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Aspin at Glee 2017
We were back at the NEC in Birmingham earlier this week to attend the Glee trade show. The show, which is one of the largest buying events for the garden and pet industry gave us a great opportunity to catch up with many of our clients who were exhibiting.
Plant and seed distributors Thompson & Morgan are reaping the rewards with PixSell since going live in August. Aspin clients since 2011, Thompson & Morgan made the switch from MiniSell in 2017 – giving their 15 sales reps an iPad with PixSell to take field orders. Early feedback from the sales team suggests that the transition has been a huge success.
“PixSell is a really good system,” the Thompson & Morgan Area Sales rep for the South West told us. “It has made my life a lot easier as it is much quicker to construct an order and then email it back to head office so it can be processed. A huge benefit for our customers has been that we are able to email them an order confirmation as soon as the order is taken. In terms of presentation, some of my customers have commented on how the iPad looks very professional. I make sure that I update the system each morning so that I am aware of what we have in stock and which particular items we need to be pushing more.”
Petface are investing in both InterSell and PixSell. Aspin and Petface first started working together in 2012 – implementing iPad ordering With PixSell, the requirement was simple – to provide a solution which would make it much easier for the reps to capture orders – with more information readily available to do that. They are now revisiting PixSell to keep their field sales strategy fresh and engaging.
“For us it is the simplicity in taking orders,” Chris Stevenson, Sales Channel Manager at Petface said. “Before PixSell, our reps in the field would have to phone back the orders to head office which was difficult to do at times without errors. Now they have everything they need on an iPad – product brochures, pricing lists, stock information – and they are able to send through their orders back to head office instantly.”
“In addition, we are starting to develop our presentation screen and also implement other changes such as the PixSell pantry list option which will allow our customers to see all products which they have ordered previously over a period of time. This will help us to speed up the ordering process and will also allow us to recommend other products.”
Smart Garden products have launched a new PixSell presentation screen. Garden product suppliers Smart Garden first implemented PixSell in 2014 as a solution for their sales team to capture field orders. Three years on, they are looking to further develop the system by making improvements to their presentation screen within PixSell. We spoke to Marketing Manager Emma Cooper to see how this is progressing, and find out what her expectations are.
“We are very pleased by the way in which PixSell is working for us,” Emma said. “However we are looking to enhance this as we would like to use the system as more than just an order taker. We have recently redesigned our presentation screen with the aim of making our products look more appealing. The screen is designed to be more interactive and we hope that this will improve our rep, customer relationship as the system will look more professional. We launched the new screen at the start of the Glee show so it is now a case of getting all our reps up to speed with the design.”
For more information on our products and services, you can contact us on 01794 500 200 or on firstname.lastname@example.org


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Sara Lee Corp. said Thursday that it plans to acquire Playtex Apparel Inc., a $571 million transaction that would put such brands as Bali, Hanes, Playtex and Cross Your Heart in the same underwear drawer.
The seller is a management group led by Joel E. Smilow, who, if this deal closes, will have participated in buying and selling Playtex Apparel four times in five years.
Smilow remains head and an owner of Playtex Family Products Corp., which makes tampons, infant feeding systems and gloves and isn`t involved in the Sara Lee deal.
Chicago-based Sara Lee plans to swap about 4 million of its shares for Stamford, Conn.-based Playtex Apparel. It also will assume and refinance about $400 million in Playtex Apparel debt.
On the New York Stock Exchange, Sara Lee shares closed Thursday at $42.75, off $1.37. At that price, the stock portion of the deal is worth about $171 million.
Playtex Apparel makes and distributes brassieres and other intimate apparel under such brand names as Playtex, 18 Hour, Cross Your Heart and I Can`t Believe It`s A Girdle. For the 12 months ended June 30, it had sales of about $480 million. It didn`t disclose its operating profit.
Sara Lee, a diversified food and personal products giant, sells intimate apparel under such names as Bali and Hanes Her Way.
A Sara Lee spokeswoman declined to divulge the company`s annual sales for foundation garments. She did say that Sara Lee and Playtex Apparel each control about 10 percent of the U.S. foundation and intimate apparel market.
Much of Smilow`s career has been intertwined with what used to be known as International Playtex.
He ran International Playtex for four corporate owners, the last being Chicago-based Beatrice Co. In 1986, he was part of a group led by Donald Kelly that acquired Beatrice in a leveraged buyout. Soon after, he led a buyout group that acquired International Playtex.
In 1988, the company was acquired in another buyout led by Smilow, who immediately sold its apparel division to a group led by himself and other managers for $40 million cash and the assumption of about $340 million in debt.
Smilow said he received an unsolicited bid for Playtex Apparel in early July from a company he didn`t identify. He told Sara Lee of the bid, knowing it might be interested in Playtex Apparel. Negotiations ensued and an agreement was reached this week.

domain: news


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A second typhoon blowing from Samsung Electronics that will shake the smartphone component market is coming. Samsung Electronics has decided to introduce in-cell touch displays and Substrate Like PCB (SLP) substrates in its strategic smartphones to be launched in the first half of next year. The SLP, a next-generation substrate integrated with semiconductor packaging technology, will be used by Samsung Electronics for the first time. The latest decision of the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer is expected to hit the component industry hard as a whole.
According to industry sources on August 6, Samsung Electronics will start to adopt the SLP in the Galaxy S9 to be released next year. The company will use the SLP as a main substrate that connects smartphones’ core parts such as application processors (APs) and NAND flash and DRAM chips.
Samsung Electronics has already started preparing to gear up for production with multiple South Korean PCB manufacturers, including Samsung Electro-Mechanics, to keep supply and demand in balance. These companies are bringing in production facilities. An official from a PCB producer said, “We are preparing for SLP mass production, targeting Samsung’s upcoming smartphones.”
The SLP, a main substrate for next-generation smartphones, is an advanced type of the current mainstream High Density Interconnected (HDI) PCB technology. Integrating the HDI PCB with chip packaging technology, the new substrate has a better efficiency by increasing the number of layers while reducing its area and width.Smartphone makers need to make the best use of a space for new smartphones. They should increase the battery capacity and make their smartphones do and mend while using various high performance components. It means that they need to enlarge the battery and miniaturize the substrate at the same time. The SLP is considered a component that meets the two requirements. This is why Apple will also introduce the SLP in its new iPhone which is due for release in this fall.
As Apple and Samsung Electronics, the two smartphone makers that lead the global market, have decided to change their substrates to the SLP, there will be a sea change in the smartphones’ main substrate industry. In particular, the South Korean industry is expected to be hit harder than any other countries. In other words, companies which don’t have the semiconductor packing technology can die out in the future. With Samsung’s latest decision, the downstream industry will be caught in a maelstrom of sudden changes.
In fact, there are 10 companies supplying the HDI to Samsung Electronics for its smartphones. However, only four out of the 10 companies are preparing to produce the SLP for South Korea's electronics giant due to high technology entry barriers. When mass production and supply begin in earnest, the companies will show a clear switch of fortunes.
Samsung Electronics is planning to use the SLP from the Galaxy S9 that comes with its Exynos AP. Since there is a gap in technology, the company will still use the HDI in models that use Qualcomm’s AP. With the current trend, however, the SLP is expected to spread rapidly after passing an initial introduction stage.
Samsung Electronics is the world’s largest smartphone producer that sells 400 million units a year. The company’s decision to adopt a new technology and change its strategy has so much power to completely turn the existing market structure upside down. This is why the touch screen industry is also in an extremely precarious state. The previous model of the Galaxy S9 is equipped with an in-cell touch organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display. The so-called Y-OCTA display doesn’t need a touch screen panel (TSP). As Samsung’s demand for the TSP will disappear, the related component and material market is expected to shrink. Such aftermath will now spread to the PCB industry as well.


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lexipixel - 5:04 pm on May 27, 2011 (gmt 0)
PayPal lawsuit alleges Google stole trade secrets
PayPal filed a lawsuit against Google today, alleging the Web giant misappropriated trade secrets from its mobile-payment business when it hired away a key executive [Osama Bedier] in PayPal's mobile payments effort.
The lawsuit, which was filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court in California, alleges that Osama Bedier, a former senior PayPal executive working on the company's mobile-payments platform, misappropriated PayPal's trade secrets when he went to work for Google earlier this year.
Read More at: [news.cnet.com...]
...looks like "Wallet" may have been pick-pocketed.


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Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light’s Parent Company Pledged To Purge Its White Male Employees In This Promo Video
Posted For: DocYak
Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Bud Light, has pledged to purge its white, male employees in an effort to have a “more diverse and inclusive environment,” according to footage found on the company’s website. The company has seen its sales collapse since the disastrous Dylan Mulvaney advertisement campaign which wiped billions off the firm’s value, and chased millions of customers away.
In the video, one employee of Anheuser-Busch explains, “we’re still 40 percent women, and 60 percent men, still predominantly white: so there’s still work to be done.” The “work” to be “done” is apparently replacing white male workers with alternatives.
In doing this, another employee says, “I feel like I finally found my voice as a black woman, and I’m not prepared to lose it.”


