Hardgoods the Bright Spot in Preliminary Fiscal April Results; ?Apparel and Footwear Soft Due to Inconsistent Spring Weather.
Hunting Gear
Outdoor Industry Association
Boulder, Colo. --(Ammoland.com)- Outdoor Product sales grew in fiscal April 2013 by 1.2 percent to $673.6 million, slower than the year-to-date trend, according to the latest monthly sales report from OIA VantagePoint.
Growth was driven primarily by Outdoor Hardgoods, while Footwear and Apparel sales slowed due to inconsistent spring weather. The National Accounts Internet and Discount/Mass trade channels continued to provide the strongest growth.
Outdoor Apparel sales declined by 3.2 percent to $142.6 million for the four-week period ended May 4, 2013. After double-digit growth in the first three months of 2013, Apparel sales suffered as seasonal weather finally arrived in much of the United States. Sales slowed in cold-weather categories (such as Outerwear, Headwear and Handwear). Warm-weather categories struggled to improve on inconsistent weather trends throughout the month and due to tough comparisons to last year?s strong sales when spring and summer arrived early.
Following a strong March, Outdoor Footwear sales slid back to negative territory, down 3.0 percent to $192.0 million. While most Footwear categories ? namely Functional Outdoor Footwear, Running Footwear, and Sandals ? were down, Comfort Casual Footwear posted positive growth.
Sales of Outdoor Hardgoods increased 5.8 percent to $339.1 million in fiscal April, a slight improvement over last month?s trend but still below the double-digit growth seen in January and February. Most Hardgoods categories increased over the comparable month last year, with the exception of most camping and climbing/mountaineering equipment, which saw declines as winter held on longer than usual in many parts of the country.
The National Accounts Internet and Discount/Mass channels continued to gain share of Outdoor Product sales in fiscal April. National Accounts Internet accounted for 9.5 percent of all Outdoor Product sales (up from 7.2 percent in April 2012), while Discount/Mass stores accounted for 5.1 percent of sales (up from 2.7 percent in April 2012).
Final results for the month will be published this week in the OIA VantagePoint monthly trend report, available free of charge to Outdoor Industry Association members at outdoorindustry.org/vantagepoint. For more information on becoming an OIA member, visit outdoorindustry.org/membership or contact Ingrid Malmberg and the OIA membership team at 303.444.3353.
OIA VantagePoint is the first and only full market point-of-sale data platform built specifically for the outdoor industry. OIA VantagePoint monthly trend reports provide the broadest and most timely view of outdoor product sales available. Category reports are available at no charge to Outdoor Industry Association members and provide comprehensive visibility into the outdoor marketplace by tracking weekly point-of-sale data from more than 10,000 retail doors and websites that carry outdoor products, including nearly 450 outdoor specialty locations. It is the broadest view of both brick and mortar and Internet sales of outdoor products available in the market. In-depth sales information is available online within four days of the prior-week close ? a competitive advantage for businesses who can shift critical resources and react quickly to ever-changing consumer preferences.
Outdoor Industry Association Based in Boulder, Colo., with offices in Washington, D.C., Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) is the leading trade association for the outdoor industry and the title sponsor of Outdoor Retailer. OIA supports the growth and success of more than 4,000 manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, sales representatives and retailers of outdoor recreation apparel, footwear, equipment and services. For more information, visit outdoorindustry.org or call 303.444.3353.
The SportsOneSource Group The SportsOneSource Group is a full service market research company delivering solutions through consumer insight research, retail insight research and retail point-of-sale trending and analysis. The company provides the most reliable, timely and comprehensive sports and outdoor industry information available in the market today. SportScanInfo is a SportsOneSource technology platform developed to compile, aggregate and disseminate aggregated retail point-of-sale information. SportsOneSource also publishes the Sports Executive Weekly and The B.O.S.S. Report executive newsletters, along with the SGB and SGB Performance print publications and their related online, email and digital products. For more information about The SportsOneSource Group call 303.987.3450 or go to SportsOneSource.com.
WASHINGTON (AP) ? More than two dozen conservative leaders have signed on to a statement supporting action to overhaul the nation's immigration laws and calling legislation pending in the Senate an "important starting point."
In a statement being released Thursday, the officials say: "Simply opposing immigration reform should not be the conservative response to this problem. We believe conservatives should be leading the way on this issue by supporting legislation that upholds conservative principles."
