Japan

Photography on-the-go has never been easier with this convenient travel companion. UPPER SADDLE RIVER, N.J., May 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Manfrotto, world leader in the equipment and accessories industry for photography and imaging, is proud to announce an innovative tripod dedicated to photographers who love to travel. BeFree is a light, compact, intuitive to use, stable option for capturing stunningly precise and sharp images. BeFree offers a stylish, functional option for traveling photographers, making it easy to capture memories without the hassle of bulky photography equipment. Its compact size and lightweight design make it an effortless tool to pack. BeFree also comes with a dedicated shoulder bag, protecting it from accidental damage, making it convenient to store in luggage. No longer will photographers have to compromise on picture quality because they weren't able to bring their heavy tripod along with them on trips. BeFree's size and portability doesn't detract from its sturdiness. This reliable tripod keeps your camera steadily locked into place in any desired position, delivering the sharpest of images. Key Features: Lightweight aluminum construction makes the tripod easy to carry. It weighs only 3lbs, less than the average laptop. Legs fold perfectly around the head and quick release plate attachment. It folds to only 15.7″. New aluminum ball head is solid, quick and simple to operate. It has a maximum payload of 8.8lbs, guaranteeing stability and sturdiness even with longer zoom lenses. The new patented leg angle selectors quickly allow you to select between two inclinations, offering maximum versatility for camera positioning. Key Consumer Benefits: Compact size and lightweight design, an easy tool to pack. Comes with a dedicated shoulder bag to protect it while you are on-the-go. The rubberized carrying strap makes it comfortable to carry. Eye catching premium Italian design and finishing makes it stand out from the crowd. Sturdy and reliable, keeping cameras steadily locked into place in any desired position, delivering the sharpest of images. BeFree (Order Code MKBFRA4-BH) is available for purchase through select Manfrotto retailers at a street price of approximately $199.99. For more information, visit www.manfrotto.us. About Manfrotto Distribution Manfrotto Distribution, Inc. is a leading distributor of key accessories brands for the photographic, video, cine and lighting production markets. Manfrotto Distribution is an international company within the Imaging Division of the Vitec Group, which owns the following leading international brands: Manfrotto, Gitzo, Kata, Avenger and Lastolite. As the U.S. distributor of National Geographic, Metz, Gossen, Elinchrom and Rotatrim, which are available nationwide through an extensive network of authorized dealers, Manfrotto Distribution offers the most complete range of exceptional camera and lighting accessories in the business. The Manfrotto Distribution international network covers the U.S., Germany, France, Italy, U.K., Hong Kong, China and Japan. www.manfrottodistribution.us. ImagingInsider.com #befreetripod #manfrotto #imaginginsider

If you thought that the fast food served at McDonald’s couldn’t get any unhealthier, think again! The company has introduced a fourth category of serving size for its popular French Fries, which is called the “Mega Potato” French fries. A super-wide container is filled with two large servings of fries and is served to the gluttonous customers....

The market had a rare bout of volatility in Wednesday's trading. The Dow Jones rose more than 150 points early in the day only to reverse itself to post an ~80-point loss by the end of trading. It was the first time the Dow has been up over 150 points and ended the day down since March 2009. Investors learned yesterday how vulnerable the market is to any banter that the Federal Reserve could slowly withdraw their massive largesse. I expect a sizable pullback (5% to 10%) by the end of summer, but I don't see it happening in a one-day blow up like what happened overnight in Japan. There are myriad reasons for my skepticism about the market.The S&P 500 is now ~12% over its 200-day moving average, extreme by historical standards. The index has gone from 1353 in mid-November to 1655 as of this morning

Behold, the agony and the ecstasy. Yes, the people in Japan want fries with that — lots and lots and lots of fries, apparently, as McDonald’s is serving up its (reportedly) highest-calorie count item ever: A 1,142 calorie container of fries double the size of a regular large fries, dubbed The Mega Potato. What, not the McMega Potato or Mega McPotato? According to Japan Today, the serving of three-quarters of a pound of fries is being marketed as “perfect for sharing,” and we should hope so as it clocks in at about half of what an average person should be consuming per day, calorie-wise. The things is, while some U.S. media outlets are noting that Mickey D’s is “unveiling” this item, it’s actually a limited-edition option that’s simply returning to restaurants across the Pacific. The nationwide release in Japan starts May 24, but Japan Today found a location that already had the new menu. It reports that just using an eyeball measurement, it looks to be about three times your standard hamburger. It’s only on the menu through June, so if you haven’t booked your ticket yet, now could be a good time to visit Japan. I’m just having fun imagining New York City’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg trying to keep this thing out of McDonald’s over here. That thing is probably his arch nemesis. Mega Potato to go back on sale at McDonald’s Japan [Japan Today]

