Since the dawn of mass media, newspapers, radio and television have all been used to inform and educate the public. They have also been used to whip mobs into a frenzy, control the world of politics and consolidate their owners’ power. These media moguls all straddled the line between entertainment and politics, preaching to the public and wielding an immense influence over lawmakers and politicians.

10. Silvio Berlusconi

Silvio Berlusconi has cut out the middle-man between politics and the media by serving as Prime Minister of Italy while holding the majority of shares in Italy’s largest free-to-air private TV company — as well as owning the country’s largest publisher, largest advertising company and one of its most successful soccer teams, AC Milan. And he’s kept things in the family – his wife and brother each part own a nationwide daily newspaper. Often accused of using his media powers to deflect criticism, Berlusconi still manages to be mired in controversy and allegations of improper conduct – he has faced numerous accusations of corruption and bribery as well as a series of sexual scandals, culminating in claims that he paid a 17-year-old for sex.

9. Ted Turner

As founder of CNN, Ted Turner established the world’s first 24-hour cable news channel, which made history by covering the Challenger shuttle disaster and the Gulf War. He sourced programming for his cable super-station WTCG by developing a successful wrestling league (WCW), establishing the Goodwill Games and buying sport-teams such as the Atlanta Braves outright. He was once the largest private landowner in the US and has become well-known as a philanthropist, donating $1 billion to support UN causes and taking vocal stands on issues such as climate change, war and off-shore drilling. Meanwhile, as part of a long-running grudge with Rupert Murdoch he has repeatedly invited the News Corp tycoon to fistfights. To cap it all off, he created Captain Planet.

8. William Randolph Hearst

William Randolph Hearst’s empire began with his father’s paper, The San Francisco Examiner and stretched to include 30 newspapers at its peak; after expanding to magazines he created the largest magazine and newspaper business in the entire world. He dabbled in politics and was twice elected as a US Congressman, but his real influence was through his media empire. Indeed, the circulation war between Hearst and Pulitzer was instrumental in pushing the United States into the Spanish-American war on the back of sensational coverage of revolution in Cuba. The inventor of “yellow journalism” also inspired Citizen Kane, one of the most acclaimed films ever made.

7. Lord Beaverbrook

While serving as the UK’s Minister of Information during the First World War, Max Aitken added to his chain of newspapers by gaining control of the Daily Express. After the war he made the Express the largest selling paper in the world, developing a feared reputation as a man who could make or break any career. During the Second World War he served as a Minister and was a close friend and confidante of Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

6. Joseph Pulitzer

In the late 1870s Joseph Pulitzer bought the St Louis Post and the St Louis Dispatch merging them to form the St Louis Post Dispatch and the New York World. In the 1880s he expanded his holdings to include the New York World. He was an unceasing crusader against corruption and big business, exposing government scandals and was even indicted for libeling Theodore Roosevelt over allegations of payments to the French Panama Canal Company. Originally a Republican, he switched his allegiance to the Democratic Party, serving as a congressman for a time before leaving to concentrate on his newspapers. As well as leaving a grant for the creation of Columbia’s School of Journalism, Pulitzer is best remembered for founding the Pulitzer Prize, which bears his name, recognizing achievement in journalism.

5. James Gordon Bennett, Sr

James Gordon Bennet was anything but a quitter, trying to launch newspapers for years before hitting gold with the New York Herald in 1835, which he made the highest selling newspaper in America by 1866. He pioneered various staples of the genre, including the first newspaper interview, cash up-front payments from advertisers and the first exclusive from a sitting President. Bennet endorsed several presidential candidates including James Buchanan. Backing the Union in the Civil War, Bennet’s influence was central to the perception of Lincoln as a martyr after his assassination.

4. Frank Ernest Gannett

Frank Ernest Gannett started his media empire at the age of 30, when he purchased the Elmira Gazette in 1906. Over the next few years he expanded his holdings to include the Ithaca Journal, and various smaller papers that he combined, forming the Times-Union. By 1923 he had grown this small duchy into a nationwide multimedia empire. While initially neutral regarding FDR’s New Deal, he opposed the court-packing scheme and became a founding member of the National Committee to Uphold Constitutional Government, profoundly supporting the opposition. He was long active in state politics and unsuccessfully contested the Republican nomination for President in 1939. Today the Gannet Company has the largest total daily circulation of any US newspaper organization.

3. Henry Luce

Have you heard of Time, Life, Fortune or Sports Illustrated? By launching a series of magazines that targeted upscale Americans, Henry Luce managed to profoundly alter both journalism and the nation’s reading habits. Time informed on news, Life dominated visual perceptions in the pre-television era, Sports Illustrated opened up the strategies of key sportsmen and Fortune introduced new economic theories and practices. Quite simply, without Luce there would be no Time Man of the Year. And that is entirely apart from Luce’s properties in the worlds of radio and newsreels. As a lifelong Republican he was strongly anti-communist, using Time to support right-wing dictatorships and anti-communist groups – notably, China’s Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek graced the cover of Time on a number of separate occasions between 1927 and 1955. Luce’s 1941 Life article “The American Century” is credited with helping to shape US foreign policy of the 20^th century.

2. Michael Bloomberg

Mayor of New York and 13^th richest individual in the US, Michael Bloomberg owns 88% of media company Bloomberg L.P., and is worth an estimated $18.1 billion. The self-named company offers financial information services and financial news via its magazines, television network and radio station. While originally seen as a life-long Democrat he switched to the Republicans for his 2002 mayoral race before divesting himself of party trappings and running as an independent in 2009. He has often been the subject of speculation about presidential ambitions — but has yet to run for that office.

1. Rupert Murdoch

Rupert Murdoch started with one Australian newspaper before turning his News Corporation company into an international multimedia empire, reaching from tabloids in the UK to 20th Century Fox studios in the US. He owns the Wall Street Journal, and has investments in film, TV and the web. In many ways Fox News drives American political discourse, while his UK tabloids have broken stories on politicians and celebrities alike, giving him a commanding role in the political world with the power to make or break governments. The 40th birthday party of his daughter, Elisabeth Murdoch, chairman and CEO of the Shine group, was attended by Tony Blair, David Cameron, then the leader of the UK opposition and a string of newspaper editors – as well as Bono and Bob Geldof. The company has recently hit the rocks following allegations that one of his tabloids, the News of the World, was involved in the phone-tapping of murder victims, politicians and 9/11 victims, had established corrupt relationships with dozens of police officers and had been engaged in a huge cover-up over the details. Forbes ranked him as the world’s 13^th most powerful person in 2010, and he is thought to be the 117^th richest individual in the world.

The Internet (and the American public) are never short of scandals. We peddle them like fruits, always calling a new celebrity out on their addiction, affair, private text messages or offensive jokes. While we are busy paying attention to crap that really doesn’t matter, we’re distracted from larger (and more important) issues at hand. Here are 11 ‘scandals’ that dumb us down, and 15 actually significant problems to counter each one.

Lindsay’s Liquor Problem vs. All the Black Crackheads in Jail

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Lindsay Lohan’s life is so hard. Being told not to party, partying anyway, getting caught, being subjected to house ‘arrest’ in your awful(ly) spacious duplex (complete with a terrible balcony), and being subjected to constant paparazzi harassment after leaving Whole Foods is all very tragic. However, it’s not a very exciting news story. No one would care about some bratty little girl’s alcoholic trials and tribulations while growing up, right? Actually, it’s making a lot of stupid headlines. When will this boring charade finally end?

