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Vienna Cathedral Priest Tony Faber is to open the ‘15th annual Red Wine Festival in Mittelburgenland’ this evening (Thurs).
The current heatwave in Austria is having a negative effect on some parts of the gastronomy sector in Austria.
The proof of the popularity of some Austrian wines if any was needed is clearly being seen in southern and eastern Styria where the amount of land allocated for vineyards has increased by 100 ha.
In the heart of the city, green space is always appreciated and that is just as true for restaurants that have the opportunity to let guests enjoy their food in the open air.
Austrians prefer traditional ice cream flavours over new ice cream creations according to a new study by the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ)
Gourmet critics have once again voted Das Trofana Tyrol in Mils bei Imst in the Austrian Tirol as the best service station in Austria for the fifth time.
There was cause to celebrate in culinary circles this weekend after it was revealed Austria had won a battle to keep its claim to a popular brand of sausage - and its famous pumpkin seed oil.
Mozart Gold Chocolate Cream Liqueur has been awarded the title of the best cream liqueur in the world at the San Francisco World Spirits Awards 2012.
Two sisters who have managed to make inroads into the rather dull and uninteresting popcorn market in Austria are now cashing in on their success by opening a second store – in Kuwait.


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MOSCOW, Feb 9 – PRIME. Against the background of the crisis and anti-inflation measures, the American company Intel requested from the German government in addition to the already approved 6.8 billion euros, about 3 billion euros of subsidies for the implementation of a project to build a chip factory in the country, reports Handelsblatt, citing sources in the government. .
In March, it was reported that Intel would build a new chip factory in Magdeburg. However, in December, the company postponed the start of construction, scheduled for the first half of 2023, because it considered the initially agreed budget insufficient due to inflation and rising prices for energy and building materials.
“The American concern considers it necessary to pay federal subsidies in the amount of almost 10 billion euros for the construction … in Magdeburg,” writes Handelsblatt. Thus, the company, in addition to the already approved 6.8, requested more than 3 billion euros in subsidies. The meeting with government representatives took place a few weeks ago, and discussion of the new request will most likely take place this Friday, the publication reports.
However, according to insiders, the real reason for the delays is not primarily related to the realities of the crisis, but to the fact that the company intends to implement a different, more modern method of producing chips on machines from the Netherlands at the factory.
Last September, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that as part of a national security strategy in Europe and Germany in particular, a semiconductor industry would be created. This strategy should make it possible to get rid of dependence on the export and import market.

domain: news


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The Quantum Force Series has lent itself to plenty of discussion over the years with an exciting range of motherboards within this division. Way back in the Summer of 2007 they launched their first Quantum Force motherboard - Mars. Its clear that whilst Foxconn may not be the biggest they are seeking to be the best. Over the years we have seen boards such as the Flaming Blade and Bloodrage attract lots of attention for their striking looks and feature-rich layouts.
Rumours surrounding the Quantum Force Series having a new P67 addition have been circulating around the internet for many months now and today, we finally get our hands on a motherboard named Rattler which incorporates that Intel P67 chipset.


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Marvel's Wolverine - Latest Contents
Wolverine has a fascinating history in the video game realm. It took years for developers to figure out how to translate both his distinctive look and his unique powers from page to screen. Let’s take a look back at Wolverine’s clawful evolution in video games...
The team also gave a heartfelt thanks to all who have supported them during this time.
Layoffs reportedly discussed at Insomniac and other PlayStation studios.
"Truly disgraceful and shameful."
More than 1.3 million files out in the wild.
UPDATE: Sony issues statement.
It's 1048 all the way down.
Comic Book video games have been a little hit-and-miss in recent years, but with a slew of Marvel and DC games on the horizon, can that track record get straightened out? Daemon, Brian, Akeem, and Kim are live at San Diego Comic-Con to look at titles like Black Panther, Wonder Woman, and Wolverine and how excited we should be for any of them.Presented by Immortals of Aveum
Marvel’s Wolverine is a standalone game featuring an emotional narrative and cutting-edge gameplay featuring the unstoppable Weapon X himself.
More hints on what to expect from Insomniac's PS5 exclusive superhero game.
Insomniac is developing a new Marvel game centered on Wolverine.


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Is anyone immune from the spreading economic crisis?:
Natalie Portman is not a sole sister anymore.
Proving that not even celebrities are immune to the country's economic crisis, the actress' vegan shoe line of less than a year, the Natalie Portman Collection for Té Casan, has closed up shop, making it even more of a limited edition than expected.
The critter-free line of footwear, announced by the longtime vegetarian back in January, was launched in February of this year to the delight of animal-loving fashionistas, but not so much to the credit-crunched masses—each pair retailed on average for $200.
Then again, economic crisis or financial bankruptcy born from intellectual bankruptcy: $200 kicks made out of tofu? "That's gold, Jerry! Gold!" "A shoe about nothing."
But don't shed a stilted, George Lucas-directed tear for Queen Amidala: With a flawed business model from inception, an unmarketable product line and excessive overhead costs, The Natalie Portman Collection For Té Casan meets the requirements for an immediate government bailout.
"Why the f**k not, right?" commented Hank Paulson, addressing whether Portman's super-sweet company is eligible to receive financial assistance from the $700 billion bailout package. "Did you see Closer? Oh, the movie is a celluloid turd, but Portman moonlights as a stripper! I would definitely take a billion dollar equity stake in that hiney! Someone hand me your checkbook."
Wendy Davis puts Dems’ ‘science’ leadership on full display - Movable goal posts when necessary
8 hours ago


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Automotive data from JATO Dynamics found CO2 emissions across all models and segments fell by 7.9g/km last year, with Italian manufacturer Fiat leading the way.
While almost half of all cars in Europe produce less than 140g/km of CO2, Fiat has an average of just 127.8g/km across the range. Low-CO2 cars such as the Yaris and Prius have pushed Toyota into second place with emissions across the range of 130.1g/km.
So far, only Fiat and Mini have reached the future EU target of sub-130g/km emissions across the range.
This is largely due to MultiAir engines keeping emissions low in cars such as the award winning Fiat 500. However, Toyota is now only 0.1g/km away from falling below 130g/km.
Somewhat surprisingly, the most improved brands overall are Ferrari and Porsche. Ferrari has cut emissions by a volume-weighted 53.6g/km of CO2 in the last year. Porsche’s new diesel engine has helped the brand cut CO2 by 27.5g/km in the same time.
The data shows the best models for volume-rated CO2 emissions are the Fiat 500 and Toyota Yaris, both with emissions of just 119g/km. The lowest CO2 model in Europe is the Toyota Prius.
With a wide range of new electric, hybrid and low-CO2 cars on display at the Geneva Motor Show this week, CO2 emissions figures are expected to continue to drop over the next few years.


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It all comes full circle for Nolan Bushnell, the man who created Atari almost 40 years ago but later sold it away and subsequently left. Now he’s back at the company as a member of the board of directors.
Bushnell founded Atari in 1972 and helped create the video game industry with the Atari 2600 system and games like Pong. He was later ousted by the company when he sold it under financial distress.
Since then, Bushnell’s contributions to the video game industry have tapered away but he has never been forgotten. The visionary has been inducted into the Consumer Electronics Association Hall of Fame as well as the Video Game Hall of Fame. He also went on to found Chuck E Cheese.
With two executives recently leaving the Atari Board of Directors, Atari has asked Bushnell to come back on in a consulting role.
“I am very excited to be reacquainted with Atari at a time when it is poised to make interesting strides in key growth areas of the games industry. “The company and its iconic brands have always been important to me, and I look forward to further guiding them at the board level,” said Bushnell.
In his new position, Bushnell will be representing BlueBay High Yield Investment.
The company could use some fresh blood, as it has been tracking with dismal numbers for much of the 2000s, despite acquiring a handful of other studios and bringing in high-level executives like Sony’s Phil Harrison.
“The addition of Mr. Bushnell … comes at a time when Atari has increased its focus on its iconic brand and world-renowned game franchises while further expanding its business online,” said Atari in a statement.


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Did you sleep well last night, knowing that the U.S. military was on guard? Don’t get used to it, because soon, we won’t be able to afford it, and the Chinese are quite aware of the fact.
Can anyone explain why it is that American ’conservatives’ think it is preferable to allow the United States of America to become a bankrupt has-been nation than to tax corporate profits? It amounts to unilateral disarmament in the face of potential enemies. Ronald Reagan must be spinning in his grave. Let’s take a look at where things stand.
During the present recession, corporate profits have bulged from merely enormous, to bloated, to positively obscene. Yet the so-called ‘Tea Party’ elements of the Republican Party protest that taxing corporations will hurt the economy because they are the “job creators.” Hooey.
Most jobs in America are created by small businesses and American ingenuity. Innovation gives us the products that the rest of the world wants to buy. It gave us the creative designs and patents that led to our once-strong economy.
Innovation and creativity are products of a strong education system. Americans have long been perceived as smarter and more productive because our public education system and universities have produced generations of smart young people.
Now, because of budget restraints, education funding has been cut nationwide. America is on a downward spiral which may be difficult to halt. Without new revenue, it will be impossible.
Waiting in the wings is China. Already the largest holder of US Treasury debt, China enjoys an enormous trade surplus with us, and grows fatter each day. Many of the products they make and sell to us were invented here. Corporations choose to make them there only because they can be made more cheaply, and sold at greater profits. Yet we hesitate to tax those profits that flow from sales right here at home. This is absolute nonsense.
In May alone, China exported more than $32 billion worth of goods to the US, and purchased less than $7 billion from the United States. Last year, we bought $365 billon worth of goods and services from China, and sold them $92 billion. That is more than $250 billion is wealth that hemorrhaged directly from the U.S. economy just to that one nation. We may have once been the wealthiest nation on earth, but we can’t do that forever. Our total trade deficit last year was over $500 billion. We haven’t enjoyed a surplus year since 1975.
All of those goods and services generate enormous profits for tens of thousands of corporations, large and small. Most are owned by investors around the world. Some are owned by foreign governments. Many of them pay nothing for the privilege of accessing the U.S. market. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Cutting corporate taxes doesn’t encourage them to create jobs. In fact, business expansion and hiring are done partly to shelter profits from taxes.
Big corporations are expert at avoiding taxes. Most have hundreds of accountants doing nothing else. Off-shore tax shelters are hiding billions, if not trillions, of dollars in corporate profits that should rightfully be taxable. An official report from the U.S. Senate Finance Committee indicates that over 12,000 U.S. companies maintain a post office box in a single five story building in the Cayman Islands, and pay no taxes on business conducted through them. There are thousands of other similar tax shelters.
We all pay taxes. If you work a basic job delivering pizza, you pay taxes. Yet corporations escape through loopholes, created by their congressional puppets, whom they keep well supplied with re-election funds. Even the U.S. Supreme Court has gotten in on the action, ruling that corporations, many predominantly foreign-owned, can directly fund political advertising here. Free speech to protect their interests? Their interest is in keeping their friends and protectors in office.
If America is to drag itself back from the brink, it must first wake up to the fact that it has been fed a line of hog-wash. Some citizens have swallowed it so completely that they think all taxes are bad. They are dead wrong.
The only way that our nation can continue to sustain the military that protects us, along with our systems of transportation, education, and social security that make us strong, is to pay for these things. The only way is through taxes. Our working people have been pushed to the brink. They cannot afford to fill the gap. It’s time to staunch the flow of dollars leaving this country, and put some of them directly into our treasury, to invest in sustaining the things that made the United States of America a great nation.


