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The Walt Disney Studios and Secret Cinema have signed an agreement to bring some of the company's iconic films to life.
The immersive cinema specialists will work alongside the Walt Disney Studios’ StudioLAB to create live shows across the globe, starting in the UK and US.
The first show will premiere in London this year and will be followed by events in Los Angeles and New York. Details of the films to be adapted have yet to be disclosed.
The partnership was forged by Secret Cinema’s chief executive Max Alexander and director of slate Katie Davidson.
Past Secret Cinema experiences include a 2015 production of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.
Matt Deuel, head of business partnerships at StudioLAB, said: "We are excited to bring this innovative and immersive new cinema-going format to the Walt Disney Studios family, and to be a part of introducing it to new audiences in the US. Working with Secret Cinema, we’re able to create a whole new way for fans to engage with some of our most loved films."


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Co-Line has been named one of the best finishing shops in the U.S., according to an industry benchmarking survey conducted by “Products Finishing” magazine, a trade publication that has covered the industry since 1938.
The magazine conducted an extensive benchmarking survey that analyzed a company in several different areas, including Current Finishing Technology, Finishing Practices and Performances, Business Strategies and Performances, and Training and Human Resources. Co-Line was recognized in particular in the liquid and powder coating segment.
Only the top 50 shops were given the honor of being a “Products Finishing” magazine “Top Shop” based on a scoring matrix of those four criteria.
“I am very proud of the efforts of our entire organization, but especially that of the paint and packaging team on being named a ‘Top Shop,’” said Co-Line co-owner Eric Brand. “This designation by ‘Products Finishing’ magazine just solidifies the efforts this team has taken to improve not only the painted product coming from their area, but the steps they have taken to rally together and become a more cohesive and productive team.”
Tony Van Wyk, team leader of the paint and packaging department, echoed Eric’s thoughts. "The entire paint/package team deserves a ton of credit. Over the past year, there has been an incredible amount of change. This team not only accepted the change, but they took it and expanded on it. This entire team shows a strong desire to be the best, and I have no doubt that we will be at the top shop position in the near future, not just the top 50."
The 40-plus-question survey conducted by “Products Finishing” this spring gave job shop and captive coaters a chance to share their production information, with a promise of detailed data in return to help them fine-tune their operations to align themselves with the best in the finishing industry.
“Co-Line Welding has established itself as one of the best finishing operations in the industry,” said Tim Pennington, editor of “Products Finishing” magazine. “The criteria we used was very stringent, and only the finishing shops that excelled in all four areas made the list. Co-Line is in rare air when it comes to finishing operations.”
To celebrate this distinction, the paint and packaging team chose to go enjoy lunch together in Des Moines followed by indoor go-kart racing on Thursday, Sept. 29. Congrats, Co-Liners!

domain: news


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Staff shortages are latest blow to hit struggling hospitality sector
Our local pub is looking for staff and it is not alone. According to data from the Office for National Statistics and Adzuna, job adverts in the hospitality industry have risen by 46 per cent since the sector reopened for outdoor customers on April 12. Job adverts across all sectors have risen to 107 per cent of their pre-Covid level.
After more than a year in lockdown, seeing a “We’re hiring” poster in the window of a pub or shop is as welcome as seeing people sitting together again.
Finding staff, though, is proving a challenge. A new survey published today by Broadbean Technology says that while vacancies across the hospitality industry have risen sharply — by 77 per cent month-on-month, it says — the


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Viega LLC has sent its promotional truck out on the road to bring the Viega experience to visitors across the U.S.
The Viega Roadshow began traveling this spring in central U.S., and will make its way to the East Coast, before heading to the West Coast, and then back to Viega headquarters, where it will finish its scheduled stops at the end of December 2018. The roadshow is making stops at distributor, union and customer locations, as well as special events, like the Viega national sales meeting and construction career days. Interested parties can request a stop at their location. For more details on the locations or to schedule a stop, please visit here.
“The Viega Roadshow allows guests to experience Viega and its products,” says Mark Evans, director of North American sales, Viega. “Visitors receive hands-on demonstrations on a variety of Viega products and have the chance to head home with giveaways.”
Featuring graphics in its signature yellow and black colors to attract attention as it travels across the country, the truck rolls onto a location where visitors can learn the benefits of the flameless pressing technology and watch how a Viega press fitting can be installed. In addition to the opportunity to interact with the Viega products and receive daily giveaways, visitors may register for the quarterly tool giveaway, a choice of a press tool and jaw set.


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Noom, Inc., the creator of fun and easy-to-use health and wellness apps, announced today that it has closed a $7 million Series A round of funding led by New York-based RRE Ventures with participation from TransLink Capital, Scrum Ventures, Recruit Group Japan, Qualcomm Ventures and Harbor Pacific Capital. RRE’s Jim Robinson IV will join the company’s board.
“Noom has designed a comprehensive mobile weight loss program complete with guidance and motivational support accessible to anyone with a smartphone,” said Jim Robinson IV, RRE Ventures. “We’re eager to support their mission of coaching people around the world to change their lives for the better.”
The team at Noom plans to use the funds to build upon its rapid user acquisition and deep engagement demonstrated in 2013. In the past year, Noom’s audience reached more than 20 million installs across the company’s suite of apps, attracting users from every country around the world, led by its flagship product Noom Weight Loss Coach. Representing Android’s highest grossing health and wellness app, Noom Weight Loss Coach was named by Google Play as one of the Best Apps of 2013.
Noom’s award-winning engineering team also released several new products in 2013, including Noom Weight for iPhone, which is currently featured on the App Store as one of 2014’s Best New Health & Fitness apps, as well as Noom Walk, a pedometer that takes advantage of Android™ 4.4's new sensor technology. Noom Weight for iPhone also features a built-in pedometer and is one of the first in its category to utilize Apple’s M7 motion co-processor. Noom’s users have taken a combined 265 billion steps to date.
“All of our products motivate and coach users to make healthier choices, rather than simply track data. We have found that this combination is essential for long-term positive outcomes,” said Saeju Jeong, Co-Founder and CEO of Noom. “With this funding, we can enhance our products to drive the best outcomes for the people around the world; already we’ve translated our apps into German, Japanese and Korean and the user response has been phenomenal.”
A testimony to Noom’s focus on research-backed product development, the Company was recently awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund a study in conjunction with Mt. Sinai Hospital on the impacts of smartphone technology in eating disorder treatment.
About Noom: Noom, Inc. creates fun and easy-to-use mobile apps that provide intelligent nutrition and exercise coaching. With more than 20 million installs, the company’s suite of apps includes CardioTrainer, Noom Walk, Noom Weight for iPhone and its flagship app Noom Weight Loss Coach, which was Android’s #1 grossing Health and Fitness App for 2013. They have offices in New York City, Berlin, Seoul and Tokyo.


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FCC filings highlighted two new Google hardware devices and which are believed to be related to the new Android TV product that is reportedly been in the works for a while. The filings are also suggesting that Google is getting ready to release it soon.
Google’s Android TV Dongle to Arrive Soon
In June, XDA Developers reported that Google was working to prepare a TV dongle codenamed “Sabrina” that would use Android TV and a traditional remote-driven U. One of the new FCC filings refers to an “Interactive Media Streaming Device” with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and the other is for a “Wireless Device” along with Bluetooth and a power cover.
The device needs to be specifically approved by the FCC before it can go on sale with wireless capabilities. Yesterday, Google has also submitted paperwork for two new devices with model numbers GZRNL and G9N9N.
From the description of GZRNL as an “Interactive Media Streaming Device,” we can say that this could be a much-anticipated Android TV dongle of Google.
The 9to5google said in the blog “these new model numbers GZRNL and G9N9N don’t seem to line up with any past product lines that Google has offered. Past Chromecasts have typically used model numbers that reference Star Trek, such as NC2-6A5 loosely referencing NCC-1701”.
Initially, XDA Developers reported that the company has planned to launch the device this summer, so there’s still time for Google to hit that window.


