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HP asked a court on Tuesday to block Hurd, HP’s former CEO, from joining Oracle, saying his hiring by the rival technology firm puts HP’s trade secrets “in peril.”
Oracle Corp CEO Larry Ellison fired back, calling the lawsuit “vindictive” and saying HP’s board is making it “virtually impossible” for the two companies to partner together.
Cathie Lesjak, who became HP’s interim CEO after Hurd was forced out on Aug. 6 over expense account irregularities, said on Wednesday at the Citigroup Global Technology Conference that Ellison’s comments “strained” the relationship a bit.
But she added: “At the end of the day, business will prevail and, ultimately, we will go back to being good partners, and competitors where we’ve been competitors.
“I believe that HP is important to Oracle and Oracle is an important partner of ours.”
HP shares fell 3.6 percent to $38.48 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange, while Oracle shares fell 1 percent to $24.01 on the Nasdaq.
Terry McMillan’s long awaited sequel to Waiting To Exhale is called Getting To Happy, and it arrives in bookstores September 7th. McMillan is coming to town on Wednesday, September 8th. She is doing a booksigning that night at the Free Library of Philadelphia, 19th and Vine Streets.
Vanessa Williams is geared up for the new season of Desperate Housewives. Williams is joining the cast along with Actor Reggie Austin, who plays her basketball player husband. The new season kicks off September 26th. Williams looks amazing in the promos.
Eric Benet’s new album, Lost In Time, arrives in stores in November. The first single is Sometimes I Cry. The album features Faith Evans, Chrisette Michele, Ledisi and Eddie Levert.
Now speaking of Whoopi, she has a new book coming out called Is It Just Me. In the book, Goldberg says what’s on her mind. Goldberg even talks about style saying she loves being comfortable. The book comes out in October. Goldberg recently had to leave the London production of Sister Act to care for her mom who had a stroke.
Despite a little confusion, the number one movie for the past week was Takers. Idris Elba, T.I., Matt Dillion, Paul Walker, Michael Ealy and Chris Brown stormed the box office taking in almost $21 million. I hear there will be a Takers sequel. Takers Co-star Idris Elba is going to be the Honorary Chairperson along with Jimmy Rollins at this year’s Philly’s Men
Values – by Lennis
Dictionary defines values as, “A principle standard or
quality regarded as worthwhile or desirable”
Our values are right because we say they are
Yet we keep changing near and far
Can we keep our word about values
We are constantly changing our arrival, and survival
We do this as individuals and societies
Changing is a product of evolution
Turn around and will become an ultrasound society
Yes these values are perfect
You should remain firm
If this is what you truly believe
This interprets who and what we are
Nothings stays the same, nor can
anything remain unchanged.
There are usually clear indications from the beginning, if you know what to look
for. Some of these signs are so clear, that a fraudulent reader might as well
put up a sign saying “RIPOFFS HERE”. Study the information or literature that
the reader has available. Be on the look out for any psychic who seems to be
trying deliberately to cultivate a “gypsy fortune teller” image. I have worked
next to true gypsy readers and have heard tales both good and bad, just like
everyone else. However, those who try too hard to cultivate such an image are
more often interested in show business than in serious substance. This often
goes together with outrageous claims: “Madame So-n-So… Knows All…Sees All”
If Madame So-n-So knows ALL…what is she doing readings at the Psychic Fair
for $20? Worst of all – I have encountered so-called “gypsy psychics” who are
not even gypsies – so they end up giving true gypsy psychics a bad name, while
exploiting their mysterious
image in the popular imagination.
The Curse Scam
If any psychic speaks to you of “curses”, and offers to remove them for a fee, I
suggest you grab your pocketbook and head for an exit. If I said anything, I
would tell such a person that I don’t believe in curses, but I do know a scam
when I hear one. If I had not yet paid, I would not offer to. If you are at a
psychic fair, and something like this happens to you, report the incident to the
fair management. In big psychic fairs you will be refunded any money paid, and
the reader will be fined or expelled. The promoter has an interest in running a
“clean” fair, and will want to know if anyone is “scamming” this way. It is
fraud, and it’s against the law. “Curses” are nothing but a prelude to an
escalating series of demands by the reader who will charge to remove them. Of
course the curse is purely imaginary, but a clients life can become a living
hell if you choose to believe in one.
