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Chalice Brands Appoints Ginger Mollo As Its CIO And General Manager Of Fifth & Root
Cannabis company Chalice Brands Ltd., formerly Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd. (CSE:CHAL) (OTCQB:CHALF), appointed Ginger Mollo as its new chief integration officer and general manager of Fifth & Root, a California-based CBD skincare brand.
Mollo brings experience in retail and company development, having worked in several companies, such as Limited Brands and Apple, where she spent 17 years.
“We look forward to benefitting from Ginger’s experience in the progressive retail space to elevate the structure and style of Fifth & Root to the next level,” Jeff Yapp, CEO and president of Chalice, disclosed last Monday. “She brings many years of interpersonal communication, collaborative problem solving, and critical thinking to the leadership team.”
Aegis Names Board Member Melinda Lee New CEO, Ba Linh Le To Step Down
Aegis Brands Inc. (TSX:AEG) confirmed that Ba Linh Le intends to step down as CFO.
Melinda Lee, CPA, CA, agreed to replace Le as the new CFO. Lee served on the company’s board of directors for three years. She brings more than two decades of senior-level experience in the financial management of public companies in several industries.
Michael Bregman, director and chairman of Aegis, said that Lee will resign from her position on the board to assume her new role, adding that “she is well respected within the industry and by the team.”
Jushi Names Directors, New Chief Operations Officer, Board Member Steps Down
As a new chief operations officer of the Boca-Raton, Florida-based company, Garcia-Berg will focus on driving growth strategies and efficiencies as well as coaching and developing team members at Jushi’s grower-processor facilities in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Nevada and Ohio.


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wed10apr(apr 10)2:00 pmfri12(apr 12)5:00 pmRM SOTHEBY'S AUCTION - Essen (DE)HELD DURING TECHNO-CLASSICA ESSEN 20192:00 pm - 5:00 pm (12) UTC+1 Messe Essen, Messeplatz 1, 45131 Essen, Germania Event Organized By: RM SOTHEBY'S Event Type :Auction
RM Sotheby's is delighted to announce the addition of a new sale date in its ever-expanding European auction calendar. Over 150 diverse automobile lots will be offered in Essen, Germany,
RM Sotheby’s is delighted to announce the addition of a new sale date in its ever-expanding European auction calendar. Over 150 diverse automobile lots will be offered in Essen, Germany, when the two-day auction takes place on 11–12 April 2019. The new RM Sotheby’s sale will form part of the 31st Techno-Classica Essen show in 2019 (10–14 April).
“We are continually looking to expand our presence in Europe, and the addition of the Essen sale to our international auction calendar diversifies our ability to service an area of the industry we have targeted for strategic growth. The now two-day Essen auction highlights our abilities as the world’s largest and truly global collector car auction house, while our network of expert specialists and German-speaking staff will be on hand to welcome both seasoned collectors and first-time clients new to the auction event,” said Gord Duff, Global Head of Auctions, RM Sotheby’s.
Techno-Classica Essen is a long-running fair for classic car fans in Essen and is recognized as the first great German car salon for vintage cars and collector vehicles. The most recent edition of the show was attended by more than 1,250 exhibitors from more than 30 nations and over 20 exhibition halls, attracting approximately 185,000 visitors to the Messe Essen exhibition center. More than 200 classic car clubs attended the 2017 installation of Techno-Classica Essen, bringing hundreds of classic cars to view, in addition to the 20 automobile manufacturers onsite.
10 (Wednesday) 2:00 pm - 12 (Friday) 5:00 pm UTC+1
RM email@example.com Chatham-Kent, ON N0P 1A0 Canada

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Largest party store in Michigan will fill a niche; competitor says others fill theirs
KALAMAZOO, MI -- “As a general rule, big box stores want only things that sell to the masses,” said Scott Niecko, owner of the Mega-Bev party stores in Battle Creek, Marshall and Portage. “We try to cater to everybody.”
Niecko explained why he and his family want to open a mega-sized Mega-Bev store at 6619 W. Main St. in Oshtemo Township. At nearly 12,000 square feet , he plans for it to be the largest party store in Michigan.
Battle Creek-based Mega-Bev plans
to lease the former Migala Flooring store
location on West Main Street near 9th Street and have Mega-Bev Oshtemo open by Halloween.
He said he wants to offer consumers a selection of beverages they haven’t had before – and competitive prices on anything they want.
“We’ve become big enough to compete with them on pricing,” Niecko said of large retailers, “and they don’t stock the selection.”
“Big box” is a reference to large retailers that are typically said to need only four white walls and large box-like space to set up shop.
At 6619 W. Main St., just off the southeast corner of Main and 9th streets, Mega-Bev Oshtemo will have a Walmart superstore on the opposite side of 9th Street, a Meijer superstore on the opposite side of Main Street and a Walgreens store next door. Within about 10 minutes drive time, it also has several other competitors including: West Main Party Store at 2029 W. Main St.; Tiffany’s Wine & Spirit Shoppe at 1714 W. Main St.; and the Drake Party Center at 4717 W. KL Ave.
Joseph Cekola, president of Imperial Beverage Co., said there are some large liquor sellers in the Detroit area, but they sell other things. He said he could not think of a party store that would be larger than the one Niecko plans to open.
Imperial Beverage is a statewide beer and wine distributor located in Kalamazoo. Mega-Bev is a wholesale customer.
“Scott has been really successful,” Cekola said of Niecko. “They’re good operators.”
Habib Mandwee, who owns Tiffany’s with his brother Saad Mandwee, welcomed the competition, saying he thinks each store has its niche and another player in the market will help attract more customers from outlying areas.
“The area’s growing and there’s a lot to offer on this side of town,” he said. “I think everybody will have a niche.”
Mandwee said Tiffany’s niche is as a specialty seller of wine, liquor and beer.
“Our business has been here for 30 years,” Mandwee said. “We are very well known around here. What we are now, in addition to a liquor store, is a market. We have a deli. We have international products, food products. We have a variety of cheeses and foods. We also have a unique sense of wine selection.”
He said the most important part of selling wine is having a staff that is knowledgeable and can tell people what they are buying and such things as what wines work with what foods.
“I think at the end, people will see that the service we have given to customers for the past 30 years has always been top notch,” Mandwee said. “We have a knowledgeable staff. I think that’s something that will distinguish us. And I think competitive prices are there as well.”
Tiffany’s 7,000-square-foot store, which uses ground-level and basement-level space at 1714 W. Main St., is set to grow by about another 1,400 square feet. The business plans to open its second-floor level to sell to more merchandise, including rare beverages such as Van Winkle Burbon and Samuel Adams Utopia beer. It will also be a location for wine-tasting events.
Referring to Mandwee’s brother Saad, Niecko said, “Saad has a long-standing history as one of the most knowledgeable wine guys in this part of the state and I respect that. We’ll do what we do. Saad will keep his good customers and we’ll do what we do.”
Niecko said his store will stock nearly 15,000 different beverages compared to the 3,000 to 4,000 that smaller party stores stock.
“We’re strongest in liquor and beer,” he said referring to sales of liquor, wine and beer. But he said, “We still sell more wine than anyone in Calhoun County and we’re growing.”


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Joyalukkas announces 1/4 kilo gold winner
The mega winning opportunity at ‘Joyalukkas Shop & Win Upto 60 Kg Gold’ has received an overwhelming response from customers. The three winners of the 60 day campaign were announced on 2nd July 2017, who gets a 1/4 Kilo Gold. The ‘Joyalukkas Shop & Win Upto 60 Kg Gold’ promotion is offering every customer shopping for KD 40 worth of Jewellery, the opportunity to win upto 60 Kgs of Gold.
The winner was thrilled with the win and exclaimed “Wow, I am starting a good festive season thanks to the winning opportunity at our favorite jeweler, Joyalukkas!”“It’s a pleasure to see such an overwhelming response for ‘Joyalukkas Shop & Win Upto 60 Kg Gold’. This mega winning opportunity will make many dreams come true and we feel happy to be able to enable this,” said John Paul Alukkas, Executive Director, Joyalukkas Group.
The three winner was picked on July 2, 2017 by Ahmed Al-Mohammed, representative of Ministry of Commerce, Kuwait in the presence of top Joyalukkas Group executives and various customers at Joyalukkas showroom in Panasonic Tower Kuwait City. Joyalukkas, Chairman and MD, Joyalukkas Group congratulating the winner on this occasion said, “During the 60 day duration of the ‘Joyalukkas Shop & Win Upto 60 Kg Gold’ promotion shoppers in addition to getting the big win opportunity can also avail attractive other offers during the festive period.”


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US regulators urge online ‘do not track’ law
WASHINGTON – A top US regulator urged Congress Wednesday to enact an online privacy law that includes “do not track” mechanisms for consumers on the Internet, amid indications of a split among lawmakers.
“Most consumers are entirely unaware of the vast amounts of data about them being sold and collected about them, both online and offline,” Federal Trade Commission chairman Jon Leibowitz told a US Senate panel.
“People shouldn’t be putting things in your computer without your consent,” Leibowitz said, adding that the debate is moving to “not whether ‘do not track’ will exist but how it will be implemented.”
Leibowitz said an FTC report calls for final implementation of a “do not track” mechanism and general privacy legislation that would cover issues such as data security, breach notification and regulation of data brokers.
The FTC chief said key industry leaders support the measures but that details need to be worked out.
Senator Jay Rockefeller, head of the Commerce Committee which held the hearing, said he hopes to bring privacy legislation up for a vote this year.
“Protecting consumer privacy is critical for all companies – people need to trust the websites that they are visiting,” Rockefeller told the hearing.
“But online companies are conflicted. They need to protect consumers’ information, but they also need to be able to monetize their users’ data. I am afraid that in the hyper competitive on-line marketplace the need to monetize consumers’ data and profits will win out over privacy concerns.”
But Republican Senator Patrick Toomey said he was skeptical about the need for new legislation.
“It’s important for companies to have maximum flexibility,” Toomey told the panel.
“Companies are already competing on privacy… if consumers don’t trust company A they can go to company B.”
He said legislation could jeopardize the benefits consumers are enjoying online from companies that profit from data collection.
“The benefits are clear. Facebook is free, Google is free… less information is likely to result in fewer free online services and an increase in paywalls.
“I have not heard a persuasive argument as to why the FTC needs additional authority,” Toomey added.
The FTC report released earlier this year said consumers should have a meaningful way to control the tracking of their online activities.
The hearing comes amid growing concerns about privacy policies of companies such as Facebook and Google, which glean vast amounts of information about its users online habits to be able to deliver targeted ads.
A recent study meanwhile found many users of Facebook are unaware of the privacy risks from the massive social network site or fail to take adequate precautions.
The Consumer Reports report found nearly 13 million US Facebook users do not use, or are not aware of the site’s privacy controls.


