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Hyped about the Tekken movie? Depending on your expectations, you might want to steer clear of this trailer. If you like mediocre acting and crazy headache-inducing editing, though, then click right on through to the full article.
 

Combined Donations To Total At Least $1 Million

To help the victims of Haiti’s devastating earthquake, McDonald’s Corporation today announced a donation of $500,000 USD to be matched with donations from Arcos Dorados, the company that operates nearly 1,700 McDonald’s restaurants in Latin America.

These combined contributions are estimated to total at least $1 million.

“McDonald’s has a long legacy of being a dependable corporate neighbor in times of need, and helping the people of Haiti during this crisis is absolutely the right thing to do,” said Jim Skinner, McDonald’s Chief Executive Officer.

“While we don’t have McDonald’s restaurants in Haiti, our contribution reflects our commitment to people all over the world.”

The funds will be channeled through the International Federation of the Red Cross to be used for its disaster relief efforts.

Along with McDonald’s $500,000 USD matching donation, the team in Latin America has developed a grassroots program to raise funds.

From Jan. 16 until Jan. 22, all McDonald’s restaurants operated by Arcos Dorados in 19 countries will donate 50 cents from the sales of individual Big Mac sandwiches and Big Mac Extra Value Meals.

Arcos Dorados estimates that these fundraising efforts will generate a minimum of $500,000.

About McDonald’s

McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) is the leading global foodservice retailer with more than 32,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. Approximately 80 percent of McDonald’s restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by franchisees.

Please visit our Web site at aboutmcdonalds.com to learn more about the Company.

Funding for onsite relief efforts; Allstate employees and Agency owners also giving

Recognizing the urgent need for aid to Haiti, today The Allstate Foundation has made a $50,000 donation to the American Red Cross to assist with humanitarian relief efforts.

Additionally, with Allstate employees and Agency owners wanting a way to give to the relief efforts in Haiti, the Foundation has created the donation Web site american.redcross.org/allstate-emp in partnership with the American Red Cross that allows employees to make a personal donation directly to the relief organization.

The Foundation will match every dollar that employees contribute up to an additional $50,000, for a total commitment of up to $100,000.

“We are an organization made up of people who truly care and help those in need,” said Vicky Dinges, assistant vice president for Public Social Responsibility at Allstate.

“Just as we would help our customers in their time of need, we are reaching out a hand to the victims in Haiti whose lives have been uprooted by this catastrophic earthquake.”

The Foundation’s donation ‘is part of ‘Allstate’s annual charitable and philanthropic contributions that totaled more than $18 million in 2009 to communities across the United States.

About The Allstate Foundation

Established in 1952, The Allstate Foundation is an independent, charitable organization made possible by subsidiaries of The Allstate Corporation ( ALL).

The Allstate Foundation sponsors community initiatives to promote “safe and vital communities;” “tolerance, inclusion, and diversity;” and “economic empowerment.”

The Allstate Foundation believes in the financial potential of every individual and in helping America’s families achieve their American dream.

For additional information, visit Allstate.com/foundation.

Verizon Wireless has revamped its voice and data service pricing today with the big moves focused around dropping the price of its unlimited voice plans, and requiring a data plan for more of its devices. Existing customers won’t be affected by the changes, however, if they want one of the new offers, they may sign-up for it without having to extend their contract. Release.

The big changes:

—All so-called “3G Multimedia phones” will be required to have a 25 megabyte data package for $10 a month. (includes E-mail, games and the Internet for devices like the LG (SEO: 066570) Chocolate Touch, LG enV3, LG VX8360, Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Entice and the Nokia (NYSE: NOK) 7705 Twist.
—More basic phones that aren’t using 3G will continue paying $1.99 a megabyte or choose either the $9.99 or $29.99 data packages. Or if a consumer—and non-enterprise user—has a BlackBerry, Windows Mobile or Android phone, prices will remain at $30 a month.
—Verizon’s new Nationwide Unlimited Talk plan that now costs $70 a month, or $90 a month if you also want unlimited text, picture and video messages.
—Prepaid plans will cost just $5 more a month for the same postpaid offerings.

Stacey Higginbotham at GigaOm reports that the service plan changes are part of a goal to get people hooked on data before Verizon’s 4G network roll-out. In addition, the carrier also said it plans to reduce the number of devices it sells to 50 from more than 80 today, and to further reduce that number as time goes on.

