| YOUR VIEW: The deification of 'shareholder value'
Sometimes when the pinch is on, it is helpful to take the same old problem out of the closet, dust it off, and think about it again. Take the notion of our "dependency on Arab oil" as an example. Since the Arab oil embargo in the early 1970s, we have lamented our dependency on "Arab oil," and our politicians have halfheartedly urged the nation to end our oil dependency, to absolutely no avail. Last week, Exxon-Mobil announced quarterly profits of $11.66 billion. Its record annual profits exceeded $41 billion. These staggering numbers beg a second look at the situation. First, the Arab nations are sovereign nations. They are legally entitled to sell their natural resources at the highest prices they can, as we sell ours. .
Category: Dell
Between the Lines Latest Post | Last 10 Posts | Archives Dell wants to sell you systems, but the Holy Grail may be managing them Posted in: General IT Management Software Infrastructure Hardware Infrastructure SaaS Dell Dell is more than happy to sell you well-designed notebooks with neat colors and work its corporate connections to boost sales. But it's becoming increasingly obvious that Dell's future is lightweight software and managing the gear it sells you as a service. The acquisition of MessageOne on Tuesday is really just the icing on the IT support cake. Consider the following milestones: Feb. 12: Dell announces purchase of MessageOne for $155 million. Jan. 28: Dell closes EqualLogic purchase, a $1.4 billion deal that gives the company more heft in high performance storage.
Table Talk
I never tasted anything quite as good as that first bite of vanilla. I miss Scoops. I enjoy Paolo's. But nothing really hits it like a small vanilla cone dipped in chocolate from Dairy Queen. I like Yoforia, but I wish they had better toppings, though I kind of dig the Captain Crunch. I loved Hank's before it moved to Riverdale, and now I never get there anymore (it used to be the reason my daughter and I went to the zoo, other than the flamingos). Hank's was the only place to get black walnut ice cream. What do you crave when you're not craving anything? Does your girlfriend head to Chipotle and get you a bean burrito? Does your husband know you'll take nothing but Jelly Bellies? Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment | Categories: Dining A new spin on chicken and waffles By Elizabeth Lee | Friday, February 15, 2008, 10:39 AM The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Gladys Knight and Ron Winans have got some competition in the chicken and waffles game.
XOI vs. Oil and SPX
Crude oil's fundamentals are extraordinarily bullish. Global demand for oil is growing relentlessly, and most consumers have little choice but to pay virtually any price for this critical fuel. Meanwhile global production growth is slowing as old oilfields deplete and major new finds become exceedingly rare. This structural deficit has driven oil prices to record highs, leading to fortunes earned by the companies that produce this scarce and valuable commodity. Investors and speculators have naturally migrated into oil stocks to ride this secular trend. But lately owning the oil stocks has been an exercise in frustration. On January 2nd, oil surged 3.4% to a record $99 per barrel. Yet the oil stocks seemed to ignore this driver of their profits as the flagship XOI oil-stock index lethargically hiccupped 0.2% higher.
Will 'Amnesty' Sink McCain?
The perennial controversy over what to call McCain's amnesty is silly. Every program in the world that has allowed illegal immigrants to stay has been called an "amnesty." McCain himself called it "amnesty" as recently as May 2003, when he told the Tucson Citizen "I think we can set up a program where amnesty is extended to a certain number of people who are eligible … Amnesty has to be an important part ..." But once the focus-group results were in, "amnesty" became a four-letter word. ...[snip] Real Straight Talk would be to say "Sure, it's an amnesty, but we don't really have any choice" ... P.S.: The McCain, post-focus-group argument is that it can't be "amnesty" if it has some requirements--e.g., to pay a fine, learn English, etc. But it turns out that Ronald Reagan's 1986 "comprehensive" reform, which he and everyone else called an "amnesty," had requirements too, including payment of fees.
DuBiotech announces Gulf Anti-doping and Monitoring Enterprise (GAME)
The establishment of GAME, a dedicated laboratory for doping analysis at the start of the year is the first step towards national doping control system. This is an important development in the country's sport. We are also optimistic that it will help enhance the international reputation of UAE sporting bodies.' Dr.Alkhayat said: 'The GCC's first anti-doping laboratory within the DuBiotech premises marks a major milestone for us. We specially thank the UAE Government and our National Olympic Committee for supporting us in this endeavour. The new entity will bring additional benefits for us as it will generate research relevant results. 'In addition to doping analysis, GAME will also conduct research on new analytical techniques and will strive to improve existing ones, in affiliation with the WADA research programmes.
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