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Following the creation of the first cryptocurrency Bitcoin (BTC) in 2009, other cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum (ETH) and Ripple (XRP), followed suit to bring further attention to blockchain technology.
But there’s a lot of potential for the blockchain. According to recent research led by Vida J. Morkunas of Lulea University of Technology, Sweden and published by the Kelly School of Business, Indiana University:
“Emerging technologies regularly serve as enabling forces for economic, social, and business transformation.. [B]lockchain placed among the top five technology trends in 2018… Therefore, blockchain is predicted to challenge existing business models and offer opportunities for new value creation.”
As you probably know, the blockchain is a public digital ledger and a record-keeping technology. All transactions that have written in blocks are immutable, and information can never be erased. Furthermore, they are transparent to all parties in question.
And while blockchain-based decentralized cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, draw
Bitcoin and cryptocurrency use by terrorists, rogue nations and other criminals has grown in recent years—with high-profile attacks drawing international attention.
The illicit use of bitcoin and cryptocurrency ranges from money laundering and tax evasion to extortion, with cyber criminals increasingly demanding bitcoin and crypto payments in ransomware attacks on computer systems.
Now, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has warned the emergence of bitcoin and similar cryptocurrencies is a growing threat to U.S. national security, with the attorney general William Barr’s Cyber-Digital Task Force calling it the “first raindrops of an oncoming storm.”
MORE FROM FORBESNeither Trump Nor Biden Will Help The U.S. Dollar, Warns Early Facebook Exec-Calls Bitcoin An ‘Insurance Policy’By Billy Bambrough
“Current terrorist use of cryptocurrency may represent the first raindrops of
This week, the Chamber of Digital Commerce PAC sent all 535 members of the United States Congress about 0.0047 BTC ($50 worth at the time), in an effort to educate the countryâs legislators around cryptocurrency and blockchain technology that it calls Crypto For Congress.
Leveraging Federal Election Commission rules that allow for cryptocurrency-based campaign contributions and its own Political Action Committee to make the BTC donations, the Chamber of Digital Commerce ultimately hopes to motivate these lawmakers to embrace the advantages presented by blockchain technology.
âOur industry faces a number of regulatory challenges and itâs important for our government officials to have a working knowledge of how this technology works,â Perianne Boring, founder and president of the Chamber of Digital Commerce, told Bitcoin Magazine. âIf you look at tax laws, securities laws, if you look at compliance obligations, there are a lot of examples of regulators and policymakers who
The basis of any exchange of value is trust. The more two parties trust each other, the more they will feel confident engaging in transactions. Not just engaging in a high volume of transactions, but higher value transactions, too.
Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies are certainly accomplishing a lot when it comes to creating a decentralized environment where the ability to trust another party is taken out of the equation by a blockchain. Hardcore enthusiasts who already understand this are the ones most willing to reach into their coffers and pour money into the crypto revolution. The truth is, though, that the average consumer still isn’t at that point yet.
Some libertarians probably don’t want to hear this, but in order for the crypto world to reach critical mass, it needs much broader adoption, and the average consumer is going to need another layer of protection in place. They need
Regulatory clarity is what is cried out for by the crypto industry. In leaving the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) a set of arcane laws to create guidance regarding blockchain tokens, the default of ‘regulation by enforcement’ has left many entrepreneurs dissuaded about the ability to create and develop blockchain technology. Worse, the ultimate lack of action by all five SEC Commissioners , save of course the exception of ‘Crypto Mom’ Hester Peirce who is fiery in her dissent and a healthy reminder of the powerful role the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg played, has left Congress no choice but to step in and take control of the train wreck that is the U.S. regulatory landscape for crypto.
Needless to say, it is a huge day in the world of crypto. First, Congressman Tom Emmer (R-NC) introduced the ‘Securities Clarity Act’ that makes a fundamental change to what
Another big AML scandal was revealed yesterday by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICJI). But whilst the Panama Papers made Cameron and a few choice politicians lose their lunch appetite one afternoon, the FinCEN Files have brought the dark corners of financial institutions HSBC, Standard Chartered, Deutsche Bank and BNY Mellon into a glaring spotlight.
We are not talking here about some light touch issue, we are talking about money transferred to criminals, corrupted politicians, people and drug trafficking. Serious stuff.
What struck me about the files? Old well-known patterns of behaviour in the traditional compliance banking world, “nothing new, nothing to see here”. What continues to fail? And how can we in crypto compliance learn from this to not fall into the same lax trap? My reflections from reading the FinCEN Files, a (traditional) finance horror story.
Some ‘same old’ methods like the ‘mirror trade’ were on
The European Commission has presented the so-called MiCA regulation. As a result, this creates a far-reaching and harmonized regulation on the European level for crypto assets, including many related services. What can be potentially challenging for startups also contains enormous opportunities in terms of professionalization and growth for the entire crypto ecosystem. — Authors: Philipp Sandner, Johannes Blassl
In September 2020, the European Commission presented a draft for a comprehensive regulation of “crypto assets” (digital, blockchain-based assets), which is expected to come into force at the end of 2022. The regulation “Markets in Crypto-assets” (“MiCA”), which is directly applicable in all Member States, describes the most extensive regulation of digital assets to date.
Various crypto assets: From Bitcoin over Libra to the blockchain-based Euro
Crypto assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum are just as much in the focus of the new regulation as Facebook’s project Libra and the “utility tokens”
The blockchain at Zelwin exists for a reason, making the project really interesting and unique
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Zelwin is a global cryptocurrency marketplace of goods that has successfully combined blockchain technology with online shopping. The history of the project began in 2019, when the team of Nikolay Shkilev began to develop a unique platform. Already in 2020, Zelwin launched, helping stores to sell their products, and for customers to purchase goods profitably by paying in any convenient way.
The blockchain at Zelwin exists for a reason, making the project really interesting and unique. The payment system of the platform allows you to make purchases:
But that’s not even the most interesting thing. The global marketplace for goods, as the developers themselves call it, was


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Moneysupermarket invests £17m to stay ahead of the game
PERSONAL finance and holiday price comparison website Moneysupermarket says it is spending £17m this year to improve its users’ experience in an ever more competitive sector.
The company, based in Ewloe near Chester, also reported robust half year results which showed 9% growth in both underlying earnings to £43.6m and revenue to £122.4m.
Moneysupermarket said its first half investment was £7.8m in upgrading its technology and data assets, which is part of a three year programme.
The investment is focused on three areas – upgrading systems, developing its data asset, and developing the TravelSupermarket site.
The upgrade of the MoneySuperMarket systems involves rolling out new systems, parts of which have already been rolled out in TravelSupermarket. The company described this as a “major upgrade to the engine that lies behind the website” and said customers will notice better connectivity across channels and be able to use different devices to conduct the same transaction, picking up where they left off.
The company made a small acquisition in March, buying the OnTrees bank account and credit card account aggregation service for £1.5m. The web and mobile app allows consumers to see an overview of their finances by connecting their bank accounts and credit cards in a single tool.
Chief executive Peter Plumb said: “It’s been a good first half of 2014, with good revenue growth in our MoneySuperMarket, MoneySavingExpert and TravelSupermarket brands. Group revenue and profits were 9% higher than the first half of 2013.
“Helping customers with new ways to save money and select the products they need means we have to invest in our business. And that’s just what we’re doing, spending £17m this year to enhance our site for customers, whether they choose to use mobiles, tablets or desktop PCs to compare prices, features and products.”
The group saw revenue growth in the core site (money, insurance and home services), while TravelSupermarket and MoneySavingExpert – performed particularly well with revenue growth of 35% and 28% respectively.
The group hikes its offline marketing spend by 15% to £16m in the first half to support its “How I Roll” advertising campaign.

domain: news


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Posted Thu Sep 4, 2008 at 12:00 PM PDT by Mike Attebery
LG Electronics has released more information on its upcoming BD300 Blu-ray Player, which will be capable of streaming TV and movie programming to owners with Netflix subscriptions.
In an announcement made yesterday, the company said the players will be available next month at retailers such as Best Buy and Circuit City. The suggested retail price has been set at $399.95
Allan Jason, vice president of sales and marketing for Digital Media/New Products at LG called the new player "The ultimate convergence of home theater entertainment and functionality" Jason dubbed the BD300 "the next step in a truly personalized entertainment experience."
As reported by The New York Times "Bits" Technology Blog the movies streamed via Netflix will not be available in High-Def, but this is one of the first players to allow instant streaming, providing the combination of top of the line picture quality, and the added convenience of Netflix's on demand video offerings.
LG representatives have also pointed out the ability to update the player's operating system to add future features through software updates. We'll provide more information on this player as details come to us.
The latest news on all things 4K Ultra HD, blu-ray and Gear.
Neon Conceives The U.S. Blu-ray Release of 'Immaculate' Starring Sydney Sweeney June 11 German 4K Mediabook July 18


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Apple CEO Tim Cook has finally released a statement in regards to the celebrity iCloud leaked photos incident and sat down with The World Street Journal for an exclusive interview. In the interview, Cook again stated that the iCloud system was not breached but also announced that new security measures will be rolled out for iCloud to prevent a similar incident from happening again. According to WSJ,
"When I step back from this terrible scenario that happened and say what more could we have done, I think about the awareness piece," Cook said. "I think we have a responsibility to ratchet that up. That's not really an engineering thing."
The Cupertino-based company has noted however, that most consumers do not use this two-factor authentication. But they will be pushing and encouraging users to turn on this feature when the new iOS is released. Do you think Apple is to blame for the celebrity photos that were released over Labor Day weekend? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: The Wall Street Journal


