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Dutch police have uncovered more than 140,000 pirated CDs and DVDs of popular Indian films and music in a string of simultaneous raids in Rotterdam.
Most of the products are believed to have originated in Pakistan, one of the largest manufacturers and exporters of pirated discs in the world.
Empty suitcases at one of the 13 shops suggested the discs were brought over in airline hand luggage.
Pakistan is believed to export more than 13m pirated discs every month.
Good news from the DC Circuit today, which issued an opinion asking for further facts about petitioners’ right to be in front of them complaining about FCC’s jurisdiction in the broadcast flag matter. Everyone (including, apparently, the FCC) assumed quite reasonably that the petitioners had every right to be there — in other words, everyone thought petitioners had “standing.”
But the DC Circuit wasn’t so sure about it. […]
[…] The court has given petitioners two weeks to provide statements of facts showing special harms caused by the broadcast flag rule — and has provided some helpful hints: show us whether any of your members are engaged in storing TV broadcasts and sending them to distant locations; show us whether you’ll be hindered in lawful copying and distribution; show us whether your member-educators (if you have any) will be hindered in distance education efforts.
Andrew Orlowski explains the issue in his own special way: Apple de-socializes iTunes
In iTunes, Rendezvous allows users on the same subnet to share their music – although this is limited to streaming only. But the most recent version of iTunes 4.71. restricts that streaming capability even further, and users aren’t happy, as this support discussion shows. It used to support five simultaneous listeners, but now iTunes only permits five listeners a day.
[…] Let’s have a quick reality check.
If you opened up iTunes, turned up the volume really loud on your Mac, and hit Play, you could “stream” to five people within earshot. And no one would bust down the door, except possibly the neighbors. Certainly not the RIAA’s paramilitaries.
Now fast forward to the “digital music revolution.” The revolution is really about lower marginal costs for the producers – which is turning out to mean higher profits, as the price hasn’t come down. For us, it means we get less for our faith – in this case, certainly much less than what old fashioned, speaker to ear, analog sound waves can give us.
Once again, “digital” is proving to be a synonym for “crap”.
[…] As Jim Griffin, along with many others, have pointed out – radio was a far greater “disruption” to rights holders than the internet. So get over it already, Technorecordings Corp. Technology companies are now producing stuff that works worse than it did before, is more expensive, and gives us less than what we already had. Rationality suggests that companies and industries that sell worse products either go out of business, or mend their ways. For the technology industry, which is fretting deeply about China, overproduction, and the public’s reluctance to indulge in another dot.com bubble, that’s a new and unwelcome challenge.
Polls show that a large majority of Americans believe God alone created man or had a guiding hand. Advocates invoke the First Amendment and say the current campaigns are partly about respect for those beliefs.
“It’s an academic freedom proposal. What we would like to foment is a civil discussion about science. That falls right down the middle of the fairway of American pluralism,” said the Discovery Institute’s Stephen C. Meyer, who believes evolution alone cannot explain life’s unfurling. “We are interested in seeing that spread state by state across the country.”
[…] “If students only have one thing to consider, one option, that’s really more brainwashing,” said Duckett, who sent her children to Christian schools because of her frustration. Students should be exposed to the Big Bang, evolution, intelligent design “and, beyond that, any other belief that a kid in class has. It should all be okay.”
When subscription cards fall from magazines Andrew Kirk is reading, he stacks them in a pile at the corner of his desk. At the end of each month, he puts them in the mail but leaves them blank so that the advertiser is forced to pay the business reply postage without gaining a new subscriber.
Life can involve big hardships, like being fired or smashing up your car. There is only so much you can do about them. But far more prevalent – and perhaps in the long run just as insidious – are life’s many little annoyances.
These, you can do something about.
[…] “They’re an integral part of how people cope,” said Prof. James C. Scott, who teaches anthropology and political science at Yale University, and the author of “Weapons of the Weak,” about the feigned ignorance, foot-dragging and other techniques Malaysian peasants used to avoid cooperating with the arrival of new technology in the 1970’s. “All societies have them, but they’re successful only to the extent that they avoid open confrontation.”
Alexander Hanff had no idea Hollywood was keeping such a close eye on him. Then, last Saturday morning, a movie studio functionary arrived at his door. Hanff, still in his dressing gown and not yet full of coffee, opened the door, only to be served with a lawsuit by Paramount, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal City Studios and Warner Bros.
You may have already guessed Hanff’s supposed transgression. The movie studios suspect him of running a BitTorrent hub and helping people download copyrighted films via P2P technology. The MPAA (Motion Picture Association of American) has gone after numerous BitTorrent hubs on similar charges and managed to shut many of them down. The plot here is a familiar one.
There are, however, a couple of factors that make Hanff’s story unique. For one, the US studios served Hanff papers at his home – in England. Secondly, Hanff, 31, owns the DVDR-Core domain name and pays for its server, but he has never actually administered the site. That’s done by a group of online friends that Hanff has never met in person. Lastly, Hanff plans to fight the movie studios, making him a rarity among BitTorrent hub owners.
[…] “Torrent files don’t contain any data,” Hanff said. “This is a search engine scenario. Why aren’t Google, Yahoo or Microsoft getting sued?”
In its large-scale trials of torcetrapib, Pfizer is testing the new drug only in combination with Lipitor, the company’s existing best-seller statin. If the tests go well, Pfizer will seek approval from the Food and Drug Administration to market the combination pill. It will not sell torcetrapib separately.
The reason, critics say, is that Lipitor will lose patent protection in 2010, opening the way for cheap generics to take away its market. By tying Lipitor to the new drug, Pfizer can extend its life and perhaps emerge with an even bigger blockbuster.
Some of this reads like the analyst wants to penalize surfers for removing cookies – sort of like the argument that skipping commercials in TV is theft: Websites Crippled By Consumers Deleting Cookies
“Cookies, 99 out of a 100 times, are not an invasion of a consumer’s privacy or security,” Eric T. Peterson, analyst for JupiterResearch, a division of Jupitermedia Corp., said. “They’re just harmless little text files.”
Nevertheless, 58 percent of Internet users have deleted the tiny applications, essentially making many consumers anonymous during site visits, and crippling website operators’ ability to gather information, JupiterResearch found through surveys this year of more than 4,600 online consumers. In addition, 39 percent of consumers are deleting cookies from their primary computer monthly.
The reason for these Draconian measures is fear. Consumers are constantly reminded about the risks on the Internet posed by spyware, phishers and viruses, so deleting cookies makes them feel more secure, even though it’s unlikely to make them safer, Peterson said.
[…] Peterson said the problems caused by cookie deletion are going to get worse for businesses.
“They shouldn’t put their heads in the sand and hope the problem goes away,” Peterson said.
Instead, website operators need to look for technologies other than cookies to gather information. For example, Flash, a website-development technology from Macromedia Inc., can track consumers each time they visit a site.
“Although the scene apparently is intended to be titillating, it simply is not graphic or explicit enough to be indecent under our standard,” the commission said.
While agreeing with the decision, Democratic Commissioner Michael Copps criticized ABC for airing the segment at a time — 9 p.m. EST — when many children were watching.
“There wasn’t much self-discipline in this particular promotion,” he said. “As stewards of the airwaves, broadcasters can and should do better.”
When Chuck D and the Fine Arts Militia released their latest single, “No Meaning No,” several months ago, they didn’t try to stop people from circulating free copies on the Internet. They encouraged it.
They posted the entire 3-minute, 12-second song and its various vocal, drum and guitar components online and invited everyone to view, copy, mix, remix, sample, imitate, parody and even criticize it.
The result has been the creation of a flood of derivative work ranging from classical twists on the hip-hop piece to video interpretations of the song. The musicians reveled in the instant fan base. They were so pleased that they recently decided to publish their next entire album, due later this spring, the same way, becoming the first major artists to do so.
“No Meaning No” was released under an innovative new licensing scheme called Creative Commons that some say may be better suited to the electronic age than the hands-off mind-set that has made copyright such a bad word among the digerati.
So far, more than 10 million other creations — ranging from the movie “Outfoxed” and songs by the Beastie Boys to the British Broadcasting Corp.’s news footage and the tech support books published under the O’Reilly label — have been distributed using these licenses. The idea has even won the support of Hilary Rosen, formerly of the Recording Industry Association of America, and Jack Valenti, the past head of the Motion Picture Association of America, who became known for their aggressive pursuit of people who share free, unauthorized copies via the Internet.
Slashdot discussion: Creative Commons In the News


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MILWAUKEE -- Winter is here and the Milwaukee Police Department’s Homeless Outreach Team (H.O.T.) wants to make sure the homeless stay warm this winter.
Officers from H.O.T. are asking the public to donate new or clean/ gently used winter hats, gloves, socks, blankets, etc. so they can distribute them to the homeless in our community. Toiletries, sleeping bags, backpacks or other outdoor items are also welcome.
Donations will be accepted Tuesday, December 29th, at District One’s Municipal Court Entrance (951 N. James Lovell Street), District Three’s Lobby (2333 N. 49th Street), and District Six’s Lobby (3006 S. 27th Street) from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
UPDATE: On New Year's Eve, Milwaukee police said MPD was at capacity for clothing storage for the Homeless Outreach Team. Anyone wishing to donate additional clothing items is asked to take those items to a local shelter or charity.