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Astral Chain is the next release of Platinum Games and one of several exclusive Nintendo games for Switch this summer.
It’s a highly anticipated game that promises to inject many promising new features into Platinum Games’ electrifying DNA – responsible for games like Bayonetta, Vanquish and Metal Gear Rising.
In a recent interview with IGN Benelux, via Siliconera, Takahisa Taura, director of Astral Chain, said that this new intellectual property was thought of as a trilogy.
According to Taura, Platinum Games has created a project that can be presented in several games, but only if the first can achieve satisfactory sales and able to justify sequels.
“There are no plans to launch extras on Astral Chain,” Taura said when asked about DLC in the game.
“This is different for the story of the game. We created the game as a trilogy and this is the first part of this trilogy. If this game sells well, it may be possible to see how the story continues.”
Astral Chain will arrive on August 30th.


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October 28th, 2012
EPI Labelers will exhibit its top labeling equipment at Pack Expo Chicago, Oct. 28 through Oct. 31, 2012 in booth N-4031. The booth will include a variety of machines, including labelers new for 2012. Engineered for ease of use and reliability, EPI’s labeling systems are designed to integrate to existing specific packaging lines.
Labelers at the show will include; the Flex-Pac, the U-II, the Print & Apply, the M-Series, and the new Low Cost Print & Apply.
We offer machines to label; paper, clamshells, cartons, boxes, bottles, and flexible packages for VFFS, HFFS, pouches, and bread and bun bags. For a detailed product list, visit http://epilabelers.com/products.
June 29th, 2012
There’s no better time for parties than summer, and with the Fourth of July quickly approaching, it’s time to start thinking red, white and blue! It’s not hard to come up with a simple red, white and blue theme, but adding a vintage twist can really make your party stand out. And we found a cheap and easy way to pump up the pizzazz of the tired theme – a label of course!
Cool Mom Picks http://www.coolmompicks.com/2012/06/fourth_of_july_party_decor_printables.php recently featured Fourth of July party printables. Our personal favorite? The retro, patriotic-themed USA beer labels http://www.etsy.com/listing/102710025/printable-usa-beer-bottle-labels-4th-of from Etsy seller papergravie. The labels are available in pdf form, with the option to order coordinating items to complete your vintage Americana theme. It doesn’t take much to liven up your party and impress guests with your attention to detail. So take the time you saved to kick back and enjoy your holiday! Happy Fourth of July!!!
June 15th, 2012
When people think about packaging, food products often come to mind. While there’s plenty of clever packaging for food items, it’s fun see other everyday items packaged as food. Today, thanks to www.yummly.com, we’re changing things up and featuring items packaged to look like faux food! Yummly posted Pinterest photos of a variety of faux food products that bear an uncanny resemblance to some of everyone’s favorite foods. www.pinterest.com/yummly. Here are some of our favorites:
The Peanut Butter & Jelly Pouch Wallet
The Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert Pillow
The Gigantic Donut Pool Float
The Pizza Puzzle
June 1st, 2012
We love packaging that guarantees that friends, family members or co-workers won’t help themselves to our food! Anti-theft packaging seems to be on the rise and not only is it innovative, it’s also pretty brilliant! For anyone who’s ever endured the pain of looking forward to their tasty treat, only to find it’s been stolen, this packaging is for you!
Food Manufacturing http://www.foodmanufacturing.com/videos/2012/05/anti-theft-lunch-bags-keep-hungry-co-workers-away recently featured an article on a CNN http://www.cnn.com video that demonstrates the genius of anti-theft packaging innovators. They’ve created sandwich bags adorned with fake mold and insects. It’s a simple concept for keeping even the most aggressive office bandit away from your food, but one that seems foolproof nonetheless.
Buzzfeed http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/ben-jerrys-ice-cream-pint-combination-loc also recognized theft deterrent genius when they recently featured a proposed idea from Ben & Jerry’s http://www.benjerry.com back in 2002. Though the product never came to fruition, the Euphori-Lock was an actual combination lock that fit over Ben & Jerry’s pints to deter would-be ice cream thieves. The Ben & Jerry’s press release alone is worth the read. One can only hope this idea will be picked up again in the future.
We all know that packaging is meant to protect our food, but this takes the concept to a whole new level. And who wouldn’t derive just a little pleasure out of the idea of repulsing the office food thief?
May 11th, 2012
Despite their crucial role in packaging, labels are only part of the package. Most consumers don’t give much thought to the effort put forth in the design of everyday packaging, but in fact, packaging plays an important role in the safety, marketing, waste reduction and sustainability of products.
Recently, the 24th DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation recognized companies with outstanding packaging. Several well-known brands were amongst those with top honors Heinz, Kraft, Cadbury, Pepperidge Farm and Unilever took home silver, gold and diamond awards. The DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation is the industry’s longest running, global, independently judged celebration of innovation and collaboration throughout the value chain. An expert panel evaluated 200 entries in 3 categories: Innovation, Sustainability and Cost/Waste Reduction.
EPI Labelers designs labeling machines to integrate to a wide variety of packaging, many of which were included in the awards. To read the full article about the 24th DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation, and for a complete list of winners, visit the Packaging Digest website at http://www.packagingdigest.com/article/521756-DuPont_Awards_celebrate_packaging_innovation_sustainability_and_cost_waste_reduction.php
April 27th, 2012
Weird Flavors, Awesome Labels
These flavors of liquor range from strange to downright stomach turning, but they all share one trait – awesome labels! Flip through the slideshow at The Huffington Post to see these crazy flavors and cool labels! Either way you look at it, it makes for an interesting use of time! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/26/worst-liquor-flavors_n_1423784.html?ref=mostpopular
April 16th, 2012
Labels can be found anywhere and geared toward any demographic, even children. One would be hard-pressed to find a better outlet to cater to a young audience than crayons. Parents who want to give their children a head start in the science department may consider buying chemistry crayon labels.
Etsy user QueInteresante now sells labels that allow parents to rename crayons by chemicals and chemical reactions that share that color. The labels seem to be an effective teaching tool because children are exposed to them regularly.
Crayon labels are a unique idea for parents looking to give their little “chemists” a head start. They’re an easy lesson for children, who are able to play while they begin to retain knowledge of chemicals and chemical reactions. Crayon labels demonstrate how multifaceted labels can be; they convey a wide variety of information to a wide audience. They’re also proof that labels have the ability to transform mundane information into colorful fun!
To read the original story, and see more photos of chemistry crayon labels, go to http://www.buzzfeed.com/babymantis/chemistry-crayon-labels-1opu
April 5th, 2012
Finding healthy options at the grocery store is getting easier! Walmart recently announced that it will be labeling healthy foods with a green Great for You label. The label will appear on the retailer’s Great Value brand as early as this spring. The company also plans to allow other brands to use the label without paying a licensing fee. Since the launch of Walmart’s healthier food initiative, it has promised to improve the nutritional quality of the food it sells.
The Great for You label is one of several steps Walmart has taken to promote healthier food, including; lowering the prices on fresh fruits and vegetables, working with national and private label products to reduce sodium, added sugar and trans fat in products it sells, working with suppliers to cut the costs of reduced-fat and fat-free items, and increasing charitable support for nutrition programs.
To learn more about the Great for You label criteria, go to http://walmartstores.com/nutrition/greatforyou.aspx
March 20th, 2012
The ‘Hunger Games’ series has proven to be extremely popular, and with the movie premiering this week, it’s getting more attention than ever. As with any popular series, there’s a wide array of products for followers. A quick search on the series turns up a variety of products from bookmarks, to CD’s, to entire magazines dedicated to the trilogy.
A product that may not be so easy to locate? ‘Hunger Games’ labels. But they do exist! And we found them.
A seller on Etsy www.etsy.com is offering ‘Hunger Games’ Bottle Labels. The labels, which are inspired the Capitol Grade Sleep Syrup found in the book, can be wrapped around water, soda, syrup, or virtually any type of bottle. http://www.etsy.com/listing/94287817/hunger-games-inspired-bottle-labels
Should you choose to have your own ‘Hunger Games’ party, the labels may be used in conjunction with a ‘Hunger Games’ party package. The package includes a banner, favor tags, cupcake wrappers, and more. http://www.etsy.com/listing/94259736/hunger-games-party-package-printable
All packages come as a PDF digital file that can be printed. There are no physical materials in the package, it contains digital files only.
With the hype surrounding the book; and now, the movie, a ‘Hunger Games’ party is sure to be a hit. And no party is complete without a good label!
March 12th, 2012
While most labels are meant to encourage consumers to purchase a product, the Obama administration has proven that labels can be used to discourage consumers as well. The administration has been pushing to require graphic warning labels on cigarettes.
The Food and Drug Administration approved nine graphic warning labels for tobacco makers to display on cigarette packs beginning in September. These images are considered to be extremely graphic by some; they include photos of dead and diseased smokers.
Four of the largest U.S. tobacco companies sued the federal government in August, saying such labels violate free speech rights, and will cost them millions. Last month, a District Judge ruled them unconstitutional, thus blocking the rule from taking effect. However, the issue could still end up in the U.S. Supreme Court because the latest decision conflicts with another U.S. District Court Judge’s decision that upheld the label’s legality. It remains unseen whether the graphic labels will end up on cigarette packs at this point.
Both sides seem to have strong arguments for and against these labels, and the process ruling their legality may take some time. While one side argues that the labels clearly illustrate the risks associated with using such products, the other side argues that the images are neither “factual” nor “accurate” and they violate the First Amendment. It remains to be seen which side will win this battle over the labels. However, it is very clear that labels have the capability to send a strong message to consumers, and companies realize the effect labels have over consumer impression of their product.


