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Australasia’s largest skate event BOWL-A-RAMA™ will be returning to Bondi Skate Park for 2016, with a fresh look and a brand new partner – General Pants Co. As the only international professional bowl event of its kind, GENERAL PANTS BOWL-A-RAMA™ promises not only some of the best skateboarding in Australasia, but so too the world. Returning to the iconic location on 20-21 February 2016, the event will deliver a long list of legendary riders, in an exciting new event format and on an even bigger venue footprint.
Attracting an all-star line-up featuring some of the world’s best skaters, the 2016 GENERAL PANTS BOWL-A-RAMA™ will see one of the most legendary skateboarders of all time, Tony ‘The Birdman’ Hawk, return to defend his back-to-back Masters Title wins. Hawk will be joined by international and local skate heroes, Steve Caballero, Omar Hassan, Pedro Barros, Eddie Elguera and many others putting it all on the line.
NSW Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events and Minister for Sport, Stuart Ayres said the 2016 GENERAL PANTS BOWL-A-RAMA™ promises to be the biggest yet, as it showcases the very best of Bondi Beach in summer.
“I am pleased to see BOWL-A-RAMA™ back at Bondi for another year, proudly supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. Since the event began in 2005, it has gone from strength to strength, and 2016 promises to be even bigger, thanks to an incredible line-up of skateboarders and several exciting new features. It truly is a must-see event for any adrenaline sports fan,” Mr Ayres said.
The 2016 event welcomes leading Australian fashion retailer General Pants Co. as naming rights sponsor. The global trend hunters have thrown their support behind this year’s BOWL-A-RAMA™ to ensure the event continues to go from strength to strength.
“General Pants’ strength is in its understanding of youth culture. We pride ourselves on curating a consumer offering not only through fashion, but music, art and urban subcultures like skating. General Pants has a long standing history with skating and skate brands and with BOWL-A-RAMA™ right in our backyard, this partnership made perfect sense. With our youth targeted expertise, this union will be a win-win for everyone,” said General Pants CEO, Craig King.
As the largest gathering of pro skateboarders in the Southern Hemisphere, GENERAL PANTS BOWL-A-RAMA™ 2016 will ensure fans get closer to the action than ever before. To guarantee spectators get the best view possible, the layout has been changed with the introduction of a new 1,250 seat stadium. Able accommodate up to 5,000 fans over the course of the weekend, the stadium features a large Hill Stand for session ticket holders and expanded Car Park Stand for all day ticket holders.
The new GENERAL PANTS BOWL-A-RAMA™ format will also include two skate sessions each day, and new girl and junior AM jams added to the existing Masters, Pro and open skates. The Saturday session will feature Master, Pro, Junior and all riders’ heats, while Sunday will include Master and Pro semi-finals, a girl jam followed by Junior, Master and Pro finals, in addition to the all-rider’s Best Trick and the award ceremony. Finally, boasting more than just action on the day, GENERAL PANTS BOWL-A-RAMA™ remains the only bowl skateboarding competition to name World Champions in both Pro and Masters Divisions, making it a key event for skaters globally.
Complementing the main events, ticket holders will also be treated to epic live music and food options across the course of the weekend on Bondi’s trendy shore, all made possible thanks to event partners Destination NSW, New Era Caps, Santa Cruz, Guzman y Gomez, Pretty Shady, ESPN, and more to be announced soon.
After a highly successful pre-sale campaign, tickets are moving fast, with Sunday finals events almost sold out! Tickets are available to purchase online via the Bowlarama website or Oztix and fans are advised to get in early as event capacity is strictly limited. For more information on GENERAL PANTS BOWL-A-RAMA™ 2016, including ticketing, weekend events schedule, and athlete line-up, visit www.bowlarama.com.au.
Tickets On Sale Now
Bondi Skate Park, Sydney
Bondi Skate Park, Sydney


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Water Is The Drink of Preference in America
Who would have ever thought that they would sell more water than soda? That is now the case!
For more than twenty years soda has been the most popular drink in America. No longer!
Recent studies found that Americans no drink about 14 gallons more of water than they do of sodas. Just 15 years ago those numbers were almost completely opposite.The change in habits happened primarily because of the concern with obesity and the effect that soda were having on our waistline.
Certainly the availability of bottled water has led to the significant increase in consumption, with Americans drinking an average of 21 gallons a year.

domain: news


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As we know the Indian government has banned a bundle of Chinese apps from its region. But there are a set of Realme and Xiaomi smartphones that already had some of these restricted apps installed.
READ MORE: Xiaomi MIUI 12 Update Tracker: These Redmi, Mi and Poco devices have received the update so far
Join our Xiaomi channel on Telegram:
According to the latest inforamtion, it seems that the latest MIUI 12 update for Redmi K20 Pro allows users to uninstall many of Xiaomi’s preinstalled apps including the Mi Browser, Mi Video and more.
The new MIUI 12-based update brings the September security patch with the software version MIUI V220.127.116.11. This update removes all the banned app from the Redmi K20 devices in India.
However, it is unclear whether users are able to uninstall other bloatware apps that were not banned by the Indian government or not.


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The Austin Business Journal has fantastic news for the Lone Star State, and Austin is a gem in the midst of it all. Acquisitions and mergers are booming at 25 deals that exceed $1.8 million each last year. The top deal totaled $4.88 billion.
In the top five M&A deals, there was investments totaling $5.53 billion. Four of those deals closed in June of 2011. Although not listed in the top five, there were two other acquisitions that closed in 2011. Both were purchased by Austin-based Convio Inc. It bought Kansas-based StrategicOne for $6 million and U.K.-based Baigent Ltd. for $3.3 million. A full list of M&A’s can be found in the July 6th print issue of the Journal.
Texas wasn’t just in the news for mergers and acquisitions, though. There are definite in-roads being made in the way of manufacturing in our great state as well.
In June of this year, there are positive readings in the expansion of factory activity, rising from 5.5 to 15.5 in the production index. The production index is a key measure of state manufacturing conditions and we showed the strongest reading since spring of 2011.
There was also a new orders index that rose to 7.9 after having had three previous readings around zero. This indicates that we are in a growth trend since staying flat between February and June.
If that weren’t enough, the perception of broader economic conditions improved in June. While April and May proved negative in the general business activity index, by June, we were moving into positive territory.
Texas produces more than 9 percent of total manufactured goods in the United States. We rank just behind California in factory production.


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What you need to know about earning money bingos
Upwork is a popular and lucrative bingo company.
The company has been in business since 2012, and since then, it has raised more than $10 million in funding.
But, the bingo site, which is owned by the same company that owns Upwork, is now facing an investigation by the FTC for not properly disclosing the identities of bingo players.
Upwork and Upwork-owned companies may not have disclosed the identity of players for up to two years after they started bingo playing, according to a letter sent by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to Upwork on Wednesday.
The FTC says Upwork’s disclosure policies are “incompatible with the FTC’s own rulebook.”
Upwork had not responded to a request for comment from The Washington Post on Wednesday afternoon.
The bingo website has a disclaimer that says it “may be used by third parties to identify individuals who are not authorized users of the service.”
The disclaimer includes a link to a page on Upwork.com that lists Upwork customers.
A representative from Upwork told The Washington Report that Upwork does not disclose the identities or other information of its users.
“We do not make our players’ identities public,” the representative said.
“They are the customers of Upwork.”
The FTC has asked Upwork to submit a public report on its disclosure practices by Feb. 15.
“The FTC has been investigating Upwork for over a year, and we have reached a conclusion that the company has failed to comply with its own policies on the disclosure of user names and other information regarding users,” said the FTC statement.
“As a result, the FTC has begun an investigation of Upworks compliance.”
Upworks bingo service is available to users on iOS and Android, but users can also use the site on desktop and laptop computers, which means Upwork could be liable for FTC claims if the FTC determines Upwork violated the FTC rules.
The agency said it received the complaint on Oct. 16, and is waiting for a response before deciding whether to open an investigation.
“At this time, we have not received any further information from Upworks, and have not been able to provide any information to the FTC,” the FTC said.


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By Sigurd Neubauer
Almost two years into the pandemic, Americans have dramatically upended their fitness routines as gyms across the nation were forced to shut down during the height of the lockdown of 2020.
While the long-term implications of the pandemic’s toll on everything from the economy to family life and mental health issues have yet to be established, a dark picture for America’s fitness industry has nonetheless emerged:
As of July 2021, 22 percent of gyms and studios across the nation have been permanently closed due to Covid, according to a report from the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA). The report adds that “the closures amount to roughly 9,100 facilities. For fitness studios the numbers were slightly higher at 27 percent.”
In California and New York, where the state governments employed especially stringent measures during the height of the lockdown, the implications on fitness facilities permanently closing far exceeded the national rate at 39 percent and 31 percent respectively, according to IHRSA.
America’s fitness industry “lost $29.2 billion in revenue from March 2020 through June 2021. In 2020, alone, theindustry lost $20.2 billion in revenue, down from $35 billion in 2019,” theindustry group says.
For the fitness centers managing to stay open, convincing staff and patrons that it was safe to return remained a challenge, however. This was also the case for the Aspen Hill Club in Silver Spring, Maryland.
“In my 40-year career in the Health Club Industry, I have faced many challenges but none like the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. It was imperative to understand the dynamic of the pandemic in order to understand what precautions would be necessary to sustain the business,” says Aspen Hill Club General Manager Danielle Bouchard.
Bouchard explained that she first had to create a safe environment for the team in order for them to feel comfortable returning to work. “Once those protocols were determined and in place, then I had to determine what protocols to put in place in order for the membership to feel safe,” she adds.
Once federal guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were established for fitness facilities, Bouchard explains, was to ensure that anyone who became infected with Covid notified the club immediately.
“My responsibility then was to notify anyone within the Club whom may have come in contact with and ask them to monitor their symptoms. If they became ill, they would need to inform us as well. The person with Covid was asked to stay away for 14 days, CDC guideline at the time, and until their next Covid test was negative,” she explains.
After months of social isolation brought by the pandemic, trends are emerging how fitness consumers are changing their exercise behavior, according to a survey carried out by Qualtrics on behalf of LesMills, a New Zeeland-based fitness and lifestyle conglomerate. The survey, which covered 12,157 male and female consumers globally, including in the US between May 22, 2021 – June 18, 2021, found that the pandemic has forced the fitness industry to reassess its market strategy to entice customers to return to their facilities.
The survey found that in the US:
- 71 percent of people who regularly exercise do so at a gym facility.
- 60 pecrent of gym members prefer to workout with others in small or large groups.
- 80 percent of gym members also worked out at home.
If there is a silver lining to the pandemic, the survey reveals that the health crisis has created “a new generation of exercise beginners.” The “new generation” is deciding on what steps to take next as they seek to realize their fitness goals. In the US, 26 percent of the fitness market considers themselves “absolute beginners.” The trend accelerated by the pandemic captures a growing trend among Americans committed to improving their health and lifestyle, according to the survey.


