One of her other commercials is about her tenure at eBay. One of the many re-framed “achievements” was being a hero to small businesses because eBay allows small businesses to operate a “store” through eBay. Unfortunately, she fails to mention that she raised eBay’s fees on those small businesses SIX times…during a bad economy!

Meg Whitman is yet another ultra-conservative that sacrifices the middle class for her own gain. Meg Whitman is dangerous. Meg Whitman is a guaranteed failure. Meg Whitman’s own Republican party questions her viability. See this link.

Please don’t pass on your opinions, pass on FACTS to your friends, families and co-workers. Meg Whitman commercials plaster the media simply because once she was ousted from eBay she was able to walk away with $125 million dollars that she now uses to advertise her lies to the unsuspecting population of California.

Don’t take my word for it. Or hers. I ask you simply to check the facts, then pass on what you learn to everyone who needs to know.

After going online to view the details of all the case options available, some from Belkin and other 3rd party manufacturers. The ordering process only took a minute. It was quick and simple. So far all seemed fair and good. Then, as I completed the order, the ship date on the product appears on the screen nearly 5 weeks into the future. This didn’t sit well with me but Apple had expired their inventories. I wanted a free case but I didn’t want to have to worry about my shiny, brand new iPhone 4 getting scratched up. I had already ordered and received a Zagg invisibleShield screen protector, now I just need the Apple Bumper case to completely protect the device. Needless to say, I’m a little anxious to get my new baby fully covered and waiting over a month will not be easy.

Then, yesterday happens, I receive an email from Apple Shipping Notification telling me my black iPhone 4 bumper has shipped and will be here within a week! Yay! Not sure how many people out there also received a happy notification like this about their cases, I also would like to know if the 3rd party cases offered are shipping now as well.

Anyway, thank you Apple, and thank you Steve Jobs for doing the right thing.

UPDATE! 2010-07-28 – It’s arrived! EVEN EARLIER!

Guess what showed up in the mail today? Estimated delivery date showed Aug. 3rd, but here it is, almost a week early! Thanks Apple. Unfortunately my Griffin iPod USB cable doesn’t plug in all the way when the bumper is on, eeks. Otherwise, I’m completely covered now

Apple iPhone 4 bumper

Well, in America, these news reporting agencies (and you know which ones to which I am referring) are the most visible, reprinted and republished. The vast majority of Americans get their news from these kinds of sources, not just on TV but online as well. So the harm is rather significant since the information is misrepresented, you’ve now misinformed hundreds of thousands, if not millions of readers. When the true objective of News Media is actually to inform…not entertain.

Another example that’s made headlines lately is the Apple “Antennagate” issue with the new iPhone 4. After about 3 weeks Apple held a press conference (which you can view on Apple’s web site here) explaining to detail the cause of the signal problem with the iPhone. Then they proceeded to demonstrate the exact same issue with other popular phones from the RIM Blackberry to Samsung to an Android phone. Steve Jobs, who led the conference, after showing how common a problem this is, continued to make a strong point of how the media has blown this issue out of proportion. Now, this accusation is not flattering to the media, even though it is newsworthy, now do you think it was reported? Do you think the media would report news about themselves…no matter how newsworthy the story actually is? No. The media reported ONLY the parts of the conference that backed up their own original claims. Article after article, news organization after news organization reported about 1/10th of the conference’s information to protect its own image. Virtually nothing about the tests with the other popular phones, virtually nothing about how they themselves may have blown this issue up. The result of this hypocrisy? The news hungry public, as usual, is only partially informed. Ok, so we have SOME information…where’s the harm in that?

Having only some of the facts associated with a news making story can be dangerous. There’s a bright shining example of that making headlines in the last day or two. The African American, former USDA employee, Shirley Sherrod. She was fired from her job recently due to a ‘selectively edited’ video of a speech she gave not long ago appeared as if she was intentionally not assisting a white farmer. The Obama administration reacted to this report and fired the woman. However, after further investigation, watching the original video, uncut, they see they took these remarks out of context and now our President is begging for her to come back to her job with a huge apology.

So what can we do about this? How can we become more informed? Unfortunately, there’s no clear answer. Just try to get your news from multiple sources. Try to get your news from organizations other than the “big ones.” There are many smaller news reporting agencies all over our country that are non-profit and therefore have no monetary gain from reporting sensationalism and over-hyped headlines.

