January 2006 Edition
WIND
The Ontario government has unveiled plans for eight major wind power projects worth up to C$2-billion, the latest sign that a hitherto fringe technology is being embraced in Canada. These wind projects will total 995 megawatts by 2010, enough to power 250,000 homes annually. The Manitoba government has also called for expressions of interest to develop 1,000 megawatts of wind power over the next decade.
APPRENTICES
Statistics Canada reports that about one half of the individuals who registered in some sort of apprenticeship program in 1992 in Ontario, Alberta and New Brunswick had actually completed training a decade later in the trade they had chosen. A small minority were still in training by 2002. Some of these however, had completed their 1992 trade and were learning a new trade. This study traced a group of about 14,000 apprentices. Overall, about 50 per cent of apprentices interrupted their studies at some point.
COOKIES
One of Japan's biggest confectioners is re-tooling itself for the swelling ranks of the elderly. Because of the aging population, cookies and other products are being redesigned to look like the original, taste like the original and the first bite crunches like the original. But after that they must dissolve instantly so as not to strain aging jaws. Three years ago, one company developed a low-protein cookie aimed at the niche market of recovering kidney disease sufferers. It turned out to be a massive hit with the elderly because it was easy to chew.
FLASH
Soaring demand for consumer gadgets like Ipod and digital cameras is accelerating the production of flash memory that makes storing lots of data in a small space possible. The Semiconductor Industry Association has predicted that the sales of NAND flash memory will grow 16 per cent to US$21-billion in 2006 compared to $10-billion in 2005. The number is expected to rise to 35-billion in 2009. The entire market for flash memory is expected to blossom into a $47-billion market in 2009.
WAL-MART
A new Global Insight study has analyzed the national and regional impact of the largest U.S. retailer on the U.S. economy. The results found that the expansion of Wal-Mart over the 1985 to 2004 period can be associated with a cumulative decline of 9.1 per cent in food-at-home prices, a 4.2 per cent decline in commodity (goods) prices and a 3.1 per cent decline in overall consumer prices. The main driver of this impact was a 0.75 per cent improvement in the overall efficiency of the economy.
SEARCHING
Research has found that searching is now the number 2 activity for Web users. The report also found that reading the news is now the third most popular Web activity. The number of U.S. Web users taking advantage of search engines has risen sharply since mid 2004--from 30 per cent of the U.S. Web population in July 2004 to its current level of 41 per cent, which translates to some 59 million Americans. Despite the increase, searching has still to catch up with the top Internet activity: e-mail.
BUREAUCRACY
A European Union legal loophole is allowing Scottish farmers to pocket up to US$400-million in European funding. Hundreds of farmers no longer involved in agricultural production, including some who live abroad, are eligible for subsidy payments worth an average of $50,000 annually until 2012. One farmer collects $200,000 a year which is sent to Australia. Others receive $80,000 a year sent to France and $60,000 sent to Canada. The scheme is designed to reduce food production by European farmers and is available to all of Scotland's 20,000 farmers.
PUBLIC HEALTH
Since the late 1990s, average health spending in rich countries has risen in real terms at double the rate of economic growth . Since public money generally predominates in the financing of health care, this is straining government budgets. Yet public health and prevention programmes, which are especially cost-effective, account on average for only three per cent of current health-care spending.
ORGANIC
The number of Americans who have tried organic foods jumped to 65 per cent in 2005, compared to 54 per cent in 2003 and 2004. They are buying organic foods and beverages for a variety of reasons. The top three are: avoidance of pesticides (70 per cent), freshness (68 per cent) and health and nutrition (67 per cent). More than half (55 per cent) buy organic to avoid genetically modified foods. The main barrier to purchasing organic foods continues to be price.
LOGGING
According to the U.N.'s FAO, worldwide, a forested area the size of Canada's Maritime provinces has been cleared or logged annually since 2000. Widespread tree planting in China has slowed the rate at which the Earth's forested area is dwindling, but the clearing of tropical forests, much of it in areas never previously cut, continues to grow.
PLUMBING
In the 1890s, the most likely place for Americans to be killed by lightening was while lying in bed or doing something else around the house. The reason for this is that the houses of that era rarely had indoor plumbing, electricity or telephones. There were no grounded wires or metal pipes to attract the lightening and channel it into the ground. Without those modern metal conveniences, lightening can literally jump around inside a house looking for a path to the ground.
PESTS
Invented by Rentokil, a new humane trap has been developed that simply send vermin off to sleep by gassing them with carbon dioxide. Unconscious within ten seconds, they are dead in a minute. Not only is the device humane, it is also intelligent. It contains a cellphone unit that can send a text message or e-mail to the owner or a pest controller announcing that there has been a fresh kill.
