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A year ago, Sunday Riley caught the attention of federal regulators after a former employee revealed that the buzzy skincare company was engaging in a scheme to dupe consumers about its products by way of fake reviews on e-commerce sites like Sephora. After the former employee leaked an internal email from the company to a number of employees, which called on the individuals to go to great lengths to hide their identities and then leave glowing reviews about its products on Sephora.com in order to entice consumers to purchase its skincare goods, a rep for Sunday Riley confirmed that the company’s eponymous founder had, in fact, sent the email.
In addition to causing a media frenzy, the Sunday Riley email and the alleged practices that it revealed – which involved the intentional non-disclosure of individuals’ status as employees of the company in connection with their “fake” product reviews – prompted an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”). On the heels of a formal probe, the FTC filed a complaint against Sunday Riley in October 2019, alleging that “between November 2015 and August 2017 Sunday Riley Skincare managers, including Ms. Riley, posted reviews of their branded products on the Sephora site using fake accounts created to hide their identities, and requested that other Sunday Riley Skincare employees do the same thing.”
In its complaint, the FTC pointed to a July 2016 email that Ms. Riley allegedly wrote to her staff directing them to “create three accounts on Sephora.com, registered as different identities” as proof that the company’s management also “requested that other Sunday Riley Skincare employees” post fake reviews endorsing the brand’s products. The email “included step-by-step instructions for setting up new personas and [how to] use a VPN to hide [an individual’s] identity.” It also “directed employees to focus on certain products,” to “[a]lways leave 5 stars” when reviewing Sunday Riley Skincare products, and to “dislike” negative reviews. “If you see a negative review – DISLIKE it,” Ms. Riley wrote, “After enough dislikes, it is removed. This directly translates into sales!!”
According to the FTC, a federal entity tasked with promoting consumer protection, and eliminating and preventing anti-competitive business practices, the actions taken by Sunday Riley’s founder and employees give rise to two violations of the FTC Act, including: 1) making false or misleading claims that the fake reviews reflected the opinions of ordinary users of the products; and 2) deceptively failing to disclose that the reviews were written by Ms. Riley or her employees.
The parties ultimately reached an agreement to settle the matter, which would require Houston, Texas-based Sunday Riley to refrain from “misrepresenting the status of any endorser or person reviewing [its] products” and from “making any representation about any consumer or other product endorser without clearly and conspicuously disclosing any unexpected material connection between the endorser and any respondent or entity affiliated with the product.”
Weighing in the proposed agreement on October 21, 2019, three of the FTC’s Commissioners voted in favor, while two – Commissioner Rohit Chopra and Commissioner Kelly Slaughter – dissented on the basis that the settlement terms simply are not strong enough. Commissioners Chopra and Slaughter asserted in a separate statement that the proposed settlement falls short as it “includes no redress, no disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, no notice to consumers, and no admission of wrongdoing.” While “Sunday Riley and its CEO have clearly broken the law,” the two Commissioners argued that “the proposed settlement is unlikely to deter other would-be wrongdoers,” and instead, actually “sends the wrong message to the marketplace: dishonest firms may come to conclude that posting fake reviews is a viable strategy, given the proposed outcome here.”
The two Commissioners were not alone in their sentiments about the proposed settlement; consumers largely agreed that the settlement simply was not enough to remedy Sunday Riley’s alleged wrongdoing. In furtherance of the required 30 day public comment period (after which the FTC is able to decide whether to make the proposed settlement final or not), consumers called the proposed settlement terms “disgusting,” “deeply disappointing,” and lacking in “actual consequences.” At the same time, at least some urged the FTC to levy an “appropriate but considerable fine to stop the company, and entire skincare industry, from deceiving consumers,” noting that “companies won’t change unless it affects their bottom line.”
A “No-Money, No-Fault Settlement”
Despite such pushback from two Commissioners and the public, alike, the FTC announced this month that it has finalized the Sunday Riley settlement. In a statement on November 6, the FTC revealed that it “has approved a final consent agreement settling charges that Sunday Riley Modern Skincare, LLC (Sunday Riley Skincare) and its CEO, Sunday Riley, misled consumers by posting fake reviews of the company’s products online, at the CEO’s direction, and by failing to disclose that the reviewers were company employees.”
As a result of the settlement, Sunday Riley Skincare and Ms. Riley are formally prohibited “from misrepresenting the status of any endorser or person reviewing a product they are selling,” and required to ensure that “ any unexpected material connection between endorsers and Sunday Riley Skincare, Ms. Riley, or any entity affiliated with the product” is “clearly and conspicuously disclosed.” Additionally, Sunday Riley is required to provide “each employee, agent, and representative with a clear statement of his or her responsibilities to disclose clearly and conspicuously and in close proximity to any endorsement in any online review, social media posting, or other communication endorsing any [of the company’s] products, the employee’s, agent’s, or representative’s connection to the product, and obtaining from each such recipient a signed and dated statement acknowledging receipt of that statement and expressly agreeing to comply with it.”
The settlement does not levy any monetary penalties on the brand or its founder.
The move to settle the matter on those terms again saw a 3-2 breakdown among the FTC Commissioners, with Chopra and Slaughter voting against the FTC’s “doubling down on its no-money, no-fault settlement with Sunday Riley, who was charged with egregious fake review fraud.” The two Commissioners call the “weak settlement is a serious setback for the Commission’s credibility as a watchdog over digital markets.”
Commissioner Chopra points, in particular, to an objection filed during the 30 day period by Consumer Reports, which he says “was correct in arguing that the Commission can seek monetary relief in cases such as this one,” noting that the FTC “can seek monetary relief in federal court, through either Section 13(b) or Section 19,” which is why the agency “been able to recover funds in cases involving fake reviews without time-consuming litigation” in the past.
Instead of using the matter to “signal that disinformation campaigns have costs,” Chopra claims the Commission’s “decision to finalize this flawed settlement” while “disinformation [is] pervading the digital world and fake reviews [are] polluting online marketplaces” is “more than a missed opportunity, it is a serious setback for online shoppers, honest sellers, and the Commission’s credibility.”
Reflecting on the “FTC’s divided decision, which signals competing views on the agency’s role in enforcement of the promotion of competition and protection of consumers in the online marketplace,” Hunton Andrews Kurth attorneys Phyllis Marcus and Emma Hutchison encourage brands to ensure that they “have robust compliance programs [in place] to oversee user-generated content and employee endorsements, including up to the executive level.” They also note that “with new Democratic leadership expected in January 2021, [brands] should expect a more active FTC that is less willing to entertain arguments that non-monetary sanctions alone can address consumer harm.”


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NFL Channel Features Original Programming, NFL Movies Shows, Classic Game Broadcasts and More
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., Sept. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — LG Electronics USA and the National Football League (NFL) announced today the launch of the NFL’s digital streaming channel, “NFL Channel,” on LG Channels – LG’s exclusive free streaming service on LG Smart TVs. The NFL Channel showcases the No. 1 sport in America by providing fans with an attractive mixture of original programming, NFL Movies shows, classic game broadcasts and more. It’s now available free to look at on LG Channels via supported LG Smart TVs1 and other supported devices.
The NFL Channel is a specially curated channel for NFL fans featuring every day primetime studio shows every weeknight in-season, and special programs comparable to Fantasy GameDay Live and NFL GameCenter on Sundays to maintain fans up so far on the most recent scores and breaking news across the League. Along with live programming throughout the week, the NFL Channel will keep you entertained around-the-clock all 12 months long with replays of a few of the most memorable matchups in NFL history, in addition to past seasons of the Emmy award-winning series Hard Knocks and other series comparable to NFL Game Replay, NFL Mic’d Up, NFL Top 10, The Top 100 Players of 2022 and Across the NFL.
“We created our LG Channels streaming service to supply a strong number of free content to LG Smart TV owners. The chance to collaborate with the NFL and offer the NFL Channel provides a major added value and truly elevates the LG Channels experience for our customers,” said Matthew Durgin, LG’s Senior Director of Content Services.
LG Channels offers a big choice of premium live and on-demand programming, including movies, TV shows, news, sports, kid’s programs, and more. With greater than 350 channels, LG Smart TV owners can easily discover their favorite programs by launching the LG Channels application on their LG Smart TV1.
1 LG Channels is obtainable on LG Smart TV models (2016+) running webOS 3.0 or newer.
About LG Electronics USA
LG Electronics USA, Inc., based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is the North American subsidiary of LG Electronics, Inc., a $63 billion global innovator in technology and manufacturing. In the United States, LG sells a big selection of revolutionary home appliances, home entertainment products, industrial displays, air con systems, energy solutions and vehicle components. LG is a seven-time ENERGY STAR® Partner of the 12 months. The company’s commitment to environmental sustainability and its “Life’s Good” marketing theme encompass how LG is devoted to people’s happiness by exceeding expectations today and tomorrow. www.LG.com.
About NFL Media
Seven days every week, 24 hours a day, three hundred and sixty five days a 12 months, fans turn to NFL Media to receive information and insight straight from the sphere, team headquarters, league offices and all over the place the NFL is making news. NFL Media gives fans unprecedented year-round inside access to all NFL events, including the Super Bowl, Playoffs, regular season, preseason, Pro Bowl, Pro Football Hall of Fame induction weekend, NFL Draft, NFL Scouting Mix, Senior Bowl, league meetings, minicamps and training camps.
SOURCE LG Electronics USA

