So I was surfing around last night, like I usually do, when an odd window appeared. It was one of those popups designed to look like a real application window, and in this case, it had a bunch of made-up visuals on it designed to make me think that it was an antivirus scanner, and that it had found a bunch of junk on my computer. It called itself “Antivirus System PRO”, and I immediately recognized it as bullshit, and closed the window. Then I noticed something else odd: it had stuck an icon in the taskbar tray, down by the clock. No fake app popup I’ve ever seen can do that. And that’s when it started to take over.

Clicking or right-clicking on the taskbar tray icon merely re-displayed the window I’d closed earlier. Fine, I’ll start Task Manager and kill it that way. Except a Ctrl-Shift-Esc didn’t open Task Manager, it opened an error window saying that taskmgr.exe was infected, and it had been blocked from starting. Fine, time to consult Google on how to get rid of it. I had Chrome open, and Ctrl-T’d to open a new tab. Except I got the same error window again, this time saying that chrome.exe was infected. Ok, I’ll just re-use an already-open tab to get to Google. I’m instead re-directed to a page explaining that that link has been blocked, and I’m offered a link to purchase the “full” version of Antivirus System PRO in order to remove the problem.

I do a Windows+R to get the Run box, with the intent to start cmd.exe to see if maybe there’s a command-line way of killing this thing. cmd.exe gets blocked by the same error window as before. Attempting to start other browsers also doesn’t work. Ok, I know that Internet Explorer is integrated into Windows Explorer, so if I open a Windows Explorer window, I can just type a web URL into the address bar, and bam, I’m surfing. It lets me open a Windows Explorer window, but entering any link in the address bar takes me back to the page I mentioned before. The page that I’m redirected to, bizarrely, says it’s on microsoft.com — all part of the ruse, no doubt.

Fine, you piece of shit. You may be on this computer, but you’re not on the computer a room away. I start that one up, search a bit, and find out that Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware can get rid of this thing. It so happens I have that installed on the infected computer, but of course, I can’t start it because it just gets blocked like any other program I try to run. So I restart into safe mode, update Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware, and run it. It finds and nukes the bastard into oblivion.

It’s at this part that I start to think, and I start to get infuriated.

First, how did the thing get on my computer to begin with?

I used to believe that when people said that they got a virus, and that they didn’t download, install, or run anything suspicious to get it, they were delusional or mistaken or just plain lying. But that’s exactly my situation here: I was literally just surfing around, not running anything out of the ordinary, not visiting any sites out of the ordinary, when the bloody thing just showed up and took over.

But what infuriates me more than being a “power user” and still getting outfoxed by malware is that someone made this malware.

See, in our day and age, software is so widely and easily available that we take it for granted that people make it. We just go to a web page, click a link, install, and run. But it doesn’t just appear out of nowhere. Somebody made that software, and put it up on that web page for you to download.

So, as far as malware goes, it isn’t some rogue program that appeared out of thin air one day and started spreading. Somebody made it. Which means that somebody sat down and decided to make it; they thought about this thing, and planned out, and then created, all of the awful things that it does. Using computers as a means, someone made the conscious decision to hurt other people. That bothers me.

What bothers me more, though, is how readily I was steered to a page where I could buy myself out of this bullshit. In other words, not only did someone make the decision to create software that would maliciously take over other people’s computers, they thought up a way that they could make money off of it.

And not everybody is as resourceful as me. Not everybody has access to another computer that they could use to bail themselves out. Plenty of people out there would be totally helpless against this thing, and would be absolutely forced into paying to get rid of it. Which means that at some point, someone realized the potential of this helplessness… and so they decided to make some software that would allow them to profit from that helplessness. That bothers me.

But what bothers me most, though? It most likely wasn’t built by just one person. And the people that built it were likely paid by someone else to build it. That means that multiple people were involved in creating something designed to exploit the weaknesses of others, and nobody said no. Nobody stood up and said “hey, this doesn’t seem right, maybe we shouldn’t be making this”. Or maybe they did, and they got fired, and replaced by someone that would comply. Regardless, the software was completed, released, and now the participants can sit back and pretend that the rich ends justify the unscrupulous means.

But ultimately, they don’t get to win. For all of the bad that these selfish assholes can come up with, there’s people that make software like Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware. People that decided to use their powers for good; people that sit around all day and use their brains to squash the assholes. And then, on top of the altruism that comes along with creating such software, they give their software away for free. It’s the sort of thing that can restore one’s faith in the race.

Over heel New York vind je illegale billboards en reclameadvertenties. Enkele inwoners waren het beu dat de adverteerders de openbare ruimtes inpikten, en besloten actie te ondernemen. Dat deden ze door 120 illegale billboards te overschilderen met kunstwerken.

