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Sarah Crook, CEO Of Christopher Kane, Has Seen The Future Of Luxury.
It’s impossible not to draw breath when you step through the doors of the Christopher Kane flagship store in Mayfair. It may be a paean to minimalism and the glowing properties of Portland stone, but that’s not the first thing you see. Instead it’s the rails popping with acid neon, lace, frills and fringing that set the heart racing. Designed by the architect John Pawson, the store is the perfect blank canvas for Kane’s dazzling collections, and proof of a disruptor fashion brand’s alternative strategy for success in the luxury industry.
The store, which opened a year ago, was one of the first developments overseen by Sarah Crook after she became CEO of Christopher Kane in 2014. After French luxury goods company Kering took a 51% stake in the brand in 2013, it sought out Crook for her modern thinking and challenging approach to the fashion business. Christopher Kane back then was a tiny, British label loaded with cool, but it needed new impetus to become a global player alongside the likes of Chanel and Louis Vuitton. Crook’s leadership is already bearing fruit in this regard.
Capitalising on an ability to move fast and innovate, with an eye on future technologies such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence, Crook is leading the brand fearlessly in to the future. Her brand-building credentials are strong: a nine-year stint at Stella McCartney saw her rise from the business development department to the VP’s office, as Stella McCartney grew from a stealth label for London girls to a dominant global fashion force.
Now she is set to do the same with Christopher Kane, even if the challenges are the toughest she has ever faced. Crook has blended seamlessly into the Kane family business set-up (alongside Christopher is his sister Tammy as main creative collaborator; another sister, Sandra heads up HR).
Luxury is changing, people want something new, they want innovation and change. They don’t want what everyone else has
“The marketplace is constantly changing,” Crook says, “and as a cutting-edge brand, it’s our job not just to keep up, but be ahead.” The fashion industry has exploded globally, and consumers now have thousands of brands to choose from across multiple platforms, with demand and delivery progressing at dizzying speed. “There is just so much product now,” she says, “so for us, the focus has to be on growing desire. It’s not just about giving people what they want when they want it, it’s got to have more value than that.”
Growth remains a challenge, especially since the most accelerated opportunities in recent years have been in the Asia and BRIC markets, where brands like Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Dior spend large marketing budgets. “My priority,” Crook says, “is to ensure we have the right structure to drive the business and build the brand. When you are brand-building, you can be agile and creative in your execution which is important, particularly for a highly creative brand.”
In its vibrant home market, Christopher Kane benefits from being an exciting young brand, but overseas British fashion labels have relied heavily on heritage. Crook sees her brand’s lack of tradition as an advantage. “The meaning of luxury is changing, people want something new, they want innovation and change. They don’t want what everyone else has got.”
Her best advocates are the customers, global ambassadors including style-setters from Alexa Chung to the Duchess of Cambridge. But Crook and Kane himself are fascinated by every kind of woman. Silicon Valley tech queens and pension-fund managers number among the fans, because although the designs are colourful and edgy, the collection is immensely wearable, making podium- and camera-ready dressing a breeze. Regardless of age or life path, the Christopher Kane customer has a common approach: a spirit of adventure and a track record in success. You want to stand out, but look together and on it? Wear Christopher Kane.
This takes careful brand management. “We like to try new things,” says Crook. “We recently held a life-drawing class in store, and we also do talks and private events that give the customer a Christopher Kane experience, not just a product.”
Summer 2016 also sees the launch of the brand’s e-commerce site – “Finally!” Crook exclaims with excitement – which will feature exclusive, limited-edition releases every two months and a non-traditional online shopping experience. “I think the days of turn left for content and right for shopping are over,” says Crook. “What we’ve done is create a world of now. We think customers will come to us knowing exactly what it is they are looking for, so we have made [the site] incredibly easy to navigate. But they are also savvy, so we need to look at what’s coming – the worlds of video, virtual reality and artificial intelligence.”
Innovation is a watchword at Kering, where chairman François-Henri Pinault puts young, unknown designers in charge of bigger brands and makes controversial strategic decisions. After he appointed Hedi Slimane to Yves Saint Laurent, Slimane removed ‘Yves’ from the name and repositioned the brand to much initial criticism, but sales were boosted exponentially. “It’s called freedom within a framework,” says Crook. “There are clear parameters for success, but Kering gives us a level of autonomy where we can define our own individual strategy. It makes it very exciting.”
Crook is one of a group of female fashion bosses who have recently taken the helm at fashion companies: Holli Rogers at Browns Fashion, Stefanie Cartwright at Harvey Nichols, Trino Verkade at Mary Kratantzou. But she is dismissive of this being positive discrimination. “If you look at the fashion industry it’s staffed mostly by women; 70% of our staff here at Christopher Kane are women. The cliché answer to what a woman brings to any role is that she can ‘multitask’, but actually I would be appalled if someone thought I had only got the job because I was a woman. I would hope any woman was appointed solely on merit.”
Perhaps a better question might be what sacrifices are required to make it to the top job, but Crook, “ never set out to be a career woman, it just happened to me.” Her advice for those looking to get into the fashion industry through traditional front-of-house roles is to think again. Taking a business route, as she did, can provide a clear career path as well as all the glamour.
Maybe the clue to her success lies in her fashion advice. What should a female executive be wearing for work these days? Crook laughs, and admits she balked when she arrived at Christopher Kane – her hitherto conservative uniform of black tailoring had kept her stealthily chic. “Stretch yourself,” she says. “That’s what I learned: you can go further than you think.” Advice noted.
Tiffanie Darke is Editor-at-Large of Sunday Times Style and Creative Content Director of The Times, The Sunday Times and The Sun.


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Hyderabad: The drought situation in Telangana State has forced the farmers to sell their oxen as they are not in a position to provide 30 Kg. fodders to these animals.
In the wake of ban on cow slaughter, encounter on smuggling of big animals has created this situation. There is a ban on the sale of cow meat but the meat of bullock and buffalo is allowed.
A survey revealed that there are 6 lakhs bullock in Medak, two lakh in Nizamabad, 1.5 lakh in Mahboob Nagar and more than 1 lakh in Kareem Nagar available for sale. The increasing rates of fodders also add to the worries of the farmers. If the farmers sell their oxen to butchers, he might face the wrath of the communal elements. Despite this situation, farmers are ready to sell their oxen. It is reported that the oxen of Medak District can be sold out easily since there is a slaughter house nearby.

domain: news


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JD Wetherspoon saw like-for-like sales in its third quarter grow 4%, with the company describing trading as “better than expected”.
Total sales for the 13 weeks to 23 April were up 1.4%.
In the year to date like-for-like sales were up 3.5% and total sales grew. 1.4%
JDW has opened nine pubs since the start of the financial year and has sold 36. Three pubs have been closed and are being marketed. One more pub is expected to open this financial year.
About £16m of exceptional, non-cash losses are expected in this financial year, mainly as a result of the disposal programme.
The operating margin in the 13 weeks to 23 April 2017 was 7.3%, compared with 6.4% in the same 13 weeks last year. The year-to-date operating margin was 7.8% compared with 6.3% last year.
Net debt at the end of this financial year is now expected to be about £70m higher than the level at the last financial year end, mainly as a result of expenditure on freehold reversions and share buybacks.
JDW chairman, Tim Martin, said: “As previously reported, the company expects significantly higher costs in the second half of the financial year, mainly for business rates, utility taxes, excise duty and labour. In view of these costs and stronger sales comparisons, the company remains cautious about the second half of the year.
“Nevertheless, as a result of better-than-expected year-to-date sales, we currently anticipate a slightly improved trading outcome for the current financial year, compared with our expectations at the last update.
“As a result of these higher costs the company anticipates it will require like-for-like sales of about 3 to 4% in our next financial year to maintain profits at current levels.”
He also gave his latest view on Brexit, saying: “A number of individuals and organisations, which previously supported UK membership of the euro and its disastrous predecessor the ERM, and who recently promoted the erroneous view of a severe economic downturn in the immediate aftermath of a leave vote in the referendum, are again offering the government advice.
“For example, Carolyn Fairbairn of the CBI has recently said that ‘leaving the negotiating table without a deal shouldn’t be Plan B, but Plan Z’. It is doubtful if Ms Fairbairn has ever been involved in serious business negotiations herself, since this is the same as a housebuyer saying to a seller, ‘I must have your house at any cost’. In this case the buyer will not pay the market price, but will pay the maximum that the seller believes he can afford.
“It is hard to believe that such foolhardy advice could emanate from a business organisation.
“As many people have said, including many remain supporters, it is essential to adopt an approach that stresses the UK’s willingness to trade on World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms, possibly abolishing import tariffs unilaterally, which would lead to substantial reductions in consumer prices- and increased living standards.
“The current desperation of the CBI and others for a ‘deal’ is only encouraging the absurd posturing of the unelected ‘President’ Juncker and his acolytes, and creates an absurdly pessimistic picture of the UK’s position if a sensible deal is not forthcoming.
“As EU businesses know, they will suffer acutely if UK companies and consumers switch their allegiance to domestic or other non-EU suppliers. The CBI should let those businesses make the case for a free trade deal, rather than undermining the government’s negotiating position.”


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The world’s largest made-to-measure menswear company, Vancouver-based Indochino, has just opened its first location inside a major shopping centre. Until now, Indochino’s storefronts have been on urban streetfronts. Indochino plans to open 150 retail stores globally by the year 2020, with a goal of selling a million suits annually.
Located at Mississauga’s Square One Shopping Centre, the new 2,900 square foot Indochino opened on Thursday, June 2. It replaces a Danier Leather location in the mall, which recently shuttered after filing for insolvency in March. Indochino is located next to another Vancouver based retailer, Lululemon, with Montreal-based B2 by Browns Shoes on its other side. Square One recently ranked 10th in our list of Canada’s most productive shopping centres, with 2015 sales per square foot of $994. That number has since surpassed $1,000 per square foot annually, according to landlord Oxford Properties.
Indochino customers are paired with a Style Guide in-store, who helps them design one-of-a-kind suits or shirts, with suit prices beginning at $599 and shirts at $89 (both Canadian Dollars). Style Guides take measurements, assist with fabric selection, and walk shoppers through custom options including buttons, vents, pockets, lapels and monograms. Each garment is made to order and delivered within four weeks, when customers can return for a second fitting to ensure a perfect fit. The showroom works in tandem with Indochino’s ecommerce website, so men can access their profiles and reorder at their convenience. The bright, attractive retail space was designed by Indochino Director Dean Handspiker.
“Our showroom in downtown Toronto is thriving so we’re thrilled to open a second store in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and bring our unique clothing experience to a suburban population,” said Indochino CEO Drew Green. “This is also our first shopping centre location, which presents a tremendous opportunity to rapidly increase our retail presence across North America.”
The GTA is currently the only place in the world with two Indochino showrooms, though that could change as it rolls out new locations. Indochino is also the second Canadian custom suit maker to recently open in Mississauga — Montreal-based Surmesur recently opened a showroom in the city’s Port Credit area.
Oberfeld Snowcap represents Indochino as brokerage in Canada. According to Oberfeld’s website, Indochino is seeking retail spaces both on streetfronts and in enclosed shopping centres, generally in the 1,500 to 2,000 square foot range.
Indochino was founded in Vancouver in 2007 as an online custom suit retailer. Co-founder Kyle Vucko was recently replaced as CEO by Drew Green, founder of Shop.ca. Indochino’s showrooms include Canadian locations in Vancouver’s Yaletown area and downtown Toronto, and its U.S. showrooms are in New York City (Broome Street Soho), Boston (Newbury Street in Back Bay), Beverly Hills CA, San Francisco (Post Street, Union Square) and on Chestnut Street in downtown Philadelphia.
Photos were supplied by Indochino.


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just-drinks authors and correspondents
Mini Pant Zachariah
Articles by Mini Pant Zachariah
The penultimate part of this month's managment briefing, which looks at the logisitics landscape for drinks companies keen to get into the BRIC markets, considers the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in India.
India’s United Breweries has told just-drinks that its planned 2011 launch of home-brewed Heineken is on schedule, despite widespread reports of delays to 2012.
The Indian Beverages Association (IBA) has reacted cautiously to a new study by India’s health ministry on how carbonated drinks affect young consumers’ health.
A subsidiary of India's NV Group, NV Distilleries & Breweries, is to launch Belvedere's Sobieski vodka in India in April 2011, the company has confirmed to just-drinks.
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New MacBook Air and Graphics Card Overload on PCWorld Podcast #95
By PCWorld Podcast, PCWorld
Apple announced its new MacBook Air line this week, offering tiny 11-inch and 13-inch laptops that set new standards for the company’s ultraportable users. Macworld editorial director Jason Snell joins us to talk about the new machines.
Next, PCWorld editors Jason Cross and Nate Ralph take a look at the latest graphics cards from AMD and Nvidia. Based on our recent test results and the coming price war, hardcore gamers have a lot to be excited about.


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Construction on New Jersey’s soon-to-be-tallest tower, 99 Hudson, has been making steady progress over the last few months, and with that the developers have now unveiled a host of new interior and exterior renderings for the development.
These new renderings offer us a first look at what a typical apartment might look like at the development. Sales launched in October last year with apartments asking from $770,000. The Perkins Eastman-designed tower will feature a total of 781 apartments that will come in studios through three-bedroom variants; the Marketing Directors are handling sales and marketing on the project.
Apartments here will have floor-to-ceiling windows, oak flooring, caesarstone countertops in the kitchen, and washers and dryers in every-unit, among other features.
This new crop of renderings is also giving us a closer look at the exterior of the building including a close-up of the limestone-clad building’s entrance and porte cochère. Inside, there are renderings of the condo’s soaring lobby, and the plethora of amenity spaces that span 65,000 square feet.
These amenities include an outdoor pool with a sundeck, a spa, an indoor and outdoor lounge with barbecue areas, a fitness center with a yoga and pilates studio, a children’s playroom, and a dog run, among other amenities.
The China Overseas America-developed condo, which is located in Jersey City, will stand 79-stories tall and 889 feet, when complete. The building has currently reached the 33rd floor, and construction is expected to wrap sometime next year.
Here now is a time-lapse video of the ongoing construction at 99 Hudson:


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Regency Centers wants to create a new town center for the affluent Westbard neighborhood in Bethesda.
To that end, the company plans to tear down the aging Westbard shopping center at 5400 Westbard Ave. and make way for a scaled down, mixed-use development of largely neighborhood-serving retail. Total project costs are estimated between $65 million and $75 million.
“Residents come here to get things done — this isn’t going to compete with downtown Bethesda,” said Sam Stiebel, a vice president in Regency’s Tysons office. “You’ll have your grocery store. You’ll have your place to get your clothes cleaned, get your hair cut, go to the bank. But do we need a big box? Probably not.”
The company recently submitted plans with the Montgomery County Planning Board for 823,610 square feet of new development, including up to 410 multifamily units, 106 townhouses and 180,000 square feet of retail, plus significant green space.
Regency’s plans are considerably different from what was submitted…Read the full story from the Washington Business Journal.


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Latest News on Curbing Greenhouse Gas
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Apr 24, 2017
PETA asks PM Modi to follow Germany in banning meat from menus at govt meetingsAnimal welfare group PETA India today urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "ban" all meat products from menus at all government meetings and events.


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© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: The logo of Volvo is seen on the front grill of a Volvo XC40 SUV displayed at a Volvo showroom in Mexico City, Mexico April 6, 2018. REUTERS/Gustavo Graf
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -Volvo Cars will invest 10 billion crowns ($1.1 billion) in its manufacturing plant in Gothenburg in the next few years to prepare for production of fully electric cars, it said on Tuesday.
The investment follows an announcement by Volvo and battery maker Northvolt last week to build a joint battery plant in Gothenburg, western Sweden, as part of a total investment of about 30 billion crowns.
The two Swedish companies said last year they would form a joint venture to develop batteries, including setting up a gigafactory for production and a research and development centre.
“Volvo Cars will invest SEK 10 billion in its Torslanda manufacturing plant in Sweden in coming years, in preparation for the production of that next generation of fully electric cars,” the automaker said in a statement on Tuesday.
It added that it would introduce new technologies and manufacturing processes in the plant, including a new battery assembly plant.
Volvo Cars, majority owned by China’s Geely Holding, hopes that 50% of its sales will be of pure electric cars by the middle of this decade and to reach 100% by 2030.
($1 = 9.1419 Swedish crowns)


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LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)- A new apartment and retail development is one step closer to coming to downtown Lafayette. On Tuesday developers took a step towards construction by agreeing to buy the air space above an alley.
The multi-story building, Nova Tower, will be unique to the area. The main investor in the project is a Purdue graduate from overseas who says he wanted to give back to the community that gave him a multitude of opportunities.
The 16.8-million-dollar development will have 76 units and 6,000 square feet of retail space which has already been rented out. The retail space will be home to Anytime Fitness. The main investor said he wanted to create a development unlike anything else in the downtown Lafayette area.
"I wanted to create something that was different from anything else,” said Rick Li the primary Investor of the Nova Tower. “I wanted it to be different than anything that was here and over there across the river. Over there it's small and expensive I wanted to create something bigger that is better quality."
Local business owners, like Pat James of Lafayette Auto Supply, say they think the development is good for the area. But that it will likely change their overall business plan.
"Everything has been paid off for years it's dry, it's inexpensive and the taxes are good so we really were in no hurry to leave this area,” said Pat James the Vice President of Lafayette Warehouse. “This new development may be something that accelerates the process for us getting out."
The new development has changed things for the business already. They use to get bring their shipments fo the warehouse in through the alleyway next to their stores. Now, they have to use the street because the development has shut down the alleyway. Despite the changes, they say they welcome the development to the area. They just hope when a developer offers to buy their lot, it will be a fair offer.
"Nobody is upset about anything,” added James. “We would just like to see us possibly get compensated for the properties that we have to move into a different location and just not have to spend a whole bunch of money to stay competitive."
As for Li, he says he wanted to invest in a community that he felt invested in him.
"People ask me why here and it's because I graduated from Purdue I know the area and my money will make sense here,” said Li. “It does not make sense to invest in New York or Chicago. I will not make a difference there but I can make a difference here."
Li says he is dedicating the development to his grandfather who always encouraged him to give back to communities they considered home. The Nova Tower Development is expected to break ground in early 2020 and be finished in the summer of 2021.
The proposed development will be located on the west side of the 200 block of S 4th Street which is just south of Lafayette Auto Supply and north of the Knights of Columbus.


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We previously heard from IDG that Lenovo would be offering a smart television (dubbed the IdeaTV) in Q1 2012 with a focus on allowing users to easily share content between devices. We're not quite sure how we missed it until now, but The Wall Street Journal reported that the company will facilitate that sharing with a new cloud storage service that will automatically sync media between devices and offer users 200GB of storage each. The company's also announced that its smart television is now being called the LeTV (although we think the previously-reported IdeaTV name may stick outside of China), and that it'll be released in the first quarter of the upcoming new year. We'll likely learn more about the LeTV and the cloud service in a couple weeks' time at CES 2012.
Lenovo confirms LeTV smart television and announces new cloud storage service
Lenovo confirms LeTV smart television and announces new cloud storage service/
According to The Wall Street Journal, Lenovo has confirmed it'll offer a LeTV smart television in Q1 2012 alongside a 200GB cloud storage service. It's likely that we'll learn more at CES 2012 in a couple weeks.


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Eagle Manufacturing could add 130 jobs
- Jon Newberry, Staff Reporter
Eagle Manufacturing LLC has proposed a $41 million investment at its Boone County facility on a capital equipment upgrade that would create 138 jobs.
The new employees would make engine and frame parts for Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group, according to documents filed with the state of Kentucky.
Eagle, now a wholly owned subsidiary of Linamar Corp., told Kentucky economic development officials its investment would entail $38.2 million for equipment and $2.6 million for other startup costs. Linamar is a Canadian manufacturer of components for the automotive and power-generation industries.
Officials at Eagle in Boone County and at Linamar’s headquarters outside Toronto were not available for comment.
Kentucky Economic Development Finance Agency officials gave preliminary approval for $4.5 million in tax incentives over 10 years, subject to creation of the new jobs and the maintenance of existing jobs, in late August.
A report issued by the state agency indicates the jobs would be created as soon as the new operations got under way in Boone County. The equipment would be installed in Eagle’s existing 360,000-square-foot plant on Industrial Road near Dixie Highway.
Eagle currently makes machined engine, transmission, steering and other drivetrain parts. The new equipment would be used to manufacture parts for a Ford cylinder head, a Chrysler engine block, and a Chrysler ladder frame, the report said.
Eagle currently has about 175 full-time employees in Boone County, said Dan Tobergte, president and CEO of Northern Kentucky Tri-ED, a regional economic development agency for Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties. The company requested that Tri-ED officials not disclose any more information than what was in the state report, he said, noting that another location is also under consideration for the project.
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Crazy drinks laws.
Curiously, US anti-alcohol campaigns have their roots amongst the political fighters who helped free the slaves. Once slavery was prohibited, many abolitionists chose to fight alcohol over the way they felt it enslaved people.
"It still a very moral issue," says David J. Hanson, a sociologist who specialises in alcohol and says the long fight of the former abolitionist movement helped bring about 1920's prohibition and still finds a place in the national psyche. This is reflected by a string of often strange anti-alcohol laws found across the USA.
"Most laws are designed to discourage its consumption," says Hanson. One example of authorities trying to take the enjoyment out of drinking is a US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms' ban of the word 'refreshing' to describe any alcohol beverage. The professor emeritus at the State University of New York at Potsdam tracks strange alcohol laws in the United States. While some laws today in the US have a religious connection, such the Mormon-influenced law in Utah that says a waiter can not tell a patron that the establishment sells alcohol, increasingly there has been a separation of church and state in matters alcoholic.
For instance, 27 states now allow Sunday shopping, thanks to groups like the Distilled Spirits Council of America (DISCUS). Spokesperson Lisa Hawkins has also been trying to push legislators to change laws that put spirits in a more stringent category. She finds it strange that stores can offer promotional wine tasting but many are barred from doing the same for spirits. Other laws cited in US research studies are just plain odd, such as the Ohio state law, which prohibits getting a fish drunk. Or the rule that makes it illegal to sit on any street curb in St. Louis, Missouri, and drink beer from a bucket. Who drinks beer from a bucket? And while every state has laws that prohibit driving and excessive drinking, in Texas, the state law reminds citizens to not do that imbibing while playing bingo. MINORS
In New Jersey, kids are legally prohibited from taking even a sip of alcohol from their parents until they're 18. Not only a sip, but it seems a whiff isn't allowed in Missouri, where anyone under the age of 21 who takes out household trash containing even a single empty alcohol beverage container can be charged with illegal possession of alcohol. For those youths who are feeling generous to their alcoholic uncle, it's illegal in Michigan for a person under the age of 21 to give a gift of an alcoholic beverage to anyone. And don't even try escaping to a more relaxed country like Italy. According to the federal Drug Free Schools and Campuses Act, students under the age of 21 are officially prohibited from conforming to the more liberal drinking laws of the countries in which they are studying. (Whether many American exchange students pay much attention is another matter). DRINKING ESTABLISHMENTS
It's in America's bars where you really see the contradictory laws. Some states require the interior of public drinking establishments be visible from the street. Others specifically prohibit that. Some insist that food be available wherever drinks are served. Others make that illegal. And some require that anyone drinking must stand at a bar. Others mandate that patrons be seated while drinking.
For moralists, who see debt as a vice, they'll be happy to know that it's illegal in Iowa to run a tab and for those who like to subcontract their moral authority to bar owners, in Texas, a person commits an offence if he knowingly sells an alcoholic beverage to an habitual drunkard.
It seems the authorities make some of their decisions to avoid unnecessary bar brawls. How else can you explain Texas and Ohio banning the sale of the French wine, Fat Bastard? One of the lawmakers must have imagined some poor mug ordering a glass of it by name. And some short-tempered heavy-set guy in a bar turns around and says "What did you just call me?"
RETAIL, PACKAGING, MARKETING AND LICENCING
It's illegal in Indiana for liquor stores to sell milk or cold soft drinks. They can, however, sell room-temperature soft drinks. As for drinks that might be confused with alcohol, California shops that sell motor fuel must display any alcoholic beverages within five feet of a cash register.
And while drinking is never tolerated on the job, off-the-job time is also covered in Iowa, where an employee of an establishment that sells alcohol cannot legally consume a drink there after closing.
If bottle sizes offers the consumer variety, it gives the bureaucrat more choice in how to annoy everyone. Colorado law requires that wine be sold in containers of at least 24 ounces and spirits in containers at least a fifth of a gallon. But, at the same time, it also decrees that no alcohol beverage can be stored in hotel minibars in anything larger than miniature containers. Meanwhile, like the don't-tell-let-them-ask Utah law, it is a violation of the California Alcoholic Beverage Control Act for producers of alcohol beverages to list the names of retailers or restaurants that sell their products in advertising or even in newsletters. And if you're going to be using alcohol beverage writers for your newsletter, Maryland now requires they be certified as experts by an agency of the state before they can receive product samples, which it limits to three bottles per brand.
Lest they begin setting up drinks at the prescription counter, chemists in Connecticut must pay US$400 each year for a licence in order to use alcohol in compounding prescriptions.
Aside from not being able to get a sample lady to have you taste that premium vodka or facing a locked Sunday gate at the supermarket, spirits come under some other confusing and restrictive laws in the US.
In a conservative state like Indiana, you better get a local to set you straight. Let's see, beer and wine can be sold in grocery stores, pharmacies and package stores (equivalent to the off-licence). Easy enough. And package stores may also carry spirits. But hold on. Pharmacies can sell it, too? And grocery stores are allowed to sell it if the grocery has a pharmacy which sells distilled spirits.
And don't try to order spirits from another state. In Georgia, direct shipments of distilled spirits to an in-state consumer from an out-of-state seller are prohibited. And in Kentucky, a person can be sent to jail for five years for merely sending a bottle of spirits (or beer or wine) as a gift to a friend.
Licensing is where illogic runs rampant. A California retail store need only pay US$100 for a license to sell beer and wine. That fee goes up to US$12,000 if it also wants to sell distilled spirits.
Perhaps, for fear that these expensive licenses will turn up on every corner, in Florida for example, the total number of retail licenses for distilled spirits is limited by demographics, with no such limitation on selling beer or wine. And in Maine, baseball fans cannot be seen drinking anything resembling distilled spirits, as no spirits licences can be issued to an outdoor stadium.
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News - Lexus
Hybrid races in
Lexus to use innovative GP celebrity races to launch its new CT200h hatchback
19 Jan 2011
LEXUS will launch its new CT200h hybrid hatchback in Australia by providing cars for the celebrity races at this year’s Formula 1 Grand Prix at Melbourne’s Albert Park.
The company claims the races will be the first anywhere in the world exclusively for hybrid cars, although none are likely to employ the electric part of the drivetrain for anything more than trundling around the paddock.
Nevertheless, an award will be presented for efficiency in addition to the overall winners.
Lexus will provide 30 identical cars for the event on March 24-27, which will be followed by the official media launch on March 28.
The Toyota-owned luxury brand believes the high-profile celebrity races will be the ideal way to launch its new compact hybrid hatch to a younger (under 40) and largely female target market for the car.
Consequently, the 24 celebrities being chosen for the event will fall into a similar demographic profile.
Lexus has contracted former multiple Australian Rally Champion and Toyota veterans Neal Bates and Coral Taylor to run the celebrity program, including driver training.
The cars – 27 race cars and three spares – will be prepared at Bates’ Canberra workshop but will be maintained during the race weekend by Lexus technicians.
In addition to the 24 celebrities, Lexus is running three separate competitions to fill the remaining race seats – one for consumers, one for dealers and one for people who have signed up to buy the CT200h.
The Lexus-sponsored event marks the return of the celebrity races to the AGP weekend after a two-year hiatus, having previously been backed by the likes of Fiat, Mini and BMW.
It also coincides with the reintroduction of Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) to F1 race vehicles, which were used in 2009 before being dropped for the 2010 season.
Introducing a Le Mans-inspired “index of efficiency” award is a first for the event and will be determined by measuring fuel use during the race.
The hybrid-only Lexus CT200h is powered exclusively by a modified version of Toyota’s 1.8-litre petrol-electric drive system from the Prius.
The Road to Recovery podcast series
26th of October 2010
First drive: Lexus lobs hybrid hatchback
Lexus to improve super-frugal new CT200h’s ride quality before it hits Oz
4th of October 2010
Lexus CT200h from under $50K
Sub-$50,000 starting price confirmed for all-new Lexus CT200h in Australia
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IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – The Idaho National Laboratory has helped develop a system to wirelessly charge electric vehicles.
The Post Register reported that INL researchers partnered with six companies to complete bench testing on wireless charging systems. The testing helped develop guidelines recommending how wireless chargers should be built so that chargers from one company can work with cars from other companies.
INL reported the testing results to SAE International, an engineering association that develops standards for car companies.
INL engineer Barney Carlson says wireless charging systems have yet to be widely adopted but the auto industry is considering them. He says wireless systems may be available in the next two to three new years on new cars.
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Mark VII Equipment Inc., the North America subsidiary of WashTec AG of Germany, the world’s largest manufacturer of vehicle cleaning systems, has announced it is hosting a free virtual trivia night. The winner will receive a $100 Amazon gift card.
“It’s important to try and stay positive in times like these. We wanted to give our customers the opportunity to take part in a fun, lighthearted activity with us — while still at home,” said Mark VII marketing director Luke Schoenbeck.
Current or future car wash operators of any kind, or individuals who just want to join in the fun, are welcome to sign up. Trivia questions will include car wash best practices, car wash history, and a few car wash appearances in pop-culture.
Virtual Trivia Night will take place on May 20 at 7:00 p.m. CST. To register, please click here.


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Scania, Europe’s number four heavy truck maker, posted a bigger-than-expected rise in pretax profits Wednesday, with a 26 percent increase in operating income.
Domestic competitor Volvo, the world’s second largest truck maker, reported an unexpected 23 percent jump in first-quarter earnings Tuesday. The improvement in truck sales is attributed to buying ahead of upcoming tighter emissions controls in Europe and North America.
The Swedish bank SEB reported a better-than-expected 36 percent increase in first quarter operating profits Wednesday, boosted by strong capital markets.
SKF, the world’s biggest maker of ball bearings, also posted a 36 percent rise in its profit for the period, saying it expects an even better second quarter.


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If one company mirrors the travails of American business over the past decade, it’s General Electric. The manufacturing giant founded by Thomas Edison in 1892–and the last of the original firms in the Dow Jones industrial average still listed on that index–grew into a multinational powerhouse that made everything from lightbulbs to locomotives as the U.S. became the world’s lone superpower. Its nickname said everything: Generous Electric. But by the time the 2008 economic crisis hit, GE had gone from being an industrial innovator to being the country’s sixth largest bank, relying on financial wizardry rather than engineering to satisfy investors.
Perhaps the most enduring quality of the broader economic recovery since then has been the gap between reality and perception. While growth and jobs are up, only about 1 in 4 Americans believes the economy is getting stronger, according to a recent survey by the investment firm BlackRock. The reason is clear: personal incomes aren’t rising, except at the very top. Historically, the key to achieving broad income growth has been creating more middle-income jobs. And those have traditionally come from the manufacturing sector.
Which is partly why, in order to save his company, CEO Jeffrey Immelt borrowed $3 billion from Warren Buffett and vowed to retool GE–away from complex financial schemes and back toward making things. GE, in other words, is trying to do what the U.S. as a whole needed to do: rebalance its economy and get back to basics.
So, six years on from disaster, how is it going?
Immelt has made progress. With the recent spin-off of GE’s consumer-finance division, which peddles financial products ranging from private-label credit cards to auto loans, the share of profits that comes from finance has gone from more than half to about 40%. The target is to get it back down to around 25%. As CFO Jeff Bornstein recently put it to me, “We had to decide whether we wanted to be a tech company that solves the world’s big problems or a finance company that makes a few things.”
GE’s executives are betting on a few megatrends, including the belief that emerging-market economies are entering a period very much like the post–World War II period in the U.S. Those countries will need new houses, bridges, roads, airports and all types of consumer goods in unprecedented quantities. The McKinsey Global Institute estimates that by 2025, emerging-economy nations will spend more than $20 trillion a year in this way. That means that future economic growth may well be centered on making things, rather than trading on their value.
To help capture its share of that action, GE is trying to copy some of Silicon Valley’s methods. The company has set up a “growth board” that operates like an internal venture-capital firm, vetting new ideas presented by employees and then dishing out a bit of time and capital to explore them. The result is that production cycles for projects like new oil-drilling equipment or LED lighting systems are shortening dramatically. An idea that once took two years to test might go from paper to production in 45 days.
The firm is also sourcing new ideas from the crowd. One recent design for a bracket on a jet engine came from a 22-year-old in Indonesia who had tapped into a website where the company posts problems and offers payouts to whoever can solve them.
Still, the big question is just how many good new jobs America’s industrial firms, small and large, will actually create in the coming years. So far, the trends are positive. In October, the Boston Consulting Group’s annual survey of senior manufacturing executives found that the number of respondents bringing production back from China to the U.S. had risen 20% in the past year. GE’s new hub in San Ramon, Calif., which was launched more than two years ago to explore the burgeoning “Internet of things” (i.e., machine-to-machine communication via the Internet), has gone from zero employees to more than 1,000. The company is also using more local small and midsize suppliers, thanks to new technologies like 3-D printing that let startups achieve more speed and scale.
Such trends at GE and elsewhere have yet to replace the 1.6 million manufacturing jobs lost in the recession. The good news about our postcrisis economy is that it is smarter and nimbler and growing in the right sectors. The bad news is that it still doesn’t have enough good jobs for those who need them. The way forward may be clear, but getting there is another story.
TO READ JOE’S BLOG POSTS, GO TO time.com/swampland
This appears in the December 01, 2014 issue of TIME.
- Inside One Indian iPhone Factory
- Congress Avoided a Shutdown. What Happens Next?
- Global Climate Solutions Exist. It's Time to Deploy Them
- What Happens to Diane Feinstein's Senate Seat
- The Enduring Charm of John Grisham
- Who The Golden Bachelor Leaves Out
- Kerry Washington: The Story of My Abortion
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time


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General Motors (GM) has announced the appointment of former Apple executive Mike Abbott to lead a newly created software unit for the company. As the Executive Vice President of Software, Abbott will oversee three functions: software-defined vehicle and operating systems, information and digital technology, and GM’s digital business. Creating this new role highlights the importance that GM is placing on software development to drive recurring revenue and boost profits through subscriptions.
Abbott, who previously served as the Vice President of Engineering for Apple’s cloud services division, will begin his new role at GM on May 22. Reporting directly to CEO Mary Barra, Abbott will spearhead the development of GM’s software capabilities, helping to position the automaker for success in a rapidly evolving industry. With a wealth of experience in the tech sector, Abbott is expected to bring a fresh perspective and innovative ideas to the role, helping to drive future growth and profitability for GM.
As automakers continue to shift their focus towards software and digital services, hiring Abbott represents a significant coup for GM. With his proven track record in software engineering and extensive experience at one of the world’s leading technology companies, Abbott is well-positioned to help GM stay ahead of the curve and capitalize on the opportunities presented by the growing importance of software in the automotive industry.
GM’s Emphasis on Software Development and Digital Services to Achieve Revenue Target
General Motors has set an ambitious target to double its revenue to approximately $280 billion by the decade’s end. To achieve this, the automaker plans to expand its portfolio of new business units and prioritize the development of software solutions that can help generate recurring revenue streams.
GM recognizes the importance of adapting to new trends and technologies as the automotive industry continues to evolve. The company has already made significant investments in electric and autonomous vehicles, and now it is turning its attention to software development as a critical driver of future growth.
GM’s focus on software aims to unlock new revenue opportunities and boost profit margins. The company believes it can achieve sustained long-term growth by developing innovative software solutions that can be monetized through subscriptions and other recurring revenue models.
To achieve its revenue target, GM must accelerate the growth of its new business units, particularly those focused on software and digital services. The company’s recent hiring of Mike Abbott, a former Apple executive, to lead its software unit clearly indicates the importance that GM is placing on this area.
Mike Abbott’s Extensive Experience in Cloud Services and Software Development Drive the Growth of General Motors
Barra said, “Mike’s experience as a founder and entrepreneur coupled with his proven track record creating and delivering some of the market’s most compelling software-defined solutions for consumers and companies make him an excellent fit at GM.”
During his tenure at Apple, Mike Abbott was pivotal in shaping the company’s cloud initiatives, including developing iCloud and infrastructure for popular services like iMessage and FaceTime. Abbott’s extensive experience in software development and cloud services makes him an ideal candidate to lead GM’s newly created software unit.
Abbott’s decision to join GM underscores the automaker’s commitment to developing innovative software solutions and leveraging technology to redefine the driving experience for consumers. As the automotive industry continues to evolve, GM recognizes the importance of investing in software development as a critical driver of future growth.
In his statement, Abbott emphasized the transformative power of software, noting that it can potentially redefine experiences for both consumers and enterprises. He sees software as a massive opportunity for GM to drive growth and profitability over the long term.
Under Abbott’s leadership, GM is expected to accelerate its software development efforts and bring new, innovative solutions to the market. With a focus on monetizing software and generating recurring revenue streams, GM is positioning itself for success in a rapidly evolving industry.


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Sprint might find a way to bring back Nextel, but not its network.
Sprint is considering bringing back the Nextel brand to attract business customers, TechCrunch reported on Tuesday, citing people who claim to have knowledge of carrier's plans. While Sprint would like to use the Nextel brand to attract business customers, it has no desire to bring back the push-to-talk iDEN network Nextel's technology was based on, said the report.
In addition to attracting business customers through the Nextel brand, Sprint is also planning to merge its prepaid companies -- Boost and Virgin Mobile -- into a singular service called Sprint Freedom, according to TechCrunch's source. That offering could launch as early as the first quarter of 2014, said the report.
But it's Nextel that appears to be the core focus of Sprint going into 2014. According to TechCrunch's source, the company wants to make Nextel's offerings "premium" in nature, offering both 4G fixed and mobile broadband to customers.
Nextel proved to be a conundrum for Sprint after it acquired the firm for $35 billion back in 2005. The company justified the purchase by saying that it could help it attract more business customers, but the costs of the iDEN network mounted and corporate customers fell out of love with the technology. Sprint was left with a massive bill and little value in Nextel.
Earlier this year,.
CNET has contacted Sprint for comment on the report. We will update this story when we have more information.


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Apple on Sunday posted three new ads on its Australian YouTube channel. The three videos highlights iMessage encryption, App Store privacy, and iPhone recycling.
iMessage encrypts and protects your conversations. Because privacy matters.
Every app is reviewed to help keep malware out of the App Store. That’s iPhone.
Apple recycles even the tiniest parts of the iPhone. Like up to 0.83 grams of tungsten. That’s iPhone.
The three new ads are all part of Apple’s ongoing “That’s iPhone” global marketing campaign.


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AP&T presents its latest sensation for the first time at well-attended event in Ulricehamn
On October 4 and 5, around 70 representatives from different parts of the global car industry gathered at AP&T in Ulricehamn. The program included the unveiling of two new sensations that enable lighter, safer and more energy efficient cars to be manufactured. Both of AP&T’s new innovations — process technology for forming high-strength aluminum and the company’s new servo hydraulic press — are setting a new standard in the industry.
“Many car manufacturers have already implemented the first wave of weight-saving measures. New designs, new materials and new manufacturing methods are needed in order to take the next step along the path of development. This is where our solution for hot forming parts out of high-strength aluminum comes in,” says AP&T’s Director Business Development and Marketing Per Josefsson.
Among other things, visitors learned that AP&T’s process can provide weight savings of between 30 and 50 percent compared to the current technology, at the same time that the material is stronger and crashworthiness improves — aspects that aroused a great deal of interest among car manufacturers (OEM) and subcontractors.
One of the components included in AP&T’s production solution is a newly developed servo hydraulic press, which is significantly faster and up to 50 percent more energy efficient than today’s hydraulic presses.
“The new servo hydraulic press allows our customers to increase their production, while also lowering both their operating costs and their environmental impact.”
In addition to AP&T’s guests and the company’s experts, several materials and application specialists from AP&T’s partners around the world attended the event. The new products are being launched on the global market during the autumn.
AP&T’s solution for forming high-strength aluminum recently won the prestigious 2017 Altair Enlighten Award in the Enabling Technology category. The competition recognizes important innovations that can contribute to lighter and more energy-efficient cars.


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Dickinson College has added GET Mobile from card transaction system provider, CBORD. The addition of GET Mobile -- CBORD's app that supports payments, campus funds management, and dining -- will enable Dickinson students to upload ID photos, add money to their declining balance and view meal plan transactions.
GET Mobile is an extension of the CBORD meal plan and card transaction system already in place at Dickinson. According to a report from student publication, The Dickinsonian, the impetus behind adding GET came in part from parent requests. Specifically, parents were requesting a means to add funds to their student's declining balance accounts without the student needing to visit the Dickinson campus card office in person.
“The acquisition of GET did not go through a committee approval process," says Jessica McBeth, the Access Control and ID Specialist for Dining Services. "We had an opportunity to take advantage of a platform that natively works in conjunction with our existing CBORD system.”
The GET app displays a picture of the student and lists the amount of money they have in various accounts, including Dickinson's Declining Balance, Points, Devil Dollars and Dining Dollars funds. GET also shows transaction histories for campus eateries and an “Explore” section that lists eligible dining locations and which meal plan tenders they accept.
“The transaction information -- amount spent, date and location of the transaction -- is stored on-premise at Dickinson, within the CBORD meal plan and ID card system," says McBeth. "However, it is important to note that no credit card information is stored on campus.”
The credit and debit card transactions are processed through GET’s PCI-compliant merchant gateway.
GET is designed to provide a single app interface to manage a student's campus account. The app supports declining balance account top up, meal plan purchases, mobile credential provisioning, mobile food orders, door access, and more. For more information, visit CBORD.com.


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Aspire Global-owned game development and aggregation platform Pariplay has expanded its portfolio with the launch of its new Western-themed slot game, Stallion Fortunes.
Taking players to [...]
Gibraltar-based online gaming operator BetVictor is expanding its casino portfolio through Aspire Global's Pariplay game aggregation platform.
Pariplay will provide BetVictor with over 100 proprietary games, [...]
Aspire Global-owned game development and aggregation platform Pariplay has expanded its presence in Portugal’s regulated iGaming market through an agreement with leading casino operator Estoril [...]
This week has seen a raft of platform integrations involving the likes of Pariplay, Kiron Interactive, 1X2 Network, ReelNRG, Hacksaw Gaming, Push Gaming and Realistic [...]
This week has seen new games released by the likes of Blueprint Gaming, Green Jade Games, Pariplay, Microgaming, Live 5, Evoplay Entertainment and Nolimit City.
Stockholm-listed gaming operator and supplier Aspire Global has reported a marginal increase in first quarter net revenue to €32.6m, buoyed by the recently acquired Pariplay [...]
This week has seen a wide range of platform integrations involving the likes of Yggdrasil, Leander Games, Spearhead Studios, Ainsworth, Booming Games, Greentube and Hacksaw [...]
This week’s platform integrations include the likes of Inspired Entertainment, Relax Gaming, Skywind Group, Red Rake Gaming and BF Games, among others.
Microgaming / Inspired Entertainment
Aspire Global’s newly acquired game development and aggregation platform Pariplay has appointed Andrew Maclean as its new director of sales.
Maclean brings over 15 years of [...]
Stockholm-listed Aspire Global has appointed industry veteran Jesper Kärrbrink as chairman of its recently acquired games development and aggregation business Pariplay.
Kärrbrink currently serves as chairman [...]
This week has seen a whole host of new games released by the likes of Blueprint Gaming, Red Tiger, Stakelogic, Greentube, NetEnt, Pariplay, Hacksaw Gaming [...]
Stockholm-listed gaming supplier and operator Aspire Global benefited from strong growth in its B2B division in 2019, helping full year revenue to climb by 26 [...]


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For the past couple of weeks Christina Shinko of Flagstaff has been cleaning up a big financial mess.
"It definitely caught me off guard... I woke up Christmas morning and checked my bank account and saw a charge I didn't authorize" said Shinko.
Shinko is one of millions nationwide that had their personal information stolen from shopping at a Target store between November 27th and December 15th 2013.
"I was just there to get my daughter, some birthday presents, and it was the one time I used my debit card there" said Shinko.
Target disclosed last month that 40 million credit and debit cards may have been affected in the breach, but just today the company raised that number to 70 million people that may have had their information stolen.
In a statement from Target's CEO it states in part "I know that it is frustrating for our guests to learn that this information was taken and we are truly sorry they are having to endure this."
"It still is scary because you don't know if these criminals are getting your personal information and now they know where you live and that really is a big fear for me" said Shinko.
Christina has since created an all new bank account and opted in for even stricter security features. But as far as shopping at Target again she has reservations. "Not anytime soon and if I do it will be with cash for sure."
Target also announced that anyone with fraudulent charges will not have to pay for them. They've also extended one year of free credit monitoring to anybody who shopped at target during the time frame when those numbers were stolen
Target security breach, 70 million identities compromisedMore>>


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CMC Markets adds Bitcoin BCH support
A financial derivatives brokerage firm out of London, CMC Markets, has allowed traders to take positions against Bitcoin Core (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) since July. The firm has now announced that it is giving its 60,000 customers more options and will provide support for both Bitcoin BCH, as well as Ripple (XRP) and Litecoin (LTC), all of which can be paired against the U.S. dollar.
The firm’s group commercial director, David Fineberg, said the decision to integrate Bitcoin BCH, along with XRP and LTC, was made after CMC’s “clients have expressed interest in extending their trading options.”
More brokerages have been looking for ways to increase crypto-based products as day traders move away from foreign exchange (Forex), contracts for difference (CFD) and spread betting in traditional exchanges. Offering the same types of products for the cryptocurrency markets has been seen as the possible solution, but derivatives have come under fire in the UK, with regulators contemplating a complete ban on the products. However, CMC doesn’t view this as a deterrent in a market that continues to look for more investment options in the crypto space.
Fineberg added, “Spread bets and CFDs offer a way to trade on cryptocurrencies as clients can take a position on market movements without owning the asset. By trading with an established provider, funds can be deposited and withdrawn with ease, avoiding the risks of purchasing cryptocurrencies directly through an exchange. However, like all other financial instruments we offer, we always recommend clients understand the risks and conduct thorough research before trading.”
The brokerage was a little slow to enter the cryptocurrency space. It only did so after several other brokerages, notably Admiral Markets, IG Group Holdings Plc,. Gain Capital’s City Index and Plus500 Ltd., had entered the market. However, the continued adoption of cryptocurrencies by traditional financial institutions shows how digital currency is grabbing hold and becoming a legitimate alternative to fiat options.
Note: Tokens on the Bitcoin Core (SegWit) chain are referenced as SegWitCoin BTC coins. Altcoins, which value privacy, anonymity, and distance from government intervention, are referenced as dark coins.
Bitcoin Satoshi Vision (BSV) is today the only Bitcoin project that follows the original Satoshi Nakamoto whitepaper, and that follows the original Satoshi protocol and design. BSV is the only public blockchain that maintains the original vision for Bitcoin and will massively scale to become the world’s new money and enterprise blockchain.


