iNews Briefs. More and Community Events
Community Events
RENT: The Musical
Opens Thursday September 10th, 2015
Runs to October 3rd, 2015
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays
Doors open at 6:30 PM for Happy Hour
try our special Tom Collins cocktail!
at The Prospect Playhouse
Do not miss out on the musical event of the year!
No Day but Today!
Click here for tickets: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/rent-the-musical-all-ticket-prices-in-us-tickets-17993960420?aff=ehomecard
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
MON SEP 7
Red Bay Church of God Holiness Youth Revival
Red Bay Church of God Holiness will be holding its Youth Revival Monday — Sunday (7 — 13 Sept) at 7:30 PM and 6 PM on Sunday.
NWDA in East End
The National Workforce Development Agency is hosting a meeting at East End Library on Monday (7 Sept) at 10am.
Cayman Islands Girls Brigade Meeting
The Cayman Islands Girls Brigade is hosting a series of information meetings for girls between the ages of 5 and 19. The next one is Monday (7 Sept) at John Gray Memorial Church Hall at 5:30pm.
National Drug Council Drug Survey Volunteers
The National Drug Council is preparing to conduct the 4th cycle of Her Majesty’s Prison Survey on September 7 to 11. Volunteers will be needed. If you are interested, call 949.9000.
TUE SEP 8
Meeting to establish a CERT team in the Prospect community
The meeting to establish a CERT team in the Prospect community will now take place at the Prospect Primary School Hall on Tuesday September 8th at 6.30 p.m.
Mark your calendars Cayman Islands triathlon training series is back!
The Cayman Islands Triathlon Association (CITA) training series
The CITA is pleased to announce the new dates of the Triathlon Training Series, on Saturdays:
* September 20th 2015
* October 11th 2015
More information about the training series can be found at http://www.triathlon.ky/events/ci-triathlon-training-series.
Contract signing for Cayman Islands Owen Roberts Airport Redevelopment Project
Construction of Phase 1 of the Owen Roberts Airport Redevelopment Project is about to begin!
The Cayman Islands Airports Authority and the Contractor who won the open tender process are ready to sign a contract paving the way for construction to commence.
This will be done on Monday 7th September at 10:45am CIAA Administration Office Boardroom.
Present will be The Hon Premier, Deputy Premier and Councillor for Tourism,
CIAA CEO Albert Anderson and CIAA Board of Directors and Representatives from the Contractor Company.
Cayman Islands football president resigns from his day job
Bruce Blake, Acting President of Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA) has
resigned from his position at International law firm Maples and Calder.
A statement from Maples and Calder dated 3rd September said, “Maples and Calder confirms that Bruce Blake, an associate in our Finance group, has chosen to leave the law firm in order to focus on his role as First Vice-President of the Cayman Islands Football Association.
“Bruce has been involved with the sport long before he joined our firm in 1998 and has continued to play an integral part in its development over the years, both locally and internationally.
“Bruce’s many years of service and hard work are appreciated and, while his departure is a loss to the firm, we are supportive of Bruce’s decision.”
Saba receives first Caribbean QualityCoast Silver
By Hugo de Jong From QualityCoast
The tiny Dutch Caribbean island of Saba has been awarded the Silver QualityCoast Award, and thereby became the first Caribbean island to be recognized for its sustainability efforts, policy and quality.
On the 1st of September, Dutch State Secretary of Economic Affairs, Sharon Dijksma, presented the QualityCoast flag and certificate to Island Governor Jonathan Johnson, Kingdom Representative Gilbert Isabella, and the Director of the tourist office, Glenn Holm. “Saba may be proud with this recognition because it is the evidence of hard work that is carried out by several organizations and individuals on the field of nature protection, tourism and culture,” said Dijksma.
Saba has no beaches and hence escaped the typical ‘sun-sea-sand’ tourism development as seen elsewhere in the Caribbean. Its rugged slopes are covered with lush fauna which can be explored through a network of guided hiking trails. Under the water-line an outstanding and intact ecosystem provides many opportunities for quality scuba diving and snorkeling.
The QualityCoast jury praised the island’s nature protection above and below the surface; its distinct cultural heritage and architecture; the relatively even spread of tourism over the year; and initiatives to involve enterprises, visitors and the public to contribute to community and biodiversity conservation initiatives. For more information, see Saba’s destination page.