Signers include Fred Malek, chairman of the American Action Forum; Ralph Reed, chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition; Paul Wolfowitz, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute; Mat Staver, president and founder of Liberty Counsel; and Lawson Bader, president of the Competitive Enterprise Institute.
The statement was organized by Al Cardenas, chairman of the American Conservative Union.
"Conservatives are ready to support immigration reform, so long as it is pro-economic growth, strengthens families, fosters assimilation and prevents another wave of illegal immigration from happening again," the statement says.
Many of those signing the declaration took part in a meeting Tuesday with Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., an author of the immigration bill who's trying to sell it to conservatives. Rubio solicited their support in part by assuring them that the bill could change as it moved forward, and in their statement the officials say they don't expect the legislation to pass as-is.
Not all of those who attended the meeting with Rubio signed on to the statement of support. Several tea party-affiliated officials were in the meeting but not on the statement.
Republicans are split on the immigration issue, with many in leadership roles or with ties to the business community coming out in favor of an overhaul, while others more driven by ideology or connected to the grass roots remain opposed.
The Senate Judiciary Committee begins considering amendments to the Senate bill on Thursday. The legislation would dramatically remake the nation's immigration laws, strengthening the border, creating new worker programs and enforcement, and providing a path to citizenship for 11 million already here illegally.
After raising $100M+ last June, Donuts -- a registry for the new top-level domain names that ICANN is ushering in this year (such as .yay or .jobs) -- has announced it has raised a new funding round. The exact figure for its Series B, which is led by existing investor Generation Partners, has not been disclosed but the company said the equity investment is "twice the valuation" of the Series A.
With remembrances of the late prime minister dominating the press, it is easy to forget the economic woes and issues of identity that gripped Britain in the years preceding her rule.
By Ryan Lenora Brown,?Correspondent / April 9, 2013
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher reviews the honor guard at the White House in Washington, as President Jimmy Carter follows, in December 1979.
Gerald Penny/AP/File
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?BRITAIN AT THE CROSSROADS,? blared a Monitor headline in July 1978, less than a year before Margaret Thatcher became the country?s prime minister. ?Are law and order wilting??
Skip to next paragraph Ryan Lenora Brown
Correspondent
Ryan Brown edits the Africa Monitor blog and contributes to the national and international news desks of the Monitor. She is a former Fulbright fellow to South Africa and holds a degree in history from Duke University.?
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?Political, labor storms grow louder in Britain,? warned another, in January 1979.
?Britons? patience ? wears thin,? read a third.
As both tributes to Mrs. Thatcher and attacks on her leadership have poured in since her death, it is easy to forget the near-crisis that gripped Britain in the years preceding her rule, as the economy sagged under the weight of rampant inflation and broad unemployment. During the winter of 1978-79, just before the Tories swept to power, strikes rippled across the public sector ? the infamous British ?Winter of Discontent? ?? ?in response to a government wage cap.
Meanwhile, as nationalist rumblings rose in Scotland and parliament debated stricter limits on immigration, England seemed to be descending into a crisis of confidence about its very Englishness.
As a look through Monitor archives show, this was the deeply divided Britain that Thatcher and her Conservative Party took control of in May 1979 ? beleaguered and world-weary, its patience for government tanking and its economy on shaky ground. ?
As the Monitor?s Takashi Oka reported, ?
In London?s Golden Square, behind fashionable Regent Street, a gardener lovingly tends his neatly trimmed rosebushes surrounding an Everest-high pile of black plastic rubbish bags. A cleaner from one of the smart offices surrounding the square drags over a roll of carpeting to add to the base of the towering pyramid.
Two weeks? worth of uncollected garbage is the most visible sign of the labor discontent that grips strike-weary Britain this winter.? With hundreds of schools closed, more than a thousand hospitals reduced to emergency operations only, and wage demands spreading on numerous fronts, the hard-pressed Labour government, with traditionally close ties to the unions, is facing an increasingly embittered public.
What is the government doing about all this? Why must it mollycoddle the trade unions so? Why doesn?t it show some firmness for a change?