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Welcome to the Nano Gaming News Weekly Rewind for January 30, 2021 where we cover stories and events that we missed over the past week.
This past week was filled with several big game releases such as Chaosmonger Studio and Assemble Entertainment’s ENCODYA or Bloober Team’s The Medium. These bigger releases overshadowed some smaller indie news that we missed such as the free to play open beta of Warriors: Rise to Glory Online Multiplayer or the early access exit of Academia: School Simulator. Plus while there was little development on the Epic Games versus Apple story other than Tim Cook must sit for seven hours, Facebook might be gearing up for a fight with Apple as well.
Other stories posted this past week on Nano Gaming News include the early access release of Motor Strike: Racing Rampage from FiveXGames. Canadian indie studio Trailblazer Games released their word puzzle crime adventure Crossword City Chronicles. Those who have been following Wreck Tangle Game’s Quintus and the Absent Truth will be glad to hear that Chapter Three is now available for the five part story.
Warriors: Rise to Glory Online Multiplayer Open Beta
Independent game developer Gavra Games has announced that their turn-based gladiator combat game, Warriors: Rise to Glory Online Multiplayer, is having a limited time free to play open beta. This beta is a testing period for the multiplayer experience of what will become a feature in the premium version of Warriors: Rise to Glory.
In the Online Multiplayer version of Warriors: Rise to Glory players compete in 1v1, 2v2, or six player free for all battles where the most devious and cunning thrive. The game features over the top brutal combat where failure means the loss of glory, life, and gear. Experience gains allows one to level up their warriors and equip better weapons, armor, stats, and skills for generations to come. Roguelike elements creep into gameplay for when a warrior dies they stay dead, but their glorious house lives forever on.
Warriors: Rise to Glory Online Multiplayer is now available for a limited time through Steam. The premium version, Warriors: Rise to Glory, is currently in early access and is available on Steam and Humble Bundle for $9.99 USD.
Academia: School Simulator Exits Early Access
Philippines based indie game developer Squeaky Wheel Studio has graduated their game Academia: School Simulator from early access. After four years of development, players now have full access to the school simulator and management game that has a 93% very positive review rating on Steam.
In the Version 1.0 release several new features have been added like Teacher Training, Student Labor, and the ability to pick out and nurture favorite students. There are more than 100 achievements to challenge the best designed schools and random events to put any school to the test. A new difficulty level, insane, is available alongside new scenarios, events and grants for late game. New players have access to a full tutorial to help keep them and their students in line.
Academia: School Simulator is available on Humble Bundle and Steam for $19.99 USD. For more information about Academia: School Simulator visit the game’s website at academiagame.com or follow @academia_game on Twitter.
Apple’s Time Cook Must Sit for Deposition, Facebook Contemplates Lawsuit
Again another mostly quiet week has squeaked by for the Epic Games and Apple feud. However, there was one important development that came from U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas S. Hixson. Last Tuesday in California the magistrate ruled that Apple’s CEO Tim Cook will have to sit down for a seven hour long deposition. The ruling comes after Apple tried to fend off or limit the length of the deposition when compared to the initial zero hours then later four hour long concession it had proposed.
Apple woes might grow to include Facebook in the very near future. Rumors are starting to circulate that Facebook is preparing an antitrust lawsuit against Apple over App Store policies and a future iOS 14 privacy feature that makes a certain type of user tracking opt-in.
If a suit would be filed this should not come as a surprise as the relationship between Facebook and Apple has been on shaky ground for a while now. Some of this tension goes as far back as of the beginning of 2020 when Facebook tried to get the Facebook Gaming app on iOS. Additionally, in December 2020, Facebook had said it would produce internal documents to aid Epic Games in their own legal battle with Apple.
Thank you for reading the January 30, 2021 Edition of the Nano Gaming News Weekly Rewind. Don’t forget to check back with us next week for the next edition of Nano Gaming News Weekly Rewind and until then, keep on gaming.
By clicking any Humble Bundle links on this site, Nano Gaming News may receive a small share of any sale made through these links.


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ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nerdy Inc., the parent company of Varsity Tutors and a leading direct-to-consumer, curated gig economy platform for live online learning, today announced the appointment of Cathy Beaudoin to the company’s Board of Directors, as an Independent Director. Ms. Beaudoin brings more than 25 years of experience focused primarily on building brands and scaling e-commerce businesses for leading companies like Amazon and Gap.
“We are thrilled to welcome someone of Cathy’s caliber to our Board of Directors and look forward to leveraging her extensive industry expertise and experience building high-profile e-commerce brands,” said Chuck Cohn, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nerdy. “Cathy has joined us at a pivotal moment in our business, as we expand the breadth and reach of our platform and start our journey as a public company. I am confident that the addition of her unique perspective will be an invaluable asset, as we look to scale and accelerate growth and ultimately achieve our long-term vision of transforming how people learn at all age levels.”
Ms. Beaudoin, a noted industry executive, joins Nerdy’s Board of Directors following an eight-year career with Amazon where she served as President of Amazon Fashion, leading the Amazon.com fashion business, Shopbop.com, and MyHabit.com. During her tenure, she brought hundreds of reputable brands to Amazon, leveraging technology and personalization to ultimately transform the business into the nation’s leading apparel retailer. Prior to Amazon, she served as Senior Vice President at Gap with responsibilities including acting as the general manager and internal founder of Piperlime, the e-commerce fashion business launched in 2005. While at Gap, Ms. Beaudoin held a number of senior marketing positions across the company’s Old Navy and Banana Republic brands, including at the Senior Vice President level. Ms. Beaudoin serves as a Senior Advisor at private equity firm General Atlantic and as a board member for Crate & Barrel Holdings, FORMA Brands and Grove Collaborative.
“I am excited to join the board of such a high-growth, disruptive technology company like Nerdy,” said Cathy Beaudoin. “I have been impressed with the strength of the management team and the superior personalized experience they offer through their innovative adaptive learning platform. It’s clear that Nerdy's business is inflecting now, as revenue growth and engagement are accelerating, and I look forward to lending my expertise to help capitalize on the multiple growth vectors and build on the current momentum.”
This announcement comes on the heels of the company’s recent agreement to become a public company through a business combination with TPG Pace Tech Opportunities (NYSE: PACE), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company associated with global private equity firm TPG. Nerdy’s flagship business, Varsity Tutors, is one of the nation’s largest platforms for live online tutoring and classes. The growing demand and enthusiasm for online learning platforms has resulted in rapid user and revenue growth, including an 87% year-over-year increase in online revenue and a 169% increase in paid online sessions in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Nerdy is a leading curated gig economy and direct-to-consumer platform for learning and live online instruction. Nerdy’s mission is to transform the way people learn through technology. The Company’s purpose-built proprietary platform leverages technology, including AI and machine learning, to connect learners of all ages to experts and deliver superior value on both sides of the network. Nerdy’s comprehensive learning destination provides learning experiences across 3,000+ subjects and multiple formats—including one-on-one instruction, small group classes, large format group classes, and adaptive self-study. Nerdy’s flagship business, Varsity Tutors, is one of the nation’s largest platforms for live online tutoring and classes. Learn more about Nerdy at https://www.nerdy.com/.


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HP has introduced a new convertible tablet EliteBook Revolve , which confirms that next year will see many of these curious devices.
The laptop with detachable keyboard seem the ideal alternative for those who do not know whether to buy a conventional or a tablet computer, we will have what we offer HP with this new product.
HP has developed this new modern portable convertible to join the other companies that bet for detachable keyboards markets to combat the invasion of tablets that has saturated the world of technology in recent times.
It is not yet know details like price or official release date for HP EliteBook Revolve , but speculation by engadget that could be during the course of the next spring.
Features HP EliteBook Revolve .
- Windows 8 operating system (available from a version with Windows 7).
- 11.6-inch Gorilla Glass.
- Resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels.
- Processor choices: Intel Core Core i7 i5/Inter i3/Inter Core.
- 256GB SSD.
- WiFi connectivity, NFC, TPM.
- SIM slot for LTE and HSPA +.
For now is all that has been released about this new release of HP , but we hope soon to give video updates, new features and a release date more clearly and, of course, the price of HP EliteBook Revolve for everyone .
Do you think that laptop with detachable keyboards have a future? Or is it a kind of fad? We want to hear your opinions in the comments section as always.