Meer info vind je op hun website.

http://www.publicadcampaign.com

     It’s kind of funny for me to see this protest and demonstration occurring at the University of California campuses now because in 1992 during my freshman year in college, I tried to stage a protest and boycott of my college’s clubs and student organizations due to the offensive mascot of the school (an Apache), and it’s woefully stereotypical yearly activity of beating a war drum for 24 consecutive hours as to mock the culture of the native American tribe for which the school’s mascot was named. I was ignored and ostracized from my academic department, and subsequently identified by the faculty as one who wouldn’t be considered for any benefit of having attended the school through issuance of recommendation letters or invitations to symposiums on graduate study and professional opportunities. The friends I had, in retrospect, were only concerned with graduation, the perfunctory socialization one receives in college, and securing social and financial standing–cultural ills and divisive inequalities be damned! How absolutely regretful some of my classmates must be now, that they not only didn’t heed the warning of my naive example, but that the course of their lives was being constructed by someone other than themselves?

       This protest is too little too late, because after my experience in institutions of higher education with the diverse demographic group that is now the constituency of American university education, I have found that most of these, albeit studious people, are simply vacuous, selfish, servile, consumerists, waiting to buy into, or in effect, rent their independence within society from the financial-governmental-military complex. They will try to trade on what they perceive as knowledge gained in university, or social skills honed, to participate in a worldwide corporate culture of greed, and self-aggrandizement. Now that the lifeboats are full in our corporate state, metaphorically speaking, the high authorities of all institutions across the spectrum are trying to prevent entry and, maintain their own positions and that of their closest allies and relatives. The silly students and most of their haphazard parents couldn’t, or didn’t care to see this trend formulating, which has been building since 1980. We as a culture have continued to procreate wantonly, lead atomized lives fearful of organization, and have been heavily dependent on superstition to explain our predicament. We have abdicated our inalienable rights for a hot dog that can be bought at a local convenience store 24 hours a day. Now, we are seeing the consequence. There is no reason for anyone in government from Obama on down, nor is there a reason for the corporate structure to do anything to benefit the people. They know they can give us spoiled meat and contaminated blankets, and we won’t say anything. But, if someone jeopardizes the dreams of our most self- interested youth to enter the upper tiers of society, then this younger sector of society will react because their whole identity is contained within the idea that they deserve, or are better than their societal counterparts. The only difference in this mindset and those at the highest levels of power is the fact that the former hasn’t yet attained the authority to act in a similarly brutal manner. There are too many people in the world who want to live the American dream. Therefore, as is done in the stock market, one must manipulate the activity, information, and accessibility to the stock or commodity in order to displace all of the small players and preserve the large amount of profits for the insiders. The same is happening not only in our educational system, but in all sectors of our organized society.

Photo by @thedailyclog

By WENDY STEWART
Beat Staff Writer

BERKELEY — Protesting students at several University of California campuses clashed with police for a third-straight day Friday, angered by a UC Regents vote  to raise tuition at all nine institutions by 32 percent.

At UC Berkeley, 40 student protesters were cited and released by authorities after staging a 14-hour occupation of Wheeler Hall that started at 5:30 a.m. The protesters barricaded themselves inside a second floor classroom and unfurled a banner decrying recent cuts to higher education funding and the tuition fee hike.

Outside, an estimated crowd of 2,000 protesters cheered them on and clashed with riot-gear donning police officers from the University of California, Berkeley, Oakland and Alameda County Sheriff’s deputies.

• VIDEO: UC DAVIS: AggieTV report from inside the Thursday evening Mrak Hall protest
• VIDEO: UC BERKELEY: Police, students clash outside Wheeler Hall protest Friday
• VIDEO: UCLA: Confrontation between students, police outside Regents’ meeting Wed.
• PHOTOS: UC BERKELEY: Inside barricaded Wheeler Hall taken by protester
• UPDATES: Follow @californiabeat on Twitter for [breathless] updates on the UC system tuition hike response.

A raucous scene, broken intermittently by skirmishes between baton-wielding law enforcement personnel and angry students, capped a week of high-profile student protests that many likened to the 1960s anti-war movement at Cal.

UC Students, angered by a Thursday vote by the University’s governing board to raise tuition to over $10,000 annually, have organized impromptu “takeovers” and “occupations” of buildings throughout the nine campus system in the past 72 hours.

At UC Davis, an estimated crowd of 250 protesters staged an evening sit-in at the school’s Dutton Hall – an administrative building that houses offices for student services. The crowd of students left before police moved in and arrested anyone.

On Thursday night, 52 protesters at UC Davis were arrested and booked into the Yolo County Jail after they refused to leave Mrak Hall – the school’s administrative headquarters – after closing time.

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Law enforcement from as far away as Sacramento were called in to take the students into custody and contain hundreds of protesters who surrounded the building in support of the student takeover.

The UC Davis Student Senate attempted to hold their bi-weekly meeting inside the shuttered building but were kept out by police.

It didn’t stop them from holding an emergency vote on the steps of the building — surrounded by student protesters — to pass a no-confidence resolution at UC President Mark Yudof and the UC Regents.

At UC Santa Cruz, student protesters continued to stage sit-ins at two campus buildings Friday evening — Kerr Hall and Kresge Town Hall — in their own protest against the fee hikes.

