Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO
In 2011 Facebook earned $1 billion in sales, however the CEO of Facebook has a $16 billion stake in the company he co-founded with in 2004 by Zuckerberg and classmates Dustin Moskovitz, Eduardo Saverin, and Chris Hughes while they were students at Harvard University. Facebook’s valuation has been modestly valued at about $85 billion, feel the company will exceed an estimated value of $100 billion.
January 27, 2012
Fitch has downgraded the credit ratings of Belgium, Cyprus, Italy, and Spain citing “near-term vulnerability to monetary and financial shocks”. Fitch cut Italy’s rating to A-minus from A-plus; Spain to A from double-A minus; Belgium to double-A from AA plus; Slovenia to A from AA- and Cyprus to -BBB from BBB. almost near junk status. Earlier in the month Standard and Poor downgraded nine euro zone countries, this move signals move troubles for the beleaguered euro region.
GFBC NEWS NETWORK
January 27, 2012
Social media behemoth, Facebook is expected to file it’s IPO next week and has chosen Morgan Stanley to be the lead underwriter. According to CNBC, the company is looking to valuate the company at an estimated value of between $75-100 billion, according to the report. It is rumored that Facebook’s IPO is putting a damper on Yahoo, as it looks for possible suitors to reestablish itself back into prominence. Yahoo is facing challenging times as it’s founder, Jerry Yang recently resigned his board seat and other positions at the embattled company. Facebook follows other social media companies that went public, such as Linked in that went public May 20th of 2011. Linked-in is currently trading under the ticker symbol LNKD on the New York Stock Exchange.
RESTON, VA, Jan 24, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) — Avail-TVN, the leading independent digital media services company in North America, today announced that Bermuda CableVision has become the latest CALA-based service provider to move its video on demand (VOD) service to Avail-TVN. Bermuda CableVision is the island’s largest provider of digital cable TV and is the only supplier of high-definition TV in Bermuda. As of December 1, 2011, Avail-TVN is delivering VOD content in HD/SD and 3D from studios, networks and specialty content providers, making it available to Bermuda CableVision’s digital subscribers.
“Bermuda CableVision has distinguished itself by offering high quality digital television supported by our advanced, island-wide network,” said Terry Roberson, General Manager, Bermuda CableVision. “By working with Avail-TVN, we can offer our subscribers the premium content and advanced services that give us a competitive edge in a growing market.”
Avail-TVN works with service providers in the U.S. and internationally to help them access and distribute new release and library titles from major Hollywood studios in multiple formats including 3D, HD and across multiple devices. With a decade-long history of protecting and distributing premium content, Avail-TVN is uniquely positioned to enable service providers to increase the amount and quality of content available to subscribers. For service providers launching TV Everywhere initiatives, Avail-TVN’s Adaptive Bitrate (ABR) offering allows service providers the ability to deliver the best picture quality based on the user’s bandwidth and device capability. Avail-TVN’s presence in the Caribbean and Latin America has been growing over the past year, currently reaching digitally-enabled households in more than 20 markets.
“Service providers turn to Avail-TVN for innovative solutions, the highest quality content and unparalleled support,” said Jim Riley, chief revenue officer, Avail-TVN. “Years of working successfully with top studios, broadcast and cable network partners has given Avail-TVN the access and expertise required to offer new and premium content to our service provider customers. We are thrilled to be working with Bermuda CableVision as they expand their VOD service.”
About Bermuda CableVision Bermuda CableVision is the island’s leading provider of digital cable TV, including today’s top-rated and most in-demand networks, along with high-speed, reliable broadband services. The company is the only supplier of high-definition TV in Bermuda. Its HD tier line-up now includes over 25 channels of theatre quality pictures and surround sound. Bermuda CableVision’s advanced, island-wide fibre-based network is designed to meet evolving customer needs well into the future. http://www.cablevision.bm/
SOURCE: Avail-TVN
BEIJING, Jan. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ — Tomorrow (23 January, 2012) is the first day of the lunar new year in China. When you see your Chinese friends, please remember to wish them a “Happy Chinese New Year”. “Happy Chinese New Year” is a fun, free, interactive application for the iPad that has been available at the Apple Store online since 29 December, 2011.
