text:
tions companies are inn k-
inga "land grab" for the
I ii --I customers, and
spending billions of dol-
lars in the process.
'U ANDREW RATKLK
Turn on the TV or radio. Drtve
along the IntcnUtc. Open a news-
paper or magazine.
They're everywhere, or so It
Advertisements for telecommu-
nications companies and their
services — wireless phones, long-
distance calling. Internet connec-
tions and Web-enabled phones —
are hard to miss.
Technology and the deregula-
tion of the phone Industry aren't
Just changing the way we commu-
nicate with each other. Almost
overnight, the field has become a
marketing force trying to commu- Others have signed up Holly- for 1-800-CoUect, and wacky actor In newspapers were retailers.
nicate to us. wood personalities as spokesper- David Arquetle pitches 1-800- Then, we went through a period
AT&T Broadband has Its orb sons, such as Jamie Lee Curtis Tor CALL-ATT. when it was all health care — hospi-
logo that morphs into various VolceStream Wireless Corp, Sela There's a land grab not just for tals and HMOs. The next big thing
shapes. Verizon Wireless Inc. has Ward for Sprint Corp, and James dollars and market share, but for Is telecommunications and finan-
people (lashing a "V," an update of Earl Jones for Verizon Communi- the best customers" with the most cial services. We are seeing an evo-
the hand gesture that meant cations Inc. money and staying power, said lution, and it reflects a competi-
world-war victory to one genera- Dlgex Inc., a Web-hosting com- Martha RoRers. whose Norwalk. tiveness."
tion and peace to another. Clngu- pany In Beltsvllle that was bought Conn.-based management consult- The telecommunications Indus-
hir Wireless has an animated by WorldCom Inc. last year, uses ing firm, the Peppers and Rogers try spent $4.2 billion on advertising
orange blob, sort of a cross be- basketball star Shaqullle O'Neal In Group, works with companies such last year, ranking sixth behind tra-
tween a Rorschach tnkblot and the Its ads. Actress Alyssa Mllano ap- as AT&T Corp. and Verizon. ditional advertisers such a> auto-
p ! i - 1 > ;r. Doughboy. pears as the temptress "Eva" In ads "For a long time, all the big ads makers and retail- SttAdt. *>
Page4D;Sunday,July8.2001 : The Sun BUSINESS
Cingular's 'Jack' a bold bid
Company creates Icon shaped, orange logo, anl The consumers are be-
mated for TV spots, to pro- coming somewhat capti-
with personality' to mote a theme of "self-ex- vated with the logo. It's a
avoid 'blur of sameness' pression." The company's fun visual that we believe
signature phrase: 'What quite effectively repre-
do you have to say?" sents our message,"
"Our challenge was to Overby said. -We're basi-
By ANDREW RAT: create advertising that could cally a as-week-old brand.
break through the blur of same- Our brand awareness Is very
ness in the category." said Ted competitive with our competition."
When Clngular Wireless Inc. Bann, co-chief executive officer The second-largest wireless
Jumped on the national stage with and chief creative officer of BBDO carrier In the country, after Veri-
a major ad campaign last winter. New York, which created the cam- zon Wireless, also became a major
Its executives acknowledged three paign for Clngular with BBDO sponsor of the Special Olympics as
concerns: South In Atlanta. "What better a tie-In to Its "self-expression"
Virtually no one knew of their way to help personalize our com- theme. The company plans to raise
company. It wouldn't b« easy set- pany than to create a brand Icon nearly $fi million this year and $40
ting themselves apart from com- with personality?" million over the next four years for
petitors; andtechnologycan be • The company aired Its first the organization. The company
hardsell. commercial during a pro refers to Itself In promo-
-We didn't wont to Juil I'- football playoff (jnmr, but tional material as the
ll bout technology," sold Vance gained a much lamer au- . only wireless carrier dedi-
Overby. executive director for ad- dlence weeks later as a co- cated to enhancing the
vertising and sponsorships for At- sponsor of Super Bowl tools of Individual self-ex-
lanta-based Clngular. "We wanted XXXV. Baltimore played a pression" — catchy per-
to differentiate ourselves from role in Clngular's rollout, haps, but hard to define
cold, hard technology.' not only because the Ravens Even comedian Dana
To that end, executives re- won. but also because one of the among media critics. Carvey. not usually at a loss for
viewed thousands of names before commercials featured Dan Ke- The company, however, felt words, had trouble describing the
settling on the unusual, but dis- pllnger, a Towson artist with cere- that the campaign was helping It message and "Jack" on CNN In
tinctive angular with a "c." to de- bral palsy who earlier was the sub- stand out In a crowded field. It con- January when the company hired
scribe their company. It connotes ject ofan Academy Award-winning tinued to spend millions on prime him to unveil Its new brand.
a singular brand formed by BBC documentary. "King Gimp." time, ponying up an estimated $12 "We are from the self-expres-
Communications Inc. and The Kepllnger ad was well-re- million to co-sponsor CBS' "Survi- sion people. This little |leR] here
BellSouth Corp. from 11 smaller ceived In the traditional postgame vor The Australian Outback" se- means self, that means expres-
regional companies the two for- dissection of the TV ads. but ries and also sponsoring the half- sion. ' Carvey Joked for the news
merly owned. They also devised "Jack" drew some guffaws In the time shows during college basket- team. "Up here Is Just appendages
"Jack" — their nickname for aJack- advertising community and ball's "March Madness " In the air for no apparent reasons."
In a wireless world, advertising frenzy
Adi.fnm Page ID] through Baltimore knows: Every are new companies or a combina- ers that everything they knew
other billboard Is fora company In- tion of older ones operating with a about BeD Atlantic and OTE
ers. according to research firm volved In phone service or the new name. Second, they need to would stay the same." said John
CMR, a Taylor Nelson Bofres Co. In Internet. convince consumers that they Bonomo, a spokesman at Verizon
New York. Telecommunications compa- need the Innovations they're offer- headquarters In New York.
That sum was six times the nies spent 563 million on billboard Ing — a hurdle historically for any- By an odd quirk — and a reflec-
roughly $700 million that tele- space In the first quarter of this one trying to sell a new technology. tion of the confusion In the market
phone companies spent In total year, up 11 percent from the com- An Impatient stock market has In- — the company beat Itself to the
marketing In the mid-1980s after parable period In 2000. That made creased the pressure for compa- punch. Verizon Wireless began TV
the court-ordered breakup of "Ma It the ninth-biggest spender on nies to make themselves and their commercials before Verizon, the
Bell." the American Telephone and billboards, according to the Out- new products known quickly, parent company, had won ap-
Telegraph Co. door Advertising Association of many say. proval for Its own merger. The
As late as 1B96. the year Presi- America inc. Three years ago VolceSlream splnoff became known to the pub-
dent Clinton signed the telecom- The Industry was the fastest- Wireless signed up Jamie Lee Cur- lic before the parent.
munications reform act, the sector growing purchaser of outdoor ad tis, the actress and recent They got a head start on the
didn't merit its own category irvlrf- space In 2000, when Its spending children's author. She turned out use of the name "Verizon.'"
icrtistng Agfs survey of the top 30 grew 40 percent from 1998. Before to be one of the few constants for Bonomo explained. "The wireless
Industries In advertising. But tele- 1998, the Industr/s billboard the Bellevue. Wash., company as It partnership was approved first.
communications companies spending wasnt significant moved through several mergers and It dldnt make sense to have
passed the $3 billion mark In 1868 enough to be measured separately. that are Indicative of the continu- them go by the name of Bell Atlan-
and $4 billion In 2000. Telecom "It has gotten Incredibly com- ing shakeout in telecommunica- tic for a few months" until the
spending on broadcast, print and petitive." said Diane Clmlne. exec- tions. VolceStream was bought larger Verizon merger went
billboards ads has grown a third utive vice president of marketing last month by Deutsche Telekom through.
faster than the advertising indus- for the billboard trade association AO. Europe's largest communica- Confusion also results from the
try as a whole in the past decade, in New York. Ten years ago. It tions company. bet that these companies are
accord tngto CMR. hardly existed It's become very "Prior to her. we were the new spending billions to create a mar-
Those sums dont Include the significant, especially with tobacco kid on the block, going against ket, not just to win market share.
dot-corn mania, which bid up the companies withdrawing from out- AT&T. Sprint, household brand Households with high-speed Inter-
price of Super Bowl alrtlme to un- door advertising, because they names with a tot deeper pocket*," net connections are still rare, and
precedented heights last year be- were 10 percent of the business." company spokeswoman Kim mobile phones were uncommon
fore quickly drying up. Half the Marketing In the communica- Thompson said. "She does visits until a few years ago. Yet the com-
dot-corns that advertised In tradi- tions field Isn't new: As earl; as with our sales contest winners, she mercials depict consumers order-
tional media In 2000 have van- 1907. Theodore Vail, then head of spoke to employees when the com- ing movie tickets via Internet-en-
ished. Including the whimsical the Bell System, stressed to share- pany was bought. When she signed abled pocket phones or a business
Pets.com sock-puppet mascot. holders the need for "public rela- on. we were a regional company, traveler using a Web-cam to watch
The spending frenzy has tions" to broadcast the company's and she said she had thought It'll a son's soccer game from his hotel
slowed this year, reflective of ad- works. be fun for a while, but It's grown room In a distant city — still akin
vertising In general Ad spending The company's bell-shaped bigger than she thought It would." to science-fiction for most people.
by telecommunications companies logo was one of corporate Ameri- Last year, a commercial de- "We hear all this advertising,
was down 2 percent for the first ca's most recognizable symbols — pleting Curtis in a cocktail dress and it raises our demand for the
quarter of 2001. compared with the Including Its 1969 update by the re- using a mobile phone while her car product. We think we must be
corresponding period a year ear- nowned graphic designer Saul was disabled won an award from missing out on something." said
lier, according to Robert J. Coen. Ba&s, who also created the logos the Cellular Telecommunications Lynda M. Maddox. professor of
who writes an Industry newsletter for Alfred Hitchcock's movies and and Internet Association, which marketing and advertising at
for Universal McCann, a media- the Olrl Scouts. After the courts has begun honoring the commer- George Washington University In
marketing firm In New York. ended its monopoly In 1984. AT&T cials that have Introduced the nas- Washington. "We all kind of feel
But Coen and others think the spent millions to retain long-dis- cent Industry's products to the we're not quite with 11."
Influx of companies striving to woo tance customers with Its 'Reach public. With young people historically
customers who dont know them — Out and Touch Someone" cam- Verizon Is another company more adaptable to new technology,
and striving to sell products buy- paign. whose spokesman has outlasted the companies have been targeting
ers aren't convinced they need yet But ad spending has rocketed the original company. When Veri- the 18- to-24 year-old set — and
— will have long-term impact. Al- in recent years as the offspring of zon was formed from the merger of even younger Verizon sponsored
ready, some longtime advertisers that Bell divestiture, such as Veri- Bell Atlantic Corp. and OTE Corp. the summer concert tour by the
such as food, toiletries and bever- zon, have begun battling to win a year ago, It decided to retain -boy band"'NSYNC.
age sellers have begun slipping, customers for an array of services, James Earl Jones. The actor, who But some industry insiders say
unable to meet the rat« Increases from cheaper long-distance rates starred In The Great White Hope- the telecommunications compa-
driven by lh*w n»w maiu market- to • ;..•'::•,;'•: <iu:. ; Internet connec- In 1B70 and as the rich, baritone nies, relatively new kids on the ad-
ers, Coen wrote In his Industry "In- tions. voice of Darth Vader In the "BUr vertising block, have a lot to learn
sider" report last winter. The challenge for these compa- Wars" mortes. had done voice- when It comes to creating brand
The impact on billboard spend- nies has been twofold, say observ- overs and appearances for the for- awareness and marketing buzz.
ing has also been significant, as ers both In and outside the field: mer Bell Atlantic dating to Yellow Said Tom Blebert. communica-
anyone who's approached the Fort First, they must Introduce them- Page commercials In the early tions director for Baltimore ad
McHcnry Tunnel on Interstate 93 selves to customers, since many 1990s. agency Trahan, Burden & Charles
"Once we got approval for the Inc.. •Budwelser's "Wassup' guye
merger, we wanted to gel out of the and their frogs have It all over the
Your Regional Online box quickly to assure our custom- Clngular btotch,"


