Morale has plunged among military personnel in Afghanistan as a result of record violence in the war, according to the U.S. Army. A battlefield survey found that the situation is particularly problematic for soldiers on their third and fourth combat tours, and junior enlisted soldiers are most likely to experience marital problems because of deployment. Though it's not a complete solution, the study did find that limited doses of technology - either through video games or internet access - can help.

The study, obtained by NBC News, revealed that more than 20% of soldiers are experiencing combat stress, and half of them are having difficulties getting professional help. Combat Stress units in Afghanistan, the report says, are "undermanned," and this type of unit has no presence in the southern part of Afghanistan, where most of the combat is taking place.

Continue reading Internet holds the answer to combat stress, but in small doses only

Internet holds the answer to combat stress, but in small doses only originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When you're serving your country, there's a good chance you'll move around a few times . . . which can conflict with the traditional American dream of homeownership. Soldiers who bought homes several years ago could be stuck selling now at depressed prices -- and on fairly short notice.

Needless to say, the financial pressure can be profound. A Staff Sergeant with a decade of service behind him, for example, is paid just under $37,000 a year. Even when you add in the health care and other benefits provided by the Department of Defense, it's still hard to handle a serious loss on a home.

The February stimulus plan included provisions to help military personnel in this situation, but little has happened. Soldiers complain that information is hard to find and guidelines aren't available. So far, none of the funds have been disbursed, and the federal government is keeping its collective mouth shut.

Continue reading Military housing woes to persist for a while

Military housing woes to persist for a while originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 19 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Yesterday, in response to Chasing Value: ISRG is falling and I'm buying I received the following comment from Beltway Greg, "You're a brave dude. Why? I've watched this stock for awhile and I worry about possible entry by other folks into the market."

Brave perhaps, even foolish on occasion, but I still think this is the time to be selectively buying equities.

To those that might be concerned about competition for Intuitive Surgical Inc (NASDAQ: ISRG) you will be interested in the following:

• NOTICE TEXT: Department of the Army U.S. Army Medical Command MEDCOM, North Atlantic Regional Contracting Office Subject: Contract prosthetic feet and leg coverings This is a notice of the Governments intent to solicit, negotiate and award a sole source contract (Note 22) contract to Intuitive surgical for Implants based on urgency. This is not a set-aside for small business. This notice is an urgent requirement for Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 6900 Georgia Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20307, contract number W91YTZ-09-P-0147. Parties interested in future announcements shall provide detailed information of their capabilities and certifications to clearly meet the requirements stated above.

It is possible that someday ISRG will have some competition, but there does not seem to be anything on the horizon for now. Furthermore, as the user base expands the barrier to entry increases and the cost of changing systems becomes more challenging.

The most likely scenario for competition would be if another manufacturer were to create a similar system for procedures not yet addressed by ISRG's Di Vinci robotic surgical units. Some of the potential competitors, like Johnson and Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) or Medronic (NYSE: MDT), are actually corporate partners helping to distribute the units world wide. What is most likely from my point of view is that other manufacturers will find a way to partner with ISRG to develop complimentary hardware to expand the capability of the system for more procedures to get to market faster.

Sheldon Liber is the CEO of a small private investment company and the principal for design and research at an architecture & planning firm. He writes the columns Chasing Value and Serious Money.

Chasing Value: Feds single source Intuitive Surgical originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Does support of our troops affect your perception of a company?

Does support of our troops affect your perception of a company? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 14 Feb 2008 20:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• According to people familiar with the matter, The Bear Stearns Companies Inc (NYSE: BSC) CEO James Cayne is expected to step down, but is expected to remain as chairman, the Wall Street Journal reported.
• Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC), in a bid to diversify as a aerospace and naval contractor, is teaming with Oshkosh Truck Corporation (NYSE: OSK) to bid on a contract to build Humvees for the Army and Marine Corps, reported the Wall Street Journal.

• The New York Times reported that court records have shown that troubled mortgage lender Countrywide Financial Corporation (NYSE: CFC) fabricated documents related to a Pennsylvania homeowner bankruptcy case.
• Alleging that its lending practices discriminated against minorities, leading to foreclosures, the Baltimore City Council is suing Wells Fargo Bank and Company (NYSE: WFC), the New York Times reported.

Newspaper wrap-up: Bear Stearns CEO expected to step down originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 08 Jan 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• In today's Wall Street Journal (subscription required):
• Top Banker Woody Young has left Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc (NYSE: LEH), according to people familiar with the matter.
• Google Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG) may have benefited from piracy, according to media companies.
• Tribune Company (NYSE: TRB) is leaning away from accepting offers from outside bidders and may restructure on its own.
• According to Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali Naimi, the world oil market is in "much, much better health and balance" now and, if trends hold, there will be no need for further production cuts or increases in supply when members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries meet next month.
• The Financial Times (subscription required) reported that MasterCard Inc (NYSE: MA) is expected to announce a pilot program with the GSM Association that will allow migrant workers to use cellphones for international money transfers.
• The Deutschland edition of the Financial Times reported that Private Equity is looking at Infineon Technologies ADS (NYSE: IFX).

• According to the U.K. Times, Sanofi-Aventis ADS (NYSE: SNY) has called off talks with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) over a potential deal.
• The Washington Post reported that thousands of Army Humvees are lacking the Frag Kit 15 armor upgrade, which is not anticipated to be completed until this summer.
• Investor's Business Daily's "The New America" column highlighted Web conferencing leader WebEx Communications Inc (NASDAQ: WEBX).

Newspaper wrap-up 2-12-07: Tribune may not sell itself originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 12 Feb 2007 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.