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E-commerce & D2C
Apr 24, 2023
AnyMind Group and CAMPFIRE jointly launch Gadget Hack
AnyMind Group, an end-to-end commerce enablement company, together with Japan’s largest crowdfunding platform, CAMPFIRE, have jointly established Gadget Hack, an integrated offering that provides overseas gadget brands looking to enter the Japanese market with cross-border expansion consultants and technology from both companies.
Data from the U.S. International Trade Administration showed that online shopping spending in Japan has remained steady in 2023 compared to 2022, but still prevails at higher levels compared to 2019-2021. In addition, consume


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Samsung Galaxy S5 Zoom will be called the Samsung Galaxy K; phone will be unveiled on April 29th
posted by Alan F. / Apr 13, 2014, 11:43 PM
On the invite, it says "Kapture the moment," which sounds like something a camera would do. And of course, the use of the letter "K" obviously has some meaning (unless Sammy's ad team has gone daft). There is also a giant "K" on the invitation, which appears to have a phone inside the image of the letter.
It all adds up to an introduction of the Samsung Galaxy S5 Zoom, which apparently will be called the Samsung Galaxy K. The phone will have a 4.8 inch Super AMOLED screen with a 720 x 1280 resolution. Under the hood is a six-core Samsung Exynos 5 Hecta SoC. The Mali-T624 GPU handles graphics and 2GB of RAM is included. The 20MP rear-facing snapper has 10x optical zoom and a Xenon flash, an upgrade over the 16MP camera on the Samsung Galaxy S5. The front-facing camera is 2MP and Android 4.4.2 is installed out of the box.
Information like a precise launch date and pricing, will have to wait for April 29th when Samsung takes the wrapping off of its new camera-centric handset.
- Display 4.8" 720 x 1280 pixels
- Camera 20.7 MP / 2 MP front
- Processor Samsung Exynos 5 Hexa, Hexa-core, 1700 MHz
- Storage 8 GB + microSDXC
- Battery 2430 mAh(14h 3G talk time)
Posts: 537; Member since: Feb 17, 2014
posted on Apr 13, 2014, 11:45 PM 10
Posts: 10457; Member since: May 14, 2012
Mark the calendar because a great phone is being announced.
posted on Apr 14, 2014, 12:24 AM 16
Posts: 399; Member since: Nov 09, 2013
/Sony-Xperia-Z2-overview-Revised-model-takes-first-place-in-Mobile-rankings Suck it.
posted on Apr 14, 2014, 2:55 AM 1
Posts: 718; Member since: Feb 25, 2013
LOL You have no idea of photo, do you ???? 808 is a monster ! I´ve one and DxOMark is not an authorithy in photos anymore, read from pros ...http://www.dpreview.com ..."DXO lost their credibility"http://www.dpreview.com/news/2
014/04/08/dxomark-mobile-report-sony-xperia-z2-takes-top-spot?utm_campaign=internal-link&utm_source=news-list&utm_medium=text&ref=title Sony Z2 has a lot of bugs to correct (just google it), photos are overexposed etc. . If you want to justify your money that´s ok ! _0_23.
posted on Apr 14, 2014, 7:58 AM 0
Posts: 16; Member since: May 22, 2012
Six-core is Hexa, not Hepta.
posted on Apr 14, 2014, 12:03 AM 1
Posts: 200; Member since: Apr 27, 2012
Its hecta now which is even weirder cos hecta is a factor of hundred..
posted on Apr 14, 2014, 12:08 AM 2
Posts: 297; Member since: Jan 28, 2014
Hecto or hecta is a verbal reformation of the greek εκατό ℏekat'o = 100 The funny thing is that Hecto - ℏ'ekto - έκτο is the sixth http://www.explorecrete.com/va
posted on Apr 14, 2014, 1:36 AM 0
Posts: 445; Member since: Oct 24, 2013
Quad and nona is from latin see herehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L
After 1975 Exa is used for trillion, Hecto is left for the 100 and Hecta now is used to say x6, maybe because Exa and Hexa sounds almost the same.
I'll go Greece this summer, so I'll study by close :)
(if the summer let me...) n_English
posted on Apr 14, 2014, 2:51 AM 0
Posts: 48; Member since: Feb 23, 2014
Maybe samsung will surprise us with a premium phone! Yes, the ad sounds like a camera centric phone, but the decision to launch it in a museum, is a little odd? And why would they name it galaxy K instead of the s5 zoom? Remember the galaxy J? Yes, K is after the alphabet J. Just saying! Waiting for 29/4.
posted on Apr 14, 2014, 12:20 AM 0
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Disney adds two more river cruise sailings
Adventures by Disney added two more river cruise departures to its inaugural season in partnership with AmaWaterways. The company announced in April that it would offer four sailings along the Danube River in 2016, via a charter of the 170-passenger AmaViola, but last week it upped the number of departures to six by adding Aug. 4 and Dec. 15 cruises.
Sabre agrees to buy Asia/Pac GDS Abacus
Sabre agreed to buy out the consortium of 11 airlines that owns 65% of Abacus International, a GDS in the Asia-Pacific region. Sabre owns the other 35%. The acquisition includes new long-term distribution agreements between Sabre and the 11 airline owners. More than 100,000 travel agents use the Abacus GDS.
JetBlue to introduce Quito flights from Fla.
JetBlue plans to begin daily service between Fort Lauderdale and Quito, Ecuador, in the first quarter of 2016. Demand for travel to Ecuador has been growing, aided by the country's extensive promotional efforts, said Dave Clark, JetBlue's vice president of network planning. JetBlue will compete with Tame, Ecuador's flag carrier, on the route. American Airlines and its alliance partner LAN Ecuador fly to Quito from Miami.
El AL to start Boston service on June 28
EL AL Israel Airlines will launch direct service between Boston and Tel Aviv next month, making it the only nonstop flights between the two cities. Starting June 28, the airline will offer three weekly nonstop flights between the two cities. Tickets are open for booking.
Royal to raise its suggested gratuities
Royal Caribbean International plans to raise suggested daily gratuities from $12 to $12.95 per person, amounts that are automatically posted to a passenger's shipboard account but can be adjusted upon request. The 8% increase on standard cabins is scheduled to go into effect June 1.
DC's Mayflower goes with Autograph
Washington's 90-year-old Mayflower became the city's first hotel under Marriott International's Autograph Collection. The 657-room property previously operated under Marriott's Renaissance brand. Opened in 1925, the Mayflower has hosted President John F. Kennedy, Winston Churchill and Amelia Earhart, and recently underwent a $20 million renovation.
CroisiEurope ups its agent loyalty reward
French river cruise line CroisiEurope's travel agent loyalty program, Mon Ami Gold Club, added a higher loyalty club level that gives agents who sell five CroisiEurope cruises in a single year 17% commission on all future CroisiEurope sales. Any agent who registers for the loyalty program gets the standard 15% commission rate.
Washington area gets first AC Hotel
The Washington area's first hotel under Marriott International's AC Hotels chain opened on Maryland's National Harbor. The AC Hotel Washington, DC at National Harbor has 192 rooms and 3,700 square feet of meeting space. The eight-story property has artwork inspired by its location and a lounge that serves drinks and Spanish-style tapas.
Friends & Colleagues
Travel Leaders Franchise Group has named Ron Cerko senior vice president of franchise development and services. Cerko will be responsible for sales and for the regional franchise consultants who help individual agencies develop their business. He will also oversee the franchise group's education and training team. Cerko most recently was a vice president with Enterprise Holdings, responsible for travel industry development in the U.S. and Canada. • • • Frontier Airlines CEO Dave Siegel has resigned, citing personal reasons, according to the carrier's board of directors. In turn, the board has created an "office of the chief executive," consisting of Frontier Chairman Bill Franke, who will focus on strategy and financial matters, and President Barry Biffle, who will manage day-to-day operations, according to a statement from the board. Siegel had led Frontier since January 2012. • • • The Cruise Professionals appointed Jason Sarracini COO, a newly created position. Sarracini joins Cruise Professionals from Travelzoo Canada, where he was vice president and general manager. In 2004, he founded TargetVacations.ca, a Canada-based online travel agency that specialized in last-minute deals. • • • Kay Kratky has been appointed CEO of Austrian Airlines. Kratky, currently COO of Lufthansa German Airlines, will assume his new role on Aug. 1, replacing Jaan Albrecht, who will depart on June 1. Chief Commercial Officer Andreas Otto will lead the airline in the two interim months. • • • Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants welcomed Joe Pagone as general manager and Jess Johnson as director of sales and marketing for its Hotel Van Zandt in Austin, Texas, which is set to open this summer. Pagone joins the Hotel Van Zandt team from the Hotel Monaco, a Kimpton Hotel in Baltimore, where he had served as G.M. since 2012. Prior to that he had been assistant G.M. at Kimpton's Hotel Palomar in Chicago. Johnson comes to the property from the nearby Horseshoe Bay Resort. His experience also included stints at a trio of Nashville properties: the Sheraton Nashville Downtown, the Marriott at Vanderbilt University and the Gaylord Opryland Resort, where he was director of national sales from 2009 to 2011.


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Leeds-based marketing and events management specialists XSEM has reported securing a three-year partnership agreement with PPG, which will see the agency mastermind a range of incentive-led events for the global coatings company.
The deal is estimated to be worth around £1.5m in business for XSEM over the three years and comes off the back of the announcement last September that it had also secured a long-term deal with drinks giants, Molson Coors.
Commercial director and co-founder at XSEM, Michael Gwilliam said: “We‘re very proud to be in this position with PPG. We’ve worked with them for a number of years developing some very exciting event-led propositions, which have now become an integral part of their business and sales activities.
“The extended agreement is a sign that our determination to create experiences that offer real value and measurable return on investment to our clients is an effective combination for all parties concerned.”
The deal means XSEM will continue to deliver PPG’s Golf Masters competition, which has been organised and executed by XSEM for the last nine years.
XSEM will also continue to deliver PPG’s Trade Elite loyalty programme, which has been hosted in destinations including Rio and Mauritius, with the XSEM team having just returned from hosting the delegation in the Far East.
XSEM will also provide the PPG VIP and PPG 100 Club as part of the new long-term agreement.
PPG operates predominantly under its Johnstone’s Trade and Leyland Trade brands in the UK. Sarah Clough, loyalty and event marketing manager at PPG Industries said: “XSEM have consistently given us well thought out and brilliantly executed event programmes that are central to our customer loyalty proposition.
“Their ability to understand us and apply their skills, knowledge and experience has consistently led to great returns for us as a business and we are very excited about committing to this long-term partnership with them.”
XSEM was founded by Michael Gwilliam and co-owner Dan Bardgett 12 years ago, and employs 20 staff. The agency specialises in delivering insight led conference and incentive event solutions. Key client industries include retail, manufacturing and telecoms.


