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Wolves Summit in Warsaw on 9-11th April 2018
Wolves Summit in Warsaw will attract startups from around the world
Come and join us 9-11 April 2018 r.
The startup ecosystem in Poland is developing at a satisfying pace. Innovative hubs and programs supporting young tech companies are being created. But international conferences also contribute to the success.
Favourable conditions for development
Wolves Summit, an international conference for startups, investors, and corporate representatives is taking place on 9-11th April 2018 in Warsaw, Poland for the seventh time.
– It’s quite a young initiative, actually, as we organized the first edition only 2.5 years ago – says Piotr Piasek, the co-founder of Wolves Summit – further events, however, show that there’s a huge need for innovation. The number of participants is growing rapidly, so in April we’re expecting to see 2500 representatives from around the world.
Among the attendees there will be 400 startups, 300 investors, and 450 corporates from over 60 countries around the world. Previous editions of the event prove that there’s a huge demand for meetings at an international level and talks on innovations in technology. Warsaw is a city, which grows in power compared to other European tech hubs. Co-working spaces, incubation and acceleration programs, global corporations based in the capital, public and private funds that support financially and by mentoring, high-skilled IT professionals – these are only a few of the facilities waiting for companies who decide to visit the city.
– For the past few years Poland has been on top of rankings, when it comes to best programmers. They make the startup ecosystem development possible, as well as establishing partnerships between young companies and investors or corporations – explains Piotr Piasek.
New technologies in Poland
Development of the startup ecosystem in Poland also influences new trends, that keep showing up in the country. According to the latest report by Startup Poland, Polish hardware and IoT startups are worth the attention. Such companies need more time for development, prototyping, and perfecting the products, but it doesn’t mean they won’t create significant revenues. Global brands like GoPro and Fitbit are great examples.
– During the seventh edition of Wolves Summit we’ll focus on a few startup trends, like Hardware, Internet of Things, Fintech, block chain, and decentralization – says Piotr Piasek – thanks to that experts can personally meet and establish valuable business connections, exchange experiences, and maybe invest their time and money in developing other sectors of new technologies.
What puts in a positive mood, is the fact that Polish startup support programs recognize the potential of the native projects. Startup Platforms, a program by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, has supported 103 Polish companies up till December 2017 and contributed about 80 million PLN. The highest subsidy could reach 800 000 PLN. Apart from public support institutions, acceleration and incubation programs within international corporations also function. These entities chose Poland as their headquarters, among them Startup Collider from PwC or m Accelerator (powered by m Bank).
Contacts above all
The Wolves Summit conference gathers the representatives of many environments, including corporations, investors, and promising startups from around the world. 1:1 meetings are one of the most important elements of the event. Participants can schedule 15-minute conversations with relevant people before the conference even begins. It allows them to pack their calendars and match the interlocutors to certain criteria.
– Se far during all editions there were 14303 1:1 meetings scheduled, and the attendees’ comments clearly indicate the importance of such activity. We know of startups who met their future investors at Wolves Summit. It makes us even more content since we put great emphasis on matching participants – says Piotr Piasek. Autenti, a Polish platform for online document signing, partnered with two funds: Innovation Nest and Black Pearls VC. At the fourth edition of Wolves Summit, the Autenti team won the main prize at a tech startup challenge. ING Bank Śląski on the other hand invested in the Czech startup, Twisto Payments, the winner of the third edition.
The seventh Wolves Summit conference is taking place in Warsaw, Poland on 9-11 April 2018. Up to 2500 people from over 60 countries are expected to participate. Additional information about the event and participation opportunities are available on the website: www.wolvessummit.com.
+48 579 357 466


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The export limits were disappointingly small for a country that once ranked as the worlds second-largest supplier of corn, and traders said it was unclear why grain merchants would rush to foreign markets, given higher domestic prices being already buoyed by Beijings scheme to build up government stocks.
However, the fact that Chinese policymakers felt comfortable enough with domestic supplies to open the door to export markets could send a bearish signal to already depressed global prices, suggesting that it may be some time still before the most populous nation needs to import staple foodstuffs to feed its people. Beijing will allow the export of 500,000 tonne of corn, 500,000 tonne of wheat and a small amount of rice, two industry officials with knowledge of the governments plan told Reuters. Other sources put the rice export quota at about 200,000 tonne.
The relaxation on grain exports follows projections for a record 528.5 million tonne harvest in 2008, up 5.4% as farmers worked double-time to cash in on the surge in global prices, despite shrinking arable land and the exodus of farm labour to Chinas booming coastal metropolises.

domain: news


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The service was prompted by HSBC's renminbi trade settlement volume which jumped 200% in May.
HSBC on Thursday announced the launch of a wide range of Renminbi (RMB) internet banking services for commercial banking customers from 12 July 2010.
The new online RMB services include remittances, transfer and payments, deposits, application for import document credits, settlement of import bills and account enquiries, according to an HSBC report.
Meanwhile, customers can handle money transfers and view their transaction history and account balance using mobile phones.
Albert Chan, HSBC’s Head of Commercial Banking for Hong Kong, said, “In the past few months, we’ve seen a growing demand for RMB trade settlement accounts and an increase in transaction volumes. The RMB trade settlement volume in May reached RMB1.6billion ($236.08 million), which is three times of that in April. As at end of May, we have altogether settled around RMB2.6 billion ($383.64 million) in trade for our customers. We now have over 160,000 Business Integrated Accounts that have RMB trade settlement capabilities.”
“With the roll-out of RMB trade settlement to all overseas countries, and domestically to 20 provinces in June, we are launching these new online services to allow customers to settle their transactions in a more convenient and efficient way. We will also further broaden our RMB related products and services as regulations allow. With the largest network in mainland China among international banks, HSBC is well positioned to be a major player in the RMB trade settlement scheme,” added Chan.
Under the RMB trade settlement pilot scheme, HSBC was the first international bank to complete its RMB trade settlement in mainland China’s expanded provinces and cities.
Expanded provinces and cities include Shanghai, Guangdong, Beijing, Tianjin, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shandong, Hubei, Guangxi, Hainan, Chongqing, Sichan, Yunnan, Tibet and Xinjiang.
HSBC was the first foreign bank to settle cross-border trade in RMB in Hong Kong as well as the first bank to conduct RMB denominated trade settlement across all its ASEAN sites. HSBC was also the first international bank to launch an RMB Trade Finance standard rate and RMB commercial current account with cheque services in Hong Kong.
Do you know more about this story? Contact us anonymously through this link.


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Sony has presented three new flagship smartphones at IFA 2015 in Berlin and the devices are the Xperia Z5, Xperia Z5 Compact and Xperia Z5 Premium that we talked about a few days ago. All these smartphones will represent Sony in the high-end... Read more
There’s a new rumor on the Internet that touches Motorola this time – according to this unofficial information the US company is working on a new flagship smartphone that will retire the current Moto X Style.
The new Motorola flagship is... Read more
A few weeks ago we informed our dear readers that Samsung was planning a new O-line of smartphones. Well, we now have the first two devices and what they pack under their covers.
The O-line is also known as On so do not be surprised when... Read more
On the stiff smartphone it seems that the future belongs to phablets since more and more such devices have appeared in the recent months. In fact Lenovo has just announced one more phablet, which has been coming for months now. The device is... Read more
In the past few weeks we have seen more and more hints of an upcoming Sony flagship smartphone that will be known as Xperia Z5. It turns out that the device will be available in several different versions – a vanilla Z5, Z5 Compact and Z5... Read more
LG’s G4 flagship smartphone did not surprise fans with tons of new features but there’s one thing that makes the G4 different – the leather-covered back of the device. You can not only have it in leather (although we think that after some time... Read more
LG’s G4 smartphone appeared just four months ago but LG may be planning a successor to this flagship handset already. According to the latest reports LG is working on a new flagship device that will succeed the G4. The rumored handset still... Read more
Obi Worldphone is a company that many people haven’t heard of but it has management with at least one impressive CV – a while ago the company was co-founded by John Sculley, who was once the CEO of Apple and then the president of Pepsi... Read more
The French company Archos, which is known for making interesting and advanced smartphones with low prices, has announced the Diamond S smartphone. The new company device measures 146 x 70.4 x 8.4 mm and weighs 118 grams.
The new... Read more
While PC users can now enjoy the new features of Windows 10, mobile users will have to wait until October 2015 to try the mobile version of the same OS, currently known as Windows 10 Mobile. Unfortunately the new mobile operating system seems... Read more
ASUS has unveiled a new powerful phablet called ZenFone 2 Deluxe Special Edition. Obviously the new device complements and upgrades the ZenFone 2 line betting on no less than 256 GB of internal memory. This is perfect for people who like to... Read more


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December 28, 2018
Related Articles (665)
Six APIs have been added to the ProgrammableWeb directory in categories including Sustainability, Writing and Travel. Highlights include an API that retrieves data about COVID-19 travel restrictions and an API for tracking down plagiarism. Here's a rundown of the latest additions.
Developers were angered when Yahoo Finance deactivated a CSV download feature that was being treated as an API. As a result, it appears as though several applications broke and developers voiced their disappointment. But, as it turns out, they were taking a big risk in the first place.
Braintree, a web and mobile payments processing solutions provider, has just announced the launch of the Braintree Marketplace which enables customer payments to be split between a company marketplace and its sellers or providers. Developers can easily implement the brand new Marketplace payments solution using the Braintree API.


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By LINDA A. JOHNSON AP Business Writer
TRENTON, N.J. — Sales of Johnson & Johnson pain relievers are collapsing as a string of recalls appears to have made consumers wary of once-sterling brands such as Tylenol and Motrin.
An eighth recall, announced Thursday, could worsen consumer reaction. That wariness and the huge amount of products pulled off store shelves together look to be costing J&J tens of millions of dollars a month.
Thursday's recall by Johnson & Johnson's McNeil consumer health care unit covers 21 lots of products, including Children's Tylenol. Those were recalled because of a musty or moldy smell, extending a large January recall tied to a chemical on shipping pallets.
Read more of this story and more!
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Creative Economy Minister Says India the Biggest Tourism Investor in Indonesia
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno said that India is the biggest tourism investor in Indonesia during the ASEAN Investment Forum. The event was held on September 2-3, 2023.
"The investment realization is being calculated, but there are already several delightful investment commitments from India," he said when met on Monday evening, September 4, 2023.
He explained that while initially, India was not a prominent investor, India recorded the second-highest number of tourists in Bali following Australia. Thus, India saw a great opportunity to invest in the tourism and creative economy sector in Indonesia.
Bali, Sandiaga added, is still the biggest tourism investment destination. The position is followed by Labuan Bajo, Borobudur, Lombok, and Lake Toba.
After India, the second biggest tourism investor in Indonesia is the Uni Arab Emirates. Sandiaga said that the UAE is highly interested in investing in the five super-priority destinations in Indonesia, namely Lake Toba, Mandalika, Borobudur, Labuan Bajo, and Likupang.
Previously, Sandiaga has invited ASEAN's youth to safeguard sustainable investment. He said that the world is trying to build up economic recovery after the difficult situation post-Covid-19 pandemic.
Additionally, the minister mentioned that Indonesia has several programs open to collaboration and cooperation for future business leaders, from tourism villages and creative economy to digital entrepreneurship.
RIANI SANUSI PUTRI
Editor's Choice: India Launches Rocket to Study the Sun
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News


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Practicing social distancing is the best thing you can do to slow the spread of COVID-19, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises you to wear a cloth face covering in public settings where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, like protests, grocery stores, and pharmacies—especially with virus cases on the rise in states across the nation. With this recommendation, everyone wants to know where to buy face masks. We rounded up some options below—including face masks for kids, breathable face masks, face masks for glasses, and the best face masks on Amazon and Etsy—and we’ll update this list as companies go in and out of stock.
Cloth face masks don’t guarantee you won’t contract the virus or pass it on, but they’re a public health measure we should all take seriously, whether your city is slowly reopening or experiencing a new wave of cases. If you’re


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An Australia Post truck has burst into flames in Central Queensland, incinerating two trailers worth of mail and parcels.
The incident occurred yesterday on the Capricorn Highway, in what is another blow for the drought stricken area.
We hope there weren’t too many Christmas presents and expensive goods on board.
Photos of the incident show two trailers completely gutted from the fire.
From all reports the driver and the actual truck was able to be freed from the trailers before the fire took over.
An Australia Post truck has gone up in flames on the Capricorn Highway, destroying Christmas presents and letters destined for drought stricken Queenslanders. https://t.co/wdAKPv9jp3 @haydennelson @auspost #CQ #7News pic.twitter.com/SqeliFhQAM
— 7 News Central Queensland (@7NewsCQ) November 14, 2018


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Sales of U.S. Existing Homes Decrease More Than Forecast
Purchases of previously owned U.S. homes dropped more than forecast in November as residential real estate struggles to sustain its recovery even as borrowing costs remain low. Sales (ETSLTOTL) fell 6.1 percent to a 4.93 million annual rate last month, the ...
US home sales hit slowest pace in 6 months in Nov.
Existing-Home Sales Drop 6.1% In November As Winter Housing Season Begins
Sales of existing homes cool in November
Wall Street Journal
Ocwen shares plunge as founder steps down
William Erbey, the billionaire founder, chairman and largest stockholder of one of the nation's largest mortgage-servicing firms, will resign from several of his corporate posts to "address serious conflicts of interest," a New York regulator announced Monday.
NY regulator announces $150 million settlement with Ocwen Financial
Ocwen Financial (OCN) Stock Slumping Today After Reaching DFS Settlement
Ocwen Chairman to Step Down in Settlement With New York Regulator
3 things to know about American Apparel's new CEO
On December 16, American Apparel, Inc. announced that it was terminating the employment of its scandal-plagued founder, president and CEO Dov Charney. Where American Apparel [fortune-stock symbol=”APP”] goes from here is uncertain. Its board ...
Clothing retailer American Apparel says it is considering buyout bid; shares jump
American Apparel eyes takeover, adopts poison pill
CORRECTED-UPDATE 1-American Apparel confirms takeover offer, sets new ...
UPS: What They Are Doing to Avoid Holiday Mess on Busiest Day of Year
UPS expects to deliver 34 million packages globally today, or 394 packages every second. The company has invested $500 million to avoid last year's failure to deliver millions of packages in time for Christmas. This year's projected record level for single day ...
Crunch Time for FedEx and UPS as Last-Minute Holiday Shipping Ramps Up
How UPS and FedEx battle bad weather
UPS Will Have Its Busiest Shipping Day Today
Santa Comes Early at Pump as Gasoline at Lowest Since 2009
The average price of regular gasoline at U.S. pumps slid to the lowest level since May 15, 2009, dropping 24.68 cents in the two weeks ended Dec. 19 to $2.4713 a gallon, according to Lundberg Survey Inc. Prices are 79.05 cents lower than a year ago, ...
Gas falls below $2 in metro Detroit
Why gas in Michigan costs $1 less a gallon than it did this time last year
Gas prices fall below $2.20 at some First Coast stations, national average per ...


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Rising raw material costs affected tire companies' bottom lines during a quarter that offered mixed results.
Bandag Inc. finished the fourth quarter and year with a boost in net income despite lower sales. Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. reported a 20-percent jump in fourth quarter sales and is optimistic about 2004. Pirelli & C. S.p.A.'s income and sales both increased, while Bridgestone Corp. and Group Michelin struggled due to ``challenging market conditions.''
Despite lower sales in both the fourth quarter and for the year, Muscatine, Iowa-based Bandag ended both periods with higher net income in part from improved margins.
Bandag reported net income of $29.1 million in the fourth quarter, up from $17.5 million a year ago. Both figures included favorable tax adjustments of about $3 million. For 2003, net income rose to $60.2 million. This compares with net income of $2.8 million in 2002, which was impacted by an accounting change of $47.3 million recorded in the first quarter of that year.
For the fourth quarter, the company reported consolidated net sales of $225.7 million, down 2 percent from $231 million for the year-ago period. Bandag attributed the decline primarily to lower sales from its Tire Distribution Systems (TDS) Inc. subsidiary, which was impacted by several divestitures and closures in 2002 and 2003.
Bandag said fourth quarter sales for TDS fell 39 percent to $49.3 million. The divested and closed locations had sales of about $33.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2002.
In the 2003 fourth quarter, TDS reported an operating profit of $1.6 million, compared with an operating loss of $3 million a year ago. Higher gross margins and the divestiture of less profitable locations positively affected profit in 2003, according to Bandag.
Bandag's net sales for the year were down 9 percent to $816.4 million from $900.5 million in 2002.
Also affecting sales was a 2-percent dip in North American business unit volume from 2002. Net sales in the segment were up about $14 million primarily from a price increase that took effect Jan. 1, 2003, and a shift in sales from TDS to independent dealers.
Bridgestone expects ``challenging'' trading conditions during 2004, due to rising raw material prices and the weakness of the dollar despite good tire market prospects in the U.S. and Europe.
The negative factors ``could offset the positive contribution from generally strong economic trends,'' to leave operating income about 18 percent lower than in 2003 with sales basically unchanged, Tokyo-based Bridgestone said in releasing its fiscal 2003 results and 2004 forecast.
For 2003, Bridgestone posted an operating income basically unchanged at $1.58 billion, on 2003 sales of $19.9 billion, 2 percent higher than in the previous year. The results reflected a year of differing fortunes in each of the company's main global regions, including strong gains in Europe.
At Bridgestone's tire business, which represented 80 percent of its 2003 global sales, operating income fell 4 percent to around $1.28 billion, due mainly to rising raw material prices and pension-related costs.
The earnings dip came despite ``successful'' product introductions and marketing programs worldwide, which helped to lift sales by 2 percent, to $15.8 billion, Bridgestone said.
Sales of non-tire products rose 4 percent to $418 billion, while operating income increased 22 percent to $298.3 million.
In the Americas, yen-denominated operating income rose 5 percent to $168.1 million, on 1 percent lower sales of $8.43 billion. Price increases, a better product mix and strong automotive component sales offset higher raw material and pension costs, Bridgestone said.
Unit tires sales were strong in most of the main market segments, including solid growth in demand for Bridgestone-brand replacement tires. Sale of original equipment tires, however, declined, the group noted.
Bridgestone forecasts gains of 6 and 5 percent, respectively, for sales and operating earnings for Bridgestone Americas in 2004.
Group-wide, sales in Japan rose 2 percent, but operating income fell 5 percent on rising raw materials and pension-related costs.
Findlay, Ohio-based Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., coming off a record-setting fourth quarter, is optimistic its results in 2004 ``will significantly exceed'' the company's performance in 2003.
Cooper anticipates a 10-percent jump in its unit shipments this year, Thomas A. Dattilo, chairman, president and CEO, said. (See related story on page 3.)
For the quarter ended Dec. 31, Cooper recorded all-time record sales of $966.7 million and a 20-percent increase in net income, as both the tire and automotive groups generated double-digit increases in sales.
Operating earnings in the tire business, though, fell 18.6 percent on the effects of increasing raw material costs and higher expenses for various sales rebates and customer programs.
Tire group sales in the quarter grew 13.5 percent to $519.4 million as unit sales increased 8 percent - including a 50-percent jump in sales of high-performance and ultra-high-performance tires, a 40-percent increase in sales of P-Metric SUV tires and 25-percent higher winter tire sales.
For the year, net income slipped 34 percent to $73.8 million on restructuring costs and ``difficult market conditions'' in the first half, Mr. Dattilo said. Full year sales grew 5.5 percent to $3.51 billion.
Tire Group operating profit for the year was $87.6 million, down 36.3 percent from $137.4 million in 2002 on the effects of high raw materials costs and operating inefficiencies related to lower sales volumes in the first half.
Tire sales for the year grew 5.9 percent to $1.87 billion on 2-percent unit sales growth and improved pricing.
Clermont-Ferrand, France-based Michelin suffered a 6.7-percent drop in operating income last year to $1.29 billion, the result primarily of a 21-percent surge in raw materials costs.
For 2004, Michelin cautioned that external inflationary factors, such as raw materials prices and the fluctuating euro-dollar exchange rate, will continue to exert negative pressure on earnings.
Net income plunged 46.5 percent to $371.8 million as the company took a $382 million charge against earnings to cover the amortization of goodwill relating to its acquisition in the first quarter of 2003 of the Danish tire distribution chain Viborg Group.
As reported earlier, sales were down 1.8 percent to $17.4 billion. The company shipped 3.7 percent more tires on a tonnage basis and reported gains on better pricing and product mix, but the currency fluctuations more than offset all the gains.
The performance equated to an operating margin of 7.4 percent, down from 7.8 percent a year ago. Excluding the impact of the Viborg consolidation, the margin was 7.7 percent, Michelin noted.
Passenger car and light truck tires, which represented almost 49 percent of Michelin's net sales total, posted an operating margin of 8.9 percent, compared with 9.6 percent in 2002. Michelin linked the lower profitability to its North American operations, which faced 20-percent higher raw materials costs, extra medical costs and sluggishness in the SUV vehicle market, combined with a strong euro.
The company's passenger and light truck tire business in North America slipped 1 percent on a 0.9-percent drop in aftermarket shipments and 1.3-percent lower original equipment sales. Michelin's commercial tire business, on the other hand, showed a 4.8-percent gain in sales volume, based on 6-percent growth in the aftermarket and a 2.5-percent gain at OE.
The group truck tire business represented around 26 percent of group sales and posted an operating margin of 13.1 percent, compared with 12.3 percent the previous year. The improvement was based on higher sales volume, cost controls and success in implementing price increases.
Milan, Italy-based Pirelli's Tire Business Staff Reported double-digit increases in sales and operating income last year, based on higher unit sales and improved pricing and product mix.
Tire sector sales were up 11.4 percent to $3.35 billion, while operating earnings grew 15 percent to $248.5 million. The earnings/sales ratio improved to 7.4 percent, ``thus confirming the focus on high-performance market segments,'' the firm said.
Overall, Pirelli reported a doubling in operating income to $300 million on sales of $7.55 billion.


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Downtown Comic Book Store Ready for Big Annual Giveaway
ST. CLOUD -- Comic book stores around the country are gearing up to give away thousands of comics tomorrow (Saturday) for Free Comic Book Day.
For the past 15 years, comic book companies have given away thousands upon thousands of comics on the first Saturday of May to fans of all ages.
"It's to grow the fanbase, make people aware of comics, and get kids to read comics instead of playing video games," says Tim Schulte, owner of Granite City Comics and Games in downtown St. Cloud, whose store has participated in every Free Comic Book Day.
"It's gotten bigger the past couple of years with the super hero movies and whatnot -- we probably get 2,000-3,000 people through the door."
People who come in on Saturday can pick out four comic books from a selection of 50 titles -- ranging from Captain America to Grumpy Cat -- to take home free of charge.
Schulte says he's got around 3,000 comics ready for the giveaway.
"I shouldn't run out until hopefully noon."


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DIYguru, the future mobility learning platform and eOxigen Automotive, a leading EV service provider in India along with Mass Foundation has announced their partnership to provide hands on training in Electric Vehicle to millions of students, entrepreneurs and professionals who are looking to upskill themselves and get ready for the future of E-Mobility.
The partners signed a memorandum of understanding for this collaboration with the objectives to promote skill based learning for millions of mechanics and service providers who are getting ready for EV market. The training will be provided at eOxigen designated warehouse in Gurugram in it’s first phase starting 25th Feb. The duration of the training will be six days with participants ranging from industry to academia interested to learn about the service, maintenance and repair of electric vehicles.
“Partnering with the finest premier technical and research Electric Vehicle Institute like DIYguru, we want to make a contribution to India and to the whole world, through excellence in skill based technical training and hands on approach by providing skilled workforce to Electric Vehicle Industry” Mr. Sujoy Chaurasia Managing Director eOxigen Automotive & Mass Foundation mentioned.
DIYguru CEO Avinash Singh mentioned, “This partnership is a milestone occasion because it brings together two parties from numerous walks of industry, who bear the same functionality to work collectively for the global upskilling disruption in electrical mobility. This partnership will explore priceless resources in battery-powered vehicles and enable them to be ready for the service industry in upcoming EV revolution.”
DIYguru is said to have launched its e-mobility program back in 2016 with Vecmocon, based out of IIT Delhi, and has since trained more than 50,000 students and professionals from Hyundai, Bosch, and Maruti Suzuki placing more than 80 percent of its students in the EV market. It has recently been accredited as the official partner of ASDC in the implementation of online courses in Electric Vehicle Engineering in India.


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FADs and Long-lines: Two Dirty Little Secrets
What is the cost of unrestrained consumption? The environment is paying dearly and the supply of ocean provided food is dwindling. Other countries have legislated sustainable fishing processes, but the US seems unable to raise the level of consciousness among consumers of fish and other ocean products. So the need to bring in massive quantities of fish to feed the US appetite creates irresponsible fishing practices. From Greenpeace, see the fishing industry’s dirty little secrets.


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New data from DEFCON suggests that monitors are potential targets in malware attacks — and while they won’t interest commercial botnets, the potential applications for government actors or infrastructure targets are significant.
Apple has confirmed that its discontinuing its Thunderbolt display — but without saying anything about a replacement or any future models. Customers are explicitly advised to seek out third-party vendors.
The Retina display in the iPad is beautiful. Since super high-res screens have done so well on smartphones and tablets, the demand for increasing pixel density on PC displays is growing as well. Unfortunately, they’re still quite pricey and relatively rare, so a Polish engineering student has taken it upon himself to turn an iPad screen into a fully functional monitor.
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‘FIFA 15’ trailer: GameSpot is a new way to find and play movies and TV shows from around the world
The biggest movie theater chains are now offering exclusive deals on exclusive games.
The first wave of deals, which include FIFA 15, was announced last month.
In addition to the FIFA games, the deal includes a limited number of other titles, including Uncharted 4, Watch Dogs 2, and the latest season of Arrested Development.
Ubisoft also offers deals on the new Batman: Arkham Knight and Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
These deals can be done through the GameStop App and via the GameTap service.
The GameStop app lets you download titles from the App Store, Amazon, and iTunes for $9.99.
GameTap offers similar deals on new releases, including The Lego Batman Movie, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and more.
The deals also come as video game movie theaters across the country are facing budget cuts.
As we reported earlier this year, GameStop has been struggling to keep up with demand.
The company had announced last year that it would close at least 15 of its stores in 2019.
GameStop is trying to lure new customers by offering deals that include exclusive games, movies, and TV series.


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When his company reported earnings last month, MorrisChangMorris Chang, chief executive of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., or TMSC, had bad news and good news.
The bad news was that once again, earnings at contract chipmaker TSMC would be down compared to the year-ago period, this time by a whopping 34%. The good news? Business was finally looking up. The long-awaited bottom had been reached.
Activity in the second quarter, Chang said, was picking up. "I am quite optimistic," Chang told a conference of analysts in Taipei at the end of April. "I say this because the strength of the orders [is] so diverse. All segments--computer, consumer and communications--are quite strong."
In April, TSMC's sales were up 14.2% over last year, an uptick that could presage a wider economic recovery for the tech sector. After all, an increase in orders to chip foundries like TSMC usually means that electronics manufacturers of many stripes, including those making PCs, telecom gear and mobile phones, are stocking up in anticipation of future sales.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.SARS Breeds Threat To Taiwan TechFor chip companies that can't afford to build their own $3 billion chip fabrication plant, or fab, TSMC is a hired gun; its customers include graphics-chip companies like Nvidia and ATI, as well as communications chipmaker Broadcom. Since 2000, the company has bet that demand for advanced chips--defined as those with transistor sizes of 130 nanometers or less--would pick up. The gamble is paying off. Demand for chips made on 130-nanometer technology accounted for 11% of sales, or $124 million, in the first quarter of 2003, up from 8%. In 2002, TSMC turned out 100,000 wafers on 130-nanometer technology. It now expects to finish 2003 having completed 400,000 of such wafers.
Overall manufacturing activity for chips of all types is picking up. TSMC's fab utilization rate, the key indicator of how busy its plants are, was 67% in the first quarter and is expected to hit 80% in the second quarter.
TSMC's neighbor and closest rival, United Microelectronics, is in a similar situation. Its April sales grew almost 40% over the year-ago period. And its fab utilization rate mirrored TSMC's exactly: 67% in the first quarter, with 80% or better expected for the current quarter. If the chipmakers' second-quarter forecasts prove true, that would be close to the 81% utilization rate recorded in 1998, just before the last big boom in production.
Bill McClean, president of market research firm IC Insights in Scottsdale, Ariz., says these chipmakers may not only meet those numbers, but exceed them. "No one wants to disappoint the market these days, so it's possible they're trying to be conservative with their estimates. They may be doing better than they're saying."
Or at least planning way ahead, says ChuckByersChuck Byers, TSMC's director of worldwide branding. So far, TSMC has two fabs producing chips on 130-nanometer technology, the newest of which took four years and $3.3 billion to build. The shell of another new fab, this one capable of producing chips at both 130-nanometer and more advanced 90-nanometer technologies, will be ready to produce its first chip wafers in the third quarter of this year and should reach full production capacity during the second half of 2004.
"We think our bottom came in the first quarter of 2003," Byers says. "And we certainly don't think that light at the end of the tunnel is a train coming at us."


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In this week's edition, TradeBlock covers Genesis surge in crypto backed loan originations, Deribit's invalid liquidations, and Binance opening up a Beijing office as China changes stance on digital currencies.
This past week, it has been reported that Binance will increase its mainland China operations with a new office in Beijing. While details of the office’s operations remain unclear, the news comes as Chinese officials embrace blockchain technology. Last week, we highlighted comments from Chinese President Xi Jinping, who emphasized the country should seize the opportunities presented by blockchain technology. Following release of his comments, the price of bitcoin rose more than 20% in one day, for one of its strongest daily price moves in months.


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|News Beat July 2011
|Written by Production
|Wednesday, 29 June 2011 03:44 PM America/New_York
Paul Davis, 67, a U.K. Christian music pioneer and founder of New Christian Music (NCM), died from cancer May 6 in a hospice in Leighton Buzzard, England. Doctors discovered a brain tumor in February. A journalist, record producer and broadcaster, Davis wrote several books, including the biographies of Pat Boone, George Hamilton IV and George Beverley Shea. For the last 26 years, Davis had served as lead pastor of Leighton Christian Fellowship—a church he formed with Hazel, his wife of 46 years.
A 400th anniversary commemorative edition of the King James Version published by Oxford University Press has become a surprise hit with Australians, completely selling out, according to the publisher, who is scrambling to print more copies. With 1,520 pages and a retail price of $120, the Bible is faithful to the 1611 original—replete with arcane prose and more than 350 printing errors.
A Christian bookstore in County Armagh, Northern Ireland is hoping to reach new customers around the world after launching what is believed to be the first iPhone application for a Christian retailer. One of the biggest Christian booksellers in the U.K., ICM Books Direct has embraced e-commerce and tripled sales through its Web site in the last year.
The Council of Churches of Malaysia and the Christian Federation of Malaysia have expressed frustration over the repeated detention of Bibles written in the nation’s language, Bahasa Malaysia, in the ports of Kuching and Klang because they feature the word “Allah.” The Malaysian government prohibits the word in Christian publications, arguing that use of the term might cause confusion among Muslims, who make up about 60% of Malaysia’s population. Since March 2009, all attempts to import the Bible in Bahasa Malaysia have been thwarted.


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Swiss jeweler De Grisogono SA bought the rights to market a 404-carat rough diamond from Dubai trader Nemesis International DMCC.
The stone was discovered at Lucapa Diamond Co.’s Lulo mine in Angola, Nickolas Polak, a director of Nemesis International, said in Dubai at a news conference to announce the sale. He declined to disclose a price, but in February Lucapa said it sold a 404-carat diamond for $22.5 million. The stone is the world’s 27th-biggest and should take six months to cut, said Omar Chaoui, managing director of the Middle East & India region for Geneva-based De Grisogono.
The rough diamond trade in Dubai was valued at $13.1 billion last year, down from $14.2 billion a year earlier, according to the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre.


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Toyota's latest hybrid is a boat
2 April 2017 - Autoblog
Toyota announced that it has developed a hybrid boat. Called the PONAM-28V, Toyota claims it is the first parallel hybrid boat in Japan.
It uses a combination of a 256-horsepower internal-combustion engine and a 48-horsepower electric motor that also makes 258 pound-feet of torque. For electricity storage, it has a 11 kWh lithium-ion battery. Among the benefits Toyota lists are improved fuel economy and emissions, and also quiet operation when running in electric mode.
To help with the testing process, Toyota will provide these 28-footers to the Tokyo government at no cost. The government will be using the boats to conduct maintenance at Port of Tokyo facilities, and for transporting people to different 2020 Olympic sites around Tokyo Bay. The government will also provide canal tours with the Toyotas. What Toyota gets from this testing is data and feedback from the government on how the boat performs and how it can be improved.
Don't expect to see private owners with these hybrid boats anytime soon, though. The Toyota PONAM-28V models will be in testing from July 2018 until March 2021. In the meantime, you'll have to settle for one of Toyota's conventional boats. Or if you have the money, you could spring for a Lexus yacht.


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Consumers spent $34 billion worldwide in second-quarter 2021 on mobile apps -- up $7 billion year-over-year, breaking an all-time record, according to an App Annie report released this week.
The company released a report this week putting TikTok in the No. 1 spot for both downloads and consumer spending in the global app category. Instagram moved up a spot to No. 2, and Facebook fell one spot to number three in terms of downloads. When it came to consumer spending, YouTube and Tinder took the No. 2 and No. 3 spots.
Communication tools topped the most-downloaded list for second-quarter 2021. WhatsApp came in at No. 4 for downloads, followed by Zoom, Snapchat, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, CapCut, and Google Meet.
Entertainment app downloads topped in consumer spend. In this category, Disney+ came in at No. 3 and Tencent Video at No. 4, followed by HBO Max, Piccoma, Google One, Twitch, and Bigo Live.
The average weekly mobile game downloads remained at around 1 billion for the fifth straight quarter. For spend, the weekly average came in around $1.7 billion -- up 35% on the figure from two years ago.
As demonstrated in the rankings for downloads and spending, business apps continue to set new global records for time spent -- up 30% since fourth-quarter 2019. ZOOM and Google Meet continue to top the charts for time spent.
Games led growth for downloads globally in second-quarter 2021 versus fourth-quarter 2019, dominated by trending casual games like Bridge Race, Hair Challenge and High Heels, according to the report.
Time spent in travel and navigation on apps in the U.S. rose 132% YoY, and Booking.com was a global breakout app in second-quarter 2021, a clue that consumers are ready to travel again.
Koddi, a cloud provider, released data this week showing that U.S. hotel demand continues to increase. Hotel demand for July 4th is expected to rise three times compared to that for Memorial Day for both 2019 and 2020.
On Memorial Day 2020, Koddi saw demand fall by 64.5% YoY, while in 2021 it was only down 4.8% vs. 2019.
For the July 4th holiday in 2020, the hotel demand fell 69.3% YoY. Koddi projects that if the trend continues, demand will return to near 2019 levels for the 2021 holiday.


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The popular Bitcoin exchange app and wallet, LocalBitcoins, is finally available to iOS devices! This exciting launch comes just three weeks after the Bitcoin marketplace announced its mobile application for Android users.
LocalBitcoin’s Chief Marketing Officer, Jukka Blomberg, spoke on the success of the first launch. Blomberg shared that the Android app has received lots of great reviews. He also shared that the Android app already has thousands of installs.
The Chief Marketing Officer mentioned that the company welcomed 1.7 million new customers across 189 countries. Most of them were using mobile devices. He additionally noted that the launching of the application shows the company’s commitment to its “global userbase.” Through the application, the LocalBitcoins team aims to “Bring Bitcoin Everywhere.”
What Are the Key Features of the LocalBitcoins App?
Through the LocalBitcoins app, the user can trade Bitcoin from anywhere in a secure and fast way. The application is supported in more than 170 countries. It is important to note that the application supports almost all global currencies.
Additionally, the LocalBitcoins app supports over 100 payment methods. The application has not only two-factor authentication but also biometric authentication to ensure user security.
In terms of affordability, the Bitcoin wallet is free of charge. Furthermore, there are no deposit fees and no transaction fees between wallets on the platform. The 1% escrow fee from advertisers and the withdrawal fee are based on BTC blockchain fees.
For accessibility, the application has localized and fast customer support. On top of that, the 24/7 customer care support accommodates more than 10 languages. I mean, what’s not there to love about this application?
Jeremiah Kangas started LocalBitcoins back in 2012. At the end of 2012, Kangas implemented an escrow system for the marketplace. An escrow system refers to the use of a third party. The third-party holds funds or assets until both parties fulfill their contractual requirements. Afterward, one party can transfer assets to another.
LocalBitcoins’ first revenue started streaming in at the beginning of 2013. The platform, which is the world’s leading peer-to-peer Bitcoin trading marketplace, has over 29,536 successful trades in a day.
In 2018, LocalBitcoins was listed as Finland’s best financially performing company. The company’s mission is to promote financial inclusion. The company will achieve this by enabling the global trading, storing, and transferring of Bitcoin securely, fast, and in an easy way. LocalBitcoins’ headquarters are based in Helsinki, Finland.
Over the years, LocalBitcoins has become a popular trading platform due to its leniency on identity verification procedures. However, the company began to abide by new regulations set by Finland. As of March 2019, users were required to submit personally identifiable information (PII).
Eventually, the company increased its know-your-customer (KYC) requirements in August. This, in turn, increased the security on the platform. However, this action led to the platform losing its credibility in Bitcoin’s anonymous trading space.


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Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, also marks a major holiday sale for people in the US. Similarly, Cyber Monday is a publicity term coined for the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday in the country. Over the last few years, Amazon India has announced a Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale in the country and has previewed a plethora of deals and discounts approaching products from international brands. While Indian shoppers are spoilt for option gone it comes to festive sales across online platforms, the Black Friday sales are a to your liking epoch to get your hands on products that are not available in the country. Notably, the Amazon India Global Store be hosting the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale in India from 23.11.2018 to 26.11.2018
Amazon Black Friday Sale 2018 deals, offers
During the Amazon India Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale, vibrant buyers will be able to get your hands on products from international brands via the Amazon Global Store. Amazon is promising to happen to 40 Percent off regarding products across various categories. Though these products will be easily reached taking into account discounts and add happening import duties, you may be charged adding going on for shipping. When it comes to electronic products, Amazon India has previewed some offers around brands such as Seagate, Philips, Catan Studios, Mattel, Asus, accompanied by others. Notably, the Black Friday Deals will be user-permissible from 1:30pm IST nearly November 23 (Friday) to 1:30pm in the region of speaking November 27 (Tuesday).
The list of the product of amazon black Friday deal
Some of them in front Black Friday deals approaching Amazon Global Store in India to append pen drives, memory cards, uncovered hard slant, and strong-disclose drives (SSDs) from SanDisk, WD, and more. A key comes uphill in the middle of the child support for in this category is the WD 3TB Elements Portable External Hard Drive that is approachable for Rs. 7,126 (excluding the delivery fighting). Additionally, there are some deals easy to do to upon Acer desktops as competently. For instance, the Acer Aspire TC-885-ACCFLi3 desktop subsequent to 8th generation Intel Core i3-8100 processor is easily available for Rs. 35,122 (excluding delivery fighting).
Some of the tally to the lead offers in the Amazon India Black Friday Sale associated the HyperX Cloud II Gaming Headset (light for Rs. 7,990), Altec Lansing Bluetooth speakers, Impact Pro Electronic Earmuff, Marshall Wireless On-Ear Headphone, Razer Naga Trinity MMO Mouse, and more. You can purchase varies product of the oculus go and oculus rift VR system.
Additionally, there are some deals and discounts upon smartwatches and quarrel trackers as dexterously. Products from Garmin, such as the Vivoactive 3 GPS, Forerunner 35 Watch, Approach S20 Gold Watch between others.
A massive number of discounts across Amazon’s departments are already understandable and auxiliary ones will be association through the week. It is worth noting that the Black Friday sale upon Amazon India’s Global Store will go alive sophisticated in the hours of the day. Once lithe, the sale will bring more deals in discounts across product categories. As seen in the landing page, expect a number of offers upon Asus laptops, Seagate products, Oculus Go and Oculus Rift, in the midst of others.


