TresSugar

That's The Entrepreneurial Spirit!

GiggleSugar — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 10:30:00 -0700

I'm sure their phones are ringing off the hook.

Italy's Berlusconi: I'm No Saint

TresSugar — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:00:00 -0700

He might be powerful, but Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is "no saint." In the latest chapter of his long story of sex scandals, Berlusconi responds to new audio recordings between himself and a prostitute. He takes the what-did-you-expect approach, saying:

"There are tons of good-looking girls and entrepreneurs out there. I am not a saint, you've all understood that. I hope those at La Repubblica also understands that."

La Repubblica, a left-leaning Italian newspaper, published the recordings earlier this week. In them, Berlusconi allegedly tells a paid escort to wait for him in "Putin's bed," a bed apparently given to Berlusconi as a gift from Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. How romantic!

Love It or Leave It: Cap-Sac, the Fanny Pack For Your Head

TresSugar — Tue, 12 May 2009 08:30:00 -0700

Some diabolical entrepreneurs over at Cap-sac must have figured that in order to bring back the hideous '90s style fanny pack, it would need an update. Their solution? A fanny pack you wear on your head - a Cap-sac. Some people live for smugly, ironic fashions. What about you?

Women's Gyms to Be Banned in Saudi Arabia

TresSugar — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:00:00 -0700

Feeling too lazy to go to the gym? You might jump on a treadmill or lift a few weights in solidarity with women in Saudi Arabia who face the shutdown of all women-only gyms.

Saudi women already face extreme limitations on their freedoms under Wahhabi Islam: they are not allowed to drive, vote, or run for public office; they must be covered in the presence of unfamiliar men; and they're required to have a male guardian.

And now, because the government has agreed to license fitness clubs for men only - categorizing women's gyms as unlicensed and illegal - they have nowhere to exercise without the scrutinizing eyes of men.

In protest, Saudi women recently launched a campaign called "Let Her Get Fat" which protested the decision to close down all-female fitness clubs that are not under the supervision of a government hospital or clinic.

Even entrepreneurs are frustrated. Interested in hearing why? Then read more.

Businessman Bader Al-Shibani, wanting to open a women's fitness club in Jeddah along with the men's club he runs, was told by the government they didn't have the authority to let him do that. "I ran into a stone wall at every turn," he said. "In the end, I just abandoned the project."

So what's the big deal about women working out? For one thing, in a kingdom that intensely regulates the female body, the idea that a woman would focus on strengthening her body - for her own gratification - must rankle patriarchs on a symbolic level. Leading Saudi clerics see an even more imminent threat. If women exercise, they argue, they'll be tempted to leave their homes and neglect their husbands and children.

Source

US Aid to Africa Bad for Africa?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:00:39 -0700

It's amazing the things you can learn from a comedy show. Last night, Stephen Colbert invited Dambisa Moyo, the author of Dead Aid, on his show to discuss US aid to Africa. She says the type of assistance that celebrities lobby for and rich countries provide isn't always good for the continent.

In the last 60 years, wealthy countries have given Africa more than $1 trillion in aid, but poverty levels continue to increase in countries that have become dependent on foreign support.

Moyo explained to Stephen that government aid "very often is used for corruption. It causes inflation. It causes a debt burden, which is unsustainable." She says the developed world should support business leaders and entrepreneurs in Africa through direct investment. Moyo sounds like she has some good ideas - let's hope policy makers at least pick up her book.

Obama Wants Action and Patience to Get US Back on Course

CitizenSugar — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:32:27 -0700

Unsurprisingly, almost every question at tonight's press conference had to do with the economy. President Obama, who said we are beginning to "see signs of progress," took the opportunity to lay out his four priorities moving forward: health care, education, energy, and deficit reduction. When asked why it took him so long to express outrage over AIG's bonuses, Obama said: "It took us a couple of days because I like to know what I’m talking about when I speak." That clearly showed tonight, considering the amount of detail the president shared.

Here are some of the highlights:

On working together: We will recover from this recession. But it will take time, it will take patience, and it will take an understanding that when we all work together, when each of us looks beyond our own short-term interests to the wider set of obligations we have to each other - that's when we succeed. That's when we prosper.
On a new type of prosperity: We know that an economy built on reckless speculation, inflated home prices, and maxed-out credit cards does not create lasting wealth. It creates the illusion of prosperity, and it’s endangered us all.
On the sacrifices of the American people: With respect to the American people, I think folks are sacrificing left and right. They - you’ve got a lot of parents who are cutting back on everything to make sure that their kids can still go to college. You’ve got workers who are deciding to cut an entire day and entire day’s worth of pay so that their fellow co-workers aren’t laid off.

To see what Obama had to say about his critics, and public outrage, read more.