One psychic told me a story of a local client who went to a reader who convinced
her that her problems with romance were caused by a “curse on her love life”. A
national TV talk show exposed such scams, complete with magic tricks to show the
client how “evil the curse was”. There would be a hairball inside an unbroken
egg to prove a client was cursed. As silly as this image seems, two of the
clients taken for a $10,000 ride were well-educated urban professionals. In a
vulnerable, highly emotional state, it can be easy to convince even educated
professionals that they have been “cursed”.
When my client ran out of money, the psychic suggested that she be allowed to
use her Visa card to pay for her “services”. This woman was not “cursed” at all.
When helped to see that her problems with relationships reflected a
co-dependency problem, I am sure she began the road to recovery. Deep issues
like co-dependency or adult child difficulties cannot be cured by a magic wave
or gesture. A serious person must seek out competent help, and be willing to
work things through.
There are other scams, “blessed” candles that sell for outrageous amounts of
money (anything over $30 unless the candle is huge, or is an art-piece),
“exorcisms” and other questionable practices. Many practices that I might
consider fraudulent at worst, or useless at best, are held in high esteem by
some of my colleagues, but you can bless your own candles, and you should learn
how to clear the energy in your home yourself. If you feel that you need these
services, try to find them on a donation basis, or at a reasonable fee. I would
want to pay a psychic for her time, and I would judge how much time it takes to
“clear” a space, and pay her at the same rate as her readings. If you wish to
pay more out of the goodness of your heart or gratitude that is one thing – if
you feel you have to because you are afraid she will “curse” you, that is
something different altogether.
There are two schools of thought where it comes to psychic services. One might
say that it is wrong to charge at all. People who hold this view think that the
psychic gift is a “holy” one, and should not be a business. I argue that a
painter or a doctor has a divine gift too, and just as rightly deserves a reward
for their time and knowledge and just not an outrageous one.
Some additional thoughts …
Don’t let yourself be pressured into readings or purchases. That is the first
sign of a scammer.
If you are or have been a victim of this kind of scam, or something similar, you
absolutely must report it to the police! If you are not concerned about
yourself, at least think of others. You can prevent a serious crime (recently I
read of two elderly victims being fleeced for over a million dollars).
You can report anonymously, through your local Crime Stoppers, if you fear
retribution. Don’t be afraid if you report, that the so-called “psychic” will
curse you. Most of these cads are about as psychic as the average brick, to
begin with.
And remember … no-one can “curse” you without your permission. It’s less a
function of the psychic ability than it is one of suggestion. There are sections
in the book that teach you how to deflect negative energy if you feel that this
is a real risk, but I can assure you it is unlikely. Most “curses” work because
the victim is aware of them and believes in them.
Only 12 members of Congress voted to approve health benefits for “1st Responders” to 911 Twin Towers.
Yes the Democrats overwhelmingly passed it. It has been years since 911 and the folks that involved
their lives to save whomever are now greatly disturbed with health concerns – OK who knew. What the
outcome effects would be. These folks Fire Dept, Police Dept, Medics put there lives on the line to help.
And this is how Congress rewards them for a job well done to the best of their ability – well damn Congress.
And you wonder why – folks are voting for anybody other than the incumbent to stand for there City,
or State reps. How dare you put these folks on the back burner. Do you have no shame or guilt what you
are doing to these folks. Understandably the economics in this country are steep, why do you think that
President Obama wanted the Health Care Reform bill past. Not just for future clients, but present ones in
need as well. Congress when are you going to get off your azz and stop throwing a rock and then hiding
your hand. You took your offices with a “vow” to pledge and help your constituents of your state and
others. Do not turn a blind eye to the needs of Americans, families are involved here and future generations.
Have you thought about what your legacy would be when you depart your office? Was it to help or hinder
the causes of citizens of the USA? Or is it money talks and bullshyt walks Congressmen Republicans.
Isaiah Mustafa, the former NFL player whose fame skyrocketed as “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,” has just been cast opposite Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman in Warner Bros. upcoming comedy “Horrible Bosses.”
The film follows three friends who conspire to murder their awful bosses for standing in the way of their happiness. Mustafa will portray a police officer.