This App has five components: “Happy Chinese New Year”, “Chinese Shows in the World”, “Greeting”, “Cultures” and “Link”. With multimedia texts, images, video, animation, sound files, and other media, the application introduces Overseas “Happy Chinese New Year” festivities of the Ministry of Culture, P. R. China, and offers information about Chinese performing arts troupes entertaining across the world during the first half of 2012, as well as introductions to Chinese traditions and customs for celebrating the Spring Festival. Each interface can toggle instantly between Chinese and English languages. The App also provides a Chinese New Year electronic greeting card that users can send to friends by email or via social networking sites. By sharing the application, you can also help others learn about China’s wonderful traditional culture, understand the aspirations of the Chinese people to strive for harmonious living, and appreciate China’s development and progress.
Overseas “Happy Chinese New Year” is an important trademark cultural activity organized by the Chinese government abroad. Programs include temple fairs, parades, song and dance entertainment, handicraft demonstrations, special exhibitions, film screenings, cultural lectures, and more. In 2011, “Happy Chinese New Year” cultural events such as the Empire State Building showcase, the San Francisco grand Spring Festival parade, the Washington Sino-American culinary night, and the Silicon Valley temple fair for the Year of the Tiger, among others , attracted the participation of Americans from all walks of life and were welcomed with great enthusiasm. When the “Happy Chinese New Year” App was released at the App Store online, the schedules of all programs of 2012 “Happy Chinese New Year” around the world as well as Chinese performing arts programs worldwide during the first half of 2012 became available, making it easier for the peoples of the world to join us. For program details, please check “Happy Chinese New Year”.
We bring you the good wishes, joy and jubilation of Chinese New Year. We hope that this App will bring you delight, and that you will celebrate this great holiday, which belongs to the world, with all of us.
“Happy Chinese New Year” is developed by CAV Television Production Co., Ltd.
SOURCE CAV Television Production Co., Ltd.
Pay for three nights and get your fourth night free and also receive two free massages on-site while enjoying strawberries, champagne and the Caribbean!
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands (PRWEB) January 21, 2012
With Valentine’s Day less than a month away, The Venetian Grace Bay is helping couples from all over the world plan that romantic getaway with these two special incentives:
Pay for three nights and get a fourth night free and also receive two free massages on-site while enjoying strawberries, champagne, and the Caribbean.
The Venetian Grace Bay, Turks & Caicos
The Venetian Grace Bay opened in the fall of 2011, and it is Provo’s best-kept secret. It’s new, it’s beautiful, and it sits on one of the best stretches of Grace Bay Beach. The Venetian promises to become one of the most popular luxury boutique properties on Providenciales. With just the right amount of ameneties and spacious condominium suites, travelers will never want to leave, unless of course they catch a glimpse of a perfect sunny day from their private, screened-in balconies. The Venetian’s massage therapist is always on call, so that couples who want a bit of pampering need only pick up the phone.
“We’re very happy with everything about the Venetian,” said Terria Misick, the property’s general manager. “Hosting couples is always a treat because, more often than not, they’re celebrating a special occasion. We enjoy finding ways to spoil our guests and help them relax.”
Providenciales is only a 45 minute plan ride from Miami, and many carriers offer direct flights so the Caribbean has never been closer. Call 1-877-277-4793 to learn more about The Venetian Valentine’s Day Package or to check availability.
Miami, FL, January 20, 2012 – Interval International, a prominent global provider of vacation services, is a sponsor of Caribbean Marketplace, the region’s preeminent business-to-business marketing event for the hotel and tourism industry. The gathering, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary,will be held on January 22-24 in Paradise Island, Bahamas. It is being organized by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) and hosted by the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, the Bahamas Hotel Association, and the Nassau/Paradise Island Promotion Board.
“As we commemorate this milestone, we would like to acknowledge the continued dedication of long-standing partners like Interval that make it possible for us to sustain the quality programs that have such a positive impact on our industry,” said Alec Sanguinetti, director general and chief executive officer of CHTA. “We hope to exceed the record attendance and vendor participation set in 2011 at this year’s event.”
“Caribbean Marketplace serves as one of the most important venues for connecting hoteliers with tour operators and wholesalers interested in promoting Caribbean vacations. Business conducted at this conference helps ensure the growth and success of companies in the region and we are proud to be a sponsor,” said Neil Kolton, Interval’s director of resort sales and service for the Caribbean and Florida.
The Caribbean has proven itself to be a very popular destination for owners of the shared ownership product. According to Interval International’s 2011 U.S. Membership Profile,the region is cited by nearly half of Interval’s U.S.-resident members as their leisure destination of choice for international travel within the next two years.
