Saturday, February 23, 2008

In the Hall 1 of 2008 Taipei International Book Exhibition, the public often think this hall as a collective from general books. But this year, United Daily News Group (????) not only participated in this show with major brands on Economic Daily News (????), Linking Publishing (?????), and United Daily News Online (????), but also announced two interactive e-books with Old Master Q and Wan-Wan (??) on Saturday (Feb. 16). With two major announcements, the General Book Hall conjoined with a fashion of comic.

• Announcement of “Old Master Q – E-book Edition”: A dialogue between “True Master” Shih-ping Tsai (left) and “Old Master” Joseph Chak Wong (right, not Alfonso Wong, who ever used “Wong Chak” as Alfonso’s pen-name).Image: Rico Shen.

• Wan-Wan, a famous blogger and comic drawer from Taiwan.Image: Rico Shen.

• Microsoft Taiwan ever showcased a special painting console drew by Wan-Wan in the 2008 Taipei Game Show.Image: Rico Shen.

The “Old Master Q” became a fashion in not only Taiwan but also Chinese-language world because readers in Chinese-language world wanted to collect whole series and recommended its series as “Must Buy Series”, its humor style attracted readers to read. After several arrangements with music and flash movies, the “Old Master Q” series will be more interactive than a simple comic book.

Joseph Chak Wong (??) ever replied a question to local media about its characteristic and said:

In the afternoon, a Taiwanese famous blogger drawer “Wan-Wan” Chia-wei Hu participated the E-book launch of “Can’t I go to work? A drawing diary by Wan-Wan.”. The original author, Wan-Wan said to media and fans:

After her words, the possibility of brand establishment on Wan-Wan’s work may be increased in the future for the global marketing in comic world.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

A group of British embassy workers kidnapped in northern Ethiopia 12 days ago have been released, Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett has said. The workers – four British citizens and one French citizen and Ethiopian staff working with them, had been held in Eritrea, she announced on Tuesday.

The party were apparently on a sightseeing tour when they were abducted on 1 March. Beckett also said that all kidnapped were safe and well and were:

The group went missing on March 1 on a tourist trip to visit geological sites in the remote Afar region, in the country’s north. Two vehicles belonging to the group were later found in a north-eastern village called Hamedali. The vehicles were found were riddled with bullets, but still contained luggage and mobile telephones.

The region in which the Hamedali is, Afar, straddles the border of Ethiopia and Eritrea. Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Meles Zenawi had said on Monday that Ethiopian officials had a “good idea” of where the hostages were being held.

Zenawi announced that embassy staff had not been specifically targeted and suggested that the kidnapping might have been a “mistake”. Hamedali is a staging post for tourists venturing into the unique geological formations of the Danakil Depression, including the area’s famous salt lakes. The area is one of the hottest and inhospitable lands on Earth. Visitors are warned by the government to travel in a convoy with armed guards because of rebels and bandits. Witnesses stated that around 50 men burst Hamedali and marched the foreigners towards the Eritrean border.

Friday, February 3, 2006

Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Company is currently engaged in a war of words with John Mack, editor of the monthly newsletter Pharma Marketing News. Mack and Eli Lilly are debating the origin of the Cialis Blog, a long-running Web site containing information about the popular anti-impotence medication Cialis. The Web site features information about Cialis’ clinical trials and commentary from Lilly ICOS executives.

Mack has suggested that Eli Lilly and Company sponsors the Cialis Blog. However, Lilly ICOS has asserted that it has nothing to do with the Web site.

Mack disputed Eli Lilly’s version of events calling the Cialis Blog “too far-fetched to be believed” and an example of Lilly’s “incredible incompetence.” Another blog, Envisioning 2.0, notes that the “Cialis blog is not endorsed by the powers that be at Lilly ICOS, according to Lilly spokesperson Kindra Strupp.”

Pharmaceutical Executive first mentioned the Cialis blog in an October 2004 article about pharmaceutical blogging. The author of the story assigned responsibility for the blog to Lilly ICOS without attribution.

Other bloggers have posted comments on Envisioning 2.0 and Mack’s Pharma Marketing Blog suggesting that the Cialis Web site may be unofficial. They cite evidence from a WHOIS search indicating that Mircea Piturca of Romania apparently registered the blog.

Mack and bloggers commenting on the debate have all urged Eli Lilly to take action against the site. They all believe it is in the company’s best interest to have the site shuttered.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

A former Marsh & McLennan Cos. executive has hit former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer with a $60 million defamation lawsuit over an online magazine article regarding an insurance bid-rigging scandal.

William Gilman, a former Marsh managing director, filed a complaint last Friday in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, over allegations Mr. Spitzer defamed him in a Slate article published a year ago. A copy of the complaint was made public on Monday.

Gilman, who had a final insurance fraud charge dismissed in January, said Spitzer acted with “actual malice” by suggesting that he was guilty of crimes of which he was never accused.

Although he wasn’t named in the article, Mr. Gilman complained that Spitzer defamed him by writing that “Marsh’s behavior was a blatant abuse of law and market power: price-fixing, bid-rigging and kickbacks all designed to harm their customers and the market while Marsh and its employees pocketed the increased fees and kickbacks.”

“While Mr. Spitzer’s statements do not refer to Mr. Gilman by name, Mr. Gilman is readily identifiable as the subject of the defamatory comments,” said the complaint. “Mr. Spitzer was well aware of his own allegations as attorney general and the resolution of those allegations in favor of Mr. Gilman and yet, recklessly disregarded these facts.”