Earlier this week, UC Santa Cruz students poured out into intersections at the school’s main entry points to the campus loop and blocked all incoming traffic, virtually shutting down the campus.

And at UCLA, where the protesting ignited and where UC Regents met to vote, calm settled onto campus Friday after two days of clashes with campus police and a takeover of the school’s Campbell Hall.

Hundreds of students kept UC Regents from leaving their meeting hall Thursday afternoon by blocking entrance points and staging sit-ins along roadways to protest the vote. Police had to be called in to safely escort the Regents off the campus.

The uproar over the soaring costs of attending a UC campus is gaining national attention with all eyes set on California and its dire fiscal situation.

The 32 percent increase hit the boiling point for frustrated students who have seen costs rise for eight consecutive years.

The UC system — regarded as an acclaimed educational institution — is seeing funding from the state slashed at record proportions. The flush budgets that campuses enjoyed when the economy was in better shape, and when the state saw relative stability through budget cycles, has all but dried up.

Regents, in voting for the tuition hike Thursday, were quick to regard the lack of state funding as to why fees had to rise. The University is now asking students and their families to contribute money that California previously contributed to cover educational costs.

The governor and the state legislature, Regents argued, were to blame about the hikes.

And with the state facing deeper fiscal debt in the coming years, Yudof, the UC president, couldn’t promise that there would be no more fee hikes to come.

Beat news sources also contributed to this report. E-mail Wendy Stewart at californiabeat@gmail.com. Join the California Beat on Facebook, and get breaking news headlines, story alerts and previews when you follow us on Twitter.

Bank Robbery
PNC Bank, 8931 Route 30, North Huntingdon, PA, Wednesday, 11/18/2009, 1:12PM.

M. O.
Lone white male entered through front door. Displayed black revolver which may have been plastic and forced customer to the floor. Made oral demand for money from multiple tellers while waving weapon at both tellers and platform personnel. Passed blue cloth bags to tellers to put money in. Told the tellers: “No dye packs!”  Exited front door and attempted to run up steps behind the branch when dye packs exploded and bags containing money were dropped. No vehicle seen.  ARMED AND DANGEROUS.

Description
Male, white, 40’s, 5′10 – 6′0″, about 200 lbs., appeared to be wearing a fake mustache, sunglasses; blue baseball cap with emblem on front, light gray sweatshirt-type zipper jacket with black collar and emblem on left chest, blue sweatpants, brown gloves, brown hiking-type shoes.

Contact
North Huntingdon Police Department, 724-863-8800
FBI – Mon Valley Resident Agency, 724-483-3122

Print

Interesting article on Minesite about African Diamonds (LSE: AFD.L) recent purchase of the AK6 mine from DeBeers and their partnership with Lucara. Of particular note was the mention of Des Kilalea, the respected diamond analyst, who seems to think a takeover could be on the cards…

“Shares In African Diamonds Soar, As Lucara Picks Up The Baton That De Beers Dropped At AK6

By Alastair Ford

Is African Diamonds in play? Des Kilalea, RBC’s well-known diamond analyst, certainly seems to think it might be. And John Teeling, the voluble executive chairman of African Diamonds itself, doesn’t seem to be ruling out such a development. Not that he’s going to go quietly. If the bids do start rolling in, he vows “to go down fighting”. One way or another, it looks like events are going to move fairly quickly from here on in on the company’s minority-owned AK6 kimberlite pipe in the Orapa district of Botswana.”

The full article can be found here.

http://gangstalkingworld.com/Forum/YaBB.pl?num=1258243095/0#3

This post was part of a long thread, so feel free to follow the above link to see the whole post.

V the series. Now I have referred to the original as a good example of a Fascist takeover. The original showed how aliens took over the earth, but it was really a take on Fascist Germany and how the takeover happened. It was a good learning experience, watching the resistances form and the battles lost and won.

The new series was not as clear, would it be as good as the original, or just a cheap take off?

Well it seems that they have done it from the ground up a little bit better.

Spoilers coming.

http://www.cinemaspy.com/article.php?id=3480

If you have not seen the new series watch it first then read. In this series the aliens land, they pretend to be here for peace, a friends of humanity, where have we all heard that before? (Hint it was in the original.)

Anyways they offer friendship in exchange for our resources, just like the first one. It’s not long before they are making friends and winning people over etc. They form the youth groups and the visitor ambassadors just like in the first one.

Just like in the first series there are people who do not trust the V’s. Here is the twist and I like this twist and deeply approve of it. The visitors have been here for years. (Just like in the movie they live.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/They_Live
You don’t know who they are, (think government informants, Nazis, Communist, anything that you want to insert.) they could be anyone. They have been incorporating themselves into our society, a takeover has been slowly happening from the inside out, the reveal of the motherships is just the final step in a bigger plan for world domination.

