Posted by Elena del Valle on July 15, 2011
Rango DVD Blu-Ray cover
Photos: Paramount Home Entertainment
The voice of carefree star of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and a cast of other voices like Bill Nighy and Alfred Molina star in Rango, a quirky unexpectedly surprising movie. The animated comedy was released in theaters earlier this year and is due to be released on DVD and Blu-Ray today from Paramount Home Entertainment. The 107-minute film rated PG for rude humor, language, action and smoking sells for $39.99 for the Blu-Ray and DVD combo and $29.99 for the DVD. Scroll down to watch a video clip of Rango.
Johnny Depp voices Rango, a chameleon living as an ordinary family pet who dreams of being a fearless hero and through twists of fate becomes the sheriff of Dirt, a lawless desert town. Directed by Gore Verbinski, the man behind the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise the film already earned more than $230 million worldwide. Voices in the film include Isla Fisher (Horton Hears A Who!), Abigail Breslin (Kit Kittredge: An American Girl), Ned Beatty (Toy Story 3), Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2), Bill Nighy (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1), Harry Dean Stanton, (“Big Love”), Ray Winstone (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) and Timothy Olyphant (“Justified”).
Jake the rattlesnake in Rango
The Rango Blu-ray/DVD Combo with Digital Copy features the theatrical version of the film and an extended cut including an alternate ending, a two-part, in-depth exploration of the film making process, deleted scenes, a look at the creatures of Dirt, and an interactive field trip to Dirt. The film is presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The DVD is in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround and English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.
Paramount Home Entertainment (PHE) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment and a unit of Viacom. PHE handles sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment products for Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, Paramount Famous Productions, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, CBS and PBS.
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 13, 2011
The Antivirus Bombshell
By Stu Sjouwerman
Founder and CEO KnowBe4
Stu Sjouwerman, founder, KnowBe4
Photo: CEO KnowBe4
It is said that “what you don’t know can’t hurt you” – well, that statement is proven false again by the antivirus industry. Almost anyone you ask about protecting their PC from cybercrime will almost invariably answer by saying something like “my antivirus software is all the protection I require…”
That belief could be no further from the truth. Despite the claims touted by the companies hocking antivirus software, many of their products are not very effective. Many of the best-selling antivirus suites are protecting against no more than 80% to 90% of the threats being dished out by cybercriminals.
Click here to read the entire article What You Don’t Know Does Hurt
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 11, 2011
P.F. Chang’s at Sawgrass Mall in South Florida, one of many Asian restaurants across the country
Photo: HispanicMPR
Do you feel like having some Mexican food for dinner tonight? How about something Asian or Indian, Creole, Mediterranean or Middle Eastern? If you said yes, you are among a growing number of Americans opting for ethnic meals. In the past five years growth, after inflation, of ethnic foods increased 6 percent. In 2010, ethnic food sales were $2.4 billion. This growth is considered by some researchers healthy for that time period, especially in comparison with other food types.
In addition, sales of ethnic foods may increase 10 percent (or 19 percent without taking inflation into account) in the next five, according to Ethnic Foods U.S. January 2011, a report by Mintel, a research company. Mintel researchers and analysts believe the increase is due to a combination of a diverse population in the United States, a resurgence of home cooking resulting from the recession, bubbling interest in international foods prompted by travel and cooking shows, and increases in ethnic menu items.
Although Mexican/Hispanic food products continue to be the largest segment of the ethnic foods market, accounting for 62 percent of food, drug and mass market sales, this segment only exhibited a 1 percent growth in 2009-10. The second largest ethnic market, accounting for 29 percent of sales, is Asian foods. This segment grew the most between 2009 and 2010, almost 5 percent. In the last five years (2005 to 2010), this market segment increased by 39 percent compared to the rest of the market which grew a modest 13 percent in comparison.
The growth of chain restaurants serving ethnic foods across the United States seems to reflect these trends. For example, late last year there were credible reports that Panda Express, a fast food restaurant chain, planned a 70 percent growth over the next five years, from 1,350 to 2,300. Chipotle, the booming Latino organic fast food chain, also announced plans to open an Asian restaurant similar to the Chipotle model for the second half of 2011. P.F. Chang’s China Bistro owns and manages 200 Chinese American cuisine restaurants nationwide, according to the company website.
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 8, 2011
Ipad 2 book cover
Photos: O’Reilly Media Inc.
I bought my iPad as a last minute replacement for a netbook that, after less than a year of service, died two days before I was due to go on an overseas trip. I wish iPad 2 The Missing Manual by J.D. Biersdorfer (O’Reilly Media $24.99) had been available then. It would have saved me several missteps. Eventually I got the hang of the basic features and it was easier than it might have been for me because, as the salesman at the Apple store explained, the iPad is like an iPhone but bigger.
