Lest you focus just on the more serious stories in the financial press, such as how E*Trade (NASDAQ:ETFC) got upgraded while companies like Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) uh ... didn't, and lest you get stuck wondering whether you should pounce on panic-sold stocks, here's some guffaw-worthy happenings that might have a thing or two to teach the companies you own.
- If Nestle can find a way to spin this positively, it might be a profitable advertising angle: It seems that in Indiana, a fellow stabbed his brother with a steak knife in an altercation over who would get to eat a Hot Pocket sandwich.
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PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP) staffers might be rolling their eyes at a recent improbable incident, but the rest of us could learn something. Two Frito-Lay trucks collided head-on on a rural road in South Carolina -- a great reminder that inexplicable and unexpected events can still surprise us. The stock market can plunge more than 30% in a single month, causing your portfolio to crash and burn. Be prepared for flukes like this by not keeping any money you'll need within the next five years in stocks.
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McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) might be pleased to hear just how determined some customers are to get their fast-food fix. In Vero Beach, Fla., a drive-through customer tried to buy a meal with marijuana instead of dollars. (Insert your own "Happy Meal" joke of choice here.)
- Cement manufacturers such as Cemex (NYSE:CX) have seen their stocks slide lately. But some communities might help rouse these companie's spirits with a new trend of scoring road surfaces to produce sounds that mimic songs, such as the William Tell Overture, when a car is driven over them.
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Black & Decker (NYSE:BDK) might want to market a new kind of saw … to divorcing couples. In Cambodia, it seems that a couple that was unable to come to a better agreement sawed their wooden house in half.
- Hotel companies such as Starwood (NYSE:HOT) might want to begin worrying about new competition. In Switzerland, a nuclear bunker has been fixed up to serve as a "zero-star" hotel. If such accommodations catch on, hoteliers might do well to launch their own low-luxury lodgings.
Well, that takes care of the "amuse" part of our Foolish motto, "to educate, enrich, and amuse." I invite you to read any other article in Fooldom for at least a little education and perhaps some enrichment, as well. Here's a timely piece to get you started: "An Investor's Finest Hour."
