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The menu option is tucked away among the options you see when you tap your account photo. Whether most users actually end up discovering the feature from this ...
YouTube Music has added another new feature. Here is how it works.
YouTube Music has added seven new ‘My Mix’ playlists curated based on your listening preferences.
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai has announced that the music-streaming service has 30 million paid subscribers and announced another million subscribers for the ...
YouTube Music is getting better on bigger screens with new features, layout and design. There's also a YouTube Music app for the Apple Watch.
One of the major changes to the Your Mix section of YouTube Music is that it is now a playlist instead of being a radio station.
Spotify users are getting a Bedtime feature in the Clock app from Google so now you can schedule soothing music to help you sleep.
Google Play Music shutdown process will start from September onwards and all support will be ended by December.
Although YouTube has not publicly announced the rollout of mixes, some users found it on their YouTube Music apps and posted screenshots on Reddit.


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Nielsen Defends Traditional TV sample
Cable networks could add $2.5 billion in ad revenue if ratings were measured with cable set-top-box data rather than the traditional Nielsen TV sample. That news is contained in an opinion piece penned by Nielsen president of advanced digital services, Manish Bhatia. Data derived from satellite, rather than cable, set-top-boxes, would add only $600 million to cable programmers coffers.Those same satellite black box statistics show that the broadcast networks would collectively have 4% lower ratings and lose $730 million in ad revenue, or $340 million if cable box data were assessed.
The surprising numbers are aimed at demonstrating the large variance in ratings that set-top-box data turns out depending on its source. Nielsen’s Bhatia argues in the piece carried on Nielsen Wire Thursday that while these data points are interesting, the industry would be best served sticking with the traditional Nielsen household sample which tracks 50,000 TV households.
The company is attempting to become the defacto clearing house for such set top box data which is already being used by agencies such as Starcom to help inform buying decisions.
“Larger data sets are not always better than smaller data sets,” according to Bhatia, adding that set-top-box data is not ‘census’ data as it is often referred to, because it doesn’t represent the 11% of households that don’t buy satellite or cable services.
Bhatia added that Nielsen is interested in finding ways to standardize set-top-box data so that ad agencies can use it for more than simply research.

domain: news


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The financial situation of many has held question marks over the last year and a half due to the impact of Covid-19. With consumer confidence taking a hit for some time, confidence seems to be up again according to the latest GfK Consumer Confidence Index.
Consumers are feeling confident about their personal finances; with a focus shifted from spending to saving in the long term. GFK’s Index Score chart suggested that overall consumer confidence is stable at -8 (August 2021) compared to this time last year at -21.
GfK client strategy director Joe Staton spoke on the slight step forward with consumer confidence.
“We have recorded a tiny step back in consumer confidence this month with a one-point dip to -8 in the overall index score,” he said.
“The key difference in sentiment compared to last month is the sharp increase in the motivation to save, with this sub-measure moving up five points to +25.”
The change in consumer confidence is a complete contrast to how they were feeling last year.
“With the removal of most restrictions across the UK, it’s worth looking back for a reminder of just how gloomy people out on the high street were feeling this time last year,” he says.
GfK’s Confidence Barometer (above) provides an insight into the index scores and how the measures have changed in the last two months, compared to August 2020.
The current state of the economy, as an example, has seen a big change. It was at -42 in August 2020; and now the figure is in a much healthier place at -6. The possibility of making major purchases in August 2020 stood at -25; and now is currently now at -3.
“There’s no doubt that Covid numbers still have the power to deliver surprises as we move forward, but marketers can expect to see the consumer mood improving as time passes. It’s a much easier road ahead now,” Joe Staton added.
“With the economy continuing to open up and GDP bouncing back, the overall picture for the economic health of the nation is looking good for the remainder of 2021. There are compelling reasons here to be cheerful as we begin to put the hardest pandemic months behind us.”
With the steady increase in consumer confidence, this is certainly a reason for marketers to be cheerful.


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Daines lauds Trump trade agreement with Japan; joins signing ceremony
Montana’s U.S. senators lauded an agreement signed Monday by President Donald Trump establishing a limited trade deal with Japan, one that opens Japanese markets to an estimated $7 billion in American agricultural goods.
Sen. Steve Daines joined Trump in Monday’s signing ceremony.
“This is a major step forward opening up critical markets for our producers,” Daines said Monday following the bill signing. “It allows our Montana farmers and ranchers to compete on a level playing field with other national competitors who are also selling to Japanese markets.”
The deal opens Japanese markets to some $7 billion in American agricultural products, including beef, pork, wheat, corn and cheese. In return, Trump agreed to cut tariffs on products like soy sauce, persimmons and green tea, but not automobiles.
Daines said the deal reduces tariffs on fresh and frozen pork from 38.5% to 27.6% on Jan. 1.
“It eventually glide paths down to 9% by 2033,” he said. “This represents a 75 percent reduction in beef tariffs for our Montana farmers.”
American farmers and ranchers had been operating at a disadvantage ever since Trump pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership two years ago. The new deal reopens some markets lost by U.S. farmers.
Sen. Jon Tester has been critical of the Trump administration’s trade policies, which he described as harmful to working Montana farmers and ranchers. At one point, he invited Trump to Montana to see “first-hand” the impacts his policies were taking on working families.
But Tester was tentatively optimistic after the initial announcement that a deal had finally been reached with Japan.
“This is welcome news for Montana’s farmers and ranchers, who rely on access to foreign markets like Japan to sell their world-class products,” Tester said. “Japan is the largest importer of Montana’s wheat, and plays a critical role in our state’s number one industry.”
As for the deal signed Monday, Tester said, “I hope it means the Trump administration will see the wisdom of expanding access to foreign markets instead of closing them off.”


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CIBC Mobile Payment App breathes life into Canadian mobile commerce
Rogers Communication, one of the largest communications companies in Canada, has teamed with the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) to introduce a new mobile commerce platform to consumers in Canada. Early this month, the two parties revealed the new CIBC Mobile Payment App, which can be used to make purchases for goods and services. The first payment using the new mobile wallet was made by Olympic gold medalist Simon Whitfield, who purchased a coffee at a Tim Hortons shop.
Mobile commerce beginning to gain ground in Canada
The CIBC Mobile Payment App is meant to expand mobile commerce throughout Canada. Consumers have been growing more interested in the concept of making payments for goods and services using nothing more than their mobile device. As such, the CIBC has been growing more accommodating to this demand, looking for ways to enable consumers to do what they want. In teaming with Rogers, the CIBC has taken the first step toward making mobile commerce a larger part of the Canadian economy.
App available only to those with NFC-enabled devices
As with other applications of this kind, the CIBC Mobile Payment App can only be used with smart phones and other mobile devices that are equipped with NFC technology. This immediately reduces the reach of the platform to a niche market. The availability of NFC-enabled devices is currently low, with the recently released Samsung Galaxy S III being the most popular of these devices currently on the market. Telecommunications companies have been working to boost the availability of NFC-enabled devices, but consumers have yet to show their full support of NFC technology.
Consumers leery of NFC technology
Many consumers are supportive of the concept of mobile commerce, but NFC technology has had a less welcoming reception. Concerns regarding the security of NFC technology have made consumers leery and disinclined to support its use in mobile commerce. If the CIBC and Rogers can deliver a pleasurable experience with the CIBC Mobile Payment App, the duo may be able to placate some of these concerns and get consumers to accept NFC technology.


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Two of my favorite subjects all in one story.
Jillian Michaels from the Biggest Loser TV show is working with a company to come out with a Wii Fit type of game. As we all know Wii Fit has been really popular and I am yet to find one at the stores so apparently there is a big market for more of these games. Kinda reminds me of the fight between “Rock Band” and “Guitar Hero”. The game will come out in time for Christmas and I am sure we will see lots of competition at Christmas which can only be good for people to get into better shape in the worst gain time of the year.
Game publisher Majesco Entertainment has announced a partnership with celebrity fitness trainer Jillian Michaels for an exercise-themed video game for the Nintendo Wii.
“Jillian Michaels’ Fitness Ultimatum 2009,” slated for a holiday release, leverages the motion-based Wii system and Balance Board accessory to create a title that combines solid game play with a fitness regimen, advice and exercise techniques provided by Michaels, the strength trainer and life coach on NBC’s “The Biggest Loser.”
“I truly think this type of product will be instrumental in revolutionizing the fitness industry and will help combat the childhood obesity epidemic in this country,” Michaels said.


