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Once teased by the other boys in his modern Orthodox Brooklyn day school, Isaac Mizrahi became a person of standing in the community this year, when the Jewish Museum dedicated an exhibit to the fashion designer’s work over the decades.
Here’s how these celebrity power couples got together, and their secret for making it last.
“Isaac Mizrahi: An Unruly History” at the Jewish Museum is affable and awash in color. But when it comes to the subject of Jewishness, the exhibit is a study in missed opportunities.
Isaac Mizrahi has been a fashion designer, host of “The Isaac Mizrahi Show” and he’s now the subject of a new exhibit at the Jewish Museum. He talks with our reporter about his Jewish childhood, his runway collections and his life philosophy.
The Jewish Museum’s invitation for its 30th Annual Purim Ball honored fashion icon Isaac Mizrahi and featured comedienne Sandra Bernhard in an edgy spoof of the annual Megillah Purim Spiel.
This year, Gossip Girl introduced at least four new Jewish characters: Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Isaac Mizrahi and Rachel Zoe. There is also the unseen character, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose trans fat ban and restaurant calorie count are presumably what keeps the cast of the show lithe enough to fit into their increasingly ridiculous outfits.
Worried about what to wear on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur? Don’t stress it! Forward reporter Rebecca Spence tracked down superstar fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi, who has his own strong views - on both fashion and tradition - and shared them with us via e-mail. Known for both his high-end couture and a newer collection in Target stores, which features cutting-edge designs at affordable prices, Mizrahi was born and raised in the heart of Brooklyn’s (ahem) close-knit Sephardic Jewish community.


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Building websites and consultation on inventory turn strategies are among several services that Dealer Car Search performs for auto dealers. Now, vehicle history tools from Carfax will help make managing and retailing inventory more transparent for Dealer Car Search customers.
Thousands of Dealer Car Search-powered dealer websites now feature the Carfax Vehicle History-Based Value and vehicle history filtering. That means online shoppers can see more upfront information about a vehicle's history and value, according to Carfax.
In addition, Carfax History-Based Value is now integrated into the Dealer Car Search inventory management feature.
Using the vehicle history-filtering, shoppers on dealer Dealer Car Search-powered websites can narrow their search results to include only vehicles with features such as Carfax 1-Owner, no reported accidents, or personal use vehicles.
Another new feature is that vehicles priced below the Carfax History-Based Value now have badges showing a “Great ” or “Good Value.”
With the enhanced inventory management feature, dealers now have access to more accurate pricing based on a vehicle’s history, according to Carfax. Dealers can use Carfax History-Based Value to price their vehicles more competitively, and dealers can see information to support their asking price before they list the vehicles online.
Transparency in today’s marketplace is crucial, Rick Wilson, chief executive officer of Dealer Car Search, noted in a news release, and he added that Carfax seeks transparency in all of its offerings. Joe Koenig, vice president of Carfax, added in a news release that people want to know that they are getting the right used car for the right price.
“More Carfax information built into the Dealer Car Search solutions helps alleviate these concerns and improves the online shopping experience,” Koenig said.

domain: news


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Restaurants are getting ready to welcome customers back for a meal. Starting Friday, those in the yellow phase can have outdoor dining.
We found the owners of Zoetroplis Cinema and Still House in Lancaster setting up tables outside. They have disposable menus printed and they will be required to keep tables six feet apart. Owners of the resturant are expecting a big crowd tomorrow.
The restaurant says because they’re allowed to offer outdoor dining, they’ve been able to rehire some of their staff.


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As disclosed by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the foreign reserves of the country witnessed a dip of $305 million.
SBP recently relaxed small-sized eCommerce businesses by skipping the submission of ‘E’ form when they export goods valued up to $5,000.
Inflation Dip: 8.35% YoY During November in Pakistan – low inflation means decreasing power to buy common products.
LCCI Stressed the Cosmetic industry to Participate Country’s Economy – This small industry could bring big impacts.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a loan of $300 million to help improve Pakistan’s export which has been unstable since 2004.
Pakistan achieved remarkable improvement in fiscal and current accounts – the statement came out from Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh.
On Tuesday, the exporters took the decision of resuming the onions export considering the price…
Pakistan and Oman, Working to Improve Bilateral Ties – the 2 states discussed matters related to political, economic, and commercial ties.
Reforms Needed for Forced Repatriates, Says SBP – During April-June, PIA had recorded 90,308 Pakistanis returning from abroad.
From 34% to 79% – Pakistan’s improved position in Trade Facilitation Agreement – this process is a journey from June 2018 till November 2020.


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Songbird Kelly Rowland was spotted arriving at LAX Airport on Wednesday. She was dressed casually in a white track suit accessorized with a pair of Air Jordan Premium Future black gum sole sneakers.
Posts Tagged: Air Jordan
Michael Jordan finally got down off his stack of millions and said something about the police brutality that's weeping America.
Jordan, 53, is often criticized for raising the prices on his iconic Air Jordan basketball shoes that are so demand, criminals commit murder to own a pair.
Why barter with other sneaker heads on eBay.com for bootleg Jordans when you can get the real thing for $15,000 at a pawn shop that deals in throwback kicks? The president's teenage daughter collects a paycheck fetching coffee and dry cleaning for the staff over at CBS, but one enterprising 16-year-old has found the perfect niche: a sneaker pawn shop.
A 14-year-old Autistic boy who went missing from his Queens, NY school may have drowned after running from a dog, the NY Post reports. Avonte Oquendo disappeared on Oct. 4 after walking away from the Riverview School in Long Island City. He was seen running from a dog in Hunter’s Point South Park, a short distance from his school. Police believe Avonte may have fallen into the East River after running from a dog. Avonte's family said the mute boy was petrified of dogs and water.
This post is for true sneaker heads who appreciate wearing another man's used, smelly pair of throwback Jordans.
A used pair of one-off OVO Air Jordans was bidding for $100,000 on eBay yesterday, according to ESPN Sports business reporter Darren Rovell.
Rovell cautions that the basketball shoes, which were gifted to Drake by Nike, may not be genuine. But that didn't matter to sneaker heads who pushed the bids over $100,000.
Nike says it gave shoes to Drake, but have no way of telling if $100K shoes on eBay are authentic http://t.co/DZsNZCnaXP
— darren rovell (@darrenrovell) January 15, 2014
Michael Jordan may be the greatest basketball player breathing, but he forgot that in certain parts of the country he's just a black man wearing cargo pants.
The NY Post's Page Six reports that Jordan ruffled feathers at the exclusive Miami Beach country club when he showed up on the putting green wearing cargo pants.


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LG Electronics will begin selling televisions based on “OLED” technology, which allows for thinner displays that consume less power, in the United States in March.
TV makers like Samsung and LG are banking on the next-generation, “organic light-emitting diode” screens to prop up flagging sales of televisions.
James Fisher, LG’s head of marketing, said the South Korean electronics maker will begin selling 55-inch and 65-inch versions of the TVs, with the 55-inch screen costing $12,000.
(The story corrects last paragraph to say that 55-inch (not 84-inch) versions would cost $12,000)
(Reporting By Tim Kelly; editing by John Wallace)


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|Garber Buick dealership in Saginaw still in jeopardy, owner says|
Saginaw Township’s Garber Buick dealership continues to face an uncertain future, despite surviving the recent downsizing by General Motors Co., owner Dick Garber said Thursday.
Mlive.com (Mich.), 9/25/09
Automotive News | September 25, 2009 - 12:34 pm EST
|PRINTED FROM: http://edit.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090925/TEASERS/109259994/&template=print|
Entire contents © 2019 Crain Communications, Inc.


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Just a few days ago, AniMoby received its 3,000th Facebook fan and is taking a hefty piece of the market share in several countries in the iTunes App Store category of "Education Apps," according to Distimo.com.
AniMoby's success started in the schools of Brazil but is now being used by teachers at numerous countries around the world. The app allows teachers to make interactive lessons/presentations with an iPad while recording voice and using a variety of design tools (draw, paint, text, highlight, etc.) - and then send to students who can view them anytime, anywhere on any electronic device with internet connection.
This turns the iPad into a mobile classroom, and removes the age-old neccesity of needing a physical classroom to teach lessons.
Keep up with the education pack, and download AniMoby from iTunes app store by clicking here. AniMoby is scheduled to hit the Google Play Store in October.
The page is great to know what I can do with this app.ReplyDelete


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May 9, 2018
Novartis paid Trump lawyer Michael Cohen
A subsidiary of drug manufacturer Novartis paid nearly $400,000 to a company controlled by Michael Cohen, Trump's personal lawyer, according to the New York Times.
Why it matters: Novartis is not the only large company that reportedly made substantial payments to Cohen's firm, which aren't disclosed like traditional lobbying activity and will undoubtedly raise questions about whether those corporations were paying for access to the president.
- The company, Essential Consultants, is the vehicle through which Cohen made his now-famous payment to Stormy Daniels.
- The payments were made in four installments, between October 2017 and January 2018, per NYT.
- Novartis said its relationship with Cohen's company has expired.
At an absolute minimum, it's not a great look. These payments are in the news because a firm tied to a Russian oligarch also reportedly paid Essential Consultants for its services. With both a possible Russian connection and a Stormy Daniels connection, this story won't be going away anytime soon.