Lindsay Lohan’s choice of cocktail is definitely less important than:

The US Sentencing Commission’s decision to allow up to 12k federal crack offenders to become eligible for release or a reduced sentence under the Fair Sentencing Act. Although the prison industrial complex retains its retard-strength, the Fair Sentencing Act is at least a little progressive. In some areas, possession of only 5 grams held a minimum five year sentence…the same mandatory sentence for possession of 100x more (500 grams) powder cocaine. This law will save an estimated $200 million dollars over the next five years. It’s a start. It’s also worth noting that the userbase of crack is mostly black, while that of cocaine is mostly white. Racist laws much?

Casey Anthony’s OJ Verdict vs. Our Crappy Justice System

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Whether she did it or not, she was found not guilty. She may not have been rich like OJ, but she was pretty and white.

Maybe we should stop talking specifically about Casey Anthony, and more about:

The fact that the justice system is incredibly flawed. Restraining Orders are often useless against the people they’re meant to deter. Sentences faced by the prosecuted are often unfairly distributed, such as an 18 year old facing up to 8 years for placing a blowup doll in his high school as a prank as compared to the high school rapist who was not only freed but allowed to play varsity basketball, where his victim was asked to cheer for him. She was removed from the squad when she refused — then ordered to pay $45,000 of the school’s attorney’s fees for filing a “frivolous” lawsuit about the matter. Racist and prejudice judges are more common than we’d like to think. It seems like our laws and standards are the things that need revising. Maybe then there would have been enough evidence to convict Anthony of what common sense would tell you was a filicide.

Gottfried’s Insensitivity vs. No More Spicy Tuna Rolls

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Gilbert Gottfried was recently fired by AFLAC for making some pretty insensitive jokes about Japan’s tragic earthquake and tsunami mega combo. It seems that celebrities sometimes forget that everyone is watching them with hawk eyes, waiting for a slip-up that can be sold or used to publicly humiliate the mistaken. Gottfried’s jokes were definitely in poor taste and made him look like a total jerk. Sometimes people are only able to deal with serious issues by trying to lighten the problem with humor. Sometimes people say things casually when others are taking them seriously. Whatever the reason, a little humor never hurt anyone. Gottfried wasn’t responsible for any deaths in Japan, nor did he seem to be joking in a hateful or prejudice manner. If Japan had an extra donated dollar for every person who complained about Gottfried’s comments, how much more do you think they’d have?

Maybe we should ignore the (ignorant? mean? thoughtless?) people we don’t like and pay a little more attention to more important issues at hand, such as:

Tuna are on their way to dodo-dom. It might sound stupid, but Japan is facing Tuna extinction. A multi-billion dollar industry, Tuna fishing in the Mediterranean may come to an end within the next five years. Not only would this effect the economy of a number of countries, but the ecosystem as well.

Additionally, your tuna salad or spicy tuna roll may be farmed, and therefore fed a whole bunch of crap you probably wish never existed.

Tracy Morgan Deserves Death Penalty vs. Those Sick and Blasphemous Homosexuals

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Tracy Morgan is in trouble again, and not for joking to stab his imaginary homosexual son. Only a few weeks after the media frenzy inspired by his homophobic ranting, he made jokes during a stand-up routine about ‘retard strength’ and referred to a woman he dated as “a cripple.” Although these comments were far from PC, Morgan, like many other comedians, is known for making lewd and inappropriate jokes. He’s a comedian. He was in a comedy club. Although his comments were nonviolent (albeit rude, as is his nature) and non-hateful, the media went nuts. Also, a person with a crippled limb is technically a cripple. If Tracy Morgan is crucified for remarks against any special interest group, what about every other comedian?

Maybe we should be paying less attention to Morgan’s declining ability to write jokes and more attention to:

Pennsylvania state senator Rick Santorum thinks “the right to privacy doesn’t exist in the United States Constitution” and called bans on gay marriage “common sense.”

“I do believe the family, integrity of the family is important for the future of our country. But that does not mean that, that I don’t like people or I hate people or that there’s something wrong. The only thing that’s wrong is their opinion.”
- Rick Santorum

Oh, and he also blamed victims (see: children) who were sexually assaulted by priests for engaging in “a basic homosexual relationship.”

Weiner Overdoses on Penis Jokes vs. Rapist Politician, NH

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Anthony Weiner was recently caught sending dick pics and sexually suggestive messages to a stripper in Las Vegas. Big deal. It’s not like most Americans haven’t ever done a selfish thing. That’s not to condone cheating, but it is to say that the harsh judgment passed on him and the media circus surrounding his personal life are disgustingly hypocritical. Famous people are only here to serve and entertain the rest of us paupers, and damn their normal-people lives! They are expected to apologize for personal mistakes which don’t affect anyone who would be reading about them in a newspaper.

Maybe we should be paying less attention to Weiner’s Weiner and more attention to:

Rapist politician Jeffrey Gray. Gray is a man convicted of stalking and assault. He is also accused of a kidnapping, assault and rape (which he apparently accomplished with the help of Craigslist) and is an elected board member in New Hampshire. Gray has a storied criminal history, including three misdemeanors involving an ex-girlfriend who took a restraining order out against him — and later renewed it, reporting new instances of harassment and threats of suicide. Despite his repeated domestic violence offenses and accusations of rape, Gray was elected anyway. Way to go, New Hampshire.

Octomom vs. Crevice Groping, Coming to an Airline Near You

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Octomom is an idiot. That’s no secret. She’s also terribly amusing in the way only a burning bus full of your worst enemies could be. You feel bad, but you can’t really help, so why not enjoy it a little? Octomom has recently admitted to literally hating all of her children. She told The Daily Mail that she wishes her octopussy was nothing more than a regular, un-prefaced one. We all knew she couldn’t pay adequate attention to fourteen little “animals”, as she so affectionately called them while one child was being photographed eating paint chips.

Octomom’s vaginal lamenting is disgustingly funny (and kind of infuriating), but we have reason to be suicidal as well:

TSA is threatening to invade our crevices like so many unwanted babies because “the government” (whoever that is) has warned that terrorists plan to surgically implant explosives on their bodies in order to surpass airport security. “Experts” said that scanners might not be able to detect bombs placed under the skin, so new screening procedures may be developed to thwart those pesky suicide bombers. Prepare to clench your jaw.

Arnold, The Violator vs. Religious People Ruining the World

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Arnold Schwarzenneger recently came under public scrutiny when he was found to have fathered a bastard child with his housekeeper, a woman with whom he was having an affair for possibly longer than a decade. Mildred Baena sold her story to the tabloids, successfully screwing over Schwarzenegger in the process. His private life instantly became a hot topic in tabloids and on the news, where news reporters everywhere paused to consider not only the standards of their station, but the definition of the word ‘news’. There were exclusive photos, interviews, talk of lawsuits and a divorce. Schwarzenegger’s choice to cheat and refusal to admit paternity to his illegitimate child may have been hurtful to his immediate family, but it was a little less socially significant than dozens of events which do effect the public at large.

Maybe we should be less concerned with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s lucky bastard and more concerned with:

Ohio named as one of the ‘worst states in terms of women’s access to abortion and contraceptive services’, and seem to enjoy the title as well. How else would one explain the state’s choice to ignore a bill designed to assist rape victims in preventing unwanted pregnancies and therefore avoiding an even more unwanted abortion? Not only was the bill ignored, receiving little media coverage, but it was also berated by Ohio Right to Life. Right to Life claims that the bill would force religious hospitals and ‘pro-life taxpayers’ to prescribe the drug. The stupidity is astounding. Either way, even the recent discovery that fish can use tools is more interesting than Arnold’s Anthony Weiner.

