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Central banks worldwide are examining the possibility of issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC), with some already testing theirs for different uses. Countries that have advanced their digital currency projects include China, Singapore, Canada, the Bahamas, Thailand, Uruguay, and Sweden. India has also included the digital rupee in the country’s draft cryptocurrency bill.
Also read: Crypto Regulations Are Changing Worldwide to Comply With FATF Standards
China’s CBDC Is ‘Almost Ready’
The most recent country to claim that its CBDC is near completion is China. According to media reports, The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) is “almost ready” to issue the country’s own sovereign digital currency. This was revealed at a forum held in the northern Chinese province of Heilongjiang on Aug. 10 by Mu Changchun, deputy director of the PBOC’s payments department.
He explained that the CBDC will use a two-tier system where both the central bank and financial institutions will be legitimate issuers,…


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Halloween is one of my family’s favorite holidays. There’s always a lot of excitement around costumes, decorations, and strategizing how to get more candy year after year. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Halloween will certainly be different this year.
According to Lindsey Walsh, Issaquah City Council member, the city of Issaquah is discussing what we can do as a community to celebrate Halloween and stay safe. [Note: Since October Connections was published, the city has provided guidance and ideas for this year’s Halloween. Click here for details.] While I look forward to hearing any official guidelines, my family is already making alternate Halloween plans. Instead of traditional parties, we’ll attend the community’s virtual Halloween Trivia event and instead of going trick-or-treating with the kids, we’ll plan a fun family celebration at home.
See all the fall holiday fun in Issaquah Highlands on our online “Holidays in the Highlands” guide.
Our local social media groups have been a great resource for ideas about how to celebrate as a community, as well as creative ideas to make a “spooktacular” celebration at home. I loved this idea from Central Park resident, Teresa Cowan: have a socially-distanced “monster mash” dance on your street, almost like a mini block party. Several people on social media commented they plan to leave out bowls of candy or hand out individually wrapped goody bags on Halloween night.
I look forward to trying some of the other ideas posted on social media for making new traditions and having a special Halloween celebration at home with my family. There are so many great suggestions, like making caramel apples, watching spooky movies, designing masks, creating goody bags for kiddos, eating a special pizza dinner, having a piñata, or hiding candy at home for a flashlight search.
Whatever we do this year, we’ll be sure to embrace the Halloween spirit of fun, candy, and a touch of scary.
NOTE: This article was published in October 2020 Connections, featuring “Homebound Holidays in the Highlands: Celebrating Together, Apart in Issaquah Highlands.” Stories were provided by the Issaquah Highlands Cross-Cultural Committee. Read more stories in this series here.

domain: news


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Beginning in 2011, Adobe Systems (opens in new tab) has continued to methodically build out its Project Primetime platform to meet the increasing demand for high-quality online video consumption across all screens. The company figures now’s the time to prepare for the inevitable “TV Everywhere” onslaught, whereby video will be viewed across the computers and all types of IP-enabled portable devices, as well as on traditional television.
It’s a smart bet. UK market research firm Digital TV Research (November 2012) predicts $28.7 billion in total global online TV and video revenue by 2017, with 480 million households across 40 countries expected to be watching online TV and video by then. Doubling down, Adobe also cites the Digital TV Research report that assumes a 413-percent increase in ad growth for online media through 2017. Separate research from ComScore claims that 3.4 billion minutes of online video was viewed online across more than 50 percent of the U.S. population in September 2012 alone.
These numbers can be backed up with real-world usage data. Adobe said its Primetime was used to authenticate (that is, making sure a viewer is a paid subscriber of a pay-TV service before allowing access) 88 million streams of the 2012 Summer Olympics delivered by NBC Sports in the U.S. This, Adobe said, is a record in TV Everywhere history.
While many companies have developed similar software tools for the space, none has devoted as much resources to solving the various issues involved with the distribution chain that must be addressed in order to successfully publish and monetize broadcast TV content across any Web-connected device. Adobe’s end-to-end ecosystem approach has resulted in a comprehensive strategy that addresses all of the most important aspects of processing and delivering video in a timely and highly secure way.
Adobe has now literally closed the loop with the addition of MediaWeaver (opens in new tab), a new ad insertion service that digitally inserts commercial spots into live or on-demand content to maximize revenue; and Primetime Media Player (opens in new tab), a technology that allows TV content owners and distributors to maximize audience reach and ensure that all experiences are immediately monetizable through seamless ad insertion and analytics.
Available in beta form
Following months of real-world tests (e.g., the summer Olympics), Adobe is now making the full Primetime platform available in beta form — via an SDK for Windows, Mac OS, Android and iOS devices — with a full release planned for early next year. The platform tightly integrates Adobe’s video publishing (Pass, Access and StreamKit), advertising (MediaWeaver and Auditude) and data (AudienceManager and SiteCatalyst) solutions to ensure TV content owners and distributors can generate the most revenue from their content with the broadest audience reach, seamless HD video playback, and fully optimized content and ad delivery across any Web-connected device.
Adobe Pass has been recognized with a Primetime Emmy Engineering Award (opens in new tab), relating to its use by CNN and Turner Broadcasting.
Ashley Still, Director of Product Management for Adobe Systems, said the company’s efforts have been focused on delivering a viewing experience that mirrors broadcast TV while also supporting audience targeting and analytics to help content owners monetize their assets in ways they never could before.
“We want to make sure all of this content is monetizable, that there’s a real revenue model behind putting content online because the existing TV industry has a known and very successful business model," Still said. "Content owners and distributors clearly want to make money from this endeavor, so we’re enabling access to a wide variety of content in a highly secure way. That’s the only way they will feel comfortable enough to allow their assets to be seamlessly consumed across all of the display screens we see in the market today.”
Still said broadcasters don't have to deploy the entire Primetime platform in order to get the benefits of one or two of the platform’s modules to fit their infrastructure needs.
“Broadcasters can absolutely add to their existing infrastructure and get the value of just the tools they need at the time, then add on later as necessary,” she said.
Adobe MediaWeaver, Adobe’s new ad insertion service, places ads into live, linear and Video-on-Demand (VoD) content using patent-pending technology that provides control, flexibility and user experiences. The system facilitates dynamic ad executions for video content in browsers and apps on any Web-connected device, with the idea that broadcasters can offer customers an engaging, buffer-free ad and content experience.
The goal, Still said, is to provide dynamically inserted ad experiences that mirror broadcast TV while also offering content owners and distributors the ability to target and capture audience metrics, which can then be leveraged when selling ads.
The new Primetime Media Player is at the core of Primetime and allows TV content owners and distributors to rely on a single workflow for content preparation, rights management and streaming to eliminate platform fragmentation challenges and maximize reach. In addition, the player reduces costs by tightly integrating with all Primetime components, which ensures that content, ads and analytics are optimized and inserted within the player to maximize the value of the content and provide a more meaningful audience experience.
Adobe said the Primetime Media Player for desktop browsers leverages Adobe’s Flash Player and features capabilities such as closed captioning, seamless ad insertion, and advanced analytics. The Primetime Media Player for mobile works within apps today, and will support native browser environments in the future. Consumers do not have to download a separate player for non-desktop devices.
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For Yasir Nazir—IT professional and an impulsive online shopper—purchasing clothes, accessories, home durables and electronics used to be just a click away.
Nazir used to make purchasesworth Rs 10,000 through online shopping mode every month. After 5 August hisshopping habits have changed. "I now often visit departmental stores andshowrooms which sell clothes, accessories and household goods. Everyday myhands are full of shopping bags," says Nazir.
Pertinently, the Jammu andKashmir administration had snapped the internet on 5 August across Kashmir onall the platforms hours before Government of India announced its decision toabrogate J&K's special status and bifurcate it into two Union Territories,J&K and Ladakh.
Farhan Kitab, chief spokesman, Kashmir Economic Alliance says. "We had lost a good chunk of loyal shoppers to the e-commerce as they were becoming more prone to online shopping. But during the past 2 months new-age online shoppers have started visiting our stores regularly during the limited hours when markets are open," says Kitab, who also runs a shoe showroom in the city center.
However, suspension ofinternet services has also brought operations of the Point Of Sale (POS)machines, popularly known as swipe machines to a standstill. Kitab says when internetservices were operating smoothly, 50 per cent shoppers used to make purchaseswith help of digital payments, which is at the lowest ebb now.
"With a ban on SMS, we areunable to generate OTPs due to which the digital payments such as Paytm orother modes have become inaccessible," says Kitab.
Faisal Wani, who ownsapparel showroom at Ikhrajpora in civil lines here, says, "The customer-traderinteraction has gone up. It has created a vibe of positive business sentimentas customers are moving around," says Wani.
Zahoor Qari, president of Kashmir Courier Association says 3000-5000 shipments of online shopping products used to arrive in the Valley daily. These have stopped since 5 August due to the internet ban. "Of 5000 shipments of online shopping products 50 percent share was of mobile phones. Now people purchase the handsets from showrooms. Even shopkeepers are unable to get new stocks due to various reasons," says Qari.
"Popularity of onlineshopping had increased to an extent that people in the Valley were evenordering medicines online. But now they have to visit the nearest medical shopor ask someone to purchase these medicines from outside the Valley," says Qari.


