Monday, August 5, 2013

Record 17 companies register as delaware's first benefit corporations

Photo Credit: Delaware.gov

Photo Credit: Delaware.gov

In a major act of affirmation for Delaware?s recent legislation legalizing benefit corporations, New Leaf Paper and Alter Eco last week joined more than a dozen other companies in registering as the new class of corporation.

Other registering companies included fast-growing organic baby food brand Plum Organics, online personal delivery farmers? market Farmigo and popular home goods brand Method Products.

Not to be confused with a B Corp, which is a certification offered by a non-governmental organization called B Lab, benefit corporations are state government legal corporate structures. Like an LLC, S-Corp or C-Corp, it is a way to legally structure a company.

According to BenefitCorp.net, benefit corporations create a material, positive impact on society and the environment; expand fiduciary duty to require consideration of non-financial interests when making decisions; and report on overall social and environmental performance using recognized third-party standards.

?Benefit corporations meet a market need and a societal need,? said Delaware Governor Jack Markell. ?They have the potential to create high-quality jobs and improve the quality of life in our communities.?

While Delaware is the 19th state (plus the District of Columbia) to enact benefit corporation legislation, as legal home of most venture-backed businesses, the majority of publicly traded companies and nearly two-thirds of the Fortune 500, it is the most important state for businesses that seek access to venture capital, private equity and public capital markets. In other words, the state?s legalization of benefit corporations signifies they are here to stay.

Many of the companies that registered last week are backed venture capital investors, corporate investors and parent companies, which have shown support for the benefit corporation legislation. Some of these include San Francisco Equity Partners and European eco-leader Ecover (Method), Campbell?s Soup Company (Plum), Benchmark Capital and RSF Social Finance (Farmigo), Pacific Community Investors (New Leaf Paper) and Good Capital (Alter Eco).

?With the passage of Delaware Benefit Corporation legislation, the path is now clear to scale business as a force for good,? said Andrew Kassoy, B Lab co-founder. ?It?s great to see venture capital and corporate investors taking advantage of this new tool to scale mission-driven businesses on the very first day.?

Current Delaware law requires corporations to prioritize the financial interests of shareholders over the interests of workers, communities and the environment. Benefit corporations enjoy legal protection to create value for society, not just for shareholders, while meeting higher standards of accountability and transparency.

?Part of Method?s mission is to show that business can be a force for social and environmental good,? said Adam Lowry, Co-Founder and Chief Greenskeeper of Method Products. ?Delaware benefit corporation law enables responsible businesses like Method to practice a more enlightened form of corporate governance that includes not only financial objectives, but social and environmental objectives.?

In recognition of what some members of the Delaware Bar have called a ?seismic shift in corporate law,? more than 600 business leaders from the community of certified B Corporations have signed an Open Letter inviting their colleagues to join them in redefining success in business. Signatories include well-known businesses like Patagonia and Ben & Jerry?s, and high-growth businesses such as online marketplace Etsy and eyewear company Warby Parker.

SustainAbility, Honest Company, GOOD Inc. and Performance Management Institute also have committed to registering as benefit corporations in the coming year.

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Source: http://www.triplepundit.com/2013/08/delaware-benefit-corporations/

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US helicopter crashes in Japan

A US military helicopter Monday crashed in Okinawa, Japan's southernmost prefecture, a media report said.

The accident took place at about 4.30 p.m. Monday inside a US military camp in Ginoza village, reported Xinhua citing NHK.

The fate of those onboard the chopper was not known.

Okinawa government and residents have demanded for long to move US bases out of the prefecture, especially the key Futenma airbase, due to safety concern.

However, Japan's central government and the US, despite the opposition, continue to deploy more US aircrafts to the prefecture, which holds more than 70 percent of US bases in Japan.

Source: http://newindianexpress.com/world/US-helicopter-crashes-in-Japan/2013/08/05/article1719667.ece

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J&J pleased Chinese anti-monopoly dispute is over

BEIJING (AP) - Health care giant Johnson and Johnson says it is pleased to put a legal dispute behind it after a Chinese court ordered it to pay compensation to a former distributor under an anti-monopoly law.

