text:
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – A fundraising project introduced years ago by a group of Indianapolis students has turned into a unique educational opportunity and beloved holiday tradition in Broad Ripple.
Students at the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ISBVI) began handcrafting packets of glittery oats, marketed as “magic reindeer food,” in 2001 to raise money for student activities and classroom needs.
Sprinkling the special oats on your lawn on Christmas Eve will help guide Santa’s reindeer to your house, legend goes, unless you’re already on his naughty list.
ISBVI’s elementary-aged students delighted in making the reindeer food but initially only sold about 50 bags, with sales limited to their campus. 16 years later, demand has exploded and production involves students of every age working in assembly line fashion to fill orders totaling more than 1,000 bags each year.
“I never expected it to get as big as it has,” said retired teacher Lynn Baize. “We’ve really created a tradition.”
Shops, restaurants and galleries throughout Broad Ripple – in addition to kiosks at the annual Lights Up! festival – sell the packets of glittery oats for $1 each.
Baize, who taught at ISBVI for 43 years before retiring and returning as a volunteer, revealed the not-so-secret ingredient in magic reindeer food: magic.
“If you can believe in this magic, then you can believe in being part of something bigger than yourself,” she explained. “For children with disabilities, sometimes their world is kind of small. [This project] is a great way for that world to be bigger, to recognize that they’re participating in something bigger and that they share it with other children.”
Simply measuring and scooping a cup of oats has been an impressive feat for some children, Baize said.
“There are so many things we may take for granted that not all children can do,” she told 24-Hour News 8. “Opening and closing a plastic [Ziploc] bag can even be hard but doing it repetitively – as part of a project they enjoy – is a great way to learn.”
The extended concentration, fine motor skills and teamwork required to produce magic reindeer food are the same skills needed for technical jobs sought by many ISBVI students after graduating. Alumni working at Bosma Enterprises, a non-profit supporting Hoosiers with low or no vision, have been hired for a range of positions that call for skills “directly related to what they learned while scooping oats for Santa’s reindeer,” Baize explained.
She grew emotional while recalling students who had graduated, grown up and then returned with their own children to share the holiday tradition with them, as well as community members who returned each year to local shops and festivals looking for the magic reindeer food.
“That’s the magic of tradition,” said Baize.
Magic reindeer food can be found this holiday season at the businesses listed below. Proceeds from sales support the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
- Artifacts Gallery
- The Blue Door
- The Bungalow, Inc.
- Deering Cleaners
- Haus Love
- HoiTEA ToiTEA
- Hubbard and Cravens
- Just Pop In
- Marigold Clothing
- Ossip Optometry
- Runners Forum
- Union Jack Pub


text:
Paper or plastic?
How about neither?
Florida environmental officials want to make the state the first in the nation to prohibit throwaway plastic and paper bags.
The proposed ban would follow a five-year phaseout during which escalating fees, starting at a nickel a bag, would be imposed whenever such bags were used. Such a statewide fee -- which would also be a national first -- is already drawing criticism as a type of tax.
The state Department of Environmental Protection thinks the manufacture of paper bags is as much of a pollution problem as the disposal of plastic bags. The thin plastic bags now used by most supermarket chains and other retailers are a source of litter across landscapes and on ocean currents, where they can kill marine animals and birds; they're also a headache for those who maintain storm drains and landfill machinery.
Still, use of throwaway bags would be a tough habit to break: Floridians churned through more than 5 billion disposable plastic and paper bags in 2003, the most recent year for which figures are available. But DEP officials aren't deterred.
"There won't be any problem finding reusable bags," said Ron Henricks, the agency's recycling-program environmental manager in Tallahassee. "What we are hoping is that, as the fee ramps up over the years, people are going to find it as more incentive to use reusable bags."
The agency's proposal stems from the Energy, Climate Change and Economic Security Act of 2008, which calls for the DEP to propose regulations governing the use of disposal bags. The law also prohibits Florida cities from imposing their own rules for disposal bags, something store owners say would create chaos.
The DEP's solution is to follow the lead of San Francisco and a scattering of other communities by banning the bags. Several states have talked about adopting such a measure statewide, but so far none has adopted one.
Now it's the Florida Legislature's turn to act, with consideration of the DEP's proposal coming as early as next year's spring session. By then, lawmakers will have had an earful from supporters and critics.
"We need to stop using plastic bags for groceries," said Keep Seminole Beautiful Director Mike Barr.
"We used to have paper bags, and people would worry about chopping down trees. And then we got plastic bags, and now they worry about petroleum products and turtles," said Rick McAllister, president of the Florida Retail Federation.
The DEP's proposal, quietly released late Tuesday, targets the disposable bags provided by a wide variety of businesses, from supermarkets to fast-food restaurants, convenience stores to dry cleaners.
Items exempt from the proposed ban would include bags for produce and sub sandwiches -- carryout containers, tissue, bubble plastic used to cushion delicate items, and newspaper bags.
McAllister said that, after a quick read of the DEP's report Wednesday, he considers the recommendation "draconian." He said stores have made great strides with voluntary efforts to recycle disposal bags and give away or sell reusable bags.
"The real trick here is to get consumers to change their behavior," he said. "And we are making great progress. It's almost like this issue has found its remedy already."
By the fifth and final year of the state's proposed phaseout, anyone wanting a paper or plastic bag for merchandise would be charged a quarter a bag.
"That's a heavy tax on Florida citizens -- on everybody," McAllister said.
Publix spokesman Dwaine Stevens said his company is neutral on a paper-and-plastic ban. But customers at the College Park Publix were quick to weigh in Tuesday.
"I don't think it's something the government should be involved with," Michael House said.
"If they did ban them, I wouldn't have a problem with it," Veronica Mitchell said.
Pearlena Shepherd's actions spoke louder than words. She arrived at the supermarket with a large, insulated bag that she already has used at least "20 times" for grocery shopping.
Whole Foods Market stopped giving out plastic bags last year. About 20 percent to 30 percent of customers now bring reusable bags, and the percentage doing so continues to rise, said regional marketing director Russ Benblatt.
"At the very beginning . . . there were a few people who, once they got their groceries home, would reuse the plastic bags, and those were the ones who weren't too thrilled," Benblatt said. "But if that resulted in 2 percent of our customers being unhappy, that's probably a high estimate."
Jim Becker, director of Orange County's landfill, wouldn't miss plastic bags, a type of trash that seems to grow wings in even the lightest breeze.
He once spotted what he thought were three birds soaring high over the landfill.
"It turned out they were plastic bags caught in a thermal," he said.

domain: news


text:
GoPro, the maker of the most versatile action-camera on the market, submitted a Form S-1 registration for an initial public offering (IPO) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) seeking to raise $100 million. The filing revealed that the company is profitable with almost $1 billion revenue last year.
GoPro is filing to trade on the NASDAQ exchange under the ticker symbol GPRO.
For the first quarter of 2022, the Voss Value Fund returned -5.5% net of fees and expenses compared to a -7.5% total return for the Russell 2000 and a -4.6% total return for the S&P 500. According to a copy of the firm’s first-quarter letter to investors, a copy of which ValueWalk has been able Read More
The company said it plans to use the net proceeds from its offering for general corporate purposes including working capital and full repaying its term-loan under its credit facility, as well as acquiring or investing in complementary businesses, technologies or assets.
Nick Woodman, the founder and chief executive officer of GoPro, previously stated that his company “has been profitable since day one.”
GoPro confidentially filed its IPO registration with the SEC last February. Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) also took advantage of such process, which is permitted by the 2012 Jumpstart Our Business Startups or JOBS Act. The law relieves emerging growth companies with less than $1 billion total annual gross sales from certain regulatory and disclosure requirements.
GoPro’s sales increased significantly over the past three years. In 2011, the action-camera maker generated $234.1 million sales. Its sales went up by 124% to $526.7 million the following year, and $985.7 million in 2013, an increase of 87%. During the first quarter of 2014, the company posted $235.7 million in sales.
The firm’s net income also rose steadily from $24.6 million in 2011, $32.3 million in 2012, and $60.6 million last year. During the three-month period ended March 31, 2014, GoPro achieved a net income of $11 million.
According to the company, it sold more than 8.5 million HD cameras since its launch in 2009. Last year alone, GoPro sold 3.8 million HD cameras. GoPro cameras are available in 100 countries and through 25,000 retail stores.
The action-camera maker also allows the production of entertaining and inspiring content via user-generated content or GoPro-originally produced content, which it refers to as GoPro programming.
According to the company, GoPro programming plays a vital role in attracting and exciting consumers, and it is distributed through GoPro Networks—a collection of GoPro channels hosted on different platforms such as Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), Instagram, Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR), and YouTube, the video service of Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL).
GoPro has 1.8 million subscribers on YouTube and more than 450 million video views. During the first quarter of this year, GoPro’s channel on the platform ranked number one on the Brand Channel Leaderboard.
The company said it has not generated revenue from the distribution of, or social engagement with, its content on GoPro Network as of December 31, 2013. GoPro indicated its “plan to pursue new revenue opportunities from the distribution of engaging GoPro content in the near term.”


text:
Turn your website security up to 11 with captchas that challenge you to identify heavy-metal band names based on their logos.
The two prepaid wireless carriers are offering a 1-gigabyte option for $5, and 2GB for $10.
Nintendo and Square unveil plenty of games at their respective press conferences, while more details were uncovered about the biggest games of E3 2015.
BARCELONA -- Silent Circle's locked-down smartphone has a 5.5-inch display and sports an octa-core processor. Take a look in our hands-on photos.
In a new parody trailer for "50 Shades of Grey," it's not Lego minifigs getting down and dirty on camera. It's Christian Grey played by...Steve Buscemi? Caution: not safe for work.
Which has the most apps? Which has the coolest features? Which one is the best? The most popular streamers all have their merits, so we'll help you decide which box is right for you.
Company reportedly promises do-it-yourself headset kits to programmers at an upcoming Russian hackathon, to nudge them into testing ideas for virtual-reality apps.
Technically Incorrect: From the huge doors of Apple Stores to the architecture that generally makes you feel small, Apple shows many characteristics of a clever sect. So says an intellectual.
The creator and star of a new Web series making fun of the sci-fi convention experience tells us how his moment of panic led him to create "Con Man".
We already can't wait for VR headsets to hit retail shelves en masse, but this huge parallel cable robot with VR simulation makes us even more excited about the future of virtual reality. Bonus: its creators think it could go beyond games and into teaching, research and medical studies.


