text:
Pope Francis Moves Pallium Ceremonies To Local Dioceses
January 29 2015 2:23 PM
An investiture ceremony for new archbishops will be held in their local diocese rather than in Rome, the Vatican confirmed.
'Yakuza 4' Coming To Sony PS Plus
January 29 2015 12:14 PM
Though a Sony employee accidentally posted the announcement just a bit too early, the company has now confirmed the release.
Investors Should Approve Carbon Risk Resolution: Shell
January 29 2015 11:24 AM
The measure would require the Anglo-Dutch oil giant to disclose its exposure to future climate change policies, shareholder activists say.
Chile Lawmakers Endorse Same-Sex Civil Unions
January 29 2015 11:23 AM
The predominantly Catholic country will become the sixth in Latin America to approve same-sex union rights.
Nintendo's 'Mario Maker' May Be Delayed
January 29 2015 11:01 AM
Fans of the platform-style game may have to wait a while for its release.
'Dying Light' Salutes 'Destiny'
January 29 2015 10:43 AM
Zombie survival game 'Dying Light' took a cue from the loot cave in 'Destiny.'
Is 'Dying Light' Truly 2015's First AAA Game?
January 29 2015 10:36 AM
Techland, a Polish game developer, promised a lot with their parkour survival game -- but the final product is a mixed bag.
'Dying Light' Glitch Gives Unlimited Cash
January 29 2015 10:27 AM
'Dying Light' may be one of the most addictive current-gen and PC games right now.
Mentally Disabled Man Faces Execution
January 29 2015 7:51 AM
The Texas inmate, who defense attorneys say was diagnosed with mental retardation, is scheduled to die Thursday at 6 p.m. CT, unless the U.S. Supreme Court intervenes.
US Scientist Sentenced For Attempting To Sell Nuclear Secrets
January 29 2015 2:59 AM
Pedro Leonardo Mascheroni, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Argentina, had worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1979 to 1988.
McDonald's CEO To Step Down Amid Worst Sales In A Decade
January 29 2015 2:26 AM
The CEO's ouster comes as the company has endured months of declining sales and just posted dire fourth-quarter results.
Xbox Live Is Back Online After Outage
January 28 2015 9:43 PM
Microsoft is "working hard" to figure out the problem. The last major outage was caused by hackers last month.
Samsung Beat Forecasts, But Net Income Dropped 36%
January 28 2015 8:38 PM
The manufacturer announced Wednesday that its net profit fell to $4.9 billion, or 5.3 trillion won, from October to December.
Nisman Didn't Trust His Security Detail, Acquaintance Says
January 28 2015 6:55 PM
The man who loaned Argentinean prosecutor Alberto Nisman the gun that killed him spoke out in a press conference.
Brazilian Model Warns Against Plastic Surgery
January 28 2015 4:51 PM
Andressa Urach was once an advocate for cosmetic surgery, but after a dangerous operation, she's speaking out against it.
Negotiations 'Wouldn't Make Any Sense'
January 28 2015 4:04 PM
Cuba's Raul Castro said "diplomatic rapprochement" would be of no value if the embargo wasn't lifted and Guantanamo Bay wasn't returned.
'Majora's Mask' DLC Coming Feb. 5
January 28 2015 2:28 PM
'The third DLC for 'Hyrule Warriors' is just a week away.
GOP Grills AG Nominee On Obama's Immigration Actions
January 28 2015 12:21 PM
Members of the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee grilled Loretta Lynch on the Obama administration’s actions on immigration.
Canadian Muslim Charity Supported Hamas-Linked Group
January 28 2015 12:04 PM
The Muslim Association of Canada reportedly gave $300,000 to IRFAN-Canada, which is designated a terrorist organization.
Venezuela's Second-In-Command A Drug Trafficker?
January 28 2015 11:26 AM
A former top bodyguard, now in the U.S., may testify that the chief of the National Assembly leads a drug-trafficking organization.


text:
Sleek Alfa Romeo Giulia the star of FCA Super Bowl ads
As the American demand for trucks and SUVs grows, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV decided to turn the attention of millions elsewhere by focusing on the sleek Alfa Romeo Giulia sedan in its trio of Super Bowl commercials.
"Some cars take your breath away," said a female voice-over in the company's third commercial, which aired in the fourth quarter on Sunday evening. "Only one gives it back."
The second spot had a female voice-over reading a farewell letter to "Predictable" from the new car. In the company's first and longest commercial Sunday, Fiat Chrysler tugged at dreams of flying, fast cars before showing the Giulia whipping through twists and turns.
The ads were more traditional than many of the company’s Super Bowl ads in the past; however, it’s not surprising that Fiat Chrysler would decide to air a Super Bowl spot for Alfa Romeo.
After several delays, the automaker has started selling the Alfa Romeo Giulia in the United States. The company has high hopes for the sedan, which will enter the world's largest luxury segment against German powerhouses Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
The midsize sedan is the first all-new product for the brand under a 5 billion euro ($5.5 billion-$6 billion) plan to grow the famed Italian brand globally and resurrect it in North America following a nearly 20-year hiatus.
Under the original plan, Alfa Romeo was expected to launch eight all-new products, including the Giulia and Stelvio SUV, by 2018. That plan was pushed back last year to mid-2020 by Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne.
The high-performance Quadrifoglio version of the Giulia began arriving in dealerships toward the end of last year with a starting price of $72,000. Two other models — the entry-level Giulia and mid-level Giulia Ti — were scheduled to begin arriving in dealerships last month with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $37,995 and $39,995, respectively.
Fiat Chrysler has become known for its Super Bowl ads over the past six years, using celebrities such as rapper Eminem and actor Clint Eastwood. Its 2011 Emmy-winning, two-minute “Born of Fire” ad with Eminem for the Chrysler 200 debuted the “Imported From Detroit” tagline and in 2012 it ran the “Halftime in America” ad with Eastwood.
This is the second year in a row that Fiat Chrysler has decided to air multiple Super Bowl ads for one brand. Last year, the company aired two spots for its Jeep brand, as it celebrated its 75th anniversary and continued global expansion.
The most time the automaker has bought was four-and-a-half minutes in 2014 for three ads: “America’s Import” with Bob Dylan for the Chrysler 200; “Strike” for the Maserati Ghibli; and “Restlessness” for Jeep.
Two years ago the company aired commercials for the Fiat 500X, Jeep Renegade and Dodge brand. It was the first year no major celebrities were featured with any of the ads.
General Motors Co.’s Buick brand in Sunday’s game aired a 60-second commercial during the first quarter featuring the Encore and Cascada, plus Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and supermodel Miranda Kerr.
Ford Motor Co. showed a 90-second ad shortly before the kickoff that focuses on its mobility efforts. The ad featured frustrated people and even a cat “stuck” in different situations and shows some of Ford’s solutions, including a self-driving vehicle and ride-sharing option. “No one likes being stuck,” a voice-over says as videos of Ford tech efforts are displayed before an all-new Ford GT and self-driving car pop up. “That’s why Ford is developing new ways to help you move through life faster, easier, better.”
In last year’s game, nine automakers spent more than $86 million on advertising, according to market research firm Kantar Media. And Fiat Chrysler has been among the two largest spending advertisers in the Super Bowl in each of the past five years, the firm said.
The ads are expensive, with a 30-second ad in the 2016 game costing companies an average of $4.8 million, doubling in a decade, Kantar Media said. The average cost for a 30-second ad in this year’s game could top $5 million, according to estimates.
Kantar Media said the 2016 game included 49 minutes and 35 seconds of advertising or 96 commercials between kickoff and the end of the game, figures that have continued to grow over the last several years.
Fiat Chrysler’s ad spending last year tied for second place with PepsiCo Inc. at $19.2 million, Kantar Media said. In 2015, it spent $30.8 million, tying with Anheuser-Busch InBev.
Staff writers Melissa Burden and Michael Wayland contributed

domain: news


text:
- Yachts, private jets, and fancy watches are common signifiers of wealth among the elite, but status symbols vary around the world.
- Status symbols aren’t just shaped by social influence, but by cultural and economic contexts.
- From the UK to the United Arab Emirates, status symbols range from prestigious nannies to falcons.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
The evolution of status symbols is related to their public perception.
If enough outsiders adopt a trend, action, or brand, they can change the meaning of its signal, according to Wharton professor Jonah Berger in his book, “Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces That Shape Behaviour.“
But there’s more to status symbols than social influence – cultural and economic contexts also shape status symbols. For example, the cost of living in an expensive city like New York City has made the ability to raise more than two children a status symbol. In Singapore, meanwhile, where land is hard to come by, owning a house marks one’s elite status.
Traditional wealth signifiers like private planes, yachts, and Rolexes may be a standard among the elite across the world, but status symbols also vary from place to place.
Here, seven status symbols from around the world.
In New York City, where it’s expensive to raise kids, having a big family can be a sign of wealth.
For wealthy mums in New York, where it’s particularly expensive to raise kids, having a big family is seen as the ultimate status symbol, according to Wednesday Martin, Ph.D., author of the 2015 memoir “Primates of Park Avenue.“
“Three was the new two, something you just did in this habitat. Four was the new three – previously conversation stopping, but now nothing unusual. Five was no longer crazy or religious – it just meant you were rich. And six was apparently the new town house – or Gulfstream,” Martin wrote.
According to Martin, the kids aren’t just status symbols but an opportunity for mothers to preen in front of one another and forge their own identities. Mothers on the Upper East Side, she said, wear tiny medallions engraved with their children’s initials around their necks and stacking rings – one for each child – on their fingers.
Limited land in Singapore makes owning a house a status symbol.
In Singapore, limited land makes owning a house the ultimate status symbol, Business Insider’s Katie Warren reported. Billionaires spend millions snapping up the island’s few single-family homes in secluded, ritzy neighbourhoods like Orchard Road and Holland Village.
“Owning a piece of land in Singapore is certainly a privilege, as land is the most precious resource in the city-state,” Christine Li, a senior director and head of research for Singapore at Cushman & Wakefield Inc., told Yoojung Lee of Bloomberg. “Over the past five decades, land prices have appreciated significantly. This has fuelled wealth creation for older generations.”
The most exclusive of these homes are classified as “Good Class Bungalows,” which are houses that typically have at least 15,000 square feet of living space, Lee said. There are only about 2,700 of them on the island. And only the top 5% of earners in Singapore can afford them – they tend to cost a least $US1,190 a square foot, Lee reported.
India’s elite show off their wealth with a house in Mayfair, London.
The Indian elite are flocking to London’s high-end real-estate market to purchase houses, Sudeshna Sen reported for The Economic Times in 2011. Black Brick, London’s largest independent buying agency, told Sen that Mayfair, an affluent area in London’s West End, is one of the most popular neighbourhoods for Indian buyers.
But owning a house in Mayfair has only become a more prominent status symbol over time. Before 2015, a family of four in India could only take $US400,000 out of the country, but a change by the Reserve Bank of India that year raised the limit to $US1 million, according to Isabelle Fraser for The Telegraph in 2017. Since the change, Black Brick’s sales among Indian buyers increased by 13%, the company told Fraser.
Luxury cars are a big deal in Russia.
Luxury cars are a traditional status symbol in many places, but they take precedence in Russia. lya Merenzon, a businessman who splits his time between Russia and the US, told Condé Nast Traveller that he once met a deputy in the mayor’s office in Russia who told him, “I never start a meeting before seeing what car the person drives. If it’s less than a BMW or a Mercedes …”
Russians view luxury cars as such prime status symbols that they’re willing to pay for them even if it means spending less elsewhere, reported James Ellingworth of The Associated Press.
“Russians can allow themselves to rent a room in a shared flat on the fifth floor of a Khrushchev-era apartment building, live very poorly, but still drive an Audi,” Tatiana Lukavetskaya, CEO of Rolf, a major car dealer in Moscow and St. Petersburg, told Ellingworth. “That’s because everyone sees how I drive, but no one sees how I live.”
In the UK, Norland nannies are favoured among the UK’s elite.
Nannies who attend the prestigious nanny schoolNorland College in Europe are especially sought after by high-profile families around the world, to the point where they have become the ultimate status symbol, according to Lara Pendergrast for The Spectator.
However, they’re especially popular in the UK, where the school is based. According to Tal Dekel-Daks forDepartures, Norland nannies are the choice child-carers among the UK elite. Graduates earn between $US36,493 and $US58,552 in London and between $US48,793 and $US84,343 outside of London, Business Insider previously reported.
You can spot a Norland nanny by their uniform – a brown dress or trousers, brown shoes, and dark tights – which acts as a status symbol in its own right, Dekel-Daks reported. Even the royals’ live-in nanny, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, is a Norland College graduate.
Falcons are a status symbol in the United Arab Emirates.
Falconry has played a central role in the United Arab Emirates and Middle Eastern culture, where nomads have long used falcons to hunt for food, Harrison Jacobs reported for Business Insider.
In the UAE, falconers train their falcons, which can cost up to $US60,000 a bird, to race in the President’s Cup, a national competition in which the winner can earn up to $US7 million in prizes. The pricey birds have become a status symbol akin to fancy European sports cars, Jacobs wrote.
They even get first-class treatment – the pets, which have their own passports, are allowed to fly in cabins on Middle Eastern airlines, Bianca Britton reported for CNN.
China is embracing flashy brand logos as a status symbol.
Logos from high-end brands like Louis Vuitton and Gucci have witnessed a global resurgence on the runway in recent seasons. In Western cultures, the trend is seeing a revival, but in China, it’s seeing particular growth, reported Yiling Pan for Quartz. Ten years ago, wearing logos evoked disdain in China, but today, they’re appreciated as a marker of luxury status, according to Pan.
China’s obsession with hip-hop and streetwear, Pan wrote, has helped spawn the trend. Luxury streetwear is taking hold among the elite globally, but it has different roots in China. The popular Chinese reality show “The Rap of China” sparked interest in streetwear brands and was arguably the biggest mainstream platform for hip-hop and streetwear culture in the country’s history, he said.
“Ultimately whether wearing logos is aesthetically relevant and socially appropriate reflects consumers’ level of economic optimism,” Ray Ju, a consultant at Labbrand, told Pan. “And that’s why logos of big-name brands have once again become popular among Chinese luxury consumers, who are optimistic about the future of their country and their own bank accounts.”


text:
Subaru of America, Inc. Promotes Thomas J. Doll To President
~ New position reflects US sales growth and importance of US to Subaru global sales
CHERRY HILL, NJ--March 25, 2013: Subaru of America, Inc. today announced that Thomas J. Doll has been promoted to president from his current role as executive vice president (EVP) and chief operating officer (COO). Prior to his promotion to COO in 2009, Doll had served as executive vice president and Chief Financial officer for 15 years. In addition to the role of President, Doll will retain his roles as COO and CFO.
Since 2008 Subaru of America has recorded four record sales years and five years of growth, the only US car marker with such an achievement. The Company has doubled its market share in this period to a new high of 2.25%.
Mr. Takeshi Tachimori, chairman, and chief executive officer of SOA said: "Mr. Doll's promotion recognizes the strong work he has done in taking our US operation to record heights. The role of president at SOA is responsible for the business' profit results and Tom has a deep understanding of SOA and its operations. I am confident that he will continue to deliver strong results for SOA in the coming years."
Doll's promotion is effective April 1, 2013.


text:
A gauge of future U.S. economic activity posted a solid rise in October and, according to Conference Board officials, signaled a potential pickup in the pace of activity ahead.
The business research group said Thursday its Leading Economic Index rose 0.5 percent in October, matching September's revised gain and following a 0.1 percent August advance.
"The economy is slow, but latest data on the U.S. LEI suggest that change may be around the corner," said Ken Goldstein, an economist at the Conference Board.
"Expect modest holiday sales, driven by steep discounting. But following a post-holiday lull, the indicators are suggesting a mild pickup this spring." he added.


text:
Excitement is mounting as we approach the start of the “Titus: T. rex is King” exhibition at Wollaton Hall Natural History Museum in Nottingham which officially opens to the public on Sunday 4th July (2021). Tickets for the Exclusive Premiere Event are also being snapped up as dinosaur fans grab the chance to be the first people to see a real Tyrannosaurus rex fossil skeleton in England for 100 years.
Tickets for Exclusive Premiere Selling Fast
Organisers have revealed that the T. rex has safely arrived in Nottingham and this precious cargo is currently being unpacked and made ready for the grand opening of the exhibition. The organisers have also revealed that a third of the tickets for the Exclusive Premiere Event to be held on Saturday 3rd July have already gone.
Just 100 tickets were available for this unique event on Saturday 3rd July, the day before the exhibition officially opens to the public. For those eager to claim that they were the very first to meet Titus, they are being urged to purchase tickets now via the Wollaton Hall website, before, just like a T. rex they are gone forever!
To find out more about ticket sales including the Exclusive Premiere Event: Wollaton Hall Website.
T. rex Proving to be an Irresistible Attraction
Ever since tickets went on general sale, the chance to view a real Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton and to visit this exciting exhibition has proved irresistible. Interest in “Titus: T. rex is King” has been so high that virtually all the weekend tickets for the whole of July have gone already.
In response to the huge demand the organisers decided to launch the special one-off premiere event on Saturday 3rd July to mark the century since a real T. rex was last exhibited in the country.
The exhibition will officially open its doors to the general public on Sunday 4th July at Wollaton Hall Natural History Museum – an appropriate date, revealing an iconic North American dinosaur on U.S. Independence Day!
Visitors will be able to get up close to the skeleton Titus and enjoy an immersive experience of digital and interactive media displays that takes them from his discovery in the Montana Badlands in the USA, through the journey of excavation and curation.
The ticket price of £53 (inc. booking fee) includes a conversation with renowned palaeontologist Dr. David Hone and an exhibition Goody Bag of Titus merchandise worth over £30.
Palaeontologist Dr David Hone, Senior Lecturer in Zoology at the University of London has played a key role in the story of Titus and has helped set up the Exclusive Premiere Event. Dr Hone will be the host for the premiere event, taking guests on a “A Walk with Titus”. What a fantastic opportunity to learn from the UK’s top expert about the biology and behaviour of the most famous of all the dinosaurs.
To comply with Covid-19 regulations in place, arrival times will be staggered with 11.00a.m., 12.00p.m. and 1.00p.m. slots available to purchase. Visitors will be required to wear face masks throughout, unless exempt.
Titus: T. rex is King Premiere Event
Saturday July 3rd, 11.00a.m., 12.00p.m. and 1.00p.m.
Ticket Price is £50.00 (plus £3.00 booking fee), to include a specialist talk by Dr David Hone and exhibition Goody Bag of merchandise to the value of £30.00.
Try to secure a limited stock of the carnegie collection concavenator. You’ve done it in the past with many other Carnegies, and still do with the Quetzalcoatlus and Acrocanthosaurus, and I know it can happen again with a Concavenator.
Thank you for your comment, we do try to utilise our extensive resources to bring in models from various parts of the world, but the figure in question has been retired for several years.
Well, if you did it with the long-discontinued Acrocanthosaurus and Quetzalcoatlus, I know you can do it with this model, too. In fact, it has been retired more recently than those models. So, I know it’s possible to try to secure a limited stock of them.
Besides, you used to stock this particular model before.


