Al Gore's role in Apple's global warming policy questioned at shareholder event

Fox News ^ | 2/24/2012 | fox news

[tobyhill]

Former Vice President Al Gore’s positions on climate change came under fire at Apple’s annual shareholders meeting on Thursday when a non-profit group accused Gore, an Apple board member, of using his position to influence Apple’s public stand on global warming.

Representatives of the conservative think tank National Center for Public Policy Research -- which holds shares in Apple -- said the consumer electronics giant’s board should investigate whether Gore had influenced the company’s decision in 2009 to leave the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

“We are concerned that Apple’s policy on greenhouse gas regulations was developed to personally benefit a board member in violation of the Company’s Business Conduct Policy,” read the group’s claim, emailed to shareholders prior to the meeting and labeled “Proposal No. 4.” The group alleged that Gore’s personal portfolio of energy and green-industry stocks stood to gain if the global warming policies he advocates become law.

[roadcat]

Gore’s global warming makes for rotten apples. He needs to go.

[shove_it]

FTA:
“We got 1.6 percent of the vote, which is a very low number,” Borelli admitted. “But it doesn't mean we aren’t right. We are. When a company makes money, no one cares about conflicts of interest.”

Damn straight. What a disappointing vote!

[JohnD9207]

Apples Fault...so kick his pandering fat a— off the board. Until then who cares.

[ml/nj]

Gore’s global warming makes for rotten apples. He needs to go.

To prison.

ML/NJ

[steelyourfaith]

 

Beam me to Planet Gore !

[Da Coyote]

There is not a single person employed at Apple at ANY level who is not at least 50 IQ points higher than this D level idiot.

Why that wonderful company even acknowledges that this cretin exists is beyond me.

[utherdoul]

Another reason why I’ve never understood the conservative obsessikn around here for apple products. Microsoft may be run by libs but most lof apples fan base and most of the big players in that company are full on commies. Hell you can see it in the walled garden programming, lack of multiple hardware suppliers, high cost, and snide Hipster designs. Honestly the GUI on those damned apples reminds me of a kindergarten picture book.

[HKMk23]

Since Apple has not only acknowledged Al Gore, but elevated him to a position on their Board of Directors, you may need to accept the reality that several very influential Apple employees have individual IQ’s eclipsed by that of a damp sponge. That, in turn, should better inform your perception about Apple being a “wonderful company.”

“Stupid is as stupid does.”
— Forrest Gump

“A tree is known by its fruit.”
— Jesus of Nazareth

[Swordmaker]

Conservative group challenges Al Gore being on Apple's board of Directors and his actions there—PING!

Apple Annual Stockholder Meeting Ping!

Please, No Flame Wars!
Discuss technical issues, software, and hardware.
Don't attack people!
Don't respond to the Anti-Apple Thread Trolls!
PLEASE IGNORE THEM!!!

If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.

[af_vet_rr]

Another reason why I’ve never understood the conservative obsessikn around here for apple products. Microsoft may be run by libs but most lof apples fan base and most of the big players in that company are full on commies.

For a company committed to making as much money as they can, that's an interesting description. And by the way, the whole tech industry is run by either libtards or libertarians. I've dealt with a lot of the "big players" in a lot of the large computer companies. You would not like them.

Hell you can see it in the walled garden programming,

You've just described Microsoft and IBM, and Oracle, HP and Dell, and a few others - all do everything they can to lock you or your company into their products, software or hardware, and keep you on their products for years to come, reaping big profits from the lock-ins, overpriced upgrades, and yearly maintenance. Sure, they all kick around all kinds of "open source" stuff (that commie stuff you probably hate), but where they make their money is from locking you or your company into their walled gardens. Once you're in those walled gardens, it's hard to get out.

lack of multiple hardware suppliers

Again, you've just described the entire industry. If Apple were to try and find somebody other than Foxconn, you know what would happen? HP, Dell, IBM, etc. would all laugh their asses off on the way to the bank. There is a reason why Apple, HP, Dell, and the other major players rely on Foxconn - cheap, and everything can be assembled or nearly assembled in one place. It's a lot cheaper to do the parts manufacturing and product assembly in one location rather than building elsewhere and shipping all over. Unfortunately the envirowhackos and US and state governments have made it incredibly expensive to do something like that here. And Brazil is giving China some competition - Apple is starting to have iPhones produced there.

high cost

You applaud Microsoft in the second sentence, but you bitch about Apple's prices? You know what the last two OSes from Apple have cost me? $29 apiece. You know what Microsoft charges? Nearly $100, and in the case of Windows 7, they are charging you for an OS that fixes problems with Vista that they should have addressed for free.

And if I want to install it on multiple computers or reinstall a few times in a short amount of time for some reason, I don't have to get on the phone to a tech monkey in India and plead for them to tell Microsoft to allow me to activate it more than the allotted activations because there is no activation or license keys with OS X.

If you're talking about hardware, you know why Apple's cheapest iPod is $49 or their cheapest computer is $599 or why their cheapest iPhone is $1?

Because there is not much profit in racing to the bottom. Apple has no desire to offer a $30 MP3 player or a $300 computer. That's why Apple is sitting on $100 billion in the bank and Dell isn't. It's not just a matter of profit either - cheap MP3 players and laptops are just that - cheap. They dilute the brand and leave people with a bad impression.

Are you angry that BMW or Mercedes aren't making cars for under $9,000?

and snide Hipster designs.

You mean the same designs the rest of the industry is copying?

Honestly the GUI on those damned apples reminds me of a kindergarten picture book.

You are going to hate Windows 8 if that's the case.

[TXnMA]

I see that the strange malady known as "ADS" is still running rampant here on FR. It is still astounding to me how such lackwits can so vehemently personalize a technical dislike and warp that into ad hominem attacks on folks who merely make different technical choices from the ones they have elected to make.

#8 is a prime example of the mental disorder -- and, no, I am not going to give that mental defective the courtesy / stimulus of addressing its warped persona directly...

[Boogieman]

Ha! This is a great strategy. Buy enough shares of these leftie havens, and they have to give us a seat at the table, and answer to US for any lib malfeasance they have been winking and nodding at. Way to think outside the box, I’m sure Steve Jobs would love that :)

[Boogieman]

“I’ve never understood the conservative obsessikn around here for apple products.”

Don’t be fooled. I’m sure the Apple fans on FR are a minority just like everywhere else. Being a minority, though, they have a sense of cameraderie and rally to defense of their fandom with passion, while the average MS user doesn’t really get that worked up about the whole issue.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

To simplify your excellent post, I say the market will always reign no matter how anyone tries to distort it.

[Brad from Tennessee]

[Why that wonderful company even acknowledges that this cretin exists is beyond me.]

At the time Gore joined Apple he had considerable influence in Washington and was useful as a high-level lobbyist—also pronounced “bag man.”

[Loud Mime]

Why that wonderful company even acknowledges that this cretin exists is beyond me.

Maybe he brought some good masseurs?