 2007. We are currently working under an extension of the previous contract until the new one is awarded. Our employer is stating that she won't get paid until she is awarded the contract and therefore we are not getting government holidays paid, though were are forced to take them off unpaid. She states that we will receive pay for these prorated in the future. There are other contract offices other than ours and from what we have heard, they have gotten all of their holiday pay. We also are only getting prorated pay for our personal and vacation time. I don't like this, I can understand the personal/vacation time a little bit better than the holiday because that is time we are requesting to take off. No one seems to want to ask anyone who is connected to our company for fear of losing their job. We have been in contact with the Office of Inspector General, but they do not answer their phone or reply to their email. If your solution is to find another job, trust me, I am trying. We have what we call the "golden handcuff" here, meaning that our wages are decent enough and finding a job that is competitive to them is extremely difficult. We are also being told that with this new contract, it is called performance based and that if our company doesn't meet the government's expectations 100% that we won't get paid….someone please tell me how this is legal? Does anyone know who I could contact about this?

What do you think of this letter and the author?

Pro-illegals: how do you explain this study of the cost of illegals? The Real Cost of Immigration Investor’s Business Daily, April 04, 2008 http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/newstex/IBD-0001-24278349.htm Immigration: As some experts tell Congress to fight a possible recession with more immigrants, a respected economist warns that immigration’s costs are grossly underestimated— because the government won’t study them. Set for release Tuesday is a report published by Social Contract magazine, “The Fiscal Impact of Immigration: An Analysis of the Costs to 15 Federal Departments and Agencies.” The 70-page study was conducted by Manhattan Institute adjunct fellow Edwin S. Rubenstein. As senior economist at W.R. Grace & Co. in the 1980s, he directed in-depth studies of government waste for the Grace Commission that sparked much popular outrage against Washington’s spendthrift habits. Rubenstein found that each immigrant costs taxpayers more than $9,000, while every immigrant household of four costs $36,000 in taxes.

Job Change Forcing Move, should we try to sell home with incentives, deed home back to bank, or foreclose? My husband and I move to Ft Myers, Florida 2 years ago (the height of the realestate boom) as he had a government contract here. The contract will be completed in August 2008 and he is scheduled to start working with another group in another city. I'm afraid that we won't be able to sell our home due to all the short sales, foreclosures, and bankruptcies. We have no equity in our home as we moved at the height of the the realestate boom - and home of our current size are selling for $100,000 less than what we paid. My questions are as follows: Should we list the home and give incentives (like offer $20,000 in cash at signing)? or Should we try to deed the home back to the lender? (Is this actually possible?) or Should we foreclose on the home? My husbands new employers have offered numerious times to co-sign on any loans we may need - if our credit is adversely affected (and it most definetly will be affected) by this foreclosure. Thank you for your thoughts.

employment question. illegal? ethical? I work for a company that contracts to the government. Our contract was coming to an end and the bidding process was open. A new company won the contract. My company wanted to appeal the decision and protest. They asked us to stay "loyal" to them for 3 days with pay and not to sign with the new company. When asked what would happen if we signed and if they won back the contract...they said that those who stayed loyal would be brought back first. Is this legal? Can they blackmail us with our jobs?

Ron Paul 2008, can we win? Can he win Iowa. He is the hope for America, he can end this war and save the world. And BTW, the war is just a way to launder money from tax payers to The Dickmister, Its called Cost Plus pricing. The government contract with Haliburton pays how much the work they don in Iraq cost + X%, they spend as much money as possible and charge that money to the government. Not only that but it IS a war for oil, thats it, that is the only reason. "But there was a terrible dictator and crimes against humanity, we had to help them" The exact same fucking thing is happening in Africa. Hmm... What does the middle east have that Africa doesn't, ask yourself that. I said don instead of do,

Employment question. Ethical? Illegal? I work for a company that contracts to the government. Our contract was coming to an end and the bidding process was open. A new company won the contract. My company wanted to appeal the decision and protest. They asked us to stay "loyal" to them for 3 days with pay and not to sign with the new company. When asked what would happen if we signed and if they won back the contract...they said that those who stayed loyal would be brought back first. Is this legal? Can they blackmail us with our jobs?

