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Digi-Key celebrates partnerships new and old
Digi-Key Electronics has announced it has secured a global distribution partnership with Mini-Circuits, and will offer the company’s MMIC product line-up of 50 GHz LTCC filters, baluns and couplers, and patented reflectionless filters.
Mini-Circuits is a developer of radio frequency (RF), microwave and millimetre-wave components and systems, offering a huge portfolio of RF components. The company’s products are used widely in commercial, industrial and military applications, including cellular wireless, aerospace, satellite, Mil-Spec, CATV/broadband, RFID, test instrumentation, diagnostic imaging and more.
“Digi-Key is thrilled to be an authorised distributor for Mini-Circuits and offer their products in stock and available for immediate shipping,” said David Stein, Vice President of Global Supplier Management for Digi-Key. “Mini-Circuits has been a leader in the RF and microwave space for more than 50 years; their vast offering includes the critical building blocks in RF design. We feel this will be a hugely beneficial partnership that only further enables design engineers to choose exactly what they need, when they need it.”
“Many of our customers already use Digi-Key as a preferred point of sale for a variety of parts in their designs,” said Mini-Circuits’ Vice President of Technical Marketing, Steve Scheinkopf. “We believe Digi-Key’s reputation for easy online ordering, in-stock availability and fast delivery align with our commitment to outstanding service, and we’re confident that this new partnership will give Mini-Circuits’ customers even greater flexibility and convenience.”
The news comes shortly after Digi-Key announced it had been recognised by Bourns, a manufacturer and supplier of electronic components and integrated solutions, for 30 years of engagement in a successful business relationship. Digi-Key said Bourns’ recognition of the companies’ longstanding partnership is evidence of its commitment to the Bourns brand as well as all its supplier partners.
As an industry innovator, Bourns targets product development at high-growth industries such as computers, telecommunications, automotive and portable electronics. Digi-Key supports the full portfolio offered by Bourns, from chip inductors to humidity sensors.
“We are very proud to have partnered with Bourns for the past three decades,” said Jason Simoneau, Director of Supplier Business Development for Digi-Key. “We were a different company 30 years ago, and Bourns took a chance on a small distributor doing things so differently in the market. We are grateful for their trust in us 30 years ago and we greatly appreciate the continued partnership as both brands have grown significantly in the last 30 years. We are looking forward to celebrating more milestones in the future with the Bourns team.”
“Our successful partnership with Digi-Key has certainly stood the test of time where both companies have grown and prospered through our collaboration,” said Kelly Vogt, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales at Bourns. “What began as an initial sales relationship 30 years ago has expanded into the global distribution network Bourns highly values today.
“On behalf of Bourns, we are thrilled to mark this significant milestone with Digi-Key and look forward to our continued mutual success for many, many years to come.”
FLIR Systems will now be included in Teledyne Technologies' Digital Imaging segment and...
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STMicroelectronics has announced its acquisition of Edge AI software specialist Cartesiam as well...


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Derby’s latest and greatest eateries are in competition for the title of Best Newcomer.
Three of the best venues to open recently in the city are in the running to win big at the Derby Food and Drink Awards 2019.
The city’s favourite new café, pub or restaurant will be revealed at the Roundhouse on October 7.
But, for now, let's take a look at this year's finalists for the Best Newcomer category in more detail...
Elements Tea and Coffee House, Victoria Street
New Scandinavian-inspired café Elements boasts a wide selection of some of Derby’s best hot beverages and an inclusive food menu featuring locally-sourced ingredients.
Stephanie and Peter Marris set up their business in November last year “out of a passion for discovering the best places to eat and drink.”
Peter said: “As an independent shop, we have the luxury to keep things fresh, whether that be by offering a monthly guest coffee or transforming into a restaurant every Friday and Saturday night.”
The Creaky Floorboard, Kedleston Road
Owners Josie and James Woodman opened this curious new micropub in the front room of their home on Kedleston Road last December.
It might be small, but the Creaky Floorboard has a great range of ciders, gins, rums and spirits, as well as “a rotating selection of five real ales”.
Josie said: “We pride ourselves on being the place you can come to celebrate or commiserate, where you’ll feel as welcome walking in on your own as you would in a group.”
Annie's Burger Shack, Friary Street
This American restaurant prides itself on its burgers, which are available in meat, vegetarian or vegan options.
It opened late last year in the former First Church of Christ Scientist.

domain: news


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Elon Musk has promised to solve ongoing power problems in the state of South Australia by committing to build a 100MW battery storage farm, and promising that if he couldn’t provide the system within 100 days, he would give it to the state for free.
The Tesla CEO made the promise on Twitter, replying to Atlassian CEO and Australian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes. The conversation came after similar remarks from Lyndon Rive, Tesla’s vice president for energy products, who said earlier in the week that his company would commit to solving South Australia’s energy issues with 100 to 300 megawatt-hours of battery storage. Like Musk, Rive said Tesla could install the required batteries within 100 days. "We don't have 300MWh sitting there ready to go,” he said, “but I'll make sure there are.”
Musk said Tesla would get the system installed and working within 100 days of signing a contract. For his part, Cannon-Brookes requested seven days to “sort out politics and funding,” and asked the Tesla CEO to DM him an approximate quote for a 100MW battery farm — at “mates rates.” Musk replied a short time later specifying that Tesla would charge $250 per kilowatt-hour for 100MWh systems like the one discussed, and that the company was moving to a fixed, open pricing structure for its battery farms.
Assuming Musk can indeed secure a deal with the Australian government, it seems that Tesla has the capabilities to make good on its founder’s promise: the company built a similar 80MW farm in California last year in just 90 days.
The last blackout took place in February
The Australian state has suffered from a spate of blackouts over the past six months, with the most recent taking place in early February, during a 104 degree heatwave. The Australian Energy Market Operator has blamed the blackouts on a number of factors, including higher-than-expected demand, but the topic has become a political battleground, with the Australian government pointing to the failure of renewable energies to cover usage.
Coal-fired power plants have been closing across Australia in recent months, hiking energy bills and contributing to blackouts like those suffered in South Australia. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has pushed for a return to the fossil fuel as part of a “coal-fired future,” but Tesla’s battery technology may help wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources persist in Australia. Musk’s battery farms can store huge amounts of energy generated by these renewable sources and siphon it off during busy times, theoretically eliminating blackouts.


