Mr.Bada

Link The giant sign across the front doors of the UK's Bristol Zoo Gardens says: “We are now closed. Thank you for all your support over the last 186 years.” The zoo, one of the oldest in the world, has shut its doors to the public but, for the moment, most of the 10,000 or so inhabitants remain, along with the Herculean task of relocating them all — from a family of gorillas to, as it turns out, rather a lot of millipedes. In its final days earlier this month, thousands of Bristolians flocked to the site, reliving memories that for many stretched over generations. None has a stronger connection than Richard Clarke. His great-great-great (“and possibly another great in there”, he says) grandfather was one of the original 120 shareholders when the zoo was founded in 1835. In the 1920s, in the depths of the Great Depression, his grandfather Dr Richard Clarke took over the zoo, introducing many innovations in animal care and conservation, including gorilla management.Now an ambassador for the zoo, the grandson sits on a bench in the late summer sunshine and watches the last children gaze in awe at the Asiatic lions or coo over a pair of adorable red pandas. The passing, he says, “evokes deep feelings”. “But the other side of the coin is that from a conservation point of view, it was an easy decision to make.” Mr Clarke is referring to The Wild Place Project, a conservation park in the Gloucestershire countryside right outside Bristol, in the west of England, that will take the zoo's place. The Wild Place has about 52 hectares — a major jump from the previous five — and will focus more on endangered species.“A lot of the old buildings here are not really fit for purpose,” Mr Clarke says. The reality is that the era of such inner-city establishments, with their original aim to entertain as much as educate, is coming to an end. The Dubai zoo moved from a cramped site in Jumeirah to the new Dubai Safari Park in 2017 for much the same reason.At London Zoo, many of the older buildings, such as the Lion House, aquarium or the celebrated Berthold Lubetkin-designed Penguin Pool, are protected as structures of historical and architectural importance. But they are no longer suitable for housing wild creatures, and so stand empty.The same can be said for Bristol Zoo Gardens, its full title, which opened in 1836 and was the fifth oldest in the world. The 19th-century Bear Pit, Monkey Temple and Eagle Aviary have all been given listed building status and will survive the closure as the site is repurposed, but it has been many years since they held animals. The public’s appetite for animals in captivity has changed, and spectacles such as the chimpanzee’s tea party and elephant rides now seem not only anachronistic but cruel. Attendance at Bristol, the unprecedented flurry of late interest aside, has been declining for years, and the pandemic, which brought enforced closures and laid off staff, was the final nail in the coffin. Bristol Zoological Society, which runs both sites, made the decision to relocate to The Wild Place in late 2020.More than 300 species of animals were on display at the city centre zoo but only about 80 will be at the new site eight kilometres away, where animals will live in a larger and more natural environment. That has meant rehousing most of the creatures in zoos and wildlife parks as far away as Spain and the US. “We are getting rid of animals that are of lowest concern for conservation and that will allow us to do more of the conservation work, which is what we are famous for,” says Brian Zimmerman, director of conservation and science. “Animal welfare is our top priority. We have really high standards and part of the reason we are moving to this site is so that we can improve on welfare. "The enclosures are designed to the highest standard possible and are being built in nature rather than artificially created.” Some of the world’s top animal transporters are being employed. The giraffes have already gone to The Wild Place in special trailers with adjustable-height roofs — and a careful eye to avoid low bridges.The paddlefish, which commonly reach three metres in length, are going to Valencia, another challenge because of the distance and their size. A special mention must go to the red-legged millipedes, tiny arthropods which, despite their name, do not have 1,000 legs. But there are a lot of them — Bristol Zoo estimated about 2,500. Laura Graham, the animal registrar, picks up what happened when their time came to depart. “We often get the question of what’s the most difficult animal to move and people always think about lions and larger species,” Ms Graham says. “But the most numerous animals can also be the most challenging.“Three months after the last count, when we went to move the millipedes on, we found that they had been breeding amazingly well so they had multiplied to 9,327. “We went from planning to move them in a smaller zoo car to actually using our large transport vehicle with very large containers.” Fortunately, the millipedes’ new home at Marwell Zoo in England’s Hampshire has a large tropical house and was happy to accept the growing family. While the public have now left, it will be some time before the last animals do so. The zoo says that none will have to be put to sleep, although the 25 species of butterflies will not be moving on. The insect’s lifespan of only a few weeks means nature will take care of that. The keepers have been preparing for closure since the moment the news was announced. “Being 186 years old, we have a lot of contacts in the zoo industry,” Ms Graham says. “It’s been a challenge but we’re definitely getting there. It’s so valuable when you see those animals in their new enclosures and going on to have offspring of their own.” Bristol Zoo has an international reputation for its work on endangered species and the expertise of its breeding programmes. It was one of the first in the world to breed lemurs in captivity and it saw the first chimpanzee born in Europe as far back as 1934. In 2016, a baby gorilla was born by Caesarean section. About 80 per cent of the animals in The Wild Place have links to conservation projects, including a breeding pair of black rhinos, expected to be one of the big draws when the new wildlife park officially opens in 2024. The stars of the show, though, will be the family of western lowland gorilla, led by the silverback adult male, Jock. There are also three females, and their offspring of two daughters and two sons. The gorillas will be the last to leave the old zoo. At present, they have a concrete and glass indoor enclosure and a moated outdoor area constrained by the size of the current site. A much larger home will be built at The Wild Place, using land that is forested. “We’re really lucky the area that they are going to has already got quite a lot of established trees,” says Lynsey Bugg, the zoo’s curator of mammals. “It’s a really lovely way for them to live outside.”

Link Lifestyle brands just happen organically, right? Wrong. More insights — and action steps — to becoming a lifestyle brand vs. a product-centric one. This is the second in a series of articles exploring the rise of lifestyle brands. You can read the first article here. So perhaps you came across my first article in this series, and it convinced you to explore what it takes to become a lifestyle brand. However, like many CX and marketing leaders, you might be skeptical: Lifestyle brands just happen organically, right? They are just a magical alchemy of having the right customers with a common set of beliefs rally around the right products at the right time. Right? Wrong. This article will take you through three concrete steps companies need to take to transition from a product-led company to a lifestyle brand. The goal is to show you that it can happen through careful planning and execution.What Are Lifestyle Brands, Again? First, a quick recap. As I explained in the first article, lifestyle brands are defined by the strength and fervor of the customer communities around them. However, instead of rallying around a product or set of products, lifestyle brands rally around a purpose and mission.Through relentless advocacy of that mission — and in building customer communities of like-minded individuals — lifestyle brands are better able to retain and attract more customers, charge more for their products than competitors and navigate their ways through turbulent economic conditions (or so I argue). Notable examples of lifestyle brands include YETI, Black Rifle Coffee, Patagonia, and Barstool Sports.Going From Product-Led Company to Lifestyle Brand To make the transition from product-led company to lifestyle brand, there is one prerequisite: You must have at least one truly excellent first product or set of products that will draw and maintain initial customers.For YETI, it was their notoriously durable coolers that kept liquid cool for insane periods of time.For Barstool Sports — regardless of whether you agree with their political and social stances — it was personality-driven blog content hyper targeted to the “bro” culture.For A24, perhaps the only movie studio that is also a lifestyle brand, it was early films like Spring Breakers which drew critical praise. YETI, Barstool Sports and A24 have pretty much nothing in common when it comes to their beliefs or mission. However, they all made the same conscious choice after finding initial success: pursue a product roadmap that aligns with brand purpose, as opposed to attempting to retrofit a brand around an expanding set of similar products.This is a subtle, but important difference in product strategy. Most companies will attempt to take their product expertise and apply it to new adjacent products. A company known for great T-Shirts will make a polo, for example.The Action Steps to Lifestyle Status Yet one of Barstool Sports first forays outside of blog content wasn’t podcasts or films, it was their infamous “Blackout Party Tour” event series, which, as you can imagine given its name, further steeped the brand in the “bro” lifestyle.To cultivate their outdoors image, YETI began making products like outdoor chairs, sleeping bag blankets and even dog beds. Even A24 has pursued an unorthodox filmography strategy: it experienced initial success with outlandish satires on youth culture with Spring Breakers and The Bling Ring, but quickly moved into high-concept Sci-FI films and thrillers with Under the Skin and Enemy. A24 made the conscious decision to become a production company not known for a genre, but instead for the film fanatic lifestyle.Content to Align Around Brand Purpose Lifestyle brands must invest heavily in content that helps their customers engage in the brand’s purpose. I would argue that if you aren’t also well known as a content factory, then you’re not successfully executing a lifestyle brand strategy.YETI has a podcast, a short film production wing and an entire content series focused on their customer ambassadors. A24 sells screenplay books and fans can subscribe to a monthly magazine featuring special editors such as Jonah Hill.One of my favorite examples of this comes from cocktail company Haus. They are squarely focused on the casual, laid-back and in-home drinking lifestyle that may be attractive to older millennials, and they have curated playlists that you can find on Spotify that are designed to facilitate those exact types of social get togethers. They are making it easier to literally bring their lifestyle to your living room.Wearing the Brand Loud and Proud Finally, merchandise and gear are the trademarks of the lifestyle brand. If you are able to make an ROI off of bumper stickers, you know you’ve made it. Look at YETI’s site, or Barstool Sports. If you were completely unfamiliar with their products, you could easily be forgiven in thinking that they are first and foremost an apparel company. Apparel provides fans of the brand with the opportunity to proudly and publicly display their allegiance to that brand’s purpose and mission. It allows them to tell the world what they believe in and who they are in a quick and efficient manner. My favorite recent example of this is electric truck company Rivian’s “Forever” line of T-Shirts. As the tagline says, “A tee to celebrate our shared vision is to keep the planet intact for our kids’ kids’ kids.” Hopefully the preceding paragraphs will provide you with some inspiration if you also are thinking of pursuing a lifestyle brand strategy. None of these tactics, however, will matter if you aren’t willing to take a stand and display a set of beliefs. As a lifestyle brand, you won’t be able to appeal to all consumers. You might even generate some “haters.” But by offering a wide array of products all devoted to a lifestyle and investing in high quality content and merchandise, you will go a long way in cultivating a rabid and loyal customer base that would be the envy of your more traditional-minded competitors.