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Send this profile to a friend
Procter & Gamble Co. (PG)
News from The Business Journals
Dec 17, 2013, 11:49 am EST
There has been a lot of news surrounding Procter & Gamble Co. in 2013. To help put it all in perspective, reporter Barrett J. Brunsman took a look at the…
Dec 17, 2013, 6:56 am EST
Good Tuesday morning, Cincinnati! Here are five important things to kick off your busy business day. (Also one not-so-important-but-very-interesting thing…
Dec 16, 2013, 7:40 am EST
Good morning, Cincinnati!
Here are the five most important things you need to know to help you start your busy business day:
IRS agent testifies at Daniels…
Dec 16, 2013, 7:14 am EST
Procter & Gamble Co. will reorganize its business units overseas in order to cut costs, Bloomberg reports.
Three people briefed on the matter have said…
Dec 13, 2013, 6:00 am EST
Perimeter building owners can thank State Farm Insurance Co. for this one.
For the past few years in Central Perimeter, Atlanta’s biggest office market,…
Dec 10, 2013, 3:08 pm EST
Ashland Inc. shareholders might soon be able to celebrate that their stock has reached the rarefied air of triple digits.
Covington-based specialty chemical…
Dec 4, 2013, 10:56 am EST
Former Procter & Gamble Co. CEO Bob McDonald has been named to the board of directors of the United States Steel Corp.
His appointment will be effective…
Dec 2, 2013, 2:56 pm EST
The Greater Cincinnati office of Axiom Consulting signed a lease for new office space in Blue Ash.
The Blue Ash-based product development, innovation…
Dec 2, 2013, 7:30 am EST
A leader of Procter & Gamble Co.’s human resources department is sharing what it takes to cut through the noise in the Cincinnati-based manufacturer’s…
Nov 29, 2013, 6:00 am EST
Brad Bays spent 24 years in finance roles at Procter & Gamble Co. After taking an early retirement package in 2004, he decided to help his alma mater,…
Nov 27, 2013, 1:31 pm EST
Two more Procter & Gamble Co. executives have each sold more than $1 million in stock as the value of shares remains near a 52-week high.
Nov 26, 2013, 2:29 pm EST
If you’re a Cincinnati Bell Inc. shareholder, you had to be pretty happy about the company’s third-quarter results.
Its stock rocketed 14 percent…
Nov 26, 2013, 10:45 am EST
Over the last two decades, companies like Samsung Group, Accenture, Procter & Gamble Co. and Siemens AG, have adopted the capability maturity model integration,…
Nov 21, 2013, 2:43 pm EST
Three more executives at Procter & Gamble Co. have cashed in on the rising price of the Cincinnati-based company’s stock, selling a total of nearly $5…
Nov 20, 2013, 11:39 am EST
Procter & Gamble Co.’s recent entry into the vitamin business could be invigorated through a marketing deal with Swisse Wellness, an Australian company…


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Microsoft says enterprises need to ban common passwords and rethink outdated ideas about what makes a strong password.
Browsing Category: Mobile Security
Duo Labs describes how a critical Android vulnerability chains two exploits together to completely pwn an Android OS device.
Security researchers at Skycure are upping the ante on a vulnerability that it says now leaves 95.4 percent of all Android devices vulnerable to an attack that hands over control of a phone or tablet to an attacker.
A banking Trojan hiding in a casino app was removed from Google Play. The malware slipped past Google Verify Apps malware scanner and get into the marketplace.
Apple on Monday rolled out a series of patches for nearly all of its operating systems, including fixes for March’s DROWN vulnerability in OS X and a lockscreen bypass vulnerability in iOS.
Dell SonicWALL Threats Research Team says incidents of Android lockscreen malware masquerading as porn apps is a growing concern.
The Viking Horde Android malware campaign can leverage victims’ phones for ad fraud, carry out DDoS attacks, send spam, and more, researchers warn.
A Duo Labs report reveals the dangers of unpatched and outdated software used in business world.
The FTC and FCC have given mobile device makers and carriers 45 days to report on their respective security update practices.
Mike Mimoso, Chris Brook, and Tom Spring, discuss the week in news, including a first hand account of an online casino getting hit by ransomware, Brazil shutting down WhatsApp, and attackers mining an ADP portal for W-2s.


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Apple is planning to add additional security measures to its iCloud service in the wake of the celebrity nude pictures leak, chief executive Tim Cook has said.
Apple has stated that its iCloud servers were not compromised, but it has indicated that some accounts may have not been adequately protected, such as, weak passwords and easy security questions. CEO Tim Cook further widened the blame blanket that some account holders might have fallen for a phishing scam.
The Company will alert users through email and push notifications when someone tries to change an account password, restore iCloud data to a new device, or when a device logs into an account for the first time, Mr Cook told the Wall Street Journal. The newly announced measures will go into effect over the next two weeks.


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No one likes waiting in a long line at a hotel check-in counter, especially after a long flight and the stress that comes with it. Starting next year at Hilton hotels, however, you’ll be able to skip those lines entirely and get into your room with nothing more than your smartphone. Hilton recently announced that it will start rolling out new a new type of door lock next year, and will finish the global rollout to its 4,200 locations by the end of 2016. The new program bypasses the need for a room key by sending a code to your phone that you use to unlock your door. The technology is similar to what other hotel chains are doing – Starwood announced a similar program earlier this year – but Hilton is by far the biggest hotel chain to offer the feature to date. Hilton’s mobile app already lets pre-order amenities for your room and lets you check in and check out, but this latest program will help make your hotel stay even more relaxing.
About Shelly Palmer
Named one of LinkedIn’s Top 10 Voices in Technology, Shelly Palmer is CEO of The Palmer Group, a strategic advisory, technology solutions and business development practice focused at the nexus of media and marketing with a special emphasis on machine learning and data-driven decision-making. He is Fox 5 New York's on-air tech and digital media expert, writes a weekly column for AdAge, and is a regular commentator on CNBC and CNN. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com or subscribe to our daily email http://ow.ly/WsHcb
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A new TENAA listing has revealed that Xiaomi is planning to launch a new smartphone, the Xiaomi Mi 8 Youth, in China. Xiaomi’s flagship Mi smartphones have not caught much attention in the past. But this time around, instead of one, Xiaomi has launched a whole family of Mi 8 devices. These devices include Mi 8, Mi 8 Explorer Edition, Mi 8 SE and according to the leaks, the launch of Xiaomi Mi 8 Youth is just around the corner.
Xiaomi Mi 8 Youth Specifications:
The Xiaomi Mi 8 Youth will feature a 6.26-inch FHD+ display with a notch and 19:9 aspect ratio. On the hardware front, it will have the recently launched Snapdragon 710 chip with 6GB Ram and 64GB onboard storage.
There is a glass sandwich design with a horizontal dual camera setup on the rear, the primary sensor being a 12MP shooter. This device will be a selfie-centric phone as it is targeted towards the youth sporting a 24MP selfie camera. The battery will likely be a 3350mAh with QuickCharge 3.0 support.
Specs of this device seem right on point with the Snapdragon 710 as it performs very well and is considered closest to the flagship performance. The selfie camera is the focus which will potentially attract most of the customers from Asian markets. Xiaomi is really pushing forward to make their flagship grade smartphones affordable. We really appreciate this move but honestly, there is very less hope for this smartphone coming to India. It is just because of the recently launched Poco F1 by Xiaomi which offers so much more power and is better value for money overall.
Xiaomi Mi 8 Youth Price:
Mi 8 Youth will surprisingly be offered in a ton of color: Black, Rose Gold, White, Blue, Red, Pink, Gray, Silver, and Green. It could actually be the first smartphone of all to come in this many color options. The price, however, is still unknown. The price will be confirmed only after an official announcement from the company.


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It's being called the £350 million gamble. In two days time Trinity Leeds will open as Europe's biggest city centre shopping mall.
It's backers say they're confident it'll bring the shoppers pouring in - bucking the recession and Britain's struggling High Streets.
But with more than 120 shops and restaurants, there are fears it'll squeeze the life out of other parts of the city. David Hirst reports.
More top news
Flying Scotsman has topped a trains league table, relegating other world-famous railway icons further down in the top 10.
Rivers are already swollen, heavy rain due on Monday afternoon may cause them to burst their banks. Warnings issued
Friends of a Rotherham teenager, who is battling leukaemia, are walking 63 miles to Cleethorpes - to help raise funds for treatment in US.