“It’s a smaller role, but who wouldn’t want to be in one of these funny, irreverent comedies?” Mustafa tells the Hollywood Reporter. “The cast is great. I’m playing a cop because I play these authoritative characters well. I don’t know exactly who I’m in the scene with — maybe Jennifer Aniston.”
The casting in “Horrible Bosses” follows parts in Tyler Perry’s “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf,” as well as an upcoming guest spot on NBC’s action-comedy “Chuck.”
All this comes on the heels of Nielsen data indicating that sales of Old Spice body products are up a monumental 107% in the past month as a result of his Emmy-nominated spots, and the Old Spice YouTube channels have been viewed more than 58 million times.
Mustafa’s second ad for the company premiered in recent weeks, and it could be his last.
“As far as commercials, I don’t think there are any more lined up,” he says. “They could always change their mind and want more. I signed on to be their spokesperson for a year, so I still have a few months left.”
In truth, there is nothing evil, only objective phenomena and experience.
If you want guarantees in life, then you don’t want life. You want rehearsals for a script that’s already been written. Life by its nature cannot have guarantees, or its whole purpose is thwarted.
Tea Party & NAACP just stop it! You two act like children in the school yard playing keep away. Put the ball down, and grow the hell up.
The person of great wisdom needs little sleep.
Nothing in this universe occurs by accident. There is no such thing as an “accident,” nor is there any such thing as “coincidence”.
Power comes from inner strength. Inner strength does not come from raw power. In this, most of the world has it backwards. Power without inner strength is an illusion. Inner strength without unity is a lie. A lie that has not served the race, but that has nevertheless deeply embedded itself into our race consciousness.
The degree to which a culture is evolved is demonstrated by the degree to which it labels a being or an action……”shameful” or “guilty”.
Mark Williams, the tea party leader who wrote a blog post this week calling the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) racist, has been “expelled” from the National Tea Party Federation.
Williams wrote the blog post on Thursday in response to the NAACP’s Tuesday declaration accusing the tea party movement of tolerating racist elements in its midst (see The Upshot’s rundown on the week of attacks and counterattacks here). It was written as an imaginary letter to President Abraham Lincoln and accused the NAACP of being racist for using the word “colored” in its name. When some reacted to it in outrage, Williams deleted it from his website, declaring it time to “move forward.”
The National Tea Party Federation apparently decided to move forward without Williams. Spokesman David Webb said on Face the Nation this morning that Williams and his Tea Party Express had been pushed out because Williams’ posting was “clearly offensive.”
The tea party movement has been growing in influence in American politics since it began as a series of rallies in 2009. Candidates endorsed by local and national organizations that are a part of the coalition have won surprising victories over establishment Republican Party candidates in states like Kentucky and Nevada.
Part of their challenge, however — especially in handling broader debates about what they “are” — is that there isn’t a single Tea Party that speaks for all tea party activists. Rather, there are dozens of national and local organizations that loosely coordinate and all emerged in opposition to Wall Street bailouts that occurred under Presidents Bush and Obama and what they perceive as the Obama Administration’s efforts to expand the role of government. The question of whether or not it also has racial motivations has dogged it since the beginning.
National Tea Party Federation’s expulsion of Williams and the Tea Party Express could be the first of many internal disputes to define the national tea party identity.
thxs Golis
This story is nearly unbelievable, but anything is possible in America. Two teens are claiming Craigslist helped them sell their bodies and become sex slaves.
They say, “Craigslist makes horrific acts like this so easy to carry out, and the men who arrange them very rich,” said one of the teens, who said she was forced into prostitution at the age of 11.
The girls submitted an open letter to the Washington Post about the Internet classifieds site in a time when a federal judge kept an investigation of Craigslist “adult services” section. The Letter was posted as an ad.
One of the young ladies said a pimp “put my picture on Craigslist, and I was sold for sex by the hour at truck stops and cheap motels, 10 hours with 10 different men every night. This became my life,” read an account by “AK.” Men “answered the Craigslist advertisements and paid to rape me.”
Craigslist has been deemed the Wal-Mart of online sex trafficking. Ouch.
Sex trafficking: 1. Does happen 2. Happens in America 3. Happens via Internet.
In the words of Antoine Dodson, “Hide yo’ kids, hide yo’ wife, and yo’ husband cuz they rapin’ er’body out her’.”