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Russia is one of the BRIC nations that not only forms the new engine of global growth, but also the sources of the most dynamic changes in digital consumption in the world – a phenomenon that will only grow more pronounced over the next five years. According to Jason & Partners Consulting, revenue from location-based services (LBS) in Russia will reach 121 million USD by 2016. The partnership is a strategic move for YOOSE to tap into the Russian market and for OTM to bolster its presence in the hyper-local advertising market.
“Innovation has always been a key value to us. We constantly research and experiment with the goal of improving our location technology platform and service to meet advertiser’s high demand for mobile advertising. In order to provide brands with diverse options in catching their target audience’s attention, we are always seeking new ways to engage consumers through new mobile advertising formats,” commented Christian Geissendoerfer, CEO of YOOSE
“Together with OTM’s expertise and presence in Russia, we are looking forward to the next phase of growth for YOOSE in this exciting part of the world as we drive innovation for the advancement of location-based services and mobile marketing,” Mr Geissendoerfer added.
“Delivering and adding value to unique mobile advertising experiences catered to the advertisers’
As a start for this partnership, YOOSE and OTM have launched a campaign around the Sochi Olympic Games to create awareness for the use of the free WiFi at the Games’ venues for a large telecom provider.
- See more at: http://www.digitalmarket.asia/


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Internet telephony player Vonage was dealt another serious legal blow Tuesday when a federal jury found the company had infringed on six patents held by Sprint Nextel.
The jury ordered Vonage to pay Sprint $69.5 million in damages.
Sprint sued Vonage in 2005, claiming the company was infringing on seven Sprint patents that dealt with connecting Internet phone calls. Vonage denied the claims and argued that Sprint's patents shouldn't have been approved in the first place.
Vonage said in a statement that it will appeal the federal court's verdict. Vonage also said it will develop technological … Read more


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Help Us Protect Consumers, Workers, and the Environment
Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit
City Attorney Mara W. Elliott has made a priority of protecting our environment, consumers, and the working people of San Diego. Upon assuming Office, Elliott established the Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) Unit to pursue public interest causes of action on behalf of the People of the State of California under the Unfair Competition Law, which governs consumer privacy, predatory lending, and unsafe and dangerous products.
Through its own litigation and by collaborating with others inside and outside of government, the ACE Unit protects public health and safety, restores environmental quality, and sustains economic vitality.
The City Attorney’s ACE unit:
- Is taking on multi-billion dollar tech companies who exploit their workers at the taxpayers’ expense.
- Is investigating scams and price gouging related to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
- Has forced chemical manufacturing behemoth Monsanto to pay millions to clean up cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) from contaminated waterways.
- Is holding opioid manufacturers accountable for the human suffering they intentionally inflicted through manipulation and misinformation, and ensuring these companies fund drug treatment and education programs that will protect the health and safety of San Diegans.
- Is making sure businesses do not include surreptitious surcharges on customers’ bills, but clearly disclose fees before a purchase is made.
- Secured $15 million from lead paint manufacturers that put toxic lead in their paint products long after its destructive health consequences were known. The funds will be used to abate lead paint and protect San Diego children and families.
- Sued the consumer credit reporting agency Experian for failing to notify victims of a mass data breach that exposed their personal information to identity thieves and other criminals working on the Dark Web.
ACE is here to help you. Please use the links below to report violations to our Office.
- Unlawful vehicle towing
- False reference pricing
- False or misleading advertising
- Unsupported sales claims
- Failure to honor guarantees and warranties
- Dangerous or defective products


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AGENDA: Pre-registration and lodging specials for Vegas show, Aug. 17-19.
SIA: Cooling down NYC with annual Summer Snowdown media event.
Details on Industry Insight.
It's Nordstrom's third, off-price Rack store in Orange County. The others are in Costa Mesa and Brea. Nordstrom has five full line stores in the area.


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Ukraine-based software outsourcing company, Mobindustry announced the launch of its new redesigned logo and corporate brand identity
DNIPRO, UKRAINE, December 2, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ — Ukraine-based software outsourcing company, Mobindustry announced the launch of its new redesigned logo and corporate brand identity. The new logo showcases the qualities the company gained evolving throughout the years: being dynamic, experienced, focused on the quality of the services, becoming a collaboration of bright and talented personalities who demonstrate positive leadership and efficiency.
“It has been 5 years since our previous corporate redesign, and now we are ready for a new brand outlook,” said Maxim Itskovich, CEO and founder of Mobindustry. “Our new logo and brand identity reflect the big transformation the Mobindustry team has achieved. We improved our business processes, strengthened technical expertise, and increased the value that we bring to our customers. Our dynamic, strong, and skilled team feels more confident in face of the highly competitive environment we operate in. Mobindustry's new logo was meant to highlight these bright features of our team”.
Mobindustry is a team of mobile and web development professionals who create native apps for Android and iOS, cross-platform apps, websites, enterprise portals, progressive web apps, and other software for businesses around the world.
The software outsourcing company was founded in 2010 and now has offices in Ukraine and Estonia. In 2020 Clutch named Mobindustry a Top Enterprise App Modernizer and Web & Mobile App Developer in Ukraine.
Mobindustry offers digital solutions for mid-sized and large businesses and has extensive expertise in digital transformation services for domains like logistics, eCommerce, e-scooter sharing, power bank sharing, banking, legal services, fitness & healthcare, entertainment, SaaS, enterprise, social media, and tourism.
Mobindustry provides full-cycle mobile and web software development and consulting.
Source: EIN Presswire


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(Bloomberg) — A recovery in car sales is set to continue in China as government policies aimed at reviving demand following the coronavirus outbreak are gaining traction, an industry group predicted.
A recent quick rebound in demand suggests a V-shaped recovery has been established, China Passenger Car Association said in a statement on Monday. Yet some declines may still occur in the months ahead, the trade body said.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Car retail sales fell at a slower pace of 5.5% in April, following a 40% drop in March and a 79% plunge in February, PCA said. PCA’s report echoes that by China Association of Automobile Manufacturers last week, which showed the first monthly increase in wholesale deliveries since June 2018 and fueled expectations of a gradual revival from an unprecedented industry slump.
Optimism is growing that the world’s largest auto market is rebounding after China largely contained the coronavirus pandemic that shut down much of its economy. Sales have dropped for two years, and the virus worsened a slump kicked off by a slowing economy, trade tensions and stricter emission regulations.


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According to recent reports, OYO has made an announcement regarding cutting 600 jobs in the technology and verticle fields and hire approximately 250 members in relationship management teams. Read the entire article to learn mote about this news piece.
About the teams
Oyo founder and group CEO Ritesh Agarwal said, “We will be doing all that we can to ensure that most of the people we are having to let go, are gainfully employed. Every member of the Oyo team and I myself will proactively endorse the strength of each of these employees.”
“Oyo is downsizing its product and engineering, corporate headquarters and the Oyo vacation homes teams, while it adds people to the partner relationship management and the business development teams. Oyo will downsize 10 percent of its 3700-employee base, which includes fresh hiring of 250 members and letting go of 600 employees,” the company said in a statement.
The process of downsizing is also taking place in teams that were into developing pilots or busy with the proof of concepts, but the leaders wont listen. The company is in a mood to help all the people are leaving. The company will be helping the employees with outplacement.
“It is unfortunate that we are having to part ways with a lot of these talented individuals who have made valuable contributions to the company.”
For people who do not know much about OYO, this article to help you learn more about it. The company wants the young blooming entrepreneurs to make it big in the hospitality business which is why the company provides a platform for the all the small business and hotels to showcase themselves. Since OYO is a trusted brand, the hotels on it will also be reliable and trustworthy so putting themselves out there using OYO is the best that can be done to blow up their business.
The company aims to make the lives of the people better and convenient. People do not have to worry about anything as long as they have OYO by their side. Even if the people s travelling to a city for the very first time, they will not have to worry about places to stay and eat since OYO will give you affordable options for which you can go.


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SanDisk released a flash storage device Monday that can actually beam files to and from your devices -- without an Internet connection. Once you pair the SanDisk Connect flash drive with up to eight devices, those gadgets can wirelessly add, remove and view files from the flash drive, as further explained in the video above. There's an option to password-protect the files, as well.
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If you're running out of space on your Android smartphone or tablet and want a quick fix, two Northern California brothers may have a solution. Bay Area-based Andy and Rich (no last names identified) were initially frustrated that their Nexus tablet didn't have a built-in SD card reader to expand storage. So they developed a mini MicroSD card reader for Android devices, which plugs into the phone or tablet via micro-USB, as explained in the video above.
Verizon will flaunt a new storage technology at CES 2012 that has the potential to revolutionize mobile device users' ability to take movies, music and photographs with them wherever they travel. The Seagate 4G LTE Mobile Wireless Storage is a portable storage device with enough space to hold more than 300 HD movies.


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11 Oct 2019 Volkswagen will show a crossover Teramont /Atlas Cross Sport, which was announced in 2018 at the new York auto show, the same concept.
The power of the concept of responsible hybrid propulsion system, which is based on a 280-horsepower gasoline engine and two generator sets: the 55-strong on the front axle and 116-horsepower — at the rear. Only on electric crossover is capable to pass more than 40 km. in Addition, the engine range will present a 314-horsepower hybrid.
Details about Volkswagen Cross serial Atlas Sport representatives of the German brand will tell 11 Oct 2019. By the way, the same will be officially shown “charged” Atlas Cross Sport R-Line with the revised logo.


