Busy, busy, busy…

My bad for not spending more time blogging.  Just having a hard time finding the time to post.  Between conducting classes and traveling, the time is tight.  Appreciate those die-hards who keep coming by.

Filed under: Business, Iraq, Thanks

GM to pull the plug on Pontiac car brand – Apr. 24, 2009

Not that I was a big fan of Pontiac, but it does seem to be and end an age…

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — General Motors is preparing to announce that the Pontiac car brand, once marketed as GM’s "Excitement division," will be killed off, according to a source familiar with the decision.
An official announcement is expected Monday. GM spokesman Jim Hopson declined to comment on Pontiac’s fate, saying the automaker has no announcements to make at this time.

 

Filed under: Business

I’m baaaaack…

Well, made through the last few months relatively unscathed, despite rising mortgage costs, unemployment and failed contracts.  I’ve been offered a pretty cool gig in line with my career experiences and insight, unfortunately, the position will entail leaving the country for large blocks of time.

Rumor has it I’ll have Internet connectivity, a TV, small refrigerator and my own shower in my “foreign” domicile.  No doubt having a lot of time to my self after work hours, I’ll be filling them up with blogging and video chats back home with the family.

I leave for the East Coast next week to start the process and flying out to my destination shortly after.  Those of you who are really bored and actually read my posts/twitters can follow me there.

You can expect future content to still be humble political opinions, but  will now add sanitized info on what I’m helping on – Operational Security considerations, y’know.

Filed under: Business, Thanks, Thoughts

Section 8 Housing, The $700 billion bailout and your taxes

Here’s a guest post from a buddy of mine.  He doesn’t know he’s writing a guest post, though.

CD says:

The fact that Democrats and Republicans are feverishly working together to use your taxes (now a burden of $10,000 per individual) to pay for their elitist social engineering. Below is the link between illegal aliens working in the US with IRS issued ITIN’s and Federal Section 8 Housing Vouchers used to make mortgage payments, or all things. 

The financial collapse, focused on mortgages given to ITIN holders and Section 8 Housing recipients, is where your government openly told regulators in the banking industry to back off and make loans to under- and un-qualified individuals.

Special note: This mortgage collapse is directly tied to illegal alien “comprehensive legislation” that went no where two years ago. In the end, we will be paying for ITIN and Section 8 individuals walking out of their over-mortgaged homes stripped of the A/C, ranges, refrigerators, and packed up flat screens, DVD’s, PC’s and XBox all at your expense. 

The IRS issues ITINs to individuals who are required to have a taxpayer identification number but who do not have, and are not eligible to obtain, a Social Security Number (Washington code speak for illegal aliens). ITINs are issued regardless of immigration status because “nonresident aliens” may have Federal tax return and payment responsibilities under the Internal Revenue Code. Individuals must have a filing requirement and file a valid federal income tax return to receive an ITIN, unless they meet an exception (Washington code for illegal aliens are working in the US and must pay federal tax).

Filed under: Business, Democrats, Economics, Immigration, National Budget, Republicans

Jessica; Photoshop versus Copyright.

“I’m not bad, I’m just photoshopped that way…”

A common legal question in the realm of artistic license – is it a personal work of art or a copyright violation?  We have recently seen many instances of the power of Photoshop, most recently the Iranian Missile launch.  But, the photo below may actually cross the line and enter copyright territory.

 

Found in several places on the Internet, the Photoshop Jessica Rabbit could be landmine for the talented artist at Pixeloo.  Or would the infringement only come if the artist attempted to sell the image.  Disney is usually pretty heavy handed on dealing with violations of “fair use doctrine”.

Disney lawyers’ heads must be spinning over this one. A movie posted on Stanford University’s site called “A Fair(y) Use Tale” mashes up all your Disney favorites to humorously and effectively explain copyright law.

But, this picture has been out on the web for a while with no apparent backlash.  But, I imagine that should the photo get more exposure, the risk will increase.

Filed under: Business, Movies, Technology

Return of Fairness Doctrine Could Control Web Content

 

FCC Commissioner: Return of Fairness Doctrine Could Control Web Content.  McDowell warns reinstated powers could play in net neutrality debate, lead to government requiring balance on Web sites.

In case you aren’t familiar with the Fairness Doctrine, the basic premise is that media outlets must give equal time to opposing points of view – in the interest of fairness.

There’s a huge concern among conservative talk radio hosts that reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine would all-but destroy the industry due to equal time constraints. But speech limits might not stop at radio. They could even be extended to include the Internet and “government dictating content policy.”

It all started at radio and TV, but now we’re seeing potential threats to Internet news providers.

Do we want the government it determine our content based on fairness?  Hmmm, seems to be destined along the line of “affirmative action”.  Democrats want it, Repubs do not.

FCC Commissioner: Return of Fairness Doctrine Could Control Web Content

Filed under: Business, Democrats, Politics, Republicans

Washington Post Blows Front Page Story

Reason 3,574 to not trust the main stream media…

Washington Post Blows Front Page Story
by Amanda Carpenter

The Washington Post was forced to issue a substantive correction to a front page story that stated GOP presidential candidate John McCain received “unlikely” campaign contributions through an unscrupulous bundler after Townhall questioned the facts of the article.

