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Even though the term "phablet" draws a lot of snarky remarks, some workplace executives have lately come to appreciate large-screen smartphones. And at least one who should know even believes that smartphones with a display that's 5.5-in. or larger (like the new iPhone 6 Plus or the Galaxy Note 4) could replace PCs in a few years.
"The PC as we know it will disappear in three to five years," said Eric Reed, the CTO at GE Capital, in an interview. "We'll still have that PC functionality, but the form factor will change."
Reed heads up a team that oversees the mobile needs and desires of 50,000 GE workers and millions of GE customers, so he's given his prediction a lot of consideration. His duties have included working with different internal groups on pilot programs using the latest smartphones and tablets and he's even helped rule out a few devices in the process.
"We've seen that mobility is changing the enterprise.... We saw this originally with the introduction of the iPhone and now, tablets, but it's a shock for the enterprise how quickly they've been adopted and made their way into the ecosystem," Reed said.
"Longer term, what industry is wresting with is the right form factor, whether it's a phablet or not. But that's the direction things will go," he said. "If you marry the portability of a device with a ubiquitous connection via 4G wireless or Wi-Fi, then the three devices workers carry today -- tablet, smartphone and laptop -- are all going to morph into a single device."
That single device will still need "enough screen real estate to be usable on the go, and with plenty of horsepower," he said. That, he added, means something in the 5.5 inches or larger category -- what IDC and other analyst firms call phablets because they're phones that approach the size of small tablets.
And, that device will need to work seamlessly with a docking station that includes a keyboard and mouse and a large monitor for work on spreadsheets and other detailed, involved tasks, Reed said.
Behind that docked phablet configuration will be all kinds of software (and enterprise apps) that work both when the phablet is on its own or docked and possibly even across different operating systems. That, he conceded, will be the hard part.
Mobile apps for enterprise are key
Microsoft's recent decision to move Microsoft Office to the Apple iPad is an indication that vendors see the need for technology flexibility, Reed said.
"Moving Office to the iPad was a huge inflection moment for the industry," he said. So was last week's announcement that Walt Disney Studios will allow Disney movies to run on Android devices, as well as on earlier-available iOS devices, through the Disney Movies Anywhere app. That shows an unusual evolution of content on any platform, Reed said.
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Hyundai India sales report for June: 7 percent growth including exports
Total cars sold by Hyundai India during June 2016 stands at 55,713 units.India’s second largest car maker, Hyundai revealed that during month of June...
Total cars sold by Hyundai India during June 2016 stands at 55,713 units.India’s second largest car maker, Hyundai revealed that during month of June 2016, the company sold a total of 55,713 units. This when compared to figures of June 2015 (when the company posted 52,602 units), is a growth of 7%.
Speaking about domestic sales figures, Hyundai India sold 39,806 cars in the domestic market in June 2016, as compared to 36,300 cars sold in June 2015. This is an increase of 9.7%. Exports during the month stood at 15,907 units, as against 15,762 units, registering 0.9% growth.As has been the case over the last few months, Hyundai’s trio of Grand i10, Elite i20 and Creta continued posting impressive sales. The trio is winner of Indian Car of the Year 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively. Apart from these three, Eon and Xcent also added good numbers to the overall sales figures.
Aiming to overtake Maruti Suzuki India in the future, Hyundai has announced that they will launch at least two new cars every year in India. This, and increasing their dealer network will help them in achieving their dream.For 2016, the company will launch Tucson and Elantra, both have been spied on test in India. Tucson will be placed below the Safa Fe, and will take on the likes of Mahindra XUV500 while the Elantra will compete with the likes Toyota Corolla, Skoda Octavia, etc.
This article has first appeared in Rushlane.com

domain: news


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July 2023 …
Browse more than 300 booths at Bella Rustina in Conway this July
Conway will once again host the Bella Rustina Modern Vintage Market, July 14-16 inside the Conway Expo Center.
More than 300 booths will be set up inside the venue, selling both vintage and vintage-inspired items, as well as handmade treasures. Multiple food trucks will also be on site to feed hungry shoppers. Admission is $10 for the early buying day on Friday, July 14, and it’s $5 for Saturday, July 15, and Sunday, July 16.
For more information, visit www.bellarustina.com.
Bring your summer vibes to Bella Rustina, July 14-16 at the Conway Expo Center in Conway, AR. There you’ll find cool deals on vintage and vintage-inspired items. (Image courtesy of Facebook)


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Shares of DR Horton Inc. (DHI) dropped modestly Friday after the homebuilding company reported weaker than expected earnings for the first quarter of 2019. Revenues, meanwhile, increased and topped the street view, benefitting from favorable pricing and strong demand for new homes.
First-quarter revenues grew 5.6% to $3.52 billion and came in above analysts’ estimate. Net income attributable to shareholders increased to $287.2 million or $0.76 per share from $189.3 million or $0.49 per share a year earlier but fell short of expectations.
At $3.4 billion, homebuilding revenue was up 6% compared to the year-ago quarter. Home closures advanced 7% to 11,500 units, while net sales orders rose by 3% to 11,042 units.
DR Horton purchased the homebuilding operations of Westport Homes, Classic Builders, and Terramor Homes for about $321 million in the second half of last year. During the December quarter, the management repurchased 4.1 million shares for $140.6 million. Recently, the company declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.15 per share, to be paid on February 25, 2019, to stockholders of record on February 11, 2019.
DR Horton has purchased the homebuilding operations of Westport Homes, Classic Builders, and Terramor Homes for about $321 million
“Sales prices for both new and existing homes have increased across most of our markets over the past several years, which coupled with rising interest rates has impacted affordability and resulted in some moderation of demand for homes, particularly at higher price points,” said, Donald Horton, chairman of the board.
Looking ahead, the company expects the homebuilding sector to benefit from the favorable supply-demand variation, booming economy and credit availability. It is anticipated that the positive factors, combined with DR Horton’s superior product offerings, will drive growth in the upcoming quarters.
The domestic housing market has been going through a period of uncertainty, with rising mortgage rates and higher prices dampening demand across the market.
DR Horton shares closed the last trading session up 3%. The stock, which lost about 24% in the last twelve months, declined Friday after the earnings report.
The semiconductor industry is a rapidly growing business segment that currently thrives on the digital transformation wave. The demand for memory chips and other semiconductor products increased over the years,
Shares of Bed Bath & Beyond (NASDAQ: BBBY) were up on Friday, a day after the company delivered disappointing results for the second quarter of 2022. The company reported a
Nike, Inc. (NYSE: NKE) has reported a decrease in net profit for the first quarter of 2023, despite a modest increase in revenues. The company's stock suffered a big loss


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Kent University Just Opened the First Entirely Gluten-Free Dining Hall in the U.S.
As far as college dining halls go in the U.S., it's safe to say that no two cafeteria experiences are alike. While Maine's Bowdoin College features a dining hall that serves up the occasional lobster bake, for example, Chicago's Northwestern University has a cookie bar as one of its main culinary attractions. (Why haven't lobster and cookie bars caught on in more schools?) But when it comes to dining hall variety and innovation, Kent University might take the cake. The gluten-free cake, that is.
By opening what the Ohio school claims to be the first entirely gluten-free dining facility on a college campus in the U.S., Kent is setting a new standard for university dining halls around the country. Colleges all over the country have aimed to include gluten- and allergen-free food stations in their cafeterias to accommodate student dietary restrictions, but these may not be enough, as they still raise concerns regarding food prep and safety.
"A lot of restaurants do offer gluten-free menus, but it's a little bit of a risk," Kent University freshman, Erin Mazzotta, told NBC. "You have to trust them when they're cooking your food and handling it." Kent's completely gluten-free facility, Prentice Cafe, alleviates that concern by totally eliminating the potential of cross-contamination between gluten-free foods and foods that contain the wheat protein.
In the end, a dining hall is only as good as its food tastes, so maybe the best part about Prentice Cafe is that the gluten-free menu feels like anything but. With food staples that college students can't really live without -- think pizza and grilled cheese -- Prentice boasts dishes that taste just as good as their gluten counterparts, thanks to chefs' use of only the best taste-tested ingredients. Plus, the dining hall offers a bunch of vegan and vegetarian options for those who are gluten- and meat-free. The result is a dining hall that is quickly becoming a go-to destination for gluten-free and non-gluten-free students alike. And, we imagine, responsible for an influx of applications to Kent University.


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New Delhi: Most of the markets in the national capital remained shut on Thursday as traders observed the all-India bandh in protest against Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in retail sector.
BJP also joined the traders' protest by organising marches and burnt effigies of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in at least 20 locations of the city.
Confederation of All India Traders' Delhi unit president Narender Madan said a large number of traders have kept their shops shut to participate in the all-India bandh.
Madan claimed wholesale and retail markets were closed in Sadar Bazar, Kamla Nagar, Chawri Bazar, Karol Bagh, Kashmere Gate, Tilak Nagar, Rohini, Krishna Nagar and other markets.
CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said traders across the country were participating in the bandh to protest the government decision to allow FDI in retail.
"Around five crore traders belonging to 10,000 traders' bodies across the country are participating in the bandh. Traders took out marches in commercial markets across the country," Khandelwal said.
Khandelwal said the decision on FDI will create an uneven playing field in the country which will tilt towards MNCs and prove to be a "nightmare" for traders and consumer.
Maintaining that there was no need for foreign investment in the sector, he said, "The Government should withdraw the permission of FDI in retail".
He said Indian retail sector was being run successfully by the indigenous capital at the rate of 15 per cent and contributing 10 per cent of GDP. "So no FDI was required".
"The foreign retailers can open in big cities, but they will source from mandis across rural India and small town. With their money and power over time, they can corner the supply of produce and dominate the outsources side," he said.
Traders took out marches and staged 'dharnas' in other states too.
The Confederation of West Bengal Trade Associations (CWBTA), the apex body of the most prominent trade associations of the state, having over five lakh small and medium level traders, said all sister trade bodies are supporting the bandh call.
The traders alleged that the Centre's decision of allowing FDI in retail sector would spell disaster for small traders, in particular endangering the livelihood of millions of trading community.
Most of the political parties and trade unions have supported the day's token strike.
The announcement was made by the Confederation of All India Traders and around 10,000 trade bodies are set to participate in a 'Bharat Bandh' protest on Thursday.
In Delhi, traders are also planning to stage a sit-in at Jantar Mantar.
Activist Anna Hazare said the government must take the hint from these protests and rollback the decision to allow FDI in retail.
With Additional Inputs from PTI


