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BA snaps up Monarch Airlines slots at Gatwick Airport in a multi-million pound deal
IAG has landed sought-after runway slots at Gatwick Airport in a multi-million pound deal with collapsed carrier Monarch Airlines.
The British Airways owner has reportedly bought most of the take-off and landing strips at Britain’s second busiest airport. EasyJet, Norwegian, Wizz Air and Jet2 are all reported to have made enquiries since Monarch’s business closed.
Monarch’s slots at Gatwick and Luton are said to be worth around £60 million, with its runways at Gatwick the most valuable. Monarch recently won a High Court battle to sell its prized landing slots after it was forced to close the airline and call in administrators last month. The airline collapsed after a summer price war and lower passenger numbers due to terrorism fears and a weaker pound.
Willie Walsh: IAG's boss had expressed a desire to buy Monarch's slots
Last month IAG boss Willie Walsh said the group was planning to swoop on the slots to strengthen its position as a long-haul budget airline.
IAG, which also owns Aer Lingus, launched its low-cost, long-haul airline Level earlier this year with flights to San Francisco and Buenos Aires.
Monarch’s customers and business partners are expected to get nothing from the demise of the airline.
Greybull Capital, which owned Monarch, will get first dibs on any of the travel operator’s assets but is still expected to make a loss.
Nearly 1,900 workers were made redundant when Monarch went bust with around 860,000 customers having their holiday plans cancelled.
IAG declined to comment.
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Coffee is a tempting drink, and it’s a good time to relax with a cup of coffee, whether during work or at rest. In addition, coffee seems to have anti-cancer effects, let’s take a look at the latest research results brought by Yahoo!
The little friends who love coffee, your gospel is coming. A new study shows that people who drink coffee regularly can effectively fight malignant melanoma, which is the main cause of skin cancer death in the United States.
In this study, the experimental group of people drank at least four cups of coffee a day, and they were 20% less likely to have malignant melanoma than the control group. The findings were published in the National Cancer Institute.
Erikka Loftfield, the lead author of the study and a member of the National Cancer Institute, said that although the findings are encouraging for coffee drinkers, “not that people should change themselves. “The habit of drinking coffee”, “To reduce the risk, the most important thing is to reduce sun exposure and ultraviolet radiation.”
“Our findings, as well as other recent research results, have made coffee lovers more comfortable, at least they made it clear that drinking coffee is not an adventure.” Loftfield in an email This tells Life Science, “However, our findings do not suggest that everyone change their habit of drinking coffee.”
Review of the experimental process
Previous studies have found that drinking coffee reduces the risk of malignant melanoma. Melanoma is formed in pigment cells, which are called melanocytes. According to the National Cancer Institute, in 2014, 9710 patients died of the disease and 76,100 new patients were diagnosed.
Loftfield and her team analyzed a large amount of data from a joint tracking experiment conducted by the National Center for Health Research and the American Association of Retired Persons, which conducted a 10-year follow-up of 447,357 retirees. Eventually, there were 2,904 patients with malignant melanoma (the cancer cells had spread deep into the skin) and 2,874 early melanoma patients (the cancer cells remained on the surface of the skin). Loftfield said, “Our research is currently the most valuable study of the relationship between melanoma and coffee.”
Participants provide their daily coffee consumption, as well as other factors that are at risk for cancer, such as exercise, alcohol intake, and body mass index. To capture participants’ UV exposure, the researchers collected the amount of light that NASA obtained at each person’s home.
Is the prevention effect of coffee really optimistic?
The results of this study are mainly for coffee containing caffeine, excluding coffee. The researchers say that caffeine is probably a protective factor for the skin, but there is another possibility. There is another ingredient in coffee that prevents melanoma. Caffeine-containing coffee contains more preventive ingredients than decaffeinated coffee.
The lack of such preventive effects of decaffein may also be an accidental factor, Loftfield said.
The researchers plan to look for evidence of coffee to prevent skin cancer from experiments in another group of people, but Loftfield pointed out that the results of the study are limited: the researcher does not know the daily skin care habits of the subjects, nor do they know Their original skin color (people with dark skin and people with freckles are more likely to develop skin cancer). In addition, it is not clear which specific coffee is really effective for the skin.

domain: news


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Note from the CEO: We do try to cover mainly US-related fintech news on our site, but every so often something overseas portends to what is coming to our shores. The US already has publicly traded trusts, but this new Gibraltar-listed fund shows demand for these new products, which here in the US will be in the form of ETFs, making it even easier for the public to participate. Even better, it will allow hedging in bitcoin. That’s a big deal.
“BitcoinETI will be available through regulated brokerages across Europe, and settlement will be handled through Clearstream and Euroclear, the Gibraltar Stock Exchange said, rather than via bitcoin’s shared ledger system – the blockchain.
In the United States, where regulation of bitcoin and financial technology more broadly tends to be more onerous, twins Cameron and Tyles Winklevoss – entrepreneurs who famously sued Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg for allegedly stealing their idea – have been waiting for approval for a proposed bitcoin exchange-traded fund for three years.
Their proposed Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust would be the first ETF issued by a U.S. entity that invests solely in bitcoin.”


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LG is set to capitalise on smaller apartments with the release of a 48″ OLED TV that will be a key part of their 2019 TV offering in the second half of the year.
The Korean Company who expects to sell 10 million OLED TV’s this year will later this week release a new range of OLED and NanoCell TV’s including models with new processors and advanced Google Assistant technology built in.
The Company has confirmed that they are planning to roll out in the second half of the year 48″ OLED TV which analysts claim could do well in Australia due to the growth in one- and two-bedroom apartments.
At CES LG executives said that they were looking to increase OLED production of OLED TV’s with new sized models set to fuel the growth in production targets.
A 48-inch model would open the market up, while also bringing the price down for OLEDs. The new model is tipped to sell for sub $1,500 complete with Google Voice and a new processor.
Later this week LG Australia will roll out the first of their 2019 TV’s that include OLED and NanoCell LCD TVs.
A key component will be an advanced second-generation a (Alpha) 9 Gen 2 intelligent processor and deep learning technology which will see them go head to head with Samsung who is also set to use new processor capability to deliver advanced TV’s.
Later this year LG TV’s will get an upgrade to support Apple AirPlay 2 and Apple HomeKit along with a major firmware upgrade that will add Amazon Alexa support to complement Google Assistant which is included out of the box.
The unlock key for LG is the new a9 Gen 2 processor which is set to be built into in LG’s W, E and C series of OLED TVs. ChannelNews was recently shown these TV’s side by side with last year’s models.
The display is significantly advanced, and the Google Assistant capability has been expanded significantly especially if you have an LG Meridian soundbar attached to the TV.
The big difference with the 2019 TVs is that they on the fly intelligently adjust content compatible with Dolby Vision to deliver a superior HDR experience, even in brightly lit conditions.
The a9 Gen 2 also fine-tunes audio according to content type, making movie and TV dialogue easier to understand while delivering crisp, clear music.
While the AI can adjust audio settings to ideal levels based on the environment, users can also make manual adjustments to the TV.
The AI has access to an extensive database of visual information that allows the processor to optimize the images by recognizing source quality and implementing the best algorithm to display a superior TV picture.
The processor also analyses ambient conditions to achieve the optimal level of screen brightness.
LG’s 2019 home entertainment line-up is led by its industry leading OLED TVs in a variety of screen sizes: W9 (model 77/65W9), E9 (model 65/55E9), C9 (model 77/65/55C9) and B9 (model 65/55B9).
The Companies first 8K OLED TV (model 88Z9) is set to be launched in the second half of 2019.
In addition to their OLED TV’s the Company is set to take on Samsung with an expanded range of premium NanoCell TV which the Company claims is their most advanced LED TV offering yet.
Apart from advanced picture quality LG has new ultra-thin bezels and in more large-screen options this year than ever before.
Both the new OLED and NanoCell TV’s have HDMI 2.1 for the viewing of 4K content at 120 frames per second as well as offering a 4K high frame rate (4K HFR).
The 2019 TV’s also have automatic low latency mode (ALLM), variable refresh rate (VRR) and enhanced audio return channel (eARC).
Pricing for the new models will be announced on Thursday.