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The cost of everything is rising but the government never reports in its phony baloney cost of living statistics increases in food, fuel, energy and other necessities that are driving our cost of living out of the stratosphere. As the government continues to publish low cost of living increases, we are scratching our heads in bewilderment. We intuitively understand that the government is lying.
So what gives with the governments lies about the cost of living? Well, the government has a vested interest in lying because preservation of raw and unaccountable power trumps “We the People” and their interests. However, we need to understand how and when the government started distorting its cost of living statistics.
In an article by Martin Weiss for Moneyandmarkets.com titled “The Greatest Scam of All Time”, Weiss references the work of economist John Williams who does nothing but study and expose government financial lies. Williams runs a highly technical economic website and newsletter (www.shadowstats.com) but many savvy analysts, like Weiss, shift through the stuff and reduce it to plain English. Weiss states:
The first major push for inflation-distorting reform began with the Clinton Administration. Until then, the inflation measure was based on an essentially fixed basket of goods.
Example: The basket included an 8-ounce steak. And no matter what, they tracked the same steak through time.
The Clinton Administration, however, argued for a variable basket of goods. If the 8-ounce steak got to too expensive, they argued, the typical consumer would simply substitute hamburger. So the government should do the same.
That wouldn’t be a measure of the cost of living. It would be a measure of the cost of survival. Yet, according to Williams, a series of complex mathematical changes in how the Consumer Price Index is calculated — giving less weight to higher priced items — essentially achieves the same goal as the variable basket of goods.
Add that to a series of other distortions in the Consumer Price Index ... and you’ve got a measure that’s so far removed from reality, it’s a joke. Instead of the 3.8% announced last week, the true inflation rate could be well over 7%.
The biggest victims of this hoax: Anyone collecting Social Security benefits. According to Williams, if the Consumer Price Index were calculated today the same way it was during the Carter Administration, the payments would be 70% larger!
The Bush Administration continued with Clinton’s policies to deceive Americans by supporting a Consumer Price Index (CPI) based on absolutely nothing except what the government wanted it to be.
Jarret Wollstein in an article titled “Towards Liberty” further clarifies the point:
According to official government statistics, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) – the mostly widely used measure of inflation – is running a very low 2.2% a year.
But if inflation is so low, why is the price of everything you buy going up so fast?
How do you reconcile 2% inflation with 10% to 20% annual increases in housing prices . . . 25% to 40% increases in heating bills during the past winter . . . and double-digit increases in the price of nearly everything you consume, from gasoline, to food, to movie tickets?
The simple answer is that the official inflation rate is virtually pure fiction, and has been for decades.
What we have is a situation of government induced inflation that is buried under a mountain of government lies. Americans surely feel the severe impact of inflation because they understand that the cost of necessities that they buy, like food, fuel and healthcare, keep rising and have been rising for a longtime.
Americans are also paying a lot more for health care, another item not covered in the government lies or its consumer prices index. According to the Employment Policies Institute, the cost of employer provided health care has risen an astounding 59% since 2000 (more on health care costs later).
The real culprit of rising prices is monetary inflation and government protectionist regulations that benefit corporate insiders. Simply stated, inflation is the highest tax inflicted upon us. Inflation is the direct result of obscene government spending that essentially reduces the value of our currency to that of fiat status and a banana boat republic. Government is the driving force behind inflation, which is precisely why the government lies about it. The government consciously and deliberately debases our currency with deficit spending and the non-stop running of government printing presses that churns out more and more worthless greenbacks.
What about your wages? Where are they going?
John Williams of Shadow Stats reported in 9/09 that “Real Median Household Income in 2008 Fell Below 1973 Level”.
But you say that your wages have gone up to compensate for runaway inflation. However, inflation always outpaces wage increases, which further erodes purchasing power. How much you earn isn’t relevant at all – what matters is the basket of goods you can buy with your take home wages. The American middle class is stuck in the pinchers of rising inflation and declining wages and this has been going on since the 1970’s when the U.S. government started engineering the impoverishment of the American middle class. More horrifying, we are also being taxed into acute impoverishment as our tax burden keep rising while our real wages are heading south and the cost of everything is going up.


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Chris Murphy has a must-read cover story at InformationWeek
"It's not about information technology anymore. It's about digital business. The new description is a testament to IT's advancement from a back-office, support-the-business role into a developer of products and apps that customers use directly. It's also a reflection of the central role of data analytics in letting companies see and anticipate customer tastes more quickly than ever before."
Chris is one of my favorite tech journalists because his stuff is always full of customer use cases. This article is no different. While many of the examples have been cataloged on New Florence in the last couple of years - Walgreen's prescriptions,Vail Resort's apps, Disney's MyMagic - the nice thing in this article is he summarizes composite data from the annual Global CIO Survey.
It shows a CIO pivot away from infrastructure and the back office.
"41% have leaders on the team shaping mobile strategy, and 38% have IT intimately involved in product development."
"While cutting costs is still the area of innovation cited most by survey respondents (39%), that percentage is the same as a year ago. Next come two kinds of growth initiatives: introducing an IT-led product (35%) and creating a new business model or revenue stream (31%). The fourth highest innovation priority among IT leaders, another cost cutter, is making processes more efficient -- though at 28%, it's down 11 points from a year ago. Rounding out the top five is a customer-centric priority -- engage customers in new ways -- cited by 20% of the execs in our survey, up from 13% a year ago."
"Across industries, companies are learning how different developing software for customers is from developing software for internal users. Employees "have an obligation to use your software," Walgreens' Dhar says. "There's something very different when there's no obligation to use your software.""
""The 'standardization of process' and the 'upgrade of ERP' age is past." Those activities are still necessary, of course, but the energy is around customer-facing tech."
It's a new world, out there.


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Tag Archives: Flavorwire
Flavorwire looks at the new updated version of
Titan Books is known for their attractive, film-savvy titles, which is why it’s exciting news that the publisher has released an expanded second edition of Jaws: Memories from Martha’s Vineyard. The release is perfectly timed to Universal’s 100th anniversary Blu-ray that hit stores last month. Fans of the 1975 film — about a massive great white shark who terrorizes beachgoers on a resort island — should be thrilled for more rare, never-before-seen artwork, previously untold stories, and more in Titan’s new, extended edition. Readers are treated to sixteen additional pages of rarities, including additional storyboards from Production Designer Joe Alves, more behind-the-scenes photographs from the private collections of local crew members, and other great content from the making of the groundbreaking film.


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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Monday marks the start of Grand Rapids’ first Cider Week.
Apples are big business in Michigan: Our state is the second-largest producer in the country and a lot of those apples come from family farms in West Michigan.
The big apple industry has also given rise to a robust cider industry. Each year, the large Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition is held in Grand Rapids, and Cider Week is coinciding with that event.
There will be cider tastings and specials at shops, bars and restaurants around town all week. Saturday afternoon, the event wraps up with the Cider Week GR Blue Bridge Festival downtown. The $25 tickets for that event can be purchased online.
==Above, Paul Vander Heide, the owner of Vander Mill in Grand Rapids, discusses what you can find around town during Cider Week.==


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The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has gone on for nearly a year now, and movie theaters and exhibition chains have been closed for almost as long. And though everything has been spelling doom for theaters since Day 1 of the pandemic, many have managed to stick around — while the same discussion over their survival is made over and over again. The latest filmmakers to chime in on the future of theaters are Paul Greengrass and Ang Lee, both of whom have wildly differing perspectives on whether exhibition as we know it can survive.
Read More »
The movie theater industry has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, and many theaters are continuing to sustain significant body blows due to their doors being closed. In China, a new report says that as many as 40% of Chinese cinemas could be forced to permanently shut down due to the coronavirus, providing an awful preview of what may be in store for American cinemas as well.
Read More »
Posted on Wednesday, December 12th, 2018 by Ben Pearson
Will providing a vegan food option at movie theaters in Los Angeles help save the planet? City councilman Paul Koretz thinks so, and he has the data to back him up. Citing several studies that draw a connection between the production of animal products and the negative effects of climate change, Koretz has introduced a motion that would require large entertainment venues, city parks, airport restaurants, and movie theaters to require vegan options for customers. Read More »
Alfonso Cuaron‘s acclaimed drama Roma is doing more than shaking up the Oscar race, it’s potentially shaking up Netflix’s entire approach to exclusive theatrical releases. After making a hard stance on day-and-date releases, Netflix finally conceded this year by granting its Oscar darling Roma a three-week theatrical release ahead of its streaming debut, alongside two other Oscar contenders, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and Bird Box.
But the question remained: Would this be a one-time thing to help Netflix score a much-coveted Oscar? Or could Roma‘s potential success change the business model for Netflix theatrical releases as we know it? The latter is entirely possible, as behind-the-scenes at Netflix, filmmakers are already reportedly jostling for “the Cuaron treatment.”
Read More »


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In recent years, there have been multiple recalls for fresh and frozen spinach products that tested positive for E. coli, Listeria and Salmonella.
Need a Texas Food Poisoning Lawyer? Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged. If you or a loved one was diagnosed with food poisoning after eating recalled spinach, you should contact our lawyers immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a lawsuit.
Josie’s Organics Baby Spinach Linked to E. coli Outbreak
In November 2021, the FDA and CDC issued warnings after 14 people in 9 states were infected with E. coli O157:H7 after eating spinach. At least 6 sick people reported eating Josie’s Organics Baby Spinach, and testing by health officials in Minnesota confirmed that a product from a sick person’s home was contaminated with E. coli. The product had a “Best By” date of October 23 and it was sold in plastic clamshell containers at stores nationwide.
Dole Baby Spinach Recalled for Risk of Salmonella Contamination
August 2019 — Dole Fresh Vegetables Inc. has recalled certain bags and plastic clamshell boxes of fresh baby spinach due to a risk of Salmonella contamination.
The recall was issued after a product tested positive for Salmonella in Michigan. No illnesses have been reported.
The recalled baby spinach was distributed in IL, IN, KY, MI, NJ, NY, OH, TN, VA, and WI.
The recall involves the following products with Use-By dates of 08-05-2019:
- 6-oz bags of Dole Baby Spinach (Lot W20308A and UPC code 0-71430-00964-2)
- 10-oz clamshell containers of Dole Baby Spinach (Lot W203010 and UPC code 0-71430-00016-8).
Sprouts Recalls Frozen Spinach for Listeria Contamination
June 2019 — Sprouts Farmers Market in Texas and 18 other states recalled bags of frozen cut-leaf spinach after the finished products tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes.
The recall involves the following frozen spinach products:
- Sprouts Frozen Cut Leaf Spinach — 16oz. bag, UPC 87487500982, Lot 19031203A03, USE BY 12/03/21
- Sprouts Frozen Organic Cut Leaf Spinach — 16oz. bag, UPC 87487500991, Lot 19031203A03, USE BY 12/03/21
The recalled spinach was distributed to Sprouts Farmers Market stores in Texas and 18 other states, including Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia.
Sprouts recalled the spinach because random tests detected Listeria in the finished products. All of the affected spinach has been removed from stores and Sprouts is investigating the problem with National Frozen Foods.
Need a Food Poisoning Lawyer in Texas?
Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged.
Collen’s amazing success in the courtroom and well known dedication to his clients has earned him the recognition of his peers as one of The Top Trial Lawyers in Texas.”
The Clark Firm has assembled a team of trial lawyers with more than 100 years experience, participation in over 600 jury trials and $260 million in verdicts and/or settlements. Please use the form below to contact our law firm for a free case review.


