Bill Gates buys stake in Mexican brewer Femsa
– Reuters
Billionaire Bill Gates has taken a stake worth $392 million in Mexican brewer Femsa, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Thursday.
[snip]
Femsa has three divisions: its soft drinks unit, Coca-Cola Femsa, (KOF.N: Quote, Profile, Research) (KOFL.MX: Quote, Profile, Research), its beer subsidiary, and also a retail operation, which runs Latin America’s largest corner store chain, known as Oxxo.
[snip]
Via Gizmodo.
News
From the Library Journal:
The Winnipeg Public Library, MB, now offers wi-fi to laptop users—for a price. According to Sam Katz, mayor of Manitoba’s capital, the city must charge $3 CDN an hour to laptop users to recoup the $23,000 it spent to install wireless Internet in all 20 library branches (and in the Pan Am Pool). “Winnipeg needs to be, you know, in the modern age,” Katz said at a September 10 news conference, as was reported by CBC News. “We need to be hip, and this is what it’s all about. It’s happening in other cities, and I certainly don’t want us to be the last ones.”
[snip]
Via Library Technology in Texas.
News
Car commercials, court TV bringing good jobs to the Bayou City
– Houston Business Journal
[snip]
The film industry, especially commercials and court TV, are bringing
good-paying jobs to the Bayou City, says Rick Ferguson, director of the
Houston Film Commission, a division of the Greater Houston Convention
and Visitors Bureau. And, he notes, it’s an industry with a minuscule
environmental footprint.
[snip]
News
In case of an emergency, ‘ICE’ can be a lifeline
Cell phone entry may help a hospital locate victim’s loved one
– Houston Chronicle2
[snip]
Allen is among a growing number of people who are putting ICE, or “in case of emergency,” telephone numbers in cell phones that could assist emergency personnel in case of an accident or illness.
“It’s nice to know that they (emergency personnel) know exactly what to look for,” she said. “They know to look for ‘ICE’ rather than husband, son or daughter-in-law.”
The practice requires a person to program ICE before a relative’s or friend’s number in the phone. If a patient is unconscious or nonresponsive, a paramedic or emergency room worker will look in the phone’s address book for an ICE number.
ICE is known worldwide. In Houston, however, it is only slowly catching on.
“I think the ICE thing is very, very important,” Allen said, “and I think it needs to be publicized more.”
Emergency personnel in Houston are aware of ICE. But Houston paramedics don’t use it as much as hospital emergency room workers.
[snip]
Footnotes
2 = article may expire in a few weeks
News
I logged into my MySpace account this morning and was greeted with a notice of an Amber Alert in my area. I didin’t know that this was a feature MySpace offered. I’m impressed, despite my regular cynicism about online services.
News
I can’t go to this, but recommend it to anyone who can. The list of presenters looks very interesting.
Got Social Media?
A Conference About Communication
Where?
Houston Technology Center
410 Pierce Street
Houston, TX 77002
When?
January 24th, 2008
10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Resources:
General
I can’t go to this, but recommend it to anyone who can. The list of presenters looks very interesting.
Got Social Media?
A Conference About Communication
Where?
Houston Technology Center
410 Pierce Street
Houston, TX 77002
When?
January 24th, 2008
10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Resources:
General
Kami Huyse has posted “Best Practices: 10 Tips for Reaching Out to Social Media Influencers.” It’s a no-nonsense list that’s a great primer for those of you who don’t know the dos and don’ts (and some of you who just think you know).
General
Houston has a new non-profit, the Houston History Association:
It is our mission to promote Houston area history through education and serve as a resource for existing educational institutions, historical organizations, and archival groups. We are working to document neighborhood histories, recapture the past through oral histories, and inspire all citizens of greater Houston to learn more about their diverse culture and legacy.
We believe that Houstonians who are conversant with their history and especially with the role their own neighborhoods have played in that history will understand how vital it is that we cooperate to protect the various aspects of our shared past.
Resources:
General
This week’s Houston Press has a great feature on Hugo Ortega, owner of Hugo’s. In it he speaks candidly about coming to this country as an illegal immigrant, his road to success and the current reliance the restaurant industry has on the immigrant workforce. A very good read.
News
