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Ten years ago, cars with built-in Bluetooth, GPS, and parking sensors were the domain of luxury vehicles. Now, even the most affordable economy level car has these features. The next 10 years in auto-tech promise to make the last few decades look like a warm-up.
Self-driving cars have been on our minds for a while and the question of when there will be a fully autonomous car is still debatable. Waymo’s CEO, John Krafcik, said that while self-driving cars are here, he does not know if fully automated cars (what’s usually called a Level 5 autonomous vehicle) that can drive in any condition will ever be here. Other manufacturers like BMW say they could be selling completely self-driving cars by as early as 2021.
That said, many cars already feature some level of autonomous capabilities like automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and lane-keeping assist systems. Tesla’s Autopilot, Nissan ProPILOT Assist, and Audi’s traffic jam assist are already compliant with Levels 2 and 3 of autonomous driving (driver assistance and partial automation). The race for autonomous driving tech, software and hardware alike, is on.
In 10 years, cars will make use of a myriad of sensors in order to understand their driving environment. Each type of sensor has its own strengths and weaknesses in terms of range, detection capabilities, and reliability. A fusion of technologies is required to provide the redundancy needed to sense the environment safely. LIDAR and Radar are two such sensors that supplement cameras. LIDAR systems emit rapid laser signals, sometimes up to 150,000 pulses per second at eye-safe levels. The beams hit objects in the environment, bounce back to a photo-detector, and eventually creates a three-dimensional image of the environment. The Radar system works in much the same way but uses radio waves instead of laser beams.
Both LIDAR and Radar sensors are costly and have many moving parts that require timely maintenance. But there are companies working on features that will allow new cars to “see” further and better. Innoviz is developing Solid State LIDAR sensors which are cheaper, smaller, and capable of ranges of up to 250 meters. Arbe is building real-time 4D imaging Radar on a chip for all environments and conditions, minimizing the cost and eliminating moving parts. In the backend, making sense of all the sensor outputs, the use of sensor fusion software is crucial for a car’s decision-making process. Vayavision is a developer of one such technology, fusing different sensors’ raw outputs into one accurate 3D environmental model.
As we move up the autonomous chain, cars need to handle substantially more data. Depending on the sensor setup, the total amount of data generated can vary substantially and processing that data in a fast and seamless way is one of the main challenges for OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturer). Hailo and Brodmann17 are attacking this challenge from two different angles. Hailo is developing a proprietary chip for AI and machine learning in edge devices. In other words, data would no longer be uploaded to a cloud to be processed, but would operate in real time using a fraction of the power consumption and at a fraction of the cost and size of the current standard. Brodmann17 has developed a software-only solution that can lower the required computing power for various AI/deep learning tasks by a factor of 20.
Tying it all together is the training and verification process which cars need to undergo before being allowed to drive on open roads. Alongside the use of simulators for this task, Foretellix has developed a scenario description language that can provide ultra-fast verification for hundreds of millions of critical driving scenarios.
The Electric Effect
Electric cars are already here, with the majority of OEMs offering at least one model. The coming decade will bring vehicles capable of longer ranges and faster charging at a lower costs. Addionics uses proprietary 3D printing of electronics, allowing a complete redesign of the architecture of batteries at the microscopic level.
skyTran’s new test track in Texas. Passenger pods are propelled on mono rails to their destinations
Cars That Talk
No, this is not about Knight Rider, but rather about a car being able to “speak” with its surroundings. By now it’s pretty clear that vehicles are becoming increasingly connected to the outside world, and in 10 years,
most vehicles will be connected to other vehicles, surrounding infrastructure, and even pedestrians, allowing them to support driverless cars, trucks, and SUVs. Vehicle to everything (V2X) communication warns the driver about other vehicles, road hazards, and pedestrians. These alerts help reduce traffic injuries and fatalities and optimize traffic flow, reducing traffic congestion and lessening the environmental impact of transportation.
Viziblezone has gone so far as to transform mobile phones into accident prevention devices. The company’s unique protocol and algorithms allow it to use existing transceivers and sensors in mobile phones and cars to provide alerts to pedestrians and drivers before an accident occurs through a simple firmware update.
These and other connected features like telematics, WiFi hotspots, and car links are essentially transforming cars into computers on wheels that are open to many possible vectors of attack. While there is no silver bullet to protect against all possible cyberattacks, companies like C2A offer a full suite of solutions to detect and mitigate attacks, preventing them from taking control of vehicles cruising down the highway.
Siri Gets Proactive
While today’s in-car agents like Google Assistant and Siri are mostly passive, responding to your command, next generation cars will see a shift from AI agents to AI companions. Intuition Robotics offers OEMs the ability to create a customized multimodal persona-based agent that can be deployed in both traditional and autonomous vehicles. This AI companion will personalize the driver’s experience, increase productivity, and assist with car maintenance, and other support services. The companion would proactively suggest music, podcasts, activities, or even cracking a window — all customized according to user preferences after a quick learning phase.
Just imagine driving alone in your car, when all of a sudden you hear, “Hey, it seems like you’ve been driving for an hour, would you like to stop for coffee or a restroom? There’s a gas station one minute off your route.”
The Mechanic Gets A Second Opinion
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), consumers lose tens of billions of dollars each year due to faulty or unnecessary car repairs. According to a survey conducted by AAA, 66 percent of drivers do not trust car repair shops. Luckily, the influx of connected technologies will aid in maintenance soon enough. Several startups, like Engie, offer maintenance alerts and engine diagnostic information, including how severe a potential mechanical problem might be and mechanic price quotes for fixing it — all before you or your vehicle even set foot (or tire) in a repair shop. If it’s a software fix, there will be an upgrade. If the car needs a mechanic, it will research options, book an appointment and renew its own insurance while shopping for a bargain.
The Volvo 360C autonomous car concept. A fusion of technologies is required to provide the redundancy needed to sense the environment safely.
People Ditch Their Cars
In 10 years, many people may not own a personal vehicle. Different platforms offering shared mobility and the proliferation of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is on the rise, so people may use electric bikes or scooters for city trips from companies like Jump and Bird, or hail a ride from companies like Lyft and Uber. For longer trips people already turn to car sharing services like Car2Go or Zoomcar, and in the next decade we might even see the public debut of new modes of public transport like skyTran, using maglev technology to propel pods on monorails to their destinations.
These technologies have already made it into daily life— or are at least making their way there. While automotive companies are capable of innovating from within, a close connection with active innovation ecosystems provides them with an edge. As the war against road fatalities and congestion rages on, greater implementation of MaaS, reducing the number of human drivers, and ultimately reducing vehicles on the road will become possible with the next generation of vehicles; those that are connected, autonomous, shared, and electric.
This is an excerpt from OurCrowd’s Q2 Innovation Insider, download it here.
About the Author
Yakir Machluf, Mobility Lead and Senior Business Development Analyst, OurCrowd


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climbed to shy of $40,000 on Monday, after yet another weekend of price swings following tweets from Tesla boss Elon Musk, who fended off criticism over his market influence and said Tesla sold but may resume transactions using it.
has gyrated to Musk’s views for months since Tesla announced a $1.5 billion bitcoin purchase in February and said it would take the in payment. He later said the electric car maker would not accept bitcoin due to concerns over how mining the currency requires high energy use and contributes to climate change.
“When there’s confirmation of reasonable (~50%) clean energy usage by miners with positive future trend, Tesla will resume allowing Bitcoin transactions,” Musk said on Twitter on Sunday.
Bitcoin rallied more than 9% after that message, breaking above its 20-day moving average, and climbed further in Asia to hit $39,838.92.
“Musk’s words caused bitcoin to surge,” said Simon Peters, market analyst at eToro.
It was last up 0.5% at $39,189, straining to escape the relatively tight trading range of this month.
The market was also supported by software company and major bitcoin-backer MicroStrategy raising half a billion dollars to buy bitcoin, said Bobby Ong, co-founder of crypto analytics website CoinGecko.
Bitcoin is up about a third this year but has collapsed from a record peak above $60,000 amid a regulatory crackdown in China and Musk’s apparently wavering enthusiasm for it. Telsa stock is down about 30% since the company’s bitcoin purchase.
Musk’s tweet was made in response to an article based on remarks from Magda Wierzycka, head of cybersecurity firm Syngia, who in a radio interview last week accused him of “price manipulation” and selling a “big part” of his exposure.
“This is inaccurate,” Musk said. “Tesla only sold ~10% of holdings to confirm BTC could be liquidated easily without moving market.”
Musk had tweeted in May that Tesla “will not be selling any bitcoin” and “has not sold any bitcoin,” but investors are keenly awaiting Tesla’s next earnings update – due next month – for any disclosure of changes to its position.
Musk has taken issue with the vast computing power required to process bitcoin transactions and in early June posted messages appearing to lament a breakup with bitcoin.
(Reporting by Tom Westbrook in Singapore and Tom Wilson in London; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Chizu Nomiyama)
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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First Published: Mon, June 14 2021. 19:50 IST

domain: news


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Shoppers planning to splash their cash at top stores in Knightsbridge will soon be arriving at a beautifully revamped Tube station which will welcome 19 million passengers a year.
The historic Knightsbridge London Underground station on the Piccadilly line is getting a full-on make-over of its own, plus step-free access, to make it easier for people with disabilities, pushing buggies or carrying heavy luggage, to use it.
Work is due to finish by the end of 2021 in time for the peak festive season shopping period.
It sees a new entrance further down on Brompton Road with step free access on Hooper's Court with two lifts for up to 17 people.
The station opened back in 1906 and had four lifts serving the thousands of passengers visiting each day.
Harrods had already been trading on Brompton Road for 60 years when the Tube station opened and thousands of shoppers headed there to view goods offered by the luxury store.
The current redevelopment is part of a multi-million scheme by Knightsbridge Estates to improve retail on the road.
It was given planning permission in 2016 to modernise the office, shop and residential space at the station and work got underway in 2017.
A Transport for London spokesman said: "The work is progressing well, with the tunnelling work to form a new lift shaft completed last year.
"The new entrance has been recently handed over to London Underground by the site developer in order to fit it out, while the new step-free access ticket hall will be handed over in spring 2020. The project is scheduled to be completed in late 2021.”
Alongside the Tube, work the project includes widening pavements on Sloane Street and and Brompton Road to help cope with the high volume of tourists and residents in the area.
And the Tube project forms part of Transport for London’s aims to get another 30 stations step free by 2021/22.
Property developer Chelsfield’s senior development manager, Jeremy Lacey, has said that the project will transform the station which is the gateway to a high end shopping area.
He said: “A really interesting part of the scheme is bringing back into use the disused station beneath Hooper’s Court.
“So effectively what we’re doing is building a new ticket office at ground floor level and converting lifts in redundant shafts which have not been used since the 1930s and providing step-free access to Knightsbridge station.”
He said the scheme should help the millions of passengers who make a bee-line to the area to head off Harvey Nichols, Harrods, Sloane St, and the museum quarter in South Kensington.
If you have a story for us, please email our reporter, firstname.lastname@example.org


