John McCain in the Republican corridors of power is like Rodney Dangerfield, he doesn’t get any respect. He has become the RNC-reformed maverick as seen here on the Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show. In brief summary, John McCain has been forced to reverse himeself by Republican elites on many critical positions. This includes on the role […]
McCain Takes Charge Read More »
Even T.Boone Pickens, oilman and financier of the Swiftboats Smear campaign against Presidential candidate John Kerry, has recognized that there is a global contest for Energy Innovation going on right now that will determine which countries will be economically prosperous – and which countries will be playing catch up. Because the countries that perfect renewable
There have been some interesting business news items recently. In the Thursday, August 14th Financial Post, there is a story by Barbra Shecter on the state of securities disclosure by Canadian businesses. Even in the polite etiquette and language of regulation, the Canadian Securities Administration declared that “significant deficiencies were found in the disclosures made
The Problem with Business Ethics Shortfalls Read More »
I have promised to feature some venture capitalists who are taking real risks and creating new jobs and businesses. This is in stark contrast to private equity and hedge funders who are playing Ponzi games or, given cheap capital, making sure thing leveraged buyouts of marginal beneficial impact to the economy. My first choice is
Venture Capitalist: Vinod Khosla Read More »
I rarely agree with Paul Krugman’s economic policy; but his placement of the center of ideas from the current Republican party is right on Denmark. Krugmaan says the Republican’s who once prided themselves as being the party of ideas – is now clinging to the notion that appeals to the simple, brute force approach to
Paul Krugman’s Republican Insight Read More »
It bears repeating that American capitalism is at a crossroads. There is a coterie of financier and investors primarily of the private equity and hedge fund kind that are taking advantage of historically low interest rates and banks willingness to allow for and finance hugely leveraged (the private equity stake is typically less than 15%
Venture Capital vs Financial Private Equity Investments Read More »
The Economist has in its July 26th issue, the first of two articles on Discontent in America. The polls are in alignment. Gallup shows a strong rise in discontent in America. When asked “How do you feel about the way things are going in America ? “, close to 85% of American register Dissatisfied versus
Discontent in America Read More »
As an alternative RPEM-Rigged Perpetual Earnings Machinations being foisted on North American financial markets by Hedge Funders and Private Equity firms, I am going to highlight some real venture capitalists. These are financiers that are NOT doing the latest financial no risk sure thing to existing large corporates that have fallen into stock market disfavour
Venture Capitalists Read More »
This is the Cover story at Business Week this July end – one year after Bear Sterns shot itself and the US Economy in the foot, being the first of many Hedge Funds and Investment banks, to gag on its own Derivative Mortgage Greed. Now I don’t want to say that I told you so
How Wall Street Ate the Economy Read More »
This article in the NYTimes shows that Greed is still running rampant on Wall Street and the Financial markets: “Since the almost overnight collapse of Bear Stearns earlier this year, top-level Wall Street executives have been pleading with regulators to investigate what they see as efforts by short sellers to plant false information and profit
Greedy Continues to Gut US Read More »
Its rare that you get to see a real contest of wills, the sheer ebb and flow of best blows taken for minute advantage only to be repulsed, and the sheer extravagance of seeing pounding shot after shot taken that you know to be, from your own dallying in the game, of a sublime nature.
I Have Seen Gladiators Read More »
On the Jon Stewart Daily Show, Jon consistently gets laughs by referring to the Still President for “nnn” Days. The problem is that it is no laughing matter as President Bush and his colleagues in the Senate particularly continue to wield power and obstruction. The Presidential veto used only 2 times in the previous 6
Still President for 200 Days Read More »
There are some rather heated arguments by Economists about the desirability of monopolies – and even more so on how quickly economic systems adjust to either defeat or mitigate the deletorious effects of monopolies. I would argue that monoplies are a)rarely good especially over long periods of time and b)the pace of globalization and change
Why Monopolies and Near Monopolies Are Bad News Read More »
Jon Stewart on the Daily Show gets laughs by referring to Still the President. But the situation is no longer a laughing matter. Still the President has teamed up with the Republicans in the Senate to veto bills almost indiscriminately. This means that the 51 vote majorities have to be increased to 60 to get
Still the President for 200 Days Read More »
Terry Pratchett’s Guards! Guards! by Harper Collins I was driving down the highway and made the mistake of slipping in the audio disk for Terry Pratchett’s Guards! Guards! I could have been arrested on the spot for driving under the influence of intense laughter. Truly I had to pull off the road at the nearest
In a June 18th 2008 story, Heather Scoffield of the Toronto Globe and Mail is leading the charge on getting things wrong on the Canadian economy. And she is using supporters like Dale Orr at Global Insights, Patricia Croft at Phillips Hager North, and Derek Holt at Scotia Capital who is of the opinion that