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A number one crypto analytics agency says institutional buyers look like shopping for bulk into international funds platform Cardano (ADA).
In a brand new tweet, IntoTheBlock says that the amount of ADA’s on-chain transactions higher than $100k has elevated by 50x in 2022 alone.
“Yesterday, a total of 69.09 billion ADA were moved in these large transactions, representing 99% of the total on-chain volume.”
Cardano is a blockchain platform supporting its native cryptocurrency ADA for international funds. It additionally helps non-ADA native belongings. Cardano permits folks to ship and obtain funds immediately and for minimal charges. It additionally permits builders to construct good contracts and decentralized purposes.
The Ethereum (ETH) competitor has been on a scorching streak just lately after months of bearish price motion. ADA is up greater than 12% previously seven days and almost 29% from the place it was priced one month in the past.
The Eighth-ranked crypto asset by market cap is buying and selling at $1.20 at time of writing and is up 0.52% previously 24 hours. ADA remains to be down greater than 61% from its all-time excessive of $3.09, which it hit in early September of final yr.
“Taking liquidity and running upwards here into resistance. Might continue towards $1.45, but wouldn’t chase a long here.”
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed at The Daily Hodl usually are not funding recommendation. Investors ought to do their due diligence earlier than making any high-risk investments in Bitcoin, cryptocurrency or digital belongings. Please be suggested that your transfers and trades are at your personal danger, and any loses it’s possible you’ll incur are your duty. The Daily Hodl doesn’t suggest the shopping for or promoting of any cryptocurrencies or digital belongings, neither is The Daily Hodl an funding advisor. Please word that The Daily Hodl participates in affiliate marketing online.
Featured Image: Shutterstock/Art Furnace


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U.S. manufacturers’ new orders of machine tools and related technology rose over 30% during March, the second month in a row indicating rising demand, and also gained an edge over the March 2012 result. The results are contained in the monthly U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders report, compiled by AMT – The Association for Manufacturing Technology, and based on actual data for domestic and imported products ordered by U.S. machine shops and other manufacturers.
The March new orders totaled $507.91 million, an increase of 30.4% over the revised result for February, $389.37 million. The new result represents $468.09 million in metal cutting equipment and technology, and $39.83 million in orders for metal forming and fabricating products.
The March result is also 3.24% higher than the $491.96 million on record for March 2012, another period of rising demand.
“When making a year-over-year comparison with these figures, it’s important to take into account just how strong 2012 was for our industry. Our members are doing much better than analysts projected in January,” stated AMT president Douglas K. Woods.
2012 started out with indications of strong demand, but orders slowed in the second quarter of last year. An outstanding result for September 2012 helped push the annual total to a positive result.
For the current year to-date, domestic manufacturers have ordered $1,278.05 million of products and equipment, according to the USMTO report. This represents a -5.0% decline versus the three-month total for 2012. The negative result indicates the weak demand that prevailed in the early weeks of 2013.
“With vehicle sales and housing starts on the upswing, we can anticipate that gains in the consumer economy will also mean buoyancy for the industrial economy, and manufacturing will remain steady for the foreseeable future,” Woods continued in his statement.


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PERRYVILLE, MO (KFVS) - The Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial grand opening is scheduled for this weekend with events on both Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19.
Perry County Heritage Tourism Director Trish Erzfeld said they plan to have anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 visitors that weekend visiting the grand opening event.
With a large influx of visitors to the Perryille area, restaurants, hotels and other businesses are preparing and say they will be ready for to help and serve the people.
Natialie Medlock is a manager at Mary Jane Burgers & Brew. She said they are planning accordingly for this weekend by doubling the amount of staff on hand, as well as, offering new features as well.
"We always want to make sure that visitor and our local people have a great time and great experience," Medlock stated. "This way, they keep coming back. We enjoy the great business this brings to Perryville and our community."
Super 8 General Manger Thomas Farrenburg in Perryville said they are honored to be part of the community and help assist visitors as they come in for the big grand opening event.
He said it's especially important that we honor our veterans and show our appreciation for them.
"I think it's really important that we don't forget and continue to honor those that have served," Farrenburg said. "Without them, we wouldn't have the luxuries we would have today."
Farrenburg said their crew has been working to make sure everything is in place and all rooms and commodities are ready to go for the visitors coming this weekend.
"We're almost sold out for the weekend," Farrenburg stated. "The reservations started coming through quite early. I don't know if we are more excited here in the community or if the veterans coming to visit hold that excitement."
With all that Perryville has to offer, Farrenburg mentioned that this city is one that is a must to visit.
"It's extremely important here in the community to get the word out to travelers that Perryville is indeed a destination and a place to come see and visit," Farrenburg added.
Super 8 is one of many businesses in the Perryville area that do offer military members and their families. Be sure you check with the business to see if there are any discounts available for you.
Events start at 8 a.m. at the Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial grand opening on Saturday, May 18.


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Venture capital isn’t a monolith, but startup investors are compared to lemmings for a reason. Once a trend gets hot, every firm needs to make a play, or come up with a good excuse for missing out. (To be safe, if the firm does miss a trend, its partners should privately trash talk it to anyone who will listen.)
Investors continue to aggressively pour money into startups. As of the third quarter, US investors were on track to match or exceed 2016’s $69 billion in investments, according to the National Venture Capital Association and Pitchbook.
For startups, riding a trend such as artificial intelligence can be the difference between a hot round of funding and no investor interest. Founders have spent the last year throwing terms like blockchain, neural network, and machine learning into their pitch decks in hopes of attracting investment. Those trends show no signs of slowing in 2018. To those, we’ve added other themes that investors will be tracking in the new year.
With the price of virtual currency bitcoin hitting new highs every other day and money raised from “initial coin offerings” for new cryptocurrency projects surpassing that of early-stage venture funding, venture investors are scrambling to develop a cryptocurrency strategy.
Most firms can’t---or won’t---buy digital currency like bitcoin directly. But they’re high on the potential value of the underlying blockchain technology, and finding creative ways to pour money into the sector. David Pakman, a partner at Venrock, says he is exploring investments in apps that will run on the nascent crypto networks, much as smartphone apps run on either iOS or Android. His firm is also seeking investment opportunities in services around the cryptocurrency ecosystem, including institutional custody for cryptocurrencies, security, app distribution, and blockchain-based distributed file storage.
Rebecca Lynn, a partner at Canvas Ventures, is also hunting for companies using blockchains to build tech infrastructure. “The boring picks and shovels are where people are going to make their returns,” she says. She’s interested in startups using blockchains to securely store health records in a centralized database and to track copyrighted and trademarked content and licensing rights.
Brad Greiwe, a managing partner at Fifth Wall Ventures, is tracking investment opportunities stemming from autonomous vehicles. If, as some expect, self-driving cars cut the number of vehicles in urban areas by as much as 90% in coming decades, we’re going to have a lot of empty parking lots. That could free up billions of square feet of space, creating redevelopment opportunities. “Smart real estate investors are redrawing their maps now to succeed in the inevitable driverless world,” Greiwe says. Already, real-estate companies like Avalon Bay and Hines are putting features like sprinkler systems into parking structures, so the buildings can more easily be converted into storage or housing.
That’s an opportunity for startups. Appear Here, a Fifth Wall portfolio company, offers short-term leases for pop-up stores, including on parking lots. Other startups that could benefit from the shift include Factory OS, a modular building maker, Kasita.com, a startup making modular housing units, and Katerra, a construction tech company, says Roelof Opperman, a senior associate at Fifth Wall.
Artificial-intelligence experts are so in demand that tech giants like Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Apple are paying nosebleed rates to hire them. As a result, PhD’s in the field can raise venture money without so much as an idea, let alone a real business. Odds are, a tech giant will happily acquire the company before it’s built anything.


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Today’s report on consumer confidence lends credence to economic forecasts that call for a recovery soon.
This is a big enough improvement in consumer attitudes that I’m confident it’s not just a temporary blip. Although consumer confidence isn’t the only thing to worry about, recall that the housing crash itself did not send us into recession; it was the collapse of consumer spending that pushed us over the edge. Now we’re likely to see an improvement–not a return to the exuberant spending of 2005, but a measured increase in spending.
— Bill Conerly is principal of Conerly Consulting LLC, chief economist of abcInvesting.com, and was previously Senior Vice President at First Interstate Bank. Bill Conerly writes up-to-date comments on the economy on his blog called “Businomics” and produces a monthly audio magazine available on CD. Conerly is author of “Businomics™: From the Headlines to Your Bottom Line: How to Profit in Any Economic Cycle”, which connects the dots between the economic news and business decisions.
Disclaimer: Articles featured on Oregon Report are the creation, responsibility and opinion of the authoring individual or organization which is featured at the top of every article.