Eg. Here is a recent example that I think fits this mold very well. Turns out Mr. Turner was working for the feds since 1993. I am just pointing out facts, not stating anything positive or negative. Anyways he became trusted in some circles and in a pretty high position of influence, but he was according to his families blog, an Intelligence Operative since 1993.
http://family-of-hal-turner.blogspot.com/2009/11/students-protest-fbi-over-hal-turner.html

[quote]Turner was hired by the FBI in the year 2002, but the bureau revealed Turner had actually “contributed to the FBI’s Mission since 1993.” they trained him as an Intelligence Operative and
provided extensive legal advice about what is lawful, protected speech as opposed to unlawful speech. Turner relied on that training while writing his editorial but was arrested by the FBI
anyway.[/quote]

They have infiltrated every institution, government, religion, branch of society etc. The plot is trust no one, because you don’t know who they are, they could be anyone. Husbands, wives, friends, co-workers, etc. In the show V an FBI agent learns this the hard way. Her partner who she trusts and who has been her friend through thick and seemingly thin for the last seven years is not what he seems to be.

On the other hand not all Visitors are bad and there are some who are will to work with and help the resistance. The FBI agent once she realises how deep things go, eg. The ability to be able to block and intercept 9/11 calls (where have I heard that before?) realizes that she can not take them on head on and must figure out how deep it all goes, then find others like herself so they can form a resistance.

The visitors in the mean time continue with their plans for world domination, with the whole I come in peace garbage.

If this series continues on it’s path, it’s is well worth watching like the original series was. I think the remake is a relevant for this time period as the original was some years ago. I don’t think you have to be into aliens to enjoy the concept of this show, and I had my doubts, but the remake is shaping up to be as good as the first. It’s premature, but I think it’s worth tuning into.

A hostile takeover is a type of corporate takeover which is carried out against the wishes of the board of the target company. This unique type of acquisition does not occur nearly as frequently as friendly takeovers, in which the two companies work together because the takeover is perceived as beneficial. Hostile takeovers can be traumatic for the target company, and they can also be risky for the other side, as the acquiring company may not be able to obtain certain relevant information about the target company.
Companies are bought and sold on a daily basis. There are two types of sale agreements. In the first, a merger, two companies come together, blending their assets, staff, facilities, and so forth. After a merger, the original companies cease to exist, and a new company arises instead. In a takeover, a company is purchased by another company. The purchasing company owns all of the target company’s assets including company patents, trademarks, and so forth. The original company may be entirely swallowed up, or may operate semi-independently under the umbrella of the acquiring company.

Typically, a company which wishes to acquire another company approaches the target company’s board with an offer. The board members consider the offer, and then choose to accept or reject it. The offer will be accepted if the board believes that it will promote the long term welfare of the company, and it will be rejected if the board dislike the terms or it feels that a takeover would not be beneficial. When a company pursues takeover after rejection by a board, it is a hostile takeover. If a company bypasses the board entirely, it is also termed a hostile takeover.

Publicly traded companies are at risk of hostile takeover because opposing companies can purchase large amounts of their stock to gain a controlling share. In this instance, the company does not have to respect the feelings of the board because it already essentially owns and controls the firm. A hostile takeover may also involve tactics like trying to sweeten the deal for individual board members to get them to agree.

Bust-Up Takeover

A bust-up takeover is a situation in which some or all of the assets associated with a recently acquired company are sold in order to cover the costs that were incurred during the acquisition process. In some cases, the bust-up takeover will focus on a few key assets of the corporation in order to settle the indebtedness, while still maintaining the operations and functionality of the corporation. In other situations, the focus may be on completely dismantling the company, dispensing with all associated expenses, and dividing the profits among the investors who initiated the takeover.

When a leveraged buyout is the means of orchestrating a friendly takeover of a company, the investors usually do so with an eye to restructuring the corporation and continuing operations. If this is the goal, the group of investors will often focus their attention on target companies that have a number of assets that are not central to the core business model of the corporation. As part of the restructure, those peripheral assets can be placed on the market and sold as a means of quickly recouping the expenses incurred during the takeover. Thus, the newly restructured company begins a new life with little or no debt to carry, a viable if somewhat smaller financial portfolio, and a renewed focus on the core business.

In takeovers where the aim is to acquire the company and dismantle it completely, a target company is selected that has plenty of assets which can be solid off in lots or singly. Often, in this version of a bust-up takeover, the emphasis is on a quick sale of the assets so that expenses are repaid and the remaining profit can be distributed among the investors in the hostile takeover strategy. Sometimes there is not any real effort to find buyers who want to continue to operate the company in some fashion. Instead, the focus is on selling the assets to the highest bidder.

Business news only rarely makes it into the wider public consciousness, but as the graph shows, this is different when an iconic British brand is facing a takeover by an American company. In early August, Cadbury’s BrandIndex score and share price were around +47 and 536p respectively. The possibility of Kraft’s takeover saw Cadbury’s share price jump by 250p between four and eight September, with the BrandIndex score rising to +51.

The graph suggests that consumers, whether consciously or subconsciously, feel the increasing value of the Cadbury’s brand as it becomes more attractive to other players.

This story first appeared on 11/9/09 in City AM

They want to eat everyone!!!

