FT.com - Columnists, Observerhttp://www.ft.com/comment/columnists/observerhttp://www.ft.com/rss/comment/columnists/observerFT.com - Columnists, Observeren© Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2008. "FT" and "Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times. See http://www.ft.com/servicestools/help/terms#legal1 for the terms and conditions of reuse.support@ft.comThu, 27 Mar 2008 20:11 GMTThu, 28 Aug 2008 23:13:21 BSTNewspapers60http://news.ft.com/cms/d1f3ce1a-6bbe-11da-bb53-0000779e2340.gifFT.com - Columnists, Observerhttp://www.ft.com/comment/columnists/observer(PICS-1.1 "http://www.classify.org/safesurf/" L gen true for "http://www.ft.com/" r (SS~~000 1))A case study in how not to do ithttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2d0f565a-fc38-11dc-9229-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2d0f565a-fc38-11dc-9229-000077b07658.htmlPolish president Lech Kaczynski's speech on the subject of ratifying the Lisbon treaty managed to offend Germany and gays everywhereThu, 27 Mar 2008 20:11 GMTRound one goes to Icahnhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a663e722-fb6c-11dc-8c3e-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a663e722-fb6c-11dc-8c3e-000077b07658.htmlThe billionaire investor, was granted his biggest demand from Motorola on Wednesday when the company agreed to split in twoWed, 26 Mar 2008 22:22 GMTIcahn's man fails to impress Motorolahttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/abcf7d8e-faa4-11dc-aa46-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/abcf7d8e-faa4-11dc-aa46-000077b07658.htmlThe boardroom battle between Carl Icahn, billionaire shareholder activist, and Motorola, the troubled mobile phone maker, is coming down to a fight over one manTue, 25 Mar 2008 19:58 GMTDealmaker Dimon outdoes himselfhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c381d052-f9d8-11dc-9b7c-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c381d052-f9d8-11dc-9b7c-000077b07658.htmlThe shine seems to be wearing off the JPMorgan chief executive's dealmaking reputation since he got hold of Bear Stearns at a firesale price a week agoMon, 24 Mar 2008 19:38 GMTFor some at Bear, opportunity knockshttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f8784720-f5da-11dc-8d3d-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f8784720-f5da-11dc-8d3d-000077b07658.htmlThe shock that had consumed Bear Stearns' 14,000 employees on Sunday had, by mid-week, yielded to a sense that the door of opportunity may have openedWed, 19 Mar 2008 19:14 GMTThe new governor comes cleanhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cfebe4ac-f520-11dc-a21b-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cfebe4ac-f520-11dc-a21b-000077b07658.htmlDavid Paterson, New York's new governor, apparently believes in getting bad news out early. Hours after he was sworn in, he admitted he had had an affairTue, 18 Mar 2008 19:37 GMTFlush times for the Horn of plentyhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/279549c0-f45c-11dc-aaad-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/279549c0-f45c-11dc-aaad-0000779fd2ac.htmlFor some, the price of gold breaching $1,000 an ounce last Friday was a clear signal to liquidate their holdings. Literally so, in the case of Hong Kong jewellery retailer Hang Fung Gold TechnologyMon, 17 Mar 2008 19:59 GMTAn advantage or a sign of disrespect?http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/be6643cc-f137-11dc-a91a-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/be6643cc-f137-11dc-a91a-0000779fd2ac.htmlPorsche may be more international now it owns Volkswagen. But run by a chief executive who touts his potato-farming abilities, it likes to portray a German imageThu, 13 Mar 2008 20:03 GMTNo ad-libbing on China's main stagehttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/12a821be-f04b-11dc-ba7c-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/12a821be-f04b-11dc-ba7c-0000779fd2ac.htmlPropaganda officials billed this year's National People's Congress as featuring unprecedented journalistic access, a move meant to show government transparencyWed, 12 Mar 2008 17:34 GMTCypriot with the zeal of a converthttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ecf91a10-efa3-11dc-8a17-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ecf91a10-efa3-11dc-8a17-0000779fd2ac.htmlAnti-smoking zealot Markos Kyprianou, the new Cypriot foreign minister, does not seem too happy to have swapped the salubrious corridors of Brussels for the politics back homeTue, 11 Mar 2008 20:01 GMTObama, Canada and kryptonitehttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8691d4ac-eed5-11dc-97ec-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8691d4ac-eed5-11dc-97ec-0000779fd2ac.htmlCivil servants and journalists in Ottawa are rubbing their hands with glee at the discomfort of the prime minister over Canada's role in the US election campaignMon, 10 Mar 2008 19:16 GMTAmerica for sale? Well, it isn't cheaphttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/446b9cc2-ebae-11dc-9493-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/446b9cc2-ebae-11dc-9493-0000779fd2ac.htmlThe notion that foreigners who invest in the US are 'going to out-fox us' is wrong according to Democratic congressman Barney Frank Thu, 6 Mar 2008 18:59 GMTStepping into the fray, then outhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/49b98312-eae9-11dc-a5f4-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/49b98312-eae9-11dc-a5f4-0000779fd2ac.htmlIs Volkswagen ready to intervene in the US presidential race? Its chief executive told Observer a decision to build a factory could be delayed until after the election Wed, 5 Mar 2008 19:29 GMTNo publicity like free publicityhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4f84f4e4-ea20-11dc-b3c9-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4f84f4e4-ea20-11dc-b3c9-0000779fd2ac.htmlPrince Max of Liechtenstein acquitted himself admirably at the annual news conference for LGT, his family-owned banking group, following the spat with GermanyTue, 4 Mar 2008 19:32 GMTMerkel should dust off her Russianhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a2a8ab6c-e957-11dc-8365-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a2a8ab6c-e957-11dc-8365-0000779fd2ac.htmlThe German chancellor is keen to get to know the new man in the Kremlin. If all goes to plan, she will fly to Moscow on Saturday to meet Dmitry MedvedevMon, 3 Mar 2008 19:31 GMT