text:
This article is more than 1 year old
American data pimper exposes ad equation
26,000 tracked, 15 opt out
Bob Dykes has always claimed that NebuAd's ISP partners provide "direct notice" to customers. Speaking to The Reg in April, he was adamant that a paragraph posted to an ISP's website or buried in its terms of service does not qualify as direct notification. And when he testified before Congress last week, he said that ISPs customers always receive an email or a letter or some extra words in their billing statements.
Of course, even these methods are less then adequate. As Ed Markey, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, told Dykes during last week's Congressional hearing, NebuAd should always require an opt-in. In an effort to target online ads, NebuAd's deep packet inspection hardware tracks the search and browsing activity of web surfers from inside an ISP's network.
At one point during the hearing, Markey accused Dykes of "beating consumers." But Dykes insisted his system maintains user privacy by anonymizing IP addresses and offering an opt-out.
Earlier in the week, Markey and fellow Congressmen John D. Dingell (chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce) and Joe Barton (ranking member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce) fired a letter at the Kansas-based Embarq, demanding details on the NebuAd test it performed earlier this year. Since The Reg first contacted the company in April, it has openly acknowledged the test, but refused to give specifics.
As it turns out, Embarq tested the technology on about 26,000 broadband customers in Gardner, Kansas over the course of about two weeks. During that time, only 15 customers opt-ed out.
Nonetheless, Embarq says it provided customers with adequate notice. "Embarq followed the prevailing industry practices of the most similar business model, that of online advertising networks, which also collect anonymous information across multiple unrelated web sites and use it to serve personalized display advertisements," the company explained this week in a letter to Markey, Dingell, and Barton.
But ordinary ad networks aren't tracking all your browsing activity from inside your ISP. In failing to require an opt-in, NebuAd and other behavioral ad targeters may run afoul of the Communications Act of 1934, the Cable Act of 1984, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and other wiretapping-related US statutes.
Of course, Embarq says it conducted its very own legal analysis of the situation, and the company has no doubt that an opt-out is enough.
It should be noted, however, that NebuAd's cookie-based opt-out isn't quite an opt-out. Ars Technica has spoken with a network engineer who's worked with NebuAd's hardware, and he confirmed that even if you opt-out, NebuAd continues to collect your browsing activity.
"When the user opts out, NebuAd does not collect the data on that user, and we do not serve targeted ads to that user," NebuAd has told us. "The data flowing through the system is immediately and permanently flushed out." The key words here are "data flowing through the system." Your info is still leaving your ISP for a third party. ®


text:
Symantec Corp.’s Canadian VARs will have to wait awhile before the company lets them resell its managed security services here. Although service providers and integrators in the U.S. have been able to resell the service for a year, the company feels this country isn’t big enough yet.
have plans to launch that product in the near future,”” said Michael Murphy, general manager of Symantec Canada. But, he added, it will come “”when and only when the Canadian marketplace is ready or has matured to the point that there is significant opportunity for our partners, and that’s not the case today.
“”And I don’t know when that will be. That depends on the market.””
Meanwhile, Symantec’s sales staff will keep selling managed services here. Murphy couldn’t say how many customers there are.
Symantec’s managed services include remote monitoring of security devices, including collection of data from firewalls, intrusion detection sensors and antivirus software, and, for an extra fee, alerting customers based on the results.
At least one Symantec enterprise VAR would like to be able to resell the service. “”We believe it would be viable here,”” said Nick Curry, president and CEO of Qunara Inc. of Winnipeg, the solution provider arm of Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. “”There’s a market for it Canada.””
But Murphy doesn’t think there are enough large-sized firms to allow resellers space to compete. Most Canadian companies have fewer than 100 employees, he explained. “”It is going to take some time for Canadians to believe they don’t have the expertise to manage security environment, that it is best left to a value-added partner or a security company that has that expertise. To date the significant opportunity I see will take some time.
“”Typically Canada lags behind the U.S. in technology anywhere from six to 12 months, so that lag is probably no different in managed security services.””
But when asked that means Symantec won’t bring its managed services partners program here by the end of this year, he refused to speculate on when it will be launched.
“”The Canadian marketplace today is not where it needs to be in terms of embracing security technology,”” he added, which puts companies further behind the accepting the idea of remote-managed security.
“”My hope is that the adoption of (security) technology continues to grow and therefore the need for the management of that security technology grows in proportion.
The U.S. program offers service providers and consultants the tools needed to sell the Symantec offering as well as helping them learn implimentation and configuration skills. Partners make money through the sale of the service and the opportunity to also sell implimentation and training

domain: news


text:
While digital identity documents are slowly getting underway in France, at Helsinki airport, since this summer, a digital passport test in the phone has been carried out. It is possible to cross the border without having a physical passport. This is a world first.
It is the rehearsal before the general, the generalization to all of Europe. The Finnish authorities have been experimenting with digital passports since August 28, 2023, and the other countries of the European Union should follow little by little.
What will change is that upon arriving at the border crossing, instead of entering the serpentine to queue at passport control, there will be a special queue for those who have switched to this digital transport ticket . As in public transport, there will be a terminal, an application, Digital Travel Credentials, to download and open, then the phone to scan on a reader which will trigger facial recognition to verify the identity of the person. It will be much faster than currently, while remaining just as secure, according to those responsible for the system.
In the event of loss or theft of the phone, it will also be simpler than today. Currently losing your passport abroad forces you to take several steps which can take more or less time: file a complaint, request a pass, redo your passport when you return. With the digital version, recovering your passport will be as quick as reconnecting to your email account, the most complicated thing will be finding a new phone.
Objective: 80% of travelers equipped by 2030
The system is still in the testing phase, it is limited to a single company, Finnair, and a single airport, Helsinki. Croatia is also expected to join the tests in the coming weeks. All information will then be reported to the European Commission. So that in the spring, it can set a deployment schedule in other countries. Objective: that 80% of Europeans travel with this system by 2030.
France is very late. The digital identity card is still being tested and by only a handful of people, via the France Identity application. However, it is a prerequisite for the future e-driving license, its European version, and then, one day, the digital passport. The French will therefore have to be patient if they want to experience rapid border crossings.
The paper passport will not disappear, the digital version will be complementary, as with the identity card and the license. But it will be possible to keep the paper versions, warm at home, to avoid losing them.
This article is originally published on francetvinfo.fr


text:
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The American Financial Services Association (AFSA) today announced that its Board of Directors has elected a new chairman, chair-elect and vice chairman-treasurer for the next 12 months. Additionally, the board approved a succession plan for executive leadership of the 102-year-old trade association representing the consumer credit industry.
Josh Johnson, CEO of Mariner Finance Co., based in Baltimore, was elected the new Chairman of the AFSA Board. He takes the gavel from outgoing board chair Ginger Herring, President and CEO of 1st Franklin Finance Corporation, Toccoa, Ga., who completed her one-year term. Dale Jones, Executive Vice President of Ford Motor Credit, Dearborn, Mich., was elected chair-elect of the AFSA Board and will succeed Johnson in 12 months. Tom Hudgins, President & COO of Western Shamrock Corporation, San Angelo Texas, was elected vice chair – treasurer.
The AFSA Board approved an executive leadership transition plan that promotes Bill Himpler, AFSA Executive Vice President, to President-elect of the association, effective Nov. 1, 2018, until April 1, 2019, at which time Himpler becomes President and CEO of AFSA. Chris Stinebert, President & CEO of AFSA since 2006, will assume a transitional role of Assistant to the President, starting April 1 until Dec. 31, 2019.
“These are exciting times for the consumer credit industry, our customers and our communities,” said Johnson. “Chris Stinebert has provided excellent leadership of the association since 2006 while navigating the association through the recession, recovery, and creation of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (BCFP). During that same timeframe, Bill Himpler has worked tirelessly to provide our industry with a clear voice and message on Capitol Hill and with regulators on the need for safe, affordable consumer credit.”
Johnson said AFSA’s Board, comprised of leaders in the consumer credit industry, believes that this executive leadership transition plan will ensure that the association’s mission to provide access to safe, affordable credit, continues to support a robust U.S. economy.
Johnson Bio highlights
Josh Johnson is the President & COO of Mariner Finance, LLC, which he co-founded in 2002. Under his leadership, Mariner Finance has grown from a single branch in Maryland to more than 500 branches in 22 states. This growth has been fueled by strategic, organic growth and the acquisition of several regional consumer finance companies, including Pioneer Credit, Personal Finance Company and Regency Finance.
Johnson has over 25 years of executive level experience in the consumer finance business, including a previous CEO role with Rose Shanis Financial Services.
In addition to his new responsibilities as Chair of the AFSA Board, Johnson has served in numerous leadership roles over the past decade, including Treasurer of the AFSA board, Chair of AFSA’s Independents Section board and various roles in the AFSA Education Foundation.
Johnson and his siblings cofounded Jeffie’s Choice, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to serving the needs of food banks across the footprint of Mariner Finance. Jeffie’s Choice is operated 100% by volunteers and generously funded by Mariner Finance employees. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Towson University.
Jones Bio Highlights
Dale Jones serves as Ford Motor Credit Company’s executive vice president of the Americas, with responsibility for the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela businesses. His responsibility also includes global Operations and global Quality.
He previously was vice president of Business Center Operations and, before that, vice president of Strategic Planning and Business Operations. Jones joined Ford Credit in 1989 and subsequently held a variety of increasingly responsible positions throughout North America.
Jones is chairman of Ford Credit Canada Ltd, and a board member of FCE Bank, Ford Credit’s European subsidiary, in addition to serving as chair-elect of the AFSA board. He also is a member of the board of the YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit. He is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University.
Hudgins Bio highlights
James T. (Tom) Hudgins has served as President & COO of Western-Shamrock Corporation since 2011. He joined the company in 2007 as Vice President of Operations. Western-Shamrock Corporation is a privately-owned Traditional Installment Lender with more than 300 branch offices in nine states and more than 900 employees
He currently serves as the President of the Independent Finance Institute of Oklahoma and the Missouri Installment Lenders Association and serves on the boards of the Georgia Installment Lenders Association; the New Mexico Independent Finance Association; the Tennessee Independent Loan Association; and the South Carolina Independent Consumer Finance Association.
Hudgins attended the University of Colorado and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science/Public Administration from Texas State University. He is also a graduate of the AFSA Executive Leadership Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Himpler Bio highlights
Bill Himpler joined AFSA in 2004 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, where he headed the congressional relations office. Prior to joining HUD, he was director of legislative affairs for BGR Holding, LLC, where he worked as a lobbyist. He has also worked on Capitol Hill, serving as tax counsel and legislative director for two members of Congress.
Himpler holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Steubenville, a master’s degree from the Dominican House of Studies, and a law degree from The Catholic University of America.
Based in Washington, D.C., the American Financial Services Association (AFSA), now in its 102nd year, is the national trade association for the consumer credit industry, committed to protecting access to credit and consumer choice. Its 450 members include traditional installment lenders, vehicle finance/leasing companies, consumer and commercial finance companies, mortgage lenders and servicers, payment card issuers, industrial banks and industry suppliers. For more information, visit www.afsaonline.org.