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Fitness: Did you hear?…
Club Industry East attendance up, Star Trac pays for "award," Reebok shows jump in net income, Reebok/New Balance to show at ispo, Sneaker Day May 16, IHRSA's official show wrap
Get access to everything we publish when you sign up for Outside+.
>> Folks are just filtering back into their offices April 28 from Club Industry East, which moved back to New York this year. Seems traffic was back up a bit over last year’s rather sleepy show in Washington, D.C. We heard that the overall feel was “positive.” For one, Life Fitness told SNEWS that booth traffic over the three days was “tremendous.” It introduced its new line of treadmills (97Ti, 95Ti and 93T), which will replace the standards 9700HR, 9500HR and 9100. Industrial and futuristic designs seemed to be the name of the game (see that gleaming photo? – photo not available in weekly News Digest), although they retain the same consoles. The 97Ti also moves from a minus 3-percent incline to a 15-percent incline. Also introduced was a new strength-training line called Signature. Cybex, which had a two-booth format for the first time (one at 20-by-50 and a second at 20-by-60), told us the show was “better than expected.” It conducted ArcTrainer classes again and found to its surprise that the product, although introduced last year, is still brand-new to many people.
>> Harbinger will be the primary sponsor of a documentary on professional skateboarder Jon Comer, who at the age of 4 was hit by a car and consequently, at the age of 7, had his right foot amputated. “Never Been Done” is the story of Comer’s ability to excel in the sport of skateboarding despite a physical limitation. Comer, 26, now living in San Diego, Calif., began skateboarding at the age of 12 and quickly progressed to the pro level. Fitness accessory specialist Harbinger has been making protective gear since about 1988 (www.harbingerskate.com) and sponsors more than 100 athletes, including skateboarders, inline skaters, mountain boarders, BMX riders and downhill skaters.
>> Remember those alleged awards by the company Frost & Sullivan, which did a “report” on the fitness industry (price: $4,000)? Our story ran Nov. 11, 2002. The deal was that the research — U.S. Fitness Equipment Market, #A316-54 — also announced awards to five fitness companies. But the twist was they couldn’t talk about it, promote it or even mention it, except internally — unless they paid a licensing fee for a “promotional package,” which, SNEWS learned, could be as much as $15,000 per year depending on the company size and sales. Well, as far as we can tell, all politely declined — except Star Trac, which ante’d up whatever its fee was to gloat about its award for product quality leadership. To see that announcement, click here. For the record, other “winners” were: Icon, marketing engineering leadership; Life Fitness, product line strategy; Precor, product differentiation innovation; and The Nautilus Group, business development strategy. But none of the decided to “pay” for the honor.
>> Pier Paolo Righi will take over as head of Nike Germany. Righi, who was marketing director for Germany, takes over the position from Bernd Wahler, who has left to start his own business. Formerly, he built the brands Speedo, Ellesse and Berghaus for the Pentland Group, where he was general manager.
>> The American Council on Exercise (ACE) has launched a new website design (www.acefitness.org) to provide certified professionals and general readers with more information on exercise and fitness. A large part of the new design is an expanded and improved ACE Pro site to help ACE-certified professionals build their fitness careers. The Pro Site offers a new online education center and archives of ACE’s various publications and e-newsletters. The site also includes a new Get Fit section completely devoted to fitness consumers.
>> Reebok International Ltd. (NYSE:RBK) has reported an increase of 9 percent in net income for the first quarter of 2003 compared to the first quarter last year, or $41 million compared to $37 million. Net sales for the 2003 first quarter were $798 million, an increase of 8.5 percent from 2002 sales of $736 million. In the United States, sales for the Reebok Brand increased 9 percent in the first quarter of 2003 as compared with 2002’s first quarter. Reebok’s U.S. footwear sales in the first quarter of 2003 were $257 million, an increase of 4 percent when compared with 2002’s first quarter U.S. footwear sales of $247 million. Apparel sales in the United States were $89 million, an increase of 24 percent. The company’s international sales of Reebok branded products amounted to $321 million in the quarter, an increase of 10 percent over 2002’s first quarter. Paul Fireman, chairman and CEO, said in a statement, “We were able to achieve our strategic and financial goals for the quarter despite the geopolitical environment, the challenging conditions at retail and the lack of travel to many important markets around the world.” He also pointed to the launch of the new Premier running series. The company also reported that its gross margin for the first quarter of 2003 was 37.4 percent, an improvement of 20 basis points when compared with the gross margin of 37.2 percent in the first quarter of 2002.
>> In the burgeoning category of non-news from a company that should know better: The headline on the press release last week read: “Nautilus Offers the Gift of Health for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day; Equipment to Improve Mom and Dad’s Cardiovascular Health is a Gift of Life.” The release goes on to read: “Flowers and candy, neckties and golf equipment — each is a fine gift for your mom and dad this Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. But, the flowers will wilt, the candy will be eaten, the neckties will go out of style and the golf equipment will end up buried in the corner of the garage. Why not give your mom and dad the gift of health with a new piece of cardiovascular equipment from the Nautilus Group Inc.” SNEWS View: OK, legit gift equipment does make sense, but is this a reason for a press release?
>> May 16 is Sneaker Day. Never heard of it? No wonder. It’s the inaugural Sneaker Day by the Women’s Sports Foundation — wear sneakers to work in support of sports and fitness programs for girls and women. Destined to be in the New York area its premiere year, the foundation has a five-year goal of making it a national event. www.sneakerday.org. SNEWS View: Won’t have to convince many in our industries to wear sneakers.
>> Reebok and New Balance will reappear on the ispo stage, taking their spots in the running segment this summer. The show will run only three days, from June 29 to July 1. Show management says that with their return, the running show is now “complete” with all the major players. Some 1,100 international sporting goods and sportswear industry exhibitors from more than 40 countries will be exhibiting, ispo has announced. With the growing emphasis on running, the show has added a 10K run as a part of the ispo community night on June 30. The run will be on the grounds of the German National Garden Show. Anyone can participate, and registration and other information will be available starting in May at www.ispo.com.
>> According to Forbes, Sears management says the company’s revitalization is going as planned, albeit not fast enough for some. Shares of the 110-year-old Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based, retailer are up 23 percent since the company said on March 26 that it was “exploring strategic options” for its flagging credit card business.
>> Some two months after the March 1 close of the IHRSA trade show in San Francisco comes the news about registrations and booths. The association reported that convention registration increased by 12.5 percent over last year; total U.S. convention and trade show attendance increased by 9.5 percent; total international convention and trade show attendance increased by 6.7 percent; and exhibitor booths grew by 4.6 percent. Next year’s show will be March 22-25 in Las Vegas, Nev., which is a departure from the weekend norm with a Monday through Thursday schedule. The keynote speaker for the 2004 event will be former mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani. SNEWS View: Of course, we had already reported on March 3 that attendance had hit some 9,000, not including the 4,000 associated with exhibitors (that was about 400 booths this year, or a sold-out San Francisco hall.).


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Utah lawmakers voted 5-2 on Monday in the Senate Business and Labor Committee in favor of a bill to make tobacco illegal to anyone under 21.
“Tobacco and vaping has become quite a pandemic among our youth,” said bill sponsor, Rep. Jon Hawkins, R-Pleasant Grove.
A federal law passed in December also sets 21 as the minimum age for tobacco and vaping products.
Utah law has a law to phase this in over the next couple of years to meet the federal requirement by the year 2022. Hawkins explained that HB23 removes the phase-in process and “makes tobacco illegal for anyone under the age of 21 in this year.”
The bill would also impose penalties on business owners, providers and employees who sell tobacco to anyone under 21. It would allow for investigation and inspection between two and four times per year from both health agencies and local law enforcement to make sure businesses comply with the rules.
HB23 would give businesses two years to either comply with the law or shut down. An exception would be made for businesses located within 1,000 feet of schools or community colleges which would only have until Aug. 15, 2020, to relocate.
Another change the bill would make is to consider retail tobacco a specialty business. Walter Plumb with Drug Safe Utah raised concerns that the bill would create an unlimited number of specialty shops which can sell flavored vapes.
“It’s totally, completely, ludicrous and ridiculous," said Plumb. He worried that this would increase marketing of tobacco products to youth throughout the state.


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In addition to unveiling its new Pixel phones at its big keynote today, Google revealed that its new handsets will come with unlimited cloud storage for full-resolution pictures and videos. That's a big deal if you plan to take advantage of the devices' 4K shooting capabilities and shoot stills at full 12.3-megapixel resolution. It's worth noting that the company already offers something similar with Google Photos, but the current arrangement still doesn't necessarily guarantee images will be saved at their fullest resolution.
Unsurprisingly, Google took a quick jab at Apple during the announcement, showing a screenshot of the infamous "Storage Full" message you get on iOS when your iPhone has ran out of built-in space. Google's intention, of course, is that you won't have to worry about this if you pick up one of its two Pixel phones.
Click here to catch all the latest news from Google's fall event.


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Help bring missing people from New Hampshire home
See some of the best Black Friday deals from Walmart, Sears, Kmart, Target, Lowe's, Toys-R-Us and Best Buy before the retailers' ad hit newsstands.
About 147 million shoppers are expected to take advantage of Black Friday weekend deals in store and online this year, according to the National Retail Federation. Will you be one of them?
A grand jury has indicted Portsmouth, Virginia, police Officer Stephen Rankin on a first-degree murder charge related to the shooting of an unarmed teen in a Walmart parking lot, according to public Virginia court records.
William Chapman, 18, was fat...
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Hailie Jade Turns up the Heat in Blue Bra and Knitted White Two-Piece — See the Photos
Hailie Jade Scott Mathers turned up the heat by wearing a blue bra and knitted white two-piece ensemble. Check out the adorable photos she shared on social media.
Hailie Jade Scott Mathers has a few things to say. While sharing snaps on Instagram, the 25-year-old daughter of acclaimed rapper Eminem quipped that it looked like she was going to have a gossip.
On June 11, Hailie Jade took to her Instagram account, which has more than two million followers, to post a series of images showing her sporting a denim bikini top with a coordinating navy headscarf.
Hailie Jade is also seen in the picture sporting a pair of white crochet pants and a matching sweater while holding a pair of sunglasses and looking off to the right of the frame. In the caption, she wrote:
"Why does it look like im preparing for a major tea spill [sic]."
Currently, the pictures have over 195,000 likes. There was also a flurry of praise for Hailie Jade in the comments section, with one follower noting that she is tying for fashion supremacy with all of those outfits.
Hailie Jade posed for the photo sporting a white two-piece with a string bikini top and high-waisted bottoms.
Hailie Jade loves to experiment when it comes to her personal style. Taking another selfie, she opted for a retro outfit inspired by the '70s and '90s. A neon green tee adorned the fashion influencer's figure.
Hailie Jade accessorized her look by wearing gold hoops, a pretty French manicure, and an outrageously bright pink headband, which was definitely reminiscent of 1970s boho chic.
Hailie Jade, who has been in the spotlight since she was born, also recently posed in a white bikini, showing off her workout body, and fans couldn't stop gushing about how she has grown up.
Hailie Jade posed for the photo sporting a white two-piece with a string bikini top and high-waisted bottoms. For extra finishing touches, Hailie Jade adorned her look with a bucket hat.
Her beach-ready look managed to capture the heart of Hailie Jade's fans, who raved about her in the comments section. Several fans expressed their admiration for her stunning appearance.