Link Today, in the Gulf News Bulletin, the Egyptian provides the most important news and updates that have taken place over the past few hours. Today, Friday, the Egyptian today is reviewing the most important addresses that have been admired by the readers. The Kuwaiti meteorological reports indicate that the weather is expected to see, on Friday, September 16, 2022, an activity of the north-western winds that could accelerate more than 60 km/h to celebrate the anniversary of Sheikh Al-Rustiab, with a horizontal view of Al-Turtj Al-Turtj Al-Turtami ceremony. To look after the earth.. Saudi Arabia launches a programme to reduce the impact of climate changes The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, in cooperation with the Saudi Arabian Data and Synthetic Intelligence Authority (Sdaya), the Google Cloud Computing Platform and the Climatic Research Foundation (CLIMATE), announced the launch of the Scientific Earth Observation Programme to address the environmental, water and agricultural challenges of climate change, after the Kingdom had experienced climate changes during previous periods. Saudi Arabia announces the discovery of new gold and copper extraction sites in Medina The Saudi Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Centre for Surveying and Exploration for Metals, announced the project for the formation of mineral deposits in the Kingdom, by discovering new sites for the extraction of gold and copper. These discoveries concluded that the sites in which gold and copper will be excavated are within the borders of Aba al-Ruha, as well as in Saudi Arabia (the Umm al-Barak Shield and the Hijaz region), which is located in Medina. Injuries strike the Jeddah Federation before facing victory in Saudi Arabia The Technical Director of the Jeddah Federation team, Portuguese Nuno Santo, was struck by a state of anxiety and bewilderment, before facing victory in El Clásico at the fifth round of the 2022/2023 Rochen League competition, and the last game of the Federation against the Gulf saw three players from its ranks being injured just 16 days before facing victory at El Clásico, the fifth round of the league.

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Link Organizing a camping trip? Maybe you’ll spend a weekend hiking in the mountains. Either way, if it’s one of your first outdoor adventures, our ultimate outdoor gadgets guide for beginners has you covered. This gear keeps you safe and having fun. Related: 10 Best gadgets and accessories for late-summer picnics Bring a smartwatch that lasts for days with the Apple Watch Ultra endurance smartwatch. Its rugged build can handle the outdoors, while the up to 60-hour battery life is great for extended outdoor trips. And, of course, you’ll want to ensure you have plenty of power with you. The BioLite BaseCharge Series is an excellent choice with its high wattage and many ports. Check out these tech gadgets for smooth first-time outdoor trips. 1. The Apple Watch Ultra endurance smartwatch stands up to the elements with its WR100 water-resistance rating, double that of the Series 8.Whether you hike, kayak, or camp, you need a smartwatch that can keep up with your adventures, like the Apple Watch Ultra. Its the most water-resistant Apple Watch to date and has a multi-day battery life of up to 60 hours. Get it for $799 on the official website. 2. The BioLite BaseCharge Series ensures you have plenty of power in the wilderness and has portable designs you can easily carry. Enjoy ample wattage wherever you are with the BioLite BaseCharge Series. Consisting of the 1500 and 600 models, these power stations have ports for almost everything and deliver hours of power. Preorder them for $699 on the official website. 3. The Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 3 Bluetooth speaker gives you big sound outdoors and boasts an IP67 rating against dust and water.Relax to your music while you’re outside with the Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 3 Bluetooth speaker. It’s super portable, drop-proof, and can handle dust, dirt, splashes, and submersion in water. Get it for $99.99 on the official website. 4. The Zero Breeze Mark 2 A/C series chills the air anywhere. So you could totally sleep in an air-conditioned tent while you camp. Stop putting up with sweltering temperatures during your adventures with the Zero Breeze Mark 2 A/C series. Weighing only 16.5 pounds, it requires no generator and dispenses air 30° cooler in just 10 minutes. Get it for $999 on the official website. 5. The Ocoopa Rechargeable Hand Warmer series keeps your hands toasty during ski trips, winter hikes, fall camping, and more.Don’t let cold hands ruin your winter outdoor trips with the Ocoopa Rechargeable Hand Warmer series. These gadgets warm your hands and protect your skin in freezing temperatures. Choose capacities up to 10,000 mAh and enjoy up to 14 hours of use. Get it for $27.99 on the official website. 6. The HOTO FLASHLIGHT FIT 3-mode portable flashlight illuminates up to 200 meters in front of you, keeping a useful gadget at your side.Light your way through dark campgrounds, paths, and more with the HOTO FLASHLIGHT FIT 3-mode portable flashlight. Its modes include Lighting, Flashing, and SOS, which is why it’s in our ultimate gadgets guide. Get it for $29.99 on the official website. 7. The Invoxia Cellular GPS Tracker keeps track of loved ones while you’re adventuring with standalone GPS tracking and geofencing alerts.Prepare for your kids venturing too far ahead of you on bike trail by packing the Invoxia Cellular GPS Tracker in their backpacks. It provides real-time GPS tracking and location history. There’s even a tracker button a loved one can press if there’s an emergency. Get it for $129 on the official website. 8. The BioLite Charge 20 PD fast USB-C PD power bank offers a 6,000 mAh battery and a portable design, giving you fast charging off grid.Keep your smartphone, earbuds, and other devices charged while you’re off the grid with the BioLite Charge 20 PD fast USB-C PD power bank. It can charge your smartphone 1.5 times and power multiple gadgets at once. Get it for $39.95 on the official website. 9. The Barebones Beacon Carabiner Light shines up to 220 lumens and has a handy carabiner top you can clip to your backpack, tent, and more.Illuminate your camp with the Barebones Beacon Carabiner Light. Its carabiner top allows it to hang almost anywhere. Meanwhile, the lightweight, convenient design is easy to carry, so we included it in our ultimate outdoor gadgets guide. Get it for $64.99 on Amazon. 10. The HOKOLITE 210°-beam headlamp lights the path in front of you and keeps you safe with its powerful COB wide-beam technology. See your surroundings more easily with the HOKOLITE 210°-beam headlamp. Lightweight and waterproof, it shines 1,200 lumens and has 5 light modes. Get it for $32.99 on the official website. Ensure smooth first trips into the great outdoors with these outdoor gadgets for beginners. Which one(s) are you adding to your shopping list? Let us know! Want more news, reviews, and guides from Gadget Flow? Follow us on Apple News, Google News, Feedly, and Flipboard. If you use Flipboard, you should definitely check out our Curated Stories. We publish 3 new stories every day, so make sure to follow us to stay updated!