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France now main buyer of Icelandic cod
FRANCE has overtaken Britain as the largest buyer of Icelandic cod for the first time.
Last year, Iceland exported cod worth 17 billion kroners (£122 million) to France compared with sales worth 16 billion kroners (£115 million) to the UK.
Until 2017, UK buyers were the main recipients because cod remains the most popular white fish, especially with the fried fish trade.
But French tastes are changing. Friðrik Þór Gunnarsson, an economist at the fishing organisation SFS, told the newspaper Morgunbladid that this was a remarkable trend.
He thought the main reason was that French buyers of Icelandic fish have been very adept at buying fresh products for which they are prepared to pay the asking price.
They were also buying the high quality or more valuable varieties of cod. France was also the largest market for cod fillets, with sales worth around £80 million.
‘The environment in the market for marine products is constantly changing,’ Gunnarson added.
Another reason why the UK has slipped to second place is Brexit. He said the contraction in sales began after the pound weakened, following the referendum result in June 2016, while the kroner began to strengthen soon afterwards. This inevitably had an impact on exports.
Other industry observers think the two-month-long fishermen’s strike last year – which saw UK buyers looking to Norway to make up the shortfall – probably didn’t help either, but its impact is thought to be limited.
However, the UK remains Iceland’s biggest overseas market for Icelandic seafood of all types.


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Huge Loblaws approved for Westboro
Ottawa city council has give the go-ahead to a controversial proposal to put a giant Loblaws store in a west end Ottawa neighbourhood.
Council voted 7-4 Wednesday afternoon to approve the 98,000 square foot store.
It will be built on the site of the old Crain-Drummond factory at Richmond and Kirkwood in Westboro.
Councillor Shawn Little represents the area.
He says, "It's a big win for the Westboro community. And it will be great not only for the merchants in the area, but also for the residential community," says Little.
Little supported the project from the get-go. He says, "This council listened to people. We listened to the majority of residents who did want the store. And we also listened to people who had objections, and we tried to deal with those throughout the process."
Loblaws wants to open the store by the fall of 2001, but will almost certainly face a delay.
Groups opposed to the store's size say they will appeal Wednesday's decision to the Ontario Municipal Board.


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IBEF: July 21, 2020
In the month of June 2020, India's spices exports increased by 23 per cent to Rs 2,690 crore (US$ 359 million) from Rs 2,190 crore (US$ 292 million) in the same month last year, as per the data by Assocham. A study done by the chamber also pointed out that the demand for spices is increasing in domestic market leading to a sharp increase in their prices by almost 12 per cent in June whereas the headline CPI inflation was half that level.
On the back of forex advantages, spices exporters raked in even better in domestic currency, with an increase by 34 per cent to Rs 2,721 crore (US$ 386.01 million) in June 2020 from Rs 2,030 crore (US$ 288 million) in the comparative month a year ago, the industry chamber said quoting official data.
In June 2020, the country's exports stood at US$ 21.91 billion, as compared to US$ 25.01 billion in June 2019, exhibiting a contraction of 12.41 per cent, as per the data released by the Commerce Ministry showed.
India mainly export pepper, cardamom, ginger, turmeric, coriander, cumin, celery, fennel, fenugreek, nutmeg, spice oils and mint products. The main importers include the US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Australia, UAE, Iran, Singapore, China, and Bangladesh, among others.
"The Prime Minister noticed how demand for spices of which India is among the main producers, is increasing as more and more people rush to strengthen immunity. Thanks to the efforts of the Aayush Ministry and traditional knowledge about spices being a strong immunity builder, an increasing number of Indians are taking to higher consumption of spices. But the rising exports trend does show how the world is benefiting from these items," said Assocham Secretary General Mr Deepak Sood.
Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.


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Yes, the new iPhone is coming next week
This is a little write-up I’m doing about a phone that hasn’t been announced and won’t be until next week. I really didn’t want to write about it today because there’s very little to write about and I’d rather not hype the already hyped if I can avoid it. But I can’t avoid it because the fact is that even the anticipation of a new iPhone is itself a story. Such is our world, such is Apple’s imprisonment of the zeitgeist.
Apple sent out invitations yesterday of the September 12th event, and on the invite the shadows of the number 12 form a 5. So much for the device just being called ‘the new iPhone”.
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster says the phone could sell 10 million units in the first week if it goes on sale in late September. Says Munster: “While our model, along with most of the Street, assumes an October launch, we believe that a September launch could result in the final 10 days of the month generating 6-10 million iPhone 5 unit sales, which would likely shift out of December. We believe if iPhone 5 launches in September, Apple could sell 26-28 million units in the quarter (this takes into account iPhone sales slowing dramatically from September 12-20, which is announcement to availability).”
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SMARTMED AT THE TASK FORCE ‘TOURISM AND CULTURE’ OF THE INTERMEDITERRANEAN COMMISSION
A wide range of Mediterranean regions gathered online on 15th December for a meeting of the Task Force on Tourism and Culture organized by the Intermediterranean Commission of the Conference of Peripheral and Maritime Regions. During the meeting, progress was presented on several projects focused on sustainable tourism in the Mediterranean: DESTIMED+, MEDCYCLETOUR, SMARTMED, BEST MED, as well as the work of the Interreg MED Sustainable Tourism Community.
In particular, the Smart Tourism Business Model was presented by the Lead Partner, as one of the most relevant results of the SMARTMED project to date. This is due to its potential to tackle major issues in the tourism sector, such as a lack of long-term vision for Mediterranean destinations, its disconnection from the wider territorial development framework, and the lack of attractiveness of the region for innovative business. In this regard, the model is expected to improve sustainability, inclusion, competitiveness, and innovation in the field.
The pilot action carried out by the Puglia Region was then outlined. This consisted in upgrading the existing regional digital platform to reinforce the innovative digital ecosystem. By doing so, the Italian partner aims at raising awareness on smart tourism and supporting the transition among stakeholders in the region. Future steps will include gamification through augmented reality apps for promoting events, territories, or cultural assets, as well as networking opportunities and other promotional tools.
In reaction to the presentations, Spyros Papaspyrou, Deputy Head of Department of Development Planning of Western Greece, suggested including big data tools for an efficient strategy towards smart tourism. In his view, digitalization will be key to ensure a transition towards sustainability for the sector. This could be possible by producing and sharing knowledge through dedicated trainings for the public and private sectors. Financial instruments could provide relevant support towards this goal.
After the meeting, all attendees were asked if their regions were interested in replicating the tools presented, creating momentum for the transferring of SMARTMED’s results towards new territories.


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Posts Tagged ‘ M-Systems ’
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Israeli high-tech pioneer Dov Moran, whose company M-Systems invented the USB stick and expanded the use of flash memory that today drives most electronic devices, is turning his sights to television and medical equipment. “We are at the beginning of a new era. We will be more computerised, be...


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For men on a mission, there's success — finding the perfect gift — there's failure (giving up and hitting the pub) and then there's the safe choice: The gift certificate. That's the button Orry Main pushed at Selfridges on Thursday when he couldn't make up his mind at London's chic Oxford Street shopping emporium.
"It's the easiest, they get what they want," said Main, who bought gift vouchers for his girlfriend and his sister. His friend, fellow construction worker Jamie Harvey, had been defeated by the six-floor department store, known for its extensive designer collections. He couldn't find anything, gave up and had a cigarette outside, gathering strength for one more shopping foray as the hours waned.
Britain is battered by economic woes, and the shopping season this year has been shortened by snowy weather that clogged traffic and delayed deliveries. So the final hopes of rescuing the retail season rest on last minute shoppers — predominantly men like Main and Harvey who are desperate to find a credible gift before it's finally too late.
This pressure is expected to bring record numbers of nervous, credit-card-toting consumers into Britain's malls and shops Thursday night as retailers forecast the most intense shopping binge of the year.
"There's a lot of pressure right now," said Kurt Williams, manager of Junky Styling, an environmentally friendly clothing store. "The weather has kept a lot of people away, and with Christmas and Boxing Day on a Saturday and Sunday, we're giving away those days, and we know that January is slow."
He is counting on male — not female — shoppers to help save the day.
"It is a phenomenon," he said. "Each year there's always the last minute sort of desperate kind of guy looking for that special gift without even the slightest clue what it might be. They don't know the height of their partner, or the size of their partner, and then they're embarrassed that they don't know."
Experts say that the next 24 hours should see the most intense shopping activity of the entire year, especially because so many people need to buy fresh food for their gala Christmas dinners. Demand has built up during the last five days as much of the country has been paralyzed by treacherous, icy roads.
"What we've got today is the peak," said Richard Dodd, spokesman for the British Retail Consortium. "There's a huge amount of catch-up shopping, much more than normal, shopping that they couldn't do last weekend or earlier this month because of the bad weather."
Even without the weather factor, he said there has been a strong trend in recent years for people to buy presents later in the Christmas season — but if they wait much longer, they'll be making red-faced apologies on Christmas morning.
This reality gave London's storied department stores a frenzied, do-or-die feel Thursday afternoon. Many shoppers looked fatigued and out of place as they considered the subtleties of various fragrances and the intricacies of women's clothes.
Men outnumbered women in the stores Thursday morning, and many seemed to be having trouble buying gifts for the women in their lives. Some frowned at the jewelry and watches lined up in glass cases, while many just wandered around the aisles of handbags and scarves looking slightly ill at ease.
There seemed to be safety in trusted names, like the Jo Malone skin care line, which seems to enjoy almost universal popularity among British women. A group of men gathered at the Jo Malone display, checking out box sets of candles and creams and surreptitiously looking at the price tags.
"I hate shopping," said Dave Tooley, 28, a market researcher from outside London who had made a special trip to find a clutch bag for his girlfriend. "Christmas shopping is my biggest fear. I've been putting it off, putting it off..."
At least he knew what he was after. His friend, Chris Boys, had no idea where to start.
"It's a case of scanning the aisles, see what's nice, I guess," he said.
A few braved the beauty department, gingerly picking up bottles of Chanel and Guerlain perfume and sniffing at them.
Not all male shoppers were bumbling. A few approached the mission with military precision.
"I've been shopping for a while now. I'm feeling very well prepared," said Wesley Harrison, a 30-year-old wealth manager who strolled out of the store confidently carrying a large shopping bag. He had bought his fiancee an expensive Marc Jacobs handbag he knew she was lusting after.
Any words for his fellow last-minute shoppers?
"Preparedness is key," he said.


