$45 ribeyes graze at Texas ranch

HARWOOD, Texas - Even by the standards of Texas — where beef is no trivial matter — rancher Jose Antonio Elias Calles has coddled his cattle.
The animals imported from Japan are guarded by off-duty Texas Rangers and kept away from American bulls that might contaminate their coveted gene pool. They were meticulously reared for 12 years before a single hamburger could be sold.
"We knew it was going to take a long time," said Calles, whose interest in ranching was sparked by a grandfather who raised cattle for export in northern Mexico.
Japanese cattle, which come in red and black varieties, are a closely guarded national treasure. Their beef, often called "Kobe beef" by American restaurants, commands staggering prices but is heralded by chefs and foodies for thoroughly marbled fat that gives the meat tenderness and rich flavor. On a 0-12 quality scale used to rate beef in Japan, where heavy fat marbling is preferred, Kobe rates a minimum nine points and Angus beef 4.5; Calles' animals rate around 7.5 to 8.5.
Through careful breeding and with the help of surrogate cows, Calles's tiny herd of 11 has grown to 5,000, the largest group of purebred Akaushi cattle outside Japan.
A number of American producers sell beef from half-breed Japanese cattle, but Calles' company, HeartBrand Beef, now has enough animals grazing in south Texas to market purebred American-raised Japanese beef to restaurants and consumers.
The butterscotch-colored cattle are genetically identical to those raised by Japanese ranchers, Calles said. They aren't as fatty as the highest-quality Japanese beef but only because of the tastes of health-conscious American diners.
Calles and his investors acquired their tiny original group of Akaushi after an exporter flew the animals on an airliner to the United States in 1994. They had been sitting in quarantine in Japan for two years while Japanese trade officials tried to sort out how a trade agreement loophole resulted in the legal export of the animals from Japan.
"It was really just a miracle that it worked this way," said Calles. "Some of the best animals came to here."
Since that time, Calles and his business partners, who paid $2.5 million for the original herd and millions more to get a marketable quantity of purebred beef, have been growing it large and steady enough to offer roughly 15,000 pounds of beef per week. Because reproduction rates in cattle are low, Calles had purebred embryos implanted in surrogate cows, preserving the genetic material of the Japanese animals but allowing for faster reproduction.
Today, herds of identical-looking red Japanese cattle graze on tall grass at HeartBrand's ranch and other nearby properties before being taken to feedlots, where they are given more-than-average shade and space during their final weeks before slaughter.
On the market since last year, HeartBrand distributes to about 40 restaurants and a handful of retailers.
American beef consumption has been declining over the last 25 years, but producers like HeartBrand and others with crossbred animals can command premium prices for their boutique beef.

Guitar Center agrees to $1.9 billion buyout

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. - Guitar Center Inc., the largest U.S. musical instrument retailer, said Wednesday its board had accepted a $1.9 billion cash buyout offer from a private equity firm.
The deal with affiliates of Bain Capital Partners LLC came amid speculation that a buyout was in the works. Guitar Center had hired investment bank Goldman Sachs & Co. to auction the company.
Bain Capital offered to pay $63 per share, which represents a premium of 26 percent over Guitar Center's closing price Tuesday of $50.06. The purchase price is based on the company's 30.2 million shares outstanding at the end of March.
Under the agreement, the buyers will also assume about $200 million in debt, pushing the total transaction value to $2.1 billion.
The deal, which requires approval by Guitar Center shareholders, is expected to close in the fourth quarter.
Guitar Center shares climbed $9.84, or 19.7 percent, to $59.90 in premarket trading.
Marty Albertson, Guitar Center chairman and chief executive, said in a statement that the deal "is a strong validation of the company's accomplishments over the years as well as our future growth prospects."
Last month, Goldman Sachs analyst Matthew J. Fassler said the retailer was "optimally positioned for a sale, given its dominant competitive position and capital allocation opportunities, as well as a savvy shareholder base."
Guitar Center began in 1959 when former car salesman Wayne Mitchell purchased a small appliance and home organ store in Hollywood. In 1964, Mitchell converted a movie theater next door to his Hollywood shop, and opened the first Guitar Center on Sunset Boulevard.
The company, which now has more than 210 stores, went public in 1997. The stock has more than tripled since its initial share sale, and revenue last year was $2.03 billion, compared with $296.7 million in 1997.
This year, Guitar Center bought musical instrument retailer Woodwind & Brasswind for about $30 million.
Guitar Center posted first quarter profit of $17.2 million, a 9.7 percent increase from a year earlier, as sales climbed 14 percent to $534.5 million.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Sony to triple number of PS3 games

