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View the latest on restrictions, airline routes and traveller information for travel in around the world in the Flight Centre Travel Group Travel News Hub.
Global travel management company FCM today announced it is boosting its service capabilities across Spain through the opening of a new FCM owned-and-operated Barcelona office staffed by a dedicated team of expert consultants.
FCM Consulting has named Florian Mueller as its new Aviation Practice Lead as part of a strategic expansion of the business’s capabilities across key industry verticals.
Presented by the BTN Group, the annual Business Travel Awards Europe 2022 is now in its 27th year. The event is Europe’s largest awards show designed to celebrate the talent and achievements of the travel industry’s elite.
FCM is pleased to announce that Glenn Thorsen has been appointed as Sustainability Lead – FCM Consulting.
Our parent company, Flight Centre Travel Group has today announced its annual results for the financial year 2021/2022.
Global travel management company FCM is pleased to announce the appointment of Oz Desai as Managing Director – Ireland.
Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) has been named on the 2022 UK’s Best Workplaces™ for Women list, which was revealed today by Great Place to Work® UK Ranking for the first time among a total of 263 organisations.
Global travel management company FCM is reshaping the corporate travel business through a slew of proprietary client solutions debuting in the UK over the coming months.
Global travel management company FCM is pleased to announce the appointment of Andy Hegley to the newly created role of Managing Director for the UK & Ireland.
Energy company Shell has selected FCM as its global travel provider to manage travel requirements across all businesses.
The Flight Centre Travel Group (FLT) has reinforced its commitment to providing customers with the widest choice of airfares by increasing its investment in travel technology business TP Connects (TPC).
Optimistic outlook driven by pent-up demand, growing momentum and adaption to the new norm


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SALES of new Toyota cars in the UK are continuing to rise, according to figures released this morning.
The latest monthly figures compiled by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show that last month, the Burnaston-based car manufacturer sold 19,148 new cars - a 6.8% increase on March last year when it sold 17,925.
It means that so far this year, Toyota, which makes the Auris and Avensis at Burnaston, has sold 27,732 new cars - 6.4% ahead of where it was this time last year when it had sold 26,065.
Nationally, new car sales in the UK totalled 464,824 in March, the highest monthly figure for 10 years.
March is typically the biggest month of the year for new cars, accounting for almost a fifth of full-year registrations.
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said the latest figures were “a reflection of intensifying consumer confidence”.
He said: “Given the past six years of subdued economic performance across the UK, there is still a substantial margin of pent-up demand that is contributing to a strong new and used car market.
"There has never been a better time to buy a new car thanks to attractive finance deals and advanced technologies that often make new cars cheaper to run.
“We expect the market to continue to perform positively for the rest of the year, albeit at a more modest rate.”

domain: news


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CVS Health Corp. made big moves in 2017 to further expand its footprint. The company fully integrated its acquisition of Omnicare and the pharmacies and clinics of Target while focusing on managing rising drug costs. Reports of a potential $68 billion deal to buy health insurer Aetna Inc began swirling in late 2017 that CVS later confirmed. The acquisition will create a healthcare behemoth with $240 billion in annual revenue across sectors including retail pharmacy, benefit management, and insurance.
Looking for leads, investment insights, or competitive intelligence?
News about CVS Health
One-third of the current Medicare system is run by private companies.
The move comes a week after CVS said it will sell CBD products in 800 of its stores.
Deal will reduce Centene's dependence on Obamacare exchanges.
Democrats running for President have the industry on edge.


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வாகனச் செய்திகளை உடனுக்குடன் பெற டிரைவ்ஸ்பார்க்
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Audi India has just launched its all new sportscar the TT Coupe. It is the third generation sports Coupe that has been introduced for Indian market. 2015 TT Coupe by Audi looks better and sharper than its predecessor. The German manufacturer has maintained interior as well as exterior styling of their Sports Coupe in India.
Story first published: Thursday, April 23, 2015, 13:53 [IST]


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If you’re a vegan or strict vegetarian and you’ve done your research, you have probably been steering clear of Guinness. That’s because, in order to make the 256-year-old Irish stout many of us know and love, brewers use a product called “isinglass” that is made from dried fish bladders. Now, after years of pressure from consumers, Guinness has announced that it will no longer use isinglass to filter its beer, and plans to build a new filtration system for that purpose in 2016. What sort of filtration system might that be, and why has it taken this long to start using it?
It’s important to know why Guinness needs to be filtered in the first place. During the beer’s fermentation, yeast gobbles up its starchy sugar source (all beers use barley for this, though a few add wheat as well) to carbonate the beer and create alcohol. But after the yeast has done its job, most beers have some remaining polyphenols, micronutrients left over from the barley or hops, which can make the beer look cloudy or turbid. “U.S. consumers would think there’s something wrong with a cloudy-looking beer—they may think it’s spoiled,” says Karl Siebert, a professor of biochemistry in the food sciences department at Cornell University. “It wouldn’t hurt anyone, and it doesn’t change the texture much. It’s just unappealing.”
Most beers go through some sort of filtration process before they’re served. For beers like cask ales and Guinness’ trademark stout, these compounds eventually settle out, but brewers have long looked for a way to speed up this process.
That’s where fining agents come in. Substances like gelatins or isinglass (a protein extracted from dried swim bladders of tropical fish) help form complexes between the unique types of cloudy proteins and leftover yeast in cask ales, which makes them heavy enough to settle to the bottom. Importantly, these fining agents speed up the settling out process without changing the beer’s overall taste or chemistry.
So Guinness brewers have used isinglass, possibly for all of the beer’s 256-year history, to bring the non-cloudy beer more quickly to drinkers’ pints. But in recent years, the vegetarian and vegan communities have demanded that the company drop isinglass from its production process.
For years the company has been looking for a way to satisfy vegans’ demands without alienating consumers used to Guinness’ clarity. And now it appears that it has found one. “We are now pleased to have identified a new process through investment in a state-of-the-art filtration system at St James’s Gate which, once in place, will remove the use of isinglass in the brewing process,” a Guinness spokesperson told Popular Science via email.
Since the spokesperson didn’t get into detail about this filtration system, we asked Siebert about other filtration methods used in the beer industry. One is simply another kind of fining agent called tannic acid (found in lots of different foods, the same compound that makes wine taste dry)—chemically, it works differently than the other fining agents, but it achieves the same end goal of speeding up the settling out process.
But the most common, Siebert says, is a one-two punch of adsorbent chemicals and physical filters. First, brewers will add an adsorbent agent, such as silica or PVPP, to the brew. Clouding proteins and leftover yeast will stick to the outside of the material, making them easier for the filter to catch. Then the beer will be run through a physical filter—for beer, this is often diatomaceous earth, soil made from fossilized microscopic organisms called diatoms. “Brewers use diatomaceous earth because it’s a very good filtration system to take out very sticky stuff like yeast,” Siebert says. But it’s hardly ideal—diatomaceous earth can’t be reused, it’s expensive to purchase and difficult to dispose of, Siebert says.
Unless Guinness has discovered a totally groundbreaking filtration method, the company is likely using one or both of these methods, Siebert says. “But it’s pretty hard to come up with something that works as well as a gelatin or isinglass,” he adds. It’s possible that Guinness is spending a little more on its filtration process so that its beer is clear and vegan-friendly, but that might actually make sense from a business perspective, if thousands of vegans worldwide suddenly become Guinness drinkers.


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Join date: Dec 12, 2019
Feb 24, 2022 ∙ 2 min
Three Geronimo Hospitality Group Hotels Named on U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hotels List
Geronimo Hospitality Group is pleased to announce three of its boutique hotels have been ranked on U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hotels...
Oct 12, 2021 ∙ 1 min
Two Geronimo hotels rank in Conde Nast Traveler’s list of the Top 20 hotels in the Midwest
Geronimo Hospitality group is excited to announce two of its boutique hotels have been voted by Conde Nast Traveler readers as a top 20...


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Five print providers who have plotted out a green course.
By Paula Yoho
“On that side of the industry, we’ve seen that the equipment has changed substantially in terms of being more sustainable,” Krohn says, noting the company recently installed a Durst Rho 800 Presto press. “It’s a perfecting press, so we can print both sides at the same time, and it also runs UV ink. Because of the setup system, the technology of this press creates five- to 10-percent less waste, and it runs faster too, so we have less time on press, which helps cut costs for the client. The UV inks have almost no VOCs, so that’s a benefit for our production team and for the client when they install a product that doesn’t smell like the old inks.”
Other equipment on their wide-format roster: a 63-inch Agfa Anapurna M with UV-curable inks and a Mutoh Toucan LT eco-solvent machine, as well as a Gerber M Flatbed Cutter and a GBC 2064 WF 64-inch laminator.
Krohn admits “going green” can be an intimidating proposition for smaller print providers, particularly in today’s economy, when it’s more difficult than ever to justify large capital investments in the latest eco-friendly printers and substrates.
“It’s like a million little steps: There might be a few big steps working toward being more sustainable – but really it is just a multitude of little steps all over the place tweaking how you work,” she says. “Of course, it takes a financial commitment, but as other companies do it, too, the costs will come down for everyone.”
Powered by the sun: BarkerBlue
BarkerBlue (barkerblue.com) doesn’t just say it’s “green” – the company shouts its sustainability credentials from the rooftops. Its 17,000-square-foot facility in San Mateo, California– once a roller-skating rink – features more than 650 rooftop solar panels that provide nearly 80 percent of the company’s power needs over the course of a year.


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New rumors are now suggesting that Apple has more smart home devices in the works. The report comes once again from Bloomberg analyst Mark Gurman, who claims that the tech giant is currently developing four new smart home devices aimed at making your daily lives more convenient.
The first two both revolve around the company’s HomePod range, with one simply being an updated version of the current HomePod Mini while the other will be a revival of the original HomePod, a rumor that Gurman had previously written about already.
The spotlight falls on the other two devices, which will be completely new additions to Apple’s lineup of tech gadgets. One of them is claimed to be a new smart display for your kitchen, combining a screen resembling an iPad with smart speakers, while the other will bring together the features of an Apple TV, HomePod and camera all into one device for your living room. While Gurman says it’s possible not all four projects will ultimately be released, he also added that one of the latter two could arrive as early as next year.


