Portfolio
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Spilling the Oil
Everyone knows it’s well past the time when the people of all advanced societies on the planet should be finding ways to spill the oil, and by that, I mean ditch it. Oil, while based on renewable fossil fuels, is still running out of stores of useful petroleum and since the global dependence for energy seems to rely on fossil fuels, unless we find another source of energy. Cars, planes, trains, trucking lanes, ships and nearly every other form of mass transportation are all dependent on oil. So is the economy of all the countries in the gulf area of the Middle East, which gives them a dangerous amount of leverage in global politics and human rights issues are…
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Good Googleplex: The Currency of Perks
If you work for Google, then you are among the lucky thousands who have experienced what’s been lauded as the best working environment on the entire planet. For one thing, Google pays its employees well, but money is not the only thing that makes a job worth having. In fact, most of the laid back, healthy, and happy Google employees, when asked what makes Google such great company to work for, will cite the many corporate perks before any mention of monetary compensation. Keeping valuable and creative employees satisfied involves a kind of currency trading that goes miles beyond the cold, hard dollar, and Google is a master of trade when it comes to the…
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Mexican Bribing Scheme Leaves No One At Fault
Tyson Foods, Inc. has over 123 food processing plants where it manufactures animal meat products and other processed animal product varieties. In 2004, a plant manager in Mexico noticed that two women had been getting paid 30,700 pesos, about $2700 per month, according to plant financial records, and they had been receiving this money for years. The manager claimed that they had “most definitely” not worked for Tyson Foods. When it turned out that these women were the wives of veterinarians employed to track and monitor animal health in compliance with high standards and regulations, the picture became more clear. It was even acknowledged in an executives meeting that these payments were obviously bribes and…
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What is Charles Ergen Doing?
So far in 2011, the billionaire chairman and founder of Dish Network and EchoStar has made $2.3 billion in acquisitions of wireless and satellite companies, among other internationally branded corporate entities. Charles Ergen has already bought satellite companies DBSD North America and Hughes Communications, and is currently looking to purchase a third satellite company, and direct tv service competitor, TerreStar. Ergen has also acquired video services and store brands Move Networks and Blockbuster, with the latter having the asset of thousands of national store locations and international branding. The one thing all of these new acquisitions have in common is content delivery, raising speculation that Mr. Ergen is preparing to establish a hold on the…
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US Releases Oil Reserves to Offset Libyan Halt
Recent political turmoil, much like a home security burglar alarm halting a robber, in Libya has halted its oil export, hurting key trade partners who received a large portion of their crude reserves from Libya and Yemen, like Italy, France, Germany and Spain. In response to growing concern of increase in oil prices, the US and 27 of its allies are pooling together some 60 million barrels, a relatively small amount when you consider that it only accounts for 2/3 of a single day’s oil consumption, to be released over the next thirty days. The US will provide about half of that amount, with the rest coming from its 27 allies. While trumpeted as being…
Featured
Acquisitions and Mergers
Good Googleplex: The Currency of Perks
If you work for Google, then you are among the lucky thousands who have experienced what’s been lauded as the best working environment on the entire planet. For one thing, Google pays its employees well, but money is not the only thing that makes a job worth having. In fact, most of the laid back, healthy, and happy Google employees, when asked what makes Google such great company to work for, will cite the many corporate perks before any mention of monetary compensation. Keeping valuable and creative employees satisfied involves a kind of currency trading that goes miles beyond the cold, hard dollar, and Google is a master of trade when it comes to the…
Investment Regret
Have you ever sunk a lump of hard earned cash into one or more stocks hoping to rake in profits, then waited out the months wondering if you actually might have made a mistake? Or worse, did you later compare several stocks you were choosing between, only to discover that the one you chose not to invest in is worth a lot more than what you bought? That’s called investor’s angst, or investment regret. It can come upon you at any time, in the late hours of the night while you’re lying awake wishing you’d made another choice, or during a morning commute on the subway as you check the stock markets on your iPhone.
What is Charles Ergen Doing?
So far in 2011, the billionaire chairman and founder of Dish Network and EchoStar has made $2.3 billion in acquisitions of wireless and satellite companies, among other internationally branded corporate entities. Charles Ergen has already bought satellite companies DBSD North America and Hughes Communications, and is currently looking to purchase a third satellite company, and direct tv service competitor, TerreStar. Ergen has also acquired video services and store brands Move Networks and Blockbuster, with the latter having the asset of thousands of national store locations and international branding. The one thing all of these new acquisitions have in common is content delivery, raising speculation that Mr. Ergen is preparing to establish a hold on the…