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June 29, 2017 at 4:33 PM
This could significantly increase the annual income generated by the online behemoth, which has experienced a drop in the last year. The American company has been excited by the trials of car sales in Italy, further prompting the European rollout towards the UK market. It is not entirely clear whether Amazon
intends to supply used or new cars, but customers buying vehicles will be able to order online and pick up their purchases from a local car dealership.
Amazon UK will be the first company under the Amazon umbrella to take the online car sales service to a mainstream customer base, even though the service was initiated by the Italian branch of the company when they offered the Fiat 500, Fiat Panda, and Fiat 500L fully customised for delivery to customers. It
appears the service was successful enough for Amazon to seriously consider the rollout into the UK market, indicating an attempt to intimidate the current online car suppliers market.
The Auto Trader Group PLC reacted immediately to the news that Amazon was entering the car market with figures displaying an instant drop in shares as the company hit a two-month low. The news has unnerved shareholders throughout the entire UK market as Amazon tries to replicate what they have achieved on home soil and take over the sales that have dropped from traditional dealerships. The ease of access to the internet and the efficiency of ordering online means that people prefer to shop online these days, and other dealerships have reacted by offering specs and sales online in the wake of the bombshell dropped by Amazon. BMW AG is one of these companies, and has trialled online sales in selected markets in order to test the validity of online sales and supplies.

domain: news


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projectiondesign goes direct in UK
Norwegian projection specialist projectiondesign has announced plans to sell direct to integrators and resellers in the UK and Republic of Ireland as part of a global reshuffle of its sales efforts.
Matt Horwood, the recently appointed Regional Manager, UK & Ireland explains: "We've streamlined our efforts as part of our global strategy. This means that projectiondesign has come to the very exciting and positive conclusion of now enabling our integration and reseller partners to purchase directly from us."
Anders Løkke, International Marketing & Communications Manager, projectiondesign commented: “Our business has grown spectacularly over the past few years, but we firmly believe there is more to come. Our ambition is being the preferred supplier of projection technology to more companies, in more regions of the world. To do that, we need to offer even higher levels of localised support than we currently provide.”
Over the next 12 months, projectiondesign plans to develop its regional manpower in a large number of territories, with the hiring of locally based Field Application Engineers, Business Development Managers, Marketing Specialists and Regional Managers. The company says that it sees these appointments as key elements in its drive to offer genuine technology partnerships to its customer base.
For UK owners of projectiondesign products we spoke to RGB to clarify the situation. RGB Communications will no longer be supplying any new projectiondesign equipment. The company will however continue to offer service support until March.


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Who says the mobile ad wars are all about Google’s AdMob and Apple’s iAds?
Amobee Media Systems wants to throw its hat into the ring – although to be fair, the company has been around for going on five years now so like other independents, it’s not exactly new to the space. Amobee’s twist, however, is it works with mobile operators directly.
The company has relationships with two worldwide biggies, Vodafone and Telefonica, and earlier this week it displaced Google DoubleClick in a deal whereby Amobee will be the exclusive mobile advertising partner for Gruner + Jahr Electronic Media Sales in Germany. Gruner + Jahr is the largest publishing house in Europe.
Amobee says the deal with Gruner + Jahr puts the Amobee Platform at the nucleus of Europe’s largest mobile ad marketplace for ad placement on mobile sites and applications. Titles served will include Financial Times Deutschland, Spiegel, Stern, Gala, Brigitte, Vodafone, O2 Telefonica and others.
Having an international scope when it comes to mobile advertising is important for any brand. If you ask most brands about their No. 1 objective going into 2011, it’s to expand their global reach, says Amobee Vice President of Monetization and Product Marketing Michael Bayle.
In the United States, Amobee works with Sprint and it’s in talks to get more carriers on board. The more carriers that are involved, the better for marketers that want to reach the widest scope with the least amount of hassle, and that’s where Amobee comes in.
Amobee says mobile operators are key to leveraging the value of mobile media because they have a trusted relationship with their subscribers, the most data on their users and strong incentive to protect their customers’ privacy.
Amobee’s partnerships with operators and content publishers enable it to reach about 1 in 7 mobile users on the planet each day. The company, based in Redwood City, Calif., works with various ad networks to serve ads.
Bayle admits the media’s fascination with Apple and Google, although a bit “tired,” brings validation to the space, but the average consumer in America uses neither an iPhone or an Android device and while stats suggest wonderful growth for Android, that still leaves a lot of other devices and device platforms.
Amobee’s big-name investors include Accel Partners, which is also an investor in Facebook, but Facebook has yet to unveil its mobile advertising strategy.


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After years of court cases, requests for proposals and bidding, work is underway for a new bridge at the busiest commercial crossing along the U.S.-Canada border. Approximately 7,000 trucks — carrying goods worth millions of dollars — already pass the border most days at Detroit and Windsor, Ont. All of these crossings are done now via the privately owned, 90-year-old Ambassador Bridge.
But with the scheduled opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge in late 2024, a second option will be available for U.S. and Canadian firms.
The bridge (named after the Hall of Fame Canadian hockey player who starred for the Detroit Red Wings) will provide larger, modern ports of entry and customs facilities, while incorporating new technologies to speed up border screenings. And with two bridges up and running, the movement of commercial goods will not be as affected by accidents or other incidents at the Detroit-Windsor crossing.


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WEAR - Search Results
Electronic devices on takeoff rules may change
Using portable electronic devices during a flight is against the rules.
But the ban may soon ease up.
Anytime you get on a plane, there are a lot of rules. One of them, turn off your electronics - but that one might be about to change.
The New York Times reports the FAA is reviewing their policy about turning off electronics during take-off and landing.
Right now, you have to turn everything off until you're above 10-thousand feet.
That's because over the years, airlines and pilots have reported problems they think may have been caused by electronic devices.
But regulators have never been able to prove electronic devices caused any interference or malfunctions in the cockpit.
And while a lot of passengers don't or 'forget' to turn them off, everyone we spoke to say, leave it alone.
"I feel safer with them off. They mess with the planes electrical system."
"I feel safer turning them off, that way there are no complications."
"I don't know what it could possibly do, so I feel safer with them off."
The FAA Advisory Panel is meeting this week to review the policy.
If they do make changes, you'll be able to leave on your devices to listen to music, watch movies or read books you've already downloaded to your tablet, phone or e-reader.
But you still won't be able to text, make calls or use wi-fi.
The New York Times reports their FAA sources say if those police changes are approved, you'll probably see them early next year.


