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India’s top hotels are losing out on major international events and conferences to Dubai and other cities in the UAE owing to tax-related costs that are making it a costly location for organisers.
Rafael Nadal married his childhood sweetheart of 14 years, Xisca Perello, at a castle in Mallorca on Saturday. Nadal,…112 | the publication reaches you by | Kuwait Online
Tax now adds around 35 percent to the cost of hosting events in India, leading to organisers to look elsewhere in the wider region, to the UAE and to Thailand, where added costs are not an issue.
Post implementation of GST (goods and services tax), hotel room tariffs now start from Rs 7,500 per day ($104) and attract the highest tax rate of 28 percent – significantly pushing up the final tariff for customers in 5-star hotels and many 4-star and boutique hotels-cum-convention centres in India’s metro cities.
On top of the 28 percent GST, a 5 percent GST by Indian tour operators and GST charges on other services related to such events and conferences, lead to higher costs for global organisations and international event managers hosting events in India.
“India has recently lost a big international event – a major medical conference involving 6,000 foreign delegates to one of Gulf countries because of the high cost of holding the event here,” Chander Mansharamani, vice chairman of India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB), told Arabian Business.
“This is just one of the instances and like this our high end hotels and convention centres have been losing out on getting international business every day ever since the high GST rate was imposed.”
According to hospitality industry sources in India, hotels and convention centres in Gulf countries and Thailand are also favoured because of the comparatively favourable costs offered to global conferences and events.
While there is no figure to available to show the level of business lost since the GST came into effect, Mansharamani said the loss is significant.
“It is a classic case of India’s loss is our neighbours’ gain. Internationally, the tax rates applicable on hotel tariffs are 6 percent or less. So, why would any organiser want to pay such exorbitant costs in India to hold their events here,” Jaison Chacko, assistant secretary general, Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), told Arabian Business.
The tariff for an event at an Indian 5-star hotel, including a 4-day stay costs around Rs 1 lakh ($1380) per delegate. At 28 percent GST amount adds a further Rs 28,000 ($388) to the cost.
“A Delhi-Dubai-Delhi air ticket will come for about Rs 18,000 ($250) these days. So, even if the organisers have to bear some additional costs, besides the hotel tariff, still the air ticket will come free for them if they hold the event in a Dubai hotel,” Pronab Sarkar, president of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), told Arabian Business.
The hospitality industry associations have taken up the issue of rationalising the GST rates on hotel tariff with the Indian finance ministry officials, but so far there has been no relief offered.
Jaison said FHRAI plans to take up this issue with the Finance ministry team when they hold their pre-Budget meeting next month.
“Our demand is to bring down the GST to about 14 percent or so,” he said.
IATO and ICPB officials said their associations have also pleaded with the Indian finance ministry to bring down the GST on high end hotel tariffs and on tour operators.
“International conferences and events help India to earn the much needed foreign currency. We should not kill this business with exorbitant tax rates,’ Sarkar said.
Against the backdrop of the unprecedented conditions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Boursa Kuwait saw a net profit…179 | the publication reaches you by | Kuwait Online


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Digital currencies are poised to disrupt finance, digital payments, payments and technology, said Alex Karpinski, chief digital officer of digital payment products for The Walt Disney Company.
The shift to digital currencies is a natural outgrowth of the disruption caused by bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, Karpinsky said.
I think digital currency is the next logical step after the internet, he said in an interview.
Karpinski is referring to the digital currency, which has gained more than 80 percent of the global market for goods and services since the beginning of the year.
The digital currency trades at less than one percent of bitcoin’s value.

domain: news


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Abercrombie & Fitch sales worsen
Last quarter Abercrombie & Fitch moved out of the ICU and into recovery – however it kicks off its new fiscal year with a clear indication that its health has deteriorated.
On the international front – including Asia – performance is undoubtedly weaker and despite the improvements, the brands do not have the traction and do not stimulate the interest that they do within the US. The price points in foreign markets are too high, something which has hampered the brand’s recovery.
The worsening of Abercrombie & Fitch sales is bad enough, but they also come off the back of a particularly torrid performance last year when total sales plummeted by 14 per cent and underlying comparable sales by 11 per cent.
The overall decline at the Abercrombie brand is particularly telling and reverses a year of gradual improvements to shrinking sales. Hollister’s performance was somewhat better, but even here previously positive growth has now turned flat. These declines, together with sharper discounting, have taken their toll on the bottom line where net income is negative to the tune of US$39.6 million. While this is an improvement on last year’s $63 million loss, it is a disappointing outcome given the progress that was being made.
Although A&F is moving its brands in the right direction, in order to attune themselves to the tastes and preferences of today’s young shoppers, this quarter’s torrid apparel market hindered that progress. The erosion came from a number of sources including a stronger dollar, more promotions and weaker demand. While a marked improvement on past collections, early spring and summer ranges were fairly lacklustre – especially at Abercrombie.
All of that said, there are still some signs of life – especially from the US business. Here, while underlying sales were down the pace of decline was shallower than in the prior quarter. Indeed, Hollister comparables increased within the US and both businesses saw margin improvements over the prior year. This suggests that many of the enhancements to the brands, especially to product and stores are continuing to deliver.
The question for the year ahead is whether Abercrombie & Fitch sales will improve or continue to worsen. On balance, a recovery is the most likely outcome, with the US business driving it. Stronger autumn and winter ranges, plus a payoff from better marketing as well as a slight recovery in overall market conditions for apparel bode well for the second half of the year. The near-term outcome for the second quarter is, however, a little less optimistic.
Despite all of this, the fact remains that A&F has much more work to do before it is returned to full health.
- Neil Saunders is CEO of retail analyst Conlumino.


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Biz Buzz, Oct. 28, 2012
Right about the time Robert Fishman opened the first Chomp’s Delicatessen in Glenwood Springs, he was thinking about creating a second location.
The growing Grand Valley population — and the possibility of drawing a large base of customers across the street from Colorado Mesa University — lured him west on Interstate 70.
A second Chomp’s will open “fairly soon” at 1122 N. 12th St., according to Fishman, noting he isn’t able to identify a more specific date yet because he’s waiting for the delivery of a refrigerator and freezer.
The deli will open in the former location of Taco John’s, which closed last November after the state of Colorado seized the Mexican fast-food restaurant for failing to pay more than $20,000 in sales tax.
In the meantime, Fishman and the deli’s general manager, Carolyn Loren, have been busy conducting interviews with potential employees and finishing remodeling the interior of the building.
Both come from food-service backgrounds: Loren in fine dining and cafes in California and Fishman in sandwich shops in Boulder in order to put himself through school at the University of Colorado. Fishman obtained a teacher’s license and a master’s degree in education and taught for five years at Roaring Fork High School in Carbondale. But he couldn’t afford the high cost of living on a teacher’s salary. So he opened a deli.
Fishman said Chomp’s features sandwiches with high-quality deli meats, a variety of salads and soups made from scratch using his own recipes, as well as a breakfast menu. Prices range from about $4 to $9.
The deli also will offer delivery within Grand Junction city limits and full-service catering.
“We really believe in quantity and quality of food and giving people the best of the best,” Loren said.
Fishman said he’s not concerned about expanding at a time when the economy struggles to improve.
“If you have a superior product, people will come,” he said. “I’ve got the product, she’s (Loren) got the service.”
Hours haven’t officially been established, but Fishman said the deli will be open seven days a week from roughly 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
■ Sharon Bradshaw-Bishard said she has watched friends mortgage their homes to keep their businesses alive. She, however, isn’t willing to jeopardize her personal assets to prop up her business because, as she put it, “I’m almost 63 and I don’t have time to recover from something like that if it turns into a disaster.”
So she and her husband, Glen Bishard, will close their bulk seed company, Green Fields Seed & Feed, 520 S. Ninth St., on Friday after 16 years of selling vegetable, grass, bird and other varieties of seed.
Bradshaw-Bishard blamed the rough economy and the domino effect it’s created for their decision.
“We’ve had a lot of our major accounts close their doors and we’re seeing suppliers close their doors,” she said.
She said the price of millet — a primary ingredient in the wild bird seed Green Fields sells — has surged from $10 for 100 pounds to $22.50 for 50 pounds. With the amount of new housing construction remaining far below where it was five or six years ago, landscapers aren’t buying seed for turf grass. And Bradshaw-Bishard said she doesn’t see things turning around quickly, regardless of whom voters elect next month.
“It’s hard to close your doors because we’ve had customers for 16 years and a lot of them are like family and friends,” she said. “Our first customer who walked in (Friday) morning was in tears” after learning about the business’ closure.
The shuttering of Green Fields means four full-time employees and two part-timers will be looking for work. They won’t be alone — Bradshaw-Bishard said either she or her husband need to find another job.
“My biggest concern is paying for health insurance,” she said.
■ Your Sign Company’s name would seem to suggest everything you need to know about the business’ business.
The fact that it doesn’t, though, is a big reason why the manufacturer is setting up a satellite office at Mesa Mall for the holidays.
The company that makes everything from murals, banners and wallpaper to floor and wall graphics and vehicle wraps will set up shop next to Cabela’s for all of November and December to showcase its products, pitch services to shoppers looking for holiday gift ideas and let the public know it can put almost anything on almost anything.
“There’s a lot of things we do that people don’t know about,” said Mike Kelly, who, along with his wife, Michell, have owned the business at 2478 Industrial Blvd. for 21 years.
During its temporary stay in the mall, Your Sign Company will give away two battery-operated children’s cars.


text: Adoni$74 Thursday, 09/12/19 06:17:04 AM Re: None Post # of 7473 The jump in revenues for TGOD from Q4-19 to Q1-20 will be exponential. -Ancaster is finally complete, and Valleyfield phase 1 could be coming online in the next 2-4 weeks. -They are going from 3000kgs of yearly production to 85,000kgs, a 2735% increase! -Hempoland (TGOD's profitable subsidiary) has increased production by 686% compared to last year! They already have huge distribution routes (and working on new ones) to absorb their products - Canada, Mexico, and a vast network in Europe being established by Hempoland. At this moment, their market cap ($565 million) only reflects their assets, not even factoring any future revenues and outlook! It is mind blowing how undervalued this company is compared to other LP's. Crunching a few numbers here and I can see why their Ceo Brian Athaide is confident that they will be EBITDA positive in Q1-20. We are literally months away from a BIG jump in valuation.