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Cool idea of the day: under signs saying "this book not for sale," today Square Books, Oxford, Miss., put up "Wylie World," a display in its front window of a range of titles represented by the Wylie Agency, which last week announced that it is selling the only e-editions of 20 books represented by the agency exclusively on Amazon's Kindle for two years (Shelf Awareness
, July 22, 2010).
On its website
, the store called the exclusivity deal "a bit like our selling you books that you could read only using the bedside lamp you must also purchase from us." It also said the deal is "a soiling of the First Amendment that so many of the agency's authors, such as Arthur Miller and Salman Rushdie, have fought so hard to protect."
"I'm a books person. Yes, I have a Kindle. I used it for an hour and a half and put it in the closet," Andrew Wylie told the London Observer in an interview published April 18. Quillblog mischievously recalled the comment in the wake of Wylie's deal with Amazon.
On his blog, Mike Shatzkin of Idea Logical Company offers a coherent history of the sometimes confusing subject of e-book rights and royalties, putting the Wylie-Amazon deal and reaction to it in perspective. His conclusion, for now:
"Even if the publishers pushing back manage to win this round with Wylie, and they well might, I don't think the 25% royalty can hold for very long. As more and more of the business shifts to e-books, companies without the legacy costs that big publishers have will find it easy to pay higher royalties than that and agents will keep doing the math about how many sales they can afford to lose and still end up ahead in dollars with a higher e-book royalty. As Amazon should have learned in their fight with Macmillan in January, it isn't smart business to draw a line in the sand marking a position you ultimately can’t defend. I hope every big publisher in town will take that lesson on board."
Scott Kirsner spent his summer vacation reading books,
magazines and newspapers on e-readers and recounted the experience for
the Boston Globe.
tried to stay out of bookstores on my vacation, to maximize my
dependence on the e-readers, and was mostly successful," he wrote. "But I
couldn't keep my son out of Where the Sidewalk Ends, an independent bookstore in Chatham with a separate children's wing. One of the books he wanted to look at was Scarry's Biggest Word Book Ever,
a hardcover volume nearly 30 inches wide when open on the floor. As he
sat at the edge of its board-like pages, the book filled most of his
field of vision with steam locomotives and pickle cars and backhoes. It
was hard to imagine an e-book ever duplicating that experience.
"And then back in Cambridge, the Harvard Book Store
offered tables stacked high with new releases, a calendar packed with
author events, and a helpful information desk staffer to answer a
question about when the new Carl Hiaasen novel would be out. While the
e-readers serve up books in a fast, convenient, and cost-effective
way--and there are few better formulas for success in American
business--I'd missed the rich experience of spending time in a good
"There was a time when people said books
on CDs would be the end of the book. It wasn't. That's how we regard
the e-book, as another format," Susan Novotny, owner of the Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany, N.Y., told the Business Review in reaction to Amazon's recent announcement that Kindle e-books were now outselling hardcovers at the company.
independent booksellers are a pretty resilient lot," Novotny said.
"We’re not intimidated by all these gizmos.... Those of us that survived
the growth of Amazon and the big boxes in the 90s are a tenacious and
She added that despite the many new electronic
options for readers, she is "not seeing any difference" in customer
activity. "Most people that shop in my store are hard-core readers that
buy 50 or 60 books a year and read a whole lot more than that and
augment that with the library and friends. They are not necessarily
heavily into experiencing a book in electronic format. They like to hold
the book, experience the book, smell the book, crack the spine, enjoy
the book in their hand and then when they’re done keep it on the shelf
or give it to another reader."
The San Francisco Chronicle's
"Five Places" feature selected locations in which "those looking to
celebrate history's great stories (whether on paper or pixel), or who
are just fans of the paper smell that wafts from bookstores and
libraries, will find happiness."
included the San Francisco Public Library; Powell's City of Books,
Portland, Ore.; the International Printing Museum, Carson, Calif.; the
Library Bistro and Bookstore Bar, Seattle, Wash.; and the Sylvia Beach
Hotel, Newport, Ore.
Congratulations to Taylor Books, Charleston, W.Va., which is celebrating its 15th anniversary this month.
Owner Ann Saville told the Gazette, "I never had a desire to open a bookstore. I just wanted to live downtown and I loved these old buildings." Still, after going to ABA Booksellers School, she has created what one customer called "a unique institution. My friends from larger cities are often jealous they don't have the equivalent available to them. This is a bookstore, coffee shop, wine bar and place with live music on the weekends."
There is also a gallery that offers drawings, paintings, sculpture as well as jewelry, glassware and other crafts by local artisans.
Saville and her late husband, Paul, bought the building where the store is located. She has lived upstairs since then and bakes scones daily to sell in the store. "This is a marvelous way to grow old," Saville told the paper.
"I thought it was something I would be doing for six months
and leave town and do something else. That was 38 years ago," said
Archie Kutz, co-owner of Lift Bridge Book Shop, Brockport, N.Y., for a profile of his business in the Democrat & Chronicle.
Kutz added that the indie, which has been open since 1972, is a
testimony to the value of a long business lifetime: "The stores that are
more than 30 years old, that are still open, are very strong."
The Triple Goddess Bookstore,
Okemos, Mich., is one of "three prominent downtown Okemos properties
[that] could end up being the latest casualties of tough economic times,
according to the Lansing State Journal,
which reported that "Comerica Bank has begun foreclosure proceedings
against Travelers Club Restaurant and Tuba Museum, White Bros. Music and
the building housing the Triple Goddess Bookstore. All three properties
are owned by William White."
Linda Fausey, who helps out at the bookstore, said co-owners Dawne and Alan Coe "plan to stay put for the time being," the State Journal wrote.
bookstore is doing fine. We have no plans to close the bookstore. If we
have to move we will do so, but we hate to see this corner go down,"
Fausey said. "We're losing so much of what we have left of our culture
these days. We have seen so much of this happen, and we don't seem to be
able to do anything to stop it."
The first rule of Jane Austen's Fight Club? "One never mentions fight club."
Congratulations to Josh Christie of Sherman's Books and Stationery, Freeport, Me., winner of the Rusty Drugan Scholarship for Emerging Leaders. The annual award is sponsored by the New England Independent Booksellers Association and honors the late Wayne "Rusty" Drugan, who was NEIBA executive director from 1992 to 2006.
Congratulations, too, to Ellen Pyle of Macmillan, who has won the Gilman Award for outstanding service as a sales representative to New England independent bookstores.
Both awards will be presented at NEIBA's fall conference Friday, October 1, in Providence, R.I.
Shelf Awareness book reviewer Nick DiMartino, whose day job is at the University Bookstore, Seattle, Wash., recently taught the art of book reviewing to 16 high school students in the Puget Sound Writing Project at the University of Washington. The students were led by Steven Garmanian, a teacher at Everett High School, Everett, Wash.
Effective September 1, Marie du Vaure is joining Copperfield's, which has nine locations in northern California, as frontlist buyer. She has been head buyer at Vroman's, Pasadena, Calif., for eight years and has worked at several other independent bookstores in Los Angeles. She was raised in Southeast Asia, educated in France, has worked in the U.S. for the past two decades and replaces Ty Wilson, who has become a sales rep at PGW.
Copperfield's CEO Tom Montan commented: "Replacing Ty was really an impossibility, but the candidates that surfaced were amazing and the choice was very difficult. I am very excited to be bringing Marie on board and her huge talent and wonderful personality will be a great match for Copperfield's and will help carry the work that Ty has done over the last many years into the future."
Ron Marshall, who at the beginning of the year left his positions as president and CEO of Borders Group to become CEO of the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., has stepped down after the grocery retailer reported that its loss grew in the first quarter, according to the AP. Shares of A&P dropped to at least a 25-year low.
Marshall had been at Borders a year and has had a reputation for turning around troubled companies.


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London, 23 February 2023 – The UK’s largest small business lending platform Funding Circle today announces its partnership with Sage, the leader in accounting, financial, HR, and payroll technology for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs). The collaboration makes it simpler for small businesses to secure funding.
With the integration of Sage Accounting and Funding Circle’s API, customers who are limited companies will now be able to apply for loans and manage their cash flow easily, with quick and efficient loan application processing and decisions made in minutes. Initially launching in the UK, small businesses using Sage Accounting software will be able to apply for business loans ranging from £10,000 to £500,000, with the option to repay the loan over a period of six months to six years. They will also have access to Funding Circle’s new product, FlexiPay, which is an interest-free line of credit that helps small businesses manage their cash flow.
With more than 130,000 businesses in the UK and US accessing over £14.5 billion through Funding Circle, and Sage serving millions of customers globally, this partnership is set to revolutionise access to funding for small businesses. Additionally, Funding Circle and Sage intend to develop the partnership with the ambition to expand internationally, including in the US where Funding Circle has a material and growing presence as a small business lending provider.
Alexander Allen, UK Managing Director at Funding Circle, said, “We are proud to team up with Sage and launch another partnership via our API, increasing access to funding for more small businesses in the UK. We’re really looking forward to building our relationship with Sage and its customers, with the potential to expand into the US in the future too.”
Neal Watkins, Executive Vice President of Product at Sage, added, “Our partnership with Funding Circle is exciting as it simplifies access to loans and funding for SMBs so they can focus on running their businesses, freeing up their time to deliver for their customers. Managing cash flow can be a source of anxiety for customers and this partnership will relieve that stress by reducing waiting time on loan decisions and giving SMB owners peace of mind.”


