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Adobe . . . has made a bold move to abandon their customers . . . and force them into a subscription sales model which some of us might remember from the 1950s door-to-door book and encyclopedia sales women who sold my mom a set. Only now . . . Adobe abandoned all their customers. From now on . . . you don't get rent to own. You only get to rent . . . What do you think?

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Protesters rallied in dozens of cities Saturday as part of a global protest against seed giant Monsanto and the genetically modified food it produces, organizers said. Organizers said "March Against Monsanto" protests were held in 52 countries and 436 cities, including Los Angeles where demonstrators waved signs that read "Real Food 4 Real People" and "Label GMOs, It's Our Right to Know."… The U.S. Senate this week overwhelmingly rejected a bill that would allow states to require labeling of genetically modified foods.

The government mortgage giants Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae (FHA, VA) have a virtual monopoly on the mortgage insurance and securitization business. In an article written by former Freddie Mac employee, Nela Richardson, it is pointed out that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will set the benchmark for underwriting standards: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Qualified Mortgage rule, which is supposed to standardize underwriting practices across the industry once it takes effect in 2014, will have a negligible effect on the industry as long as Fannie and Freddie continue to dominate the market for mortgage funding. The companies...

WASHINGTON, DC - President Barack Obama signed a spending bill, HR 933, into law, the "Monsanto Protection Act," that strips federal courts of the authority to immediately halt the planting and sale of genetically modified (GMO) seed crop regardless of any consumer health concerns. "The provision would strip federal courts of the authority to halt the sale and planting of an illegal, potentially hazardous GE crop while the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) assesses those potential hazards," explains a letter to the House that has been signed by dozens of food businesses and retailers, as well as interest groups and...

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (AP) -- Scottie dog has a new nemesis in Monopoly after fans voted in an online contest to add a new cat token to the property trading game, replacing the iron, toy maker Hasbro Inc. announced Wednesday. The results were announced after the shoe, wheelbarrow and iron were neck and neck in the final hours of voting that sparked passionate efforts by fans to save their favorite tokens and businesses eager to capitalize on publicity surrounding pieces that represent their products. The vote on Facebook closed just before midnight on Tuesday, marking the first time that fans have...

Veteran programmer Rob Barnett recently attended a breakfast meeting of television executives where the talk turned, as it almost always does these days, to “disruption,” the industry buzzword for the way new technology is upsetting the TV applecart. From somewhere down the table, he heard a question: “Has anybody here cut the cord?” — that is, dropped cable service in favor of just watching TV through the Internet? Barnett shrugged and raised his hand. “Mine was the only one,” he recalls. “But when it went up, I saw beads of sweat break out on the foreheads of some of the...

•EU watchdog reveals approval for GM foods fails to identify poisonous gene •54 of the 86 GM plants approved contain the dangerous gene •Gene found in food for farm animals producing meat, milk and eggs •Biotech supporters argue there is no evidence that GM foods are harmful A virus gene that could be poisonous to humans has been missed when GM food crops have been assessed for safety. GM crops such as corn and soya, which are being grown around the world for both human and farm animal consumption, include the gene. A new study by the EU’s official food...

You didn’t think that fundamentally transforming America was going to be cheap did you?(snip)     And speaking of fundamentally transforming our economy, have you heard what Hasbro is up to? They have plans for fundamentally transforming the game of Monopoly: the last existing format for educating children on how capitalism works.     Here’s the deal: Hasbro has launched an effort to introduce a new token (a robot, helicopter, guitar, diamond ring or cat – your choice) to the perennially popular board game. Butt instead of just adding it, they have decided to get rid of one of the...

In many families, Monopoly fights start long before the property is purchased. Inevitably, every player wants the same playing piece. Well, it's time to stand up for your beloved old boot or Scottie dog or thimble, because Hasbro is aiming to get rid of it. The company has announced plans to upgrade Monopoly, which will include replacing one of the game's iconic tokens with a fancy new figurine. Even worse, Hasbro is making you decide which one will go. From now through Feb. 5, fans can vote to save their favorite token -- and which new one will take the...