Charlie Sheen’s Boring Rants vs. Corporate Personhood Actually Being a Real Thing

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Charlie Sheen is kind of funny, but he’s not vastly different from any other drunk or drug addicted attention whore who’s given attention and decides to run with it. Tiger blood, winning, magically curing addiction using only brain power and a lot of other almost immediately played out jokes were spawned from Charlie Sheen’s somewhat humorous rantings. People began paying to see him ‘perform’ on stage. He was a billion new memes at once. People argued over whether he was a junkie lunatic, a really cool guy, or a little of both. Ultimately, who cares? The craziest thing he did was have the courage to be honest about his drug use without apologizing to a bunch of people who don’t deserve it (that’s us! the public!).

While Charlie Sheen is making videos on The YouTubes, we should really be watching:

The movement to abolish corporate personhood, which sounds a lot more boring but is more important than any viral Internet video you’ll ever watch. American laws protect corporations, and corporations own (and pwn) the crap out of the American people. As ruled by the U.S. Supreme Court in Citizens United v. FEC, unlimited amounts of cash can be funneled into political campaigns from companies or richer-than-God individuals. It’s no secret that companies basically try to ‘buy’ laws that favor their businesses, and the government is protecting their right to do so by allowing corporations to maintain the same rights as a legal person.

Wes Cage vs. Our Police State

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Weston Cage likes airing out his dirty laundry on Facebook, and has made a bunch of derogatory remarks about his wife via status updates, which he also used to announce his divorce. He’s like the character his father plays in that terrible Wicker Man remake: a little crazy, unattractive, violent, and unable to hold anyone’s attention span for longer than ten minutes. Unless that ‘anyone’ is a crazed (Nu-Metal) death cult trying to burn him at the stake.

It’s unclear whether or not anyone actually cares about Cage’s Facebook drama. While Cage enjoys the attention, there are more important people who do not:

The police, who are now trying to make it illegal for you to watch them. An Illinois man was facing a possible 4 to 15 year sentence because he recorded his own arrest. Although a few states’ laws maintain that both parties must consent to videotaping for it to be legal, this law has been twisted and misconstrued by the police in more than just the said states. If they want to, the police can easily find a way to arrest you for looking at them the wrong way. Just look at Emily Good, who was arrested for filming police from her front yard even though she was clearly posing no threat. Charges were dismissed, but the police remain the only people who manage to harass and detain innocent people without consequence.

Roger Ebert’s Smart Mouth-Thing vs. Modern Slavery

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Ryan Dunn broke the hearts of CKY/Jackass fans across the nation when he crashed his Porche in a drunk driving accident and died. He had been bringing laughter and fun to some for over 10 years, and the attachment to the cheery and ridiculous Jackass crew was understandable… But not so much for Roger Ebert, who posted a snarky tweet about Dunn’s death before it was confirmed that he was, indeed, very drunk at the time of the accident.

“Friends don’t let jackasses drink and drive”, he wrote. This one person’s stupid opinion caused a lot of backlash, getting lambasted as insensitive and mean. Some people even went as far as to make fun of Ebert’s medical condition, which really isn’t any better than making a general comment about the dangers and consequences of drunk driving. Ebert was basically saying “driving drunk is stupid and has dire consequences, as you can see.” He had a bit of an attitude when he said it. He made it into a bit of a semantics joke. Whatever. Celebrating Ryan Dunn’s life through screenings of his videos/movies would have been a lot more productive than whining about someone else’s opinion.

Either way, maybe we should care less about Ebert’s aggressive stance against drunk driving and more about:

Modern day slavery. The government is using prisoners as slave labor. In U.S. Federal prisons, inmates are being paid pennies an hour to do work for military corporations. They often work in dangerous and toxic environments without safety equipment and receive no benefits or vacation days. Oh, and if it weren’t pretty much like old-fashioned slavery already, guess what else reeks of history repeating itself? According to a U.S. Bureau of Justice Department report there were 846,000 black men in prison in 2008. That means that there are likely more African American men doing slave labor in prisons right now than there were actual African American men who were slaves.

Tobey Maguire Plays Poker or Something vs. Arizona Town Council Members Stealing Millions of Dollars

Tobey Maguire has a lot of money. He gambled a bunch of it away in high-stakes poker games, but also won a lot of it back. Maguire also fought with convicted Ponzi scheme felon Brad Ruderman about who owed who thousands of thousands of dollars. No one wrote a bunch of articles about that time you drunkenly lost ten dollars at poker in your basement, forgot about it, and then fought with your friend for ‘stealing’, so why is this any more sensational? The money is higher, but none of it belongs to anyone except Tobey (and possibly Ruderman, but probably not since he lost the legal battle and was filing for bankruptcy anyway). A bunch of scans of Tobey’s checks later and the scandal is all but settled.

Maybe we should care less about Tobey’s leisure activities and more about the crazy money laundering coverups happening in Arizona right now:

Quartzsite, Arizona, has up to $250,000 in checks disappear mysteriously per year… only to reappear in the pockets of allegedly corrupt council members. After a council meeting in which a woman was arrested for speaking out against corrupt council and police activities during her allotted floor time. The woman, Jennifer Jones, is arrested despite protests from the mayor, who is also being persecuted for trying to uncover the truth about the missing money and illegal scandals that may be happening behind closed doors.

After the event, the town inappropriately declared a state of emergency during which Foster was basically stripped of his title as mayor, and council meetings were held without public comment/notice/viewing. Although a recording of the impromptu meetings were set to be released on Monday, no such documentation has surfaced.

We the people of the United States of America are a very fickle people. We like to worship our celebrities. But we also like to tear down those celebrities and harshly judge them when they mess up. We also like to forgive them… if they deserve to be forgiven. In this way we create Gods out of men and then enslave those Gods for our own entertainment and use.

The ethics of this strange societal obsession aside, when celebrities screw up and risk losing the affection the American public, they freak out. And instead of apologizing to whoever they hurt/lied to/cheated on, they apologize to us.

Bill Clinton

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Few who lived through it will ever forget the excitement of the Monica Lewinsky affair. The constantly surfacing details about rock star President Bill Clinton and bodacious office skank Monica Lewinsky dominated the airwaves and imaginations of the nineties. Most moving of all, of course, is the memory of Clinton’s forced sounding and highly stupid public apology for his personal life.

Yes, it wasn’t exactly about his personal life seeing as he brought it into the public sphere when lying obscuring the truth under oath. But still, can’t we cut the man some slack? He’s the Leader of the Free World for crying out loud. Apologizing for getting some face time with the White House interns is just plain undignified.

Ted Haggard

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Sometimes the simple truth of the daily news is much better than fiction could ever hope to be. Such is the case with the story of Mike Haggard, a perfectly framed media fable about the consequences of hate mongering and deceit.

Haggard was an evangelical preacher in a Colorado mega-church known to his congregation as devoted spiritual leader and family man. He was also a passionate fan of talking about how gay people go to hell. Then, of course, it came out that he had been doing the deed with professional escort boyfriend Mike Jones for over three years! His apology/confession was honest and troubling. Haggard alluded to the part of his personal like that was too “repulsive and dark” to even put words to. His congregation cried with pity and scowled with rage… and then, most likely, went home and called their gay prostitutes.

Tiger Woods

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In 2010 the blogosphere exploded with news about Tiger Woods and his multiple affairs. Mistresses popped up from every corner and it seemed that in mere moments golf has suddenly, miraculously, become marginally interesting to the majority of the American public.