text:
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) initial lawsuit targeting Volkswagen’s fuel emission scandal has spawned a slew of similar lawsuits, including one that does not appear to have the agency’s backing.
EPA’s successful investigation and lawsuit earlier this year against the German company has prompted vehicle owners to sue General Motors and Fiat Chrysler, with the former having received permission from the agency to produce a slew of diesel vehicles.
VW pleaded guilty in March to charges from “diesel gate,” which affected more than 500,000 vehicles and cost the automaker billions of dollars. VW was sentenced to three years’ probation and forced to pay billions of dollars in penalties.
The company admitted in 2015 to installing so-called defeat devices in hundreds of thousands of diesel-powered vehicles in the U.S. The Bosch devices would activate during road conditions when emission measuring tools were not engaged.
VW agreed to spend up to $25 billion in the U.S. to address the scandal – it also was tasked with recalling and fixing the tainted vehicles. The company was sentenced to three years of probation and forced to pay billions of dollars in penalties. EPA officials championed their victory over the company last year.
“Individuals with VW are being charged to show that those who commit serious crimes will be charged with face serious charges,” former EPA administrator Gina McCarthy said in a statement shortly after a court penalized the company. Regulators keeps big corporations from running rough shod over American consumers, she added at the time.
But government officials weren’t happy with taking down VW. They pursued Fiat shortly thereafter. The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the Italian auto company and claimed it used similar emission-cheating software as its German counterpart.
Fiat affixed “cheat devices” to 104,000 light duty diesel vehicles that were not disclosed to regulators during the certification application process, according to the lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of the EPA.
The lawsuit also alleges the automaker equipped late-year Grand Cherokees and Dodge Ram 1500s with at least eight software-based features that curtail the vehicles’ emission control systems. The devices allowed the vehicle to push out higher levels oxides of nitrogen than the EPA permits.
Unlike VW, Fiat has maintained its innocence. Company officials told reporters that they plan on fighting claims “it engaged in any deliberate scheme to install defeat devices to cheat U.S. emissions tests.”
One of the law firms that represented vehicle owners in their pursuit of VW and Fiat has turned its ire against GM. Hagens Berman Sobol claims the Detroit-based company affixed 705,000 late-model Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups with at least three so-called defeat devices to dupe air regulators.
Hagens’ nearly 200-page complaint contains about 85 of references to VW, and claims the environmental damage from the diesel-powered truck could surpass by magnitudes that of the German automakers.
GM denied installing any such devices, and a spokesman Dan Flores told reporters the “claims are baseless, and we will vigorously defend ourselves.” The company added that it has complied fully with environmental regulations.
The auto company might be simply fighting to maintain a badly damaged image. It has already paid about $2.5 billion in penalties associated with faulty ignition switches linked to several deaths.
Still, the vehicle owners suggest GM’s cheating allowed its trucks to pass U.S. inspections, despite spewing nearly five times the legal amount of emissions under regular driving conditions, according to the lawsuit.
But the EPA has yet to accuse the company of emissions violations. In fact, the agency approved the company’s application to produce and sell tens of thousands of 2017 Duramax diesel-powered vehicles tucked away in storage.
EPA has not responded to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment about whether officials are concerned the initial probe into VW opened a can of worms for the auto industry. It has also refused to comment about the validity of the lawsuit against GM.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact email@example.com.


text:
Mexican ban on American potatoes set to continue
On August 4th, Mexican courts voted to continue to ban American potato imports into their country, aside from a small 16-mile zone directly at the border.
The judge and others cited pest control concerns as a reason for the ruling.
For now, the majority of our exports headed down south remain frozen foods, ensuring sanitary safety.
But the National Potato Council had other ideas. John Keeling, the council’s CEO and executive Vice President said, “this is about other things.” Enter the avocado.
In 2016 the USDA ruled to allow avocado imports from the state of Jalisco in Mexico.
But in January of this year, border patrol halted the fruit’s entry into the U.S. Many believe the issues are related. A produce aisle-based tit for tat.
Mexico’s Department of Agriculture, SAGARPA is expected to challenge the decision made on August 4.
Keeling added that sanitary concerns can be easily managed, but the council fears that this vote will complicate other produce and animal products “by undermining the regulatory authority of government plant health authorities in Mexico.” ■


text:
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota's state-run health insurance exchange is open for business.
While there was no immediate official announcement, the MNsure website began offering sign-up and plan information around mid-afternoon Tuesday. It wasn't without hiccups.
Late in the afternoon, on Twitter, MNsure tweeted, "Lots of great @MNsure feedback. Keep it coming. Lots of [people] creating accounts, causing delays for some."
MNsure officials pushed the launch back on Monday, saying they wanted to make sure the system connected properly with federal computer systems and that it was secure before consumers started using it to shop for coverage.
Across the country, the portals at the heart of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul have struggled to handle the volume of consumers on the first day of a six-month open enrollment period.
Roughly 300,000 uninsured Minnesotans are expected to buy insurance via MNsure.
We've collected KARE's coverage and informational links in one location on kare11.com.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


text:
Living Food: Link farm, school
Updated 10:00 pm, Monday, October 15, 2007
The Legislature should find a lot to like in the idea of doing more to put locally grown foods onto school cafeteria tables. With so many good food choices to offer kids, we ought to be in the forefront of the national movement to widen the availability of healthy locals foods in school cafeterias.
Washington is an important farm state, but of a very different kind than ones where heavily subsidized corn or soybeans dominate. The strength of our agricultural sector comes from the wide variety of foods grown and produced here, everything from fresh greens to orchard fruits, grains and meats.
Latest Seattle videos
- Hillary Clinton Book Signing Capitol Hillseattlepi
- Seattle Mayor on NHL expansion bidseattlepi
- Durkan, Leiweke sign KeyArena renovation agreementseattlepi
- Safeco Field roof time-lapseseattlepi
- Seattle City Council approves KeyArena renovation agreementseattlepi
- Historic house moved to new West Seattle locationseattlepi
- A dark and dreary day in Seattleseattlepi
- Jenny Durkan sworn in as Seattle Mayorseattlepi
- Elephant-inspired fashion show raises awarenessseattlepi
- Jalil diversion court hearingseattlepi
- Black Lives Matter 2017
- Wet and windy Snoqualmie Falls
- Ballard Locks timelapseseattlepi
- Winds starting up in Belltownseattlepi
- Wind Storm hits Magnusonseattlepi
- Facebook Live Nov. 13 stormseattlepi
- We tried the pizza at the new Princi bakery and cafeseattlepi
- Assault on Aurora Ave.
- Orcas in Puget Soundseattlepi
- Report: Seahawks Violated NFL Concussion ProtocolSITime
- Seahawks Richard Sherman out for season after rupturing AchillesWibbitz
- Starbucks Princiseattlepi
- Seattle Voters to Elect Female MayorAP
- Snow in West Seattle Nov. 3, 2017seattlepi
As Seattle P-I's Jennifer Langston reported Monday, there are plenty of cost and convenience barriers to expanding the use of local foods in schools here. But there have been some successful efforts around the state. And a number of states have worked on a larger scale to ensure local products reach schools.
Environmental groups and others say they will push the Legislature to authorize more efforts. Mo McBroom of the Washington Environmental Council noted, "This is something that people care about, that parents care about, that the governor cares about, that farmers care about. Why are we behind on this?"
Fresh fruits and vegetables cost more than many products. And schools don't have enough money as it is. But the state should build strong farm-school connections. Among groups that can benefit more from healthier nutrition, the students of Washington are surely at the top of list.