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Shopify is helping its Los Angeles merchants reach consumers in person at its downtown brick-and-mortar space.
On Monday, the e-commerce company reopened its 3,800-square-foot community and event venue at the Row DTLA shopping center, giving Shopify’s tens of thousands of L.A.-based entrepreneurs access to a dedicated setting for learning, launching businesses and showcasing their products to consumers.
Shuttered since March of 2020, the reopened space is open seven days a week and includes a new 100-square-foot popup shop dedicated to local merchants. Shopify LA employees will identify three to six brands and artisans to be featured at one time, rotating them out on a monthly to quarterly basis.
The venue has hosted holiday markets and themed popups in the past, Cody DeBacker, Shopify’s head of retail experience, told Sourcing Journal, but the popup shop will represent a permanent fixture dedicated to Shopify’s regional clients. The space “has always been offered to local merchants—primarily those that maybe only had the opportunity to sell through e-commerce and didn’t have a front-facing retail space, or those that were just looking to drop specialized, exclusive products,” he said.
As L.A. brands resume business, Shopify wanted to offer up a high-traffic storefront. This week, five brands—Alfred Coffee, Mickey Hargitay Plants, florist Birch & Bone, streetwear label We Are Uprisers and artist and apparel designer Never Made launched their temporary shops at the new space.
“These are some of the folks that we were working with really closely during the pandemic, helping them through digital one-on-one business coaching, through small group workshop sessions,” DeBacker said. “We ended up just falling in love with their stories, and wanted to give them a platform to sell their products.”
Beyond the popup area, Shopify LA, which opened in 2018, has been redesigned to better suit the area’s businesses, he added. “We realized over the pandemic how much is shifting, and we wanted to make sure we had all the tools necessary for entrepreneurs in the Los Angeles area to succeed,” he said.
Shopify LA will continue to offer one-on-one, 45-minute business coaching sessions for founders and employees on the platform—a service that DeBacker said has been invaluable to merchants as shoppers migrated online. “We’ve been wanting to reopen as soon as possible,” he said, adding that “there’s been a clamoring demand for the business coaches” who have been booked out months in advance.
A professional photo studio is also available to Shopify customers, DeBacker said. “We realized very early on how difficult it was to secure a photo studio or professional photography with limited budgets and resources,” he said. A professional photographer is available to help merchants shoot lifestyle photos, flat lays and more. “We’ve even introduced a brand new photo machine that takes 360-degree product photos and renders those into videos or gives you the ability to put those into AR/VR so customers can actually display their products in their home and see what they would look like before actually buying them,” DeBacker said.
Shopify LA now hosts an area for budding entrepreneurs, DeBacker said. “We’ve introduced Kids Space, so we’re helping them to create and get started a little bit earlier than maybe some of us had the advantage to do when we were growing up,” he added. A T-shirt creation campaign tasks children ages 9-12 with creating original artwork, transferring it to the garment, designing stickers and business cards, and “craft[ing] a mini business plan to get their idea into a reality.” As their parents receive business coaching and support, they can also read in the Book Nook.
Blending merchant services with a dedicated retail space was a no-brainer for Shopify LA as the platform’s merchants emerge from one of the hardest periods in recent retail history, DeBacker said. “We believe that retail has evolved, it’s changing, and the future is flexible,” he added. “Physical and online commerce—they have to go hand in hand now, and retailers really need to start getting comfortable with the idea of being able to stay nimble.”


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Small local businesses are calling the City of Rio Rancho’s Small Business Assistance Program a lifeline.
The City of Rio Rancho received almost $347,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to aid eligible micro-enterprise and small businesses in Rio Rancho’s city limits.
“When we unexpectedly received this federal funding, I strongly advocated that the vast majority of it be used to help our small businesses during these uncertain times,” said Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull. “I am very pleased that we have been able to provide this critical funding to several businesses so far, and I want to encourage more Rio Rancho businesses to apply for assistance.”
This program offers grants from $5,000-$10,000 to micro-enterprise and small businesses of 40 employees or less.
• Micro-enterprises with five employees or less can receive up to $5,000;
• Small businesses with six to 10 employees can receive up to $5,000; and
• Small businesses between 11 to 40 employees can receive up to $10,000.
To be eligible businesses must prove a need for the funds.
A few stipulations include:
• Owners of micro-enterprises must earn under 80 percent of the area median income;
• Small businesses with six to 10 employees must have at least one employee at risk of losing the job due to impacts COVID-19 has had on the business; and
• Small businesses with 11 to 40 employees must have at least one employee for every 10 at risk of losing the job due to impacts COVID-19 has had on the business.
The city began accepting applications June 1 and has awarded $50,000 to eight businesses, said city spokeswoman Annemarie García.
Applications will continue to be accepted until the funds are all used. The city hosted a “how to apply” webinar that can be found at rrnm.gov/assistance, García said.
Over 30 businesses have applied to the program, according to an Inspection of Public Records Act response the Observer received last week.
Sam and Sons Barbershop
Sam and Sons Barbershop received $5,000 from the program. Owner Sam Anaya Jr. said it was a lifeline.
The barbershop has been in Rio Rancho for 18 years come February. Due to the governor’s public-health orders, the shop was closed from March 18 to June 1, with zero revenues.
“The only way to pay the bills during that time would be savings and reserves, with no clients, without being able to offer services,” Dolly Anaya said.
Since June, the shop has been open at 25 percent capacity and is down 70 percent in revenues. Being at 25 percent capacity makes enough money for food and some bills, Sam Anaya said.
“If you don’t work, you don’t make money in this industry,” Dolly Anaya said.
The couple thought the city’s process of choosing which businesses would receive the grant benefited those who have the most need and gave them time to properly apply for the grant.
“For a small business like us, we don’t have attorneys, we don’t know how exactly to fill out the paperwork, it takes us longer; we would have been out immediately,” she said.
Sam Anaya said it was a relief when they were told they would receive the $5,000 grant. A majority of the money will be used for back rent, he said.
The shop has had community support throughout the pandemic, the Anayas said.
“I mean we have had people come and slip an envelope with cash under the door and write a little note saying, ‘Can’t wait to see you guys again and keep your doors open; and an outpouring of community support,” Dolly Anaya said.
She said barbershops have always been in the sanitation business but they are taking extra steps the make customers feel safer.
“There has always been a high level of training for every barber when it comes to sanitation because there are a lot of diseases that they need to be aware of and watch out for, and disinfection processes that are already in place. So we are really up on sanitation,” Dolly Anaya said.
Barbers and client have a special relationship, she said. Dolly Anaya can see customers come into the shop and it is like a weight is being lifted off their shoulders.
There is a strong sense of community in the shop, and they hope to continue being a safe place for customers, she said.
For more information, visit Sam and Sons Barbershop Shop at 4025 Peggy Road or call 892-2490.
Oval Dogs Coffee
Oval Dogs Coffee received $5,000 from the Small Business Assistance Program.
Owners Daniel and Beth Sanchez opened the roastery and coffee shop in 2017 at 661 Quantum Road, Suite 13. Like Sam and Sons Barbershop, the community has been keeping Oval Dogs going through the pandemic.
In March, Oval Dogs Coffee had customers buy year-long subscriptions of coffee, Daniel Sanchez said.
They have also had support from other roasters like Piñon Coffee and Villa Myriam Coffee Roasters. Piñon Coffee bought $500 worth of coffee from the small business, and Villa Myriam Coffee Roasters helped Oval Dog can their coffee drinks to sell, Beth Sanchez said.
“The roaster community has banded together to help each other out,” she said.
Due to the pandemic, business has been slow, Daniel Sanchez said.
Several of the roastery’s wholesale clients stop buying because of COVID-19 shutdowns. These clients were churches, bars and other businesses that were not selling enough coffee to buy more, Beth Sanchez said.
“So we are hoping those all will build up again,” she said
With a loan from PayPal and the Small Business Assistance Program, the roastery was able to buy the coffee beans and pay rent.
“That was a big thing, because we were running out of product and we didn’t have enough money to buy more product. So then if we don’t have anything to sell, we can’t really make any more money, so we would have been sunk,” Daniel Sanchez said.
Beth Sanchez said the business feels supported by the City of Rio Rancho and its citizens. Moving forward, the couple is hoping for the best but planning for the worst.
“Now going into winter, we are not sure what (business) is going to look like when flu season starts,” Daniel Sanchez said.
The couple is budgeting for less cash flow than normal this winter, he said.
“We are bracing ourselves for it getting worse again, but who knows?” Beth Sanchez said.
For more information about Oval Dogs Coffee, call 585-2418 or search “Oval Dogs” on Facebook to visit their page.


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Amazon launches online shopping service Junglee in India
Retailers in India can list their products at zero cost using Amazon Seller Services program
Feb 03, 2012 03:06:00 PM | Article | Campaign India Team
Amazon has announced the launch of Junglee, a new online shopping service enabling customers to find and discover products available in India. Junglee organises product selection from Indian and global brands, and features buying options from online and offline retailers, including Amazon.com, in one place.
Indian retailers can list their products on Junglee.com and advertise their product selection to drive targeted customer traffic to their websites and physical stores at zero cost through Amazon Product Ads.
Commenting on the development, Amit Agarwal, vice president, Amazon.com, said, “Our goal with Amazon Seller Services is to help retailers of all sizes succeed and grow their business online. We’re excited to bring Amazon Seller Services to India and look forward to helping retailers take advantage of the Junglee.com shopping experience and Amazon’s product advertising expertise to showcase their selection to customers across the globe. We will continue to expand Amazon Seller Services in India and invest in helping local businesses build their brand and increase sales, while lowering the cost of selling their products online.”
Junglee organises product selection and buying options across more than 25 categories with product information and customer reviews from multiple sources, including Amazon.com, available in one convenient place. When customers are ready to buy a product, Junglee directs them to a seller’s website or physical store to complete the purchase.