When the amount of mistresses breeched the double digits, Tiger Woods did the sensible thing and apologized to us for cheating…on…us? Well, yes, it actually makes a lot of sense. Celebrities are property of the public and thus when they fuck up it’s a personal betrayal to every single fat-ass with a tv and a couch in the United States.

John Ensign

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John Ensign and his public apology will not be remembered. There simply won’t be enough room in the history books to record every single philandering senator in this crazy world of ours.

John Ensign cheated on his wife and had to apologize amid flashing cameras and pushy press-members about how he had ruined the lives of his wife Darlene and his children. But the question remains, why do we care? Clearly extramarital affair is somehow intrinsic to the job description of senators. Perhaps it’s vital to their performance!

Michael Phelps

Why anyone would want to succeed in athletics is beyond me. Isn’t the whole point of success to imagine having a comfy, lazy life of hedonistic pleasure, money, and sex? Isn’t that while people become actors and singers? But sportsmen only have to work, work, work and work. And while it pays off for Michael Phelps in both money and muscle tone, I bet he’d like to relax.

But when you’re famous you aren’t allowed to relax. Phelps was busted for hitting a bong in 2009. Michael Phelps was revealed not to be the only human being in America who hasn’t smoked pot to the feigned surprise of annoying people everywhere. After training every single day for his entire life to be a swimmer, Phelps then had to apologize to a bunch of strangers for something he did one night at a party.

Michael Richards

When Michael Richards screamed the N-word at his audience during a stand-up comedy routine, we all knew that we needed an apology. No, he screamed at every person in America personally, but we all felt hurt. The pain of seeing our beloved Kramer revealed as an angry, neurotic, insecure racist was something an already fragile America did not need.

So we awaited his apology and it came and we wanted so very badly to believe him. But the change in his appearance and in our perception had already been affected. He was no longer Jerry’s kooky neighbor. He was an old racist man who reminds us of our grandfathers. Done.

Mel Gibson

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Mel Gibson laid down the gauntlet. After the drunk driving arrest, the anti-semtic rant, that crazy Christian movie, and all his other bull, people will not be changing their minds about the “What Women Want” star. People either hate him, or they are like minded neo-Nazis who love him.

So it didn’t matter that his public talk-show apology was such a lame rant. He laughed like ranting about Jews is just one of those things and he went off on a rather bizarre tangent about trying to murder his toaster, but who cares? He could have gotten it all right and we still would hate him… or else be like-minded Nazis who love him.

David Letterman

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Letterman came out to say that he had had extra-marital affairs with female employees of his show. First off, it was very bizarre to hear Letterman speak so openly about his actual sexual history (line cross!) but lovely how he remained contrite, honest, humorous, and level-headed (acknowledging that this isn’t anything more than “something stupid he’s gotten himself into) all at once.

Letterman’s apology is a shining example for all celebrity philanderers, drug users, and general douche bags. He comes off in the end as a hero and a champion for the cause of standing up to extortion, blackmailing, and media pressure. Bravo!

Alec Baldwin

The American People love Alec Baldwin for his low, raspy voice which is why we were absolutely shocked to discover that it could be put to so much evil. A leaked phone message he left for his 11 year old daughter revealed Alec to be a rather sharp-tongued father, calling his daughter a rude pig and a whole lot of other disturbing insults.

While that’s definitely not cool, it’s hard to say just what makes it anyone’s business and we might wonder why he has to apologize to anyone other than his ex-wife and eleven-year old daughter. Worst of all, he apologized on “The View” as if to imply that nothing he is saying can be taken seriously by anyone… like the rest of the content on “The View.”

Hugh Grant

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America gasped to see the charmingly bewildered British “Nine Months” star get busted with prostitute Divine Brown. After all, who needs a prostitute when they’ve got Elizabeth Hurley at home? It’s hard to imagine that that woman was ever not in the mood.

But still, Hurley became the center of media obsession and had to issue a generic, cheaply made apology to all of us. He reclaimed his power in 2010 when he turned the tables on the media and shed light on the growing issue of tabloid phone tapping.

Jane Fonda

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Jane Fonda will surely go down in history alongside such luminaries as Sharon Stone and Bono as one of the most annoyingly ignorant political minds of her time.

In 1972 Fonda incurred great criticism after a ’72 trip to Viet Nam when she betrayed the United States by siding with the Vietnamese army, calling the U.S. POWs war criminals, and being photographed NVA anti-aircraft.

She offered a hurried apology but while it can’t be called insincere, it remains to be shown whether or not Fonda even understands why everyone got mad in the first place.

Mark Sanford

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In 2009 United States Governor Mark Sanford resigned after it was revealed that he had been having a long-term extramarital affair with an old friend who lived in Argentina.

Why a person should actually have to resign for this is unclear, but it’s clear that it’s yet another example of the United States’ hypocritical, schizophrenic attitudes about sex and marriage.

Mark Sanford apologized to the public and came off as a very intelligent and well worded man. It’s important to not sound too contrite. It comes off as phony. Sanford hits the perfect balance, admitting fault but putting the culture of politics on trial to a certain degree.

Gary Hart

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In 1988 a man named Gary Hart was nearly president of the United States, until it was revealed that he was involved in an extramarital affair with a woman named Donna Rice. This, quite naturally, was the moment where politicians learned to not have affairs until they were already safe and sound inside the walls of the Oval Office.

Hart apologized on Nightline after resigning as Senator. Like other politicians would after him, Hart did call the integrity of the press into question, but then reiterated that the blame is all his. But looking at the fun pictures of Hart and Rice on yachts together, it’s hard to imagine that he has many regrets.

Eliot Spitzer

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Eliot Spitzer was a politician. By extension of this statement we can guess a few things. One, he was dishonest. And two, he slept around a lot. This is what we know about politicians, isn’t it? And yet, we love to act surprised.

On March 10 2008, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer was discovered to be a frequent patron of high-class prostitutes, particularly one young woman called Ashley Alexandra Dupre, who charged $1,000 an hour, which leads us to believe that being a prostitute is a better financial option than being a governor, and with the comfort of a contract with no clause against immoral sexual behavior.

Spitzer was forced to resign after issuing an apology, which is tragic as he was an early champion of same-sex marriage in New York and immigrant rights.

In the movie world you don’t necessarily need big budgets to get big returns, as this list proves beyond all doubt. Big budget flicks might seem like a sure thing, but audiences decide with their feet. Avatar might have pulled in $2.7 billion, but with a budget in the hundreds of millions and a marketing push to match it could hardly not have been a Hollywood heavyweight contender. More exciting by half are micro budget movies that made it big – pulling in hundreds or thousands of times their budget and becoming the most successful movies of all time, based on return on investment.

The most expensive of our top 10 most profitable movies of all time had a budget of a piddling $1 million, and in Hollywood that’s less than you’d find under the cushions of a casting couch. The percentage returns here assume that only 50% of receipts at the box office made their way back to the studio and don’t include DVD, TV and merchandising earnings, so the numbers are likely to be considerably higher by some way. To add to that we haven’t included any documentary or pornographic films that might have made the cut with an unfair advantage; by movies we mean good old fashioned fictional entertainment.

Enjoy!

10. Napoleon Dynamite

This surreal coming-of-age comedy quickly gained a cult following, and deservedly so! It would be difficult to find a more painfully awkward character than the perpetually out of place fantasist Napoleon Dynamite. His teenage troubles struck a chord with the awkward fifteen-year-old inside us all, and the movie took a worldwide gross of over $46 million, giving it a healthy 5,667% return on its budget of $400,000. Director Jared Hess’ next project, Nacho Libre, didn’t do quite so well (and perhaps was never likely to with its somewhat larger budget of $32 million), taking in a merely respectable $99 million worldwide – but was panned by critics.

