Week Three Lay-Skilling trial schedule

Enron tower.jpgAs second week of the criminal trial of former key Enron executives Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling comes to a lumbering close, the beginning of the third week will bring a new witness and renewed interest in the trial.
My sense is that the remainder of cross and redirect examination of the prosecution’s first witness — former Enron investor relations chief, Mark Koenig — will take the remainder of today and probably a part of Tuesday. Then, former Enron Broadband CEO Ken Rice will take the stand, and expect direct examination of Rice to take at least a day. Inasmuch as cross-examination of Rice will likely take longer than direct examination, expect Rice to remain on the stand for the remainder of this week.

Two interesting interviews

milton-friedman-1.jpgjack-welch_portrait.jpgEconomist Milton Friedman (previous posts here, here and here) and former General Electric CEO Jack Welch are the subject of a couple of recent interviews and, as usual, both of them have interesting observations to pass along. First, Friedman:

“The great virtue of a free market is that it enables people who hate each other, or who are from vastly different religious or ethnic backgrounds, to cooperate economically. Government intervention canĂ­t do that. Politics exacerbates and magnifies differences.”

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Dick Harmon visitation and funeral schedule

DickHarmon_web2.jpgThe funeral arrangements in Houston for well-known local golf professional Dick Harmon, who died unexpectedly this past Friday, have been finalized.
A visitation for friends of Dick and the Harmon family will be held from 2:00-9:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 16 at Geo. H. Lewis & Sons (1010 Bering Drive) , and a Vigil service is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. that evening in the Jasek Chapel of the funeral home. A funeral mass will be conducted at 10 A.M. on Friday, February 17 at St. Michael’s Catholic Church, 1801 Sage Road. The Houston Chronicle’s electronic guest book for the Harmon famly is here.