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MD247.COM makes it easy to find a doctor.
Tampa Florida (PRWEB) March 20, 2012
Seminole Florida based telemedicine specialists MD247.COM announced the launch of their innovative “we pay the first month” shopping cart feature on Sunday March 18th. The new “Find a Doctor in Tampa” initiative is intended to provide any interested consumer the opportunity to “sample” the discount top-shelf MD247.COM healthcare options without paying the monthly membership fee, but still getting the chance to enjoy all of the benefits. Services covered under the MD247.COM telemedicine healthcare program include twenty-four hour access to board certified medical professionals, discounted medical appointments and discounts of up to 75% on prescriptions.
The innovative MD247.COM shopping cart feature can be accessed by any and all interested consumers by visiting http://md247.com/get-started-today-online.html at their convenience. The site details both traditional medical treatments which the MD247.COM program provides discounts to, and it also explains that members have the ability to acquire discounts on medical devices like hearing aids. Interested consumers wishing to acquire the one free month of membership, valued at $50.00, will need to pay a onetime processing fee of $19.95. All MD247.COM program participants have a world of medical assistance at their fingertips.
Consumers and businesses interested in the MD247.COM program are encouraged to visit the telemedicine company online to review program specifics at MD247.COM.
Informational videos discussing the MD247.COM program are also available on the MD247.COM YouTube Channel.
MD 247 is a twenty-four hour a day affordable concierge telemedicine company based out of Seminole Florida. All members have unlimited twenty-four hour telephone access to a nationwide medical support team with just a phone call. MD247.com has a virtual platoon of Registered Nurses and board certified physicians in each and every state available to members for ALL non-emergency situations. You can learn more about MD247.com by visiting their website today.


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In an article headed
Google: A $50 Billion "One-Trick Pony"? Its focus on Web-searching -- an increasingly limited arena -- may be blinding it to big opportunities elsewhere
It points out
Google remains almost entirely dependent for growth on search -- a business that's poised to slow.
And whilst acknowleding that Google has been sucessful in getting revenue from Search, then goes on to say
But Google's belief in search may be blinding the company to other opportunities. To see what they risk missing out on, Google execs need look no further than key rival Yahoo! (YHOO ), which tirelessly looks for new business models. While search accounts for 45% of Yahoo's sales, the portal also snares one-third of its revenues from so-called display ads that contain graphics and multimedia, as well as 16% of sales from subscription services, such as online personals and fantasy football. By comparison, Google gleans 98% of its sales from text ads, primarily placed around search results.
They do not see much growth from Gmail
So even if targeted e-mail ads take off -- a questionable proposition, since most industry observers believe e-mailers are far less likely to click on links than searchers -- the money will come from the same budgets that buy the rest of Google's ads.
Business Week is euivocal as to where display ads will lead and concludes with
Google, rightly, has plenty to tackle in its core business of search. But those aren't the only opportunities for the search kingpin. Others deserve exploration, lest its narrow focus become a case of tunnel vision.

domain: news


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In a note to clients — as noted by Barron’s — Morgan Stanley analyst Brain Nowak says Apple may decrease its use of Amazon’s AWS cloud computing services.
AWS is a collection of web series that make up a cloud-computing platform offered by Amazon. These services operate from 12 geographical regions[ across the world. Amazon markets AWS as a service to provide large computing capacity more quickly and more cheaply than a client company building an actual physical server farm.
Nowak notes that Apple has announced three data center openings over the next two years -- a “command center” for its global data centers in Mesa, Arizona (planned opening in 2016) and one data center each in Ireland and Denmark (planned opening in 2017).
“In total, we estimate Apple is building approximately 2.5 million square feet of data centers to power iCloud storage, iTunes, App Store and other services … nearly 40% of AWS’s 6.7mn square feet in data center capacity at the end of 2015,” he adds.
Morgan Stanley's Katy Hubert thinks Apple spent a billion dollars on data centers last year, including money paid to Amazon, so moving away from AWS could save the company big bucks. Not that this will happen overnight; it will probably take a year or two for Apple to switch from Amazon.


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FTX US was the successful bidder in the Voyager auction. But, one industry insider tells Cointelegraph that the deal didn't have depositors' best interest in mind.
The regulatory body tasked with overseeing Celsius’ bankruptcy proceedings has asked a New York judge to deny the failed crypto lender’s recent motions to reopen customer withdrawals and sell off…
The world’s largest holder of Bitcoin is looking for a software engineer to create cybersecurity solutions and enable e-commerce use cases on the Lightning Network.
Adam Todd, the founder of crypto futures and spot market exchange Digitex, has been charged by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) for multiple violations of the Commodity Exchange Act…
Axelar's co-founder shared his views on blockchain infrastructure and adoption at Converge22 in San Francisco.
The fund will focus on liquid crypto investments and targets raising about $100 million, a person familiar with the matter said.
USDC's stablecoin-fueled model of money, in which the dollar functions as an open “protocol,” could allow innovation to flourish. But healthy competition is a prerequisite.
The complaint alleges the two companies pumped the price of their cryptocurrency by falsely claiming they had acquired $10 billion in gold bullion to back it.
El primer estudio de este tipo podría tener influencia en las normas globales más importantes sobre el capital bancario para las criptomonedas.


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Insights on healthy ageing, mental wellbeing, supply chain and more.
As the global pandemic continues to impact business around the globe, understanding the opportunities it opens up and the challenges it poses to your business is critical. In July, Vitafoods Insights explored these issues in a variety of ways. Take a few minutes to catch up on the insights you may have missed that could trigger new thinking in your product ideation and go to market strategy.
Tune in to hear more about:
Reviewing a decades’ worth of information on sustainable practices across the nutraceutical industry.
Prof. Rupesh Kumar Pati has recently published in Decision Sciences the article “Achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals-2030 through the nutraceutical industry: A Review of managerial research and the role of operations management” (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/deci.12515 (https://doi.org/10.1111/deci.12515)), which addresses the current flow of management literature...
Young company, TINY Technologies, has cracked the code on optimised systems that address bioavailability challenges for notoriously tricky ingredients.
Ingredient and food supplement manufacturers are often challenged with the low bioavailability nature of a number of different ingredients—which usually have relayed effect on the dosage, side effects, delivery, efficacy, and even compatibility with other ingredients in finished products. In fact, approximately 40-50% of ingredients within the...
For athletes at the very top of the sport, nutrition plays a pivotal role in fuel, muscle health, inflammation, and recovery. While this might seem obvious, former professional athlete turned personalised nutrition specialist notes that a surprising portion of athletes do not prioritise or understand nutrition to its fullest potential.
In a digitally driven world, athletes have the highest level of access to information about their bodies—and importantly their individual needs—than ever...
Exploring growth and investment opportunities in the Mauritius nutraceutical sector.
Mauritius is one of the world's biodiversity hotspots, characterised by high levels of unique and diverse species. Research undertaken by various players such as the Mauritius Research Council, the University of Mauritius, the Mauritius Oceanography Institute, and private companies have revealed great potential for developing the nutraceutical sector. Farmers, suppliers, research organisations and...
Ayurveda, the science of life, connects body, mind and spirit; the botanical ingredients that form its foundation are now fuelling innovation across the global nutraceutical industry. Dr Muhammed Majeed, founder of https://sabinsa.com/ (Sabinsa), was recently recognized with an award from the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India as the ‘Father of Indian Nutraceuticals Industry’ and late last year received the Zandu International Oration award from the Indian Association for...
The push for sustainable packaging alternatives to replace plastic counterparts.
Plastic remains the packaging material of choice across the food and nutrition industry thanks to its cost effective, shelf stable, durable and variable associations. However, huge carbon footprints and waste challenges throughout the plastic lifecycle have put pressure on multiple industries to consider packaging alternatives that work toward overcoming the climate and environmental crisis.
Understanding the concept and impact of vertical farming.
For this https://www.vitafoodsinsights.com/ (Vitafoods Insights) podcast episode, Johnny Stormonth-Darling, Technical Director at https://www.ukuat.org/ (UK Urban AgriTech,) share insights on:
What is vertical farming
The role vertical farming plays in ensuring food safety, food security, food quality
Vertical farming’s role in increasing the chances for more potent bioactive ingredients
How vertical farms help to achieve the...
Tune in hear about the Vitafoods Insights Virtual Expo 2021’s round-up and key takeaways.
Each day of the https://www.vitafoodsglobal.com/insights (Virtual Expo) centred around one of four key themes, providing insights and sparking new ideas around Mental Performance, Gut and Immune Health, Sports and Active Nutrition and Healthy Ageing.
Hear more directly from the Vitafoods #Contentteam how the event went!
Understanding how a shift in consumer mindset presents new opportunities to nutraceutical brands, and guidance for EU/UK brands looking to enter this market.
Accelerated through the pandemic, consumers in China are more dedicated to healthy ageing than ever before—including an increasing base of younger consumers proactively addressing prevention. Within the ageing category, inner beauty is a particular area of interest driving new launches in edible beauty products. Additionally, sleep and...
Exploring how the nutraceutical industry can and must achieve health for both people and planet.
The importance of sustainability is increasingly recognised by the nutraceutical community, and sustainability is on the agenda of consumers, government and nutraceutical brands and manufacturers around the world. But what exactly constitutes a sustainable diet, and how can consumers, brands and ingredients companies find a necessary unity between dietary and planetary health? In a conversation...
As consumers seek more natural health care solutions, companies like Uriach are evaluating their own strategic positioning to best meet market needs.
With its recent acquisition of Sidroga, the 180-year-old firm extended its reach into Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and entering new product categories including immune support. https://www.uriach.com/en/ (Uriach’s) CEO Oriol Segarra has led the business since 2012, navigating through a time of transformation and the desire to meet consumer...
The very real issues of climate change are putting increased pressure on industries to reduce their environmental footprint and build sustainable business and production models. Within the natural products supply chain, ingredients manufacturing contributes significantly to the overall carbon footprint of finished products that retail at consumer level. With tighter regulations on the horizon and consumers holding brands accountable, companies are starting to seriously evaluate carbon impact...
Examining the growing opportunity for brands in the nootropics space.
‘Nootropics’ is the word on everyone’s lips in the nutraceutical community, but what exactly constitutes nootropics and how can brands capitalise on the growing popularity of this ingredient group? Ahead of his roundtable on COVID-19 and the nootropic opportunity at Vitafoods Insights Virtual Expo, David Tomen, founder of nootropicsexpert.com, shares the history of nootropics as well as current trends and whitespace in this...
How can nutraceutical and food brands meet the growing consumer demand for sustainable packaging?
Traditional methods of packaging – both in the nutraceutical industry and the CPG space generally – are often not sustainable, and the rise of the plastic pollution problem necessitates change in the packaging materials we use. Reyna Bryan, President of RCD Packaging Innovation, discusses what her company is doing to innovate in this space, reveals the packaging materials of the future and shares...
Extracted from the slimey coating on brown seaweed types, fucoidan is a dietary fibre with multiple applications in nutraceuticals, delivering potential across gut health, immunity, inflammation, and skin care.
A relatively new ingredient, fucoidan excites researchers and experts with its vast array of health benefits. Paul Garrott, CEO and managing director at Marinova, a Tasmanian biotech company specialising in fucoidan, shares an overview of this unique ingredient and its market...
A new standard from the European Committee for Standardisation aims to prevent doping substances in sports nutrition products.
On 22 February 2021, Specialised Nutrition Europe (SNE) welcomed the first EU-wide standard to address the presence of doping substances in sports nutrition and food supplements—the https://www.cencenelec.eu/news/brief_news/Pages/TN-2021-010.aspx (CEN “Dietary supplements and sports foods free of doping substances") standard. Aurélie Perrichet, Executive Director at...


