Picture of the Day

The Launch of Francophone Games in Beirut

The 6th Francophone Games, the 'Jeux de la Francophonie', were formally launched this evening in Beirut.

The games running until October 6 are being attended by 42 countries. They reflect Lebanon's diversity, as Beirut is a venue in which all cultures and religions meet.

The players and the states participating in this tournament are welcomed to the country of the cedars, grouping on its soil all races and languages.

The event is held every 4 years with the participation of more than 3,000 athletes.

Cartoon of the Week

Postcard of the Week

Anjar - Lebanon

The World's Best Brands

Coke has held the top spot in the Interbrand rankings for each of the past nine years. IBM, Microsoft, GE, Nokia, McDonald's, Google, Toyota, Intel and Disney, in that order, round out the top 10 (in all, the study ranks the top 100 brands). To qualify for the list, a brand must offer publicly available financial data and must book at least one-third of its revenues from outside its country of origin. So Walmart, for example, can't qualify because it does not generate enough international cash under the Walmart name.

What's perhaps even more telling than the actual rankings are the year-over-year changes. According to Interbrand, the recession has produced a few stars. Take Google, for example. Its value jumped 25%, to $32 billion, in 2009. "Google has romped through our league tables over the last three or four years," says Frampton. The report credits the diversification of the company's businesses, including new advertising models and the Android phone software, with propping up the company's numbers. Another tech outfit, Amazon, is also surging: the Circuit City bankruptcy and struggles at the Borders bookstore chain are driving traffic to the site. Plus, the Kindle shows that you can still innovate in a downturn. The online retailer jumped 15 spots in the rankings, to 43.

No brand fell farther than UBS, the Swiss bank that lost more than $17 billion in 2008 and became known as an alleged haven for American tax cheats. According to Interbrand, the company's value dropped 50%, to $4.4 billion, sinking UBS 31 spots, to 72nd, in the rankings. Citi also struggled. The troubled financial giant saw a 49% drop in brand value, to $10.3 billion, compared with last year. "These firms have lost the trust of their customers, investors and employees as well," says Frampton. "Sticking money in your mattress now seems like a viable alternative."

Outside the financial-services sector, Harley has taken a hit. The iconic motorcycle brand saw its value fall 43%, to $4.3 billion. "I don't think there is any less love for Harley-Davidson," says Frampton. "The company is just highly susceptible to shifts in discretionary spending." Harley-Davidson's profits are down 66% for the first two quarters of 2009.

Harley still makes the top 100 (at No. 73), but more than 30 brands that started out the decade on Interbrand's list are now nowhere to be found. They include AT&T, Boeing, Heineken and (we're sorry to say) TIME. But the saddest fall of all may be Barbie. She started out the decade riding high, and now she can't crack the list. Blame those sassy Bratz dolls for Barbie's demise. "But there's an enduring nature to Barbie," Frampton says. "I believe she's one of those brands well positioned for a comeback." Too bad you can't say the same for Ken.

Behind Bars®: Johnnie Walker

When a fifteen-year-old farm boy took over a small Kilmarnock grocery store in 1820, he was taking the first step in the journey that led to the creation of an iconic global whisky brand. The boy’s name was John Walker, and his dedication to excellence made him an icon of personal progress—a sophisticated and dynamic brand that is sold in more than 200 countries.

Today, Johnnie Walker is the world’s leading Scotch whisky brand with a portfolio of five award-winning whiskies—Red Label, Black Label, Green Label, Gold Label, and Blue Label. Around the world, more than four bottles of Johnnie Walker are consumed every second.

Leadership: Time for risk-taking to return?

Is risk-taking back in vogue? "Summer Davos" in Dalian, China, saw business leaders arguing risk must make a return for growth.

A year after the bailouts of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the implosion of Lehman Brothers, more than 1300 business and government leaders met in Dalian for the "Summer Davos" of the World Economic Forum.