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Monolith, the board game publisher behind Conan and Batman: Gotham City Chronicles, has criticised the use of stretch goals on Kickstarter, labelling the practice as “subterfuge marketing”.
In a lengthy post on Facebook, the company justified why it would be setting the funding level for its upcoming Conan: Beyond the Monolith project at $700,000 (£540,000).
“It is well known that the funding level amount displayed during major KS campaigns does not reflect the actual financing needs of the project in question,” it said.
The company questioned the ethics behind publishers setting their tabletop Kickstarter targets low enough to get funded in the shortest amount of time possible and generate interest without raising the true amount needed to produce a project, claiming that the practice is leading to the “systemic reduction of funding level amounts”.
Monolith added that it has itself used similar methods to construct marketing campaigns: “This allows publishers (ourselves included) to demonstrate their pride and gratitude and drums up buzz for the campaign.”
The post goes on to highlight that many Kickstarter goals do not represent the realistic amounts required to fund entire tabletop projects, referencing one of Monolith’s own Kickstarters as an example.
“During the Conan campaign, the funding amount didn’t represent a tenth of the actual financial requirements,” it wrote.
With would-be pledgers expecting Kickstarter goals to be set lower and reached quicker, Monolith is claiming that funding projects this way makes for precarious financial practices. Ones that the publisher itself seemingly no longer wants to engage with, hence the $700,000 Kickstarter goal.
“During the launch of the Beyond the Monolith range, I would like to break with this practice,” it stated.
One aspect of Kickstarter campaigns that the post touches on in particular is the use of stretch goals. Referring to the “Stretch Goal Machine”, Monolith criticises other publishers for allegedly making pledgers feel like they’re getting gifts, when companies are actually just taking necessary content out just to put back in at a later date.
As such, with the upcoming Conan: Beyond The Monolith Kickstarter campaign, the company says it will not be including any stretch goals and will instead put all the content in the base pledge level.
“We think it's healthier that this value is built right into the game and immediately visible,” it said.
Monolith also confirmed that the Conan: Beyond the Monolith Kickstarter will only run for “probably a week”, citing the lack of stretch goals and the need to avoid prolonging the campaign unnecessarily. The publisher added that it would be willing to extend or re-open Kickstarter campaigns until the required amount has been funded, saying: “The simplest solution to remedy this harmful process is the reinstatement of an actual funding level amount.”
This isn’t the first time that Monolith has questioned the viability of financial practices on Kickstarter, having announced that its future projects would be Kickstarter-exclusive and unavailable at retail back in August 2017. At the time, the publisher backed up its decision by saying that its games would need to be more expensive and of lower quality to make up for the reduced cut taken by selling them at retail.
The Beyond the Monolith project involves the creation of an Engine Box that can be applied to any number of settings produced by the company. This means that players who purchase the Engine Box would theoretically only need to buy whichever thematic elements they wanted and nothing else.
The Conan: Beyond the Monolith Kickstarter will begin sometime in January.


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This week in the atrium during lunchtime, check your t-shirt tag to see where your clothes come from. Students will tally the results to show how many of our clothes are made in sweatshops overseas.
This campaign will lead up to a worker from Alta Gracia speaking on campus on Monday, October 26 at 5 p.m. in Jardine. The Alta Gracia apparel factory in the Dominican Republic provides its workers with a LIVING WAGE. Meet the workers and learn why it matters where your clothes are made.


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Remember that groundbreaking Apple Super Bowl ad from 1984? The one where the woman throws a hammer at Big Brother, signifying a new era of freedom that would be ushered in with Macintosh? My, how times have changed. Here we are more than 25 years later and the despotic, all-knowing face up there on that giant screen now belongs to Steve Jobs—and Big Brother Steve is holding an iPad.
During yesterday's iPad event, which largely played out just as the rumors foretold, Apple did do something unexpected: they unveiled a version of the word processing, spreadsheet and presentation suite iWork redesigned for the iPad's 9.7-inch touchscreen. It's easy to write off iWork's inclusion as a minor perk for business types only, but don't. The suite's fully-redesigned touch interfaces actually reveal more about Apple's vision of the future of computing than any other element of their new tablet. Here's why.
The iPad, one of the most anticipated gadgets in history, is here. And the stakes, clearly, are high: to my knowledge, this is the first time Apple has referred to one of their products as "magical." Here's what it's like to play with one.
Update: Here are our hands on impressions of the iPad. Our liveblog with all the details of the announcement is archived here.
Starting at 10 AM PST (1 PM EST), we'll be covering Apple's tablet unveiling event from San Francisco, with reality distortion field shielding equipped. Check back here shortly before then for words and pictures from the event, updating live.
Tomorrow, we'll be in San Francisco to cover Apple's introduction--should the fevered speculation be accurate--of a new tablet device with a ten-inch touchscreen running some version of the iPhone OS. With it, so the story goes, they are hoping to deliver printed media products digitally in a new way, along with music and videos and apps galore.
For Apple, it is a gamble; tablet-sized devices of the sort, other than perhaps Amazon's Kindle (a decidedly different beast), have yet to go mainstream. So the all important question: Do you want one?
The rumor mill has been heating all day, and right now it’s simply too hot to ignore: the Wall Street Journal says that people “briefed by the company” report that Apple’s long-awaited tablet will ship in March for around $1,000, with a formal announcement coming from the company at a January 27th event.
There goes 2009, and what a year she was. Let's see, the iTunes App Store eclipsed one billion downloads, Google surprised us all with the announcement of Chrome OS, Windows 7 sent Vista to the big Blue Screen of Death in the sky, Verizon and AT&T started fighting dirty and the e-reader market exploded. But instead of looking back at the year that was, we of course always find it a lot more fun to look forward. So, here's what's on my wish list for the year to come in gadgets and tech.
While drool over Apple's tablet is starting to accumulate in unsightly lakes and ponds across the web, little old Microsoft has been hard at work on Courier--an as-yet conceptual tablet of its own that our friends at Gizmodo unearthed last night. It's a totally different approach from what most are expecting from Apple, and in this concept video, it certainly looks pretty hot.
Jesus over at Gizmodo, ever the Apple dreamer, has put together the best-looking homemade mockup to date of what the mythical Apple Tablet may look like. Is it wrong to feel almost dirty looking at this fine bit of 'shoppery?
Though whispers of an Apple tablet device practically predate Australopithecus, this week they've reached a fever pitch. It's been reported by several news outlets that the supposed iTablet will feature a 10-inch touchscreen, both Wi-Fi and 3G data, and a custom ARM processor. It's already been priced at $800 and even greenlit by none other than His Majesty Steve Jobs for a September release. Not one iota of this has been officially confirmed, but the prospect of a Mac Tablet seems more within reach than ever before.
This is not a good thing. If an Apple tablet is ever actually released, we should all be very concerned for the future of what most of us take for granted today: our digital freedom.


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Search Tags: paula wolfson
Snacks and smaller items sold at your favorite fast food restaurants don't necessarily mean they are lower in calories than purchasing a full meal. So how can you navigate the menus and still find healthier options?
Often, those resolutions fade away by, let's say, February. But if done right, they can be a prescription for success.
Many have had to endure repeated allergy shots, particularly for hay fever. But those injections could be replaced by a simple pill or a drop placed under the tongue.
You know it's important to check food labels when you go grocery shopping. But how much of that information is fact and how much is hype?
Most people wouldn't take a baby or small child on a drive without a proper car seat. But what about the driver's seat?
President Obama recently signed legislation encouraging states to keep emergency medicine in schools to give any student who gets a life-threatening allergic reaction, even if that child has no prescription for the drug. Maryland and Virginia are ahead of the curve.
Nationals players attended a Christmas party for children with cancer and blood disorders at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital Tuesday.
Getting sick during the holidays is the last thing anybody wants. But so many people get worn down that it doesn't take much for a scratchy throat and sniffles to kick in.
Every day, more than 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 and join the ever-expanding ranks of senior drivers in the United States.
A new fad diet has the attention of holiday overeaters to keep the pounds at bay. But is it the best option to manage your weight during this season of parties and treats?
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Short Bytes: How easily one can steal a Tesla Model S? Just offer a free burger to the owner. A team of researchers demonstrated how easy it is to hack and drive away a Tesla car using the keyless driving mode after installing a malware on the owner’s Android device.Tesla Motors proudly flaunts how its electric cars can be controlled using the Tesla app. It’s good to have a car which can be loaded with features by just pushing a software update. The company has also started making its cars fully automatic by adding extra self-driving hardware.
Tesla app enables an owner to unlock the car, check battery status, GPS location, turn on climate control, etc. The app uses the internet connection do all these things and also disables the minimum distance barrier between the user and the car.
All of these modern features make Tesla cars vulnerable to potential attackers. The Tesla app on an Android device can be compromised to gain unauthorized access to the car. This is what a team of researchers from the security firm Promon AS has demonstrated for a Tesla Model S.
In the demo, the researchers take the advantage of Tesla’s Keyless driving functionality. It enables Tesla owners to start the car by typing their password in the smartphone app.
A free burger can cost you your precious Tesla
To steal a Tesla car, the hackers lure the user to download a malicious app offering free burger by providing an open WiFi hotspot near a Tesla charging station. Basically, the task is to get the app installed on the owner’s device using your social engineering skills.
Once the user installs the app on Android, the malware in the app will access the Tesla app credentials and send it to the hacker over the internet. Then, using a laptop, the hacker can unlock the Tesla, enable keyless driving, and take it away.
The hack is not specific to Tesla app, according to the researchers, it can be used for other Android apps too. The unavailability of latest Android version to most of the device owners also acts as a major contribution in making their device vulnerable to such attacks.
Read Promon’s blog post to read about how the hackers actually do it.
If you have something to add, tell us in the comments below.
Also Read: A Complete Island Is Powered By Tesla’s SolarCity In The Pacific Ocean


