Thursday, April 11, 2013

Botched SimCity launch vaults EA to second consecutive award for ?Worst Company In America?

"I like small penises," said no women interviewed for an actually scientific study released Monday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, or PNAS. Yes, PNAS is a funny sounding acronym, and, yes, PNAS has found that size does matter ? and that women prefer "showers" to "growers."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/botched-simcity-launch-vaults-ea-second-consecutive-award-194255890.html

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Burner now lets Android users have disposable phone numbers, gives iOS app a refresh

Burner now lets Android users have disposable phone numbers, gives iOS app a refresh

Many months have gone by since we first heard about Ad Hoc Labs' Burner application, which brought a new kind of disposable digits service to folks with an iPhone. Well, starting today, those with an Android handset can also snag throw-away phone numbers via the newfangled app on Google's flavorful platform. Naturally, Burner for Android will perform in a similar fashion to its iOS counterpart, allowing users to seamlessly choose from an array of different plans that'll determine how many minutes / texts any given number is good for -- don't worry, we're sure you'll come across one that's perfectly suited for your business.

Customers on Apple's side, meanwhile, can expect to experience some improvements within the app thanks to a recent update. Burner says its iOS offering has been enhanced in a number of ways, including "smarter" notifications as well as the ability to keep easier track of conversations by way of favoriting and archiving. And although this particular sector may be looked upon with uncertainty, Ad Hoc Labs CEO, Greg Cohen, says his team is just happy to be able to provide "an important tool for users to protect themselves by adding an extra layer of anonymity to their phones." Craigslist, anyone?

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Source: Google Play, App Store

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Raucous IZOD Center crowd chants their way into Raw history

Dolph Ziggler cashes in his Money in the Bank contract to become World Heavyweight Champion: Raw, April 8, 2013AJ Lee is thrilled following Dolph Ziggler's World Heavyweight Championship victory: WWE.com Exclusive, April 9, 2013The WWE Universe continues to hum Fandango's entrance music after Raw goes off the air: Raw, April 8, 2013A special look at the WWE Universe at its rowdiest on Raw: Raw, April 8, 2013John Cena vs. Mark Henry: Raw, April 8, 2013Tons of Funk & The Funkadactyls vs. Team Rhodes Scholars & The Bella Twins: Raw, April 8, 2013Brad Maddox gets emotional: WWE App Exclusive, April 8, 2013

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. ??The night after WrestleMania 29 may go down in history as one of the most exciting ones in WWE history. It may also be remembered as the most fun, thanks to the sold-out crowd, who gave every last drop of energy they had, chanting in and outside the arena for everyone from the commentators to Fandango. For three straight hours, they chanted loudly and proudly, leaving those not in attendance wishing they could take part.

More than 1 million members of the WWE Universe have passed through the turnstiles at the IZOD Center since 1984, all extremely passionate about the Superstars and the action that plays out in the squared circle. There may not have been a more passionate audience than the capacity crowd of 16,173 people that squeezed into the arena 24 hours removed from WrestleMania 29, though.

From the second Raw?went on the air, it was clear that the WWE Universe was up for one thing: pure, unadulterated fun. Three hours later, many were asking if episode No. 1,037 of Raw was the best in the show?s 20-year history.

VOTE: What was Monday night?s best crowd chant??|?Watch the crowd at its rowdiest

Wade Barrett?was a surprising fan favorite during the post-WrestleMania Raw. The crowd roared in approval as the Brit cold-cocked The Miz with the Bull Hammer elbow to regain the Intercontinental Title. WWE.com caught up with the new champion to get his reactions to the great crowd. Barrett gave credit to the international flair of a post-WrestleMania crowd, with fans from all over the world taking part in Raw.

?It?s the best crowd America?s ever seen. It?s like a football crowd,? he said. ?I looked out in the crowd and saw a lot of U.K. flags. I think they did all the cheerleading.?

During World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio?s Handicap Match against Jack Swagger & Zeb Colter, Zack Ryder noticed the WWE Universe was clamoring for one thing ??a Money in the Bank cash-in from Dolph Ziggler.

?You heard ?We Want Ziggler!? that whole match,? Zack Ryder said. ?They got him.?

The roof nearly blew off the IZOD Center when The Showoff stalked to the ring purposefully and shoved his Money in the Bank briefcase into referee Scott Armstrong?s chest, signaling that he was taking his opportunity at Del Rio?s World Heavyweight Championship. When Armstrong?s arm hit the mat for the third time and the bell rang, proclaiming Ziggler the new World Heavyweight Champion, the roar was deafening. It was a true star-making moment for WWE?s newest champion.

