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Another consideration here is the fact that NBC's owner, General Electric, and buyer Comcast are among the Obama administration's most reliable corporate allies. Not coincidentally, Comcast announced its support for Obamacare on the same day the NBC deal was announced, with Chief Executive Officer Brian Roberts commending Obama for "your dedication to health care reform and for the remarkable progress that has been achieved in this area under your leadership."

The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver is going to be a financial disaster that should serve as a wake up call to sports executives ...spending on sports sponsorships and advertising--is very bad. NBC... is going to lose about $200 million on Vancouver... Over the past five years the operational costs of the 2010 Winter Games has mushroomed from $1.3 billion to almost $2 billion. Vancouver is going to take it on the chin as declining sponsorship and tourism revenue ...

When you go in for a medical imaging procedure, you're typically made to understand that there's some risk involved. Even mild procedures like chest X-Rays expose you to small doses of radiation that minutely increase your cancer risk. More advanced procedures can come with larger risks.

If you've seen an Internet ad for capacitor-type power factor correction devices, you might be led to believe that using one can save you money on your residential electricity bill. However, a team including specialists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have recently explained* why the devices actually provide no savings by discussing the underlying physics. The devices—sometimes referred to as Amp Reduction Units or KVARs**—are touted as good investments because they reduce the amount of current drawn from power lines while simultaneously providing the necessary amount of current to appliances inside the house. Though engineers elsewhere...

<p>It certainly is a remarkable speech. Under Immelt’s eight years at the helm, General Electric has lost almost two-thirds of its value. Earlier this year, GE was on the verge of a total meltdown. So was GE’s “leadership” to blame?</p>

Power company Caithness Energy has given General Electric a $1.4 billion contract to supply wind turbines and 10 years' worth of maintenance for an Oregon wind farm, GE announced Thursday. The massive 845-megawatt wind farm, Shepherds Flat, will be located near Arlington, Oregon, but span approximately 30 square miles and cover parts of Oregon's Gilliam and Morrow Counties. GE estimates that it will supply 338 of its 2.5-megawatt wind turbine models to be installed between 2011 and 2012. Although they have been used in Europe and Asia, the company says the Shepherds Flat project will include the first U.S. installations...

Executives at Comcast, the media behemoth looking to buy a 51 percent stake in NBC Universal, have given large sums of money to presidential candidate Barack Obama and Democrats in recent years The Hill reported Saturday: Comcast chief executive Brian Roberts made more than $76,000 in political contributions to Democrats since 2006, compared to $13,500 in contributions to Republicans. Comcast vice president and top lobbyist David Cohen made about $180,000 to Democrats in the same period, compared to $12,000 to Republicans, according to OpenSecrets.org.

After nearly nine months of negotiations, Comcast, the nation’s largest cable operator, finally reached an agreement on Thursday to acquire NBC Universal from the General Electric Company.

Here is a video report on a deal by General Electric announced early this morning that would sell a controlling interest in NBC Universal to Comcast - the nation's leading Cable TV operator. Under the agreement, Comcast would control 51% of NBC Universal, which includes the NBC Network, CNBC, MSNBC, and other entities. Below is a more in-depth discussion of the deal from CNBC's Squawk Box . . . . (VIDEOS)

Days after Obama's inauguration, Jeff Immelt, CEO of General Electric, wrote to shareholders: "[W]e are going through more than a cycle. The global economy, and capitalism, will be 'reset' in several important ways. "The interaction between government and business will change forever. In a reset economy, the government will be a regulator; and also an industry policy champion, a financier, and a key partner."

As GE prepares for an expected $30 billion deal that will give control of NBC to cable TV operator Comcast Corp., the conglomerate is shifting its focus back to its industrial divisions. GE is shrinking its finance arm that has been severely buffeted by the financial crisis. It has sold some businesses and shopped others around. And it is chasing nearly $200 billion in stimulus money from worldwide governments, much of it earmarked for such products as medical equipment and wind turbines. This new GE will likely look a lot like GE did before it acquired NBC in 1986. GE...

General Electric Co.'s agreement to buy out the rest of NBC Universal paves the way for it to sell control of the TV and movie company to Comcast Corp. in a deal that promises to reshape the entertainment industry. Comcast is eager to diversify its holdings amid an encroaching threat from online video and more aggressive competition from satellite and phone companies that offer subscription TV services. Although the deal holds the promise that movies could reach cable more quickly after showing in theaters, and that TV shows could appear faster on cell phones, it has already raised concerns that...

