IBM and layoffs

Employee group reporting 1,100 IBM job cuts - Yahoo! Finance: "IBM Corp. has laid off roughly 1,100 workers in North America this week, a union organizing group said Tuesday.
Lee Conrad, national coordinator at Alliance(at)IBM, said that employees are reporting that the cuts have been made across business segments in the U.S. and some parts of Canada.
Alliance(at)IBM, which is affiliated with the Communication Workers of America, is not a recognized union at IBM, but has been trying to organize employees."

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The Dow(n) Fall

The Hindu : News / National : Dow paid U.S. firms to spy on Bhopal activists: WikiLeaks emails: "Even as Dow Chemical has resisted all compensation claims with regard to the Union Carbide gas leak disaster in Bhopal, it found the money to hire an intelligence research firm to intensively monitor all NGOs and activists working on the issue.

On Monday, WikiLeaks released a cache of 5.5 million emails from the Texas-based intelligence company Stratfor, which revealed that regular monitoring reports of NGO activity as well as media coverage were sent to Dow and Union Carbide communications directors.

Dow Chemical, which bought Union Carbide in 2001, insists that it bears no responsibility to compensate victims or clean up the contaminated site of the 1984 disaster. However, these emails prove that it is still very much invested in monitoring the fallout of the disaster, and its impact on Dow's image."

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The Chinese Embrace....of all things bulky and pricey

While the corrupt politicians blame President Obama for everything, including high gas prices, the Chinese are keeping the pedal to the SUV metal.

China's consumers embrace bulky, pricey SUVs - Yahoo! Finance: "In many ways, the Chinese infatuation with gas-guzzling SUVs is an unlikely one. Most car owners live in crowded, urban areas, with few opportunities for the rugged, dirt-road driving that features in car advertisements. But sitting high above the traffic in an expensive off-road vehicle has an appeal in China's status-conscious society, especially for younger buyers.
A CHANGING MARKET
Land Rovers crowd Cao Jinwei's showroom in Beijing where the long-time dealer says he increasingly sells to wealthy, younger customers.
"I could only sell about four or five Land Rovers every month back in 2005, but now I can do nine or 10," said Cao. "Our clients were mostly middle-aged business owners at the time, but now, more and more young professionals, accountants and engineers in their 30s are also buying Land Rovers.""

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The well-connected....connect to U. of I.- the corruption of education

Relatives of lobbyists, campaign donors got lawmakers' help to enter U. of I. - chicagotribune.com: "Family members of at least three lawmakers also were part of the now-abandoned secret system, known as Category I, a separate admissions track that allowed some subpar students to get admitted to the state's flagship university.

The Tribune first wrote about the shadow system in 2009, and the university then reformed its admissions process. However, university officials have continued to shield the names of the connected applicants, arguing they are following a federal law intended to protect student privacy. That position has sparked a protracted legal battle with the newspaper.

The newspaper has now been able to identify about one-quarter of the 800 students who got preferential treatment from 2005 to 2009. That allowed the paper for the first time to link many elected officials to the families they were helping, exposing possible motivations for interfering in the college admissions process.

"If the Tribune can access that data some other way and provide a public service by disclosure, so be it," said U. of I. Board of Trustees Chairman Christopher Kennedy, who was appointed after the admissions scandal as part of reforms."

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Looting the Public Pension system while criticising government- Republican Style

Perry’s On-the-Job Retirement Lifts Pension Perk From Shadows - NYTimes.com: "Politicians’ pension records are private, so it is unknown how many are taking advantage of the provision. But any state representative, senator or nonjudicial state elected official who meets the age and service requirements is entitled to some benefit under the law, at wildly varying amounts depending on the official’s highest average state salary and individual circumstances, Employees Retirement System officials say.

Mr. Perry invoked the provision last year, disclosing in December that he had increased his take-home pay by more than $90,000 a year through his on-the-job retirement. He also makes $150,000 a year as governor.

