Here’s the latest from NASA on Eyjafjallajökull:
On Monday, April 19, 2010, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument onboard NASA’s Terra spacecraft obtained this image of the continuing eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano. Image credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
Hit the link for more information, a larger version of the image and additional posts with more images from the eruption.
Palladium prices are on fire as the metal encounters a perfect storm of growing industrial and investment demand.
Auto industry demand is growing mostly thanks to China:
Certainly Palladium’s rise has been dramatic this first quarter of 2010, from starting the year at about $420/ounce the London Fix has risen to over $540/ounce this week, a near 30% increase.
…
There have been a number of factors in palladium’s favor driving up the price. First, the fundamentals have been sound, due to its much lower cost than platinum the metal has been partially substituted for platinum in the mix of PGM’s used in automotive catalytic converters, particularly in diesel engines. In a recent note to investors, Standard Bank advised global auto sales are still on the rise, and China remains in the lead.
But more importantly, new ETF’s have created a whole new source of investment demand, which has caught the market off-guard especially since 80% of the world’s palladium right now comes from just two sources, South Africa & Russia.
The most popular form of investment are Electronic Traded Funds such as the new ETF Securities physically backed palladium ETF launched earlier this year. The Telegraph article quotes RBS in saying the inflow of money into palladium ETFs worldwide was equivalent to 28% of estimated palladium consumption in the first quarter of the year. The launch of the new US fund has resulted in the amount of palladium held as an investment to rise 48% over the quarter.
So here’s a profitable investment strategy. Invest in a rare commodity that doesn’t have an ETF yet, then create the ETF. It worked with gold, whose rapid rise has tracked growth in ETF-driven demand, and it now seems to be working with Palladium. What’s next? Uranium? We don’t know of any pure uranium ETFs yet (though there is a nuclear ETF (NLR) that invests in nuclear power related companies).
Join the conversation about this story »
We hyped Casey Kotchman(notes) for years, we chased him, we cursed him, and we gave up on him. But he’s still just 27, and maybe it’s time to get the post-hype file open.
The Mariners handed Kotchman the first-base job into 2010 and they haven’t been expecting the world; he bats seventh most of the time, even against right-handed pitching. But the Mariners might be ready to rethink that position, given that they’re scrambling for offense and Kotchman has been one of their better hitters thus far. He homered for the second straight game Monday en route to a 2-for-4 night, upping his line to .286/.367/.595 for the year.
That zesty slugging percentage immediately grabs your attention. Kotchman’s career slugging is a paltry .410, which shouldn’t get you on the field at any position, let alone a corner infield slot. But there are different paths to glory (or usefulness) in this professional baseball racket, and let’s not forget how highly regarded Kotchman was in MLB circles a few years back (the Angels played him in front of Kendry Morales(notes); the Braves targeted him in the Mark Teixeira(notes) trade).
There’s nothing fluky about Kotchman’s early power – his line-drive rate is an impressive 22.9 percent. He’s always had a sharp batting eye and that hasn’t changed (six walks, four strikeouts). Maybe this is a grow-up season for the guy who drove us crazy all those years.
• The Citi Field crowd was in good spirits Monday night, eager to cheer for a first baseman not named Mike Jacobs(notes). Fresh rookie Ike Davis(notes) came through with two singles and an RBI in four trips, batting out of the No. 6 slot. He’s Ron Davis’s kid, don’t you know, which probably earns him some extra cred in New York. The rookie will probably see a diet of breaking pitches given the way he ducked away from one Sean Marshall(notes) bender, but hey, Davis went on to single later in the at-bat. If I were ranking all the first basemen right now for a Shuffle Up, I’d give Davis a price in the $6-7 range.
• David Ortiz(notes) is not the only Boston hitter in a funk right now, but we focus on his troubles because he might be the regular in this lineup who’s closest to the cliff portion of his career. Ortiz over the last two years has been most dangerous at home and against right-handed pitching, but that hasn’t helped him this far in 2010 (.158/.238/.289). Now things get tricky, headed out to the road and set to face three lefties in three days (Matt Harrison(notes), C.J. Wilson(notes) and the dazzling Brian Matusz(notes)). Anyone feeling a comeback story from Papi here? I’m bullish.
• Ty Wigginton(notes) gave us the Wiggy Hat Trick on Monday, a homer, an error and a strikeout. He’s also qualifying at three infield spots and he’s got five quick homers for the year (on just 34 at-bats), so we’ll gladly take the good with the bad. He’s been in the No. 2 slot the past two games.