The carbon market could become double the size of the vast oil market, according to the new breed of City players who trade greenhouse gas emissions through the EU's emissions trading scheme. The ETS market may see $3tn (£1.8tn) worth of transactions a year in the next decade or two, according to Andrew Ager, head of emissions trading at Bache Commodities in London, with it even being used as a hedge against falling equities or rising inflation. "It is still a relatively new industry with annual trades of around €300bn every year. But this could grow to around $3tn compared...

Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with Westinghouse Electric Co. next week to discuss the safety of its proposed AP1000 nuclear-reactor design. Toshiba Corp.'s Westinghouse unit will address the commission's concern about the structural integrity of the silo-shaped shield building that would contain the reactor and trap radioactivity in an accident, NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko said. Containment buildings at existing reactors were poured at the site as a solid piece of steel-reinforced concrete, Jaczko said. Westinghouse wants to piece the building together from sections, he said. "When you're dealing with the kinds of accident scenarios that we look at, or...

General Electric on Thursday priced the first Islamic bond by a western industrial company in a move that will help open up this niche market to a broader non-Muslim investor base. General Electric Capital Corporation, the US company’s finance arm, raised $500m in five-year bonds through a special purpose vehicle at 175 basis points over US Treasuries, the international reference point for pricing debt, with strong demand from a wide range of Muslim and non-Muslim buyers.

Thanks to some great reporting at WSJ by Elizabeth Williamson and Paul Glader, now we know why General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt has been to the White House five times since President Obama has occupied the place. He wants GE to out do Goldman Sachs and Carlyle Group combined as the biggest pig at the trough of corporate handouts. David Rubenstein looks like an amateur compared to Immelt. From WSJ's report: The financial crisis hasn't been kind to General Electric Co. Its stock has lost almost half its value, the government has stepped in to prop up its enormous financial...

One, and maybe the only, of the recent benefits of the FASB's meager attempts at providing balance sheet transparency has been the requirement for banks and financial companies to disclose the difference between the Fair Market Value and the Carrying (Book) value of their assets, especially as pertains to loans held on the balance sheet. And while even the FMV calculation leaves much to be desired, it does demonstrate which companies take abnormal liberties with their balance sheets, instead of performing needed asset write-downs as more and more loans turn toxic. A good example of just such optimism appears when...

Super Hornet favourite in Indian and Brazilian tenders By Reuben F Johnson The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is well placed to fulfil both the Indian and Brazilian fighter requirements, the company and its industry partners said on 28 October. Boeing and its Team Super Hornet partners – Raytheon and General Electric (GE) – presented a broad-ranging review of the F/A-18E/F's position in both the Indian Air Force's (IAF's) Medium-Multirole Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) programme for 163 aircraft plus 63 options and the Brazilian Air Force's F-X2 tender for the first 36 of what is projected to be a total of 120...

I voted for Barack Obama. I never watch FOX News. I am not a raging conservative. And I think Keith Olbermann is hurting America. An uncompromising megaphone of partisan rancor, Olbermann perpetuates the single-mindedness and inflexible partisanship that now roil the country, both on and off Capitol Hill. His rants against former President Bush, former Republican politicians, and shock-media rival Rush Limbaugh contribute little to constructive debate about how we can fix today’s true problems. And his soapbox forays in such segments as the “Worst Person in the World” – a daily lambast of often unsavory, but many just politically...

Some of the nation's largest companies pushed back against U.S. Democrats' plans to deliver a government-run insurance option in a healthcare overhaul, decrying it as a step backward that would drive up costs for employers and their workers. The Business Roundtable, comprised of chief executives at Verizon Communications (VZ.N), JPMorgan (JPM.N), General Electric (GE.N), Wal-Mart (WMT.N) and other companies that together employ more than 12 million people, said the federal government is inefficient and would underpay providers. That would result in providers boosting prices for private insurers and employers, the group said on Wednesday.

