Thursday, January 30, 2014
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
The 9 Biggest Lies Obama Told Last Night
1. Obama claims that “corporate profits and stock prices have rarely been higher, and those at the top have never done better. But… [u]pward mobility has stalled.” This has been refuted most recently by Harvard Economics Professor Raj Chetty who recently released a paper showing that upward mobility in America hasn’t changed since the 1970’s. This means that in the past 40+ years the chances of moving out of poverty in America have remained unchanged.
2. The President continued beating his ‘war on women’ drum last night, using his often cited statistic about women making only $.77 for every dollar a man makes in America. The problem is this statistic is completely bogus. It isn’t just conservatives who are saying this, even the staunch liberals at Slate say the President’s figures simply don’t add up. After all, it’s just arithmetic.
3. While the President made a big show out of the minimum wage he failed to tell the American people that the minimum wage actually only affects less than 1% of the work force. That’s right, less than 1% of the American workforce earns the federal minimum wage, the rest work at a level above the minimum. While Obama might want to force this issue for political gain, he is lying when he says that this is a huge problem for the American public.
4. Obama claimed “more than 9 million Americans have signed up” for coverage under ObamaCare during his speech last night, a number that has been widely challenged in the aftermath of the speech. Observers have pointed out that almost 5 million Americans have lost coverage because of the mandates in ObamaCare. Others have questioned the number of Medicaid beneficiaries who are newly eligible due to the program’s expansion under the law. Obama’s 9 million figure includes a claim that 3.9 million learned they are eligible for Medicaid, but he admits some of those counted are actually renewals.
5. President Obama claimed to have added 8 million jobs to the U.S. economy last night to loud applause. The problem is, that claim only rings true if you ignore all of the jobs the economy has lost under Obama’s watch. The true number is well less than half of his claim. The President will continue to ignore this truth, however, because it goes to show that the economic recovery under his tenure has been the slowest since World War Two.
6. While Obama took credit for the rising domestic energy production he is lying by omission when he fails to tell the American people this energy boom has occurred in spite of his policies, not because of them. Much of the increase in domestic energy production has happened on private land, and despite the growing number of regulations that the Obama administration has heaped on the industry.
7. The Affordable Care Act, ObamaCare to most, is on its face a lie. While the President painted a rosy picture of his namesake last night, he glossed over the fact that it is not affordable after all. While monthly bills for health insurance have gone down for some (and risen for others), that is only one side of the equation. What Obama isn’t telling the public is that deductibles are going up under ObamaCare, sometimes doubling or even tripling.
8. While carbon emissions are not at the top of ForAmerica’s policy priorities, holding President Obama accountable for his claims is what we are all about. Last night, the President claimed the U.S. “reduced our total carbon pollution more than any other nation on Earth.” The facts show many nations reduced their emissions by a greater percentage than the U.S. has in recent years.
9. On Iran, President Obama told the American people a flat out lie last night. The President said that Iran is now eliminating its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. While evidence exists that the Iranians, under the recent international agreement, have begun oxidizing their highly enriched uranium, a process that makes the uranium unusable. Obama failed to say this process is completely reversible, and thus, Iran has not eliminated their stockpiles at all.
- See more at: http://www.foramerica.org/2014/01/the-9-biggest-liblies-obama-told-last-night/#sthash.Ukk3Dhwm.dpuf
FIRST HE WALKS OUT OF THE PRESIDENT’S MAJOR SPEECH – NOW HE’S THINKING ABOUT FILING ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT
Just hours after he stormed out of President Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday, Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas) announced he’s considering filing articles of impeachment against the president.
First He Walks Out of the Presidents Major Speech Now Hes Thinking About Filing Articles of Impeachment
Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas), right, participates in a mock swearing-in ceremony with Speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) (AP)
“I’m considering filing Articles of Impeachment against Barack Obama,” Stockman announced on a website backing his senate run.
“You see, I walked out of Obama’s State of the Union address last night,” Stockman’s announcement added. “Obama defiantly vowed not only to radically expand the reach of government from cradle to grave, but to smash the Constitution’s restrictions on government power while doing it.”
The Texas congressman explained that he left the president’s speech early because he was upset after “hearing how the president is further abusing his Constitutional powers.”
“I could not bear to watch as he continued to cross the clearly-defined boundaries of the Constitutional separation of powers,” Stockman said in a statement released shortly after the president finished his address. “Needless to say, I am deeply disappointed in the tone and content of tonight’s address.”
Stockman accused the president of promising to “break his oath of office and begin enacting his own brand of law through executive decree.”
“This is a wholesale violation of his oath of office and a disqualifying offense,” he said, adding that the president has steadfastly refused to admit “his policies have failed.”
