Brian Gongol
Casey's declines takeover offer from Canadian company
It's a classic case of nominal price versus intrinsic value: The company making the offer thinks the Iowa-based convenience-store chain is worth about $1.9 billion, or roughly the market cap of the company on the NASDAQ stock market. Casey's management thinks the company is worth considerably more. Reported shareholders' equity in the company is about $800 million, so that means the board must feel that there is a whole lot of latent value inside the company, just waiting to be unleashed. Couche-Tard, on the other hand, says it's ready to launch a hostile takeover if it doesn't get cooperation. In a much friendlier transaction, the International Banana Museum has been sold.
Poland lost lots of significant leaders in the Russian plane crash
The passenger manifest included a former president-in-exile -- a position few people probably even knew existed. The Polish government-in-exile was the group of leaders who claimed legitimacy to speak for their country's affairs after the Soviet invasion following World War II. While they were formally recognized by very few countries after Poland had spent just a few years under "new management", they managed to keep some of the symbols of succession in their possession, which they returned to their home country after Lech Walesa was legitimately elected.
Original copy of Haitian declaration of independence found in the UK
Notable because it was only the second declaration of independence of its type in history (after the United States issued the original), and because it's the only known surviving copy.
An excellent lecture in the history of Art Deco
It was a magnificent style that celebrated progress -- even at a time when the world seemed to be in considerable trouble. And it certainly proved that ordinary, useful objects could still be pleasant to the eye.
Man breaks "Asteroids" video-game record that's stood since 1982
Moron students hack teacher's Facebook account
Whoopee cushions and other classic pranks would've been smarter. Tampering with someone's online accounts can lead to criminal charges, which might've even included wire fraud if money had been involved. Yet more evidence that we're in the era of the judgment economy, when it's not what you know (or what you know how to do), but whether you're wise enough to judge which things you should and shouldn't do.
Peeps Show
Seriously...the art of sugar-covered marshmallows. The operative phrase here: OM-NOM-NOM-NOM-NOM-NOM!
Why water shortages hurt the world's poor twice over