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Home Authors Posts by Andrea Doyle
Meeting planners can learn a few tips from all the details that must be addressed when planning the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.
Robots are becoming a popular addition to meetings and incentives.
Meeting design where flow and movement are emphasized is important.
Walt Disney World creates immersive events with the artistry and creativity that has made the company a global brand and leader in entertainment. Disney knows how to develop programs that draw attendance and engages audiences.
The Spa at Naples Grande has added new spa facilities and wellness treatments.
California is in a state of emergency as declared by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday as the Kincade fire continues spreading across Sonoma County, and numerous other fires have flared up.
There is a new woman in charge at VISIT Milwaukee, Peggy Williams-Smith.
Stephanie Harris has been appointed the new president of the IRF.
Paris tops the list as a global destination for meetings and conferences, according to Global DMC Partners, the largest global network of independently-owned destination management companies.
Airport hotels have developed into an important niche in the meetings industry and San Francisco International Airport has its first on-airport hotel, a Grand Hyatt
For those incentive winners gathered aboard the Scarlet Lady, slated to launch next year, a boutique-style, mid-sized 2,770-passenger ship that will be adults only and buffet free, who want a glass of champagne, all they have to do is shake their phone.
Meetings in Europe are increasing but are shorter and smaller, according to European Cities Marketing Meetings that recently published its ninth edition of the ECM Meetings Statistics Report.
The Shubert Organization and National Geographic Encounter: Ocean Odyssey's top ten tips for holiday parties.
Travelers will need Real ID-compliant identification cards to board domestic flights starting October 1, 2020 as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will officially begin enforcing the REAL ID Act of 2005 at airports. This will require all Americans to present REAL ID-compliant identification to go through security.b


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Here's Everything We Know About Apple's Augmented Reality Plans
Apple may be gearing up for one of its most important events of the year next week, but news about a recent Apple hire has the tech world talking once again about Apple's plans to enter the world of augmented reality.
This week,Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster wrote a research note that a former Apple employee, Nick Thompson, left his post as the HoloLens audio hardware engineering lead at Microsoftand and is now back at Apple. That may not seem very noteworthy in and of itself, but when coupled with other augmented reality moves by Apple over the past few years, its augmented reality plans are starting to come into focus.
Apple's not sitting idly byJust so we're all on the same page, augmented reality overlays information and graphics onto the real world via screens or devices in real-time, so that its users can do things like learn about objects in front of them, control virtual objects, or play immersive games.
This is the future if Microsoft's HoloLens has anything to say about it. Source: Microsoft.
While Apple's competitors get a lot of attention for their augmented reality and virtual reality pursuits, Apple's certainly been busy as well. Take a look:
- Back in February Apple was awarded a patent for head-mounted display in which an iPhone is slipped into the device as the main screen.
- Apple's also posted job openings for AR and VR positions, looking for people with "a proven track record in virtual and augmented reality."
- The company purchased the AR software company, Metaio, back in March, and now owns its 171 pending worldwide patents and 25 U.S. patents.
- In 2013, Apple bought PrimeSense, the 3D sensor company that made some of the tech found in Microsoft's Kinect.
- And, of course, the recent hire of Thompson away from Microsoft's HoloLens.
All of these moves certainly don't mean Apple is ready to put an AR device up for sale, but it does show the company is taking the technology seriously. And it should be, because the competition is already heating up.
Keeping up with the JonesesAccording to Munster's note, published on Barron's, here's what Google is doing in the space:
In short, Google is pursuing multiple AR and VR avenues, especially with Google Ventures' $542 million investment in Magic Leap. And just in case all of the above sounded a bit too boring, check out the video below to see what Magic Leap is up to:
And as for Facebook Munster says:
The Oculus Rift VR headset. Source: Oculus.
Last year, Facebook purchased Oculus for $2 billion and will release its first device, called the Rift, to the public in the first quarter of 2016. While the Rift is a virtual reality headset, and not augmented reality, it still puts Apple far behind the competition when it comes to any type of publicly released immersive computing experience.
And, of course, I already mentioned earlier that Microsoft's been building HoloLens, which is an AR headset the company hopes people will use for gaming, design, and even research. The HoloLens pairs with gesture controls, leaving the mouse behind.
The fact is, with all of these major tech players diving into augmented and virtual reality, Apple's latest AR moves should help keep the company from falling too far behind its competition.
Don't hold your breathWhile Apple is likely working on its own augmented reality device, it could be many years before it reveals it to the public. Apple tends to be slower to release devices in new segments than other companies.
Which means that it would be perfectly comfortable watching Microsoft, Facebook, and Google sell their devices before it releases its own. But with its current moves, Apple investors can be sure the company isn't overlooking augmented reality, and if you factor in its penchant for secrecy, Apple could be further along than any of us suspect.
The article Here's Everything We Know About Apple's Augmented Reality Plans originally appeared on Fool.com.
Chris Neiger has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns and recommends Apple, Facebook, and Google (A and C shares). It owns shares of Microsoft. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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Survey: Mainframes Doing Quite Well, Thank You
Mainframe computers may seem like ancient relics from the past in today's modern IT environment, but a new survey from BMC Software Inc. shows they're faring quite well in the age of always-on digital business.
"The research reinforced what our customers have been saying for many years -- the mainframe is a strategic, powerful platform and is here to stay," reads a blog post published today by Tom Vogel of BMC, which includes mainframe solutions among its many digital enterprise offerings.
The company surveyed more than 1,200 professionals in its new mainframe survey, the 11th such annual study it conducts to gain new insights into how digital business affects mainframe shops.
BMC divided survey respondents into three groups according to their approaches to mainframe computing: those increasing mainframe use (58 percent of respondents); those keeping usage at about the same level (23 percent); and those reducing their usage (19 percent).
The top two findings emphasized by BMC in its survey report are:
- Digital business is impacting the mainframe. Respondents are seeing higher data and transaction volumes, as well as increases in the speed of application change. And more activity creates higher workload unpredictability and volatility.
- The platform is here to stay: 89 percent of respondents predict the platform's long-term viability. These companies choose to depend on the mainframe because of its superior reliability, performance, and security.
Over the next year, Fogel said, top priorities in mainframe shops will continue to be cost optimization, compliance, availability and application modernization.
"These priorities are all tied to the impact of the digital economy," Vogel said. "Many organizations are applying various new strategies and technologies, like Java, to help meet these priorities. In fact, 72 percent of respondents are running Java applications on the mainframe. Many companies surveyed plan to take a variety of additional actions to optimize data, systems, and costs. The group increasing mainframe use, in particular, is focusing on reducing resource usage during peak periods and exploiting zIIP specialty engines to reduce costs."
Other survey results include:
- 58 percent of respondents see higher transaction volumes.
- 67 percent see increased use of Java.
- 67 percent of large companies have seen increasing mainframe capacity in the last 12 months and the majority has seen higher activity.
- 88 percent of large companies will maintain or increase mainframe capacity.
- Half of respondents keep more than 50 percent of their data on a mainframe.
- In the "Increasing" group, companies are experiencing greater growth in volumes of data (72 percent), transactions (79 percent) and databases (60 percent), while also seeing higher speeds of application change (63 percent) and more workload unpredictability and volatility (63 percent).
- 73 percent of the Increasing group that use Java say that Java is growing because of new apps being written in Java.
- Linux in production has grown year over year (used by 41 percent of respondents in 2014; 48 percent in 2015; 52 percent this year).
"Mainframes play a key role in digital business as many digital applications are based on mobile or handheld device access to data stored on the mainframe," BMC quoted IDC analyst Tim Grieser as saying. "This is driving growth in mainframe transactions and data volumes."
Survey respondents mostly lived in the Americas (51 percent) and most were technical professionals or managers (71 percent). In terms of company size, the biggest group of respondents (48 percent) came from organizations of more than $1 billion in size. Among industries, financial and insurance companies (34 percent) were represented more than technology companies (23 percent).
David Ramel is an editor and writer for Converge360.


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PALM BEACH, Fla. — Palm Beach officials said Thursday that police are monitoring "several possible planned demonstrations" that could affect the town through Saturday.
The possible demonstrations are scheduled to occur in West Palm Beach, but a town alert said a Friday event stated it would end on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach.
As a precautionary measure, Worth Avenue will be closed to vehicles and pedestrians starting at noon Friday. The town said on its website the closures will remain in effect through Saturday.
Some Palm Beach store owners have been spotted this week placing plywood on the exteriors of their stores as a precaution.
On Tuesday, there were rumors of a demonstration at the Palm Beach town hall, but deputies and police prevented any protesters from crossing the Royal Park Bridge onto the island.


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Aaron PereiraSep 04, 2012 11:17:24 IST
Saying that the ASUS co-manufactured Google Nexus 7 is a tablet that is doing well in the market is a complete understatement as this 7-inch flagship is literally flying off the shelves. So what does a brand do to make even better that which it already has been doing? Nothing but offer a variant loaded with 3G capabilities of course. This is what Google and ASUS are apparently doing if a post by MoDaCo author Paul O’Brian is anything to go by.
According to the post O’Brian states, “I love my Nexus 7, but I really wish there was a 3G version. Well, according to our very well placed insider - my wish is about to be answered! There's not a huge amount to say... a 3G version of the Nexus 7 is coming, with no other hardware changes. Asus is currently ramping production in preparation for launch in around 6 weeks, with the exact launch date and territories still to be confirmed.”
A 3G Google Nexus 7 in the works?
This will come as some great news for those holding out for a 3G 7-inch tablet with high-end specifications as the Google Nexus with 3G capabilities is certainly a tablet that can hold its own amongst some of the best in the competition, if not thwart them altogether.
For those of you’ll living inside a box, the Google Nexus 7 tablet was announced at the recently concluded Google I/O 2012 event. Google has added a ton of high-end hardware to the mix and has kept the price down to a minimum by pricing it at $199 for the base model, which comes in a storage capacity of 8GB. This tablet, manufactured by ASUS is not just designed to take on Apple’s highly successful iPad, but will also pose a stiff threat to the Amazon Kindle Fire and Google aims to tackle the competition better with its pricing strategy. The Google Nexus 7 tablet is available in two storage capacities - 8GB and 16GB - and the brand has priced it extremely competitively at $199 and $249, respectively.
As far as connectivity is concerned, there had been rumours that the Google Nexus 7 tablet would not come equipped with 3G connectivity, in order to keep the price to a minimum and the brand has done just that. The connectivity options found on this flagship Google Nexus 7 tablet, include Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth and NFC capabilities. This tablet also comes with Google Wallet pre-installed. As for the camera featured here, it comes as no surprise that Google has just added only a front facing camera that can be used for video calls, but what is interesting is that this camera can shoot HD 720p videos.
When it comes to the size, this 7-inch tablet measures 198.5 x 120 x 10.5 mm and weighs 340g. These dimensions allow it to go head-to-head with the Amazon Kindle Fire. The Google Nexus 7 will be the first device running on Google’s latest operating software, which is Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. As for the availability, consumers from United States, Canada, Australia and the UK can pre-order the tablet from the Google Play store.
If you don’t fancy a 3G version of this offering from Google, you can hit this link to get your hands on the first tablet from Google.
Welcome to Tech2 Innovate, India’s most definitive youth festival celebrating innovation is being held at GMR Grounds, Aerocity Phase 2, on 14th and 15th February 2020. Come and experience an amalgamation of tech, gadgets, automobiles, music, technology, and pop culture along with the who’s who of the online world. Book your tickets now.