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Business Planet has been to Dublin.
The third country after Greece and Portugal to need an international financial bailout, it is forecast Ireland will come out of recession this year.
A major problem for small and medium companies is still access to credit. But euronews met one entrepreneur who found a way around that.
The adventure began for Darren Grant in 2008. He had decided to leave behind his senior management job in computing to open a supermarket dealing in 100 per cent organic goods on the main street of Blackrock in Dublin.
Even though the recession was taking hold, he believed in his project. He invested all of his savings, but was still short of funds to fit-out his shop, buy his first stock and pay his staff.
So Darren looked at European micro-credit – up to 25,000 euros for new business employing up to 10 people. It is money allocated through intermediaries for the European Investment Fund.
“I went to Google and I typed in EU Funding for small businesses and what came up was a website, where I simply clicked into and found out there was funding available for EU businesses, which is great,” Darren told us. “This led me to the Irish microfinance website first step, and I applied to get 25,000 euros, to start the business.”
Darren now employs eight people – four of them full-time – to run the shop and his internet site which has become a runaway success.
Last year it turned over 800,000 euros and won various accolades, including the best internet site for a small business in Ireland in 2010 and 2011.
“The website was the best investment for the company, and the return we have got ahead of the investment will be maybe 25 times what we have invested,” Darren explained. “It’s fantatstic. It’s won multiple awards. And we’ve competed – a little small shop and a micro-finance startup has competed with major major multi-nationals in this field. We have become leader in the website field.”
The site offers 2,000 organic products – soon to become 3,000.
Darren now has a registered trademark all over Europe, and soon hopes to expand his online activity into the UK.
“The keys to success are to be able to secure finance for expansion, to be able to keep our website dynamic and innovative, and to expand our products within Europe,” he said.


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Over the past few years Microsoft has worked hard at increasing transparency with its Xbox fanbase, and its next step in improving this dialogue is to launch a new Xbox-focused web series called Inside Xbox (opens in new tab).
The first episode will be shown on Saturday March 10 at 12pm PT/ 3pm ET/ 8pm GMT across a host of streaming services including including Mixer.com/Xbox (opens in new tab), YouTube.com/Xbox (opens in new tab), Twitch.TV/Xbox (opens in new tab), and Facebook.com/Xbox (opens in new tab).
In episode one the focus will be on Sea of Thieves, Xbox’s next big exclusive coming on March 20. The hosts – including Larry Hryb, Graeme Boyd, Jeff Rubenstein, Alex Hebert, Lydia Ellery, and more – will be sitting down with Sea of Thieves studio Rare to go behind the scenes of the game and discuss what fans can expect at launch.
An inside look
The entire show won’t focus on Sea of Thieves though, there will also be Game Pass news, information on new console features and discussions around PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds as well as Far Cry 5.
There’ll also be a community desk segment dedicated to fans watching with prizes and giveaways for those that join in the conversation using #insidexbox.
This isn’t the first time Xbox has tried out a show like this; back in 2012 it tried a show of the same name with a similar premise that didn’t work out. The environment around streams and online gaming is different now than it was then, and given the success of Nintendo’s Direct series the time is probably right for Xbox to try again.
Microsoft didn’t release any kind of regular schedule for the show, but it did say in the announcement it hope to see Inside Xbox become a regular monthly event.


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A coffee mortality risk is being highlighted by U.S. researchers, who are claiming that their studies show people aged 55 and younger who drink four or more cups of coffee a day had a 50 percent increased mortality risk from all causes.
The co-author of the new study, Dr. Carl J. Lavie of the Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans said the latest National Coffee Drinking Study found 60 percent of U.S. adults drink coffee every day. On average coffee drinkers consume just over three cups a day.
The study sought to see if there were any relations between coffee consumption and death from all causes, and death from cardiovascular disease.
The study looked at past data from 1979 and 1998, over which period the researchers examined a total of 43,727 participants, consisting of 33,900 men and 9,827 women. During the 17-year median follow-up period there were 2,512 deaths, consisting of 87 percent men, 12 percent women, and with 32 percent of those caused by cardiovascular disease.
Senior investigator Steven H. Blair of the University of South Carolina, "Significantly, the results did not demonstrate any association between coffee consumption and all-cause mortality among older men and women. It is also important to note that none of the doses of coffee in either men or women whether younger or older had any significant effects on cardiovascular mortality."
The researchers claimed that younger males even had a higher mortality rate at lower consumption levels that four cups a day. They believe that the rate became significant at about 28 cups per week, at which they identified that there was a 56 percent increase in mortality from all causes.
For younger females who consumed more than 28 cups of coffee per week, it was found that they had a greater than two-fold risk of all cause mortality than those who did not drink coffee at all.
The researchers claimed that their study indicated that younger people should avoid heavy coffee consumption, and especially ensure they drink less than 28 cups a week, or four per day.
There was a caveat to the study, with the researchers indicating that further studies were needed in different populations to confirm their findings and gain a more detailed knowledge of coffee consumption affects on mortality rates.


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"Over the last year, ATI has shocked observers by not only
taking the video card performance crown from nVidia, but also
keeping it. This trend appears bound to continue for the
foreseeable future with the recently released Radeon 9800 that has
taken much of the spotlight away from nVidia's card intended to
surpass the 9700.
"With that reputation and ATI's recent offering of its first
proprietary GNU/Linux drivers, we were interested to see if a
follow-up driver was in store to provide compatibility with XFree86
4.3, which was released earlier this year. To an extent, ATI's
outreach to the Free Software community has already provided
support to 4.3, with full support for the Radeon 9700's 2D
capabilities already supported in the XFree86 Project's
"However, 3D acceleration, and by extension, accelerated OpenGL
support, has not yet been forthcoming for the newest iteration of
XFree included in Mandrake Linux 9.1, Red Hat Linux 9 and SuSE
Linux 8.2. To find out what ATI was planning, we contact the
Ontario-based company and had a conversation with their Manager of
Developer Relations, Michael Smith..."
Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which QuinStreet receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. QuinStreet does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.


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Hershey Chocolate Factory is one of the most famous candy manufacturers in the world. Between the park and the factory, Hershey’s name is known throughout the globe. Although this huge company seems to be a family friendly place, there have been allegations of child labor in the Ivory Coast in some of the cocoa plantations. Oliver Balch, a reporter for The Guardian, has said that eight children have come forward and claimed they were used for slave labor at these plants.
“Ivory Coast produces 45% of the global chocolate supply”, says Balch, “the production of cocoa in West Africa has been linked to human rights abuses….and child labor.” Hershey has promised to review its labor laws, but has not said anything else on it.
Hershey Chocolate Factory should own up to its abuse of children in their factories overseas. The low wage and harsh working conditions these children face should not go unnoticed. According to Bob Fernandez, a reporter for the Tribune News Service, Hershey was asked to join in regulating child labor in 2020, but it is still unknown whether they support this deal in Washington or not.
A huge company like Hershey has the power to influence other companies using child labor, if Hershey itself did. Ignoring this will only let the problem continue. Hershey Chocolate Factory needs to be held accountable for its action, rather than to let it continue. Hershey and other chocolate factories had made a pledge two decades ago to stop using child labor, but as of 2020, the use of child labor continues. Peter Whoriskey and Rachel Sigel, two reporters for the Washington Post, point out that Hershey is unable to identify which of their factories uses child labor.
Not being able to identify which factories are using child labor reflects poorly on the company. It can be hard to keep track of 17 different factories across the globe but when it comes to child labor, they should be inspecting and reinspecting all those factories overseas. Hershey has said they want to get rid of their child labor, but have not taken serious, legal action in order for that to happen. It is easy to say that they are taking steps towards this but it is another thing to act.
Ions speak louder than words, so Hershey should take steps to ensure that they will make sure child labor will be no more in their overseas factories and not just say they are trying to eliminate it.
The Hershey website has put out a section dedicated to the child labor laws overseas, but it says that it is a “complex issue” and that no children have been forced to work in their cocoa plants.
The lawsuit Herhsey faces as of February 2021 says differently. Hershey says they are monitoring these accusations, but has told the media they are not sure which plants are using child labor. The rest of this section goes on to talk about the diversity Hershey will have in employment and the education the children overseas will receive in the year 2025. It quickly glances over the problem at hand and goes straight into how Hershey Chocolate Factory will have more representation in the workplace, which is good, however this is not the issue at hand.
The rest of this page goes on to talk about providing the children in their overseas factories with schooling in order to combat this child labor crisis but without knowing which factories are practicing child labor, it is hard to put those childern into the classroom. Hershey’s company says they will have these resolved by 2025, but they are not investigating the plants that are using children to harvest their cocoa beans.
This company needs to take action now, rather than have a four year plan to stop it. Children are being forced into terrible work environments. They are missing out on being children and are forced into being adults. Hershey and many other factories should re-evaluate how their products are made overseas and take action now rather than wait when it comes to child labor.
Sources: Hershey Chocolate Factory, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Tribune News Service


