Archive for January, 2009

16Jan

Pepsi’s Partisan Marketing

Posted by Jeff as Marketing

When I saw this yesterday I was a little flabbergasted, it’s almost shameful that Pepsi would pander in this manner but it’s also really risky. When you insert politics into business and take a side, you end up alienating half of your potential market. This is self-evident and Pepsi may have calculated that given the [...]

A few weeks ago I received an email from the founder of a company that makes little earbud covers, call Breppies. While it is not uncommon to get emails about products and companies, this one stood out for two reasons. First and foremost, the email from Dean Romero was thoughtful and reflected that fact that [...]

The Strib has long been financially troubled. Also, like their neighbors to the south, Sam Zell’s Tribune Co., the Strib was taken over by a private equity group a few years ago and suffered under the weight of significant debt maintenance obligations. The Star Tribune, saddled with high debt and a sharp decline in print [...]

15Jan

Must See 2009 Movies

Posted by Jeff as Uncategorized

LOL Lotta Splainin: Javier Bardem plays a verbally abusive Cuban bandleader and Cate Blanchett a neglected woman with a secret Vita-meata-vegamin addiction in this beautifully filmed marital drama set in the repressive 1950s. With Larry the Cable Guy and Kate Winslett as Fred and Ethel. [From Big Hollywood » Blog Archive » Movies Are Your [...]

This should actually be called the State of Disrepair of the State speech. Schwarzenegger is being introduced by Karen Bass, Speaker of the Assembly, by saying that the Governor described their negotiations as “we’re all in this together” and left it at that. Darrell Steinberg, President Pro Tem of the State Senate, is not talking [...]

14Jan

CPSIA Train Wreck

Posted by Jeff as Uncategorized

Walter Olson has a really thorough roundup of the news and events surrounding the CPSIA, a really egregious example of legislation gone wild following the Chinese lead paint in toys incidents of last year. This is an interesting story on two levels, the first being how Congress’ response to real problems with oversight and legislation [...]

More on this topic (What's this?) Read more on Toy Makers, Investing in China at Wikinvest

This is really extraordinary. I have been fortunate to be able to visit this museum and to look at a painting like Roger van der Weyden’s Descent from the Cross in person is an experience that is with no equal. Looking at these paintings through Google Earth is about as close to being there as [...]

For the last week i have been hearing the talking heads on various news channels referring to Gaza as “the most densely populated place on earth” and each time I say to myself “that simply can’t be true”. It’s not. Gaza is 139 square miles of real estate that has a population of 1.5 million. [...]

13Jan

RIP Jacques Littlefield

Posted by Jeff as Uncategorized

Sad, very sad. I actually met Littlefield once, and it is no overstatement to say that he was one of the most unassuming people you could ever meet… certainly not the kind of guy you would imagine owning 200 tanks, artillery pieces, and other heavy mechanized military equipment. Always accessible to the press and anyone [...]

More on this topic (What's this?)
USA, RIP?
Mortgage Insurance, RIP
Mark-to-Market, RIP?
Cheap credit, RIP
Read more on Littlefield, Ripper Oil And Gas Inc at Wikinvest

13Jan

LA Times 50% Price Increase

Posted by Jeff as Uncategorized

They are still losing money but plan to make it up on volume, err I mean still losing money but lose less of it… losing money but lose less on lower sales… okay, I give up. The street sale price of the Los Angeles Times went up to 75 cents (from 50) all over town [...]

More on this topic (What's this?)
Electric Car Drivers in LA are Quick to Adapt
More bailouts needed in California
Leaving LA
Is It Possible To Be Car-Free In LA?
Read more on Los Andes Copper LTD at Wikinvest

Calendar

January 2009
M T W T F S S
« Dec   Feb »
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031  

Recent Comments

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox

Join other followers: