Imagine creating a 3D digital archive of 500 of the world’s most at-risk heritage sites, preserved in virtual reality so that future generations can explore them in detail for centuries to come. That’s exactly what the CyArk 500 Challenge hopes to achieve—and it’s set itself the ambitious target of doing it in just five years.
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Dizzy dames don't age well. An attractive young thing doing prat falls is disarming; an older woman stumbling around for laughs spells hip replacement. Sad to say, Bridget Jones has hung on to her once-endearing daffiness, self-deprecation, and wine dependency far past their collective expiration date. That's one of the big reasons why her latest outing, called Mad About the Boy, is painful to read.
Speaking as an original Bridget fan, I would have hoped that by 51, the age she is here, Bridget would have become more grounded. She doesn't need to love her loosening skin, but, by now, she should be more at home in it. (I think, of course, of Nora Ephron, who so famously felt bad about her neck, but was also sharp about the cultural pressures that made her feel like she should always cover it up with a scarf.)
This older incarnation of Bridget, however, is still swamped by unattractive insecurities: As ever, she records every pound gained or lost in order to squeeze herself into stretch jeans and thigh-high boots and go out trolling for love. Helen Fielding's first Bridget Jones novel, which debuted in 1996 — as well as the 2001 movie made from it — were fun riffs on Pride and Prejudice, with Bridget in the role of beloved heroine, Elizabeth Bennet. Mad About the Boy, however, unintentionally calls to mind another British literary classic, Great Expectations, with Bridget as a grotesque Miss Havisham, eternally aping the frozen-in-amber giddiness of her youth.
The premise of Mad About the Boy is Bridget's dish-y husband, Mark Darcy, has died four years earlier while on a human rights mission. Bridget, a self-described "geriatric mum" of two small children, now finds herself vaguely yearning to shed her celibacy and plunge into the dating game again. I'll admit there are isolated passages in this third Bridget Jones book that made me laugh, as of old. When, for instance, Bridget decides to get a Twitter account and 75 followers magically appear, she resolves to show leadership by sending out a welcome tweet. It reads: "Welcome followers. I am thy leader. Ye art most welcome to my cult." Dopey, sure, but preferable to, say, the humiliating scene where an eternally awkward Bridget is stuck dangling from a tree in her thong underwear.
The earlier novels also had scenes like that: Bridget often lost clothing and awaited rescue by the buttoned-up Mr. Darcy. The feminism of the Bridget Jones books certainly didn't derive from their traditional romantic plots or any conscious resistance on Bridget's part. Instead it was the humor of those novels that made them mildly anarchic. Bridget's goofy failures in fitting into the prescribed female roles subverted them. This third book is depressing precisely because Bridget is still trying to fit in at an age when she should know better. The joke is all on Bridget here.
If you're looking for jolly feminist cultural commentary, give Mad About the Boy a pass and, instead, pick up The Book of Jezebel. This is a lavish encyclopedia composed of contributions from the writers and artists who've helped shape the Jezebel website, which was created in 2007 by award-winning writer, Anna Holmes. The Book of Jezebel is packed with gorgeous graphics and photos, as well as witty and unruly entries on everything from Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House on the Prairie" books to speculums. Most gloriously, this is an encyclopedia with a voice.
Take, for instance, the entry on conservative commentator Ann Coulter, which notes that she "subsists on a diet of kittens." There's even a prophetic entry for Bridget Jones's Diary, which observes that the enormous popularity of the first novel inspired the mostly "crappy" chick lit craze, which eventually cannibalized the genre's original heroine. They got that right without even seeing this most recent Bridget Jones sequel.
Rest in Peace, Bridget Jones; Live Long and Prosper, Jezebel.
By Lisa Baertlein
(Reuters) - McDonald's Corp
CEO Don Thompson, at the helm for more than a year, has switched top management and shaken up menus to boost sales and profits. Now, analysts are asking if McDonald's woes are due to poor execution rather than external factors.
The company has reported four straight quarters of disappointing sales, Hedgeye Risk Management restaurant analyst Howard Penney said on Twitter.
"When will the (company) transition from blaming the economy to internal issues?" said Penney, who told Reuters that McDonald's high-profile McCafe coffee and beverage expansion masked a slowdown in its core business of selling hamburgers and french fries.
McDonald's shares fell 1 percent in midday trading after investors digested the company's forecast for restaurant margin declines in the fourth quarter similar to those suffered in this year's first quarter.
The outlook suggested more margin pressure than the market was expecting, Morningstar analyst R.J. Hottovy told Reuters.
McDonald's, which has roughly seven times the sales of Wendy's Co
Shares of Burger King inched up 0.2 percent and Wendy's rose 0.6 percent.
