14 November 2018 FT — Articles to Read

14 November 2018

 

List-Serve Comment on Millennials (w/ permission): I continue to read your daily communiques with much interest.  Re: today’s theme of Millennials’ pitfalls, I would add the (heretofore unknown) damage caused by energy drinks to the list.  During my time on USS [Redacted] (SSN XXX), I was astounded at how the crew guzzled Monsters, Red Bulls, Xyiences, and 5-Hour Energies as if they were “healthy”.  Then, one Chief who drank four or more a day keeled over from a heart attack during PT one morning, aged 36.

 

Question: According to MSN: Lifestyle, what are 9 smart questions to ask before getting a tattoo?

 

Tech giants spend $115bn on buybacks as investors lap up Trump tax windfall – Pg. 1

–          The share buybacks so far this year by Apple, Alphabet, Cisco, Microsoft and Oracle, after the tax change came into force at the end of 2017, are nearly double what the companies spent in the whole of last year, making investors some of the biggest beneficiaries of a plan that was billed as a boost to US jobs

–          They increased capital investment by 42% compared with the same period last year,…

–          Tech companies had been sitting on some of the largest cash piles, almost all of it stranded offshore, where it escaped an immediate tax.  Last year’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act brought these reserves into the tax net but at a reduced rate – freeing companies to use the money rather than leave it to continue to pile up

 

Investors switch to defensive stocks in swift tech pullback, BofA survey shows – Pg. 19

–          Investors have made a speedy retreat from the technology sector after its heavy sell-off in October, ….a rare stumble for one of the market’s most popular trades

–          Only a net 18% of investors said they were overweight in global tech in November’s survey, down from 25% in the previous month….

–          Instead, investors switched into defensive stocks in sectors including healthcare and utilities, …

–          The tech sector played a prominent role in an abrupt tumble in global markets last month

–          The impact was global with tech-heavy Taiwanese stocks falling more than 6% in their worst day on record

 

Answer: (1) Can you tell me about the ingredients in the ink you use for my tattoo?; (2) Can I watch you work?; (3) Are you a licensed tattoo artist? (Prof Note: I had no idea, before this article, there was such a thing); (4) What are the signs that I am having a bad reaction to the tattoo?; (5) Can you perform a patch test?; (6) Am I already vaccinated against hepatitis B?; (7) Do I feel a connection with this tattoo artist?; (8) Will I regret this in 10, 20, 30+ years?; (9) Am I prepared for aftercare? Prof Additions: (10) Am I sober?; (11) Will it fade into a jumbled mess and look awful later?; (12) What will happen to it with weight gain/(loss)?; (13) Is in a place where it can be concealed?; (14) Will this prevent me from future employment (Prof Note: In the mid-2000s we interested a woman (I was not part of the interview process but heard this story) that had “90’s Ho” tattood on her neck.  The head of sales said, jokingly, “We only hire 2000 Hos”.); (15) Will I mind if someone sees it and asks me about it? (Prof Note: My mantra in class, “if I can see it, I can ask about it.”); (16) Am I prepared to live with the decision of having a tattoo for the rest of my life?