Discussions on the dais and on the sidelines of the event swirled around when economic recovery will occur, what shape it will take and what leadership is required.

"We have to look in the mirror ... and see that what is in front of us is very different from what we see in the mirror behind us," said Ben J. Verwaayen, chief executive officer of Alcatel-Lucent.

"This crisis isn't about when will we restore order; this is about going from one reality to the next reality," he said. "We'll have different values, different criteria of success, and different environmental issues to deal with. That will require different leadership."

Based on interviews and comments of top business leaders at the event, the winners of the new economic order will be leaders who move fast, are transparent in process and take advantage of the economic upheaval to sprint ahead of the competition.

"Many households (brand) names were started in a times of crisis -- GE was started during the long depression in 1876; HP at the tail end of the Depression, FedEx during the oil crisis," said Vivek Ranadive, chairman and chief executive officer of U.S. software maker TIBCO.

His advice: "Fail fast -- try something, and if doesn't work, move quickly to something else."

But most leaders fail to look at strategy, and instead focus on survival. "Remarkably in a time of recession ... when you would expect decision-making to increase in speed it actually slows down," said Pramod Bhasin, chief executive officer of Genpact, an India-based technology outsourcing company. "Companies get paralyzed ... it demonstrates a lack of leadership."

Adds Sir Martin Sorrell, group chief executive officer of WPP Group, the advertising and marketing giant: "The instinctive reaction in a recessionary environment is to cut costs. You can't cut your costs to growth and recovery."

Regaining and building an economic foothold means regaining the confidence of the consumer, which is no small task. "Millions of people have lost homes, lost jobs, lost a large share of their wealth ... they have lost their belief in capitalism," said Maurice Levy, Chief Executive Officer of the Publicis. "There will be reset of the values ... we should not waste the crisis, we should not waste the opportunity to transform the company and the world."

Business leaders should use the financial crisis as a time to shake up long-standing problems within a company. "It's hard to convince people to change when things are going well," said Ranadive of TIBCO. "In some ways it's easier to manage (in a recession) ... Expectations are low, so it's easier to exceed expectations."

The most difficult challenge for industry leaders will be to regain a spirit of ambition even as the economic recovery remains uncertain. James Schiro, group chief executive officer of Zurich Financial Services, said there is a feeling boardrooms that you can "combine being risk-free with innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit. That's impossible."

"Risk, as long as you understand the risk, is a necessary integral part of doing business," added Verwaayen of Alcatel. "If you eliminate risks, you eliminate growth."

Picture of the Week

Courtesy of my sweet cousin Janice, Boston - Mass.

Bachir Gemayel

Image of mine are you just a myth?
Aiming for the stars and a need to exist
Singing your life to its final bar,
Staging all the scenes to avoid who you are.

Idol of mine will you lead me on?
Build for me the dreams that I'm longing to own
Make me secure - be my fallacy
You are all my world if for only today.

And live for ever more...

Heroes I call for you
Legend to feed my heart and soul
Heroes I cry for you
Legend will bleed your heart of soul.

 
Bachir Gemayel (November 10, 1947 – September 14, 1982) was a Lebanese politician, militia commander, and President-elect. He was a senior member of the Phalange party and the commander of the Lebanese Forces militia amid the first several years of the Lebanese Civil War (1975-90). He was elected President on August 23, 1982 while the country was torn by civil war and occupied by both Israel and Syria. He was assassinated on September 14, 1982, along with 26 others, when a bomb exploded in the Beirut headquarters of the Phalange.

Walmart's Latest Move to Crush the Competition

Walmart loves to shock and awe. City-size stores, absurdly low prices ($8 jeans!) and everything from milk to Matchbox toys on its shelves. And with the recession forcing legions of stores into bankruptcy, the world's largest retailer now apparently wants to take out the remaining survivors.