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Previously, the FaceTime videoconfencing app worked only over Wi-Fi networks. But with the forthcoming release of iOS6, expected out in late September or early October, Apple has upgraded FaceTime--which runs on iPhone 4 or later, iPad 2 or later, and iPod touch 4th generation or later--to overcome that limitation, allowing it to also work over cellular networks.
AT&T had already announced that, as with other smartphone services that consume extra cellular network bandwidth, it might charge extra--above its standard data rates--for cellular FaceTime use.
In response to recent criticism over that decision, AT&T officials have said they're not violating relevant Federal Communications Commission regulations, which require carriers to be transparent about their practices and to not block competitive services from their cellular networks. Rather, AT&T is simply applying "reasonable restrictions" on bandwidth-hungry apps, said AT&T chief privacy officer Bob Quinn, who also leads AT&T's federal regulatory group, which handles all regulatory matters for the company that involve the FCC.
[ Research shows surprisingly little consumer interest in LTE 4G. But it also shows that most users don't understand what 4G is. See Half Of Consumers Don't Want LTE 4G. ]
Furthermore, according to AT&T, FCC regulations simply don't cover preloaded apps such as FaceTime. "The FCC's net neutrality rules do not regulate the availability to customers of applications that are preloaded on phones. Indeed, the rules do not require that providers make available any preloaded apps," Quinn said in a blog post. "Rather, they address whether customers are able to download apps that compete with our voice or video telephony services. AT&T does not restrict customers from downloading any such lawful applications. ... Therefore, there is no net neutrality violation."
But many legal experts have criticized AT&T's plans, saying they will indeed place the company in violation of FCC net neutrality regulations. "The FCC's Open Internet rules do not distinguish between preloaded and downloaded apps. They prevent carriers from blocking certain kinds of apps--period," said John Bergmayer, a senior staff attorney at Public Knowledge--a non-profit Washington, D.C.-based public interest group that focuses on Internet and telecommunications laws--in a statement. "AT&T is blocking FaceTime for all of its iPhone customers who do not subscribe to its premium 'Mobile Shared' plans, and this runs afoul of the rules."
AT&T's reasoning also drew criticism from S. Derek Turner, research director for media and technology watchdog Free Press. "AT&T is inventing words that are not in the FCC's rules in a weak attempt to justify its blocking of FaceTime," he said in a statement, noting that the word "preloaded" appears nowhere in the FCC's nearly 200-page Open Internet Order. "The FCC's rules are crystal clear: AT&T is not permitted to block voice or video telephony applications that compete with its own services. There is simply nothing in the rules that distinguishes 'preloaded' applications from 'downloaded' applications."
According to Bergmayer, apps such as FaceTime compete directly with AT&T's own offerings. "Many people use apps like FaceTime, Skype, and ooVoo instead of making voice calls. In many respects these apps are more convenient than traditional calling. And by using these apps, consumers can save money on international calling charges, conference call services, and in other ways," he said. "There's no doubt that these apps are a competitive threat to AT&T's voice service. But as the FCC made clear in its Open Internet rules, mobile providers must compete with these new services fair and square, and not by engaging in discriminatory behavior."
On a related note, for users who are worried about running afoul of providers' data caps--when they do offer cellular network access to apps such as FaceTime--Apple has added features to iOS 6 that allow users to prevent apps from going cellular. Beta versions of iOS6 have featured a new "Wi-Fi Plus Cellular" setting--tagline: "Allow apps having trouble with Wi-Fi to use cellular data"--that allows users to block apps from using a cellular network altogether, or to individually allow or deny such usage for a handful of apps, including iCloud documents, iTunes, and FaceTime.
Don't be distracted by native vs. browser or iPhone vs. Android. Our survey shows functionality matters most when developing for mobile. Also in the new, all-digital The App Flap issue of InformationWeek: Verify that your cloud service provider's controls will actually protect your data. (Free registration required.)


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Ma Bell announced the policy change in a blog post (first spotted by FierceWireless), in which it took pains to point out how this is common practice in the industry and used by internet giants like Google(s goog) and Facebook(s fb) and mobile competitors like Verizon Wireless(s vz)(s vod). AT&T is right. User data is what makes the web go round. It’s the basis for any targeted ad, and it’s an added revenue source for companies that offer both free and paid services to consumers.
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A while back Capcom
released some Mega Man
related items on the Xbox Live Marketplace for the avatars, such as t-shirts or even robot master costumes of three of the original six robot masters. Well, they've recently released a few more items, including the other three robot master costumes and have created a sweet little trailer to show them off, set to a nice rendition of the Dark Man theme from Mega Man 5. I don't know about anyone else, but I'd really like to have that Elec Man costume.
Video courtesy of GameSpot's YouTube page...because I didn't see it on the Capcom Unity YouTube page.


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Exporting U.S. innovation, products and services is a top priority for the Obama administration, and MBDA is putting the spotlight on how minority-owned businesses are growing and thriving overseas so that we can be more prosperous here at home.
Recently, President Obama held an economic summit in Puerto Rico, organized in part by MBDA and the U.S. Department of Commerce. MBDA National Deputy Director Alejandra Castillo and our partner the Puerto Rico MBDA Business Center were integral in the success of the summit where President Obama’s Task Force on the Status of Puerto Rico made its final recommendations to boost job creation on the island. The Task Force recommended that MBDA continue to aid job creation and innovation by helping to facilitate public-private partnerships to finance the Integrated Bio-refinery Program. This program—which aims to create biofuels from sugar cane—will allow America to grow our own fuel and grow jobs at the same time.
This month, the U.S. Census Bureau released the final data from the 2007 Survey of Business Owners (SBO), which offers a wellspring of data on the characteristics of minority-owned businesses in the United States. One characteristic that is sure to have a profound effect on our efforts to double exports over the next five years is that the minority business community continues to lead in global commerce.
Firms owned by minorities are twice as likely to export as non-minority firms. Mexico, Brazil and the Dominican Republic account for more than half of minority-owned business export transactions, with Peru, Nicaragua and India following behind those three. With 95% of the world’s population living overseas, the fact that MBEs share language commonalities, culture and connections to other countries make minority-owned businesses natural exporters to international markets.
As U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke says, “Working together to help more U.S. companies sell their world-class, innovative and high-quality goods and services to the billions of consumers outside of the United States is an economic priority.”
To help facilitate international trade, the Obama administration is working with Congress to institute new free trade agreements with Panama, Colombia and South Korea. These agreements will lower trade barriers by substantially reducing the billions of dollars in tariffs that American businesses pay to export to these countries. More information about the administration’s export strategy was released by Secretary Gary Locke this month when he submitted to Congress the 2011 National Export Strategy: Powering the National Export Initiative report.
In closing, I’d like to invite you to participate in a trade mission that can help your business gain a foothold in a key overseas market—South Africa. The Department of Commerce is leading a trade mission to South Africa September 19-23, which will focus on energy, agricultural equipment, chemicals and computer and electronic products. South Africa has the largest economy in the region, with diverse industries and connections to key trading partners. For more information on this exciting opportunity, please visit the detailed event information for the trade mission to South Africa.
With your hard work and participation, trade missions like this will ensure minority-owned businesses continue to blaze trails abroad while growing jobs here at home. Together, we can win the future.
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App Store Has Reached Several New Milestones – Find Out Right Here
For the longest time, we were waiting for an App Store overhaul and during Apple’s WWDC 2016 keynote, the tech giant has introduced some new implementations that you should be informed about.
App Store Changes – Here Is Everything You Need To Know
During WWDC 2016, Tim Cook was the first to come up on stage and state on how Apple’s app ecosystem has been able to flourish thanks to the existence of App Store. However, he did point out that if it weren’t for the extreme efforts of those dedicated developers that are pushing out applications for all of Apple’s mobile and desktop platforms, the App Store would not be where it is today.
Tim Cook has stated that App Store has officially played host to 2 million applications, and a total of 130 billion apps have been downloaded by users till now. Tim Cook might have not prattled out the following, but we believe that it is a very good idea to become an iOS or macOS developers because Apple has already paid out $50 billion to developers at this point. If you’re going to do a comparison, then you should know that it’s up from $40 billion in January of this year.
For the 27th annual WWDC this year, Apple has stated that more than 5,000 developers are in attendance with more than 100 of those under 18. Tim Cook also pointed that the youngest developer sitting in the crowd was only aged 9 and that before the keynote kicked off, the CEO of the company managed to meet her, which is possibly the only reason he states that she is going to make one heck of a developer.
These attendees come from 74 different countries, with 72 percent attending the conference for the first time. The company also announced that it is up to 13 million registered developers, up by two million from last year. For Apple TV, the company announced that it has 1,300 video apps (which is a huge gain considering it only had 80 when it first generation Apple TV was launched) and a total of 6,000 native apps. Now Siri, on the Apple TV can search a total of 650,000 movies and TV shows.
Apple is also hosting 10 billion documents on its iCloud Drive storage service and the company is handling 2 billion Siri requests each week. Do you guys believe that Apple has truly made App Store a heaven for both an iOS and macOS developer? Let us know your thoughts immediately.
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Intel seems to be bullish about its NUCs. We've recently taken a good look at Intel's Hades Canyon gaming NUC, and now website WinFuture.de got a hold of pictures and specs of what appears to be a prototype "Crimson Canyon" NUC (model name NUC8I3CYSM2) packing an as-yet-unlisted Intel Core i3-8121U CPU. That chip is rumored to be a 10-nm unit based on the company's upcoming Cannon Lake architecture. Perhaps more surprisingly, though, that NUC apparently carries an as-yet-unannounced Radeon 550 graphics chip onboard.
Previous rumors pinned the Core i3-8121U chip as having two cores, Hyper-Threading support, and a 2.2 GHz clock. However, WinFuture claims the chip apparently with no Turbo Boost support. Meanwhile, the purported Radeon 550 has 2 GB of its own VRAM and looks to be clocked at 1124 MHz. WinFuture says the machine comes with a 90-W power supply. That would make sense in light of the added power draw from the onboard Radeon. Meanwhile, Twitter user @TUM_APISAK posted a 3DMark 11 database listing displaying exactly the combination of hardware present in the purported NUC. That entry shows the motherboard to be a NUC8i3CYB variant. There are several entries for the Core i3-8121U in the Geekbench database, too, but they all come from Lenovo systems.
According to WinFuture, some e-tailers are already listing two variations of the Crimson Canyon NUC, the NUC8I3CYSM2 and NUC8I3CYSM3, for around 450€, or around $458 without VAT. It's not immediately clear what the difference is between both models. We found them listed at online store Redcorp, and they're both specced with the Core i3-8128U CPU, 8 GB of RAM, and a 1-TB hard drive. Whatever the deal is, our guess is that it won't be long before these machines are out and about.