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Miko, the AI robot friend loved by millions of kids worldwide, has become a streaming star. Produced by Moonbug Entertainment and available now on YouTube, Miko: The Animated Series follows six-year-old Liza and her companions Red and Blue — two robot characters based on the bestselling Miko 3 robot.
Six-year-old Liza, Red and Blue can’t help but cause crazy sci-fi chaos as they navigate the world of Miko: The Animated Series. Geared for elementary-aged kids, the series follows the trio as they battle dancing robots, race smart unicycles and have epic, futuristic adventures in the Holodeck.
“Miko’s witty, lovable personality truly comes to life in this series,” says Miko Co-Founder and CEO Sneh Vaswani. “We’re thrilled to produce it alongside Moonbug Entertainment, a partner that shares our passion for innovation in the kids entertainment space.”
The first season features 20 short, 2-minute episodes chronicling the adventures of Liza and the Mikos, kicking off with “Mecha-Miko vs. Lizilla.” New episodes will be released bi-weekly through December before picking back up in early 2023.
“Mecha-Miko Vs. Lizilla” (S1E1, Nov. 15): Liza is sad when Mom and Dad say she’s not big enough to stay up late. But Red and Blue have an idea to cheer her up: they play giant monster in the Holodeck! Can nothing stop Lizard-Liza?! Red and Blue merge into Mecha-Miko to try and catch her!
“Twinkle Terror” (S1E2, Nov. 29): Liza’s house is covered in Smart Christmas Lights, but they only know spooky Halloween songs! It’s up to Liza and the Mikos to break out a Christmas song and teach the smart lights to shine in tune!
“Trash or Treasure” (S1E3, Dec. 13): Dad brings home a new Trashbot and instructs it to clean up the house. Red and Blue must stop Trashbot from thinking everything is trash. They will have to work together to stop the new robot from tossing all of Liza’s favorite things, including them!
The series’ Red and Blue characters are based on the Miko 3 AI robot for kids, which is beloved by families in 140 countries worldwide. The kidSAFE+ COPPA certified Miko 3 robot is the recipient of the Mom’s Choice Awards, Independent Toy Awards and BlogOn Awards.
“Miko: The Animated Series brings kids into a futuristic yet relatable world, where anything is possible,” says Dan’l Hewitt, Head of Global Partnerships at Moonbug Entertainment. “We are excited for families to connect with these beloved characters and enjoy Liza, Red and Blue’s adventures through the ease and accessibility of YouTube.” Moonbug Entertainment is the creative force behind beloved kids’ series including CocoMelon and Blippi.
The launch of Miko: The Animated Series comes amid a wave of major media moves for Miko, including collaborations with the Walt Disney Company and Paramount Consumer Products.
Miko: The Animated Series is streaming now on YouTube. Miko 3 is available for purchase on www.miko.ai and Amazon.


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Lincoln is freshening the Canadian-made Lincoln Nautilus midsize luxury crossover, giving it a new infotainment system, larger centre screen and cosmetic tweaks in a bid to boost falling sales in a key segment.
The crossover segment — which, for Lincoln, includes the Aviator, Corsair, Nautilus and Navigator — has been critical for Lincoln, driving Canadian sales of the brand to a 6.7-per-cent gain in the third quarter of 2020, which Lincoln Canada says is the company’s best third quarter in 40 years.
However, much of those gains were made by the Aviator (up 612 per cent) and the MKC (up 4.6 per cent). Nautilus sales were off 45 per cent in the quarter. And it’s a similar story in the United States, where the freshening comes as sales for the crossover there have dropped significantly, putting it in jeopardy of losing the title as the brand's top-selling U.S. model. Nautilus sales in the United States fell 12 per cent last month — Ford reports monthly sales in the United States, but not Canada — and are down 31 per cent on the year. Canadian sales are off 51 per cent for the year.
"We do believe the changes to the Nautilus will definitely raise awareness for consumers," Lincoln North America Director Michael Sprague said on a call with reporters. "Over the last 18 months we've launched the Aviator and Corsair. Those vehicles have had tremendous success. And so, perhaps, maybe Nautilus kind of got lost in the middle between the two. In the spring, when we start to focus on Nautilus, we expect to see sales pick up.”
Lincoln is calling the new Nautilus an expression of calm and sanctuary, building on what the company calls its Quiet Flight DNA. Horizontal lines and a “coast-to-coast” view of the cabin are expressed with a new horizontal 13.2-inch centre stack screen and the brand’s piano-key transmission selection switches.
FIRST LINCOLN WITH SYNC 4
Nautilus becomes the first Lincoln to receive Ford’s new SYNC 4 user interface, which Sprague said is the most conversational voice-interface SYNC offers. He said the system recognizes more plain English commands — such as “I’m hungry” — than before.
A 250-horsepower 2.0-litre turbo engine is standard, with an optional 2.7-litre twin-turbo V-6 with 335 horsepower available. The Nautilus also comes standard with Lincoln Co-Pilot360 and, optionally, Lincoln Co-Pilot360 Plus, which adds a 360-degree camera with front-sensing system, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go and lane centring technology, distance sensing, enhanced active park assist and evasive steering assist. All-wheel drive is standard for Canada.
The 2021 Nautilus Reserve AWD will start at $58,150, including $2,150 freight and delivery, with an optional premium package costing $5,500. The twin-turbo V-6 is a $4,000 option. As has been Lincoln Canada’s practice, the top-level Lincoln Black Label trim package will not be offered in Canada.
The 2021 Nautilus will be available in dealers early next year.
The redesigned Nautilus will be built for North America at Ford’s Oakville Assembly Plant in Oakville, Ont., a facility that had an uncertain future until contract negotiations between Unifor and the automaker in September resulted in a $1.4-billion transformation to electric vehicles.
The change to electric vehicles isn’t expected to be complete until 2025. When asked whether Nautilus would continue to be built for the duration of its product cycle, Ford did not provide an answer.
Those planned upgrades and retooling were the fruits of intense talks and include financial support from the Ontario and Canadian governments. Until the talks, Ford had been progressively ending production of vehicles at the plant, starting with the Lincoln MKT in October 2019 and the Ford Flex in November of the same year. Future production of the Ford Edge, and its Lincoln counterpart, Nautilus, had been murky beyond the expected 2023 end of the current product cycle for Edge.
Michael Martinez of Automotive News contributed to this report.


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The year-on-year growth rate of China's home prices last month hit a two-year high, a senior official in the nation's top planning body has said.
The average home price in 70 major cities rose 10.5 percent last month compared with a year ago, and average new home prices grew 12.2 percent year-on-year, Cao Changqing, head of the pricing department at the National Development and Reform Commission, said yesterday in an online interview.
But Cao did not reveal last month's growth rate over October. The average housing price in these cities has increased six consecutive months, including November.
In the first 11 months of this year, home prices in 70 cities increased 7.3 percent from the previous year, while new residences jumped 7.9 percent.
Shenzhen and Guangzhou's home prices began to drop gradually after hiking in previous months, while home sales in popular areas such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou have decreased, Cao said.
Property policies will meet the demands of people and home prices will be kept stable in future, Cao added.
Prices of about one third of Shanghai's residential projects available for sale have risen more than 30 percent over the past 12 months, a survey released yesterday by a local industry researcher found.
(Shanghai Daily December 14, 2007)


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Slant Six's SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Tactical Strike (PSP) has gone gold, Sony announced today on the official PlayStation blog. The title is ready for production and on track to make its scheduled November 6 retail date.
Industry newcomer Slant Six took over development of the portable SOCOM series from Zipper Interactive for Tactical Strike. The developer is also working on the online-only PlayStation 3 SOCOM title, SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Confrontation, scheduled for release in 2008 both as a downloadable title from Sony's PlayStation Store and an in-store retail package.
For more on the new areas Tactical Strike is taking the SOCOM series, check out the Shack's preview and interview with Slant Six's director of development. nope


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What challenges will the battery recycling industry face in the future? How will the market and recycling technologies develop? And what progress has been made in the safe handling of lithium-ion batteries?
These were just some of the topics discussed at this year’s International Congress for Battery Recycling ICBR 2018, which took place in Berlin from September 26 to 28. Around 270 experts attended the annual industry meeting – more than ever before. The three-day congress program was once again extensive and attendees experienced 30 specialist presentations, two panel discussions and a workshop as well as two plant tours at the companies Nickelhütte Aue GmbH and Electrocycling GmbH in Goslar.
The congress was kicked off by Professor Kerstin Kuchta from Hamburg University of Technology. She spoke about the market for batteries and the opportunities and challenges that arise for the recycling industry. Two further keynote speeches dealt with the topic of transportation: Didier Marginèdes from the French company Blue Solutions spoke about changes occurring in the transport market – away from delivering transport and towards delivering solutions. Gudula Schwan from the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure in Germany addressed the importance of hazardous goods regulations for the recycling industry.
Panel discussions also met with great interest
Other presentations dealt with the effects of EU policy on battery recycling. Jos Mossink from the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) reported on the effects of the EU chemicals policy on battery recycling. Chris Heron from Eurometaux described the connection between the European metals policy and the recycling industry. The presentations were supplemented by reports on market conditions for battery recycling and new technological developments. The focus was also on safety in handling lithium-ion batteries as well as their recycling. The congress additionally dealt with the development of electric mobility and its impact on the recycling of car batteries. The two panel discussions on Portable Batteries and Industrial Battery 2nd Life also met with great interest.
Again this year, the congress was accompanied by an exhibitors‘ forum. Congress attendees had the opportunity to find out which innovations are currently on the market by talking to exhibitors at the venue. And last but not least, there was sufficient opportunity for networking and getting to know one another at the Networking Dinner, which this time took place in the Berlin theatre “Bar jeder Vernunft”.
In the coming year there will again be ample opportunity to exchange ideas with colleagues and industry representatives. The ICBR 2019 industry meeting will be held in Lyon, France, from September 18 to 20, 2019.
Source: ICM AG


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Indonesia and four other countries have filed an official complaint to the World Trade Organization (WTO) over a recent new law in Australia. This law (‘2011 Tobacco Plain Packaging Act’), in effect since 1 December 2012, requires the removal of all branding (such as colours, imagery, and corporate logos) on cigarette packages. Indonesia’s Trade Ministry believes that the law violates several WTO rules, such as an agreement on trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights and an agreement on the technical barriers to trade.
16 January 2022 (closed)
Jakarta Composite Index (6,693.40) +35.04 +0.53%
USD/IDR (14,146) -6.00 -0.04%
EUR/IDR (17,335) +57.05 +0.33%