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One way to improve your Gmail experience is applying some themes in your inbox.
As the deadline for the implementation of the new comprehensive EU privacy legislation approaches fast, businesses still struggle to adapt to the new, stricter system that...
RFID technology works via radio frequency, tracking almost every bit of information there is in real time and making tracking businesses more efficient.
Google just made online shopping easier by launching "Google Pay". Works via mobile payment, Google Pay is a combined Google Wallet and Android Pay.
The Mobile World Congress (MWC) is set to unveil newest lines of products at Barcelona, Spain.
Covering over 170 countries, Project Fi allows full high-speed data coverage on and off home with no extra international charges.
Google launches "Reply", the tech giant's latest project which aims to engage users in instant direct messaging without opening the app.
The Internet of Things was just a concept not until development in 1999.
The advancements in cloud technology make the monitoring of performance easier.
Facebook reports a slow down in user connectivity during the last quarter of 2017. Zuckerberg attributes this drop to changes made in the News Feed.


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Tag - Missing Sync
Mark/Space has introduced an update to The Missing Sync for Android. Version 1.3 adds the ability to sync a PC or Mac with an Android handset without using a cable. Users can choose either Wi-Fi or Bluetooth options to sync content such as contacts, music, photos, or other files. The update also offers notes syncing, as the company's Fliq Notes app is now available for the Android platform.
Mark/Space on Thursday launched both the Mac and PC version of The Missing Sync for Android. The app utilizes Wi-Fi to sync contacts between a computer and Android-based handsets such as the myTouch 3G, HTC Hero or Motorola Cliq. It works with popular applications such as Microsoft Outlook or Address Book, and can automatically sync whenever the computer comes within range of the handset.
Owners of Palm's newer phones have encountered a flaw in its online backup system that has wiped out contacts and calendars. A portion of users note that backups sent to Palm's Profile cloud service from a Pre (and now Pixi) are being corrupted and blank out any synchronized data when the phone has to be reset or restored. Those without a local backup, such as through an app like Missing Sync, have no choice but to recreate the data from scratch.
Mark/Space has launched an update to its iPhone sync software, The Missing Sync for iPhone 2.0.3. The update adds the ability to create ringtones for the iPhone by using a built-in ringtone editor. By simply selecting a song from the iTunes music library and placing it in the editor, users can trim and name their customized ringtone, which is then automatically added to iTunes and ready for transferring onto the iPhone the next time a sync is initiated.
Mark/Space has released a Mac version of The Missing Sync for Palm Pre, along with a Windows Vista and XP version currently in progress. Previously launched as a beta, the synchronization software allows mobile phone users to share information such as contacts, calendars, photos and music between the Mac and Palm Pre. The application enables automatically syncing when near a Mac via Wi-Fi, or can transfer files and documents with a USB cable
Mark/Space has updated its iPhone sync software with the release of The Missing Sync for iPhone 2.0.2. The update adds support for transferring and saving both voicemail and voice memos as well as brings iPhone 3.0 compatibility. The software works in parallel with iTunes, offering options iTunes does not, like syncing tasks, files and documents while archiving text messages and call histories. Version 2.0.2 adds voicemail and voice memo to the notebook area, placing them side-by-side with text notes.
Mark/Space has released The Missing Sync beta for the Palm Pre, along with a Windows version for the iPhone firmware 2.0. The company has also prepared its Fliq iPhone apps for the firmware 3.0 update and the 3G S handset. The Missing Sync for the Pre allows users to sync data, such as iCal or Entourage, between a Mac and the smartphone. The service also works when the Pre is placed on the Touchstone charger.
Following closely on the heels of the BlackBerry version, Mark/Space has unveiled The Missing Sync for Windows Mobile 4.0.4, offering users Entourage 2008 support, and more. The new version includes direct sync support for Entourage 2008, for calendars, contacts, and tasks with categories, and improved device mounting. Missing Sync can also synchronize video, music, photos, and other files, supporting iCal, Address Book, iPhoto, and iTunes.
Mark/Space on Tuesday unveiled support for the BlackBerry Bold smartphone in its connectivity software, The Missing Sync for BlackBerry. The company illustrates that The Missing Sync now allows users to synchronize contacts, calendars, Entourage data, iTunes playlists, iPhoto albums and more with the BlackBerry Bold 9000 series handsets. The Missing Sync for BlackBerry is currently selling for $39.95 through its online web store.
Mark/Space on Thursday unveiled a new product for Windows that allows iPhone users to transfer contacts and calendar information from most BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, and Palm OS devices, as well as select units from Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Motorola that use the Symbian OS. Mark/Space says that The Missing Sync for iPhone works with both current generation and 3G iPhones. The Missing Sync for iPhone is available from the company's website for $40.


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“All the craziness of the past weeks made me stop and zoom out.
– Reddit bringing down financial markets with Gamestop
– Elon pumping Bitcoin to all-time highs on Twitter
– Clubhouse having a breakout month
Multiple high street retailers collapsing while digital rivals soared here in the UK
Yes, you could put this down to a global pandemic that has most of us locked up inside spending the majority of our days online.
But I think it’s more than that.
When you zoom out you realize how early we still are in the internet age and what’s becoming known as the ‘Creator Economy’.
They say with change, ‘things go slowly and then suddenly’.”


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Samsung will soon be launching new Galaxy A-series mid-range smartphones. These devices are rumored to arrive sometime in March. While numerous leaks about the Galaxy A54 and Galaxy A34 5G smartphones have revealed everything there is to know about these phones, the lower variants are still somewhat shrouded in mystery. Now, Galaxy A14 4G has […]
The post Samsung Galaxy A14 4G Appears on Google Play Console With Helio G80 SoC appeared first on Gizmochina.


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Farm Girl Art & Antiques is having a "RED DOT" sale, many items will be priced at 50% off! This does not include furniture, however, we have many pieces of furniture that will also be discounted.
This sale will be during our normal hours starting today and next weekend as well.
Thursday 7/16, Friday 7/17 and Saturday 7/18
Thursday 7/23, Friday 7/24 and Saturday 7/25
If you are one of my vendors who have items currently on our showroom floor you should have received our letter explaining our sale and our plea to come and pick up your items. Please note, unless we have recently spoken, any items that remain after the 50% off sale will be donated to a local non profit organization.
During the month of August Farm Girl will be closed to re-vamp the showroom to allow for new items from our recent buying trips and new items from vendors as well.
Stay tuned for our announcement of our Re-Grand Opening on Labor Day Weekend!


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Sept. 1, 2013 By Christian Murray
Sunnyside Shines has revamped and upgraded its website.
The redesigned site, which went live today at http://www.sunnysideshines.org, aims to help small businesses, residents, and visitors learn more about what Sunnyside has to offer.
Sunnyside Shines, which was created to improve the business district in 2008, plans to use the site to promote events, initiatives and local businesses with a more user-friendly and contemporary interface.
The redesigned website aims to take advantage of Sunnyside Shines’ twitter and Facebook accounts. It will also hosts individual pages for each business located within the district.
“We are so pleased with the new website,” said Rachel Thieme, executive director of Sunnyside Shines, “and we are extremely grateful to the New York City Department of Small Business Services,” which funded the project.
“Having such a user-friendly site will allow us to better promote the vibrant businesses and activities happening in Sunnyside,” Thieme said.


