Hostess seeks sweet bonus deal for top executives

5 hrs.

The Associated Press , Staff

Hostess Brands Inc. is asking for a judge's approval to give its top executives bonuses totaling up to $1.8 million as part of its wind-down plans.

The maker of Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Ho Hos says the incentive pay is needed to retain the 19 corporate officers and "high-level managers" during the liquidation process, which could take about a year. Two of those executives would be eligible for additional rewards depending on how efficiently they carry out the liquidation. The bonuses would be in addition to their regular pay.

The bonuses do not include pay for CEO Gregory Rayburn, who was brought on as a restructuring expert earlier this year. Rayburn is being paid $125,000 a month.

Hostess is also seeking final approval for its wind-down, which was approved on an interim basis last week.

The process includes the quick sale of its brands, which also include CupCakes, Donettes and Wonder Bread. Hostess says it has received a flood of interest in the brands, including from national packaged food makers, international companies and its own customers, which include supermarkets and big-box retailers. Hostess sales have been declining over the years, but still come in at between $2.3 billion and $2.4 billion a year, a banker for the company said in court last week.

The company's shuttering means loss of about 18,000 jobs.

In court Thursday, an attorney for Hostess noted that the company is no longer able to pay retiree benefits, which come to about $1.1 million a month. Hostess stopped contributing to its union pension plans more than a year ago.

The company's demise came after years of management turmoil, with workers saying the company failed to invest in updating its products. In January, Hostess filed for its second Chapter 11 bankruptcy in less than a decade, citing steep costs associated with its unionized work force.

Although Hostess was able to reach a new contract agreement with its largest union, its second biggest union rejected the terms and went on strike Nov. 9. A week later, Hostess announced its plans to liquidate, saying the strike crippled its ability to maintain normal production.?

Related story: Bankruptcy judge OKs Hostess liquidation

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/hostess-seeks-sweet-bonus-deal-top-executives-1C7325957

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Study: Like a tree, growth rings show lobster age

FILE - In this July 2007 file photo a young lobster is seen on Friendship Long Island, Maine. Scientists have now figured out where the growth rings are to determine the age of a lobster. Researchers found that growth rings found in the eyestalk - a stalk with an eyeball on the end connected to the body of lobsters, crabs and shrimp. In lobsters and crabs, the rings are also found in teeth-like structures in their stomachs used to grind up food. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

FILE - In this July 2007 file photo a young lobster is seen on Friendship Long Island, Maine. Scientists have now figured out where the growth rings are to determine the age of a lobster. Researchers found that growth rings found in the eyestalk - a stalk with an eyeball on the end connected to the body of lobsters, crabs and shrimp. In lobsters and crabs, the rings are also found in teeth-like structures in their stomachs used to grind up food. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) ? For the first time, scientists have figured out how to determine the age of a lobster ? by counting its rings, like a tree.

Nobody knows how old lobsters can live to be; some people estimate they live to more than 100.

But knowing ? rather than simply guessing ? their age and that of other shellfish could help scientists better understand the population and assist regulators of the lucrative industry, said Raouf Kilada, a research associate at the University of New Brunswick who was the lead author of a scientific paper documenting the process.

Before now, scientists deduced a lobster's age judging by size and other variables. But it's now known that lobsters and other crustaceans, such as crabs and shrimp, grow one ring per year in hidden-away internal spots, Kilada said.

"Having the age information for any commercial species will definitely improve the stock assessment and ensure sustainability," he said after presenting his findings Thursday at a scientific conference in Portland.

Scientists already could tell a fish's age by counting the growth rings found in a bony part of its inner ear, a shark's age from the rings in its vertebrae and a scallop or clam's age from the rings of its shell.

But crustaceans posed a problem because of the apparent absence of any permanent growth structures. It was thought that when lobsters and other crustaceans molt, they shed all calcified body parts that might record annual growth bands.

For their research, Kilada and five other Canadian researchers took a closer look at lobsters, snow crabs, northern shrimp and sculptured shrimp.

They found that growth rings, in fact, could be found in the eyestalk ? a stalk connected to the body with an eyeball on the end ? of lobsters, crabs and shrimp. In lobsters and crabs, the rings were also found in the so-called "gastric mills," parts of the stomach with three teeth-like structures used to grind up food.

To find the growth bands, the scientists dissected the eyestalks and the gastric mills, cut out sections and viewed them under microscopes.

Lobsters don't lose reproductive capabilities or organ functions or exhibit signs of aging as they get older, but nobody knows for sure how old they can live to be.

"We've thought lobsters could live to 100 years old, and this new aging technique will be a way to document that," said Bob Bayer, executive director of the University of Maine's Lobster Institute.

The paper was published in this month's Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, a well-regarded peer-reviewed scientific journal based in Ottawa, Ontario, that has been published since 1901. Kilada's was one of more than 50 scientific presentations at the conference, attended by more than 100 lobster scientists from the U.S., Canada and Europe.

Bayer agreed that this is the first time scientists have a direct method to place an age on crustaceans.

"Right now we're just guessing at their age," he said.

Kilada said he saw lobster specimens that were 16 or 17 years old during his research. He estimates that there are lobsters 60 or 70 years old living in the wild.

Susan Waddy, a lobster researcher with Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans, said she has kept lobsters in her laboratory that are more than 30 years old. She suspects they live to be 40 or 50.

"We know they don't live forever," she said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-11-30-Lobster%20Aging/id-7c05a261b5f3442387f59b50f26f058e

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Which Star?s Daughter Was Named Miss Golden Globe?

Francesca Eastwood, the 19-year-old daughter of Clint Eastwood, was recently named Miss Golden Globe 2013 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/which-star-s-daughter-was-named-miss-golden-globes/1-a-505639?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Awhich-star-s-daughter-was-named-miss-golden-globes-505639

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Why Is ADD So Complicated ? hot news

ADD is often accompanied by a coexisting condition. On the other hand, often ADD and these other conditions have similar symptoms and, therefore, are easily misdiagnosed. Of course, this creates a plethora of problems as these disorders, when separate, must be treated differently. A misdiagnosis will lead to ineffective treatment. As coexisting conditions, these are especially of concern, because they increase the severity of many of the symptoms of ADD, as well as the negative impact on those that suffer them. One such condition is Oppositional Defiant Disorder or Conduct Disorder. Children with this disorder tend to be very aggressive and defiant. They usually lose their tempers very easily and challenge authority figures. This is the most easily diagnosable behaviors, as teachers and parents become aware of this conduct quickly and seek treatment almost immediately. This particular disorder is common in children that are the hyperactive/impulsive type of ADD and occurs in 35% of children with ADD. This coexisting condition makes it much more likely that these sufferers will get in legal trouble as they age due to their authoritative defiance.

Many children that have ADD also suffer from mood disorders and/or depression. The complication associated with this coexisting condition is the increased likelihood of suicide common during teen years. 18% of ADD children also suffer from some type of mood disorder, and is it more likely to occur within the inattentive type of ADD. This is often not as easily diagnosed as compared to other conditions. Children with mood disorders as a coexisting condition must be treated with different medication than typical ADD treatment; therefore, such therapy may be more difficult. Also a concern is anxiety disorders among ADD sufferers, which constitutes roughly 25% of those with ADD. Traits common of Anxiety Disorders are fear, panic, and worry, which may necessitate medication and/or counseling. As with mood disorders, combined treatment make therapy more complex and arduous. Learning Disabilities are also conditions common with children that have ADD. While ADD, in itself, is not a learning disability, it can make it extremely difficult for children to perform well in school. If coupled with a learning disability, it makes it considerably more challenging for children to grasp academic concepts and utilize such knowledge. For the most part, coexisting conditions make treatment more difficult and the side effects of both disorders more severe. The typical signs and symptoms of ADD are difficult enough to deal with, but with more intense severity, it often makes side effects deadly or incredibly negatively life altering. Learn about pomegranate bonsai and pomegranate seed oil at the Pomegranate Nutrition site.

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Which States Are Opting Out of Obamacare Health Insurance ...

3:40 pm ET November 29, 2012

Arizona has now become the 17th state to refuse to create a state health insurance exchange under Obamacare. Instead, the state will be part of a federally-run exchange that will be set up by the new health care law.

