On August 17, 2010, BHP Billiton of Australia tendered an unsolicited offer to purchase Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan for 38.5 billion dollars (US currency), or 130.00 per share. At the point of this corporate announcement, they also flatly rejected the bid. Today they are reported to review the hostile takeover bid to advise shareholders of what action they should take.

BHP Billiton operates as a diversified natural resources company in Australia, the Americas, and southern Africa. The company explores for and produces crude petroleum oil and liquefied natural gas; mines bauxite, refines bauxite into alumina, and smelts alumina into aluminum metal; mines various base metals, including copper, silver, lead, zinc, and uranium; explor... Read More

On December 26, 2010 Eastern North Carolina was treated to a rare Christmas Storm that was quite beautiful, and well worth the time to record in images. This story in pictures, here below is my second batch of this unusual; but most seasonal affair.

I begin with a continuation from the heavy, blowing snow of the previous day, December 26, 2010, as I made these images along the Pamlico River waterfront in Washington, NC. The snow encrusted John Havens Moss Mill: Above. The railway between the Pamlico River and Haven's Gardens: Below.

In Mac'swood at Hillside Drive and Camelia Drive, there is a plethora of Pyracantha bushes, many of them quite large: Above. I have quite a few in my yard, and they just about ripe enough to be eaten by ... Read More

For the first time in American history, gay, lesbian and bisexual service members can justifiably look forward to being able to openly serve in the United States Military, as soon as President Barack Obama signs today's successful bill repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," more formally known as Defense Directive 1304.26. This is a huge victory for Obama, who campaigned on the promise of repeal, as well as the LGBT community, putting them one step closer to equal rights.

Earlier this afternoon, the United States Senate voted 65-31 to pass the bill, with eight Republicans and two independents siding with 55 Democrats in favor of repeal. U.S. Senator Richard Burr, from North Carolina, was one of the eight Republicans who voted to repeal. The Un... Read More

On Nov. 2, 31-year-old Bath native Cameron DeJong enjoyed his first political success, winning a seat in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. Though DeJong started his political career as a Libertarian, when he ran in 2000 and 2002 for a seat on the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners, he got elected to the N.H. House as a Republican.

DeJong left the Libertarian Party in 2003, at the age of 24, following his second Beaufort County loss.

"That election is what really wiped me out because we invested so much time and money in it, and we found that the people just weren't in it," said DeJong. "When I finished last that was a heart breaker. That was the beginning of the reality factor."

DeJong had considered himself a Libertarian... Read More

It's settled. The Washington Daily News editorial team is better equipped for politics than a democratic election.

One month and 17 days after three incumbent commissioners overwhelmingly defeated three contenders for their seats on the Beaufort County board, and one incumbent commissioner gave an N.C. Senator a run for his money, the Daily News published an article with the questioning title "Has board lost public's trust," regarding the board's role in determining the future of the financially unstable Beaufort Regional Health Systems, in which writer Jonathan Clayborne definitively answered 'yes.'

In the Nov. 2 general election, Democratic incumbent Ed Booth and Republican incumbents Stan Deatherage and Al Klemm amassed 3,341, 3,9... Read More

Today I read some very disturbing news. On Monday, Aug. 30, the Huffington Post posted a vile piece offering $100,000 for a sex tape or other incriminating information on Glenn Beck so they can permanently remove him from the airwaves.

The post went something like this (and I'm interjecting my thoughts as well) --

Beau Friedlander, a Huffington Post contributor and former editor of the failed liberal radio network Air America offered $100,000 for a sex tape or compromising phone conversation, etc, featuring Glenn Beck. "Rupert Murdoch and the Koch brothers are happy to throw money at the rising tide of right wing lunacy," wrote Friedlander.

Glenn Beck is the most widely-watched news show on TV. Viewers trust they will g... Read More

"David is 11 years old. He weighs 60 pounds. He is 4 feet, 6 inches tall. He has brown hair. His love is real. But he is not."

Artificial Intelligence is possibly the most misunderstood, underappreciated movie of all time. The late-Stanley Kubrick/Steven Spielberg hybrid feels whole, where their other independent cinematic creations are lacking. The collaboration of these iconic directors resulted in a complete conversation on human existence, where science and faith, depravity and innocence, thought and emotion, all have their place. Many critics and viewers expressed discomfort at what they mistook as dueling, rather than dynamic, perspectives. The feeling is both "Clockwork Orange" and "E.T."; "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Schindler'... Read More

For Immediate Release

April's recent main stage performance in the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver confirms her status as one of Canada's virtuoso fiddlers, and the Turnage Theater is proud to bring her to their stage on Friday, January 14th at 8pm.

