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Absolute unit: Llanrwst farmer sells Limousin bull for world record £189,000
A Llanrwst farmer has sold his first-ever bull for a world record £189,000.
Gerwyn Jones sold the bull, Graiggoch Rambo, for 180,000gns – the equivalent of £189,000. The previous record for a Limousin breed was 147,000gns by County Down breeder Henry Savage and Sons in 2015.
Rambo is the first bull to be offered by the Graiggoch herd, and was sold at the British Limousin Cattle Society’s sale in Carlisle, England.
“The events of the weekend are only just sinking in,” Gerwyn Jones said. “After working with experienced breeders for a long time, I knew Rambo was something special, which was confirmed by the interest and offers received at home prior to the sale.
“I am delighted that my first pedigree-registered Limousin has sold so amazingly well.”
The bull was sold for future breeding in a two-way split to the Whinfellpark herd near Penrith, and the Sportsmans herd, based near Stockport, Cheshire.
Iain Scott of Whinfellpark described Graiggoch Rambo as “possibly the best bull we have ever seen offered for sale at Carlisle”, adding that “Rambo will be going straight to stud to have semen taken”.
The most expensive cow ever sold was Wilodge Poshspice, last February. The cow sold for £262,000 , doubling the previous record set in 2014. Cow values have soared due to IVF meaning they can share their DNA between hundreds of calves.
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"The 2019 vintage will go down in history here in Germany as the first year in which the ice harvest has failed nationwide," the DWI said in a statement.
A succession of warm winters has cut into ice wine production recently, the institute said, noting that in 2017 only seven producers managed to make the pricey, golden nectar made from grapes that have been left to freeze on the vine. Only five managed it in 2013.
“If warm winters become more frequent over the coming years, ice wines from Germany's regions will soon become an even more expensive rarity than they already are,” wine institute spokesman Ernst Büscher said in a statement.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said last month that January 2020 was the hottest January on record
"Lots of regional heat to go around," NOAA noted in its report, adding that no land or ocean areas experienced record-cold temperatures in January.
Buescher said the institute knew of no vintage year in this century or last when no ice wine was made, and since winters were colder in the 19th century, it assumed that the latest harvest was the first one to create no ice wine since production began in 1830.
Freezing the grapes before they are crushed concentrates the sugar and leads to an intensely sweet, golden wine often served with dessert. It has always been a niche product with around 0.1 percent of German production and expensive due to low volumes.
"Another problem for ice wine production is that in recent years the dates for a possible ice harvest have shifted more and more into January and February, while the grapes tend to ripen earlier and earlier," according to the institute. "As a result, the period that the grapes have to survive in a healthy state until a possible ice wine harvest is becoming longer."
The production of the wind is just as tricky as the weather conditions.
Workers must race into the vineyards to bring the grapes in with only a few hours notice when the temperature falls, often at night or in the early morning. Since the grapes must be pressed while still frozen, makers labor in unheated facilities. Vineyard owners also face the risk that grapes set aside for ice wine will rot on the vine before the hard freeze comes.
Canada's Niagara Peninsula is one of several other places where ice wine is produced, thanks to its cold winters, according to the Associated Press. It's also made in northern Michigan, Vermont and Ashtabula County, Ohio, near Lake Erie.
Major markets for German ice wine include Japan and China as well as Scandinavia and the U.S., the institute said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Image: June Wan/ZDNET
Samsung has said it is rolling out a new feature for Galaxy smartphones and tablets that can protect against a new kind of cyber threat that allows attackers to hack your phone just by sending an image.
Attackers trigger zero-click exploits by sending a message containing an image. You don’t even need to interact with the message as you would if attackers were trying to make you click a phishing link or download malware — a zero-click attack works even if you aren’t actively handling your phone.
Also: Five easy steps to keep your smartphone safe from hackers
Zero-click attacks are designed to take advantage of unpatched vulnerabilities in applications that accept and process untrusted data, such as SMS and messaging services.
If it’s crafted in the right way, a zero-click attack can run malware or snoop on your smartphone without you even knowing. In many cases, the original image is coded to delete itself, so you don’t even know it was there — but in that time, hackers could have gained access to your usernames, passwords, and other sensitive personal data.
While zero-click attacks aren’t a common cybersecurity threat for now — with the attacks mainly restricted to being deployed by sophisticated spyware operations — the nature of cyber-criminal activity means it’s likely only a matter of time before these attacks become more widespread.
Now Samsung has said it will introduced Samsung Message Guard, a new security feature for Samsung Galaxy smartphones that aims


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Six more Intime stores make it a national chain
Intime Department Store (Group) Co Ltd said on Thursday that it will open another six stores this year to turn itself into a national chain.
"We will open around six stores this year and, by the end of 2015, our target is to have 60 stores in China," said Chen Xiaodong, executive director and CEO of Intime. Chen said the new stores will be located in second- and third-tier Chinese cities.
The Hong Kong-listed company opened its first store in Hangzhou in 1998 and now has 30 stores nationwide. Of those in department stores, 19 are located in Zhejiang province, six in Hubei, two in Beijing, one in Anhui, one in Hebei and two in Shaanxi.


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NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (WKYT) - Three months ago, the Kentucky Motor Vehicle Commission assured former Auto Plaza USA customers they'd be getting their money back as quickly as possible.
Auto Plaza owes James Edwards around $300. He's yet to be paid back. "I'm just doing what I'm supposed to do to get my money back," he told WKYT's Miranda Combs. Edwards is one of 1,400 Auto Plaza customers that got hit with an unfair bill from the state that said he still owed title taxes for a car he bought at the dealership. But he really didn't owe any money. The mess-up turned into the state attorney general filing a million dollar lawsuit against Auto Plaza.
Days after the AG's lawsuit was announced, the Kentucky Motor Vehicle Commission said they had already come to an agreement with Auto Plaza and will be able to get customers their money back faster than the AG's lawsuit.
Yet James Edwards has yet to see a dime from the dealership. He went to Auto Plaza, as instructed by the state a couple of months ago. They told him they'd send him a check.
Former customer Joey Thomas took a different approach when he showed up at the dealership to get his $500 back. He said they told him he'd have to make an appointment. "I'm like 'No, I'm going to leave here today with my money or I've got this document from the AG's office, I'm going to call this gentleman and let him know you guys are still putting off customers and not paying them.'" He walked out with his check a few minutes later.
Auto Plaza's attorney won't comment on how many customers have been paid back. The Kentucky Motor Vehicle Commission told WKYT there were about 70 customers that have been paid. The transportation cabinet said in a statement, "Unfortunately, the inconvenient reimbursement process is due to Auto Plaza's refusal to follow the recommendation to issue a lump sum to the Department of Revenue that could have been directly applied to the affected consumers' accounts."
WKYT was also made aware of a civil case between the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and the owners of Auto Plaza USA. The owners, Adnan and Amneh Hassan, own land that the state wants to purchase to build a bypass. According to court documents, the Hassans have refused to sell the property and are now asking for a jury trial to settle the matter. The transportation cabinet said the land dispute has nothing to do with the settlement with the Motor Vehicle Commission. It's a completely separate issue.
The Kentucky Attorney General's lawsuit against Auto Plaza continues to move forward.


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Genesis drone show used a record-breaking 3,281 drones
Hyundai’s luxurious car model Genesis used 3,281 drones to create its brand over Shanghai’s skyline on March twenty ninth in celebration of the model’s arrival in China. That variety of drones units a new Guinness World File for “The Most Unmanned Aerial Autos (UAVs) airborne concurrently,” based on a Genesis press launch.
You may see a image of the Genesis brand formation on the high of this submit. Genesis additionally made a video that confirmed off some further drone formations, together with a hand, two of the corporate’s automobiles, and… a double helix?
Genesis’ report edges out the earlier one held by Shenzhen Damoda Clever Management Expertise, which used 3,051 drones in a show on September twentieth. Right here’s a video of that show, which I personally assume is much more spectacular than Genesis’:
Intel held the report at one level as effectively, utilizing 1,218 Taking pictures Star drones to create the Olympic rings over Pyeongchang for the 2018 Winter Olympics.
#Genesis #drone #show #recordbreaking #drones


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We haven't had an update on the upcoming Halo TV series for quite some time. Initially announced during the Xbox One console reveal event, the Halo series has been eight years in the making and will finally be airing in early 2022.
The Halo TV series found its cast in 2019, with filming kicking off that same year. Production continued throughout early 2020, before being paused due to the coronavirus. Since then, around 60 percent of the first season has been finished, so there is still more work to be done before we see a trailer.
As reported by Deadline, the live-action Halo series will no longer debut on Showtime, instead, it is being moved to the Paramount+ streaming service in the US. We don't know where the show will pop up outside of the US at this time.
The series will debut in Q1 2022, so we'll likely get our first peek at the show later this year.
KitGuru Says: Are any of you planning on watching the Halo series when it comes out?


