After a particularly reckless week, the closest friends and family of Dow Jones staged an intervention in an attempt to stabilize her erratic swings. Jones, largely known for her promiscuity, is famous for being filled by thirty large organizations at the same time. The scrutiny of being a public figure with a promiscuous reputation has…
Photo:jcolman, Creative Commons, Flickr The Senate gets to its SCHIP plans this week, voting to beef up the health care program which covers low income kids and their families. The five year $35b pricetag would be paid for by a 61 cent tax on cigarettes. The House verges on hyperactivity this week possibly voting on…
I recently read an article in the Wall Street Journal about the luxury car market and its Green-ness. Yes, I made that word up. It’s a very clever thing these car companies do; they use the power of words to evoke a sense of environmental responsibility. Here are a few of my favorite phrases in…
The Senate starts the week topping off college legislation with a bill that would keep an eye on tuition spikes and keep a leash on sweet deals between lenders and financial aid officers. Next up, senators will vote on their first '08 spending bill, a $38 billion Homeland Security measure, S 1644. If there's time…
The Senate got rolling with its defense authorization bill, HR 1585, last week, but left a lineup of amendments to roll back troops in Iraq – to be voted on this week. Just about every Democrat, and now a growing number of Republicans, have their own pull out plan. The top runners would: start withdrawing…
For those of you who would like a rundown every month of what happened in the world of socially responsible investing and corporate social responsibility, one place to go is The Motley Fool. Its column "Stocks with Scruples" by S.J. Caplan comes out once a month (usually in the middle of the month) and provides…
It will come as a surprise to no one that the media has caught on to the “green movement” in a big way this year. It is difficult to pass by a news stand without seeing at least one magazine touting an article about what is really going on in this space. While many of…
Photo:Dean Terry, Creative Commons, Flickr The Senate's defense authorization bill brings the debate on Iraq back to center stage this week, with senators possibly voting on amendments to: start withdrawing troops in 120 days, with most out by next April; repeal the original authorization to go to war; set minimum breaks for soldiers in between…
The Senate resuscitates its immigration bill, S 1639, hoping to bring it to a final vote before their Independence week break – but not before senators from both sides of the fence get a chance to nip and tuck the bill (possibly to death) with votes on 24 amendments. Senators will start the week, however,…
The Senate revives its immigration bill, hoping – against the odds – to bring it to a final vote before Independence Day break, but not before senators from both sides of the fence get a chance to nip and tuck at the overhaul bill with 24 amendments. Senators will start the week, however, voting –…
Investors saw big losses in the markets today, except for the privileged few who rode the Blackstone Group LP (BX) to nice gains on its first day of trading.
Apparently even the Swoosh feels a sense of moral obligation. On May 31, Nike (NKE – 53.42) announced a corporate responsibility program designed to overcome its image as a $15 billion corporate empire focused more on its bottom line than its employees, the community, and the world around it. The Beaverton, Oregon athletic apparel maker intends to…
The Senate continues piecing through a package of energy measures (S 1419), this week debating amendments on how high to hike minimum car mileage standards, whether or not to make 15% of electricity come from renewable energy by 2020 and if the feds should give loan guarantees for coal-to-liquid plants. Also slated to return to…
So far, The Panelist has hit home on a few of the underlying benefits of exhibiting sustainability within the private sector, as well as shown how select corporations have taken the lead in raising the bar. Successfully integrating sustainability practices within a company's business practices can simultaneously increase revenue and reduce operating costs, hence increasing the bottom line. But can sustainability…
Since the New York Times charges for information, I've summarized Friedman's article here: I) Introduction: “Green is the new red, white and blue.” As his readers might have come to expect, most of the article reads like a State of the Union address. II)a. The price of oil needs to go down because “the…
Still smarting over its immigration reform bruises, a defeated Senate returns this week to weigh in on a “no confidence” vote on Attorney General Gonzales (expected to fall short) and then begin considering a flotilla of energy bills. The House gets busy with the budget, voting on four spending bills for ’08 – Homeland Security,…
We, at The Panelist, invite you to help us figure out how to make money off this huge glob of floating plastic in the doldrums north of Hawaii.
The Senate continues to jump through political hoops and dodge amendment bullets as it debates and aims to bring home the broadest immigration reform package voted on in decades. The bill (S 1348) – which would set up a guest worker plan, give current illegals a path to citizenship, tighten the border, create a national…
Anyone who's followed the automotive industry the last couple months knows how Toyota (TM – $120.00) has ascended to the top spot in global sales, climbing past the Big 3 in the process. In response, GM (GM – $30.49) decided to take a more creative approach to marketing: if you can't beat 'em, show 'em.
In his interview with Charlie Rose last night, Al Gore mentioned that the Scripps Institute has released new evidence proving that increases in global warming pollution are now coming at an accelerated rate. Gore said that scientists are yelling but the government isn't listening and "the habitability of the planet is at risk."
Congress may be burning the Memorial weekend oil as it aims to pass a war funding bill and immigration reform – along with other legislative tidbits – before taking off for vacation at the end of the week. After the president nixed an earlier funding bill (to tide the wars over until October 1) that…
Working on why Lehman has been lagging other financial stocks lately. People are too afraid of sub-prime? They seem to forget that Lehman is a huge beneficiary of Private Equity boom? Is there a big overhang of insiders with stock?
It was just a matter of time, I suppose. I'm having trouble understanding the difference between these iTraxx ETF's issued by DeutscheBank and a portfolio of bonds.
A few days ago, I reported that Canadian auto parts maker Magna International took a definitive step toward buying Chrysler by selling $1.54 billion worth of voting shares to Russian Machines. Well, it turns out that New York-based Cerberus Capital Management emerged from the woodwork and won the bidding war with a $7.4 billion commitment…
WISER (World Index for Social and Environmental Responsibility) is a global networking site for individuals and organizations involved in addressing social and environmental issues.