The assessment and recognition of Saba was part of the so-called Green Deal for Sustainable Tourism – a public-private partnership of stakeholders in the Dutch tourism industry. This Green Deal aims to support destinations worldwide in becoming more sustainable and inform consumers about the quality and sustainability of their holiday destinations.
SOURCE: http://www.qualitycoast.info/?p=2831
Cayman Islands opens up .KY domains with the help of Uniregistry
From Domain Gang
As of September 2 2015, anyone can register a Cayman Islands domain name ending in .KY.
September 2nd marks the beginning of a new era for the .ky ccTLD, aspiring to become a magnet to businesses already local, or those aspiring to become part of the Cayman Islands’ folklore.
The dot .ky ccTLD is now available the world over, thanks to back-end support provided by Uniregistry, Frank Schilling’s company that was founded in the Cayman Islands.
The registration and annual cost for .KY domains is $39.88 via Uniregistry.
Don’t hope to get most .ky domain hacks, such as kin.ky or kentuc.ky, however; they are all reserved, or registered.
For more: http://domaingang.com/domain-news/cayman-islands-opens-up-ky-domains-with-the-help-of-uniregistry/
Vontobel buys Finter Bank from Italmobiliare
From finews
IMAGE: Vontobel’s Headquarters in Zurich
Vontobel’s hunt for a suitable bank to acquire was lenghty: The Zurich-based private bank today announced it agreed to buy Finter Bank with branches in Zurich and in Lugano from Italmobiliare. With this acquisition yet another Swiss banking brand will disappear.
With the acquisition of Finter Bank, Vontobel is strengthening its private banking business with Italian clients and in the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland, the company said in a statement on Friday. Finter offers private banking services to customers in Italy and Switzerland and has assets under management totalling 1.6 billion Swiss francs. It employs 65 people.
Vontobel agreed to a purchase price of 1.1 percent of Finter’s assets under management plus its book value, which primarily consists of excess capital, the bank said. Italmobiliare, the industrial and financial holding company of Italy’s Pesenti family, will receive part of the purchase price in Vontobel shares.
Vontobel will finance the acquisition in full with own assets and treasury shares, the company said. It expects the new business to contribute to its earnings from 2016.
Independent of today’s acquisition, Zurich-based Vontobel has served clients in Italy since 2002 and manages assets of 6 billion francs in that country.
Cayman Islands currency exchange problem
From CIMA
The Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (the “Authority”) is cognizant of the present challenges within the money services industry and the potential residual impact to the Cayman Islands economy. We continue to monitor developments in the industry and are working diligently with all relevant parties.
The Authority further wishes to remind the public that currency exchange constitutes money services business pursuant to Section 2 of the Money Services Law (2010 Revision) and requires a licence. Failure to secure a licence is an offence pursuant to Section 4 (1) and 4 (2) of the Money Services Law (2010 Revision) which states –
“Subject to sections 3(2) and 31, any person who carries on money services business without first obtaining a licence under section 5, is guilty of an offence.
A person guilty of an offence under subsection (1) is liable on summary conviction to a fine of ten thousand (CI$10,000) dollars and to imprisonment for one year and, in the case of a continuing offence, to a fine of one thousand (CI$1,000) dollars for each day during which the offence continues.”
For further clarification contact the Banking Supervision Division at [email protected]
The backyard barbecue isn’t as popular as it used to be
By Mary Beth Quirk From Consumerist
Though visions of hamburgers and hotdogs may be dancing through your head as we approach the Labor Day holiday weekend, the heyday of the backyard barbecue has come and gone, some say, partly because of the high price of beef.
Before you start clanging your cooking tongs in disbelief, it’s not that grilling outside is going away or no one’s doing it, it’s just that not as many people are cooking in the open air as before: after two decades of increasing popularity, the percentage of U.S. homes using their barbecue grill for a main meal in a typical two-week period dropped to 35% last year from 40% in 2009, Bloomberg reports, citing data from market researcher NPD group.
One factor? Beef prices have been going up, with the price of a boneless steak sirloin reaching a record $8.84 per pound. Steak makes up 21% of dinners on the grill at home, in comparison to 32% in 1985. Burgers also aren’t as popular, NPD says.