He continued, accusing the president of advocating a “blueprint for perpetual poverty.”
Not long after releasing the anti-SOTU statement, Stockman raised the issue of impeachment.
“Obama defiantly vowed not only to radically expand the reach of government from cradle to grave, but to smash the Constitution’s restrictions on government power while doing it. His goal is to eliminate our constitutional republic,” he said Wednesday. “Last year I said I would consider impeachment as a last resort to stop Obama’s abuse of power. And, quite frankly, we’re running out of options.”
Stockman’s impeachment threat comes shortly after his return from an unexplained absence that kept him from voting in the House and campaigning against Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).
He claimed Monday that he wasn’t “missing in action,” but that he was busy partaking in a House-sanctioned international trip.
However, the House Foreign Affairs Committee said that Stockman’s overseas trip began Jan. 17 and ended on Monday. He didn’t cast a single vote between Jan. 9 and Jan. 28. Further, every other lawmaker on the international trip managed to participate in House votes prior to leaving the United States.
The Texas congressman missed a total of 17 straight votes, including a vote to approve a $1 trillion omnibus spending bill.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Monday, January 27, 2014
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Illinois vs. Oklahoma - You Gotta Read This
This one’s interesting. A couple weeks ago, an email was circulated comparing murder and crime rate in Chicago and Houston. The claim of 400 murders this year in non-gun Chicago to 200 in gun crazy Houston was confirmed by a WSJ article last week. I think the email stated 8 firearms dealers in Chicago compared to 200 in Houston, i.e., one on every corner. Beane correctly attributed the increase in gun involved murder rate in Chicago to cold weather which sounded to me like an astute observation on his part (all tongue in cheek, but true nonetheless).
Have you seen this?
Subject: Illinois vs. Oklahoma - You Gotta Read This
I thought these two e-mails, the first about Illinois and the second
about Oklahoma, made an interesting contrast . .
PART 1 — Illinois
"A State with No Republicans!"
Some interesting data on the 'state' of Illinois ... There are more
people on welfare in Illinois than there are people working. Chicago pays the
highest wages to teachers than anywhere else in the U.S. averaging
$110,000/year. Their pensions average 80-90% of their income. Wow, are
Illinois and Chicago great or what? Be sure to read till the end. I've
never heard it explained better. Perhaps the U.S. should pull out of Chicago
? Body count: In the last six months, 292 killed (murdered) in Chicago .
221 killed in Iraq ; AND Chicago has one of the strictest gun laws in
the entire US.
Here's the Chicago chain of command: President: Barack Hussein Obama •
Senator: Dick Durbin • House Representative: Jesse Jackson Jr. • Governor:
Pat Quinn • House leader: Mike Madigan • Atty. Gen.: Lisa Madigan
(daughter of Mike) • Mayor: Rahm Emanuel • The leadership in Illinois - all
Democrats. • Thank you for the combat zone in Chicago . • Of course, they're
all blaming each other. • Can't blame Republicans; there aren't any! •
Let us get ALL the facts out while we are at it:
Chicago school system rated one of the worst in the country. Can't
blame Republicans; there aren't any!
State pension fund $78 Billion in debt, worst in country. Can't blame
Republicans; there aren't any!
Cook County ( Chicago ) sales tax 10.25% highest in country. Can't
blame Republicans; there aren't any!
This is the political culture that Obama comes from in Illinois . And
he is going to 'fix' Washington politics for us?
George Ryan is no longer Governor, he is in prison.
He was replaced by Rob Blagojevich who is, that's right, also in prison.
And Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. resigned, .. and that's right, he
and his wife both are in prison also.
The Land of Lincoln , where our Governors and Representatives make our
license plates. What?
As long as they keep providing entitlements to the population of
Chicago , nothing is going to change, except the state will go broke before the
country does.
"Anybody who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the
Government take care of him better take a closer look at the American Indian."
Don’t forget Detroit , another great example of a Democratic empire…
With all the bad news, there is hope, so let’s go to:
PART 2— Oklahoma
OKLAHOMA - may soon have plenty of new residents!
THIS IS REALLY INTERESTING, AND TRUE ... PLEASE READ IT!
Oklahoma is the only state that Obama did not win even one county in the
last election... While everyone is focusing on Arizona ’s new law, look
what Oklahoma has been doing!!!
An update from Oklahoma :
Oklahoma law passed, 37 to 9 an amendment to place the Ten Commandments
on the front entrance to the state capitol. The feds in D.C., along with
the ACLU,said it would be a mistake. Hey this is a conservative state,
based on Christian values... HB 1330
Guess what... Oklahoma did it anyway.