• Tampa Bay’s loaded roster makes it difficult for a younger player to get noticed sometimes and that was more or less the story with Jeff Niemann(notes) this spring. His dominant form from camp has carried over to the real games, with the latest strong outing coming Marathon Day in Boston (7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 K). Niemann got away with more fly balls than usual in this start (12 batted balls in the air, against six on the ground) but we’ll take that line every day of the week. Home days with the Blue Jays and Royals await.
• Dontrelle Willis(notes) hans’t completely blown up through three starts (4.24 ERA) but I’m not endorsing this guy in any format. The 1.59 WHIP suggests rockier times are ahead, and he’s got a modest nine strikeouts over 17 innings – he bears little resemblance to the power arm we saw in the early Florida days. Willis’s Monday turn in Anaheim was effective (6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K) in part because home plate umpire Mark Wegner was friendly with borderline strikes on both sides of the plate (the entire game saw just two walks, in fact). I’ll be stunned if the Rangers don’t put up a big number against Willis this weekend.
• Anyone willing to stump for Seattle right-hander Doug Fister(notes)? He’s been sharp in his last two outings, the latest coming Monday against Baltimore (7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 B, 3 K). He’s a funny guy to watch, a finesse pitcher that stands 6-foot-8; he can’t throw the ball by many hitters, but he’s always around the plate with his high-80s heater. I’ll put him in the spot-start file, especially when he’s at home and against a modest opponent, but I’m not risking him Sunday at Chicago, no matter that the White Sox aren’t hitting right now. If everything clicks for Fister this year, maybe this is another Jarrod Washburn(notes) story, coming at you from the other side of the mound. (I’d like to trade credit for the Washburn comp, but it’s straight from Dave Cameron over at U.S.S. Mariner.)
Speed Round: Ted Lilly(notes) (knee, shoulder) was super in his Single-A rehab start (7 IP, 1 R) and might start for the Cubs this weekend at Milwaukee. I’d watch his start with interest, but there’s very few starting pitchers I’d use immediately coming off the DL. … Brian Fuentes(notes) (back) had a clean inning of work in his rehab assignment Monday. In the meantime, Fernando Rodney(notes) has been closing very well, thank you. … Cliff Lee(notes) will throw a simulated game Tuesday and a rehab assignment could be next up. … Reid Brignac(notes) (8-for-22, .591 slugging) just needs a place to play, and perhaps the terrible start from Sean Rodriguez(notes) will open things up. … Dioner Navarro(notes) has the Tampa Bay catching job all to himself while Kelly Shoppach(notes) rehabs, not that there’s any real fantasy utility here. Navarro will bat ninth in the Tampa order and he’s carrying a .162 average with him. … The Nationals have seven victories and Matt Capps(notes) has saved six of them. Let’s hear it for efficiency.
Jeff Mathis(notes) extended his hitting streak to ten games and the Angels won again, so don’t look for a lot of Mike Napoli(notes) anytime soon. Sorry it went down like this, but someone had to lose. … Russell Branyan(notes) (back) is ready to return to the Indians, which means Michael Brantley(notes) will go back to the minors. … Brandon Morrow(notes) looked super against the Royals (7 H, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 K) but unfortunately Kansas City has not transferred to the AL East. If Morrow can get it done in Tampa this weekend, I’ll reevaluate. … A bad hamstring puts Conor Jackson(notes) on the disabled list and Gerardo Parra(notes) back in the Arizona lineup (Rico Suave name-drop rules apply). … Mike McCoy(notes) is on a 6-for-12 run with three steals over the past five days, but he’ll be back on the bench when Aaron Hill(notes) returns (likely this weekend). … Let’s give the final handshake of the night to Eric Gagne(notes), who called it quits Monday. He goes to the couch with 187 career saves, and from 2002-04 he was probably the best fantasy closer in the game.
GLASGOW, Scotland, April 20, 2010 /CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM/ — As the Icelandic
volcano eruption continues to ground many aircraft across Europe and in many
parts of the world, IT buyers who are struggling to source IT equipment now
have a potential lifeline.
With its strong UK and European IT presence of IT equipment stockists and
its huge IT inventory database, GOeuroSourceIT is supporting the UK and
European IT buyer community by providing the ability to source urgently
needed IT equipment such as critical IT spare parts for the UK and Europe’s
emergency services as well as general business users.