Article - Latin America 700 cases child trafficking. What are the Governments doing to protect the Children? The Governments of the World are supposed to protect the children. What makes you think that your children or your children's children won't be the next victim of child sex slavery? *Perilous Times Latin America's secret slave trade* Oliver Balch reports from the triple frontier of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, where humans have become the most sought-after contraband. Wednesday December 20, 2006 Guardian Unlimited Sit by the swimming pool of the exclusive Iguazú Jungle hotel and you can watch the "contrabandistas" emerging from the undergrowth. All day, an army of smugglers can be seen passing along the mountainous path that separates Argentina from Brazil. Locals know it as the "pique". It is just one of a dozen or more unofficial crossing points on the so-called triple frontier, the name given to the porous border area where Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil meet. Article continues Everything from fake branded clothing to Class A drugs are ferried back and forth along these clandestine routes. The list of contraband goods now also extends to human beings. The human-trafficking business is estimated to be worth over £10bn a year, making it the world's third most profitable criminal activity after drug-smuggling and gun-running. Many of those trafficked through the triple frontier are destined for the illegal labour market in Brazil or Argentina. The trade in babies for adoption is also widely reported. But a large proportion end up as sex workers. Many end up in brothels across the region, although a high number are destined for the triple frontier's own thriving sex industry. Children are particularly vulnerable to human traffickers. Charities working with at-risk children in the border region estimate that as many as 3,500 young people could be involved. "Many girls are trafficked via the pique. It's all highly organised", explains Marcelina Antunez, director of Luz de Infancia, a children's care centre in the Argentine town of Puerto Iguazú. Driving the trade is the flood of foreign tourists who come to visit the world famous Iguazú waterfalls. Much of the demand for prostitution is casual. Yet the region also attracts a hardened group of sex tourists. The region's reputation for prostitution is not new. In the late 1970s, around 40,000 workers flooded into the triple frontier to help build the colossal Itaipú hydroelectric dam. Around 97% of the new workforce were men. As the dam went up, so too did the demand for paid-for sex. "The triple frontera is the Bangkok of Latin America...after the tsunami, many sex tourists started coming here instead of Asia," notes Cynthia Bendlin, director of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) for the triple frontier area. IOM runs a number of awareness programmes to highlight the dangers of the trafficking trade. But it is an uphill struggle. Many of the children most at risk either live on the street or come from very impoverished families, Ms Bendlin explains. In some cases of extreme destitution, children are even contracted out by their parents. There is a blind beggar in Puerto Igazú, for example, who walks the streets hand-in-hand with a seven year-old girl. He makes his living by renting her out for sex. She is his neighbour's daughter. The situation is complicated further by the "recruiters". Often known to the victims, they promise the opportunity of work across the border. When the fictitious jobs never materialise, the victims finds themselves trapped and unable to return home. IOM also works with local government agencies and the police in an attempt to develop coordinated strategies to stop the traffickers. Again, prgress is slow. In Argentina alone, there are at least five separate security agencies operating in the border zone. Between the three countries, the problem of coordination becomes triply complicated, Ms Bendlin admits. At a national level, there are some signs of encouragement. This week, Argentina's lower house is scheduled to discuss a bill that would officially recognise underage human trafficking in the criminal code. Victim organisations welcome such measures, but remain sceptical about how much difference they will make on the ground. Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay all have separate laws and legal processes. Add to that the variety of municipal, provincial and national legislation and you have a complex legal web to navigate. It is a journey that many victims would rather not undertake. In addition to the psychological and financial implications of pursuing a court case, many fear the threat of reprisals. "Although we know about more than 700 cases of child trafficking, we have only reported 40 in the last three years", confesses Benigno Cáceres, a lawyer with CEAPRA, a children's charity in the Paraguayan border town of Ciudad del Este. Only one of these complaints resulted in a guilty verdict. The relative impunity for sex-related crimes is in keeping with cultural attitudes in the triple frontier. The region's strong culture of machismo holds that sex with underage girls is safer and a sign of male virility, says Norma Pereira, a child psychologist in Ciudad del Este. In addition, the mothers of trafficked children are frequently themselves the victims of abuse or involved in prostitution, she explains: "Families often refuse to recognise the problem. It's as if this new form of slavery has become natural." · Oliver Balch is a freelance journalist based in Argentina.

