Team Germany : Willy Bogner - 2014 Olympics in Sochi
Team USA : Ralph Lauren - 2012 Olympics in London
Team Italy : Giorgio Armani - 2012 Olympics in London
Team Germany : Adidas - 2012 Olympics in London
Team U.K. : Stella McCartney - 2012 Olympics in London
Team Canada : Hudson Bay - 2012 Olympics in London
Team USA : Roots - 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City
Team USA : Levi Strauss - 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid
Team Japan :White Suits - 1960 Olympics in Rome
Interesting Bit:
BILERICO: Germany's rainbow uniforms--"Officials insist that the rainbow-colored uniforms do not represent any kind of a protest against Russia's draconian anti-LGBT laws, but many people are interpreting them as exactly that."
ECONOMIST: The triumph of Vladimir Putin: IN 2008, soon after winning the competition to stage the 2014 winter Olympics, Vladimir Putin, the country’s president, announced that “at last Russia has returned to the world arena as a strong state—a country that others heed and that can stand up for itself.”
Next weekend sees the opening of Russia’s first Olympiad since the summer games in Moscow in 1980. At the president’s behest, the games are being held at Sochi, an unsuitable subtropical resort, and the government has spent $50 billion—four times the cost of the jamboree in London in 2012—on staging the event.
Big posters proclaim “Russia—Great, New, Open!” State-owned Sberbank offers the faintly menacing motto, “Today Sochi, tomorrow the world.”
SMITHSONIAN: "These frozen bubbles under Alberta's Lake Abraham might look like winter jewels, but you wouldn't want to be too close to one if it popped: the bubbles are actually frozen pockets of methane, a highly flammable gas. Most of the time, methane escaping from the surface of water is relatively harmless—but if you happen to be lighting a match at the time one of these bubbles explodes, watch out."
“The moment when we can borrow money for 30 years in the 3% range (in a currency we print ourselves) and the construction unemployment rate is in double digits — if that is not the moment to fix Kennedy Airport, when will that moment ever come?”
Euro-zone, Mario Draghi, President of ECB, emphasizes no deflation!
Washington Post:World’s elite converge for 2014 World Economic Forum
REUTERS: "HIGHLIGHTS-Comments by policymakers speaking on a panel at Davos" regarding the Global Economy. Includes Larry Summers, Former US Treasury Secretary, BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, UK Finance Minister, George Osborne
Actual text of speech: “America does not stand still — and neither will I. So wherever and whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Translation: “I want to emphasize to my Republican friends — actually, they’re not my friends, scratch that — that I just said the words ‘without legislation.’ Everyone get that?”
Text: “While the stock market has doubled over the last five years, that doesn’t help folks who don’t have 401(k)’s.”
Translation: “Nor does it help my popularity on Wall Street, so why did I even mention this?”
SOTU History:The Washington Post: When the State of the Union was controversial. "A little more than 100 years ago, President Woodrow Wilson had Washington, D.C., "agape" at his decision to deliver the State of the Union address in-person to Congress. It was the first time in more than a century that a president had the gall to do such a thing. Since the early 1800s, the address was delivered in writing."
Yes, AAPL's Earnings Were Below Estimates and Shares Fell 8%.Icahn Bought 500 M Shares.
Meanwhile, Apple's iPad Air Commercial is absolutely beautiful. Love Whitman.
"To quote from Whitman, 'You are here — that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.' What will your verse be?"
AAPL Earnings To Know:
Tim Cook admitted that iPhone 5c's Demand 'turned out to be different than we thought.'
REUTERS: The world's most valuable technology company had lost $43 billion of its market capitalization - more than the entire market value of Twitter Inc - at the stock's intra-day low of $502.07.
Carl Icahn, bought $500M worth of Apple shares. Icahn believes they are quite inexpensive right now but may go up a good amount as Apple releases a new product.
REUTERS: "Beyond the share buyback program, Icahn said he believes investors are underestimating Cook's message that the company will come out with products in entirely new categories this year.
"I think it will be huger than people think," Icahn said. "They haven't done this in four years and the last one they did was something called the iPad. And let's not forget that Apple has a huge cult following.""
Beautiful and Poetic Apple Commercials:
COMMERCIAL:
John Keating, Dead Poet's Society: "We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race.
And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life.
But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.
To quote from Whitman, "O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?"
Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?"
Moi je veux crever la main sur le coeur I want to die with a hand on my heart Je Veux - Z az
NYTimes: "Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, appearing on ABC’s “This Week,” said, “The president sees this as a year of action, to work with Congress where he can and to bypass Congress where necessary to lift folks who want to come up into the middle class.”"
Washington Post:Stephen Zaharuk, Senior VP at Moodys: "For most insurance companies, the individual business has been a small part of their portfolio. It's not going to bankrupt the Wellpoints and Uniteds of the world. We also don’t think they’re going to make money on this, and they could possibly lose money on this. It is a small part of their business, and it lowers their credit outlook. Obviously as news trickles out about Affordable Care Act enrollment, and if we get positive enrollment that younger people are signing up, that takes off a bit of the pressure. And if we start seeing more robust employment, that will help too."
Supernova: stellarexplosion that is more energetic than a nova
UCL: At 7:20 GMT on January 21st, 2014, students at the University of London "spotted one of the closest supernova to Earth in recent decades." This explosion occurred in galaxy Messier 82 (the Cigar Galaxy).
Space.Com: "...about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major, or the Great Bear. ...One astronomer described as a potential "Holy Grail" for scientists"
WSJ/Heritage Foundation Ranking of Economic Freedom: USA is Not Among Top 10 for the First Time in the 20 year History of the Ranking.