These questions, in essence, sum up the opposition Conservative Party?s challenge to Prime Minister James Callaghan and his Labour Cabinet.?(?Britons? patience with strikes wears thin,? Feb. 8, 1979)
The strikes were just the last spasm of the economic malaise of 1970s Britain, which featured high unemployment and double-digit inflation. In Sept. 1976, Mr. Oka noted that nearly 1.5 million Britons ? 6.2 percent of the working population ? were unemployed (?Soaring joblessness challenges Britain,? Sept. 22, 1976), a number that held roughly as national elections approached (?more than 1.5 million? in ?Sunny Jim and Iron Lady about to face off in Britain,? Sept. 7 1978). Inflation averaged around 13 percent throughout the ?70s, peaking at 25 percent.
Meanwhile, as the parties debated across the aisle in Parliament, Britain also revisited its own place in Europe.
Hamilton, Scotland ? The integrity of the United Kingdom is being challenged.
It is under attack from within by the Scottish and Welsh nationalists and, in a somewhat different context, by the Northern Ireland Unionists.
It is also under attack from without, as the sovereignty of the traditional nation-state is eroded in small ? but not insignificant ? chunks by membership in the nine-nation European Community (EC). ?
Is this old continent, where the modern nation-state was born and where it fought some of mankind?s most disastrous wars, to see its gradual transformation into something neither fish nor fowl, a kind of hybrid in which the trappings of sovereignty remain but much of the content is gone.
And if such a transformation does take place, what will this do to the Britishness of Britain, the Englishness of England??(?Britain at the Crossroads: Nationalist pressure,? July 10, 1978)
If those were the looming questions that faced Thatcher as she took office, however, she had also already earned some of the fierce loyalty that still characterizes her supporters. As Oka reported shortly after Thatcher became head of the Conservative Party in 1975,
The constituency chairman?s voice range out across the hall filled to bursting with Conservative Party faithful.
"Paraphrasing William Blake," as he put it, he began with familiar words, "I will not cease from mental fight, nor shall my sword sleep in my hand.? ?
Then, swelling to a climax, ?till Margaret Thatcher is in power,? he thundered, ?in England?s green and pleasant land.?
Cheers, laughter, and applause. All eyes were riveted on the blue-eyed, golden-haired woman in turquoise-blue dress standing beside the chairman.?
?It has been said that we are a middle-class party,? she said ? ?We?re not, you know ? We?re the party of all the people who believe in independence and freedom, who believe in living up to the best of Britain and not the worst.?
?More cheers and applause,? Oka went on. ?It was a rousing partisan speech, as it was meant to be.??
When it comes to light switches, most are pretty bland. There?s the white, the off-white and even the eggshell options. Of course, you could get crazy and put one with cartoon characters on your wall, but even your kids may think you?re crazy.
Legrand wants to make that switch an eye-catching spot, via its new adorne collection. This new line of switches, dimmers, outlets, and wall plates can add a splash of color and/or technology into the room, without having to do an overhaul of your decor.
Perfect for the homeowner, interior designer, and do-it-yourselfer, the adorne series features a total of seven models, each with a unique on/off activation and user experience. A few of the standouts include:
The Touch Switch: Features capacitive touch technology to control lights and has a translucent face that operates just like an iPod.
The Wave Switch: Activates lights with the wave of a hand.
The SensaSwitch: Turns lights on and off when people enter or leave a room.
The Pop-Out Outlet: Pops out when needed to provide three outlets; pushes back in to fit flush to the wall when not in use.
Another interesting option is the adorne Under-Cabinet Lighting System, which puts lighting, power and music in the kitchen, all without cluttering the backsplash. In June, the company also plans to introduce the adorne Wi-Fi Music System, Wireless Video Intercom, and Whole-House Wireless Lighting Controls.
?Historically, consumers and designers haven?t given their light switches a second thought?if anything, they were more concerned with hiding them,? said Mario Gonzalez, vice president of marketing for the adorne Collection. ?Extensive research tells us that homeowners and the architecture and design community are ready for something new and different. Through the launch of adorne, Legrand is enabling consumers to give the same level of design expression to their light switches as with all other decorative products in the home.?
Available in 32 finishes, including cast metals, natural woods, leather, and an array of hues, Legrand will start showcasing the adorne Collection in select lighting showrooms and home improvement stores nationwide starting in May 2013.
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Over the past 15 years, Rachel Cericola has covered entertainment, web and technology trends. Check her out at www.rachelcericola.com.
