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The 2nd part of Hiroshi Kamiya's interview for Weekly TV Guide about Kakushigoto hit stores this week in Japan.
Lantis announced that ONO DAISUKE LIVE 2021: A SPACE ODYSSEY is going to be released this Autumn on Blu-ray.
8P's opening and ending songs for the otome game "Paradigm Paradox" are going to be released in a single in July.
Daisuke Namikawa, Soma Saito, Hiroshi Kamiya and Koutaro Nishiyama are featured in this issue.
Oricon Monthly May 2021's final rankings are out. Get to know the male seiyuu and 2D idol projects that topped the charts last month.
HOUND ROAR is back with more jazz-rock for a special digital single release "syndrome".
PONY CANYON announced that the talented seiyuu and solo artist will be back with new music before the end of 2021.
TRD (Daisuke Ono & Takayuki Kondo) make their debut, Junta Terashima is back & HANDEAD ANTHEM franchise kicks off its 1st solo CD series.
Seiyuu Animedia unveiled the lineup for its August 2021 issue. Koutaro Nishiyama and Shugo Nakamura grace the covers.
Hiroshi Kamiya, Mamoru Miyano, Shugo Nakamura and more are featured on the August 2021 issue of Seiyuu Grandprix.


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Research in Motion’s last remaining hope for the company’s future is officially on track for an early 2013 launch. According to RIM CEO Thorsten Heins, the ever-delayed BlackBerry 10 release date is not 100% confirmed for Q1 of next year, as the project finally appears to be falling into place.
BlackBerry has largely fallen off the radar as of late and has only seemed to creep into the news when RIM has been given something of a battering by analysts, consumers and its remaining client base. In the meantime, Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android have been free to continue their unstoppable rise to full monopolization of the industry, with Microsoft now having also joined the race with its all-new Windows Phone 8 OS.
Now however, while it may not be the most Earth-shattering news we could have hoped for from RIM, Heins has confirmed that the current BlackBerry 10 release date will indeed hold out, as the software enters its network testing stage of development.
Dozens of hiccups and outright disasters have seen the BlackBerry 10 release date already pushed back from the early part of this year, with some having suggested that even the first half of 2013 was beginning to look unlikely. Heins therefore took it upon himself to quash the hearsay for now at least, publically expressing his confidence in the upcoming BlackBerry 10 OS and device range.
Numerous setbacks have been reported, with hints of delays pushing the new OS back to much later in the new year. However, CEO Thorsten Heins has publically confirmed that BlackBerry 10 is well on track for a launch early in 2013:
“I’m very pleased to confirm that we have passed a critical milestone in the development of our brand new mobile computing platform, BlackBerry 10. In the last week, BlackBerry 10 achieved Lab Entry with more than 50 carriers – a key step in our preparedness for the launch of BlackBerry 10 in the first quarter of 2013.”
RIM has also promised at least 110,000 apps available by the time BlackBerry 10 arrives – content being heralded as perhaps the primary key to the new operating system’s success or otherwise.

domain: news


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Apple's 2013 Design Awards announced, 'Evernote' and 'Yahoo! Weather' among winnersComing hours after the WWDC keynote, the annual Apple Design Awards results were announced, with big names like Evernote and Yahoo! Weather being among the best apps on iOS and Mac OS X for 2013.
The awards, which were handed out at the Presidio Monday night, celebrated those iPhone, iPad and Mac apps released within the last year that demonstrated "technical excellence, innovation and outstanding design."
In all, 11 apps made the cut, including two submissions from student developers. In addition, this year also saw applications for student scholarships, with winners getting a free pass to attend WWDC in San Francisco. Entrants only had eight days to come up with an app that described their experience and backgrounds.
2013 Apple Design Awards (as listed on Apple's webpage):
- WWF Together
- Yahoo! Weather
- Ridiculous Fishing
- SkyGamblers: Storm Raiders (iOS, OS X)
- Coda 2
- Evernote (iOS, OS X)
As for the student scholarship showcase, Apple featured three submissions: 17-year-old Louis Harboe's "My Adventure book," 19-year-old Bryan Keller's eponymous "Bryan Keller," and 13-year-old Puck Meerbug's "WWDC."
On Topic: General
- Cupertino mayor accuses Apple, responsible for nearly 20% of the city's tax revenue, of not paying enough
- Microsoft stays true to its word, will end free Windows 10 upgrades on July 29
- Apple's online store gains new category for accessibility-focused accessories
- Ex-Siri team to unveil 'Viv' virtual assistant next week in quest for ubiquitous AI
- Apple, others urge presidential candidates to support Trans-Pacific Partnership, address government snooping


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BBB: Credit company making false promisesPosted: Updated:
PHOENIX-- Looking to improve your credit score? Be careful. One website promising a higher credit score has caught the attention of the Better Business Bureau.
On a YouTube video link posted on its website, the company GetExcellentCredit.Org claims, “This can take less than 15 days. You will now be able to easily qualify for any credit that you apply for, guaranteed."
The Better Business Bureau says the site makes false credit promises to consumers. Get Excellent Credit. Org which is based here in Arizona, claims people looking for a new credit history can do so for a fee of up to $99, and see improvement in as little as 15 days.
The Better Business Bureau’s Felicia Thompson says there have been a number of complaints.
"Consumers who filed complaints with us, some of them alleged they haven't received the information they need or promised within that 15 day period," she says. "So a lot of them aren't able to get through to the customer line or respond by email so there's concern they're not living up to their promises."
The website goes on to claim, "Our proven program unconditionally guarantees you will qualify for personal loans, business loans, credit cards, auto loans, home loans and any other forms of credit that you may apply for."
The Better Business Bureau says it has asked the company to prove the legality of their claims but the company has not responded to that request. More than 100 inquiries to the BBB have been made within the past 30 days. "The company allegedly gives EIN numbers, employer identification numbers," Thompson says. "We've done a little research and have found the Federal Trade Commission, FTC, advises against using that other than business purposes."
By the way, Get Excellent Credit.Org was even using the Better Business Bureau's seal on its website, but recently removed it at the BBB’s request.
To learn more about this, visit the BBB's website.


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November 19, 2020, GEM 26 — Too often, small business owners fail to plan for the eventual transition of their businesses. However, planning for an inevitable ownership change is simply good business—and it starts years before the enterprise changes hands. Listen now as Director of Business Engagement John Campbell discusses why all business owners, regardless of the company’s size, should prepare for their future transition.
June 2— With a major economic downturn and businesses hit particularly hard from the COVID-19 pandemic, many family business owners are asking: What does this mean for the valuation of closely held businesses that have no readily observable market prices? It stands to reason that the same uncertainties sweeping through the public markets would also impact smaller private companies in even more profound ways, with travel, leisure, and retail businesses being especially hard hit.
May 26— The unprecedented economic circumstances stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic are only beginning to be understood and will likely be felt for some time.


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tech2 News Staff Jun 05, 2018 11:38:37 IST
Yesterday a new information appeared on Twitter via the serial leaker Steve H.’s handle. He said that the Pixel 3 will have a 5.3-inch display with no notch and the Pixel 3 XL will have a 6.2-inch display with a notch.
This is in line with the earlier leaked photos of the alleged tempered glass for the smartphones.
According to a Bloomberg report, the Pixel XL 3 will be designed with nearly edge-to-edge screen. However, the notch on the Pixel 3 XL won’t be as wide as the one we see on the Apple iPhone X.
According to my sources:
Pixel 3 ≃ 5.3-inch (no notch)
Pixel 3XL ≃ 6.2-inch (notch)
— Steve H. (@OnLeaks) June 4, 2018
The Google Pixel 3, on the other hand, will apparently look similar to the Pixel 2 and won’t include the notch or edge-to-edge look.
According to the same report, Foxconn will be the manufacturer for the Pixel 3 devices.
The phones are likely to use the latest versions of chipsets available for the new smartphones, and probably it will be the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC, which is powering all 2018 flagship phones.
Coming to the camera, the Google Pixel 3 XL is reported to include a dual-camera setup on the front, that will be on the notch. On the rear, both Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL will have upgraded, but single-lens cameras.
There’s a lot more that we know about the phones so far, and you can read it here.
Tech2 is now on WhatsApp. For all the buzz on the latest tech and science, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Tech2.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button.


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The decade's most triggering comedy
The “more stringent” standards released by the agency would induce a 56% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions for light-duty vehicles as well as a 44% decrease for medium-duty vehicles, while similar standards were introduced for heavy-duty vehicles. The regulations would seek to change market conditions such that electric vehicles constitute two-thirds of new sales for light-duty vehicles and nearly half of new sales for medium-duty vehicles by 2032.
“By proposing the most ambitious pollution standards ever for cars and trucks, we are delivering on the Biden-Harris administration’s promise to protect people and the planet, securing critical reductions in dangerous air and climate pollution and ensuring significant economic benefits like lower fuel and maintenance costs for families,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a press release. “These ambitious standards are readily achievable thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, which is already driving historic progress to build more American-made electric cars and secure America’s global competitiveness.”
The proposals follow aggressive regulations and legislative packages from the White House over the past two years in favor of electric vehicles and an overall transition toward renewable energy. The Biden administration, which has established a “whole-of-government effort” to reduce carbon emissions and incentivize renewables, has also introduced new emissions rules for gas stoves, air conditioners, and mobile homes.
The EPA asserted that the proposed standards would decrease carbon dioxide emissions by 10 billion tons over the next three decades and produce as much as $1.6 trillion in value. Skeptics, on the other hand, contend that the move would ignore widespread desires for affordable and reliable conventional vehicles.
“With this new set of proposals, the Biden administration is setting out to use the power of government as a weapon to remove from the market the gas-powered trucks and cars that everyday consumers rely on, in favor of the kinds of cars that are most popular in liberal bastions,” Alliance for Consumers Executive Director O. H. Skinner said in comments provided to The Daily Wire. “Everyday consumers deserve better. The federal government shouldn’t be forcing progressive lifestyle choices on consumers. Biden and his activist allies think that they have found a way to force companies and consumers to comply with a progressive worldview without consequence or public scrutiny, and we are saying enough is enough.”
The ambitious proposals come shortly after a poll from the Associated Press and the National Opinion Research Center revealed that only 19% of Americans said they are “extremely likely” or “very likely” to select an electric vehicle for their next car purchase. Dominant reasons for hesitance toward electric cars were prohibitively high costs, a lack of charging stations, personal preference for gas vehicles, concerns with charging times, and a lack of confidence in current battery technology.
The concerns regarding electric vehicles could present obstacles to the successful rollout of the EPA regulations and similar moves from states attempting to encourage universal adoption of the nascent technology. California Air Resources Board officials issued rules last year requiring 35% of new vehicles to be zero-emission by 2026, a standard that will rise to a 68% benchmark by 2030 and a 100% benchmark by 2035. States such as Massachusetts, Washington, and Virginia have passed laws conforming their states to the standards.
The EPA granted two waivers of federal standards last month to the California Air Resources Board so that the state can enforce requirements for heavy-duty truck manufacturers to enact increasingly strict standards such that 100% of new sales are zero-emission by 2045.


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Time Inc. will become the “first major magazine publisher” to accept the online cryptocurrency bitcoin, the company announced Tuesday.
The magazine company will partner with Coinbase, a company that facilitates bitcoin transactions by offering users a virtual “wallet” to store their digital currency. On its website, Coinbase touts 1.8 million users and 37,000 merchants.
Bitcoin users will now be able to purchase Fortune, Health, This Old House and Travel + Leisure, according to the release:
“We are always looking for ways to make it easier for consumers to engage with our brands and this pilot program will give bitcoin users a seamless and simple way to purchase subscriptions,” said Lynne Biggar, Executive Vice President, Consumer Marketing + Revenue, Time Inc. “We hope to expand our partnership with Coinbase in the coming months to create more opportunities to provide greater value to our customers.”


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Boys Winter Coats Subject of Recall
Strangulation hazard, failure to meet CPSC guidelines cited as causes for action
February 4, 2014 (Newswire.com) - Another recall on an exclusive Burlington Coat Factory garment has been issued, this time for a product manufactured in China for a company called Lion Force, Inc. in Brooklyn, New York. The Lion Force Boys' Puffer Coats were sold at Burlington Coat Factory stores throughout the nation between November of 2010 and September of 2013 at an approximate retail cost of $30.
The coats feature a drawstring that runs through the hood that has been deemed a strangulation hazard according to Consumer Product Safety Commission guidelines. The coats are all black with a zip-away black hood. The outside material is 100% nylon and it features an elastic waist and wrist cuffs. The Lion Force Logo appears on a sewn-on tag on the inside back of the neck of these coats. The coats have two velcro outer pockets with a third inner pocket. They were sold in boys' sizes 4-12.
This recall arrives on the heels of a similar one involving a Burlington Coat Factory exclusive product line for girls from Runway Global. The complaint in that recall was identical: it involved the drawstring on the hoods of several popular style girls' coats.
There are no reports of injury involving any product that is subject to these recalls.
Consumers are advised that removing the drawstring brings the coats under CPSC compliance, but the company is offering a full refund for anyone who wishes to return the affected merchandise. Lion Force can be reached on their toll-free line at (855) 441-5466.
"It is such a simple thing, yet it could also be a deadly lapse in judgment on the part of the manufacturer," said Drazen Alcocer, founder and CEO of iFederated, parent company of iRecalls.com. "Consumer safety guidelines exist to protect people, especially children. Then again, so does iRecalls.com."
iRecalls.com is a social network of concerned citizens dedicated to raising awareness of current consumer product recalls.
"When a national retailer carries defective products that can harm children, there has to be a reliable way of informing as many people as possible as quickly as possible, and I think iRecalls.com is positioned well to do that," said Artin Afsharjavan, Chairman of iFederated.
Afsharjavan added that his comment was not meant as a slight to Burlington Coat Factory. "It is impossible to police every item that they sell. They are right to expect the manufacturer to follow safety guidelines. However, when the manufacturer falls short of their responsibility, it is up to the company to take action and it is up to organizations like ours need to step up and speak up," he said.
Those interested in becoming part of the iRecalls.com community are welcome and encouraged to create a free account at http://www.irecalls.com.


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Apple on Wednesday seeded the first public beta of its upcoming tvOS 17 operating system that will be released to the general public later this year.
Public beta testers can download the tvOS 17 beta by signing up on Apple’s public beta website and then opening up the Settings app on Apple TV, choosing the Software Updates section under System, and then toggling on the Get Public Beta Updates option.
The update brings FaceTime to the Apple TV 4K, a new Control Center, and a feature that allows you to use your iPhone to locate a misplaced Siri Remote.
The tvOS 17 Control Center now displays system status, including the time and active profile, and expands to include other helpful details based on a user’s personal activity.
Users will now be able to launch the Apple TV remote inside Control Center on their iPhone to find their Siri Remote (2nd generation or later). As users get closer to the remote, an onscreen circle grows in size to guide their movement.
For more information about tvOS 17, click here.
As usual, MacTrast and Apple both warn users to not install any betas on their daily driver Apple TV, especially early betas of new operating systems. Instead, only install betas on a device set aside for testing purposes.


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Meat, fish and meat substitutes that start-ups are currently being created in a laboratory with the help of Dutch corporation DSM, may be sold in stores for the first time within a year. The CEO of the food ingredients firm, Dimitri de Vreeze, confirmed the plan during the official launch of the next phase of development at the Biotech Campus in Delft. The company, along with insurance firm ASR, want the campus to grow into a “world leader” in life sciences.
DSM and ASR will invest half a billion euros in the campus over the next twenty years. This includes laboratories with equipment for making proteins and producing food using yeasts and other micro-organisms. With the investment, more of these machines can be produced, and both DSM and start-ups on the campus can further develop their products and processes more quickly. The companies can then press ahead by making the taste and texture of a product more similar to that of the animal variant.
** Click here to read the full-text **


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Barclays says new app will bring quicker loan access
Barclays is rolling out a new service on its mobile banking app which it says can help small businesses access loans in less than an hour. It claims to be the first UK bank able to approve and transfer full loans to small and medium enterprise (SME) accounts via its mobile app - in some cases within 60 minutes.
Those loans can otherwise take weeks to approve, it said.
Ian Rand, chief executive of business banking at Barclays, said: "We recognise that some businesses are cautious about applying for a loan, whilst many more simply do not have the time.
"Our new, pre-assessed lending gives customers the ability to see how much they could borrow on their mobile and we can get that money to them more quickly than ever so they can invest in and focus on running their businesses."
Barclays has offered online pre-assessment since 2013, but this is the first time businesses can take on the whole process via the mobile app.
Retail customers already have access to loans through mobile banking.
Barclays said that easier access to loans could help to unlock £34.25bn in economic growth from UK SMEs by 2021, creating up to 194,000 jobs.
However, the bank said that 39% of small business are not planning to apply for a loan, despite acknowledging it could help their business.


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Beasley Allen, based out of Montgomery, Alabama, withdrew the class-action lawsuit after the company made changes to its marketing and product disclosure. Taco Bell CEO Greg Creed said the company spent between $3 and $4 million to counter the allegations in the lawsuit. He added that the company did not pay any money or change any of its products or advertising.
"This sets the record straight about the high quality of our seasoned beef and the integrity of our advertising," Creed said in an interview with the AP. "We took great exception to the false claims made about our seasoned beef and wish the attorneys had contacted us before filing and publicizing a lawsuit that disparaged our brand."
Photo by theimpulsebuy


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Tiffany & Co. is suing Costco for selling rings labeled “Tiffany” rings that are not the genuine item.
The report also indicated that the plaintiff claims that the world’s largest private buying club has been engaged in the practice for years. Tiffany’s legal counsel expressed its concerns about the lawsuit in a report by the Philadelphia Inquirer.
"We now know that there are at least hundreds if not thousands of Costco members who think they bought a Tiffany engagement ring at Costco, which they didn't," Jeffrey Mitchell, Tiffany's counsel in the case, said in a statement. "Costco knew what it was doing when it used the Tiffany trademark to sell rings that had nothing to do with Tiffany.