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A rendering of The Heights at Monmouth — Courtesy: Kenneth Park Architects
By Joshua Burd
Kushner Cos. and Brookfield Properties have cleared a key hurdle in their plan to transform the Monmouth Mall, winning a long-awaited approval from the Eatontown planning board.
Attorneys with Scarinci Hollenbeck, who represent Kushner, said Tuesday that the board had voted 7-1 in favor of the mixed-use redesign and expansion plan for the mall. The developers still require other local and county approvals, but the attorneys hailed the board’s decision after roughly a half-dozen hearings and more than two years of planning.
Plans call for increasing the leasable space from 1.54 million square feet to 1.62 million square feet. The project would also include 700 new apartments and new entertainment, recreation, shopping, dining and medical offices, as the firms seek to update the suburban mall.
“I am pleased with this outcome due to the circumstances involved,” said Patrick McNamara, who led the Scarinci Hollenbeck team with counsel Roshan D. Shah. “We’ve arrived at a time and place where malls must be repurposed in order to compete with online retailers.
“While this approval is only the beginning, I look forward to working with a great project team in securing the rest of the permits and approvals needed.”
All renderings courtesy: Kenneth Park Architects
Kushner and Brookfield, which previously went by Rouse Properties, must still enter into a developer’s agreement with borough council that will establish a timeline for construction, McNamara said. They also need approval from the Monmouth County planning board.
The property, which will be renamed The Heights at Monmouth, sits at the nexus of Route 35, Route 36 and Wyckoff Road. During the recent planning board hearings, McNamara and the development team stressed the need to reposition the traditional suburban mall amid the growth of e-commerce and the need for brick-and-mortar retailers to adapt.
Kushner Cos. became the sole owner of Monmouth Mall, the single largest taxpayer in Eatontown, after purchasing Vornado Realty Trust’s 50 percent interest in summer 2015. An earlier redevelopment plan appeared to be doomed in early 2016, when a company executive walked out after the borough council failed to pass a zoning change for the project.
But Kushner returned last spring with new plans. The firm also announced a new partnership with Rouse, a national retail owner with a track record of turning around shopping centers throughout the country.
McNamara, who is based in Scarinci Hollenbeck’s Red Bank office, said the project seeks to position the mall as a hospitality destination that offers recreation, entertainment and wider array of dining options.
“They have to become part of what is more commonly known as live, work and play,” said McNamara, a partner in the firm’s environmental and land use practice.


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Airtel, Vodafone offer packs to lower your phone bills while travelling by 60-90%
The latest overseas roaming packs by Airtel, Vodafone offer subscribers unlimited data use & calling along with free incoming calls that could lower costs by 60-90%.
Matrix Cellular gets Sebi's go-ahead to launch IPO
International SIM card provider Matrix Cellular has received capital markets regulator Seb...
Matrix Cellular plans to raise Rs 500 crore through IPO's
Matrix is expected to file the Draft Red Herring Prospectus with the Securities and...
Matrix puts IPO on hold
Besides, there is a general lack of awareness regarding VAT refunds among business travellers going abroad.
Vodafone's $7b equity infusion: Who gains and who loses in this matrix
Vodafone, which has delayed the IPO of its India business, would have a better story to sell if it went to investors looking rich in spectrum and light on debt.
They are big financiers of the India story, but GST is making them nervous. Read how
The new law gives taxmen the right to extract full tax due claims with interest and fines from these people, exposing their personal assets to big risk.
Matrix Cellular slashes tariffs to drive up volumes
Over the last few weeks, the company has reduced international roaming rates up to 80% for select markets.
Promoters, CX Partners in talks to sell 50% stake in Matrix Cellular
The promoters of Matrix Cellular and CX Partners have initiated talks to sell a majority stake in the company, three executives confirmed.
Online investment startup Wealthy secures Rs 1.6 crore seed funding
The startup mainly targets people in the age group of 31 to 34 years and has already registered a footfall of 3,000, with 250 people already signing up for the service.
Matrix Cellular eyes 200% sales jump from Singapore business
International SIM and data card seller Matrix Cellular today said it will provide customers with a 80 per cent discount on phone calls from Singapore.
Delhi HC issues notice to Vodafone on Matrix Cellular's plea
The Delhi High Court has issued notices to senior executives at Vodafone, after Matrix Cellular had filed a contempt petition.
Matrix alleges Vodafone of 'misrepresentation' in SIM renting case
The DoT's monitoring cell in July 2007 found that 10,145 bulk post paid connections were working in name of Matrix.
DoT may send notices to Vodafone, Idea, Airtel in Matrix case
The violations, if proved, could entail cancellation of licences and a maximum fine of Rs 50 cr, as per an internal telecom department document.
TA Associates invests $140 million in Delhi-based ethnic wear firm TCNS Clothing
Founded in 2001, TCNS operates about 300 outlets, most of which are ‘W’ stores, in about 100 cities. New Delhi based TCNS, also operates the ‘Aurelia’ and ‘Wishful’ brand outlets.
Vodafone contests Matrix allegations on it in SIM renting case
Telecom operator Vodafone has contested allegation levelled on it by international SIM card provider Matrix Cellular.


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The Golden Arches are going green! For the first time, McDonald's is rolling out avocado sandwiches, including the guacamole burger, the guacamole grilled chicken and guacamole crispy chicken sandwiches, which are being tested right now in the North Carolina, South Carolina and Denver markets. The sandwiches all feature fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, lettuce, and white Cheddar atop an artisan bun. Right now, the burger is priced at $4.79, which is more expensive than most of the other McDonald's menu items. But at Denver, you can also add guacamole to any sandwich for 89 cents, as well as order a guacamole dip.
"The Greenville, Spartanburg and Asheville [Carolina] communities have rich culinary traditions, and this premium sandwich experience is something we know they will love," says Terry Shugart, a local McDonald's owner/operator for North and South Carolina. "By bringing this new taste to our local consumers, we're showing them we're listening to what they're telling us they want to see on our menus."
This isn't the first time that McDonald's has offered an avocado creation. They tried guacamole on the McDonald's chicken flatbreads in 2010, but the option was soon removed from their menus.
It remains to be seen if McDonald's will expand the guacamole burger beyond the test market. After all, companies like Chipotle have had trouble with keeping guac on the menu, as avocado prices are through the roof.
Joanna Fantozzi is an Associate Editor with The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @JoannaFantozziComments 0
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According to the feedback from Chinese house netizens, Xiaomi Mi 10 Smartphone is officially open an Android 11 based MIUI 12 development version internal test application.
Prior to 15th June, Xiaomi community official stated that in order to facilitate the early adopters of enthusiasts, help developers upgrade the phone of Xiaomi on the Android 11 beta version for the first time. From now on, the Xiaomi Mi 10 supports the Android 11 beta version.
After the internal test application of the development version of Mi 10 is passed, so now users can download and install the beta version of Android 11. It has also recommended to back up the data on the smartphone before updating this beta version of Android 11.
Android 11 Beta brings new features to the popular operating system, such as chat bubbles, improved multimedia controls, and better control over permissions, among others. Android 11 Beta also provides additional functionality to the power button menu by adding the ability to easily access connected devices. Google recently released Android 11 Beta 1.5 which fixes some bugs in the previous version. This patch is currently only available for Google Pixel smartphones.
Do not forget to follow us on our Facebook group and page to keep you always aware of the latest advances, News, Updates, review, and giveaway on smartphones, tablets, gadgets and more from the technology world of the future.


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Capcom invites Resident Evil fans to share their memories of the series on Facebook
Capcom has prompted a lot of speculation by launching a new Facebook app on the series' official Facebook page.
The new app allows series fans to share their favourite memories spanning the entire Resident Evil series from its humble beginnings on the PS One all the way up to Revelations and Resident Evil 6.
There have been rumours indicating that development began on Resident Evil 7 straight after Resident Evil 6 launched in October 2012.
Thanks Rely On Horror.
- The Iron Banner returns to Destiny next week
- Jason Voorhees DLC coming to Mortal Kombat X next month
- Square Enix announces their own E3 press conference
- Avalanche to reveal Just Cause 3's gameplay next week
- EA Sports Rory McIlroy PGA Tour delayed a touch
- Telltale announces a new deal with Marvel
- Sanctuary update arrives for Warframe on consoles
- Call Of Duty: Black Ops III gets another teaser trailer
- Patrice Desilets unveils his new game Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey


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Visteon to Present at the 2022 Wolfe Research Virtual Global Auto, Auto Tech and Mobility Conference
VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, Mich., Feb. 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Visteon Corporation’s (Nasdaq: VC), President and Chief Executive Officer, Sachin Lawande and Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Jerome Rouquet will participate in a fireside chat during the 2022 Wolfe Research Virtual Global Auto, Auto Tech and Mobility Conference on Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 10:55 a.m. ET.
A live audio webcast will be accessible through Visteon’s website at https://investors.visteon.com/events-presentations. A replay will be available following the event.
Visteon is a global technology company serving the mobility industry, dedicated to creating a more enjoyable, connected and safe driving experience. The company’s platforms leverage proven, scalable hardware and software solutions that enable the digital, electric, and autonomous evolution of our global automotive customers. Visteon products align with key industry trends and include digital instrument clusters, displays, Android-based infotainment systems, domain controllers, advanced driver assistance systems and battery management systems. The company is headquartered in Van Buren Township, Michigan, and has approximately 10,000 employees at more than 40 facilities in 18 countries. Visteon reported sales of approximately $2.8 billion and booked $5.1 billion of new business in 2021. Learn more at https://investors.visteon.com/.