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May 11, 2021 – The Charlotte Hornets announced today that the team will launch its first-ever commemorative NFT during the May 13 game against the L.A. Clippers, becoming one of the first U.S. professional sports teams to mint an NFT. This limited-edition NFT will be the first in a series of Hornets commemorative NFTs featuring artwork in the form of digitally designed commemorative game tickets that will be available to fans.
Fans in attendance at the Hornets Fan Appreciation Night on May 13 will have the opportunity to purchase from a limited release of the commemorative NFT through the Hornets App for $4.99 in U.S. currency; cryptocurrency is not required. In recognition of the Hornets inaugural season (1988-89), there will be 88 NFTs minted on the Flow Blockchain. The design of the commemorative ticket will debut for the first time publicly during the May 13 game.
“The Hornets are thrilled to be one of the first professional sports teams to introduce to our fans a series of commemorative NFTs,” said Hornets President & Vice Chairman Fred Whitfield. “Innovation is in the DNA of the Hornets organization, dating back to our original uniforms and colors, and we wanted to offer our fans the opportunity to participate in the excitement, popularity and cutting-edge nature of NFTs. We take pride in the fact that these are fan-friendly NFTs with a very low barrier to entry. We think our fans will enjoy the design, and we look forward to growing in this space in the future.”
The Hornets will launch additional commemorative NFTs as part of a collectible series, including during potential games in the State Farm Play-In Tournament and NBA Playoffs. These dates will be announced later. The Hornets worked with Dapper Labs and Mint to launch the first sports team NFT on the Flow Blockchain. The Hornets in-house creative department designed the digital artwork and collaborated with other departments across the organization to bring it to life and make it available to fans.
"I love the Hornets NFTs because they're historic yet accessible to every fan,” said Roham Gharegozlou, CEO of Dapper Labs. "These game tickets are collectible memorabilia that let fans keep and relive a moment forever."
"We are thrilled to be working with the Hornets to help bring this unique NFT to Hornets fans," said Joseph Djenandji, CEO of Mint. "This innovative concept bridges the offline and online world by linking an emotional experience to a digital collectible."
Tickets for the May 13 game, and all Hornets home games, are available above or ticketmaster.com, on the Hornets App or via phone at 1-800-4NBA-TIX.


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Titanfall’s upcoming DLC called Expedition will not be coming out at the same time as its Xbox One & PC brothers. According to developer Blue Point Games, it will be coming in June.
A post on the Titanfall website says the following:
“Updates for the Xbox 360 will naturally follow behind similar updates for the PC and Xbox One. This timing difference is due to the same reasons that more time was needed to finish Titanfall for the Xbox 360. Respawn must first finish their additions and improvements for the Xbox One and PC, and afterwards Bluepoint can then grab the latest and update the Xbox 360 version. We’re working with Respawn and Bluepoint to streamline the process and close the gap, allowing Xbox 360 updates to be published as closely as possible to Respawn’s updates.”
When it does finally hit Xbox 360, it will cost $10 just like it does on Xbox One and PC.


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(Hypebot) UPDATE: Eventbrite shares fell sharply Friday morning, after the company issued a first-quarter revenue outlook below Wall Street expectations. The independent ticketing company predicted first-quarter revenue of $80 million to $84 million, well short of the $91 million analysts polled had forecast.
Revenue topped expectations, but it was not enough. Per-share Q4 losses were 17 cents per share vs the 14 cents predicted by analysts polled by Refinitiv and reported by CNBC. Revenue was $75.9 million vs. a predicted $73.2 million.
For Q1, the company said it expects sales of $80 million to $84 million, while analysts polled by FactSet had hoped for $91.3 million.
Eventbrite stock was down as much as 31% on Friday morning, The price as of 10:15AM ET was down 29% to $29.03. The company debuted in the markets just last September, opening at $36 per share.
Expansion In Mexico
On Wednesday, the company announced the launch of a localized platform in Mexico.
Eventbrite has experienced strong organic growth in Mexico, powering nearly 60,000 events and processing more than 5.7 million tickets since the platform’s inception. With a localized platform, consumers will have the ability to order tickets online and then pay for them with cash at local OXXO convenience store – the first time Eventbrite has offered this functionality,


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Last night, I exchanged a few emails with Jon Gaskell - Co-Founder of Smartypig. Jon gave me the heads up and informed me of today's major announcements from the Des Moines-based leader in online goal-oriented social savings.
Le theme de la gestion de budget, Personal Finance Management (PFM) en anglais, est l'un des themes les plus presents dans les conversations liees aux medias sociaux et a l'innovation dans l'industrie bancaire.
Mais peut-on reellement parler d'innovation? Peut-etre en France, certainement pas aux US.
2011 has been a busy year for mobile banking with the tremendous growth of smartphone penetration and the increasing consumer interest for tablets. In the last twelve months, we saw litteraly dozens and dozens of new mobile banking and mobile payment apps (mainly on iphone, ipad, android).
But most apps only offer basic features. Few are transactional. Fewer are innovative.
One of the key questions I always get asked about twitter is what's the best strategy regarding number of accounts: one multi-purpose account 'a la UBank' in Australia versus specific accounts for PR, HR or customer support 'a la Bank of America' in the US.
Today, Aviva UK took its twitter presence to the next level.
In the last couple of years, US banks have invested significant budget and resources to provide timely customer care on the most popular micro-blogging service with the likes of Citi (@AskCiti), Wells Fargo (@Ask_WellsFargo), American Express (AskAmex) or Bank of America (@BofA_Help).
Unsurprisingly, those accounts are among the most active financial services accounts worldwide, and respectively #85, #58, #40 and #25 in our Visible Banking Twitter Watch series (the ranking is based on the size of the follower bases of over 1,600 FS accounts in 72 countries).
Brands and Customer Care on Twitter (a Global Report) My team is working putting together the most comprehensive and insightful report ever produced on customer support on twitter globally. For months, we've been tracking over 220 accounts in 13 countries from financial services firms, but also FMCG, media, travel... Please reach out to us to confirm your interest.
Earlier today, Barclays Bank officially launched @BarclaysOnline its twitter account dedicated to customer support. But how innovative is that move in the conservative UK banking industry?
I've just come back from three productive weeks in Singapore and Australia. I still can't believe how perfect the timing of my trip to Sydney was: in addition to the few social media workshops I had lined up with some major australian financial institutions and my book launch party, Commonwealth Bank of Australia launched 'Kaching' its industry-leading mobile payment application for iPhone (based on true real-time banking, provided by their recently redesigned core banking system) and Pollenizer officially launched Pygg.co, a service which gives twitter users the opportunity to send and receive payments via PayPal.
I had the opportunity to talk the crowd (30+ journalists, students and financial services professionals) through the story behind Visible-Banking.com and my book, and answer questions from an engaged audience.
I'm currently in the middle of the Visible Banking Asia Pacific tour. I've landed in Sydney a couple of days ago after a successful week in Singapore ponctuated, among other things, by a social media workshop in Bangkok and a well attended book launch party with the likes of Standard Chartered, OCBC, DBS Bank, Maybank, Visa.
The leading Australian bank, which has started to celebrate its 100 years, did a good job building the level of excitement and interest with this well executed product launch. Well done to Tracy and her PR colleagues.
This initiative reminded me of FNB's recent event to support the launch of their own mobile banking app for smartphones. The South African bank's launch was extremely smart and successful: the bank invited a lot of influencial and vocal bloggers which helped them generate a lot of buzz online, sustain excellent conversations and capture valuable feedback from the get go, trend on twitter for days, and earn a high volume of online coverage (earned media).
My expectations were high. So, how innovative is CBA's new mobile app? And how successful was the PR launch event? Let's find out now.
“Christophe's book is really the must-have synopsis of the current state-of-play in social media in banking. Christophe has taken a deep passion for the topic, and turned it into an account of the landscape valuable to anyone who has social media responsibilities in financial services” James Gardner, General Manager at Spigit
“Christophe is extremely well informed about the banking and financial services industries. He's at all the right conferences, and digs deep with his interviews of all the influencers and innovators. He's also a tremendously nice guy :-)” Aaron Patzer, Founder & CEO at Mint Software
“Christophe seems to have his finger on the pulse of the financial services industry. Visible Banking has become "the" source of information for innovations in the financial services industry.” Tim Collins, SVP-Experiential Marketing at Wells Fargo


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Let’s face it the digitization of commercial processes has led to many security issues related to data privacy and online fraud.
Most organizations are employing new strategies and technologies to ensure the safety of sensitive data and prevent hacker attacks.
So I believe you’ll agree that in the Internet era, digital trust has become crucial.
In our new article, we talk about what digital trust is, and also describe the best practices for increasing digital trust in business.
Join over 70,000 growth pros from companies like Uber, Pinterest & Twitter


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After years of anticipation, Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo this week showed plans for their next-generation video-game consoles, setting the stage for the competition to take place over the rest of the decade.
Robbie Bach, Microsoft senior vice president and chief Xbox officer, discussed that competition in an interview yesterday at the conclusion of the E3 video-game convention. Among other topics, he addressed the Xbox 360’s prospects for profitability and its chances against the successor to Sony’s dominant PlayStation 2.
Read the complete story. (Seattle PI)


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“Our product is able to cool in locations where air conditioning is not feasible,” said Anne Wood, Director of Marketing. “So in those types of spaces, this is the perfect solution.”
We are bringing heat relief to six Clydesdales with the USA Clydesdale Preservation Foundation (USACPF) in Gilbert.
The Valley builder and supplier of evaporative cooling products is doing this by donating a mobile evaporative cooler called the Master Blaster 36.
“We’ve done some dog rescue places already and it’s a good cause and they definitely need that type of equipment and it will improve their life tremendously, not only [for] the horses, but the people that care for them,” Wood said.
The Master Blaster 36 can lower temperatures up to 30 degrees in areas well over 2,000 square feet.
“[We] have a mister system and fans for each one of the horses and now we’re fortunate to have an industrial size swamp cooler and were very grateful for that,” said Rebecca Stivers, director and founder of USACPF.
Stivers said having the mobile evaporative cooler (MB36) will help her and the volunteers see less heat stress among the Clydesdales.
“This will contribute greatly to keeping them cool during the day,” Stivers said.
While Stivers is pleased with the new evaporative cooling unit, it looks like the Clydesdales are pretty happy too.
“I definitely want to give a big shout out to the company for allowing this to happen for us and the Clydesdales will also be very grateful,” Stivers said.