Link DID YOU KNOW that you can, right now, for free, go to Archive.org, the great online library of all things, and load up within your web browser an ancient, decrepit emulated computer—a DOS box from 1991, a black-and-white Mac, a green-and-black Apple II—and run the WordPerfect of yore, boot old HyperCard stacks, or use 1979’s VisiCalc as God intended? Perhaps this does not seem miraculous to you. Fair. Moore’s law has taken us from 250 billion or so CPU churns per year on the earliest Macs to a quintillion potential clock cycles on a good gaming PC, a healthy 4,000,000X increase. Anyone with sense might reasonably ask, What? Why use a shiny new computer to run old spreadsheets? And I might nod and shrug, but inside I am a translucent plastic iMac of emotion. Because it is, I think, important to emulate. You can learn history by reading books and visiting museums; you might even walk a battlefield. But you can’t understand software from screenshots any more than you can understand music from album reviews, or baseball from box scores, or Rome from watching gladiator movies, much as you might enjoy gladiator movies. When you boot up a virtual version of a Macintosh from 30 years ago, you share in the lived experiences of millions of ancient humans. You can see how they spent their paltry CPU budget to fill their low--resolution screens.You learn their priorities. They started batch processing, running programs as lumps of code, but as soon as CPUs allowed, they made them interactive, alive. Even if those were just green numbers on a screen, à la VisiCalc. As soon as they could, early users went post--textual, pictographic—pointing at things with the mouse, Spartan virtue abandoned for Athenian excess. Later, in Moore’s glut, we spent new CPU cycles on color or networking or sound, progressing from beeps to playing CDs to MP3s. Emulation reminds me to ask myself whether the computing experience is always getting better. I’m writing this in Google Docs so my editor’s little round avatar head can peek in and make sure I don’t miss my deadline for once, but I’d prefer to write it in WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS, which was the greatest word processor ever—a blank screen illuminated with only letters and numbers, offering just enough bold and italics to keep things interesting. I remember WP51 the way a non-nerd might remember a vintage Mustang. You could just take that thing out and go, man. But it’s more than a museum trip for self-enrichment. Emulation forces me to strip back to basics—to remember that, for most people, computers are tools, not a lifestyle. Whenever I buy a computer, one of the first things I do is set up my software emulation environments, which now involve about a terabyte of old disk images and various operating systems. Keeping that history so close helps me accept the horrible truth that everything novel in our industry was actually invented by a group of Californians sitting in beanbag chairs during the Carter administration. What seems permanent today is as fleeting as, well, Twitter’s Fleets. GAFA becomes FAANG becomes MAMAA. There will be new acronyms before long.RECENTLY, I MADE the jump from -software-based emulation to specialized hardware. I bought a -little black metal box, the size of three packs of playing cards, that contains what’s called a field-programmable gate array—shape-shifter circuitry that takes on characteristics of other devices. It’s purely for simulation of retro machines, including the Commodores Amiga and 64, Atari STs, 486s, and various gaming platforms, which for most people are the main event (Neo Geos, Game Boys, Atari Lynx, all the way back to Spacewar! on the PDP-1). The box is called the MiSTer. It’s not a consumer product but rather a folk--created reference platform: If you buy these parts and assemble them, then download some free software and plug in an HDMI card, it becomes an old machine. For this privilege one pays around $600. It gives me the same joy I imagine people who are into expensive headphones or collect vintage vinyl feel—that sense of something being more real. The cores simulate everything, all the little glitches and weirdnesses and timings that make a chip a chip, that make the mouse move like you remember. Watching old code run on a modern big, sharp screen is hyperreal. Like a Proust-ian madeleine, but made by Cinnabon. It’s exciting to see this kind of progress in simulating old computers. We throw away so much history in our field, acres of dumpsters filled with old manuals and disks. Why are we so cavalier about computing history? (Not the Internet Archive; they scan in all the old manuals, bless them.) Are we ashamed? People made that stuff, all of it, people like you and me, just a little older and working in much slower development environments. I have a musician friend, an actually cool person who has done cool things like DJ in Europe, and we talk a great deal about synthesizers. I think of synths as computers that have their priorities straight: Hit a key and a noise comes out. In a synth (or sequencer or drum machine), genealogy is valuable. New models are supposed to carry on the legacy of the ones that came before. People want their cowbell to sound like the cowbell. Purchasing a synth is about joining a lineage, aligning your sound with that of thousands of people who’ve used similar machines. I guess that’s the difference between culture and marketing. Watching synth heads proudly talk about every machine from the 1970s—well, honestly, it’s a lot. But it’s interesting to observe a subculture that wants continuity more than disruption. In my perfect world, every machine would come with a few emulated versions of its predecessors, ready to go, right on the disk. There’s plenty of room. No one would need to set anything up or buy a special device. And that way everyone could see how incredibly far we’ve come, and how surprisingly little we change. More Great WIRED Stories 📩 The latest on tech, science, and more: Get our newsletters! Inside the shadow evacuation of Kabul How to spot fake Amazon reviews Is the psychedelic therapy bubble about to burst? Clocking in at the virtual reality Kmart Trans researchers want Google Scholar to stop deadnaming them 👁️ Explore AI like never before with our new database 🏃🏽‍♀️ Want the best tools to get healthy? Check out our Gear team’s picks for the best fitness trackers, running gear (including shoes and socks), and best headphones

Link Famitsu and Media Create have both released their report for August 2022, where they reveal the top-selling games and consoles during the month. Famitsu has shared the top 10 best-selling games overall, and 8 out of the top 10 belong to Nintendo Switch, while Media Create gave us a look at the top 30 and top 10 games sold on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS, respectively. Nintendo Switch Sports came on top in the overall sales, and the best-selling system was none other than the Nintendo Switch by more than 3x the sales of the second place, which goes to PS5. Furthermore, Nintendo sold the most games compared to other publishers during the month. Check out the full lists below. Keep in mind that the period counted is from August 1st to August 28th, 2022. Top 10 Best-selling games Overall (Famitsu) 1 .[NSW] Nintendo Switch Sports (Nintendo) {2022.04.29} (¥4.980) – 83.144 / 706.637 (-25%) 2 .[PS4] Earth Defense Force 6 (D3Publisher) {2022.08.25} (¥8.164) – 68.341 / NEW 3 .[NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo) {2017.04.28} (¥5.980) – 56.972 / 4.802.581 (+6%) 4 .[NSW] Xenoblade Chronicles 3 # (Nintendo) {2022.07.29} (¥7.980) – 49.262 / 161.990 (-56%) 5 .[NSW] Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Nintendo) {2022.03.25} (¥5.980) – 45.637 / 869.546 (-1%) 6 .[NSW] Minecraft # (Microsoft Game Studios) {2018.06.21} (¥3.600) – 40.287 / 2.768.153 (-7%) 7 .[NSW] SD Gundam: Battle Alliance (Bandai Namco Entertainment) {2022.08.25} (¥7.980) – 38.634 / NEW 8 .[NSW] Monster Hunter Rise + Sunbreak Set <Monster Hunter Rise \ Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak> (Capcom) {2022.06.30} (¥7,990) – 38,188 / 255,660 (-82%) 9 .[PS4] Soul Hackers 2 # (Atlus) {2022.08.25} (¥8.980) – 31.604 / NEW 10 .[NSW] Ring Fit Adventure # (Nintendo) {2019.10.18} (¥7.980) – 30.174 / 3.258.181 (-23%) Top 30 Best-Selling Nintendo Switch Games (Media Create) 1 .Nintendo Switch Sports (Nintendo): 95 944 units sold (LTD: 764 513 units sold) 2 .Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo): 67 651 units sold (LTD: 5 021 846 units sold) 3 .Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Nintendo): 60 534 units sold (LTD: 962 089 units sold) 4 .Minecraft (Microsoft Japan): 48 629 units sold (LTD: 2 656 536 units sold) 5 .Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (Nintendo): 48 016 units sold (LTD: 160 342 units sold) 6 .Ring Fit Adventure (Nintendo): 42 761 units sold (LTD: 3 638 706 units sold) 7 .SD Gundam Battle Alliance (Bandai-Namco): 39 836 units sold 8 .Monster Hunter Rise + Sunbreak Set (Capcom): 35 562 units sold (LTD: 243 246 units sold) 9 .Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo): 31 261 units sold (LTD: 7 439 752 units sold) 10 .Mario Party Superstars (Nintendo): 29 650 units sold (LTD: 1 089 690 units sold) 11 .Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo): 26 904 units sold (LTD: 5 259 349 units sold) 12 .Live a Live (Square-Enix): 24 822 units sold (LTD: 103 723 units sold) 13 .eBaseball Pro Yakyuu 2022 (Konami): 19 896 units sold (LTD: 268 156 units sold) 14 .Momotaro Dentetsu: Showa, Heisei, Reiwa mo Teiban! (Konami): 17 142 units sold (LTD: 2 776 757 units sold) 15 .Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics (Nintendo): 15 935 units sold (LTD: 1 015 680 units sold) 16 .Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury (Nintendo): 13 282 units sold (LTD: 1 187 485 units sold) 17 .Pokémon Legends: Arceus (The Pokémon Company): 12 231 units sold (LTD: 2 333 196 units sold) 18 .The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo): 12 217 units sold (LTD: 2 295 223 units sold) 19 .Mario Strikers: Battle League (Nintendo): 11 431 units sold (LTD: 88 785 units sold) 20 .Monster Hunter Rise (Best Price!) (Capcom): 10 552 units sold (LTD: 90 187 units sold) 21 .Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitive Edition (Budget Price) (Square-Enix): 10 513 units sold (LTD: 328 460 units sold) 22 .New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe (Nintendo): 9 567 units sold (LTD: 1 275 171 units sold) 23 .Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum 'n' Fun (Bandai-Namco): 9 289 units sold (LTD: 870 736 units sold) 24 .Splatoon 2 (Nintendo): 9 117 units sold (LTD: 4 187 860 units sold) 25 .Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles (Aniplex): 8 815 units sold (LTD: 174 273 units sold) 26 .Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo): 8 675 units sold (LTD: 2 483 765 units sold) 27 .Futari de! Nyanko Dai Sensou (Ponos): 8 648 units sold (LTD: 254 255 units sold) 28 .Digimon Survive (Bandai-Namco): 8 591 units sold (LTD: 36 608 units sold) 29 .Nobunaga's Ambition: Taishi (Koei-Tecmo): 8 399 units sold (LTD: 34 878 units sold) 30 .Human: Fall Flat (Teyon Japan): 8 344 units sold (LTD: 295 458 units sold) Top 10 Best-Selling Nintendo 3DS Games (Media Create) 1 .Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (Square-Enix): 942 units sold (LTD: 895 600 units sold) 2 .Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 3 Professional (Square-Enix): 735 units sold (LTD: 224 642 units sold) 3 .Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past (Square-Enix): 429 units sold (LTD: 83 085 units sold) 4 .Yo-kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters (Level-5): 183 units sold (LTD: 2 662 847 units sold) 5 .Yo-kai Watch 3: Sukiyaki (Level-5): 129 units sold (LTD: 790 133 units sold) 6 .Bravely Default (Ultimate Hits): 118 units sold (LTD: 59 726 units sold) 7 .Inazuma Eleven 1-2-3: Endo Mamoru no Densetsu (Level-5): 97 units sold (LTD: 100 370 units sold) 8 .Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth (Atlas): 90 units sold (LTD: 139,317 units sold) 9 .Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser’s Journey (Nintendo): 43 units sold (39 645 units sold) 10 .Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari SP (Arc System Works): 36 units sold (17 597 units sold) Hardware Sales 1 .Nintendo Switch (OLED Model): 176,285 units sold (LTD: 2,249,066 units sold) 2 .PlayStation 5: 66,067 units sold (LTD: 1,648,165 units sold) Nintendo Switch: 45,427 units sold (LTD: 18,276,973 units sold) 3 .Nintendo Switch Lite: 32,181 units sold (LTD: 4,926,610 units sold) 4 .Xbox Series S: 8,380 units sold (LTD: 77,214 units sold) 5 .Xbox Series X: 4,525 units sold (LTD: 72,538 units sold) 6 .PlayStation 5 Digital Edition: 3,445 units sold (LTD: 274,498 units sold) Top 3 Publishers 1 .Nintendo – 461.000 <38,10%> 2 .Bandai Namco Entertainment – 110.000 <9,10%> 3 .D3Publisher – 95.000 <7,90%>