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As reported by the Wall Street Journal and Reuters, Amazon.com will begin to sell wine in a just few weeks here in the U.S. The announcement came from The Napa Valley Vintners association and not directly from Amazon. Also reported was that New Vine Logisitics will be Amazon’s shipping partner when they go live.
Rumors have been circulating for some time that Amazon would enter the market but most observers thought they would concentrate on high volume brands. But the Amazon head wine buyer was on the floor checking out wines at the recent Family Winemakers of California and I have spoken with several smaller wineries who have been in discussions with them.
As I posted back in March, I think his is the most signifiant development in wine distribution since the repeal of Prohibition in 1933. And Amazon’s actions in the past 6 months have validated my hypothesis that medium to small wineries are their target. Their decision to work with regional wine associations is a good one from an industry relations, recruitment and PR point of view. I don’t think it was an accident the announcement came from the Napa Valley Vintners and think we’ll see announcements from other winery associations before Amazon formally launches their wine business later this month or in early October.
This is a great development for both wineries looking for online distribution and for consumers looking for small production, artisan wines. I expect the shipping fees to be reasonable like Amazon does for all their other products but their Prime service will be a must for serious wine lovers. For $79 a year, you get free shipping on all purchases with second day delivery. No word on if that speed will be honored for wine but if it’s just free ground shipping for wine, that will be huge for sales. With increasing fuel costs, shipping is becoming a real problem for wineries as it adds significantly to their customer price. If this is a non-issue, then wineries stand to benefit greatly from what Amazon if offering.
This is not good news for other online wine retailers who do not have the deep pockets to cover the significant shipping costs or the economies of scale that Amazon has. But I still think there will be a place for niche e-tailers like domaine547 and wine marketing sites like woot and The Wine Spies.
I think this is the biggest wine story of the year and will be blogging about what this means for wine marketing over at my company blog.
Cheers to Amazon and welcome to the wine business.


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Because I’m between continents at the moment, this edition of Short Takes looks at Microsoft’s abortive release of Windows 10 version 1806, Microsoft’s patent reversal for Linux, the EU approval of Microsoft’s GitHub acquisition, and so much more.
Microsoft has re-released Windows 10 1809 after fixing an issue that was deleting content but the company is still trying to win a race that doesn’t exist.
Microsoft acknowledges disappearing files after installation of the Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809) and pauses rollout.
Microsoft has paused its rollout of Windows 10 1809 after users were reporting that it was deleting content from My Documents.
Microsoft’s latest Windows 10 release is causing serious headaches for some users as the update is deleting content from personal folders.
This month sees lots of announcements coming out of Microsoft’s annual Ignite conference for IT pros, including about a preview version of Windows Virtual Desktop and Windows Server 2019 general availability.
Because hazy, hot, and humid doesn’t even begin to explain the weather in Orlando, this edition of Short Takes looks some of the other news that came out of TechEd, er ah, Microsoft Ignite this week.
Microsoft is working on a new skills kit for enterprise customers that will make it easier to integrate the digital assistant into your workflow.
Because half the planet is waiting for their new iPhone to arrive this morning, this edition of Short Takes looks at Microsoft coming victory in the cloud and its coming defeat in advertising, Microsoft Managed Desktop, another Google betrayal, and much, much more.
Looking to create a Linux container in Windows 10? Russell shows you how with easy step-by-step instructions.
Because Microsoft can’t stop punching Windows 10 in the face, this edition of Short Takes looks at a foolish new ad in Windows 10, Microsoft v. Salesforce, an October Microsoft event, Apple’s new iPhones, and much, much more.
In today’s Ask the Admin, Russell shows you how to stop Windows 10 updating device drivers automatically via Windows Update regardless of which edition of the OS you are running.
In this blog post, Russell looks at the story behind Windows Defender Application Control in Windows 10.


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Revolut launches AI feature to protect customers from card scams and break the scammers "spell"
Produto e funcionalidade · 15 de fevereiro de 2024
- Revolut launches advanced scam detection feature to protect customers against card scams
- Revolut’s new AI-scam feature can help detect if a customer is being scammed, and therefore break the ‘spell’ of the scammer before they send their money to the criminal
- Since initial testing began, Revolut has observed a 30% reduction in the fraud losses resulting from card scams where money has been sent for investment opportunities.
Revolut, the UK’s leading fintech with more than 35 million customers worldwide, has today announced the launch of an advanced scam detection feature to help protect customers from card scams.
Revolut customers can now experience an added layer of security protection, on top of the technology already in place, to detect APP (Authorised Push Payment) scams, where criminals trick the user to get them to transfer money to another account.
Revolut’s new AI-scam feature uses sophisticated machine learning to detect if a customer is being scammed, and therefore break the ‘spell’ of the scammer before they send their money to the criminal. Built internally by Revolut’s financial crime team, the new feature can determine if there is a high likelihood that the customer is making a card payment as part of a scam, and if so, decline the payment. The customer is then protected from performing other similar payments and sent through a scam intervention flow in-app. During this phase the customer needs to provide additional information about the transaction they were attempting, with the goal of checking whether the customer is being guided by someone and is under the scammers ‘spell’. They are then also shown specific scam educational stories to prompt customers to think in-depth before they make the payment. Revolut can also redirect the customer into a chat with a Revolut fraud specialist who will then ask them further questions in order to determine if they are being scammed.
Since the launch of the card scam detection feature, Revolut has observed a 30% reduction in the fraud losses resulting from card scams where money has been sent for investment opportunities.
David Eborne, Head of Fraud at Revolut, said: "We’re very excited to be launching our new AI-scam feature which implements advanced technology to interrupt fraudsters taking advantage of everyday people. We’ve invested heavily in the product to ensure that customers can continue to spend and send their money safely. For example, a growing number of banks are increasingly restricting or heavily limiting the ability to make card payments to crypto and investment websites. With this advanced feature, rather than completely block those transactions, we ensure that customers who want to perform legitimate payments continue to do so, but also intervene to protect those who are being guided by criminals to make fraudulent ones. We are giving our customers both freedom and security at the same time”.
Across its UK customer base in 2023, Revolut found that 60% of all of its reported UK scam cases originated from just three sources: Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp. Additionally, 33% of the total value of all money lost to scams began on Meta platforms across the same period. The use of Meta platforms as the primary originator of scams is only increasing, rising from 52% of all reported cases in the UK in the first half of the year, to 66% in the six months to the end of December 2023
The new AI card scam feature is live in the Revolut app and available to customers worldwide.
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Spotlight: Forward Push Brings Wall Street Strategy to Main Street Businesses
There isn’t just one way to market a small business. That’s why Forward Push aims to think differently when working with clients.
The marketing team wants to bring big business strategies to smaller firms. Find out how in this week’s Small Business Spotlight.
What the Business Does
Offers marketing solutions for small businesses.
Founder and strategist Mark Apple told Small Business Trends, “At Forward Push we believe in marketing differently. That’s because we focus on working with small businesses and startups. We bring wall street thinking to main street.
“From strategizing the foundation of a campaign to putting the final flourishes on a client’s new SEO strategy, we believe that great marketing comes from a team ready to challenge the status quo while staying rooted in the research.”
Taking a hands-on, personalized approach.
Apple says, “We spend a crazy amount of time getting to know our client’s business before we begin the creative process.”
How the Business Got Started
To help small businesses.
Apple explains, “I had left a job working for a Fortune 500 company and saw how small businesses were being treated and didn’t like it. I knew I could take what they we’re offering , do it better and do it right.”
Joining a networking group, BNI.
Apple adds, “It changed the direction of my business as it gave me the opportunity to be in front of small business owners week in and week out. I’ve been able to narrow my focus and super-serve a part of the business community that is often forgotten by larger marketing agencies that think they are too small.”
Investing time and money into growth opportunities.
Apple says, “I do a lot of external marketing for the agency and there is a dollar figure associated with these tactics. I also purchase a fair amount of software programs in an effort to make our jobs more efficient and to be able to super serve our clients. Like all things technology, the software either becomes dated or another company has released a better product and we need to switch (ie: reinvest).”
Focus on networking.
Apple explains, “I would have begun my serious networking strategy earlier in the life cycle of the business. It would have given us an opportunity to meet more people early on. That being said, I have no regrets on it.”
How They’d Spend an Extra $100,000
Spreading the word.
Apple adds, “I would increase our marketing in an effort to make more small business owners aware that they don’t have to grow their company alone.”
“Talk minus action equals nothing.” – Unknown.
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Find out more about the Small Biz Spotlight program
Image: Forward Push, Marc Apple


