Musings from Patmos: Discourse on Display: Blogging from Japan

Greetings and salutations!

THE ELECTION CONNECTION

Latest polling shows Hamas has won a substantial majority in Palestinian elections. Israeli elections will be held in March, with former PM Ariel Sharon’s centrist Kadima party expected to win. Peace talks are on hold until then, but with an unrepentantly violent group labelled as terrorists by Israel and the US at the table, prospects are grim at best. A friend of mine commented, “…if those people were spending their energy working instead of fighting…they would be ruling the world in no time…”

In a telling comment from Ismail Haniya, a Hamas candidate in the Palestinian elections,“the Americans and the Europeans say to Hamas: either you have weapons or you enter the legislative council. We say weapons and the legislative council. There is no contradiction between the two.”

http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060125/palestinian_elections_060126

Of course, we’ve just come through our own dramatic election here in Canada, with the right-of-center Conservative Party winning a Minority Government. Despite the rush from pundits of all sides to paint a drastic image of American style politics ahead, I think there is more possibility for positive change in Canada than there has been in more than a decade.

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

Some big moves being made in the business world of late:

After Johnson & Johnson folded in the bidding war for Guidant, a medical technology company, Boston Scientific has moved ahead with a $27 billion offer.

Disney has announced its $7 billion acquisition of animation powerhouse Pixar, making Steve Jobs the largest single Disney shareholder.

Another piece of Canadiana sold to the US as Zucker Industries buys out the Hudson’s Bay Company.

http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060126/hudsonsbay_zucker_060126
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/business/text/index.html

With Hope,
Joseph

Hamas Majority | Progressive Conservatives | Boston Scientific

2 comments:

Anonymous said...: You may be interested in a new way of looking at mergers & acquisitions -- as drama. There are a couple of examples on www.dilemmasgalore.com (In the Business fourm & the Nature & Uses of Drama Theory).

Anyone that thinks the guys involved in these deals are unemotional is wrong. It's all highly dramatic & emotional.

Barry; 10:48 PM
Anonymous said...: I must admit I expected a Conservative minority--it's not like there was much alternative, if the NDP can't garner enough votes to command 50 seats!

I must admit I am waiting to see what will happen; but I, along with the Rainbow community generally, are very concerned about the status of civil marriage and other rights we are accorded in Canada.

I wish, within conservative camps everywhere, political or religious, that there was more room for reasoned debate and minority interpretations. That kind of environment is a gift that seems too rare these days.

--Rob; 9:18 PM