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Link: A case for print vs. digital; “replicating print in a digital device not so easy”
(USA, December 2016) In digital journalists Roger Fidler’s vision of the future, news and information were headed to the nascent internet, where stories would be instantly published from one computer to millions more, eliminating the need to operate an expensive press run by expensive workers. A tablet, he thought, was the perfect device to replace paper. Readers could click on boxes that revealed data or more information about a particular subject. Advertisers could produce immersive, interactive ads. And the tablet could be slipped into a briefcase or bag. Fidler was right, of course. Apple has sold several hundred million iPads, and more than a billion phones that serve much the same purpose.
Now, Fidler wonders if he was wrong. “I have come to realize that replicating print in a digital device is much more difficult than what anybody, including me, imagined.” ….
Two decades have passed since newspapers launched websites, and yet here we are. Big city papers have gone under, thousands of journalists have lost their jobs, and the idea that digital news will eventually become a decent business feels like a rumor. The reality is this: No app, no streamlined website, no “vertical integration,” no social network, no algorithm, no Apple, no Apple Newsstand, no paywall, no soft paywall, no targeted ad, no mobile-first strategy has come close to matching the success of print in revenue or readership. And the most crucial assumption publishers have made about readers, particularly millennials –that they prefer the immediacy of digital — now seems questionable, too.
To read complete article Go To: Print is dead. Long live print. (Source: Columbia Journalism Review)


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“Rooting” your smartphone — essentially installing a new operating system on it — is one way to eliminate bloatware and speed things up. Now there’s a fast and easy way to do it with Cyanogenmod.
All posts tagged ‘Nexus’
- 12:09 PM
The new Nexus 5 from Google is so boring that it almost seems to embrace blandness. And that’s a good thing.
- 5:06 PM
Nearly five months after being unveiled, Google’s slick Nexus 4 wireless charging orb is on sale in Google Play.
- 6:30 AM
Three months ago Google delayed the launch of the Nexus Q, its streaming media player and yet another bid for the future of the living room. But as the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 launch, Google remains mum on just …


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Meat industry needs to change perceptions, argues health expert
Urgent changes need to be made to prevent further damage to the meat sector’s reputation, a professor of public health has told MeatInfo.co.uk.
Speaking to the website before presenting his views on the industry at the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers’ (AIMS) conference on 5 October, Professor Patrick Wall from University College Dublin’s School of Public Health and Population Sciences said meat businesses faced bigger threats than the horsemeat scandal.
“A big threat to future customers is who is telling your story? People are telling a bad story about your sector and if you’re just focused on packing meat, you’re not doing enough to help.”
He said a recent campaign poster, showing model and keen vegan Rosanna Davison half-naked, promoting a vegan lifestyle, should worry the meat industry. “Young people are concerned with body image and they see this and think being a vegan will make you look like Rosanna Davison. If this is what the kids are looking to, if people are stripping-off and telling people to be vegan, then you could lose almost half of your target market.”
Furthermore, he explained there was a “complete disconnect” between “urbanites” and the farmer. “Large-scale farming is being seen as factory farming and all of the kids perceive that as how we produce meat.”
Yet the meat industry was not campaigning in a similar way to those targeting it, he stressed. “You are not in the meat business, you’re in the human health business now,” Wall argued.
Scandals like horsemeat, however, gave people and the media ammunition to fire at the meat industry, he said. “You’re better off to be in the meat business than a banker, provided there’s no bad publicity,” he said. “But meat is being hijacked and it’s all about building trust and confidence; you can’t do enough of this and you are just not doing that.”
Meat and health
On the topic of health and meat, meanwhile, Wall noted that a person’s health was their most important asset. He pointed out that the elderly were susceptible to the muscle-wasting disease sarcopenia. “If you can hold the muscle mass with a phenomenal source of protein, [such as meat] then you will slow this down.”
Nutritionist and author Zoë Harcombe of the Obesity Epidemic sympathised with the issues the meat industry faced, but said to MeatInfo.co.uk: “The meat industry is not doing enough, but then again it may not have enough money to compete with the big brands. There’s just not the margin in the real food, it’s in the fake food and, without the margin, you cannot plough that money back into the marketing. I feel really sorry for the meat industry.”
Meanwhile, Dr Carrie Ruxton from the Meat Advisory Panel said sarcopenia was becoming a more common issue. “We have an ageing population and they need to be healthier.
“People need to remember that sarcopenia is a major problem and one of the things that can help combat that is high-quality protein. Red meat in particular is good at building muscle mass because it contains massive amounts of amino acids.
“Meat is a complete protein and has all of the amino acids that our bodies need and it’s the best source of iron.”
- meat industry
- public health
- rosanna davison
- vegan rosanna
- keen vegan
- faced bigger threats
- packing meat you’re
- poster showing model
- campaign poster showing
- recent campaign poster