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AirAsia passengers might face disruptions as the airline plans to upgrade its reservation and passenger processing systems for an enhanced online experience. The airline will conduct the system upgrade from November 23, 2022, 09:00 PM (GMT+8) up to 24 November 2022, 03:00 AM (GMT+8), as a part of its continuous process. The disruptions will be on self-check-in online via the AirAsia Super App and website, flight bookings on AirAsia Super App and website, as well as AirAsia, rewards redemption. The system upgrade will also impact ground operations, and affect the availability of check-in and baggage drop services at all airports
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This morning we got a look at the two new Creative Android tablets, the ZiiO 7″ and the ZiiO 10″. While they’re a snip at around £200, there’s also some major corner cutting gone on with Creatve’s latest offering.
The biggest corner that’s been cut is in the screens. Both the 10″ and the 7″ ZiiO tablets have resistive touchscreens. When we heard this a big cross got struck through these two tablets in our minds. But then, in the demo we were given, we didn’t notice any clunky pressing action going on, or any excessive finger stabbing: it seemed like (and we know this might be hard to believe) that for resistive touchscreens, these ones are pretty good.
The other major corner that’s been cut is in the operating system. It runs Android 2.1, which, according to Google, tablets are not supposed to run. Google has said tablets should not be running Froyo, never mind Android 2.1, as both the ZiiO tablets are. While the brief demo we got of the black 10″ ZiiO tablet seemed to work fine, it does seem to be a gamble. A Froyo update is apparently incoming though, but we think it’s worth holding off buying one of these until this update arrives.
Which brings us to the third corner cut: there’s currently no apps provider available on the device. The ZiiO tablets do not have Google Certification, which means they do not have access to the Android Marketplace. If and when Creative gets Google Certification for its tablets, then it will be able to get Android Marketplace. But a spokesperson told us today that Creative would bring out a new model of the ZiiO tablet if and when this happened.
The ZiiO 10″ and 7″ tablets appear to be for little more than media players with big screens. They are not built for all the other things you want to be able to do on a tablet. There was no news on the processor and RAM of the ZiiO tablets either, and we were told that these were “still being optimised”.
In terms of inputs and outputs there’s a headphone jack, HDMI, and microSD. Battery life is five hours of continuous movie playback, or 10 hours of mixed use. If all you want is something to watch videos and play music on, then here’s you answer. But if you want a content-rich tablet, then look elsewhere.
ZiiO 7” out early December | £200-£220
ZiiO 10” out mid December | £250-£270
What do you think of the Creative Android tablets? False economy or real bargain? Drop us a line in the comments and let us know what you think!


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14th Annual CARE Conference to be held May 18-19
Carpet America Recovery Effort's (CARE) Annual Conference takes place from May 18-19 in Greenville, South Carolina. According to the association, this year's event will give attendees the opportunity to discuss innovations made in the carpet recycling industry, learn about new and existing products that are produced with post-consumer carpet, developments in the carpet industry, the Voluntary Product Stewardship (VPS) program and more.
CARE says this year's exhibitors will be offered multiple opportunities to meet and interact with end users, with specific time set aside for both networking and concrete small group sales contract.
|CARE Welcomes Bill Carteaux as Keynote Speaker|
|SPI President Bill Carteaux began his tenure in February 2005. He came to SPI from Demag Plastics Group, where he was named president and chief executive officer of the Americas and co-executive managing director of the global business in 2002. Carteaux previously served as the company's executive vice president. Prior to joining Demag, Carteaux spent eight years with Autojectors, a manufacturer of vertical injection molding machines, including four years as its president. He had been actively involved as an SPI member, taking on numerous leadership roles for more than 15 years. While a member, Carteaux served as chair of SPI's Equipment Council, the NPE Finance Committee and the NPE Operations Committee. He was vice-chairman elect of SPI when he assumed his current position. Carteaux has an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University and a BS from Purdue, where he has received several awards since graduating. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Council of Manufacturing Associations at the National Association of Manufacturers and is Director General of CIPAD, the Council of International Plastics Association Directors.|


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The Sports, Entertainment and Media Center will showcase the power of the sports community in the Angels and beyond
THE ANGELS, October 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — In October 21the UCLA Anderson School of Management Sports, Media and Entertainment Center will host from UCLA first Annual Global Sports Business Forum at the historic Pauley Pavilion in the University of California at Los Angeles installations. Featuring decision-makers across media platforms, sports teams and leagues, and innovators at tech companies and global brands, the day-long forum will focus on exploding business opportunities across the sports ecosystem.
The event will explore the innovation and consumer trends that will shape the industry in the coming years, including global fandom, sports betting, brand and entertainment associations, NIL (name, image and likeness) and emerging technologies such as NFT and the metaverse.
“University of California at Los Angeles and Los Angeles sit at the heart of the global sports ecosystem,” said Jay Tucker (’09), CEO of the Center for Media, Entertainment and Sports. “We are producing this experience to give professionals a sneak peek at emerging business opportunities in esports and create a forum that connects members of this very special community.”
In addition to traditional presentations, the experience will feature workshops for students and athletes, an exhibit space showcasing early-stage companies and innovative technologies related to athlete performance, fan experiences, smarter venues and more.
“UCLA Anderson faculty, board members and alumni have deep ties to the sports and entertainment industries,” he said. Eric Johnson, faculty director of the Center for Media, Entertainment and Sports. “Those relationships, as well as our ties to the UCLA Athletics department, will allow us to curate a best-in-class experience that benefits industry professionals and students seeking careers in this space.”
Students and athletes will benefit from sessions that explore how social media and brand partnerships have transformed the industry, creating opportunities for influencers, marketers, and entrepreneurs. Additionally, the Sports Business Forum will feature financial education workshops to help athletes maintain and grow their wealth.
Confirmed presenters and speakers include:
- Nana Yaw AsamoahSenior Vice President, New Business and Partnership Strategy, National Football League (NFL)
- nez baleloCo-Director, Baseball Division, CAA Sports
- matt barnesformer NBA player (14 seasons, 2017 NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors) and current ESPN analyst
- ryan bishara(BA ’11), Executive Vice President, Revenue & Data Strategy, LAFC
- Leo Faría, Director, Esports, Wild Rift, Riot Games
- julie haddonMarketing Director, National Women’s Soccer League
- John HarperCOO, LA28
- kay madatiformer FIFA commercial director
- christian normanChief Content Officer, Think450, the innovation engine of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA)
- pea heatherSenior Director, Ticketing & Data Strategy, Angel City FC
- mitch richmondformer NBA Hall of Famer and All-Star of six seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers
Tickets are on sale now and additional presenters, exhibitors and event partners will be announced in the coming days as the Center for Media, Entertainment and Sports hosts virtual sessions leading up to the main event.
For more information on the Global Sports Business Forum, please contact [email protected].
About the Center for Media, Entertainment and Sports
The UCLA Anderson Center for Media, Entertainment, and Sports empowers students to launch careers in the industry by delivering cutting-edge research, coursework, and programming focused on the future of the media business. The center is at the epicenter of media and digital technology, providing unparalleled access to the business leaders driving innovation at many of the world’s most successful sports and entertainment franchises.
About the UCLA Anderson School of Management
UCLA Anderson School of Management is among the world’s leading business schools, with faculty members globally recognized for excellence in teaching and research in advancing management thinking. Situated in the Angelsgateway to the economies of Latin America Y Asia and a city that epitomizes innovation in a wide range of endeavors, UCLA Anderson’s MBA, Full Employed MBA, Executive MBA, University of California at Los Angeles-NUS Executive MBA, Master of Financial Engineering, Master of Science in Business Analytics, PhD, and executive education programs embody the Think in the Next ethos of the school. Here, some 1,800 students train annually to become global leaders seeking tomorrow’s business models and community solutions.
SOURCE UCLA Anderson School of Management


