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Nui Markets Acquires PrimeXConnect - Expanding Into Meat Sector And Extending Dairy Supply Chain Reach & Trading Options
New Zealand-owned and operated global digital trading platform for agricultural products, Nui Markets is pleased to announce the successful acquisition of PrimeXConnect, an Australian sales and order management software company currently operating in the red meat industry.
Nui Markets has been revolutionising how the world trades agricultural products since 2016, operating digital platforms in New Zealand, Europe, North America and Brazil, delivering buyers, sellers, and traders visibility of real-time data for up-to-the-minute price discovery in specific market categories. To date, over $NZD 1.4 billion of products has been traded on a Nui platform across 75 countries.
Nui Markets Co-Founder and CEO Kevin O’Sullivan says the acquisition of PrimeXConnect, activated by a recent capital raise, is an integral part of the company’s growth strategy. By combining Nui’s strong roots in dairy with the PrimeXConnect product, they aim to create a stronger and more comprehensive offering to the agricultural sector.
“Nui has the ability to bring many buyers and sellers together in one place, either one-to-many across our private Enterprise platforms or many-to-many on our open Marketplaces. Now, with the purchase of PrimeXConnect, we have the capability in direct one-to-one sales and logistics, enabling us to reach further down the supply chain for new and existing customers in retail and food service.”
PrimeXConnect Co-Founder Michael Chandler says the integration with Nui is logical, with both companies seeking to offer innovative trading strategies with increased efficiencies and price transparency across market-specific categories in the agricultural sector.
“I am proud of how we have grown PrimeXConnect over the past five years, and I am excited for our company to join Nui and bring our innovative tech to a much broader trading environment. Our work so far complements Nui’s strategic partnership approach with the companies it works with and will be a valuable addition to the digital platform’s product suite.”
On completion of the acquisition, Nui Markets will transition all PrimeXConnect business operations and employees into its company structure. The two company founders, Michael Chandler and Jean-Claude Abouchar, will report to the Nui senior management team. PrimeXConnect is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, and employees will remain there. A new sales role based in the U.S. has also been established to introduce the product.
Existing PrimeXConnect customer ANZCO will continue to use the sales and order management software as usual in the immediate term. Moving forward, Nui Markets plans to integrate and further develop the offering under its umbrella of products and services.


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STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. – On Saturday, March 23, Dufresne Spencer Group will celebrate the grand opening of its new 47,819-square-foot Ashley showroom at 14285 Hall Road in Shelby Township.
Dufresne Spencer Group is the largest Ashley licensee in the world and consists of 127 Ashley stores, 20 distribution centers and two corporate offices across 12 states. The Sterling Heights store will employ approximately 25 people. Ashley, the largest furniture store brand in North America and one of the world’s bestselling home furnishing brands, has more than 1,125 locations worldwide.
“We are thrilled to bring Ashley to Sterling Heights,” said Jeff Halling, regional vice president sales, Dufresne Spencer Group. “This new store allows us to be closer to the Sterling Heights community and provide a world-class experience to our guests. The community has been supportive and we look forward to continuing to serve with excellence.”
The store’s interior architectural design includes the newest Ashley 7.0 store concept with a customer-friendly layout that showcases the Ashley furniture line. The store has a simplified, bright and open floor plan with new construction elements including the revamped mattress gallery featuring Ashley Sleep, Tempur-Pedic and Purple mattresses.
The showroom features complete lifestyle vignettes that include lighting, rugs and wall art. Product categories include bedroom, dining room, upholstery, leather, occasional tables, home office, youth bedroom, recliners, mattresses and accessories. Technology enhances the environment, incorporating various elements to improve the customer shopping experience.
Dufresne Spencer Group will celebrate the new Ashley store opening with an open-to-the-public grand-opening event on Saturday, March 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. EDT. The free event will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony, face painting and balloon twisting, a custom room spray workshop hosted by This Little Candle Co., a flower bar workshop from Mia’s Flower Truck, and food and beverages from The Waffle Way, Juice Your World and The Cappuccino Man.
Guests can also receive personalized permanent bracelets by making an appointment with Link x Lou. The first 50 guests will receive a Stanley Tumbler, and all attendees in line prior to 10 a.m. will be entered to win a pair of Apple Airpods Max. Hourly giveaways on-site will include a Nintendo Switch, Apple Airpods Pro and a Yeti cooler.
In celebration of the opening, Ashley is hosting a “Test Rest” giveaway. Through Sunday, March 24, guests can visit any Detroit area Ashley store and complete a “test rest” or mattress demo to be entered for a chance to win a Tempur-Pedic Queen Adapt Pro Mattress and Flat Foundation.
Those wanting more information about the store can click here.

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MADAWASKA, Maine — The perfume maker Evergreen Manufacturing plans to close by the end of the month, laying off 70 employees after the loss of its primary contract with the international cosmetics brand Elizabeth Arden.
In a successful filing requesting federal work transition help for the company’s employees, plant manager Laurie Gagnon wrote that the company’s contract with Elizabeth Arden made up about 95 percent of its business.
“Their business has been affected greatly by foreign currency rates and increased cosmetics imports,” Gagnon wrote. “Their new ownership is taking steps to consolidate operations, which means that they will no longer be doing business with Evergreen. When countries like China devalue their currency, it affects all manufacturing in the U.S.”
Elizabeth Arden, which saw international sales decline by about 11 percent during its fiscal year ended June 30, 2015, said in its most recent annual report that it had chosen to lower sales in China as part of a new distribution strategy.
Ryan Pelletier, Madawaska’s town manager, wrote in an email that town officials have met with the company about developing a marketing video for the facility and exploring potential leads for new investment.
“Our understanding is that they are exploring their options and their future in our region,” Pelletier wrote. “They were very upfront with their employees months ago, and many of them have already transitioned into other areas of employment.”
The company filed its petition with the U.S. Department of Labor on behalf of all of its 70 employees in late February.
Pelletier said the company was not limited only to options in the cosmetics field, but he did not know the status of that search for a new client.
In 2010, the company was in talks with a pharmaceutical company to bottle and package its product. The company was restarted in 1999 when owner Jeff Albert bought it out of bankruptcy, with a headcount of less than 20. By 2010, the company had grown into a $20 million business with 70 employees.
In its petition for federal Trade Adjustment Assistance, Gagnon wrote the planned closure date for the facility was June 30, 2016.
That petition was approved May 26. The program requires a finding that the layoffs were primarily because of foreign competition.
The Trade Adjustment Assistance program helps fund job retraining and provides wage subsidies, which can for a period of time bridge the gap between what a person was earning and what they make at a new job.


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WORK will being on building a new Home Bargains store in Blackburn next week.
The firm is the first to take up a place along the highway linking Blackburn’s £12m ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ to the town centre.
The scale of the proposed development backs town hall bosses’ hopes that the Freckleton Street link road, now dubbed Wainwright Way, would attract jobs and businesses when it finally opened in February 2017.
Planning permission for the store was granted last year and now the development is finally set to get underway.
It is expected to create 45 full-time and 35 part-time jobs as well as others during construction.
It is proposed that the store will open between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm on Saturdays and 10.30am to 2.30pm on Sundays and bank holidays.
Opposite Home Bargains, a specialist luxury car customising firm is to build a new multi-million pound showroom on Blackburn’s £7millon town centre link road.
Autolab UK Ltd, which provides bespoke vehicles for an international range of A-list clients, will relocate next to Wainwright Way which opened in February 2016.
Executive member for growth and development, Cllr Phil Riley, said: “Home Bargains have confirmed that they are due to start construction works on site w/c July 15.
“Autolab have exchanged contracts for the remaining parcels, and are aiming to submit a planning application by the end of 2019.”


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MADISON, WIS. – Anyone hoping to reserve a spot at a new cheese-themed luxury spa will have to keep dreaming.
Although Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin put together a website and some promotional materials for a destination called Wedgewater Spa, it was all part of an April Fools’ Day gag.
Welcoming people to experience “high-end cheese therapy,” the faux spa offered such “indulgences” as “fromage facials,” a “salt brine bliss colonic,” “raw milk baths,” “rind scrubs,” “Limburger moisturizing mist,” a “Gouda wax” and a “fromage massage.”
More details about the fictional resort can be found on the Wedgewater Spa website.
Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin is a non-profit organization that markets and promotes the state’s dairy products.


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Business gas & electricity market share changed: The non-domestic gas and electricity market has fundamentally changed according to Cornwall Insight’s Business Gas and Electricity Market share Survey for Q420.
According to the report the number of gas suppliers peaked in April 2019 at 77 suppliers and the collective market share by meters held by non-large suppliers has grown from 17.0% in October 2005 to 56.2%. In the electricity market, the number of suppliers peaked in April 2019 at 73, but the market share of non-large suppliers by meters has grown from 3.6% to 28.2% in the same period.
Simultaneously, the traditional six largest suppliers (British Gas, E.ON UK, EDF Energy, npower, Scottish Power and SSE) have seen their combined market share by meters decrease. Large suppliers’ collective market share by meters has reduced from 82.7% in October 2015 to 71.8% in October 2020. Large suppliers’ collective market share by meters has decreased from 55.8% to 43.8% in the gas market
Molly Lloyd Analyst at Cornwall Insight, said:
“Growth for non-large suppliers has been driven by several factors, including the acquisitions of customers from exiting suppliers (including Yü Group, which acquired around 4,000 business meters off of Bristol Energy in August), competitively priced propositions or engagement with the TPI channels.
“The competitive pressures continue in the business supply market, with five exits from April to December. However, there continues to be interest in the market with two new entrants recorded over the same period.
“Despite market share growth for some suppliers this quarter, it is currently a challenging environment for suppliers due to COVID-19. This is likely to have an enduring effect on suppliers for some time, with some of the full impacts of the pandemic yet to be seen.”
Business gas & electricity market share changed


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Escort booking app Smooci is finally coming to the UK. As noted back in our initial coverage, despite being a UK-based company, the service wasn’t being offered within Britain.
Now, the company has confirmed that London will be the seventh city in which it operates – and the launch is planned to go ahead before Valentine’s Day on 14 February. Other cities Smooci operates in include Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore and Manilla. Currently the only European city covered is Berlin (and there are only three escorts registered there so far) but Amsterdam will also follow suit with its own launch in February.
The app promises to make escorting safer for both parties, using a two-way rating system. Additionally sex workers can use the app’s tracking feature to verify they’re safe. Buyers can see when escorts are available, check their ratings, chat to them and negotiate service requirements.
Unlike other similar platforms out there, Smooci does not take a cut from the transactions. Instead it’s primarily by a premium membership tier, functioning in a similar way to many dating apps.
Escorts can trial the app for free, with the first three bookings offered as inclusive. After those have been used up, they will be able to accept a maximum of one booking every three days without paying for a membership.
For clients, pricing levels vary from $9.99 for three days’ access, going up to $99.99 for one year.


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iNova Pharmaceuticals invites consumer health product developers worldwide to submit product innovations to iPitch – its collaborative new crowdsourcing project.
Starting with four carefully curated product-based challenges, iPitch aims to draw out fresh ideas and prospective business partnerships from anyone with ideas for a product or device that has the potential for commercialisation according to criteria set out for each challenge.
The challenges, which opened on September 23 and close on November 4, cover the sore throat challenge; the vaporising delivery system challenge; the wound and scar challenge; and a wild card challenge.
iNova’s Executive Director and Head of Innovation Filomena Maiese believes there are “great consumer health product innovations out there that haven’t yet been commercialised and product developers who may not have the expertise or resources to bring their innovations to market”.
“We are looking for efficacious, evidence-based products with innovative formulations and novel formats,” Ms Maiese said. “We want to partner with innovators to deliver next-generation solutions to delight our consumers.”
The pharmaceutical company’s CEO Dan Spira comments that iNova has a diverse stable of products, a multi-national footprint, a well-established operating platform and a broad distribution network across 20 countries in Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Written submissions will initially be assessed by an internal panel of judges. Select submissions for each challenge will then be short-listed for the iPitch Slam, where applicants will have the opportunity deliver their pitch in person.
For further information contact: www.inovapharma.com/innovation


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A database containing 6,840,339 unique user accounts from the recent StockX data breach was put up for sale on dark web forums by cybercriminals.
What is the impact?
A security researcher named Jim Scott informed BleepingComputer that the StockX database was originally being sold on the Apollon marketplace for $300. Later, researchers found the exposed credentials being distributed on underground hacker forums for an amount as low as $2.15.
Due to the negligible price of the data, it can go into the hands of malicious threat actors who can use it to perform credential stuffing attacks.
Several threat actors also claimed to have decrypted thousands of passwords from the exposed database. “For those who do not want to deal with the decrypting of the passwords, one person has allegedly decrypted 367,000 accounts from the database and is selling them for $400,” BleepingComputer reported.
What data was compromised?
The database contained personal information of 6,840,339 StockX users. The exposed information included:
About the StockX data breach
Last week, it was revealed that the fashion and sneaker trading platform StockX suffered a data breach incident in July 2019. On August 8, the company sent password reset emails to its users citing “system updates”. However, an anonymous source contacted TechCrunch claiming that the site was hacked in May 2019 and over 6.8 million user records were stolen by a hacker. Soon, the stolen data was found listed for sale on a dark web forum.
How to stay safe?
All users can check if their information is exposed in this breach by entering their email at the Have I Been Pwned website.
For all the affected StockX users, it is recommended to change their passwords immediately. Users must also change the passwords for other accounts if they have used the same exposed password.


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Samsung is on its way to launch a high-end Galaxy A series smartphone, the Galaxy A9, which also has been prone to several rumours. The device found its way to many online forums in the past few weeks disclosing its specifications. Now, GeekBench has managed to leak the device and some of the details can be confirmed now.
The SM-A9000, which will most likely be released as the Galaxy A9, will be powered with Snapdragon 620 (MSM8976) SoC. This will make it the first smartphone to be powered by this chipset. The Snapdragon 620 will have four Cortex-A53 CPU cores, four Cortex-A72 CPU cores, Adreno 510 GPU, and an integrated Cat. 7 LTE radio.
The device will come pre-packaged with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, and feature a 6-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080p which also adds up to 401 ppi. It will also be backed by 3GB RAM, 32GB of internal storage, a 16-megapixel primary snapper (with HDR and autofocus), and a 5-megapixel secondary camera. Connectivity is par with other similar devices which includes GPS, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 LE. The only thing still unknown to us is the battery capacity. Samsung's official website has listed December 1 as launch date for the Galaxy A9. That makes it quite believable.
Samsung Galaxy A9 will be released following its predecessors like A3, A5, and A7 models of the revamped Galaxy A (2016) series. The images of the smartphone were leaked via official promotion and is expected to be available in the market this month.
The Galaxy A9 will have a 6" Super AMOLED screen of 1080p resolution and a Snapdragon 620 chipset backed by 3GB of RAM will power the phone. The 620 platform has a powerful octa-core 1.8GHz processor with 4x Cortex-A72 and 4x Cortex-A53 cores, and the GPU for graphics is Adreno 510.
The Galaxy A9 will be following the suit of the smaller A3, A5, and A7 from the 2016 series and will be built with a metal frame and dual 2.5D glass panels.
All other specifications of the Galaxy A9 are the following: a 13MP camera in the back with optical image stabilization and bright f/1.9 aperture. The 8MP selfie camera will also support panoramic pictures, 32GB expandable storage, LTE Cat.7 connectivity, and a 4,000 mAh battery.
With this type of stellar specs, the Galaxy A9 is also expected to feature power bank capabilities. Those would be supported natively by Android 6.0 Marshmallow, but the Galaxy A9 will be released with 5.1.1 Lollipop, which makes it difficult to confirm the availability of this feature.
Samsung Galaxy A9 is supposed to go official very early and be available for consumers in Christmas or in early January. The price in China will be more than CNY 3,000, which implies it will be more than €430.
© 2023 YouMobile Inc. All rights reserved


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YouTube is larger than ever, but it’s not forking over enough ad money to programmers and partners.
AllThingsD posted a thorough look at YouTube—and talked to a few video makers— and decided the site’s generated ad revenue isn’t “keeping pace” with increasing views:
The dollars programmers earn from YouTube’s ad-selling efforts range widely. But many big publishers say that after YouTube takes its 45 percent cut of the ads it sells, they frequently end up keeping about $2.50 for every 1,000 views their clips generate — that is, if their video generates a million views, they get $2,500. Other publishers say their split can be as high as $10 per 1,000.
For context purposes, Psy, the Korean artist behind the viral hit “Gangham Style,” allegedly earned $870,000 from YouTube ad revenue by December 2012 on 889 million views. According to The New York Times:
TubeMogul, a video ad buying platform, estimates that PSY and his agent YG Entertainment have raked in about $870,000 as their share of the revenue from ads that appear with YouTube videos. The Google Inc.-owned video service keeps approximately half.
Psy’s popular hit has since clocked more than 1.3 billion views, but, if TubeMogul’s estimate is correct, he isn’t earning much per view.
YouTube invited programmers last fall to preview YouTube Space, a Los Angeles-based studio, and many of them apparently complained to YouTube executives the entire time about not making enough money. However, according to AllThingsD, video makers with their own sites can generate better payouts than what YouTube provides, and they “frequently cite CPMs, or ad rates, of $20 per thousand views.”
Vice Media CEO Shane Smith specifically told the publication that his company tries to find backers to pay for their videos before uploading to YouTube: “It’s a difficult space to get to scale and to monetize it at the same time,” he said, while clarifying that relying on YouTube ad revenue is “not going to be our monetization strategy.”
YouTube could still improve, though. The video-sharing platform previously made zilch from videos on mobile, even though mobile videos accounted for 25 percent of the site’s views, but it has recently grabbed the reins on its YouTube for iOS app and revamped its Android app. Therefore, its ability to generate more views and ad dollars will likely continue to grow.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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New and latest digital pay security guidelines and rules will be released by RBI ( Reserve Bank of India).
It has been confirmed by the bank. These guidelines and directions will be released at that point of time in 2020 when these digital transaction process will be at it’s peak in consideration to It’s usage and the value which is transacted in the process. It is releasing itself when the annals are covering numerous instruments and ways which includes mobile & internet banking, UPI payments, mobile wallets and also credit and debit card proceedings. RBI claims that the new rules and regulations will ensure more digital pay security to online payments.
In an official statement by RBI, it said, “Going by the pre-eminent role being played by digital payment systems in India, RBI gives highest importance to the security controls around it. Now it is proposed to issue Reserve Bank of India (Digital Payment Security Controls) Directions, 2020 for regulated entities to set up a robust governance structure for such systems and implement common minimum standards of security controls for channels like internet, mobile banking, card payments, among others,”. It also claims that the upcoming rules will be technology and platform agnostic which will have it’s motive of preparing an enhanced and appealing aura for the ones who are in usage of digital payments method with more and broadened up security.
Well, there won’t be any such change on the process of dealing with the digital pay security method. The instruments and tools will be remaining similar to what it has been. The customers may carry on with the process as s/he was going on. No changes in terms of platform or applications. The cardholder using his/her card should get ensured that the bank or the provider of the card is having many options which involves the ability to start and end a transaction kind and also set certain limits for the features and transactions through that card, inclusive of transactions which go contactless.
As a portion of the larger Statement on Development and Regulatory Policies, the RBI has claimed that there will remain much relaxation for the requirement of added up authentication for the credit/ debit card proceedings. The customers now have the opportunity to go contactless till Rs. 5000, which was initially Rs. 2000 for no-pin dealings. In the words of RBI, “ These are also well-suited to make payments in a safe and secure manner (means digital pay security), especially during the current pandemic. The recent instructions on disablement of contactless feature on cards and empowering customers to control the limits on their cards have also brought in added safety for users,”. These guidelines and rules will start from 1st January , 2020.
The transactions occurring via UPI (Unified Payments Interface) is consistently improving day by day. The current data by National Payments Corporation of India suggests that the transactions via UPI in November 2020 was 2.21 billion, which means it has increased by 6.7% as it was in October 2020 (2.07 billion). In the month of September, the UPI transactions were around 1.8 billion.
There has also been an increase in the credit card transactions for the last months. This was because the unforeseen pandemic has caused a wide difference in the digital space payments. In accordance to RBI verified data, the transactions were Rs. 127,129 million in the month of
April in 2020 when the lockdown took place. Well, but in September 2020 the value of transactions have increased at Rs. 291,481 million. Similar kind of growth has also been seen on the part of debit card.
In the initial days of the ongoing week, the HDFC bank was no longer allowed to issue new credit cards and no digital banking product has been launched by the bank as the digital payments through this bank viewed numerous outrages in 2020.
We are now way too much dependent on digital space to serve us multiple functions. One of them is online payment. Through this article, we have come to know, the immense growth of online banking this year. With great hope, I believe, the article has been of great use to you for digital pay security. If yes, please, for us, give your thoughtful comment in the box about digital pay security. Thank you in advance!