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In recognition of the first day of summer, the Issaquah Chamber of Commerce will host its third Cash Mob to help support a locally owned business.
At 4 p.m., June 21, the Mob will form on Front Street at one of Issaquah’s oldest businesses, Fischer Meats.
A recently formed group of Chamber members, known as Young Issaquah Professionals — or YIPpies — has been the mastermind behind orchestrating this extreme version of local shopping.
A Cash Mob is a group of people who congregate at a locally-owned business and infuse their collective cash into the local merchant’s register. In most cases, the “mobbers” are asked to spend around $20 each, but any amount will do.
“Fischer Meats has served our community for over a century as a locally-owned merchant,” said Nathan Perea, director of Membership Development for the Issaquah Chamber. “What better way to welcome the start of summer than to purchase something for your grill and support a classic downtown business?”
The first two Cash Mob’s have taken place in Gilman Village. The first was held in May at Lucky You! and the second was in May at Sister’s Antiques.


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Herbal Cures from Around the World – Just Enter Name!
Expert Articles 2014
- The Allopathic Brainwash: Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, “Everything’s genetic” and “Humans are born weak and without an immune system”
- National Geographic, WebMD and Wikipedia – three fraudulent “encyclopedia” style information presenters that are backed (and controlled) by Big Pharma and Biotech industries
- World Wide March Against Monsanto a HUGE SUCCESS, despite complete mass media blackout
- the WHOLE REASON the vaccine industry doesn’t want anyone knowing vaccines screw up the gastrointestinal tract
- USA globalists to thwart their own fake ISIS attack on American soil (satire)
- Johnson & Johnson required to pay family $50 million for child victim of Motrin overdose!
Blogs I Follow
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Quit Smoking without Medication – – Without Gimmicks — And Learn How in 60 Minute “All Natural” Video Lesson
Quit Smoking Naturally by video in 60 minutes. Learn from an ex-smoker and a researcher who figured out exactly HOW cigarettes affect your body, exactly how to MODIFY your behaviors, and exactly what NUTRITION you are lacking and need to … Continue reading
Read carefully the ingredients listed on the food items that you are purchasing! It may have answers to many of your queries!
According to Natural News, a pair of studies recently published in the journal Science raises fresh and dire warnings about the continued decline of crop-pollinating insects all over the world, and what this means for the future of the world’s … Continue reading
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How will your day be different after you learn the truth about something MAJOR that affects your life and health? Will you have a righteous hatred for lying journalists, lying scientists and lying media producers who make money off your … Continue reading
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Hello World! Food habits can determine who we are! In fact it can act as the guide to the spiritual life!
According to Natural News, food is spiritual. The variety and type of food we eat determines the kind of health we will have and our overall well-being as well. If you eat real food, raw food and organic raw food, … Continue reading


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There wasn’t much that escaped COVID’s ever-rippling effects, but with the shutdown orders keeping people indoors and an increased reliance on virtual shopping, Hope’s brick and mortar shops were especially hard hit.
And along with them, the local Chamber of Commerce also nearly closed up shop, with its members unable to keep it active during such a tumultuous time.
“Everyone (in the Chamber) is a volunteer, so they all had to go back and look after their business and family,” explained Victor Smith, who’s spearheading the reboot of Hope’s Chamber. “So we wanted to get it back up and running again.”
And businesses are interested in joining, says Smith, who’s the Chamber’s newest president. “We’ve gone from three paid members to 45 … (and) we have an executive director, which we haven’t had in years.”
There’s also a 12-person board, he added.
However, because of the all-encompassing nature of COVID’s effects, the largest draw for local businesses is perhaps the insurance policies that are available through the Chamber, said Smith, who has previously served as Chamber president.
“With everything that happened with COVID, the big thing that we offer is a dental and medical plan. It’s the best value plan for businesses with less than 50 employees in Canada,” continued Smith.
“That’s an extra benefit …to offer because right now there’s a shortage of employees. As you know, everyone in the country is trying to hire somebody.”
But more than offering health benefits, a Chamber membership also provides a variety of services and savings plans to help its members lower their costs and increase their profits.
The core goal of the Chamber is “to interact with business and (help) make (their) tills ring, (so they) can give back to the community (because) you can’t give what you don’t have. So we need to support (our local businesses),” Smith said.
It’s not just locally that the Chamber of Commerce is important, either: the BC Chamber of Commerce is the largest and most broadly-based business organization in B.C., and in late-July they announced the launch of seven Regional Resource Guides designed to support small business.
The provincial government is also allocating $5.5 million to support Chamber of Commerce buy local programming, which, Smith says, they’re definitely applying for. The more money the Chamber can raise, the more they can do for the community at large through the improvement of the local economy.
To facilitate local businesses increase their customer foot-traffic, the Hope Chamber of Commerce is partnering to host this year’s Chainsaw Carving Competition (Aug. 19-22), as well as a sidewalk sale (Aug. 21), and a “big Christmas thing.”
And with only one empty storefront on Hope’s main drag, Smith says things have definitely improved for local companies, but hopes the Chamber’s reboot helps both local businesses in need of assistance, as well as those who managed to continue operating as close to usual as possible during a global pandemic.
“We wanted (to just) get it back up and running again … so we (can help local businesses) look (and plan for) the future.”
For more information, email email@example.com, or visit their Facebook Page.
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In April, Providence Executive Vice President and Chief Digital and Innovation Officer Aaron Martin led his team to develop a new digital insight report series to help hospitals and health systems across the U.S. navigate COVID-19 recovery.
Mr. Martin worked alongside Sara Vaezy, the Renton, Wash.-based health system’s chief digital strategy and business development officer, and Providence’s digital strategy team to launch the COVID-19 Digital Insight Report Series. The report collection is based on research and insights gathered from more than 100 interviews with health system, technology and innovation leaders from Providence, public payers and other health systems.
“We wanted to create at least a kind of stake-in-the-ground situational understanding of how COVID-19 is going to impact the industry. And then how that impact is going to roll through and catalyze different parts of the industry and where it’s going to create digital opportunities, based on its impact on the business models, supply chains, etc.,” Mr. Martin told Becker’s Hospital Review.
Providence made the report series public to share their insights with other health systems but also to draw outside feedback. While Mr. Martin’s digital team focuses on understanding where the digital opportunities are in today’s market, he said he hopes that with the insight report series they will start a dialogue with outside stakeholders to help reveal insights Providence may have missed.
Here, Mr. Martin shares the top three digital trends hospital leaders must be aware of in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
1. Market will divide into a very consumer-driven market and a very risk-contracting market.
“The top trend I would say is that all the trends we were having pre-COVID-19 are accelerating rapidly. And what’s really important to understand is what is going to cause that. From a provider/integrated delivery network lens, the biggest trend we believe will be this bifurcation of the market where health systems and IDNs are going to have to accelerate getting into risk because COVID-19 showed us in stark relief that the fee-for-service model is broken.”
2. Consumer side will see acceleration of three types of technologies: demand aggregation, transaction/navigation and engagement.
“Health systems and IDNs are going to have to become very consumer friendly in their digital footprint. They’re going to have some very aggressive competitors move into the space, and COVID-19 has accelerated that. If you talked to me about a year and a half ago, I was going door to door to these health systems and saying ‘we don’t have a whole lot of time to get our act together from a digital consumer standpoint because big tech companies and great, smaller tech companies are coming in and they’re going to be offering really compelling digital experiences for your commercial patient population, which is what funds your entire business. So if you don’t do a great job, somebody else will.’ Those very economically valuable customers are going to move to things they’re familiar with such as simple self-service, online scheduling and telehealth. Now, because of COVID-19, everybody got kind of forced to sample what it’s like to receive care online, and many of these patients, especially commercial patients, enjoyed it. They said it’s far more convenient. COVID-19 put a massive amount of IDNs’ patient populations online, and now these disruptors, who are clearly providing better digital experiences, are going to take advantage of that. So that’s on the consumer side; the bifurcation is, think taking on more risk, contracting and think a better consumer experience.
The other thing that’s happening, just on the consumer side, is that similar to post 2008, we think with high deductible plans and because of unemployment, the cash market for care is going to expand dramatically because people will fall out of insurance or they’ll go into a high deductible plan because their employer may be forcing them into one or whatnot. This means you have to build a much more robust consumer experience very quickly. You’re going to see an acceleration of all the tech that we’ve been investing in over the past six years, which is the ability to aggregate those patients, find those people who are seeking care through very sophisticated search engine optimization and SEM, building a great brand, and then bringing those patients into a great transactional experience that is self-service and easy. And then building an engagement platform to where once we’ve created a relationship with them in that first transaction, how do we keep and engage with them between episodes of care?”
3. Payer/provider risk side will break down into big national payers driving IDNs into regional relationships.
“The risk side of things will break down into two further different scenarios. The first is the big national players such as Optum, UnitedHealthcare, CVS and Aetna will continue and even accelerate the purchasing of providers like physician practices. The likelihood that over time they’re going to share risk with a regional IDN is low. This is bad for the regional IDN because they need to get into these risk contracts, so their next best alternative is if they have a provider-sponsored health plan. However, if they don’t, they need to get into a relationship with a regional health plan and create a vertical market in their regional market so that includes them taking on risk. This has the following tech implications: much more payer-provider integration. That’s the next thing we’re doing; we have our own provider-sponsored health plan. If you’re a patient, why is it that you have to go to a separate payer’s website to find out your plan information, your employer website to find out your benefits information and your health system website to find out your medical information? That makes no sense. You should be able to see it in one place. This is one of many different payer-provider integration scenarios you can imagine.
On the provider-plan side, there will be technologies that all the factors on the consumer side apply to, but then you also add the payer-provider integration scenarios. You add things that start to make sense under risk, such as fully distributed care to where you’re not constantly driving patients into a hospital. You’re serving them more at home. Telehealth starts to make a heck of a lot more sense, so in that scenario, instead of asking a provider to maintain revenue, we did a study that showed that just to maintain their current fee-for-service revenue, they’d have to go from kind of on average three visits an hour to five. That’s unsustainable under telehealth, because telehealth reimbursement rates will start to drop.”
Click here to view Providence’s digital insight report series.
More articles on digital transformation:
Amazon seeks senior manager for Alexa health initiative
Wearables pulse check: 13 updates from Apple, Amazon, Fitbit & more health IT players
Rush University Health System taps Leidos to deploy ED command center app
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What’s been happening in the commercial world in the past week? Read on to find out!
Student travel business STA Travel has entered administration. The company ceased trading and went into administration on Thursday, putting 500 jobs across 50 UK stores at risk. Student Travel Association has cited a lengthy period of low income and slower than expected rebound from COVID-19. Other contributing factors include expensive high street rents and a huge demand for refunds. The final straw for the travel company was Australian airline Qantas’ announcement that it would not be running intercontinental flights in or out of Australia until at least the second half of 2021.
ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents) have stated that the majority of flights and holidays would be protected by the ATOL insurance scheme. However, for those working within the travel industry, the future remains bleak. The association has warned that job cuts so far represent 18% of the industry, but thousands more employees may face redundancy in the coming months.
Talking Point: Which type of travel companies are struggling particularly? Do these correspond with national outbreaks?
Related content: How has COVID-19 affected the aviation industry?
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The EU and US have reached an agreement over the tariffs placed on their bilateral trade. This is the first reduction between the two powers in over two decades. The EU will eliminate tariffs on US lobster; the US will halve import taxes on £122m worth of European goods such as cigarette lights and crystal glassware.
Due to heightened trade tensions, China placed 32% tariffs on US imported lobster earlier this year. Simultaneously, China chose to lower tariffs on Canadian lobsters to 7%. This decision reflects a wider political setting as we are beginning to see the knock-on effects of the Sino-American trade war and what this might mean for future trade relations between the EU and America.
Talking Points: What might this decision mean for a UK-US Trade deal?
Last week, Apple removed one of the world’s most popular games Fortnite from its app store. Google followed only a few days later. The move comes after Epic Games, Fortnite’s developer, attempted to bypass Apple and Google’s payment systems.
Ordinarily, both platforms take 30% of any purchase from their respective app stores and this is the only way apps can be legitimately loaded. However, Epic Games violated these Apple guidelines by using a payment system different from Apple’s own.
Epic Games responded quickly by submitting a legal complaint. It referenced Apple’s desire to ‘control markets, block competition and stifle innovation’. This is bad timing for Apple which is currently facing the US House of Representatives’ antitrust subcommittee to address these very concerns.
Talking Points: Do you agree with Congressman David Cicilline that Apple and Google are committing ‘highway robbery’ with 30% fees? What can regulators do without getting too involved?
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Publix announced for Babcock Ranch shopping center
March 06, 2020
Kitson & Partners
Kitson & Partners, developer of Babcock Ranch, has announced that Publix will anchor Crescent B Commons, an 82,540-square-foot shopping center under construction at a new entrance to Babcock Ranch being built about one mile south of the existing entrance on Babcock Ranch Road/State Road 31. The estimated opening date for Crescent B Commons is first quarter 2021.
Publix will occupy 48,387 square feet and offer a drive-thru pharmacy. Three available outparcels totaling 14,653 square feet are suitable for retail or restaurants.
Publix — which for 22 consecutive years has ranked among Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For — will either hire new associates from the area or transfer current associates to help staff its
Small cities in region score big in net migration survey
April 8, 2021 - The story of people fleeing New York in droves, often to Florida, is entering plane landed safely territory: not much breaking news there. But a new report from online moving… more..
Centennial Boulevard opens, connecting US 41 to SR 776
March 29, 2021 - Centennial Boulevard opens, connecting US 41 to SR 776 West Port model homes to open in April There’s a new connector road in town and it passes through a zone… more..
Small biz performance rated high locally
February 22, 2021 - Several Charlotte County small business owners recently told The Daily Sun their businesses are thriving and they are glad they decided to put down roots in the area. Designer Lily Rivera, who… more..


