BUSINESS BRIEFS
Ocean Network coming Jan. 15
Advertiser Staff and News Services
The Ocean Network will launch in Hawai'i on Jan. 15 and is expected to expand to selected cities on the West Coast by the end of 2007.
The Hawai'i-based network offers ocean- and water-related content. Programming will include environmental issues, lifestyle activities, history of reefs, sea voyages and endangered species, as well as updates on local weather and surf reports.
The Ocean Network will be located on Oceanic Time Warner's digital channel 349.
HOKU SCIENTIFIC CEO FEATURED
Dustin Shindo, CEO of Hoku Scientific in Kapolei, was featured in a Business Week article on chief executive officers under age 40.
Shindo, 33, told the magazine he typically puts in 90 to 100 hours a week at his job. He lists the prerequisites for becoming a CEO include the three "P's" —having passion for the work, being persistent and being able to perform.
The article said there are almost 100 CEOs heading publicly traded companies in the United States who are under age 40.
DOLL FACTORY IN CHINA CRITICIZED
SHANGHAI, China — The pouty Bratz dolls so popular as Christmas presents are made at a factory in southern China where workers are obliged to toil up to 94 hours a week, among other violations, a labor rights group said in a report released yesterday.
The report by U.S.-based China Labor Watch and the National Labor Committee details allegations of harsh working conditions, especially during peak delivery months, and of violations of workers' rights to injury and health insurance.
The edgy, urban-styled rival to Barbie is made by a subcontractor in the southern export hub of Shenzhen, as is typical of many products sold in the U.S. and elsewhere.
GOODYEAR, UNION REACH AGREEMENT
CLEVELAND — Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and a union representing about 12,600 union workers in the United States tentatively agreed yesterday to a new contract that would end an 11-week strike over healthcare benefits and Goodyear's plan to close a tire factory in Texas.
The third-largest tiremaker and the United Steelworkers union reached the deal after both sides resumed talks in Pittsburgh early this week. The strike began Oct. 5.
TARGET HALTS SALE OF CHE CD CASE
MINNEAPOLIS — Target Corp. said it had pulled a compact disc case that had a photo of Latin American revolutionary Che Guevara after some customers complained.
Guevara photos are often seen on T-shirts and posters, but some critics thought Target went too far when it put Guevara's photo on a Target-branded item it was selling in stores.
Guevara, a key figure in the Cuban revolution, has been frequently criticized on the right for his violent tactics.