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In 2021, cannabis exports increased by 566% in Portugal, according to data reported by the Jornal de Notícias.
“The amount of dried flower with moisture content equal to or less than 10% exported in 2021 reached 30 tons,” reports Cannareporter. Cannabis exports between 2020 and 2021 have exploded since this figure was 4.5 tons in 2020. By 2021, there has been an increase of 566%.
Cannabis exports are expected to continue increasing in 2022 as exports between January and February have already reached 10 tonnes.
Currently, 18 companies are authorized to cultivate cannabis in Portugal. Almost all of the cannabis produced by those companies is exported.
Portugal legalized medical cannabis in 2018. Since then, only Tilray has obtained the authorization to sell flowers with 18% THC for the Portuguese market.
According to Infarmed “there are currently 2 (two) applications for authorization to place on the market (ACM) of preparations and substances based on the cannabis plant in progress, one concerning dried flower for inhalation by vaporization and another concerning a solution oral.”
Cannareporter stated that answers are pending for both requests from the authorizing entities without specifying whether they are for CBD, THC, or both.
In February, Infarmed had confirmed to Cannareporter that it had already received 97 licensing requests for the activities of growing, manufacturing, importing, and exporting cannabis for medicinal purposes. Having already licensed 18 companies, the National Medicines Authority is awaiting the request for an inspection of the facilities of another 80 companies and is currently analyzing 7 more, which could increase the number of licensed companies to more than 100 in Portugal.


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Apple's not-so-hot-selling 13.3-inch Retina MacBook Pro seems to have found pricing equilibrium at online retailers.
At retailers, Apple's 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro has found a happy medium between a fire sale and Apple's official pricing.
Online retailers like MacMall and MacConnection are selling Apple's smallest Retina MacBook for $1,499 -- with a bonus.
That price gets you a 256GB solid-state drive -- a step up from the $1,499 model that Apple offers with a 128GB drive.
And that 128GB model is even cheaper at MacConnection, which now appears to have settled on a less drastic discount of $1,399 after practically fire-selling it earlier this month for $1,299.
Why all the discounting? Despite boasting an LED-backlit IPS display with stunning 2,560x1,600 resolution, the 13.3-inch MBP hasn't been selling very well.
That was affirmed by Apple when it cut the price $200 to $1,499 in February after widespread discounting from retailers.
And there have been reports from Asia that component suppliers for the Retina MBP have not seen a significant increase in orders, forcing Apple to sit on unsold inventory.
But that's not stopping Windows 8 PC vendors from pricing high-resolution laptops in the stratosphere. On Wednesday, Toshiba announced the Retina-like Kirabook that it apparently intends to sell for between $1,599 and $1,999.
"The high-res screen looked amazing when playing native resolution video content -- as it would on a Retina MacBook Pro or Google Pixel Chromebook," CNET Reviews said.
Is it amazing enough to wow buyers at those prices? Apple's experience might give Toshiba some clues.


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The Daily and Sunday Sport newspaper are up for sale again – 18 months after they were bought in a deal worth £50m.
Sport Media Group revealed after its annual general meeting earlier today that: “Following a number of unsolicited approaches, the board is exploring all opportunities to sell the business, in part or whole.
It added: “There can be no certainty that any sale of the business will proceed or that an offer will be made for the company or as to the terms on which any such offer might be made.
“As a result of this announcement the company is now in an offer period under the rules of the Takeover Code.”
On 7 January, Sport Media Group, which also owns Front magazine, revealed that it had been given two months by its bank to reorganise its finances after it breached one of its lending agreements.
It said today: “The group continues to have constructive discussions with its bankers and the board remains optimistic that an extension to facilities can be achieved.”
Mobile video company Interactive World merged with Sport Newspapers in September 2007 to form Sport Media Group.
Last month the company reported a pre-tax loss of £18.2m in the year ending 31 July 2008 – down from a £5.3m profit in the previous year.
An £18.4m writedown to the £50m purchase price due to deteriorating conditions in the tabloid market contributed to the loss.
Group turnover in the year to July 2008 rose from £11.4m to £29.4m as a result of the acquisition of the Sport titles and Flip Media, publisher of lads’ mag Front, in April 2008.
About two thirds of the revenue, £20.1m, came from circulation and advertising at the Sport titles.
The remainder, about £9.2m, came from adult material distributed via the internet and mobiles.
In January, the Sunday Sport sold 70,796 copies a week, down 18.91 per cent year on year. The Daily Sport sold 72,592 – down 28.59 per cent.


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Oman intends to expand production of aluminum industry in Sohar
Oman (Sohar Aluminium) Sohar aluminum said, according to plan (Tanfeedh) of Tanzania has suggested the company intends to expand production capacity, expanding production, vigorously develop the domestic downstream industry.
Oman's "national economic diversification plan" (i.e. Tanfeedh) suggested that Sohar aluminum investment and expanding the existing production capacity, can engage in more industrial activities at the same time, can also create a lot of jobs. Sohar aluminum CEO Masoudi said the company has expansion plans, but also need to see whether the shareholders have investment intention. But there is no denying the fact that the expansion will eventually benefit the company's development.
At present, Sohar aluminum aluminum production capacity of 375000 tons. About 60% of the capacity is spent on the domestic market, with another 40% for export.
Masoudi said that once the smelter expanded into reality, it will have a catalytic role in downstream industries.


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December 1997: Tom Stallkamp, left, is named president of Chrysler.
January 1998: Schrempp meets with Chrysler Chairman Bob Eaton at Chrysler headquarters during the Detroit auto show to suggest a merger. "I have come to the conclusion that if we get together we will really fit perfectly well," Schrempp tells Eaton, according to the 2000 book Taken for a Ride by Bill Vlasic and Bradley Stertz. "Product, geography, everything fits." He also meets with Ford Motor Co. CEO Alex Trotman at a downtown Detroit hotel later the same day. Shortly afterward, Eaton calls Kerkorian to say he's talking to Daimler and "this looks like it could be a good marriage. There are a lot of pluses." Later in January, Eaton calls Schrempp to say, "Juergen, I think this is a good idea. We should talk."
February 1998: Eaton advises the Chrysler board that he has had discussions with Daimler, and the board agrees to keep talking.
Eaton and Chrysler CFO Gary Valade fly to Geneva, where Eaton lists two nonnegotiable conditions: Any deal has to be a merger of equals, and Chrysler shareholders must receive a premium over the current stock value. "Of course we will be equals," Schrempp says.
Negotiations begin in Manhattan. Chrysler officials identify $1 billion in possible cost cuts as part of a merger. The companies agree to hire law firms to work on the deal and use the code-name Project Gamma, referring to Chrysler as "Cleveland" and Daimler as "Denver."
March 1998: Eaton and Valade meet with Schrempp and Daimler executive Eckhard Cordes during the Geneva auto show. Eaton agrees to incorporate the merged company in Germany and, in exchange, suggests the name ChryslerDaimler-Benz, which Schrempp says he will consider. They agree to have dual headquarters in Stuttgart and Auburn Hills, Mich., and Eaton says he will step down within three years after the merger is completed.
Chrysler executives go to London for a meeting with Daimler executives to share product plans and discuss a valuation for Chrysler.
April 1998: Chrysler's board considers the proposed merger.
At a meeting in London, Eaton threatens to call the deal off unless Daimler agrees to a larger valuation for Chrysler than Schrempp has proposed. Eaton and Schrempp strike a deal in principle to give Chrysler shareholders a 28 percent premium.
Daimler Supervisory Board Chairman Hilmar Kopper signs off on the deal.
Trotman tells Schrempp that the Ford family won't support a merger with Daimler and suggests that Chrysler "would be the perfect fit for you."
Schrempp and Eaton set early May as the time frame to announce the merger, and Eaton chooses Stallkamp to be president of the new company.
May 3, 1998: The Daimler Board of Management meets for final deliberations on the merger. Eaton threatens to call off the merger again over unresolved issues raised by Daimler.
May 5, 1998: Chrysler executives agree to the name "DaimlerChrysler" after Schrempp threatens to call the deal off. Chrysler's board unanimously approves the deal.
May 6, 1998: Chrysler confirms talks with Daimler-Benz after a Wall Street Journal report about the potential merger. Deutsche Bank, Daimler's largest shareholder, agrees to support the deal. Kerkorian signs a letter in support of the merger. Chrysler and Daimler sign the $36 billion merger agreement in London.
May 7, 1998: The companies announce at 7 a.m. London time (2 a.m. in Detroit) that they have agreed "to form the leading global automotive company." The news release says no plant closures or layoffs are planned and, in the opening paragraph, declares the transaction to be "a merger of equals" between "two of the world's most profitable car manufacturers." The new company would have 442,000 employees and a market cap of nearly $100 billion.
May 9, 1998: At a press conference, Eaton says, "This is a merger of equals. That's the way the company will be run."
May 14, 1998: The Daimler-Benz Supervisory Board agrees to the merger.
June 1998: Daimler's management team visits Auburn Hills, and the Chrysler management team visits Stuttgart a week later.
July 1998: Lutz retires from Chrysler.
August 1998: The 18 executives who will be members of DaimlerChrysler's new management board meet at the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia to finalize merger details.
September 1998: Chrysler shareholders approve the merger with 97.5 percent approval. Daimler-Benz shareholders give the merger 99.9 percent approval.
November 1998: "Day One": DaimlerChrysler stock begins trading on Nov. 17 under the ticker symbol DCX.