(If you do make burgers at home, here are four ways you can cook up some juicy ones safely)
There’s also factors like the Polar Vortex pushing people indoors to cook, and more Hispanic and Asian consumers and the younger generation going for different, international flavors.
People aren’t buying grills and smokers as much as before either, with shipments for both hitting their peak in North America in 2007, sliding three years straight through 2013.
“Barbecuing is not going away,” Darren Seifer, a New York-based food and beverage analyst at NPD told Bloomberg. “It’s just that it’s peaked.”
The good news for the roughly two-thirds of households who will be heading out to the yard and firing up the grill this weekend: wholesale pork prices are down, and supermarkets are likely to respond by offering good deals on the other white meat.
If you do choose to barbecue or smoke food outdoors this weekend, remember to keep your grill a safe distance from any structures. Any way you cook it, happy eating and have a safe and delightful Labor Day weekend.
For more: http://consumerist.com/2015/09/04/the-backyard-barbecue-isnt-as-popular-as-it-used-to-be/
Caribbean sheds light on human evolution
By Catherine Griffin From Science World
IMAGE: Scientists may have uncovered an ancient species of monkey. They’ve found a species of fossil monkey that was once found across the Caribbean about 1 million years ago. (Photo : Journal of Human Evolution)
Scientists may have uncovered an ancient species of monkey. They’ve found a species of fossil monkey that was once found across the Caribbean about 1 million years ago.
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The researchers actually found the fossil embedded in a limestone rock that was dated using the Uranium-series technique. The scientists then used three-dimensional geometric morphometrics to confirm that the fossil tibia does indeed belong to the species, Antillothrix bernensis. This primate existed relatively unchanged for over a million years.
“The presence of endemic new world monkeys on the Caribbean islands is one of the great questions of bio-geography and our work on these fossils shows Antillothrix existed on Hispaniola relatively morphologically unchanged for over a million years,” said Helen Green, lead researcher, in a news release. “By establishing the age of these fossils we have changed the understanding of primate evolution in this region.”
The researchers have been searching for rare fossil remains of endemic mammals since 2009 to investigate how these animals were adapted to their unique, island environments. Now, the new fossil may shed some light on some of these questions.
The researchers found that the monkey was roughly the size of a small cat, was tree-dwelling, and lived largely on a diet of fruit and leaves. These findings reveal a bit more about the evolution of apes and shows that this species was present in the Caribbean during this time period.
The findings are published in the Journal of Human Evolution.
Secretary General of the Association of Caribbean States visits Jamaica
From eTN Global Travel Industry News
The Secretary General of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), His Excellency Ambassador Alfonso Munera Cavadia, accompanied by the Political Adviser, went to Jamaica on Official Mission and met on Thursday, September 3, with The Most Honorable Portia Simpson Miller, Prime Minister, o.N., M.P: The Prime Minister gave the ACS delegation a warm welcome, recalling the Secretary General´s tenure as Ambassador during the period 1999-2003. The Prime Minister lauded the role and effectiveness of the ACS, its revitalization and increased visibility, while underscoring the urgency for the Caribbean of the great challenge being posed by climate change. The Prime Minister then expressed her empathy with sister isle Dominica at this difficult time.
The Secretary General also met with Senator the Honorable Arnold J. Nicholson, QC, Minister of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade.
Ambassador Munera’s meetings centered on the 1st Symposium of the Caribbean Sea Commission, carded for November 26-27, 2015 and the fact that it will focus on very current and urgent threats facing the Caribbean Sea like Climate Change, Rising Sea Levels, the Sargassum Weed and damage to the Coral Reefs, as well as shared Texperiences with other Commissions like the Helsinki Commission and that of the Black Sea. It was noted that the approach to this and most other challenges facing the Caribbean Region, should be combined collaborative efforts.
The Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed Jamaica´s appreciation and support of the Association. He endorsed Secretary General´s indication that Ministers of Foreign Affairs be invited to the Symposium having regard to the absolute need for a collective response and collaboration by all stakeholders, and signaled his willingness to attend.