INSOMNIA
An estimated 3.3-million Canadians aged 15 or older, or about one in seven, have problems going to sleep or staying asleep, and thus are considered to have insomnia. A study has found that just under one fifth (18 per cent) of these people average less that five hours of sleep a night. The study echoes earlier research that found close ties between insomnia and stress, as well as chronic conditions such as arthritis that involve pain. Weight is also a problem with a high proportion of people who were obese suffering insomnia.
PRODUCT PLACEMENT
Advertising has been creeping into TV shows and films for years. Now, Hollywood writers and actors are calling for a code to govern product placement in shows and films. Their main concern is not stopping such placements, rather their unions have demanded disclosure of details of product deals and a share of the billions of dollars in ad revenue generated by the practice. If they do not get a cut, they have said they will appeal to the government to intervene.
PORTS
Several Chinese companies are teaming up to build one of China's largest port facilities for shipping automobiles. Located in Guangzhou, it is scheduled to start operating in mid-2006 shipping finished cars from Toyota Motor Corp. Guangzhou is becoming a major auto production site. The US$62-million facility will be able to handle up to 600,000 vehicles a year.
PAINT
Air Canada is getting mixed results experimenting with stripping paint from parts of two of its 45-plane fleet of Boeing 767s. The airline figures that, in theory, it could save $24,000 a year in fuel bills for each plane shedding paint because that would reduce the weight of an aircraft by 163 kilograms.
FLU
Latest estimates are that up to 70 million workdays will be lost this season to influenza in the U.S. at a cost to employers of around US$8-billion in sick leave. A new survey shows that a company loses $110 for each paid sick day an employee takes.
GREAT LAKES
A new database shows rare species and lands around the Great Lakes which will help scientists and government to decide which areas most need to be conserved. The Great Lakes region is the world's largest freshwater ecosystem. It is home to the highest diversity of plants and species in Canada, but also to cities, industry and agriculture. The database highlights imperilled species found only in the Great Lakes basin including the aurora trout and dwarf lake iris, as well as healthy ecosystems such as sugar maple forests and coastal wetlands.
MANAGERS
A new survey shows that Chinese salaries for senior managers and professional jobs are as much as double the levels in India, although such disparities are harder to find outside China's white-hot coastal corridor. Human Resource managers, for example, earn average salaries of US$32,000 in China compared with $15,000 in India. Also, project managers earn a whopping 133 per cent more in China than in India. China is at a more advanced stage of industrial development than India and attracts 10 times the level of foreign investment which fuels higher economic growth.
PETS
The municipal government of Rome has passed a 59-point statute ordering better treatment for pets. Among its provisions: Dogs must be walked every day or their owners face a $740 fine. Choke collars are forbidden as are declawing and cosmetic ear and tail clipping for dogs and cats. A goldfish is entitled to a proper, full-sized aquarium and can no longer be given out as a prize.
OVERSUPPLY
Chinese industrial production continues to grow strongly but some government sources have started to warn of growing domestic overcapacity. Chinese steel demand exceeded 300 million tons in 2005 with production above 400 million tons. Demand is predicted to rise only marginally to 320 million tons by 2010 but output capacity is estimated to hit 530 million tons by 2008. Another official report warns that Chinese car production could be double that of domestic demand by 2010.
WINE
The palates of British drinkers are becoming more sophisticated according to recent figures which show the sales of fine wines are soaring. One major distributor reports a 43 per cent rise in sales of wines costing more than $50.00. The interest appears to have been stimulated by greater confidence and wine education among shoppers and more disposable income. The exorbitant prices changed by restaurants, where mark-ups of 300 per cent are common, has also persuaded drinkers to invest more in wines for the home. Sales have grown by 25 per cent since 1999.
CAPITAL
Britain has the best financial environment for entrepreneurs, according to the latest Capital Access Index produced by the Milkin Institute. Since 1998 the Institute has ranked countries according to the breadth, depth and vitality of their capital markets. This year's index covers 121 countries which between them represents 92 per cent of global GDP. Hong Kong and Singapore beat the U.S. into fourth place.
SUCCESS
Last month, the humble cardboard box was inducted into the U.S. National Toy Hall of Fame because of the joy that young children derive from playing with them.
Thank you for reading the A & A Economic News Digest. For more information visit our website www.aacb.com or contact A & A Contract Customs Brokers Ltd. at strehler@aacb.com.