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Manufacturing Series Virtual Expo 2021
Register yourself to join the Virtual Expo Manufacturing Indonesia Series 2021 event, via this link https://manufacturingseries-vexpo.com/registrasi/ or scan the barcode in the image above.
PT Mitsubishi Electric Indonesia announced that it will join the exhibition which will be held online at the Virtual Expo event of the Manufacturing Indonesia 2021 series organized by PT Pamerindo Indonesia, on November 10 – December 10, 2021. This Virtual Expo is part of the Manufacturing Indonesia (MFI) series exhibition) 31st edition, which is the largest international manufacturing exhibition in Indonesia that provides a professional business platform for the Indonesian manufacturing industry. 2021 is the 9th year for PT Mitsubishi Electric Indonesia to participate in the Manufacturing Indonesia (MFI) exhibition, and on this occasion PT Mitsubishi Electric Indonesia will continue to display e-F@ctory technology based on digitalization solutions (Industry 4.0), such as e-F@ctory Energy Saving Monitoring Solution, e-F@ctory Starter Package (OEE Monitoring Solution) and also some of the latest flagship products, namely Collaborative Robot, Inverter E800 series, Numerical Control (CNC) M800/M80 Series and New Mitsubishi Sinker EDM SG-Series.
At this Virtual Expo event, exhibition visitors can show interest, connect, or interact directly with colleagues from PT Mitsubishi Electric Indonesia by conducting online meetings and video calls on the "Business Matching" agenda on December 1 - 4, 2021 at 10:00 - 17.00 pm. In addition, visitors can also take part in a live webinar session from PT Mitsubishi Electric Indonesia with the theme "Implementation of the Industrial Era 4.0 with e-F@ctory Solutions in Factories and during the COVID-19 Pandemic" on December 1, 2021, at 15.00 - 15.30 WIB. Therefore, don't forget to register yourself soon and we will be happy to welcome you!


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Colombia is seeking to stregthen its links to Indonesia and Costa Rica following a World Trade Organization meeting of trade ministers last week.
Colombia’s Trade Minister Sergio Diaz-Granados met with his Indonesian and Costa Rican counterparts at the VIII Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization which took place in Geneva, Switzerland.
Indonesian Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan offered to visit Colombia within the first three months of 2012 and bring with him a trade mission.
Minister Diaz-Granados announced that they will open an office of Proexport, Colombia’s trade promotion agency, in the Indonesia capital Jakarta in 2012.
Relations between the Andean nation and the Asian country have been improving following the reopening of the Colombian Embassy in Jakarta in September 2011.
Furthermore minister Sergio Diaz-Granados also met with the Costa Rican Trade Minsiter Anabel Gonzalez in Geneva. They discussed issues relating to a bilateral agenda.


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After opening new Microsoft Store retail locations in a rather leisurely pace for the past few years, it seems Microsoft is going to make an effort to open up many more stories at an accelerated pace.
The official Microsoft Store Facebook page has announced today that it will open four new locations in the US in September. Furthermore, the stores will open in the space of just two days. Two of the stores will launch in Huntington Station and White Plains, New York on Friday, September 28th. The other two stores will go online in Salem, New Hampshire and Newark, Delaware on the next day, Saturday, September 29th.
Microsoft opened its last retail store in Boston just a week ago, which made it the 23rd retail store launched by the company. Besides the four stores previously mentioned, Microsoft lists four more locations as "coming soon" on the official Microsoft Store website.
Microsoft also has plans to launch a number of smaller and temporary holiday "pop up" stores in a number of locations in the US. Microsoft will likely be pushing Windows 8 and Windows RT desktop and notebooks at these stores, along with its own Surface tablet and Windows Phone 8 devices.
Source: Microsoft Store Facebook page | Image via Microsoft


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By Vena Lenka
Price of superfine rice spiralled in the last two months due to gap in production and supply. The superfine rice price increased by up to 10 per kg after the Union government imposed a ban on export of rice to other countries.
Andhra Pradesh is termed as rice bowl of India. Krishna and Godavari delta is known for paddy cultivation in large scale. Despite extensive production of paddy, there is a shortage of superfine rice in state. Production of samba massori, swarna massori and other superfine rice varieties has decreased in Krishna and Godavari regions.
A majority of the farmers in state are selling their crop to the government through Raithu Bharosa Kendrams and the government is depositing money directly in their bank accounts. Government has fixed same MSP for both superfine variety and normal rice (boiled rice) and hence farmers prefer normal variety as they get up to 40 bags yield per acre which is around 12 % more than superfine variety.
Millers in Krishna, NTR and West Godavari districts said they are facing problems in procuring superfine rice from farmers despite paying excess amount. “Superfine aged rice has huge demand, but farmers are not showing interest in cultivating them. We are presently paying 2,750 per 70 kg bag of sona massori paddy cultivated in 2022. But still we are unable to procure the required quantity,” said M Nagarjuna Prasad, a rice miller from NTR district.
Meanwhile, consumers are unhappy over the skyrocketing price of rice. “We purchased 25 kg bag of sona massori rice for 1,350 in May 2023. Price of same increased to 1,500 in August. Government should take necessary steps to encourage farmers to cultivate the superfine rice,” said K Lakshmi Kumari, a homemaker.
This article has been republished from The Times of India


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Bharti Airtel launches 4G services in Kolkata
Apr 11, 2012 (Mint - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Bharti Airtel Ltd, India's largest telecom service provider, started fourth-generation (4G) high-speed Internet services for the first time in the country using the TD-LTE standard on Tuesday. The service was launched in Kolkata, which is also where India's first mobile phone call was made in 1995.
"We will launch in Bangalore in the next 30 days, after that in Pune and then Chandigarh," said Sanjay Kapoor, chief executive of India and South Asia. The network has been rolled out in partnership with Chinese equipment vendor ZTE and is theoretically capable of 100 megabits per second speeds. "The speed depends on a number of variables including the application being used, the number of people using the service at the same time etc," Kapoor said.
India's telecom minister Kapil Sibal said at the launch that mobile operators had not lived up to the "challenge" of delivering the "appropriate devices" and the "innovations" required to make 3G's high bandwidth spectrum available to the aam admi, or the common man.
The emergence of a "proper ecosystem" was key to the success of the 4G network, said Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman and group chief executive officer of Bharti Enterprises.
He was referring to the availability of "affordable devices" and proper service, which, according to him, impeded the expansion of the 3G network in India. Only about 4.4% of Airtel's 182 million customers had until now signed up for its 3G services even after a year of its launch.
Airtel expects 4G services to become cheaper as other companies start services and the number of users rise. India is one of the first countries to start wireless data services using the TD-LTE standard. The firm is offering a wifi-enabled modem that can be installed at the customer's premises and a USB dongle to provide access to 4G.
"As the ecosystem picks up and more people start using the services and more devices become available, the prices will fall," Kapoor said. He expects this to happen in the next two-three years compared with 2G, where it took 10-12 years for this to take place.
In the 2010 auction, Airtel won broadband wireless access (BWA) spectrum in four mobile operating areas--Kolkata, Karnataka, Punjab and Maharashtra (excluding Mumbai).
Analysts said the services were expensive but prices will fall as the technology evolves. "For smooth adoption of 4G services, affordability and availability of devices are going to be the key determinants," said Abhishek Chauhan, senior consultant, information and communication technology practice, Frost and Sullivan, South Asia and Middle East.
___ (c)2012 the Mint (New Delhi) Visit the Mint (New Delhi) at www.livemint.com
Distributed by MCT Information Services
[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]


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The Terrible Cycle...
has steadily marched towards building a modern economic infrastructure since emerging from Communist rule in the 1990s. But like nearly all of the worldís economies, which are more intertwined than ever, Romania has taken a hit in the latest economic downturn. A new report states that within 2010 there have been ďabrupt losses on [cigarette] sales volumeĒ with all major manufactures reporting losses. BATís Romanian sales have reportedly dropped up to 17% in the first quarter of alone, while JTI reports a downturn of up to 40%.
Has the population of Romania decided en masse to forgo their tobacco habits as a frugality in a time of economic uncertainty? A short walk around the capital of Bucharest would show this not to be the case. It is ture that the Romanian smoking population is looking to save money, but they arenít looking to give up cigarettes. In order to sidestep the numerous (and sometimes hefty) taxes on tobacco products, Romanian smokers are turning towards the black marketís offers of smuggled and counterfeit wares.
While the authorities of Romania may have more important things to look after than the bottom line of international manufacturers, the cigarette industry is one of the countryís biggest economic contributors. In 2009, Romania earned over Ä2 bn from taxes levied on cigarettes. If all cigarette sales were legitimate, it is estimated that the state would earn an additional Ä1 bn, which the Romanian government desperately needs right now. Thatís why this past March, Romanian officials announced a battle plan to combat the underground cigarette economy and decrease the practice over the next two years.
But he problem of smuggling isnít only a Romanian issue. Even western markets such as Switzerland, Ireland, and the United States have recently implemented plans to battle the tobacco black market. Since governments around the world have implemented such heavy taxes on cigarettes, they have forced consumers to look to cheaper, if illegitimate alternatives. And when they do, Governments are then forced to spend time, money, and manpower to protect the industry from which they get so much of their funding. Itís a crazy cycle, and one that shows no signs of slowing down in the immediate future.
- E. D.
Tobacco International - May/June, 2010
Tobacco International is published by Lockwood Publications, Inc., 26 Broadway, Floor 9M, New York, NY 10004 U.S.A., Tel: (212) 391-2060. Fax: (1)(212) 827-0945. Printed in the U.S.A.. HTML production and Copyright © 2000 - 2010 by Keys Technologies and Tobacco International Magazine. All rights reserved.