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On just its second day of trading after its IPO debut, electric vehicle (EV) company Rivian jumped 22% as the move towards EVs continues around the globe.
Rivian aims to set itself apart in the competitive EV market by offering trucks that focus on ruggedness, utility, and luxury. This helps discern it from other rivals, including Tesla.
Like Tesla, however, it must be able to churn out a profit at some point for investors. Tesla took 18 years to finally produce a profitable year after operating in the red for quite some time.
“The electric carmaker, which was founded in 2003, said it earned $721 million in 2020, in contrast to a loss of $862 million in 2019, even though the pandemic was a drag on sales and production in the United States,” a New York Times article says. “The company made $270 million in the last three months of the year, up from $105 million in the same period of 2019.”
I hope they’re able to achieve high production & breakeven cash flow. That is the true test.
There have been hundreds of automotive startups, both electric & combustion, but Tesla is only American carmaker to reach high volume production & positive cash flow in past 100 years.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 11, 2021
Get Charged Up for This EV ETF
ETF investors looking to get in on the shift to more EVs on the road can capitalize on this growth opportunity with the Global X Autonomous & Electric Vehicles ETF (DRIV). The ETF itself is up about 32% so far in 2021.
DRIV seeks to invest in companies involved in the development of autonomous vehicle technology, EVs, and EV components and materials. This includes companies involved in the development of autonomous vehicle software and hardware, as well as companies that produce EVs, EV components such as lithium batteries, and critical EV materials such as lithium and cobalt.
DRIV seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive Autonomous & Electric Vehicles Index. The fund offers:
- High growth potential: DRIV enables investors to access high growth potential through companies critical to the development of autonomous and electric vehicles — a potentially transformative economic innovation.
- An unconstrained approach: DRIV’s composition transcends classic sector, industry, and geographic classifications by tracking an emerging technological theme.
- ETF efficiency: In a single trade, DRIV delivers access to dozens of companies with high exposure to the autonomous and electric vehicles theme. Having the disruptive automotive industry in an ETF wrapper also gives traders access to short-term market maneuvers within the sub-sector.
For more news, information, and strategy, visit the Thematic Investing Channel.


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The Milky Way, the beloved Pico-Robertson restaurant once run by Steven Spielberg‘s mom, is poised to reopen Monday, Feb. 18 for the first time in two years with a new look and menu.
But not to worry, it’s still kosher.
The restaurant went dark following the death of Spielberg family matriarch Leah “LeeLee” Adler, who opened the homey spot with her second husband, Bernie Adler, in 1977 when there weren’t as many kosher establishments in Los Angeles County – and even fewer in Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties – as there are today.
“Their initial purpose was to provide a dining experience to L.A.’s kosher community who had never tried internationally inspired food,” daughter Nancy Spielberg said responding to questions by email.
From the beginning, The Milky Way has followed the highest standards of kosher at the insistence of the Adlers who were “enamored by the Chabad community, whose kashrut laws are stricter than many other orthodox Jewish communities,” Spielberg said.
She recalled even at home her stepfather introducing local rabbis to what was then the unfamiliar cuisines of Mexico and China. “I’ll never forget the Chassidic dancing that broke out in our little living room on Wilshire when the margaritas flowed with the tacos and guacamole,” said Spielberg.
Today, certified kosher sushi bars, Chinese restaurants, Italian trattorias, fish grills, bakeries, cafes, delicatessens, and other food establishments abound. Folks can grab a kosher bite at Dodger Stadium thanks to Jeff’s Kosher Sausage Factory, New York-style deli eats at the counter inside OC Kosher Market in Tustin and ready-made food at all corporate-owned Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf stores. Reliable kosher certification agencies like OU Kosher, Kof-K, Rabbinical Council of California and Star-K provide kosher lists.
Several factors go into running a kosher restaurant, including ensuring a mashgiach – a supervisor well-versed in Jewish dietary law who oversees all activities in the kitchen on behalf of the kosher certification agency – is on premises at all times. The mashgiach’s duties include seeing to it that all fruits and vegetables are thoroughly washed and checked for bugs, eggs contain no blood spots and that meat and dairy never comingle under any circumstance, including on the menu.
“If there is a restaurant that wants to be able to open its doors and bring in the Jewish community, they have to have kosher supervision otherwise they will not have customers,” said Rabbi Sholom Kesselman of the L.A.-based agency OK Kosher, which oversees and certifies 70 restaurants and catering companies in L.A. including The Milky Way.
Cheeseburgers aren’t kosher, but when The Milky Way opens, diners can order the plant-based Impossible Cheeseburger from the kosher dairy menu peppered with new items and updates on LeeLee’s original family recipes. Other items include a modern spin on the much-loved signature dish Salmon Puffs, panko-crusted Trout Amandine, and the dessert Apple Dream Pie partly inspired by a dream Nancy Spielberg had of her mother.
The restaurant also serves kosher wines and a selection of bottled beer.
“We wanted to create an inclusive and welcoming place for everyone, regardless of their faith or adherence to a specific dietary restriction,” said Executive Chef Phil Kastel. “What will resonate with diners most is just how comforting the food here is – all the dishes on the new menu honor LeeLee and her unique tastes and are updated but true to her legacy at the same time.”
And while there is much to celebrate with the new Milky Way, the spirit of LeeLee remains in the family photos and accomplishments of her children now strategically placed throughout the place for a nostalgic touch as people enjoy a kosher meal.
“Our mom wanted to watch the expressions of the community when they took that first bite of a chimichanga, a sip of the fish chowder, or the first burn of the Cajun snapper,” Spielberg said. “And she wanted to welcome everyone. People knew that if you offer up the most kosher of the kosher standards, anyone and everyone could enjoy the food there.”
If you go
When: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday
Where: The Milky Way, 9108 Pico Blvd., Los Angeles


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However, some sectors, like pickup trucks, did present indicators of a sales upswing. This week, Jeep debuted a hybrid Wrangler and the Grand Wagoneer SUV, Mercedes-Benz re-set the bar for what makes a luxurious car, and Honda announced its Civic Type R. We’ve also launched an final guide to new autos in 2021. This week, we previewed the 2021 fashions of the Honda Ridgeline and Jaguar XF as well as coated updates to the new Nissan Rogue and Toyota RAV4.
- Automotive News quoted sources mentioned to be familiar with Prime’s plans who stated the automotive group would like to complete the sale of its dealerships by the top of the 12 months.
- It appears like an SUV and has each the excessive driving place and added utility such autos supply.
- SHANGHAI, Oct 30 ― Chinese electric automotive producer XPeng has unveiled its very first prototype of a flying vehicle, intended to go to retail as early as 2024.
This week was heavy with Mazda news regarding the updated 2021 CX-5 and rumored 2021 CX-30 Turbo, and we also featured teasers of upcoming fashions, together with the Chevrolet Bolt, Hyundai Kona, and Volkswagen ID4. Lucid Motors, a Silicon Valley-based electric car startup, has absolutely unveiled the 2022 Lucid Air sedan. Priced from below $80,000 before factoring in the united states federal earnings tax credit of $7,500, the Air might be available in four models, each with particular power rankings and range capabilities. This week, the all-new 2021 Acura MDX, 2021 BMW four Series Convertible, and 2022 Infiniti QX60 warranted early previews whereas Ford dropped some information and pricing, respectively, on its highly-anticipated 2021 fashions. This week, Volkswagen revealed the small print of its new 2022 Golf R. We additionally outlined range anxiety, offered a guidelines of issues to maintain in your automobile, and summarized the automobiles with the most effective resale values in accordance with J.D.
Save As Much As Rs 81,500 On Select Mahindra Automobiles This December
It’s never too late to learn good monetary planning, and this could presumably be a good time to start afresh. The training component in URUS comes within the form of free on-line learning to boost your monetary management knowledge and abilities. Topics covered embrace goal setting, money flow administration, borrowing/financing fundamentals, managing debt and wealth management. Sign up for URUS anytime from now until January 31, 2022 and you’ll receive a Personalised Financial Plan that units out a month-to-month debt reimbursement quantity and schedule for as much as 24 months.
Sales for the Proton Saga facelift has officially crossed the a hundred,000 mark, lower than 30 months since its launch back in August 2019. This makes it the best-selling A-segment sedan within the nation – the automaker also offered 5,666 items of the Saga last month. Likely reserved for a more highly effective variant of the RZ, those outputs are sufficient to propel the LF-Z from zero to a hundred km/h in a claimed three seconds flat on its approach to a high pace of 200 km/h. A 90 kWh lithium-ion battery delivers a WLTP-rated vary of around 600 km, Lexus quoted at the time.
Max Verstappen Promoting His Honda Civic Kind R For Charity
Now, for 2021, Mazda shall be offering new Carbon Editions that shall be out there for the 2021 Mazda6, Mazda CX-5, and Mazda CX-9 models. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety , teen drivers crash four instances as usually as older drivers do. At the identical time, they are more more doubtless to be driving a lighter, smaller, and older car that’s less able to defending them in a collision. According to a report in Automotive News, and confirmed by a Ford spokesperson, 2021 Ford Explorer costs are falling by lots of to hundreds of dollars for the new mannequin yr. Volkswagen introduced a take care of Electrify America that may give owners of the automaker’s all-new electrical SUV, the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4, entry to free charging. Mini positions itself as a fun-to-drive premium model with an expressive persona.
Through its dealerships, the Company sells new and used cars and light vans; arranges associated car financing; sells service contracts; offers automotive upkeep and restore services; and sells automobile parts. Chinese tech big Huawei has introduced that it’s going to begin the manufacturing and delivery for a small batch of Arcfox Alpha S electrical vehicles within the f… India’s total home passenger automobile sales fell 41.2% in September from a yr in the past, information from an auto business physique confirmed on Thursday, as a semiconductor crunch and excessive commodity costs exacerbated issues for automakers. South Korean auto major Hyundai plans to invest round Rs four,000 crore to drive in around six electric vehicles in India by … Last but not least is a curious large sedan that appears to be slightly bigger than the ES. While it might be the next-generation LS, hypothesis factors to Lexus’ plans to introduce a hydrogen fuel cell sedan to switch the long-serving GS, based on the rear-wheel-drive Toyota Mirai.
The electric carmaker turns into the fifth such firm to reach the milestone after its shares rise 12%. The carmaking giant is investing £230m in its Halewood plant because it strikes to impress its automobiles. Audi will launch the Q7 facelift in India in January, having previously discontinued the model at the onset of the BS6 emission norms in April 2020. One of the few automotive blogs with a humorousness, readers of Jalopnik can count on to snicker as much as be taught, when perusing its many insightful pieces of content material. If you’re looking for witty commentary as much as you’re looking for knowledge and numbers, then Jalopnik is the automotive web site for you. Created in 2002, Dealer Marketing Magazine has turn into a leading voice in automotive advertising info.
Ram constructed 1,000 examples of every, and they arrive in dealerships during the second half of June. Jaguar has announced a handful of essential modifications to the 2021 I-Pace electrical SUV. Chief among them is a newly standard 11-kilowatt, 3-phase onboard charger, an enchancment over the earlier 7-kW, 2-phase unit. This improve shaves more than four hours off of the EV SUV’s in a single day charging time.