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Everton are continuing to make a concerted effort to win over American fans, and the latest move in that direction is sure to go down well. The Toffees yesterday revealed a limited edition warm-up shirt inspired by its fanbase in the USA and celebrating the Club’s long-standing, historic ties with the country.
The two-tone blue shirt, which features the US flag’s famous stars and stripes across its front, has been created by Everton’s Technical Partner, hummel, and is allowing the Club to show its appreciation to supporters living in - and from - the United States.
A limited number of the shirts have been made available for members of Everton’s US Supporters’ Clubs and US-based Everton Official Members to buy from today (Thursday 21 October), before the shirt goes on sale via evertondirect.com and in Everton’s club stores, Everton One and Everton Two, from 3pm BST (10am Eastern Time/7am Pacific Time) on Friday 22 October. The shirts are available in adult and junior sizes and will retail at £35 for adults and £30 for juniors.
To celebrate the launch, Everton’s men’s First-Team players will wear the shirts during the warm-up of Saturday’s Premier League meeting with Watford at Goodison Park (kick-off 3pm BST).
The release also coincides with the latest NBC Premier League Mornings Live fan festival that will be taking place in Los Angeles, California, across both days of this weekend.
As part of its own activity for the event, and to ensure as many Evertonians across the United States can get involved, Everton will be hosting a live post-match show, Everton USA Live, following the Watford fixture. The programme – a follow-up to the inaugural Everton USA Live in April 2021 and a subsequent spin-off series during the Club’s pre-season trip to Orlando, Florida in July - will combine US-themed content and live match reaction, as well as featuring interviews with guests including Rafa Benitez, Tim Howard and Landon Donovan.
To mark the unveiling of Everton’s ‘Stars & Stripes’ limited edition shirt, midfielder Tom Davies and striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin spoke to Evertonian and Men in Blazers host Roger Bennett for a feature that will be aired exclusively on Men in Blazers’ social media channels (@meninblazers), and on NBC as part of their Premier League Mornings Live coverage.
Everton will make history on Saturday by becoming first Premier League club to pay tribute to deep American connection they have forged, both through a biblical lineage of players and passionate fanbase. This is the Complete Story #UTFT @Everton @EvertonInUSA pic.twitter.com/8d7D11hHJp— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) October 21, 2021
Everton Academy graduate Davies said:
“There’s definitely a special connection between Everton and our fans in the United States. Me and Dom went to New York Fashion Week last year just before the pandemic hit and we met Evertonians at the airport, at a museum, at a fashion show we went to - there were Toffees everywhere we went.
“It’s great for us as players to know we’ve got such strong support in the United States, and we know the effort lots of those fans have made to get over to Goodison Park and watch us live. That obviously hasn’t been able to happen over the last year or so but we can’t wait to see them when they are able to travel over again, hopefully very soon.
“In the meantime, I think this shirt is a great way for us to acknowledge that support from the States and I really hope the fans over there like it.”
A number of US men’s national team legends have represented Everton, including Howard, Donovan, Brian McBride and Joe-Max Moore.
The Blues also have a thriving network of affiliated Supporters’ Clubs in the USA, covering more than 30 states.
Since becoming Everton’s Technical Partner in May 2020, hummel have forged a close relationship with those Supporters’ Clubs, working with them to produce bespoke Everton merchandise featuring a number of different Supporters’ Club logos.
The US-themed shirt also follows the success of hummel’s limited edition rainbow warm-up jersey that was worn by Everton’s players ahead of their Premier League opener against Southampton in August to celebrate diversity and inclusion in sport.
Allan Vad Nielsen, hummel’s CEO, said:
“Having created such a strong bond with Everton fans in the United States, we wanted to do something that would specifically recognise their support and passion for the football club, but also celebrate the historic ties that have linked Everton and their country going back over a number of decades.
“In using the iconic Stars and Stripes, we believe we have produced a shirt that is an obvious celebration of that US connection the Club has, but one that, through its style and colour scheme, remains classically Everton. We hope the design is well received and look forward to strengthening our friendship with Evertonians in the States even further in future.”
The ‘Stars & Stripes: Everton Edition’ warm-up shirt will be on sale at evertondirect.com and in store at Everton One and Everton Two from 3pm BST (10am ET/7am PT) on Friday 22 October. Sizes are European. Visit evertondirect.com by clicking here.


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Well they didn't waste much time.
A group of directors at Jupiter Fund Management, including chief executive Edward Bonham Carter, are selling around £80m worth of shares a year after the company's flotation, and on the day a 12 month lock in expires. The executives - who also include money managers Anthony Nutt and Philip Gibbs - are disposing of 31.3m shares via a placing, around 6.8% of the business. At last night's closing price the shares are worth some £79.9m. However the news of the sale - which accompanied a trading update - has seen Jupiter's shares slump more than 5%, down 13.8p to 241.5p. In all, a total of 65.9m shares have been released from the lock-in, so further sales could be on the cards, putting more pressure on the market price.
The trading statement, somewhat overshadowed by the placing news, was in line with analyst forecasts, suggesting a 15% rise in revenues on 2010.


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Steam recently released its list of the biggest games of 2021, both in terms of total revenue generated and in terms of players. The list included a number of well-known names including Dota 2, GTA 5, PUBG, Apex Legends, and CS: GO, but also newbies like Valheim, Cyberpunk 2077, and New World.
But perhaps the biggest winner on Steam last year was Microsoft. As game reporter and YouTuber Benji-Sales noted, three of the top 12 new games on Steam last year were first-party titles from Microsoft, making Microsoft one of the largest publishers on the platform.
“Microsoft / Xbox Game Studios have become one of the largest publishers on PC / Steam, with three of the 12 highest grossing games of the year being first-party releases in 2021.” wrote Benji before congratulating Xbox and Microsoft.
Here are the top 12 new releases on Steam for 2021 in terms of sales. Microsoft’s games are highlighted in bold.
- Naraka blade tip
- Halo infinite
- Forza Horizon 5
- New world
- Age of Empires IV
- Battlefield 2042
- Back 4 blood
- Mass effect LE
- Resident Evil Village
- Farming Sim 22
What is also extraordinary for Microsoft last year is that all of their games are actually pretty good. Halo Infinite really took advantage of that years of delay to create a masterpiece, while Forza Horizon 5 is perhaps the best driving game out there today. Age of Empires IV also returns as a triumph of the genre that is likely to last for years.
Unfortunately, all of these games are new releases, so the only one available on Steam is Forza Horizon 5, and it’s only at a 10% discount. Still, even at almost full price, it comes highly recommended.
The Steam Winter Sale is now up and running until January 5th. There are plenty of deals on the best games of 2021 including Cyberpunk 2077 and New World. Before the New Year, immerse yourself in a new game and save some money in the process.
Next: Five Video Game New Years Resolutions in 2022
The look isn’t that great for Amazon
About the author


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London Super Comic Con this March 15-16th has announced its third wave of special guests, and it's fairly mega, though there are more announcements to come. Max Brooks, Arthur Adams and Frank Cho are headlining.
Also announced in the third wave of guests are Jacen Burrows, Neil Edwards, Lee Garbett, Andy Lanning, Yanick Paquette, Jamie Tyndall, John Watson, JK Woodward and Chrissie Zullo. Previously confirmed are Charlie Adlard, Howard Chaykin, Alan Davis, Tom Palmer, Dan Slott and Brian Wood.
That's a pretty healthy contingent of creators on an international scale, and confirms that cons are growing worldwide right now. LSCC seems set to pursue the "big con" model we see at NYCC and C2E2 while still pursuing a big focus on comics in the vein of Baltimore Comic Con. To do that, they feel that a "diverse mix of exhibitors and creators" are the best bet to increase momentum.
But the Con is also focusing heavily on the Cosplay community, and energy is building for the inaugural London Super Cosplay Championship. The Championship's grand prize will include a trip for 2 to Dragon Con in Atlanta this year and special cosplay guests appearing will be Yaya Han and Riki LeCotey a.k.a Riddle.
The Con is drawing directly on fan and participant demand after huge interest in cosplay last year. According to LSCC:
Cosplay at L.S.C.C .2013 was fantastic and added a real carnival atmosphere to the event. We have spent a lot of time speaking to cosplayers, these past few months, and we believe we have listened to what they want and have come up with a package that not only the cosplay community deserve, and will ultimately enjoy, but what the whole comic book community in the UK will.
Testament to the growth of LSCC and fan demand in the UK is an 80% sell-out of VIP tickets already, and an impressive sales rate on tickets that's much faster than in previous years. It could be a con to keep an eye on for brisk growth.
And last year, this happened (Yes, that's George Perez), so it looks like an intense convention to say the least:
So if you're in London, there'll be plenty of top talent and also plenty of cosplay. And if you do attend, make sure to send us your photos and thoughts at Bleeding Cool.


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The in thing
But investors must understand what they’re buying
EXCHANGE-TRADED NOTES (ETNS) are fast becoming one of the most popular new investment tools being rolled out by financial institutions trying to capture market share in South Africa. However, investors need to be sure of understanding exactly what they’re getting.
Most investors who have dabbled with the stock market understand what an ETF is and most will have some understanding of how a product range such as Satrix works. But as market awareness grows about passive products, investors need to ensure they understand what they’re actually buying. For example, take Standard Bank’s recently launched Africa Equity ETN. While the portfolio itself gives investors access to 100 plus companies in a basket of African countries, the ETN isn’t backed by physical equity but rather Standard Bank’s promise to pay investors the equivalent of what it calculates the basket to be worth.
The retail investor can never physically redeem the basket for its underlying components. That has pros and cons for investors. For instance, the recently launched Deutsche Bank ETN products that give investors access to China, Africa and an emerging market “basket”. Kari van Rensburg, director of global equity derivatives at Deutsche Securities, says these products will offer retail investors access to passive products on a very low fee base (85 basis points). The fees are lower for an ETN than an ETF product, as they’re classified as different types of products and have lower regulatory costs attached to them.
That cost factor has been a criticism levelled at the traditional Deutsche Bank X-Tracker products, which are pure ETFs. The total expense ratio of the ETF product comes in between 1,10% and 1,25% against 0,85% on the ETN. That has to some degree meant investors have been shy to make use of the products in their portfolio.
However, such behaviour has been changing. “We now have around R1,6bn in assets in the X-Tracker product range and since the start of the year we’ve had about a 50% increase in the units held in the World, US and Japan [index-tracking] products,” says Van Rensburg.
An interesting observation he made was that retail investors were largely making their own investment decisions by investing through online stockbroking offerings rather than through structured investment plans.
While there’s nothing to suggest either Standard or Deutsche Bank products are anything but legitimate offerings, investors should be sure they understand what they’re getting for their money, especially with costs now being such an important selling factor for passive products. That’s likely to become an increasingly relevant topic, with ETNs and leveraged “passive” products on the horizon for local markets.
Deborah Fuhr, of global asset management giant Blackrock, makes an important point in commentary about the Financial Stability Report into some of the new generation exchange-traded products that have been introduced over recent years. “The report perhaps missed a trick in not focusing in more depth on the risks posed by exchange-traded notes and certificates. Certainly it was the realisation that investors had 100% counterparty exposure to AIG that focused many minds in 2008 that, while an ETN might trade and settle like an ETF, it didn’t have the inherent protections you can assume in the latter structure.”
Commenting on whether such concerns were relevant to the South African market, Mike Brown, of etfSA, says: “These concerns aren’t currently strictly applicable to SA, where the Financial Services Board’s regulations prevent the use of derivatives or leveraged (geared) positions in the construction of ETFs. In the case of ETNs, the JSE does allow the use of futures contracts in holding the underlying assets. Such futures contracts, of course, are exchangetraded products subject to daily, mark to market and margin requirements as well as full transparency – but also requires the issuer of the ETN to provide a fully underwritten obligation to deliver the performance of the asset being tracked.”
KARI VAN RENSBURG