Thus, the company is in the beginning stages of a massive store and strategy remodeling effort, which it has dubbed Project Impact. One goal of Project Impact is cleaner, less cluttered stores that will improve the shopping experience. Another is friendlier customer service. A third: home in on categories where the competition can be killed. "They've got Kmart ready to take a standing eight-count next year," says retail consultant Burt Flickinger III, managing director for Strategic Resources Group and a veteran Walmart watcher. "Same with Rite Aid. They've knocked out four of the top five toy retailers, and are now going after the last one standing, Toys "R" Us. Project Impact will be the catalyst to wipe out a second round of national and regional retailers."

Though that's bad news for many smaller businesses that can't compete, Walmart investors have clamored for this push. Despite the company's consistently strong financial performance, Wall Street hasn't cheered Walmart's growth rates. During the 1990s, the company's stock price jumped 1,173%. In this decade, it's down around 24% (Walmart's stock closed at $51.74 per share on Sept. 3). "Walmart is under excruciating pressure from employees and frustrated institutional investors to get the stock up," says Flickinger.

Many analysts believe that the store-operations background of new CEO Mike Duke will keep investors quite happy. Though the recession finally caught up to Walmart last quarter, when the company reported a 1.2% drop in U.S. same-store sales, Walmart was a consistent winner during the worst days of the financial crisis, as frugal consumers traded down. While most retailers are shutting down stores, Walmart has opened 52 Supercenters since Feb. 1. Joseph Feldman, retail analyst at Telsey Advisory Group, estimates that each store costs Walmart between $25 and $30 million. In order to continue the momentum that it has picked up during the retail recession, over the next five years the company plans to remodel 70% of its approximately 3,600 U.S. stores.

So what does a Project Impact store look like? One recent weekday afternoon I toured a brand new, 210,000-sq.-ft. Walmart in West Deptford, N.J., with Lance De La Rosa, the company's Northeast general manager. "We've listened to our customers, and they want an easier shopping experience," says De La Rosa. "We've brightened up the stores and opened things up to make it more navigable." One of the most noticeable changes is that Project Impact stores reshape Action Alley, the aisles where promotional items were pulled off the shelves and prominently displayed for shoppers. Those stacks both crowded the aisles and cut off sight lines. Now, the aisles are all clear, and you can see most sections of the store from any vantage point. For example, standing on the corner intersection of the auto-care and crafts areas, you can look straight ahead and see where shoes, pet care, groceries, the pharmacy and other areas are located. And the discount price tags are still at eye level, so the value message doesn't get lost.

"They are like roads," De La Rosa says proudly. "And look around, the customers are using them. We've already gotten feedback about the wider, more breathable aisles. Our shoppers love them."

The layout is also smarter. "You can kind of guess where everything is going to be," says Sharon Tilotta, 73, a shopper in the West Deptford store. The pharmacy, pet foods, cosmetics and health and beauty sections are now adjacent to the groceries. In the past, groceries and these other sections were often at opposite ends of the store, which made it more difficult for someone looking to pick up some quick consumables to get in and out of Walmart. "Under Project Impact, Walmart is providing more of a full supermarket experience within its walls," says Feldman. "The biggest complaint against them has always been that it takes a long time to get through everything. This definitely improves efficiency." De La Rosa also points out the party-supply section. Favors, wedding decorations, cards and scrapbooks are all in one area. "In the past, these products would be in three different places," he says.

And although Walmart won't admit to targeting specific competitors — "We're just listening to what our customers want," De La Rosa says — it's clear that, under Project Impact, Walmart will make major plays in winnable categories. The pharmacy, for example, has been pulled into the middle of the store, and its $4-prescriptions program has generated healthy buzz. With Circuit City out of business, the electronics section has been beefed up. Walmart is also expanding its presence in crafts. Sales at Michael's Stores, the country's largest specialty arts-and-crafts retailers, have sagged, and Walmart sees an opportunity. Stores are chock-full of scrapbooking material, baskets and yarns. "Look, they're selling the stuff that accounts for 80% of Michael's business, at 20% of the space," says Flickinger. "It's very hard for any company to compete with that."