Further, the Secretary General was received by Professor Hilary Beckles, recently appointed Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies. Their conversation centered on the need for synergy and collaboration between the ACS and UWI, with the latter driving the discourse of the Greater Caribbean. The many challenges could be overcome by multi-lateral diplomacy and joint projects. Reference was also made to the fact that the United Nations has declared this the Decade of People of African Descent.
For more: http://www.eturbonews.com/63397/secretary-general-association-caribbean-states-visits-jamaica
Harassing journalists is election campaign strategy in Guatemala
From Caribbean News Now
PARIS, France — Press freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders has urged Guatemala’s political class to respect the freedom of journalists to work as they see fit. Against a backdrop of extreme political and social tension, President Otto Pérez Molina resigned on Thursday on the eve of a hearing on a corruption case in which he is allegedly involved. Journalists have been pressured and harassed by both government officials and candidates in the run-up to general elections on 6 September.
Intimidation is being used as a weapon against media personnel at all political levels, from national to municipal.
Vice-President Edgar Barquín’s bodyguards attacked Prensa Libre reporter Edwin Pitán on 23 July while the journalist Jaime Soc received death threats from José Yac, a candidate for mayor in Cantel in the western department of Quetzaltenango, three days later, according to the Quetzaltenango Journalists’ Association.
Government officials and candidates have accused several media outlets, including Prensa Libre, Emisoras Unidas and Publinews of “distorted” political coverage. These verbal attacks led to acts of vandalism against Prensa Libre’s headquarters in Guatemala City in mid-August.
Censorship is another way of pressuring journalists. Patriot Party parliamentary candidate Enrique Maldonado had Optimo 23 and ATV 24 – two TV stations linked to a cable TV company he owns (Servicable) – closed on 6 August after they defied orders and broadcast reports about his political rivals.
“We deplore the harassment of Guatemala’s media, especially by the political class, and we are dismayed to see that violence against journalists seems to be a well-established election campaign strategy,” said Emmanuel Colombié, the head of the Reporters Without Borders Latin America desk.
“We urge authorities and candidates to ensure respect for freedom of information and we condemn all forms of pressure, threats, censorship or physical attacks against media personnel. It is essential that measures are taken to guarantee the safety of reporters, especially during elections.”
The National Civil Police (PNC) has also harassed journalists. On 26 August, members of this force physically attacked reporters who were waiting outside the court where Vice-President Roxana Baldetti was being tried on charges of illicit association, corruption and customs fraud.
CERIGUA (Centre for Informative Reports about Guatemala) has registered a total of 74 direct attacks on journalists since the start of the year. Two of the victims, Danilo López of Prensa Libre and Federico Salazar of Radio Nuevo Mundo were killed.
Guatemala is ranked 124th out of 180 countries in the press freedom index that Reporters Without Borders published in February.
Deutsche Bank doubles down on bond trading in the US with big hire
By Matt Turner From Business Insider
Deutsche Bank is doubling down on bond trading in the US, hiring a former senior Lehman Brothers and Citigroup executive to a top sales post.
The German bank has hired John Gallo to be head of its institutional client group for debt in North America, according to people familiar with the matter.
That puts him in charge of the bank’s fixed income sales force in the region. He replaces Lou Jaffe, who left the bank earlier this summer after a 20-year career at Deutsche Bank.
He will report to John Pipilis, who is global head of the institutional client group for debt and is based in London.
Gallo had been head of sales to investors in North America at Citigroup until his departure in March. He previously held a similar post at Lehman Brothers.
The hire is the latest in a long line of appointments by the German bank. Earlier this month, the bank hired Bryan North-Clauss as head of rates sales in the US. He was hired by Chris Yoshida, who joined Deutsche Bank in 2014 from Morgan Stanley as global head of rates sales.
Deutsche Bank is one of the leading banks globally for fixed income trading, and it suffered as that business slowed during an extended period of lower volatility from 2012 to 2014. The bank was criticized by analysts during that period for not moving to pare back that business sooner.
The bank said in an April strategy update that it would optimize its credit and rates trading business in a bid to improve returns. Anshu Jain, then the co-CEO who helped build the fixed income units over the course of two decades, was later ousted and replaced by former UBS executive John Cryan.