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TYNDALL, S.D. - For the second time this year three small towns in southeastern South Dakota could be losing their grocery stores.
The Cash Smart stores in Scotland, Tyndall, and Tripp are all under the same ownership.
The new owner took them over in March when the family running them unexpectedly closed up shop.
But if sales don't increase by the end of the year, he will close the stores.
While a grocery store may help with convenience, community leaders in Tyndall say it means a lot more than that. They call the grocery store the center of the community and say if it closes its doors, it could affect every single business on Main Street.
Decorations are up and this hardware store is staying busy.
“Christmas is coming so we're hoping the chimes on the door keep ringing all the time,” Ace Hardware owner Wayne Winckler said.
He hopes the grocery store can also get a boost from the shopping season.
“Every small town needs a grocery store, that's all there is to it,”Winckler said.
Because the Cash Smart feeds business to the rest of the stores on Main Street.
“When you don't have people coming down Main Street, towns don't survive without people shopping,” he said.
That's what Tyndall community leaders are afraid of.
“You're going to take people out of town, well maybe they'll buy their gas there, eat there, do whatever. You're going to lose the businesses,” Tyndall Development President Ron Wagner said.
Wagner also worries about the loss of sales tax revenue and jobs in the community.
Cash Smart owner, R.F. Buche says he is working to increase business by 50%.
He has hired a manager to work at each store, changed the day food is delivered, and moved the sales to days when the stores see the most customers.
“We think that is going to make a huge difference. We've already heard very positive comments from our team and our customers,” Buche said.
But the store will have to make a big turnaround to meet the deadline and the town's leaders are working on a plan B just in case.
“We've been talking to a lot of people behind the scenes about the possibility of purchasing the grocery store and keeping it open that way,” Tyndall Development representative Dave Sutera said.
While the town waits to see what happens, Winckler says he'll be looking on the bright side.
“I think we're a good enough community that we'll make it work somehow,” he said.
Buche says the end of the year deadline comes from a deal he made with his bank. He promised to be profitable by the end of the year when he took over the stores.
If he can't live up to his word, he'll be forced to close his doors.


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A Rolex watch, pocket watches and a charm bracelet were among items that people took along to be valued at an event at Masson Mill in Cromford.
Derbyshire television antiques expert Charles Hanson took part in a valuation event in the restaurant area of the outlet.
Other items taken along included a World War One postcard, art deco figures and jewellery.
Carol Tunley, who runs an antiques shop on Dale Road in Matlock, organises joint valuation events with Hansons. She said: “The Rolex watch was quite old and was valued quite high.
“Interest in antiques is up and coming.”
Carol opened Carol Tunley Antiques two years ago after being made redundant from her job as a teacher.
She said: “I used to trade in antique centres and out everything together and opened the shop.”
The valuation took place on Saturday between 10am and 12pm. Silver specialist Matthew Lafite was also there.
Valuation events are held once a month at Carol’s Matlock shop in conjunction with Hansons.
The next event takes place on Thursday February 11, between 10am and 12pm.
More information on Hansons and valuers can be found at www.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk


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The findings of Dartmouth researchers that some products contain arsenic at worrisome levels, including toddler formula, spurred a call for additional federal regulation.
The research report, published in Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP), involved the examination of several consumer food products sold over the Internet and in stores in the Hanover, NH area. The product groupings were toddler formulas, cereal/energy bars and high-energy foods used by endurance athletes. The results that perhaps piqued the most interest were from two organic toddler milk formulas, which were found to have arsenic concentrations up to six times the Environmental Protection Agency’s safe drinking water limit of 10 parts per billion. The source of the arsenic was organic brown rice syrup (OBRS), which was used in lieu of high-fructose corn syrup typically found in mainstream formulas.
Other results included higher arsenic levels on average in the 22 of 29 cereal bars that listed OBRS or another rice-based ingredient, and three flavors of an energy gel shot that had elevated arsenic levels.
Two definitions of “organic” are applicable in the context of this report. The first sense is used to describe a U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified organic food product, famous for being made with pesticide-free agricultural inputs. The other definition involves the form of arsenic being uncovered: inorganic arsenic, which is often cited as more toxic to humans, as opposed to organic arsenic, often ingested from marine life and other seafood. Inorganic arsenic was the variety found to predominate found in most of the products studied.
Rice, whether it is grown organically or with conventional farming methods, is well-known to be prone to absorbing arsenic from contaminated soil. Residue left over from decades of conventional farming with arsenic-containing pesticides may account for the presence of arsenic in certified organic products. This was pointed out by groups including the Organic Trade Association (OTA), which also stated that concerned consumers should look to organic as the best way to avoid toxins like arsenic in their foods. OTA also announced it would organize a task force to address the arsenic issue along with regulators.
“Organic and conventional crops are equally prone to pick up arsenic from the soil. Organic production systems, however, have never used either arsenic-containing animal drugs and pesticides, and hence have not contributed to elevated soil arsenic levels,” says Charles Benbrook, Ph.D., chief scientist at The Organic Center.
This report and the response to it marks a return of arsenic in food to the headlines, after concerns from late 2011 over arsenic in mainstream apple juice, including a public back and forth between television’s Dr. Oz and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The EHP study’s authors concluded their report by urging the federal government to institute a limit on arsenic in food, and many observers followed suit by pointing at the lack of regulation over the dangerous substance, especially considering the vulnerable subpopulation of children that may rely on arsenic-containing products for much of their nutrition. Arsenic is deadly to humans in high doses, and prolonged exposure to lower levels of the substance has been linked with a range of diseases and developmental problems in young children.
Believing government action is inevitable, Benbrook adds that the organic industry’s values should keep it ahead of the curve, stating, “Significant progress will almost certainly be made in the organic rice value chain long before government requirements are imposed to reduce the frequency and levels of arsenic in food.”
Published in WholeFoods Magazine, April 2012


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According to the most recent Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) data, the national year-on-year inflation rate in March 2021 was 10.3 percent. However, month-on-month inflation was 0.9 percent between February and March.
The contribution of food inflation to total inflation in March was 46.3 percent, the lowest since February of last year.
“Food inflation was 10.8 percent this month, which was lower than the previous month’s 12.3 percent and the previous year’s average of 12.8 percent. As a result, food inflation’s contribution to overall inflation falls to 46.3 percent, the lowest level since February 2020. Overall, food inflation was 0.2 percent month on month. Only Education Services experienced no improvement between February and March 2021, while all other Divisions experienced positive month-on-month inflation”, said Government Statistician, Professor Samuel Annim, at a press conference in Accra.
According to Prof. Annim, the Greater Accra Region maintained the highest rate of inflation while the Volta Region on the other hand recorded the lowest.
“At the regional level, the overall year-on-year inflation ranged from 5.3% in the Volta Region to 17.0% in Greater Accra Region. Only in the Greater Accra Region (11.5% Food inflation and 21.0% Non-Food inflation) that Non-Food outpaced Food inflation. The largest difference in Food and Non-Food inflation was again recorded in Eastern Region (14.7% and 1.7% respectively). Overall, year-on-year inflation went up in four regions compared to last month”, he added
Every month, prices for approximately 39,500 items are collected.
Prices are collected in 44 markets. Prices are gathered from 7,726 various locations.
Products are organized into 13 Divisions, 44 Groups, 98 Classes, 156 Subclasses, and 307 objects that are tracked for review.


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The more things change, the more they stay the same. Chevrolet opted to keep the Stingray name for the entry-level version of its mid-engine 2020 Corvette, and another familiar name was mentioned at the debut event held Thursday in Orange County, California.
The Z51 Performance Package previously graced the outgoing C7 Corvette with a handful of goodies that, among other things, increased power from 455 to 460 horsepower. The package has many of the same goals for the 2020 Corvette Stingray and a video helps break down what buyers will get when they check the box marked "Z51."
The list of parts and upgrades includes:
- Michelin PS4 summer performance tires
- Performance suspension
- Adjustable threaded spring seats
- Larger brake rotors with Z51 graphics
- Enhanced cooling systems
- An electronic limited-slip differential with a specific axle ratio
- Unique rear spoiler and front splitter
- Front brake cooling inlets
- Performance exhaust system
Chevrolet's Magnetic Ride Control is a further option when opting for the Z51 Performance Package.
2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
Mike Petrucci, lead development engineer for the Corvette, noted the package truly helped kick the notch up with the latest car. We also assume the Z51 package will be necessary equipment to help the car do 0-60 mph in under three seconds. The sub-$60,000 base car will certainly not do that. However, the Z51 Package has never featured an eye-watering price tag. After all, even with this more exotic Corvette, the nameplate still stands for world-beating value.
Now we can't help but wonder what future C8 Corvettes will include to boost performance. There's talk of new DOHC V-8 engines and even a hybrid model. Surely, another familiar name will come back to grace the latest car, too; that is, Z06. And maybe the big change will make room for something new entirely. General Motors is still sitting on its Zora trademark, after all.
As for the Corvette Stingray that reaches showrooms later this year, it is confirmed with a newly developed LT2 6.2-liter V-8 that will deliver 495 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque when equipped with an available sport exhaust system, with the engine mated exclusively to an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission.