Now don’t get me wrong, the storm that’s not even in the Gulf of Mexico yet (as of the writing of this article) may hit “BP’s leaky well” dead on. But at this point, that’s uncertain. So, with all of the sensationalism, fear tactics and profit-mindedness the news media maintains the only problem I see with the media seems to be the media.

So why is Google trying to keep this one under wraps? Mostly because of one thing…they don’t want to stoke the successful fires of the iPhone. While Apple recently released the iPhone 4 to sell 3 million devices in as many weeks, breaking all records, RIM is seeing their market share shrink by the day. Google has seen some success with Android, although it was also just discovered that a recent estimate of Apps in Google’s App Store was over exaggerated. That kind of shady news as well as the discontinuation of the Nexus One can’t feel good to the search giant.

Although Android phones are quite functional, reports from the field indicate the customer satisfaction is quite a bit lower than that of iPhone users. Even with this latest iPhone 4 antenna debacle, Apple and AT&T are seeing HALF the return rate with the iPhone 4 as with the previous generation iPhone 3GS which had no purported antenna problem.

So, it’s no secret why Google must try and keep this secret. Goodbye Nexus One…thank you for trying.

With a history of world class customer service, and lately, unprecedented transparency and communication from CEO Steve Jobs on every issue from no Flash support on their mobile devices to this antenna issue. We’ve seen open letters and open emails on every subject. This conference is the latest in what seems to be an emerging culture of openness.

The conference started out by showing how gripping almost any mobile, wireless device in the “wrong way” can cause signal loss. The first example being quite dramatic as they show a RIM Blackberry Bold 9700 dropping from 5 bars down to 1 bar when gripped the wrong way. Other popular smartphone platforms and manufacturers were mentioned, Android, Samsung, etc etc.

Jobs goes on by showing and explaining how the way antenna signals work, that all of these phones, any wireless device, will have this bad grip problem. It’s the laws of physics. Wait! You mean Apple hasn’t innovated enough to the point of defying the laws of physics!?!? I want my money back! He then explains how the iPhone 4 also went through shielded room tests etc.

Support issues…if this is such a big deal, as the media likes to portray, then out of the 3 million devices sold since it’s launch, there must be a ridiculous number of support calls about this problem. Actually, Steve reveals, that only .55% of all iPhone 4 owners have called about this problem. A little over half of one percent. While that’s probably higher than it should be, this is not the epidemic the media and class-action legal teams would have you believe.

Return rates…Wow, the previous generation iPhone 3GS averaged a 6% return rate with AT&T stores. Jobs indicates that this is below industry average. However, with the iPhone 4 and all of its supposed ‘issues’ the return rate is at a mere 1.7%. What’s going on here?

Jobs then goes on to reveal that the iPhone 4 actually does drop calls slightly more than the 3GS, however, it’s only 1 call per 100 more than the 3GS which is an ever so slim difference. He then theorizes, that because the previous generation iPhone 3GS is the same shape as its predecessor the 3G, that people could continue to use their old cases or even go to the store to buy one of many available cases for the existing shape. The case, thus shielding the 3GS from a percentage of dropped calls. Many iPhone 4′s are still ‘naked’ due to the fact that the case manufacturers are still getting the cases out to the retailers with the new form factor products…interesting theory.

And to help us all test his theory, Steve is putting his money where his mouth is and buying everyone a free bumper who buys their iPhone 4 up until September 30th. You’ll be able to apply for the free case late next week at the Apple Store online.

Well, I think this was yet another good communication from Apple. Another successful exercise at openness and transparency. All of the information given was logical and now the media must move on to another topic…oil spill? Haiti? War? Yeah, those are definitely bigger than cell phone reception stories. What do you think?

The ad goes on to say what Adobe DOES NOT Love about Apple.

Now, I’m not going to write an extensive piece on Tech Titan Passive-aggressivism. This is simply meant to be an extension of the original article Apple, Adobe…The New Tech War?.

Many are trying to paint Apple as an evil corporate tech giant trying to control the world and its content. However, all of Apple’s developer tools for the devices in question (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch) are free of charge. Anyone can develop HTML 5 (Apple’s replacement for Flash video on these devices) for free. No licensing, no paid developer tools, no plugins. Adobe is the one who loses money if Flash finally dies its overdue death. Adobe is the Desktop Publishing industry’s Microsoft.

