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Intrigue ... former Manly majority shareholder Scott Penn and Peter Peters.

SCOTT PENN is no longer the majority shareholder of the Manly Sea Eagles. And for that, he can thank his uncle, Peter Peters.

In a delicious twist in the battle of control for the premiers, former media manager Peters unwittingly relinquished his family's majority control of the clubs when he donated two memorabilia items, match programs for the 1972 and 1973 grand finals, for fundraising.

Those programs, along with a couple of other memorabilia pieces, fetched more than $70,000 when sold by the Manly-Warringah Rugby League Football Club. The MWRLC, also known as the District Club, used those funds to buy additional shares which bumped down Penn Sport's stakeholding from 50.07 per cent to 49.5 per cent.

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Collector's item ... Grand Final souvenir program from 1972.

As of Thursday, Penn's majority stake became a minority one. However, he wasn't even aware he'd been outmanoeuvred in his battle for control of the Sea Eagles until he was blind-sided by the developments at a fiery board meeting that night.

Since gaining majority shareholding, Penn has complained that his stake isn't reflected in the boardroom, pointing to the fact he held only three of the seven director's seats. Last October he told The Sun-Herald he wanted to amend the constitution to ensure the biggest owner got the most seats. Ironically, he now has his wish. The Surfside syndicate comprising the Quantum group (37.57 per cent), along with District Club (12.93 per cent) together now hold the balance of power.

''If he has put that point of view in the past, the case now stands that he is not the majority shareholder,'' said Quantum boss Phil Sidney, who was recently appointed the board spokesman after Penn was stripped of the role. ''So, on his own argument, he is not the majority shareholder and he should not have the majority of seats on the board. Which is now the case.

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Manly memorabilia puts Penn control to the sword

U.S. State Department Announces Resolution of United Technologies Corporation Arms Export Control Enforcement Case

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

June 28, 2012

________________________________________

United Technologies Corporation (UTC) has agreed to pay more than $75 million as part of a global settlement with the State Department and Justice Department to address arms export violations to China, false and belated disclosures to the U.S. Government about these illegal exports, and many other compliance failures.

An extensive enforcement review by the Department of States Office of Defense Trade Controls Compliance has addressed several hundred civil violations of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). The State Department has reached administrative agreement with United Technologies Corporation to terminate and resolve these violations. This settlement highlights the role of the Department in protecting sensitive American technologies from being illegally transferred to, or received by, unapproved foreign actors.

The Department determined that UTCs numerous violations demonstrated a systemic, corporate-wide failure to maintain effective ITAR controls. Since 2006, UTC operating units and subsidiaries (including Pratt & Whitney, Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation and Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation) have disclosed to the Department hundreds of ITAR violations. A number of the violations may have caused harm to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.

Accordingly, the Department proposed to UTC a consolidated resolution via an administrative settlement which would ensure immediate, comprehensive and effective remedial action across the companys many operating units and subsidiaries. Among the civil violations settled by UTC are several arising from the unauthorized provision in 2002 and 2003 of U.S. origin, ITAR-controlled engine software for military attack helicopters in the Peoples Republic of China. Concurrently with the administrative settlement, UTC has also agreed with the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve criminal charges related to these transactions. UTC subsidiary Pratt & Whitney Canada Corporation (P&W Canada) has pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court in Connecticut to a criminal violation of the AECA and ITAR, while UTC, Hamilton Sundstrand and P&W Canada have also entered into a deferred prosecution agreement regarding this and other related charges. UTC and the Departments of State and Justice coordinated the resolution of the civil and criminal matters.

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U.S. State Department Announces Resolution of United Technol

28-06-2012 17:21 Controlling how employees use social Web sites is important, because while many are valuable business tools, they also pose security risks and can reduce productivity. This video demonstrates how to use Websense Web Security Gateway to help control use of the social Web.

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How to use Websense Web Security Gateway to help control use of the social Web - Video

The dust had not yet settled after President Jonathan's infamous, "I don't give a damn," statement, when asked about publicly declaring his assets during the Presidential media chat on Sunday, June 24, when he came out with yet another controversial statement on Tuesday, saying that Nigerians should brace up for birth control legislation in order to check population explosion.