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Yet another boot style emerges from visvim’s Fall/Winter 2012 collection. Dubbed the ARMIGER-FOLK,
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Adding further to its sophisticated iterations of classic silhouettes, Vans Vault has partnered
In visvim’s latest footwear release for Fall/Winter 2012, the popular Patrician wingtip brogue
The first release of the collaboration between C Store and Italian bootmakers Diemme comes in the


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CombiMatrix's decision to focus all of its resources on its diagnostics business and abandon its play in the research arena appears to be paying off.
The company reported last week that its third-quarter revenues increased 68 percent on diagnostic testing sales, while its net loss for the quarter shrank by half.
Still, the firm's operations related to the research market have continued, albeit under a different mantle. During an earnings call last week, Chief Financial Officer Scott Burell said that a new private company, called Custom Array, has been established by a former distributor in Mukilteo, Wash., to continue manufacturing CombiMatrix arrays for research purposes.
According to Burell, CombiMatrix has licensed some of its IP to Custom Array, and CombiMatrix could benefit should the new entity's activities grow.
"We have licensed IP to them. Their operations are very small right now, but we do have ability to participate via downstream royalty should that business become successful," Burell said.
Founded in Mukilteo in 1999, CombiMatrix originally targeted the research market with its CustomArray Synthesizer and catalog and custom microarrays, including a system for detecting and monitoring influenza, as well as its ElectraSense portable microarray reader. In 2005, it established its CombiMatrix Molecular Diagnostics subsidiary in Irvine, Calif., and began to shift resources to the diagnostics business, a process that culminated with the decision earlier this year to scuttle the research business and consolidate the firm's operations in Irvine to focus solely on the molecular diagnostics market (BAN 4/20/2010).
Burell said the company had sought a buyer for its array tools business before deciding to shutter it, but that no successful offer materialized.
"There was a variety of interest from various parties, but nothing got to the stage where there would be a large M&A activity, so the business was shut down," he said.
While Custom Array is focused on manufacturing arrays for clients, it has inherited at least one CombiMatrix-era partnership. A 2009 supply agreement with Illumina has been transferred from CombiMatrix to Custom Array, Burell said. "The rights for Illumina to purchase DNA arrays have been transferred to Custom Array," he said, adding that he had "no insight as to Illumina's volumes."
Should the partnership with Illumina expand, Burell said it was possible that CombiMatrix could benefit via a royalty agreement. "There is potential upside in the future for that business," he added.
Growth in Diagnostics
While CombiMatrix's custom array business lives on with Custom Array, its own diagnostics business continues to grow. The firm's revenue for the three-month period ended Sept. 30 rose 66 percent to $1 million from $603,000 in the year-ago period. Its services revenue for the quarter rose 82 percent to $924,000 from $507,000 in the prior-year period, while product revenue declined 6 percent to $90,000 from $96,000.
In June, during the end of the second quarter, Medicare began reimbursing all of CombiMatrix's array-based tests (BAN 6/15/2010). The firm ran 967 billable tests during the third quarter of 2010, up from 551 in Q3 '09, a 75-percent increase that Judd Jessup, who was named president and CEO of CombiMatrix in August, attributed during the call to "sales and marketing penetrance" and "improved reimbursement."
According to Jessup, CombiMatrix currently employs three full-time sales people, and recently hired another sales- and business-development staffer who will focus on oncology. Altogether, the company has 40 employees, Jessup said.
According to Burell, CombiMatrix's product revenues have been largely generated by selling bacterial artificial chromosome arrays for comparative genomic hybridization to a single distributor in Asia. He said that it is likely that diagnostic array kit sales, which were down year over year, will continue to decline.
"We have recently been notified that one of our primary customers is considering buying arrays from other providers and, as a result, it is likely our array product sales will decrease and eventually phase out in future periods," said Burell.
CombiMatrix posted a net loss of $2.2 million for the quarter, down from a net loss of $3.3 million for Q3 2009. The third quarter of 2009 included a $1.5 million loss from discontinued operations, while this year the firm reported a $265,000 loss for those items.
[ pagebreak ]
Included among the discontinued operations are two ongoing biodefense-related US Department of Defense contracts. According to Burell, one of the contracts is being completed and the other is being transferred, or "novated," to an undisclosed third party.
"Net activity from these contracts will continue to be listed as discontinued operations, [and] will be completed or novated by early 2011," he said.
The firm's R&D spending declined to $575,000 from $684,000, and its SG&A expenses increased to $1.7 million from $1.6 million. CombiMatrix finished the quarter with $7.9 million in cash and cash equivalents.
Going forward, Jessup said that among the firm's priorities are expanding its base of customers and partners and optimizing reimbursements for the firm's testing services.
Jessup said the firm is interested in expanding its menu of molecular diagnostic tests, including introducing sequencing-based tests for disease-related genes. However, formerly planned diagnostics, such as the company's microRNA expression profile-based comprehensive cancer array screen, have been frozen until the firm can muster more resources.
Though the company did announce that the US Internal Revenue Service awarded it $488,958 earlier this month for projects entitled "Array Comparative Genomic Hybridization, or 'aCGH,'" and "Comprehensive Cancer Array, or 'CCA,'" Burell said the CCA development program continues to be suspended.
"The CCA project has been put on hold," he said. "It is something that we could restart in the future, if we had the resources, but it has been on hold at the time." He confirmed by e-mail this week that CombiMatrix does not "have plans to continue that program at this time, but we are constantly evaluating our R&D budgets and projects and it is possible the project could be reconstituted at a later date." He declined to further comment on Custom Array or its activities.
Have topics you'd like to see covered in BioArray News? Contact the editor at jpetrone [at] genomeweb [.] com.


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Call Of Duty : Black Ops has set yet another record by becoming the first game to generate more than one billion dollar in less than 50 days.
Activision said that gamers spent more than $650 million on the award winning game in the first five days after it went on sale with more than $350 million being generated in the following 45 days or so.
It brought in more than $310 million within 24 hours of going on sale. In comparison, its predecessor, Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 2 made $550 million during the first five days and took two months to reach the $1 billion milestone.
Users have played more than 600 million hours worth of gaming time since it went on sale on the 9th of November and users in general spend more than one hour every day playing the game.
The next Call of Duty will be launched towards the end of next year and it would be interesting to see whether it can actually best Black Ops.
We've received unconfirmed reports that the game can be purchased from Morrisons' supermarket chain for as little as £29.99.


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To celebrate Beer Day Britain on Wednesday 15th June 2016, Wadworth, the regional pub operator and family brewer based in Devizes, is going to be holding a selfie competition on Twitter for customers visiting its managed and tenanted pubs to take part in.
To win a five litre cask of Wadworth ale, all customers have to do is be one of the first 10 people to post a selfie raising a glass of beer to celebrate the day on and after 7pm on Wednesday 15th June. Customers simply tweet a picture using the hashtag #CheersToBeer to @Wadworth; prizes will then be directly delivered to winners straight from the brewery.
Business partners keen to take part in the event can request an online banner from Wadworth to use on their Facebook and Twitter pages, put posters up in their pub to encourage customers to Tweet their selfies and add it to their events section on their website or social media pages. Wadworth is available to provide support with all of this marketing activity as required.
Emma Cottam, retail marketing manager at Wadworth, said: “This is a great opportunity for our Business Partners to encourage their customers to celebrate the nation’s favourite drink on a day specially dedicated to the tipple. We want our customers to tweet us as they enjoy the day, and what better way to get the ball rolling than rewarding our customers’ commitment with a prize of ale?”


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UBS thinks shares in Restaurant Group PLC (LON:RTN) - owner of the Frankie & Benny's and Garfunkel’s brands - are looking less tasty, with the Swiss broker downgrading its rating to ‘sell’ from ‘neutral’.
In late morning trading, Restaurant Group shares were down 4.2%, or 14.1p at 322.5p, topping the FTSE 250 fallers list.
In a note to clients, UBS’s analysts pointed out: “Core to the turnaround strategy for Frankie & Benny's is a new menu, aimed at improving the value proposition.”
They added: “After its recent menu launch, we have analysed the new F&B proposition along with 20 key competitors, with our analysis indicating that, while prices have fallen (c.6% on average), a value gap remains versus the branded pub chains which are on average 22% cheaper. “
The turnaround for F&B looks challenging
The analysts said: “Given these brands also focus on the family value orientated market, we see risk that the F&B price cuts will not drive the required footfall increase from the core family value orientated customer F&B is looking to attract to offset price reductions.”
As a result, they have cut their earnings per share estimates for Restaurant Group by 4% for 2017 and by 17% for 2018, and reduced their target price to 275p from 310p leading to its rating downgrade after a strong recent share price performance.
The analysts concluded that in “our view that the turnaround for F&B looks challenging based on changes implemented so far.”


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We are pleased to provide our valued members of the SMSF Association complimentary access to the Trustee Knowledge Centre as an important benefit of their professional membership.
MEDIA RELEASE: The decision by the Australian Tax Office (ATO) to extend the deadline for small businesses to become SuperStream compliant has been welcomed by the SMSF Association. SMSF Association Managing Director/CEO Andrea Slattery says the ATO is to be applauded for adopting a flexible approach to the 30 June 2016 deadline by giving small businesses a few more months to become compliant.
MEDIA RELEASE: The SMSF Association is pleased to announce the appointment of Peter Hogan as its new Head of Technical.
SMSF Association Managing Director/CEO Andrea Slattery says it’s an “extremely important role” in the organisation, so to get someone with the experience, reputation and industry knowledge of Peter Hogan is a real positive.


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Hasbro promised to include the female character Rey in the newest versions of Monopoly: Star Wars after criticism arose, but the popular toy company still hasn't done it yet. And it doesn't sound like they will, either. The popular game has had many, many versions over the years and this one was supposed to tie Star Wars: The Force Awakens into the board game, but they left out the main character in the game pieces. There's Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker from Return of the Jedi, and then there's Kylo Ren and Finn from The Force Awakens. Finn is a great character and all, but fans argued that Rey was the lead in the movie and leaving her out was a big mistake. The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams even called the exclusion "preposterous and wrong."
To go even further, Rey was left out of much of the first wave of The Force Awakens merchandise, a move that Lucasfilm claims was an effort to thwart leaks. Small leaks happen all of the time with the release of new action figures and tie-in video games, so that would make sense. But, Hasbro went back and promised the inclusion of Rey in the new versions of Monopoly over a year ago and has yet to deliver on that promise in North America. A Rey playing piece was added on in different countries last fall, but not yet in the United States where the uproar started in the first place.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hasbro decided not to release the Rey game piece in the United States "due to insufficient interest." Now that's a pretty interesting reason for leaving out a game piece that was promised over a year ago. Julie Duffy, a customer service representative from Hasbro, released a statement last year and said, "We love the passion fans have for Rey, and are happy to announce that we will be making a running change to include her in Monopoly: Star Wars." Hasbro has not discussed the change of heart further than the short statement, but did vaguely say that fans can contact customer service about the possibility of receiving a Rey game piece for the board game.
The lack of interest could be true, this is Monopoly that we're talking about after all, but Duffy has also said that the 2015 version of the game has sold well and continues to sell. In addition, a Rey character has been added to other popular Star Wars versions of games like Trouble, Operation (there's a Star Wars Operation?), and Trivial Pursuit. Now this may not be the most important issue in the United States at this time, but it is certainly a mistake not to include the lead character of the movie in a tie-in game.
Hasbro and Lucasfilm have a good relationship and Lucasfilm is run by a woman. Maybe Rey was really left out of Monopoly because of leaks, but the cat is out of the bag now, the game should be updated to reflect the Star Wars universe as it stands today. You know very well that if Luke Skywalker's lightsaber was the wrong color they'd fix that immediately. For now, fans can contact Hasbro to try and get the Rey game piece.