I’ve downgraded my Adobe “rating” from “I like them” to “I accept them.”

Steve, thank you for protecting the integrity of your products and the unparalleled user experience of your products. Keep up the good work!

Today, Adobe returned fire with a response slamming Jobs’ claims that Flash is unstable, insecure and hinders performance. Jobs further decried Flash as an outdated, closed technology that is not suited for mobile devices with touch screen interfaces. On the surface, these claims seem like in your face insults to Adobe and this technology platform that has been well established since the late 90′s.

The Facts
The truth is, Steve Jobs is right. From industry developers, consultants and techies across the web and around the world. Flash is not only dead, it has had its hey day and simply never caught on as it was intended to.
Since the late 90′s me and my tech buddies were dreaming of a day when all web sites would be 100% Flash based. HTML was dead (we thought) and today, there’s some amount of Flash on what seems like nearly every web site we visit, but those sites are still primarily HTML and Javascript based. Flash became the de-facto standard for showing cross platform, cross browser video on a web page.
So what’s the problem with Flash? Why hasn’t it truly taken over the world? Why has CNN, Wall Street Journal and many many other sites removed Flash based video from their web presences?

Because Steve Jobs is correct. Flash is difficult. The development tools, originally created by Macromedia (later acquired by Adobe in April of 2005) are cumbersome, unfriendly and non-standard to web developers. Flash, as a technology platform is CLOSED, you must rely on Adobe (a corporate monolith, slow to adapt) to update its tools, close security holes and support new hardware platforms. To view Flash on the web you must also install a 3rd party plugin for your web browser. If the plugin does not exist, you cannot view the content. This has been a confusing issue for users over the years.
Flash, as Steve Jobs implies, is an outdated technology, and Adobe with their “return fire” is trying to paint Apple as a controlling tech entity blocking out others’ technology for their own greed and corporate interests. In reality, all of the claims that Jobs made in his open letter are true and accurate, from a technical as well as user experience perspective. Apple simply wants to move forward away from closed standards and a technology that was needed in its day but has long since been deemed outdated.
So what do we do? What replaces Flash…especially video?
As I’ve read recently in a headline, it really was HTML5 that killed Flash, not Apple. HTML5 is cross browser, cross platform and requires no special plugins. It runs natively to a web browser, runs on existing iPhones, Blackberries, iPads and other smartphones and is an OPEN Standard.
So, Adobe, let it go. Let’s move forward. Flash is dead.

In typical Microsoft fashion, their CES 2010 Keynote Address was sleepy, boring and just plain uninspiring.  These were the comments coming out of the industry not long after it was over.  In a new year where we are all looking for a new beginning, Microsoft has the stage and chooses to put us to sleep.

I’m not sure if they’ll ever get it.  I don’t really care anymore.  It simply isn’t in their DNA.  Trying to beat Apple to the punch with a tablet won’t work either.  Apple’s is better.  It’s always better.  Their success proves it.  With a PC market that’s grown non-stop in the last 10 years, Microsoft’s market share has remained stagnant.

They are a company that touts innovation, ease-of-use and inspiration.  I think it’s because their products actually have none of those qualities, so reinforce it in marketing to get you associating the words/brand.  Meanwhile, Apple doesn’t use those words in their marketing, yet they have all of them, built right in.

Their most popular product Microsoft Office’s most commonly used components a Word Processor and a Spreadsheet were also not invented by Microsoft.

Honestly, I’m tired of people trying to “pump up” potential Microsoft technology like their tablet before it’s even seen.  Haven’t you already learned that they don’t possess the ability to truly excite people?  The Zune, a bomb if there ever was one.  Windows CE, stagnant, unimproved piece of garbage for years.  Or are you prematurely excited about a guaranteed flop because Micro$oft pays you so much in advertising pay off dollars?

Why would ABC News report the headline that George Bush pardoned Microsoft from receiving the punitive action the Supreme Court prescribed after finding out they abused their monopoly in 2000/2001? This is news, but don’t report it if you still want M$ to pay millions to advertise on your network.