Do you not think the Government should get the Army to drive the tankers? No way should greedy tanker drivers be allowed to win. I hope Shell hold out until the drivers are bled back to work. Indeed if Hoyer and the other company sacked the lot of them and then rehired thm on reduced contracts as Tesco did a few years ago i would support this. Indeed even bringing in foreign drivers to drive the tankers. We are being held to ransom by a small numberof people out of touch with the man in the street.If they win it will add to the cost of a litre at the pumps. It is not a civil matter when the infrastructure of the country is being held to ransom by a tiny minority who are out of touch with reality. Wozza, health and safety goes out the window in a national emergency. Did you know that during the miners strike in 84 that certain Central Scotland hauliers were allowed to ignore tachograph laws and lorries were driving with certifiable defect. Why, because breaking the miners was more important to Mrs T than having a lorry pulled because it had a dodgy tyre tread. It is called needs be. Lord knotty, we are not talking about MPs, we are talking about tanker drivers who are over paid at 32K.Are you saying a tanker driver is as important as an MP> Also the drivers have rejected 6.8%. My last pay rise was 5.1% over two years, inflation is 3%, and I and my work colleagues have to cover the first two abscences with no overtime for doing their work. Still want to talk fair pay? Michael contracting out of services in an NHS hospital is different from tanker drivers who work in the private sector. In the private sector the man with the money talks.

I won a gov bid but needs funds to deliver the product? I own a small business and recently got a government bid. I need $45K to purchase the equipment from the MFG and will get $66K in the end. I wrote "payment in advance" on the bid but the county said they pay 30 days after install. It takes 35 days sea freight to get my product, 1 week for the install and 30-45 days to get paid. I offered a friend $6K to fund the deal for me but he could not qualify for a line of credit or short term loan. I can't take out a loan because I have an SBA loan that prohibits any other loans and I have no more room on that loan to get more. I tried a funding place in Florida but they want $12K. Do I have any options for $5-6K to get funded? I have the county's contract and bid acceptance paperwork. bond amount = no A friend of mine told me to check out www.liquidcapitalcorp.com/custage so I may have a solution.

I neeeeeeeeeddddddddddddd a Thesis, Clincher, main point summary to my essay? THe topic is "a balanced budget amendment requiring that the goverment cannot spend more money that it takes in... I'm for this, not against.....Here's my essay. Benjamin Franklin once said, "When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the Republic. ’’ A balanced budget amendment should be added to the constitution because there is no reason that the government should be allowed to deficit spend. A balanced budget amendment would put a check on the governments spending power; they would only be able to spend as much as they bring in. This would make them look at each spending program and hopefully cut out allot of the extra pork. I personally would like to put this statement on every spending bill: ‘’This spending is so vital to our national interest that it is the opinion of all voting for and signing into law that the governments power to spend this money is more important than the peoples right to their own property’’. 2We won’t ever balance the US budget until we learn to be independent of our national debt. Our country owes trillions of dollars to China, Kuwait, etc. In other words we have been bought and paid for by other countries. All they would have to do is demand the money we owe and if we are unable to pay we could become a territory of that country. Next is the issue of enforcement. It is the duty of the Congress and the President to balance the budget, according to the Constitution. It's not up to the Courts to raise taxes. One solution is to state that if the government runs out of money and the Congress and the President haven't agreed to a new balanced budget, then the court has the authority to order the government to shut down(like it does now) if a budget is not passed. The Federal government has expanded far beyond its duties specified in the Constitution. These expansions require an ever-increasing infusion of cash. The only way to solve the problem once and for all is to scale the Federal government back to within its constitutionally proscribed limits. This will not happen for two reasons: 1) Power, once obtained, is not easily relinquished; 2) People have become spoiled and lazy and would rather have the government do for them rather than do for themselves. Thus, the welfare state and the "entitlement mentality" of so many today. A balanced budget amendment would only lead to higher taxes because people would continue to demand ever-increasing levels of handouts.3 there are valid reasons to temporarily run a budget in deficit.1. Accumulated surpluses allow for greater spending on infrastructure not covered by a single year's revenues 2. Recession reduces the revenues of a country. To cut services (and so spending) would likely send the country further into recession as potentially would increase tax rates - so a temporary deficit is justified 3. In times of war we do not want out ability to defend ourselves to be restricted by the amount of tax revenue brought in. The main thing is we need to stop spending. By allowing the government to spend more then it makes we are feeding failure. If the government can't live on its income it needs to make cuts, just like you or me. 4 An example of covering costs (buying and selling) to stay in a budget. When most products are imported from other countries and not as much is manufactured and sold from here then the revenues received coming in are not going to be enough to cover what is being imported. There are obviously some good reasons such an amendment, mainly that it puts government spending in check and forces Congress to think a little harder before spending so much money. 5I'd say the strongest counterargument against such a law is that it could cause problems in times of crisis. We're in a war right now so there's a lot of spending, and thus a lot of deficit spending. The only ways to maintain a balanced budget in a situation like the one we have today would be to do one of the following: Spend less on the military (slim chance of that happening)Cut funding to other programs (not much left to cut, lots of people suffer) Raise taxes (people are having trouble paying their bills and taxes as it is without tax hikes)In a way it's just putting off today's financial problems until tomorrow, but there is something to be said for deficit spending. I think there should be less of it though. the financial needs of various social and federal programs coupled with other essential costs such as the defense budget is greater than the money taken in. Your proposed balanced budget will cause more trouble to people than help. The other counterargument I can think of is a stalling effect on the economy. In order for the government to balance its budget, many government contracts will need to be reduced or eliminated while taxes may need increased. This loss of revenue and increase in costs for many businesses and their employees would definitely have an adverse impact on the economy.

