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Seven U.S. states have joined the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit to block AT&T’s $39 billion proposed merger with T-Mobile.
The states are California, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, and Washington.
At the heart of the matter is anti-competition; in an already concentrated industry, the AT&T T-Mobile deal would shrink the field from four national players to three.
Moreover, the combined AT&T T-Mobile entity would hold a whopping 43 percent of the market share, giving it a commanding lead over its three smaller competitors.
”T-Mobile has been an important source of competition among the national carriers…Unless this merger is blocked, competition and innovation will be reduced, and consumers will suffer,” said Sharis A. Pozen, Acting Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division.
Many of the seven states that have joined the DOJ lawsuit also cited anti-competition as their concern.
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Below is what their attorney generals have said:
New York: This proposed merger would stifle competition in markets that are crucial to New York’s consumers and businesses, while reducing access to low-cost options and the newest broadband-based technologies.
Ohio: The proposed transaction threatens to substantially lessen competition for mobile wireless providers across the United States, resulting in poorer quality services, fewer consumer choices and ultimately, higher prices.
California: Our review of the proposed merger between AT&T and T-Mobile has led me to conclude that it would hinder competition and reduce consumer choice.
Illinois: Blocking this acquisition protects consumers and businesses against fewer choices, higher prices, less innovation, and lower quality service.
Washington: This merger will result in less competition, fewer choices and higher prices for Washington state consumers. If the deal goes through, two companies will control roughly three quarters of mobile subscribers in the U.S. Antitrust laws exist to prevent such strangleholds over products and services.
Massachusetts: The proposed merger would create highly concentrated markets in Massachusetts and could lead to higher prices and poorer service. Competition will best serve consumers and businesses in Massachusetts who rely on mobile wireless services in their everyday lives.
ARIES
A lot to look forward to this month, new beginnings, good for you! Sometimes in life we need to step back and see the whole picture, not just what we want to perceive. Finances will improve, just don’t overspend. Hold your mouth at work, not yet you will get your chance to have your say. Stop looking for love, love yourself, and the rest will come like a bonus!
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TAURUS
Hold on there Mr/Ms Taurus the best is yet to come. Sometimes your stubborn behavior can be hindrance to your persona. Try loosing some weight, at least start some type of health improvement this month. The time is right to make health changes. If not in the winter you will regret not taking care of some important health issues. Know who you are Taurus and stop playing games with yourself, you don’t even understand why you do the things you do sometime, so friggin stop the bullshyt please!
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GEMINI
Talk about a busy summer and early fall programs. You are up to initiated something new at work. Think about it a little bit more, and then present your ideas or platforms to your boss, you will not regret this one bit. Gemini start learning to love you, you have a generous heart of gold, that sometimes you were on your sleeve. Do something in September that truly makes you happy, smile because we love ya Gemini!
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CANCER
Cancer stop pussy footing around, and take care of busy. You have been blessed this summer to proceed in the direction of change. Believe in yourself, and it can be accomplished. Stop feeling depress all the time, look around you and see all the many blessings that have come your way. In other words either shyt or get off the pot!
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LEO
Take one step at a time. Patience is a virtue no doubt. But all will turn out as it i suppose to be. Put self on the back burner for a minute. Are you clear what it is you really want – make sure dear Leo, because your decisions this month will effect you for the rest of the year. It is better to give than receive and I don’t mean that in monetary way either Leo.
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VIRGO
Money, money, money will be your issues for September in a good way. Now Virgo make sure you put some money back for a rainy day fund. Nothing beats an understanding in anything in life. As we grow so does our understanding regarding life, spiritual, mental, and physical. Saying that, some folks will grow with us, and some folks will be left behind, – oh well……………..
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LIBRA
September is your birthday month Libra, so Happy Birthday Libra! Are you all geared up for future success? For the time being you will still have to put some more hard work in to accomplish your goals. By November things should begin to settle down for you. Stay in good health. Don’t let mental stress get you down, you are better than that. Celebrate your birthday with family and you just might get a few surprises, lol lol.
