iNews Briefs, More & Community Event
Community Events
Dr. Moody September 2015
Gordon Solomon Art
You are invited you to attend the opening evening of
Doctor Moody: Frames of Mind
A new series of work by Gordon Solomon
Cayman Islands National Gallery DART Auditorium
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oknWyXVUGc&feature=youtu.be
Please join the Cayman Jewish Community for the following programmes:
Sunday September 27th
6:30 pm Sukkot Under the Stars
Tuesday, September 29th
4:00pm Sukkot Children’s Party
Monday, October 26th
Mark Halawa: From Kuwait to Jerusalem
Wednesday, December 9th
4:00 pm Pardes Rock Chanukah Concert
Wednesday, January 6th 2016
Jerusalem Uncovered: Rabbi Avraham Stolik
8th Annual CISPA Gala “Back to the Future-Celebrating 45 years of excellence”
Date: 10/10/2015
Time: 6:30 PM
Ritz Carlton Seven Mile Beach
Phone: 749 3360
Register
Event Description: The 8th Annual CISPA Gala “Back to the Future-Celebrating 45 years of excellence” is a time to celebrate Caymanians who recently attained their professional accounting designations as well as a chance to celebrate the past and look to the future
Directions: The Ritz Carlton, Grand Cayman
Annual Meals on Wheels Dress Down Day
SAVE THE DATE
Dress Down Day Friday, 20th November, 2015
Help feed our Seniors we believe no-one in Cayman should go hungry.
Individuals can help by purchasing an orange ribbon for $5.00 or a tee shirt for $15.00 and wearing them on Dress Down Day, we are encouraging companies to match employee donations.
For more information or to sign up to participate please feel free to contact us via email at [email protected] or via telephone at 949-3905.
CARE announces Cayman Islands 5th Annual Paws for wine
Sat Sept 26th Ristorante Pappagallo
Lions Club of Tropical Gardens Brenda Tibbetts-Lund Memorial 5K Walk/Run5K
Sunday October 3, 2015 in North Side at 6am
WED SEP 2
Cineclub
National Gallery’s Cineclub is Wednesday (2 Sept) at 630. The feature film is Stagecoach.
Grand Court Jurors Notice
THU SEP 3
EY’s Art for the Elderly for Cayman Brac
EY’s Art for the Elderly for Cayman Brac hosted by the National Gallery is Thursday (3 Sept) from 1130am until 12:30pm.
Cardinal Avenue Street Fair
03 September , 2015
The Cardinal Avenue Street Fair is Thursday (3 Sept) from 9am until 3pm. This one day of non-stop activity will deliver some of the best Caymanian traditional arts and crafts…fresh local produce and feast on some local dishes like Stew Turtle, Fried Crab, Conch Stew, Heavy Cakes the famous Chef John’s BBQ.
UCCI Open House
You’re invited to the University College of the Cayman Islands’ open house on Thursday (3 Sept) at 530pm at UCCI’s Professional Development Center.
FRI SEP 4
DCI to close on Friday
The Department of Commerce and Investment (DCI), including its Trade and Business Licensing Counter on the first floor of the Government Administration Building and its Cayman Brac office, will close on Friday, 4 September, for a staff training event.
DCI’s main office will reopen on Monday, 7 September at 8:30am, and the Trade and Business counter will reopen at 9:00am.
DCI staff apologise for any inconvenience the closure may cause. For more information please call 945-0943 or email [email protected].
Duel Enrollment Student Meeting at UCCI
All dual enrolment parents and guardians and students are invited to a special meeting on Friday (4 Sept) at the Sir Vassel Johnson Hall at the University College of the Cayman Islands at 530pm.
18th Annual CIRC Golf Tournament
The 18th Annual CIRC Golf Tournament at the North Sound Golf Club is Friday September 4th. Sign up and get more details by emailing [email protected]
Alzheimer’s and Dementia Association candle light memory walk
The Alzheimer’s and Dementia Association will be holding a on Friday 4th September from 6:30pm at the Scotts Dock. Candles will be provided. There is no cost and all are welcome. Refreshments will be served after the walk.