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Three Ways to Fix the Drug Industry’s Rampant Dysfunction
Based on its testing, Valisure rejects about 10 percent of the drug batches it sees, for various reasons. The FDA requires generic drugs to be bioequivalent within 80 to 125 percent of the brand name drug (although because of the way bioequivalence is calculated, the actual variation is less).
For people with certain conditions, such as epilepsy or heart failure, variations in dose can be dangerous. Generic drugs also vary in their inactive ingredients. But compared to a loaf of bread or box of cereal, “you don’t have nearly the visibility or the transparency,” Light says. No list of ingredients, warnings about possible cross-contamination with allergens, or information about where the ingredients were sourced.
Valisure has just begun offering an analysis service that allows anyone to send in samples of their drugs to find out the dosage, inactive ingredients, dissolution rate, and any impurities. The cost ranges from $40 to about $100, depending on the drug; the company currently offers tests on more than 2,000 drugs.
Civica Rx is addressing a very different problem—one with life-or-death stakes. In the second quarter of 2018, hospitals encountered shortages of 282 drugs, including electrolytes, antibiotics, and anesthetics. The shortfalls forced hospitals to cancel procedures and delay treatments. Medication errors have been linked to shortages, the result of health providers seeking replacements.
By early October, just over a year after its founding, Civica Rx will begin shipping its first product, the antibiotic vancomycin, to its member hospitals. More than 35 health systems, encompassing about 900 hospitals, have invested in Civica Rx. Every hospital, regardless of size, will receive the products at the same price, VanTrieste says.
Civica Rx is contracting with a generic drug manufacturer to make the antibiotic, but will do some independent testing to ensure quality, he says.
Like much in the pharmaceutical industry, drug shortages are a longstanding problem with complex dimensions. A major contributor is price; for many essential drugs used in hospitals, it’s too low. Manufacturers don’t find older generic products profitable enough to sustain their business.
By joining together to invest in a nonprofit drug maker and commit to purchasing its products, Civica Rx’s member hospitals add certainty to the market. In return, they receive a reliable supply at fair and sustainable prices, without the price spikes that have plagued hospitals in the past. Civica Rx also plans to keep a six-month inventory to help balance supply and demand.
For VanTrieste, a pharmacist with a long career in the pharmaceutical industry, this is a passion project. He came out of retirement and is working as CEO without compensation. He wants to make the drug supply more reliable, but not to eliminate competitors. That’s why he says Civica Rx plans to make about half of the supply that hospitals need.
“The more competition you have, the better the product will be at the most affordable price,” he says. “We do not want to be the sole supplier and become the problem we’re trying to solve.”
Transparency is a common theme among these pharma-related startups. Civica Rx will post information online about where its products are made. Another startup, Capital Rx, is challenging the way medicine prices are set at the pharmacy.
Companies that process prescription claims, known as pharmacy benefit managers, typically make money by charging more to employers than they reimburse to pharmacies. But secrecy in pricing means employers don’t know whether their contracted price is a good deal or a bad one.
“Imagine if you went to buy sneakers and everyone is charged a different price for the same brand, but the only price you could see was what you paid last time,” says Capital Rx CEO A.J. Loiacono. Capital Rx will charge the same unit price to all customers, based on a benchmark price maintained by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. It doesn’t make more money if a drug is more expensive. And it analyzes data for employers so they understand their employees’ health needs.


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Chipmaker Micron's forecast powered by improving PC market
MICRON Technology Inc forecast current-quarter revenue and profit above estimates as a stabilising PC market spurs demand and boosts prices of its memory chips.
Shares of the company, which also posted its first rise in quarterly revenue in nearly two years, were up about 10
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Fenzi and the Glass Alliance were present at the recent edition of China Glass, with the latest developments in their product range regarding spacers, warm edge technology, insulating glass, mirror backing paints, ceramic enamels and cold paints.
Fenzi’s facility in China had all its products on display at the recent China Glass 2013, where visitors could see its latest developments along with those of the Glass Alliance network.
Chromatech Ultra attracted considerable attention. The first hybrid spacer bar by Alu-pro and Rolltech, made of stainless steel and special plastic mixes, is a testament to recent developments in the Chinese market where there has been a sharp rise in the demand for warm edge technology. In response to this need, Fenzi China Paints and Sealants Company Limited upgraded its insulating glass division, which was already selling Thiover and Butylver, by introducing a dedicated work team for warm edge technology, and especially for the market launch of Chromatech Ultra.
Fenzi’s traditional products also gathered interest. These were the first to win over the Asian market and are still selling well: starting with the Duralux mirror backing paints, the first Fenzi product to be exported to China, to the Tempver ceramic enamels and the Glassolux range of cold paints, where demand is strongly driven by the ongoing growth of the Chinese furniture industry.
“Fenzi China Paints and Sealants Company Limited, the manufacturing and commercial center that was inaugurated in 2006, continues to post increased business results in every area – confirmed Stefano Pozzi, the General Manager of the group’s branch in China – From here we can serve an ideal catchment area that spans from China to South East Asia and customers have shown that they very much appreciate the potential of our products; which is why I think we’ll have a good 2013.”


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Technology creative agency Unbnd has welcomed several new hires across all areas of its business, off the back of “substantial” increased demand for its interactive mobile entertainment tech, Aura.
Demand for the product has increased locally and in overseas markets, Unbnd said. In addition, the company has welcomed increased momentum on the agency side of the business working with brands across retail, music, sports and fintech.
Antony Arena, chief executive of Unbnd, said 2020 had been a transformative year for Unbnd.
“We not only launched Aura as a solution for organisations to innovate in how customers engage with their content, but have also grown our agency business by working with brands across a broad spectrum of verticals to turn their ideas into unique creative experiences,” he said.
“Like many businesses, we were forced to adapt to the challenges 2020 has brought, particularly when it came to helping our clients navigate closing the door on physical, event-based projects and instead think of innovative ways to engage customers digitally through webAR and other applications.
“I’m incredibly proud of the team’s dedication this year and am excited to bring on additional talented, creative minds as we enter the new year.”
Key appointments include industry experts Lachlan Jones (pictured above), Mikey Ford, Amy Wardrop and Erik Bernacchi as well as other new starters that specialise in UX, DevOps, Engineering and real-time 3D.
The new hires come off the back of David Loughnan being promoted to managing partner following a successful 18 months in the business, building a niche proposition leveraging webAR technology and leading Unbnd to deliver some of the most cutting-edge webAR work currently seen around the world.
Jones joins as chief commercial officer, and will be responsible for driving opportunities for Aura both locally and globally as well as managing existing key commercial partnerships in the US and UK.
He joins following a 14-year tenure at Omnicom, with six years spent as the managing director of media agency Foundation.
Jones will work closely with Ford (pictured), who joins as creative technologist, focusing on the research and development of Aura to uncover new creative applications that change the way businesses create engaging and immersive content.
The agency business has also hired Bernacchi (pictured), who has more than a decade of global experience as design director of Immersive Technologies.
He will lead the art, animation, UX, and product design output of immersive and creative technology projects including WebGL, WebAR, augmented and virtual reality.
Most recently, Wardrop (pictured) joined as senior technology project manager.
Her expertise across technology leadership, business analysis and agile project management, as well as her experience developing award-winning virtual initiatives will be integral to Unbnd as it embarks on several new and exciting client wins in 2021.
Criteo has announced its expansion to offer Criteo Retail Media solution across six markets in Asia Pacific (APAC). Its Retail Media solution helps brand advertisers to use retailer’s first-party data to advertise on retailer sites and apps, as well as across the open Internet. Since its regional launch in Japan by the end of 2019, […]
In light of the prolonged lockdown occurring throughout New South Wales, Semi Permanent Sydney has announced new dates for this year’s festival. It will now take place between 17-19 November 2021 at Carriageworks. “Our mission, always, is to craft the best and most valuable experience for both our speakers and audience, and to ensure the […]
Acast, the independent power source of podcasting has teamed up with Comscore to provide brand suitability controls for brands advertising through the Acast Marketplace. This new innovation is part of a global partnership with Comscore, and will be available to all advertisers working with Acast Australia and New Zealand. The brand suitability solutions offered by […]
Social media management solutions company Hootsuit, has announced that Maggie Lower has joined the company as chief marketing officer. Lower will own the brand’s overall global strategy, demand generation, communications, and events. Prior to joining Hootsuite, Lower was the global chief marketing officer at Cision, the first chief marketing officer at TrueBlue, and has held […]
Headquartered in Melbourne, Trade Indy is expanding off the back of strong client retention and consistent growth through existing and new business. Founded in Melbourne in 2014, the team have since expanded the business through team members in Singapore, Indonesia, Tasmania and Queensland, and are pleased to announce the full-time employment of NSW commercial director […]
Outbrain Inc. has announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 8,000,000 shares of common stock at a price to the public of US$20.00 per share. The gross proceeds to Outbrain from the offering, before deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses, are expected to be approximately $160 million. The shares began […]
HubSpot, the customer relationship management (CRM) platform for scaling companies, has announced that as part of its World Certification Week, it is supporting the GO Foundation with its mission to empower young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through education. As part of the support, HubSpot will donate $5 for every HubSpot Academy certification awarded […]
IntelligenceBank has today announced a strategic growth investment from Five Elms Capital. The $US37 million ($50 million) investment comes as brands and enterprises have realised that outdated technologies, disjointed data sources, and manual processes make it challenging to efficiently manage essential marketing workflows and ensure compliance across the organization. IntelligenceBank digitally transforms manual processes and […]
Southern Cross Austero (SCA) announced today 10 all-new DAB+ music stations on LiSTNr. The introduction of the 10 new Dab stations takes the number of music stations to 25 and reinforces its commitment to growing exclusive music programs and content. The 10 new stations have been created to cater to a variety of moods and […]