The new unlimited plan will likely save people money who were previously signed-up for a $100 plan that did not include any text messaging. Now they can have both for $90 a month. Of course, all of these prices are before taxes and fees, so expect the really monthly cost to be moderately higher.

Filed under: Convertible, Hatchback, BMW, Mini

Over in Europe, Mini has rolled out a thing or two to keep its offerings fresh. There’s some model jiggering and new colors, but the biggest news is under that peewee hood. The four-cylinder engine is receiving a displacement bump from 1.4- to 1.6-liters. In naturally aspirated and turbocharged configurations, the engine is now torquier and more efficient. Output ranges between 75 and 184 horsepower, and carbon emissions are improved; Mini is calling it “more poke with less smoke.”

Turbocharged versions get a new twin-scroll huffer with an overboost function, while all versions of the engine are equipped with a Valvetronic-derived system that aids the engine’s better torque delivery and reduced fuel consumption. Delving deeper inside the crankcase, there are polished main bearings to reduce friction, and the camshaft bearings follow suit. The oil pump, vacuum pump, and water pump are computer controlled and can now be pulsed to save energy and reduce drag. It all adds up to a tiny engine that makes the most of its muscle and delivers gains in fuel economy and emissions. The best detail about the whole shooting match is the absence of a price increase.

As you can see from the photo above, there are some new paint colors available as well, including a series of “Rainbow” finishes that include Sunlight Metallic, Asteroid Metallic and Nightlife Metallic. Neat-o. The brand may be called Mini, but in typical German fashion, there’s a massive press release posted after the jump with the full rundown of EU-market changes.

[Source: Mini]

Continue reading Mini announces engine enhancements ahead of 2011 redesign

Mini announces engine enhancements ahead of 2011 redesign originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bangkok, Thailand | Museums and Collections

The Counterfeit Goods Museum in Bangkok, Thailand is in a somewhat unconventional location for a museum: it is located in a downtown skyscraper, in the working law office of Tilleke & Gibbins.

When one steps off the elevator on the 26th floor, they are greeted by a guide who works in the law office. It is then that it all begins to make sense. The guide explains that companies hire them to find and stop the counterfeiting of their products.

The museum is made up of actual items; items donated by the companies as well as the counterfeited items themselves. While they have about 3,000 confiscated items, but only have space to show 500 at a time. The guide also informs you that 95% of knock-off goods are made in China, and that they once seized a shipment at the Thai border with 150,000 pairs of shoes!

Counterfeit items ranged from brand name clothing and accessories (Gucci, Ed Hardy, Adidas, etc.) to food products (yikes), toys (the display had Dragon Ball Z figurines), cell phones, books, all the way to automobile parts.

There was a small case full of calculators and our guide explained how real Casio calculators don’t have a CE button. Next time you are calculator shopping, keep an eye out for Casio impostors! The guide also hit home the fact – this is of course her job – that counterfeit products can be dangerous. Automobile parts, food, or electronics with no safety testing or regulation can be disastrous. Ironically, upon leaving the museum, one needs to walk no more then a few blocks

As it is in a working law office, the museum accepts guests by appointment only. Sending an email should be sufficient.

We were just explaining why it appeared that Alan Ellis, the admin for OiNK had not actually violated any UK laws, and it looks like the jury agreed. Ellis has been found not guilty. I have to admit that I’m really surprised by this, but it is certainly a good thing. You shouldn’t be found guilty of actions done by others, and if people were using OiNK to violate copyright law (as, certainly, some were) that shouldn’t fall on Ellis. Separately, as has been noted previously, OiNK really highlighted where the recording industry itself failed to fill the demand that was there.

Of course, it will be interesting to see what comes next. My guess is that the entertainment industry will use this to support Mandelson’s Digital Economy Bill as necessary, or to push for even more draconian copyright laws, such as adding in “contributory” copyright infringement into the law in some manner. This was a good ruling, but it may be used to push through bad laws in response.

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Peugeot SR1

New concept from Peugeot. Nice video. But whatchya think of the car??

Earlier this week, Spiceworks took a big step in proving that ad-supported network management tools provide a new world of social IT services that are Web-based, free and even well-liked in the IT community. The company closed $16 million in Series CS funding from Institutional Venture Partners (IVP.) The round included participation from existing Spiceworks investors Austin Ventures and Shasta Ventures.

With most online applications, the model works like this: You sign up for a free, Web-based trial. You give it a go for 30 days. If you like it, then you pay for the service on a per-user basis.