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More than 50 representatives from the leather sector, including tanners, chemical and machinery suppliers and journalists visited the JBS Couros unit to see the most modern leather factory in Brazil if not in the entire world, having the opportunity to check the latest technologies for the tanning sector and also what is probably the biggest leather processing unit in the world.
The visit had an important meaning for the Brazilian Industry, showing that the country isn’t just a commodity producer but also a modern supplier of high quality, finished products with high value added for the main global markets.
During the congress, the fragmentation of the leather sector and need for more synergy among the industry was widely debated. Following the discussions, the technical visit, with participants from 12 different countries, had an important role to strength the sector and develop an improved interaction with each other.
According to Wolfgang Goerlich, president of the CICB (Center for the Brazilian Tanning Industry), the visit to Itumbiara was a way to close the World Leather Congress with ‘Golden Keys’, bringing together many representatives of the leather industry.
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It looks like the owners of the Wildwood Inn and the new Waves hotel are now the new owners of the Monaco Motel, the Grandview, and the other boardwalk stores on that property. Cape Islands Realty posted the news on their Facebook page. It will be interesting to see what they do with the properties.
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That’s good news as the motel will likely remain and not turn into residential housing. It will be interesting to see what is ultimatelt done with the properties in regards to any future renovations etc. To be frank a lot of the boardwalk stores could use a facelift.


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Cocoto, the little red devil who's featured in a few games over the years on several platforms, looks set to be making a comeback in the near future after developer Neko Entertainment confirmed it's working on releasing a new addition to the series with publisher BigBen Interactive.
When asked in an interview with Aussie Gamer if it has any plans to release any retail titles in the future, the studio said the following:
Actually, we’re also working on a new Cocoto title with Bigben Interactive, which will be released in in the European retail market. We’ll surely continue to develop downloadable games; it is, to us, [the] future in many ways.
Cocoto has featured in platformers, kart games and even fishing sims, so the upcoming release really could be absolutely anything. Maybe a cooking sim?
Neko Entertainment has been a big supporter of the Wii U since its launch and already has a couple of games available to download from the eShop. Puddle was the first title to be released, while Kung Fu Rabbit emerged very recently in Europe.
The studio didn't fully commit to saying which systems the new Cocoto game will be available on, though it did confirm it after being asked about its Wii U support.
What are your thoughts on Cocoto and his various adventures? Let us know in the comments section below.


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Nikkei Hits Year’s Low
Japanese stocks tumbled and closed at this year’s low. That’s after the minutes from US Federal Reserve indicated an early reduction in bond holdings. Giang Nguyen has more from the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Investors lost a lot of their risk appetite after the Fed minutes came out. The upcoming summit meetings between the US and China also kept them on the defense.
Let’s see the closing levels for this Thursday April 6th. The NIKKEI lost 1.4 percent, ending at 18,597. It’s the Nikkei’s lowest close in 4 months. The broader TOPIX fell 1.6 percent.
Turning to currencies, the dollar lost steam against the yen on the release of the Fed’s minutes. Earlier, it jumped to the mid-111 yen-level after the strong ADP payroll report in the US.
Let’s check individual stocks. Most sectors were lower. Exporters, including electronics makers like Japan Display and Pioneer, fell on the stronger yen.
Financials like Nomura Holdings and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group were also sold on lower US treasury yields.
Investors will now be keeping a close eye on the official US nonfarm payroll data due out on Friday.
Asia-Pacific Region Markets
Most other benchmarks in the Asia-Pacific region also ended in the negative before the US-China summit talks.
Seoul’s Kospi fell for a third day. Growing concerns over North Korea have also weighed on sentiment.
Sydney was down 0.3 percent.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index slipping by 0.52 percent. 24,273 is the closing number after 2 days of gains. Financials were sold on profit-taking. But property shares rose on strong home sales for March.
Over in Shanghai the Shanghai Composite bucked the trend, ending up 0.3 percent to 3,281, the closing number, to hit a 4-month high, there. Investors seemed to shrug off weak service sector activity data for March. Construction-related shares remained higher, boosted by the government’s plan for a new economic zone.
Buys US Stores for $3.3 Bil.
Japanese retail chain operator Seven & i Holdings will acquire convenience stores from a US company. It says the 3.3-billion-dollar deal will boost its presence in the country.
Seven & i will buy about 1,100 stores in Texas and other states from gas station and convenience store operator Sonoco in August.
“This acquisition is going to impact our financial condition initially, but I believe it will be highly profitable further down the line.”
Ryuichi Isaka / President, Seven & i Holdings
Seven & i operates 8,700 convenience stores in the US. The company plans to bring the number of stores to 10,000 by fiscal 2019 by offering unique products developed with local businesses.
Yamato Delivers Record Packages
Japanese delivery companies are handling a record number of packages due to the popularity of online shopping. They’re struggling with a serious labor shortage and the burden of having to re-deliver parcels when people aren’t at home. Yamato Transport says it delivered an all-time high 1.8 billion packages in the last fiscal year.
That was 7.9 percent higher than the previous year. The company handled about 1 billion packages in 2003. The figure rose to over 1.6 billion after the firm started to handle parcels from online retailer Amazon 10 years later.
Yamato is negotiating with online shopping firms and other major clients to reduce the amount of packages. The firm will also cut night-time re-delivery hours to reduce burden on their drivers.
Demand is rising for lockers that allow customers to receive parcels while they’re away from home. They’re useful as delivery firms are reviewing their services.
Electronics firm Panasonic received orders for 2,000 units last month. That’s more than 5 times a usual month. They had planned to introduce 3 new types of delivery lockers earlier this week, but had to postpone their release to June as supply for conventional models can’t catch up with demand. Company officials had predicted sales of about 15,000 units for the current fiscal year, but say the figure should increase.
Slower Growth Predicted
The Asian Development Bank has released its latest economic outlook for the Asia-Pacific region. Analysts are forecasting a slight slowdown for the region this year, on the back of looming global risks and China’s slower-growing economy.
The ADB released its outlook for 45 economies in the Asia-Pacific, excluding Japan, Australia and some other industrialized countries.
The bank sees growth of 5.7 percent for 2017, down 0.1 of a percentage point from last year. The region’s economy has slowed for 3 straight years up until 2016.
The ADB says China’s deceleration will continue, amid ongoing structural reforms. The analysts are predicting 6.5 percent growth for this year, 6.2 for the next. The country is trying to shift its focus away from manufacturing and more toward the service sector.
India is expected to grow 7.4 percent in fiscal 2017, and 7.6 percent in 2018. The analysts believe stronger consumption and fiscal reforms will improve the country’s prospects.
ADB economists are also citing possible risks. They’re pointing to higher US interest rates, which may accelerate capital outflows from the region.
Renesas Unveils Self-Driving System
Leading Japanese chipmaker Renesas Electronics has unveiled a self-driving system for autos. It features safeguards against mechanical glitches and cyber-attacks.
Semiconductors control the vehicle’s operation. 4 identical chips are used as backups in case the others fail. The remaining chip would be able to safely stop the car. The vehicle has sensors and a camera on the roof to monitor traffic lights and its surroundings.
The car also has a system to alert the driver to a cyber-attack. If there is an intrusion, warnings are immediately shown on the navigation system display, and the car stops automatically. The firm aims to put the vehicle on the road in 2020 at the earliest.
Roadblocks to Recovery
Toshiba executives are facing a deadline. Unless they come up with an earnings report next week, there’s a chance their company — one of Japan’s biggest — will be delisted from the stock market. And it’s not their only problem.
The Japanese conglomerate is working to cover massive losses from its former nuclear subsidiary in the US. Westinghouse filed for bankruptcy protection last week. That limits Toshiba’s exposure to future losses — but not the debt already accumulated.
Executives have yet to clarify the damage. They’ve warned debts are likely to exceed assets by 5.6 billion dollars for the business year just ended.
Management has a plan to raise cash. They’ve decided to sell a majority stake in their semiconductor division. Shareholders backed the idea but they will still have to clear it with regulators.
Earlier Ramin Mellegard talked with Nana Yamada who’s been following recent developments on Toshiba. We asked her how the negotiations on selling the semiconductor business are unfolding.
Yamada: Toshiba is planning a second round of bidding in mid-May. And their executives hope to select a buyer by June. But the negotiations won’t be easy.
One reason is that the Japanese government is concerned about a foreign company getting access to Toshiba’s critical technologies. People familiar with the deal say that government officials are reluctant to sell the unit to a Chinese or Taiwanese firm on grounds of national security.
Another hurdle is whether the deal will get the go-ahead from anti-trust authorities. Toshiba has the second-largest global market share of NAND-type flash memory at 21 percent.
Samsung has the biggest share at 32 percent. Western Digital comes in 3rd at 15. And the top 5 manufacturers account for 95 percent of the market worldwide.
If Toshiba’s flash memory division is sold to one of its rivals, the deal will probably need to clear the competition law in the buyer’s country. That process could take a long time and may drag on.
Finally, the acquisition is expected to be huge, likely exceeding 1 trillion yen, or about 9 billion dollars. That’s a lot of money for a single company. It’s more likely Toshiba will be negotiating with a team of companies — obviously a longer process.
Mellegard: A lot of money, a lot of details there. Now, officials have already postponed their earnings report twice, they said they need more time for accounting of Westinghouse. Will they be able to meet the deadline and what happens if they can’t?
Yamada: We hear there are still differences between Toshiba and its auditing firm. Those have to be settled to release the earnings report in time. If their executives fail to announce it by then, they could ask for another extension.
But if the authorities reject their request, Toshiba officials would have no choice but to submit their figures within 8 business days. And if the company misses that date, Toshiba would be delisted. And that would create all kinds of headaches for the company.
It would find it harder to raise funds and also make it more difficult to bid for infrastructure projects, possibly having a negative impact on Toshiba’s future operations. That’s because Toshiba will be counting on infrastructure, after shrinking its nuclear business, and spinning off its semiconductor unit. So anything that clouds those prospects is obviously a concern.