domain: news


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Car manufacturers which try to cheat emissions rules could face unlimited fines under a new crackdown proposed by the Government.
The planned penalties come after the Volkswagen emissions scandal, when the German motor giant was found to be using so-called “defeat devices” to ensure its diesel cars passed laboratory tests of polluting emissions.
The fines cannot be imposed retrospectively on VW, but would expose manufacturers in future to criminal charges for selling new vehicles containing software designed to deceive emissions tests in the UK.
Launching a consultation on the measures, Transport Minister Jesse Norman said: “We continue to take the unacceptable actions of Volkswagen extremely seriously, and we are framing new measures to crack down on emissions cheats in future.
“Those who cheat should be held to proper account in this country, legally and financially, for their actions.”
Jesse Norman is launching a consultation on tougher penalties for cheating emissions tests (PA)
Ministers said the new powers go above and beyond EU requirements, and would extend to any importer bringing a non-compliant model into the UK.
More than 1.2 million vehicles in the UK were affected by the VW scandal, which led the Department for Transport to set up a testing programme for the most popular diesel vehicles on British roads.
No other manufacturers’ vehicles failed the tests.
Alongside the consultation, the DfT also announced new anti-pollution measures including:
– Requiring information on the fuel economy of new cars to include results from a new, more rigorous laboratory test cycle;
– Improving the environmental performance and safety of specialist and modified vehicles;
– Implementing stricter rules on the sale of vehicles in stock that do not adhere to the latest emissions rules.
The Government is already committed to ending the sale of conventional new diesel and petrol cars and vans by 2040.


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Gartner released a report on Friday that suggested Google’s Gmail solution is ready to take on Microsoft in the enterprise email arena despite having just a tiny fraction of the market. “While Gmail’s enterprise email market share currently hovers around 1 percent, it has close to half of the market for enterprise cloud email,” Gartner research vice president Matthew Cain said. “While cloud email is still in its infancy, at 3 percent to 4 percent of the overall enterprise email market, we expect it to be a growth industry, reaching 20 percent of the market by year-end 2016, and 55 percent by year-end 2020,” Cain added, noting that Gmail should “now be considered a mainstream cloud email supplier.” Microsoft Exchange and Gmail are the only two services that have gained momentum during the past few years while other solutions, such as Novell GroupWise and IBM Lotus Notes/Domino have started to fade out. Cain said that companies should consider splitting their email services between the cloud and on-premises servers which, for now, “plays to Microsoft’s strengths.” Gartner also suggested the Google/Microsoft rivalry will make it tougher for other competitors to enter the industry. Gartner’s full press release follows after the break. More →
Intel recently took the wraps off of its new “Ivy Bridge” platform that includes new 22nm 3D “Tri-Gate” transistors, as opposed to a traditional flat-circuit design. The new transistors will help chips run more efficiently at lower voltages, and Intel says the platform should offer up to a 37% increase in performance compared to its 32nm transistors. Ivy Bridge will make its debut in PCs and servers by the end of this year, Reuters said, although Intel also has plans to use 3D Tri-Gate transistors in mobile chips, too. More →
Earlier today, Research In Motion announced its intentions to bring its BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) its mobile device security and administration services to both Android and iOS. Through its acquisition of ubitexx, the Canadian company is looking to expand the portfolio of mobile devices its BES solution supports. “The single web-based console is being designed to provide IT administrators with a simple and efficient way to distribute software and manage policies, inventory, security and services for BlackBerry devices, as well as other mobile devices,” reads the press release. “IT administrators will be able to manage devices over-the-air, including activating devices, distributing software and applications, locking or wiping devices, enforcing and resetting device passwords, setting IT policies, and managing optional mobile applications for end users. Certain features are expected to remain exclusive to BlackBerry devices because such capabilities are built into the design of a device’s operating system.” The new solution should be available “later this year.” Hit the jump for the full release.
On the heels of today’s MacBook Pro unveiling, Apple announced that it would be making a preview of Mac OS X 10.7 — codenamed Lion — available to developers. The company writes that Lion “takes some of the best ideas from iPad and brings them back to the Mac.” Apple details several, previously disclosed, features — such as Mission Control, Launchpad, and multitouch gestures — along with a handful of new, unannounced feature additions:
- A new version of Mail, with an elegant, widescreen layout inspired by the iPad; Conversations, which automatically groups related messages into one easy to read timeline; more powerful search; and support for Microsoft Exchange 2010;
- AirDrop, a remarkably simple way to copy files wirelessly from one Mac to another with no setup;
- Versions, which automatically saves successive versions of your document as you create it, and gives you an easy way to browse, edit and even revert to previous versions;
- Resume, which conveniently brings your apps back exactly how you left them when you restart your Mac or quit and relaunch an app;
- Auto Save, which automatically saves your documents as you work;
- The all new FileVault, that provides high performance full disk encryption for local and external drives, and the ability to wipe data from your Mac instantaneously; and
- Mac OS X Lion Server, which makes setting up a server easier than ever and adds support for managing Mac OS X Lion, iPhone®, iPad and iPod touch® devices.
The new operating system has been given a “summer of 2011” due date. A link to Apple’s new Mac OS X Lion page and the full press release are waiting for you after the break.
Uh oh, another Steve Jobs email? French Mac enthusiast site MacGeneration is reporting that it has obtained an email exchange between Steve Jobs and one if its readers about the discontinuation of Apple’s Xserve server product line. The reader emailed into Steve Jobs asking why the Xserve stopped serving, and here is what Steve Jobs, apparently, replied with:
Hardly anyone was buying them.
Sent from my iPhone
Short and sweet, eh? It is said that Apple only sold around 10,000 Xserve units a quarter, according to some old Gartner published data. If you’re not giving up on Mac OS X Server, the Mac mini and Mac Pro make pretty great replacements, though nothing can fill the void of a rack-mounted server unit for some of you.
Let’s be honest, the enterprise server market isn’t typically considered an area of strength for iDevice-maker Apple — and this next announcement seems to reaffirm that to the world. The company has posted a note on its Xserve splash page that states: “Xserve will no longer be available after January 31.” The company does go on to say that it will continue to support the pricey server. Apple has also made a PDF “transition guide” for Xserve-enthusiasts (if they exist) available, which explains what the Mac OS X Server options are going forward. All the literature is worded with the exact same verbiage: “Apple is transitioning away from Xserve.”
The statement does make us wonder what the company’s plans are for its Mac OS X Server software product. Think Apple will license its server software to run on other, generic, OEM server hardware, or do you think Apple is just throwing in the proverbial tower altogether? The current recommendation in the company’s transition guide touts the Mac Pro and Mac Mini, pre-loaded with Mac OS X Server, as an alternative. Although, if you’re a company in need of serious servers, you definitely aren’t considering either of those machines.
We’ve reached out to Apple for comment and will update this post with any additional information they provide.
Read [Xserve Page] Read [PDF Transition Guide]
Plex, for those not familiar, is a software company whose former creed was to: “bridge the gap between your Mac and your home theater, doing so with a visually appealing user interface that provides instant access to your media.” Today, the company has announced that it will be partnering with electronics maker LG to “integrate the Plex platform into their 2011 lineup of Netcast connected TVs and Blu-ray devices.” In the company’s announcement, they quip that when it comes to connecting devices to your television, a Mac Mini is “too large,” a Boxee box is “too pointy,” and the new Apple TV is “too tiny.” The company is betting on this free, integrated software model to be the future of connected televisions. The announcement continues: “Early next year, when you buy an LG Netcast TV or Blu-ray player, you will have Plex functionality built-in. Specifically, it will connect to a cloud version of the Plex platform for online content, and, if you happen to have a Plex Media Server running anywhere in your house (after all, who doesn’t have a computer in their house?), you can access your local and online content, in a rich interface, with full metadata.” The concept of integrating mature, intuitive media software into a TV really does sound like a great idea; especially for LG, as TV manufacturers are always trying to differentiate themselves from the competition.
“There will be more content providers investing in writing Plex plug-ins, so your online content choices will grow. And next year, if you’re upgrading your TV, or or buying an LG Blu-ray player, you’ll have the ability to get Plex, built in, at no additional cost. Fully integrated into killer consumer electronics gear, exactly as it should be.”
Yes, that is the way it should be. Hit the read link for more info on Plex and their recently inked LG deal. More →
Look, we’re pretty sure most of you out there have tried this a couple times or are at least familiar with the concept — you use a VoIP service which routes your call through a server that’s usually using Asterisk — you can have any number show up on the outgoing caller ID. Unfortunately for you malicious and deceiving individuals out there, Congress has just passed the Truth in Caller ID Act of 2010, and it makes it 100% illegal to use a service like this. Here’s the breakdown:
To cause any caller ID service to transmit misleading or inaccurate caller ID information, with the intent to defraud and deceive.
There are exceptions for blocking your own caller ID and for law enforcement usage. In the past, as we’ve understood, this was a grey area, but it was still considered against the law to spoof someone else’s number. Though, we had heard that if you spoofed your own number, it wasn’t illegal (say you’re at the beach drinking a Mojito and need to call a client, you can spoof your office phone number from your cell phone), so we’ll have to see how this pans out. Sorry, SpoofCard.
[Via Ars Technica] More →
RIM announced on Wednesday the impending release of the latest version of its BlackBerry Enterprise Server. BES 5.0 will offers a slew of new features that make the BlackBerry experience for enterprise users that much more pleasurable. Among the user-side benefits discussed:
- Retrieve corporate documents behind firewalls
- Add, read, rename and delete folders on the handset and have those changes be applied to the desktop email client
- Create rules within the inbox to filter email and have those changes be applied to the desktop
- View attachments in calendar entries and meeting requests
- Download and store emails and email attachments onto microSD cards
Over-the-air updates will also be easier for both administrators and users alike. We’ve been seeing and hearing about BES 5.0 forever so it’ll be nice to finally see it come to market, albeit about a million years behind schedule. We’ll surely see all of the details ironed out at WES so stay tuned, BES users.
Yesterday we reported a major data outage plaguing BlackBerry users across the country and while certain regions seem to be back in action today, many BlackBerry users are still left wondering when their service might be restored. Issues in the southern region reportedly resulted from the severing of a fiber line but that can hardly account for the massive outages experienced all day long, spanning from coast to coast. We’re still waiting for word on possible causes but while service has been restored for many BlackBerry users at this point, many more are still left without data. We spoke to our pals at AT&T, one of the carriers whose customers are still affected, and information was scarce at best. All they could tell us was that BES is still down for many, it’s a RIM issue and RIM’s engineers are “working on it”. We know several areas of the Northeast are still without service, including many in the New York / New Jersey region, but AT&T claims only enterprise customers are still affected at this point.
Unfortunately for those still without data, all you can do is wait patiently for service to be restored and try to maintain your indoor voice when calling and asking for a credit on your bill. Remember, this is a RIM issue so there really isn’t anything carriers can do. We’re well past the 24-hour mark, making this one of the more serious outages in recent history and at this point all we can say is… Step it up RIM! Drop us a line in the comments and let us know if you’re back in business or still twiddling your thumbs.