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Silent epidemic of hearing loss means Brits damaging quality of life, say experts
NEW Styletto by Signia is a revolutionary hearing aid that aims to empower wearers through technology, innovation and stylish design
Friday 7th September 2018. Over half of people might who need a hearing aid aren’t doing so because of discomfort (57%) and embarrassment (56%) according to a recent survey of UK consumers[i]. In light of this, experts are warning that in choosing not to wear a hearing aid, many could be seriously damaging their quality of life.
The survey was commissioned by hearing industry innovator Signia, who have just this week launched the NEW Styletto – a hearing device which uses design, style and technology to fill a gap in an otherwise untapped health device market.
Styletto is a hearing aid that consumers will be proud to wear, and which addresses the needs of ‘baby boomers’ for whom quality, design and the freedom to stay active are far more important than for previous generations.
The survey also revealed that for those who did wear a hearing aid, 71% wished they had got one sooner. The main reasons for this included that it would give them a better social life (63%), better mental/emotional health (39%), better performance at work (23%), less fatigue in the evening (19%).
Hearing expert Geoffrey Cooling commented: “Experts have long been flagging the increasing rates of consumers who do not wear a hearing aid, but who are damaging their quality of life in not doing so. It’s a real shame that so many people are put off by wearing a hearing aid when so many of them would really benefit. Audiology technologies have come on in leaps and bounds in recent years and people need to be made aware this. It can be really damaging to let hearing loss go untreated, and it can be really isolating experience.”
Maarten Barmentlo, Signia’s marketing lead, said “Hearing aids have long been associated as being out of date and not at the cutting edge of today’s cool technology and we wanted to change that perception. Styletto has implemented the best possible technology to ensure that not only does the product deliver incredible sound, but is also a very user-friendly device.”
As well as technology, design and wearability are two other key components of the Signia concept. It is the first truly desirable hearing aid built with beautiful, tactile materials in a choice of three striking brushed metal finishes. It looks more like a piece of high-end wearable tech than a medical device. It borrows design language we are familiar with, with a seamless slim form factor, and smooth lines. It is a genuinely gorgeous object. The Styletto also allows genuine freedom for the user.
Borrowing from the usability of modern wearable technology, the Styletto also provides users with freedom and flexibility unlike any other hearing aid before. The device charges exactly like a smartphone device with fully rechargeable built in lithium-ion batteries. It also comes with its own portable charging dock which allows up to four days of continuous use on-the-go without the need to go home to power up. The charging dock is so small it easily fits into a shirt pocket making it really portable.
As with all Signia products Styletto does not fail to deliver on sound quality, giving crisp and perfect audio to the user. Signia's NX Audiology technology ensures industry-leading sound and a top-quality natural voice processor.


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From all the non-compliant samples with quality issues (i.e., not complying to set limits in the standard for milk)
• 1369 samples did not comply to the set limits SNF, while 536 did not comply for limits of fat, 45 for set limits of maltodextrin and 25 set limits for sugar.
Hyderabad: Out of 12 adulterated milk samples found in the National Milk Safety and Quality Survey 2018, nine were from Telangana. Two was from Madhya Pradesh and one from Kerala. The survey report was released by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Friday.
FSSAI dismissed the perception of large scale milk adulteration in the country as 93 per cent of samples were found safe for human consumption. However, it is essential to note that the maximum number of contaminated samples was found in Telangana.
According to the survey, 12 out of 6,432 samples of milk were adulterated, rendering such milk unsafe for human consumption. The samples were collected from 1,103 towns and cities with a population above 50,000, representing organised retailers and processors as well as local dairy farms, milk vendors and milk mandis sectors.
When it comes to Aflatoxin M1 residues, Tamil Nadu records the highest with 88 out of 551 samples, followed by Delhi with 38 out of 262 samples and Kerala with 37 out of 187 samples.
Out of 238 samples, Telangana has 13 with Aflatoxin M1 residues in the milk whereas Andhra Pradesh has only one out of 344. Reportedly, Aflatoxin M1 residues are present more in processed milk rather than raw milk.
Amongst the top three states with highest levels of antibiotic residues are Madhya Pradesh (23 out of 335 samples), Maharashtra (nine out of 678 samples) and Uttar Pradesh (eight out of 729 samples). Telangana has only two samples with antibiotic residues out of its total samples, and AP has seven samples with antibiotics residues. Only one raw milk sample in Kerala was found to contain pesticide residue above the permissible level.
Officials from FSSAI instructed the state governments to ensure that the milk industries followed the quality norms. The agency also asked to create more awareness among the farmers to use quality feed and fodder.
According to consumer activists, milk adulteration is rampant in Telangana, and the most affected from food adulteration are children. In a recent incident, an FIR was registered against milk booth owner in Hyderabad for selling tainted milk which stretches like elastic after being boiled.
While combatting adulteration requires more vigilant citizens and enforcement machinery, contamination in it requires systemic improvements through the supply chain, says FSSAI.
Figure 2: Summary of non-compliant samples with multiple safety issues.
From all the non-compliant samples with safety issues (i.e., not complying due to limits/absence of adulterants and/or contaminants, as per standard) -
• No sample failed for all the safety parameters tested.
(Adulterants include detergents, hydrogen peroxide, urea, neutralizers)
(The sum of individual failures will not match to total failures as some samples failed for more parameters)
Also Read: https://newsmeter.in/how-safe-is-the-milk-you-drink-fssai-survey-finds-startling-facts/


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Selling books is unlike selling anything else. The Seminary Co-op director counts the ways.
Jeff Deutsch has a plan to save the Seminary Co-op.
The Seminary Co-op Bookstores need your help. You need books. Problem solved.
Where the director of the Seminary Co-op likes to browse and buy.
New Seminary Co-op director Jeff Deutsch talks about his life in books and the future of the beloved store.
Why does winning awards make books less popular?
The end of a chapter for one Hyde Park bookstore.
Co-op admirers commemorate its move with a parade honoring the literary labors they love.
A bagpipe parade of writers and bibliophiles ends at the Seminary Co-op’s new store.
A last exploration before the Seminary Co-op makes its big move.
A UChicago student’s venture into one night of a local reading series.
The new store might not be as quirky, but it will have better temperature control.