Link Today, we presented our Tokyo Game Show Xbox 2022 stream for fans in Japan, across Asia, and around the world. We shared updates on 22 games from Xbox Studios, Bethesda, and our developer partners. This included 13 games from developers in Japan, as well as two games developed in China. We are thrilled to announce that DEATHLOOP will be coming to Xbox and will be available for fans across the world with Xbox Game Pass next week (September 20) and that from today, Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch; Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Anniversary Edition; Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey; and Fuga: Melodies of Steel are all playable with Xbox Game Pass. This year we have welcomed more new players to the Xbox community in Asia than ever before and we are incredibly thankful for everyone who has chosen to play with us. We are committed to the Japanese market and to bringing a diverse collection of stories and franchises from developers across Asia. Over the next 12 months we will bring even more titles by Japanese and creators across Asia to Xbox fans with Xbox Game Pass including Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, a number of games from the Persona franchise, and more ID@Xbox, our industry leading program for independent developers, has been instrumental to Japanese creators bringing amazing and innovative experiences to Xbox fans around the world. We now have more than 250 Japanese creators developing games for Xbox. These teams have already released more than 150 games on Xbox and introduced fans to games like Palworld and Fuga: Melodies of Steel, which were featured in our stream today. Since we launched Xbox Game Pass in Japan in 2020 and PC Game Pass in Southeast Asia earlier this year, the subscription service keeps evolving and getting even better. Members can play together with friends across console, PC, and cloud and we’re continuing to regularly add great games across genres, including new Xbox Game Studios titles coming to Xbox Game Pass the same day they launch. With so many creatively diverse titles joining Xbox Game Pass, we hope our community is excited to connect with friends and family through the power of play. We look forward to what’s next and hope each year to continue to bring the joy and community of gaming to players in Japan, the Asia region, and around the world. You can watch a recap of the stream featuring all the most exciting announcements including all the titles just mentioned here, or re-watch the whole show here. Please find below a recap of all our news. Play Assassin’s Creed® Odyssey today with Xbox Game Pass Available now with Xbox Game Pass, delve into Assassin’s Creed® Odyssey and live epic adventures in a world where every choice matters. From an outcast Spartan mercenary to a legendary Greek hero, embark on a breathtaking journey to uncover the secrets of your past and change the fate of Ancient Greece, a war-torn world shaped by gods and men, where mountains and sea collide. Experience seamless naval exploration, and brand-new ways to fight. Meet Ancient Greece’s famous figures and interact with them during a pivotal point in history that shaped western civilization.Play Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony today! Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony is out now on Xbox and Windows PC! This is the newest mainline entry in the Danganronpa series known for its high-speed deduction action class trials used in uncovering murder culprits. This entry revitalizes the series’ setting and characters with a “psycho-cool” theme in visuals and presentation that brings excitement to an all-new story unfolding in an all-new academy. Kiriko dashes into Overwatch 2 on October 4 Let the kitsune guide you! Kiriko joins Overwatch 2 as the newest Support hero. Teleport through walls to protect teammates with a healing ofuda or dash towards enemies to take them out with your kunai. Overwatch’s newest hero joins the fight at the launch of Overwatch 2 on October 4. Watch Kiriko’s gameplay trailer now and follow @PlayOverwatch on social for the latest Overwatch updates. Ni no Kuni Wrath of the White Witch Remastered from Level-5 Available for the first time on Xbox and with Game Pass, Ni no Kuni Wrath of the White Witch Remastered will let players explore the world of Ni no Kuni as if they were inside a Studio Ghibli film themselves! With music from Joe Hisaishi, players will immerse themselves in a variety of beautiful environments throughout the story and visit vast and endless fields, streets filled with lush greenery and water, and a dungeon with a peculiarly enticing atmosphere. To celebrate the beginning of TGS 2022, Ni no Kuni Wrath of the White Witch™ Remastered is available now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC. The second installment, Nino Kuni II Revenant Kingdom, will launch on Xbox in 2023. A Brand-New Trailer from Persona 5 Royal is Incoming! Remastered Versions of Persona 5 Royal, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 3 Portable Are on Their Way to Xbox and Windows Three masterpieces from ATLUS’s Persona franchise — Persona 5 Royal, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 3 Portable — announced their debut on Xbox and Windows. Kickstarting this, Persona 5 RoyaI will be available on October 21! Student by day, thief at night- the protagonist, one day transferring to a high school in Tokyo, will maneuver through the shadows to steal the distorted desires from the rotten adults. Our newest trailer will introduce you to the protagonist and his unique team’s awakening of their Persona. Don’t miss this dramatic reveal of their true selves! Guilty Gear –Strive coming to Xbox Game Pass The latest entry in the Guilty Gear series, Guilty Gear -Strive-, is now coming to Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows! With revolutionary graphics, an intense story mode, online multiplayer pitting players from all over the world against each other, and more, Guilty Gear -Strive- provides the cutting edge of the fighting game experience. The highly acclaimed game, after receiving such awards as The Game Awards 2021 Best Fighting Game and 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Fighting Game of the Year, is now coming to Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows. The day you’ll face the strongest the world has to offer is on the horizon! BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle Special Edition coming to Xbox Game Pass BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle Special Edition, complete with all DLC included, is now coming to Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows! BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle lets you create your own cross-over dream team with the beloved characters from a total of 8 titles! Fight with your favorite characters from the po[CENSORED]r titles BlazBlue, Persona 4 Arena, Under Night In-Birth, RWBY, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Arcana Heart 3 LOVEMAX SIXSTARS!!!!!! XTEND, Senran Kagura: Estival Versus, and Akatsuki Blitzkampf. Get ready for a dream tag battle crossing series lines! Updates on Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, the highest backed Kickstarter game of 2020, will be featured at Tokyo Games Show with an all-new gameplay trailer featuring dialogue from some of the Japanese voice actors who will be featured in the game. Stay tuned to Tokyo Game Show for an exclusive Xbox Eiyuden Chronicle interview and exciting surprises featured during the 505 Games live stream. Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes launches in 2023 on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox Game Pass. Palworld coming to Xbox From PocketPair, the creators of Craftopia, Palworld is a brand-new, multiplayer, open-world survival crafting game where you can befriend and collect mysterious creatures called “Pal” in a vast world! Make your Pals fight, build, farm, and work in factories. Fuga: Melodies of Steel available now with Game Pass! From CyberConnect2 and available starting today with Xbox Game Pass, Fuga: Melodies of Steel is an RPG where you place children, each with their own unique characteristics and skills, at different gun turrets in a tank to fight against the enemy. CyberConnect2 also showed off a brand-new trailer for Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2. Harness the power of the stars in Dyson Sphere Program with PC Game Pass Build the most efficient intergalactic factory in space simulation strategy game Dyson Sphere Program! Harness the power of stars, collect resources, plan and design production lines, and develop your interstellar factory from a small space workshop to a galaxy-wide industrial empire. Dyson Sphere Program launches Oct. 13 with PC Game Pass. Take On Prehistoric Hordes in Exoprimal! Suit up, Exofighters! Sudden dinosaur outbreaks have engulfed the globe, and the only thing between them and humanity’s extinction is you! Wield cutting-edge, customizable Exosuit technology in a 5-vs-5 team-based action game as your squad fights through unrelenting swarms of ravenous dinosaurs and other players in a variety of dynamic PvE and PvP missions assigned by the mysterious, all-powerful AI “Leviathan”. The wargame begins when Exoprimal releases in 2023. Coming to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. Exciting updates for Naraka: Bladepoint Naraka: Bladepoint, the unchained action battle royale for 60 players, had an exciting August! The team expanded the world of Naraka with the new map Holoroth, added a new hero to the roster, and released the first chapter of a new PvE campaign mode called Showdown. During TGS we shared the second chapter of Showdown will be available to players in October, and Yushan Ruins, a new area on the Holoroth map, will soon be unveiled. Already available on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC with Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, Naraka: Bladepoint will be released on Xbox One on Dec. 22. A Deeper Dive into Wo Long Fallen Dynasty Fumijiko Yasuda (Nioh Franchise Director) and Masaaki Yamagiwa (Bloodborne Producer) joined us during TGS to discuss the latest ‘masocore’ action-RPG from Team NINJA, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. Coming to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and on Windows PC with Game Pass on day one in early 2023, learn more from the creators about the game’s combat system, demo and inspiration behind the title and location for the game. DEATHLOOP comes to Xbox DEATHLOOP is Arkane Lyon’s take on an assassination experience, seamlessly blending single player gameplay with multiplayer drama. The winner of more than 300 “Best Of” awards, DEATHLOOP pits two rival assassins in an endless battle for the future. The Xbox release of DEATHLOOP comes with all updates released for the game since its launch, so players can look forward to photomode, additional accessibility options, cross-play matchmaking, and a host of quality-of-life fixes. In addition, Arkane Lyon is also releasing the GOLDENLOOP Update to the game, which brings a new weapon, a powerful new ability, new enemy types, an extended ending, and more! DEATHLOOP is available for pre-order on Xbox Series X|S or pre-install with Xbox Game Pass now ahead of its release on September 20, 2022. Forza Horizon celebrates its 10th Anniversary Xbox Game Studios’ Playground Games are kicking off the celebrations for the 10-year anniversary of Forza Horizon in October, sharing an all-new trailer showcasing the Horizon Festival’s incredible journey travelling across Colorado, France, Italy, Australia, Britain and Mexico. The studio will be sharing more details around Forza Horizon’s 10th Anniversary next month. Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass game titles, number, features, and availability vary over time, by region and platform. Learn more at https://www.xbox.com/regions.