His decision provided the first opportunity for a public, in-depth look at a retirement perk that was quietly enhanced and slipped into the law."

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No fizz in this story

Business Line : Industry & Economy / Marketing : Reduced quantity: UAE orders Coca-Cola, Pepsi to remove cans from sale: "DUBAI, FEB 23:
The UAE’s Ministry of Economy has ordered removal of certain cans and bottles of Pepsi and Coca Cola from the market within one month, saying that the companies have reduced quantities without prior permission."

The decision was taken after a meeting between the Ministry and local departments following complaints the two multi-national companies have reduced the size of their cans or bottles without prior approval.

The meeting concluded that reducing the size but maintaining the price was a surprise to the Ministry and other authorities concerned and a violation of the country’s consumer protection law.

Meanwhile, a statement from the Consumer Protection Department, said both companies were selling their products without putting the price or the Arabic labelling of the ingredients on the products, in clear violation of Article (8) of the Consumer.

“Both Pepsi and Coca-Cola have violated the rules by reducing the size of the Dh1.50 can from 355ml to 300ml and removing the price tag,” said Mr Hashem Al Nuaimi, Head of Consumer Protection Department at the ministry.

He also said if the two beverage producers fail to set the prices of cans/bottles according to their volumes, legal action will be taken against them under the consumer protection law.

Austerity in mail

Postal service downsizing plan cuts 35,000 jobs - Business - US business - msnbc.com: "The U.S. Postal Service announced plans on Thursday to close or consolidate 223 mail processing centers and eliminate up to 35,000 jobs as part of its strategy to cut costs by reducing its network of facilities.
The Postal Service has been losing billions of dollars each year as email chips away at mail volumes and as it faces massive annual payments to the federal government.
Postal officials said in September they would study more than 250 of the 461 processing sites for possible consolidation with other facilities as part of a series of cost-cutting steps. They also announced plans to end next-day delivery to cut back on overnight work."

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No Pay n No Gain

India, 25 others nations to oppose EU airline carbon tax - The Times of India: "NEW DELHI: India, China, the US, Russia, Brazil and another 21 nations have decided to retaliate against the EU decision to collect billions of dollars every year by unilaterally imposing a carbon tax on flights landing in Eurozone.

The retaliatory measures decided include reviewing or abrogating the bilateral service agreements and open skies' agreements with each European country, suspending all negotiations on operating rights for the EU airlines and aircraft operators and imposing additional levies and charges on flights coming in from European nations. The fallout could hit the domestic consumers hard since the number of European flights landing and flying from India could be reduced and the cost of tickets could increase exponentially."

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Hole in 1/4..rather 1 in 4 in a hole

Life Inc. - One in four Americans has more debt than savings: "A survey by Bankrate.com released Tuesday found that 25 percent of Americans have more credit card debt than they have in emergency savings, and that spells trouble if an emergency situation actually hits.
Consumers are doing better when it comes to living within their means, said Greg McBride, Bankrate.com’s senior financial analyst. But, he added, years of stagnant wage growth, high unemployment, declining home values and escalating household expenses have strained wallets. “Even though there’s been progress things are still out of whack,” he said.
And the economic pictures may get even gloomier for consumers if gas prices continue to escalate, he pointed out. Last year, he said, “60 percent of Americans said they cut back on discretionary spending because of gasoline prices.”"

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Memes

Students: are memes the new site of class struggle? Discuss | Education | guardian.co.uk: ""Leeds what? Leeds what?" the DJ demands, and is answered by guttural chants of "Yooooo-naaaay, Yooooo-naaaay". Immediately a counter-call drifts across the sticky dance-floor: "Met, Met, Met". There's a bit of good-humoured shoving, the sort you did at gigs when you were 13, then the music gets louder and everyone returns to the serious business of dancing.

This ritual is played out every freshers' week in the nightclubs of Leeds. The line between students form Leeds University and Leeds Met is drawn from their first excitable night out. It's not aggressive, but it's definitely there – are you old redbrick, or are you new ex-poly?