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2:59 am, Fri 20 Sep 2013
Customers camp outside the Apple store on Regent Street, central London.
Fans who have been queuing for up to three days will finally be able to get their hands on the new iPhone when it goes on sale later this morning.
Some began queuing as early as Monday evening to buy Apple's latest model, the futuristic 5S handset which is equipped with a fingerprint scanner.
The device, which comes in gold, silver or "space" grey, is expected to fly off the shelves but it is unclear whether the colourful 5C will have the same reception.
11:25 am, Thu 19 Sep 2013
Apple fans eagerly awaiting the release of the new iPhone 5S and 5C have already started queuing outside the company's flagship London store, a day before the gadgets go on sale.
Read: Apple unveils iPhone 5S and 'budget' iPhone 5C
Fans queue outside London's flagship Apple store on Regent Street ahead of the release of the new iPhone 5S and 5C.
Credit: PA Wire
Apple has described the new iPhone 5S as the "most forward-thinking smartphone in the world".
It is an upgrade to the popular iPhone 5 and features an improved camera and extended battery life as well as novel features like a fingerprint reader.
Read: Apple launches new iOS 7
Harry Barrington-Mountfield, Max Fisher and Harry Richer sit in a tent outside the Apple store.
Credit: PA Wire
The introduction of the iPhone 5C marks Apple's first departure from high-end devices.
Chief executive Tim Cook promised the 5C would come with "all the great technology that customers have loved" on its previous models but at around half the price.


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Thanks to these types of events including the Oakley New York Mini 10K, the first women’s race, which debuted in 1972 women now make up 57 percent of the running population, versus just 25 percent 25 years ago. The Nike Women’s Marathon and Half Marathon debuted in 2004. The Disney Princess Half Marathon followed in 2009.
Are honored to partner with Saks Fifth Avenue on this year Key To The Cure campaign, said Tisch. Admire all that Saks has accomplished in support of cancer research over the years, and we are grateful to everyone who will participate in this event to raise critical funds. Organizations that have benefitted from Saks Fifth Avenue charitable support include Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), Cleveland Clinic, Boston Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Nevada Cancer Institute and much more..
Wall Street’s major stock indexes notched new record highs on Thursday, thanks to the recent strength of key big tech stocks. It has been all about the “FANGs” lately, as Facebook (FB), Amazon (AMZN), Netflix (NFLX) and Google parent Alphabet (GOOG) have pushed relentlessly higher. And that’s leading many to wonder if a new tech bubble is in play..
What are you going to sell? The standard advice is to start by selling some things from around the house that you don’t want any longer. Check the eBay home page, at the ribbon across the top is a “sell” button, when you click on that you’ll get a drop down with options. One option is “What’s Hot” click that to see what is selling well or click “Sell an Item” to list your item for sale..
If an order is placed for a minimum of 500 balls, each colorful indoor/outdoor basketball will come for around $4 $5. Orders over 2,500 basketballs are entitled to still heavier discounts. The single colored outdoor basketball can be ordered for $3 per piece for 500 basketballs.
Perfect! Every major rap release in the last few years has been leaked, so it appears Drake has officially arrived. Welcome to the bigs, boy o.The leaked track that’s getting the biggest buzz is Fireworks, which features Alicia Keys on the chorus and is ostensibly about Drake’s dalliance with Rihanna. Yeah, he’s gonna go far in the rap game.FILM REVIEW: Titanic 3D minute by minuteJames Cameron’s Titanic was always a marathon at three hours and counting.
There are nights that I don get the sleep I planned on and running the next morning wouldn be the best idea. I had more colds over the past six months due to William in daycare than I ever had before. Health comes first and sometimes rest is the best medicine..


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For four decades, the Gerald Jones Auto Group carved out its niche in the metro area auto market selling imports such as Volvos, Volkswagens, Hondas and Audis.
But when the former owners of the Bobby Jones Ford Lincoln dealership on Wrightsboro Road started looking for a potential buyer in 2015, it was a deal company President Andy Jones couldn't refuse - especially when the Ford F-series pickup perennially ranks as America's best-selling vehicle.
"If I sold a couple an Audi or a Honda, the No. 1 other vehicle in the household was a Ford truck," Jones said. "So I knew I wouldn't be stealing from my other customers to sell Fords."
Based on Thursday's grand opening event at the dealership - renamed Gerald Jones Ford Lincoln - the Jones Auto Group appears to be making the transition to domestic brands quite well.
"Sales are just growing every month," Jones said of the dealership, which was functionally completed in September. "Looking back over the last three years, last month was a record."
A crowd in the hundreds attended the event, many of them for a meet-and-greet with retired NASCAR driver Bill Elliott, who was voted its "Most Popular Driver" a record 16 times. The Georgia native, known as "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville," drove Fords.
Jones purchased the dealership from the children of Frank Lawrence, who owned the dealership from 1991 until his death in 2012, and his wife, Marguerite, who died in August 2015.
Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed, but Jones said Lawrence's heirs retained a minority stake in the dealership. Earlier this year Jones said the entire acquisition, including inventory, represented a nearly $25 million investment - the largest since the auto group developed its auto mall near the intersection of Washington and Columbia roads more than a decade ago.
Most Bobby Jones Ford employees were retained during the purchase, Jones said, adding that 15 positions have been added at the dealership since its purchase, bringing total employment to 95. All sales consultants are equipped with iPad tablets to give on-the-spot information and customer assistance.
The most visible change at the 20-acre property was the demolition of its iconic office and showroom, which bore an unmistakable likeness to Augusta National Golf Club's clubhouse. The new dealership, a sleeker and more modern Ford-approved facade, features "green" amenities such as LED interior and exterior lighting.
Kevin Giacomini, Ford Motor Co.'s Atlanta-based regional sales manager, said the project was completed in near record time.
"Andy cut the time in about half, just because of his ability to hit all the timelines and push the contractors to get things done," he said. "He did an amazing job."
Jones said Ford was "very, very supportive" through the construction process, as were the county's construction, code and permit officials who "never held us up."
"Had they held us up at all, we wouldn't have made it," Jones said.
The eight-brand dealership group is named for Andy Jones' father Gerald, who opened his first dealership in 1974.
Reach Damon Cline at (706) 823-3352 or email@example.com


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Because of its reputation as a serial acquirer, Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., with its global Circle K brand, is the leading candidate to acquire Casey’s, according to widespread industry speculation.
With nearly 8,000 U.S. c-stores following the recent acquisitions of about 1,300 stores from CST Brands Inc., and more than 500 from Holiday Stationstores, the Laval, Quebec-based company is squaring off against 7-Eleven Inc. for supremacy in size. 7-Eleven expects to complete its acquisition of 1,100 Sunoco c-stores early this year. When it does, it will have approximately 10,000 U.S. c-stores. A Casey’s acquisition by Couche-Tard would essentially tie the game.
“Casey's 2,000 stores across 15 states are mostly in small rural, Midwest towns, so the overlap with Couche-Tard's network is believed to be modest,” Michael Van Aelst, analyst for TD Securities Inc., Toronto, said in a research note. “Moreover, Casey's locations and extensive foodservice experience/expertise could still be attractive to Couche-Tard.”
It would also be Couche-Tard’s second go at Casey’s. In a very rare exception to its long, successful history of acquisitions, Couche-Tard abandoned a hostile bid for Casey’s in 2010 after Casey’s rejected its final offer, which Van Aelst valued at approximately 8x EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization).
Couche-Tard Chairman Alain Bouchard has said Casey’s would be “a perfect fit” for its Midwest network.
“Given the current environment (i.e., much lower interest rates, Casey's EBITDA has doubled, etc.), we believe that Couche-Tard could be willing to pay a higher multiple, although nowhere near the 11x-12x … that JCP is arguing for,” Van Aelst said. “It is not unusual for activists to aim high.”