Link Andersson's center-left Social Democrats received 30.3% of the vote, reaffirming its position as the country's largest party with almost all the votes counted. However, the left-of-center parties — the Social Democrats, along with three others — failed to achieve a majority in Sweden's 349-seat parliament, or Riksdag. A right-wing group of parties, led by Ulf Kristersson's center-right Moderates, looks to have won a narrow majority of seats, and will have the first go at forming an administration. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson has conceded defeat in the country's close-fought election, paving the way for the far-right Sweden Democrats and allied parties to attempt to form a government. The center-left Social Democrats, led by Andersson, received 30.3% of the vote, reaffirming its position as the country's largest party with almost all the votes counted.However, the left-of-center parties — the Social Democrats, along with three others — failed to achieve a majority in Sweden's 349-seat parliament, or Riksdag. Instead, a right-wing group of parties, led by Ulf Kristersson's center-right Moderates, looks to have won a narrow majority of seats, and will have the first go at forming an administration. This so-called "blue bloc" includes the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats. The party, once shunned by the political establishment, recorded its best election result yet with 20.5% of the vote. It represents a historic turning point in Swedish politics. The Sweden Democrats now stand on the cusp of gaining influence over government policy. The nationalist party campaigned on law-and-order issues following a rise in gun violence and has vowed to bring in longer prison sentences and reduce immigration.Sweden, a Scandinavian country of roughly 10.5 million, has a reputation for being one of Europe's most progressive states and consistently ranks among the happiest nations in the world. Andersson concerned for the years ahead Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Andersson announced her intention to resign and said the right-wing bloc of parties had a one or two seat advantage. "It is a thin majority, but it is a majority." "Most opinion polls showed us that it would be a close race in the election, so I was not surprised that it went this way rather than the other way," Andersson said. "I knew that could happen but of course I am concerned with how the development will be in the coming years." Andersson became Sweden's first-ever female prime minister last year and has led the country's historic bid to join NATO following Russia's onslaught in Ukraine. She has criticized the rising po[CENSORED]rity of the Sweden Democrats, warning that having such a party in government could have significant repercussions on the tone of political debate. Jimmie Akesson, leader of the Sweden Democrats, said his party would be a "constructive and driving force" in rebuilding safety in the country, Sky News reported. He added that it was "time to put Sweden first." The Sweden Democrats emerged from the country's neo-Nazi movement in the late 1980s and have since struggled to distance themselves from accusations of extremism. The party won representation in the Riksdag for the first time in 2010. A gradual increase in national support thereafter prompted the center-right Moderate party to embrace cooperation with the Sweden Democrats in 2018. Kristersson's Moderates had previously ruled out negotiating with the right-wing party. Kristersson said on Wednesday that he would start the work of forming a new government "that can get things done," Reuters reported. Complicating the picture somewhat, however, is the fact that the Liberals and Sweden Democrats — both part of the right-wing bloc — refuse to serve together in government. 'A very unstable coalition' "I do think that in the end there will be some form of representation from the Sweden Democrats in the government, but this will lead to a very unstable coalition," Anamaria Dutceac Segesten, senior lecturer in European Studies at Lund University in Sweden, told CNBC via telephone. Even if this is not through the means of a ministerial position, Dutceac Segesten said the Sweden Democrats were likely to influence the agenda of a future government led by the Moderates' Kristersson. "It is always complicated," she added. "In 2018, it took three months to have a Swedish government. Only in December did we actually have a proper coalition, and it was an unstable coalition — one that had a vote of no confidence twice and a change of prime minister." Dutceac Segesten said a shaky start for the previous administration was likely a sign of things to come for the formation of a new government.Prianthi Roy, analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, a research and advisory firm, told CNBC that the most likely outcome from the election was a center-right government led by the Moderates in coalition with the Christian Democrats and the Liberals. "The Sweden Democrats, now the second-largest party in the parliament, will probably remain outside government but will support the coalition in parliament in return for policy concessions, including tighter asylum regulations," Roy said via email.