GOeuroSourceIT Director, John Wilson says “IT manufacturers with overseas
manufacturing who may be struggling to supply critical IT equipment, simply
may not be able to meet critical IT equipment buyer demands in the UK and
Europe.
It may take a little but longer for GOeuroSourceIT stockists to move IT
equipment by land and sea within the UK and European market but our members
are rising to the challenge. We will be asking all our European IT stockists
and our logistics partners to make UK and European emergency services such as
hospitals and ambulance services the priority when supplying IT equipment and
spares.”
If any emergency or critical public service IT buyer contacts
GOeuroSourceIT directly for urgently needed IT equipment we will grant
immediate access to our platform and assist them to source whatever IT
equipment they require as quickly as possible via our extensive network of IT
equipment and IT service suppliers.
With over 40m items of multi-vendor IT stock and 100’s of stockists from
all over the UK and Europe, GOeuroSourceIT is able to provide much needed
support to the IT equipment community during the Icelandic volcanic eruption
challenges that are engulfing much of Europe’s airspace.”
GOeuroSourceIT.com
Based in Scotland, GOeuroSourceIT is Europe’s premier, multi-vendor
on-line i-trading platform for IT equipment buyers and sellers.
Contact John Wilson on tel +44(0)845-5084145
Don’t change WHAT you do with IT…just HOW you do IT!
SOURCE GOeuroSourceIT
Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services
Crazy Insane VIP car in Japan with strange wheels
Camber and dish combo that needs to be see to be believed. This VIP cruiser scraped and sparked its way more than 150 kilometers back to Tokyo on 4 wheels of rubber no thicker than motorbike tyres. I still have no idea how it was set up to be drivable like this. Insane comes to mind.
Luke Timmerman wrote:
Sometimes a company only raises a small sum of money, but it attracts our attention because it involves interesting people and a potentially big idea. That was true last week when I profiled Avelas Biosciences, the latest startup from UCSD Nobel laureate Roger Tsien, and it’s true this week of another small company in San Diego—Amplyx Pharmaceuticals.
Amplyx appeared on our radar a couple weeks ago when it raised $1.5 million from Golden Seeds, a national angel group that invests in companies led by women, with additional support from Life Science Angels and Tech Coast Angels. The CEO is Elaine Heron, the former CEO of LabCyte, a sales and marketing veteran at Applied Biosystems, and a board member at Novato, CA-based BioMarin Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: BMRN). Another prominent businesswoman, Mary Lake Polan of Stanford University School of Medicine, and a former director of Wyeth, joined Amplyx as a board observer.
This company is still in its early days, but the idea is a big one—take an existing small molecule that has been shown to be active against a certain disease like HIV, and improve it in a critically important way. About half of all drugs on the market today have some kind of Achilles heel—maybe it isn’t absorbed well enough, doesn’t get wide enough distribution in various tissues, gets metabolized too quickly to be truly effective, or isn’t excreted in an ideal way. Amplyx, through a trick of chemistry, attaches a small organic linker to the existing drug to create a new molecule with whatever new property is desired. The new drug ought to be safe, and, importantly, it is a new entity that can be patented, Heron says.
Elaine Heron
None of this work has yet advanced into clinical trials, so we have no way of knowing whether this will work in human beings. But one way of reducing the immense risks of drug development is by starting with an established drug that has already cleared the FDA’s safety hurdles.
“I think this is going to work,” Heron says. “I’ve seen a lot of drug development platforms, and I’ve been selling to people in the space for a long time. This made sense to me.”
Of course, there are some men in key roles at this company, too. I spoke to Heron along with Amplyx’s co-founder and chief scientific officer Mitchell Mutz. The Amplyx technology has its origins with work done by Mutz and a pair of pathologists—Gerald Crabtree of Stanford University and Jason Gestwicki of the University of Michigan.
Amplyx’s lead project, as hinted above, is to create a better drug for HIV. There are some very effective protease inhibitor drugs on the market that have made HIV a chronic disease for many people in the U.S. But one of the drawbacks is that such drugs don’t last long enough in the bloodstream, and need to be taken in combination with a booster compound from Abbott Laboratories called ritonavir. That extra drug adds cost, complexity, and can cause some nausea.
