Bulletin Board
PANGAEA.Talk.NEWS(tm)
August 1995 issue
French THEME PARKS appear to be gaining popularity among French families as they cash in on their "frenchness". Primary reasons cited for their success are: 1) Disney's public debate in the press sparked interest in the whole subject of theme parks and 2) the French owned and run parks could assert their cultural merits and ties to French history. The parks promote this second benefit in advertising by publicizing their difference vs. the American (Disney) giant. Two popular French theme parks are Parc Asterix (based on France's favorite cartoon charater) and Le Pays France Miniature (a park that replicates historic monuments in France in miniature). (Source: YOUR LINK HERE) ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) was recently expanded from 6 to 7 member countries, with the recent inclusion of Vietnam. Inclusion of Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar is also being considered. This suggests a boost to political and economic integration in the region. Moreover, normalization of trade ties between the US and Vietnam represents a business opportunity for US, European and Japanese firms. This country of 73 million people is expected to become one of the most important Asian markets. Japanese companies invested $755 million in Vietnam in the first half of 1995, more than any other country or territory; next in order -- Taiwan invested $606 million; the US ranked sixth with a $296 million investment in Vietnam. Japan takes the lead in cement and glass production and their presence is expected to grow due to the strength of the yen. Future US investments are expected. While short-term this does not pose a threat to Japanese presence, there is some concern over US investment in the competitive autombile industry. (Source: YOUR LINK HERE) BEIJING, China -- Bayer AG, leading German pharmaceutical company and chemical giant, plans to invest $400 million in Chinese projects by end of 1996. According to Xinhua News Agency, Bayer is discussing 14 chemical projects with Chinese counterparts. Projects include production of plastics, rubber, pharmaceuticals and chemical fertilizers. Additional joint ventures are underway to produce color film and chemical textiles. (Source: YOUR LINK HERE) JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Coca Cola (Amatil Ltd.) of Australia plans a major overhaul ($72 million) of its Jakarta bottling facility to increase production. It is expected that output will increase 3.5 times, resulting in one of the highest output of softdrink production in the world. (Source: YOUR LINK HERE) TRAVELER HEALTH INFORMATION -- information about vaccinations, precautions and risks of disease when traveling outside the United States is provided via fax service by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control). To retrieve documents via fax or voice mail, this service can be reached 24 hours per day at 404-639-2572 or their website.
(Source: YOUR LINK HERE)
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