Not again. I was hoping to be able to buy Beatles tracks on iTunes by Christmas but it appears that suits are getting in the way of love, peace, and harmony. What’s the deal? Steve Jobs loves the Beatles, taking every opportunity to play their music at Apple (AAPL) events. The Beatles, or what’s left of them, want their music sold on iTunes. Music fans armed with iPods want desperately to spend their money on Beatles music. What’s the deal? Can someone please tell the suits at EMI today that …

Rumors abound that my beloved Boston Red Sox plan to bid vigorously for the services of free agent Mark Teixeira and Japanese pitching phenom Junichi Tazawa. Although I’d like to see the team take the challenge of developing and sustaining a winning team in a major market with a Moneyball philosophy, I’m actually excited by the possibilities of these two signings. I’d rather see the team stay competitive while reducing its overall payroll, but if we’re going to spend money in the free agent market, then we should spend the …

You have to like Hank Paulson. The Treasury Secretary grew up on a farm in Illinois. Many leaders in American history learned the value of hard work while planting seed and harvesting crop. George Washington was a farmer. Thomas Jefferson was a farmer and envisioned our country as a republic of farmers with a strictly limited federal government. That was when agriculture dominated the economic composition of the United States. Since then, the original federation of thirteen states has grown to fifty while the percentage of the citizenry employed in …

Today marks the 233rd birthday of the United States Marine Corps. That’s right, the Marine Corps is older than the nation itself. Organized on November 10, 1775 in Tun Tavern, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Marines have been defending our lands since before the Declaration of Independence. I served in the Marine Corps as a basic rifleman – the most fundamental function of all Marines. Fond memories come to me November 10th of every year. It was in the Corps that I learned about leadership. I learned the true meaning of teamwork, not …

Innovation is usually associated with “thinking outside of the box.” In this video, BMW Group designer Chris Bangle shows us how to think outside of the frame. A car with a skin of cloth? Impossible you say? Impossibility exists only in the mind ruled by rules. “Thinking flexible, acting flexible, context over dogma.” Think. Ask Questions. Think Different.

I don’t get things right as much as I’d like when it comes to the market but my Latticework Linkfest back in late February was spot on:
In times of recession, when unemployment is high, the unemployed go back to school to add marketable skills and increase future earnings power. The leading companies in for-profit education include Strayer Education (STRA), DeVry (DV), ITT Educational Services (ESI), Career Education Corporation (CECO), Capella Education (CPLA), Corinthian Colleges (COCO), and industry giant Apollo Group (APOL). Apollo operates the ubiquitous University of Phoenix campuses. This …