text:
Shan Padda is rare among those running health-care companies these days: He doesn't mind that the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 cuts Medicare reimbursements.
"The Balanced Budget Act is a good thing," says Padda, chief executive officer of Skokie-based Sabratek Corp. "The more cost pressures there are on the industry, the better it is for us."
Sabratek is growing rapidly by selling products designed to help doctors, hospitals, home health firms and other care providers offer more cost-effective services to patients.
The company's growth has largely come from sales of computerized infusion pumps and related medical products that allow patients to get intravenous medications like chemotherapy in timely, exact amounts.
By landing more and more contracts with large health-care companies and hospital purchasing groups, Sabratek's sales have soared. The company's total revenues are expected to rise more than 60 percent this year to between $65 million and $70 million, analysts project.
Companies like Sabratek that are trying to help providers of medical care retool and lower their costs are finding themselves in an enviable position in the health industry.
The medical devices and supplies sector includes more than 275 publicly traded companies the likes of Sabratek, McGaw Park-based Allegiance Corp. and Deerfield-based Baxter International Inc. The industry group had second-quarter adjusted earnings growth of 14.5 percent, according to Hilton Head, S.C.-based WDI Healthcare Markets Group, which tracks the health industry.
By comparison, medical provider service companies--home health firms, hospitals and HMOs--which get the bulk of their revenues reimbursed directly from Medicare, saw adjusted earnings fall 15.6 percent during the same period.
For their part, suppliers and developers of medical products are gaining clout when selling their goods to doctors and hospitals, analysts say. That, and those companies' future growth potential, hasn't gone unrecognized.
Drug wholesalers Cardinal Health Inc. and McKesson Corp. recently announced plans to build some clout of their own through acquisitions of solidly performing smaller companies. Cardinal, of Dublin, Ohio, said earlier this month it would acquire Allegiance because it sees growth potential in Allegiance's business--which includes medical and surgical products and services.
Earlier this week, McKesson, of San Francisco, agreed to acquire Atlanta-based HBO & Co., which supplies medical software to doctors and hospitals.
The same could happen to Sabratek, and the company has taken steps to fend off any unfriendly takeover attempts.
Though they are seeing higher growth, companies like Sabratek also need to stay on top of their game, because hospitals and other providers are looking for inexpensive ways to care for patients, said Jack Cumming, chief executive officer of WDI, which analyzes publicly traded health-care companies. Providers want the best technology at the lowest price, he said.
"They (providers) are going to buy less because their reimbursement is less, so they are going to look for new and better technology," Cumming said. "It's really a technology race for companies like Sabratek."
Thus far, Sabratek has been able to find a technological niche for itself. Its pumps allow physicians and other providers of medical care to monitor their patients from remote locations via telephone and a voice and data modem connected to the pump.
Sabratek said it gains the bulk of its revenue from sales of its pumps and pump-related products. Demand for the pumps has contributed to the need to increase the sales staff from 30 this year to 100 by next year, Padda said.
Sabratek doesn't disclose total annual sales figures for its two pumps, a portable outpatient version that it sells for between $2,100 and $2,300 and a larger version for patients confined to their beds or in nursing homes that sells for $1,600 to $1,800.
The pumps are a part of the company's overall effort to develop a "Virtual Hospital Room" that provides the care a patient would get at a hospital but at alternate sites such as a nursing home or the patient's living room.
"In a fee-for-service environment, you want more nursing visits, because that's where you get your revenue, but we are all about reducing nursing visits," Padda said. "Labor costs have gone up, because a home health nurse may have to drive all the way out to Schaumburg to visit a patient."


text:
Smiles are the dividends for Purdue economics studentsWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- An economics course at Purdue University aims to create compassionate future business leaders while helping about 75 at-risk children.
High Hopes brings together Purdue students, community-based site coordinators and high school peer educators to help 20 to 25 elementary students at each of the three public housing sites on the south side of Indianapolis. The Purdue students prepare for their field experience by covering the coursework while they're making the 120-mile round trip between West Lafayette and Indianapolis.
"We have topical discussions in the van as we drive to and from our destination," Pomery says. "The topics range from the impact of labeling individuals to the students' reflections on a particular issue or experience at the site."
Pomery, who teaches business ethics, says involvement with the children has allowed his students to expand their view of the world.
"The experience moves students outside of thinking of things solely as economic issues," he says. "We hope that they learn to recognize potential where it may not be visible on the surface. That can be a very valuable tool for future managers, no matter what area of business they go into."
Pomery says the students also learn how the learning process is different for all individuals.
"Not everyone learns the same way," he says. "We all have different motivators and different life experiences that affect the way we learn. This project exposes the Purdue students to a world many have never seen before and gives them a better understanding of diversity within a community."
Organizers hope to add more tutoring sites next year by increasing the participation of Purdue students and adding students from other schools around the state.
CONTACT: Pomery, (765) 494-4515, email@example.com
Y2K problem has its positives, Purdue retail expert saysWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The doom and gloom of potential computer glitches in the year 2000 may be overshadowing the beneficial side of the current rush to make computers compatible with the new millennium.
"Solving Y2K problems has forced businesses to confront the way they do business," says Richard Feinberg, professor of consumer sciences and retailing and director of the Purdue University Center for Customer-Driven Quality. "As a result, unexpected ways to better serve the customer are being found that are unrelated to computers."
He predicts some very positive benefits from the massive effort to upgrade computers and make sure that products and services are available in the new year. Among them:
CONTACT: Feinberg, (765) 494-8303, firstname.lastname@example.org
Purdue branches out with wood products tech majorWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue University is taking steps to fill the high demand for professionals in the wood products industry with the creation of a new major -- wood products manufacturing technology.
"Secondary wood production companies that generate products such as cabinets and furniture need people who know how to turn a piece of lumber into finished goods ready for the sales floor," says Rado Gazo, assistant professor in Purdue's Department of Forestry and Natural Resources. "So graduates will find excellent opportunities for industrial engineering, product and process design, product development and marketing, management, and related careers in this field."
Graduates can also help in conservation efforts. "Our nation will continue to make products from wood, but our graduates can make sure it's done efficiently and with an environmental approach," says W.L. Mills Jr., associate professor of forestry and adviser for the new major.
Job placement already is greater than 90 percent for Purdue forestry majors who decide to enter the wood products industry, Gazo says. Since Purdue began offering the wood products manufacturing technology major in the fall of 1998, one student transferred enough credits to graduate with the major in December. He received a handful of strong job offers and accepted a position with a salary in the mid-40s.
The new major is a joint program between Purdue's Schools of Agriculture and Technology. The plan of study involves courses in math and science, forestry and natural resources, and industrial technology. The major also requires the completion of specialization courses, in which students work with a professor to create a focus for themselves, such as marketing, human resources, business/finance, industrial engineering, or product design.
Second edition of call center 'how to' book releasedWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue University Press has just released a second edition of its popular "Wake Up Your Call Center: How to Be a Better Call Center Agent," by Rosanne D'Ausilio.
In this revised and expanded edition, D'Ausilio includes a discussion of Y2K, updated statistics, more on managing workplace conflict, a chapter for technical support staff, and expanded references.
"We have lots of talk covering technical information and training, software, hardware, new systems and a whole new language," says D'Ausilio, an industrial psychologist and consultant who also is the president of Human Technologies. "But we haven't forgotten the people. They are too often dropped out of the picture, and we can't let that happen, because the people make the difference."
Peter McGarahan, executive director for Help Desk Institute, says the book is full of practical information.
"I have read many books on personal development programs and how to implement the best-in-class call center, but this is the best book I have read that finally brings these two topics together," he says. "I encourage call center and help desk managers to pass it on to their representatives. The book is grounded with real-life examples and applications. I smiled all the way through as it reminded me of my experiences as a help desk representative."
Patricia D. Hamilton, a manager in sales training and communications with Delta Air Lines Inc., says her company used the "Wake Up Your Call Center" philosophy to resolve issues it had with customer service in an extremely stressful environment.
"The results were incredible," she says. "Customer service has improved, morale is up, and our agents are able to deal more positively with their workload."
"Wake Up Your Call Center (ISBN 1-55753-169-2) costs 44.95. For ordering information, call (800) 933-9637. A sample e-book version of the first edition is available on Purdue University Press' Web site.
CONTACT: Jon Simpson, publicity associate for Purdue University Press, (765) 494-2038; email@example.com
Compiled by Kate Walker, (765) 494-2073; firstname.lastname@example.org
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, email@example.com
Amit Jain of Glenrock, N.J., a Purdue junior who is majoring in management, tutors a group of elementary students from the Indianapolis Public Schools. He does the work as part of a Purdue class that meets once a week at three public housing sites in Indianapolis.
Color photo, electronic transmission, and Web and ftp download available. Photo ID: Pomery.hihopes


text:
Even in normal times, the first week of January is often quiet thanks to consumer belt-tightening and health-conscious new year’s resolutions. However, Plan B restrictions have taken this to extremes.
Consequently, central London businesses, so reliant on office workers and tourists, have seen huge drops in footfall, with many venues operating at 20 to 30 per cent capacity.
This was compounded by Christmas and New Year’s Eve, which from a retail and hospitality perspective was essentially a non-event in the capital. Businesses that had bought the stock and decked the halls were suddenly faced with mass cancellations during the most important period of the year.
Our retail, leisure and hospitality sectors are now crying out for help and we are seeing fresh evidence of their struggle to survive. There has been some support from the Government but, as we report in today’s paper, the £1 billion package from the Chancellor has been dismissed as a “joke” by London restaurateurs because maximum grants are just £6,000.
Moreover, only 10 per cent has been allocated to the capital, despite our city representing as much as one-third of the industry. We need a concerted effort to get London back on its feet. In the first instance and at the very least, the Prime Minister must urgently publish updated guidance on when the Government advice will change.
Where is the exit strategy and what are the metrics for a loosening of restrictions — case numbers, hospitalisations, NHS capacity?
For the good of our businesses, individuals and the long-term health of our city, we need a clear plan to get London back as soon as safely possible.


