Archive for the ‘TILE Translations’ Category

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

2010 Health Care Law Being Challenged In Congress

Friday, January 21st, 2011


credit: Waldo Jaquith

The health care act of 2010 was revolutionary in its scope, but are its days numbered?

  • One of the first things Republican representatives did in the House this year was schedule a vote to repeal the sweeping health care bill passed last year.
  • Their effort to repeal the law isn’t likely to succeed, because of the power Democrats currently wield in Washington. But each party has made promises to its constituents, and keeping or destroying the health care bill is at the center of their obligations.
  • The official name of the proposal to end the health care act (in the House, anyway) is “Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act.”

Facts & Figures

  • The health care bill aims to cover 32 million uninsured Americans
  • 26% of Americans want to repeal it
  • 25% want to repeal select parts of it
  • 41% want to keep the law as it is or expand it

What do you think?

How do you feel about the cost of implementing the health care bill? Would you be affected if you could no longer be on your parents’ insurance plan until age 26?

Swiss Banker Goes Rogue, Calls Out 2,000 Alleged Tax Evaders Through WikiLeaks

Friday, January 21st, 2011

“LONDON — A former senior Swiss bank executive said on Monday that he had given the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, details of more than 2,000 prominent individuals and companies that he contends engaged in tax evasion and other possible criminal activity… ‘The man in the street needs to know how this system works,’ he said, referring to the offshore trusts that many ‘high net worth individuals’ around the world use to evade taxes.”

What do you think?

Is public humiliation an appropriate way to deal with tax evaders? Do you think people should have a right to absolute financial privacy, even if that helps them get away with illegal activities?

Twilight Star Takes Runaway Role To Heart, Planning To Invest In Troubled Teens

Friday, January 21st, 2011

“Anytime I hear that somebody’s really rich, the first question is ‘Do you do anything with it? Or do you, like, chill? You just sit on it?’” She is thinking carefully, strategically, about how best to put her own contribution to use, and has a plan—inspired by her researches for the role of a runaway in the sex trade—to set up a network of halfway houses to help those who want to recover and get back on their feet. “That would be amazing,” she says. “Right now it’s the thing I feel most connected to.”

What do you think?

Does this impact your view of Stewart? Do you agree that having money obligates you to “do something with it?”

Hu’s on First? China’s Leader Hu Jintao and Barack Obama To Talk Money (and Power) At White House

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

mcdonalds-shanghai.jpg
credit: Ivan Walsh

In important trade talks with China, the U.S. wants to make sure American companies can do business in the world’s second biggest economy…

  • The U.S. is still the biggest economy in the world, but China is #2 and growing. So of course American companies want to do business there.
  • The problem, according to many U.S. companies: China is shutting them out.
  • The Chinese government is creating loads of restrictions that make it really hard for foreign companies to thrive.
  • At Wednesday’s meeting, Obama is expected to take a tougher stance to get China to relax its foreign trade rules.

Facts and Figures

  • Obama and Hu will meet with 18 business leaders from China and the U.S. in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in DC on Wednesday

Best Quote

“U.S. companies have issues with China in many different business sectors.” – John Frisbie, president of the U.S.-China Business Council in Washington, D.C.

What do you think?

Has any part of your life been touched by the rise of China?

Is Steve Jobs Worth More Than Six Billion Dollars?

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

apples.jpg
credit: ollesvensson

Investing is a lot about trying to predict the future of a company. But what if that future depends on one single person?

  • When Apple’s CEO announced he was taking medical leave earlier this week, AAPL shares suddenly lost a lot of value. Steve Jobs is widely considered to be the secret to Apple’s success.
  • But the next day, the company released an amazing first-quarter earnings report, revealing record profit from the past three months.
  • The question now – without Steve Jobs on the job(s), can Apple continue to be as successful as it is today?

Facts & Figures

  • Apple’s profit this quarter was $6 billion
  • That’s 78% more than the same three months last year
  • The company sold 16.2 million iPhones, 7.33 million iPads, and 4.1 million mac computers
  • This is Jobs’ third medical leave in seven years

Best Quote

“To think of a world without Steve Jobs is a really scary thought because he has had such a major influence on all of our lives whether we know it or not.” – Gene Munster, Analyst at Piper Jaffray (an investment bank)

What do you think?

How would this week’s news that Apple CEO Steve Jobs is taking more medical leave change your decision about whether to invest in Apple?

The Starbucks Trenta: Because Bigger Drinks Are Always A Good Idea

Tuesday, January 18th, 2011

“Starbucks Corp. will roll out its biggest drink size yet — the 31-ounce “Trenta” — in all its U.S. coffee shops by May 3, the company said on Sunday. The new size will be available only for iced coffee, iced tea and iced tea lemonade drinks in the United States. The Trenta is 7 ounces larger than Starbucks’ “Venti” cup for iced drinks, which currently is its largest size on offer. Drinks in the Trenta size will cost 50 cents more than similar Venti-sized iced drinks, the company said.”