Thursday's ruling said Johnson & Johnson was guilty of "vertical monopoly" for setting minimum prices its distributors charged for surgical sutures. It noted that J&J has stopped that practice but ordered it to pay 530,000 yuan ($85,000) to a Chinese distributor that said it lost potential sales due to the restriction.

"While we are disappointed with today's ruling by the Higher People's Court of Shanghai, we are pleased to have put this matter behind us and look forward to continuing to provide our high quality products and services to healthcare institutions and patients in China," said J&J in a statement.

Lawyers said the ruling indicates Chinese authorities are stepping up anti-monopoly investigations.

The ruling was the first of its kind against a Fortune 500 company under China's 5-year-old anti-monopoly law, according to lawyers and Chinese news reports.

Business groups welcomed the law in 2008 as a step toward making operating conditions clearer but have said since then it is enforced more actively against global companies than against their local rivals.

The case comes amid separate Chinese investigations of possible bribery, price-fixing and other misconduct by global suppliers of milk, pharmaceuticals and other products.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.wafb.com/story/23039742/jj-pleased-chinese-anti-monopoly-dispute-is-over

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Total War Rome II - Releases 2013-09-03 - PRE ORDER NOW!

Pre-order Total War Rome II get :

  • 20% back in BlueCoins
  • Receive the Greek States Culture DLC Pack for Free.
  • Digital Wallpaper

About? Total War?: ROME II ? Greek States Culture Pack

The Greek States Culture Pack adds a new playable Culture including three new playable Factions to Total War: ROME II; for use in Single or Multiplayer Campaign modes and Custom and Multiplayer Battles.

The Greek States Culture Pack adds diplomatic Athens, shrewd Epirus and formidable Sparta as playable factions. Each offers range of special tactics to achieve cultural and martial victories, and lethal elite units to crush foes in battle.

The Greek States share a number of common goals, philosophies and general diplomatic aims. However, they are defined by their fierce independence and between them demonstrate a huge variety in approach to civil and military challenges that often brings them into conflict with the wider world, and each other.

New Features:
New Playable Factions
? Athens, Epirus and Sparta each offer a unique new way to experience the campaign, with their own rosters of powerful military units, distinct traits and play styles.

The Athenian pursuit of enlightenment grants them technological and cultural bonuses; Sparta?s dominance over the Helots allows them to maintain a larger slave population; and Epirus enjoys bonuses to settlement exploitation stemming from their village-confederation origins.

New Cultural Traits ? All Greek States benefit from a bonus in battle when defending their own or an allied territory, a bonus to wealth generated by their capitals and an increase to the rate of cultural conversion within their borders.

New Cultural Objectives ? Greek States have their own new set of military, economic and cultural victory conditions, as well as sharing a unique set of bonus objectives drawn from Greek history. Additionally, each faction will have to contend with its unique events and dilemmas.

New Military Traditions ? Each of the Greek States has a unique top-tier military tradition: Athenian fleets may be honoured as Children of the Aegaean, improving the ramming ability of their ships whilst allowing them to secure more income when raiding; Spartan armies may be remembered as Peers of Leonidas, improving their melee defense capabilities and reducing their upkeep; the armies of Epirus may be feared as Hounds of Molossus, granting them greater charge bonuses whilst allowing them to keep public order problems in check.

New Units:
In addition to the intimidating unit rosters of each faction now playable for the first time, the Greek States Culture Pack introduces a variety of unique and especially elite and deadly forces.

Mercenary Veteran Hoplites ? [available to all playable factions]
From glistening spear points to earth-shaking tread, a phalanx is a sight and sound to inspire dread. With these veteran hoplites, that dread is sold to the highest bidder.

Thureos Hoplites ? [Unique to Athens]
While the linen breastplates worn by these men may look flimsy, they are cool, practical and surprisingly tough. As with all hoplites, the men inside are also practical and tough warriors.

Thorax Hoplites ? [Unique to Athens]
These heavy hoplites are marked by their bronze breastplate armour, a sign of wealth and status. They are armed with spears and hoplon shields, and use the phalanx formation to batter enemies into submission.

Agrianian Axemen ? [Unique to Epirus and Macedon]
The Paeonian tribe of Agrianes are fierce fighters. As well as terrible killing tools, their axes are also climbing hooks for rough terrain. No sensible general would not use them in an assault.