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Brand Licensing Europe 2014 expects to top last year’s record-breaking attendance with even more features and new brands on the floor.
Cartoon Network Enterprises has teamed with Bandai Namco Games Europe and Little Orbit for the third installment in the "Adventure Time" video game franchise.
For the first-time ever, Transformers character Optimus Prime visited Northern Ireland last weekend to take part in the Belfast Ultimate Strongman Giant Weekend.
Mask-arade has released a set of One Direction desktop standees under license from Global Merchandising Services.
DC Thomson's weekly women’s magazine The People’s Friend is partnering with the group of charities that form the Age U.K. network.
Outfit7 has partnered with SuperAwesome's Future8 Awards for digital creators to exclusively sponsor the mobile app category.
Aadrash has appointed MJA licensing as its licensing agent in France for the Purple Turtle book series.
Platinum Films has teamed up with Vue Entertainment to premiere the new season of “Matt Hatter Chronicles" at 81 Vue movie theaters across the U.K. this month.
Brand Licensing Europe is teaming up with a number of charities this year, including the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, which will provide the event's first-ever mascot.
Ubisoft has once again teamed up with Bioworld Europe to develop fashion lifestyle products for the next iteration of the Assassin's Creed video game franchise.
Brand Licensing Europe has unveiled the judging panel for this year’s License This! challenge for new creative concepts.
Disney hosted a digital parade in London last week to celebrate the launch of Disney Infinity in the U.K.
ITV Studios Global Entertainment has tapped Smith & Brooks to produce a range of Matt Hatter-branded outerwear in the U.K.
JELC is continuing to expand the licensing program for the art brand My Cat Pip, with plans for new books and categories.
England's Football Association is prepping for the World Cup by extending its agreement with Poetic Gem for apparel.
The Dutch lifestyle brand Oilily, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this fall, has expanded its product portfolio.
DQ Entertainment’s “The New Adventures of Peter Pan” made its debut on Rai Due in Italy Sept. 9.
Nickelodeon and Spain’s Parque de Atracciones de Madrid are planning to open the first Nickelodeon-branded attraction in Spain.
Planeta Junior has signed on to represent BondiBand in the EMEA territories for broadcasting, licensing and merchandising.
A huge roster of licensors’ have joined Digital Giving’s new app “T-Shirt Booth,” which offers character t-shirts for charity.
TVMania U.K. has expanded the role of Monika Albers, who will now oversee all licensing for company’s U.K. division.
©2014 ADVANSTAR COMMUNICATIONS INC. All rights reserved.


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Lauman Group, a company he chairs Manuel Arroyo’s photo And the owner of El Financiero, confirms the acquisition of Fox Sports México, an operation that is subject to authorization from our country’s regulators. “In the next few days we will provide more information,” said El Financiero Bloomberg. Guillermo Ortega, in his TV space.
However, the company did not disclose the amount of the transaction.
The purchase comes nearly two years after Federal Institute for Communications (IFT) Concentration is conditionally approved Walt Disney and Twenty-First Century Fox For 71,300 million dollars.
One of the conditions given to both companies to allow buying and selling was that it be specifically Disney Fox Sports stripped out, saying the merger would lead to an up to 80 percent concentration in sports signals and content on pay TV and streaming platforms.
This is because Disney also has sports content on ESPN, which is a direct competitor to Fox Sports.
The cancellation of the merger has been postponed due to the pandemic and only at the beginning of this month the Ifetel plenary session The Walt Disney Company and Twenty-First Century Fox (21CF) refused to extend the suspension of the period of stripping.
In March 2019, 21. Century Fox sold to Disney for $ 71 billion.
Mickey Mouse acquired the main assets of 20th Century Fox; FX, National Geographics, Boom, Fox News y Fox Sports a escala internacional.
With Disney and the 21CF stripped, it will move forward, expanding the franchise’s first collection that includes some of the most iconic characters in the world, uniting Mickey Mouse, Luke Skywalker and Marvel superheroes with X-Men, Avatar and The Simpsons’ Fox.
Video streaming service or “streaming” Disney +, Aims to offset the ongoing loss of subscribers to ESPN and other cable networks.
The completion of the business comes nearly a year after Disney defeated Comcast Corp. in a bidding competition for Fox’s assets.
The newly created media company, whose assets include Fox News and Fox Broadcast Network, It will have about $ 10 billion in annual revenue.
To the mouth
“Unapologetic pop culture trailblazer. Freelance troublemaker. Food guru. Alcohol fanatic. Gamer. Explorer. Thinker.”


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SHOREWOOD — Business is not what it used to be at Capitol Cleaners in Shorewood.
With a lot of people working from home these days because of the pandemic, the business has taken a big hit
"We initially did close down for a few weeks in mid-March," says manager Tom Sturdy. "We opened up once regulations and rules were ironed out. We've been open for reduced hours and even though we do everything on-site, machines have been operating at 50-percent capacity to try and keep our operating cost down."
They estimate that they've lost 50 percent of their business the past six months, but things are starting to pick up with a lot of their customers getting ready for virtual meetings.
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"Lots of upper garments, lots of blouses, sweaters, shirts," Sturdy says. "Not as many pants and skirts that we used to have but we definitely want them looking as good as possible, especially during the high def era of video chats."
They do everything on-site here which also includes alterations if you need it. Their process here helps fight the coronavirus.
"Cleanliness is key," Sturdy emphasizes. "We're trying to keep things clean. We know washing and drying and cleaning clothes does kill the virus. The soap and the high heat definitely kills the virus so know that you can bring not only your laundry, but also blankets, and comforters, pillowcases and all sorts of linens as well."


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Blockchain startup AnRKey X™ has officially launched from 3 months of stealth to announce a new industry coined m$ports that will merge the best of what DeFi, eSports, and Web 3 NFTs have to offer. As a new gaming genre, m$sports (short for Money Sports) will introduce a gaming platform that will allow players to use highly gamified DeFi liquidity mining mechanisms with NFTs.
The Ethereum-based protocol will host all games on its proprietary Decentralized Gaming Platform Exchange (gDEX). The first game to market will be titled Battle Wave 2323™ and will allow players to compete in virtual teams to see who can earn the highest APY through gamified liquidity mining and NFT staking and trading.
Founded by JD Salbego, a recognized blockchain entrepreneur and speaker, AnRKey X™ was inspired by a history of working in the entertainment and tech industries and the recent innovations around DeFi yield farming. The DeFi boom of 2020 confirmed that crypto users enjoy gamified platforms and leveraging game theory to balance risk/reward in the hunt for large profits. They also have shown a real appreciation for digital art, as seen by the increased popularity of NFT collectibles trading.
Salbego explains, “The blockchain industry by its nature has catered to gamers and tech savvy users since its inception in 2009. DeFi has proven that these skills can be used effectively to earn yield through game theory and an understanding of markets. AnRKey X™ was built with the user in mind, both from a perspective of entertainment and profitability for the winners of each game. We are excited to announce more about the project in upcoming weeks as we come to market.”
AnRKey X™ is led by a team of seasoned blockchain entrepreneurs, influencers, and advisors. The Singaporean company has leveraged a global team to build loyal communities throughout Asia, one of its primary target markets, as well as in the west. The company is expected to release more information on its upcoming games and partners soon.About AnRKey X
At AnRKey X
™ three worlds merge, all powered by the company’s native $ANRX ERC20 Arcade Coin. AnRKey X™ has invented a brand new industry fueled by DeFi, eSports, and Web 3.0 NFTs with groundbreaking potential called m$ports™ - the first company to accomplish this innovation.Contact:


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Many magazine publishers approach reprints as found money;in their minds it requires little manpower to produce, demand is either there or it isn’t and it doesn’t need to be fueled by marketing. Reprints are extremely profitable;but that’s because publishers don’t have to invest much behind them. "We offer reprints because they are easy money, they do not detract from our brand, provide additional exposure and make the companies we cover and individuals quoted happy," says Gary Rubin, chief publishing officer for the Society for Human Resource Management. "It’s a very small percentage of our overall revenue but we believe that the market for reprints will remain viable for many years to come."
However, reprints may decline as a revenue source unless publishers start putting some effort behind them. In 2004, the latest year for which American Business Media has data, reprints, custom and database fell to 7.9 percent of revenue among b-to-b publishers. Part of that is due to e-publishing stealing some of the thunder from print. But much of it can be attributed to publishers ignoring the potential of reprints.
Publishers who are realizing significant returns on reprints are also investing dollars and time to make it grow. "It’s a significant revenue stream," says Mike Armstrong, senior vice president of operations at U.S. News & World Report, which outsources its reprint business to Foster Reprints. "Today, any revenue stream is important. It’s a solid part of our business. We’re not into spending a lot of time on trivial efforts;we’ve paid quite a bit of attention to making it work and making it grow."
Entrepreneur sees a sliver of its revenue come from reprints, according to president Neal Perlman. "There’s no manpower required and it’s a faster turnaround and eliminates receivables," he says. However, he’s more pessimistic about growth. "We’re seeing slow volume growth each year and about the same as a percentage of sales."
Reprints currently count as less than 1 percent of revenue for b-to-b publisher BZ Media, but that’s not the way to look at it, according to president Ted Bahr. "We do about $25,000 in reprint sales per year," he says. "There is no expense associated with this. If you run a 10 percent margin business, this is the equivalent of $250,000 in sales."
Reprints As Multi-Million Dollar Revenue Stream
Reprints are a multi-million dollar business for Forbes, according to reprints rights manager Daphne Ben-Ari, who helped create the service for the magazine 12 years ago. "We like to keep it in-house because of quality control," says Ben-Ari. "We get requests from customers all the time asking if we can move this or change that. It may not seem like a big deal but it changes everything."
Despite the whopping return, reprints aren’t something Forbes is putting a lot of resources behind. "We definitely look at it as a money-making division but it’s not something we aggressively market," Ben-Ari says. "It’s more of a soft sell. When we first started, we decided that since these are unbiased articles, we weren’t going to go out and actively sell reprints. If you’re interviewed, you probably know when it’s going to run."
However, that’s not how publishers should consider reprints, according to one vendor. "Publishers give away an article or a PDF all the time," says the vendor. "You’re undervaluing your editorial significantly. That seems to be happening more recently. It’s a bad thing because you’re saying ﾑOur editorial isn’t worth that much, I’ll just give it to you.’"
Forbes does follow up with individuals who appear in the magazine. "I’ll flip through the magazine when I get it and identify stories that might be of interest and send a letter and a little package about the reprint with the magazine issue," says Ben-Ari.
Ben-Ari says that demand for reprints has been a little better than last year; with the magazine selling about half a million reprints to date in 2006. "The last few years have been pretty consistent," she adds. "We obviously have no control over editorial but the bulk of our sales tend to be list issues, such as the Best 200 Small Companies in America."
Typical order sizes are tough to gauge, according to Ben-Ari. The minimum order for Forbes reprints is 500, with 1,000 and 5,000 as the next most popular sizes. "For something like the Best 200 Small Companies, these obviously aren’t large companies with huge budgets," says Ben-Ari. "A big company may order 10,000 and then six months later order 10,000 more. A lot of times, somebody orders 500, then calls back a few weeks later and needs much more."
Digital reprints account for 20 percent of total reprint orders for Forbes, despite the fact that the magazine charges slightly more for a digital reprint on its own as opposed to one packaged with the print version. "It’s hard to give you easy pricing because each order is its own little pricing world," says Ben-Ari. Forbes sets prices according to quantity, the number of pages, and the photography. The minimum 500 reprint order typically costs about $3,000.
Ben-Ari says she would like to find prospects quicker. "I guess my biggest challenge, like in anything else, is growth," she adds. "Our articles are unpredictable and have a limited target audience. Meaning, only companies that have been ranked on a list, or that we have written positive articles on, are going to want to make the purchase. Let’s face it, if we write a negative article, it doesn’t matter how great a salesperson I am, you are just not going to want to buy the reprints."
Despite publishing 13 of the largest consumer titles, Hachette Filipacchi has a team of two devoted to reprints. The company sees demand for reprints primarily from brands featured in its automotive titles Car & Driver and Road & Track, according to Margot Fried, manager of corporate reprints and permissions. �Our biggest moneymakers are in the auto industry but a lot of the d�cor titles do well and Elle is a steady seller,� she says.
Fried does follow up with potential targets. "When we see a great review, we’ll send them a packet," she adds. The company has also seen electronic reprints evolve into a legitimate revenue stream. "E-prints used to be positioned more as value added but as we’re in the digital age we now sell those separately," says Fried. Order sizes can range from 250,000 20-page reprints to 1,000 four-page reprints.
"They keep this department up and running because we pull in a significant amount of revenue," says Fried.
Juggling Reprints…With Everything Else
IEEE (the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) offers 17 different publications, including flagship IEEE Spectrum. Reprint orders go through Cathline Tanis, who serves as senior advertising production manager on all titles. While orders are processed by the association’s printer and outsourced to a vendor, Tanis wants to narrow the three- to four-week timeframe between placing the order and having it delivered. "I would like to see a decrease in the turnaround but in order to do that, we would need to get enough reprints to substantiate a new staff member that would be completely dedicated to reprints," Tanis says. "I’m not dedicated to it. My duties are widespread, reprints tend to be second fiddle. We’re trying our best to get them out in a timely manner."
Online Taking a Bite
IEEE does set a specific budget for reprint revenue but averages about $75,000 to $100,000 per year. "I’d say I’ve seen a slight decrease in the demand for reprints this year," says Tanis. "In years prior, we handled 100 separate orders that vary in size from 2,000 copies to 100 copies. This year, we’re already past the half-way mark and we’ve only had about 75 orders. With electronic publishing and all the different ways to get files, the demand for print reprints is becoming less."
As a percentage of revenue, reprints are "minuscule," less than 1 percent, and have been flat in recent years, according to Jim Vick, staff director at IEEE Media and publisher of IEEE Spectrum. "As a percentage of total business center sales they used to be more around 3 percent," he says. "I think the ability for a company to reproduce off the Web or distribute by e-mail may be playing a role in the decline or there’s just flat out less use of reprints. For us it’s bleak but that’s probably not what you’d hear from someone like Harvard Business Review. Reprints for them is an entirely different game and model. [IEEE Spectrum editor] Susan Hassler talked to the editor there and came back thinking she’d found a long lost Inca gold mine. If only it were true."
Digital reprint requests can be trickier to handle. IEEE sends digital orders through its copyright and permissions department. "There’s a lot of plagiarism connected with e-files," says Tanis. "That goes through another department that’s stricter than we are in print."
Pricing for IEEE runs anywhere between $140 to over $5,000 depending on color involved, number of pages, with some requiring special print runs. IEEE doesn’t do any separate marketing either. "We don’t do it at all because of the type of publications;the interest is there or it’s not," says Tanis. "These are very specific fields, so someone may call to request an article but it’s not anyone who’s going to just ask for it."
In-house Vs. Outsourcing
Publishers remain divided on whether they should handle reprints in-house or outsource to a vendor. IEEE has found significant efficiencies with outsourcing. "We outsource and as far as I’m concerned they’re doing a good job despite what I said;they don’t create the market," says Vick. "I think they’re getting all the business there is to be had. I’m outsourcing all of these peripheral activities into the hands of people who are specialists;I’ve given all my list sales to Statlistics, too. The assumption is the vendors are equipped to do it best and I don’t have to support the overhead. They only get compensated on what they sell. I ditched three headcount this way."
However, Access Intelligence is firmly committed to handling reprints in-house and is seeing reprints slowly gaining ground as a moneymaker to about 0.5 percent of overall revenue, according to CEO Don Pazour. "We tried outsourcing and we had a full-time internal resource," he says. "We are doing as well by having it be part of our customer care department. This is a business driven much more by customers asking for it than one that is cost-effectively sold." "We have had some rather disastrous experiences with outsourcing," Pazour adds. "As it is a small part of revenue, but a high margin one, we will continue to explore options, but our view is that putting it into the customer care department;which is both an inbound and outbound phone center;has been the most effective."
Reprint sales are increasing at a double-digit clip for Ascend Media and will continue to do so next year, according to CEO Cam Bishop. "It’s a great way to extend the brand, provide an ancillary service and it’s pure profit," he adds, stressing that outsourcing or handling reprints in-house can both make sense depending on the corporate set-up. "If you have the staff in place and their time is also allocated to other functions, it can be cost efficient. If you don’t have the staff, then reprints are just order-taking rather than a proactive sales effort and an outside vendor is a benefit."
Not Just the Same Old Reprint
Others say that the future in reprints lies in going beyond the traditional glossy print recreation, not only to produce digital products but also reference packages for clients that combine years’ worth of content. "For our magazine, I have yet to be convinced that a strong market exists beyond our authors for traditional reprints," says Robert Fromberg, editor of association publication Healthcare Financial Management. "However, we are seeing an interest in value-added repackaging in electronic-only form." For example, Healthcare Financial Management now offers article collections on single topics that are sold as native files (rather than PDF), "so users can actually put them to work," adds Fromberg.
Advanstar’s Medical Economics looks to reprints as a way to keep content alive long after the publication date. "I think reprint sales are a wonderful opportunity to increase revenue doing a ﾑjob’ once and getting extra mileage out of it," says editor Marianne Dekker Mattera. "I’m especially keen on collecting material and bundling it into a new package and selling the package. It works very nicely when you run a series throughout the year, say, and then put all the installments together into a ﾑbook.’"
Medical Economics has also done "book" collections of articles that it has published over a period of years on a particular topic. "They’re typically evergreen pieces where the advice doesn’t change much" says Mattera, who adds that Advanstar handles reprints in-house but she isn’t privvy to the revenue numbers. "We began doing these ﾑbooks’ last year and have had some success with it."
BZ Media sells conventional reprints and also rights to host a PDF reprint on the client’s Web site for six months (or forever). The publisher outsources to Abelson & Co., who deducts the production costs and their fees and remits the remainder to BZ Media so it’s recorded as pure profit.
Unlike most publishing executives, Bahr spends 10 minutes per issue on the phone with his reprint seller going over the most likely prospects. "That keeps her focused and efficient and keeps us top-of-mind with her," he says.
While they may not be posting double-digit growth or drawing oohs and aahs from potential investors, reprints are still a contributor to a publisher’s bottom line and shouldn’t be left to its own devices because it’s not sexy. "Reprints are probably under some pressure but companies still need something to give away at trade shows," says Bahr. "Just like with magazines overall, it’s not like print just stopped working all of a sudden."
Selecting a Reprint Vendor
When selecting any vendor, perhaps the most important criteria to identify are the intangible ones;the people skills;which are often overlooked in favor of the vendor’s technical expertise.
That doesn’t mean that the technical side of the vendor’s operation should be assumed. Following are 10 attributes;both tangible and intangible;to consider when selecting a vendor.
1. Specialist in the field
2. Culture of cooperation, both internally and externally
3. Quality products and a quick turnaround time
4. Responsive to client needs
5. Experienced and knowledgeable sales reps and CSRs
6. Innovative and aware of new opportunities
7. Competitive costs and fees
8. Pricing options, including revenue sharing
9. Periodic status reports
10. Good client references


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The merger of a local manufacturer of equipment that cleans heavy-duty vehicles with a Finland-based company positions the new entity to benefit from export advantages that come from the falling U.S. dollar.
Now Tammermatic InterClean Group is the largest company in the world that specializes in industrial vehicle wash equipment - and it's looking to grow.
The company was formed to merge InterClean, based in Pittsfield Township, with Tammermatic Oy of Finland.
"It's a huge opportunity to go into the European and Russian markets," said Mia Lamminen, founder and president of InterClean Equipment Inc.
Tammermatic InterClean Group is majority owned by a Finnish equity firm, with a small minority held by eight employees of Tammermatic Oy and InterClean, Lamminen said.
"The merger is very positive, all the way around," she said. "It's a great opportunity for growth."
Locally the impact will be felt in additional jobs and facility expansion, Lamminen said.
InterClean employs 40 people and expects to add four more positions soon and several more before the year's end. It also will expand its 20,000-square-foot facility to adjacent land, Lamminen said.
The two companies are not natural competitors. Tammermatic Oy produces mostly car washing equipment while InterClean has focused on industrial-size vehicles.
"Our expertise and our markets are different," Lamminen said.
The merger is expected to improve InterClean's already robust sales, Lamminen said, as it moves into exporting to Europe and Russia. InterClean sales increased from $6 million in 2005 to $12 million last year and are expected to hit $16 million this year, she said. Much of the growth has come from sales to energy companies.
Tammermatic InterClean Group's net sales in the current fiscal year will be around $45 million. The goal is to double that in three to five years. Each company will retain its original name.
InterClean began as makers of cleaning equipment for large vehicles such as school buses and military fleets. The company grew in recent years as it expanded into cleaning equipment used in mines, quarries and gas fields.
Lamminen founded InterClean in 1984 in Ann Arbor as a designer of cleaning equipment for heavy-duty vehicles. The company moved several times as it grew and began taking on assembling and eventually manufacturing roles.
For the past two years, everything from design to production has been done at the Pittsfield Township facility in Bestech Plaza, northwest of Carpenter Road and Michigan Avenue.
Lamminen said she expects to step down as company president at the end of 2008 but will remain connected to the company.


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China is taking its chemical war with smog to another level.
Government agencies in China hope a newly designed drone can help mitigate air pollution. The airborne vehicle will spray chemicals that freeze pollutants, thereby knocking them to the ground.
This tack begs whether it is advisable to have pollution snowing on people from above — but hey, at least the sky won’t be so unsightly.
The tests, to be spearheaded by the China Meteorological Administration, will take place later this month at ports and airports.
The smog-fighting drone has a paragliding wing, allowing it to carry three times more weight they its fixed-wing brethren. The drone reportedlycan haul more than 1,500 pounds of smog-clearing chemicals.
China has used aircraft and drones to fight smog before. However, the developers of the new drone say the design is more efficient to operate and 90 percent cheaper.
[Source: South China Morning Post]
UK Regulator Fines Aussie Company for Monkey Business
PhonepayPlus, Britain’s premium-rate phone number regulator, has fined the Australian creator of Bongo more than US$100,000 and ordered it to pay refunds, after loads of parents complained that their kids were duped.
The face of Bongo is a monkey — named Bongo — who can answer any question, from bus schedules to how to break-up with someone. The service, however, isn’t free; it costs more than $4 a pop. Thus have kids in Britain run up phone bills into the hundreds.
The service works by inviting users to send questions, in the form of a text message, to a premium-rate shortcode. A reply typically comes within minutes.
The charges were not made clear, according to the regulator, which left kids asking more questions than they might have had they known it was such a rip-off.
In its defense, Bongo does publish a disclaimer saying: “We do not recommend using the service more than 20 times per month, especially if you do not pay your own phone bill.” Good to know.
[Source: The Guardian]
Huawei Inks Deal With UK’s Vodafone
Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei has signed a five-year deal with UK-based Vodafone to upgrade the carrier’s networks in 15 European and African countries.
The contract, the value of which was undisclosed, is part of a grand push by Vodafone, which last month signed five-year deals with Europe-based telecom suppliers Ericsson and Nokia Solutions & Networks.
Despite the United States’ well-documented security fears about Huawei and its potential connections to Beijing, Huawei is, by revenue, the world’s second-largest telecom-equipment supplier, trailing only Sweden’s Ericsson. Two-thirds of Huawei’s sales are outside of China, with Europe acting as its top overseas market.
[Source: The Wall Street Journal]
Samsung: Patent Filing King
Samsung filed more than 10 times as many European patents as Apple last year.
The South Korean smartphone giant lodged 2,800 applications — an average of more than seven applications every day of the year. Apple, meanwhile, ranked just 66th in patent filings.
In Europe, it usually takes three to five years for an application to be approved.
Apple and Samsung are engaged in patent tiffs around the world and have been for some time. Samsung, however, maintains that its patent filings are not made with litigious intent, but rather “result from our commitment to R&D and our relentless pursuit of innovation.”
[Source: Financial Times]


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34 percent of Germans prefer to shop in stationary stores. In other European countries the value is even significantly higher. In Great Britain and Sweden, 51 and 50 percent, respectively, of consumers prefer shopping in stores. This was the result of a survey by the logistics service provider Centiro and JDA Software, a software provider for retail solutions.
However, this is mainly a question of age. Less than a quarter of 18- to 34-year-olds prefer shopping in the store. In the age group 55 and over, however, it is more than 60 percent. There are also major differences that depend on the product group. When it comes to buying electronics, household items and clothing, shoppers prefer online trading. Despite efforts by Amazon and various supermarket chains, the enthusiasm of consumers for online grocery shopping is currently still limited. Especially since the majority of shoppers still find out about groceries in stores and not on the Internet.
E-commerce: data collection frenzy disturbs 80 percent of German shoppers
In no other of the ten countries in which the survey was carried out do shoppers worry about their personal data as much as in Germany. 80 percent said that they are concerned about what happens to the data on their shopping behavior. Even if it gives them better service. Here it is mainly the younger consumers who are worried about possible misuse of their data. Shoppers over 55 years of age are much less worried in this regard – but they also shop significantly less often on the Internet.
In this country there seems to be a lot of trouble when shipping goods. 73 percent of Germans stated that they had had problems with the delivery of goods ordered online within the last twelve months. 35 percent complained about late deliveries. This is probably why many German shoppers make sure that online retailers offer tracking of a parcel. Almost 90 percent of respondents from Germany stated that package tracking has an influence on their purchase decision. Only in France and Italy is this value even higher.


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Today is media day in Phoenix as a press contingent of 4,786 was on hand to ask the players everything from the intelligent (“how will you defend Randy Moss?”) to the inane (“what will you have for breakfast?”). It’s all news and apparently just about all of it is fit to print.
The Super Bowl isn’t just the best two teams in the NFL slugging it out. It’s the best the advertising industry has to offer. Well, at least for this target audience.
Wait, you say. Can a target audience be over 100 million people? Yep. If you’re target is the masses.
Remember the masses? Television used to reach ’em back in the happy days of mass media. In fact, when I was a kid, if an advertiser bought time on “Happy Days” they’d hit a huge percentage of the market.
Before my time, the “I Love Lucy” show was so popular the water pressure would literally go down in major metropolitan areas during a commercial break. I call that the “Lucy effect.”
The Super Bowl is the only television program that comes close to that type of mass-market appeal. Consider this: a recent Retail Advertising & Marketing Association survey found that 36.3 percent of consumers will tune in . . . just to watch the commercials.
The formula for Super Bowl ads: make it funny. Or make it an epic. Then spend lots of money. This year, lots of money is $2.7 million for 30 seconds.
Is spending that much on a Super Bowl ad responsible? Sometimes. Super Bowl advertising has transcended mere advertising. The ads get equal time at the watercooler as the game does. The ads are now advertainment driving word-of-mouth–the most powerful form of marketing.
In the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl and following the game, a lot of attention is given to Super Bowl ads. Ads are rated, reviewed and commented upon on television, in print and online. That’s a lot of free impressions. Geez, I’m even going to have a poll here on the Responsible Marketing Blog – don’t miss it on Monday, 2/4.
So, with all this attention and this many people create a Lucy effect during this year’s game? Not likely. Remember, 36.3% of the people tuning in are watching for the ads.
But if it’s a blowout, we could see a reverse Lucy effect: the water pressure drops. . . after the ads.
Here’s an irresistible tie-in: Lucy doing a television commercial.