What do you think?

How much would an extra $0.50 add to your daily iced coffee habit?

Goldman Sachs-Facebook Deal Actually Was Too Good To Be True

Tuesday, January 18th, 2011

“It was supposed to be Wall Street’s hottest tech deal in years: the private offering of as much as $1.5 billion in shares of Facebook Inc… Goldman bankers burned up the phone lines in the first week of January, pushing many of their best American clients to invest in the deal. And then, on Sunday and Monday, those same advisers were on the phone with those same clients with some bad news. They wouldn’t be getting any Facebook shares, after all… Goldman worried that the media spotlight surrounding the private offering might violate U.S. securities laws and expose the firm to legal action.”

What do you think?

How would you feel if your bank promised you something it couldn’t deliver? How much would you risk to be one of the first investors in a hot company like Facebook?

Mobile Banking Reaches Ravaged Port-au-Prince

Friday, January 14th, 2011

port-au-prince.jpg

credit: newbeatphoto

Effective humanitarian aid isn’t always about food and shelter. Find out how the Gates Foundation is pursuing some long-term solutions to Haiti’s problems…

  • Mobile technology is changing the world – especially in places where wireless technology can sidestep problems with a nation’s telecommunications infrastructure.
  • Now this technology is going to help Haiti in a different way, by making cell phone banking widely available.
  • After a natural disaster, local banks may be destroyed and Internet access nowhere to be found. Plus, mobile banking is safer. In the security crisis of post-earthquake Haiti, carrying cash has become a hazard.

Facts & Figures

  • Over $30 million was raised for humanitarian relief after the quake
  • Many of those donations came in via text message, $10 at a time
  • The Gates Foundation and USAID are donating a total of $10 million to companies that can bring mobile banking to Haiti
  • Fewer than 10% of Hatian citizens have ever used a commercial bank, but nearly every family has access to a cell phone

What Do You Think?

Would you donate to an organization that focused solely on bringing technology to people in need? Would you choose that over a traditional food-and-shelter humanitarian aid organization?

That Custom-Made Suit Is Going To Cost You

Wednesday, January 12th, 2011


credit: John_Brennan

If you’re not sure what inflation looks like in real life, try asking your tailor. Having suits and dresses made to order in Hong Kong or Singapore used to be the secret to looking good on a budget. But all that is starting to change. Here’s why:

1. Inflation! The apparel industry has been safe from inflation for a long time, but fabric today is more expensive than it was a few years ago. In 2010 alone, the price of cotton in Hong Kong went up by 91%. More expensive materials = a more expensive product.

(And because inflation generally raises prices across the board, tailors are demanding higher wages so they can keep up with the cost of everyday living.)

2. Consumer demand! More people have the money to order custom clothing these days, and tailors and materials are in short supply. That means more work for tailors, and a higher price tag for customers. In other words, the supply of materials and producers has stayed the same, but the demand for finished products has increased. When demand exceeds supply, you’ve got a price increase on your hands.

New Prices:

  • A custom suit made in Singapore with expensive luxury fabric runs about $5,400. A similar suit by an Italian producer might cost $10,000.
  • In 2009, a custom shirt from Singapore cost $177; today it would cost about $330.

“We’re so busy that we’re having to turn some people away.” – Mark Cho, Co-Founder of The Armoury in Hong Kong

What An Earnings Report Can Tell You

Monday, January 10th, 2011

Hey, kids – it’s earnings season! That means that companies are starting to report to the world how they did in the last three months of 2010 (that is, the 4th quarter of 2010). Earnings reports are super important, whether you’re a rookie or a pro. Read on to find out why:

credit: Smudge 9000windsurfer.jpg
Here’s the interesting thing about earnings reports: they give investors important information about the past and the future.

For example, overall profits are expected to be 9.8% higher than they were at the end of 2009. (Makes sense – 2009 was a pretty rough year on the economy.) But what about the years before that? Are there any companies that usually bring in 15% profit that are now earning less? Maybe 10% is their new normal. Would you be satisfied with that, as an investor, or would you prefer to find a company with a better track record?

Companies’ past earnings aren’t as important as their future earnings. Even though overall profits rose at the end of 2010, it looks like they’re not going anywhere in 2011. Why? Well, the job market hasn’t really improved. People without money can’t spend money, and companies can’t profit without money.

There are some exceptions: even though the job market is in bad shape, companies that sell luxury goods to a different market have continued to perform well. You can also predict future earnings based on new laws and tax policy. FedEx and Novellus Systems will both be taking advantage of a tax break to buy themselves new computers and cargo jets. (Those purchases not only benefit the businesses – they also increase profits for technology and airplane manufacturers.)

A little bit of bad news for companies that depend on consumer spending to boost their profits:
“…we’re not going to see sustained declines in the unemployment rate.” – Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Fed

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »