It reminds me of this...

"The most valuable commodity I know of is information. Wouldn't you agree?"
- Gordon Gekko, from the movie "Wall Street"

It seems that Gordon Gekko and Aristotle Onassis may agree!

Another "Wall Street" quote...

"I took you in.

"A nobody!

"I opened doors for you.

"I showed you how the system works, the value of information, how to get it!"

I'm not suggesting we all go out and do some insider trading - and join Martha Stewart in the hot soup she's cooking for herself. But it does show that perhaps this principle - the importance of certain kinds of specific information - is pervasive, if you want to make money.

(Of course - as the movie "Wall Street" points out, there are legal and illegal ways to get and use information, and it's better to stick to the legal ways, and I'm sure Martha Stewart and ImClone founder Sam Waksal would agree.)

- Dien Rice