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April 17, 2015
Hong Kong's Hutchison Whampoa has launched a new business to help companies become multinational mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) using its networks in Europe and Asia.
The announcement follows reports earlier this month that web giant Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) has been in talks with Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. (Hong Kong: 0013; Pink Sheets: HUWHY) about forming such a multinational MVNO, offering low-cost services to US customers travelling overseas. (See Report: Google Planning Overseas Roaming Shake-Up.)
Hutchison said that Hue -- as its new venture is called -- would announce partnerships with a number of MVNOs during the next few months.
Hue appears to be one of the first examples of a global mobile virtual network enabler (MVNE), providing a single point of contact for organizations that want to launch mobile services across a number of geographical markets without building their own networks.
Typically, a company setting up an MVNO business would need to form a partnership with a network operator in each national territory -- and establish relationships with various other players in each of those markets -- making a multinational launch a costly and laborious process.
Hutchison thinks it can simplify matters by providing a single point of entry for prospective MVNOs eyeing up a number of markets.
The Hong Kong company has a broad network footprint, with networks in Austria, Australia, Denmark, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Ireland, Macau, Sri Lanka, Sweden, the UK and Vietnam. Should MVNO customers want to launch services elsewhere, it has promised to carry out negotiations with connectivity providers as part of the Hue service.
Hutchison says Hue will also offer services covering customer relationship management, billing and provisioning and act as an "interface" with third parties such as credit management agencies and logistics partners.
"Today's mobile wholesale market is fragmented and new entrants to mobile are often challenged with needing to understand market nuances and regulations in different countries," said Jarrod Nink, Hue's CEO, in a company statement.
For all the latest news from the wireless networking and services sector, check out our dedicated mobile content channel here on Light Reading.
Hue could hold particular appeal for large over-the-top players that remain unhappy about their dealings with big network operators. Companies such as Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) and Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) might see an opportunity to lure customers away from the incumbents through service innovation and low-cost tariffs.
Indeed, its strategy of scrapping roaming charges for customers travelling abroad could make Hutchison an obvious choice for low-cost MVNOs. Earlier this month, Hutchison's Three UK -branded UK business added further destinations to its roam-free Feel at Home service, meaning customers can now use mobile services at domestic rates in a total of 18 countries.
Hutchison's acquisition strategy could also support the development of Hue. The company is awaiting a regulatory decision on its £10.25 billion ($15.4 billion) takeover of Telefónica UK Ltd. (O2) and was last month reported to be in advanced talks about merging its Italian business with local rival Wind Telecomunicazioni SpA , currently owned by Russia's VimpelCom Ltd. (NYSE: VIP). It has also recently completed takeovers in Austria and Italy. (See Telefónica Seals $15.2B O2 Sale to Hutchison and Hutchison's Wind of Change.)
Clearly, a bigger network footprint would make Hue even more attractive to MVNO partners.
Many of Hutchison's network rivals have been fiercely resistant to the market entry of more MVNOs given the impact of price-based competition on service revenues.
In several European markets, including Austria and Germany, regulators have ordered network operators to provide MVNO services in response to recent bouts of consolidation. Telekom Austria Group has said this poses "additional risks" for its business, while Deutsche Telekom AG (NYSE: DT) has accused authorities of strengthening MVNOs at the expense of network investors. (See Net Loss Prompts More Cuts at Telekom Austria.)
Hutchison did not respond to questions about the impact Hue might have on its own retail operations, although its European business has recently flourished.
Buoyed by takeover activity, the company's 3 Group Europe subsidiary -- which includes businesses in Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Sweden and the UK -- flagged a 23% increase in EBITDA last year, to HK$15.6 billion ($2 billion).
The M2M marketplace has already given rise to several global MVNEs, with US-based KORE Wireless Group Inc. and Wyless among the most prominent. Taking advantage of roaming agreements with various network operators, both players claim to offer a range of managed services for organizations providing M2M services in automotive, energy, healthcare and other vertical markets.
— Iain Morris, , News Editor, Light Reading
International Editor, Light Reading
Iain Morris joined Light Reading as News Editor at the start of 2015 -- and we mean, right at the start. His friends and family were still singing Auld Lang Syne as Iain started sourcing New Year's Eve UK mobile network congestion statistics. Prior to boosting Light Reading's UK-based editorial team numbers (he is based in London, south of the river), Iain was a successful freelance writer and editor who had been covering the telecoms sector for the past 15 years. His work has appeared in publications including The Economist (classy!) and The Observer, besides a variety of trade and business journals. He was previously the lead telecoms analyst for the Economist Intelligence Unit, and before that worked as a features editor at Telecommunications magazine. Iain started out in telecoms as an editor at consulting and market-research company Analysys (now Analysys Mason).
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On 21st July the government announced proposed changes to JobKeeper including an extension through to 28 March 2021. These changes do not impact JobKeeper payments until after 28 September 2020.
It has been announced that the current $1,500 per fortnight JobKeeper payment will be reduced to $1,200 per fortnight from 28 September, and $750 per fortnight for eligible employees working less than 20 hours a week for the period 28 September 2020 to 03 January 2021.
From 04 January 2021 to 28 March 2021, the rate will again fall to $1,000 per fortnight, and $650 for people working less than 20 hours a week.
NEW ELIGIBILITY TEST
Businesses will still be required to demonstrate the required reduction in turnover- 30 per cent for businesses with turnovers of $1 billion or less, 50 per cent for those with turnover of more than $1 billion, and 15 per cent for ACNC-registered charities.
The government will now require businesses to demonstrate that they have suffered an ongoing significant decline in turnover using actual GST turnover, rather than projected GST turnover.
From 28 September, businesses will be required to show an actual decline in turnover for both the June 2020 and September 2020 quarters to qualify for JobKeeper 2.0.
From 4 January 2021, businesses will need to reassess their turnover to demonstrate that they have met the decline in turnover test for each of the June 2020, September 2020 and December 2020 quarters.
20 JULY 2020 – CHANGES FOR CHILDCARE PROVIDERS
The rule changes relating to Jobkeeper payments for childcare providers have now been confirmed.
Eligibility for JobKeeper payments have now stopped from 20 July 2020 for:
- Employees of an approved provider of child care services where those employees whose ordinary duties are that they are engaged principally in the operation of the child care centre.
- Eligible business participants where the business entity is an approved provider of a child care service.
Childcare providers need to ensure that they do not claim JobKeeper payments for employees and eligible business participants who are no longer eligible. You will not be reimbursed for payments made after JobKeeper fortnight 8 (6 July to 19 July).
Please contact our office on 07 5585 0600 if you require any assistance for further advice regarding the application and ongoing reporting requirements for JobKeeper Payments.


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We know our clients have a eager sense of fashion, quality, service, and our mission is to deliver the best buyer assistance ever. When buying a replica, not too many people will know the difference. Louis Vuitton?s Kim Jones revealed the bear in an Instagram put up, thanking Supreme?s James Jebbia and photographer Katie Grand, urging individuals to share and donate to the cause. Only a month ago, we were gushing over the Prestige Qiyana pores and skin designed by Louis Vuitton. Fingers crossed we?ll hear extra once Worlds is over and executed with. It?s the first time in our history as an organization we?ve brought in a partner throughout the game, across the sport and in real life,? a Riot Games consultant defined at the Worlds 2019 press convention earlier this week. In the upcoming opening ceremony of the game?s Worlds 2019 last, which is scheduled to be on November 10, the actual, real-life members of the hip-hop group will perform a single referred to as Giants. On the other hand, the outfits designed for the digital group, True Injury, also showcase the same contemporary, pop-road fashion style, with skins for all of the members of the group. A Prestige Edition for League of Legends? True Injury Senna pores and skin will even have a Louis Vuitton design, with plans to launch someday next yr.
Louis Vuitton and Riot Video games have introduced that the iconic French trend home and the American e-sports group will collaborate on a one-of-a-kind Trophy Journey Case to hold the coveted Summoner?s Cup. A couple of months back, Riot Video games revealed that one of many multiplayer on-line battle enviornment (MOBA) recreation, League of Legends, can be welcoming some important step-up in the vogue facet as it paired up with the famous French vogue home, Louis Vuitton. League of Legends-now 10 years outdated-is an online multiplayer recreation that has dominated in the world of e-sports; it’s now essentially the most-performed Laptop sport throughout the globe. While the license settlement between Riot and Louis Vuitton remains confidential, a number of fascinating points arise in the unique setting of video recreation collaborations. With Louis Vuitton, you’re setting the bar high for your mates and proudly saying that by proudly owning a bag from one of the highest handbags designers, you are the style icon within the group who is able to set the pace for a way other ladies should look when they leave the house each day. To appeal to the modern affluent viewers, both Gucci and Vuitton have set out to maneuver away from traditional luxurious brand behaviour, using exclusivity and excessive worth points to create demand.
Nicolas showed spectacular artwork along with her complete set of chic hip-hop type ensemble with laces, accessorized with massive gold earrings. The refreshing Prestige pores and skin for Qiyana, the place followers can check out on the Washington Post, was designed by Nicolas Ghesquiere, a Louis Vuitton?s inventive director for women?s assortment. Louis Vuitton?s creative director Nicolas Ghesquiere is designing clothes for characters in the fantasy video sport League of Legends, part of a new partnership between the LVMH unit and publisher Riot Video games. Louis Vuitton?s partnership doesn?t stop with the lavish trophy case, as Riot Video games have helped designed some themed skins for select heroes which are actually available in the MOBA, and this can quickly extent to precise clothing fans will likely be ready to buy – which sounds pretty superior. Recently, the developer has begun to unveil the product of their collaboration, which is a Prestige skin of the brand for Qiyana, as well as clothing designed by the brand for the virtual hip-hop girl group referred to as True Harm, which comprises of 5 members, including Akali, Qiyana, Yasuo, Ekko, and the lately-added, Senna. The Louis Vuitton and League of Legends partnership will proceed into 2020, with champion Senna receiving a real Damage skin created by the identical designer who created the True Harm Qiyana Prestige Version skin.
Now, the excessive-finish fashion designer has revealed their official League of Legends collection and it appears fabulous? Want an Authentic Designer Handbag? So if it comes attached, then your handbag is just not authentic. When I was at Great Plains we cooked up one specific demo that was offered to the largest stay viewers in historical past, on the time, after which went on to be deployed as a gross sales demo to thousands of Microsoft gross sales personnel. Solely then you definitely assortment of bags will get an entire look. After Riot and Louis Vuitton struck gold on their collaboration for Qiyana pores and skin, the vogue icon has released their first League of Legends collection. Baggage in the gathering embrace the Neverfull, the Speedy, the Boite Chapeau and a Bumbag, whereas exhibits come in the type of the Louis Vuitton Archlight sneakers, the Star path boots and the most recent Beaubourg platform derby shoes. In case you missed it, Louis Vuitton just launched a brand new leisure platform. ?It?s the place the world of sports and leisure come together in celebration of new legends to be born. Though expertise and vogue have all the time gone hand-in-hand, they haven?t come collectively quite like this before. Nike?s bitter rival and fellow sportswear superpower, Adidas, has seen a less profitable 12 months, recording a 1 p.c lower in model value to 16.5 billion US dollars, nevertheless, this nonetheless helped it come third in the rating.