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Tens of thousands of holidaymakers who have booked with a wide range of cruise lines have learned that their travel agent has gone out of business.
Gill’s Cruise Centre, based in Cardiff, suspended sales on Thursday and on Friday was ejected from Abta, the travel association. These questions aim to explain what it means for you, whether you’re a holidaymaker booked with Gill’s – or simply worried about what it might mean for the travel industry.
Q. What went wrong?
Basically, in the ultra-competitive cruise market, Gill’s was selling at a loss. The firm was a familiar name in the newspaper travel sections, taking out big ads and promising better prices than rival agencies. While cruise lines were paying commission of 15 per cent or more, the business model seemed to be working. But earlier this year Britain’s biggest cruise firm, Carnival – which owns P&O and Cunard – cut its commission to just 5 per cent. Offering deep discounts and still making money evidently didn’t add up, and late on Friday 15 July, Abta said it regarded Gill’s as a financial failure.
Q. I’ve booked with Gill’s. What happens to my holiday?
You should be able to take the cruise as normal. Compared with some of the travel firm failures we saw last year, the damage should be limited. Certainly there’s no risk of anyone being stranded abroad. The cruise lines say that they will honour bookings, and are contacting people who had booked with Gill’s to establish what they had paid and when. The result should be that almost everybody gets the cruise they booked at the price they’d agreed, even if that was below cost due to the discounting strategy of Gill’s. The cruise lines are contacting passengers roughly in the order in which they are due to depart, to explain the situation and reassure customers.
Q. As well as the cruise, I booked a hotel the night before in Southampton, and a rental car for the day in Lanzarote.
You are one of the few people who may lose out financially. These arrangements are outside the scope of Gill’s bonding, and it is down to you to talk to the suppliers – ie the hotel and the car-rental company – about your bookings. If they have been paid by Gill’s, everything should proceed as planned. If they haven’t, you need to discuss with them how they might be able to help you.
Q. Are other holiday companies – cruise or otherwise - likely to find themselves in trouble?
Earlier in the week Thomas Cook – Britain’s second-biggest holiday company – saw its value fall by one-third after it issued a profit warning, blaming the weakness of the UK market. The story of this summer seems to be: people are booking late and demanding bargains, which is good news for them but bad for the travel industry. Thomas Cook and the other established package-holiday companies are looking robust, but the same problems as last year could affect operators offering very cheap holidays to destinations such as Turkey – one company (which I won’t name) is offering a week in Turkey departing next weekend for the big getaway - for around £300, including flights, accommodation and breakfast, which is way below what holiday companies would want to be earning during the school summer holidays.
Q. What can you do to protect yourself?
Make sure if you’re booking a package holiday that it IS a package holiday, covered by an ATOL. And, if you’re booking a cruise, make sure that the agent you book through is fully bonded.
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An innovative design may soon turn your typical credit card into a smart money machine.
A paper-thin computer embedded in a traditional payment card, Card 2.0 contains a magnetic stripe on the back – called the Electronic Stripe – that is fully programmable and rewritable. Users can change any information – such as which account a payment is charged to – on the fly at the time of purchase.
Unveiled Sept. 15 at DEMO Fall 2010 in Santa Clara, Calif., Card 2.0 will revamp the traditional electronic money transaction, said Jeff Mullen, CEO of Dynamics, Inc., the Pittsburgh-based startup behind the payment technology.
“Nothing exists like this,” said Mullen. “It’s on a completely different level.”
Here’s how: In one application, called the MultiAccount card, consumers can press one of two buttons on the face of the card. Each button is linked to a specific bank account; when the button is pressed, it lights up, indicating which account the purchase will deduct from, and that account information is written onto the Electronic Stripe.
Another application for the card, called Hidden, addresses and could potentially mitigate the issue of credit card fraud and identity theft. Hidden includes five buttons on the face of the card along with a display that hides a portion of the credit card number. To turn the card on, the user has to enter a personal unlocking code, the same way a PIN number is used at an ATM.
Once turned on, the card then reveals the full number (for online purchases) and writes the account number to the Electronic Stripe for in-store transactions. (Card 2.0 works with all existing point-of-sale magnetic stripe readers).
What’s exceptional about Hidden is that after a period of time the card display turns off, the full card number is again partially covered, and all account information is erased from the Electronic Stripe, thereby rendering it useless to anyone but its owner.
“Nobody can look at your number or swipe it online,” said Mullen. “I could lose my card in the middle of a store and nobody would be able to use it.”
Though it could significantly change the way consumer banking is conducted, Card 2.0’s specifications are set iup for a seamless introduction into everyday use starting now. No thicker than a regular credit card, Card 2.0 houses more than 70 electrical components in one-tenth of an inch of cubic space.
“It’s computer architecture by any stretch of the word,” said Mullen. “It’s sophisticated yet amazingly elegant.”
In addition, because the programmable strsipe is embedded in the card, and the card is covered in plastic, there is no exposed circuitry. The card is also scratch-resistant and even waterproof.
Mullen said another application for Card 2.0 would be to place both corporate and personal accounts on a single card. There are more than 20 other applications for the card Mullen disclose just yet, however; he said announcements would come “shortly” from banks that decide to employ the Card 2.0 technology.
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Zimbabwe is anticipating a rise in arrivals from GCC region to 13,500 by 2021
The service will also re-affirm if the the newly-opened terminal at Oman International Airport has the infrastructure to handle A380 operations
Rajendra Pawar and Sudhir Singh of NIIT Technologies point the way for a better airport experience for travellers
Race 3 filmed at nine locations in the Emirate across 23 days in March and April
The company has introduce an array of specialised offers, including Ramadan specials and Eid packages, at the event
The company will launch holiday packages in the UAE for the upcoming summer season in partnership with the region's top travel and tourism agencies
The new sponsored placements solution allows accommodation businesses to increasing their property's visibility to targeted audience
Atlantis, The Palm has released a food and beverage reality web series named Kitchen Secrets by Atlantis, The Palm
The video features 75 women staff from more than 25 nationalities, carrying out all key activities for the operation of flight EK 225 from Dubai to San Francisco
The show, which opened at the end of August 2017, boasts a 95% excellent and very good rating
The dualisation project included the construction of three bridges, three tunnels for vehicles, 11 tunnels for animals, a 150m long bridge over Khur Ruri
Offers are valid on bookings made between January 8 to 22 for travel between January 12 and November 30
The programme aims to showcase to the world that UAE is more than shopping malls and luxury hotels and that it is also a destination for adventure tourism.
The RTA has announced that around 3mn people used mass transit means and taxicabs during New Year’s Eve and holiday
The number of visitors to the 'Land of Frankincense’ sites in Oman's governorate of Dofar during last December stood at 11,480.


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The music industry made a big mistake when it didn't partner with former Apple CEO Steve Jobs and didn't buy Napster, rapper Pitbull said.» Read More
CNBC's Bob Pisani, and Mike McGlone, ETF Securities director of research, discuss market trends setting up for the month of May.
Independent investment consultant David Darst, shares the four "positive Cs" in the market. He says the financials are the bodyguards of the market, and they have to do well.
How to trade social stocks, with Ross Gerber, Gerber Kawasaki CEO, and Jeff Reeves, Investorplace.com. Gerber says Twitter is beautiful, and Periscope is a game changer.
A baby girl in Nepal was born to a young couple in one of the field hospitals set up by foreign relief workers, and a private research firm says the Apple Watch costs less than $84 to make, with CNBC's Sue Herera.
Rick Harrison of "Pawn Stars," discusses the fight coming to Las Vegas this weekend, and his new shop there called "Pawn Plaza." He says he's upped security at his store for this weekend.
Generac Holdings CEO Aaron Jagdfeld, reacts to Tesla's new line of batteries, and how his generators compare to Tesla's battery pack.
Discussing the rally in Friday's trading, with Joe Duran, United Capital; Beth Ann Bovino, S&P chief economist; and Kenny Polcari, O'Neil Securities.
CNBC's Phil LeBeau reports auto sales in April were 16.45 million, according to Autodata.
Two days before his 'Fight of Century' with Floyd Mayweather, boxer Manny Pacquiao visited with the CNBC 'Closing Bell' crew for an interview.
Manny Pacquiao is expected to get at least $80 million for his fight against Floyd Mayweather, but he says he's fighting for his fans.
The announcement of Tesla's stationary storage battery although highly expected doesn't seem to convince analysts.
Expect a 5-8 percent correction, widely followed investor Dennis Gartman says.
WBO welterweight champ Manny Pacquiao is excited for Saturday's fight against Floyd Mayweather, Jr., and says he plans to give some of his earnings to a foundation in the Philippines.
CNBC's Eamon Javers spoke with the $104 million whistleblower, Bradley Birkenfeld.
Millennials are ramping up retirement savings and putting more money into Roth IRA accounts, reports CNBC's Sharon Epperson.
The Census Bureau is reporting home-ownership in the first quarter of 2015 dropped to nearly 64 percent, the lowest in 25 years. Insight, with CNBC's Diana Olick and Shari Olefson, Carnegie Group founder.
LinkedIn is reporting EPS beat of $0.57 on revenue beat of $638 million, with CNBC's Julia Boorstin and FM trader Guy Adami. But the stock was hit on poor guidance.
Gilead is reporting EPS beat of $2.94 adjusted on revenue beat of $7.59 billion, with CNBC's Meg Tirrell and Christine Short, Estimize.
Oliver Pursche, Bruderman Brothers CEO, and Dennis Gartman of the Gartman Letter, discuss the selloff in stocks.
Biotech is bunking up in Cambridge's hottest zip codes as an affordable way to be in the hotbed of research. Details, with CNBC's Meg Tirrell.


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Manheim will be closing its Manheim Arena Illinois auction, a company spokesperson confirmed via email to Auto Remarketing on Tuesday.
The Chicago Tribune reported Monday that the closure would happen on Nov. 1.
In a statement sent to Auto Remarketing, parent company Cox Automotive said many of the employees at Manheim Arena Illinois, located in Bolingbrook, Ill., will have the chance to transfer to Manheim Chicago, which is located in Matteson, Ill.
“At Cox Automotive, we are continuously evaluating our operations to ensure that they are as efficient as possible for both our clients and our company,” the statement read. “To support this approach, we are closing our Manheim Arena Illinois operations and focusing our efforts on the continued growth and success of our nearby Manheim Chicago site.
“Our dedicated team members are among our most valued assets, and while many of them will be offered the opportunity to transfer to Manheim Chicago, those who will not, will have opportunities to apply for other positions within Cox for which they are qualified and will be offered a severance package based on their job level and years of service with the company.”
The company spokesperson said there are not any current plans for any other Manheim auction closures.
“However, Manheim continuously evaluates its operations to ensure they are as efficient as possible for our clients and the company,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson also said the closure of Manheim Arena Illinois is “not part of a broader Manheim/Cox Automotive reduction.”