States have until Dec. 14 to make a decision on the exchanges. The first photo below shows states that will create an insurance exchange and take on the costs that come with it. The second photo points out the 17 states that will not.

Judge Andrew Napolitano talked with Melissa Francis on Fox Business Network this afternoon about what this all means. Particularly, why are some states choosing to take on the added costs of running the exchange when the federal government could pick up the tab?

?Some states have governors, like (New York), who are part of the establishment that created Obamacare and are in favor of it and want to cooperate with Washington. Other states, like Arizona, are not part of that establishment and don?t want to cooperate. ? So now, instead of Arizona paying for Arizona?s health care and New Jersey paying for New Jersey?s ? all the taxpayers are paying for this,? said Napolitano, adding that the whole program will be paid for with borrowed money.

Source: http://foxnewsinsider.com/2012/11/29/which-states-are-opting-out-of-obamacare-health-insurance-exchanges-and-why-judge-napolitano-explains/

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Pioneering the granny pod: Fairfax County family adapts to high ...

Viola Baez wouldn?t budge.

Her daughter?s family had just invested about $125,000 in a new kind of home for her, a high-tech cottage that might revolutionize the way Americans care for their aging relatives. But Viola wouldn?t even step inside.

She told her family she would rather continue living in the family?s dining room than move into the shed-size dwelling that had been lowered by crane into the back yard of their Fairfax County home.

?You?re throwing me out! You?re sending me out to a doghouse! Why not put me in a manicomio?? Viola, 88 , told them, using the Spanish word for madhouse.

Then the air conditioner blew. As temperatures and tempers soared in the main house, Viola?s family coaxed her into the cottage to cool off. Viola stayed the night, then another, and another, until summer had turned to fall.

As the first private inhabitant of a MedCottage, Viola is a reluctant pioneer in the search for alternatives to nursing homes for aging Americans. Her relatives agonized over the best way to care for Viola only after her ability to care for herself became questionable. Their decision exposed intergenerational friction that worsened after the new dwelling arrived.

The MedCottage, designed by a Blacksburg company with help from Virginia Tech, is essentially a portable hospital room. Virginia state law, which recognized the dwellings a few years ago, classifies them as ?temporary family health-care structures.? But many simply know them as ?granny pods,? and they have arrived on the market as the nation prepares for a wave of graying baby boomers to retire.

Over the past decade, the population of Americans who are 65 or older has grown faster than the total population, the Census Bureau says. In less than 20 years, the number of Americans who are 65 or older will top 72 million, or more than twice the population of older Americans in 2000, and many will need to find living arrangements that balance their need for independence and special care.

Viola?s family understood this. Her daughter, Socorrito Baez-Page, 56, who goes by Soc, and her son-in-law, David Page, 59 ? both of whom are doctors ? began planning her care well before Viola?s husband died of cancer last February. They explored many options and had firsthand experience with several. Soc and David had taken care of or arranged various types of care, including assisted living and hospice, for other parents.

Their decision to buy the first MedCottage in private use, along with Viola?s bumpy adjustment to life inside it, offers a look at an unusual solution to an increasingly common situation and the emotional trade-offs that arise from it.

Daily routines

The soft whoosh of an oxygen machine fills the MedCottage when Viola opens her eyes at the light streaming from the windows above her bed.

?Hello,? Soc says.

Soc has been up for a while. She stands almost at the center of the MedCottage, a self-enclosed space that blends bedroom, kitchenette, foyer and bath the way that a fork and spoon combine to form a spork. Soc has already folded up the rollout bed where she has spent the night at her mother?s side, and performed other chores before Viola wakes.

Viola asks for a bathrobe, and Soc helps her into it, careful not to tangle the oxygen tubes trailing from her mother?s nose.

A week after Viola underwent surgery to remove a cataract, Viola?s left eye also looks puffy, as if she?s been crying again, as she has almost daily since her husband died.

?Open your eye,? Soc says, speaking in Spanish, as she administers drops. Viola blinks, as if it?s painful.

?Eyes closed, please,? Soc says. ?Cinco minuto.?

After the eye medicine, Viola maneuvers her walker across the MedCottage to the bathroom. While Viola washes up, Soc brews a mug of instant coffee for her in the microwave oven and prepares a vaporizer that delivers Viola?s asthma medicine.

Viola?s walker squeaks softly as she returns and takes a seat at the kitchenette?s counter. Her hands tremble as she takes the mug and sips the coffee through the straw, so as not to spill any hot liquid.

When the vaporizer is ready, Soc puts a mask on Viola. While mist pours from the vents in her mother?s face mask, Soc rummages through a cabinet filled with medicine bottles and puts pills in a small cup at her mother?s elbow. Then Soc prepares her mother?s breakfast, which is crackers and string cheese.

Viola appears small, hunkered down in her chair. But her eyes can become huge when she talks about growing up in Puerto Rico or her life with her late husband. At times, she struggles for words, but when they come, they flow in a rush, sometimes in Spanish. She chuckles with pride when she recalls driving a motorcycle on her honeymoon in Florida, and then becomes somber in a swift change of mood. Tears well in her eyes one afternoon as she explains that she is in ?luto,? wearing only black or dark clothing as a sign of mourning.

?He treated me like I was a queen,? she says of her husband. ?Without him, nothing is special. Nothing.?

Overhead, a small green light blinks, an indicator that one of the MedCottage?s surveillance cameras is powered up and that perhaps an additional family member is watching Viola, too.

Design elements

Several firms have entered the market for auxiliary dwelling units, or ADUs, as they?re known in the building industry. These include FabCab, a Seattle-based company that makes ADUs and full-size homes. Practical Assisted Living Solutions, or PALS, a firm based in Meriden, Conn., makes freestanding modules; and the Home Store, which is headquartered in Whately, Mass., sells modular ?in-law? additions called ?Elderly Cottage Housing Opportunity? additions.

The MedCottage in Fairfax is about 12 by 24 feet, the size of a typical master bedroom. With its beige aluminum siding ? and cosmetic touches such as green shutters ? the cottage looks a little like an elaborate dollhouse. The interior, painted gray and white, seems so airy and comfortable that Soc jokes about reusing the dwelling someday as a mountain cabin.

The idea for the MedCottage came from the Rev. Kenneth J. Dupin, a minister in southwest Virginia who wondered why Americans didn?t take better care of their elders. He created N2Care, a company that designed the MedCottage with help from the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center. They stuffed its steel shell with the latest in biometric and communications technology, and crafted its features using universal design principles to accommodate people of all ages and people with disabilities. The company?s sales pitch includes dropping an egg onto its specially designed floor from a height of 7 feet to show that the egg won?t break.

?People think it?s a rubber egg until we hold it over a hard surface and drop it from 5 inches,? said Chris M. Cummins, executive vice president of MedCare Systems, a Mechanicsville, Va.-based distributor.

In addition to surveillance cameras, the dwelling has an Internet portal by which family members, doctors or other caregivers can monitor an occupant?s vital signs, receive medical alerts or change the dwelling?s temperature and security settings. The MedCottage retails for about $85,000, but with delivery and installation, Viola?s family has spent closer to $125,000.

?Most people look at that and get sticker shock,? Cummins said.

But Cummins also said that the company offers financing and repurchase programs that make the MedCottage a bargain compared with assisted-living facilities that charge $40,000 or more a year.

Family drama

Viola?s family is close-knit. Soc recalls taking her daughters, Erin and Shannon, to the Kennedy Center for a National Symphony Orchestra concert when the girls were so little that they listened while perched in car seats.

Although Erin, 30, is now a lawyer and Shannon, 28, teaches in Fairfax schools, the family still goes to the symphony en masse, and the daughters still live in the family?s 1972 split-level on Vengo Court.

The family is strikingly candid about the stress that comes with Viola?s daily care. Her physical problems include spinal stenosis, arthritis and asthma, and she takes about 16 medications. Relatives say Viola has traits that would challenge any caregiver, and some have become more conspicuous with age. She is moodier now, and needier. When Viola went into an assisted-living facility temporarily for physical therapy after a fall, she threw a fit that lasted hours. Soc calmed her by promising not to leave. Soc stayed for so long every day that eventually administrators told Soc the arrangement could not continue.

?She?s very clingy, very persnickety about things,? Soc said.