Oklahoma recently passed a law in the state to incarcerate all illegal
immigrants, and ship them back to where they came from unless they want to
get a green card and become an American citizen. They all scattered. HB
1804. This was against the advice of the Federal Government, and the ACLU,
they said it would be a mistake.
Guess what... Oklahoma did it anyway.
Recently we passed a law to include DNA samples from any and all
illegal's to the Oklahoma database, for criminal investigative purposes. Pelosi
said it was unconstitutional SB 1102
Guess what... Oklahoma did it anyway.
Several weeks ago, we passed a law, declaring Oklahoma as a Sovereign
state, not under the Federal Government directives. Joining Texas , Montana
and Utah as the only states to do so.
More states are likely to follow: Louisiana , Alabama , Georgia ,
Carolina 's, Kentucky , Missouri , Arkansas , West Virginia , Mississippi and Florida .
Save your confederate money, it appears the South is about to rise up once
again. HJR 1003
The federal Government has made bold steps to take away our guns.
Oklahoma , a week ago, passed a law confirming people in this state have the
right to bear arms and transport them in their vehicles. I'm sure that was
a setback for the criminals The Liberals didn't like it -- But....
Guess what... Oklahoma did it anyway.
Just this month, the state has voted and passed a law that ALL drivers’
license exams will be printed in English, and only English, and no other
language. They have been called racist for doing this, but the fact is that
ALL of the road signs are in English only. If you want to drive in
Oklahoma , you must read and write English. Really simple.
By the way, the Liberals don't like any of this either
Guess what... who cares... Oklahoma is doing it anyway.
If you like it, pass it on, if you don't then delete it... Thanks
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Monday, January 20, 2014
Military Homecomings - Soldiers Welcome Home Videos
Sunday, January 19, 2014
The Brit is Back ...Human Right Travesty !
If you haven't seen this Brit before, you've missed it. He is serious when he is funny and he is funny when he is serious. This is his latest ....now with subtitles. Take a look !!
Friday, January 17, 2014
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Allen Henson, Photographer, Sued Over Topless Photos Atop Empire State Building
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The management of the Empire State Building on Monday filed a $1 million lawsuit against a photographer who shot topless pictures of a model atop its iconic 86th floor observatory.
Last August, a model climbed to the crowded observation deck and took her top off as 30-year-old photographer Allen Henson captured the image on his cell phone.
The photo quickly went viral on the internet and angered the owners of the Empire State Building, one of the most popular tourist attractions in New York City, who said the observation deck was full of tourists, including children, at the time the photo was taken.
"We were doing a social experiment," said Henson, adding he has been photographing fashion models for three years and also shot photos of topless women in Central Park and in Manhattan's Peninsula Hotel.
Henson began taking the series of photos after becoming aware of a May 2013, New York City memorandum that prevents police officers from arresting women who expose their breasts in public.
Henson said he wanted to test the social implications of the rule, but added that the pictures atop the Empire State Building were not taken in a professional capacity.
"I am a professional photographer, but that doesn't mean that every time I touch a device with a camera on it I must be conducting a photo shoot," he said.
Management of the Empire State Building charged in the suit the pictures were produced "for his own commercial purpose" and damaged the landmark's "reputation as a safe and secure family friendly tourist attraction."
Every year more than four million visitors from around the world pay to view the city from the Empire State Building's observatory, over 1,000 feet above ground.
Representatives for the Empire State Building did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Henson said the building's guards did not react to the shoot or attempt to remove him from the premises.
"On a side note," he said, "she had wonderful breasts."
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
We Need Support on our Support the Second Amendment FB Page
Please take a moment to visit our Support the Second Amendment Facebook and "Like" the page we need all the support we can get on this page.
Federal judge rules Chicago ban on gun sales unconstitutional
CHICAGO (AP) — A federal judge on Monday overturned Chicago’s ban on the sale and transfer of firearms, ruling that the city’s ordinances aimed at reducing gun violence are unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang said in his ruling that while the government has a duty to protect its citizens, it’s also obligated to protect constitutional rights, including the right to keep and bear arms for self-defense. However, Chang said he would temporarily stay the effects of his ruling, meaning the ordinances can stand while the city decides whether to appeal.
The decision is just the latest to attack what were some of the toughest gun-control laws in the nation. In 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Chicago’s long-standing gun ban. And last year, Illinois legislators were forced by a federal appeals court to adopt a law allowing residents to carry concealed weapons in Illinois, the only state that still banned the practice.
The resulting state law largely stripped city and officials of surrounding Cook County of their authority to regulate guns, which especially irked officials in Chicago, where residents had to apply for concealed-carry permits through the police chief.