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Germany's antitrust authority has imposed fines totaling $460 million on 21 sausage manufacturers for colluding on prices.
Humphrey and Yu are part of an industry of investigators who help corporate clients screen potential partners and employees or watch for embezzlement and other employee misconduct.
Struggling electronics maker Sharp Corp. is in talks to buy out Apple Inc.'s liquid crystal display production facility at a Sharp plant in Kameyama, Mie Prefecture, an industry source said.
The world trade body has ruled against the United States in two disputes with India and China, telling the U.S. government it must abide by international rules.
ConAgra Foods Inc., the company behind Chef Boyardee canned pasta, said Monday that it bought a Chinese potato processor for $93 million to help it sell more frozen potato products in Asia.
Halliburton said it is entering its first joint venture in China that will use hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, to unleash energy.
The South Korean company, which is the world's biggest smartphone maker, said in its blog Monday that it had found possible evidence of child labor and illegal hiring at Dongguan Shinyang Electronics Co.
The U.S. government has imposed duties on imports of steel pipe from South Korea, India and seven other countries, ruling in favor of U.S. steel producers and unions that had complained those countries were unfairly flooding the American market.
"Any military in the world that uses its power to bully, intimidate and destabilize the economy of the world, is not in the United States' best interests, nor of our allies nor our friends," Rep. Rogers said.
Electric car-maker Tesla is being sued in China for trademark infringement. Chinese businessman Zhan Baosheng is suing the company over Tesla's trademark, which he registered in both Chinese and English in 2006, before the company arrived in China.
LG Display Co. has developed an 18-inch flexible display that can be rolled into the shape of a thin cylinder, a step toward making a large display for flexible TVs.
Whirlpool will pay more than $1 billion for a controlling stake in Indesit, the appliance maker's counterpart in Italy.
Top American officials said Thursday they challenged their counterparts in China to rein in alleged cybersecurity infringements as a new allegation emerged of a brazen attempt by Chinese hackers to break into U.S. government personnel files.
The robot's quill runs across the paper scroll, from right to left, scribbling down ancient Hebrew letters with black ink. It is penning down the Torah, the Jews' holy scripture, and it is doing it much faster than a rabbi could because it doesn't need to take breaks.
Both Eaton Corporation and Plexus Corporation received millions of dollars in financial awards from WEDC, only to later lay off workers whose jobs were taken by employees at the companies' foreign facilities.
China's export growth edged higher in June in a small sign of improvement for the world's second biggest economy as it undergoes an uneven recovery.
France's economy minister is blaming European authorities for the lack of growth in France and Europe, and says it's time for a new economic policy that shuns austerity measures.
Samsung is facing a fresh accusation that one of its China suppliers hired children to meet production targets during a period of high demand from the South Korean electronics giant.
The European Union's highest court says Apple's characteristic retail store layout may be registered as a trademark.
Tel Aviv University doctoral students have developed highly efficient holography based on nanoantennas that could be used for security as well as medical and recreational purposes.
Samsung Electronics Co. said operating profit declined to a two-year low in the second quarter, hit by the strong local currency and slowing demand for smartphones in China.
Ford hasn't earned a pretax profit in Europe since 2010, and it lost $1.6 billion in the region last year, but Ford Europe president Stephen Odell said three plant closures and more than a dozen new products are helping reverse that.
Steelmakers have called for new import penalties and have filed the highest number of trade complaints in more than a decade. According to the U.S. Trade Representative, there are 40 anti-dumping and injury cases pending on steel products.
Old truck tires are transformed into rubber washers and bushings for cars and rice mills. Machine parts, buckets and flip-flops — the most popular footwear in the rural areas — are among the biggest sellers for tire recyclers.
Lou pointed out that the U.S. economy shrank at a 2.9 percent annual rate from January to March — largely because of a brutal winter — and said China hopes the U.S. "can take measures to ensure the momentum of growth."


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In January, British actor Eddie Redmayne made headlines around the world as he became the latest in a growing band of smartphone refuseniks.
“It was a reaction against being glued permanently to my iPhone during waking hours,” he explained, turning instead to an old-fashioned “dumb phone” handset that could only make and take calls.
He is not alone. There is a small but busy market for phones that are simple and cheap at a time when smartphones are becoming ever more complex and expensive.
Feature phones — handsets with some basic functions such as playing music and accessing the internet — are gradually being replaced by low cost smartphones, according to Francisco Jeronimo, research director for European mobile devices at IDC, the research group. But there is still a significant demand for older-style phones.
Strategy Analytics, a research group, estimates that 44m basic phones were sold in 2015, accounting for 2 per cent of the global market.
Many smartphone users bemoan having to buy devices that are easily broken, require daily recharging and which will be superseded by a new, better version within a year. Even basic smartphones offer computing power that not many people need.
Some users buy phones with limited or no internet connections in a conscious attempt to decouple from the modern digital world. Light Phone founder Joe Hollier falls into this camp. The 25-year-old former skater has developed a credit card-sized phone without a data connection and no extra functions other than to make calls. He describes a feeling of huge relief when the ability to check emails or status updates is removed.
Analysts say that there is a growing number of “second phoneys” who use an expensive smartphone or “phablet” during the day, but turn to cheaper, pocket-sized devices when they go out in the evening.
The Light Phone functions as a companion device to a smartphone but Mr Hollier hopes it will also encourage people to unplug from the modern internet world.
There are also practical reasons why some are turning their backs on smartphones. The short battery life of devices is a source of constant complaint and many travellers are still attracted to the reliability and long battery life of older phones.
This market is still being served by Microsoft, which now owns the Nokia brand. The US group last year launched the Nokia 215, for example, a simple, robust device that has a standby battery life of 29 days. The Nokia 515 has a massive 38 days standby time.
The phone has a simple layer of apps and basic data connectivity, but the main attraction is the $30 price tag. As Microsoft boasts: “Exceptional battery life and impressive durability are standard features. When you own a Nokia, you own a phone that’s built to last.”
Dumb phones have more specific uses, however, for example being given to children for calling home. They are simple, robust and cheap if lost.
Likewise, there are simple phones for the elderly, such as those made by Doro, which prioritise large buttons and the amplification of volume rather than how quickly they can access the internet.
Mr Jeronimo says that such products are becoming a niche opportunity for companies. Doro has grown to become the third-largest feature phonemaker in western Europe after Microsoft and Samsung, he adds.
Feature phones are also more popular in developing markets because of the combination of low prices and long battery life.
“Using a smartphone in some countries in Africa, for instance, is not an option for many users, as it would require to charge it on a daily basis,” says Mr Jeronimo.
“On the other hand using a smartphone means little for users who cannot connect to a 3G network, either because they are not available or because the connectivity is extremely expensive.”
And, for those that find even basic phones are too much, there is a solution: the $5 NoPhone Zero. It claims to be the least advanced phone ever created, has no buttons or components and is just a plastic rectangle. It is a joke, but one that says much about our modern anxiety about technology.
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‘A delicious slice of pie’: QVC’s surprisingly successful mobile play
Despite skepticism over whether home shopping network QVC could survive as e-commerce, CEO and president Mike George has grown the company’s value from $6 billion to $9 billion since he joined in 2006.
The growth is a result of George’s attention to the importance of making QVC a “flagship experience” across desktop, mobile and tablet — not just TV. During a keynote session at the 2015 Shop.org Digital Summit on Tuesday, George said that in 2013, QVC’s mobile conversion was “terrible,” and its e-commerce growth was “decelerating.” George restructured internally, assigning teams at the company to “study that leakage.”
Today, 50 percent of QVC’s sales are digital, and 25 percent come from mobile and tablet. QVC’s core customer group ranges from 35 to 64 year olds, with the average customer age clocking in at 50.
“Our customers dragged us into mobile at great speed,” said George. “We quickly realized the power of a fully integrated platform and synchronizing the TV with the dot-com and mobile experience.”
George admitted that a few years ago, QVC was “scrambling” to keep up, and what they learned was that the experience had to be cohesive across channels in order to support the customer journey on any device. While initially, QVC offered a slimmed down, limited version of its experience on mobile, the company switched gears, instead prioritizing frictionless checkout on mobile and a real-time feature George called the “second screen experience.”
“After realizing that our customers were browsing on their phones and tablets while watching QVC, we jumped on that,” said George. Now, QVC presentations are complemented by real time content on the Web.
“When you have all the information you need, and mobile checkout is seamless, you’re more likely to make a purchase,” said George.
According to Forrester vice president and principal analyst Sucharita Mulpuru, mobile is at the top of the priority list for digital brands in 2015.
“Mobile is like a delicious slice of pie that everyone wants a piece of, but they don’t know how to bring it home,” she said during the summit’s opening keynote session, citing poor conversion rates as the main issue facing retailers on mobile.
Mulpuru said that Forrester found in 2015 that, on average, 30 percent of traffic comes from smartphones, but only 12 percent of Web sales take place on mobile. For QVC, which is driving 25 percent of its Web sales on mobile and tablet, the most valuable action was trying new technology even if it didn’t seem to be an obvious fit, according to George.
“We thought mobile would be a cool thing for a few people,” he said. “We never thought it would be that meaningful to our business, and now we’re one of the top mobile retailers in the U.S. It transformed everything about our business.”
As QVC looks to appeal to a younger consumer, its newly acquired brand Zulily, a flash-sale site for millennial moms, is working to bring in new sales from a new demographic. Of the decision to acquire Zulily, George said that the companies overlap in one key area: customer loyalty.
“Our data shows that once a QVC shopper makes three purchases, they’re statistically a customer for life,” he said. “Zulily’s secret sauce is they get people to come back.”
More in Marketing
Digiday+ Research assesses how brands and influencers are using Shorts to reach new audiences and what types of Shorts videos create the most buzz for marketers.
Yesterday, Snapchat marked its return to in-person agency roadshows, sending company representatives to Horizon Media’s Manhattan office to showcase a Snap-designed video game intended to capture the essence of what it’s like to work at an agency — and how Snapchat can be part of the process.
Babylist, TodayTix Group and Liquid Death grow their in-house teams as they try to save money, have more control
As in-housing settles in as a mainstay, some marketers push for complete control.