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LAOAG CITY – More farmers in Ilocos Norte are looking forward to diversifying their crops and increasing income with coconut and coffee-making, a perfect combination for an integrated farming system.
Both considered as high-value crops, coconut and coffee production is being promoted among Ilocos farmers to take advantage of the global demand for these products.
Targeting the vast highlands of Pagudpud in the northernmost part of Ilocos Norte, which has a total land area of around 19,564 hectares suited for a coconut-coffee farming system, the Agriculture Training Institute (ATI) and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) teamed up to help farmers boost their production of hybrid seed nuts as well as high yielding varieties of coffee.
In a media interview Tuesday, PCA Ilocos Norte chief engineer Rose Anne Cabaloan said PCA and ATI will be conducting trainings on coconut and coffee farming systems in Barangay Saguigui, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte on Dec. 18-22.
“The program is part of the government’s effort to revitalize the coconut industry as it aims to increase the income and productivity of our coconut farmers,” she said.
The five-day training will cover a series of lectures where participants are expected to learn the steps and requirements in coconut and coffee production such as site selection, soil sampling and analysis, selecting quality planting materials, land preparation and postharvest practices.
Around 55,000 high-yielding seed nuts were earlier delivered in Ilocos Norte for the establishment of a coconut nursery at the Ilocos Norte Agricultural College (INAC) in Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte.
Next to Indonesia, the Philippines is the world’s second largest coconut producer of coconut exports, which include crude and refined coconut oil, desiccated coconut, copra meal and coconut water.
With favorable weather, Pagudpud town has been identified as one of the suitable sites for coconut and coffee growing.
Its neighboring town of Adams is also adopting a coconut-cacao farming system to further boost the agriculture sector. (PNA)


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Parks are increasingly offering better and more WiFi access for guests, bringing added benefits for both operators and their visitors. Beth Whittaker discovers more…
Who remembers a world without the internet? As someone in their mid-30s I remember the day dial-up internet was installed at my family home; I was in my teens and I’d sit there waiting patiently, while the computer whirred and chirped away at me until a connection was made… Only to be disconnected five minutes later when a sibling or parent decided they needed to make an ‘urgent phone call’ – right in the middle of my multiple MSN Messenger chats with friends I’d seen at school just an hour previously!
Ever since, my love for the internet and my day-to-day reliance on it has continued to grow. It could even be argued that I have become too reliant on the joys of fast internet connection, the introduction of 4G and free public WiFi spots… All accessed from the comfort of my smartphone! Whether it’s using Google maps to navigate my way around unfamiliar surroundings; logging into my banking app to do a quick transfer; checking my emails; ordering a taxi; or checking out where the nearest coffee shop, cinema or department store is, oh and let’s not forget social media updates… it’s safe to say I spend a good chunk of my time with my nose in my phone making the most of the internet.
Over the past few years, the importance of a strong WiFi connection, whether for business or leisure, has grown at an exponential rate and as such iPass Inc – one of the world’s largest commercial WiFi networks – recently revealed data from analysts Maravedis Rethink (2014) that showed there would be 47.7 million public WiFi hotspots deployed worldwide by the end of the year. The iPass WiFi growth map shows that over the next three years, global hotspot numbers will increase to over 340 million – nearly one WiFi hotspot for every 20 people on earth by 2018; this compares to one WiFi hotspot for every 150 people today.
According to the report, in 2014 France was the ‘country of WiFi’ with the most hotspots in total, followed by the US and UK. By 2018 this is expected to shift to the US, followed by China and France. Europe is currently considered the ‘continent of WiFi’ with 50 per cent of the world’s WiFi estate, but by 2018 Asia is expected to strip Europe of this title. Today, China has five times more commercial WiFi hotspots than any other country, while community WiFi has been driven by Europe and North America.
“Over the last few years we’ve seen the emergence of the ‘WiFi first’ generation,” said Evan Kaplan, President and CEO of iPass. “WiFi has become cool again; in fact, it’s seen by most as an essential utility, just like water or electricity. Most of the devices we use are WiFi only and even on the most advanced 4G handsets, 78 per cent of data goes over WiFi. Simply put, it’s the network of choice for consumers and soon they’ll be able to roam this alternative network of millions of hotspots.”
So, how does this growth in, not only the availability of WiFi, but the desire for it by the general public, fit in with the amusement industry?
As a sector, the theme park industry is generally up there and at the forefront of customer trends, so for many the implementation of WiFi is no different with more and more parks rolling it out for free and introducing complementary apps. However, in the same breath there are still a good number of parks that aren’t offering this service. Can free WiFi really make all that much difference to the customers’ experience and in turn generate business for the parks? Or, is it more about keeping up with appearances and, in reality, is it an unnecessary add-on?
In the US in 2014, hundreds of Xfinity WiFi hotspots were launched at Universal Orlando, across both theme parks – Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida, as well at Universal CityWalk. Coverage includes all main walkways, most indoor dining and shopping venues, plus attraction queue lines.
According to a report released by Amalia O’Sullivan – vice-president of Xfinity Internet, Communications and Data Services, Comcast Cable – wireless access is increasingly important to customers and a network that not only meets today’s needs but stays ahead of tomorrow’s demands is required O’Sullivan comments that in order to power customers’ growing number of connected devices anytime and anywhere, access needs to be provided on the go – at a shopping district, in a restaurant, on a train platform, at a sports stadium or even in a theme park.
Xfinity launched its latest wireless effort in support of Universal Orlando’s new mobile app, which helps guests to navigate around the park, check wait-times, view interactive maps and find nearby dining, shopping and restroom options. The app, available as a free download for Apple and Android mobile devices, gives guests the ability to pull up attraction wait times, maps, show times, ride updates, social network features and in-park notifications. Over time, there are plans to add features like e-commerce purchase capability, customisable itineraries, social sharing and more.
For O’Sullivan, the proof that a good internet connection is an important feature lies in the figures. Since Xfinity WiFi has been launched at Universal Orlando the provider has seen up to 5,000 unique devices connect to its hotspots daily. This is encouraging news for both the park and Xfinity and over time that number is bound to increase, as more people become aware that free WiFi is available around the park.
Another leader in the theme park sector, Walt Disney World Resort, has had WiFi available at its convention hotels since 2011; in 2012 the operator expanded this throughout all of its resort hotels and parks, making the service available to guests at no charge. It is also now available on-board Disney buses, monorails, ferry boats and in certain backstage areas and the number of WiFi access points has steadily been increased to provide coverage throughout the resort.
According to a Walt Disney World Resort spokesperson: “With the increasing use of smartphones and other WiFi enabled devices by visitors, adding more WiFi coverage was a logical amenity. The development of the free My Disney Experience app for smartphones created another reason to offer the support of WiFi.
“In addition, many guests from other countries visit Walt Disney World and the availability of WiFi has been an important amenity for their ability to use mobile devices without incurring roaming charges,” continued the spokesperson.
With Europe crowned ‘the continent of WiFi’ it is no surprise to hear that the UK’s number one children’s theme park, Legoland Windsor Resort, has worked hard to build a stronger WiFi connection for its guests.
Based in 150 acres of parkland, mobile network coverage at the park is patchy, with mobile phone masts few and far between. However, with 57 per cent of the UK population using their mobile phones to access the internet, the public have come to expect the ability to get online whenever and wherever they are. For Legoland Windsor Resort, this is of particular importance in ensuring its guests can share their experiences via social media, as well as access mobile-based information and entertainment on site.
“Interacting with our guests is a key part of visiting Legoland,” said head of retail Russ Gaines, “and we have brilliant conversations with our guests before and after their visit, but with low 3G signal in the resort, driving this interaction through social medial and our mobile app while they are here proved difficult.”
Legoland Windsor addressed this issue by working with The Cloud, a leading WiFi provider in the entertainment and parks sector, to provide high speed WiFi across the entire resort. With a wealth of experience installing WiFi at other resorts including Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures and large public areas, The Cloud had the expertise to ensure that the service met expectations.
Since installing The Cloud WiFi at all the high footfall areas, rides and buildings at the resort, Legoland Windsor has been able to provide its guests with free, fast internet access across its entire site, as well as accessing the Legoland app featuring in-resort features including exclusive promotions, games, a list of the fastest moving queues to guide guests to attractions and a map. Alongside this, the WiFi service has allowed Legoland Windsor to promote its attractions. For example, the branded landing page for guests logging into the WiFi was used to promote its new area within the resort for 2014 – Pirate Shores.
“The introduction of The Cloud at Legoland Windsor has been a success from all sides,” continued Gaines. “It has had a very positive response from both our team and our guests whom we are now able to engage with during their visit as well as before and after.”
Legoland Windsor also worked with Picsolve as part of the WiFi upgrade; when guests purchase a photo of themselves on a ride they can now use the WiFi to download a free digital copy of the photo, which they can instantly share via social media. Picsolve’s global business development director, Baz Slatter, believes that with 83 per cent of theme park guests (in the US) owning a smartphone, it’s no surprise that over the past two years, the demand for instant, real- time photography has rapidly increased.
“With half of all guests downloading ride images on smart devices, the industry must seamlessly integrate acceptable WiFi and digital solutions into its offering to fulfill this growing demand,” he said.
In an online article published by The Cloud on how theme parks can attract more customers, the company’s Richard Towey commented: “British theme parks epitomise everything joyous about a fun day out. The focus on high-octane thrills provides a welcome break from the norm, the open-air plans ensure everyone gets a much-needed helping of fresh air and there’s a genuine sense of escapism on offer for whoever dares to take on the breathtaking rides.
“Sometimes all it takes is a very simple addition to a make visitor happy and contribute to good word of mouth. Whether it’s the introduction of a new restaurant at the food court or a revamp of the customer toilets, all the little changes go a long way when it comes to keeping people satisfied.
“Recent trends would suggest that one of the best improvements to make is the introduction of WiFi, either for free, or at a small charge. Many of the bigger theme parks in America have installed wireless high-speed internet on their premises for the many visitors who wish to tap into their mobile devices while they’re on-site. However, if the investment of time and money is evident, there really is no reason why British sites can’t follow suit.
“It seems businesses are adamant that WiFi will be the obvious choice when consumers are faced with the option of free or paid access. Further to this, mobile internet is not only a blessing for smartphone users, but for businesses as well. If the access is provided, the uptake for any web offers they’re trying to push should be improved as a result. Many businesses are already seeing what WiFi can do for their growth and theme parks could do with taking note.”
One of the UK theme parks that is leading the way in WiFi trends is Blackpool Pleasure Beach, which has been offering free WiFi to park guests since 2012. The main reasons behind the offering were to enhance visitors’ days out and encourage them to interact with the park via social media during their visit.
“WiFi also allowed us to support the growing corporate side of our business and increase our product offering with a range of new services such as Speedy Pass Mobile and Picento,” said a spokesperson for the park. “Free WiFi bene ts the business in a number of ways. It is an added benefit for when we host corporate events and from a cost point of view, saving us hiring this in each time it is requested. The main benefit is for our visitors, allowing them to interact with us as they enjoy their day by sharing pictures, which form a platform for social engagement between the guest and our marketing team.
“One other benefit is the ability to ask questions and receive answers to any queries. The WiFi has also benefited our on park photo team as they can now instantly share images with guests by email, or an app, rather than print out hard copies.”
According to Blackpool Pleasure Beach, since introducing free WiFi the park has seen an increase in the number of people using social media to do things such as check in and upload images. There has been an 80 per cent increase in Facebook likes and a 300 per cent increase in Twitter followers, which the park attributes in part to its on-site WiFi.
“Our revenue from social channels has increased year on year, as has our on park guest satisfaction ratings,” said the spokesperson, “both of which we attribute to the connection between free WiFi and the ability for visitors to interact with us and ask questions.”
In Germany, Movie Park worked with internet provider Gelsen-Net in order to react to a generation that has become more mobile and digital. The park wanted to guarantee an unlimited access to its Movie Park app and supports interaction on social media while visitors are in the theme park. Alongside this, Movie Park wanted to develop its customer relationship management by accompanying its guests during their stay in the park with automatic offers via email.
For Movie Park’s Jessica Demmer, the importance of implementing WiFi is three-fold: guests are now more relaxed as they can be entertained while waiting in queue lines; guests feel even more welcome at the park as they are part of the Movie Park network while there and can be assisted online during their visit; and guests can be sure they will receive the latest information for planning their visit.
A total of 26 WiFi access points have been implemented throughout the park and in the long-term it is hoped by Demmer that it is a service that will motivate repeat business. “The WiFi is brand new this season so we have to see how it develops,” she said. “But of course, we hope that our guests will feel better connected, informed and entertained – one of our goals is definitely to be ‘closer’ to our guests.
With Asia predicted to be the continent of WiFi by 2018, we look to Ocean Park in Hong Kong, which has formed a partnership with Hong Kong Broadband Network (HKBN) to offer guests free high-speed WiFi, along with a range of innovative mobile app functions. The partnership will see the installation of over 470 WiFi hotspots, supporting more than 40,000 mobile devices with a transmission speed of up to 1GB per second. To give the network added flexibility, optical fibres will be installed, making it possible to extend network bandwidth requirements to meet future demand and undergo system upgrades.
The first phase of the WiFi development project was completed in the third quarter of 2015, with free WiFi access spanning the main entrance and various key attractions.
When the second phase was completed in the first quarter of 2016, free WiFi service were extended to all guest areas, including all attractions, restaurants, retail stores, theatres, queuing areas and classrooms.
With the support of this high-speed WiFi network, Ocean Park plans to introduce a mobile app that will include a virtual guided tour that is enhanced by location-specific conservation and educational information. In addition, through using the park navigation service and geo- analytic tools, guests will be able to discover all the latest information on different attractions and make advanced bookings for a more leisurely and enjoyable theme park experience.
With continuous efforts to enhance guest experiences at the park, described as a “top priority” by Ocean Park’s Vivien Chan, through daily satisfaction surveys and suggestions, the team understood customers wanted to know more about the instant queue line wait times; be aware about shorter queues; learn more about the animals; and that international guests wanted to stay connected with family and friends.
We have established that wherever in the world your park may be, the surging use of mobile data is already integrated into our daily lives and free public WiFi has become a global trend. For overseas visitors, free WiFi can significantly reduce roaming costs, while for local visitors, there are always data usage limits on their mobile plans, so WiFi is welcome, as long as it is quick and free.
Recent Picsolve research has also highlighted how the demand for instant social sharing is now global, with 62 per cent of UAE citizens claiming WiFi will improve their experience at a theme park and 50 per cent wanting to share their attraction photos online. It is evident that parks around the world must now respond to these trends by adopting dedicated digital platforms that incorporate the in-park guest experience with social media.