9. Once

Once, an Irish indie movie, was shot for only $150,000 after a low-level executive gave it the green light on the condition that it could stick to the small budget. The gamble paid off, with the movie receiving the 2008 Independent Spirit Award for best foreign film, an Oscar for Best Original Song and two Grammy nominations for its soundtrack. And the movie wasn’t just a critics’ darling; the mix of street music and star-crossed love was a hit with the public as well. Once made a worldwide gross of almost $19 million – that’s a percentage return of over 6,000%.

8. Clerks

This independent comedy, which Kevin Smith directed, acted in as the character Silent Bob and shot on location in the convenience store where he was employed, launched him on his rise to serious success. Shot on a budget of only $27,000, the movie spoke to a generation of disaffected slackers and managed to rake in an incredible $3,894,240 worldwide gross, for a percentage return of over 7,000%. This is even more impressive when you realize that the movie was never shown in more than 100 US theaters at any one time. The project sparked an animated series, comics and a sequel.

7. American Graffiti

George Lucas isn’t only capable of shooting big budget action movies like the Star Wars and Indiana Jones trilogies. This 1973 offering was based on his own childhood and was shot on a budget of $777,000. Considered one of the pioneering “teen films,” American Graffiti opened to critical acclaim and took in a worldwide gross of $140 million. An almost 9,000% return on investment must have made Universal Pictures extremely pleased, especially since they only took on the project after it was turned down by 20th Century Fox, United Artists, MGM, Columbia Pictures, and Paramount Pictures.

6. Halloween

It was 1978, the year when one of the legends of the horror genre was released into the world. Michael Myers was arguably the foundational figure in the canon of “slasher” icons of Hollywood, but the movie received mixed reviews when first launched, with some critics arguing that his character was far too one-dimensional. Nevertheless, in proof that character depth is not necessarily the key to success, cinema-goers loved the film. Halloween grossed $70m from a modest budget of $325,000, providing a return of almost 11,000% and leaving in its wake a tradition of over-the-top gore that survives to this day.

5. Rocky

“Why do you wanna fight?” says Adrian. “Cause I can’t sing or dance,” replies Rocky. Perhaps this exchange epitomizes the reason for the classic boxing movie’s success and overwhelming cult status. It provided a cinematic classic for a largely male audience who needed a hero; one that wasn’t heroic because of his moon walk or falsetto, but for his fighting spirit. With a budget of $1 million, Rocky notched up an impressive worldwide gross of $225 million, giving a percentage return of over 11,000%. Knockout.

4. Night of the Living Dead

Described by one reviewer as “one of the most gruesomely terrifying movies ever made,” Night of the Living Dead now has pride of place on the mantle of the cult horror genre. A true classic, the movie has been analyzed as a reaction to the Cold War, a diatribe against consumer culture and a warning about the horrors of disease, alongside many other interpretations. The film was groundbreaking in its horrifying content, unleashed upon an audience unused to such things on their cinema screens. With a budget of $114,000, the film managed a worldwide gross of £30 million, notching up a return of over 13,000%.

3. The Blair Witch Project

So, three students go into a wood…. Sound pretty clichéd? Well, The Blair Witch Project was different, leading to a worldwide gross of over $248.3 million. Using first person camerawork and only a semi-structured outline for shooting, the picture was filmed in just eight days. Post-production took eight months, at which stage the nineteen hours of usable footage was edited into the unique movie that the project became. With groundbreaking viral marketing and online buzz and a budget of just $600,000, the percentage return stacked up to be more than 20,000%.

2. Mad Max

Australian films don’t come around often, but when they do they’re often good. Mad Max, the futuristic, dystopian motorbike action movie, brought in $99.75 million worldwide, with the revenue lost due to the fact that it was banned in Sweden and New Zealand possibly compensated for elsewhere by the notoriety such a measure generated. The budget was a mere $200,000, giving a percentage return of almost 25,000%, and leading the way for the penetration of Australian new wave cinema into the wider world film market.

1. Paranormal Activity

The most profitable movie of all time is a true outlier. With just $15,000, the visionaries behind this project created a movie that took in a worldwide gross of almost $197 million, a staggering percentage return of over 655,000%. The tense, terrifying movie originally opened in just 13 college towns, with a viral online media campaign encouraging people to vote for the film to be shown in their area. Presented as “found footage” with most of the lines improvised by the cast, the movie has a disturbing realism that only adds to the creeping feeling of horror. The writer and director, Oren Peli, is currently engaged in filming Area 51. We’re sure he doesn’t feel any pressure…

I can relate. I get a whole bunch of newsletters. A number of them disappear into my spam folder; I have labels for others–and I never jump into the trenches to actually read them. I generally don’t unsubscribe because a) I’m too lazy, b) I think the newsletters might be useful some day (hoarder mentality), or c) the marketing software behind the newsletter makes it impossible to opt out (the diabolical strategy).

I do read a couple of newsletters. One of them only comes quarterly, but is so rich in useful information that I feel like I’ll be missing something if I don’t read it. Another has essential resources for my field, and comes every two weeks. Another one I open sometimes, because I know exactly what to expect from it, and I read its information if I feel the subject is something that could be useful.

In online marketing, newsletters are seen as valuable tools, yet in my experience the minority of people use them right. Why are companies so excited about their newsletters? We already know what they do wrong, but what works?

Why Companies Want Newsletters

“Newsletter guru” Jim Palmer writes that:

1. Newsletters increase brand awareness.
2. Newsletters help build relationships with customers and potential customers.
3. Newsletters are an awesome way to introduce new products or services.
4. Newsletters can enhance your reputation as an expert in your industry.
5. Newsletters have a longer shelf life than other types of marketing have.
6. Newsletters are often read by multiple readers.
7. Newsletters are a great way to differentiate yourself from larger businesses, which typically don’t do a customer newsletter.

Sounds decent enough. But what makes consumers actually open newsletters? How do you harness them?

Online marketing expert Bryan Eisenberg, who has excellent input on the topic, says that “the real value of a good list is the participation it stimulates between the subscriber and your business…Worthwhile interaction truly engages your audience.”

He also writes:

* When people opt in, treat it like a sacred trust. Their time (and yours) is extremely valuable.

* Ask yourself: would you want this e-mail in your inbox? Be brutally honest.

He also says to set up expectations right away. Send a welcome email to every subscriber making it very clear how often you send the newsletter, and what you write about. He says to kick unengaged subscribers off your list periodically (send them an email to re-opt in if they haven’t been active in 3 months or so). That way, you cultivate a newsletter that’s useful to your most engaged readers, who are the ones you really care about anyway.

Does the Business Pundit newsletter measure up?

We do a summary newsletter, which Blue Sky Factory says provides “attention generation hub if your source content is valuable.” It’s basically a sum-up of what happened in business this past week, plus our best tips, humor posts, interviews, and book reviews from that week.

Would I want to read it? Yes, I love good news summaries, because I don’t have time to catch every major detail during the week (not for business, but in terms of international politics, science, and other topics that we don’t focus on here).

Is there fluff? Nope, unless you consider the stuff that’s on the blog fluffy. The missing link here seems to be letting go of unengaged subscribers, and giving existing subscribers more options on how they receive their emails.

We’d also like more feedback on the kind of newsletter that works best for our business-minded audience. I provide you with what I would want, but I’m not 100% certain that’s what you’d want, too. Please leave feedback in comments below so that I can get a better idea of how to create a newsletter that you’ll love.

2010: Doritos “Boy Slaps Man”

Keep your hands off my momma.