text:
India has been making significant strides toward renewable energy in recent years, with a focus on solar energy. The country has set ambitious targets to increase its solar energy capacity and has been taking various steps to achieve them. In line with this, India is expected to become the world’s second-largest solar manufacturer by 2026.
Buy Prime Test Series for all Banking, SSC, Insurance & other exams
India: Second-largest solar manufacturing country in the world:
According to a report by the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), India is poised to become the second-largest solar manufacturing country in the world by 2026, overtaking Japan and trailing only China. The report states that India’s solar manufacturing capacity is expected to increase from 10 GW in 2020 to 50 GW by 2030. This increase in capacity is expected to create around 3 lakh (300,000) direct jobs and 9 lakh (900,000) indirect jobs.
Government’s efforts: India’s solar manufacturing industry:
India’s solar manufacturing industry has received a boost due to the government’s focus on renewable energy and initiatives like the National Solar Mission. The government has also introduced various policies and schemes to promote domestic solar manufacturing, such as the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. Under this scheme, the government has earmarked a budget of Rs 4,500 crore ($600 million) for the solar PV segment, which is expected to create manufacturing capacity of 10 GW.
Several Indian companies have also been investing in solar manufacturing. Adani Solar, for example, has set up a 1.2 GW solar cell and module manufacturing facility in Gujarat. Tata Power Solar has a manufacturing unit with a capacity of 1.1 GW in Bangalore, while Waaree Energies has a capacity of 2 GW spread across three facilities in Maharashtra and Gujarat. These companies, along with others, are expected to increase their capacity in the coming years.
Global demand for renewable energy:
India’s solar manufacturing industry has also received a boost due to the global demand for renewable energy. As countries around the world are looking to shift towards clean energy, the demand for solar panels and other solar equipment is expected to increase. This presents an opportunity for Indian manufacturers to tap into the global market.
In conclusion, India’s solar manufacturing industry is expected to grow significantly in the coming years, with the country poised to become the world’s second-largest solar manufacturer by 2026. The government’s focus on renewable energy, initiatives like the PLI scheme, and the global demand for solar equipment are expected to drive this growth. The growth of the industry is also expected to create jobs and contribute to the country’s economic development.
You may also read this:
Find More National News Here


text:
Matthew Panzarino was Managing Editor at TNW. He's no longer with the company, but you can follow him on Twitter. Matthew Panzarino was Managing Editor at TNW. He's no longer with the company, but you can follow him on Twitter.
Apple has brought the classic Final Cut Studio product back and is selling it for $999, $899 for education customers, reports Macrumors. This is likely in response to the lackluster reception that most pros gave Final Cut Pro X, a drastically altered version of the popular editing application for Mac.
Apple provided confirmation via an Apple sales representative on the phone that Final Cut Studio, which is a suite of products that include Final Cut Pro 7, Motion 4, Soundtrack Pro 3, DVD Studio Pro 4, Color 1.5 and Compressor 3.5. The Final Cut Studio product had been discontinued completely when the new version was announced.
According to the representative, Final Cut Studio is not available through any of the Apple Retail Stores or the online store, only over the phone.
After Apple revealed the new Final Cut Pro X in April, it became a hot topic for many, especially in light of the fact that Apple annoucned that it was going to discontinue sales of the older version of Final Cut as well. The new design and aggressive break with the past of Final Cut led to many customers leaving 1-star ratings and lengthy negative reviews on the Mac App Store – it even got blasted by Conan O’Brien.
Apple responded to the criticism by offering refunds for the software and producing a Q&A section addressing some issues that people were having with the transition.
After an initial backlash, many came to the defense of the product, including former Final Cut team member and Posterous founder Sachin Agarwal, who said that Apple was just continuing its history of producing a first rate alternative video editor that broke with common tropes. “FCPX isn’t defined by a feature chart. It’s not trying to do more than its competitors, it’s doing it better,” Agarwal said, “and once again, Final Cut Pro stands on its own. And once again, Final Cut Pro will expand the market of video editors out there, and I’ll be one of them.”
Bringing back Final Cut Studio makes some sense as it should act as a pressure valve that may release some tension from old-school editors looking to outfit enw machines with software that they are comfortable with. Offering it only by phone strikes me as a nice compromise because it keeps it out of the major fairway of video editing software purchasers. This ensures that Final Cut Pro X will remain Apple’s default recommendation to the video editors of tomorrow, and that its aggressive vision for the future of video editing remains on course.
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.


text:
Tuesday, October 08, 2002
Oakland Businesses Reeling from Poor Economy, Spent Loan Refund Checks
Business in Oakland was booming in September.
A dominant part of the population returned for the fall semester at the University of Pittsburgh and other local colleges. But the return of the students also signals a rise in the Oakland economy because they actually have money to spend as their lenders hand over a semester’s worth of funds for living expenses.
“It’s just amazing,” said Janet Connolly, manager at Starbucks Coffee at the corner of Atwood and Forbes Avenue. “Money that is supposed to be used for rent and food for an entire four months is spent on frivolous purchases in under seven days – I love that time of year!”
Merchants reported a rise in sales of coffee, cases of beer, Dr. Martens shoes and boots, Diesel jeans, used CDs and DVDs, and other “exorbitant amounts of crapola,” as one business owner said.
As September progressed, funds ran low, and the out-of-control spending was curbed as students ran out of available cash. Now, business owners are trying to find innovative ways to lure kids back into their shops.
Businesses will be conducting promotional events during the middle of October as the slump continues, including “We accept purchases made entirely with assorted change” and “A case of beer is like buying 36 quarter drafts – and at the same price.”


text:
ResearchMoz.us includes new market research report " The Wearable Technology Ecosystem Market 2014-2020: Global Market Size, Shares, Growth, Analysis, Trends And Forecast" to its huge collection of research reports.
Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/10/2015 -- While wearable technology has been utilized in vertical sectors such as the military and healthcare for many years, ongoing advances have triggered a major resurgence of the concept, particularly among the consumer community.
Key enabling technologies including low cost sensors, wireless connectivity, active materials and energy have converged to make wearable technology mainstream. With the continued miniaturization of enabling technologies, wearable devices have hit the mass market in a diverse variety of form factors, ranging from glasses to even jewelry.
SNS Research estimates that by 2015, wearable devices shipments will surpass 90 Million and will account for nearly $20 Billion in revenue. The market is further expected to grow at a CAGR of nearly 40% over the next six years.
To Read the Complete Report with Toc Visit:
Driven by the ability to interconnect with key modern trends of healthcare, fitness, messaging and socialization, the wearable technology ecosystem is attracting significant levels of interest. Companies as varied as smartphone OEMs, wireless carriers, health insurers and retailers are circling the ecosystem alongside tiny startups, all vying for a stake.
Click Here To Download The sample Copy Of This Report:
The "Wearable Technology Ecosystem: 2014 – 2020 – Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies, Industry Verticals & Forecasts" report presents an in-depth assessment of the wearable technology ecosystem including key market drivers, challenges, investment potential, consumer & vertical market opportunities, use cases, future roadmap, value chain, case studies, vendor market share and strategies. The report also presents forecasts for wearable device shipments and revenue from 2014 through to 2020. The forecasts are further segmented for 7 device form factor submarkets, 6 vertical markets, 6 regions and 73 countries.
By 2015, wearable device OEMs will pocket nearly $20 Billion from device shipment revenues
Wearable device shipments are further expected to grow at a CAGR of nearly 40% over the next 6 years, eventually accounting for 340 Million device shipments by the end of 2020
Wireless carriers are increasingly integrating wearable devices within their M2M and IoT strategies
Wearable devices will help wireless carriers drive over $71 Billion in additional service revenue by the end of 2020, following a CAGR of 95% between 2014 and 2020
The wearable applications ecosystem will account for nearly $850 Million in revenue by the end of 2015
Driven by ongoing innovation and crowdfunding campaigns, SNS Research estimates that investors are expected to pour over $700 Million into wearable company startups in 2014
The market is ripe for acquisitions of pure-play wearable technology startups, as competition heats up between consumer and vertical centric OEMs
Nearly 50% of all wearable devices shipped in 2020 will support embedded cellular connectivity. This represents a $1.1 Billion opportunity for wireless chipset suppliers
Browse Report: http://www.researchmoz.us/the-wearable-technology-ecosystem-2014-2020-opportunities-challenges-strategies-industry-verticals-and-forecasts-report.html
Key Questions Answered:
How big is the wearable technology ecosystem?
How is the ecosystem evolving by segment and region?
What will the market size be in 2020 and at what rate will it grow?
What trends, challenges and barriers are influencing its growth?
Who are the key wearable device vendors and what are their strategies?
How much are vertical enterprises investing in wearable devices?
What opportunities exist for wireless chipset suppliers in the wearable technology ecosystem?
How can wireless carriers capitalize on the growing popularity of smart glasses and other wearable devices?
Which countries, regions and verticals will see the highest percentage of wearable device shipments?
How big is the wearable applications ecosystem?
More Sources for the similar report:
ResearchMoz ( http://www.researchmoz.us/ ) is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. We provide the market context, competitor insight and future trends needed for strategic planning.
For More Information Kindly Contact:
Toll Free: 866-997-4948


text:
It’s the law of nature for things to meet their end once their purpose has been fulfilled. It’s the same with gaming consoles. Remember when PlayStation 1 was the hottest thing in 1998? It gave way to awesome and revolutionary games like Tekken 3, Spyro the Dragon, and Silent the Hill. Then came PS2 and introduced Shadow of Colossus to the word.
Now, the latest PlayStation console, PS4 is entering its ‘final phase’ as told by the new CEO John Kodera. Industry experts advise that this is not really the end of PS4 nor is it a hint for the imminent release of ps5. There are speculations that the next iteration of PlayStation will be released around 2021, which will possibly have the firepower to render ridiculously real looking graphics through Unreal Engine 4.
PS4 has a long roster of great games with breathtaking graphics and highly entertaining gameplay. Upcoming games like ‘Death Stranding’ and ‘Days Gone’ suggest that the black and sleek console has matured like a fine wine. These games specked with tons of details in physics and graphics will prove to be a stepping stone to PS5, which will continue from PS4’s limitations.
On their future plans, John Kodera explained, “the next three years (will be) to prepare the next step, to crouch down so that we can jump higher in the future”.
More than 75 million consoles have been sold since its release. Sony will keep making profits but sales have mellowed, falling from 20 million units last year to 19 million units this year.