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By Dr. Mercola
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), a group of over 65,000 pediatricians in the U.S., are asking parents to limit their children’s exposure to dangerous plastic chemicals known to leach into food from packaging, as well as chemical food additives, warning the chemicals may damage their children’s health for years to come.1 Some of those chemicals include phthalates, nitrates and bisphenols.2
Results of past research led the World Health Organization (WHO) to study and then release a joint report with the United Nations Environment Program3 suggesting a ban on endocrine disrupting chemicals may be needed to protect the health of future generations. Their research followed past studies, but is one of the most comprehensive on endocrine disrupting chemicals to date.
The report highlights a wide variety of problems, including undescended testicles, breast, prostate and thyroid cancer, nervous system defects and the development of attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children with exposure to chemicals commonly found in plastics and food additives.4
Phthalates are widely used to make plastics more durable and flexible, such as in your shower curtains, food packaging and vinyl gloves. They are also found in household cleaners, cosmetics and personal care products.
While used to increase durability, they are not strongly bound to the product and leach out with heat and wear. In a policy statement, the AAP expressed concerns related to:5
“[T]he use of colorings, flavorings and chemicals deliberately added to food during processing (direct food additives) as well as substances in food contact materials, including adhesives, guys, coatings, paper, paperboard, plastic and other polymers which may contaminate food as part of packaging or manufacturing equipment …”
AAP Calls for Reduced Exposure to Chemicals
Today an alarming 10,000 chemicals are allowed to be added to food and food-contact materials in the U.S., either directly or indirectly. Many of these were grandfathered in for use by the federal government before the 1958 Food Additives Amendment to the 1938 Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act.
An estimated 1,000 of these are used under a “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) designation without U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. The 1958 amendment was designed to provide specific guidelines for food additives requiring formal agency review and open rulemaking process for new chemicals.6
Despite this framework, substantial gaps in data about potential health effects of food additives exist. In fact, an evaluation of nearly 4,000 additives intentionally added to food revealed 80 percent lacked enough information to determine how much could be safely eaten and only 6.7 percent had reproductive toxicology data.7
Chemicals added under GRAS are subject to approval by the FDA unless substances are generally recognized by “qualified experts as having been adequately shown to be safe under the conditions of its intended use.”8
However, the Academy does not believe this protects the safety of children and urges the government to revise the process, making it more transparent and mandating additional testing for toxicity before chemicals can be used in food.
Some of the recommendations may require congressional action as the FDA does not currently have the authority to review existing data or retest safety on food additives. Dr. Leonardo Trasande, an AAP Council on Environmental Health member and lead author of the policy statement, commented in a press release:9
“There are critical weaknesses in the current food additives regulatory process, which doesn’t do enough to ensure all chemicals added to foods are safe enough to be part of a family’s diet. As pediatricians, we’re especially concerned about significant gaps in data about the health effects of many of these chemicals on infants and children.”
Experts fear these chemicals have a range of side effects in humans, including metabolic dysfunction, thyroid and other endocrine disruption, impaired brain development, increasing risk of obesity, and decreased birth weight.10 Trasande believes the synthetic hormones disrupt how calories are processed and ultimately how they are converted, contributing to metabolic dysfunction.
Chemicals of Concern Likely in Your Food or Packaging
The AAP addresses some of the additives placed directly into foods, or indirect additives, including chemicals from plastics, dyes, paper products, glues and different types of coatings used in the processing and packaging of food. Trasande commented an annual estimated health care cost tied to these chemicals may be roughly $340 billion. He went on to say:11
“Chemicals that affect the endocrine system, for example, can have lasting effects on a child since hormones coordinate complex functions throughout the body. Even small disruptions at key moments during development can have lifelong consequences.”
Those the AAP lists as having most concern based on research evidence include:12
Chemicals such as bisphenol-A (BPA) are used to harden plastics and line metal cans. They act as endocrine disruptors, changing the timing of puberty, reducing fertility, increasing body fat and affecting the nervous and immune systems.13 Although BPA is banned in baby bottles and sippy cups, it continues to be used in a variety of readily available products.
With the rising concern associated with BPA, some companies are substituting other similar chemicals, which are not tested and whose structure is chemically similar to BPA, including BPS and BPF.14
These chemicals are used in the making of plastic and vinyl and in industrial food production to make the plastics more flexible. They affect male genital development,15 increase the risk of childhood obesity16 and contribute to cardiovascular disease. In 2017, the Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the use of some phthalates in child care products such as teething rings.
Perfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFCs)
These are used in grease-proofing paper and cardboard food packaging. The chemicals may reduce fertility, immunity and birth weight. PFCs may also affect your thyroid function, which is key to metabolism, digestion, brain development and bone strength.
This chemical is added to some dry food packaging to control static electricity and is known to disrupt thyroid function and early life brain development.
Nitrates and nitrites
Used to preserve food and enhance color in cured and processed meats, they can interfere with thyroid hormone production and the ability of your blood to deliver oxygen throughout the body. They’ve also been linked to gastrointestinal and nervous system cancers.
Artificial food colors
Commonly added to children’s foods to make them more visually appealing, artificial food colors are associated with worsening attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) symptoms. A significant number of children who have cut out artificial coloring experience a reduction in symptoms of ADD/ADHD.
Children Suffer Greater Risk
Trasande, an expert in children’s environmental health, believes children may be more susceptible due to their dose exposure. Relative to their body weight, children eat more food than adults pound-for-pound. Their organ systems are also susceptible to injury during early development, which means chronic exposure may trigger a permanent and lifelong problem.
Nearly every human physiological function has a basis in endocrine regulation, increasing the concern and potential danger of exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals early in life. Unfortunately, as noted by Dr. Claire McCarthy, pediatrician at Boston Children’s Hospital and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School,17 “because the exposure is small and gradual we don’t even realize it’s happening.”
Although individuals can be exposed to the same amount of toxicant, the susceptibility will vary depending upon genetic background, sex, age, nutritional status and state of health.18 Data demonstrates even low levels of toxicants can cause harm in children, leading the scientific community to focus on the unique vulnerabilities of children as compared to adults.
According to WHO, more than 30 percent of worldwide diseases occurring in children are due to environmental factors.19 Since growth and development is a dynamic process, the nature and severity of a health effect depends on the developmental stage at exposure. So, it is easy to understand how chronic exposure to toxicants in the food supply may create lifelong health challenges.
Childhood Obesity a Growing Concern
Bisphenol and phthalates are often called “everywhere chemicals,”20 as many are found in most commonly used products and nearly 90 percent of individuals tested.21 The overall concern is these chemicals disrupt your hormonal balance and are linked to obesity.
In one study,22 scientists noted a significant rise in severe obesity in children ages 2 to 5. WHO23 calls childhood obesity “one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century [and] a problem which is global and steadily affecting many low- and middle-income countries.”
According to State of Obesity,24 91 percent of American children have poor diets and get less than half the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity. Nearly two-thirds consume sugary beverages every day and roughly 40 percent of high school students spend three or more hours a day on a digital device.
While the growing obesity rate in children is a complex issue and food choices25 and activity both play a role, exposure to environmental toxins affecting hormonal regulation cannot be ignored. The Endocrine Society, which specializes in diabetes, obesity, thyroid and other hormone systems, released a policy statement, saying:26
“In 2015, there is far more conclusive evidence about whether, when, and how EDCs (endocrine disrupting chemicals) perturb endocrine systems, including in humans.
Thus, it is more necessary than ever to minimize further exposures, to identify new EDCs as they emerge, and to understand underlying mechanisms in order to develop methods to enable interventions in cases of EDC-associated disease. This is especially important because new chemicals may be released into the marketplace without appropriate safety testing.”
The Endocrine Society also calls for more research into these chemicals and their effects, believing regulators should require testing for their effects on human hormones before approval.27
Another study focusing on the 2.1 percent of children ages 2 to 5 with severe obesity discovered most were from racial or ethnic minority groups, were nearly twice as likely to spend four or more hours a day in front of electronic screens and didn’t appear to eat more calories than their normal weight peers.28
How You May Reduce Chemical Exposure
Considering all the potential sources of toxic chemicals, it’s virtually impossible to avoid all of them, but that doesn’t mean you have to sit silently by while corporations use your home, your water, your air, your food and your body as a convenient chemical dumping ground. Until change occurs on a global scale, you can significantly limit your exposure by keeping a number of key principles in mind.
Eat a diet focused on locally grown, fresh and ideally organic whole foods. Processed and packaged foods are a common source of chemicals, both in the food itself and the packaging. Wash fresh produce well, especially if it’s not organically grown.
Rather than eating conventional or farm-raised fish, which are often heavily contaminated with PCBs and mercury, supplement with a high-quality krill oil, or eat wild-caught Alaskan salmon, anchovies and sardines.
Choose certified organic grass fed meats and dairy to reduce your exposure to hormones, pesticides and fertilizers. Avoid milk and other dairy products containing genetically engineered recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST).
Store your food and beverages in glass, rather than plastic, and avoid using plastic wrap.
Buy products in glass bottles rather than plastic or cans, as chemicals can leach out of plastics (and plastic can linings), into the contents; be aware even “BPA-free” plastics typically leach endocrine-disrupting chemicals that are just as bad.
Use glass baby bottles.
Replace your nonstick pots and pans with ceramic or glass cookware.
Look for Earth-friendly, animal-friendly, sustainable, certified organic and GMO-free products. This applies to everything from food and personal care products to building materials, carpeting, paint, baby items, furniture, mattresses and more.
Filter your tap water for both drinking and bathing. If you can only afford to do one, filtering your bathing water may be more important, as your skin readily absorbs contaminants. If your tap water is fluoridated, keep in mind that not all filter systems will filter out this toxic additive.
When buying new products such as furniture, mattresses or carpet padding, consider buying chemical-free varieties containing naturally less flammable materials, such as leather, wool, cotton, silk and Kevlar, to avoid exposure to toxic flame retardants.
Avoid stain- and water-resistant clothing, furniture and carpets to avoid PFCs.
Use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter to remove contaminated house dust. This is one of the major routes of exposure to flame-retardant chemicals.
Make sure your baby’s toys are BPA-free, such as pacifiers, teething rings and anything your child may be prone to suck or chew on — even books, which are often plasticized. It’s advisable to avoid all plastic, especially flexible varieties.
Switch to organic toiletries, including shampoo, toothpaste, antiperspirants and cosmetics. EWG’s Skin Deep database29 can help you find personal care products free of phthalates and other potentially dangerous chemicals.
Replace your vinyl shower curtain with a fabric one or install glass doors.
Use natural cleaning products or make your own. Avoid those containing 2-butoxyethanol (EGBE) and methoxydiglycol (DEGME) — two toxic glycol ethers that can compromise your fertility and cause fetal harm.
Look for fragrance-free products. One artificial fragrance can contain hundreds — even thousands — of potentially toxic chemicals. Avoid fabric softeners and dryer sheets, which contain a mishmash of synthetic chemicals and fragrances.
Replace feminine hygiene products (tampons and sanitary pads) with safer alternatives.