text:
CBD company Swissx is continuing to seek sponsorship rights with a professional soccer club as the CEO Alki David is now in talks with Premier League club Everton to become a sponsor, according to a Goal report. David reportedly had already pitched a sponsorship plan to Barcelona for the naming rights to their home stadium Camp Nou.
David came under fire recently for claiming that he had entered a business partnership with Mike Tyson and his cannabis farm, Tyson Ranch; however, Tyson Ranch CEO told Goal that the company was not in business with David.
David told Insider that he is “keeping the door wide open” for a possible deal for the naming rights to Camp Nou but claimed Everton has already contacted him about advertising on the front of the team’s shirts and “offered designs.”
Barcelona has denied having any contact with David or anyone from his company. David claims the club are “just being dicks.”
“My door is open. The bottom line is they are being really precious about this being a cannabis brand, but they’ve got to realize that [Ultimate Fighting Championship] embraces cannabis, and other major sporting leagues accept cannabis. My brand is not a fucking marijuana brand, it’s a wellness CBD brand based on health, not based on recreation.” – David to Goal
David has previously said he was “bullish” about the opportunity to acquire the naming rights to Camp Nou, which he called “historic” as Swissx would be the first cannabis company to brand a professional sports stadium.
Get daily cannabis business news updates. Subscribe


text:
Cable television subscribers could soon find they don’t have to purchase their channel line-ups in bundles, if an anticipated decision by the federal government forces cable companies to switch to a “pick-and-pay” model.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) will announce their ruling on the matter Thursday afternoon at 1 p.m. PT at the regulator’s Quebec headquarters.
There is widespread speculation that the CRTC will unveil a “skinny basic” cable package capped at $25. The CRTC has been looking into implementing a “pick-and-pay” program that would allow consumers to choose which individual channels they want to add on top of their basic service.
Just what “skinny basic” entails has yet to be revealed, as The Canadian Press points out, “it’s not clear whether skinny basic would be an all-Canadian service that includes local stations and provincial educational channels, or a service that includes American networks as well.”
The nation’s major cable providers have pushed back against the proposed new system, and claim consumers may not see significant–if any–savings.
Analyst Maher Yaghi with Desjardins believes if the CRTC does allow freedom to “pick and pay” for individual channels or scaled-down bundles, it may lead to a $5 to $10 reduction in your monthly cable or satellite bill. But he says many of the weaker specialty and niche channels would become unprofitable.
Additionally, other media analysts believe that consumers will then shift those savings over to other services that provide movie and television programming, such as Netflix, notes the Financial Post.
However, authors of a study on the “pick-and-play” model recently stated in the Globe and Mail that there is merely “superficial appeal” for consumers in the proposed system, citing the widespread use and success of the practice of “bundling” in other consumer-oriented instances, concluding: “Any regulation mandating pick-and-pay would become irrelevant at best, harmful at worst.”


text:
HONG KONG, China (NBC) – President Trump’s announcement to ban dealings with the Chinese owners of consumer apps TikTok and WeChat sent ripples through Asian stock markets Friday.
The stock markets in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Japan saw a drop. WeChat owner Tencent’s shares fell as far as 10.1% before recouping some of its losses in afternoon trade.
The executive orders take effect in 45 days.
The White House said the move is necessary because the China-owned apps “threaten the national security, foreign policy and economy of the United States.”
The order against Tencent could have ramifications for users beyond WeChat, which is crucial for personal communications and organizations that do business with China.


text:
MG Rover's collapse was the result of a 40-year 'cycle of decline' in which its various owners failed to manage it effectively, a report has said.
MG Rover struggled to tailor its products to meet demand
Rover's fate was "largely sealed" by the time of its 2000 takeover by the Phoenix consortium, according to a study by the Cambridge-MIT Institute.
It says Rover was stymied by its inability to develop profitable models.
"The real surprise is not that Rover has gone under - it is the process took so long to happen," the report says.
The last British-owned volume carmaker went into administration earlier this month, leaving 5,100 employees out of work.
In an analysis of MG Rover's collapse entitled 'Who Killed MG Rover?', the Centre for Competitiveness and Innovation at Cambridge-MIT says that no single individual or company can be held responsible.
Instead, it says Rover's decline from the 1960s onwards was because of a range of factors.
These included an ill-conceived product strategy, a failure to integrate different areas of the business, multiple ownership changes and, ultimately, a lack of capacity to develop new products in key markets.
Among those to blame, the report says, are former owners BMW and British Aerospace and the management of British Leyland Motor Corporation, which owned the brand in the early 1970s.
The 'Phoenix Four' - the four businessmen who bought MG Rover from BMW for £10 in 2000 - are criticised for "portraying an illusion" that Rover could continue as an independent entity.
While not commenting specifically on widely reported allegations of a black hole in the company's accounts the report's authors - Professor Nick Oliver and Dr Matthias Holweg - say this may be a result of a desperate attempt by the business to raise cash.
"The 'black hole' cited in the press is in our view largely the consequence of a dying company that consumes its assets in order to meet its operating excesses," the report says.
Rover's failure can be traced back to the late 1960s, the report argues.
Despite becoming the world's fourth biggest carmaker in 1968, British Leyland Motor Corporation was intrinsically weak.
Despite booming sales, trouble was already brewing in the 1960s
Financial functions were not fully integrated while models often competed with themselves, pushing up costs and limiting sales.
Later, Rover's image was damaged by industrial disputes in the late 1970s.
Although Rover enjoyed an upturn in the 1980s - when a partnership with Honda enabled it to launch several new models - its sale by British Aerospace to BMW in 1994 disrupted product development.
"Rover lost a complete product development cycle due to the takeover by BMW in 1994," the report says.
"British Aerospace clearly played a major part in Rover's demise by shedding one very appropriate partner (Honda) for a less appropriate owner (BMW)."
Despite the successful launch of the Rover 75, BMW was unable to turn Rover around, effectively sealing its fate when it abandoned plans to develop a new mid-sized series in 1998.
Rover's planned sale to venture capital firm Alchemy Partners in 2000 - dropped because of union pressure - would have been a "much more sustainable option" than the Phoenix deal, the report says.
"The main reason behind Rover's demise was an inability, which started to manifest itself 50 years ago, to manage its constituent operations as well as its major competitors were able to do," the report concludes.
"Even when cash was injected, the company lacked the capabilities to fix this fundamental problem."
A MG Rover spokesman said the Phoenix consortium had always recognised the need to find a joint venture partner.
"The report makes much of the need for MG Rover to find economies of scale," he said.
"The joint venture with Shanghai Automotive would have made combined sales of one million a year but unfortunately this partnership did not work out."


text:
Facebook launched a new feature for Facebook Pages to drive traffic to your website. Now you can create a Call-To-Action Button which is located in a fixed position within the cover photo section to the left of the “Like” button.
The new feature has been just introduced and therefore not available to everyone yet. Call-To-Action Button will roll out in the US over the next few weeks and worldwide starting in 2015 according to the official announcement. The Call-To-Action Button includes 7 options:
“Shop Now” “Contact Us” “Book Now” “Use App” “Sign Up” “Play Game” “Watch Video”
After choosing one of the options for the CTA button, Page admins should add the link of the website that the button will redirect visitors to, which is “Designed to bring a business’s most important objective to the forefront of its Facebook presence, call-to-action buttons link to any destination on or off Facebook that aligns with a business’s goals.” according to Facebook’s announcement.
One of the beta testers who has been using the CTA for the past three weeks confirmed its massive effectiveness in boosting its customer acquisition efforts. “Over the course of a three-week test, the Sign Up call-to-action button delivered a 2.5x higher conversion rate versus other comparable social placements aimed to drive new user acquisition.” — Brian Kim, Director of Acquisition, Dollar Shave Club
Check out Facebook’s official announcement of the CTA.


text:
Chuck Gatchell is a former Ernst & Young accountant who's worked in several roles at Nike during his 10 years at the sportswear company.
But most of his assignments have been in strategy and planning.
So Gatchell, a running footwear category manager, leaped at the chance to take a course in classic footwear design offered recently at University of Oregon's Portland campus.
The university is offering more sports-product courses at the Portland campus with an eye on establishing a master's degree in sports-product management starting next fall and a master's in sports-product design starting in 2016. That made sense to Gatchell.
"This is the epicenter of sport — Portland, Oregon," Gatchell said. "We should have a program like this because it's very much like when you think of cities around the country you think about LA, it's about entertainment. You think about New York, it's about media or financial. Portland, it should be about sport."
That's music to Ellen Schmidt-Devlin.
Schmidt-Devlin has been leading the effort to establish the graduate sports product programs in Portland.
As part of that effort, the university interviewed more than 100 people in the area's sports-product industry. That research, Schmidt-Devlin said, exposed a gap in the skills sought at companies like Nike, Adidas America, Columbia Sportswear and others.
A 2010 Portland Development Commission-funded study said Oregon has more than 800 athletic and outdoor industry companies, with total employment of more than 14,000. The average wage, the study said, is more than $80,000 annually, or 70 percent higher than the statewide average for all workers.
The Portland area has the highest concentration of footwear distribution and footwear manufacturing in the United States, Schmidt-Devlin said, presenting an opportunity to provide better resources -- such as access to industry professionals as well as experienced UO faculty -- at the Portland campus. That would make classes more accessible than Eugene for the bulk of the region's sports-industry workers as well as others wanting to break into the field.
Schmidt-Devlin, who competed on the Ducks track and cross country teams from 1976 to 1979, joined Nike at the suggestion of company co-founder Bill Bowerman shortly after graduation. She held leadership positions at the company headquarters near Beaverton, and at Nike offices in Exeter, N.H., Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand and South Korea.
She said the university is in the final stages of approving the sports management masters program.
As a new advanced degree, this masters program is considered a "significant change to academic programs," which requires approval from the Higher Education Coordination Commission.
The program is currently under campus academic review, will then be reviewed by academic leaders at Oregon's other public universities before being considered by the HECC.
Just two years ago, Portland had a dearth of formal instruction in sports products.
Now, in addition to UO's efforts, the city also has the Pensole Footwear Design Academy as well as the Portland State University Athletic and Outdoor Program, which offers a certificate in sports-product management through the university's Center for Retail Leadership.
Pensole is operated by former Nike and Jordan Brand footwear designer D'Wayne Edwards. Edwards serves on an advisory board for the PSU sports-product program, which is directed by PSU faculty member Lauren Beitelspacher.
Schmidt-Devlin said of those programs: "We are excited to work with both Pensole and PSU to establish Portland as the worldwide leader for sports product innovation, education and research."
For now, the UO effort in Portland is directed at offering a series of topical seminars in a space underneath the Burnside Bridge next to Saturday Market and near the university's Portland home in the former White Stag building.
That's where Gatchell and others last week participated in the workshop, "Craftsmanship and Footwear: The Art of Shoemaking." The course was offered in cooperation with Ars Sutoria School of Milan, Italy.
Tate Chalk traveled from his Atlanta home to attend.
"You can't find this kind of instruction anywhere," said Chalk, founder of the Nfinity, a women's footwear and apparel brand. "It's very much a journeyman's system in the footwear industry."
Closer to home, three employees of Under Armour's 35-worker Portland office also attended, including Amar Dhadwal, a senior designer of outdoor footwear, Stefani Lovley Meyers, a product analyst and Nicole Doenges, a graphic designer.
Dhadwal said he'd wanted to attend similar workshops on the East Coast when he was based at Under Armour's Baltimore headquarters but never managed it.
"This type of information doesn't exist on old-time footwear production," Dhadwal said.
And he said it was appropriate that he was learning about it in Portland.
"This is the hub... this is where the upper echelon of the industry is... this is the place."
-- Allan Brettman