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Canteen staff offered work during crisis
Joint efforts have been put into place by interested companies to support canteens and restaurants who have suffered because of the ongoing virus epidemic.
An online hiring platform has been launched where canteen staff can apply for temporary positions at Alibaba's local consumer services unit and delivery site Ele.me.
Some 4,000 canteen staff have applied so far.
Ele.me said it intends to hire 10,000 temporary staff at first to help deliver meals or groceries. They can return to their usual posts after restaurants gradually resume business.
Most restaurants had to cut their hours or close when customers stayed home and ordered takeaways instead of eating out.
JD's grocery and offline retailing business 7Fresh is also offering to work with canteens to develop semi-prepared meals more suitable for takeaway.
The online retailer said it's offering to help canteens develop convenience food for consumers to eat at home instead of at restaurants as its logistics network can dispatch packaged prepared meals nationwide.
Hotpot chain Haidilao's online orders during the Chinese New Year break have tripled compared with the same period last year.
Eateries will also receive suggestions on customer preference in different regions based on JD's shopping data.
Nearly a hundred domestic restaurant chains have expressed an intention to partner with JD.


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A brand new and fully accessible taxi vehicle is on the market at a price that might be better than expected by the taxi companies in Timmins. Len Gillis
Published on: September 20, 2018
Timmins resident David Rivard navigates his motorized wheelchair down the ramp from an accessible van that was set up on display in the Urban Park on Thursday. While Timmins taxi companies have not yet purchased a properly equipped accessibility taxi vehicle, there was one on display Thursday at the Urban Park Farmers’ Market in downtown Timmins. The vehicle was provided by Overland Custom Coach to demonstrate that such vehicles are on the market and at price that Overland said is not prohibitive for the cab companies.
A brand new and fully accessible taxi vehicle is on the market at a price that might be better than expected by the taxi companies in Timmins.
The Overland Custom Coach company was in Timmins Thursday to show off one of their latest models, a Dodge van that is customized to handle a wheelchair or a mobility scooter.
Overland brought a customized accessible taxi van to the Downtown Timmins Urban Park Farmer’s Market Thursday just to show what is available to the market.
It was almost a year ago that the Timmins Police Services Board, which oversees the taxi bylaw in Timmins, agreed to allow for additional taxi licences to accommodate the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).
That means any taxi company in Timmins that wants to provide the service only has to ask for a licence if they provide the proper vehicle.
There are two taxi companies in Timmins; Vet’s Taxi which has several independent brokers and Northern Taxi, a newer company that has been in business for only a few years.
So far, neither company has acquired an accessible taxi or an accessible taxi licence.
Overland Custom Coach representative David Branston said his visit came at the suggestion of Timmins Transit officials he met at a recent trade show. His company has provided Timmins Transit with Handy-Transit vehicles.
He said accessible taxis operate in other Ontario cities and have been found to be useful in that the vehicles can serve as a conventional cab or as a proper accessibility cab, when it is needed.
As he demonstrated the various features of the customized Dodge van, Branston said the price was not prohibitive.
He said the cost of the accessible vehicle for use in the taxi business would be in the range of $50,000 to $60,000 depending on the features. The vehicle he brought to Timmins could be priced around $55,000, he said.
During discussions held at the TPS Board last year, local taxi officials said the cost of an accessible van for taxi service could run between $150,000 and $200,000.
Branston said one of the key features of the Overland vehicle is how easy it can accommodate customers in mobility scooters or wheelchairs. A low-level ramp is pulled out from the passenger side of the van, the wheelchair rolls up, gets strapped in with heavy floor-mounted strapping devices and the trip begins.
Branston said some customers prefer to ride up front, instead of sitting in the area behind the driver. In that case, he said, the front passenger seat can be pulled back and the wheelchair can roll forward and be locked in to the front passenger space. He added that four additional seats in the van will allow wheelchair users to travel with friends and family members.
The accessible taxi van demonstration was welcomed by Dan McKay, a local advocate with the Timmins Municipal Accessibility Advisory Committee (MAAC). McKay attended the demonstration and told reporters the cab would fill a gap in service for people with mobility issues.
The Timmins Handy-Transit system operates within the hours of regular bus service, but there is limited service on weekends and no service on statutory holidays. While Handy-Transit users pay the same fares as Timmins Transit users, they must be registered and have to phone ahead to make a reservation for being picked up as well as for the return trip back home. An accessible taxi service would provide on-demand service around the clock at regular taxi rates.
McKay said the MAAC group is hoping either Vets, Northern or both cab companies will consider purchasing an accessible van. He said MAAC is willing to subsidize the purchase up to $10,000 per vehicle.
“The ball’s in the court of the owners of the cab companies,” said McKay. He added that the funding for MAAC comes from the fines levied on motorists who illegally park their vehicles in designated handicapped parking spaces.
As the demonstration for the van was underway, one city resident David Rivard navigated his motorized wheelchair up the ramp and into the van to check it out. Rivard spent several minutes chatting with Branston, the Overland representative.
Afterwards, Rivard said if the van was purchased by a cab company he would indeed use it. He said he is a regular user of Handy-Transit, but said it has limitations. He said he liked that the accessible taxi van would provide him with a new option for travel.
He said a regular accessible taxi would be useful for medical appointments and other everyday outings. He also mentioned it would be nice to go out with friends for an evening social event, without having to wrap things up by 11 p.m. which is how late the Handy-Transit will operate.


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PALISADE, Colo. -- The third annual Palisade Brews and Crews festival on Saturday afternoon, showed the Western Slope is more than just picking peaches and pouring wine.
This weekend at the Brews and Crews festival, the brewing community was cheers-ing to continued growth and success.
"We are really grateful that there is an outdoor community, and just a community and general around palisade. Because that's the kind of people we really want to foster craft beer locally,” said Evan Linko, the Marketing Assistant Palisade Brewing Company.
In Palisade, a local industry is beginning to brew.
"Western Colorado is way behind the front range, so we are pretty excited about what’s starting to happen. This is a way to celebrate brewers from all over the state of Colorado," said Scott Holzschuh, the Market President for Colorado National Bank.
Over 30 local craft breweries and wineries poured over 90 different flavors of hops and barley in Palisade.
"It really does have a multiplier effect for our community and it’s just fun. We see our friends and our neighbors we get to hang out in a beautiful park,” Holzschuh continued.
Colorado has more breweries per capita, than any other state in the nation. Now Palisade has been placed on the craft brewery map.
“We feel that we are making our dent in the economic development of the Grand Valley for everybody,” said Juliann Adams the Executive Director of Palisade Chamber of Commerce.
New development within local breweries has expanded the industry on the Western Slope and will welcome anyone who wants to join in on the growing opportunities.
“Encouraging other people this is not a competitive industry we are against competition. We drink beer because taste good,” explained Linko.
Beer: a taste that has been drawing more and more people to the Grand Valley.
“Brews and crews, is our first big festival of the festival season,” Linko added. “It's a crazy time in the summer for us and many other local businesses.”
The festival in Palisade brought nearly 900 people to town during the weekend.
The Palisade Chamber of Commerce plans to put on many summer festivals to bring more people and in turn, revenue and tourism to the entire Grand Valley.


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When it comes to traditional media, we’ve seen a continuing trend of experimentation through immersive technology as said media outlets look to see how the likes of virtual reality (VR) can fit into their marketing mix.
When it comes to print media, this focus has naturally moved more to augmented reality (AR), and all manner of publications such as BizBash, ELLE, Sports Illustrated, Game Informer, W Magazine and more have produced AR content connected to their magazine over the last couple of years. The latest to indulge in a bit of AR is Cosmopolitan – also known by many as simply ‘Cosmo’. Their team has partnered with Perfect Corp. and their technology used in YouCam Apps to bring a new line of immersive make-up experiences, debuting with the October edition of Cosmopolitan and be expanded next year into Seventeen and Women’s Health, two other magazines that are part of the publishing family.
The October feature is dedicated to Juicy Couture cosmetics and QR codes can be accessed via a smart device to Cosmopolitan.com and to a YouCam-powered experience where users will get to try out the outlined techniques on themselves thanks to AR.
Perfect Corp.’s Chief Executive Officer, Alice Chang, spoke on the new partnership in a statement. “We are excited to work with the creative geniuses at Cosmopolitan to couple our advanced AR and AI technologies with their stunning visuals and editorial expertise, and bring their content to virtual reality. This exciting partnership allows readers to interact and engage with Cosmopolitan content in a completely new and unique way, bringing the looks and products on the pages of the magazine to life in an instant.”
“At Cosmopolitan we are continuously looking for new ways to innovate across platforms and deliver frictionless solutions to our readers and advertisers,” Added the magazine’s Senior Vice President/Publisher Donna Kalajian Lagani. “We are thrilled to be the first publisher to debut this true print-to-mobile experience with Perfect Corp. and YouCam, and are excited to introduce this experience to our audience of more than 81 million monthly beauty-obsessed consumers.”
For more AR related stories on VRFocus check out the link, found under ‘More’ at the very top of the website. You can also find stories relating to specific VR headsets such as Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Google Daydream.