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FFA’s Joshua Rusk talks about the organization rolling out their brand new network website.
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Thanh paid a courtesy visit to Governor of the state Naveen Patnaik in the morning of January 10, during which they discussed opportunities for expanding cooperation between Odisha and Vietnam.
They agreed to boost links in many mutually significant fields such as agriculture, seafood and foodstuff processing, education-training, tourism and cultural exchange.
During his tour to Odisha from January 8-10, the Vietnamese diplomat, met with representatives from the chamber of commerce and industry of Odisha State, participated in a small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) fair, and attended a meeting with Indian firms operating in the state.
Indian businesses, expressed their hope to strengthen trade, investment and tourism bonds with Vietnam, saying that they want to participate in upcoming fairs in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Ambassador Thanh also visited the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) – one of India’s 15 leading private education establishments, providing higher and postgraduate education programmes.
Odisha, is one of India’s states currently experiencing rapid economic growth. It strengths include metals processing and industrial technique, seafood production, electronics and software.
With 500 km of coast, modern tourism sites, and temples for religious activities, the state has great potential for developing tourism. It is an attractive destination for holiday-makers from all over the world.
The state’s businesses are seeking advanced technologies, and techniques in processing farm and aquaculture products. They also have a demand to purchase electronic spare parts serving the assembling industry. Odisha state, hopes to expand its export market, for their plastic products, materials for construction, industrial manufacturing and wood sectors.-VNA


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ITC AGRI BUSINESS
How a Bangladesh conglomerate managed to make its FMCG products popular in Northeast and parts of West Bengal
Bangladesh is finding a growing market in the region, thanks to its booming economy and India’s zero import duties. Interestingly, this has been unfolding even as the Northeast, particularly Assam, has been protesting against illegal migration from the neighbouring country, with the agitation peaking during the recent antiCAA demonstrations.
Pandemic outside, paradise inside: How India's super-rich are dealing with COVID-19
Amid work from home, their mega closets gather dust as lo...
This 'under-appreciated' stock is D-Street's newest discovery
The widely-tracked stock had 18 ‘buy’, 9 ‘outperform’ and 6 ‘hold’ calls. The s...
Nabard to disburse Rs 1.20 lakh crore crop loan this fiscal
Under the scheme, Rs 10,000 crore has been earmarked for the current fiscal and Rs 30,000 crore each year for the next three years, Nabard said in a statement.
How Yogi Adityanath is beginning to recast UP as a business friendly destination
Murder and mandir politics dominate the headlines from Uttar Pradesh. In the din, it’s easy to miss Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s unlikely recasting of the state as a business-friendly destination.
ITC wraps up acquisition of Sunrise Foods in all-cash deal valued at Rs 2,150 crore
Sales of sauces, dressings and condiments are estimated to be around Rs 18,000 crore driven by urban consumers increasingly switching from unpackaged to packaged variants. Within the spices category, Everest brand is the market leader, followed by MDH.
Covid-19 dents ITC’s Q1 performance, warns local lockdowns posing a challenge: Key takeaways
The company said that other than the hotels segment, progressive normalisation was witnessed in the latter part of the first quarter across all operating segments.
ITC Q1 Results preview: Weak cigarette sales to drag profit by up to 40%, FMCG segment holds promise
Net sales may drop 25-30 per cent, with margins expected to take a severe hit of 800-1,300 basis points.
Buy ITC, target price Rs 285: Anand Rathi
The company remains the clear leader in the FMCG industry in terms of annual FCF generation.
Emkay Global has a buy call on ITC, target price Rs 240
According to the brokerage, while Q1 will be hit due to the lockdown, stronger recovery and share gains across cigarettes and FMCG portfolios can provide upsides.
ITC ltd ramps up production to meet demand for sanitisers
Fast-moving consumer goods major ITC Ltd has ramped up personal care production to meet the demand for sanitisers.
Bigger stimulus needed for revival: Sanjiv Puri, Chairman, ITC
More support for MSMEs, large cos required in case of a prolonged lockdown, says ITC chairman. All industries are facing a liquidity squeeze given weak revenues and need assistance so that jobs can be protected, he said, calling for more measures and pointing to stimulus plans elsewhere in the world.
Five factors to consider before you invest in ITC
Rising tax burden, smoking curbs and lukewarm performance of co’s non-cigarette biz among others, has caused stock to underperform
Punjab to woo global agri players for sustainable clean agri practices
Top agri players like ITC, Godrej Tyson, Hariyalee Seeds, Spain’s Congelados De Navarra and IFFCO have confirmed their participation in the summit, which will highlight the potential opportunities of growth in this sector as well as the strengths of the Punjab ecosystem.
ITC merges tobacco leaf, agri-business units
Kolkata-based ITC named Sanjiv Rangrass the chief executive of the merged, Rs 8,265-crore, agri-business which was earlier headed by S Sivakumar.


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High-quality original VCDs and DVDs of Telugu movies for Rs. 28 to Rs. 34! Seems quite impssible,But it is true with the launch of Moser Baer's Telugu Home Videos.
The company, which earlier had launched movie titles in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi, has made its foray into Telugu cinema with 101 titles and another 600 titles in the pipeline.
The Telugu titles amassed by the company are a good mix of popular hit films along with the classic Telugu films.
The company is planning to release new hit Telugu movies also, the company officials said.
Chief Executive of the company Harish Dayani said that they had roped in about 35 distributors and DVDs and VCDs would be available in 10,000 outlets including stationery and telecom shops, in addition to the regular audio and video shops.


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Hermès Wins Trademark Case Against Artist Who Sold Birkin Bag NFTs
The case was deemed a critical examination of how a company can enforce intellectual property rights in relation to virtual assets.
After making waves in the art world, NFTs are facing major legal hurdles. A federal case tried in Manhattan just tested NFTs and the limits of intellectual property laws, ultimately awarding luxury brand Hermès $133,000 in damages from artist Mason Rothschild, who made and sold non-fungible tokens of the brand's iconic Birkin handbag.
According to the Wall Street Journal, this is one of the first cases addressing the intersection of NFTs, IP law, and art's free-speech protections.
Hermès sued Rothschild for over 100 images he dubbed MetaBirkins. The NFTs depicted handbags with the same shape and style as the luxury accessories. Hermès claimed the images were infringed on their trademark. Still, during the trial, Rothschild's attorneys argued that the brand's trademark rights didn't apply because the NFTs were protected artwork intended to make a statement about conspicuous consumption.
The case's outcome will likely boost companies seeking to protect their intellectual property from being traded and sold in virtual marketplaces. Had Rothschild won, it could have ushered in significant legal disruptions, but the victory for Hermès means existing intellectual property doctrine will remain unchanged.
This is not the only lawsuit of its kind. Other companies, including Nike and Miramax, have brought lawsuits claiming NFT creators infringed on their trademarks and copyrights.
The rise of NFTs has produced multiple new challenges to intellectual property law. Companies will need to keep up with evolving technology or risk losing their legal battles. The outcome of this ruling serves as a reminder that existing IP laws still apply in the digital world and can be used to protect companies' rights.


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Today a new mall is opening in Rosemont, near O’Hare Airport and the Rosemont Convention Center. The Fashion Outlets of Chicago will have a range of familiar factory outlet stores and restaurants, conveniently located near the airport and public transportation (I could even take the el there from KP Chicago HQ!).
So what? According to its developer, Arthur Weiner, this mall breaks a bunch of retail factory outlet rules that were just begging to be broken:
“The rules that this center broke were rules that needed to be broken. They were begging to be broken,” said Arthur Weiner. So, just what’s bonkers about the place? “It’s fully enclosed, two levels — never been done before. It is next to the third largest airport in the world, never been done before anywhere in the world.”
“It’s wrapped around a seven-deck, structured parking garage, never been done before,” he continued. “It is never more than 75 feet from the entrance to a shop, never been done before. You go to an outlying outlet center, you’re walking 700 yards after you park your car.”
That does sound pretty neat, and novel. And there will be baggage concierge service for the airport, and an airport shuttle. Another novel aspect is the partnership with a group called The Arts Initiative, which will install large pieces of public art from Chicago artists in the mall. Thus the space will be part mall, part gallery.
Of course, this rang my Schumpeter bell. Rules broken, new configuration, new location, new set of customer services, new arts partnership. Perennial gale of creative destruction. Bring it, baby.


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Images by Paolo Simi Click “Read More” for additional images.
Monthly Archives: February 2010
Images by Paolo Simi Perhaps only Trussardi’s emblematic greyhounds, who have witnessed the brand grow from its early 1900s incarnation as a glove manufacturer into a proper fashion house, can truly understand the maison’s evolution. Still, creative director Milan Vukmirovic does a pretty good job. Combining the house’s heritage with new, modern leanings, Vukmirovic controls [...]
Images by Paolo Simi Click “Read More” for additional image.
Images by Paolo Simi Just back from his personal show during London Fashion Week, Jonathan Saunders was at the Pollini presentation in Milan to reveal the “more-is-less” womenswear collection he created for the Italian house. “More” was represented by multiple contrasting layers—like a dress over a skirt, a wool trench encircling an oversized jacket or [...]
Images by Silvia Bergomi Burlesque dancers and their racy ways have recently been creating a lot of buzz, a trend that continued this week when they performed at the opening of The New Burlesque exhibit at Mc2 Gallery. Not to be confused with normal strippers, these dancers spend their wages on precious, shiny and extremely [...]