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While other models were sleek and streamlined, the Morgan looked and sounded like sports cars were supposed to. But its throaty roar could be a thing of the past, at least on one model, with the 101-year-old company developing an electric low-carbon version of the iconic vehicle. The electric car will be made of aluminium and be powered buy a plug-in battery. Morgan is co-operating with two other British companies, Zytek and Radshape, to produce a concept car which could be seen for the first time at the Geneva motor show next year. In fact two cars are being produced. One will be held back for further engineering research, while the other will be on public view as Morgan decides whether to develop a version which could be put on sale. The project is being backed by a £100,000 grant from the […]
MUNICH — BMW plans to export nearly 500 electric versions of its Mini car to California, company sources said. The electric Minis are being built at the Mini factory in Oxford, England, without engines, gearboxes or fuel tanks, then shipped to Munich, Germany, where they are being fitted with electric powertrains. BMW sources told Automotive News Europe that 490 of the Minis will be leased to selected customers in California and 10 will be used as show cars. The electric Minis are painted silver and have yellow roofs, the sources said. BMW engineers working on the electric Minis are part of a new division called Project i established by the automaker to develop low-emission city cars. The electric Minis will help BMW to meet new California regulations that will require carmakers selling cars in the state to offer zero emission […]
While I am as green as the next person, or maybe even more so, this just seems wrong on so many levels. The British cabinet is debating replacing their Jaguars with the hybrid Prius. As the Financial Times reports, “Gordon Brown’s cabinet clashed yesterday over whether to replace British-built ministerial cars with Japanese Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles, amid new evidence that the government is failing to live up to its green rhetoric. John Hutton, the business secretary, led the criticism of the plan to import more cars from Japan rather than use traditional British vehicles, saying it sent out a bad signal to domestic manufacturers.” Sad, very sad. You can read the full article at the Financial Times site.
In June 2007, The Lightning Car Company announced its intent to develop electric technology for a luxury British sports car – the Lightning GT. Today sees the unveiling of its evolutionary design. This super car with its outstanding presence & performance is set to put British sports car innovation well and truly back on the map. Designed to accommodate the latest battery and motor technology and reflect its 100% electric power and performance, the electric Lightning prototype is being hand-built by a small team of passionate British engineers, designers and collaborators. Whilst the rest of the automotive world engages in the hybrid, hydrogen or electric debate, the Lightning Car Company firmly believes its 100% Electric Lightning GT will help kick start the market for performance EV’s. Without a significant positive shift in perception, electric motoring will remain a huge compromise […]
Bentley is pinning its green future on more efficient gasoline engines powered by biofuel combined with lighter-weight body construction, rather than a radical switch to diesel or hybrid powertrains. “We don’t think our customers, particularly in North America and Europe, are ready for a diesel Bentley, said Uli Eichhorn, Bentley chief engineer, on Tuesday at the Geneva motor show. Although Bentley Chairman Franz-Josef Paefgen refuses to rule out a diesel powertrain, Eichhorn said: “Not ruling it out does not mean it is our top priority.” Hybrid powertrains don’t fit the typical usage cycle of a Bentley, according to Eichhorn. “(Hybrids) are very good in cities and stop-start driving, but that’s not where out cars are used.”
We have covered it before, but I just can’t get enough of this “Green” Morgan. But there is another article on Morgan’s unveiling of the world’s first pollution-free sports car at the Geneva Motor Show. This car is simply gorgeous. For the full article, see The Daily Mail. What do you think of the styling? Would you buy one? How does it fit in with the other Morgans?


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Two opposing forces in the increasing availability of data are: (1) banks and other merchants desire to use this data to drive consumer purchases, and (2) the push towards only making data available on an as-needed basis to improve security. A likely outcome will be the increasing dominance of data owners over service providers, who will be forced to pay for data access.
Worldwide 'Adylkuzz' cyberattack looming, experts warn it's bigger than WannaCry
Reports of a second large-scale cyber attack are emerging just days after the NHS was rocked by a ransomware virus
Fintech sector in Canada not reaching full potential: Competition Bureau of Canada
The fintech sector in Canada is not reaching its full potential, in part because of consumer complacency and a lack of trust in new alternatives to the big banks, according to a new summary from the Competition Bureau of Canada.…


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Murrysville Council on Wednesday approved a new location for Dollar General, but not without concerns about it adding to traffic at the intersection of Route 66 and Ringertown Road.
“Ringertown is kind of a cutoff between the Old William Penn Freeway and the 66,” Councilman Mac McKenna said. “And nobody uses it to shop now because there’s no store there. But when a Dollar General is there, maybe they will.
Councilman Jason Lemak said the steep incline of Ringertown Road where it meets Route 66 is a tricky intersection to navigate. Other council members echoed his concerns about potential buyers leaving Ringertown and crossing all of Route 66 to get to Dollar General.
Bob Gage of GBT Realty, a Tennessee company that has contracts with Dollar General, said that historically Dollar General stores were not “destination” locations.
“People don’t leave their house specifically to go there, like you would a Super Walmart,” Gage said. “People tend to stop when driving along the road where the store is.”
A traffic study in support of the project estimated that the store would not generate additional trips on Ringertown, based on existing traffic counts and patterns.
“I asked several residents on this road, and most said they don’t usually go this way because there’s too much traffic (on Route 66),” Lemak said.
Gage said these types of traffic situations tend to sort themselves out.
“If there are already problems getting out of Ringertown, people will probably avoid it,” he said. “We don’t expect the level of traffic there to change.”
Lemak and Councilman Carl Stepanovich voted against approving the store.
Car wash offered
The Board also held a public hearing for a proposed Tommy’s Express car wash at 4765 William Penn Highway, the former Choice Auto Sales.
The company is seeking conditional use to construct and operate an automated car wash facing Route 22, with entrances from the freeway as well as from the Old William Penn Freeway at the rear.
Engineer Justin DePaolis said traffic is estimated to be around 100 cars per hour during typical business peak hours, between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.
“In my 18 years on the board, I’ve seen Old William Penn grow from residential to mixed to what it is today, and it’s gone relatively well,” the former board member said. Counsel, Joan Kearns. “Until I see this plan.”
Kearns said the combination of existing and potential traffic near the proposed location is a big concern, especially when the nearby Franklin Regional School District is sending students away.
“There is an influx of traffic in the short trunk between Old William Penn and 22 in the late afternoon,” Kearns said. “I have seen cars waiting from School Road to Tarr Hollow Road waiting to pass this stop sign. And it will be made worse by people going in and out of the car wash.
Tommy’s is a national chain centered in the Midwest. The closest location is Chambersburg, but the company is offering new locations in Murrysville, Jeannette and Robinson.
The conditional use application will go before the Murrysville Planning Commission at its meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Municipal Building, 4100 Sardis Road.
Patrick Varine is an editor at Tribune-Review. You can contact Patrick by email at email@example.com or via Twitter .