text:
Whenever you go to a conference, whether as a sales and marketing exercise, or an executive is speaking, there is a cost associated with that. For the former, it involves the cost of space and a booth plus hotels, travel and meals for employees staffing the booth. For executives, it is time away from the office, the cost of a ticket for attending and travel costs. How do companies justify the cost of attending those events?
Up until now, it was pretty hard to do, but Sproxxy, an early-stage company, is looking to change that by creating a platform to manage conference-related activities, while helping customers understand the ROI of going to these events. Today the startup officially launched after raising $1.1 million to get the company off the ground.
Melanie Samba, the founder and CEO at Sproxxy, was 20 years into her career in marketing and communications, managing 12 executives, who were attending a total of 80 conferences a year, and managing it all in Excel spreadsheets. She wasn’t looking to start a software company, but she had an epiphany of sorts that there had to be a better way to handle this information, and she would later launch Sproxxy to build the platform she envisioned.
“We’re positioned as a conference intelligence platform. And what we’re doing is quantifying conference activity. So we help brands prove the business impact of them participating at conferences and knowing the ROI or value of speaking, sponsoring and attending an industry event,” Samba told TechCrunch.
She says that can involve pre-planning, including finding the right conferences to attend, cross-department collaboration to coordinate around attending and post-conference analysis, which involves figuring out if it was worth the cost in time and resources to attend. She says at the end of the day, the company is focused on providing data, analytics and insight about what the company gained (or didn’t) by attending.
After she came up with the idea, Samba hired a company to build the initial version of the software, and was able to sell her first license to an agency managing 60 clients on the platform. Last year, she decided it was time to bring development in-house, and rebuild the product. Today, she has a team of three engineers and a product manager.
She says there seems to be a demand, with a pipeline of 1,200 companies she is working her way through and hoping to onboard onto the platform. The target market is midsize businesses to enterprises looking for a way to manage this process.
She said as a solo Black woman founder, who is also the mother of a young child, she worried about the fundraising process. She had good reason to be. Black founders, regardless of gender, raised less than 1% of all the venture money invested in 2023. She said the challenge was getting into the room and helping investors understand the value of the product.
She eventually found Ivy Ventures, a firm that invested a modest $600,000 to get Sproxxy off the ground. The remaining $500,000 came from industry angels and Techstars. Samba’s goal is to raise a total of $1.8 million and she is on her way to that goal, while discussing the remaining money with investors, including Ivy, to fill out the round.


text:
To stay in the loop with the latest features, news and interviews from the creative community around licensing, sign up to our weekly newsletter here
Other flavours joining the expanded range includes Cherry Cola Bottle, Wham Rocket, Refreshers and Mini Poppets.
Iceland’s Barratt ice cream range is expanding.
New flavours joining the line-up includes Dolly Mix, Cherry Cola Bottle, Giant Strawberries, Wham Rocket, Milk Teeth and Refreshers, as well as two flavours of Mini Poppets ice cream bites.
With over 3.4 million units of ice cream sold in 2021, the success of the Barratt and Iceland range – a collaboration put together by The Point.1888 – is enabling the Barratt brand to expand into further new categories, including cheesecakes.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to announce a further eight SKUs to the Iceland’s Barratt range,” said Bethan Garton, CCO at The Point.1888.
“The range has gone from strength to strength over the past two years as consumers demand more products that highlight the iconic and fun flavours of Barratt sweets. Iceland have been the perfect partner for the Barratt by working collaboratively to deliver truly innovative product.”
Andrew Staniland, Trading Director at Iceland, added: “We love to bring people together and create memories over good food, and what better way than sharing a delicious, cool treat with your family in time for Aprils forecasted heatwave.”
Enter your details to receive Brands Untapped updates & news.


text:
- For years, the rattle of the shaker and ice crunching, laughter among friends has been part of bartenders’ lives. But the Covid-19 pandemic has changed it all.
- Redempta Muluka, a trainer with Diageo Bartenders Academy says “there is no sugar‐coating the severity of how the pub industry has been hit.”
- Ms Muluka had just started to train bartenders last month on how to up their game.
Bartenders have found themselves in unchartered territories.
For years, the rattle of the shaker and ice crunching, laughter among friends has been part of bartenders’ lives. But the Covid-19 pandemic has changed it all.
Redempta Muluka, a trainer with Diageo Bartenders Academy says “there is no sugar‐coating the severity of how the pub industry has been hit.”
Ms Muluka had just started to train bartenders last month on how to up their game.
“All was going well, things were getting back to normal then the lockdown happened last week,” says Ms Muluka who won a mixologist award in 2019.
She is also a sommelier and barista.
With bars closed she says bartenders can still utilise their skills at home. Some are making cocktails at home and delivering to people’s houses or offices.
“It’s not just drinks that are being delivered, it is also the way they are being packaged,” she says.
Watson Waiyaki, KBL Channel Manager On Trade says bartenders will be instrumental in giving consumers the confidence to go back to the bars, giving a boost to the hospitality industry.
“They will enhance their skills through the bar academy training we are running. Bars will eventually be opened. The skills and knowledge impacted will be applicable once bars reopen and this will ensure great service to patrons,” he added.
Joel Kamau, Kenya Breweries Limited commercial director says the Diageo Bartenders Academy aims to train 10,000 bartenders over the next four months.
“The idea is to sharpen the skills of bartenders in Kenya as well as raise the profile of the art form of bar service. Eventually, we hope this will improve the experience of our in-bar consumers in Kenya,” he said.
The launch coincided with World Bartenders Day, which was marked in Nairobi, Mombasa, Thika, Kisumu and Nakuru.
“Our consumer’s taste and needs are evolving every day. While building these amazing people skills, we are also giving back to the communities that we work in and watching bartenders develop their careers here in Kenya,” he said.
In the first module, bartenders are required to attend a one-day training workshop where they learn about customer service, the art of bartending, tools of the trade, bartender secrets, drink categories, spirit production, brand knowledge, perfect serves, counterfeit spotting, up-selling and, importantly, responsible serving.
“This programme will empower bartenders so that they can be employable and be entrepreneurs,” Mr Kamau said.


text:
Many PC gamers will be happy to know that Days Gone will be coming to the PC this spring, especially after how well Horizon Zero Dawn did with its launch. The news was broken over Twitter by the creators Bend Studio themselves.
Not only that, but Jim Ryan also teased in an interview with GQ that more exclusives will be making their way to the PC soon, starting with Days Gone. More details are yet to be revealed, however.
Honestly, I think this is excellent news as I thoroughly enjoyed Days Gone, and whilst it had a slow start, the characters ultimately made me fall deeply in love with the game’s world.


text:
Wright said they might eventually develop the website further, but the focus for now is on mobile, since that’s the platform Internet users are migrating toward, particularly the younger bachelors and bachelorettes among us.
Since its launch in early September, the app has been downloaded roughly 1,000 times but Wright said he’s aiming for 100,000-plus downloads by the end of 2016 and as many as one million over the next three years.
Right now, Suited is free to download with an optional in-app upgrade for .99.
However, Wright said, he eventually wants to make the app completely free for users and generate revenue through in-app ad space instead.
has some great services for Windsor singles looking for a longer term relationship.We believe you deserve to find love - true love that comes with a lasting relationship.Because of this, we are committed to assisting singles in Windsor, NS in their search to find love and romantic fulfillment.Test drive our Windsor Chat room with one of the best online communities for the Windsor single person.Also, keep in mind that we have a huge member base of Windsor singles and that we also cater to members of the many backgrounds.
Meet thousands of Windsor singles through one of the best Windsor online dating sites.


text:
On the heels of its biggest area development agreement in the company’s history, Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii is announcing new franchisee partners in Arizona and Nevada, as well as an additional store in Florida and the first in Alabama with existing franchisee Beach Coffee Headquarters, LLC. Initially, the three deals will bring six additional stores to the Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii ‘Ohana, with options in each agreement to open additional units.
Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii is expanding in the greater Phoenix, Ariz. area with new franchisee Brian McAllister who will open the company’s first location in Scottsdale. McAllister’s upcoming store will join an existing Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii location in Tolleson, as well as one planned for a December opening in downtown Phoenix. Additional locations in Gilbert, Mesa and Chandler, Ariz. are scheduled to open in the future.
Zar Zanganeh and Tony Gushanas will bring Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii to Nevada with two initial units planned for Las Vegas and Henderson. The Las Vegas opening is slated for early 2022.
Record growth in 2021 prompted Beach Coffee Headquarters, LLC – which joined Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii in 2018 with locations in Miramar Beach and Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., then added a third store in Perdido Key, Fla. in 2019 – to expand its Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii footprint with two additional stores. A Pensacola Beach location, which will be the only free-standing coffee shop on the Key, will join the LLC’s three Florida stores, while the second new unit will be in Orange Beach, Ala., bringing the brand into that state. Both stores are expected to open in early 2022.
“There is no greater validation to the brand relaunch strategy and execution that we’re committed to with the Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii brand than having an existing franchisee double-down on their investment,” said Scott Snyder, CEO for Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii. “Our leadership team will always operate from a franchise-first mentality and this expansion in the Panhandle reinforces that we’re making a difference in the success of our franchisees.”
Beach Coffee Headquarters owner Kathi Hammac echoes this fact saying, “The new Royal Aloha Franchise Company ownership has brought renewed energy, a clear vision, enhanced marketing and an experienced, supportive team that have made a difference in my business.”
Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii stores differentiate themselves with a 32-year-old revived brand and cult following, the largest selection of 100% Hawaiian Coffees and other international blends, a new innovative food menu with a Hawaiian twist, branded Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii merchandise and a unique “Hawaiiana” in-store experience that’s full of Aloha Spirit.
With the announcement of the Arizona, Nevada and Florida franchise agreements, Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii has taken another step toward meeting its goal of opening 150 stores in five years. The company now has commitments to open 45 new franchise locations with more pending approval. As Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii continues its national franchise expansion, it is seeking qualified, experienced and passionate franchisees and multi-unit franchise operators to develop the break-out concept in select geographic markets.