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The National Book Awards now accept submissions by authors who are not US citizens ‘to celebrate the widest possible array of voices.’
The US National Book Awards’ ceremony in New York City concludes with an earnest, respectful appeal for a ‘humanitarian cease-fire’ in Gaza.
David Steinberger will lead the 74th National Book Awards again, and is a key speaker in January’s NYU Advanced Publishing Institute.
Twenty-five writers now are shortlisted, five in each of the five categories of the 74th National Book Awards competition.
Three of the 10 books in the US National Book Awards’ 2023 longlist in Poetry come from university presses.
Three authors previously honored in the National Book Awards’ programs are among the 10 longlisted fiction titles for 2023.
A majority of newcomers: Nine of the 10 longlisted nonfiction authors in 2023 are getting National Book Award attention for the first time.
Established in 2018, the US National Book Awards’ newest category, Translated Literature, this year drew 154 submissions.
The books on the Young People’s Literature longlist are the first cohort of five categories named this week by the US National Book Awards.
The former US poet laureate, Rita Dove is the National Book Foundation’s 2023 Distinguished Contribution medal winner.


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Ford Motor Co is replacing Chief Executive Officer Mark Fields with James Hackett, the head of the unit developing self-driving cars, the U.S. automaker said on Monday, responding to investors' growing unease over its stock price and prospects.
France's PSA Group has agreed to buy Opel from General Motors in a deal valuing the business at 2.2 billion euros ($2.3 billion), creating a new European car giant to challenge market leader Volkswagen.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has threatened Toyota Motor Corp over its Mexican-built cars, but the biggest risk from a punitive tariff would be for its compatriot Nissan Motor Co, the largest automaker operating in the country.
Major automakers in the U.S. market are expected to show robust December auto sales on Wednesday, perhaps high enough for 2016 results to break the record high set the previous year, according to a poll by Thomson Reuters.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday blasted General Motors Co. and threatened to impose a "big border tax" for making some Chevrolet Cruze cars in Mexico, which the U.S. carmaker defended as part of a strategy to serve global customers, not sell them in the United States.


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As a fashion designer of her own line, Stories… by Kelly Osbourne, and a guest judge on “Project Runway,” Kelly Osbourne certainly understands the value of dressing well. Now the television star is leveraging the value of designer fashion to benefit a charity near and dear to her, Race to Erase MS.
Through the nonprofit designer apparel resale website Union & Fifth, Osbourne has donated an eclectic mix of young, fun clothes featuring Rebecca Minkoff, new-with-tags British Topshop, Asos, and Issa. Highlights include a fuzzy pink skirt, a pin-up girl circle skirt, and a moto-jacket. 75% of the proceeds from the sale will directly benefit Race to Erase MS, which held its 22nd annual Gala in April and its annual Orange You Happy to Erase MS campaign throughout May.
Osbourne has been involved in the fight against MS since her brother Jack was diagnosed with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis in 2012. A year later, Sharon and Jack Osbourne were both honored with the “Medal of Hope” award at the 20th annual Race to Erase MS Gala.
Source: PR Newswire


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Did Kylie Jenner Get Plastic Surgery For PAPER Mag Cover?
‘Plastic!’ – That’s how everyone is describing Kylie, 18, as she appears on the cover of the April 2016 issue of PAPER Magazine. The look makes Kylie seem like she is a live plastic doll with a plastic helmet wig in shocking pink, a pair of navy blue satin gloves, huge eyes, and pumped up lips also tinted in shocking pink.
On-lookers can’t help but spot the irony between Kylie’s plastic image and the youth-focused theme for the mag issue. Critics are pointing out how badly today’s youth and the future of the young is being portrayed. Still, others are saying that print media is just beginning to shift both to embody and to accommodate the popularity of social media – and the young people’s love for this media platform.
The controversial cover was shot and directed by Erik Madigan Heck, who is well-known for his artistic and colorful photography. The look and the outfit was styled by Rushka Bergman, who is behind some of the most iconic photoshoots of our time, several images of Michael Jackson included.
Despite the powerhouse artist backing, however, Kylie’s cover image was heavily edited. Kylie admits on her Instagram post, “Yes, my eyes and lips are edited to look bigger”.
Both the fans and critics of the young star, however, are not thrilled. “This is scary,” posted a fan of Kylie’s on Instagram. Another said, “Her lips look gigantic…and yes she does kind of look like Pepe,” in reference to the famous meme, Pepe the Frog.
Kylie makes more poses on the inside covers, clad in colorful dresses and set against eye candy backgrounds. However, despite the attempts at making her look like a doll, more people seem to have found the shots, “haunting” and even “disturbing”.
Kylie’s New Revelations
“I don’t believe in after 30,” Kylie was quoted saying in relation to starting her own family. She says she wants to be raising her kids in a farm by the time she turns a decade older.
Although she has responded previously to rumours about her supposed addiction to plastic surgery, and admitted to getting regular lip fillers and a nose job, the controversy about her getting job done has not quite subsided.
In this issue, she reveals that there’s more to her than people’s perception of her being too materialistic to think about other things. Then, she discusses the philantrophic causes she has been involved in, including supporting an anti-bullying campaign. Kylie admits to have suffered from bullying when she was younger.
The new magazine issue comes to newsstands on April 12.
Not The First Time
PAPER Magazine, and independent magazine showcasing pop culture, has dealt with similar controversies for their previous covers, and yes, including one that involved another Kardashian, Kim. Jennifer Lopez, Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus are just a handful of the celebrities that have previously rocked the publication’s covers too.
It certainly also isn’t the first time that the youngest of the Kardashian-Jenner brood is being criticized for her appearance on a magazine. It was only in December 2015 when Kylie and Interview Magazine were heavily bombarded by criticism over Kylie’s shocking poses and portrayals. Some even found the photos, particularly the ones where the young star posed half naked in a wheelchair and butt cheeks showing to be politically insensitive.
Kylie Remains Controversial
Also just recently, Kylie has been slammed for yet another controversial video released for the launch of her new line of lip gloss.
In the video, Kylie and her posse portrayed gangster, with the teenage business tycoon openly branding herself as ‘King Kylie’. There were guns and an actual shooting in the short film, and the posse ended getting lined up for a mugshot at a police station. With the text, ‘Like’, ‘Literally’, and ‘So Cute’ – the three shades of the lip gloss line – appearing, seemed to denote that guns and violence were cool.
The line, released on April 1 under Kylie Cosmetics, was sold in minutes, just like every other Lip Kit previously released in the market by the young Kardashian.
Kylie’s first three shades, released in November 2015, sold out in merely 30 seconds. A re-stock including three new colors, was sold out in less than 10 minutes. On both occasions, the $29 matte lipsticks were immediately posted and quickly sold out on eBay for over $200 price tags.
With over 57 million followers on Instagram, a bloating entertainment career, and a cosmetic empire on the rise, Kylie Jenner knows just when to draw her aces and what it takes to be the next millennial millionnaire.
Call her plastic and fake. Love or hate Kylie all you want but the truth remains – Kylie will not be ignored.


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The recent Expat Wine Dinner held at Kobe Japanese Restaurant was a great time for everyone who came.
A great turnout of expats enjoyed a special evening at our recent Expat Wine Dinner, as it was held high atop the...
There was a Bollywood theme for our latest Expat Wine Dinner.
We cordially invite you to join us for our next Expat Wine Dinner.
It was an enjoyable, casual affair for The Expat Group’s recent Wine Dinner, held at La Creperie in Bangsar.
Diners gathered at trendy Soho in Solaris Mont Kiara recently for the latest Expat Wine Dinner at Michelangelo’s.
It was a night of good food and lovely French wines – and a great deal of conviviality – at Samplings on...
Wine and good company always go together, and the last wine dinner had those exact ingredients.
Well-known for its superb and authentic Thai cuisine, Chakri Palace at Pavilion was a no brainer for the last wine dinner.
The last wine dinner was an elegant affair. Held at Pietro Italian restaurant, guests were transported to Europe while enjoying the array...
The Expat Group's next Wine Dinner takes places at Pietro Ristorante Italiano, this Thursday, 20th February.
The Expat Group's latest wine dinner welcomed expats to the delightful Ribs by Vintry restaurant in Medan Damansara.