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Connacht Rugby has struck a major deal with sportswear newcomers BLK Sport to supply a full range of new kit for the province.
In a four year deal, BLK Sport will be Connacht Rugby’s official kit supplier, taking over from Mayo-based RugbyTech. It is the Australian manufacturer’s first foray into European Rugby.
BLK will design new playing kit and develop a training and leisure range, which according to Connacht Rugby's commercial and marketing head, Alex Saul, is the largest apparel deal in Connacht Rugby’s history. Not only will BLK provide playing gear for the first team, but also for the British & Irish Cup squad, age grade squads, Academy, women's team, Connacht junior squads and Connacht referees. Elvery’s involvement with Connacht Rugby will continue, becoming the official retailer.
"BLK's parent company has a proud heritage in rugby in the Southern Hemisphere,” says Saul, “ and we are delighted to become their lead team in Europe as they look to establish the brand over here. Their significant four year commitment to Connacht Rugby demonstrates how far the club has come in these past few years."
Connacht CEO Tom Sears described the new deal as significant for the club and also for the Australia company which is now expanding into Europe.
“Connacht Rugby is the fastest growing club in Europe,” says Sears,” and this is part of our development going forward.
“We thank Elverys and Rugby Tech for everything they have done for Connacht Rugby, and Elvery’s will continue its involvement as the official retailers.”
The new kit will be unveiled in August when Connacht opens its 2013/14 pre-season under new coach Pat Lam against Castres and Wasps. And for fans worried that some of Connacht’s “traditional” elements may be lost on the Australians, Sears says the company’s designs will be vetted by a Connacht “collective” involving himself, Saul, Pat Lam and Connacht Rugby manager Tim Allnutt.
“Don’t worry, the lads will not be wearing pink - they will be green. BLK has been given a detailed brief about Connacht, our culture and our heritage, and that will all be taken into account.”
Created just two years ago, BLK has already established a reputation Down Under, becoming the official apparel partners of Manu Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, University of Canberra Brumbies, Melbourne Rebels and Canterbury Rugby Union.


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Top Tech Execs
UWA has many graduates making their mark in the tech world and we've continued their success stories here in a series of `Web Special' stories for Digital Uniview.
Vice-President and Chief Technology Officer, Global Telecom Industry, IBM USA
"I have so many fond memories from my time at university," says Kalgoorlie-born Craig Farrell, who started a computer science degree at UWA in 1982. "I remember the first week, feeling intimidated, surrounded by all the 'smart kids', wondering if I would be able to keep up with them."
Senior Software Engineer, Google
As a member of UWA's Computer Club (UCC) he and a bunch of fellow geeks (their word not ours) made history when they invented the world's first internet connected mirror ball. Something that might come in handy now he and wife Sharon, a librarian, are parents to twin girls.
CEO, Tech Mpire
As Global Head of YouTube's Brand and Creative Marketing his goal was to transform the content platform from a 'random library of awesomeness into a daily destination.' For the one billion or so of us who use it, he succeeded.
"You can't hack what doesn't exist". So says Graeme Speak whose security start-up has invented cloud computing technology that thwarts malware by magically creating a brand new, single-use virtual desktop every time a business wants to bank online.