text:
April 26, 2018: Escondido, CA - CommUSA was recently named a Motorola Solutions "Empower Circle" winner for 2017. CommUSA is a Platinum Channel Partner and earned this prestigious honor that recognizes Motorola Solutions’ independent distributors, resellers, and dealers for outstanding sales performance and customer service.
“We are honored to be recognized by Motorola Solutions with this prestigious award and thank our strong team of industry professionals and our valued customers for this award,” said Jim Guscette, President, CommUSA.
Empower Circle is a coveted recognition award among Motorola Solutions’ global partner network. CommUSA has won the award eight times throughout the years.


text:
NAM: Monday Economic Report
Beyond the national numbers, the regional trends have also been encouraging, including the surveys from the Dallas and Richmond Federal Reserve Banks last week. In Texas, manufacturing activity in February expanded at a pace not seen since April 2006. The recent gains in business confidence can largely be attributed to better energy commodity prices and from a post-election boost in overall sentiment. At the same time, sample comments also suggest a number of anxieties, including a strong U.S. dollar, uncertainties about trade policy moving forward and continuing challenges in attracting qualified labor. Similar trends were seen in the mid-Atlantic region. In fact, in the Richmond Federal Reserve’s report, new orders grew at their fastest rate since April 2010, which should bode well for activity moving forward, particularly if it can be sustained. Both surveys found respondents very positive about the next six months.
With that said, there has often been a split in recent months between sentiment survey optimism and “real” data about the economy. Indeed, the sizable gains seen in confidence reports have not carried through to government-produced indicators, which have continued to remind us about the challenges in the sector over the past two years. Along those lines, new durable goods orders rose 1.8 percent in January, up for the first time in three months, but excluding transportation equipment sales, new orders fell 0.2 percent for the month. Large jumps in defense and nondefense aircraft and parts orders, which can be highly volatile from month to month, skewed the January data. Over the past 12 months, new durable goods orders declined 0.6 percent; however, this figure grew 2.4 percent year-over-year when excluding transportation equipment.
In addition, private manufacturing construction spending picked up slightly in January after falling to a two-year low in December. While manufacturing construction has largely trended higher over the past few years, activity has stalled more recently as the sector has grappled with sluggish growth and economic and political anxieties. Along those lines, construction activity in the manufacturing sector has pulled sharply lower since achieving the all-time high in September 2015. Over the past 12 months, manufacturing construction spending has fallen 6.8 percent.
Meanwhile, the latest revision to GDP data, which found the U.S. economy grew 1.9 percent in the fourth quarter, noted a significant drag from net exports. This appears to have continued into the new year. According to advance statistics, the goods trade deficit jumped from $64.36 billion in December to $69.22 billion in January in preliminary data. If that number holds, it would be the highest goods trade deficit since March 2015. The GDP release, however, did find that consumer spending was stronger than estimated originally, with Americans more willing to open their pocketbooks than this time last year. Yet, personal spending slowed in January after the strong gains in December. More positively, however, personal spending grew 4.7 percent year-over-year in January, its highest level since November 2014. That strong growth was consistent with a lower saving rate, which fell from 6.2 percent in January 2016 to 5.5 percent today. The pickup in spending mirrored better assessments on the economy, with the Conference Board’sconsumer confidence measure rising to its highest level since July 2001.
The focus this week will be jobs. On Friday, we will get national employment numbers for February from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with manufacturers hoping to build on the job gains in both December and January. Look for nonfarm payrolls to increase around 180,000 in February. Other economic highlights this week include the latest figures for consumer credit, factory orders and shipments, international trade and productivity.


text:
Chick-fil-A's newest little chick is settling in as a free-standing restaurant with drive-through at 2140 Coliseum Drive. The new location, next to Sports Authority and the Farm Fresh under construction, will complement the existing location inside Coliseum Mall. The opening is tentatively scheduled for June.
"It's not uncommon when we build free-standing restaurants near mall locations," explained Jerry Johnston, manager of public relations for Chick-fil- A Inc. "We have found that a lot of our freestanding locations complement the mall stores."
The Hampton plan is much like the set-up when a free-standing restaurant popped up near Patrick Henry Mall in Newport News, which also has an in- mall Chick-fil-A. If the length of lines are any indication, the chain could still turn a profit if it planted a restaurant at each intersection in Hampton Roads.
"Our street locations' hours are much longer - 6:30 a.m.-10 p.m.," added Johnston of the benefits of a free-standing site. "We do as much as 50 percent of our business through drive-through windows."
The company found that many people wanted the option to pick up a chicken sandwich without negotiating crowded mall food courts. The 3,800- square-foot restaurant will have seating for roughly 120 customers and also unveil a new look, including a two-story indoor playground.
"We had a new design that rolled out in 1998," Johnston explained. "It's very attractive - there are a lot of visuals in there. It tells the history of Chick-fil-A, information about the company, how the sandwich was created and our philanthropic activities. We share a little bit about our history, our culture. Visually, it's very nice."
The chain, which originated in malls, is based in Atlanta and has more than 900 restaurants in 35 states and South Africa.
BUYER POWER. Patrick Henry Mall management in Newport News has announced that 1999 sales for The Gap and Express hit the $2 million mark. Also recognized were 21 other stores that reached the $1 million level: AMC Theaters, American Eagle, B. Moss, Bath & Body Works, Chick-fil-A, Deb, Electronics Boutique, Fashion Bug, Finish Line, Kay- Bee Toys, Kay Jewelers, Kirklands, Ruby Tuesday, S&K; Famous Brands, Software Etc., Structure, 20/20 Eyecare, Victoria's Secret, The Wall, Whitehall Jewelers and Zales. The mall also has announced that The Picture People and the Children's Place will open this spring, replacing Lane Bryant and the Limited, which vacated in February.
BROWSING. Robinson Sigma Commercial Real Estate Inc. has announced the following lease signings:
* Comptek Federal Systems leased 1,603 square feet at the Morgan Marrow Building in Hampton.
* Computer Sciences Corp. leased 4,208 square feet at Lakefront Plaza I in Hampton.
* Associates Financial Services Co. leased 1,442 square feet at 22 Enterprise Parkway, Hampton.
* Drake Precision Dental leased 3,636 square feet at 704 Middle Ground Blvd., Newport News.


text:
The company will focus on opportunities in the plant-based functional food, nutraceutical, and beverage ingredient markets, and together with collaborator, Virun Nutra-BioSciences, is unveiling its new ingredient platform at IFT 2017 in Las Vegas this week.
“Today we’re pleased to be introducing Algarithm as a new and innovative omega 3 provider that will leverage POS Bio-Science’s existing expertise in omega 3 processing to meet the explosive growth we see in the consumer markets for plant-based DHA ingredients,” said Dale Kelly, CEO of POS Bio-Sciences. “We have a marketplace ready for change and we plan to be the defacto source for high value ingredients from algal oil.”
The company is partnering with Virun to produce retail-ready algal oil powders and emulsions derived from its unique 40% DHA algal oil.
“We’re not the first to put omega-3s in food and beverage but we think Virun’s technology is providing something that hasn’t been done before,” Kelly told us. “The market is ready for an alternative to Martek/DSM.”
Algarithm will offer the ingredients to the dietary supplement space but the greater opportunity is in food, beverage and sports nutrition.
Sustainable with good shelf-stable
Algarithm is using an innovative water extraction processing technique that improves taste and diminishes odors, producing oils, powders, and emulsions that deliver on price, taste, sustainability and convenience of formulation.
The powders are vegan, water dispersible, non-GMO, have a high DHA concentration, have a one-year shelf life, said the company, and provide flexibility for beverage and baking applications. They are offered in three flavors – citrus/berry, chocolate, and vanilla.
Retail-ready emulsions with flavors that span from tangerine and key lime to chocolate and churro are also available through the relationship with Virun.
“The Algarithm ingredients leverage the Virun Esolv technology and have exceptional flavor systems, shelf life, and most importantly are plant-based,” said Philip Bromley, CEO and Co- Founder at Virun. “These unique attributes enable Algarithm to support the incredible demand for omega 3s, sustainability, and solvent-free food and beverages, while making them the ideal partner.”
Kelly told us that the algae production is fully scaled up and that the supply of raw crude is supported by a depth of technology and capital – “We can provide up to 40 tons per week,” he said. The price is “very competitive”, he added.


