1:35 PM -- Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) CEO Ben Verwaayen has had a tough day defending his company's performance in the face of a share price slump that wiped 18 percent off the company's market valuation. (See AlcaLu Grows But Pressures Weigh and AlcaLu CEO Sees a Bright US Market.)

But as well as being forceful about his company's ongoing prospects, Verwaayen was inventive and entertaining when trying to persuade investors and analysts he has the vendor in the right markets and chasing the right business.

"We are growing where the market is growing -- that is truly important," he noted. "We don't chase every rabbit we see running around," he noted (while likely pulling on his Elmer Fudd hunting hat).

For Verwaayen's sake, let's hope analysts on the next earnings conference call aren't tempted to ask, "Eh ... what's up, Ben?"

— Ray Le Maistre, International Managing Editor, Light Reading