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Several Chinese electronics retailers including Alibaba-backed Suning and JD.com have slashed iPhone prices this week, after Apple recently blamed poor sales of the smartphone in the country for a rare revenue warning. (Reuters Technology) More
(Bloomberg) -- There's a whole mess of moving parts this morning that may make it a Herculean task to boil into a single trend: Further China stimulus measures, ...
Posted on 16 January 2019 | 7:09 am | Google News
Apple is under severe pressure amid the weak sales performance of its latest iPhone series, particularly in the Greater China market, and this has led the ...
Posted on 14 January 2019 | 11:50 pm | Google News
Wedbush's Dan Ives says Apple needs to slash prices in China Business Insider
The company needs to take a rare step to maintain its customer base, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said.
Posted on 14 January 2019 | 6:26 pm | Google News
Apple chipmaker Dialog Semiconductor today said it expects quarterly sales to be at the bottom end of its target range after the iPhone manufacturer issued a ...
Posted on 14 January 2019 | 5:03 am | Google News
SHANGHAI, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Following is a list of recent corporate and policy announcements, as well as other news that might affect Chinese financial ...
Posted on 13 January 2019 | 7:18 am | Google News
U.S. stock futures slip Friday, as the equity rally to begin the new year looks as if it will fail to materialize for a sixth day; Apple plans to release three new iPhone ...
Posted on 11 January 2019 | 7:29 am | Google News
Copyright © 2019 LastMinuteStuff.com


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Vogue Fashion's Night Out is once again ready to kick off on September 6, 2012 across the globe. And for the fourth consecutive year, fashion lovers couldn't be more excited about getting out to enjoy all the festivities, and get their shop on.
Last year's bash featured events in eighteen countries and more than 4,500 events in the States. And according to the event website, with special limited-edition products, celebrity appearances, and unforgettable performances, FNO 2012 is promising to be even bigger and better than before![mashshare]


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Montana State Fair opens this Friday. Here's what to know about tickets, concerts
Montana State Fair will be celebrating its 91st anniversary this Friday. The state fair will be in town from July 29 to Aug. 6.
As usual, the state fair will be held at Montana Expo Park. Currently, night show tickets are available for purchase online or at Pacific Steel & Recycling Arena Box Office.
The fair will be open from noon to midnight on opening day, July 29; weekends will be open from noon to midnight; and weekdays will be open from noon to 11 p.m.
There is limited complimentary free parking via the NorthWest Bypass entrance.
Fair gate admission costs are:
- Adults: 18 to 59 - $8
- Children: 5 and under are free
- Lunch Special: $5 (Available Monday through Friday between the hours of 11 am to 2 pm)
- Seniors: 60 and older - $5
- Youth: 6 to 17 - $5
Performances for the week include Mini Pop Kids Live, The Beach Boys, Skillet, Cheap Trick, Chase Rice and Dwight Yoakam. Concert times and pricing vary from day to day.
The "pay one price package" includes reserved or general admission night show ticket, expedited fair gate admission and a $5 food coupon to use with any food vendor.
Mighty Thomas Carnival wristbands are on pre-sale for $25. Vouchers will be received and will be redeemed at a Mighty Thomas Carnival booth.
The voucher is good for any day of the 2022 Montana State Fair and can be used during ride times from noon to 5pm or 6pm to midnight.
Wristband vouchers are available for purchase at the Pacific Steel & Recycling Arena Box Office, by phone (406) 727-1481 or on the website until 6 p.m. on Friday, July 29.


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Africa’s e-commerce group, Jumia, has slashed 20% of its workforce in a layoff exercise that saw the exit of 900 people from the company.
The company disclosed this today in its Q4 2022 financial results, as seen by Nairametrics.
Jumia, which first hinted at the possibility of a head cut in November last year as part of its strategies to cut costs and reduce losses, said the headcount reductions were done in Q4 2022.
Following the layoffs, the company said it has streamlined its organizational structure and created leaner, more effective teams that are fully committed to the execution of its strategy.
Jumia Lays Off 900 Workers As Part Of Strategies To Cut Losses
The re-organization also saw Jumia significantly reducing its presence in Dubai where certain management functions were located. Jumia said it reduced its headcount in Dubai by 60% while most of the remaining staff are being relocated to its African offices, closer to its consumers, sellers, and operations.
Explaining how the headcount reductions would affect the business, Jumia said:
“We expect these headcount reductions to allow us to save over 30% in monthly staff costs starting from March 2023, as compared to the October 2022 staff cost baseline.
“The implementation of these organizational changes resulted in $3.7 million in one-off restructuring costs booked in the fourth quarter of 2022.”
Jumia said it also focused on driving marketing efficiencies, allowing it to significantly reduce its Sales & Advertising expense which decreased by 41% year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2022.
“As part of that, we are working on optimizing the returns on our paid online marketing investments by rationalizing marketing channels. We are also allocating a higher share of investment to local offline channels that help us build brand awareness and consideration in a cost-effective manner.
“We are also working on a comprehensive plan to drive fulfillment cost efficiencies. This includes a number of actions such as optimizing our footprint and logistics routes, improving warehousing staff management and productivity, reducing packaging costs, and many more.
We have seen early signs of success of this strategy in our e-commerce physical goods business where the freight & shipping cost per package decreased by 23% year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2022,” the company stated.


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TAIPEI—A former U.S. senator and two former U.S. deputy secretaries of state have arrived in Taiwan, leading the first unofficial delegation dispatched by President Biden, amid heightened tensions with Beijing over the future of the self-ruling island.
Christopher J. Dodd, a former Democratic senator from Connecticut, and former senior State Department officials Richard Armitage and James Steinberg touched down in Taipei on Wednesday afternoon local time, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said.
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HRH The Prince of Wales visited the flagship Marks & Spencer store in Marble Arch, London today, to meet a group of young people who have successfully completed Make Your Mark.
He was joined by M&S chief executive, Marc Bolland, for a tour of the store where he met 12 disadvantaged young people taking part in the Make Your Mark course, a four-week employability programme run in partnership with the retailer.
HRH visited the M&S delicatessen where he heard about the provenance of the produce on offer, from Rebecca Blythe, 23, from Sutton, who is currently on the programme. Rebecca also told him about the skills and confidence she has gained so far on the course.
As part of the visit, HRH and Marc Bolland attended the programme’s celebration event, where HRH presented the group with their certificates.
Martina Milburn, chief executive of The Prince’s Trust, said:
"We are incredibly grateful to Marks & Spencer for helping us to reach the most vulnerable young people offering them hope for the future."
Make Your Mark helps disadvantaged young people gain the skills and confidence to find work in the retail sector.
Young people undertake employability skills training and on-the-job experience and also receive a dedicated career coach. Around 1,500 young people are supported each year through the programme and in 2013 M&S became one of the companies involved in the creation of a UK-wide Movement to Work – a collaboration of around 200 employers including 14 leading FTSE businesses and their suppliers, to play their part in helping young unemployed people into the job market.


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Kmart is rebranding its “plus-size” clothing section to “fabulously-sized” in an effort to fight “body-shaming” and accept obesity.
Kmart’s chief marketing officer, Kelly Cook, told Women’s Wear Daily that the chain wanted to jump on the “body-positivity” bandwagon.
“This decision was heavily influenced by the fact that there’s a solid trend on the market around diversity promotion and body positivity,” she said before adding that the retail chain has noticed “a big body positive focus in the teen and Millennial markets.”
According to women’s fashion, clothing can only attain the label of “plus-size” if it is above a size 14-16.
This label, contradictory to doctors and any self-respecting male, will be rebranded as “fabulously-sized” by Kmart.
Kmart also announced it will be getting rid of the “plus-size” labels on underwear and swimwear, as well as stocking a broader range of clothing sizes in stores.
According to Cook, the change in the language was inspired by people on social media.
“When we reached out to our members on social media, they told us we needed to have a better assortment and that we should call it something different,” she explained. “They absolutely love this whole mantra of ‘Fabulously Sized.’ We’re proud to provide this apparel, and we’re also proud about our price points.”
Featured Image Via Flickr/Marjan Lazarevski


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Bonhams to auction 40 iconic Mercedes this July
Some of the most remarkable models in the German car manufacturer's history will go on the auction block on July 12, 2014 at the Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart, Germany.
Although the complete sales catalog is not yet available, a few cars have been announced, including a 1909 Mercedes with 35hp. This antique model is expected to draw between €480,000 and €680,000 ($660,000 to $935,000) at auction.
This exceptional auction marks the start of a new partnership between Bonhams and Mercedes.
'We share an idea with Bonhams: Both of us stand for unique and authentic vehicles,' said Michael Bock, Head of Mercedes-Benz Classic at Daimler AG. 'We regard classic vehicles as a key heritage for society. And valuing authenticity plays an important role in this.'
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On July 12, 2013, during an auction outside of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Bonhams set a new record with the sale of the Mercedes W196 piloted by Juan-Manuel Fangio to victory in the 1954 F1 World Championships. The car sold for £19.6 million ($3.3 million).
The Mercedes-Benz Museum, where the auction will take place this July, houses over 1,500 artefacts, including 160 cars, in a 16,500 square meter exhibition space.


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Workers are demanding a $1/hour pay raise and 60 cents/hour to maintain their heath care benefits, according to the Teamsters.
The global pandemic has changed all aspects of normal living, and ushered in an era where health and wellness are paramount decision drivers for the foreseeable future, especially when it comes to food and beverage choices.
A recent study published in the scientific journal Clinical Infectious Diseases found that a lack of adequate vitamin K levels was associated with poor outcomes in COVID-19 patients.
Both houses of Congress easily passed a $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill and a $1.4 trillion spending bill that will fund the government through September. President Trump indicated he will sign it.
No one saw 2020 coming, and it’s no easier to project what 2021 or the next five years will bring. But two produce industry leaders predicted increasing disruption both in the industry and world economies on this week’s PMA town hall webinar.
Looking toward the end-of-year holidays, 44% of Americans are worried that the holiday celebrations will cause a spike in COVID cases and over one-third are not looking forward to the holiday season as much as usual because their celebrations will be curtailed.
Although 2020 has been a year like no other, Equitable Food Initiative, the workforce development and training organization that partners with growers, farmworkers, retailers and consumer advocacy groups, continued to grow and prove its unique value to the fresh produce industry.
Retail grocery has seen convulsive shifts as a result of the coronavirus. But how permanent are they?
The National Restaurant Association sent a letter to Congressional leadership, sharing new survey findings that illustrate continued business deterioration across the restaurant industry and offering support for the moderate compromise proposal as a 'down payment' toward a larger relief package in early 2021.
Working mothers are disproportionately affected by the household responsibilities when compared to working fathers. They remain a critical customer base even though they're overwhelmed.