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For the week of November 2 - 8, 2015, U.S. brands and properties captured 1.4 billion likes, shares, comments and retweets on content published on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Powered by Shareablee data, the top U.S. brands across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for each respective industry is shown in the ranking below. National Geographic (Media Publisher) was the top overall brand in the ranking with more than 34.4 million total actions, 97% of which came from Instagram. Posts featuring shots of stunning scenery captured the most social engagement for the media publisher. Victoria's Secret (Fashion) scored the number two spot with more than 10 million social actions, followed by WWE (Sports) with more than 6.6 million actions. Instagram posts celebrating birthdays and the upcoming Victoria's Secret Fashion Show captured the most social engagement for the brand, while WWE's top posts were on Facebook and showcased its new logo, athletes and #WWEBarcelona.
Of the top performing brands, Audi (Automotive) saw the most growth in social engagement over the previous week with a 60% spike in social actions from Instagram posts with the hashtag #WantAnR8. Starbucks (QSR) captured the highest actions per post behind National Geographic, averaging more than 121,200 actions per post published during the week of November 2 - 8, 2015, driven by posts about festive drinks and ringing in the holiday season.
i Total actions metric includes the total volume of post-level likes, shares, favorites and comments.
ii Total content includes all posts, tweets and media posted by each brand across platforms.
iii Actions per post metric notes the average number of actions garnered by each brand.
iv Total fans/followers includes fans/followers for each brand as of November 8, 2015.


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updated 12:05 pm EDT, Mon June 28, 2004
Analyst upgrades AAPL
Analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray has and raised his price target from $32 to $40 as well as his EPS estimates for FY05 and FY06, according to NewRatings: "According to Piper Jaffray's research note published this morning, Apple Computer is poised to benefit considerably in the long term from its significant leverage to the digital convergence trends. The analyst mentions that the company is likely to witness robust demand growth for its Mac products, boosted by continued near-term digital convergence momentum. Apple's specialist resellers in the US have expressed their optimism regarding the robust near-term sales growth potential of the company's products, with significant strength in the PowerBook products, Piper Jaffray says. The analyst expects Apple Computer to report its June quarter sales ahead of the consensus estimates."


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Beginning in the mid-1990s, state and provincial governments in the U.S. and Canada led the charge in mandating and funding tire recycling efforts. In doing so they helped spur the markets for reprocessed synthetic rubber that exist today. Now thousands of companies across North America specialize in turning recycled synthetic rubbers into useful new products.
American consumers looking to off load old tires should take a gander at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys (EPAs) Management of Scrap Tires website to find tire recycling centers near them. Canadians can turn to the website of the Canadian Association of Tire Recycling Agencies (CATRA) to find out where to take used tires in any province, including even the remote Yukon Territory.
The EPA also offers free Business Planning Guides for those who might be looking to start a tire recycling or re-manufacturing business. The website Scrap Tire News also provides a wealth of knowledge on different ways to get started.
Despite this encouraging progress, North America still faces a backlog of hundreds of millions of old tires, quickly piling up outside filling stations and in backyards near you. The EPA estimates that 290 million scrap tires are generated annually, representing two percent of all solid waste, and that some 265 million are sitting in stockpiles right now. At the very least, we could all take the advice of Participating in Nature: Thomas J. Elpels Field Guide to Primitive Living Skills and turn our old tires into sandals with a 50,000 mile warranty!
EPA Scrap Tires Page
, Scrap Tire News
, Tire Sandals
Common related Questions:
how do you recycle tires
how do i recycle used car tires
where to recycle tires


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Chick-Fil-A, one of the largest privately held restaurant chains in the country, plans to triple its presence in the Baltimore-Washington region within five years, the Atlanta-based chain announced yesterday.
The chain with 775 locations in 35 states will expand from 18 locations in the region to between 50 and 60.
Free-standing locations are being negotiated in Columbia, Frederick and Laurel.
The company runs 800-square-foot food court restaurants in malls and 3,500-square-foot free-standing restaurants.
Founder Truett Cathy pioneered the in-mall, quick service restaurant with his first store -- specializing in chicken sandwiches -- in an Atlanta shoping mall in 1967.
"Chick-Fil-A enjoys enormous popularity and name recognition within the Baltimore-Washington marketplace" -- especially among the health-conscious, said Patrick A. M. Miller, a principal with KLNB Inc., the Towson-based real estate brokerage firm handling regional expansion.
Chick-Fil-A now has mall locations in Columbia, Owings Mills, Annapolis, Hunt Valley, White Marsh and Eastpoint.
Pub Date: 5/08/98