Like it, love it, hate it, or simply don’t care, Jay-Z is the biggest thing since sliced bread! Outside of his tremendous run in music 96-??, he seems to be getting bigger by the second. If you thought his Kingdom Come promotion was insane, what are your thoughts about the BP3 takeover? While rapper’s budgets are getting cut like fades, companies are investing more and more cheese in ya boy Hov.

Jay has been everywhere since late Aug; Oprah’s mag and show, World Series, Award shows, commercials, cable channel concerts, internet buzz (free, thanks to Beans, Game, Buddens, 50 Cent, Lil (whoever), oversees TV, baptisms, whatever. And to make em all even madder, it doesn’t seem to be slowing down! He has already dropped 3 videos for the BP3, and it is rumored he has at least one more  for us. This just doesn’t happen in 2009. We are in the middle of a recession aren’t we?

Jay-Z has simply laid down the Blueprint for rappers young and old. He seemed to have taken the hustler spirit and upgraded it for the next one. Think about it while other recording artist are complaining about sales and sitting there waiting for a company to push their album; Jay-Z is putting in work. His concert dates in one month is more than some artist do in a lifetime! He on the road like Michael during the Dangerous tour.Which basically, in the end brings in more money and records sold.

The success of The Blueprint 3 is highly credited to the marketing campaign behind it and to Jay-Z’s loyal fan base. Despite the album being leaked on the internet prior to its official release, The Blueprint 3 sold 476,000 copies in its first week of sales. The achievement help Jay-Z pass Elvis Presley to become the second artist with more No.1 albums in the 50 year history of the Billboard 200. The second week of sales resulted in 301,000 copies being sold dominating the Billboard #1 spot for two weeks straight. A month and a half later, Mr. Carter goes platinum selling nearly 1.3 million copies. (Woooha) Read more here.

Don’t know what to say haters, other than you “Can’t Knock The Hustle!” He told y’all back in 96! There is a lot more to rap these days than the music. “You can bullS@#t with rap if you want!”

Kraft Foods Inc. (Kraft) today decided to directly approach the shareholders of Cadbury in a USD 16.3 billion hostile takeover bid. The two firms have been in negotiations since September when the Kraft made the initial offer to the Cadbury management. After the negotiations were not fruitful the Kraft management today decided to roll the ball in shareholder’s court.

The offer values a Cadbury share at GBP (£) 7.17 each which is a 26 percent premium to the price before Kraft made its original proposal. The offer is against the earlier expectations of the market analysts who had hoped that the current offer would be higher than the earlier bid.

Cadbury shares saw a 1.72 percent dip on the London Stock Exchange after the announcement was made but still managed to close above the bid price at £7.63 apiece. Kraft meanwhile seemed confident that the offer was fairly priced as the price was 13.9 times the value of Cadbury’s Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA).

The Cadbury’s management meanwhile seemed confident in their analysis of the situation when they claimed that the current offer is lower than September offer since Kraft’s share prices had dropped by 4percent since September.

“The repetition of a proposal which is now of less value and lower than the current Cadbury share price does not make it any more attractive,” Roger Carr, the company’s chairman, said in a statement. “As a result, the board has emphatically rejected this derisory offer and has strengthened its resolve to ensure the true value of Cadbury is fully understood by all.”

Source: nytimes.com

Analysts believe that the merger is a good and rational choice for the American manufacturer which will gain inroads in high growth markets like India, South Africa and Mexico with Cadbury brands like trident gums and Dairy Milk chocolate. Meanwhile they also noted that Kraft will have to raise the offer to at least £8 per share.

While the two firms still debate the issue the ball is now in shareholder’s court.

Irene Rosenfeld, the Kraft boss, took the battle to shareholders saying: ‘We remain convinced of the strategic merits for both companies of combining Kraft and Cadbury.’

In a direct challenge to Cadbury executives she said her proposal offers the ‘best immediate and long-term value‘ for Cadbury shareholders.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

If the bid is successful, it will be one of the biggest mergers of the year. As of now both the firms are readying forces for a battle that may stretch for months, with an army of investment bankers and lawyers.

A Dealogic’s profile of the deal by the Wall Street Journal.

Story from Investor’s Business Daily.  (H/T ECM)

Excerpt:

Washington is quietly preparing a hostile takeover of Wall Street with a new bill that would put regulators in control of managing asset prices.

While all eyes are fixed on the cobra poised to strike the health care industry, a python is wending its way through Hill banking panels that would squeeze the life from the whole economy.

By Christmas, House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank hopes to pass legislation that would create an uber-regulatory body called the Financial Services Oversight Council.

It would give the Treasury secretary power to pick which large finance firms are “systemically critical,” or too big to fail. He’d have the final call when the government steps in to save or unwind a troubled firm.

The bill would “essentially turn over control of the financial system to the government and seriously impair competition in all areas of finance,” says former Treasury official Peter J. Wallison. It would put the government permanently in the business of picking winners and losers, he adds, creating a kind of permanent TARP.

[...]The new regulatory agency can regulate banks, bank holding companies, insurance companies, hedge funds, finance companies and any other kind of company that might be designated too big to fail.