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The Dart Studio and Dart Sales and Marketing team received the CIMPA Award for Video of the Year for work completed in 2018 during a gala event held on 6 June at the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort.
The award, which is one of eight bestowed annually by the Cayman Islands Marketing Professionals Association, was given for a video produced as part of the “Making Happier Meals” marketing campaign to support Slow Food Day 2018.
The humorous two-minute video depicts three young chefs — Jack Barwick, Wolfgang Schlitter and Ilaya Raja — driving in a pickup truck as they go to buy fresh produce from a local farm. Slow Food is a global grassroots culinary association that promotes the use of local “good, clean, fair” cooking ingredients. It was initially formed in Italy in 1986 as a form of protest to the first McDonald’s restaurant opening in Rome.
Dart Senior Manager Creative & Content Darryl Greer said his team wanted the video to highlight the differences between Slow Food and fast food in a fun way.
“The video pokes a little fun at the fast food culture, but at the same time illustrates some of the philosophies of Slow Food,” he said.
In the video, which was filmed on the farm of Clarence McLaughlin in Bodden Town, the three chefs go through a “Slow Food Drive Thru” and order at one stall, pull up to pay at another stall and are then told to “drive around the corner and collect your order by a big tree. If you see a goat, ya gone too far.” Three local farmers — McLaughlin, Errol Watler and Joy Campbell — are then shown harvesting the fresh produce, packing it into crates and then loading it into back of the pickup truck.
The video was chosen for the award over three other shortlisted videos, including the Cayman Airways “Salute” video, the Caribbean Marine Services infomercial and CIIPA Awards Gala “Pioneer” video.
“I am very happy our team was recognised for its efforts on this video,” Greer said. “It took a lot of hard work to put this together, starting with the creative and pre-production processes right on through the filming and editing. The video might be only two minutes long, but it took weeks of work by the whole Dart marketing team to put together.”
Slow Food Day 2018 was held 14 April and included a morning tasting market on the Camana Bay Crescent and a harvest dinner prepared by Pani Indian Kitchen and served on the Mizu Patio. Although previous Slow Food Day dinners had always featured a renowned guest chef from overseas, the 2018 event highlighted Caymanian Jack Barwick, fresh off his winning UK Young Chef of the Year in 2017. The Dart marketing campaign, which in addition to the video included print advertising and signage, helped sell out the dinner event without a big-name celebrity chef. The marketing effort was also one of four shortlisted nominees for CIMPA’s Campaign of the Year Award, which was won by Not Your Standard agency and Mise en Place for the “Boxed” frozen meal campaign.
Slow Food International was so impressed with the “Making Happier Meals” video that it was posted on its Caribbean and Latin America Facebook page.


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Starting Monday, two dozen high-profile global business names will descend on the capital to help several hundred local entrepreneurs turn their focus out on the world.
“Too often, we here in Ottawa can be — I want to be polite here — perhaps a little closed, or inward in our focus,” said Bharat Rudra, president of the Ottawa chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs group, a global organization that began in Silicon Valley in the 90s and now numbers about 13,000 in 17 countries.
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“We have had some notable successes, of course, but we want to foster a stronger mentality of striving to bring our abilities … and products to the world.”
The Ottawa chapter is hosting the TIECon Canada 2014 Conference at the newly renamed Shaw Centre, formerly the Ottawa Convention Centre, Monday and Tuesday.
TIE aims to promote the entrepreneurial philosophy with a system of mentoring, networking and education.
For Rudra, Ottawa’s had a steady stream of successful entrepreneurs, back to the days of Mitel and before that. Recent successes include the fast-growing Shopify and the WipeBook product, an international phenomenon launched by a group led by Frank Bouchard following a surprisingly successful Kickstarter campaign.
The key, says Rutra, is going out in the world and not being left behind.
Of the two dozen or so speakers and presenters lined up for the two day event, keynote speaker Arunachalam Muruganantham, who made Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People list this year, epitomizes the entrepreneurial message, says Rutra.
Born poor in India, the 52-year-old Muruganantham’s first big success was the invention of a low-cost sanitary pad producing machine that helped make the product more accessible in developing countries.
“It’s the sort of inspirational story and lesson that can drive all of us.”


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About a week ago, L’Oreal USA closed its Shu Uemura store at South Coast Plaza, according to the shopping center.
L’Oreal USA announced in March the closure of its U.S. operations for Shu Uemura cosmetics, a Japanese brand that has been sold in the U.S. since 2004. It did not give closure dates then and said it would vary for each location.
At the time of the closure announcement, Shu Uemura also had counters inside Neiman Marcus at Fashion Island in Newport Beach and Nordstrom at Brea Mall. The status of these counters is unknown. L’Oreal USA could not be reached for comment.
“Shu Uemura is a unique and vibrant brand, but it represents a very small part of our luxury business,” Carol Hamilton, president of L’Oréal USA’s luxury division, said in a statement earlier this year. “We decided that L’Oréal USA would be better served by focusing on our other strategic luxury brands like Lancôme, Yves Saint Laurent, Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, Kiehl’s and fragrances.”
Shu Uemura, created in 1983 and named after its namesake make-up artist, also sells false eyelashes, pictured above, skin-care products and make-up tools.


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Fashion mavens restyle Barbie
Mattel asked 15 Toronto fashion influencers to style a doll from its new line.The result is a fun and sophisticated Barbie.
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“It was supposed to be a skirt, but she looked too fat,” Jeanne Beker says of the black and pink number she stayed up late sewing for a Barbie doll for LG Fashion Week.
But the host of CTV’s Fashion Television didn’t despair. She took the ribbon from the box the doll came in and turned the skirt into a poncho — improvising, after all, is what makes the stylish stand out.
The result is a hip and trendy fashionista Barbie, big hair, big personality and small purse-dog in tow.
Beker is one of 15 Toronto fashion influencers Mattel asked to style a doll from its new Barbie Basics line. The collection includes 12 dolls of various ethnic shades, each wearing a different Little Black Dress. “We asked them to put their own style on Barbie,” says Reidin Goode, Mattel’s senior marketing manager — girls. The only instructions were to style with the little black dress.
The results ranged from fun to sophisticated.
The Star’s Derick Chetty created a black tulle overlay spray-painted with black glitter, giving Barbie a modern look.
“Barbie is the ultimate blank screen on which to project any fashion fantasy,” Chetty says.
Goode notes that Barbie “has inspired a lot of people to choose careers in fashion,” and so Mattel wanted to celebrate both Barbie and fashion at the fashion show.
The reaction to the dolls has been “overwhelming,” she says, standing in front of the Barbie booth inside the Allstream Centre at Exhibition Place. “It’s a big draw.”
Fashion fans can accessorize their choice of Barbie at the booth during the shows.
And Barbie’s affiliation with Fashion Week doesn’t end here. She hits the runway on Thursday at 8 p.m. with the Barbie for David Dixon’s fall 2010 collection. It is Dixon’s third season collaborating with the style icon.
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Water quality is becoming a serious issue in India where both ground and surface water is heavily polluted and in short supply. There is an urgent need to educate consumers about various technologies, and raising the bar of water quality in India. To discuss more about it, Ritukant Ojha spoke to Rajul Parikh who has recently been appointed President of Water Quality India Association (WQIA). Rajul is the co-founder and Director at Alfaa UV – a leader in UV air & water purification systems serving the residential, commercial and industrial markets. Recipient of the International Award Of Merit by Water Quality Association, USA, Rajul has served the water industry for more than 20 years.
What does Water Quality India Association stands for?
Water Quality India Association (WQIA) is a not-for-profit company under the Companies Act 2013, especially formed to address issues of water quality in India, and to raise awareness levels and standards of water quality, benefitting both consumers and industry.
The Association has launched a certification program. Can you please elaborate?
WQIA has launched a product certification program, which will certify that the product in question meets with stringent microbiological norms, and will be given a unique seal of purity, easy for the customer to recognize. Microbiological impurities such as bacteria and viruses are the number one cause of water borne diseases and infant deaths in India. WQIA plans to offer newer certifications in the future and test water purifiers to different standards. What are the main water issues India faces? Contamination of ground water is a serious reality, with more than 70% of groundwater being polluted. Dec…
What are the main water issues India faces?
Contamination of ground water is a serious reality, with more than 70% of groundwater being polluted. Declining level of groundwater is another problem, as big water users do not feed water back into the ground effectively and consistently. There is no sufficient recharging of aquifers. With erratic monsoons, lakes and rivers are not being sufficiently fed, and the dependence on groundwater is enhanced leading to scarcity and further depletion, as is happening now in Maharashtra. Microbiological contamination of water is serious along with lead, arsenic, and fluoride contamination of ground water. While microbiological contamination leads to …
In India, ground and surface water is heavily polluted and in short supply. What is the role WQIA can play in addressing some of these issues?
WQIA can urge people to make sure that run off water is harvested back into the ground, by actively practicing rain water harvesting. Secondly, manufacturers of water purifiers can upgrade their technologies to make sure that minimum water is wasted during the purification process, especially in RO purifiers. A special product certification can be created to differentiate the more efficient RO water purifiers from others.
Consumers can be made aware of various water purification technologies and the pros and cons of each technology. Often when a customer is not aware of how much water is wasted in a particular technology, and he ends up using something that he could easily have done without. WQIA will be an education platform for both companies and consumers.
As a President, WQIA, what would be your key focus over the next one year?
Key focus areas will be to enroll a majority of players in the water purification industry into the association, both big and small. This will help in raising the general standards of quality in the industry. Second, to roll out the Microbiological Standard and make it popular as a trusted mark. Setting up an interactive and educative website will be another key area.
What role can technology play in ensuring clean drinking water for all in India?
Different drinking water purification technologies will be suitable for different problem areas. There is no one-size-fits-all strategy. Combinations of different technologies will be required, based on the nature of the problem. In India, no two water samples are common. Each area has a different water quality and needs to be treated differently.
What are your suggestions for the readers of Taking Wings on saving and conserving water?
Readers can be advised to use water saving plumbing products like flush tanks, faucets and showerheads in their home. Many of them now have certification in this area. To check for leaks, and to become conscious that water is a limited resource.