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Asian Stocks Drop for Second Day as Japan Exporters FallJonathan Burgos and Adam Haigh
Asian stocks fell, sending the regional benchmark index lower for a second day, as earnings results from HTC Corp. missed estimates and Japanese exporters declined after the yen strengthened.
HTC, Asia’s second-largest smartphone maker, slipped 4 percent in Taipei. Samsung Electronics Co. the world’s largest maker of mobile phones and televisions, lost 1.3 percent in Seoul after reporting earnings. Mazda Motor Corp., which gets about 72 percent of its sales outside of Japan, sank 5 percent as the yen’s advance dimmed the outlook for overseas earnings.
The MSCI Asia Pacific Index slipped 0.6 percent to 130.69 as of 7:18 p.m. Tokyo time, erasing gains of as much as 0.3 percent. The regional benchmark gauge posted its seventh weekly advance last week, the longest winning streak since March last year, after the U.S. Congress approved a budget deal and manufacturing reports from China and the U.S. added to signs of a global recovery.
“We don’t expect a no-brainer, one-way climb for stocks,” said Michael Kurtz, chief global equity strategist at Nomura Holdings Inc. in Hong Kong. “Japan for its part has delivered a key step toward expectations of a major pro-reflation policy shift.”
Japan’s Nikkei 225 Stock Average climbed 22 percent through yesterday from Nov. 14 when elections were announced, driving the gauge into a bull market as the yen fell on expectations a new government would call for more stimulus. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a proponent for more monetary policy easing, will have a chance to reshape the Bank of Japan early this year, when the terms of Governor Masaaki Shirakawa and his two deputies expire.
The Nikkei 225 fell 0.9 percent, a second day of declines. South Korea’s Kospi Index dropped 0.7 percent, while Taiwan’s Taiex Index decreased 0.4 percent. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index slid 0.6 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slid 0.9 percent and China’s Shanghai Composite Index retreated 0.4 percent.
The MSCI Asia Pacific Index surged 14 percent in 2012 as central banks from the U.S., Europe, Japan and China took action to spur economic growth. The Asia Pacific gauge traded at 14.1 times average estimated earnings, compared with about 13.2 times for the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and about 11.9 times for the Stoxx Europe 600 Index, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Futures on the S&P 500 Index slipped 0.2 percent today. The benchmark U.S. equities gauge fell 0.3 percent yesterday as investors awaited the start of the corporate earnings season.
HTC declined 4 percent to NT$276.5 in Taipei. Operating income was NT$600 million ($21 million) in the fourth quarter, compared with the NT$1.11 billion average of 20 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Net income was NT$1 billion, the Taoyuan, Taiwan-based company said in a statement yesterday. That’s the lowest since 2004 and less than the NT$10.9 billion it posted a year earlier.
Samsung dropped 1.3 percent to 1.5 million won, after climbing to a record last week. The company today reported an 89 percent increase in operating profit to 8.8 trillion won ($8.3 billion) in the three months ended December, according to a preliminary earnings statement.
“Samsung has been posting profits that beat analysts’ estimates throughout last year,” Lee Jin Woo, a fund manager at Seoul-based KTB Asset Management Co., which manages about $6.6 billion, said by telephone today. “Optimism about its earnings has largely been factored in, in advance, with the stock enjoying a nice rally late last year.”
Japanese exporters declined as the yen headed for its biggest two-day advance since November. A stronger currency reduces overseas earnings of Japanese carmakers and electronics manufacturers when repatriated.
Mazda dropped 5 percent to 171 yen in Tokyo. Toyota Motor Corp., the world’s biggest carmaker, slid 2 percent to 4,100 yen. Nintendo Co., the maker of wii game consoles, fell 3.1 percent to 8,700 yen.
Aozora Bank Ltd. decreased 4 percent to 240 yen, extending yesterday’s 10 percent selloff after the Japanese lender confirmed Cerberus Capital Management LP will sell most of its holdings.
China Pacific Insurance Group Co. declined 2.6 percent to HK$30.20. Carlyle Group LP, sold its remaining stake in the insurer, raising about $796 million, according to a document obtained by Bloomberg News.
Agile Property Holdings Ltd., the Chinese developer in which JPMorgan Chase & Co. owns a stake, slumped 6.5 percent to HK$11.86, the most since February 2012. Chairman Chen Zhuo Lin was formally charged with indecent assault, the company said in statement today. His arrest is unrelated to the business of the group and will not affect operations, Agile said.
Among stocks that rose, Sharp Corp., Japan’s largest maker of liquid crystal displays, advanced 3.9 percent to 293 yen. Sales increased in each of the last four months from a year earlier, helped by recovering demand for LCD televisions, President Takashi Okuda told reporters in Osaka yesterday.
Hermes Microvision, Inc., a Taiwanese supplier of semiconductor inspection equipment, jumped 6.9 percent to 541 yen in Taipei after reporting unconsolidated sales in December increased 62.5 percent from a year earlier.


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The owner of Jethro’s in Altoona recently announced Jethroni Pepperoni, a new restaurant that will feature Italian food and pizza. Construction is underway in the old Pizza Hut Altoona at 3221 Adventureland Drive, which closed this month.
Bruce Gerleman, Jethro’s owner, said Executive Chef Dominic Iannarelli will create a brand new menu focused on classic Italian food with unique pasta dishes and thin crust pizza, instead of the BBQ the chain is known for.
Iannarelli oversees all six Jethro’s restaurants in Metro Des Moines, as well as Splash Seafood Bar and Grill, also owned by Gerleman.
The Italian Restaurant is on the same block as Jethro and Jake’s Smokehouse Steaks on Adventureland Drive across from Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino.
The new restaurant will seat 150 customers and include a full bar. Gerleman plans to open the new restaurant by the end of this year.


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Thursday, 2 August 2012 11:08 AM
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is calling for more competition and greater consumer protection in the home insulation market ahead of the launch of the Green Deal.
The government’s competition watchdog launched a probe of the market in April after high levels of consumer complaints and concern that it was not working well.
It received complaints that some traders are not always recommending the most suitable type of insulation, including inappropriate materials in houses suffering from damp, and that customers are finding it hard to get quick and effective redress when they have a problem.
The Green Deal, which allows householders to insulate their homes at no up-front cost and pay for it through savings in their energy bills, starts in October.
The OFT recommends that the government should set up a single body with clear responsibility for longer-term monitoring of the quality of installations and changes to improve redress schemes.
The watchdog also found that there are few manufacturers supplying home insulation products and that it can take ages to get new products approved for use in the market. It recommends speeding up the process to make it easier for new entrants.
As part of a wider energy efficiency project looking at products like double glazing, solar panels and boilers, it also reviewed 4,000 contacts made by customers with Consumer Direct.
This uncovered problems including confusing and defective paperwork, potentially aggressive and misleading sales techniques and concern about the quality of products and services. The OFT says it is continuing to look at options to tackle them including potential enforcement action where appropriate.
OFT director of services, infrastructure and public markets, Nisha Arora, said: “The home insulation sector is now worth some £700m and it is important that people receive good quality, well-installed insulation that makes their homes more energy efficient.
“We hope that the recommendations in this report and our continuing work in this sector will encourage greater competition and choice and give consumers increased confidence to have insulation installed.”


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Confirmed through Twitter by mobile reporter Evan Blass, Motorola will be releasing a new Moto case that allows users to essentially attach a 360 degree camera to their Moto Z, Z Play or Ze Play.
The news of the case’s reveal cames after Motorola showcased the new case at a press event in Ghana. Not much was revealed at the press event other than the existence of the case and that Motorola’s camera attaches off the top of the plastic back plate of the case that attaches onto Moto Z series devices. And that the 360-degree camera will feature lenses on both sides so it can capture full 360-degree images.
Theverge.com made a comparison to Motorola’s new camera to Essential’s upcoming 360-degree camera, which they believe will “likely be one of the biggest competitors to Motorola’s Mod system upon the phone's release in the next few weeks.”
The case’s pricing, release date and whether or not it will be released outside of Ghana are unclear. But more information will be released in the future and it is likely that it will branch outside of Ghana since Motorola is releasing their products in other countries, including releasing the Moto Z2 Play in the US.


