Michelle Leder submits: The crazy things that people continue to ask for — and receive — as part of their severance agreements never ceases to amaze me. Just this past month, we’ve found severance furniture and a severance watch, not to mention computer power cords. Now, it’s 24/7 Media’s (TFSM) turn to show just how creative they can get.

Their entry? Two round-trip plane tickets between the United States and Switzerland for outgoing executive Christopher J. Wagner, according to Handleman Reports Disappointing Quarter; Notes from the Conference Call
at 2006-07-09 19:40:29

Kyle Schnare submits: Handleman (HDL) reported very disappointing earnings over the last quarter. EPS came in at a unpleasant -.32/share. It looks as if the turnaround is going to take a while longer than expected.

However, I still believe that the fundamentals still hold and the stock is very attractive at this time. HDL is currently selling for $8.15 at the close of June 30. Handleman has plans to cut costs that will help the company save money (about $20 million/year) and still feel they will be profitable for the year.

After listening in on the conference call, it seems as though Handleman would be more than willing to sell the company at a fair price or they may be contemplating taking the company private. Currently, book value stands around $14.75 and I believe the stock is at lea

Paul Kedrosky submits: There is a wonderfully interesting piece in the Sunday L.A. Times about the random core of the movie business. The article synthesizes useful material from information cascades, Kahneman & Tversky, Arthur De Vany’s work, and Hollywood lore to show that most of what is called success in Hollywood is more like dumb luck: