Ailing Disney fishes for Pixar buyout
The News Review:
- Ailing Disney fishes for Pixar buyout
- Business comment
- The Fate of Africa
- Mornings are less of a family affair as fewer parents make a meal of…
- M6 services to champion Farmhouse Breakfast.
Ailing Disney fishes for Pixar buyout
Guardian Unlimited – Jan 20, 2006
Pixar’s next film, Cars, is the last under the Disney deal. There have been signs lately that relations between Mr Jobs and Disney have been thawing. At the end of last year, Mr Iger struck a deal allowing Disney-produced shows including Desperate Housewives and Lost to be made available for download on Apple’s iPod devices. Pixar’s first film, Toy Story, was an unexpected hit. Released in 1995, it was the first full-length computer animated feature and even its producers were uncertain of the audience reaction. It became the highest grossing film of the year and Pixar has proven reliable since. The studio’s other hits have included Toy Story 2, A Bug’s Life and Monsters Inc.
Business comment
Telegraph.co.uk – Jan 20, 2006
1billion by eBay – a deal that still looks like marking the return of a second bout of dotcom madness. Such a price also looks crazy when you consider what has happened since. In September in the UK DSG International, owner of the Dixons chain, launched its own home-grown version of VoIP with handsets, including software, for sale through its shops. It was offering consumers a simple “plug-in-and-talk” proposition. At the time DSG said its VoIP service was “the most significant development in the telephone market since the launch of the mobile phone”. Now Tesco is going into VoIP with similarly grandiose claims. It has an internet phone service “that will revolutionise the way people make their phone calls”, according to the blurb.
The Fate of Africa
Washington Post – Jan 20, 2006
Kenya also remains a troubled country, not so much because of thefailed constitutional referendum, but because of the scale of corruption which flourishes despite government promises. _______________________Nairobi, Kenya: Western donors have poured nearly $500 billion into Africa’s economy over the past 40 years, and it really doesn’t seem to be helping in the long term. The aid seems to have a negative effect—stifling local economies and home-grown development, keeping Africans in a state of dependence, etc. Should the West just leave Africa to its own fate, for better or worse?Martin Meredith: The solution to Africa’s malaise can only come from a combination of effective leadership by Africans themselves and Western assistance. African states on their own have neither the expertise nor the resources to make much headway in resolving such a mountain of problems. Though much Western aid has been squandered and much still finds its way into the foreign bank accounts of corrupt African politicians and officials, the answer is not to cut off aid but to make greater efforts into ensuring it reaches the right target and exposing corruption wherever it occurs. Compiling a register of corruption and naming names would be a useful start.
Mornings are less of a family affair as fewer parents make a meal of…
Telegraph.co.uk – Jan 20, 2006
“Women, in particular, put beauty before companionship by spending a lot of time fixing their hair, having a shower and putting on make-up when they’d feel much better about themselves by sharing their plans or thoughts for the day with the family. “Grabbing a quick bite whilst dashing out the door isn’t the best way to start the day. ” The survey, commissioned by the Home Grown Cereals Authority and the Association of Cereal Food Manufacturers, found that 22 per cent of people skip breakfast and 16 per cent have it at their desk at work. Around a third of people who skip breakfast do not eat until lunchtime, while three per cent have their first food of the day in the evening. When asked why they missed breakfast, 30 per cent said they were never hungry in the mornings, while 27 per cent said they were too busy. Between 25 and 30 per cent of parents said they ate with their families. The survey also found that 39 per cent of parents with three children ate breakfast alone.
M6 services to champion Farmhouse Breakfast.
Free with registration – Farmers Weekly – AccessMyLibrary.com – Jan 20, 2006
| Farmers Weekly (January, 2006). Tebay services on the M6 in Cumbria has been voted no.