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You would need to have been hiding under a rock not to know that the Olympics will shortly be arriving in London. With record levels of tourism and trade expected, you would imagine that this would present numerous opportunities to the capital’s thousands of businesses, yet whether this influx is actually beneficial for London’s typical business is up for debate. In fact, a recent CBI report(opens in new tab) showed that only a quarter of companies in London expected to benefit from the Olympics.
With London’s infrastructure set to be put under immense strain(opens in new tab), failing or over-burdened transport links are prompting some businesses to take certain adaptive measures. For example, employees may need to work from home or outside normal office hours to avoid the expected delays. Remote working may be appropriate for some companies, but without the proper tools in place to access all pillars of the business in real time, some may struggle to operate to the standard that their customers have come to expect.
With just a couple of weeks to go until the games start, many companies throughout the city are still wrestling with these issues and the detrimental effects they may have on their businesses. A recent CBI report, surveying 250 London companies, showed that half of employers (50%) intend to let their employees work from home during the Games and 57% will adapt their working hours, while 46% of firms say they will allow employees to have time off to attend events.
Mark Naysmith, Games readiness director at Deloitte, has commented on this very issue: “On the busiest days of London 2012, there are expected to be an extra three million journeys a day on the public transport system. It is essential that companies across the city, large and small, have thought through how their business and their people will cope with this period. Whilst working from home is the most popular measure being tested, it will not be practical for all businesses that still need to maintain client service levels.”
This logistical nightmare is by no means a necessary evil, however. Businesses that have in place fully integrated cloud systems(opens in new tab), such as NetSuite, can have peace of mind—whether they can get into the office or not, they can access their systems.
Take the Super Yacht Group(opens in new tab), a publishing and media company focused on the super yacht industry based in Clapham, as a prime example. Despite having its HQ in London, SYG can rest easy that all staff have real-time access to in-depth business analytics anywhere in the world, so they can keep their fingers on the pulse and react quickly to any issues that arise, no matter whether key team players are travelling or can’t get into the office.
Pedro Muller, Strategy Director at SYG, says: “It’s particularly important that our sales team can access their data at all times, including when they are on the road. With NetSuite, the entire team can access sales information on their iPhones(opens in new tab), iPads and laptops, which has proven to be invaluable to the business, as it doesn’t matter if an employee is in the office or not.”
Businesses around the world facing similar events or challenges should learn from the experiences of London. Perhaps businesses in Rio de Janeiro would be wise to start preparing now for the 2016 Olympics, so they can be sure to avoid the headaches that businesses may face this time round.


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The company that makes a good portion of the fitness trackers found around the world is to be taken over by the company that is used for a good portion of search, among other things.
Technology is awash with companies buying companies, and it can help many remain innovative. When a company takes over another, you generally see the technology from one absorbed into the other, resulting in a change for the products in the future.
We’ve seen it before and we’ll keep seeing it, such as is the case with the latest acquisition, as Google takes over Fitbit.
The deal was announced right at the end of this week, with Google essentially acquiring Fitbit for around $2.1 billion USD, telling you just big of a purchase it was.
As a result, the maker of the Charge 3, the Versa and Inspire, and plenty of other health-related gadgets will be rolled into Google, while the maker of Android and its own Wear OS wearable platform will likely start to use Fitbit’s smarts to make Wear OS more of a thing for consumers. That’s something Google has practically alluded to, as said by Google Play and Wear OS Vice President, Sameer Samat, who speakers of the opportunity for Wear OS.
“This agreement underscores our belief in how important wearable tech has become, and it’s also an exciting opportunity for Wear OS,” said Samat. “We’re looking forward to collaborating with Fitbit to bring the best of our smartwatch platforms and health applications together, and enabling our partners to build the next generation of wearables.”
That’s a pretty solid indication as to what’s going to happen, so the next Versa or Ionic you buy might be Wear OS based, instead of Fitbit’s own operating system.
For current Fitbit owners, the move to have Google own the company that was storing and tracking its health data might be a concern, but Google has said it won’t use any of that information for ads. What’s more, they’ll apparently have a choice as to what happens next with their data.
“Similar to our other products, with wearables, we will be transparent about the data we collect and why,” said Rick Osterloh, Senior Vice President for Devices and Services at Google.
“We will never sell personal information to anyone,” he said. “Fitbit health and wellness data will not be used for Google ads. And we will give Fitbit users the choice to review, move, or delete their data.”
As for Fitbit, the acquisition is one that its CEO and Co-founder says will help it do more, whatever that may be.
“Google is an ideal partner to advance our mission,” said James Park, CEO of Fitbit.
“With Google’s resources and global platform, Fitbit will be able to accelerate innovation in the wearables category, scale faster, and make health even more accessible to everyone. I could not be more excited for what lies ahead.”
For now, your Fitbit should be totally fine, and you’ll likely keep receiving updates until the device reaches the end of its life. While Fitbit has yet to comment on the future of its current devices, it’s doubtful Google would have committed to such a large acquisition without acknowledging that it needs to keep the older devices supported until that point is reached, and possibly even after.
The question of what’s next is a little more unsure, but given that Wear OS is involved, we’d say there’s a pretty good chance that “what’s next” is a Fitbit with Wear OS made by Google. Watch this space next year.


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Bengaluru-based data annotation startup Playment has been acquired by Vancouver-based digital consultancy TELUS International for an undisclosed amount, the company said in a statement today.
Playment was launched in November 2015 by former Flipkart employees- IIT-Kharagpur alumni Siddharth Mall and Akshay Lal, along with IIT-Guwahati alumnus Ajinkya Malasane. It offers software solutions to build high-quality visual data labels- a process known as data annotation. The startup works with more than 200 machine learning teams across global companies. Playment’s GT Studio offers ML-assisted 2D and 3D labeling tools.
Globally, most companies outsource data labelling jobs to dedicated data annotators. Data labelling takes up the bulk of data scientists’ time, which could otherwise have been devoted to building algorithms. As in case of technology outsourcing opportunities, India has emerged as a leading data labelling destination globally.
“The (computer vision) technology has become increasingly valuable to tech firms and the wider market as brands seek to uncover solutions for scenarios that typically require complex human judgement from visual and spatial patterns to solve nuanced business challenges, and build innovative, market-leading smart products and services,” said Jeff Puritt, president and CEO of TELUS International.
Playment has raised $2.5 Mn funding till date. Its last funding was in 2017 when it raised $1.6 Mn as part of its seed funding led by YCombinator, Sparkland Capital and Silicon Valley angel investors such as Ryan Petersen, Max Altman and others. Playment was also part of YCombinator’s Winter 2017 batch and it was part of the Google launchpad accelerator. Earlier in 2016, Playment had raised $700K from Elevation Capital as part of its seed funding round.
The startup has been profitable since April 2020, claims the company. So what is it about Playment’s unique offering that made it the target of this acquisition?
Playment Product and Pivots
While artificial intelligence drives a lot of solutions globally, little is understood about how it works. Playment particularly deals with AI and machine learning software of the visual kind. Suppose an automobile manufacturer wants to build self-driven cars. It will need software that recognises objects and visual cues that the vehicle driver normally sees. However, before the machine learns that it has to avoid some visual elements- like people and animals- and respond to elements like traffic signals, the software has to know what these elements are. This is where Playment’s solutions come in.
The startup, 70% of whose clients are automakers, helps the self learning software of its clients identify objects. In 2015, the team started with providing cataloging and content moderation services to large marketplaces such as Flipkart, Lazada, Paytm, Ola and others. “At Flipkart, we used to address a lot of repetitive cataloguing requirements. Especially because a lot of sellers did not know how to categorise their products properly. This led us to build the Playment solution,” said Malasane speaking to Inc42.
To make this feasible, Playment technology divided the big chunk of work into small micro-tasks like lego blocks and qualified users on its platform solve the entire puzzle. For instance, sellers often bulk upload apparel catalogues on ecommerce platforms. A person on the ecommerce platform has to inspect each and every item submitted before it is published to ensure that the products are labelled in a way that buyers can find easily. Playment simplified it allowing products to be identified by machine learning.
In the initial years, Playment used to work with crowd-sourced data annotators who would do the labelling work. “Since 2019 we shifted to a hybrid model that includes crowd-sourcing but majorly partner with over 10,000 annotators across secure business process outsourcing (BPO) companies in India to offer the same solution keeping in mind that a lot of these client projects are highly confidential,” said Malasane. This demand for data annotation solutions also helped the company become profitable in 2020.
In India it competes with data annotation companies like iMerit and Infolks. Globally, it competes with the likes of Scale AI and Appen. It was in the process of looking out for partners and investors in the business that Playment founders engaged with TELUS leading to the eventual acquisition. All 85 of the startup’s employees, including founders, will join TELUS post acquisition.
Data Annotation And Computer Vision Opportunities
The global data annotation tools market size was estimated at $321.45 Mn in 2020, according to a report by Expert Market Research. The data annotation tool market is projected to record a CAGR of 27% between 2021 and 2026. The market growth is largely attributed to the increased adoption of software for image data annotation in the automotive, retail, and healthcare sectors.
Currently, Playment services a host of international clients including Samsung, German automotive tools giant ZF, US-based self driving solution company Nuro and Daimler AG among others. TELUS’s largest external client globally is Google. “With TELUS in the driving seat we hope to reach a larger client base globally. We are also aggressively hiring for these opportunities,” says Malasane.