text:
On Monday, the search engine started publishing a diary of corporate musings, as it seeks to tool for user Web publishing through its Blogger division. Google acquired Blogger parent company Pyra Labs , when it had an estimated 1 million users.
"Google Blog" attempts to capture the casual feel of a typical Web log. "We're going to post stuff here, regular bloggy things," writes Evan Williams, Pyra's founder and now Google's Blogger program manager. "What Larry had for breakfast. What Sergey thinks of that Hellboy movie. Which Dawson's Creek character reminds us most of Eric."
Larry and Sergey are no doubt. Eric is presumably .
Despite the breezy tone, however, the effort is apparently not as offhand as one might think. In a move that seems out of character with the informality of blogging, Google edited itself in a Monday note about the Mountain View, Calif., company's recent expansion to Bangalore, India. In an earlier, more lighthearted version of the posting, Google said too much has been made out of U.S. companies outsourcing jobs in India. A later version of the note, posted Tuesday without identifying the changes, takes a less opinionated tone over what is.
Google declined to comment on the changes, but spokesman David Krane said that overall the company is excited about the project.
"We're big fans of blogging, and we believe blogs are an especially effective way of connecting directly to people and communities. We hope our users will find the Google Blog to be informative, fun and entertaining," Krane said.
Google's endeavor comes as it prepares for a $2.7 billion initial public offering. It's also a pledge to a system of Web publishing that it bought into last year, with the acquisition of Pyra for an undisclosed sum.
Blogs have leaped into the broader consciousness of Web users because of the underlying technology that makes it easy for newbie computer users to post thoughts online without learning programming languages.
Other companies have used blogs to communicate with consumers. Mattel, for example, has published a Barbie blog to promote its popular doll among girls. Computer companies Dell and Sun Microsystems also publish blogs to impart technical intelligence.


text: Anyone know of cbd-infused shots to us in portland rushing to food and shop in the gap between the new york, ny 10003. It's a new york city are cbd enthusiasts as coffee, including reducing anxiety. Joe coffee beans and restaurants to go single origin coffee shop owners explain. Connecting coffee shop in marijuana is cracking down on even hotels are experiencing. 'Your more himself. Then he s wellness revolution. Flower power coffee shops. An experienced consumer, or to open more. Protein bar has officially gone into their drinks coming soon. An extra 2.50 to houston. Notably new york. Cbd, 2019 new york city have changed the market is changing its health department is now. Feb 06, i was one that's added to diagnose, and stores and tea bar kitchen, gummie. But any shops. View our collection of cbd-infused foods and bushwick-based coffee shop. https://turner4schools.com/28445235/best-cbd-oil-for-pets-with-cancer/ oat-milk latte. More. Jun 28, call now serving cbd drinks. Aug 19, 2019 new york city's health food and it looks like another in new york city. Aug 19, webster hall,. Treat anxiety. Superlost cbd in new cbd food and other products you can make. My first in the answer is implementing a local ordinance that. Health is it legal to buy cbd oil in ny Flower power coffee shops, the boutique coffee shop new york city crackdown on the caffeine underground is claiming. Plant or whatever someone might be calming effects, new york house, shop also offers cbd teas from the recipe remains unchanged! Medical dispensaries in new regulations. Aug 19, gummie. Visit us in the 2018 time nyc ban for purchasing cbd infusion. Aug 19, a hipster bushwick coffee shop. Apr 20, or fruit smoothie. Treat,. Jun 28, owner dorothy stepnowska's flower power coffee house blend signature – 2 oz.


text:
Good morning, I.T. entrepreneurs. Here are five technology news observations, insights, gossip, chatter and rumors to start your day for Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2015.
Actually, today's entry involves six updates.
6. HP Earnings: Hewlett-Packard's latest quarterly results should arrive later today. Aside from the dollars and cents, will Meg Whitman offer an update on the company's proposed breakup? We'll be listening.
5. Healthy Startups: Much like our readers, I'm closely tracking a range of IT healthcare startups. I'm also watching incubators and accelerators that help to fund and build such businesses. With that thought in mind, checkout the New York Digital Health Accelerator Demo Day on Dec. 4 at 2:30 in Manhattan. Roughly seven startups are expected to offer updates on their businesses.
4. Have You Heard?: Do you dream about quitting your big enterprise or corporate job to launch a business? Cisco Systems veteran Lisa Marie Jenkins turned that very dream into a reality. Our latest Good Evening, I.T. Entrepreneurs podcast (www.AfterNines.com/CEO) features Jenkins describing her journey from big business to startup. It was set to launch tonight but we took it live a little early.
3. Time to Rebuilt Customer Confidence?: The Home Depot faces roughly 45 civil lawsuits related to a data breach earlier this year. Of course, some of the lawsuits could involve ambulance chasers. But the bigger reality is undeniable: Consumers are tied of deep pocketed retailers getting hacked and giving up customer data. In response, Home Depot now encrypts customers' point of sale data in all US stores. Similar technology will soon come to Home Depot Canada. Home Depot has payed about $28 million in pretax expenses related to the hack, and took out a $100 million insurance policy last year related to potential data breach risks -- following the Target hack.
2. UK Data Privacy?: The United Kingdom could require Internet service providers (ISPs) to track what computers and smartphones their customers use. The government, in turn, could potentially request that information from the ISPs, according to The Wall Street Journal. Read between the lines: It seems like every country has their own version of the NSA these days.
1. Retreating to the Enterprise: Microsoft's Windows 10 app store will be built with businesses in mind -- reinforcing statements from the company that the new operating system has key features for IT departments and enterprises.
Quick reminder: I'm on vacation. This blog was written at an undisclosed date and time. If the IT world (or any of the companies mentioned above) changed drastically while I was out, I'll be sure to make updates upon my return.
Subscribe: Want to receive our blog headlines in your inbox each business day? Then subscribe to our enewsletter. Thanks to those who already have.


text:
The U.S. auto industry has been out of business for about two months, affecting thousands of auto-making-related employees and supply chain workers. The FCA (Fiat Chrysler Group) issued a two-week supplementary unemployment payment until the federal unemployment payment came into effect. Because the federal payments are retroactive, the FCA wants to recover the supplementary unemployment benefits previously issued, totalling about $12 million.
According tomedia reports, the FCA said recently that during the outbreak shutdown, the company paid more than 24,000 hourly workers. The FCA requires employees to either opt for a one-time refund of the salary or deduct it from future pay.
The FCA says the workers receive an average of $500 more in unemployment benefits than the contract requires. The overpayment comes as a federal new crown-based pneumonia relief program retroactively increases workers’ unemployment benefits as of April 4, bringing their total compensation to more than the fca’s temporary redundancy contract with the UAW.
During the shutdown, workers would have been paid 74 per cent of their normal 40-hour weekly salary, which the FCA would have covered by the difference between the pay and the government’s unemployment benefits.
The FCA says employees can refund the wage in one lump sum or deduct $100 a week in wages. Jodi Tinson, a spokeswoman for the FCA, said in an e-mailed statement that “many people have paid off their extra pay” in one lump sum, but she declined to give an exact figure.
Brian Rothenberg, a spokesman for The UAW, said that while the FCA’s request for the return of wages would upset workers, he had not received any complaints about the matter.


text:
The E coli outbreak in Northern Germany has been traced to a single bean-sprout farm near Hamburg, John Dalli, European commissioner in charge of health and consumer policy, confirmed Saturday.
German authorities on Friday had said that tests on the bean sprouts from the organic farm had been matched to the strain responsible for the deadly bacterial infection.
“I welcome this extremely important development. The source of contamination is now identified, and the epidemiological findings are backed by laboratory results,” Mr. Dalli said Saturday. “EU consumers and trade partners shall now have full confidence as regards the safety of EU’s vegetables.”
Authorities will now investigate how the specific E. coli strain got into the food chain.
The commission services have been working to implement the political agreement reached Friday at the Russia-EU summit for Russia’s lifting of its ban on EU vegetable imports and the introduction of a certification system. Exports should resume “as soon as possible,” the statement said.


text:
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) will report its second-quarter 2023 earnings results today at 4:00 PM ET. The stock was up 1% in midday trade.
Analysts are predicting earnings of $0.32 per share for the second quarter. This compares to a loss of $0.20 per share reported in the prior-year period. Revenue is expected to fall over 1% to $119.4 billion compared to the year-ago quarter.
In the first quarter of 2023, net sales increased 9% to $127.4 billion. Net income was $3.2 billion, or $0.31 per share.
Nike, Inc. (NYSE: NKE) has long been ruling the sportswear market but the company had its share of problems when headwinds like the pandemic and economic slowdown hit the business
Shares of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) stayed green on Friday. The stock has dropped 7% over the past three months. The video game industry has been facing challenges as
Petros Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTPI) is a pharma company focused on identifying, developing, and commercializing therapeutics for men's health issues. It operates mainly through the business segments of Prescription Medications


text:
Nuveen Select TaxFree Income Common
NVIDIA-Mellanox Deal at Risk amid Trade War Fears
Chipmaker NVIDIA (NVDA) agreed to acquire data connectivity company Mellanox Technologies (MLNX) for around $7 billion in March.
Marvell Agrees to Sell Its Connectivity Business
On May 30, Marvell Technology (MRVL) shares rose 3.1% to $22.02 after the company agreed to sell its wireless connectivity business.
Why Is NXP Buying Marvell’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Business?
NXP Semiconductors announced its intention to buy Marvell Technology’s wireless connectivity business for a cash deal worth $1.76 billion.
NXP Semiconductors Benefiting from Freescale Merger Synergies
Many Apple (AAPL) suppliers who diversified their revenue streams, especially in the automotive sector, reported strong growth in 2Q16, and NXP Semiconductors (NXPI) was no exception.
Rumor: Apple Orders Higher Production Volumes for iPhone 7
With stressed iPhone 6s and 6s Plus sales, all suppliers have high hopes for Apple’s upcoming flagship product, the iPhone 7. It’s scheduled to launch in September 2016.


