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

Thanks to the incredibly successful third-annual Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce Olympic and Sprint Triathlons, which was held last Saturday, over 300 triathletes from across nine states now have our own Washington, North Carolina, circled on their events-destination maps.

In 2007, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Catherine Glover tapped into her youthful creativity and connections to reach this unique demographic of competitive athletes, and three years later, 350 triathlon participants (triple the number of the previous two years) came to eat at Washington restaurants, stay at Washington hotels, swim, bike and run across the county, and shop at Washington businesses.

Above: The triathletes have their bikes ready t... Read More

Publisher's Note: Submitted as a press release from the Ashley Woolard Campaign.

GOP First District Congressional candidate Ashley Woolard will call on Congressman G.K. Butterfield to resign from the House Ethics Committee or face investigation, in a series of press conferences Tuesday.

Woolard will appear at the NCGOP Headquarters in Raleigh at 10:00 a.m.; the train station in Rocky Mount at 12:30 p.m.; and the Craven County GOP Headquarters in New Bern, NC at 3:00 p.m.

Butterfield is a member of the House Ethics Committee judging embattled Congressman Charlie Rangel on charges of tax evasion and corruption in a September House trial. The House Ethics Committee met last Thursday and charged Rangel with 13 counts of violating House rules... Read More

As your Beaufort County Commissioner, I, along with Commissioner Hood Richardson, have achieved a rather dubious milestone. We have achieved the distinction of being inducted into the North Carolina ACLU "Wall of Shame."

Now that I, and my compadre, have been spoken of in such a disparaging manner by the ACLU, I know I have now finally made my mark as a local politician, who also takes a very dim view of those who are bent on the destruction of our society, by the weakening of our United States Constitution. This is the prime directive of the ACLU, which like the current Labor Unions, have tragically lost their way, and no longer provide their once valuable service - to protect the weakest among us in our society of Americans and America... Read More

A growing number of the American youth is bridging the gap between American liberalism and Libertarianism as if it were the most natural thing in the world. And by ‘youth’, I’m sadly enough referring to a certain class of people under the age of 40; specifically the ones who still frequent bars and get the bulk of their news from The Daily Show on Comedy Central.

It’s as if they don’t realize, or care, that the economic components to American liberalism and Libertarianism are as far apart on the ideological spectrum as Communist Russia and the Netherlands. Once upon a time, they said they were Democrats because they wanted the federal government to take care of the poor and to regulate the free market. Now, th... Read More

Publisher's Note: Our most prolific contributor, Diane Rufino, will have her uncharacteristically short editorial published in the Greenville Daily Reflector in the next few days as a response to another opinion piece published in that same publication by Etsil S. Mason of Farmville, North Carolina. Mrs. Rufino is certainly doing her part to further President Obama's, and all Democrats', desire to countinue our "national discussion on race."

Located directly below Diane's short op-ed is Ms. Mason's Opinion regarding Shirley Sherrod.

As a human being, I am touched at the virtues that Shirley Sherrod came to embrace. I am thankful that her lesson is the one we are talking about instead of the divisive stories of racial finger-pointing a... Read More

"L'chaim! To the best musical of all time!"

Most people either simply adore musicals, or think they are ridiculously contrived. Even aware of the risk, I can say without fear of mockery that the 1971 film adaptation of the classic musical Fiddler on the Roof is not only one of the best musicals of all time; it is also one of the best movies ever made.

I understand that a five-star rating is a bold move, so I’m starting with a full disclosure: I am one of those ‘silly’ people who love musicals! The only musical I won’t watch is Grease, but I blame this on the insufferable popularization of this musical among those who know nothing else about the genre. (Ironically, the original Broadway production of Fiddler on ... Read More

Now an official downtown-Washington success, Lone Leaf Gallery & Custom Framing, celebrated its one-year anniversary yesterday evening with hors d’oeuvres, drinks and a new art exhibit, ‘Interruptions’ by Ben Isburg. From 5 to 8 p.m., dozens of loyal patrons and supporters stopped by the gallery to congratulate the Loughlins and see the show.

After a shaky, but well intentioned, version of 'Happy Birthday', Neil and Meredith Loughlin, owners of Lone Leaf Gallery & Custom Framing, extinguished the candle on their one-year anniversary cake--a delicious homemade mocha cake donated by Meredith's mom, Lynn Deatherage.

Since it opened a year ago, Lone Leaf Gallery has carved out its niche in the Eastern North Carolina ar... 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

This summer I was surprised by the number of people who had taken to gardening. I suppose that one positive effect of the recession is that it’s teaching us to consume less and produce more. My parents have grown vegetables before, but this year they planted produce in nearly every natural area in their yard. It seemed like every other day that they were sending me home with squash, zucchini, okra and peppers. And just when I thought I might actually need to visit the grocery store for tomatoes and cucumbers, two young children from my neighborhood were on my porch selling them to me for a quarter. In fact, even though I live on a city block, I’d bet that every three out of four of my neighbors have a garden. As their vines star... Read More

This is the second edition of lawyer jokes from our favorite lawyer, Diane Rufino. They sure make me laugh.

Lawyer joke #1
Where can you find a good lawyer?

In the cemetery.

Lawyer joke #2
What do you do if you run over a lawyer?

Back over him to make sure. Then, make another notch on the steering wheel.

Lawyer joke #3
What do lawyers and sperm have in common?

One in 50,000,000 has a chance of becoming a human being.

Lawyer joke #4
What's the difference between a porcupine and two lawyers in a BMW?

A porcupine has the pricks on the outside.

Lawyer joke #5
Why does the American Bar Association prohibit sex between attorneys and their clients?

To prevent the client for being billed twice for what is essentially ... Read More

I have always loved theme parks. It is an incurable urge that draws me to these monstrous ribbons of steel that allow roaring, rolling collective groups of stangers strapped into a transitory thrill box to be shot up and down and all around, until the itch to be thrilled is surely satisfied. They're called roller coasters, and you either love them or hate them; never just tolerate them. Busch Gardens placates that itch for me, as well as it does for most of the members of my family. Does it do it for you?

This following segment of "Every Picture Tells a Story ... Don't It:" On the Road is dedicated to all you folks who just need to get away for that cheap thrill that usually never kills, and you won't catch anything that you wouldn't w... 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

I'm angry and the voters in the First Congressional District are angry and rightfully so. We see the arrogance and corruption in Washington, and we don’t like it. We are especially upset that Rep. G. K. Butterfield, has violated the spirit of the Congressional Ethics Committee while he is a serving member of that body.

Charlie Rangel, who has served in Congress for 40 years, was charged with numerous ethics violations. It has taken the Ethics Committee two years of investigation to even admit that there might be sufficient evidence to bring charges against Rep. Rangel.

Rep. G. K. Butterfield , a member of the Ethics Committee, has received $4,000 in campaign donations from Rep. Rangel. By any standard, receiving a donation from so... Read More

President Obama has made the proposed Health Care Reform Bill the centerpiece of his presidency. His political fortunes will continue, or be diminished by the crafting of this partisan initiative, and its subsequent passage before the midterm election cycle. To a lesser extent at the NACo conference, there were other talking points on other issues: proposed Cap and Trade / Clean Energy Policy legislation, but what resonated with me was the simpatico culpability within the NACo (National Association of Counties) power structure with the Obama administration on all issues. This became evident as I made my way from the General Meetings to Education Workshops, and speaking to other commissioners along the way at the 2010 NACo Legislative Con... Read More