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Jessica McConnell, 26, of Silver Spring, Md., tries to identify halibut, red snapper and salmon at a dinner hosted by Oceana and the National Aquarium in Washington, D.C.
Swordfish from Canada are marked with a label from the Marine Stewardship Council at a Whole Foods in Washington, D.C. The MSC says its label means the fish were caught by a sustainable fishery, but critics says it's not always so clear.
An oyster shucker on Samish Island, Wash. on Puget Sound. The state is frequently forced to close beaches to oyster gatherers because of the risks of harmful algae blooms.
Ted S. Warren/AP


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Fujifilm North America is to install an Edale FL3 flexo press at its demonstration center near Chicago.
This comes as the two companies extend their relationship in the Americas, with Fujifilm now distributing the UK manufacturer’s range of flexographic label and packaging printing presses across North and South America.
The press to be installed is a 17in-wide, 6-color equipped with its AiiR system, automated finishing, Fujifilm Flenex water wash flexo plates, Fujifilm Illumina LED curing lamps with LED UV inks, and Fujifilm Dimatix Samba imprinting.
Edale press technology will be showcased on the Fujifilm booth at this year’s Labelexpo Americas 2018.
Read L&L’s preview of Labelexpo Americas 2018 in issue 4, 2018, and here


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Second Wonderful World of Whisky Show at Cornwall's Nav Centre already exceeding expectations
Ian Bentley, director of conference services and food and beverage at Nav Centre, and the creator of the Wonderful World of Whisky Show; on Wednesday, March 7, 2018, in Cornwall, Ont.
Todd Hambleton/Cornwall Standard-Freeholder/Postmedia Network
A smash hit in Cornwall at the inaugural edition a year ago is already sold out for year two.
The second Wonderful World of Whisky Show is coming up March 23-24 at Nav Centre, but only tickets to the master classes are still available.
“I’m overwhelmed,” said Ian Bentley, the director of conference services and food and beverage at Nav Centre who’s the creator of the whisky show. “We knew that if this was done right, from (year one), people would come.”
The inaugural show last March was a huge success, with over 400 people in attendance, sampling whiskies from vendors from across Canada and the United States.
With a promise to be even bigger in 2018, the expanded show has reached capacity, with 500 tickets sold for the Saturday (March 24), a sellout that occurred four weeks prior to the event.
Bentley started out with a five-year plan. In two years, the bar is already set high.
“I’m at my five-year plan now,” he said. “I don’t know how to at this point, but we’ll have to grow it somehow (for future editions).”
This year’s show will feature up to eight master classes scheduled throughout the day on the Saturday.
Organizers are excited about a new addition to the show, with Nav Centre’s executive chef Luc McCabe teaming up with Andrew Ferguson of Kensington Wine Market for what’s being billed as a “mind-blowing whisky and food pairing experience/dinner” on the Friday, a portion of the weekend event that sold out in 48 hours.
Bentley said the show will keep last year’s theme: great live music, world-class food stations and whiskies from around the world.
And the ballroom will again be made up of numerous tents, each representing different countries.
There’ll also be a special raffle and live auction, with all proceeds going to Carefor Hospice Cornwall.
The event drew people from a wide area, and Bentley thinks it benefits not just Nav Centre, but Cornwall as a whole.
At last year’s show, he told the Standard-Freeholder that being a small city not far from two major cities makes Cornwall unique. His demographics information for this year indicates that 350 of the 500 coming to the show are from outside the Cornwall area, including Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Ottawa and upstate New York.
The first event had scotch, bourbon, Irish and Canadian whiskies in dozens of varieties available for people to sample, there was lots of food available including Scottish dishes, there was live music in the main hall and even a barber’s chair – Kings and Little Ones – for complimentary shoe shines and beard trims.
Workshops were held, with topics including how whisky barrels are charred on the inside.
And, there was a master teaching class with Davin de Kergommeaux, who literally wrote the book on Canadian whiskies and was recently featured in the New York Times. He’s back, along with many other experts in the field.
“The calibre of people who are coming is really spectacular,” Bentley said. “This will be an experience, it will be an education – that’s what these shows are. You’re learning about the crazy world of whisky.”
One of the stars at the event, Mark Gillespie, WhiskyCast’s founder, will be doing a live podcast from the show, Bentley noted.
“Nav Centre is obviously my passion,” Bentley said. “Making this place recognizable worldwide, this (show) is just another step toward that.”
For a chance at any master classes tickets left, visit navplay.ca.


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... Wal-Mart means higher poverty.
The study -- Wal-Mart and County-Wide Poverty -- written by Stephan Goetz, a professor of agricultural and regional economics at Pennsylvania State University, and Hema Swaminathan for the International Center for Research on Women, was published in the latest issue of Social Science Quarterly.
Authors, Goetz and Swaminathan write that the presence of Wal-Mart was "unequivocally associated" with smaller reductions in family-poverty rates in counties nationwide during the 1990s relative to places that had no stores.
During the last decade, dependence on the food stamp program nationwide increased by 8 percent, while in counties with Wal-Mart stores the increase was almost twice as large at 15.3 percent, according to the study. Although Wal-Mart employs many people living in its communities, for most, the hours worked and the wages paid do not help these families transition out of poverty, the study said.
But I bet the researchers didn't consider how many more Little Debbies poor folks can buy when there's a Wal-Mart nearby.


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Across media, X Games Minneapolis 2018 successes include:
X Games Minneapolis audience across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC was up +38% year-over-year for all telecasts;
Across the telecasts on ESPN, viewing by fans 18-34 increased by +34% year-over-year;
Viewing by fans aged 12-34 across all telecasts increased by +21% year-over-year;
ABC accounted for 50% of the event’s total time spent viewing.
Digital & Social:
The X Games’ YouTube channel had more than 26 million minutes streamed, up +646% year-over-year, with the average watch time reaching more than 11 minutes;
The total number of video views on X Games’ YouTube channel topped 2.3 million;
The X Games Facebook page reached more than 9 million fans, up +120% year-over-year. Those fans logged 4 million video views, up +210% year-over-year;
On Instagram, the X Games page reached more than 1.6 million people, with 8.5 million video views, up +225% year-over-year;
X Games social media accounts gained over 50,000 new followers during the week of the event.
This Instagram post – from skateboarder Nyjah Huston, featuring runs from his Skateboard Street competition – generated the most interactions of all posts during the games, with more than 692,000 interactions and video views during the games (up to 1.3 million to date).
The total on-site attendance for X Games Minneapolis 2018 was 119,000;
X Games welcomed new sponsors Nexcare, SoFi, GO RVing and Hotels.com to the roster of returning sponsors Fruit of the Loom, Harley-Davidson, LifeProof, Monster Energy, Pacifico, the Real Cost, Toyota, Explore Minneapolis and GEICO.


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Oakland County, MI – As many as 1,000 Oakland County restaurants and bars will soon see additional stabilization grants coming their way as the county moves quickly to support businesses impacted by the recent surge in COVID-19 cases.
The $10 million Oakland Together Restaurant Relief Program will use $7 million of Oakland County’s federal CARES Act allocation and $3 million from the county’s general fund to help restaurants hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic and a reduction in business. The surge in cases resulted in state health orders to limit indoor gatherings including indoor dining and only permit outside dining, carryout and delivery service.
“Our local restaurants and their workers are important parts of our community and we wanted to step forward once again during this recent surge of COVID-19 cases to help stabilize their operations,” Oakland County Executive David Coulter said. “This is one of the last programs using our CARES Act funds which is why it is important for Congress to approve additional relief. This virus is not going away, and we need additional resources for recovery, COVID mitigation and vaccine preparation.”
Board of Commissioners Chairman David T. Woodward wants to see Oakland County restaurants emerge from the pandemic. “Our local restaurants are crucial to the success of our county’s economy, and we know they are suffering during this pandemic. With the $10 million Oakland Together Restaurant Relief program, we stand with our local restaurant owners and workers to do everything we can to help and support them to get through this challenging time and have huge success in the coming years,” Woodward said.
The $10 million program is divided into three categories:
$7 million will be divided among the approximately 1,000 businesses that earlier received stabilization, recovery or restart grants from county CARES Act funds. The businesses were already vetted during an earlier application and don’t have to reapply. Checks will be sent to them automatically. The funds can be used to cover expenses for perishable food, rent, mortgage payments and labor costs. Under the terms of the CARES Act, the county must spend the funds by Dec. 30.
$2 million from the county’s general fund will be used to help some restaurants and bars adapt their facility for outside service. The county is acquiring 8-foot by 12-foot greenhouse-type structures, electric heaters, propane heaters, propane and other items to expand outside dining options no matter the season.
$1 million to help businesses reopen safely. The county will acquire personal protective equipment, hand sanitation stations and computer software which businesses can use to contract trace customers who have been or may have been exposed to the COVID-19 virus.
The county is partnering with local chambers of commerce and downtown development authorities to distribute the grant-funded items. Interested restaurants and bars owners can go to www.oakgov.com/covid beginning Dec. 15 to get further information as to which local organizations will be distributing the items. The program expires March 31, 2021 or when the funds are exhausted.
Oakland County has allocated all $219 million it received in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding, including more than $140 million in grants to help stabilize and support small businesses, residents and communities in every part of the county. The grants have been awarded to more than 15,000 local businesses, which employ 65,000 people; 22 local chambers of commerce; non-profit organizations, 28 local school districts; residents having trouble making rent or mortgage payments; retailers, restaurants and communities, among others.


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Is there anything more elusive than a “good deal” when it comes to buying a car, especially a used car? There are many variables that go into getting an automotive “unicorn,” and when you buy a vehicle is one of those key factors.
In analyzing more than 40 million used-car sales from 2013 to 2015, iSeeCars.com, a deal-ranking site for used vehicles, compared specific times of the year, such as days of the month and week, to determine whether customers can score more or fewer deals than average. (A deal was defined as a savings of 5% or more.) Based on those findings, the site listed the 10 best times to land a deal.
They also figured out the worst time to buy a used car. If you’re in the market now, you might want to wait until the weather cools off, according to what they found, before you start prowling a dealer’s used car selection.
“It’s always nice to save money, and when you are buying something as expensive as a car, saving even 5% of your purchase, or $952 off the average price of $19,040, can really add up,” said Phong Ly, CEO of iSeeCars.com.
(Most American motorists wary of self-driving cars. For more, Click Here.)
Cold weather must mean cold sales because the top times were all in cold, or at least cooler, weather months with Black Friday leading the way. Yup, get a 50-inch flat screen for $200 and put that into the used car you just bought. There are 33.1% more deals than average on Black Friday, the survey noted.
Other top times include:
- Veteran’s Day (32.5%)
- Thanksgiving (30.6%)
- Columbus Day (30.5%)
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day (29.4%)
- Christmas Eve (28.7%)
- November (26.9%)
- December (23.5%)
- Christmas (21.4%)
- New Year’s Eve (21.3%)
Ly noted that many of the holidays are prime times because dealers are looking to move inventory and the holidays are often observed on a Monday, giving potential buyers an additional day to shop for that new ride.
(Click Here for details about the volume of car loans rising to record Q1 levels.)
Conversely, when the weather warms up, so does the demand for new vehicles. It also means the incentives to lower prices or cut a buyer a good deal goes down. The site note the worst times to get a good deal included:
- Fourth of July (28% fewer deals than average)
- Mother’s Day (27.5%)
- April (27%)
- May (26%)
- June (23.6%)
- Easter (22.2%)
- Good Friday (21.6%)
- Memorial Day (18.3%)
- Father’s Day (18.3%)
- July (11.5%)
The end of summer, leading into the cooler months, is often when the bulk of new model year vehicles begin arriving at dealerships in large volume. With those new cars, trucks and sport-utilities calling buyers names, the trade-ins start hitting dealer used car lots.
(Strong holiday weekend needed to eclipse sales from last May. Click Here for the story.)
“After the current new car model year comes to a close around August, consumers start trading in their used cars in higher quantities, thereby increasing the number of used cars available after the summer and driving dealers to make better deals.”