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Tila Tequila has been making headlines for her erratic behavior lately – the reality star filed assault charges against ex-boyfriend, San Diego
Charger Sean Merriman. Then, earlier in December, Tequila (whose real is name Tila Nguyen) announced that she was engaged to Johnson & Johnson heiress Casey Johnson – and she had the ring to prove it.
The pint-sized celebrity paraded up and down the red carpet sporting the giant diamond engagement ring
, which was reported to be 17-carats. There was speculation that the ring was fake, but Tequila and Casey both denied those claims.
So what's next for the reality star? While we would have guessed wedding planning
(or a nap), it seems that Miss Tequila has one more trick up her sleeve. She announced yesterday via her Twitter account that she was going to have a baby.
"I am going to become a SURROGATE MOTHER for my brother and his Wife!!...That is my xmas present to them," the star tweeted.
The star also announced that she was already pregnant. So now we have to wonder, will Tequila and Casey rush their nuptials, or will Tequila be shopping for a maternity-style wedding dress


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A study by Wildfire Interactive found that social media tracking and measurement tools help companies determine benefits and value as well as promote client retention.
In a survey of more than 700 marketers worldwide, 88% of respondents told Wildfire Interactive, a social media marketing software company, that social media helps grow brand awareness. Social media also benefited marketers by allowing them to engage in dialogue (85%) and increase sales and partnerships (58%). An additional 41% of marketers said it helped reduce costs.
Charles Schwab is one company that sees the benefits of engaging in dialogue with customers via social media.
“It has opened up this whole public communications channel, where we can get great feedback,” said Lindsay Tiles, director of corporate public relations at Charles Schwab, in a December 2011 interview with eMarketer. “We’re trying to get people out of the mindset that social media is just for pushing your messages out. It is about communicating, but it’s also about listening.”
While marketers look at the overall benefits of social media, they are also drilling deeper to determine the value of Facebook fans in particular. Among respondents to Wildfire’s survey, 44% said Facebook fans are valuable because they help with new customer recruitment. Additionally, 18% said Facebook fans have higher conversion rates and another 18% noted that they make more frequent purchases.
While these softer metrics are proving valuable for marketers, there is still room to prove solid return on investment and other business results. Of those surveyed, 24% said they measure the ROI of social media by looking at increases in revenue. Additionally, 38% said they count increased “likes,” comments and interactions on Facebook.
Marketers know how social media can influence and add value to a company, but by bringing these specific metrics and benefits to the forefront, they will be better able to prove the importance of this channel going forward.


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Motorola DVX specs appear, set for global release
This year we have seen the Moto X released for US consumers which allows some small customizations made to the handset along with a number of colour options available. Now another new handset is on its way in the form of the Motorola DVX, which has now seen some specs appear ahead of a global release.
The Moto X isn’t the cheapest of smartphone options that is currently available especially when you consider its specifications, but a more budget friendly device is on its way in the coming weeks called the Motorola DVX.
Some images have now appeared via Weibo and according to the source the device will feature a 4.5-inch non-Super AMOLED display along with having dual SIM card support and a removable rear cover. It will have the same processor that is found inside the Moto X, which is the dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro.
The device is pegged to cost between 1200 to 1500 Yuan, which is about Â£121/Â£152, but not much else is known about the handset except it is being aimed towards the pre-paid and emerging markets.
We do have some information from a source that is close to a major mobile retailer in the UK, who has stated the handset is coming to the country but has been delayed until next month. This source is reliable but they can’t reveal too much about the handset for fear of losing their job, but the retailer is really excited about the handsets arrival.
Do you like the look of the Motorola DVX?


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This is already the best year for corporate deals, by value, since 2000, with nearly $500 billion (£285 billion) of deals in Europe so far.
The latest is the proposed £7 billion merger of Boots, the high-street chemist, with Alliance Unichem, the European drugs retailer.
Spotting takeover targets can be lucrative; Steer says roughly a fifth of his fund’s 50% gain since launch in November 2001 has come from buying bid candidates.
He snapped up shares in BPB, the plasterboard supplier, in February and it has since soared 44%, after a hostile bid by Saint-Gobain, a French building-materials group, in July.
He also took a stake in Aegis, the advertising business, in June and has since seen the shares leap 45%. In September, the firm…


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“It’s hard to find things that won’t sell online.” – Jeff Bezos, founder, Amazon
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PRWEB) August 28, 2013
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Many people are stuck in the office all day doing something they don't like because they're too afraid to start a business and having it fail. Bio-Views is the perfect solution. There is a low start up cost and high commissions that people can't get anywhere else. Having a virtual business, people can take vacations whenever they want and still manage their business with custom analytics and tools to improve conversion ratios and gain clientele from all over the world. Bio-Views is an all-in-one social network, built to actually help businesses grow on all levels. As businesses continue to close down, young adults coming out of college are going to be looking for jobs that really don't exist. On top of that, they're going to have plenty of college debt. Bio-Views is a movement to help the average person make real money and run successful businesses online. Social media is only getting bigger. As internet becomes available to more people around the world, the internet industry is going to boom. Now is the time to really bring businesses online and grow them! Bio-Views brings real hope to the people with real opportunity. From all backgrounds, people will have an equal chance to have their own online business and that's why we created a smart platform for people to do it.
Check out http://www.bio-views.com to start an online business! The Bio-Views team is a group of entrepreneurs and business owners who want to help people around the world innovate and discover endless possibilities. Join the movement.


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By Tony Wittkowski | Business Reporter | The Herald-Palladium
BENTON HARBOR — Whirlpool Corp. is holding a special sale on discounted appliances for a second consecutive year.
The “Overhauled, Old & Obsolete” Appliance Liquidation Sale will be Saturday with all proceeds going to the 2016 Whirlpool employee United Way campaign.
The sale hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Center for Partner Development building at 1800 Paw Paw Ave. in Benton Harbor.
The sale, which is open to the public, will include more than 200 discounted Maytag, Amana, KitchenAid and Whirlpool brand ovens, ranges, refrigerators, dishwashers, washers and dryers. All products will be covered by a one-year warranty.
Angie Seger, senior manager for Corporate Communications, said the sale is staffed almost entirely by Whirlpool employees, who are volunteering.
“The funds raised go directly to our 2016 United Way campaign goal of $2.6 million,” Seger said. “The sale is great because there’s a huge demand for these appliances and it’s a fast way for us to put a significant dent in our fundraising efforts for the year.”
Last year, the public sale netted more than $70,000.
Seger said they expect to raise $80,000 with this sale. Seger said there will also be a few changes to this year’s sale.
“We had originally planned for the sale to last two days, but the merchandise flew out the door in the first five hours,” she said of last year’s sale. “That’s why we’re doing a one-day sale this year, and shoppers can expect the same high-quality appliances for sale at deep discounts.”
Volunteers will be equipped with iPads in order to help customers waiting in line. Whirlpool workers will keep customers up to date on which products have been sold in real time.
Seger said there were people who waited in line last year only to find out the refrigerator they wanted to buy had already been sold.
All products purchased must be picked up Saturday. For an additional $100 donation, home deliveries will be available inside a 15-mile radius. Cash and credit cards are accepted for payment. Checks will not be taken.