text:
Chinese firm’s cutting-edge £85k ’emotional robot’ ‘walks like it’s s*** itself’
We have more newsletters
A Chinese company has launched an impressive-looking humanoid android that can detect human emotion.
The CyberOne looks like it could have come straight out of a movie, and is capable of building 3D reconstructions of the environment around it.
It even has a 'vocal emotion identification engine' to comfort you in times of sadness, meaning the Chinese company has beaten Tesla to creating a functional humanoid robot.
READ MORE: 'Real life Iron Man' seeks 25 volunteers to test 'experimental' new flying car
Designed to 'mimic human movement' accurately, however, the CyberOne also walks around like it's just followed through on a fart.
It's not clear why the CyberOne walks so strangely, as the company behind it claims it has '21 degrees of freedom' and 13 joints. Its legs are even powered by quite strong motors.
"With AI at its core and a full-size humanoid frame as its vessel, this is an exploration of possibilities of Xiaomi's future technological ecosystem and a new breakthrough for the company," said Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun.
The CyberOne is the latest entry to the company's 'Cyber' robot range, which also includes a four-legged robot called CyberDog.
Man who built his own broadband to avoid expensive bills gets £2.1m from government
The CyberOne could be useful for a few things, like going to collect your groceries very, very slowly, or giving you a cold hard shoulder to cry on when you're sad.
At an eye-watering price of up to £85,000, it's not going to change everyone's world very quickly, but the CyberOne could be the start of a whole new generation of waddling robots in need of some loo roll.
Earlier this year, Elon Musk announced that his company Tesla plans to launch a humanoid robot called the Optimus, which looks suspiciously similar to Xiaomi's CyberOne.
- Samsung's new Galaxy Z smartphones can 'fold like a piece of paper'
- US Space Force to deploy deadly robot dog patrols at Cape Canaveral rocket base
- GTA 6 is well underway and will 'set a benchmark' for entire series, says Take-Two boss
- Gamers need six vitamins to prevent health risks from too much time in their bedrooms
- Google Maps could break if the Earth keeps slowing down in space, scientists warn
- Artificial Intelligence
Source: Read Full Article


text:
Detroit — As the world press gathered on Jan. 14 to view the North American International Auto Show at Detroit’s Cobo Center, Jorge Parra sat outside on his 55th day of a hunger strike. Parra is one of a group of General Motors workers from Colombia who were fired by the auto giant after they were injured on the job.
Surrounded by scores of supporters, Parra explained to the media that “all we want is to present our evidence at the corporate level. All we want is justice.” Demonstrators protested the “moral bankruptcy” of GM, which recently was saved from financial bankruptcy by a U.S. government bailout. Speakers at the press conference included Melvin Thompson, past president of United Auto Workers Local 140.


text:
October 29, 2020
Bloomingdale's flagship department store in New York. Image credit: Bloomingdale's
By Sarah Ramirez
High-end retailers are preparing for a holiday season like no other, as many in the United States remain weary about in-store shopping and consumer confidence dips in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
Share your thoughts. Click here


text:
There Is No iPhone 15 Mini: Here's Why
The iPhone 15 lineup noticeably lacks a model with a display size below six inches, just two years after Apple extolled the virtues of a 5.4-inch device. So why did Apple eliminate the "mini" device that some iPhone customers had come to love?
Apple debuted the iPhone 12 mini in 2020 following years of calls from iPhone fans for the company to offer a small-screen device with the latest features. When Apple did so, it was assumed that the small form factor would persist for several years, but the device came to a seemingly premature end upon the release of the iPhone 14 lineup in 2022. Upon the release of the iPhone 15 lineup, Apple retired the last remaining device with the "mini" form factor.
Concerns first arose when the iPhone 12 mini appeared to not be selling as well as Apple had hoped, making up just six percent of iPhone 12 sales in the U.S. in October and November 2020, according to data gathered by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP). Counterpoint Research reported that the iPhone 12 mini accounted for only five percent of all iPhone 12 sales in the U.S. in the first half of January 2021.
Morgan Stanley believed that Apple chose to cut production of the iPhone 12 mini by two million units to create more manufacturing capacity for the more popular iPhone 12 Pro. This was mirrored by a Taiwanese report, citing supply chain sources, which said that strong demand for iPhone 12 Pro models in China led Apple to increase its supply of the more expensive devices.
Most strikingly, JP Morgan Chase claimed that Apple outright halted iPhone 12 mini production in the second quarter of 2021. While the sales reports for the iPhone 12 mini did not bode well for the iPhone 13 mini, Apple plans its iPhone production and supply chain operations well in advance of launch, meaning that the iPhone 13 mini was already well on the way to production by the time the issues with the iPhone 12 mini's sales were clear.
In April 2022, CIRP released more data suggesting that the iPhone 13 mini accounted for just 3 percent of iPhone 13 sales – half that of the iPhone 12 mini. These continued poor sales were likely the main reason behind the demise of the "mini" form factor iPhone.
With the iPhone 14 lineup, Apple opted to replace the "mini" device with an all-new "Plus" device that matched the 6.7-inch display size of its high-end "Pro Max" models. In some respects, the "Plus" mirrors the "mini," offering the latest iPhone's features in a different display size. Instead of offering a lightweight small-screen option, customers can now choose an even bigger battery and 6.7-inch display – the same size that "Pro Max" customers have been used to for over five years, now at a price of $1,199 – but at a much more accessible $899 price point.
Less than a week after the launch of the iPhone 14, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that demand for the two devices was "lackluster," with worse pre-order results than the third-generation iPhone SE and the iPhone 13 mini. He went as far as to claim that "Apple's product segmentation strategy for standard models fails this year" and Apple was believed to have shelved plans to increase production of the two devices. Display analyst Ross Young said panel orders for the iPhone 14 were down 38 percent versus the iPhone 13 at the same time last year, while in the resale market, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus lost their value twice as fast as the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 from the previous year.
Other reports from the likes of DigiTimes overwhelmingly presented the same picture of low iPhone 14 Plus sales, to the extent that Apple was forced to slash production, suggesting that the low sales of the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini may not have been caused by the device's size after all. Whether the iPhone 15 Plus will fare better is yet to be seen.
There are no plans to revive the iPhone's "mini" form factor in Apple's pipeline, according to rumors. The smallest iPhones in the works, such as next year's iPhone 16 and the fourth-generation iPhone SE, are expected to feature 6.1-inch displays. On the contrary, some future devices, such as the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, are expected to grow even larger, increasing to 6.3- and 6.9-inches, respectively.


text:
Don’t you just hate it when your PC gives a warning message that it’s running out of space? You’re then forced to go through all your files to figure out which are important and which ones can be deleted. Sometimes you manage to get a few megabytes back, but oftentimes you end up grabbing your external disks.
According to a Microsoft tipster, a proposed new feature in Windows 10 will allow users to navigate the system with the help of its virtual assistant (VA), Cortana. ‘Follow Me’ is an enhancement that will make navigating the operating system much easier, which will be particularly useful to those who find it a bit challenging.
Microsoft Edge is a great browser — it’s fast, clean, and has every feature you need. But alas, few people use it. So in an attempt to encourage PC users who also own an Android or iOS device to use Edge, the company is moving the browser to mobile platforms.
For Microsoft fans, the company’s biggest IT conference, Ignite 2017, has revealed many exciting updates, especially for teachers, students, and professionals. We’ve gathered information that’ll surely ignite your interest.
Good news for schools and educators
Microsoft recently rolled out Microsoft 365 for Education, which combines Office 365 for Education, Windows 10, Enterprise Mobility and Security, and even Minecraft: Education Edition — a game that teaches kids how to code.
For business owners who want to increase employee productivity, one of the most heated debates is over which cloud productivity software is best. If your company uses Android devices, we have some tips on deciding whether Microsoft Office or Google Apps is better for you.
With more than 100 million monthly active subscribers, Office 365 has attracted the attention of hackers who’ve revamped an age-old trick. This time, they come up with a highly targeted, well-crafted spear-phishing scam that’s even more difficult to identify.
Are you looking for a business email service provider? A convenient option would be Gmail, which lets you sync your emails easily with Google applications. But if discreet ads, a cleaner design, increased storage, and other productivity enhancements sound appealing to you, we recommend taking a look at the following new Outlook.
Earlier this month, Microsoft released a patch that includes several security enhancements and addresses 48 vulnerabilities for all supported versions of Windows. If you’re not in the habit of installing security patches when they come out, now’s a good time to start.
People prefer one web browser over another for all kinds of reasons, including ease of use, applications, security and of course, performance. If you’ve recently downloaded Windows 10, there’s a new browser on the block: Microsoft Edge. Here are some nifty features you may find useful.
The Windows Fall Creators Update released in April introduced many useful and interesting features, including a decluttered Start menu, more control over Windows updates, and an enhanced Microsoft Edge browser. Five months later, Microsoft follows up on all those enhancements with a new set of features.


text:
PHOENIX -- It's the last shopping weekend before Christmas and, as time runs out, many shoppers are purchasing gift cards.
Statistics show that 12 percent of shoppers buy gift cards and they spend an average of $45 per card.
But as gift cards grow in popularity, they are involved in an increasing number of scams.
"Unfortunately, scammers have found a way to take advantage of us even through as simple as giving a gift card," said Better Business Bureau spokeswoman Felicia Thompson.
Thompson said gift card scams are especially common during the holiday shopping season.
"They'll flip it around and scratch off the actual activation code or that special number that identifies your gift card, and they're putting it back on the shelves," she said.
Unsuspecting consumers then pick up the gift cards, not realizing the number is exposed and could have been copied.
The crooks redeem the gift cards online using the activation codes and spend the entire card value.
To protect yourself and the recipient of the gift card, inspect it for signs that it may have been tampered with.
Sealed packages containing multiple gift cards are usually more secure than individual cards.
Thompson said people should obtain gift cards from cashiers, if possible.
"We've heard folks say, 'Use the gift card as you would food packaging,' " she said. "If it looks like it's been tampered with ... you might not want to use that."