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With our new design comes the return of Morning Shift, our one-stop daily morning roundup of all the auto news that's actually important to you — right here on Jalopnik every weekday at 9:00 AM. It's all of the most important automotive news on the internet wrapped up neatly in a bow for you every morning.
Redesign Note: Loyal Jalopnik readers, if the redesign is scaring you — use "Jalopnik Classic." Also, your feedback is being heard and implemented. Please continue sending in bugs either by email or on our bug report comment page — your feedback is being used. For example — big thumbnails in the right sidebar! Opposite Lock is back and working! So is the tips page!
1st Gear: If this weekend's Super Bowl audience hits record levels, then the $3 million-plus price of a Super Bowl ad spot will be "a bargain." So far, our worth-the-money winners are the adorable Star Wars Volkswagen ad and the Bumblebee spot. Check them all out at our Super Bowl Ad Watch page.
2nd Gear: Speaking of the Super Bowl, General Motors plans to scare small children with the Robonaut 2 when it appears with Howie Long in the big game's preview show. We're sorry, but "R2" looks like a creepy spaceman with a severed lower torso. In other news, Honda's less-useful Asimo is still cute and adorable.
3rd Gear: NHTSA ordered Ford to recall over 280,000 F-150 pickup trucks from model year 2009 and 2010 because "the interior door handle housing embossment retaining the interior door handle spring may fracture." What this means is that in a side impact crash, "the door handle spring can fail causing the door latch to open." Which then, likely, will lead to fiery death!
4th Gear: Toyota's Prius hybrid has lost its title as Japan's best-selling vehicle for the first time in 20 months to the Honda Fit in January. Oh no, however will the environment be saved now?!
5th Gear: Car and Driver says we'll be seeing a Tesla "Model X" crossover styling buck at Frankfurt. Autoblog says no, but expect it to be unveiled sometime this year. This seems to us like much ado over vaporware.
⏎ There's apparently something akin to range anxiety for parking spaces at the Super Bowl. Who knew? [NYT]
⏎ Bad Mazda news: Mazda posted a $33 million (2.7 billion yen) loss for the last quarter of 2010. Damn the yen. [Automotive News]
⏎ Good Mazda news: Over the past 21 years and 10 months, Mazda sold 900,000 Miata/MX-5s. [AutoExpress]
⏎ GM's future strategy will continue to be "don't sell cars here in the United States." [Detroit News]
⏎ Rolls-Royce has appointed a new head of exterior design: Giles Taylor. He's 43 years old, British, and he comes from Jaguar. Maybe he just didn't like curry very much. [NYT]


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A new ingredient in the retail recipe
Date Published: 16/05/2007
There’s been a lot of chatter in recent days about the imminent arrival of revolutionary retailer Whole Foods MarketThis major US brand is to open a three-floor store in London at the beginning of June offering organic and natural foods. It will apparently be the biggest food retailer in town. It’s approach to retailing is said to be somewhat different and the store will be full of seats for shoppers to take the weight off and gaze lovingly at the no-doubt enticing offerings.
OF&G is pleased to see Whole Foods Market turn up on these shores, with its plans for expansion across the country. It’s going to bring great profile to organic produce and the way it is sold. The company talks a good game about its relationship with suppliers too…
This morning our Chief Exec, Richard Jacobs, was interviewed on Radio Four’s Farming Today on the issue (click here to listen again to Wednesday’s programme, although it will only work until next week) and last week we were called by the Independent on Sunday for this piece (although we apparently didn’t make the final cut! Not controversial enough?).
The group owns the Fresh and Wild chain too and it’s progress in the UK is going to be fascinating to watch.


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Quality Street is trialling a fan favourite flavour after 20 years away
The news comes with two big catches, however.
The coffee creme flavoured chocolate sweet will return ahead of Christmas, but with two catches.
First, the iconic chocolate will not be in the usual Quality Street tubs, instead featuring inside Quality Street’s festive cracker and advent calendar.
Secondly, the sweet will not be coming to Ireland and shall only be available in Waitrose and John Lewis stores in the UK. There, it will hit the shelves from 20 September.
In a statement to JOE, Nestlé said: "Unfortunately the Coffee Creme is an exclusive with John Lewis and Waitrose so will not be available in Ireland."
The Quality Street coffee creme cracker will be on sale for £6 while the advent calendar will retail at £10. Shoppers will also have the chance to pay £14 to fill their own advent calendar.
YOU ASKED, WE LISTENED…we’re bringing back COFFEE CREME as a limited edition for Christmas 2023! ? ??
Keep your eyes peeled over the coming weeks for details on how to get your hands on it ? pic.twitter.com/WlmTp5PhfE
— Quality Street® (@QualityStreetUK) September 11, 2023
On top of this, chocolate fans will be able to create their own bespoke Quality Street boxes at John Lewis this festive period, with the retailer bringing back its pick ‘n’ mix stands.
The chain's flagship store in Oxford Street in London, will be opening its stand on 27 September, with a number of other stores to unveil stations across October.
Shoppers will be able to pick from a number of flavours, including coffee creme, and they will also be able to fill up a John Lewis Quality Street tin for £15 or refill an old one for £12.50.
- Irish tourist spot named one of the top 10 most relaxing places in the world
- Summer well and truly over as Met Éireann issue fresh flood warnings
- Andy Farrell makes big calls, and plenty of changes, for Tonga clash
- Selena Gomez’s reaction to Chris Brown’s MTV VMA nominee goes viral
- RTÉ announces all discretionary spending at the broadcaster will be stopped


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A shop clerk's response to a Native American woman protesting the sale of culturally appropriated items has drawn caustic debate online.
A Lakota woman confronted the clerk in Albuquerque, New Mexico when she happened upon racist T-shirts and Native American headdresses at the Mercado Gift shop located at the Hyatt in downtown Albuquerque.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” the woman says during a cell phone video she shot.
“I’m coming to bring this to you,” she says to the clerk. “I don’t appreciate seeing any of this shit here.”
The Lakota woman, who was in town for the American Indian Higher Education Consortium at the convention center, tells the clerk that the display and sale of culturally appropriated items in the store is “disgusting.”
“I do not want any of those up on that wall. If I could grab them I would take them down, too,” she said. “This is disgusting, this is disgusting. This is a part of my people’s heritage," she said referring to the headdress.
According to the Lakota woman in the video, also on sale were culturally insensitive T-shirts including one that read, “My Indian Name Is Runs-With-Beer.”
The Lakota woman soon turns her attention back to the headdresses.
“You’re living on our land," she tells the clerk. "That’s our people’s things,” she said.
The clerk responds by saying one headdress was "made by a Navajo."
Then, seemingly trying to justify the sale of the items, the clerk brazenly told the Lakota woman, “Hey, you lost the war, friend. I’m sorry.”
A collective gasp and reactions of disbelief can be heard in the background coming from other shop-goers.
Online, people are both applauding and chastising the Lakota woman.
One person who commented on the KRQE website said the Lakota woman caused the "poor clerk to be visibly upset."
Another came to the Lakota woman's defense and said, "If people knew (or our schools taught ) more about our violent histories maybe they would not sell or say stupid things that are so offensive and conduct themselves with more class."
The clerk later told KRQE News 13 the headdress was valued at $800 and that the Lakota woman damaged it during the confrontation. The Lakota woman does not have to pay for the damages, KRQE News reported.
The store has since pulled several of the offensive T-shirts off the shelves.


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After much speculation and rumours leading up to the show this year, Microsoft has finally announced a new Crackdown open-world…
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text:
On July 10, staff decided to strike, and nearby roads were clogged with cars, while vehicles honked their horns at Pride flag signs that read: "Say her name, Angela Martinez Gómez, a trans woman died after exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 at work." … [Read more...] about Burger King manager ‘kept transgender employee with coronavirus symptoms working and blamed death on transition meds’
Supply chain management certification programs
According to Economic Zones Management Department under the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), by May 2020 the whole country has 561 industrial parks with a total area of about 201,000 hectares, including 374 established industrial parks with an area of about 114,400ha and 259 unestablished industrial parks with 86,600ha. Big Investor Foxconn is also proposing the development of a new industrial park in Vietnam. Meanwhile, localities such as Haiphong are su plans to implement over dozens of new industrial parks. … [Read more...] about Focusing on technology transfer in attracting new wave of FDI capital
MUMBAI: The consumer demand for gold in the country is expected to remain subdued in the second half of 2020 amid business and income disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a report.The report, however, said that financial packages to support the economy and good monsoon may help soften the negative impact of economic blow due to the pandemic."In the second half, we expect consumer demand to remain soft due to reduced economic activity, concerns about increasing unemployment and income erosion. However, additional economic packages from the government and a forecasted positive monsoon season could help soften the negative impact of an economic deceleration," said the World Gold Council (WGC) in the 'Gold Mid-Year Outlook 2020: Recovery Paths and Impact on Performance' report.The Indian economy slowed to an 11-year low of 3.1 per cent in the first quarter of 2020 and in order to stimulate the economy, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cut interest rates by a cumulative … [Read more...] about Consumer demand for gold may remain soft in H2 this year on Covid-19 impact: WGC report
The National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security have formally announced Pittsburgh Technical College (PTC) as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE), the first primarily two-year college in Western Pennsylvania to earn this designation. This prestigious designation indicates that PTC’s Information Systems and Technology (IST) degree programs are validated by the highest security agencies in the nation. Currently less than seven percent of all U.S. degree-granting post-secondary institutions have earned this designation. This distinction has been given to both concentrations for the Associate in Science in Information Technology – Network Administration and Associate in Science in Information Technology – Network Security and Computer Forensics. … [Read more...] about Pittsburgh Technical College Earns National Cyber Defense Accreditation
Two more days to go for ETCFO to open the grand Leadership Summit, 2020 scheduled on July 17. India’s frequently changing regulatory, business landscape is a concern for CFOs. There is some unpredictability associated with taxation, new reforms, policy and technological advancement. India has recently witnessed a wave of reforms — some were long-pending, some out of necessity, and some in response to the black swan event of Coronavirus pandemic. This evolving paradigm change has always kept the CFO on her toes. So, to think ahead and gear up for the future, ETCFO Leadership Summit, 2020 brings to you detailed and thought-provoking discussions amongst speakers who bring with them experience, expertise and wisdom. The agenda is crafted to address more strategic, decision-making and operational challenges of a CFO.Snapshot of what to expectKeynote Address: Foreseeable Future: Winning the Covid-19 War.TV Mohandas Pai, (former CFO Infosys) Chairman, 3one4 Capital and Manipal … [Read more...] about ETCFO Leadership Summit: How are CFOs looking at the foreseeable future?
It’s a rather well-known fact that the displays in Apple iPhones are made by Samsung. While Apple has been looking at other display suppliers, Samsung has been supplying to its rival as well. According by 9to5Mac, which cites a report by Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), Apple paid Samsung $950 million for buying less number of OLED displays than required. The DSCC report looks at the quarterly guidance release issued by Samsung. The South Korean tech giant reported a “one-time gain related to its display business.” The DSCC report cites unnamed sources and claims that Apple paid close to a $1 billion to Samsung.“The Apple payment likely turned what otherwise would have been an operating loss for display devices into an operating profit,” the report explained.If the report is accurate then it does seem like Apple didn’t sell as many iPhones that it had expected to. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic situation hasn’t helped as the number of … [Read more...] about Why Apple had to pay $1 billion ‘penalty’ to Samsung