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Marketing pain relief to all ages
Aging baby boomers have been a prime market for OTC analgesics, but the oldest members of society don’t have a monopoly on aches and pains. A new marketing campaign for Prestige Brands’ Anacin seeks to address this fact by aiming squarely at the millennial generation.
“We think there is an opportunity for Anacin to participate and get involved with the millennial consumer,” said Joseph Juliano, VP of marketing for analgesics, eye care and marketing services at Prestige Brands. “For consumers who don’t necessarily have a brand that they relate to in the analgesic space, we have repositioned Anacin to fill that void.”
The new “Feel Better Fast” campaign includes print advertising and a heavy dose of social and digital marketing, including the use of frown and smile emojis to represent the before-and-after effects of using the aspirin product. In fact, the company added emojis to Anacin’s packaging to tie in with the millennial-focused marketing theme.
Also new from Prestige Brands, and appealing to consumers across generations, is BC Sinus Congestion and Pain, an extension to the regionally popular BC line of OTC analgesic powders. BC Sinus Congestion and Pain touts a “triple-action formula” that includes acetaminophen for pain relief and fever reduction, along with a decongestant and an antihistamine to relieve sneezing and itchy eyes, nose and throat. The product is positioned as relief for cold and flu symptoms with the “speed of powder.” “We saw that particular space as an area that we needed to compete in,” Juliano said. “We are in the process of shipping that to customers as we speak, so we are excited about that.”
Prestige Brands also recently extended its Ecotrin aspirin line with Ecotrin Arthritis.
Internal analgesics — which includes feminine pain relievers, liquids and tablets — eked out a 0.6% gain in sales to a total of $3.9 billion for the 52-week period ended June 11, according to IRI.
External analgesic rubs, by contrast, saw sales rise in double digits (17.5%) to $673.8 million.
Interest in topical analgesics will continue to be driven by consumers’ interest in leading healthier lifestyles, according to a recent blog post on the topic from research firm Euromonitor International.
Lidocaine patches, available as topical OTC analgesics since 2015, have captured the interest of consumers, observers noted. Among the relatively new introductions in this subcategory have been Zim’s Max-Freeze Patches with lidocaine and menthol from Perfecta Products. Unique packaging minimizes the retail shelf space occupied by Zim’s Max-Freeze Patches, according to the company.
Also, Bristol, Tenn.-based NFI Consumer Products, the parent of the Blue-Emu brand, last year partnered with Prosolus to introduce Lidocare, an OTC pain patch that delivers 4% lidocaine locally, providing up to eight hours of pain relief. “After the triple-digit growth Blue-Emu has experienced, we are truly excited about continuing to provide pain relief to all of our NFI consumers through this launch,” said Susan Gregory, CEO of NFI Consumer Products, when announcing the new Lidocare product last year.
The product rolled out nationally to Walgreens and CVS last spring, and to other retailers later in the year.


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On January 23rd, 2009, well-known mobile telephone gaming provider Mfuse Limited has announced its move into the Scandinavian gaming market after finalizing a three year collaboration with Swedish gambling organization Betsson AB. Stockholm-based Betsson is considered to be one of the biggest gambling companies in the world and Mfuse will now be responsible in supplying Betssson with a sports wagering product that will enable Betsson to debut one of the first ever mobile wagering services in Scandinavia.
Mfuse said that the brand new service would be launch in the spring offering both Java and mobile internet formats. It is also scheduled to be launched in different languages like Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Turkish, Polish, Spanish, French, Greek, Italian, German and English. Charles Palmer, the Marketing Director for London-based Mfuse said that this is a historic and important agreement for Mfuse as they continue to execute their plan on expanding their presence in the gambling market in Europe.
Palmer said that Betsson is a fast growing organization that knows how to make the mobile gaming channel an immense success. By collaborating together with the Betsson team, they are able to give interesting mobile gaming products to the Scandinavian gaming markets. Betsson has more than one hundred twenty thousand active online customers and yearly revenues of more than $110 million. It has a growth of around fifty percent per year but has expanded its presence by 1,200 percent since 2005.
Betsson stated that the agreement would see Mfuse give the company with the latest generation of sports wagering technology alongside the brand new developments in user interface design with a full suite of multi-wagers and live in-play wagering. Thomas Kalita, the Chief Executive Officer for Betsson Malta Limited said that following a thorough review of the market, they have picked Mfuse to provide them with mobile service because of their extensive knowledge and experience in mobile gaming technology. Aside from that, Mfuse can also provide both sports wagering and casino games, meaning that they can offer a consistent mobile experience to their customers.
March 05, 2009


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The BRIC (Brazil, India, Russia, China) exchange traded funds (ETFs) have been much-ballyhooed in the wake of the global economic recovery, but there’s a new acronym in town: the MAVINS.
BRIC countries have been given a lot of press lately, but there are other interesting things taking place outside of the four economies, primarily in a group of countries categorized as the “MAVINS,” according to the ETFDesk Daily. [The BRIC economies today.]
While they’re not all emerging markets, one thing they all bring to the table is potential, thanks to strengthening economies and increasing growth potential.
Just who are these people, and why should we be paying attention?
Mexico. The country has a growing middle class and a positive population growth trajectory. Observers believe that the close proximity to the United States will allow Mexico’s government to basically become an extension of the U.S. economy and rapidly allow Mexico to close its income gap with us. Furthermore, Mexico is also a commodities play. The country is the world’s seventh largest oil producer, as well as a large exporter of silver, fruits, cotton and coffee. [The key to Mexico’s success.]
- iShares MSCI Mexico Investable Mkt Idx (NYSEArca: EWW)
Sector Allocations: Telecommunications Services, 35.2%; Consumer Staples, 22.8%; Materials, 13.6%; Consumer Discretionary, 12.7%; Industrials, 9.1%.
Australia. Australia is the richest commodities source in the world and it basically backs Chinese growth. China is Australia’s largest trading partner and is also a major investor of farmland and real estate in Australia. Additionally, the country has a well-developed manufacturing and services economy. The only problems that hold the country back are its water shortages and lower population per area of land. As the U.S. dollar appreciates, however, it could put more pressure on the carry trade and the Australian ETF.
- iShares MSCI Australia (NYSEArca: EWA)
Sector Allocations: Financials, 43.6%; Materials, 26.3%; Consumer Staples, 10%; Energy, 6.8%; Industrials, 4.5%; Health Care, 3%; Consumer Discretionary, 2.2%.
Vietnam. Vietnam has a quickly liberalizing economy, near-term political stability and a centralized command of a communist government. The country has a rich farm lands and it is developing its manufacturing sector. The population in Vietnam is already larger than that of France or Germany, and population growth is on an upward trajectory. Vietnam shares a lot of economic similarities to the China of 20 years past, such as the much lower labor costs that will make it a manufacturing contender. [Vietnam on track for growth.]
- Market Vectors Vietnam (NYSEArca: VNM)


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- Print Innovation Asia
NPES Rebrands as Association for Print Technologies
NPES (The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies) announced a name change to the Association for Print Technologies (APT). The rebranding marks a defining moment in the association’s 85-year history, and is a nod to its signature annual event - PRINT®.
The new name will also signify progress towards its “Strategic Business Plan” for the industry, that it first launched in January 2017.
“This rebrand of the organisation signals a significant turning point, not just for our Association, but for the entire printing and imaging industry. The convergence in our industry is essentially in the rearview mirror. Now, as our new name more clearly expresses, our broader scope and direction are focused on greater alignment among the commercial printing and imaging value chain. This ‘next phase’ must happen in order for all stakeholders to benefit.” said Thayer Long, President, Association for Print Technologies.
Following the rebranding initiative is a launch of the association’s new website, www.PrintTechnologies.org, in Spring 2018. The association will also be announcing a series of new and expanded line-up of programmes and services.
The offerings will span areas of research & market data, industry advocacy & standards, events, and communications. In addition, a new staff department named “Community & Industry Development,” has been established to advance programming designed to support businesses throughout the industry value chain, including initiatives that will address workforce development and training.
As part of the organisation’s rebranding initiative, the association’s annual event becomes Print®. Now 100% non-profit and vendor-owned, and exclusively produced by the Association for Print Technologies, the event will take place in Chicago, US, from 30 September to 2 October 2018. In 2018, the PRINT® event will expand its focus on exceptional business growth opportunities.
NPES Indonesia will now be called APT Indonesia. As one of APT’s International offices, alongside APT’s India and China branches, will continue to facilitate and boost exports by the US printing, publishing, and converting industry to the country.
“Featuring a base of over 4,000 active printing companies (commercial, publishing, packaging and converters), a population of 250+ million people, and a new democratically elected government, Indonesia presents a market of great opportunity for US products,” said Marco Gandasubrata, Director of APT Indonesia.
“We will also continue to work with partners in the industry in sharing the latest technologies to the regional markets. One such example of this partnership is by working with Packaging and Print Innovation Asia, in conducting the yearly Asian Packaging Conference event. This year’s event, themed SHIFT_08, will be taking place in Bangkok, Thailand from 2 to 3 May 2018,” he continued.
APT Indonesia will be hosting an industry panel on Day Two of the Asian Packaging Conference event. To find out more, visit: http://printinnovationasia.net/shift_018.