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Chicago Booksellers Pompously Protest Upcoming Amazon Books Chicago Store
The independent bookstores of Chicago and the Chicago area have issued a statement in response to last week’s news that Amazon will open a brick-and-mortar bookstore on the north side of Chicago next year. The press release was posted by the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association and 16 area independent bookstores, all of which were named in the statement.
And yes, it is pompous. The press release includes statements from various booksellers and cites heavily from that questionable ABA report, but what really put the release over the top (other than the general tone) was this paragraph:
Whereas Amazon’s initial choice to sell books was largely for the purpose of collecting customer data, independent bookstores pride themselves on serving customers who read voraciously and eclectically and on using books to create a conversation with customers and their communities. Booksellers get to know their customers so that they are able to make personal recommendations that enrich and sometimes change people’s lives. In addition, independent bookstores collect—and have always collected—full sales taxes as required by law, thereby supporting schools, fire and police departments, and state and local governments generally. Amazon has also begun collecting and paying sales taxes, after being forced to by lawsuits and negative public opinion.
Does anyone know when all these upper east side literati decamped from Manhattan and moved to Chicago? Has any literature been written about that trek? (I’m out of sleeping pills, and am looking for alternatives.)
Remember Authors United?
AU was formed as a book publishing industry astroturfing group in 2014 during the Hachette-Amazon contract dispute. The last we heard from them was last August when they finally (after a nearly a year of blowing smoke) sent a letter to the DoJ, asking that Amazon be investigated for nonexistent antitrust violations.
Authors United has dropped off the radar after sending that letter, but now we have a new group which can pompously complain about Amazon.
Wait a second, what are the chances that we can get Authors United interested in protesting Amazon’s bookstores? Isn’t this right up there alley?
I think so, and I will do everything I can to get them involved.
P.S. It’s a shame Barnes & Noble didn’t sign off on this statement; that would have made it all the more ridiculous.
image by veritatem


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Activision’s ambitious title brings online adventuring to the stars.
halo in pictures
Hundreds of die-hard Halo fans lined up in Sydney last night for the official midnight launch of Halo Reach. The event was held at EB Games' Westpoint Blacktown branch, which had received the highest number of Halo Reach pre-orders in the country. Attendees were treated to free pizzas and photos with Master Chief himself. Check out the rest of the slideshow for all the photos from the event.
Ensemble Studios has released another batch of images from its upcoming real-time strategy game Halo Wars. Plot details remain thin, though a press conference held by Ensemble today revealed a little more information. Built specifically for the Xbox 360, the control scheme has been designed with a game controller in mind, making it much easier to play. The game will include a total of 15 missions with both main objectives and secondary objectives to complete at the whim of the player, with a strong story to drive the game’s levels. Expect the game to hit the Xbox 360 in late February.
You'll be able to build and play Halo 5 custom maps on Windows 10 by the end of the year, for free.
Halo 4 may have achieved the global milestone of generating US$220 million in 24 hours, but the game has also managed to set a pair of records in Australia.
With the departure of original developer, Bungie, there has been a lot of expectation riding on Microsoft to keep existing fans happy while at the same time invigorating the decade old franchise.
Hundreds of die-hard Halo fans lined up in Sydney last night for the official midnight launch of Halo Reach. The event was held at EB Games' Westpoint Blacktown branch, which had received the highest number of Halo Reach pre-orders in the country. At...
David Mclean, Microsoft's regional head of entertainment and devices, today paid tribute to the Halo brand at a Microsoft Open House event in Sydney, Australia.
In just 10 short days, Halo Reach -- widely tipped to be the biggest hit of the year -- will descend upon the gaming masses. It will mark Bungie's bittersweet departure from the Halo franchise — a franchise that unarguably helped to build the X...
Sometimes, you really are a bunch of whining, hatemongering kill-joys.
Ensemble Studios has released another batch of images from its upcoming real-time strategy game Halo Wars. Plot details remain thin, though a press conference held by Ensemble today revealed a little more information. Built specifically for the Xbox ...
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Sumary of Madewell launches dedicated denim resale platform:
- Published Jul 21, 2021 Reading time 2 minutes Download Print Text size aA+ aA- Published Jul 21, 2021 J.
- Crew Group-owned denim brand Madewell announced on Tuesday that it is expanding its existing partnership with secondhand specialist ThredUp through the launch of its own dedicated resale platform, Madewell Forever.
- Madewell forever will be stocked via ThredUp and with pieces collected at Madewell stores – Instagram: @madewell Powered by ThredUp’s Resale-as-a-Service (RaaS) tech and logistics program, Madewell Forever is the first 360 resale platform to be launched through this channel.
- The two companies collaborated closely in order to create the denim-focused white-label resale channel, which includes a digital shop.
- The platform, which will allow Madewell fans to both empty out their own closets and shop for second-hand denim pieces, launches with more than 3,000 pre-owned women’s jeans.


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Microsoft’s new headsets and Surface headphones have Microsoft Teams buttons
Microsoft is launching Surface Headphones 2 Plus today alongside two new headsets, all with dedicated Microsoft Teams buttons. It’s Microsoft’s latest hardware attempt to push Microsoft Teams, after the company launched new intelligent speakers for Teams last month and monitors started appearing with Teams buttons earlier this year. These aren’t the only headsets to feature a Microsoft Teams button, but now Microsoft’s trying to make it the new norm.
First up is Microsoft’s Surface Headphones 2 Plus for Business. Much like the Plus moniker on the Surface Pro 7 Plus, this is more of a refresh than a major redesign. All of the same features on the Surface Headphones 2, including battery life, remain the same, but Microsoft is now…


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Fragrance maker Maison Berger Paris said it has acquired Bescent, the startup that makes the Sensorwake olfactory alarm clock.
The acquisition is a big deal for 22-year-old Guillaume Rolland, who won a Google science fair for the invention in 2014, back when he was 17 years old. He created a company in Nantes, France to turn the product into a multi-sensory alarm clock that, among other things, can wake you up with smells.
“Maison Berger Paris and Sensorwake are two French brands that operate on the home fragrance market and share the same priority: to offer a product range with healthy diffusion methods,” said Olivier Sillion, CEO of Maison Berger Paris, in a statement. “This shared identity is the substance of this alliance between a renowned, century-old French company and an innovative, digital native French Tech startup. The objective is to enhance our range of products on the indoor fragrance market by combining our complementary areas of expertise.”
Normandy-based Maison Berger Paris has a 120-year history and a reach of 7,000 stores. It currently offers more than 60 fragrances, with an annual revenue of more than $56 million. Argos Wityu acquire a stake in the company in 2017.
The company’s perfume is diffused via catalytic lamps, candles, bouquets, and car diffusers. Maison Berger Paris said more than 5 million liters of its perfume were diffused in its lamps last year.
“Sensorwake employees and I are delighted to join a group known all over the world for its technologies and which asserts the values of quality, sophistication, and excellence,” said Rolland in a statement. “It will provide us with the means to achieve our ambitions — in other words, to accelerate perfume innovations and make them accessible all over the world.”
SensorWake works like an espresso machine, using a dry-diffusion technology to diffuse the scents. The entirely recyclable scent cartridges are filled with treated polymer beads and use no volatile particles or solvents, making the diffused scents concentrated enough to wake a sleepy user.
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New Ottawa store designed with customer experience in mind
OTTAWA, ON–All the work that marketing does to create brands, target customers, entice them into stores and keep them loyal can be undone by the in-store experience if customer expectation doesn’t match what they feel inside the store. It’s not new, but it’s singularly vital.
Giant Tiger Stores Limited, the leading Canadian discount retailer, officially opens the doors of a new and redesigned store on Walkley Road in Ottawa, Ontario in a few days, and the goal is to ensure the in-store works for their shoppers.
Giant Tiger is excited to introduce a new store concept, which speaks to Giant Tiger’s commitment to investing in the customer experience. The new features focus on improving the overall journey through the store and the integration of online and in-store capabilities, ensuring an easier and more efficient shopping experience that continues to save customers time and money.
“Despite the vast challenges currently being felt across the Canadian retail landscape due to COVID-19, Giant Tiger continues to execute our growth strategy that includes expanding online and in-store capabilities,” says Paul Wood, President and CEO of Giant Tiger Stores Limited. “We are focused on ensuring Giant Tiger’s customers will be able to shop in the manner that best suits their busy lifestyle.”
The new store has been carefully planned and designed to help communicate Giant Tiger’s commitment to product quality, freshness and safety, as well as everyday low prices. Giant Tiger is dedicated to meeting the needs of the communities they call home and this new format will help to deliver better value to our customers, franchisees and vendors.
“Our loyal shoppers can expect the same great selection and service, while enjoying a more contemporary look and feel,” says Cindy-Lynn Steele, SVP Marketing and Strategy, Giant Tiger Stores Limited. “We are excited to unveil the creative changes we’ve implemented as we feel they speak to our commitment to putting the customer first. We hope our shoppers will enjoy this updated shopping experience and continue to turn to Giant Tiger as their retailer of choice.”
The new store features aim to deliver an enhanced customer experience and include:
> Enticing exterior window treatments to display Giant Tiger’s varied assortment, allowing the customer to see what they can expect to save on inside
> Elevated in-store wayfinding signage provides shoppers an easier shopping experience and reinforces product assortment
> Fitting rooms with empowering messages on the doors encouraging customers to feel good trying on their purchases
> Interior specialty lighting in Fashion and Home departments highlight key products allowing the customer to better understand the product’s value and design
> Branded online order pick-up area saves customers time by making the pickup process easier
> Improved customer messaging about offerings both in store and online emphasize the ways customers can shop and save
This new store will also serve as a test environment for additional customer-focused initiatives that add to the shopping experience before nationwide rollouts.
“Ottawa is home for Giant Tiger. The first store in the ByWard Market opened its doors in 1961, and our headquarters have been here on Walkley Road since 1996. We are thrilled to be investing in this community. We want to sincerely thank our customers and neighbours for being so patient during construction and we hope you enjoy your new store,” adds Wood.
The original Walkley location closes its doors on March 3, 2021, at 5 p.m. and the new location will officially open to the public on March 6 at 8 a.m. Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, Giant Tiger plans to host a community appreciation celebration when guidelines permit.
About Giant Tiger
Giant Tiger is the leading Canadian-owned family discount store, committed to providing on-trend family fashions, groceries and everyday household needs. Known as Canada’s best-kept secret, the privately held company has over 250 locations across Canada and employs approximately 10,000 team members.