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Over the past few months, there have been rumours surrounding the iPad, and a lot of mock-ups of what appear to be the upcoming tablet. However, there have been no images to visually appease us. Now, a report by French website NoWhereElse shows what appears to be the flex cable component of the iPad mini, which has not been officially announced yet.
First image of the flex cable surfaces
From the image we can see the cable component, supposed to be for the iPad mini. It features a smaller dock connector, headphone jack, and the connector for the home button.
In a related report by MacRumors, the website had contacted iFixit’s Kyle Weins and it notes, “It is indeed consistent with being an Apple component but that he is unable to confirm its authenticity. The part does bear a close resemblance to the part claimed to be for the next-generation iPhone, and it also carries a part number in the style of Apple's other iOS device flex cable components”.
There have been a lot of rumours indicating that the headphone jack of the iPad mini would be located at the top but this image indicates otherwise. The image shows the headphone jack at the bottom near the dock connector. The report by MacRumors states, “The most troublesome aspect of the part is the location of the headphone jack directly next to the dock connector. While evidence has accumulated suggesting that Apple will be moving the headphone jack to this location on the next-generation iPhone, case leaks, design drawings, and physical mockups have so far all suggested that the headphone jack will be located on the top edge of the iPad mini, as found on the full-size iPad”.
Flex cable snapped once more
After the image surfaced last week, images for the flex cable have popped up once more, this time courtesy of iResQ. The website states, “The interesting thing here is these assemblies come in either black or white, suggesting a change in design for the devices. Another thing of note is the fact that the iPad Mini’s headphone jack is pretty close to the dock. This further hits on rumors that the iPad Mini will be more similar to the iPhone or iPod Touch than the current size iPad”.
There is no word on when the iPad mini will be announced but speculation is rife that this smaller iPad will be announced after the launch of the next iPhone. The upcoming flagship smartphone from Apple is believed to be slated for launch on 12 September, and Apple may hold a special event thereafter to unveil this mini tablet.
The iPad mini is expected to feature a display of 7.85 inches, and will compete with the Google Nexus 7, the 7-inch flagship Google tablet, which is doing very well on the market. This smaller iPad is also expected to feature a smaller dock connector and a microphone at the back. The microphone on the rear will assist the device in noise cancellation during video calls that can be done using Apple’s FaceTime or through Skype.
Published Date: Aug 18, 2012 10:53 am | Updated Date: Aug 18, 2012 10:53 am


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April was an exciting month for PA Lottery players, with a bunch of big wins on the books. Keystone State players won over $198 million on scratch-offs alone, but several other PA Lottery games paid prizes of $1 million or more last month, too.
The largest scratch-off prizes include one worth $3 million and two others at $1 million.
New PA Lottery scratch-off awards its first top prize
A lucky Luzerne County resident bought a top-prize-winning $3 Million Mega Stacks scratcher within a month of the ticket’s release. The $30 game has four more $3 million top prizes remaining.
The winner bought their ticket at Can Do Convenience, located at 419 South Poplar Street in Hazleton. The retailer earned a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
Another new ticket, called $1 Million? Seriously, had its first top prize winner last month. That $1 million winner was sold at Giant Eagle, at 100 Settlers Ridge Center Road in Pittsburgh.
Just one more PA player claimed a $1 million prize on a scratch-off last month. The $1,000,000 Game sold in Monroe County awarded that prize. Wawa, at 5121 Milford Road, sold the winning ticket.
Other notable prizes across the state contributed to the $198 million total. The largest prizes (and the number of winning tickets) were:
- $500,000 (4)
- $300,000 (4)
- $250,000 (3)
- $200,000 (4)
- $150,000 (1)
- $100,000 (6)
PA Lottery draw games paid out big in April
Of course, scratch-offs aren’t the only PA Lottery games worth checking out. Last month, draw games awarded some significant prizes.
The most notable draw game prize in April was more than double the largest scratch-off prize. The Match 6 drawing on Tuesday, April 25, resulted in a $6.6 million winner in Lancaster County.
A single ticket matched all six winning numbers drawn. Those winning numbers were: 1-4-9-23-30-39. Check your tickets, especially if you bought one at Rushi Petroleum at 2270 New Holland Pike, where the winner was sold.
The lottery can only determine that a retailer sold the winning ticket. A winner must take it upon themselves to claim their prize and have their ticket validated by the lottery. This applies to all PA Lottery draw games, including Mega Millions and Powerball.
However, players that buy tickets online at the PA iLottery site or mobile app can opt-in to receive automatic notifications of any winnings.
$4 in PA Lottery tickets turned into $3 million in winnings
Cash 5 With Quick Cash awarded a $2 million jackpot to a lucky winner in the Sunday, April 16 drawing. The winner bought their ticket in Philadelphia at Fishtown Market, located at 2328 East Norris Street. The Cash 5 winning numbers on April 16 were: 3-9-10-18-25.
Earlier in the month, a retailer in Westmoreland County sold a Mega Millions ticket that hit a $1 million prize on Friday, April 7. The Greensburg Newsstand at 37 West Otterman Street sold that winning ticket.
To win $1 million, a Mega Millions ticket has to match all five white balls drawn – the first five numbers. On Mega Millions, you can match the white balls in any order. The winning numbers on April 7 were 12-32-49-51-66, Mega Ball 21.
A Butler County player won a nest egg with PA Lottery Fast Play
A unique feature of some PA Lottery Fast Play games are their progressive jackpot prizes. Much like most draw games, the jackpot prize continues to increase until someone wins it. The jackpot on a game called Nest Egg was over $1.3 million when a Butler County player got lucky and won it all.
Good Guyz Mini Mart, at 390 Whitestown Road, sold the winning ticket on April 11. The Nest Egg game is now closed, but other progressive jackpot Fast Play games are available. As of May 9, the jackpot on the game Pennsylvania Progressive ($30) is over $1.5 million.
Fast Play games are available at lottery retailers via self-service vending terminals or at the counter. The games print on demand and play like scratch-offs, except they require no scratching.
Lead image: Shutterstock.com


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Published on August 21st, 2014 | by Zachary Shahan1
Online Solar Investing, India’s #1 Solar Provider … (Solar News)
August 21st, 2014 by Zachary Shahan
More solar news for your clicking, reading, commenting, and sharing pleasure:
A new online solar investing platform has been set up by Palmetto Group. Solar projects should secure 6% return or greater. (Solar Love)
NRG Energy (isn’t that a little repetitive?) has bought mobile solar startup Goal Zero. “NRG is one of the largest independent power companies in America, so their executives may very well have a clear vision of the value of Goal Zero’s potential.” (Solar Love)
A company in Bangladesh has delivered 1.4 million solar energy systems, 800,000 improved cook stoves, and nearly 30,000 biogas plants to people in rural Bangladesh. Can you name the company? (Sustainnovate)
While we’re playing that game… India’s “#1 solar service provider” has been in business since 2006 and now has 160 branches set up in 5 states. Can you name the company? (Sustainnovate)
Sharp aims to become an “eco-positive” company. It’s ginormous and pioneering solar business is certainly part of that. (Sustainnovate)
Interested in intelligently integrating renewable energy and conventional energy sources? There are a few keys to that. (ABB Conversations)
Prepaid Solar aims to bring solar to renters in Australia. (RenewEconomy)
Here’s a decent rundown of how to choose the best solar system, + an interview with our friend Michal Bacia. (Eco Founder)
The Illinois Solar Energy Association is raffling off a Tesla Model S. The price to enter the raffle is just $100, and only 2000 tickets will be sold. (EV Obsession)
Follow CleanTechnica on Google News.
It will make you happy & help you live in peace for the rest of your life.