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Faribault Drug Store Sold to Hy-Vee
December 8, 2008 | News & Press Releases
West Des Moines, IA - Officials with Hy-Vee Inc. today announced the purchase of the prescription files and inventory from Boyes Pharmacy located at 301 Central Ave. in Faribault. The files will be moved to the Faribault Hy-Vee pharmacy effective Monday, Dec. 15.
Bill Boyes, the drug store's owner, said he's selling the pharmacy business because it is in the best interest of his family, work family and his patients during these shifting economic times. Boyes and all other drug store employees will continue working as part of the Hy-Vee family. "We're excited to join Hy-Vee and reap the benefits of working with a company that has a well-established support system behind the scenes we can rely on," said Boyes. "Our goal now is to help make the Faribault Hy-Vee pharmacy one of the best in the company."
Alan Shank, Faribault Hy-Vee store director, said he's dedicated to making sure Boyes' customers continue to receive the impeccable service they've become accustomed to. "Customers will see the same familiar faces behind the counter and receive the same personal care they expect," Shank said. Customers will also receive additional benefits like an extensive low-cost generic drug program. "The ultimate goal is make sure new customers and those who have been with us for years get their medication as easily as possible and get feeling better sooner," said Shank.
Hy-Vee has expanded its generic drug program to include a 90-day supply of medicine for $10. The pharmacy also offers a 30-day supply of 400 generic drugs at a cost of $4 per prescription. The generic supply list includes antibiotics and drugs that treat ailments such as allergies, asthma, arthritis, diabetes, cholesterol and digestive issues. For a complete list of generic drugs, click here.
Hy-Vee, Inc. is an employee-owned corporation operating 224 retail stores in seven Midwestern states. For 2007 the company recorded total sales of $5.6 billion, ranking it among the top 30 supermarket chains and the top 50 private companies in the United States.


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Striking back at the criticism of his tenure at Bain Capital, Mitt Romney's campaign on Friday unveiled a new ad featuring several deals that helped businesses grow and create "thousands of jobs."
The 30-second spot, which is airing in South Carolina, cites office-supply chain Staples and sporting goods retailer The Sports Authority - along with a Steel Dynamics steel mill -- as examples of businesses that prospered thanks to Bain's investments.
"Mitt Romney helped create and ran a company that invested in struggling businesses, started new ones, and rebuilt old ones, creating thousands of jobs. Those are the facts," a voiceover says, as footage is shown of Romney touring factories.
The ad concludes by taking a swing at Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry and other rivals who have argued that Bain Capital did nothing but gut companies and put people out of work. It says, "We expected the Obama administration to put free markets on trial, but as the conservative editorial page of The Wall Street Journal said, 'Mr. Romney's GOP opponents are embarrassing themselves by taking the Obama line.'"


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Operating the functions of the payment system is one thing, becoming a banking institution is quite another. Generally speaking, a retail bank is a balance sheet which transforms capital and consumer deposits into loans and mortgages. Because of this, it is highly regulated and probably not something big tech necessarily wants to get involved in. Therefore, seeking alliances with well-known and trusted banks and have them deal with the regulated parts seems a realistic strategy. Apple has launched a credit card issued by Goldman Sachs. Facebook has announced the ambitious project Libra, which originally included a handful of trusted financial institutions, and Amazon has issued a credit card and is reaching out to banks for a partnership to open current accounts for their clients.
What does this mean?
There is some money to be made in retail banking, but it became a low-profit industry after the financial crisis, especially compared to the advertising business of Google or the high margin hardware division of Apple. Unsurprisingly, big tech isn’t after our money directly, but mostly after our data and simply keeping us “in-house” all day. However, it is striking that this deeper dive into financial services, to collect more valuable and sensitive personal data, is happening at a time when big tech is under close public scrutiny. Consequently, Google will have to win over two groups of stakeholders. The big tech giant will have to convince the general audience that it will keep financial data separate from other sources and that it will not use this data for advertising purposes or sell it to third parties. Moreover, to prevent a break-up of big tech, Google will also have to prove to regulators that its big pile of data doesn’t provide it with too much of a competitive edge over its non-tech rivals.


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Today marked the launch of Samsung’s virtual reality (VR) head-mounted display (HMD), Gear VR, after a lot anticipation from VR enthusiasts. Yesterday saw the Gear VR demo pods being available to test in certain Samsung stores around the UK and today a representative of the Bradford Samsung store stated that it is ‘expecting stock next week’.
When the Gear VR released at approximately 11:00 am GMT today it was just 6 hours before all the devices sold out. Available to buy was the bundle which included the HMD as well as the gamepad for £199 GBP, the other featured the device on its own for £169. When stocks ran out GearVR.uk checked the 9 UK stores and was informed to expect Gear VR’s to be shipped next week.
Samsung’s Gear VR is a smartphone-based VR HMD which uses the processing power of the Galaxy Note 4 to run all of its content as well as it’s enlarged QUAD HD display. Rumour suggests there will be a HMD which will run the company’s flagship phone the Galaxy S6 with positional tracking.
Currently the Gear VR is not available in retail stores, however Manchester has stated that ‘Samsung are gauging interests’. Other stores have offered demos of 360 videos, Oculus Cinema, Gunner and Temple Run. GearVR.uk will keep you updated on all the latest news on Samsung’s Gear VR.


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The country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India on Monday said its premium hatchback Baleno has crossed the 8 lakh cumulative sales milestone since its launch in 2015.
The model became the best-selling premium hatchback within a year of launch and crossed the 8 lakh sales milestone in record time of 59 months, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) said in a statement.
MSI Executive Director (Marketing and Sales) Shashank Srivastava said, “This significant milestone of 8 lakh delighted customers within a short span of five years is a testament of our customer-centric philosophy at the core of Baleno’s conceptualisation.”
Baleno has helped the company to cement its position in the premium hatchback segment, Srivastava said adding, the model “is also instrumental in giving recognition to our NEXA channel“.
The model is exclusively manufactured in India and retailed through 377 NEXA outlets across 200 cities. It is exported to many overseas markets such as Australia, Europe, Latin America, Africa, Middle-East and South-East Asia.
The current version of the model is equipped with smart hybrid technology and a BS-VI compliant 1.2 litre petrol engine.


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Axiata’s ADA introduces WhatsApp Business Platform in Bangladesh
BI Report || BusinessInsider
ADA, the Integrated Digital Advertising Agency of Axiata, has now become a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP) in the Asia Pacific region including Bangladesh.
Through the WhatsApp Business Platform, ADA will empower businesses to connect with their customers in a private and secure environment across its markets in South and Southeast Asia including Bangladesh, said a press release.
Over 2 billion people around the world use WhatsApp and it is the most popular messaging application in Southeast Asia.
WhatsApp Business Platform allows businesses to drive better conversations with their customers in a personalised manner, thus boosting customer engagement and increasing customer satisfaction, leading to better sales conversions.
For instance, a telecommunications company can free up customer support to focus on servicing more complex care issues, which can improve customer engagement and reduce operational costs significantly.
With recovery making its way across Southeast Asia, and as retailers bounce back from COVID-19, WhatsApp chatbots can also give operators in-store support to help guide the customer journey and enhance every bit of the customer experience
Ashraful Haque, Country Director of ADA in Bangladesh said, “Chat commerce is changing the way businesses operate, and customer engagement solutions is the key driver. With this WhatsApp Business Platform, ADA now offers a truly seamless end-to-end business solution across our practices – eCommerce, MarTech, business insights, and marketing services – for that complete customer experience and journey.”
“We look forward to working closely with WhatsApp to transform the face of chat commerce, with the integration of our AI and machine learning models, deepening the level of personalisation and quality of conversations in our market,” he said.


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It’s already pretty easy to order dinner on your smartphone with just a few quick taps thanks to apps like Seamless, GrubHub and Eat24. Now, Google is making it even easier with a quick update to Search.
Just boot up the Google app on your phone and type in the name of a restaurant. Then scroll down and you’ll see a new option to “Place an order.” Tap it, and Google will offer a list of third-party services, including Seamless, Grubhub, Eat24, Delivery.com, BeyondMenu and MyPizza.com. Of course, you could always just launch your food delivery app directly, but if you’re already in Google this could save a few extra seconds.
The update is heading to Android, though it’s unclear if iPhone owners will get the same option any time soon. It’s also limited to mobile devices. Google says it plans to add more delivery services in the future, though with six to start there should already be plenty of options.


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Gold traders in India, the world's biggest consumer, drifted back to the market on Friday as prices eased from their highest level in more than two months, dealers said.
* The most-traded gold for April delivery on the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) was trading 0.37 percent lower at 28,252 rupees per 10 grams, falling from the previous day's two-month high of 28,511 rupees.
* Demand is better than last two days as prices have cooled off a bit, said a dealer with a private bullion importing bank in Mumbai.
* The dealer expects the momentum to continue in coming sessions, but added a lot will depend on prices.
* A weaker rupee could limit the downside in prices. The rupee plays an important role in determining the landed cost of the dollar-quoted yellow metal.
* Silver also fell tracking the yellow metal.
* Silver for March delivery on the MCX was trading 0.41 percent lower at 56,941 rupees per kg.