text:
Amazon earns 'F' on chemical-disclosure report card
Here's one area where Wal-Mart Stores is handily beating Amazon.com: telling shoppers what ingredients are in the products they're buying.
That's the conclusion of a scorecard that ranks major retailers' policies on harmful chemicals. Wal-Mart holds the top spot, followed by Target Corp. Amazon occupies last place in the study, which is scheduled to be released Wednesday.
The report by Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, a Washington-based coalition that advocates the use of more healthful products, ranked the 11 biggest merchants on a 130-point scale. The scores are based on 13 metrics, including ingredient disclosure, credible safety screening and efforts to find safer alternatives.
"Our policy is really to encourage a race to the top among leading retailers," said Mike Schade, who leads the group's retail campaign and co-wrote the report. "It's more critical now than ever for big retailers, companies like Amazon and Costco, to use their multibillion-dollar purchasing power to drive toxic chemicals out of consumer products."
Consumers, retailers and manufacturers are all taking a closer look at what goes into the products they buy, sell and make as evolving science points to harm even from small exposures of some chemicals and techniques. That's prompted the two largest U.S. retailers, Wal-Mart and Target, to introduce programs in the past three years to minimize the use of toxic ingredients in the products they offer.
Wal-Mart, Target and CVS Health Corp. were commended for "making meaningful progress toward adopting policies for safer chemicals and products." Wal-Mart scored a B, with 78.5 points, closely followed by Target at 76.5. CVS was graded C, with a score of 53.
"We continue to apply a rigorous process in identifying chemicals of concern," said Eileen Howard Boone, a senior vice president at CVS Health. "Our goal is to ensure we meet consumer demand for safe, effective and environmentally preferred ingredients and provide sufficient information to educate our customers."
Costco holds the penultimate spot on the list, with an F grade and 9.5 points, while the Internet giant Amazon ranked last with 7.5.
In July, Wal-Mart released a list of eight high-priority chemical groups it's asked suppliers to eliminate, elaborating on a policy announced in 2013 to offer cleaning and personal-care products with safer ingredients.
Target, meanwhile, has expanded its own three-year-old program that rewards suppliers that list ingredients and choose safer substances. It added the cosmetics category and increased the number of substances it wants vendors to avoid.
Concern about harmful substances in the products they come into close contact with "is very much top-of-mind" for its customers, said Jennifer Silberman, Target's vice president of wellness and sustainability. "We know that our guests are asking for greater transparency."
Best Buy Co. and Walgreens Boots Alliance have both promised to develop written safer chemical policies, the report said. They ranked fourth and seventh, respectively.
Wal-Mart, Costco and Walgreens didn't respond to a request for comment on the report, while Amazon had no immediate comment. Best Buy confirmed that it is working on a written policy but declined to comment further.


text:
The CMA’s final decision isn’t due until May, but the Sainsbury’s-Asda merger now looks unlikely to happen. The CMA’s interim report offers a breathing space to a host of people – the other supermarkets, wholesalers and buying groups, independent retailers and symbol groups, suppliers and their logistics partners.
Observers expect plenty of plotting as these interested parties assess the opportunities the parked merger presents, followed by some exciting developments, not least Sain-sda’s next move.
Having hosted Live Aid and other historic events, Wembley Stadium was the obvious setting for the first ‘Diversity in Inclusion in Grocery’ conference, as we report. The vision of five founding companies, Tesco, Accenture, P&G, Mondelez and Coca Cola, in partnership with Grocery Aid, the prime focus was gender equality but LGBTQ+ rights, disability inclusion and mental health were also covered. We look forward to more such events.
Over a quarter of shoppers are either stockpiling or plan to ahead of Brexit. GlobalData’s retail tracker shows consumers take the possibility of a ‘no-deal’ increasingly seriously. GlobalData’s Thomas Brereton says two-thirds of shoppers believe food and grocery prices will rise “notably.”
Despite smoking rates and sales volumes declining, the British tobacco market remains bullish, says Paul Coggins at Imperial Tobacco in our Tobacco feature. Roll Your Own has been consistently growing, speeding up since the packaging and display regulations took effect in 2017. HMRC has appointed De La Rue to implement the upcoming track and trace system for tobacco sold in the UK. Speaking of which, 60% of retailers JTI surveyed were unsure when the track and trace rules come in (it’s May 20th.) At £8billion and growing soft drinks is one of the most profitable categories, growing eight percent annually. In our feature, Britvic reckon the sugar tax has served its purpose in prompting consumers to rethink their consumption, with growing numbers switching from full sugar to low and no added sugar options.
A recent IGD report forecasts UK food to go sales reaching £23.5bn by 2022, from £17.4bn in 2017. In our feature, as the supermarkets’ convenience outlets develop, FTG is one of their main shopper destinations.
In Household & Laundry, with more women working and consumers shopping locally more often, big detergent packs and so on still hold sway but convenience format stores’ sales are growing.
And finally, let’s have a bit of glamour. RH Amar bought Mary Berry’s Foods in 2014 but still consult the great lady on brand developments. In our Meet the Marketer interview Anne-Marie Cannon, Mary Berry’s Brand Manager, unveils the dressings and sauces’ colourful new look ahead of the summer sales season. As Mary likes to say, scrumptious!


text:
Play your cards right and you can save yourself a bundle on holiday.
Credit card users are hit by a double whammy. First, they can be lumbered with hefty fees. Then they risk being tempted to spend too much or to draw out cash - an expensive way of getting currency.
The solution? Budget-conscious families hit by the credit crunch are turning their back on borrowing their holiday money. They are taking more cash with them - on average £200 extra compared to last year - and are ferreting out better exchange rate deals before they go.
And many are using pre-payment cards which give the convenience of carrying plastic instead of cash but avoid the temptation to overspend.
Anthony Hudson of Travelex said: "People are managing their money much more carefully."
He advises people to order foreign currency online to get discounts.
With Travelex, you can pick up cash ordered online at one of their airport shops.
You can pre-order through your own bank or building society - but be wary of delivery charges.
Tesco Clubcard holders can get 25 points for every £250 of foreign cash they buy and this week the supermarket chain opened its 50th in-branch travel bureau.
If you want a pre-payment card, look at our Best Buys below.
Virgin's Grant Bather said: "They remove the temptation to run up debt as you can only spend the amount you load on it."
But beware of the costs. Some charge as much as £19.95 to set up and many add on monthly fees.
Single Hannah Feltham stuck firmly to a budget on holiday this year - and saved herself £150.
She went to Ibiza for a week last month just like she did last year.
But this time she refused to use her credit card for holiday spending.
Hannah, 27, of Borough, south London, who works in food marketing, said: "I went well over my budget last year. So this year I ordered my currency through Travelex long before I left."


text:
City of Lubbock Abandoned Vehicle Auction Happening January 18th
This month's City of Lubbock Abandoned Vehicle Auction is happening on Saturday, January 18th. Approximately 150 cars will be sold at Lubbock Wrecker Service on Slaton Highway.
A complete list of vehicles to be auctioned can be found here. Registration for the auction ends at 10am so bidders are encouraged to arrive early.
For more information and the rules for auction click here.


text:
Gender neutral has also gone more mainstream with the popularity of trendy streetwear brands like Supreme and Palace Skateboards, Picquot explained. These brands are more focused on being of the moment than defining themselves along gendered lines. The trend toward non-gendered clothing has been reinforced by a lot of the young models, such as skater girl and fashion darling Natalie Westling.
Retail has met the gender neutral trend with spaces that offer gender-free shopping. The most publicized example has been Selfridges’ store-in-store called Agender that specialized in gender-fluid labels. The concept has gotten a mixed reception. Picquot said that the space seemed to function as more of a marketing tool than a functional store, and it was confusing enough that it didn’t really appeal to anyone.
WGSN Youth Editor Shanu Walpita commented on gender neutral retail, “Commerciality of a trend like this is always a bit tricky, as retailers have the potential to come across as fake, or as if they are appropriating a youth zeitgeist in a generic way.” Walpita suggested that the easiest way for mass market retailers to adapt the genderless trend would be to focus on basics, which have a natural capacity for unisex dressing.
Retailers that attempt to cater to a more specific customer within the gender neutral sector have received more positive receptions. Wildfang, a retailer in Portland, Ore. begun by two Nike alums, meets the market’s perceived need for tomboy styles. The store stocks men’s, women’s and unisex brands.
Emma McIlroy, CEO and co-founder of Wildfang, said that traditional menswear silhouettes have done the best for the retailer, as Wildfang’s customer has difficulty finding well-fitting versions of these items elsewhere. The retailer also works to make sure that the items will suit a diversity of customers. “We work really hard, trying on every item we buy on multiple body types to ensure we feel good about offering it to our community,” McIlroy said.
Kirrin Finch, a menswear-inspired shirting brand that targets a female and trans audience, also knows the importance of fit. When the brand held its first fit event, attendees said that they had not found any options for menswear-inspired women’s clothing that fit them correctly. Kirrin Finch Co-founder Laura Moffat said women often end up choosing a good fit instead of the style they prefer, “They’ll end up settling with something that is a bit too feminine or frilly for them.” She continued, “It’s a bit of a conundrum.”
In adapting the traditional men’s button-down for women, Kirrin Finch grapples with a number of fit issues. One of the challenges the brand encounters is that men’s button-down shirts gape over the bosom, a problem which the designers are trying to solve by adding extra buttons and removing darts. The brand is also making the circumference around the neck smaller and putting in a strong fusible for a bow tie or tie, since women’s shirts often scrunch around the neck and don’t keep a clean line.
Most mainstream labels have given nothing more than a head nod to women looking to dress in a more masculine style, adding a single button-down shirt or blazer. Kelly Sanders Moffat, Kirrin Finch’s other co-founder, succinctly summed up the issue, “I don’t want a boyfriend fit. I want a fit for me.”
Formalwear is an especially important category to address for individuals who don’t want to conform to gender norms, explained Mary Going, founder of Saint Harridan, a formal menswear brand for women and trans men. The company specializes in suits, shirting and vests. “The farther you go on the spectrum of formality, the more differentiated it is to be one gender or another.” She continued, “When you’re going to a baseball game, you can get away with khakis and a T-shirt no matter your gender.”
It is these small brands that have proved there is a growing market for clothing that does not apply to traditional gender roles. Both Saint Harridan and Kirrin Finch got their start on Kickstarter, and both brands easily exceeded their goals. Going said, “That Kickstarter was designed to answer the question ‘Is this a good idea?” She continued, “We got emails from people all over the world saying, ‘This is what I have been waiting for my whole entire life.’”
If larger brands and retailers are able to find a genuine way to address the growing individuality of consumers, gender neutral could become an established category in contemporary apparel.