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South Korean tech giant Samsung at its Unpacked event in San Francisco announced the Galaxy S10, S10+, S10e, and the S10 5G. But, alongside all these smartphones, the company also unveiled the Samsung Galaxy Fold – its foldable smartphone that we’ve been waiting for since years.
Samsung gave us a glimpse of its foldable smartphone last November, but at that time, the company didn’t reveal its name and hardware details. In fact, the phone was also covered with a case to hide its actual design. But now that Samsung has made it official, we finally know more about this foldable smartphone.
The Samsung Galaxy Fold features two displays – one that measures 4.6-inch and the other that measures 7.3-inch. The smaller display sits on the outer cover of the phone and has HD+ resolution. The larger display, which is the Infinity Flex Display, sits on the inside and has QXGA+ resolution. The larger display is also the one that folds.
With two displays, the Galaxy Fold serves both as a smartphone and a tablet. You can use the smaller display for making calls, sending text messages, browsing the web, and checking notifications. But when you want to do more like watching videos, playing games or editing photos, you can unfold the phone and make use of the larger display. This essentially turns into a tablet.
Samsung has used a hinging mechanism to ensure smooth folding/unfolding of the Galaxy Fold.
The Samsung Galaxy Fold also comes with useful features like Multi-Active Window and App Continuity – the former lets you use up to three apps simultaneously on the 7.3-inch display, whereas the latter ensures seamless transitions between the cover and main displays. What that means is that you can open an app on the cover display and start where you left off on the main display.
Under the hood, the Samsung Galaxy Fold is powered by Snapdragon 855 SoC that’s paired with 12 GB RAM. The smartphone also comes with a total of six cameras – three at the back, two above the main display, and one on the cover.
The Galaxy Fold runs Android Pie and ships with two batteries having a capacity of 2190 mAh each. This translates to a total of 4380 mAh.
Commenting on the launch of Galaxy Fold, DJ Koh, President and CEO of IT & Mobile Communications Division, Samsung Electronics, said, “Today, Samsung is writing the next chapter in mobile innovation history by changing what’s possible in a smartphone. Galaxy Fold introduces a completely new category that unlocks new capabilities never seen before with our Infinity Flex Display. We created Galaxy Fold for those that want to experience what a premium foldable device can do, beyond the limitations of a traditional smartphone.”
Samsung Galaxy Fold Specifications
- CPU: Snapdragon 855 SoC
- RAM: 12 GB LPDDR4X
- Operating System: Android 9.0 Pie
- Cover Display: 4.6-inch HD+ Super AMOLED display with 21:9 aspect ratio
- Main Display: 7.3-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED display with 4.2:3 aspect ratio
- Rear Camera: 16 MP (ultra-wide angle, f/2.2 aperture) + 12 MP (wide-angle, Dual Pixel AF, OIS, f/1.5-2.4 aperture) + 12 MP (telephoto, PDAF, OIS, f/2.4 aperture, 2x optical zoom) with LED flash
- Front Camera above Main Display: 10 MP (f/2.2 aperture) + 8 MP (RGB depth camera, f/1.9 aperture)
- Front Camera on Cover: 10 MP with f/2.2 aperture
- Internal Storage: 512 GB UFS 3.0
- Connectivity: 4G, GPS, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C
- Other: Fingerprint Scanner, Samsung DeX, Samsung Knox, Bixby
- Colors: Space Silver, Cosmos Black, Martian Green, Astro Blue
- Battery: 4380 mAh (2x 2190 mAh) with Fast Wired/Wireless Charging and Wireless PowerShare (reverse wireless charging)
Samsung Galaxy Fold Price and Availability
- Price: $1980 (around ₹1,40,890)
- Availability: Available in Q2 2019


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A BUTCHERS that was on the brink of collapse has been sold, saving 240 jobs.
Crawshaws announced at the end of October they were going into administration after stating they did not have sufficient cash resources to effect the required restructuring of the business.
Crawshaws, which opened in 1954, had 54 stores across Northern England, including a market stall in Barnsley for over 17 years which closed in August this year following the opening of their shop on Upper New Street.
After they announced they were going into administration, 34 stores were closed along with a distribution centre, causing 350 people to lose their jobs.
Their administrators decided to keep the most profitable stores open whilst negotiations took place and the Barnsley branch remained open throughout.
On December 3 a statement was released confirming Crawshaws had been sold to Loughanure Limited for £1.4 million.


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Yankee Farm Credit is proud to be a sponsor of the 2012 Adirondack Coast Wine, Cider and Food Festival (ACWCF) to be held on Saturday, October 6, 2012, from 2pm to 8pm at the Crete Civic Center in Plattsburgh, NY.
The Adirondack Coast name is part of an effort to brand the region as a four season tourist destination. The Adirondack Coast website provides information on events, activities, lodging, restaurants and more in the area. The ACWCF is advertised on this page of their site.
The ACWCF will showcase local food and beverage producers in a farmer's market type atmosphere with the opportunity to sample and buy products made locally. Attendees will be treated to live local music, a wine tasting demonstration and a home cider making demonstration in addition to the opportunity to interact with our local food producers and try their products.
Don't miss out! The ACWCF will be held inside the Civic Center if it rains, but if mother nature cooperates, the event will be held outside the building to take advantage of our beautiful fall season.
There is also still time to sign up your business to be a vendor at the ACWCF. A list of this year's vendors and information on how to sign up your business can be found here.
See you there!


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KUALA LUMPUR: The government believes the exemption for withholding tax on overseas firms providing services in Malaysia will not have a negative impact on its revenue in the future, according to Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Chua Tee Yong.
“Basically, a lot of the businesses have given feedback to us that the issues they face have been resolved. And I think the government has already anticipated the revenue in terms of what is expected,” he told reporters after officiating the Malaysian Institute of Accountants’ (MIA) International Accountants Conference 2017 today.
Chua also believes that the Ministry of Finance (MoF) has factored in the economic and financial indicators such as the gross domestic product (GDP) growth outlook and the commodity prices before making the tax relief announcement.
“I believe the government has factored all these and had met with the industry players … where a lot of issues have been sorted out,” he said.
The MoF announced the exemption for withholding tax on overseas firms providing services in Malaysia last month, effectively rolling back the status to pre-January 2017.
Before the relief, companies using overseas expertise would have needed to set aside a 10% portion of the payment for services to be remitted to the Inland Revenue Board.
Meanwhile, during the conference opening ceremony, Chua said at least 1,500 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are expected to participate in the newly-launched Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ) by end of next year.
Last week, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak and Alibaba group founder Jack Ma launched the free trade zone with the participation of 1,972 export-ready SMEs.
Chua said MIA could play an important role by providing value-added services, financial management and relevant business supports to the SMEs to help them improve in terms of products quality, growth and expansion decisions.
The two-day conference, organised by MIA, the developer and regulator of the Malaysian accountancy profession, attracted 3,000 delegates from commerce and industry, public sector, public practice and the academia.
Read the original story on: TheSunDaily.My


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Apple is what’s known in the industry as a “hot brand,” but I respect the intelligence of my readers too much to go for some kind of pun involving that phrase and their most recent endeavor to sell off excess solar energy collected on its Cupertino and Nevada solar farms. It’s called Apple Energy LLC.
Apple Energy isn’t a serious change of pace for a company that reportedly covers 93% of its worldwide energy usage with solar power. But it is a savvy business move, especially since market rates on energy aren’t regulated due to the still-small size of the solar energy marketplace. And it may lead to solar power innovations for planned Apple products in the future (like an Apple automobile, for example).
You can read more about the new Apple Energy corporation at Engadget right here, and stay tuned to see exactly what Apple plans to do with all that extra solar power.


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Leading Welsh retailer Conrad Davies has opened a thriving Subway outlet above his Spar store in Pwllheli, and plans to introduce the brand inside two other stores this year.
Conrad said weekly turnover had already nearly doubled expectations of £3,500 since he opened in December, and he predicted that the current £6,500 turnover would increase to £10,000 at the height of the summer.
However, he said costs would be far less when he opens in-store Subway outlets in his Eurospar stores in Blaenau and Dolgellau.
“The costs will be so much less in store. There’s no more lighting or heating to provide for and the electricity bill would only be an extra £50 a week rather than £150 in Pwllhel. And there’s no extra insurance,” he said.
He has budgeted for a £3,000 weekly turnover when he opens the 350sq ft Subway franchise in his 5,000sq ft Blaenau store. He also expects the Subway to boost in store footfall and sales.
Explaining his Subway ambitions, he added: “It’s all about the brand - I saw it with Costa Coffee when we introduced the brand in store. I’m getting in on the act with Subway before everyone else does.”


