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06 Sep 2010 20:52

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Tech: Mark Hurd rises from the tech-exec ashes like a phoenix

  • downfall Mark Hurd had a relationship with an underling and that led to his firing from HP. The circumstances raised eyebrows.
  • rise Hurd showed up at Oracle this week as their new co-president, just in time to screw Google over with that Java lawsuit. source
  • » He’s got a powerful backer, too: Last month, Larry Ellison, Oracle’s CEO, referred to Hurd’s ouster as “the worst personnel decision since the idiots on the Apple board fired Steve Jobs many years ago.” So, to prove it, he hired Hurd.

01 Sep 2010 23:10

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Politics: Dear Dave Weigel: Nice recovery from that Journolist saga

  • He’s quickly become one of the best parts of Slate. Sometimes a little scandal is all you need to ensure your long-term place in the conversation. And that’s what Weigel, late of the Washington Post and currently of Slate, has been up to lately – ensuring his place in the conversation. With an entertaining blog, insightful articles and a generally compelling persona, Weigel is a guy that needs to stick around for a good long time, no matter how many conservatives he privately suggests set themselves on fire. source

29 Aug 2010 11:14

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World: Chile mine rescuers have two plans to get trapped miners

  • four months the amount of time drilling a new hole to reach the miners will take
  • two months the amount of time expanding an existing hole will take source

18 Aug 2010 19:26

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Biz: General Motors’ IPO is pretty big, but it likely won’t be the biggest

  • $12-16 billion the amount GM’s upcoming IPO is expected to raise
  • $19.7
    billion
    the amount Visa’s 2008 IPO, the largest ever, raised source

14 Aug 2010 12:47

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U.S.: Why Obama vacationing in the Gulf Coast is actually good PR

  • $34
    billion
    the amount the Gulf Coast made from tourism in 2008, which created 400,000 jobs
  • $22.7 billion the amount the Gulf could lose due to the spill taking a bite out of tourism (hence Obama’s vacation) source

14 Aug 2010 12:13

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Biz: The Detroit auto industry not looking so dire nowadays

  • Fundamentally this thing has been reshaped, resized and rethought. … We’re not trying to kill each other for this month’s market share. Those days are over. We’re not offering $7,000 checks to try to sell a car.
  • Chrysler (and Fiat!) CEO Sergio Marchionne • Discussing the major changes the Detroit auto companies have made in their business models in the wake of the whole bailout situation from a year or two ago. GM was on dire straits. Ford was skating by. It didn’t even look like Chrysler was going to make it. This has largely changed. Profits are back for the companies. They have slimmer product lines and payrolls. And their CEOs – especially GM’s new one – are outsiders to Detroit. Don’t call it a … OK, call it a comeback. source

30 Jul 2010 12:25

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Biz, U.S.: GDP crawl: The U.S. economy is growing, but at a very slow rate

  • 2.4% the increase in the GDP in the second quarter, slower than anticipated
  • 3.7% the increase in the GDP after the first quarter, higher than first reported source
 

21 May 2010 07:45

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World: Thailand’s crazy political situation will probably dent its tourism

  • 6% of the economy relies on tourists to visit the Asian country
  • 15% of the country’s workforce works in the tourism industry source

20 May 2010 12:05

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Biz, U.S.: BP’s at least managing to grab a good chunk of the oil spill

  • 5,000 number of barrels they’re
    grabbing each day
  • a lot the amount that’s still getting
    into the ocean source

18 May 2010 10:39

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Biz: Bounceback: New homes getting built at decent clip, but will it last?

  • 5.8% the month-to-month increase; housing starts are at their highest level since late 2008
  • 40.9% the year-over-year increase; that’s the highest increase since March 1994
  • -11.5% the decrease in new building permits, which suggests housing starts will go down source