text:
Rhone is taking its show on the road.The men's activewear brand, which received an investment from L Catterton earlier this year, has created Walden House, a mobile house that will embark on a multicity tour later this month where it will unveil product launches and partnerships.“As we further explore our direct-to-consumer retail efforts, pop-up executions allow Rhone to gain deeper insight by immersing the brand in our key markets,” said Nate Checketts, Rhone cofounder and chief executive officer.Walden House was created in partnership with New Frontier, a design firm that is a leader in the tiny house field. The 192-square-foot space features “garage doors” made of glass, organic shiplap walls, barn wood, walnut custom boxes and black plumbing pipe.Walden House will make its debut at Domain in Austin, Tex., on Oct. 15 and will remain there through Jan. 15 before traveling to Las Vegas for the Project show Feb. 12-14. It will then move on to the Westfield Old Orchard in Skokie, Ill., from March 1-May 31. The Walden House will also travel throughout the summer in locations still to be determined.The Connecticut-based Rhone said Walden House was inspired by Henry David Thoreau’s novel “Walden” and “created as a reminder that fitness is a life force, that nature is noble and together we are a tonic for our time.”Checketts said, "We knew retail was a big opportunity for us but we didn't know where the best locations would be. We wanted to test but we wanted to do it in a way that was authentic to Rhone — our style and culture. Part of Rhone’s ethos is taking a heritage approach towards crafting clothing and marrying that with a modern aesthetic and tech. That’s exactly what Walden House could be for us — what appears like a log cabin and the simplest form of living inspired by Thoreau married with an all-new concept for retail."'Even so, the brand is not abandoning the traditional pop-up format and has opened a 247-square-foot shop at Brookfield Place that will remain open through the spring. The shop is located on the first floor of the shops at 230 Vesey Street and features an industrial, rugged design with repurposed wood, custom blackened steel and metal mesh fixtures.For the holiday season, it will also open a pop-up in Roosevelt Field in Garden City, N.Y., that will debut on Nov. 9 and remain through Feb. 28.The pop-ups will serve to introduce variations of the brand’s best-selling styles such as its Commuter Pant, in addition to new product launches and a more complete line of accessories including water bottles, backpacks, duffel bags, gym towels and laundry bags, the company said.Rhone was founded in 2014 and is currently sold at all Equinox locations, select REI and Bloomingdale’s stores, Peloton Studios and some 150 specialty stores and gyms.In March, L Catterton, a partnership between Catterton, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton and Groupe Arnault, invested an undisclosed amount into the brand.
@juicebeauty, where @gwynethpaltrow holds the title of creative director of makeup, has become one of the foremost labels in the organic beauty category –– with sales on track to hit $100 million this year. What’s behind the rapid growth the brand is experiencing right now? It all started in 2005 when the wellness movement was just getting started. Read more on WWD.com. #wwdbeauty
Stay up to do date with breaking news and trending stories with WWD’s “The Essentialist.” Our newsletter delivers the top news in fashion right to your inbox. Want more info? Link in bio. #wwdfashion (📷: @kukukuba)
"I want to tell a story that inspires people to feel good about themselves, but also I'm making a commentary about the lack of female stories and female directors and saying this should change," said @imheathergraham on her latest project "Half Magic." The comedy feature, which the actress wrote and directed, is based on her own struggles as a woman in show business. Read @andrewnodell's full interview with Graham on WWD.com. #wwdeye (📷: @jgreenery)
@meltcosmetics cofounders @lora_arellano and @danabomar built their brand on a single idea: a true matte lipstick. To set the brand apart, they said they always put their customers first –– including a personalized note in each package. #wwdsummits #wwdbeauty
@moncler unveiled its latest project, #MonclerGenius, yesterday at Milan Fashion Week. The Italian outwear maker gave show-goers a preview of the monthly collections – which were created by eight designers and creative talents including Pierpaolo Piccioli, Simone Rocha, Craig Green and more – that will start rolling out in the summer.


text:
Tags: Terex Cedarapids MVP 459X cone crusher
The new Terex Cedarapids MVP450X cone crusher was also on display in the Terex booth. The crusher boasts major new enhancements, including high-speed clearing of jammed material, quick crusher separation capability for fast manganese changes, and easy-to-operate computer controls. The ...
Your complete guide to new and updated equipment and supplies in the aggregates industry. By Kerry Clines, Senior Editor Fills triaxle, on-highway trucks in two passes Volvo Construction Equipment unveiled its brand new L250G wheel loader at ConExpo-Con/Agg. The company says it is ...
SUBSCRIBE & FOLLOW
- Atlanta turning quarry into one of America's largest reservoirs490 Views
- VIDEO: World conference discusses Lafarge-Holcim merger442 Views
- Controversial quarry granted permit by Indiana Department of Natural Resources424 Views
- PHOTOS: Reclamation photo contest entries showcase post-mining opportunities365 Views
- The final Waters of the U.S. rule has been released to the Federal Register357 Views


text:
Inside a sprawling recycling focus inside Florida, as bottles, cans, boxes, and other recyclables move down conveyor belts, 14 different robots use synthetic cleverness to identify every material and immediately sort it, moving 2 times as quickly as people doing the same work. The center, called Single flow Recyclers, is 1 of the latest to install technology from Amp Robotics, a startup that is colorado-based desires to help the recycling industry deal with its current challenges.
“We think that this will be transformative technology for the recycling industry, because for initially, one can see and understand all the of all different consumer packaged goods, as well as if you can see and sense that and record what’s going on, that opens up all kinds of automation,” says Matanya Horowitz, founder as well as chief executive officer at AMP Robotics. The company announced today that that it includes raised $16 million inside a series A round of funding light-emitting diode simply by Sequoia Capital, which is investing in the circular economy for the time that is first.
The recycling industry in a U.S. is still in crisis nearly a couple of years after China banned imports to low-value recycling—a ban that made sense, since some shipments were so poorly sorted or contaminated with garbage that they were nearly worthless. American infrastructure that is recyclingn’t working well, in part because it had previously been easy to outsource a quality challenges to China. As U.S. recyclers struggled to find customers without China, some cities started sending some recyclables to landfills or incinerators; many cities have cut back on the types to material that they accept, or still canceled curbside recycling completely.
Now, unique recycling infrastructure is being built in the U.S. to help fill the gap. But the challenge of sorting out high-value materials still remains. One piece of the problem is what happens at recycling bins, since clients are often confused about what’s actually recyclable. A next problem is what happens at the facilities that kind through truckloads of recycling waste from cities.
AMP’s robots can sort 80 items per minute, roughly twice as much as picker that is human, and can do the work more accurately. The software that runs the robots uses machine learning to recognize each object. “We show the program practically millions of examples to different items, and it numbers out a different habits in our data,” says Horowitz. “It begins to learn things like logos, different shapes, and textures.” A particular logo might be correlated with #1 plastic; a particular shape will probably be correlated with a cereal box.
Until now, most sorting facilities, called recovery that is“material” or MRFs, used equipment off a mining industry which can help identify materials by density or shape. But it’s an imprecise system, and a bale of paper might go plastic that is including or aluminum cans. Workers separating out waste manually can find those contaminants, but facilities this time are often understaffed because the work is monotonous, smelly, and otherwise unpleasant.
It’s a good job for robots because it’s not quite a job that people want, and turnover is same. (For now, human workers work side by side with a robots, helping remove larger contaminants—like pieces of wood, or tricycles—that a robot can’t yet grab.) As the technology develops, the company says that the robots will get even faster. The hardware can be installed along with a facility’s machinery that is existing.
By sorting precisely, that it’s potential to end with high-value materials that a recycling facility can sell at a profit, even inside today’s more complicated recycling market. It’s also potential to pull out materials which haven’t been commonly recycled in the past, like coffee cups, which use high-value paper but have been too complicated to sort. “We were able to teach a robots what coffee cups were, and they can separate them out in industrial volumes,” says Horowitz. “The recycling places, through a software update, had access to a material that is new as well as could sort consumers out and divert consumers from the landfill efficiently.” The technology that is same also become used to sort electronic spend and spend from a construction field.


text:
Bloomberg is reporting that Apple is testing a next-generation Apple TV media-streaming box that will have native 4K video output and other improvements.
The new set-top box is said to release “as soon as this year,” according to sources familiar with the development who spoke with reporter Mark Gurman.
Internally codenamed “J105,” a fifth-generation device will be capable of 4K streaming and should support “more vivid colors,” indicating support for the wide color gamut feature that Apple already introduced in latest iPads and iPhones.
In another sign that a 4K Apple TV may be in the works, Apple recently increased the maximum size of the initial download for tvOS apps from 200 megabytes to four gigabytes to provide a more complete, rich user experience upon installation.
Apple’s Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri said in a recent interview that Apple TV sales declined year-over-year from the 2015 holiday season to this past 2016 holiday period. According to research firm eMarketer, the fourth-generation Apple TV has lost market share since its release in the fall of 2015, with just 11.9 percent of connected television customers using it in January 2017 versus 12.5 percent in September 2016.
Curiously, the Bloomberg story reveals that the Apple TV team debated bundling a gaming controller with the current model to better compete with Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation consoles. Additionally, the fourth-generation Apple TV was originally meant to replace the cable box altogether as early prototypes had connectors for a coaxial port, which sends the live cable TV signal to televisions.
“Under this plan, Apple was to control the interface, collect fees from viewers and then share most of the revenue with the cable and media companies,” reads the report. That never came to be and Apple’s backup plan that called for a $30 to $40 per month skinny bundle of TV programming never materialized either.
Gurman states that one of the prototype version of the Apple TV software which was ultimately abandoned used four tabs in the center of the screen instead of an iPhone-like grid of app icons. Three tabs acted as shortcuts to the device’s main content types (video, music and gaming) and the other was for everything else.
Lastly, the team toyed with another idea that would let viewers pull up previews of content by hovering on each icon. This feature has made it to the current Apple TV software, albeit in a simpler form because only a few of Apple’s bundled apps support content previews in the form of widescreen thumbnails at the top of the screen.
There’s some hope left that the arrival of Timothy D. Twerdhal, the former chief of Amazon’s Fire TV unit who now runs Apple TV operations, will free up his predecessor Pete Distad to secure those content deals and revive the skinny bundle.