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Europe’s largest telcos want to take the next step in commercializing digital identities. Four of Europe’s largest telecommunications giants have filed a joint venture (JV) proposal with the European Commission.
Germany’s Deutsche Telekom, France’s Orange, Spain’s Telefónica and the UK’s Vodafone suggest a “privacy-led, digital identification solution to support the digital marketing and advertising activities of brands and publishers”, according to the filing. If the proposal is approved, the four companies will acquire joint control over and equal shares in the JV.
In order to realize their ID-driven advertising platform, the JV will generate “a secure, pseudonymized token derived from a hashed/encrypted pseudonymous internal identity”. That anonymized ID will be linked to a user’s network subscription, which will then be provided by participating network operators.
The four telcos claim that the token will “allow the brand/publisher concerned to recognize a user without revealing any directly identifiable personal data”. They say that this anonymization process will enable advertisers to “optimize the delivery of online display advertising and perform site/app optimization”.
Personalized ads under scrutiny
The filing assures us that the proposed advertising model will be “subject to explicit user consent provided to a brand or publisher”. The telcos also claim consumers will be enrolled in the system “on an opt-in basis only”.
The four telcos need to step carefully here, as the EC and the EU member states have all been highly critical of personalized advertising. In December 2022, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB), a body that coordinates GDPR enforcement across the EU, ruled that Meta will only be allowed to run user advertisements based on user data with user consent.
In accordance with that ruling, Ireland’s data protection authority fined Dublin-based Meta €390 million for illegal data processing in personalized ads on Instagram and Facebook earlier this month. In a similar action, France’s national data privacy agency (CNIL) fined Apple a total of €8 million over allegations of inadequate user consent for personalized ads in the company’s App Store.
In a bid to placate EU officials, the carriers’ filing states that users will have access to “a user-friendly privacy portal”, in which they can review which brands and publishers to whom they have given consent. Consumers will also be able to use the portal to withdraw their consent if they wish.


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Venture Capitalists Are Making Bigger Bets on Food Start-Ups
April 28, 2013
Unreal, based in Boston, makes candy that the founders say has no artificial colors or flavors, preservatives, hydrogenated fats or genetically modified ingredients, with at least 25% less sugar than similar candy on the market and added protein and fiber. The candy is sold in stores including CVS and Target. The ultimate goal of venture capitalists in Silicon Valley, who funneled about $350 million into food projects last year, is to transform the food industry.
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It's been rumored for several years that Apple is thinking about switching its iPad Pro tablets to OLED display technology, and the latest report from the supply chain says the first of these updated devices are due to arrive in 2024.
This is from ET News in South Korea (via MacRumors), which claims that development is now underway on an iPad with an OLED screen. The display departments at Samsung and LG are apparently in line to provide the panels.
The current iPad Pro models feature mini-LED LCD technology: while this has a slightly higher ceiling in terms of maximum brightness when compared with OLED, OLED can't be beaten in terms of contrast and the deepness of its blacks.
According to the report, the screen sizes of 11 inches and 12.9 inches are going to remain the same as Apple makes the switch, so in terms of the dimensions and the form factors of the iPad Pro there won't be any obvious difference.
Apple has used OLED technology on its iPhones for several years now, but it's more difficult and more costly to produce the panels at larger sizes – so keep an eye on any variations in price when it comes to the 2024 iPad Pros.
Previous leaks had also put the launch date of an iPad Pro at some point in 2024, so this matches up with that. OLED technology is also being worked on for Apple's MacBook line, the report says, with the switch scheduled for 2026.
Analysis: room for improvement
Apple refreshed its premium tablet line again last year, and in our iPad Pro review we gave the device an almost perfect score. It's an impressive piece of hardware from just about every angle, and it's hard to see how Apple is going to improve on it in the future.
Faster internals are always expected every time we get a new iPad, but it could be argued that the iPad Pros have so much power that the average user is never going to push them to anywhere near their limit.
Software updates are always pushed out regularly too, with iPadOS 16.1 adding the Stage Manager tool. These updates are separate to the hardware considerations though, and appear on all kinds of iPads, new and old.
It would seem that Apple has decided that OLED technology is one upgrade that it can invest in for the iPad Pros, and perhaps eventually the standard iPad as well. Once that switch is made, there really might not be anything else to improve.


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HUNTINGTON, NY — ENDO Ethos, a hemp CBD retailer, is open for business in Huntington Village. CBD, which stands for Cannabidiol, is commonly used for stress and anxiety, pain, sleep and inflammation.
Husband and wife owners Clark and Chrissy Ruggeri held the soft opening of their second ENDO Ethos location on Aug. 1. The 289 Main St. location is in the heart of the village and is a larger space than their flagship Northport shop. The couple signed their lease in November — before the coronavirus outbreak. The pandemic’s harsh impact on merchants made them consider backing out on the lease, Chrissy said. Ultimately, they felt their products would benefit customers at a time some need them most.
“We decided there’s no better time than now, as people are struggling with stress and anxiety, and trying to boost their health naturally,” Chrissy told Patch. “Now we’re trying to build some momentum and make sure people know we’re there.”
The store specializes in hemp-derived products such as oils placed under one’s tongue, capsules, gummies, topical items applied to inflamed areas, flower, as well as beauty and pet goods.
Hemp interacts with hormones, brain chemicals, and major body systems, according to Chrissy. Other than helping with stress or insomnia, the products can benefit the immune system long term. The compounds in hemp, including CBD, interact with receptors in the immune system that also connect to neurotransmitters, or chemicals in the brain, she said.
“Even micro-dosing with a hemp extract — small amounts every day as part of your health regimen — can have a tremendous impact in the long term,” Chrissy said. “Not only will it help relieve stress or anxiety in that six-hour period it works in the body, but it’s also interacting with hormones and chemicals in the body to maintain balance. It’s having a long term effect on your wellness. It is preventative. It’s not a band-aid like an over-the-counter pain reliever that would fix the issue for the moment; it’s something that’s actually working to correct the problem internally. That’s why it’s so powerful and such an exciting plant to have available now.”
The Ruggeris have some concerns about opening a new store in the uncertainty of the coronavirus outbreak, Chrissy said.
“People are not in the village walking around shopping like they used to be,” she said. “They may be more prone to just shop online. I’m also confident that people understand that now, more than ever, we need to shop locally.”
The couple also believes people will find their wares useful.
“We’re confident this is a product that will help people, especially now, as people are trying to boost their immune systems and their overall wellness,” Chrissy said. “As soon as people know about us, they’re going to be coming back to us, and they’ll enjoy what we have to offer.”
The same hemp products are also sold at the Northport shop. However, the significantly larger Huntington venue allows for other items: hand-crafted jewelry, artwork, t-shirts and a rotating pop-up shop.
The new space also features a lounge area with a couch, table and chairs. The Ruggeris plan to host a few workshops each month where people can learn about their health and plant-based medicine. There are plans to make it a community space, according to Chrissy. The first workshop, on stress and inflammation, is scheduled for 7 p.m. Aug. 15.
The response to the shop has been good, though a bit slow, Chrissy said. A small budget has led to a lack of advertising, but the owners have received “really great” feedback. Education is a core aspect of the owners’ mission, as a free consultation will be offered to anyone who walks in and wants to learn about the medicinal or therapeutic effects of hemp.
“When people leave the store, not only do they have one of the best products on the market, but they also know exactly how to use it for their specific needs,” Chrissy said. “I think that’s really important in this market, because it’s very confusing and brand new. There’s a lot of low-quality products on the market right now that people are using, and then they’re not working. So they think maybe it’s a scam, because it doesn’t work. But when you get the right products, and you’re taught how to use it properly, it really can do amazing things.”
The original store in Northport is doing well, though the physical spot was shut down for nearly three months due to COVID-19, according to Chrissy. The business survived as customers shopped on the ENDO Ethos website. Products are available for shipping, pickup or delivery within a 10-mile radius of either store.
“We survived,” Chrissy said. “I’m thankful for that. I think it goes back to the fact that people were feeling really on edge and felt like they needed something to help them get through the stress and anxiety. That’s what we were providing. Thankfully, we had a following throughout the months we were closed.”
ENDO Ethos Huntington can be reached at 631-264-5891, while the Northport store, at 112 Main St., can be called at 631-264-5891. The business can also be followed on Instagram for updates.
This article originally appeared on the Huntington Patch


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Jakarta. From hongbao to nian gao, there is always a long shopping list for the Chinese New Year or Imlek celebrations. And Jakarta’s Chinatown Glodok is a popular destination for Imlek shopping.
Glodok’s Pancoran Street boasts an array of shops selling Imlek decorations. Despite the scorching sun, people enthusiastically went shopping for decors on Pancoran Street on Friday.
Many customers were looking for red envelopes or hongbao, which they will later stuff with money as gifts.
It is a tradition for married couples to give hongbao to children, parents, and single adults on Imlek. 2022 is the year of the water tiger, so red envelopes with tiger motifs are common this Imlek.
Other customers were buying lanterns and door couplets. Many shops even sold red face masks to welcome another mid-pandemic Imlek, which will fall on Feb. 1.
Inaratu was one of the Imlek decor sellers on Pancoran Street, Glodok. Her shop also appeared busy.
“Sales are picking up this year, maybe it’s because we are recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic. [...] People mostly stop by our shop to buy lanterns, stickers, hongbao, among other things,” Inaratu told the Jakarta Globe in Glodok on Friday.
About fifteen steps away from Inaratu’s shop is another alley filled with Imlek must-haves, including nian gao. Known to Indonesians as kue keranjang (basket cakes), the nian gao represents prosperity. Its sticky texture also symbolizes family togetherness, according to nian gao seller Alim.
Alim said he had gotten his nian gao from Sukabumi, Tegal, Tangerang, among others.
“Every basket cake has its own fans,” Alim told the Globe, when asked what kind of nian gao was the most popular among his customers.
According to Alim, this year’s sales are much better compared to two years ago.
“But I can’t say things have returned to normal,” he said.
Fellow nian gao seller Afo said he was not that optimistic on this year’s sales. Afo’s shop actually specializes in traditional Chinese wedding and engagement gifts. It is only when Imlek is close approaching that Afo is selling nian gao.
“Business is still on the decline. We all know how people only spend just enough during the pandemic. So for instance, people would now only order 3 kg, compared to the usual 5 kg. [...] But there is always a demand for basket cakes [nian gao] during Imlek,” Afo said.