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Alex Outhwaite becomes Global Brand Ambassador of BlogsWire: Renowned Travel TV Presenter Alex Outhwaite has been appointed as the Global Brand Ambassador of BlogsWire.
The first of its kind digital PR service in India will now be represented globally by the most popular show host of Travelxp channel. Alex hails from United Kingdom.
Expressing her views on being appointed the Global Brand Ambassador, Alex Outhwaite said, “I think it’s wonderful what Narvijay Yadav and the team at SpecttrumPR are doing with the launch of India’s first BlogsWire. By bringing the community closer together they will be able to provide much better exposure for brands and targeted engagement. I’m excited to be involved and love seeing how innovative all the initiatives are. All the best to Narvijay and the digital team of BlogsWire.”
Alex Outhwaite is fond of India and has traveled many parts of the country to shoot for her popular shows Off the Grid, Backpack and cooking show Quest. Her show ‘Off the Grid’ was nominated for Travel Show of the Year at the Indian Television Awards 2018. She has over one lakh followers on Facebook alone and over seven million views on her personal travel videos on Youtube.
Narvijay Yadav, Founder Director, SpecttrumPR said, “It gives me immense joy to announce Alex Outhwaite as the Global Brand Ambassador of our online venture ‘BlogsWire’, which is also India’s First BlogsWire, a digital PR service with a difference. It ensures guaranteed wide news coverage to our clients through hundreds of professional digital platforms. It is quite affordable too.”
It is important to learn that legendary Bollywood Singer Kailash Kher unveiled the BlogsWire, a digital venture of SpecttrumPR, in Mumbai on 7th August, 2020. With this unique initiative, the company is geared up to provide massive online exposure to brands, startups and individuals through hundreds of digital platforms at an affordable price.
BlogsWire has tied up with over 200 bloggers, digital journalists and social media influencers and has a plan to scale up this number to 600 by the end of this year. Bloggers Alliance is the community partner of BlogsWire.


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Abus na Kumu, a local SME catering business, will be opening its first restaurant at Waigani in four months’ time.
Owner and Co-managing director, Richard Mark said Abus na Kumu is a household brand and has been operating for four years.
They started off cooking along the side of the road and were now tenants of a large space.
He had faced challenges in the past 18 months to secure financial assistance from Business Link Pacific and Bank South Pacific in order to lease a property from Pacific Palms Property for the restaurant business of which the total cost was of about K500,000.
“This is a milestone project and a keystone pillar for future growth and I would like to say thank you to everyone, especially the stakeholders who believed in us to deliver this project,” said Mr Mark.
Michael Rua, a manager for BSP SME Retail and who was someone that he had to work with closely when it came to his business commended Mr Mark and his team in their achievement.
He said Abus and Kumu is a local SME that has stepped up and have shown Papua New Guineans that small business can grow and become better.
Adelle Auhava, who is a Business Service Manager of Business Link Pacific, and Josephine Beata, the Portfolio manager in Retail for Pacific Palms Property, also congratulated Mr Mark in reaching this milestone and encourage other local SME’s to follow in his footsteps.
Abus na Kumu is now renting a property from Pacific Palms Property of Steamships Trading Company known as Waigani Estate, Building 8, Unit 2A and will open to the public pending completion of installations and other minor construction works.
The interior designs and constructions will be done by Jordan Tegabwasa who is the managing director of an architectural SME.


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This is what Supreme x Levi's looks like
Keeping it's most recent collaboration of Japanese heritage and street friendly graphics behind, Supreme has teamed up with denim dynasty, Levi's for a Spring Summer 16 collection. Creating a floral frenzy, the duo released a sneak preview the 21st century way via Instagram of a street style shot of the fully floral ensemble. The collection which is a continuation of the hyped Supreme season, consists of four items; two denim jackets and two denim jeans, all of which come in two different print designs. A light blue denim with vintage pink blossoms and a classic black denim with blue and green flowers.
The soon to be dropped collection will be available in all of the Supreme stores; New York, LA, London and Paris, as well as online on May 5th, however, the Japanese market will have to wait until May 7th.


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RALEIGH — Oil companies must help stop dangerous synthetic drugs from being sold at gas stations and convenience stores, Attorney General Roy Cooper urged Tuesday.
Cooper today joined 42 other state attorneys general to send a letter to nine oil companies asking them to work with their franchisees to help eliminate synthetic drugs from retail locations operating under their brand names.
“Despite laws against them these potentially harmful drugs are all too easy to get, especially for young people,” Cooper said. “While law enforcement works to enforce existing laws against synthetic drugs, manufacturers try to evade those laws and sell their drugs at local gas stations and convenience stores.”
Synthetic drugs include both synthetic marijuana, often sold as potpourri, herbal incense, K2, or Spice, and synthetic cathinones, typically sold as bath salts or jewelry cleaner. These substances are labeled “not for human consumption” to evade Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversight but are smoked or ingested by users to get high.
The use of synthetic drugs has increased dramatically over the past four years. In 2010, more than 11,000 people, many of whom were younger than 17, went to the emergency room after using synthetic marijuana, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Since then, thousands more have been harmed by synthetic drugs.
“The fact that synthetic drugs have been available at locations operating under respected brand names has only exacerbated an already growing problem. Young people are the most likely to use these dangerous drugs and their availability in stores operating under well-known brands gives the appearance of safety and legitimacy to very dangerous products. Your companies spend millions of dollars on marketing campaigns designed to convince consumers that your brands are trustworthy. Enforcing strong policies against the sale of synthetic drugs in your retail locations can only protect your brand reputation while also protecting our youth,” the attorney generals wrote in their letter.
The letter sent today to British Petroleum, Chevron Corporation, Citgo Petroleum Corporation, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Marathon Petroleum Corporation, Phillips 66, Shell Oil Company, Sunoco, and Valero Energy Corporation asks the oil companies to take action to prevent their franchisees from selling synthetic drugs.
Specifically, Cooper and the other attorneys general are asking the oil companies to:
· Prohibit franchisees from selling any synthetic drugs;
· Ensure store franchisees and their employees understand the prohibition by communicating directly with each of them;
· Establish a point of contact in corporate offices for franchisees with questions about synthetic drugs;
· Revoke franchisee/franchisor relationship with any gas station or convenience store that sells synthetic drugs; and
· Report to local law enforcement authorities if any franchisee is selling synthetic drugs.


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RadiSys to acquire some of Intel's telecommunication assets
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RadiSys Corp. has agreed to buy some assets of Intel Corp.'s modular communications platforms business, the companies said Monday.
Hillsboro-based RadiSys (NASDAQ: RSYS), which makes embedded computers, will pay $25 million for the assets, plus $6.75 million for inventory and other considerations. RadiSys expects the deal will close in September and will add at least $50 million to its annual revenue ($292.5 million in 2006) once the company fully integrates the assets.
The companies said they will work together during the coming months to smoothly transition the assets in order to avoid hiccups in customer service and support. A significant number of the employees associated with these product lines, including engineering, product testing/validation, operations and marketing personnel are expected to accept offers from RadiSys and transition with the product lines.
RadiSys said the acquisition will improve its global position in ATCA platforms and solutions for telecommunication equipment manufacturers worldwide and is expected to close in September, subject to normal closing conditions.
ATCA stands for Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture, the platform for the next generation of communications equipment for telecommunication carriers. The specifications incorporate recent trends in high-speed interconnect technologies, next generation processors and reliability improvements.
As a member of the Intel Communications Alliance, RadiSys has familiarity with Intel's ATCA offerings.
Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) said it is sharpening its focus on communications and embedded market segments that are more closely aligned with its core businesses. The company said that the assets sold to RadiSys will continue to be based on Intel architecture.
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The PSP is getting not one, but four newish colors — two of which have already seen release via Sony Computer Entertainment Asia.
On March 5, "Vibrant Blue" and "Radiant Red" PSP-3000s will be released in Japan and are priced at ¥19,800 (US$223). These same colors were released by Sony Computer Entertainment Asia on January.
On March 19, "Bright Yellow" and "Spirited Green" PSP-3000s will be released in Japan and are also priced at ¥19,800 ($223). Sony Computer Entertainment is also releasing PSP Carnival Colors Value Packs that are priced at ¥24,800 ($270) and come with the PSP hardware, Memory Stick PRO Duo (Mark2) 4GB, an AC adapter, a battery pack, a strap and matching pouch.


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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Home-improvement store operator Lowe's said early Monday that its number-two executive would take the reins when its chairman retires in January.
Bob Tillman will retire as chairman and chief executive when the company's fiscal year ends on Jan. 28. He will be succeeded by Robert Niblock, the company's president.
Shares of the company
The succession was widely anticipated, analysts noted. Tillman had already relinquished the title of president to Niblock in March 2003. Niblock, a certified public accountant, had been executive vice president and chief financial officer at the Mooresville, N.C.-based company.
Analysts praised both Tillman's and Niblock's management abilities and said Lowe's tendency to promote from within the company has fostered strong loyalty and longer tenures than at many companies. Niblock has been with Lowe's since 1993.
"They have a deep pool of talent," said David Campbell, an analyst with Davenport in Charlottesville, Va. "They move management around within the company. There's a lot of cross-fertilization going on."
Merrill Lynch analyst Danielle Fox noted Niblock's experience in finance would likely mean his management style would differ from Tillman, whose 41-year career at Lowe's included long stints in merchandising.
"Niblock's background can help Lowe's make smarter decisions about capital allocation," Fox wrote in a note to clients.
Analysts said, however, they expected no large-scale strategic changes at the company. Lowe's has been increasing its presence in New York, Chicago and other urban centers with high traffic and high productivity.
Lowe's, the world's second-largest home-improvement store after Home Depot, has grown from 854 to 970 stores since January 2003 and plans to open another 120 new stores this year. Home Depot has about 1,700 stores.
The new stores' placement has helped raise Lowe's average sales per square foot, a key measure of productivity. Sales per square foot rose to $303 last year from $298 a year earlier, said Campbell, who owns shares in the company. Campbell forecasts the number rising to $309 this year.
Home Depot is already well established in most urban markets, and can boast sales of $371 per square foot, according to Campbell. But that number fell from $373 in the year through January 2003. Campbell expects Home Depot's figure to remain flat for the current year.
Home Depot rose 56 cents, or 1.5 percent, to close at $37.24.
Separately, Reuters reported that Lowe's plans to promote kitchen remodeling to boost sales of premium refrigerators and ovens.
Bruce Ballard, Lowe's merchandising vice president for appliances, reportedly told the news service that the company plans to remodel 125,000 kitchens this year, selling appliances in up to 100,000 of. Company officials couldn't be reached late Monday to confirm the report.