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YEAR IN REVIEW
Key moments in travel and hospitality in 2017
ANS, BANS AND MORE BANS If it wasn’t travel bans it was laptop bans which created chaos for airports, airlines and executive travellers. There wasn’t much to smile about but three cheers for Royal Jordanian, who turned negatives into positives with a series of amusing ads.
ANCILLARY REVS TAKE OFF
Emirates introduced an amended advance seat selection policy, with economy passengers facing charges of up to $135 per flight to select the most sought-after seats (free advance selection for first and business). Paid-for lounge access was another key move as Skywards Blue members could pay to access the airline’s Dubai lounges, and the airline tweaked its wifi prices.
A YEAR FOR PRODUCT
Every carrier will say service is their primary focus but 2017 saw no end of product investments and upgrades. New seats and onboard lounges reflected an insatiable desire for differentiation and even the humble amenity kit received attention as airlines spent on new pyjamas, moisturising creams and kit bags.
HERE WE GO AGAIN
Arabian Travel Market 2017 felt like a return to 2007, what with 2,000-room ‘golfotel’ projects, ambitious masterplans and bulging hotel pipelines. In reality, the year was dogged by RevPar and economic pressures, unprecedented consolidation and macro political and security concerns.
SUSTAINABILITY IN ACTION
Dubai added 50 Tesla electric vehicles to the limo fleet of Dubai Taxi Corporation and RTA announced futuristic self- Etihad Airways’ CEO James Hogan stepped down and Air Berlin collapsed amid much scrutiny of Etihad’s equity-buying strategies and all eyes will be on new Etihad Aviation Group CEO Tony Douglas to see how the next phase pans out – we’re told the Midfield Terminal Complex has been delayed until 2019. The UAE capital ended the year on a high though with Louvre Abu Dhabi opening to much acclaim.
100 UP FOR EMIRATES
Emirates powered on and received its landmark 100th superjumbo in November, and ordered 40 B787 Dreamliners at the Dubai Airshow. As always, filling the big planes and maximising yields will preoccupy EGHQ in the months ahead.
BLEISURE AND BALANCE
driving air taxis. When I visited Airbus’ Toulouse site, I saw a presentation on the CityAirbus flying taxi. This isn’t sci-fi; change is definitely in the air.
Etihad teamed up with Lufthansa while Emirates and flydubai formed a codeshare as airlines remained fixated with costs and yields. Marriott continued the nitty-gritty of integrating 5,000 hotels and loyalty programmes following the Starwood merger.
MIXED YEAR FOR ABU DHABI
There may be unending challenges at work but more of us are making time to relax during trips. It may sound cool to multi-task but your brain can only do one thing at a time so keep striving for balance in 2018. Your phone is important but not your life; choose experiences over possessions.


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DKNY Debuts A Ramadan Collection, & It’s Pretty Darn Beautiful
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Just Cavalli Logo Offends Muslim Group
Has The Fashion Calendar Started To Implode?
Jul 15, 2014 10:30 AM
Photo: Via Esteban Cortazar.
One of the fashion world’s time-honored exercises in futility is explaining the industry’s calendar. “No, no, the clothes presented this September are for Spring 2015,” you say, with — admit it — a degree of uncertainty, “and the clothes presented next February are for that fall.” It baffles even established designers, like Esteban Cortazar: “It doesn’t make sense anymore to show a collection that won’t be in stores for six months — the momentum and the desire dissipate,” he told Style.com. “Everyone likes to see everything instantly now, but no one’s been able to buy instantly.”
Embracing a “Show Now, Wear Now” ethos (and new investors, MH Luxe), Cortazar has already revealed his Spring 2015 collection to Barneys and The Webster, and his team is currently producing the stores’ orders. He will still participate in Paris Fashion Week for the press’ sake, and his “trans-seasonal” offerings should be available for purchase by the beginning of October. Buyers are on board, Cortazar notes; however, Style.com suggests that “the trickle-down effect could be huge for traditional fashion magazines, which need production time of their own to turn around new issues.” If only there were a faster way to disseminate information…such as a worldwide system of computer networks that link several billion devices globally. (Style.com)


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health platform Mfine
has laid off around 500 employees, people in the know said, becoming the latest to cut jobs as startups struggle to raise funds. The job cut accounts for about half the workforce at the Bengaluru-based company that had been hiring employees until last month, according to media reports.
Mfine is the ninth company in the startup space to lay off employees since April. It has let go of employees in data science, engineering and product departments.
Business media website Inc42 was the first to report about the layoff. Cofounders Ajit Narayanan
did not respond to ET’s request for comment. ET reported on May 19 that used-car platform Cars24 had laid off more than 600 of its employees. Over the past few weeks, close to 3,000 contractual and full-time employees have been fired from Cars24, ed-tech firms Unacademy and Vedantu, social commerce startups Meesho
, online learning platform Lido Learning
and furniture rental startup Furlenco
– ET Times


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Digital TV News: CTA
Zappware enables WIND VISION on PCs in Greece
Dec 2, 2020 – Zappware has announced that WIND’s pay TV platform is now available on the PC. Streaming through WIND VISION is now possible in all household screens, with a seamless experience and all functionalities enabled.
News categories: Zappware, WIND VISION, Patrick Vos, Hermann Riedl, Digital TV, Greece, OTT, UX
UK marketers expect to spend more on Advanced TV ads in the next 12 months
Nov 24, 2020 – FreeWheel has revealed that 70% of UK marketers surveyed expect Advanced TV ad spend to grow in the next 12 months. Advanced TV refers to VOD, connected TV, OTT, audience-based linear advertising, programmatic advertising and addressable TV.
News categories: FreeWheel, CoLab, Virginie Dremeaux, Advertising, Digital TV, UK
14% of Australians plan to cancel pay TV as a result of the pandemic
Nov 22, 2020 – A growing number of Australian consumers are cutting their pay TV subscriptions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey by JWS Research for The Trade Desk (Nasdaq: TTD).
News categories: The Trade Desk, JWS Research, James Bayes, Australia, Digital TV, Market Research
Globo moves to cloud-based encoding with Bitmovin
Nov 10, 2020 – Bitmovin ahs announced that Globo, the largest mass media group in Latin America, has selected Bitmovin Encoding to speed up the delivery of 4K video streams to its digital subscribers.
News categories: Bitmovin, Globo, Lucas Teixeira Stephanou, Stefan Lederer, Igor Macaubas, Brazil, Content Distribution, Digital TV, OTT
TheViewPoint enhances monetization and reporting for VlogBox
Nov 4, 2020 – TheViewPoint has announced a partnership with VlogBox that sees TheViewPoint bringing in its ad tech solutions to power up VlogBox's monetization capabilities, while providing analytics and pricing control over CTV inventory.
News categories: VlogBox, TheViewPoint, Nick Platonenko, Daniel Elad, Advertising, Big Data, Digital TV, OTT, USA
CTA announces NEXTGEN TV test suite for 2021 model year TVs
Nov 2, 2020 – The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) has announced the availability of its 2021 model year test suite for NEXTGEN TV. Manufacturers are required to meet the test suite requirements in order to use the NEXTGEN TV logo.
News categories: Consumer Technology Association, Brian Markwalter, Catrina Akers, ATSC 3, Digital TV, Smart TV, USA
ACCESS announces BML browser on Android for cars
Nov 2, 2020 – ACCESS Europe has announced an enhancement to its NetFront Browser BML Edition for cars that extends support to Android. Broadcast Markup Language (BML) is essential for delivering interactive and TV services to the car in Japan.
News categories: ACCESS Europe, Dr Neale Foster, Digital TV, In-Car, Japan, Middleware
Comcast cable video subscribers down 273,000 in 3Q 2020
Oct 29, 2020 – Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA) has reported results for the quarter ended September 30, 2020. Total video customer net losses were 273,000. NBCUniversal's recently launched Peacock has 22 million sign-ups to date.
News categories: Comcast, Brian L. Roberts, Cable TV, Digital TV, Europe, OTT, Results, Satellite, Subscribers, USA
Spain's video entertainment market to grow to €4.5 Billion by 2024
Oct 26, 2020 – According to Futuresource Consulting, the Spanish video market has witnessed a polarisation of fortunes in 2020. While many segments have been heavily impacted, others have seen their audiences expand.
News categories: Futuresource Consulting, Joanna Wright, Digital TV, Market Research, OTT, Spain
- HBO Max to expand into Latin America and Europe in 2H 2021
- SpotX releases 2021 video advertising trends report
- Comscore and MediaMath offer programmatic contextual ad targeting
- NetRange cloud app portal selected by itel for new Smart TVs
- Vewd integrates support for BML and Hybridcast
- Nordic streaming market approaching 14 million subscriptions
- Discovery announces global launch of discovery+
- VUALTO DRM selected to protect France Télévisions' AV content
- FreeWheel and NBCUniversal automate linear ad decisioning
- Deltatre AXIS to power BritBox for a further five years
- Zappware enables WIND VISION on PCs in Greece
- InterDigital and Futuresource release video sustainability report
- Local broadcasters collaborate to launch NextGen TV in Florida
- Highest ever Samsung Smart TV sales in 3Q 2020
- Orange France delivers targeted ads with SoftAtHome video player
- Velocix unveils cloud-native video personalisation service
- DIRECTV GO now available in Brazil
- VR consumer content revenue to exceed $7 billion in 2025
- Inverto first with EICS TV distribution equipment certification
- XroadMedia to power hyper-personalization at ZEE5


