When Obama and Medvedev met this week, both leaders took a limo to Ray’s Hell Burger in Arlington, Virginia. The two had cheeseburgers and even shared a plate of fries, eating among the regular crowd.

I am not sure what our president is trying to say. That budget is tight those days? That we are just regular guys? That we are tired of the crappy food you get at fancy dinner parties?

But I do like the picture of my president.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

The quote from Carl-Henric Svanberg should speak for itself.

“[Obama] is frustrated, because he cares about the small people. And we care about the small people. I hear comments sometimes that large oil companies are greedy companies or don’t care, but that is not the case in BP. We care about the small people.”

Svanberg later apologized for his clumsy choice of words, and a BP spokesman attributed it to an error in translation. But BP’s chairman really should have known better.

In my humble opinion, Svanberg is a typical example of a man who became CEO just because he had some nice buddies. He was never a good leader. And he is definitely not suited to be the chairman in a big international company.

Swedish Reactions: SVD,  Expressen,  DN,  GP

American media: Washington Post,  NY Daily News,  News Tribune

Columnist Matthew Lynn argues that BP should tell whiny Americans to take a hike.

He gives three reasons why BP’s current tactics will never work, and why they should just pack up and go somewhere else.

First, the U.S. is guilty of crazy double standards. Who refused to do anything about climate change, or even to put sensible taxes on gas? If US insist on being addicted to cheap oil, the country has to recognize there are risks attached. So grow up, and stop acting like children!

Second, BP likely is finished in the U.S. There is no form of apology that will make any difference. The average American consumer now hates BP. So, BP should fight every lawsuit. Refuse every claim above the bare minimum.

Lynn urge BP not to waste a lot of money on an army of advertising agencies and PR consultants trying to restore company image. It’s not going to work, so there is no point even trying.

Third, Lynn says, BP’s job is to look after the owners of the company, not make itself acceptable to a country that doesn’t want it anymore.

Fortunately, BP has a very weak chairman in the Swedish Carl-Henric Svanberg.

Svanberg is the former CEO of Ericsson, a Swedish telecom company, where he was only noted for playing around with sailboats. He knew little, if anything at all, about the telecom business. And he, of course, thought that his smooth ride in life would continue that way. Right now, he probably doesn’t even know what hit him, and he doesn’t know how to act. In Britain he is now called “the invisible man”.

He will not be able to take the tough decisions that would help BP as a company. Meaning, he will drag BP shareholders down with him. Until he is replaced. Which must happen sooner or later.

Then, I have no doubt, the will do just what Lynn says they should do. Just pack up and leave.

Swedish media: DN  Expressen

British Media: The Indipendent  The Guardian

Lynn’s Column in Dallas News

In the eyes of an American, Sweden is a socialist country. This is of course not really true.

Sweden has, however, always been known for rather strong unions. But unions no longer appeal to young people.

After reading about SAC’s (the anarcho-syndicalist trade union federation) blockade of Berns restaurant in central Stockholm, I think even more people will turn their back on unions. Because unions have always been about fairness and about what is right. Those values seem to have been lost.

According to the syndicalists seven employees at the restaurant were laid off due to their membership of SAC. So the syndicalists have put the restaurant in blockade and are trying to stop guests from visiting the restaurant.

This has led to violence where the police had to intervene to protect the guests.

The union demands that the workers are re-employed. If not, Berns must pay a fine of $130,000.

But these workers were never employed by the restaurant, but by a sub-contractor. And of course Berns refuses to re-hire the workers, or pay any fines.

The fight will continue. Both between Berns and SAC, and between angry restaurant visitors and syndicalists trying to prevent them to have dinner.

This nice little union even fine companies that contacts the police. Can you believe it?

We don’t believe that the police, or any state power at all, should interfere in trade union disputes, says Ruben Duque Taste, the representative of SAC. He does not deny that the organization punishes entrepreneurs who contact police.

Berns accuses the syndicalists of blackmail. Are they right? Well, if the syndicalists can’t claim that Berns are breaking any agreements or any law… Then, yes. And they can’t. Berns were not the employer of these people.

This is not a justified fight.

But the main question is of course what good will come out of this?

My guess is that many young people will think twice before they join any union.

Sources (in Swedish): SVD SVD DN GP SVT

About SAC on wikipedia

An aid convoy, called Freedom Flotilla, attempted to deliver 10,000 tons of supplies to the people of Gaza.

Under the cover of darkness Israeli soldiers stormed the lead ship of the six-vessel convoy in international waters and killed and injured dozens of civilians aboard.

Israel had earlier threatened to seize the Freedom Flotilla ships and arrest the activists when they entered Gaza coastal waters. Instead they executed a surprise maneuver at night.

The Israeli media strategy is to censor the facts, such as the number of dead and injured.

But as news slowly spread around the world, foreign governments began to react. Greece and Turkey, which had many citizens aboard the Flotilla, immediately recalled their ambassadors from Tel Aviv. United Nations have also condemned the attack.

It is time for US to stop supporting Israel.

Israel have committed a criminal act. Had it been any other country in the world, the US Government would have condemned the act, without hesitating.

“Where I was wrong,” said President Obama at his press conference on Thursday, “was in my belief that the oil companies had their act together when it came to worst-case scenarios.”

Source: New York Times

Weren’t we all.

After a month of seawater covered with thick black oil, BP executive Tony Hayward thinks that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is going to only have a “modest” impact on our environment.

BP apparently don’t want us to know the truth.

Image source: bigpicture.

Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off.

Colin Powell makes the case: pissing people off is both inevitable and necessary. This doesn’t mean that the goal is pissing people off. Pissing people off doesn’t mean you’re doing the right things, but doing the right things will almost inevitably piss people off.

Understand the difference.

“Good leadership involves responsibility to the welfare of the group, which means that some people will get angry at your actions and decisions. It’s inevitable, if you’re honorable. Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity: you’ll avoid the tough decisions, you’ll avoid confronting the people who need to be confronted, and you’ll avoid offering differential rewards based on differential performance because some people might get upset.

Ironically, by procrastinating on the difficult choices, by trying not to get anyone mad, and by treating everyone equally “nicely” regardless of their contributions, you’ll simply ensure that the only people you’ll wind up angering are the most creative and productive people in the organization.”

Source: Tim Ferriss

Sign from the Village of Crestwood: “English is Our Language – No Exceptions – Learn it. Mayor Lester Stranczek”

Except that “Exceptions” got spelled wrong. Perhaps English isn’t our language after all.

No, I know, you shouldn’t make fun out of spelling errors! When you write a blog, this happens all the time. Something that comes with cell phones and micro-blogging, I guess. So, Lester, I am sorry. But sign was kind of funny. Don’t you think?

Image source: Pargon’s Photostream on Flickr (The stream has more signs seen primarily at Tea Party Protests. All feature “creative” spelling or grammar.)