      

"The Fine Print: How Big Companies Use Plain English To Rob You Blind" with Pulizer Prize-winning David Cay Johnston. Right Click, Save As

The presidential and vice presidential debates are sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates, a nonprofit corporation that mandates that a candidate have at least 15 percent support in national polls to participate. Since the CPD took over running the debates in 1988, only once has a third party candidate been allowed to participate: In 1992, when Ross Perot joined Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush on the debate stage. The dominance of the two major parties at the debates has critics charging that the system is effectively rigged to shut out other voices. Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party nominee...

Speaking to Arutz Sheva, businessman and supermarket chain owner Rami Levy criticized politicians who blame corporations for increases in the cost of living. “I always argue that the public sector is more of a monopoly and more centralized than the private sector,” he said. “The bureaucracy it creates makes the cost of living more expensive by 15-20 percent,” he added. “When it comes to water, electricity, and property taxes...there’s no competition.”

The judge overseeing Apple’s patent lawsuit against Samsung said Apple can’t keep secret a marketing survey it took of its customers. Apple argued that the survey’s release would aid competitors, as the data is not available elsewhere. “It’s plainly a trade secret,” Apple’s lawyer told the court. “There’s no reason for a document to come into evidence in its entirety.” Judge Lucy Koh disagreed, but allowed Apple time to file an appeal. “I’m denying your request to seal today, so take it up on appeal,” Koh said. Meanwhile, in another hotly contested issue, Koh said she was denying Apple’s request...

An estimated two billion people around the world saw Jamaica's Usain Bolt thrash his rivals to win gold in the men's 100m final - but none of them were in the U.S., as NBC declined to broadcast the historic moment live. Bolt sailed through the semi-finals before successfully defending his Olympic title - against a field that included three Americans - at 4.50pm EDT. But, not for the first time this Games, NBC took the controversial decision to hold off broadcasting the hugely popular event until prime time, leaving millions of track and field fans outraged.

Are leftists now equating the life of blood thirsty terrorists to fallen IDF soldiers? We get a LIVE report on the scene with Yoni Klein who is reporting at a demonstration against the equating of a terrorist's life being equal to an IDF soldier's life- in other words, is a criminal's life equal to that of a police officer's? "Combatants for Peace explains why it chooses to invite parents of TERRORISTS who died fighting IDF soldiers to its Memorial Day ceremony. - 'No one has a monopoly on grief', they say. This is a radio talk show. Your participation is...

So far, during the presidency of Barack Obama, the price of a gallon of gasoline has jumped 83 percent, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (AP Photo) During the same period, the price of ground beef has gone up 24 percent and price of bacon has gone up 22 percent. When Obama entered the White House in January 2009, the city average price for one gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was $1.79, according to the BLS. (The figures are in nominal dollars: not adjusted for inflation.) Five months later in June, unleaded gasoline was $2.26 per gallon,...

German chemical company BASF today (16 January) announced that it is stopping production of genetically-modified (GM) crops for the European market, citing hostility from consumers as the reason for the decision. “There is still a lack of acceptance for this technology in many parts of Europe — from the majority of consumers, farmers and politicians,” said Stefan Marcinowski, a member of BASF's board. “It does not make business sense to continue investing in products exclusively for cultivation in this market.” The company will move its plant-science unit from Limburgerhof in Germany to the United States. It will also close other...

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- The number of new prescription drug shortages in 2011 shot up to 267, well above the prior record and about four times the number of medication shortages in the middle of the last decade. Figures just released by the University of Utah Drug Information Service, which tracks national drug shortages, show there were 56 more newly reported drug shortages in the U.S. last year than in 2010, when there were 211. By contrast, there were only 58 drug shortages reported in 2004. As the drug shortages worsen, so does their impact on patient care, particularly...

Laura Chavez is shown in this Santa Fe County Jail booking photo. (Santa Fe County Jail) Laura Chavez, 60, of Santa Fe, N.M., is accused of repeatedly stabbing her boyfriend, Clyde “Butch” Smith, 48, when a family game of Monopoly went terribly awry. Chavez began to argue with Smith while playing the board game with her 10-year-old grandson. The boy told police that Chavez accused Smith of cheating at Monopoly, and then sent the boy to bed around 11 p.m. mid-argument. According to a probable cause statement released by police, the couple’s argument escalated until Chavez hit Smith over the...