| Sharper Image, Lillian Vernon in bankruptcy
NEW YORK — A weak holiday season and a struggling economy led retailers Sharper Image Corp. and Lillian Vernon Corp. to file for bankruptcy this week, and analysts predict others soon could follow them as consumer spending worsens. "You'll see a record number of bankruptcies over the next 50, 100 and 1,000 days," said Burt Flickinger III, managing director of New York-based retail consulting firm Strategic Resource Group. "Consumers are cash- and credit-constrained. They're out of purchasing power." Both Sharper Image, known for its high-tech novelty gadgets, and Lillian Vernon, which sells low-cost gifts and gadgets through its catalog and website, have long been plagued with falling sales. But retailers across the sector have been laying off staff and closing stores as consumers cut back on discretionary spending.
Polaroid Says Goodbye to Instant Photo Technology
Polaroid, the company famous for their instant cameras and photos, has decided to shut down factories within the United States and abroad as they abandon the technology that made instant photos possible. Polaroid will cease all production of its film by next year. It seems that the instantly gratifying Polaroid images have finally been done in by digital cameras and the endless Flickr pages full of digital images. Polaroid's instant camera was first introduced in 1948. When it was first unveiled, it was large and bulky with a stainless steel body and black bellows, and the film came on a roll. The next incarnation of the Polaroid instant camera came in 1963, when they introduced cartridge film with their 100-series camera. It became an instant hit with pro photographers, who would use the Polaroid to take test photos, and instantly use it to check lighting and composition.
Fielding jolts from a great unknown
After months of cryptic trailers and hype in the US, Cloverfield turns out to be almost comforting in its simplicity. It's a short, efficient, terrifying monster movie, no more and no less. Told solely from the point of view of one digital video camera wielded by one young guy named Hud (TJ Miller), the film records scenes from a seven-hour attack on Manhattan by a Giant Thing. It's the first cellphone-ready action flick. .
Five Facts About Prostate Cancer Every Man Should Know
His doctors said if he had been diagnosed earlier, he could have survived. Fogelberg's death has shined light on a disease the American Cancer Society calls the most common cancer, other than skin cancers, in American men. Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in American men; only lung cancer ranks higher. The nonprofit estimates that about one in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, but just one in 35 will die of it. With data such as this, every male who has reached 40 should arm himself with the information that can keep him from becoming a statistic. Dr. Arnon Krongard, president of the Krongard Institute and chairman of the Prostate Cancer Mission, believes that knowing the following five facts will put men in a better position to survive this deadly cancer: 1.
Italian pay-TV revenues grow to E2bn
UK telco BT has pulled further ahead in the broadband market as it met forecasts with a 3 per cent increase in first-quarter core earnings and revenues. The company said its BT Retail unit accounted for 38 per cent of net DSL broadband additions during the quarter with 459,000 new broadband customers. Meanwhile BT confirmed it was considering a Fibre to the curb network that cold deliver 50Mb/s. This compares with the existing upper limit of 8mbps that is available from most telecoms companies and the 24Mb/s that will be available from BTs new ADSL2+ network. A faster network is unlikely to be available beyond business centres, given the high capital cost.
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Eutelsat net quadruples Satellite operator Eutelsat Communications has reported net profit quadrupled to E170m in its year to June from E40.2m previously, lifted by the non-recurrence of restructuring charges and lower financial costs.
California flora surpass muster in Fort Bragg
FORT BRAGG, Calif. - By the time you've driven this far north of San Francisco (more than three hours), the ocean's rhythmic thunder against the cliffs lining Highway 1 has hammered your senses into a state of numb awe. Along the way, you perhaps visited the gorgeous, if touristy, seaside village of Mendocino and sated your palate and your shopping habit. Following the highway a little farther north into this more workaday town, it is easy to miss the entrance to the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, although it is right beside the highway. But even those who don't know a dahlia from a calla lily will find it worthwhile to seek out this small but extraordinary public garden. Beyond the fence that screens the site from the parking lot, visitors can pay a modest fee for a map, which outlines a looping trail through more than 20 plant collections on a 47-acre tract.
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