Maker

washington -- Mitt Romney twice emphasized his unique business background when he and eight other Republican presidential candidates faced off in a debate last week in Iowa. "I've spent the last, as I've told you, 25 years in the private sector," former Massachusetts Gov. Romney declared at one point. "I understand why jobs come and why jobs go. I've done business in 20 countries."

WASHINGTON - In the months after the U.S. militarymission that killed Osama bin Laden, Pentagon officials met with Hollywood filmmakers and gave them special access in an effort to influence the creation of a film about the operation, newly released documents show. Emails and meeting transcripts obtained from the Pentagon and CIA through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch suggest that officials went out of their way to assist the filmmakers, while trying to keep their cooperation from becoming public.

A federal administrative judge ruled that pomegranate juice maker Pom Wonderful used deceptive advertising when it implied its products could treat or prevent serious diseases and other medical conditions. Judge D. Michael Chappell upheld much of a 2010 Federal Trade Commission complaint against the Los Angeles company owned by Lynda and Stewart Resnick. The judge said in his decision issued Monday that Pom used "insufficient" evidence to back its claims that Pom products "treat, prevent or reduce the risk of heart disease, prostate cancer or erectile dysfunction.

Brad Pitt has brought his new movie "Killing Them Softly" to the Cannes Film Festival, and as The Times reported Tuesday morning, he and the film's director had an anti-capitalist message (or, at least, a message aimed against capitalism as recently practiced in the U.S.) to go along with it.  And that message is coming from the mouth of the man who is the new face of Chanel No. 5 -- a job for which Pitt reportedly will receive seven figures.

Prop maker Dick George made sure the automaton from "Hugo" runs just like clockwork — or at least appears to work that way. "An automaton is a mechanical human being or animal that historically worked via clockwork mechanisms because it predated electricity and the electric motor," he said. "They were used by wealthy people as entertainment pieces that were brought out at functions, parties and gatherings. Ours had to appear to be gears that meshed together and clockwork drives driven by springs, although in actual fact there were 28 separate drive mechanisms and servo systems within the body just to perform all the functions.

Invisible braces sound perfect, especially if you're an adult trying to look and act your age. But the FDA says Invisalign, which makes one type of invisible braces, failed to report information on side-effects in patients. Here's the Associated Press story detailing some patients' complaints about allergic reactions to the devices  and the FDA advisory letter . And, of course, the response from Invisalign maker Align Technology Inc. in San Jose. None of this is to say that crooked teeth should stay crooked.

Francois Driard enters a cave dug into the steep Himalayan hillside, scares off a mouse and, in a twice-weekly ritual, wipes mold from several plate-sized wheels of cheese sitting on crude shelves against the wall. Voila ! High-end French cheese has reached a new level, literally, with Driard's farm an hour from Katmandu, where the 32-year-old has become what he believes is the only French cheese maker in the Himalayas. He acknowledges that it's not the by-the-book operation you'd find under Europe's rigorous hygiene and certification requirements.

Pactiv Corp., the maker of Hefty trash bags, announced an agreement Tuesday to be acquired by New Zealand's Rank Group Ltd. for about $6 billion. Privately held Rank Group will pay $33.25 in cash for each share of Lake Forest, Ill.-based Pactiv, or about $4.6 billion. The sale price represents a premium of about 39% over Pactiv's closing price of $23.97 on May 14, the day before reports were published regarding a potential transaction. Rank Group also will assume Pactiv's $1.5-billion debt.

Consultants, self-help gurus and moms agree: Mistakes are how we learn. Small-business owners tell us their biggest error. Here is this week's: Business owner: Sarah Shaw Companies: Sarah Shaw Handbags, Entreprenette What I Did: Gave away my own name Background: I'm a consultant, and I teach women how to market tangible products. The Mistake: I had a handbag company, and about two years in I brought in investors. I had never trademarked my name, Sarah Shaw, so they had the attorney file the trademark for Sarah Shaw Handbags.

Directors announced an independent settlement today with the maker of the "Rambo" movies, but the agreement didn't affect the directors' continuing contract dispute with Hollywood's major producers. The Directors Guild of America signed a contract with Carolco Productions, according to union spokesman Chuck Warn. The union has been signing independent contracts with small production companies over the last few months and now has more than 250 such agreements.