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The most popular chat app in Asia, with more than half a billion users and 200 million active users, has announced they are launching a “revolutionary financial service.”
Line, which pioneered a new stickers model users pay to send to others, said they are launching a new company to complement Line Pay.
Which, like Apple Pay and the rest, is a mobile money transfer and payment service available on the Line messaging app with 40 million active users handling around $4 billion in transaction volumes last year.
“In the midst of this success, Line has established this new company in order to create and provide an even more revolutionary financial service… including a place to exchange and transact digital currencies, loans, and insurance – all from the Line app,” the company says.
All from the Line app. While some might remember the early days when you had to send your money through carrier pigeon to some far away land and cross your fingers as well as pray to heavens you might by chance get crypto back, kids now can just tap and done.
Although this hasn’t yet launched. They have applied for approval by the Financial Services Agency (FSA), with the application currently under review. The service might then go live as soon as given the green light.
The FSA in question is that of Japan, which has been very friendly to this space, so approving 11 crypto exchanges, probably the highest level in the world. A green light for Line, therefore, seems likely.
That means crypto is spreading like fire in one of the biggest economy in Asia and the world. Just this Monday, their biggest electronic high street store made a little history of sorts in starting to accept bitcoin payments. A very first of its kind.
While in that typical Japanese fashion, they now have their own crypto-band, singing the anthem to the masses.
The island nation, a mirror of Britain in the other side of the world, has grabbed a perhaps once in a life-time opportunity its neighbors willingly gave.
China closed the doors, South Korea frets, Japan waves the crypto flag. I don’t see any problem, Hiromi Yamaoka, head of Bank of Japan’s (BOJ) payment and settlement system division, effectively said regarding the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies in the country.
And with that statement, in its context and in its timing, Japan has signaled they are open for business, which has seemingly begun to arrive.


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TORONTO — A public relations man and a furrier experimented with everything from lipstick to hairspray before stumbling onto a formula that would offer governments, corporations and consumers the ultimate in secrecy--paper that cannot be photocopied.
Now, after about five months of production, Norman Gardner and Michael Voticky, principals in Nocopi International Inc., sit atop a public company with projected profits of $1 million next year.
``I realized how susceptible we all were to photocopying,`` said Gardner, president of Nocopi. ``All of us have things we want to protect--like our signature.``
Gardner, a former public relations man from Montreal, developed a process that involved putting dyes into paper while still in the pulp form.
The rust-colored paper defies photocopying as it works on a principle of light reflection and interferes with the optics of photocopiers, turning to black any attempted photocopy reproduction.
The company also offers no-copy ink to stop counterfeiting and highlighter pens that can selectively block out portions of documents.
Gardner, 43, said the product has been so successful the company plans to expand and negotiate more licensing and distribution agreements.
The company has sold out its first two production runs of 25 tons each since manufacturing began in mid-January. Among its clients are oil and gas companies, legal, research and development departments of corporations and the Province of Ontario.
A New Jersey-based manufacturer of medical prescription pads also contacted Gardner in hopes of negotiating a long-term licensing agreement that would see the special paper used to stop counterfeiting by illicit drug dealers.
``The response has been outstanding to the product, to the process,``
Nocopi`s head office is legally in New York but Gardner is based in Toronto, where the company is run. The firm became a U.S. public company last November with an offering of 24.9 million common shares, and Gardner predicted a break-even point this year and profits of $1 million in 1987.
U.S and Canadian patents were issued last year and the company now has five employees. Voticky, 37, and Gardner`s partner in the process, is chief financial officer and still works part-time for his family fur business.
Nocopi`s paper, which costs about twice as much as normal paper, is manufactured by Hammermill Paper Co. of Erie, Pa., with dyes supplied by Bayer AG of West Germany.
It all began in 1981, when Gardner and Voticky, both living in Montreal, began experimenting with over-the-counter products such as lipstick, nail polish and hairspray in a quest for paper that could not be copied.
``It was a combination of good luck and an accident,`` said Gardner. ``I accidentally spilled and combined materials which resulted in the development of the product. In a sense, I don`t know what spilled but we were able to recreate the accident.``
Gardner said the company plans an aggressive marketing campaign to push the product with companies and governments, proposing the paper be used for government secrets, personnel records, medical files and research formulas.
In addition, Nocopi recently began producing an easier-to-read special grade for newsletter publishers, who complain they have lost millions of dollars because of photocopying.
While the initial products are meeting success, Gardner said, ``We don`t plan to invent anything ever again.``


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Toshiba Corporation may be able to restart some of its flood-hit operations in Thailand early in 2012 and be fully up and running in March, its chairwoman said on Thursday.
Japan's Toshiba had to halt operations at nine production plants at the Bangkadi Industrial Park and another plant at the Nava Nakorn estate, both in Pathum Thani province to the north of Bangkok.
Bangkadi is Toshiba's main production center in Southeast Asia. Its factories there make home appliances, semiconductors and lighting products.
The water level has now receded by about 10-15 centimeters at Bangkadi, Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, chairwoman of Toshiba Thailand, told Reuters.
Right now we haven't been able to drain the water out because the water outside is still high ... However, we do expect to begin the process by the middle of this month.
Kobkarn, also chairwoman of the Bangkadi estate, which Toshiba owns, said Toshiba should then be able to restart some of its production there in January.
Its plant in Nonthaburi province was still operating as normal.
Toshiba makes refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, light bulbs and microwave ovens at Bangkadi.
Toshiba has begun producing hard disk drives in the Philippines as an alternative to Thailand.
According to Citi, about 50 percent of global hard disk drive assembly is carried out in Thailand. California-based Western Digital Corp, Japan's Hitachi Global Storage Technologies and Toshiba have the highest exposure to the country.
The flooding in Thailand has forced other Japanese high-tech companies including Sony Corp. and Canon Inc. to halt production, at least in part.
Thai industrial output fell 0.5 percent in September from a year before, mainly due to the global economic slowdown according to the Industry Ministry, and the picture is bound to have got worse in October because of the floods.
($1 = 30.81 Baht)
(Editing by Alan Raybould)