Link SEOUL — Boksun was once hailed as a hero for helping save her owner while he was experiencing a stroke three years ago. Last month, she was found bleeding heavily at her home in North Jeolla Province in South Korea having been brutally injured by an abuser. Her owner took her to a vet, but after learning about the hefty medical costs, gave up on saving her. She was later found dead inside a refrigerator of a dog meat restaurant.The tragic story of Boksun, made public by a local animal rights group, raised some hard questions about how South Korea treats animals. Between animal cruelty and the dog meat trade to a money-spinning pet industry and an ever-growing number of households living with pets, where does the country really stand? Animal abuse rising but rarely punished Last week, the Beagle Rescue Network, which reported Boksun’s case to the public, asked police to investigate the initial attacker as well as the dog’s owner for animal abuse. It said that the unidentified owner, too, should be held responsible for the dog’s death, claiming that the person handed over Boksun, who was still alive, to a dog meat trader. The dog owner refuted the claim, saying Boksun was already dead by that time. The debate over the owner’s liability aside, animal abusers in South Korea often get away with fines, if ever convicted, although the Animal Protection Act prescribes maximum three-year imprisonment for animal cruelty. According to data obtained by the office of Rep. Song Ki-hun of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea, only 2.9 per cent of a total of 4,221 persons accused of abusing animals between 2017 and March this year were indicted for a full trial.Hero dog’s death reignites debates on animal cruelty About 47 per cent did not face any criminal charges at all, while 32 per cent of the accused were subjected to a summary judgement – a procedure in which the court, without a full trial, rules on a case of simple or minor subject matter typically resulting in a fine or penalty.Of the 346 who have received any form of punishment, nearly 60 per cent received fines. Only 5.5 per cent, or 19 persons, were given a jail sentence. Under the current law, a person who kills an animal via abuse can be punished with up three years in prison or 30 million won ($21,581) in fines. “There has been a significant improvement in public awareness of animal rights and protection but the court hasn’t caught up with the change,” Rep. Song said. National Police Agency data released by the office of Rep. Lee Myeong-soo of the ruling People Power Party shows animal abuse cases have grown sharply in recent years. In 2011, there were 98 violations of the animal protection law, but the number rose to 398 in 2017 and 992 in 2020. In July, police nabbed two men suspected of operating an open chat room sharing photos and videos of violence against animals, wrapping up a four-month investigation. The case was dubbed the “animal Nth Room case,” in reference to the infamous digital sexual exploitation crime that took place on open mobile and online chat rooms. “An increase in animal cruelty is becoming a severe social issue. Such acts (against animals) must be stopped, particularly since there is a real risk that such violent acts could target not only animals but also humans,” Rep. Lee said. Hero dog’s death reignites debates on animal cruelty Why do people abuse animals? With an increase of harrowing cases of animal cruelty popping up in the news, there have been efforts to understand the psychology of animal abusers. Some experts in criminal psychology point to similarities between animal abusers and violent criminals, as both groups of people, lack empathy toward their victims. Song Byung-ho, the head of the Korean Association of Criminal Psychology, pointed out that varying levels of antisocial personality disorder can be observed in animal abusers, such as a lack of empathy toward other beings and being unable to restrain one’s urge for violence. “If (animal abusers) are unable to satiate the stimulus they desire through abusing animals, there is a substantial possibility that they might target humans, particularly those who are relatively weak like women or children,” Song said. Lee Soo-jung, a forensic psychology professor at Kyonggi University, also pointed out the relatively high correlation between violent crimes and animal abuse. Some of Korea’s worst criminals were found to have abused animals in the past. Infamous serial killer Yoo Young-chul, sentenced to death for killing 20 people from 2003 to 2004, stabbed or struck dogs to death prior to going on his killing spree. Serial killer Kang Ho-sun, who is on death row for taking the lives of 10 people, reportedly killed dogs that he raised between 2003 and 2006, mostly via cruel means. “Killing dogs made me less sensitive toward killing, and I couldn’t resist the urge to kill,” he was quoted as saying during his trial. There have been studies across the world about the connection between violence against animals and against humans. A 2008 report from the Michigan State University College of Law pointed out a correlation between animal abuse, family violence, and other forms of community violence. “Cruelty to animals can be a warning sign of future violent behaviour. A child’s aggressive, abusive behaviour towards animals may predict later violence towards people,” the paper said, adding that a child abusing an animal can be considered a red flag in identifying other violent behaviours. Researchers noted how the Federal Bureau of Investigation considers past animal abuse when profiling serial killers.John Douglas, a retired criminal profiler for the FBI, was quoted as saying that sadistic behaviour toward animals is among the major similarities shared by many serial killers and that the biggest indicator of future crimes was animal cruelty and torturing. He wrote in his book “Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit” that many serial killers’ earliest acts of violence are often torture and/or killing of animals. Animals are not property With rising awareness of animal rights in Korea, there has been a series of efforts to cover the legal and systematic blind spots concerning cruelty against animals. While there are various issues on multiple fronts being discussed, animal rights groups have zeroed in on the nation’s Civil Act, which recognizes animals merely as the property of the owner, as the most fundamental problem. For instance, because animals are just objects, a person who kills someone else’s pet is mandated to compensate for the purchasing price of said animal, just like a neighbour compensating for a broken window.To address this problem, there is an ongoing legislative procedure to give animals a legal status, by adding the clause “animals are not property” in the Civil Act. If enacted, this will mark a symbolic breakthrough in the promotion of animal rights, although legal experts stress that revisions of other related clauses need to take place for it to be effective. For example, being compensated for the psychological wounds suffered after losing a pet due to another person’s abuse is expected to be much easier, compared to when pets are legally defined as property. A flurry of talks is currently underway on related issues.The Justice Ministry said it was mulling a revision of the clause that will exclude animals from forcible seizures of properties. Rep. Shin Jung-hoon of the main opposition Democratic Party proposed a revision bill on the same matter in July. Other possible revisions include expanding the legal definition of pets, which now only refers to dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs and hamsters. “Civic Act is a basic law that can be the foundation to revise other laws. For example, efforts to exclude pets from items that can be forcibly seizure of properties by the court had been thwarted in the past, because it conflicted with the current Civic Act (that recognizes animals as property),” lawyer Jo Hae-in of the Korean Animal Welfare Association was quoted as saying. “Procuring animal rights doesn’t end with revising the Civic Act, but begins with it.” A revision of the Animal Protection Act will take effect on April 27, 2023, which will introduce heavier punishments to animal cruelty offenders. Neglecting a pet which results in its death would be punishable by the same penalty as killing an animal via abuse — maximum three-year imprisonment.The new law will also ban convicted animal abusers from having pets and mandate the regional governments to confiscate and care for pets whose owners have been forfeited by the owners.