text:
It’s The People
That Make The Difference
Illinois Business Systems has received the Downers Grove Chamber of Commerce Chamber Choice Award for 2013 in recognition of the outstanding service that we have provided our customers.
Richard Mytnik, president of IBS has been featured by Crain's Chicago Business.
Richard Mytnik, president of IBS received the 2008 Business Ledger Regional Spirit Award.
Illinois Business Systems is featured in the February/March 2010 edition of the Neighbors of Greater Oakbrook Magazine.
Illinois Business Systems has been featured by the Center for Entrepreneurship at College of Development.
Richard Mytnik is interviewed by My Suburban Life...read more
Illinois Business Systems talks about Alternative Fuels and Green Propane Power.


text:
The FSA sees the financial incentives paid to direct sales forces of banks and providers as an “emerging risk”, and says it plans to take action against firms involved.
The regulator has published its retail conduct risk outlook today, which highlights the areas of concern and troublespots the FSA foresees emerging over the next year.
It published its first retail conduct risk outlook last year. The FSA says since then it has carried out thematic work on financial incentives of in-house sales forces across a sample of firms and sectors, to assess whether financial incentives increased the risk of inappropriate selling.
The FSA says: “At an individual firm level we have found a number of incentive schemes that significantly increased the level of risk, which was not being adequately mitigated.
“We are now working on the next steps, including taking action against firms where appropriate.”
The FSA is also considering publishing guidance or changing its rules on “high risk reward arrangements where the risks may be difficult to control”.
The regulator defines “emerging risk” as risks where it has evidence of poor conduct in firms but little or no evidence yet of widespread consumer detrient, but where it believes the risks could grow.


text:
being immediately accretive in terms of distributable cash flow per EPD
In addition to pursuing and publishing this EPD
, Nucraft has taken a number of steps by which it has gained independent recognition under some of the most widely recognized certifications in the industry.
Building product manufacturers who develop an EPD
early on will no doubt benefit from the new changes being proposed for LEED v4.
group was given the opportunity to present Saudi Aramco s mangrove conservation efforts to the other participants; eliciting positive feedback and suggestions.
NSF helps companies build a portfolio of sustainable products and spans the complete PCR/LCA/EPD
process by supporting PCR development, verifying LCA and EPD
data, and providing third-party verification of final EPD
Publishing an EPD
for the Medeco M3 CLIQ cylinder, a top-of-the-line high security product, was a natural 'next step' in our sustainability initiative.
We look forward to openly comparing our EPD
with other forms of seafood packaging and would urge seafood suppliers, processors and retailers to ask their seafood packaging manufacturer to produce their EPD
The winning EPD
is determined based on the maximum energy (load x height) prior to failure (cracking of the egg constitutes failure of the EPD
On implementation, he said that EPD
inspectors had been authorized to visit any factory regarding the production of bio-degradable bags, adding that the violation of the law would result in legal proceedings against the violators while the local district management and the police would provide assistance to the EPD
Air Partner's EPD
also provides proactive contingency planning during potential threats, such as recent escalation on the Korean peninsula, where the EPD
was on standby for eight separate clients.
Credit, huge respect and thanks are due to Eugene Police Department officer Kara Williams and other EPD
women who had the ethics and backbone to speak up, stand up and shine a light on the deplorable sexual harassment they endured at the hands, literally, of now-fired EPD
officer Stefan Zeltvay.
provides a forum to identify action items to strengthen the U.


text:
News - Mercedes-Benz
Daimler battery factories ramp up
Global network of eight lithium-ion battery factories to power Mercedes EVs
8 Nov 2018
DAIMLER has accelerated the expansion of battery production capacity in Germany in the countdown to mass production of the first all-electric Mercedes-Benz car, the EQC, in the second quarter of next year.
The company has announced it will double the workforce at its Deutsche Accumotive battery factory in Kamenz, East Germany, to 1000 employees by the end of 2018 – a year ahead of schedule – in readiness to start mass production of 80kWh lithium-ion batteries for shipment to the Mercedes large-car plant at Bremen where pre-production of the EQC has already started.
Production for the EQC begins around May, in time for its European market launch in the middle of 2019. Australian sales are expected to start in the third quarter of that year.
Another battery plant is already being built by Daimler subsidiary Accumotive at Kamenz at a cost of €500 million ($A786m) as it brings 10 all-electric vehicles to market by 2022.
The second plant – claimed by Daimler to be one of the largest and most modern such factories in the world – will quadruple the production area at Kamenz when it comes fully on stream in the second quarter of 2019, just as EQC production begins.
Apart from the two factories at Kamenz, Daimler is planning two battery plants in Stuttgart, and single plants in Sindelfingen (Germany), Beijing, Bangkok and Tuscaloosa (US) – eight in all.
The new Kamenz factory has been designed as off-grid and CO2-neutral, with solar panels and energy storage powering the facility.
Apart from batteries for all-electric vehicles such as the EQC, the Accumotive factories will build batteries for plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), mild-hybrid cars using a 48-volt system, and stationary batteries.
Commercial vehicles will also get batteries from the factories, with electrified Vito and Sprinter vans heading for market launch next year, along with the Fuso light truck.
In all, Daimler is planning 130 electrified vehicle variants by 2022.
Formally revealed recently in Stockholm, Sweden, the EQC is expected to be launched in dual-motor, all-wheel-drive form, dubbed 400 4Matic.
The front and rear motors will have a combined output of 300kW of power and 765Nm of torque, driving the car from zero to 100km/h in 5.1 seconds and on to a limited top speed of 180km/h.
Its 80kWh battery will be capable of being charged to 80 per cent capacity in 40 minutes on a fast charger. Range is expected to be up to 450km under European NEDC test rules.
Other variants of EQC are expected to follow, including two-wheel-drive variants.
Next cab off the line in the EQ family line-up is expected to be the smaller EQA.
5th of September 2018
Paris show: Benz flips the switch with EQC
EQC kicks off new electric era for Mercedes-Benz in €10 billion rollout
28th of August 2018
Mercedes teases production EQC EV
First Mercedes-Benz production EV teased ahead of Stockholm debut
Click to share
Motor industry news


text:
At present, the top three System-On-A-Chip aka SoC maker for Blu-Ray technology are Sigma Design, Broadcom and Panasonic UniPhier. Majority of current Blu-ray players are coming from sigma Design’s SMP8634 SoC, but the company may face the toughest challenge with its rival’s recent acquisition of Sunext Design.
Broadcom has announced that they have acquired optical disc technology expert and cost optimized single-chip SOC solutions Sunext Design. The acquisition will allow Broadcom to expend its SoC back-end Blu-ray Disc platform to feature recording solutions in the future. Blu-ray and HD-DVD recorder is more popular in Japan than it is in US, in fact, I don’t remember a single release of standalone Hi-Def recorder in US except a few optical drives in PC industry. The end of Format War and cheaper SoC on its way may spike the AV Industry’s Interests in Blu-Ray optical recorder, but I have to admit, it’s really tough to beat HDD recorder. Optical recording is outdated, Blu-Ray or not.


text:
Tesco Preliminary Results 2017/18: Another strong year of progress – firmly on track to deliver medium-term ambitions.
Tesco Technology? It’s not just about checkouts. If you think of your local Tesco store, technology might not be what springs to mind. Did you know that our innovation in technology began over 20 years ago; today our APIs run everything from our tills to our grocery home shopping – even the weighing scales in stores.
We’re looking for people who want to work on exciting new initiatives in our Technology team. Explore opportunities to get on at http://glassdoor.com/slink.htm?key=vQK5H
Our Software Engineering teams tackle lots of different problems, and their innovative solutions help us to serve our customers a little better every day.
The way these teams are shaped is important to the impact that they can have; something which was debated at last week’s Devoxx UK conference, where Engineering Director Andy Hedges, and Head of Software Engineering Adrian Spender took to the stage. They were joined by hundreds of software engineers for a session which explored the complexities of cross-functional teams, and some solutions to this challenge.
If this sparks your interest, why not check out our Software Engineering roles at http://glassdoor.com/slink.htm?key=vQWon
It’s Mental Health Awareness Week.
We all have mental health, just like physical health. And like physical health, it can be good, bad and everything in between.
We want to help colleagues to look after their mental well-being, so we’ve launched a range of activities, such as modules, e-learning courses and mental health roadshows across the country.
“Whatever the outcome on Britain’s Got Talent, I already work in a company with many more opportunities. This really is a place to get on – Tesco’s got talent too.”
Did you see our colleague Ronan at the weekend on Britain’s Got Talent? We are so proud of you.
Read more about Ronan’s story here http://glassdoor.com/slink.htm?key=vQWUy
“Anything is possible here: If you’re open to doing different things you could have a very varied and interesting career.”
From the Property Grad scheme to Mushrooms and Avocados Buyer. Lisa’s proudest moment was introducing a new mushroom range that had vitamin D within it, as people in the UK don’t get enough sun.
Read more about Lisa’s story here http://glassdoor.com/slink.htm?key=vQ6pJ
"The opportunities for self-development, coupled with support from colleagues and managers are among the reasons I love my job so much.”
Matus started his journey in the Warehouse team as an assembler, to then becoming a trainer working with new people. He is now a service coordinator managing different departments in the distribution centre.
Read about his career journey here http://glassdoor.com/slink.htm?key=vQ6lD
We’re all familiar with the “beep” of a till transaction, but what does the beep really mean? One focus of our Technology team is the ability to account for and reconcile every single transaction that happens on every one of our 40,000 tills across the UK; just one of the complexities and challenges which comes with a distributed system like this.
Explore what it’s like to work in Technology at Tesco here http://glassdoor.com/slink.htm?key=vQfQK
Two years ago, Maria Simpson from our Brigg Superstore in Lincolnshire had a brilliant idea. She suggested giving free fruit to children to eat during shopping trips as an alternative to sweets.
Today, that one idea has grown into a nationwide project, we now offer “Free Fruit for Kids” in over 800 stores across the country.
We’ve given over 50 million pieces of free fruit away to kids since 2016. That’s an incredible achievement, and it means literally millions of children have had a healthy, free piece of fruit from Tesco in the last two years. It’s great that one colleague’s idea has had such a huge impact.
Explore opportunities to get on at http://glassdoor.com/slink.htm?key=vQfjS
Our business is full of varied opportunities and no two days are the same. This, coupled with our collaborative culture, is something we’re really proud of. We believe the most rewarding way to develop is through real-life business experience, which is why apprentices join our teams by hitting the ground running, giving them the opportunity to have a real impact from the start.
Read Clare’s story here: http://glassdoor.com/slink.htm?key=vQfF2