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As well as the Samsung Galaxy S10 range and foldable phone, during tonight’s Galaxy Unpacked case, Samsung revealed a new energy accessory. And here we’ve got some photos of them both.
The leaked pictures found and initially published by WinFuture served as a teaser for the formally launched true deal by Samsung.
The Wireless Charger Duo Pad is comparable to last year’s release, with the exception that the pad on the left does not double as a stand.
But it feels like this year’s Fast Charge 2.0 instead. According to Best Buy’s product listing, the left, larger panel delivers 12W of power. This should ensure fairly rapid charging for the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S10 ha


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Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday that Apple, Inc. is looking into new suppliers for memory chips after an output disruption with their Japanese supplier.
Japan-based Kioxia Holdings Corp has been supplying flash memory chips to Apple. However, last month, the company reported that two of its manufacturing facilities had been compromised, adding that this would result in reduced production.
Apple is now testing sample NAND flash memory chips from China-based Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. The report added that Apple has been working on the tie-up for months.
Yangtze declined to comment, while Apple did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
Foxconn, another key Apple supplier, suspended its Shenzhen operations earlier this month due to a surge in COVID-19 cases.
A persistent industry-wide shortage of chips has also disrupted production in the automotive and electronics industries, forcing some firms to scale back production.


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Writing for Banned Books Month on the PEN American Center’s blog, our own Lydia Kiesling discusses Judy Blume’s Forever. It’s a book many have “lobbied vigorously to pry … out of the hands of enthralled youth since 1975,” Kiesling writes, which should prove that such lobbyists “weren’t very good readers” in the first place.
On International Women’s Day the New York Times launched Overlooked, a project that features the obituaries of remarkable women who did not receive the NYT obituary treatment when they passed away. It turns out only 20% of NYT obituaries were about women. Overlooked will seek to remedy this oversight by posting new obituaries of female icons weekly for the rest of 2018. Of particular note to our readers this week; Charlotte Bronte, Qiu Jin, Nella Larsen, Sylvia Plath and Ida B. Wells. But all 15 obituaries are worth reading, whether to learn something new or refresh your memory.
Amazon, whose tense negotiations with Hachette in the past months have led them to slow ship-times for its books, offered last night “to fund 50% of an author pool—to be allocated by Hachette—to mitigate the impact of this dispute on author royalties, if Hachette funds the other 50%.” Of course, Hachette may find calculating and allocating damages awkward so soon after authors flexed their social-media muscle. Sidebar: Amazon claimed “989 of 1000” items sold would be unaffected by this continuing “business interruption,” which might mean a full 1.1 percent of their business comes from just one mid-sized traditional publisher—heartening news from an unlikely source.
We’ve published essays before on the importance of good grammar, but it’s rare that something comes along that illustrates its value so clearly. A couple weeks ago, the Times published a blurb about This is the Story of a Happy Marriage, a recent essay collection by Ann Patchett, that led to the author sending in what may be the best correction of all time. For more on Patchett’s work, you could read Kevin Charles Redmon on her book State of Wonder.