The tension crystallises at the annual Varsity match. There is something about being packed into the tiered, spherical shape of a stadium, clutching your plastic glass of warm beer, that makes all manner of abuse socially acceptable."

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Cisco Systems to raise India staff by 60% over next four years - The Economic Times

Cisco Systems to raise India staff by 60% over next four years - The Economic Times: "NEW DELHI: Cisco Systems will increase its workforce in India by about 60% over the next four years as part of its strategy for emerging markets, a senior executive of the network equipment maker told ET.

This will be the first big-scale recruitment by Cisco in India after it announced a 15% cut in global workforce in mid 2011. Most of the hiring will be for the company's research and development centre in Bangalore, which is its largest outside the US. The IT giant is increasingly using the Bangalore centre for innovating products for emerging markets such as India, China and Brazil.

"By 2015, we will be ramping up from 7,500 people to about 12,000 people, increasing workforce out of Bangalore," senior vice-president Sanjay Rohatgi said, adding, "We want to innovate faster and at the right price point for emerging countries because the growth will happen in this part of the world now." "

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Recognizing those who are changing the world

The 50 new radicals | From the Observer | The Observer: "Last November, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (Nesta) teamed up with the Observer to launch a call to find 50 of Britain's new radicals. We wanted to find people who were coming up with creative answers to the big issues of our times, working below the radar of national media. We wanted to celebrate people who were really doing good rather than celebrities famous for being famous. And we wanted to find examples of inspiration during a difficult time."

We were bowled over by the response. Many hundreds of nominations came in from every part of country, the great majority of them impressive and intriguing combinations of big vision and practicality. We don't pretend that there was any science to our selections. We tried to strike a rough balance, from business to science, arts to community, with one or two better known projects alongside others that are almost wholly unknown. But we had to exclude many brilliant people and ideas, and the judges didn't always agree.

The bigger message we've taken away is that a similar exercise could be done in every region, and every city. Britain is rich in radicalism, and anyone who says that our society has drifted into fatalism and apathy should get out more.

Not surprisingly, we found some common themes. Many of the nominees – Rubies in the Rubble, Transition towns and the Green house – were involved in reuse and recycling. The extent to which we waste things becomes even more of an affront in times of austerity – and we were impressed by the number of great ideas for making use of otherwise wasted food, buildings or land. Another large group were making the most of digital technologies, smartphones and broadband – fromentrepreneurs such as Michael Acton-Smith, to social entrepreneurs (Iris Lapinski) and computer scientists (Open Street Map). Many nominees offered creative responses to the return of mass unemployment – from Women Like Us to Working Rite. The longer-term trends of ageing are also calling forth imaginative responses such as Dementia Adventure and Shared Lives.

Transferring public money to private firms, in the guise of Capitalism

U.S. loan guarantees part of Lion Air deal for Boeing jets - chicagotribune.com: "The U.S. government is offering loan guarantees to help the low-cost carrier buy 230 jets, under a system operating on both sides of the Atlantic to promote exports of strategic goods such as the jetliners built by Boeing or rival Airbus.

In theory, it means U.S. taxpayers could pick up part of the tab if the deal falls through.

Bankers and officials involved in such transactions say experience suggests this is unlikely to happen, or any losses could be recouped by recovering assets.

Indonesian entrepreneur and Lion Air co-founder Rusdi Kirana blazed a trail at the Singapore Air Show, signing deals for 259 aircraft worth $23 billion this week, including Boeing and Hawker Beechcraft jets and European ATR turboprops. "
The three-day splurge left some wondering how an airline little known internationally, and banned in Europe over safety concerns, could afford to pay for the planes.

Similar questions swirled in 2005 when Lion Air placed what was then considered a huge order for 60 aircraft. This has since propelled it to become Indonesia's top domestic airline.

A senior U.S. official familiar with the deal dismissed concerns about the airline's ability to pay.

"We believe Lion Air has a good business model and a management team that is successfully implementing it," Robert Morin, vice-president of the transportation division at the Ex-Im Bank, told Reuters.