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Cannabidiol May Help Reduce Seizure Severity and Frequency
Epilepsy News From: Saturday, December 03, 2016
For people living with epilepsy, the severity and frequency of their seizures affects their risk of permanent injury and death. In early research announced at the American Epilepsy Society's 70th Annual Meeting, Cannabidiol (CBD) provided a 30% to 50% reduction in seizure frequency and a 50% reduction of seizure severity in study participants. Therefore, CBD may be a possible method to improve the quality of life of those living with severe and frequent seizures when available therapies are not effective.
A study conducted at the University of Alabama at Birmingham included 42 children and 39 adults who experienced four or more seizures per month. People in the study received an initial dose of CBD and their dosage increased until a benefitial effect was observed. Researchers measured interactions with anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) and reductions in seizure frequency and seizure severity. To measure reduction in seizure severity, researchers used the Chalfont Seizure Severity Scale, a questionnaire given before treatment and then subsequently every two weeks during follow-up with a physician. People in the study kept a seizure a journal and met with doctors every two weeks to provide measurement for seizure frequency.
- After one month, seizure frequency among participants ranged between 25-75% reduction in seizure frequency. These results were maintained at three and six months.
- Those that stopped taking CBD (23%) did so because they didn't benefit from the treatment or experienced adverse side-effects such as diarrhea and worsened seizures.
- For the 57 people that were followed for three months, 67% experienced a more than 50% decline in seizure severity.
- The 63 people followed for more than six months experienced a greater than 50% decrease in seizure severity.
- CBD interactions with the AEDs studied ranged from sedation to a decrease in liver function when taken with common AEDs (valproate, clobazam, rufinamide, topiramiate, zonisamide, and esclicarbazine).
Outlook for the Future
While more research is needed to fully understand how CBD can help some people living with epilepsy, Dr. Jerzy Szaflarski, director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Epilepsy Center, found the study results promising. He said, "Our research adds to the evidence that CBD may reduce frequency of seizures, but we also found that it appears to decrease the severity of seizures, which is a new finding."
CBD is a compound found in marijuana. The CBD used in this study contained almost pure CBD and less than one percent tetrahydrocannabidnol, the psychoactive component of marijuana.This product is expected to be submitted to the FDA for approval as a prescription medicine in 2017.
To learn about CBD and other emerging therapies, visit:
To learn about seizure medications, visit:
Saturday, December 03, 2016


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The Greek EU-corresponding deflation rate mitigated last month.
In August, prices experienced a 0.4% decrease, in comparison to a 1.3% dip felt in July, according to an analysis by Greece's statistical agency. The headline consumer price index dropped 1.5% this August, compared to year-on-year.
In 2014, consumer prices in Greece lessened by a 1.3% average, in comparison to 2013. The country has been hit with deflation for the last two-and-a-half-years, with pressures mounting from salary and pension slashes, and a severe recession. November 2013 marked the highest deflation rate in Greece, with a 2.9% consumer prices year-on-year downfall.
- PM Mitsotakis meeting with EU officials in Strasbourg on Tuesday over emergency aid
- Greece submits request to Commission to modify recovery, resilience plan by adding REPowerEU chapter
- Mitsotakis-Modi decide to double bilateral trade and deepen strategic relationship between Greece and India
- Climate Change: Greece's performance - Doing well, could do better
- Mitsotakis welcomes Swedish NATO accession; meeting with Albania’s Rama, refers to pending contacts with Erdogan


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SC Johnson's move to list all fragrance ingredients is a victory by women and for women.
From sprays and candles, to plug-ins and oils--it's time to start avoiding air fresheners.
Fragrance is the mystery meat of our household products.
As more & more small companies reveal all ingredients, mainstream companies look like they have something to hide.
We shouldn't need to guess about the safety of products marketed to children.
Why the question of “does my vagina smell like flowers” is not only un-useful, it’s dangerous.
Perfume marketed to girls with partially disclosed, untested ingredients that could lead to serious health issues?
It's because of you that we had a landmark year in 2013!
In 2013, women used our economic power like a rising tide that lifted even the biggest companies on a wave of progress to eliminate toxic chemicals.
Earth Mama Angel Baby on why they list ALL ingredients in their products.


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The Kindle Paperwhite has been the best Kindle for most people since 2015 when Amazon last updated it with a screen that was nearly on par with the high-end Voyage and Oasis models at just a fraction of the price. Today, Amazon is updating the Paperwhite again, adding new features that were introduced with the second-generation Oasis, including waterproofing and support for Audible audiobooks in a lighter and thinner package.
Nearly every aspect of the new Paperwhite is better: the screen is now flush with the front in a seamless sheet of glass — just like the now-defunct Voyage offered — there are more LEDs for the illuminated display, and storage has been doubled on the base model to 8GB, with another model offering 32GB of storage. There’s support for Audible audiobooks over a connected pair of Bluetooth headphones or speakers, just like the Oasis.
And in what has been one of the most-requested features for the device, the new Paperwhite also features IPX8 waterproofing, meaning it can be dunked in up to six feet of water for up to an hour — which should make it more than safe for reading in a tub, by a pool, or on the beach. Despite all these additions, though, the new Paperwhite is 23 grams lighter than the old model and almost a full millimeter thinner at 8.18mm.
As for the screen, there aren’t many changes there: it’s still a 6-inch, 300ppi display — but considering the Paperwhite’s display was already excellent, it’s hard to complain too much.
Basically a cheaper waterproof Kindle Voyage
There are a still few quibbles: there are no physical page-turn buttons or even the under-glass capacitive touchpads like the Voyage used to have; the illuminated display doesn’t offer an adaptive light sensor, unlike the Oasis; and it doesn’t charge via USB-C, which is disappointing for a 2018 device that likely won’t be updated for years.
But all in all, Amazon has essentially turned the new Paperwhite into a waterproof, updated Voyage. Where the old Voyage used to cost $200, the new Paperwhite starts at just $129.99 for the 8GB, Wi-Fi model (which is $10 more than the old Paperwhite used to cost). In addition to the $129.99 8GB model, there’s also a $159.99 32GB version and a $249.99 32GB option with included 3G.
All versions of the new Paperwhite are available for preorder starting today: both the 8GB and 32GB models are set to ship next month on November 7th.
Correction: The new Paperwhite is waterproof, not water resistant as this article originally stated.
Update October 24th, 5:01pm: Both the 8GB and 32GB Paperwhite models will be shipping on November 7th. This article originally stated the 32GB would be shipping in the coming months.


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Things are looking up for Korea’s duty-free stores
The rising number of Chinese resellers shopping at Korean duty-free stores and the success of overseas branches contributed to the positive results.
Shilla Duty Free announced Wednesday that it has generated 1.01 trillion won ($932.8 million) in revenue, a 30 percent increase year-on-year, with operating profit worth 47.6 billion won, a 182 percent increase from last year. This is a record for the company’s quarterly results.
A big part of the growth came from overseas branches. Shilla currently has five foreign branches including those inside major international airports in Singapore, Hong Kong and Macao.
The Hong Kong branch in particular saw impressive results, almost immediately going into the black after partially opening in December. Between January and March, Shilla’s store in Hong Kong International Airport raked in 94.2 billion won in revenue and 1.1 billion won in net profit. The rest of the branch is scheduled to open in the first half of this year.
“The experience and know-how in operating stores at major airports in Asia helped us to rapidly see profits in Hong Kong,” said a spokesman.
Market leader Lotte Duty Free saw first quarter revenue grow 15 percent year-on-year to 1.27 trillion won, according to quarterly results announced Tuesday. The uplift came from the increase of Chinese visitors purchasing products in Korea to resell in China.
Operating profits, however, were down by 36 percent year-on-year to 24.9 billion won. Despite profits from branches in Seoul hitting 100.5 billion won, the increase in the city was dragged down by operating losses at its airport branches worth 67 billion won, which the company spokesman said was because of costly airport rent.
Like Shilla, the performance of Lotte’s foreign branches gave a positive push to its quarterly earnings. Revenue from six overseas branches increased 52 percent year-on-year. The company is preparing to open more overseas stores this year including in the Nha Trang Airport in Vietnam.
Among younger duty-free operators, Shinsegae DF has been showing impressive growth.
The company saw record quarterly results of 339.5 billion won in revenue, an 85 percent increase year-on-year, and 23.6 billion won in operating profits. Having first launched its duty-free business in 2016, Shinsegae was in the red until the third quarter of last year.
A main factor in its rapid growth was its achievement in attracting luxury brands - a difficult task for young duty-free operators that have less name value, but apparently not for the Shinsegae affiliate.
“We see revenue graphs jump like a staircase every time there’s a new luxury brand in the stores,” said a Shinsegae DF spokesman. “Last year, it was Cartier that joined in August and Louis Vuitton in September that helped to boost sales.”
Local duty-free operators were badly affected as group tours from China were stopped due to a diplomatic row sparked by the installment of the U.S.-led Thaad antimissile system in Korea. The industry previously had a heavy dependence on Chinese consumers which made up 70 percent of the local market’s revenue.
Chinese visitors making purchases to resell in China eventually filled the gap, pushing up local duty-free operators’ combined revenue to reach a record of $1.5 billion in March. But it still remains to be seen when Chinese group tours will start coming back at pre-Thaad levels.
“Korea’s duty-free market will grow 26.8 percent year-on-year to 18.4 trillion won this year,” said analyst Choi Min-ha of Korea Investment & Securities in a report released this month. “The number of Chinese tourists will see a recovery starting in the year’s second half, thanks to improved relations and a base effect from last year - this will fuel the duty-free market’s growth.”
BY SONG KYOUNG-SON [firstname.lastname@example.org]