After doing extensive research, it seems everything they have that is or was remotely successful was either stolen or illegally obtained through abuse of the market (see education lawsuits from 1999, 2000 and US Supreme court, abuse of monopoly cases from the same time period, also investigate Red Canyon software and Windows Video incident from the mid 90′s)  These guys are the tech version of the oil companies and always have been.  Microsoft is the clean coal of Tech.  There’s no such thing as “clean coal”…or…”Microsoft Technology.”

Now Microsoft isn’t 100% bad, after all many thousands of people are employed by them, the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation donates millions to the best charities.  So I guess it’s ok they were found guilty overcharging schools for their Windows product in a market manipulation scam.  What you never heard about this?  Oh and don’t forget the hundreds of millions the European Union fined Microsoft for the same improprieties they were found guilty of in the US.  It’s just George Bush wasn’t president of the EU at the time so he couldn’t excuse them from that punishment.

They were even 30 minutes late starting the keynote.

Ummm…can you explain something to me?  How does that spinning 3D galaxy help me make a better phone call or organize my contacts more efficiently?

Regardless, I’m not commenting too much on this, but I wanted to get this out the night before the big announcement.  These smartphone names and gimmicks are just that, and honestly, it’s a little hokey.

My favorite smartphone’s name isn’t so fantastical or intergalactic…it’s called the iPhone.  It’s easy, it’s affordable, it’s even fun to use, and there are no spinning galaxies in the background.

Every phone that’s come out since the iPhone was released 3 years ago was dubbed “the iPhone killer” and so far, none have even come close.  The Palm Pre even gained traction in the media/hype arena, but where is it now?  I don’t know a soul who has one.  The Droid?  I do know some people that have that one…I think 3.  But I’ve actually even heard consistent COMPLAINTS about it.

Now, on the more practical front, Google’s smartphone idea is good…an open phone, open to development and, if you’re willing to shell out the unsubsidized price, free from a contract. I don’t like that Apple & AT&T have this monopoly on my iPhone experience. I had a smartphone 4 years ago, yes a year before the first iPhone, that I could tether to my laptop for wireless Internet.  Here we are 4 years later, and AT&T still doesn’t allow it with the iPhone.  Yet I pay $30/month for an unlimited data plan.

Regardless, the Google Nexus won’t kill the iPhone either…the name is too fancy.  The spinning galaxy simply isn’t practical and they’re releasing it on the T-mobile network, one of the worst for coverage and accessibility.

So, here we go again, more launch hype, probably more talk of “I think this could be the real iPhone Killer this time” and more good reviews, but I bet in the next 3 years (the time the iPhone has been out) the Nexus doesn’t make a dent in the 30 million iPhones out there.

Finally, with rumors that the iPhone will be available on Verizon’s network possibly this year, that’s it.  The other phones have no chance.  Apple will lock up “the rest” of the market.  I love Google, their products, services, corporate culture, and social policies, they’re innovative and they have the right idea.  I hope they’re successful with this 2nd phone technology release.  I just don’t think the iPhone’s dead yet!

I was chatting with friends in Australia this evening (where it’s always tomorrow) and since they are in the Southern hemisphere, it’s getting warmer down there this time of year and colder up here. They asked what the temperature was, knowing they’re used to Metric down there I used the trusty calculator that comes with Mac OS X and used the “Convert” menu to convert my 45 degrees Farenheit to degrees Celsius, then proceeded to tell them “…it’s about 7 degrees here now.”

Not expecting me to have done the conversion for them, they asked “is that in degrees Celsius?”

This conversation started me thinking about how all American kids have been taught the Metric
system in public schools since sometime in the 70′s.  So most 30 and 40-something adults in America are more than familiar with it.  Let alone the generation X and Y’s that follow.

After being somewhat impressed and thanking me for doing the conversion, I proceeded to inform the Australians that all Americans have been taught Metric in school for some number of years now.  They then asked “So how come you haven’t switched yet?” Good question Ozzie friend.

With lots of obvious reasons coming to mind, for example, laziness, priorities, etc etc…I then thought about our new President. With Obama representing “change” and “the future” and all that maybe after the wars calm down and the health care debate gets somewhat resolved, could it be possible in a few years, or the beginning of a second term, he could start a push to get this great isolationist country switched to the Metric system?  After all, at this rate, it clearly won’t happen spontaneously, there will have to be Federal law to make it happen.