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Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2013-04-08/izod-center-fan-chants

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Michael J. Fox: From Tiger Beat to AARP

By Tim Molloy

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Michael J. Fox jokes in a recent interview that his long career has taken him to demographic extremes.

"I went from Teen Beat and Tiger Beat... to AARP," he said to Access Hollywood. "There's some great tips about colon health!"

The "Family Ties" and film star is preparing to return to NBC with a new sitcom next season that draws from his own family life and battle with Parkinson's disease. He plays a news anchor who's life, like the actor's, has been disrupted by Parkinson's.

Fox, 51, said he didn't question whether to address his real-life struggle onscreen.

"Well, I don't have a choice," he said. "You can sit and project out and say, 'Oh, I'm going to have this and it's going to be like this and I won't be able to do that.' But it's much more about right now. 'What can I do right now?' Right?"

He added: "I just thought, I love to do this and as much as anyone will let me do it and give me their time to do it - I should do it. And so, I'm doing it."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/michael-j-fox-tiger-beat-aarp-195606333.html

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Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Iowa Republicans Struggle Against Disarray In Battle For Open Senate Seat

DES MOINES, Iowa ? It was a day Iowa Republicans had long dreamed of when their Democratic nemesis, Tom Harkin, announced he was retiring from the Senate. But that day was in January, and as the Midwest winter now gives way to spring, Republicans here find themselves in a surprising predicament - still trying to come up with someone to run for the job, and struggling to avoid becoming another example of the party's disarray after its presidential defeat.

Ever since Harkin, who had held the office since Ronald Reagan was president, provided an opening for the GOP, the party has bounced between two options for the Senate seat:candidates who could win but won't run, and candidates who could run but, party officials fear, couldn't win.

Meanwhile, the state party apparatus has become a reflection of the GOP's bitterly divided factions. Now led by followers of libertarian Ron Paul, the organization has quarreled with Iowa's senior Republican eminence, Gov. Terry Branstad, and disputed his strategy for state government and party affairs.

"The Republican Party in Iowa is in turmoil, with no clear leader for the future and no consistent governing philosophy," said Doug Gross, a Republican fundraiser and Branstad confidant.

As Democrats line up behind their already-declared candidate for the Senate, Bruce Braley, Republican leaders are hoping they can sort things out before the 2014 campaign heats up and before the 2016 presidential race puts Iowa and its first-in-the-nation caucuses back in the political spotlight. The state party is still trying to get over its experience last year, in which balloting problems at the presidential caucuses left GOP officials unable to declare a winner. National GOP officials plan to discuss the 2016 nominating process, and Iowa's place in it, at a meeting in California this week.

Overall, the Republican Party needs to pick up six seats to win control of the Senate in 2014, and Harkin's would seem to be one of its better chances. A Republican, Charles Grassley, holds the other Senate seat and the party controls the governorship and one house of the Legislature.

But any campaign plan quickly went awry when Branstad's first choice for the race, Rep. Tom Latham, a respected 10-term House member, declined to run.

Meanwhile, Branstad was trying to hold off another Iowa congressman, Steve King, a conservative firebrand who had long eyed the Senate but whom some considered too divisive for a party trying to broaden its appeal. Branstad's delicate diplomacy was upended when a national conservative group publicly called out King as just the kind of lightning rod the GOP should avoid.

But while the barb put King on the defensive, he does not give the impression of a candidate hot to run.

"There can be no scores to settle," King told The Associated Press, saying he was studying poll research. "Of all the opinions out there, I want to make sure there's empirical data."

The search may now turn to Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, a working mother and energetic former county officeholder who is popular with social and pro-business conservatives. She has the public blessing of Branstad, but remains untested outside his shadow. Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey, a well-liked but lower-profile potential fourth option, is waiting to see what Reynolds decides.

"I am surprised we don't have a stronger candidate that's stepped out yet," said Gwen Ecklund, a GOP county chairwoman from western Iowa.

By contrast, the declared Democrat in the race, Braley, a congressman from Waterloo, has been able head off potential Democratic primary challengers and raised $1 million in less than two months.

Adding to the GOP tumult has been the growing power of Ron Paul supporters, who were a nonfactor in the state before Paul placed third in the 2012 Iowa caucuses, higher than many thought possible. Paul's 2012 Iowa caucus campaign chairman A.J. Spiker won election as party chairman last year, and Paul supporters now occupy senior offices on the state GOP committee.