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Above, from left: Scannabue’s co-owner and chef Paolo Fantini and co-owner and front-of-the-house Gianluigi Desana (image via the Scannabue Facebook).
In a brilliant video shared on social media last week, a pair of Torinese restaurateurs imagine a world where restaurants are just a figment of the past.
In the short film directed by Stefano Cravero and produced by chef Paolo Fantini and Gianluigi Desana, owners of Scannabue Caffè, Restaurant, e Gastronomia, a museum docent (with lanyard and all, played wonderfully by Italian actor Francesca Bracchino) leads a group of Italian and foreign tourists on a tour of the “restaurant museum.”
“Just think,” she says to her tour group, “they used to all sit around the same table and share the bread in the middle!”
“That’s disgusting!” blurts out one of the Italians in the group.
“Yes, I know,” commiserates the docent as she notes that “we need to remember: that was more than a year ago!”
There’s even a quip about American dining.
Above: a screenshot from the short film.
After one of the tourists asks the docent whether or not there were restaurants in other parts of the world like America, she doesn’t miss a beat before answering: “Oh, yes, they had restaurants in America as well. But let’s just say they were ‘faster.'”
The cortometraggio has really touched a nerve in Italy.
As of this posting, the video had been shared more than 400 times on Facebook. And it’s been featured in the Italian mainstream media.
The rituals of dining and gastrocentric socializing are key to the Italian identity. So many of my Italian friends have told me about how restaurant closures have weighed on their souls (not to mention winemaker friends who previously depended on independent restaurants like Scannabue for much of their sales).
You don’t need to understand Italian to follow along (although it’s even more funny if you can pick up on some of the nuance of Bracchino’s delivery).
The hilarious yet poignant video came to my attention via one of my favorite food and wine blogs, Sapori del Piemonte, edited by one of the most talented people in the trade and a great friend, Filippo Larganà.


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Navigating Down Payment Assistance Programs: A Homebuyer’s Guide
File this question under “it depends.”
It’s true that loans with down payments of 20 percent or more cost borrowers less over time than low down payment loans. Low down payments leave larger principals to pay off, and those principals create more interest over time. Low down payment loans also require mortgage insurance.
However, a low down payment itself can actually boost affordability by getting you off the sidelines and into a home of your own sooner.
At current interest rates and based a median family income, you’d need about 22 percent of your income for monthly payment with a 20-percent-down mortgage and about 24 percent with a 3.5 percent down payment. And, should rates rise to 4.75 percent by the end of this year, a buyer putting 20 percent down would pay about 25 percent of his monthly income and a buyer using a low-down payment loan at 3.5 percent down payment would pay about 28 percent of the buyer’s monthly income.
While 20 percent isn’t necessary and isn’t even the average (7.6 percent), it will help reduce the monthly payment simply because your total mortgage loan is less than with a lower down payment. But, it’s important to evaluate the cost-benefit of a lower down payment.
Forgoing a low down payment today to save for a 20 percent down payment in the future changes the equation for first-time buyers. With home prices and rates on the rise in 2018, affordability will likely worsen in the months ahead.
In fact, a recent survey by Apartment List found that it takes many millennials a decade or more to save enough to make a 20 percent down payment. By that time, the costs of waiting so long will outweigh the advantages of a larger down payment.
Since 2012, it has been cheaper to buy than rent in most markets and rents today are consuming an even larger share of monthly disposable income. By the end of this year, rates could rise as high as 4.75 percent, and prices are forecasted to continue to rise in 2018. Rising rates and prices will increase the cost of a 20 percent down payment for those who delay.
In the Barriers to Accessing Homeownership study released in November, analysts at the Urban Institute’s Housing Finance Policy Center concluded that “with rising home prices and interest rates, access to sustainable mortgage credit is often only possible with low–down payment loans.”
For more data and information on down payment trends from a variety of sources, subscribe to our monthly Down Payment Report.


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Information presentations the Bitcoin spot buying and selling quantity has dropped down nearly 60% because the fresh top, suggesting task has significantly fallen.
Bitcoin Weekly Buying and selling Quantity Rises Sharp, And Then Falls Onerous
As in step with the newest weekly document from Arcane Analysis, the BTC spot quantity lately seen a drop of round 58.7% in simply 9 days.
The “buying and selling quantity” is a hallmark that measures the entire quantity of Bitcoin being transacted at the community presently.
When the worth of this metric is going up, it way the collection of cash converting arms at the chain is recently going up.
One of these pattern would possibly display that buyers are discovering the crypto sexy presently because the community is changing into extra lively.
Comparable Studying | Bitcoin ASIC Miners Plummet To Lowest Value Since Jan 2021
However, declining volumes counsel the blockchain is changing into extra dormant. This type of pattern generally is a signal that traders are becoming bored within the coin.
Now, here’s a chart that presentations the fad within the Bitcoin weekly spot buying and selling quantity during the last yr:
The worth of the metric turns out to have seen some sharp downtrend in fresh days | Supply: Arcane Analysis's The Weekly Replace - Week 25, 2022
As you’ll be able to see within the above graph, the Bitcoin buying and selling quantity sharply rose up and were given with reference to the easiest price for the previous yr simply a few weeks again.
Then again, after peaking out at round $9.2 billion on nineteenth June, the indicator’s price began going through some sharp downtrend.
Through this Monday, the spot buying and selling quantity had already crashed right down to a price of simply $3.8 billion, a 58.7% plummet inside of simply 9 days.
The rationale in the back of the newest surge was once the plunging price of Bitcoin. A lot of buyers normally make their strikes all over such massive swings in the fee.
The document notes that the unsure stipulations of the present BTC marketplace will have ended in traders changing into extra wary.
This has result in them making fewer trades at the chain, which is why the buying and selling quantity has sharply plunged down.
On the time of writing, Bitcoin’s worth floats round $19.1k, down 7% within the final seven days. Over the last month, the crypto has misplaced 34% in price.
The beneath chart presentations the fad in the cost of the coin over the past 5 days.
Seems like the worth of the crypto has been happening over the previous couple of days | Supply: BTCUSD on TradingView
Bitcoin appeared to be maintaining sturdy above the $20k mark all over the final week, however during the last 24 hours the coin has as soon as once more slipped down beneath the extent.
Featured symbol from Daniel Dan on Unsplash.com, charts from TradingView.com, Arcane Analysis