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German Metro Retreats On RFID
After a ton of negative publicity from the anti-RFID folks, the German retail giant Metro has said that it will stop putting RFID tags (a.k.a. “spy chips”) into its loyality cards. Roughly 10,000 cards containing the tags had been distributed as part of a trial project.
Meanwhile, I’m quoted in the current issue of Consumer Reports in an article on RFID chips. However, there doesn’t seem to be any way to get that article online.
The inside story of how ChatGPT was built from the people who made it
Exclusive conversations that take us behind the scenes of a cultural phenomenon.
How Rust went from a side project to the world’s most-loved programming language
For decades, coders wrote critical systems in C and C++. Now they turn to Rust.
Design thinking was supposed to fix the world. Where did it go wrong?
An approach that promised to democratize design may have done the opposite.
Sam Altman invested $180 million into a company trying to delay death
Can anti-aging breakthroughs add 10 healthy years to the human life span? The CEO of OpenAI is paying to find out.
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Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO Tim Cook is doing something that Steve Jobs likely never would have done. When Steve Jobs, the late co-founder and CEO of Apple, decided Cook should be his successor, he told him not to think of what Jobs would do and to do what is right.
Cook recently decided to spend around $3 billion to acquire premium headphones company Beats Electronics and he announced a partnership with former rival IBM yesterday. IBM will help Apple sell more iPads and iPhones to corporate customers.
“I think that from a high level Cook is willing to work with people where Steve Jobs was not willing to work with people,” stated Gene Munster, senior research analyst at Piper Jaffray, in an interview with ABC News. “He clearly believes more in cooperation versus competition.”
Jobs viewed IBM as “Big Brother” and poked fun of the company in the “1984” TV ad. IBM and Apple will collaborate on a platform called MobileFirst, which will have industry-specific business apps, including healthcare, retail, transportation, and telecommunications companies. The enterprise solutions will roll out this fall and next year.


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Tags: fully-funded highway bill
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and the I Make America campaign on April 28 launched the Picture a Better America Photo Contest to demonstrate the urgent need to invest in America’s crumbling infrastructure. The contest will showcase the hard-working men ...
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Between the launch of iOS 10 this week with its new Home app and the time I spent walking around the connected products section at IFA 2016, I’ve been thinking about the current state of affairs with the smart home and where we might be heading in the next few years.
As far as the different segments of the consumer tech industry are concerned, the smart home is one that consistently trends positive. Take, for example, one recent report that predicts in the next five years, the smart home market will more than quadruple to a $96 billion global industry. With all of the new smart appliances hitting the market almost every day, and consumers willingness to plug those devices in and hook them up to their home network, it’s not really that farfetched an estimate.
But what about the look and feel of the smart home? How might that change as technology continues to advance in this space?


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Every child who visited Elizabeth House Flowers on South Boulevard in Charlotte, N.C., used to walk out toting a free balloon.
But a long-running global helium shortage means the company -- along with other small businesses in Charlotte and around the country -- must conserve resources and even turn away customers. At Elizabeth House, free balloons are now out of the question.
Helium, a natural resource, is usually harvested from natural gas reserves. The shortage, which has dragged on for a year and won't end for months, is a simple case of demand outweighing supply, said Joe Peterson, assistant field manager of helium resources at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
In Europe, a sluggish economy is producing less natural gas, he said, and that means helium production is also down.
"There have been and there will be a lot of party balloon-type stores that will be impacted by the current shortage," Peterson said.
At Todd's Flowers on Central Avenue, for instance, the florist's helium tanks haven't been filled since November. Without helium, the florist had to turn down about 25 balloon bouquet orders for Valentine's Day, account manager Lindsey Ward said.
Helium, a finite resource, does a lot more than inflate balloons. It's also used in MRI procedures, fiber-optic cables, welding procedures and lab research, and it often has no substitute.
Pennsylvania-based Airgas, which controls 22 percent of the U.S. market of helium and supplies many Charlotte companies, has had to prioritize its customers, spokesman Doug Sherman said.
Airgas cut off customers without contracts, and even those with contracts aren't guaranteed their full supply, he said.
"Believe me, our business is moving gases," he said. "We'd be selling it if we had it."
Carolinas HealthCare System hospitals haven't had any supply problems, spokesman Kevin McCarthy said.
"There are a couple of grades of helium, and the grade we get is a medical grade," he said. "Our supplier has been able to meet all our medical-grade helium needs."
Likewise, Harris Teeter grocery stores have been unaffected. The chain continues to give free balloons to children who visit the store, said Catherine Reuhl, communication manager.
And Balloon and Party Service in uptown Charlotte survives thanks to its helium provider, Charlotte-based Little Balloon Co. "If it wasn't for him, we'd probably be out of business," General Manager Carolyn Mason said.
Mason said helium prices have jumped more than 25 percent since 2012 began, from $90 to $115 a tank.
The shortage, she said, has necessitated price increases.
"We tried not to go up that much," she said. "But yes, we have to charge more."
Though helium is a nonrenewable resource, Peterson said it won't run out soon. "For more than 50, 75, 100 years, there will be helium available," he said.
A Wyoming-based plant slated to open in December is expected to ease the current shortage, he said. In the meantime, conservation is key.
"Now is the perfect time to begin conservation measures such as recovering helium from MRI machines," he said. "In applications where the helium is used as a gas and it goes to the atmosphere, there has been some talk of being able to capture that gas and recycle it."
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Social media platform Facebook has launched its Creator App for influencers and publishers to better manage their online presence and build fan communities around video content.
Available for Pages or individual profiles, the app offers a range of engagement tools, allowing users to spruce up theirs video content by adding intros, outros and custom emojis to live broadcasts.
Other features include an inbox to unify conversations on Facebook and Instagram, cross-posting to Twitter, sharing through Stories and expansive analytic insights for optimising data.
Among the features available, easy access to analytics is particular useful for influencers who can gather insights on their audiences. Details on fan demographics as well as page traffic and number of video views can be collated leading to more customisable and tailored video content.
“We understand that creators have specific needs, and we’re committed to helping them on their journey as they grow and find their community,” commented Christ Hatfield, product manager of video at Facebook.
“Creators can connect with more than two billion potential fans and collaborators, get to know their community, talk directly to fans with Live, and monetise with products like branded content.”
Social media influencers benefit from promoting products online to generate affiliate sales. Channels such as YouTube and Snapchat offer such features to incentivise publishers while pushing forward branded products to consumers.
However, as reported by TechCrunch, the Facebook Creator App lacks some functionality for influencers to monetise content.
Influencers are limited to sharing sponsored branded content which is labeled by the social media platform’s partnership tagging feature, while also unable to include revenue-sharing ad breaks into video content.
With many more consumers interacting with influencers via Facebook Groups, it has been suggested for the social media giant to better integrate into this platform, allowing users to expand the launch of their video content while growing the Creator app.


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HAVANA: President Raúl Castro's government on Monday lifted a ban preventing Cubans from using resort hotels reserved for foreigners in a step to ease restrictions in the Communist state.
Since Raúl Castro succeeded his ailing brother, Fidel Castro, last month, the country has ended restrictions on Cubans buying computers, DVD players and cellphones.
"Cubans can now stay at our hotels," said the Cuban manager of a small state-run hotel in Old Havana. "Our doors are open to local tourism."
Managers at five-star hotels run by foreign hotel chains like Sol Meliá and Accor, Europe's largest hotel chain, confirmed that Cubans would be able to stay at their hotels if they could afford them.
Cubans can also rent cars and use facilities that used to be only for foreigners, including the best beaches in Varadero, Cuba's top resort.
The hotel ban was a major source of frustration for Cubans since the country opened up to tourism in the early 1990s and gave rise to criticism of Cuba for having an "economic apartheid" system.
Raúl Castro, 76, took over from his brother as Cuba's first new leader in almost half of a century on Feb. 24, promising to do away with "excessive restrictions" in society and in its state-run economy.
On Friday, the government announced an end to a ban on Cubans buying and using cellphones.
As of Tuesday, Cuban shops will be allowed to sell computers, DVD players and other appliances in a move to improve the standard of living in Cuba by opening access to consumer products.
Raúl Castro has also begun restructuring agriculture to reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks and lift food production.
Until now, only Cubans on honeymoons and workers selected for high productivity and revolutionary zeal were allowed to stay at hotels as a reward.
Cubans will have to pay the going rate in hard currency to stay at luxury hotels. Few can afford these prices in a country where the average wage is $17 a month.
"It took a long time, but its done now," said Martin Díaz, 34, a Havana worker. "I'm going to start saving right away to go to Varadero next summer."
Cubans who recalled the 1980s when they were allowed to stay at hotels and had the money to do so welcomed the end of the ban, but they wondered if they could afford a hotel now.
The restrictions were introduced after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union forced Cuba to open up to foreign tourism and investment and legalize hard currency in the midst of a severe economic crisis.
"I don't think I can afford to go to Varadero, but I'm glad to know I have the option to do so whenever I want," said Alfredo Hernández, 43, a self-employed resident of the eastern city of Santiago.
Cuba's tourism industry is a major source of foreign exchange, bringing in more than $2 billion a year, but the number of visitors has declined in the last two years. Foreign hotel managers said allowing Cubans to stay at tourist hotels would help business during the slow summer season.
A major public complaint that Raúl Castro's government will need to deal with is that wages in Cuban pesos are too low, while consumer goods have to be paid for in convertible pesos, or CUCs, worth 24 times more than pesos.
About 60 percent of Cubans have access to some hard currency from cash remittances sent by relatives living abroad, mainly in the United States, or through factory and farm bonuses and tips from foreign tourists.
A class of "new rich" has developed in Cuba over the last 15 years and will be the first to take advantage of seaside hotels, computers and cellphones that cost $120, or about six times the average monthly wage.
"The government is recognizing that around 15 percent of the population has 90 percent of the pesos in the banks," said a Cuban economist who asked not to be named.