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Cargill Inc. sued Syngenta Seeds Inc. on Friday in an unusual legal battle over genetically modified food that both companies support.
The fight comes after China refused to accept ships Cargill loaded that were filled with corn grown from genetically modified Syngenta seed.
Despite being one of the world’s most vocal and powerful backers of genetically modified seeds, Cargill accused Syngenta Seeds of shipping the corn without first ensuring that Chinese officials would allow it into their country. Both Cargill and Syngenta Seeds are based in Minnetonka.
“I want to be clear about this,” Dave Baudler, president of Cargill AgHorizons U.S., said in a statement released by the company. “Cargill is a supporter of innovation and the development of new GMO [genetically modified] seed products. But we take exception to Syngenta’s actions in launching the sale of new products … before obtaining import approval in key export markets for U.S. crops.”
Syngenta countered with a statement that called Cargill’s suit “without merit.”
The seed in question — called Agrisure Viptera trait (MIR162) — “was approved for cultivation in the USA in 2010,” the company said. “Syngenta commercialized the trait in full compliance with regulatory and legal requirements. Syngenta also obtained import approval from major corn-importing countries.”
China has declared genetically modified food safe, but in August the country’s Ministry of Agriculture refused to renew certificates that allowed Chinese research groups to grow genetically modified rice and corn. The country also refuses to import foods with genetic modifications not approved by the government.
Cargill says that since November 2013, China’s Ministry of Agriculture has refused more than 1.4 million metric tons of corn after it found traces of Viptera on corn-carrying ships. Cargill claimed $90 million in damages from the rejections.
A Cargill spokesman said the corn in question was diverted to other ports where it was accepted. But Cargill wants to send a message about Syngenta’s business practices, which Cargill says do not meet industry standards and are penalizing other corporations.
“Unlike other seed companies, Syngenta has not practiced responsible stewardship by broadly commercializing a new product before receiving approval from a key export market like China,” Mark Stonacek, president of Cargill’s grain and oilseed supply chain in North America, said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. “Syngenta also put the ability of U.S. agriculture to serve global markets at risk, costing both Cargill and the entire U.S. agricultural industry significant damages.”
A recent study by a national grain industry trade group estimated that uncertainty in the market had cost U.S. producers $2.9 billion.
Syngenta countered that it has been “fully transparent” in commercializing the new modification over the past four years.
Syngenta has been successful in marketing Viptera seed. The Cargill suit says the product has found its way “into all levels of the U.S. corn supply.” The ubiquity of the seed has effectively closed China as an export market for U.S. corn, Cargill charged.
The notion of contaminating a market by successfully commercializing a product poses a difficult economic dilemma, said University of Minnesota agricultural economist Bill Lazarus.
“I can certainly see how trace amounts [of genetically modified substances] could find their way into the corners of ships,” Lazarus said. “If it moves that easily, what do you do about it?”
Lazarus believes genetically modified food may be necessary to feed the world’s population. But with countries in Europe already restricting genetic modifications and China growing increasingly picky, Lazarus said the issues raised by Syngenta’s sales and Cargill’s suit may become more common.
On the other hand, Lazarus spent time in China this summer and proffered another explanation for the country’s current stance on U.S. corn.
These days, China has a large surplus of rice and corn, he said. “They’re probably looking for excuses to not import it now.”


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What’s your drink of choice every day? Fruit drink at breakfast? A soda during lunch? Sweetened bottled water at snack time? Sweet tea for dinner? All of the above?
Here’s what women need to know if sugary beverages are part of their daily diet.
A woman’s risk of cardiovascular disease increases by 20% if she drinks one or more sugary beverages a day.
Researchers came up with this figure after studying more than 106,000 women in a large, ongoing California Teacher’s Study that began in 1995. Their findings are published in the May 13 issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association.
The average age of the women was 52 and none had been diagnosed with heart disease, stroke or diabetes when they enrolled in the study.
Dr. Cheryl Anderson served as lead author of this observational study, meaning they didn’t offer participants any type of intervention. She’s a professor and interim chair of Family Public Health at the University of California San Diego and chair of the American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee.
While the study doesn’t prove cause and effect, Anderson says, “we hypothesize that sugar may increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases in several ways. It raises glucose levels and insulin concentrations in the blood, which may increase appetite and lead to obesity, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.”
The study also revealed that daily drinking of one or more of any type of sugary beverage led to a 26% higher likelihood of needing a revascularization process, such as angioplasty to open clogged arteries. Plus, there’s a 21% higher chance to having a stroke as compared to women who rarely or never drink sugary beverages.
Beverages considered for this study included caloric soft drinks, sweetened bottled waters or teas, and sugar-added fruit drinks.
The study did not evaluate 100% fruit juices, artificially sweetened “diet” beverages or sweetened hot beverages.
Surprisingly, it’s riskier to drink sugar-added fruit drinks than soda.
The risk of cardiovascular disease is about two times greater when a woman chooses sugar-added fruit drinks every day. Researchers say those fruit drinks are associated with a 42% greater chance of cardiovascular disease while soft drinks and sodas are associated with a 23% higher risk as compared with women who never or rarely drink sugary beverages.
It’s unclear why sugar-added fruit drinks pose a greater risk than soft drinks.
“I think the most important thing is that we know already that healthy foods and beverages are associated with better cardiovascular health,” says Dr. Andereson. “Consistent with that messaging is that what you drink matters.”
You’re already over the daily recommended sugar intake if you drink only one 12-ounce can of soda.
A typical 12-ounce can of regular soft drink contains 130 calories and 8 teaspoons (34 grams) of sugar. Drinking just that one can of soda every day floods your body with more sugar than the American Heart Association recommends.
The AHA’s limit is no more than 100 calories a day (6 teaspoons of sugar or 25 grams) for most women.
Some people choose diet sodas to reduce the amount of sugar intake, but diet drinks have potential risks of their own due to artificial sweeteners such as saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, etc.
The best advice? Researchers point to water as a healthy beverage for daily consumption. Water is free from sugar and artificial sweeteners and has zero calories.


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Britons love their local dairy, survey says
consumers in the UK, a new poll has found, bolstering the domestic
dairy industry as it tries to raise earnings down the supply chain.
More than half the people asked in a recent ICM Poll said they would prefer to buy locally produced dairy products such as cheese, yoghurt and ice cream, rather than big brands. Around 80 per cent said they preferred to buy British milk.
The poll, commissioned by the Country Land and Business Association, gives a confidence boost to Britain's dairy industry as farmers and processors struggle to make profits and imports of added value dairy products increase.
The result also continues an uncomfortable period for dairy firm Arla Foods UK, which imports its high-selling Anchor butter brand from New Zealand.
Rival firm Dairy Crest recently launched adverts criticising Arla for shipping Anchor 11,000 miles when its own Country Life butter was made in Britain. The ads got support from the UK National Farmers' Union (NFU).
Public support for local dairy produce in the ICM poll appeared to be driven by concern for British farmers.
More than two thirds said the countryside would be worse off without the dairy sector, while 85 per cent said dairy farmers could not be expected to compete if supermarkets continued to cut the price of milk.
Farmgate milk prices in Britain average around 18p per litre, the lowest in Western Europe. Several dairy firms have cut farmgate prices further this year in an attempt to cope with soaring input costs and supermarket price pressure.
NFU officials have repeatedly warned milk producers will be forced out of business if the trend continues. "The main message from the NFU was that there is clear evidence of abuse of power within the supply chain and that the major retailers are in a dominant position," said NFU director general, Richard MacDonald, recently to a Competition Commission panel investigating the UK grocery chain.
Low earnings throughout the dairy sector has also left less money available to develop added value products that can compete with those of foreign firms.
Britain's dairy trade deficit jumped up 20 per cent in 2005 to £893m, economists at the UK Milk Development Council warned recently. They said one example of the problem was that Britain continued to export butterfat as low value cream and then import expensive butter brands, such as Lurpak or Anchor.
David Fursdon, president of the Country Land and Business Association, said farmers and companies should be encouraged by consumer support for local products in the ICM poll.
He admitted the situation was still tough, however. "What people say in surveys compared to how they spend their money in the supermarket or corner shop can be quite different things, so let's hope their intentions are put into action."
Rising demand for locally sourced food in the UK is shown by the rapid growth of farmers' markets over the last few years. There were 550 markets operating last year, making a combined £220m in sales, according to organic food promoters the Soil Association.