SUstainable growth

Al Gore takes aim at 'unsustainable' capitalism - chicagotribune.com: "ogether with David Blood, senior partner of "green" fund firm Generation Investment Management, the environmental activist has crafted a blueprint for "sustainable capitalism" he wants the financial industry to adopt to support lasting economic growth.

"While we believe that capitalism is fundamentally superior to any other system for organizing economic activity, it is also clear that some of the ways in which it is now practiced do not incorporate sufficient regard for its impact on people, society and the planet," Gore said.

At a briefing ahead of Thursday's launch, David Blood said capitalism has been blighted with short-termism and an obsession with instant investment results, which had ramped up market volatility, widened the gap between rich and poor and deflected attention from the deepening climate crisis."

The former CEO of Goldman Sachs Asset Management put forward five key actions which he hoped would revive the discussion on how to clean up capitalism and put companies, investors and stakeholders on the path towards long-term, sustainable profit.

These include ending quarterly earnings guidance from companies, which the authors said incentivized executives and investors to base decisions on short-term factors at the expense of longer-term objectives.

Companies have also been encouraged to integrate financial reporting with insight on environmental, social and governance policy so investors can clearly see how performance in the latter can contribute to the former.

"This is a direct appeal, dare I say, attack on short-termism in business," Blood said.

"Today the average mutual fund in the U.S. turns over its entire portfolio every 7 months; 20 years ago it was every 7 years. Something has fundamentally changed and the problem with that is it means we're not making good investing decisions... and not delivering proper and efficient wealth creation."

After hitting mainstream consciousness in the early part of the last decade, the 2008 financial crisis brought efforts to make global business more environmentally and economically sound to a virtual halt.

But with so many roots to that crisis found in skewed asset valuations and irrational short-term trading, the authors want to restate the case for change while the pain of the credit crunch was still fresh in the memory.

"We went down this path because we fundamentally believe this is relevant to business. This has always been about value creation and this whole conversation about sustainable capitalism is not a new movement," Blood said.

"While governments and civil society will need to be part of the solution to these challenges, ultimately it will be companies and investors that will mobilize the capital needed to overcome them."

COMPENSATION AND LOYALTY

To offset the disproportional influence of short-term traders like hedge funds on global markets, Generation has proposed the issuance of loyalty-driven securities to reward investors who nurture real business growth by holding a company's shares for a number of years.

The blueprint also recommends significant changes in corporate compensation structures, putting more emphasis on bonuses linked to multi-year performance instead of individual fiscal years.

Gore said pension funds had a vital role to play in coaxing their managers to make longer-term investment decisions, which by extension, could result in a healthier society and planet.

"(They) have a fiduciary obligation to maximize the long-term performance of their assets to the maturation of their long term liabilities," Gore said.

"If pension funds turn to managers of their assets and compensate them with a structure that incentivizes them to maximize performance on an annual basis, they should not be surprised if that is what their managers end up doing."

Blood said the campaign for sustainable investment had been hit by worries that change would cost more than it would ultimately deliver, but many businesses were still to grasp how value-destructive some elements of modern capitalism had become.

"...In America, as soon as you say the word 'sustainability' people think of socially-responsible investing, tree-hugging and we don't believe that at all. We think sustainability is just best practice in business," he said.

Obama's message: Eat at your own risk

Obama's budget cuts bacteria testing in produce: ""While food safety is a vitally important part of successfully marketing produce and other agricultural products, other federal and state public health agencies are better equipped to perform this function," USDA spokeswoman Courtney Rowe said in a statement.

Industry leaders from United Fresh Produce and other major trade associations have pushed the government in recent years to get rid of the comprehensive testing program, saying it has cost growers millions in produce recalls and has unfairly targeted farmers who aren't responsible for contaminating the food. They want the private sector to do more of its own testing, rather than allowing USDA to take random samples of fruits and vegetables at massive grocery store distribution centers, after produce has already left company control.