Cayman Islands: Bo Bo is seeking his forever home, can you help?
From CARE – Cayman Animal Rescue Enthusiasts
Introducing Bo Bo who is ready for his happy ever after forever home.
You may recall our appeal for the delightful Jackie Chan back in May, and as you may already know, Jackie Chan was very fortunate and got his happy ever after in a wonderful loving home with a smashing family.
So now it is Jackie’s old side kick, Bo Bo who needs our help. This incredibly handsome chap is seeking his forever home. Bo Bo was found in the Barkers area with his friend – Jackie Chan, earlier this year. Both dogs are believed to have been dumped at Barkers and managed to make their way over to Pappagallos. They were both quite badly malnourished, very thirsty and extremely hungry. Lucky for them they found a great spot where they were able to receive food, water, love, attention and medical care.
Sweet Bo Bo needed a little more medical care, attention and reassurance than Jackie Chan as he had some quite severely infected wounds on his back and face as well as a large hematoma on his ear which is now fully healed and he has recovered from. Whilst he will always carry the physical scars of a not so great past he most certainly does not worry about that anymore and he has quite simply bloomed into a lovely dog under the care of the staff at the restaurant.
He just now desperately needs someone to take a chance on him and allow him to be their dog, quite simply we believe that is all he wants – to be your dog. He still needs a little reassurance and patience from that special person so he can move forward into the next phase of being a family pet.
Bo Bo is approximately 5 – 6 years old and is a neutered male, who is healthy, fully vaccinated and heartworm free. We think Bo Bo is a Labrador / Boxer / Mastiff / Terrier mix ? or quite simply put a West Bay Mongrel :o) He has a short, shinny Copper colored coat. He weighs in at around 60 lbs and is a loving guy who now really enjoys to be in the company of people and to go out for his walks, he walks well on a leash and gets a spring in his step when he sees the leash, he also enjoys a nice dip in the ocean – like most island dogs.
He will be a wonderful loyal companion and devoted pet for the person or family that adopts him.
As part of his adoption, CARE will sponsor his microchip and a 6 month supply of Heartguard. If you are interested in meeting Bo Bo and adopting or fostering-to-adopt then please contact CARE on 938 2273 or e-mail [email protected] for more information.
A very short clip showing Bo Bo getting excited to be going for a walk is available at CARE
Please help Bo Bo find his happy ever after by spreading the word, he truly appreciates your help.
CARE-Cayman Animal Rescue Enthusiasts
938 2273
Cayman Cricket: National team heads to England
From Digicel Sportsmax
Cayman Islands national cricket team will be heading to England next week for the World Cricket League Division 6 tournament.
The tournament will feature eight teams in two groups and begins September 7, continuing through to the 14th.
Guernsey, Fiji, Botswana and Suriname make up Group A, while Cayman are the top seed in a Group B that also features Norway, Saudi Arabia, and Vanuatu.
The country is excited about some of the talent that is making its way into the squad.
Darren Cato, for instance, has come through the country’s under-19 system. The tournament is expected to give the stylish right-hand batsman much-needed development as Cayman tries to join the ranks of its more prestigious Caribbean neighbours like Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Barbados and Jamaica.
Speaking to the Cayman Compass, Robert Cox, the team’s manager, said the team, which had been booted from Division 5 last year, was ready for redemption.
“For this year’s competition, the team has refocused its objective of returning to WCL Division 5 by working hard on all aspects of their game and at the same time, developing and encouraging young talent,” he said.
For more: http://www.sportsmax.tv/?q=articles/2015/09/01/cayman-cricket-national-team-heads-england
Tennessee authorities investigating allegations of animal cruelty at chicken farm dumped by Tyson, McDonald’s
By Mary Beth Quirk From Consumerist
IMAGE: (Chris Goldberg)
Last week, Tyson Foods and McDonald’s said they were cutting ties with a poultry farm in Tennessee that was accused by an animal rights group of mistreating and abusing chickens. Authorities in that state now confirm they’re looking into the allegations of criminal animal cruelty by operators of the farm.