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Home » Economy » Americans' inflation expectations declined sharply in July, New York Fed says
Americans' inflation expectations declined sharply in July, New York Fed says
Powell’s soft-landing on inflation will be a ‘hard path’ to find: Expert
DataTrek Research co-founder Nicholas Colas discusses investors’ hesitancy about the Federal Reserve’s plan to tighten rates into a slowdown on ‘Making Money.’
Consumer expectations for where inflation will be one year from now fell sharply in July, according to a key Federal Reserve Bank of New York survey published Monday, a potentially reassuring sign for the U.S. central bank as it tries to cool surging prices.
The median expectation is that the inflation rate will be up 6.2% one year from now, a major decline from the 11-year high of 6.8% recorded in June, according to the New York Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Expectations. Three years from now, consumers see inflation cooling off slightly to 3.2% – down from the 3.6% recorded last month.
Consumers anticipate that prices will drop even further over the next five years, projecting that the inflation rate will hover around 2.3% in 2027.
"Median inflation uncertainty—or the uncertainty expressed regarding future inflation outcomes—declined slightly at both the one- and three-year-ahead horizons," the report said. "Uncertainty at the five-year-ahead horizon decreased more substantially."
JULY JOBS REPORT 'SCORCHER' RAISES ODDS OF ANOTHER SUPER-SIZED FED RATE HIKE


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How’s this for profits? Asda’s private equity co‑owner has announced that its stake in the supermarket chain is worth 20 times the amount it paid last year.
Even the Financial Times newspaper says this is “an exceptional return enabled by the extensive financial engineering used in the takeover”. Investment fund TDR Capital and billionaire Blackburn-based brothers Mohsin and Zuber Issa used only a small amount of their own money in the £6.8 billion purchase of Asda.
They funded the rest by piling debt onto the supermarket chain and selling off some of its assets. Now TDR has told investors that it has already marked its stake at 19.8 times its original investment and that it is worth £1.4 billion.
Where do all these profits come from? It’s not, you may be surprised to hear, the result of entrepreneurial brilliance from the very rich people at the top. One method is to sell off the assets of the firm you take over. Asda bosses grabbed a big cash windfall soon after the takeover when they sold 27 warehouse properties with a book value of £497 million to Blackstone for £1.7 billion last year.
Another is to load up the debt. The takeover merchants borrowed around £3.8 billion for the initial purchase, with the money to be repaid through Asda revenues. They then borrowed another £500 million last October. All of that, with interest, they will extract from the firm they have grabbed.
But the root of their gains is the exploitation of labour. Without the sweat of store workers, warehouse workers, drivers and others there would not be a penny for the bosses. When private equity bosses take on a new company, they look immediately to see how they can “cut costs”.
In February Asda announced it was imposing a below-inflation pay rise of 3.25 percent on its 150,000 retail workers.
Until recently they earned just £9.66 an hour, well below the industry average. A GMB union campaign has shamed them into raising this to £10.10—still low pay. But thousands of warehouse and admin workers face cuts to their sick pay and a real terms pay cut.
A GMB survey showed over half of Asda workers were forced to use payday lenders, foodbanks or borrow money from family and friends. This is the other side of the “exceptional return” for the private equity wizards—and it’s how capitalism works.
The US brewer Molson Coors ran an experiment last year. In a discreet building in downtown Los Angeles, 18 subjects were instructed to watch a strange video featuring a synth-laden soundtrack and natural imagery interspersed with glimpses of Coors Light cans. The participants were then asked to sleep while listening to an eight-hour soundtrack featuring audio from the video.
Coors’ stated goal was science-fiction worthy. The company wanted to “shape and compel the subconscious” into dreaming about beer.
Around a third of the participants said Coors products made an appearance in their dreams. Coors isn’t the only brand looking into dreams as ad space.
Microsoft has explored ways to make gamers dream of their favourite Xbox video games. Burger King had a Halloween-themed burger in 2018 that it claimed was “clinically proven” to induce nightmares. A recent survey run by The American Marketing Association, 77 percent of marketers said they had plans to use technology to influence dreams within the next 3 years.
Advertisers could, in theory, use smart speakers to market products to us in our sleep. The technology to do this is nearly there. Google’s Nest Hub, for instance, can measure your breathing during sleep and detect your coughs and snores.
Boris Johnson travelled more than 4,000 miles to India last week, despite a boiling crisis of his leadership—and managed to squeeze in a visit to a Tory donor’s factory on his first day. Johnson toured a new JCB facility in Vadodara, Gujarat, owned by Conservative peer Lord Bamford. JCB top boss Lord Bamford, his family and businesses have given some £14 million to the Tories since 2001. Bamford, was pictured with Johnson at the factory.
Johnson was asked if he was embarrassed to visit the factory at a time when the firm was accused of supplying diggers to destroy Muslim homes in Delhi.
A rather embarrassing moment last week for British MPs on the foreign affairs committee. Their investigation into the undoubted wrongdoing of the Russian Wagner “private military company” heard evidence from Dr Sorcha MacLeod, chair of the United Nations (UN) group on the use of mercenaries. MacLeod said there were only 37 states that had signed the UN convention on mercenaries, and added quickly, “The UK is not a party to that convention, before you ask.” That saw some confusion among MPs. “The US?” asked Tory Alicia Kearns. “No,” came the reply.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has ordered the government to reform its treatment of disabled and mentally distressed benefit claimants after a string of deaths. It was responding to “serious concerns” about “failures” in the Department for Work of Pensions (DWP), including suicides. MPs had asked the EHRC to investigate “the deaths of vulnerable claimants by suicide and other causes between 2008 and 2020”.
The EHRC is now drawing up a legally‑binding agreement for a DWP “action plan”. It will be “focused on resolving issues for DWP customers, and offers a fast, effective means of redress, and helps to avoid lengthy investigations” the EHRC said.
It comes two years after an audit report revealed the government had investigated 69 benefit claimants’ suicides since 2014, and could have investigated more. Campaigners have spent years demanding an inquiry into the deaths of benefit claimants.
Thames Water dumped untreated effluent for more than 68,000 hours into the river systems around Oxford last year, campaigners have revealed. They add that the amount of money the company plans to spend to improve the situation is woefully inadequate.
The company discharged raw sewage into the River Thames and its tributaries 5,028 times in 2021. That’s according to data analysed by the Oxford Rivers Improvement Campaign. It used data from Thames Water and applied the Environment Agency formula for capacity required at any treatment works.
The campaigners assessed that the ten large sewage treatment works operating in the upper Thames area were unable to treat the full capacity of sewage for the population of 1.1 million. The failure to invest in the capacity of the treatment works had led to more raw sewage in the rivers, the campaigners said. All 10 works discharged sewage into the rivers in 2021 for an average of 11 hours a week.
‘Sorry you were out when I visited. I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon. With every good wish, Rt Hon Jacob Rees‑Mogg MP’
Notes left by the minister for feudalism on the desks of civil service workers working from home
‘She knows she can’t compete with Boris’s Oxford Union debating training, but she has other skills which he lacks.’
Unnamed Tory MP to the Mail Online manages to be offensive in multiple ways at once about Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner
‘They reached the same view and they have used the same words’
Tory spokesperson explains why Boris Johnson and Nadine Dorries both tweeted exactly the same words to distance themselves from the attacks on Rayner
Troublemaker looks at the news of the week
Troublemaker looks at the week's news
Troublemaker looks at the week's news
US to spend billions more on weapons


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Everyone is patiently waiting for the iPhone 8 release date to be announced by Apple at WWDC 2017 which is coming up very soon.
As always, there are leaks appearing from China almost every week now with it feeling almost a certainty that we are finally going to get a taste of our first iPhone with an edge-to-edge OLED display.
Now, for those that missed it we wanted to share a video with you which takes a look at the likely iPhone 8 design which has been based on all of the leaks so far.
The video comes courtesy of Onleaks and also shows a new camera bump with sensors in new positions that is surely going to be a talking point if it turns out to be true.
Once again, there’s no space for a headphone jack which is no surprise with the Airpods now a big part of Apple’s strategy and there’s even talk that the iPhone 8 may include a pair of AirPods inside the box.
We don’t have long to wait until WWDC which begins in June so the answer will soon be revealed.
Are you getting the new iPhone no matter what cost due to OLED display technology or are you more than happy to stick with the iPhone 7 for now?
*Identifying Monetised Links - outgoing links that we monetise are marked with an '*' symbol.