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Gun shops benefit from booming sales
An increase in sales of pistols at The Grant Boys in Costa Mesa has left the once full display cases half empty.
ANDY TEMPLETON, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
More small-business stories
Here are some comments about the rise in gun sales from readers of Jan Norman's blog (ocregister.com/jan):
People are really silly that they think guns are going to be banned. ... We the people of America have the right to vote to insure that this will not happen. As for assault weapons,if you need one that bad for protection then you need some training on firearms. One shot one kill thats what it's all about. Stop with the mass hysteria because in the end we are the ones who have the power to make things happen.
I have bought more (guns) in the last few months and will continue to do so. I was brought up with shooting as a hobby by my father, as his father to him. We are tax paying, law abiding citizens. Criminals will never give up their guns since by career choice, they break laws. Statistics prove the crime rates are highest in cities and countries with heavy restrictions on guns, and lowest where the populous is armed. The guns classified as "assault weapons" just look scary to soccer moms. They function like any other semi-automatic hunting rifle. The also account for less then 1% of all firearm crime.
Most of my thinking is liberal, but I do own firearms, quite a few….and I believe in God. It is true the assault weapons ban does not really have an affect on crime, very little crime is actually done with assault rifles. The assault rifles which are used in crimes are mostly illegal weapons, which criminals can always get. I am a law abiding citizen I should have a right to protect myself against someone who has unfiltered access to an international weapons network.
They are silently banning ammunition. Read about here: http://www.theshootist.net/2009/03/dod-ends-sale-of-expended-military.html They will price us out of the use of our guns.
Buy as many weapons as possible and don't forget to buy plenty of ammo because ammo is the first thing Obama will outlaw and without ammo guns are useless. People who think government will not outlaw or confiscate guns are living in fantasy land.
In California you can buy a gun with a Green Card and three other items with your name on them. With a 90-day background check you can buy any weapon in a gun shop. Remember this is California, we don't want to offend anyone.
I have plenty of guns, I just want a CCW.
I believe Obama wants to overturn Heller v. District of Columbia, and will replace Justice Souter with an anti-Second Amendment nominee.
--Not Johnny Vegas
Everyone is sold out of ammo. Control the ammo and you control the gun. And it's only the first 100 days; 3-2/3 years more to go of this, if we're lucky and he's only a one term president.
Pathetic. People are cutting back on food, clothing and entertainment, but they are spending money on guns. This "Obama is going to ban guns" is a clever marketing strategy, and it is working. What is America coming to.
While total retail sales this year are down almost 9 percent from a year ago, one segment is doing so well that stores are having difficulty keeping their shelves stocked.
Gun sales are booming.
And with more people going into sporting goods outlets to buy guns, sales throughout the stores are up as well. The trend is nationwide, causing wide-spread shortages not just of guns but of ammunition.
And while that sounds like good news for the gun industry, everyone from manufacturers to retailers faces a dilemma. They must make and stock enough to meet demand, but be careful about overdoing it or risk financial ruin when demand dies down.
Home builders and car dealers are prime examples of that economic cycle.
No one doubts the higher sales, although many gun shops won't disclose statistics. Grant Boys in Costa Mesa will only say that gun sales are up "at least double digits." More broadly, ammunition maker Winchester Division of Publicly traded Olin Corp. Reports record sales in the first quarter. And FBI background checks of gun buyers are up 30 percent nationwide and 12 percent in California since November.
Booming gun sales have been widely reported. Do a Google search on the phrase "increase in gun sales" and you'll get 320,000 results.
Because gun background checks spiked in October and November - 22% and 35% respectively nationwide - the top explanation is that the election increased Democrats' majority in Congress and put Barack Obama in the White House. And the combination might ban gun sales.
The Democrat platform calls for reinstating the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004, and Obama's voting record has been for tighter gun restrictions.
The significant increase has continued through the first quarter so more recent stories add a second reason of safety concerns because of the recession. Never mind that the Orange County Sheriff's Department Web site reports that robberies were down 41 percent in the first quarter compared to a year earlier and total violent crimes were down 11 percent.
Perception of politics and crime may be enough to drive people to buy guns.
"Gun owners are politically savvy and because of recent public comments and past voting records, not just of President Obama, but also of many of his appointees, they're concerned," said Rachel Parsons with the National Rifle Association.
She specifically mentioned Obama's recent statements about U.S. gun dealers supplying the Mexican drug war and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's call for a new assault weapons ban.
"Blaming lawful manufacturers, lawful retailers and lawful citizens for a violence problem in another country is troubling," she said.
Parsons also citing higher crime in past recessions as a reason some people are buying guns now.


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FROM keeping hangovers at bay to facing the Boxing Day buffet, the Christmas party season is in full swing – but overindulgence can leave us feeling unhealthy and lethargic well into the New Year.
Although people consume around 6,000 calories in food and drink on Christmas Day, four in ten have said they will cut back on alcohol this month in a bid to to be healthier during the festive season.
Today, Sun on Sunday Health looks at how to look after yourself over the holidays without cutting out the food or the fun.
Dietitian Reema Patel, from Dietitianfit.co.uk, said: “Christmas is one day but we celebrate all through December, with parties, drinks and big meals.
“People think that staying healthy is just about what you eat but it’s a time of year where we also tend to be quite sedentary, sitting still a lot and staying indoors and out of the cold, so keeping active and sleeping well are important to offset the indulgence too.”
Hangovers shoot up by almost 20 per cent in December. The key to avoiding them is hydration. Reema said: “There’s no way to avoid a hangover other than not drinking at all. So drink lots of water before going out and alternate alcoholic drinks. And the next day the hair of the dog is not the answer. Instead have good, healthy food prepared for the day after. You need goodness back in your body and nutrients which are more likely to clear the hangover quicker.”
Nearly 70 per cent of us admit that Christmas is an excuse for overindulging with party buffets and festive spreads full of tempting food.
Reema advised: “Take time to scan what’s available, what looks really good to you and what you actually want to eat before filling your plate with food you might not need or enjoy. With so many festive invites, you don’t need to overindulge at every one.”
Being mindful of portion sizes is important too.
“Don’t hold back on enjoying yourself but ask if you need more potatoes or pudding or if you’ve had enough,” Reema said, “Take ten minutes to digest before working out if you want seconds or dessert.”
The diet expert added: “When you’re unbuttoning your jeans or desperate for a snooze after eating, it’s your body’s way of telling you that you’ve had more than you need and it’s time to stop.” If you’re going out later on, she advises against arriving famished, instead suggesting a small, healthy snack beforehand to avoid over-eating once there.
Even with late-night social events and days off work, keeping in a familiar sleep routine benefits your body clock and brain. Sixty per cent say that late-night parties and festive TV eat into their usual sleep patterns, with one in five up past 11pm during the holidays.
But sleeping too little or far too much can add to sluggishness. Sticking to your usual bedtime and wake-up hours will help regulate your body.
If you need a snooze, have a 20 minute power nap instead of a long lie in.
While few of us plan on hitting the gym all through the holidays, doctors recommend being active for at least 20 minutes a day.
“Walk to see the village Christmas lights or a neighbour’s decorations or, if it’s dark and wet, have a dance party inside with the kids to get yourself off the sofa,” said Reema.
Research has found that cholesterol levels can be as much as 20 per cent higher after festive celebrations due to all the fatty foods we consume.
The British Heart Foundation advises to cut back on the trimmings at Christmas dinner. Lean turkey meat and vegetables may be healthy but pigs in blankets, stuffing and gravy can be full of fat and salt. Alternate “bad” days with good and beware of nibbles.
Reema said: “Chocolate boxes and vol-au-vents are at every gathering and add unneeded and unwanted calories in pastry, butter and cream,” she said. “Offer to make something veg-based and take it along to a party.”
Our guts work overtime at Christmas because we consume so many unhealthy and sugary foods containing harmful gut bacteria.
You need extra prebiotics and probiotics. Prebiotics are a form of dietary fibre that feeds the probiotics, or good bacteria, to balance things out. Gut health is essential for overall well being, processing and creating nutrients, digesting foods and preventing some diseases.
Reema says to load up on prebiotics, eat garlic, onions, leek, oats, apples, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips and kale. For probiotics, eat yoghurt, sourdough and fermented cheese. Some experts recommend probiotic drinks or pills.
Reema said: “For most people, it is not necessary to supplement as evidence has not shown a clear health benefit. However, including probiotic foods in our diet regularly can be a great starting point.”


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Diageo has allegedly turned down a revised offer for Burger King. As the dining out market continues to evolve away from fastfood, at least in Western markets, Diageo’s deal to offload Burger King looks increasingly vulnerable. Given a choice between carrying forward its vital strategic reorientation and holding out on price for Burger King, Diageo may be forced to compromise.
According to press reports, the Texas Pacific Group has entered a scaled down offer of US$1.6bn for US fastfood chain Burger King. Current owner Diageo, the UK based drinks and spirits giant, is said to be less than enthused and the offer has been rejected. Diageo was hoping to rid itself of the fastfood chain by the year’s end, leaving the company to focus on its vast drinks business.
The scaled down offer was prompted by problems with Burger King’s recent performance. In order for the sale to go through a series of agreed performance targets need to be met. Yet despite some improvement earlier in the year, more recently things have turned sour for Burger King following a price war among America’s top fast food chains.
Burger King’s is not alone in its problems. Changing preferences are seeing health conscious consumers abandoning the traditional fast foods, especially the burger, in favor of healthier fast-casual options. Fastfood chains have responded in a number of ways, culminating in a good old-fashioned price war.
Like Burger King, McDonald’s has also experienced a slowdown over the past two years and recently announced it would be closing 175 under-performing restaurants in ten countries. Meanwhile, fastfood chains such as sandwich maker Subway, which has successfully repositioned itself as a healthier alternative, have been experiencing soaring business.
As the eating out market heads in a new, healthier direction, Diageo’s asking price for Burger King looks increasingly optimistic.
(c) 2002 Datamonitor. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without prior written consent. Datamonitor shall not be liable for errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.