Viola?s late husband, Luis Baez, also pampered her. He was a first lieutenant in the Army when they married. Later, as a civilian architect for the Navy and the Coast Guard, he helped design the Westwind class of icebreakers. In the 1950s, he and Viola bought an Arlington County duplex. But their home became difficult to maneuver as they aged. About the time Luis began thinking of alternatives, he became ill with rapidly progressing renal cancer.

Soc and David began discussing whether Viola would move in, whether to build an addition, or whether Viola should go into an assisted-living residence. Viola and Luis disliked nursing homes, and Soc?s property was not well suited for an addition. Then Soc read about the MedCottage, which Luis endorsed before his death.

When Luis, 82, died Feb. 28, Viola?s granddaughters took turns staying at her Arlington home while Soc and David arranged the MedCottage purchase. Then Viola moved into the house on Vengo Court.

But there were problems. Living in the family?s dining room, Viola disliked being so close to the kitchen when people were cooking. She complained about getting around in the house, saying that there were too many steps, not enough handrails, and that the shower was hard to access. She fought over the thermostat setting because she was too cold, even when everyone else was sweating. And she hated being alone. She wouldn?t shower unless someone was nearby.

By late June, the MedCottage arrived. Workers cut down trees to make room and a crane lowered the cottage onto six concrete piers in the yard.

Relatives brought photographs of Viola?s grandchildren and knickknacks, including a colorful row of miniature houses. Over the bed they hung Roman Catholic icons, including a painting of ?Nuestra Senora del Perpetuos Socorro,? whose name, like Soc?s, means ?help? in Spanish.

But Viola wanted nothing to do with the place. As the standoff dragged on, Soc worried that their money had been wasted, that their MedCottage would end up being the biggest, most expensive storage shed on the planet. Then the air conditioner in the house went kaput, and Viola retreated to the MedCottage for relief.

Viola now seems used to her new home. On a cabinet in the kitchenette sits a row of faded black-and-white photographs of Viola, wearing a pretty dress and an alluring smile, that she sent to her new husband when he was away on duty.

Although the MedCottage has made it possible for Viola to live a few steps away from her family, Soc sometimes wishes that Viola were as self-assured and independent as the younger version in those old photos.

But these days, the family also counts it as a small victory when Viola comes to dinner in the main house and then returns without a fuss to ?my place.?

Source: Washington Post

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Source: http://scooop.be/blog/pioneering-the-granny-pod-fairfax-county-family-adapts-to-high-tech-dwelling-that-could-change-elder-care/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=pioneering-the-granny-pod-fairfax-county-family-adapts-to-high-tech-dwelling-that-could-change-elder-care

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Russian mafia whistleblower, 44, found dead

WEYBRIDGE, England/LONDON (Reuters) - A Russian businessman helping Swiss prosecutors uncover a powerful fraud syndicate has died in unexplained circumstances near his mansion in Britain, in a chilling twist to a Russian mafia scandal that has strained Moscow's ties with the West.

Alexander Perepilichny, 44, sought refuge in Britain three years ago and had been helping a Swiss investigation into a Russian money-laundering scheme by providing evidence against corrupt officials, his colleagues and media reports said.

He has also provided evidence against those linked to the 2009 death of anti-corruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, a case that caused an international outcry and prompted the United States to push for a bill cracking down on Russian corruption.

Perepilichny, a Russian citizen, collapsed and died not far from his home on an upmarket, heavily protected estate in the county of Surrey, south of London, on November 10.

He is now the fourth person linked to the Magnitsky case to have died in strange circumstances.

"It is being treated as unexplained," a police spokeswoman said. "A post-mortem examination was carried out which was inconclusive. So further tests are now being carried out."

Locals at the estate - dubbed as Britain's Beverly Hills and ringed by neatly trimmed golf courses and security check points - told Reuters that Perepilichny's body, clad in running gear, was found after dark at the top of a hill.

A shaky mobile phone video clip shot by Liam Walsh, a 24-year-old local chef, showed a motionless body of what he said was Perepilichny stretched out on the side of a deserted lane lit by the light of a lone lamp-post.

"He wasn't breathing. We had to get him on the back and start doing CPR (first aid). He was probably dead for a while," Walsh told Reuters as unmarked security cars patrolled the immaculately maintained estate.

Far beyond Russia's borders, Magnitsky's death has become a symbol of corruption in Russia and the abuse of those who challenge the authorities there.

This month the U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to "name and shame" Russian rights violators as part of a broader trade bill, brushing off warnings from Moscow that the move would damage relations.

William Browder, a former employer of Magnitsky and a prominent London-based investor, said Perepilichny had come forward in 2010 with evidence involving the Magnitsky case that subsequently helped Swiss prosecutors open their investigation.

"Alexander Perepilichny approached us in 2010 as a whistleblower with evidence about the complicity of a number of Russian government officials in the theft of $230 million which Sergei Magnitsky had uncovered," said Browder, founder of Hermitage Capital Management.

"He provided us with copies of many of the original bank documents. In January 2011, Hermitage filed an application to the Swiss authorities seeking an investigation. It was announced in March that the Swiss prosecutor's office opened an investigation and froze the assets in a number of accounts."

Browder, whose grandfather was the general secretary of the American Communist Party, was one of the biggest Western investors in Russia but was barred from Russia in late 2005 and most of his staff left the country as Hermitage found itself coming under increasing official pressure.

Magnitsky was jailed in 2008 on suspicion of tax evasion and fraud, charges that colleagues say were fabricated by police investigators he had accused of stealing $230 million from the state through fraudulent tax refunds. The Kremlin's own human rights council has said Magnitsky was probably beaten to death.

News of Perepilichny's death initially appeared on Wednesday in a report in Britain's Independent newspaper, which is backed by Alexander Lebedev, a Russian billionaire who has spoken out publicly against the Kremlin.

British media said Perepilichny appeared to be in good health before he collapsed in the evening outside St George's Hill, one of Britain's most exclusive estates, where he was renting a house for 12,500 pounds ($20,000) a month.

St George's Hill is home to many big names in the financial and celebrity circles, its long list of one-time tenants including Elton John and Ringo Starr.

MAFIA STATE

Leaked secret diplomatic cables from the U.S. embassy in Moscow once described Russia as a "virtual mafia state", and London has long been the chosen destination for Russians seeking refuge from trouble at home.

But concerns have been growing in recent years that Britain might be turning into a playground for Russian mobsters as gangland violence seems to be spilling over Russian borders.

In April, a former Russian banker was shot near London's Canary Wharf financial district, sending a chill through the immigrant community. In 2006, former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko died after drinking tea poisoned with polonium-210.

Asked about Perepilichny's case, Swiss prosecutors said it started its criminal investigation in March 2011 following a complaint made by London law firm Brown Rudnick filed on behalf of Hermitage Capital Management.

"Concerning the death of Mr Perepilichny and its consequences on the criminal proceedings, we'd like to stress that our strength resides in our ability to minimize the influence of such a regretful event on our investigation," the Swiss Office of the Attorney General said in a statement.

"A good cooperation with other judicial authorities is also essential to carry on our investigation efficiently."

Perepilichny was also a witness against Russia's notorious Klyuyev Group, a murky network of officials and underworld figures implicated in tax fraud who used European bank accounts to buy luxury property in Dubai and Montenegro, The Independent reported.

"Perepilichny was the guy who brought all the evidence they needed to open the investigation," a source told The Independent. "He brought with him records of shell companies, Credit Suisse accounts, property transactions. The whole lot."

(Additional reporting by Martin de Sa'Pinto in Switzerland; Writing by Maria Golovnina)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russian-mafia-whistleblower-44-found-dead-uk-165618438--sector.html

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Egypt's Moussa slams bid to wrap up constitution fast

With 47 percent of the popular vote, Mitt Romney may become the president of nothing more than Ironystan. Yes, the final general-election tally is trickling in and, as fate would have it, Romney's total might look more like that mythical number after all. Well, according to David Wasserman of the Cook Political report, it's more like 47.49 and dropping, which, of course rounds down to 47 ? the same percentage of Americans?he said were moochers and takers in a video?that was one of the nails in the coffin of his presidential campaign.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypts-moussa-slams-bid-wrap-constitution-fast-145008125.html

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Four is the 'magic' number

ScienceDaily (Nov. 27, 2012) ? According to psychological lore, when it comes to items of information the mind can cope with before confusion sets in, the "magic" number is seven.