Last year, for instance, California firms had to recall pre-packaged fresh cilantro and bagged spinach after MDP tests of random samples detected salmonella."

New Tropicana from Pepsico - Vitamin A&D, spiked with H2O

PepsiCo waters down Tropicana to juice margins - The Economic Times: "Some consumers prefer orange juice that's less thick. Others want juice with the "goodness" of oranges and fewer calories, said PepsiCo Global Beverages Chief Massimo D'Amore. And consumers will pay the same -- or more -- for such versions.

"They themselves add water before drinking OJ," D'Amore said. "So why not add the water ourselves and charge for it?"

PepsiCo's Tropicana, the best-selling orange juice in the U.S., is trying to regain space in American refrigerators after a repackaging fiasco three years ago hurt the brand and allowed Coca-Cola Co. (KO) to outflank it. The brand lost market share last year to Coca-Cola's Minute Maid and Simply Orange brands."

Citi and fines- made for each other

Citigroup to pay $158.3M in mortgage settlement - chicagotribune.com: "Citigroup Inc has agreed to pay $158.3 million to settle U.S. civil claims that it defrauded the government over some home loans from its CitiMortgage unit.

Wednesday's settlement resolves claims under the federal False Claims Act and concerned more than six years of misconduct, according to U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in Manhattan. Citigroup "admits, acknowledges and accepts responsibility" for its conduct, he added.

The government accused Citigroup of falsely certifying to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that various risky mortgage loans it was making qualified for mortgage insurance. "

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Chicago is #1

Chicago area has most corruption convictions in nation, UIC study says - chicagotribune.com: "The Chicago area logged the most public corruption convictions of any federal jurisdiction in the United States during the past 36 years, according to a report released today by the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Federal prosecutors secured a total of 1,531 public corruption convictions in the Northern District of Illinois since 1976, said Dick Simpson, head of the university’s political science department.

Meanwhile, Illinois logged 1,828 public corruption convictions, the third most of any state, according to the report. Only California and New York had more.
"

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Yunus and Indian MFIs

Indian MFIs have deviated from idea of micro credit: Muhammad Yunus - The Economic Times: "MUMBAI: Microfinance institutions in India have deviated from the idea of micro credit, Professor Muhammad Yunus, chairman of Yunus Centre and pioneer of micro-credit, has said.

"They (MFIs) moved away from the idea of micro credit. That has created all the problems," said Yunus, in a media brefing in Mumbai. "MFIs based in Andhra Pradesh have drifted from their mission.

They need to extract and reintroduce themselves to do business. The problem was created because they called themselves micro credit and deviated from the very plan of micro credit," he said.

The economist from Bangladesh, who created the innovative programme of providing small loans to poor people, especially women, to help eradicate poverty, said that listing of MFIs on the bourses was a wrong move.

"This is a business done with poor people. So you have to do it carefully. Some people found an opportunity in it and went to benefit themselves. When you want to benefit yourself, sky becomes the limit creating the whole problem," he said. "

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Mediocrity in writing

Major newspapers printing headlines with errors is no longer news. Perhaps it is time the readers lowered their standards.

The Hindu : Home Page News & Features: "Sen is being awarded the 2011 National Humanities Medal for his insights into the causes of poverty, famine, and injustice. By applying philosophical thinking to questions of policy, he has changed how standards of living are measured and increased our understanding of how to fight hunger," said the citation, read by a military aid of the US President. »"

This airline behavior should not fly

Jet, Kingfisher Airlines staff not paid for two months; 20 Kingfisher pilots may have joined IndiGo - The Economic Times: "MUMBAI: Nearly 18,000 employees of Jet Airways and Kingfisher have not received salaries for two months, a reflection of the deepening crisis in the aviation industry.