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Over the past few years, social media sites have become a huge part of everyday life for millions of people around the world. In fact, some social media websites have become so prevalent, that many people are constantly on or checking their online profiles. With this in mind, the research and development team at Toyota, in conjunction with Salesforce.com, have come up with a way for people to put their rides on social media. In addition to internet connection, these new vehicles will have high-quality tire and wheel packages, and can be custom fit for rims from Beyern wheels or Lorenzo wheels.
A recent press release from the two companies say that they have “formed a strategic alliance to build ‘Toyota Friend’, a private social network for Toyota customers and their cars. Toyota Friend will be powered by Salesforce Chatter, a private social network used by businesses, and will be offered, first in Japan, initially with Toyota’s electric vehicles (EV) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHV) due in 2012.” The new technology will be available in cars like the Toyota Camry and Toyota Corolla.
The aim for the new social networking site is to allow owners of Toyota hybrids to coordinate with each other at all times. People will be able to share where charging stations are with each other, give one another tips on driving hybrids, and also be able to share where you can get maintenance on Toyotas. This technology will help these drivers of Toyotas keep in contact and share important information about the hybrids so that they are always only a button away from assistance. For example, “In a demonstration at a Tokyo showroom, an owner of a plug-in Prius hybrid found out through a cellphone message from his Prius called “Pre-boy” that he should remember to recharge his car overnight,” reports the Detroit News. “When the owner plugged in his car to recharge it, the car replied, ‘the charge will be completed by 2:15 a.m. Is that OK? See you tomorrow.”
While the new networking system has not yet been scheduled for a US release, many people are excited about the possibility of having a vehicle with its own social media platform. This will allow many users to learn about features in their car that they might not have known existed. Also, having a car that is constantly connected to the internet will allow drivers to access online features with their voice, as opposed to looking down at their cell phones which can be very dangerous. Hands free use of the internet is just one of the exciting benefits of having a car that is a member of a social media site.
The new line of Toyota’s is going to be an interesting case study for other car manufacturers to see whether or not consumers are engaged by, and willing to pay for, a car that has a social media platform installed in it. In addition to internet connectivity and social media capability, these new models of Toyotas benefit from having upgraded wheel and tire packages. Custom rim companies like Beyern and Lorenzo are excellent options for the new Toyotas, and can greatly help improve the handling and performance of a vehicle. These rims come in 18 inch and 20 inch.


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Last Thursday, April 6, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) sued SunSetter Products LP (SunSetter) in a Massachusetts federal court in a rare civil penalty lawsuit. SunSetter manufactures motorized retractable awnings for outdoor use. The Government alleges in its complaint that SunSetter knowingly failed to timely report under Section 15(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) a hazardous defect related to vinyl covers for its retractable awnings. The complaint seeks permanent injunctive relief, including a third-party monitorship over the company, and civil penalties.
On Wednesday afternoon, CPSC Chairman Alexander Hoehn-Saric addressed the annual conference of the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization (ICPHSO) for the second time as chairman. In his remarks, Hoehn-Saric looked back on his first year as chairman, including the recent controversy over gas stoves, and shared some of the agency’s priorities moving forward. But the central theme of Hoehn-Saric’s remarks could not have been clearer— consumers are first in everything the agency does. …
Companies take note: over the past month or so, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued four unilateral press releases instructing consumers to stop using a product. Since May of this year, that number rises to seven. If that number does not seem high, consider this: between 2011 and 2019—a nine-year period—the agency issued two. So, what exactly is a “unilateral press release” and what does the agency’s issuance of four over recent weeks mean for you?…
Despite imposing onerous new compliance terms, the recently announced Vornado civil penalty was criticized by three commissioners as too low amid their urgent calls for larger penalties in the future. On July 7, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced a $7.5 million civil penalty settlement with manufacturer of air circulation products, Vornado Air (Vornado). Vornado agreed to pay the civil penalty to resolve charges that the Company knowingly failed to immediately report allegedly defective electric space heaters to the CPSC under Section 15(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA). The Commission voted 4-0-1 to provisionally accept the settlement. Notably, three of the agency’s five commissioners published individual statements alongside the agency’s announcement of the penalty, which is atypical. The statements provide product safety stakeholders with insights on how the “new” Commission views civil penalties and its enforcement authority. …
On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate confirmed Mary Boyle to serve as a commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) by a vote of 50-48. For the first time since late October 2019, when then-Acting Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle departed the agency, the Commission will have a full complement of five commissioners. And, most notably, for the first time since May 2018, the Democrats will hold a voting majority.
As soon as Ms. Boyle is sworn in, she will join Democratic Commissioners Alexander Hoehn-Saric and Richard Trumka Jr. and Republicans Dana Baiocco and Peter Feldman. As we wrote last July when President Biden announced her nomination, Ms. Boyle is well known to the product safety community. She knows the inner-workings of the CPSC as well as anybody as she has served most recently as the agency’s Executive Director. She has also served as the agency’s acting General Counsel. Interestingly, Ms. Boyle is the second Executive Director of the agency recently nominated for the Commission, as President Obama nominated then-Executive Director Elliot Kaye to be Chairman.…
Earlier this week, President Biden signed the Safe Sleep for Babies Act into law. The new statute does two things. First, it bans infant inclined sleepers with an inclined sleep surface greater than ten degrees that are intended for infants up to age one. Second, it bans crib bumpers. When the Act takes effect in November, both products will be considered “banned hazardous products” under Section 8 of the Consumer Product Safety Act.
These infant products have also been the subject of recent rulemaking activity by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). This sets up at least one potential conflict of law. Where the Safe Sleep for Babies Act bans infant inclined sleepers intended for infants up to age one, the CPSC rule affected only sleepers intended for infants up to 5 months old.
Continue Reading President Biden Signs Safe Sleep Act, Banning Infant Inclined Sleepers and Crib Bumpers
This afternoon, CPSC Chairman Alexander Hoehn-Saric gave remarks to the annual conference of the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization (ICPHSO). As many of our readers know, the Senate confirmed Mr. Hoehn-Saric on October 7, 2021 to a six-year term. This was Hoehn-Saric’s first year addressing the annual ICPHSO conference.
Notably, Chairman Hoehn-Saric picked up right where then-Acting Chairman Robert Adler left off at the 2021 annual conference—the need for the agency to approach product safety from a variety of diverse viewpoints. The Chairman cited startling statistics concerning the significantly higher rates at which African Americans drown in swimming pools and minorities suffer from CO exposure from portable generators than their White counterparts. The Chairman stated that targeting underserved, often minority, communities would be a priority for the Commission in the months and years ahead. …
Continue Reading Live from ICPHSO – New CPSC Chairman Hoehn-Saric Addresses Annual Conference
Here’s a brief review of key developments concerning the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) from last month. We look forward to seeing many friends at the Annual Meeting and Training Symposium of ICPHSO in two weeks. For those who are unable to make the conference, our team plans to share daily insights so stay tuned for more important product safety updates!
Decisional Meeting on Clothing Storage Units Addresses “Tip-Over” Issue. On January 19, the CPSC adopted, by a 4-0 vote, staff’s recommendation to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Clothing Storage Units (CSUs) to address the “tip-over” issue. Notably, the Commission adopted two amendments to the proposed rule, both offered by Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr.
The first amendment pertained to the rule’s stockpiling provision. The rule presented by staff “prohibited manufacturers and importers of CSUs from manufacturing or importing CSUs that do not comply with the requirements of the proposed rule in any 12-month period between the date a rule is promulgated and the effective date of the rule at a rate that is greater than 120 percent of the rate at which they manufactured or imported CSUs during the base period for the manufacturer.” Trumka’s amendment defines the “base period” as one month out of the last 13 months with the median import or manufacture volume, and changes the percentage increase that is allowed under that base period from 120% to 105% in each month between the final rule and the effective date. It is intended to reduce the risk of stockpiling products. The Commission adopted the amendment by a vote of 4-0.
Continue Reading CPSC Insights – January 2022
Happy New Year! We hope that our readers had a very enjoyable and safe holiday season. Here’s a brief review of key developments concerning the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) from last month to help you stay aware of important product safety legislative and regulatory happenings.
CPSC Responds to Finnbinn’s Challenge on Infant Sleeper Rule. On December 17, the CPSC responded to Finnbinn’s challenge of its final rule applying the voluntary safety standard for inclined infant sleep products (ASTM F3118-17a) to all infant sleep products, including those that are “flat,” such as baby boxes and in-bed sleepers. In its responding brief, the CPSC asserts that Section 104 of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which requires the agency to study and develop safety standards for infant and toddler products, gives CPSC the authority to set such a standard, even where no existing voluntary safety standard exists. According to the CPSC, to decide otherwise would “allow inaction by a voluntary standard-setting organization to preclude action by the Commission.” The agency further argued that its rule was supported by sufficient evidence, citing 11 deaths and 16 injuries associated with flat sleep products over a two-year span, which it maintained was an undercount. The primary dangers of these products, according to the agency, are that they can fall when placed on other pieces of furniture, and that products without strength and stability requirements can lead to babies falling out of the sleepers. Of note, a trio of consumer advocacy groups filed an amicus brief urging the court to uphold the safety standard’s application to flat sleep products. We will continue to follow and report on this litigation.
Continue Reading CPSC Insights – December 2021
Here’s a brief review of three key developments concerning the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) from the past month or so to help you stay aware of important product safety legislative and regulatory happenings.
The CPSC Has a New Commissioner. On November 16, the United States Senate confirmed Richard Trumka Jr. to a seven-year term on the Commission by voice vote. Mr. Trumka Jr. will replace long-time Commissioner Robert Adler whose term expired last month. Importantly, with Mr. Trumka Jr.’s confirmation, the Commission will remain comprised of two Democratic (Hoehn-Saric and Trumka Jr.) and two Republican (Baiocco and Feldman) Commissioners. The Democrats will not have a majority on the Commission until current Biden nominee (and CPSC Executive Director) Mary Boyle is confirmed by the Senate—and the status of that nomination remains unclear. Ms. Boyle’s nomination is not on the Senate Commerce Committee’s “Nominations Hearing” agenda for December 1. You can read more about Mr. Trumka Jr.’s confirmation in our prior post about his confirmation.
Continue Reading CPSC Insights – November 2021