Global sales at McDonald's restaurants open at least 13 months gained 0.9 percent in the third quarter, falling just short of analysts' average estimate on softer-than-expected results in all of the company's major markets, according to Consensus Metrix.
In the United States, McDonald's Monopoly game promotion and Mighty Wings limited-time offer met internal expectations but failed to substantially lift results amid intense discounting.
While fast-food chains fight hard for the business of cash-crunched, lower-income diners, former McDonald's unit Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc
"We think (McDonald's) is losing its appeal to the millennial generation, who prefer healthier foods," S&P Capital IQ analyst Jim Yin said in a note. Such customers are often more willing to pay a bit more for their meals.
France, which leads McDonald's top revenue market of Europe, reported its first quarter of same-restaurant sales growth in a year in the third quarter, while results in Germany remained rocky.
McDonald's lacks the ability to raise prices in Europe, CEO Thompson said on a conference call with analysts.
Both Japan and China reported declines in same-restaurant sales for the quarter, dragging down results from the Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa region. Based on the results, McDonald's is delaying new restaurant openings in emerging markets like China.
A recent survey from Goldman Sachs suggested McDonald's, which has lagged rivals in introducing popular new menu items, might be losing favor with U.S. diners.
The company, which built a large lead over rivals after the global recession, is fighting to step up sales in the United States amid a barrage of new items and short-time specials from smaller chains.
McDonald's previously got a sales bump from new products including oatmeal, sandwich wraps and lattes, but its more complicated menu has slowed service at the drive-thru window.
Third-quarter net income rose 4.6 percent to $1.52 billion, or $1.52 per share, coming in a penny better than the analysts' average estimate, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Revenue was up 2.4 percent at $7.32 billion.
Restaurant margins at both franchised and company-operated stores slipped in the quarter.
McDonald's shares were down 91 cents to $94.29 on the New York Stock Exchange.
(Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles and Aditi Shrivastava in Bangalore; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila, Maureen Bavdek and John Wallace)
Members of the Muslim Brotherhood and supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi shout slogans against the military and interior ministry in front of Amr Ibn El-Aas mosque after Eid al-Adha prayers in Cairo on Tuesday. A crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood has expanded now to charities and mosques linked to the Islamist group.
Members of the Muslim Brotherhood and supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi shout slogans against the military and interior ministry in front of Amr Ibn El-Aas mosque after Eid al-Adha prayers in Cairo on Tuesday. A crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood has expanded now to charities and mosques linked to the Islamist group.
Mohammed is a teacher, and for the past 17 years, he has also worked with an Islamic charity in Cairo. But a little more than two weeks ago that charity was shut down.
Security forces raided its office, took everything and began searching for the head of the board of directors because he's connected to the Muslim Brotherhood — the Islamist group of ousted President Mohammed Morsi.
Mohammed, who asked that only his first name be used, fled.
“ We had hoped the political crisis here would not affect charitable work. But now, people will suffer. These are dark and depressing days.
He left his job and his home, worried he'd be arrested. Thousands of people have already been rounded up, some just on suspicion of being connected to the Brotherhood.
This week marked Eid al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice, one of the holiest days on the Islamic calendar and a time when charities work overtime to help the poor. But Mohammed doesn't know how he can help this year.
The organization he worked for supported 2,000 families, providing school uniforms for the children, a monthly stipend, and for Eid, gift baskets and money.
"We had hoped the political crisis here would not affect charitable work," Mohammed says. "But now, people will suffer. These are dark and depressing days."
Since the military coup on July 3 that removed Morsi, the authorities have been systematically trying to break the Brotherhood and reclaim control of the country. The crackdown, which began with the group's leaders and rank-and-file, has now spread to mosques and charitable organizations.
Mosques As A Political Base
Using its vast social network, the Brotherhood dominated elections after Egypt's 2011 uprising. Mosques and charities were major parts of that network, but those outlets are closing for the Brotherhood.
A physician collects medical equipment and medicines from the remains of the partially destroyed Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque compound hospital in Cairo on Aug. 15.
A physician collects medical equipment and medicines from the remains of the partially destroyed Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque compound hospital in Cairo on Aug. 15.
"All of these charities that are either controlled by members of the Muslim Brotherhood or affiliated loosely with the Muslim Brotherhood are now seen as a potential space for organizing politically by the authorities," says Heba Morayef, Egypt director for Human Rights Watch. "I think that's why they want to go after them and control them."
And they're doing it with the mosques, too. Morayef says under the autocratic leaders of Egypt's past, the mosques were always tightly controlled to ward off opposition political organizations.
But after Morsi was elected president, the Brotherhood began to send its own people to the pulpits. Many Egyptians accuse the organization of using religion to bolster its political standing and control the state.