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Chinese tourists are back traveling, but what can we expect from the rebound?
"The fastest-growing, and one of the top per capita spending markets, was back in play."
When China’s long and lockdown-heavy journey away from COVID finally reached its culmination in late 2022, the global travel industry breathed a sigh of relief. The fastest-growing, and one of the top per capita spending markets, was back in play.
The expectations are sky-high, but will those wishes match reality and will we see a resurgence in Chinese tourists traveling throughout 2023?
Just how tough was 2022 for China?
The long wait for the Chinese tourist to return became even longer in 2022 as China zeroed in on a strict anti-COVID stance that became a unique policy position globally.
It is worth reviewing how drastic this was and the impact that it had on Chinese tourists and the regional travel industry.
While the rest of the world was largely on a path of relaxing their approach to fighting the pandemic and reducing what restrictions remained in place, Chinese authorities went in the opposite direction.
They enacted some of the most drastic lockdowns seen within the country since 2020 and experienced anywhere in the world, fielding mandatory stay-at-home orders across massive metropolises and restricting international travel.
“China's whack-a-mole policies where you try to suppress every single outbreak just became more and more difficult,” explains long-time Asian travel expert Gary Bowerman, Director of Check-in Asia. “You saw these big city lockdowns - Shanghai, Xian, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Guangzhou - you saw people locked down in Hainan Island when they're having a holiday, and that really knocked not just travel sentiment, but consumer sentiment (too).”
Civil airline passenger travel plummeted in 2022, with the number of trips falling 62% compared to 2019 after briefly rebounding slightly in 2021. “Ah” we hear you say, “but China has the world’s largest high-speed rail network, which has taken market share from regional airlines.” Well, performance there was only marginally better, as passenger kilometers fell in near lockstep, diving 55%.
Rail and civil air passenger traffic in China in 2022
“The other big issue was employment,” points out Bowerman. “Because the tech industry got regulated very, very hard during the pandemic and there were lots and lots of layoffs”, particularly among the young, urban and affluent, who are a critical travel demographic. “For the first time in their lives, a lot of people who had only really seen upward curves … suddenly saw unemployment. They saw the housing economy in free fall and they saw that their future prospects weren't as bright.”
How is the Chinese tourist feeling today?
That tough outlook has created long-lasting ripples throughout the Chinese economy and travel market.
The latter point about the housing market is particularly important due to “just how many people hold their wealth in apartments”, says Bowerman. Chinese consumer investing in many ways is the housing market, as millions of families have poured their wealth into not just their own apartments, but second or third properties.
That market suffered heavily in 2022, with the value of transactions cut in half Year-on-Year (YoY), even with government intervention and many projects being left unfinished.
There are signs of the slump ending, but its scars will last well into 2023.
Similarly, the psychological effects are still present. A survey of Chinese tourists by Dragon Trail Interactive in January 2023 noted that, aside from economic pressures, many are still concerned about COVID, with more than half citing concerns about coronavirus impacting them or their family’s health as their reason not to travel abroad in 2023.
Reasons cited by Chinese consumers for not traveling abroad in 2023
However, the early shoots of recovery are now visible. “The one thing I would say about Chinese consumers, particularly younger consumers, is they're incredibly resilient and the trends change so fast,” says Bowerman. “So quickly the focus (has moved to) people wanting to travel both domestically and internationally.”
Looking at some of the favored destinations among Chinese tourists, we can see the effects of returning demand in pricing, where there is an uneven but upward trajectory as we end Q1 2023.
Lighthouse - YoY changes in hotel pricing in international destinations popular with Chinese consumers, 2023 versus 2022
YoY pricing shows that across the top destinations for Chinese tourism in Asia-Pacific prices are typically well up on 2022, with Japan leading the way (albeit it from an extremely low base), and notable bounces for South Korea and Taiwan in March and April, which is when Chinese bookings are really picking up following the opening.
China’s island destinations to prosper in 2023
The above caution and lingering concerns over financial and physical health are going to keep Chinese tourists, largely, closer to home though.
When asked by Dragon Trail where they expect to go in 2023, Chinese tourists answered with the usual suspects, but China’s island destinations featured most prominently.
Way out ahead was Hong Kong, selected by 20.7%, followed by Macao, which 11.4% hope to visit in 2023.
Dragon Trail - Where are Chinese tourists planning their 2023 outbound travel?
This is reflected in our data, as we can see prices rocketing upwards in Hong Kong from February onwards and maintaining their strength throughout 2023 on the back of heightened demand signals, such as OTA and metasearch queries for the hotel’s cities, which have more than trebled since late December 2022.
On average, prices for Hong Kong hotels in 2023 are around 60% higher than a year earlier.
“Hong Kong is hot again, definitely there's no question about that,” agrees Bowerman. “The Chinese airlines are really flooding back into Hong Kong,” which is critical to growing demand in a constrained market.
Lighthouse - Hong Kong hotel room pricing in 2022-2023
Looking at the country’s other major island vacation destinations, Hainan and Macao, a similar outlook is emerging. Hainan is following on from outperforming most of mainland China in 2021 and 2022, with prices for Sanya exceeding the previous three years thus far for the year.
Macao’s statistics service reported that YoY increases for arrivals into the Special Administrative Region from the mainland rose 54.5% in January and 143% in February. While this is still less than half the number of tourists from February 2019, it is indicative of how Macao will recover quicker than most regions.
These island destinations are core components of the Chinese travel circuit and the wider trend we are seeing is that Chinese tourists are attracted to typical tourist destinations.
Beijing and Xi’an, home to China’s most prominent historical and cultural sites are both seeing strong demand and therefore rates in 2023.
In Beijing hotels are typically pricing rooms 20% higher than last year. In Xi’an spikes in demand in early May and October exhibit pricing that is 50% and 30% above rates posted in 2022, respectively, and elevated rates over both 2019 and 2022.
Lighthouse - Beijing and Xi’an hotel room pricing in 2022-2023
A slower recovery for some Chinese tourist old favorites
Outside of China there has been much fanfare and optimism about the return of the Chinese tourist, but those hopes may need to be dampened, as it will take time for this to emerge according to the available data.
As noted earlier, international travel remains a psychological boundary to some consumers, and, while China’s economy is not as robust as it was in the past, there is also currently a fundamental constraint: flights.
“Everybody thought it would be press and play,” comments Bowerman, “the Chinese tourists will come back straight away”.
However, the impact of the pandemic has been underestimated. “The damage that's been done to the travel infrastructure in China, and particularly the airlines. They don't have the capacity to quickly scale up their flights,” says Bowman. This has resulted in limited routes and high prices in Q1 of this year and ramifications long into the summer of 2023.
For example, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) noted that while 43.2 million passengers flew in February, only a fractional 706,000 of those were to international destinations. A further 264,000 were to Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao.
China Daily, quoting the CAAC, reported that while plans for the summer-autumn flight season are to schedule 117,222 passenger and cargo flights each week, 3,463 will head to Hong Kong and Macao and only 14,702 will fly to international destinations, with many of those outbound flights taking time to establish and run up to capacity.
According to reports, only in late April will China Southern re-establish its more important tourism routes to destinations such as Thailand and Indonesia from Guangzhou.
It appears that Chinese airlines are currently focusing on re-establishing profitable routes close to home before expanding internationally. This process will take some time and it may be a while still before all international routes reach full capacity and for passenger demand to materialize in many countries.
We are currently seeing the most positive pricing trends in countries where those routes have been re-established to some degree. We already noted how Macao and Hong Kong have benefitted from this trend, but so have Japan and South Korea, where more routes are now operating.
Looking at how prices for the next 90 days from the first week of April onwards have changed compared to just before China reopened in late December, there has been a positive 19.1% jump in Japan, 8.4% in South Korea and 4.6% in Thailand.
In contrast, further flung and less popular destinations have not yet seen the hoped-for positive momentum from Chinese tourists.
As we look further South, according to government data, in February, Australia welcomed 40,430 Chinese tourists, marking the first full month since the reopening of China's border.
However, this figure only represents 20% of the number of Chinese tourists recorded in the same month during the record year of 2019. Additionally, China's tourist count falls far behind that of other countries such as New Zealand, the U.K., and the U.S.
Lighthouse - Change in hotel prices over the next 90 days from 2nd April 2023 compared to 90 days prior
Turning towards 2024 for take-off
It seems prudent then to adopt a more cautious approach to Chinese tourism demand than the forecasts that were made at the beginning of the year laid out. Instead, anticipate international travel volumes to emerge at a slower rate.
Regional favorites will continue to be the main beneficiaries during a gradual climb back to pre-pandemic levels, and many Chinese travelers will stick to known destinations within its borders. “Ninety percent of outbound Chinese tourists stayed within Asia Pacific and that's not going to change,” thinks Bowerman and “it may even be that that percentage is even higher.
“When Thailand and Bali are available again, more people will go there because they just get better value and that's always been the case,” he predicts, “In terms of outbound spending, the yuan is much lower than it was back in 2019. So, you don't have as much money in your pocket when you travel.”
The real gains, assuming the travel market is not restricted artificially by global events, will occur in 2024. The China Tourism Academy predicts domestic tourism revenue to reach 71% of pre-pandemic levels this year and COTRI forecasts that 170-180 million outbound journeys will be made from the mainland next year, finally surpassing 2019 numbers.
Our data sees no reason to doubt that this slower recovery will gain momentum throughout the year, before turning it into a much stronger internal and outbound market in 2024.
Dragon Trail’s survey found that the majority of travelers expect to make trips from July onwards but with a boost to travel in early May.
Dragon Trail - Chinese tourists are planning trips in H2 2023
When we use our forward-looking demand and pricing indicators, we see strong support for these trends, with elevated demand signals in early May, early October and then at the start of next year being shared across Japanese, South Korean, Thai and Taiwanese markets.
In summary, the recovery is on, it’s just not everything, everywhere, all at once.


