Business/Economy
How can GM have an IPO?
General Motors is hitting the business headlines again, this time for two reasons. First, the CEO, Ed Whitacre, brought in back in January to right the ship, will be stepping down and Daniel Akerson (a current GM board member) will take over September 1st. It wasn’t much of a surprise because Whitacre is 68 and his reign was [...]
Who is Jodie Fisher?
Jodie Fisher is a name trending on the major search engines, so you better find out who she is quickly while she is still in the news. The rundown: Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd was let go last week because of a “relationship” he had with Jodie Fisher (more on her later). Here’s the odd part: Fisher [...]
The EU Stress Test: It’s Not an Exercise
The financial news channels have been filled with news about the European Bank Stress Test for the last few days. If you’re not a big fan of economic news, you probably haven’t even heard of it or the controversy about it that ensued. Over a year ago, Dinner Topics briefly explained the idea of bank [...]
Shanghai World Expo – facts, figures, and its purpose
The Shanghai World Expo is in full gear right now, about halfway through its 184-day run. Yes, you read that right – 184 days! Ticket sales will likely exceed $1 billion USD, yet few Americans are probably even aware of its existence. Here’s a quick education: China put in the bid to host the 2010 [...]
Walking away from a mortgage, and why the rich don’t always get richer
In between your conversations about LeBron James this weekend, there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself in a talk about real estate, investments, or how you had a great idea but couldn’t capitalize on it because you didn’t have any money. The spork? That was my idea, I swear. Ditto for sleep pods, but I [...]
Rare Earth Elements – your iPhone depends on it!
So you’ve seen it in the headlines — the U.S. has uncovered an estimated $1 trillion worth of minerals in Afghanistan. Besides iron and copper (largest mineral deposits discovered), there are deposits of niobium, a soft metal used in producing superconducting steel, lithium, gold, copper, and rare earth elements (REEs).1 If your chemistry is as [...]
BP, NBA, PGA, and other acronyms in the news
It’s a busy Thursday for acronyms in the news. Let’s start with the important stuff you need to know and move on from there: BP CEO Tony Hayward is currently meeting with House Democrats to apologize for the spill and explain his future intentions. For a fascinating explanation of one potential solution, check out this [...]
How is the BP oil spill being cleaned up?
Many people are concerned about the efforts taken to clean up and stop the spread of the recent oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico. The fishing industry is unable to harvest seafood in the area, and the oil may harm the wildlife underwater and along the coastline. So how do British Petroleum and the [...]
