ML&P to cease retirees’ medical – The Maui News

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CFO: Regretful, in best interest of the company

By HARRY EAGAR, Staff Writer

Maui Land & Pineapple Co. will cease paying for life insurance and medical coverage for all its noncontractual retirees.

"It’s very regretful for this to have to happen," said Chief Financial Officer John Durkin on Monday. "None of these things are made lightly, but it is in the best interests of the company."

MLP Roller Coaster

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Here is the chart of today’s crazy ride:

Today, as reported by the Wall Street Journal, Maui Land & Pineapple’s stock price went on the skids, untill some sort of stick save in the afternoon New York time, then went on to recover and even top the gains of last week:

FEBRUARY 1, 2010, 12:50 P.M. ET

Maui Land & Pineapple, MetroCorp Bancshares: Biggest Price Decliners (MLP, MCBI)

By MARKET DATA STAFF

Maui Land & Pineapple Co. Inc. topped the list of Biggest Percentage Price Decliners among common stocks on the New York Stock Exchange at midday.

Maui Land & Pineapple, MetroCorp Bancshares: Biggest Price Decliners (MLP, MCBI) – WSJ.com

Here’s a chart of the activity since the 19th of last month:

This is remarkable action in New York from some sleepy little corporation on an Island far away–it’s just Hawaii-Agriculture.com and the Wall Street Journal following this.

The Amazing Maze of US Health Care » Health Care Reform – the Next Round

Amazing seems a most appropriate word to describe the financing and delivery of health care services in the United States of America.
James L. McGee, CEBS--On Health Care Reform

Health Care Reform – the Next Round

Is health care reform dead?  Doubtful?  What will it look like?  Not nearly enough.

So I want to get a head start on the next round.

Because whatever happens in this round, round 2 cannot come soon enough.  It is unrealistic to expect health care reform to be a once and done proposition.  The Model T was not invented with 4 wheel anti-lock disk brakes or fuel injection.

So over the next few weeks, I would like to take a look at some of the issues that will still remain even after health care reform legislation is passed.

But first let’s give some thought to what we want from our  health care system.

Please Click Here to Read the Complete Article on Health Care Reform by Jim McGee » The Amazing Maze of US Health Care » Health Care Reform – the Next Round

What’s Up With MLP?

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Has the announcement that Maui Land & Pineapple (MLP) is completely out of agriculture the reason for it’s sudden turn away from failure? Check out the chart for the Maui Land & Pineapple (MLP) stocks performance for Januay 2010:

Here is a chart for the Maui Land & Pineapple (MLP) stocks performance for the week ending Januay 29, 2010.

Click Here to view the article regarding Maui Land & Pineapple (MLP) being picked one of the “Double Digit Gainers Beating The Dow: MLP, OTIV” at picksthatmove.com on “No News” and wrong/dated information showing awareness of global technicians tracking computers regarding this weeks move.

CLICK HERE to view the chart showing Maui Land & Pineapple (MLP) terrible performance for the last year trending downwards precariously since October towards certain and inevitable collapse until the move this week.

CLICK HERE to view the histogram chart showing Maui Land & Pineapple (MLP) embarrassing performance compared to other related stocks, etfs, etns, and indexes during the last year.

So, is this just a blip? Are investors so soured by nasty agriculture that the news that MLP won’t be getting it’s collective hands dirty in the future enough to rotate it’s stocks plunging direction towards the positive? Or have responsible management strategies brought the company back from the brink?

ML&P stock investor taking over Kapalua Farms

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By HARRY EAGAR, Staff Writer

Pierre Omidyar, who invested in Maui Land & Pineapple Co. stock when the company was being pushed in a greener direction, is now supporting a for-profit/charitable combination that is taking over ML&P’s Kapalua Farms, one of the largest organic farms in the state.

Since ML&P also closed its Maui Pineapple Co. subsidiary, then leased much of its land and equipment to the upstart Haliimaile Pineapple Co. this month, the handover takes ML&P completely out of agriculture.

On Friday, Ulupono Sustainable Agriculture Development LLC, a subsidiary of the Ulupono Initiative, announced it would be assuming operations of Kapalua Farms, which not only supplies vegetables and eggs to ML&P’s Kapalua Resort but also conducts research into new methods of producing food on Maui. Ulupono Initiative is a Hawaii-focused social investment organization founded in June with backing from Omidyar and his wife, Pam. He was a founder of eBay, and they now live in Hawaii.

Warren Haruki, chairman and interim chief executive officer of ML&P, said, "We are pleased to partner with Ulupono Sustainable Agriculture Development as they assume operations of Kapalua Farms. Our desire was to find an operational partner that would be able to continue organic farming operations and to maintain Kapalua Farms as a community resource, employer and provider."

Hawaii and Related Agriculture Daily Charts for the week ending 01-29-2010

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The annual charts have bee updated. CLICK HERE to view. The 360 day comparative price, line and histogram charts, page has been updated also. CLICK HERE to view.

Maui Land and Pineapple (MLP) 01-29-2010
Maui Land and Pineapple (MLP)

Calavo Growers (CVGW) 01-29-2010
Calavo Growers (CVGW)

Alexander and Baldwin (ALEX) 01-29-2010
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Monsanto (MON) 01-29-2010
Monsanto (MON)

Syngenta (SYT) 01-29-2010
Syngenta (SYT)

DUPONT E I DE NEM (DD) 01-29-2010
Syngenta (SYT)

Lawsuits, foreclosures, other issues trail isle CPA – The Maui News

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WAILUKU – Certified public accountant Lloyd Kimura is facing a flood of lawsuits for unpaid loans, foreclosures and for claims of mismanagement by buyers of a commercial condominium he developed and managed in the Wailuku Industrial Park.

Neither Kimura nor his lawyer, Phil Lowenthal, returned phone messages seeking comment.

In November, the state Division of Financial Institutions ordered Maui Industrial (also known as Maui Finance, or MILFCO) to stop taking deposits. Kimura has owned and managed Maui Finance since 1969.