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Adidas recruits hardcore football fans
Beijing – Adidas, the official sponsor of the UEFA Euro 2012, has kicked off a social media campaign to gather football fans to "run overnight shifts" and watch the upcoming tournament.
Based on the insight that hardcore fans will be staying up all night to watch the matches, adidas created an online community called 925 Company.
Members will be known as “employees” and they will have to clock in and out during their 9pm to 5am “working hours”.
Football fans will get a chance to win adidas products in supporting the team they love and taking part in online games and activities, such as watching the matches together and making match predictions.
With an aim to extend its fan base, Jens Meyer, adidas China, vice president, marketing, sport performance, said the UEFA Euro 2012 is more than a performing stage for 16 teams but also an event for fans to show their passion for football to the world.
“To help Chinese fans get closer to the UEFA Euro 2012, adidas launched the 'Real Fans 925' community, which we hope to become the biggest platform for fans to connect and celebrate during the UEFA Euro 2012," Meyer said.
Angelina Ong, regional managing director, vice president of Burson-Marsteller – the PR agency behind the campaign, told Marketing that they have tapped into the interactive aspect of social media.
“Social media wins over traditional media because of its highly engaging environment. Fans can tweet and share info with their friends during the break or even when they are watching the match,” she added.
The campaign is also supported by print, in-store and OOH.
TBWA\ and Burson-Marsteller are the agencies supporting the project.
Follow us @Marketingeds on Twitter for breaking stories throughout the day.Have something to say? Comment on our Facebook page or contact the writer at firstname.lastname@example.org.
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Ratings body PEGI has introduced a new system for mobile games – and it wants the likes of Apple and Android to start using them.
Last week PEGI unveiled PEGI Express with Microsoft. The classifications and ratings seen on all PC and console games will now be included in all Windows Phone games. Microsoft has even pledged to pay for the administration costs developers incur when having their games graded.
However, PEGI wants it to be part of all mobile stores, not just Microsoft’s. Apple’s App Store and the Android Market currently use their own proprietary age ratings.
We hope that other platforms offering mobile games see the advantages of PEGI Express,” PEGI MD Simon Little told MCV.
During development we realised that, in order to be successful, it had to be a win-win-win situation: European consumers should get reliable and recognisable age ratings, developers should get an affordable solution that is in sync with the pace of the mobile games industry and platform holders should be able to use a system that builds on experience and is easier and more efficient than an in-house solution.”
He added that PEGI Express has been designed for the fast-moving mobile games sector: PEGI Express uses a post-release audit system to verify the ratings, allowing for very high volumes of ratings to be issued with a quick turnover time. If a rating needs to be changed at some point, it can be done immediately.”


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EU Launches Investigation Into 'Aggressive Tax Planning' Of Apple, Starbucks
The investigation is in regards to the companies tax activities in Ireland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, respectively.
"We need to fight against aggressive tax planning," said Joaquin Almunia, EU competition commissioner.
The commission has said that the tax avoidance tendencies of companies such as Apple, Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) and Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) costs EU governments approximately one trillion euros or around US $1.4 trillion, annually.
Investigators are concerned that Apple, Starbucks and Fiat Finance have received an unfair advantage due to tax loopholes that allow the companies to underestimate their taxable income.
The commission said that these companies have received a "significant" reduction from the rulings of the respective national governments.
"Apple is subject to the same tax laws as scores of other international companies doing business in Ireland," the company commented in an email statement. "Apple pays every euro of every tax that we owe."
The Finance Ministry in Ireland has said it will defend all aspects of its dealings with Apple and is confident that there has been no breach of any state-aid rules.
Starbucks has also made a statement in which it defended its tax affairs, saying they comply with "all relevant tax rules."
Going forward, the EU commission said it plans to widen its investigation into rules of taxation.
The street doesn't seem to be too worried about this issue. However, both Starbucks and Apple are trading down slightly (under one percent) in Wednesday's pre-market.
© 2017 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.


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FinTech startup Swoop has raised £5.4 million ($8.4 million CAD) in Series A funding in order to target the United States (US) for international expansion. Along with the all-equity £5.4 million investment, Swoop also received a £2 million GBP debt facility from Juice Ventures.
The financing, which closed in February, saw participation from United Kingdom (UK) private equity firm Velocity, Arab Bank Ventures, IAG and WeHo Ventures. Velocity is an existing investor in Swoop, alongside other early backers, including Enterprise Ireland.
Initially launched in Ireland and the UK in 2018, Swoop entered the Canadian market last year. The company also operates in Sydney, Australia. According to the startup, it’s currently working to establish a presence in the US through its Canadian operations, cementing its Toronto office as Swoop’s North American hub.
Co-founded by Andrea Reynolds (CEO), Ciaran Burke (COO), Swoop provides a platform designed to help business owners find funding opportunities. The startup works with more than 1,000 funding providers—from mainstream banks, alternative lenders, venture capital funds, angel investors, and grant agencies—to create a personalized list of funding providers to choose from.
Swoop also assists companies in the search to find saving opportunities through its open banking technology, which enables firms to see potential savings in other options for banking, foreign exchange, utilities, and insurance. The company claims that it has assisted more than 75,000 businesses in obtaining more than $100 million CAD in funding.
Burke, who was appointed as Swoop’s head of Canada in September, previously told BetaKit that Swoop wanted to enter Canada because of the moves the country has made toward establishing an open banking system.
Open banking is a system that would enable consumers to transfer their financial data between financial institutions and accredited third parties in a secure way. Open banking was introduced in Ireland in 2019, one of the first locations where Swoop launched. In March, PwC Canada digital banking director Abraham Tachjian was selected to lead open banking efforts in Canada.
According to Swoop, its Series A round follows a surge in demand for small and medium enterprises (SME) financing. The startup expects this demand to increase its revenue by 450 percent this year.
With approximately $16.8 million in total funding, Swoop previously raised £7.5 million GBP in total from the UK government’s Banking Competition Remedies’ Capability and Innovation Fund. In 2018, Swoop also secured €400,000 EUR in grants from Nesta’s Open Up Challenge.
Swoop noted that it expects to have a global employee base of 80 by the end of this summer, up from a current headcount of 60. Burke told BetaKit that using the company’s fresh capital, Swoop plans to bolster its engineering, product, and sales teams, as well as its in-house data science capabilities.
In addition to Burke, its Canadian team currently comprises five people, including senior sales manager Vladan Erkic, who took part in launching Swoop in Canada and is responsible for overseeing the commercial sales process. Swoop expects its Canadian division to grow to 10 by the end of the year.
Featured image from Swoop’s website.


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Aug 9th, 2017
By this time next week, multitudes of gamers will be converging on Indianapolis, ready for the start of Gen Con the next day. Yeah, we’re a week and a day away from the start of the show. Though, many people know that basically the whole week is Gen Con, these days. So we should probably [&hell...


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Kendrick Lamar x Reebok Ventilator “Paperwhite”
Back in April, Reebok announced their partnership with West Coast rapper Kendrick Lamar through their "Be Ventilated" campaign, which focused on the newly rereleased Reebok Ventilator silhouette. After the success of the campaign, Reebok and Kendrick will now try to capitalize on a collaborative Ventilator that fuses the story of Kendrick with Reebok's aesthetics.
Featured in an off-white suede upper, the sneaker will be inspired by the gang culture in the city of Compton. With contrasting red and blue themes on each side of the sneakers, T.D.E. branding will be placed on the interior sole and tongue of the shoe. Looking to make a statement with the shoe, the backside of the tongue will read "NEUTRAL," which stands for unity and peace among gang members.
Set to hit European retailers on July 18, the sneaker is already available for purchase oversees at Sneaker Bass. Look for Reebok to announce a release date in the coming weeks.


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The 2008 Melbourne ANDA Show - Pretty Darn Quiet Apart from the MIntmarks!
The last major numismatic trade show for the year got done on the weekend, and I gotta say that it was pretty quiet! There was a lengthy queue for the ever-popular $1 RAM "Mint Your Own" mintmark dollar coins, but apart from that it was rather tame. As evidence of the popularity of this series with collectors right across the country, a number of coins have sold via ebay for between $19 and $20 already - and it's only been a day since the show closed! The RAM cops a bollocking from collectors for the way these products are distributed, but given the way their staff conducted themselves over the weekend, I'd have to say they did a pretty good job under the circumstances.
Sales at the show reflected the drop in attendance, which in turn is reflected by the drop in retail trade the nation over. Nicole and I were able to get a few nice items away, although none of them were hugely expensive. Top quality items that are seldom seen are always in demand no matter what is going on, so that shouldn't be surprising. I picked up a number of truly superb Sydney Mint sovereigns on Saturday afternoon (key dates in impeccable condition!), so will be posting them online later this week.
Our next show in Melbourne is lookingn to be at Caulfield racecourse, with the cheaper venue ANDA hopes to get a few more dealers in attendance, which should bring more collectors in through the doors.


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Amazon Pushing Prime Service With Day Of Deals, 'Prime Day'The e-commerce retailer plans to offer thousands of deals on July 15 in the nine countries that have the Prime loyalty program, including the U.S., U.K., Spain, Japan, Italy, Germany, France, Canada and Austria.
Near Amazon's Warehouse in Del., Excitement Over Eventual 'Drone' DeliveriesAmazon founder Jeff Bezos says his company envisions being able to deliver small packages within 30 minutes of your purchase if you live close enough to one of their warehouses.
Amazon.com Looks To Fill 7,000 Jobs In 13 States, Including PA, DEWarehouse jobs are available in Arizona, Delaware, California, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
Stigall Show Log 11.26.12Chris remembers Actor Larry Hagman, who died over the weekend and previews tonight's Eagles/Panthers game and debates whether a woman should've been fired for posting offensive pictures on Facebook. He also talks to Jeff Roe and Michael Bronstein about the fiscal cliff on this week's Monday Morning Matchup.
Pa. Expects 'Substantial Compliance' With Online Sales Tax DirectiveAmazon has already announced its intention to collect state and local sales taxes in Pennsylvania.
As Amazon Eyes NJ Warehouses, NJ Eyes Future Sales Tax RevenuesThe Internet mega-retailer Amazon.com is looking to set up shop in New Jersey -- a move that could mean big bucks to the state in the long term.
Amazon Unveils Its $199 iPad ChallengerThe web-retailing giant Amazon has launched a direct assault on Apple's dominance in the tablet computer market.
Amazon Expected To Announce Tablet Computer, Apple May Show Off iPhone5It's an exciting couple of weeks for gadget lovers. Tomorrow, Amazon is expected to announce its new tablet computer and there's much hype ahead of an event at Apple headquarters next Tuesday
Filler Item.comIf you shop through Amazon.com, and find yourself falling a few dollars short of getting free delivery, open a new window on your browser and click to FillerItem.com.


