Stay true to the dreams of thy youth

• Saudis Agree to Provide Syrian Rebels With Mobile Antiaircraft Missiles - WSJ.com

  "AMMAN, Jordan—Washington's Arab allies, disappointed with Syria peace talks, have agreed to provide rebels there with more sophisticated weaponry, including shoulder-fired missiles that can take down jets, according to Western and Arab diplomats and opposition figures. "

  tags: saudiarabia syria unitedstates revolution protest balanceofpower

• Spying by N.S.A. Ally Entangled U.S. Law Firm - NYTimes.com

  "Still, the N.S.A. can intercept the communications of Americans if they are in contact with a foreign intelligence target abroad, such as Indonesian officials. The N.S.A. is then required to follow so-called minimization rules to protect their privacy, such as deleting the identity of Americans or information that is not deemed necessary to understand or assess the foreign intelligence, before sharing it with other agencies. "

  tags: indonesia spying nsa unitedstates australia newzealand

• Nuking the Budget

  "confidential study by the U.S. Energy Department has concluded that completing a controversial nuclear fuel factory in South Carolina may cost billions of dollars more than the department has previously promised, according to government officials and industry sources briefed on its results. "

  tags: nuclear unitedstates energy government waste

• The Art of Crafting a 15-Word Strategy Statement - Alessandro Di Fiore - Harvard Business Review

  "In the January issue of HBR, Roger Martin sets out some rules for avoiding common mistakes in strategy making. As he writes in “The Big Lie of Strategic Planning”, the first rule is “keep the strategy statement simple.” Rather than a long, often vague document, the company’s strategy should summarize the chosen target customers and the value proposition in one page. I couldn’t agree more. In my consulting work, I take this idea even further by asking my clients to summarize their strategy in less than 15 words. This statement must identify the target customer, the value proposition, and how the latter fits two requirements: Focus: What you want to offer to the target customer and what you don’t; Difference: Why your value proposition is divergent from competitive alternatives."

  tags: strategy martin business companies

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.