Tyson sourced the meat it sold to McDonald’s for chicken McNuggets from the farm in question. Last week the company announced it would no longer get its chickens from the Tennessee Farm, after Mercy for Animals published undercover video footage that reportedly showed chickens being beaten and stabbed with a pole that has a spike on it, as well as sick and deformed chickens mixed in with healthy birds in a huge, over-crowded holding area.
Mercy for Animals had asked Tennessee authorities to prosecute the owners of T&S Farm for violation of state laws prohibiting animal cruelty.
“The case is currently under investigation,” said Colin Johnson, assistant district attorney for Obion and Weakley County, where the farm is located, in a statement to USA Today.
Both McDonald’s and Tyson issued statements last week decrying animal abuse.
“We believe treating animals with care and respect is an integral part of a responsible supply chain and find the behavior depicted in this video to be completely unacceptable. We support Tyson Foods’ decision to terminate their contract with this farmer,” McDonald’s said at the time. “We’re working with Tyson Foods to further investigate this situation and reinforce our expectations around animal health and welfare at the farm level.
Report recommends sentencing guidelines for Cayman Islands
From RJR News
After carrying out a review of Cayman’s court system, a British legal expert has recommended better witness protection, cautions for minor crimes, and consistent sentencing.
The report was carried out for the Crown Prosecution Service, which is the UK’s equivalent of the Department of Public Prosecutions.
The report also states that sentencing guidelines need to be established to ensure consistency and transparency.
The report concludes that real progress can be made in a short space of time, if objectives are set and closely monitored.
For more: http://rjrnewsonline.com/regional/report-recommends-sentencing-guidelines-for-cayman
Ashley Madison says business is booming
By Drew Olanoff From Techcrunch
If you felt bad for the folks who work at “discreet encounter” site Ashley Madison, don’t. They’re just fine, apparently. According to this lovely press release, the company behind Ashley Madison, Avid Life Media, has had “hundreds of thousands of morons who want their info stolen people sign up for the service” since the hack heard round the world.
Tons of conversations and stories swirled about famous people who used the site, but hey…who are we to judge? They’re doing swimmingly!
Recently, the company announced that its CEO had stepped down, citing a mutual agreement.
Before today’s announcement, the company said: “We are actively adjusting to the attack on our business and members’ privacy by criminals.” It apparently took a break to tell us how great it is (and of course not a signal asking to be hacked again):
Recent media reports predicting the imminent demise of Ashley Madison are greatly exaggerated. The company continues its day-to-day operations even as it deals with the theft of its private data by criminal hackers. Despite having our business and customers attacked, we are growing. This past week alone, hundreds of thousands of new users signed up for the Ashley Madison platform – including 87,596 women.
That’s right, the site hasn’t just seen “hundreds of thousands” of new users signing up, some of them are actually women. Not fake women, mind you. Real ones who like to talk, according to Avid Life Media. Really. They said that women sent “more than 2.8 million messages within our platform” last week.
Well ain’t that grand. The hack is the best thing to ever happen to the site. Hopefully this means we can stop covering it now and giving them free promotion. I seriously never want to see that damn “shhh” homepage ever again.
See related iNews Cayman story “Could the Ashley Madison hack have been an inside job?” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/could-the-ashley-madison-hack-have-been-an-inside-job/
Watch this guy fly in a 54-propeller super drone
By Drew Olanoff From Techcrunch
Flying drones are all the rage right now. The latest DJI Phantom is smoking hot. But sitting in your very own one and flying it? That’s uncharted territory…until now.
Check out this dude in the UK hovering above the earth in a contraption with “54 counter-rotation propellers and six grouped control channels with Hobbyking stabilization.”
It’s hard to tell just how far he got off of the ground. Maybe 15 feet or so. It’s still pretty cool.