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I've been saying for a while now, ever since it became clear just how dreadful Vista was going to be, that Microsoft was starting its long, slow decline. Now, others are jumping on the dump-on-Microsoft bandwagon.
Most damning of all, Goldman Sachs has downgraded Microsoft from "buy" to "neutral," spit on the company's feeble mobile computing efforts and suggested that Microsoft divide itself into consumer and enterprise divisions .
It couldn't happen to a nicer company -- well except for Oracle. Microsoft got to the top not by delivering great products -- ever -- but by Bill Gates' white-shark approach to business competition. Even after the Department of Justice slammed it with an antitrust suit, weak enforcement left Microsoft to continue on its way. It was only after Gates left on July 1, 2008, that the company started to lose its mojo.
The first mistake was picking Steve Ballmer as CEO. Ballmer was then, is now and always will be a fine business-to-business salesman. That's it. As I write this story, in early October, Microsoft has a market cap of $206.91 billion. That's well behind Apple's $ 254.56 billion. If you had asked anyone in the summer of 2008 whether Apple would be worth almost $50 billion more than Microsoft, they would have laughed themselves silly. No one, least of all in Redmond, is laughing now.
Ballmer started out by striking out over and over again. Vista was a flop of monumental proportions. The Yahoo deal had just crashed and burned. And Microsoft Office sales had actually declined.
Fast forward to 2010. Microsoft has a worthwhile desktop operating system in Windows 7. Yes, I, a noted Linux supporter, just said something nice about Windows. Mind you, Windows is still as insecure as ever, but other than that, Windows 7 is quite good. So was XP SP3, and over two-thirds of Windows users have continued to stick with it. You don't have to believe me, though. I think Microsoft pulling the Windows 7 Family Pack discount deal out of its pack of sales tricks tells you everything you need to know.
Some of Microsoft is doing quite well. Xbox, for example, continues to make money. Too bad that Bing, Microsoft's search engine, hemorrhages so much cash. And the less said about Microsoft's incredible Kin mobile phone fiasco the better, as far as Microsoft stock owners are concerned.
Kin, though, illuminates a point that Matt Rosoff, an analyst at Directions on Microsoft, made: "For all of Microsoft's talk, none of the synergy between the consumer and enterprise sides has panned out." He's right.
Under Ballmer, Microsoft's lack of coordination between enterprise and consumer keep tripping up the company. As Microsoft's board put it when it didn't give Ballmer his full bonus, problems have included "the unsuccessful launch of the Kin phone; loss of market share in the company's mobile phone business; and the need for the Company to pursue innovations to take advantage of new form factors."
So what has Ballmer done to advance Microsoft in these areas? Well, after announcing that Microsoft was coming out against software patents (yes!), Microsoft announced that it was suing Motorola for violating its software patents in its Android phones (no!). Did I mention that this was about a week before Microsoft announced its latest and much-unanticipated attempt to deliver a mobile phone operating system that anyone will give a damn about?
Excuse me, but this is not the way to win friends, or, more to the point, customers.
I see Microsoft as having several choices. First, it can kick out Ballmer and jettison its current bureaucratic management style and get someone who can lead Microsoft into being a truly innovative company. Nah, that's not going to happen.
OK, so Microsoft could split itself into smaller, more nimble companies that could ... ah ... no, that's not going to happen either, is it?
All companies age and get slower off the mark. Microsoft has moved into its rich, fat and graying stage. People both inside and outside the company know that it's happening, but Microsoft isn't ready to stop eating steak and avoiding exercise yet.
Eventually, a massive failure or two, the corporate equivalent of a heart attack, will either get the company to make necessary changes or it will slowly -- very slowly -- die. Some companies can do this. IBM managed it. General Motors seems to be doing it. Microsoft is still in denial. Its moment of crisis has yet to arrive. It will, though. As Microsoft continues to totter into the future, the day will come when it falls. The question then will be: "Can Microsoft pick itself back up?" We'll see.
Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols has been writing about technology and the business of technology since CP/M-80 was cutting-edge and 300bit/sec. was a fast Internet connection -- and we liked it! He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Outlook bearish for global fertiliser industry
Phosphate demand in Q1 2014 is finding support from speculative buying from the US and Brazil, with prices finding additional support from elevated sulphur prices. However, at the end of this quarter, prices for both phosphates and urea could fall to levels seen before the recent price spike, as supply will exceed demand. Potash prices are likely to remain stable at current levels, with overcapacity looming over the market and supply chains already appearing full.
· United States: While phosphates and urea prices appear to be heating up, the US market for potash is still slow. Buying is mostly limited by high inventory levels and US potash inventory levels do not yet reflect supply cuts by producers. US producers’ inventories only declined 1% in December to 2.99 million tonnes, down from 3.01 million tonnes in November, limiting the room for the supply pipeline to take in substantially more volumes in Q1.
· EU: European fertiliser markets appear relatively calm at the moment. The warm start to the year could shake things up by accelerating the timing of the spring application. Both the pending spring application and the current tight supply are driving nitrate prices higher and could continue to do so throughout the quarter.
· Brazil: Brazil's fertiliser industry is out-of-season, with fertiliser application for soybeans almost half a year away. High inventory levels are likely to reduce imports in Q1 2014, with the possible exception of potash.
· India: A good crop outlook and favourable agronomic conditions support fertiliser volumes ahead of the Kharif season. However, limited subsidy availability and uncertainty over 2014 Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) policies might cause buyers to hesitate.
· China: Additional volumes of urea and DAP from China are likely to enter the world market as a result of lower export tariffs. However, additional volumes are not likely to start making a significant impact in Q1. China’s potash imports dropped nearly 12% after steady demand and increased domestic supply.
· MENA and Ukraine: Newly struck gas price should incentivise Ukrainian production, but the start-up has been hampered by cold weather. Export issues in MENA have been resolved to some extent, but the start-up of production is slow and gas curtailment issues still plague producers.
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YOU MUST SEE THIS HUGE DOGECOIN bitcoin& CRYPTOCURRENCY UPDATE!! THIS IS IMPORTANT!!
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been a supporter of Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency inspired by memes. Tesla TSLA billionaire Elon Musk has raised the price of bitcoin and Dogecoin several times in the past … [+] months, helping them soar to a $40 billion market cap and propelling them into crypto Top of the currency leaderboard. Tesla TSLA billionaire Elon Musk regularly posts Dogecoin memes and sponsorships on his favorite social networking site, Twitter, helping Dogecoin to become the fifth largest after bitcoin, Ethereum, Binances BNB and Cardano The biggest and most valuable cryptocurrency. The popularity of mainstream cryptocurrencies has soared recently after Tesla CEO Elon Musk claimed to be a crypto supporter and even changed his Twitter bio to #bitcoin.
This week, the virtual currency based on Dogecoin memes surged to all-time highs and along with it attracted the attention of other popular cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and Ethereum. Some crypto market participants said that the volatility of the meme-based virtual currency Dogecoin was its main attraction, as its trading volumes were fueled by a combination of retail investors and market makers. He added that, like most cryptocurrencies, it is likely to drop in value again by Sunday, possibly as low as 50 cents. Fell is ending an interesting year, especially for the Dogecoin cryptocurrency.
Cryptocurrency markets have been a little volatile in recent weeks as the price of bitcoin has fallen. While crypto investors have seen a boom in the bull market in recent months, this significant drop in bitcoin in recent days could be a sign that the crypto market may be in a bubble. The average price of bitcoin over the past 50 days has fallen below the 200-day moving average of bitcoin, which means there could be more pressure on the digital currency. Ethereum has lost almost 57% from its all-time high of $4,356.99 in May, while Dogecoin has lost over 70% since reaching an all-time high of 73 cents last month, according to CoinGecko.
Dogecoin began skyrocketing in April, hitting an all-time high of almost 74 cents last month. The prank coin has surged more than 13,000 percent since Jan. 1 to its all-time high of 69 cents on Wednesday, according to CoinMarketCap. Amid the surge in cryptocurrencies, the overall market cap of the joke coin is now over $78 billion, according to CoinMarketCap. Meme cryptocurrency can also be purchased through trading apps like Robinhood and, starting Thursday, digital exchanges like Coinbase.
Robinhood, a popular trading app among young investors, has already allowed users to buy crypto memes and other cryptocurrencies. As the joke coin caught on, retail traders and traditional investors began to join in – the frenzy also briefly brought the Robinhood trading app to a halt this week. Reddit is dedicated to the WallStreetBets forum, which launched GameStop action into the stratosphere in an attempt to push “to the moon” and the cryptocurrency meme. Cryptocurrency trading reached such a frenzy that trading on Robinhood collapsed in mid-April and then again in early May.
Some have won; Dogecoin slumped to as low as $0.22 in the latest sell-off, surging above $0.40 this week after crypto platform Coinbase announced the launch of trading for users of its Pro service, despite Dogecoin’s Prices remain highly volatile. Many Dogecoin fans and investors are now hopeful that the hype will develop to the point where the cryptocurrency’s price rises to $1 in the next few days. Following the surge, Dogecoin has gained more than 11,000% since the beginning of the year.
During the 2017 to early 2018 cryptocurrency bubble Dogecoin (DOHJ-coin briefly peaked at $0.017 per coin on January 7, 2018,bringing its total market capitalization 2BILLION
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#dogecoin #dogecoinprice #dogecoinstock #dogecoinvalue #dogecoinreddit #howtobuydogecoin #elonmuskcryptocurrencydogecoin #whatisdogecoin #dogeprice #isbitcoingoingtocrash #willbitcoincrash #isbitcoincrashing #willbitcoincrashagain #bitcoin #willdogecoingoup #whyiscryptocrashing #cryptocrash #willcryptocrash #ElonMuskDOGECOIN #BITCOINNEWS #DOGENEWS


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Another recall for the recall-plagued Johnson & Johnson: Its McNeil Consumer Healthcare unit added its 8-hour Tylenol product to the list of 11 pulled off store shelves in recent months. Like other adult drugs recalled by the company--such as the Tylenol Arthritis Pain bottles yanked off the market last November--this batch spawned complaints of a musty or moldy odor.
And like the other odor troubles, this one appears to be caused by a chemical known as 2,4,6-tribromoanisole, which is used as a preservative on wood pallets used for storage and shipping of drugs. Unlike the others, these were not made at the company's Puerto Rico plant, but at the Fort Washington, PA, facility that was shut down for refitting after the mammoth children's drug recall. That plant remains closed, and the company doesn't expect it to reopen until well into next year.
The latest recall affects 127,728 bottles, the Wall Street Journal reports. That's just a drop in the bucket, considering that the company has recalled more than 150 million units of OTC drugs. But it's another set of headlines for J&J, once considered a paragon of quality. CEO Bill Weldon has made the rounds to apologize and promise that the problems will be fixed in interviews with a host of media outlets and in a hearing before Congress. Can all those mea culpas outweigh continued blows to J&J's rep?
The company's latest quarterly report suggests that J&J may have a harder time regaining its image than it previously thought. As Bloomberg reports, the company missed analyst estimates for Q3 revenues as consumer products sales suffered more than expected. The company posted $15 billion in quarterly sales, rather than the $15.2 billion observers had predicted; McNeil's sales alone fell 11 percent. "Weak U.S. consumer sales--which came in $209 million below our estimates--could potentially signal some systemic damage to J&J's brand name in light of the recent McNeil recalls and negative publicity," Rick Wise, an analyst at Leerink Swann, said in a note to clients (as quoted by Bloomberg).


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Television may be rushing headlong onto the Internet, but when it comes to an event such as Sunday's Super Bowl, the old medium still protects its turf.
You won't be able to catch a live video stream of Sunday's game anywhere on the Net, only on good old ABC itself. This will be a relief to those who might have had to decide between watching on their brand-new 42-inch plasma screen or the 17-inch CRT that shipped with their 4-year-old Gateway computer.
But for the only Super Bowl that people outside Seattle and, um, Pittsburgh care about, the Web is Information, Replay and Voting Central.
Even before the game, you can watch the Super Bowl of Advertising unfold at SuperBowl-Ads.com, a pioneering site that serves news about the ads in advance, offers still images from many of them and provides links to the few that are available in preview, including United Airlines' extravaganza, a surprising 60-second spot from a company just out of bankruptcy.
Among this year's trends for the $2.5 million-per-30-second ads, according to Ken Phipps, the New York City ad-agency art director who started SuperBowl-Ads.com: more direct appeal to women; lingering concern over taste issues dating back to Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction and Budweiser's flatulent horse; blue-chip advertisers rather than upstarts "like the year 2000 when it was all dot-commers trying to make their mark"; and, once again, Web domain-name registry GoDaddy.com masterfully working the media by submitting ads that it says ABC keeps rejecting because they're too darn sexy.
Interested? Of course you are, which is why they're up already at the GoDaddy Web site, where you realize that what's too risque for ABC is Sunday-school stuff by Internet standards.
But after the game comes the deluge. "You no longer really have to record the Super Bowl because you can get all the commercials on AOL the next day," says David Allan, an assistant professor of marketing at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia.
And you can get them on little screens, too, if you're not into things such as visual detail. "Diet Pepsi is going to shoot their commercials to iPods and cell phones," Allan says.
If you're a big fan of ridiculous spectacle rendered in miniature, Sprint cell phone customers will be able to download the Rolling Stones halftime show -- where nipple slippage, gentlemen, is not an option -- to their phone screens beginning Tuesday. See whose batteries run out first, your phone's or Mick's.
The Internet and associated technology are "a vehicle to support the television advertising and maybe at some point replace the television advertising," Allan says. "I think they're kind of test-driving the whole thing now."
After the game, like johnny-come-latelies AOL and the video site iFilm.com, the SuperBowl-Ads site will add the new spots to its viewing collection that dates to 1998. The site urges visitors -- about 1.3 million last year -- to bypass the know-it-all critics and register their opinions of the ads at another site, SpotBowl.com.
"Advertisers really do take seriously the results of these polls," says David Shoffner, a spokesman for Pavone, the Harrisburg, Pa., advertising and PR firm that came up with SpotBowl.
The SpotBowl site lets you print out an advertising scorecard to help your Super Bowl party have that much less to do with sports.
Ad rates keep going up, and live TV events have the advantage of being relatively TiVo-proof, but intense advertiser interest in new media does not bode well for Super Bowls of the future, Allan thinks.
"I like to think the Super Bowl will remain on the box, whatever the box is going to be," he says. "But the advertisers have actually moved kind of past that. I think the advertisers, to their credit, have realized there might be other mediums that are more advantageous to them."