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Can’t think of anywhere else to go in the world for a vacation? What about going out of the world for a change?
The lower orbit of the Earth, at least!
Photo Credit: CNBC News/THOTHX.com
A Canadian company just patented a 12.4 mile-high (or over 6500 feet!!) space elevator that could propel and launch astronauts and tourists into orbit!! This just gave a whole new meaning to the question “Going up?” when riding an elevator!
According to reports, the free-standing tower would be inflated and supported by gas-pressurized cells, and become a docking platform that could launch satellites, people, and cargo directly into the lower orbit.
Passengers can apparently reach the top of the tower in just an hour and board a space plane, which would be propelled into the Earth’s lower orbit without the need for a rocket that would cost millions!!
Conventional rocket launches can cost about $250 million or more, while cheaper commercial offerings go for about $60 million. Reports say that with this “space elevator”, it can reduce the cost of reaching the Earth’s orbit by about 30 percent!!
The “space elevator” was invented by Brendan Quine, an engineering professor at York University in Toronto, Canada.
Reports say that with the “space elevator”, this could open opportunities for tourism like restaurants and hotels!
This would definitely be an interesting tourist destination.
What do you think of this?? Would you love to have a vacation in space?


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Sep 1, 2021
For decades the narrative hasn’t just been that sunscreen is safe. The narrative has been that going without sunscreen is dangerous. And it is. The advertising and product pushing for sunscreen backed by the very real threat of skin cancer has led the public to consider a day outside without sunscreen is flirting with cancer..


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There’s a business in Erie, Pennsylvania, that’s heating up the refractory industry. Meet Onex, Inc., a company that’s found its niche in a competitive metals market and is growing rapidly.
“The precast portion of our business has tripled over the last few years,” said Ashleigh Walters, President of Onex, Inc. As a supplier of parts and materials to the metals industry, Onex’s growth has eclipsed the industry’s growth as a whole.
Onex distributes a product line of refractory materials including castables, ceramic fiber products, firebrick and insulating brick, mortars, and plastic refractories. The company sells and maintains industrial furnaces, too, with a workforce of 46 full-time employees.
Onex began in 1966 as a refractory distributor. In the 1980s, Onex started serving the heat-treating industries, as well as becoming a solutions provider for its customers. In 1992, the company started building furnaces under their Blue Diamond Furnaces brand.
“What makes us unique in the industry is we offer full refractory and combustion service on metal processing equipment, as well as do retrofitting,” said Walters. She added that all of their precast shapes are made in-house.
According to Walters, Onex is currently registered to do business in 11 states, but most of its customers are in the tri-state region (Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York). However, the company gets called to many sister plants throughout the US, Walters added.
According to Walters, weathering the most recent recession was tough, but her business has improved significantly since then. “We make suggestions on how to improve a company’s equipment whenever we visit a site, and the businesses appreciate that. It has resulted in us being referred to their sister plants,” she said.
Walters said Onex began a cultural change in 2014, shifting to a more democratic management style. Mike Bleil, the company’s production manager, said he now begins the day by having a meeting with the workers in the shop, going over the “game plan” for the day. “It’s a ‘your opinion counts’ meeting,” he said.
Megan Noonan, human resources manager for Onex, said, “Since Ashleigh instituted these changes, we all feel more human.” Noonan added that professional training is done yearly, and that the company increases pay with increased knowledge.
According to Walters, she and her management team also instituted lean manufacturing principles. One benefit of that system is increased productivity, to which Walters attests. “In the shop, for example, we keep the tools needed for a job by that particular work site. This way, workers aren’t walking around the shop looking for their tools.”
One of the noticeable things about Onex is the “now hiring” sign at the front of the building. There are many opportunities for various types of workers, according to Walters. “We tend to keep workers once we get them; we have a low turnover rate,” Walters said.
“If anyone has masonry experience, or past jobs working with form building, that person would fit with what we do,” she said. Even though the materials used might be different at Onex than what a mason would be used to using, the process would be similar, according to Walters.
Regarding other job opportunities at Onex, Bleil said, “We are looking for general laborers as well as more skilled positions such as industrial electricians.” Walters explained her hiring philosophy: “We hire many families. If mom and dad are hard workers, it’s likely that their children will be, too.”
Laborers in the shop might work in areas which are warm, but there are office positions available as well. “We hire engineers and people with bookkeeping knowledge, too,” Walters said.
One technical-certificate program that the Keystone Community Education in Oil City brokers is mechatronics, which Walters said is also a desired background for employees at Onex to possess. “Industrial maintenance and industrial electrical skills would help with what we make in-house,” Walters said.
In 2016, the company moved to its current location at 917 Bacon Street in Erie. With increased sales, a growing company, and a street named after a popular food, what’s not to like about Onex, Inc.?


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The proliferation of cannabinoid products in the market—including ingestibles, topicals, and pet products—at a time when the FDA has yet to clarify a regulatory pathway forward has resulted in confusion in the marketplace. Coupled with warning letters issued by FDA and FTC involving disease claims, and litigation by the plaintiff bar means CBD is and remains a hot-button issue. NIA has invited speakers from the newly formed CBD Association, FDA and FTC to join an extended panel to shed light on what lies ahead.
From the new data privacy regulations that went into effect in January, to the recent win for FTC's position on placebo-controlled clinical trials for health claims, the legal landscape has changed in the past year. We've invited experts to give us an overview of the changing legal landscape and what we must be aware of going forward.
A recent study showed daily supplementation of a bioavailable form of curcumin improved memory. It is still to be determined precisely how it works. As we live longer, maintaining good health, including brain health, is on the top of the list both on an individual basis and in terms of national healthcare costs. This session with a leading researcher on brain health and cognitive function will offer insights into the early research and potential opportunity.
Never has packaging been more important as manufacturers and brand owners alike see increased demand to reduce waste and carbon footprint. When customers know that the product is made of sustainable materials, they see a particular brand is a socially responsible choice. This improved brand image can improve market share and the bottom line. Packing experts will show us how.
While there are arguments by some industry leaders that the tariffs on Chinese goods have been a long time coming and even necessary to reset trade imbalances, they still impact costs along the supply chain and, ultimately, prices to consumers. Speakers will address the impact within their businesses, solutions that may be available, and what the future could hold.
Key regulations are coming to the forefront in 2020. Some like FSMA, are not new but are still surprising manufacturers undergoing FDA inspections. Others like the recent updates to labeling requirements are catching brand owners unaware and unprepared. Just over half of the facilities inspected by FDA in 2019 received a 483, and the biggest percentage of citations were over basics! A high-level overview of what matters most will provide a checklist for those not yet up to speed.