text:
Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar welcomes children until 8: 00 PM but is restricted to Guests 21 and over thereafter. Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar Saturday September 1, 2018 OS Christmas event may refer to: 2001 Christmas event 2002 Christmas event No event in 2003 2004 Christmas event 2005 Christmas event 2006 Christmas event 2007 Christmas event 2008 Christmas event.
Christmas event | RuneScape Wiki | FANDOM powered by Wikia 2018 marks the 5 th anniversary of the release of Old School RuneScape. The following is an archive of news and updates from 2018, which are copied verbatim from the Old School RuneScape website. Updates in bold indicate game updates. In the 2018 Easter event, players must help the Easter Bunny with yet another egg-related travesty. A player can start this event south of Falador 's southern entrance. The holiday event icon displays the location of the event on the world map and minimap.
Runewiki 2018 christmas Runescape Christmas Event event news up to August 2018 To find out about the latest Runescape Christmas Event rumors and news, see reports below. When is the next Runescape Christmas Event event? The R2DA Christmas Event 2017 was the third R2DA Event which had celebrated Christmas.
This could be considered the largest event ever added to a Reason 2 Die series, due to amount of returning and new content added. Christmas Rares Santa's elves have come to Burthorpe bearing sacks of presents for everyone in RuneScape. They'll be dishing out parcels of Christmas joy in a two-week raffle - including a limited number of brand-new rares. Christmas is a Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated every year on December 25 with the exception of some Eastern churches which use the older Julian calendar.
Nowadays Christmas is also celebrated by a large number. Frostworld | Christmas Quest Part 1. Revisit Christmas events past in Frostworld, this year's holiday quest. Play the first part today, and look out for the finale later in the month.
20 August 2018 Elite Dungeons - Dragonkin Laboratory 13 August 2018 Master Skillcape Perks 06 August 2018 Clan Improvements | The Beach 30 July 2018 Patch. - We've reached one million likes over on the RuneScape Facebook page. To celebrate we've awarded everybody - free players and members alike - with a unique Book of. Do not break Jagex/RuneScape T& C: Do not submit posts that break, or promote breaking the RuneScape Terms and Conditions or the Rules of RuneScape.
Content must be RuneScape related. π Rendered by PID 7178 Runewiki 2018 christmas app-724 at 2018-09-03 running. On 17 July 2017, Jagex announced a mobile port of Old School Runescape, which is set for release in 2018.
DarkScape. On 16 September 2015 Jagex released DarkScape. Halloween and Christmas, Jagex hosts a holiday event in a specific location in Gielinor. OS Christmas event may refer to: 2001 Christmas event 2002 Christmas event No event in 2003 2004 Christmas event 2005 Christmas event 2006 Christmas. The 2017 Christmas event is a four-part event released on 11 December 2017.
After the events of November, Santa's favourite toy - the clockwork gnome - has. Christmas Advent Calendar may refer to: Christmas Advent Calendar (2015) Christmas Advent Calendar (2016). Summer Beach Party (2018) RuneScape Wiki. Christmas lootbeam token is an item that can be obtained as a possible reward by opening an event mystery box or big.
Claiming the token unlocks the Christmas loot beam, destroying the token. Gaming-Vorschau: Juli& August 2018. [view] • [talk] The 2018 Winter event is the sequel to the 2017 Winter event in which players can kill three wolves found in the Fremennik Province: Hati, Sköll. Christmas Advent Calendar is a Treasure Hunter promotion running from 1. have missed during December up until the first update of 2018 on 8 January 2018. For events hosted by the RuneScape Wiki, see RuneScape: Events Team.
April Fools, Easter, Hallowe'en, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Winter, Promotions, Other. Spring Fayre (2018), Account Security Week, Summer Beach Party (2018).
[view] • [talk] The energy rift was part of the 2017 Christmas event. Located in the northwest corner of the Grand Exchange, it could be channeled to receive.


text:
Tablet devices and smart phones are hot gadgets today – for both personal and business users. For business IT, tablets and smart phones offer great opportunities, as well as challenges.
Just check out this figure: Enterprise applications market will grow 4.5% from last year – the market size: $120.4 billion. Furthermore, in an enterprise network, mobile devices will be twice as many as traditional computers. For enterprises which are slow in adopting mobile technology, the rapid growth of everything mobile means that they have to step up in their technology integration – or else, they will miss a big slice of a growing market pie.
This infographic by ClickSoftware shows you some important figures to let you know how promising – and terrifying – the mobile market is:


text:
By Todd Cohen
[Note: This was written for Stop Hunger Now.]
Third-party-logistics (3PL) providers are piloting an innovative warehousing and corporate-social-responsibility partnership with an international relief agency to help address the global hunger epidemic.
3PL providers in Indianapolis and Pittsburgh have taken on warehouse functions that Stop Hunger Now previously handled, giving the Raleigh, N.C.-based relief agency’s local staff in those cities more time to develop partnerships with local organizations and volunteers that will get more food to hungry people throughout the world.
“It is our way of giving back,” says Tim Siddiq, president and CEO of Indianapolis-based Merchandise Warehouse. “We see logistics being key to ending hunger worldwide. And being in the logistics business, it made sense to us to put together a network of public warehouses that would donate space.”
Throughout the world, 795 million people do not have enough to eat. Every night, one in nine people on the planet goes to bed hungry.
To help address that crisis, Stop Hunger Now has distributed over 200 million meals to feed hungry people in 51 countries since it launched its meal-packaging program in December 2005.
The meals were packaged by 650,000 volunteers from corporations, churches, schools and civic groups at 8,387 meal-packaging events in 19 U.S. cities in which Stop Hunger Now operates meal-packaging locations, and at locations in South Africa, Malaysia, the Philippines, Italy and India.
And warehousing is central to that effort.
How meal-packaging works
A meal-packaging event is a volunteer-based, assembly-line production process that typically is hosted by a local organization that provides volunteers and partners with Stop Hunger Now through a mobile operation that delivers ingredients and supplies.
In just under two hours, a group of 50 volunteers can package 10,000 nutrient-rich meals for the undernourished globally. The assembly process combines rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables and a flavoring mix that includes 23 essential vitamins and minerals into small meal packages.
During the event, volunteers work in teams. They set up the packaging stations and equipment. At the first station in the assembly line, volunteers mix four meal ingredients through a funnel into a specially designed bag. The bag then is carried to the next station, where it is weighed and heat-sealed shut. The sealed bag is brought to the next station, where bags are counted and packaged into boxes that are labeled to indicate the package date and “best-used-by” date of the meals. Then the volunteers take down the packaging stations and equipment.
At the end of the event, Stop Hunger Now transports the packaged meals back to its warehouse to await shipment abroad. It distributes meals through feeding programs operated by partner organizations in developing countries that promote education, encourage children to attend school, improve students’ health and nutrition, address gender inequalities, stimulate economic growth, and fight child labor, and are part of the movement to address global issues.
Warehousing to end hunger
In each community in which it operates, Stop Hunger Now leases warehouse space totaling 5,000 square feet to 12,000 square feet, depending on the size of the market.
Through those leases, which typically run for two years to five years, Stop Hunger Now maintains complete control of the operations.
At each warehouse space it leases, Stop Hunger Now receives the raw materials it needs for meal-packaging events, including the ingredients for each meal, plastic bags in which the meals are packaged, boxes in which packaged meals are stored, and packaging equipment that includes rubber bins, funnels, scoops and cups.
Stop Hunger Now either rents or owns a truck in each market. At its leased warehouse space, its staff loads the truck with materials needed for a meal-packaging event, and drives the truck to the site of the event.
Volunteers unload the truck and then, after the event, load the truck with the packaged meals. Staff drive the truck back to the warehouse, and unload the meals at the warehouse, where they remain until they are shipped overseas.
At each warehouse, Stop Hunger Now needs to accumulate 285,120 packaged meals – enough for the 20 pallets to fill a shipping container – before it makes a shipment overseas.
And its costs are fixed: It must pay the cost of each of its monthly leases whether it packages 1,000 meals or one million meals at a particular location.
Partnering with Merchandise Warehouse and Catch-Up Logistics in Pittsburgh, Stop Hunger Now is testing a new model for its warehouse operations.
In Indianapolis, where Merchandise Warehouse is based and operates both a 400,000-square-foot warehouse and a 175,000-squarefoot warehouse, the company has taken on responsibility for all of Stop Hunger Now’s warehousing needs.
It receives the raw materials and packaging materials Stop Hunger Now needs, stores them in one of its warehouses, maintains the inventory of raw materials and packaging materials in its computer system, pulls ingredients and packaging materials when a Stop Hunger Now partner is hosting a meal-packaging event, loads the Stop Hunger Now truck for the event, unloads the truck after the event, maintains the inventory of packaged meals, and loads containers for meals to be shipped overseas.
While many third-party-warehouse providers include transportation in their services, Stop Hunger Now wants to control its own transportation to and from packaging events. Its business model depends on volunteers to load and unload its trucks at meal packaging events, and the window of opportunity for doing that is about 20 minutes.
In contrast, the estimated period of time during which many transportation providers say they will deliver a truck to a meal-packaging site is much longer, making it impractical for Stop Hunger Now to depend on transportation providers for transporting materials to the packaging sites. Merchandise Warehouse does not include transportation in its services.
The third-party model is expected to reduce the warehousing duties for Stop Hunger Now’s local staff, giving them more time to develop new partnerships that will package more meals for people in need throughout the world.
“This new model enables our staff to focus on what we do best – facilitating great meal-packaging events for volunteers and distributing meals effectively to end hunger, while letting experts handle the logistics, which are not our core competency,” says Rod Brooks, president and CEO of Stop Hunger Now.
Mickey Horner, director of expansion and program innovation for Stop Hunger Now, says that moving to the new 3PL model could save the organization as much as half its operating costs, allowing the organization to provide more aid, increase monitoring and evaluation, and invest in sustainable community-development projects in developing countries.
One key to those savings will be the shift from a fixed-cost warehouse model to a variable-cost model. So Stop Hunger Now will pay for warehouse space and labor only when it actually is storing inventory in the warehouse.
The third-party model also is expected to reduce by 25 percent to 35 percent the time that local Stop Hunger Now staff spend on warehousing functions.
“By partnering with warehousing and logistics experts, we can spend more time developing more partnerships to package more meals for people in need,” Horner says.
Benefits of third-party model
For Siddiq at Merchandise Warehouse, partnering with Stop Hunger Now was an easy decision.
“Everybody has the food we need,” says Siddiq, whose father was Afghan and who was born and lived in the country until he was seven years old. “It’s something we take for granted. I grew up in Afghanistan. I saw hunger first-hand as a kid.”
The partnership with Stop Hunger Now also represents a way for Merchandise Warehouse to be a responsible corporate citizen, says Siddiq, whose maternal grandfather founded the privately held company in 1951.
Because it is an accredited food-handling warehouse with third-party inspection and accreditation, Merchandise Warehouse also provides food-grade services that meet or exceed regulation and compliance requirements of governing bodies to operate a food warehouse, says Scott Whiting, vice president and general manager for Merchandise Warehouse.
“Those services are not always easily achievable under a lease,” he says. “That’s another level of service Stop Hunger Now does not have to worry about.”
Merchandise Warehouse also has agreed to contribute up to $50,000 in in-kind services to Stop Hunger Now, including office space in its warehouse for Stop Hunger Now’s local employee, and has allowed Stop Hunger Now to install a sanitation system in its warehouse. The system includes a three-bay sink and a dishwasher Stop Hunger Now can use to clean meal-packaging equipment after it is returned to the warehouse from meal-packaging events.
Future of third-party model
Based on a logistical network analysis of its third-party warehouse model that Stop Hunger Now is developing with consultants, it will decide whether to shift to that model in other U.S. communities in which it operates when its warehouse leases in those communities expire.
It also will consider the third-party model when it expands to new communities. The Stop Hunger Now board of directors, for example, has approved expansion to the New York metro area.
“Our long-term goal is to have greater efficiency in logistics, and we’ll need additional 3PL partners to make that happen,” Horner says.
Whiting says Merchandise Warehouse aims to work with its peers in other cities to build a network of third-party operators “to be able to ship food to all over the world where it’s needed.”