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Nissan has unveiled its latest Nismo electric vehicle. The Ariya Nismo is based on the Ariya e-4orce and it's scheduled to be available in two trims. The B6 has a 66kWh battery, while the B9 has a 91kWh version. With Nismo being Nissan's performance division, it's no real surprise that the EV will offer a little more power than other Ariyas. The B6 model will have 362 hp and 413 lb-ft while the B9 is set to have 429 hp and 443 lb-ft, though Road and Track points out that these figures might change before the electric SUV hits the road.
The Nismo team is said to have tuned the acceleration and added an exclusive driving mode that aims to maximize response. Nissan claims that the tuning, combined with the four-wheel-control tech of e-4orce and tires mounted on rigid 20-inch aluminum wheels, will help deliver "superior stability and turn-in ability as well as better line-tracing and enhanced cornering ability at high speeds."
Nismo also added an optional Formula E-esque sound to the Ariya Nismo for additional "excitement," Nissan said. The automaker added that the cabin has a premium feel with specially designed Nismo seats and trim.
This isn't quite the first Nissan EV that the Nismo team has worked on. It debuted the Leaf Nismo RC concept at the 2011 New York Auto Show. A second-gen model went into production in Japan in 2018. Nissan has yet to announce pricing and a release window for Nismo's new flagship EV.


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Three quarters of UK adults expect online queries to be dealt with the same day – and half expect a reply within the hour, new research has revealed.
When the same study was conducted in 2014, only 67% of respondents expected a response the same day and 30% within the hour.
According to Lithium Technologies, which conducted the research, the findings reflect how younger tech-savvy generations are driving up expectations in online customer service.
The survey of more than a 1,000 consumers also shows the extent to which brands are falling short in satisfying their consumers.
Millennials (aged 18 to 24) were by far the most demanding generation in the study, with 55% of respondents expecting a response within the hour, compared to 41% of people aged 35 to 54.
Men are the more demanding gender when it comes to customer service demands, the study found – with 23% expecting a near immediate response to a query, compared to 15% of women.
Further evidence shows that customer service habits are changing, especially when it comes to the preferred method of contact. Three in five survey respondents said they only call a 0800 or other toll-free numbers for customer service issues as a last resort.
“As technology has evolved, so too has the need for immediacy in customer communications,” said Fabrice Etienne, marketing director at Lithium Technologies, EMEA. “Brands need to do more to meet their customers’ expectations by engaging them online, or risk losing them to more digitally-advanced companies.”


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Cox Communications, the third-largest cable provider in the US, announced today that it’s launching a mobile phone service that it will bundle with its cable and internet service, Bloomberg reports.
The cellular service is launching today in Orange County, California; Omaha, Nebraska; and Hampton Roads, Virginia. The company is hoping to take on phone companies like AT&T and Verizon who have been steadily encroaching on Cox’s TV market share.
Cox says the service will be “unbelievably fair” to consumers by giving money back for unused minutes, and the company will also bundle free TV, Internet, or landline phone service. The company will offer alerts to consumers as they approach their monthly minute limit, and will give 5 cents back for every unused minute (up to $20 a month).
24 percent of its customers said they would switch to its mobile service in May, the company said.
Cox will use Sprint’s 3G network initially, but the company is also working on a network of its own, according to the company’s vice president of wireless, Stephen Bye. The company will offer wireless service only in areas where it operates — it has no plans to become a national carrier. Its monthly contracts will start at $39.99, and the company will offer free calling to other Cox cellphones and landlines.
Cox will offer an array of Android handsets initially, including the HTC Desire, Motorola Milestone and LG Axis. The company will expand its offering based on customer demand, according to Bye. The company will sell the phones at its Cox Solutions Stores.
The news makes Cox the first cable company to pursue a wireless service offering, as well as the first to offer a “quadruple play” of services (wireless, TV, internet, and landline phone). Cox and other cable companies have a long history of joint ventures to enter the wireless business — often with Sprint as their partner — but none seem to have taken off as planned.
I can certainly imagine Cox customers being tempted by wireless plans bundled with other Cox services. But building its own network seems foolish when the company can easily lease service from major carriers. The company may eventually save some money by building its own network, but there’s no guarantee it will be able to recoup its costs.
Photo via sfxeric
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Looks like that PowerA Switch case themed after Blizzards stupendously successful Overwatch was on point, as fans have learned more details about the process of the game being ported to the portable hardware. Fans got really inquisitive about certain aspects, which Blizzard seems eager to feed. Specifically, people wanted to know how the port was
We’re back again with more news about the Epic Games Store, and this time it’s more good news, as Epic is giving away more free games. It looks like they’re definitely doubling down on the strategy of getting their foot in the door of public awareness by firing mountains of free games into our laps.
The company that formed out of the Final Fantasy XV departing from Square Enix, Luminous Productions, has some news about their ongoing work on a new game, as confirmed in an interview with studio head Takeshi Aramaki. This comes after the company was formed to pick up the slack on new goals that various developers
The Prime Vault is something any experience Warframe player is well familiar with, but for you new people, here’s the rundown. The Prime variants of different Frames and gear within the shooter are usually only available in the drop table for a limited time, before being sealed away in the Prime Vault. This means that
Konami may have moved a lot of their business interests away from video games directly, but they still contribute a healthy amount of work to the industry as a whole. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Konami Europe president Masami Saso spoke openly about the plans the Japanese company has for the future, and how they
Starpoint Gemini 3 is coming soon, much sooner than some fans expected, as LGM has announced this week that the sprawling space sim will be dropping into Early Access tomorrow of all days. After months in pre-alpha phase, LGM finally has more to show for the space-based title. The game is coming along, but still
Wizards of the Coast announced today that Magic: The Gathering Arena will be finally releasing full, after an extended beta period, on September 26th. But there’s something else coming with the final launch too, an entirely new set of cards. The Throne of Eldraine set joins the party, both in Arena and the tabletop variant,


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RECENTLY the DeLorean Motor Company announced it was going back to the future by making new cars based on the famous DMC used in the film Back To The Future.
Now the car manufacturer has released a stunning new video advertising the vehicles ahead of them being made available to the public.
The ad - called Lucky Coin – shows a young man who stumbles upon a DMC-12, which is the official name of the car that Dr. Emmett Brown uses to escape terrorists with Marty McFly back to the 1950s.
The supercars, made famous by the sci-fi movies, were originally made in Northern Ireland before the company went bust in 1982.
Around 9000 cars were made but only 6500 are still said to exist.
However in 1995 British entrepreneur Stephen Wynne began selling refurbished DeLoreans in Texas.
But now his firm, still using the name the, are able to build new cars as well, following changes to the laws governing small scale car manufacturers.
In the advert, after driving through some beautiful canyons on twisty roads, the man stops the car, climbs out, and pulls out his “lucky coin” — a Kennedy half dollar from 1982, the year the original DeLorean Motor Company went bankrupt — and tosses it into a ravine.
British entrepreneur is to start production again of the famous supercar in Texas and plans to make up to 300 new models.
The new models are expected to cost around £60,000 but the final price will depend on what engine the designers choose – and should be ready for the road in 2017.
Wynne claims he has enough parts to make up to 300 new cars.
He said:: “There’s no reason to change the appearance of the car.
“As we go into the programme, we’ll decide what areas need to be freshened up.”
Although the new model will have new design tweaks – it’s unlikely to be able to travel back and forward in time.


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There’s an elementary school kid in Tallahassee who’s a huge University of Tennessee fan. But apparently he couldn’t afford one of their shirts, so he made one.
He drew the initials “U.T.” on a piece of paper and pinned it to an orange shirt. But kids are kids and his classmates made fun of him. His teacher posted a photo of it on Facebook, hoping someone would buy him a real Tennessee Volunteers shirt. And then this happened.
Share in a Florida elementary student's Volunteer pride by wearing his design on your shirt too! Pre-order today for a late September expected delivery. A portion of proceeds from every shirt sold will be donated to @STOMPOutBullyng .https://t.co/NdnTtYREFL pic.twitter.com/OeTZvgC09Y
— VolShop (@UTVolShop) September 6, 2019
The president of the university saw the post and sent him a TON of swag. Then the school announced they were actually making shirts with the logo the KID designed.
They’re selling it online for $15. And a portion of each sale will go to a charity called Stomp Out Bullying.
You can preorder one through the University of Tennessee’s official campus store website. They’ll ship later this month.


