interesting

MPs of the NRM have contributed over sh400m to the party, DavidBahati, the treasurer, announced yesterday.
Bahati said the money was deducted from the MPs salaries. Eachmember is required tocontribute sh110,000 per month.
We collect sh34m per month. So far, everybody has contributed. Wehave not had defaulters. The NRM party has offices all over thecountry, he said, adding that the money would be used to pay rentand staff salaries.
Bahati presented the expenditures to the NRM parliamentary caucusmeeting at parliament yesterday.
A source within NRM revealed that the party had also bought a plotof land worth sh300m in Kampala where the party headquarters wouldbe built. He, however, declined to disclose the location of theplot.
The party caucus chaired by chief whip Kabakumba Matsiko alsodebated NRMs strategic plan from January 2007 to December 2008.
Kabakumba said the plan would facilitate performance, and improvethe image, effectiveness and communication within the party.
It also looks at the caucus outreach and building support,networking and enhancing legislative capabilities of the caucusmembers. This plan will not only act as a guiding framework for theNRM caucus, but serve as a tool to mobilise resources, she said.
The source who attended the meeting also said members expressedconcern over the membership subscription fee to nationalagricultural advisory services.
The Ruhama MP, Janet Museveni, reportedly urged the members torevisit the fees paid by the farmers for farm inputs, saying theywere too high.
Some people may not afford such fees. I think it is better if wereviewed it so that they are able to access the inputs.
Other members proposed that the inputs be given to the farmers oncredit so that they pay after reaping the benefits.Reacting to President Musevenis warning to the rebel MPs, PrimeMinister Apolo Nsibambi told journalists at Parliament that membersshould learn to follow and respect their partys decisions.We may not meet everyday but any urgent issues should be broughtto my attention, he said.
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>"I was very high on the notion that ('The Dark Knight') could beat'Titanic,' " says Paul Dergarabedian, president and founder ofMedia By Numbers, an Encino-based box office tracking firm, "butthat's going to be a very tough milestone to hit. The $500 millionmark is certainly doable, which would make it the second-biggest-grossing film of all time."
(These figures are not adjusted for inflation. If they were, 1939's"Gone With the Wind," with more than $1.4 million in domestic boxoffice grosses, would be on top. But that total includes multipletheatrical releases over the years for "Gone With the Wind," whichmakes the comparison less than precise.)
Starring Christian Bale as Batman/ Bruce Wayne and the late HeathLedger as his nemesis, the Joker, "The Dark Knight" had racked upmore than $394 million in ticket sales through last weekend. DanFellman, president of domestic distribution for Warner Bros.Pictures, expects his company's film to reach the $400 million markby today.
"To put that in perspective," Fellman says, "the fastest climb to$400 million was 'Shrek 2' (in 2004), and that was done in 43days." And for further perspective, after 17 days "Titanic" hadtaken in only $157 million, according to Box Office Mojo, a LosAngeles-based box office reporting service.
Furthermore, according to a poll taken by Fandango, the onlinemovie ticket seller, 66 percent of those buying tickets for "TheDark Knight" are seeing it for a repeat viewing.
"It's unprecedented in the history of our company for a film tohave this kind of staying power," says Rick Butler, Fandango'schief operating officer.
A variety of factors have accounted for the success of "The DarkKnight."
Brandon Gray, president of Box Office Mojo, cites the timing of thefilm's release: "The economy is down, gas prices are up, movies arestill our cheapest form of entertainment, and they're generallyclose by so you don't have to burn a lot of gas to go to them."
With little competition for screens from other July releases, "TheDark Knight" has been able to play, says Gray, "in every nook andcranny of the country."
Indeed, over the past weekend, the movie's third since beingreleased and a time when screens and theaters usually declineseriously even for hit movies, "The Dark Knight" was still beingshown on 8,500 screens at 4,266 theaters nationwide. (Incomparison, "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" opened Fridayon approximately 6,200 screens at 3,759 theaters.)
In addition, Gray credits the film's predecessor, "Batman Begins,"also directed by Nolan and starring Bale, for reviving interest inthe Batman franchise, while Dergarabedian and Fellman cite WarnerBros.' creative pre-release marketing campaign and the generallypositive reviews the film has received.
The death of Heath Ledger gave "The Dark Knight" an additional"curiosity factor," says Fellman. According to Dergarabedian,Ledger's "untimely passing created a talking point that everyonekind of keyed off of."
This is corroborated by surveys taken by Fandango. Companyspokesman Harry Medved says that when Fandango ran a poll in earlyJuly, before "The Dark Knight" was released, "53 percent said thatHeath Ledger was the single most important factor prompting them tobuy a ticket."
And in a post-release survey of those who had seen the film andplanned to see it again, 64 percent cited Ledger as their mainreason.
Local viewers of "The Dark Knight" corroborated these findings.
At a screening last weekend at the Century Folsom theater, LesleyCovington of Folsom, attending the movie on a "date night" with herhusband, Heath, because "grandma is (baby-)sitting" for them, saidshe had "read a lot of good reviews" and heard positive thingsabout the film "from people at my office."
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Has polyethylene (PE) finally peaked after rising $0.11/lb in thesecond quarter and $0.04/lb at the start of the third quarter? Adip in spot ethylene prices brought a halt to polyethylene (PE)price increases last week, with some believing the apogee is here.Michael Greenberg, CEO of spot-trading platform, The PlasticsExchange (
http://www.theplasticsexchange.com
), said trading volume last week was below average, with domesticPE producer offerings limited. A reprieve in ethylene priceincreases is viewed hopefully as a harbinger of lower PE prices,although producers had already posted a $0.07/lb price increase forJuly. The fact that ethylene fell in spite of continued increasesin crude oil and natural gas and that monomer market participantshaven’t agreed to June or July contracts leave the PE marketwith some uncertainty going forward. Strong export demand,especially from Asia, where there has been a diversion of monomersinto gasoline in preparation for the Olympics, has helped keepproducer inventories under control. Looking forward, Greenberg saysfurther price increases for PE, which currently total $0.15/lb,including $0.08/lb for August, could be challenged.
There was no reprieve in polypropylene (PP), which continued torise and could be best described as “uncomfortable”,according to Greenberg due to limited supplies and higher prices.July polymer-grade propylene contracts were settling around$0.10/lb higher, which means PP should rise, although no one knowshow much. The overall uncertainty in monomers has prompted PPproducers to nominate July price increases as high as $0.18/lb, asthey struggle to regain margins. Greenberg says producer offeringsto the spot market have increased, with some reflecting the$0.18/lb rise. “We are looking at the highest polypropyleneprices on record,” Greenberg said, “and some offers havebeen made above the $1.00/lb level.” At such heights,Greenberg said buyers are backing away, which is a shift fromprevious month’s sentiment, as they bought today to avoidpresumed price increases tomorrow. Many now question if PP reallycan go higher. In any case, Greenberg believes July PP contractswill likely settle around $0.10/lb higher in line with monomercontract settlements, and any deviation up or down would representmargin gained or lost by producers.
Activity in the polystyrene (PS) market was slow with few buyersand less offers. High impact gained a penny while general purposefell a penny, and spot benzene has rallied, approaching$4.50/gallon according to the PetroChem Wire (
http://www.petrochemwire.com
), where not too long ago $4/gallon marked a new high watermark.Given those rising costs, PS producers are looking to increase Julycontracts by $0.03/lb for general-purpose grades and $0.04/lb forhigh impact. There are limited spot offers on the market with somegeneric-prime supplies from producers eclipsing $1.00/lb levels.
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