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You get a new iPhone, you add a bunch of push mail accounts, download apps that hit the GPS and light up notifications, you watch a ton of video and play as many games as you possibly can, you do it all over LTE while blaring your Bluetooth speaker, and you curse that the frakken battery doesn't last several days. Matthew Panzarino of The Next Web rightly claims battery life is the iPhone's -- is every phone's -- biggest flaw:
My time with the Mophie Juice Packs, and other battery packs like them, has led me to a simple conclusion. We don’t need the iPhone’s battery to be 10% better, or 20% better. We need it to be 100% better.
Battery life is the choke point of every piece of modern, mobile technology, and sadly there's little sign of radical, transformative improvement coming any time soon (just more "cheating" of the astonishing kind Panzarino describes in his piece). A 5-inch iPhone could potential pack more power, but a bigger screen to power could mitigate that as well. A watch-sized device running iOS could be a far greater battery challenge.
Maybe Apple will deliver a power revolution the way their focus and scale allowed them to deliver a Retina revolution. Absent that, maybe they could stop worrying about making the iPhone so goram thin, add a couple of millimeters back, and chock the extra space full of battery.
"Today we're delivering a phone that's every bit as thin as the iPhone 4... but achieves an astonishing 20 hours of battery life on Wi-Fi or LTE."
mophie built-in. I'm sure there's many people who'd make that trade-off in a heartbeat.
Hit the link below for more on the problem.
Source: The Next Web
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I am a self-confessed chocolate addict. I've reformed and now will only consume dark chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa. According to an article in the washington Post I'm part of a growing trend.Chocolate has gone upscale.
Once, it was enough just to unwrap a bar of chocolate and eat it. Now, you must understand it.
Note the glossy shine that indicates the strong bond between the cocoa butter and the cocoa mass, instruct the makers of Vosges Haut Chocolat on the packaging of their Barcelona Bars. Release its complex aromas by rubbing your thumb across the top, and savor the smell. Only then should you finally taste it, feeling the chocolate melt around your tongue.
Like coffee before it, chocolate is going complex and upscale. This holiday season, look for Tasmanian honey wrapped in dark chocolate from Godiva and custom-made boxes tied with double-faced satin ribbon at exclusive Manhattan specialty store Bergdorf Goodman. Christmas is the peak time for premium chocolate sales, and big candy companies and small chocolatiers alike are rolling out some of their most high-end products to date.
"Chocolate is not always about eating," said Laure de Montebello, co-owner and chef of Sans Souci Gourmet Confections, an independent chocolate shop in New York that fills those custom-made boxes at Bergdorf's with peppermint truffles. "Chocolate is a 'feel' business."
That may be why readers of December's Vogue opened the magazine to find a gorgeous model giving a come-hither look -- to a piece of Godiva chocolate. Godiva wants customers to feel like divas, a play on the company's name and the focus of an advertising campaign that began last year targeting women ages 25 to 40. That demographic is the most likely to buy chocolate, consuming roughly eight servings each month, according to a report on premium chocolate by consumer-research firm Mintel.
And this doesn't even mention the studies which show the many medical benefits of eating dark chocolate. For more details go to the Washington Post article


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Xiaomi Redmi is gearing up to launch their "Demon King" smartphone which is named K20, a flagship by Redmi. Redmi's manager had recently posted a screenshot which revealed AnTuTu benchmark scores for the Redmi K20 and it blew the top of the list Xiaomi Mi 9 from it. A number of leaks and renders have also pointed to the fact that there will be a Redmi K20 and a Redmi K20 Pro.
Now in a new leak, a list of probable specs have been leaked on Twitter which provides a new look from the "flagship killer 2.0". The original source of this screenshot originated from Chinese social networking website Weibo.
The list reveals specs like the Redmi K20 will feature a 6.39-inch full-HD+ OLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass 6 protection, a triple camera module consisting of a 48-megapixel, 8-megapixel,13-megapixel camera sensors and a 32-megapixel selfie shooter with LED Flash. Further, the phone will reportedly run on MIUI 10 based Android 9 Pie operating the software. It will pack an 8GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage and 4000mAh battery capacity with 27W fast charging support technology.
On the other hand, the Redmi K20 Pro will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC while there will also be a 48-megapixel primary rear camera. Meanwhile, the smartphone will be backed by a 4,000mAh battery coupled with 27W fast charging while there will be a 6.39-inch AMOLED display at the front.
Previous leaks have suggested that Xiaomi’s new flagship, now claimed to be called Redmi K20 Pro, will sports a 32-megapixel selfie camera while at the rear, it will boast of a triple camera module consisting of a 48-megapixel primary sensor, an 8-megapixel secondary lens and a 13-megapixel camera.
In another development, the alleged upcoming flagship from Xiaomi was teased by the company and the teaser revealed the key highlights of the device. The Redmi smartphone has been tipped to arrive with the Snapdragon 855 chipset and will offer high-end performance at a cost-effective price.


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After much deliberation and guidance from the Executive Committee of the Food Marketing Institute’s (FMI) Board of Directors, FMI has determined it will not host the 2017 FMI Show, known as FMI Connect, originally scheduled to be held in Chicago next June.
He'd picked her up and they went bowling in Winter Haven, Fla., at Cypress Lanes, which offers shoe and lane rentals for a quarter on Thursday nights, and specials on pizza and beer.
A few hours later, the pair ended up at his place, where they talked a bit more and met up with his roommate. Bustos sent the single father a text afterward: She'd had a good time, she wrote to Hilarie, and wanted to meet up the following night at his place.
We appreciate the understanding of our members, partners, supporters, vendors, the city of Chicago and friends as we work through the many implications this tough decision has for us AND more importantly, as we shape future directions for our members and their trading partners.
The industry we serve is learning it must rethink and when appropriate, redesign all aspects of its business, including everything from customer service to checkout, and from the number of items on the shelves to innovative ways of getting products to shoppers.
The next night, her real intentions became clear, police told The Washington Post.


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NEW YORK – Nielsen has released its Nielsen Total US dollar sales data for one- and four-week periods ending on March 28 in comparison to the same timeframes in 2019.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the United States still seems to be driving sales numbers up. Overall, consumer packaged goods sales were up a total of 21.5% for the week ending on March 28. That’s down a bit from the week ending on March 21, which saw a 67.9% increase.
The charts below reflect the sales numbers Nielsen identified for meat, dairy and produce products in the fresh perimeter for the one-week period leading up to March 21, the one-week period leading up to March 28 and the four-week period leading up to March 28.


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As you would recall, Sony recently announced the initial list of Android devices that will be getting the KitKat update and a few key Android devices from the company were missing from the list. Now, thanks to Sony support website, we know that Sony Xperia SP will be getting the Android 4.4 update and the company is investigating whether it should release KitKat update for Xperia T, TX, V, and ZR.
Sony is yet to officially reveal the KitKat plans for these devices but the company’s support website is a pretty good indication. It is also highly that Sony will be releasing Android 4.4 for Xperia ZR too but we will have to wait for the official announcement for the fate of Xperia T, TX, and V.
To remind you, Xperia Z, ZL, Tablet Z, Z Ultra and Xperia Z1 and already confirmed to get the update. There is still no word on when the update roll-outs will begin but we are keeping an eye out and will let you guys know of any new developments.


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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wine doesn’t pair well with weed, according to a new lawsuit.
M. Shanken Communications Inc, the publisher of Wine Spectator magazine, has filed a lawsuit accusing the northern California-based operators of Weed Spectator of infringing its trademarks, and copying its familiar 100-point rating scale for wine to rate cannabis.
In a complaint filed on Tuesday, M. Shanken said Sacramento-based Modern Wellness Inc, “in a classic case of ‘passing off,’” created a website and social media pages for Weed Spectator that bear “striking similarities” to Wine Spectator’s own website and e-magazine.
M. Shanken, based in New York City, also objected to a Weed Spectator trademark application featuring a logo using the Wine Spectator font, and said searching for “Weed Spectator” in Google or Apple’s App store returned results for Wine Spectator.
The plaintiff, whose founder Marvin Shanken bought Wine Spectator in 1979, said Weed Spectator is likely to confuse consumers. Wine Spectator magazine has about 3 million readers.
“M. Shanken has no interest in associating Wine Spectator and the Wine Spectator marks with cannabis, a largely illegal drug,” the complaint said. “Any association of this type is likely to tarnish the reputation and goodwill that has been built up in the Wine Spectator marks and business for decades, resulting in dilution of the brand.”
Modern Wellness and its principals could not immediately be reached on Wednesday for comment. M. Shanken and its law firm did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court seeks triple damages and an injunction against using the Weed Spectator mark.
The case is M. Shanken Communications Inc v Modern Wellness Inc et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 18-08050.
Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Bill Trott
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


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Brand new map released. Dare we dream of Dawn of War 3?
It sounds promising but it's not set in lead.
"Some just want PC to go away."
Games Workshop deal extension signed.
PC only. Lots of co-operation.
Looks like it'll be out next year.
Relic boss says it's a possibility.