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Cybros considers move to proposed Menomonee Falls building
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Cybros The Sprouted Bakehouse is considering moving to a proposed 22,000-square-foot building in Menomonee Falls after a planned facility in Milwaukee’s Menomonee Valley fell through last fall.
Also this week, we have a $2.17 million retail investment deal on Miller Park Way and the details on the upcoming auction of the Deco 204 building in Lighthouse Development Co.’s South Water works development in Milwaukee.
The new Cybros Menomonee Falls facility is proposed for a vacant site at Westbrook Crossing and Main Street. The project would bring 29 employees initially, but the company could grow to 100 employees within three years, according to a Menomonee Falls staff report.
James Marino, executive vice president of Waukesha-based Cybros, said the facility is under consideration to become the company’s new headquarters, but it is not a done deal.
“We have not made a decision yet,” Marino said. “Menomonee Falls is in consideration, but so are other facilities.”
Cybros this month will change its name to Angelic Bakery. Its products include breads that are sold in local stores including Outpost, Metro Market, Whole Foods and Sendik’s.
The company has been searching for a larger location to accommodate a planned expansion, and in August 2012 announced plans to buy land in the Menomonee Valley for a new facility. Cybros in October dropped those plans because the economics of the project did not work out.
The Menomonee Falls facility would house the company’s office, bakery, warehousing and shipping functions, according to the village report, which does not name Cybros as the potential occupant. The Menomonee Falls Plan Commission will review the project Feb. 5.
Reporter Sean Ryan covers commercial and residential real estate for the Milwaukee Business Journal and through the Real Estate Roundup blog on the website. He also covers construction, highways and public transit.
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Waving Goodbye to Google Wave
A while back, Google announced the development of Google Wave; a web-based communications product that seemed to have quite a bit of potential. With features such as character-by-character real-time messaging and scalable group collaboration, Wave promised to be the next big thing in terms of Internet communication. When invites first became available, people were anxious to get their hands on them and try the revolutionary new product. But shortly after Wave was announced, the attention towards it died down dramatically. In an October 2009 post, Jeff questioned if Wave would ever make it into the mainstream and if people would ever adapt to it. And today in a blog post on the official Google blog, Google seems to have answered that question by stating that they are going to discontinue the development of Google Wave.
Does this announcement surprise me in the least? Not at all. In fact, I pretty much had forgotten about Google Wave until I heard about this announcement today. Sure, I was enthusiastic about Wave when it was first released, but the fact of the matter became that no one was using it, and it was a lot more complicated than other forms of Internet communication.
One of the early walls that Google ran into with Wave was the fact that it was simply not supported by Internet Explorer; the most popular web browser to date. This meant that large numbers of people (especially those with locked down corporate machines) were unable to take advantage of Wave from the get go. Because of this, Google developed Chrome Frame; an add-on to Internet Explorer that allowed users to use Google Chrome from within Internet Explorer. However even this did not attract high numbers of people to Wave.
In their blog post today Google made a point that the technology in Wave served a number of purposes, such as “sharing images and other media in real time; improving spell-checking by understanding not just an individual word, but also the context of each word; and enabling third-party developers to build new tools like consumer gadgets for travel, or robots to check code.” While these are all definitely great uses of the product, the sad fact is that the service didn’t provide any immediate use or benefit to the general public.
While I’m somewhat disappointed that Wave never took off, I am glad to see that the technological innovations behind it are not going to go to waste. This being, Google is going allow people who have developed infrastructures around Wave to “liberate” their products so that they can continue to use and develop them even after Wave is discontinued. Google also says that they plan to “extend the technology for use in other Google projects”; a concept that truly excites me. This being, I expect to see features from Wave implemented into Gmail’s web interface, as well as in collaboration products such as Google Docs and social products such as Google Buzz.
Do you think Google is giving up on Wave too soon? Are you happy to hear that Google is going to implement Wave features into other Google products? Let us know in the comments.
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By Chris Horn, firstname.lastname@example.org, 803-777-3687
Gamecock football fans watched in awe as Jadeveon Clowney burst through the line and disconnected ball and helmet from Michigan's Vincent Smith on New Year's Day 2013.
The replay video went viral and will forever be remembered by millions of Carolina fans. But "the hit" spurred more than a big bowl win. It inspired alumnus John Carrington to start a new business.
Carrington, who graduated with an advertising degree and business minor in 2002, had spent the past 15 years in e-commerce. Always curious, he had been searching for the next big thing in technology and was intrigued with 3D printing — a technology that transforms an image or photograph into a three-dimensional object. In a flash, Clowney's hit fired Carrington's imagination: 3D printing could be a game-changer.
"The picture and video of the hit were going around the Internet like crazy, and I said, 'If you could make a 3D model of that photo that could sit on your desk or hang on your wall, that'd be worth 3D printing," he says.
Carrington used a photo of the Clowney hit for his first 3D-printed prototype and was astounded by the results. So he tested another theory: Could he print a 3D model of something from only a design? His daughter had drawn a pretty Easter egg on paper, so he created a 3D model using the texture of her drawing and produced her 3D-printed Easter egg.
"I showed it to her, and she just lost her mind. She thought it was magic," he says. "Two minutes after seeing this thing that she never knew existed, she says, 'Daddy, I can draw a stand for the egg, and then you can make it.' And that was all I needed to be able say to myself, 'There's something here. Let me run with this.'"
Carrington self-funded his startup, called Zverse. His first office space? A booth at a local Panera. But once he made several 3D prototypes, he was able to secure more funding. Then, in late spring 2013, one of the world's largest sports marketing firms discovered Zverse and advised him to apply the technology to sports memorabilia. The next step was a no-brainer. Carrington turned to his alma mater, where his idea was met with enthusiasm by USC's director of trademarks and licensing, Ken Corbett.
"When we beat Clemson in football for the fifth time in a row late last November, Zverse created a No. 5 ornament that was a pretty big hit during the holidays," Corbett says. "If you had that same ornament made in the traditional method of a mold and die, it could take months. Timing is everything."
Eric Nichols, USC's associate athletic director for marketing, was another early fan. "I have been fascinated by Zverse since John first introduced me to his products," he says. "I believed in them so much that I endorsed Zverse with fellow colleagues around the country."
Word-of-mouth, long hours and a clear business vision have helped the company grow. Zverse now has licensing agreements with about two dozen colleges and universities, including 10 SEC schools, five of the top 10 schools in football last year and half of the Top 25. This year Zverse will introduce products for each school, and they're already working with Fanatics (the largest e-commerce store for sports) and several retail vendors, such as Barnes & Noble.
But while Zverse does other specialty 3D printing, including architectural modeling, prototyping and items for special occasions, sports marketing is their mainstay.
"We are the first and only company using 3D technology to make officially licensed collegiate memorabilia, and that's a big deal to us," Carrington says. "We hit it at the right time and have the right technology and people to make it happen."
Carrington has been asked if he'll move Zverse to a bigger city, but that's not in his plans. As he points out, the largest manufacturer of 3D printer systems, 3D Systems, is located in Rock Hill, S.C.. Add in a booming aerospace industry taking shape in Charleston, and the sky's the limit.
"You've got Boeing down there, which is one of the largest users of 3D print technology," Carrington says. "We need to be here. There's no benefit to moving. It does us no good to go make stuff in China. We plan to be firmly rooted here and in the shadow of Williams-Brice Stadium, which is cool because it's really what got us started."
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The second day of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024 has ended with a series of innovative and revolutionary announcements. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is becoming increasingly prevalent in new product launches, with companies seemingly believing that without an AI component, their products will be quickly forgotten. Here are the top 5 gadgets that stole the spotlight at the MWC 2024.
Top 5 devices at MWC 2024
- Humane AI Pin: Humane, an AI startup introduced its AI pin, a wearable device powered by multiple sensors and generative artificial intelligence. It also has smart assistive features and a small camera that interprets visual information. The AI pin is priced at $699. Notably, it does not have its own kiosk, and instead has two representatives from companies related to the product to provide demonstrations.
- Nothing Phone 2a: Nothing teased the design of the upcoming Phone 2a, which will be released on the 5th. March 2024. This smartphone is expected to be an affordable offering from the brand. The design features a dual rear camera unit placed below the pill-shaped camera module. It features LED modules known for Nothing’s unique Glyph Interface offering.
- TCL phones: At the event, TCL launched five affordable phones in its 50 series. The two models TCL 50 XL 5G and TCL 50 XL NXTPAPER 5G will be released sometime in the second quarter. The other three models will be released later this year. All smartphones will be launched in the US under $250.
- Tecno Dynamic1: Techno announced its first robot dog, the Dynamic1, which is inspired by the German Shepherd. The dog can be used for intelligent home entertainment, training and education. It is powered by AI hypersense fusion system and Intel’s real sense D430 depth camera. It is backed by a 15,000 mAh battery that can run for up to 90 minutes.
- Tecno Pocket Go: It is an AR game set by Tecno that includes AR glasses and a controller. It is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processor with 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 1TB of storage. It is also equipped with a six-axis gyroscope with an AI algorithm that adapts to the user’s movements.


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Pitney Bowes PSI Opens New Site in Northern California
SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 18, 2007 - Pitney Bowes PSI, the nation’s leading mail presorter, today announced the opening of a new site in Sacramento, California. The site expands Pitney Bowes PSI’s presence to Northern California and is the 34th location in its national mail presort services network.
Located at 3700 Seaport Blvd., West Sacramento, the facility has the capacity to presort 1 million pieces of First-Class and Standard Mail every day. The 14,000 square foot center will initially employ 12 people.
“We are delighted about opening the doors to our new facility in Northern California and joining the Sacramento business community,” said Jay Oxton, President of Pitney Bowes PSI. “Our new site will provide us with an opportunity to help area customers reduce their overall postage expenses and meet their customized needs through tailored presort mail solutions.”
“Expanding into the Sacramento market has been a much anticipated event,” said Nick Saribalis, Vice President and General Manager, Northern California for Pitney Bowes PSI. “We are very excited about the prospect of providing our best-in-class services to organizations in the region and helping to add value to their mailstream management.”
Presort services enable medium and large mailers to qualify for discounts on their postage by aggregating mail from multiple sources and then sorting it by ZIP Code before it enters the United States Postal Service network. These services not only make it less expensive to send mail, but also can speed delivery by up to one day depending on the destination.
About Pitney Bowes PSI: Pitney Bowes PSI is the nation’s leading mail presorter, enabling customers to receive significant postage discounts on First-Class and Standard Mail. Pitney Bowes PSI provides high-quality service for its core business of mail presort and complementary mailing services. Pitney Bowes PSI currently handles ten billion pieces of mail per year through its 33 facilities across the United States. Pitney Bowes PSI is part of the Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE:PBI) family of companies.


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JO Stewart, co-founder and owner of Stewart Brewing, pours a glass of Spirit of Scotland pale ale – as new research revealed craft beer could be worth millions of pounds to the country’s tourism industry.
According to current figures, Scotland’s food and drink tourism market is worth nearly £900 million a year, and it is hoped the craft beer sector will support future growth.
Speaking at the launch of Spirit of Scotland pale ale, which was launched by Stewart Brewing in partnership with Visit Scotland, Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said: “The rapid growth of Scotland’s exciting craft beer industry in recent years and the popularity of sampling local produce by visitors, creates a fantastic opportunity to ‘tap’ into a new market of ‘craft beer tourism’.
“It is clear to see from the research that there is real interest Scottish craft beer from across the globe, leaving the industry well placed to follow the likes of the whisky industry and other Scottish produce in becoming a real draw for visitors near and far.”
Founded in 2004, Stewart Brewing has established itself as one of Scotland’s most successful and reputable drinks firms.
The company now has more than 25 employees who work across a range of departments from retail to production.
It is estimated there are around 130, current and planned, independent breweries in Scotland.