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There were recent rumors that publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has tasked developer NetherRealm Studios to work on a new platform fighter. That rumor has now started to gain steam.
Taking to Twitter earlier today, VentureBeat editor Jeff Grubb confirmed that the Warner Bros. platform fighter exists but is not actually a NetherRealm game.
This WB platform fighter is real, but it is not a Netherrealm game. Come on. https://t.co/WkMiKf4dTH
— Jeff Grubb (@JeffGrubb) October 24, 2021
The rumored Warner Bros. platform fighter has furthermore been said to have been trademarked by the publisher last month as “Multiversus” which certainly sounds like a fitting title, unless the trademark was for something else entirely.
Warner Bros. has offered no statements at the time of writing but as far as the rumor mill goes, its alleged platform fighter has been in development for a while now and might possibly get announced somewhere in early 2022.
Fans should expect a “tag-team” game which will feature characters from all over the Warner Bros. universe. Some of the characters allegedly confirmed to be making their way forward include Shaggy from Scooby Doo, Gandalf from Lord of the Rings, Tom and Jerry, Fred Flintstone, Johnny Bravo, Mad Max, Batman himself, among many others yet to be revealed.
Warner Bros. is said to be taking inspiration from the Smash Bros. franchise of Nintendo for its own platform fighter. The publisher has an aim to carve out a brand new intellectual property while using the opportunity to earn a slice of the pie which Nintendo has enjoyed with its Smash Bros. games for years.
Elsewhere, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has its hands full for 2022 as it is. The publisher will be taking care of four gigantic releases: Gotham Knights, Hogwarts Legacy, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. That is unless more delays happen and some of those games get pushed into 2023.


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Truffle is sliced up and added to triple-distilled spirit. The gin also includes vanilla from Madagascar, pepper from Java and local yellow apples.
On release, 1,000 of the 1,300 €48 bottles sold within weeks.
Anne-Hélène Vialaneix, who set up the Grand Nez distillery with her partner Eric Lugas in 2019, said: “Most of our clients said they drank it as liqueur after the meal – it is surprisingly sweet with the vanilla and the surprising hazelnut and butter taste from the truffle.”
They aim to use only organic ingredients and source locally.
The truffles are summer ones from Gers, harvested in early autumn.
“We found black truffles lost most of their odour when they were added to alcohol, which is why we chose the summer truffles,” said Ms Vialaneix.
“The truffles make the gin an amber colour, which probably helps with the idea people have that it is a digestive.”
Both the distillery’s London dry gins won medals at the World Gin Awards.
Attribut No1, which has camomile and kiwi, won a silver medal and Attribut No2, with iris roots and ginger, got a gold. They sell for €38.
French people traditionally drink little gin, but Ms Vialaneix said this is changing, especially with the fashion for artisan gins in the UK and other parts of the world.
“Before Covid, people travelled and saw the great increase in the range of gins which were available. It is a market which is growing.”
The distillery uses an adapted still from Cognac instead of the more usual column stills, and has started a project to try to grow its own organic juniper berries, a key gin ingredient.
“They grow well in France but it’s frustrating trying to find them,” said Ms Vialaneix. “We are partnering with a local agricultural college to see if we can set up a system to produce them commercially, both for us but also for other bio gin-makers.
“We have a special tool made for a vine tractor to do the groundwork, and we are trying to shape the juniper bushes into tree shapes which will make mechanical harvesting easier, like they do with olives.
“Trying to pick commercially by hand will just be too slow and expensive.”
Another famous fungus from the southwest, the cep, is unlikely to find its way into the gin bottle soon. “Getting its flavour and perfume carried in alcoholic spirit is too hard, but we are always experimenting,” said Ms Vialaneix.


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New Zealand's telecommunications market is ripe for disruption, according to new research from IDC.
The analyst firm says COVID-19 has dented revenue streams, particularly roaming revenue, prepay revenue and handset sales.
IDC's 2020 Telecommunications Market Report, titled "An Unexpected Journey", says the market decreased 2.4% in the year to June 2020. The research forecasts a slow recovery through to 2024.
"Market players will focus on building resiliency and agility, then seek new paths to growth," says IDC ANZ principal telecommunications analyst Jefferson King.
"The rate of transition from resiliency to growth will depend on how digitally transformed they were before the pandemic," he says.
"A year ago, telcos were working on their own transformations, focussing on agility and improving enterprise digital service offerings. The mobile network operators started 5G deployments. Network operators had brought forward capacity improvements to cater for Spark Sport's streaming of the Rugby World Cup," King says.
"This year the focus is on collaboration and conferencing tools, security and quality connections to the home."
King says there is a renewed focus on helping small to medium businesses.
"Many were unprepared to participate effectively in the digital economy accelerated by COVID-19. Mix the above with a sprinkle of lockdowns, a cup of 'new ways of working', and a pinch of 'contactless-everything'. We've created the perfect storm for a disruptive play in the telco market," he says.
King says the time is right for a competitor to make a big play, while others might still be scrambling to build resiliency or taking a conservative 'wait-and-see' approach.
"There's a couple of key spaces to watch. The first is how aggressively mobile network operators migrate broadband customers to 5G fixed wireless broadband to save on input costs," he says.
"Will they start targeting fibre connections for migration? Will they launch combined mobile and fixed wireless 'wherever you are' propositions?"
Second, Pay TV provider SKY plans to launch broadband services in the next few months; starting with cross selling to its TV customer base.
"While the big telco retailers continue to lament the thin broadband margins, this won't bother SKY," says King.
"SKY can operate broadband services on little to no margin as a device to reduce churn on its more profitable pay TV service. Will SKY launch softly, or come out guns blazing and make a more aggressive, disruptive play for market share?"
In the report, IDC's guidance to telco players focuses across resiliency and reinvention.
IDC's senior research manager Monica Collier explains, "In this upcoming year, resiliency is critical and the telcos must yet again reinvent themselves'.
"Success in FY21, as economic uncertainty bites, will be a testament to the transformation efforts of previous years," she says.
"Those that aren't well positioned will focus resources on surviving. Those well positioned will have the resources to capitalise on new opportunities to thrive."


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Nan Graham has been promoted to svp, publisher of Scribner, reporting to Scribner Publishing Group president Susan Moldow. “As if Nan hadn’t amply proven how deserved this promotion is by her firm hand in shaping the list and staff and insuring the growth of the Scribner imprint over the last eighteen years, her performance of late surely demonstrates that she continues to exercise her singular editorial instincts, abilities, and leadership qualities at the highest levels,” Moldow said in the announcement. “[Graham’s] tireless work and shining insights for every book on the Scribner list have made Nan’s contribution to the success of the imprint paramount.”
Simon & Schuster ceo Carolyn Reidy added: “One of the great benefits of creating our new publishing organization is that it allows us to give Nan Graham, the very model of an outstanding editor and publishing executive, an even greater role at Scribner. All of us at S&S and throughout our industry have marveled at how she has led the editorial team these many years, and are eager to see her at the helm.”
Liz Van Doren has been promoted to editorial director, book publishing at Highlights for Children and Boyds Mills Press.
Ricardo Costa is joining the Frankfurt Book Fair in the new position of regional director, Brazil and South America, to “pursue new business opportunities in the region.” They say it is “the first step in establishing a permanent office in Sao Paulo.” Brazil will be the guest of honor at the 2013 Frankfurt show.
In the UK, Ed Ripley will join Walker Books next spring as UK sales & marketing director and group export sales director. Previously he was sales director, children’s books at Pan Macmillan.
At Orion, Jane Sturrock has been promoted to editorial director, non-fiction.
Louise Brice will join Blake Friedmann in mid-January as foreign rights, digital and audio manager.
Dalkey Archive announced that they have “begun the process of succession from the founder and current publisher, John O’Brien, to a publishing house that will be directed by two-three people along with support staff.”
The American Booksellers Association offices are closing Thursday afternoon, as the organization prepares to relocate from Tarrytown to White Plains. “The offices are expected to reopen on or about Wednesday, December 19.” They note “there will be an interruption in phone service during this time,” and when the ABA reopens, they will have a new phone number.
Matriarch of Berteslmann’s controlling family Liz Mohn issued her first public comments about the impending merger between Penguin and Random House in an interview in the Telegraph. “Books do mean a lot to me: Bertelsmann grew big on books, and I myself grew up with them,” Mohn said, We will continue to publish books for a mass public as well as works for smaller readerships. The planned combination will give authors from all genres even more publishing options for the success of their books.” Mohn added that she expects ebooks to “coexist comfortably” with printed books going forward as well.