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🤖 AMD Breaks the Mold with Groundbreaking AI “Superchip” – Say What Now? 💥
TL:DR; Tech titan AMD just introduced an AI “superchip” and claimed it to be a head-on challenger to Nvidia’s stronghold in the market. No more playing nice, it seems. 😏
Disclaimer: This article is intended to report on current news and doesn’t provide financial advice. For any investment decisions, it’s best to consult a professional.
Hang on to your circuit boards, folks! AMD, the heavyweight of high-tech, just came out swinging with a surprise uppercut, introducing a spanking new AI “superchip.” So, where does this drop us in the motherboard of life? And more importantly, what does this mean for Nvidia, the current kingpin of this virtual Vegas? 🎲
We’ve always known AMD as the cool cousin of the tech family – innovative, edgy, and a bit of a game-changer. But this, this is the equivalent of that cousin turning up to a family gathering in a Lamborghini. “Hello, Nvidia, we see your graphics prowess and raise you one AI ‘superchip.’ Your move.” 💁♂
This groundbreaking tech revelation from AMD is set to send shockwaves through the tech world and keep us on our toes. So, let’s ask ourselves – how is this going to shake up the digital dance floor? 🕺
Let’s put it this way: AMD isn’t known for bluffing. They’re all in, baby, with no signs of folding. If this AI ‘superchip’ is as impressive as they’re making it out to be, Nvidia’s got some serious competition. What’s that, Nvidia? Feeling the heat? 🔥
But wait, there’s more. AMD’s AI ‘superchip’ isn’t just about computing power and silicon supremacy. It’s also about paving the way for new, unexplored realms of technology. Picture it – a world where our virtual assistants don’t just tell us the weather but comprehend the abstract concept of a bad hair day. A future where your AI-powered fridge doesn’t just tell you you’re out of milk, but also advises you on the psychological implications of your late-night cheese cravings. 🧀
Sounds wild, doesn’t it? But with AMD’s AI ‘superchip,’ it might just be around the corner. So, how does that sit with you, Nvidia? Are you ready to bring your A-game and keep up with the Joneses of AI tech? Or is AMD about to snatch your high-score and crown in this high-stakes silicon saga? 🤔
No one knows what the future of AI technology will look like, but it’s clear that AMD is set on being a major part of it. But the question is, how will Nvidia respond? Will they put up a fight or buckle under the pressure? More importantly, as tech consumers and spectators, are we ready for this next-level AI adventure?
So, fellow techies, what do you think? Is AMD’s new AI “superchip” just another piece in the tech puzzle, or a game-changer that’ll redefine the boundaries of what AI can do? Let’s have a chat in the comments.


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Sunday, November 28, 2010
Tim Gunn at Real Simple Pop-Up Shop Dec. 4th
The Real Simple Pop-Up Shop, presented by Kodak, will open at 10 West 49th Street, Rockefeller Center, December 1st-6th, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Inspired by the December issue of Real Simple, the store will feature gift-giving ideas, tips and solutions for the holidays.
Tim Gunn will be signing copies of
"Gunn's Golden Rules"
on Saturday December 4th from 1:00 - 2:00 PM.
for more information.
for the schedule.
Gunn's Golden Rules


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MobileMag links to a short YouTube video of Nav N Go’s 3D GPS software in action, which is being made available to manufacturers for use in devices that will be sold in the US. The software has its owns graphics engine, shows terrain, road elevation, and buildings, and can show over 10 miles in one view. Nav N Go software has been available on devices in Europe, including personal navigation devices like the Mio C620 and will be included on Sony PSP handheld gaming devices sold in Europe beginning in March.
According to Nav N Go’s press release for CES,Ingram Micro will be launching a version of their new V7 Portable Navigation Devices that will include Nav N Go iGO 8 and HP will have the software on its iPAQ Travel Companion. No word yet on whether Nav N Go software will make the move to in-car navigation devices, although I have to say that could get pretty distracting watching the lovely virtual 3D landscape while you’re supposed to be driving through the actual 3D landscape.


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So the news this week from Washington on the cannabis front is that Biden pardoned a bunch of federal marijuana (I hate that term but that’s what they use) charges.
That’s cool, and it clears the record of several thousand Americans, but currently there are actually no people in Federal custody for Cannabis offenses. So while that sounds nice, it doesn’t actually affect all of the people in State Prisons for Cannabis and THC.
The President also instructed the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services to look at rescheduling cannabis from Schedule 1 to something else. Schedule 1 drugs also include LSD and Heroin, and crazily enough OUT RANKS Methamphetamines, Cocaine and Fentanyl, which is frankly insane.
So almost 2 years into the Biden presidency and they are only starting to make small moves on Federal Cannabis Reform despite what was said on the campaign trail.
We are 100% in support of across the board cannabis legalization, but want it done right. Any state level legalization should come with release of nonviolent Cannabis offenders, and the expungement of any cannabis charges from records.
We are happy we can provide Hemp Derived Delta 9 THC and Full Spectrum CBD to help those who need it in ‘Non Green’ States, but would rather all Americans have the freedom to choose for themselves.
As the numbers show Black Americans are over 3 times more likely to be arrested for a Cannabis offense, despite similar rates of use to White Americans. So this is also most definitely a social justice issue as well.
It’s high time for the United States Federal Government and the States to legalize this plant so that people can decide for themselves how to manage their own wellness and pain.
Even though States Rights are a thing, I think many states drag their feet because of fear of the Feds. So while we are happy that at least something is happening, it definitely feels like too little too late.


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Published on : Monday, April 22, 2019
With Colombo under curfew following the devastating Easter Sunday bomb attacks on churches and upmarket hotels, Sri Lanka is mired in fear, horror and grief and tourists who have been flocking to the Indian Ocean island are likely to cancel in droves.
A tweet posted on the travel booking website First Choice captured the trepidation among holidaymakers, while some airlines and travel agents said they would waive cancellation charges for people scheduled to travel imminently.
Others set to travel said they would not to be cowed into cancelling.
Named by the Lonely Planet guide for independent travellers as the best country to visit in 2019, Sri Lanka had rebuilt its image as a tropical paradise after crushing a long-running separatist insurgency by ethnic minority Tamils a decade ago.
Arrivals of 2.3 million last year were up by more than 400 percent on 2009 levels, according Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority data.
But the suicide bombers who killed at least 290 people, including 32 foreigners, and wounded 500 have in all likelihood ended the boom in tourism for some time.
Denmark’s richest man, Anders Holch Povlsen, and his wife lost three of their four children in a blast at one of the hotels. A British mother and son were killed at a breakfast buffet and two Australians were also among the dead.
Tourists were also arriving but many said they would steer clear of the capital.
Tourism was Sri Lanka’s third largest and fastest growing source of foreign currency, after private remittances and textile and garment exports, accounting for almost $4.4 billion or 4.9 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2018.
“The attacks will not only impact already weak economic activity (real GDP growth was at a 17-year low of 3.2 per cent in 2018), but also the country’s relatively vulnerable external liquidity position,” Citi Asia Economics said in a note that warned the hardest blow would fall on tourism.
A U.S. State Department travel advisory warned of the danger of “terrorist groups” plotting more attacks. Targets could include tourist locations, transport hubs, shopping malls, hotels, places of worship and airports.
Other governments, including Japan and Australia, have also cautioned citizens planning travel to Sri Lanka.
JTB, Japan’s largest travel agency, has waived cancellation charges, and modified its package tours leaving Japan before May 10 to avoid risky locations, like Colombo, and will decide later on tours leaving after May 11, a spokeswoman said.
Two major airlines in neighbouring India, state-owned Air India and the largest carrier Indigo, owned by Interglobe Aviation, said they would waive rescheduling and cancellation charges for travel scheduled before April 24.
India was the single largest source of visitors last year, with 425,000, while 266,000 came from China, Sri Lanka’s newfound friend, and more than 254,000 from old colonial power Britain.
There were no immediate cancellations on Indian online booking portal yatra.com, but new inquiries and bookings had slowed, said chief operating officer Sharat Dhall.
Sri Lanks’s latest tourism campaign celebrates the island’s charms with the simple slogan ‘So Sri Lanka’.
At Colombo airport, departing holidaymakers were relieved to be getting out.


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A recently posted Overwatch 2 listing suggests Blizzard is working on expanding the skins and cosmetics available in the game.
This year’s Call of Duty entry, expected to be in development at Call of Duty: WWII and Advanced Warfare developer, Sledgehammer Games, is set to be revealed in August according to a new report.
We’ve not yet heard word of Call of Duty 2022, but work appears to be firmly underway at veteran series developers and Warzone healmers, Infinity Ward.
Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic steps up as one of NBA 2K22’s cover athletes ahead of the game’s September 10 release date. With the NBA season coming to a close — and a tantalising match-up between the Bucks and Suns still neck-and-neck at time of publishing — many fans have already turned turned their attention …
Black Ops Cold War is crashing for players and even shutting down Xbox Series X consoles. Here’s how to fix it.
NBA 2K21 has the potential to be special, and it gets the fundamentals right on so many levels, but it’s held back by the usual suspects.
The Xbox Series X is merely a portal to something grander, a golden door leading to a network of fantasy.
The definitive guide to create a LeBron James build in NBA 2K21 next gen.
With the launch of the Xbox Series X and PS5 comes a new NBA 2K experience, and with that a new list of NBA 2K21 next gen best builds.
Razer is ready for a big new console generation, with the Kaira Pro headset set to usher the company into the Xbox Series X and Series S generation.


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PEORIA, Ill. — Following a previously announced succession plan, the board of directors of Caterpillar Inc. has elected Doug Oberhelman CEO and a member of Caterpillar’s board of directors, effective July 1. Oberhelman succeeds Jim Owens as CEO, while Owens will remain chairman of the board until Oct. 31, when he will retire after more than 38 years with the company. At that time, Oberhelman also will replace Owens as chairman.
Since becoming Chairman and CEO in 2004, Owens is credited with successfully leading Caterpillar through unprecedented growth from 2005 through 2008, followed by the global economic recession of 2009. During his tenure, employee safety and engagement scores improved dramatically, the company noted. Owens also introduced Caterpillar’s Vision 2020 strategy; implemented the Caterpillar Production System; championed both key capacity expansion projects and mergers and acquisitions; and invested heavily in key research and development initiatives. A leading voice promoting global issues such as the importance of free trade, Owens in 2009, was named a member of President Barack Obama’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board.
For the past six months, Oberhelman has been leading a team updating the company’s Vision 2020 strategy, which was first introduced by Owens in 2005. The Caterpillar board has been actively engaged with the management team in reviewing and supporting the 2011-2015 strategy and is now in the process of sharing the updated strategy with employees, suppliers, dealers and shareholders.