i think this is a good idea ! does anyone else? What if the government, who is in the business of education anyway were to start subsidising education on a grade point basis. Lets say you get an a++ (4.3 gpa i think its been a while) you would not pay a dime for your education. then if you got lets say a 4.1 then you would pay 5% for evey grade point you drop untill you get to a b- where the subsidies would end. Wouldn't that be such a major boost for the economy to have all our kids studying harder in school for the free education. ? you may ask whats in it for the government? well they could impose conditions. such as a minimum contract to work for the government in your field. like doctors and nurses could be required to sign up for the first two years in remote underserviced locations. the government wins the rural communities win and the students win the most. The rich will be eligible but they can waive it if they prefer their own connections to government work. what do you think? it only discriminates against the stupid everyone pays back their loan as they normally would with a discount for achievement. the perfect students get a free ride. as it should be. it rewards the studiers and not the slackers. it cuts accross all racial and ethnic lines to be as fair as anyone could make it

What would you do. Please explain your ideas? In June 2003 Lockheed Martin Corp. sued the Boeing Corp. in Orlando Florida, accusing it of suing Lockheed's trade secrets to help win a multibillion-dollar government contract. Among other things, Lockheed Martin claimed that Boeing had obtained those trade secrets from a former Lockheed Martin employee who switched to Boeing. But in describing methods companies use to commit corporate espionage, one writer says that hiring away the competitor's employees (or hiring people o go through its dumpster), are just the most obvious ways companies use to commit corporate espionage. As he says, "one of the more unusual scams ? sometimes referred to as "help wanted" - uses a person posing as a corporate headhunter who approaches an employee of the target company with a potentially lucrative job offer. During the interview, the employee is quizzed about his responsibilities, accomplishments and current projects. The goal is to extract important details without the employee realizing there is no job." Assume that you are the owner of a small high-tech company that is worried about the possibility that one or more of your employees may be approached by one of these sinister "headhunters". What would you do (in terms of employee training, or a letter from you, for instance) to try to minimize the chance that one of your employees will fall into that kind of trap? Also, compile a list of five or ten questions that you think such a corporate spy might ask one of your employees.

How many days after a car is bought can a dealership change its mind about the payment agreement? Two weeks ago today in Honolulu, HI I bought a car and signed a contract stating my monthly payment. Today a dealership rep calls and asks me to come over to sign more paperwork. I thought I had forgotten to sign something so I went. The guy tells me I'm supposed to sign another contract with my new monthly payment, which is $118.00 more. I tell him I won't sign it and want the general manager to call me, since she's the one who told me that my monthly payment would be what I signed for. I can't find any legal answers on the 'net because the government websites are sooo confusing. Help!!!