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The Director of the new Detroit Fashion Community (DFC), Elizabeth Kincaid, is in the studio this week Fashioncast fans and she’s making headlines about the launch of the organization. While careful not to reveal too much before the official launch date, January 1, 2020, Elizabeth tells us plenty about DFC’s mission, objectives, and partner collaborators.
Detroit Fashion Community’s Founder and President, Latrice Delgado-Macon, who has been a guest on Fashioncast several times, is the creative energy behind the organization. Together with Latrice and a dedicated board, Elizabeth will orchestrate day-to-day activities and help build the outreach and collaborative partnerships that will be instrumental in making Detroit a fashion destination.
In addition to news about the DFC, Christine and Mike manage to tease out Elizabeth’s own background and experience in the fashion industry including how her Native American lineage has provided her inspiration for her own new business starting sometime in 2020.
It’s a fascinating personal story with deep roots in West Virginia that winds its way to Detroit. We find out how, and along the way, we also discuss Elizabeth’s degree and work in psychology and the new role psychology is playing in fashion education.
Of course, Mike asks a predictable sustainability question or two to wrap up the show. Whew! So much discussed about different areas of the industry on this show, we’re certain your weekly fashion update will be complete. Enjoy!


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Has the GDPR had any impact on businesses?
For those who have been living in a cave and missed all the talk of the European GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) over the past few years, this new regulation caused quite a stir in the lead up to its launch on May 25th 2018. Promising record fines for non-compliance up to a maximum of […]
The post Has the GDPR had any impact on businesses? appeared first on SUSE Communities.


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One of the new norms of the COVID-19 environment has been the state sanctioned use of payment holidays to provide consumers with immediate financial relief. Initially intended to run for just three months, these will now be available until October 2020. Some customers will have taken advantage of six months’ worth of payment holidays before they contemplate resuming mortgage payments.
However, payment holidays have a hidden cost to the consumer. In many cases, for a customer at risk of hardship in normal circumstances, a bank would not necessarily see a payment holiday as a good solution to meeting the needs of customers on the cusp of financial hardship. In this paper, we look at the economic impact of payment holidays, how banks have responded, and the steps they can take today to mitigate the size of potential remediation pay-outs in the future.


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Face++, the Chinese facial recognition technology startup behind Alibaba’s selfie payments service, has secured an additional $25m in a series B funding round, taking the total raised to $47m. Existing investors Qiming Venture Partners and Innovation Works contributed to the round, the company told TechCrunch.
- Rambus forecasts omnichannel tokenization and ‘merchant pay’ as key trends for 2018
- Australia’s central bank explores the issue of electronic banknotes
- Gemalto rejects Atos’ bid to acquire it for €4.3bn
- Nordea switches on its open banking platform
- Ford gets patent for smartphone key case


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Following the success of the iPhone SE, Apple is thought to be increasing the size of their battery by over 6% in their upcoming phone, the iPhone 7, increasing the battery capacity by another 111 mAh. This comes along with other feature improvements such as a dual camera. The change is not drastic, and may be thwarted by increases in processing power available in the phone, but could yield satisfactory results, especially in tandem with the recent ‘Low Power Mode’ added to the latest version of iOS. The processor chipset has not been revealed, and it’s not yet possible to ascertain whether Apple will once again improve power efficiency or increase performance from this change.
Sources:  http://www.slashgear.com/iphone-7-rumors-new-antenna-dual-cameras-bigger-battery-10435601/


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The Registrar-General’s Department (RGD) is looking to improve its online business registration processes with the introduction of a new modified system.
The new modified system, according to the Registrar-General, Jemima Oware, follows a step-by-step review of all the current processes for registration and dissolution of businesses in the country.
“The present processes are being reviewed and will form the basis for preparing a new process map covering all existing RGD Business registration services. Stakeholders and the Registrar-General’s Department will then validate the Process Mapping using international best practices.”
“These processes will result into reforms that will translate into the development of a new online software for Businesses and Company registration in Ghana,” read parts of the statement signed by the Registrar-General.
Adding the new modified online business registration system, also forms part of preparations towards the implementation of the Companies Act, 2019 (Act 992).
According to the statement, the review and subsequent implementation of the new system, is part of the existing technical assistance support from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) under the Ghana Investment Climate Advisory Programme and funded by the Swiss Economic Corporation Secretariat (SECO).


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VIP Records. The Queen Mary. MOLAA. Jenni Rivera Memorial Park. These are just a few of the prime pieces of real estate one can imaginarily purchase in the Long Beach-Opoly game, a parody of the famed Monopoly board game by Late for the Sky Productions—and after selling out at nearly every Walmart location in the area, the game has returned and is $15 at participating Walmarts, including the location at South Street and Downey Avenue.
Despite its mediocrity as a board game itself—the game is extremely over-simplified and, outside of a few original nods in the contingency cards, lacks the nuances of the original—most are looking to own it because of its nostalgic and kitsch value.
The game company, owned by Bill Schulte, has long been in the business of turning college towns into Monopolys since Schulte created Miamiopoly in 1984 after graduating from Miami University in 1980. The point of the game was simple: pay homage to his alma mater city through the ruthless game that shows the perils and challenges of unhinged capitalism. (No joke: American anti-monopolist Elizabeth Magie created the board game in attempt to be able to educate folks about the dangerous aspect of concentrating private land ownership through monopolies.)
Of course, Schulte was aiming to be more lighthearted. Rather than go to jail, for example, one gets stuck in a traffic jam. (Though there is a funny irony there because, well, it’s not like Long Beach’s jail is ever heavily empty.)
“We’ve grown to 80 different cities since then—and Long Beach, particularly as of late, has been really popular, like Huntington Beach-Opoly,” Schulte said. “Each game is a walk around a specific university and the board spaces are the campus buildings, local businesses and traditions that are special to that school.”
Since Schulte or his crew of 45 workers often don’t have the ability to travel to each city a game is created for, employees often depend on a variety of sources to assure the research is sound. This ranges from corresponding with any given city’s visitors bureau to communicating with locals online.
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Battery maker EaglePicher Technologies of Joplin, Mo., will provide lithium ion batteries for NASA’s Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) under a contract with spacecraft contractor Orbital Sciences Corp., EaglePicher announced July 8.
Contract terms were not disclosed. ICESat-2 is based on Orbital’s LEOStar-3 spacecraft design. EaglePicher said the batteries it designed for ICESat-2 incorporate battery design features that Orbital has used for 13 GEOStar commercial communications satellites since 2008.
“This award demonstrates Orbital’s confidence in EaglePicher’s reliable and innovative lithium ion battery solutions provided for the aerospace industry, and builds upon the strong partnership formed by GS Yuasa and EaglePicher,” Ron Nowlin, vice president of EaglePicher Aerospace and Alternative Energy Storage, said in a statement.
EaglePicher’s ICESat-2 lithium ion batteries will utilize GS Yuasa’s Generation 3LSE134 lithium ion cells. EaglePicher and GS Yuasa formed a strategic alliance in 2004 to provide lithium ion battery solutions for the aerospace industry.
EaglePicher will design, build and test ICESat-2’s batteries in Joplin.


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With less and less people going grocery shopping to lower the risk of contracting COVID-19, big food brands are vying to keep consumers full from home.
On Monday, Impossible Foods became one of the first examples of this by allowing Hong Kong restaurants to resell their burgers in bulk directly to customers. Here are some of the creative ways big food brands are competing for business during the pandemic.
As the industry quickly adapts to fallout from the pandemic, many players quickly realized the potential of treating restaurants more like retailers as part of the broader shift. But since that’s not an option for many, others such as Shake Shack and Blue Bottle Coffee have recently introduced new initiatives worldwide to try to reach more consumers as they spend more time at home.
In the hopes that customers will want to make its plant-based burgers from home, Impossible is sending bulk supplies, including its 10-pack of patties, to a handful of Hong Kong restaurant partners around the city. The company introduced similar initiatives earlier this year in the US and Singapore with great success.
As government restrictions and lockdown orders hurt demand in Hong Kong, much like other parts of the world, Impossible Foods had been brainstorming how to help itself and its partners diversify. In a short period of time, it has already seen an impact.
Restaurants in Singapore that participated in the resale program “saw an average increase of 88 percent in total sales within the first month, with more than half of this coming from direct-to-consumer sales of Impossible Burger,” CNN reported.
Blue Bottle Coffee
It’s not just Impossible. Nestle-owned Blue Bottle Coffee has set up several vending machines in Tokyo — where vending machines are extremely popular — to reach people more easily. The cashless machines offer pedestrians a chance to purchase a conveniently bottled cold brew, instant coffee or branded reusable cups.
According to Blue Bottle, the idea is not new, but it was a good time to try it out. If the initiative proves successful, the company said it could expand the concept and add more machines in other locations.
“Although [this] was planned pre-pandemic, we are happy to be serving people’s needs, especially amidst the summertime heat and humidity in Tokyo,” the company said in a statement.
Also cashing in on the do-it-yourself trend is Shake Shack. In April, the popular burger chain launched meal kits in the US, allowing customers to prepare, cook and assemble the chain’s infamous Shack burgers at home for the first time.
The kit includes all the elements, from the patty to the bun to Shake Shack’s signature sauce. This summer, the chain rolled out “Shack Camp,” another box set offering that “includes all the supplies you’ll need for six weeks’ worth of activities to keep the whole troop happy this summer,” according to a company press release.
Rather than food, this box is supposed to sell an experience. Equipped with water balloons, bandanas, an ice cream scoop and sprinkles, the box comes with a suggested itinerary to keep the family satisfied for the summer.
How Big Brands Will Retain Consumers
The trend is only expected to grow as the slump from COVID-19 continues. More chains and local restaurants will likely expand beyond their normal operations by turning to more flexible options, such as delivery and smartphone ordering.
Restaurants are coming up with new sources of revenue that don’t rely on in-store diners. Combining offerings with traditional groceries, such as through meal kits and other packaged goods will give restaurants a significant lifeline.
Businesses are making it clear of their intention to remind consumers that they’re still around – and hungry for business.


