As the government prepares Thursday to commit billions of dollars to bring high-speed Internet to rural areas, the biggest-­ever such project has collapsed. The company Open Range, backed by a commitment of $267 million in loans from the Agriculture Department, filed for bankruptcy this month. Taxpayers are on the hook for $74 million that the upstart hasn’t repaid. And now the company, some analysts and a senior government official are blaming poor judgment and Washington bureaucracy as the reasons Open Range failed. Read full article > >

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Broadband company’s demise puts taxpayers on hook for $74 million loan

Updated to correct reference at bottom of story. Previous version incorrectly stated that Open Range failed to launch satellites. The company Globalstar failed to fulfill promises of expanding satellite coverage. House Democrats on Wednesday called for Congress to expand its investigation into federal loan programs to include a Bush-era loan to the bankrupt broadband Internet firm Open Range. Read full article > >

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Democrats call for investigation into bankrupt Open Range federal loans

Thor’s magic hammer has solidly planted the summer movie season’s first tentpole. “Thor,” Marvel’s latest big-budget superhero film, won the weekend by grossing $66-million in its domestic debut, according to studio estimates Sunday. (Final numbers are scheduled to be released Monday.) The film’s box office was in line with industry projections; appearing on nearly 4,000 North American screens, it was expected to open in the range of $60-million to $70-million. Read full article > >

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‘THOR’ SCORES: Marvel film tops box office with $66M debut

Thor’s magic hammer has solidly planted the summer movie season’s first tentpole. “Thor,” Marvel’s latest big-budget superhero film, won the weekend by grossing $66-million in its domestic debut, according to studio estimates Sunday. (Final numbers are scheduled to be released Monday.) The film’s box office was in line with industry projections; appearing on nearly 4,000 North American screens, it was expected to open in the range of $60-million to $70-million. Read full article > >

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‘THOR’ SCORES: Marvel film tops box office with $66M debut

Plans to modernise the Post Office are to be unveiled later, expanding the range of services across the network.

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Post Office reform to be unveiled

Collapsible speakers pack hi-fi sound in an ultra-portable body Many portable speakers do little more in the way of design modifications than shrink a full-size speaker to a smaller, tinny version. The ultra-portable X-Mini Capsule Speaker , while still tiny, adds an expandable woofer that boasts immense sound for its size. Twisting the speaker opens an accordion-like patented bass enhancement to create even bigger resonance. A Red Dot award-winner, the speakers plug into laptops, mobile phones, gaming devices, and even link to each other for an on-the-go surround sound solution. We’ve been using an X-Mini at CH headquarters and at presentations, and it’s impressed us all with its booming sound. For an all-in-one device, the newest addition to the range, Happy , features a built-in SD/SDHC card slot so that you can play music on it. Rechargable through a USB cable, the super-useful range of five X-Mini speakers sell online for $20-80, depending on type.

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X-Mini Capsule Speakers