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In October 2019, Microsoft wowed the tech world with two new devices: Surface Duo and Surface Neo. Both are dual-screen devices but Surface Duo is an Android phone while Surface Neo is considered a new era of PC when running Windows 10X. It’s a new operating system built with user experience in mind.
A lot has changed since that fall. Surface Duo has been out for nearly a year with many limitations but has been significantly improved on Surface Duo 2. But the Surface Neo that was promised to launch at the end of 2020 has not been seen yet.
The reason for the sudden disappearance of Surface Neo is attributed to the removal of Windows 10X. When the pandemic broke out, Microsoft focused its resources and consolidated the design of Windows 10X into a new operating system, Windows 11. This strategy worked when Windows 11 helped revive the PC market during the time past time.
But what happens to the Surface Neo’s hardware? Should Microsoft put Android on this device? There are a number of reasons to do so and also a number of reasons why not.
Foldable PCs are so much bigger
The first foldable laptop was Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Fold. It has a super impressive 13.3-inch QXGA OLED display, but it’s too small to be used as a laptop. This machine weighs about 1kg, so it is difficult to bring comfort like holding a book in hand for a long time.
It is expected that from now until the end of the year, there will be many folding laptop products with screens from 16-17 inches. While you won’t want to hold a 17-inch folding PC in one hand for long, having a portable 17-inch PC in a compact form is indeed quite appealing.
The Surface Neo, on the other hand, has two 9-inch screens that create one 13.1-inch screen when stretched to its full extent. It brings a new trend to folding laptops.
But there’s a problem. Windows 11 is not an operating system for tablets. As of now, there are no features in Windows 11 that take advantage of dual or foldable displays.
Surface Neo runs Android brings a lot more meaningful
There will not be a Surface Neo running Windows 10X appearing as expected. But if you replace this operating system with Android on Surface Neo, the story may be very different.
Microsoft has experience in improving Android for dual screens on Surface Duo and Duo 2. In fact, the experience is quite good. With Google actively developing settings and Android apps for support for foldable or dual-screen devices, it would be better if it made it to Surface Neo.
Microsoft can completely pre-install its Android applications on this device. This will ensure activities such as work and entertainment on Surface Neo are always guaranteed.
In fact, Microsoft is trying to incorporate more with Android. It makes Android development a core priority of the Microsoft Devices & Experiences team and is hiring multiple Android developers. Microsoft’s ambitions in the Android world seem much bigger than imagined.
In an earlier interview in 2019 with The VergeMicrosoft vice president and product manager, Panos Panay asked: “… What is the right operating system for that product shape?” when it comes to Surface Duo.
He answered his question as follows: “…in this case, on mobile devices, Android is the obvious choice. But Windows is still everything.”
Windows is still doing its job well. But a larger product between Neo and Duo would probably be very difficult to succeed.
Panay thinks Windows is the right choice for Surface Neo. But that sentiment came before Windows 10X fell out of favor, especially on 17-inch foldable PCs. Now the development of folding screen devices has changed many people’s opinion about a folding device.
Of course, it will be difficult to tell if Microsoft intends to revive the Surface Neo but run Android or run a customized version of Windows 11 and better optimized.
But if Microsoft is really aiming for Android, the risk is obvious because Microsoft has no strength with Android devices. Microsoft itself has to admit that, Android is the dominant mobile operating system, while Windows is the best solution for desktops and laptops.
Before coming to a final conclusion, you need to ask the question: Is the Surface Neo a tablet or a laptop? Because how you answer will determine which operating system is more suitable.
Ideally, Microsoft has a great mobile version of Windows and is optimized for dual screens. But so far the tech world hasn’t heard of that idea. While bringing Android to the Surface Neo will certainly turn this product into a true tablet or just a larger Surface Duo, not a laptop.
Refer to Windowscentral


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The Xerox-Fujifilm saga continues to roll on, with Bloomberg reporting that today in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Fujifilm of......
Tagged: Darwin Deason
“Fujifilm disputes Xerox’s unilateral decision to terminate the transaction,” the company said in its statement.
Deason, however, didn’t rule out an offer from Fujifilm.
Robert J. Keegan, Charles Prince, Ann N. Reese, William Curt Hunter, and Stephen H. Rusckowski each resigned from the Xerox Board of Directors.
Icahn and Deason claim they have been “approached by pretty much every major financial sponsor, and they have all expressed interest in Xerox.”
In the letter, the board noted that Icahn and Deason have targeted management and the board with “personal, unsubstantiated attacks that we believe have been damaging to Xerox.”
Xerox had asked that its appeal be heard quickly, “concerned that a delay might endanger the proposed deal.”
“We see several paths to victory – but none of them involve selling a 50.1% interest in Xerox in a deal that offers no control premium and leaves shareholders vulnerable to oppression by an overlord that is embroiled in an ever-widening accounting scandal,” said Icahn and Deason.
“Over the next few months, we intend to see that ‘massively conflicted’ Jeff Jacobson and old guard directors like Bob Keegan, Ann Reese and Chuck Prince, who have already done so much damage to the company, and are continuing to do more damage with these actions, are held fully and personally liable for their misconduct.”
The appeal also states that the decision harms Xerox shareholders by preventing them from voting on the proposed Xerox-Fuji Xerox merger that the Xerox board concluded was both “value-maximizing and the only available option.”
Fujifilm will review its plan to purchase Xerox for $6.1 billion, but also is said to have expressed serious concerns over the new developments.
The new Xerox board will meet immediately to discuss alternatives to the proposed Xerox-Fuji Xerox merger.
Deason argues that Xerox CEO Jeff Jacobson “acted without authorization” to negotiate a deal with Fujifilm, a deal that is is said to have “preserved his job at the expense of shareholder value.
On Wednesday, Xerox also said that Xerox shareholders should disregard information from Icahn and Deason, stating the two are conducting a “highly disingenuous campaign” that distorts and omits key facts about Xerox and the proposed merger.
Xerox shareholders will vote on the proposed merger of Xerox with Fuji Xerox sometime next month.
On April 17th, activist investors Carl Icahn and Darwin Deason, seeking to stop Fujifilm’s acquisition of Xerox for $6.1 billion and the creation of a new combined Xerox-Fuji Xerox, released a detailed presentation, Rescuing and Revitalizing an American Icon, that presents alternatives to the proposed deal.


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Yacht Club Games announced that Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove has reached a new milestone of 2 million copies sold worldwide since its release in June 2014.
Shovel Knight reached 1 million about 18 months after its original debut, then it has reached the 2 million marker at the end of February 2018 about 26 months after that.
The developers even provided a sales breakdown by platform which you can check below:
Yacht Club Games pointed out that the Switch version of Shovel Knight is the third best-selling platform with only a single year of sales under its belt and sold about 370k units.
Here’s a look at some less specific data with a new platform graphs:
PC was the previous leader for units sold in the first month at 70k but the Switch broke the record by selling around 110k in its launch month, as you can see with the yellow spike in the second graph.
Here’s a graph of the total of all platforms with listing of major releases:
And a breakdown of all the above info:
- We sold over 125k more units in 2017 than 2016! But 60% of those units were sold on Switch. Outside of Nintendo platforms, our sales dipped by about 30% in 2017. However in total, 2017 was our second best year in unit sales.
- Although sales are strong due to Switch, February was our worst sales month since October 2014. Oh no! Hopefully that just means people were busy buying other cool games.
- Perhaps the best indicator of how our sales are progressing from year to year – our rough Windows units sold each year:
170k (2014)->140k (2015) -> 100k (2016) -> 75k (2017)
- We passed 1 million units sold on Nintendo platforms alone in September 2017!
Lastly, some interesting facts about the longevity of the current platforms:
- We sold about 500 copies on PS3 in April 2016 just in the US. That seems very high given where the PS3 was at in its life cycle! But we only sold about 30 units in October 2017 on PS3. So, at least for us, that marks PS3’s mighty reign as coming to a close. A similar story could be told for the Vita where we sold 1.8k units in April 2016 in the US. Now we’re down to ~170 units in October 2017.
- PS4 sales have stayed remarkably steady. In October 2016 we sold about 2000. Guess how much we sold in October 2017? About 2000 units! The same consistency in monthly units applies to Xbox One as well.
- We sold over 2000 units on Wii U October 2016, but only over 300 in October 2017. Switch has definitely taken the Wii U’s glory!
- We sold about 2000 units on 3DS in October 2017 compared to about 4500 in October 2016. This leads us to believe that 3DS is still fairly strong (it isn’t too far from the game’s natural decline).
You can check out some more interesting data over at Yacht Club Games’ official website.
Shovel Knight is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, and PC.


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FILE PHOTO: The logo and ticker for Campbell Soup Co. are displayed on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., May 18, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
(Reuters) – Campbell Soup Co said on Friday it would sell its Bolthouse Farms business to an affiliate of private equity firm Butterfly Equity for $510 million, in the U.S. food company’s first major sale as part of its plan to reduce debt.
With the completion of deal, expected by July 2019, Campbell will have divested its entire fresh division, it said. In February, it agreed to sell salsa maker Garden Fresh Gourmet to a unit of Fountain of Health USA, which makes hummus, dips and prepared salads.
Butterfly said its


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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced a nationwide product recall of Build-A-Bear Workshop’s Love.Hugs.Peace lapel pins.
Build-A-Bear voluntarily recalled the product when high levels of lead were found in the surface paints on the pin. The level of lead that the pins contain violates the federal lead paint standards. Consumers can receive a $5 store coupon by returning their lapel pin to a Build-A-Bear store or by contacting Build-A-Bear for additional refund options.
If your child has been a victim of lead paint poisoning, the negligent company should be held responsible. Contact the St. Louis dangerous toy defect lawyers of the Finney Law Office by calling 314-646-0300 today.