Does the Federal Government manage anything better than the Private Sector? Before you start.. government policies and politicians were a Major contributor to our current financial mess and the U.S. Military is [somewhat] immune. Here's the latest example of a power grab. It's estimated that this will 'create' 1,000 New Government Jobs. (we all know how accurate gov. estimates are). How many 'private sector jobs' will be destroyed by Fedzilla in the process? To me this is just one of a multitude of deceptions lately. Much like the president's statement "There are No Earmarks in this stimulus package" ( that depends on what the meaning of the word is..is) 3/7/2009, 5:45 p.m. EST By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — So much for privatizing the federal government. The Internal Revenue Service's decision this week to quit using debt collectors to dun delinquent taxpayers was celebrated by public employee unions as a pendulum shift after watching the Bush administration often opt for private contractors over federal workers to deliver government services. The IRS program was a small one, bringing in a little more than $80 million since its inception in 2006. But it represented an ideological toehold for conservatives who believe that private companies are more efficient than government agencies. It was an ideology embraced by former President George W. Bush, who famously — and unsuccessfully — toyed with the idea of partially privatizing Social Security. Privatization won't disappear. It's too widespread in a federal government that relies on private contractors for work as diverse as computer programming and providing security in Iraq. But with a new Democratic administration in charge, experts don't expect to hear much about privatizing government functions from President Barack Obama. "I think we're going to see a reversal of privatization," said Harvey B. Feigenbaum, a political science professor at George Washington University. "When contracts come up for renewal, they will see if it would be better for the public sector to do the work." IRS contracts with private debt collection agencies to go after delinquent taxpayers expired Friday. In deciding not to renew them, IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman said he concluded after a monthlong review that tax collection could best be done by government workers. ********************************************************** Here's some investment advice..buy stock in the company that makes Vaseline! http://www.syracuse.com/newsflash/business/index.ssf?/base/business-0/1236466450221210.xml&storylist=business deacon: I understand but the military more or less runs itself..seperate issue. aquario: is that Marx? "The government needs to own everything." If I'm the 'enemy' of this then I'm a proud enemy! Wise One: I saw Geert on The Factor the other night. He's right! Flavor Ade: " being shaken down for the common good." Buy that Vaseline Bro! Tom T: The problem is that our world has ben turned upside-down by corruption from all sides. It's taken us many years to get here. There are no 'quick fixes'. Not if we do it the Right way by the gov. and the citizens living within their means. Ol' F: Did you see Huckabee?..He's pushing for term limits! I like it! Canam: "Will this require more gov. workers?" Damn right it will! Non-productive union workers to boot! Dr M...... Today may my prayers help me realize I cannot control everything. To put the world in order, We must first put the nation in order; To put the nation in order, We must first put the family in order; To put the family in order, We must first set our hearts right. -- Confucius Jersey: "Think a little deeper! Who hired "Black water" and "KBR"? Yep Politicians who got rich from it!" Ate: " inexperienced, incompetent, and have no idea what they are doing." People..especially his supporters..need to think about that statement. Edg1: "That's why we Conservatives always want smaller government." That's exactly why We Have Got To Stop Electing RINOs!!!!!!! Flying: "Sure it can. Healthcare is cheaper" LOL! Much like the Chinese products at Wall Mart! Gypsy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0Lsa3-KFdE Andrea: "Why the he// didn't we elect Mitt Romney!!!! The man knows his sh** when it comes to business and the stock market !!!!!!" (you'll have to ask many of the people in the church about that one.) I'm a Christian myself but this attitude many have about Romney is disturbing and confusing to me! Sarah: " I finally quit and went to work in the Private sector where people actually work for their pay." Amen..if people actually knew how much of their hard earned $ was Wasted there might be a real Tax Revolt! Fishn: " they manage to make more money" Most of it out of 'thin air' or off of a printing press here lately! Kat: " "The elephant is a mouse built to government specifications." sad but true Palin- My blood pressure goes thru the roof when I see that idiotic stuff going on. How bout a resolution to follow the constitution you fools! Sasha: "No, the Government can't run nothing without messing it up. I would be surprised if they knew how to wipe their butts." LOL! You crack me up! Sounds like Dolly Parton in a movie I saw years ago. Drop: " So bring out the guillotine and we will have a Bastille day." Stick around Bro. That may not be as far fetched as it sounds!

