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Technology Stocks : IDT *(idtc) following this new issue?* -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: musicguy who wrote (10857)7/8/1999 4:33:00 PM
From: Hawaii60  Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 30916
 
Thank you. Was that the text to this article?

thestreet.com



To: musicguy who wrote (10857)7/8/1999 5:02:00 PM
From: Mr. Pink  Respond to of 30916
 
Is Culture as Important as Fundamentals at
IDT?
By Herb Greenberg
Senior Columnist
7/8/99 6:30 AM ET

Thursday thud:

Yesterday's item on IDT (IDTC:Nasdaq), the telecommunications company and
parent of Net2Phone, set the Hostile React-O-Meter in motion. (Outa control, I tell
ya, outa control.) "What's your point?" groused more than one emailer. "I wouldn't
exactly call this journalism, responsible or otherwise," griped another. "I hope I didn't
pay a subscription to have articles like the above written," e-scribbled still a third.

Why, they all wanted to know, did I dare question a $25 mil loan by the company to
Lermer Overseas Telecommunications, a seemingly related party that, as far as
anybody knows, doesn't technically exist, when that's such a small part of the
company's overall story?

Because (as I told the company, which asked the very same question) relationships
and deals like IDT's speak volumes about the culture of the company. And culture
plays perhaps the most important role in every company's fundamentals, or lack
thereof.

Here's a company making one of, if not the largest loans it has ever made to any
company. Don't you think it would've looked into whether the company legally
existed? If IDT was this sloppy in checking out Lermer, what about other
transactions?

Further, was a loan to Lermer the best thing the company could do with $25 million?
It's a big question, considering the cozy relationship between IDT founder Howard
Jonas and Lermer founder Simon Lermer? (You can't trust anyone these days.)

Makes me wonder what Lermer really does. Neither Simon Lermer nor his attorneys
have returned my calls.