When you see April Verch perform, the first thing that strikes you is the pure energy that infuses her fiddle playing and step dancing. When you listen to her though, what draws you in are more subtle things--her pure voice, the finely detailed elegance of her fiddle phrasing and the depth of a repertoire that ranges through material from bluegrass to Brazilian to Celtic, from a jaunty Canadian folksong to a poignant contemporary ballad.

April was born, rais... Read More

Sexual imagery used in campaign ads may sell products, but is its use ethical? Deeming what is and is not appropriate has a large gray area and is subject to interpretation. The long history of sexual imagery in advertising has only resulted in a few guidelines for limitations. There have also been some suggestions for further protecting the targeted and affected youth from these advertisements due to the found seriousness and future repercussions. Even though sexual imagery is open for interpretation; the effects on the youth alone prove that ethics should be questioned. The prevalence of these ads are growing at enormous rates, and will thusly further affect young adults and society. The use of sexual imagery targeting young adults to sel... Read More

With each meal, I am more and more convinced that happy eating is healthy eating. The stress produced by keeping to a strict, joyless diet is more damaging to your body, from my experience, than eating, say, fats or carbs every once in a while. A burger and fries may sound like an invitation to obesity or a heart attack; but not eating a burger and fries is a definite summons to every illness for which stress is listed as a causing factor.

Perhaps the thought of ingesting calories, however, stresses you out more than avoiding them. But there are ways--yes, there are ways--to eat a guilt-free burger and fries. One trick is to add green, such as a sprinkle of fresh parsley, where there would normally only be starchy white. The color green te... Read More

It's that magical time of year again when the Darwin Awards are bestowed, honoring the least evolved among us. Here is the glorious winner for 2010:

1. When his 38 caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach, California, would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked.

And now, the honorable mentions:

2. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat cutting machine and after a little shopping around, submitted a claim to his insurance company. The company expecting negligence sent out one of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine and he also lost a finger. The chef's ... Read More

The many birds, some Gulls and Pelicans, that inhabit these sandy islands just east of the ferry route: Above and below.

Along the waterfront in Southport, one sees a plethora of activity: the even longer Bald Head Island Ferry - above - the laughter of a small child feeding the Sea Gulls -below.

Along the waterfront streets of Southport, North Carolina, one can find a these public places on the water - this one with a dock: Above. Many beautiful homes stand upon the edge of these waterfront streets: Below.

This pretty little town, with its scenic streets and its lovely water resource, must be a a wonderful place to live: Above and below.

Near the middle of the town of Southport is the Smithfield Burying Ground. This nearl... Read More

For the July 2010 Market Report I decided to shift focus from the national real estate market to the local market. I zoomed-in on Beaufort County, divided the county by area, and took unique snapshots of market activity compiled for each area during the 22 months leading up to the Sept. 2008 market collapse, and the 22 months following it.

The data confirmed national trends. Nationally and locally, since the collapse, market volume has increased, the number of days a home sits on the market has increased, sales prices have decreased, the volume of homes that make it to closing has decreased and the number of conventional loans being approved has decreased. The one slightly surprising exception to these trends was an increase in the averag... Read More

George Will, writing in Sunday's (8-29-10) Washington Post highlights one of the most vexing problems our nation faces…the waste of human capital. Put another way, the ruin of human lives that causes other human lives to be wasted. Will's column has all the numbers. We've all heard some version of this before, many times over. The label most frequently put on it is "The Achievement Gap."

While that term is a real misnomer, it does suffice to focus attention on the problem. The problem is the lack of achievement by a tremendous segment of our population. The "gap" being referred to is the difference in performance of the average black child and the average white child. More specifically in Beaufort County Schools (... Read More

Publisher's Note: We do very much appreciate this fine article on the BRHS debacle from our friends of the Beaufort Observer.

Beaufort County Medical Center

As we enter the short rows in the Hospital debate, one of the things we've been asked about and keep hearing some people talk about is how much better the quality of health care will be with one provider than another. In the interest of informed community debate we have done some research on the question of how the quality of medical care compares between Beaufort County Medical Center (Beaufort), University Health Systems (UHS), including Pitt Memorial and Community Health System's (CHS) hospitals. We gathered our data from the full proposals originally submitted by both UHS and C... Read More

Do you get a sad feeling when you see an old house?
An old house with sagging doors
broken window panes
perhaps a rotting old rocker on the porch?

Do you recall someone dear sitting there
snapping beans or hoping to catch a cool breeze?
Do you remember a family gathering there to talk
or to enjoy a sweet watermelon?

Perhaps you remember Christmases there.
Or cold snowy days when stove wood was stacked on the porch,
Or the first day the school bus stopped to pick you up
and a dear one walked you to the bus door?

Perhaps you recall Grandmas pansies growing beside the porch
Or the sound of Mama's voice calling "clean your feet!"
Remember the small brown dog never far from Grandpa's feet?
do you remember Grandma sitting by her ta... Read More