Sony plans to more than triple the number of game titles for its PlayStation 3 console by the end of March 2008, in an effort to boost lacklustre sales and bring its struggling games unit back into the black.
Kazuo “Kaz” Hirai, the new chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony’s games division, said 200 software titles and 180 download-only titles would be released in the current fiscal year, compared with a total of 110 titles available now.
The release of new, exclusive software titles is vital for the PS3’s success. In the crucial US market, two of Nintendo’s Wii consoles are sold for every one PS3, according to NPD, the research company, and Sony’s games division is not expected to return to profit until at least 2008.
Sir Howard Stringer, chief executive, on Thursday told Sony’s annual shareholders’ meeting that senior executives took responsibility for the PS3’s dismal performance last year.
Mr Hirai, who replaced Ken Kutaragi – the father of the PlayStation – as president and group chief executive of Sony’s games division, said one of his most pressing tasks was reaching out to third-party software developers.
The PS3’s numerous launch date delays are perceived to have adversely affected Sony’s relationship with important software developers worldwide. “[Our relationship with third-party software developers] wasn’t broken but there’s always room for improvement,” Mr Hirai told the Financial Times.
Though Sony’s core consumer electronics division is turning around, boosted by brisk sales of Bravia LCD TVs and digital cameras, its loss-making games division still continues to weigh on its bottom line.
Because of the massive investment costs in the PS3, Sony’s games unit reported a hefty operating loss of Y232.3bn ($1.8bn) and said it would not turn a profit until the fiscal 2008-09 year, at the earliest.
Mr Hirai said that Sony was exploring possible new sources of revenues for its games division, in addition to the traditional licensing fees it earns from software developers.
“In-game advertising presents some interesting opportunities. It is still a nascent market but  obviously something we are taking a serious look at. because  there are serious growth opportunities,” Mr Hirai said.
“Home [PS3’s online virtual world slated to launch this autumn] also presents unique advertising opportunities.”

aceasi seara pe pro-tv

Spectacol de mulţi cai-putere marţi noapte, într-o parcare din Timişoara. 30 de tineri cu maşini şi motoare puternice s-au întrecut în cascadorii care de care mai trăsnite.
Motocicliştii au mers în viteză pe o singură roată, şoferii s-au învârtit cu maşinile în loc. Scârţâitul de roţi şi demaratul în trombă sunt numai câteva dintre cascadorii.
Nici tinerii pe role nu s-au lăsat mai prejos. Unul dintre ei a avut curajul să se prindă de bara maşinii de poliţie şi a fost tras câteva zeci de metri.
Câţiva poliţiştii au fost şi ei specatori. Nu i-au putut opri şi nici amenda pe tineri, pentru că se aflau într-un spaţiu privat, în afara oraşului.

Show la Timisoara/Real

Show, frâne, fum şi cai putere
TIMIŞOARA - Piruete ameţitoare, cascadorii pe două şi patru roţi, întreceri în strunit caii-putere. De cum se răcoreşte, în puterea nopţii, pasionaţii de motoare se strâng şi dau un spectacol demn de orice film de acţiune de la Hollywood. Asta, însă, nu pe şosea, ci într-o parcare din Timişoara.
Întrecerea cailor putere!
Zgomotul motoarelor turate la maxim şi mirosul cauciucului încins pe şosea au sute de fani la Timişoara. Se întâlnesc pe ascuns, evită locurile publice, însă au aceeaşi pasiune - viteza şi îndemânarea. În urmă cu două nopţi, sute de tineri s-au adunat într-o parcare privată, pentru a-şi încerca maşinile sau motoarele.
Şoferii unor maşini tunate, la exterior... sau sub capotă, au desenat cerculeţe pe asfalt, au făcut piruete ameţitoare - cascadorii pe două şi patru roţi. Pentru a-şi regla motoarele sau chiar pentru a vedea cât de bine le stau bolizii pe roţi, ei şi-au aruncat mănuşa pentru diverse întreceri, care mai de care mai ingenioase. Au fost chiar şoferi de autoturisme provocaţi... de motociclişti. Totul într-o atmosferă demnă de orice film de acţiune de la Hollywood. Tinerii s-au adunat să se bucure de nebuniile făcute de cei mai îndemânatici şoferi. În doar câteva zeci de minute, pneurile au scrâşnit în toate direcţiile, maşinile puternice au demarat în trombă, iar motocicliştii au încântat asistenţa rulând pe o singură roată. Spectatorii, veniţi din toate colţurile oraşului, s-au înghesuit să surprindă acrobaţiile cu telefoanele mobile ori cu camere de filmat, iar bolizii au fost adevărate vedete. Cei mai puţin îndemânatici au preferat să stea pe margine şi să-şi etaleze instalaţiile desonorizare montate pe maşini şi au dat adevărate concerte spre deliciul publicului. Pentru că totul s-a petrecut într-o zonă privată, departe de şosea, poliţiştii n-au putut decât să-i împrăştie pe tineri, la un moment dat, ca să oprească gălăgia.