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This is the notebook of CNBC senior markets commentator Michael Santoli for Wednesday, Nov. 4.- Advertisement –
Goldbelly founder and CEO Joe ArielSource: Goldbelly Like DoorDash and Grubhub, Goldbelly is one of the beneficiaries of the abrupt shift in behavior. It’s almost doubled its restaurant and customer count on its website this year, with establishments like Shake Shack, the burger chain founded by Meyer, joining its ranks. Including Momofuku, the company has nearly 700 restaurants listed on its marketplace.“Many partners who were interested but somewhat reluctant have now embraced giving the platform a chance and said to us that they couldn’t believe they hadn’t done it sooner,” Ariel said.‘Gravy seals’ hunt for regional cravesBut Goldbelly also has some key differences from the third-party delivery apps that work with local restaurants. It ships food items anywhere in the country, rather than being bound by a two- or three-mile radius. Restaurants have the freedom to fulfill their orders during lulls, like mid-afternoon or at midnight, when the kitchen is closed to takeout and delivery customers.- Advertisement – The company also works with the restaurants to decide on the price that the consumer pays, which ultimately includes the platform’s transaction fees and the hefty expense of overnight shipping the food anywhere in the country. The food can come frozen, already assembled or as parts of a meal kit to cook the dish easily.A more frequent treatUltimately, the New York bagels or Philadelphia cheesesteaks will cost more than if a customer bought them in person. But the service is for consumers who find themselves far flung from the comfort food they want to eat. And as the current crisis restricts travel and some consumers decamp to the suburbs, they are willing to pay the premium price. The service has also transitioned from being used for special occasions to something sought out more frequently.“As the world has changed, it’s become much more of a weekly and monthly event,” Ariel said.The fourth quarter is typically Goldbelly’s busiest time of the year, thanks to the holidays, according to Ariel. The approach of Thanksgiving means an influx of orders for pies, specialty side dishes and turduckens.“This year, it’s going to be a different level because people aren’t traveling to see their families,” Ariel said.Goldbelly customers are buying multiple items to ship to different people, creating their own virtual Thanksgiving dinners via Zoom. Corporate employers are looking to give their workers and clients Goldbelly’s meal kits and virtual cooking classes in place of in-person office parties.Of course, the pandemic is also introducing new challenges to Goldbelly. Vaccine makers are worried about potential delays in their rollouts due to a shortage of dry ice. Goldbelly’s merchants use the solid form of carbon dioxide for shipping some of their items, like ice cream, across the country overnight.Goldbelly has an entire department devoted to brainstorming how to keep food items frozen — or at least cold — before they arrive to customers.“It’s something we’re keeping our eyes opened for, but we have a few different approaches to attacking that before it becomes more of an issue,” Ariel said, adding that the majority of Goldbelly orders do not use dry ice.For Goldbelly and the rest of the world, a vaccine also means a return to traveling, dining inside restaurants and all of the other occasions that were abandoned during the pandemic. But Ariel thinks that consumers will continue to order from Goldbelly as frequently as they are now.“We believe that the nationwide delivery of your favorite foods is going to continue to be a value proposition that’s really exciting for a lot of people, especially those that experienced it and made a deeper emotional connection with our brand and the platform during this time,” Ariel said. – Advertisement – And it’s the restaurants, rather than Goldbelly, that are responsible for creating and shipping their food items. The business model means that Goldbelly is profitable, according to Ariel.But eateries also benefit from joining the e-commerce site. Ariel said that some restaurants are seeing higher sales volumes on Goldbelly than from their dining rooms before the pandemic.The pandemic introduced another facet to the Goldbelly experience: live cooking classes with famous chefs like Daniel Boulud. The classes are free with the purchase of the related meal kit.Goldbelly uses a team of scouts, internally known as the “gravy seals,” to scour the country and social media for restaurants beloved by their customers or offering unique regional specialties. Eateries on the platform run the gamut from nationally known establishments to mom-and-pop restaurants. – Advertisement – Goldbelly is adding chef David Chang’s Momofuku to its national delivery service as the coronavirus pandemic drives customers and restaurants to the e-commerce site in droves.CEO Joe Ariel founded Goldbelly in 2013, when he was living in New York City and couldn’t find a local restaurant to meet his hankering for Nashville hot chicken or Southern-style biscuits. It’s since raised more than $33 million in funding, and its latest [email protected], in 2018, was led by restaurateur Danny Meyer’s Enlightened Hospitality Investments.Prior to the pandemic, Goldbelly was adding restaurants to the platform at a steady clip. But as lockdowns went into place across the United States, eateries that had previously eschewed delivery services and takeout had to pivot.- Advertisement – Customers dine at Momofuku’s outdoor seating in the East Village as the city continues Phase 4 of re-opening following restrictions imposed to slow the spread of coronavirus on September 26, 2020 in New York City.Alexi Rosenfeld | Getty Images
Aug 6, 2004 (CIDRAP News) – South Africa has stopped all poultry exports and plans to slaughter 6,000 ostriches on two farms because of an avian influenza outbreak, but the flu is a different strain from the one that has plagued Southeast Asia this year, according to news services.Reports by Reuters and other services today listed the strain as H5N2. The virus that swept through Southeast Asia early this year and has recurred in several countries this summer is H5N1.The South African outbreak began about 3 weeks ago and has killed 2,000 ostriches on two farms in the Eastern Cape province, according to an SABC (South African Broadcasting Corp.) News report today. Authorities planned to kill the remaining 6,000 ostriches on the two farms, and farms in the surrounding area were under quarantine, the report said.The SABC story described the H5N2 virus found in the ostriches as “extremely infectious but not transferable to human beings and poultry.” The H5N1 strain in Asia earlier this year caused at least 34 human cases and killed 24 people.Reuters quoted the South Africa Department of Agriculture today as saying it has “stopped exports of poultry and poultry products from South Africa until the outbreak has been dealt with successfully.”A note posted yesterday on ProMED-mail, the online reporting system of the International Society for Infectious Diseases, said avian flu outbreaks in ostriches don’t necessarily affect poultry. The note, by a ProMed-mail moderator, said various low-pathogenic strains of avian flu infected ostriches in South Africa in 1991, 1992, 1994 and 1995. The first report of highly pathogenic avian flu in ostriches came from Italy in 2000, the note said.In other recent developments, a new avian flu outbreak was reported in Vietnam this week, according to Xinhua, China’s state news service. The Aug 3 report said the disease cropped up on a farm in the southern city of Can Tho. Including that outbreak, southern Vietnam has had outbreaks in 11 areas since late June, leading to the death of 63,000 chickens by disease or culling, the story said.See also:Aug 3 news release from South Africa National Department of Agriculturehttp://www.nda.agric.za/Aug 5 ProMED-mail postings on avian flu in South Africa, including note by ProMED moderator
May 16, 2005 (CIDRAP News) – Nine people have died in the Republic of Congo from a hemorrhagic disease that authorities are describing as “Ebola-like,” and at least another 52 people who had contact with the victims are being monitored, according to news reports today.The prelude to the cluster of deaths follows a plot that could be lifted from past Ebola outbreaks. A hunting party from Itoumbi and Mbomo districts, several hundred kilometers north of Brazzaville, the capital, encountered a dead monkey and ate it, according to Alphonse Gando, the Congo Republic’s minister of health, as reported by Agence France-Presse (AFP) on May 12.Ebola is a highly contagious filovirus that can cause a gruesome death following hemorrhaging and is lethal in 50% to 90% of cases. Although there is no treatment and little is understood about its animal reservoir, contact with primates has been known to precipitate human outbreaks. The Congo Republic and neighboring Gabon have had several Ebola outbreaks, which have killed about 360 people since 1994, AFP reported.”We don’t have lab confirmation yet, but it has all the features of an Ebola outbreak,” said Dick Thompson, a World Health Organization spokesman, as quoted in a New York Times story today.Congo Republic health officials have moved quickly since the outbreak began in late April to investigate and stop the spread of the disease, according to the Times. This may indicate the country is learning how to cope with such outbreaks, Thompson told the newspaper.In nearby Angola, authorities are still struggling with the deadliest known outbreak of a similar hemorrhagic disease caused by the Marburg virus. New cases were still being reported, Reuters news service reported today, despite repeated announcements from local authorities that the outbreak was coming under control.”The outbreak is not over,” Aphaluck Bhatiasevi of the WHO told Reuters. The death toll stood at 292, with 336 known cases, Reuters reported. WHO numbers reported May 11 were lower: 316 known cases and 276 deaths.Authorities seemed most concerned about the appearance of apparently unrelated cases. “We’ve seen new cases in new municipalities that don’t have obvious links to earlier cases of Marburg,” Bhatiasevi said. “We are trying to do as much tracing as possible.”Preventing the spread of Marburg as a byproduct of certain traditional practices, particularly cleaning the dead before burial, continues to be a challenge for healthcare workers, Jose Van Dunem, a deputy health minister, told Reuters. Six traditional healers have died, but others are beginning to change their habits, he added.See also:May 13 WHO statement on Congo Republic outbreakhttp://www.who.int/csr/don/2005_05_13/en/index.htmlMay 11 WHO statement on Marburg outbreak in Angolahttp://www.who.int/csr/don/2005_05_11/en/index.html
Jun 1, 2006 (CIDRAP news) – The European Commission (EC) reported yesterday that 741 cases of H5N1 avian influenza have been detected among about 60,000 wild birds tested in European Union states since February.The EC presented its data during the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)/World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) International Scientific Conference on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds, which concluded yesterday in Rome.In other news from the 2-day conference, scientists reported that the spread of avian influenza has been aided by the legal and illegal trade in wild birds, according to news agencies. Meanwhile, experts are trying to define the role that migratory birds play.The EC and the Community Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza in Weybridge, UK, began testing wild birds in all European Union (EU) states in July 2005. The EC, in a press release yesterday, said that, though final figures are still being collected for recent months, 741 wild birds in 13 member states tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza between February and May 21 of this year. Most of those were confirmed to be H5N1 cases. About 60,000 birds were tested in that period, and about 99,000 over the entire 10 months of testing.Germany had the most cases, with 326, followed by Austria (117), Poland (64), France (62), and Denmark (42), the EC reported. EU member states reporting from 1 to 32 positive tests were the United Kingdom, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, Sweden, and Greece.Cases of H5N1 peaked in March, with 362, and have gradually declined since then, with 162 in April and 17 in the first 3 weeks of May, according to the EC. The third week of February was the most active week, logging 116 cases, while February as a whole witnessed 200 cases.Swans made up 62.8% of the wild birds found to be infected, the EC said. Other kinds included ducks, 16.3%; geese, 4.5%; birds of prey, 3.9%, and various others, 13%.The EC said only four outbreaks of H5N1 avian flu have been found in domestic poultry in the EU, and all were swiftly eradicated. Romania, which has reported numerous poultry outbreaks in recent weeks, is not an EU member.”Extensive surveillance for avian influenza in wild birds and poultry has been one of the key tools used by the EU to fend off the virus over the past months,” said EC Commissioner for Health and Human Protection Markos Kyprianou in the press release. “We cannot let our guard down when it comes to avian influenza, as it is likely to remain a threat for Europe and the rest of the world for many months to come.”Animal trade and avian flu spreadScientists at the Rome FAO/OIE conference cited the legal and illegal trade of wild birds as playing a significant role in spreading avian influenza, according to a report yesterday from Bloomberg news service.”We have to focus on this issue of trade, because it’s the most frequent way of spreading disease from one region to another,” said FAO Chief Veterinary Officer Joseph Domenech in the Bloomberg story. “This includes legal and illegal trade, which is quite significant and often ignored.”The Bloomberg report said that each year about 350 million live animals are moved worldwide to become pets or serve other domestic needs, at a cost of about $20 billion. About a fourth of these animals are transported and sold illegally, according to the story.”Focusing efforts at markets to regulate, reduce, or, in some cases, eliminate the trade in wildlife could provide a cost-effective approach to decrease the risks in disease for humans, domestic animals, and wildlife,” Domenech told Bloomberg.Domenech, according to an Agence France-Press (AFP) story from yesterday, also discussed the role of migratory birds. The main problem, he said, is that scientists don’t know with certainty whether wild birds can act as long-term reservoirs for H5N1.”We still have a long way to go to fully understand the disease,” he said in the AFP story. “Before saying there is no role for wild birds in Africa, we should be careful. We have to wait a little bit.”Domenech told AFP that one of the main achievements of the Rome conference was to gather people from the poultry trade, wildlife experts, and policy makers to begin a discussion on how avian flu travels long distances.”We have identified gaps and the need to continue and intensify research, in particular with regards to the species which can be involved [in spreading the virus],” Domenech told AFP.See also:European Commission press release
School closings as a community mitigation tactic during a pandemic would significantly or moderately affect about 72% of participating financial institutions. Nearly 99% of respondents thought the exercise was useful for assessing pandemic preparedness. Oct 26, 2007 (CIDRAP News) The US Department of the Treasury this week announced the results of a recent exercise to test the resiliency of the nation’s financial services sector in an influenza pandemic, revealing that few firms were well prepared and most needed to improve their all-hazards plans. The simulation began with the World Health Organization announcing that human-to-human cases of H5N1 avian influenza had been reported in five major US cities, probably because of infected travelers arriving from Lagos, Nigeria. Most (91%) said they would refine their business continuity plans on the basis of what they learned from the exercise. As the simulated outbreak spread across the country, companies were asked a series of preparedness questions on topics such as predicted absenteeism, the status of human resources plans for a pandemic, and plans for educating employees. Questions specifically relating to financial operations, for example, included detailed questions about predicted automatic teller machine (ATM) availability and how the companies would respond if daily security trading hours were shortened. At the end of the exercise, the groups were asked how effective their business continuity plans were. Nearly 12% said their plans were very effective, 56% reported they were moderately effective, 28% rated them as minimally effective, and 4% said the plans were “not at all” effective. As the planners analyze more of the exercise data in the coming months, they will release more detailed information on the pandemic’s impact and the industry’s response, officials said. Of the participating organizations, 64% reported they had a business continuity plan for use in a pandemic, but only 42% said they had human resources policies in place to respond to employees’ needs during a pandemic. Among other findings, Treasury Department officials learned that: Establishing a telecommuting system and dividing and dispersing work units were the two most common steps companies said they would take to maintain business operations during a pandemic. In May 2006 the White House directed the Treasury Department to work with banking and financial services companies to boost their pandemic preparedness, according to an Oct 24 department press release. As the exercise progressed, the companies responded to fluctuating market indicators and varying absenteeism rates. At the peak of the pandemic, the exercise simulated a 49% absenteeism rate. The last phase of the exercise centered on the nation’s recovery from a pandemic, with preparation for a possible next wave of illnesses. “The strong public-private coordination on this exercise allowed us to reach more institutions than we ever expected,” said Valerie Abend, the department’s assistant secretary for critical infrastructure protection, in a press release. “And by allowing almost all participants to find critical gaps in their planning, this exercise was an unquestionable success in helping the industry prepare for such a crisis.” As the pandemic progressed, the exercise described emerging impacts on supply chains, worker absentee rates, healthcare systems, schools, transportation, financial market indicators, and market reactions. The Treasury Department said 2,775 organizations registered for the exercise; 65% were banks and credit unions, 23% security firms, 11% insurance companies, and 4% other groups (utilities, industry associations, and regulators). The exercise was conducted Sep 24 through Oct 12 and consisted of an online program of weekly scenarios and preparedness questions. The exercise was organized by two Treasury divisions: the Financial Banking Information Infrastructure Committee (FBIIC) and the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council (FSSCC).
“While some discussion has occurred, there are opportunities to further address these issues through the increased federal and private sector use of the sector-specific and cross-sector coordinating councils,” the report states. Potentially confusing and conflicting messages from the many government agencies responsible for providing information on the pandemic issue Uncertainty about federal and state roles in areas such as state border closures and pandemic flu vaccine distribution Maintaining a focus on pandemic planning, given the unpredictable timing of a pandemic and the existence of more immediate problems, such as foodborne disease outbreaks The GAO reviewed preparedness efforts in the five sectors (other than public health and healthcare) that it deems most essential to maintaining society and the economy during a pandemic: transportation, food and agriculture, water, electric power, and telecommunications. A need for more funds for training and infrastructure and dealing with potential legal and regulatory issues Nov 2, 2007 (CIDRAP News) The federal government should step up efforts to prepare the nation’s key infrastructure industries, such as energy and transportation, for an influenza pandemic, Congress’s investigative agency said in a report this week. In some cases the federal and private sectors are using the coordinating councils to cooperate on infrastructure protection, but those efforts so far focus mainly on hazards in general rather than a pandemic in particular, the report says. Yet some specific pandemic preparations are under way. For example, the Communications Sector Coordinating Council has set up a working group to address telecommuting issues. The coordinating councils are advisory groups set up by DHS to foster collaboration within and between government and the private sector to protect the nation’s “critical infrastructure.” A government coordinating council and a sector coordinating council were set up for each of 17 industrial sectors, ranging from information technology and telecommunications to water and electric power. The agency interviewed officials from the federal agencies responsible for infrastructure protection related to the five sectors and also reviewed infrastructure protection plans, regulations, and guidance. A letter from a DHS official, included in the report, says DHS concurs with the GAO recommendation. More than 85% of the nation’s critical infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector, the report notes. It says that public-private partnerships are vital to ensure that essential services will continue during a pandemic or other national emergency. The report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), released Oct 31, recommends that the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) take the lead in encouraging the “coordinating councils” for the infrastructure sectors to prepare for the challenges the sectors will face during a pandemic. Government and private-sector officials who were interviewed by the GAO reported a number of challenges they face in working together on pandemic preparedness: Sep 11 CIDRAP News story “GAO finds gaps in federal pandemic planning” DHS is in a good position to lead this endeavor, because it is responsible for coordinating infrastructure protection and is the lead agency for more than half of the critical industrial sectors, the GAO says. Accordingly, the agency recommends that the DHS secretary, working with other sector-specific agencies, “lead efforts to encourage the government and private sector members of the councils to consider and help address the challenges that will require coordination between the federal and private sectors involved with critical infrastructure and within the various sectors” before and during a pandemic. House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said the GAO report confirmed his view that DHS should make better use of the infrastructure coordinating councils, according to a Nov 1 report by CQ Homeland Security, published by Congressional Quarterly Inc. See also: GAO report: Influenza pandemic: Opportunities exist to address critical infrastructure protection challenges that require federal and private sector coordinationhttp://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0836.pdf The federal government and private sector have already taken some steps to prepare the nation’s infrastructure for a pandemic, such as developing general preparedness guidance and determining the number of workers necessary to maintain operations, the GAO says. Developing strategies to address “the crucial cross-sector interdependencies” in the nation’s infrastructure, “such as the electricity and telecommunications capabilities that are necessary to support all the other sectors”
Zadar County Chamber is organizing the fourth Regional Forum of Family Accommodation of Zadar County, which will be held on March 14, at 10 am, in the concert hall Kneževa plače, at Poljana Šime Budinića 3.Regionalni Forum obiteljskog smještaja (FOS) regionalni je skup pružatelja ugostiteljskih usluga u domaćinstvu, koji razmatra aktualne teme te nudi edukativne sadržaje i umrežavanje s ponuđačima proizvoda i usluga za obiteljski smještaj. FOS okuplja vlasnike pružatelje ugostiteljskih usluga u sobama, apartmanima, kućama za odmor i kampovima u domaćinstvu te u pansionima i seoskim domaćinstvima, a zanimljiv je za sve mikro i male poduzetnike koji prate aktualne promjene i trendove u obiteljskom smještaju.This year’s forum will host a panel discussion on current problems that burden the business of family accommodation, will present trends in family accommodation, effective marketing tools and everything else that can help family accommodation owners to monitor fast-growing trends in domestic and foreign tourism market. B2B meetings of exhibitors will also be held, who will present their services specialized in improving family accommodation and will be available for all questions and the possibility of business cooperation.Participation is free with the previous one registration online the pattern below. The application deadline is March 12.
As part of the general assembly of members of the EDEN network, which was held in Brussels, the winners were announced Innovative EDEN awards for 2018.Thus, Sinj won first place in the category “Exceptional offer of cultural tourism“, While Nin won second place in the same category. The awards were presented by Xavier Lechien, President of the EDEN Association, and was received on behalf of Nin by the Director of the Tourist Board of Nin, Marija Dejanovic, while the award was received on behalf of Sinj by Senka Daniel, Head of the Department for Multilateral Cooperation at the Ministry of Tourism.”It is a great honor and pleasure to receive the award from the presidency of the EDEN network, which has recognized the cultural and tourist offer of Nin, and which is so attractive that it attracts visitors and tourists all year round. Nin has already been awarded so far, in 2013, when it received the award for the most innovative use of the EDEN logo, while this year’s award is an additional wind in the back. Membership in the EDEN network is really important for Nin, which develops promotion related to natural heritage and creates new forms of tourism related to ecological and sustainable tourism. We pay great attention to the cultural heritage and its promotion, and the won award is a confirmation of that”, said the director of the Tourist Board Nina Marija Dejanovic.The EDEN Network Association is supported by the European Commission and brings together winners and finalists of European destinations of excellence from all over Europe, and within the network competitions are held continuously among members. The EDEN network was launched in 2007 and today consists of 71 destinations from 23 countries. It is the most active professional network of non-traditional and lesser-known destinations for sustainable tourism in Europe. Members of the EDEN network from Croatia are Bjelovar, Nin, Sinj and the Northern Velebit National ParkRelated news:DESTINATION “VUKOVAR – VUČEDOL – ILOK” DECLARED “EUROPEAN DESTINATION OF EXCELLENCE” (EDEN) NIN AS A LEADER OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPS A NEW TOURIST PRODUCT – BIRDWATCHING TOURISM
Good interior design in the accommodation facility is key to attracting guests because it affects travelers to the whole holiday experience.And how it’s not just a sales slogan is proven by a new survey by Booking.com among almost 19.000 passengers, which reveals that poor interior design ruined the enjoyment of vacation for a quarter (26%) of the world’s passengers.Thus, one in four (23%) passengers from Croatia says that in the past they stayed in accommodation where they did not like the interior design, and 23% even moved to another facility after being disappointed with the interior design.Some of the key elements that would dissuade travelers from Croatia from booking a property are ugly or dilapidated furniture (72%), overcrowded space (57%), small bed (43%), overemphasized and poorly combined colors (33%) and poor lighting ( 32%). On the other hand, a good interior design can create an unforgettable experience for travelers because more than half (57%) of travelers from Croatia claim that comfortable furniture such as a comfortable couch and luxury bedding is one of the best ‘details’ that can make a vacation unforgettable. On the other hand, for as many as four out of ten (41%) world travelers, a decorated interior is more important than the view from the building.”Our research shows how important interior design is to travelers and when it is real, it even inspires them to refresh the decoration in their own home. At Booking.com, we want to enable accommodation owners – small and large, all categories of facilities – to accommodate travelers from around the world, and we want to help them grow their brand and business by making it easier for them to fill their units every day. With minor changes in the interior, the hosts can attract new guests and encourage old guests to keep coming back to them. ” said Pepijn Rijvers, marketing director at Booking.com.Holiday homes take the lead in interior design inspirationThe effect of a beautiful interior design can last even after a vacation because more than half (64%) of passengers from Croatia’s stay in a certain type of accommodation inspired them to redecorate (or really remodeled their home).Inspiration found in other spaces is one of the biggest factors influencing the decision of passengers to redecorate the home because as many as 44% of travelers from Croatia say that the personal style of the host inspired them to do so, and almost one in ten (9%) passengers envied the design. the interior of the building in which he resided.When it comes to the type of accommodation that travelers from Croatia the most inspires in interior design, led by holiday homes, cottages, villas, French holiday homes (46%), and for travelers who choose to stay in these unique accommodation facilities, one third (32%) claim that the most important factor when choosing accommodation is precisely the interior design that inspires them.Will Taylor: If you like larger interventions, consider renovations to create larger common areas for more comfortable family gatheringsFor a great interior design that will keep guests coming back, Booking.com has joined forces with interior designer and lifestyle blogger Will Taylor to offer homeowners interior design tips to get the best impression and guest satisfaction, and advises:Create a catalog of the interior design of your building and indicate where you obtained individual pieces of furniture or accessories. You can get all of this in your favorite local stores where guests can shop in person, as well as through online stores and sites from which they can order and when they return home. See if any of these local stores can offer a discount only for guests of your facility.The bedroom is one of the most important rooms for guests, so invest extra time and money to make the bed as comfortable and cozy as possible. My advice is to arrange multiple layers of blankets and pillows on the bed; so guests can adjust the amount of layers themselves depending on whether they like to sleep in a colder or warmer space.Always choose one higher quality piece of furniture or decoration instead of cluttering the room with too many things, which is not very comfortable and creates a feeling of unrest. That one piece can be a massive vintage mirror in the dining room or a colorful African talisman that you can hang over the couch.Bring a touch of local tradition into your home. Let guests receive a welcome pack that includes ingredients for a local specialty, from afternoon tea to a local dessert.Whether you want the space to look bigger or smaller, color is a relatively convenient way to change the look or feel of a space. If you need to open or illuminate a smaller or darker room, consider painting the walls up to three-quarters of the height and then painting or leaving the top quarter and ceiling white. This will create the illusion of a more open space as it will ‘raise’ the ceiling and reflect more light.Lighting is very important to guests as it can make their stay relaxing and carefree. If you install simple dimmers, you will be able to satisfy different tastes and types of travel, from a romantic vacation to a more practical business trip. Also, a night light in the bathroom is a good idea as it helps guests to cope in the new space at night.Think about safe and considerate details that you can add and make your object special. For example, if your facility is located near a ski resort, why not turn on LED remote-controlled candles that can be easily turned on or off at the touch of a button? This way you will create a pleasant atmosphere without the extra effort of the guests, and it is much safer than real candles. Or if your facility has a nice outdoor space, put blankets in the outdoor seating area so guests don’t get cold in the evening while hanging out or having dinner.If you like larger interventions, consider renovations to create larger common areas for more enjoyable family gatherings or hanging out with friends on vacation. Guests always have their own secluded rest rooms if they wish, while the open living room concept will provide them with an excellent opportunity to socialize.Invest in a professional designer to decorate and photograph your object. Most guests will opt for a reservation based on photos, so investing in a professional photographer is definitely worth it in the long run. Make sure the facility looks exactly like the photos when guests arrive and avoid renting or renting items that aren’t actually there. You want to build trust and honesty with your guests so that their expectations after viewing the photos are met.Think about the location of your facility and why most guests will stay there and how you can make their stay more enjoyable. For example, if your facility is near a beach, install an outdoor sand shower and / or shelf for towels, umbrellas, and other beach props near the front door. Or if your facility is close to a ski resort, larger ski storage cabinets will come in handy so guests don’t clutter up the space they’re staying in while relaxing in the evening.


