A Master TeacherMichael Milken has been taking...
A Master Teacher
Michael Milken has been taking time out from preparing his legal defense and running a new company to impart some mathematical wisdom to elementary school students. Since September, Milken, the former junk bond wizard at Drexel Burnham Lambert, has appeared every two weeks to teach sixth-graders at the elementary school run by his synagogue, the Stephen S. Wise Temple in Bel-Air. He has taught similar classes at other schools. In class, Milken so far has shunned the more arcane areas of his expertise, such as calculating junk bond yields--or underwriting fees.
But the classes, described by school officials as extremely popular, do give some insight into his own mathematical prowess. Much of his instruction involves tricks for doing swift calculations mentally, such as shortcuts for doing multiplication without the aid of pencil or calculator.
Ellen Howard, the math teacher whose classes he speaks to, says he has also taught some rudimentary trading skills, including a unit on bartering that required students to imagine that they were stranded on an island and had to trade different kinds of scarce food.
Although Milken is under indictment on racketeering and securities fraud charges, Metuka Benjamin, director of education at the temple, says she has heard no complaints from congregation members about the classes.
Benjamin says Milken is teaching for free.
(Milken is contesting the criminal charges.)
Schussing Briefcases
Hewlett-Packard proves that it is not only strong in the computer field but on the ski slopes, as well. For the third year in a row, the Palo Alto company has come in first in the Corporate Ski Challenge at Alpine Meadows at Lake Tahoe.
Harrah’s came in second place in the 10-year-old event, which now attracts 75 corporations, and Pacific Gas & Electric was third. Other participating companies included Chevron, AT&T; and Citicorp.
“Corporations are acquiescing to the industrial psychologists’ very vocal pleas to blend health and fitness with workloads and participating in this event is one way of doing it,” says Dan Nourse, director of communications at Alpine Meadows.
Larry Goodman, a vice president at Digital, puts it another way: “It gives us a chance to do something past the usual bonuses and expected benefits.”
On Time--at Least Once?
If you hate airline delays--and who doesn’t?--here’s a tip to use when you’re booking your next flight. In addition to asking your travel agent about the cost, arrival and departure times or the availability of your favorite seat, also ask about that flight’s on-time record.
Few travelers, even the most seasoned, know that such information is available for the asking. The key is found in the flight code that appears in airline and travel agent computers.
A last digit of “1” means that particular flight has landed on time 10% to 20% of the time for the past month, “2” for 20% and 30% on-time arrivals, and so on up to a 90% to 100% on-time record.
The data comes from the reports that airlines are required to file each month with the government and does not include delays caused by mechanical problems.