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Markor Technology, a tech company offering a complete solution for iGaming operators, has partnered with Sumsub, an all-in-one verification platform.
London, 15 November, 2022 – Markor has partnered with Sumsub to provide enhanced verification and fraud protection while ensuring full compliance.
Sumsub is a global tech company with five international offices in London, Berlin, Cyprus, Tel Aviv and Miami. It offers businesses an all-in-one verification platform that secures the whole user lifecycle with customizable KYC, KYB, KYT, and AML solutions. Sumsub helps 2,000+ clients across the fintech, crypto, shared mobility, trading and gaming industries expand to new markets while staying fully compliant with shifting regulations.
Markor Technology has rapidly started to establish itself as a globally-recognised provider of B2B and B2C technology solutions to the iGaming industry, supplying multi-product and multi-licensed PAM (Player Account Management) and aggregation platforms and a comprehensive line-up of products and services.
“Markor Technology aims to offer world-class gaming services and the best customer experience through cutting-edge technologies. By partnering with Sumsub, we stick to our high standards by providing fast and flexible onboarding, compliance and antifraud solutions to our clients in the iGaming industry,”says Melissa Summerfield, CEO of Markor Technology.
“Finding a trustful iGaming partner like Markor Technology is an honor for us because we share the same goal of creating a responsible iGaming environment, enabling players to enjoy online gaming and gambling services freely and safely. We’re making this a reality by offering end-to-end KYC, KYT, and AML solutions to effectively onboard honest users and keep fraudsters out,”adds Andrew Sever, Co-Founder and CEO of Sumsub.
Sumsub is an all-in-one verification platform that secures every step of the customer journey. With Sumsub’s customizable KYC, KYB, KYT, and AML solutions, you can orchestrate your verification process, welcome more customers worldwide, speed up onboarding, reduce costs and steer clear of digital fraud.
Sumsub achieves the highest conversion rates in the industry—91.64% in the US, 95.86% in the UK, and 90.98% in Brazil—while verifying users in less than 50 seconds on average. Its AI-driven anti-fraud tools and in-house liveness technology make user onboarding fast yet secure, helping businesses scale to international markets with ease. Sumsub drives the industry with visionary and user-friendly products, such as document-free verification and digital IDs.
Sumsub’s methodology follows FATF recommendations, the international standard for AML/CTF rules and local regulatory requirements (FINMA, FCA, CySEC, MAS, BaFin). As the first regulated compliance-as-a-service provider, Sumsub has a team of compliance experts ready to consult on regulatory specifics worldwide.
Sumsub has over 2,000 clients across the fintech, crypto, transportation, trading and gaming industries including Binance, Mercuryo, Bybit, Huobi, Unlimint, DiDi, Poppy and TransferGo.
About Markor Technology
Markor Technology is a leading global provider of B2B and B2C technology solutions and services to iGaming operators. The company provides a comprehensive multi-product vertical and multi-licensed PAM system, which can be tailored to both self-serviced or managed solution, that allows operators to efficiently and effectively run all aspects of their online businesses. In addition, it has a game content aggregation platform that boasts over 5,000 titles from leading suppliers.
Markor Technology systems and games are certified by independent testing laboratories in compliance with jurisdictional licensing requirements.


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BOSTON: Shift Communications has unveiled a new form of press release it expects to use for client releases, according to Todd Defren, Shift Communications principal.
Shift’s press release prototype (viewed here) included bulleted news points, links to mp3s, relevant coverage, and third-party sites like del.icio.us and Technorati, as well as ways to access relevant video and audio files.
“I’ve been previewing it with clients, and people have been excited,” Defren said. At least two clients have told him they want to use it for their next announcement.
“It’s one small step for PR,” Defren said. “This is arguably a bleeding-edge type of thing.”
Current press releases, he said, featured “too much [news] to digest.”
“Rather than being a one-size fits all, you can gain value from whatever elements mean the most for you,” Defren says. “There are less things to ignore, you’ll find what you need out of it,” Defren said.
Edelman CEO Richard Edelman announced at the Syndicate Conference two weeks ago that the agency was also looking at restructuring its press release in June.
Defren said a colleague showed the press release to a number of newswires and the result was mixed. Shift used PR Newswire to distribute the press release as a Multimedia News Release (MNR), offered by its MultiVu company. All of the major newswires have taken steps in the last year to include more new media-type functionality like RSS feeds and video.
“Shift's methodology is very good. And it's yet another example of the news release maturing into a marketing tool that reaches consumers whether or not traditional media choose to write a story,” said to Dave Armon, COO of PR Newswire. “All the elements included in the template are great and very similar to the Multimedia News Release (MNR) our broadcast PR company MultiVu offers.”


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Best Buy has been included in Bloomberg’s Gender Equality Index for the second consecutive year, demonstrating our commitment to inclusion and diversity at all levels of the company.
The 2021 index includes 380 companies across 11 sectors and 44 countries. We are one of only 138 U.S. companies and seven retailers on the Index.
In a business environment that has significantly changed, it’s more important than ever for companies to attract and retain diverse talent, including women. In order to be successful in this, a company must offer flexible work arrangements, work/life balance and an inclusive environment.


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Lawyers representing shareholders in Electronic Data Systems have filed a class-action lawsuit against the company, alleging that it artificially inflated its stock price with misleading financial reporting statements.
New York law firm Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann, which represents the shareholders in the case, has retained Ron Zahn, a certified public accountant and fraud investigator.
Zahn is looking into EDS's handling of what the company recently called "problem contracts".
In May, EDS reported a quarterly net loss of $126m, blaming it on the problem contracts, and a $334m pretax loss stemming from difficulties with the multibillion-dollar Navy/Marine Corps intranet program.
Zahn said he was also investigating internal EDS communications made public in May that characterised the company's deployment plan for the troubled contract as a "scorched-earth seat rollout" policy.
The complaint filed earlier this week stems from an announcement made by EDS last September that it expected its third-quarter 2002 earnings to fall short of the company's prior guidance by approximately 80%.
A week later, securities analysts discovered that EDS had not disclosed certain financial obligations related to the sale of "put" contracts on its own stock, which would require EDS to pay $225m. As a result, the price of EDS's stock tumbled, and shareholders lost about $11.8bn.
Dan Verton writes for Computerworld


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The top apps are all showing declining downloads Y-o-Y, except for Uber and Snapchat.
New research by SensorTower and Nomura, highlighted in a Recode article today, found that overall growth was trending downwards, but Snapchat (107.6%), Uber (82.3%), Airbnb (31.7%), and Hulu (22.2%) were the only apps they discussed that grew double digits year-over-year.
Image from Recode
The reality is that it’s harder and harder for new apps (and even existing apps) to get any traction. Most people who would be interested in these apps already have mobile phones which are completely crammed with apps.
One way to beat this depressing news? Own all of the apps. The same report found that Facebook-owned app downloads (Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp) were 60% of all downloads (142 million in total).


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Boro makes wagons to help tree and vine growers with the harvest.
Tracking robots have been in development since the late 1990s, starting on land and expanding underwater all the way to the sky. Early models relied on tracking the location of a tag in a person's pocket, but advances in deep learning and computer vision now allow AI to "see" the world through cameras and other sensors. p>
On the farm, Burrow serves up something that looks like a bag enclosed in a drawstring. A four-wheel drive vehicle that can move freely through rows of California orchards. p>
To train the Boro robot, simply press the "Continue" button and start walking. At the end of the path, press the button again. Using up to 20 cameras, computer vision and GPS, Burro follows you and remembers your route. He can then carry the goods unassisted and steer to other Burro bots.Advertising
The Burro weighs up to 500 pounds and can carry up to 1,000 pounds. Poros table grape growers use it to transport fruit from workers on vineyards to people who roll goods in foldable shells before loading them onto trucks for groceries. Currently, about 100 boro machines operate on vineyards in Southern California. Three years of testing, and the company hopes to quadruple that amount with the completion of $10 million in new funding this fall. Burro CEO Charlie Anderson says robots have grown by nearly 50,000 in the past five years, clocking blueberries, blackberries and raspberries . and vineyards, as well as in plant nurseries. p>
Some new funding will be spent on software development to meet the technical challenge of managing hundreds of roving vehicles. Burro is also integrating Bloomfield Robotics technology, which uses computer vision and artificial intelligence to predict grape production and monitor crops for diseases or fungi. In the long term, Borough wants to provide a platform for coordinating predictive artificial intelligence and mobile machines for orchards, vineyards and vineyards. The grapes are from the grapevine so that the robot can harvest, peel and peel the grape vines. "We hunt and cut, but we don't do post-harvest pruning, which is very complex and we don't think it will be sustainable in a commercial environment in the near future," Anderson says. p>
Fruits and nuts. Breeders are increasingly using computer vision in their work. Tastry, for example, uses artificial intelligence to search for grape blends that can mask the smoky taste of fire-stricken vineyards, and a multidisciplinary team of biologists and AI researchers working with the USDA. The United States is working on ways to protect vineyards from fungi. That could spoil a crop.
Walt Dufloc helps run a 10,000-acre farm in Monterey, California for cows, table grapes, and other crops. He is also the vice president of innovation for the Western Farmers Federation, a union of farmers that accounts for half of the fruit, vegetable, and nut growing activities in the United States. Trainer for Thrive Agri Startup Accelerator. Automation is believed to be necessary to address labor shortages in agriculture, especially in harvesting. Over time, it is believed that robots like Burro could eliminate up to 20 percent of agricultural labor. p>
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“We’re above last years numbers already, and that was in itself an all time high,“ said information director Lottie Knutsson of travel agency Fritidsresor to news agency TT.
The rush to buy holidays started already on Christmas Day and during the days leading up to New Years Eve the pressure has been on for Swedish travel agencies.
Travel agency Apollo has already sold 39 percent more summer holidays than during the same period last year.
Competitor Ving reports that they are experiencing the same boom, as was recorded last year, selling for a whopping 110 million kronor ($16 million) a day.
The days between Christmas and New Year, as well as the month of January, are traditionally the year’s strongest sales period for travel agencies in Sweden.
“During Christmas and New Year, families are gathered and many spend time planning next year’s holiday,” said Magdalena Öhrn of VIng.
Another reason for the boom could be falling prices on package holidays.
“The strengthened krona will show its effects this summer, so our prices have decreased as a consequence,” said Apollo’s Kajsa Moström.
The darkness of the season and this year’s lack of snow in many parts of the country could also have awakened Swedes’ wish for sun and warmth, she said.
“And more and more people have discovered Turkey, which is the destination that is dominating at the moment and has rocketed in our sales,” Öhrn told TT.
When Swedes don’t choose Turkey, they tend to go for Mediterranean islands such as Crete, Majorca and Rhodes. Cyprus is also a continued hot destination for Swedes in need of a bit of sun.
Another trend for the 2012 season seems to be that an increasing number of people want to travel far away, even for short breaks. The package deals selling out first were reportedly week-long trips to Thailand, Mexico and Kenya.