Business with ‘gun-free zone’ signs may be tagged with legal liability
From BizPac Review....
A Mississippi shooting Friday night illustrates perfectly not only the ineffectiveness of “gun-free” zones, but also the fact that the posting on “no firearms allowed” signs can put a storeowner in legal jeopardy.
A man was shot outside a Jackson, Miss., convenience store where the proprietor had posted a “no firearms allowed” sign.
The unidentified victim was shot in the leg during an altercation in which multiple shots were fired. He was later taken to the hospital in an ambulance where he was treated, according to MSNewsNow.
David Butts, a Tupelo, Miss. attorney, noted the incident on the Firearm Freedom Day Facebook page and added his own personal observations:
A report of a shooting outside a convenience store in Jackson today, which had a “no firearms” sign posted at the entrance, brings to mind one obvious observation and one not so obvious question. First, it is obvious that criminals have no regard whatsoever for “no firearms” signs and that, in fact, the presence of such a sign may even encourage a criminal to enter a business to commit a criminal act (robbery, etc.) since, presumably, no one (except possibly the business owner) would have a firearm.
The not-so-obvious question is “what is the responsibility of the business owner to protect his/her customers if they post a ‘no firearms’ sign at their place of business?” It is already the law in MS that a business owner must exercise “reasonable care” to protect a customer from injury. One sees this a lot in “slip and fall” cases (wet floors, owner has duty to warn of danger).
But what about the situation where a customer, legally armed, either openly or with a concealed carry permit, disarms themselves to do business in the “no firearms” business and is injured or killed by some gun-wielding thug intent on committing a crime? What does the owner’s duty of “reasonable care” to protect the customer mean in those circumstances?
There have already been several cases in MS where business owners have been held responsible for injuries to their patrons or residents where they failed to provided adequate security (for robbery, rape, assault, etc.). In the case in Jackson, the shooting occurred outside the place of business, but what if it had happened inside? And what if the person who was shot had disarmed themselves because of the sign in order to go in and do business? It may be just a matter of time before just such a case happens. Just my guess, but at a minimum business owners who post such “no firearms” signs may be put to the expense of metal detectors and/or armed guards inside their places of business. More cost which is usually passed on to the customer.
A Mississippi shooting Friday night illustrates perfectly not only the ineffectiveness of “gun-free” zones, but also the fact that the posting on “no firearms allowed” signs can put a storeowner in legal jeopardy.
A man was shot outside a Jackson, Miss., convenience store where the proprietor had posted a “no firearms allowed” sign.
The unidentified victim was shot in the leg during an altercation in which multiple shots were fired. He was later taken to the hospital in an ambulance where he was treated, according to MSNewsNow.
David Butts, a Tupelo, Miss. attorney, noted the incident on the Firearm Freedom Day Facebook page and added his own personal observations:
A report of a shooting outside a convenience store in Jackson today, which had a “no firearms” sign posted at the entrance, brings to mind one obvious observation and one not so obvious question. First, it is obvious that criminals have no regard whatsoever for “no firearms” signs and that, in fact, the presence of such a sign may even encourage a criminal to enter a business to commit a criminal act (robbery, etc.) since, presumably, no one (except possibly the business owner) would have a firearm.
The not-so-obvious question is “what is the responsibility of the business owner to protect his/her customers if they post a ‘no firearms’ sign at their place of business?” It is already the law in MS that a business owner must exercise “reasonable care” to protect a customer from injury. One sees this a lot in “slip and fall” cases (wet floors, owner has duty to warn of danger).
But what about the situation where a customer, legally armed, either openly or with a concealed carry permit, disarms themselves to do business in the “no firearms” business and is injured or killed by some gun-wielding thug intent on committing a crime? What does the owner’s duty of “reasonable care” to protect the customer mean in those circumstances?
There have already been several cases in MS where business owners have been held responsible for injuries to their patrons or residents where they failed to provided adequate security (for robbery, rape, assault, etc.). In the case in Jackson, the shooting occurred outside the place of business, but what if it had happened inside? And what if the person who was shot had disarmed themselves because of the sign in order to go in and do business? It may be just a matter of time before just such a case happens. Just my guess, but at a minimum business owners who post such “no firearms” signs may be put to the expense of metal detectors and/or armed guards inside their places of business. More cost which is usually passed on to the customer.
Google Buying Connected Device Company Nest For $3.2 Billion In Cash
Google is acquiring connected device company Nest for $3.2 billion. Google sent out an email to employees noting the acquisition today and later issued a press release.
In the release, Google noted that Nest has been offering its best-selling thermostat since 2011 and recently began offering the Protect smoke alarm, which networks with its other devices.