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China Drying Newsletter is based on the chemical companyâ€™s 2011 sales revenue from its specialty chemicals business. The US â€œChemical Weeklyâ€ released last week the list of global specialty chemical companies. This is also the first time that the journal has ranked companies in the specialty chemicals business.
The rankings show that the world's leading specialty chemicals company is sourced from world-class chemical companies. Since 2007, BASF has consistently occupied the top spot of the magazine's "Billion Dollar Club" ranking, and this time it has become the first leader in specialty chemicals. In 2011, BASFâ€™s sales revenue reached US$95.3 billion, of which sales of specialty chemicals accounted for approximately US$40.4 billion.
Companies ranked 2 to 10 were: Dow Chemical, $24.649 billion (sales revenue from specialty chemicals business, the same below); AkzoNobel, $18.501 billion; DuPont, $17.453 billion; Evonik Industries, $130.06 billion PPG Industry, $114.12 billion; Bayer, $109.74 billion; Syngenta, $101.62 billion; Mitsubishi Chemical, $9.569 billion; Dainippon Ink Chemicals, $8.863 billion.
The chemical company's sales of specialty chemicals come from different businesses. Companies such as BASF, Dow Chemical, and DuPont have a variety of specialty chemicals businesses. BASF's specialty chemicals business focuses primarily on the personal care sector, Dow Chemicals operates primarily in the electronic chemicals business, and DuPont Corporation focuses on crop protection and food additives.
The largest purely specialty chemicals company in this list is Dainippon Ink Chemical Industries, a manufacturer of pigments, printing inks and resins. Ekang, Givaudan and Avery Dennison are also prominent pure specialty chemical companies.
The world's leading paint and coating company ranks high on the list, such as AkzoNobel ranked third, PPG industry ranked sixth. In the field of agrochemical production, Syngenta ranks eighth, and the company's business is mainly crop protection.
The M&A transactions that have taken place in recent years have also had a major impact on the ranking of specialty chemical producers. BASF has become the world's leading personal care chemical company after the acquisition of Ciba Specialty Chemicals; after acquiring Nalco, the company has become a global leader in the production of water treatment chemicals, while also increasing its share of the oil chemical market. The company recently announced the acquisition of Champion Technologies, which will strengthen its oilfield chemicals business. Dow Chemical acquired Rohm and Haas after entering several new specialty chemicals areas, including paint coatings and electronic chemicals. DuPont entered the food additive field after acquiring Danisco. Other acquisitions include Lenzingâ€™s acquisition of Arch, Ashlandâ€™s acquisition of International Specialized Products (ISP), and Eastman Chemicalâ€™s purchase of Solutia.
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The owners and operators of the Cosco Busan container ship that leaked thousands of gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay in 2007 are suing pharmacists who they say dispensed drugs to the ship’s pilot.
Regal Stone Ltd., owner of the Cosco Busan, and Fleet Management Ltd., the ship’s operator, say the pills dispensed “recklessly and negligently” by pharmacists at a Longs Drug Store in Petaluma clouded pilot John Cota’s judgment and led the ship to slam into the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, spilling more than 50,000 gallons of oil. Their lawsuit – filed in San Francisco Superior Court on Friday – claims many of the drugs should not have been taken together.
It seeks monetary damages.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that a representative of CVS Caremark, which owns Longs, was not available for comment.
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If things don't improve at McLaren-Honda by the start of next season, Fernando Alonso could be given the option to sit out the year while the team gets through its teething pains.
Every year a big game of musical chairs breaks out in the Formula One paddock, as some drivers try to hold on to their seats, some try to grab new ones and others are left without a seat for the following season. McLaren has been extremely reluctant to announce who would be sitting in its carbon-fiber seats next season, but it's finally spilled the beans.
Of all the changes in store for next year's Formula One World Championship, few are as hotly anticipated as Honda's return as an engine supplier to the McLaren team. And with the current season drawing to a close, Honda has tweeted two images of the current car running its new engine.
Next year Honda will return to Formula One after a seven-year absence, bringing the first Japanese automaker to compete in the top-tier racing series back into the fold. But though it started in 1964 much as it ended in 2008, running its own team (much like Ferrari and Mercedes do today), its new F1 program will see it revert to engine-supplier status (like Renault did when it sold its team to Lotus).
As one of the premier sports cars in the world, the Porsche 911 is always driving around with a target on its rear-engined backside. If a new report is to be believed, the latest automaker with plans to build a 911-fighting sports coupe could be McLaren. Motor Trend is reporting that the recent news that Honda and McLaren are teaming up to build Formula One racecars could bear road-going fruit as well.
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The Stuttgart-based automaker said it sold 114,600 cars worldwide, compared with 102,500 in October 2006.
The unit includes the Mercedes-Benz, Maybach and Smart brands.
The company said that sales from January-October also set a record, rising to 1.05 million compared with 1.03 million in the first 10 months of 2006.
Sales were highest in the Asia-Pacific region, which includes China and Japan, with sales up by 27 percent to 11,400 cars sold, compared with 9,100 a year earlier. In the United States, deliveries increased by 11 percent to 22,800 cars, compared to 20,600 a year earlier.
In western Europe, sales rose 14 percent with 37,800 cars sold, compared to 33,300, while in the company's home market of Germany sales were up slightly to 31,400 from 30,800 a year ago.
Daimler sold 80.1 percent of Chrysler to private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management LLC for US$7.4 billion (UR5.09 billion) in August, ending a nearly nine-year partnership.
Shares of Daimler fell less than 1 percent to EUR73.60 (US$107.07) in Frankfurt.
In June, the Baltic States will hold BALTOPS and Saber Strike 2018 drills. A US Armored Brigade will be deployed in Europe for the purpose - no less than 4,000 soldiers
The import of liquefied natural gas from the United States will not grow, even if Germany exits the Nord Stream-2 project, German Minister of Economy and Energy Peter Altmeier said


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Argentina said on Tuesday that it will resume allowing cattle farmers to freely export beef to China and cancel restrictions that were implemented earlier this year and caused tensions with the agricultural sector.
The government previously restricted beef exports to 50% of normal exports to curb rapidly rising prices, causing farmers to protest and threaten to stop local cattle and grain trade.
Argentina is the world’s fifth largest beef exporter, while China is the world’s largest beef consumer. According to official data, about 75% of Argentina’s beef exports in 2020 will go to China.
Argentina is currently in urgent need of foreign exchange, and agricultural exports are the main source of foreign exchange earnings.
“Regarding the issue of exporting beef to China, we will restart exports from Monday,” Argentine Minister of Agriculture Julian Dominguez said after a meeting with the heads of the four major agricultural associations.


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Namco’s bought 34 percent of Atari’s European and Asian sales network for €30 million.
Between June 31, 2012 to June 20, 2013, Namco will also have the option to buy the remaining 66 percent from Infogrames.
“I am delighted that this transaction strengthens our outstanding partnership with Namco Bandai, one of the industry’s greatest creators and publishers of video games, and is a significant development in Infogrames’ reinvention,” said Infogrames boss David Gardner.
“The agreement will give Infogrames a guaranteed and strengthened product portfolio and provide us additional means to invest in new product development for packaged and online markets.”
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KAZAN, March 14. /Corr. Alexei Ugarov/. Residents of Crimea until the end of 2016 will be provided with cards of the national payment system “World”, issue of cards has already begun. In the course of the year on the Peninsula will be issued from 600 thousand to 1 million cards “the World”, told the correspondent of TASS General Director of “national system of payment cards” (nvqs) Vladimir Komlev.
Media: the Central Bank ordered banks to begin by July 1, work with the map “World”
“This year in the Crimea will be released from 600 thousand to 1 million cards, and they will practically cover the needs of the region,” said Komlev.
According to him, because of the sanctions, Crimea remains localized area for Bank payments, and the card “the World” will be there very popular. “In Crimea, all the ATMs and terminals of the banks are already ready to reception of cards “the World”. Main card Issuer “Peace” on the Peninsula – Russian national commercial Bank (RNCB), which since March has already begun EN masse these cards to distribute,” explained the General Director.
As noted by the interlocutor of the Agency, in Russia mass emission of Bank cards “the World” will begin in September 2016, the end of the year banks plan to issue up to 16 million cards.
The company “NPCs” – the operator of the national payment system, established on July 23, 2014. 100% of shares of JSC “NPCs” belongs to the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.
The share of national payment cards in the Russian market by 2018 to exceed 50%


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Parrot, the French company that is probably best known for its AR.Drone and Bebop drones, today announced the Parrot S.L.A.M.dunk, a new development kit for helping drones and robots navigate indoors, avoid obstacles and map its surroundings. The S.L.A.M.dunk (I know I’ll never tire of typing that out), which the company announced at the annual Interdrone conference in Las Vegas today, will be available in the last quarter of the year. The company has not announced pricing yet.
The 4.9oz kit uses an Nvidia Tegra K1 processor and runs Ubuntu 14.04 with the Robotic Operating System framework on top. It uses two fisheye cameras for stereoscopic imaging at 60 frames per second, as well as an ultrasound sensor, an inertial measurement unit, a barometer and a magnetometer. The kit also features USB and HDMI plugs.
Parrot says the ultrasound sensor should be able to pick up objects that are up to 50 feet away.
Parrot expects that developers, researchers and integrators will use the S.L.A.M.dunk to prototype drones and robotic solutions and use it for autonomous navigation and 3D mapping products. While Parrot itself is best known for its drones, the kit is also meant to work for rolling robots and even articulated arms. “Developed by robotic researchers for robotic researchers, Parrot S.L.A.M.dunk is a ‘ready-to-use’ module that will accelerate the development of tomorrow’s application for drones and robotic platforms,” the company says in its announcement today.
This announcement may feel unusual for a company that is mostly known for its consumer drones, but Parrot actually offers a number of professional drones under its SenseFly brand and the company has long invited tinkerers to write applications for its drones with the help of its SDKs. Today’s announcement takes this one step further. It also signals the company’s intentions to bring its expertise to a wider range of robotics products, too. And who knows, maybe the Parrot T-shirt will even feature an ultrasound sensor and help you avoid objects as you drunkenly stumble home at night.


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Members of the district unit of the Rajya Raitha Sangha and the Hasiru Sene took out a procession and staged a dharna outside the Deputy... ...http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/fix-rs-6000-per-quintal-as-support-price-for-groundnut/article7894322.ece?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication
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(India) One of India's largest branded fabric and fashion retailers, Raymond has pumped in Rs 61.68 crore in Raymond Luxury Cottons Ltd (RLCL) by... ...http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/textile-news/raymond-pumps-in-rs-62-crore-in-rlcl-appoints-new-cfo-175925-newsdetails.htm
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Part of an old bank in Sheffield city centre is set to be converted into a Tesco Express store.
A section of the former HSBC bank in Church Street - a listed building opposite the Anglican Cathedral - is due to open as supermarket in early December.
It will increase the competition in the city centre among the supermarket giants.
Sainsbury’s, which already has shops in Arundel Gate and Division Street, is preparing to open one of its ‘Local’ outlets just along High Street in the premises formerly occupied by outdoor clothing and equipment specialists Blacks.
Church Assets Ltd were granted permission last April to divide the old HSBC bank into two separate units after councillors were assured that key elements, including the ornate banking hall, dome and spiral staircase, would be protected.
Built in 1838, the premises have been empty for five years, and the council was told that they were now “very dilapidated”. Approved new uses included a supermarket, commercial premises and a restaurant.
Now further details of the supermarket operation, such as external lighting and refuse collection, have been approved by the council, and Tesco is preparing to become a neighbour of the Cutlers Hall.
A Tesco spokesperson said: “We’re pleased to be opening a new store in this fantastic building in Sheffield, and we’ve worked hard to make sure we respect the heritage of the site. We’ll be employing around 20 people and hope to be open in early December.”
Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s is preparing to move into the former Blacks store. It already operates 13 stores in Sheffield, with ten from its ‘Local’ chain within three miles of the city centre.