Sponsor

Almost every SasS provider we talk to uses this model. The model is so predominant that you could end up paying thousands or tens of thousands of dollars in monthly fees for Web-based services. The best plan is to know exactly what you need so you can be efficient with your use of these services. Still, the costs can become substantial when you consider your business requirements.

That’s what’s interesting about the Spiceworks approach. It’s a free Web-based application that is supported by advertising. You can pay if you prefer and block out the advertising. The model seems to work. IT users get an application that helps manage their networks and in return are served with relevant advertising.

More than 850,000 people have signed up for the service from 196 countries. It’s attracting 1,000 users per day.

Technology companies seem to be interested. Spiceworks has thousands of partners developing plugins such as the Intel power manager released last year.

Does the Spiceworks approach make sense for Web-based application providers serving the enterprise market? Maybe so. If the advertising is relevant and helpful, perhaps application providers can extend past the free-now-pay-later model that is now so predominant.

Discuss

There are signs that Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) is taking measures to better compete with Google (NSDQ: GOOG) after the internet-giant-turned Android-maker outbid Apple for AdMob and released a phone of its own that it will sell directly to the public.

The two companies, which have been on friendly terms for years, have now entered a new, more adversarial phase, reports BusinessWeek, which talks to sources close to Apple that say given recent actions by Google, Apple is beefing up activity on two fronts: advertising and mergers and acquisitions.

Apple’s new mobile advertising strategy: After Google outbid Apple and spent $750 million to purchase AdMob, Apple went out and purchased Quattro Wireless. Now, sources are saying that Apple aims to create “new kinds of mobile ads,” which wouldn’t really compete with Google, but to make searching on mobile phones (and presumably mobile search ads) obsolete. The sources would not say how Apple plans to do this, it could tap into user data and location information to make ads more relevant. Theories also suggest Apple could have someone shake the device to win a rebate the same way they do to roll dice in games. Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs has appointed Quattro CEO Andrew Miller as the VP of mobile advertising, which is the first person who has ever been assigned to online advertising.

Apple’s new take on M&A: Apple has also hired Adrian Perica, an M&A specialist, formerly of Goldman Sachs, to better compete for deals, according to BusinessWeek. Historically, Apple was never eager to grow by acquisition. Since 1997, Apple has bought only 11 small companies, but that’s set to change. So, what will Apple buy next? AllThingsD suggests Adobe, which has rumored to be a potential candidate for a long time. Whether Apple is considering big-ticket items, like Adobe (NSDQ: ADBE), it’s unclear. It’s market cap is currently at $18.66 billion.

Related

• Google May Find Out That Consumers Like To Buy Cellphones The Old Fashioned Way

Orange County Housewife Tamra Barney won’t be an attached socialite much longer, and Barney’s upcoming divorce battle has been a hot topic of conversation among ‘Crunchers. The reality star’s stormy marriage to soon-to-be ex-husband is a recurring plotline on the latest season of The Real Housewives of Orange County, yet despite allegations that Tamra cheated, the blonde denies Simon’s claim that she was unfaithful.

“No I did not cheat on my husband,” she said. “He’s hurt, he’s angry and he did that just to make a statement,” she said during Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live on Thursday night.

A123 Systems, the maker of Lithium-ion batteries, will supply power packs for the Fisker Karma, a rechargeable luxury car set to launch later this year.

A123 has also committed to invest $23 million as part of an ongoing funding round for Fisker Automotive, the company developing the Karma.

The Boston-based battery developer steps in as a second choice for Los Angeles-based Fisker, which until Wednesday had been in talks with EnerDel to develop its automobiles’ batteries.

Talks between Fisker and EnerDel broke off, according to Fisker founder and Chief Executive Henrik Fisker, because EnerDel was unable to meet the automaker’s production schedule for its Karma model, reports Reuters via PeHUB.

For A123 this is a market-creating deal, as it will gives it the annual ability to supply batteries for about 24,000 plug-in hybrids. Last December the company was also awarded a contract to supply battery systems for China’s SAIC Motor Form.

Last year Fisker scored a $528 million federal loan guarantee to help fund its expansion plans. As a condition of receiving that money, Fisker has been raising additional equity from investors.