“The existence of these designated companies will impair competition in every market they are allowed to enter,” says Wallison, “and will force the consolidation of competitors so that markets become dominated by government-backed giants like themselves.”

Under the new regime, designated companies will not be able to finance their affiliates’ sales, putting them at a severe disadvantage against foreign competitors. GE Capital, for example, would not be able to finance GE sales of aircraft engines.

In effect, designated companies will fall under the control of the feds, unable to start new activities or enter new markets or perhaps even open new offices without federal approval. “This is a degree of political control of business that has never been attempted before,” Wallison says.

When government gets involved in business, business must turn around and direct money toward influencing politicians through political contributions. And that causes them to spend less money hiring workers and producing goods, unless they avoid the regulations completely by shipping their operations, and jobs, overseas. Democrats cause firms to outsource by interfering in the free market.

My previous post explained how government regulation of business caused the recession that Obama is prolonging right now.

Kraft Food, makers of Kraft American Cheese and Oreos have made a bid to takeover British food icon Cadbury, makers of the Cadbury Creme Egg and Trident Gum.

Kraft took its $16.3 billion bid for Cadbury, the British chocolate and chewing gum maker, directly to shareholders on Monday after the Cadbury board rejected the offer as too low.

via: NY Times

US food firm Kraft launches a 9.8bn hostile takeover for UK confectioner Cadbury, taking its bid directly to shareholders…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: food. The blog is also related to: food.

US food company Kraft launches a hostile bid for UK confectioner Cadbury worth 9.8bn…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: food. For a different topic see sentence example. The blog is also related to: food.

Thought i could wear these to a party on Saturday, but i was wrong……hopefully a little water and polish will take the scuffs out, At least the party was fun

Emanuel

A lot of shifty things happen in the cover of darkness as was demonstrated last night when Obamalosicare barely passed even in the face of strong opposition from the American public.

I won’t dwell on the lone RINO who crossed over to the other side to vote in favor of government takeover.  He was bought and paid for as were many others in this tragedy.  Malkin has a great write-up on RINO Rep. Joseph Cao HERE.

What is truly disheartening is that most Americans have no idea what our government is even doing.  While anybody reading this post was probably glued to CSPAN for most of the day yesterday many probably think that Stupak is a destination, Blue-Dogs are a high school football team and that Pelosi has a soul.

Now we get ready for the Senate and I have no doubt they will push it through with the 51 votes.  People, we have the government we vote for.  And while you and I are at an advantage by even knowing the government is stealing our freedom the fact remains that our neighbors are doing nothing about it.

Get out the word, make the phone calls, attend the tea parties and let your voice be heard.  Government only has as much power as the people are allowing them to have.

@Eggoverlight on Twitter said it best:  The message is clear from the highest levels. If you are productive you will be penalized. Encourage mediocracy. Reward selfishness.

Until Americans take the power back all I can ask is:  Who is John Galt?

"Mmmmm, mmmm, good."

I pride myself on being an individual as I go through life, foregoing trends, dodging the “norm”, and I try to avoid being what society says I am, or should be. My personal style, the way I speak, and even some of the music I listen to are all atypical of the demographic I fall into. This fact has been the reason for the position I took on a heated debate that was popular in the hip hop culture a few years back. It seemed to me that everybody and their mothers were busy stiff-arming, throwing elbows and gouging eyes out to get a spot on the ever so crowded Jay-Z bandwagon. Me, not so much. I was pumping my fist hard for my boy Esco. From Illmatic, to Nastradamus, to Untitled, I was on my own wagon with elbow room for days. Then the beef started. “Takeover” and “Ether” were the most popular dis tracks in the aforementioned feud between Nas and Jay-Z back in the ealry parts of the decade, and although only one verse in “Takeover” was directed at Nas, it was undoubtedly impressive. Hov bringing to the light Nas’s subpar releases since Illmatic put him on the map, as well as pointing out Mr. Jones’s attempt at intellectual rhymes. On “Ether”, Nas retorted, putting on blast the fact that S. Carter made a habit of using Biggie’s lines and also recycled an album name that had previously been pressed up. He also turned the tables on Jay-Z’s disdain for Queens rappers evidencing that Rockafella Records is run by a Queens native in the form of one Russell Simmons. There is no doubt in my mind that Ether decided the fate of Jay-Z in this epic hip-hop, heavyweight battle, giving the unanimous decision to the “QB true G”.

Throughout the entire beef and even through the “best rapper alive” debates, I stuck with my favorite, Nas. I never relented and always had a reason why I think Mr. Jones was “the best”, as evidenced in this previous post. Now, I don’t take back anything I said about Nas, and the assertions I put forth will always stand, but I must enjoy this big plate of crow sitting in front of me and state that Jay-Z is, indeed, the……..dare I say it?  The Best Rapper Alive!!! I came to this realization this morning as I listened to the Black Album while cleaning my place up. Every single track had me nodding my head and “rapping” along with the lyrics, as weird as that may sound. At one point, I had to stop and say, “Daaammmnnnn, that boy good.” I can now honestly admit that none of Jay’s albums were disappointments. My all-time favorite of course was the first, Reasonable Doubt. 22 Two’s is probably one of the most creative songs I’ve ever heard. Brooklyn’s Finest definitely stands up to the name of the track with the greatest and the third greatest rapper from the East Coast displaying their skills on wax. Nas still holds the spot as my favorite rapper of all-time, but he now comes in an extremely close second on my “Best Rapper Alive list.”