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SCORPIO
Well damn here we go again. Who did you have to cuss out one more time, they just don’t get it uh Scorpio. Folks should be forward about the Scorpio sting, oh well they will learn, lol. Finances should be good for the next few months until the end of the year. You may have to assist with the care of an elderly family member or close friend of the family. There will be a lot of paperwork coming your way, so sit down have a glass of wine and get it done! A child will excel in school this year and make you very proud. For those of you in relationships, communication and understanding is the norm……
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SAGITTARIUS
My oh my you can’t get a break if you tried. Sorry Sag it has been one of those years for you. So many changes going on internal and external. Job improvements in the future, promotion or lateral move is forthcoming. Seems your love life has been put on the back burning. Well………time to turn that sucker on to high, your fire is hot and burning – make it happen Sag do what you do best, lol!!!!! Possibility of family members moving, which is a good thing in your case. Just don’t get to happy you know, some folks return home(?). Take time this month Sag and enjoy “YOU”, been missing that person.
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CAPRICORN
Decisions have been make to benefit all concern. Thank you Cappy for sticking to your guns of choice. Sometimes folks will take your kindness for weakness, and forget the goat will bump your head (call bringing you to awareness). It’s your time now to enjoy your life and many blessings. Don’t be stubborn about what it is you want, announce your preferences and enjoy.
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AQUARIUS
Thank you for giving us the gift of humanity. You are a highly intelligent person, even if you don’t always show it, and that is fine. Because you also have the gift of being a azz hole, of course that has never stop you! Your family will be expanding so look to hear some good news! Don’t forget to organize all details for holiday traveling. Prices and time of departures could change abruptly, so be aware.
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PISCES
All your hard work has finally paid off Pisces, about damn time uh?! lol This month will be about to continue to line up all your ducks if you will, for future happiness. Take care of business and don’t delay a lot is coming your way. You are being notice, so put the medal to the pedal and go for it, you deserve it!
September 2011 Horoscopes – Straight Talk!
Foxconn Electronics is reportedly producing up to 150,000 iPhone 5 handsets per day in a surprising move as supply chain sources indicate that iPhone 5 shipments are expected to reach up to 6 million by the end of the month and will reach 22 million units by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, iPhone 4 orders in the U.S now take one to three business days to ship, indicating that Apple is expecting a slowdown in iPhone 4 production as the next generation comes in. That means, as reported Wall Street Journal earlier, the data is increasingly pointing to two releases of the iPhone 5, meaning one phone would come in fourth quarter and one shortly after. The first one is set to come within a few months, analysts predict.
However, there is one glaring missing feature — 4G high-speed network access. 4G capability should come early next year as Apple would likely not incorporate 4G LTE due to battery life issues and spotty network coverage.
There are also reports suggesting Pegatron Technology will produce 15 percent of the orders from Apple. But Pegatron is not expected to ship the product until next year, giving an indication of an iPhone 5 making it up with 4G support.
According to CultofMac, Apple will issue press invitations to the iPhone 5 launch Sept. 14 and it will take place in the San Francisco Bay Area on Sept. 21. Pre-orders will be taken Sept. 28, and the phone will be released on October. This prediction falls in line with reports of Best Buy passing on the message to its employees that the iPhone 5 could be released in the first week of October.
Various case designs have appeared in different parts of the world for next-generation iPhones with design suited for a 4-inch screen. But the latest iOS 5 beta 7, released for developers, revealed a picture of an iPhone, possibly one of the models expected to feature 3.7-inch screen, which coincides with claim made by Bloomberg earlier of an Apple next-generation smartphone closely resembling the iPhone 4.
SINGAPORE —
Starbucks Corp is planning to triple the number of its coffee shops in China during the next four years.
Starbucks Asia Pacific President Jinlong Wang told reporters Tuesday in Singapore that the world’s largest coffee retailer plans to operate 1,500 outlets in China by 2015 from a current 470.
Wang said the company also expects to open 700 coffee shops in South Korea by 2016, up from 370 now.