Cryan said in an introductory address to his staff in July that the bank’s securities and derivatives trading business could no longer be so heavily reliant on using the bank’s balance sheet. He has since reshaped the bank’s fixed income business, splitting it into six groups.
Those changes have come as the bank has enjoyed a rebound in bond trading revenues. The bank generated €4.75 billion in debt sales and trading revenues in the first six months of the year, equivalent to around $5.3 billion. That is up 12% from the figure for the same period last year.
Want a clean-cut lawn? A robot mower might not be for you
By Mary Beth Quirk September 3, 2015
IMAGE: (Consumer Reports on YouTube)
While your inner child might thrill at the idea of having robots do stuff around the home, if you want to save a bunch of money and have a lawn with that clean-cut, green look, you could be better off sticking with a self-propelled lawnmower instead of the robotic kind.
Much like one of those robotic vacuum cleaners that cats love to ride on, at first glance it looks like a robotic mower would be just the thing for someone who wants to sit back and relax while a device does the hard work. But it’s not quite a “set it and forget it” situation with these somewhat pricy robo-mowers, as our esteemed colleagues at Consumer Reports found out when they recently tested a few models.
One of the big considerations shoppers will have to take into account is the price of robotic mowers — the four models Consumer Reports tested this summer ran from $1,000 to $2,400. That’s in comparison to the $400 price tag on a self-propelled Honda model that Consumer Reports has rated highly.
There’s also the question of installation time: you need to first set a perimeter wire for the robot mowers, driving a stake about every 18 inches into the ground to set boundaries, and then install the docking station and program the mower. All of that setting up can take several hours.
And once it’s going, there’s no guarantee the battery-powered mowers will keep going all by themselves, as they can get stuck on uneven surfaces on your lawn and need human hands to free them.
Another advantage of self-propelled mowers that shoppers should consider is the clean, even cut and straight lines Consumer Reports testers got with the self-propelled model. The robo mowers wander randomly, clipping the grass as they go, which results in an even cut, but a less smooth surface. That rougher cut can cause stress to the grass, drying it out and making it more susceptible to disease.
Check out the video from Consumer Reports for more information on how robo mowers stack up to traditional self-propelled models at link below.
For more: http://consumerist.com/2015/09/03/want-a-clean-cut-lawn-a-robot-mower-might-not-be-for-you/
Jailed clerk vows not to back down, no resolution in sight
By ADAM BEAM Associated Press From Daily Democrat
GRAYSON, Ky. (AP) — Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis will spend Labor Day weekend in isolation at the Carter County Detention Center with her Bible and her clear conscience.
At least three same-sex couples will spend the weekend planning weddings after finally receiving the marriage licenses they asked for months ago but were denied because Davis believes gay marriage is a sin.
The Rowan County Clerk’s office issued the licenses to same-sex couples on Friday under threat of jail time or fines if they didn’t comply with a federal judge’s order. While the licenses were freely given, the drama surrounding the clerk does not appear to be ending anytime soon. Davis met with her attorneys in jail Friday and told them she would “never violate her conscience or betray her God.”
U.S. District Judge David Bunning has said he will not release Davis unless she agrees to obey his order. Davis’ attorneys said the only way she would relent would be to change Kentucky’s state law so that marriage licenses are not issued under the authority of the county clerk. They claim the licenses that were issued were not valid.
The state legislature will not meet again until January. Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear has refused to call a special session, arguing it would waste taxpayer money to bring the legislature back on an issue that so far only affects one elected official. That means Davis could potentially be in jail for months until the state legislature has a chance to change the law early next year.
Davis’ supporters are not backing down. They planned a “Free Kim Davis” rally in front of the jail on Saturday and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said he planned to meet with Davis on Tuesday.
Kim Davis’ husband, Joe, said his wife will stay in jail how “ever how long it takes,” noting that she has held a Bible study at the Rowan County Detention Center every Monday night for the past few years.
“She’s not going to resign, she’s not going to sacrifice her conscience, so she’s doing what Martin Luther King Jr. wrote about in his Letter from the Birmingham Jail, which is to pay the consequences for her decision,” said Mat Staver, one of Davis’ attorneys and founder of the Florida-based legal group Liberty Counsel.