text:
Interested in learning what's next for the gaming industry? Join gaming executives to discuss emerging parts of the industry this October at GamesBeat Summit Next. Register today.
Presumably, app discovery on iPhone and iPad is now solved, according to Apple.
Mobile app search service Chomp’s website simply redirects to Apple.com, and the Chomp app no long shows up in iOS app searches. In addition, according to MacRumors, existing users of Chomp who open the app are finding a message from Apple that Chomp is discontinued as of yesterday.
In February, Apple acquired Chomp. Apple kept the web and iOS search capabilities, but it quickly shut down the Android search. Now that iOS 6 is out and shows evidence of Chomp’s fewer-results-more-pictures user interface, Chomp is kaput.
But that may be just the beginning.
MetaBeat will bring together thought leaders to give guidance on how metaverse technology will transform the way all industries communicate and do business on October 4 in San Francisco, CA.
As PocketGamer notes, Apple seems to be clamping down on app-discovery engines in general. Apple has updated its developer guidelines, alerting developers that “apps that display apps other than your own for purchase or promotion in a manner similar to or confusing with the App Store will be rejected.”
Apple recently cracked down on clone apps, but this is different. This seems to be targeting app discovery engines such as Tapjoy, Crosswalk, AppGrooves, and Hubbl. App promo services such as Free App A Day and AppGratis are probably even more at risk.
Of course, one of the problems is that like most app store guidelines, how it will be applied, when it will be applied, and who it will be applied to are all unknowns.
This is almost a one-two punch to app developers.
Already app discovery, although possibly more user-friendly with bigger, more visual app store listings, will show fewer apps per screen (well, precisely one, to be exact). And now app promotion services and discovery services are in danger and, even if they are not removed from the app store, will be less likely to invest and build in new features and functionality.
All of which benefits app incumbents rather than challengers, as incumbents are more likely to have users, downloads, reviews … and therefore rank higher and get the coveted (and now-huge) first search result.
VentureBeat has asked Apple for a comment; we’ll update this story if we hear back.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact. Discover our Briefings.


text:
The Oxford American, a National Magazine Award-winning quarterly that is published by the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, Ark., has included NOPA member Frank Hamrick of Ruston, La. in its “100 under 100: New Superstars of Southern Art” list.
The work of Hamrick, photography coordinator for Ruston’s Louisiana Tech University School of Art, is featured on the magazine’s website, in connection with its latest print issue. The February 2012 issue focuses on the “Visual South.”
All artists listed by the Oxford American were nominated by fellow artists. Hamrick thanked Jim Sherraden, curator at Hatch Show Print of Nashville TN, for his nomination. Hatch is a letterpress print shop renowned for music posters that it has printed for well over a century.
Meanwhile, Hamrick noted that he will be leading two bookmaking workshops in coming months, including:
- A six-session bookmaking workshop at the Masur Museum of Art in Monroe, La., from March 20 through April 4. The workshop sessions will be held on Tuesdays from 6 to 8 p.m. For more information on the classes, you may visit the museum website.
- A two-week paper-making and book arts workshop at the Penland School of Crafts in Penland NC, from Sunday, June 24 through Friday, July 6. More information can be found at the Penland website.
Hamrick’s latest handmade book, “Letters Never Sent,” is available via the his online shop at Etsy.
Image: “Charlotte’s Chair” by Frank Hamrick.


text:
Exergame Fitness, a leading provider of commercial Exergame equipment, has announced that Robert Reid will join the company as chief strategy officer, reporting to CEO Ed Kasanders. Reid comes to Exergame Fitness from his previous position at FitWall where he had been the vice president of sales.
"Interactive... - January 09, 2013
Sierra Vista Jr. High School Shares Nationally Recognized Physical Education Program - April 08, 2011
The growing epidemic of Childhood Obesity and Inactivity among kids, teens and adults has prompted the need for entertaining game based fitness solutions that engage users – called Exergames.
Two USA companies that have pioneered the Exergaming industry have now joined forces to offer the largest... - October 14, 2008
Exergame Fitness & Avanti Fitness partner to launch the debut of the world’s only motorized climbing wall…The Skywall.
Carlos Aviles of Avanti Fitness says, “Upon introducing the Skywall to the American market our goal at Avanti Fitness was to find a distributor that could provide... - May 23, 2008


text:
For years the Point Reyes Farmers’ Market has served as the sunlit visage of a region that prides itself in having championed a return to eating locally. But beneath its stalls, which are becoming progressively fewer in number, a quandary continues to brood: is such stiff provincialism economically viable?
The debate over how stringently the market is managed—it currently allows only vendors from within an approximately 20-mile radius, and only organically certified farmers with mostly non-overlapping crops—is nothing new. Some view regulation as a way to ensure quality and protect small organic farmers from getting out-competed by larger operations. Others feel it stymies competition and limits variety. Market organizers, including
Marin Organic, who serves as the fiscal agent to a separate steering committee, have historically stood by its policy.
But with declining participation, including some value-added vendors who canceled mid-season, the steering committee has once again begun evaluating old paradigms. “Should we stay local? Should we stay organic? Should we invite—we don’t have people who make crafts—should we have stuff like that?” asked director Allison Puglisi.
The principal issue is revenue. Fewer vendors means fewer booth fees, which means the steering committee must rely increasingly on fickle county grants for funding. That, and the ongoing difficulty and cost of fundraising, has made it a challenge to just break even.
Take, for example, this past year. Three of the market’s six scheduled row-crop producers were absent, for a number of reasons—the strawberries at Sartori Farms succumbed to an unusually wet late-spring; Peter Worsley, of Worsley Farms, was recovering from a months-long illness; Marin Roots Farm decided to focus on its Saturday morning stall at the Ferry Plaza in San Francisco. That left just three growers who met the market’s rigid eligibility standards. “So there’s $1,800 in lost revenue right there,” Puglisi said.
Marin Organic Executive Director Adrienne Baumann explained that most people don’t realize that the market is not sustainable based on vendor fees alone. “[The Point Reyes market] is a cultural gem,” she said, “a wonderful size, wonderful feeling—but it takes resources.”
Most farmers’ markets, even large urban ones, need some amount of artificial capital infusion to survive, said market treasurer Jeff Shapiro. Last year Marin Organic hosted a successful dinner fundraiser with Alice Waters. This year, the planning fell through. “In the future,” Shapiro said, “we’ll need to have either an event or another sponsor.”
But some contend that athough that may be true, there are steps market organizers and Marin Organic could take to generate more revenue—and in the process create a fuller, more diverse market. “I’m of the thinking that more brings more,” said Inverness resident and fermented food vendor Maggie Beth Levinger. “So, the more vendors you have, even if they’re selling very similar items, the more people are going to come and shop, and it will all be okay.”
Levinger and her partner, Luke Regalbuto, have sold at the Point Reyes market for the last two years. This year, they agree, was worse. “It just felt sparse,” Levinger said. At a brainstorming session between organizers and vendors last week, she and Regalbuto proposed a number of ways to increase variety.
Regalbuto would like to see the participation of local growers who use most if not all organic techniques but who may not be certified. “I feel that having all organically grown produce at our market is a really great thing,” he said. “But I also think we could be more flexible on that without lowering the quality and standards of the actual produce.”
Woodside Farms owner Ed Pearson sold at the Point Reyes market until this year, when he was not invited back because his organic certification had expired. Pearson said he continues to use all organic practices, but has grown tired of the added paperwork and fees. “That’s not my pleasure in life,” he said.
Limiting produce to only that which is certified organic is a manageable way to ensure quality. But in West Marin, where many consumers are actively engaged in the dealings of their local foodshed, Levinger said that may not be as necessary. And, she added, the fact that none of the market’s value-added producers are required to have organic certification creates something of a double standard. “Here we are in a county that has voted against growing [genetically-modified organisms], and, obviously you can still buy and consume and sell them as prepared foods, but it seems pretty wild to me that those kinds of products can be sold at the exact same farmers’ market where all the produce has to be certified organic,” she said.
She and Regalbuto’s products use organic ingredients but are not certified because they can’t afford access to a certified organic commercial kitchen.
Baumann said that the organic stamp is not only a pillar of her organization’s mission, but a unique attribution that helps distinguish the Point Reyes market from the surfeit of other farmers’ markets in the Bay Area. Still, she agreed that it could be more diverse, such as including more crops whose provenance are hotter climates, and producers from Sonoma County.
Peter Martinelli, of Fresh Run Farms, who sells at the Point Reyes market and sits on the steering committee board, also favors loosening the market’s spatial restrictions. “I think it would be great to attract growers from a broader area to make it more appealing and interesting to the community,” he said.
Other changes, like accepting food stamps and selling more staple items such as eggs and dairy—for which Marin County is renowned—have been proposed, and Puglisi explained that the steering committee is open to all suggestions at this point. In the end, though, she and Martinelli described the steering committee’s decisions as a tricky balancing act. “If it can be opened up to looking at things on a case-to-case basis—people looking at what’s talked about being brought in, maybe even voting on it—that that would be the way to do it, rather than having either stringent rules or no rules,” Levinger said.