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The Commerce Department yesterday reported a worsening international trade position for the country, with the merchandise trade deficit climbing to new highs for the third quarter of 1984 and the surplus in the overseas sales of U.S. services expected to drop sharply this year.
As a result, Commerce Secretary Malcolm Baldrige said the U.S. current account deficit -- the broadest measure of overseas trade in goods, services and some government transfers -- will soar to more than $100 billion this year. That will be more than twice as high as last year's current account deficit of $41.6 billion.
The three-month, $33.3 billion merchandise trade deficit, moreover, is almost as high as the entire 12-month $36.4 billion trade deficit at the start of the Reagan administration.
The soaring trade deficits occured despite sluggish demand for oil at a time during the year when companies traditionally increase petroleum stocks for the winter. Oil imports actually declined 3 percent during the quarter, which helped hold down the deficit.
"Deficits are one of the weak spots" of the economy, said the Commerce Department's chief economist, Robert Ortner, and the declining surplus in services reflects "the gradual erosion of our net investment position."
Purchases of American services, the only strong spot in the trade picture recently, are declining as the strong dollar makes them more expensive than similar services sold by other nations. The surplus in services has been reduced further by the payment of interest on large foreign investment in the United States, which is helping to finance the budget deficit.
"The weak trade performance reflects the overly strong dollar. It's a basic distortion in the economy that is closely associated with the distortion in the fiscal deficit," added William R. Cline of the Institute for International Economics.
"The trade and current account balances will improve with a lowered budget deficit, lower interest rates and a lower dollar," Baldrige said.
The quarterly merchandise trade figures are seasonally adjusted and are reported on a balance-of-payments basis, which excludes military trade and the cost of shipping and insurance. Economists consider it a more accurate measure than the monthly figures, which last week placed the third-quarter merchandise deficit even higher, at $36.6 billion.
Based on the first nine months' figures using that measure, the merchandise trade deficit for the year is expected to reach $113.2 billion -- almost twice as high as the 1983 deficit of $61.1 billion. Using the monthly figures, however, the government estimates the trade deficit will reach as high as $130 billion.
The $33.3 billion third-quarter deficit compares with a deficit of $25.7 billion for the second three-month period of the year. During the third quarter, imports jumped $7.9 billion, or 10 percent, to $88.3 billion. Exports, however, increased far less, by $400 million, or 1 percent, to $55 billion.
The one bright spot in an otherwise dismal export picture was an 11 percent increase in sales to Latin America, once one of the best customers for U.S. products. Countries south of the border have been limited in their ability to increase imports by the debt crisis, which left many of them short of hard currency.
The high import figures show that the rapid increase in demand here, fueled by the economic recovery, is being supplied by lower-priced goods from overseas instead of American products. This is likely to cost jobs and dampen production increases in the United States, possibly slowing the recovery.
Cline said purchases of overseas goods were not as noticeable when the economy was steaming ahead earlier this year at a 10 percent growth rate. They will become more apparent now that growth has slowed to slightly under 3 percent.
On the plus side, lower-priced imports are helping to tamp down inflationary trends in the economy.
The Commerce Department blamed the increasing trade deficit on a growth in imports from three geographic areas: Japan; Western Europe, and the newly industrialized Pacific rim nations of Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, where the merchandise deficit jumped to $7.2 billion in the third quarter from $4.1 billion in the second quarter.
The American trade deficit with Japan, the largest with any country, continued climbing -- reaching $10.4 billion from $7.9 billion in the second quarter. Western Europe, which until this year had a trade deficit with the United States, increased its surplus to $5.7 billion in the third quarter from $3.3 billion.


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Sony Ericsson launches Xperia Studio for artists and creative collaborators to create and share their most innovative content
Sony Ericsson has launched Xperia Studio, an online entertainment platform for artists and collaborators to create and share their most innovative content. The initiative reflects Sony Ericsson’s ongoing commitment to engage with consumers through high-quality entertaining content to inspire them to explore their Xperia phones in new ways. The Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Studio invites creative thinkers, artists and intellectuals – from collaborative artists in Denmark to astrophysicists in New York – to take the range of Xperia handsets to their absolute limits and ultimately remake reality . Content on the platform will be updated at regular intervals from the growing pool of contributors.
The first phase of the project has seen collaborators from around the world use Xperia handsets to create content in unconventional and interesting ways – a flame-thrower camera flash, a view of the universe through the naked eye, capturing the perfect wave, creating a song from the ambient sounds of Paris and most recently capturing the extreme tricks performed by a BMX crew in Brooklyn.


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Being a founder is like a game of cat and mouse. First, you attack (and disrupt) but — if you're successful — you get attacked back.
Nowhere is that more evident than at the neobanks which, after shaking up finance for the past five years, are now being taken on themselves by a fresh wave of newcomers.
These new fintechs are catering specifically to 'Gen Z': the under 23s, who are today's largest generation, constituting 32% of the global population, and are beginning to enter the workforce.
That could prove dangerous to the early neobanks, whose core demographic is currently aged 32 to 35, but will need to appeal to tomorrow's youngsters to continue growing.
While neobanks and their shiny metal cards have proven popular with millennials, it's a different game entirely with Gen Z, according to Nafeesa Jafferjee, who cofounded Quirk — a new financial-advisor app for youngsters.
"Neobanks and banks [generally] are still a 'one-size-fits-all'. But with the younger generation — because they were exposed to tech from the beginning — it's like, what can they do for me and my lifestyle," she tells Sifted.
"It's trust, and impact, and if you don't touch on those issues, you lose and can't engage."
The TikTok generation is also becoming financially engaged earlier, she says, spurred on by the hoard of 'Fin-influencers' online.
"[Money] is not fun, you don't deal with it till you're older, but that's completely changed now...They care about life and not just numbers...The neobanks aren't making this fun and engaging."
She's right: of Monzo's 5m users, only around 2% are under 18.
That's provided ample space for a burst of Gen Z-focused fintechs (shown below). They range from pure banking apps (e.g. spending cards and storing money) to apps for payments, savings, financial insights, wealth management and even specialised lending.
That means it's not just neobanks who need to watch their backs. It's also the broader array of consumer fintechs — including Nutmeg, Dreams and Cleo — who will now need to fight harder to tap into the younger market.
In other words, this subsector is no longer just pumping out parent-controlled digital wallets; it's expanding out into more sophisticated products.
More Gen Z-focused fintechs are on the way too.
One gearing up to launch in the summer is XPO, an app targeting content creators — many of whom are under 22 — with a speedy invoice-financing solution. They are planning to pay influencers upfront via a partnership with Sonovate, at no cost to the individual.
Founder Lotanna Ezeike told Sifted that he believes influencers will use the XPO app as their main account, where they will be paid directly, therefore bypassing the need for a Monzo. XPO recently raised $1m from Blue Wire Capital, which is also an early investor in Monzo.
It seems drastic that this generation could deviate so much in their banking needs from their older peers.
But investors are buying into the idea that the neobanks are actually today's "olde-banks", making them out of touch with today's youth.
In April 2021 alone, investors ploughed $580m into US fintechs for Gen Z.
The trend is catching on in Europe too.
The latest app to catch investors' eyes is Germany's Wajve, which has just secured €5m in seed funding led by EQT Ventures, following early backing from Finleap.
Wajve is making a bid to be Germany's go-to app for teens, by offering daily financial insights and easy access to student loans. The app already has over 100k registered students, and has a strong pedigree of founders behind it, focused on helping Gen Z attain financial stability and directly competing with Germany's N26.
"While Generation Y (30 to 40 year olds) is known for its desire for freedom and flexibility, Gen Z has, in contrast, a much more vital need for stability and security...having experienced substantial financial upheavals," says Bastian Krautwald, CEO and cofounder of Wajve.
By helping youngsters "plan for their financial futures", Krautwald and his investors think they have found a gap in the market.
Nafeesa Jafferjee, Quirk's cofounder, also says local investor interest in this space is growing.
"It's really changed this year. We faced two main issues [in the last fundraise] that are changing now that things are opening up again. First, they were very risk-averse with consumer fintechs...and I think that's finally shifting. And second, in the personal finance management space, there was a lot of risk aversion too that's going [away]."
The new wave of fintechs won't have it easy. Many will need to compete with the existing banks and neobanks, who have built up strong brands over the years.
To do that, they're getting savvy. Among the top trends in the space are:
- A social aspect: This includes allowing users to 'ping' their peers when they've paid off debt or spent somewhere. For instance, apps like Finary are providing a social space for investment chatter.
- Messenger-based banking: This is the approach taken by Zelf, an encrypted chatbot that manages users’ finances and sends money via Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber.
- Influencer power: Fintechs worldwide are now using social media celebrities to promote their services, to find younger audiences.
The plan is that this will help the new fintechs leap-frog the banks, developing brand loyalty before users turn 18 (when traditional banks target them).
Fortunately, the fintechs are tapping into ripe demand; 78% of millennials plan to use more digital tools in wealth management versus 31% of Boomers, according to EY. That figure is likely even more compelling for Gen Z, who have the highest rate of digital consumption, and many of whom flocked to investing during the panemic.
Still, the older neobanks have started to fight back. For instance, Revolut and Starling have both launched 'youth' products for users as young as seven that are synced with a parents' account.
Beyond that, the new wave of fintechs will need to prove they can (eventually) make money. Consumer fintechs have not proven to be the most profitable thus far, prompting the newcomers to rely more heavily on subscriptions than on interchange.
Gen Z has also proven more hesitant to debt, which makes traditional lending an unreliable revenue model.
Still, for now, fintechs can take advantage of the vast amount of capital being thrown at Gen Z solutions. At least in that respect, the neobanks all have something in common.
For insights on 'how fintechs should engage with Gen Z, read our piece here