Notice this car roll by, stop and back up once he sees this thing:
Here it is unmanned (albeit not as cool):
To quote our very own Travis: “It’s like that movie “Fly Away Home,” but instead of geese it’s just a nerd trying to get home to his mom.” It is just like that.
For more and video go to: http://techcrunch.com/2015/08/31/watch-this-guy-fly-in-a-54-propeller-super-drone/?ncid=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29
Sale of buried Atari cartridges nets over $107,000
By Nathan Ingraham From engadget
The never-ending saga of the Atari 2600 E.T. cartridges that were famously buried (and later unearthed) in Alamogordo, New Mexico continues to benefit the small town. Last November, a selection of games (including E.T., Asteroids and Missile Command) that were recovered in the excavation were put up for sale on eBay, and now we know just how much cash they generated. According to the Alamogordo News, the game sales totaled $107,930.15, with more than $65,000 going directly to the town. In addition, the Tularosa Basin Historical Society received over $16,000 while more than $26,000 was spent on shipping and other expenses. A total of 881 cartridges covering 60 different titles were sold overall; a copy of E.T. was the highest single sale at $1,535.
This isn’t the last of the buried games, either; there are still more cartridges from the dig floating around. One hundred went to the company that made a documentary about the excavation, and 23 were donated to museums. But there are still 297 cartridges that Joe Lewandowski, the man who spearheaded the project, is holding on to — he’s thinking that he might put them on sale if and when another film about the burial comes together. Lewandowski does have plans for a second movie, but for now he’s going to advise Alamogordo on how to spend the money he earned for it. “The $65,000 is yours,” he said at a town meeting last week, “you can do what you want with it but I don’t want to see it go to pot holes or sewer lines.”
[Image credit: John Thien for Engadget]
British scientists have reportedly developed a slow-melting ice cream
AFP By Business Insider
IMAGE: The BSlA protein binds together the air, fat and water in ice cream, creating a super-smooth consistency that should keep it from melting as quickly © AFP/File Loic Venance
The BSlA protein binds together the air, fat and water in ice cream, creating a super-smooth consistency that should keep it from melting as quickly
London (AFP) – The summer scourge of sticky hands could become a thing of the past as British researchers announced the discovery of an ingredient to make slow-melting ice cream.
The protein BslA, which occurs naturally in some food, helps to blend the components of ice cream to make it smoother and more resistant to melting.
“The protein binds together the air, fat and water in ice cream, creating a super-smooth consistency,” the University of Edinburgh announced in a statement.
Developed by researchers at the Scottish universities of Edinburgh and Dundee, the ingredient could be available within three to five years.
“We’re excited by the potential this new ingredient has for improving ice cream, both for consumers and for manufacturers,” Professor Cait MacPhee, of the University of Edinburgh’s school of physics and astronomy.
It can also help to keep ice cream frozen, so it remains creamy and smooth without gritty ice crystals forming.
Manufacturers could also be enabled to make ice cream with fewer calories and saturated fat, according to the research.
The scientists developed a way to produce the protein using friendly bacteria.
“Childhood memories of sticky hands from melting ice cream cones could soon become obsolete,” the university statement read.
Google’s custom self-driving car comes to Austin
By Jon Fingas From engadget
Google’s self-driving car (aka the koala car) in an Austin startup
Google’s cute, koala-faced self-driving car is no longer limited to roaming around Californian streets. The company is bringing “a few” of the prototype autonomous vehicles to Austin, Texas within the next few weeks. They’ll stick to the same northern parts of the city as the modified Lexus SUVs do today, so don’t expect to see one parked outside of Stubb’s BBQ any time soon. Still, this is a rare chance to see Google’s robotic ride outside of its native habitat — so long as you aren’t trying any fancy bike tricks, you’re in for a treat.
