Nearly 80 American soldiers have been wounded and two Afghan civilians killed in a Taliban truck bombing targeting an American base in eastern Afghanistan, NATO says.
French Banks Brace for Credit Ratings Downgrade
China Bank Lending Quickens as Tightening Relaxes
Global Mall Operator Starts Reading License Plates
First time accepted submitter skegg writes “Westfield Group, one of the largest shopping centre (mall) operators in the world, has launched a find-my-car iPhone app. The system uses a series of license plate reading cameras dotted throughout their multi-level car parks. Westfield said police could also use it to find stolen or unregistered vehicles. (Hello, slippery slope.) Initially launched in just one Sydney centre, it will be rolled-out to others if the trial is successful.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Gay couple wins right to amend child’s birth record
A same-sex couple in Saskatchewan have successfully won the right to have the name of the woman who carried their child removed from their daughter’s birth certificate.
China Hits Foreigners And Their Employers With New Social Benefits Tax
China on Friday said it will impose a new tax on foreigners??working in the country??and require them to participate in the country’s social insurance programs. The move will raise the cost of hiring foreigners in China and “may result in a decrease in the number of foreign workers in the long term,” according to the …
The BMW i8 hybrid to use laser headlights
Wrik Sen:
BMW i8 car using laser LED headlightsBMW i8 car using laser LED headlights
With modern day luxury vehicles, BMW has always been on the forefront to bring in new technology and designing breakthroughs in their vehicles. Whether its alternative fuel or security systems, including driver assistance technology to prevent car accidents, BMW has carried on a trend of innovation, which makes the brand a favorite amongst auto-lovers around the world. Laser lighting which was earlier found in pointers like the Sonar Series Blue, which actually be rechristened in the headlights of new BMW i8 model, which will make it the first of its kind to use this technology.
The new Laser based LED lights will be breakthroughs to watch out for, simply because of the efficiency of these lights. While the traditional LED lights in cars produce 100 lumens and piece, the laser lights will produce upwards of 170 lumens, making them much brighter than the existing set. The significant differentiating factor of these lights is the passing of each light beam through a florescent Phosphor material, changing the usual blue color of the beam to white, and reduction of any harmful side-effects it may have. Also, since each diode is only 1 micron thick, it could pose a challenge to create the perfect set of lights for the new car, which usually are an important part of the designing of each vehicle. As per company sources, they do not wish to reduce the overall surface size of these lights, but instead integrate them into the front frill in a such a way, that they can be hidden when not in use, but at the same time function just as well when put on in the dark. To control their intensity, they could also be computer controlled from within the vehicle, to form low beam or high beam patterns at will.
Prodding further, we have come to know that the technology is still being fine tuned and is a few years away from being implemented. Till then, for those of you interested in other futuristic concepts from BMW, please do take a look at their Concept C scooter which too has managed to vow a lot of us.
24 karat gold vodka bottles by Vallure
Wrik Sen:
Vallure Vodka Gold bottlesVallure Vodka Gold bottles, which is looking to bring in the ‘Gold Standard of Vodka’ concept.
If the spirit inside packaging wasn’t enough to get high, there have been some blinged versions that would surely do the job, with the embellished and bejeweled bottling of these luxury packages of alcohol. We had earlier shown you the Le Billionaire Vodka, which is the world’s most expensive and has over 3500 diamonds on the bottle, and now it’s Vallure Vodka’s turn to produce a gold plated version, with 24K of the precious metal being used to embalm the body of the bottle.
Vallure hasn’t been the biggest or most prominent of names as yet, but this gold plated version will certainly set them apart. Definitely one of the most expensive varieties around, the bottle of vodka had gone through a multi-level distillation process and also been triple filtered, which gives ultra smoothness to the alcoholic beverage inside. And to draw attention with a novelty perspective, the gold embalming was done to give luxury alcohol collectors something to remember the brand by, and be proud of owning. The company has paid attention to creating a whole new concept with these bottles, called ‘The Gold Standard of Vodka’. The fundamentals lie in the original gold standard set to mark the value of the American dollar, and now using the same basis of 24K gold unit, the treatment has now been rendered on the packaging which is sure to stand out in the luxury segment.
Vallure Vodka Gold bottlesVallure Vodka Gold bottles, which is looking to bring in the ‘Gold Standard of Vodka’ concept.
For those of you interested in other expensive varieties of Vodka, we ahve earlier told you about the world’s most expensive vodkas. This would sure give you a high, even without actually consuming what’s inside these bottles.
Via: Vallure/ Trendhunter
GE Guts Offshore Wind-Power Plans
General Electric, the U.S.-based industrial giant and leading manufacturer of wind-power turbines, is scaling back efforts to expand its presence in the offshore wind power market. The rationale: there is no meaningful offshore wind market to speak of – at least not yet. Given slower-than-expected industry growth, the offshore market may not mature as rapidly …
A New Record Low for the GoC
The 5-year Government of Canada bond yield fell today to a never-before-seen 1.28%. Its 13 bps drop came on the heels of August job losses, a stock market selloff and…