Developed East Asia — where we include Singapore, South Korea, and Japan — is home to some of the most adaptable and sophisticated mobile users in the world. These nations, collectively home to some 185 million citizens, are an increasingly important part of the evolving global mobile landscape, playing a role in software innovation and setting new consumer adoption trends into motion. In what country is smart device adoption highest? Hint: It’s not the United States. That distinction belongs to Singapore. What trends from Asia-Pacific will go global? What consumer habits developed in Japan or Korea may serve as leading indicators of new ones in the West? How are these mobile markets similar, and in what ways are each of them unique? Although many businesses based in the West approach Asia-Pacific as one giant region, the obvious truth is that it is incredibly diverse. In this report, we'll look at key trends and data, and examine how these markets may be harbingers of trends in the global mobile market. Mobile Monetization: Broadly speaking, consumers in developed East Asia seem happy to pay for mobile services and content and conduct transactions on their devices. This is a contrast to the West, where many apps and content sites struggle to monetize, and where mobile payments and commerce are still early. Mobile Platforms: Relative to the rest of the world, Asia-Pacific is still a stronghold for Apple, which isn't surprising since Apple's iOS ecosystem has proven popular with wealthier consumers. But there are signs Android and Web-based apps have momentum on their side. Adoption Rates: Singapore, Japan, and Korea rank high in adoption of cutting-edge revenue-generating services like 4G LTE, mobile video platforms, mobile payments, and mobile banking. We'll explore why this is so, and what the West might learn from these adoption experiences. Importantly, high consumer adoption rates of certain mobile habits create positive ripple effects. For example, when consumers purchase a lot of goods and services on their smartphones, mobile advertisers and marketers are also able to charge higher prices for their services and products. The Asia-Pacific market offers some clues as to how to create the same sort of virtuous cycles in other mobile markets. Click here for the PDF version of this report →Click here for the data and charts associated with this report in Excel → Click Here To Monetize Singapore, South Korea, and Japan are strong in all three categories tied to mobile monetization: mobile commerce, mobile advertising, and paid app downloads. Here are some relevant statistics on these markets' monetization prowess. Japan and South Korea lead the world with nearly 20% of all e-commerce originating from mobile devices. Compare that to estimates of between 3% and 10% in the United States. (See chart, right.) A recent survey conducted by MasterCard confirmed mobile commerce has grown significantly across the region. Approximately 40% of online shoppers in South Korea and Singapore had made a purchase from their phone in the preceding three months. Asia-Pacific remains the world’s most important region for mobile advertising. Not surprisingly, mobile ad companies with global aspirations typically set up shop in Singapore or another regional hub as soon as they can. Early last year, Asian carrier Sing Tel bought California-based mobile advertising company Amobee for $321 million. The region places three countries in the top 15 for mobile ad spend per mobile user. (See chart, above.) Developed Asia-Pacific mobile markets have strong app economies. South Koreans and Japanese downloaded more than 250 million apps in March 2013 alone, according to Xyologic. More importantly, nearly 20 million of those downloads were paid apps. In addition, there's a culture in which consumers routinely make in-app purchases. (See chart, below.) We expect Asia-Pacific to continue its leadership in mobile

Gold is seeing some safe haven demand this morning as stocks are down, with reports in Asia that the premium for gold bars has hit an all-time high, due to a local shortage of the physical metal. The specter of the quantitative easing “punchbowl” being taken away, raised by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke yesterday during Congressional testimony, has caused stock markets worldwide to swoon. Adding to the downer, the HSBC Chinese flash PMI for May recorded the first contraction in seven months. The reported 49.6, against an expected 50.5, continued the downward trend of April’s reading of 50.4. Analysts were expecting 50.5, as the second quarter is traditionally a strong period for Chinese manufacturing. The pessimistic news caused markets throughout Asia to go negative, and depressed base commodities. The Nikkei index in Japan dropped 7.3%, the largest one-day correction in two years, as the yen hit a two-week high against the dollar. The bad news out of China only heightened the sour mood in Europe, which was already depressed over the possibility that the U.S. Fed would stop quantitative easing. European stocks and the common currency both declined, despite the Eurozone Markit PMI improving to 47.5 for May. Yes, it marks 18 straight months of economic contraction, but it is a three-month high for the index, which came in at 47.0 last month. In the U.S., stocks are poised to continue their downward momentum on the back of the contraction in Chinese PMI. One spot of good news in the U.S. economy is the unemployment numbers. First-time jobless claims last week came in at 340,000 new applications, 23,000 less than the week before. The four-week moving average was 339,500, essentially unchanged from the previous week’s 340,000. Continuing unemployment claims fell 112,000 to 2.91 million. These numbers do not include those people whose unemployment has run out, or have stopped actively seeking employment. by David Peterson Filed under: Market News Tagged: ben bernanke, Chinese economy, economic policy changes, European economy, quantitative easing, unemployment

