Wayne Gretzky…New Owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs?

A city that has a passion for hockey deserves an owner that also shares the same feeling. Apparently “The Great One” is rumoured to be in a major deal that would see and him a large group of investors take over one of the most beloved, yet hated hockey teams in the world. Greg “Puck Daddy” Wyshynski’s of Yahoo! has written anĀ article on this topic that is quite intriguing. Whether you’re a hockey fan or not, when a person is betrayed by a person or organization they trust, it’s always something that stings. I say this simply because the NHL owes him $7 million and counting for being part owner and coach of a Phoenix Coyotes team that had a lot of trouble putting fans in the seats.

As a result the team was losing tens of millions of dollars a year, and he just couldn’t deal with an organization that wasn’t providing any incentive for him to stay. Whether you’re a hater or lover of the Toronto Maple Leafs they are worth well over half a billion dollars and can make anyone’s wallet fill up considerably quick if you happen to be one of the few lucky individuals who owns the team. What’s in it for Gretzky? The money, the passion of a true hockey market, and a team that has no problem selling out no matter how bad they are…everything an investor would look for when seriously considering purchasing a company.

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Blackberry Slashes Playbook by $300

The stock is going down, sales are going down, and its employees to let more and more workers go by the month it seems, but in spite of all of this, Blackberry has been able to catch some positive coverage. The product they released that was dubbed as the competitor to Apple’s iPad, the Blackberry Playbook has not been selling anywhere near as well as investors hoped or what the company itself projected. In an attempt to regain the short lived attention and hype it once had, the company has slashed the base model from $500 amazingly to a modest $200.

It has sparked much interest, mostly positive, but many critics are questioning as to whether or not the company may have put its reputation on the line. Blackberry is known as a company creating products with style, elegance, and quality, but they have always commanded a price above most other devices in the market. By lowering this price are they setting a new standard in terms of what loyal customers can expect? Or will it be one of those “overnight quick buck” operations, and once the company has restored themselves to where they have been successful, will the prices rise once again?

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Spain Elects New Leader

Greece as we all know has been going through a crisis that seems almost impossible to come back from. It has been the only nation in Europe that has perhaps been as publicized as much it has. Italy was the next in line, after requesting for a bailout they had no choice but ask their fellow European partners to bail them out. Now it’s a three peat, and Spain is facing some trouble now as they have just elected a new leader by the name of Zapatero.

They are no where near as in much debt as the other two countries that have filed for bankruptcy and a bailout. Labour rules and new banking regulations will be the key to a successful campaign for the newly elected leader. If he can manage to turn the ship around Spain in a very short period of time could be much better off than a lot of other nations who could potentially request for a bailout in the near future.

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The NBA…Is This Really Happening?

Nick Parkhaev’s article on the NBA lockout has not only intrigued myself as avid basketball fan, but millions across the world as we watch to wait and see how this shocking story unfolds. It is not uncommon for lockouts to occur, as the NHL (National Hockey League) and NFL (National Football League). For those uncertain of what a lockout refers to in a sports league, it means that the players and owners cannot come to an agreement as to how much each party will earn from revenues generated by the league.

Unfortunately as Mr. Parkhaev noted, it is not as simple as a 50/50 split otherwise the games would have been underway in an instance. The players are demanding 57% (accounted for $4 billion last year) but the owners are unwilling to budge from their initial offer of 46%. However, something we need to understand is that it’s beyond the players and owners. There are going to be many employees laid off from ushers to restaurant workers of the arenas. This is not good news for an American economy that has already heard enough about unemployment. It is definitely one of the most bizarre and unexpected lockouts in sports history. Players are demanding salaries they would never be paid regardless of their talent, and owners would be losing more which is not why they invested in their team. It will be interesting to see how this story will continue, but to all of my fellow NBA fans out there, don’t be surprised if there is absolutely no basketball this season.

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Apple…The King of Entrepreneurs?

It all started in the summer of 1976 in a garage that barely had any space for 3 people, let alone the equipment, machinery and everything that was needed to be worked on in there. But the mind did not need any space, and although to the eye it seemed as if the ideas were clustered and disorganized, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne had an idea that would change the world and the way it thought of technology. Selling the first computer they made to many tech giants across the board, they all gave Jobs the same answer calling him ‘stupid’, and saying that “no one will want to own a PC.” I bet every single one that passed him on is calling it the biggest mistake they could have ever made.

With a single minded and laser beam focused goal to enhance the world through gadgets and devices that would change the way humans interacted and worked, he introduced the Macintosh, iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad throughout his journey. With each introduction only gaining more respect, more acceptance, and becoming more well known, it wasn’t hard to tell that this company was going places. A person took this company that no one wanted anything to be apart of to one that people would be proud to say they are with. The company generated revenues of $108.249 billion as of 2011. Innovation, having the passion and persistence to create new and better products on an annual pace it seems as the norm nowadays, Apple has done everything an entrepreneur wishes he/she could have achieved, including being extremely well off financially and is a brand that is only associated with tremendous respect, integrity, and character.

(Image from Google)