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July proved to be a difficult month for the apparel chains reporting monthly sales, with several hurt by tax holiday shifts in some southern...
An improving US labour market, rising consumer confidence and higher wages were not enough to spark a significant break-out in spending in J...
| 12 May 2015
A shift in the timing of Easter, coupled with the lingering adverse effects of the West Coast port delays, as well as an economic soft patch in the first quarter, led to the majority of US apparel retailers recording comparable store sales declines in April.
| 10 Apr 2015
While the earlier Easter this year helped the majority of US apparel retailers to book comparable store sales growth in March, adverse weather conditions, an economic soft patch during the first quarter, and lingering effects of the West Coast ports labour dispute weighed on overall results.
| 6 Mar 2015
US apparel retailers reported mixed comparable store sales in February, as significant headwinds including extreme winter weather, additional costs and delays from the West Coast ports slowdown, foreign exchange rates and higher gas prices all weighed on results.
| 10 Feb 2015
US apparel retailers got off to a good start in January, with the majority posting comparable store sales gains, helped by post holiday clearance sales and stronger comparisons with last year, when severe weather hampered results.
| 28 Aug 2015
Second-quarter earnings for the retail sector as a whole are forecast to be lower than the prior month, despite easy year-on-year comparisons. J Crew moved to a loss in its latest quarter, while Bebe Stores improved its net loss and announced a licensing deal for China. Aeropostale booked a net loss for the eleventh straight quarter, and Destination XL delivered what it said was an “outstanding” quarte. rDollar General posted increases in earnings and sales, including apparel, Burlington Stores has raised its full-year guidance after returning to profit, and PVH Corp revealed results that beat its expectations, upping its full-year guidance.
| 21 May 2015
US denim specialist The Buckle has booked first-quarter earnings that missed analyst expectations as both sales and margins fell.
| 16 Mar 2015
US denim specialist The Buckle has seen its net profit increase in the fourth quarter, helped by higher sales, including a double-digit gain in online sales.
| 9 Dec 2014
US denim specialist The Buckle has made three senior management appointments, including that of Diane Applegate to the position of vice president of supply chain and merchandising operations.
| 21 Nov 2014
US denim specialist The Buckle has booked a mixed set of results in its third-quarter with sales growing but earnings remaining flat.
| 4 Sep 2014
Retailers and fashion businesses have joined forces to call on the US International Trade Commission (ITC) to abandon a patent investigation into laser-abraded jeans.
| 21 Aug 2014
Teen fashion retailer The Buckle has booked a drop in earnings in the second quarter.
| 22 May 2014
Teen fashion retailer The Buckle recorded a slight decline in earnings in its first-quarter thanks to higher costs and only a marginal increase in sales.
| 14 Mar 2014
Lower sales contributed to a 3.4% decline in fourth-quarter profit at teen fashion retailer The Buckle.
| 14 Feb 2014
Teen fashion retailer The Buckle Inc has promoted Kari Smith to the newly created role of executive vice president of stores.
| 21 Nov 2013
Teen fashion retailer The Buckle Inc has posted a 3.1% drop in third quarter profit after sales slipped.
| 23 Aug 2013
Denim specialist The Buckle has recorded an 8.2% increase in second quarter profit, helped by higher sales in-store and online.
| 23 May 2013
Denim specialist The Buckle has today (23 May) posted a slight decline in first-quarter net profit, despite delivering higher sales than last year.
| 15 Mar 2013
Denim specialist The Buckle has seen its fourth-quarter profit rise, helped by higher sales and merchandise margins.
| 15 Nov 2012
Denim specialist The Buckle has today (15 November) posted a 9.3% increase in third-quarter profit on the back of sales growth.
| 16 Aug 2012
Fashion retailer The Buckle has today (16 August) booked a decline in second-quarter net profit, despite posting an increase in sales.
| 17 May 2012
First quarter profit at fashion retailer The Buckle Inc has risen 12.8% thanks to a jump in sales at its stores and online.
| 9 Mar 2012
US teen fashion retailer The Buckle has reported a 13% jump in fourth-quarter profit on the back of increasing sales.
| 18 Nov 2011
Higher sales have helped teen apparel retailer The Buckle Inc to an 11.3% rise in third-quarter profit.
| 19 Aug 2011
Higher sales have helped teen fashion retailer The Buckle Inc to a 14% jump in second quarter profit.
| 20 May 2011
Strong sales growth has helped teen fashion retailer The Buckle Inc to an 11.3% hike in first quarter profit.
| 19 Nov 2010
Teen retailer The Buckle Inc has posted a 3% rise in its third quarter profit, helped by higher sales.
| 20 Aug 2010
Denim firm The Buckle has posted improved second quarter profits despite a dip in sales during the period.
| 21 May 2010
Higher sales have helped teen clothing retailer The Buckle Inc to an 11.9% rise in first quarter profit.
- Yuan devaluation impact mixed for garment firms
- Will Vietnam struggle with impending trade deals?
- The new age of disruption on apparel production
- China devaluation: what’s the big deal?
- Gap bullish on China growth opportunities
- US Q2 in brief: J Crew, Aeropostale, Bebe Stores
- Luen Thai to continue investment in Vietnam
- Adidas seeking to resolve shoe supplier dispute
- China market woes could hit consumer spending
- Adidas files trademark suit against Forever 21
- Global Database of the Top 1000 Apparel Producers - Company Names, Financial Performance, and Contact Details
- Ethiopia – the emerging textile and clothing industry
- Myanmar's Garment Sector in 2015 - now with updated members' directory
- Global market review of lingerie - forecasts to 2020
- Global market review of swimwear - forecasts to 2019


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As inflation continues to drive up supermarket prices new study finds that nearly 9% of New Jersey’s population is food insecure, meaning they sometimes struggle to eat enough, but experts believe the true numbers are much higher.
Adele LaTourette, senior director of policy and advocacy for the Community Foodbank of New Jersey, said: “What we’ve seen recently are incredible percentage increases in the number of people going to food pantries. and soup kitchens.”
“There is food insecurity, hunger in our 21 counties, no county is free from the problem of hunger and food insecurity.”
LaTourette said that with food prices steadily rising, low-income families can’t keep up.
Unable to put food on the table
“You and I go to the grocery store and we see it and we’re shocked, but we can handle it,” she said, “but there are more and more people across the state who simply cannot afford to feed their families.”
She said Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap study found that food insecurity among black and Latino residents is more than 5.5 times that of white residents, 17% versus 3%.
“It’s not shocking news, but this report highlights the disparity, and I think that’s something we need to focus on,” she said.
She added that most of the food aid programs that started at the start of the pandemic have been phased out, further aggravating a bad situation.
Everyone can help
Latourette pointed out that September is the month of action against hunger.
“It’s about bringing people’s attention to the problem, inspiring them to take action and raising awareness about levels of hunger, what people are seeing, who is affected.”
She said everyone can do something to help make a difference.
“They can donate food, they can donate time, they can volunteer, food pantries have seen a big drop in volunteers because people are just exhausted from the scale of the problem,” a- she declared.
She pointed out that because of inflation, people who “when they went shopping bought a few extra things to give to their local pantry don’t do it anymore because they just don’t have any. the means”.
She added that “some people may think that the pandemic that reduces the need for food aid is no longer there, but it is, and in some cases it is even more important than it was” .
For more information about the Community Foodbank of New Jersey, you can visit their website
David Matthau is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at [email protected]
Click here to contact an editor about a comment or correction for this story.
Each state in America and its favorite type of cereal…
RANKED: Here are the 63 smartest dog breeds
Is the breed of your trusty pup on the list? Read on to see if you’ll be bragging to the neighbors about your dog’s intellectual prowess the next time you walk your fur baby. Don’t worry: Even if your dog’s breed isn’t on the list, it doesn’t mean he’s not a good boy – some traits just can’t be measured.


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Super Mario Galaxy 2 now has a release date, and it's much, much sooner than anyone was probably expecting. Oh, and there's a new trailer, too.
I think I've made it fairly well-known by this point that I flippin' loved Super Mario Galaxy. It's still one of the best games of the current generation, and the idea of getting a sequel makes me pretty damn psyched. Like most gamers, though, I was assuming that as one of the year's biggest titles for the Big N, we'd be seeing it in the traditional October/November holiday rush.
Nope! We're getting it earlier - much earlier. Earlier today, at the Nintendo Media Summit 2010, the House of Mario debuted the trailer you see above, and announced that Super Mario Galaxy 2 would be hitting North America on May 23rd. A European release date is expected to be announced tomorrow at a similar event in London.
That's much earlier than almost anyone was expecting, but also kind of heartening. Not only does it indicate that the game is shaping up well enough to not need the extra development time, and not only will we be getting our hands on it earlier, but any indication that major publishers are moving away from the "All of our big titles in the last three months of the year" strategy is a good one in my book.
Frankly speaking, the game looks amazing. There is something just inherently joyful about a pudgy, stubby-armed little plumber soaring through space, and now we have Yoshi to keep us company. Not just Yoshi, but a drill power-up as well, which looks like a ton of fun to use. Go, you chubby Italian stereotype - go and use that drill of yours to pierce the heavens!
I can't wait. Who's with me?