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A look back at high-profile breakdowns that demonstrate how strategy and communications go hand in hand.
By Chancelor Shay, Director of Strategic Communications
It’s hard to believe Wells Fargo’s infamous “fake account” scandal is now four years in the rearview. For those who don’t recall, the bank came under enormous public ire back in 2016, when news broke that branch-level employees had opened more than two million dummy accounts without customers’ knowledge or consent. The scandal arose from unrealistic sales targets handed down from top-level executives. While the business strategy to grow revenue by cross-selling products was promising, it lacked communications support and tools to help employees implement it or voice their challenges, and thus incentivized deception and dishonesty over ethical business practices. The result? A criminal settlement of over $3 billion and a tarnished reputation.
As we say at (X), strategy is created by few but implemented by many. In the case of Wells Fargo, strategy that is not supported with adequate communications invites the related risks of dangerous misalignment and disastrous consequences.
Put simply, people cannot implement a strategy, whatever growth potential it offers, if they don’t understand it or are not shown how. To make the most of pivot opportunities, businesses need to align strategy with communications so that all parties, from top-execs to cashiers and floor workers, understand and want to carry that strategy out. Join us for a look back at some of the business world’s greatest communication breakdowns and a valuable reminder of why strategy and communications are two sides of the same coin.
Volkswagen’s Emissions Testing Scandal
In an attempt to improve its lackluster position in the U.S. car market, German auto manufacturer Volkswagen made a push to enter the U.S. market for passenger diesel vehicles in 2005, but they encountered an obstacle: in the previous year, the Environmental Protection Agency had significantly lowered the pollution threshold that a vehicle would have to meet in order to receive approval for sale in the U.S. To meet that new standard, VW needed a revolutionary engineering solution that only a sharply-defined strategy, combined with strong organizational communication and financial support, could provide.
But as those privy to the “Dieselgate” scandal already know, Volkswagen’s employee support left a lot to be desired. Rather than offer unprecedently-robust direction, communication, and financing suited to its ambitious goal of meeting U.S. emissions standards, VW gave its engineers an unrealistic time frame and budget for the project, encouraging some desperate workers to install “defeat devices” that allowed the vehicles to pass emissions tests despite the illegally-high levels of pollution they produced. Worse still, that early ethical compromise spawned a persistent culture of dishonesty at some VW plants; though they later discovered an engineering solution that would allow Volkswagen vehicles to pass emissions test legitimately, some of the company’s engineers continued to use the defeat devices, just one of “a whole chain of mistakes that was not interrupted at any point” according to Chairman Hans-Dieter Pötsch.
Volkswagen and Wells Fargo share the unfortunate experience of watching a misalignment between strategy and communications convert possibility into catastrophe. Though both companies set out with the admirable goal of expanding their market share, both also failed to communicate a clear path to the strategy’s fulfillment and support workers throughout the process, leaving uncertain ground-level and mid-level employees reaching for any solution, ethics aside.
While we certainly shouldn’t condone the behavior of either company’s employees, it’s not difficult to understand why those ground-level workers made the compromises they did, and there lies the lesson that both scandals have to teach us. For lower-level workers, who are concerned first with their own lives and families, even a billion-dollar boardroom strategy is at best meaningless and at worst devastating, if it is not made clear, meaningful, and attainable in a company’s communications. In the case of Volkswagen, “devastating” is the better term: as of 2019, the company’s losses from the scandal were over $33 billion and have continued to climb since then.
Dr. Pepper’s “Not for Women” Campaign
Not to be outdone by companies producing questionably-gendered products like toothpaste and pens, Dr. Pepper baffled the public in 2011 when it launched a gender-specific edition of its flagship soft drink. Responding to market research suggesting that men are reluctant to drink diet soda, Dr. Pepper targeted men with a wide-reaching marketing campaign, including a redesigned, steel-gray can, macho-themed social media pages containing “man’ments,” and the clincher: the slogan “It’s Not for Women.” Results were predictable: Dr. Pepper faced a slew of sexism accusations on social media and ultimately pulled the ad from YouTube and its other advertising channels.
What Dr. Pepper lacked was a clear understanding, even among its leadership, of what message the marketing strategy was meant to send. As a writer at Forbes pointed out at the time, although the company insisted that “women [got] the joke,” it was difficult to understand what the joke was in the first place. Even more difficult to understand was Dr. Pepper’s apparent belief that alienating and excluding 50% of its potential customers would add to its bottom line. There we find the double tragedy of the misfire: Dr. Pepper’s goal of engaging new markets is the stuff of great business practice, a target that anyone can get behind, but the company’s strategy for achieving that goal reached the public in the form of unpalatable, exclusionary, and therefore destructive messaging.
Most unfortunate of all is the fact that the failed campaign was truly unnecessary. Many other companies have launched wildly-successful marketing campaigns focusing on gender, all without controversy. Old Spice’s “Old Spice Guy” campaign, which poked light-hearted fun at “lady-scented body wash” and played on extreme masculinity, is just one example of a gendered marketing campaign that was nevertheless universally beloved and astonishingly successful. The difference was that Old Spice had a vision that aligned strategy and communications—a clear idea of the joke its strategy meant to tell and an equally-clear idea of how to deliver that message to the public. Dr. Pepper, as evidenced by its campaign’s fallout, did not.
Starbucks’s Wrongful Arrests
After all this talk of missteps, it’s worthwhile to remind ourselves that the business world contains more than horror stories. Some companies exemplify grace and timeliness in their alignment of strategy and communication, even in times of crisis. Many have forgotten Starbucks’s #RaceTogether debacle, during which the company encouraged baristas to discuss race issues with customers, partly because that scandal paled in comparison to a larger PR firestorm, and one that Starbucks managed with far more tact from the top down: the 2018 arrest of two black men in one of the company’s stores.
In response to the crisis, having learned from its mistakes during #RaceTogether, Starbucks offered much more than simple messaging or an inadvisable strategy for connecting with customers. When news about the arrests first broke, CEO Howard Schultz mounted an immediate and robust crisis response strategy, announcing within a week of the scandal’s emergence that Starbucks would close 8,000 of its stores to provide racial-bias training to employees. They went even further: more than a month after the training ended, Starbucks published an extensive report describing the insights, revised policies, and future plans that arose from the training.
This situation is a sterling example of alignment between strategy and communications. While it’s disappointing that the crisis response was necessary at all, Starbucks’s successful restoration of its image reminds us that relevant, clear communication of equally-clear strategy, from the boardroom to the breakroom, is the key to businesses’ ongoing survival and success.
Although COVID-19 has taken most of the public’s attention this year, American consciousness in 2020 still has plenty of room for the Black Lives Matter movement, around which conversations and activism continue to swirl. Hundreds of companies large and small have stated their support for the movement, but as Chicago diversity consultant Pepper Miller reminds us, businesses that want to demonstrate their social consciousness need more than words: “Companies need to draw long-term plans for social inclusion and racial equality that go beyond them saying that they ‘stand with black people.’”
Miller’s statement is especially poignant when we remember that out of America’s largest 500 companies, only four are headed by a black chief executive. In light of that unfortunate gap between companies’ words and boardroom realities, we must remember that appealing messaging means nothing if that messaging is empty. Companies that want to send a positive and resonant social message ought to begin with a clear, directed, and purposeful strategy. Word-only support for Black Lives Matter, without a strategy to prove that the message has teeth, invites contradictory and thus controversial communication, a loss of consumer faith, and damage to the bottom-line.
Companies’ responses to social movements, famous PR faux-pas, and historic damage control success stories may not have much in common, but as a whole, they remind us of a fact crucial for business growth: strategy and communications must be created in tandem, with equal attention to idea and implementation.


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The ultimate stupidity that union leaders can commit on members and the businesses that employ them occurred last week when those "leaders" engaged in something that for the business world is tantamount to murder-suicide -- rather than make wage concessions they did not like, union leaders let Hostess and jobs die.
Wonder Bread bakeries are toast, the only snowballs now are those made to fling at Ding Dong union leaders, and there will be no Ho Hos around Christmas trees come Dec. 25.
About 18,500 people -- many belonging to the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union -- will get pink slips in an economy that offers few job opportunities. Teamsters voted to grant Hostess concessions, but not the bakers union.
Companies stand ready to snap up rights to produce iconic Hostess products. If that happens, consumers will continue to get Twinkies, but those snack foods likely will be made by people who are more realistic about what they want versus what a company can afford.
Distributed by MCT Information Services
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A turning stage arrived in 2014 when they set up store as a vintage pop-up at the V.O.D. boutique in Dallas. “The reaction was so overwhelming, it took us aback,” Ms. Boufelfel claimed. “It was a all set-to-wear client who did not know how to combine it — they weren’t girls who would stroll into a vintage retail store — and they would say points like, ‘Your styling has encouraged me to use an original ’30s gown and not experience like it was a costume.’”
An early lover was Emily Bode, who purchased outfits on the internet from Desert Classic — she went via a section of getting Edwardian whites — prior to founding her own line, which is recognised for its classic and antique materials. “There’s not that a lot of people who provide classic in these pristine high quality and who carry Celine, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent and obscure designers and unusual and fragile pieces from the 1800s and 1920s,” Ms. Bode said.
She fulfilled the couple in 2016 when she bought a pink silk skirt from their booth at A Latest Affair, a touring vintage apparel show, and they soon grew to become close mates. “At that place, there weren’t that a lot of individuals our age in the vintage game,” claimed Ms. Bode, who was driving house from a quilt auction in New Jersey. “When we were at auctions, we ended up quite a lot the only people there less than 40.”
It was when she opened her Bode retailer on Hester Street in 2019 that she started off lobbying for them to open up a shop close by. “It was so apparent it is effective for us, and we have a equivalent client as Desert Classic, one particular who has a shared enjoy for antiques and histories,” Ms. Bode said.
Just after seeking at several spots all around Chinatown and the Reduce East Aspect, they signed a lease at 34 Orchard Road. Ms. Bode’s spouse, Aaron Aujla, and his business partner, Benjamin Bloomstein, who individual the household furniture and interior layout studio Inexperienced River Venture, have been enlisted to completely transform the area.
“It’s variety of like carrying out a portrait of anyone,” Mr. Aujla claimed of the design course of action. “Over the system of the past 5 to six a long time of traveling with them, having them at every single Bode present, every single keep opening, I truly know who they are as a few and as an entity, as a business. I needed to paint this picture of them as romantics and historians, and their eyesight of the previous as holistic and stunning and up to date and appropriate.”