Aspis Companion Cavalry ? [Unique to Epirus and Macedon]
A king?s companions in battle are his nobles and esteemed friends. It is an honour to be a companion, to ride forth with javelin and kopis to fight for your lord and master.

Heroes of Sparta ? [Unique to Sparta]
Embodying the spirit of Thermopylae, the Heroes Of Sparta bear their spears and shields with fierce pride and unrivalled mastery.

Polybolos Repeating Scorpion ? [Siege Deployable available to all Greek, Roman and Carthaginian factions]
Able to make short work of even the most heavily-armoured opponents, this repeating bolt thrower?? sacrifices the ordinary Scorpion?s range in return for a rapid rate of fire.

Tortoise Armoured Battering Ram ? [Siege Deployable available to all Greek, Roman and Carthaginian factions]
Combining devastating ramming power while affording protection to its crew, used well the Tortoise more than makes up for its lack of speed and manoeuvrability in open ground.

New Buildings:
The Monument of Lacedaemon
? [Unique to Sparta]
A symbol of Sparta?s overridingly martial culture, The Monument of Lacedaemon brings cost reductions to military recruitment, significantly increases the morale of land units in the province and a global morale boost to existing units.

Oracle of Dodona ? [Unique to Epirus]
This sacred grove is the domain of the priests and priestesses of Epirus. The Oracle of Dodona increases city growth, provincial happiness, wealth, and the global conversion of other factions to Hellenic culture.

Acropolis ? [Unique to Athens]
A symbol of Athenian high culture and engineering excellence, The Acropolis also provides extra garrison forces to Athens, improves the city?s abilities to withstand sieges, and increases Athenian agents? Authority actions.

Faction History:
Athens
Athens has long been famed for its cultural achievements, from buildings such as the Parthenon, to the plays and works of Aristophanes, Plato, Socrates, and Sophocles. In many ways, Greek culture is defined by Athens. Its military focus has long been its navy; however, continuing the traditions of the classical era, its citizens are also expected to contribute both infantry and cavalry to its armies.

Epirus
Epirus is a Greek kingdom formed of numerous small villages and towns, rather than the great cities of the south. An agriculture and fishing-based society, Epirus nevertheless maintains a balanced army on the Alexandrian model, consisting of cavalry, archers, peltasts, phalangites and war elephants. They also make extensive use of mercenaries from throughout the Greek-speaking world.

Sparta
With every aspect of their lives and society geared towards warfare, Sparta dominated the Greek world and continues to produce arguably the finest soldiers of the Hellenic period. The slaves and non-citizens of Sparta enable their citizens to pursue warrior perfection as soldiers and champions. Trained and hardened in battle, their warriors and leaders are the embodiment of military discipline and virtue.

?


How far will you go for Rome?

The award-winning Total War series returns to Rome, setting a brand new quality benchmark for Strategy gaming. Become the world?s first superpower and command the Ancient world?s most incredible war machine. Dominate your enemies by military, economic and political means. Your ascension will bring both admiration and jealousy, even from your closet allies.

Will you suffer betrayal or will you be the first to turn on old friends? Will you fight to save the Republic, or plot to rule alone as Emperor?

  • Plan your conquest of the known world in a massive sandbox turn-based campaign mode (supporting additional 2-player cooperative & competitive modes). Conspiracies, politics, intrigue, revolts, loyalty, honour, ambition, betrayal. Your decisions will write your own story.
  • Build vast armies and take to the battlefield in real-time combat mode. Put your tactical skills to the test as you directly control tens of thousands of men clashing in epic land and sea battles.
  • Play for the glory of Rome as one of three families or take command of a huge variety of rival civilisations ? each offers a notably different form of gameplay experience with hundreds of unique units from siege engines and heavy cavalry to steel-plated legionaries and barbarian berserkers.
  • See exotic ancient cities and colossal armies rendered in incredible detail, as jaw-dropping battles unfold. Detailed camera perspectives allow you to see your men shout in victory or scream in pain on the frontline, while a new tactical cam allows a god?seye view of the carnage to better inform your strategic decisions.
  • Extremely scalable experience, with gameplay and graphics performance optimised to match low and high-end hardware alike.