Can you imagine if Dennis Kucinich won the presidency in 08? http://kucinich.us/ These are the elements of the Kucinich 12-Point Plan for Iraq: 1. The US announces it will end the occupation, close military bases and withdraw. 2. US announces that it will use existing funds to bring the troops and necessary equipment home. 3. Order a simultaneous return of all US contractors to the United States and turn over all contracting work to the Iraqi government. 4. Convene a regional conference for the purpose of developing a security and stabilization force for Iraq. 5. Prepare an international security and peacekeeping force to move in, replacing US troops who then return home. 6. Develop and fund a process of national reconciliation. 7. Reconstruction and Jobs. 8. Reparations. 9. Political Sovereignty. 10. Iraq Economy. 11. Economic Sovereignty. 12. International Truth and Reconciliation. And our loved ones wouldn't die. Think about that one. Bill - then by definition he in fact does have a better chance than you. Although I agree he will not win. If you addressed my question though that would be better.

Statistics problem... probability... help needed please??? An aerospace company has submitted bids on two separate federal government defense contracts. The company president believes that there is a 40% probability of winning the first contract. If they win the first contract, the probability of winning the second is 70%. However, if they lose the first contract, the president thinks that the probability of winning the second contract decreases to 50%. Enter your answers to three decimal places. a.) What is the probability that they win both contracts? b.) What is the probability that they lose both contracts? c.) What is the probability that they win only one contract? 10 points for best answer!!!

What are oil companies giving us back for giving them oil contracts in Iraq? The Bush-backed government of Iraq gave no-bid oil contracts to American big oil companies this week (along with some to a few other countries). Bush is still pushing a Hydrocarbon Law on the Iraqis that gives up to 88% of their oil wealth to big oil companies, and a security treaty that gives us permanent bases in the country to defend big oil's contracts and enforce the terms. All of that is costing us thousands of soldiers lives, will cost three trillion of our tax dollars according to Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, and at a minimum, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives. What are oil companies giving us BACK for all that? Have you read the draft of the Hydrocarbon Law available or that it was written by a consulting firm hired by Bush? http://web.krg.org/uploads/documents/Draft%20Iraq%20Oil%20and%20Gas%20Law%20English__2007_03_09_h17m2s47.pdf An explanation for laymen: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-juhasz8dec08,0,4717508.story?coll=la-opinion-rightrail Iraqi oil workers dislike it so much they have threatened to mutiny if it passes. http://www.upi.com/Energy/Briefing/2007/07/20/iraq_unions_vow_mutiny_over_oil_law/4324 Bush threatened to fire their prime minister if it didn't pass. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/03/13/africa/ME-GEN-Iraq-Oil.php Oil companies tried to bribe members of parliament with millions of dollars each if they would vote for it, and they refused, knowing they would be screwing their own people. http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.akhbar-alkhaleej.com%2Farc_Articles.asp%3FArticle%3D221558%26Sn%3DWORL%26IssueID%3D10903&langpair=ar%7Cen&hl=en&ie My link to the oil law above didn't come out right. Hope this one works. Look at article 34 for how much of the oil income it gives Iraqis. For comparison, Saudi gets a 50/50 split. http://web.krg.org/uploads/documents/Draft%20Iraq%20Oil%20and%20Gas%20Law%20English__2007_03_09_h17m2s47.pdf As for oil companies giving us gas, it's true they deliver it, but at what cost? If you had to pay for the Iraq War and our general military presence in the Middle East at the pump instead of in your income taxes, you would see what we are giving them for free. They have the right to make money, but not to take our country to war to give them control of more oil reserves. They certainly don't have the right to take us to war to keep the price HIGH as OIL & GAS JOURNAL said was necessary in 2002 and as Bush assured Putin that the war wouldn't lower prices. http://professorsmartass.blogspot.com/2007/03/oil-too-cheap-if-no-iraq-war-says-oil.html As for supporting the troops, I support their right to life, to not be put in danger unless our security is actually at stake, and to be properly cared for and supported when they get home. The Bush administration seems to support their right to be cannon fodder to use as he pleases to enrich his friends.

Probability? 9) A company is competing for three government contracts (contract A, contract B and contract C). It has been determined that the probability of winning contract A is .35, winning contract B is .6 and contract C is .8. Assuming that winning contract A, contract B, and contract C are independent, determine. a)The probability of winning all 3 contracts. b) The probability of winning at least 1 of the 3 contracts. c)The probability of winning exactly two of the three contracts.