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CHENNAI: Flying by Air India is going to be expensive from July 16, if you are buying your tickets from travel agents. Passengers will have to pay 225 to 325 for domestic and 775 to 3,250 more for international tickets as transaction fee which the airline has asked travel agents to collect from passengers to avoid paying commission to agents.
A section of travel agents - IATA Agents Association of India (IAAI) - has come out in protest against the new policy. "We have not been charging any fee from passengers because airlines used to pay commission to us for every ticket sold. Now, AI wants to scrap the commission and wants us to charge passengers," said IAAI general secretary V L Jaghannathan.
DGCA has declared transaction fee as illegal in an order issued on March 2010. But airlines in India are pushing for transaction fee following the policy adopted by foreign airlines. Airlines across the world are moving to a zero commission policy for travel agents. But India is not ready for it yet, says travel agents. "In India travel agents book 85% of Air India's tickets. Agents are still relevant because passengers prefer our guidance to book tickets, apply for visa and other formalities," he said.
The national carrier seems to have taken into confidence two other travel agents associations, Travel Agents Association of India and Travel Agents Federation of India, to implement the new fee policy.


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Snapchat parent company Snap Inc. is getting ready for some drastic changes to turn the corner on revenue and user growth. CEO Evan Spiegel announced during the company’s earnings call Tuesday that they’re working on a big Snapchat redesign to make the service less complicated.
“One thing that we have heard over the years is that Snapchat is difficult to understand or hard to use, and our team has been working on responding to this feedback,” he said. “As a result, we are currently redesigning our application to make it easier to use.”
Spiegel also said Snap was getting ready to roll out new monetization options for creators in 2018. “We have historically neglected the creator community on Snapchat that creates and distributes public Stories for the broader Snapchat audience,” he said. “Developing this ecosystem will allow artists to transition more easily from communicating with friends to creating Stories for a broader audience, monetizing their Stories, and potentially using our professional tools to create premium content.”
Spiegel made these remarks as the company released another disappointing earnings report, posting both revenue and user growth numbers that were significantly below market expectations.
During the quarter ending Sept. 30, Snap generated revenue of $207.9 million, compared to $128.2 million during the same quarter last year. Net losses came in at $443.2 million, compared to $124.2 million a year ago. Investors had expected revenue of $237 million, and sent Snap’s stock down more than 17% in after-hours trading.
But it wasn’t just revenue numbers that were off. Snap also added just 5 million monthly active users during Q3, as opposed to the 8 million that investors had hoped for.
Spiegel blamed the revenue miss on a “dramatically reduced pricing” of the company’s new programmatic ad units, in prepared remarks for Tuesday’s earnings call. The transition to auction-based ad sales led to a more than 60% year-over-year decline of CPMs, he said. The company partially made up for this by increasing page views and ad impressions, with the latter growing 400% year-over-year.
Spiegel also addressed Snapchat’s user growth, which he described as “at a lower rate than we would have liked.” He said the company wants to accelerate user growth in 2018. In addition to the redesign, Snap is also working to rebuild its Android app from the ground up.
Snap also admitted Tuesday that it had overestimated the demand for Spectacles. The company had to write off close to $40 million in unsold inventory and excess purchasing commitments, said CFO Drew Vollero: “Moving forward, we will continue to be in the market place with Spectacles and expect modest revenue from the product line.” Spiegel echoed these remarks during the earnings call, saying: “We made the wrong decision based on early traction.”


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The rising ubiquity of tech companies at fashion shows underscores a mutually beneficial relationship between the two industries as luxury customer behaviour changes.
During a fashion event, tech companies can show off products to B2B consumers, while fashion brands benefit from data and innovative toolsets.
Amazon and Alibaba are leveraging their data and platforms to deliver products consumers want at the speed they expect.
NEW YORK — Tech giants are making their presence known during fashion month, marking a shift in power around who funds, and benefits from, the runway.
This season, payment services company Klarna is sponsoring a set of fashion presentations at New York Fashion Week that lets customers purchase items from collections on payment plans. Thom Browne will debut a rebranded Samsung Galaxy phone in partnership with the South Korean tech giant. Last season, Google appeared during the runway return of Jennifer Lopez’s Versace dress, one of the season’s most viral moments, to promote a few of its products. Amazon Prime served as the exclusive streaming and e-commerce partner for Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty lingerie show. Alibaba, meanwhile, facilitated three “China Cool” runway platforms in New York, Milan and Paris in an effort to spotlight Chinese designers.
Tech companies aren’t entirely new to fashion month — Samsung and Intel have been long-standing partners, for example — but visibility is increasing, and relationships are deepening as fashion and tech become more intertwined. The rising ubiquity of tech companies at fashion shows underscores a mutually beneficial partnership across both industries, through which tech companies can earn brand cachet and facetime with business and consumer clients, and fashion brands can milk tech’s data and toolsets.
“The brands that will be successful are those that not only partner with these companies for fashion show gimmicks but truly leverage their expertise for the digital transformation of their businesses,” says Launchmetrics chief marketing officer Alison Bringé.
For years, automotive and airline brands typically backed fashion shows with sponsorships, a partnership formed from the understanding that luxury fashion’s audience overlaps with that of luxury cars and travel. Although companies like Mercedes-Benz continue to sponsor fashion weeks in cities like Moscow, Berlin and Tbilisi, the overall fashion landscape has been democratised, and modern luxury shoppers might be more likely to take an Uber (itself a frequent fashion week sponsor) than purchase a new four-door coupe, according to Ana Andjelic, marketing executive and doctor of sociology.


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Maruti extended huge discounts on all its products as it wanted to start the year with lower inventory
After the auto sector recorded sluggish sales in the festive season during October and November, Maruti Suzuki's retail sales reached its highest ever in December due to big discounts which also reduced its inventory considerably, Mint reported.
Two people in the know told the publication that showroom sales of India's largest carmaker in December were nearly 220,000 units, up 18.18 percent YoY. This is also the Maruti's highest ever retail sales in a month. The company offered discounts as it wanted to start the new year with lower inventory.
"Lots of customers postponed their vehicle purchases in 2018 because of the rise in petrol and diesel prices and the adverse impact of the NBFC crisis on the availability of credit and the decline in the stock market. Now, with such huge discounts being offered on every vehicle, customers realised it was the best time," one of the two persons added.
Many car buyers were impacted by the credit crunch that followed the Infrastructure Leasing & Finance Services (IL&FS) disaster in September.
Maruti extended attractive offers on all its products through its Nexa and Arena dealerships. There was also a lift in customer sentiment at the end of December. There was a Rs 25,000 discount on SUV Vitara Brezza, one of its best-selling models in India. On premium products like Ciaz and S-Cross crossover, there were discounts ranging from Rs 70,000 to Rs 90,000.Maruti's January wholesale numbers will give the actual idea of the reduced inventory. Sources said the customer sentiment lifted at the end of December, which worked in favour of the company. December is always the time for high discounts on car sales, as customers do not want to own vehicles manufactured in the previous year as the resale value goes down 10-15 percent, Avik Chattopadhyay, founder of brand consultancy firm Expereal, told the paper.