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By David E. Black and Mario Turco
Travel the streets of Harrisburg and throughout our region and one thing is certain: small business thrives here. The region is chock full of creative thinkers, risk takers and hard workers that create jobs and foster a unique business community that enriches the region’s culture. Simply stated, small businesses are the lifeblood of Harrisburg’s local economy and a healthy, diverse small business base makes a region stronger economically. More business, more commerce, more jobs, more income, more spending, and the economy grows.
To celebrate and recognize our region’s approximately 20,000 small businesses, the Harrisburg Regional Chamber/Capital Region Economic Development Corporation (CREDC) and Verizon Wireless will celebrate the Harrisburg Region Small Business Week, June 17–21, featuring a series of webinars and events to give small business owners resources and perspectives to succeed and grow their businesses.
The signature event of Harrisburg Region Small Business Week will be a complimentary luncheon June 18, with a presentation by Jim Hilker, a Google Street View representative, who will speak about how small business owners can better market their businesses with Google+ Local.
The Chamber & CREDC will also share news regarding a newly created affiliate program with Google Street View. Verizon Wireless executive Rich Hunter will also speak about the many benefits that wireless technology can deliver for small businesses as they navigate a very competitive marketplace. More details of the luncheon can be found at here and the full schedule of events for the week can be found here.
Verizon Wireless is committed to providing opportunities to leverage mobile technology in all facets of life, including small business. We strive to deliver powerful solutions to our customers. The Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC’s mission is to be a catalyst for business growth, job creation and policy change that enhances the quality of life in our region. Together, we can help further empower the small businesses that have such a profound impact on our community.
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, during the last 20 years, small businesses have created two of every three net new jobs in the United States. And the country’s 28 million small businesses today employ 60 million Americans. In this region alone, approximately 60 percent of all Chamber & CREDC members are small businesses with 20 or fewer employees.
Not only are this region’s small businesses vital to our regional economic well-being, they are typically owned by proprietors that live in our communities, patronize other local businesses for services and also support community-based groups.
“Owning a small business is a roller coaster ride,” said Sharon Ryan, president of Dasher, Inc. “There’s exhilaration and anxiety all the time. It’s difficult and it’s all-consuming, and I love it. The economic challenges in our region typically occur after they have hit other regions. That doesn’t necessarily make it easier, it just gives us time to prepare.”
“The moderate economy in Central Pennsylvania allows us to stay pretty steady, no matter the situation in the U.S. overall,” said Kurt Twiford, founder and owner of Conexus. “Our solid mix of federal and state customers, a great local work ethic and access to a road network that helps us drive to much of the mid-Atlantic in less than three hours are positive elements of the region from a business perspective.”
We are thrilled to support this initiative that will provide tools to help entrepreneurs and business owners continue to drive their success. It’s critical to remember, however, that though we celebrate the Harrisburg Region Small Business Week, every day these leaders shape our region.
We salute those who lead our region’s small businesses. We thank them for being key players in our region’s economic development and job growth, for the countless hours they put into their businesses and the positive impact they have on our community through their involvement and support of community needs that further enhance the quality of life for all in our region.
David E. Black is president and CEO of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC. Mario Turco is the president of Verizon Wireless’ Philadelphia Tri-State Region.


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Interplay announced today it bought a stake in London, England-based Virgin Publishing as part of a campaign to become profitable again and has completed agreements regarding the two companies' publishing, sales, marketing and distribution operations in Europe.
As part of the agreements, Virgin will distribute nearly all of Interplay's titles in Europe, and Interplay will distribute all of Virgin titles in North America, South America and other territories including Japan. As part of the agreements, Interplay and its management has acquired 49.9 percent ownership interest in the parent entity of Virgin. Likely titles that Electronic Arts did not pick up as part of its acquisition of Virgin are Speed Bike and a series of soccer games roughly entitled "Viva La."
"We have initiated efforts to reduce our operating costs company-wide and have implemented a narrower product development focus by returning to the kinds of titles, such as role-playing games, upon which we built the company and where we have a dominant position. Both Baldur's Gate and Fallout 2 have done very well and we have an exciting lineup of titles scheduled for introduction later this year."
"We believe there are other similar synergistic opportunities available to us where we can combine our strengths with those of other companies to maximize Interplay's long-term growth," Fargo added.
Virgin Interactive also will hire Interplay's sales and marketing department of about 10 workers, a spokesman for Interplay said.
"These agreements will enable us to reduce headcount, realize operating efficiencies and allow us to have direct distribution operations in Germany, France, Spain and the UK," Chief Executive Officer Brian Fargo said in a statement. Interplay was taking other steps to cut costs and focus its efforts on developing the role-playing games on which it built its reputation, Fargo said.
Interplay launched a restructuring last October, warning that its fourth quarter results would be far below expectations as it faced cash and liquidity pressures. The company posted a net loss for the third quarter of $15.1 million on revenues of $24.5 million, vs. a net loss a year earlier of $5.5 million on revenues of $23.8 million.


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Here is a compilation of memes about the continuous increase in the price of onion.
ONION MEMES: Netizens have created hilarious and witty memes about the massive increase in the price of onions.
In recent months, rising prices for basic commodities, petroleum products, groceries, and other necessities add to the burden of the Filipino people. The inflation rate has something to do with the increase in the price of goods.
Among the products that increased enormously in terms of prices are red onions. In fact, the retail price of red onion in Metro Manila or the National Capital Region is around 280-300 pesos per kilo. The Department of Agriculture (DA) was apparently unable to conclude that there is a supply shortage.
The Ministry of Agriculture, headed by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., said that they will coordinate with the Plant Industry Bureau (BPI) to determine what is the probable reason behind the increase from 180 pesos a year ago to 300.
Amid rising onion prices, the Iloilo Metropolitan Times compiled a series of witty memes about rising onion prices. Here is the build:
Meanwhile, according to Undersecretary for Agriculture Kristine Evangelista, the DA is expanding the number of Kadiwa locations where customers can buy onions for just P170 a kilo. On November 16, the Kadiwa ng Pasko, which featured food and products produced by micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, was simultaneously launched throughout the country.
What can you say about this report? Share your thoughts or ideas in the comment section below. For more news and latest updates feel free to visit Newspapers.ph more often, as well as our Facebook page Y Youtube channel.


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http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/c ... 1831FBF5E5}
MikeNEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Struggling electronics retailer Circuit City Stores Inc. is considering a plan to shut at least 150 stores and cut thousands of jobs to avoid filing for bankruptcy protection, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing unidentified people familiar with the situation.
Circuit City has hired Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, which oversaw Kmart's Chapter 11 reorganization, as its bankruptcy counsel. The company also has retained FTI Consulting Inc. to develop a turnaround plan and investment bank Rothschild Inc. to guide talks with banks and secure emergency financing, the Journal reported. See related MarketWatch First Take commentary.
"While we would appreciate [Circuit City] for its attempt to stay solvent, we remain highly pessimistic on holiday sales and on consumer spending in 2009," said Standard & Poor's analyst Michael Souers.
A filing from Circuit City would make it the largest retailer to enter bankruptcy protection in several years, the paper reported. Retailers that have filed for bankruptcy protection this year include Linens 'n Things, Mervyn's and Sharper Image.
"We're not going to speculate on rumors and comment beyond our original statement," said Circuit City spokesman Jim Babb in a response to emailed questions.
The company's management team, board of directors, and its strategic financial advisers are conducting a "comprehensive review" of all aspects of its business to determine the best methods of accelerating its turnaround and delivering substantially improved operating and financial performance, the company said in a written statement.
Shares of Circuit City fell 2.6% to 38 cents a share in afternoon trading, erasing earlier gains and wiping out 91% of their value this year.
The declining credit market has yielded the company little luck in securing debtor-in-possession financing, which helps a business in bankruptcy proceedings pay its day-to-day operating expenses, according to the Journal. By shutting the stores, 59-year-old Circuit City could liquidate about $350 million in inventory, which it could use to pay off certain real-estate costs and pressure existing landlords to renegotiate some leases, the paper added.
As of Aug. 31, Circuit City had 714 stores in the United States and 772 stores and dealer outlets in Canada, employing about 45,000 people. It had sales of $11.74 billion in the year ended Feb. 29.
In September, Circuit City withdrew its previous fiscal 2009 outlook and said that it was suspending future store openings beginning next fiscal year to review all aspects of the business ahead of the holiday season, its biggest selling period.
Faced with a slowing U.S. economy, a weakened brand position, along with stiff competition from rivals such as Best Buy Co. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Circuit City has lost market share and customer traffic. Cash and short-term investments declined 78% to $92.5 million, while the company incurred short-term debt of $215 million.
The retailer's liquidity position and how its financial performance may be affecting its vendors were repeated topics on management's conference call with analysts in September.
Circuit City, which began to explore a sale of the company earlier this year, said in September that all options were still on the table. It also said that it may focus internally on improving its performance to keep operating independently.
Video-rental chain Blockbuster Inc. abandoned its bid to acquire Circuit City in July. End of Story
I used to love CC! Now, if you dont know EXACTLY what you want, they cant help you. Most times there arent even any employees in the sections to give advise or guidance, or they have 1 person that can help everyone looking for a new tv....how sad.


