Spanish scientists search for fuel of the future

         Spain scientists hope they have found the fuel of tomorrow: bio-oil produced with algae mixed with carbon dioxide from a factory.  The project, which is still experimental, has been developed over the past five years by Spanish and French researchers at the small Bio Fuel Systems (BFS) company.  US oil giant ExxonMobil plans to invest up to $600 million in research on oil produced from algae.  The other great advantage of the system is that it is a depollutant -- it absorbs the C02 which would otherwise be released into the atmosphere.

Jay-Z’s $450 million Business Empire

       Amid the carnage of the music industry in the past decade, Jay-Z has managed to parlay artistic success into financial fortune valued at up to $450 million, according to Forbes.  In 2010 alone, he earned $63 million.  While the money came primarily from touring, Jay-Z has a business interests ranging from music to nightclubs, from restaurants to apparel, from sneakers to a chunk of the New Jersey Nets.  
            In 1994, unable to find a company to produce his debut records, Jay-Z, Damon Dash and a silent partner founded their own label, Roc-A-Fella Records. And when a distributor agreed to take on the album, he negotiated a deal to retain ownership of the master recordings.  In the late 1990s, he discovered that sales of Iceberg apparel rose after he began including references to them in his songs. But when he went to Iceberg and asked for an endorsement deal, the company demurred. Instead, he started his own apparel company, Rocawear. In 2006, Rocawwear was sold to a brand licensing company for $204 million.  There's been much more: a line of sneakers for Reebok, the 40/40 nightclub chain, an ad for Hewlett-Packard, and an interest in the hot New York City gastro pub, The Spotted Pig.
           


http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/jay-z-450-million-business-empire-20110325-143859-182.html

Swiper the Big Bank Fox

    In the cartoon, this shows Dora The Explorer as a small business owner.  Then, it shows her nemesis Swiper The Fox; however, Swiper represents high debit card fees in which the small business owners have to pay to large banks because of people's over usage of debit cards.

Fan uses NFL business practices against them

       Already dealing with lawsuits from the Collective Bargaining agreement, the NFL faces another lawsiut from a fan. The NFL found a way to charge fans a one-time licensing fee so that they could have exclusive rights to certain seats for their favorite team. Of course they had to pay for those seats on a per-game basis even with an up-front financial commitment.  Now, one Cleveland fan is turning this business practice against the NFL with the looming threat that there will be no games this season.  Cleveland Browns fan (and attempted politician) Ken Lanci is seeking $75,000 in damages. Ultimately those damages aren't the real story here.  The story is that one of the league's most egregious money-grabbing techniques is now being used against it.
       As it has turned out through the 1990s and 2000s, they have created a game that is so in demand that they have been able to get away with many tactics that have fans shaking their head every year.  Personal seating licenses did that.

War Budget

        The cartoon shows Obama at a War show and he has bought two soliders that say Afghanistan and Iraq.  Also, he gets a Libya plane.  All those have prices on them which have eaten into the spending for the government.  As you notice, Obama isn't to excited about that.

Libya Gameplan

    This picture shows Obama as a football coach showing his plan for Libya. As you can see, there is no board because honestly there is no true motive for war on Libya, and Obama tries to clear it up by saying there is a plan.

Low, low prices: Target beats Wal-Mart

       Two recent price comparisons of grocery and household goods revealed that Target's prices are lower than at No. 1 retailer Wal-Mart.  35 brand-name items sold at Wal-Mart and Target stores in New York, Indiana and North Carolina were compared. They consisted of 22 common grocery goods such as milk, cereal and rice; 10 general merchandise products such as clothing and home furnishings; and three health and beauty items. Target's shopping cart rang in at $269.13 (pre-tax), a hair lower than the $271.07 charged at Wal-Mart.  Wal-Mart typically maintains a 2% to 4% price advantage over Target.

Warrensville resident turns 119

       http://news.yahoo.com/video/cleveland-wews-20910953/cleveland-woman-turns-119-24619593
Rebecca Lanier has just turned 119, however the Guiness book of World Records refuses to acknowledge that until they receive her birth certificate which she does not possess.

Investors flock to Japanese stocks after quake

     Exchange-traded funds that hold Japanese stocks brought in a record $1.2 billion the week after a devastating earthquake and tsunami hit Japan and caused the worst nuclear crisis since the Chernobyl disaster, according to TrimTabs Investment Research.  The rash of buying of Japanese stocks came after the country's benchmark Nikkei 225 index, the equivalent to the Dow Jones industrial average, fell 16 percent over two days in panic-driven selling, reaching its lowest level since the 2008 financial crisis. The index bounced back nearly as quickly, jumping 5.6 percent on March 16 and 4.3 percent on March 22. The index is now down 7.8 percent since the earthquake. 
     Cleanup and rebuilding costs in the country will be considerable. The Japanese government said Tuesday that expenses could reach more than $300 billion, more than double the $125 billion in damage caused to New Orleans and the surrounding region by Hurricane Katrina.  Companies that are expected to take part in Japan's rebuilding efforts have benefitted the most from the surge of investor dollars. Taiheiyo Cement Corp. has jumped 32 percent over the last week, while Japan Steel Works Ltd. has gained 25 percent over the same time. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., an industrials company that makes products from airplanes to air-conditioning systems, has gained 19 percent.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Investors-flock-to-Japanese-apf-3565252443.html?x=0