Yesterday was another up day for the three indices. The Dow was up 47 points to close at just over 10062. The other two indices were up more marginally. The NASDAQ was up just over a point and the S&P was up 4.54. That's the second day the Dow finished above 10000. The Dow will test that levels this morning. There's all sorts of earnings news this morning. Tech stocks like Google and IBM came out after the market closed yesterday and they were positive. On the other hand, both GE and Bank of America have come out with numbers...

This is an excerpt from a recently obtained internal E mail written by a gleeful GE executive. “On climate change we were able to work closely with key authors of the Waxman-Markey climate and energy bill, recently passed by the House of Representatives. If this bill is enacted into law it would benefit many GE businesses.” “…benefit many GE businesses” becomes clearer by following the paper trail of “donations” from GEPAC the lobbying arm of General Electric Corporation. GE/Democrat pay to play scheme Last year most of GEPAC’s contributions went to Democrats. This year almost all of its cash bought...

Companies donate to political campaigns in order to gain some leverage over policy making processes. This fun interactive graphic (via) allows you to see which companies donate primarily to Republican and Democratic campaigns, and which straddle the political fence. These are the companies with the largest total contribution:

The ninth chairman and CEO of General Electric, Jeffrey Immelt , has upended the traditional innovation model. Among his radical ideas to fire up the $183-billion conglomerate are putting India and China at the centre of a management model that talks of developing products in emerging markets and distributing them globally. In an e-mail interview with ET , Immelt discusses the idea and GE’s India plans. Excerpts: You are expected to make some announcements regarding investments and joint ventures in India. Can you give us some details? India represents one of the significant growth markets for GE globally and we...

Is CNBC For Sale? Submitted by Tyler Durden on 09/26/2009 18:44 -0500 CEO CNBC Economy GE General Electric Goldman Goldman Sachs Harbinger Hope ICE Jeff Immelt Media MOVE MSNBC NBC NYT Phil Falcone Truth Wall Street Wall Street Journal There may be some major changes in the NBC ownership structure according to media and financial pundits. Even as General Electric is dealing with significant balance sheet problems, which have been temporarily swept under the rug compliments of unjustified Goldman Sachs stock upgrades, it may be looking at getting rid of its "vanity play", the NBC TV station family, which of...

Guest Commentary Julius - Milton Mark thelastcrusade.org Several people have expressed muted outrage over Zbigniew Brzezinski's call for Obama to shoot down Israeli aircraft. Our friend Gummo called to remind us that most U.S. Presidents since 1948 have had similar plans on their global agendas. We must admit that singling-out our Mystery President for the same treachery that other corrupt, Satan-worshiping leaders and their advisors have displayed, does seem a bit unfair. What is taking place now is the seamless continuation of the “Baker Plan” which envisions a world without Israel as a paradise of peace and plenty.Obama, like...

What are you getting? You’re getting the same thing you got when he sold out Honduras to Chavez over that non-coup “coup” they staged: The warm fuzzy glow of knowing that George Bush would heartily disapprove. But some members of Obama’s own party, however, had a simple question for the administration: if this was a return to realism, and a concession to Russia’s long and vocal opposition to the missile program, what, exactly, was the U.S. getting in return for fundamentally changing it? And almost certainly, the answer leads back to Iran… But Russia has given no ground on those...

09/17/09 2:06 PM EDT Reuters reports an interesting nugget in the wake of President Barack Obama's decision to grant Vladimir Putin his wish and kill the Eastern European missile shield: Shortly after the pullback on the shield programme was announced, Russia's government said Prime Minister Vladimir Putin would meet several U.S. executives on Friday from firms including General Electric, Morgan Stanley as well as TPG, one of the world's largest private equity firms

Shortly after the pullback on the shield programme was announced, Russia's government said Prime Minister Vladimir Putin would meet several U.S. executives on Friday from firms including General Electric, Morgan Stanley as well as TPG, one of the world's largest private equity firms

GE plans to source parts from India for F-16 engine BS Reporter / Chennai/ Bangalore September 17, 2009, 0:22 IST General Electric (GE), which is in contention as the engine supplier for the medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) contract of the IAF with three of its engines, is keen on sourcing components from Indian industry. GE said, it will manufacture, assemble and test the engine, if any of its partner wins the contract, at the Hindusthan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The global engine manufacturing behemoth said it will get many of its engine components manufactured by local firms. GE’s F110-GE-132 turbofan...

