Corporatacracy

One of the most enjoyable and interesting reads of the last few month was Cloud Atlas.  I encourage you to check the book out or at least watch the movie, but the book is much better.  It has several themes and one of them is what happens to the world as corporations take over all aspects of our lives.  And so....

Coca-Cola is ubiquitous here, I mean, it is everywhere.  You see little kids almost being weaned on the stuff.

from LAHT

Mexico’s Coca-Cola FEMSA said it reached an agreement to acquire 100 percent of Brazil’s Spaipa in a deal worth $1.85 billion.

The acquisition, which has been given the green light by the board of directors, is subject to regulatory approval in Brazil, said Coca-Cola FEMSA, considered the world’s largest independent bottler of Coca-Cola products in terms of sales volume.

Spaipa, the second-largest privately held Coca-Cola system bottler in Brazil, sold 233.3 million cases of beverages, including beer, in the 12 months ended June 30.

“Spaipa’s territory creates a perfect geographic link between the operations of Coca-Cola FEMSA in Mato Grosso do Sul state and the state of Sao Paulo. This transaction will increase our volume in Brazil by about 40 percent, allowing us to reach 39 percent of the volume of the Coca-Cola system in that country,” Coca-Cola FEMSA said.

Coca-Cola FEMSA is a unit of Fomento Economico Mexicano, a conglomerate that also owns FEMSA Comercio, the operator of more than 10,600 OXXO convenience stores, FEMSA Empaques and FEMSA Logistica.

FEMSA has a 20 percent stake in Dutch brewing giant Heineken Group.

It sure looks like it is happening, the corporations getting a hold of almost everything.  I mean, the number of OXXO's that have gone up around here is amazing.  They pop up almost overnight.  Each one is another foot hold in the lives of the people who live around them.  Ubiquitous and insidious.