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Sky is shaking up its TV packages to make them more flexible for customers.
The move will see the Original bundle replaced by Sky Entertainment - which will include 80 extra channels for the same price,
There'll also be more options to add and remove channels, such as Kids, Box Sets, and HD available for an extra fiver a month.
Whereas before, customers would be tied into an 18 month contract, now, with 31 days notice, you can add or remove these extras.
Sky has announced these changes are available for new customers up until January, and existing customers will be offered the chance to switch to new packages in the new year.
Martin Lewis, Money Saving Expert , said: "Although overall, these changes appear to be a good deal for customers, if you have a deal with Sky that you negotiated yourself or are happy with, you DON'T have to change it.
"We've asked if existing customers will be offered the chance to switch to a new package EVEN IF this new package is cheaper than their current deal - in effect meaning they could downgrade their contract and cut their monthly bills.
"Sky says it will give details on this in the new year."


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The outlook for Australian businesses in Asia remains strong with 64 per cent of businesses surveyed that are already active in Asia expecting to expand their operations over the next three years. On average, for companies engaged in Asian markets, around one third of their overall revenue is generated from Asia. This level has grown steadily from 25 per cent in 2016.
Over the last five years, the data suggest hundreds of billions of dollars can flow into the Australian economy if businesses act on their intentions to expand into Asia. This is not just great news for the Australian economy but, importantly, for the local communities where these businesses are based as they grow, invest and employ.
Ecommerce is playing an increasingly important role in the growth of export businesses into Asia. Selling both products and services online provides an opportunity to reach more consumers in more places, all across Asia. Over half of exporters surveyed are currently using ecommerce to reach markets in Asia; with 44 per cent indicating their own website is the main online sales channel used.
With continued interest in ecommerce, there is an important opportunity for Australian businesses to engage with the diverse range of mobile ecommerce platforms that are becoming a part of daily life for so many consumers in Asia.
An increasing number of businesses are exporting services each year (34 per cent) and 57 per cent of the Australian businesses surveyed that are active in Asian markets are importing products and services.
Not easy, but rewarding
Despite the profile of China, ASEAN stands out as the key region in Asia for Australian business engagment, with 70 per cent indicating they are doing business there, just tipping Greater China at 69 per cent. The AANZFTA, which was established in 2010, has helped to drive market access for businesses.
Doing business in Asia is not easy but the rewards are there for businesses who remain dedicated to the market – around half of the businesses surveyed were able to realise a positive return on investment from Asian operations within three years. Additionally, 51 per cent of businesses surveyed were able to generate a higher profit margin from their Asian operations compared with their Australian-based activities. Ongoing engagement and regular visits to the market are essential for Australian business owners to develop relationships and establish key contacts.


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India will play a very significant role in bringing the next billion customers online, says Lalitesh Katragadda, country head, products, Google India. Traditionally, India has been an under-penetrated market which has meant a vast scope and opportunity to grow here. There are many trends which point towards this growth. Indian users are evolving and so is the Google platform to cater to them. Our aim is to bring the usage in India from the current 100-120 million to 200 million and we believe that the trends in the country are highly favourable for this development. he adds.
What happens when a billion new people come online Both the internet biggies profess that one of the first things they will do is use the Web to express their entrepreneurial spirit, grow their businesses and share their culture. Also, the Web is a big enabler for small and medium businesses, hence a win-win for both the parties; the internet companies as well as the consumer.
Globally, there are 2.7 billion people internet users. The number of mobile phone subscriptions has also mushroomed to reach the five billion mark this year. At 73.9 million home and work internet users, the Indian online population currently ranks as the 3rd largest in the world after China and the US, says comScore. With 75% of its internet users under the age of 35, India has the youngest skewing online population among BRIC countries.
Back to the Facebook-led initiative. The social networking firm will be working with Ericsson, MediaTek, Nokia, Opera, Qualcomm and Samsung, to develop joint projects, share knowledge, and mobilise industry and governments to bring the world online. Today we connect more than 1.15 billion people each month, but as we started thinking about connecting the next 5 billion, we realised something important: the vast majority of people in the world dont have access to the internet, says the 29-year-old Zuckerberg. Today, only 2.7 billion peoplejust over one-third of the worlds populationhave access to the internet. Internet adoption is growing by less than 9% each year, which is slow considering how early we are in its development. There are huge barriers in developing countries to connecting and joining the knowledge economy.
The goal of internet.org is to make internet access available to the two-thirds of the world who are not yet connected, and to bring the same opportunities to everyone that the connected third of the world has today. The new partnership formed by Facebook is influenced by the successful Open Compute Project, an industry-wide initiative that has lowered the costs of cloud computing by making hardware designs more efficient and innovative.
The ventures business strategy is simple and straight forward. First, partners will collaborate to develop and adopt technologies that make mobile connectivity more affordable and decrease the cost of delivering data to people worldwide. Potential projects include collaborations to develop lower-cost, higher-quality smartphones and partnerships to more broadly deploy internet access in under-served communities. Mobile operators will play a central role in this effort by driving initiatives that benefit the entire ecosystem.
Second, partners will invest in tools that dramatically reduce the amount of data required to use most apps and internet experiences. Potential projects include developing data compression tools, enhancing network capabilities to more efficiently handle data, building systems to cache data efficiently and creating frameworks for apps to reduce data usage.
Third, partners will support development of sustainable new business models and services that make it easier for people to access the internet. This includes testing new models that align incentives for mobile operators, device manufacturers, developers and other businesses to provide more affordable access than has previously been possible. Other efforts will focus on localising servicesworking with operating system providers and other partners to enable more languages on mobile devices.
On the Google front, the internet firm is working to get more people online in emerging markets by making the internet faster and cheaper. Lalitesh says, We are working with local internet service providers to ensure people have the fastest Web experience possible, and we are launching tools like Free Zone that provide free access to Gmail and search results so more can afford to connect. We are also adapting our services, including Gmail and video chat, to work on less reliable internet connections.
Needless to say, such industry initiatives have big potential to help accelerate access to the internet for everyone.


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New Delhi: Customers of Punjab National Bank (PNB) will have to adhere to new ATM rules that will kick off from February 1, 2021.
On January 14, Punjab National Bank had tweeted saying, “To protect our esteemed customers from fraudulent ATM activities, PNB will be restricting transactions (financial & non-financial) from Non-EMV ATM machines from 01.02.2021. Go Digital, Stay Safe!.”
To protect our esteemed customers from fraudulent ATM activities, PNB will be restricting transactions(financial & non-financial) from Non-EMV ATM machines from 01.02.2021. Go Digital, Stay Safe!
— Punjab National Bank (@pnbindia) January 14, 2021
Citing customer's 'safety first' PNB has said that to safeguard its customers from fraudulent ATM withdrawals and card cloning, the bank is restricting ATM transactions from February 1 onwards.
Non-EMV ATM machines are those ATMs that do not hold the card during the transaction. While EVM ATMs are the ones which hold the card during transaction and reads data from the chip.
Among other safety measures, PNB had announced new rules for cash withdrawal starting December 1 2020. Punjab National Bank (PNB) implemented One Time Password (OTP) based cash withdrawal facility for its customers. The bank has said that cash withdrawals of more than Rs 10,000 at a time between 8 pm and 8 am from 1 December 2020 from PNB 2.0 (PNB, eOBC, eUNI) ATMs will now be OTP based. PNB customers will need OTP, sent on their registered mobile phone, to withdraw more than Rs 10,000 in these night hours.
An online survey was carried out from April 21-27 involved over 1,000 adults. Almost half of Indian consumers said that they were more concerned about digital payments fraud now than when COVID-19 first emerged. The study conducted by YouGov and US-based electronic payments company ACI Worldwide found that Card cloning was the most common concern when it comes to debit or credit card fraud, with 1 in 3 seeing this as the biggest risk. Approximately 1 in 5 cited stolen/lost cards or eCommerce/mobile channel fraud as their top card fraud threat.


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Wicklow Naturally’s October Feast is a month-long celebration of Wicklow’s food and drinks story, including farming, foraging, brewing, distilling, and much more.
The popular festival celebrates Wicklow’s thriving food and drinks scene. Throughout the month, Wicklow Naturally members’ will showcase their range of products, diverse experiences and numerous interactive events.
October Feast was launched on Saturday, October 1st 2022 at Powerscourt Distillery during their Harvest Festival.
At the launch Wicklow Naturally’s Chairperson, Pamela Walsh, said, “Wicklow has an abundance of world-class local food and drink producers and this October Feast is bursting with flavour with over 40+ events. We have developed an unforgettable, engaging, inclusive, memorable events programme for festival-goers to enjoy.”
Treat your tastebuds and set your sights on these amazing events… From hands-on masterclasses, learning about our farm-family sustainable stories, taking some of the country’s best distillery, beer, and wine tasting tours, to cooking demonstrations, meeting the maker and heading out on guided foraging and mushroom hunts.
You can also enjoy a taste of Wicklow Naturally as eatery members throughout the county showcase the finest Wicklow produce in their seasonal menus.
The network will also hold food waste, food poverty and environmental awareness initiatives.
Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council, Cllr Tommy Annesley, said, “Wicklow County Council is delighted to be supporting October Feast. The Wicklow Naturally team and its members have the perfect mix of experiences in 2022, so why not explore, discover and get involved in the many events planned across County Wicklow this October by heading over to https://wicklownaturally.ie/events/.”
Be sure to stay up to date with the latest event news by following Wicklow Naturally on social media: https://www.facebook.com/WicklowNaturally/, https://twitter.com/WicklowNatural1, or https://www.instagram.com/wicklownaturally/.