But a new analysis by a leading Australian psychiatrist challenges this long-held view, suggesting the number might actually be four.

In 1956, American psychologist George Miller published a paper in the influential journal Psychological Review arguing the mind could cope with a maximum of only seven chunks of information.

The paper, "The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two. Some Limits on Our Capacity for Processing Information," has since become one of the most highly cited psychology articles and has been judged by the Psychological Review as its most influential paper of all time.

But UNSW professor of psychiatry Gordon Parker says a re-analysis of the experiments used by Miller shows he missed the correct number by a wide mark.

Writing in the journal Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, Scientia Professor Parker says a closer look at the evidence shows the human mind copes with a maximum of four 'chunks' of information, not seven.

"So to remember a seven numeral phone number, say 6458937, we need to break it into four chunks: 64. 58. 93. 7. Basically four is the limit to our perception.

"That's a big difference for a paper that is one of the most highly referenced psychology articles ever -- nearly a 100 percent discrepancy," he suggests.

Professor Parker says the success of the original paper lies "more in its multilayered title and Miller's evocative use of the word 'magic'," than in the science.

Professor Parker says 50 years after Miller there is still uncertainty about the nature of the brain's storage capacity limits: "There may be no limit in storage capacity per se but only a limit to the duration in which items can remain active in short-term memory."

"Regardless, the consensus now is that humans can best store only four chunks in short-term memory tasks," he says.

The full discussion paper includes many exemplars of the magic of 'four'.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of New South Wales.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. George A. Miller. The magical number seven, plus or minus two: some limits on our capacity for processing information.. Psychological Review, 1956; 63 (2): 81 DOI: 10.1037/h0043158

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/uruk3weVA8c/121128093930.htm

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iraqi news: orpitasingh: Horse Racing History | recreation and sports

The sport of horse racing goes back a long, long way. It goes back to circa 4,500 BC when nomadic Central Asian tribes domesticated horses for the first time. Ever after, horse-racing has reigned supreme as a sport fit for Kings.

From the beginning of recorded history, horse racing has been depicted as an organised and popular sport common to all of the world's major civilizations. The Olympic Games of ancient Greece featured events involving both mounted and chariot racing. The sport was then taken up by the Romans. Mounted and chariot horse racing became major areas of enterprise in Roman Empire days; these events were the product of breeding programs with imported bloodlines and extensive training programs. Horseracing had all elements of legalized betting like bookies, proper racing tracks, hit tips, scandals and, red hot entertainment and excitement. Horse racing saw a decline that coincided with the Roman Empire's decline. It began to pick up speed once more once mankind was well into a more modern era.

Horse racing took a professional turn as long ago as the twelfth century, when English Crusader knights came back in the company of Arab horses. This set off a trend that lasted for the forthcoming period of hundreds of years: more and more Arab stallions were imported for crossing with English mares. The ensuing offspring were a real mix of speed and endurance. These cross bred horses were the forefathers of today's horse racing breeds.

As quantum technological jumps in transport and other fields of human concern took place in the 19th century and later , thousands of people became hooked on watching horse races and gambling on racing horses. Horseracing started to get intensive coverage in distinguished newspapers, and gambling volumes consistently increased. The arrival of organised on-site bookmakers brought along a complete sea change. Random and sometimes illegal, sometimes unethical practices led to a moderately successful Jockey Club effort to establish really high standards of order, discipline and integrity that ensured the sport's continued well being.

All around the world, attendance at race courses has been shooting up right into the early part of this century. There had been a decline in attendance during the 1970s and 1980s. The technology wonder of online web wagering has influenced horse racing in ways never conceived of earlier. Online betting has drawn a completely new generation of spectators and betters to the Game of Kings; they prefer to conduct all of their activities in front of their computers and TV sets. The facility to bet and earn cash legally from the result of horse races has been a core part of this sport's appeal and a major factor behind its survival as a sport with a presence.

Source: http://recreationsportsupdates.blogspot.com/2012/11/horse-racing-history.html

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Source: http://orpitasingh.blogspot.com/2012/11/horse-racing-history-recreation-and.html

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Source: http://iraqi-news-blog.blogspot.com/2012/11/orpitasingh-horse-racing-history.html

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Source: http://nainagosh.blogspot.com/2012/11/iraqi-news-orpitasingh-horse-racing.html

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DAILY SPIRITUAL NUGGETS: 30 Days of Faith, Hope, Prayer, and ...

DAILY SPIRITUAL NUGGETS:? 30 Days of Faith, Hope, Prayer, and Gratitude ? Day 27 ?Oneness?

Today?s Body Connection:? Oneness is the energy of unity, connection to all things.? When we work out we must be willing to see the connection of the mind, body, and spirit.? A mindful training session is one that effectively uses the mind and the spirit to help you achieve the physical task at hand.? We can either zone out while we train, mindlessly moving weights, prone to injury, or we can exercise with the awareness of breathing, movement, and how our body feels.? Mindfulness brings your self back to the present moment.? Do not lose focus; stay awake and keep the unity consciousness alive.

Meditative Thought: Yoga is the practice of yoking together two things that appear to be different, like strength training and stretching your mind and body.? During the practice there comes a time when you become aware that there is no separation of the two, only the unique expression of ?The One.?? Our prayer time is our commitment to know the power of God that is our lives.? This communion with the Universal presence elevates our awareness that our life is the life of God; there is no separation.

Today?s Action Plan:? Today, meditate on your oneness with God.? Spend time in deep contemplation to up level your consciousness.??? Take at least ten minutes and be more aware of your connection to your higher self.

Affirmation:? Just for this moment?just for this breath, I am the unique expression of the oneness presence of God.? And so I am.? Amen

Skip Jennings, ALSP, CPT
Licensed Spiritual Counselor/Personal Fitness Trainer/Transformation Coach

Exercise with Skip online at www.spirofit.com, discount code: 6391

For more information about spiritual counseling, fitness training, or life coaching visit: www.skipjennings.com
FREE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER: www.skipjennings.com/simple_form.php

Get your copy of ?Spirit Explosion? http://www.skipjennings.com/publications-videos.html

Source: http://spiritualnugget.wordpress.com/2012/11/27/daily-spiritual-nuggets-30-days-of-faith-hope-prayer-and-gratitude-day-27-oneness/

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PRS | NYC > LDR (Long Distance Relationship) - BKRW

PRS | NYC > LDR (Long Distance Relationship) Photoshoot by Christina PAIK

Here comes the modern story of an impossible love. When world is huge playground and when internet keep making it look smaller. Its easy to get into impossible relationships. Those kind of love that both knows that would neva happend but still makes goosebump.

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BKRW is proud to introduce the whole new fashion shoot of american photographer Christina PAIK with Bijon HILLS and SHYNE wearing the hotest and freshest street culture products as much of a selection of high fashion pieces.

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NYC | Bijon : BLACKSCALE, NSW, HUF, PROHIBIT, SSUR, HUGO BOSS, KRIS VAN ASSCHE, QUIET LIFE, PROHIBIT, KTZ, MILKCRATE ATHLETICS, AKSTAR NY, BGRT, STAPLE

PRS |?Shyne : HUGO BOSS, KRIS VAN ASSCHE, RAD HOURANI, KTZ, BARBOUR

Photographer : Christina PAIK

Style : Christina PAIK, Shyne LE PREMIER AMOUR

Hair/Make-Up : BLACKRAINBOW

Models : Bijon HILLS (NYC), Shyne LE PREMIER AMOUR (PRS)

Thanks : Christina PAIK, Shyne, Bijon, Nico x REEDSPACE...

Source: http://www.bkrw.com/prs-nyc-ldr-long-distance-relationship/

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ACN is the largest direct selling telecommunication

http://www.reddit.com ?

ACN is the largest direct selling telecommunications and essential services company in the world, offering a home-based business opportunity for its Independent Business Owners in 23 countries on 4 continents.

Created by TomPaul420 3 hours 27 min ago ? Made popular 3 hours 27 min ago
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Source: http://www.humansthink.com/content/acn-largest-direct-selling-telecommunication

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How I Manage Being a Work at Home Mom {Motherhood Series ...

This post is part of our motherhood series. You can see all the posts here.