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When it comes to the smartphone market there are four names that come to mind for consumers: iOS, Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry. But that could all change in 2013 as newer operating systems attempt to rival the likes of Apple, Google and other industry big shots.
Enter Tizen, an open source Linux-based operating system that seeks to give Android a run for its money. Tizen has been in the works since early 2012 but has garnered attention recently thanks to Samsung’s involvement and interest in the platform. Reports have suggested that Korean electronics giant will launch a flagship smartphone based on Tizen in the near future, but the OS is still largely unknown to the masses. Here’s a roundup of 10 facts and features about what could be Samsung’s new Android killer.
Based on Linux
Tizen is an open source operating system based on the Linux kernel and WebKit runtime. This means that users can obtain the source code that Tizen is based on, allowing smartphone owners to tinker with and alter a device’s software. Android, Firefox OS and Ubuntu are also open-source, unlike Apple’s closed iOS mobile operating system.
Backed by Intel and Samsung
The Tizen OS is a project within the Linux Foundation and is overseen by a Technical Steering Group that consists of Intel and Samsung. The OS came to be when Intel joined Samsung in 2011 after both had abandoned their respective previous projects, MeeGo and LiMo. Tizen had been perceived as a rebranding of MeeGo, but not according to Carsten Haitzler, a software engineer known for leading the development of Linux’s Enlightenment window browser. A post written by Haitzler on Tizen’s general questions page in 2011 states that the software is a “merge between Samsung LiMo/SLP and MeeGo work, not simply a ‘let’s take Meego and give it a new name.’”
Possible 2013 Release Date
You’ll be hard pressed to find a smartphone running on Tizen at the moment, but the OS has been rumored to make a debut for quite some time. On its official web page, Tizen claims that smartphones powered by the OS will feature 3D window effects, advanced multimedia, location-based services, and just about every other feature you’ll find on today’s smartphones.
Although Tizen isn’t ready for the mainstream market just yet, Samsung has said numerous times that it plans to launch a flagship based on the OS very soon, perhaps in the late 2013-early 2014 time frame. Tizen isn’t on any available phones just yet, but we have seen purported leaks of Tizen 2.1 running on a Samsung phone labeled GT-i8800.
Samsung's Android Alternative?
It’s no secret that Samsung’s Android handsets have been widely successful. However, numerous reports have suggested that Samsung has been itching for an OS with more creative control, seeking to wean itself off Google. In a recent interview, Samsung’s own JK Shin told CNET that Tizen is more than just a side project, but also a “simple alternative for Android.”
This doesn’t come as much of a surprise, considering Samsung has been taking steps to add its own brand to the mobile OS on its smartphones. Implementing a relatively unknown OS such as Tizen onto a flagship device like the Galaxy S4 could give Samsung the opportunity decrease reliance on one of its competitors. Samsung smartphones come with a heavily skinned version of Android known as TouchWiz, which puts Samsung’s own spin on the Android interface and includes its own Samsung Apps store.
The App Challenge
There’s no denying that Samsung and Intel are pushing for developer support for their Tizen platform, especially when the companies are willing to put $4 million toward app creation. As part of the app development challenge, developers have until Nov. 1 to submit apps for the Tizen OS. Judging will take place between Nov. 4 and 5 and the winners will be unveiled in December.
The developer behind the best game will be awarded $200,000, while the best non-gaming app will receive $120,000. The top 10 HTML 5-based applications will receive $50,000 each, and the total $4.04 million allotment will be spread across nine categories and 50 developers. Tizen’s app page is blank at the moment, but with hundreds of thousands of dollars hanging in the balance we’re interested to see how it grows.
MORE: 25 Best Android Apps
Emphasis on HTML 5
Tizen encourages its developers to write apps in HTML5, which the most recent iteration of the HTML standard that debuted back in 2010. Other operating systems such as Android and iOS use Java and Objective-C as their primary coding languages. HTML5 essentially enables a smoother Web browsing experience for mobile devices, such as the ability to display embedded videos or play music without an additional plugins and save data offline.
Similar to Android Yet Different
Like most smartphone user interfaces, Tizen’s OS seems to feature core components such as the home screen, notification panel, and lock screen. While the Tizen OS shares some Android design elements, there are also some fundamental differences.
For example, the Tizen home screen displays applications just like an app drawer would, rather than the Android home screen which displays the time and only one row of icons at the bottom of the screen. While the home screen may differ, drop down menus and app menus have the same grayish boxy look as those in Android do. Like Google’s mobile OS, there’s a notification bar that can be accessed by swiping down from the top of the screen. Of course, this is based on a prototype of the Tizen OS that was showcased at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, so the final design is subject to change.
Multi-Window View, Floating Browsers
Based on what we can gather from the app design guidelines posted on Tizen’s developer page, Tizen is likely to come with a multi-window feature similar to the Q Slide feature found on newer LG devices. Essentially, Tizen apps would be able to exist in either “full window” form or a “mini window” mode that would create a “floating browser” effect. Multi window views and floating browsers aren’t new, but they’re certainly not standard smartphone features that come built in to every smartphone’s UI.
At the same time, Tizen’s website details another design aspect dubbed “Multi-window,” which is similar to a feature of the same name found on Samsung smartphones. This feature lets you view apps in a split view. However, unlike the Samsung feature, which runs two apps in separate windows on the screen, Tizen’s version displays one app in a split view. So, for instance, rather than selecting an email to read it, you can enable a split view that shows the body of your email and your inbox at the same time. Similarly, in a music app you could theoretically have the song currently playing displayed next to your playlist without having to navigate back and forth.
The Tizen operating system is built to interact with certain touch gestures that consist of taps, swipes and flicks among other actions. As is the case with most touch screen devices, tapping an item will select it and long-pressing will launch an app-specific option menu. Pinch to zoom, dragging and dropping icons, and flicking to quick scroll are all supported within the Tizen UI.
Not Just For Smartphones
Tizen may be touted as Samsung’s new Android alternative, but the truth is the software isn’t made just for mobile devices. At this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Intel demonstrated an infotainment system for cars that runs on the Linux-based OS. According to Intel, this system would be able to access Google Maps for navigation, change songs stored on the system’s hard drive or output real-time information coming from your vehicle.
Tizen’s website notes that the software will eventually be designed for tablets and netbooks as well as smartphones, but it’s also slated to come to Smart TVs. This isn’t very surprising considering Samsung is a major player in pioneering the Smart TV category.
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NAD chastises Natrol for claims about Promensil
NEW YORK The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus on Tuesday recommended that Natrol, which distributes Promensil, a dietary supplement marketed for the relief of the symptoms of menopause, modify or discontinue certain claims for the supplement. NAD did find, however, that the advertiser had provided adequate support for certain claims.
At the outset of the NAD inquiry, Natrol explained that Promensil is a brand of dietary supplement for the relief of menopausal symptoms. The supplement contains an extract of red clover, standardized to provide four naturally occurring isoflavones, biochanin A, formononetin, genistein and daidzein.
Following a review of each of the 22 cited studies, NAD found that while there is significant research that Promensil may provide certain benefits for menopausal women, the challenged advertising overstates the results of such research.
Specifically, NAD determined that there was insufficient evidence to support the message conveyed by the advertiser’s claim that “22 clinical studies can’t be wrong.” NAD determined, as well, that because of conflicting efficacy research, as well as deficiencies in many of the studies, the evidence was not sufficiently reliable to support the advertiser’s unqualified “clinically proven” claims and recommended that such claims be discontinued or modified.
NAD further recommended that the advertiser’s “Doctor Recommended” claim be modified to clearly and conspicuously disclose that the doctors surveyed were Australian and Canadian.
With respect to claims concerning hot flashes, NAD found that, based on the current research, the advertiser can make qualified claims that more accurately reflect the current state of the science, i.e., that Promensil may help reduce the frequency and/or the severity of hot flashes.
NAD also found that Natrol provided a reasonable basis to make certain limited claims that Promensil can help relieve the frequency and/or severity of hot flashes, increase testosterone which may alleviate certain mood swings, promote breast health, promote heart health and promote emotional well-being.
Natrol noted in its advertiser’s statement that it would modify its advertising to conform to NAD’s findings, the NAD reported. “Natrol thanks the NAD for its consideration and review of the evidence submitted to it by Natrol. Although Natrol respectfully disagrees with the decision reached by the NAD, it voluntarily accepts the NAD’s recommendations and suggestions on the claims in question,” the company stated in its letter to NAD.
Thank you, NAD, for this (2007) report on Promensil. I have just purchased this product on the recommendation of my pharmacist. Obviously, the company took your recommendations to heart and re-worded it's claims. However, I must say, in my case, that is, that the product seems to be living up to its promises/statements. I have been suffering from severe menopausal symptoms for the last six years; it's been horrible living like I have been. But, since starting the Promensil six days ago I have noticed a significant decrease in the number of hot flashes I usually have throughout the day. The severity (thank you, Jesus) of the heat and sweating is GREATLY reduced. :) So, I want to thank you for looking out for consumers and your fair reporting, and a big thank you to Natrol for putting out this great product!
Wolfgram testifies to Senate on behalf of NACDS
WASHINGTON Peter Wolfgram, president and chief executive officer of Bungalow Drug, testified today in front of the Senate Committee on Finance regarding the role of community pharmacy in the solution to methamphetamine production.
Speaking on behalf of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, Wolfgram expressed his concerns before the committee as a representative of the 39,000 pharmacies and almost 1,000 suppliers of products and services to the chain drug industry that are included in NACDS’ membership. He addressed the problems of methamphetamine production and the steps taken by pharmacies to curb domestic production. He urged the committee to take appropriate measures to stem the flow of methamphetamine from abroad, and pledged that NACDS will continue working with Congress to help curb the illicit use and production of methamphetamine.
Bungalow Drug is a family-owned, hometown pharmacy chain based in Belgrade, Montana. The company provides pharmacy services for approximately 3,000 patients out of three locations in Montana with 24 employees including eight full- and part-time pharmacists. “Mr. Wolfgram brings a vast amount of chain drug experience to the table and we are pleased to have him testify on our behalf to address the proactive role of community pharmacy as part of the solution to drug abuse,” stated NACDS president and chief executive officer, Steve Anderson.
While the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act or “Combat Meth Act” created a national standard for retailers to follow in order to limit access to methamphetamine precursors, and significantly reduced domestic methamphetamine production, the foreign supply is increasing as those addicted search out alternative sources of methamphetamine outside U.S. borders.
Even before the law was implemented, pharmacists had been taking proactive steps to reduce the theft and illegitimate use of products containing pseudoephedrine and ephedrine, including restricting sales, placing these products behind pharmacy and/or sales counters and participating in other drug-awareness activities.
“Chain drug stores will continue to advocate for policies and practices that will be truly effective in cutting off the methamphetamine supply chain and addressing other drug abuse issues in a way that does not limit the legitimate sale and use of medication that patients rely on,” said Anderson. “We applaud Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus [D-Mont.] for his commitment to combating illegal drug manufacturing and abuse, and for listening to those, like community pharmacy personnel, who live out their commitment to this cause every day.”
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Bayer introduces two wireless blood glucose meters in Europe
TARRYTOWN, N.Y. Bayer Healthcare on Monday announced in Europe the introduction of two new wireless blood glucose meters, the results of which will be able to be transmitted wirelessly to the patients’ insulin pump or the hospital’s central data processing system.
“The addition of these two wireless meters—Contour Pro and Contour Link—to our business has given us a new strategic focus,” stated Dr. Roberto Parotelli, head of the European Diabetes Care Division of Bayer HealthCare. “Their complimentary features will make a significant contribution to improving safety for people with diabetes.”
The new systems will be launched in selected markets in various European countries in the coming months, the company announced.
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The brand new judge restrictions on the https://paydayloanservice.net/payday-loans-az/ provider costs getting cash advance try established into loan amount. A pay-day bank may charge to 15 percent on first $a hundred, 14 % with the second $one hundred, thirteen per cent towards the third $100, 12 per cent into fourth $a hundred, and you may eleven percent on the 5th and you may 6th $a hundred. Below are a few instances*:
*New every day attention recharged ($ days) was $step one.071429. Transfer the newest day-after-day notice charged to the an apr: $1.071429 x 365 weeks for the a-year = 391 per cent.
A consumer has actually up to the conclusion the bargain months to repay the borrowed funds number and you may any relevant costs. If your cash advance and you may relevant charges aren’t repaid toward day, the fresh new pay-day bank may put the fresh owner’s consider. If you’ll find shortage of money to cover the have a look at, the customer will be accountable for paying the face amount of new examine, costs to your owner’s financial institution of this a non- adequate loans take a look at, while the payday lender’s came back see payment. The current fee are $ and additionally be adjusted within the 2021 centered on an effective Detroit individual speed list calculation. The latest payday financial also can need range action up against the customers, nevertheless may not fool around with one criminal strategy to collect to your the loan.
Must i extend the full time I need to pay back the fresh new loan?
What the law states cannot provide payday loans consumers the authority to possess their loan repayment episodes prolonged: which is to the latest pay-day financial with no payment months-even a lengthy that-can be meet or exceed 29 days regarding day of your loan. In the event that a pay day bank has more hours to repay a pay-day loan, legally may possibly not cost you to the extension also it ount.
People that have taken out eight or more payday loan when you look at the an excellent 12-week several months and exactly who cannot pay-off their latest loan, may demand a cost repayment arrange for financing. The consumer need consult the brand new fees package, spend a charge for stepping into the plan (already $ and additionally be modified into the 2021 according to a good Detroit consumer rates directory calculation), and you may pay-off the loan when you look at the about three equivalent installments. The latest installment payments could well be owed on every of your next about three times the customer obtains typical wages. In fees term the consumer will never be eligible for any extra pay day loan.
What if In my opinion the brand new pay-day bank has broken legislation?
Any buyers exactly who believes a pay check financial keeps broken legislation will be get in touch with new pay check financial written down describing the sort off this new pass and you may getting all of the evidence so you’re able to substantiate the latest ailment. Inside three days, this new pay day financial need to operate and you will notify the consumer of their choice.
If your payday financial determines it did break the law, it should go back the brand new have a look at gotten on the customer and you will any solution charge paid back. The customer must however repay the mortgage. This new pay-day bank, not, are needed to blow the consumer a cost comparable to 5 times the level of the price charged about exchange, yet not less than $15 or more than the face number of new user’s see.
In case the pay-day bank does not accept it have violated the newest law, it will bucks the latest user’s evaluate. In the event your customer however believes that the pay day bank enjoys broken the law, the consumer is document an ailment into Administrator of your Agency from Insurance coverage and you may Monetary Characteristics (DIFS) (select address less than). DIFS tend to check out the grievances promptly.
Michigan legislation provides that a person damage by a pay check financial exactly who violates the latest Deferred Presentment Solution Purchases Act years and you can practical lawyer charge.


