"With the success of ESPN, Disney gained such enormous leverage over the entire cable industry that, in 2004, the company earned a record $1.94 billion in bottom-line operating income from its cable channels alone... These numbers did not go unnoticed by the fund managers who controlled two-thirds of Disney shares. As it became increasingly clear that Eisner had hit the jackpot with ESPN, these fund managers focused more and more on Eisner's inability to convert the enormous appreciation of Disney's assets into a stock-market payoff." [Read On]

"The manager on duty waited nervously, this sort of thing usually leads to certain young ladies joining the men up in the room later... Well no ladies ever came to visit our CEO. He was up there alone. He never came down. By this point the manager on duty was worried that he was going to have a dead body on his hands in the morning. It all seemed like a perfect set up for a suicide of a high status figure. Frantic all night, the manager could only wait by the front desk to see what would happen. No security ever showed up and the next day, and our famed CEO checked out, charming to everyone, paying in cash and with no baggage." [Read on]

"As Caesar loved me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honour him: but, as he was ambitious, I slew him."

• This week's New York Times Magazine ran a feature on Portable People Meters (PPMs), a device used by Nielsen-rival Arbitron to accurately document all media content that volunteers encounter during the day. The Big Brother-esque scheme involves the addition of a PPM-readable digital frequency into all television and radio content. Arbitron feels that media providers will be willing to comply with its plans in exchange for advanced market demographic information, which they believe the PPMs will be able to provide.

• Don't try and hide it -- I know you're reading this post while procrastinating on your taxes. As if you weren't angry enough about it, here's a graphical comparison of where your tax money goes with regards to select -- note, select -- domestic programs. [via Kottke]
  

• Sure, executive compensation isn't what it used to be, but Robert Wayman, interim CEO of HP seems to be doing okay. BusinessWeek reports that Wayman's $3 million cash bonus will work out to about $57,692 a day for each of his 52 days as CEO before Mark Hurd's first day. And we thought Carly's paychecks were extravagant!
  

"Grief or no grief, many Italian lottery addicts are looking to the late Pope John Paul for their lucky number. Across the Roman Catholic country, punters are rushing to lotto sellers and gambling on numbers linked to the Polish Pontiff in the belief those digits are now lucky..." [Read On]

• Warren Buffett involved with the AIG scandal? Well, that's what Slate and BizzyBlog seem to think. [via Instapundit] Apparently the revered investor "was briefed -- briefly -- on the AIG transaction"and will be called in as a witness in the forthcoming hearing for his "peripheral involvment". Hank Greenberg, former AIG Chariman & CEO, has since stepped down and taken up new residence in midtown to manage the three privatie entities in question.
• Mark It Savvy's Verdict: No biggie. Sure, it's kind of amusing -- kind of like when the teacher's pet forgets to do his homework. (Not really newsworthy on its own, but only in context.) I'm doubting that we'll see any evidence that Buffett was materially involved


• Pesky Europeans! New Yorkers are up in arms at the giant H&M advertisement located on the side of the historic Flatiron building. (Male residents with views of the young woman's cleavage are surprisingly reticent.) The city has sent Flatiron a nine-pronged complaint, with violations including "creates hazardous wind load".
  
• Mark It Savvy's Verdict: More than meets the eye. Maybe I'm giving H&M and the people at Flatiron a little too much credit, but I find it hard to believe that they would just "forget" to get a permit for the ad. (Or, it could be one of those "breakdowns in cultural communication" that my management professor keeps rambling about -- who am I to say?)


• Speaking of low-priced sequined miniskirts made in Asian sweatshops... Adrants seems to think that Gap has gotten itself into a bit of trouble with its new spokeswoman, UK songstress Joss Stone. The 17-year old has moved in with her 25-year-old boyfriend, music producer Beau Dozier, in California, where relations between the two constitute statutory rape.
  
• Mark It Savvy's Verdict: If Lindsay Lohan can get drinks at Marquee and then hook up with Bruce Willis (disclaimer: not confirmed, but who are we kidding?) then the otherwise talented and well-mannered Stone can shack up with whomever she chooses and it's fine by me.

"We believe the current shareholders of MCI overwhelmingly prefer the Qwest offer and that it provides superior short and long term value." [Read on]

(Translation: $1.5 bil. is a lot of fricking money! Who really cares about that crazy "Can you hear me now?" guy, anyways?)

"The cornerstone of the economic synergies in an Adelphia acquisition come from geographic clustering, not sheer size... Cablevision brings very little to the table by way of geographic clustering." [Read on]