Wikipedia: "Creators [of this Ranking] took similar approach to Adam Smith's in The Wealth of Nations, that "basic institutions that protect the liberty of individuals to pursue their own economic interests result in greater prosperity for the larger society""
National Review: For the first time in 20 year history of the Annual Heritage Foundation/Wall Street Journal Ranking of economic freedom, America was not among the top 10. More commentary on National Review.
Index for Economic Freedom 2014: What does that mean?
Heritage Foundation: "Economic freedom is the fundamental right of every human to control his or her own labor and property.
In an economically free society, individuals are free to work, produce, consume, and invest in any way they please.
In economically free societies, governments allow labor, capital and goods to move freely, and refrain from coercion or constraint of liberty beyond the extent necessary to protect and maintain liberty itself."
Measuring Economic Freedom? Each Graded on a scale of 0 to 100.
Significant pickup in US GDP and productivity growth.
Expect: acceleration 1-1.5 percentage points in 2014 vs. 2013
Better growth outside the US.
Global forecast: Steady
Particularly in Europe and Emerging
A slight pickup in price inflation.
Inflation likely to stay below Fed's 2 percent target
Expect: slight acceleration. Why? "recent weakness in healthcare cost inflation moderates and the output gap diminishes.This should modestly boost topline revenue growth in the corporate sector as well." (BusinessInsider)
China's economy is growing more rapidly than the U.S, in dollar terms.
Numbers?:
China: Grew 7.7 percent last year (after adjusting for inflation)
United States: Grew 2 percent last year (expected to announce on Jan. 30)
How?
Faster real economic growth
Faster Inflation (good for Chinese Export Economy)
Appreciating currency (renminbi)
NYT: "China’s economic growth figures released Monday morning may show a slowdown, but they still indicate that China is growing almost four times as fast as the United States in dollar terms, rapidly closing the gap in the size of the two countries’ economies.
...China’s economy more than quintupled in dollar terms from 2003 to 2013, to $9.2 trillion last year — still a little more than half the size of the American economy, but catching up fast."
Some implications: . A reduction in the program to $65 billion a month from the current $75 billion could be announced at the end of the Jan. 28-29 meeting, which would be the last meeting for outgoing Chairman Ben Bernanke." Jon Hilsenrath inThe Wall Street
Daily Show: The Economics of Healthcare System--Can It Be A Free Market? Brill and Stewart Talk.
According to Steven Brill. No. WHY? Healthcare Market king of PRICE Controls.
Steven Brill: There is "no balance between the buyer and seller." There is "no knowledge."
How? Monopolies due to companies' drug patents, and hospitals (varies in location) control the medical care in blocks. Doctor's prescribe/diagnose which is usually the extent of patient's knowledge.
Whether pro or anti Obamacare, what is important is understanding the current Healthcare Market.
Meaning $$ Flow to and fro taxpayers, insurances, hospitals, and physicians.
Steven Brill: "We are the only country in the world that insists on the notion that there can be a free market. Everybody else has tried something else. And, it works better--they get better healthcare results at a much lower cost."
WASHPO: "President Obama: "I am therefore ordering a transition that will end the Section 215 bulk metadata program as it currently exists, and establish a mechanism that preserves the capabilities we need without the government holding this bulk metadata.""
The Sensors detect how close a phone is (matter of inches)
Potentials--
WashingtonPost: 1. Get a coupon for 10 percent off a TV because you stood in the TV department, (or fashion department) 2. Your home will automatically react to you. Example: Door unlocks as soon as you get there. TV will turn on to your channel. 3. Your phone will give you a tour of museums. 4. Organize neighborhood pick-up games for kids. Example: A kid takes a toy outside and some how all the kids in the neighborhood will know. Playtime. 5. Tickets that automatically load as you enter sporting events. (or even Subway?!)
Banana Republic, Williams-Sonoma, and Wine know the Power of Price and Value
There was a married couple, Mel and Patricia Ziegler and they both worked for a newspaper.
CBC: "...it was 1978. The disco era was in full swing, and it wasn't a great time for fashion. It was a Saturday Night Fever polyester world.
So the Zieglers went to a surplus store in town, and spent most of their savings on a shipment of paratrooper shirts that cost $1.75 each.
They sewed elbow patches on them, changed the buttons, and figured the shirts could sell for a profit at a local flea market.
They charged $6.75 - and sold four.
So the next weekend, Patricia decided to wear one of the shirts. She belted it, rolled up the sleeves, and put a sign on the table that said, "Short Armed Paratrooper Shirts."
Then the Ziegler's did one more thing.
They doubled the price.
And immediately sold out.
[Zieglers] learned the power of presentation, but more importantly, the concept of perceived value based on price.
But that new price point made people suddenly value the shirts more than they did the day before.
With that success, the Ziegler's decided to open a small store.
Range Rover Sport--all aluminum body (less 800 pounds)
Jaguar F-type Coupe--will be made all metal
Chevrolet Corvette Z06--adding more CFRP parts, (roof, bonnet, etc.)
BMW i3 battery-car: Carbon-fibre body
Ford's pick up trucks are doing better than Toyota and Honda.. and may continue to do so as they are 'lightweighting'
How?:
100 pounds = ~ 1 mile per gallon (mpg)--
Lose weight = Less Fuel Consumption = Save $$ (it's almost like Humans...)
Economist: The carmaker has been tight-lipped about details, but the new F-150 version of the truck will feature an “aluminium-intensive” design between 500 and 700 pounds lighter than an equivalent one made of steel. Ford will likely sell more than 700,000 of the new trucks annually.
The is good news. The car industry will soon have to meet tough new emissions and fuel-economy standards. In America, for instance, regulators now require cars and light-trucks to reach 54.5 mpg by 2025. Designers and engineers are desperately searching for solutions that are not too expensive.