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You’ve likely never heard of Giftango, but the provider of a digital gift card platform for retailers and businesses is becoming an increasingly essential company for mobile shopping and e-commerce. Today the company announced that Shopkick, makers of the mobile shopping app that rewards you for walking into stores, has chosen Giftango to power its new digital gift card offering.
Giftango offers a streamlined way for companies to tap into retailer gift card programs — allowing them to access gift card data within apps and other services. Basically, Giftango is powering the move away from traditional gift cards, which can get lost or stolen, and towards gift cards within shopping apps and digital wallets.
With Shopkick, Giftango is going to allow consumers to both receive digital gift cards as rewards and redeem them right from the Shopkick app. Last year Shopkick drove $110 million worth of revenue to its retail partners — simplifying the rewards process will only make it more valuable.
“All of these merchants have different ideas, Giftango has realy been focused on creating a consistency and conformancy in the [gift card] marketplace,” said Giftango founder and CEO David Nelsen in an interview with VentureBeat. “We’ve been pushing one gift card platform across all retailers.”
Giftango’s launch with Shopkick includes retailers like Lowe’s, Chili’s, Papa John’s, and Fandango. The company expects another 14 partners in the coming weeks.
Nelsen tells me that Giftango supports 150 brands, or a “majority of the market,” with its platform, accounting for around $2 billion worth of gift cards. The company has also developed a simple way to convert existing physical gift cards into digital ones — something that could be useful to help retailers and consumers transition to digital.
Gift cards aren’t exactly a sexy topic, but the move towards digital shopping is making them more valuable than ever. We’ve covered the Swedish social gift card startup Wrapp extensively, which has built a successful business with its social gift card plan. As gift cards shed their plastic real-world shells and go entirely digital, they’ll become even more valuable to retailers and consumers alike.
Portland, Oregon-based Giftango was founded in 2005 and has raised $13 million so far. The company has 50 employees, but Nelsen tells me it plans to double that number within the next 8 to 10 months as it expands its international operations.
Design is determining the winners in everything mobile. The most successful players are focusing on one thing: How to make products, services, and devices as compelling and delightful as possible – visually, and experientially. MobileBeat 2012, July 10-11 in San Francisco , is assembling the most elite minds to debate how UI/UX is transforming every aspect of the mobile economy, and where the opportunities lie. Register here.


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30 November 2022, Virtual
12 December 2022, etc.venues Monument, London
Business Travel Show Europe, presented by The BTN
Supply outstrips demand
Hotels in Prague have seen a "consistently gloomy" year to date as supply continued to outstrip demand, industry researchers STR Global said.
STR said a general lack of demand and oversupply of hotels had driven Prague's performance indicators "deep into negative territory".
In the first half of 2009, foreign visitors to the Czech capital fell 10.8% year-on-year while occupancy fell 15.5%.
But the supply of four- and five-star hotels in the country as a whole has more than doubled since 2000, STR said.
Average daily rates (ADR) fell by 17.9% year-on-year to €80.65 causing revPAR (revenue per available room) to fall 30.6% to €42.86.
STR Globasl's managing director Elizabeth Randall said Prague's hoteliers had cut rates as a "knee-jerk reaction".
"The city's hoteliers just doubled up on the pain as price cuts did not stimulate demand that wasn't there," Ms Randall said.
Choice Hotels International (CHI), Starwood Hotels and Kempinski have all opened large properties in Prague in recent times.


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WASHINGTON (March 26, 2001) — The Rubber Manufacturers Association, speaking on behalf of its tire manufacturer members, has urged federal regulators to design a "focused" early warning system to help identify potential safety-related issues with motor vehicles and equipment, including tires.
The RMA submitted its comments March 23 to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which is developing regulations to create an early warning system to detect potential safety-related issues in autos and auto parts. The regulations are being developed in accordance with legislation enacted last year.
The Transportation Recall Enhancement Accountability Documentation (TREAD) Act, enacted last year, requires that NHTSA create such an early warning system. The deadline imposed by Congress for final regulations to implement the early warning system is June 2002.
"NHTSA´s objective in this proceeding should be to construct and implement an effective and focused early warning reporting system," the RMA wrote.
RMA Vice President of Government Relations Ann Wilson, in a prepared statement, said: "NHTSA should take care to maintain its focus on the types of data that will most effectively provide such early warning rather than casting a wide net seeking vast amounts of data that may not be reliable or relevant."
The RMA suggested that NHTSA´s early warning system concentrate on four categories of data: claims of serious injuries and fatalities allegedly involving tires; lawsuits involving tires; property damage claims paid by tire manufacturers; and warranty adjustments.
The association said that when Congress passed the legislation it specifically rejected earlier versions that would have required auto makers, tire manufacturers and other auto parts manufacturers to submit an exceedingly broad array of data to federal regulators.
The association said its recommendations are designed to create an "efficient and effective" early warning system. In addition to the categories of data that should be collected, the RMA´s comments also addressed the frequency of information that will be reported; which manufacturers should be subject to reporting requirements and how NHTSA should manage and use the reported data.
"A properly constructed early warning system," the RMA´s Ms. Wilson said, "must be focused on available data that best provides an indication of safety-related issues."
"An overly broad data collection system that overwhelms regulators could result in a safety issue being missed," she said, adding that the RMA wants to work with NHTSA to help design a system that is consumer and safety focused.
Ms. Wilson said that since the planned early warning system would be the first of it kind, "...we expect a great deal of scrutiny and deliberation before a rule is finalized." She said the RMA is urging NHTSA to hold at least one public meeting before it issues any official rulemaking proposal in order to give interested parties an opportunity to express their views and respond to others´ concerns."
Besides the views of tire makers, RMA also addressed concerns of its rubber products manufacturer members in separate comments urging NHTSA to follow an incremental approach when including certain auto parts in the early warning system.
"First, NHTSA should focus on those systems with a history of safety-related defects, namely: child restraint systems, fuel tanks, air bags and related components, and axle/suspension/brake components," the RMA wrote.
"This could be followed by an expansion to parts covered by a Federal motor vehicle safety standard (FMVSS) if appropriate."
Furthermore, the RMA said, since auto manufacturers will be required to report a significant amount of data on their products, NHTSA should be careful to avoid duplicative reporting from other sources.
"Although Congress did not limit the automotive parts subject to the reporting requirements, common sense and a desire to create and maintain a workable system should compel NHTSA to move cautiously in the reporting of data," the association said.


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Monchilla, the Seattle-based startup that offers online payroll management and payroll tax payments, has been acquired by Xero, a New Zealand-based online accounting firm. Monchilla sold for a combined $4.1 million in cash plus almost 240,000 shares of Xero stock.
“It was an obvious choice for us to join Xero and our combined expertise will ultimately help us build a more rounded out, intuitive payroll solution to fuel our customers’ growth,” Monchilla co-founder and CEO Jack Couch said in a press release.
The deal will give Xero more tools to accelerate the growth of its U.S. business to more customers. Right now, the company offers payroll services in seven states, and Monchilla’s tech will help boost that number very quickly.
Xero will integrate Monchilla’s technology into the company’s existing payroll business, and bring the startup’s team into the business.
Monchilla co-founders Jack Couch and Nanuan Shi will take up leadership roles inside the payroll team as a part of the acquisition. Monchilla’s customers will be supported independently on the company’s platform while the team works to integrate its tech into Xero’s existing products. Once that move is complete, customers will be transitioned over to Xero’s service.
“We like the Monchilla team’s straightforward approach to filing and paying payroll taxes,” Jamie Sutherland, the President of Xero’s North America division, said in a press release. “Combining this capability with the work our team is doing will enable Xero to develop a superior payroll experience for the U.S.”


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Qualcomm Life announced two major partnerships at CES15 this year: one with pharmaceutical company Novartis and the other with pharmacy chain Walgreens.
Novartis selected Qualcomm Life as a partner for its global Trials of the Future program, in which Novartis is endeavoring to use more mobile technology in its clinical trials and to provide connectivity for future Novartis products. Novartis will use Qualcomm Life's 2net platform and various connected devices to collect medical data directly from trial participants in their homes.
"Novartis is a pioneer in putting technology to use in advancing pharmaceutical innovation," Rick Valencia, senior vice president and general manager of Qualcomm Life said in a statement. "Standardizing on the tech-agnostic 2net Platform and accessing the robust ecosystem of integrated medical devices will provide them a great range of flexibility and scalability, ultimately accelerating their efforts to design more efficient, cost-effective clinical trials."
The first trial in the new partnership has already begun, evaluating the use of mobile devices for patients with chronic lung conditions. The trial is observational and doesn't involve any Novartis products or other pharmaceuticals. According to Qualcomm, the study "leverages 2net mobile-enabled smartphones and 2net Hubs to seamlessly collect and aggregate biometric data from medical devices and transmits this data to the cloud-based 2net Platform, which securely sends the data to the study coordinator."
Last summer MobiHealthNews noted that Novartis outlined a broad vision for how it could use mobile and digital health technologies to help reshape healthcare on its corporate website.
The Walgreens partnership, meanwhile, ties the 2net platform into Walgreen's Balance Rewards program. Walgreens has been putting a number of resources into its Balance Rewards program lately: In July it revamped the program with an emphasis on BJ Fogg's behavior change philosophy and it has since then added major partners in Misfit Wearables and WebMD.
In the Qualcomm Life partnership, Walgreens customers will be able to use 2net to sync certain mobile health devices, including a wrist-worn blood pressure cuff, a traditional blood pressure cuff and a blood glucose meter, directly to their Balance Rewards account, earning points each time they check their vitals.
"Whether transitioning from a hospital to the home or managing a chronic condition such as heart disease or diabetes, Walgreens connectivity solution powered by Qualcomm Life will allow us to help our customers achieve improved health through regular biometric communication with their providers," Adam Pellegrini, Walgreens divisional vice president of digital health, said in a statement. "Additionally, Qualcomm Life's platforms help us to reward participating customers for their choice to become more informed and engaged in their health care."