As the iPad revolution continues with the new iPad 2 introduced earlier this year more users are joining the tens of thousands, or perhaps hundreds of thousands, of fans of the thin and light weight tablet. Simple functions like turning the iPad on and off can be important. I discovered before reading the book for example, that if you don’t turn off the iPad completely and it runs out of battery power it looses the stored data and apps, requiring a recharge and a reloading of data and apps. If this happens during a business meeting or trip it can be inconvenient.
Biersdorfer’s book is filled with color photos and user friendly explanations as well as Notes and Tips. Some of the comments have a touch of humor like one about the description of the screen’s fingerprint resistant oleophobic coating seeming to describe a psychiatric condition or a fear of butter substitutes. In relation to video capability, I liked the tip about the iPad playing hi-def video at the lowest resolution available and the list of video conversion programs on page 243.
J.D. Biersdorfer, author, ipad 2
The 313-page book is divided into sixteen chapters and two appendices: Get to Know Your iPad; Interact with Your iPad; Get Online; Surf the Web; Keep in Touch with Email; Use the iPad’s Built-in Apps; Shop the App Store; Read iBooks and ePeriodicals; Play Games; Get Productive with iWork; Organize and Sync Media Files with iTunes; Master iTunes; Play Music and Other Audio; Watch and Edit Videos; View, Edit and Manage Photos; and Sync Up with MobilMe. The appendices address troubleshooting and iPad settings.
Biersdorfer has written a computer column for The New York Times since 1998. Prior to this book she authored iPod: The Missing Manual, Best iPhone Apps and Netbooks: The Missing Manual.
Click to buy iPad 2
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Filed Under: Books
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 6, 2011
Oscar Ramos, senior director and general manager, ESPN Deportes Radio
Photos: ESPN Deportes Radio
Starting last week ESPN Deportes Radio began offering exclusive live broadcasts of the Copa America 2011 through July 29, 2011. The network’s soccer commentators are scheduled to broadcast all 26 matches live from Argentina across multiple platform and present special post-game shows. The first broadcast was of the Argentina versus Bolivia game on July 1.
On July 11, Mario “El Matador” Kempes, a representative of ESPN Deportes and an Argentinean World Cup champion, will be calling the Argentina versus Costa Rica match for the network in a stadium that bears his own name in Córdoba. He will also provide his expert analysis on Argentinean matches. ESPN Deportes Radio soccer experts covering the championship include Jorge Ramos, Jairo Moncada, Omar Orlando Salazar, Hernán Pereyra, Manuel Kun, and Ricardo Mayorga.
“We are excited about bringing our listeners into the action at Copa America 2011 with our extensive live coverage from Argentina,” said Oscar Ramos, senior director and general manager, ESPN Deportes Radio. “In addition to the live games, our programming line-up will allow for great interaction between our listeners and their favorite experts which will undoubtedly make for some great debates in our wide range of news and talk shows.”
Jorge Ramos and Hernan Pereyra of Jorge Ramos y su Banda
ESPN Deportes Radio plans to present Después de la Copa, a post-game show with analysis of each day’s games. Jorge Ramos y su Banda, the radio network’s signature soccer talk show, is scheduled to broadcast on location throughout the entire tournament.
Also planned is best in class Copa America 2011 analysis and commentary and a daily special edition of Fuera de Juego at 1 a.m. EST. Ciro Procuna, Rafa Puente, and Fernando Schwartz will be reporting from Argentina.
ESPNdeportes.com plans to feature extensive Copa America 2011 coverage in a dedicated section with pre and post analysis of the matches, statistics, online videos, and podcasts. Online coverage will include blogs, editorials, and chats with ESPN Deportes talent reporting from Argentina. ESPN Deportes Radio is a United States national Spanish-language sports radio network.
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 1, 2011
The Well-Spoken Thesaurus book cover
Photos: Sourcebooks Publicity
Often business people use the same words and phrases repetitively. It is not that they do not know other words it is that certain words and expressions have become familiar and comfortable. While that may be acceptable in everyday conversation with colleagues at the office it may present less than a professional face when attending meetings with clients, bosses or others in the industry.
A rich vocabulary populated with phrases other than “you know” and “not so much” and such popular expressions may enhance the way others perceive our knowledge and abilities and better position us for growth and promotion. To make a good impression we could slightly alter the word choices we usually make. Instead of saying elegant maybe we could say luxuriant; instead of saying writing skills we may try saying writing prowess, for example.
Tom Heehler, author, The Well-Spoken Thesaurus
The Well-Spoken Thesaurus (Sourcebooks, $12.99), a 405-page softcover book of alternate words by Tom Heehler, could be a handy tool for vocabulary development. Published in February 2011 the book is the result of four years of work by the author after enrolling at Harvard University in the spring of 2006. Finding no easy way to improve his speech and prose quickly, he wrote down what he said and paired it with what he thought he should have said.