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KOCHI: Every artwork by V S Blodsow tells a story, something he saw or experienced. The story of his new installation dates back to 2005 when he went shopping at a textile store. The many rows of blouse pieces in every colour caught his eye. Especially the women who were trying to buy the best suitable colour that matches their sarees. That was the genesis of Spectrum.
Now, in 2021, at the Lokame Tharavadu exhibition, he has displayed his fully developed work, ‘Spectrum — Dear Mr Ellsworth Kelly & Others’. The 23 ft-long diptych, uses 99 shades of fabric spools he sourced from a textile shop in Alappuzha. Facing it is an installation titled ‘Left to Right: Fragmented 19: Fragmented Spectrum (Masks); Remaining 19 in the article’. Each of the 19 pillars, with masked busts of the artist himself, is 7.3ft tall.
Blodsow repurposed the work of late American artist, Ellsworth Kelly. The sculptures, inspired by the Ashoka stupas, are also adorning one mask each with the term Constitution of India spelt out on them. A link to Article 19 of the Constitution, which define the right to free speech, the artist explains.
The work also represents the gender struggles of women starting from Nangeli, who fought against the breast tax a much later generation who strived to protect their dignity at work. “It also foregrounds the struggles of the saleswomen in Kerala textile shops, who had to protest to ensure their rights and workplace dignity. The art is also a representative of our many sexualities and the multiple shades of political opinion”, adds the self-taught artist.
Blodsow’s earlier works used to speak loudly about his politics. But here at Lokame Tharavadu, he has tried to be more subtle. “Maybe, no one even in Alappuzha knew the city offers so much space. Lokame Tharavadu has helped us realise that. The scale of the show gave the artists in Kerala a chance to actualise their concepts. The space and the careful designs of each space by the curator Bose Krishnamachary has given us artists a great opportunity,” he says.
THE WORLD IS ONE FAMILY
‘Lokame Tharavadu’, the recently-inaugurated art exhibition under the fold of Kochi Biennale Foundation and curated by its founder and artist Bose Krishnamacharya, is currently underway in Ernakulam and Alappuzha.
Around 270 Malayali contemporary artists are part of the behemoth event. The 70-day-long exhibition plans to display around 5,000 art installations. TNIE’s Krishna P S in conversation with the artists
Owing to the lockdown starting Saturday, Lokame Tharavadu will be temporarily closed. As of now, the curator and the Biennale Foundation plans to resume
the show on 16 May