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GHANA – American restaurant chain and international franchise, Pizza Hut, is set to relaunch in Ghana under new ownership.
Melcom Group of Companies, a diverse business conglomerate, is set to acquire the franchise rights of the fast-food chain in the country.
The acquisition will mark the entry of Melcom Group into the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) business, expanding its business interest beyond retail, modern trade, plastic manufacturing, electronics assembly and travel.
According to reports by Ghana News Agency, the pizza maker would be operated by one of the group’s subsidiaries, Skyline International Limited.
“Pizza Hut International is proud to partner with the Melcom Group to re-open Pizza Hut in Ghana. We are excited at the prospect of our new partnership and have no doubt that we will grow and flourish together.
“We look forward to many more years of proudly serving the best-tasting pizza in the world to the wonderful people of Ghana,” said Ewan Davenport, Managing Director of Pizza Hut Middle East, Turkey, and Africa.
Pizza Hut, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands is globally recognised as the largest Pizza Chain, with more than 18,000 restaurants in over 100 countries worldwide.
Melcom will leverage its business prowess in the Ghanaian market to grow the pizza brand in the country as it currently boasts of having a network of 50 retail outlets.
Just as it brought retail shopping to the doorstep of Ghanaians nationwide, the company is focused to make Pizza Hut, the preferred destination for families to have the “World’s Best Pizza”.
“We are extremely excited and optimistic about our partnership with Pizza Hut in Ghana. This new area of business takes our vision of being a diversified group one step ahead and creates more employment opportunities alongside our expansion of the existing core retail business”.
“We will announce the relaunch of the brand very soon and scale up considerably across the country in the next couple of years,” stated Melcom.
Krispy Kreme opens first Egypt store
Meanwhile in North Africa, American restaurateur Krispy Kreme Donuts specializing in premium donuts and coffee has opened its first Egyptian store in Cairo.
Located in the Arabella Plaza shopping center, this facility can produce approximately 1,000 units of donuts per hour, reports agence ecofin.
For its new adventure, the company has joined forces with its Kuwaiti franchise partner Americana Group, one of the main players in the food industry and distribution, which since 2007 has been offering its products in several North and Middle African nations.
This establishment is part of Krispy Kreme’s strategy to accelerate its expansion on the African continent.
“We continue to invest in our global business — driving growth in our existing markets and expanding selectively where we see the kind of great opportunities that we do in Egypt.
“While we are still in the early days, we already see the benefits of this investment in expanding our omni-channel model as our international business continues to drive strong performance,” says Michael J. Tattersfield, chief executive officer of Krispy Kreme.
Americana, an independently owned and operated franchise partner of Krispy Kreme, currently operates more than 200 Krispy Kreme shops in five countries, including United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.
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On March 14th Silk Oil of Morocco launched at Salon Melbourne a new product to work alongside Silk's popular Fibre Lash Mascara.
In 2008, the program saw US brands such as Mommy Makeup, SKIN by Monica and VMV Hypoallergenics successfully securing strategic partnerships and launching with many of these high-end retailers. Australian men’s skincare brand, VitaMan, scored a major coup, being taken on by Wynn Apothecary at Wynn and Encore Wynn Las Vegas resorts’ spas.
Clare Matthews, Director and Co-Founder of Vitaman, said following Discover Beauty 2008 that Director of Wynn Resorts Limited, Mrs. Elaine Wynn, had personally selected the brand.
“Discover Beauty was the best program I’ve done since exporting [approximately nine years]. The lead-up to the show and during the show with PR, as well as the one-on-one meetings with leading buyers from department stores, specialised retail stores and hotels, was priceless,” she added.
Another Australian company, Private Formula International, also garnered great interest in its brands as a result of the program, including Dr Lewinn’s and SPF brand, Hissyfit. This year, Hissyfit will participate in the Discover Beauty program.
Other new brands announced for the 2009 program include the boudoir-themed Booty Parlor body care from the USA, New Zealand skincare brand, Lanocrème and certified organic anti-ageing range, Skin 2 Skin.
Director of Marketing for Cosmoprof North America organisers, SoGeCos Americas, Daniela Ciocan, said: “In its third year, Discover Beauty really is the trend spotting venue that retailers want to attend to get a feel of the innovation in the pipeline and to pick up new resources. We are thrilled when retailer buyers themselves reach out to us to enquire on the new brands that will be previewed at the show.”
Ciocan added that Cosmoprof North America 2009 will again see participation from Austrade. “The feedback from visitors and retailers was very positive in 2008. The Australian brands really made their mark on the show, offering something very unique with their indigenous ingredients and ‘out of the box’ marketing strategies. Hopefully we will see many more successes from Austrade this year.”
Cosmoprof North America 2009 will take place July 19 to 21 at the Mandalay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit www.cosmoprofnorthamerica.com.


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COPENHAGEN, Denmark - A selection of Denmark’s best street food entrepreneurs competed in the world’s largest street food competition, the European Street Food Awards (ESFA).
The best street-food trucks and pop-up tents from European countries impressed judges and guests with their culinary skills. Ten out of 124 members of Street Food Denmark joined the prestigious gastronomic street food festival last September 13-15 at Uncle Danny's Square Meat Village in Vesterbro, Copenhagen.
Alfie Escabarte and Carmelita Penpeña's Thrilla in Manila became the first Pinoy street-food cart nominated for ESFA Denmark. They also bagged the People’s Choice Award or the votes gathered from the guests during the competition.
Thrilla in Manila won 7,500 DKK (1000 EUR) worth of gift certificates from INCO Cash and Carry.
Carmelita said they were contacted by the ESFA Denmark organizers and advised them that they were selected as one of the best street-food trucks in Copenhagen.
“It’s overwhelming because who would’ve thought our little shop would get so much attention. God is truly able!” she said.
According to Chef Alfie, their small family food-truck business is a union of their Filipino and Scandinavian heritage, diversified with their passion for food and culture.
“I talked to my wife about what to come up with a plan, to start a food-truck business and to put Filipino food on the map of Scandinavia. So, we presented Filipino food with a twist, we put Filipino roots in our cuisine. Now, it’s getting more popular and people like our Filipino street foods. So, I think it’s very nice,” he said.
Chef Alfie grew up in Denmark and his wife, Carmelita, came from Sweden. They may have different Scandinavian backgrounds, but when it comes to food, their Philippine roots created a great taste of various Filipino street dishes with a twist.
Chef Alfie serves gluten-free foods from beef tapa, chicken bao and his famous well-seasoned pork barbeque skewer served with pickled onions, fresh lettuce varieties, bean sprouts, chives, coriander, chili and, of course, rice.
Thrilla in Manila’s mantra, “Have a try, don’t be shy” made their customers want for more as they offered ‘free samples’ of their foodies. Serving Pinoy street food cuisines is their family’s way of bringing back to their Philippine roots and be proud of their own country.
“Thrilla in Manila, they do the food as it should be done. Fast deliverance of healthy and tasty foods and I really love it, especially the skewers,” said Christian Willesen, owner of Street Food Denmark.
“Carmelita and the entire Thrilla in Manila, they have been amazing. It was a people’s choice and it’s very convincing and a lot of people said that they have the best street food that we can have in Copenhagen,” said European Street Food Organizer for Denmark, Jesper Kauffeldt.
Launched in 2017 by the British Street Food Awards, ESFA is composed of 9 different nations. In 2018, ESFA grew to 13 countries and in 2019, Denmark, Austria, Iceland and Latvia joined the popular food contest.
Thrilla in Manila and Dhaba Indian Street Food (Jury Award) will represent Denmark in the European Finale in Malmö, Sweden on September 28-29 with participants from 15 countries.


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BEIJING, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- China's goods trade grew fast in the first ten months of this year, mainly due to international demand and a strong domestic economy.
Foreign trade rose 15.9 percent year on year to 22.5 trillion yuan (3.4 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first ten months of this year, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) said Wednesday.
Exports increased 11.7 percent to 12.4 trillion yuan, while imports rose 21.5 percent to 10.1 trillion yuan, said the GAC.
The trade surplus shrank 17.8 percent to 2.3 trillion yuan in the same period.
Exports to the EU, the United States and Japan were up by 16.2 percent, 17.2 percent and 14.2 percent, respectively.
The volume attributed to private enterprises increased by 17.1 percent, 38.4 percent of the total, both up on the same period last year.
In October, foreign trade rose 10.2 percent to 2.2 trillion yuan, with exports up 6.1 percent and imports up 15.9 percent. The trade surplus shrank 20.3 percent to 254 billion yuan.
Exports of machinery, electronics and labor-intensive products continued to expand in the first ten months, while the volume of steel exports dropped 30.4 percent year on year to 64.5 million tonnes.
The world economy has shown signs of warming since the beginning of this year, as the economic situations of major developed economies and emerging markets generally improved.
The IMF last month raised its forecasts for world economic growth to 3.6 percent in 2017 and 3.7 percent in 2018, both 0.1 percentage point higher than its July forecasts.
Growth of Chinese economy and solid economic fundamentals contributed to growth of foreign trade, according to Li Dawei of the National Development and Reform Commission.
China's GDP expanded 6.9 percent year on year in the first three quarters, holding steady with the 6.9 percent growth in the first half.
Major international institutions, including the IMF and the World Bank, have raised their forecasts for China's growth. The IMF has raised its forecast for the fourth time this year, estimating the economy would grow at 6.8 percent this year and 6.5 percent next year, both 0.1 percentage point higher than previous predictions.
In Jan.-Sept., China's value-added industrial output expanded 6.7 percent year on year, faster than the 6 percent increase a year ago. The tertiary sector expanded 7.8 percent year on year in the first three quarters, outpacing a 3.7-percent increase in primary industries and 6.3 percent in the secondary sector.
There are still many uncertainties for trade growth in the final quarter, principally protectionism and competition from other countries, according to Zhao Ping with China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.
China's foreign trade should move up to the medium-high end of the global value chain, and the government must continue to improve the business environment, said Li Dawei.


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Listed, Washington DC-based private equity firm the Carlyle Group will acquire a 60% stake in Tok&Stok, a Brazilian furniture retailer, for an undisclosed price. The company’s founders will retain a 40% stake. Carlyle used capital from its South America Buyout Fund, and another local fund, advised by the firm and Banco do Brasil.
Carlyle buys majority stake in Brazilian retailer Tok&Stok
(Reuters) – Private equity firm Carlyle Group (CG.O) said it bought a 60 percent stake in Brazilian furniture retailer Tok&Stok from the company’s founders for an undisclosed sum.
Tok&Stok’s founders, Ghislaine and Régis Dubrule, will retain a 40 percent stake in the company.
Carlyle said capital for the transaction would come from the $1 billion managed by its South America Buyout Fund and another local fund advised by the firm and Banco do Brasil.
(Reporting by Jochelle Mendonca in Bangalore; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)


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BURLINGTON — Police are investigating the theft of thousands of dollars worth of cell phones from a kiosk inside the Burlington Mall overnight between Monday and Tuesday.
Police said managers with the T-Mobile kiosk called at about 10:15 a.m., to report that items had been stolen from the store overnight.
Police are investigating, but since reports are still being completed, they could not say exactly how many telephones were taken. They said the value would reach into the thousands of dollars.
Anyone with information on the theft is asked to call Burlington detectives at (781) 270-1921.