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Smartphone cameras have advanced so tremendously over the past few years that they have almost completely replaced point and shoot digital cameras for the most of us. Furthermore, since our smartphones are always with us, the majority of us end up taking tons of photos throughout the lifespan of our devices. But what happens to all the old photos you take? Do you store them on an external hard-drive or keep them backed up to an online cloud service like Flickr? Let us know what your favorite way of storing old photos is and why.
Xperia Z1 Stereo Speaker Mod, Cell Phone Unlocking Legal Again! – XDA Developer TV
Cell Phone Unlocking is legal again!! That and much more news is covered by Jordan, as he reviews all the important stories from this week. Included in this week’s news is Android 4.4.3 rolling out to European HTC One M8s and the article talking about modding your Sony Xperia Z1 to have stereo speakers! That’s not all that’s covered in today’s video!
Jordan talks about the other videos released this week on XDA Developer TV. XDA Developer TV Producer TK released an Xposed Tuesday video for Blurred System UI. Then, TK reviewed the OnePlus One. Finally, TK gave us a an Android App Review of Commandr. Pull up a chair and check out this video.
Links to stories mentioned:
- Android 4.4.3 Begins Rolling Out to European HTC One M8
- Mod Lets You Have Stereo Speakers on Your Sony Xperia Z1 (Sort Of)
- Cell Phone SIM Unlock Bill Just Steps Away from President’s Desk
- XDA Xposed Tuesday: Blur Your System Notification Panel – XDA Developer TV
- Device Review: OnePlus One
- Android App Review: Command Google Now with Commandr – XDA Developer TV
Want something on the XDA Portal? Send us a tip!
Before the release of Android 5.0 Lollipop, the Holo Design guidelines served as the official reference for Android design, right from IceCream Sandwich to KitKat. However, updates to the guidelines were few and far between, leading to a lack of synchronization between Android design and current UI/UX trends. Google seems to have learned from their mistake the last time around, and earlier this week, a significant update was released for the Material Design guidelines, marking the second revision in less...
New Privacy concerns have emerged regarding Cyanogen’s latest announcements, primarily the inclusion of email app Boxer and that of a multitude of Microsoft apps, including Bing services, Skype, OneDrive, OneNote, Outlook, and Microsoft Office. The concerns arise when you look at both announcements together. At face value they may appear to be the beginning of Cyanogen’s plan to “take Android away from Google,” however there is certainly something more nefarious occurring. Along side the partnership with Microsoft, Cyanogen also recently announced...


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Qiyi, Baidu’s Hulu, Adds Content and Goes Live
Posted: April 26th,2010 | By: doug.herman
Over the past couple of weeks Baidu, Inc. ((ADR) NASDAQ: BIDU) has continued its steady march forward to become the leading online video provider in China with the launch of its website QiYi.com. According to DoNews.com, the company recently announced additional licensing agreements with content producers (link in Chineses) such as China Film Group (CFG), Huayi Brothers, Hunan Satellite TV, Beijing TV, Zheijiang TV, and others. The deals continue Qiyi’s torrential acquisition spree on professionally
produced content that will appeal to a large swath of the Chinese audience. In the past three months the company has purchased more than 1000 films, tens of thousands of TV programs, over a million hours of animated content, and thousands of hours of documentaries. The company has even ventured outside its borders to obtain the rights to South Korean programming that has an established audience within mainland China.
Capping off all of this acquisition frenzy is the planned official launch of the website to the general Chinese public after a very quick beta testing period. Back on March 29 the site launched phase one of its beta by permitting limited, invite-only access to the service. That phase basically lasted for less than 30 days when on April 19 it initiated phase two which permitted its current beta users to invite up to 50 friends to join the service.
Strangely the phase two test only lasted several days before Qiyi.com officially opened to the general public on April 22 — delayed by one day due to the national mourning for victims of the earthquake that hit China earlier in the month — but it seems like this phase was less about testing and more about just priming the pump with new users in anticipation of the launch.
The website is the first Hulu-inspired video service to launch in China and just like its US counterpart, there will be lots of attention on how to manage the costs of providing HD-quality video while maximizing ad-supported revenues. The site has already achieved one indisputable goal of obtaining a tremendous amount of professional film and TV content in a short time-span. Now it will need to closely assess its operations and adjust its marketing, user interface and monetization strategies as circumstances dictate.
QiYi.com’s CEO, Gong Yu, offered the following insights into his expectations and plans for the new site:
“We are hoping to chart a new course in China’s booming online video market.”
“Hulu only accounted for 1 percent of the total traffic in the online video market but it attracts 33 percent of the advertising revenue.”
Gong has also stated that:
- Chinese Internet users prefer to watch professional content such as films, TV and soap operas online over UGC content.
- QiYi will attract more prominent advertisers who will prefer the safe environment of appearing in legally licensed content rather than pirated content or UGC content of questionable taste and legality.
- The company expects to grow quickly, increasing its staff by over 130% from 150 to 350 by year’s end and achieving profitability within the next 5 years.
– Gong Yu, CEO, QiYi.com
From a marketing standpoint, the company’s relationship with Baidu is certainly going to be a key driver of traffic to the site. One of Baidu’s most prominent services is its video search. That service has historically driven traffic to such QiYi competitors as Youku and Tudou — websites with user-generated-content in the vein of Google Inc.’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) YouTube. It will be interesting to see how fairly Baidu maintains the separation of organic and paid search results when it comes to listing its own video site versus its competitors. The company had a poor reputation of playing fairly with its search results in the past but attempted to address that issue with the launch of a new ad platform late last year.
Stay tuned for more posts about the launch of Qiyi.com including more quotes from an interview given by Gong Yu to ZDNet.
Related Digital East Asia posts include:
Related Digital East Asia posts include:
- IN BRIEF: Qiyi.com, Baidu’s Version of Hulu, Enters Beta Testing in China -- April 8, 2010
- IN BRIEF: Chinese Video Site, Youku, Builds Bridge to Popular South Korean Content -- April 7, 2010
- UPDATE: Baidu Hooks Up With Private Equity To Launch a Chinese Version of Hulu -- March 1, 2010
- Youku and Tudou, China’s Largest Online Video Competitors, Enter Limited Content Partnership -- February 7, 2010
- Baidu Hooks Up With Private Equity To Launch a Chinese Version of Hulu -- January 6, 2010