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Narrow your search
Cheats for GTA All in one is the app which consist cheat for all GTA versions. It includes cheat PS4, PS 3, PSP, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nitendo DS,...
Intelligent video organizer and watching movie with subtitle and edit too.
Rounding up the WiiWare and Virtual Console releases for the week of 10/13.
blog Thanks to robust sales of Nintendo's DS Lite handheld video game console, the company said its revenue was up 70 percent over a year ago.


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UK accountancy firms, under the leadership of the chartered accountancy institutes, are among the organisations that have set themselves up as providers of website ‘seals of approval’. But for consumers the existence of a growing number of such stamps of approval can be confusing – and make little difference to their decision whether or not to buy online.
Accountants become web watchers
More than a quarter of the UK population now uses the internet. But only a quarter of these use the internet to purchase goods, according to a survey by CommerceNet and Nielsen Media last year. ‘Customers browse online, but still buy on the High Street,’ said Mike Sturgess, managing director of accountancy training outfit SWAT.
Internet approval seals are designed to reduce fears consumers have about making online purchases by verifying that web-based businesses adhere to their professed policies and procedures, looking at whether they deliver their goods on time, fulfil customer service goals and assure security and privacy.
The idea of a web watchdog is not new. Many North American web operators have been complying with a seal of approval called WebTrust for months.
|Last month the English, Scottish and Irish chartered accountancy institutes launched WebTrust here. Its aim is to ensure web operators fulfil their claims and to allay online shoppers’ fears when buying goods with their credit cards.|
WebTrust was developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA). Its proponents have big plans for WebTrust.
Toronto-based Computer Systems Centre (CSC) received the WebTrust seal in December 1999. ‘The reason we selected WebTrust is that the WebTrust seal signifies the highest level of security and privacy assurance that can be communicated to customers,’ CSC’s online manager Bryan Wray told AccountancyAge.com.
Websites wishing to register with WebTrust undergo rigorous checks over a minimum period of three months. These checks verify that the company adheres to the procedures, trading methods and standards it claims to have.
Web auditors can take up to six months investigating companies who wish to have the WebTrust seal of assurance. So far, 360 chartered accountants are qualified as web auditors. Reviews will take place on a three-monthly basis.
After the checks have been satisfied, the company gets to sport the WebTrust logo denoting that it fulfils the criteria of security, privacy and delivery of goods. SWAT Ltd became the first UK organisation to be awarded with the UK WebTrust seal for e-security this month.
SWAT’s Sturgess said: ‘WebTrust is a vital new service for any consumer or business purchasing anything via the internet. With the rapid growth of the internet and e-commerce many businesses find that their systems and controls simply cannot keep up. WebTrust deals directly with the security and privacy concerns of on-line shoppers and standardises the criteria for secure internet transactions.’
With the auditing experience that many chartered accountants already have, some feel they are ideally suited to take responsibility for this new branch of auditing.
‘Chartered accountants have unrivalled understanding of business processes which means that they are ideally placed to appraise e-practice,’ said Chris Howard who is heading up the Assurance Services Initiative at the English ICA.
‘This will unite the auditing profession around companies providing consumers with an honest, professional service,’ said Nick Bleech, KPMG’s e-commerce consultancy department.
War of the web watchdogs?
But accountants are far from having this fledgling market sewn up. There is competition for the role of web watchdog, and fears that this could confuse consumers. ‘With the growing competition among seals of assurance, consumers will become very confused as to what they represent,’ said KPMG’s Bleech.
Some web seals of approval, such as Which’s WebTrader, run by the Consumers Association, include a liability clause that will reimburse an unhappy customer the first £50 of a loss, if the e-business concerned carries the WebTrader seal. ‘It’s very interesting that some seals will partly repay customers if they experience losses when buying from a web site that carries their seal,’ said Bleech.
Like many other e-commerce experts, Bleech feels that a clause like this indicates a company might have doubts about the organisations, which carry their logo. Alan Stevens, from which, denied WebTrader was given out without proper investigation first, explaining that the reimbursement clause was a case of forward thinking, rather than doubt. ‘Our legal officers who are trained in consumer law carry out in-depth checks on an applicant’s web site. It takes between 2 to 3 weeks,’ he added.
Of the 1,000 applications submitted to the WebTrader assurance seal since its launch in June 1999, only 500 have been accepted. Once a UK company is approved, random checks are carried out to ensure the company is continuing to comply with stipulated criteria.
The Financial Services Authority is also getting in on the act proposing a suffix to be added to the address of financial institutions regulated by the authority.
If institutions so wish, the suffix, .fin.uk, would be added to internet addresses to indicate to online customers that the company adhered to privacy and security policies.
Under this proposal, major banks that have already invested massive sums in registering and marketing their internet addresses, such as Egg and Barclays, would be obliged to re-register their web addresses – and may understandably be reluctant to take part in such a scheme.
The government is also currently considering the development an internet watchdog of the watchdogs to monitor all existing internet assurance seals.
New growth opportunities in Aberdeen, North East Scotland, are being invested in by Grant Thornton
If businesses do not take cyber security seriously in their business planning regulators may do it for them, the ICAEW has warned
The Financial Reporting Council has issued guidance regarding the annual reporting of 1,200 large and smaller listed companies. The letter highlighted the key issues and improvements that can be made in the 2016 reporting season
Deloitte's north-west Europe foray; BDO, Smith & Williamson investment paths; Shelley Stock Hutter; and Wilkins Kennedy discussed by editor Kevin Reed on our Friday Afternoon Live broadcast


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this probably was not the best way to handle thisMoments later, shop owner John Riley, a retired military veteran returned to the shop and was informed of the theft moments before. It was then the silver Sunfire was spotted at Massey Road and FM 3083 after passing the shop again but northbound on FM 3083. Riley attempted to stop the suspect in the parking lot of a convenience store. The suspect attempted to run the owner over at which time the owner produced a pistol and fired at the vehicle several times.
theft IN GRANGERLAND | Montgomery County Police Reporter


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Silicon nanowires can be used in lithium-ion batteries that power laptops, iPods, camcorders, cellular phones and many other electronic devices that people use in their everyday life.
A group of researchers from Stanford University found out that nanowires made of silicon allow to considerably enhance the output of Li-ion batteries. A laptop that can work on its common rechargeable battery for two hours will be able to run for 20 hours with the help of the new technology. That would be great news for those who regularly use laptops in their business trips.
Yi Cui, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, described the discovery as a “revolutionary development.”
Enhanced Li-ion batteries could then be used in the production of electric cars. In addition, they could expand the output of electric power generated by rooftop solar panels.
"Given the mature infrastructure behind silicon, this new technology can be pushed to real life quickly," Cui said.
The electrical storage capacity of a Li-ion battery depends on how much lithium can be held in the battery's anode, which is typically made of carbon. Silicon has a much higher capacity than carbon, but also has a downside.
Silicon placed in a battery swells as it absorbs positively charged lithium atoms during charging, then shrinks during use (i.e., when playing your iPod) as the lithium is drawn out of the silicon. This expand/shrink cycle typically causes the silicon (often in the form of particles or a thin film) to pulverize, degrading the performance of the battery.
The new battery pushes this problem aside with the help of nanotechnology. The battery stores lithium in silicon nanowires, each with the diameter one-thousandth the thickness of a sheet of paper. The wires inflate four times as they absorb lithium, but they do not fracture like other silicon-made shapes.
Scientists launched the research about 30 years ago, but gave up the efforts because the capacity was not high enough.
How is Russia going to respond? Last time, an attack of this scale on the Crimean Bridge led to the beginning of the destruction of the Ukrainian energy system


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Tuesday, March 31, 2015 03:38 PM
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) data each month, a measure that most of us think of as the rate of inflation. The CPI measures the average change in prices over time for a fixed market basket of goods and services. The CPI can be divided
" about to crash down on it as older oilfield workers hung up their cork boots to enjoy freedom-55. Now, with oil prices still in the doldrums, many of those same workers are
This time a year ago, the oil industry's biggest problem was finding a way to deal with the "
Not only does Texas have the
Texas is famous the world over for two things on a massive scale: oil and droughts. Now the slick but dry state is becoming famous for water: that precious element that both resolves the drought problem and also makes it possible to pump more oil out of the ground.
Lest we be too quick to forget whence we came, America is now 9-months into lower gasoline prices, which started their swoon the week of June 30, 2015 from a lofty national average just under $3.70, tumbling almost every subsequent week before bottoming and bouncing from $2.02 the end of January,
Predicting and diagnosing the trajectory of oil prices has become something of a cottage industry in the past year. But along with all of the excess crude flowing from the oil patch, there is also an abundance of market indicators that while important, tend to produce a lot of noise that makes any
Governments always like to have us believe that trade deals are good for the economy. From research
done by Robert E. Scott at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), we can quite clearly see that this is most definitely not the case for nearly 900,000 American
Oil's rapid decline since August of last year has been dramatic. To listen to some commentators you would also think it is unprecedented and irreversible. Those claiming that oil will continue to fall from here and remain low for evermore, however, are flying in the face of both history and
Do you have faith in your local police department?


