| Penthouse Magazine Acquires Internet Social Network Giant Adult ...
BOCA RATON, Fla., Dec. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Penthouse Media Group Inc., parent to Penthouse Magazine, one of the world's leading men's lifestyle publications and producers of online, licensed and broadcast content and materials, announced today that it has acquired internet social networking giant Various, Inc. and its subsidiaries for $500 million in cash and securities. With $340 million in projected combined 2007 revenues, this acquisition makes Penthouse the largest adult entertainment company in the world. Various has an extensive affiliate network, as well as a rapidly growing member base of more than 260 million consumers and a total paid subscriber list in excess of 1.2 million. Various operates more than 25 online communities including adultfriendfinder.com, which is a top 50 Web site nationwide.
October 2006
There is some discussion lately about same sex classrooms as the latest educational panacea. A few years ago the big issue was making every student wear a uniform to school. President Clinton sent every principal in the country a book promoting it. The initiative must have failed, because today you don't see many kids in school uniforms and the issue seems to have dropped from the media radar screen. It is the nature of much so-called educational innovation to capture the imagination with or without adequate evidence to support claims. People can intuitively agree that having same sex classes might help some kids, but when you look at what studies exist to support this, there isn't much. Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 is the landmark legislation that bans sex discrimination in schools, whether it is in academics or athletics.
Color cosmetics firms seek out latest trends
Euromonitor said the Asia-Pacific countries are likely to follow Eastern Europe and Latin America in delivering high rates of growth.China's color cosmetics market is forecast to expand by almost $600m between 2006 and 2011 while India is expected to grow the most in percentage terms.Growth is also expected in the mature markets with annual growth for Western Europe forecast to be around 2 percent.The mature markets are being driven by the spread of the naturals trend, which has moved from skin and body care products into color cosmetics.Euromonitor said mineral make-up is spearheading the movement because it provides natural sunscreen, long-lasting coverage and is suitable for use on sensitive skin.Bare Escentuals was described as a pioneer in bringing mineral make-up to the market although the big name brands and private labels have now followed suit.However, Euromonitor said retailers are increasingly willing to stock color cosmetics from small companies that are often producing innovative products that tempt consumers away from the big brands.
Ex-choir director's wife files for divorce
A former church youth choir director facing charges in an ongoing case of sexual misconduct with a minor appeared in court on Monday, just days after his wife filed for divorce. Nathan St. Pierre, 25, is accused of having a sexual relationship with a now 15-year-old girl who was a member of the church where he worked, Washington Avenue Baptist Church. The girl was reportedly 14 when the alleged relationship began. .
Beware Yahoo Personals’ deceptive billing policy
You might be wondering what a post like this is doing on a blog largely about VoIP, but bear with me. To some extent, this post is about VoIP. And athough I try not to air my consumer grievances here, I am writing this post to warn you about a practice that your knowledge of can save you some dollars. OK, first let us go back a year. My love life, my dating life, was in a rough patch. (If you want details, you buy the next pitcher). Not wanting to remain in the state I just referred to, I decided I would declare a jihad on loneliness. Being a creature of the Internet, I posted a profile on several dating sites including Yahoo! Personals. My Match.com profile soon led to a happy result. That's her photo on the top of my CPU tower. As soon as the ultimately "happy result" became quantifiable, I let my Yahoo! Personals account lapse.
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