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In 1992, Alfonso “Alfy” Fanjul, a Cuban exile-turned millionaire sugar baron, co-chaired former Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign in Florida. Six years later, Fanjul unwittingly became a footnote in one of the most salacious scandals in Washington history when the report of independent counsel Ken Starr investigating the Whitewater affair included his name. According to the Starr Report, the President apparently interrupted a liaison with Monica Lewinsky to take a call from Alfy, who wanted to complain about a proposal Vice President Al Gore backed to add a penny tax to sugar producers to pay to clean up the Florida Everglades. That tax never got through.
The story has become an inside-the-Beltway legend that illustrates the raw power of political influence, particularly that of American sugar producers, which include sugar growers and refiners. As a result of an active grassroots network spread over a relatively wide space, the sugar industry has historically been able to punch way above its weight politically. Its single-minded focus on protecting the Federal program that props up sugar prices and enables lavish amounts of campaign contributions from producers like the Fanjuls is a textbook case of successful lobbying.
But serious challenges loom for the powerful industry. The Farm Bill is scheduled to be reauthorized in 2007 for the first time in five years, giving opponents of the sugar industry, including competing commodities and candy makers, an opening to modify the sugar program to their benefit. In 2008, a provision of NAFTA delayed for 14 years will open the U.S. market to sugar imports from Mexico, a change that could send U.S. sugar prices plummeting.
If the sugar industry’s position is weakened next year, it would mark the downfall of one the most effective industry coalitions in the annals of Capitol influence peddling. But if any group should not be underestimated, it’s the sugar lobby. Few groups, in fact, have been as good at getting what they want from Capitol Hill and the White House.
Although the sugar industry accounts for few direct jobs in the United States, around 61,000, and amounts to only 1 percent of total agriculture receipts, it is responsible for as much as 15 percent of all agriculture-related PAC campaign giving, according to PoliticalMoneyLine, which tracks campaign spending. “It’s not that they have a lot of constituents across the country. It’s that they have a lot of money”, said one lobbyist who is often at odds with the industry.
The main result of all this giving has been a massive Department of Agriculture program that supports the sugar industry in three critical ways. First, the Department restricts the amount of sugar that domestic growers can produce by determining annual allotments. In return for the producers’ agreement not to grow more than they’re allotted, the Department restricts sugar imports to the United States to 15 percent of domestic consumption, and also administers a loan program that effectively acts as a price floor. But it’s not a sweet deal for everybody. A 2000 estimate from the Government Accountability Office said that the Federal loan program and restrictions on imports artificially inflate the price of American sugar and cost consumers of foods and drinks sweetened with sugar an extra $1.9 billion a year.
Congress first set import quotas for sugar in the Great Depression. The protection program expanded after Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba in 1959. Washington cut off sugar imports from that cane-rich country and expanded efforts to boost the domestic sugar cane industry.
Castro’s rise was significant in another way for the domestic sugar industry. It eventually led Alfy Fanjul’s sugar-growing family to flee their homeland for the United States. Shorn of their first sugar empire when Castro’s henchmen appropriated the land, the Fanjuls set about building a second sugar empire here. Today, the family is the largest cane grower and refiner in the country. They own 190,000 acres of sugar cane fields in Florida, and through their privately held umbrella corporation, Flo-Sun, they control about 40 percent of Florida’s sugar cane crop. Florida Crystals, a division of Flo-Sun, recently purchased Canada’s largest sugar company for $260 million with the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative in Florida.
Now fabulously rich, the Fanjuls have garnered unwelcome attention from the news media, even as they refuse most interview requests. A lengthy Vanity Fair article in February 2001 described a years-long legal battle over how workers were treated on their cane fields. The subject is reportedly being made into a movie. The Fanjuls have also been criticized for contributing to pollution problems in the Everglades.
Despite the bad press, the family has been welcome in both political parties. José Fanjul, one of two brothers who run Florida Crystals, was a “Pioneer” fundraiser for George W. Bush, meaning he helped raise at least $200,000 for the President’s campaign. Previously, José was on Bob Dole’s finance committee. “One of the reasons why we get involved in American politics is because of what happened to us in Cuba”, Alfy Fanjul told Vanity Fair. A call to the Fanjul’s Florida Crystals spokesperson for comment on this article was not returned.
In 2006 alone, the Fanjul family donated nearly $400,000 to political campaigns, while Florida Crystals, a division of Flo-Sun, donated another $45,000. That may have been a wise investment considering that for a family like the Fanjuls, who own a significant chunk of the sugar cane fields and major refiners like Domino Sugar, it has been estimated that the current government program is worth as much as $65 million a year in extra profits. (The family has disputed that number in other press reports.)
Although sugar’s sultans can be found in places outside of the sunny cane fields of South Florida, they all stand ready to protect the victories they have won through a string of trade wars and skirmishes over the past years. Upper Midwestern sugar beet growers account for 55 percent of the sugar production in the United States and are a very active lobby. Congressman Colin Peterson is the new chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, and he has vowed to protect the industry. His Minnesota district produces more sugar than any other district in the country. In March, beet farmers were in Washington en masse going door-to-door on Capitol Hill to urge agriculture leaders to continue the current sugar program in the Farm Bill.
These are well-practiced folk. During the 2005 debate on the Central American Free Trade Area, sugar mounted such vigorous opposition to CAFTA that Congress only barely passed the measure, despite widespread industry and agricultural support for the deal. Although it represented a rare loss for sugar, the industry “was a very significant force. They were major players and very influential players”, said one senior Administration official who spoke anonymously because he was not commenting on behalf of the government. Sugar supporters sent some 70,000 letters to trade officials negotiating the trade pact.
Sugar’s influence during the CAFTA debate came ten years after a bitter international showdown with Mexican sugar growers during the NAFTA negotiations. Mexican sugar cane cutters were a driving force behind the 1910 Mexican Revolution. Nearly ninety years later, as U.S. and Mexican trade officials tried to resolve a lingering NAFTA dispute over sugar, the cane cutters made sure their opinion of the deal was well-known. Upset at the prospect of new competition from U.S. exports of high-fructose corn syrup, cane workers protested outside the building in Mexico City where the officials were meeting. Several waved machetes to emphasize their position.
As the cane cutters demonstrated in Mexico City, officials in the American sugar industry complained loudly that they thought unfettered Mexican sugar imports, the trade-off for Mexico opening its market to corn syrup, would ruin their current protections. Wielding money in the form of campaign contributions, the sugar industry called on its powerful Capitol Hill allies to pressure Clinton Administration officials. Lawmakers from sugar-producing states then called Administration trade negotiators into a meeting in the office of then-Senator John Breaux (D-LA) to complain about the ongoing negotiations.
“The industry was not pleased about how we were going about it”, a source familiar with the events said. The former trade official described this intervention on Capitol Hill as unusual, and it underscores the level of influence the industry has in Washington. The Mexican government decided to heavily tax soft drinks that use corn syrup, the subject of a subsequent trade dispute resolved only last summer.
American sugar policy has repeatedly complicated trade negotiations. Australia reportedly nearly walked away from a bilateral deal with the United States when sugar was taken off the table by the Americans. The sugar lobby argues that sugar policy should be worked out in broader arenas like the World Trade Organization. They say that other countries are able to produce lower cost sugar in part because of their own generous government subsidies. Brazil, for example, has invested billions of dollars to support its sugar-based ethanol industry.
Now with significant trade and farm policy legislation on the horizon, sugar is outspending its opponents by a mile. In 2006, the industry donated $2.7 million to congressional candidates, versus the $800,000 that sugar-user industries like candy makers donated. And sugar producers seemed to donate smarter, too: More than 60 percent of its donations went to Democrats, who regained control of the House and Senate, while sugar users gave more to Republicans.
In the new Congress, sugar supporters hold key slots on powerful committees. Democratic Senator Max Baucus of Montana, a beet-growing state, chairs the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over tax policy. Peterson, from his perch atop the Agriculture Committee, will play a major role in shaping this year’s massive Farm Bill. Peterson said he has no interest in changing the current program: “We’re not going to close the safety net.”
But some lawmakers have gown sour on sugar. Candy makers in Congressman Mark Kirk’s Chicago-area district have cut thousands of jobs to relocate to countries where sugar can be bought more cheaply. A recent Commerce Department study found Chicago confectioners lost around 4,000 jobs over a five-year period: “Evidence suggests that sugar costs are a major factor in relocation”, the study said.
Sugar industry advocates won’t accept the blame, noting that Hershey Co. recently announced it would layoff 1,500 workers in the United States and build a new production plant in Monterrey, Mexico, where sugar prices are actually higher. “It defies logic to think that companies are closing because of sugar prices”, said Phillip Hayes, a spokesman for the American Sugar Alliance, an umbrella group of sugar producers. Confectioners have outsourced jobs for the same reason companies like Levi’s have: the opportunity to reduce labor costs. “There’s not much sugar in blue jeans,” Hayes said.
After the sugar industry’s CAFTA defeat, and in the face of more Mexican imports, sugar users, like cereal makers, have sensed an opportunity for a wholesale change to sugar policy in the Farm Bill reauthorization. The users’ proposal is to bring sugar in line with other commodities like corn, which gets a direct government subsidy, at a cost of $1.3 billion a year. The Department of Agriculture doesn’t support that approach. It favors the status quo, with one key exception. The Administration’s 2007 Farm Bill would give the U.S. Department of Agriculture more power to restrict domestic production in response to imports, something the industry opposes.
Given the level of uncertainty, why then would sugar reject a $1.3 billion subsidy? Direct subsidy payments to super-rich families like the Fanjuls would be politically hard to maintain, industry officials themselves acknowledge. A subsidy would also take away one of sugar’s main selling points: that the current system it operates under is effectively “no cost” to the government, unlike other farm commodity programs. That could be an especially salient point with Democrats promising austere budgets to reduce the Federal deficit.
Opponents say sugar producers don’t want a new deal because it wouldn’t be as sweet as the current program. As Congressman Kirk said, “If you are a powerful lobby in Washington, you can get a government subsidy. If you are a really powerful, you cut the government out and extract the subsidy directly from the consumer.”
That’s exactly what sugar has been able to achieve. But Kirk, who leads the 16-member Sugar Reform Caucus in Congress, believes that Big Sugar’s influence may be dissolving. He says that beginning in 2008, Mexican imports will make it impossible for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to continue to balance supply and demand in the carefully constructed domestic market. Eventually, the dynamics of the free market will take over, American sugar prices will fall, and candy jobs will return. “The sugar industry is now mortally wounded”, he said.
It isn’t yet clear that Mexican sugar will, in fact, have such a dire affect. For one thing, Mexican sugar, at 34 cents per pound, is actually more expensive now than American sugar, which sells at 25 cents per pound, although prices fluctuate. There is also some talk in Congress of directing any imports that do come in to the production of sugar-based ethanol. Minnesota’s Peterson believes that the U.S. producers will end up exporting more to Mexico than vice versa, given the price difference. His worry is that the Mexican sugar lobby will push their politicians to restrict imports of American sugar in response. “If they shut us out, we should shut them out the next day”, Peterson said.
Sugar policy is poised to further complicate trade deals with Thailand and with South American countries as part of a Free Trade Area of the Americas. Both trade deals are moving slowly for reasons other than sugar policy, but American protectionism of sugar almost always promises awkward negotiations for other commodities. “It is something our trading partners can point to and suggest that we are being somewhat hypocritical about in our calls for eliminating subsidies or tariffs”, the senior Administration official said.
But pressure to be fairer to foreign trading partners isn’t an argument that carries much weight on Capitol Hill these days, as the United States posts record trade deficits. The newest crop of Democrats largely ran against free trade deals, and a growing number of Republicans are skeptical, too.
After sugar’s aggressive opposition to the CAFTA agreement, there was talk on Capitol Hill that the industry had overplayed its hand; its intransigence had lost it friends. But there was little evidence of that in May 2006, when the House rejected overwhelmingly an attempt to lower the sugar loan program. “Our support on Capitol Hill is as strong as it has ever been”, says Hayes.
However, looming trade deals and growing agitation over domestic sugar prices mean that sugar, like other segments of the economy, is finally being forced to deal with the full effects of globalization. But given the history of the sugar lobby’s power on Capitol Hill, there is no doubt that producers like the Fanjuls will keep on raising cane, in more ways than one.