text:
febi UK, a leading manufacturer and supplier of car parts, has installed MAM’s Automate data tool to improve the administration of its catalogue data.
febi bilstein is one of the world’s leading global manufacturers and suppliers of passenger car and commercial vehicle spare parts. Products range from steering, engine, braking, chassis and wheel fastening technology to vehicle electronics and rubber metal.
Incorporating MAM’s unique Makes and Models Index (MMI), Automate will enable febi UK to update its data on a daily basis, developing a consistent structure which will improve catalogue matching and increase customer confidence. Automate will verify febi UK’s data, produce reject reports and perform gap analysis.
“Matching our data against MAM Software’s UK specific MMI ensures that our customers are quickly brought to the right part” said Paul Dodgson, Head of Commercial Operations at febi UK. “The user can highlight those parts that specifically match the make and models identified by the VRM, and thereby avoid the need to search through a long list of options.”
“We are pleased that febi UK identifies the importance of accurately maintained catalogue data” said MAM Software’s Ian Penny. “Our Makes and Models Index will allow febi to reference their catalogue data against the most comprehensive, accurate database of UK-specific vehicles available. This will result in fewer errors, reducing returns and increasing customer confidence.”


text:
Most people refer to the day after Thanksgiving as Black Friday for the start of the Christmas shopping season, but since 2008, it has also marked the National Day of Listening. StoryCorps, a nonprofit oral history organization, started the Day of Listening as an opportunity to preserve records of various life experiences.
The third annual Lineboro 4-H Holiday Bazaar will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 26 at the Lineboro Fire Hall. Begin, or continue, your holiday shopping with the approximately 40 crafters and vendors that will be attending the event.
It has evolved into the biggest single day for sales in the holiday season for some independent businesses, and one of the biggest days for others. Increased shopper traffic – much of it generated by publicity from the giant credit card issuer and by community and business associations -- pays off in other ways too. It attracts new customers who otherwise wouldn't think to patronize smaller shops and reminds residents about locally owned shops in their own backyards.
This year's Black Friday, I got a late start and didn't get to Best Buy until 5:58 a.m. I expected to see a line that stretched halfway to Cleveland but instead found two police cars in front of the store with no aspiring shoppers in sight. My first thought was that someone was killed in a stampede.
Downtown Bel Air was bustling with holiday shoppers Saturday as people took advantage of post-Thanksgiving deals and made an effort to patronize independently-owned businesses for Small Business Saturday.
A local bike shop and a national outdoor gear chain proudly and defiantly closed their doors on one of the year's busiest shopping days, gambling that consumers have grown weary of Black Friday and would embrace a new tradition involving hiking, biking and "civility."
Businesses were working hard to get customers to their stores, at a time when Black Friday gets diluted by online shopping, new "holidays" like Small Business Saturday and more scattered opening times.
Black Friday isn't what it once was. The day after Thanksgiving, once considered the champion of shopping days, is no longer the first day of holiday buying or always the biggest. And it's far from the only time to pounce on rock-bottom deals. Discounts now start earlier. The biggest chains open on Thanksgiving. Shoppers have learned they can count on last-minute price cuts. And online shopping has made the day less relevant.
A holiday centered on one of the year's biggest home-cooked meals has a lot of professional chefs in overdrive. While Mother's Day remains the busiest day out there for many restaurants, Thanksgiving, for a growing number, is coming in a close second or third.
During the next week, millions of Americans will begin that trip over the hills and through the woods to grandmother's house to celebrate Thanksgiving. Instead of the horse-drawn sleigh in the popular holiday song, it's planes, trains and automobiles that are taking people all across the country to see loved ones.
More Americans are expected to travel 50 miles or more this Thanksgiving than have since 2007, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic. That includes about 1 million Marylanders, the agency said. For many Carroll residents, that means finalizing their travel plans this week.
After a lackluster Black Friday weekend — spending fell 11 percent from Thanksgiving through Sunday, according to the National Retail Federation — some big retailers were under more pressure to have a sales blowout.
Early holiday promotions and rising online shopping took a toll on in-store U.S. sales during the Thanksgiving weekend as shoppers on average spent 6.4 percent less than they did a year earlier, according to data released Sunday by an industry group.
Many shoppers out in Harford County on Friday, typically the biggest shopping day of the year, said Black Friday seems a little more laid-back as more stores push back their openings to Thanksgiving night or even afternoon.


text:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thursday said the indian economy is well on the path of recovery even though inflationary pressures and geopolitical risks warrant careful handling and close monitoring of the situation.
The upturn was fueled by an expansion in services activity and a robust growth in core infrastructure industries. However, an unprecedented rise in input prices, due in part to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and persistent demand-supply imbalances, may spoil sentiment going forward.
India is expecting 7.5% growth, which will make it the fastest growing major economy, PM Narendra Modi said at a virtual Brics business forum hosted by China. "In order to deal with the economic problems arising out of the pandemic, we have adopted the mantra of reform, perform and transform. And the results of this approach are evident from the performance of the indian economy," he said.
The slowing economic growth is here to stay in India. The government, in its latest Monthly Economic Review (MER May 2022), said on Monday that India’s economy is expected to witness slowing growth but emphasised that it would be still higher than the other emerging market economies.
India is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world and it is expected to reach USD 30 trillion in the coming 30 years, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said here on Sunday. If India grows at 8 per cent every year on a compounded annual growth basis, the economy will double in about nine years, he said.
Under the survey, outstation bus operators have been classified into two categories. Unorganised and Organised. Currently, the private bus operators’ market has over 26,000 operators and is largely fragmented. Out of this, Organised bus operators (private and large) operate only 10,000 buses and hold 5 per cent of the market share. While the unorganised bus operators hold the majority of 60-65 per cent market share with over 195,000 buses.
With Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran citing the IMF forecast that the indian economy would cross $5 trillion by 2026-27, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday said the goal of a $5 trillion GDP appears to be a case of "shifting goalposts" as the original target year was 2023-24.
Reform measures taken by the government in the past eight years, like the removal of outdated laws, have furthered 'Ease of Doing Business' in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday. A graphic released with the tweet notes that India has become the fastest-growing economy in the world. GST collections surged to an all-time high of Rs 1.68 lakh crore in April 2022.
New Delhi: Fitch Ratings on Friday upped the outlook on India's sovereign rating to 'stable' from 'negative' after two years, citing diminishing downside risks to medium-term growth on rapid economic recovery. Fitch Ratings kept the rating unchanged at 'BBB-'."The Outlook revision reflects our view that downside risks to medium-term growth have diminished due to India's rapid economic recovery and easing financial sector weaknesses, despite near-term headwinds from the global commodity price shock," it said.
India’s guiding light should be becoming a $10 trillion economy by 2035, with states also setting high goals
The indian economy can grow by 7-7.8 per cent this fiscal on the back of better agriculture production and a revitalised rural economy amid global headwinds mainly due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, eminent economists said.
Growth is low, inflation is high and GoI is doing RBI’s job – potential recipe for crisis
While the consumer price inflation for the month of May, 2022 might come down by 10 bps, the full impact of these measures will be visible only in the later months. Under current circumstances, domestic consumer price inflation is expected to average at 6.5%-6.7% in FY23.
"We have lowered our calendar-year 2022 growth forecast for India to 8.8 per cent from our March forecast of 9.1 pr cent, while maintaining our 2023 growth forecasts at 5.4 per cent," Moody's said.