Notre Dame study finds Asian carp DNA not widespread in the Great LakesPublic release date: 4-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Christopher Jerde cjerde@nd.edu 574-217-0267 University of Notre Dame
Scientists from the University of Notre Dame, The Nature Conservancy, and Central Michigan University have presented their findings of Asian carp DNA throughout the Great Lakes in a study published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.
"The good news is that we have found no evidence that Asian carp are widespread in the Great Lakes basin, despite extensive surveys in Southern Lake Michigan and parts of lakes Erie and St Clair," Christopher Jerde, the paper's lead author and a scientist at the University of Notre Dame, said. "Looking at the overall patterns of detections we remain convinced that the most likely source of Asian carp DNA is live fish."
Some recent reports regarding environmental DNA have suggested that birds, boats, and other pathways, but not live fish, are spreading the bighead and silver carp DNA.
"It's really very telling that the only places DNA has been recovered are where Asian carp have been captured," Jerde points out. "If birds or boats were commonly spreading the DNA, then we should be detecting DNA in other places we have surveyed in the Great Lakes."
According to the USGS, in 2010 commercial fishermen captured a 20 lb. bighead carp in Lake Calumet, 30 miles above the electric barrier meant to block the advancing carp from the Illinois River. Lake Calumet is 7 miles of river away from Lake Michigan. Likewise, in 1995 and twice in 2000, USGS records indicate that bighead carp were captured in the western basin of Lake Erie.
"It shouldn't be surprising that we found evidence of Asian carp in these areas where Asian carp were already known to exist from captures," Lindsay Chadderton, co-author on the paper and Director of The Nature Conservancy's Great Lakes Aquatic Invasive Species program, said.
This study builds upon a growing area of research to find invasive species when they are at low abundance and when they can be potentially managed.
"Catching these fish by net, hook, or electrofishing is ineffective when the fish are at low abundance that's why we were asked to deploy this eDNA approach in the first place," David Lodge, director of the University of Notre Dame's Environmental Change Initiative and author on the paper, said. "If we wait for the tell-tale signs of Asian carp jumping out of the water, then we are likely too late to prevent the damages. Environmental DNA allows for us to detect their presence before the fish become widespread."
"When we first discovered DNA from Asian carp at the Calumet Harbor and Port of Chicago, we were concerned that Asian carp may already be widespread in the Great Lakes," Andrew Mahon, co-author and assistant professor at Central Michigan University, said . "But because of our collaborations with State and Federal partners, we now have a better picture of the Asian carp distribution, and we are optimistic that with continued vigilance, it will be possible to prevent Asian carp becoming established in the Great Lakes."
###
This work is part of a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative project funded through the US Fish and Wildlife Service to help develop a program of invasive species surveillance of the Great Lakes. This research grew out of a formal partnership between the University of Notre Dame and The Nature Conservancy, one of the world's largest and most established conservation organizations. The mission of Notre Dame's Environmental Change Initiative is to conduct innovative research that helps to solve complex environmental problems regarding invasive species, land use, and climate change, focusing on their impacts on water resources.
The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working to protect the most ecologically important lands and waters around the world for nature and people. For more information or to watch a video, visit http://nature.org/carpscience. The Notre Dame-TNC partnership is designed to develop science-based solutions to environmental problems.
The Institute for Great Lakes Research (IGLR) at Central Michigan University is committed to promoting and facilitating collaborative research and education on the Great Lakes. IGLR partners with other institutions and agencies to leverage our expertise and training and takes a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the complex environmental issues affecting the Great Lakes basin.
The Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (CJFAS) is one of the world's top fisheries journals and is the primary publishing vehicle for the multidisciplinary field of aquatic sciences. It publishes perspectives, discussions, articles, and rapid communications, relating to current research on cells, organisms, populations, ecosystems, or processes that affect aquatic systems. The journal seeks to amplify, modify, question, or redirect accumulated knowledge in the field of fisheries and aquatic science. CJFAS is published by Canadian Science Publishing and is part of the prestigious NRC Research Press journal collection. ?(Disclaimer: ?Canadian Science Publishing (CSP) publishes the NRC Research Press journals but is not affiliated with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). Papers published by CSP are peer-reviewed by experts in their field. The views of the authors in no way reflect the opinions of CSP or the NRC. Requests for commentary about the contents of any study should be directed to the authors.)
