Archive for January, 2009

Nintendo Cuts Profit Forecast as Sony, Toshiba Stumble

Friday, January 30th, 2009

A mix of strong currency in Japan along with a decrease in sales of TVs, digital cameras and other consumer technology devices has left three Japanese industry giants with earnings headaches. Sony, Nintendo and Toshiba all reported poor earnings for their third fiscal quarters.

Sony, which in recent months has had to close some plants, cut thousands of jobs, and decrease investment, reported a 94.8 percent drop in profits for the quarter. Its game-segment sales fell 32.2 percent from the same quarter a year ago.

Sony on Thursday also announced that it will postpone a previously announced joint venture with Sharp to produce and sell large LCD panels and modules until March 2010, a year later than originally scheduled.

A Surprise Forecast

Nintendo’s fall wasn’t as hard, but the maker of Wii video-game consoles reported earnings fell 18 percent in the nine months through December.

While Sony has made it clear it’s struggling because of the recession and a strong yen, Nintendo surprised analysts by lowering its profit forecast for its fiscal year a second time. Nintendo has had rock-solid sales for both its Wii gaming console and DS handheld device, but downgraded its full-year profit forecast by 33 percent to 230 billion yen (US$2.6 billion.

As of Dec. 31, Wii sales worldwide were 44.96 million units, a 10 million increase from October. In December alone, 2.15 million Wiis were sold, according to NPD Group. Since Nintendo launched its DS portable gaming device in November 2004, it has sold 96.22 million units. In December, Nintendo sold 3.04 million DS units in the US.

Still, expected foreign-exchange losses of 200 billion yen (US$2.2. billion) for the fiscal year are to blame for the downgrade, the company said.

NEC Electronics, the supplier of chips for Nintendo’s Wii gaming consoles, also had forecast an annual operating gain, but instead had a $180 million operating loss for the quarter and expects losses to grow to $611 million by March 30.

More Losses

Toshiba, based in Tokyo, also tanked in the third quarter and expects a loss for the full year. Toshiba reported a net loss of 121 billion yen (US$1.35 billion)for the October-December quarter, dropping from an 80.5 billion yen (US$897 million) net profit in the same period of 2007. The company blamed a decrease in demand for its flash memory chips used in digital cameras and music players.

The plan, according to Toshiba, is to cut 4,500 temporary and contract jobs, do away with overtime, and cancel investments, which include new chip plants and research and development.

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Telecom services: 3G players will be allowed in 2G space as well

Monday, January 26th, 2009

Successful bidders for spectrum allocation for third generation (3G) telecom services will also be eligible to get spectrum space for second generation (2G) services, as and when any space becomes available, the Telecom Commission said here Tuesday.

‘New 2G spectrum will be allocated as and when it is available. Currently 2G is saturated and we hardly have any spectrum available, so successful 3G bidders will have to wait in queue to avail of 2G spectrum,’ said R. Ashok, member, finance, Telecom Commission, on the eve of bidding for 3G spectrum.

The member’s statement helped dispel rumours that 3G operators would only be allowed to function in the 3G domain.

According to Department of Telcom (DoT) officials who requested anonymity, Chennai and Tamil Nadu that were earlier two separate circles, will now be considered as one circle and licence-holders for each will now be able to bid for the new combined circle.

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Safety necessary of this time

Friday, January 9th, 2009

Each and every industry throughout the world spends a lot of their capital and also their profit for the cause of giving safety to their workers. Safety is mainly needed in electrical, chemical and mining industries. Fall safety protection given to the workers to safeguard them from death it consist of various products and equipments which ranges from wide ranges and which are produced by various industries are available in market. Safety harness is the equipment such as fighter pilots, seat belts; etc designed for all living things such as human and animals to safeguard them from injuries. It gives connection between non stationary and stationary objects which are usually made from webbing, rope or cable .It is generally used in combination with the shock absorber. Then finally an important instrument for the safety of the mine workers are hazmat suits which are used to give indication when it comes in contact with poisonous gases. It glows with a dark color and gives indication to the worker that he has come in a danger zone. Thus hazmat suits help for the protection in mining industries. Thus these are various safety measures used in the industry for the wellness of their workers.

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Choosing that special present for your wife

Thursday, January 8th, 2009

Are you choosing the perfect clothing for your wife for her birthday or chritmas present? Then you should know by looking at the online stores like spank, longchamp, and wacoal you will be satisfied with what they have. if you are choosing some women ware for your wife then you should know that spanx has some of the most fashion out there today that you and your wife will enjoy. There are many clothes to pick for your wife for her birthday and always picking the comfortable clothes is a must. The clothing that is proivided from these online stores are something that will leave your wife happy in your present.
Plan on using the Internet to choose your present for your wife? Then you should look at some wacoal bras , they provide the support they need. if you are getting clothing then just don’t get the bras, choose the other stuff like underwear, clothing, and hosery. They will be happy to see that you care for them. The longchamp online store also provides some of the finest clothing ware for women online as well. Also you should know its important to make sure you pick the finest and conferalbe clothing out there for women today.