? SEGA. Creative Assembly, the Creative Assembly logo, Total War, Total War: ROME and the Total War logo are either registered trade marks or trade marks of The Creative Assembly Limited. SEGA and the SEGA logo are either registered trade marks or trade marks of SEGA Corporation. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.gamersgate.com/DD-TWR2/total-war-rome-ii

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Sunday, August 4, 2013

Twitter UK boosts anti-abuse tools after threats against women

By Estelle Shirbon

LONDON (Reuters) - The British arm of Twitter apologized on Saturday to a group of high-profile women who have been threatened with death and rape on the micro-blogging site, and announced measures to make it easier for users to report abusive tweets.

Twitter had come under increasing pressure to react after a feminist campaigner, several women members of parliament and female journalists were targeted by users who hurled misogynistic abuse at them and in some cases made violent threats.

"I personally apologize to the women who have experienced abuse on Twitter and for what they have gone through," Tony Wang, general manager of Twitter UK, said on his own Twitter feed.

"The abuse they've received is simply not acceptable. It's not acceptable in the real world, and it's not acceptable on Twitter," he said.

Twitter UK said it was adding staff to help handle abuse reports. It also said an in-tweet "report abuse" button currently available on the Twitter app for iPhones would be added to the Twitter website and to platforms used on other mobile devices.

The problem of abuse by so-called internet "trolls" has been front-page news in Britain since activist Caroline Criado-Perez was hit by a barrage of vitriolic tweets after successfully campaigning for a woman's face to appear on bank notes.

In recognition of her role, Criado-Perez appeared alongside Bank of England Governor Mark Carney on July 24, when he announced 19th century novelist Jane Austen would become the face of the new 10-pound note.

Police arrested two men over rape threats against Criado-Perez. One of them was also suspected of making rape threats against opposition Labour legislator Stella Creasy, who backed the bank note campaign and also appeared with Carney on July 24.

In separate incidents days later, several high-profile female journalists received tweets from someone threatening to bomb their homes and "destroy everything" there.

London's Metropolitan Police Service said on Friday it was investigating allegations made by eight people who have been subjected to harassment, malicious communication or bomb threats.

While the trolls themselves have been denounced across British media, Twitter had also come under heavy criticism for its failure to respond forcefully enough.

In a statement issued after Wang's apology, Criado-Perez welcomed the new measures announced by Twitter UK but said a more profound overhaul of the social network's system for handling abuse was needed.

"The current process is lengthy, complicated and impossible to use if you're under sustained attack like I have been," she said.

"Right now, all the emphasis is on the victim, often under intense pressure, to report rather than for Twitter to track down the perpetrator and stop them."

(Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/twitter-uk-boosts-anti-abuse-tools-threats-against-134938067.html

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Whirlwind wedding allows dying son to be best man for his parents

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

  • Couple weds with their terminally ill son, 2, as best man
  • The marriage took place in the backyard of the family's home
  • After a grim diagnosis from doctors, the wedding was planned within a week

(CNN) -- Dressed in a tan suit and an orange shirt matching his mom's bouquet, 2-year-old Logan looked on as his parents exchanged vows and rings at a backyard wedding.

Guests who gathered under a white arbor in the Jeanette, Pennsylvania, home applauded -- but many with tears in their eyes.

Because this union of Christine Swidorsky and Sean Stevenson was no ordinary wedding.

The couple had planned it for ages, and had penciled July 2014 as their special day. But that was before they learned that their best man -- Logan -- had just weeks to live.

The boy is suffering from leukemia, brought on by a genetic disorder, Fanconi anemia.

"We've been waiting for this day for a long time, but under the circumstances with Logan being sick all the time, we just held off," Stevenson told CNN affiliate KDKA. "We always knew he was going to get better."

Toddler given weeks to live

Toddler given weeks to live

Toddler given weeks to live

Toddler given weeks to live

Toddler given weeks to live

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"But under the circumstances of what the doctors told us, we just decided to go ahead and do it while he was still with us."

Christine Swidorsky carried Logan down the aisle. His grandmother cradled her in his arms, his favorite brown teddy bear by his side.

"This is our dream come true, all our family together, and we're all together celebrating. The celebration of my son's life and the celebration of our marriage," Swidorsky said, as Etta James' "At Last" played in the background.