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Exclusive: The Posts Moncler Missed Before Latest Data Breach
Moncler, the Italian luxury fashion brand, confirmed it suffered a major ransomware attack in December, which resulted in a data breach. The attack was carried out by the AlphV/BlackCat gang, who are now selling the stolen data on the dark web.
In an exclusive investigation, our cyber team discovered several highly suspicious posts in dark web forums that could indicate the breach was underway.
Monitoring Data Breaches
As seen in the picture above, the AlphV group officially announced that they had attacked Moncler, and shared a small sample of some of the company’s sensitive documents they stole, in order to prove their credibility. We crawled this post as soon as it was published on January 17, 2022, as part of our ongoing monitoring of ransomware sites.
Monitoring this type of posts in real-time is essential as it allows compromised organizations more time to assess and address the crisis.
But our team found several posts Moncler should’ve seen months before the attack took place.
Post # 1: The trade of Moncler employees’ digital fingerprints
A lot of dangers lurk for individual users and companies when it comes to the trade of stolen digital fingerprints on the dark web. Stolen digital fingerprints refers to information stored on the user’s browser, including cookies, login information from the websites the victim browsed (such as usernames and passwords), IP address, and other operating system details, which are stolen by RedLine Stealer malware.
When fingerprints of an employee of a particular company are stolen and include the login details for the company’s domain, cybercriminals can use them to access the company’s system. We searched data stores, special dark web marketplaces where personal information is offered for sale and we identified a number of stolen fingerprints of Moncler users at prominent data stores in recent months. These included login details to one of the Moncler’s domains.
The following log (in the image below) is linked to Italy, and may belong to one of Moncler’s employees. This information is directly related to the process of monitoring domains on the dark web, which is key to protecting a company’s brand.
Post #2: The trade of Moncler email addresses
Another potential risk for an organization is phishing attacks. Phishing is an online scam that targets consumers by sending them a fraudulent message that appears to be from a well-known source and tricks them into revealing sensitive information. Using our Cyber API, we found a post on a known hacking forum which was published several months ago (see image below), where a threat actor offered for sale various email addresses, including Moncler’s domain. By using this email domain, cybercriminals can impersonate Moncler and obtain personal and confidential information either from unknowing customers or the company’s employees.
Other suspicious findings: 88 compromised Personally Identifiable Information (PIIs)
Our cyber team has also checked whether any personal information had been stolen from Moncler employees as a result of previous data breaches, and not necessarily Moncler’s. Using our DBD (Data Breach Detection) endpoint, we searched for Moncler’s domain and found 88 email entities belonging to the company’s employees which are compromised. Most interestingly, there was a leak from Gonitro.com, belonging to Nitro, a PDF software. We noticed that the leak contained many emails linked to Moncler’s domain, which may indicate Moncler employees were using the software.
This is an alarming finding, since accessing employees’ accounts on certain platforms can reveal a lot of sensitive information about the organization, and can result in data breach, similar to the one Moncler recently suffered. If we also consider the probability that some employees use the same passwords for work-related sites, servers and external sites, this type of PII leak can present a real threat to any organization, including Moncler. This is why this step of monitoring leaks of entities is essential to protecting brands from supply chain risks.


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Singapore and India to link real-time payment system by 2022
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) plan to link their national real-time payment systems, PayNow and Unified Payments Interface (UPI), by July 2022.
MAS has shared that this linkage will facilitate users to make instant and low-cost fund transfers directly from one bank account to another between Singapore and India. The transfer from India to Singapore will be facilitated by the new linked service using mobile phone numbers. However, sending money vice versa will use UPI’s virtual payment address (VPA).


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Feb. 1, 2023
Retail, P.O. Box service and package pickup available starting Monday, Feb. 6
SANIBEL, FL — Starting Monday, February 6, Sanibel customers can begin picking up their mail at a temporary facility in the parking lot of the Sanibel Post Office, located at 650 Tarpon Bay Road.
The temporary Post Office will offer retail services and Post Office Boxes, as well as mail, package, and P.O. Box mail pickup. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., closed Sunday.
The Postal Service is currently in the process of evaluating delivery points on Sanibel Island to determine the locations where we can safely resume residential and business mail delivery. Until then, customers can pick up their mail at the new temporary Post Office. Signage will direct customers to the appropriate location for various services.
Sanibel customers will no longer need to travel to the Fort Myers Processing & Distribution Center, 14080 Jetport Loop, to obtain services.
As a reminder, customers must show a picture ID when picking up mail and packages.
We appreciate the patience of our customers as we continue to recover from Hurricane Ian and restore service as quickly as possible.


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Adobe, an American leading multimedia software company whose popular products include Acrobat Reader, Lightroom, and Photoshop, has acquired Figma, an online collaboration tool for designers with a user base of over 4 million.
Citing its own sources, Bloomberg was the first to report a likely agreement, and then Adobe officially confirmed the purchase of Figma on its blog. The deal amounted to $20 billion, which Bloomberg calls the largest takeover of a software company.
Adobe will pay for half of the deal in cash and another half with its shares. Following the completion of the deal, co-founder and CEO of Figma Dylan Field will continue to run the company, reporting to David Wadhwani, Adobe's chief business officer. Until the transaction is completed, each company will continue to operate independently.
Figma's blogpost also assured that even after the deal is completed, the service will continue to develop autonomously, and Figma will be able to use Adobe's resources "to make design and developer tools more collaborative and accessible."
Figma went up sharply during the pandemic due to the growing trend towards remote working. Its clients include well-known companies such as Airbnb, Google, Netflix, and Twitter. Major investors include venture capitalists Kleiner Perkins, Index Ventures, and Greylock Partners.
Over the past few years, Figma has become a rival to Adobe's XD service, which offers similar UI/UX design capabilities. Buying Figma will allow Adobe to expand its toolkit for creative professionals, and Adobe sees Figma as a valuable addition to its portfolio that will help it accelerate business growth and innovation.
The transaction will close in 2023, pending regulatory and other approvals, Adobe said.


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SAN JOSE, Calif. - In March, the prospect of working from home due to shelter-in-place restrictions offered the allure of saving time and money. Three months later and only half that equation turned true. New research finds Americans are spending more, not less, each month.
“The average person working from home during the pandemic is spending an average of $108 more per month,” said Ted Rossman, an analyst for CreditCards.com, which commissioned the study.
Rossman said about 900 people were surveyed over two days in May. The biggest uptick in spending was seen in utility bills, and groceries.
Half of the people KTVU surveyed in the College Park Shopping Center in San Jose say they’re spending more to put food on the table.
“I think so. Everybody stay at home. Eat a lot. That’s why (laughs),” said Yiftu, a mother of three teenagers who was out with her youngest. Added shopper Jason Waltrip, “I’m not actually working at the moment. So I have more time to spend money.”
“I have seven boys. So everything is food,” said Adriana Carrillo. “Every time I go it’s like 500 bucks, and it’s every other week.”
Aviation industry worker Adam Bilentschek says he keeps to a tight budget, but still finds himself spending more.
“I thought I’d be saving more. I thought I’d be cooking more at home,” he said. “But I find myself running more trips to the stores.”
San Jose State University economist Dr. Colleen Haight said economic theory can explain some of this behavior. She said shelter-in-place orders disproportionately affect lower-wage earners. The more affluent can afford not to spend.
“Our low income households are still spending more. Because now they’re eating at home. they’re leaving the lights on. They may need a more robust internet connection for their children to access school work. And this is going to raise their bills. whereas the higher income households are generally going to save money because they’re not spending on the things they used to like to do, the extra things,” said Dr. Haight.
As more companies signal working from home will become a permanent part of the new normal, experts believe it may force an adjustment for households that are left struggling to balance the monthly budget.


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It has been 16 years since an accident left Sam Schmidt paralyzed from the neck down. Before that, he was a race car driver who competed all over the country. However, an accident ended his racing career. That accident also stopped him from ever driving to the supermarket, or travelling on his own, but a one-of-a-kind license is changing that.
How are Autonomous Vehicles Going to Help People with Disabilities?
Schmidt’s license is unique in our country, and it has several restrictions. The foremost restriction on his license says that the vehicle he drives must be autonomous. Luckily for Sam, there are a few self-driving vehicles out there now-a-days. Most major automotive manufacturers and a few tech companies are creating cars that can drive themselves. A company called Arrow created Schmidt’s autonomous 2016 Corvette Z06, and Tesla and Google have their own consumer vehicles in the works. These cars will allow anyone to get behind the wheel and drive to wherever they need to go, and people in the disability community are getting excited.
Many people with disabilities are quite familiar with the limitations of today’s transportation. Most can’t even take a trip to the supermarket without hours of preplanning, but autonomous vehicles can change that. One wheelchair accessible van could take a person across town with just the push of a button. Plus, if the vehicle is autonomous enough, they wouldn’t be required to have a license to operate it.
Sam Schmidt’s Corvette has cameras and computers that steer based on Sam’s head movements—he controls the throttle and braking by breathing into a tube. That means Sam’s car is only semi-autonomous. It even has pedals and a steering wheel on the passenger side so a backup driver can take over if something goes wrong. However, many companies are developing systems that don’t need that kind of input from a human driver, and it’s those machines that we could start seeing on the roads in the next five to ten years.
Are you excited by the prospect of autonomous vehicles? What other features do think these cars should have? Tell us what you think on Twitter and Facebook, and keep checking in with your Tulsa disability attorneys right here on our blog.