Posted in Family And Relationships | No Comments »

Branded Knives for Meeting Your Needs

Thursday, January 8th, 2009

People who wish to use strong and powerful knives for meeting their day to day cutting needs can go for branded knives. Gerber Knives are special branded knives which can be used for cutting vegetables, fishes. There are many models like folding knives, obsidian, santiam, traverse and many more. These knives are mostly used by fishermen and groomsmen. Most of the people prefer hunting knifes manufactured by this company. These knives are made of stainless steel along with a titanium anti blunt coating. Benchmade Knives are other special knives which are used by hunters. These knives are available in the form of pocket folded knife format and ordinary knife formats.
Buck Knives are also famous as hunting knives. These knives are created by famous manufacturers. These knives are available in the form of small pocket knives, heavy duty multipurpose knives, folding blade knives. They have superior quality and can pierce into any object easily without much hassle. These knives are mainly used for recreational purposes like hunting, hiking, camping, fishing and other non recreational works. These knives come with variety of handle settings; people can choose the handles according to the size of the knives. These knives come with a life time guarantee.

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Diet tied to survival in breast cancer patients

Tuesday, January 6th, 2009

Women with early-stage breast cancer may live longer if they maintain a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy, a new study suggests.

This so-called “prudent” diet was not linked to a lower risk of death from breast cancer specifically. However, researchers found, breast cancer patients who ate this way were less likely to die from other causes over the eight-year study period.

“Consumption of a diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and poultry, and low in red meat and refined foods may positively influence a woman’s overall health and prevent other cancers and chronic diseases,” Dr. Marilyn L. Kwan, a researcher at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California, told Reuters Health.

The results are also consistent with past studies suggesting that diet may be a more important factor in general health and diseases other than breast cancer than it is in breast cancer survival specifically, according to Kwan and her colleagues.

The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, are based on 1,901 women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. Between 2000 and 2002, the women completed detailed questionnaires on their diet, exercise habits, weight and other health factors. They were then followed for up to eight years.

During that time, 226 women died, with 128 deaths attributed to breast cancer.

Kwan’s team found that women who’d reported a prudent dietary pattern at the outset had a lower overall death rate than those who’d reported a more “Western”-style diet — one high in red and processed meats, snack foods, high-fat dairy and refined grains like white bread.

Women with the highest intakes of healthier foods were about half as likely to die during the study period as women with the lowest intakes, even with other important factors taken into account — like the initial size of the breast tumor, the treatment type and patients’ smoking habits.

Conversely, women with the most Western eating habits had a 53 percent higher risk of death overall than those with the lowest intakes of those foods.

Neither dietary pattern, however, was related to the odds of breast cancer recurrence or to women’s risk of dying from the disease. Still, the link between diet and overall survival means that eating healthy is “very much an important factor for breast cancer survivors,” Kwan said.

“Women living with breast cancer still want to know how they can improve their overall chances of surviving,” she noted, “and as our study shows, eating a more healthful diet is beneficial for overall survival.”

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SkyWi president says Qwest cost his firm customers

Tuesday, January 6th, 2009

The president of a New Mexico internet and telephone provider says he fears his company has lost its customers’ trust after Qwest Communications disconnected its service last week.

The state Public Regulation Commission ordered Denver-based Qwest to restore service to customers of SkyWi Inc., an independently owned and operated Internet service provider.

Qwest disconnected about 10,000 customers over a $1.7 million debt it says is owed by SkyWi.

SkyWi president Jack Leach says some of his customers switched to different providers after losing their connection last week.

SkyWi does business under its own name and through subsidiaries ZiaNet and OnConnect IP.

The company’s customers include banks and hospitals.

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Soot reduction slows global warming

Monday, January 5th, 2009

Nasa scientists have said that global warming can be slowed dramatically by slashing emissions of soot.

According to a study by the space agency, cutting down on the pollutant, can have an immediate cooling effect – and thus prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from air pollution at the same time, reports the Independent.

The study has been published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

The study, from Nasa’’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, has concluded that tackling the pollution provides “substantial benefits for air quality while simultaneously contributing to climate change mitigation” and “may present a unique opportunity to engage parties and nations not yet fully committed to climate change mitigation for its own sake.”

Black carbon, the component of soot that gives it its colour, is thought to be the second largest cause of global warming after carbon dioxide.

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