On Monday, Kingfisher Airlines delayed payment of its December salaries again citing 'large unanticipated payments'. Employees of Jet Airways, the country's largest private carrier by market share, have not been paid for January. Both airlines together employ about 18,000 people in different functions across airports. "

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Language and Culture

The Hindu : Life & Style / Society : The new language landscape: "More and more children now speak only in English, and are losing sense of their mother tongues completely. RESHMA KRISHNAMURTHY SHARMA tries to figure out where the problem lies
“Ruchika, do you want this book on Winnie-the-Pooh or the Doraemon series toys?” asks Sandhya Rao to her two-year-old at a bookstore. It may seem ordinary, but the toddler replies in a language that was never her grandmas's or even her mother's own. An increasing number of children, especially in urban areas, are speaking more English than any other language. Has English become the new mother tongue in many homes? Given the environments in which Gen X children are growing up, the answer seems to be ‘yes'."

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Climate change and microbial effects

Climate change speeds up microbial change - The Economic Times: "SYDNEY: Climate change could affect Antarctica's Dry Valleys more rapidly than previously expected, particularly the microbial communities in the soil, a study reveals.

"We used to think that microbial change took place slowly over centuries," said Craig Cary, professor at the University of Waikato, who led the study.

"It's important we keep documenting the current biodiversity in Antarctica so we can predict the effects of climate change," said Cary, the journal Nature Communications reported.

To do this, the researchers transferred a 250-year-old carcass to an untouched site and used community DNA fingerprinting and new sequencing techniques to track the changes in microbial composition and structure. "

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Obama- Yes we can, to corporations

Obama to pitch lower U.S. corporate tax: Sources - chicagotribune.com: "U.S. President Barack Obama, who has angered businesses with his plans to close corporate tax loopholes, is expected to call for cutting the top 35 percent corporate tax rate as early as this month, according to two sources close to the administration.

The president is likely to propose a rate close to an average of peer nations, the sources said.

This would fit with remarks made last year by U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who suggested the United States should be moving to a rate more in line with its major trading partners in the high 20 percent range."

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No-shows = Mo-Money

Red Tape - Airlines secretly cash in on unused tickets: "Nader recently sent letters to all major U.S. airlines asking how much they earn from unused tickets. He got a polite refusal delivered by the industry group Airlines for America, which called the information "confidentially and commercially sensitive."
"Consumers understand that if nonrefundable tickets cannot be used, their value will be lost," the letter said.
The letter, signed by association general counsel David Berg, goes on to say expiring airline tickets are no different from time limits on refund policies of "other retail shopping outlets, from clothes to computers, and are neither deceptive nor unfair.""

Nader recently sent letters to all major U.S. airlines asking how much they earn from unused tickets. He got a polite refusal delivered by the industry group Airlines for America, which called the information "confidentially and commercially sensitive."

"Consumers understand that if nonrefundable tickets cannot be used, their value will be lost," the letter said.

The letter, signed by association general counsel David Berg, goes on to say expiring airline tickets are no different from time limits on refund policies of "other retail shopping outlets, from clothes to computers, and are neither deceptive nor unfair."

Nader wasn't impressed by the airlines' response.

“The writer was thrashing around for every analogy he could find, filling the page and a half with non-sequiturs," Nader said. For starters, any analogy between clothes and airline ticket return policies breaks down pretty quickly. After all, if the time to return a sweater has passed, you still get to keep the sweater.

Undeterred, Nader has filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act with the Transportation Department seeking the same data.

But is it really unfair for airlines to keep the money spent on unused tickets and to load up restrictions on refunds?

One convincing argument offered by the industry is that plane tickets are a "perishable" item, akin to concert tickets. Once the plane leaves the ground with an empty seat, an airline can't make money off it, so why should it be expected to offer easy refunds? No one who buys a ticket to a rock concert or a sporting event expects a refund if they miss the event.