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Earlier today, Boris Johnson confirmed that the national lockdown in England will be lifted on December 2.
From this date, people will be able to go to the gym, hairdressers and beauty salons once again.
In a speech to the commons, the Prime Minister said: "From next Wednesday people will be able to leave their home for any purpose and meet others in outdoor public spaces, subject to the rule of six, collective worship, weddings and outdoor sports can resume, and shops, personal care, gyms and the wider leisure sector can reopen.
"But without sensible precautions, we would risk the virus escalating into a winter or New Year surge.
"The incidents of the disease is, alas, still widespread in many areas."
The lifting of lockdown rules means that many of the shops which had been banned from opening since November 5 will be allowed to reopen.
The official government website says that essential and non-essential retail including indoor and outdoor markets and car boot sales will be allowed to reopen.
At the moment it appears that non-essential shops in tiers 1, 2, and 3 will be allowed to reopen - but this is subject to change.
Here is the full list of shops that can open in England on December 2 when lockdown lifts.
The following shops will be allowed to reopen:
- Clothing shops
- Footwear shops
- Electronics stores
- Vehicle showrooms
- Travel agents
- Betting shops
- Auction houses
- Tobacco shops
- Vape shops
These shops will be permitted to remain open:
- Food shops
- Garden centres


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GWP and policy numbers both increase.
Manchester-based broker posts soaring profits.
But the provider, which recently announced a restructure, revealed falling GWP for the first nine months of 2018.
The Q3 results reflect impact of joint venture with LV as commercial lines remains stable and personal lines boosts performance.
CEO confirms plans to buy more businesses next year.
Group hit by a one-off redundancy cost of £259,000 after 60 people lost their jobs.
Business seeking small to medium brokers who need a succession plan.
The company said investment in its brokerage brands, such as Go Skippy, helped with the 64.1% increase as expenses rise in-line with income spike.
Documents show the Wilson price tag was £44.9m.
Profit and turnover rise in 2018.
Group’s revenue drops by 12%.
Despite recent losses CEO Andrew Burke said the business is on the right path and has put Asplin fraud case behind it.
Market experts predict more insurers will follow in RSA's footsteps and pull back from unprofitable business lines.
Turnover also dipped at the broker, which is set to be bought by Ardonagh, as number of live policies fell to 1.6m.
Consolidator moved into Ebitdae profit in 2017.
Group CEO says provider is to take action on pricing and portfolio reshaping following £70m UK underwriting loss in Q3 2018.
Insurer’s UK business reports £70m underwriting loss as COR worsens to 110%.
Policy total nudges up for the first half of 2018.
Figures reveal slight improvement in COR, while GWP fell.
Market reports £600m pre-tax result.
Broker has already struck two deals since being bought by Broker Network this January.
Turnover and profit drop at the broker.
MD Howard Pepper says the AR network made "substantial investments" in staff and IT during 2017.
Test your knowledge of the week's news with our topical quiz.


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U.S. Bank Renews 49ers Deal Centerplate CEO Placed On Probation Twitter Me This SiriusXM To Launch Bleacher Report Radio Sterling Out Of Options To Reverse Sale Tony Hawk Endorse Sony Action Cam Royals GM Moore: "We Love Our Fans" NFL Shifts Front Office Roles Wazzu Football Not Returning To Seattle In '15 Consultants Narrow List Of Sites For Bills Stadium
Upcoming Conferences and Events
SBD/March 17, 2011/Classified Advertisements
SBJ In-Depth: Video Gaming
Published March 17, 2011
Advances in motion-based technology have created new opportunities in the video game industry, but have also challenged traditional players in the space to evolve. We will look at how game producers are working to protect and grow their market share, whether it’s with casual or competitive gamers. Key leaders in the video game business will reveal what to expect next with everything from free online games to traditional game systems. Publishing Date: April 11 Ad Close: March 28 Materials Close: March 30.
For more information, contact Julie Tuttle, National Director of Advertising at 212 500 0711 or firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Wyden accuses FCC chair of being ‘willfully ignorant’ on net neutrality
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) on Monday accused Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai of mischaracterizing his position from nearly two decades ago to justify the agency’s repeal of net neutrality rules.
In a comment filed to the net neutrality docket at the FCC, Wyden said that Pai was being “willfully ignorant” when he cited a letter that the Oregon Democrat wrote in 1998 arguing against the reclassification of internet service providers (ISP) as telecommunications companies, which, in 2015, became the legal framework for the net neutrality rules.
“The internet and internet access service today both are wildly different than they were in 1998,” Wyden wrote in the filing, which was also posted on Medium. “Back then, large numbers of consumers were starting to take advantage of the whole internet, rather than just a walled-garden service.”
“The key difference, however, was that in 1998 consumers largely accessed the internet through third-party ISPs like AOL, or Prodigy, and those consumers used the infrastructure of the common carrier telephone system to connect to that third-party ISP,” he continued.
Pai cited Wyden’s letter in his proposal to roll back the net neutrality rules by undoing the reclassification that took place in 2015, which opened up ISPs to tougher oversight and regulation from the FCC.
The FCC’s net neutrality rules require internet service providers to treat all web traffic equally.


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The 2016 Butter Sculpture At The NYS Fair Is…
The New York State Dairy Association unveiled the butter sculpture at the Great NYS Fair, and they pay tribute to Olympic athletes.
This year's butter sculpture is called 'Milk life celebrates the success of team USA and the athletes of New York State.' Milk is a proud sponsor of team USA.
Jim Victor and his wife Marie Pelton have been making the butter sculptures for the American Dairy Association since 2003. This year they carved a female basketball player, a male volleyball player, a male swimmer and a female runner representing a variety of Summer Olympic sports. It takes them about 10 - 8 hour days to make the buttery creation.
This "800-pound sculpture will be kept cool in a 38-degree revolving cooler through the 12-day duration of the fair," says twcnews.com
"The butter sculpture is sponsored by the 5,000 dairy farm families across New York state so it's certainly an opportunity to highlight their hard work and all that they do to ensure an ample supply of milk, their contribution to New York state agriculture and to their local communities,” said American Dairy Association Consumer Communications VP Diana Dibble.
You can see the sculpture in the dairy products building during the Great NYS Fair.


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Japans PS3 Slim sales figures have been released after it’s first full week and it is doing pretty well indeed. In the last week 151 743 PS3 Slims have been taken home in the land of the rising sun.
The DSi is next in line with 60,419 then comes the PSP way back with 22,184 closely followed by the Wii with 21,557.
The DS Lite is up next with 8,309 with the 360 in a pitiful last spot with 6,827 because we don’t count the PS2’s 3,001 sales anymore.
So that’s all good and well but now comes the annoying part, claims going around the Internet are claiming that the PS3’s sales are up 14,494.52% as last weeks sales were a pretty abysmal 1,040.
But last weeks PS3 sales were terrible since everyone was waiting for the Slim to be released, on top of which you just can’t compare a relaunch’s figures with the lowest sales figures ever for a PS3 or any normal week for that matter.
To put this into a true perspective the original PS3 launched in Japan in 2006 with sales of 88,400 in it’s first week, though again to be truly fair we need to remember it’s first weeks figures suffered stock shortages.
And back to the point we goâ€¦ the PS3 Slims first week sales in Japan is a whopping 71.65% increase over it’s launch figures which is something Sony can be very proud of.
What I can’t be proud of however is my complete inability to actually figure out that percentage without asking for help. Thanks Nick for the basic maths lesson.
And yes I stand by my claim that saying the PS3 has a 14000% increase is just fanboy logic.
Last Updated: September 14, 2009


