Negative capability

It looks like the take-over of Anheuser-Busch by Belgo-Brazilian InBev is going forward: the Stella Artois producer made Budweiser an offer it couldn't refuse ($70 a share, I've read). It's a Bid Deal: more than $50 Billion, all told. Another sign o' the times: globalization, of course; standardization and homogenization of the world beverage industry; the declining value of the dollar; the difficulty of keeping a company "in the family" for generation after generation.

In spite of having lived in St. Louis, I've never liked Budweiser products. Indeed, as a History Major at Wash U, I went to classes in Busch Hall. But I didn't drink beer at all until I was a college senior, when I spent a Year-Abroad on an exchange-program in England (UEA, in NARRR-itch). I owe it all (my beer taste buds, I mean) to those good guys in Waveney Terrace: Richard, Tim, John, Alan and Steve. In those halycon days, you could get a good pint of Adnams bitter for 60p. Oh, those were the days, my friend. When I returned to the states, rice-water just didn't do it for me. And it still doesn't. You won't find Busch products in my fridge. (Sorry OIC, but if you drop by there's a good party store just down the street from me.)

Speaking of declining America: I read an interesting piece yesterday in the "Financial Times" about General Motors. Although it's still a Big Company, and actually is still selling more vehicles in the United States than any other (at least the Prius shortage is sorted out), most investors (Wall Street money people) don't see much of a future in Detroit. The market value of Toyota - as measured by the value of its Stock - is 25 times greater than that of General Motors. Actually, as noted by the FT, the toy-maker Mattel has a greater stock value than GM! (I wonder if the Matchbox cars that I used to collect as a child are worth anything these days.)