If Amplyx has done its early chemistry correctly, it may be able to help patients ditch the ritonavir. The scientists have modified a protease inhibitor drug so that …Next Page »
UNDERWRITERS AND PARTNERS
Udon is coming out with an artbook for Capcom’s Resident Evil 5. It will be making its way to bookstore shelves next month, and it looks like it’s one item you collectors wouldn’t want to miss.
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., April 20 /CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM/ — TK Carsites, the leader of internet marketing solutions and SEO for auto retailers, released Power SEO, combining new methodologies to bring you the finest SEO solution in the industry today.
Internet Marketing and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in particular are rapidly developing technologies and TK Carsites is setting the direction for the industry with this release after already being the market leader. As recent as last November, TK Carsites received the Automotive Search Marketing Architecture (ASMA) “Super Charged Search” award as recognition of its leadership in SEO and Social Media.
TK Carsites CEO, Richard Valenta, commented, “Today’s release of TK Carsites’ Power SEO advances opportunities for auto dealers to generate more revenue from Internet Marketing, and provides you with a complete solution that, dollar for dollar, will deliver more ROI than any other advertising medium, period.” Power SEO combines multiple packages and new methodologies to bring you the finest SEO solutions in the industry today, allowing you to:
For more information, dealers can call 800-899-7791.
About TK Carsites, Inc.
TK Carsites, Inc. is an international marketing and technology services company specializing in providing solutions to automotive retailers. TK Carsites offers 1300+ auto dealer clients: high-converting websites, aggressive search engine optimization and social media marketing strategies along with numerous interactive and cutting-edge products. www.tkcarsites.com
SOURCE TK Carsites, Inc.
Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services
Here it is, folks! Hot of the heels from the recent Captivate event in Hawaii comes a leaked trailer of Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Watch it after the jump before Capcom yanks it off the interwebs.
Now that normal service has resumed, it’s time to go back to dwelling on those all-important issues dragging us down before. Namely, 3DTV and the nail in its coffin—3D glasses. Step back in time with steampunk 3D goggles. More »
Garmin has announced slick new additions to its nüvi line of personal navigation devices with its 3700 series. Available in three models – the nüvi 3760T, nüvi 3750 and flagship nüvi 3790T, the slender units are just 9mm thick and feature a 800 x 480 pixel, 4.3” WVGA glass display with capacitive multi-touch functionality that lets users zoom in and out of maps by double-tapping or pinching…
Continue Reading Garmin announces nüvi 3700 series personal navigators
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Its summer time and we all want to pack our bags and leave for a cool outdoor location away from the hustle and bustle of city life, where there isn’t much between us and nature. However, before that we need to pack a set of essential gadgets that will keep us connected with the world, just in case. While avid-campers mostly have their kits ready, it’s always good to have sustainable systems instead that don’t have any impact on the delicate ecosystem around. Here is a list of 15 such must-have gadgets that can keep your camping trip clean and green:
• Orange Solar Tent:
Orange is utilizing cutting-edge technology in harvesting solar energy and has developed a Solar Concept Tent that is house to a variety of sustainable facilities. This futuristic tent can supply energy harnessed from the sun to power handheld devices through a wireless charging pouch. The tent also incorporates “glo-cation” technology which helps the festival-goers to track the location using either an SMS message or automatic active RFID technology, which will make the tent glow in dark so that you can easily recognize your destination. At the heart of the tent lies a central wireless control hub which indicates the amount of energy generated on a flexible touchscreen LCD display screen. Further, the tent includes an internal heating element embedded within the tent’s groundsheet which is controlled by the central hub.
• Girasol Solar Coffee Maker:
There aren’t many things better than a hot cup of coffee at a desolate location. Industrial designer Christopher G. Patton has tried to figure out a way to provide caffeine-addicted campers their daily dose without showing any effects on the environment. The result of his analysis is the Girasol, which means sunflower in Spanish. The coffee maker makes use of solar heat to prepare a cup of coffee when you need it most.
• Solar Camping Lamp:
The Solar Camping Lamp is an LED lamp that is designed to harvest solar energy during the day and power a set of 6 LEDs after dark. The lamp also doubles as a cellphone charger. As a backup, the lamp also features the good old hand-crank technique to generate electricity.
• Solar GPS Data Logger:
The iBT-GPS Solar Bluetooth GPS Data Logger is a dual purpose GPS device that is powered by solar energy. As you can see in the image the devices has a solar panel in place of the normal color screen. It solves two main functions; it can act as a trip recorder or can also connect to your Bluetooth enabled phone to deliver normal GPS functions. The device can store 50,000 waypoints in its 8MB internal memory and can run 35+ hours on a single charge.