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Notre Dame study finds Asian carp DNA not widespread in the Great LakesPublic release date: 4-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Christopher Jerde cjerde@nd.edu 574-217-0267 University of Notre Dame
Scientists from the University of Notre Dame, The Nature Conservancy, and Central Michigan University have presented their findings of Asian carp DNA throughout the Great Lakes in a study published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.
"The good news is that we have found no evidence that Asian carp are widespread in the Great Lakes basin, despite extensive surveys in Southern Lake Michigan and parts of lakes Erie and St Clair," Christopher Jerde, the paper's lead author and a scientist at the University of Notre Dame, said. "Looking at the overall patterns of detections we remain convinced that the most likely source of Asian carp DNA is live fish."
Some recent reports regarding environmental DNA have suggested that birds, boats, and other pathways, but not live fish, are spreading the bighead and silver carp DNA.
"It's really very telling that the only places DNA has been recovered are where Asian carp have been captured," Jerde points out. "If birds or boats were commonly spreading the DNA, then we should be detecting DNA in other places we have surveyed in the Great Lakes."
According to the USGS, in 2010 commercial fishermen captured a 20 lb. bighead carp in Lake Calumet, 30 miles above the electric barrier meant to block the advancing carp from the Illinois River. Lake Calumet is 7 miles of river away from Lake Michigan. Likewise, in 1995 and twice in 2000, USGS records indicate that bighead carp were captured in the western basin of Lake Erie.
"It shouldn't be surprising that we found evidence of Asian carp in these areas where Asian carp were already known to exist from captures," Lindsay Chadderton, co-author on the paper and Director of The Nature Conservancy's Great Lakes Aquatic Invasive Species program, said.
This study builds upon a growing area of research to find invasive species when they are at low abundance and when they can be potentially managed.
"Catching these fish by net, hook, or electrofishing is ineffective when the fish are at low abundance that's why we were asked to deploy this eDNA approach in the first place," David Lodge, director of the University of Notre Dame's Environmental Change Initiative and author on the paper, said. "If we wait for the tell-tale signs of Asian carp jumping out of the water, then we are likely too late to prevent the damages. Environmental DNA allows for us to detect their presence before the fish become widespread."
"When we first discovered DNA from Asian carp at the Calumet Harbor and Port of Chicago, we were concerned that Asian carp may already be widespread in the Great Lakes," Andrew Mahon, co-author and assistant professor at Central Michigan University, said . "But because of our collaborations with State and Federal partners, we now have a better picture of the Asian carp distribution, and we are optimistic that with continued vigilance, it will be possible to prevent Asian carp becoming established in the Great Lakes."
###
This work is part of a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative project funded through the US Fish and Wildlife Service to help develop a program of invasive species surveillance of the Great Lakes. This research grew out of a formal partnership between the University of Notre Dame and The Nature Conservancy, one of the world's largest and most established conservation organizations. The mission of Notre Dame's Environmental Change Initiative is to conduct innovative research that helps to solve complex environmental problems regarding invasive species, land use, and climate change, focusing on their impacts on water resources.
The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working to protect the most ecologically important lands and waters around the world for nature and people. For more information or to watch a video, visit http://nature.org/carpscience. The Notre Dame-TNC partnership is designed to develop science-based solutions to environmental problems.
The Institute for Great Lakes Research (IGLR) at Central Michigan University is committed to promoting and facilitating collaborative research and education on the Great Lakes. IGLR partners with other institutions and agencies to leverage our expertise and training and takes a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the complex environmental issues affecting the Great Lakes basin.
The Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (CJFAS) is one of the world's top fisheries journals and is the primary publishing vehicle for the multidisciplinary field of aquatic sciences. It publishes perspectives, discussions, articles, and rapid communications, relating to current research on cells, organisms, populations, ecosystems, or processes that affect aquatic systems. The journal seeks to amplify, modify, question, or redirect accumulated knowledge in the field of fisheries and aquatic science. CJFAS is published by Canadian Science Publishing and is part of the prestigious NRC Research Press journal collection. ?(Disclaimer: ?Canadian Science Publishing (CSP) publishes the NRC Research Press journals but is not affiliated with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). Papers published by CSP are peer-reviewed by experts in their field. The views of the authors in no way reflect the opinions of CSP or the NRC. Requests for commentary about the contents of any study should be directed to the authors.)