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Towards , the You.S. Supreme Legal welcome a subpoena by the Manhattan Area Lawyer Cyrus Roentgen. Vance Jr. getting Donald Trump’s tax returns, along with other economic details. Because of grand jury privacy regulations, they were not made societal.
Trump’s Current Wide range
Forbes has used economic disclosures and an array of almost every other supply to generate an offer out of Trump’s net worthy of once the guy left work environment. The ebook currently pegs they around $2.cuatro million. This should be considered to be a rough estimate, even though the publication did because thorough a career as possible considering the dearth of data.
It $2.4 billion represents a significant lose, which have fallen regarding $step 3.step one mil as the end of 2019. It is largely considering the wreck COVID-19 has done towards the resort and you will gambling establishment marketplace.
The following important economic count we could glean because of these files would be the fact Trump and his businesses made at least $446.step 3 mil in the revenue in the 2019, that is upwards dos.6% of $434.8 million the previous 12 months.
As well as readily available are certain money wide variety for some away from Trump’s company interests. The newest wide variety provide a broad thought of hence Trump businesses are the largest money turbines and you will whether money is rising otherwise decreasing.
The real Resources of Wide range
The previous president’s businesses generally end up in four groups: accommodations, golf programs (otherwise some blend of the 2), apartments, domestic and industrial actual-estate apartments, and you will payments on licensing of Trump’s identity.
Brand new York Minutes stuff unleashed a primary the fresh new supply of guidance, and confirming you to Donald Trump’s expose money wide variety have been indeed revenue figures.
This new number and additionally reveal that companies owned by Trump had been incredibly unprofitable for the months between 2000 and you will 2018. Their real types of earnings was indeed a television program and several licensing selling.
Whether or not particular enterprises for example Trump Tower was in fact successful, Trump organizations complete destroyed $174.5 billion regarding 2000–2018. For the same time period, his net gain out of certification and you can affirmation selling is actually $230 million, their net gain from the Apprentice tv program was $197.step three million, and his earnings off their investment inside enterprises work at because of the other individuals try $178.seven billion.
Record below is bound to help you businesses in which a specific funds matter received. The newest number may be the most recent supplied by data.
step one. Trump Federal Doral
- 2019 Funds: $77,207,936
- 2018 Funds: $75,962,848
- 2019 Investment Really worth: More than $50,000,000
- Team Variety of: Tennis Resort
What is actually now the fresh Trump Federal Doral golf resorts are based within the 1962, into the Doral, near Miami. Trump bought the resort away from personal bankruptcy for $150 billion for the 2012.
The fresh Doral is actually the reason out of significant controversy into the 2019 whenever the previous president launched plans to ytterligare information keep the 2020 meeting from the fresh new G7 on Trump National Doral. The guy withdrew the offer immediately after accusations this particular is a go to benefit out-of their presidency.
dos. Trump Dated Post office LLC
- 2019 Cash: $40,523,041
- 2018 Cash: $40,842,294
- 2019 Asset Well worth: Over $fifty,000,000
- Team Types of: Resorts
This provider are a hanging providers with the Trump Globally Hotel inside Arizona, D.C., and this operates on Dated Post-office building, a nationwide landmark. Trump’s business keeps a lengthy-identity lease to the assets, owned by this new You.S. bodies, that will past almost 100 ages that have extensions.
The hotel was at the middle of a primary emoluments case resistant to the previous president. A team of resorts and you can eatery owners charged Trump for breaking this new emoluments condition, alleging which he is actually unconstitutionally profiting from their office because his resort has got the providers regarding overseas officials becoming around to help you curry his favor. The group contended this particular offered the previous president’s lodge an unjust aggressive advantage up against its enterprises.


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Press Release – I.A. Hedin Bil has closed the deal to acquire five additional Mercedes-Benz dealerships in Belgium
After approval from the Belgian Competition Authorities, the acquisition of five Mercedes-Benz dealerships around Antwerp was finalized. This means that Hedin Bil, through the brand Hedin Automotive, is present at twelve locations in Belgium.
In the beginning of April 2018, it was announced that I.A. Hedin Bil had through its subsidiary, Hedin Belgien Bil AB, entered an agreement with the Belgian company Andries NV to acquire its subsidiaries Eddy Joosen NV, Garage A. Swinnen BVBA, Garage Euromotors NV and Garage Vriesdonk NV.
The transaction, which was conditional upon certain terms and the approval of the Belgian Competition Authorities, has now been carried through. This includes ownership of four full service dealerships and one used-car dealership for Mercedes-Benz passenger cars around Antwerp.
Owner and CEO of Anders Hedin Invest AB, Anders Hedin, said:
-In April, we successfully took over the operations of seven Mercedes-Benz dealerships in Ghent. At the same time, we entered an agreement to acquire five dealerships around Antwerp. I am very happy to announce that the deal was carried through as planned and we are therefore taking the next steps into a very interesting market.
Since April 2018, I.A. Hedin Bil runs seven Mercedes-Benz dealerships in and around Ghent under the brand Hedin Automotive. With this acquisition, Hedin Automotive will operate twelve dealerships in the province East Flanders in Belgium.
For further information, please contact:
Emma Andersson, Corporate Communication Manager Anders Hedin Invest AB