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Home improvement and garden retailer Bunnings Warehouse officially opened its doors in Basingstoke today (13 December).
The new store, which is on the site of the former Homebase on Winchester Road, is 84,500 square feet and offers customers more than 30,000 leading home improvement and garden products from a wide range of global market-leading brands. Other services include everything from paint mixing to key cutting, a garden centre, timber cutting and in-store D.I.Y. Workshops.
Bunnings’ team members have already been busy ahead of today’s store opening, helping with projects in the Basingstoke area. These included refreshing the garden area for patients at the Swiss Cottage and painting the school hall for pupils at Lymington House.
Basingstoke Complex Manager, Richard Southworth, said: "All our team members have worked really hard to get the store ready for opening and have undertaken many hours of training to make sure we have the expertise to help customers with home or garden projects."
To celebrate the opening, James Cracknell, British Olympic Gold Medalist is joining a welcome breakfast for team members.
Mr Cracknell said: "I’ve had a great time opening my local store here today in Basingstoke. The Bunning’s team members have been very welcoming and I have no doubt the store will be a big success."
The store will host a weekend of events on 16-17 December, where customers can enjoy a range of family activities including the famous Bunnings Sausage Sizzle, face-painting, balloon modelling and even join Santa for a Story Time session.


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Have Can, Will Drink: Grocery Stores Are Testing New Craft Beer Cans That Will Change Your Shopping
Bottles are all well and good...but maybe not when they're your only option. Luckily, they aren't. A grocery store is testing a new device that lets you fill up beer cans right from the craft beer tap at the supermarket.
What’s a Crowler?
Kroger, an Ohio-based grocery chain found mostly in the southern states, is now offering the Crowler. This is a 32-ounce aluminum can that you can fill and seal yourself in the grocery store when you want a craft beer.
Growlers and Crowlers, Oh My!
Drinkers are already familiar with growlers, the nickname for the bottles used to hold craft beer in grocery stores. Soon, they'll have another option. Kroger is testing Crowlers at their store in Memphis currently. If all goes well, Crowlers could be seen across the country.
And they won't be confined to grocery stores, either. Brad Larson, who owns Joe's Wines & Liquor in Memphis, has been using Crowlers for the last two years. He's selling 135 to 200 per week already. Crowlers were originally developed by a craft brewery in Colorado, and they're already available in just about every state in the U.S.


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UpGrad, a startup by Ronnie Screwvala which provides online education for working professionals, has today announced that it has acquired Pyoopil. It is a mobile-based SaaS product used by companies to deploy online training programmes.
With this acquisition, UpGrad will be able to get a shot at addressing the large business-to-business (B2B) education needs and will go hand in hand with its already existing flagship B2C offering.
After joining the UpGrad team, Pyoopil will continue working on building learning products for working professionals. Harsh Tripathi, CEO of Pyoopil, said,
We have been in touch with UpGrad for some time now and given our shared drive and values on how we were approaching online education, we decided it would be best to join hands and do this together.
Pyoopil is a Delhi-based startup, founded three years ago. It has built a learning product with elements of peer engagement and mentorship. The company had raised an undisclosed amount of funding from angel investors.
Mayank Kumar, managing director of UpGrad, said,
The traditional areas on which organisations have built competencies are changing as we move to the digital era. We want to be their learning partner of choice for developing new skills and competencies.
UpGrad will now offer customised programmes to corporate clients in emerging areas such as data analytics, product management and digital marketing, among others. Its online offering is aiming to cut down the non-learning spend, such as lodging and travel, of the corporate and instead channel the funds towards core learning requirements.
The company is also looking at training fresh talent in new age skills, before joining the company. UpGrad has also partnered with Cognizant, Genpact, Gramener, Star TV , Disney, Uber, Google, Microsoft and BookMyShow, among others, for its existing programme content.
UpGrad is one of its kind online learning platform as unlike other online websites offering various courses, it functions as a digital university in itself. There is a selection procedure for getting enrolled in its courses and the fee structure of the online education portal is also at par with similar full-fledged programs in the universities.


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Ever wonder who makes those giant displays that awe patrons at retail stores and theme parks? In many cases, the answer can be found in a nondescript warehouse in Union City. Here, Weehawken native Giovanni Calabrese and his team create larger-than-life foam sculptures for clients as varied as Macy’s, Google, MTV and Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurants.
Calabrese, 47, constructs his designs out of 8-foot-wide blocks of Styrofoam that he and his team carve, shave and shape. Then they coat each creation with a spray-on hard plastic shell and paint. The result can be anything from a shiny red Mustang to a life-sized Michael Jackson.
The Ridgefield resident got his start in the profession, known as theming, when he was a freshman at St. Peter’s College—now University—in Jersey City. Inspiration came when he attended a Halloween party as a sofa. “It looked like a real chair,” he says. “But I constructed it in such a way that I could sit and hide inside of it and could pop my head out. It was a hit.”
His costume was so well received that Calabrese decided to turn his love of art and design into a vocation. His goal: to make “every day into Halloween in terms of creating things.”
In 1994, just two years after starting his company—then called Custom Creations, now dubbed Themendous—Macy’s invited Calabrese to create a float for its Thanksgiving parade.
“One of my first jobs that I did for them was a Rip Van Winkle,” Calabrese says. “He was 20 feet long and 12 feet high, but in a crouched position against a tree.”
At the time, Macy’s artists were working primarily with fiberglass. Calabrese’s foam-and-plastic creations could be completed faster. “You can control it a lot better than fiberglass, chicken wire, and all that,” Calabrese says. “You can really get down to a lot of nice detail.”
Since that first commission, Calabrese has worked on nine floats for the parade. He also creates giant displays and props for Macy’s Herald Square. Last summer, Calabrese and his team carved a vintage tractor that dominated the basement retail floor. More recently, he created life-sized mannequins based on the children’s book Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus to be displayed during this holiday season.
Calabrese’s sculptures, scenic environments and oversized props can be seen all over the world. The giant dessert sculptures on the lawn of Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California, are Themendous creations. In New York’s Times Square, the company’s pieces dress up Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen & Bar. Themendous also creates props for the film and commercial industries, including a giant Oreo cookie for a commercial featuring Eli and Peyton Manning and Venus and Serena Williams.
For Calabrese, the thrill of seeing his team’s work never wears off.
“It is exciting to see what you did and say, ‘Hey, I made that. We made that,’” he says.


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Posted on Fri May 18th, 2012 2:20pm PDT By X17 Staff
Only the queen of Cannes could carry a $35K Herems bikrin on a yacht!
Victoria Silvstedt looked lovely in a bright yellow sun dress, as she boarded a yacht for a ride around Cannes, while she's in town for the French Film Fest this week.
The former Playboy cover girl has been playing a lot of dress up in the South of France, but her stylist made a big boo boo while prepping her for an exclusive party -- she showed up wearing the same dress as Bar Refaeli. Yikes!
On the upside, Miss Silvstedt was able to wear some very expensive jewels, revealing via Twitter: "Got to borrow some mega bling bling from Star Diamond..feeling like a million bucks tonite!!"
SEE THE GALLERY Victoria Silvstedt Rides A Yacht In Cannes
Stories from around the Web


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TRADERS and shoppers in Bargoed have welcomed Caerphilly Council’s decision to extend free parking in two town-centre car parks until after Christmas.
The authority introduced two-hour free parking at the Emporium and St Gwladys Road pay-and-display car parks at the end of last year as a temporary move to boost trade in the town during major regeneration works.
The parking fees were due to be reintroduced earlier this month but the council has now agreed to extend the timescale to encourage shoppers to visit Bargoed, especially in the run-up to Christmas.
Blood donor session times
THE Welsh Blood Service will hold a donor session at Caerphilly Community Centre in Morgan Street, Llanbradach, on Wednesday, September 16 from 10am-12.30pm and 2-6pm.
Anyone who misses their regular session should ring 0800 252266 or visit welshblood.org.uk to find an alternative session.


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Macy’s to close at Tri-County Mall
CINCINNATI (FOX19) - Macy’s will close its store at Tri-County Mall in Springdale this year, the company said Wednesday.
A Macy’s spokeswoman tells FOX19 NOW the closure is part of the company’s strategy to pull out of weaker malls.
A full list of stores the company plans to close will be posted to the company’s website later Wednesday.
“The decision to close a store is always a difficult one, but Macy’s Tri-County Mall is honored to have served our customers and the community over the past 60 years, and we look forward to continuing to do so at Macy’s Anderson Town Center, Macy’s Florence and Macy’s Kenwood Towne Centre locations and online at macys.com or on the Macy’s app,” the company said in a statement.
“Regular, non-seasonal colleagues who we are unable to place at nearby Macy’s stores will be eligible for severance, including outplacement resources. A clearance sale will begin in January and run for approximately 8-12 weeks.”
This will be the third Macy’s store to shut down locally in the past few years.
The store in downtown Cincinnati shut down in 2018, and Northgate Mall shuttered last year.
Macy’s also announced last year it planned to close its headquarters in downtown Cincinnati as part of a national restructuring.
Macy’s pulling out of Tri-County Mall will leave the shopping center at Ohio 747 and Kemper Road just south of Interstate 275 without a major department store anchor.
The mall opened in 1960 and has been expanded several times, most notably in 1992 when the second level was added along with a fourth anchor store.
The shopping center, however, has undergone a slow decline in recent years with all the other major department store anchors - J.C. Penney, Dillards and Sears - leaving.
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Copyright 2021 WXIX. All rights reserved.