Spiker has attacked a gasoline tax proposal that Branstad was considering supporting and has been crosswise with Branstad's efforts to put the volatile gay marriage issue on the backburner.

Some Republican officials are concerned about attracting any more negative attention to Iowa or prompting any more suggestions that another state should start the presidential nominating calendar ? after the Republican National Committee made an issue of Iowa's botched caucus balloting last year. State GOP officials first declared Mitt Romney had narrowly won, then announced 16 days later that former Sen. Rick Santorum had received more votes ? long after the news could have helped boost his campaign for subsequent early primaries.

An RNC report expressed a strong preference for states using regular elections, rather than caucuses or conventions, for picking nominees.

"I'm concerned because the report calls for doing away with caucuses," said Steve Scheffler, a Republican National Committee member from Iowa.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/08/iowa-republicans-senate_n_3039221.html

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White House celebrates the sounds of Memphis soul

President Barack Obama speaks during the ?In Performance at the White House? in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April 9, 2013, a program for a celebration of Memphis Soul Music. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama speaks during the ?In Performance at the White House? in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April 9, 2013, a program for a celebration of Memphis Soul Music. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

First lady Michelle Obama waves to students as she introduces the panel of a workshop, ?Soulsville, USA: The History of Memphis Soul,? Tuesday, April 9, 2013, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. Mrs. Obama hosted an event for students before tonight's ?In Performance at the White House: Memphis Soul?. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Singers Justin Timberlake, left, and Charlie Musselwhite, listen as first lady Michelle Obama introduces the panel for the workshop, ?Soulsville, USA: The History of Memphis Soul,? Tuesday, April 9, 2013, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. The workshop for students was before tonight's ?In Performance at the White House: Memphis Soul?. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Singer and actor Justin Timberlake tells a story during a workshop, ?Soulsville, USA: The History of Memphis Soul,? Tuesday, April 9, 2013, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. First lady Michelle Obama hosted the event for student before tonight's ?In Performance at the White House: Memphis Soul?. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Singers, from left, Sam Moore, Mavis Staples, and Justin Timberlake, joke together during a workshop, ?Soulsville, USA: The History of Memphis Soul,? Tiesday, April 9, 2013, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. First lady Michelle Obama hosted a daytime event for students before tonight's ?In Performance at the White House". (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

(AP) ? President Barack Obama said he'd been looking forward to a White House celebration of Memphis soul music for one reason.

"Let's face it, who does not love this music?" he asked Tuesday, opening the night's concert in an East Room bathed in amber light and transformed by the addition of a stage and backup musicians.

"These songs get us on the dance floor," Obama said. "They get stuck in our heads. We go back over them again and again. And they've played an important part in our history."

Memphis, Tenn., was segregated in the 1960s, but blacks and whites came together despite the institutional racism to create a soulful blend of gospel and rhythmic blues music that sought to "bridge those divides, to create a little harmony with harmony," Obama said.

He noted that two of the night's guests, Booker T. Jones and Steve Cropper, helped form one of the city's first integrated bands.

"They weren't allowed to go to school together. They weren't always allowed to travel or eat together," the president said. "But no one could stop them from playing music together."

"And that was the spirit of their music ? the sound of Soulsville, U.S.A., a music that, at its core, is about the pain of being alone, the power of human connection, and the importance of treating each other right," Obama said. "After all, this is the music that asked us to try a little tenderness. It's the music that put Mr. Big Stuff in his place. And it's the music that challenged us to accept new ways of thinking with four timeless words: 'Can you dig it?'"

And with that, Obama took his seat and the show opened with Sam Moore, half of the duo Sam & Dave, and "American Idol" finalist and gospel singer Joshua Ledet belting out Moore's "Soul Man," followed minutes later by Justin Timberlake and Cropper's rendition of Otis Redding's (Sittin' on) "The Dock of the Bay."

Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and their daughters, Malia and Sasha, sat in the front row. The president and first lady at times clapped their hands and bobbed and weaved their heads to the pulsating rhythms.

The concert was the 10th in the "In Performance at the White House" series since Obama took office. Other performers included Alabama Shakes, Ben Harper, Cyndi Lauper, Charlie Musselwhite, Mavis Staples , Queen Latifah and William Bell. Latifah also was the host and Jones led the band.

Earlier in the day, Bell said the concert reaffirmed years of hard work that began in the 1960s when Stax Records was created in Memphis, and the label cranked out one soul and R&B hit after another for more than a decade.

Redding, Isaac Hayes, The Staple Singers, Bell and Sam & Dave were among the company's artists.