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The past year of the London Property Sales Market has been very interesting, something I have constantly kept track of. I have worked within the Property Recruitment industry for almost 5 years and this past year has been particularly different to previous years!
In my last blog, So Happy My Offer Has Been Accepted! But Oh Wait, The Dreaded Stamp Duty… I discussed the effect the increased Stamp Duty was having on first-time buyers and the London property market and whether it was even an issue for the most affluent?
Is everyone moving from Zone 1? Is it a boycott of Prime Central London!? PCL has been a location desired by many, I personally have always aspired to live in areas such as Kensington, Notting Hill, and Chelsea – if I could afford to move to the beautiful South Kensington or calm Little Venice I definitely would. But has that Hot Spot changed for potential buyers? Is it now the purchasers that are filtering from the Centre to what was known before as the ‘dreaded’ Zones 3-6. The Evening Standard has stated the largest drop in property prices has been in the Central Boroughs such as Camden (down 16.4%) and Hammersmith & Fulham (down 11.6%). The borough with the most increased growth has been Hackney with an increase of 15.6% and Bromley (even further out I know) has had a rise of 11.6%.
Data firm LonRes have also stated the number of houses over £1m sold in 2016 were down 21% year on year. City A.M reported London’s house growth is level with Portsmouth… Hometrack has stated prices in PCL are just becoming unaffordable, in Chelsea house prices have fallen by 10%. Savills concurred that the prices of PCL have fallen by 6.9% compared with last year (which was 4.9%). However, the real estate firm has said within the collapse of Sales (Brexit and increased Stamp Duty) the asking prices of properties have had to reflect this. Is this all doom and gloom? It was predicted that the fall in PCL would be 9% – so it is actually less than anticipated.
(Source from Knight Frank)
Even though Savills have reported lower prices, Persimmon has stated a rise in revenue (their average selling price was up by 4%) as the availability of mortgages have helped to boost prices!
More and more buyers are now buying New Homes which seems to be a strong choice for buyers. New Homes are competitive with mortgage offers and therefore makes the purchase very affordable (I recently bought a new home myself!). The FTSE 100 in January showed the builder was the best performer with share up by 5%.
Richard Donnell of LonRes has shared that house prices in London are 85% higher than they were in 2009!!! – so it is not surprising the pace has decreased. Helen Cahill of City A.M has said the slump in the prices are at the top end due to Stamp Duty on homes worth more than £1m and has meant that some homes have slashed their prices by 30% – it is all to do with affordability. Are buyers simply not able to physically pay the price for PCL?
But will it all be over soon?
Or will it be a case of Zone 1 buyers fleeing to the likes of Bromley? Or the up and coming Hackney? As the Sales Market changes so do consumers.
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Vetter Pet Care founder Ryan Connell kept hearing heart-wrenching stories from his veterinarian wife, Rebecca Bernstein, about how early checkups on pets might have given them a better shot at surviving fatal diseases.
In August of 2017, the engineer and founder set out to streamline access to veterinarians with Vetter Pet Care, an on-demand service for pet check-ups and medical services. It currently operates throughout Philadelphia, parts of the Main Line and in Washington, D.C.
“People often don’t take their pets to the vet or keep putting it off, Connell said. “Many look at their pets’ medical care as a luxury not a necessity.”
Is it the Uber of vets? Yes and no, the founder said.
“Yes, we’re providing a delivered, on-demand solution and introducing veterinarians to the gig economy but I’d disagree strongly in that there’s not just a bunch of vets driving around waiting to be hailed,” Connell said. “The doctors that we source and medical supplies we provide add a layer of complexity.”
Currently, the company has six crews of veterinarians and assistants available for consultations in Philly and one in D.C.
As with most companies in the on-demand space, an immediate challenge will be to acquire talent to perform services to keep up with the growth of the business. At least in part, similar challenges led to the shutdown of B2B food delivery startup Zoomer. For Vetter Pet Care, the challenge is different, though: Connell is hoping the flexibility might fit in well with veterinarians looking to get in some less stressful work on their days off.
“Very few vets are monetarily motivated,” said Connell. “It’s not a profession people go to just to get a return on the investment they made on education.”
Love your pet? Demand convenience? Use Vetter, like Franklin does. It’s mobile veterinary care at its finest. pic.twitter.com/Hfi9ZRjKBN
— Vetter (@vetterpetcare) October 9, 2017
Connell, 30, said the company has performed some 200 consultations in beta mode. It’s currently working out of a home office in Fitler Square.
So, how much does it cost? A visit and physical exam from a Vetter Pet Care crew starts at $105. Upfront prices are another thing the founder is hoping to use as differentiator in the pet healthcare space.
“We’re not cagey about our pricing,” the founder said.-30-
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has postponed testing dairy cows for antibiotics. The FDA intended to begin tests this month on cows’ milk from farms that had repeatedly sold tainted milk, but the dairy industry fought the tests, claiming that they were poorly conceived and would waste millions of gallons of milk. As a result, the FDA postponed the testing and is now conferring with the dairy industry on future steps. Food safety advocates continue to voice concern, however. Just last week, the FDA found a dairy cow from California with antibiotics at a rate of 7.068 parts per million in her tissue at the time of slaughter—the federal limit is 0.1 parts per million.
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A short video platform that shot to popularity after the Indian government banned Chinese apps is laying off 20% of its workforce. The Japanese group Panasonic is considered a long term partner of the largest electric vehicle manufacturer, as it not only maintains a joint venture in Nevada, but is also actively involved in expanding the range of cells of the new 4680 size. The carbon removal marketplace currently offers direct air capture, biochar, planting trees, enhanced weathering and bio oil to counteract users emissions.
The idea of a separation of the business from the design and manufacture of components was voiced at the event by one of the industry analysts. There is no need to separate the production facilities from their structure, according to the company’s financial director. The lack of transparent financial reporting has limited the economic efficiency of their activities. The new IDM 2.0 model should address this deficiency as it allows production units to officially earn profits in terms of financial reporting. Intel will achieve an overall profit margin of about 60% and an operating profit margin of at least 40% in the long term. The manufacturing division of Intel is expected to make more than $20 billion in sales in the next year.
The tech giant announced that users will soon be able to use their device’s camera to search for images, both newly captured and existing ones in their camera roll. Orca supports an open source framework, which means that the public can contribute to the development and improvement of the small LFM. The power of the public can allow it to take on the private models built by large tech companies.
According to the research paper, Orca surpasses other instruction tuning models but also performs at par with Openai’s ChatGPT inBBH benchmarks despite its smaller size. It shows academic prowess in competitive exams like the GRE and LSAT, both in zero shot settings, although it trails behind GPT 4.
The IDM 1.0 model, as it is commonly called by the current group management, has now become obsolete due to irreversible changes in market conditions, but also due to mistakes made by Intel, leading to significant delays in further development. At the same time, Intel’s own divisions will establish their relationships with the company’s production structure on the same terms with third party customers. The investor event hosted by Intel this week was intended to explain how the processor giant’s business model is changing, but the discussion of achievements in the technology sector was put off until the second half of the year.
The Products Of Thomson Reuter
HiSilicon is a subsidiary ofHuawei, which has been banned in the US and other countries for posing a national security threat. Over the next few months, Squarespace will integrate GOOGLE DOMAIN into its own platform and continue to support existing customers. The company said that it will expand its offerings with the help of the technology and expertise of the company. The popular website builder and hosting service has announced that it has acquired the domain name registrar service from Google. The deal will allow customers to easily register and manage their domain names through the Squarespace platform. Vedanta Aluminium is an example of how Indian companies can manufacture high quality products that meet global standards while maintaining competitive pricing.
The data hack poses a serious risk of identity theft and fraud for the victims and is one of the largest in US history. The hackers were able to gain access to names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers. The affected states and customers were notified by MoveIt.
The Government Spends Twice As Much On Health As It Did A Year Ago
According to news agency ANI, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Textiles and Consumer Affairs, Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday that the manufacturing of Apple iPhones in India is expected to increase to 25 per cent. Seven per cent of the iPhones are assembled in India, which is expected to grow further. In the hopes of driving economic growth and generating employment opportunities, the mission Life Magical was started in 2016 to build an ecosystem for nurturing innovation and startups. The US Navy, NATO, and NASA are some of the agencies that have been using these chips. The BEUC represents consumer organizations in 13 countries in the EU. The call was issued to coincide with a report from a member of the group.
Businesses that bought software from Microsoft for their own data centers face restrictions and surcharges when moving their licenses to Microsoft’s top cloud competitors. NetChoice said that the practices include preventing customers from changing providers in search of lower costs, stronger service offerings and more innovative solutions for their businesses. When they need to produce a large amount of product, individual customers will be given the power to establish production corridors. Customers intellectual property is protected and does not affect Intel’s own developments in production. The company will use two separate information systems for its own and third party orders, which will not exchange data in any way.
Next Month, The Album Archive Feature Will Be Discontinued
The number of 5G mobile subscriptions in India will reach 10 million by the end of the year. The number of mobile subscriptions in the country will increase to around 700 million by the end of the decade, according to a study. Orca surpasses its capabilities by 100 percent on complex zero shot reasoning benchmark such as Big Bench Hard (BBH) and by 42 percent on AGIEval, even though it is based on the foundations of Vicuna. “Licensing terms enforced by Microsoft, Oracle and other legacy on premises software providers distort competition in the cloud,” according to the filing. “You can now silence incoming calls from unknown contacts on the platform for even more privacy and control,” he said.
The novelty has a white circuit board and a bright theme for the design of the cooling system. The Arc A770Limited Edition desktop graphics card will no longer be shipped by Intel. Several US and European government agencies are using encryption chips made by a Chinese company with ties to the Chinese military and intelligence, according to an investigation by Ars Technica. A European consumer group has urged the EU to investigate the potential harms of generative artificial intelligence, a technology that can create realistic content.


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AMAZON TAKES AIM AT BRICK-AND-MORTAR STORES WITH NEW PRIME WARDROBE SERVICE
Amazon is hoping to claim more territory once held by traditional brick-and-mortar stores, essentially by placing a dressing room in your house.
The company, which has been making a big push into selling clothes, is testing a new service that lets members of its Prime program try on styles before they put items on their charge card — at no upfront fee. The service, called Prime Wardrobe, allows customers to have seven days to decide what they like, and then pay only for what they keep. Shipments arrive in a re-sealable box with a pre-paid label for returns.
More than a million pieces of clothing and accessories are eligible, Amazon said Tuesday, including from brands like Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, Theory and Levi’s that are big names at the department stores.
Prime Wardrobe works this way: Shoppers pick three or more items and have a try-on period. Items they want to discard can be dropped off at a UPS location or picked up for free. Unlike services like Bombfell, Stitch Fix, and Sprezzabox, it doesn’t have a stylist to pick the items for customers.
Shoppers get 10 percent off if they keep three or four items, or 20 percent off for five items or more.
With Prime Wardrobe, Amazon’s bidding for more loyalty from members of the program who are already getting free shipping as well as free streaming of TV shows and movies. And it may be a way to get Prime shoppers who stuck to buying electronics and books to try buying clothes from Amazon without a lot of hassle.


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A Michigan woman who recently traveled to Clearwater, Fla., home of the Hulk Hogan Beach shop, called the former wrestler’s store on Thursday to say she had done a “stupid thing.” She had stolen one of Hulk Hogan’s autographed shoes and she wanted to give it back.
The recent visitor, and obvious Hogan fan, nabbed the shoe valued at $5,500, but employees didn’t realize it was missing until Tuesday, the Associated Press reports. A TMZ report from Wednesday says three women distracted the manager while a fourth, the admitted bandit, grabbed the boot. Though the thief has left the Sunshine State, she didn’t take the shoe with her. The woman reportedly arranged for the shoe to be returned by people she met while she was in Clearwater.
No charges have been filed.


