Berkshire Hathaway 2000 Annual Report Download - page 22

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To get the discount, you must make your purchases between Wednesday, April 25 and Monday, April 30
and also present your meeting credential. The period’s special pricing will even apply to the products of several
prestige manufacturers that normally have ironclad rules against discounting but that, in the spirit of our shareholder
weekend, have made an exception for you. We appreciate their cooperation. NFM is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
Borsheim’s  the largest jewelry store in the country except for Tiffany’s Manhattan store  will have
two shareholder-only events. The first will be a cocktail reception from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, April 27. The
second, the main gala, will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 29. Shareholder prices will be available
Thursday through Monday, so if you wish to avoid the large crowds that will assemble on Friday evening and
Sunday, come at other times and identify yourself as a shareholder. On Saturday, we will be open until 6 p.m.
Borsheim’s operates on a gross margin that is fully twenty percentage points below that of its major rivals, so the
more you buy, the more you save (or at least that’s what my family always tells me).
In the mall outside of Borsheim’s, we will have local bridge experts available to play with our shareholders
on Sunday. Bob Hamman, who normally is with us, will be in Africa this year. He has promised, however, to be on
hand in 2002. Patrick Wolff, twice U.S. chess champion, will also be in the mall, taking on all comers 
blindfolded! Last year, Patrick played as many as six games simultaneously  with his blindfold securely in place
 and demolished his opponents.
As if all this isn’t en ough to test your skills, our Borsheim’s Olympiad this year will also include Bill
Robertie, one of only two players to twice win the backgammon world championship. Backgammon can be a big
money game, so bring along your stock certificates.
Gorat’s  my favorite steakhouse  will again be open exclusively for Berkshire shareholders on Sunday,
April 29, and will be serving from 4 p.m. until 10 p.m. Please remember that you can’t come to Gorat’s on Sunday
without a reservation. To make one, call 402-551-3733 on April 2 (but not before). If Sunday is sold out, try
Gorat’s on one of the other evenings you will be in town. If you order a rare T-bone with a double order of hash
browns, you will establish your credentials as an epicure.
The usual baseball game will be held at Rosenblatt Stadium at 7 p.m. on Saturday night. This year the
Omaha Golden Spikes will play the New Orleans Zephyrs. Ernie Banks is again going to be on hand to  bravely
 face my fastball (once clocked at 95 mpm  miles per month).
My performance last year was not my best: It took me five pitches to throw anything resembling a strike.
And, believe me, it gets lonely on the mound when you can’t find the plate. Finally, I got one over, and Ernie
lashed a line drive to left field. After I was yanked from the game, the many sports writers present asked what I had
served up to Ernie. I quoted what Warren Spahn said after Willie Mays hit one of his pitches for a home run
(Willie’s first in the majors): “It was a helluva pitch for the first sixty feet.”
It will be a different story this year. I don’t want to tip my hand, so let’s just say Ernie will have to deal
with a pitch he has never seen before.
Our proxy statement contains instructions about obtaining tickets to the game and also a large quantity of
other information that should help you enjoy your visit in Omaha. There will be plenty of action in town. So come
for Woodstock Weekend and join our Celebration of Capitalism at the Civic.
Warren E. Buffett
February 28, 2001 Chairman of the Board