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Dutch Professor Mark Post, the scientist who made world’s first laboratory grown beef burger believes so-called “cultured meat” could spell the end of traditional cattle farming within just a few decades.
A year and a half ago the professor of vascular physiology gave the world its first taste of a beef burger he’d grown from stem cells taken from cow muscle.
It passed the food critics’ taste test, but at more than a quarter of a million dollars, the lab quarter-pounder was no threat to the real deal. Now, after further development, Dr Post estimates it’s possible to produce lab-beef for $80 a kilo – and that within years it will be a price-competitive alternative.
A small piece of muscle you can produce 10,000 kilos of meat.
In 2013, it cost $325,000 to make lab grown meat for a burger made from cultured muscle tissue cells. Now the cost is $11 for a quarter pound lab grown patty.
SOURCES – Fastcoexist, Australian News


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Goldman Sachs and the British Business Bank have released a report which seeks to identify and encourage the ways in which internationalisation and innovation can act as key drivers for growth among SMEs – and in turn boost UK productivity.
The background to the report, entitled ‘Unlocking UK Productivity - Internationalisation and Innovation in SMEs’ comes from the fact that the UK currently faces a productivity challenge whereby its performance has weakened in comparison to the other G8 economies. Research demonstrates that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are a key under-tapped resource for addressing this challenge – especially when engaged in international and innovative activities.
The report makes the following observations;
› The UK has an opportunity to enhance its productivity: Whilst before 2008 productivity in the UK was on a strong upward trend, the UK’s productivity performance has since weakened compared to its international counterparts. Improving this has become a vital agenda for the UK government.
› SMEs have a key role to play in addressing this challenge: The SME contribution to the UK economy is significant – accounting for 60% of all private sector jobs and 47% of revenue. Boosting SME productivity growth can have a significant impact on UK productivity growth at large.
› The role of internationalisation and innovation in boosting SME productivity growth has been relatively underexplored, despite strong evidence of its positive impact: Whilst much attention has focused on structural factors such as access to capital, leadership and entrepreneurial capabilities and having the right talent, evidence strongly indicates that those businesses that engage in international activity and innovation are more likely to enhance firm performance – including productivity growth.
• It is estimated that between 9 and 12% of non-exporting firms within the UK could become exporters and just over half that do export could become persistent exporters. Together these two groups include more than 110,000 SMEs in the UK economy. If they are successfully encouraged to export or export persistently, an additional £1.15 billion Gross Value Added (GVA) could be added to the UK economy within the first year.
• Internationally active SMEs are three times more likely to introduce products or services that are new to their sector than those which are entirely domestic in orientation. Despite this positive relationship, however, only 1 in 5 SMEs are exporters.
› The limited engagement by SMEs in internationalisation and innovation can be explained, in part, by SMEs’ low growth ambition: UK SMEs are demonstrated to be less ‘growth- 7 inclined’ and ambitious than other G8 economies. The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor alone has pointed to a 17% growth aspiration in the UK among entrepreneurs vs 27% in the US.
In this context, the following recommendations are considered:
The full report is available online.


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Microsoft’s next-gen console, the Xbox One, is only a month away from release. With the highly controversial and negative initial reveal for the console back in May behind them now, Microsoft is now looking to provide some exciting new features for it’s new console after it launches; that is according to corporate vice president Phil Harrison.
In an interview with EDGE, Harrison teased that Microsoft has some “exciting things” planned for Xbox One post launch. Harrison believes the engineering team behind the platform just need to get past launch day.
“We have a very significant engineering team – some of the smartest people I’ve ever worked with – who are very focused on launch right now. But as soon as we get past launch then there are some really exciting things that are on the way.”
Harrison also admitted to the significant amount of changes his company made after first revealing the Xbox One. But despite these changes, Harrison claims Microsoft’s “fundamental vision” for the future hasn’t changed at all. While the company does allow for used games functionality, Microsoft still believes in a digital only future for videogames.
“So there has been some change in our engineering priorities as you would expect, but we don’t have any change to our fundamental vision which is that the world is going to be a digital place, Harrison states. We have incorporated some of the important benefits of disc-based games, mainly sharing and trading games, but that doesn’t dull or change our digital vision. We just reordered our priorities a little bit.”
The Xbox One will launch in 13 territories, including the U.S and Europe, on November 22.


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• Operating loss improves by 50% and reduces to €0.8m
• EBITDA improves by 70% and reduces to € -0.5m
• Gross margin increases to 86.3%
• Cash at €0.9m and financing for up to Euro 9.0m secured
PARIS and SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 18, 2018 – 18h00 CET – SpineGuard (FR0011464452 – ALSGD), an innovative company that designs, develops, and markets disposable medical devices intended to make spine surgery safer by bringing real-time digital technology into the operating room, announced today financial results for the half year ending June 30, 2018, as approved by the Board of Directors on September 18, 2018.
Stéphane Bette, CEO of SpineGuard, said: “Our results are in line with our objectives and demonstrate that we are moving toward our operational profitability goal by year-end. Strengthened by our recent financings, we will continue to invest for our growth with a focus on the United States, the DSG smart screw as well as to prepare for the future with the digital and robotic applications of our DSG® technology.”
To read the full article, please click here.


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The original A Plague Tale: Innocence released back in 2019. The game was somewhat of a sleeper hit with its visuals being praised along with its gameplay. The rat-infested story will continue with A Plague Tale: Requiem coming in 2022.
There isn’t much known about the mystery title other than the teaser trailer shown during the Xbox and Bethesda press conference. We at least know you’ll be up to your gills in rats once again in A Plague Tale: Requiem. All of the footage shown was at least in-engine, providing at least a potential glimpse at what’s to be expected.
Until next year
A Plague Tale: Requiem will release sometime in 2022. It’s currently in development by Asobo Studio and Focus Home Interactive. Early reports had pointed to development starting back in 2019, so, the game is undoubtedly far enough along to hit its 2022 launch.
One of the main points shown in the trailer is that it will also be tacked on to Microsoft’s Game Pass subscription service and available on the service at launch.
This article will be updated as more information becomes available.


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Google+ in the Wake of Authorship Demise
It’s the end of Google Authorship as we know it … or knew it. On Aug. 28, Google’s John Mueller posted, “Unfortunately, we’ve observed that this information isn’t as useful to our users as we’d hoped, and can even distract from those results.
With this in mind, we’ve made the difficult decision to stop showing authorship in search results.”
As Forbes contributor John Rampton noted in his article, there were two main reasons for the death of authorship. One was low adoption rates by webmaster and authors. The other was authorship provided low value for searchers. Could Google+ be next on the chopping block?
Don’t downplay your Google+ profile
True, Google+ has nowhere near the ubiquity of Facebook or Twitter in terms of social media popularity. That could lead companies to dismiss Google+ because it isn’t where their customers are.
And that could be a huge mistake.
In February 2014, the New York Times reported 300 million people use Google+ and its affiliated apps each month. In her article, Business News Daily Assistant Editor Nicole Fallon said an active, complete Google+ business profile can really boost your search rankings.
With the right Google+ approach, you might even see better results than paid advertisements, said Phil Penton, president of Social Integration.
Boost your business presence
“It’s not about getting people to go to Google+,” Penton said. “Google uses those posts in other Google properties. If you do everything correctly, that Google+ post will show up in search. There are people searching for your business or industry, and [those posts] will come up, which is borderline free advertising for your business.”
Here are some tips to make the most of your organization’s Google+ presence:
- Complete your profile. Your profile should be as complete as possible to draw relevance to your profile and the services your business offers.
- Encourage customer reviews. Ask for reviews whenever possible, as it will benefit your SEO in the long run. If you get negative reviews, make sure to respond to them.
- Use Circles and Hangouts. These features can help your company appeal to a targeted audience and establish brand authority. Content you post is included in the Google search results when any member of your Circle searches keywords relevant to your content. And many companies use Hangouts, a video chat service, for announcements, webinars and more.
- Set up connected Google+ pages. Businesses establish credibility by linking their Google+ profiles with Google products like Maps and Google+ Local. “Any time you get a review or update photos, they will show up on Google Maps. The [profiles] that have the most up-to-date information do well,” Penton said.
We still live in a Google world
Even with the demise of Google Authorship, Google+ is still a goldmine for SEO. “The data Google is mining from conversations on the network gives them unprecedented knowledge of your value and the market that is likely to be interested in your goods and services,” said Janet Fouts in her Business 2 Community article.
Google+ may be more relevant than ever for brand and content marketers. It’s part of the Google algorithm. And the SEO value your content will get by being posted to Google+ shows it is more than just a social profile.
“Google+ is Google’s product,” said Ronn Torossian, CEO and founder of 5WPR. “Since we’re all marketers living in Google’s world, we should make a strong effort in delivering content to the platform.”
Have questions about Google+ and how to make it work for your business? Contact Coles Marketing today!Edit this post
Categories: 2014 September Newsletter, Newsletters | Tags: Tags: agency, Coles, Coles Marketing, Coles Marketing Communications, communications, communications Indianapolis, Digital marketing, Google, Google Analytics, Google Authorship, Google Plus, Indiana, Indianapolis, marketing, Marketing with Google, mobile, seo, social media, web, Web Design


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Hiring managers are planning on hiring more workers for the holiday season than last year, according to a survey commissioned by Snagajob. The survey showed 69 percent of hourly hiring managers plan on hiring this year, an increase of 6 percent from last year. And those managers plan to hire 28 percent more seasonal employees than in 2012. But if your business will be among those hiring retail, restaurant or customer-service employees for the holiday season, you’d better get a move on: Managers are also planning on hiring earlier than last year. More than half (52 percent) started hiring in September, but the bulk of the holiday hiring will take place in October. The average pay for seasonal workers will be $10.80 per hour, up 10 cents from last year’s season.
Want online marketing tips to help boost your holiday sales? Register for the Web.com Small Business Forum Online. Being a member of the Small Business Forum enables you to ask questions about online marketing, comment on our numerous articles, get to know other small business owners and receive special offers on business services from our partners. Sign up now to accelerate your online marketing potential!