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medieval flowers on black iphone case
medieval flowers on black iphone case
The Verizon Wireless suit names only Nextel as a defendant. both plan to introduce push-to-talk services. The company claims Nextel Communications "improperly obtained" prototypes of some new Verizon cell phones with walkie-talkie features. The charges surface about a week before Verizon Wireless is set to introduce cell phones that connect instantly. Nextel has so far been the sole U.S. carrier to offer such a "push to talk" service. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Virginia, claims Nextel obtained prototypes of Verizon cell phones to "obtain valuable, confidential, and proprietary business information," then share any negative news with industry analysts, according to an account of the suit in The Wall Street Journal.
A legitimate industryThe state of California recently set up new safety and operations standards, As a result, two ride-sharing companies made announcements Friday that could characterize ride-sharing services as a legitimate industry in the eyes of the public, Sidecar and Lyft are finally saying -- without fear of retaliation from the state medieval flowers on black iphone case -- that drivers charge fares for rides, rather than them talking "donations." This is a symbolic gesture, for sure, Passengers, often proponents of the new ride sharing industry, have typically paid the suggested donation amounts, And, UberX, having entered the space late by riding in the wake of its competitors, has always charged fares..
Separately, HP named a new head for its enterprise services unit. John Visentin will lead the HP Enterprise Services unit. On the consumer side, the reputation hit to HP can't be underestimated. HP will have to smooth over relationships with retail partners, resellers, and consumers who may have taken the TouchPad plunge. On the software side, HP's hasty retreat on WebOS will be remembered by developers. These developers are likely to be skeptical about HP's commitment to other efforts such as the public cloud.
"Any time you add cost to a medieval flowers on black iphone case device, it's an obstacle," Bereda said, Then there's the fact a lot of people don't even realize they could use 4G LTE on their devices, he said, To solve both problems, Lenovo has partnered with carriers on trial programs that give new users things like 90 days of free data connectivity, Bereda said, "All of a sudden you get them used to it, and they can't ever imagine going back," he said, "They never really thought about it, but it makes sense, You get 4G on a phone, why not get it on a PC?"The most-wanted smartphone features in PCs are long battery life at 36 percent, face unlocking at 30 percent and instant-on at 29 percent, Cellular connectivity lagged behind, with just a quarter of respondents wanting 4G in their PCs, according to a survey by Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi..
If you turn your phone over on the table, it automatically sets the Do Not Disturb mode, which keeps it quiet until you turn it over again. Of course, you can give some contacts the go-ahead no matter what. Wind-down mode will fade your phone to grayscale as you start getting sleepy. This won't replace the blue light filter, but it will help you trick your brain into being less interested in the contents of your screen. Originally published on May 5.Updated, Aug. 23: Added new intro and more on iPhone-like gestures.
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The Algorithm Economy Will Start a Huge Wave of Innovation
Algorithm marketplaces set to proliferate in the next five years.
Contributor: Rob van der Meulen
Several analytical vendors have recently opened algorithm marketplaces that enable algorithms or code snippets to be bought and sold. These marketplaces will see substantial growth. In fact, by 2020, Gartner predicts that the three leading marketplaces will offer more functions than all other analytical vendors combined – transforming the analytics and broader software market in the process.
Algorithms are the DNA of software. They codify the macrosteps of how computers already run large parts of the world. Gartner believes that the predominance of algorithms will only increase in the digital age, especially with the growth of the Internet of Things.
“Algorithm marketplaces are similar to the mobile app stores that created the ‘app economy’. The essence of the app economy is to allow all kinds of individuals to distribute and sell software globally without the need to pitch their idea to investors or set up their own sales, marketing and distribution channels,” explained Alexander Linden, research director at Gartner.
An algorithm marketplace takes the app economy one step further. It allows algorithms and other software components to be brokered. These algorithms are not stand-alone apps, but are meant to be used as building blocks within tailored solutions.
Mr. Linden said the impact on the analytics and software market will be revolutionary for these reasons:
- More software and more granular software will be commercialized – The current software ecosystem allows only whole products to be commercialized — not functions or features. This conventional wisdom ends with algorithm marketplaces, as software distribution costs become marginal which is increasing the use cases for third-party software in an organization.
- More cutting-edge software can now be commercialized – While the number of existing algorithms is significant, very few engineers or scientists commercialize their algorithms, mostly due to the limited prospects of real success. With marketplaces dramatically reducing the barriers to entry, end users will benefit from more advanced software functionality.
- Marketplaces will create a spiral of reuse – Another profound aspect of a marketplace is its ability to allow algorithms to be reused. Whole teams of developers have direct monetary incentives to create quasi-standards such that the involved outputs of algorithms are better compatible with the inputs of others.
- Easier quality assessment – Advanced end-users who are building cutting-edge solutions face a complex algorithm selection process. Many algorithms are unproven and of variable quality, especially in the open-source domain. Marketplaces’ usage statistics, feedback and collaboration mechanisms can create higher levels of testing and easier quality assessment for end users.
It’s clear that the traditional software market is on the brink of a major overhaul. With marketplaces set to proliferate in the next five years, analytics and IT leaders must act now to proof their own analytics architecture. The potential rewards are huge. Start considering algorithm markets as a novel way to obtain specialized solutions to difficult business problems. Start comparing your existing algorithms against the state-of-the-art ones found in marketplaces.
Gartner clients can learn more in the report “Algorithm Marketplaces Are Bringing the App Economy to Analytics”. Analytics will also be covered in detail at the Gartner Business Intelligence & Analytics Summit, February 22-23 in Sydney, AU, February 29 – March 1 in London, UK and March 14-16 in Grapevine, Texas. Readers can learn more in the complimentary webinar, The Algorithm Economy.
For more, visit Smarter With Gartner website.


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Experts called on Monday for macroeconomic policy moves to help stabilize market expectations and alleviate businesses’ burdens in order to help them cope with any possible shocks brought by the rising prices of raw materials and weakening domestic demand.
Figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Monday that the country’s producer price index rose 8.3 percent year-on-year in March, easing from 8.8 percent in the previous month. But the growth in producer prices accelerated on a monthly basis, up by 1.1 percent in March, compared with a 0.5 percent increase in February.
Meanwhile, the country’s consumer price index, a main gauge of consumer inflation, grew by 1.5 percent year-on-year and was up from 0.9 percent a month ago, the NBS said.
Dong Lijuan, a senior statistician at the NBS, said in a statement that the monthly gain in PPI was mainly due to the continued rise in global prices of commodities as a result of geopolitical factors.
Dong also attributed the accelerated growth of consumer inflation to the sporadic COVID-19 cases in China and hikes in international commodity prices.
Wen Bin, chief analyst at China Minsheng Bank, said on Monday that the accelerated monthly expansion of PPI and year-on-year CPI expansion indicated that continuing global inflation may generate increased pressure in terms of imported inflation into China.
He added that the cost pressures being felt by upstream sectors are now being increasingly passed along the value chain to downstream sectors.
Wen called for measures “to help businesses tackle difficulties and to ease the pressure brought by the rising prices of raw materials and the weakening of effective demand”.
“At the same time, it is important to keep a close eye on shifting external dynamics and policies. Contingency plans are needed in the face of risks and shocks.”
He noted that efforts are particularly needed to maintain the stability of the supply and prices of commodities, while tax-break and fee-reduction policies should be delivered fully on the ground at the earliest possible date.
Li Qilin, chief economist at Shanghai-listed Hongta Securities, said in a note that amid weak domestic demand, cost pressures for downstream industries are rising.
He said that COVID-19 containment measures and disruptions to logistics and transportation are affecting production for certain businesses.
“We now look forward to any new moves that will keep prices stable, and further moves to help and protect market entities toward the overall goal of facilitating stable economic performance.”
Figures from the People’s Bank of China, the nation’s central bank, showed on Monday that borrowing and lending activities grew faster than expected in March. The volume of total social financing increased by 4.65 trillion yuan ($730 billion) in March, up 1.28 trillion yuan from the same period last year. The PBOC data also showed that banks in China extended 3.13 trillion yuan in new yuan loans in March, marking a sharp increase compared with February.


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Salesforce.com launches Service Cloud 3
Service Cloud 3 can monitor customers across social networks, including Facebook and Twitter.
Salesforce.com has launched its Service Cloud 3, designed to help companies get social with their customers.
The service lets organisations monitor and get in touch with customers on any social network - such as Facebook and Twitter - and other sites using Radian6 - the platform that helps companies measure the impact of their customer contact and monitor conversations.
Businesses will be able to take advantage of the built-in social analytics with Service Cloud 3, which in turn should help them tailor their customer interactions and prioritise, Salesforce.com said.
The Social Contact Center, with its tabbed screen, will let administrators keep a close eye on social media activity, whilst Salesforce.com's Chatter will let users collaborate on customer contact projects.
Whilst the product has been made available already, it will not include the Salesforce for Facebook part until the first quarter of fiscal year 2012.
Furthermore, customers will have to wait until the third quarter of fiscal year 2012 for Radian6 for Salesforce.
"The explosion of social technologies has changed the game for customer service," said Alex Dayon, executive vice president of CRM, Salesforce.com.
"Facebook and Twitter taught consumers to expect social customer service in real time. Service Cloud 3 is the next-generation social contact centre that lets companies prioritise and manage a high volume of customer issues over any social channel."
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has contracted with Porsche to provide designs for a new "family of vehicles" for top officials, according to a report on motoring.com/au.
"Project cortege," which is the name given to the new fleet of high-tech armored vehicles, is being fast tracked to deliver its first vehicles to Russia's leader in 2017, a year ahead of schedule, according to the report.
While no specifics about the design have been released other than concepts, the new models will be built in Russia and range from limos to SUVs to minivans. All are expected to have armor plating, bulletproof windos and several other protective measures, according to the report.
Originally posted on Automotive Fleet
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