Business Quote of the Day

You are neither right nor wrong because the crowd disagrees with you. You are right because your data and reasoning are right.- Warren Buffet (investor, businessman & philanthropist)

Conan O'Brien to replace Leno on the "Tonight Show"

Conan O'Brien will take over the "Tonight" show next June — and what happens to deposed host Jay Leno after that is anybody's guess. Leno's last show will be Friday, May 29, and O'Brien will start the following Monday, June 1, NBC executives told a Television Critics Association meeting Monday.

Business Quote of the Day

Remember, a real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken new action. If there's no action, you haven't truly decided.- Anthony J. Robbins (Author, Motivational Speaker).

Beijing Olympic countdown

The opening ceremony for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing will take place on 08/08/08

Barack Obama: I regret moving children into campaign spotlight with TV interview

Barack Obama said yesterday that he regretted allowing his two young daughters to be interviewed by a showbusiness reporter and promised that they would now be kept away from the media spotlight.

Yea I think that was a bad idea.

Top Green Fashion Finds

With all the talk of "Going Green" in the air, thought it would be nice to look at some green fashion.

America's Top 20 Growing Jobs

Click on post title to view the rest.

General Motors considers layoffs, brand sale

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Leading US automaker General Motors is preparing to cut thousands more white-collar jobs and is thinking about selling more of its brands, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. Citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, the newspaper said that both moves were part of a broader re-evaluation of GM's strategy aimed at returning to profitability in 2010.

Gadgets We Want

Except in mobile phones. Oddly enough, even though mobile phones make the world feel like a local neighborhood, it's still tough for U.S. consumers to buy the coolest phones on the market. Most of those are only sold overseas.
Here are a dozen lust-worthy phones that you probably can't have--unless you live in just the right spot.

The U.S. needs to step it up. We are kinda behind with the technology.

Hardest-To-Get Cars

Looking for a new car? Maybe you have your heart set on something fuel-efficient because of $4 gas? Or perhaps you had a good year and feel you're ready to move up to something with a touch of style, luxury or class?
Get in line. Despite tough times for the auto industry in general, there are some car models--across a broad range of classes and sizes--that are so popular that auto manufacturers are selling them faster than they can build them. The range of hard-to-get vehicles is as diverse as consumer tastes and budgets in general. Case in point: As expected, the most-wanted vehicle on our list is the fuel-sipping $21,500 Toyota Prius hybrid sedan that gets an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) combined estimate of 46 mpg. No. 2 on the list? The not-so-expected gas-guzzling $74,700 Lexus LX Series full-size luxury SUV that gets a combined 14 mpg.

eBay fined for selling fake Louis Vuitton goods online

PARIS (AFP) - A Paris court on Monday ordered Internet auctioneer eBay to pay 40 million euros (63 million dollars) in damages to Louis Vuitton for selling fake luxury goods online. The commercial court also barred eBay from selling four perfume brands -- Christian Dior, Kenzo, Givenchy and Guerlain -- in the ruling intended to send a strong message about copyright protection.

Beer Powered Cars at the Democratic Convention

Microsoft After Gates. (And Bill After Microsoft.)

The icon of the tech world will focus on philanthropy as the company he founded faces turbulent seas.

SoftBank Mobile Corp's robot-shaped mobile phone "Phone Braver 815T PB"

Toshiba's new Softbank 815T PB is the robot/cellphone hybrid I would've dreamed of if cellphones had been around when I was a kid. It's made for an upcoming Japanese TV drama called Ketai Sousakan 7 and it really does transform, Transformers-like, into a robot toy complete with tiny bunched fists.

I think it's way too weird but you gotta hand it to the Japanese for always being creative.

'Rembrandt Laughing' is self-portrait

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - The auction house thought the portrait was a 17th century Rembrandt knockoff, and valued it at just $3,100. But the British buyer who paid about 1,500 times more than that apparently knew what he was doing. Experts have confirmed "Rembrandt Laughing" — bought for a bargain price of $4.5 million at an English auction house in October — is a self-portrait by the Dutch master himself, depicted with his head tilted back in easygoing laughter.

Isn't that something.

Investors Plot Comeback for Michael Jackson

The Bryant Park Project, June 16, 2008 - Private-equity firms are known for taking calculated risks — they are frequently willing to invest when the rest of the market is afraid to. That courage extends to the entertainment business, where one group is said to have eyes on a Michael Jackson revival. Colony Capital, which owns the Las Vegas Hilton and is a major shareholder in Station Casinos, is reportedly in talks with Jackson about bringing a show to Las Vegas.

This might turn out to be a good thing.

E-Mail at Work: Tips to Keep You Out of Trouble

NPR.org, June 18, 2008 · Ever wonder whether your boss is looking over your shoulder as you write e-mails from work? You're not being paranoid. Companies large and small have turned to monitoring employee e-mail, looking for everything from proprietary data leaks to cyberslacking. E-mail creates the electronic equivalent of DNA evidence, according to the ePolicy Institute, which conducted, along with the American Management Association, surveys of e-mail monitoring among U.S companies. That means your electronic paper trail can be restored and reviewed — and can also be retrieved as part of a future lawsuit's discovery process.

Toyota hybrid battery outpaced by demand

TOKYO - Toyota is struggling to keep up with booming demand for its hybrid vehicles because it can't make enough of the batteries that are key parts in the hit "green" cars, a senior executive said Monday. The crunch is likely to remain the rest of the year, as battery production can't be boosted until next year, said Toyota Motor Corp. Executive Vice President Takeshi Uchiyamada, who oversees production at Japan's top automaker.

Ex-CEO of Broadcom pleads not guilty on 21 charges

SANTA ANA, Calif. - Broadcom co-founder Henry T. Nicholas III pleaded not guilty Monday to federal drug and securities fraud charges. The 48-year-old billionaire entered the pleas to 21 counts contained in two indictments unsealed June 5.
One indictment details what authorities claim was one of the largest stock-option backdating cases in U.S. history while Nicholas led the giant computer chip company.

NBC News’ Tim Russert Dies

NEW YORK, New York --
Tim Russert, who pointedly but politely questioned hundreds of the powerful and influential as moderator of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” died Friday of an apparent heart attack.
The network’s Washington bureau chief was 58.