PEACE….

CFU President Deon Theron says the latest round of farm invasions has been particularly vicious… From VOA. Full story

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L’Arsenal e’ ad un passo dal diventare l’11.o club della Premier League in mano straniera: il tycoon statunitense Stan Kroenke ha portato al 29,9% la sua quota personale e presto potrà lanciare un “takeover” al club londinese. Dopo essere passato al 29,6% martedì scorso, questa mattina Kroenke ha acquistato altre 200 azioni, la metà delle quali cedutegli dallo stesso presidente del club Peter Hill-Wood.

Secondo le regole finanziarie della City non appena avrà raggiunto il 29,99% del pacchetto azionario, il milionario di Denver dovrà presentare una proposta di acquisto della società di Emirates Stadium. Nel corso dell’assemblea annuale degli azionisti, svoltasi settimana scorsa, Kroenke aveva preferito non rispondere a chi gli chiedeva notizie sulle sue intenzioni.

Proprietario della squadra Nba Denver Nuggets e del club di football Colorado Rapids, Kroenke, soprannominato “Silent Stan”, finora non ha rilasciato dichiarazioni. Dietro l’americano, principale azionista dell’Arsenal, ci sono numerosi altri azionisti, come Alisher Usmanov (25%), Danny Fiszman (16,11%), Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith (15,9), la famiglia Hill-Wood (1,04%) e azionisti minori (12,35%).

So our now good friend Kroenke Tonk Stan has today brought his holding in the club to 29.9%, edging him ever closer to the 29.99% threshold that would require him to make a formal offer for the club.

It’s interesting to see him edging closer to that mystical figure, but to be honest I don’t think that he will do anything until next May or June as waiting until then would result in him saving some £88m as he could buy shares at the £8,500 mark as opposed to the £10,250 (if my memory serves me correctly) that he would be required to offer should he hit/pass 29.99% before then as the latter figure is the highest sum he has paid for shares in the last few months and which takeover rules dictate that he would be required to pay.

No point in speculating any more at this point as due to Kroenke Tonk Stan’s silent ways we don’t really know what his plans are. All we do know is that he does things in a much more dignified and Arsenal-esque way than that big fat Uzbeki. If he does make a move at some point, the most important thing is that he doesn’t do it by burdening the club with huge debt like has happened to ManUre and Liverpool.

Last night saw us give AZ Alkmaar a good seeing to with a great performance from the team which saw two more goals from Cesc, who really is in fine form of late, with one each for Nasri and Diaby. It was good to put in yet another strong performance and we seem to have made the Emirates a bit more fortress-like this season, which is good to see. Perhaps it is finally starting to become our real home now, although Highbury will never be forgotten as it was such a magical place to watch a game.

Anyway, short and sweet today. Have things to do.

Take it easy. I’m off to listen to the Rolling Stones…

Japanese electronics group Panasonic says it has begun the process to take over smaller rival Sanyo…. From BBC News. Full story

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And to this day, we still haven’t properly thanked Iran for this act of war.

Every year on the anniversary of the Iranian seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, where 53 Americans were held hostage for 444 days, the Iranian regime sponsors mass rallies to mark the event, with bused in pro-regime crowds burning U.S. flags and chanting “death to America” for the cameras. This year, something different happened, anti-regime protesters risked their lives to take to the streets and shout “death to the dictators’, while trying to stay one step ahead of the regime police, military, and paramilitary security forces using everything up to and including reports of live ammunition to try and stop them.

Iran protesters take to streets as regime marks 30th anniversary of US Embassy seizure

Iranian security forces used clubs, teargas and paintball guns to disperse thousands of antigovernment protesters in Tehran on Wednesday who took to the streets as thousands of regime loyalists marked the 30th anniversary of the US Embassy takeover in 1979.

While a pro-government crowd chanted anti-American slogans and burned US flags at the walls of the former embassy compound — still often called the “den of spies” – antigovernment demonstrators were caught in sometimes vicious confrontations at other locations in central Tehran in the first mass protests for six weeks.

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the embassy takeover anniversary has been an important event for rallying regime support, so the scale and boldness of the opposition turnout – after weeks of warnings from security officials that any attempt to gather would be harshly confronted—was seen as a test of opposition strength.

“Greens [won] by far. They proved that no longer can the government assemble people without any incident, and [the regime] has based everything since the beginning on [large] public assemblies,” said one witness who, like others quoted in this story, asked not be named for security reasons. “Also, if you bring out [security] guards in such numbers, you know you are in deep trouble. The government as expected was scared.”