2009: Doritos “Crystal Ball”

This user-generated ad proves that clever simplicity can cut through even the biggest budgets.

2008: Budweiser “Hank the Clydesdale”

A dalmation trains the subpar Hank the Clydesdale into becoming a champion.

2007: Bud Light “First Bump”

Men bitchslapping one another plays on Bud Light’s girly-drink reputation.

2006: Michelob Ultra “Touch Football”

A man tackles a woman in a touch football game, making the world of light beer a little “darker.”

2005: Ameriquest “Cat Murder”

A man tries to impress his girlfriend by making her dinner, but fails miserably.

2004: Pepsi: Jimmy Hendrix Visits a Guitar Shop

A little kid chooses to drink Pepsi and grows up to be a guitar—rather than an accordion—rocker.

2003: Reebok “Terry Tate: Office Linebacker”

Reebok documents what happens when you sic Terry Tate on office peons.

2002: Budweiser “Whassup Wasabi”

Wasaaabi!

2001: E*Trade Monkey Wanders Desolate .com Graveyard

The E*Trade monkey, first introduced a year earlier, sadly observes .com fallout.

2000: Electronic Data Systems “Herding Cats”

Hardcore cat herders get glorified in this funny bit.

1999: Monster.com “When I Grow Up …”

Kids aspire to middle management with quotes like “When I grow up, I want to be underappreciated.”

1998: Tabasco “Mosquito”

A mosquito sucks Tabasco-laden blood, and meets a violent ending.

1997: Nissan Maxima Pigeons

Dive-bombing pigeons try to nail a Nissan Maxima, to no avail.

1996: Pepsi “Security Camera”

A Coke deliveryman tries to steal a Pepsi–and finds himself swimming in bottles of the drink.

1995: Budweiser “Frogs”

The first commercial in a series that became an instant classic.

1994: Pepsi Does Research on Cindy Crawford

A lack of Pepsi turns Cindy Crawford into Rodney Dangerfield.

1993: McDonald’s “The Showdown”

Michael Jordan competes with Larry Bird for a Big Mac.

1992: Nike Hare Jordan

A rough basketball posse yanks Bugs Bunny out of his hole, only to get themselves whupped on the court.

1991: Cindy Crawford Introduces the New Pepsi Can

Two kids gawk at Cindy Crawford as she walks out of a red Ferrari and gets a Pepsi.

1990: Coca Cola: Paula Abdul and Elton John Sing About Diet Coke

1990 wasn’t exactly a fabulous year for Superbowl commercials, so this catchy ditty will have to do.

1989: Bud Bowl II

Bud Light plays off against Budweiser in this hit commercial.

1. Readers Digest

While it was once the top-read magazine in the world, it went into (and came out of) Chapter 11 bankruptcy so it could decrease debt. It also cut down the number of issues it produces, and now only handles 10 issues a year instead of 12. In the past, advertisers were guaranteed a circulation of eight million. Now, the company only guarantees five-and-a-half million readers. While that might seem like a lot, it’s a far cry from eight million. Advertisers care about things like that.

2. Blockbuster Video

For almost 20 years, Blockbuster led the video rental business. Now it’s facing bankruptcy while losing millions of dollars each quarter. Companies like Netflix and Redbox are getting a lot of the profit that Blockbuster used to get. They’re much more convenient and they’re the wave of the future where watching movies is concerned. Getting DVDs by mail and getting movies on demand through satellite and cable are also big reasons for Blockbuster’s demise.

3. Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group

The car rental company has a couple of potential buyers like Hertz and Avis, but even if they buy the company, they probably won’t keep the brand. Dollar Thrifty only made $27 million in a quarter and has more than $1.5 billion in debts and “other obligations.”

4. T-Mobile

While it’s a popular company with some people and it generally provides good service, it’s just not the top dog in a market that can only support a couple of wireless carriers. At #4 in the rankings, and with revenues steadily declining, it looks like T-Mobile may be on its way out.

5. BP (British Petroleum)

With the aftermath of the Gulf oil spill, it’s possible that BP will withdraw from the limelight, separate into different parts, and rename them so that it can get a bit of a fresh start. It’s having some financial problems, too, but not to the extent that it would have to shut down. The brand may disappear, but the company itself will likely just continue under some other name that people don’t readily recognize.

Managing  a brand is tough. From the fierce competition, to the negative press, and everything in between – a brand’s reputation and success is always in jeopardy. While it’s possible that these brands will still be active, and maybe even still popular as 2011 draws to a close, it’s really not that likely. They don’t have the staying power to last that long; they may be replaced by something that people like better or fall apart in the face of financial challenges.

We like to think of Kindles and iPads as butting heads, but a recent survey shows that 40% of iPad owners also own a Kindle. TechCrunch reports:

…in a recent survey of about 1,000 consumers by JP Morgan’s Internet team, 40 percent of iPad owners also own a Kindle…According to the same survey, another 23 percent of iPad owners plan on buying a Kindle in the next 12 months.

The big takeaway here is that the iPad and the Kindle are perceived as different types of products, and rightly so. Amazon has done a good job marketing the Kindle as an ebook designed specifically for book lovers, and at $139 for the lowest-priced Kindle it is seen as a different class of device than the $499 iPad. (It also doesn’t hurt than you can use the iPad as a Kindle reading device, removing the need for consumers to make an either-or decision).

There are a few interesting implications to this study. One, the iPad isn’t a Kindle killer because its current technology isn’t as eye-friendly as that of the Kindle. Two, the kinds of people buying iPads (early adopters and tech-savvy users) aren’t shy about owning multiple devices. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, the media and analysts are jumping to premature conclusions about products’ implications. Before calling something a Kindle-killer, in other words, it’s worth thoroughly analyzing what a product offers, to whom it offers those benefits, and where its potential weaknesses lie. The iPad-Kindle combo underlines the fact that for many consumers, tech gadgets work in concert with one another, and people don’t necessarily choose one over the other.

The media probably won’t take this into account, though–expect the next tablet to also be a Kindle (or, even more glamorously, and iPad) killer.

Our topics range from accounting to work-life balance. We selected them based on timely, useful content; regularity of updates and quality of information. We categorized them by topic to help you find those most relevant to your field. We can vouch for every single one of the blogs on this list, and encourage you to read them to hone your expertise in your field.

Good work, bloggers!

ACCOUNTING

Beancounter Ramblings

This is the resource on taxes for small businesses. Partners-in-CPA Donna and Chad Bordeaux give small business owners detailed, easy-to-understand guidance on how to take advantage of tax laws. They also help businesses plan taxes—and consult on the side.

re: The Auditors

Re: The Auditors is targeted at those interested in–or working for–the Big 4 accounting firms, with a focus on regulation, auditing, strategy, and other topics relevant to corporate accounting. Quality writing and an independent angle make this blog a winning read.

ADVERTISING

AdvertisingAge

Advertising Age’s prolific blog covers ad industry news, campaigns, and commentary. Digest it daily to stay up on the ad world.

AdFreak

Another magazine-sponsored blog, this time from AdWeek. The bloggers present ad images and clips on each post, followed by a background and commentary. They have a penchant for finding really interesting content, about ads, companies, and people in the industry.

AGRICULTURE

Farmgate

Former journalist, marketer, and farm educator Stu Ellis writes about the trends in agriculture, and what they mean for those in the industry. A quality blog by a true agriculture expert.

BLOGGING

Problogger

Longtime blogger and blogging expert Darren Rowse makes a living by blogging—and is the ultimate resource on helping you grow, nurture and monetize your blogs, too.