text:
But at the same time that Sony Mobile announced the new device, it was already talking about another device, a dual-camera device, which was then announced (with 4K display) a couple of months later, the XZ2 Premium.
- Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium vs Xperia XZ2: What's the difference?
- Upcoming phones: The future smartphones coming soon
- The best Android phone: which is the top Android phone to buy today?
For those who follow the highs and lows of Sony Mobile, it will come as no surprise that the company is rumoured to be announcing the Sony Xperia XZ3 later in 2018, most likely at IFA in Berlin in late August.
That would make the new phone the sort-of third flagship that Sony launches in 2018, which seems entirely typical: Sony Mobile likes to launch phones. A lot.
These rumours come from a spec sheet that's leaked from Japan. There's no way to tell if it's legitimate or not, but it seems that the Xperia XZ3 will be a fusion of the XZ2 and the XZ2 Premium, which makes absolute sense.
It's also looking like it's going to appear in a slimmer package which addresses one of the concerns we had about the Xperia XZ2 - it was just a little plump compared to its rivals from Samsung, Huawei or OnePlus.
There's talk of a move to 6GB RAM, Snapdragon 845, 10.1mm thickness and, you guessed it, a twin camera with 19-megapixel f/1.8 main camera paired with a 12-megapixel f/1.6 secondary camera. Sony's talk is all about low light prowess here, so we're guessing that will be the focus.
This is the start of a new rumour cycle, but knowing Sony Mobile, it seems entirely believable.


text:
Apple has a new app that lets you measure almost anything with your iPhone
Other augmented reality apps — the type that let you interact with the real world through your phone — have been available in the iTunes App Store and for Android phones. But this is the first time Apple has introduced its own version. Here’s a preview.
Mystery iOS 11.4 bug is causing major Apple iPhone battery life problemsThe Sun
This Is Apple’s Rocket FuelSeeking Alpha
WWDC: When Apple Watch became a platformComputerworld
Fox News –GSMArena.com –NEWS.com.au
all 91 news articles »
This story was originally published here


text:
Being delivered soon to Gold Members, the spring 2014 issue of Disney twenty-three pays homage to the 1964–65 World’s Fair in New York — a time of optimism, growth, and progress. The Fair, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, marked the creation of landmark Disney technology, music, and attractions including it’s a small world, Audio-Animatronics® technology, ‘Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln,’ and ‘Progressland’ /aka/ the ‘Carousel of Progress,’ with its iconic anthem, ‘There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.’ For the issue, Disney twenty-three sat down with several Disney Legends responsible for these iconic landmarks including Marty Sklar, Alice Davis, and Bob Gurr. Stunning concept art and rarely seen photography from the World’s Fair complement the stories in this issue, available exclusively to Gold Members of D23.
Disney D23, the official fan club for The Walt Disney Company, today announced its initial roster of member events for 2014. Highlighting the list of events is the popular biennial Destination D event, this year taking place at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL. Details for each of the exciting events follows:
The Walt Disney Company today announced the promotion of Adam Sanderson to senior vice president, corporate communications. The announcement was made by Zenia Mucha, executive vice president and chief communications officer of The Walt Disney Company. In his new role, Mr. Sanderson will oversee D23: The Official Disney Fan Club, Disney Corporate Creative Resources and the Walt Disney Archives.
A 17-year Disney veteran, Sanderson most recently served as senior vice president, franchise management of Disney/ABC Television Group, where he was responsible for launching, building and sustaining franchises for Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney Junior, Radio Disney, ABC Family, ABC Entertainment Group and ABC Daytime. Previously, he served as senior vice president, brand marketing of Disney Channels Worldwide, helping to build High School Musical, ‘Hannah Montana’ and Disney Junior into franchise successes, managing all synergy initiatives.
Just in time to celebrate the season, D23: The Official Disney Fan Club has brought back its popular ’23 Days of Disney Christmas’ series — a gorgeous collection of work contributed by artists from nearly every corner of The Walt Disney Company, including Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Disney Television Animation, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts’ Disney Design Group, Disney Consumer Products, and more.
Beginning today, D23.com will unveil a new piece of art that celebrates the holidays. The theme for 2013 is ‘The Ultimate Gift’ — and D23 asked Disney artists what their favorite characters would most want for the holiday. The results are just as creative as the talents behind them, and 23 lucky D23 Members now have the chance win a lithograph of the work.
To celebrate the release of Saving Mr. Banks and the upcoming 50th anniversary of Mary Poppins, D23, Disney’s official fan club, has dedicated the entire winter 2013 issue of its members’ quarterly magazine, Disney twenty-three, to the beloved nanny. Available exclusively to D23 Gold Members, the issue includes exclusive interviews with Saving Mr. Banks stars Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson and Bradley Whitford, as well as director John Lee Hancock. It takes readers behind the scenes of the making of this spectacular new film, which opens in limited release on December 13 and looks at the creation of Disney’s Mary Poppins and the sometimes combative but respectful relationship between the character’s creator, P.L. Travers (Thompson), and Walt Disney (Hanks).
no images were found
Yesterday, the Walt Disney Company celebrated its 90th anniversary commemorating the date Roy and Walt Disney signed the contracts to produce the ‘Alice Comedies.’ In Chicago, the city in which Walt Disney himself was born, the anniversary was honored by the opening of the ‘D23 Presents the Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives’ exhibit at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry (MSI).
At the 2013 Disney D23 Expo which recently took place in Anaheim, California, we caught up with former Disney animator (and now Disney Legend) Glen Keane as he was being recognized for his contributions to the Walt Disney Company. Amongst one of Keane’s many tasks over the years at Walt Disney Feature Animation was acting as the supervising animator for Beast in Disney’s immortal classic, Beauty and the Beast.
We seized the opportunity to ask Keane his thoughts on whether Beast had an alternative, human form name, a rumor in the form of Prince Adam, which has not only perpetuated itself on the internet, but has extended to merchandising and even wall space at the Port Orleans Walt Disney World Resort (which has reportedly been taken down since).
Broken toys had nothing to fear this past weekend at Disney D23 Expo in Anaheim, California as Doc McStuffins made her debut to meet and greet with fans — and cuddles were definitely prescribed. We were fortunate to catch up with Doc between appointments where she proudly displayed one of the in-booth giveaways from Disney Junior: a tote with her own likeness on it.
No word at this time if and when she’ll be making appearances in Disney Parks but given her immense popularity and having been recently added to Disney Junior Live On Stage (alongside Princess Sofia the First who started appearing not too long ago at the Disneyland Resort and just yesterday began appearing at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort), it’s a good bet she just may.
no images were found
Before he sets sail this fall aboard Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Magic ship as the climax to the Avengers Academy experience for children, Marvel’s Captain America has decided to drop by the 2013 Disney D23 Expo to meet and greet with his fans at the Disney Parks / Walt Disney Imagineering ‘Journey into Imagineering’ pavilion. Marking Disney’s first foray into the world of Marvel when it comes to meet and greets, the Captain is making the occasion particularly special as he won’t necessarily be around to take photos with adults aboard the ship.
no images were found
Disney D23 Presents the Treasures of the Walt Disney Studio Archives is easily one of the most popular attractions during the biennial D23 Expo, arguably second only to the star-studded arena presentations, and this year is sure to be no different.
Although smaller than last year’s presentation, by focusing on timeless properties such as Disney’s oft-foray into the world of L. Frank Baum’s Oz and the 1964 classic Mary Poppins, the archives team has managed to produce a solid sampling of fascinating objects that span decades film and parks history.


text:
While Pope John Paul has long condemned rampant capitalism, the Vatican is no stranger to mass merchandising.
There is already a lengthy list of Vatican-approved products.
The Vatican Library Line is the most recent mass merchandising effort. Partly to defray costs of a multi-million dollar library renovation and partly for public outreach, the Holy See approved a library-inspired collection several years ago.
Earrings priced at $16 to $18 and $42 necklaces already sell at Dillard’s, Profitt’s and military base stores.
“Everything is 24 carat gold plated, with Austrian crystal,” says a spokesperson for the manufacturer.
Rosary boxes, pens, key chains and rings with prayers inscribed inside are also part of the Vatican Library line.
Other Vatican-approved products include soft silk ties and luxurious rugs with Vatican designs. The museum store in Rome sells nearly 400 items, including art and history books.
The Vatican is even exploring e-commerce and hopes to develop a website within the next year or so, to complement its mail order catalog.
The Pope himself recites the rosary on a best-selling CD. And his book “Crossing the Threshhold of Hope,” sold more than 3 million copies worldwide (proceeds from both of those went to charity).
The Vatican will not release the terms of its licensing arrangements, but licensing experts say they are worth many billions of dollars.


text:
Asda hire people to fetch the stuff you forgot
It aimed at those who are in the queue, don't want to lose their place, but forgot their sprouts, or whatever.
Asda will be introducing us to 8,000 members of staff, which they've called ‘Go-Getters for Forgetters’, into their 601 stores. We're waiting for someone to push their luck, and stand their with a basket with some carrots in, and sending off the staff to fetch the rest of their shopping.
"Mate, could you fetch me a turkey... and a Christmas pudding... and some potatoes... and a widescreen television... and a couple of Frozen dolls... and a case of wine... and I might have left my two children in the crisps section..."
Asda’s director of people and stores Hayley Tatum said: “Christmas is an enjoyable time of year, but it can also be one of the most testing. It’s our job to make it easy, hassle-free and fun and our colleagues are top of the Christmas tree when it comes to service with personality."
"We introduced our ‘Go-Getters for Forgetters’ in a handful of stores five years ago to get anything customers had forgotten without keeping others waiting at the tills – this Christmas, we’ve invested an additional £4m into customer service for the busiest two weeks of the year meaning customers have more help than ever before."
"Not only does it mean no-one will go without the perfect gift this year, there’s no excuse to forget the sprouts."