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PayPal notified their all customers on Friday that 1.6 million individuals’ personal data may have been stolen by hackers who broke through the systems of its subsidiary TIO Networks.
TIO Network is a widely transacted bill payment workstation that PayPal attained in July 2017 for some $230 million. The enterprise is based in Canada and it functions some of the major telecom and utility network process in North America. TIO has about 10,000 maintained billers and it assists 16 million customers’ bill pay accounts.
PayPal pronounced that TIO had postponed processes on November 10, in an attempt to defend account holders’ following the detection of security susceptibilities on the subsidiary’s spot. PayPal declared it had found concerns with TIO’s information data security program that did not obey its own values.
An inquiry led in association with third-party Cyber-security professionals exposed that TIO’s network had been broken through, containing servers that saved the information data of TIO customers and clients of TIO billers. PayPal told the attackers may have gained personally recognizable facts (PII) for about 1.6 million users. The influenced individuals and companies will be communicated through email and mailing address and provided free credit observing services via Experian.
Whereas it’s uncertain precisely what sort of information data the cyberpunks have acquired access to, the data shared by PayPal and TIO Network proposes that payment card information data and in some circumstances even social security numbers (SSNs) may have been conceded.
PayPal has highlighted that TIO’s systems have not been integrated into its own platform. “The PayPal platform is not impacted in any way, as the TIO systems are completely separate from the PayPal network, and PayPal’s customers’ data remains secure,” the company said.
The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) has also published a declaration on the incident.
“DFS is working with our regulated entity, PayPal, to investigate and address issues related to cybersecurity vulnerabilities identified at PayPal’s subsidiary, TIO Networks,” the DFS said. “We applaud PayPal’s rapid response to the matter, which put consumers and business clients first, and we appreciate their efforts to inform DFS, as required, in a timely manner. Events like these illustrate the necessity of DFS’s landmark cybersecurity regulation and underscore the strength and effectiveness of our strong state-based financial services regulatory framework, including for the fintech industry.”
TIO Network told the services will not be fully brought back up until it’s assured that its systems and network are protected.


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Specialty chemicals company ALTANA has received a credit line from the European Investment Bank (EIB). The company, headquartered in Wesel, Germany, will be able to use up to €200 million for research and development over the next ten years.
ALTANA products already contribute to conserving resources and protecting the climate. Amongst other things, ALTANA will also use the EIB’s additional research funding to develop further sustainable packaging materials and promote resource-efficient digital printing solutions. ALTANA itself intends to become climate neutral by 2025.
The EIB — as the EU climate bank — judges that ALTANA meets its strict lending requirements.
The R&D projects comply with many of the Bank’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria. The development of safe products, the resource-efficient use of raw materials and the development of sustainable production technologies also support the European Union’s GreenDeal, the EU roadmap for achieving climate neutrality and preserving the environment.
Sustainability and innovation have been an integral part of ALTANA’s strategy for many years.
ALTANA’s pioneering products to date include systems for water-based coatings that replace the use of solvents, PVC-free seals for glass jars containing baby food and insulation materials for powerful electric motors.
“The EIB is proud, as an anchor lender, to work with ALTANA and facilitate further research projects supporting climate neutrality and digitalisation,” said EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle, who is responsible for the environment, climate programmes and the circular economy, along with the EIB’s activities in Germany. “In light of rising global demand for chemical products, there is a growing need for these products to be resource-efficient and environmentally friendly. The chemical industry can make a significant contribution to environmentally compatible production — which ALTANA has been working on successfully for years.”
Angela Drautz, Head of Treasury at ALTANA AG, said: “To receive EIB financing, high technical and environmental standards must be met. We were able to demonstrate convincingly that the projects now supported by the EIB provide concrete added value in achieving the European Union’s overarching climate goals.”
Dr Petra Severit, Chief Technology Officer at ALTANA, added: “With the loan, we will have even greater freedom in our research in the future. As such, we will be able to tailor our innovative strengths to our ambitious approach even more closely, continuing to set new standards in specialty chemicals in the future.”
“We are delighted that in the EIB, we have found a partner that pursues the same sustainability goals as our company,” concluded Stefan Genten, Chief Financial Officer of ALTANA AG. “In combination with the sustainability-linked credit line recently signed with a consortium of banks, we could completely renew our Group’s long-term financing.”


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Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that Tang Tan, Apple’s chief designer of iPhone and Apple Watch, will leave the company in February. Now, more details have emerged to reveal that Tan is heading to LoveFrom to reunite with Jony Ive.
As reported Bloomberg, Tan will work with Jony Ive at LoveFrom, alongside OpenAI’s Sam Altman, to “work on a new artificial intelligence hardware project.” This comes after Information reported in September that Ive and Altman were in discussions about collaborating on some sort of hardware project incorporating OpenAI technology.
Tan, who currently holds the title of Vice President of Product Design at Apple, will lead hardware engineering at LoveFrom for this artificial intelligence hardware project.
As part of the effort, outgoing Apple executive Tang Tan will join Ive’s LoveFrom design firm, which will shape the look and capabilities of new products, according to people familiar with the matter. Altman, an executive who has become the face of modern AI, plans to provide the software foundation, said the sources, who asked not to be identified because the project is not public.
In total, more than 20 former Apple employees have joined the design company.
Apple departures have continued more recently. Patrick Coffman, one of Apple’s top user interface design leaders, has left the company. Colin Burns, former head of design at British Broadcasting Corp. who joined Apple after Ive resigned, is leaving in January. He leads Apple’s Interaction Architecture team, which is responsible for exploring early hardware and software concepts.
Shota Aoyagi, another member of Ive’s famous industrial design team at Apple, also left the group. He just started at LoveFrom.
During his time at Apple, Tan worked on a variety of Apple products, including the iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods. He is credited with making “critical decisions about Apple’s most important products.”
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AM General, better known by the Hummer brand in the world, is put up for sale. General Motors, Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles and some others large corporations are interested in purchasing it.
The cost of AM General can be up to 2 billion dollars. If, of course, it comes to the deal. There is no official information about the sale of the army Hummers and Humvees manufacturer. GM, FCA and AM General’s rivals (BAE Systems, General Dynamics, Oshkosh Corporation) are called as potential purchasers.
AM General is in fact a military contractor and now manufactures mentioned Humvees. The civilian Hummer H1 (pictured) was produced since 1992. Then the Hummer H2 was developed based on the large Chevrolet Suburban SUV. At that time, the rights to the brand had already belonged to GM.
In 2009, the H2 production ceased. The AM General’s plant switched to assembly of the Mercedes-Benz R-Class crossovers by contracts for China.
It’s not quite clear why GM and other companies want to buy a military contractor. But its potential sale comes, as the U.S. Army is preparing to add a next-generation combat vehicle to its fleet.
New land vehicles are expected to launch in 2022. Therefore, future cooperation with the US government may well attract the attention of potential manufacturers of military vehicles. This is especially true for American General Motors.


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Digital-marketing tech company IgnitionOne has released its Q1 2014 digital marketing report, highlighting the programmatic display marketplace in one section.
As one would expect, Q1
“saw a seasonal decrease in all programmatic display KPIs.”
In retail, for example, spend was down 14% quarter-over-quarter, while clicks (-29%) and impressions (-6%) were also down. This is consistent with retail trends, the report notes, as the vertical typically dips after a holiday-filled Q4.
Not every vertical saw a decrease, however. IgnitionOne found that the travel vertical saw quarter-over-quarter growth in Q1. The number of travel-related impressions traded programmatically increased an impressive 49% in Q1, while clicks jumped 25%. Travel marketers spent 3% more in Q1 2014 than in Q4 2013.
The report can be found here.


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SAN FRANCISCOKleer Inc., a maker of chips for wireless audio, has announced a new release of its flagship KLR3012 wireless audio module, which contains new technology to support both portable audio devices and home audio equipment.
According to Kleer (Cupertino, Calif.), the KLR3012 version 1.9 enables consumer electronics brands to standardize on a single wireless radio platform for both portable and home audio applications.
Kleer executives offer a vision of audio sources wirelessly linked throughout the home using Kleer technology. Using audio headphones, a user could wander throughout the home and seamlessly switch between different sources such as stereos, televisions, PCs and other devices, they say. The technology also enables speakers to be wirelessly linked to audio sources.
This wireless home audio vision is still evolving, according to Brent Allen, director of product marketing at Kleer. The company's mixed-singal ICs are shipping in headphones and other products from brands such as Sennheiser, RCA and Sleek Audio. Allen said the company has several reference designs available and is looking for other home electronics customers.
Ralph Mason, Kleer's founder and chief technology officer, said making on IC to support requirements for both potable and home audio devices is a challenge because each has different requirements. For portable audio devices, size and power consumption are key, while in-home applications emphasize low latency and low interference.
The KLR3012 v1.9 module consists of a custom 2.4 GHZ ISM band radio along with the associated passive components necessary to produce lossless, low-power, low-interference wireless audio, according to the company.


