Taking a bite out of the Apple Pie

How much of Americana would be gone if Anheuser Busch does get taken over by overseas interest? On that note, what will happen when PPG finally sells its auto glass division (again) as reported last week? If they sell that portion of the business or any of their other segments to foreign interests, how will that affect us in the long run? I think short term it will be OK, but the long term effect will be tremendous. It’s amazing that the proud American company is no longer “King of the Hill” but really with so much focus on businesses trying to pander to markets like China, it was probably a matter of time. Were we arrogant? Were we sleeping at the wheel? How can we be so vulnerable? Today it’s AB, tomorrow it could be Johnson and Johnson… then on and on and on. Very scary no matter how you slice it.

Elsewhere….

-- As I told a few people who commented on my bad mood blog of last week… you know how you’re not supposed to go to the market on an empty stomach? Well in the new age of technology; don’t do a blog post in a bad mood because you’ll get that slice of bitterness you got last week. But the nice thing was how many people commented to me in passing, hoping I was cheering up. Thanks again to all of you.

-- Great comments too on the Vinyl lobby and its strength or lack thereof… Would love to see more of the people who see it for what it is, be more vocal going forward that is for sure. Bottom line is we have a heavy dependence on oil, why aren’t we looking to wean off of products that use it? Especially when there’s very good options….

-- This just in… Tiger Woods is insanely good. That Saturday night of golf was unreal. I had a buddy who was there on the 13^th hole when Tiger made his first Eagle and he said it was the most amazing thing he’s ever been a part of. And this coming from a guy who’s been to 10 Masters, Super Bowls, Stanley Cups and so on. And I’d have to say, even watching on TV it was awesome.

-- More on the PPG stuff up top… interesting interview with the CEO Charles Bunch (here if you missed it) I think once again the fascinating angle will be.. once the auto glass business gets sold, what happens to the flat glass side? Do they focus energy and resources on the flat side knowing that the albatross of auto is gone or do they look to become more of a chemical company (where you make real money) and put flat up for sale? Should be very interesting.

To the LINKS we go…

-- Gas prices got your frustrated? This piece by USA Today really breaks it down in detail.

-- According to the founder of the Weather Channel, it’s all Al Gore’s fault. Here’s a speech dedicated to it. And it’s a pretty interesting read… not the populist view, that’s for sure!

-- E-mail issues happen all the time- a great tech piece on what’s happening in that world.

Video of the Week:

Thanks to Brigid for finding this and sending it… its only 16 seconds long but I found hilarious given all we seemingly ever talk about…. And by the way as someone who lives for Peanut M&M’s… if they ever got in trouble, then I’d have to step up!