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Turkey tourism confident to bounce back at pre-pandemic level
Published on : Thursday, February 17, 2022
As per industry officials, this year’s season is set to take the tourism industry of Turkey once again back to its pre-pandemic levels, with high expectation that comes in the middle of risks like growth of tensions between Ukraine and Russia, which are the crucial tourist markets.
Also, hotel and tourism officials have cautioned of rising costs and rapid increases in efficacies, food and wage costs, which could stop an economy’s profits and broader benefits that is facing price rises that soared to a 20-year high in January.
The bounce back after experiencing long challenging times caused by COVID that stopped travel is seen as boosting the economy, together with a recent drop in the Turkish lira that has made the country even more enchanting than ever.
For Turkey’s Mediterranean and Aegean beaches and historic treasures, the high season will start in May. Europeans in particular are by now booking trips. It’s a good news for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government, as they have adopted a new economic measures, depending heavily on foreign income to restrain the current account deficit.
“Early bookings started with high speed. We’ve got strong bookings, especially from Britain. They’re almost in line with 2019,” said Turkish Hoteliers Federation (TÜROFED) vice chair Bülent Bülbüloğlu.
Usually, he explained that early bookings start with Britons and are taken as a reference for the season, with rising demand also expected from other European countries, Russia and Central Asia.
Foreign arrivals in Antalya, among the most famous holiday destinations of Turkey, in January totalled 117,818, matching 2019 levels, data showed.
Tags: Turkey Tourism
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Merchant near to deal
Discount perfumes group Merchant Retail is near to completing its takeover of Jersey-based department store A de Gruchy.
Merchant said that acceptances for its 300p-a-share offer had reached 92.1% of the shares and is extending the offer until 3pm next Thursday.
Merchant, which wants to double or triple in size, last year had turnover of £75.3 million from its 48 The Perfume Shops and four furniture stores.
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HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Nov. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- This holiday season, Sears Holdings is making shopping more affordable and convenient than ever, both in-store and online, by offering five times the Shop Your Way Rewards points on qualifying purchases, equal to five percent back. The offer, which is available to all Sears credit card holders, started on Oct. 30 at both Sears and Kmart stores and will continue year round at Kmart and run until Jan. 28, 2012 at Sears.
"This holiday, we remain focused on providing our customers with value, attainability, innovative technology and access to exclusive, quality products," said Dave Friedman, SVP and president, Marketing at Sears Holdings. "We have and will continue to launch new technologies and solutions that will help our customers manage their wallets and their time this season."
In addition to the Shop Your Way Rewards offer, Sears card holders can choose between special deferred financing or the increased Shop Your Way Rewards points, when both options are available. Customers can apply for a Sears card online, at Sears.com, or in their local Sears or Kmart store; if approved, the offer is instantly available on qualified purchases at both stores. Sears will also match competitors' advertised prices on the same items, plus give customers 10 percent of the difference. Customers receive the difference in the same form of tender in which they made the original purchase. Additionally, if an item purchased from Sears goes on sale within 14 days of purchase, customers will receive a refund of the difference.
This holiday season, only Sears offers the largest assortment of top brands, including new apparel brands like Kardashian Kollection and UK Style and proprietary brands like Kenmore, Craftsman, Die-Hard and NordicTrack. At Kmart, customers can find quality products through a portfolio of exclusive brands that includes Selena Gomez, BONGO, Sofia Vergara, Jaclyn Smith, Joe Boxer, County Living, Route 66 and Smart Sense.
On average, holiday shoppers say they plan to spend an average of $704.18 on holiday gifts and seasonal merchandise, according to the National Retail Federation's 2011 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch. To help customers maximize their spending, Sears and Kmart provide customers value and convenience through industry-leading layaway programs, innovative technology in-store and online, exclusive deals and many more ways to shop their way.
With Sears and Kmart's layaway programs, shoppers can reserve their holiday purchases now, pay over time and pick up items just in time for gift giving. The layaway program allows customers to select their items and make biweekly payments over an eight- or 12-week period. Making the online layaway process even easier, Sears.com and Kmart.com both offer a new option called Shop Here, Pick Up There. Items can be selected online, placed on layaway and then conveniently picked up at a local Sears or Kmart store.
With shoppers looking to get more out of their holiday budgets, Sears Holdings has also introduced cutting-edge technology and tools both in-store and online to better manage their spending. Earlier this month, the company began rolling out Apple iPads and iPod Touch devices in nearly 450 Sears and Kmart stores for associates to help customers check inventory, access product information and order products online from anywhere in the store. Sears Holdings also announced the availability of digital local ads on SearsLocalAd.com and KmartLocalAd.com. The new digital local ads answer the trend of "going local," to offer customers real deals in real-time offers from their local Sears or Kmart stores using up-to-the-minute inventory updates and access to ads 24 hours a day.
Sears and Kmart have long been empowering customers to shop their way with the Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store solution that allows them to purchase online and receive their orders that very same day. Additionally, now through Dec. 19, 2011, customers will be able to receive free shipping online at Sears.com,Kmart.com, and mygofer.com, with more than 20 million items online to choose from.
About Sears Holdings Corporation
Sears Holdings Corporation is the nation's fourth largest broadline retailer with over 4,000 full-line and specialty retail stores in the United States and Canada. Sears Holdings is the leading home appliance retailer as well as a leader in tools, lawn and garden, consumer electronics and automotive repair and maintenance. Sears Holdings is the 2011 ENERGY STAR® Retail Partner of the Year. Key proprietary brands include Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard, and a broad apparel offering, including such well-known labels as Lands' End, Jaclyn Smith and Joe Boxer, as well as the Apostrophe and Covington brands. It also has the Country Living collection, which is offered by Sears and Kmart. We are the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 11 million service calls made annually. Sears Holdings Corporation operates through its subsidiaries, including Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Kmart Corporation. For more information, visit Sears Holdings' website at www.searsholdings.com. |Twitter: @searsholdings|Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SHCCareers.
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SOURCE Sears Holdings Corporation


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Mario Gabelli recently participated in the Barrons Roundtable where he revealed some of his favorite stock picks for 2013. Interestingly, two of Gabelli's favorite stocks are sausage makers.
Gabelli is bullish on Hillshire Brands (HSH) which is a processor of sausages and hot dogs:
"Hillshire has 122 million shares outstanding. Investors got one share for every five shares of Sara Lee. Hillshire had $694 million of net debt as of Sept 29. It will generate $4.1 billion of revenue in the fiscal year ending June 30. Earnings will be $1.60 to $1.65 a share. Three or four companies were looking to buy Hillshire from Sara Lee before it was spun off.
"The sausage market is growing by about 5% a year in the U.S. Breakfast sausages are a $4.6 billion annual business. Lunch meats are $4.8 billion. The lowly hot dog is about a $2.5 billion market. Hillshire is a leader in all three categories. It could earn about $2.40 a share in fiscal 2017. Debt is falling substantially. The stock trades for $29 and change, and could be $35 to $50 a share two years out."
Gabelli is also bullish on another sausage maker, called Nathan's Famous (NASDAQ:NATH) which has been selling hot dogs for almost 100 years:
"One of the dynamics behind Nathan's Famous (NASDAQ:NATH) is a capitalization shrink. The company has reduced its share count to 4.2 million from 6.2 million. The shares are $35, and the company has a $140 million market capitalization. It cut a deal with Smithfield Foods (SFD) which will market its products starting in March 2014. As a result, earnings will explode upward to about $3 a share in 2015 from an estimated $1.20 this year. The market soon will start discounting that."


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McLaren Automotive recently teased an upcoming product, which could be christened as the 570LT. Now, the Woking based marquee has released yet another teaser of the model ahead of it’s unveiling that is scheduled to take place online on June 28, 2018.
The previous teaser image partly revealed the posterior of the vehicle that featured an aerodynamic fin behind the rear wheel and a carbon fiber rear diffuser. The exhaust of the vehicle was missing in this teaser image, which could have probably been centrally mounted at the rear.
Also read: McLaren 570S Reportedly Lands In Delhi
Now, the new teaser image of the upcoming McLaren 570LT shows the exhaust pipes mounted behind the engine cover, something similar to what was done with the McLaren Senna. While this new McLaren will be unveiled on the web later this month, the world debut of the model will take place at the 2018 GoodWood Festival of Speed that is scheduled for July 12.
Updates to the model over the McLaren 570S remain undisclosed at the moment although we can expect a higher power output, reduced weight and better aerodynamics. Once unveiled, the 570LT will join the Sport Series range of the carmaker. Since the power output is expected to witness a rise, we wouldn’t be surprised if McLaren decides to rename the 570LT as the 585LT or the 595LT. Stay tuned for updates.