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Android is the newest smartphone platform to revolutionise the mobile market, and it looks to put up a good show compared to BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and the iPhone.
In October 2009, Gartner predicted that the Android platform would rise through the market ranks, becoming the world’s second most popular smartphone platform by 2012, behind Symbian, but ahead of the iPhone, Windows Mobile and BlackBerry.
Furthermore, the Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute in Taiwan has forecasted that 31.8 million Android smartphones will have been sold by 2013.
But will Android be able to snatch the business market away from its smartphone competitors? Read more after the break.
If Gartner’s predictions are to be believed, Android will surpass popularity of the iPhone, with Apple’s device holding its third place ranking in the future.
Although the iPhone was never designed to be used as a business platform first and foremost, it’s beginning to filter through in large organisations because of its enhanced security features and ease of use.
However, when businesses began to see how seamlessly well it integrates with Exchange, how easy to set up it is across businesses, and how it can be controlled remotely (with third-party applications) it became a rival to other business platforms. This is mainly because it doesn’t require any additions, such as a BES sever with BlackBerry, and is compatible with almost all Exchange servers.
However, one reason the iPhone could be viewed as such a success is because there is only one device framework operating on the OS. This means Apple can work on improving this device and its slight variations rather than having to liaise with a range of device manufacturers to ensure they cover all bases.
Like the iPhone, Android was designed to bring smartphones to the masses, unlike BlackBerry and Windows that were specifically aimed at capturing the business market when they were first released.
Android could well go the same way, considering Google is placing the platform in the high-end consumer market category.
Although Android is most certainly a smartphone platform, it isn’t strictly business because, like the iPhone, it focuses on multimedia, good looks and social networking, rather than onbusiness services. Even the hardware is more suited to those who send texts and Tweets rather than lengthy emails, being a touch screen-based platform.
Although massively angled towards touch screen users, there are also options for those who require a hardware keyboard too.
The first Android device to include a full hardware QWERTY keyboard was the T-Mobile G1, swiftly followed by the Motorola DEXT and Milestone.
A second QWERTY keyboard-toting Android device has just passed through the Federal Communications Commission too, dubbed the HTC Wildfire, although it’s not yet clear whether it will be heading to the UK yet.
Another major advantage Android has over its competitors is that all Android manufacturers have welcomed the 1GHz mobile processor – more so than Windows Mobile, BlackBerry and iPhone.
In the Windows Mobile environment, the Toshiba TG01 was the first to include a 1GHz processor and although it was impressive when the device was first announced, it never really caught on.
Android devices with Qualcomm’s processor include the Google Nexus One, HTC Legend and HTC Desire. This makes them super speedy and suited to running multiple, power-consuming applications.
ARM has also released a 1GHz processor, and the first device to feature ARM’s Cortex A8 processor will be the Samsung Galaxy S, coming later this year.
Although Android has been applied to devices that feature both capacitive and resistive screens, capacitive is the screen of choice for higher end devices, and those that would best suit business users.
A massive advantage that Android has over rival platforms is the number of manufacturers onboard. HTC, Huawei, Sony Ericsson, LG, Samsung, Acer, Motorola and Dell are all signed up to manufacture devices and this is where Android really wins over other platforms.
Although Windows Mobile has a fleet of manufacturers producing phones running the OS, there’s not nearly as much flexibility as there is with Android.
One of the reasons rival smartphone platforms are so well suited to business, including BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and the iPhone, is that all of them offer applications that make mobile working possible and offer a near-desktop experience.
BlackBerry still does it best, with CRM and server-based applications, but the iPhone is coming up from behind quickly.
Windows Mobile also offers many applications (albeit not from the on-device apps store), and the legacy that goes with the evolved PDA platform makes it a fantastic choice for business users.
However, Android still has a way to go before it too can offer the same functionality from applications, but it is certainly catching up fast.
With more than 30,000 applications available in the Android Market, including numerous options that aid work on the move, such as document editors, PDF viewers, backup services and CRM applications, the erratic pricing and currency structure can put you off.
The store is not as well refined as the App Store – at least you know everything on there has been tested – and although the development environment is infinitely more open, that’s not always a good thing when looking for trusted applications.
There’s no denying that the current version of Android is more aimed at business users than at launch.
Exchange support is one main focus of Android 2.1, and this demonstrates that the platform is opening up more to business users.
Android 2.1 supports multiple inboxes, and full Exchange services (including calendars, notes, contacts and email.
A new keyboard has also been introduced that makes it easier to type longer emails, although it still doesn’t beat a hardware keyboard.
Although Android is currently a highly consumer-focused platform, it is quickly catching up with more traditional platforms such as BlackBerry and Windows Mobile.
This is as much the fault of the other platforms failing to develop as quickly as much as it is the speed in which Android is growing.
If Gartner’s prediction is correct, Android could well develop into one of the top platforms for both consumer and business users alike.


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Car thieves are using technology to their advantage to gain access to vehicles. Continue Reading...
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Since the months of July and August are the worst months for vehicle thefts, AutoGuide has assembled a list of tips that, if followed, may help you keep your car. Continue Reading...
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released some data on stolen cars, revealing that only 52 percent of stolen vehicles are recovered. Continue Reading...
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), the national rate of car theft rose 1.3 percent in 2012 after declining for eight consecutive years. Continue Reading...
According to a report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), Christmas Day has the lowest theft figure for a holiday while New Year’s Day is the busiest official holiday for vehicles thieves. Continue Reading...
Anyone using a near field communications (NFC) key should take notice: tech savvy thieves can swipe your car without the key. Continue Reading...
A National Insurance Crime Bureau study shows that overall car theft in the United States declined in 2011, and is continuing on a downward slope. Continue Reading...
Canadian car thieves have an affinity for the ugly, or so it would seem based on recently released data. Do you remember the Pontiac Aztek? It’s OK if you don’t, we smacked our heads against a brick wall over its design too. But its ugly looks haven’t stopped it from making number eight on the… Continue Reading...
Everyone had to know this was coming the second General Motors announced the For My Vehicle (FMV) OnStar system, an aftermarket setup that can be implemented on any vehicle. The second OnStar’s FMV would help recover a Chrysler, there would be news about it – and here it is. Last weekend, on December 18th, Jean… Continue Reading...
Often times we only hear the bad side of the story: cars getting stolen, thieves running off with your precious property, etc. But sometimes it’s nice to hear that there’s a happy ending to some of thefts thanks to Lojack. Lojack helps retrieve countless vehicles a year, but some of the incidents are more peculiar… Continue Reading...
We’re not sure if the thieves who stole the wheels off this Dodge Charger are trying to send a green message, or if they’re just too lazy or cheap to find some blocks or bricks. Sure we feel for the owner of the car and how much it sucks to have your wheels stolen, but… Continue Reading...
Either stealing a car has become a lot more difficult or the thieves just threw in the towel and decided to try their hand at another career. One thing’s for sure – car thefts were down in 2009. According to the FBI’s 2009 crime statistics released this week, vehicle thefts dropped 17 percent from 2008…. Continue Reading...


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A couple has created a new app to help parents from forgetting their children in the backseat of the car.
We've reported on several cases just this month where parents have accidentally left their children in a hot car.
The new app called Precious Cargo works with your car's bluetooth system. The inventors say when you turn on your car and the bluetooth is activated, the app sends you a message asking if you are traveling with precious cargo. If you answer "no" the app is deactivated until the car turns on again. If you answer "yes" the app sends you a message when you turn off your car reminding you that your child is in the backseat.
The app costs 99 cents.
It's real: free money but you have to verify ID
A billion dollars of your money is sitting in the state's bank account. This is money you lost track of from an old insurance policy,…
Are you owed free money? Search database
Did you get a gift card for the holiday? Or one you got awhile ago that you never got around to using. The Consumer Watchdog found millions…
Easy way to check if your car has been recalled
You depend on your car to be safe, but every year millions of cars get recalled for safety related issues.