Link The US spent a record $4.1 trillion on health care in 2020. Health inequities, which cost us $320 billion annually, are on pace to surpass $1 trillion by 2040—an increase that would cost the average person $3,000 a year, up from $1,000 today. Chronic disease, a leading driver of health care costs, afflicts 6 in 10 US adults. If we are serious about changing the unsustainable trajectory of US health care spending, it is time to stop just managing illness and start finally addressing the root causes of chronic disease and their associated costs. The good news is that the majority of those chronic diseases—from diabetes to heart disease and many others—are lifestyle related. That means many of them are not only preventable but treatable and even reversible with lifestyle behavior changes. As the White House prepares for its September 28 Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health—the first of its kind in 50 years—it is time to change not only how we talk about chronic disease but how we prepare health care professionals to help patients make sustainable lifestyle behavior changes as well as improve the financial incentives for clinicians to do so successfully. Prevention Is Not Enough Most health care strategies to reduce incidence of disease focus on prevention. But, with so many already sick, that’s not good enough—not for those currently suffering or as an effective measure to reduce costs. There is growing evidence that common chronic diseases, including diabetes and heart disease, are treatable and reversible with sufficiently dosed therapeutic lifestyle medicine interventions. Lifestyle medicine is an evidence-based specialty that leverages behavior change in areas such as nutrition and physical activity to treat the underlying cause of noncommunicable chronic disease, without the exorbitant cost of many other interventions. Consider diabetes, which afflicts 37 million Americans, the vast majority of whom have type 2 diabetes. They incur an average of $16,750 annually in medical expenditures, about 2.3 times higher than those without diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. By 2030, type 1 and type 2 diabetes prevalence is forecast to increase by 54 percent and cost more than $622 billion annually. One in five adolescents has prediabetes. Most treatment plans are prescribed just to manage diabetes. Such an approach is better than leaving a disease untreated but ultimately results in ever-increasing use of medications and procedures. Instead, achieving a clinical outcome of remission of type 2 diabetes should be the goal. Indeed, an expert consensus statement published by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine found agreement that it is possible to achieve remission through diet alone. Hardly an outlier, this statement was endorsed by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology, supported by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and co-sponsored by the Endocrine Society. What if our system offered financial incentives for primary care providers to support lifestyle interventions, delivering an annual bonus payment if and when patients maintain remission? According to a 2018 modeling study, this approach could yield substantial future cost savings, potentially reducing costs by thousands of dollars per treated patient every year. Such savings will benefit the overburdened health care system as well as patients, 41 percent of whom report financial hardship from medical bills. Similar potential economic benefits have been identified for other lifestyle medicine interventions aimed at conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure, and liver disease.Obstacles To Progress So why isn’t lifestyle medicine more widely practiced? One obstacle is training. In 1985, the National Academy of Sciences recommended 25 hours minimum of nutrition education, but today only 27 percent of medical schools in the US provide that minimum. A good step forward would be to promote the inclusion of substantive nutrition and diet training in health professional training programs such as medical schools and residency. In November 2021, Rep. James McGovern (D-MA) introduced House Resolution 784 calling for exactly that. Another obstacle is reimbursement. More than half of physicians practicing lifestyle medicine report receiving no reimbursement for those interventions. Let’s stop punishing physicians who take the time to work with their patients and start rewarding them for prioritizing lifestyle medicine interventions, especially when patients achieve their goals. The dominant fee-for-service model rewards higher quantities of procedures and services performed. While some promising new value-based payment models have been implemented in the past decade, many of them rely on care coordination, health screenings, medication adherence, and disease management. Lifestyle medicine emphasizes disease remission but because quality measures and payment incentives that reward health restoration are often missing from value-based payment models, the true value that can be delivered is limited. We must move away from emphasizing process measures, move toward outcome measures, and financially reward those who achieve better outcomes. Accountable care organizations that incorporate lifestyle medicine may be more likely to deliver better health outcomes and costs savings. It is also critical that we eliminate coding reimbursement barriers that limit where care can be delivered. Such obstacles currently prevent providers from getting paid if they see patients outside the office in places where people gather, such as churches and community centers. Removing such barriers would allow providers to better reach historically medically underresourced and disproportionately affected communities. Health Systems Can Lead Change Thankfully, momentum for change is growing. Large health systems are increasingly integrating lifestyle medicine and showing that they value clinicians certified to practice it. The Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs recognize chronic disease as a threat to war-fighting ability and national security and are incorporating lifestyle medicine concepts into the care they provide. Real sustainable change will take time. But every day we delay these sensible and essential changes to how we deliver health care is another day our crisis of chronic disease makes its devastating impact and grows more overwhelming.

Link The price of gold in Saudi Arabia fell today, Thursday, September 15, 2022, during daily dealings with the money market, affected by the continued decline in the price of yellow metal globally due to the weak trading of gold on the world exchange, with the price of gold gram today falling by 2 riyals from the price of yesterday Wednesday, which also came down by 3 riyals, with the steady movement of buying and selling in local markets in the Kingdom. The decline in Saudi gold prices came today, Thursday, September 15, 2022, with the price of yellow metal falling globally as investors turned to the dollar instead of gold.Gold prices declined on Thursday in local markets in Saudi Arabia, as follows: Gold Price Live in Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia's 24k gold gram price: 203.27 SAR, equivalent to ($54.21). Saudi Arabia's 22K gold gram price: 186.33 SAR, equivalent to ($49.69). While the price of 21k gold gram came in Saudi Arabia: 177.86 riyals, equivalent to ($47.43). The price of 18k gold gram in Saudi Arabia is 152.46 SAR, equivalent to ($40.65). The price of 14-calibre gold grams came in Saudi Arabia: 118.58 riyals, equivalent to ($31.62). Saudi Arabia launches National Cyber Security Portal «Fort» Today used gold purchase price in Saudi Arabia: The purchase prices of gold used Thursday in the local markets of the Kingdom also declined, as follows: Used gold gram price: from 185 till 187 riyals. Used 22k gold gram price: from 180 till 181 riyals. Used gold gram price: from 170 till 172 riyals. Used 18k gold gram price: from 145 till 147 riyals. Gold price in USD vs Saudi riyal On Thursday, the price of the gold ounce came in Saudi Arabia in riyals against the United States dollar, as follows: Saudi Arabia's gold ounce price for sale: 6322 riyals, equivalent to ($1686). Saudi Arabian gold ounce price for purchase: 6326 riyals, equivalent to ($1687). How do I update my data in Saudi civil conditions Saudi Pound Gold Price Thursday, September 15, 2022 While the price of the pound recorded gold in Saudi Arabia, on Thursday, September 15, 2022, in local markets, as follows: Saudi Arabian gold pound price 21:1707 riyals, equivalent to ($455). Saudi Arabian gold pound price 22k: 1788 riyal, equivalent ($477). Saudi Arabian gold pound price 24k: 1951 riyals, equivalent to ($520). The price of gold is influenced globally by the extent to which the dollar is raised and depreciated, as it is in a reverse relationship between gold and the world currency basket such as: the dollar, the euro, the Japanese yen, the pound sterling, the Chinese yuan and other currencies, the higher the value of the currencies, the lower the price of gold globally, while if the currencies depreciate the price of gold rises, while the local market in the Kingdom is directly affected by the world market.

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Link When the going gets tough, the low end gets to shine: This fall, a growing number of hardware makers are introducing new gadgets designed and priced to attract cash-strapped consumers who care more about keeping their household expenses in check than about the latest and greatest chips and specs. On Monday, Roku announced its 2022 fall product lineup: a revamped version of its entry-level streaming adapter, selling for just $30, and a new, smaller subwoofer priced $50 below its existing model. On Tuesday, Sonos followed up with its own Sub Mini, which is $320 cheaper than the company’s existing subwoofer model. And next month, Google is widely expected to introduce the Chromecast HD, a new streaming adapter that won’t support 4K playback, which may allow the company to shave as much as $20 off the device’s price tag. Betting on entry-level hardware makes sense at this point in time, according to Paul Erickson, an analyst with Erickson Strategy & Insights. “It’s an effective way to hedge against deepening economic uncertainty, particularly as consumers’ entertainment-related device purchasing will be increasingly judged on value over this uncertain near term,” he said.Roku executives weren’t shy about the reason the company decided to single out entry-level gadgets for this year’s fall update. “With the current economy, it's even more important to spend wisely,” said the company’s senior communications director Sarah Novatt during a press briefing earlier this month. The goal of Roku’s recent upgrades was to help consumers “stretch their entertainment dollars” and get into streaming “without breaking the bank,” she said. The company did upgrade some of the innards of the Roku Express streaming adapter, adding better Wifi as well as more storage for downloaded apps and an updated chipset. However, the bigger news may be that Roku continues to sell the device for $30, and the company also isn’t raising the prices of any of its other products. It’s a step that Roku VP of viewer product Preston Smalley called “especially important in these times [to make] sure that we make the most of our money and continue to drive value.” Roku has been keeping its hardware prices in check despite higher component costs by effectively selling devices below cost. The company lost $22 million on the sale of its streaming adapters in Q2 of 2022 alone, and it aims to make up for this by monetizing viewers via its advertising business. It’s a strategy Roku shares with Google and Amazon, according to Erickson. “Products sold by platform/ecosystem owners are going to be priced aggressively to drive adoption — their revenue long game is not in the near-term sale per se,” he said. Google has yet to reveal its fall hardware lineup — the company has an event scheduled for Oct. 6 — but leaks suggest it will include an HD-only version of its Chromecast streaming adapter, which Protocol was first to report on in January. In Europe, the device will reportedly cost 40% below the current price of its Chromecast 4K sibling. If Google uses the same pricing in the U.S., it may sell its new Chromecast HD for as little as $30.Keeping prices that low, and then making up for it with other revenue streams, is not a strategy that works for everyone. That’s why a number of companies raised the prices of their devices in recent months. Meta, which is investing heavily into the metaverse, bumped the price of its Quest 2 headset from $300 to $400 in August. In a similarly surprising move last month, Sony raised the price of its supply-constrained PlayStation 5 in most major markets, excluding the U.S., by about 10%. Health devices maker Withings announced recently it was raising the prices of a number of devices next month, while Sonos raised prices for many of its products a year ago. Sonos has since introduced several lower-priced products, including both its new Sub Mini and its entry-level Ray soundbar. However, the Ray also showed that this strategy of focusing on lower-end devices only goes so far. Sales of the device were “significantly missing our expectations,” admitted Sonos CEO Patrick Spence during the company’s most recent earnings call. One reason for those disappointing numbers: Soundbars often get sold in bundles with new TVs, and consumers have been holding off on buying new TV sets because those, too, have gotten more expensive. “Unfortunately, Ray launched at a time where TV sales were down,” Sonos vice president of product program leadership Jeff Derderian told Protocol. “I have no doubt that that will all come back.” Regardless of how individual products like the Ray perform, lower-priced gadgets may be here to stay. “Companies will increasingly focus their roadmaps and product strategies towards the value and mainstream segments,” said Erickson. “While there will continue to be hero models at the higher end, we will see higher competitive velocity in the ‘mid range’ of a variety of [consumer electronics] categories in 2023 than we’ve probably seen in the last five to 10 years.”