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The virtual reality headset for gaming has been renamed as it prepares for launch with games such as Final Fantasy XIV.
Richard TrenholmFormer Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
Project Morpheus is now PlayStation VR. Sony's virtual reality headset has been renamed as it gets closer to going on sale.
Virtual reality could be the next big thing in entertainment, with interactive 360-degree gaming leading the way. Since the crowdfunded Oculus Rift headset revived interest in virtual reality, we've seen HTC make its own helmet and Google produce a jokey cardboard visor for your phone to immerse you into games and short films. But although there's no release date yet, Sony is set to be the first of the gaming giants to bring out a VR helmet that will connect to its games console.
Sony confirmed the new name on Twitter after announcing it at the Tokyo Game Show today with a video of people enjoying new virtual reality games. Boys fight in mecha-tastic RIGS and in UK-set gangster game London Heist, in which you point the Move hand controllers to aim your weapons; while girls dance in a dancing game or cower before sharks in watery diving game The Deep.
A scene from another game sees a coy male player approached by an attractive woman in what looks like a beachside paradise and invited to choose "yes" or "no".
The massively multiplayer online roleplaying game Final Fantasy XIV, originally released in 2010, will also be available in immersive virtual reality form.
Project Morpheus was originally named for the Ancient Greek god of dreams. It's not the first fun codename to be ditched in favour of something blander for mainstream release, but occasionally cool codenames do stick around: Microsoft's Siri-rivalling voice-activated personal assistant is named Cortana after the voice that guides players in Xbox game Halo , the name having stuck when the service was released in Windows and Windows Phone.


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“…IQH3D has now added several new glasses-free 3D products just in time for the holiday shopping season and will be having a huge sale starting November 22nd, up to 40% off…”
Miami, Florida — November 14, 2019. Consumers will be happy to learn that IQH3D has now added several new glasses-free 3D products just in time for the holiday shopping season and will be having a huge sale starting November 22nd, up to 40% off via their website www.iqh3d.com. IQH3D had a successful website launch earlier this year with the introduction of the 65” Ultra D Screen and the 3D VIEW products for iPhone 7 and 8. “We’ve gotten a lot of requests for newer iPhone model 3D VIEW screen protectors, as well as, smaller sized 3D displays. We are pleased to announce that we now have 28” glasses-free 3D monitors and screen protectors for all iPhone X models and iPad Mini 4 & 5” says David Ross, COO IQH3D.
Through their glasses-free 3D products, IQH3D provides solutions for several types of consumers ranging from everyday smartphone users to businesses. Their business consumers stem from various industries including film making, medical, engineering, cruise ship, manufacturing, advertising, restaurant, and sports bar. IQH3D products feature great 3D pop out and depth that gives users an amazing viewing experience. “We wish we could tell you how amazing our products are, but you simply have to see it to believe it,” says Loyal Haylett, CEO IQH3D. “We are very happy that we are able to offer a great suite of glasses-free 3D products for as low as $29” he further explains.
The IQH3D VIEW Screen Protectors and limited-edition VIEW Cases are available for purchase on their website at www.iqh3d.com, on eBay and several stores in NYC and Miami. The models now available for purchase are; iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus, X, XS, XS Max, XR as well as, iPad Mini 4 and iPad Mini 5. IQH3D also has multiple other Glasses-Free 3D products available for purchase; 65” Ultra-D gaming/advertising screens, 28” UHD Multimedia Player, 28” Single View Glasses-Free 3D Monitor with eye-tracking technology and an optional interactive system. Their Glasses-Free 3D gaming tablets will be available by the first quarter of 2020.
IQ-Haylett LLC, DBA IQH3D, is a Glasses-Free 3D company based in the United States with its main office in Florida. IQH3D has exclusive resellers based in Canada, Mexico, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and the Caribbean, as well as, manufacturing partners in the US and Shenzhen. IQH3D is a leading source for Glasses-Free 3D digital products such as 3D view smartphone accessories, 3D tablets, 3D monitors, Ultra-D, 4K advertising screens, and 3D smartphones. IQ Haylett and IQH3D are registered trademarks of IQ-Haylett LLC in the United States and/or other countries. The names of other companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Follow us on Facebook @officialiqh3d and Instagram @iqh3d for live updates and giveaways.
For business inquiries contact
David Ross +1 305 403-9900


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- Analyst Willy Woo believes that bitcoin is heading toward a decoupling from stocks, powered by bitcoin’s internal adoption.
- He believes that bitcoin’s movement in the future will be determined by organic adoption, not external investment.
- Woo believes that the adoption fundamentals are the single most important factor in bitcoin’s future.
On-chain market analyst Willy Woo believes that bitcoinâ€™s market movement will soon cease to correlate with that of traditional markets, as has been the case until now.
Writing on hisÂ TwitterÂ account, Woo shared data fromÂ GlassnodeÂ showing a clear multiyear uptrend in bitcoin adoption.
In his view, this is part of a growing body of evidence that bitcoin now functions as a long-term store of value for a growing number of â€˜HODLers.â€™ This, he says, will exert more influence over the bitcoin price than â€œhedge fund and whale traders,â€ which will effectively decouple bitcoinâ€™s performance from the S&P 500.
Background of Wooâ€™s Prediction
Wooâ€™s prediction comes against a backdrop of a significantÂ correlationÂ between bitcoin and stocks. This has led to fears in some quarters that macroeconomic factors such as interest rates, unemployment andÂ inflationÂ could exert influence over the bitcoin price â€” and by extension the entire crypto market, which largely defers to bitcoin.
Not every analyst, however, agrees that there is in fact a correlation. Heisenberg Capital founder Max Keiser believes that in fact â€œbitcoinâ€¦is inversely correlated to the USD â€” not the stock market.â€ He adds, â€œDonâ€™t be fooled by randomness.â€
The charts below illustrate an apparent correlation between stocks and bitcoin over a five-year period
Wooâ€™s Decoupling Prediction
According to Woo, bitcoin is nearing a point in its life cycle where something he describes as â€œinternal adoptionâ€ is exerting greater influence over market movements than investment from external sources. Explaining what â€œinternal adoptionâ€ means, heÂ wrote in a tweet:
â€œItâ€™s adoption from long-term organic growth of HODLers. As opposed to hedge funds and whale traders moving capital in and out of BTC as they trade and hedge positions.â€
Wooâ€™s view is that traditional investors interact with bitcoin as a hedge, with the unintended consequence of creating correlation. This position on mainstream bitcoin investment is in line with thatÂ describedÂ by Fortune Brainstorm Finance Co-Chair Robert Hackett in June 2020.
According to Woo, however, bitcoinâ€™s user adoption rubicon has already been crossed. This, he says, effectively reduces the importance of institutional investment as a fundamental driver of bitcoinâ€™s price.


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Calais has a new secure truck parking facility after the opening of a new 135 space site called La Londonienne Secure Truck Park.
“Calais is a central hub for HGV traffic, and we want to provide the most secure and comfortable truck parking facility in the area," said Jean Pierre Devigne, founder and CEO of RDV Transport who has worked with Snap for the launch of the new site.
La Londonienne opened on 1 March with 135 truck parking spaces, showers, toilets, laundromat and cooking facilities as well as new security infrastructure installed by Snap Access & Security.
"We are looking forward to welcoming truck drivers from across Europe, including Snap customers and providing them with our high level of facilities," Devigne said.
The site has front and rear ANPR cameras to monitor vehciles entering and exiting the site. There’s also internal and external CCTV cameras and three-metre fences, while the site is patrolled by five security guards with guard dogs.
RDV Transport first started working with Snap in 2020, paying with Snap Account's smart-payment system at sites in the UK.
"Our drivers must use Snap Account when they are in the UK for security reasons, so we always advise them to find Snap locations," explained Devigne.


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Xiaomi, one of the world’s leading technology giants, recently wrapped up its corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaign in Malaysia. Partnering with Yayasan Food Bank Malaysia, Xiaomi donated food and other household essentials to help alleviate the difficulties of 600 families that are part of the B40 community in Malaysia.
The pandemic has left many families in Malaysia struggling to live their lives, with many households’ incomes becoming affected by COVID-19.
With the support and partnership of Yayasan Food Bank Malaysia, Xiaomi was able to help 600 families that are part of the Program Perumahan Rakyat Termiskin (PPRT) in various states within Malaysia – Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Perak, Selangor and Terengganu – through this donation initiative.
En. Johan bin Halid, Chief Operations Officer, Yayasan Food Bank Malaysia said, “One of the Yayasan Food Bank Malaysia’s key objectives is to help the underprivileged with access to food supplies to reduce the cost of living. Through this, we are also able to reduce food waste and help ease and lessen the cost of living of the underprivileged Malaysians. Xiaomi is the first consumer tech company we’ve worked with, and we are thankful for their time and effort in preparing for this contribution to support the local communities in need. We hope to see more industry leaders stepping up to provide care and aid to local communities that need support. Hopefully, with Xiaomi onboard, more will follow suit.”
Yayasan Food Bank Malaysia telah menghadiri Majlis Perasmian Pelancaran Bulan Kesiapsiagaan Nasional 2021 (BKN 2021) di Perkarangan Laman Kompleks Perbadanan Putrajaya pada pagi tadi. Majlis ini