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Bynder, the market-leading digital asset management (DAM) platform has today announced the acquisition of EMRAYS, a specialist provider of AI search solutions for DAM
The acquisition further elevates Bynder’s widely recognised user experience and will improve asset findability for Bynder DAM users. It builds on Bynder’s existing investments in AI and reaffirms the company’s commitment to helping customers conquer the complexity and chaos of proliferating content with the most powerful, intuitive, and richly integrated DAM platform.
With these new capabilities, DAM admins can reduce or eliminate the time and effort needed to manage assets, reduce costs associated with management of their DAM, while improving the speed and relevancy associated with the discovery of assets. EMRAYS enables Bynder customers to further benefit from their market leading user experience, building on their market leading user adoption, especially in large enterprise deployments.
EMRAYS was an existing partner whose technology was built specifically for Bynder DAM. The technology is already adopted within a number of customer accounts and is helping these brands to deliver even better content experiences to their customers.
For brands grappling with the challenges of managing content at scale, EMRAYS similarity search, search by image, text in image search, and duplicate finder impacts the heart of their content operations, allowing teams to find, reuse and deliver more relevant content, quicker and more effectively.
Siemens Healthineers use the Bynder DAM platform across 30,000 users, and already benefit from EMRAYS capabilities. André Kögler, Head of Digital Strategy & Tools, Creative Services said: “EMRAYS AI search enables us to find images and content faster, improving efficiency in our processes. In addition, the enhanced organization features help ensure the content in our Bynder DAM is consistent and high quality.”
Bob Hickey, CEO of Bynder, said: “We are excited to be welcoming the EMRAYS team to Bynder. This announcement comes off the back of recent investments in bringing generative AI capabilities to market.
“Marketing teams across the globe continue to be challenged with the need to manage and distribute a growing volume of targeted content. The acquisition of EMRAYS will help our customers automate the management of this. Like many of our recent AI developments, this acquisition is further proof of Bynder’s commitment to continued innovation and market leadership in the DAM category. The combination of product and people will enable us to accelerate our AI roadmap and deliver additional value to our customers faster.”
Cliff Crosbie, CEO and Co-Founder of EMRAYS said: “AI within DAM has become a strategic ally for marketers seeking to streamline content operations and improve customer experiences. The interest and demand we’ve had from customers to implement our AI technology within the Bynder platform has fueled this partnership and subsequent acquisition. The value that customers receive from EMRAYS capabilities already is invaluable, as marketers overcome content creation challenges and achieve greater efficiency.
“We’re excited about this acquisition and look forward to innovating with Bynder on their AI roadmap.”
For more information on Bynder and its AI capabilities, please visit https://www.bynder.com/en/solutions/initiatives/ai-automation/


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* Caio Cunha
The digital market can no longer be ignored by companies, as consumption and work habits have been changing rapidly, especially since the pandemic began. According to a survey carried out by the international network of digital marketing franchises WSI, based on data from the SMO Survey, eMarketer and international analysis on world trends, the digital market is expected to continue to grow, in this and the coming years. That’s because, according to a survey by eMarketer, 64% of companies held events or virtual meetings in 2020 and 56% intend to incorporate the modality in 2021.
In Brazil, the scenario is no different. The same study shows that we are on the list of the ten countries with the highest average sales on-line in 2020. The report web shoppers, from Ebit|Nielsen, showed a 23% growth in the number of Brazilians who started shopping online last year. The pandemic accelerated the expansion of the e-commerce and today it is an essential product. Large companies have leveraged sales in a frightening way, despite the crisis, because they look to the digital as the path to business growth.
Optimization and results analysis tools, currently used by agencies specializing in digital marketing, are great business allies. But, according to the executive, in such a competitive market, new entrepreneurs must keep in mind what their goals are so that they can meet what consumers expect of them. They need to know where the target audience is browsing, what their pains and needs are. THE marketing digital it’s not just advertising after all. What if to communicate, clarify doubts, answer questions and resolve the pain of this public.
There are many opportunities in digital, but when searching for a particular product or service on the internet, consumers mainly look for quality information. New businesses, therefore, need to be aware of this trend. It is necessary to bring to the target audience content that will add value, that will present a solution. Thus, when this consumer makes a decision, he will remember the brand because he knew, evaluated and talked to the company before making his purchase. In order to have a return in the digital universe, it is necessary to take the correct actions.
Caio Cunha he is President of WSI Master Brasil, co-founder of WSI Consultoria and member of the Global WSI Internet Consultancy Advisory Board. With over 25 years of experience in the technology industry, he has reached high-level executive positions in large multinational companies such as PWC (with IBM and Unisys clients), SAP and Hitachi Data Systems, in Brazil and abroad.
The post Digital Marketing: The New Business Differentiation appeared first on ADNEWS.


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The Co-operative Group, which is now the UK’s fifth largest food retailer, is to open a 500,000 sq ft regional distribution centre at Andover, but it is likely to face a bitter planning battle.
It has signed an agreement with developer Goodman for the RDC which will be positioned at the north western corner of the former Andover airfield site, with direct access onto the A303, linking it to London and the South West. It will replace the 863,000 sq ft building which was granted planning permission in August 2009.
The two organisations are now working on a fresh planning application which will be the subject of public consultation shortly.
Goodman proposes to deal with all off site issues in the same way as in the scheme which was granted planning permission in August 2009. For example, the highways measures including the Hundred Acre Interchange, the acoustic treatment on the A303 and the barred routes will remain exactly as already approved by the council. The on-site landscaping and acoustic measures will also be substantially the same.
Trevor Ashworth, director of food retail logistics for the Co-operative Group, said: “With the acquisition of the Somerfield supermarket chain earlier this year, we are in the process of reshaping our distribution network to ensure we continue to provide high standards of service to our customers. Andover is an excellent location from which to serve our stores in this part of southern England. Our planned new RDC will provide both employment and a further boost to the local economy.”
Jason Dalby, managing director of Goodman Logistics UK, said: “We’re delighted that the Co-operative Group has decided to invest in Andover. With the recent granting of planning permission on our site, we are able to offer the Co-operative a degree of certainty on the location. All issues of principle have been resolved within the existing planning consent and we are therefore hopeful of an early decision on the new application so that we can get on and deliver the new Andover Commercial Park.”
The balance of the land at the site will be re-designed to accommodate a range of smaller buildings. Goodman is also committed to maintaining the obligations contained in the Section 106 agreement which accompanies the August 2009 permission, including contributions towards local training and employment initiatives and £200,000 of public art.
A meeting has taken place with Test Valley Borough councillors to provide them with an overview of the latest plans and to outline the Co-operative Group’s aspirations for the site.


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Advanced Micro Devices, Oracle and Fujitsu were among the tech vendors that used the Hot Chips 2014 show this week to give more details about their upcoming server processors.
AMD officials released more information about the company’s Opteron A1100 “Seattle” chip, the company’s first venture using ARM’s low-power 64-bit ARMv8-A architecture in a processor aimed at smaller, dense systems designed for hyperscale environments. At the same time, company officials also reportedly said they were considering building custom 64-bit ARM-based server processors for customers.
At the same time, Oracle officials unveiled some of the details in the upcoming SPARC M7 chip, which will feature 32 cores and offer as much as three to four times the performance of the previous generation chip. In addition, Fujitsu officials talked about their on-the-horizon 32-core SPARC64 XIfx processors aimed that the high-performance computing (HPC) space.
AMD officials said two years ago that the company would begin offering ARM-based server chips to go along with its traditional line of x86-based Opterons. ARM-based systems-on-a-chip (SoCs) are found in most smartphones and tablets, but executives for several years have talked about the intention to move into the data center and compete with chip giant Intel, particularly in smaller, energy-efficient systems. Key to the move was the development of the ARMv8-A architecture, the company’s first 64-bit design.
AMD, the largest server chip maker to embrace the ARM architecture, for a year has been talking about the 28-nanometer Seattle processor, which will offer four to eight ARM Cortex-A57 cores, and late last month unveiled a development kit for the chip aimed at developers. At Hot Chips, AMD officials gave more details. The chip, which is due to hit the market by the end of the year, will have up to 4MB of Level 2 cache and 8MB of L3 cache, two 64-bit DDR3/4 channels with error-correction code (ECC) memory, and has eight SATA 3 ports, according to the company.
There also are two 10GBASE-KR Ethernet ports and eight lanes for PCI Express Generation 3, and the chip offers a cryptographic coprocessor to accelerate the processing of encryption and decryption tasks, as well as compression and decompression.
AMD officials in May announced “Project SkyBridge,” which over the next two years will include enabling x86 and ARM chips to run on the same motherboard with few tweaks, and in 2016 will introduce the first of the company’s “K12” chips that will include an ARM-based core developed in-house. AMD will compete against other ARM server chip vendors, like Applied Micro and Cavium, as well as Intel’s low-power Xeon and Atom offerings.
At Hot Chips, AMD officials also said they are considering making custom ARM server chips for customers.
John Fowler, executive vice president of systems at Oracle, introduced the upcoming SPARC M7 processor, which will feature up to 32 cores, up to 2 TB of DDR4 memory, PCIe Gen 3 technlogy, shared L2 cache and up to 64MB of shared and contained memory. It will bring three to four times the performance of the SPARC M6 processors, depending on the workload, and offers more than twice the cores of its 12-core predecessor, which was released in 2013.
It’s also smaller than the M6, being made via a 20nm processor, rather than 28nm. The SPARC M7 also will come with such acceleration technology as in-memory processing for faster performance, and support for “live compression,” which will enable more data to be sent in a compressed format without hurting performance.
When Oracle bought Sun Microsystems in 2010, CEO Larry Ellison insisted that he intended to keep the former company’s hardware line, with the vision of creating systems that were optimized for Oracle’s enterprise hardware. The result has been such systems as Exadata (for database applications) and the Exalogic cloud solution.
Fujitsu officials reportedly spoke about the company’s upcoming 32-core SPARC64 Xlfz chips aimed at HPC systems and—along with two “assistant” cores—offering more than a teraflop of double-precision performance in hopes of fueling its push to petascale computing. The new chips will offer more than three times the double floating-point performance and six times the single floating-point performance of the SPARC64 IXfx.