A federal administrative judge ruled that pomegranate juice maker Pom Wonderful used deceptive advertising when it implied its products could treat or prevent serious diseases and other medical conditions. Judge D. Michael Chappell upheld much of a 2010 Federal Trade Commission complaint against the Los Angeles company owned by Lynda and Stewart Resnick. The judge said in his decision issued Monday that Pom used "insufficient" evidence to back its claims that Pom products "treat, prevent or reduce the risk of heart disease, prostate cancer or erectile dysfunction.

Winnebago Industries Inc., maker of the cult favorite recreational vehicles, reviewed and rejected an unsolicited $321.5 million takeover bid from a private equity firm Friday. In a letter, North Street Capital offered $11 per share in cash for Winnebago – a 29% premium over the Iowa company’s Thursday close.

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration ordered tariffs of 31% and higher on solar panels imported from China, escalating a simmering trade dispute with China over a case that has sharply divided American interests in the growing clean-energy industry. The Commerce Department announced the stiff duties Thursday after making a preliminary finding that Chinese solar panel manufacturers "dumped" their goods - that is, sold them at below fair-market value. The widely anticipated ruling, if affirmed by U.S. trade officials this fall, is expected to have significant implications for both the global production of solar cells, now largely in China, and the growth of the solar energy industry in the U.S., which employs about 100,000 people in manufacturing, installation and services.

Fashion jewelry design is in the midst of a renaissance the likes of which we haven't seen since the 1980s. And Alexis Bittar blazed the trail. In the last two decades, the New York-based jewelry designer has gone from selling his signature colorful, hand-carved Lucite pieces on the streets of SoHo to bejeweling leading ladies in Hollywood and beyond, including Lady Gaga, First Lady Michelle Obama, Madonna, Cameron Diaz, Meryl Streep and Rihanna....

Dr. David Heimbach knows how to tell a story. Before California lawmakers last year, the noted burn surgeon drew gasps from the crowd as he described a 7-week-old baby girl who was burned in a fire started by a candle while she lay on a pillow that lacked flame retardant chemicals. "Now this is a tiny little person, no bigger than my Italian greyhound at home," said Heimbach, gesturing to approximate the baby's size. "Half of her body was severely burned. She ultimately died after about three weeks of pain and misery in the hospital.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - For a Soweto boy, he had a lot of sneakers. He remembers the joy of that first pair. They had to be red. Walking out of the shop carrying a cardboard box with the sneakers, Sifiso Dlamini, at 12, took the first steps on a long journey in search of the soul of a shoe. "Having a pair of sneakers in Soweto meant a lot. You were cool and every kid on the block wanted to have their pair of sneakers. "I had a lot, because I was obsessed" - a dozen pairs, more than anyone he knew in the township.

It was the big rage in kitchen gadgetry last summer. This non-electric, small ice cream maker has captured 30% of the total number of ice cream makers sold since then. Today the popular Donvier continues to enjoy its sweet success. The manufacturers, Nikkal Industries in Virginia Beach, Va., don't seem to sit back and relax, though.

Kellwood Co., a St. Louis-based apparel manufacturer with a division in Chatsworth, said it has acquired David Dart Inc., a maker of upscale sportswear. Dart, based in Vernon, expects sales to exceed $30 million this year, Kellwood said. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Dart will become a division of Melrose, a Kellwood subsidiary based in Chatsworth, the companies said.

Boeing Co.'s profit soared 58% in its first quarter as it built more efficient planes for airlines struggling with high fuel costs. The Chicago company earned $923 million, or $1.22 a share, compared with $586 million, or 78 cents, during the same period a year earlier. Its revenue boomed 30% to $19.4 billion. Boeing said it delivered 137 commercial planes during the quarter, and it has orders to build more than 4,000 others valued at a record $308 billion. The aircraft maker said it has more than 300 orders for its new fuel-efficient 737 Max jetliner.

Amgen Inc. agreed to buy closely held Mustafa Nevzat Pharmaceuticals for almost $700 million to expand in Turkey, where economic growth is boosting demand for medicines. Amgen will pay cash to get 95.6% of Mustafa Nevzat, or MN Pharmaceuticals as the Istanbul generic-drug maker is known, the companies said Wednesday. The transaction will boost Amgen's presence in a region that has "large, fast-growing, priority markets," they said. Amgen is seeking to shore up revenue as its former core anemia franchise declines.