Tight leash on Goodell strangles NFL owners

    On Thursday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell cobbled together a 24-hour extension to the end of the collective bargaining agreement, giving the union and the league another day to work.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=jc-goodellsmithcba030311

NFL Lockout

           This cartoon shows people on a Sunday who are pretty bummed out because theres no football, but there is a realistate agent who is very excited because instead of watching football people are actually going to a open house for a house that is on sale.

Glanville signs with UFL, Schottenheimer may soon follow

       As the United Football League waits for its chance to capitalize on the NFL lockout, it's stocking up on coaching star power.  Jerry Glanville has been officially tabbed to be the head coach and general manager of the Hartford Colonials, and according to Chris Mortensen, Marty Schottenheimer is on the verge of being named the head coach of the Virginia Destroyers.  For this new upstart league this might be the first of many crossovers including probably some former players and guys coming out of college.
     Honestly, I don't think this league will last because according to past history upstarts leagues similar to this one have not proceeded in their sucess as soon as the NFL was able to step up their marketing.  In this instance, the NFL is locked out, and if they continue to be locked out this might mean slightly more money and tv ratings for the UFL.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Jerry-Glanville-and-Marty-Schottenheimer-find-wo?urn=nfl-wp420

Japan braces for potential radiation catastrophe

           Japan is facing a potential catastrophe after a quake-crippled nuclear power plant exploded and sent low levels of radiation floating in the air towards Tokyo.  Operators of the facility said one of two blasts had blown a hole in the building housing a reactor, which meant spent nuclear fuel was exposed to the atmosphere.  Prime Minister Naoto Kan urged people within 30 km (18 miles) of the facility -- a population of 140,000 -- to remain indoors.  Lam Ching-wan, a chemical pathologist at the University of Hong Kong, said the blasts could expose the population to longer-term exposure to radiation, which can raise the risk of thyroid, bone cancers, and leukemia. Children and fetuses are especially vulnerable, he said.  "Very acute radiation, like that which happened in Chernobyl and to the Japanese workers at the nuclear power station, is unlikely for the population," he said.
            As concern about the crippling economic impact of the nuclear and earthquake disasters mounted, Japan's Nikkei index fell as much as 14 percent before ending down 10.6 percent, compounding a slide of 6.2 percent the day before. The two-day fall has wiped some $620 billion off the market.  Hiromichi Shirakawa, chief economist for Japan at Credit Suisse, said in a note to clients that the economic loss will likely be around 14-15 trillion yen ($171-183 billion) just to the region hit by the quake and tsunami.

World's Billionaires 2011

         The 2011 Billionaires List breaks two records: total number of listees (1,210) and combined wealth ($4.5 trillion).  Atop the heap is Mexico's Carlos Slim Helú, who added $20.5 billion to his fortune, more than any other billionaire.  Now worth $74 billion, he has pulled far ahead of his two closest rivals. Bill Gates, No. 2, and Warren Buffett, No. 3, both added a more modest $3 billion to their piles and are now worth $56 billion and $50 billion, respectively.  America's wealthiest still dominate the global ranks, but the U.S. is losing its grip.
        Facebook is an inspiring way for newcomers who figured out clever ways to get rich.  The company is worth $50 billion and has spawned six billionaires. Leading the group is Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg, whose fortune jumped 238% to $13.5 billion in the past year. Also joining him in the world ranks are his cofounders Eduardo Saverin and Dustin Moskovitz, its first president Sean Parker (played by Justin Timberlake in "The Social Network") and the Russian Internet investor Yuri Milner. Moskovitz, 26, is eight days younger than his former college roommate Zuckerberg, making him the world's youngest billionaire.
         You may ask, why do we spend so much time counting other people's money? Because these moguls have the power to shape our world. Telecom billionaire turned prime minister Najib Mikati is keeping Lebanon's government together. Ernesto Bertarelli, who lost the America's Cup to Larry Ellison last year, is now focusing on saving the oceans from mass extinction. Gates and Buffett have already traveled to three continents working to change giving practices among the ultra-rich.

Entitlement Can

   This cartoon shows a can on the street with "Entitlement Reform" on it.  Then, the Democrats and Republicans are insisting that one of them kick the can because each of them don't want to deal with the problems involving Medicare and Social Security-which are also on the can.

Big Business

        This cartoon shows the Democrats displaying a government owned factory.  They suggest it's a good idea for government owned business; and also no one but themselves can regulate it.