nestle waters reported over $500 million (USD) in earnings (before interest and taxes) in 2008. they made over $9 billion (USD) in sales. sales from the u.s. and canada made up almost half (48%) of that. parent company, nestle, made well over $15 billion (USD) in net earning and $107 billion (USD) in sales. nestle is a swiss company, hence the clarification that dollar amounts have been converted to US dollars. currency amounts mentioned hereafter refer to our regular ol’ washingtons and benjanins.
nestle waters north america has donated $1 million in bottled water to relief efforts in haiti. now, is that a million $1 bottles at a cart stand in new york? because that would be 1 million bottles. or, would it be a million dollars worth of $5 yankee stadium water bottles? because that would be 200,000 bottles. or, are they donating the number of bottles equal to $1 million in production costs, which i’m assuming is cents on the dollar. they are expected to have a 13.2% profit margin in 2010.
the following note was originally posted on facebook in february 09. i figured it was time to revisit as i announce 30 weekends before 30! shout out to the 80’s babies hitting the mark this year and ’81 babies that snuck into school with us.
my mother likes to say to me “you’re damn near 30”. well, maybe she’s only said it a few times, but just hearing her say it is funny. and the fact that she used the word “damn” in a conversation with me is evidence that… dammit i am damn near 30.
but that’s ok. here are somethings that make me happy about almost reaching the milestone birthday.
1. after a late night i can come home and eat. fast food isn’t my only option. as long as i’ve made a recent trip to the store i’ll have leftovers… or i can whip something up rather quickly.
2. i can come home to solitude (fortunately or unfortunately) and sleep in my own comfy bed. thanks but no thanks for the offer to crash on somebody else’s couch or futon after a late night. i’ll catch a cab to the crib.
it amazes me when people don’t see the blessing in education. through education we have science and engineering. we understand why things happen and how to make them better. we understand that infrastructure is key.
if the united states had an interest in a stable nation in haiti, it would be stable. just as if the united states had had an interest in a sustainable lower 9th ward, it would have been.
so, tonight we sit and watch the news. sad and frustrated just as we were in 2005. reminded that when tragedy strikes it seems to bring out the best and then the worst in people. and after a tumultuous 2009, 2010 starts with a devastating natural disaster that will undoubtedly have political repercussions in the u.s. and across the globe.
interesting phenomenon going on right now.
an old white guy said “negro-dialect”. people said “ooooo!” republicans said “off with his racist head!” but barry and his peeps said “… now wait a minute, he’s a longtime friend…” facebook said “my negro dialect? wtf”? then democrats said “ssshhh, reid = healthcare” and facebook said ” hmmm… you know we need healthcare. we’re on facebook all day and our fingers aren’t covered.”soon people were crying in the streets “he just said what everyone was thinking! he light skindedededed. stevie wonder can see that!… and he’s errudite” (tilt of head)
i remember way back when “he speaks so well” was understood to be a put down. a sideways compliment dripping with low expectations. before obama announced his run for POTUS we (black folk) had already decided that “talking black” no longer meant sounding like an idiot. that, in fact, it didn’t mean anything because how you speak does not define your “blackness”. at least that’s what we said.