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Doing so is a recipe for disaster – because if you get hacked in one place, all of your other online accounts at other sites which use the same password could fall shortly afterwards.Plentyoffish dating forums are a place to meet singles and get dating advice or share dating experiences etc.Facebook has confirmed that it is, in fact, doing the same check this time around.It’s worth noting, again, that Facebook doesn’t have to do anything nefarious to know what its users passwords are. It’s an extremely safe bet to say that we can expect plenty more “we have stuck your account in a closet” messages from Facebook with regards to the Cupid Media data set, given the head-bangers that people used for passwords.We have also implemented the need for consumers to use stronger passwords and made various other improvements.
it's true, then it's highly irresponsible that POF hasn't put up an announcement on the front page (or anywhere, for that matter).
It should also be noted that, despite claiming to have plugged the security hole, POF is still sending out passwords in plain text.
Which is just this side of just posting them on the Internet for everyone to see.
In a blog post, e Harmony’s corporate communications chief Becky Teraoka said that the firm was resetting the passwords of affected users.
Unfortunately, e Harmony doesn’t offer much detail of the security incident – only saying that “a small fraction” of its userbase was impacted, and there is no information shared of how the data breach might have happened.


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CCS plans IT hardware bulk buy to cover public sector’s end-of-fiscal-year needs
Procurement body gathering info from both sides to ensure typically busy period is negotiated smoothly
Crown Commercial Service is planning a bulk buy of IT hardware to help cover the public sector’s typically busy end-of-financial-year procurement period.
CCS has announced that it is using the £4bn Technology Products 2 framework to undertake an “aggregated further competition… for readily available branded IT hardware”. Until 15 December the organisation is “gathering expressions of interest” from the 29 suppliers that feature on lot one of the framework.
Lot one covers PCs, as well as audiovisual, peripherals, and networking, hardware. It also includes operating systems and commodity software where it is pre-installed on a machine by the manufacturer.
From 15 December until 10 January, public sector bodies will be invited to share details of their requirements. CCS then intends to award a contract on 27 February, with goods delivered to customers during March – the last month of the public sector fiscal year.
- ‘We default to frameworks, but there are many other models’ – CCS looks to the future
- Digital Marketplace team leads project to ‘radically’ simplify government contracts
- CCS tech chief: ‘We need one marketplace for the future’
The aggregated competition “will be ideal for you if you need delivery of products by the end of this financial year”, CCS said.
The last month of the financial year is typically a busy time for public sector procurement, as remaining budgets are invested and necessary purchases pushed through.
Suppliers on lot one of the Technology Products 2 framework consist entirely of IT resellers, with no major vendors featured. Instead, hardware manufacturers – including Dell, HP, and Lenovo – have a separate lot, geared to high-volume purchases.
Not-for-profit organisations claim union will create ‘public sector technology powerhouse’
BEIS to help regions cultivate plans in areas such as artificial intelligence and mobility
Theresa May says government will press ahead with development of sat nav system in light of continued impasse over UK’s involvement in Galileo programme
The Financial Conduct Authority is to launch a four-year framework for technology and services to support a move to cloud computing
There’s a vast network that keeps our internet running, and it lives under the ocean
BT thinks The Internet of Things is about to undergo a revolution. Over the past two decades, we've seen IoT tech evolve from a possibility, to a novelty, to an established tool that plays a vital...
Quantum computers will soon make some of our strongest encryption useless. And that's where quantum cryptography comes in
BT knows that digital security isn't just about technology. It's about the partnerships, intelligence and expertise you need to stay one step ahead in the security race.


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Visa Inc. V, +0.48% reported late Wednesday a fiscal third-quarter net loss of $1.84 billion, or $2.74 per Class A share, reversing a year-ago profit of $1 billion, or $1.43 per Class A share. Adjusted to exclude a litigation provision and related one-time tax benefit, Visa had a profit of $1.1 billion, or $1.56 a share. Revenue for the quarter rose 10% to $2.6 billion. Analysts polled by FactSet, who typically cite adjusted results, had predicted the Foster City, Calif.-based company would post earnings of $1.45 a share. Shares of the credit card company have risen 20% this year so far, settling Wednesday at $122.2.
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MAY 16, 2008 -- Finisar Corp. (search for Finisar) and Optium Corp. (search for Optium) jointly announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement to merge in an all-stock transaction. The resultant company will be the world's largest supplier of optical components, modules, and subsystems for the communications industry, they said.
The combined company will leverage Finisar's position in the storage and data networking industries and Optium's position in the telecommunications and CATV industries.
Both companies also jointly announced today that they expect to report new record revenues for their most recent quarters.
The two companies touted several benefits of their proposed merger:
- Creates the world's largest supplier of optical components, modules, and subsystems to the communications industry with the broadest product portfolio.
- Generates new growth opportunities in attractive end markets.
- Broadens core customer relationships with complementary product portfolios.
- Enhances global manufacturing flexibility combining low cost/high volume and mass customization expertise.
- Creates unparalleled combined R&D resources with enhanced ability to innovate and bring new products to market.
- Transaction expected to be accretive to non-GAAP earnings on a run-rate basis one year from closing.
- Estimated annualized pre-tax cost synergies of approximately $10-$15 million.
The merged company will retain the Finisar name. Jerry Rawls will remain executive chairman of Finisar's board; Eitan Gertel, current chairmand and CEO of Optium, will become president and CEO of Finisar.
Based on the 12 months through January 2008 reported by each company, the combined company had revenues of approximately $554 million. Based on revenues expected to be reported for the most recent quarter, annualized revenues for the combined company would total approximately $660 million. The combined company will have approximately 5,000 employees worldwide.
"This combination leverages the unique strengths of both companies," said Gertel. "In combining with Finisar, we will unleash a powerful opportunity to create added shareholder value through breadth of product, enhanced customer support and manufacturing flexibility. With little product overlap, the proposed combination will complement both companies by providing more choice for customers, best-in-class technologies, focused technology innovation, and cost efficiencies to meet our customers' requirements. Customers and employees will be treated with the utmost care in combining our two companies."
"We are excited to combine with a successful company like Optium," said Jerry Rawls, currently chairman, president, and CEO of Finisar. "Given the scale required to be competitive in meeting global customer needs, consolidation in the optical space is long overdue. In Optium, we have found the perfect partner. Optium has strong product technologies addressing some of the fastest growth markets in our industry. In addition, Optium's fabless manufacturing model will allow us to more readily capture the benefits of scale, while maintaining effective resources to serve customized technology requirements. More importantly, we believe both companies share a common culture that strives for innovation while exceeding customer expectations."
Cost reductions totaling approximately $10-$15 million are expected from the combination, with the substantial majority expected on a run-rate basis one year from the closing, the companies say. Economies of scale associated with a larger purchasing base, rationalization of the combined infrastructure, and manufacturing flexibility driven by Finisar's vertical integration and Optium's highly automated in-house manufacturing capabilities are all expected to contribute to these cost synergies. The transaction is expected to be accretive to earnings per share on a non-GAAP basis in one year post-closing.
The combination is also expected to generate revenue synergies as a result of having complementary product portfolios with substantial cross-selling opportunities. Together, the combined company will offer the broadest portfolio of optical communications products to equipment manufacturers.
Under the terms of the merger agreement, which has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies, Optium stockholders will receive 6.262 Finisar shares for each Optium share they own. Optium options and warrants will represent a corresponding right to acquire a number of Finisar shares based on the exchange ratio. Finisar is expected to issue approximately 160 million common shares in the proposed combination. Upon completion of the combination, Finisar shareholders will own approximately 65% of the combined company and Optium shareholders will own approximately 35% of the combined company. Shares of the combined company will continue to trade on the NASDAQ Select Market under the symbol FNSR. The combination is intended to qualify as a tax-free reorganization for federal income tax purposes.
Upon the closing of the combination, Finisar's board of directors will be reconstituted to include three new directors who are currently members of Optium's board. In addition to new titles for Rawls and Gertel, the latter will join Finisar's board along with Morgan Jones and Chris Crespi.
The proposed combination is subject to the approval of both companies' stockholders. Certain directors and executive officers of each company, as well as certain affiliates, have signed agreements to vote their shares in favor of the proposed combination. These agreements apply to approximately 7% of Finisar's and 34% of Optium's outstanding shares, respectively.
The proposed combination is also subject to customary conditions including required regulatory and other approvals. The combination is expected to close in the third calendar quarter of 2008.
Oppenheimer & Co. is acting as Finisar's exclusive financial advisor and DLA Piper US LLP is acting as Finisar's legal counsel. Morgan Stanley & Co. is acting as Optium's exclusive financial advisor and Goodwin Procter LLP is acting as Optium's legal counsel.
Meanwhile, both companies say they expect to report record revenues for their most recent quarters.
Finisar says that its total revenues for the fourth fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2008 are expected to be approximately $120 million, a new record for the company. Finisar expects to announce its fourth fiscal quarter and full fiscal year end results on June 12, 2008.
Optium announced today that its total revenues for the third quarter ended May 2, 2008 are expected to be approximately $45 million, also a new record for the company. Optium expects to announce its third quarter results on June 5, 2008.


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The COVID-19 pandemic ruled the news in 2020, affecting myriad sectors – health, business, social justice, politics and commerce, and the cryptocurrency and blockchain industries. As country by country lockdown to stop the virus from spreading, governments took stimulus payments to keep economic activity going.
These measures, while necessary, have sparked the specter of global inflation. This in turn prompted many traditional investors and institutions to re-consider cryptocurrencies as an alternative store of value, particularly Bitcoin (BTC), the top crypto. After a slump on March 11th, BTC had a crack and hit record levels by the end of the year. With this in mind, here are the ten most important stories of the crypto and blockchain world for 2020.
Bitcoin rises to capture highs
The oldest and most widely used cryptocurrency in the world has shattered price records, and some in 2020. At year-end, Bitcoin’s market capitalization is around $ 500 billion – above that of Visa and Berkshire Hathaway – and the price in the spot markets is holding up Inches toward $ 30,000.
The pre-rally record high of $ 19,850 was set in December 2017 by retailers in Asia (many of whom only spotted cryptocurrencies) driving the price. That year, however, mature investors continued to buy Bitcoin increments, and often withheld them. Chain as a long-term investment, the New York Times noted.
“At this point, we’re seeing new stories of institutional crypto adoption almost every day,” Brandon Mintz, CEO of Bitcoin Depot, told Cointelegraph in mid-December. MicroStrategy, Square, Paul Tudor Jones, Guggenheim Investors and even the venerable insurance company MassMutual bought BTC in 2020. “We are now being driven by corporations and billionaires, not just retailers,” Minerd said.
The decentralized financing breaks out
“2020 was clearly the year of decentralized funding,” Da Hongfe, co-founder of the smart economy network, told a Cointelegraph. The amount locked in DeFi had risen to nearly $ 15 billion on December 30, compared to just $ 658 million at the beginning of the year, according to DeFi Pulse.
Indeed, a new term, “yield farming”, has been added to the crypto-lexicon. In return for staking out BTC or Ether (ETH) as collateral for a DeFi company, a user may receive a governance token that the holder can use to debate, propose, and vote on any changes to the BTC or Ether [platform’s] Protocol.”
Owning these governance tokens became quite lucrative in 2020. Compounds COMP was first released in June and rose from $ 61 on June 18 to $ 382 on June 21 after its launch on the Coinbase Pro US exchange. The year ends December 31, 2020 at $ 148.
DeFi is a game changer, Giuseppe Ateniese, professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology, told Cointelegraph earlier. “With decentralized financing, no one is up to date, no server, no organization. There are no prejudices.” It’s not like a conventional car loan, where the bank goes after the car for the loan if the borrower defaults Requesting withdrawal, he explained. “With DeFi, assets are digital and locked / tied through smart contracts. If I can’t pay back the loan, the digital asset I used as collateral will be taken and there is nothing I can do about it. “
PayPal trades in crypto
It took Bitcoin 12 years to attract 100 million users. In a single month, the network gained an additional 300 million potential users as payment giant PayPal announced that users could buy, sell, and hold Bitcoin, Ether, Bitcoin Cash (BCH), and Litecoin (LTC).
“It’s already having a big impact,” said Pantera Capital in November. “Within four weeks of its launch, PayPal is already buying almost 70% of the new Bitcoin offering.” The following month, Pantera updated: “Within two months of launch, PayPal is already buying more than 100% of the new Bitcoin offering.”
Bitcoin survives the four-year halving
Bitcoin halving, which aims to cap the rate of BTC emissions, capped at 21 million units, occurs roughly every four years and is usually marked by some concern. They are analogous to a company telling its workers to expect a 50% wage cut. Here, the block reward for the Bitcoin network validators known as miners is split in half.
The halving in May 2020 reduced the miners’ block reward from 12.5 BTC to 6.25 BTC and came and went without misfortune – no exodus of miners or a breakdown in the network’s computing power (hash rate) as some feared. Seven months later, Bitcoin is selling roughly three times its previous half value ($ 8,566 on May 11).
China is testing, but the Bahamas launch the world’s first CBDC
The race to issue the first digital central bank currency (CBDC) in the order of magnitude moved closer to resolution in 2020. China announced in August a trial run of its digital yuan in four hubs – Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Hong Kong – a test area of 400 million people, or about 29% of the country’s population.
Many expected China’s Digital Currency Electronic Payment (DCEP) project to reach full rollout soon, but disagreements arose as to its importance. Would a digital yuan challenge the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency, as the Financial Times fears? The publication wrote in August, “China’s rapid development of a central bank digital currency has the potential to disrupt the global monetary order.”
Or are CBDCs still so plagued by unresolved issues like fraud prevention and cyberattacks that it would be irresponsible to start one on a large scale, as Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell suggested in October?
In any case, China won’t have the world’s first CBDC. This award belongs to the Bahamas, an island nation in the West Indies, which made history on October 20th with the official launch of its digital central bank currency, the so-called sand dollar, which is built on a blockchain platform.
MicroStrategy relies on BTC
2020 was the year public corporations and institutional investors started moving the crypto needle, and no publicly traded company advocated crypto with the passion of MicroStrategy, a Nasdaq-listed business intelligence company. By August, the company had not only amassed $ 250 million in Bitcoin, it had also made BTC its main reserve for corporate reserves.
As CEO Michael Saylor stated, unprecedented government stimulus measures to combat the COVID-19 crisis were expected to have “a significant devaluation effect on the long-term real value of fiat currencies and many other conventional asset types, including those traditionally held as part of corporate treasury Operations. “In this new world, Bitcoin is a reliable store of value” with more long-term appreciation potential than holding cash. ”
MicroStrategy kept buying BTC year-round, raising $ 650 million by selling convertible bonds in late 2020 to buy even more Bitcoin. As of December 21, the company held a total of 70,470 BTC, which was purchased at an average price of $ 15,964 per bitcoin. The Wall Street Journal marveled at the company’s transformation and asked, “Is this a public company or a hedge fund?”
Coinbase is reviewing IPO waters
In December, the Coinbase exchange announced an offer to become the first crypto-native company to be listed on a major US exchange. The company, with 35 million customers, could be worth $ 28 billion if its IPO takes effect, according to research firm Messari.
“It’s a huge event,” Vladimir Vishnevskiy, director and co-founder of the Swiss asset management company St. Gotthard Fund Management AG, told Cointelegraph, not only in the US but also in Europe, because “the IPO will be a sign. ” in terms of how the markets are willing to value such companies. “
The IPO is a “milestone for the crypto industry” capital Magazine. “However, it is far from clear whether the US Securities and Exchange Commission would sign such an agreement.” Coinbase caused some controversy in 2020 for preventing employees from engaging in political activism in the workplace. In November, the New York Times reported that some of Coinbase’s black employees had raised concerns about discriminatory treatment. Others noted that during times of high price volatility, the exchange was still plagued by premature service outages.
Even so, the IPO announcement is an important event, said University of Texas finance professor John Griffin, “which shows that Coinbase’s path to operate within the regulatory process is economically viable.”
The Telegram Group gives up the TON project
Telegram Group Inc. had tried to build a decentralized blockchain platform along the lines of Bitcoin and Ethereum – only better, that is, “far superior in terms of speed and scalability,” said Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of open source encrypted courier company with around 300 million users worldwide. But Telegram could not overcome the resistance of the SEC and pulled the plug from its TON project (Telegram Open Network) in May.
The Dubai-based company had already raised $ 1.7 billion to bring the project’s “Grams” token to market. However, the SEC considered the coins unregistered securities and stopped distributing them – not just in the US but around the world. A federal court gave the agency preliminary support.
“We still rely on the US for finance and technology,” Durov wrote on a blog, adding, “This may change in the future. But today we are in a vicious circle: you cannot have an overly centralized world bring it more into balance, precisely because it is so centralized. “ Telegram has been involved in a number of prominent investors, including blue-chip venture capital firms Kleiner Perkins and Sequoia Capital.
Investor Paul Tudor Jones supports BTC
COVID-related government stimulus had made many investors concerned about inflation in 2020, and some were willing to give cryptocurrencies a fresh look at as alternative stores of value. Prominent among them was Paul Tudor Jones, a hedge fund investor who reported in May that part of his fortune was now invested in Bitcoin.
The endorsement of a celebrated investor like Jones, who predicted the 1987 stock market crash, paved the way for mainstream investors and others to delve into crypto. “To represent Bitcoin as his preferred hedge against what it is [Jones] “Big money inflation” has significantly reduced the “career risk” for many of his colleagues considering allocating to Bitcoin, “Bitwise Asset Management’s David Lawant previously told Cointelegraph. The Wall Street Journal also commented:
“The [Bitcoin] The rally has attracted a wide range of characters, from Wall Street billionaires Paul Tudor Jones and Stanley Druckermiller to momentum investors looking to move assets up higher and markets down lower. In turn, their participation has resulted in more purchases. “
SEC declares XRP as security and sued Ripple
The XRP token was the third largest cryptocurrency by market value – only behind Bitcoin and Ether – when the San Francisco-based company came across a saw in the form of the SEC in late December.
Led by outgoing chairman Jay Clayton, the commission filed a lawsuit against Ripple and its two top executives. She claimed the XRP coin created by Ripple was actually a collateral and the company raised over $ 1.3 billion through an unregistered, ongoing digital system offering of assets. In the three days following the announcement, XRP’s price fell 41% and it became unclear whether the company would survive in its current form.
On December 27, Coinbase, the largest U.S. exchange, announced it was suspending XRP trading, and as others delist the token, the climate around the coin has become increasingly unstable. On December 29th, Grayscale Investments, the world’s largest digital asset manager, reportedly liquidated more than 9.18 million XRPs.
Ripple denounced the SEC’s action as an “attack on the entire crypto industry here in the US” when the company’s CEO, Brad Garlinghouse, said he would continue to support his customers in the US and around the world.
More clarity in 2021?
Overall, companies and institutional investors looking for an alternative store of value in view of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis brought the crypto brand to record levels in 2020. Elsewhere, blockchain innovations have continued on multiple fronts, including decentralized funding and CBDC development.
In the US, a cautious SEC prevented the expansion of digital tokens and initiated lawsuits against XRP and Telegrams TON. However, a change of administration in Washington, including the new leadership of the SEC, could lead to more clarity on regulation in 2021.


