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Showing posts from July, 2012

The Business August 1st 2012, "The 2012 Summer Of London" Edition

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 In just the first 24 hours of the 2012 Olympics, more than 60 hours of footage was on TV. AND WE STILL CAN’T GET ENOUGH. The incredible athletes, the tear jerking and inspiring stories, and BOB COSTAS, BOB COSTAS, BOB COSTAS. Since we can’t catch a flight out to fill in one of those much maligned empty seats, we are bringing YOU the gold this Wednesday night, so you can take an Olympic break, breath some fresh air and catch some live entertainment. Live entertainment that is less likely to make you feel like a failure for not trying harder at 5 years old. Our guests this week are real champions. The comedy of Kevin O'Shea centers around one thing, the truth. He is full of the truth. He has an over abundance of truth. Some people say that he has too much truth for his own good. These people are right. Last week a doctor found truth in Kevin's urine. He needs your help now more than ever, as he faces a never ending series of painful dialysis treatments. (If

Facebook's business problems are symptomatic of many large digital firms

Facebook is wrestling with a business challenge more traditionally found in legacy media: how do you translate consumers that don’t think they have a commercial relationship with you into relationships that that other firms will pay for? Despite 955 million active users and increasing revenues, the company has lost a third of its share value since its IPO in the spring.   The exuberance that surrounded its IPO and overpriced its shares has worn off and investors are realizing that being big isn’t enough to ensure business success. Its latest earnings reports show the firm lost money, $157 million, in the second quarter on income of $1.18 billion. Facebook’s challenges are symptomatic of a long line of “successful” digital firms that are experiencing monetization problems, including Yahoo, You Tube, AOL, and Twitter. Despite large numbers of users globally, they still lack effective business models to generate revenue levels congruous with their size. They may provide great communicatio

NYTHA Report on Lasix

Dear Readers:  in view of the escalating debate on whether to ban Lasix from US racing, I'm reprinting the submission on Lasix that the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association submitted to the New York State Racing and Wagering Board in May of this year. I am a member of the Board of Directors of NYTHA and was the principal author of the report, with substantial contributions from NYTHA President Rick Violette and NYTHA staffers Jim Gallagher and Andi Belfiore. The report represents the official view of NYTHA. To my knowledge, although these comments are a public document, they';re not available through the NYSRWB website. Footnotes are at the end of the report. It's not possible to post the 500 or so pages of exhibits here on my blog, but those interested in reviewing the actual studies cited should contact NYTHA. Steve     COMMENTS ON LASIX RULEMAKING Submitted by New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association May 14, 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction