Bloomberg (June 2)
Another one bites the dust. By yearend, Ford will end its Mercury brand. Sales of the 77-year old brand peaked in 1978 at 579,498, but fell to 92,299 in 2009. Mercury joins other departed Detroit brands including Pontiac, Saturn, Oldsmobile and Plymouth. Going forward, Ford will focus on its namesake Ford brand and high-end Lincoln brand. The only U.S. automaker not to accept money from the government’s TARP program, Ford earned $2.7 billion in 2009 and expects to be solidly profitable in 2010.
Financial Times (June 2)
The twin resignations of Yukio Hatoyama and Ichiro Ozawa may look bad for Japan and its Democratic Party (DPJ). But the Financial Times thinks these departures could be a good thing. “The DPJ and Japan’s body politic has been lanced of two festering boils,” leaving both in a “stronger position.” Especially with the right leadership, “something good could yet come out of this political farce.” Moreover, the newspaper is enthusiastic about Naoto Kan’s ability, as a reformer and fiscal conservative, to provide that leadership.
BBC (May 31)
“China is ramping up efforts to become the world’s supercomputing superpower,” the BBC asserts. By all accounts China is advancing towards the top with super speed. The latest global ranking includes 24 Chinese supercomputers. China has surpassed all other countries in Europe and Asia to take second place overall behind the U.S., which boasts 282 of the fastest 500 computers. Japan ranks 6th overall (behind the U.S., China, Germany, the UK and France, with Russia and Sweden trailing), but the fastest computer in Japan at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency only clocks in at number 22. The U.S. has 7 of the 10 fastest computers, with the others in China (#2 & #7) and Germany (#5). In 2002, Japan held the fastest supercomputer, but that record quickly fell.
“China is ramping up efforts to become the world’s supercomputing superpower,” the BBC asserts. By all accounts China is advancing towards the top with super speed. The latest global ranking includes 24 Chinese supercomputers. China has surpassed all other countries in Europe and Asia to take second place overall behind the U.S., which boasts 282 of the fastest 500 computers. Japan ranks 6th overall (behind the U.S., China, Germany, the UK and France, with Russia and Sweden trailing), but the fastest computer in Japan at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency only clocks in at number 22. The U.S. has 7 of the 10 fastest computers, with the others in China (#2 & #7) and Germany (#5). In 2002, Japan held the fastest supercomputer, but that record quickly fell.
Tags: China, Japan, Supercomputing
