It is ironic that in the 1990's by aggressivly destroying competitors and also prohibiting the sale of content on the internet by giving content away for free, Microsoft essentially paved the road for Google's business model, the sale of privacy to advertisers. Google is a great company yet it's business is simple, it sells privacy, … Continue reading Microsoft and Google’s Untapped Frontier
Tag: 2007
In a major victory for the Linux operating system, Russia has mandated that all Russian schools will be using open source software by 2009. Open source is indeed a great learning environment and it is unfortunate that students here in the US continue to have their educations dumbed down by being forced to use Windows … Continue reading Microsoft Suffers Major Setback in Russia
Yesterday Ben Westlund announced he would run for State Treasurer as a Democrat. He had previously briefly run for Governor as an independent in 2006 against Governor Ted Kulongoski and before that was campaign manager for a Republican, Kevin Mannix, who ran and lost against Kulongoski in 2002. Westlund eventually withdrew from the Governor's race … Continue reading Kulongowski Endorses Westlund for State Treasurer
On Friday September 21 at the University Club in Portland, Oregon the World Affairs Council of Oregon hosted Dmitri Trenin, a frequent guest on NPR, and leading expert on Russian US Relations. Trenin gave a fascinating 90 minute talk, including answering several questions. He highlighted that Putin has an 80 percent approval rating and added … Continue reading World Affairs Council Hosts Russian Dmitri Trenin
I use various Google products, including Gmail. Yet I do so with the knowledge that Google's primary business is the sale of privacy, not technology. It is hilarious to see Congress debate privacy issues surrounding Google's proposed acquisition of doubleclick. And Microsoft's attempt to block the acquisition misses the key point, a tax loophole Google … Continue reading Inside Story on how Microsoft got Googled
It is easy to marvel at IKEA's products, in addition to the low cost. They are indeed beautifully designed. What struck me on my first ever visit to IKEA, however, was not only the designs beauty but the reality that the majority of their products come from China. There were rows and rows of products … Continue reading IKEA – A Brilliant Scheme
Yesterday the OIC met and awarded $1.2 billion in investment contracts. The meeting included a presentation from Leon Black (Pictured below) who is personaly worth $4-5 billion. Dick Solomon and Katy Durant both disclosed conflicts of interest, former OIC Chair Gerard Drummond was in attendance as was expected candidate for State Treasurer Ben Westlund. This … Continue reading OIC Awards $1.2 B, Solomon Discloses Conflict, Leon Black Presents, Westlund Treasurer Candidate
To: Ed Clark President and Chief Executive Officer Toronto Dominion Bank cc: Christopher Cox, Chairman SEC 450 Fifth Street N.W. New York, NY 20549 (202)-942-0100 chairmanoffice@sec.gov Simon Townsend, TD Senior Manager, Corporate Communications (416) 944-7161 td.capa@td.com Nicholas Petter, TD Manager, Corporate Communications (416) 308-1861 td.capa@td.com TD Economics Stephen Hewitt Senior Manager, External Communications (416) 983-1315 … Continue reading Toronto Dominion Bank CEO Ed Clark Called to Remove Joe Moglia as CEO of TD Ameritrade
Today the Oregonian printed a story by its top political reporter, a great reporter, Harry Esteve, that missed a splendid opportunity to celebrate a new political party in Oregon, the Independent Party. Instead the story, obviously heavily edited, looks like it was submitted by PR firms representing the Democrats and Republicans. In addition, the print … Continue reading Oregonian Undermines New Independent Party, Does Not Disclose Website
Today Ted Sickinger of the Oregonian printed an excellent story, summarized at end of this post, noting that the public utility commission is "negotiating" to allow institutional investors in PGE to circumvent the law, as indicated by PUC analyst Bryan Conway. This is surprising and perhaps also a sign that the commission is still compromised … Continue reading PUC Staff Urged to Use Leverage to Enforce the Law