In 2004 Mr. Spizter, then the state’s Attorney General, announced an investigation into the practices at Marsh & McLennan, particularly fees paid by insures to brokers who place business with them. Gilman, who worked for the company at the time, was charged in 2005 with 37 counts of insurance fraud. Gilman’s final charge was dropped last January.

“I haven’t seen the lawsuit and so will not comment on it,” said Spitzer. “The illegalities rampant at Marsh & McLennan leading to their fine of $850 million and the multiple judicial findings of illegality are clear from the public record.”

Mr. Gilman is now seeking at least $10 million in compensatory damages; $20 million in general damages, including damage to his reputation; and $30 million in punitive damages.

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Yesterday, Argentina and FC Barcelona football star Lionel Messi won the 2015 FIFA Ballon d’Or in the FIFA event, hosted in Zürich, Switzerland. The Ballon d’Or is an annual award given to the player voted to be the best of the year.

File:Messi’s 5th Ballon d’Or.jpg

Messi along with his Barcelona teammate Neymar and Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo were shortlisted by FIFA back in November. Having won five major trophies in the 2015 calendar year, which included the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup in December in Japan against Argentine club River Plate in which he scored the first goal, Messi won 41.33% of the votes.

Winner in previous years Ronaldo secured 27.76% of the votes, and Messi’s teammate Neymar won 7.86%. 2007 Ballon d’Or winner and Brazilian player Kaká announced the winner of the Gala. Messi played 61 games in 2015, and scored 52 goals. He also provided 26 assists. He also scored in each of the six tournaments.

At the ceremony, Messi said “It’s a very special moment for me, after watching as Cristiano Ronaldo won for two years. It’s incredible that it’s my fifth. Much more than anything I would have dreamed of as a kid.” ^{((es)) Spanish language: Es un momento especial, después de ver dos años cómo lo ganaba Cristiano. Es increíble que sea el quinto, es mucho más de lo que imaginaba cuando era chiquito.}

Messi previously won the La Liga best player of the year; and UEFA Best Player in Europe Award with 49 votes out of 54, leaving behind his teammate Luis Suárez and Ronaldo who got three and two votes respectively. He also won a silver medal in the 2015 Copa América when Argentina lost to the hosts Chile on penalties.

Messi previously won the award for four consecutive years from 2009 to 2012. Ronaldo and Messi between them have won the trophy for the past eight years. Neymar this year became the first top-three Brazilian since Kaká’s 2007 win.

Messi voted for his teammates Neymar, Suárez, and Andrés Iniesta; Neymar voted for Messi, Suárez, and Ivan Rakiti?. Neymar at the ceremony said “It is a dream for me to be here, it’s a victory”.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Takeo Fukui, the President and CEO of Honda made a statement on Friday that the company will leave Formula One before the 2009 season.

Among the causes of this decision were the problems in the global auto industry, and the general economic crisis. It is estimated that Honda had an annual budget of US$500m for the team in 2008.

The team Honda Racing led by Nick Fry (CEO) and Ross Brawn (Team principal) will have three months to find a new owner. It may still be using Honda’s engines, as, previously, the BAR-Honda team. Nick Fry said three potential bidders had already emerged.

Honda’s 2008 race drivers, Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, still are not confirmed for 2009, nor is the GP2 star Bruno Senna, the nephew of Ayrton Senna, his prospects to enter the Formula One now faded but still exist.

The pullout has raised fears that another major Japanese automotive giant, Toyota, may also quit its team Toyota F1.

Earlier Dietrich Mateschitz‘s Red Bull became the sole proprietor over Toro Rosso after Gerhard Berger sold his shares of the team. It was said to be done to make selling the team easier.

The 2009 Formula One season will begin on March 29, with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Microsoft, along with MetroFi, are set to construct a community wide Wi-Fi network in Portland, Oregon. Craig Mathias, founder of Farpoint Group, believes that one day Wi-Fi will offer a viable alternative to Cable and DSL.

“I think muni Wi-Fi will become enormous,” said Mathias.

Currently 68 cities in the United States have city wide Wi-Fi with 132 more planning deployments.

Saturday, August 12, 2017

Yesterday, the state government of Victoria, Australia announced their decision to trial self-driving vehicles on two of the state’s major connecting motorways, the CityLink and Tullamarine Freeway. The trial is to use autonomous vehicles from automobile companies including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and Tesla. The two-year trial is to have three phases.

The cars are to drive alongside commuters, but in public testing a driver is always to be present, as Victorian law requires drivers always keep a hand on the steering wheel. However, in occasional closures of the Burnley Tunnel, with no other drivers to endanger, the cars are to be tested with nobody in the vehicle.

Lane assist, cruise control, and recognition of traffic signs are in the trial’s first phase, expected to complete before the end of the year. This includes monitoring how the driver-less cars respond to road conditions, including lane markings and electronic speed signs.

“Victoria is at the forefront of automated vehicle technology — we’re investing in this trial to explore ways that this technology can be used to reduce crashes and keep people safe on our roads”, said Luke Donnellan, the Victorian Minister for Roads and Road Safety. He noted, “Ninety per cent of the fault of accidents is human error […] so we know that if we can take out human error we will have less accidents”.

Tim Hansen, Victoria Police’s Acting Assistant Commissioner, said that police had founded a project team to investigate how self-driving vehicles would change policing on roads. “Can we intercept vehicles more safely to avoid pursuits and ramming?”, he asked.

The trial is a partnership between the state government, Victoria’s road management authority VicRoads, owner of the CityLink toll road Transurban, and insurance company RACV.