Amanda Carpenter :: Townhall.com :: Washington Post Blows Front Page Story

Filed under: Business, Politics, Readings

Hoping For Recession

Okay everyone, let’s review this and see if we can prove it wrong through diligent, scientific research!

I suggest you start here…

RedPlanetCartoons » Hoping For Recession

Filed under: Business, History

Absolut Offensiveness: Bumped to top…

Updated: Sunday 6 April. 

MEXICO CITY —  The Absolut vodka company apologized Saturday for an ad campaign depicting the southwestern U.S. as part of Mexico amid angry calls for a boycott by U.S. consumers.

From Foxnews.com

You’ve seen these Absolut Vodka adds before, but you may have not seen this one. Read more at La Plaza in the Los Angeles Times. 

The whole concept taps into the idea that the U.S. pretty much stole all of what was Mexican territory.  Of course that’s all b.s. cuz we pretty much purchased most of the territory.  And what we didn’t purchase was part of the ole “Independance from Mexico” thing, i.e.; the Bear Flag Revolution in California and the Lone Star Republic of Texas…

It’s all wishful thinking on their part, but it’s inflaming a lot of folks.

Filed under: Ass Clowns, Business

Technology Dies a Quiet Death

Nuke’s News and Views clips a story that most folks will never notice.  Seems Best Buy is quietly retiring all their analog TV’s.

Best Buy said today it has stopped selling analog televisions and pulled all remaining stock from its shelves, signaling the end of an era as consumers increasingly move toward digital products with flat-panel and high-definition screens.

Best Buy, one of the nation’s top electronics retailers, heralded the reign of digital TVs, saying it made the move “as the end of the analog broadcast era draws near.”

According to an AP article posted at MSN,

Beginning Feb. 18, 2009, broadcasters will stop transmitting analog signals. Non-digital television sets that are not attached to a cable or satellite service or not equipped with special converter boxes will no longer work.

Will many folks notice?  Will many folks care?  Probably not, but the end of analog TV joins the trash heap of outmoded technology.  Remember these?  I’ve added captions for you younglings (or old’uns) who may not recognize the devices

or this?

or?

I don’t consider myself old by any stretch of the imagination, but I’m still amazed at how quickly technology changes.  The things I dreamed of as a kid are already coming true.

For comparison, here’s what the previously shown devices look like today…

Filed under: Business, Thoughts

Starbucks, they know business.

Starbucks, perhaps the biggest coffee retail chain going is really very shrewd!!!  I love it, they are the pure essence of capitalism, creating a niche, establishing brand identity, knowing their market, capitalizing on trends and above all, making huge buckaroos! But, in order to keep the socialistic, dhimmicrats in line, they maintain this pseudo-liberal image, with non-conservative artists playing over their in store music systems, portraying themselves as earth friendly and non-traditional.  I love their latest gimmick, putting “nice” little,  “The Way I See It” letters on their cups.

Have you heard the latest, though?  Someone decided to quote a Rick Warren, author of A Purpose Driven Life, who said,

The Way I See It #92
“You are not an accident. Your parents may not have planned you, but God did. He wanted you alive and created you for a purpose. Focusing on yourself will never reveal your purpose. You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will never make sense. Only in God do we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny.”– Dr. Rick Warren
Author of The Purpose-Driven Life.

Wow, can you imagine the women who wrote in to protest that?  She was really pissed that such a “religious” idea could ever be published.  So much for freedom of speech, only when it fits their ideologies.

But, anyway, my real point is that Starbucks likes to portray itself as an earth friendly, green company, which really appeals to the Dems.  And it works extremely well to cover the fact that SB is a HUGE corporate entity, the epitome of Big Business.  Here’s some stats from DataMonitor:

Revenue Analysis:

The company recorded revenues of $7,787 million during the fiscal year ended October 2006, an increase of 22.3% over 2005.

Starbucks Corporation generates revenues through three business divisions: US (79.3% of the total revenues during fiscal year 2006), international (16.7%) and global consumer products group (CPG) (3.9%).

Revenues by Division

The US, Starbucks’s largest geographical market, accounted for 79.3% of the total revenues in the fiscal year 2006. Revenues from the US reached $6,178.6 million in 2006, an increase of 15.8% over 2005.

International accounted for 16.7% of the total revenues in the fiscal year 2006. Revenues from ‘international’ reached $1,302.9 million in 2006, an increase of 25.9% over 2005.

The CPG accounted for 3.9% of the total revenues in fiscal 2006. Revenues from CPG reached $305.5 million in 2006. This segment was formed in fiscal 2006

Lastly, SB finds itself in an odd position.  Despite the company’s attempts to portray itself as earth friendly, it has sullied its image, at least in China, where the Forbidden City location is causing protests.  Seems the Chinese find the company culturally insensitive by having an outlet so close to a richly culturally relevent location.

Filed under: Business