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Food buffs, connoisseurs and the general public are invited to Koposizon Homestay in Kampung Papaga, Papar to come for their 10th annual food fair on August 4, this year.
The fest will start at 8am and will feature several local traditional favourites such as hinava, ambuyat (sago), pinaasakan (boiled fish) and butod (sago grub). There will of course be many other types of food offered at the stalls for visitors.
Datuk Tengku Zainal Adlin, member of the board of director Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB) is expected to launch the event.
This food fest is a very well known event at the village, where its homestay operators come together to cook and sell their traditional food to their guests and the general public at that time.
Food is one of their tourism product, where their guests are not only accorded an experience of living in a typical village and participating in the local’s lifestyle but also sample their traditional food.
The homestay offer many and various activities for their guests such as paddy planting, sunset walk, village walk, river cruise, fireflies watch and rubber tapping among others. Activities at home are learning traditional cooking, learning the local language and dancing the sumazau.
The village, Kg Papaga used to depend on its rice field for their sustenance in the past and nowadays it falls back on the local norms of that area that have been practiced since time immemorial.
Information on the homestay and the food fest may be acquired from its coordinator William Lee at 019 8622901.-ce/BNN


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Dennis Publishing has beefed up its health and fitness portfolio with the acquisition of Women’s Fitness magazine.
Dennis acquired the magazine from rival publisher Vitality Publishing, and the move comes after its January 2010 purchase of Health & Fitness magazine from Hubert Burda Media.
The team of five editorial and two sales staff will relocate to Dennis Publishing’s London headquarters in Cleveland Street
Women’s Fitness first launched as Personal Trainer for Women in 2009 and was renamed five years ago.
Its latest ABC figures show the magazine, which is published 13 times a year, has an average circulation of 36,022.
Dennis publishing CEO James Tye said: ‘The acquisition of Women’s Fitness underlines Dennis’ strength in the fitness market.
‘As a brand, Women’s Fitness has already proved to be a successful newsstand brand but we know we can increase the brand’s reach in print and digital formats, both in the UK and overseas.’
Last year Vitality bought five magazines from IPC Media including lads’ mag Loaded, Superbike and Web User.


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Thus, what was an almost 28,000-vehicle lead for GM in August shrank by more than half to less than 13,000 in September. No one has a crystal ball, of course, but if GM falls and Ford surges by similar amounts in October, Ford will become the top-selling brand in the USA.
Associated Press reporters Tom Krisher and Dee-Ann Durbin apparently believe that Ford's move to within clear striking distance of taking over GM is not news that anyone can use. They had their opportunities to mention the situation in their coverage today, and blew right by them.
Oh, and wait until you see what GM is doing to try to keep from losing its Number 1 status.
Here is some of what Krisher and Durbin disseminated (bolds and number tags are mine):
US auto sales remain sluggish despite new models
New models and Labor Day promotions didn't do much to fire Americans' appetites for new cars in September.
Sales at Chrysler and Ford rose slightly from August. They fell at General Motors and Honda and were flat at Toyota. Car companies say a recovery is still happening, but it's not as strong as they had hoped following a terrible 2009.
Expressed as an annual rate, September sales came in at a 11.76 million pace. That's up from a 11.47 million rate in August, but far below 2007's pre-recession total of 16 million. "We're not going to bust loose as you sometimes see after a downturn, but we'll see steady growth," said Don Johnson, GM's vice president of U.S. sales.
... Sales dropped 4 percent from August to 958,966 cars and light trucks, according to AutoData Corp. While it's typical for sales to decline after Labor Day, this August was one of the weakest on record.
... So far, automakers have refused to pump up sales by offering big incentives, which was the usual tactic earlier this decade. Because car makers are now leaner and producing fewer vehicles, they aren't forced to use big discounts to move cars off lots. Incentive spending fell 3 percent from August to September to $2,683 per vehicle, according to auto pricing site TrueCar.com.
But they'll try winning customers in other ways. GM has a new in-house car financing company and plans to offer new lease programs and target buyers with poor credit, a big part of the car buying market.
Auto loans are still restricted for people with poor or mediocre credit scores, Ford's chief economist Ellen Hughes-Cromwick said. It will probably take a few years - and more job creation - for buyers with medium and poor credit to return to the new car market.
But loans are available to people with high credit scores because banks and finance companies are extending credit more easily after last year's all-out freeze, she said.
 - Of all the people to quote about "busting loose" and "steady growth," Krisher and Durbin picked the spokesman for GM, whose sales from August to September declined by 6.5%.
 - According to TrueCar.com's blog, GM vehicles occupied the top four spots in percentage vehicle discounts offered during September. The vehicles involved also appear to have MSRP's that are significantly lower then their direct competition. Additionally, TrueCar's month-earlier comprehensive report (go to Page 3 at this PDF link) indicates that Chevrolet, at 16%, had the highest overall discount level in the industry -- and they're still having a hard time keeping up their sales volume.
 - This bad-credit outreach is coming from a company owned by the same government which gave us the Card Act earlier this year.
For those who aren't familiar with it, that law, which is taking effect in gradual, ever more restrictive stages, has placed major restrictions on the amounts and types of credit that can be extended by certain categories of lenders, including the consumer finance arms of department stores and oil companies. It has imposed strict government-mandated credit-granting formulas on those lenders, who in turn have had to severely cut the credit lines of many customers -- not only of those who are clearly overextended, but even of those whose records have never been problematic.
Now GM, in an attempt to preserve what's left of its overall sales lead, has completed its purchase of "non-prime" lender AmeriCredit, is rebranding it as General Motors Financial, and will aggressively pursue granting credit to many of the same consumers/borrowers the government was allegedly trying to "protect" with the Card Act. You can't make this up.
 - Krisher, Durbin, and a large swath of the rest of the business press insist on perpetuating the myth of the "all-out freeze" on credit which has supposedly occurred at various times in the past two years (it seems to go all over the place depending on the whims of the reporters involved).
Let's be clear: With the possible (emphasis: possible) exception of a brief period during the fall of 2008, people with high credit scores have had no problem finding lenders willing to consider their applications, and have encountered few if any problems getting their credit applications approved. To prove otherwise, Krisher, Durbin et al owe us a procession -- not a few sob stories, guys, a real procession in the thousands at least -- of people with great credit who will attest to having been turned down, refused or couldn't find lenders who would even take their credit apps. I'm still waiting for the proof. I don't believe it will ever arrive, because it's not there.
I haven't been able to determine when October's auto sales announcements are coming out, and of course GM could have a good October and continue to keep Ford at bay. But wouldn't it be something if news that Ford has overtaken GM arrives on November 1, the day before Election Day?
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.


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Bill Armstrong has figured out how to pack and ship everything from frozen pasta to embalming fluid.
He's a graduate of the Michigan State University School of Packaging -- "It's actually a profession," he says -- and a student of the history and art of wrapping things up and sending them off. "The pioneers put their dishes in the flour barrels of their covered wagons, but by the time they got to Wyoming, they had used the flour up baking bread. There were a lot of broken dishes on the Oregon Trail."
Today, as we have throughout history, we're still packing things up and sending them off, whether it's dishes for a move, care packages to homesick college students or birthday presents to favorite friends and relatives. And now we're on the Internet trail, ordering computers and clothes, books and CDs, medicines and more, all of which come individually packed and shipped.
With the flour safely in the pantry, we're using a whole range of materials to cushion our packages, including polystyrene peanuts, the ever-faithful corrugated cardboard, and Bubble Wrap -- little pockets filled with air, the popping of which is so oddly comforting.
Cushioning materials are a small but growing part of the very large packaging business. The Institute of Packaging Professionals estimates that packaging in North America alone is a more than $200 billion-a-year business. Packaging means everything from containing to protecting to selling (see In Store, Page F5), and 60 percent of the business is the packaging of food and beverages. Packaging of pharmaceuticals and health and beauty aids makes up 20 percent.
The remaining 20 percent includes soft goods, such as clothes and carpets, and hard goods -- nearly everything you see around you in your office, including the individually shipped phone, lamp, desk, chair, computer, stapler and coffee maker. Packaging those goods requires engineering acumen along with a bit of artistic flair, skills particularly important in the Internet age.
"The Internet has had a huge influence," says Armstrong, technical development manager for Sealed Air Corp., the company that makes Bubble Wrap brand air-cell cushioning. "It has created a whole new channel from manufacturer to consumer."
Not so long ago, Armstrong says, words alone were considered sufficient to protect some packages. This End Up. Fragile. Handle With Care.
"Ten years ago, we thought packages got dropped because people were careless," he says. "We thought if we put 'Fragile' on it, we wouldn't need so much packaging. Now, it's almost all mechanized, and there's no one to read a label that says, 'Please don't drop this.' "
Your package will find itself on a conveyor belt whether you use the U.S. Postal Service, UPS or FedEx, Armstrong says, and there is one guarantee: It will get a bumpy ride. Rest assured that it will slide down a 12-foot chute at least once.


text: CMS announced the recipients of the second round of the State Innovation Models (SIM) awards on December 16, 2014. The recipients—28 states, three territories and the District of Columbia—will receive over $665 million in funding to design and test state-led health care payment and service delivery models that seek to improve health, improve care, and lower costs. Over $622 million in model “test” awards will support states that are ready to implement their proposed State Health Care Innovation Plans, and nearly $43 million in model “design” awards will support recipients in developing or further refining their plans and strategies. The CMS Fact Sheet is available by clicking here. The HHS Press Release is available by clicking here.


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Oct 28, 2017
Punga Miniatures has released a new Orc Blitzer for your Fantasy Football Minis Team.
His hand is armed with a cestus, and on the belt is a Patu club.
Punga miniatures wants to launch a campaign on a crowdfunding platform such as kickstarter or indiegogo, to have the ability to make an extended team
Their goal now is to get enough followers to make a successful crowdfunding campaign. They think that with more than 400 followers, they will have good chances andcan start a campaign.
Therefore, if you like their orcs and you want to help, join to their FB page.