Another great evening for the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra’s Concerts on the Square.
Two more photos can be seen here and here. photos taken by our children
Category: Current Events
Ted Levitt
One of my favorite people (minds) on the planet and the person who coined the term “globalization” died at age 81: Theodore Levitt. The reason why Professor Levitt became such a force in my life was because in the ’80s — before any individual or company was thinking about going global — he turned me on to the importance of looking at the world as your market. He also knew how to deconstruct and solve problems by asking the right questions. Something to this day I still find myself doing. Here are some things I will remember the most about Levitt:
• Harvard Business Review — He holds the record with Peter Drucker for publishing the most articles in HBR.
• What turned me on to Levitt — “The Globalization of Markets” and five other great articles authored by HBR talents.
Using the term “globalization” in a 1983 Harvard Business Review article about the emergence of standardized, low-priced consumer products. He defined that globalization as the changes in social behaviors and technology which allowed companies to sell the same products around the world.
Wednesday Evening Concerts on the Square Scenes
This week’s concerts on the square featured a beautiful evening for the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra – somewhat of a contrast to last week’s threatening skies.
DeLorenzo and Wallace on Nissan / Renault / GM
Make no mistake – this isn’t about creating a new global automotive powerhouse well-equipped to do battle deep into this century, one that will keep Toyota from taking over the world. And this certainly isn’t about doing what’s best for General Motors and the people who have so much invested in the fortunes of the company. And this in no way, shape or form has anything to do with solidifying America’s manufacturing base or shoring up the economy.
No, this is about flat-out greed, pure and simple.
This possibility is not a case of what would be best for General Motors; it’s driven by egotism and greed. Setting the stage for it were the peculiarities of the financial markets; GM, the world’s largest car company, recently had a market capitalization barely above $10 billion, while its closest competitor’s market cap was $169 billion. Analysts now forecast that Toyota, the world’s second largest car company, should be worth $236 billion within the year, but faltering GM will be worth no more than $15 billion.
It is that situation that allowed a notorious corporate raider, Kirk Kerkorian, to buy 9.9% of GM’s outstanding shares for little or nothing. And with that purchase he gained the leverage to push his personal consultant — whose pay is based not on GM’s improved financial performance but on Kerkorian’s take from his investment in the motor company — onto GM’s board of directors.
Fireworks VR Scene on the National Mall
Mute 19 Years, He Helps Reveal Brain’s Mysteries
Mr. Wallis, 42, wears an open, curious expression and speaks in a slurred but coherent voice. He volleys a visitor’s pleased-to-meet-you with, “Glad to be met,” and can speak haltingly of his family’s plans to light fireworks at his brother’s house nearby.
For his family, each word is a miracle. For 19 years — until June 11, 2003 — Mr. Wallis lay mute and virtually unresponsive in a state of minimal consciousness, the result of a head injury suffered in a traffic accident. Since his abrupt recovery — his first word was “Mom,” uttered at the sight of his mother — he has continued to improve, speaking more, remembering more.
But Mr. Wallis’ return to the world, and the progress he has made, have also been a kind of miracle for scientists: an unprecedented opportunity to study, using advanced scanning technology, how the human brain can suddenly recover from such severe, long-lasting injury.
A Few July 4, 2006 Madison Photographs
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Concerts on the Square Clearing Storm Photos
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Judge Rules That Prosecutors Violated the rights of 16 KPMG Partners
Those who commit crimes – regardless of whether they wear white or blue collars – must be brought to justice. The government, however, has let its zeal get in the way of its judgment. It has violated the Constitution it is sworn to defend.
That’s the money quote in Judge Kaplan’s stunning 88-page opinion, in which he found that prosecutors violated the constitutional rights of a group of former KPMG partners by pressuring the firm not to pay their legal bills. We’re going to take the liberty of reprinting the opinion’s entire preamble, which contains remarkably clear, riveting writing:
Lattman further posts his views on the winners and losers via this ruling along with a roundup of other commentary.
Law Professor Linda Beale has a few words as well.
UAW Chief Says Union Must Brace For Change as Big Three Struggle
AP:
The challenges we face aren’t the kind that can be ridden out. They’re structural challenges, and they require new and farsighted solutions,” he said.
Among those challenges is that nonunion U.S.-based auto assembly plants made 1.1 million more vehicles in 2005 than they did in 2001, while production at unionized plants fell by 1.1 million, he said. Mr. Gettelfinger said U.S. labor laws heavily favor management and allow employers, such as Japanese auto makers that have opened plants in this country, to intimidate workers seeking to unionize.
Ron Gettelfinger’s report is available here [25MB PDF]