And while the Islamic Republic revitalizes the anti-American pillar of its revolution with a celebration, many of the radical students who took control of the embassy have since become reformist critics.

And the pro-democracy protesters had a message for Obama.

Opposition demonstrators, meanwhile, chanted “Obama, Obama, are you with us, or against us?” Many opposition activists have been critical of Mr. Obama for negotiating with the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whom they say was re-elected in June as a result of fraud and vote-rigging.

So, it’s the 30th anniversary of one of the most humiliating episodes in American history, an act of war that Iran still hasn’t paid any price for, and Obama decides to issue a statement to mark the event. Does he lend U.S. support to the brave pro-democracy factions, risking their lives to bring freedom to the Iranian people? Hell no, he “reaches out” again to the belligerent Iranian regime that consistently spurns U.S. diplomatic overtures on a weekly basis.

Obama calls for new relationship with Iran on anniversay of embassy takeover

President Obama today called for a new relationship with Iran in a statement that marked the 30th anniversary of the takeover by Iranian militants of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.

The seizure of the embassy by radical students marked the beginning of Iran’s turn to hard-line policies. Fifty-two Americans were held hostage for 444 days.

“This event helped set the United States and Iran on a path of sustained suspicion, mistrust and confrontation,” Obama said in his statement. “I have made it clear that the United States of America wants to move beyond this past, and seeks a relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran based upon mutual interests and mutual respect.”

Of course, Obama’s endless all carrot, no stick apologies have become something of a running joke in international circles, his weakness is palpable. Like clockwork, the Iranians rebuked Obama’s groveling with the same response they’ve used ever since Obama took office.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Rejects Engagement With U.S.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday rejected any direct engagement with the United States, stressing that the Islamic Republic will not be deceived by Washington’s “apparent re-conciliatory behavior.”

“We do not want any negotiations whose results are predefined by the U.S.,” Khamenei said Tuesday. “Iran will not be deceived by Washington’s apparent re-conciliatory behavior.”

Oh, and if Obama somehow thinks the Iranian regime is kidding when they keep telling him in no uncertain words that they have no intention of cooperating with the United States or the West, all he has to do is take a look at what Israel found today.

Israel: Commandos seize huge Iranian arms shipment

Open crates from a cargo ship seized Wednesday by Israel revealed dark green missiles inside. Containers from the vessel bore writing in English that said “I.R. Iranian Shipping Lines Group.”

Israel alleged that the shipment of hundreds of tons of rockets, missiles, mortars, grenades and anti-tank weapons — the largest it ever seized — was headed for Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon.

Israel stopped the ship, named the Francop, off the coast of Cyprus and towed it to the port of Ashdod. It carried orange, red, white and blue containers piled three deep on its deck.

Rows of crates from the vessel were displayed on the dock, and inside were rockets, hand grenades, mortars and ammunition. At least 3,000 missiles were on board, the Israeli military said.

The seizure spotlighted the dangerous tensions between Israel and Iran. Israel considers Iran a strategic threat because of its nuclear program and long-range missile development, dismissing Iranian denials that it is building nuclear weapons.

Among the weaponry displayed were Katyusha rockets. One of the long skinny missiles sat atop a pile of storage boxes the military had labeled in Hebrew “rocket 122 mm.” The 122 mm Katyusha was the main weapon used against Israel by Hezbollah in a monthlong war in 2006. During that war, about 1,200 people were killed in Lebanon, most of them civilians, and about 160 people were killed in Israel.

See also:
Iran Protests Against U.S. and Regime on Hostage Anniversary
Iran protesters hijack 30th anniversary of US embassy seizure
Protests erupt on 30th anniversary of U.S. embassy seizure
Iranian opposition and police in fresh clashes
Iranians hold anti-U.S. rallies to mark 30th anniversary of embassy takeover
Iranians Mark 30th Anniversary Of U.S. Embassy Siege, Anti-Government Protesters Dispersed
Clashes in Iran on Embassy Takeover Anniversary
Relationship With Iran Should Be Based On Mutual Interests: Obama
Obama calls for new relationship with Iran
Obama: Iran must decide what its focus is
The President Snubs Iran’s Democrats
Iran’s Courageous Dissidents Need Our Support
‘Obama Are You with Iran or with Us?’
Dialogue with Obama a trick, says Khamenei
Supreme Leader Ridicules Obama, Condemns U.S.
Iran warns US against influencing talks
Strong oil prices give confidence to Iran amid sea of troubles
Iran Boosts Output of Uranium Mine, Satellite Images Show
Israel says seized ship contained Iranian arms
Analysis: Seized arms evidence of Iran’s investment of Israel’s borders
Israel Seizes Ship Loaded With Weapons
Former Embassy Hostages Recall Anniversary of Iran Takeover
Iran hostage crisis
The Hostage Crisis in Iran
Iran Hostage Crisis
30 Years Later: Iran Hostage Crisis

/how many time does the Iranian regime have to kick Obama in the nuts before he feels the pain and humiliation, man’s up to the in your face hostility, and fights back in defense of the United States’ honor and national security?