Hacker gets 18 months

A teen hacker has been given 18 months in the can after causing an estimated $1.2 million in damages from his MSBlast.b worm after it infected nearly 50,000 machines.
MSBlast.b Hacker Gets 18 Months In Jail
"Citing neglectful parents and an Internet that she said was a "dungeon" for lonely people, a federal judge Friday afternoon sentenced Jeffrey Lee Parson, a teen hacker who created 2003's MSBlast.b worm, to 18 months in prison, less than half the time prosecutors had requested." information week

Best Jobs for 2005

The 25 best jobs for 2005 according to FastCompany. It's a very subjective topic of course as everyone is different, but Fast Company rated the jobs according to several criteria; job growth, salary potential, education level, and room for innovation. They include..
1. Personal finance adviser
2. Medical scientist
3. Computer software engineer
4. Chiropractor
5. Environmental engineer
6. Biochemist and biophysicist
7. Sales manager
8. Epidemiologist
9. Computer system analyst
10 Athlete
11. Agent and business manager
12. Marketing manager
13. Producer and director
14. Actor
15. Lawyer
16. Advertising manager
17. Management analyst
18. Postsecondary education admin
19. Financial manager
20. Actuary
21. Airline pilot
22. Geoscientist
23. Market research analyst
24. Securities sales agent
25. Medical services manager
I couldn't see "webmaster" on the list, but I'm confident that 2005 will be a great year!

The Five Steps of Corporate Responsibility

Interesting article on corporate responsibilty.. for big and small business!
The Five Steps of Corporate Responsibility
"Nike and Nestlé learned the hard way: As society changes, we must constantly rethink how we do business. Most corporations pass through five stages as they move toward social responsibility." harvard business review

JP Morgan Owned Slaves

America's second biggest bank has apologized for taking ownership of more than 1000 slaves 200 years ago. A JP Morgan subsidiary accepted slaves as loan collateral and ended up claiming about 1250 slaves from farmers that defaulted on paying their loans. Guardian News
Things sure can change in 200 years.. things sure can stay the same too..

Yahoo! Internet Portal Results

The web's most popular website has pleased the market by nearly tripling its profits and giving an optimistic forecast for 2005. Stocks in Yahoo rose 2%, only to fall back 2% on Wednesday.
Yahoo contributes its success to taking advantage of the advertising dollars of big business and their ability to keep big business signing up for more advertisements.
Yahoo: Lots of Ads, One Minus
"For the year, Yahoo's profits jumped 121%, to $526 million, with sales climbing 77%, to $2.6 billion. The results could help buttress Yahoo's shares as its market valuation creeps past $51 billion. In after-hours trading, the stock was up 2%, to $38." ..businessweek

Krispy Kreme Turnaround?

The once popular stock that traders loved in 2000, the doughnut chain that has been knocked about of recent times is taking measures to turn its finances around. The low carbohydrate craze wasn't good for Krispy Kreme sales, but the company is also replacing CEO Scott A. Livengood.
Krispy Kreme Board Ousts Top Executive
Shares of Krispy Kreme jumped more than 10 percent on the news that Scott A. Livengood, the company's chief executive officer for the last seven years, will be replaced by Stephen F. Cooper, who has been overseeing the bankruptcy reorganization of Enron Corp. as interim CEO. Cooper has three decades of experience in corporate restructurings at Enron, Polaroid, TWA, Boston Chicken and Pegasus Gold. abc news

Fosters and Southcorp

Australian beer and wine giant Fosters Group has made a hostile bid of USD$1.9million for the wine group Southcorp.
Fosters believe the deal is compelling because..