As a Strategic Partner of CHTA and a Board Member of the CHTA Education Foundation and the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s Scholarship Foundation, Interval has been a long-time supporter of the tourism industry in the Caribbean. The company is committed to understanding the unique needs of the region and providing products and programs tailored to this market.
GFBC NEWS NETWORK
Yahoo Co-Founder, Jerry Yang
Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang is leaving the struggling company. The surprise departure, announced Tuesday, comes just two weeks after Yahoo Inc. hired former PayPal executive Scott Thomson as its CEO. Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang has resigned his board seat and “all other positions” with the beleaguered Web giant, the company announced this afternoon. Yang co-founded Yahoo in 1995 with David Filo and served as chief executive from June 2007 to January 2009. Filo remains at the company. Yang’s tenure as chief executive was tumultuous with the company reporting a 64 percent drop in net income at a time when the online advertising market was softening. That led to layoffs, including one that cut 1,000 jobs in February 2008, and another that carved away 1,430 later that same year.
Two-city tour showcases strong potential for job creation in tourism and design sectors
Fashion Icon Donna Karan, Explores Investment Opportunities in Haiti’s Heartland – Yahoo! Finance
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Jan. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Internationally-acclaimed fashion designer Donna Karan accompanied Haitian Minister of the Interior, Thierry Mayard-Paul, as he visited the cities of Jeremiah and Jacmel during his “listening campaign.”
The visits, a continuation of the Minister’s tour of Haiti’s heartland, are aimed at advancing the government’s goals for building a sustainable economy through investments that support decentralization and drive job creation across all sectors, and throughout all the communities of Haiti.
Minister Mayard Paul and Ms. Karan met with Jacmel’s Tourism Minister Ms. Stephanie B. Villedrouin and visited several hotels and tourist sites damaged by the January 2010 earthquake, including the Hotel Florita, the Jacmelienne Hotel and other severely damaged structures along the coast of the Southeast.
According to the Minister, these structures hold investment opportunities for the region. “Prior to the earthquake, Jacmel was one of Haiti’s wealthiest cities, with considerable tourist assets,” said Mayard-Paul. “With its favorable location, it holds great potential for development and job creation for this region.”
In visiting the city of Jeremiah, Mayard-Paul solicited the needs of residents, and vowed to deliver on their requests for jobs through the ongoing efforts of the Martelly government to make Haiti a country favorable to business for national and international investors. To that end, the Minister of the Interior escorted Ms. Karan to an exhibition of local art and handicrafts on Jeremiah’s city square. In viewing the work of Haitian painters, sculptors and craft persons, Ms. Karan reiterated her passion for Haiti as a nation where “each person is creative” and promised to assist Haitian artisans in promoting their works. “Creativity can be manifested into jobs,” Ms. Karan said, an ardent supporter of Haiti through her company Urban Zen. “The craftwork of Haiti is a model for job creation and education in Haiti. The best investment in Haiti is in her people. Their desire to work says much about their spirit, soul and pride.”
Mayard-Paul also visited Jeremiah’s police station, addressing requests for the redevelopment of the premises, and reassuring authorities that the government is working towards long-term, sustainable solutions. “President Martelly and his administration are implementing every measure to achieve concrete and positive changes,” said Mayard-Paul. “Collaboration and cooperation aimed at attracting local and international investment projects will help us achieve our vision for creating sustainable development for Haiti.”
SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCES BY DR. MICHELLE, DR. TARTT, RAPPERS DON TRIP (“LETTER TO MY SON”) AND TRAY CHANEY (“FATHERHOOD”) On Monday, January 30, “106 & PARK” will air a special episode dedicated to young parents titled “Young, Single & Parenting.” The live, 90-minute special will deal exclusively with issues affecting young parents focusing specifically on [...]
Blind Shotta Movie Trailer HD sneek peek
Blind Shotta is the brand new Jamaican movie that is creating waves in Jamaica and soon to be release to the world. The people of Jamaica are waiting on Carib Cinema which is owned by Palace Amusement Company for the date of the premiere. A web site was created to help people to know what’s [...]
Music producer Swizz Beatz on the run from Federal Prosecutors
GFBC NEWS NETWORK According to the Associated Press. Beatz, real name Kasseem Dean, 33, is listed as the CEO on the website of the Hong Kong-based file sharing website, Megaupload.com, which was shut down by feds today. The Associated Press reports: “The indictment accuses the company of costing copyright holders more than $500 million in [...]
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