He said Starbucks is preparing to open its first outlets in India next year and in Vietnam in 2013.
Starbucks said in July that revenue from its international business rose 20% in the April-June quarter from a year earlier and accounted for 23 percent of overall sales of $2.93 billion.
Chinese police rescued 89 infants kidnapped for sale and arrested 369 people they said were linked to two human trafficking rings this month, state media reported on Wednesday.
In the first case, the traffickers, who were mostly Vietnamese residents, abducted children from Vietnam and sold them in China’s southern regions of Guangdong and Guangxi, the ChinaDaily said, citing an unnamed officer from Guangdong’s provincial department of public security.
In mid-July, police detained 39 suspects in connection with trafficking and rescued eight infants, aged 10 days to seven months, who had been drugged with sleeping pills, the newspaper said.
In another crackdown this month, police arrested 330 people suspected of involvement in the trafficking of baby girls, the newspaper said. The police operation took place across 14 provinces.
‘One child’ policy
The 81 infants rescued in this operation were aged 10 days to four months and are now in the care of institutions, the report said.
Efforts by China, the world’s most populous nation, to contain population growth through a strict “one child” policy, coupled with the country’s long tradition of favoring boys, have contributed to the rise in cases of trafficking in children and women.
Women are sold to men in remote areas who are unable to find brides due to the sex imbalance resulting from China’s one-child which has encouraged sex-selective abortions.
Police set up a special task force in February following the discovery of a child kidnap ring in the Guangxi region, the newspaper said.
Another trafficking operation was broken up in the poor southwestern province of Yunnan this May.
The report said that police have uncovered 39,194 cases of human trafficking in China since April 2009, the majority of the cases involving women or children.
Children were aged from just 10 days to seven months
TOKYO, Japan — Sony Corporation cut its annual sales and profit forecast amid weakened demand in the US and Europe for its televisions.
Sony, Japan’s largest exporter of consumer electronics, also confirmed it was still suffering from the aftermath of the March earthquake which has crippled its factories and disrupted its supply chain. In addition, the company has budgeted 14 billion yen ($1.1bn) in additional costs this year after suffering from extensive hacking attacks which forced it to take down its PlayStation Network for an extensive period of time.
Sony Corp reduced its net income estimate for the year to 60 billion yen ($771m), from 80 billion yen projected earlier. During the last quarter, the electronics maker made a net loss of 15.5 billion yen ($1.5bn).
In a statement, the company said sales and profit “were mainly affected by the negative impact of the Great East Japan Earthquake as well as the deterioration of the electronics business environment, and unfavorable exchange rates.”
Sony shares fell 1.1% to close at 2,013 yen in Tokyo trading ahead of the announcement – deepening this year’s share price fall to 31%.
Whoa, it’s going down. And that’s putting it mildly with the situation between Tom Joyner and Tavis Smiley.
Simply put, Joyner, who served as co-host/MC, along with Angela Bassett at theMcDonalds365Black luncheon at the Essence Festival on Friday, is flat out saying that Tavis Smiley along with his “side-piece,” Cornel West is responsible for the climate that’s made it comfortable for Obama haters like Time magazine’s Mark Halperin to call President Obama a “dick.”
The reaction to Joyner’s commentary is bound to be “interesting” to say the least and it’ll be surprising if it doesn’t set off a firestorm of reactions in Black America and beyond.
My New D-Word for Tavis and Cornel
Before I get to Mark Halperin, let me give you a little background.They say that if you’re angry with someone, you should write a letter, get all the mean stuff out, and then tear it up or delete it. When you’re a little more calm, you write another letter or confront the person face to face.
About a month ago, I wrote a blog about Tavis Smiley and decided to table it because I said some things I didn’t want to publish. You’re probably thinking I went too hard him, but no. In reality, I hadn’t gone hard enough – and I knew it. I said I’d wait until something pissed me off so bad that I would have the words harsh enough to express what I was really feeling about him and his side piece – I mean side kick – Cornel West.