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TOMS RIVER-Stuart Wolf, the owner of Wolfie’s Restaurant on Route 37 has announced the business is going up for sale.
“We would like to take the time to thank every one of you for coming along our journey of 50 amazing years,” Wolf posted. “It has been an honor serving you and we very much appreciate your business.”
Wolf said the restaurant will remain open, at least for now, until a seller is found.
“We have decided that [it is] time to take our next chapter in our lives as we are selling our restaurant,” he continued. “Until then, OUR BUSINESS REMAINS OPEN!! Please stop in and visit us!!”
Wolfies opened in 1968 and has been a successful local family business ever since.
Once a local staple, Wolfie’s, like many mom and pop restaurants are losing ground to the influx of chain restaurants. During the 1990’s when Wolfies was hidden in a back alley of the Dover Mall, people would make their way there for delicious deli cuisine. Now, the restaurant competes with instant gratification and drive through fast food chains. On Route 37 alone, within the vicinity of Wolfie’s there are two McDonalds, Burger King, White Castle, Checkers, KFC, Wendy’s, Buffalo Wild Wings and now Popeye’s, few of which existed just twenty years ago.
When the United States Armed Forces Reserve Center was stationed upstairs from Wolfie’s in the Dover Mall, it was often the final eating destination for military recruits shipping off to boot camp and basic training. It’s where I ate my last meal as a civilian before heading to Parris Island, South Carolina back in 1991.
Interested buyers can give Stuart a call at 732-330-2575.


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"Hearing" attracted a record attendance of 250 people
On 24 September my first public hearing on the impact of EU sanctions against Russia on European companies was held. The attendance witnessed of the fact that it was a very up-to-date topic with interesting speakers - a record 250 people came to exchange views with representatives of European and Czech business and the European Commission.
Russia is currently one of the most important EU trading partners. Existing sanctions have thus affected a wide range of sectors (from agriculture to cars). Due to the current escalation of trade relations the entrepreneurs have realized that classical trade flows can no longer be taken for granted. Their message to the European Commission was clear: it is necessary to review the existing EU trade policy and remove obstacles for easier access to other markets outside Europe. I take it to heart and at the first opportunity I will ask the Swedish Trade Commissioner nominee this question.


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We don’t have to tell you that Pharrell is pretty darn cool. He’s got an appreciation for fashion, a serious amount of swag and continues to churn out number-one hits like no one else.
This collab has made him even cooler (if that’s possible). Pharrell has teamed up with G-Star RAW to release the brand’s first recycled ocean plastic denim collection.
Titled RAW for the Oceans, the collection is made from Bionic Yarn, an eco-friendly thread made up of fibres derived from recycled plastic bottles found in the ocean.
Now Pharrell can add environmentalist to his resume—this collection has already used a staggering 10 tonnes of plastic waste!
Oh, and it’s not one of those annoying collections that’s only available in the US. The collection drops this Sunday 14 September in Australian stores and online.
Get excited guys.


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Insurance-related service provider Tokio Marine has launched a company wide rebranding initiative that unifies its Tokio Marine Life and Non-Life marketing efforts.
It has also just launched its first ever regional campaign through which it hopes to help people be ‘Ready for what’s next’. The brand strategy and look and feel have been defined by The Brand Union, while the integrated regional campaign has been developed by Havas Worldwide. The campaign is expected to launch early March in Singapore and Malaysia with print, outdoor, TVC and digital aspects. The campaign will roll out early May in Thailand and Indonesia.
“This is a big moment in time for the Tokio Marine brand and businesses in Asia. We needed to ‘Get Ready for What’s Next’, and Havas Worldwide has been a great partner to us in delivering this breakthrough integrated campaign,” said Arthur Lee, regional chief executive, Tokio Marine Asia.
“Kudos to Tokio Marine for undertaking such a comprehensive repositioning of the Tokio Marine Insurance Group across the region,” said Dan Gibson, group managing director, Havas Creative Group.
In a press statement, the company said that it aims to maintain the consistent growth of Tokio Marine Non-Life and Life Insurance operations within the region by providing management and technical support to new business activities, as well as the development and enhancement of products and services.
Full Team Credits:
Group Executive Creative Director: Andrew Hook
Creative Group Head: Beer Poonnotok
Senior Copywriter: Shervin Seah
Producer: Lynn Cheng
Group Managing Director: Dan Gibson
Chief Strategy Officer: Stefano Augello
Account Director: Antoine de La Seigliere


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Currently, there is a food shortage of massive proportions sweeping the globe. This food shortage will affect residents of poor and less-developed countries first, but the effects will trickle down to even the most highly developed countries quickly. The food shortage is not as much of a shortage due to decreased production as a shortage caused by price increases.
Residents of countries that consume a higher proportion of processed foods to unprocessed foods can weather the storm more easily than people whose diets consist mostly of unprocessed basics. That is because people consuming many processes foods can switch to buying basics, saving money and remaining able to pay for their food. Those whose diet consists of basics such as fresh fruits, vegetables and grains, have nowhere to go, except hungry.
This food shortage is the result of many different factors-including the aforementioned price increases. There are five main factors contributing to the global food shortage which is rapidly devolving into a global food crisis.
Five Factors Contributing to the Global Food Crisis
1) Rising Fertilizer Costs
Farmers in the poorest nations cannot afford fertilizer for their crops. Their land is so depleted of nutrients that they cannot effectively raise food without fertilizer. Fertilizer prices are rising because synthetic fertilizer is produced using oil-based energy sources, the price of which is rising steadily and quickly.
2) Subsidies for Production of Bio-fuels
Biofuels are produced with the same ingredients of food. Agricultural subsidies spent toward biofuel production are monies not spent on food production and distribution. While not the only cause, biofuel subsidies are a concern because they take money away from food production subsidies and biofuel production still requires use of fertilizers, which are produced using energy from conventional fossil fuels.
3) Poor Distribution Systems
Donating food to developing countries is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it provides necessary nutrients to sometimes starving populations. On the other hand, free food delivered to hungry countries contributes to price collapses for local food producers, taking away the incentive to produce food locally.
4) Unchecked Population Growth
Population growth is a vicious cycle-especially in developing nations. Families need help farming crops, so they have more children, translating into more bodies to help-and more mouths to feed. Additionally, birth control measures are less available in developing countries, contributing to the fast population growth.
All over the world, drought in top-food producing regions is reducing food production and driving prices higher. Drought across major food producing regions of the United States, including the southeast, Midwest and western regions is increasing food prices. Drought in regions of the African continent and in Australia is making it impossible to grow food-because there is no water to buy and no money to buy it.
Other factors, including political relationships, are contributing to the global food emergency. The five listed above are the main factors, in large part because they are either factors out of control of humans (we can’t control the weather), or because they are due to lack of research into energy and alternative fuel sources.


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London, March 2019 - Fleets are being warned they could face price increases and longer lead times for vehicles and spare parts, if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.In terms of the logistics sector, experts are also warning that a disorderly Brexit could result in significant staff shortages, because of immigration policy uncertainty.
New research from workforce management experts at Quinyx found that under any Brexit scenario, employers in the UK’s logistics sector expect to lose, on average, 21% of their blue-collar workforce as a result of the UK’s departure from the EU, with 13% saying they expect to lose 31% or more.
The study, based on economic analysis of ONS data and findings from an employer sentiment survey of 1,008 senior decision-makers, also compared the predicted growth and economic output of the workforce in the logistics sector under both a disorderly and an orderly Brexit scenario.
The study found that the increase in economic output generated by the UK’s logistics workers (in manual roles) would be £9.8 billion per year by 2024 under an orderly Brexit, compared to £3.1bn under a disorderly Brexit. This equates to a 68% reduction or £6.7bn loss per year.
Mansoor Malik, Managing Director of Quinyx, said: “The impact that a disorderly Brexit will have on the UK’s truck drivers, packers and warehouse workers as well as the logistics businesses that employ them is concerning.
“Employers, especially those in the logistics sector, need to make plans to avoid staff shortages in the future.”
Read the full article here: https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/latest-fleet-news/2019/03/08/brexit-no-deal-car-price-warning


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Zoom Video Communications Inc. (ZM) has announced that it is planning to expand its international presence by opening a technology center in Bangalore, India.
The popular video conferencing service currently houses two data-centers in Mumbai and Hyderabad which also serve as research and development locations. The new location will support Zoom’s engineering division that is based in San Jose, California.
“Zoom is focused on providing the best-unified communications experience in the world and we are thrilled to open a technology center in Bangalore, which will be an innovation hub for our communications platform,” said Zoom President of Product and Engineering Velchamy Sankarlingam, “The talent in India is truly exceptional and we are looking forward to expanding our DevOps, IT, Security, and Business Operations teams here as we scale our operations.”
The expansion comes amidst an astounding increase in Zoom’s customer base in India by 6,700%, with free-user sign-ups for the video service from January to April. According to Apptopia, Zoom saw downloads of its app increase in the country from 170,000 to around 2.5 million between February and March. The increase has been attributed to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Zoom CEO Eric S. Yuan highlighted the country’s strategic importance to Zoom by saying, “We expect to see continued growth and investment here. We are proud to provide our services for free to over 2,300 educational institutions in India during the COVID-19 pandemic.” He added, “We plan to hire key employees for the technology center over the next few years, pulling from India’s highly-educated engineering talent pool. This facility will play a critical role in Zoom’s continued growth.”
Zoom says that its strategy is to expand globally with cutting-edge communications technology. Last week, the company announced that it is partnering with third-party display manufacturer, DNET to release its own hardware-line entitled Zoom for Home DTEN ME. Zoom also launched “Zoom Room’s Hardware as a Service” earlier this month with a subscription service that provides video conference room accessories and cloud phone products.
On July 8, Morgan Stanley analyst Meta Marshall commented on Zoom’s subscription service saying, “We view this positively for ZM as it increases stickiness of both the Zoom Phone and Rooms products for customers, given it will be more difficult for customers to switch over to a competitive product within meeting rooms as well as for phones.” She also noted that it could indirectly boost another teleconferencing equipment provider, Plantronics (PLT) also known as Poly. She maintained a Hold rating on the shares with a price target of $190 (implying 29% downside potential).
Overall, 11 analysts assign Buy ratings, 8 Hold ratings, and 2 Sell ratings, giving ZM a Moderate Buy Street consensus. The average analyst price target stands at $228.35 suggesting 15% downside potential, with shares up 295% year-to-date. (See Zoom’s stock analysis on TipRanks).
Amazon Launches Brand-Streaming Product Using Twitch Technology
Zoom Launches Its Own Video-Conferencing Hardware For In-Home Use
Guns, Gaming and Zoom – The Companies with the Highest Earnings Momentum Heading into Q2 Reports