Nest Founders Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers will both join Google. Rogers was one of the first engineers on the iPhone team at Apple.
“They’re already delivering amazing products you can buy right now–thermostats that save energy and smoke/CO alarms that can help keep your family safe,” said Google CEO Larry Page in a statement. “We are excited to bring great experiences to more homes in more countries and fulfill their dreams!”
Fadell, who is known as the ‘father of the iPod’, said that they’re ‘thrilled to join Google.’ “With their support, Nest will be even better placed to build simple, thoughtful devices that make life easier at home, and that have a positive impact on the world.”
Nest will continue on as its ‘own brand identity’ and continue to be led by Fadell. The deal hasn’t closed yet as it has to meet regulatory approval.
Nest founders Fadell and Rogers also sent an emailed statement to TechCrunch about why Nest chose to go ahead with the acquisition.
“Google will help us fully realize our vision of the conscious home and allow us to change the world faster than we ever could if we continued to go it alone. We’ve had great momentum, but this is a rocket ship,” Fadell says. “Google has the business resources, global scale and platform reach to accelerate Nest growth across hardware, software and services for the home globally. And our company visions are well aligned – we both believe in letting technology do the hard work behind the scenes so people can get on with the things that matter in life. Google is committed to helping Nest make a difference and together, we can help save more energy and keep people safe in their homes.”
Fadell says that this decision was not made hastily. He says that at the 2011 TED conference — even before Nest had launched — he and Nest VP of business Erik Charlton had ‘huddled’ together in a corner with Google’s Brin to show him a video and early model of the Nest thermostat.
He instantly got what we were doing and so did the rest of the Google team when we showed them. In May 2011, Google Ventures led our Series B round of financing, and in 2012, Series C. Time and time again, Googlers have shown themselves to be incredibly like-minded, supportive and as big of dreamers as we are. I know that joining Google will be an easy transition because we’re partnering with a company that gets what we do and who we are at Nest – and wants us to stay that way.
We’ve been hearing rumors about Nest getting courted with large billion-dollar acquisition offers for months now, but a Google buy is a definite statement. The company has been fairly serious about its connected-device efforts for a while but hasn’t quite been able to get anything to gel. For instance, there have been some abortive attempts at connected devices like Android at Home in the past. But Nest already has a nice start in producing well-designed and connected home devices — something that Google should be able to build off of in the future.
Peter Nieh, a partner at Nest investor Lightspeed Venture Partners, has a post up about his early days working with Fadell at startup General Magic and what Nest has done since. He also shared a photo of the pair from 1992:
Nieh says that though he was excited to work with Fadell again when it came time to invest in Nest, “…our excitement went off the charts when we met Matt Rogers, Tony’s co-founder, who was responsible at Apple for iPod software development and one of the first engineers on the original iPhone team. We would have invested had they been looking to start a food truck.”
We reached out to Nieh for more thoughts, and he told TechCrunch that “Nest is a very special company — it’s a combination of an incredible team led by Tony and Matt, world-changing vision, and world-class execution.
“The acquisition by Google is just a milestone along the way as they continue their quest to change the world,” he added. “I can’t wait to see how they will continue to bring magic to all those unloved things in our homes.”
Google has previously been rumored to be investigating ramping up its own smart thermostat efforts, but this would likely supplant that — or the Nest team would take those projects over. Google also has an interesting project called PowerMeter, which monitors power consumption over time which could have some cool applications here.
The acquisition could also provide a patent boost of some sort for Google. In December, Nest said that it had 100 patents granted, with 200 more on file with the U.S. Patent Office and another 200 ready to file. Nest has been the target of some fairly high-profile patent suits and threats from legacy manufacturers like Honeywell over its thermostat and BRK over its Protect smoke detector. Google will likely offer shelter from further suits with its wide range of patents across a variety of technology arenas.
As far as how much autonomy Fadell will have to execute on his vision of what Nest can be, it doesn’t make a lot of sense for Google to derail a business that — by most counts — was fairly successful already and had been garnering praise from consumers over design. It could help with infrastructure problems that have caused failed firmware upgrades, which recently prompted complaints.
There’s also bound to be an immediate and visceral reaction to the access that Google will now have to information about when you’re home, which rooms you’re in and more. Which is why Nest also issued a Q&A about what will happen to users now that Google owns their thermostats and smoke detectors:
Will Nest continue to support iOS so I can have the Nest app on my iPhone or iPad?
Yes, absolutely. We’ll continue supporting iOS, Android and modern web browsers so you can check in on your home and control the temperature from wherever you are.
Will Nest and Google products work with each other?