Not Micro but major macro contributions from Microsoft employees

Microsoft Employees Raise Record-Breaking $100 Million for Nonprofits in 2011 - PR Newswire - sacbee.com: "-- Microsoft Corp. is delighted to announce the results of its 2011 employee giving campaign: our U.S. Microsoft employees raised $100.5 million (inclusive of the company match) for more than 18,000 U.S.-based community organizations doing work in the U.S. and around the world last year. With this milestone, Microsoft employees have now raised more than $946 million for nonprofits and community organizations since the company's giving program started in 1983.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)

Each year, every full-time employee at Microsoft in the U.S. receives a $12,000 corporate matching gift that matches volunteer time ($17 per hour) or dollar-for-dollar charitable contributions to eligible nonprofits. Microsoft's Employee Giving Program is designed to honor the diversity of our workforce by supporting a broad spectrum of organizations and institutions doing work domestically and internationally. Microsoft matches employee gifts to all eligible organizations with a 501(c)(3) public charity status and educational institutions. "

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Rugby, far more interesting than NFL football

Dead Rubber » Ireland’s use of possession became puzzling: "LET’S TEMPORARILY suspend reality and assume that yesterday was a draw and not a fortunate two-point win for Wales. Who would then have more confidence in Paris, Ireland or Wales? With your answer in mind let’s now look at yesterday.

From the kick-off it was clear Ireland had learned from last October where subtle changes proved very dangerous. The Irish backrow in October were very hungry for contact around the fringes and were cut down. Yesterday Stephen Ferris, Seán O’Brien and Jamie Heaslip immediately popped up all over the place asking major questions of the Welsh. Heaslip had a very active day on the ball creating many opportunities for his team.

But then no plan survives the first shot as the opposition have their little nuances. Wales appeared a team dancing to a certain beat. Their lineout, for instance, was but a starter to a multi-phase approach where if a breakthrough came off, great, such as Bradley Davies’ early run down the touchline but it appeared their objective was to expose space by the third or fourth phase in which to send giants such as Jonathan Davies or George North into space or an unbalanced defender."

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Simply Irresistible: Great for You, brought by Wal-Mart

Simply Irresistible: great song by Robert Palmer

Great for You: brought to you by Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart debuts 'Great for You' seal | ajc.com: "Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to help its customers figure that out by adding a new green icon that reads "Great for You" to packaging of some of its house-brand foods.

The green and white seal, which shows the stylized outline of a human figure with its arms spread toward the sky, is part of a multiyear campaign the world's largest retailer is undertaking to promote healthier products and fight childhood obesity.

Food makers and sellers have come under scrutiny in the past for adding nutritional seals to the fronts of packages. The Food and Drug Administration said in 2009 that some companies used them misleadingly.

The FDA is developing standards for what health claims can be made on food packages, but Wal-Mart says its customers want the information now."

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China: TOugh on Environment-

China bans its airlines from paying EU carbon tax | Environment | guardian.co.uk: "China has banned its airlines from paying the new European Union carbon charge, state news agency Xinhua has reported – stepping up the international battle over the scheme.

The levy applies to all airlines flying to and from EU countries. Companies that do not comply face fines and ultimately could be banned from using EU airports.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said on Monday that airlines were not allowed to pay the EU charge, increase freight costs or add other fees, according to Xinhua. It cited authorisation from the state council, China's cabinet."

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The Business of Education

International Students Pay Top Dollar at U.S. Colleges - NYTimes.com: "That has rankled some local politicians and parents, a few of whom have even asked Michael K. Young, the university president, whether their children could get in if they paid nonresident tuition. “It does appeal to me a little,” he said.

There is a widespread belief in Washington that internationalization is the key to the future, and Mr. Young said he was not at all bothered that there were now more students from other countries than from other states. (Out-of-state students pay the same tuition as foreign students.)

“Is there any advantage to our taking a kid from California versus a kid from China?” he said. “You’d have to convince me, because the world isn’t divided the way it used to be.”

If the university’s reliance on full-freight Chinese students to balance the budget echoes the nation’s dependence on China as the largest holder of American debt, well, said the dean of admissions, Philip A. Ballinger, “this is a way of getting some of that money back.”"