NQ Mobile signs agreement to sell FL Mobile
From M2
NQ Mobile Inc. (NYSE: NQ), a leading global provider of mobile Internet services, said it has entered into a legally binding framework agreement with Beijing Jinxing Rongda Investment Management Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Tsinghua Holdings Co., Ltd and an independent third party, to sell the company’s entire stake in FL Mobile Inc., NQ Mobile’s majority owned Cayman Islands subsidiary.
Pursuant to the FL Framework Agreement, NQ Mobile, along with the other existing shareholders of FL Mobile Inc. have agreed to sell to Beijing Jinxing the entire stake in FL Mobile Inc. that they currently hold for no less than RMB4.0 billion (no less than USD626 million) with the final price being subject to the valuation of an independent third party valuer.
NQ Mobile Inc. (NYSE: NQ) is a leading global provider of consumer and enterprise mobile Internet services.
For more: http://www.m2.com/m2/web/story.php/20154967173
Giresi named Senior Vice President and CIO For Royal Caribbean Cruises
From Cruise Industry News
Royal Caribbean Cruises announced today that Michael Giresi has been named senior vice president and chief information officer.
Giresi joins Royal Caribbean with more than 20 years of experience in implementing technology initiatives for leading brands including Tory Burch, LLC, Direct Brands, Inc., Godiva Chocolatier and The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. Giresi will report directly to Adam Goldstein, president and COO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
“Michael’s background and experience implementing leading edge technology, combined with the skills of our seasoned management team, will be vital as Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. continues to innovate and accelerate its global expansion,” said Goldstein. “His broad experience and proven leadership will provide the company with the necessary tools to marry technology solutions that will continue to differentiate us.”
Giresi most recently served as senior vice president and CIO for Tory Burch, where he was responsible for the implementation of new infrastructure and technology initiatives for one of the fastest growing fashion brands in the world. Prior to that, Giresi was executive vice president and CIO at Direct Brands, Inc. Throughout his career, he has held various management positions, including CIO for Godiva Chocolatier and director of information technology for the Campbell Soup Company.
“I am looking forward for the opportunity to join Royal Caribbean, a company that stands for excellence in the travel industry,” said Giresi. “Working with the IT team, we will create the infrastructure necessary to move the company to the next level.”
Giresi graduated from Saint Joseph’s University’s Erivan K. Haub School of Business with a MBA, and from Seton Hall University with a B.A. in English.
For more: http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/12968.html
Caribbean Bank will allocate funds to Dominica after Erika impact
Roseau, Aug 31 (Prensa Latina) The Caribbean Development Bank will give 200,000 dollars to Dominica in order to respond to the chaos caused by tropical Storm Erika, which left at least 20 deaths and significant material losses.
The entity will soon send the funds and said to be ready to provide more money to the island through the regional Disaster management agency, to cover damages and contingencies resulting from the rains.
Erika left 300 millimeters of rain in Dominica on Thursday and, as a result, several rivers were overflowed as well as the streets too, and cars and crops were flooded, there was damage to road infrastructure, fallen trees and landslides.
The Caribbean island reported at least 20 dead, fifty missing, 574 homeless people and 567 refugees.
Its government declared nine localities as ‘special disaster areas’ with the view to focus on the restoration of many buildings, bridges and collapsed avenues, as well as the search for those lost.
In addition, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit asked the international community for support by considering that the storm caused a serious setback to the country.
Meanwhile, several Latin American and Caribbean countries continue sending humanitarian aid and logistical assistance to Dominica.
For more: http://www.plenglish.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4116111&Itemid=1
ICSC Caribbean Conference features trends influencing today’s retail industry
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the premier global trade association of the shopping center industry, will hold its sixth annual Caribbean Conference on October 22 – 23 at the Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan. The 2015 Conference will feature expert top-tier speakers on technology, innovation, development, design and analytics models that support the retail industry and transform the customer experience today.
With a complete redesign of the program offer, exhibitor layout, and new networking opportunities, the 2015 Caribbean Conference promises to maximize exposure for both, exhibitors and attendees. This year’s program introduces Micro
Sessions to cover specialized topics, allowing participants to explore new trends within their niche. The Conference will also feature the new Retailers Row, a space for retailers to establish contact with prospective business partners and hold negotiations.