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Nike outbid Under Armour earlier this week in a fight to secure Kevin Durant’s endorsement. The world’s largest sporting goods maker topped Under Armour’s $200 million, ten-year offer with a $350 million deal to secure the NBA’s 2013 MVP.
Maryland-based Under Armour responded with a vow to continue courting top athletes and also announcing it signed a multiyear contact with supermodel Gisele Bundchen. Though Mr. Bundchen, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, has been with Under Armour since 2010, it’s his wife’s first endorsement with the brand. Under Armour followed the announcement by releasing a new “I WILL WHAT I WANT” video on Thursday featuring the former Victoria’s Secret Angel. Taking the tone from its earlier video with ballerina Misty Copeland, Bundchen’s video focuses on her athleticism and shutting out critics and detractors.
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!


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Cleantech outfit Clariter and TotalEnergies Fluids have taken the wraps off what is claimed to be the world’s first sustainable ultra-pure solvent made from plastic waste.
Ultra-pure solvents are used in cosmetics and markets that require safe, colourless, odourless, and tasteless products.
Producing these solvents from plastic waste not only significantly reduces their environmental footprint, but also contributes towards addressing the challenge of end-of-life plastics.
This result is the fruit of an 18-month collaboration between Clariter and TotalEnergies Fluids on joint research and development.
Clariter leverages its proprietary innovative upcycling technology to transform plastic waste into sustainable, high-quality solvents, waxes, and oils.
TotalEnergies Fluids then further converts the upcycled materials using its Hydro-De-Aromatization technology into very high purity solvents that meet the quality levels required for the most stringent applications.
“This new technology opens a broad field of solutions to help our industrial customers decarbonize their industry, and fully integrates within our target of commercializing 30% low carbon solvents by 2030”, said TotalEnergies Fluids business development director Didier Ribault.


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Excelsior and Eggcelsior Farms: Addressing food sustainability through modern and energy-efficient farming
“The biggest challenge our country, The Philippines, is facing is food security and sustainability,” said Excelsior Farms President and Eggcelsior Poultry Farms CEO, Alvin Hing.
The Philippines is one of the top consumers of meat in the world. Pork consumption was at 10.66 kilograms per capita in 2021, and is expected to reach 14 kilograms by 2031. Challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and the African Swine Flu disrupted the supply of swine in the country. However, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported that as of June 2023, swine inventory increased by 1.4 percent with approximately 10.07 million heads. The chicken laying flock inventory also increased to 6 percent which was about 62.22 million birds.
These positive reports were a result of continuous innovation in the agricultural sector particularly in commercial farming for consistency of meat supply.
“We continuously find ways to innovate our existing products and help revive our country’s swine industry through modern farming” Hing added.
Modern and Smart Farming
Excelsior Farms, a swine breeder farm partnered with the Pig Improvement Company (PIC), a global pig genetic company. Excelsior is one of the biggest nucleus farms of PIC in the country. Its corporate office is in Cebu City while the farm is located in Barangay Sacsac, Pinamungajan, Cebu.
Excelsior integrates state-of-the-art technology through an automatic feeding system and climate control system wherein the temperature is controlled for a comfortable environment for the pigs. The farm is majorly composed of modern facilities and equipment with the latest state-of-the-art technology sourced from North America and Europe.
As part of Excelsior’s alliance with PIC, Excelsior’s production employees are trained in accordance with global quality standards when it comes to swine production.
The farm supplies pork meat to Luzon and Visayas through various supermarkets while simultaneously supplying breeders to different swine farms in the country.
EGGCelsior Poultry Farms Inc., a child company of Excelsior, is a modern layer farm in Argao, Cebu. The farm features climate-controlled, well-ventilated, well-lit, and automated facilities such as a pullet house, layer house, and egg room. This makes an ideal environment for hens to lay their eggs and ensure the collection of fresh, clean, and safe-to-consume eggs. EGGCelsior has over 30 retail stores in Cebu. They also supply fresh farm eggs to wet markets, supermarkets, hotels, restaurants, bakeshops, and food processing companies in the province.
Energy-efficient Farming Solutions
Excelsior’s corporate office has been utilizing solar energy since April 2018. Aside from this, the 9-year-old company, Excelsior, and its child company EGGcelsior ventured and added to its energy-efficient initiatives through the use of solar energy in both farms. Its recent partnership with reputable renewable energy supplier, Invenic Inc. was sealed last August 2023
“Excelsior and EGGcelsior’s management team is keen on reducing its environmental “footprint” and make the business more sustainable. Aside from Excelsior’s biogas in the farm, Management has decided and engaged itself in the use of solar energy for both farms.” said Senior Supply Chain Manager, Fritziel Alde.
Representing top companies like Tesla and Aboitiz, Invenic Inc. provides full solar energy coverage for Excelsior and Eggcelsior. They will shoulder the cost of installation, cleaning, and maintenance for 20 years.
“We build renewable energy on all their roofs to help them save on energy costs,” said Invenic Inc. Founder and CEO Edmund Yen.
Excelsior and Eggcelsior will have a 1-megawatt capacity of solar energy which totals 1,880 solar panels.
“1 megawatt can generate approximately around 1 million kilowatts per hour, per year. It will save on the cost of Excelsior and Eggcelsior maybe roughly 21.6 million a year,” said Invenic Inc. Sales and Business Development Manager, Ronnie Lugtu.
“Using a megawatt solar capacity also avoids a total of 56 thousand kilograms of carbon dioxide.” He added.
Giving Back for Future Generations
As part of both companies’ goal of helping boost the agriculture industry of the Philippines, the SWINEnovation Learning Center will be relaunched next year to assist in massively educating future generations of farmers in modern and high-yielding farming methods.
SWINEnovation is located in Excelsior’s corporate office and is a product of the alliance built between Excelsior, PIC and Cargill.
For more info about Excelsior, please call +63 32 517 4964 or +63 32 416 1299. For inquiries about EGGcelsior, one may visit their website here.


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London, UK, 28th August, 2019 – Cheapwritingservices.net has said that it has launched a new marketing campaign that the provider says will be helping it get into new markets over the coming few years. The firm has been working hard over the last few years to get to this level and it is great to see the efforts finally paying off in a big way.
Cheapwritingservices.net also notes that it has seen outstanding demand for service. As many more customers start to rely heavily on its expertise, it has been opening up its expertise in an effort to secure the right help and things are indeed working great. Just look at this and see more.
The new marketing plan is looking to achieve a number of things. To begin with, the firm says that it will provide the foundation needed to launch its services in a fashionable and bigger way. The provider also wants to get the world out based on what it offers and how clients can benefit. This link will indeed help get this done.
Getting cheap writers that can deliver great essays always seems like a hard thing to do but it is clear that Cheapwritingservices.net has stepped in and made it possible. The firm is on the course of great things and people are invited to explore this link to know more.
At the end of the day, the new marketing approaches taken by the provider are going to lay the groundwork needed to expand and reach out to as many new customers as possible. This is exactly what matters and it is the goal. You can visit https://www.cheapwritingservices.net/cheap-press-release-writing-services/ when you are ready and see how the provider can help with essay services out there.


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FRAMINGHAM - It's all about education for Fair Trade Caravans, a new local venture that promotes fair trade goods and practices.
The business, which started up this past March, gives presentations to local schools and nonprofits about fair trade, and helps those organizations conduct fundraisers with fair trade goods such as chocolate, tea and honey.
Owner Carol Fassino said it's important to teach people the importance of paying farmers and artisans a fair price for the goods they produce.
"Free trade products are traditionally more expensive," she said. "Without an understanding about why they're priced the way they are, people have no incentive to buy them."
Toward that end, Fassino worked with an education consultant to create a visual and interactive presentation that can be tailored to fit different grade levels and audiences. With younger children, for example, the presentation follows the journey from a cacao pod to a chocolate bar in a store, while older children learn more about the economics at play.
Fair Trade Caravans then works with the school or group to hold a fundraiser with fair trade goods. Fassino said the fundraiser works as many others do - like those involving wrapping paper or candy - though she works to be transparent with her costs and the amount the school or nonprofit group receives.
"I am a for-profit business, because I felt that was a way to prove fair trade's viability," she said. "You can make a living off it."
This is a new venture for Fassino, as she started her career in biotech. A Natick native, she had been employed in MetroWest for years, though she found herself wishing she had worked internationally as well. She decided to apply this interest in world affairs locally, spreading the word about fair trade.
"It involved a lot of soul-searching, thinking and talking to people," she said.
Given her familiarity with the area, Framingham was the ideal place to begin her efforts.
"It's where I have personal connections," she said. "I've joined many networking groups, and participated in Framingham's Earth Day and holiday events."
Fassino said, over the months since she started Fair Trade Caravans, she'd given presentations to about a half-dozen local schools. She said she hoped to spread the word in an approachable way, asking people to consider fair trade products or learn more about the issue instead of preaching to them about it.
Mike Gleason can be reached at 508-634-7546 or firstname.lastname@example.org. For news throughout the day, follow him on Twitter @MGleason_MDN.