Fighting since birth

Born on October 22, 2010, Logan weighed just three pounds. Eating troubles kept Logan in the hospital, but he kept fighting, kept growing, and was soon home with his parents and his two older sisters.

And for his first year, he grew, he was healthy, and he made his family unspeakably happy. Even today, as his life nears an end, Swidorsky struggles to find words to say what an amazing little boy he is.

Just after Logan's first birthday, Swidorsky noticed that he wasn't feeling well again, and his lips and fingernails had turned white. Over the course of a month, she took Logan to the pediatrician four times before the head pediatrician tended to him. When he did, he quickly called 911.

Swidorsky said Logan shocked doctors at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. His leukemia had progressed so far, they were surprised he was still alive. Chemotherapy was started right away, taking an extraordinary toll on his body.

The couple learned more devastating news shortly after: Logan has a genetic disorder called Fanconi anemia, which most frequently results in death, most commonly from cancer, between the ages of 25 and 30.

But Logan fought hard, just like he had done as a newborn. He landed in the ICU but pulled through, and by July 13, 2012, doctors were prepared to give him a blood stem cell transplant.

After his stem cell treatment, he was free of leukemia for nine months, eating and acting like any other child. Life started to feel normal for Logan's family.

But Swidorsky's gut feeling returned when she saw Logan acting strange again.

Cancer again

It was cancer again: a mass the size of an orange on Logan's larger and better-functioning kidney. Doctors had no choice but to remove the kidney, just a week before Easter this year.

Life gained a long-sought-after normalcy for Logan and the family, except for the twice-weekly visits to a clinic for his chemotherapy. The therapy, though not a perfect solution for Logan, would hopefully prevent a recurrence of the cancer, despite being a lower dose than average.

Logan's life continued to improve.

"He was eating bowl after bowl" of spaghetti, Swidorsky said. "It was a wonderful feeling."

But then he started getting fevers and throwing up.

Logan's left side swelled as the mass returned, where the kidney once was.

"I thought he was doing so well. It's like you take two steps forward, 15 back," Swidorsky said.

The doctors told Logan's family that they could only do more harm than good.

In June, as the family's fortunes continued to fail, the Make a Wish Foundation treated them to a trip to Disney World.

But after just four hours there, Logan was back in the hospital.

Eight days of torture ensued, as he had developed an infection and eventually needed to be flown home to Jeannette, about 40 minutes from Pittsburgh.

Finally, on July 26, doctors gave Logan one to two weeks to live.

Not giving up

But that doesn't mean Logan's parents are giving up.

"We're just blessed everyday that he's here with us," Stevenson said Saturday, after the ceremony. "We're not going to stop fighting. We have nothing to lose.

"I'm going to try until God says otherwise."

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/03/us/pennsylvania-boy-best-man/index.html?eref=rss_latest

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White House vetoes iPhone, iPad ban after Samsung patent spat

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(Image: CNET)

The White House on Saturday shot down a court ruling that would have prevented Apple from selling older versions of its iPhone and iPad in the United States.

According to a letter?published by The Wall Street Journal, the Obama administration delegated the decision to veto a court decision made earlier this year by the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) to?U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman.

The USITC ordered a ban on some older?AT&T versions of?iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 3G, iPad 2 3G devices following a patent infringement suit with Samsung.

The decision went in Samsung's favor based on a single patent?? U.S. Patent No. 7,706,348, which is owned by the Korean electronics giant?? that included Apple's "wireless communications devices" and "portable music and data processing devices."

Under the order, Apple would not have been able to import the products where they are built and assembled in China into the U.S.

"After extensive consultations [with numerous agencies], I have decided to disapprove the USITC's determination to issue an exclusion order and cease and desist order in this investigation," Froman wrote in the letter.

"This decision is based on my review of the various policy considerations [discussed in the letter] as they relate to the effect on competitive conditions in the U.S. economy and the effect on U.S. consumers."

Froman added in his letter that the decision was "not an endorsement or a criticism" of the Commission. "The patent owner [Samsung] may continue to pursue its rights through the courts," noting that Samsung was still entitled to a remedy.

This is the first time the White House has vetoed an order by the USITC since 1987, according to the Journal.

Source: http://www.zdnet.com/white-house-vetoes-iphone-ipad-ban-after-samsung-patent-spat-7000018931/

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