ProvoBoy

After seeing this on Monday, I can’t get it out of my head.  I even went and bought the soundtrack to Hair.

I still think this is pretty cool after seeing it a few times…

By BONO
Published: July 10, 2009 NYT

On his visit to Ghana, President Obama has the chance to lead nations in building on the successes of recent efforts within Africa and to learn from the failures.

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There are two basic truths about the enormous deficits that the federal government will run in the coming years.

The first is that President Obama’s agenda, ambitious as it may be, is responsible for only a sliver of the deficits, despite what many of his Republican critics are saying. The second is that Mr. Obama does not have a realistic plan for eliminating the deficit, despite what his advisers have suggested.

To understand the looming deficits, The New York Times analyzed Congressional Budget Office projections of the budget surplus or deficit for the years 2009-12, President Obama’s current term. The budget office has been making estimates for these years for nearly a decade now. The numbers that appear below are the average annual deficit or surplus for this four-year period.

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I finally bought Incredibad this weekend by The Lonely Island and I’ve got the following on my mind all day even though I’ve seen it before. Thanks Andy…

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. of Utah in his office in Salt Lake City in March. He has been chosen by President Obama to be the next ambassador to China.

Kirk Johnson of the New York Times writes about Utah Governor Huntsman and the current state of the GOP.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has made waves in Utah by suggesting that the Republican party must move toward the center. With his support for President Obama’s economic stimulus plan, his successful effort to ease the state’s method of regulating liquor sales and his advocacy of civil unions to protect same-sex couples, Mr. Huntsman ignited a debate over what the Republican Party here should be.

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John A. Quelch is the Lincoln Filene Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School.

John Quelch, a professor at Harvard Business School, makes recommendations for CMO’s to consider during this time of recession.

Recession-challenged consumers are buying less, looking for deals, or switching to different brands, product categories, or stores. Some are even changing long-held attitudes toward consumption. To many folks, filling the home with more stuff or keeping up with the Joneses is no longer appealing.

As a result, the degree of uncertainty in business and consumer markets has soared. Yet, to conserve cash, most firms are reducing spending on the market research that would help manage that uncertainty. In the U.S., spending on market research has dipped for four consecutive quarters, and chief marketing officers don’t expect the situation to turn around soon. Most big consumer marketers are seeking to shave 10 to 20% off of research budgets.

In flush times, a rising tide of consumption can compensate for less than optimal branding, positioning, pricing, or segmentation. That is certainly not the case now. At the same time that marketers must pare down research expenditures, they face added pressure to secure high-quality data and insights.

I recommend that CMOs take the following seven steps to minimize the impact of reduced spending.

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This 2008 BMW M6 could be yours for $96,000. It’s up for sale in Salt Lake City and we spotted it on Dupont Registry. The alpine white beamer only has 5,100 miles and features 500HP v10, black leather, suede interior, premium sound system, heads up display, carbon fiber pkg, 19in wheels , paddle shifting and more. This car is mean and was made to race.

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President Obama today chose Utah Gov. Jon M. Huntsman Jr. (R) as his choice for ambassador to China, tapping a moderate Republican governor to be his envoy to the world’s largest country…

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Lululemon has created a cult following for its yoga gear. “If you want to be successful in this industry,” says Christine Day, Lululemon’s CEO, “it’s about being authentic.” CEO Christine Day joined Lululemon a year ago. She has already attended the Landmark Forum.

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