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It’s no secret General Motors’ Buick division does the majority of its business in China. The tri-shield brand offers up six separate nameplates in North America for 2017 while giving customers in China the choice of 10 (or 11, depending on how you count them) different nameplates.
One of the models Buick offers in China that it doesn’t offer here is this: the Buick GL8 — and it has a 30-year-old secret beneath its newly redesigned skin.
Ever since Bertel showed us the newest version of the Buick GL8 minivan, with its “Business Concept”-inspired design and executive airport shuttle mission, we’ve been curious about the chances of it coming to the US. After all, GM hasn’t sold a minivan in the US since the Uplander died in 2009, a far cry from the 336,000-odd minivans The General sold in America just ten years before. But when we asked our Best and Brightest if Buick could use a minivan, the response was a fairly resounding “no.” One particularly uncharitable soul even suggested that we were trying to goad GM into making a mistake in order to have something to bash them for. But, as it turns out, GM’s US execs didn’t need to be goaded at all to consider bringing the GL8 to the US market. GM China boss Kevin Wales tells Reuters [via the Baltimore Sun] that
They’ve looked at it on and off as long as I’ve been out here. They’ve made a fundamental decision that says demand for that type of product’s not strong enough. We say that’s fine. We’ll just keep selling out here.”
China’s going nutty over the next-generation of Buick GL8 minivans, which recently strutted its Buick Business Concept-derived styling in downtown Shanghai. We’ve heard rumors of a Buick MPV coming stateside for some time, with each successive rumor placing the “Baby Enclave” on a different platform, first Delta then Gamma. Though the latest intel seems to indicate that the US will get a Buick-badged version of the suicide-doored Opel Meriva, wouldn’t an Epsilon-based full minivan be a more natural fit for the US market? Sure, it might cannibalize the Enclave some, but that hasn’t stopped Buick from offering no fewer than three mid-sized sedans. Could Buick be the next brand to re-hip the minivan? Should it be?
At the Beijing Auto Show, they had a fine-looking and well-appointed Buick MPV, called the “Business Concept” (shown above.) I gave it no mention. After all, who cares about a concept MPV that will never see the light? Big mistake, Schmitt: It will see the light faster that I thought, namely by the end of the year.


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Cypress Semiconductor (CY) has been reinventing itself as a specialty chip company that focuses on two key growth areas: automotive and the Internet of Things (IoT). These are markets that are expected to deliver significant growth in the coming years and, on balance, are expected to more than offset declines in the company's so-called "legacy" businesses. The company's aspiration is to grow sales at a clip of 7% to 9%.
Cypress reported its earnings results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2019 on April 26. The company's revenue dropped 7.4% year over year, though excluding the NAND flash business that it divested, sales were down 5.5% year over year. For the second quarter of fiscal 2019, Cypress is calling for sales to rise 4.4% (excluding NAND) year over year -- an improvement from the prior quarter's growth rate, but below the company's long-term goal.
Management provided a wealth of insight on the business during the most recent earnings call. Here are three items from the call that investors should pay close attention to.
Automotive design ramp-ups
On the call, one analyst noted that Cypress management had previously talked about "a couple of pretty significant design wins" in the automotive space and wanted management to "highlight for us when some of those start to ramp."
Cypress CEO Hassane El-Khoury explained that the company's new Traveo II family of 32-bit microcontroller units (MCUs) will begin to ramp up in "about the second half of this year," but cautioned that this business "won't be material compared to our other microcontroller business."
This isn't because the product isn't good, but because of the long design and life cycles of microcontroller chips. El-Khoury explained that, with respect to Traveo II: "We'll see the ramp get through 2020, 2021. And think about those as 10-year designs. Like I mentioned in my prepared remarks, those open up every one or two design cycles."
He added that once those designs begin to ramp up, they "will just layer on top of that to give that 8% to 12% growth that we've seen."
A competitor's acquisition
As you might have heard, ON Semiconductor (ON -0.44%), a competitor to Cypress, acquired Quantenna Communications (QTNA) about a month ago. The acquisition should help ON Semiconductor strengthen its position in the automotive chip industry, as wireless connectivity is becoming an increasingly valuable capability in cars.
The same analyst who asked about the Traveo II ramp-up also asked management about the impact of ON Semiconductor's purchase of Quantenna on the competitive landscape.
El-Khoury said the high earnings multiple that ON Semiconductor paid for Quantenna "shows the scarcity of assets" that Cypress Semiconductor already has. He went on to explain: "The Quantenna business is more focused on -- think about infrastructure, or the back end. That's going to take a lot of time, to take those high-powered processors into low-power IoT-level products and automotive."
"We're already halfway up [the mountain]," El-Khoury said with respect to the race between Cypress and ON Semiconductor. "So, we'll see them at the top in a few years, maybe."
Gaining traction in 5G
Cypress makes a type of memory called NOR flash, which is used in a variety of applications, including cellular base stations. One analyst asked management: "What makes you better-positioned in 5G than the competitors? Maybe like some color on just your competitive positioning in 5G?"
El-Khoury said that with respect to 5G base stations, "we focus on the high-density NOR" flash; he noted that Cypress's competitive positioning in 5G base stations parallels that of its NOR flash position in other markets like automotive. In particular, he talked about the company's advantages in both the "quality and reliability" of its products and supply, compared to its peers:
In general for the technology, it's the same thing. It's that security, the high density, the monolithic high density which is unique for us. And we are able to service that with advanced technology nodes, where the others are not there yet.


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TL;DR: “Too Long; Didn’t Read.”
You’ve probably noticed TL;DR versions of stories popping up on news sites, where three or four bullet points recap a (now considered lengthy) 500-word article. CNN calls this feature “Story highlights.”
The New York Times has started summarizing its top stories in bullets on its homepage. Email newsletters such as The Skimm have flourished in recent years, providing readers with a three-minute daily digest of all the news they need for the day in a pithy, easy-to-read format.
The way consumers take in their news is changing for a few reasons. Because of the internet, there is simply a much larger volume of news available today than 10 years ago. According to a recent Pew Research Center study, 81 percent of Americans get at least some of their news through websites, apps or social networking sites. There is even more competition when you consider other digital communication forms like text messaging and email. With 8 trillion text messages sent each year, it hardly seems to leave room for much else.
For food brands needing to communicate complex issues, this consumer mindset creates challenges. It can feel nearly impossible to communicate a complex issue such as FSMA, GMO use or traceability in a few bullet points, but there are ways brands can relay their message successfully.
Know your audience.
Brands falter when they make assumptions about their audiences. Instead, it’s important to ask critical questions such as:
- Who is my target audience?
- What do they know on this subject?
- What is their attitude toward this subject? Toward my brand?
- What misperceptions will they have on this topic?
If you’re unsure about the answers to these questions, consider investing in a baseline research effort. Online surveys can be fielded quickly and for a fairly low cost these days – it doesn’t have to be a big undertaking. Not only will it better inform your messaging, it will also give you something to measure against later.
Carefully craft your message.
Once you clearly answer these questions, you can better put yourself in your audience’s shoes and craft messages that will resonate. Carefully consider your headline – what is the one thing I want my audience to take away from this message? Lead with that message and let the rest of your messaging support that headline. The food industry is notorious for using technical speak and jargon; be sure to use consumer-friendly, easily digestible language.
Choose your channels.
The number of communication channels available presents both a blessing and a curse. Should you use Twitter, your blog or a newspaper op-ed? With a clear understanding of your audience, you can choose the channels to most effectively reach them. For example, a seafood company may want to communicate the concept of traceability to its customer base in the Southeast United States. Knowing from research that its customers are mainly female grocery shoppers with children who have limited knowledge of the traceability concept, they would be wise to choose a channel this audience uses most frequently, Facebook. Additionally, they might consider video because it performs so strongly on the platform and, if done correctly, is a great medium for synthesizing complex information.
For an example of a job well done, check out this recent #DrinkGoodDoGood campaign from Naked Juice to bring awareness to the issue of food deserts. Looking at their messaging, they clearly understood their audience’s lack of information on the issue and used a simple headline to capture their attention: “Nearly 30 million Americans have limited access to fruits and veggies.” They also used celebrity influencers relevant to their audience to deliver the message. Most importantly, the campaign worked: #DrinkGoodDoGood was used nearly 50,000 times and campaign videos saw nearly one million views.
With all the clutter and misinformation in today’s news, food brands must carefully plan their communication efforts to make sure their target audiences both see and receive their messages.


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Will Amazon's Lending Library Become the Netflix of Books?
On the surface, Amazon's Lending Library, which begins today, sounds Netflix-esque: Pay a fee for unlimited digital borrowing access. But for people used to the all-you-can-eat goodness of Netflix, Amazon's ebook service has a lot of limitations. But then again, so does Netflix these days.
For how the new service stacks up, read the full story at The Atlantic Wire.


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Project to Promote Competition and Innovation in the Digital Age (ProComp), alleged that Microsoft software issued to comply with the proposed deal was difficult to download and use.
Microsoft reached an agreement with the DoJ and nine state attorneys general who were also plaintiffs in the antitrust suit. Microsoft has already begun implementing some of the changes required in that agreement. In late August, it filed a document with the US District Court for the District of Columbia that summarised how it is complying with the proposed consent decree.
As part of its compliance effort, Microsoft released Service Pack 1 for Windows XP, a set of product updates and security fixes for the company's operating system. ProComp argued that the 30Mbyte download was not "readily accessible to consumers", and was "non-intuitive" when it came to obtaining it and installing it on a PC.
The trade group, whose members include Oracle and Sun Microsystems, also took issue with a feature included in the update that was designed to allow end users to substitute Microsoft applications that start up by default on a Windows PC, such as its Web browser and media player, with competing products from third-party vendors.
ProComp argued that the tool, which appears on Windows XP desktops as "Set Program Access and Defaults", is difficult to find and too complicated to use.
That tool has a menu that allows users to choose, for example, "Windows Media Player" or "my current browser". It doesn't, however, list any other options for competing products such as Netscape Navigator.
Microsoft spokesman Jim Desler accused the group of "playing politics", adding that there was ample time to raise issues with Microsoft. The company has said that third-party vendors and PC makers will be responsible for tuning their software to show up as options in the menu.