Being a work at home mom presents many challenges. It?s a blessing most definitely, being able to care for my toddler while earning a little income on the side from the comforts of my own home, but it takes a lot of intentionality and discipline to make it work.

When people find out that I stay home full time caring for an almost two year old, co-own an online Women?s ministry, run multiple websites, write eBooks, and still manage to have any sort of social life they inevitably ask me, ?How do you do it all??

Well, duh! I don?t, but what I do manage to get done I manage by the grace of God, no doubt! Let me share some nuggets of advice that I think will help you manage being a work at home mom. Join me at our sister site, Christian Mommy Blogger, for the rest of this post. {Click here to read more.}

Source: http://intentionalbygrace.com/2012/11/26/how-i-manage-being-a-work-at-home-mom-motherhood-series/

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Is It Wise to Choose a Foundation Repair Contractor Based on Their ...

Using the web to find a contractor you can trust with your money? and your home

The title of this article raises an interesting and relevant question. In a world dominated by the internet, it?s important to know how much we can trust what we find online. The web can be a tool for finding extremely useful information and services. But when you flip that coin over, you can also find yourself falling into money-pit type traps that will leave you wishing you had thrown your laptop in the garbage and looked in the phonebook instead.

So let?s address the question head-on: is it wise to choose a contractor based on their website? Here?s the short answer: no. However, the complete answer is more in-depth than that. There are a lot of factors at play here.

A company website can certainly be used to decide NOT to hire someone.?You see, anyone can put up a website that looks nice. But there are some tell tale signs of a company that can?t be trusted. For example, if there are no customer reviews, you need to run and run quick. It either means the company doesn?t value customer input, or no positive reviews exists that they can flaunt. Also, if the website is too much hype, leave. You don?t need them to beat you over the head with their sales message. A useful site seeks to offer useful information first. The sales message should take a back seat. Otherwise you can bet they will be pushy. And by pushy, we mean they are going to try to dig deep into your wallet fast.

Now then you have the classic signs of a sketchy site. Pop up ads, keyword stuffing, and bad links. If you find any of this, run.

If it?s a trustworthy contractor, what you should find is plenty of good information on how to repair foundations, how to spot foundation issues, and things like that.

Web 2.0 is where it?s at in 2012.?Finding a worthwhile contractor online involves much more than simply Googling a company website and making a phone call or shooting an email. In this day and age of social media, multiple internet avenues exist for you to check out a company. For example, what is being said on Twitter about the?foundation repair?company? How many people are following their account? This could be a good picture into how helpful they really are. The same goes for their number of Facebook likes. And did you check them out on a site like Yelp to make sure people give them positive reviews?

Look at the BBB site.?What is their customer rating? Has anyone filed a formal complaint against them? And if so, how did they respond? Did they break their backs to try and make a satisfied customer? Or did they respond harshly and pompously?

The web is a fantastic place to find help from basement contractors. Just make sure you don?t get enamored by a decent looking website without really checking out the company.

Find more about Foundation Repair, Basement Contractors and Crawl Space Repair athttp://www.staydrywaterproofing.com/.

Source: http://www.sacredgrovecommunity.com/is-it-wise-to-choose-a-foundation-repair-contractor-based-on-their-website/

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Kipling Seoul Laptop Large Backpack Black ? Travel & Leisure

The Seoul Large Backpack from Kipling has laptop protection and padded shoulder straps making it great for travel or school. Main zipped compartment contains laptop pocket with Velcro closure, and a padded back and bottom panel. Zip-front pocket contains 2 pen sleeves, cell phone pocket, iPod/PDA pocket and large internal zippered pocket. Additional large zippered front pocket for more storage. Padded straps that are adjustable to a maximum length of 32 inches and top grip handle. Zippered pockets at the top and left hand side of bag are perfect for quick access to small items.

More information

Comments are closed.

Source: http://boyajianmarc.com/travel/2012/11/17/kipling-seoul-laptop-large-backpack-black/

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The Essence Of Scratch-Off Games

Playing scratch off games is an easy chance to instantly win a few thousand dollars. There is no brainwork required to play these games. One just has to scratch the latex-based (usually) painted-on portion of the scratch to see if he or she has won instant prizes. The person may or may not win, but the exhilaration and the expectation of winning instant awards makes one buying more scratch cards. Indeed, it is a very addictive, albeit expensive, way to pass the time.

Tickets of the very first scratch off games were made through manual random checking techniques. Daniel Bower and John Koza - for Scientific Games Corporation - made the very first computer-based instant lottery game in 1974. Astro-Med, Inc. from West Warwick in Rhode Island was awarded the U.S. Patent for the instant scratch off ticket. This was in 1987. The basic rule of scratch cards requires the player to scratch off three or more painted-on areas, which hide symbols, words, and numbers. Just like a slot machine game, if all the items in the scratch card are identical, the player wins a prize.

There are also complicated scratch off games that entail several methods to win on a single card. Some of these scratch cards involve matching pictures, words, symbols, or are adapted from popular games like poker, blackjack, or Monopoly. Some of these complicated games are related to popular and well-known themes like MLB, Harley Davidson, NHL, NASCAR, the World Cup (FIFA), and Marvel Comics.

Scientific Games Corporation makes these game ticket types. The company's production facilities are in Chile, the U.S.A., the U.K., Germany, Brazil, Canada, and Australia. Pollard Banknote also makes these types of game tickets and the company has factories in Canada and the United States. Smaller game ticket makers have facilities throughout Asia, Europe, and North America.

Scratch card games are popular all throughout the United States. These games are popular because of the chance to instantly win prizes and also their low cost. There are more expensive scratch cards costing $20 to $30 but the awards at stake are in the millions. Yet, many so-called instant tickets sold nationwide, particularly in New York and Massachusetts, do not instantly pay major prizes, but over several years and with no cash alternative. Scratch cards' popularity has been surging at a faster rate compared with any other lottery form.

Due to the popularity of these games, there is also a high probability of fraud. A misuse of these scratch card games is the free distribution that offers prizes that range from the low-value to the highly-desirable. An example is the time-limited discount vouchers that can be redeemed through a particular agent to cars. These "fraudulent" cards show that a prize has been won; however, the value and nature of the prize can be determined by calling a number at a significant amount per minute. In truth, the amount won is far less than the phone call.

Scratch card games are still popular in the country and the rest of the world, despite the fraudulent aspect that comes with it. These games are still highly enjoyable and it can be played by most adults.

Source: http://www.artipot.com/articles/1441426/the-essence-of-scratch-off-games.htm

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Shadyside Celebrates ?Small Business Saturday? ? CBS Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ? More than 70 local stores in Shadyside teamed up today to offer deals for ?Small Business Saturday.?

One Shadyside boutique, Pursuits, is offering 20 percent off handbags for anyone who brings in a gently-used purse to donate to an organization called POWER that helps women starting over.

Pursuits owner, Maria McManus, says the support from locals is what keeps her business afloat.

?I have a clientele that truly comes in to support me,? McManus said. ?And that?s why I?ve been successful and we have been here for nine years.?

The city also decided to waive meter enforcement Saturday to attract shoppers.

The shopping day was created by credit card giant American Express to help small businesses struggling during the recession.

This is the third year for ?Small Business Saturday.?

RELATED LINKS
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Source: http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2012/11/24/shadyside-celebrates-small-business-saturday/

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Why are we stuck with games being released on a Friday? ? Articles ...

By Robert Purchese Published Friday, 23 November 2012

For as long as most folk remember, games have launched on Fridays in the UK and on Tuesday in the US. That's the way of things. Sometimes they converge for a glitzy worldwide launch but mostly they don't - they stick to the norm, and Europeans wait.

But why? Who decided on Friday, and who decided on Tuesday? If some games can be released on a Tuesday worldwide why can't all games be? More pertinently, why do we stick to the same rules for downloadable games? If everyone can buy and pre-install a game on Steam at the same time, why can't they play at the same time - why must someone in the UK wait until Friday but someone in the US can play from Tuesday?

Where do all these rules come from and, more to the point, can they be changed?

How UK Fridays began

In the olden golden days of home computers, there was chaos. Games came from everywhere in the '80s and shops flung them on shelves whenever they turned up. "It was just release whenever you could," recalls Andy Payne, a veteran of the UK industry. "Stuff would release every single day." Even the bigger shop-chains in the 8-bit and 16-bit eras joined the scrum, buying stock from wholesalers, amassing it at warehouses then racing it out to stores to go on shelves "as quickly as you bloody could".