• Maglite:
The Maglite by industrial designer Daniel Bailey is inspired by a hand grenade and is a multifunctional flashlight that has been designed for extreme conditions. The light which can be worn on your belt comes with a trigger, which when pulled turns on the light beam. The solar panels used in the design, suck up the sun in the mornings to give you a cool glowing grenade looks in the evenings. The flashlight comes with side buttons that allow the user to change the color of the light that beams out from it.
• HydroWind:
Designed by Ange Solomon, the HydroWind is essentially a wind turbine that can also work in water to generate hydroelectricity as well. The device generates enough energy to power your handheld devices and light up a few lamps in your tent.
• Portable Parabolic Cooker:
Solar-powered cookers are definitely a green solution for all those camping enthusiasts who don’t want to contribute to global warming by burning wood for cooking food. However, present day solar cookers are only good as a secondary choice since they directly use the energy of the sun to cook food, where an overcast day means that they’ll starve. Industrial designers Xiao-Fang Shen and Nikolai Ruola have tried to solve the problem with a concept Portable Parabolic Cooker that collects solar energy to heat oil in a tank. Once heated, the oil can be used to cook food for days before it needs to be heated again.
• Solar Cooler:
The Solar Cooler by Solar-Cool Technologies is a solar-powered cooler for campers. The device works like a utilitarian multipurpose charging tool for your laptops and phones as well. Using solar energy, the cooler can keep your drinks and food items 30 degrees below the outdoor temperature.
• Weather Mate:
The Weather Mate by Samuel Jones is an emergency weather radio tuner that can be charged by hand crank. The radio provides the user instant access to NOAA weather radio frequencies. The device has a built-in flashlight for you to give warning signals to rescue workers if you ever run into a problem.
• Sunflower:
The Sunflower by industrial designer Brian Borja is a battery charger that uses sunlight to generate electricity. Once the gadget is exposed to the sun, its petals open to expose the solar panels for charging and when the sun sets, the petals close and the panels are hidden away until the next sun exposure. Once the batteries are charged and the petals are closed, the flower bud can be taken off to extract the batteries. Apart from being a green way to charge batteries, the gadget keeps you close to nature as well.
• Sun Light:
The Sun Light by designer Hermann Eske is a solar-powered light in which the solar panels are hidden below the main body. The Sun Light has been designed to be scalable. Users can add or remove LED modules according to their requirements. Each LED module comes with 2 AAAA rechargeable batteries, while one of the modules carries the illumination controller for better use of energy. The energy generated by the PV modules can also be used to charge other electronic gear you might carry for camping.
• Solaris LED Lamp:
The Solaris lamp consists of an onboard solar panel that charges the system’s internal batteries, which then fuel a set of LED lights providing illumination. The device can be hung from your backpack or can be held in your hand depending upon your requirements.
• Active Trax Audio Player:
The Active Trax Audio Player is a small device that actually packs a mini amplifier/radio that can be connected to your iPod, serving as an iPod dock. The player can be charged by onboard solar panels or by a hand-crank mechanism that allows the user to power it for late night music during camping.
• Partial Washer:
Designed by industrial designer Rong Yong and Jiang Qian, the Partial Washer has been designed as a system that can easily be carried along by users on their next camping trip. As water isn’t always found nearby the device allows the user to wash only the stained part of the clothes, thus conserving a lot of water in the process. This concept washer also relies on abundant solar energy.
• Hymini Biscuit Portable Charger:
The Hymini is a great way to keep your cellphones and GPS units in working order. The device charges two AA-sized batteries using renewable energy. The Biscuit features a solar panel to harvest solar energy and a fan to harvest wind energy, which can then be used to recharge the set of batteries. The device can also be used to power various electronic devices that support USB charging.
GENEVA, April 20 /CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM/ — STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM) has announced the main resolutions to be submitted for shareholder approval at the Company’s Annual General Meeting which will be held in Amsterdam on May 25, 2010.
The main resolutions, proposed by the Supervisory Board, include:
The record date for all shareholders to participate at the Annual General Meeting will be April 28, 2010. The complete agenda and all relevant detailed information concerning the STMicroelectronics N.V. Annual General Meeting, as well as all related AGM materials, will be available on the Company’s web site (www.st.com) and made available to shareholders in compliance with legal requirements.