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The 128GB stockpiling variation of the Apple television 4K has an irritating bug that keeps clients from introducing applications bigger than 64GB.
This time around, nonetheless, the Cupertino-based tech goliath has begun carrying out a fix by means of the new tvOS 16.1.1 update.
Apple television 4K 128GB memory mistake
In the event that you’ve purchased a third-age Apple television 4K streaming box with 128GB of interior stockpiling, you’d anticipate that it should be stacked with a lot of applications.
In any case, as per a new report from Macintosh World, recently a few clients saw that the 128 BGB variation can top off to 64 GB.
When a client comes to 64GB of stockpiling, they can never again put in new applications.
Regardless of whether they haven’t arrived at their 128GB stockpiling limit, the streaming gadget will keep them from adding new games or streaming applications.
Turns out tvOS 16.1 had a bug that restricted clients to 64GB, essentially while introducing applications and games.
When clients arrive at this cutoff, they get a mistake message expressing that the application couldn’t be introduced because of inadequate extra room.
Further demands show that Apple television clients are erasing a portion of their applications to let loose extra room, regardless of whether they have half of their stockpiling limit.
The tvOS 16.1.1 update fixes an irritating memory bug
All things considered, the iPhone creator has delivered another tvOS update that fixes a serious stockpiling issue on its Apple television 4K.
As per a new report from Apple Insider, the new tvOS 16.1.1 programming update appears to explicitly fix a memory bug.
Nonetheless, when Apple television proprietors introduce the most recent tvOS update, their extra room will not be divided any longer. That ought to permit them to download bunches of applications and games without seeing a mistake message.
Additionally read: Apple television 4K: The new Siri Remote with USB-C is presently accessible – yet HDMI, charging links sold independently
Instructions to introduce the most recent adaptation of tvOS
Apple Insider noted in its news story that Apple television clients have two courses to browse. You can trust that the update will be introduced consequently. Or on the other hand the proprietor can likewise get the product fixed physically.
To physically refresh, open the Settings application and select the Framework choice. From that point, open Programming Update. Then, at that point, select the “Product Update” button.
Whenever this is settled, the Apple television 4K’s stockpiling limit will get back to business as usual.
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Trewin Restorick wonders if the concept du jour of "nudging" behaviour change can help curb UK carbon emissions
A new report this week believes that food accounts for 30 per cent of the UK’s carbon footprint and that if the food industry is to play its part in keeping temperature rise below two degrees emissions...
Supermarket plans to phase out own brand, single-use plastic packaging within five years, as rival Lidl announces ban on black plastic across fruit and veg range
Ministers meeting on climate change, oceans and clean energy kicks off with joint UK-Canada commitment to smart grids and energy storage
National Drought Action Group warns water supplies in north of England remain low after scant rainfall this summer proved 'tough on farmers'
BusinessGreen brings you this week's green economy headlines from around the world


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ClickZ speaks to Jonathan Nelson, chief executive of Omnicom Digital, and Dianne Wilkins, chief executive of Canadian- based ad agency, Critical Mass.
Nelson says that Omnicom is pushing its core-portfolio company’s to become more digitally centric. “We are definitely seeing a digital acceleration… we are trying to do more media mix models,” he says.
Wilkins talks about the success of a campaign launched by Critical Mass mid-last year. Following the reveal of the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder concept, the agency debuted a fully immersive experience of the vehicle’s interior, fueled by an innovative use of Microsoft’s Kinect for Windows technology.


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Microsoft pushed a small update last week to the Windows Phone 7 devices which improved the update process itself. The update process was successful for over 90% of the devices whereas some devices had problems. Especially Samsung devices went to bricked state which caused Microsoft to stop rolling out update to Samsung devices. Now, Microsoft has solved the problem and resumed the update. Here is the announcement from Microsoft.
Starting today, we plan to resume rolling out the February update to Samsung phones. Meanwhile, weâ€™re continuing to dispatch the update to other Windows Phone models. As has been the case, the software patch is being sent out on a rolling schedule. Youâ€™ll see a message on your phone when itâ€™s available.
During the past week the engineering team has pinpointed and fixed problems that were preventing a small percentage of Windows Phones from installing the February software patch. We apologize again for the delay and continue looking for ways to improve the update process.
Source: Windows team blog
Thanks Adam for the tip.


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Realme has revealed the January update schedule for its range of smartphones. The brand has revealed the update timeline for Realme U1, Realme 2, Realme 2 Pro, Realme C1 and Realme 2 Pro smartphones.
The exact rollout dates for the said smartphones are not finalised yet, but the OTAs will be released around the time indicated for each device, the company said in a forum post. Realme has also revealed that OTAs will be a staged rollout and not all devices will receive an update on the very first day. The company will also provide the links to manually download the update at a later stage.
Starting with the update schedule, the Realme U1 will get a new update by the middle of January. The update will bring Android Security patch coupled with newly-designed camera watermark with Realme’s new logo. The update will also optimise reminders when Developer Options, Accessibility Mode and Device Manager are on. Lastly, it will add a Reboot option in shutdown interface.
Realme 2 and Realme C1 will receive the update by end of January. The new update will bring Realme material design theme, watermark of the company’s new logo in the camera section and Android security patch. Realme 2 Pro will also receive a new update by the end of January with latest Android security patch and newly-designed camera watermark with Realme’s new logo. The company will also release Bootloader Unlock and Kernal Sources for the said device by January 15.
Lastly, the Realme 1 will receive a new update in February. The update will bring latest Android security patch coupled with the Reboot option in shutdown interface. The update will also watermark of company’s logo. The company has also revealed that the Bootloader Unlock and Kernal Sources will be released around the middle of February.


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Get access to everything we publish when you sign up for Outside+.
The Reveal Global Media Conference wrapped up the first day of its two-day program this afternoon, showcasing new products from brands like Cotopaxi, Hoka One One, and Mountain Hardwear in seven hours of Zoom presentations curated for more than 300 registered journalists.
Hosted by ECHOS Communications with support from Exact Change, OutsidePR, and Foghorn Labs, Reveal’s all-digital media conference was conceived around the idea of keeping people connected “despite the broad impacts of coronavirus” and providing product news for the upcoming season to media professionals still eager to cover it.
“I love going to OR and other shows just for the simple fact of being around people,” said Todd Lawson, publisher at Mountain Life Media, who tuned in today. “The computer doesn’t replace that, no matter what, but it’s a trying time and it’s important to stay connected with industry colleagues right now. Even just having this as a touch point is definitely helpful. Gear is a big part of what we do at Mountain Life, so just keeping up to date in any way is something we need to do.”
Today’s schedule included 19 presentations, broken into 15 or 30 minute segments, from brands that revealed new products and offered updates on existing lines. After a few glitches with the audio and video that resolved about 10 minutes into the conference, reps from Icebreaker, Cotopaxi, Mountain Hardwear, Tracksmith, Buff, Hoka One One, Kora, and others broadcast from their home workspaces, demoing product in the best way possible for the format—trying on jackets and other gear to demonstrate fit and new colorways, streaming promo videos, and answering questions coming in from journalists in real time via Zoom’s chat feature. Between the demos, the Reveal organizers even found time to include a couple of musical acts.
“We were excited that every presentation went really smoothly,” said OutsidePR president Gordon Wright. “We got a lot of enthusiasm from the brands. One of our clients said this has helped catalyze some of their thinking for how to approach product launches in the near term, in the absence of traditional trade shows.”
Journalists joined from publications including Outside, Backpacker, Men’s Journal, Forbes, Afar, Climbing, GearJunkie, and dozens of others.
“We had well over 100 journalists watching just for the Hoka presentation,” Wright said. “The best part about it, for me, was the level of feedback and interactivity.”
Despite the show’s success on day one, many agree that the format itself offers unique challenges.
“I think it was an interesting first stab at navigating a world without in-person trade shows,” said Adam Ruggiero, senior editor at GearJunkie. “It went well for what it was. Every outlet, every journalist has different needs, and I’m curious if everyone got what they needed, or if it was kind of an averaging out of information.”
While he said it didn’t come close to the experience he gets at an in-person trade show like OR, Ruggiero admitted that it was a worthwhile exercise. “You have to try something to get a feel for what works and what doesn’t,” he said.
Michael Hodgson of HI Travel Tales saw the event as “very useful,” despite a few initial hiccups.
“I loved the seamless use of video promotional clips,” Hodgson said. “The hosts were clearly well prepared. And I love the fact you could immediately download a media kit for follow up. What needs to improve, though, is the quality of presentation with a bit more coaching. It’s hard working in front of a camera that is static—understandable. But watching presenters hold up product that was poorly lit, too close to the camera, or washed out with backlighting was painful. Future brand presenters should take a cue from Gordon Wright and Jess Smith of OutsidePR who had clearly rehearsed their CamelBak presentation and worked together seamlessly with perfect product explanations and clear visual presentation.”
Though planning for the event kicked off as recently as early April, when the pandemic started to throw the spring show season into uncertainty, Wright said the number of hours that went into creating Reveal are “incalculable.” Two PR firms and a production company collaborated “nearly full time on it,” he said.
The organizers of Reveal haven’t disclosed how much companies paid, if anything, to be part of the conference. But they have said that they’re planning a second installment of the show in the fall.
The conference continues tomorrow with another full day of presentations focused on cycling brands. Media wishing to register can do so here.


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Domino’s Pizza Nigeria, in partnership with Nigeria’s long-term service provider for telecommunications, 9mobile, has opened its new Call Center in an effort to increase customer happiness and give exceptional service.
This technology advancement was implemented in accordance with the brand’s goal to put customer satisfaction first.
“Customers’ orders will be taken and delivered faster with less wait time for the customers, delivering their purchases seamless and faster. The call centre will also serve as the customer contact centre to assist our valued customers with any concerns they may have,” it noted.
Patrick McMichael, Group Chief Executive Officer of Eat’N’Go Africa, said in a speech at the ceremony for the company’s launch: “As an organization, Eat’N’Go is committed to always being at the forefront of customer satisfaction, and by adapting to innovative ways we will keep improving on our service delivery, which the call center avails us.” The dominating Domino’s pizza master franchise in Africa is called Eat’N’Go.
In regards to the partnership with 9mobile, he stated that it would “revolutionize the food delivery service in Nigeria, providing us with more opportunities to be easily accessible to our customers and providing them with more channels of communication while employing technology to improve service delivery.”
Juergen Peschel, CEO of 9mobile, who was also present at the launch, expressed his excitement about this new relationship.
“Eat’N’Go Africa is one of our key Enterprise customers and we are truly delighted to be part of this innovative approach to excellent customer service delivery as it aligns with our brand attributes which are encapsulated in three key ways, Quality of Service, Innovation and Customer Experience,” he said.
He expressed that this partnership further shows the extent to which technology can be deployed to ease the way business is done. “As an innovative company, we are pleased to provide our support to your organization as a lot of what we will be doing will ride on quality telecom technology that will help you scale. So, we are happy to have you as our partners,” he added.