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St. Modwen secures 55,000 sq ft pre-let with Lincoln firm
St Modwen has let a 54,793 sq ft industrial and logistics unit on 15-year lease at its St Modwen Park Lincoln to haulage, storage and distribution firm George H Kime & Co.
The second phase of development at the 70-acre industrial and logistics scheme will be ready for occupation in October 2020 – and is now fully let.
George H Kime & Co, a local family business celebrating its 90th year, has joined DHL Parcel (UK) in securing a pre-let at the development. The German logistics company, who acquired UK Mail in 2018, agreed to expand its operations at St Modwen Park Lincoln in March 2020 and will occupy a further 25,000 sq ft unit on a 10-year lease upon completion.
Gemma Butler, development and leasing manager at St Modwen Industrial & Logistics, said: “St Modwen Park Lincoln has proved successful because we had the courage to build speculatively to capitalise upon the lack of supply in the market. To have fully let the scheme well in advance of our projected completion date is a great achievement – and shows the robust strength of the logistics market amidst the backdrop of a global pandemic. We’re pleased to have now secured lettings to two leading businesses and appreciate the long-term commitment both have shown to St Modwen.”
Nigel Kime, managing director at George H Kime & Co Ltd, added: “We have a need to relocate to expand our operation and meet our customers’ needs. The development is truly market-leading and we’re delighted to have secured a building of this quality as there is a distinct lack of elite industrial units in Lincolnshire. We eagerly await the completion of the scheme and look forward to welcoming our existing and new customers to the site.”


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Interesting blog article By David Pearson of the Wall Street Journal, post-Frankfurt – choosing like many others to highlighting VW’s recent change of heart on EVs, as well as a general positivity about the growth of the market from the major OEMs. This is all starting to feel a like a tipping point to me…
“The more companies that buy into electric cars, the better it is,” because it brings the tipping point of mass market adoption closer, said Carlos Ghosn, the chief executive of Renault and Nissan, said during a joint press conference with Daimler AGDAI.XE -0.69% Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche.
“Everybody seems to be piling in, and that gives great credibility to our strategy, but we’ve got an eight-year jump on our competitors,” said Nissan’s executive vice president Trevor Mann in an interview.
“We started on our EV journey eight years ago. We said we would be number one and we are,” Mr. Mann said.
Volkswagen as recently as 2010 referred to the electric vehicle ambitions of some manufacturers like Nissan and Renault as “sheer lunacy,” said this week it aims to become the world’s leading company in the segment, overtaking the Renault-Nissan alliance that has spent €4 billion ($5.32 billion) to create a dominant position in the market today. The German group has some 40 electric or hybrid vehicles planned, of which 14 will be available next year.
Undeterred by the slower-than-expected market adoption of electric vehicles and spurred by the ambitious plans of Volkswagen, Daimler, and BMW AG in the segment, Nissan and Renault are pushing ahead with the development of new cars to expand their line-up having already poured four billion euros ($5.32 billion) in developing and manufacturing electrical vehicles.
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SparkFun has introduced the launch of a brand new high-accuracy carbon dioxide sensor, primarily based on the Infineon XENSIV PASCO2V01 — alongside a pair of latest human presence and movement sensors primarily based on STMicroelectronics’ STHS34PF80 black-body radiation sensor.
“The brand new SparkFun Qwiic Photoacoustic Spectroscopy CO2 Sensor […] makes use of Infineon’s PASCO2V01 sensor to give you extremely correct CO2 knowledge,” SparkFun’s Chris McCarty explains of the corporate’s newest environmental sensor board, “with a mix of narrow-band filtered IR [infrared] mild and audio to measure CO2 molecule focus.”
Because the title implies, the Infineon XENSIV PASCO2V01 photoacoustic spectroscopy sensor works in a considerably uncommon means: the sensor emits infrared mild, however relatively than measuring the impact of the gasoline via which it passes optically it makes use of sound as a substitute — monitoring the tiny noises made because the infrared mild interacts with carbon dioxide within the air.
SparkFun’s implementation of the sensor locations Infineon’s module on a bigger breakout borad which brings out I2C, UART, and pulse-width modulation (PWM) alerts on unpopulated 0.1″ pin headers. Naturally, there’s additionally the choice of utilizing a solderless Qwiic connector — with two included on the board, making it simpler to combine into an current Qwiic-based venture.
The sensor itself can measure concentrations of carbon dioxide as much as 32,000 components per million (PPM), with its peak accuracy — discovered within the vary of 400 to five,000 PPM — rated at ±30 PPM plus three per cent of the studying. That determine, nonetheless, comes with a caveat: the gadget wants a week-long calibration interval, together with at the least half an hour or lively measurements outdoor.
SparkFun has additionally launched a brand new human presence and movement sensor breakout, accessible in full-size (pictured) and mini variants. (📷: SparkFun)
On the identical time, SparkFun has launched two new human presence and movement sensors, each primarily based on the STMicro STHS34PF80 black-body radiation sensor. “The sensor consists of a matrix of floating vacuum thermal transistors (MOS) cut up into two components, one uncovered to IR radiation and the opposite one shielded,” McCarty explains.
“The differential studying between the segments, permits the sensor to take away self-heating results. The STHS34PF80 additionally incorporates algorithms to detect and discriminate between stationary and shifting objects.”
The SparkFun Photoacoustic Spectroscopy CO2 Sensor is now accessible on the SparkFun retailer at $59.95 earlier than quantity reductions; the SparkFun Human Presence and Movement Sensor is priced at $14.95 for the full-size model or $15.50 for a extra compact “Mini” variant.


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Rocco’s Pizza on Portage Trail in Cuyahoga Falls will celebrate its 50th anniversary Monday, May 14. From 4 to 10 p.m. that day, Rocco’s will offer pizza at 1962 prices. A large plain pizza will be $1.95 and large pepperoni will be $2.25, cash only.
The following employees received the Certified Secure Destruction Specialist designation from the National Association for Information Destruction: Kevin Coles, sales manager; Ed Cassidy, information security consultant; Steve Hawes, information security consultant, and Staci Bailey, marketing manager.
Items can be sent to the Akron Beacon Journal, Business News Department, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309-0640, or faxed to 330-996-3052.


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Kim Kardashian Shares Her Pictures Clicked In Winter Wonderland As She Unveils Her Holiday Collection In Calabasas: Report
Reality TV icon Kim Kardashian looked stunning in winter looks while posing on fake snow and introduces her new holiday collection.
The Keeping Up with the Kardashians star delighted her millions of friends and followers as she took to her Instagram page and posted a couple of fascinating photos from her recent photoshoot. The reality TV star is seen enjoying fake snowballs, and she seemed to have done this photoshoot in a winter wonderland.
The owner of KKW Beauty looked delightful in this winter look as she posed on fake snow. Her gorgeous locks were slicked back and styled into a long braid. The 40-year-old reality TV icon had heavy makeup on her face, which further enhanced her beauty.
Her sister Khloe Kardashian and supermodel Hailey Bieber immediately responded to this Instagram post, which earned thousands of likes within an hour. Kim looked relaxed and comfortable while reclining on the artificial snow. She sported a tank top that flaunted her narrow waist, according to Daily Mail.
The KUWTK star revealed to her millions of followers that the photoshoot was done in a studio in Calabasas, California. The mother-of-four mentioned in the caption of the post that she was in Calabasas to promote her holiday collection. Kim also told her followers to check out the new collection on her website kkwbeauty.com.
In other news, the entrepreneur and the aspiring lawyer seems to have made up her mind to make this year a memorable one. An insider who claims to be close to Kim Kardashian has revealed that the beauty mogul wants to splash a lot of money for her dear ones.
The reality TV icon, allegedly, wants to ensure that this Christmas is the most lavish one. Kim is reportedly all set to spend millions of bucks so that she can buy lavish gifts for Kanye West and their four kids this year.
Although the pandemic has affected the country badly and many people in the country have become unemployed due to a bad economy, West and his sweetheart are expected to purchase expensive presents for their little ones. So, their four children can expect gifts including costly jewelry and goodies, including electric cars and other toys, this Christmas Day.
Kim Kardashian had earlier faced a lot of backlashes after she celebrated her 40th birthday party lavishly in the company of her friends and family members. She had them jetted off to a remote island where they partied for a few days.


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2011 looks set to be an excellent year for sales professionals. In a recent survey conducted by thought-leaders salesgravy.com, 75% of Sales Leaders stated that this year they felt their sales headcount would increase, with only 2% saying it would decrease. This is a hugely positive message for sales professionals and the economy as a whole.
However, this positive news will result in resourcing challenges for Sales Leaders. The same survey highlighted widespread concern over the quality of professionals available: a massive 57% responded that they had ‘significant concern’ over the availability of sales talent to meet their hiring needs. Furthermore, 33% believed that there will be increase in sales staff turnover as the economy recovers.
The report makes good reading for sales professionals who will be looking forward to increased job opportunities and a possible improvement of current benefit packages. As for Sales Leaders, it highlights the importance, now more than ever, of recruiting and retaining top sales talent. Focussing on offering good benefit packages and working conditions will help make sure the best sales professionals stick around to exploit the improving market and bring the business (and economy) back to growth.Created on 3 May 2011


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What is HP’s biggest fear? Not tariffs or macroeconomic issues, but cybersecurity, says president and CEO Dion Weisler.
“It’s an ongoing battle against the bad guys, but we’re investing heavily in this space,” Weisler said to CRN.
And those investments are paying off: commercial net revenue from personal systems in the quarter rose 7% from a year earlier, due to new cybersecurity capabilities within the systems, he said. But that’s not all: the Palo Alto, Calif.-based information technology company has been investing in security in the company “across the board.”
“It’s really important for us in both printing and personal systems. We think it’s highly differentiated,” Weisler said. “Our customers believe it is — that’s why demand for our products is really strong. And our partners understand it as well.”
One example is HP’s malware protection software. “We’re leveraging AI to really go beyond where the industry currently is, which relies on known signatures, to being able to learn for itself without knowing the signatures,” Weisler said.
For the fiscal second quarter that ended April 30, HP posted “better-than-expected” financial results, according to Barron’s. While revenue of
$14 billion was flat, Non-GAAP net income was 53 cents a share, two cents above the Street consensus of 51 cents, and up from 48 cents a year earlier. On a GAAP basis, profits were 51 cents a share, down from 64 cents a year earlier.
“In Q2, as you can see from our results, we are delivering on our plans, demonstrating strong execution and progress on our priorities,” Weisler said. “Our strategy remains consistent, to engineer experiences that amaze while driving profitable growth. We are striking the right balance between driving results for today and investing for the long term.”
Originally from Australia, Weisler became president and CEO of HP in 2015, “after leading the company through one of the largest and most complex separations in corporate history,” the company states on its website.
Weisler joined HP in January 2012, serving as senior vice president and managing director, printing and personal systems, Asia Pacific and Japan. In June 2013 he became executive vice president of printing and personal systems for the entire company until he was tapped for the top post.
Before joining HP, Weisler was the vice president and chief operating officer of Lenovo’s product and mobile internet digital home groups, and led the global transaction model worldwide. Before that he was the general manager of Korea, ASEAN and ANZ.
Earlier in his career, Weisler was general manager at Telstra, Australia’s leading telecommunications company, where he was responsible for Telstra’s conferencing and collaboration products and services. Weisler also worked at Acer for 11 years, ultimately becoming managing director of Acer UK after establishing and operating the company’s business in Central and Eastern Europe.
He’s No. 61 on Chief Executive and RHR International’s CEO1000 Tracker, a ranking of the top 1,000 public/private companies
Headquarters: Palo Alto, Calif.
Education:A degree in electrical engineering from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne and an MBA from INSEAD in France
First joined company: 2012
Prior to joining HP: Lenovo
Named CEO: 2015