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Consumer spending grows – slowly
According to the latest data from the Department of Commerce released on April 30, personal consumption expenditure in current dollars rose 0.4% in March. It rose 0.2% in February after declining in December and January.
One of the main reasons for consumer spending remaining low in the first quarter of 2015 is the harsh winter. But continuing slow growth indicates that consumers are not very confident about the overall economy and are still cautious.
Savings rate declines
Personal income and disposable personal income both increased less than 0.1% in March. So it wasn’t substantially higher income that contributed to increased spending. Spending grew as the savings rate declined to 5.3% in March from 5.7% in February. The personal savings rate is personal saving expressed as a percentage of disposable personal income.
The above graph shows the growth in personal consumption expenditures and the decline in savings in March.
Higher spending benefits banks
Higher spending typically means higher credit card and other consumer loans, which benefit banks. Banks such as J.P. Morgan (JPM), Citigroup (C), Wells Fargo (WFC), and Capital One (COF) have significant consumer loan portfolios. A growth in consumer spending should have a positive impact on these banks. Together, the four banks form ~22.5% of the Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF).
Over the longer term, higher spending indicates a generally growing economy. This leads to a higher loan demand and increased capital market activity, which are positives for the banking sector.
This doesn’t mean that savings are always bad for the economy. Savings generally end up as deposits in a bank. The banks may lend this money to industries, which helps economic growth. Banks may also use savings to extend consumer credit. The general argument is that a sudden rise in savings and a decline in consumer spending hurts growth.


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Art and wine event to be downtown
Published: Friday, October 13, 2006 at 4:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, October 13, 2006 at 12:00 a.m.
An Art and Wine Festival will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 20 in downtown Hendersonville to benefit the Henderson County Boys and Girls Club.
Carolina First Bank is sponsoring the event.
Those participating can visit galleries and shops after hours, meet artists and sample a variety of Italian wines.
Tickets are $25. Only the first 500 people will get printed wine pouches. The pouches can be bought beginning today at the Purple Sage Gourmet Cookware. The evening of the event tickets can be purchased in front of Purple Sage, Silver Fox Gallery, Wickwire Fine & Folk Art Gallery and Red Door Gallery.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.
Comments are currently unavailable on this article


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The Rocket Competition Team is currently putting the final touches their prototype rocket, which will fly this Saturday October 9th at the CTRA launch at Gill Corn Farms in New York. The rocket has been named Artemis and will reach 6,000 ft, carrying a GoPro as its payload. The GoPro will test the rockets payload deployment system and take footage of its descent.
If you are interested in coming to the launch it is not too late! Email email@example.com to sign up!


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Push a shopping cart along the concrete floors of your local Costco and you’ll be sure to find super-saver packages of cheddar cheese, toilet paper, and a lifetime supply of Advil. On occasion, you might also find price-reduced apparel from major clothing brands like Adidas, Calvin Klein, DKNY, Levi’s, Polo Ralph Lauren, and Tommy Hilfiger. These companies spend tens, sometimes hundreds, of millions of dollars per year on advertising campaigns to elevate their brand image — and nearly as much fighting unauthorized sellers and counterfeiters to protect it. So why are they selling typically lower-quality wares at such a serious discount? According to many of these labels, they aren’t. Though you can still find a three-pack of knee-high DKNY socks on Costco.com for $9.99, a spokesperson for the brand says it stopped selling goods there “years ago.” Similarly, a source familiar with Ralph Lauren’s sales plans said the company “does not have a direct selling relationship” with Costco, although its polo shirts and fragrances often show up on the store’s shelves. What, exactly, is going on? While Costco did not respond to multiple requests for comment, Marshall Cohen, chief industry analyst at The NPD Group, was able to shed some light.
According to Cohen, Costco often obtains its inventory in unexpected ways: picking up cancelled or excess orders from apparel factories, for example, or third-party sources that have somehow landed on a pile of stock. These are called “gray market goods” — products obtained through channels that are technically legal, but are unintended by the original manufacturer. “A lot of the time, what you’re seeing isn’t exactly what was intended to be the product that was produced by the brand,” Cohen explains. “They’ve moved enough hands that no one knows where they come from.” Costco’s “inventive” product acquisition strategies have gotten it into trouble in the past. Earlier this year, the company was ordered to pay Tiffany & Co. $13.75 million in damages for selling Tiffany-branded engagement rings that — you guessed it — weren’t actually purchased from Tiffany. According to the legal filing, a woman sent a complaint to the jewelry company after seeing the pieces, some priced as much as $4,000, being sold at a Costco in Huntington Beach, CA. When the company went to investigate, it found a display case filled with gems and a store associate claiming that they were the real deal. Despite that very-public snafu, it’s not to say you can’t find authentic designer-brand clothing at Costco. While the retailer does get some of its wares through unexpected avenues, some major apparel brands are selling directly to them — they’re just not fessing up to it.
What’s more, many shoppers say the brand-name apparel products they’re finding at the value-conscious retailer are of a different quality than what they’ve found at department and authorized outlet stores. In some cases, the goods are made of leftover fabric or are from a factory order that didn’t turn out quite right. While some brands may write down the loss, others “get caught in a position where they can’t afford to,” Cohen explains. “They may have an abundance of fabric, or fabric may have come in that didn’t meet their standards. They can’t sell it openly on the off-price market, so they sell it to the warehouse stores.” Kyle James, a father of three in Redding, CA, and the founder of coupons website Rather-Be-Shopping.com, says that the Levi’s-, Adidas-, and Calvin Klein-branded products he bought at Costco over the years “don't hold up nearly as well when I buy them from the warehouse club.” A pair of Calvin Klein khakis faded dramatically after just a few washes; the button fell off a pair of Levi’s jeans almost immediately (the first time that has happened in more than two decades of buying Levi’s, he notes); and a size-large pair of Adidas sweatpants shrunk a full size after their first wash and dry. He still continues to buy Adidas sweatpants at Costco, but now buys up a size. But Levi’s? Now he buys from "the department store only.”
“I would say the quality and definitely the selection is different,” Catherine Brock, the St. Louis, Missouri-based founder of The Budget Fashionista, adds. In years past, she has scored a host of designer jeans, as well as Ugg boots and pieces from Patagonia, at Costco locations in California and the Midwest. “Now, maybe what you’ll find is a random cardigan from Calvin Klein, or more mass-produced, cheaper stuff [from these brands]." If you do decide to shop for apparel at Costco, be thorough. Take the time to evaluate the quality of the garment, instead of purely trusting to the product label. “I wouldn’t say make a special trip to Costco just to look for clothes,” Brock advises. “But if you already have a Costco membership and are going to the store, sure, take a look around and see if there’s something you like.” The designer eyewear selection, she says, is particularly good. As for the rest of the goods? Well, maybe it's time to leave them on the shelves, where they belong.


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COLUMBUS, MS – Courtesy of the Dispatch
A ChargePoint electric car charger was recently installed in front of the Tennessee Williams Home and Welcome Center, at 300 Main St. The CLW board voted two months ago to lease the charger from the TVPA; the lease is scheduled for five years CLW director Todd Gale said.
The fee is 75 cents per hour; different vehicles require different charging times. “It’s close to downtown, so people can park, shop around and leave,” Gale said. This one marks the 11th station within a 15-KM radius of Columbus, according to the ChargeHub companion app. Among other local
While the usage of electric cars in the state is still quite low, sales numbers are slowly growing. One potential contributing factor to a possible future growth in sales is the belief that, by 2025, the average price of an electric car will drop below that of gas-powered cars.


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Two of the top aquafarming countries are teaming up. Vietnam, one of the world’s top producers of prawns and pangasius, a type of freshwater “shark catfish” (that’s a real thing) more commonly known as basa, is looking to make improvements, technologically and sustainably, in its fast growing aquaculture sector. Vietnam’s exports are poised to grow in the next 10 to 15 years and the country could see $12 billion in income from the sector by 2020, and more than $30 billion by 2030.
Norway, a major producer of Atlantic salmon, wants to help as it confronts challenges in its own aquaculture industry. Norway has offered “Nordic Solutions to Global Challenges” (here and here), and is eager to share its aquaculture expertise as well. Norwegian aquaculture executives are working with Vietnam to support the country’s growth potential in farmed fish, molluscs, and seaweed.
Vietnam’s aquaculture market is restricted by out-of-date technologies and poor supply-chain linkages. These challenges have led to the industry’s unsustainable development, including poor quality products, high prevalence of disease, lack of environmental controls, and poor management practices, according to Nguyen Huu Dung of the Vietnam Sea Culture Association. Pangasius farming has a particularly poor track record, and has shown few signs of sustainability progress.
Norway has grappled with disease and product quality in its own farms. In 2009, Norway launched a national strategy for developing an environmentally sustainable aquaculture industry. It includes: increasing farm inspection and disease treatments; developing an environmental monitoring system for nutrient salts and waste discharges from farms; and developing guidelines for climate and eco-labeling to help consumers make informed decisions.


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New Delhi: Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon.com Inc is now the richest man on the earth as his net worth surged to $105.1 billion on Monday according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index as Amazon.com Inc shares added to a 12-month surge that’s lifted the online shopping giant’s market value by almost 57 per cent.
According to a Bloomberg report, Amazon shares have risen 6.6 per cent this year, with a report showing the Seattle-based company captured 89 per cent of online spending among dominant holiday retailers in the five week period beginning the day after Thanksgiving in the US.
The latest jump in Amazon.com Inc shares has pushed Bezos’s fortune above the high reached by Microsoft Corp’s Bill Gates in 1999. The Amazon founder passed Gates in October with a net worth of $93.8 billion and his fortune crossed $100 billion for the first time a month later when the holiday shopping season kicked off on Black Friday, said the Bloomberg report.
Other than Amazon.com Inc, Bezos also controls closely held space exploration business Blue Origin and the Washington Post.
The calendar year 2017 also witnessed the wealth of Indian billionaires increased immensely. Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani was the biggest gainer with his wealth rising by 124.6 per cent. His net worth soared to $10.4 billion as of December 31, 2017 from $4.63 billion in January last year, according to data available with Bloomberg.
Gautam Adani is the founder of Adani Group, the largest port operator in India.
Adani was followed by D-Mart owner Radhakishan Damani, whose wealth grew by nearly 80 per cent to $6.96 billion in December from $3.88 in March last year, the Economic Times reported earlier. Damani controls Avenue Supermarkets, a Mumbai-based retailer specialising in low-priced consumer goods.
Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani's net worth jumped 77.53 per cent to $40.30 billion in 2017, making him the 20th richest person globally. His net worth was at $22.70 billion in January 2017.


