strategist

JPN Gov't Wants to Avert Global Recession

I was reading the Nikkei News Daily today and one article caught my eye - something to do about JPN must do its utmost to prevent global recession. Well, if the Fukuda Government is serious about JPN doing its part in preventing a global recession, they need not go any further - just ask me. Here is my ten-point plan on averting a global financial crisis.

Reasons
1) Lower the income rates on all earners.
2) Lower corporate income taxes.
3) Invest heavily in upgrading the national infrastructure between the main metro areas of Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka.
4) Digitize anything and everything in the country. Prepare for the next wave of technology.
5) Change the education system.
6) Grant educational subsidies of $20,000 to any adult to return to university to complete post-grad studies.
7) Build a true knowledge-worker economy. Depend less on a manufacturing-based economy.
8) Give every family a one-time financial grant of $50,000 for every child born. Make it retroactive to 2000.
9) More mass transportation lines - and fewer roadways for passenger cars.
10) Free university tuition to any person who enters public sector workforce: public school teachers, doctors, civil service, law enforcement, etc.

So, there you go Mr. Fukuda. If you want to usher in a new era in Japanese politics and leave an ever-lasting legacy, heed my advice and help prepare JPN for the true future. Don't look back - look forward.

MI-5: Season 4

Been watching the show on dvd. I like the new characters. Long live the Queen!

Birthday Wishes from WG

An old and dear friend called me today to wish me 'HB'. Although we don't speak by telephone on a regular basis (two years since we last spoke), it seems like only yesterday that we will throwing down a few Freddy Heinekens at the Keg together. WG is really enjoying his life with his wife 'B' in BC. I hope I can make it back to Canada for a visit soon. WG & B have got to meet my son. Another birthday is about to come and I don't know if I am any closer to reaching my goal in life: SA.

GOOG Acquires YHOO?

Here is what I am unsure of in the current GOOG blasting MSFT for attempting to acquire YHOO: if the triumvirate is so unhappy at the impending marriage, why don't investment bankers pitch a 'white knight' scenario to the M&A team at Mountain View? Wouldn't it be more productive and lucrative for the bankers to get rich off two silicon valley icons working to thwart the Evil Empire from invading the valley?

Is it possible that under such a scenario of GOOG taking over YHOO that Dr. Schmidt would ask Yang and Filo to 'walk the plank' for screwing up? I mean which is better - 'being tossed overboard by Redmond' or 'being thrown into a windowless room by Mountain View'?

The only winners in this game are the investment bankers and the outside legal teams. Shareholders can forget the thoughts of 'huge sums' of money falling from the sky. Bill & Steve should walk away from the table now - come back in 12 months and shave $10B off their tender price offer. As for the YHOO BoD, they should resign en masse and let another team take over the stewardship of YHOO before GOOG and MSFT feed off of YHOO's dead carcass

Flu Bug at Home

Everyone has the flu now. First, the wife. Next, my son. And now, me. Now, we can't celebrate our birthdays with a party this weekend. We'll postpone it until next weekend.

Yahoo Investors Pushing Deal

Well, it looks like the YHOO shareholders (aka 'institutional investors') want their payday and they want it quickly. If MSFT is willing to bid $31, then they must be willing to increase their bid to, let's say - $36, right? I expect the shareholders are willing to throw the entire YHOO board of directors and Jerry Yang under the 'proverbial bus', in order to get their money out of YHOO.

Here is what I expect to happen very soon at Sunnyvale:

1.) Jerry Yang resigns as CEO and director.
2.) David Filo announces his soon-to-be departure.
3.) More Yahooers begin updating and sending out their CVs.
4.) Private equity firms set up an 'information booth' across the street from Yahoo! Center.
5.) Filo returns to Stanford.
6.) Jerry joins a VC firm as partner.
7.) Yahoo! ceases to exist.
8.) Investment bankers and advisors throw the biggest 'Deal Closing Dinner Party' complete with 'special entertainment/entertainers' and lots of 'treats'.

Good-bye Yahoo. Thanks for the memories.