Nest’s product line obviously caught the attention of Google and I’m betting that there’s a lot of cool stuff we could do together, but nothing to share today.
What will happen to the Nest warranties on products?
No change there – we stand behind our products like we always have.
Will I still be able to find Nest products at my local retailer?
You bet. We intend to continue selling through the same partners in the US, Canada and the UK.
Will Nest customer data be shared with Google?
Our privacy policy clearly limits the use of customer information to providing and improving Nest’s products and services. We’ve always taken privacy seriously and this will not change.
That answer is a bit vague, but the concerns over the recent revelations of enormous data gathering efforts on the part of the NSA should definitely cause some to worry. Whether Google chooses to share information voluntarily, it’s still a big target for those looking to hoover up vast swaths of data about its users, and that will only be more likely as time goes on, not less.
The deal is also set to make the startup’s early investors — Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers and Shasta Ventures — a lot of money.
In the release, Google noted that Nest has been offering its best-selling thermostat since 2011 and recently began offering the Protect smoke alarm, which networks with its other devices.
Nest Founders Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers will both join Google. Rogers was one of the first engineers on the iPhone team at Apple.
“They’re already delivering amazing products you can buy right now–thermostats that save energy and smoke/CO alarms that can help keep your family safe,” said Google CEO Larry Page in a statement. “We are excited to bring great experiences to more homes in more countries and fulfill their dreams!”
Fadell, who is known as the ‘father of the iPod’, said that they’re ‘thrilled to join Google.’ “With their support, Nest will be even better placed to build simple, thoughtful devices that make life easier at home, and that have a positive impact on the world.”
Nest will continue on as its ‘own brand identity’ and continue to be led by Fadell. The deal hasn’t closed yet as it has to meet regulatory approval.
Nest founders Fadell and Rogers also sent an emailed statement to TechCrunch about why Nest chose to go ahead with the acquisition.
“Google will help us fully realize our vision of the conscious home and allow us to change the world faster than we ever could if we continued to go it alone. We’ve had great momentum, but this is a rocket ship,” Fadell says. “Google has the business resources, global scale and platform reach to accelerate Nest growth across hardware, software and services for the home globally. And our company visions are well aligned – we both believe in letting technology do the hard work behind the scenes so people can get on with the things that matter in life. Google is committed to helping Nest make a difference and together, we can help save more energy and keep people safe in their homes.”
Fadell says that this decision was not made hastily. He says that at the 2011 TED conference — even before Nest had launched — he and Nest VP of business Erik Charlton had ‘huddled’ together in a corner with Google’s Brin to show him a video and early model of the Nest thermostat.
He instantly got what we were doing and so did the rest of the Google team when we showed them. In May 2011, Google Ventures led our Series B round of financing, and in 2012, Series C. Time and time again, Googlers have shown themselves to be incredibly like-minded, supportive and as big of dreamers as we are. I know that joining Google will be an easy transition because we’re partnering with a company that gets what we do and who we are at Nest – and wants us to stay that way.
We’ve been hearing rumors about Nest getting courted with large billion-dollar acquisition offers for months now, but a Google buy is a definite statement. The company has been fairly serious about its connected-device efforts for a while but hasn’t quite been able to get anything to gel. For instance, there have been some abortive attempts at connected devices like Android at Home in the past. But Nest already has a nice start in producing well-designed and connected home devices — something that Google should be able to build off of in the future.
Peter Nieh, a partner at Nest investor Lightspeed Venture Partners, has a post up about his early days working with Fadell at startup General Magic and what Nest has done since. He also shared a photo of the pair from 1992:
Nieh says that though he was excited to work with Fadell again when it came time to invest in Nest, “…our excitement went off the charts when we met Matt Rogers, Tony’s co-founder, who was responsible at Apple for iPod software development and one of the first engineers on the original iPhone team. We would have invested had they been looking to start a food truck.”
We reached out to Nieh for more thoughts, and he told TechCrunch that “Nest is a very special company — it’s a combination of an incredible team led by Tony and Matt, world-changing vision, and world-class execution.
“The acquisition by Google is just a milestone along the way as they continue their quest to change the world,” he added. “I can’t wait to see how they will continue to bring magic to all those unloved things in our homes.”
Google has previously been rumored to be investigating ramping up its own smart thermostat efforts, but this would likely supplant that — or the Nest team would take those projects over. Google also has an interesting project called PowerMeter, which monitors power consumption over time which could have some cool applications here.
The acquisition could also provide a patent boost of some sort for Google. In December, Nest said that it had 100 patents granted, with 200 more on file with the U.S. Patent Office and another 200 ready to file. Nest has been the target of some fairly high-profile patent suits and threats from legacy manufacturers like Honeywell over its thermostat and BRK over its Protect smoke detector. Google will likely offer shelter from further suits with its wide range of patents across a variety of technology arenas.
As far as how much autonomy Fadell will have to execute on his vision of what Nest can be, it doesn’t make a lot of sense for Google to derail a business that — by most counts — was fairly successful already and had been garnering praise from consumers over design. It could help with infrastructure problems that have caused failed firmware upgrades, which recently prompted complaints.
There’s also bound to be an immediate and visceral reaction to the access that Google will now have to information about when you’re home, which rooms you’re in and more. Which is why Nest also issued a Q&A about what will happen to users now that Google owns their thermostats and smoke detectors:
Will Nest continue to support iOS so I can have the Nest app on my iPhone or iPad?
Yes, absolutely. We’ll continue supporting iOS, Android and modern web browsers so you can check in on your home and control the temperature from wherever you are.
Will Nest and Google products work with each other?
Nest’s product line obviously caught the attention of Google and I’m betting that there’s a lot of cool stuff we could do together, but nothing to share today.
What will happen to the Nest warranties on products?
No change there – we stand behind our products like we always have.
Will I still be able to find Nest products at my local retailer?
You bet. We intend to continue selling through the same partners in the US, Canada and the UK.
Will Nest customer data be shared with Google?
Our privacy policy clearly limits the use of customer information to providing and improving Nest’s products and services. We’ve always taken privacy seriously and this will not change.
That answer is a bit vague, but the concerns over the recent revelations of enormous data gathering efforts on the part of the NSA should definitely cause some to worry. Whether Google chooses to share information voluntarily, it’s still a big target for those looking to hoover up vast swaths of data about its users, and that will only be more likely as time goes on, not less.
The deal is also set to make the startup’s early investors — Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers and Shasta Ventures — a lot of money.
How does a thing like this happen in America ?
On the surface, John Filippidis seems to be just the kind of responsible gun owner who should carry a concealed firearm. He’s a family man, small business owner and taxpayer who takes the responsibility of gun ownership seriously.
Gun Owners Encounter With Police Disturbed Him So Much That Hes Thinking About Canceling His CCW Permit
However, he’s now considering canceling his concealed carry permit after what happened to him while driving through Maryland with his wife and three kids a few weeks ago.
According to Filippidis and his wife, Kally, they noticed an unmarked patrol car tailing them while traveling for Christmas and a family wedding in Woodridge, N.J. He claims the police car stayed with them for ten minutes.
“We weren’t speeding. In fact, lots of other cars were whizzing past,” Filippidis told the Tampa Tribune.
Eventually, the car’s emergency lights came on and he pulled the car over. The officer was reportedly with the Transportation Authority Police, “Maryland’s version of the New York-New Jersey Port Authority,” according to the report.
It should be noted that what happened next is the account of Filippidis and his wife. The Maryland Transportation Authority Police declined to comment, pending an investigation. However, Filippidis says he has received apologies from the officer’s captain and the MTAP internal affairs captain.
The officer reportedly asked Filippidis for his license and registration before returning to his patrol car. When he returned, the officer ordered the father out of his vehicle and told him to hook his thumbs behind his back and spread his feet.
Filippidis says he keeps a “palm-sized Kel-Tec .38 semiautomatic” pistol in only two places: in the right-hand pocket of his jeans or at home locked in a safe. On this particular day, it was in the safe.
“You own a gun,” the officer reportedly said. “Where is it?”
“At home in my safe,” Filippidis replied. He claims he decided to leave his gun at home because he understands gun laws vary in different states.
“Don’t move,” the cop instructed.
The officer reportedly strolled up to the passenger side window to question the man’s wife, asking her for the location of her husband’s gun.
“I don’t know. Maybe in the glove [box]. Maybe in the console. I’m scared of it. I don’t want to have anything to do with it. I might shoot right through my foot,” she remembers saying, though she claims she really had no idea where it was.
Filippidis recalled the officer returning and calling him a “liar” because his wife failed to corroborate his claim that his firearm was back home in a safe.
The officer reportedly interpreted this as probable cause to search the car. Filippidis says police searched their luggage, Christmas gifts, laundry bags and even patted down his children.
After what felt like an eternity, police issued only a warning after they failed to find a firearm in the vehicle. It wasn’t clear from the report what the “warning” was for. Kally told the Tribune the search likely took roughly 90 minutes.
“All that time, he’s humiliating me in front of my family, making me feel like a criminal. I’ve never been to prison, never declared bankruptcy, I pay my taxes, support my 20 employees’ families; I’ve never been in any kind of trouble,” Filippidis said.