Introduction: I have featured several stories now about Dr. Anna Chacko. It's difficult to provide a full explanation each and every time. So, if this is your first reading, I suggest you read this piece, and this piece. That said, here's a quick summary. Dr. Chacko is currently the head of radiology at the Pittsburgh VA. I have tracked her history and I believe that she has engaged in a reign of professional terror that spans at least two decades. She has reigned terror on the military, several VA hospitals, and several other hospitals. I have referred to her as...

Energy Savings: Europe's ban on the incandescent light bulb began phasing in this month, and the U.S. will soon follow. Is Thomas Edison to blame for global warming? And why are we exporting green jobs?When the warm-mongers assemble in Copenhagen this December to hammer out a successor to the failed Kyoto Protocol, no doubt their work to save the earth from the carbon dioxide that gives it life will take place under the eerie light thrown off by compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) mandated by the European Union to fight climate change. The bulbs are more expensive, costing up to...

The current dust-up between Fox News and NBC News/MSNBC has put the focus back on GE and their historically overwhelming penchant for supporting socialism and some would say the destruction of free markets. Which brings me to General Electric or GE, GE under the tutelage of Jeffrey Immelt has not only brought the global giant to the brink of collapse but after doing business with Iran and Syria and receiving $139 Billion from the government to back up it’s debt, GE has positioned itself to be the government arm for both Cap-N-Trade and ObamaCare.

Wikipedia claims, "A cult of personality arises when a country's leader uses mass media to create an idealized and heroic public image, often through unquestioning flattery and praise." As this typically occurs in a totalitarian nation, that country's ruler, with complete control of the media, is able to mandate what images of him or herself are being disseminated thereby furthering his cult-like status. As Barack Obama did not become president until January 20 of this year, it seems irrefutable that his cult of personality was bestowed upon him by so-called journalists who in order to help him get elected abdicated...

WINCHESTER, VA--“Government did us in,” says Dwayne Madigan, whose job will terminate when General Electric closes its factory next July. Madigan makes a product that will soon be illegal to sell in the U.S. - a regular incandescent bulb. Two years ago, his employer, GE, lobbied in favor of the law that will outlaw the bulbs. Madigan’s colleagues, waiting for their evening shift to begin, all know that GE is replacing the incandescents for now with compact fluorescents bulbs, which GE manufactures in China. Last month, GE announced it will close the Winchester Bulb Plant 80 miles west of D.C....

Not only do they profit billions from Obama’s policies, they shut out dissenting voices on their “news” networks!Obama and the Democrats love to slam Fox News for presenting opposing points of view. So, it’s no surprise that Obama prefers to give interviews to NBC which he feels is more sympathetic to his cause. NBC has been in the tank for Obama from the beginning.Further proof of NBC’s favoritism came this week when the network rejected the following ad from the League of American Voters:

‘Government did us in,” says Dwayne Madigan, whose job will terminate when General Electric closes one its factory next July. Madigan makes a product that will soon be illegal to sell in the U.S.: a regular incandescent bulb. Two years ago, his employer, GE, lobbied in favor of the law that will outlaw the bulbs. Madigan’s colleagues, waiting for their evening shift to begin, all know that GE is replacing the incandescent for now with compact fluorescents bulbs, which GE manufactures in China. Last month, GE announced it will close the Winchester Bulb Plant 80 miles west of Washington, D.C.,...

Just who has been sending “the message”? And how did it permeate not only the media, but also the once-respected U.S. Congress and the courts of our land, including the once-incorruptible Supreme Court? And what menacing forces made the once-courageous conservative media abandon their mission to expose rank corruption and collusion? Two words: Money Talks! If you’re a media mogul and you get word from the FCC that your license will be pulled immediately and irrevocably if you mention only three words – Obama’s birth certificate – poof! You send that word to your employees and tell them that their...

Here is video of Glenn Beck talking with Bill O'Reilly tonight about General Electric and what they are doing to hurt America. Glenn Beck has come out and said the company is "evil," but O'Reilly said he thinks that may be over the top. Beck discussed the fact that GE has become a huge "banking entity," and likened it to having the arrogance of Enron. Beck believes the government is now helping GE as a payback for MSNBC's (owned by GE) huge support of the Obama Campaign. Beck also responded to GOP Congressman Bob Inglis of South Carolina, who called...

see post below for link

It was never intended to be a cease-fire. The best that the men who run two of the nation's media giants were hoping to achieve was a ratcheting down of the rhetoric between their warring commentators. But Keith Olbermann refused to play along this week... Immelt detailed his grievances. His elderly parents in Cincinnati, he said, watch O'Reilly every night... But the war was just beginning at MSNBC... The day after Olbermann's comments about the Tiller slaying, executives convened a large meeting and talked about Fox and the importance of striking the right on-air tone. Olbermann later expressed a willingness...

