Raiders of the lost park: true tales of a mixed-up world.
If a tree falls in a forest and Arthur Andersen isn't around to hear it, do we cost it under a general depreciation budget or should it be recorded as a debit in the current accounts' register of our special tax-exempt entity in the Cayman Islands? [ILLUSTRATION...

Power brokers: fine art.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sandra Berlin Vice President Fine Art, Jewelry & Specie Willis Chicago Willis fine-art broker Sandra Berlin is credited with combining the trade skills of a top-flight broker with a broader understanding of her clients' needs....

GMA orders drive vs rice hoarders.
Byline: Genalyn D. Kabiling Around 5,000 retailers of the National Food Authority (NFA) will have to pass a new and tougher accreditation review after President Arroyo yesterday ordered the cancellation of their licenses to weed out those involved in the diversion of government rice to the commercial...

Oil hits new high of $ 111.80 in Asia as US dollar slumps.
SINGAPORE, Mar. 17 (AFP) -- Oil prices surged to a new high in Asian trade Monday of US$ 111.80 per barrel as the US currency slumped to a fresh low against the euro, sparking a rush of funds into commodities, dealers said. In late afternoon trading, New...

Pilot study uses market concepts to predict influenza activity.
SAN FRANCISCO -- The same principles that keep commodities traders in business were used for the first time to predict disease, accurately forecasting influenza activity up to 6 weeks in advance, Philip M. Polgreen, M.D., said. Instead of buying corn or soybean futures, a group of 61...

NFA stabilizes rice supply in Zamboanga.
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- The office of the National Food Authority (NFA) in this city said yesterday it has fulfilled its twin mandate of ensuring the city's food security and stabilizing grain supply and prices at the local markets. NFA Zamboanga City Manager Jul Akmad Lawama said that...

High sugar prices too late for Cuba.
Prices of sugar, the worst-performing commodity in the past year, may more than double by the end of 2007 as gains in crude oil encourage ethanol use, said Greg Smith, executive director at hedge-fund manager Global Commodity Ltd. Bloomberg News Service reported that more ethanol will be...

For IPP administrators: WB study to guide PSALM on bidding.
Byline: MYRNA M. VELASCO A World Bank study will guide the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) on its bidding and eventual appointment of Independent Power Producer Administrators (IPPAs) or the so-called IPPAs to manage power purchase contracts. "The World Bank study has...

Gold trading networks and the creation of trust: a case study from Northern Benin.
ABSTRACT The paper provides insights into an illicit trading system and explores the logics that contribute to its proliferation. It joins the literature on informal trading networks and revises conventional wisdom about what is necessary to sustain them. Gold traders have established intricate webs of relations based...

Power brokers: energy: it's crunch time for buyers in the energy sector, given the hurricane havoc of 2005. But that's just the kind of environment that will force brokers to look for creative solutions to their clients' needs. Finding extra capacity at a fair price in tough times always separates the best brokers from the merely diligent.
Richard M. Blades, CPCU Based in the energy capital of the country, Houston, Blades takes an active role in managing his team, placement negotiations and account services. "I would have to rank him very highly," says one senior oil-industry risk manager. Blades started with the...