text:
Aspire Global takes on the mobile app industry with new platform, Karamba
Aspire Global has launched its new digital gaming platform that provides Canadian players with a huge collection of games on a more mobile-friendly interface.
Founded in 2005, Aspire Global is a leading provider of complete iGaming solutions for operators and white labels. Their aim is to provide “a truly comprehensive solution enabling online marketing companies to become successful iGaming operators”—and with the introduction of Karamba, the company hopes to expand its already impressive portfolio.
According toa recent study, the global online casino market is expected to grow at an incredible rate of 11% every year until 2020. The recent growth in mobile gaming has undoubtedly given an added boost to the ever-growing popularity of Canadian online casino usage, granting players access to their favourite mobile bookmakers, poker rooms and casinos whenever they are.
Karamba is arguablyone of the best online casinos where players from around the world can choose from a large collection of games—such astable games, slots, live dealer games and many more.
Built using HTML 5 technology, players don’t need to download and install any app on their device.Whatever device or OS yourun—be it Android, iOS, Windows 10, BlackBerry, or the less common Sailfish—with an internet-enabled smartphone you can visit ca.karamba.com to begin playing different games.
The Swedish stock-based white label companyare fully licensed in various countries in Europe such as Portugal, UK, Denmark, Sweden, Malta and Ireland—with ongoingplans to spread its coverage into other regions.
Karamba, the new iGaming platform, utilizes the latest technologicaladvancements on its platform, making it stand out among other online casinos in Canada.Underneath the hood is Evolution Gaming and NetEnt, the major tech providers. Their technology empowers players to access the online casino’s game by simply typing it out in the search bar of their mobile browser.
Karamba hasa more responsive, user-friendly, and mobile-friendly online casino platform, boasting of superior navigation features, and a host of new bonuses and promotions. This makes it a more interesting choice and a fun place to play online casino games.
The incorporation of HTML 5 into its platform means players don’t need to manually install plugins to enjoy the casino games. This makes Karamba accessible on multiple devices, be it desktops, smartphones, or tablets—all at maximum performance.
Due to the HTML 5 upgrade of Karamba, users are less reliant on having internet connection to access the online casino. By just simply downloading the app, users can access all part of Karamba—in what can be referred to as “the best of the online and offline casino in the world.”
Unlike most online casinos, Karamba is built as a native app, which is a better option from a responsive website and this has drastically improved loading times. The gaming platform now runs faster than ever before, making it one of the bestmobile casino apps available.
Asides from its impressive speed, it’s also much lighter, taking up less storage space while providing improved user experience.Those previously ugly-looking games have now been revamped into stunning imagery, thanks to its ability to run 3D animations. High-end games from NetEnt can now be enjoyed by everyone on the platform.
Additionally, the pay-out has increased drastically with some games reaching to millions of dollars. Games such as Jack and the Beanstalk, Starbust and Gonzo’s Quest, proves how immersive the gaming platform has become.
Securing your information when playing online is important and Karamba’s new HTML 5 design assures users that they’re not exposed to hackers. With no third-party intervention involved, it makes the entire online casino gaming experience very secure.


text:
In a bid to enhance their customer experience in India, LeEco has partnered with Amazon India to provide offers on its TV. Chinese internet and technology conglomerate LeEco on Tuesday announced an exclusive partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon to provide lucrative offers on its Super4 “ecotv” series. The Super4 series include Super4 X40, Super4 X43 Pro and Super4 X50 Pro models. LeEco on unveiled a new Super4 Series of TVs for the Indian market, on Friday, starting from Rs 46,990 on Amazon and company’s LeMall.com website.
LeEco Super 4 series of TV’s has X40 and X43 Pro highlighting sound certified by Dolby Dts, X50 Pro uses sound design by Harman Kardon. The LeEco Super4 X “ecotvs” boasts of 4K Panel with HDR10 and wide color gamut, top-notch processors along with high-speed web browsing, 3D gaming and multi app functions.
At launch, Super4 X40 was announced at Rs 46,990, Super4 X43 Pro at Rs 63,990 and Super4 X50 Pro will cost Rs 86,990. Now, in an exclusive promotional offer, company would be offering discounts on all the variants, exclusively on Amazon India.
After discounts, X40 will be available at a price of Rs 42,490, X43 Pro will cost Rs 57,490 and X50 Pro can be bought for a price of Rs 78,490 on Amazon India website. “As a customer-obsessed company, we are constantly looking at increasing our selection and ensuring that customers have a wonderful shopping experience with Amazon.in,” added Noor Patel, Director, Category Management, Amazon India.
(ALSO READ: Gionee A1 to launch in India today: Here’s how to watch live stream)
“We are confident that this winning partnership will help us reach consumers pan-India, who look forward to enjoying the perfectly evolved TV viewing experience,” said Alex Li, Group Vice President and COO, in a statement. “We are very grateful for the encouraging user response received so far to all our products. We are confident to win accolades from the Indian consumers and tech experts for the newly-launched models,” Li added.


text:
BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation today confirmed that it is providing financial support to Adventure Outdoors of Smyrna, Georgia in a lawsuit against New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other New York defendants for attempting to ensnare and defame the store in Bloomberg’s infamous 2006 gun shop “sting.”
SAF’s support was requested by attorney and former Georgia Congressman Bob Barr, now working at the Jasper, Georgia law offices of Edwin Marger, which represents Adventure Outdoors. SAF founder Alan M. Gottlieb said the foundation has sent a check to Marger, and promised to help bring public attention to the case.
“Bloomberg’s notorious enterprise against Adventure Outdoors and other gun retailers was, and remains, an outrage,” Gottlieb stated.
Adventure Outdoors was targeted by Bloomberg’s vigilante “sting” operation last year. In addition to suing Bloomberg, the company has filed a motion to dismiss the civil lawsuit filed by Bloomberg against the gun shop. Adventure Outdoors is one of several retail firearms dealers targeted by Bloomberg’s rogue operation. That multi-state “sting” has come under the scrutiny of the Department of Justice and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The Justice Department has declined to file criminal charges against any of the gun dealers targeted by Bloomberg, and has advised Bloomberg’s office that it could face “potential legal liabilities” if such sting operations continue. Earlier this year, W. Larry Ford, Assistant ATF Director for Public and Governmental Affairs, confirmed to SAF that the agency “is investigating the matter [Bloomberg’s stings] in order to determine if violations of federal firearms laws occurred.”
“Mayor Bloomberg and his henchmen had no legal authority to conduct their questionable operation,” Gottlieb noted. “These civil lawsuits amount to harassment through the courts. It’s an egregious abuse of perceived power by Bloomberg, and we’re only too happy to assist Bob Barr and his colleagues in an effort to stop Bloomberg’s demagoguery.”


text:
To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders
Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications
| Last updated
Drivers have been 'taken for fools' as petrol and diesel prices rise for the 38th day in a row, the AA has claimed.
With the cost of living hitting hard, the increased cost of fuel is proving to be an issue for many.
In fact, the British motoring company has revealed petrol is now at 191.2p a litre, while diesel is 199p.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: “Drivers are being taken for fools by retailers as the cost of fuel continues its worryingly upward trend.”
He continued: "With the Prime Minister and the Chancellor talking openly about the prospect of cutting fuel duty further, drivers need to hear less talk and see more action.
"An additional 10p cut in duty, which the AA called for weeks ago, will not only help ease the pressure at the pumps but keep prices in supermarket aisles down too.
"Until this happens, household budgets across the country will continue being squeezed."
The RAC has also dubbed the recent price rises 'inexplicable'.
“We can see absolutely no rhyme or reason why average forecourt prices are still going up, given that the wholesale price of both fuels has been falling for weeks,” said RAC fuel spokesperson Simon Williams.
“Drivers up and down the country have a right to know why they’re having to pay what they are for fuel, when the costs to retailers right now are so much less than they were a few weeks ago.”
James Andrews, personal finance expert at Money.co.uk, said: "Consumers are being hit from all sides but nowhere is this as obvious than at the pumps.
"Petrol prices have surged 36.5% in a year, rising by four times the rate of inflation.
"It's a pace that is obliterating people's disposable income.
"It both eclipses and exacerbates the wider cost of living crisis, which saw CPI hit 9% in April – a pace that was already causing sleepless nights over at the Bank of England."
Simon Williams, a spokesperson for the RAC, told Sky News: "The cost of filling a 55-litre family car with petrol has now topped £98 for the first time in history.
"With analysts predicting that oil will average $135 a barrel for the rest of this year drivers need to brace themselves for average fuel prices rocketing to £2 a litre which would mean a fill-up would rise to an unbelievable £110.
"We strongly urge the Government to take drastic action to help soften the impact for drivers from these never-before-seen pump prices."
Chosen for YouChosen for You
Most Read StoriesMost Read


text:
China has been using robotics in its manufacturing for quite some time, and it has some very powerful AI tools as well that automate processes in its factories. This is going to push other countries to match China, particularly the USA.
However, while America may be regarded as a world leader in tech, China’s President Xi has a plan to take that role for his country, and ensure that China is not using US-made tech either.
In an article published by the South China Morning Post, in May of 2020, President Xi presented his vision for China and his goal of achieving global tech supremacy by 2025. This is an extract from the piece:
“Beijing is accelerating its bid for global leadership in key technologies, planning to pump more than a trillion dollars into the economy through the roll-out of everything from next-generation wireless networks to artificial intelligence (AI).
In the master plan backed by President Xi Jinping himself, China will invest an estimated 10 trillion yuan (US$1.4 trillion) over six years to 2025, calling on urban governments and private hi-tech giants like Huawei Technologies to help lay 5G wireless networks, install cameras and sensors, and develop AI software that will underpin autonomous driving to automated factories and mass surveillance.
The new infrastructure initiative is expected to drive mainly local giants, from Alibaba Group Holding and Huawei to SenseTime Group at the expense of US companies. As tech nationalism mounts, the investment drive will reduce China’s dependence on foreign technology, echoing objectives set forth previously in the “Made in China 2025”programme. Such initiatives have already drawn fierce criticism from the Trump administration, resulting in moves to block the rise of Chinese tech companies such as Huawei.”
Tim Bajarin in Forbes, asks us to consider Xi’s use of the term, “tech nationalism.” He explains that Xi plans to “nationalise everything in China so it is the main provider of goods, services and tech-related products to China itself.” He wants China to be completely self-sufficient in tech by 2025, and nationalised tech will “receive a huge financial boost from China’s $1.4 trillion dollar fund.”
In early September former Google CEO Eric Schmidt commented that China’s leadership in AI posed a security threat and could lead to “high-tech authoritarianism” worldwide.
According to Bajarin, the US government is aware of the problem, but so far nobody knows exactly what actions it might take. Will it counter China’s influence by remaining a tech powerhouse, or what? If China is successful in fulfilling Xi’s vision, then it is also likely that “there could be a time when products we get from China are no longer available to the west.” Currently, China is still committed to globalisation, so its products will continue to reach us, but if it scales back on that, then those products will need to be sourced elsewhere. The question is, where might that source be? It is time the USA and any other countries likely to be negatively affected by a lack of good from China form a plan – the clock is ticking!


