Sometimes a good lock is a bad thing

This Bud's for Belgium

Much of Cindy McCain’s wealth traces to the Anheuser-Busch beer wholesaling company that her father started in 1955. She worked there for 20 years and took over in December 2000. At one point, her personalized license plates read “MS BUD.”
Sure, Cindy McCain is Ms. Bud. But there’s no truth whatsover that she’s a member of the Budweiser Thirst Patrol. None whatsover.

Politicians and Wall Streeters are starting to ask why the Belgian beer company InBev purchased Anheuser-Busch and not the other way around. Anheuser-Busch is an iconic American firm and some find it almost unpatriotic that Anheuser CEO August Busch IV allowed the "King of Beers" to relocate across the Atlantic -- though shareholders were the big winners here with a $50 billion-plus takeaway.

But here's the real question: Was the takeover basically financed by the savings Anheuser expected from escaping America's increasingly uncompetitive corporate tax system? According to the Tax Foundation, Belgium's corporate tax rate is 33%, but the effective tax rate can be half the nominal rate thanks to adjustments for something the OECD calls a "notional allowance for corporate equity." Bottom line: InBev was paying around 20% of its profits in corporate taxes, compared to Anheuser-Busch's rate of 38.4%.

Things have gotten pretty bad when U.S. companies relocate to Europe to cut their tax payments. But a research analysis by Morgan Stanley finds the combined company's corporate tax bill will be lower than in the U.S. and that the tax differential indeed figured into the economics of the sale.
So while John McCain may have benefited from his wife's ownership of Anheuser stock (estimated at between 40,000 and 80,000 shares), the country will continue to see its competitive edge wither away without a corporate tax rate cut. Mr. McCain to his credit wants to cut the corporate tax rate to 25%, close to the global average. Senator Obama is more interested in raising tax rates than cutting them.

Wall Street dealmakers tell us to expect more sales of U.S. companies to European rivals thanks to the combination of America's higher corporate taxes and the weak dollar. They're right. New data from the OECD for 2008 indicate that the international average for corporate tax rates fell by another percentage point last year, meaning the U.S. is pricing itself out of the market as a corporate headquarters. "America's 35% corporate tax rate is not just bad economics, it's downright unpatriotic," says tax expert Kevin Hassett of the American Enterprise Institute.

Belgium football teams need coaches....

Yes that's football...as in "real" football, American style.

American Football in Belgium is growing. There are two leagues, FFL for Flandres and LFFAB for Francophones, and more than 14 active teams (2 new teams will join us in 2010).

The Bornem Titans are one of these teams (www.bornem-titans.be). The team exists for 4 years now and is expanding every year. Therefore we are looking for coaches with experience. Do you have any experience on coaching a football team or are you capable of learning it? Do you know anybody who might be a candidate? Please send your coordinates to info@bornem-titans.be

Some inside information:Bornem is 20 minutes from Antwerp and Brussels and 30 minutes from Ghent. There are 2 trainings a week on tuesday and thursday who start at 07.30 PM. Trainings preseason start first week of september. Season itself is from february till June.Offense, defense and linemen coaching assistants are available.

Hans De Leenheer
+32 476 263864
Bornem Titans vzw

Americans take grilling seriously!

Seeing smoke come out the barrel is just priceless. It's a giant GUN-shaped fossil-fuel-burning grill for cooking MEAT. If only it had seal skin mudflaps, it would be perfect.

2008 Brussels Flower Carpet

This bi-annual event takes place on the cobbled stones of Brussels’ Grand Place where some 800,000 begonias transform it into a vibrant sea of flowers from August 14-17, 2008.
The famous Carpet of Flowers covers 3200 square feet right in the center of the Grand'Place. This year, it's a traditional carpet: end of the Middle Ages. Begonias offer a wide range of vivid and glowing colors and easily resist the burning sun. After all, the craftsmen assemble them directly on the cobble-stones of the square without a layer of soil. The colored plant tapestry can be admired best from the balcony of the City Hall, which is open to the public for the occasion.
And as no novelty ever travels alone, the flower carpet will come alive every evening under the baton of Grégoire Dune. This new and original show, all in music and light, will be staged live as of the official inauguration, on 14 August at 22.00, then rebroadcast every evening at 22.00, 22.30 and 23.00
For more details, click here...