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Inflationary costs, unexpected weather issues and global economic malaise have created a challenging environment for many lithium producers and exploration and development companies.
By Dave Brown —Exclusive to Lithium Investing News
With more than ninety different varieties of lithium commercially produced a lithium spot price is not possible and determining an underlying trend in the price for lithium is not simplified enough to give a generic quote as there are different volumes and purities according to specified demands. Recent announcements from some of the biggest producers highlight some of the inflationary costs which appear to have had an impact on the overall lithium industry over the last three months.
Last month Chemetall Foote, a lithium division of specialty chemicals and materials producer Rockwood Holdings Inc. (NYSE:ROC), implemented a price increase up to 20 percent on several products as the result of inflationary expenses from transport, energy, raw materials and solvents. FMC Corporation (NYSE:FMC) preceded this when in June the company announced its second lithium product price increase in the range of 20 percent for lithium carbonate and between 15 and 25 percent, depending on product grade, on a field of lithium products, including lithium battery metal, lithium chloride, lithium hydroxide and specialty lithium salts.
Equity markets correction
Overall market corrections represented by a drop in the broader Toronto Stock Exchange, S&P 500, NASDAQ and the Australian equity indexes declining by 10.7, 10.2, 10.4 and 10.8 percent respectively have contributed to a decline in lithium equity valuations over the last 3 months. The Global X Lithium ETF (NYSE:LIT) might serve as a proxy for the overall lithium industry with the cautionary disclaimer that a considerable portion of the represented index constituency is not reflective of pure play lithium exposure. Overall, the index has declined 13.29 percent over the last quarter. The proprietary lithium investing news index has demonstrated a stronger downside pressure potentially attributed to exposure to increased exploration and development risk from its constituents with the overall value declining 26.0 percent from the last quarter.
The most recent quarterly earnings release from Johnson Controls (NYSE:JCI) suggest impacts for some lithium battery manufacturers may have been enhanced by inefficiencies in North America and Asia due to production disruptions in Japan following the earthquake in March. Higher engineering and inflationary costs have also affected the volume and magnitude of new projects.
Weather conditions have also been important for some of the South American brine producers with the wettest weather in more than a decade having presented operational challenges in the previous quarter. Heavy rain and snow resulted in road blockages or washouts, creating additional expense and logistical impediments for production yields. Australian lithium producers such as Talison Lithium (TSX:TLH) and Galaxy Resources Limited (TSX:GXY) may benefit directly without having the concentrated exposure of their assets to inclement conditions.
Strategic alliances and offtake agreements
A series of announcements from lithium exploration and development companies have highlighted an emergent theme from the last quarter with direct partnerships from battery manufacturers, consumer electronics companies and industrial conglomerates to develop and source critical reserves. Last week, the terms of a previously announced agreement between Li3 Energy, Inc. (OTC:LIEG), a US-listed and Peruvian-based lithium exploration company along with POSCO (NYSE:PKX), were finalized and disclosed. The strategic partnership is to include up to $18 million in funding for the Maricunga exploration and development project.
There have also been electric vehicle initiatives between automotive and battery manufacturers, governments and universities to further support the potential growth of research and development. This has recently been underscored by the press release last week that General Motors (NYSE:GM)(TSX:GMM) and LG Group intend to jointly engineer future electric vehicles, enhancing the relationship of LG’s battery cell source for the Chevrolet Volt and Opel Ampera extended-range EVs. The news of this partnership follows a cooperative deal between Toyota and Ford to build a new hybrid system. The most recent announcement has a material application for Lithium One Inc. (TSXV:LI) as they are partners in developing Sal de Vida Lithium Brine Project in Argentina along with LG, GS Caltex and KORES.
Foreign exchange developments
Currency rate movements can sometimes be of interest to lithium investors in following trends. Although many producers will be employing complex currency hedging strategies depending upon their segmented revenue forecasts, in general, when a lithium producer operates in a particular region, the expenses will be paid in that region’s currency. If the lithium producer exports to another nation, its revenues might lose or might gain in marginal value, or if nothing else the cost to hedge against currency rate volatility could be impacted.
Of potential interest to some lithium investors might be that the Chinese yuan has strengthened against most currencies, recently reported by Bloomberg to be at a 17 year high. This may provide a windfall for some lithium producing companies that may be generating considerable revenues in yuan and paying most expenses in Argentinian or Chilean pesos or Australian, United States, or Canadian dollars.
Securities Disclosure: I, Dave Brown, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.


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UPDATE: RCMP Investigating Product Tampering After Milk Recalls
RCMP are investigating potential product tampering at a Victoria dairy facility after several products were recalled on Thursday. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has also launched a food safety investigation.
The affected products include some items from Island Farms, Lucerne and Natrel. They have a best before date up to and including June 3rd 2017.
RCMP say the foreign material in these products poses a risk to consumer.The products were only sold in BC.


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Tax compliance costs for small business could be slashed under an innovative reform proposal being considered by the Federal Government.
Under the plan, formulated by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and Deloitte, income would be taxed when it flows to the owners of businesses instead of in the business itself.
This would mean companies would receive tax treatment similar to that of a partnership, while maintaining the advantages of incorporation such as limited liability.
For businesses that opt in to the system, this would mean avoiding a wide range of difficult-to-administer tax mechanisms such as carry-forward company loss provisions, fringe benefits tax provisions, family trust election provisions, trust loss provisions and franking credit rules.
Ali Noroozi, chief tax counsel with the ICAA, says tax compliance costs for businesses would be slashed under the proposed “entity flow through” (EFT) system.
“Smaller businesses have been driven to use things like trusts to deal with their tax affairs, but dealing with them can be very difficult and costly for SMEs. But by moving to the EFT system we would bypass many of these complexities,” Noroozi says.
Dealing with these things is very difficult and costly for SMEs, but by moving to an EFT system business could bypass many of these complexities,” Noroozi says.
The proposal does not contain any formal cap on the size of the business that could use the system, but it would be most cost effective for businesses with around five employees or profits in the range of $500,000.
Beyond that the tax compliance costs avoided would be outweighed by the difference between the 30% company tax rate, which would be lost, and the higher personal tax rates that would apply.
Noroozi says implementation of the proposal would also have benefits for tax accountants and agents. “It would certainly make life easier for tax practitioners, particularly those that commonly deal with businesses at the smaller end,” he says.


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Make a Difference Day food drive finishes next weekend
MANSFIELD — Around 10 trucks will be loaded up by Monday with food for six local food pantries — community organizations will sort and box food Oct. 23-24 for the 10th annual Make A Difference Day food drive.
Organizers of the food drive, including Graham Auto Mall and the News Journal, are hoping to collect 25,000 items to restock six local food pantries — Salvation Army, Domestic Violence Shelter, Volunteers of America, Harmony House, Catholic Charities and Butler-Clear Fork Nutrition. Last year, 24,327 food, hygiene and other necessary items were collected.
Donated items can be dropped off at Graham Auto Mall, 1515 W. Fourth St., and at Kroger stores at 1500 Lexington Ave., 1060 Ashland Road and 1240 Park Avenue West. Cash and check donations will also be accepted, and checks should be made out to the food pantry of the donor's choice.
Organizer Doc Stumbo said any group or business could participate in the food drive. He said he'll find a way to pick up canned goods from locations with food donation items.
"There's a lot of need for (food items), and it gets worse every year," Stumbo said. "I used to think it would get better, but it doesn't."
Kathy Ezawa, director of the Domestic Violence Shelter, said MADD is the largest food drive the shelter participates in. She said much of the food in the shelter's pantry comes from this drive.
"Every year, we receive food from the (MADD) food drive," Ezawa said. "We have had an increase in services and people calling for assistance, so I think there is a need for more food in our pantry and others."
"(The shelter) is really grateful to Stumbo and all of the other people involved in making this possible every year."
Vicki Kane, CEO at Harmony House, said the food drive helps them provide those in need with three meals a day. She said Harmony House feeds around 50 people a day, and last year, they provided 42,513 meals.
"We have a very low budget here, so we do not have the money to feed 50 people a day," Kane said. "Donations from the food drive help us fill our pantries."
"We're so appreciative of the community coming to the aid of our organization and other organizations because they're truly making a difference."
Tom Brennan, regional manager at the News Journal, said the newspaper is once again participating in MADD. Employees from the newspaper will sort and box food items Oct. 23.
"This is the 10th year for the News Journal to be a major part of this program," Brennan said. "We are very proud of that because of the help it provides for hungry families in our community. Hunger is such a basic need and the number of residents in need of food is growing."
"Thanks in advance for your contributions."
Retired Senior Volunteer Program employees and members of Newhope will sort items Oct. 24. The local Young Marines will load trucks on Oct. 25. Stumbo said nine to 10 trucks will be loaded by Monday morning and delivered to the six pantries. Other food drive supporters include Skybox Packaging, Perry-Pro-Tech, Applied Graphics, Eze Rentals, Sherman Elementary School and local banks and credit unions.
For information on how to get involved or food pick-up assistance, contact Stumbo at 419-529-1800. Press zero to have volunteers pick up goods.
The News Journal's Lou Whitmire contributed to this report.


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Sony 6.44-inch phablet possibly outed in leaked factory photo
Thought the 5.5-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and the upcoming 6.1-inch Huawei Ascend Mate were giants? Now a new rumor suggests that Sony might be taking things even further with a 6.44-inch phablet of their own.
The new rumor comes from the photo directly below, which was first published to the Chinese Digi-Wo forum by someone claiming it is a component for a massive 6.44-inch, 1080p Sony smartphone. As you can see from the picture, the bezel is very skinny even when compared to the Ascend Mate but otherwise their isn’t much to learn just from looking at this panel.
Keep in mind that a single picture of a glass panel is far from proof that Sony is really working on such a massive phablet. This could be just as easily be nothing more than a prototype that will never see the light or day, or for that matter it could be a faked image.
One thing we can’t deny is that bigger seems to be better right now in the smartphone world, and so a phablet that flirts so closely with the boundaries of phablet and 7-inch tablet certainly isn’t inconceivable at this point.
What do you think, could this be a glass panel for a future member of the Xperia family? Would you ever consider a 6.44-inch smartphone or do you think such a size just isn’t practical?