"We will see a reversal and much tighter control overall over the mosques," Morayef says.
Licensing Preachers, Closing Mosques
Recently, the Ministry of Endowments banned all preachers who are not licensed through Al Azhar, the 1,000-year-old center of Islamic learning in Cairo. Already-licensed preachers must now be vetted and re-accredited. And the ministry is shutting down all small, unregistered mosques.
The reason? Officials say it's to distance religion from politics.
As a result, places like Mohamed Atteya's small outdoor prayer space are no longer functioning. A preacher and engineer, Atteya shut it down when the new rules were announced.
Many Egyptians support the new controls; they say they will keep extremism at bay. But 70-year-old Atteya worries.
He has stopped preaching at his makeshift downtown mosque. He says he didn't want any problems as an unlicensed preacher.
"Since there is a decision, whether I agree or I do not agree, I have to obey it," he says. "This is the regulations. ... I am an old man."
But, he says, what's happening is wrong. The mosque is for all Muslims, not just for the state. He says the military-backed government is enforcing stricter regulations than ever before, even during the reign of Hosni Mubarak, who was ousted in 2011.
"They are afraid of the popularity of the Muslim [Brotherhood]. [It] is not a group, but it is an idea, and this idea, it is very difficult to be taken from the hearts of the people," Atteya says.
When there is a conflict in society, the imam of a mosque should never take sides, he adds. That's because those who pray behind the preacher are from both sides of the conflict, he says, so one side will be angered and the instability will grow.
All those who pray at the mosques are Muslims, he says, adding that the authorities shouldn't have a monopoly on God — nor should anyone else.
According to Alex Kantrowitz at AdAge, Microsoft's Google-bashing Scroogled ads work. As much as I detest Google's (possibly actionable) insistence on scanning every inbound and outbound Gmail message for ad-triggering keywords, Microsoft has just as many skeletons -- albeit in different closets -- and the Microsoft transgressions are getting worse, not better.
Attack ads like the Scroogled campaign belong in dirty political mudfests at the lowest end of the gene pool, not in the computer industry where the average level of intelligence arguably approaches room temperature. American politics has degraded to the point where attack ads are indistinguishable from news broadcasts. Let's hope the computer industry doesn't fall into the same tar pit, ushered by Steve Ballmer's handpicked Executive VP of Sewage, Mark Penn.
So far, Google has refrained from slinging mud back at the 'Softies, but I wonder how much longer its reserve will hold.
Here's how AdAge characterizes the effectiveness of the Google-bashing, Microsoft-sponsored scroogled.com website:
Once viewers do hit Scroogled.com, data collected for Microsoft by Answers Research show a 45 percent favorability gap in favor of Google contracting to just 5 percent. Data collected by Answers up until this summer also show the likelihood of someone recommending Google to a friend drop by 10 percent, as opposed to a 7 percent increase for Bing, after watching the ad.
"The Scroogled campaign is having a huge impact as consumers learn the stark difference between what Google says and what Google does," wrote a Microsoft spokesman in an email. Scroogled is now on its sixth wave of ads, which have been supported collectively with $10 million dollars in spending, according to a person familiar with the campaign. They also persist despite the recent revelations about the NSA's widespread surveillance activities, something Microsoft has been tied to.
Microsoft hasn't bothered to take on Yahoo Mail -- perhaps "Yahoogled" doesn't have the same advertising ring -- but Yahoo's just as up front about its snooping as Google. From the Yahoo Mail Additional Terms of Service posting:
Yahoo's automated systems scan and analyze all incoming and outgoing communications content sent and received from your account ... to, without limitation, provide personally relevant product features and content, to match and serve targeted advertising and for spam and malware detection and abuse protection. By scanning and analyzing such communications content, Yahoo collects and stores the data. Unless expressly stated otherwise, you will not be allowed to opt out of this feature. If you consent to this ATOS and communicate with non-Yahoo users using the services, you are responsible for notifying those users about this feature.
Here's the disconnect: Just yesterday, David Pann, general manager of the Microsoft Advertising Search Group, blogged about continued progress for the Yahoo Bing network:
... changes we are making in Bing Ads and on the Yahoo Bing Network are aimed at putting our customers first ... and doing all we can to give them a competitive edge ... advertiser spend on the Yahoo Bing Network continues to grow compared to Google -- it's up 39 percent year over year while Google's share of spend is up 18 percent. A lot of that is driven by non-brand click growth, which is up 45 percent on Bing Ads due to investments in our marketplace algorithms. In addition, CPCs fell 2 percent overall as Bing Ads continues to drive improvements that benefit our advertisers. The report says "advertiser ROI has improved on Bing Ads even as the platform has been able to deliver big traffic increases with better ad-matching technology."