I’ve been living in Southern California now for almost 3 years.  I moved from Phoenix, where I lived for 19 years. If you take the I-10 freeway out to LA from Phoenix, you will see some well intentioned “Metric/English” road signs indicating in kilometers as well as miles the distance to the next town.  The first time I saw this I got excited, that someone started doing something about it.  Then realized, those signs are THE ONLY signs of their kind. Seems like California may have tried to get the ball rolling some years ago and realized there may have been better things to spend tax dollars on.  Tax dollars this great state is coming up short on these days.

Ultimately, the thing that binds societies together, brings people together, and even makes doing business more seamless is uniform communication.  Without communication what do we have?  This huge gap in standardizing units of measurement needs to be closed, once and for all.  It may cost money.  It may take time. But I believe it is worth the investment in the long term.  Let’s do it for the kids!

Lee’s pitching wasn’t the only star of this Phillies victory, Chase Utley also hit two solo home-runs putting the Phillies on the board and keeping them in the lead.

As a 3rd generation Phillies fan, I have high hopes and would love to see them go all the way!

Maybe Hollywood is getting too excited about saving money and cutting corners by spending $15,000 on a movie and trying to turn it into $100 million in profits. This has happened in the past, but I wouldn’t think of this as a common, typical formula for success.

Another great movie “could have been” for the record books, this one had some freaky moments, and definitely was going down the right path, only to stretch out most of the nearly 100 minutes as “filler” minutes rather than scary moments.

In summary, I’d say there was enough quality content for the first HALF of a really great supernatural horror flick. So, where’s the 50% refund for half of my $11.50 ticket price? And I must say, we weren’t the only ones wishing for some cash back on this over-hyped rip-off.

Stay home, see something else, don’t even rent it.

It wasn’t a complete loss, some of the “beauty is skin deep” moral of the storyline apply to us today, with our shallow, surface values, plastic surgery, weekly visits to the salon. Have we lost something…human? If this technology existed and was affordable as it was portrayed in the movie I believe we might fall into this trap.

Normally I’d say go see this one in the theater, and that it was at least entertaining, but I can’t recommend this one. Maybe a rental when there’s nothing else to watch.

Finally, the really sad story here may be that Bruce may not have much more box office draw after this one.

I have ONE thing to say about this…

Why are they still shooting with film?

Shoot digital, get prints made in minutes with a great Canon inkjet photo printer, no weirdo, freako WalMart employees eyeballing your kids in the tub.

Moral of the story…shoot digital!

We have wildfires, unemployment, healthcare, recession, earthquake in indonesia, civil wars in Africa, protesting in PA, Iran, 2 wars in the Middle East , N. Korea, China, global warming, rising violent crime rates, swine flu, military contractor corruption…shall I continue?

So, with all of this REAL news going on in the world what does CNN show last night? For hours instead? Maybe I missed a larger news issue? What is this happening that would cause replays for hours over and over? Did terrorists attack somewhere again? No, Michael Jackson died…oh wait that was almost 2 and a half months ago.

Michael Jackson’s PRIVATE funeral for family and close friends was the event that trumped all of the other news-worthy happenings in the world for hours and hours. It wasn’t on any other news channel for as long or as repetitious. Nobody else cared. But CNN seemed to think it was the most important thing going on in the world at the time.

The FAA disallowed helicopters over the cemetery where the funeral was held to keep privacy for the family so what did CNN find it prudent to do? They had a camera floating overhead so they could peer into the service. A PRIVATE CITIZEN’S FUNERAL SERVICE. The media SPECIFICALLY was not invited to this. But they all showed up. Respect is obviously not newsworthy.

This is proof CNN is an icon representing how American news media has hit bottom. This is not about reporting news. It never really was.

CNN not only has lost it’s grasp on what’s important as a news organization (if they ever had it), but they’re now violating the privacy of American Citizens. I thought I was watching E! Entertainment Television’s News report or something. Didn’t Michael Jackson’s PUBLIC funeral over a month ago get enough air time?

What else has CNN been prioritizing over real news?

1) Paris Hilton (yes even lately)

2) Larry King interviews that rapist that “pretends” to not remember his actions. This a*hole should not have gotten air time. Shame on you Larry King.

3) Even MORE of the Carrie Prejean saga, the anti-gay marriage Miss California candidate
that’s suing the Miss USA organization…WHO GIVES A SH*T!!??