On public outrage: We can't afford to demonize every investor or entrepreneur who tries to make a profit.
On his critics: I’m not going to lie to you. It is tough. As I said, that’s why the critics tend to criticize, but they don’t offer an alternative budget, because even if we were not doing health care, we were not doing energy, we were not doing education, they’d still have a whole bunch of problems in those out years, according to CBO projections.
On how his tax plan would impact charitable giving: I'll tell you what has a significant impact on charitable giving, is a financial crisis and an economy that’s contracting. And so the most important thing that I can do for charitable giving is to fix the economy, to get banks lending again, to get businesses opening their doors again, to get people back to work again. Then I think charities will do just fine.

Source

10 Upsides to the Recession

CitizenSugar — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:00:21 -0800

Is it possible to read anything that doesn't belabor the economy today? Nope. Not even here! But I've had it with the apocalyptic news and found 10 things that more than make do in a recession. Besides, someone other than alcohol and cigarette companies needs to profit, right?

So who looks up when money is down?

Movies: Ticket sales are up 17.5 percent this year.
Environment: Afford not, waste not.
Dating: Some of you said the rise in dating was just gold digging, but banker girlfriends say there's no pot.
Music: Finally! The music industry is not complaining.
European vacations: The euro and the pound still may be worth more than the dollar, but conversion rates are translating much better.
Psychics: Uncertain times call for uncertain methods of inquiry.
Entrepreneurs: It's a great time to have money!
Education: Graduate school is a time-honored way to weather a recession.
Careers: Short-staffed companies have opportunities for eager employees. Not applicable? See above.
Life: No, really. Death rates drop as unemployment rises.

Source

Sorry, No Refunds?!

GiggleSugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:00:00 -0800

Would-be Japanese Space Tourist wants $21M back

You know how you sometimes buy a $200 pair of shoes, say, and then later regret it? Well, replace "shoes" with "trip to outer space" and $200 with $21 million and you'll understand Japanese millionaire Daisuke Enomoto's position. (As much as you can understand any problems a millionaire would have.) Without getting into the he said/she said details, this "eccentric entrepreneur" paid Virginia-based Space Adventures a buttload of money so that he could dress up as his favorite cartoon character and, through Space Adventure's alliance with the Russian space agency, be the first space tourist to do a spacewalk. He's backed out of the deal because of his kidneys stones (like I said, it's a long story, click here if you're interested for their side of the story), and they're all, fogeddaboutit. Wow. Sucks to be you, Daisuke! Buyer of redonkulously self-indulgent trips to outer space beware!

Source

Headline of the Day

GiggleSugar — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:00:00 -0800

Men Guilty Over Fake Penis Scam

You gotta hand it to these entrepreneurs. They saw a market for fake penises that heat up and squirt out urine so that people can fake drug tests - and by golly, they gave the people what they wanted! Their Whizzinator, in addition to having an awesome name, made them a lot of money between 2005 and 2008, and now they're going to pay for it with jail time. (They are guilty of conspiracy charges.) On a side note, the BBC's online news tagline should be called "all the penis news that's fit to print." Who knew there were so many penis-related stories like this one, this one, and YIKES, this one?

Source

Dallas Maverick Owner a Victim of Political Persecution?

LibertySugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:30:27 -0800

Entrepreneur billionaire Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, responded forcefully to the insider trading complaint filed against him by the SEC yesterday, saying that the case is based upon official's win-at-any-cost ambitions." The feds allege that Cuban sold shares of a soon-to-be-doomed Internet search company in 2004 while the price was still high.

So what could be the potential political motivation behind Cuban's charges? Cuban financed Loose Change, a film about 9/11. A source close to Cuban just provided a New York Times reporter with an email sent to Cuban from an SEC lawyer in 2007. The email has the subject "Loose Change" and SEC Chairman Christopher Cox was also copied. It states:

Previously, I thought you were merely foolish and naive. Now, however, I see that you are also a hypocrite. I guess your belief in free speech has severe limitations. If someone else is the victim of an absurd conspiracy theory, you defend your right to participate in smearing the good name of a patriot like President Bush. But, when you are the subject of a parody of the attack you have endorsed, you suddenly issue threats. I think I will email this to Chairman Cox myself. I think he will enjoy it. I’m sure he is also a Laker fan. Since Chairman Cox may not know the background, I will explain. Mark Cuban is the owner of the Dallas Mavericks and has participated in distributing the vicious and absurd documentary, “Loose Change,” which posits that President Bush planned the demolition of the World Trade Center as a pretext for going to war against Iraq.

Do you think Cuban is suffering political payback, or is this email from the SEC lawyer (who was later punished for it) just evidence of stupidity?

Source