Woodall, who is now a major, wrote to me, "Hikmat is a friend to not only myself but to the American servicemen who operated in Afghanistan.
Merrill Lynch, facing the prospect of a major write-down from its exposure to the sinking mortgage market, dismissed two senior executives in its fixed-income division yesterday.
A major writing force at the National under Sir Peter Hall, who championed both Romans and Pravda, and then Richard Eyre, Brenton fell out of favour during the Trevor Nunn years.
He also said he did not expect a major write-down in 2009 and the charges in the fourth quarter "should be the lion's share".
Over all, H.P. reported a net loss in its third fiscal quarter of $8.9 billion, or $4.49 a share, largely because of a major write-off in the value of its Electronic Data Systems unit.
Though other major banks and financial institutions have more at stake with Enron, the energy trading firm that filed for bankruptcy protection last month, Northern Trust is one of the first to announce a major write-off.
The loss came as a surprise to analysts who were led to believe that the firm's low rank as an underwriter of C.D.O.'s would not lead to a major write-down.
Trafigura said it had taken a major write-down in the value of its industrial and logistical assets to reflect the impact of adverse market conditions, notably in bulk commodities.
Standards of legal protection for boards should be modified, at least when a company has been the subject of criminal or major civil charges, has materially restated earnings or has taken a major write-off — other than in connection with research and development or product introductions.
Google's "Chief Internet Evangelist" ineptly twisted the philosopher's Du Contrat Social, a major writing of the Enlightenment, which calls on citizens to abandon part of their personal sovereignty to a state.