I’m an infographic junkie. With about one minute of non-work, you’re basically an expert on any topic, as if you’ve been beamed an expertise straight through the Matrix…with a few more fonts. Today’s topic? Video games. [Online Education via Kotaku]

Fluxxlab has an idea to harness the "energy" in revolving doors. Already an energy saver compared to traditional doors in office buildings … these could generate significsant power in large building with hundreds of workers.

" … work to date has been focused on sustainable energy harvesting, specifically in the form of converting small amounts of human energy into electricity …"

"… Revolution Door is a modified revolving … a redesigned central core replacing that of any existing or new revolving door, a mechanical/electrical system that harnesses human energy and redistributes electricity to an output, and an output device that maps the harnessed energy … the Revolution Door will directly communicate a single person’s contribution to an energy cycle possible through the metabolic relationship between people, technology, and architecture."

 Via:  Fluxxlab  LINK

Note leveraged mutual funds aren't the same as leveraged ETFs -- they're basically like regular mutual funds, with once a day end-of-day pricing, but use leverage.

The five:

#1 They track their index very well: "because these funds (unlike ETFs) track the underlying index so closely, I can designed my strategies using index data (such as from the S&P 500) rather than a specific fund. This is important because more data means a potentially more robust solution."

#2 They don't have per-trade transaction costs: "many of the advantages we trade are so small, that trading friction (i.e. execution costs and slippage) would effectively kill them. Having no per-trade costs means that we can pursue short-term swing trades that might not be available to other traders."

#3 They can scale well for different amounts of money: "Another advantage of no per-trade transaction costs is that every account we manage achieves more or less the same results regardless of account size. The young investor placing $25k gets the same benefit as the financial advisor placing $25m. Call me a softie, but to me that just seems right."

#4 They are leveraged to their benchmark index returns: "during those less-common times where our models believe a real competitive advantage exists, I want to be able to throw leverage at that day to maximize the impact on the portfolio."

#5 They are priced only once a day, so are 'Fire and Forget': "I spend very little time actually trading (about 10 minutes a day to be exact). Leveraged mutual funds work well for me because I can make my trades, walk away, and do something more fun than wondering where the next tick on the market is going."

Read the full post over at MarketSci >

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• How Quant Traders Use American Holidays To Make Millions Trading The S&P500
• ROBOTS: They Kick Our Ass At Chess, And Next It's Trading
• Citi: Cost Cutting Is Over, Now Leverage Will Drive Earnings

Give people a little winter weather and they cry out that global climate change is a myth.

Well, unfortunately, that is not the case.

Before we get too excited about the cold weather, here are a few things to look at, including the fact that the scientist who said we were entering “global cooling” doesn’t really say so at all.

Read more of this story »

According to a tipster reporting to PhoneArena, Verizon plans to match Sprint’s pricing on their upcoming Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus devices.  Using today’s Sprint pricing, that would make the Palm Pre Plus $149.99, and the Palm Pixi Plus $99.99 (both prices are after a mail-in rebate, which I’m sure Verizon will implement as well).  Though the devices look similar, numerous improvements can be found in the “Plus” versions. For more information on the differences between the Plus models and the original units, see my CES post.

The real excitement comes in the potential for a BOGO offer.  Previously reserved for BlackBerry devices, and as of late, the DROID/Droid Eris duo, a BOGO offering would be a great sales boost for Palm, and the start of a beautiful relationship with America’s largest wireless carrier.  Obviously, this is all a rumor at the moment, but given the brother/sister nature of the Pre Plus/Pixi Plus, I can see both of these rumors coming to fruition.

We’ll find out on January 25th.  I’m curious – is anyone holding out for Verizon’s version of the webOS devices, or has everyone already “defaulted” to Sprint, since they’ve had a six month head start?

Via PreCentral

In 2009, Scion sold a total of 57,961 vehicles in the United States, down 49 percent from 2008. Hoping to generate more buzz and increase sales, Scion is planning on having a stronger influence in the U.S. as it prepares to bring two new products to the market.

Apparently, the main problem with Scion is that only one of its three domestically sold models was designed and engineered in the United States – the Scion tC.

“Scion is pretty much a North American brand, so that is why it is very natural to think more development, more design work, should be done in North America,” said Yoshi Inaba, president of Toyota Motor North America Inc. “We all recognize the importance of Scion. It should be more locally developed. ‘Influenced’ — that is a better word,” Inaba added during an interview Tuesday at the Detroit auto show.

Inaba says that Scion will get two new models this year “that will rejuvenate the brand and bring additional younger buyers into the Toyota family.”

– By: Kap Shah

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)