A decade ago, General Electric was the shining star of American business. Its longtime chief executive, Jack Welch, was named manager of the century by Fortune Magazine, and its stock seemed always to go up. It ran a bewildering array of businesses but somehow always managed to make the expected profits. That record was viewed as proof of superior management, and the battle to succeed Mr. Welch in 2001 was watched all over the business universe. When a winner emerged, the losers quickly were hired to run other major companies. G.E. is different now. The stock has fallen and the...

Yesterday, I wrote a piece detailing a story written by Brian Stelter of the New York Times that purported to claim that higher ups at GE and News Corp, including CEO's Jeffrey Immelt and Rupert Murdoch, that negotiated with each other and then put pressure on their two main cable news commentators, Bill O'Reilly and Keith Olbermann, to reduce the criticism of the other's networks and each other. The piece was published this past weekend.

General Electric Co. will pay a $50 million civil penalty to settle charges by the Securities and Exchange Commission accusing the conglomerate of improper accounting in order to make its financial results appear more attractive to investors. Related Quotes Symbol Price Change GE 13.82 0.00 The SEC said Tuesday that GE violated U.S. securities laws four times between 2002 and 2003 when accounting for items like commercial paper funding and the sale of train locomotives and aircraft engine spare parts. The SEC said the changes helped GE maintain a string of earnings that beat Wall Street expectations each quarter from...

BAGHDAD, Aug 1 - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Saturday his government could not afford to pay General Electric for its services and rebuked parliament for failing to allow a $3 billion bond sale. In May, Iraq's cabinet approved the sale of the treasury bonds, of which $2.4 billion was meant to pay to revamp Iraq's dilapidated electricity sector. A lack of power is a major complaint among Iraqis, especially in the searing summer heat. Iraq's electricity minister had said he hoped parliament would ratify the cabinet's decision in early June, but lawmakers stopped work for the summer...

Truce Reached in Cable News Feud Keith Olbermann of MSNBC Bill O'Reilly of the Fox News Channel regularly trade swipes at each other on their cable news shows. By BRIAN STELTER July 31, 2009 It was a media cage fight, televised every weeknight at 8 p.m. But the match was halted when the blood started to spray executives in the high-priced seats. For years Keith Olbermann of MSNBC had savaged his prime-time nemesis Bill O’Reilly of the Fox News Channel and accused Fox of journalistic malpractice almost nightly. Mr. O’Reilly in turn criticized Mr. Olbermann’s bosses and led an exceptional...

Ben Silverman, the co-chairman of NBC Universal Entertainment, is leaving the company to start up a new venture in partnership with Barry Diller’s media and Internet company, IAC. Series Created Under Silverman (total number of episodes as of 4/19): Still Alive: Celebrity Apprentice (19) Chuck (32) Unknown: Howie Do It (14) Canceled: American Gladiators (21) America’s Toughest Jobs (10) The Baby Borrowers (6) Bionic Woman (8) Celebrity Circus (6) Chopping Block (3) Crusoe (12) Fear Itself (8) Journeyman (13) Lipstick Jungle (20) Momma’s Boys (6) My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad (8) My Own Worst Enemy (9) Quarterlife (1)...

We've become slightly famous for accurately predicting the demise of several iconic America companies, including the original AT&T, GM, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac...

Synopsis ... chock full of GE products

GE was out this morning with earnings and continues to validate my central thesis: severe economic contraction. Revenues were down 17% - another double-digit contraction, and this is particularly troublesome in what it says about the global economy, given GE's (GE) global reach. Again, we continue to see the same sort of theme in industrial and consumer products reporting - Harley Davidson (NYSE: HOG) reported units shipped down 30% year over year yesterday, and now GE out with a 17% year over year revenue decline. Stocks are, at their core, priced on earnings growth, with the most-common ratio used for...