Apparel, one of Target's traditional strengths, gets a prominent position at the center. The color palettes of the shirts and dresses are brighter and more appealing than they've been in the past. "Walmart has figured out fashion for the first time in 47 years," Flickinger says. "They've gone from a D to an A-minus." Briefs and underwear have been shuttled to the back. "That's a smart move," Flickinger says. "People know to come to Walmart for the commodity clothing. Now, they have to walk past the higher margin, more fashionable merchandise to get what they need."

Of course, Project Impact isn't perfect. You'd think that if Walmart was going to open a massive new store with a cutting-edge layout, the company would at least put a sign up. In West Deptford, it's easy to miss the entrance to the Walmart — which is buried in the back of a parking lot — while driving along a main thoroughfare. And of course, customers will always nitpick. One elderly shopper complained about a shortage of benches in the store (she needed a rest). Another had a more esoteric, yet legitimate, gripe. "Their meat is leaky," says Jeff Winter, 30, a West Deptford shopper. "And instead of giving you a wet wipe to clean it off, they give you a dry towel. How's that going to prevent E. coli or whatever?"

What analysts really want to see from Project Impact, however, is a faster pace of implementation. "The biggest hurdle facing Walmart is the speed with which they can roll this out," says Feldman. As more Project Impact stores pop up, the existing stores appear worse by comparison. For example, while the merchandise at the Project Impact store outside of Philadelphia really speaks to that particular market — there's tons of Eagles and Phillies gear — at one regular discount store outside New York City, Minnesota Twins and Seattle Mariners pajama pants wasted away on the racks. There were plenty of associates staffing the electronics section at the Project Impact store; at the discount store, five frustrated shoppers waited in line for help from a customer-service rep. Soon, it was closer to 10.

What about the friendly service? In West Deptford, the associates were sunny and bright. At the New York–area discount store, not so much. "You'll notice we've been in the store for two hours, and no one has even said hello to us," Flickinger says after he and I toured that store. He's right, we weren't feeling any love. But if Project Impact keeps picking up momentum, many more Walmart salespeople, and shareholders, should be smiling.

Postcard of the Week

Down Town - Beirut

Jay Leno

James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno (born April 28, 1950) is an American stand-up comedian and television host. From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. During his tenure, the show held the top ratings position in its time slot on nearly every weekday. Beginning in September 2009, Leno is scheduled to have a primetime talk show, tentatively titled The Jay Leno Show, which will air weeknights at 10:00 p.m. (Eastern Time, UTC-5), also on NBC.

Early Life
Jay Leno was born in New Rochelle, New York, on April 28, 1950. His mother, Catherine (née Muir), a homemaker, was born in Greenock, Scotland, and came to the United States at age 11. Her schooling was limited and as a result she prized her children's successes. Leno's father, Angelo, who worked as an insurance salesman, was born in New York to immigrants from Flumeri, Italy. Leno grew up in Andover, Massachusetts, and although his high school guidance counselor recommended that he drop out of high school because of his grades, Jay not only graduated but also went on to receive a bachelor's degree in speech therapy from Emerson College, in 1973. He also attended Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts, but did not like it. Leno's siblings include his late brother, Patrick, who was a Vietnam veteran. He was raised as a Catholic.

As Leno was growing up, he used to say that he would take over Johnny Carson's job, which he eventually did. In the late 1970s, he was the warm-up act for Johnny Mathis, Tom Jones, and John Denver.

The Tonight Show
He replaced Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show in 1992, after having been a regular substitute host for Carson since 1987. Leno continued to perform as a stand-up comedian throughout his tenure on The Tonight Show.

In 2004, Leno signed a contract extension with NBC which would keep him as host of The Tonight Show until 2009. Later in 2004, Conan O'Brien signed a contract with NBC under which O'Brien would become the host of The Tonight Show in 2009, replacing Leno at that time.