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Connect with gaming and metaverse leaders online at GamesBeat Summit: Into the Metaverse 3 this February 1-2. Register here.
We won’t know exactly what Apple has in store for its next iPhone until September.
Even though that’s still about five months away, various leaks and notes from analysts have painted a picture of what we might be able to expect from the successor to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
Based on what we’ve heard, it sounds like the changes will focus more on enhancing features like the camera rather than redesigning what the phone looks like.
It will probably be called the iPhone 7 and come in two sizes
The next iPhone may be so significantly different than the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus that Apple could call it the iPhone 7, not the iPhone 6s. At least that’s what Ming Chi-Kuo of KGI Securities believes, which he wrote in a note earlier this month.
Kuo also believes that Apple will stick to the sizes it introduced in September, and will offer the next iPhone in both 4.7 and 5.5-inch variants.
There’s a chance we’ll see a new 4-inch iPhone, too
Taiwanese publication Digitimes reports that Apple is planning to release three iPhones: a 4.7-inch phone, a 5.5-inch model, and a new 4-inch iPhone. It’s unclear how this 4-inch phone would fit into Apple’s current iPhone lineup, and how it would be branded. Digitimes also has a mixed track record, so this report may be bogus.
This story originally appeared on Business Insider. Copyright 2015
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The proprietors of Adirondack Winery invite all couples to stop by their store on Valentine's Day and celebrate with their loved ones by participating in wine-tasting.
Adirondack Winery is hosting their "Wine Lovers & Learners," event, open to the public, on Valentine's Day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 14.
"Adirondack Winery is a 'must-do' to celebrate with your Valentine," a store proprietor said.
The event includes free couples wine sampling, including champagne tasting.
Adirondack Winery is located at 285 Canada St. in the heart of Lake George Village.


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A.R.T. Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Guess?, Inc. (NYSE:GES) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 17,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $214,000.
Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Guess? by 13.8% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 260,431 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,805,000 after buying an additional 31,659 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its stake in shares of Guess? by 34.7% in the third quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 855,755 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,503,000 after buying an additional 220,373 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Capital Management Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Guess? during the third quarter valued at about $2,066,000. Highbridge Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Guess? during the third quarter valued at about $3,470,000. Finally, Royce & Associates LP raised its stake in shares of Guess? by 27.7% in the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 748,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,056,000 after buying an additional 162,500 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.26% of the company’s stock.
Guess?, Inc. (NYSE:GES) opened at 11.13 on Tuesday. Guess?, Inc. has a 1-year low of $10.29 and a 1-year high of $19.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $938.94 million, a P/E ratio of 14.76 and a beta of 0.63. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $12.62 and its 200 day moving average is $13.67.
Guess? (NYSE:GES) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 15th. The company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.03. Guess? had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 4.84%. The business had revenue of $679.27 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $689.05 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.57 EPS. Guess?’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Guess?, Inc. will post $0.34 earnings per share for the current year.
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 13th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 29th will be given a dividend of $0.225 per share. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 27th. Guess?’s payout ratio is currently 118.42%.
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GES has been the subject of several research analyst reports. B. Riley lowered shares of Guess? from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 10th. Wunderlich reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of Guess? in a research report on Monday, November 28th. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their target price on shares of Guess? from $14.00 to $12.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Guess? from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Finally, Mizuho lowered shares of Guess? from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $14.00 to $10.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Guess? has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $13.98.
In other news, CEO Amigo Victor Herrero bought 2,724 shares of Guess? stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 3rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $12.25 per share, with a total value of $33,369.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 337,427 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,133,480.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 28.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Guess?, Inc designs, markets, distributes and licenses a lifestyle collection of apparel and accessories for men, women and children. The Company operates through five segments: Americas Retail, which includes its retail and e-commerce operations in North and Central America and its retail operations in South America; Europe, which includes its wholesale, retail and e-commerce operations in Europe and the Middle East; Asia, which includes its retail, e-commerce and wholesale operations in Asia; Americas Wholesale, which includes its wholesale operations in the Americas, and Licensing, which includes licensing operations of the Company across the world.
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GES? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Guess?, Inc. (NYSE:GES).
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Papa John's says Schnatter will no longer have office space at its HQ
Papa John's International said in a statement Sunday that founder John Schnatter no longer will have use of the office at the company's headquarters.
A special committee of the board of directors was formed to evaluate the company's relationship with Schnatter, a press release said.
On Sunday, it "approved and directed the company to terminate a sublease agreement granting Mr. Schnatter the right to use certain office space at the company’s corporate headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky," according to the press release.
The company said Friday it would also remove Schnatter's image from advertising and marketing.
The rise and fall of John Schnatter:His mouth was his own worst enemy
Schnatter stepped down last week as chairman of the company he founded after he admitted to using the N-word during a business call in May. Since the Forbes report was published Wednesday, backlash has been swift: Schnatter also resigned from the University of Louisville board of trustees and his name was taken off the school's football stadium.
The committee will oversee an external audit and investigation that the company announced last week, which will review the company’s "processes, policies and systems related to diversity and inclusion, supplier and vendor engagement and Papa John’s culture."


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Data visualization isn’t always easy, especially if your data is coming from a wide variety of sources. Datahero, which is launching its private alpha today, wants to make it easier for individuals, small companies and even enterprises to visualize and understand their data without having to worry about data formats and SQL queries. The company plans to opens its web-based service up to the public later this year. As the company’s co-founders Chris Neumann and Jeff Zabel told us earlier this week, Datahero also just raised a $1 million funding round led by Foundry Group, with participation by Neu Venture Capital, Dave Kellogg, Tasso Argyros, Mayank Bawa, Mike Greenfield, and Jonathan Goldman.
The company’s co-founders are both tech industry veterans, but are coming to this new business from two different directions. Neuman previously worked at Aster Data, a big data analytics company that was doing “big data analytics” before anybody really called it that. Zabel, on the other hand, previously worked on consumer-facing products at BMW’s Palo Alto lab, where he was, among other things, responsible for BMW’s iPhone integration and Google Maps send-to-car-GPS functionality.
In an interview earlier this week, Neumann and Zabel noted that, in their view, there has been a big shift in how people want to interact with their data now that they have so much information at their fingertips. Current business intelligence tools, however, are often antiquated and hard to use. Combing their expertise in big data analysis and consumer-facing design, the two decided to tackle this problem.
While Datahero is still keeping its user interface out of the public eye, the co-founder told me that the idea here is to make it extremely easy to import data either directly from services the company is partnering with (though they wouldn’t say who they are working with) or from basic CSV files. Datahero will try to figure out how to interpret and display this data in the best possible way. Power users, however, will also be able to go in and manipulate the data and the way it is visualized in any way they want. This, says the company, will allow non-experts to do their own data analysis, something that is currently still hard in most business environments, making this space ripe for disruption.
It’s hard not to look at this product without wondering if this isn’t more of a feature that a company like Salesforce.com, SAP or Microsoft would offer as part of their overall business solutions. Neumann and Zabel, however, argue that what they are doing is more than just a feature, as they are not beholden to any vendor and let users import data from any source they want.
While the company isn’t talking about its plans for the future, it’s pretty obvious that the ambition here goes far beyond pie charts and scatter plots. With its team’s background in big data analysis, visualization is surely just one of the first areas the company plans to tackle and more advanced analysis tools will surely follow soon.


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AstraZeneca Plc and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. urged a Philadelphia federal appeals court not to revive a 10-year-old lawsuit alleging the drugmakers paid kickbacks to benefits manager Medco Health Solutions Inc.
Novo Nordisk A/S, the world’s biggest insulin maker, is seeing a rebound in sales of its Victoza diabetes treatment in the U.S. after a few months of flat growth, Chief Financial Officer Jesper Brandgaard said.
U.S. stocks rose, sending the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index to a record, as Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp. sales beat estimates while a drop in consumer confidence added to speculation the Federal Reserve will delay scaling back monetary stimulus.
More than half of senior citizens surveyed mistakenly attributed rising costs of their medicines to Obamacare, according to Express Scripts Holding Co., a misunderstanding that is contributing to the law’s unpopularity.
Novo Nordisk A/S, the world’s biggest insulin maker, isn’t on a downward trajectory and moved forward on many projects this year following a setback to its most promising product, its chief scientist said.
Eli Lilly & Co. is counting on the quality of a diversified product portfolio over boosting its sales forces to grab a bigger slice of the $22 billion U.S. diabetes market, a difference in strategy to some of its rivals.


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Tom Shear in Assemblage 23 has decided to try out crowdfunding for his new album. It’s up on Indiegogo now.
At the time of writing this the campaign has been up for a day, and it’s already at 175%, which is pretty awesome. An interesting twist on the campaign is that the album would have been released anyway, regardless of how the crowdfunding went. Instead, the money from the campaign is more of a way to connect with fans, offering cool stuff and experiences. And perhaps to get some lights for the new live show.
Tom’s made a video where he explains everything, so check it out on Indiegogo.