Heehler considers words to be “like little gods” and believes they affect people’s political leanings, the way they see reality, their confidence and self perception, according to the On Becoming Articulate section at the beginning of the book. In that section he goes on to say that people who are well spoken are expected by others to be more knowledgeable, more informed and capable of great things.
The Thesaurus contains 17 lessons from famous authors, like Ernest Hemingway, to well known speakers, such as President Barack Obama in the first part of the book. It also includes thousands of alternatives to common words and phrases.
Heehler is a degree student at the Harvard University Extension School and creator of Fluent in Five Languages, an online language course where students learn to speak four languages, French, Italian, Spanish, and Romanian simultaneously.
Click to by The Well-Spoken Thesaurus
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Filed Under: Books
Posted by Elena del Valle on June 29, 2011
By Bill Hettinger, Ph.D.
Bill Hettinger, Ph.D., author, Finance Without Fear
Photo: Bill Hettinger, Ph.D.
Most business owners are forever looking for a way to compete effectively in the marketplace.
In today’s world there are really two types of strategies used by businesses, operational centric and customer centric.
An operational centric business focuses on providing its products to the market at the lowest possible cost. This is the business strategy that characterizes Wal-Mart and many of the other big box retailers. They are interested in offering the lowest prices and their product offerings and customer service decisions are made with an eye towards being as operationally efficient as possible.
Contrast this with a customer centric business strategy. A customer centric business focuses first on meeting the needs of the customer and uses strategies such as customer service, sales and marketing, innovation and design, and unique product offerings to meet the needs of the customer.
Click to read the entire article Build a Profitable Business with a Niche Strategy
Posted by Elena del Valle on June 28, 2011
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Posted by Elena del Valle on June 27, 2011
Juan Carlos Basabe, director, International Sales, Viajes El Corte Ingles
Photo: Enrique Tubio
Viajes El Corte Ingles, Inc., the United States arm of El Corte Ingles, S.A., a Spanish travel services company, recently expanded its operations by opening new headquarters in Miami, Florida, and launching tripcruises.com, an English language cruise oriented website.
The company first established operations in the United States in March 1987. In 1997, Viajes El Corte Ingles opened a branch office in Miami to serve clients coming from Spain to Florida and corporate clients already in Florida.
Viajes El Corte Ingles has as many as 25 employees depending on the time of year. The company targets travelers with “medium to high purchasing power,” according to Juan Carlos Basabe, director of International Sales, Viajes El Corte Ingles, who responded to questions by email.
Although decision makers at Viajes El Corte Ingles did not conduct research prior to the recent expansion they relied on their belief that there are “increasing numbers of U.S. visitors to Europe and particularly Spain.”
tripcruises.com homepage – click to enlarge
The company moved its headquarters to Miami this year because of the city’s strong position as a cruise port which was was appropriate for the new website tripcruises.com; to offer its services to the multinational Spanish and European companies with offices in Florida; and because of the “huge Spanish-speaking clientele in Florida.”
Posted by Elena del Valle on June 24, 2011
The Age of Persuasion book cover
Photos: Counterpoint Berkeley
Based on a radio program by the same name The Age of Persuasion How Marketing Ate Our Culture (Counterpoint, $26) was written by Terry O’Reilly, the host of the program, and Mike Tenant, who with O’Reilly produced, researched and wrote the content of the program. Although the book is written in the first person it is the work of both contributors. At the beginning, they point out some of the things they have in common beyond their knowledge of the ad world and radio; they are both natives of Ontario, Canada of Irish ancestry who started writing ads at private radio stations in the early 1980s.
In the book, they address the difference between marketing (the process of promoting, distributing and selling) and advertising (exposing the public to the product or service through paid ads); branding (the promise of a product or service); new technologies; clutter; radio audience; billboards; telemarketers; and movie theater ads among other related issues.
Terry O’Reilly, coauthor, The Age of Persuasion
The 324-page hardcover book, published in 2009, is divided into 12 chapters: Clutter, Breaking The Contract, The Rise and Fall and Rise of Branded Entertainment, Persuading Yoots, The YouTube Revolution, Guerillas in Our Midst, The Lesson of Clark Gable’s Undershirt, The Language of Persuasion, A Sense of Persuasion, The Human Face of Persuasion, The Long and Short of It, and The Wall of Cynicism.
Mike Tennant, coauthor, The Age of Persuasion
O’Reilly has experience as a copywriter and director and is the cofounder of Pirate, an audio production company based in New York and Toronto. A resident of Kitchener, Ontario Tennant is the cocreator and writer of The Age of Persuasion, a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation radio series.
Click to buy The Age of Persuasion