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Singapore signs open skies agreement with Peru
That is thanks to an open skies agreement signed with the South American country, Singapore's Ministry of Transport announced in a statement - a move that will boost connectivity for people and goods between the two countries.
The agreement also allows cargo carriers from both countries to use the other country as a hub for operations to any third country.
Singapore's Ministry of Transport said it has concluded air services agreements with more than 140 states and territories, of which over 70 are open skies agreements, including the one with Peru. ■


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EghtesadOnline: The Second International Exhibition of Meat and Related Industries, also known as Meatex 2017, opened at Tehran’s International Fairground on Monday with the attendance of 15 countries.
EghtesadOnline: Tehran is scheduled to host the Second International Exhibition of Meat and Related Industries known as Meatex on Nov. 13.
EghtesadOnline: Iran has imported a herd of Charolais cattle for the first time from France “with the aim of complementing its red meat production chain,” the Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday.
EghtesadOnline: To be able to meet domestic meat demand and prevent price increases and the slaughter of reproductive cattle during the months of Zilhaj, Muharram and Safar (the last and first two months of the Islamic calendar coinciding with August 23-Nov. 19), the government needs to lower import tariff on red meat from the current 26% to 5%, Mohammad Reza Kalami Bajestan, the head of Economic Affairs and Commercial Policies Office with the Ministry of Industries, Mining and trade said.
EghtesadOnline: Iran’s red meat production has increased from 755,000 tons in March 2013-14 to 815,000 tons in the fiscal 2016-17, indicating a 7.9% rise over the four-year period.
EghtesadOnline: As meat products have a special place in the basket of food products consumed by Iranian households, the domestic industry has been working hard to keep pace with demand.
EghtesadOnline: Kyrgyzstan plans to export over 350 tons of meat to Iran in 2017. This was announced by Altynbek Orozbekov, a director of the State Agency for Promotion of Investments and Exports under the Ministry of Economy of Kyrgyzstan, during his trip to Tehran on Feb. 19-23, AKIpress reported on Tuesday.
EghtesadOnline: New Zealand has signed an agreement with Iran for the resumption of meat exports to the second-largest economy in the Middle East and North Africa region.
EghtesadOnline: Per capita red meat consumption in Iran’s urban areas has decreased by 25% over the past decade to stand at 11.43 kilograms in the last Iranian year (March 2015-16), according to the head of Agricultural Commission of Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture.
EghtesadOnline: An Armenian company will establish a halal meat production unit in Iran's Aras Free Economic Zone, Chairman of Armenian Chamber of Commerce Martin Sargsyan announced.


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Cannabis consumers in the US and Canada are pretty similar, except in a few key ways, according to new data released by Headset. The analytics firm put data from Alberta side-by-side with data from US markets California, Colorado, Nevada, and Washington from Q1 2021 and found two major differences—and one interesting tidbit about Gen Z.
Gen Z Insights
When it comes to product format, the youngest generation of consumers is curious and cost-conscious.
In Alberta, more Gen Z customers are trying out new products like vape products (23.77%) than their oldest-generation counterparts (10.66%). While the middle children, Millennials and Gen X, have started to dabble as more products become available (18.43% and 14.96%, respectively), at the end of the day all generations can agree that some good bud is their favourite.
The most noticeable difference between Canadian and US consumers, according to Headset, is that Gen Z customers drive a higher portion of sales in Canada, compared to down south. While this could be due to Canada’s softening stigma surrounding cannabis use, it’s likely due to the lower legal age requirement to buy it in Alberta, where the legal age is 18, versus 21 in the US.
Canadian Women Love Cannabis
In the US, only 32%, around one-third, of cannabis sales came out of women’s wallets. In Canada, however, the split is closer to 60/40. Headset data shows that in Alberta, at least, women bought 41% of the cannabis sold in the first quarter this year, making Albertan women’s share 27% larger than that of US women.
On both sides of the 49th parallel, the cannabis industry continues to grow, allowing more consumer segments to take part.


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The Fresh Food Collective reached a milestone last Tuesday. For the very first time they achieved 100% locally grown produce. They have often hit 80% and the goal of procuring all produce from local growers with in 12 months seemed at times very challenging.
George Lavich and the team are very excited about achieving this milestone and will continue to work with local growers to support a sustainable Northland.
Our research has revealed that when locally sourced food replaces food sourced from outside the region, there is a two to four times beneficial economic multiplier of both money and jobs. Customers are getting healthy fresh food at great prices and supporting local growers – a win-win.
George Lavich at the Fresh Food Collective’s hub at the Whangarei Club (image from the Northern Advocate)
George, along with David and Sylvia Moore acquired the Fresh Food Collective from Laura Cates in April. Customer numbers are building slowly, but it is clear that for George, David and Sylvia and the volunteers that support them, that they are driven by a strong sense of purpose rather than any financial motive. George is particularly passionate about supporting local growers and is busy seeking out potential suppliers.
The Fresh Food Collective is opening a new hub at the Onerahi Play Centre on Tuesday 20th of October.
Their $12 and $23 packs offer impressive value and variety. For more information see their website.
2 thoughts on “The Fresh Food Collective achieves 100% local food!”
Thanks for getting this information out Peter.


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Engagement measures show that Black Ops II is doing better than multiplayer activity for Modern Warfare 3.
If you follow VentureBeat but don’t regularly check our GamesBeat site, here’s a list of the best video game stories we ran over the last seven days that you may have missed.
You’ll still have to buy multiplayer map packs, but Call of Duty Elite services will become a free part of Call of Duty: Black Ops II.
Eric Hirshberg, chief executive of Activision Publishing, answers GamesBeat’s questions about the changes to the Call of Duty Elite service.
EA’s Battlefield 3 Premium service hit 800,000 members within its first two weeks, but how does it stack up against long-time competitor Call of Duty Elite?
Activision Blizzard will report its first-fiscal-quarter earnings on Wednesday, May 9, after the market close. This will come two days after its arch-rival Electronic Arts reports its earnings, and the two together will paint a better picture of the grudge match between EA’s Star Wars: The Old Republic and Activision Blizzard’s flagship online game World of Warcraft.
Call of Duty Elite is turning out to be a highly engaging social network for hardcore fans of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. The online social network now has more than 670,000 clans, or groups of players who team up in multiplayer battles, according to Activision Blizzard’s Beachhead Studio leader Chacko Sonny (pictured center).
The first two pieces of downloadable content for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 are now available to Elite Premium members on the PlayStation Network, but not everyone is happy about it.
Eric Hirshberg, chief executive of Activision Publishing, talked about the role that creative people should play in making decisions about running a video game business. Too often, he said, creative people leave it to the business experts. But creative people shouldn’t sell themselves short, as Hirshberg learned in the last 18 months running the division that includes Call of Duty franchise.
Activision Blizzard reported today that its new Call of Duty Elite social network service for hardcore gamers has signed up 7 million subscribers since going live in November.
Video game publisher Activision has announced that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3′s content season for Call of Duty Elite members on the PlayStation Network will kick off on February 28 with the release of two new multiplayer maps, Liberation and Piazza.
Game maker Activision Blizzard is finally launching a mobile app for its Call of Duty Elite service. Now fans of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 can engage with the game and the social networking service built around it via the iPhone, starting on Tuesday.
Players of Saints Row: The Third, the controversial open-world game from Volition and THQ, can now accurately measure the level of carnage they have created in the game, following the release of the stats and achievements tracker at the official website.
Gamer social network Call of Duty Elite will be stable this Thanksgiving and for the subsequent holiday weekend, Activision Blizzard said today.
Activision Blizzard said today that its gamer social network Call of Duty Elite hit more than a million paid subscribers in its first six days. Since the launch of the service on Nov. 8 with the debut of the best-selling Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, more than 4 million paid and free gamers have registered.
Activision Blizzard is slowly bringing the gamer social network Call of Duty Elite back to life. The service was supposed to launch last week with the debut of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3. But the company was overwhelmed by a huge number of registrations and other issues that brought down the service, forcing Activision into an embarrassing apology to gamers. Now it’s slowly adding more users.
Things are not looking good for the PC version of the Call of Duty: Elite social network. A tweet on the service’s official Twitter page is casting doubt on whether or not it will ever launch on the platform.
Activision Blizzard posted an update on the service woes for its gamer social network Call of Duty Elite. The service was supposed to launch on Tuesday with the debut of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3. But the huge number of registrations and other issues brought down the service and users have had trouble accessing it ever since.
Activision Blizzard‘s Beachhead Studios is still tackling problems related to an overflow of registrations for the new Call of Duty Elite social network.
Activision Blizzard hopes its new Call of Duty game will help the company break all sales records for the third year in a row, Chief Executive Bobby Kotick said in an earnings call today.
Call of Duty Elite, the gamer social network for Call of Duty fans, isn’t off to a great start. The Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 online multiplayer gaming service is working fine. But Activision Blizzard acknowledges that it is facing some issues as it copes with a surge in demand for the service.
It looks like the Call of Duty Elite gamer social network for the PC will not be ready in time for the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on Nov. 8, according to the One of Swords blog created by Activision Blizzard.
Activision Blizzard unveiled more details about its Call of Duty Elite social network today at its Call of Duty XP extravaganza in Los Angeles.
Call of Duty: Black Ops set new records for sales at its debut last November, making it the world’s most popular video game. Can Call of Duty keep growing as a franchise?
Activision Blizzard announced today it would charge $49 a year for its premium subscription to the Call of Duty Elite social network.
Updated: this post has been updated with corrected info.
Activision-Blizzard is throwing a lot of weight behind its latest Modern Warfare 3 first-person shooter (FPS) game’s graphical prowess, which it’s using as one of the main selling points over competing FPS games.
Activision Blizzard reported better-than-expected earnings for the second quarter ended June 30.
Activision Blizzard has launched the beta test for its Call of Duty Elite social network. It’s time to armor up.
Eric Hirshberg is the chief executive of Activision Publishing, a big chunk of the world’s largest video game company, Activision Blizzard. Among his duties is to make sure the Call of Duty franchise keeps humming along every year despite new competition from rivals such as Electronic Arts. We caught up with him at the E3 trade show in Los Angeles last week, and he told us what he thought of everything from Nintendo’s upcoming Wii U video game console to the Call of Duty Elite social network that debuts this fall with the launch of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3.
Activision Blizzard is announcing Call of Duty Elite today, a social network for players of the most popular video game franchise in the world.
Activision Blizzard is about to launch its Call of Duty Elite social network for fans of the modern combat video game series that has become the most popular in the world, according to the Wall Street Journal.