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April 15, 2014 |
MUMBAI: Family businesses need to bridge three key gaps - generation, credibility and communication, to ensure clean succession, says new research from PwC based on a survey of more than 200 next generation family members likely to take over the reins of the family businesses in 21 countries worldwide. According to the findings, the next generation is ambitious, with 86% wanting to do something significant and special. Around 80% have big ideas for change and growth while 59% say gaining the respect of their co-workers is the biggest challenge.
April 11, 2014 |
Ensconced in Serum Institute of India's baroque boardroom, gazing down upon the greens of the Poonawalla Stud Farms , it's easy enough to forget that the company makes vaccines for scary diseases like rabies, tetanus and measles right next door. But then again, that's the Poonawallas for you. The family has built a Rs 4,000 crore privately owned company that is set to become the world's largest manufacturer of vaccines - but their race horses, sports cars, private jets and Sharon Stone charity events are so very distracting.
March 30, 2014
By Vishesh Chandiok There is no clear right or wrong in whether succession for a role is more appropriate from within a family or from outside the family. This is true for any role and in any kind of field — business, social service, sports, or for that matter, politics. Above all, the two characteristics that make a person successful in a role are passion and competence. Those are the two qualities to look for when considering a successor. Passion for family members comes from the commitment to ensuring continuity of the legacy.
March 14, 2014 |
Huddled in a Taj suite in Mumbai, Binod Chaudhary, Maruti Suzuki Chairman RC Bhargava and Tilak De Zoysa are deep in conversation. The common link that has brought together the Nepalese, Indian and Sri Lankan business leaders, respectively, happens to be automobiles; Chaudhary is Nepal's sole Maruti Suzuki distributor while Zoysa's company is the Sri Lankan counterpart. Incidentally, Chaudhary also owns hotels in South Asia that are managed by the Taj Group and Zoysa sits on the board.
March 13, 2014
By John Davis First recognise that for any group or organisation to be successful, it needs to be led, managed and governed well. Governance provides a broad sense of purpose or mission for the group and gives the group a sense of stability... Without stability, you lose your built-in advantage. Without adequate governance, you don't have adequate stability. The family business system absolutely must be governed, and governed well, for success. Good governance for any group assures us that plans can be made, problems solved, leaders developed and chosen, and disputes settled in a way that preserves the purpose and unity of the group.
March 12, 2014 |
NEW DELHI: The Competition Commission has rejected allegations of unfair business practices against HeroMotoCorp related to an earlier dealership in Karnataka. Disposing of the complaint against HeroMotoCorp Ltd , the fair trade regulator said the allegations made have no bearing upon competition in the markets . "The information appears to be a family business and contractual feud which has been sought to be projected as a competition issue. "The informant has made various allegations relating to cartel, collusive bid rigging and refusal to deal etc without in any manner, whatsoever, explaining the basis much less substantiating the same," the Commission said in the order dated March 11 but released today.
March 3, 2014 |
Not everyone has the audacity to shrug off a sprawling family business to make one's own mark. Delhi-based Rohit Khetrapal and Simran Sial did. In a smart business move, they leveraged their family ventures — advertising and sales for Khetrapal, budget hotels for Sial — to set up their own enterprise, Findmystay.com , a travel portal that helps vacationers save on hotel stays. The 29-year-olds, who have known each other since college days in the Delhi University, were sure that they wanted to be entrepreneurs.
March 2, 2014 |
NEW DELHI: Lack of clarity in roles as well as indeterminate ways of sharing rewards and wealth negatively impacts togetherness in Indian family businesses, says a study. Listing out many factors that hurts togetherness in family businesses, the study has said the concept of togetherness in Indian family businesses is in a "state of flux". The findings are part of a study prepared by the Thomas Schmidheiny Chair of Family Business and Wealth Management at the Indian School of Business (ISB)
January 29, 2014 |
In the hierarchy of things Italy is celebrated for, and there's quite a few — food, football, fountains, Fellini, chapels and Leonardo da Vinci, Mascagni, Monica Bellucci and the mafia — fashion falls somewhere in the top five. Because in a country where footballers and police officers sport uniforms made by Armani, clothes are more than just the shirt on your back. It's accessible art, practically. As Claudio Grotto, founder and chairman, Grotto Spa, owner of the high-street denim fashion brand GAS, says, the Americans may have invented jeans, but the Italians provided the style and l'estitica.
December 24, 2013 |
CHENNAI: For a business family that runs over a dozen companies, including one for inhouse IT needs, generates Rs 2,000 crore in revenues, and has nearly 40,000 employees on its rolls, the Chennai Silks group has for long been identified as a Tamil Nadu-centric saree retailer, battling it out against the likes of Nalli locally. It wants to change that now. The nearly five-decade old family business, managed jointly by eight brothers, now wants to expand beyond home, to southern states initially.


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Just a month after E3 opened its doors EA was back in action at their main campus in Redwood City with another media junket to promote a walloping 28 games, 17 of which weren't on-show a month earlier in Los Angeles. The focus was admittedly more "casual." The games EA showed at E3 demonstrated where they are today, but the non-traditional games on parade at the EA Showcase 2008 would represent where EA will be tomorrow. Whatever that means.
Sitting in the chilly media auditorium during the opening press conference, the thought flashed through my mind that covering this event would be tantamount to trying to cover a Sam's Club buyer's convention. Can there really be a cohesive message for a company pushing 28 games into the marketplace in the coming months? Rather than cohesion, the thrust of EA's message was not to discuss any specific initiative, strategy, or group of games, but instead to trumpet the overwhelming thoroughness of their upcoming lineup. From the audacious online offering in NHL 09 to Sudoku for the iPhone, EA is literally spilling over with content for as many conceivable demographics as I can imagine.
Maybe I'm naïve but it's amazing that in an industry that barely existed thirty years ago, a company as massive as EA can exist. You've likely read elsewhere about the modern sprawl of their business park, with its own theater, full service, gym, and massive atrium complete with an on-site Starbucks. Even more perplexing is their focus on an ad hoc preview event like this which featured such a diverse array of content being pitched to the ever-homogenized group of videogame journalists. Wandering around the demo area after EA's rapid-fire press conference there was a conspicuous absence of interest in several games, while many others had clumps of derisive young men staring skeptically at the sparkly pastel colors of EA's non-core titles.
One such game was Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09, a booth which was almost always empty every time I passed it. I decided to take the opportunity to circumvent a line and sat down for a few holes. I asked Sean Wilson, EA Tiburon's Creative Director, what he thought of the apparent lack of interest in the game could stem from, just a few weeks before its release later this month. Wilson demurred, speculating that EA had previewed the title so many times already that there was likely nothing new to see for most of the game journalists. Maybe, but looking around it didn't seem like extensive preview coverage was preventing certain other titles from attracting crowds. NBA Live 09 had a healthy stream of young men crowding around the LCD monitors to get a peak at a game that was at E3. Even more surprising, Madden NFL 09, a game that's already been released, had a steady handful of men coming and going for a pigskin palate cleanser in between other demos.
While Madden is undoubtedly EA's most important franchise, it's odd that a second-stringer like NBA Live would steal the spotlight from Tiger, whose potential as a "bridge" title connecting non-traditional gamers to virtual athletes is arguably far more significant. Wilson spoke about past promotions for old Tiger games that targeted Father's Day shoppers looking for something new to give dad. I mentioned that I knew several people who were not gamers but had copies of old Tiger PC games on their laptops and played it as regularly as Solitaire or Minesweeper. So why has EA decided to not release a PC version of Tiger this year? The policy of not dumping EA Sports games onto the PC makes sense for visceral, controller-oriented games like Madden and NBA Live, but golf mechanics have always worked quite well on mouse and keyboard. Targeting the laptop players and the business person on the go seems like a natural demographic to focus on. Wilson didn't have answers for these questions, but it's hard to not wonder about the decision-making process.
If there's one thing that's clear about junkets it's that they aren't about sniffing out stories. They're more about using the media as enthusiast co-conspirators to deliver product information to a voracious hardcore audience. With total game revenues now rivaling Hollywood (not an airtight claim, but a decent barometer for how far the industry has come), when will major publishers like EA finally branch out beyond the enthusiast press to promote their lineups? Looking at the fact sheet for all the games on display I found myself at a loss for why EA was even bothering to promote these to the hardcore. Celebrity Sports Showdown, Monopoly, NERF "N-Strike," The Sims 2 Apartment Life, Travel Games For Dummies, Scrabble, Sudoku? What kind of coverage can EA be expecting from outlets designed to celebrate core titles like Halo and Call of Duty?


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March 1, 2018 -- If you bought an Instant Pot at Walmart in the last few months, you should take a closer look at the label.
Certain models of the Gem 65 8-in-1 Multicooker are being recalled by their distributor because they can overheat, posing a fire hazard.
Double Insight, the company that imports the appliances from China, has received more than 100 reports of the pots overheating and melting on the bottom. In five cases, this has caused minor property damage.
To see if your Instant Pot is part of the recall, turn it over and look at the code in the lower right corner of the label on the bottom. Where it says “Date,” if it has codes 1728, 1730, 1731, 1734, or 1746, you should unplug it and return it to Walmart for a free replacement.
For more information, call Double Insight toll-free at 888-891-1473 from 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET Saturday and Sunday. Or go online at www.instantpot.com and click on “Product Recall,” or visit www.gemmulticooker.com.