As indicated above, the resolution proposed by the Supervisory Board foresees the distribution of a cash dividend of US$0.28 per share, to be paid in four equal quarterly installments in June, August and December 2010 and February 2011 to shareholders of record in the month of each quarterly payment.
If approved, for the first installment, the Company’s common shares will trade ex-dividend on Euronext Paris and the Milan Stock Exchange (Borsa Italiana), on Monday, May 31, 2010, and the payment date will be Thursday, June 3, 2010. For holders of shares listed on the New York Stock Exchange, shares will trade ex-dividend on Friday, May 28, 2010, the record date will be Wednesday, June 2, 2010, and the payment date will be on or after Tuesday, June 8, 2010. Transfers between New York and European (Dutch) registered shares will be closed from the end of business in Europe on Friday, May 28, 2010, until the open of business in New York on Thursday, June 3, 2010.
The table below summarizes the full schedule for the four installments:
*Since the Annual General Meeting will be held on May 25, the Company will be unable to both set the ex-dividend date for, and to pay, the first dividend installment in May according to the usual schedule, and has therefore resolved, in coordination with the stock exchange and with a view to ensuring the appropriate functioning of the market for its shares from a substantive standpoint, to pay such installment on June 3 with an ex-dividend date on May 31 (May 28 in NY). Other than indicated below, the ex-dividend and payment dates for the subsequent installments are consistent with the usual schedule.
**May 31, 2010 and February 21, 2011 are not trading days on the New York Stock Exchange.
About STMicroelectronics
STMicroelectronics is a global leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications with innovative semiconductor solutions. ST aims to be the undisputed leader in multimedia convergence and power applications leveraging its vast array of technologies, design expertise and combination of intellectual property portfolio, strategic partnerships and manufacturing strength. In 2009, the Company’s net revenues were $8.51 billion. Further information on ST can be found at www.st.com.
SOURCE STMicroelectronics
Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services
Panoramic Software Inc. has released an update to its popular Windows Phone Twitter client, Panoramic moTweets.
The software features:
This new version, 1.7 adds, among other features, the ability to view picture thumbnails right from your timeline.
Panoramic Software has also created a new facebook page and is currently offering a chance to win one of ten free copies of moTweets by simply becoming a fan:
Read more about the app at Panoramic Software here.
If it’s middle-aged men with grey hair who get to drive the Mercedes E63 AMG, then I want to be a middle-aged man with grey hair who can drive like this. If you thought Mercedes sedans were just for people like your dad, you might want to reconsider (the car or who you thought your father was). The Mercedes E63 AMG still has the 6.2-litre V8 AMG engine, and although the new 5.5-litre (to appear on the new Mercedes CLS) will have more horse power and plenty of torque, after seeing this video we wonder if it will give us quite the same emotion…
I stumbled across this today, and just had to share it with you. Google, the Internet giant whose motto is, “Don’t be evil” is fighting the good fight against “the man” by posting to the public the number of requests Google and Youtube receives from Government agencies to remove content from their services, or to provide information about users. They are doing this with their new Government Requests Tool. The tool according to Wired, “…shows the public how often individual governments around the world have asked for user information, and how often they’ve asked Google to remove content from their sites or search index, for reasons other than copyright violation.”
David Drummond, head honcho of Corporate Development and CLO for Google announced the tool in a blog post earlier today. From Drummond’s article":
We are today launching a new Government Requests tool to give people information about the requests for user data or content removal we receive from government agencies around the world. For this launch, we are using data from July-December, 2009, and we plan to update the data in 6-month increments. Read this post to learn more about our principles surrounding free expression and controversial content on the web.
We already try to be as transparent as legally possible with respect to requests. Whenever we can, we notify users about requests that may affect them personally. If we remove content in search results, we display a message to users. The numbers we are sharing today take this transparency a step further and reflect the total number of requests we have received broken down by jurisdiction. We are also sharing the number of these content removal requests that we do not comply with, and while we cannot yet provide more detail about our compliance with user data requests in a useful way, we intend to do so in the future.
As part of our commitment to the Global Network Initiative, we have already agreed to principles and practices that govern privacy and free expression. In the spirit of these principles, we hope this tool will shine some light on the scale and scope of government requests for censorship and data around the globe. We also hope that this is just the first step toward increased transparency about these actions across the technology and communications industries.