text:
Receive all Cointelegraph news immediately in Telegram.
Is Bitcoin experiencing massive adoption right now or there’s still a long way to go?
Wall Street Journal indicates that IMF may issue its own cryptocurrency as new reserve currency.
Philly Fed Chief Parker: Cryptocurrencies are less trustworthy than the Fed; investors will one day beg for regulation.
An expert opinion on how a US dollar white paper would look like.
Smart booking engine outsmarts online travel aggregators and frauds, Blockchain in action.
How Hyperinflation Produces First Bitcoinization in Venezuela
Billionaire investor Howard Marks has changed his ‘dinosaur’ view of Bitcoin
The fear of the potential fork of Bitcoin has got the market in a panic, but currency forks are nothing new, going back as far as 1963.
EU Report downplays cryptocurrency use among terrorists.
Bitcoin “does not have to become a more stable store of value than the US dollar” to gain respect, the Wall Street Journal has said.
The Bank of England (BoE) still believes the Blockchain has the potential to save banks tens of billions of dollars in operating costs.
The major cryptocurrency exchange Kraken has just opened Dash trading, capping off a recent run of integrations following this year’s price spike.
The governor of the Central Bank of Iran officially announced that the US dollar will no longer be used within the country.
Bitcoin price continues to climb to a new height. It is almost getting to a point where many Bitcoin enthusiasts have seen before but not for long: the 1 mBTC g...
Bitcoin stands to gain as Trump creates problems with Mexico, Muslims, China, India, Iran and others. The future is looking brighter for Bitcoin, the digital go...
For updates and exclusive offers, enter your e-mail below.
One fine body…
Thank you for contacting us! We will reply to you as soon as possible.
Thank you for your interest in our franchise program.
We are considering your request and will contact you in due course. If you have any further queries, please contact:
Reset letter sent.
Please checkout your mailbox for password reset details


text:
In 2011 Monster inked a deal that cut it out of the company after Beats sold a 51 per cent stake to HTC.
A once pleasant office could turn toxic any time with professionals spreading negative energy.
Both discussed ways and means for better coordination with the Italian authorities to secure crucial information sought by the agency in its judicial request, the sources said.
For Connexios, this sale of its anti-diabetes molecules to Boehringer Ingelheim is the first out-licensing deal by an Indian life-sciences firm that is akin to a startup.
NVP sold a further 2.78% stake or 16.5 lakh shares, in Chennai-based Shriram Group’s retail financing arm Shriram City Union.
Mohammad Javad Zarif said that clinching a final nuclear deal with world powers is still "possible" despite a tough round of talks this week.
The solution will be delivered as a multi-year managed service from Wipro's global delivery and data centres, it added.
IMD has predicted deficient monsoon, she said, adding the government is working and preparing itself to deal with the situation.


text:
Wooster native launches cat litter box subscription business
WOOSTER Looking at the the nondescript warehouse at the very end of Spruce Street, you probably wouldn’t guess that it houses a cat litter box subscription company that ships to 20,000 customers across the country each month.
But that’s exactly where Chad Kauffman has launched Kitty Poo Club, which he describes as “a full litter box solution.” And, within the next year, Kauffman hopes to grow to 60,000 subscriptions each month.
For $21.49 per month, subscribers get a cardboard package that acts as an all-in-one litter box, the outside of which is decorated for each season. A plastic tray, waterproof coating and lightweight silica gel litter make the box effective, Kauffman said, and at the end of the month, customers can recycle or throw out the box when the next one arrives.
“There’s tons of litter subscription services out there,” Kauffman said. “That’s not us. We’re an entire litter box solution.”
Developing the idea
Kauffman, 42, is a Wooster native whose business career has taken him across the country. Five years ago, though, his family decided to leave their home in South Florida where he worked for Gallo Winery in Fort Lauderdale, and move back to Wooster to raise their three sons.
“In 2013, I had three young boys; one had just been born. And I was kind of tired of South Florida and there wasn’t a whole lot keeping us down there,” Kauffman said. “We had family back here, and we love Wooster and I just wanted to raise my kids here. It’s where I was raised, and I wanted to have the same experience for my boys.”
Not long after that, Kauffman said he began looking for an idea “for a subscription-based business that was a billion-plus dollar industry that hadn’t been tapped.” That turned out to be a daunting task.
“It’s really hard to find a billion-plus dollar industry right now that’s not being serviced in some capacity from a subscription service,” Kauffman said.
And when his father, Porter, a former Rubbermaid executive, suggested developing a disposable cat litter box, Chad Kauffman thought he was crazy. It would be impossible, Chad Kauffman thought, to ship cat litter economically and find a product that would last for a whole month.
But then one night as Kauffman was putting chlorine tablets into his hot tub, he noticed the silica gel packets that are designed to take moisture out of the tablets’ packaging.
“And so it dawned on me, ‘Why couldn’t this silica gel be used as cat litter?’ It’s super lightweight, highly absorbent,” Kauffman said.
So, he worked with a company in China to develop a semi-round silica gel ball that would be gentle on cats’ paws and wouldn’t roll uncontrollably.
But then came the difficult part: building the box. Kauffman knew he needed to find a way to produce a waterproof cardboard box that could withstand a month of cat urine. Eventually, he determined that the box should include a plastic tray to hold the litter and protect the bottom of the box.
It took another few months to figure out how to attach the tray to a cardboard box. In the beginning, Kauffman said he used double-sided tape to hand-apply the trays to each box.
With a prototype in place, Kauffman tested the product in a local trial. Last September, he hand-delivered 50 boxes to cat owners in the Wooster area. Survey results from the trial were mostly positive, with a handful of criticisms and suggestions for change, Kauffman said.
Growing the company
So, after a few more changes to the box’s design, Kauffman felt he had a viable business. He took the risk of ordering an entire container — 44 pallets — of the silica gel litter, and the company officially launched on Oct. 1, 2017.
Since then, Kitty Poo Club has only grown. In fact, at first, it grew too quickly, Kauffman said.
“I ran a Facebook ad, and in 20 days I signed up 1,200 customers,” he said. “And I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, what am I going to do? I can’t hand-assemble 1200 of these with tape.’”
So, Kauffman turned off all advertising and focused on serving his initial customers. By December, he knew he would have to develop an automated process for building the boxes. After some initial challenges, he found a company that could produce a machine that would attach the trays to the boxes.
Two of those machines — the only two in the world right now — arrived at the end May, and together produce about 1,600 boxes per day, Kauffman said. Two more will be arriving in February.
Since the machines went online in May, Kauffman said Kitty Poo Club has added about 5,000 customers per month. That should only increase when the new machines arrive and the company can effectively double its output, Kauffman said.
Also after those new machines arrive, Kauffman said Kitty Poo Club will participate in Google’s brand accelerator program. Companies such as Dollar Shave Club — on which Kauffman largely modeled Kitty Poo Club — have participated in the invitation-only program, which will also help expand Kitty Poo Club’s advertising capability, he said.
Keeping it local
And as the company does grow — into “a large national presence,” Kauffman hopes — he said he wants to keep as much of it local as possible.
“It’s really neat because our rails are made in Rittman, our boxes are made in Wooster, our trays are made in Cleveland,” Kauffman said. “Our litter is made in China, but I’m really trying to keep as much of the business as Ohio-based as possible, and local in Wayne County as much as I possibly can.”
The company currently employs 16 people, including Kauffman. When the two new box machines arrive in February, Kitty Poo Club will hire at least four more people, he said.
And ultimately, Kauffman said he wants to grow Kitty Poo Club and then sell it, hopefully to a certain other local company that has begun entering the pet care market.
“My dream, my vision on this from day one has been to actually sell this to Smucker’s, because they’re getting huge into the pet industry,” Kauffman said. “... I think that Smucker’s, who grows through acquisitions, we could be a really attractive company for them — two local companies. That’s my real vision.”
Whatever the outcome, though, Kauffman said he’s thrilled to contribute to the local economy.
“I’ve traveled quite a bit in my days, and I’ve lived in a few different places, and it’s really hard to find a community like Wooster,” Kauffman said. “... There’s a great workforce here. People are family-oriented, and that’s one of the biggest reasons I moved back here.
“... You find faithful workers here. And I just can’t think of anything better than to use my business skill set to further the local economy. And I couldn’t imagine doing it anywhere else.”
Jack Rooney is a staff writer for The Daily Record.


text:
Attendees of this week’s Greenbuild will have a chance to get a preview of HVAC construction products maker CertainTeed’s new headquarters.
The company, whose products include green HVAC insulation and other items involved in ductwork fabrication, is overhauling its 320,000-square-foot facility in Malvern, Pa., to a gold-level structure under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design building program.
“No other company in the world has the breadth of products, systems, R&D (research and development) and building science expertise to build a sustainable headquarters that can have a truly material impact on energy use, air quality, day lighting and sound,” said John Crowe, president and CEO of CertainTeed and parent company Saint-Gobain.
The plans will be on display at CertainTeed Corp’s booth, No. 1413, during Greenbuild, which takes place tomorrow through Thursday at Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.


text:
The growth, during 2015-16 to 2021-22, would be driven by growing usage of smartphones, robust mobile internet penetration, growth of e-commerce sector together with increasing disposable incomes, said the study by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India and research firm RNCOS.
The Indian m-wallet market in 2015-16 was around Rs 154 crore.
M-wallet transaction is among the fastest growing paperless modes of payment or banking, and it is expected that the majority of transactions will go paperless in the next 10 years, it said.
M-wallet market is segmented into three broad services -- money transfers from wallet to wallet, bank to wallet and vice versa which accounts for 38 percent share, followed by recharge and bill payments for mobile, DTH, landline, electricity and other such services (31 per cent share).
The remaining share of 31% is captured by online shopping, hotel/travel/movie ticket reservations, online food order, payment of insurance premium, recharging Metro rail card and others.
While mobile wallet service contributed to 21 per cent share in mobile payment volume transactions in FY16, its share is expected to increase to 79 percent by FY22, the study said.
However, it said the Reserve Bank of India's licensing regime is discouraging mobile wallet growth in the country.
"The present system allows only e-transfer of money and approves semi-closed prepaid instrument issuance while it does not allow 'cash out' from the semi-closed wallet," it said.
"The RBI should relax its current policies and allow cash withdrawals from the semi-closed wallets," it suggested.