Well, yesterday, when Mark Halperin – a well-respected journalist, employed by a well-respected magazine and a contributor to a well-respected news network – had the audacity to call the president of the United States a dick, that was all I needed.
While I am appalled at Halperin’s statement, I have no expectations of him as a man and know nothing about his character. I am appalled, however, that as editor-at-large of Time magazine, he is responsible for among other things, deciding what stories will be covered in that publication. As the person in charge of political content, it is upsetting to know that he probably has not been objective in his dealings with material I and so many people look forward to (until now) reading each week. Needless to say, I’ve cancelled my subscription to Time magazine and hope you will too.
But I’m even more disgusted with Smiley and West, two brothers who I did have expectations of – and thought I knew. These two have done much worse than what Halperin has done because they set the tone for it, opened the door to it, and must take much of the blame for creating a climate that would make a white, professional journalist feel comfortable verbally and vulgarly attacking the first black president of the United States.
When you think you know a person, when you’ve given a person a forum to present his views, when you’ve had a hand in a person’s success, you want to believe that he is the same person he always was.
Remember THAT Tavis – the one who could take any complicated political story that had an impact on black America and “break it down” for us every Tuesday and Thursday in less than five minutes. The one who coined the phrase “radio advocacy” and alerted us any time anyone – from a private business owner to a politician to a corporate giant – even thought about doing black folks wrong. The Tavis that loved black people so much that he would sometimes, during his commentaries, be moved to tears. Where is that guy? You know, the guy that would have been telling me, “Fly Jock, Halperin has got to go.” For a while, I thought he was still with us, even though people around me (and many of you) tried to convince me otherwise. “Tavis is a hater.” “Tavis is only about himself.” “Tavis is jealous of the president.” I wouldn’t believe any of it. I had so much respect for him before his primary goal became selling books, and, later, selling out.
As we approach the Fourth of July weekend, one that celebrates our freedoms, including freedom of speech, I wish someone would use that as a defense of what Tavis, Cornel and Mark Halperin have said against our president. When dangerous words incite and brew up hatred and violence, there is a line. And these three crossed it.
In case you believe I think Tavis and Cornel called the president an offensive name, I don’t. I think they did something even worse. Any black people with any sense know that racists on the job, at school, at church or on the bus wait for opportunities to feel comfortable enough to spew their evil thoughts. If a black person tells a racist joke in front of a racist or laughs at one, it won’t be long before the racist begins to fire off a couple of his own. Mark Halperin and others are no different. They hate the president because he is black, and Tavis and Cornel, by not having the sense to not give them the opening they waited for, went all in. And this is what we get.
So, yes, MSNBC, fire Mark Halperin. I hope he never works again. I’ve already fired Tavis and Cornel. There’s nothing either can ever do for me or with me again.
I’ve got a new D-word for the two of them: Done.
Like we said, this is definitely a “Whoa!” moment. Based on the tone of the piece, one can only wonder if there’s something really personal coloring Tom’s comments as well. What do you think?
According to multiple sources, an explosion occurred earlier today at the Foxconn factory in Chengdu, China. The factory is one of Apple’s leading manufacturing plants.
Two people were killed in the explosion and 16 injured, all of whom were Foxconn employees. More than ten fire engines, ambulances, and police cars were at the scene. It took place in the A5 building of the factory, which supposedly operates as a “polishing plant” for the production of Apple’s iPad 2.
The extent of the damage is still unclear, but supply analysts say it will most probably have an effect on the production of the iPad, which has been in a short supply of late. The factory has suspended production until an investigation is completed.
In a statement, Foxconn said it is “working with medical officials to provide treatment to the injured employees and we are working with government and law enforcement officials to contact the families of all employees affected by this tragedy.”
After 10 employees committed suicide last year in Foxconn’s Shenzen division, the factory and Apple have been under scrutiny for their treatment of workers and for supposedly allowing “sweatshop-like conditions.” In response, Apple conducted internal investigations and said it was working to “ensure that conditions throughout our supply chain are safe and workers are treated with respect and dignity.”