BLOGS BY CORPORATIONS

AccuQuote

Life insurance provider AccuQuote hosts this handy blog, which provides tips on saving money, safety, and insurance. It’s not the most glamorous of fields, but the tips are useful and sound.

ComScore

15 authors focus on e-commerce and the digital marketplace for the digital marketing intelligence company comScore. It’s a nice place to get your fix on digital marketing tips and trends, as well as an overview of the current digital landscape.

BUSINESS LAW

The Conglomerate

Five law professors weigh in on law, business, education, and a variety of other topics. Their expert analysis on business law is not only helpful for understanding events from a legal perspective, but also very readable.

BUSINESS COMMENTARY

DealBreaker: A Wall Street Tabloid

Snark, wit and Wall Street gossip define this self-proclaimed business tabloid, which doesn’t let any banker off the hook, no matter the bonus size. Editor Bess Levin is relentless in the best sense of the word.

CAREER

Simply Hired

SimplyHired.com’s blog offers practical, thorough advice that every job hunter can use, from explaining years of temping to an employer to jobs that are growing by industry.

COACHING AND CONSULTING

Coaching Commons

This interactive forum and quality ezine covers everything from coaching trends to practical tips to the history of coaching. Podcasts, videos, and all-around great reporting round out the offerings.

Maximize Possibility

This blog tenaciously provides quality links and resources that coaches, consultants, and anyone else in the business of learning business can use.

CONSUMER ISSUES

Consumerist

Consumerist is the definitive source on customer service, how-tos, shopping, investigations, and any other consumer-rights issues.

CONTENT

Copyblogger

The go-to resource for copywriting, content marketing, and successfully building an online presence. Follow Copyblogger regularly to increase your skill set in these areas.

CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY

CSR News

Sharp business analysis, case studies, and an in-depth look at the things currently affecting CR define this thorough and well-written blog.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Make or Break Moments

This blog ties trends, communication, customer loyalty, and everything else you want to know about customer service into a neat, concise, story-rich package.

E-COMMERCE

Practical E-Commerce

Practical E-Commerce’s blog covers more than 12 topics and is written by a host of bloggers, making it one of the most complete e-commerce blogs on the web.

ECONOMICS

Economist’s View

University of Oregon economics prof Mark Thoma provides relevant information for more than juct hic econ students in this helpful and timely blog. From more econ-ese topics like nominal GDP growth targeting to more mainstream analysis like how a smarter bailout could have shorted the recession, Thoma makes sure that Joe Q. Public can understand it all.

Mike Konczal’s Rortybomb

Konzal busts mythical media stories, unsound statistics, misbegotten assumptions and poorly thought out arguments to give you a keen look into the economy’s true situation. The man knows how to think a financial issue through; him sharing his insights through his blog is truly a must-read for anyone interested in real financial problem-solving.

Greg Mankiw’s Blog

Harvard economics professor Greg Mankiw’s blog is geared at students, but is useful for anyone with an interest in economics. Subjects cover trends in economics, explain components of the field in a new and interesting way (“The Economics of Seinfeld” is one such post), and occasionally veer into other diverse topics.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Toilet Paper Entrepreneur

Full of tips, discussion, videos, and other resources for new entrepreneurs. TPE sets the standard for informing and supporting its venture-hungry readers.

The Rise to the Top

The ever-enthusiastic and engaging David Siteman Garland hosts this multimedia venture, which includes a regular blog, online show, events, and resources for entrepreneurs. Bonus: As advertised, it isn’t boring—at all.

GREEN BUSINESS

Triple Pundit

Triple Pundit covers news, commentary, and analysis about the triple bottom line, which has to do with sustainable business and the environment. Consistently insightful and interesting.

FINANCE

Economics of Contempt

This blog is written anonymously by a New York finance lawyer who used to work in politics. Finance, economic policy, and analysis of finance laws make up the general themes of this excellent blog. His insider perspective and unique experience make for a thorough read.

The Baseline Scenario

While almost everyone else is busy booing and moaning the sordid fall of the US economy, the folks at The Baseline Scenario are looking for solutions. Authors Peter Boone, Simon Johnson and James Kwak have oodles of economics, policy, consulting, management, and entrepreneurial experience between them, making for some formidably good reading.

Felix Salmon

Financial commentary king Felix Salmon deconstructs and gives valuable insights on mainstream media finance news.

Links: Abnormal Returns

This blog offers some of the best, most complete, daily financial links on the web, period.

FRANCHISING

The Franchise King

This blog shares news, contests, commentary, and tips for franchisers. His posts are consistently short, interesting, and relevant.

FREELANCING

Freelance Switch

Chock full of useful tips for freelancers, this blog speaks to workers who do it themselves. Bonus: Comics, contests, and anecdotes.

GENERATIONAL

Building Money and Career (Gen-Y)

I Will Teach You To Be Rich

Ramit Sethi, who cofounded startup PBwiki, gives tips on entrepreneurship, personal finance, and, well, getting rich, mainly targeted at young adults. His advice is useful and to-the-point.

Building Career and Family (Gen-X)

Guy Kawasaki

Alltop creator and tech guru Guy Kawasaki isn’t Gen X-specific, but his content is useful to any small business owner interested in tech and raising kids (which we would assume are mostly Gen Xers). He’s chock full of useful tips and practical ideas, making his blog worth a regular check-in.

Retirement (Boomer)

RetirementRevised

RetirementRevised.com is more of a sort of blog-ezine hybrid and all-around good resource for anyone thinking about retirement. As an age group, boomers have done many things differently; this blog focuses on a new definition of retirement and life after 50.

HUMAN RESOURCES

HR Bartender

HR expert Sharlyn Lauby likens herself to the neighborhood bartender who you trust with your problems and count on for good advice. If you read her regularly, you’ll see that she indeed lives up to that. Her expertise in social media in the workplace makes her content especially timely and useful.

INNOVATION

Innovation Tools’ Innovation Weblog

Chuck Frey curates this complete innovation blog, which covers news, trends, tech, commentary, research, best practices, management, strategies and more. Did we mention it was complete? That’s not to mention well-written and very much worth the RSS feed.

INTERNATIONAL

International Business—General

Global Edge

Two dozen contributors cover both international and country-specific business/economic issues. Their unique reports cover everything from Tehran’s first hypermarket to the fine art industry as a global economic indicator. An excellent place to catch up on general business happenings across the globe.

Africa

Timbuktu Chronicles

Emeka Okafor’s incredible range of business experiences include starting companies, co-running a food/beverage company, managing a PE fund, and directing the 2007 TED global conference in Tanzania. In Timbuktu Chronicles, he covers entrepreneurship, innovation, sustainability, technology, and more. His inclusion of individual people’s stories and entrepreneurial ventures lets you know the African business world through individual stories.

EU

A Fistful of Euros

Commentary on economic, business, and current news in the EU. 15 authors cover both individual countries and EU-wide news, as well as commentary on more remote countries, like the US.

Middle East

Zawya

This Middle East-focused news site offers excellent business and economics updates for the entire region.

China

The China Business Network

CBN is perhaps the ultimate network for anyone in the West who wants to get better at doing business in or with China. A handful of channels contain valuable articles that will help you make the right moves on your way East.

Latin America

Latin Americanist

Nine contributors cover business, politics, and culture in Latin America. Coverage is consistently good, as are the links to current news. An ideal place to load up on Latin America, in English.

India

Trak.in

Popular India business news, top-10 lists, trends, and startups are the focus of this prolific and entertaining blog.

Australia/NZ

BNET’s Aussie Rules Blog

Tips, analysis, trends and more are covered in this well-written, Australia-specific business resource.