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Hanoi (VNA) – Countries of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), including Vietnam, will remove tariff on new cars in the 13th year after the agreement comes into effect, a finance ministry official said.
Speaking at a press conference in Hanoi last week, Deputy Head of the ministry’s International Cooperation Development Ha Duy Tung said that most of the domestically-assembled cars had an engine displacement of below 3,000cc. Meanwhile, tariffs on cars with displacement of 3,000cc and above would be lifted in the 10th year.
As for used cars, Vietnam would apply a tariff quota for a moderate amount. The country would allow the import of 66 units in the first year after the TPP takes effect. The figure would be regularly increased to reach 150 units in the 16th year.
At the same time, the tariff on used cars in quota will be reduced to zero percent. As for the car out of quota, it will be taxed following the most-favoured nation tariff in the World Trade Organisation’s commitments.
“No country encourages the import of used cars. However, in the TPP regime, the common principle is to cut tariff on all goods. That is why we have set the quota limit. Such a small quota will not impact the domestic automobile market,” Tung said.
The import of used cars to Vietnam has been closely managed. The vehicles are required to be not more than five years old. It should be registered for at least six months and must have run about 10,000km and above. The used car importers must be the brand’s official suppliers or agents of automakers.
According to the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (VAMA), sales in Vietnam reached 22,368 units in October, an increase of 5 percent compared with last month. Of these, passenger cars took the lead with 58 percent, commercial cars with 37 percent and the remainder were special-purpose cars.
Truong Hai Auto Corporation (Thaco) increased its sale with 7,282 units – accounting for 38 percent of the market share – taking the lead in Vietnam. It was followed by Toyota Motor Vietnam and Ford Vietnam with 4,372 units and 2,139 units, occupying nearly 22.8 percent and 11.2 percent of the market share, respectively.
Toyota continued to sell a majority of the top five best-selling models in October and still maintained the positions of key models such as Vios, Innova and Fortuner. Two new models in the list were Kia Morning of Thaco and Ford Ranger of Ford Vietnam.-VNA


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This week, we have news from book adaptations and upcoming releases.
But first up! if you are a fan of Neil Gaiman
, you will adore this! He is appearing as himself in children’s PBS Arthur
- The episode that Neil will appear in will be called “Falafelosophy,” and will feature him helping and ispiring one of the kids in writing her graphic novel.
Pan Macmillan’s Rebecca Ikin
has told The Bookseller that she sees online marketing of ebooks will be very different from traditional print and that instead of 2/4 weeks of marketing it will be extended to a three month span. She told them: “There are new platforms for the e-book in a way that didn’t exist before, so our digital publishing team, our marketing team and our digital marketing team are working in an integrated way”.
Becca Fitzpatrick has announced that she has signed for a third Hush, Hush book. Tempest which will be released next year along with an untitled fourth book *not related to the Hush, Hush series but will be a YA romance* in a major two book deal with Simon and Schuster.
will also be in the UK, for a book blog promo tour of her upcoming Crescendo release. Full details of the dates and places can be found here
Kelley Armstrong has also signed up a new major deal with Harper Teen in a new three book deal which will follow on from her new YA series The Gathering trilogy. which will start next year. No further details whether this will be related to her Otherworld YA series or a new series.
has posted the new cover for her upcoming You Dropped a Blonde on Me
Important headsup! The WH Smiths
ebookstore has changed its policy and will not be selling their ebooks to non UK residents due to geo restrictions and tax reasons. According to this thread at Mobile Reads
– a few members have reported they received emails from WH Smiths saying they wont be able to buy ebooks from the US. Along with this new change Mobi/Reader e-formats will be removed as well.
Due to the recent news about WH Smiths restricting Ebooks outside the US – I am going to have an open thread to rant away about Geo Restrictions because there aren’t enough threads to complain about this!
And finally here is instructions dating from 1895 on how to open a brand new spanking book!
What do you think about the recent WH Smiths development?
Which other author would you like to appear in a movie/series as himself?


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May 3, 2013
With well-known PR phrases like these, you may be tempted to believe they are true. But as 5WPR CEO Ronn Torossian knows, this “All press is good press” idea is one of the biggest myths in the public relations industry. Reputation is everything, in any business. Bad press can have significant negative ramifications.
Adoring fans and interested spectators will tune into the red carpet pre-show on awards night just to see what celebrities are wearing. And the day-after coverage will not only cover who won which awards, but who looked the best and, more importantly, the worst. The best dressed will have their careers discussed and other positive accolades. The worst dressed will have their horrific fashion fail dissected in embarrassing detail.
A fashion fail during a highly publicized event can completely derail a promising narrative. On a night when they were hoping to elicit positive TV commentary, tweets and glowing press coverage, an unsuspected celeb may just end up as fodder for TMZ.
Ronn Torossian of 5WPR further explains that this doesn’t just apply to public events either. Being in the public eye means that somebody is always watching. It may not be fair, but it is the price of fame. The paparazzi know that they can just as easily sell a candid picture of a disheveled, frumpy celebrity as they can a red carpet glamour shot.
While some celebrity fashion flops are simply a matter of poor taste or ill-fitting garments, some celebrities will take a fashion risk and wear something wacky, risky, or flat out risque just to generate some attention. This kind of flash in the pan publicity can do more harm than good, causing that celebrity to lose credibility and respect in the public eye. Cheap gimmicks and “wardrobe malfunctions” rarely pan out as intended.
Look at it this way, that fashion faux pas may have made front page news, but it may have also replaced a potentially priceless fashion PR opportunity. 5WPR knows that when so much about celebrity is public image, that image needs to send the right message at all times.
A bad fashion incident, either accidental or “accidental,” could burn up precious time in the spotlight. Worse, it can follow you for years. Look back at the BEST and WORST dressed lists of fashion mags and post gala reports. There’s a reason why the same names seem to grace both lists each year. Think about it.


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Life Fitness reported net sales of $173.8 million and operating earnings of $23.2 million in the second quarter of 2015, according to financials released Wednesday by parent company Brunswick, Lake Forest, Illinois.
In addition, Brunswick, which purchased SCIFIT Systems Inc. earlier this month for its Life Fitness Division, will continue to expand its fitness segment, Brunswick CEO Dustan McCoy noted in Thursday's conference call with financial analysts.
The SCIFIT acquisition provides Life Fitness with an expanded product line-up and increased access to the active aging market. Though terms of the deal were not disclosed, Brunswick said SCIFIT's 2014 revenues were approximately $17 million.
"As we make these acquisitions, the (fitness division) business is a base from which we will be building," McCoy said in the conference call. "You'll see additional expansion as we work and develop the product line."
Brunswick's growth strategy for Life Fitness includes developing new products and services complementary to its existing portfolio and that may extend into new markets, according to the earnings presentation. The growth strategy includes continued innovation to drive market share in cardio, strength and group training categories.
For the second quarter, net sales marked a year-over-year quarterly increase of 5 percent and a drop of $11.8 million from the first quarter. Operating earnings marked a year-over-year quarterly increase of 4.2 percent and a decline of $2.6 million from the first quarter.
The growth in net sales reflected gains in the United States at health clubs and hospitality customers, gains in international markets and benefits from new product introductions. Sales across all of Life Fitness' regions increased 10 percent on a constant currency basis.
Net sales grew 23 percent in Europe in constant currency and accounted for 21 percent of Life Fitness' total sales. The United States accounted for 50 percent of net sales and grew six percent in constant currency. Net sales outside of the United States and Europe grew 8 percent in constant currency and accounted for 29 percent of total sales.
Life Fitness' operating margin in the second quarter was 13.3 percent. The increase in operating earnings included benefits from higher sales. Operating earnings were partially offset by an unfavorable foreign exchange impact. Costs associated with planned capacity expansion and new product integrations also were cited as a factor affecting operating earnings.
Brunswick's 2015 revenue target for Life Fitness is in the mid-to-single digit range for 2015, with a flat to slightly up operating margin. Life Fitness reported 2014 sales of $769.3 million.
Brunswick reported an overall net sales increase of $68.9 million (six percent) for the second quarter for a total of $1.14 billion. Brunswick's marine segment reported $968.2 million in net sales.


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VVVVVV will launch on PS Vita, iOS, Android and Ouya this year, creator Terry Cavanagh has announced. VVVVVV follows Captain Viridian, lost in arguably the most dangerous alternate dimension ever conceived, as he searches for his missing crew.
In a blog post welcoming in the new year, Cavanagh reveals he's had "an incomplete iOS version of the game working for over a year now," but that other projects got in the way of him finishing it up. He spent time trying to wrap up the iOS port over the holidays, however, and adds he'd "really like to get that out soon, though."
The PS Vita port has been in development at Nicalis since last year and is based on the 3DS version of VVVVVVV. Cavanagh says the ports "will very likely be the last thing I ever do with VVVVVV."
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