"As kids coming up, we didn't think it would last this long," the 73-year-old Bell said during a rehearsal break. He later performed his hit, "You Don't Miss Your Water."

Al Green had been scheduled to perform but, about an hour before the show, the White House released a statement from the singer's spokesman who said Green had suffered a back injury and would be unable to attend.

Hours before the show, Michelle Obama kicked off a workshop featuring Moore, Staples, Timberlake, Musselwhite and Harper for students from 16 schools and organizations in Virginia, California, Memphis, New York City, Maryland, Florida and Washington, D.C., who got to question the artists.

She noted Memphis' history as the birthplace of Elvis Presley's rock and roll and B.B. King's blues.

"And while you can hear both of those influences in Memphis soul, this music has a style and a story uniquely its own," Mrs. Obama said, before launching into the story of Stax Records.

She noted that the label also represented "somebody my husband thinks he sounds like" ? Green. "Let's just tell him he does, OK? Since he is the president, we like to boost him up a little bit."

It was a reference to Obama singing a few bars of Green's "Let's Stay Together" during a Democratic fundraiser at New York's Apollo Theater in February 2012.

Obama also joked about his singing during his brief remarks opening the concert.

"Tonight, I am speaking not just as a president, but as one of America's best-known Al Green impersonators," he said to laughter.

At the workshop, Mrs. Obama also tried to encourage the students, including some aspiring musicians, by noting that it took years of perfecting their talent for the artists perched on stools in front of them to get where they are.

She recalled playing the piano as a young girl and said she regretted not sticking with it. But she said the skills one learns by studying music are useful in other areas of life.

"The discipline, the patience, the diligence I learned through the study of music, those are all skills that I apply every single day in my life," Mrs. Obama said. "I applied them as a student, as a lawyer, as a first lady, and definitely as a mother."

Since February 2009, "In Performance at the White House" has highlighted the music of Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, plus Hispanic music, music from the civil-rights era, Motown and the blues, Broadway and country music. The series itself dates to 1978.

The Memphis soul concert is set to air next Tuesday on PBS stations. It will also be broadcast at a later date over the American Forces Network for service members and civilians at Defense Department locations worldwide.

___

Follow Darlene Superville on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dsupervilleap

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-04-09-Obama-Memphis%20Soul/id-ebf8a17f7e834bc9868fdab682145e7a

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Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Drinks at GQ? - BoF - The Business of Fashion

LONDON, United Kingdom ? Late last February in Istanbul?s upscale Etiler neighbourhood, an attractive crowd of men in slim-cut suits and their stylish companions gathered for the official opening party of the city?s first GQ Bar. That?s GQ as in Gentlemen?s Quarterly, the successful men?s style magazine with nearly 20 international editions. But at the event, the only identifiable sign of the publication was the name. Spread over two floors and featuring a gigantic retractable crystal chandelier suspended over its centre, the sparkling venue is a dining spot for the city?s moneyed, style-hungry elite. After midnight, the chandelier is retracted, as if by magic, and the space turns into a throbbing dance club.

Come June, a Vogue Club is set to open on the 45th and 46th floors of a Singapore skyscraper, comprising a restaurant and a lounge area that will feature live music and stay open late into the night, distilling the glamour of the famous fashion bible into an immersive environment for eating, drinking and socialising.

And that?s just the start.?Following the success of an existing Vogue Caf? and GQ Bar in Moscow, over the next 12 months, GQ- and Vogue-themed bars, cafes and clubs will open in Singapore, Dubai and Bangkok. Similar ventures are planned in Latin America.

Meanwhile, in London, 45 students are getting ready to commence classes, next week, at the Cond? Nast College of Fashion and Design, the publisher?s first foray into the business of education.

With these moves, Cond? Nast International, the publisher of the non-American editions of Vogue, Wired, Vanity Fair and GQ, among other titles, is extending its most famous magazine brands ? powerful lifestyle signifiers ? into a number of new, non-publishing businesses.

?Our business can no longer be defined strictly as publishing, but takes the form of brand management,? Jonathan Newhouse, chairman and chief executive of Cond? Nast International told BoF. ?We want to bring the experience of the publishing brands to end users in new forms in order to strengthen the brands and their relevance. Of course, we aim to do so profitably.?

It?s no secret that traditional, ad-supported editorial outlets have been trying to diversify their revenue streams since the Great Recession caused dramatic slashing of advertising spending. In May of 2011, Cond? Nast (US) chief executive Chuck Townshend acknowledged to The Wall Street Journal: ?My eyes are wide open. I don?t consider [the traditional ad-revenue model] to be a perennially sustainable stream of revenue.?