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Blair Rubber Co. wins ARPM’s Manufacturing Day Educational Outreach Award
SEVILLE, Ohio – Blair Rubber Co. was recently honored as the winner of the Association for Rubber Products Manufacturers (ARPM)’s inaugural Manufacturing Day Educational Outreach Award.
ARPM designed the award to recognize a rubber products manufacturer that excels at spreading the message about the significant benefits of working in the manufacturing sector.
With Manufacturing Day in October, the association wanted a way to highlight what its members were doing to support their industry and created the outreach award. Blair Rubber Co. beat out 28 other participants to win.
“(Blair Rubber Co.’s) overall dedication to workforce development made them stand out more than some of the others,” said Ashley Turrell, operational support specialist at ARPM.
The annual award calls attention to how members can conduct workforce development, – a hot topic in today’s market. It also serves as inspiration to companies that may not shape and use their educational outreach programs yet.
“Blair Rubber Company believes in educating students with the truth about the importance of manufacturing,” said Dr. Tonjua McCullough, controller at Blair Rubber Co.
Blair Rubber Co. emphasizes its educational outreach efforts, from participating in local events to hosting plant tours. Every year, Blair Rubber Co. hosts high school plant tours to allow students to see the manufacturing process first-hand.
“With Blair Rubber, what was interesting about what they were doing is that they were coming at it from multiple angles. A lot of companies have maybe one initiative, whereas they were working with both area high schools, and with their local economic development corporation,” Turrell said.
“(Blair Rubber Co.) has several really great initiatives going on at the same time. They also have an apprenticeship program that they instituted as well, giving them just another way to have a pipeline for talented employees.”
As winner of the outreach award, Blair Rubber Co. won a $2,000 scholarship that can go toward any workforce development initiative.
“We are donating our scholarship to the Medina County (Ohio) Career Center for the future manufacturing program,” McCullough said.
“In Medina County, the career center is where students from all high schools go for trade and skills programs. Topics range from auto mechanics to nursing to childcare to welding. And we want to promote the great opportunities manufacturing can present any person.”
To learn more about Blair Rubber Co. and its culture, read a letter from the company’s general manager.
About Blair Rubber Co.:
Blair Rubber Co. is the only full service manufacturer in North America that has a complete line of corrosion resistant rubber linings. Since its inception, Blair Rubber has consistently invested in research and development to improve existing products and bring new products to market. The company is committed to quality – both in the rubber linings it manufacturers and in customer satisfaction.


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PHUKET: Bio Osmo Sdn Bhd, soon to be renamed as Impiana Hotel Bhd (Impiana), is embarking on a multi-million ringgit expansion of its hospitality business, following the proposed acquisition of five companies for nearly RM426mil.
The companies are Impiana Hotels and Resorts Management Sdn Bhd, Impiana Pangkor Sdn Bhd, Astaka Mekar Sdn Bhd, Intra Magnum Sdn Bhd and Impiana Cherating Sdn Bhd.
Impiana executive director Azrin Kamaluddin said the acquisitions will be satisfied via the issuance of new shares (RM240mil), irredeemable convertible preference shares (ICPS) (RM160mil) and RM25.9mil in cash.
“We are targeting to complete the acquisitions by April 11, after which the company will become an investment holding company with two principal business divisions -- hotel operations and hotel management,” he told reporters during a media visit to Impiana Resort Patong here recently. — Bernama


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New Hampshire, U.S.A. — Prices for crystalline-silicon (c-Si) solar photovoltaic (PV) modules fell below the $1/W mark in January 2012, and in some cases well below even that, marking the first time that global average prices have fallen below this milestone, according to IMS Research.
With the market now stuck in overcapacity and oversaturation with solar PV modules — so much so (some say tens of gigawatts) that Tier-1 producers and overstocks can fill demand all by themselves — Chinese Tier-2 suppliers have desperately kept up their pricing one-upsmanship to simply keep themselves in the game at the expense of rivals. As a result, average c-Si PV module prices from this tier of suppliers has declined at double the pace of the total market — $0.96/Watt in January 2011, though some spot prices were seen as low as $0.80/W, typically for large orders from German distributors, says IMS. (Note that sub-$1/W is largely seen as significantly below actual manufacturing costs — First Solar is an important exception and thus the benchmark — and is therefore unsustainable for many if not most manufacturers.)
(Further back up the chain, actions are already being taken to help ease pricing and capacity pressures. Reports suggest that Chinese polysilicon producers have taken up to 30 percent of their capacity offline, in the face of a 60 percent plunge to prices of and below $30/kg, and they may not come back online until prices rebound to nearly $50/kg.)
Annualized price declines slowed to 22 percent in January, ignoring seasonality, after exceeding 50 percent declines in December, thanks to reductions in incentives across several major solar PV markets at the end of 2011. PV modules prices spiked in December, amid the flood to get systems in the ground to qualify for expiring incentives. But the scales flipped in January and distributors’ prices fell faster than manufacturers’ prices in January, notes IMS research analyst Jessica Jin. Average distributor prices for Chinese Tier-2 c-Si modules, though, were still 20 percent higher than manufacturing pricing, she adds.
Price declines actually slowed down in January compared to previous months, buoyed by strong demand in Europe. Germany installed more than 7GW of solar capacity in 2011, far more than the government’s target, and heated discussions are still underway about slashing Germany’s incentives to keep solar growth from racing beyond capabilities to accommodate it. Those impending changes, coupled with “attractive returns” for system prices in Germany — still the world’s largest solar PV end-market, ahead of hard-charging China — “is driving demand to remain unusually high in the first few months of the year,” Jin said.
Average c-Si PV module price ($/W) from Chinese Tier-2 suppliers, November 2011 to January 2012. (Source: IMS Research)


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FP StaffMay 13, 2022 12:04:26 IST
There is no denying the fact that space tourism is on the horizon. When space tourism goes mainstream, there will be a number of services that tourists will require, and connectivity or telecommunications will be a major one. As fascinating and futuristic as it may sound, it seems Apple had thought of this, years ago, and are all set to make the first move.
Globalstar, An American satellite operator recently announced that they have entered into an agreement with one of the biggest tech companies in the world to build a new communications network. They also said that just a few months before the agreement, the company also bought 13 new satellites from them.
It is being said by tech and space enthusiasts in America that the company behind these purchases is Apple, and they plan to use Globalstar to provide satellite connectivity to an iPhone that they will be releasing in the future. In 2021, Bloomberg had reported that Apple was contemplating adding satellite-enabled communications to its mobile devices, turning them into satellite phones. Basically, Apple wants to take satellite phones mainstream.
Globalstar has exclusive rights to electromagnetic frequencies that are reserved for terrestrial use. What that means is that instead of working frequencies that are used in normal cellular coverage in populated, Globalstar’s frequencies work in areas where there’s no cell coverage, as it connects directly to a satellite, instead of the nearest tower.
Although the spectrum of frequencies they operate on hasn’t been able to generate a ton of money for them, theoretically, it is very valuable, since it promises the ability to seamlessly link affordable mobile phones to both cell towers as well as satellites.
While most populated areas have reliable cell coverage, satellite connectivity could be useful in rural areas or while travelling to far off places. Satellite operators salivate at the chance of tapping into the much larger terrestrial communications market, and other companies, like AST SpaceMobile and Lynx, are working on their own plans to plug regular mobile phones into satellite networks.
Most of Globalstar’s current customers are search and rescue operators, responders in the US, and other people who often have to go to areas where there’s no cellular coverage.
Apple’s tie-up with Globalstar can work in two ways. The first manner in which this can be implemented is that Apple users can directly link up with a communications satellite when they are in areas with no cellular coverage. Secondly, when space tourism becomes accessible to a lot of people, Apple can leverage their position as the only smartphone maker that can provide connectivity in space, and on the Earth.


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Bedford PD fights crime on 2 wheels
Whether it's parking enforcement, crowd control or chasing criminals, the Bedford Police Department now has a brand new tool to do it all.
The department unveiled a new bicycle Friday as part of its new environmentally friendly crime-fighting unit. Several businesses in the area donated money to help purchase the bike for newly trained Bicycle Patrol Officer Joe Liburdi.
"I'll be riding in the downtown areas, for special parades and any street fairs. I'll also be in downtown depot plaza in Bedford Hills and the Bedford Village green area," Liburdi says. "It's more of a police presence ? get out and meet the people."
The Bedford police chief says he has already received a positive response from the community.
Meanwhile, another local businessman has given the department $1,000 to purchase another bike.