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Giant becomes even bigger: Teva acquires ratiopharm
As it turned out, the deal went through quicker than expected. The world’s biggest generic pharmaceuticals producer Teva Pharmaceuticals is set to acquire the Ulm-based competitor ratiopharm for around 3.6 billion euros. Representatives from both companies and other parties involved in the bidding process announced the signing of the purchase agreement in Cologne on 18th March.
The 2,200 employees at the ratiopharm sites in Ulm and Blaubeuren will be pleased to hear that Shlomo Yanai, Teva’s President and Chief Executive Offer, announced that the production sites in Ulm and Blaubeuren will not only be maintained but even expanded as part of Teva’s plans to reinforce the company’s leading position in Europe.
The ratiopharm brand will not disappear after the acquisition but will have an even stronger presence.
Teva expects to complete the transaction by the end of 2010, as there were no anti-trust hurdles. Teva expects to achieve 300 million euros of synergies over three years thanks to the deal.
Teva prevailed over US giant Pfizer and the Icelandic company Actavis in the bidding for ratiopharm. The sole heir of the Merckle group of companies, Ludwig Merckle, had no choice but to put ratiopharm up for sale in order to cover bank loans. The Merckle group fell into financial difficulties as a result of the worldwide economic crisis and speculation with VW shares. Merckle's father, Adolf Merckle, could not face the idea of the imminent company collapse and committed suicide at the beginning of January 2009.
Ulm to become European hub for Teva’s European growth strategy
Yanai stressed that Teva Pharmaceuticals sees Ulm-based ratiopharm as an “ideal platform” for reinforcing the company’s leadership position in European markets, “most notably in Germany, as well as in the rapidly growing generic markets such as Spain, Italy and France.” The world’s largest generic pharmaceuticals producer is hoping to triple its European turnover to 15 billion dollars by 2015. “Besides the technical skills of the workforce we are particularly impressed by the quality and efficiency of production plants compared with other international companies,” said Shlomo Yanai, who also pointed out that Teva’s plans to expand its position in the European market were instrumental in the decision to purchase.
“The final selection proved to be extremely difficult, but it also suited us,” said Hans-Joachim Ziems, the VEM-mandated managing director for the bidding process. “All companies have approved their incredible interest in almost the same conditions. We have emphasised from the beginning that both the purchase price, but also the strategic concept of the integration of ratiopharm into the acquiring company plays a central role.” The sale of ratiopharm to Teva means that the Holding company of the Merckle group is now debt-free.
Windholz: Together we can achieve enormous growth
Oliver Windholz, Chief Executive Officer of ratiopharm, also declared himself very satisfied with the transaction: "Teva is a natural match for ratiopharm, with its international focus and our shared generic vision. We are convinced that together we can achieve enormous growth in all markets. Being part of the Teva family will enable our management team and employees to continue to grow our business and fully materialise the great talent we have at ratiopharm."
Ludwig Merckle, the representative of ratiopharm's family owner said: "The separation from ratiopharm is a painful step for us as the founding family. But now that it has happened, I am confident that it is a good solution. Finding the best home for ratiopharm was a vital element in this process. I believe that joining forces with the world's largest generic company will enable ratiopharm to continue its path of growth and success."
New number one on the European market
The acquisition of ratiopharm will position Teva as the leading generic pharmaceutical company in Europe. It will increase Teva’s European business from sales of $3.3 billion in 2009 to joint pro forma sales of $5.2 billion.
Teva will also improve its market position in Germany, the world’s largest generic drug market valued at approximately $8.8 billion (including sales to hospitals and OTC), where it will become the number two player in the market. Previously Teva was relatively underrepresented on the German market, while ratiopharm had a market share of 27-28 %.
Trump: biosimilar know-how
From Teva’s point of view the purchase of ratiopharm has several advantages: the ratiopharm product portfolio includes 500 molecules in over 10,000 presentation forms covering all major therapeutic areas marketed in 26 countries. Ratiopharm also has valuable know-how in biosimilars, consisting of a number of products in advanced stages of development and a well-established sales and marketing team.
In 2009, ratiopharm achieved worldwide revenues of 1.6 billion euros. According to the Financial Statements, 2009 outperformed previous results and the company forecast. With 307 million euros, the EBITDA for the generic business of the ratiopharm Group outperformed the previous year’s results. Following the completion of the ratiopharm acquisition, the combined entity will have 40,000 employees worldwide, of whom 18,000 will be based in Europe. The German headquarters for the combined entity will be located in Ulm. The German Teva subsidiary is currently headquartered in Hesse.
Teva Pharma, 18th March 2010 /VEM/ratiopharm, Telephone conference, Cologne, 18th March 2010


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The nation’s top credit card network, Visa, says it wants to reduce your transaction time with those new chip cards that take a few seconds to register your purchase at check-out.
Visa today announced the launch of Quick Chip for EMV, a technology enhancement that should cut the time consumers must leave their new chip cards in machines to about two seconds or less.
“Visa is advancing a streamlined approach to chip transactions to make them faster and more efficient, while still providing a safe and secure experience,” said Mark Nelsen, senior vice president of Risk Products and Business Intelligence, Visa Inc. “Quick Chip for EMV helps make the checkout experience comparable to the ease and speed of magnetic stripe transactions.”
For businesses that have adopted the new chip card terminals, estimates vary for how long chip transactions take because much depends on a terminal’s connection speed.
A November study by merchant services firm Harbortouch found that the average time at the terminal can be as long as 10 seconds, compared to two or three seconds for using the old magnetic stripe cards. The survey of more than 5,000 adults in the U.S. found 20 percent of consumers consider transaction time the top concern when using chip cards.
The more secure technology behind chip cards issued by banks under both Visa and MasterCard networks — called “EMV” for founders Europay, MasterCard and Visa — generates new codes for each transaction. The codes on the old magnetic stripe cards are permanent and can be copied by hackers for later use.
Here’s what Visa says its Quick Chip for EMV will provide for both consumers and merchants:
- Faster Checkouts: Quick Chip-enhanced terminals will prompt the cardholder to dip the chip card briefly in the reader and then remove it, reducing the card’s interaction with the terminal to about two seconds.
- Streamlined Processing: Quick Chip-enhanced terminals can also allow the payment card to be inserted and removed while the shopping cart is still being rung up, further streamlining the acceptance process for the consumer.
- Simple Implementation: Quick Chip requires a payment application software update that can be easily downloaded to the payment terminal.