That's what Graeme Struthers tells me, and he should know: he was a games buyer for Dixons Stores Group (Currys, Dixons, PCWorld) at the time. "And we were by far the biggest retailer for 16-bit," he - wait, was he boasting?

Big operators like Dixons weren't happy. They had order for other goods in their stores and they advertised them in newspapers on Fridays and Saturdays. The prospect of stock turning up late and missing the weekend wasn't a good one, so the big shops did something about it.

"Dixons basically started sitting down with the supply chain and saying, 'If you release products on a Friday that means we can include it in our advertising; that means we can promote you.' It's carrot and stick," Graeme Struthers explains. "I wouldn't say that Dixons were the company that made it Fridays, but it was the retail chains that said having product just turning up ad hoc is useless; having product that's got a defined release date means we can all orientate our distribution to get it into all of our shops for a Friday so that we've got the weekend business.

"It was basically retail bringing order to a very chaotic supply chain. Within about six to eight months, everyone was selling things on a Friday. It was very quick to reach that agreement and understanding."

"It was basically retail bringing order to a very chaotic supply chain. Within about six to eight months, everyone was selling things on a Friday.

Graeme Struthers

Dorian Bloch has been researching UK game sales for over 20 years, for some reason. He too remembers that Friday pact made between shops, ELSPA (Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association) - now UKIE (Association for UK Interactive Entertainment) - and his company Gallup (now GfK Chart-Track). "The theory was that this was a clear differentiator to music/video releases on Mondays and gave retailers another window of sales opportunity and some great products to sell for the weekend, also giving publishers a clear and unique window in which to release titles," Bloch recalls.

They weren't enforced, those release dates - there weren't any penalties like there were for music. "It was just good for the industry as it brings a bit of order to something," Struthers shrugs, "and everyone seemed to be happy with it for quite a number of years."

Having no proper penalties did have downsides of course, especially as there were many more shops, each wanting to one-up the other. What would you do if stock turned up early one week, on a Wednesday or Thursday, and you had other shops within a stone's throw to compete with?

"Put temptation in front of people and guess what happens..." Payne rolls his eyes. But routine helped, and the cogs of the giant retail machine were soon well oiled and efficient. "Having worked in retail," says Struthers, "if you've got 600 shops, and you've got staff who do lots and lots of things, if there is no routine, if there is no process, the chances of it happening become lessened. If you just say 'hey this week the release date is a Monday', chances are: less compliance."

Friday was really cemented for the UK when home consoles boomed and home-grown games petered out, and when platform holders strode onto the scene. Not so much the NES or the Master System or even the SNES: it was the Mega Drive that went "absolutely bat s**t mental", recalls Graeme Struthers.

By the sounds of things, so too did Sega, flinging adverts all over papers and television, and doing "some amazing quite daring marketing", all the time reinforcing Friday, Friday, Friday. "When I was a kid I knew when I went to the record shop on Tuesday at 4 o'clock that's when all the new singles would be out," he remembers. "I guess there's kids out there who know you go into a shop on a Friday you're going to find what's been released."

And so Fridays came to pass, and so Fridays have remained. That model has stuck for a quarter of a century and today "it's virtually the same as it was" says Don McCabe, who established games shop Chipsworld/Chips in 1986. "They [the games] come in brown boxes, you unpack them, you put them on your system and you put them on your shelf."

That Friday feeling

There's no denying it: one feels a trifle jollier on a Friday than on any other day of the week, presuming you slog nine-to-five or study. But why does that make Friday a good shopping day - why did shops pick it?

"Well Friday inherently was always pay day," Don McCabe begins. "You put the products out in front of customers when it's pay day. That's how it started off years and years and years ago - 26 years ago - everybody got paid at the end of the working week. It made perfect sense to put the product out on the day they had money in their pocket."

"What's the best day to create a buzz - Monday morning?" Andy Payne rhetorically asks. "I would say that Friday is still, if you're going to pick a day, probably the best day, because it's getting towards the weekend when people have more time on their hands and they've got more time to play games."

"If you go out yourself on a Monday or Tuesday into retailers you'll find they tend to be tidying their shops up, putting new displays in place and taking down point-of-sale because they have no customers," adds Graeme Struthers. "We're at work, we're doing other things."

There are practical considerations, too. "Friday gives you a whole week to prepare, get that stock ready in your stores," explains HMV games manager Andy Pinder, a man with 20 years of retail experience, most of it at GAME. "Whereas if you're trying to launch on a Monday or Tuesday, you're relying on things being delivered on a weekend, which doesn't necessarily always go smoothly.

"I like Fridays, Fridays feel right; I've worked my arse off all week and I can fully justify kick-back gaming time."

Rich Eddy

"You've got the whole of that week in which to generate pre-awareness, not so much amongst the core shoppers but for your more casual shopper; there's an opportunity to get that buzz building over the week, climaxing on the Friday, then you go into the weekend when people can buy it, play it, enjoy it.

"The arguments for a Friday release are actually quite compelling," he goes on, "particularly given that music and film is currently releasing on a Monday. It means games have got that day all to themselves. From a retail point of view they get much better stand-out, it's more of an event when you reach a big release and it's out on a Friday. Retailers can make more of a fuss out of it."

"Any retailer in the western world will tell you that the vast majority of your sales will occur Thursday through to Sunday," Struthers chimes in, explaining that Thursday is when the state traditionally pays its workers, the teachers and police and nurses of the world. "If you're a retailer you do something like 60 per cent of your business Friday to Sunday."

Codemasters' long-time director of communications Rich Eddy puts it more bluntly: "I like Fridays, Fridays feel right; I've worked my arse off all week and I can fully justify kick-back gaming time."

Friday releases also helped people think of games as "an acceptable part of the weekend entertainment make-up", Eddy adds, and charts stories on Monday about opening weekend sales made snappy, movie-like headlines. Bombastic weekend launches might have helped publishers fight piracy too, suggests Andy Payne, by flogging as many copies as humanly possible before the inevitable knock-offs circulated.

If Friday is so great, why did America pick Tuesday?

"It started with music," famed US video game analyst Michael Pachter informs me, "then VHS tapes and DVDs. Retailers were very slow to stock shelves, so distributors asked for entertainment products to release on Tuesday so retailers could have them in stores by Friday when consumer traffic picks up.

The early game publishers used music and movie distributors, and games were shipped" - hence the "shipping to stores" hangover we have now - "to the distributors on Tuesday along with CDs, VHS tapes and DVDs. The distributors then sent a single truck to the retailer with a variety of different entertainment products and the retailers put everything on the shelves Tuesday."

It wasn't so much a case of picking a Tuesday as being lumped with it, and one doesn't simply change the US distribution model.

"Retailers were very slow to stock shelves, so distributors asked for entertainment products to release on Tuesday so retailers could have them in stores by Friday when consumer traffic picks up."

Michael Pachter

"To understand US logistics," Graeme Struthers says, "think of pushing stock out to the corners of Europe, up to the icy climbs of Finland and down to the toe of the boot of Italy. It becomes less a street date issue and more of simply filling distribution channels with stock to achieve everyone getting the product at roughly the same time."

He once worked for Take-Two and was invited to see the warehouse of Take-Two's American distribution company. "OK, it's a big building..." he says. "But when I went in there I was bemused because this place? Its scale was ridiculous. It was full of TVs, Hi-Fis, washing machines, video games, video game consoles. So then I understood that these trucks that are going out to these different points are not just taking a copy of Halo 4, they're taking a huge variety of product, and economically I guess it makes sense: to cover those distances you have to do many things."

That's not to say there aren't benefits to launching on a Tuesday. Shelves can be restocked for the weekend if needs be, for instance, and boring Tuesday is transformed into exciting new game Tuesday, and shops make more money as a result.

Publishers have their own distributors now for games, but Tuesday has embedded itself as the US day to sell games.

Coming together

Global launches already happen, particularly for Blizzard games; World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria arrived in shops across the US, Canada, Europe, Russia, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Brazil on the same day!

More commonly, a global launch means a simultaneous US and European launch (I don't know enough about Middle-Eastern, Asian, Australian or African dates to speak with any authority, unfortunately). Just this week we've had Hitman: Absolution (Tuesday 20th), and last week we had Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (Tuesday 13th). A week before that we had Halo 4 (Tuesday 6th). What's more, the number of Tuesday launches in the UK is sharply on the rise.

There will be 18 different games released on a Tuesday this year, GfK Chart-Track's Dorian Bloch informs me. Last year there were 11, and the year before, eight. But in 2009 there were only two: Modern Warfare 2 and Halo 3: ODST. There were three in 2008: LittleBigPlanet (on a Wednesday!), World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King and Grand Theft Auto 4. And there were two in 2007: Halo 3 (on a Wednesday!) and World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade. But in 2006 there were none. And in 2005 there were also none. And in 2004 there were none again. I mean, I could go on - all the way back to 1993. Nothing, nadda, zilch.

"The first notable Tuesday release was Sega's Sonic The Hedgehog 2 for Mega Drive back on 24th November 1992," Dorian Bloch enlightens me - and that day Sega dubbed "Sonic 2sday". "This was followed in 1993 by the first multi-format event release for Acclaim's Mortal Kombat on Mortal Monday (13/09/93) on Mega Drive, SNES, Game Boy, Game Gear and Master System," he goes on. "However, the practice went out of fashion and 'event' titles released outside of Friday in the modern era essentially began again as of 2007 with World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade."

"The first notable Tuesday release was Sega's Sonic The Hedgehog 2 for Mega Drive back on 24th November 1992."

Dorian Bloch

We often refer to them as midnight launches because they tend to involve crowds queuing on Monday to buy the game at a minute past midnight on Tuesday morning. These midweek midnight launches upset the usual way of things, yet they're accepted all the same. That's because they benefit the machine.

Shops like them because they get to make a song and dance out of the whole event and flog a load of copies of - and merchandise for - what is probably a very popular game on a very unpopular day of the week. If you're selected as the official launch partner it's even better, HMV's Andy Pinder assures me. Publishers like them because they make their games stand out from the crowd. They also get a full week of sales for the chart. And you lot must like them otherwise why else would you stand for hours outside on the cold November night?

But as midweek launches increase in frequency, piled on top of the existing Friday schedule, they can cause problems. Shops lose track of what goes when, particularly outlets like Asda or Argos whose staff typically don't know as much about games, and where catalogues are vast and varied. When stock for a Tuesday arrives in the regular delivery cycle on Wednesday or Thursday the week beforehand... That's when accidents happen. "I'm getting double release dates every week," winces Chips' Don McCabe. "I'm having to tell the staff, 'No you can't sell this before this date, no you can't come out before that date.' 'Oh I thought we couldn't sell it yet?' 'Yes, yes: sell it!'..."

"What I want is a consistent release date," he pleads. "What I don't like is the current situation where some games are released on a Friday and some games are released on a Tuesday. I would be happy to switch to a Tuesday as long as it became common, the norm."

Nevertheless, the UK retail machine can clearly handle a Tuesday launch, so why can't we do it more often, or even move entirely to it?

"We probably can," says Andy Payne. "I don't see a reason why we can't. I see no reason why anything can't be moved, frankly. There's no reason why all games shouldn't be sold on the same day, there's no reason it shouldn't happen. But there's always reasons that will get in the way of that happening." Those reasons being a mixture of self-interest, logistical and "no-one ever thought of it".

"You'd have a lot fewer people skiving off college or skiving off work if a game's released on a Friday than if it was released on a Tuesday."

Paul Sulyok

Tick HMV off under self-interest. HMV likes Fridays, and you can bet your pay packet that GAME and probably supermarkets feel the same way too. "I don't see why we should move to meet [Tuesdays] because that would actually diminish our prospects of maximising interest and sales," Andy Pinder puffs. "There's a strong case for a Friday that's been built up over time, and if anyone's looking to move and accommodate, it could well be that the rest of the world's markets should actually synch with UK and European releases which typically now tend to be on a Friday."

"You'd have a lot fewer people skiving off college or skiving off work if a game's released on a Friday than if it was released on a Tuesday," nods Paul Sulyok, CEO of download service Green Man Gaming.

But not everyone releases games on a Tuesday in North America. One of the biggest players of all, Nintendo, opts for Sunday launches and has for some time (mm, Sunday launches). The Wii U was the most recent of these, arriving Sunday, 18th November.

Tuesday is usually the day, though, and it simply won't budge. "US Tuesdays are unmovable," states Codemasters' Rich Eddy, very matter of fact - I get the impression he's been on the abrupt end of an enquiry about their manoeuvrability before. It's much easier to have the teensy UK and most of Europe fall in line with the gigantic US than vice versa. Also, imagine trying to convince a US-based company to favour another market above theirs, because that's effectively how it would be seen. Not only is there national pride to consider, there's also the size of the market: the US dominates approximately 40 per cent of boxed product video games sales worldwide, Dorian Bloch tells me. Europe accounts for 36 per cent, and the UK 30 per cent of that. On this table, the US holds most of the chips.

None of that matters on Steam, does it?

"Gaming's a global business these days and consumers of games are global," announces Green Man Gaming's Paul Sulyok. "It's a bit unfair if gamer-one and gamer-two are members of the same gaming community yet one's played the game for three days and is chatting about it on the forums and the next one is saying 'well I haven't got my copy yet, it's not live in my country'."

"If you're part of a clan and you're working together and you're excluded: that's wrong," declares Andy Payne. "It's going to fragment, and gamers don't want to be fragmented; they don't care much about borders, they care about the game and they care about their mates."

Sulyok continues: "Any gamer will tell you, if they're active in a community, that they've got mates who are in Russia, in the US, in Canada, in Australia, because that's just the gaming community and how the gaming community operates."

Community is the key word: the games with the strongest communities are those most likely to launch simultaneously around the world, not least because there would be pandemonium if they didn't. Case in point, Football Manager 2013, which launched globally on Steam at 00.01 GMT Friday, 2nd November.

"In the digital age, this will be first year that we've actually completely held our release date," Miles Jacobson from Sports Interactive tells me, at the time, hours before launch. "Even last year, which was the first year through Steam, we ended up going live at about eight or nine o'clock in the evening. This year we've said from the outset it will be released at 00.01 GMT on November 2nd and that's the time it will be coming and I'll be the person pushing the button."

Pressing that button, incidentally, was as tricky as having an MSN Messenger conversation with his production team at SI and a couple of people at Steam. Steam then asks if he's ready to go and he says yes and they press go. There's no actual big red button for Jacobson to press, although there is for patches, apparently. Football Manager 2013's launch was both unusual and exciting because it revolved around a Friday and the UK. Mind you it was developed in the UK, and SEGA America didn't resist "because they can't give away Football Manager", Graeme Struthers quips.

"...gamers don't want to be fragmented; they don't care much about borders, they care about the game and they care about their mates."

Andy Payne

"Digital distribution obviously offers more freedom," Rich Eddy from Codemasters accepts, but says as long as there are boxed counterparts for sale in shops then regional release dates will come into play. "It is the model that makes it fair to both digital and physical distribution partners," he stresses. In other words, don't piss off the shops - it's probably hard enough getting shelf space for boxed PC games as it is.

"Those kind of things do come into play," Graeme Struthers nods. "If I was back in my retail days and I was sitting there and I was prepared to give you a purchase order for stock and you said, 'You know we're going to sell this three days before you get it into your shop...'" he trails off. "Yeah, thanks," he quips sarcastically, "why don't you have some more of my cash." I spoke anonymously to someone from a major publisher who reinforced not-pissing-off-shops as a major reason for all this.

Don't be hoodwinked by the notion that boxed sales of PC games have disappeared, either. Another contact tells me boxed and download PC sales only reached parity in July this year in the UK, so boxed sales are still significant enough to matter. And in southern Europe and South America there's "a large portion" of PC games sold on discs, Green Man Gaming's Paul Sulyok says.

Dishonored launched on Tuesday 9th October in the US and Friday 12th October in the UK. UK Steam users watched their American cousins play the game while it sat on their accounts pre-loaded.