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A nine-year-old boy is fighting for his life after being hit by a car in east London.
Technology giant Samsung saw its profits leap by 41% in the first quarter of this year, thanks to a surge in sales of its smartphones.
26 April 2013
The rollout of Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone have been disrupted by supply issues, meaning it will go on sale in the US at carriers Sprint and T-Mobile later than expected.
25 April 2013
24 April 2013
Samsung’s star continues to rise, as the South Korean electronics giant today predicted a stronger-than-expected jump in first-quarter profits.
05 April 2013
Samsung’s run of good news continued today as the company’s chairman dismissed a billion dollar lawsuit and figures revealed the South Korean electronics giant doubled its share of the tablet market at the end of last year.
01 February 2013
Samsung today saw shares drop despite record profits of £4.2 billion as the South Korean giant warned of slowing demand and pressure on prices due to fierce competition in the smartphone and tablet market this year.
25 January 2013
Bumper Christmas sales of smartphones and tablets have helped Samsung to notch up a fifth consecutive quarter of record profit.
08 January 2013
Apple has lost its legal fight to ban the sale of some of Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones and tablets in America, in a key ruling in the bitter patent wars between the two mobile giants.
18 December 2012
11 December 2012
Speculation over Sir Richard Branson's control of Virgin Atlantic grew today after Singapore Airlines confirmed it was in talks over the sale of its stake in the transatlantic airline.
03 December 2012
- City worker, 23, falls to his death from roof terrace on the South Bank
- Apprentice star Stuart 'The Brand' Baggs dies aged 27
- Police hunt for shotgun gang who pulled up in a Porsche to raid east London home
- Police hunt woman after child 'repeatedly kicked' in north London Mothercare store
- Crystal Palace could hijack Leicester City’s move for former Inter Milan starlet Alessandro Cannataro
- PM: Calais crisis is caused by 'swarm' of migrants crossing Mediterranean
- Calais chaos: Migrant dies as 1,500 attempt to storm Eurotunnel terminal in escalating crisis
- Tessa Jowell promises police 'will enforce London's 20mph zones like 30mph ones'
- 'Ban lorries in rush-hour to save lives,' say more than half of Londoners
- Rosamund Urwin: Blame game is no help to London’s cycling vision
- TV's Dec ties the knot with his manager Ali Astall... and Ant is his best man
- Man threatened with arrest at Heathrow for wearing Transformers T-shirt
- Sergio Ramos favourites tweet hinting at Manchester United exit for David De Gea
- NHS needs thousands of nurses as London wards are shut in ‘perfect storm’
- Couple's desperate search for a blood donor to save the life of their daughter


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Taking the last mile to the mall
The shift to ecommerce has meant changing fortunes for industrial and retail real estate. As more shopping has moved online, warehouse and logistics properties have been the beneficiaries, and demand from ecommerce tenants remains high.
Retail landlords, facing a decline in consumer tastes and the bankruptcy of major tenants, are now looking at converting retail space to industrial space. Simon Property Group, for example, is reportedly in talks with Amazon.com Inc. regarding the possibility of turning empty anchor stores into distribution hubs.
A July 2020 survey by CBRE Research found 59 such projects have been completed, proposed or are under way since 2017 — up from only 24 in January 2019. Such projects represent 13.8 million square feet of retail space converted to 15.5 million square feet of industrial space.
According to CBRE Research, the top five markets for such conversions, accounting for one-third of the overall total, are Milwaukee; Cleveland; Ch


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Substance found in red wine 'helps fight ageing'
Wednesday 12:00AM, 08-03-2017
Mediterranean diet linked to lower risk of one type of breast cancer
Tuesday 12:00AM, 07-03-2017
'Avoid fads and stick to diet guidelines,' say US heart experts
Tuesday 05:00PM, 28-02-2017
Fasting diet may help regenerate a diabetic pancreas
Friday 05:00PM, 24-02-2017
Five-a-day of fruit and veg is good, but '10 is better'
Thursday 05:35PM, 23-02-2017
Long-term daily drinking linked to stiffening of the arteries in men
Tuesday 05:30PM, 21-02-2017
'Add vitamin D to food to prevent colds and flu', say researchers
Thursday 04:00PM, 16-02-2017
Switching to wholegrains may boost metabolism
Thursday 05:00PM, 09-02-2017
Does eating liquorice in pregnancy raise the risk of ADHD?
Monday 03:45PM, 06-02-2017
Vitamin A deficiency linked to Alzheimer's disease
Friday 03:45PM, 27-01-2017


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Motorola has launched its Moto X Force also know as Moto Droid Turbo 2 in India, starting at a price point of Rs. 49,999/-. This is one of the most rugged smartphone Motorola has ever made and it comes with a four year warrant covering its display from any shatters.
Motorola Moto X Force features a 5.4 inch Quad HD (1440 x 2560 pixels) resolution AMOLED display, with “ShatterShield” technology and it has an amazing pixel density of 504 ppi (pixels per inch). It’s rocking a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 Octa-Core processor which is paired with 3GB of DDR4 RAM and it has Adreno 430 graphic processor. In the camera department this device comes with a 21 Megapixel rear phase detection autofocus camera with dual LED flash and it is capable of recording 4K videos. Whereas, on the front side, it is having a 5 Megapixel camera.
It has a nano SIM slot, NFC, dual band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, micro USB v2.0 and 3.5mm audio jack. It is packing a huge 3760 mAh battery, which Motorola claims can provide up-to 30 hours of battery life and it also supports Qi charging.
Moto X Force is going to be available in 32GB as well as 64GB internal storage variants and both of them will be capable of support external microSD cards up-to 2TB.
Motorola Moto X Force comes in white, grey and black colour options starting at a price of Rs. 49,999/-. It will be available for purchase at Flipkart, Amazon and at various leading retails stores across India from 8 February onwards.
Stay tuned for more upcoming tech updates at TechGadget360.com.


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Abu Dhabi: Even though toy shop owners admit to a price hike of at least 10 per cent this year, there is a general shortage of toys such as Nintendo Wii video games console and dolls such as Barbie Bratz or Barney, which are in high demand across the UAE.
"You cannot compare prices of products such as Nintendo Wii, play station or X-Box to last year's prices because there are more accessories, improvement in technology and different versions introduced each month," said Sevee Peralta, Department Manager, Virgin Megastores.
He said i-pods remain a popular item for young and old.
A South African couple told Gulf News their children mostly enjoy receiving DVDs of their favourite characters such as Barbie, Bratz or Barney. "These are great gifts because our children watch them over and over again."
Jonah Pabile, a Filipina who was shopping for her five-year-old daughter for Christmas, said: "Toys for children are very expensive but I have a specific budget."


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London-headquartered ad tech company InSkin Media has finally opened its Dubai office following the announcement earlier this year.
London-headquartered ad tech company InSkin Media has finally opened its Dubai office following the announcement earlier this year. With offices in London, Hamburg, Sydney, Singapore and Hong Kong, InSkin Media employs more than 100 staff members and specializes in creating high impact rich media HTML5 formats for online branding.
Toby Daniell, head of sales MENA, will be heading the Dubai office, which is the first step in the company’s GCC expansion.
In a statement, Daniell says: “Dubai was a natural next step for InSkin Media’s expansion, as it’s truly one of the global hubs of media. The ease of doing business in the emirate, the concentration of expertise and its geographical location mean that it’s the perfect place for us to open our doors. Our goal is to establish a Rich Media powerhouse in the GCC and beyond, synonymous with high-quality, market-leading creative.”


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Hundreds of people are now staying connected to what's happening in and around Shiawassee County and getting access to opportunities that are exclusive to our friends with The Email Express. for free!
Durand Now photo
Stomping Grounds Coffee Shop is closing. A post on the business' Facebook page by owner Nikole Hartzell reveals she and her husband, Ernie, are "at peace" with their decision to close, saying that their eyes have been opened to the reality of what running the business has cost them.
Josh Strickland talks with Steven Cohen of O Town Cafe about their decision to stay open 24/7 to provide a warm place to the homeless of Shiawassee County during a spell of life-threatening winter weather.


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Bridging the gap between land-based casinos and the world of iGaming is the key to continued growth for the EGT brand, which has established its presence in the global gaming industry for more than 15 years, according to the company’s Sales Director of Online Systems, Elena Naumova.
In recent years, the company has focused on successfully transferring its most popular games from the gaming floor to online video slots and mobile gaming via its rapidly expanding digital branch, EGT Interactive, a move which has seen the online gaming software and solutions provider strengthening its position in key markets across the globe as well as targeting emerging digital territories in 2018.
EGT Interactive’s Sales Director, Elena Naumova, explained: “After successful expansion in most of Eastern Europe and the Baltics, this year we are heading for markets with high potential, such as Italy, Spain and Columbia, while at the same time we are continuously expanding our net of operators in the existing territories. Our know-how and experience has laid the foundations and established specific traditions for EGT Interactive which we aim to sustain as we continue to develop.
“Our team of regional representatives has broadened in recent months meaning we can now cast a significantly wider net in international territories and each month this year our teams have been demonstrating new products and meeting new clients at exhibitions throughout the world including a highly successful attendance at the biggest event in the industry, ICE London, and a productive presentation at the Italian ENADA exhibition. We aim to continue this with a comprehensive list of planned exhibitions in 2018 travelling to Macao, Colombia, Mexico, Spain, Eastern Europe, Amsterdam and all the way to Las Vegas.”
EGT Interactive’s continued expansion is bolstered by a steady stream of new games and additions to its platform, including the recently released 40 Lucky King video slot. Commenting on the company’s latest releases, Naumova said: “Staying true to our traditions we are constantly releasing new titles with a key focus on traditional multi fruit slots, while at the same time striving for innovation and variation to be in line with new trends in the industry. We have several new projects planned for release within the next couple of months and our expectations are these will continue to be very well received from our players in markets, both new and established, as we remain on this steady path of expansion.”


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Like a Hitman mission that goes horribly awry, Agent 47 has fluffed his lines here. Danish developer IO Interactive hinted at Hitman news earlier today, with publishing partner Warner Bros promptly following up with a video clip of an F1 race track. It seems both parties have been teasing Hitman 2, as the title’s logo has just been uncovered on WB Games’ website. Whoops!
The game will be revealed prior to E3 2018 on Thursday, 7th June. We’re pretty excited for this as we really loved Hitman’s reboot on the PlayStation 4, and the prospect of assassinating some unsuspecting idiots at a Grand Prix shows that IO has not lost its creative touch since transitioning to independence.