During the 2007-2008 WGA Writers strike, Leno was accused of violating WGA guidelines by writing his own monologue for The Tonight Show. While NBC and Leno claim there were private meetings with the WGA where there was a secret agreement allowing this, the WGA denied such a meeting. Leno answered questions in front of the Writers Guild of America, West trial committee in February 2009 and June 2009, and when the WGAW published its list of strike-breakers a year and a half later on 11 August 2009, Leno was not on the list.

Leno said in 2008 that he was saving all of his income from The Tonight Show and living solely off his income from stand-up comedy.

On April 23, 2009, Leno checked himself into a hospital with an undisclosed illness.He was released the following day and returned to work on Monday, April 27. The two subsequently canceled Tonight Show episodes for April 23 and April 24 were Leno's first in 17 years as host. Initially, the illness that caused the absence was not disclosed, but later Leno told People magazine that the ailment was exhaustion.

Michael Jackson Trial
In the 2005 trial of Michael Jackson over allegations of child molestation, Leno appeared as a defense witness (many celebrity defense witnesses had been expected, but Leno was one of the few whose testimony was actually needed). In his testimony regarding a call by the accuser, Leno testified he never called the police, no money was asked for, and there was no coaching - but that the calls seemed unusual and scripted.

As a result, Leno was initially not allowed to continue telling jokes about Jackson or the case, which had been a fixture of The Tonight Show's opening monologue in particular. But he and his show's writers used a legal loophole by having Leno briefly step aside while stand-in comedians took the stage and told jokes about the trial. Stand-ins included Roseanne Barr, Drew Carey, Brad Garrett, and Dennis Miller among others.

After NBC challenged the gag order, the judge permitted Leno to make jokes, as long as they were not related to his testimony. After the gag order was lifted, the next show featured a monologue entirely of Michael Jackson jokes.

Succession by Conan O'Brien
Because Leno's show continued to lead all late-night programming in the Nielsen ratings, the pending expiration of Leno's contract led to speculation about whether he would become a late-night host for another network after his commitment to NBC expired. Leno's last Tonight Show was on Friday May 29, 2009.

The Jay Leno Show
On December 8, 2008, it was reported that Leno would remain on NBC and move to a new hour-long show at 10 p.m. (9 p.m. central time) five nights a week. This show will be in a similar format to The Tonight Show, taped in the same studio, and retaining many of Leno's most popular bits. Late Night host Conan O'Brien was his successor on The Tonight Show itself.

Jay Leno's new show, titled The Jay Leno Show, will debut on September 14, 2009. It was announced at the Television Critics Association summer press tour that it will feature one or two celebrities, the occasional musical guest, and keep the popular "Headlines" and "Jaywalking" segments, which will now air near the end of the show. It will also include a new segment called the "Green Car Challenge" in which celebrities will race around a track for the title of the fastest green celebrity.

Personal Life
Leno is known for his prominent jaw, which has been described as mandibular prognathism. He has stated that he is aware of surgery that could reset his mandible, but does not wish to endure a prolonged healing period with his jaws wired shut.

During an August 1, 2007, interview with CNN journalist Anderson Cooper on The Tonight Show, Leno confirmed that he is dyslexic. He has been married since 1980 to Mavis Leno; the couple is childless by choice.

Charity
Along with his wife, Mavis, he donated $100,000 in 2001 to the Feminist Majority's campaign to stop gender apartheid in Afghanistan, to educate the public regarding the plight of women in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Mavis Leno is on the board of the Feminist Majority.

In 2001, he auctioned off a Harley-Davidson motorcycle signed by his celebrity guests in an effort to help victims of the September 11 attacks. The bike sold for about $360,000. In 2005, he repeated the gesture twice: first, to aid victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake, with a bike sold for $810,000, and then again to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina; that bike sold for $1,550,100.

Vehicle Collection
Leno is widely known as a car and motorcycle aficionado. He has a large antique car and motorcycle collection of various international marques spanning from the early 1900s to modern vehicles.