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Following on from the launch of the YelloPort Elite® earlier this month, Surgical Innovations had the opportunity to entertain an international reception of distributors at this year’s World Forum for Medicine (Medica) in Dusseldorf, Germany.
15 distribution partners from around the world attended a presentation led by Surgical Innovation’s Executive Chairman, Nigel Rogers. Nigel addressed the distributors with a summary of the interim results for the first half of 2016, welcoming them to what will be the first of many distributor receptions, in which Surgical Innovations have the opportunity to showcase their latest products and gain valuable feedback from their distribution network.
The attendees were given first hand accounts from surgeons who had already used the YelloPort Elite®, endorsing its successful application in surgery as an effective Universal Seal. Lead design engineers from Surgical Innovations were also on hand to walk the distributors through the product’s advantageous features.
Positive feedback from surgeons resulted in several initial trial orders from distributors, to begin testing the YelloPort Elite® in their respective territories. Surgical Innovations is delighted with the results from the presentation at Medica and are expecting continued success as the YelloPort Elite® is launched into new territories.


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The National Company Law Tribunal has approved the withdrawal of merger deal between Reliance Communications and Aircel, as per a regulatory filing.
"The National Company Law Tribunal, Mumbai Bench (NCLT) has passed orders dated October 13, 2017 approving withdrawal of ... the Scheme of Arrangement between the Company, Reliance Telecom Limited (RTL), Aircel Limited, Dishnet Wireless Limited, Deccan Digital Networks Private Limited, South Asia Communications Private Limited and their respective shareholders and creditors for demerger of wireless business of the Company and RTL to Aircel...," RCom said in a BSE filing today.
The order also approved withdrawal of demerger of tower business of Reliance Infratel to Towercom Infrastructure, the filing said.
RCom, which is reeling under a debt of about Rs 46,000 crore, had called off merger talks with Aircel, citing "legal and regulatory" delays and "various interventions by vested interests".
RCom also blamed high level of competition as one of the reasons for termination of the merger talks.
The company said that unlimited free voice offers and "irrational pricing" by all industry participants have destroyed profitability of traditional 2G and 3G mobile business.
It was claimed that with the deal the debt of RCom will come down to around Rs 20,000 crore, while that of Aircel to around Rs 4,000 crore.


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The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the European Union’s (EU) Taxation and Customs Union (TAXUD) have signed an agreement to honour each other’s Trusted Trader programs. The signing took place during a Canada-EU Joint Customs Cooperation Committee meeting in Brussels, Belgium.
This agreement will contribute to increasing security of the international supply chain, facilitating trade at the border, and strengthening the economic competitiveness of Canadians doing business with the EU.
The EU is one of the largest economies in the world, with 450 million consumers, and Canada’s second-largest trading partner after the United States. In 2021, the value of trade in goods between the EU and Canada was approximately $88.2 billion.
The Canada-EU Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement has significantly expanded commercial opportunities between the parties.
Members of Canada’s Trusted Trader program, Partners in Protection (PIP), will have their goods treated as low risk and cleared by EU Customs faster, ultimately saving time and money at the border.
The CBSA will do the same for members of the EU’s Trusted Trader program, which is referred to as their Authorized Economic Operator program. This will also allow the CBSA to focus its resources on areas of higher or unknown risk and protect Canadians by preventing contraband from entering the country.
The CBSA establishes mutual recognition with customs organizations around the world so countries can recognize each others’ program members as low risk and honour similar benefits. It signifies that countries apply similar security standards and validation processes when approving program applicants.
The key goal of mutual recognition is to strengthen trust and security in the supply chain to prevent criminal activity, such as cargo theft and pilferage, and smuggling contraband. Mutual recognition also contributes to trade by streamlining processing at the border for certified trusted traders.
Border management is a shared international responsibility. Threats and opportunities arising from global migration and trade are dealt with most effectively by working together. Expanding the international network of accredited low-risk companies allows customs administrations to focus on targeting shipments of higher or unknown risk.
In addition to this agreement with the EU, the CBSA has established mutual recognition with the customs administrations of Australia, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, South Korea and the United States.


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Seven Star Digital Limited debuts BettingUS.com sportsbook equivalence websites. GVC Holdings approved provisional Nevada web-based sportsbetting photo license
After finding success along with its domain names at Compare.bet and TopRatedCasinos.co.uk, French iGaming buyers acquisition group, Seven Star internet set, has announced can be from the current consideration web at BettingUS.com.
United states of america intent:
The firm that is london-headquartered the state Wednesday pr release to unveil that BettingUS.com can be on the internet betting evaluation area focused towards the promising betting area in the world and supplying members alot of location reviews as well as state-by-state legislative e books.
Forged in 2016, Seven Star electronic short mentioned that it’s just present venture will also is accompanied by an information piece for it to be ‘a link for the people involved in sportsbetting inside of the United States’ and definitely will quickly make it easy for athletics rollover devotees that compares chances, includes and marketplace being provided from a great numbers of domain names.
Luke Eales, Chief Executive Officer for Seven Star, recommended the press battery cover release to elucidate that internet marketing betting has become simple in the United States subsequent last year’s invalidation in regards to the Veteran and fervent amateur activities cover function (PASPA). She additionally stated foreign exchange trading is currently for you to show aggregated once-a-year revenues as much as $8 billion by 2030 as more shows continue with the example that is recent of Jersey by providing on the net bookies.
Eales’ statement browsed…
“The regulated United States sportsbetting grocery store looks fast growing at a good pace, opening lots of possibilities for us to overcome. The goal would be render it more comfortable for gamblers to navigate nation scene that is sportsbetting somewhat more locations keep moving towards legalization. BettingUS.com definitely gives you info, point out books and nj-new jersey online book comparisons and we’re excited for the potential for adding even more appreciate to owners especially those finding probability consideration and playing good tips several years down the line.”
Nj-new jersey acceptance:
Finally, Seven Sensation detailed that BettingUS.com was ever just granted professional recognition from the Garden State partition of games Enforcement, which means that definitely is more over prepared to absolute targeted traffic to internet marketing sportsbooks likewise authorized by officers in ‘The property condition.’
Despite dispute bordering their own old dealing in bulgaria, internet casino and sportsbook agent, GVC Holdings, possess apparently happen to be permitted consent to start this allowing it is sites to users throughout the state that is western of.
Depending on a report, Isle of Man-based, GVC, is just about the world’s premier sportsbetting that is online and were given your provisional two-year certificate simply following solid credit of the four-member Nevada Gaming cost on saturday dawn.
GVC Holdings is exactly now responsible for some 19 iGaming brand including Bwin.com , and PartyPoker.com it acquire British sportsbetting giant, Ladbrokes Coral Group while it finalized an around £4 billion ($5 billion) deal in March of last year that saw. The london-listed firm reportedly inherited an operation in Turkey that later came under fire for alleged regulatory failings as part of this transaction.
The vegas Review-Journal reported that the business therefore offloaded their own pursuits in Turkey and after this does not have a appeal in the expanding market. But, this idea wasn’t adequate to proceed Terry Thomson against the Nevada games Control panel from voting against the application that is firm’s a Nevada running permit earlier in the day this four weeks.
Despite this direction, the Nevada casino control panel licensed GVC Holdings’ introductory license inquire by using a two-to-one ballot big event regulator’s Chairman, Bill Moran, professed which he was basically happy to rely about the owner might not echo some of his last mistakes.
Moran reportedly stated whilst in photo license discovering…
“The investigate will certainly determine if, the fact is, the reliance you’re requiring european give you…if we’re taking get knivblad on our deal. I need to see you move forward and be profitable around the boundaries for the statutory policy.”
Within the his or her consequent consent in the Nevada gambling Commission, GVC offers assured at hand over some $100,000 for incoming consent investigations as well as being to find her active license reassessed in a couple of years time that is.
Garden state bearing:
The group is already trained in nj-new jersey wherein that it pours an casino på internett in contract by the Borgata Hotel Casino and salon real estate from MGM hotels worldwide. It additionally saved some $982 million in salary last year and now online pokies that use paypal joined with broadly the same land-based provider to establish the forthcoming howl Digital venture that is joint.