Here is a screen shot from their tool:
According to the screenshot, The United States is second for the most data requests with 3,580 right behind Brazil. Brazil is also the number one for removal requests with 291. These numbers are the numbers received between July 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009. Sounds like, with the exception of the Brazilian wax, their really is no good reason to go to Brazil. Their government is t3h $ux!.
What do you think about this? Do you think this move by Google will do any good in the fight against Government censorship? I want to know how you feel in the comments.
LIMASSOL, Cyprus, April 20 /CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM/ — FxPro Financial Services Ltd (FxPro), one of the world’s most dynamic and fastest growing retail brokers in FX and CFDs, today announces its client services are now fully operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In its latest initiative to provide an expanding and innovative service offering to its customers, FxPro launches a comprehensive set of services available around the clock to support clients during the complete lifecycle of their trading activity.
Since its launch in 2007, FxPro has been committed to providing an innovative and flexible service to its clients. Based upon ongoing client feedback, FxPro has worked to tailor its offering to ensure it meets the needs of the majority of its investors who often only have time to consider their investments in FX and CFDs and trade outside of the working day. FxPro has successfully been trialling a 24/7 service with clients since January 2010 and this has now become a permanent feature.
George Xydas, Director of International Operations, FxPro commented, “It is a major milestone for FxPro to offer the full suite of client support services on a 24/7 basis. This new service will allow us to help our traders with any account query or request and provide operational staff from Back Office and Administration, to Customer Support, Technical and Sales around the clock. FxPro’s objective is to provide industry leading, innovative customer service and this marks the latest evolution as we continue to strive to better serve our client needs.”
24/7 services will include Back Office (account opening and verification, and client changes to existing accounts); Accounting (deposits and withdrawals and use of all payment methods), Customer Support (platform, trading and general enquiries, via Live Chat, Freephone, Dial-Back and Email), and Sales (support for new accounts registration, as well to help with newly registered clients). All clients have the opportunity to live chat or email in order to access the information they need 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In a recent client survey we asked:
Are you more happy with the services, now that they are available 24/7 and what is it specifically that you like about our 24/7 customer service?
“Yes very much, in fact that’s one of the reasons I am using FxPro.”
Mr. Emenike Collins
“24/7 is all the more better as people like me typically find weekends for doing such extra work, so it is definitely convenient and I appreciate it.”
Mr. Yogender Gupta
“Everything, especially the one on one contact with the members of staff, the quick response I get whenever I want to chat.”
Mr Christopher Aggo
“I really really appreciate that you are there for us all the time. Thanks for the better service.”
Mrs Lan-nie Chen
Notes to Media
About FxPro
FxPro Financial Services Ltd (FxPro) is one of the world’s most dynamic and fastest growing retail foreign exchange (Forex) brokers. Operating since 2007, our innovative management approach produces a successful growth business among peers benefiting from strong global diversification serving clients residing in 120 countries with industry-leading technology and unmatched, 24/7 live customer support. We are a Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission authorized and regulated financial services company (license no. 078/07), and operate under the EU Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID). FxPro is the Official Forex Trading Partner of Virgin Racing’s Formula One Team and the FIA World Rally Championship, and is well on its way to becoming the world’s preferred Forex broker. For further information, please visit www.FxPro.com.
SOURCE FxPro
Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services
I’m pretty sure my invitation was lost in the mail (I’m pretty sure yours was too!) – but the good news is that we can all participate online, which is even better for those of us in Ireland who are grounded due to volcanic ash. (That’s a whole new reason to appreciate broadband and remote meetings!!)
So what’s the FiberFête? Here’s the description from the web site…
FiberFête is an invitation-only conference to bring local leaders together with a wide variety of national and international Internet experts to discuss how communities like Lafayette can realize the greatest return on investment in their networks and explore how to drive economic development and enhance their community’s quality of life.
They have a whole host of great speakers you can check out on the web site. You can watch online as FiberFete will be streamed live from 4 to 6 PM CDT on Tuesday, April 20 and from 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM CDT on Wednesday, April 21. Or you can follow the FiberFete Tweets or follow all related Tweets #fiberfete.
Product Description
Product Description
Glucosamine is a basic building block for cartilage, synovial fluid and other connective tissue. It is needed for healthy structure and function of joints for optimum mobility. The Glucosamine contained in this product is derived from shellfish. Chondroitin Sulfate protects existing cartilage and serves as a building block for healthy new cartilage. The Chondroitin Sulfate contained in this product is derived from bovine sources. If you are allergic to shellfish, please consult your healthcare professional before taking this product. *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