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Baladna Farm to meet total dairy demand Qatar
Baladna is a subsidiary of Power International Holding, which is a well-diversified Qatari company. Built over 700,000 square metres Baladna Farm includes 40,000 Awassi sheep, kept as they are able to withstand high temperature and produce high-quality milk.
The farm also houses 5,000 goats and operates an animal feed mill yielding 100 tonnes per day. Under guidance from farm chief executive officer John Dore, who originally hails from County Kildare in Ireland, Baladna Farm decided to erect and operate its own cow dairy enterprise in the wake of political blockages that were imposed on Qatar by its neighbours.
Also read: Qatar’s dairy demand spurred by crisis
Back in June, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Bahrain severed all diplomatic ties with Qatar as they believed it supported terrorism. On top of this, these countries imposed a boycott on all trade and imports from them to Qatar.
These blockages meant the normal imports of dairy produce, mainly supplied by Saudi Arabia, could no longer be received. So, Baladna Farm decided to set up its own unit to meet the home demand.
Flying cows into Qatar to build up herd
As building work got underway, cows were being sourced around the world and flown into Qatar by Qatar Airways. Currently, there are 1,800 Holstein cows in the herd but the goal is to run a massive herd with 14,000 cows in the future to supply the majority of the country’s dairy demand. John Dore said more cows are on the way from the United States to rapidly grow the herd to reach the levels required. “We currently have 1,800 cows in the herd yielding 30 litres per cow per day. At Baladna we process, pack and distribute all our own milk which means the farm basically gets paid for volume. Currently we are building a new 500 tonnes per day dairy and juice factory to utilise our milk,” according to Dore. The milk we are producing is 3.6% butterfat. Milk retails in the shops here in Qatar for 7.5 Qatari Riyal per litre (£1.54, €1.74, US$2.06, CAN$2.61).
Filling the void after blockades
In Qatar there are 3 dairy farms that produce and process their own milk under their own respective brands. There are also a number of smaller privately owned dairy herds that produce milk for the owner’s consumption. John says Baladna Farm has plans to develop its dairy herd at a fast pace in order to fill the void left after Qatar’s neighbours imposed the blockades. “We aim to have 14,000 cows plus followers. In addition, we aim to fatten bulls at 10 months old for the beef chain as well. Holstein cows are currently being sourced in the United States for us. It is our intention to be able to supply the majority of the demand for dairy produce in Qatar as early as next year,” he added.
Dealing with the desert heat
Baladna Farm has erected air-conditioned barns to accommodate the cows. Temperatures can hit 48°C in Qatar on the farm as it is situated mostly in a desert. Keeping the cows cool in air-conditioned barns is a challenge, according to John.
Dore: “The challenge is humidity. It’s the trickiest at dawn and dusk and drops in the middle of the day so that’s when you need to get things done.”
The farm is also using a 100 unit rotary parlour that can milk 750 cows per hour per 200 units. Building ideas and themes have also come from the United States with the cows in Qatar lying in cubicles on rubber crumb mattresses.
100% market share by April
Currently John and the team are supplying around 40% of the market in Qatar but hope to increase that to 100% by April 2018 when the herd is further expanded.


text: US President Donald Trump said imposing solar tariffs would help US companies. But China’s surprise decision to slash installations is negating those gains, and shares of American manufacturers are plunging. First Solar Inc. has lost about a quarter of its market value in the past week. SunPower Corp. is slumping too, as are the big Chinese solar companies that trade in the US and Asia. China’s cutback “has shaken global markets,” Joseph Osha, an analyst at JMP Securities LLC, said in a research note Wednesday. “Pricing pressure is likely to accelerate outside of the US, and even inside the US pricing may decline as Chinese suppliers look to compensate for a sharp decline in expected demand in their home market.” The industrywide slide shows that trade barriers designed to protect specific companies or industries can be overpowered by the global forces that drive the markets. Slower demand in China will exacerbate a panel glut and drag down prices. That will mirror the conditions that prompted some struggling US panel makers to seek tariffs last year. Chinese solar power stocks plunge as government moves to contain industry size First Solar had been riding high on strong demand and pricing for its panels. In October it announced record orders as US trade policies drove up demand for its panels. On June 1, China pulled the plug on global demand by eliminating about 20 gigawatts of expected domestic installations this year, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. That will reduce global prices 35 per cent, to 24 US cents a watt by year-end. The pullback prompted analysts to downgrade First Solar. The company has slumped more than 16 per cent since China’s announcement.


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It’s impossible for brands today to not be online in some capacity, whether it’s through a website, a page on a social platform (at least one), an app, an online storefront, etc. The people organizations are attempting to reach are online too. Gallup polling shows 94 percent of U.S. adults have online access—more than any other country. And that’s based on 2019 data.
The pandemic changed the world around us, including the way we’re spending time online. You most likely already know this, especially if you’re still getting weekly screen time reports on your phone. It isn’t necessarily all doom-scrolling or time-wasting, either. Smartphones are where 86 percent of U.S. adults get their news.
Long story short—simply being online is a given in the world we live in today. Now the question brands should ask is, are we online enough? Are we dedicating enough time and energy to the right platforms to meet business objectives? Where could and should we do more?
Here’s a look at three ways the digital landscape changed in the past 12 months, and how it should inform your marketing and communications efforts.
Content Reigns Supreme
We’ve been hearing “content is king” since Bill Gates penned his 1996 essay. But more time at home and on devices in 2020 brings new truth to the statement.
Globally, we’re spending nearly 7 hours consuming content every day. It’s more than double the pre-pandemic levels, which averaged 3 hours and 17 minutes. Almost half of respondents to the DoubleVerify study were spending more time on social media, and 44% were using Connected TV (CTV) devices more often.
In the U.S. alone, CTV and streaming video content accounted for 25% of TV time. The pandemic led to an incredible average of 142 billion minutes of content streamed to a TV set, compared to 82 billion minutes weekly prior to March 2020. Even in the summer months, when people typically spend time outdoors and offline, consumers were streaming more than the year before.
Even though lockdowns may lessen in 2021, content of all kinds—and video in particular—will remain a critical fixture of how brands show up in the world. It’s also a key element of integrated communications plans, which give brands a means to amplify their voices and tell their stories in their own way. There’s no better time to evaluate your current content mix, and determine how to strengthen digital strategy in the months ahead.
A Sweet Spot for Spending
We’re not just spending more time online, we’re spending more money there, too. During the earliest days of the pandemic, in Q2 2020, online purchasing in the U.S. spiked 31.8 percent above the previous quarter as consumers spent $211.5 billion. As consumer preferences change and we settle into a new normal, it’s possible $5 trillion could shift toward online spending.
This doesn’t mean every brand should rush out to create an online storefront, but even online ordering for restaurants and grocery pick-up contribute to the shift in spending. Less time inside physical locations, more emphasis on a convenient curbside or delivery option.
Consumers aren’t the only ones shifting to online spending. Brands shifted ad dollars to online platforms, leading 2020 digital ad spend to increase 56.2 percent from 2019.
Reaching people on digital platforms was only natural. Budget line items like event activations, sponsorships and outdoor advertising (like billboards) were no longer as appealing, since events were cancelled and people weren’t driving busy roads en route to work. It’s worth noting that even as digital ad spending increased, total ad spend was down in 2020.
Digital advertising is expected to increase this year, with some forecasts projecting 10 percent growth for the year. Dedicating a portion of your marketing budget to digital ads—from paid search and display ads to LinkedIn and Instagram stories—is just one small way to capture impressions and brand awareness from all the people who are still spending more time on their devices as we wait for the pandemic dust to settle.
Influencers are In
Influencer marketing itself isn’t new, but this marketing segment is booming. The latest benchmark report from Influencer Marketing Hub values the industry at over $9 billion in 2020 and expects spending to top $13 billion this year.
Identifying the right partners doesn’t mean monster budgets or millions of followers. In fact, micro-influencers who have fewer than 25,000 followers often receive the most engagement on their posts, and they’re usually more cost-effective options, too.
It’s also not all about free trips or high-value items, either. From apparel to ice cream, influencers serve as an online army of brand advocates, helping to inspire more purchase behavior for your products. When 8 out of 10 customers credit influencers with their purchase decisions, it’s worth exploring how you can make them an integral part of your brand.
It’s why 89 percent of marketers who work with influencers believe it’s a tactic that works—Identity included.
There’s no shortage of ways brands can show up on the internet today, but that doesn’t mean going all-in everywhere. Contact us to discuss how your brand can embrace The Modern PR Mix and gain more visibility in 2021 and beyond.


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Amway Invests $80.95 Million In A New Michigan Plant, expecting to create 200 jobs
"Amway, with more than 4,000 employees currently in Michigan, is a major employer in our state and its decision to expand here says much about our improved business climate," said Michael A. Finney, Michigan Economic Development Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer. "Amway's continued commitment sends a message that will be heard around the world that Michigan's highly competitive business climate and tremendous workforce capabilities mean real opportunities for leading edge businesses."
Workers at the proposed manufacturing plant will produce tablets and softgel capsules, resulting in the creation of 200 new jobs, Finney explained.
"Nutrilite is integral to the future of Amway as the world's number one selling vitamin and supplement brand," said Amway Chairman Steve Van Andel and President Doug DeVos in a joint statement. "By bringing a second nutrition product manufacturing plant to our home market of Michigan, we are helping our distributors meet the growing customer demand for our Nutrilite products. We are pleased to work in partnership with the MEDC and The Right Place in bringing this investment to West Michigan. This type of collaboration is critical in driving long-term business growth across the state."
As part of a package of incentives, Amway was approved for a $1.6 million Michigan Business Development Program grant. In addition, Ada Township is supporting the project with a 12-year tax abatement. The Michigan Business Development Program provides grants, loans and other economic assistance to qualified businesses that make investments or create jobs in Michigan, with preference given to businesses that need additional assistance for deal-closing and for second stage gap financing.
"Amway's investment is very encouraging to The Right Place, and to the region as well, as this announcement demonstrates that manufacturing remains strong and growing in West Michigan," said Birgit Klohs, President and CEO, The Right Place, Inc, an organization advancing economic development in western Michigan. "We applaud Amway for expanding Nutrilite brand operations and workforce in its hometown. We are pleased to see 200 new Amway jobs to the region."
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