Past issues of the A&A Economic News Digest can be found at http://www.aacb.com/publications/ed/index.asp
The Ontario government has unveiled plans for eight major wind power projects worth up to C$2-billion, the latest sign that a hitherto fringe technology is being embraced in Canada. These wind projects will total 995 megawatts by 2010, enough to power 250,000 homes annually. The Manitoba government has also called for expressions of interest to develop 1,000 megawatts of wind power over the next decade.
APPRENTICES
Statistics Canada reports that about one half of the individuals who registered in some sort of apprenticeship program in 1992 in Ontario, Alberta and New Brunswick had actually completed training a decade later in the trade they had chosen. A small minority were still in training by 2002. Some of these however, had completed their 1992 trade and were learning a new trade. This study traced a group of about 14,000 apprentices. Overall, about 50 per cent of apprentices interrupted their studies at some point.
COOKIES
One of Japan's biggest confectioners is re-tooling itself for the swelling ranks of the elderly. Because of the aging population, cookies and other products are being redesigned to look like the original, taste like the original and the first bite crunches like the original. But after that they must dissolve instantly so as not to strain aging jaws. Three years ago, one company developed a low-protein cookie aimed at the niche market of recovering kidney disease sufferers. It turned out to be a massive hit with the elderly because it was easy to chew.
FLASH
Soaring demand for consumer gadgets like Ipod and digital cameras is accelerating the production of flash memory that makes storing lots of data in a small space possible. The Semiconductor Industry Association has predicted that the sales of NAND flash memory will grow 16 per cent to US$21-billion in 2006 compared to $10-billion in 2005. The number is expected to rise to 35-billion in 2009. The entire market for flash memory is expected to blossom into a $47-billion market in 2009.
WAL-MART
A new Global Insight study has analyzed the national and regional impact of the largest U.S. retailer on the U.S. economy. The results found that the expansion of Wal-Mart over the 1985 to 2004 period can be associated with a cumulative decline of 9.1 per cent in food-at-home prices, a 4.2 per cent decline in commodity (goods) prices and a 3.1 per cent decline in overall consumer prices. The main driver of this impact was a 0.75 per cent improvement in the overall efficiency of the economy.
SEARCHING
Research has found that searching is now the number 2 activity for Web users. The report also found that reading the news is now the third most popular Web activity. The number of U.S. Web users taking advantage of search engines has risen sharply since mid 2004--from 30 per cent of the U.S. Web population in July 2004 to its current level of 41 per cent, which translates to some 59 million Americans. Despite the increase, searching has still to catch up with the top Internet activity: e-mail.
BUREAUCRACY
A European Union legal loophole is allowing Scottish farmers to pocket up to US$400-million in European funding. Hundreds of farmers no longer involved in agricultural production, including some who live abroad, are eligible for subsidy payments worth an average of $50,000 annually until 2012. One farmer collects $200,000 a year which is sent to Australia. Others receive $80,000 a year sent to France and $60,000 sent to Canada. The scheme is designed to reduce food production by European farmers and is available to all of Scotland's 20,000 farmers.
PUBLIC HEALTH
Since the late 1990s, average health spending in rich countries has risen in real terms at double the rate of economic growth . Since public money generally predominates in the financing of health care, this is straining government budgets. Yet public health and prevention programmes, which are especially cost-effective, account on average for only three per cent of current health-care spending.
ORGANIC
The number of Americans who have tried organic foods jumped to 65 per cent in 2005, compared to 54 per cent in 2003 and 2004. They are buying organic foods and beverages for a variety of reasons. The top three are: avoidance of pesticides (70 per cent), freshness (68 per cent) and health and nutrition (67 per cent). More than half (55 per cent) buy organic to avoid genetically modified foods. The main barrier to purchasing organic foods continues to be price.
LOGGING
According to the U.N.'s FAO, worldwide, a forested area the size of Canada's Maritime provinces has been cleared or logged annually since 2000. Widespread tree planting in China has slowed the rate at which the Earth's forested area is dwindling, but the clearing of tropical forests, much of it in areas never previously cut, continues to grow.
PLUMBING
In the 1890s, the most likely place for Americans to be killed by lightening was while lying in bed or doing something else around the house. The reason for this is that the houses of that era rarely had indoor plumbing, electricity or telephones. There were no grounded wires or metal pipes to attract the lightening and channel it into the ground. Without those modern metal conveniences, lightening can literally jump around inside a house looking for a path to the ground.
PESTS
Invented by Rentokil, a new humane trap has been developed that simply send vermin off to sleep by gassing them with carbon dioxide. Unconscious within ten seconds, they are dead in a minute. Not only is the device humane, it is also intelligent. It contains a cellphone unit that can send a text message or e-mail to the owner or a pest controller announcing that there has been a fresh kill.