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TVS Motor December sales jump 39%
Total two-wheeler sales grew 37.9 % to 2,47,630 units in the month
Two and three-wheeler maker TVS Motor Company today reported a healthy 39% growth in December sales at 2,56,909 units from 184,944 units in December 2016.
Total two-wheeler sales grew 37.9% to 2,47,630 units in the month of December which domestic sales grew 35.4 % to 2,07,778 units, the Hosur-based company said in a statement.
Scooter sales grew by 50.5 % from 55,557 units in December 2016 to 83,640 units in December 2017, while motorcycle sales grew by 63.7% to 95,281 units in the reporting month.
Exports grew 55.8% to 47,818 units in December, of which two-wheeler exports grew 52.7% to 39,852 units.
Its three-wheeler sales grew 72.1%, increasing from 5,393 units in December 2016 to 9,279 units in December 2017.
During the third quarter of the financial year 2018, two-wheeler sales grew by 13.8% to 7.99 lakh units, while three-wheeler sales clipped past 67.7% to 27,000 units in the December quarter, TVS which is the only domestic two-wheeler company to have received the prestigious Deming Prize, said.


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Apple AirTags Could be Used by Stalkers With Terrifying Results: Here's What Parents Need To Know
Tech is supposed to make our busy—and at times overwhelming—lives easier. Ever since Apple AirTags, tiny, Bluetooth-enabled discs that allow you to easily track anything from your car keys to your cat, came out earlier this year, they've aimed to be a tool that'll make your hectic parenting life simpler and less stressful. But recent reports have highlighted the nefarious side of the new technology.
This week, a Maryland woman wrote a Twitter thread about a stalker attaching an AirTag to her Lexus before she left a bar around 2 a.m.
"So something kinda terrifying happened to me last night," the 28-year-old woman wrote in a since privacy-blocked tweet, according to the New York Post. "Someone attached an Apple AirTag to the underside of my front wheel well while I was inside a bar."
The Baltimore woman, identified as Jeana, explained in the thread that it was 2 a.m. and she was driving away with no cars around her. "I kept getting this alert for like 30 mins straight," she wrote alongside a series of iPhone notification screenshots that read, "AirTag Found Moving With You: The location of this AirTag can be seen by the owner."
She thought nothing of it, because she had gotten the alert before while in traffic. "Sometimes when you're near other [people] for a while on the road Apple thinks it's following you," Jeana tweeted. "But it was late, and I started to make a bunch of right turns and run counter and I was still repeatedly getting this message."
She decided to drive to a safe location. "I checked all my things, like my purse, my trench coat pockets, my wallet—couldn't find anything. Then I was like what if they stuck it on my car? But I didn't find anything," she tweeted. "I didn't wanna go home, so I spent the night somewhere and just said I'd figure it out in the morning."
Jeana then noted that a friend found the AirTag mounted on the underside of her vehicle's front passenger wheel the following day.
The Twitter user concluded, "It bothers me cause no matter how safe women try to be (I was NEVER alone, parked somewhere well lit, etc…), it doesn't matter if someone truly wishes to harm you."
She then shared a screenshot of Apple's AirTag privacy description, which notes, "Only you can see where your AirTag is. Your location data and history are never stored on the AirTag itself. Devices that relay the location of your AirTag also stay anonymous, and that location data is encrypted every step of the way. So not even Apple knows the location of your AirTag or the identity of the device that helps find it."
Since her tweet thread blew up, Jeana has declined to comment, but a spokesperson for Apple told The New York Post, "We take customer safety very seriously and are committed to AirTag's privacy and security. AirTag is designed with a set of proactive features to discourage unwanted tracking—a first in the industry — and the Find My network includes a smart, tunable system with deterrents that applies to AirTag, as well as third-party products as part of the Find My network accessory program. We are raising the bar on privacy for our users and the industry, and hope others will follow."
- RELATED: How Sex Education Keeps Kids Safe
In the meantime, Jeana is far from the only person who's reported a troubling incident involving an AirTag.
The Washington Post reports that in Ontario, Canada, Michigan, and Atlanta, AirTags have been found on "high-end" cars, seemingly as a way for car thieves to track and steal them later. And the newspaper notes that "at least one Washington Post reader has reached out to the Help Desk because they found an AirTag tucked into a package of old personal items their ex had mailed them."
Steps You Can Take To Stay Safe
While this news is no doubt alarming, there are steps you can take to preempt a concerning AirTag incident:
The Washington Post notes that if you have an Apple device that's running Apple's iOS 14.5 software or newer, it will automatically alert you if it detects a nearby AirTag that doesn't belong to you. Then, you can open your Find My app to see if you've been tracked and force the AirTag to play a sound so you can locate it. If you find one that's not yours, you can disable it by pushing down on the metal plate, turning it clockwise, and removing the battery. Then you can contact law enforcement to report the incident.
Android users can download an app called Tracker Detect, which can be downloaded for free from Google's Play Store. The app allows you to hit a "Scan" button, which will turn up any Bluetooth-enabled trackers around you. Once you've identified any that don't belong to you, you can report what you've found to your local police.


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Retailers are gearing up to serve the needs of the 46 million women facing some form of hair loss.
This month, Sephora will roll out 10 stockkeeping units from Keranique to 20 physical stores. That comes on the heels of a successful launch online last year that features the clinically proven hair regrowth treatment. The brand is also in the works of launching on e-commerce with Sephora Canada.
The Atlantic Coast Brands-owned line will also broaden its reach with its full lineup making its debut in all 68 Beauty Brand doors in April. Lord & Taylor is currently adding the brand to its expanding hair-care assortment online, as well.
The latest distribution joins an existing presence in Ulta Beauty stores, ulta.com, nordstrom.com and HSN.
Industry sources estimate Keranique is growing at a double-digit rate with yearly sales exceeding $48 million.
What’s attracting merchants to Keranique, said Tom Shipley, the company’s co-chief executive officer, is that it is targeted specifically at women, a market that had been overlooked in a category dominated by male remedies. For women in particular, thinning hair had been a “taboo subject,” Shipley explained. “Women want to buy a beauty product backed with science and made just for her.”
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Added Andrew Surwilo, co-ceo, “While most brands trying to address women’s hair loss slant towards a more medicinal look and approach, we’ve created a solution that not only works clinically, but doesn’t neglect the beauty aspect of haircare.”
The confluence of proven results and feminine packaging struck a chord with Beauty Brands, which sees the line as a way to build confidence for women facing a difficult condition. “We’re pleased to bring Keranique into our locations, a line specifically formulated with her in mind. To be able to partner with a brand that provides her with renewed confidence supports our core foundation of empowering women,” said Mike Tokarz, vice president merchandising, hair care, for Beauty Brands.
As important as the category has become for retailers, Shipley thinks this is only the tip of the potential. Keranique made its debut in 2009 in the direct-response channel and with the backing of $35 million pumped into it via advertising and education, the brand has helped bring women’s hair loss out into the open. While the stigma has been reduced, there are still only two million women using the product. “We’ve made hair loss a more normal subject but the category is only in the early stages. It is a market that is going to explode,” Shipley said.
Joel Goldsmith, Keranique’s head of sales, thinks there is also tremendous opportunity in getting younger audiences on board. He said that by the time women notice their hair is thinning, “you’ve already started losing your hair.” Younger women are embracing skin care to proactively fight wrinkles and he thinks the same will happen in hair.
The Keranique portfolio includes a three-part system including Scalp Stimulating Shampoo and Volumizing Keratin Conditioner formulas and Regrowth Treatment, along with a variety of styling and preventative treatment products for women with fine or thinning hair. The products are said to promote scalp health, which leads to hair regrowth. Prices range from $20 to $60. To help women understand the concept, Keranique features numerous brand videos and testimonials on its web site, Keranique.com and retail partner links, such as sephora.com.
Recently, Keranique unveiled a 30-minute commercial highlighting real results from actual users.
Three new items are set to bow this year including a Damage Control Shampoo and Conditioner and a new volumizing kit featuring the brand’s Follicle Boosting Serum.


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The French restaurant chain Pizza Del Arte joins the long list of companies offering to subscribe to their services. An advantageous model for companies, but a double-edged sword for buyers.
After Netflix or SUVs, the subscription for pizzas. Recently, Pizza Del Arte offers to come and eat pizzas and pastas every day, for 36 euros per month. The French channel joins the long list of companies that offer their goods or services in exchange for regular remuneration, in countless sectors, from transport to telephony, sports halls, audiovisual or even l ‘energy.
Despite the criticisms of observers who point to its mechanism of influence on the consumer, even large retailers are now yielding to this logic. For a price comprised of 5.99 and 10 euros per month, Casino, Monoprix, Carrefour or Leader Price customers can benefit from a reduction on their basket. The model seduces the French – they accumulated an average of 10 in 2021, a figure which has almost doubled in five years – and brings in big: 5.3 billion in turnover last year, 10 billion expected in 2025, d ‘after a study conducted by the company Telecoming, which specializes in the development of the digital economy.
If the principle is not new –


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The Callisto Protocol - extremely brutal finishing and new gameplay
Right now, the Summer Game Fest show is being broadcast with Jeff Kili, in which more than 30 publishers and studios take part. Among them were Striking Distance Studios, which showed the first full-fledged gameplay video of the upcoming horror The Callisto Protocol. The video, as it were, hints that the danger will be in wait for the players at every turn, and therefore they need to be extremely careful in their travels in a space prison. You can find the video below.
The Callisto Protocol release is expected on December 2 of this year on personal computers and consoles PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. The consoles of the past generation, apparently, will no longer see this game.