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Safaricom has announced the approval of two new subsidiaries to invest in seed-stage and growth-stage start-ups in the country. The decision was made at the company’s 15th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on Friday, July 28, 2023.
The new subsidiaries are a company limited by guarantee, which will focus on investing in early-stage start-ups that align with Safaricom’s strategic mission of becoming a purpose-led technology company by 2025, and a private limited liability company, which will invest in mature and strategically aligned entities that will help accelerate Safaricom’s entry into new customer segments and business models.
The company limited by guarantee will build on the success of the Spark Fund, an investment entity by Safaricom PLC that has supported several seed-stage start-ups across Kenya, such as Shupavu 291, iProcure, Sendy, Ajua, and Soko Fresh. The private limited liability company will act as the main investment vehicle for all strategic investments undertaken by Safaricom PLC.
Peter Ndegwa, Safaricom CEO, said: “We are committed to empowering the tech ecosystem in Kenya and beyond, and this strategic move will enable us to broaden our investments, embracing both seed-stage and growth-stage start-ups. Incorporating these subsidiaries is pivotal to realising Safaricom’s purpose to become a purpose-led technology company.”
Ndegwa added that the new companies will look for opportunities in emerging technologies such as analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and the internet of things. He said that the company will be launching the call for applications for the seed-stage start-ups in the coming weeks.
Adil Khawaja, Chairman of the Board, said: “We thank our shareholders for their unwavering support in establishing the new subsidiaries. By investing in tech entrepreneurs and initiatives that align with our strategic mission, we aim to continue to transform lives by connecting people, opportunities, and information while driving innovation, creating value, and leaving a lasting impact on society.”
At the AGM, shareholders also approved a final dividend of KES 0.62 per ordinary share with the dividend payout amounting to KES 24.84 billion. In February 2023, the Board approved a payment of an interim dividend of KES 0.58 per ordinary share, amounting to a total of KES 23.24 billion for our shareholders. This brings the total dividend for the year to KES 48.08 billion which represents KES 1.20 per share in respect of the year ended 31 March 2023. The dividend will be payable on or about 31 August 2023 to the shareholders on the Register of Members as at close of business 28 July 2023.
Despite facing tough operating conditions due to increased regulatory scrutiny, changes in taxation policies, political uncertainty surrounding the elections, and a significant economic slowdown compounded by rising inflation, currency depreciation, drought, and famine, Safaricom managed to maintain its market leadership and profitability in the past year. The revised Mobile Termination Rate (MTR) and increased excise duty on SIM cards and mobile phones added further pressure to the business.
However, despite these obstacles, Safaricom exhibited resilience during the year to sustain an overall solid performance.


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The surprise development announcement of the Canon EOS R3 has been quite exciting, but as planned by the marketing folks at Canon, we’ve all been speculating what Canon has in store for the EOS R3.
I have received a bit of vague information about what Canon has planned for the Canon EOS R3.
One of the first questions is whether or not there will be an EOS R1. The answer to that is yes, but don’t be putting money away waiting for it right now. It’s not coming soon. I speculated that we’d get an R1 development announcement ahead of the Tokyo games, but that is the hole that the EOS R3 fits into.
A good source has also told me in very vague terms a couple of things.
The image sensor is all-new from Canon, as we know it’s a stacked backside-illuminated image sensor. Beyond what Canon has told us, I have been told that this camera will have a “resolution trick”. Does that mean it will have pixel-shift or something else? This will not be a 20mp camera like the EOS-1D X Mark III, so...


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Pricol, the India based automobile firm revealed a new brand identity on Wednesday, and is aiming to double its global revenue by the year 2020. The plan is to enter new markets through acquisitions and venturing into new product segments.
In a regulatory filing statement, Pricol said "India's largest producer of speed governors and cabin tilt mechanisms for the commercial vehicle segment and among the top ten global manufacturers of automotive sensors, Pricol has set a target of doubling its consolidated revenue globally by 2020."
For the financial year 2014-15, Pricol posted revenues of Rs. 1,150 crore, and is looking to close the current financial year with Rs. 1,450 crore revenue.
Vikram Mohan, the Managing Director of Pricol said, Pricol will focus on entering newer markets through acquisitions, tapping new product segments which would be achieved through a very strong focus on innovation with our growing team of over 275 global R&D engineers."
"Our new corporate identity showcases Pricol as an innovative, evolving global automotive component maker with a track record of 40 years of customer service with a passion to excel in every product and service that we provide."
Pricol's customers include brands such as Volkswagen, Fiat, General Motors, Harley Davidson, Mack Trucks, and more.


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Update: This story was amended December 27 to include information about supercapacitors and flash charging systems.
In Joe Walsh’s iconic Life’s Been Good To Me So Far, he says, “So I got me an office, gold records on the wall. Just leave a message, maybe I’ll call.” That may be the best way to get in touch with a rock star, but if you want to get through to Elon Musk, Twitter is the way to go. On the day before Christmas, Musk fan Fred Lambert did just that. He was curious how Elon was coming along with those solar powered Supercharger stations he has talked about in the past. (For those of you who don’t know, The company has a policy of using solar power whenever possible to operate its Tesla Supercharger locations. If no solar power is available, it uses the greenest electricity available.) Lambert got a response to his tweet that contained more information than he expected.
There are some installed already, but full rollout really needs Supercharger V3 and Powerpack V2, plus SolarCity. Pieces now in place.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 24, 2016
Being an astute fellow, Lambert picked right up on Musk’s reference to Version 3 Tesla Supercharger technology. It’s the first anyone has heard of it. Currently, the highest power Supercharger operates at 135 kW. Car makers in Germany announced recently that they intend to create a new network of high power chargers based on the CCS standard. They will have 150 kW of power at first, but will be capable of operating at 350 kW in the future according to the CCS consortium. By the way, and don’t tell anybody. This is just between you and me. Tesla quietly joined the CCS group last spring.
So the intrepid Mr. Lambert tweeted back to Musk to ask if the reference to a Version 3 meant there might be a 350 kW Tesla Supercharger somewhere in the future. That’s when Musk let the cat out of the bag.
A mere 350 kW … what are you referring to, a children's toy?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 24, 2016
Wait. What? 350 kW is a “children’s toy?” Ye gods, Elon. What is going on inside that fabled head of yours. One can only hope that some day Elon will donate his famous brain to science.
When Porsche first announced it would build the Mission E electric sports car, there was some talk about it being able to recharge in 15 minutes using 800 volt chargers. Oliver Blume, Porsche’s CEO, said at the time, “We are in contact with other manufacturers and suppliers around the world to build a fast-charging network. Everybody has the same need. It sounds easy but getting the details agreed is hard. We already have the clear technical concept. It can even work with Teslas, with an adapter.”
Blume’s words provide some insight into what is going on behind the scenes. One of the keys to electric car acceptance by the general public is agreement on standards. Right now there are three major charging standards — CHAdeMO, CCS, and Tesla Supercharger. Once there was competition between Betamax and VHS about the preferred format for bringing video content into the home. VHS won, even though the tech geeks at the time insisted Betamax was far superior. In the end, it didn’t matter. What mattered was that everyone was on the same page. That’s when the video industry exploded.
Porsche wants 800 volt chargers. Porsche is part of CCS. Tesla is part of CCS. Elon Musk is referring to 350 kW chargers as children’s toys. Do you see a connection here?
Update begins here.
Charging times will be a critical part of the transition from conventional cars to electric vehicles. Since the first modern electrics — the Nissan LEAF and the BMW i3 — came to market starting in 2010, owners of conventional cars have had two major objections to buying an electric car. First, they say the range of electric cars is too short. Second, they feel charging times are too long. With several cars now available that have more than 200 miles of range, charging time is the last great hurdle to mass adoption of electric cars.
A hint about the future of charging is taking place in Geneva, Switzerland where new city buses are in operation that flash charge along the route in as little as 15 seconds and need less than 5 minutes to fully recharge at the end of their route. The 400 kW charging system is designed and manufactured by Swedish electronics company ABB. When news of the flash charging buses first appeared at Cleantechnica, one reader suggested it is most likely a hybrid system that utilizes both supercapicitors and batteries.
Musk expressed his opinion on this subject almost 4 years ago when he told an audience at a clean technology conference in San Francisco, “If I were to make a prediction, I’d think there’s a good chance that it is not batteries, but supercapacitors,” that will be the future of electric cars. There’s a good chance that prediction is about to come true and new charging technology that is faster than anyone ever thought possible is about to make the electric car revolution complete.


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Home Tags Organized retail crime
Tag: organized retail crime
Three executives from RILA explained how their organization is working with retail members to push for federal and state legislation that would increase penalties for ORC.
The FBI estimates that ORC crimes cost the US approximately $30 billion each year, with a large percentage of that money funding other, darker criminal activities.
Beyond debate over definitions and dollars lost is the lived experience of customers and store workers being victimized in violent store takeovers.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) employs a very focused approach to ORC investigations, both domestically and abroad.
The LPRC conducts research on ORC through individual projects and working groups because they know you must understand a problem before you can effectively address it.
Nobody has a definitive estimate of the dollar impact of ORC, but retailers will tell you that it has a major impact not only on their fiscal bottom line but also on the safety of store associates and consumers.
We recently met with leaders from CVS Health, Rite Aid, and Walgreens who are directing the efforts against ORC to get their insights into the current challenges.
According to court records, Artur Gilowski operated a criminal enterprise that involved co-conspirators stealing tens of thousands of retail products valued at over $20 million.
The Ohio state senate has passed bill HB 272, which closely mirrors the INFORM Consumers Act, federal legislation that would require online marketplaces to verify high-volume third-party sellers.
Successful organized retail crime associations are typically independent, multi-jurisdictional, customer-centric, and a recognized non-profit to be best positioned to lead the public/private partnership and combat ORC.