• Is a unique opportunity to create a pre-eminent global wine company, with an unrivalled collection of premium wine brands furthering Foster’s global wine leadership strategy;
• Positions the combined company as the owner of "Brand Australia" in the beverage category, with a portfolio of leading beer and wine brands complemented by a range of RTDs, spirits, cider and non-alcohol brands that together provide a total beverage offering to customers and consumers;
• Represents an outstanding price for all Southcorp shareholders, which is evidenced by the sale of the Oatley family’s strategic stake at the same price;
• Is financially attractive for Foster’s shareholders on all key acquisition metrics;
• Will also benefit employees, customers and consumers of both companies by providing a stronger and more competitive business model with enhanced global growth prospects.
• Retains Australian ownership and control of Southcorp’s icon wine brands in the hands of the logical acquirer, and protects and strengthens Australia’s position in the global wine industry.
  

But the Southcorp Board has rejected the bid and called the Foster's offer "inadequate and opportunistic"
Southcorp shares rose 11% and Fosters pulled back slightly.
Read more at cnn money

McDonalds Former CEO Dies at 44

Former McDonalds Chief Executive Officer Charlie Bell has died of colorectal cancer at the age 44. Bell was diagnosed just a month after taking the top job in the fast food chain, but he started working in McDonalds when he was just 15. bloomberg news

Wal-Mart Blitz

The 900 pound gorilla of retailing is attempting to portray itself as a soft cuddly caring bear with an American wide advertising blitz. For years Wal-Mart has taken criticism from protest groups, disgruntled workers, and small businesses. Their image is fast becoming tarnished and the critics of the largest retailing company in the world are starting to affect the giant.
Wal-Mart Chief executive officer H. Lee Scott is tired of outside forces affecting the way the company operates and presents itself to the public and is setting out to present it's own truth.. "There are a lot of 'urban legends' going around these days about Wal-Mart, but facts are facts. Wal-Mart is good for consumers, good for communities and good for the U.S. economy." Scott said.
Along with the advertising campaign they have also produced a new website "Wal-Mart Facts"

Russian Oil Billionaire gives up Yukos

Mikhail Khodorkovsky has given up his shares in the once giant oil company Yukos. After the Russian government sold off the major money and oil producing sections of the company, the value of his holdings plummeted. The jailed billionaire plans to use his time creating a civil society in Russia.. abc news
Unemployment at Record Lows in Australia
Little John and his merry men are basking in the political and financial glory of low employment levels in Australia..
"Australia's unemployment rate has dropped to a 28-year low of 5.1 per cent and analysts say it could yet drop below 5 per cent.
There has never been a better monthly jobless rate. The last time the figure was lower was when unemployment was measured on a quarterly basis in 1976".. abc news

Newscorp Fox Buyout

Rupert Murdoch's Newscorp will take full control of Fox Entertainment with a $5.86 billion buyout (they already owned 82% of Fox). financial times
Stocks head downwards as chip maker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) issued a sales warning. foxnews

US Jobs 2004

In the month of december there were more than 150,000 new jobs created in the United States. Sure there were more than 2 million new jobs created for 2004, but there were also more than a million Americans lose there job in 2004. This has kept the unemployment rate at a steady 5.4 percent.
US gains 157,000 jobs in December
"The month's job gains were slightly less than analysts expected, and just enough to keep up with the natural growth of the labor force and prevent unemployment from rising. The jobless rate held steady at 5.4 percent last month, unchanged from November." Read more at the Business Globe

More than a Million Americans Lose Jobs

2004 wasn't a good year for jobs in the United States as 1,039,735 had their job taken away from them. Economists believe it is not simply a sign of weakness in the US economy but is a change in how business is done, with a culture of hiring and firing becoming the norm. Forecasters are predicting similar trends in 2005.
More than a million Americans lost their jobs in 2004
The 1 039 735 job cuts however were 16 percent below the level of 2003, the firm said in a statement, and 47 percent less than the recession year of 2001. But the total was well above the average of 556 190 job cuts between 1993 and 2000. Read more at Business Report

Online Shopping

Internet users are becoming more comfortable with making purchases online with a 25% increase over the 2004 Christmas shopping season. Americans spent more than $23billion online over the 2004 year end holidays. As it becomes easier and more secure to purchase goods online shoppers are taking advantage of the wide choices, better prices and lack of crowded shopping malls to do there Christmas shopping... more at reuters