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Understanding and responsibly monitoring the games your kids play doesn't mean you need to sit on the couch for 50 hours while they work through an RPG
Activision introduces its blockbuster military shooter to the world's most populous country by tailoring it to local tastes
The tournament is set to run from March 27 to March 29 and seems to follow a business model similar to the Magic the Gathering Pro Tour
Titanfall is perhaps the most accessible competitive multiplayer shooter ever, while still maintaining a fun competitive reward system for skilled players
Activision Blizzard Inc. and a group led by Chief Executive Officer Bobby Kotick agreed to buy out most of Vivendi SA’s stake in the biggest U.S. video-game publisher for US$8.17 billion
The Call of Duty Ghosts all Access kicks off our Live coverage of E3 at 2 p.m. Eastern Time.
'Call of Duty' has made it possible to turn real-life gamers into virtual soldiers
The latest “Call of Duty” videogame had sales of more than US$500-million in the first 24 hours of its release, a new record, game publisher Activision Blizzard Inc said on Friday
Despite a somewhat disheveled campaign mode, Activision Blizzard's military shooter expertly refines the online experience
John Rafacz, communications director for Call of Duty developer Treyarch, outlines what fans of the series can expect from Black Ops II
How does it fare against the Surface 2 and other laptop-tablet hybrids? Extremely well, and for one reason – it comes equipped with the full version of Windows 8.1 and is Windows 10-ready
Som Seif on what to expect from the Canadian dollar and how our current economic imbalance will lead to greater strength long-term
Compared with these two housing hot beds, Vancouver, the most expensive market in the country, and Toronto are seen as low risk even as average home prices soar past $1.4 million
Almost 40 per cent of Millennial and Gen X Canadians who have been in a wedding party say they felt pressured to spend more than they could afford, survey says
Book review: What is money and how did it get to be a way of trading and storing value is the quest of Christine Desan in 'Making Money: Coin, Currency, and the Coming of Capitalism'


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It’s amazing to think how quickly 2019 has come and gone. It has been another great year for the Clarinda Chamber and the community as a whole. We are just beginning one of our busier times of year and I want to take a moment to go over the Chamber’s Holiday Season.
Lighted Christmas Parade - The Clarinda 27th Annual Lighted Christmas Parade will be Friday, Nov. 29 beginning at 6 p.m. on the downtown square, co-sponsored by the Clarinda Kiwanis Club and the Clarinda Chamber of Commerce. The theme for the parade this year is “The Colors of Christmas.”
The event became a tradition in 1993, two years after the Dec. 11, 1991, fire at the Page County Courthouse in Clarinda. Emphasis has remained on thanking the area fire departments for their role in stemming the blaze. Fire trucks are given a place of honor following the color guard and Santa Claus in his sleigh. After the parade, Santa will be in his house located on the Courthouse lawn to meet with children.
Hometown Holiday Open House - The Community & Retail Promotions committee is excited to add a new event for the 2019 holiday season. On Thursday, Nov. 14 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. participating businesses will host interactive displays, new merchandise for the holidays and provide customers incentives while shopping.
Customers can earn double registration slips (up to 20) for the Shop Local for Christmas campaign. In conjunction with this event, a living window display contest from 4-6 p.m. will be held. Community members will be voting for the best live display.
Shop Local for Christmas - For every $10 you spend at participating retailers you get an opportunity to put a registration slip into a box located at that retailer (up to 10 slips or $100 per visit).
A weekly drawing will occur at the Chamber office for those slips collected during that period and the winners will be able to select gift certificates/Clarinda Dollars provided by those participating businesses. On Black Friday and Small Business Saturday you will be able to double your entries (up to 20 slips or $200 per visit) and the promotion ends Dec. 13 with the grand prize drawing on Monday, Dec. 16.
Taste of Clarinda - The Taste of Clarinda continues to be one of our most popular events. It will be held this year on Thursday, Dec. 5 from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at various locations throughout the community. Please start your evening at the Chamber office where you will get your recipe ring and map for the evening. Those participating will get the opportunity to sample great food and collect free recipes from each business.
Chamber Holiday Open House - The Chamber is scheduled to have their Chamber Holiday Open House on Thursday, Dec. 14 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Chamber office to thank the community for the continued support throughout the year. The Chamber strives to support and appreciate our members, community members and volunteers.
As I mentioned before, it has been a great 2019 and I know we will finish it up on a high point. If you get a chance please thank those who work at the Chamber office, serve on the Chamber board, or help with an individual event or committee as they keep our community strong. I am very proud of the Chamber and the continued support to make this the best town in Southwest Iowa. Keep it up and thanks for all your support.


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With its newest flagship console, Nintendo made a decision to bring back cartridges in place of disc-based games that ran on the previous three.
That, in turn, might make it harder for developers to bring top-tier, graphically intensive games to the Switch in 2018, imperiling the pipeline of flagship games. Cartridges cost more to produce, but they are far more portable and decrease loading times.
The current Switch cartridges hold 32GB, which is less than the 50GB that a Sony PlayStation 4 or Microsoft Xbox One game disc can hold. Perhaps that's why developers were excited to get their hands on the 64GB game cards. But there's apparently been a delay due to technical issues. Switch users also have the alternative of downloading games over the internet. Nintendo's own large games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey clock in well below 16 gigs.
Physical game cards for the Nintendo Switch are troublesome for some third party developers because they can not fit their games on the cartridges.
Ever since the Game Cube era, Nintendo has had a hard time courting outside publishers to bring games to their platforms. Well it sounds like third party developers have to live with the smaller storage until 2019.
Long term success of the Switch depends somewhat significantly on third-party support.
'Horrific on-, amusing off-Camera': Twitter Mourns Star Wars' Iconic Dr Evazan
His tragic death was announced on the Comic Book Star Wars website on Tuesday night but the cause has not yet been revealed. One of the first to tweet his condolences was Mark Hamill , widely known for his Luke Skywalker part.


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The Blackberry Priv launched yesterday and despite the fact that Blackberry didn’t hold an elaborate event to mark the launch of its latest flagship and first mobile running Android OS, the Priv isn’t remaining private to the news at all.
The Blackberry Priv packs some awesome specifications that we have always told you about right here on this website and we won’t be boring you with that information anymore, however, it would be nice to know where the device sells.
Going on sale on Telus (in Canada), AT&T (for US markets) and Blackberry Online themselves, Verizon has announced that it would be offering the device for sale too, citing “very soon” as the date for us to look forward to. This means that Verizon users need not be left out or feel sidestepped as they would be getting the Priv on their favorite network likewise.
Although speculations had earlier pointed to us having the Priv on Verizon sometimes in the year 2016, this new info provided via a tweet by Verizon themselves seems to be change that to sometimes this year.


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ANDERSON - The Alltel Wireless retail store in Anderson will act as toy a dropoff location through Dec. 14 for Toys for Tots.
Begun in 1947, Toys for Tots is an annual program conducted by the U.S. Marine Corps to collect new toys for children in need across the nation.
To participate, go to the Alltel Wireless store at 3302 N. Main St. in Anderson and donate new, unwrapped toys. The store is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
"Giving back to communities like Anderson where our customers and employees live and work has always been important to Alltel Wireless," said Laurie Cartmell, a general manager for the company. "The toy donations will aid the Marine Corps in their tireless charitable endeavor to provide gifts to children during the holidays. We are happy to play a part in making the holiday season a little brighter for some of our less-fortunate neighbors."
Alltel Wireless, an Arkansas-based wireless telecommunications provider, serves customers in six states.
Need Help? Call us at 1-864-260-1284.
Monday-Friday: 6am-4:30pm / Saturday: 7am-11am / Sunday: 7am-2pm


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If you’ve upgraded to Apple’s iOS 6 operating system, then like millions of other users you’d be well aware of the new Apple Maps system.
It’s attracted its share of controversy for being of a lower quality than the Google version, but there’s also another complaint some users have brought up – it measures by default in miles, not kilometres.
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That’s easy to change. Head to the Settings app, scroll down, and then click on Maps. There, you’ll be able to switch not only the voice volume, but the distance measurement tool as well.


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British startup Shazam has published its financial results for the year ending 30 June 2011, revealing a year-on-year revenue growth of 47.3%.
Shazam posted revenues of £15.6m for the year, up from £10.59m in the year ending 30 June 2010, according to its filing with Companies House in the UK. The company didn’t turn a profit for the year, although its net losses narrowed from £0.35m to £0.28m in the same period.
Shazam’s cost of sales for the year ending 30 June 2011 were just over £932k, up from £517k the year before. The company’s ‘recurring administrative expenses’ also increased from £10.5m to £14.83m in that time period.
“Shazam continues to consistently add new users at the rate of more than 1 million per week, and announced in April 2011 that total users were approaching 150 million worldwide,” explains the document. “The business is generating over 120 million requests every month.”
The company has already updated those figures in a February 2011 press release, saying it now has more than 175m users generating 6m tags a day with the company’s apps – around 180m requests a month. Shazam passed 100m users in December 2010, so its growth has continued.
During the year covered by the latest results, Shazam raised a $32m funding round – in June 2011 – led by VC firms Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Institutional Venture Partners.
As of 30 June 2011, Shazam had £18.71m cash at bank and in hand.
The latest financial results also reveal the price paid by Shazam to Broadcast Monitoring Inc in November 2011 for the intellectual property rights to its audio recognition technology.
The figure wasn’t announced at the time, but the new filing reveals Shazam paid $22.7m (around £14m) for “certain core IP” using a mixture of cash, issued shares and issued loan stock.
Shazam spent much of the calendar-year 2011 diversifying beyond its original music recognition business into the TV and advertising markets, particularly through partnerships with broadcasters and brands in the US.
The company says that half of the companies advertising around the US TV coverage of this season’s Super Bowl had Shazam-enabled their ads.
The economic benefits for Shazam won’t be known until February 2013, when it publishes its next set of annual results. However, the filing for the year ending 30 June 2011 strikes a confident note.
“The commercial environment is likely to remain competitive, but the directors are confident that Shazam will continue to successfully expand as a result of the skills and experience within the Group, an excellent product set and strong financial backing.”