INTERNET MARKETING

MarketingVOX

MarketingVOX covers industry news, trends, tools, and other marketing information that, according to them, “can have material impact on their work, as opposed to the hype of the day.” They’re right, because it’s a darn good resource.

INVESTING

The Aleph Blog

David Merkel, CFA, FSA has professional experience in equity management, investment analysis, investment commentator, and as a chief economist—but that’s not the only reason you should read his blog. You should read his blog because he knows how to read the economy and its markets, and he does it well.

Pragmatic Capitalism

If you want to pick up the crucial information that the mainstream media leaves out, look no further than Pragmatic Capitalism, which has one objective: “helping investors decipher information in a way that helps them create an investment plan that produces superior market returns.” Carefully researched and filtered information makes it easier for you to make smart investment choices.

MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP

HBR’s Tom Davenport

Author, research guru and management expert Tom Davenport has written nine books for the Harvard Business Press. He shares his insights and ideas with you on this quality blog. He’s currently focused on blogging about judgment in business; the topics he blogs about include exploring your leadership narrative, cultivating organizational judgment, and why some companies make better decisions than others.

Management Craft

Management consultant Lisa Haneberg focuses on making businesses more effective and aligned. Her 30+ years of experience feed well into her topics, which include everything from business tools to book reviews to business poetry.

MANUFACTURING AND OPERATIONS

Manufacturing Transformation

Written by people who work for the enterprise software company Apriso, this blog advises and informs through posts that will, upon regular reading, keep you up-to-date and wise to the workings of the manufacturing world.

Matching Supply With Demand

The two authors behind this blog cover news, trends, and analysis for the operations management field. It’s geared at instructors who teach operations management, but the in-depth, instructive articles, which use real-life examples, benefit everyone in the field.

MARKETING

Duct Tape Marketing

Geared at the small business crowd, this essential marketing resource offers news, tools, tips, and commentary relevant to SMB. The site also has an excellent podcast, books, and other resources.

Seth’s Blog

Seth Godin is a guru of sorts. His frequent, to-the-point insights make you both ponder your own outlook, then improve. Utterly essential.

Neuromarketing

Veteran marketer and consultant Roger Dooley explores the burgeoning field of neuromarketing with research news, company examples, trends, and more. A well-rounded and informative read.

MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS

DealBook

The New York Times’ DealBook consistently has superior details, background, and reports on the M&A space. Not that this should be your only resource, but it’s definitely one of the best.

MICROFINANCE

David Roodman’s Microfinance Open Book Blog

If you want to learn more about microfinance, look no further than this so-called open book blog by Center for Global Development Senior Fellow David Roodman. In his blog, Roodman shares chapters and drafts of his upcoming book on microfinance, as well as Q&As, guest posts and more. He asks the hard questions about how and for whom microfinance works, making for an engaging ongoing discussion.

MOTIVATION

Get Motivation’s Motivation Blog

Regular articles by self-improvement gurus Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar, Joe Tye, Jim Stovall, Robert Pagliarini, and others make this blog a complete resource for your motivational needs.

PERSONAL FINANCE

Five Cent Nickel

“Nickel,” the writer of this blog, raised a family and finished school without debt, and paid off his mortgage in less than ten years. So when he writes an article entitled “How to Get Out of Debt,” it’s worth reading. He covers other personal finance topics, from dry stuff like structuring your estate plan to the ever-interesting topic of how to become a millionaire, with a twist of philosophical insight that makes you want to read more.

The Simple Dollar

As its name suggests, the Simple Dollar offers simple ways to manage your personal finances. Blogger Trent Hamm, after having his own financial meltdown, created this useful resource to explain and explore how to simplify your personal finances.

PHARMA/HEALTH

Pharmalot

Written by longtime pharma journalist Ed Silverman, Pharmalot covers pharma news, trends, and issues. It’s really well-written, and could be considered a niche newspaper. A quality resource.

PUBLIC RELATIONS

Brian Solis

PR agency principal Brian Solis writes about PR and social media news, trends, and events. His posts are short, and he updates frequently, making this a good blog to read in tasty bites.

A PR Guy’s Musings

PR Guru Stuar Bruce is the founder and CEO of the global PR company Wolfstar. Combine that kind of street cred with the topic selection and insights of a true insider, and you have one worthy blog.

PRODUCT MANAGEMENT

On Product Management

Useful tips, stories, all-around PM wisdom, and even humor abound in this essential resource for product managers. Self-proclaimed career product manager Saeed Khan, competitive intelligence pro Alan Armstrong, product management consultant Prabhakar Gopalan, and software industry vet Ethan Henry share their abundance of knowledge in detailed and relevant posts.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Pawel Brodzinski on Software Project Management

Down-to-earth software industry vet Pawel Brodzinski offers a real-world perspective on all aspects of software project management in this blog. It might also be called “Refreshingly BS-Free Software Project Management,” but that’s probably not what Pawel was going for.

REAL ESTATE

Bigger Pockets

Covers real estate news, investment, marketing, sales, technology, and landlord issues. Useful articles both for seasoned pros and beginners. The blog also has a good networking component, via forums, groups, bulletins, and a resource directory.

SALES

Heavy Hitter Sales

Longtime salesman and author Steve W. Martin shares stories, tips, insights, research, and just about everything else you need to feed your know-how as a salesperson. Though he only posts monthly, his posts are basically all good magazine articles, the kind you’d want to clip.

SEO

Search Engine Land

This journalist-led SEO news and info site offers professional, compelling industry coverage.

SMALL BUSINESS

Small Business Trends

Lawyer-turned-small business owner Anita Campbell runs this blog, which covers the gamut of information useful to small business owners, from easy marketing plans to startup failure rates to—you guessed it—small business trends. It’s a great one-stop shop for any small business owner.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Mashable

Perhaps the ultimate social media resource, Mashable covers the gamut of social media news, tips, lists, and how-tos. It’s an extensive social media resource that you should bookmark and check at least weekly.

Chris Brogan

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Time Warner Cable’s profit is up 34% this quarter, despite losing 63,000 net subscribers. Its ad revenue, meanwhile, is up 23% this quarter, reflecting a larger ad rebound, as well as a pre-election ad buy. From Dow Jones Newswires:

…the advertising market continues to improve from a sharp downturn during the recession. Prices in the broadcast television ad market were reported to be up 30% in September, at the start of the fall season, from two months earlier, as political-ad demand has been strong. Ad-revenue growth is likely to be especially stout at cable-television networks.

Time Warner saw first-half strength in its film business and networks segment, which includes Turner Broadcasting and HBO. But its struggling news network CNN has replaced its leader and is shuffling the prime-time lineup to try and stem viewership loss. Chief Executive Jeff Bewkes has said Time Warner may look for acquisitions in emerging markets.

While political ads made Time Warner money, it still can’t attract viewers to its news. The Wall Street Journal has more on how the media giant profited, despite losing subscribers:

For the U.S. pay-television industry as a whole in the second quarter, total subscribers fell for the first time. Video revenue increased 1.7%, while high-speed data revenue jumped 10% and voice revenue increased 6.9%.

DSLReports adds more details:

On the heels of Comcast reporting they lost 275,000 subscribers, Time Warner Cable says they lost 155,000 video subscribers on the quarter, including digital — which usually sees gains. That’s compared to 64,000 losses last year at this time, when the economy was technically considered to be worse (the economy is traditionally the top reason given by cable execs for this new loss trend).

With subscriber loss more likely being technology-related than anything else, it might be time for Time Warner to take a hint from NBCU and Disney and jump into something like Hulu.