Chevy Malibu, the Future of GM?

Back in December, GM received a 13.4 billion life-line loan from the government; Chrysler, 4 billion.  As a condition for the loans, the companies had to submit detailed viability plans on February 17 to a task force headed by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and economic advisor Lawrence Summers, co-car czars or chief car czarists, if [...]

WBW #54 – A Passion for Piedmont

I have to confess that I don’t drink a lot of Italian wine.  It’s not that I dislike it, I just typically look to other places for affordable wine -  Spain, Chile, Argentina, Australia.   The last Italian wine I bought was a quaffable primitivo,  but it’s been a while, and now, thanks to David McDuff [...]

Bear Gryll’s Tips – Could You Survive?

Every time I watch Bear Grylls on the Discovery series, Man vs. Wild, I’m never quite sure what to make of him.  Is he a foolish stuntman taking outlandish risks for ratings sake?  Is he sane?  Superhuman?  He was a member of a unit in the British special forces, so he has had the benefit of  rigorous [...]

Peanut Butter and Jellyfish

Have you heard the news?  Jellyfish are taking over the world, well – maybe not the world…yet, but these menacing gelatinous predators are wreaking havoc on the oceans, and migrating toward shallow waters and beaches murdering fish and stinging swimmers along the way, sometimes to death.  An 8 mile wide pack of rogue jellyfish numbering [...]

Kellog’s Unfit for a Champion

Ok, Michael took a bong hit.  Who cares?  Kellog’s certainly does and quickly dropped its endorsement deal with Phelps.  Kellog’s says that his behavior is not consistent with the image of the company.  And I would have to agree. Kellog’s is one of the world’s largest purveyors of junk food. When I think of Kellog’s, [...]

Are Peanuts Safe?

Not yet, though the source of the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak is limited to a single peanut processing plant in Georgia which has been shut down according to a recent FDA peanut recall fact sheet. While major brands of peanut butter sold in supermarkets like Peter Pan, Skippy and Jif are safe to eat, some cookies, ice-cream, candy [...]

Executive Compensation in Product, Not Stock

President Obama’s plan to limit the salary of an executive whose company takes federal bailout money to $500,000 does little to address the source of most CEO wealth – stock options.   “The average CEO doesn’t make more than $1 million in salary…they take the bulk of their compensation in stock,” said Jian Luc Clementi of [...]