Yokohama Chinatown

Spent a belated CNY (Chinese New Year) celebration in Yokohama this past weekend. It has been over 7 years since I last set foot in Yokohama. It was nice being there and trying to absorb and replace some of my lost Chinese culture. To all the other 1+ billion Chinese out there - 'Happy Chinese New Year!'.

More Snow in Tokyo

Snow started falling at 17h00 today and when I looked out the window at 20h00, the entire city was blanketed with heavy snow. Went outside at 20h30 and built a snowman with my son. Had loads of fun again. I plan on waking up early again tomorrow and taking another run at making an even better-looking snowman.

This is great - two snow days in one month!

YHOO Deal with MSFT: Only Winners are I-bankers

How will the M&A advisory fees be divided? And will MSFT and its shareholders end up paying for all the advisory fees (financial and legal) of the target should the deal go through? On another note, can YHOO convince Steve and this team of bankers to up their bid to at least $50B? Now that GOOG has basically told Jerry & Co. that the new Silicon Valley companies should gang up and take on Microsoft head-on, does MSFT need to go super-duper hostile in order to get the deal done? My money is on Yahoo selling to MSFT. Having said that, I suspect Steve & Jerry (soon-to-be-Co-CEO of the combined entity) will begin selling off pieces of Yahoo by the end of 2009.

Super Tuesday - Here We Come!

The candidates are in their cars. The starter has told them to start their engines. The christmas tree is light. It is only a matter of seconds before it turns green.... GO!

HRC wins Super Tuesday. McCain wins, too.

Democratic Presidential Nominee: Could it be?

Here's a crazy story for you to consider: What if Hillary and Bill entered into a pact to change the course of US politics for the next 20-30 years? How could they do it? They would set the country along the road to electing the country's first black president. That's right. They have long ago decided that in the best interests of the country, the best person to lead the country well into the 21st Century would be Obama. Think of this as the Clintons farewell gift to the country. By making the GOP think that HRC will be nominee, the Clintons are secretly preparing for Obama to be on top of the ticket.

Just think about how bad it would be for the GOP to attack Obama because of his skin colour? Or how awful it would look to attack him because of his schooling outside of the US. Or his middle name. No matter how you look at it, the GOP needs for HRC to be the nominee. Without Hillary in the game, the GOP have no reason to fight.

Imagine... what if??

MacBook Air: Light - very light!

I got to take a very short test-drive of the new laptop coming from Steve & Gang: Air. I was in Shibuya yesterday and took a short trip to the Apple Store. Out in front of the store was one of the sales/demo staff holding and test driving the MacBook Air. The employee let anyone who asked a chance to hold the computer and give it a go.

Let me tell you what I like about the MacBook Air:
1) Weight - very light. Perhaps, too, too light.
2) Everyone wants one.
3) My current laptop is making my back hurt.
4) Coolness factor.
5) Solid-state drive.

Friends: Last Episode

Finally got to see the last episode of the once-very popular television series, Friends. Great show. Long-running teIevision comedy series are quite rare. My favs have been M*A*S*H*, Cheers, Happy Days, and Seinfeld. 

Will teams of investment bankers approach EBAY?

Scenario: Donohoe cannot turn around EBAY in 2008. What happens then?

I believe investment bankers will come a-knocking on their doors. FY2008 will be a complete bust business-wise. In FY2009, the board will give Donohoe clear marching orders: Prepare the company to be sold either in whole or in piece meal. In order of sale: (1) Skype, (2) country operations - (in order): China, ROC, Korea, UK, (3) ProStores, (4) Shopping.com, and last but not least, (5) PayPal. The sum of the parts are worth more than the whole.

MSFT Bids for YHOO

Nothing like a big M&A deal to get Wall Street and investors to pay attention. If there is no stock trading activity, you might as well throw out huge sums of money to get the market going. I used to own YHOO shares and do not like the idea of Balmer & Crew taking over. But, a big 'but', Yahoo is no going to fix itself without a little help or a 'huge fire' under their workstations.

MSFT buys FAST. MSFT buys YHOO. What will MSFT buy next?  How about Nokia?