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- Battery Upright Vacuums Lead To Improved Productivity
Janitors Appreciate Switch To Battery Backpack Vacuums
- Cut The Cord To Attract Green-Minded Customers
Robarge says FBG plans on expanding the number of cordless uprights in its toolbox, but these aren’t the only battery-powered vacuums it is deploying. In fact, they weren’t even the first on the scene. In 2014, FBG started using cord-free backpack vacuums, which is what got it interested in cordless uprights in the first place, says Robarge. The company currently has 135 cordless backpack vacuums.
“Manufacturers continue to build equipment with quieter motors and better backpack harnesses that are more comfortable for employees,” says Robarge. “Compared to corded, cordless backpacks are more efficient. They do a better job and make it easier and safer to clean, especially when it comes to vacuuming stairs.”
Because they’re more mobile and light enough to wear comfortably, Robarge thinks the cord-free backpacks will dominate over battery-powered uprights in FBG’s inventory. But for now, there’s still a place for corded backpacks and uprights at FBG. In fact, at this point there are more corded than uncorded backpacks. Still, the company is seeing more purchases of battery backpacks.
“In 2017, all backpacks we purchased were cord-free,” he says. “I expect this trend towards cord-free to continue, and it will also continue to be weighted more heavily towards backpacks than uprights because the backpacks are more versatile and have fewer moving parts, requiring fewer repairs.”
The cleaning specialists have reacted very favorably to cord-free equipment in general, says Robarge. In fact, those who were given cordless backpack vacuums to try out were unwilling to give them up.
In some cases, particularly in larger facilities, cleaning specialists would be armed with the full range of equipment: corded and uncorded uprights and backpacks. But in other environments — small offices or facilities with plush carpeting where an upright with a beater bar would work best — Robarge says they would not use both a backpack and upright. Instead, the company would rely on one or the other, either corded or cord-free. Although he’s an obvious fan of cord-free equipment, challenges still remain, in particular the run-times, battery weight and the costs, says Robarge. That’s why he hopes to see lighter batteries with longer run-times in the future.
Battery Upright Vacuums Lead To Improved Productivity
Cut The Cord To Attract Green-Minded Customers


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When you shop for groceries, do you carry a copy of the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen,” list with you? It’s a list of the 12 vegetables and fruits with the most pesticides, and some people only buy organic versions of the items on the list. It’s the companion piece to the “Clean Fifteen,” which showcases the 15 options with the least pesticides.
These annual reports generate a lot of media coverage, and their presence seems to influence our grocery shopping habits. But research shows that the lists – which are being questioned for their scientific validity – may be doing more harm than good.
Organic . . . or nothing?
It’s vital to eat your veggies. Low in calories but rich in vitamins and antioxidants, vegetables and fruits have been linked with a reduced risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity. Yet, most Americans aren’t getting enough. Could the “Dirty Dozen” list may be part of the problem?
That depends on what message we take away when we read about pesticides in vegetables and fruit. Researchers at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago wanted to know how the list influences our buying habits. They surveyed more than 500 low-income shoppers about their thoughts on organic and conventional vegetables and fruit, and published results in the journal Nutrition Today. They found that specifically naming the “Dirty Dozen” resulted in shoppers being less likely to buy any vegetables and fruit. That’s right – it’s not just consumption of the top 12 pesticide-laden items that drops, it seems we buy and eat less of every vegetable and fruit. Misinformation about pesticides breeds fear and confusion, and many find it easier to skip fresh produce altogether.
And when asked about the promotion of organic produce, 61 percent of participants said they felt the media encouraged them to buy organic foods. The problem is that they are often unaffordable.
So, does it really make sense to pay up to 47 percent more for organic vegetables and fruit? Food toxicologist Carl K. Winter doesn’t think so.
Winter is the vice chair of Food Science and Technology at the University of California at Davis, and one of the researchers who did a deep dive into the Dirty Dozen list. The results, published in the Journal of Toxicology, found that the list lacks scientific credibility.
“Foods on the Dirty Dozen list pose no risks to consumers due to the extremely low levels of pesticides actually detected on those foods,” says Winter.
Think of it this way. Pesticides may be present, but mere presence is not enough to cause harm. Winter explains that the first principle of toxicology is that “the dose makes the poison”; it’s the amount of a chemical, and not its presence or absence that determines the potential for harm. Plus, some pesticides are more toxic than others, but they are all treated equally in the Environmental Working Group’s ranking system, which makes for a weak comparison. Unfortunately, that information is not making its way to consumers, who believe that any amount and any type of pesticide is bad news. Even though the Dirty Dozen foods do have pesticides, Winter says “actual exposure levels are typically millions of times lower than those that are of health concern.”
“The methodology used to rank produce items on the Dirty Dozen list was seriously flawed as it failed to consider the three most important factors used in authentic risk assessments – the amounts of pesticides found, the amounts of the foods consumed, and the toxicity of the pesticides,” says Winter. “When we consider these factors, foods on the Dirty Dozen list are clearly safe to consume.”
Even the Environmental Working Group doesn’t recommend avoiding the items on its own Dirty Dozen list. Their website says “the health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure. Eating conventionally grown produce is far better than skipping fruits and vegetables.” That should be the key message that everyone hears in 2017.
Vegetables and fruit account for 43 percent of U.S. organic food sales, so it’s a big industry. And organic vegetables are healthy – no doubt. Some studies show that they have more of certain vitamins and minerals compared with conventionally grown produce, and the farming methods may be better for the planet. If organic items are affordable, available and preferable to you, buy them.
But organic food isn’t necessarily pesticide-free either, explains Winter. “Studies have indicated that as much as one quarter of organic fruits and vegetables may contain pesticide residues.” But remember, as is the case with conventional fruits and vegetables, the pesticide levels are not high enough to be a health concern.
So, the bottom line remains: The best thing you can do is consume lots of vegetables and fruit for their health benefits, whether you choose to buy organic or not.[“source-ndtv”]


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Today, Quickbit announces the launch of Quickbit Checkout, the first product within Quickbit’s B2B offering Quickbit Merchant.
Quickbit Checkout is a universal cryptocurrency payment solution that enables e-merchants to get paid in a choice of cryptocurrencies from consumers. The product is based on one of the product platforms acquired in August 2022 and allows consumers to pay online with cryptocurrencies from any crypto wallet by simply scanning a QR code. E-merchants will be able to use the product on their platform in a format adapted to their specific needs. Quickbit Checkout gives e-merchants both faster settlements and the opportunity to give their customers another choice of payment method. Quickbit expects initial revenue from Quickbit Checkout from Q3 ’22/23, which will increase as Quickbit adds more e-merchants to the service.
During the phase of soft launch and testing of Quickbit Checkout and Quickbit Pay that took place during the fall, it has been decided to add another functionality to Quickbit Pay before commercial launch. Quickbit Pay is developed in-house and is designed for in-app payments via Quickbit App. It uses Quickbit’s infrastructure at its core and allows users of Quickbit App to make online payments with cryptocurrency, while e-merchants get paid in fiat currency. To further improve the product, Quickbit is now working on integrating a feature that also allows consumers with external crypto wallets to make smooth payments via Quickbit Pay. It improves the usability of Quickbit Pay and optimizes Quickbit’s B2B offering within Quickbit Merchant by allowing e-merchants to tailor their payment solution in the way that best suits their need, within the same infrastructure.
“I am very happy to finally be able to announce that the first product within our Merchant offering is now commercially launched. With Quickbit Checkout, we expect to be able to expand our B2B offering into new segments and verticals while having the opportunity to capitalize on a broader user base outside of Quickbit App. This is an important step in our mission to advance the acceptance of crypto by filling everyday financial needs”, says Anders Jonson, Acting CEO and Group President Quickbit.
For further information, please contact:
Anders Jonson, Acting CEO and Group President + 46 73 316 80 28 firstname.lastname@example.org
Quickbit is a Swedish fintech company founded in 2016 with the goal of making the integration of cryptocurrencies into the everyday lives of people and companies smoother. Today, Quickbit offers safe and easy-to-use products for e-merchants as well as customers. With a transaction volume to date in excess of €900 million, Quickbit has already enabled and empowered individuals around the world, through the use of cryptocurrencies. Quickbit has been listed on NGM Nordic SME since July 2019. For more information, please visit www.quickbit.com


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Microsoft: Privacy improvements in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update
Marisa Rogers, WDG Privacy Officer, revealed several privacy improvements that are coming to the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update on the Windows Experience blog today.
The Fall Creators Update will be released officially on October 17th, 2017. Microsoft plans to roll out it gradually just like it has done with previous Windows 10 updates.
While the roll out happens over the course of months, any user or administrator who wants to install the update early can do so by running a forced update check or downloading update files from Microsoft to apply the update manually.
Microsoft has been under heavy fire from privacy advocates and users ever since it released the first retail version of Windows 10.Â It changed privacy controls gradually, and revealed the data that it collects of the various telemetry levels this year.
The first privacy related change adds the full privacy statement of Microsoft to the setup process. Windows 10 users may read it before they accept it and proceed with the installation.
While it is fair to say that most users won't read it in full, it does provide important information, for instance on how to do things when Windows is installed.
The second setup change is related to that. Windows 10 displays a privacy page during setup that you may use to control some privacy related features of the operating system. You may disable ad targeting there for instance, or access to your location.
Microsoft added a read more link to each privacy preference that jumps directly to the relevant information of the privacy statement.
The Fall Creators Update comes with additional permission prompts when applications -- those downloaded from Windows Store -- request certain permissions. This is already the case for location permissions, and Microsoft decided to extend this to camera, microphone, contacts and calendar permissions, as well as other unnamed permissions.
The new privacy prompts are only displayed for new applications that are installed from Windows Store. These won't affect the default set of permissions that Windows 10 ships with (for native apps).
You may control access to privacy related features for most applications in the privacy section of the Settings application. Some applications have hardcoded access to permissions however; those cannot be blocked from accessing these functions.
Enterprise customers get a new setting on top of that that "limits diagnostic data to the minimum required for Windows Analytics". Additional information on Windows Analytics can be found on the Microsoft website. It remains to be seen how this looks like on Windows 10 Enterprise systems.
Some of these changes will be made available in future Windows Insider releases.
Now You: What's your take on these changes?Advertisement