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) ? The U.N. General Assembly is expected to vote Tuesday on what would be the first U.N. treaty regulating the multibillion-dollar international arms trade after Iran, North Korea and Syria blocked its adoption by consensus.
Assembly spokesman Nikola Jovanovic told The Associated Press on Monday that the resolution to adopt the treaty requires support from a majority of the 193 U.N. member states. Since the treaty had strong support when it was brought before U.N. members last Thursday, its approval is virtually certain ? unless there are attempts to amend it before the vote.
Many countries, including the United States, control arms exports. But there has never been an international treaty regulating the estimated $60 billion global arms trade. For more than a decade, activists and some governments have been pushing for international rules to try to keep illicit weapons out of the hands of terrorists, insurgent fighters and organized crime.
Hopes of reaching agreement at a U.N. negotiating conference were dashed in July when the U.S. said it needed more time to consider the proposed accord ? a move quickly backed by Russia and China. In December, the U.N. General Assembly decided to hold a final negotiating conference to agree on a treaty and set last Thursday as the deadline.
After two weeks of intensive negotiations, there was growing optimism as the deadline approached that all 193 member states would approve the final draft treaty by consensus ? a requirement set by the United States. This time, the U.S. was prepared to support the final draft treaty. But Iran, North Korea and Syria objected.
Iran said the treaty had many "loopholes," is "hugely susceptible to politicization and discrimination," and ignores the "legitimate demand" to prohibit the transfer of arms to those who commit aggression. Syria cited seven objections, including the treaty's failure to include an embargo on delivering weapons "to terrorist armed groups and to non-state actors." And North Korea said the treaty favors arms exporters who can restrict arms to importers that have a right to legitimate self-defense and the arms trade.
Both Iran and North Korea are under U.N. arms embargoes over their nuclear programs, while Syria is in the third year of a conflict that has escalated to civil war and is under U.S. and European Union sanctions. Amnesty International said all three countries "have abysmal human rights records ? having even used arms against their own citizens."
The General Assembly had left open the possibility of a vote on the treaty if it failed to achieve consensus.
Jovanovic said the assembly will meet at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) on Tuesday when the first order of business will be a report from the chair of the negotiations, Australian Ambassador Peter Woolcott. That will be followed by the vote.
The draft resolution, obtained by AP, would adopt the Arms Trade Treaty that was put to members last Thursday.
If approved, the resolution asks Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, as depositary of the treaty, to open it for signature by member states on June 3. It calls on all nations to consider signing and then ratifying the treaty "at the earliest possible date."
In a letter to the secretary-general dated Friday, Britain's U.N. Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant asked the U.N. chief to circulate the draft resolution to all U.N. members on behalf of Argentina, Australia, Costa Rica, Finland, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, the United States and the United Kingdom.
By the time the draft resolution was circulated Monday, treaty supporters had collected a total of 64 co-sponsors and they were trying to add more countries before Tuesday's vote.
The draft treaty would not control the domestic use of weapons in any country, but it would require all countries to establish national regulations to control the transfer of conventional arms, parts and components and to regulate arms brokers. It would prohibit states that ratify the treaty from transferring conventional weapons if they violate arms embargoes or if they promote acts of genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes.
The final draft made the human rights provision even stronger, adding that the export of conventional arms should be prohibited if they could be used in attacks on civilians or civilian buildings such as schools and hospitals.
In considering whether to authorize the export of arms, the draft says a country must evaluate whether the weapon would be used to violate international human rights or humanitarian laws or be used by terrorists or organized crime. The final draft would allow countries to determine whether the weapons transfer would contribute to or undermine peace and security.
The draft would also require parties to the treaty to take measures to prevent the diversion of conventional weapons to the illicit market.
After raising $100M+ last June, Donuts -- a registry for the new top-level domain names that ICANN is ushering in this year (such as .yay or .jobs) -- has announced it has raised a new funding round. The exact figure for its Series B, which is led by existing investor Generation Partners, has not been disclosed but the company said the equity investment is "twice the valuation" of the Series A.![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vTbno6V21MPdcGW0OkOZZJcn_N6dJzCXQyVUm55Gi0ZzM6m642pqbKICKKnv7H8YKyGp37iDIjf9-uusJT0Fq5ilGbXDGrc2Povtf1XrI=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 4-Apr-2013
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