CNN is sickening. I don’t even want basic cable anymore. Getting rid of it.

Join me in this protest…it won’t change unless the consumer public shows it’s not interested in this kind of “news reporting.”

And then there are the actors. I’m not sure if it’s fair to say it’s his best ability, but may I at least put forth that Mr. Tarantino has a gift when it comes to casting? From Brad to Mélanie and from Christoph to Eli, everyone was perfect.

This may have a been a semi-silly, obnoxious, Tarantino-style, WWII flick but it was also a dramatic, intense, revenge fantasy I won’t soon forget.

Ship was a prisoner relocation ship (dropping off prisoners to mars?), prisoners briefly took control, computer locks down ship. They end up at Earth because it was nearby. This explains EVERY story hole.

1) Why aliens were initially “locked” in the ship and humans had to CUT into it.

2) Why they were vicious criminal types,

3) Why there was a “nice” alien, he was the CAPTAIN of the prison ship (and why he didn’t take any of the other aliens back with him). and finally…

4) DISTRICT 10 story line… 2.5 Million “bad aliens” and the next movie HUMANS and GOOD ALIENS (that return with original captain) fight the bad aliens TOGETHER.

Whaddaya think?

Well, a few weeks ago I was around my 1 year mark on the 2 year contract I had signed with AT&T when I got my iPhone 3G. So, I logged in to my online account, and, as I suspected, I didn’t have many upgrade options to get the newly released iPhone 3GS for a reasonable amount. Resigning myself to wait out the term of the contract and frustrated, I wrote the article about Apple, AT&T and iPhone’s with contracts being expensive.

Then, this past week, out of sheer morbid curiosity I signed in to my ebay account (of which I haven’t used in ages due to exorbitant fees and the PayPal monopoly they created) then proceeded to see what, if anything at all, a black, 16GB, iPhone 3G was going for. After all, if I could get enough for it, maybe it would be worth putting out another couple hundred to get the new phone and I was frustrated, the new toy was out and I wanted it…NOW.

It turns out, what my ebay searching showed, that a “contract” must be worth a couple hundred dollars because an OUT OF CONTRACT, Black, 16GB iPhone 3G (yes, previous generation) is going for around $275, USED! Because WITH a contract AT&T and Apple are still selling this model new for $99. So the contract is worth a couple hundred to someone. Buying an out of contract phone also allows you to jailbreak & unlock this phone and activate it freely with another carrier, e.g. T-Mobile.

Wow, I thought, if I could just get out of this contract… So I signed back in to my AT&T wireless account, clicked on “upgrade options” and voila! To my amazement and wonder, AT&T was offering the iPhone 3GS at the NEW CUSTOMER pricing of $199 and $299 for the 16GB and 32GB models respectively. Even for me, with still a year left on my previous contract. I think somebody wants me to upgrade…so of course I proceeded to do so as the planets were aligning in my favor.

So, I went to sell my 3G on ebay for $250 “Buy It Now” and it sold within hours. After seller fees and the free ground shipping I offered (that everyone seems to be offering nowadays), I took in roughly $220 for my year old, gently used, iPhone 3G.

I then went to the AT&T store who had just restocked 15 units of the Black, 16GB iPhone 3GS, paid my $199 + tax + $18 upgrade fee, totaling $250, and activated my shiny new iPhone 3GS.

It is very possible I could have gotten more for my iPhone 3G on ebay compared to the others I saw, but for $30 total a little ebay craziness and an extra year with AT&T I’m a happy camper. The phone is great and worth every penny. If anyone else has a similar story please post it here, I’d love to know about it.

AT&T is gaining over a quarter million new mobile customers every month from Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile because of their iPhone exclusivity.

Meanwhile Verizon is begging Apple to allow them to sell SOMETHING! Have you read about that? Verizon’s not even ashamed to say they want to sell “a mobile Apple product” whatever that means.

Exclusivity contracts are ILLEGAL in Australia. That’s why my friend there got her brand new iPhone 3G, *FREE* with a 2 year contract, instead of $299. The $299 was a negotiation to get the customer.

AT&T Doesn’t have to negotiate since you can’t go to another carrier to get an iPhone.

Unfortunately, it only pays to limit a consumer’s choices.

Where are our anti-competitive laws? This is America!