Link Space is getting a little too crowded, increasing the risk of orbital collisions. Slingshot Aerospace, a company specializing in space data analytics, is now offering a solution to regulate some of the traffic up there. The company announced on Tuesday that it is rolling out a free version of its space traffic control system to help satellite operators dodge collisions.“Space connects every single one of us every day,” Melanie Stricklan, co-founder and CEO of Slingshot Aerospace, told Gizmodo. “Our lives have become dependent upon space, and that dependency means that there’s actually a growing vulnerability,” requiring us to better “manage these critical assets that are over our heads.” The company’s Slingshot Beacon software works like an air traffic control system, but for spacecraft in orbit. It pulls in public and private data provided by Slingshot’s customers to create a space catalog. The system then sends out urgent collision alerts to satellite operators worldwide, coordinates satellite maneuvers should there be a risk of collision, and allows operators to communicate with each other, especially during high-risk moments.Slingshot Aerospace launched Beacon a year ago and is now offering a free basic version to satellite operators in hopes of increasing the number of users on its platform. “We’ve been testing it for the past year with a select few so as not to get overwhelmed by the data,” Stricklan said. “And we have 100% confidence that we are ready to scale to a global scale.” By offering the free version, the company anticipates that some satellite operators will seek the software’s advanced options, which offer more accurate and refined data. There are more than 9,800 satellites in orbit today, with more than 115,000 planned to launch by 2030, according to Slingshot’s space object database. And that’s in addition to the thousands of pieces of space junk currently in orbit around our planet. Some satellite operators are currently working with outdated technology that wasn’t designed for the volume of spacecraft in orbit today, making then unreliable when it comes to issuing warnings of potential in-space collisions. “There’s a lot of noise out there,” Stricklan said. “They’re getting thousands of [collision warnings] a day, so it just turns into noise.” The U.S. Space Force’s 18th Space Defense Squadron provides satellite operators with collision warnings, but it often generates thousands of warnings that include those with very little chances of collision. But Slingshot Beacon promises a more accurate model that eliminates the extra noise and helps satellite operators navigate a more crowded orbit. “Right now, there’s not really a way to grab on to the debris and deorbit it,” Stricklan said. “We can’t continue to study the problem, we have to have capabilities like Slingshot out there that can present a solution...time is of the essence.”

Link Artificial intelligence startup SambaNova Systems Inc. today announced a revamped version of its flagship DataScale system today, with a next-generation processor that it says massively enhances performance and provides support for much larger machine learning models than before. SambaNova is an extremely well-funded startup that has designed and built an integrated hardware and software platform for running AI and deep learning workloads from the data center to the edge. The company says that by integrating both hardware and software that’s optimized for AI, it creates a reconfigurable “dataflow” architecture that enables applications to drive optimized hardware configurations. It means that the underlying software is not constrained by the limitations of fixed hardware. The first edition of DataScale was launched in December 2020, powered by customized seven-nanometer chips. SambaNova says they’re more attuned to machine learning and deep learning processes than the general-purpose central processing units and graphics processing units that power most AI workloads. The reconfigurable Dataflow architecture runs an open-source software stack known as SambaFlow that ensures each machine learning model runs optimally on the system. It does this by minimizing the need to interface with the dynamic random-access memory. That eliminates a key bottleneck in AI, namely the interconnect between processors and the memory. SambaNova’s DataScale platform is available to buy or rent through its DataFlow-as-a-service offering. For customers that choose the latter option, SambaNova will install and maintain the DataScale system in their on-premises data center, with use-based pricing. The revamped version of DataScale announced today is said to provide a number of improvements, including AI model training speeds that are even faster than Nvidia Corp.’s widely-used DGX A100 systems. It contains SambaNova’s next-generation processor, an enhanced Cardinal SN30 Reconfigurable Dataflow Unit. It can also support much larger AI models than before, with 12.8 times more memory capacity than the DGX A100, SambaNova said. SambaNova said the new system is available on a subscription pricing basis only through Dataflow-as-a-service. The company will install and maintain the DataScale system within the customer’s on-premises data center, and charge them based on how often it’s used. “The new DataScale SN30 system achieves world record-breaking performance when compared to the latest DGX A100 systems,” said Marshall Choy, senior vice president of product at SambaNova Systems. “With this release, SambaNova is also offering 100% subscription pricing for DataScale and Dataflow-as-a-Service, enabling organizations to achieve ROI faster, reduce risk, and scale more cost-effectively than with any other AI infrastructure.” The company said enterprises are increasingly adopting AI to power a wide range of business applications. As such, it believes it makes sense to move away from tactical AI deployments to a more scalable, enterprise-wide solution. That’s exactly what SambaNova claims to offer with DataScale, consolidating “AI sprawl” into foundational models that can be trained once and reused across an organization. SambaNova is somewhat unique in the AI space with its combination of hardware, software and solutions, explained Andy Thurai, vice president and principal analyst of Constellation Research Inc. “Given that the experimentation phase is over, most enterprises are now looking to produce scalable, enterprise-wide AI solutions that are easily trainable,” he said. “SambaNova’s Reconfigurable Dataflow Unit chips are slightly different to general-purpose CPUs and AI-specific GPUs that most AI initiatives rely on, so these can be a big differentiator, with the company claiming that they are multitudes better than Nvidia’s DGX A100 systems.” Another benefit of SambaNova’s hardware and software combo is that it provides enterprises with high-performance data processing and model training capabilities with lower power consumption than rival offerings, the analyst added. He explained that high-performance computing workloads have always been a problem for enterprises, because they’re notoriously expensive to train and run. “Most times, enterprises need to buy a whole solution set to run HPC workloads,” Thurai said. “With SambaNova’s subscription-based offering and its better price/performance ratio, it provides an alternative to Nvidia and specialist HPC providers. Only time will tell if it can win.” SambaNova Systems is certainly competing in a tough industry, but it does at least boast multiple happy customers, including Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. “We look forward to deploying a larger, multirack system of the next generation of SambaNova’s DataScale systems,” said Bronis de Supinski, chief technology officer of Livermore Computing at LLNL. “Integration of this solution with traditional clusters throughout our center will enable the technology to have a deeper programmatic impact. We anticipate a two to six times performance increase, as the new DataScale system promises to significantly improve overall speed, performance and productivity.”

Link The next time you go digging through your PC’s Xbox app for a game to play, you may find something interesting: an estimate of how long the game will take to complete. Microsoft has partnered with HowLongtoBeat to provide estimates of how long it will typically take a player to complete each game. The estimate will appear at the bottom of the screen, providing a time (in hours) of how long the main game will take to complete, but any additional DLC content. There’s even an estimate on how long it will take to complete everything in the game, also known as “100%” or “completionist,” which is what HowLongtoBeat uses. So far, this feature appears to be only part of the Xbox app for the Windows PC, rather than the Xbox console. The Xbox app is Microsoft’s gateway into its gaming ecosystem for the PC, competing with Steam, Epic, GoG Galaxy, and other gaming libraries. It’s also the entry point for Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate, a monthly subscription that acts as a “Netflix for games” by providing rotating access to a large library of PC games. (Though Microsoft charges $14.99 per month for Game Pass Ultimate, there’s a trick to sign up for it that allows a fantastic discount.) Microsoft also said it had updated the speed and reliability of the Xbox app itself. “We’re committed to continuing to improve the performance and reliability of the app,” Jason Beaumont, partner director of product management, player experiences and platform, wrote in a blog post. “With the most recent update, the app now launches up to 15 percent faster, and we’ve also made some fixes for overall better responsiveness when you interact with key experiences in the app. We’ve seen crash-free sessions improve to 99.9 percent, and player reports of games that didn’t download or didn’t install successfully reduced by nearly half. We’ve also focused on increased relevance for search results, and getting results back is now up to 20 percent faster.”