The former head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) remained in jail on Friday after defence lawyers cited problems meeting bail conditions.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who denies charges of attempting to rape a hotel maid, posted bail of $1m.
He agreed to be confined to a flat rented by his wife, with an electronic monitor and kept under guard.
But residents of the Manhattan building refused to accept him, forcing lawyers to find other housing, reports said.
Mr Strauss-Kahn is charged with seven counts including four felony charges – two of criminal sexual acts, one of attempted rape and one of sexual abuse – plus three misdemeanour offences, including unlawful imprisonment.
His accuser is a 32-year-old widow originally from Guinea in west Africa who reportedly told authorities Mr Strauss-Kahn accosted her after she entered his hotel room to clean it.
Mr Strauss-Kahn, 62, denies the allegations and on 6 June is set to enter a formal plea.
He has spent four nights at the notorious Rikers Island jail in New York City since his arrest on Saturday over the alleged incident at the Sofitel hotel.
Get ready for a remake of Sparkle. The 1976 hit movie with Irene Cara, Lonette McKee and Philip Michael Thomas is being remade. The new version will star season six American Idol Winner Jordin Sparks. She will play the title role made famous by Irene Cara. Whitney Houston will play her mother. Mike Epps will play the bad guy the role of “Satin,” who beat “Sister” and got her hooked on drugs. This will be Whitney Houston’s first movie role since the Preacher’s Wife in 1996.
Oscar Winner Jennifer Hudson recently celebrated her 30th birthday.She’s featured in the Best Dressed issue of People magazine.
Why did Rapper/Actor T.I. end up back in jail? T.I. was released from jail a month early. He had served 11 months behind bars on a parole violation. He was let out early for good behavior. When he left the Arkansas facility, it was amid a lot of fanfare…. as in a fancy tour bus equipped with cameras. He is doing a reality show for VH1 and producers were on hand for his release. Well prison officials had a fit despite the fact that the guards were taking pictures with T.I. in front of the bus. T.I. was out of jail for one day when he was sent back to serve out another 30 days. Officials claim he was supposed to leave in a van with his wife and manager not a fancy tour bus equipped with cameras. T.I. is expected to be out by the end of the month. I’m sure all the details will be in his new book and VH1 reality show.
Did Tea Party favorite and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin have some “cooked rice” in her past? In a new tell all book by Joe McGinnis, The Rogue: Searching For The Real Sarah Palin, the author talks about Palin and drug use, extramarital affairs, and a college one night stand with NBA Superstar Glen Rice. The explosive book comes out September 20th.
Tyler Perry has been named Forbes magazine’s highest paid male entertainer.Perry, who just turned 42, has made over $500 million with his Madea franchise alone.
What’s going on with Singer Lionel Richie? Richie has delayed work on his latest music project and he had to cancel some concerts.
Producer/Composer Nile Rodgers of Chic fame is writing a book. The book, Le Freak, is coming out next year. It will detail his music career and his battle with cancer. Rodgers has worked with Diana Ross, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Madonna and Sister Sledge.
Actress Meagan Goode is shooting shown reports that she is joining the VH1 show Single Ladies. Goode says she wants to concentrate on movies.
The dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is taking place on October 16th.
It’s going to be a boy for Fantasia. The former American Idol winner is on bed rest and
It was a good weekend for Comedian Kevin Hart. His movie documentary, Laugh At My Pain, took in over $2 million at the box office. The movie cost $750,000 to make.
Can you get married and pay just $199? Yes, if you are Comedian and Actor Eddie Griffin. He got married last week, and that is how much he paid when he married longtime girlfriend Nia Rivers.
Is there a shakeup in the future for ABC’s Good Morning America? George Stephanopoulos may be out and Sports Anchor Josh Elliott may be his replacement. Elliott used to work at ESPN, ABC’s sister cable network. Stephanopoulos has been cited for being too short against the other hosts of the show Robin Roberts and Laura Spencer. I think his problem is he seems uninterested in the lighter segments. He may return to his old position on the show This Week also on ABC.