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$CRY, a leading medical device and tissue processing company focused on cardiac surgery, said that $LMAT has acquired its ProCol Vascular Bioprosthesis distribution rights and purchase option and has exercised that option to acquire ProCol from Hancock Jaffe Laboratories Inc.
$DB is going to cut off services for about 3,400 clients in equities trading.
$F stock slid more than 2% after the company issued two safety recalls involving more than 650,000 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ model cars.
The new CEO of $SBUX, Kevin Johnson, has some pretty large shoes to fill but there are many who have good faith in his ability to do so.
$TSLA opening a showroom in Michigan. A bold move !!


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Mober, the pioneering delivery service company at the nexus of innovation and sustainability, today proudly unveiled its flagship electric vehicle (EV) charging hub in Pasay City. Merely 1.5 kilometers (km) from IKEA Pasay, this contemporary 800-square-meter facility crystallizes Mober’s unwavering dedication to an eco-friendly future, propelling the company into the vanguard of green logistics in Southeast Asia.
Equipped with the latest OCPP 7kw (kilowatt) chargers compatible with both type 2 and GB/T standards, the charging point guarantees brisk charging sessions, ensuring the relentless efficiency of Mober’s exclusive EV fleet earmarked for IKEA. Mober has invested P2 million in the construction of the charging station.
“We strategically opted for this charging capacity as our EV fleet remains dormant during nighttime, allowing optimal charging without overwhelming the grid,” explained CEO Dennis Ng.
He further unveiled plans to incorporate more potent 22kw chargers along with a selection of DC chargers in the imminent charging points in Cavite/Laguna and Bulacan, amplifying Mober’s commitment to versatility and adaptability in its green infrastructure.
Ng elaborated, “This inauguration symbolizes not just a milestone but a beacon of our overarching blueprint for an environmentally-conscious logistic framework. And, we’re just getting started.”
Beyond infrastructure, Mober’s unique partnership model provides an unprecedented advantage to businesses, allowing them to transition to green delivery operations with zero upfront costs, effectively democratizing access to green logistics. This hassle-free collaboration is pivotal in encouraging more companies to embrace sustainable logistics, reinforcing Mober’s role as a game-changer in the sector.
Aligning with the progressive mandates of the Electric Vehicles and Charging Systems (EVIDA) Act, Mober’s initiatives underscore the Philippines’ assertive stance on eco-driven policies and endeavors. With Mober’s pioneering approach, businesses have a definitive roadmap to swiftly decarbonize their last and mid-mile delivery systems, heralding a new era in business sustainability.
Mober started in 2015 and was initially designed to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) solve their on-demand logistical needs. Eight years later, it has now become a business-to-business (B2B) platform facilitating sustainable delivery for retail giants such as IKEA Philippines, SM Appliance Center, Nestle Philippines, and Nespresso.
The company aims to become the leading green logistics delivery provider in Southeast Asia by securing a mixed fleet of 100 electric vans and trucks by the end of 2023.


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FTSE 100 Rallies As Barclays Beats Forecasts
(RTTNews) - U.K. stocks rose on Friday as Barclays reported stronger than expected third-quarter results and investors awaited an update on the Brexit talks.
European Union and British negotiators will meet today for intensive negotiations on a last-minute trade deal that could stave off a tumultuous finale to the five-year-old Brexit crisis.
Meanwhile, U.K. retail sales grew for a fifth consecutive month in September and exceeded expectations by a wide margin supported by food and online sales as well as a recovery in non-food sales, preliminary data from the Office for National Statistics showed.
The volume of retail sales grew 1.5 percent month-on-month in September, which was much bigger than the 0.4 percent increase economists had forecast. The growth for August was revised up to 0.9 percent from 0.8 percent.
Investors shrugged off downbeat survey data showing that the U.K.'s economic recovery faded in October.
The flash reading of the IHS Markit/CIPS UK Composite Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) fell to a four-month low of 52.9 from 56.5 in September.
The benchmark FTSE 100 climbed 82 points, or 1.4 percent, to 5,868 after rising 0.2 percent the previous day.
Barclays surged 7.2 percent. The bank posted a pre-tax profit of £1.1 billion in the third quarter, compared with £200 million a year ago as bad debt provisions eased.
Miners Anglo American and Glencore rose over 2 percent while oil giant BP Plc gained 3.6 percent and Royal Dutch Shell surged 3.5 percent.
InterContinental Hotels Group dropped 1.2 percent after the Holiday Inn-owner posted a plunge in third-quarter hotel room revenue.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.


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Samsung Galaxy Unpacked Event Part 2: South Korean company Samsung has announced Unpacked Event Part 2. This Samsung event will take place on 1 September 2020 at 10 am. On this day, Samsung can make the global launch of its flagship smartphone Galaxy Z Fold2.
This launching event of the company can be seen on Samsung.com and news.samsung.com website. A tweet from the company has given information about this. With the launch of Galaxy Z Fold 2, the company can introduce some new surprise elements. At present, no disclosure has been made on behalf of the company. But it has definitely been said that the show is not over yet.
Let us know that earlier on August 5, the first part of the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked Event was done by Samsung. During this time, Samsung announced the launch of Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Apart from this, Galaxy Z Fold 2, Galaxy Buds Live, the Galaxy Tab S7 tablet, Galaxy Watch 3 were also launched. In such a situation, after the announcement of Unpacked Event Part 2, Samsung is expected to launch several new devices. Let us know that Unpacked Event Part2 is a global event. In such a situation, Indians will have to wait for Samsung’s flagship smartphone Galaxy Z Fold2.


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The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around 150,000 annual deaths in low-income countries are brought about by the adverse effects of climate change. It’s time to open our eyes and realize that overall health concerns are greatly affected by the world around us and it’s time for serious positive action.
In Nigeria a young green energy innovator has developed an electric mini-grid powered by biogas made from organic waste, and the power it’s generating, is benefitting 550 people of Rije village in Abuja. Dubbed Waste2Watt, this first of its kind renewable energy project in the country, is generating 20 kilowatts of power, after converting agricultural and communal organic waste into electricity, by use of a biogas digester. The electric power generated is then distributed via a mini-grid to the villagers.
Clean tech leapfrogging cannot be achieved without researchers, geeks, innovators who are driven with passion to change the world by providing useful technology to easy life. Rwanda is also part of the speedy tech world, improving education and empowering young people to fuel innovation.
Earlier this year Kenya imposed a ban on the production, importation, distribution and usage of the non-biodegradable plastic bags which are used in most industrial sectors for packaging of finished commodities and carrying consumables from retail outlets. The ban progressively takes effect in September this year, when consumers and manufacturers will be faced with the somewhat harsh reality of absence of plastic bags from the market, yet an alternative has not been offered.
Research undertaken by Greentech Media (GTM) predicts that over the next five years, the global solar market will demonstrate a cumulative average growth rate of around 8%, with emerging economies including India and Latin America leading the progress.