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The 2012 Hyundai Accent SE continues Hyundai's streak of great cars with great tech, but the omission of a navigation option keeps this entry-level model from getting top marks.
You can now quickly change the colors that highlight buttons and various aspects of your shiny new HTC One with just a few taps.
The latest update also provides a quicker way to see your achievements and "like" game clips captured through the SmartGlass app.
A remake of the 1991 film includes all the original anti-capitalist, anarchist fervor and adds a blast of the extreme sports that have sprung up since then. Little hand says it's time to rock and roll!
The software maker is struggling to make sure its online stores are clean, well-lighted places for apps, even as it readies the update to its Windows operating system.
The Motorola smartphone will be available in new accent colors for a limited time.
Microsoft's new Windows 10 browser should be able to save your website passwords, a necessary option since it won't support third-party password extensions.
Actors Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron jam the pedal to the metal in this stunningly painted, sandblasted future of fire and blood.
Technically Incorrect: To hype a new TV show, Britain's Channel 4 releases an ad that purports to offer your own synthetic human being. And it's slightly disturbing.
Arriving in February, LG's next flagship phone may carry on its rear button configuration.


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- After missing first quarter results last week, Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) the stock is trading just above the 2022 lows.
- YouTube’s ad revenue has plummeted, but the company has still increased its overall revenue by 23% and its Pixel hardware may become a bigger factor in the future.
- Investors should take advantage of the long-term growth potential of GOOG stock as long as its price remains low.
Over the past five years, Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGNASDAQ:GOOGL) has been a safe bet as a growth stock. At least until last November, that was the case. Like just about every other growth stock in the tech sector, GOOG stock has been rocked by the market pullback that began late last year. Shares are now trading near their 2022 lows. They have essentially reset to May 2021 levels, giving up gains in the second half of 2021.
Some investors see this weakness as a signal to avoid GOOG stocks for the time being. That instinct was likely reinforced by last week’s missed first quarter results.
However, for investors focused on long-term growth, Alphabet continues to be a juggernaut. It may have lost some momentum since November, but this weakness is an opportunity. The company’s legacy businesses are still strong, and it continues to innovate rather than stand still. Buy GOOG stocks now, and you’re likely to enjoy big returns when stocks rally and then return to growth mode.
No need to panic about Alphabet’s Q1 Miss
Alphabet suffered a shortfall on April 26, and the market responded by driving down GOOG shares.
Admittedly, the 1st quarter news was not awesome if you are an Alphabet shareholder. Overall revenue was $68.01 billion, up 23% year-over-year (YOY). However, this fell short of analysts’ expectations. YouTube’s ad revenue in particular was a sore spot, suffering from increased competition in the social media video market. The company has also felt the effects of the shutdown of its operations in Russia. Earnings per share (EPS) of $24.62 also missed analysts’ projections and fell from EPS of $26.29 reported a year earlier.
However, given the current climate, the results could have been much worse. And there were positive signs to be found, including significant revenue growth in the company’s Other Bets and Google Cloud divisions.
Watch the Pixel hardware line for future growth
With Alphabet, there is a solid base of business in search and advertising revenue, as well as future leading growth engines like Google Cloud. And you never know what will come out of the Future Bets division.
However, I want to point out one area that tends to get little recognition: Google’s Pixel hardware.
After years of false starts, the company finally succeeded with last year’s Pixel 6 series smartphones. Last year, despite supply chain challenges, the Pixel 6 set all-time sales records for Google. Expect the company to build on that success with this year’s Pixel 7 smartphone.
We are also waiting for Google to officially announce its first Pixel smartwatch. We know it happens – the device was exposed in regulatory findings and a prototype was accidentally left in a restaurant. It’s not going to make or break GOOG’s stock, but look what rival Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) did with the Apple Watch. The smartwatch helped propel the company’s Wearables division to $8.8 billion in revenue last quarter.
Much of Apple’s future growth is tied to leveraging its large installed user base of devices to sell services. With Alphabet, the sheer number of devices running Google’s Android operating system provides an opportunity to sell these users high-end Pixel hardware. To be clear, Pixel hardware will never rival ad revenue as a driver of GOOG stock growth, but it does add resilience. And it shows that the company continues to innovate.
Conclusion: Should You Buy GOOG Stock?
The bottom line about GOOG stocks is that whenever they drop in value, they should be seen as a buying opportunity. Ask the investment analysts interviewed by the the wall street journal and you will find an extremely solid support for Alphabet. GOOG stock is rated as a consensus “buy” by an overwhelming majority. The group’s 12-month average price target of $3,307.53 shows optimism that the 2022 crisis won’t last forever. This also suggests a very steep 35% upside.
Some concerns surfaced in Alphabet’s first-quarter revenue, namely a loss of advertising revenue from YouTube. However, this was more than offset by growth in other areas, including growing revenue from Google Cloud.
Going forward, don’t underestimate the potential for hardware sales, including Pixel smartphones and smartwatches. As Apple has shown, hardware can become a very lucrative business if you do it right.
At this point, GOOG stock is down more than 15% in 2022 and is currently just above its lowest close for this year. From my perspective, with Alphabet’s long-term growth potential, any risk of GOOG continuing to slide this year is worth it.
As of the date of publication, Brad Moon had (neither directly nor indirectly) any position in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, subject to InvestorPlace.com Publication guidelines.


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What could be better than getting delicious food delivered to your door?! Right? Trust us, you’re not alone, even astronauts in space love getting their food from their favorite food joints. You read it right! The astronauts, residing in the International Space Station (ISS), recently enjoyed some delicious pork and chicken dishes, thanks to UberEats. The food tech giant on December 11, 2021 made their first food delivery to space. UberEats has partnered with Japanese businessman Yusaku Maezawa to “deliver favorite canned Japanese snacks to astronauts at the International Space Station,” reads a statement released by the Food-Tech giant. out. For the non-inverters, Yusaku Maezawa is a visiting space tourist to the ISS who is also funding the SpaceX 2023 mission that will take commercial passengers to a journey around the moon.
According to an official UberEats press release, “Delivery was made on December 11 at 9:40 a.m. EST after having traveled 248 miles and 8 hours and 34 minutes since Maezawa left Earth.” The dishes delivered include boiled mackerel with miso sauce, boiled chicken with bamboo shoots, braised pork and more. According to UberEats, it’s a holiday that welcomes astronauts away from their “standard space food.”
“This delivery marks a huge leap forward for Uber as we are committed to helping people go anywhere and get anything – now, including space,” the press release said. more.
UberEats Japan also shared a glimpse from the ISS on Twitter and wrote along (in Japanese), “Uber Eats delivery service continues to grow. One after another to places that are currently not delivering.”
今, 配 達 し て い な い 場所 へ, 次 々 と.@ yousuck2020 ???? ???? ???? ???? ???? ???? ???? ???? ???? ???? ???? ???? ????##UberEatspic.twitter.com/Sh0PsXXwMX– Uber Eats Japan ー バ (@UberEats_JP) December 14, 2021
The video went viral quickly and received over 264k views and hundreds of comments (in Japanese). Some people call it “awesome delivery”, while others call it “awesome” space food delivery.
What do you think of this “cool” effort by UberEats? Let us know in the comments below.
About Somdatta SahaExplorer- this is what Somdatta likes to call himself. Whether it’s about food, people or places, all she craves is to know the unknown. A simple aglio olio or daal-chawal and a good movie can set her off to a new day.
https://food.ndtv.com/news/ubereats-delivers-food-to-space-heres-what-they-delivered-2654313 UberEats Delivering Food to Space: Here’s What They Delivered


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Add a brand new Tesla Model S to the growing list of items you can buy with bitcoins.
An auto dealership in Newport Beach, Calif., revealed Wednesday that it sold its first vehicle with the virtual currency as legal tender.
“Bitcoin, a fully encrypted and fully digital currency, has been used by a recent client of ours to pay for a Tesla Model S Performance we had in our inventory. That's right, an electronic currency was used to purchase a fully electric vehicle,” Lamborghini Newport Beach boasted in a blog post.
A Lamborghini Newport Beach official told The Daily Dot that the buyer, who was not identified, paid 91.4 bitcoins for the premium electric sedan, which was voted Motor Trend’s 2013 “Car of the Year.”
The value of the virtual currency has skyrocketed several thousand percent since the beginning of the year and recently crossed the $1,000 barrier on the Mt.Gox exchange. On Thursday, the price of a bitcoin slumped back below $1,000 after China’s central bank banned financial institutions from trading in the virtual currency.
The California dealership didn’t say when the electrifying sale took place or what the equivalent sales price in dollars was. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the four-door Model S sedan is around $90,000, though customers rarely pay the full amount.
“Lamborghini Newport Beach is proud to announce that we are fully capable of accepting Bitcoin as payment for vehicles. We are excited to be opening the door to this new currency,” the dealership said.