Photo via bleacherreport.com Fourteen years ago today — May 23, 1999 — professional wrestler Owen Hart died in a WWE ring when an aerial stunt went tragically wrong. Performing as the masked Blue Blazer, Hart was supposed to descend slowly by a cable from the rafters of Kansas City’s Kemper Arena, but his harness failed, sending him into a fatal plummet to the ring 78 feet below. It was a shocking tragedy that cast a gloomy pall over the wrestling world, which was darkly ironic, considering that Owen Hart, perhaps more than any other wrestler in history, was so devoted to brightening the world around him. Owen was one of wrestling’s most notorious pranksters — a master of the “ribs” that helped wrestlers break the tedium of an endless life on the road. While some wrestlers were feared for their nasty ribs (the old poop in the duffelbag trick, for example), Owen’s ribs were almost always harmless fun, if a tad annoying. Given the passage of time and the nature of wrestling lore, some of these yarns might have become embellished after multiple re-tellings. But that’s the nature of a good prank: it becomes the stuff of legend. The legendary Owen Hart would surely be proud. 10. Michael Cola Photo via WWE.com Commentator Michael Cole has essentially become “the voice of WWE,” over the past decade, but it took him some time to rise to prominence. It’s somewhat surprising that he didn’t quit after his first day on the job. At a live event in the late 1990s, Cole was nervously preparing to do his very first on-air interview, and it was a big one — with the WWF Champion (and Owen’s brother), Bret Hart. “I was all nervous, I was in my tuxedo, my hands were shaking, we were only a few minutes from the live shoot,” Cole later recalled. “Right before we went to the interview, Owen and the British Bulldog took a liter of Coke and poured it down the back of my tuxedo pants. I have to stay in character, so I did the interview with an entire liter of Coke in my pants. That was my ‘Hello and welcome to the World Wrestling Federation’ from Owen.” 9. Tagging with the cops Photo via WWE.com Owen Hart and “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith were notorious partners in pranking. One time, they befriended a couple of undercover cops and convinced them to pull over Lex Luger, who was driving the car in which Owen and Smith were passengers. Everything went fine until, as the cops were walking away, Smith hollered (as pre-arranged), “Oh, blow it out your arse!” The cops, as scripted, charged back to the car and demanded that Luger step out of the car. They handcuffed Luger and refused to listen to his pleas of innocence. Only after Luger was sufficiently terrified did Owen and Smith, along with the cops, reveal the ruse. Apparently, Vince McMahon chuckled in amusement at the whole thing from the comfort of his nearby limo. 8. Hotel Shenanigans Owen found another partner in crime in the 1-2-3 Kid (later known as X-Pac and a half-dozen other names). While on a tour in Japan, they decided to have some fun tormenting a fellow wrestler. When he was away from his hotel room, they put all his clothes in the bathtub and filled it with water. They ordered every pay-per-view movie available on the TV. And, for good measure, they removed every single light bulb from the room. According to the story, the wrestler was seen the next day wearing ill-fitting clothes borrowed from someone else, looking bewildered. 7. The World’s Strongest Prank Owen was good friends with “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry. During long car journeys and tedious hotel stays, they’d pass the time by making prank phone calls. One one occasion, Owen targeted Henry’s longtime manager, Terry Todd, who had recently moved to a ranch and was having trouble with cows escaping through a broken fence. Hart called

It will be interesting to see how much of the hot money that has flooded into Japanese ETFs will run for cover after the Nikkei’s stunning 1,000-point drawdown Thursday. WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity (NYSEArca: DXJ) and iShares MSCI Japan (NYSEArca: EWJ) were down about 8% in early U.S. trading....

My morning reads: • Japan’s mini crash: Blame China(FT Alphaville) see also Dumb money returns to Japan (ft.com) • Extreme Fear (Joe Fahmy) • Bernanke to Congress: I’m Not the Problem. You Are. (The Fiscal Times) see also Wonkbook: Bernanke lashes Congress (Wonkblog) • Why Investors Fail (Motley Fool) • Dudley Says Decision on Taper Will Require 3-4 Months (Bloomberg) • Investing in Gold: Does It Stack Up? (Knowledge at Wharton) • Teens are tired of Facebook ‘drama,’ find refuge on Twitter and elsewhere, says Pew (The Verge) see also Teens, Social Media, and Privacy (Pew Internet) • Six Facts Lost in the IRS Scandal (ProPublica) • Putting Apple in an Xbox (WSJ) see also The race to a “smart” television is over. Xbox won (pandodaily) • Inside Google’s Secret Lab (Businessweek) What are you reading? Japanese Stocks Fall 7.3% Overnight Source: WSJ

Microsoft will boost its Azure cloud offering in Japan, adding two domestic data centers to speed response times and improve reliability in the face of natural disasters.