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It is perhaps the most epic story ever told. A story of an ancient republic, ruled by masters of a universal force, and a chancellor with a grand plan. A story of love, loss and a grand army. A story of betrayal and secrecy, leading to the rise of an empire. A story of scoundrels, princesses, dark lords and droids. A story about a boy who would take after his father and become a hero. A story of redemption, with the light finally overcoming the dark in a wonderful twist of fate.
Since 1977, “Star Wars” films have been coming out and drawing in crowds of fans to see the next installment of the saga. Now with six films out relating to the Skywalker storyline, fans are about to get another film this December when “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” premiers.
With under a month to go, fans of the franchise have been showered with trailers, toys and other merchandise that have given the world a peek of what to expect from movie director, J.J Abrams.
Just like any other reboot or revamp of a series, many changes have been made to fit the unique style of the director. Changes ranging from costume alterations, new characters, and a new storyline following the original saga have been made.
And the hype has never been more real.
“I am so excited to see what they’ll do with it and I can’t wait to see how they’ll incorporate the old characters into it,” said third year ECC student and “Star Wars” super-fan, Ronnie Rooker. “And there’s sure to be plenty of easter eggs and calls to the other movies to look forward to.
When pre-order tickets for “The Force Awakens” went on sale back in October, internet ticket outlets like Fandango nearly shut down. Reports from Deadline say that the movie took an estimated $6.5 million in domestic ticket sales overnight, shattering the previous record for online ticket sales and preorder ticket sales by more than 10 times.
Fans like Rooker and others have been eagerly awaiting an addition to the “Star Wars” story ever since the end of the prequel trilogy back in 2005.
“I’ve always wanted another ‘Star Wars’ movie,” said Rooker. “I wanted to know what happened after Vader’s fall. It can’t just end there, right? There’s always more to the story, and I want to see it.”
Many fans have high expectations for the upcoming film, hoping for redemption from the last three movies. However, the hype is leaving some long-time fans worried.
“It would be hard for them to live up to the expectations that the fans are giving them,” said second year student Zain Azmi. “I may be wrong because I haven’t seen the new film, but I think it’s too hard, and will not be as good as the previous ones.”
“The Force Awakens” has some kind of an edge on the prequel trilogy, however, by continuing the story, not preluding it. By including actors and locations from the original trilogy, Disney has an incredible opportunity to bring together 3 generations of “Star Wars” fans.
“I think Disney will do fine with the new movie as long as they stay true to the old fans,” said second year student and fan of the franchise, Eric Henricks. “[I think Disney will,] considering they brought back Harrison Ford.”
Whether or not “Star Wars” is a story that needed to be continued, it is safe to say that the world will be watching to see how successful “The Force Awakens” becomes. Soon, generations of “Star Wars” fans will be waiting to delve back into the lives of the Skywalkers. And while the “Star Wars” galaxy might be far, far away, the movie’s release definitely is not.


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UCLA, Baylor, and Louisville will wear sleeved jerseys in the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament.
Adidas, which outfits those teams, made the announcement on Thursday. Kansas, Notre Dame, and Cincinnati will wear camouflage jerseys, but their uniforms will not have sleeves on them.
The Golden State Warriors last weekend became the first NBA team in history to wear sleeved jerseys.
Adidas, which also makes Golden State’s jerseys, feels that sleeved jerseys are more marketable, and wants to see if sleeved jerseys sell as well as football jerseys in the United States and soccer jerseys overseas.


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Wrigley agreed to set up a fund of $6m (with another $1m added if needed) with consumers able to claim $10 each if they could qualify purchases of the magnolia bark extract-fortified gum.
The gum giant also agreed to amend the claims and pay all costs associated with settling the action that was brought by the same two legal firms – Blood Hurst & O'Reardon and Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd – that won a similar class action against Dannon over probiotic yogurt claims last year.
But the company was unavailable for further comment today about how it might amend those claims.
Timothy Blood, from Blood Hurst & O'Reardon, said his firm was engaged in actions against what he called a proliferation of “junk science” backing claims.
Class actions against General Mills probiotic yogurt Yoplait YoPlus were pending.
“There seems to be an upswing in functional food claims that are unsubstantiated due to the lack of a pre-approval process in the US,” he said.
Wrigley conducted a trial published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in 2007 that showed magnolia bark extract removed about 20 times more of the germs that cause bad breath within half an hour than placebo mints.
Coverage of that study can be found here.
In a statement Wrigley vice president and general manager of US Gum and Mints, Paul Chibe, said the company stood by its science, denied any wrongdoing but settled to, “prevent further distraction to its business”.
Industry observers said the action highlighted how difficult it was to make claims that boasted of “scientifically proven” effects.
“The filing of this lawsuit and the large settlement again rings a loud alarm that every company should carefully review all messages on its product labeling and advertising to make sure that it has support for the health-related claims and that the claim is not conveyed to the consumer in a misleading way,” said Colorado-based attorney, James Prochnow, a partner at Greenberg Traurig.
“The most notable aspect to this matter is that it is another example of the important role non-governmental forces play in the overall regulation of false and misleading advertising. There isn't any publicly available information that indicates that either the FTC or the FDA have or are conducting investigations into these claims or the behavior of Wrigley, notwithstanding the fact that a food (gum) was making a drug claim.”
New York-based attorney, Marc Ullman, from Ullman, Shapiro, Ullman, added companies needed the highest level of evidence if they were going to make such claims, and that Wrigley had decided it was better to settle than take the matter before a jury.
Ivan Wasserman, a Washington DC-based advertising and labeling attorney at Manatt Phelps & Phillips, said he was not surprised Wrigley had agreed to settle.
"Its another example of the rise of class actions involving advertising and labeling claims for food and dietary supplement products,” he said. “Defending a class action litigation is extremely burdensome, so while some companies will fight, others, for a variety of reasons, will decide to settle."
The settlement is subject to approval by the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida.


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BANGKAPOS.COM – Nikon officially announced the postponement of the introduction of the DSLR-camera in top-processing, D6. Presence of products for the professional photographer will be delayed, estimated, up to two months from the original schedule.
Nikon originally planned introduction of a D6 in March 2020. With the presence of such delays, D6, presumably, the new Greet the candidate in may. It is also the date is not exact.
“We terminate determines the market introduction of the new, so it was,” wrote the Canon in an official statement on its website.
Although moved, the Nikon D6 may still be able to perpetuate in order to participate in the Olympic games in Tokyo 2020 new will begin in July. The camera is touted as a camera flagship for the big sports event.
Delay in the introduction of D6 and nothing else, caused by the outbreak of the disease Covid-19 in various countries, due to the spread of the Corona virus. Nikon says that there are parts of the camera are made by third parties, that the Start is delayed.
“We apologize to consumers and all related parties for the inconveniences,” writes Nikon.
Nikon D6 had announced in February 2020 and then as a full-format camera 20,8 megapixel. The features of the flagship, which is supported, among other things, shooting continuously (burst) – speed 14 FPS, 4K video recording and auto-focus system Multi-CAM 37K.
Nikon calls vs D6 as the AF system of the strongest ever made. The price of D6 is estimated at around 6,500 US dollars, or approximately Rp 93 million per unit (body only).
In connection with the holding of the Tokyo Olympic games in 2020, the news of the competition in the sports world, four years of widespread giving, and it will keep running, even without an audience, though. Party official and a photographer can certainly be covered.
This article was published in the Kompas.com


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Intel Sandy bridge pending release in Q4 2010
Intel has scheduled the release of its 32nm Sandy Bridge processors for the fourth quarter of 2010, according to DigiTimes.
he architecture will exceed Nehalem and its condensed 32nm version, Westmere, the latter of which is set to be released in the fourth quarter of 2009. Sandy Bridge supports 4GHz clock speeds, with scalable CPUs using up to eight cores. The architecture also houses CPUs and GPUs on one die, unlike the two-die approach taken with Nehalem.
Sandy Bridge is similar in some respects to the six-core Gulftown processor, the price of which is expected to reach up to $1,500 for thousand-unit tray orders. Intel is meanwhile expected to continue shipping Nehalem-based CPUs alongside Westmere ones, indicating that the company does not intend to launch quad-core Westmeres for desktops or notebooks.
Intel Sandy Bridge-E 2011 and Ivy Bridge launch leaked - 08/09/2011 09:11 AM
A lot of rumors and speculations have been sptted on this already, but things seem to get a little more solid. Intel will be launching Sandy Bridge-E this year, but the first wave of motherboards wil...
Intel Sandy Bridge-E Performance Unveiled Somewhat - 07/24/2011 01:30 PM
Some internal slides from intel leaked earlier yesterday they detail Intel's performance estimates for its upcoming high-end enthusiasts processors. The slides compare the Core i7 990X with the upcomi...
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It's messy when it comes to Intel Sandy Bridge-E and trustworthy news about it, Intel is keeping their mouth shut though.
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Donanim Haber received official test results of Intel's Sandy Bridge based next generation Pentium CPUs, now please bare in mind that Intel has a tendancy to over exagarate their internal presentation...
Intel Sandy Bridge E-series .... for enthusiasts in Q4 2011 - 02/11/2011 12:43 PM
As if the 2600K would not be enough, X-bit Labs reported that Intel will reveal the Sandy Bridge E-series by the end of the year, this is a new enthusiast-class desktop platform that will use the LGA2...