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The debate over the government's right to access encryption backdoors in tech products isn't going away. On a day when the FBI says it'll go ahead with a well-known court order to unlock an iPhone in a drug case, the two powerful senators have floated a bill that would require companies like Apple to assist the government in unlocking devices like the one used by San Bernardino gunman Syed Farook.
Tech community advocates, naturally, don't like the bill, which favors the interests of law enforcement and national security agencies. "It's clear the bill authors lack a basic understanding of the technology industry or online commerce," said App Association director Morgan Reed in a statement. MS


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HelloFresh opens state-of-the-art production facility in Nuneaton, UK
In 2020, HelloFresh experienced record growth across all of its geographies, including the UK. Demand grew worldwide, and we operated near capacity at certain periods during the year, producing and distributing food to both existing and new customers in the safety of their homes.
Increased demand brought increased need for more production and distribution centres worldwide. Facilities that would not only allow us to continue to meet the ongoing demand, but also allow us to build our capacity for future growth plans.
In the UK’s Nuneaton, we opened one such new centre - the Beehive - in December, last year. And this month, we are proud to celebrate the successful production and distribution of one million meal kits from this flagship facility, to homes across the length and breadth of the UK.
Boxes ready to be shipped to customers.
Opening during the coronavirus pandemic, and in the context of responding to exceptional demand for meal kits, has not been without its challenges. We are incredibly proud, however, of the resilience, dedication, and adaptability of every one of our 800 employees at the Beehive.
Using national and local produce, the boxes are assembled to make up our customers’ chosen meals, selected from our weekly catalogue of 36 recipes. We are excited to continue in our efforts of changing the way people eat forever, providing healthy, but exciting choices for our UK customers.
HelloFresh boxes are assembled - Customers in the UK can choose between 36 different recipes each week.
Five-star sustainability rating
March saw the release of our Sustainability Report 2020 which set out our goals to be achieved by 2022 – namely, to halve food waste and cut emissions by 60 per cent per € revenue by the year end.
Our Nuneaton production and distribution centre is another example of our promise towards continued sustainability across the business, as demonstrated by the achievement of the facility’s five-star sustainability rating.
The centre has been designed to minimise waste at every opportunity. There is a rainwater harvesting system that also heats the water to the offices by solar thermal panels, skylights to maximise the use of natural lighting, and motion and daylight sensors to reduce overall electricity demand.
Going further, 100 percent of the electricity and gas supply comes from a certified green energy source, and we have plans to cover the entire roof in solar panels.
As the world’s largest meal kit provider, we have a responsibility to set a clear precedent for sustainable growth – and it’s a responsibility that we take very seriously, including in Nuneaton.
Hygiene and food safety have the highest priority for HelloFresh and it’s employees.
Partnering with Bedworth Food Bank
The pandemic has shone a light on the importance of everyone having access to healthy and nutritious food, and it is why we are partnering with Bedworth Food Bank, a service that acts as a lifeline for those in need in Nuneaton and the surrounding areas.
We will be donating meal kits to the food bank to ensure that they reach those who need them most, and to ensure that we are always doing our best to have a positive impact in the local community.
The Beehive is at the very heart of our operation in the UK, and we are incredibly proud to have reached this milestone, with the support of our colleagues, partners, and the community. We look forward to continuing our work locally, together transforming the way people eat forever.


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Probably by now Europe's biggest FinTech success, Adyen, the Amsterdam-based company saw revenue double in 2016 and expects similar results in 2017. The company said it generated more than $1.4 million in revenue per employee and has been profitable since 2011.
Adyen, one of Europe's biggest fintech companies, saw revenue last year rise 99 percent to $727 million (686 million euros) and expects it to double again in 2017 to around $1.5 billion, Roeland Prins, the company's chief commercial officer, said on Wednesday. The Amsterdam-based company handles cross-border payments for ecommerce giants Airbnb, Booking.com, Spotify and Uber, advertising for Facebook and Twitter and ads and subscriptions for LinkedIn and is expanding in the Americas and Asia. "The bigger this company gets, doubling in percentage terms starts to get more challenging, but we should double again in the current year," Prins said in a phone interview, referring to annual revenue.


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While we’ve all been busy at CES, including the folks from Pantech and Verizon, somewhere a nice new image has leaked to our friend at @evleaks showing an impressive new smartphone coming soon. A new device being called the Pantech Perception leaked this week complete with Verizon branding so should hopefully be coming soon. Read on for more details on this budget phone.
The Pantech Marauder on Verizon isn’t quite a top tier device, but this new phone in the works is certainly a step in the right direction. Like the recently released Pantech Discover HD on AT&T, the Perception rocks a 720p display. This is just their second HD powered smartphone to grace the US market and we have all the details.
According to the leaks provided the Pantech Perception is paired with what we’re hearing is a 4.8-inch display with a 1280 x 720p HD display, a powerful 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor from Qualcomm, 1GB of RAM, and that’s all we know at this point. Internal storage, battery and camera specs, as well as final version of Android is still up in the air.
The other important part of this leak is the price, as we still don’t know what it’ll be. Hopefully Pantech isn’t going away from their usual pricing and this quality device with near top end specs will match previous devices. The Discover is just $49 with a new 2-year contract, and we’re hopeful for the same low price once the Perception arrives for Verizon Wireless. Stay tuned for additional details coming soon.


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The MP3 player market looks set for substantial growth, a recent survey claims.
Research conducted among 656 US consumers aged between 18 and 35. In a strange twist for iPod news watchers, the research was conducted on behalf of SigmaTel - the company purported to be manufacturing flash memory for a future flash-based iPod product from Apple.
The research claims that 59 per cent of would-be purchasers plan to give MP3 players as gifts.
Twenty-nine per cent of those surveyed will focus on the cost of a music player when they buy one: 39 per cent will spend up to $100 and 24 per cent would spend up to $150.
In an interesting pattern, 31 per cent of those surveyed who already own music players would be willing to spend between $150-$249 for a player with a larger storage capacity than they currently have.
Survey results also claim that brand lags behind price and storage capacity with just nine per cent of respondents citing it as their main decision influencer.
IDC senior analyst Susan Kevorkian said: "In the US, the portable MP3 player category has expanded far beyond early adopters. A compelling selection of device form factors, storage capacities, price points and compatible online music services has driven this expansion. Younger consumers have been on the cutting edge of this trend, which is only gaining momentum during this holiday season."
Heartened by the findings, SigmaTel president and CEO Ron Edgerton said: "The MP3 player market has moved beyond its infancy stage and is poised for significant growth." He promised his company would "develop the technology that will meet their needs."
Asked why they would consider buying a music player, 63 per cent of would-be buyers mentioned new music download services and 69 per cent mentioned audio quality.


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It was inevitable really, that the new Volvo V90 wagon would be revealed in scale model form before the actual model appears.
We’ve seen a few leaked examples of the upcoming S90 sedan in scale model form, but Volvo is yet to reveal the real deal. And now it seems a V90 wagon variant, a model that is yet to be even confirmed, has been revealed the same way via images first appearing in a CarNewsChina report.
Adopting the company’s latest styling language, first seen on the XC90, the V90 features Thor hammer LED headlights, a pronounced upper grille, and a slab-like waistline.
It’s understood the scale model is an officially licensed version of the upcoming car, just like the S90 sedan. According to reports Volvo assigned toy carmaker Norev to produce scale versions of the S90 in the lead up to its official reveal. Around 20 examples were apparently stolen, with photographs soon hitting the web.
It’s believed a similar turn of events has taken place with this V90 version. A full debut for the S90 is expected to take place later this year, with the V90 likely to appear a short time afterwards.
The cars are set to go on sale in China initially, remembering Volvo is now owned by Geely Holding – a Chinese company – followed by international markets next year. We’ll be sure to bring you all the details of the full-size version the moment they are unveiled.


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FREE Beyond Sausage Sandwich Sample
Get a FREE Beyond Sausage Sandwich Sample at participating Dunkin' Donuts stores throughout the U.S. on Friday, January 24 and Saturday, January 25 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., while supplies last. Click here for more information about this promotion.
About the Beyond Sausage Sandwich
Dunkin’ launched its Beyond Sausage Sandwich across the country last November, making plant-based menu options easily accessible to Americans everywhere as the first nationwide U.S. quick service restaurant brand to Go Beyond™ traditional on-the-go breakfast choices by serving Beyond Breakfast Sausage. Offering the delicious taste and texture of a juicy, savory breakfast sausage patty, Dunkin’s Beyond Sausage Sandwich features Beyond Meat’s breakfast sausage patty made with 100% plant-based protein and a mix of spices crafted specifically for Dunkin’. Ounce-for-ounce, compared to a traditional pork breakfast sausage patty, the Beyond Breakfast Sausage patty at Dunkin’ has more protein and iron, 44% less saturated fat, 50% less total fat, 37% less sodium and no cholesterol.


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The bill is called HR 420.
Oregon regulators consider holding hemp CBD products to the same standards as retail cannabis products.
Will this new proposal in Oregon be successful?
The success or failure of pot producers is often determined by lab tests. But what if these tests aren’t accurate?
Through their new film "Low Pressure," Oregrown showcases a healthy and active lifestyle that can include our favorite plant.
Could Oregon have medicinal psilocybin by 2020?
Why was Patrick Beadle imprisoned for possessing marijuana he legally obtained?
Cannabis activists are taking their public consumption initiative to the ballot-- no matter what.
Growers say the proposed rules would interfere with the time-sensitive process of producing high-quality crops.
Here's where to get the best pot in Portland.


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Read the full article by Tom Perkins (The Guardian)
“Much of America’s pet food packaging could be contaminated with PFAS ‘forever chemicals’, creating a potentially dangerous exposure to the toxic compounds for cats and dogs.
In a recent study public health advocate the Environmental Working Group (EWG) checked 11 bags of pet food and found that all of them contained the substance, including several at extremely high levels.
‘This represents a significant source of PFAS in the home environment,’ said Sydney Evans, a science analyst with the EWG.
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of about 12,000 compounds used to make products resist water, stains and heat. They’re called ‘forever chemicals’ because they don’t naturally break down, accumulating in humans and animals. PFAS are linked to a range of serious health problems like cancer, birth defects, kidney disease and liver disease.
The chemicals are likely used in pet food bags to make them repel grease. For cats, the highest levels were detected in the Meow Mix Tender Centers salmon and chicken flavors dry cat food, at more than 600 parts per million (ppm). Purina Cat Chow Complete chicken showed over 350 ppm, while Blue Buffalo, Iams and Rachael Ray Nutrish all had levels of less than 100 ppm.
For dogs, Kibbles ’n Bits bacon and steak flavor registered just under 600 ppm, followed by Blue Buffalo’s Life Protection Formula chicken and brown rice recipe at 150 ppm. Other dog foods made by Purina, Iams and Pedigree had much lower amounts. While some of the PFAS levels are considered by public health advocates to be high, no legal framework to measure it exists.” …