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06 Mar New Business in MV – Old Tin Cup Antiques and Home Decor
The Old Tin Cup Antiques and Home Decor offers something to just about every interest as it opened recently in Mount Victory. The new owners, Jeff and Shawn Detwiler, think their shop is unique and will be a destination for antiquers throughout the area.
The couple owned and operated an antique business in Waldo, which they closed, said Jeff. They had loyal customers, but most people come to the village to eat bologna sandwiches at the local restaurant, which is closed on Sundays. He and Shawn wanted to find a location which featured other shops to bring more customers through their door. They were drawn to Mount Victory and its established antique businesses.
After purchasing the property, the old building got a major facelift, said Jeff. The store features Edison Billiard tables and Amish furniture made locally which include bar tables and chairs made from tree stumps and limbs.
The second floor’s southern room serves as Jeff’s workshop. He also makes furniture, but his creations started out being used for other purposes. For example, there is a table made from an old barn door. “I like to take things and repurpose them,” he explained.
He also works on restoring antique cars and hot rods. Jeff has installed a replica old gas pump as a part of the front of the store at Old Tin Cup. He plans to have unique cars parked nearby to draw attention of passing motorists. The cars also may be on display inside the shop, said Jeff. A new garage door was installed to be used to bring in the cars or, as is on display now, a carriage. In hot summer months, the door can be opened to allow customers access to the building. Five local dealers will feature their antique merchandise in that same room.
Horse stalls were built by the Amish carpenters for the displays. The Amish play a big part of the offerings at the Old Tin Cup. There are handmade rugs crafted by the Amish. On weekends, Amish baked goods will be available.
His daughter, Sarah, makes handmade signs, which are sold there, along with floral arrangements made by Shawn. Local artist Pat Gamby’s popular prints will be sold and are on display throughout the store. And there are old tin cups available, including a huge cup slated to be on display above the front entrance. The first customers through the door at the opening Saturday will be given souvenir tin cups.
The entrance to the shop is destined to be popular with husbands who have made the trip to the Mount Victory shops. It features an old ice cream counter, complete with stools and a working Coke machine. “We are going to install a flat-screen TV and make this a sitting area for the men. They can get a cold bottle of Coke, eat some chips or popcorn and watch NASCAR or Ohio State football while their wives shop,” said Jeff.
There is even a refurbished shopkeeper’s quarters upstairs where the couple can relax after a long day in the store, said Jeff. The renovation has been a lot of work, said Jeff. Windows have been replaced, ceilings removed and refurbished and floors cleaned to prepare for the new business.
Regular hours will have the shop opening at 10 a.m. daily and closing at 5 p.m. or later. It is closed on Mondays. Jeff said there has been a lot of encouragement from the community with several people anxious to see the inside of the remodeled building. “It seems like everyone is really excited about seeing what is here,” he said.
Another one of their changes which will soon get the attention of southbound motorists on Ohio 31, will be the mural being designed by local artist Marilyn Reed. The artwork will depict an old mercantile store, which will depict the building’s beginnings in 1881. Blending the history of the store with the history of the community in a new environment is the goal of the Detwilers.
Source: Kenton Times, by Dan Robinson


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The Asian consumer market is a tapestry of diversity and complexity, presenting unique challenges and opportunities for companies operating in the region. In 2024, businesses are navigating a landscape marked by significant geopolitical and geoeconomic shifts, where the ability to adapt and innovate is not just beneficial but necessary for survival and growth.
One of the primary challenges companies face is the increasing complexity brought on by inflationary pressures, corporate restructurings, and supply chain volatility. These factors are not just background noise; they are pivotal forces shaping the strategic decisions of businesses across Asia. In such an environment, the ability to attract, retain, and empower the best local talent is more than a priority—it’s a critical determinant of success.
The consumer goods and luxury sectors in Asia are under particular scrutiny. Premiumisation has emerged as a potent margin driver, reflecting the region’s growing affluence and appetite for high-end products. However, the journey is fraught with challenges. Companies must navigate the delicate balance of maintaining premium offerings while addressing the economic realities of their consumers, influenced by inflation and the global corporate landscape’s restructuring.
Digital marketing and the creation of connected physical brand experiences are now at the forefront of strategic thinking for retailers. As consumer buying patterns evolve, retailers must exhibit razor precision in their marketing efforts, ensuring that every dollar spent translates into tangible in-store experiences that resonate with consumers.
The production side of the equation is no less complex. Supply chains across Asia are becoming increasingly volatile, prompting a pressing need for digitisation and operational efficiency. The advent of generative AI offers a glimpse into the future, with its potential to transform various aspects of the consumer value chain. However, this new frontier is not without its challenges. Companies must carefully navigate the benefits and pitfalls associated with the accelerated availability and democratisation of data.
Understanding these multifaceted dynamics is crucial. The ability to identify and place talent that can thrive in this intricate environment is what will differentiate the leaders from the followers in Asia’s consumer markets. Of course, guidance from the right consumer markets recruitment company can assist with this process.
As we delve deeper into the intricacies of these market dynamics, companies and talent alike must prepare to adapt, innovate, and lead in an ever-evolving landscape. The journey ahead is complex, but with the right strategies and people, companies can navigate the chaos and seize the opportunities that lie ahead in Asia’s dynamic consumer markets.
This article is part of an ongoing series exploring hiring trends in Asia’s consumer markets. Next, we’ll delve into the trend towards personalisation of cost optimisation. Can’t wait? Download the entire series as a report here.
About the Author:
James Egremont is the Co-Founder of Connexus Global. With almost two decades of experience working in executive recruitment for the consumer markets sector, James helps multinational companies attract and retain the ideal candidates to drive the future success of their businesses.
About Connexus Global:


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Microsoft and its chief strategy and research officer Craig Mundie have been taking a lot of smack over the past couple of days. Mundie made some controversial comments regarding Apple's new Siri feature during a recent interview with Forbes Magazine.
The executive claimed that Microsoft has had Siri-like technology on its Windows Phone platform for over a year, and that Apple's success with it has been the result of "good marketing." But the two systems are miles apart, and here's a video to prove it...
Apple's Siri is certainly the hot property these days, and it is at its best when in the hands of hackers who create tools like SiriProxy. Offering a way of making Siri interact with pretty much anything on a network, SiriProxy has opened doors left and right, and now app developers are getting in on the action.
FastPdfKit, an app now available on the App Store, claims to be the first to offer Siri integration using SiriProxy. More accurately, FastPdfKit's developer, MobFarm, is the first to spend the time to create the commands required to interact with its app, but we'll let them off with their bold claim just this once.
The result is the ability to ask Siri to complete in-app tasks, such as paging forward or searching for text. The app even has a party trick, with Siri on an iPhone 4S being able to control the FastPdfKit app on an iPad...
Since Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S last month, everyone has been talking about one thing: Siri. The lovable assistant is the product of over 40 years of artificial intelligence research and the US CALO program (Cognitive Assistant that Learns and Organizes).
Siri isn't apparently exclusive to Apple's handset. Microsoft's chief strategy and research officer Craig Mundie recently told Forbes that Microsoft has had similar voice control tech on its Windows Phone platform for more than a year!
We know, we didn't see that one coming either...
The geniuses behind Project Black Mirror have created a way to control Siri with their minds. By constructing an elaborate system involving the Arduino prototyping platform, a MacBook Pro, and ECG pads to capture analog brain waves, these hackers can have Siri make a call by merely thinking.
Yeah, we're not kidding.
Have you been itching to control your Mac with Siri your iPhone 4S? iTeleport for iOS and the Mac lets users launch Mac apps with their voice via the miracle of VNC technology.
While other popular VNC apps, like Screens, let you control your Mac from your iPhone or iPad, iTeleport is the first app to take advantage of Siri on the iPhone 4S. You can simply say "Launch Safari" from your iPhone to open the app on your desktop computer.
Wouldn't it be cool if you could invoke Siri without pressing and holding your Home button?
I've always thought that Apple should include such an option for when we're on the road and want to control our devices with Siri.
That's the concept behind a new jailbreak tweak entitled Hands-Free Control. Once the iPhone 4S jailbreak is made public, it will allow you to invoke Siri by voice alone.
In the meantime, though, you can invoke Voice Control on pre-iPhone 4S devices...
Space Odyssey fans will know of the article intelligence called HAL 9000. Taking cues from Arthur C. Clarke’s beloved science fiction series, the folks at ThinkGeek have developed the IRIS 9000 for Siri and the iPhone 4S.
IRIS 9000 acts as a remote control hub for Siri that lets you talk to the robotic woman in your iPhone 4S from across the room. You can also make and receive calls like a regular speakerphone. The accessory will pick up your voice from up to 50 feet away, and you can remotely trigger Siri on your 4S via the micro remote control.
Why Apple has limited its new Siri personal assistant feature to the iPhone 4S is anyone's guess. At first it was believed that a lot of the backend of Siri took place on the handset, so it needed the A5's extra power. But that didn't prove to be the case.
It was also thought that the service required 1GB of RAM. But it was later revealed that Apple's new smartphone only contains 512MB, so that can't be it, either. So then why in the world is Siri limited to the iPhone 4S? Well, maybe it's not...
I've always thought that Siri looked good, just not as great as Apple would want you to believe. I was a skeptic. I was a skeptic until about an hour ago when I first tried Siri for myself.
It's not perfect, but it's definitely better than any other voice recognition/control/A.I. you've ever used. It integrates commendably with the iPhone 4S, and best of all, it just works...most of the time.
Siri will, without a doubt, change the way we communicate with our devices going forward; it's like the missing link that we've needed all along.
Check inside and see what it's like to have small talk with Siri...
As expected, one of the stars of Apple's iPhone event yesterday was its new Siri feature. The project, which the rumor mill dubbed Assistant, materialized on stage as a digital personal assistant for future iPhone users.
Even with its impressive demo yesterday, many folks have written Siri off as another failed attempt at a voice command feature. TUAW did some digging and found some evidence that it's much, much more than that...
Nuance has updated its Dragon Go! app in the App Store with a host of new features to enhance the voice dictation experience. In case you missed our original review, Dragon Go! allows you to speak commands like "Find movie tickets for tonight" and get results.
Dragon Go! was already pretty smart, but this recent update just made it way smarter. Nuance has added support for services like Spotify, Netflix and Wolfram|Alpha...
We know that there will be a new iPhone released next month. We know that Apple will probably hold its next announcement on October 4th, followed by availability the following week.
But what do we really know about the upcoming iPhone? 9to5Mac has published everything it has learned about the iPhone 5, including the one feature that will make you want to buy it...