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You might know that in the autumn of 2015, Wolt launched its first delivery orders in Helsinki. What many people probably don’t know is that in January 2016, in total secrecy, another one of Wolt’s arguably most beloved features was launched. This feature has been the subject of innumerable Youtube and TikTok videos in recent years, and users are constantly coming up with increasingly creative ways to one up each other.
That feature is of course the Wolt Easter Egg game, also known as the Tapping Game. Originally hacked together by one of Wolt’s founders and former Head of User Experience, Elias Aalto, the Easter Egg game has brought joy to millions of Wolt users since its launch – at least those who’ve managed to find the hidden gem within the Wolt app. The idea, according to Aalto, was that if a user inadvertently taps on the screen at a specific point, an explosion of food related emojis comes out. To make sure that you’re not dreaming, the user might tap again, and again, and so begins the game. “I’m also a proponent of having some over-the-top cool features in your services to create meaningful shareable moments to promote virality”, Aalto adds. And the Easter Egg game has done just that.
Many users have also discovered that there’s a small carrot at the end of the game if you’re able to tap just fast enough to beat the so-called ‘original Wolt record’. “We wanted to give out a prize for beating the game and I created a promo code that gave five euros in credits and claimed it on the user’s behalf in the background”, Aalto explains.
Expanding operations to Sweden later in 2016 caused a small issue however – Sweden uses a different currency, the Swedish krona, so a 5€ discount wouldn’t do much good. Luckily at that point Wolt tokens had been introduced, which essentially allowed a free base delivery for an order, regardless of currency. But besides switching from five euros worth of credits to free delivery tokens, not much had happened to the Easter Egg game since early 2016. It was time for a revamp!
Glow up of the year: redesigning the classic Easter Egg game
In the summer of 2022, the game that had remained relatively untouched for the past six and a half years was given a thorough makeover during our Wolt hackathon. Wolt Hackathon is an internal event for product development people at Wolt, where a bunch of developers, analysts, designers and product leads get together to work on fun projects for an intense 24 hours. A team consisting of Wolt employees Antti Kortetmaa, Dag Ågren, Samu Rintala and Nik Zakirinhacked away for just under 24 hours to modernize the graphics and user interface of the game. “It was time to polish it up, increase the wow factor and just have some fun with it”, says Ågren, whose idea it was to tackle the project during the hackathon.
With up to 150 000 monthly players, there was no need to scrap the game altogether or come up with something entirely new. “Instead, we chose a framework called SceneKit, a 3D graphics API that none of our team had previously used, to implement a fresh new look and bring the graphics of the game up to the new decade to stay true to our Wolt brand”, Ågren explains. “We wanted to use the hackathon as a chance to learn something, get to know new people and to work on something outside of our everyday work projects that would also delight our customers. The next step for us is to move from SceneKit to our own 3D rendering to support Android and maybe even web.” Once the basic building blocks were in place, the team aimed for a constant 60 frames per second no matter what would happen on the screen in order to enhance the performance of the game – even on older phones.
“Originally the game was much harder as the phones couldn’t run it at 60fps. This seriously affected the rate at which the app could register touches”, Aalto explains. “I haven’t really played it as much on the newer hardware so my record is a meager 69.”
Over the years, the game has reached a wide audience and gained a fandom that attempts to reach new records with creative methods, like using electric hand mixers to speed up one’s fingers. And what is Aalto’s favorite way to cheat the game? “Moist q-tips on an electric toothbrush – inventive and supremely effective.”
The revamped Easter Egg game is now available to selected test users on iOS. If this is the first you’re hearing of the entire game, get searching and playing!


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Coronavirus epidemic could lead to economic crisis in Ukraine – acting Economy Minister
The likelihood of a coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic in Ukraine is low, but it is gradually growing, and in the event of its onset, the country will suffer an economic crisis, acting Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture Tymofiy Mylovanov believes.
"The likelihood of the epidemic is low, but is gradually growing. The epidemic could lead to a crisis in the economy," Mylovanov said on Facebook.
The government should prepare a clear and practical economic response strategy, he stressed.
Mylovanov said among its components are monetary policy (provision of liquidity, rate mitigation, and so on), fiscal policy (tax breaks for certain industries, if necessary, budget support), and if necessary, restrictions on the economic activity of certain industries and enterprises (tourism, transport, retail).
According to him, the government, within the framework of the strategy, should also consider limiting social activity (for example, vacation for utility bills for pensioners), protective actions in international trade (duties or vice versa maintaining certain imports, prohibition of re-export of certain categories of goods whose nomenclature should be prepared by the Ministry of Health), memoranda of joint actions with the industries whose goods or services are critical during the epidemic.


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For all the hype around the Internet of Things, most people are still content to control their homes manually. A recent Gartner survey found that they don’t mind getting up to adjust the temperature or turn off the lights, and 58 percent of respondents actually prefer the idea of standalone devices to connected ones.
If you’re scratching your head, you’re not alone. If having a connected home makes life easier, why are consumers so skeptical? Who wouldn’t want to control their lights or blinds right from the couch?
IoT’s UX issue
The trouble is that not all household IoT devices make consumers’ lives easier. Before the smart home of the future can become the standard, that needs to change.


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Tekken producer, Katsuhiro Harada, has reiterated his position on charging money for downloadable content that constitutes key game elements; to wit: he won’t, so long as the decision remains in his hands.
Tekken series producer, Katsuhiro Harada, has long maintained that Tekken will not follow Capcom’s lead of allowing key game elements to become paid-for DLC.
“When you look at DLC, whether paid or free, a lot of titles have it on the disc, it’s not that unusual,” Harada told Eurogamer. “I’ve been saying that, at least for Tekken, regarding techniques, characters and stages, these three things won’t be charged for, even if they are DLC.”
However, Harada revealed that the conversation regarding premium DLC has been going on with his employers at Namco Bandai for some time.
“Actually this is something my bosses have been asking me for quite a while now – what are our plans for DLC? How much money can we make? They are a company, obviously, in it to make money,” he said. “So it’s something I’m continually asked even now. But I haven’t changed my stance. If you’re making a fighting game, all of the elements necessary to enjoy it should be on the disc, or should at least be available for free.”
The sentiment echoes comments Harada made back in April at Namco Bandai’s Global Gamers Day in Las Vegas.
“The character locks were like that – we never took money for it but the concept itself was there,” he said. “I think really the players’ opinions and the heated discussion is whether you charge for it or not.”
At the time, Harada was commenting on the backlash Capcom had experienced from gamers angered by the revelation that 12 additional characters for Street Fighter X Tekken that the company announced plans to charge for, were already on the disc. That content launches on July 31.
Harada has not ruled-out the notion of some form of novelty paid-for DLC for Tekken Tag Tournament 2, but suggested that it would more likely consist of “cosmetic, fan-requested items or balance-breaking combat sets.”
Tekken Tag Tournament launches in September for 360 and PS3, a Wii U version has also been confirmed.


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The national economy grew more robustly than was believed a month ago, but the expansion owed little to health spending—at least according to the latest estimates of the evolving picture of U.S. economic growth and demand for healthcare as millions gained insurance.
But economists caution that another estimate, scheduled for late September, is likely to show a different picture. Survey data on second-quarter health spending will be used for the first time in September estimates. The survey results that help inform the estimate aren't available until mid-September.
The economy grew 6.4% last quarter compared with the first three months of the year, before adjusting for inflation, according to the latest seasonally adjusted, annualized federal estimates. That's stronger than the 6% estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis in late July. (The economy grew 4.2% after adjusting for inflation, the latest estimate said.)


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Schmidt Says Google Looking to Buy Some Little Guys
Google CEO Eric Schmidt told the Fox Business Network that Google is in the market to buy smaller technology players. For most this comes as no surprise. In fact, with all the cash that Google has it may be a surprise that there is not more buzz concerning acquisitions especially considering the favorable valuation environment that exists currently.
Reuters reports that the company has particular targets
Schmidt said, Google plans to focus on the cloud, mobile, and open source distribution of software in the next year.
Schmidt further clarified the philosophy
“We primarily look for technology. It’s a typical build versus buy. How long does it take us to build it with our engineers, versus there are already engineers in this other company that have built this thing.”
This philosophy is taking a page from the Cisco Systems who has been purchasing smaller technology players who have developed a technology that makes sense in the grand scheme for the networking giant. Since its early days Cisco has made over 130 acquisitions. Will Google follow the same line of thinking?
To listen to Schmidt, what they are doing is just business as usual
“We have been (looking to acquire),” Schmidt said. “We have been wandering around looking at all of the different companies. With the big ones we haven’t come across anything we’ve particularly liked. We are definitely talking to a number of smaller companies but we’ve done that routinely.”
So if you are small company with a nifty technology that might be attractive to one of the most influential companies in the world, tighten up your preso and reach out to Mr. Schmidt. Of course, whether you catch him in Mountain View or Washington, DC may depend on where he can best advance the cause of Google the greater good.


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This article was first published on The Times of Israel and was re-posted with permission.
Israel’s N-Trig has scored a major victory over a veteran competitor in the pen technology business, an item that is rising from the virtual dead. Microsoft has decided to use N-Trig’s pen technology for its new Surface Pro 3 tablets, taking over from Wacom, one of the world’s biggest makers of pen devices and graphic tablet technology.
Japan-based Wacom is a veteran in the pen and touch arena, producing graphic tablets and electronic stylus devices, known in the business as electronic pens, for over three decades. The company has 80% of the world market for graphics tablets and related products – so the “incursion” of N-Trig into what had been an ongoing partnership between Wacom and Microsoft is a significant win for the Israeli company.
Pen technology harks back to the pre-Internet days of personal information devices like the Palm Pilot, which featured a touch screen of sorts – but one that required users to interface with the screen via a stylus, a plastic or rubber-tipped pen-shaped device. This pen technology, as it was called, remained popular for years – until Apple came out with the iPhone, with its touch technology that proved far more popular than pen.
Palm Pilots are a thing of the past, but the pen technology it required has had a bit of a revival in recent years, as numerous devices – most recently the Surface Pro 3 – have incorporated pen technology, retaining and even enhancing touch capabilities. It’s an example, said Kfar Sava-based N-Trig CFO Eyal Leibovitz, of how consumers today want as much flexibility as possible, flexibility that N-Trig’s technology gives them.
“With our technology, Microsoft was able to make the Surface Pro 3 lighter, because our sensors enable both touch and pen interaction,” said Leibovitz. “Users can thus write on the screen or select and move items with finger swipes, and the manufacturers who we work with, like Microsoft, only have to insert one layer of sensor to enable this, instead of the two usually required.” In the case of the Surface Pro 3, users also get the option of typing onto the screen. Besides pen and touch, users can enter information into the device with a keyboard when its two components – keyboard and screen – are connected.
To continue reading this article on the TOI site, click here.


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Fruits and vegetables import value into India FY 2011-2022
Mouths to feed
With the population expected to cross the 1.4 billion mark in 2024, the demand for food can only be expected to go up. Not just for its own residents, but there is a high demand worldwide for products from a country where agriculture was still the main source of income for almost 70 percent of the population. The export value of fresh and processed vegetables was more than one billion U.S. dollars in 2016, with palm and soybean being the most exported vegetable oils.
Saying no to health
With attractive advertisements combined with cheap deals from fast food chains, the younger generation seems to be the least interested in munching on fruits and vegetables. The fruit and vegetable consumption in the country as part of a meal was estimated to decline to less than five percent in the fiscal year 2021. Despite the blow dealt from the introduction of GST and demonetization, India’s fast food stations and quick service restaurants are back on track and are shaping the demographics of the future of the agricultural sector.