Brazil’s Carnival Burns Up… Literally

February 17th, 2011

“(Reuters) – A large fire swept through Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival center on Monday, destroying thousands of costumes and floats and throwing preparations for Brazil’s annual festival of hedonism into chaos.”

Best Quote

“The only thing that didn’t burn was our desire to parade.” – Helinho de Oliveira

What do you think?

Can you imagine how much money this cost the people of Brazil? There’s the cost of costumes and floats, plus the time and labor it took to make them, there’s the destruction of people’s property and belongings (including wallets full of cash and credit cards), and then there’s the big event… Will there be as many tourists and money-spending revelers this year?

Shopping The Runway

February 17th, 2011

“Fashion weeks in New York, Paris and Milan generate a tremendous amount of press and buzz for some of the world’s most expensive clothes. But many of the runway styles are actually purchased by a small group of customers, not all of them from the isle of Manhattan. And unlike celebrities and socialites, who often get designer clothes at no charge in exchange for publicity, these customers pay full price.”

What do you think?

What do you pay full price for… and when do you wait for a sale?

Something You Never Needed to Know and Will Never Forget

February 17th, 2011

Here’s a fun fact: by forbidding their drivers to make left turns, delivery service UPS saved us all about 20,000 metric tons of carbon emissions. But there’s more!

Something You Never Needed to Know and Will Never Forget

February 17th, 2011

Here’s a fun fact: by forbidding their drivers to make left turns, delivery service UPS saved us all about 20,000 metric tons of carbon emissions. But there’s more!

Aging Giant Kodak Turns To Lawsuits For Revenue

February 16th, 2011

kodak-instamatic.jpg
photo credit: joost j. bakker

Kodak used to be King of Cameraland, but then the digital boom destroyed the darkroom. What happens to a successful company when its industry all but disappears?

  • As the end of the film camera approached, Kodak changed its focus to digital technology and printers. But it’s been a long, hard road.
  • Kodak products aren’t flying off the shelves these days, but the company does have one huge thing going for it: It owns more than 1,000 patents on digital imaging technology.
  • Kodak technology is behind almost all digital cameras produced today – including iPhones and Blackberries.
  • That’s no small thing, so Kodak has been fighting hard for its share of digital imaging profits. It’s currently suing Apple and Research in Motion (which makes the Blackberry) over alleged patent infringement.
  • The U.S. International Trade Commission just ruled that Apple and Research in Motion did not violate any patents, but Kodak is going to keep fighting. What else can it do?

Facts & Figures

  • The Eastman Kodak Co. is 130 years old
  • Kodak has successfully negotiated $550 million in royalties from Samsung and $414 million from LG Electronics

Best Quote

“We fully expect the ITC commission will ultimately rule that the patent claim at issue is valid and infringed by Apple and RIM.” – Laura Quatela, Kodak’s chief intellectual property officer

What do you think?

Can you think of any old giants like Kodak that have reinvented themselves to be successful today?

When Your Investment Portfolio Includes A Striker, A Keeper, And A Few Mid-Fielders

February 16th, 2011

“A group of U.S. investors made an offer to UniCredit SpA, co-owner of AS Roma, to acquire the three-time Italian soccer champion.

They are proposing to pay as much as 130 million euros ($178 million) and are seeking a 50 million-euro credit line for AS Roma from UniCredit after the purchase, Italian newspaper Il Messaggero reported Jan. 28. Movsesian declined to provide details of the offer.

He said it would be “an honor” to buy the team, and revealed it would be “trophy asset” as well as an investment.”

What do you think?

Do you know how much return you could get on a soccer team? Is buying a team more or less risky than buying a stock?

China Sells Off Part Of Its Piece Of The American Pie

February 16th, 2011

“WASHINGTON — China, the biggest buyer of U.S. Treasury securities, reduced its holdings in December for the second straight month.

Overseas demand for Treasurys helps lower the interest rate the U.S. government pays on its debt. If the United States had to finance its debt through U.S. investors alone, the government would have to pay higher rates. American companies and consumers would also pay higher rates.”

What do you think?

Remember when we asked about the U.S. back-up plan on the off chance our biggest foreign debt holder decided to sell off our Treasury bonds? Well.

Maybe they’re just rebalancing their national portfolio. Or following the age-old rule of “don’t put all your eggs in one basket?”

Today at TILE… The Countdown to Kickoff

February 15th, 2011

Today at TILE we talked about the possibility of a strike by the National Football League (NFL). But wait… didn’t they just put on one of the most expensive and exciting Super Bowls in recent memory? What about all that post-game hugging and champagne? Aren’t sports by definition supposed to be fun and games?

The NFL is a business, and like most businesses, money is at the center of this disagreement – How big is the pie? How much goes to each person? How will that mix change in the future?

Read the rest of this entry »

Imagining A New Food Supply

February 14th, 2011

vegetable-garden-thomas-euler.jpg

(photo by Thomas Euler)

Did you see this? NYTimes foodman Mark Bittman is the kind of guy you want thinking about the food supply.

Says Mark:

“For decades, Americans believed that we had the world’s healthiest and safest diet. We worried little about this diet’s effect on the environment or on the lives of the animals (or even the workers) it relies upon. Nor did we worry about its ability to endure — that is, its sustainability.

That didn’t mean all was well. And we’ve come to recognize that our diet is unhealthful and unsafe. Many food production workers labor in difficult, even deplorable, conditions, and animals are produced as if they were widgets. It would be hard to devise a more wasteful, damaging, unsustainable system.”

Everyone needs food, so it’s funny (and okay, scary) that we have so little control over how our food gets to our plates. And like everything, food production has an economic story behind it.

Read Mark’s suggestions for shaking up the system, reclaiming our diets, and ensuring clean, nutritious food that’s good for us and the planet.

Imagining A New Food Supply

February 14th, 2011

vegetable-garden-thomas-euler.jpg

(photo by Thomas Euler)

Did you see this? NYTimes foodman Mark Bittman is the kind of guy you want thinking about the food supply.

Says Mark:

“For decades, Americans believed that we had the world’s healthiest and safest diet. We worried little about this diet’s effect on the environment or on the lives of the animals (or even the workers) it relies upon. Nor did we worry about its ability to endure — that is, its sustainability.

That didn’t mean all was well. And we’ve come to recognize that our diet is unhealthful and unsafe. Many food production workers labor in difficult, even deplorable, conditions, and animals are produced as if they were widgets. It would be hard to devise a more wasteful, damaging, unsustainable system.”

Everyone needs food, so it’s funny (and okay, scary) that we have so little control over how our food gets to our plates. And like everything, food production has an economic story behind it.

Read Mark’s suggestions for shaking up the system, reclaiming our diets, and ensuring clean, nutritious food that’s good for us and the planet.

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