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In the past three weeks, a record number of fires have raged in the Amazon Rainforest, with over half of the 72,843 fires recorded in Brazil in 2019 occurring in the Amazon. The fires have recently gained more attention on social media, in part due to a wave of outrage at the lack of coverage of the fires in the media. Residents of São Paulo, Brazil also called attention to the fires in the Amazon after sharing photos of a strangely dark sky during the day, which may be linked to the fires.
The burning of the Amazon could be a major setback in fighting climate change, as the rain forest produces 20% of the world's oxygen. Continued fires could instead cause increased carbon emissions, which would instead further contribute to climate change. The Amazon also houses about one million indigenous people from up to 500 different tribes, who are now at risk of losing their homes and being displaced.
It's important to note that these are not all-natural fires. While fires are common in Brazil at this time of year, natural fires are generally uncommon in the Amazon. These fires are likely to have been part of a rise in deforestation in Brazil: local farmers had planned a "Day of Fire" to take place in August, with the goal of clearing the land for agricultural purposes. The dry conditions and high temperatures in Brazil only bolster the flames.
While you're not expected to go to the Amazon yourself and fight the fires directly, there are many ways to aid in the conservation of the Amazon Rainforest. Donations can be made to organizations such as the Amazon Conservation Association, Amazon Conservation Team, or the Rainforest Action Network. Donations to the Rainforest Trust help to buy and protect land in the rainforest. You can also visit Amazon Watch's site to donate and look into other ways to take action towards both conservation and supporting the rights of indigenous peoples in the Amazon. In addition, you can donate to the WWF to help protect the wildlife living in the Amazon. There are also ways to aid in the effort against deforestation as a whole, such as using Ecosia, a search engine that plants a tree for every 45 searches. And of course, it's important to keep raising awareness and urging others to take action.


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Automotive Masterpieces' News
We are editorial portal and news organization Here you will find the news of our activities and of the cars counted among the Automotive Masterpieces, which are increasingly present in the most important events in the world.
July 31, 2023
The site, recently renovated, is now also available in a "mobile friendly" version, whereby the contents are easily accessible from mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones (as well as ebook readers, smartwatches), thanks to a responsive design. Thus, everything you are looking for is finally at your fingertips wherever you are.***As you know by now, the new website is finally operational! [...]
February 24, 2023
The I.C.E. St. Moritz - International Concours of Elegance.
After the success of the 2022 edition, the Concours d'Elegance in the Engadin was back on 24 and 25 February 2023: The I.C.E. St. Moritz, the international event that, for one weekend, bring all the best of classic cars to the picturesque setting of the frozen lake of St. Moritz to the delight of drivers, collectors, enthusiasts and jet setters.Collectors from all over the world could enjoy the [...]
February 1, 2023
Rétromobile confirmed once again its status as a benchmark exhibition for classic car enthusiasts. The 47th edition kicked off, among other things, the centenary celebrations of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. No fewer than 125,000 visitors walked the aisles of this 2023 edition. 1,000 vehicles were on display across a sizable exhibition space, bringing together over 500 exhibitors, including 12 car [...]
March 16, 2023
Welcome to the new website!
It took some time, but what was previously announced is finally operational! And, as we said, if the wait for the new website was long, it is rewarded by a major renovation. Behind the site a powerful and articulated management system: it is a part of a mechanism invisible to the end user that has a user-friendly interface; is a new, much more performing engine, the result of a large investment [...]
April 21, 2023
The futuristic Carabo at the Milano Design Week 2023
As part of the week when Milan celebrates design, Alfa Romeo – the epitome of noble Italian sportiness since 1910 – is featuring with one of its most precious gems: the 1968 Alfa Romeo Carabo. The exclusive event that brought Alfa Romeo into Milano Design Week was the opening of the new LARUSMIANI boutique, historic brand and big name for over a century in Milanese elegance and the quality of [...]
May 25, 2023
Mille Miglia's Chassis Volume III, from June 19th
The third chapter of our exciting picture adventure with cars and on the roads of the Mille Miglia is coming soon!From June 19th the book Mille Miglia's Chassis Volume III, dedicated to the cars that raced in the Mille Miglia, full of photos that testify to their participation, will be delivered.It's an ambitious project, the first of its kind, which develops in a series of ten volumes, three of [...]
June 6, 2023
The 2023 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este is still the place to be.
Even this year, the three-day festival of elegance and timeless beauty on four wheels celebrated enthusiasm for automobility, the joy of driving and technical excellence with a large audience. The grounds of the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este on the shores of Lake Como created a fantastic stage for the exquisite diversity of historic automobiles contesting this year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa [...]
June 20, 2023
Mille Miglia 2023, Andrea Vesco wins for the fourth time in a row.
The 2023 edition was the longest in the history of the re-enactment Mille Miglia, with the crews crossing Italy covering 2,200 kilometers over a span of five days of racing, from 13 to 17 June. Facing, as usual, a very variable climate.The reigning champions, right from the start of the second stage, confirmed they were the crew to beat, leaving the fight for the second and third step of the [...]
November 20, 2023
2023 Milano AutoClassica confirms itself as an unmissable event.
Milano AutoClassica reached its 13th year, reconfirming itself as an essential event for lovers of historic cars. The 2023 edition, held from November 18th to 20th, also offered an interesting mix of models of all types and historical periods, with a wide selection of cars on sale to suit all tastes and budgets. Among the cars on display, an exceptional example of Automotive Masterpieces: the [...]
November 9, 2023
Another star in Automotive Masterpieces’ sky: Ferrari 250 Europa of 1954 Brussels Motor Show.
Automotive Masterpieces now counts among its most precious jewels the 3rd produced of just 17 Ferrari 250 Europa built with Pinin Farina Coupé body, the car of the 1954 Brussels Motor Show cars, set up by Ferrari with unique body colors. The model is considered the first real Ferrari “granturismo” and this very car is one of the rare that have a racing story, that we discovered and described [...]


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Google has asked for help from other tech giants to block children’s privacy, states say
The complaint does not detail what happened at the meeting, which states say occurred on August 6, 2019. But Apple spokesman Fred Sainz said on Friday that no representative from his company had attended the meeting.
A Microsoft spokesperson declined to comment on the meeting. Facebook did not immediately offer a comment when asked on Friday.
The documents – filed in an antitrust lawsuit by Texas, 14 other states and Puerto Rico – emerge at a time of growing frustration in Congress over the tech industry’s privacy practices and slow progress. push for federal data privacy law. A New York federal judge ordered the document unsealed at the request of 23 media outlets, including POLITICO.
Google spokeswoman Julie Tarallo McAlister said the new allegations in the Texas lawsuit were “riddled with inaccuracies,” but did not relate to the state meeting minutes.
âWe have been clear about our support for consistent privacy rules around the world,â she said. “For example, we have been asking Congress to pass federal privacy legislation for years.”
But Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.), A leading advocate for children’s privacy legislation, said revelations from the 2019 meeting suggest otherwise.
âBig Tech and its army of lobbyists are working hard to block congressional efforts to enact privacy legislation because it would cost them money,â Markey said. “It’s that simple. Even when it comes to children, these companies put their bottom line before the well-being of their users.”
A week before the meeting, the Federal Trade Commission announced that it was considering changing its interpretation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which prohibits companies from collecting information about children under 13 without parental permission. Markey and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) Had also introduced a bill to amend this law to better protect adolescents between 13 and 15 years old.
âWhether at this meeting or at another forum, we may want to point out that this is a particularly important area to have a coordinated approach,â Google said in its internal privacy note. of children cited in the complaint.
“We have the direction of Kent [Walker] find alignment with MSFT where we can, but we must beware of their activity [in promoting privacy] and seek to get as much information as possible, âthe memo added. (The parentheses, which appear in the version of the quote cited in the complaint, indicate that the “direction” came from Google’s senior vice president and general counsel, Kent Walker.)
In the same memo, Google said it may not be able to persuade Facebook to “align with our goals and our privacy strategy,” adding that the social network “prioritizes its reputation over its business interest in legislative debates â.
Less than a month after the meeting, Google agreed to pay $ 170 million to resolve the allegations by the FTC and the The New York attorney general that he had violated COPPA by collecting information about children who watched videos on YouTube. The fine was the heaviest ever for violating children’s online privacy.
Jedi Blue: The recently unsealed court file also offers new details about a 2018 advertising deal between Google and Facebook dubbed Jedi Blue – a deal whose disclosure last year brought new attention to the relationship between the No.1 actors and # 2 in online advertising.
The states alleged in their first complaint, filed in December, that Google and Facebook made a secret and illegal pact in 2018 to divide the market for ads on websites and apps. (The lawsuit alleges that Google has monopolized technology to buy, sell and serve ads online.) But the December filing redacted most of the details of the deal.
In Friday’s new brief, States cited an August 2018 presentation from Google that if it couldn’t “avoid competing with FAN [Facebook Audience Network]’, so he would collaborate with Facebook instead to’ build a moat ‘.
The deal was prompted by Facebook’s 2017 decision to use “header auctions” – a technology popular with website publishers that has helped them increase the money they’ve earned through to advertising. While Facebook sells ads on its own platform, it also operates a network to allow advertisers to serve ads on third-party apps and mobile websites.
Senior Facebook executives have said in emails that the deal with Google is “a big deal strategically.” The social network saw itself as having limited options: it could “‘invest hundreds of additional engineers’ and spend billions of dollars to lock down inventory in order to compete, leave the company, or strike a deal with Google. “.
Under the terms of the deal, which top company executives signed in November 2018, Google granted benefits to Facebook when the social network used its ad exchange, the states said. The duo have also integrated some of their software so that Google can pass data from Facebook to use to help track and identify users.
Google and Facebook have also hijacked technology that aims to block tracking on Apple devices and on Apple’s Safari browser, the states said.
Facebook’s response: Facebook spokesperson Christopher Sgro said the company supports “fair and transparent ad auctions” where “the highest bidder wins”.
âNothing disclosed today changes this fact. On the contrary, the full dossier confirms what we’ve been saying from the start – that Facebook’s non-exclusive auction deal with Google, and the similar deals we have with other auction platforms, have helped increase the competition for ad placements, âhe said. “These business relationships allow Facebook to deliver more value to advertisers while compensating publishers fairly, which translates into better results for everyone.”