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Sound On, Volume Up: Introducing Sounds For Your Snaps
on Thursday, October 15, 2020 at 7:00 PM
Today, we launched Sounds, a new feature to add music and your own creations to your Snaps. Music makes video creations and communication more expressive, and offers a personal way to recommend music to your closest friends.
For World Mental Health Day, Snapchat Teams With Headspace To Launch New In-App Meditations
on Friday, October 9, 2020 at 7:00 PM
Today, ahead of World Mental Health Day, we’re teaming up with Headspace to release two new in-app meditations through our Headspace Mini -- a safe space where friends can practice meditations and mindfulness exercises, and check in on each other through Snapchat.
Bringing City Painter to Carnaby Street, London
on Thursday, October 8, 2020 at 9:00 AM
Today, augmented reality is changing how we talk with our friends. There are over one million lenses on Snapchat, and more than 75% of our Daily Active Users interact with AR every day. But, we imagine a future where we’ll use AR to see the world in completely new ways. Today we’re taking the next step with Local Lenses, which evolves this technology and makes it possible to augment larger areas, including city blocks.
New Snap Originals and Video Advertising Products Announced
on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at 1:05 PM
Today, Snap announced new and returning docuseries Snap Originals debuting later this year and in 2021! These new and returning docuseries feature even more young, passionate and inspired creators, and speak to the issues most important to the Snapchat Generation.
Bringing More Transparency to the Camera
on Thursday, October 1, 2020 at 4:00 PM
Through transparent design, Snapchatters are empowered to express themselves in their own unique way. We’re collaborating with Google on a new set of best practices to bring even more transparency around facial retouching on our platform. We believe that language is important. Lens Studio already uses value neutral terms for its facial retouching feature.
Love Jordans? Bring basketball fashion to your Bitmoji
on Thursday, September 24, 2020 at 4:00 PM
With Bitmoji’s latest fashion collaboration, it’s easy for you to sport the new Air Jordan XXXV sneaker before it hits shelves. Bitmoji and Jordan Brand have teamed up on a digital fashion collection that lets you dress your Bitmoji in the brand’s most iconic sportswear styles.
Don’t Scroll Past Gen Z -- How to Harness This Generation’s Political Impact
on Thursday, September 24, 2020 at 7:00 AM
Historically, the youth voting bloc has trailed all others when it comes to voter participation, which has led to a healthy dose of skepticism among political elites about their potential turnout. This summer, we set out to unpack that, by partnering with Tufts’ University’s Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), Morning Consult, and Crowd DNA on new quantitative and qualitative research among bipartisan Gen Z voters and experts on youth civic engagement. Today we’re publishing our findings.
Renowned Artist Mark Bradford Teams with Snap for Voter Registration
on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 at 10:00 AM
Today marks National Voter Registration Day -- a massive nationwide and nonpartisan effort to register voters well in advance of Election Day this November. At Snap, we’ve always believed that one of the most powerful forms of self-expression is exercising the right to vote and participating in our democracy. We’re proud to partner with renowned artist Mark Bradford on a new augmented reality Lens to encourage our community to register to vote.
Bosco Debuts the “4th of July” Music Video, Shot on Spectacles 3
on Thursday, September 17, 2020 at 4:00 PM
Today Snap and musical artist Bosco debuted Bosco’s “4th of July” music video, one of the first music videos shot entirely on Spectacles. For this project, Bosco took on the role of co-creative director, putting Spectacles on real-life artistic couple MELO-X and Corey Wash to shoot and star in the video, capturing the emotions of the song. The video captures the couple’s relationship from their first-person perspectives, unfolding with love, adventure and spontaneity.
English (United States)


text: Acura is preparing to field their X3-fighter, meanwhile at the Nurburgring, Mercedes is testing its own Bavarian basher. The so called 'X-class' should be released around 2008. You can expect the usual, the X-class will be based on the upcoming C-class platform. What is important is the proposal to introduce gasoline- and diesel-electric hybrid powetrains to their new line-up. Hybrid models may be released by the end of the decade in the C-, M-. R-, S-, and X-classes. Diesel-hybrids are an interesting concept and should provide incredible gas mileage. The word from Mercedes that it was going to implement hybrid technology was a shock to many in the industry. They have even announced that a hybrid version of the CLK will be shown at the Frankfurt show.


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When the idea of 5G network started floating around some years back, many people did not imagine that this technology would one day be mainstream. Or that it would be with us in just a few years, more so on mobile phones. Of course, there was always the outlook that 5G would trickle down to everyday use but at prohibitive prices which would lock out thousands of users.
That is not necessarily the case anymore though. Xiaomi is about to change that for the better with the launch of the Redmi Note 10 5G which is aptly dubbed the Performance Racer. Other than being the most affordable 5G smartphone in Kenya, the phone promises to come with other modern and powerful features to make it an all together pleasant gadget to use. The launch which is happening on 25th June 11.30am will be streamed live via Xiaomi Kenya Facebook page. Save the date and tune in. There will be mobile phones to be won by listeners and you could just be one of them!
Other than the Redmi Note 10 5G, the company will also launch Redmi Note 10S devices. These are the specific devices that are coming our way in just two days.
Redmi Note 105G – Variants
Redmi Note 10S – Variants
With 5G we are looking at very high connection speeds with near zero latency. To understand the impact of this innovation, it is important to imagine the future possibilities that 5G creates. 5G has the potential to match the impact made by the introduction of the internet just a few decades ago. 3G and 4G were implemented to connect people. 5G will connect people to everything. It will go far beyond just increasing the speed of phone searches, to creating new possibilities in numerous sectors including transportation, medicine and manufacturing. One thing is for sure. 5G is massive and it will run the world.
This is technology whose reliability can be counted on to impact every industry and make it better. Innovations around 5G are already enabling transport systems, digitized logistics, virtual healthcare and precision agriculture. These are just a few, with others like smart cities, smart homes through IoT and even smart tourism. Imagine the possibility of smart tourism. If a 5G camera is strapped on an animal in the park for example, it could be able to relay the activities in the park to your phone in the comfort of your home. And this is in HD video.
It is with this in mind that the entry of the Redmi Note 10 5G series is exciting. Affordable phones that put the immense possibilities of 5G in the palms of our hands.
It is a given that a phone running the high speeds of 5G will have a high-performance processor. For this, the Redmi Note 10 5G has the powerful MediaTek Dimensity 700 5G chipset which puts the phone is a position to challenge the boundaries of gaming performance. And get this. This beast of a phone will support 5G Dual SIM.
It also has superior power saving features so users can enjoy using it without worrying about the massive 5000mAh battery dying out. In the event that it does die out, the phone has an 18W fast charger so charging to usable level will be in a matter of minutes. I think fast charge is one of the most important things that has happened to the mobile phone industry in recent years.
For photography, users can look forward to a 48MP triple back camera, supported by a 2MP macro camera and a 2MP depth sensor. All these come bundled with a suite of creative tools like slow-Mo video, time-lapse video and night mode. We shall have more of this when we get to use the phone and do a comprehensive review.
In a show of great confidence in the quality of the hardware, Xiaomi is giving 24+1 months warranty on all the gadgets in the Redmi Note 10 Series. This warranty duration according to Ramadhan Hassan of Xiaomi Kenya Marketing is not only a first, but an only one.
Having used the Redmi Note 10 Pro and confidently ticking it as one of the best gadgets I’ve ever used, I’m excited for what is coming on June 25. See you there.


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Update news Metaverse
According to a recent report by Meta and Bain & Company, Vietnam is among the top 3 countries besides Indonesia and the Philippines to adopt new technologies such as fintech and metaverse.
A recent analysis performed by Deloitte estimated that the potential 2035 economic impact of the metaverse in Vietnam is $9-17 billion per year.
The technology of the virtual universe (metaverse) is changing the definition of the game industry, and in Asia, Vietnam has many conditions to become the leader in this field.
With beautiful graphics, colors and materials, Vietnam’s Elite Meta is dreaming of competing equally with giants Facebook and Google.
Metaverse Village made its debut and a symposium on Metaverse was held in the central city of Da Nang on June 15 within the framework of TECHFEST Vietnam 2022.
VNG says that it has invested in the Korean unicorn startup Haegin, officially "jumping" into the Metaverse market and promoting its "going global" strategy.
Quang Nam authorities have announced the cooperation with Bizverse on promoting tourism on Metaverse platform, a network of 3D virtual worlds that taps technologies such as VR and AR to build a social connection.
A group of products including an e-wallet, a launchpad and game projects is about to be launched by a Vietnamese startup.
It is a fact that many Vietnamese are also pursuing the dream of the Metaverse. However, these are only very primitive worlds because Metaverse is not simply about owning a game character and entering the virtual world.
Metaverse is very close to human life. Right now, government agencies, businesses and citizens need a way to be ready to adapt to a future world.
Vietnam’s startup projects following the Metaverse trend have introduced and attracted capital from the international investors.
Meta Spatial is a startup with the ambition to create metaverse virtual universes to bring real people into a virtual world that exists parallel to the real world.


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Microsoft Pulls Vista Update Causing Reboot Problems
Microsoft is stopping automatic distribution of an update required to install Vista SP1 following reports of faulty reboots on some machines.
Late Tuesday, Microsoft Corp. announced it is stopping automatic distribution
of an update required to install Vista SP1, KB937287
following reports that it put Vista's automatic update to cycle into an "endless
loop" of reboots on some machines.
Windows Vista SP1 is being rolled
out this month, and the KB item above is one
of two that must be installed before installing Vista SP1.
Reports of the problem began
surfacing last week.
"Immediately after receiving reports of this error, we made the decision
to temporarily suspend automatic distribution of the update to avoid further
customer impact while we're investigating the problem," wrote Nick White
on Microsoft's Windows Vista Blog on Tuesday. "We are working to identify
possible solutions and will make the update available again shortly after we
address the issue."
White encouraged those suffering from the issue to use system restore to correct
it or call call tech support at (866) PC-Safety.
Becky Nagel is the vice president of Web & Digital Strategy for 1105's Converge360 Group, where she oversees the front-end Web team and deals with all aspects of digital strategy. She also serves as executive editor of the group's media Web sites, and you'll even find her byline on PureAI.com, the group's newest site for enterprise developers working with AI. She recently gave a talk at a leading technical publishers conference about how changes in Web technology may impact publishers' bottom lines. Follow her on twitter @beckynagel.