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Four million applications have been received for an online lottery where winners can buy tickets to next year’s Paris Olympics, the local organizing committee said on Friday.
They expect to sell 1.3 million tickets for the 2024 Games as a result of the latest draw.
Applications close Thursday night and winners will know early next month if they have been successful. They can start shopping from May 11 and have a 48-hour schedule to do so. You will be informed 48 hours in advance what your schedule is.
Country figures for the 4 million lottery applications and whether more men or women applied were not available. The five countries that bought the most tickets and other statistics will be released after the sale ends in June.
By then, organizers expect around half of the 10 million tickets for the Paris Games will have been sold.
THE OLYMPIC FLAME FOR THE PARIS 2024 GAMES WILL ARRIVE ON BOARD A SHIP FROM GREECE AT THE PORT OF MARSEILLE
A total of 3.2 million tickets were sold in the first sales phase, with packages, and the main buyers came from Great Britain and the United States. Phase 1 ended on March 15, which is also when online applications for the lottery and the second phase of single ticket sales began.
The Paris Games, which will take place from July 26 to August 26. On January 11, 2024, it will have 32 sports and 48 disciplines in 37 sites.
Tickets will be available in five categories based on price range, with a maximum of six for any one event, including the opening ceremony.
To watch the opening ceremony, which will feature thousands of Olympians on boats sailing down the Seine River, spectators will pay between $99 and $2,960, the most expensive ticket of all.
The cheapest tickets for all other events start at just $26, and 4 million of the 10 million tickets for the Paris Games are $55 or less.
Tickets for the women’s 100m final on August 3 are $758 for the best seats. For the men’s 100m final the next day, it’s $1,076.
Tickets for the men’s basketball final on August 10, in which local fans expect prodigy Victor Wembanyama to participate, range from $137 to $1,076. The next day’s women’s final costs between $104 and $560.
Soccer matches will take place in seven cities with the men’s final on August 9 and the women’s final on August 10 at the Parc des Princes in Paris. Both finals are priced from $88 to $329.
LATVIA THREATENS TO BOYCOTT THE PARIS OLYMPICS IF THE RUSSIANS ARE ABLE TO COMPETE
Kylian Mbappé, France’s star player at last year’s World Cup, said he wants to play for his country’s soccer team in the Olympics if he gets permission after the month-long Euro in Germany, which ends on July 14.
The men’s and women’s skateboard finals also have the same maximum price ($176) and are held near the iconic Place de la Concorde, one of the city’s main public squares.
While tickets can also be purchased for friends and family, they can only be resold on the official platform of the Paris Games.
Those who have not been successful in the lottery will also be informed by email. They are encouraged to stay tuned for future ticket opportunities in late 2023, though it was not yet clear under which format.
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The budget for the Olympic Games in Paris is estimated at $4.7 billion and 96% of that money is financed by television rights, official partnerships, ticket sales and licensed products.
Tickets for the Paralympics will be available online on October 4, but not in a lottery, and around 3 million tickets are expected to be sold.
The 2024 Paralympics will take place from August 28 to September 2. 8.


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It's already been a huge year for biotech mergers, we just saw the biggest announcement yet, and the buying might not be over.
This is the largest takeover attempt in the industry this year, topping Abbvie’s buyout of Pharmacyclics for $21 billion last month.
Biotech and pharma M&A activity was about 94% higher than it was last year through early March, according to Reuters.
In a report on Tuesday, Bloomberg noted that generic drugmakers have announced or completed $100 billion of mergers this year, worth five times more than any year since 2005.
Another wrinkle in Tuesday's announcement is that this takeover by Teva attempt comes as part of a three-way battle going on.
Mylan has offered to buy drugmaker Perrigo as part of a $29 billion deal. In a letter to Perrigo's chairman, Mylan's chairman Robert Coury argued that the deal made both business and strategic sense.
On Tuesday, Teva emphasized that its offer is more attractive for Mylan than the company's proposed merger with Perrigo, and the company said in a statement that its offer for Mylan is "contingent on Mylan not completing its proposed acquisition of Perrigo or any alternative transactions."
Of course, all might not be lost for Perrigo shareholders (though shares were off by about 2% on Tuesday).
Here's what JPMorgan analysts wrote in a recent note to clients:
"For Perrigo, we cannot rule out interest beyond Mylan given the company’s growing, durable asset base. Perrigo is targeting 5-10% organic top-line growth and 10-20% EPS growth over a 3-year period, which is one of the most attractive growth rates across our coverage universe and we see this as providing support for shares in the event the company’s remains independent. However, Perrigo’s OTC business is a durable, cash-pay business and we see room for Mylan to raise its offer for the company. Further, we would not be surprised to see other interested parties emerge for the company."
All of this consolidation in the industry, however, screams "bubble" to some, with Credit Suisse writing in a recent note that the industry is in a "new era" where actual earnings and profits accompany the "hopes and dreams" that biotech innovations had been associated with.
The Health Care sector of the S&P 500, where the biggest biotech and pharmaceutical companies are housed, is expected to announce the best earnings and revenue growth in the first quarter; 11.3% and 9.4%, according to FactSet.
Meanwhile, iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology index is up 19% this year, and 59% in the last 12 months.