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Apple has filed a lawsuit against Ericsson, accusing the telecoms gear maker of charging excessive royalty fees for LTE wireless technology patents.
In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for Northern California on Monday, the Cupertino claimed that it has not infringed on any of the Swedish company’s patents, which it says are not essential to industry standards.
Apple alleges that Ericsson is seeking royalties for the LTE technology calculated as a percentage of the price of the device the technology is embedded in, rather than on the value of the processor chip that runs the technology.
In the event that Ericsson’s patents are deemed essential and Apple is found to have infringed on them by the court, the Cupertino said it wishes the court to decide on a reasonable royalty rate.
“We’ve always been willing to pay a fair price to secure the rights to standards essential patents covering technology in our products. Unfortunately, we have not been able to agree with Ericsson on a fair rate for their patents so, as a last resort, we are asking the courts for help,” said Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet.
In response, Ericson has filed a claim in the U.S. District Court for Eastern Texas to decide on whether it has made “a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory” licensing offer to Apple for its “standard essential” LTE patents.
“Every Apple smartphone or tablet that has cellular connectivity needs our technology,” said Kasim Alfalahi, Ericsson’s Chief Intellectual Property Officer.
“We have been trying to negotiate a new agreement. We came to the conclusion we needed the help of a third party,” Alfalahi said.
According to the court filing, Apple’s patent deal with Ericsson, which covers many of the patents that subject to dispute, was filed way back in 2008 soon after the iPhone was launched.


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SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—For many, Spring has always been the season to clear out unused and unneeded items from garages, attics and closets. And with people at home during shelter-in-place, Spring cleaning has increased exponentially.
“People are cooped up with nothing to do,” said Alan C. Martinson, Vice President of Retail for Goodwill Central Coast. “So they start cleaning.”
Goodwill saw a spike in donations after the outbreak of Covid-19. But stores themselves were closed. This led to people leaving piles of items in front of donation centers, out in the open where others could rummage through.
Martinson said it was a big problem.
“Most of the items couldn’t be donated after being on the street like that,” he said. “A lot ended up in the landfill. And it forced our employees, who should be staying home, to go and clean it up.”
Despite this, Martinson said that Goodwill Central Coast is doing well compared to others in the nation.
“It’s because of the people in our community, helping to get the word out,” he said.
Goodwill is a nonprofit that provides training, employment placement and other programs to people who have difficulty finding jobs—including veterans, those who lack work experience or who have been incarcerated.
When shelter-in-place began, all of Goodwill Central Coast’s stores, donation sites and offices in Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties were closed, and all but 20 percent of employees were furloughed.
“Our mission is to create jobs, but how can we right now?” Martinson said. “We are worried about our employees… we want to get them working again.”
One act the organization took was expanding its e-commerce store at shopgoodwill.com. In 2017 Goodwill moved its e-commerce office from Santa Cruz to Salinas. Martinson said they hope to triple the size of the facility and employ another 20 people.
“We know people are shopping online more now,” he said. “So we’re trying to focus on that.”
The online store takes donations and puts them up for bid. The shop offers high-end brands such as Coach, camera equipment, musical instruments, collectibles and jewelry. Martinson said that recently a Rolex watch sold for $15,000.
“A lot of people don’t know that the best items go straight online,” he said.
Goodwill Central Coast plans to open its stores as the shelter-in-place order is gradually lifted, but in a different capacity. Stores will have wider aisles, less crowded areas and safety standards for employees, including mandatory masks, gloves and shields. Break rooms will also be closed.
“Little things like this will be challenging for employees,” Martinson said. “But safety comes first.”
As for donations, Martinson asks for people to just hold onto things a bit longer.
“Don’t just leave it on a curb,” he said. “Hold on to it and keep checking our website. Trust me, there will be no mystery when we’re open again. We will let everyone know.”


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Small business has always been America’s driving economic force when it comes to job creation and opportunity. Entrepreneurship is vital especially in underserved communities — and the evidence is clear that American Latinos, for example, are reaching new economic heights in the American marketplace with small business creation.
While unnecessarily cumbersome and needless regulations have been a hindrance to creating opportunities and jobs for all small businesses, they now pale in comparison to alarming developments in our judicial system that place extraordinary strains on business relationships.
The success referenced above of Hispanic-owned businesses, for example, is a boon to the entire country. Business groups estimate at over 4.3 million and growing, contributing over $700 billion annually to the American economy. A September 2018 report by CNBC also shows that in just one year, revenue from Hispanic-owned businesses has increased by 26.5%.
Texas is a driving force behind this growth. Three of the top five cities for Hispanic entrepreneurs are in Texas: Laredo, Corpus Christi, and San Antonio. Additionally, one out of every five Latino small business loan requests in the United States is made in the Lone Star state.
But a recent 2018 court case in San Antonio that resulted in one of the largest trade secret judgments in American history could set a troubling new precedent for small businesses seeking to expand their economic outreach, build new commercial relationships, and contribute to the American economy.
While issues in business-related trials are often obscure or mundane, even a quick glance at key specifics of the case in question is perplexing to the point of comedy.
The case involved housing valuation startup HouseCanary suit against Amrock, a title insurance firm and HouseCanary’s former business partner, for allegedly misappropriating trade secrets.
In a reasonable world, HouseCanary’s case would have crumbled when a key witness testified that Amrock hadn’t used any of the purported trade secrets. Or when Amrock CEO Jeff Eisenshtadt then received an unsolicited email from a HouseCanary whistleblower stating that the company gave Amrock faulty wireframes and apps, and that Amrock was “lied to repeatedly.”
Or when that employee’s concerned email inspired three additional whistleblowers who served as top HouseCanary executives to come forward. Each individual attested under oath to HouseCanary’s blatant deceit and inability to deliver a functioning product.
HouseCanary also aimed to silence those privy to their unethical business practices, according to a previous employee’s sworn statement. The employee was offered a $250 an hour consulting agreement with the startup despite the fact that there was “no specifically-defined scope of work, nor any minimum or maximum number of hours per month.” The employee concluded that HouseCanary was attempting to prevent him from telling the truth.
But the result was a jaw-dropping $706.2 million verdict against. . . Amrock.
This verdict should raise red flags for both small and large firms. Many small businesses cannot and should not have to allocate finances toward large punitive damages and legal costs elicited by these types of weak legal allegations. In fact, verdicts of the magnitude exhibited in this case will result in businesses permanently closing their doors and the loss of many jobs.
Moreover, larger firms shouldn’t have to be skittish around potential partners. If large firms walk into a potential commercial relationship with a startup worried that they could be duped at any moment, they will think twice about shaking hands with that prospective entrepreneur.
This court case has demonstrated that dishonest and deceitful maneuverings of one business partner can lead to disastrous consequences for the other — even in our court system. Judicial officials should reconsider this verdict so that small businesses in all communities can continue to pursue the American dream.
Mario H. Lopez is president of the Hispanic Leadership Fund, a public policy advocacy organization that promotes liberty, opportunity, and prosperity for all Americans.
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