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The Telecommunications Carriers Association (TCA) is reporting that Softbank Mobile won the monthly net-subscriber addition war again for the month of November, marking the the seven consecutive victory for the former Vodafone operator! The company gained a total growth of 191,600 subscribers, or nearly double the combined results of KDDI, which added a net 65,400 subscribers, and DoCoMo with 48,200 net additions. DoCoMo is still, by far, the market leader with 53 million customers, followed by KDDI with almost 30 million and Softbank Mobile now at 17.4 million.
The announcement finally hit the web this week, possibly one of the worst kept secrets in recent times, that SoftBank and Disney have come to terms on rolling out the long-awaited Mickey Mouse MVNO in Japan. An obvious evolution, often speculated during the Vodafone years, for WDIG who launched on i-mode in 2000 and claim over 3M subscribers to their various official content offerings. While Google has dozens of posts about the ‘news’.. Wireless Watch Japan may have a nice little extra scoop!
The TCA just announced results for October confirming that SoftBank Mobile has won the most net subscribers for sixth consecutive months. Since the introduction of their so-called White Plan, which includes flat-rate voice calling within their network, the company has continued to grow it’s third place market share. According to the official numbers for October 2006, when SoftBank Mobile re-launched the troubled Vodafone KK operations, they have gained almost 2M new customers.
Sharp announced on Friday that it has passed the five-million mark for shipments of 1Seg digital tv phones in Japan. Since releasing its first hanset in May 2006 – originally introduced by Vodafone KK – Sharp has deployed a total of eight models across all three operators. By reaching this milestone in less than 18 months, Sharp becomes the first OEM in the industry to ship five million 1Seg handsets.
The 3rd annual MobileMonday Global Summit was held in Helsinki, Finland, on 10 September with an estimated 1,500 attendees; this year included a bonus side-trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, the following evening. WWJ was there once again, as founders of the MoMo Tokyo chapter, along with representatives from over 20 MoMo cities around the world. In addition to our Trip Report, WWJ’s ed-in-chief Daniel Scuka offers these thoughts about the experience.
ACCESS has announced that its NetFront Browser and NetFront Messaging Client are featured in the new Sharp 3G handset that Vodafone unveiled on September 10. The 880SH supports both W-CDMA and GSM and is compatible with HSDPA. The handset, developed mainly for the European market, was recently introduced as part of Vodafone’s Christmas 2007 lineup.
The genesis of today’s Viewpoint was back in March, when we spotted this op-ed referring to Japan mobile that had stated: “What’s different about the Japanese mobile market is that innovation is moving toward business models and marketing tactics instead of technical features and functions.” That op-ed piece in turn cited a new research report on eMarketer, “Japan: Marketing to a Mobile Society,” which insisted: “What stands out in the current Japanese experience is the fact that the center of gravity for getting through to Japanese mobile users has shifted in favor of business models and marketing tactics as opposed to new technical features and mobile phone functions.”
We took exception to both these as serious mis-analyses of the cornerstone role that technological innovation and network infrastructure competition have played – and continue to play – in powering Japan’s mobile success story. After contact with the eMarketer editors, we agreed to write separate opinion pieces, which we would both republish side-by-side in our newsletters, as an excellent way to hash out the topic and let you – our collective readers – decide.
Sadly, the marketing guys at eMarketer quashed the idea, as the subject and the detailed discussion would be “too technical a topic for our [eMarketer’s] newsletter.” But we know that WWJ readers are more than smart enough to figure out for themselves what’s really driving the mobile Internet in Japan! So we wished the eMarketer editors best of luck in the future, again gave thanks that WWJ doesn’t have any meddling marketing guys, and herewith present to you our Viewpoint.
(Subscribers login to access the full article by WWJ editor Daniel Scuka)
Image: Holographic projection demo at NTT DoCoMo R&D Labs, November 2006 ©Mobikyo
The LiMo Foundation issued a statement [.PDF] to announce it has experienced a surge in membership as some of world’s most well-known mobile industry players have joined the Foundation during the past six months. Aplix, Celunite, LG Electronics, McAfee and Wind River have joined as Core members and will participate on the foundation board. Additionally, ARM, Broadcom, Ericsson, Innopath, KTF, MontaVista Software and NXP B.V. have joined as Associate members.
SoftBank Corp.’s President Masayoshi Son announced the companies vision going forward during the 27th regular meeting of shareholders held at Tokyo International Forum last week. Topics included an increased focus on contents, as previously signalled by the introduction of Yahoo! Streaming in May, and continued price war on voice services by adding a new total flat-rate calling package between family members to their already popular White Plan. According to their FYE 2006 results SoftBank added 10,000 new 3G base stations over the last fiscal year and plans to achieve a total 46,000 locations – almost on par with DoCoMo – installed by 1H FY2007.
When the TCA subscriber numbers came out on Thursday the champange corks were popping in Shiodome. For the first time ever the number 3 operator (J-Phone, then Vodafone and now SoftBank) gained the most net customers (162,400) on the month beating KDDI’s 138,500 and nearly double DoCoMo’s 82,700. While their Yahoo! portal also added more clients than EZweb and i-mode the company also managed to boost their 3G accounts up by nearly 500,000 month-on-month to total 8.6 million or 50% of their total subscriber base.


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DETROIT - Amazon is continuing its hiring push during what it anticipates to be its busiest season of business ever.
The retail giant is on a mission to hire an additional 100,000 workers throughout the U.S. and Canada, which includes adding thousands in Metro Detroit.
The new work opportunities will pay $15 an hour and include benefits.
"The jobs we're looking for are pickers, storers, sorters, people who are preparing delivery packages for our customers. And that's just the beginning," said Ofori Agboka, vice president of human resources at Amazon.
In addition to the 2,000 jobs coming to the local area, Amazon is also hiring another thousand workers elsewhere around Michigan.
"The innovation of Amazon all the technology, learning stuff new every day is a great thing that makes you want to come in," said Gregory Moore, who works on the floor of the Livonia location.
The latest news from the company is far from the only plans that Amazon has unveiled this year. Despite the oddity that 2020 has proven for most businesses, Amazon says it's never been busier.
To compensate for the growing demand of quickly-delivered retail in the growing field of online shopping, Amazon has already announced other job openings and plans to build a $400 million distribution center on the state's old fairgrounds.
The new facility is expected to bring 1,200 new jobs and open in 2022, pending approval from the city council. Previous job announcements filling office positions are expected to pay $150,000 annually.
In its latest bout of hiring, the jobs will be housed out of fulfillment, sortation, and delivery centers that operate around the region.
Anyone interested in working can find more information about how to apply at amazon.com/apply.


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It didn't receive any attention on stage at Google I/O today, but Google hasn't forgotten about its ongoing effort to take over the living room with Google TV. The company is today updating the platform to the latest version of Android (4.2.2 Jelly Bean) and is promising that under-the-hood changes will help its manufacturing partners deliver quicker updates moving forward. Specifically, Google says this will make it possible to update Google TV hardware in "weeks rather than months."
Updates will be more frequent
Google TV is also being brought up to date with the latest version of Chrome. Like the core OS, Chrome for Google TV will now be on a faster update cycle — every six weeks, to be exact. More importantly, this latest version of Chrome introduces support for hardware-based content protection, an addition that should make developers (and content producers) less wary about bringing copyrighted video to their apps.
If you've already got a Google TV device, you can expect to see these updates "in the coming months" with the new software set for inclusion in fresh hardware due "later this year." Google will need to do more on the consumer end to establish Google TV as a serious contender — particularly with powerful new gaming (and entertainment consoles on the way) — but it sounds like we'll have a better idea of what's next by the end of 2013.
Update: Engadget has confirmed that Google will be removing Flash support with the update to Android 4.2.2. The plugin had already been blocked from use on many major websites, including Hulu, and its performance wasn't great during general use as it was. Adobe ceased development on Flash for mobile devices over a year ago, so it's largely been a waiting game to see when Google would fully remove it.


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Plaza 122, a three-sided shopping center with a parking lot in the middle in East Portland. John Haines, executive director of the CIT, is offering people who live in this economically challenged area of Portland a chance to own a piece of the strip mall. Test.
Since the great recession, 20 percent of Americans have become asset poor — meaning if you took all their property, savings, and investments and added them up, the total would be less than $6,000.
John Haines is hoping a strip mall in East Portland will make it easier for Luthe, and other people who are asset poor, to invest.
As executive director of the CIT, Haines is the driving force behind Plaza 122, a three-sided shopping center with a parking lot in the middle. Passersby might see an All State insurance office, a hair salon and a chimney repair shop, but Haines sees it as a potential game changer to alleviate poverty.
“This, in my mind, is where Marx meets Milton Friedman,” he said. “It’s making the markets work for everybody.”
That’s because Haines is offering people who live in this economically challenged area of Portland a chance to own a piece of the strip mall. He has attached a real estate investment trust to the strip mall, and he wants to make that complicated financial tool available to those in asset poverty.
Haines said it would work like this: investors would take a financial class, then put in $10, $20, or $100 a month. Time goes by. Appreciation goes up, strip mall tenants pay their rent, and if a profit is made, investors get a dividend.
While it’s small money in investment circles, Haines said, it could be a big deal for people seeking financial security.


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HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. (AP) — Sears has told the state of Illinois it's laying off 250 employees at its corporate headquarters in the Chicago suburb of Hoffman Estates. Sears said in a notice last week to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity that the employees have been placed on paid leave and their jobs will be terminated over a 14-day period starting about October 28.
Company spokesman Larry Costello says the affected employees were placed on paid leave last week.
Sears was once the largest retailer in the country but filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last October. In February, Transform Holdco, controlled by former Sears chairman Edward Lampert , bought the retailer and 425 stores in a bankruptcy auction.