“We have dedicated time to collect ideas from industry leaders and past attendees. This effort was essential in shaping the new Caribbean Conference. As a result we have secured global keynote speakers to discuss key issues such as the current reinvention of brick and mortar, and the use of data analytics to increase the bottom line in retail. Our commitment is to bring industry knowledge and real business opportunities to all attendees,” said Sandhya Espitia, Vice President of Latin America and the Caribbean at ICSC.
The two-day program will feature renowned keynote speaker William S. Taubman, COO of Taubman Centers, with a talk on the future of retail and a case study on the recent opening of The Mall of San Juan in Puerto Rico. Frank O. Mora, PhD Director of the Latin American and Caribbean Center at FIU, will offer a keynote on Cuba’s current economic and commercial landscape. Ion Cuervas, CEO of Think Big Factory will talk about connected retail through the famous movement of The Internet of Things, and Andy Carlson Vice President of Retail Brokerage at JLL will host a panel of retailers that continue to expand throughout the region.
The 2015 ICSC Caribbean Conference will be held on October 22 – 23 at the Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan. To register and learn more about the conference, access http://www.icsc.org/2015CAC/. Follow the latest news on Twitter via @ICSC and #CaribConf.
US High Court won’t review chimpanzee habeas denials
By Ben Bedell, From New York Law Journal
The Court of Appeals declined Tuesday to rule on the issue of whether chimpanzees have standing to seek habeas corpus relief in New York courts.
The state’s highest court denied without comment an animal rights organization’s motion for leave to appeal the rulings of two Appellate Division departments denying relief.
The Appellate Division, Third Department, in a December 2014 ruling unanimously denied a petition brought by The Nonhuman Rights Project on behalf of a chimpanzee named Tommy, saying chimps lack personhood (NYLJ, Dec. 4, 2014).
A month later, the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, denied the organization’s petition challenging the confinement of a chimp named Kiko, saying habeas relief was not available where the petitioner is seeking to improve the conditions of confinement, rather than to end the confinement entirely (NYLJ, Jan. 7).
A third case, brought on behalf of two chimps at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, was dismissed July 29 by Manhattan Justice Barbara Jaffe, who said she was constrained to follow the Third Department ruling (NYLJ, July 31). That case is on appeal to the Appellate Division, First Department.
The Court of Appeals brushed aside four amicus briefs filed in favor of hearing the case, including one filed by Harvard Law School professor Lawrence Tribe.
“Holding that Tommy and others like him are not welcome in habeas courts is akin to holding that detained slaves, infants, or comatose individuals cannot invoke the writ of habeas corpus to test the legality of their detention,” Tribe wrote.
The Third Department’s definition of “legal personhood,” he said, “would appear on its face to exclude third-trimester fetuses, children and comatose adults (among other entities whose rights as persons the law protects).”
7 Caribbean teams eye spots in third round FIFA World Cup qualifiers
From Caribbean Football Union
Seven Caribbean teams are preparing to take the six available spots in the Third Round of the ‘Road to Russia’ 2018 World Cup Qualifications which starts on September 4-8 when twelve teams compete in a home and away basis.
The teams are: Grenada, Aruba, Antigua & Barbuda, Curacao, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Jamaica and Haiti and will be joined by five other teams from the CONCACAF region namely Canada, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Belize and Guatemala in the race for these spots.
At the end of this campaign six winners will advance to the fourth round, when Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad & Tobago and the United States will be waiting to open their qualifying campaigns. Matches in the next round of four-team groups will take place from November 7, 2015 through to September 6, 2016.
The teams will play in the following pairs in a home and away format during September 4-8 as follows: St Vincent and the Grenadines against Aruba, Grenada and Haiti, Curacao and El Salvador, Canada and Belize, Antigua & Barbuda and Jamaica against Nicaragua.