Colleges caught in obsession over rankings - US news - Life - msnbc.com: ""As someone who is asked every year to comment on the rankings, it seems to me that who cares most is the media," John Pryor, who directs the UCLA survey, wrote in a blog post last year. "Second would be college presidents and development officers. Way down the list seem to be those who are actually trying to decide where to go to college."
Thacker says the rankings do have negative psychological effects on students, though usually only the top 10 to 15 percent who are applying to competitive colleges. But it has affected a much broader swath of colleges that have been unable to suppress their competitive urges for the educational common good.
"It has more an impact on colleges, presidents and trustees than it does on students," Thacker said. "The colleges have shifted resources and changed practices and policies that were once governed by educational values to serve prestige and rank and status.""

The F&F affairs of a rotten Newt

Gingrich’s Deep Ties to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - NYTimes.com: "“Whenever you could get Republicans who supported you, it was important, and the more prominent the Republican, the better,” said William Maloni, a senior vice president at Fannie Mae until 2004. “Newt would have been important.”

Mr. Gingrich’s senior advisers were important as well, with a handful of his aides and confidants going on to work for Freddie and Fannie or for lobbying groups that represented them. Of particular significance, several officials said, was Fannie’s hiring of Arne L. Christenson, Mr. Gingrich’s chief of staff, as a top executive and lobbyist in 1999.

“From their perspective, hiring someone who could beef up their Republican credentials made perfect sense,” said Jack Howard, policy director for Mr. Gingrich at the time. Mr. Christenson did not return a call seeking comment."

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"I am like you" Romney

Romney’s ‘Very Poor’ at Highest in 35 Years as Safety Gaps Grow - Businessweek: "Feb. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s statement that the “very poor” don’t concern him comes at a time when the portion of Americans living in deep poverty is the highest in more than a generation while assistance varies widely and is often inadequate.

“Virtually any food bank in any city in America would tell you that they have not been able to keep up with the demand,” said Bill Shore, founder and chief executive officer of Share Our Strength, a national charity that fights childhood hunger. “That means more rationing of food, not allowing families to take as much as they would have before and being open shorter hours.”

More than 20 million Americans live in a household with income of less than half the federal poverty rate, the level social scientists often use as a category for the very poor, according to census data for 2010. Last year that meant an annual income below $11,057 for a family of four."

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Friendships that transcend...

Unlikely animal friendships - in pictures | Life and style | guardian.co.uk: "Unlikely animal friendships - in pictures
From a monkey cuddling a dove to a sheep spending time with an elephant, the book Unlikely Friendships shows the remarkable relationships that can exist between wildly different animals"

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Best of Bloomberg

Komen battles backlash after Parenthood move - Health - Women's health - msnbc.com:

Billionaire New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg pledged on Thursday to give $250,000 of his own money to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America after breast cancer charity Susan G. Komen for the Cure withdrew funding for the group.

"Republican lawmaker Cliff Stearns is probing Planned Parenthood's use of taxpayer funds.
"Politics have no place in health care. Breast cancer screening saves lives and hundreds of thousands of women rely on Planned Parenthood for access to care," Bloomberg said in a statement. "We should be helping women access that care, not placing barriers in their way."
Planned Parenthood said the Komen foundation had succumbed to political pressure from anti-abortion groups. It said such groups have repeatedly threatened Komen over its affiliation."

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Bankruptcy, then job cuts--just as simple as ABC

American Airlines aims to cut 13,000 jobs - Yahoo! Finance: "DALLAS (AP) -- The parent of American Airlines wants to eliminate about 13,000 jobs — 15 percent of its workforce — as the nation's third-biggest airline remakes itself under bankruptcy protection.
The company proposes to end its traditional pension plans, a move strongly opposed by the airline's unions and the U.S. pension-insurance agency, and to stop paying for retiree health benefits.
AMR Corp. said Wednesday that it must cut labor costs by 20 percent. It will soon begin negotiations with its three major unions, but the president of the flight attendants' union quickly rejected the company's ideas as unacceptably harsh."

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