Pissing Away the Stockholders' money, Cisco and the Dogooders

[Rigfire]

Talk about Enron, Worldcom, and Global Crossing all you want, but I wonder how many owners of shares of Cisco know that their money is still being pitched down Third World ratholes on "networking academies" in countries where haute cuisine means dining on your next door neighbor and on condoms for people who think that raping an infant girl will cure them of AIDS? Oh well, a lot of CEOs get to feel good and smug about themselves and employees and directors of Third World charity machines get to keep those lavish salaries and benefits. FYI: price of Cisco shares when NetAid was launched, $74; price of Cisco shares as of this moment, $15.64. Money well spint, all you Cisco bagholders out there?

[ QUOTE ]
NetAid (http://netaid.org/about/history/index_html)

NetAid was formed as a public-private partnership between the United Nations Development Programme and Cisco System, with a mission of raising public awareness and action in the fight against extreme poverty. NetAid was launched in October 1999 with a series of high-profile rock concerts in New York, London and Geneva.

Leveraging its Internet presence, NetAid pushed forward with a new model of online participation, beginning in April 2000 with the "Mother Baby" Safe Childbirth project in Rwanda.

Partnering with the United Nations Volunteers program, NetAid Online Volunteering became a pioneer in the field of international online volunteering, makingconnections over the Internet to allow volunteers and development organizations to work together.

In February 2001, projects from NetAid's "Breaking the Silence" program in South Africa, Myanmar, Zambia and Zimbabwe were featured in a TIME Magazine cover story on HIV/AIDS in the developing world as best-practice models of how people could get involved. "Breaking the Silence" went on to raise more than $500,000.

In February 2002, NetAid officially launched the NetAid World Schoolhouse to a collection of leaders from the corporate, political, and entertainment worlds. The initiative, which works to make education a reality for the world's poorest children, combines online advocacy and education with offline partnership strategy.

[/ QUOTE ]

[THEBIRD]

As with most companies Cisco throws money into worthless money pits only because it knows that doing so will help contain the libs allegations that big business and corporate America is evil and corrupt. This way they can go back and point to all the money they have sent overseas to help the 'poor and unfortunate'. I own Cisco and think it is a good stock to buy and would recommend getting on board NOW.

I bought 250 shares a couple of weeks ago at $13.26 and have made about a thousand dollars since.

1. The company is debt FREE
2. The company is constantly investing in new technologies here and abroad. This keeps them on the cutting edge.
3. You cannot make a phone call or establish an internet connection anywhere in the world today without the signal going over some piece of the Cisco Network.

The reason their stock is as low as it is today is because like EVERYBODY else in the telecom or networking markets, their stock took a dive during the recession and after 9-11.

This stock is poised to go up and way up. Cisco is going to be around for a long long time after you and I are dead and gone.

I'll also mention that the stock recently got an upgrade by most financial institutions and it rated as a strong buy on msn.com.
Cisco Rating (http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/srs/srsmain.asp?Symbol=CSCO)

[PeteS_in_CA]

[ QUOTE ]
As with most companies Cisco throws money into worthless money pits only because it knows that doing so will help contain the libs allegations that big business and corporate America is evil and corrupt.

Translation: Hush Money; only the lieberals don't hush up. When will corporations realize it's a "D if you do, D if you don't" game and do what will benefit the corporation?

[Rhino]

[ QUOTE ]
Rigfire said:
FYI: price of Cisco shares when NetAid was launched, $74; price of Cisco shares as of this moment, $15.64. Money well spint, all you Cisco bagholders out there?

[/ QUOTE ]
FYI, all tech stocks went down during that period, and it had nothing to do with NetAid. Claiming that NetAid is what caused the price drop is about as realistic as claiming New York was hit on 9/11 because Houston was just too hot. NetAid was a pure business move, plain and simple. Sure there was PR value, but NetAid directly stimulates tech activity that Cisco is uniquely positioned to provide the technology for. That expands the customer base and market share, a pure business motivation.

[Rigfire]

And just how does CSCO improve market share by passing out condoms?

[Rhino]

[ QUOTE ]
Rigfire said:
And just how does CSCO improve market share by passing out condoms?

[/ QUOTE ]
If you mean Cisco, I haven't seen anyone say they did that. The post said, "....in countries where haute cuisine means..... condoms for people....". That doesn't mean Cisco or anyone else in particular handed out condoms. I think you misunderstood.

[Rigfire]

Check out the fourth paragraph of the original quote I included to start the thread. I again ask, why was CSCO working on an AIDS project? Go to the netaid.org website. It's full of this type crap. I don't see where any of this helps with market share. BTW, they're not even mentioning the "networking academies" anymore. I threw that in there, because they USED to hype them all the time for the first two years of the organization. Disclosure: I'm not a disgruntled CSCO shareholder. I've never owned the stock. But I'm sick of dogooderism pissing away people's money overseas on Third World kleptocracies. It's just as bad as all the Republicans falling all over themselves to get in line and co-sponsor the $15 BILLION giveaway for prescription drugs in Africa that Bush asked for. If we're going to give away $15 Billion, it needs to go to people who cannot afford presecription drugs IN THIS COUNTRY and who are dying because they can't afford it.

[Rhino]

I stand corrected, at least partially. Cisco is involved in a project to promote network technology in third world nations, and I mistakenly assumed that was NetAid without reading the entire post. My apologies. However, the original point still stands. There is absolutely nothing to suggest NetAid had anything to do with their stock prices, whether you happen to agree with NetAid or not.

[Rigfire]

I don't think you understood my FYI about the stock price. When it was $74/share, it easy to dismiss netaid as a harmless diversion that had little affect on the company. But, as you have stated, that was then and this is now. Not only has the technology bubble in the stock market burst, but so has CSCO's position as a growth company. Its $80,000 routers can now be picked up by recyclers for a couple of thousand dollars. CSCO's bottom line and growth story isn't nearly so rosey. So-- to CONTINUE to piss away shareholders' money and employees' jobs in the netaid rathole can no longer be defended. It's not harmless anymore.

[Rhino]

Ah. Okay. That point I can see too, now that I've been corrected on NetAid. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

[THEBIRD]

Rig,
I stand by my statements that Cisco is a good company that is worthy of investors money. Like I said, I've made a thousand bucks on them since I bought the stock and it's going to keep going up. I listed my reasons above.

If you an anti capitalist that's upset cause people are making money and your not. Then I can't help you.

-THEBIRD
www.missouricarry.com (http://www.missouricarry.com)

[EagleTed]

THEBIRD:

I agree that CSCO will be around for a long time. And hopefully, when telecom spending rebounds their profits will soar. I have owned CSCO in the past but sold both times at a goodly profit. It's not a company I want to marry.

My reasons I don't mind "playing" CSCO, but refuse to buy and hold it are:

1. They dillute most of their profits with stock options
2. They have to invest heavily in R&D to keep ahead of the game
3. I don't like their CEO

To each his own, and best to you.

[THEBIRD]

The country of Lithuania now has high speed internet thanks to Cisco. But of course accourding to Rig Fire, a company like cisco isn't going anywhere and is a waste of investors money.

BWA HAHA HA HA HA HA HA HA.

just today so far I've made another 40cents per share. BWA HA HA HA....laughing all the way to the bank.

The link has the story.
Lithuania (http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/ticker/article.asp?Feed=BW&Date=20030528&ID=2587532&Symbo l=US:CSCO)