text:
In this week's NFT roundup: Mac Jones is leading the NFL's NFT marketplace, top hoops recruit Naasir Cunningham teams up with VerifiedInk, as well as a new NHL platform.
Mac Jones leads NFL in NFT transactions
The Patriots QB is currently the top player in terms of transactions on NFL All Day, the NFL's official NFT marketplace.
Top players on NFL All Day in terms of Moments sales:
1. Mac Jones (9,811 transactions)
2. Patrick Mahomes (9,315 transactions)
3. Ja'Marr Chase (8,511 transactions)
4. Matthew Stafford (7,890 transactions)
5. Tom Brady (6,902 transactions)
All Day noted that Brady is a special case, because there's a more scarce supply based on him being a future Hall of Famer.
VerifiedInk launches exclusive NFT video trading cards with Naasir Cunningham
VerifiedInk -- the first-ever NIL platform letting high school and college athletes design, mint and sell their own NFT trading cards -- announced the launch of its marketplace, headlined by cards personally designed by Naasir Cunningham, the consensus 2024 No. 1 high school basketball player in the country in ESPN's rankings.
"VerifiedInk puts athletes first, partnering with us to benefit from our NIL over the entire course of our career," Cunningham said in a release. "I'm equally appreciative of my growing fanbase and want to use VerifiedInk to allow them to share in my most memorable moments to date."
Athletes sign up for the VerifiedInk platform and design their own NFT trading cards for free. Per VerifiedInk, athletes sell those cards in the VerifiedInk marketplace and keep 94 percent of the profits. As NFTs continue to change hands and are bought and sold several times over, players earn a royalty for each sale -- continuing to profit from their NIL.
Cunningham's card will be available for bids beginning July 19.
NHL, NHLPA announce NFT partnership with Sweet
On June 23, the NHL, National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), the NHL Alumni Association (NHLAA) and NFT distribution platform Sweet announced a new multiyear partnership naming Sweet the official NFT digital collectibles marketplace and an official NFT partner of the NHL, NHLPA and NHLAA.
Per their release, the Sweet-operated NHL marketplace will focus on providing NHL fans and collectors the opportunity to buy, sell, collect and trade never-before-offered digital pieces of NHL history.
The marketplace will showcase current and historic moments as well as iconic elements of the game in the form of non-fungible tokens. Also on the roadmap are specialty packs, gamified collection experiences, 3D interactive trophy rooms where users can display their collections, as well as dynamic NFTs designed to change based on current team data, and more.
The NHL platform has a planned launch at the start of the 2022-23 NHL season.


text:
It's an exciting day here at Veracode as we've just announced our first ever company acquisition. We're pleased to announce that we have acquired the assets of Marvin Mobile Security, the developer of an innovative mobile app analysis service for enterprises, app stores and mobile carriers.
“Veracode has been helping customers secure mobile apps by offering automated vulnerability detection on Android and iOS platforms, and with Marvin’s technology we can more fully enable customers to address the security and privacy concerns created by the rapid adoption of mobile apps,” said Bob Brennan, CEO of Veracode. “Organizations can quickly gain the intelligence they need to prevent attacks and reduce the risk of information loss that often accompanies an increasingly mobile infrastructure.”
With this new software integraption app stores and enterprises will be able to leverage Veracode technologies for vetting mobile apps before accepting them into their technology ecosystem and also integrate this capability with their existing investments in control point technologies such as Mobile Device Management (MDM) or Mobile Application Management (MAM) products.
Learn more about mobile application security.


text:
Dutch brewer Heineken and Universal Music Group have become the latest companies to pause business in Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.
Heineken announced Wednesday it also will suspend operations in Russia, including the sale, production and advertising of its popular beer, and said it would “step up support and donations for NGOs [non-government organizations] operating in Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia” assisting Ukrainian refugees.
Heineken already had announced plans to end all new investment and exports to Russia.
Universal Music group announced its decision in a statement on its website, saying it was suspending all operations in Russia and closing its offices there effective immediately. Universal — the world’s largest music label — said it has been working with groups from a range of countries to support humanitarian relief efforts to bring urgent aid to refugees in Ukraine.
Fast food giant McDonald’s, which opened its first Russian location in Moscow’s Pushkin Square in 1990, said Tuesday it was closing all 850 restaurants across Russia while continuing to pay its 62,000 employees.
The decision will cost McDonald’s millions of dollars in lost revenue, as it directly owns 84% of the restaurants in Russia, as opposed to its normal business model of licensing them to independent franchise operators. But president and chief executive officer Chris Kempczinski said in a letter to McDonald’s employees that “we cannot ignore the needless suffering unfolding in Ukraine.”
Seattle-based Starbucks then made a similar move, announcing it was temporarily shutting down 130 coffeehouses across Russia that are owned and operated by Kuwaiti-based franchisee Alshaya Group. Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson said in an open letter that the company will halt all shipments of company products to Russia, but he said Alshaya will continue to pay its 2,000 local employees.
Also shutting down or curtailing their operations in Russia are iconic U.S. soft drink rivals Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Coca-Cola gave few details about the suspension of its operations. Pepsi — which has been operating in Russia since the early 1960s at the height of the Cold War — said it was halting all sales of its sodas, including its flagship brand, but would continue to manufacture milk, baby formula and baby food in order to keep tens of thousands of Russian workers employed.
McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Pepsi have been under increasing pressure to close or curtail operations in Russia since the start of the Ukraine invasion on February 24. The companies have been the target of a boycott campaign on social media, while New York state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, whose office oversees the state’s employee pension fund, sent each company a letter urging them to stop doing business in Russia. The fund invests in all three companies.
Meanwhile, U.S.-based Yum Brands, the parent company of KFC, a chain of fried chicken restaurants, and Pizza Hut, said Tuesday it will close 70 company-owned KFC restaurants in Russia and is in talks with a franchisee to close all Pizza Hut restaurants.
Numerous Western companies across a wide variety of sectors have announced plans to suspend or curtail their operations in Russia over the invasion, including British-based oil giants BP and Shell; Japanese automakers Toyota, Nissan and Honda; aviation giants Boeing and Airbus; financial services companies American Express, Visa and Mastercard; and tech and entertainment giants Netflix, Apple, Google and TikTok.
Additionally, U.S.-based internet provider Lumen Technologies announced Tuesday it was disconnecting its network service in Russia "due to increased security risk inside Russia.”
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.


text:
Zoom is entering into a strategic partnership with Anthropic that calls for the latter company’s generative AI model to be integrated into Zoom’s Contact Center portfolio.
In an announcement on Tuesday, Zoom also stated that the company had made an investment in Anthropic as part of the collaboration, but did not disclose the amount or terms. Anthropic also has backing from Google’s parent company, Alphabet, and its flagship AI, dubbed Claude, has been described as a chief rival to ChatGPT.
Claude is what Anthropic calls a “constitutional AI” model, meaning that it uses its own AI to track values like “nontoxicity” and “helpfulness” in an effort to avoid AI hallucination — the tendency for generative AI to sometimes make things up — and the use of AI to perform harmful acts. A two-step process provides for, first, an iterative self-critique and tamping down of potentially harmful responses to queries, followed by AI evaluation designed to train a preference model so that Claude can identify better and less harmful responses.
The idea, according to Zoom’s announcement, is to let AI assist call center workers in understanding a given caller’s intent. The system should be able to surface helpful information quickly, and provide insights that can be used to help train call center workers. A planned feature will also use AI to offer those workers resources based on caller requests.
Zoom chief product officer Smita Hashim said that the AI is a key part of the company’s strategy for creating more helpful interactions between call center staff and customers.
“With Claude guiding agents toward trustworthy resolutions and powering self-service for end-users, companies will be able to take customer relationships to another level,” she said in the company announcement. “Partnering with Anthropic also furthers our commitment to providing customers with our federated approach to AI, optimized to deliver outstanding customer experience outcomes.”
Zoom’s in-house AI models are another part of that federated approach, which the company said offers users different options for different applications. Additionally, the new Contact Center AI functionality can incorporate AI models from customers themselves, offering an additional layer of flexibility.
Anthropic has also made inroads with other AI partners, most notably DuckDuckGo, a privacy-focused search engine. DuckDuckGo announced in March that it would integrate Claude into its DuckAssist feature — which also utilizes OpenAI’s Davinci model.
Copyright © 2023 IDG Communications, Inc.
This story originally appeared on Computerworld