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- Is Huawei still banned in the US?
- Is xiaomi safe?
- Are Huawei routers safe?
- Why is UK banning Huawei?
- Are Huawei phones spying on us?
- Why is US banning TikTok?
- Who invented 5g?
- Why is us afraid of Huawei?
- What’s the issue with Huawei?
- Why Huawei is dangerous?
- Is Huawei dangerous?
- Is my Huawei tablet safe?
- What are the dangers of TikTok?
- What is Huawei really guilty of?
- Is Tik Tok spying on us?
- Why is TikTok dangerous?
- Did Huawei invent 5g?
- Are Huawei good?
- Is Huawei a security risk?
Is Huawei still banned in the US?
The Trump administration put Huawei on an export blacklist in May last year, essentially banning the company from importing any hardware into the United States.
It was said that this decision was made due to national security concerns.
President Trump has extended the ban on Huawei for one full year until May 2021..
Is xiaomi safe?
However, Xiaomi claims that their smartphones are safe and the Indian Air Force had issued a notice based on a two-month-old report by F-Secure. F-Secure had tested the Redmi 1S smartphones way back on August 7, 2014, when the handsets were newly launched in the Indian territory.
Are Huawei routers safe?
Routers made by China-based Huawei Technologies have very few modern security protections and easy-to-find vulnerabilities, two network-security experts stated at the Defcon hacking convention.
Why is UK banning Huawei?
The British government said that it would ban the purchase of new Huawei equipment for 5G networks, escalating tensions with China. The new U.S. measures restrict Huawei’s ability to produce important products using U.S. technology or software. … This will delay our rollout of 5G.
Are Huawei phones spying on us?
If you use a Huawei phone then it is tracking all kinds of things about you. And while it’s very unlikely the company is handing all this over to the Chinese government, it is possible. In the same vein, information collected from a Google Pixel phone could technically be handed over to the US government if required.
Why is US banning TikTok?
Trump signs executive order, essentially banning TikTok The order calls the wide use of Chinese apps a “national emergency,” but leaves the door open for the app to operate under a US company. … Rising concerns about TikTok’s ability to access the personal data of US users come as TikTok sees its popularity explode.
Who invented 5g?
Verizon led the way in developing and deploying 5G and accelerating 5G innovation. In 2015, we created the 5G Technology Forum (5GTF)—bringing together key partners like Ericsson, Qualcomm, Intel and Samsung—to move the entire 5G ecosystem forward.
Why is us afraid of Huawei?
The US government appears to have decided that it’s simply too risky for a Chinese company to control too much 5G infrastructure. The focus on Huawei makes sense given the importance of 5G, the new complexity and security challenges, and the fact that the Chinese company is poised to be such a huge player.
What’s the issue with Huawei?
The core issue with Huawei has been concerns about its coziness with the Chinese government and fears that its equipment could be used to spy on other countries and companies.
Why Huawei is dangerous?
Spying or worse Huawei’s networking equipment could potentially facilitate espionage, although it has not been detected doing so, and any evidence that Huawei equipment manipulated or monitored the data it routed would lead to an immediate response from all companies using it.
Is Huawei dangerous?
The security debate around Huawei is not new, although it has intensified in recent weeks. Put simply, Huawei is accused of presenting an espionage threat by US security agencies. US security forces have warned Huawei equipment could be used to create a “backdoor” into foreign mobile and data networks.
Is my Huawei tablet safe?
Immediately, all Huawei devices will continue to function as normal – but there are dangers they could miss out on security updates in the future. Google has confirmed its Google Play store and the security protections provided by Google Play Protect will continue to function on existing Huawei devices.
What are the dangers of TikTok?
Stranger danger. According to its community guidelines, TikTok is “deeply committed” to child safety and has “zero tolerance” for behaviour that could lead to child abuse or sexual exploitation.
What is Huawei really guilty of?
The US government accused Huawei of spying on people by exploiting telecoms “back doors” intended for use by law enforcement, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
Is Tik Tok spying on us?
TikTok says that its data on American users is mostly stored in the U.S. and that it has never turned over any information on U.S. users to Chinese authorities. If Beijing made a request, TikTok says, it would not cooperate.
Why is TikTok dangerous?
When TikTok is described as a national security risk, that is essentially what those governments mean. “The more insidious view,” Thornton-Trump says, “is that TikTok and other apps present a danger of mass manipulation and social control and disinformation.
Did Huawei invent 5g?
As mentioned above, Huawei started to develop its own 5G technology as early as in 2009. In 2013, Huawei hired more than 300 top experts from wireless industry around the world and announced that they put $600 million investment in 5G research. In 2016, Huawei set up a 5G product line for 5G products.
Are Huawei good?
The company’s Mate 20 Pro regularly makes Business Insider’s list of the best smartphones in the world thanks to its beautiful design, excellent screen, and snappy performance. Huawei’s flagship smartphones are also known for their impressive cameras, and that remains true with the P30 Pro, which has four cameras.
Is Huawei a security risk?
The US says Huawei could be used by China for spying, via its 5G equipment. It points to Mr Ren’s military background and Huawei’s role in communications networks to argue it represents a security risk. … But deciding to ban Huawei from 5G in the UK, could risk Chinese retaliation such as a possible cyber attack.


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3D printing is already a lot of fun, but there’s nothing like cutting loose to play. CGTrader, the online community and marketplace for 3D graphics and 3D printing specialists, is calling on you to harness the inner child and that playful spirit for the 3D Printed Kids’ Toys Challenge, with a deadline of January 20, 2015.
While the toy market has traditionally been a difficult one and has in recent years been eclipsed by video game sales, 3D printing is changing things up, shaking up so many sectors, that it is expected it will begin to affect the toy market as well. CGTrader wants to know if that is true, and they invite you to participate in this creative experiment to explore another possible ‘emerging niche’ for 3D printing.
Affordability in prototyping and production is what makes 3D printing attractive for the toy market, with a report by McKinsey&Company stating that ‘many benefits of 3-D printing could cut the cost of market entry for new players,’ and that’s a prime consideration in the toy market. They go further to state that overall 3D printing could have ‘an impact of up to $550 billion a year by 2025.’ Those are some impressive figures to contemplate, and obviously CGTrader has been doing just so.
While it seems that 3D printing is a logical choice to change the face of toy making, prototyping, and manufacturing, there is no crystal ball. But there is always the option of taking the reins and doing to see what happens, and how it can affect the marketplace.
“3D printing technology is developing at an explosive rate and many industries, including the toy industry, will feel the ripples of the impact it makes on the manufacturing process and product design. We believe that 3D printing can help democratize the toy sector and give every child a unique educational experience. The design competition is intended to make the research and discovery process more exciting for those who hold the creative power in their hands,” said Marius Kalytis, the founder and CEO of CGTrader.com.
What 3D printing magic have you got in your queue? The challenge will offer prizes in the categories of Best Model and Best Portfolio. The winners will receive:
- Two color printed models from The Object Shop
- NinjaFlex filaments from Fenner Drives
- Subscriptions from Digital Tutors
- CGTrader credits
- CGTrader promotional features
Judging will be based on quality and innovation, as well as (very important!) descriptions and instructions for use — with extra brownie points if you include high quality images of designs that are 3D printed. Encouraging you to think of previous unlikely toys that became bestsellers (think jigsaw puzzles, Legos, Rubik’s Cube, etc.), CGTrader suggests ideas like:
- Action figures
- Board and desk games
- Educational toys
CGTrader is calling on designers to use this innovative technology to blow the toy market out of the water. They are depending on today’s creative talent to provide truly innovative designs — something that might have parents waiting in lines around the block and scrambling online like the dickens to order for their kids for Christmas.
Got any ideas? Let us know in the CGTrader’s 3D Printed Kids’ Toys Challenge forum over at 3DPB.com.
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — For many potential restaurateurs, opening a new restaurant during the pandemic would seem like a daunting or nearly impossible task.
But for Linda Zamora and her business partner, Bryan Thompson, the pandemic actually provided them greater opportunities for their new location of Rosemary.
“I actually think because this one opened near the tail end that it’s kind of been a benefit for us,” Zamora said. “People are so excited that things are opening up and they’re going out more, so I think we’re kind of reaping the benefits of that.”
Rosemary, at 9821 Montgomery NE, opened at the end of May.
This is not Zamora’s or Thompson’s first foray into the restaurant industry. The partners already own the original location of Rosemary on San Mateo, and also operate two stalls in Downtown food hall 505 Central.
Zamora said they have been looking for a larger space for a second location of Rosemary and the new space “checked all of the boxes.”
“It’s a beautiful location, it’s got a full bar in there and we’ll have space for two patios,” she said.
The menu at the new Montgomery location will be similar to the flagship location with one important difference: The restaurant’s signature rosemary roasted chicken will be off the menu for now due to a lack of oven space.
Zamora said she thinks the new location will be an excellent addition to the neighborhood since there is not a similar restaurant in the area and the atmosphere is good both for people wanting a more casual meal and for those wanting finer dining.
Rosemary is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Rosemary is closed Mondays.
Whiting Coffee changes hands
For nearly 40 years Whiting Coffee has been a consistent purveyor of locally roasted coffee for its loyal group of customers with Norm and Ann Whiting at the helm of the company.
But now the business is in new hands.
Michael and Brandi Phlieger, owners of the Downtown cafe Java Joe’s, purchased the company from the Whitings earlier this year. After several months of training and familiarizing themselves with the company, the Phliegers are now running the business while the Whitings enjoy retirement.
Whiting Coffee, at 3700 Osuna NE, specializes in selling coffee roasted in house by the pound or through wholesale and also sells a variety of goods like teas, spices and chocolate bars.
Michael Phlieger said the Whitings were careful to sell the business to another local family who would be able to continue the business in a similar fashion since many of the company’s customers have been loyal to the coffee roaster for several decades.
“They wanted another family to come in that kind of understood and respected the older crowd and wouldn’t just make an aggressive amount of changes,” he said.
While Phlieger said the company will continue to operate in much of the same ways, he is planning on making a few updates, like moving the cash-only business to one that accepts credit cards, creating a website and establishing a social media presence, and adding new local products like honeys and jams to sell in store.
Phlieger says the transition has been fairly smooth. Some customers are a little skeptical of the transition, but familiar faces behind the counter, like the Whitings’ son Jon, have helped.
“We’re very grateful for (the Whitings) for effectively choosing us to carry on the tradition,” he said.
Whiting Coffee is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday.
Weems opens new location
Longtime Albuquerque destination Weems Gallery and Framing is holding a grand opening for its new location Wednesday.
Owner Sheila McVeigh, who purchased the gallery from its namesake owner Mary Ann Weems in 2019, said she wanted to have a celebration to commemorate the move of the longtime gallery.
The new space, at 5935 Wyoming NE, is roughly the same size as the previous location, but McVeigh says the layout is more conducive to its needs.
“It feels larger,” she said. “It’s fresh, and clean, and new, and beautiful.”
Like its previous space, the new location will feature a wide array of local artists who work in a variety of mediums, but McVeigh said the gallery will now group artists together in order to make the shopping experience easier.
She said the gallery narrowed down its selection of artists to 164.
Though the gallery officially reopened in its new location in April, McVeigh said she wanted to hold off on an opening celebration until the gallery was fully set up.
To celebrate the opening, Weems is giving customers who purchase items on June 16 vouchers worth around 25% of their purchase. Vouchers can then be used on other purchases at a later date.
Weems is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday.
ABQ accounting firm expands
Albuquerque-based accounting firm Solutions Accounting has expanded into Texas with a new office in Houston, according to the company.
Along with the expansion, Jay Rypma joined the company as chief operations officer.
Pilar Martinez covers retail and commercial real estate for the Journal. She can be reached at email@example.com.