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Ford SVT Raptor commanding 300% of US MSRP on China's gray market
Vehicles like those from General Motors' Hummer family laid the groundwork ten years ago, and when the Raptor bowed in 2010, Chinese enthusiasm for the truck exploded on the internet. Importers are so keen to demand for the pickups that they've imported too many – prices are just now beginning to fall from their lofty heights. China has no laws against importing vehicles, though prohibitive taxes discourage all but the nation's wealthiest individuals from shipping in foreign models.
Ford F-150 Information
- Biggest automotive sales disappointments
- Fastest-depreciating cars in the United States
- Find and compare 2017 Models


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Some examples of what could be in and out under the rules, provided the items meet or don’t meet all of the requirements:
■ Baked potato chips
■ Granola bars
■ Cereal bars
■ Trail mix
■ Dried fruit
■ Fruit cups
■ Sugarless gum
■ Whole grain-rich muffins
■ 100 percent juice drinks
■ Diet soda (high schools)
■ Flavored water (high schools)
■ Diet sports drinks (high schools)
■ Unsweetened or diet iced teas (high schools)
■ Baked lower-fat french fries
■ Healthier pizzas with whole grain crust
■ Lean hamburgers with whole wheat buns
■ Snack cakes
■ Most cookies
■ High-calorie sodas
■ High-calorie sports drinks
■ Juice drinks that are not 100 percent juice
■ Most ice cream and ice cream treats
■ High-fat chips and snacks
■ Greasy pizza
■ Deep-fried, high-fat foods
WASHINGTON — Snack food sold in U.S. schools must be lower in fat, salt, and sugar, according to federal rules released on Thursday aimed at giving students more nutritious options and fighting childhood obesity.
Schools have until July 1, 2014, to implement the rules outlined on Thursday.
Nutritional guidelines for subsidized lunches were revised last year and put in place last fall.
But for the first time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is telling schools what sorts of snacks they can sell.
The new restrictions fill a gap in nutrition rules that allowed many students to load up on fat, sugar, and salt despite the existing guidelines for healthy meals.
“Parents will no longer have to worry that their kids are using their lunch money to buy junk food and junk drinks at school,” said Margo Wootan, a nutrition lobbyist for the Center for Science in the Public Interest who pushed for the new rules.
That doesn’t mean schools will be limited to doling out broccoli and brussels sprouts. Snacks that still make the grade include granola bars, low-fat tortilla chips, fruit cups, and 100 percent fruit juice.
High school students can buy diet versions of soda, sports drinks, and iced tea.
But say good-bye to some beloved school standbys, such as doughy pretzels, chocolate chip cookies, and those little ice cream cups with their own spoons.
Some may survive in low-fat or whole wheat versions. The idea is to weed out junk food and replace it with something with nutritional merit.
The bottom line, said Ms. Wootan: “There has to be some food in the food.”
Many U.S. children eat more than half of their daily calories at school.
The regulations will cover about 50 million children attending more than 100,000 schools that are part of the federal school lunch program.
The standards only apply to foods and beverages sold on school campuses during the day, and limit vending machine snacks to a maximum of 200 calories per item — less than many regular-sized candy bars.
“It’s supporting what moms and dads are doing all across the United States,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said.
USDA gave the public 60 days to comment after it released its proposals in February.
The final guidelines, while mostly unchanged, have incorporated a stricter calorie limit on beverages in high schools. Twelve-ounce drinks cannot exceed 60 calories, less than the calorie count of most sodas.
And the portion sizes vary between age groups. Younger students will be able to buy water, 100 percent juice, and low-fat and fat-free milk in 8-ounce servings, while high school students can also purchase 20-ounce calorie-free drinks.
Food sold at after-school activities, such as sporting events, is not subject to the regulations.
By improving the choices available to U.S. students outside of breakfast and lunch, officials hope to make a dent in childhood obesity in a nation where one-third of those under age 18 are considered overweight or obese.
All foods sold must meet competitive nutrient standards, meaning they must have fruits, vegetables, dairy, or protein in them, or contain at least 10 percent of the daily value of calcium, potassium, vitamin D, or dietary fiber.
“This is an historic nutrition policy that will do a lot to improve children’s diets and address high rates of childhood obesity,” Ms. Wootan said.
But Sandra Ford, head of the School Nutrition Association, which represents school food service workers in school districts nationwide, said the “complex regulations” could burden schools already working to offer healthier menus.
Many schools are still working to push though earlier regulations overhauling school meals like breakfast and lunch.
Debra Warren, Washington Local Schools’ food service director, said the preliminary guidelines were shared two years ago and have stayed mostly the same since then. The district began implementing those guidelines then, so it largely complies with the new rules.
Some of the changes include a switch to baked chips instead of regular potato chips, and a change to whole-grain toaster pastries in vending machines. Because of their high sodium content, the district no longer sells pickles.
The district analyzes the nutritional value of all its snacks with computer software to ensure they meet federal guidelines.


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Thursday 21 April 2005/... NCsoftTM Europe can today confirm its attendance at Britain's newest comic exhibition, Comic Expo. A major new comic event in the UK, Comic Expo runs from May 14th to 15th at the British Empire & Commonwealth Exhibition Hall and the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Bristol.
Comic Expo will be attended by a host of prestigious comic creators, including J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5, Rising Stars, Midnight Nation), Michael Avon Oeming (Powers), Gary Frank (Supreme Power), Dave Gibbons (Watchmen), Alan Davis (JLA: The Nail, Excalibur) Brian Bolland (Judge Dredd) and many more. With two days of talks, workshops, events and a massive dealer area, there's plenty for all comic fans to enjoy.
Complementing the comics, NCsoft Europe's staff will be on hand to demonstrate the award winning City of HeroesTM. All visitors to the NCsoft stand will get a chance to play City of Heroes, and they'll take away a demo disc which will allow them to play the game for fourteen days free-of-charge.
Not only that, but they will also be able to take part in heroic player versus player competitions as part of the new Issue #4: Colosseum, and win some fantastic City of Heroes prizes. These include exclusive limited edition Statesman statues, copies of the game and other City of Heroes goodies.
"Although computer and video games have been influenced by comic books since the very beginning, City of Heroes shows its love for comics more than any other," says Mike Allwood, Producer, Comic Expo. "That's why we were delighted to welcome NCsoft Europe to the first ever Comic Expo, and we hope City of Heroes will be a massive hit with our visitors."
"Everyone working on City of Heroes loves comic books," adds Stephen Reid, Content and Community Manager, NCsoft Europe. "We're also huge gaming fans, too; so it makes sense for City of Heroes to be at Comic Expo. We're looking forward to seeing how hardcore comic readers respond to the game, but Comic Expo is also a fantastic way for us to meet existing fans of City of Heroes - who get to experience a huge comic convention, too!"
The NCsoft stand will be located in the Ramada Plaza Hotel for the duration of Comic Expo. Tickets are on-sale now (£5 per day, £10 for the weekend) from the official web site at http://www.comicexpo.net/ <">http://www.comicexpo.net/>
More information on City of Heroes can be found at the official European web site: http://eu.cityofheroes.com/ <">http://eu.cityofheroes.com/>
-e n d s-
About NCsoft Europe
NCsoft Europe (NC-E) is headquartered in Brighton, England and is part of Korea-based NCsoft Corporation, the world's leading developer and publisher of online games. NCsoft has already successfully established itself in North America, Japan, Taiwan, China and Thailand. NC-E began operations on 1st September 2004 and serves as a central hub for all NCsoft sales, marketing and distribution operations in Europe, via its European distribution network. NC-E launched Lineage® II in November 2004, City of HeroesTM on 4th February 2005 and Guild Wars® is scheduled for 28th April 2005. More information about NCsoft Europe can be found at http://www.plaync.com.
About Cryptic Studios
Cryptic Studios, Inc., located in San Jose, California, was established in July of 2000 and is an independent developer of massively multiplayer online games for the PC and next generation consoles. Its first game, City of Heroes, launched in April 2004. The game takes place in a virtual world where thousands of people play simultaneously, take on the role of super-powered heroes, fight villains and help create a dynamic story in a visually-stunning, 3-D graphical world.
NCsoft, the interlocking NC logo, Guild Wars, ArenaNet, Lineage, and all associated NCsoft logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation. City of Heroes is a trademark of Cryptic Studios, Inc. and NCsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.


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This week we’ve had our fair share of surprises in the mobile universe, but today it appears that we’re going to be running smooth in the computing world – desktops and storage devices galore! That said, you’ll still want to start your journey off with Western Digital’s 802.11AC My Net router and bridge. Move on then to Google TV updates with voice search and PrimeTime guide reborn. The BlackBerry L-Series has been spotted in a photo shaking hands with an iPhone 5, imagine that!
There’s a fabulous sun-less planet out there this week (not that it wasn’t there before, but still), just staring at us, laughing. The CEO of Tesla Motors has made it clear that electric trucks and self-driving cars are in the future for the company. Google Mars has since 2009 become clearer than what Google is able to offer here on Earth – can you guess why?
Have a peek at any of several new reviews we’ve got up this week, starting with the two newest: the Olympus Stylus XZ-2 digital camera and the Otaku Camera app for iOS! Also take a peek at the new LG Optimus L9 and the Nokia Lumia 810, both of them out now for T-Mobile!
After the January reveal of the BlackBerry 10 platform, it’s been assured by the COO that there will be sales “not too long after”. There’s a Xiaomi Box out there this week getting pumped up about taking on Apple TV and Google TV. The Gibbs Quadski has begun production in Detroit.
Nintendo has added Wii U details to the fray and made it clear that there will be no Wii GamePad screen play. The project known as Projecto has been added to Kickstarter with intentions of making your Instagram into a Viewmaster. Nest has a competitor this week in Tado, a smartphone-controlled heating system.
Crytek is celebrating the fifth anniversary of the original Crysis game today – hooray! Samsung has made it clear that they have “no intention” of settling with Apple over legal matters. There’s a Skype hack out there that supposedly steals your account with no more than your email – stay tuned for a statement from Skype on this one.
SlashGear Morning Wrap-up: November 14th, 2012 is written by SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.