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IBU Executive Board finds no grouns to suspend Russia's biathlon teamSport January 21, 22:53
Russia terrified watching monuments destroyed in Palmyra — culture ministerRussian Politics & Diplomacy January 21, 17:08
Russian bombers deliver successfully strikes on terrorists' facilities in SyriaWorld January 21, 15:39
Denmark uses Russian data in its application for expanding shelf — ministerBusiness & Economy January 21, 15:15
Agreement on bases in Syria to serve strengthening of stability in Middle East — MPRussian Politics & Diplomacy January 20, 21:18
Trump's inaugural address: When America is united, America is totally unstoppableWorld January 20, 20:57
Hermitage chief: New Palmyra destruction comes across as militants' vengeanceRussian Politics & Diplomacy January 20, 20:29
Russia's first deputy PM wants to keep current tax system for next political cycleBusiness & Economy January 20, 19:53
Russia’s Shipulin clinches gold in 20km individual race of IBU World Cup stage in ItalySport January 20, 19:18
MOSCOW, January 20. /ITAR-TASS/. IT retailer Svyaznoy says sales of tablets in Russia added 125% in unit terms and 65% denominated in money last year.
Russian customers bought 7.2 million tablets worth 81.4 billion rubles (about $2.5 billion) last year, the company said. The average ticket fell 27% over the year to 11,380 rubles ($345) against 15,570 rubles ($472) a year before.
The retailer reports the average price of tablets was in decline during 2013 - from 12,527 rubles ($380) in the first six months to 11,500 rubles ($348.5) in the third quarter and 10,320 rubles ($312) in the fourth quarter. By December 2013, the gadget's price dropped below 10,000 rubles, to 9,700 rubles ($294).
Last year saw a non-top brand for the first time confidently ranking among the top three sales leaders. While in 2012 Samsung, Apple and Asus topped the list, in 2013 Asus was replaced by Prestigio. In total, non-top brands made up almost half of all units sold.
In operating systems, Android strengthened its leadership, boosting its share of the market to 83 percent in kind and to 68 percent in monetary terms.


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Only London and the airport outlets have suffered a slight downturn in sales in recent weeks, thanks to a slump in tourist trade. 'We are looking pretty strong and the initial uptake of the Christmas range has been strong too,' said chief executive Steve Russell.
Half-year results were slightly ahead of forecasts and the group is confident of meeting City expectations for the full year. The group, whose businesses include Boots the Chemist, Halfords and Nurofen painkillers, unveiled a rise in pre-tax profits of 7.8% to £248.9m for the six months to 30 September. There is an interim dividend of 8.1p, up 3.8%, well covered by earnings per share of 22.8p, up 8.6%.
Group turnover rose 2% to £2.5bn and underlying sales at Boots the Chemist were 0.5% ahead. Within that, health and beauty sales, where the company is trying to focus growth, grew 2.5%. 'I would have liked sales to be higher, particularly in Boots the Chemist. Health and beauty performed pretty well though and gained market share,' said Russell.
The company has embarked on an intensive programme to reduce expenses and is on target to deliver £250m of annual cost savings by the year end. New store formats are being trialled, mini-Boots have been set up at six Sainsbury's stores and five dedicated health and beauty experience stores have been opened.
Russell scorned suggestions of a full merger with Sainsbury's. 'It doesn't make strategic sense. It is not on the agenda,' he said. The company is still exiting the leisure market and expects this will take another year to 18 months. The gross margin rose 0.3%, even though the price of goods did not increase.
The company expects the abolition of resale price maintenance - the fixing of drugs prices - will cost less than the £15m it originally anticipated. Boots suffered from exceptional costs of £38m in the half year, thanks to losses on joint ventures and business disposals. It remains committed to the international market.Reuse content


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Korea's other, other, other automaker reveals its first all-new model in years... and the one that could launch it into the North American market. Say hello to the SsangYong Tivoli, ahead of its debut at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show.
We've already dropped our First Drive of Ram's new entry in the light-commercial van segment, the ProMaster City. Now we go back for a quick second look; this time focusing on the five-passenger Wagon instead of the cargo variant.
Smart Fortwo equipped with the 71-horsepower naturally aspirated engine can now be ordered (in Germany anyway) with a six-speed Twinamic dual-clutch transmission, cutting the better part of a second off the 0-60 time but returning no better fuel economy or emissions numbers.
The SCCA has apparently found the Ford Fiesta at risk of rollover, and has, as a result, removed the budget hatchback from its list of eligible vehicles for solo autocross events in the H Stock category.
An article in the Daily Kanban suggests, the sun is setting on GM Korea, and it could already be well into dusk. GM's move into China, the Chevrolet exit from Europe and years of labor strife are driving the division over the edge.
Just Your Typical $73,000, 328-Horsepower, Stick-Shift Automobile
Since I started writing about and reviewing cars in 2006, I've done an uneven job of tracking every vehicle I've been in, each year. Last year I made a resolution to be better about it, and the result is a spreadsheet with model names, dates, notes and some basic facts and figures.
It's an over-played trope that senior citizens are bad with technology. Its regular use as a comedic device, though, overshadows a more dire circumstance that comes when elderly citizens are paired with gizmos and gadgets they don't fully understand.
Everyone wants a slice of the pie that's mostly eaten up by the likes of the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf. That includes Citroën, of course, which competes in the segment with the C4. Based on the same underpinnings as the Peugeot 308, the C4 was introduced back in 2004 to replace the Xsara and was replaced with an all-new model in 2010. But that was almost five years ago, so to keep pace with the competition, the Chevron marque has launched an updated version for 2015.
The Veloster, Hyundai's funky, four-door hatchback, has been pulled from the British market after just three years on sale. The blame, as is usually the case in these circumstances, is being placed on slow sales. Auto Express reports that, much like it has in the United States, the Veloster has failed to resonate with both customers and critics.
Ward's Auto has published a piece on Scion that further confirms that we really have no idea what to expect from the brand. In speaking with Toyota USA CEO Jim Lentz about what was once firmly intended to be a hip, experimental youth brand, Lentz said, "I still personally believe small-premium is the direction we should be going."


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— Albert Auer
BOCA RATON, FLORIDA, UNITED STATE, September 26, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ — The world of financial services is undergoing a revolutionary transformation, driven by the integration of innovative technologies. Albert Auer, a prominent financial expert from Boca Raton, shares insights into the technological advancements that are redefining the sector.
From Analog to Digital:
Gone are the days of ledger books and face-to-face banking. The proliferation of computers and internet connectivity has ushered in the era of online banking, turning it into today’s standard for financial transactions.
Pioneers in Internet Banking:
Historically, financial giants like Citibank and Bank of America were at the forefront of the online banking revolution, introducing platforms that transformed how consumers manage their finances.
The Fintech Revolution:
The synergy of finance and technology birthed Fintech, which has introduced groundbreaking innovations, including peer-to-peer lending platforms, robo-advisors, and digital payment systems. This has reimagined traditional banking, delivering services that prioritize efficiency and user experience.
Mobile Banking – The New Normal:
Smartphones have transformed the financial landscape, introducing mobile banking apps that offer unparalleled convenience. Payment apps such as PayPal, Venmo, and Apple Pay are now integral to modern financial transactions.
Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies:
These technologies challenge traditional notions of money and banking. Bitcoin and Ethereum, among others, are introducing new ways to think about currency and financial transactions. Particularly, Bitcoin’s application in remittances showcases its potential to replace traditional methods with faster, more efficient systems.
AI & Machine Learning – Shaping the Future:
AI and machine learning bring personalized customer interactions and bespoke financial solutions. Robo-advisors, for instance, are democratizing investment by leveraging algorithms to create tailored investment strategies for users. The marriage of finance and technology is ceaselessly shaping the future of the industry. Albert Auer emphasizes that this isn’t merely a trend, but an imperative for financial institutions to remain at the pinnacle of relevance and competitiveness.
Albert and other industry leaders continue to champion and integrate these digital advancements to enhance service offerings and lead the industry towards an exciting, technologically-driven future. For those eager to remain at the forefront of financial innovation, embracing technology and the ensuing transformation is paramount for a future where financial management is more accessible and customer-centric.
About Albert Auer
Albert Auer, based in Boca Raton, Florida, is a distinguished expert in the financial sector. With a keen eye for technological advancements and digital transformations, Auer has consistently championed the fusion of finance and innovation. Recognized for his insights into the evolution of financial services, he emphasizes the pivotal role of technology in shaping the future of finance. A trailblazer in his field, Auer represents the nexus of traditional financial acumen and forward-thinking digital adaptability.
Connect with Albert Auer at: https://www.albertauer.com/


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Bentley’s Pet Stuff, a leading pet boutique with 30 locations, has expanded with three new stores in Denver, Fort Collins and Greeley, all in Colorado.
“It’s exciting to open more stores in the Denver area—we have four locations now open throughout the state, with eight more on the way,” said Lisa Senafe, CEO and co-founder of Bentley’s Pet Stuff. “We have an action-packed weekend to welcome the community to our stores.”
To start, Bentley’s will co-host a Doggy Speed Dating Adoption Event on Friday, Sept. 9 at the Watering Bowl (5411 Leetsdale Dr, Denver, CO 80246). According to Bentley’s, it will be a fun chance for future pet parents to meet dogs who are available for adoption from local animal rescues, including Bounce and The Retriever Rescue of Colorado.
Following, Bentley’s Pet Stuff will celebrate with grand opening celebrations from 10 am to 5 pm, Sept. 10 to 11 at their new locations in Denver (1685 S. Colorado Blvd), Fort Collins (2721 Council Tree Ave) and Greeley (4626 Centerplace Drive). Pet owners and their companions have the chance to win free goodie bags and raffle prizes. Items in-store will also be discounted by 10 percent. The Fort Collins location will have a treasure hunt throughout the shopping center, in partnership with neighboring stores.