Leno's column in the American magazine Popular Mechanics showcases his car collection and gives advice about various automotive topics, including restoration and unique models, such as his jet-powered motorcycle and solar-powered hybrid. Leno also writes occasional "Motormouth" articles for The Sunday Times (London), reviewing high end sports cars and giving his humorous take on automotive matters. He also writes a monthly column for Octane Magazine.

The collection also includes several Duesenbergs, eight steam-powered cars including an original 1912 Stanley Steamer (which, with Leno behind the wheel, became the oldest car to ever receive a speeding ticket) and a rare 1913 Mercer Raceabout, a 1918 Stutz Bearcat and a 1964 Studebaker Avanti.

Along with his collection of classic cars, he has several high-performance cars. These include a 1994 McLaren F1, Porsche Carrera GT, Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, Lamborghini Miura, Ariel Atom, Dodge Viper GTS, Ford GT, Audi R8 and a custom Corvette C6RS (a modified Z06 built by Pratt & Miller). This Corvette can run on either E-85 Ethanol or gasoline. His EcoJet car runs on bio-diesel fuel. Its engine is a 650 horsepower (480 kW) Honeywell LT-101 turbine. The shell is carbon-fiber over Kevlar.

Leno's Blastolene Special is a 21-foot (6.4 m)-long aluminum-bodied roadster powered by a V12 engine from an M47 Patton tank Leno bought from Blastolene Brothers. It was featured in the 2005 racing game Gran Turismo 4, and Monster Garage.

Leno's passion for classic cars led him to an affiliation with the Automobile Restoration Department at McPherson College, in McPherson, Kansas. Today he serves on the National Advisory Board for the college's automotive restoration program and helps fund the Fred Duesenberg Memorial Scholarship.

Leno also has an Internet site, called "Jay Leno's Garage," which contains video clips and photos of his automobiles in detail. It also allows viewers to post photos and descriptions of their cars.

Since 2006 Leno has had his garage work on a biodiesel, turbine powered car in collaboration with GM, the EcoJet concept car.

On August 2, 2009, he made an appearance on BBC motor show Top Gear, in the Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car segment.

Behind Bars®: Baileys

The Baileys Irish Cream story begins in 1971 as a simple idea born in Dublin: Create a unique drink worthy of Ireland’s storied heritage. The drink, christened Baileys Irish Cream, was something utterly new — cream liqueur containing fine Irish whiskey and fresh dairy cream made still more delicious with chocolate flavors created exclusively for Baileys.

Today, Baileys remains the best-selling liqueur in the world. Why? Simple – because of our ingredients, which are farm fresh and all natural. Cream from local dairies. Triple pot still whiskey from Ireland’s most renowned distillery. Cocoa beans from West Africa and vanilla beans from Madagascar.

VIèmes Jeux de la Francophonie

Lebanon has been chosen to host the 6th Francophone Games, also known as “Jeux de la Francophonie”, which is taking place on the 27th of September till the 6th of October 2009 in Beirut. This international event is held every four years and gathers more than 3000 athletes from all 68 French-speaking countries, allowing them to meet, compete and freely express the diversity of the francophone culture.

Beirut, the land of the Cedars, welcomes you to be part of this event as this year “Jeux de la Francophonie” will be held under the sign of Solidarity, Diversity, and Excellence.

For more information, please visit: www.jeux2009.org

Picture of the Week

Democracy's Little Helper
A donkey carries election supplies to a rural polling station in Sighawar, Afghanistan.
-- DIMA GAVRYSH / AP

Most Dominant NBA Players By Decade

1970s | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Though he won only a single title in the '70s, with the Bucks in '71, Abdul-Jabbar dominated the decade in every other way. Relying on his trademark sky hook, Abdul-Jabbar won back-to-back MVP awards twice in the '70s and had three consecutive seasons in which he averaged at least 30 points and 16 rebounds. He would add five more titles as a member of the Lakers in the '80.