January 18, 2016 -- Suncor Acquires Canadian Oil Sands

 Oil & Gas 360 is reporting: $4.5 Billion Deal Reached: Suncor to Acquire Canadian Oil Sands

The joint announcement, released on January 18, 2015, includes a sweetened transaction value of about US$4.5 billion for COS, inclusive of an estimated about US$1.6 billion in debt.

The transaction is a straight stock-for-stock exchange and each COS shareholder will receive 0.28 SU shares in exchange for each COS share, a 12% increase compared to the initial offer of 0.25 SU shares in exchange for a full COS share.

Once the merger is complete, Suncor will own nearly half the interest in Alberta’s massive Syncrude oil sands project. COS estimates the project will average 2016 gross production of 260 to 301 MBOPD in a guidance document.

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Que Sera, Sera

Finally, the RNC shows some .... whatever the word is. The RNC has formally cut ties with NBC which means the previously scheduled debate will go on, but it will not be hosted by NBC. This debate comes after the first round of voting -- Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada will have already voted by the time this debate is scheduled to be televised. Interest will be "sky-high" and the NBC folks won't be televising it.

I would go with ESPN: it's owned by Disney, the same company that owns Mickey Mouse and ABC.

Update: CNN will moderate the debate, not NBC. Things in media-land are in bad shape when CNN is considered an "honest broker," and NBC is not. 

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Que Sera, Sera Redux

So, under the new regime, how has the French economy fared? Breaking news this past weekend:

France's President Hollande declares state of economic emergency, wants to redefine economic mode. Whatever that means. Probably lost in translation.

The BBC is reporting:

President Francois Hollande has set out a €2bn (£1.5bn) job creation plan in an attempt to lift France out of what he called a state of "economic emergency".

Under a two-year scheme, firms with fewer than 250 staff will get subsidies if they take on a young or unemployed person for six months or more.

In addition, about 500,000 vocational training schemes will be created.

France's unemployment rate is 10.6%, against a European Union average of 9.8% and 4.2% in Germany.

Mr Hollande said money for the plan would come from savings in other areas of public spending.

"These €2bn will be financed without any new taxes of any kind," said President Hollande, who announced the details during an annual speech to business leaders.

Que Sera, Sera, Doris Day