text:
Donald Trump is quite a mess on Twitter. We’re not saying this, the world is. Ever since he became President of the United States on the same day (November 8, 2016) as India had its own Satanic event in the form of demonetization his irresponsible tweets have left the world fuming. In his latest Twitter saga, Trump is seen going after Amazon. The President tweeted that Amazon was “doing great damage to tax paying retailers”. In response, Amazon’s stock tumbled, and the Seattle-based giant lost $6 billion of its market cap in a day, according to reports. Also Read - Your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram account can get deleted if you do thisAlso Read - Twitter will now sell a ticket for you to join Spaces, aims to help creators earn money
Amazon’s stock lost 1.2 percent within two hours of Trump’s tweet. While that might seem small a figure, for a company which is worth over $460 billion, even the slightest of market fluctuations can erode much value. Also Read - You can now share tweets as Instagram Stories: Here's how to do so with these simple steps
Amazon is doing great damage to tax paying retailers. Towns, cities and states throughout the U.S. are being hurt – many jobs being lost!
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2017
Trump’s savage tweet is being seen as a response to a critical editorial headlined ‘The Nation Can Only Weep’ in The Washington Post a leading American newspaper owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. It trashed Trump for failing to “heal” the nation in the wake of violent protests in Charlottesville, an event dominating public consciousness in America right now. “That car in Charlottesville did not kill or wound just the 20 bodies it struck. It damaged the nation. Mr. Trump not only failed to help the country heal; he made the wound wider and deeper,” the editorial said. ALSO READ: Satya Nadella, Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg slam Charlottesville violence
However, this is not the first time that Amazon has invited Trump’s ire. Some months ago, he threatened Amazon with an “internet tax”. It was a result of the Post‘s critical coverage of his Presidency.
The #AmazonWashingtonPost, sometimes referred to as the guardian of Amazon not paying internet taxes (which they should) is FAKE NEWS!
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 28, 2017
Amazon started gaining Trump’s hate since late 2015 for the Post‘s aggressive coverage of his Presidential campaign. And this, despite the fact that the Post (which was acquired by Jeff Bezos in mid-2013) operates as a separate business entity. Interestingly, while Trump continues to spew venom, Bezos is being credited with the 140-year-old newspaper’s “reinvention”. The Post has revamped its website and mobile apps. It has also created a software called Arc that provides better analytics and marketing features to the newspaper. As a result, its readership has exploded, especially on digital. Since Trump took over as President, the Post‘s daily page views have reportedly surged, clocking 1 billion in May.


text:
Martin Lewis has revealed taking a payment holiday could hurt your chances of getting a mortgage.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic some customers have opted to take holidays on payments with promises this wouldn't have any fallout on credit scores.
However, financial guru Martin Lewis appeared on his ITV Money Show on Thursday evening (May 21) and explained there are other ways a payment holiday could hurt your application, reports The Mirror.
He said: "Mortgage payment holidays may hurt applications via the back door".
Because it is not on your credit report, some new lenders can spot it through affordability checks.
"So there is a possibility it will hurt future applications," Martin continued.
But that doesn't mean you shouldn't take one if you need too.
"If you need one for the cash flow, do it. As taking a payment holiday is a lot better than missing a payment," Martin said.
Earlier in the week, Martin explained how it would work in more detail.
"The FCA has confirmed, sadly, that while credit files shouldn't be impacted by mortgage or other payment holidays, lenders are still allowed to take them into account when making their acceptance decisions," he said.
"It's impossible to say yet how widespread this will be or how substantial the impact will be – we'll start to learn that over the next year.
"Each lender's assessment process is different, it's a dark art that's hidden from the public and never published, so this is likely to be yet another factor applicants will need to navigate."
But the practice isn't yet widespread - so it's hoped that the impact will be limited too.
"My hope is that as these holidays are specifically for the short-term financial hit of coronavirus – and as the practice is so widespread – it won't be used by many firms, and where it is it won't tarnish individuals' credit reputation for too long. But there's no real way to know," Martin said.
"Most importantly, I don't believe this should stop anyone who needs a mortgage holiday from getting one – if it's crucial for cash flow, just do it.
"Yet for those on the border, who may find it temporarily useful but can cope without it, add this to the fact that interest racks up during the payment holiday and I'd err on the side of caution."
However there is good news for people remortgaging, rather than taking out a new mortgage.
A separate investigation by Mirror Money showed that people taking out a new deal with their existing lender are not checked again before doing so.
That means no new affordability check, and no chance that a lower income on furlough or payment holidays will lead to a worse deal.
"Customers do not go through an affordability check to switch rates, in line with regulatory guidelines," HSBC confirmed to us.
"Therefore customers can switch at the end of the deal."
It does mean that you will have to stick with your existing provider - but if you move to a flexible deal without early repayment charges, you will be able to switch again as soon as your income returns to normal if you choose to.


text:
The Big Game is the second most viewed sporting event after the soccer World Cup final, putting advertisers and brands throughout the world’s largest economy into a frenzy. But which promotions are targeting the American Super Bowl in 2011?
Cellular South has lined up a 30 second TV commercial featuring the Android-powered touchscreen smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S. It will also showcase the new Samsung AllShare software platform. The treatment is as follows:
“Set in a crowded sports bar with everyone glued to the digital flat panel televisions lining the walls in the room to watch the Big Game. A group of three women, seemingly bored with the football hysteria, are using a Samsung Galaxy S smartphone to stream and watch an HD-quality video. What viewers won’t expect is what these women decide to do with their video and how it disrupts the game.”
The allegedly humourous ending to the commercial is being kept a closely guarded secret.
YouTube’s Ad Blitz contest has been created to showcase 2011 “Big Game” commercials. Visitors to the special Ad Blitz channel at www.youtube.com/user/adblitz will be able to cast their vote based on the commercial’s entertainment value, quality, originality, creativity, humor and similar characteristics. The winner of the contest, which runs from the conclusion of the Big Game on Sunday, Feb. 6 through 11 p.m. CST on Feb. 14, will receive free placement of its commercial for 24 hours on YouTube’s website homepage at www.youtube.com on Feb. 19.
The Kardashian Shape-ups commercial will air at the 2-minute warning in the fourth quarter of the game on Sunday, February 6, 2011. According to Leonard Armato, president of SKECHERS Fitness Group:
“People can’t stop talking about who Kim’s going to break up with – and once they see how hot it is, we’re sure they’ll want another great commercial from SKECHERS. They may even root for overtime just to see what SKECHERS has in store.”
News of Kardashian’s yet-fully-unveiled commercial has been reported throughout the US media, from CNN and MTV to Good Morning America and the TODAY show; repeat articles in USA Today and The Washington Post; and celebrity news shows Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, and Extra.
Papa Johns Pizza
Papa John’s, the Official Pizza Sponsor of the NFL and Super Bowl XLV, announced on 24th January that it will give away a free pizza to everyone in America if the Super Bowl goes into overtime. Customers simply have to register for Papa John’s customer loyalty program, My Papa Points, at www.papajohns.com, by 11:59 p.m. ET Saturday, Feb. 5.
More than one million Americans have already registered.
Ace Metrix will be tweeting about the effectiveness of Super Bowl ads @ace_metrix on Twitter. The company will release complete rankings of most effective Super Bowl ads on Monday, February 7.
“Declaration Anthem,” has been created by Placement Music, LLC for the Fox Super Bowl Sunday presentation of the ‘Declaration of Independence,’ starting at 5:52 p.m. ET. The song will be available as a charity single and ringtone on iTunes and Amazon.com after kick off.
A portion of proceeds from the full-length score, a radio edit and ringtone goes directly to benefit Wounded Warrior Project. The non-profit organisation reports an estimated 40,000 U.S. service members have been wounded in recent years, and more than 300,000 suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Madame Tussauds have announced that Tony Siragusa, former Super Bowl champion, will be the newest addition to its wax collection of celebrities, athletes and world and political leaders.
Together with DIY Network, the home improvement channel, Madame Tussauds’ official unveiling will take place at the NFL Experience at the Dallas Convention Center on the Entertainment Stage on Thursday, Feb. 3 at 8-9 p.m. CST. Siragusa will be there for a photo op and to sign autographs for fans. The figure will also be present at the NFL Experience at DIY Network’s “Man Caves” booth in Hall C, beginning Tuesday, Feb. 2 until Sunday, Feb. 6.
Known as “The Goose,” Siragusa played 12 NFL seasons for the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens, helping the latter team win its first and only Super Bowl title in 2001. Since retiring from the league, Siragusa has become the NFL’s only field analyst providing commentary and in-game analysis from his position in the end zone and he co-hosts DIY Network’s “Man Caves,” a home improvement TV series.


text:
While you take your pooch in for a examine up, your veterinarian will seemingly need to conduct a blood check that’s known as a biochemical profile. People who function or work in pet retailers are required by the Act to comply with the minimum requirements established by the Code, and are encouraged to determine larger standards. I used to be vegan and a PETA child , and all I ever wanted to do was assist animals or talk about serving to them.
Yelp users haven’t requested any questions yet about Animal Pet Store. San Francisco will not be the first US city to implement such a measure, which will also ban the sale of animals beneath eight weeks old. CC Moore stock the most important variety of pet, animal and reptile foods and provides in the Weymouth and south Dorset area.
The modification will not affect licenced breeders nevertheless it can goal to tackle the prevalence of large-scale pet mills”, while helping to facilitate the adoption of thousands of animals already occupying the city’s shelters. Governor Jerry Brown signed bill Meeting Invoice 485 into legislation on Friday, forcing animal stores to transition to selling rescue animals beginning in 2019.