INSOMNIA
An estimated 3.3-million Canadians aged 15 or older, or about one in seven, have problems going to sleep or staying asleep, and thus are considered to have insomnia. A study has found that just under one fifth (18 per cent) of these people average less that five hours of sleep a night. The study echoes earlier research that found close ties between insomnia and stress, as well as chronic conditions such as arthritis that involve pain. Weight is also a problem with a high proportion of people who were obese suffering insomnia.
PRODUCT PLACEMENT
Advertising has been creeping into TV shows and films for years. Now, Hollywood writers and actors are calling for a code to govern product placement in shows and films. Their main concern is not stopping such placements, rather their unions have demanded disclosure of details of product deals and a share of the billions of dollars in ad revenue generated by the practice. If they do not get a cut, they have said they will appeal to the government to intervene.
PORTS
Several Chinese companies are teaming up to build one of China's largest port facilities for shipping automobiles. Located in Guangzhou, it is scheduled to start operating in mid-2006 shipping finished cars from Toyota Motor Corp. Guangzhou is becoming a major auto production site. The US$62-million facility will be able to handle up to 600,000 vehicles a year.
PAINT
Air Canada is getting mixed results experimenting with stripping paint from parts of two of its 45-plane fleet of Boeing 767s. The airline figures that, in theory, it could save $24,000 a year in fuel bills for each plane shedding paint because that would reduce the weight of an aircraft by 163 kilograms.
FLU
Latest estimates are that up to 70 million workdays will be lost this season to influenza in the U.S. at a cost to employers of around US$8-billion in sick leave. A new survey shows that a company loses $110 for each paid sick day an employee takes.
GREAT LAKES
A new database shows rare species and lands around the Great Lakes which will help scientists and government to decide which areas most need to be conserved. The Great Lakes region is the world's largest freshwater ecosystem. It is home to the highest diversity of plants and species in Canada, but also to cities, industry and agriculture. The database highlights imperilled species found only in the Great Lakes basin including the aurora trout and dwarf lake iris, as well as healthy ecosystems such as sugar maple forests and coastal wetlands.
MANAGERS
A new survey shows that Chinese salaries for senior managers and professional jobs are as much as double the levels in India, although such disparities are harder to find outside China's white-hot coastal corridor. Human Resource managers, for example, earn average salaries of US$32,000 in China compared with $15,000 in India. Also, project managers earn a whopping 133 per cent more in China than in India. China is at a more advanced stage of industrial development than India and attracts 10 times the level of foreign investment which fuels higher economic growth.
PETS
The municipal government of Rome has passed a 59-point statute ordering better treatment for pets. Among its provisions: Dogs must be walked every day or their owners face a $740 fine. Choke collars are forbidden as are declawing and cosmetic ear and tail clipping for dogs and cats. A goldfish is entitled to a proper, full-sized aquarium and can no longer be given out as a prize.
OVERSUPPLY
Chinese industrial production continues to grow strongly but some government sources have started to warn of growing domestic overcapacity. Chinese steel demand exceeded 300 million tons in 2005 with production above 400 million tons. Demand is predicted to rise only marginally to 320 million tons by 2010 but output capacity is estimated to hit 530 million tons by 2008. Another official report warns that Chinese car production could be double that of domestic demand by 2010.
WINE
The palates of British drinkers are becoming more sophisticated according to recent figures which show the sales of fine wines are soaring. One major distributor reports a 43 per cent rise in sales of wines costing more than $50.00. The interest appears to have been stimulated by greater confidence and wine education among shoppers and more disposable income. The exorbitant prices changed by restaurants, where mark-ups of 300 per cent are common, has also persuaded drinkers to invest more in wines for the home. Sales have grown by 25 per cent since 1999.
CAPITAL
Britain has the best financial environment for entrepreneurs, according to the latest Capital Access Index produced by the Milkin Institute. Since 1998 the Institute has ranked countries according to the breadth, depth and vitality of their capital markets. This year's index covers 121 countries which between them represents 92 per cent of global GDP. Hong Kong and Singapore beat the U.S. into fourth place.
SUCCESS
Last month, the humble cardboard box was inducted into the U.S. National Toy Hall of Fame because of the joy that young children derive from playing with them.
Thank you for reading the A & A Economic News Digest. For more information visit our website www.aacb.com or contact A & A Contract Customs Brokers Ltd. at strehler@aacb.com.
Past issues of the A&A Economic News Digest can be found at http://www.aacb.com/publications/ed/index.asp
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