That digital freedom is caged further by multi-platform marketing campaigns. If your game is Dishonored and it's on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360, you want people to remember one thing: the release date. Watering that message down with different dates for different versions could ruin it all. "I wouldn't separate digital and physical," Paul Sulyok tells me. "You can't just look at the digital distribution element in isolation. If you're going to pay money for a poster or you're going to pay money for a bus stop, you want to make sure that a console gamer and a PC gamer - or whatever platform customers decide to consume that game on - that all of those different stock keeping units are available at the same time."

There are other more boring issues hampering downloadable release date synchronisation. Simple technical issues like dealing with lots of day-one DLC or wanting to staggering load for bandwidth purposes; localisation concerns such as translation or regional age ratings. Germany is particularly tough on blood in games, and publishers might hold up launches in other territories so Germans don't shop elsewhere. "It can sometimes be really, really boring admin issues with age ratings," says Graeme Struthers knowingly - he who helped found Get Games. "Some of that stuff can slow you down."

Speakers, in order of appearance

Andy Payne OBE, owner and MD of Mastertronic, an independent boxed publisher and distributor that's been around since 2004. He's chairman of publisher collective trade body UKIE. He started PC sim specialist Just Flight. Chairman of GamesAid. Founder of Get Games. Member of the BAFTA Games Committee. CEO of digital (mostly mobile) publisher AppyNation (Fluid Football). Where does he find the time? Like Graeme, who he works with at Get Games, Andy is well positioned to comment on all areas of this topic.

Graeme Struthers was, for 10 years between 1984 and 1994, a video games buyer at Dixons Stores Group (Dixons, Currys, PC World). He managed all supplier negotiations and contracts. In other words, it's his specialist subject. He went on to work at Virgin Interactive, EA and Take-Two. Now he's back in small-scale digital publishing at Devolver Digital - responsible for the brilliant Hotline Miami - and digital distribution at Get Games. In other words, he fits the bill for this investigation in plenty of ways. And he's a jolly nice chap. His Devolver cards credit him as a "distinguished gentleman" which in reality means he does the production management. He's a project manager at Get Games.

Dorian Bloch has over 20 years experience researching video games sales in the UK. He's been business group director at Chart-Track now GfK Chart-Track for a mere 16 years. Come on Dorian pull your socks up.

Don McCabe is joint MD of independent video game shop chain Chips, and has been since time began - well, since June 1986, more than 26 years ago.

Andy Pinder has only been at HMV for three months, but worked for 12 years and 8 months at GAME Group before that. His history in UK video games retail stretches all the way back to being a sales assistant at Just Micro Computer Games in 1989.

Rich Eddy was an editor for Newsfield publications (Zzap!64, Crash) before joining Codemasters in 1991, where he now directs all things communication. He's also an award winning gardener.

Michael Pachter is the most famous video games analyst on the planet, whatever you think of him. He gives advice to the myriad sales team at investment company Wedbush Morgan.

Paul Sulyok has been CEO of download service Green Man for three years and six months and CEO of Playfire for five months before - the company bought by Green Man Gaming. Sulyok was also a captain in the British Army for six years, which is of no relevance to this piece.

Miles Jacobson OBE is studio director of Sports Interactive. He worked in music A&R before games. He joined SI as a tester but quickly showed his business acumen and became business advisor. He became part-time MD in 1999 before becoming full-time in 2001. He's one of the co-founders of GamesAid and vice-president of Special Effect. He was on the BAFTA Games Committee for six years.

Special thanks to them and the anonymous others who helped with this piece.

There's also tax and the "outdated" laws that don't transition online where there are no physical borders, Andy Payne adds. "And what happens when people find it difficult is they start making rules up," he tells me, "simplistic rules that seem like they're the right thing to do; but in the context of future-proofing they don't work." They might try and limit a UK-based download shop to selling to UK customers, for example. "'Oh OK," says Payne, sarcastically, "so we're an online business and we're only allowed to sell in the UK....'" He reveals that his Get Games business signed content deals that "restricted what we can and can't sell".

"There are so many things going on in the background," reiterates Paul Sulyok. "Yes you could have a global unlock, however there is a bigger picture that needs a bit more consideration."

So where do we stand, part 1: will boxed dates unify?

Only if we can convince the entire establishment it's worth the upheaval of change. "That long term established process has seen the many, many, manufactures, packers, distributors, logistics companies, warehousing, to-store-deliveries, work their systems around the end result of a game on a shelf on a Friday," stresses Rich Eddy, voice of the publisher. "To change that would take a unilateral acceptance that there is a need to change across all sectors involved in production and logistics - it's a way bigger consideration than just publishers' desire to change."

"Across the board no, it's unlikely," Andy Payne adds. "I can't see the absolute case for doing it. It'll be tough to see the whole industry rallying behind one worldwide release date.

"It's a free world," he shrugs, "it's not impossible that you'd have the two biggest games of the year going out on the same day and one of those game makers will turn around and say, 'Actually we're not doing that. We don't want to go out on the same day as those guys, we'll pick a different day and to be different we're going to say we've got FIFA Thursday or whatever it may be.'

"You're always trying to get attention for your game, and if all the media are geared up to a day of the week then they kind of fall asleep for the rest of the week. It's a free market out there and people are going to use every advantage they can to make the best of their game - and more power to that."

So where do we stand, part 2: will download dates unify?

"We shouldn't be talking about regional release dates for core games we download onto our PCs," Graeme Struthers sates flatly. "That should stop. It should stop now. It certainly shouldn't be around next year.

"Yes, it will change," he adds, "because the retail box business is going away. I can't think of any other reason why you would hold it back."

"We can all see where this going," Andy Payne agrees, "but it's not going to go as fast or as direct as theorists or economists or analysts might say; you've got vested interests, it's as simple as that." The "inexorable" tipping point he believes will come when the EAs, the Take-Twos, the Activisions, the Bethesdas, the Ubisofts decide its in the best interests of their businesses to leave boxed sales behind. Although don't expect boxed sales to disappear entirely, cautions Struthers - expect them stick around like vinyl has "after its demise has been celebrated so many times".

Bear in mind, too, that unified dates might not suit all games, and some companies might not need or want them. "If PopCap want to release the next version of Peggle and they want to stagger the release for whatever reason, I don't think it makes a big deal, no disrespect," Andy Payne points out. "It doesn't matter as much as if you're on Warcraft or Rift or League or Legends or something like that."

"Our preference would be for there to be one single unlock day for a product," Paul Sulyok pipes up. "You're going to see it in the very near future. The games industry is an industry that evolves and adapts very quickly to changes in consumer requirements. If there's consumer pressure to go for one single launch, the industry will recognise that and will cater for it."

"This is a problem that will disappear as more and more people - and guys like yourself - are using their voice."

Graeme Struthers

Graeme Struthers agrees: "This is a problem that will disappear as more and more people - and guys like yourself - are using their voice and saying that if a game's coming out on a digital platform like Steam and it's released on this day and I've got it, I've pre-ordered it, I've pre-installed it, it's a nonsense, it's a fundamental nonsense that it's not available for me to play.

"It's like giving kids a Christmas present on the 25th and saying, 'Can you f*** off and come back on the 28th? You can look at it, you can't f***ing touch it.'"

So what have I learned? That despite the ubiquitous appearance of the internet, underneath is a world of different cultures that for a quarter of a century have honed their methods for delivering games to their people. To change that, to unify that - to convince the myriad cogs of each machine to do things differently - would take a colossal effort as well as one hell of a convincing reason why. "It's not fair my American friend gets to play three days earlier than me" just won't cut it.

In the UK we're lucky because we're geographically small and therefore nimble, so we're able to make exceptions and synchronise with US Tuesday dates. Moving entirely to Tuesdays, though? It doesn't seem to suit the shops that control retail Britain. They like Friday, they like their routine, so they'd block it or make it hard to achieve. Vested interests.

Online, downloadable games are shackled by those decades-old, entrenched boxed-market habits, and will continue to be until the day boxed games pale into insignificance. On PC, that time will come sooner than consoles because of Steam, and because we don't yet know what next-generation masterplans Microsoft and Sony have.

But that "when" also depends on you - so kick up a stink, bray, petition about the Steam version of a game not being available at the same time in the UK (or wherever you live) as in the US. Chances are, if you shout loud enough, appeasing the mob may become a publisher's top priority for business. And when that happens, all other obstructions to a unified launch will seem to miraculously fall away.

Source: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-11-23-why-are-we-stuck-with-games-being-released-on-a-friday

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