While Cond? Nast International was not as severely affected by the downturn as the company?s US business, according to Newhouse, the international arm did experience a drop in revenue in 2009. In some regions ad revenues fell by as much as 20 per cent between 2008 and 2009, a loss compounded by the continued shift away from print products ? where Cond? Nast still makes the majority its revenues ? towards the Internet, where large volumes of media content are freely available to consumers.

Starting in 2010, advertising revenues began to recover. And, for 2011, despite wider trouble in the Eurozone, revenues at Cond? Nast International rose 7.7 percent to ?460 million, thanks to the steady return of luxury advertisers and the company?s ability to offset some of its losses through the growth of its online properties. But the fallout from the financial crisis clearly catalysed the company to focus on new revenue opportunities through brand extensions, a move that was met with a fair degree of skepticism from some industry observers.

Moscow has been something of a testing ground for Cond? Nast?s hospitality ventures. A Vogue Caf? opened there back in 2004 and, following its success, the company opened two more establishments tied to its famous brands in the Russian capital, all of them run in partnership with local restaurant management companies through franchise deals.

?For several years now Cond? Nast International has licensed a GQ Bar and Vogue Caf? in Moscow catering to glamorous, high-spending clientele,? Stuart Nielsen, director of Cond? Nast International Restaurants, told BoF. ?More recently a Tatler Club was opened, also in Moscow. The successful operations in Russia led to the consideration of opening further restaurants and bars under license partnerships around the world.?

Cond? Nast?s first hospitality venture in the Middle East, a Vogue Caf?, is set to open ?at a high-end shopping mall in Dubai this month, followed by a GQ Bar at a luxury hotel in the same city later in the year.

As for the Cond? Nast College, the two main courses offered by the fledgling institution, a year-long foundation course and a 10-week ?certificate? track, are strategically named after the company?s most influential brand, Vogue, and will cost each student ?19,560 and ?6,600 in tuition fees, respectively.

?Both Vogue courses are intended to provide a strong foundation course for anyone wishing to enter the fashion industry, whether their calling is styling, buying, merchandising, digital marketing, finance, PR and social media, journalism or working for a large luxury brand,? Nicholas Coleridge, managing director of Cond? Nast Britain and president of Cond? Nast International, explained. ?The curriculum has been put together by professional education experts, and the main point of difference between us and other players in the field is that the Cond? Nast College of Fashion & Design has a much fuller and more intense curriculum with up to sixteen hours of contact time (comprised of teaching and tutorials) per week. Four to five hours is the industry norm,? he added.

But while the school is accredited by the British Accreditation Council, for now, it will not confer official degrees and it remains to be seen if the Vogue name will carry any clout with prospective employers. Still, there does appear to be demand for such courses. Coleridge reported that the new academy received 200 applications from 40 countries for the 45 spots in its first certificate course, which begins next week.

But how are all these brand the extensions performing?

According to Newhouse, the new businesses are either already profitable or expected to be profitable in the near future. ?Otherwise we would not pursue them,? he said, adding that non-core businesses, meaning neither print nor online publications, generated $18 million for Cond? Nast International in 2010 and is set to drive $75 million in revenues this year, contributing approximately 10 percent of the company?s total revenues.

?These businesses are already having a significant impact,? continued Newhouse. ?For instance, the restaurant business which began in earnest two years ago, outperforms many countries where we publish magazines.

Interestingly, the company is limiting its hospitality ventures to new and emerging markets.

?There are no plans to extend operations to the US or Europe at this stage,? Nielsen told BoF, suggesting that these ventures have some risk of brand dilution, especially in markets where the brands are already well known. ?We?re currently targeting the Asian, Middle Eastern and Latin American markets where there is a strong appetite for luxury brands in retail and hospitality,? he added.

According to brand strategy expert David Aaker, Disney offers an exemplary case of a company that has successsfully transferred its brand into new products, services and experiences without weakening its image. In fact, Aaker says, brand extensions can be a winning strategic option so long as certain pre-conditions are met. Critically, the extensions must enhance the core brand?s image, rather than dilute it.

Cond? Nast International?s inroads into hospitality and education could well turn out to be a smart (and necessary) strategic move, provided adequate measures are taken to ensure that these ventures do not undermine the positive perception of the brands involved. But the moment a caf?-goer in Istanbul thinks of Vogue and GQ as food and drink establishments first, and glossy magazines that conjure up worlds of glamour, second, the brand extensions may become more of a liability than an asset.

Source: http://www.businessoffashion.com/2013/04/drinks-at-gq.html

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