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Interior furnishings group Sanderson Design Group PLC has reported a reduction in full year sales but remained in line with expectations.
According to its latest trading update for the financial year ended 31 January 2024, total group sales declined 3.1% to £108.5m from £112m in 2023.
UK sales were down 11% to £37.9m from £42.6m, while US revenues rose 7.1% to £21.2m from £19.8m. Sales in Northern Europe fell 8.3% to £9.9m, while rest of the world revenues dipped 4.9% to £9.7m.
Manufacturing sales declined 10.3% to £35m, while its Licensing division saw an increase of 67.7% to £10.9m year-on-year.
Underlying profits for the financial year are expected to be approximately £12m (FY2023: £12.6m), reflecting the strong contribution from licensing along with the impact of trading conditions in the UK, the Group’s largest market.
Commenting on its performance, Sanderson said: “The Group has traded in line with management expectations with the strong growth reported in the half year results from the Group’s licensing activities and North America continuing in the second half, mitigating the challenging conditions in the UK which persisted throughout the year.
“High-margin licensing contributed more than £10 million of Group sales for the first time at £10.9 million (FY2023: £6.5m). Licensing has become an important strategic pillar for the Group, complementing the Group’s brands and manufacturing activities and driving profitability.
“The targeted growth market of North America performed strongly in the year, with brand product sales up 7.1% in reported currency, up 8.2% in constant currency. Accelerated growth in the second half was driven by Kravet Inc., the US distributor of our Clarke & Clarke brand, and reflects increased momentum following the renewal for five years of Kravet Inc.’s distribution agreement, which commenced in September 2023.
“Outside of North America, and as already reported, challenging market conditions continued to impact the UK, Northern Europe and the Rest of the World, primarily reflecting the subdued consumer backdrop.
“Renewals signed during the year include a three-year renewal with Bedeck, which was recently extended by a further two years, and the Morris & Co. deal with US retailer Williams Sonoma, which was recently extended by a further year, until August 2026 with new product categories added. In addition, Williams Sonoma’s monogrammed gifting brand Mark & Graham has recently signed a three-year agreement with the Sanderson brand for the USA and Canada.
“Whilst trading conditions are expected to remain challenging in the UK and Europe, at this early stage of the current financial year ending 31 January 2025 the Board’s full year revenue outlook remains unchanged. Certain cost pressures are expected, including the increase in the Real Living Wage and property-related costs, such that profitability in the current financial year is expected to be similar to that of the year ended 31 January 2024.
“The Group continues to benefit from the strength of its balance sheet, including a strong net cash position. In addition, the Group’s banking facility with Barclays Bank PLC was renewed on 1 February 2024 for a further five years, comprising a £10 million revolving credit facility and an uncommitted £7.5 million accordion to provide further flexibility if needed.
“The Group has a strong pipeline of product initiatives in the year ahead, including the strategic focus on the Sanderson brand. Giles Deacon’s capsule collection of Sanderson designs has just been launched, and last year’s successful launch of the Disney Home x Sanderson collection brings further potential in the current year.”


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World News: 13:30 GMT Wednesday 15th May 2019. [Advanced Onion, Inc. via Businesswire via SPi World News]
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Business Wire: 13:30 GMT Wednesday 15th May 2019
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To mark IDC Herzliya’s 20th anniversary, we spent a day following Prof. Uriel Reichman, IDC’s founder and president, and Jonathan Davis, VP for External Relations, around its delightful campus.
Microsoft Bids For Yahoo
Last week, Microsoft offered a bid worth over $44 billion for Internet search giant Yahoo. Currently Google has approximately 60 percent of the market for Internet searches. This bid is Microsoft’s biggest bid ever. If successful, Microsoft will have over 30 percent of the search market. Even though this will be barely half of Google’s market, it has already caused a small ruckus by Google. On Sunday Google called upon antitrust regulators to prevent this deal. Nevertheless many experts predict that the deal will go through although, as of Sunday, Yahoo said it needs time to examine the deal.
Australia has recently unveiled “JusticeLink,” where over the course of this year some court cases will be held online in an effort to reduce costs. Prosecutors and defense attorneys can argue their cases online, and judges will view their arguments in real time. This new system is expected to save Australia millions of dollars.
Recently the Canadian government has sent out a notice to its employees to cut back on using their blackberrys overnight and on weekends. In an effort to improve the life/work balance of their employees from 7 p.m-7 a.m., they are asking their employees to focus on their personal lives and leave their work behind.
In an effort to accommodate the haredi world, Bezeq is now offering “kosher” phone service. This service will ban all calls to inappropriate numbers. Bezeq invested over $500,000 into this service and is offering it free of charge. This follows the successful launch of “kosher” cell phones from cell phone providers in Israel. The new service is endorsed by many rabbanim, and is expected to attract many customers.
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This core idea of memory is very difficult to fully comprehend; however, it is essential.
Sometimes the most powerful countermove one can make when a person is screaming is to calmly say that her behavior is not helpful and then continue interacting with the rest of the family while ignoring the enraged person.
“Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples shall divide within you.”
Divorce from a vindictive, cruel spouse can be a lifelong nightmare when there are offspring.
There were many French Jews who jumped at the chance to shed their ancient identity and assimilate.
As Rabbi Shemtov stood on the stage and looked out at the attendees, he told them that “Rather than take photos with your cellphones, take a mental photo and keep this Shabbat in your mind and take it with you throughout your life.”
Yeshiva v’Kollel Bais Moshe Chaim will be holding a grand celebration on the occasion of the institution’s 40th anniversary on Sunday evening, December 7. Alumni, students, friends and faculty of the yeshiva, also known as Talmudic University of Florida, will celebrate the achievement and vision of its founders and the spiritual guidance of its educational […]
The yeshiva night accommodates all levels of Jewish education.
Recently, Fort Lauderdale has been the focus of international news, and it has not been about the wonderful weather.
Rabbi Sacks held the position of chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth for 22 years until September 2013.
The event included a dvar Torah by student Pesach Bixon, an overview of courses, information about student life and a student panel that answered frequently asked questions from a student perspective.
It is difficult to write about such a holy person, for I fear I will not accurately portray his greatness…
“Grandpa,” I wondered, as the swing began to slow down, “why are there numbers on your arm?”
Within a few short weeks, the weekly parshah will address the topics of the Mishkan (tabernacle) and the kohen’s begadim (priestly vestments). What better way to prepare for this reading than actually seeing, up close and personal, the objects mentioned in the text.
In an effort to broaden its Internet services, Nokia has recently acquired Plazes.com. Plazes, a popular website, is used to share social activities. This acquisition is one of the few ones Nokia has recently initiated in an effort to boost its online presence. Nokia is the worlds biggest cell phone company.
Microsoft: In an effort to prevent Microsoft from discontinuing selling new copies of the Windows XP Operating System, windows users have started circulating a petition threatening to jump ship and switch to Apple or Linux.
In an effort to accommodate the haredi world, Bezeq is now offering “kosher” phone service. This service will ban all calls to inappropriate numbers. Bezeq invested over $500,000 into this service and is offering it free of charge.
With reports that this holiday season’s sales are expected to match those of 2002, online businesses are making a major attempt to compete and gain your business. This permits the average consumer to get a great deal on Chanukah gifts from the comfort of his or her home.
After an exhaustive hunt and with great effort, the hidden afikoman was finally found. This is usually preceded with the lengthy negotiations and yearly challenges some families face on what reward best fits the beneficiate? Especially once kids get older, this task seems more difficult with each passing year.
It’s been over sixty years since a bright and most holy people were butchered, tortured and almost annihilated. We still feel the impact of what was taken from us, but unfortunately, some do not realize the magnitude of the terrible churban that transpired.
Printed from: http://www.jewishpress.com/sections/scitech/electronics-today/electronics-today-6/2008/02/06/
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The New Scania R-series - Truck of the Year 2010
With the new R-series, Scania has delivered a state-of-the-art truck that
sets new standards in terms of fuel economy, driveability and overall
efficiency, said jury chairman Gianenrico Griffini when he presented the
International Truck of the Year 2010 award to Scania in a ceremony at the
companys research and development centre in Södertälje, Sweden.
The International Truck of the Year award is given each year to the truck
model that has made the strongest contribution towards making road
transport more efficient. The award, which was established in 1977, is the
most prestigious accolade in the trucking world. The jury consists of
leading commercial vehicle journalists from 22 European countries.


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Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is coming to Nintendo’s newest console, the Nintendo Switch, on April 28th and in celebration of the release Nintendo will place Super Mario Kart 8 themed buildings into Super Mario Run.
Super Mario Run, available for Android and iOS, allows players to run through a variety of stages, play against friends and even provides a Kingdom Builder option that lets users build their own Mario kingdom.
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) April 26, 2017
Nintendo’s announcement isn’t detailed, but the Japanese gaming company does say that the ‘mega event’ starts April 28th at 12:00 am PT.
Source: Nintendo of America


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The Nissan Altima used to rule the roost when it came to the best-selling Nissan cars. The Nissan Rogue took its place this year, and it looks like it won’t give up its new position without a fight. The 2017 Nissan Rogue — available soon to the Strathmore, AB drivers served by Sunridge Nissan — is dressed (and driven) for success.
The 2017 Nissan Rogue gets a mildly refreshed interior and exterior as it hits the middle of its second generation. Both its front and rear fascias have a look that’s aggressive but still attractive. There’s a new Platinum Reserve interior package that adds two-tone leather and a quieter ride.
The 2017 Nissan Rogue Hybrid was introduced at the beginning of September and is expected to give the crossover’s sales an electrically-assisted boost. In its front-wheel drive version, it’s expected to get 34 mpg combined, with the all-wheel drive version coming in at a still-excellent 33 mpg combined.
A limited edition Nissan Rogue tied to Star Wars: Rogue One is also in the offing. All that’s been shown up to this point is an exterior photo of the crossover (with a striking metallic red finish) and its limited edition badge. Expect to see more when it’s officially shown for the first time in November at the 2016 Los Angeles Anto Show.
Nissan Safety Shield (including Intelligent Cruise Control, Pedestrian Detection, and Forward Emergency Braking) will now be available as part of the upper SL Platinum Reserve trim. Other available features include Lane Departure Warning/Prevention, 19-inch alloy wheels, motion-activated liftgate, and a refreshed interior that includes new upholstery and a redesigned center stack.
The 2017 Nissan Rogue will be joining the other new Nissan vehicles soon at Sunridge Nissan. Call (800) 665-4954 for more information, or stop by to reserve yours today. We serve Strathmore, AB and Cochrane, AB from our showroom at 3131 32nd Ave NE in Calgary, AB.