Davis’ attorneys said the licenses issued Friday are not “worth the paper they are written on” because Davis did not authorize them. But attorneys for the gay couples who sued her along with the elected Rowan County attorney said the licenses were valid. U.S. District Judge David Bunning said he did not know if the licenses were valid but ordered them issued anyway.
Gay couples who arrived at the Rowan County Courthouse on Friday said they were sad that Davis was in jail. But they were determined not to let her ruin their celebrations.
James Yates and William Smith were the first couple through the door, pushing through a thick scrum of cameras and microphones to pay $35.50 for a marriage license. They embraced through tears once the deputy clerk, Brian Mason, handed the form back to them and told them “congratulations.” Yates, with Smith clutching his arm, dashed across the courtyard to hug his mother.
“Civil rights are civil rights and they are not subject to belief,” said Yates, who had been denied a license five times previously.
Dozens of protesters on both sides filled the courtyard with sound systems and signs, and a few even made their way inside to heckle gay couples. Timothy and Michael Long did not respond when a man wearing a white dress shirt and a black tie called them perverts as they were filling out their license. The couple had a commitment ceremony seven years ago but wanted to make their marriage official.
April Miller and Karen Roberts, the lead plaintiffs in the lawsuit that landed Davis behind bars, got their license around midday. Miller emerged in the bright sunshine holding her license above her head while Roberts let out a joyous whoop as supporters cheered.
“Now we can breathe. I’m still ecstatic and happy. I just can’t wait to get married now,” Roberts said.
E-Book prices increase, sales slump after Amazon & publishers finalize contracts
By Ashlee Kieler From Consumerist
Just three months after Amazon tied up its bevy of contracts with top publishing houses, it looks like those deals might not be working out well for several companies, as they’ve reported declining e-book revenues in recent months.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Hachette, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster have all reported declining online book sales after inking deals with Amazon that gave the publishers more say in the prices for their titles.
A look at the Kindle store found that each of the five big publishers – which also includes Penguin Random House and Macmillian – have an average cost of $10.81 per e-book, while online books from others had an average price of $4.95, research group Codex Group LLC found.
“Since book buyers expect the price of a Kindle e-book to be well under $9, once you get to over $10 consumers start to say, ‘Let me think about that,’” Codex CEO Peter Hildick-Smith tells the WSJ.
The group found that in some cases the cost of an e-book was actually on par with the cost of a new hardcover version. For example, a new novel — published by Macmillian — by Jonathan Franzen costs $15.10 for hardcover, just $0.11 more than the e-book price.
In another case, this time for Hachette, the company priced an e-book new release from James Patterson at $9.99 last year, his latest book, though, is listed at $14.99.
The company reported a 24% decline in e-book sales in the first half of 2015, the WSJ reports.
Hachette says the decline in e-book sales is a result of fewer hot titles and the implementation of its Amazon deal.
According to the Association of American Publishers, the first five months of 2015, publisher e-book revenue for adult, children’s and young adult titles fell 10.4% to $583 million compared with the same time in 2014.
“The new business model for e-books is having a significant impact on what [the big] publishers report,” one publishing executive tells the WSJ. “There’s no question that publishers’ net receipts have gone down.”
Still, other publishers tell the WSJ that e-book sales aren’t a result of the Amazon deals.
In fact, he says the industry is a “title driven business. If you have a good book, price isn’t an issue.”
Teacher arrested after drone crashes at the US Open
By Nick Summers From engadget
In a Grand Slam like the US Open, top tennis players have to be able to block out unwanted distractions. A crowd that’s starting to side with your opponent is one problem, but a drone? That’s something most competitors aren’t prepared for. As the Guardian reports, a 26-year-old teacher has now been arrested after a quadcopter crash-landed into an empty section of the stands. Flavia Pennetta and Monica Niculesu were facing off on Thursday night when the 3DR Solo swooped in unannounced. Videos have emerged documenting the crash — although no-one was hurt, it clearly broke the flow of the match and worried the players, their families and fans. Curiously, the intruding drone didn’t appear to have a camera on board — it’s possible that it snapped off during the landing, but otherwise it’s unclear exactly why the pilot was flying there in the first place. As we’ve seen in the past, usually drones sneak into sporting events to capture all of the action.
