Insufficient Postage

Old Business, New Model

A new report shows that venture capital investment has fallen to its lowest level since 1997. 

But entrepreneurialism is still alive and well, at least according to this New Yorker cartoon.

The Bull Market is Back (At Least Temporarily)

Coincidence? Who cares. Yee-haw!

Fizz Lit

In case you didn't get enough of the bubbly on New Year's Eve, two new books discuss the provenance of fizzy drinks and the colorful characters behind them.

One is a biography of Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, better known as the Widow Clicquot, or La Grande Dame, who in 1805, at age 27, assumed control of a modest vineyard in the Champagne region of France  and proceeded to turn it into one of the world's first major, international mega-brands.

The other is Steven Johnson's "The Invention of Air", which tells the story of Joseph Priestely, a prolific 18th century scientist and theologian, whose own "happiest" discovery was the invention of soda water.

Is fizz the new black? Could be.

Organics will appreciate the healing qualities associated with bubbly drinks. And, in today's environment, economics may also play in fizz's favor. During the Great Depression, soda water was known as "two cents plain" -- the cheapest drink available at the soda fountain. In recent months, champagne consumption has held flat, while prosecco sales have been growing by double-digit percentages, reports the New York Times.

Even Paris Hilton is into it...