Making the remark at the swearing-in of the newly appointed chairman, Chief Festus Odumegwu and commissioners of the National Population Commission (NPC), the president said, "For us to plan properly we must manage our population; but it is extremely sensitive; we are extremely religious people; either you are a Christian or Muslim. Both Christians and Muslims and even traditionalists and all the other religions believe that children are God's gifts to man, so it is difficult for you to tell any Nigerian to number his children because they are gifts of God and it is not expected to reject God's gifts.

"It is a very sensitive thing but we must begin to think about it. We must begin to think about how we'll manage it," as reported by Daily Trust, June 27.

Jonathan went ahead to give examples of where the wealthy have very few children, like two or three, because they are educated, and the poor ones have many children, such as in the barracks, where the Generals and other big guys have few children, while those with no rank have eight or 12. Another example he cited is where you go to a duplex and the owners may have only two, three or four children while the security (Mai gadi) has nine children.

However, even as Nigeria's population stands at approximately 150 million people, the real problem is corruption and lack of good planning, this is what is suppressing development rather than our high population. It is quite unfortunate that rather than our high population to be seen as an asset, our leaders see it as a liability. If we had national planning that works in education, housing, health among other things, Nigerians would not be in such a dicey situation, with most wallowing in abject poverty.

For example, if our public schools are good enough that top government officials take their children there; our hospitals well-equipped that top government officials go there for their healthcare needs instead of jetting out on health tourism abroad; and we have good roads, electricity and water, even those poor people with many children will not be too stressed up nor pose a liability; as the government has provided these necessities to them.

But no, the poor are left to contrive how to live in the midst of plenty, where the so-called representatives of the people get millions of naira ( or is it dollars) in jumbo salaries. Still, some top government officials who are not in the public glare like the politicians steal staggering sums, such as in the pension scam.

And some of the people with few children the president gave as example, may not actually have got their money legitimately, some get theirs through corrupt means and live lavishly with their few children at the expense of the Mai gadi with nine children, who is also a citizen of Nigeria and has a right to basic things that should be provided by government.

The president should worry more about the power sector, so that our moribund industries would be revived and the people can get employment and bring an end to, or reduce youth restiveness. The situation where Nigeria becomes a dumping ground, so to say, of sub-standard goods, empowering other countries that produce them, while we consume them is unfortunate.

In addition, if government makes agriculture attractive, the teeming graduates of agriculture would go into it and become employers of labour themselves. Nigeria with vast and fertile land should be able to feed itself and export to other countries, but we have abandoned farming while we import expired rice, among others.

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Nigeria: As Jonathan Plans Birth Control Law

Mining magnate Gina Rinehart is likely to succeed in wresting control of Fairfax Media, but it could take at least six months of manoeuvring, an academic says.

Mrs Rinehart's company Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd (HPPL) on Monday said unless Fairfax offers her board positions without 'unsuitable conditions,' she would be unable to assist Fairfax at this time.

'Hancock Prospecting may hence sell its interest, and may consider repurchasing at some other time,' HPPL said in a statement.

UNSW Australian School of Business lecturer Michael Peters says some people would ask questions if the largest shareholder of a business walked away and the share price fell, only to have the same investor re-appear to buy the shares.

Mrs Rinehart holds about 18 per cent of Fairfax stock and she is seeking as many as three board seats.

But on Wednesday Fairfax chairman Roger Corbett knocked back a request from Mrs Rinehart's for a board seat, saying the board could not reach agreement with her on the issue of Fairfax's charter of editorial independence and other board governance principles.

Existing directors are keen for her to sign a charter of editorial independence before any offer of a board position is made.

'It's got a minimum of another six months to play out, but I suspect she'll end up with the lot if the shareholders lose confidence,' Mr Peters told AAP.

He added that it would be unacceptable for Ms Rinehart to threaten to sell her shares if she was not given board seats.

'Someone's obviously drafted it (the statement) so that the Fairfax directors sit back and say, wow, she'll be back,' Mr Peters said.

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Rinehart could control Fairfax soon