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Korea’s FTA with China does little to expand trade
A cosmetics company referred to as L exports its facial masks made of cellulose extracted from cotton seeds to China, which accounts for roughly 80 percent of the company’s overall overseas exports.
The free trade agreement with China has helped raise the company’s expansion into the country, which helped its average sales in the last three years to surge 186 percent. These were the success cases that the Korean government touted Monday in celebrating the bilateral trade agreement that kicked off Dec. 20, 2015 with the strong support of both the Korean and Chinese governments.
Korean officials, in a press release, called the FTA a success despite declining exports this year. The government argues that while the climate has been difficult, the agreement has limited Korea’s exports from falling further.
But in the first 11 months of the year, data shows that the FTA had a limited impact in expanding trade between the two leading Asian economies amid flagging momentum and soured diplomatic relations since the Korean government announced an agreement with the U.S. military on deploying the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) on the peninsula in July.
Korea’s overall trade with China has declined 8.5 percent in the first 11 months compared to the same period in 2015, according to the Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Customs Service. Korea’s exports declined 10.9 percent during this period to $112.4 billion while imports from China shrank 4.8 percent to $79 billion.
The Korean government attributed the fall in trade to the sluggish global and Chinese economies. Although China is expected to reach its growth targets of between 6.5 percent and 7 percent by the end of the year, which aligns with the OECD’s outlook of 6.7 percent, thanks to improved industrial output in November, the overall Chinese economy has been losing momentum in recent years.
In fact, the last time China reported double-digit growth was in 2010, and exports have fallen in the last five or six years.
The Korean government said although exports have fallen more than 10 percent in the accumulated 11 months, by monthly growth, the situation has improved.
In January, Korea’s exports tumbled more than 25 percent, but in November exports turned around for the first time since July 2015, edging up 0.4 percent compared to the same month a year ago.
The trade ministry also noted that Korea remains China’s biggest export market, accounting for 10.5 percent. Japan followed with 9.6 percent and Taiwan has the third-largest market share of 9.2 percent with the U.S. at fourth with 8.5 percent.
Most notably, Korea’s e-commerce exports including cosmetics, fashion products and electronics have surged 127 percent this year to 1.2 trillion won.
The government said the exported goods that benefited from the FTA with China limit their decline to 4 percent while those that didn’t benefit from the FTA fell more than 12 percent.
Yet, analysts have raised concerns over the FTA contribution to the country’s exports. Some have argued that the FTA’s impact has been undermined by souring diplomatic relations that have resulted in non-tariff barriers such as antidumping regulations that popped up in the second half.
Korean government officials, when promoting the free trade agreement with China before its ratification, stressed the bilateral agreement is an opportunity when considering trade barriers with the world’s largest market are lowered.
However, there are 111 regulations set up by the Chinese government that are barriers to free trade. This is the third largest after Europe, which has 203, and the U.S., with 200.
The Chinese government also has increased its competition against Korea’s major exported goods such as steel, computer chips and automobiles amid a turnaround in its growth policy focused on improving its domestic market.
Unlike the Korean government’s usual strategy where both countries signing the free trade deal agree to open 100 percent of the manufactured goods market, the agreement with China opens just 90.1 percent. When excluding the partial lowering of tariffs, the custom tariffs account for only 85.1 percent of export goods to be swapped in the next 20 years. This means some of the major Korean export goods, such as OLED TVs and autos, are excluded from the FTA, limiting the effect of the deal.
“The areas that weren’t opened for Korean exports not only include high value-added industries, such as medical services and research and development but also industries that Korea has the competitive edge,” said Cheon Yong-chan, a Hyundai Research Institute senior researcher. “And yet amid the worsening diplomatic and political atmosphere between the two countries, we haven’t even set the date on the follow-up negotiation for service industries and investment.”
BY LEE HO-JEONG [firstname.lastname@example.org]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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SITC International, a Hong Kong-based shipping logistics company, has inaugurated the SITC Global Shipping Logistics Center near the Port of Qingdao, China, to improve the trade and business environment along the New Silk Road.
Qingdao is an important hub for trade along the New Silk Road, China’s $1 trillion plan to improve trade between Asia and Europe.
SITC said the Qingdao Free Trade Zone, where the centre will be located, has built a world class business environment and an international shipping hub.
The company said it will actively develop of maritime and land-based smart logistics and digital logistics through artificial intelligence and big data.
The new centre will help Qingdao’s shipping, trade and financial coupling development and enhance SITC’s core competitiveness and accelerate its innovation strategy by establishing an intelligence warehouse and logistics base.
The Port of Qingdao is one of the fastest growing ports in China, with several smart technology projects designed to increase trade and transparency.
In July 2020 it announced it was close to completing the Qingdao Port Automatic Terminal Phase II after several berths passed inspection tests. The initiative is part of a wider movement to utilise smart technology.
In the same month it opened the Dongjiakou Port Area to improve the logistics chain in and out of the port area.


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AAK will invest in Big Idea Ventures’ (BIV) New Protein Fund to support start-ups developing alternative protein products.
AAK will provide ingredient expertise to emerging players within the plant- and cell-based meat, seafood, and dairy products arena to develop solutions to feed the world’s growing population.
The investment will also create collaboration opportunities with recognized players in the food industry, searching for more sustainable protein sources.
AAK’s investment as a corporate partner will allow the New Protein Fund to strengthen its reach in both Europe and Asia, explains Andrew Ive, founder and general managing partner of BIV.
The investment in the fund has no material impact on AAK’s earnings.
Advancing alternative categories
Partnering with BIV will give AAK an additional platform to support the fast-growing categories of meat and dairy alternatives.
Johan Westman, president and CEO at AAK Group adds: “AAK gets closer to prospering early-stage businesses who are active within one of our key growth segments.”
“We will also be able to collaborate with other fund partners and investors, including some of the most important industry front-runners in the world,” he highlights.
Furthering its investment in “future food” AAK joined the MISTA innovation platform in San Francisco, US, last year.
In addition, AAK recently announced the establishment of a Plant-based Foods Global Center of Excellence in the Netherlands, set to be operational later this year.
AAK’s investment in proteins comes days after announcing a global satellite monitoring program to support zero-deforestation.
The moves represent the company’s focus on sustainable actions, an important trend that has been growing for years, as highlighted in Innova Market Insights’ third Top Trend for 2020: Sustain Domain.
“Driven by an increased focus on health, well-being, sustainability and climate concerns among many consumers, the long-term outlook for meat and dairy alternatives is very strong”, says Niall Sands, president of plant-based foods at AAK.
“By investing in BIV’s New Protein Fund I, we continue to demonstrate our commitment to future food innovation.”
Food industry steps up
Big players are investing more heavily in plant-based and sustainable proteins, as illustrated in Beyond Meat and PepsiCo’s PLANeT Partnership.
Nestlé has also made significant strides in advancing plant-based products with the launch of Vuna, a plant-based tuna alternative, last August.
The Swiss food giant has also committed to zero emissions by 2050 with moves such as switching to 100 percent recyclable packaging by 2025.