I have to write a paper for my American Government class. If I owned a political consulting company...? I am trying to win the contract to manage the Democratic presidential campaign. I need to convince them that I have the best strategy to win the majority of Electoral College votes in the upcoming election. My candidiate has good grassroots base in the mid-west and in both the northeast and west coast. He was week in the South, Southwest, and the northern tier of states. He fared well with women voters and middle class, gays, Latinos, and elderly. Did not score highly with African Americans. He is not the incumbent. He is a former gov. of Virginia and junior Senator from that state. He is a veteran and served in the first Iraq war. VP running mate is a female and polls very highly w/women and blacks. My opponent is the sitting VP and is over 70, from FL. He is a veteran of Vietnam. He polls well w/men, Christians, low income voters, and Latinos in FL>. I need to advise my candidate which states to concentrate time and money on. My electoral college has to be 270 or more. HELP

why is bush saying he is going to veto renewing the clean water act? he doesnt like clean water either? maybe becasue it's not oil. Other House-passed measures that Bush has said he would veto include: _A renewal of the Clean Water Act that would require state and local governments getting federal grants for water treatment plants to pay "prevailing" local wages often tied to pay scales for unionized building trades workers. Non-unionized construction firms say that would give their unionized rivals a competitive advantage in winning contracts. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070531/ap_on_go_pr_wh/unions_veto_threats;_ylt=AoNXI06N.dlnWeTtk12DhN2s0NUE

Can my company make me do a new second job without paying me more money? I am an hourly employee for a company that does government contract work, I was hired to do tech support for 1 contract, now the company has won a second contract and is telling me and others we have to do both jobs, with no more compensation, while they rake in free money is this legal? Btw this is in northern Virginia. Yes my offer letter says I was hired to do helpdesk support for a specific contract, now they want to me also do this new contract with no compentsation. No where in my job description or offer letter does it say they "own me" and that I can be made to do a 2nd job for free. This can not possibly be legal, the company is making more money off my labor and I'm nto getting paid for it, and I was not hired to do it, I was hired to do something else. Thanks for the responses, this suck sucks my rear end. No way in hell im doing a second separete job for free, I'm nobodies slave, and I was not hired to do 2 jobs, I was hired to do one, and my pay is based on that one job. Guess it's time to look for another job /sigh

I need direction on government abuse.? Can a current 8A contract company create 2 "dummy companies" in order to win more contracts that they would not otherwise win due to company size or minority status? Would the Office of the Inspector General's Office be a good place to send a conflict of interest complaint?

Do anybody have experience with the required wireless equipment update by home security monitoring company? I subscribed to monitoring service with a Home Security Monitoring company. I have wireless security equipment installed. Recently they told me that the government require them to replace the analog radio tower system with digital radio tower system. This results in I need to replace my wireless security equipment as well, otherwise it won't be able to connect to the new radio tower. They charged me $100 for that. Since I'm still in a contract with them, I think I shouldn't pay that $100. So, do anybody have experience in this matter? Is the new regulation for real? Do the customers really have to pay for that required upgrade by the government regulation even when they're still in a contract? Thanks! I appreciate any inputs.

are repubs saying it depends on the definition of stealing? Since then, the contract has come under scrutiny by members of Congress, and critics have alleged that KBR had an advantage in winning the 2001 contract because Vice President Cheney had been Halliburton's chief executive. There have been other allegations of overcharging and poor record-keeping by KBR and lax oversight by the government. Government auditors turned up more than $1 billion in questionable costs. Whistle-blowers have said the company charged $45 per case of soda, allowed troops to bathe in contaminated water and double-billed on meals -- all allegations Halliburton denied.

Who do I go to for help when my Union does not represent me according to our Bargaining Agreement? According to the SEIU Local Union Bargaining Agreement for State employees, our vacation and sick time cannot be used without the employee's consent when injured on the job and out on a valid Worker's Comp claim. However, my time was used without my consent. I received incorrect and misleading information from our Union coordinator. So, I wrote to the Union lawyer and was basically given the "brush off". I PAY my dues. There IS a contract. How can I get it enforced if my Union won't help me? Do I go to the Federal Government?

Who is going to the Australian GP next year? Melbourne has a contract to host the GP until 2010, but due to increasing costs (and losses), the Victorian Government (who pays the bills) has come under intense pressure to ditch the event. Bernie wants Melbourne to do night races but Melbourne said no. I hope we won't lose the GP! It's too far and too expensive for me to travel to overseas races. Oh well, I'm going to enjoy it while I can. I have my tickets secured, my seat is on the grand stand metres away from the start finish line!