text:
How Diversity And Equality Can Benefit Businesses In The UK
Despite what some newspapers might tell you, equality and diversity form the cornerstone of all progressive western democracies. Those with antiquated views and opinions are slowly being replaced by forward thinking individuals with progressive, egalitarian beliefs.
The gender pay gap and racial inequality are both being addressed by big businesses and the media, and although progress is slow, it’s still good to see that advances are being made. Equality and diversification can also benefit the progress of big businesses as well as that of society.
In this article we take a look at the various ways in which businesses can benefit from growing equality, both morally, socially and financially.
If there are two people doing exactly the same job in an office, garnering the same results but being paid differently, what does that do for morale?
Of course, asking a colleague what they’re paid remains a major taboo, but from April 2018, all companies in the UK have been required to publish their gender pay gap differences by law. So if Steve from accounts is being paid £2,000 more than his colleague Sarah, there’s going to be a negative impact on morale.
Apart from the obvious moral obligations, paying your workers fairly and equally is a positive business approach. If you harbour an environment of positivity rather than one of negativity and enviousness, then your workers will be more likely to perform.
In the video game market, advertising has traditionally been aimed at males, and in particular, those that like action-packed violent thriller games. When the industry decides to target female gamers, they stick to outdated stereotypes of pink-strewn games that focus on cooking and cleaning.
Yet a recent study suggested that 45% of all gamers in the USA are female, and the approach being adopted by video game marketers is alienating a lot of potential female customers. A more considered approach that advertises to consumers based on statistics rather than stereotypes will be more financially beneficial in the long-run.
Approaching different demographics
The largest and loudest demographic in the UK at time of writing is middle-aged white men, rather crudely termed as ‘gammon men’ recently. They shout the loudest, and they perhaps have the largest disposable income of all demographics.
So it’s only natural that advertising is focused on them, one notable betting company uses Ray Winstone to front their adverts and appeal to this demographic. But are the advertisers missing a trick?
This area is highly-saturated with almost every company vying to catch the attention of the middle-aged white man. Advertising centred purely on this section of the population is at risk of alienating other key demographics.
The middle-aged white man doesn’t represent the whole of the UK, there are plenty of other groups of people that are being marginalised by advertising that is not aimed at them.
The phrase The Pink Pound’ first appeared in common parlance in the mid 1980’s’and refers to the spending power of the LGBT community.
Companies that have catered their business plans towards the LGBT community have reaped the financial benefits. The LGBT community is worth an estimated $790 billion in the USA and around a trillion dollars worldwide.
Traditional advertising that centres on the mainstream majority may not be the best place to look for aspiring businesses looking to increase their revenues. Finding a niche among a minority will not only boost equality and integration, but it will reap financial rewards too.
It can be incredibly tempting for companies to take advantage of social media crazes, but also incredibly perilous.
The hashtag #GarethSouthgateWould was trending in the UK thanks to the success of the England football team at the FIFA World Cup in Russia, and plenty of companies are taking advantage of this Twitter surge to promote their business, which is fair enough.
Yet some companies drastically misjudge the tone and meaning of certain hashtags and social media movements, none more so than global brand Pepsi. In 2017 a series of videos emerged showing police brutality towards African-American citizens in the USA.
This prompted the #BlackLivesMatter movement, which carries a massively important sentiment – that of racial equality in America, as well as exposing bigoted practices in the police force.
However, the marketing gurus at Pepsi saw this as an advertising opportunity and shamelessly attempted to promote their product on the back of the campaign. A terribly distasteful advert was produced, featuring Kendall Jenner cooling tensions between African-American protesters and the police, by offering a police officer a can of Pepsi… Yes, really.
The backlash against Pepsi was immediate and widespread. The lesson for future advertising gurus? Think through the actions of your campaign before attempting to bring an unnecessary levity to an extremely important issue.
Who really goes out of their way to appeal to middle-aged women? There is no doubt that a company could profit from this huge market.
This key demographic is often ignored by advertising companies as they either seek the money of younger women for beauty products or older women for things like home appliances.
One company appealing to the demographic of middle-aged women is UK based slots company Rose Slots, who have made the brave move whilst doing it in a non-cringey way. The USP of the online company is its plethora of online gaming slots.
Usually, these would be marketed to men who were interested in sports betting primarily and slots secondarily. Yet Rose Slots have identified middle-aged women as their key demographic and have gone after them in a calculated and non-intrusive manner.
Their website is fairly basic, and doesn’t fall into the trap of playing up to stereotypes whilst also rubbishing the air of exclusivity that plagues other companies in their sector.
Advertising needs to change and adapt to reach more customers in a highly diverse marketplace. Businesses can no longer get away with ‘safe’ campaigns aimed at large demographics.
The way to create a diverse, equal society is to cater for everyone and by doing this businesses can also reap the financial rewards.
Source: The Voice Online


text:
Sony is planning a new version of the PlayStation 3 (PS3) console with a higher-capacity hard-disk drive, according to a US regulatory filing made by the company.
The filing to the US Federal Communications Commission was made earlier this month to notify the FCC of a change to the PS3's Bluetooth module. The FCC is the radio regulator in the US and as such all new products that use radio or changes to these products must be submitted to the organisation for approval before they can be sold.
Included in the filing's cover letter is notification of the new PS3 model: "The model CECHE01 to be added by the difference of the capacity of hard disk." It then says the new model will have an 80GB drive.
Sony currently sells two versions of the PS3 in the US. The cheaper model has a 20GB drive and the more expensive model has a 60GB drive. The company is currently only selling the 60GB model in the UK (see our PS3 review).
Hard-disk storage technology is advancing all the time and higher capacity drives are regularly becoming available. As better models come on the market drive makers cut the price of drives or discontinue them altogether because they become uncompetitive against newer models.
Thus the new PS3 could be an evolution of the product forced by economics of the disk-drive industry or something more important in Sony's strategy.
Yesterday, Microsoft announced plans for a new version of the competing Xbox 360 console. The Xbox 360 Elite packs a 120GB - against 20GB on existing machines - and an HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) connection not offered on current models.


text:
Bitcoin fell below $11,000 Wednesday. Here's what you need to know.
Xbox console sales are back on the rise. Here are the numbers behind the iconic gaming console.
The rise of artificial intelligence likely will have several drawbacks in coming years, points out new research. Amazon isn't lowering prices at Whole Foods. Why?
PE firms are flush with cash, and increasingly open to larger deals. Here are some tech companies whose valuations and business profiles might appeal to them.


text:
Pinterest has introduced new ways for brands to reach potential customers that are ready to make a purchase. The new targeting updates are intended to retain existing customers and attract new ones. The new system will allow businesses to target consumers based on engagements with brands on Pinterest. The update further expands how businesses can target people who visit their website.
Business using Pinterest can now:
- Use engagements to uncover a new audience
- Create audiences from your website with the Pinterest tag
- Identify, expand and target audiences
"We know that this type of targeting is impactful because Pinners don’t just browse, they actually spend - 87% have made a purchase after finding a product they liked on the platform. When someone engages with a Pin, they are demonstrating an intent to spend in the future, and they are 2.2x more likely to make a purchase in the next 30 days than those who don’t engage", the company said in a blog post.
The new targeting features are available in Ads Manager and will be rolled out across all Marketing Developer Partners soon. Pinterest will also be updating visitor retargeting to support these new events.
Read more here.


text:
Nespresso has launched a new advertising campaign that again features actor George Clooney continuing his role as brand ambassador.
Launching in more than 30 countries, the campaign is said by the company to be the brand’s largest global campaign. It features Clooney in a suit of armor saving a medieval kingdom before hitting the New York City streets on a quest to find a high-quality cup of coffee. Actress Natalie Dormer also appears in the ad.
The latest Nespresso campaign launched globally on October 17 across television, digital, print, social media, Nespresso boutiques, out-of-home and on the existing website.
Alfonso Gonzalez, global CMO with Nespresso, said the new ad campaign is the first where Clooney interacts with some of the key people that are involved in all steps of the Nespresso product development process, from the coffee growers to those working in the company’s boutiques.


text:
28 May 2016
New Delhi: Gold's downward movement continued for the second straight day as the prices fell Rs 20 to Rs 28,850 per 10 grams today, tracking a weak trend overseas amid easing demand from jewellers and retailers at the domestic spot market.
27 May 2016
New Delhi: Gold prices today crashed Rs 355 to break below the Rs 29,000 mark at Rs 28,870 per 10 grams – an over 3-month low - in line with a weak trend overseas amid sluggish demand from jewellers at the domestic spot market.
26 May 2016
New Delhi: Gold bounced back from a six-week low by edging up Rs 25 to Rs 29,225 per 10 grams today, snapping its two-day losing streak, driven by a rising trend overseas amid scattered buying by jewellers at the domestic spot market.
15 May 2016
Mumbai: An election officers seized Rs 570 crore in cash from three containers in poll-bound Tamil Nadu in the wee hours yesterday. However, the State Bank of India said last evening that it was the bank's legitimate cash.
05 Feb 2016
Hyderabad: Gold worth nearly Rs 2.65 crore, smuggled from Myanmar, was seized at the Visakhapatnam railway station by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence.
20 May 2016
New Delhi: Gold prices declined by Rs 50 to Rs 29,750 per 10 grams at the bullion market today, tracking a declining trend overseas amid muted demand by jewellers at the domestic spot market.
17 May 2016
New Delhi: Gold prices cracked below the Rs 30,000-level, tumbling by Rs 230 to Rs 29,820 per 10 grams at the bullion market today owing to slackened demand from jewellers and retailers at prevailing levels amid a weak trend overseas.
14 May 2016
New Delhi: Gold prices drifted lower by Rs 25 to Rs 30,025 per 10 grammes at the bullion market today as demand eased from jewellers and retailers at prevailing levels even as the metal strengthened overseas.
11 May 2016
New Delhi: Snapping its two-day falling streak, gold recovered by Rs 100 to Rs 29,950 per 10 grams at the bullion market today, taking positive cues from global market along with increased buying by jewellers.
20 May 2016
Taoyuan City: Left to compete within an hour of reaching here from China, promising sprinter Dutee Chand won the gold in women's 100m sprint event in the Taiwan Open Athletics Championships yesterday.