After Carney’s Curveball Read More »
The Canadian Supreme Court ruled against Bell Canada Enterprise-BCE bondholders last Friday. It was greeted in the Business Press as a case that would make “capital market rules clear for all stakeholders”. And the vote was not close, 9-0. So bondholders were told in no uncertain terms, if you have not provided in the bonds
The Catholic Church has published a list of 7 new mortal sins – Now I don’t disagree with the moral tone of the Church – for example, I still regard The Catechism of the Catholic Church which states that €œimmediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend
The New Mortal Sins Read More »
I would like to tell you that the new Firefox 3 web browser is blazingly fast, full of new GUI features yet with great ease of use. And FireFox 3 has one of the best set of add-ons, themes and extensions. It leaves even the upcoming IE8(early next year likely) in the dust. But I
Firefox 3: The Best Browser by Far Read More »
5 years ago, former Sun CEO Scott McNealy scoffed at the idea that there was any privacy left. And given not just the Web, Google, and Security breeches but also what is happening behind the scenes from government (for example, NSA scanning of mobile phone and Internet transmissions, etc); business (for example, increasing storage and
Medicine is under siege in the US. 1)Over 40 million Americans do not have Health Insurance. 2)The number of uninsured is growing. 3)The costs of health care are increasing at 6.7% faster than rate of inflation. 4)Healthcare costs are 15% of GDP in 2007 and are expected to be almost 20% by 2017. 5)There is
More Than Medicine Under Siege Read More »
I was just investigating the Ontario governments decision to go Nuclear to the tune of $26B over 6 years starting construction in 2012 and start-up set for 2018. So I immediately considered looking at the Energy Probe position, since they had advised in the 1980’s against nuclear expansion and had proved providential – a $4B
Energy Probe Ontario Read More »
As Barack Obama reacts with his own website to counter the ever growing smear and innuendo attacks of Republican supporters, the question becomes what is the best pro-active approach he can take to deliver his message. One approach is already taken with a powerful website that delivers his message clearly and concisely. It also is
Barack Obama Election Strategy Read More »
This is a relevant question given the following books that bear witness and testament to the incompetence and deliberate deceit of President George W. Bush. Can the US risk another MidEast, I-am the-Commander-in-Chief fiasco ? Can the country withstand 8 more months of dismantling hard-earned constitutional and practical political controls on power? Can the US
How do you Rebuke and Reprimand a President ? Read More »
The Toronto Globe and Mail prides itself as “Canada National Newspaper” and as one editor told me “a forum and forge for new ideas and viewpoints”. So it is with some surprise that Wednesday June 11th 2008 edition of the GlobeandMail had an article in the Report on Business by columnist Neil Reynolds that looked
The Toronto GlobeandMail: Harboring Attack Dogs? Read More »
I have nothing against the rich that a cool swig of a fifth couldn’t deal effectively with; but still let me list 5 ways to Heaven that I resemble their impudence: 1)The Super rich, the top 6% of income earners, rake in over 30% of all US Income in 2005. But I reserve my scorn
Tax Dodgers Tagged Read More »
In our previous post, Doing the Troops Wrong, I pointedout how “born-again fiscal conservative only in his last year in office” George Bush had found a way to sell his troopers short once again by refusing to pass an education GI Bill for all Iraq War veterans. This Bill has several benefits including a)honoring the
Doing the Troops Wrong II Read More »
How can Barack Obama a)lose in Kentucky and West Virginia by about 30% points to Hillary Clinton and b)afford to lose in Kentucky and West Virginia by about 30%. Lets examine the first point. In state after state in the Democratic primary, the turnout for the primaries has been record breaking. The news media have
Kentucky, West Virginia and Barack Obama Read More »
The following is a must read column by Bob Herbert of the New York Times. Here is the jist: “At the top of the list of no-brainers in Washington should be Senator Jim Webb€™s proposed expansion of education benefits for the men and women who have served in the armed forces since Sept. 11, 2001.
Doing the Troops Wrong Read More »
Lately in America, Success has been breeding Failure. CEO’s have been hyper-compensated including risk-less golden parachutes and boards that reward them with upticks in total compensation even when their performance lags their competitors and/or the broader markets. Investment Banking Malfeasance Likewise Investment Banking, Hedge Funds, and Private Equity Firms have setup a similar riskless M+A
Success Breeds Failure Read More »
Success Breeds Failure is the title of Paul Krugman column in the NYTimes. It is chillingly accurate. Forces are marshalling against any Wall Street Reform after the mortgage and investment banking crisis of this past year which a)had the Fed rescuing again investment bankers, hedge funders and private equity firms who say to the companies
Greedy Guts US – More Fallout Read More »
The title of this post is also the title of a column by Tom Friedman in the NYTimes today. But it easily could also be the title of a column by Bob Herbert in the paper as well. Both columns chastise not just the media and politicians but the electorate for falling for yet another
“Dumb as We Wanna Be” Read More »