The Senior Men’s World Cup Final is a FIFA’s flagship event which was first staged in 1930. The inaugural edition, was staged in Uruguay and was contested as a final tournament with thirteen teams invited by the organization to compete in the showpiece event.
To date only four teams form the Caribbean have made it to the World Cup Finals stage. The teams are Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago. The current champions are Germany, who won the World Cup at the last staging of the competition held in Brazil between June and July, 2014.
Koh braces for another Apple-Samsung trial
By Scott Graham, From The Recorder
U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh on Tuesday set a third trial in the Apple-Samsung smartphone case once known as the Trial of the Century.
Tuesday’s order sets retrial in March or April 2016 on patent infringement damages for five Samsung products: the Fascinate, Galaxy S4G, Galaxy S Showcase, Mesmerize, and Vibrant. Those are the five phones that a jury found in 2012 both infringed Apple’s patents and diluted its trade dress. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled in May that Samsung did not dilute Apple’s trade dress as a matter of law, requiring the new damages trial.
“The instant retrial on damages will be the parties’ fourth jury trial before this court, third jury trial in the instant case, and second damages retrial in the instant case,” Koh wrote in Tuesday’s order. She set aside seven days, allowing each side only six hours for evidence. “The court will not permit the parties to expand the scope of the damages retrial and will not allow the parties to rely on new sales data, new products, new methodologies or new theories.”
In the meantime, Koh appeared to be moving closer to entering judgment for Apple on the remaining 13 Samsung products that infringe Apple’s patents only. The Federal Circuit ordered last spring that Koh enter judgment “immediately” on that portion of the case, and Apple submitted a proposed order last week pegging the damages at $548 million.
Koh on Tuesday asked Apple to respond to Samsung’s objections to the proposed order, but only to the extent of clarifying whether Apple is waiving supplemental damages and prejudgment interest in order to move the case along. “No further briefing may be filed,” Koh added.
Apple, which is represented by Morrison & Foerster and Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, is trying to move quickly because of a Patent Trial and Appeal Board decision in December invalidating one of the patents in the case. Samsung—which is being underwritten by Google and is represented by Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan—argues that the PTAB decision should wipe out all of the damages in the case. At the very least proceedings should be stayed until the PTAB decision becomes final, they argue.
Koh instructed Apple to respond to Samsung’s argument by Sept. 9 and for Samsung to reply by Sept. 16. “No further briefing may be filed,” she again cautioned.
Koh ordered the parties to cease filings last week after the jockeying started over the Federal Circuit’s decision. She asked the parties to file a case management statement Sept. 11, and reprised a proposal the parties have spurned many times before. “The parties shall also address whether they are willing to engage in alternative dispute resolution, and if so, what form, with whom, and when.”
For more: http://www.therecorder.com/id=1202736222371/Koh-Braces-for-Another-AppleSamsung-Trial#ixzz3kaisW8yo
Illinois can’t pay its lottery winners right now
By Laura Northrup From Consumerist
Current lottery winners in Illinois might have to delay their joyful reactions for a little while. The state hasn’t passed a new budget, which means that they’re unable to pay lottery winners whose prizes are $25,000 or more. That’s a total of 29 lottery winners still waiting for their money since the current fiscal year started on July 1st.
Without a state budget in place, lottery officials can’t legally pay out big prizes. Prizes under $25,000 can be paid at a person’s local lottery claim center, and prizes under $600 can be cashed in at a store that sells lottery tickets.
It’s not the most serious consequence of the state budget crisis by any means, but frustrating for winners who have been handed a great big ceremonial cardboard IOU. The state comptroller’s office cuts checks for $25,000 or above, and lottery winners aren’t happy.
“I bought the ticket, I should get the money when it’s due to me,” a man who won $250,000 on a scratchoff game told TV station WLS. “I shouldn’t have to wait for some budget to be settled.” Unfortunately, that’s not how bureaucracies work.
For more: http://consumerist.com/2015/08/31/illinois-cant-pay-its-lottery-winners-right-now/