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Parlor City Vegan, a mobile vegan comfort food cafe and catering company based in upstate New York, was selected as the winner of the 2018 City of Binghampton Business Plan Competition.
Parlor City Vegan owner, founder, and recipe developer Sara Liu was granted a $5,000 grand prize by Binghampton Mayor Richard David in a brief press conference. In addition to the main prize, Liu also received five free hours of accounting and legal assistance, a free website design service, and other legal and branding services from local organizations.
“I think as many of you know, the competition” Mayor David began at a press event,“which is the longest-running of its kind in the greater Binghampton area, seeks to cultivate local business development… This year’s winner will join the growing food and agriculture industries in the southern tier as well as focus on farm-to-table businesses that keep our dollars local. Vegan and dairy-free foods, specialty cheese [sic], is a fast-growing local market.”
A longtime vegan, Liu found herself opening a Binghampton vegan catering business after her father suffered a heart attack at the age of 58. Unable to eat his favorite meal, macaroni and cheese, on his new low-fat diet, Liu sought to develop a vegan macaroni and cheese that her father would love. When he tried the dish, Liu’s father, who used to mock her plant-based diet, was surprised by how delicious it was.
Winning over her father made Liu consider opening a vegan food business, and eventually, Parlor City Vegan in Binghampton was born. She says that part of the prize money will be used to pay for a shelf-life study and to commission a professional graphic designer to create packaging for her products.
Moving forward, Liu hopes to grow from a shared commercial kitchen space to a fully operational facility. “Right now, I am cooking gourmet foods on a George Foreman grill,” she said. When she first began selling her vegan comfort food at a local farmers market in 2016, she sold about 10 sandwiches daily. Liu now sells over 100 sandwiches at every market and is officially backed by a well-deserved business award from the city.
Image Credit: Parlor City Vegan


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The third-person video shooter game “Tom Clancy’s The Division” will be releasing an update that aims to bring in new things and fix existing bugs.
Ubisoft has rounded up the notes on its blog, which includes new additions as well as improvements in several areas such as gameplay, the dark zone, and user interface.
Some of the new features include Falcon Lost in the Stuyvesant area, but players need to be at least level 30 and have finished the mission in the “General Assembly” in order to access this. Aside from this, other new additions are Gear set equipment, which can be unlocked after a mission in Manhattan; a leeway for players to gather items that were dropped by the enemies; the Dark Zone Supply Drops where the Strategic Homeland Defense agency can drop supplies to help the Division agents; and new high end weapons in the form of Warlord: Assault Rifle and Valkyria: Submachine gun.
On the other hand, some of the changes in the game include the change in cost of the high end items to normal credits from Phoenix credits, as well as adjustments in the rank requirement to rank 15 instead of 30 for Superior (Purple) items, rank 25 instead of rank 30 for those who have High-End (Gold) at level 30 and at gear score of 163, and rank 40 from rank 50 for the High-End (Gold) at level 31 and a gear score of 182.
The bugs that were identified earlier were also addressed in order to enhance the gaming experience further. Some of the fixes include the bug that prevents players to access the game when they go beyond a certain number of inventory and the problem that prevents players to hit from the corner of the covers.
The complete details may be found on the blogsite of the developers.
Meanwhile, there are reports that Ubisoft is working to prevent players from cheating in the game. The publishers will give a three-day suspension for players who are caught cheating, while second offenders will already be banned from the game.
“Tom Clancy’s The Division” was released a month ago for the PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.


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(Stoddard, WI) – This morning, Senator Brad Pfaff (D-Onalaska) joined U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and U.S. Representative Ron Kind (D-WI) on the Servais Farm in Stoddard for a round table with farmers on how international trade and markets impact family farming in Wisconsin.
The panelists spoke about the state of Wisconsin’s agriculture exports and their prospects. According to data compiled by the International Agribusiness Center, Wisconsin exported more than $3.37 billion in agricultural and food products to 145 countries in 2020.
Following the roundtable, Senator Pfaff made the following statement:
“U.S. Trade Rep. Tai’s visit demonstrates the value that our family farms bring not only to the local and state economy but the global marketplace.”
“Trade policies that create new, competitive markets for family farms benefit the agriculture industry and its workers. Wisconsin farmers take pride in creating a product that isn’t found anywhere else in the world. Our cheesemakers produce more than 600 types of cheese—nearly double the number of any other state.”
“The dairy industry itself contributes $45.6 billion to Wisconsin’s economy every year. We want to work together at the state and federal levels of government to create the best opportunities for both our commodity and specialty goods producers. What’s good for farmers is good for Wisconsin.”
“I would like to thank U.S. Trade Rep. Tai for visiting western Wisconsin and Congressman Ron Kind for including me in this important discussion. Continued collaboration between producers and officials at every level of government will help continue growing Wisconsin’s agriculture industry.”
The officials also participated in a morning coffee with members of the Hmong community at the Hmoob Cultural and Community Agency and an afternoon meeting with officials from Organic Valley, the nation’s largest dairy cooperative.


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Dec 11, 2014 Netflix's new show, "Marco Polo" is costing them $90 million. Where does it rank among other shows?
Nov 5, 2014 Logistics and economics mean our screens can only get so big. Why oh why?
Oct 28, 2014 The trickle-down effect of a cash infusion started even before the deal.
Jul 17, 2014 Customer service from the cable company is a classic joke, and that's not funny.
Jun 24, 2014 AT&T and DirecTV argue for their deal despite worries about industry consolidation.
Jun 17, 2014 Netflix will stream some of its shows in 4K Ultra HD, whatever that means.
May 29, 2014 You can now pay your Dish Network TV bill with Bitcoin, so...
May 27, 2014 To secure a merger with Time Warner Cable, Comcast has launched a lobbying blitz.


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The all-new 2014 Maserati Ghibli is up to take on the big guns.
It's going right into the line of fire in, arguably, one of the most competitive automotive classes: midsize luxury sedans.
This is the playing field of cars like the Audi A6/A7, BMW 5-Series/6-Series Gran Coupe, Lexus GS, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and even Porsche's Panamera. And this is the first time that Maserati will be entering the market with a proper rival eager to gain market share.
We've been closely keeping an eye on the Ghibli because unlike the Germans or Japanese, this car has something they both seem to lack: style and emotion. No one knows how to bottle up "soul," like the Italian automakers. Not to mention that there's a certain brand cachet that Maserati has and Audi, BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz will not be able to keep up with. Porsche, on the other hand, can compete in the battle of the badge.
All things considered, does Maserati's all-new Ghibli have a shot at becoming the next "hot" product, much like the Porsche Panamera, then Audi A7?
Maserati has long supplied exotic—and expensive—rides to the rich and super-rich. Now the 99-year-old sports car maker is shifting its focus to the merely wealthy. In September the Fiat subsidiary plans to introduce the Ghibli, a midsize sedan starting at $65,600 that it hopes will present a direct challenge to German models such as the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and Audi A6. Maserati is betting it can offer something the Germans can’t: Italian sex appeal backed by the power and cachet of engines from sister brand Ferrari. “We have to steal buyers from the Germans,” says Benedetto Orvietani, a product development manager at Maserati. “We are going after their most demanding customers, the ones that are bored with their Audi A6 and want to stand out...."
Lifting Maserati’s global appeal is key to the effort by Sergio Marchionne, chief executive officer of both Fiat and Chrysler, to end losses in Europe, which totaled fon ore than €700 million last year. Fiat is counting on overseas demand for higher-margin luxury cars to keep workers at its underutilized Italian factories busy. That strategy will also be used at Alfa Romeo, which will make somewhat less opulent cars aimed at German rivals’ mainstream customers. Wolfram Mrowetz, chairman of brokerage Alisei Sim in Milan, says the company can succeed by building the right image to woo new customers. “Maserati is a hidden jewel,” Mrowetz says. “But it’s crucial for them to market properly to boost their aspirational value for wealthy consumers.”


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The American Medical Association (AMA) published a report in 2007 reviewing research data on the addictive potential of video games. The report suggests that gaming addiction is likely to be a subset of Internet addiction and may cause negative physical, psychosocial, or behavioral problems. The condition most frequently occurs in players of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs).
The definitions of Internet addiction and MMORPG addiction are still informal. The term Internet addiction was first used in the 1990s, extending the psychiatric lexicon of addiction to include persons using the Internet to such an extent that it causes "significant social, psychological, and occupational impairment."
MMORPGs (pronounced "morpegs" or "more pigs") are "competitive and highly social, and provide interactive real-time services," according to the AMA report. The data suggest that users of these games tend to be individuals who are "marginalized socially." Additionally, the report states that these individuals achieve "more success in social relationships in the virtual reality realm than in real relationships." The AMA has issued a directive calling for additional research on the addictive aspects of MMORPGs.
In favor of online games, Wired reports that in moderation they can have positive effects. For those who are marginalized socially, MMORPGs facilitate the development of socialization skills across diverse Internet populations. MMORPGs have been used to help "abused children in Portuguese safe houses by bringing them into the game and then working on socialization, collaboration, team building, computer skills and more."
MMORPGs offer less gore and yield greater participation rates among women than offline video games. Violent offline games often involve rapid action that requires buttons to be pushed in quick succession. When these games are translated online, much of the rapid action is lost due to Internet lag. Even when games are translated into online formats, the number of enemies is typically decreased, as these enemies are played by other gamers and are not computer generated. Because the opponents are human, online games require creative thinking.
In South Korea, Internet addiction is a serious problem. South Korea claims virtually "universal Internet access" with 90 percent broadband penetration into homes. According to a three-year government study of the problem, 30 percent of people under the age of 18, or about 2.4 million children and adolescents, are at risk for Internet addiction.
Of that 30 percent, a quarter million show signs of addiction—withdrawal symptoms and an inability to stop. To deal with the problem, the South Korean government has built counseling centers, treatment programs at numerous hospitals, and an Internet Rescue School—"providing a mix of military style, physical exercise and rehabilitation."
Other countries are beginning to follow suit. Thailand, Vietnam, and China have recently joined South Korea in trying to control the amount of time teens spend online. In Thailand, gamers have been banned from game servers between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. In Vietnam, recent government regulations tried to work through gaming companies. Their strategy was to make it more difficult for gamers to receive bonus points after three hours of play, and impossible after five.
Chinese policies attempt to remove teens from networked games after five hours and bar youths from Internet cafes. In addition, China has set up rehabilitation clinics that use counseling, military discipline, drugs, hypnosis, and mild electric shocks. These centers are more akin to detention centers than summer camps.
In the United States no such measures have been taken. The report of the AMA calls for formal inclusion of Internet and video game addiction as an officially described disorder, including diagnostic criteria, in future revisions to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Disagreement remains over when online gaming becomes hazardous to one's health. But, like other addictions, the impetus for treating the young Internet addicted gamers falls on parents and family physicians.
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