“And he wants to put me in jail. He wants to put me in jail. For no reason. He wants to take my wife and children away and put me in jail. In America, how does such a thing happen? … And after all that, he didn’t even write me a ticket,” he added.
Even though he did nothing wrong, Filippidis is now wondering whether he should just cancel his concealed carry permit to avoid a similar situation in the future.
Gun Owners Encounter With Police Disturbed Him So Much That Hes Thinking About Canceling His CCW Permit
However, he’s now considering canceling his concealed carry permit after what happened to him while driving through Maryland with his wife and three kids a few weeks ago.
According to Filippidis and his wife, Kally, they noticed an unmarked patrol car tailing them while traveling for Christmas and a family wedding in Woodridge, N.J. He claims the police car stayed with them for ten minutes.
“We weren’t speeding. In fact, lots of other cars were whizzing past,” Filippidis told the Tampa Tribune.
Eventually, the car’s emergency lights came on and he pulled the car over. The officer was reportedly with the Transportation Authority Police, “Maryland’s version of the New York-New Jersey Port Authority,” according to the report.
It should be noted that what happened next is the account of Filippidis and his wife. The Maryland Transportation Authority Police declined to comment, pending an investigation. However, Filippidis says he has received apologies from the officer’s captain and the MTAP internal affairs captain.
The officer reportedly asked Filippidis for his license and registration before returning to his patrol car. When he returned, the officer ordered the father out of his vehicle and told him to hook his thumbs behind his back and spread his feet.
Filippidis says he keeps a “palm-sized Kel-Tec .38 semiautomatic” pistol in only two places: in the right-hand pocket of his jeans or at home locked in a safe. On this particular day, it was in the safe.
“You own a gun,” the officer reportedly said. “Where is it?”
“At home in my safe,” Filippidis replied. He claims he decided to leave his gun at home because he understands gun laws vary in different states.
“Don’t move,” the cop instructed.
The officer reportedly strolled up to the passenger side window to question the man’s wife, asking her for the location of her husband’s gun.
“I don’t know. Maybe in the glove [box]. Maybe in the console. I’m scared of it. I don’t want to have anything to do with it. I might shoot right through my foot,” she remembers saying, though she claims she really had no idea where it was.
Filippidis recalled the officer returning and calling him a “liar” because his wife failed to corroborate his claim that his firearm was back home in a safe.
The officer reportedly interpreted this as probable cause to search the car. Filippidis says police searched their luggage, Christmas gifts, laundry bags and even patted down his children.
After what felt like an eternity, police issued only a warning after they failed to find a firearm in the vehicle. It wasn’t clear from the report what the “warning” was for. Kally told the Tribune the search likely took roughly 90 minutes.
“All that time, he’s humiliating me in front of my family, making me feel like a criminal. I’ve never been to prison, never declared bankruptcy, I pay my taxes, support my 20 employees’ families; I’ve never been in any kind of trouble,” Filippidis said.
“And he wants to put me in jail. He wants to put me in jail. For no reason. He wants to take my wife and children away and put me in jail. In America, how does such a thing happen? … And after all that, he didn’t even write me a ticket,” he added.
Even though he did nothing wrong, Filippidis is now wondering whether he should just cancel his concealed carry permit to avoid a similar situation in the future.
Google's latest power grab
Here's an article from Website Magazine the web industry magazine that supports some of Glenn Beck's comments...Google is speeding up the way they index web pages and the web is my expertise so, why the need to speed up the process of taking in information....hmmmm. They call it Hummingbird, A Caffine Fueled Search System !!!
Click the link to read the actual article on Website Magazine !
Click the link to read the actual article on Website Magazine !
GLENN BECK HAS TENSE CONVERSATION WITH A LISTENER WHO CALLED HIM ‘PARANOID’
This post is intended for some of my personal friends, listen to what Glenn Beck has to say at the 9:46 mark on this video. Not that I didn't already know this but I figured I'd put it out there for those that didn't. By the way in case you didn't know, Google is now climbing in bed with the government, this little deal of theirs will allow the government to use Google's mega resources for obtaining information about our every move and personal details via Google Maps, Gmail etc. Remember "Privacy" soon it will be a thing of the past. You don't believe me ? Just wait and see !
Monday, January 13, 2014
Reel News report on Facebook
Please take a moment to visit our facebook page and click the "Like" button... You can also check our facebook page for many other news videos from our many various sources !
DECORATED VET ARRESTED AFTER ‘RUDELY DISPLAYING’ HIS RIFLE — AND SAYS OFFICER PULLED GUN ON HIM IN FRONT OF HIS SON
Worth posting again....wake up everyone ...Open carry is allowed in the state of texas !
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)