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The question seems to be answered clearly on November 1st. Razer Twitter account provides a leak in the form of images with the date.
In the uploaded image, a young man holding a smartphone-sized device with both hands, but not yet known whether it is a smartphone or not.
Another code that can be captured from the image is the text that reads 'watch' is written with a larger size and use the green color of Razer identity. It is not known for sure whether the writing is only to attract the attention of readers, or indeed indicate the name of the device to be released on 1 November.
Until now there is no news that can be confirmed the truth about the device released by Razer. Although Razer acquired Nextbit, it was too early to suppose the gaming vendor would plunge into the smartphone industry.
In several interviews with CEO Razer, Min-Liang Tan, he once mentioned that Razer has not planned to plunge into the smartphone industry. However, he acknowledges that the segment of mobile devices and their ecosystems will be highly developed and important for the gaming industry.
So far we can only speculate about the device to be released by Razer, whether it is a smartphone or handheld gaming device like the Nintendo Switch.
Some time ago, CEO Razer also had attracted the attention of worshipers of his company, after uploading a photo with his partner. Looks a little in his pocket a device with Razer logo design. Of course this is a matter of debate.


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Milton, GA – On May 14th a burglar broke into a Freemanville Road home and stole several thousands of dollars worth of the homeowner’s possessions. The intruder stole several pieces of jewelry, computers, ipads and tools. He also stole 11 weapons including both long guns and hand guns.
The burglar also stole the homeowner’s passports, birth certificates, social security cards, and debit cards. Law enforcement officials related that one of the debit cards was used at a Kroger store in Woodstock. On a positive note, one of the stores security system cameras managed to capture images of the suspected burglar.
Police have asked the public to respond anonymously to Crime Stoppers at (404) 577-8477 if they have any information on the subject.
Don’t become another Atlanta area crime statistic. Protect you home, possessions, pets and family with a high quality ADT security system from American Guardian, Georgia’s oldest and most trusted ADT Authorized Dealer. For over 20 years American Guardian has been protecting families in the metro Atlanta area.
For you most competitive quote on your security system Atlanta or your Atlanta Security System call American Guardian. They offer financing plans along with very competitive month to month monitoring starting at only $14.95 per month
Call them about their FREE camera promotion.


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- Indian developer SuperGaming has revealed addtional details about its battle royale shooter, Indus.
- Indus will have a wide variety of guns including assault rifles, sniper rifles, and hand cannons.
- Indus is scheduled to launch later this year for PC, consoles, and mobile.
Indian developer SuperGaming has recently announced its upcoming battle royale game, Indus. The game will feature deep lore based on Indian culture with a futuristic twist. As the game is still in development, Indus is scheduled to launch later this year for PC, mobile, and consoles. The dev team has claimed that Indus will have fantastic gunplay and gameplay mechanics that are found in modern-day battle royale shooters. Considering that SuperGaming has experience is building successful multiplayer games like Silly Royale and MaskGun, it would be interesting to see how Indus turns out.
The #IndusGame key art had a progression of its own.— Indus Game (@IndusGame) January 31, 2022
Here’s #IndusBTS of how a black and red marker on a white board evolves into key visual. 🔥
Check the thread for the art behind the art 🖌🎨 (1/6) pic.twitter.com/yprPcDDBqj
In an official blog post, SuperGaming has revealed more details about Indus. You will play as a Mythwalker, who is working as a hired gun for an intergalactic syndicate called COVEN. COVEN has discovered an ancient scientifically advanced planet called Indus. Indus is a mysterious planet full of unexplored and ever-changing islands. COVEN is interested in exploring Indus as it has an unlimited amount of life-changing natural wealth called Cosmium. All the battle royale matches will take place on an evolving island map called Virlok, which is located on Indus. The game will run on Unity as base engine with a custom designed sandbox shooter tech stack called the Indus Engine.
Similar to most battle royale shooters out there, Indus will feature a wide variety of guns at launch including assault rifles, sniper rifles, and hand cannons. SuperGaming has also revealed concept art of Indus’ double-barrel, burst-fire sniper called Ashvini.
Indus will run in first-person perspective at launch, and the team is working on adding third-person perspective later. The game will also have various anti-cheat measures to ensure fair play for all players. SuperGaming will reveal details regarding minimum system requirements and the availability of a battle pass in the coming months.


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Dragon Box success for ACE
January 29, 2019
By Colin Mann
Building on the momentum of successful actions curtailing piracy device sellers and illegal streaming applications, the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) – a global coalition dedicated to protecting the dynamic legal market and reducing online piracy – has reached a settlement with the operators of streaming media device Dragon Box.
On behalf of its members, ACE brought legal action against the Defendants for designing, marketing, and selling a computer hardware device and service (Dragon Box) that enabled mass theft and illegal distribution of copyrighted films and television shows.
“Today’s legal victory is another significant and positive step in reducing online piracy and supporting creators around the world,” declared Richard VanOrnum, a spokesperson for ACE. “ACE is pleased the agreement will ensure the immediate shutdown of the illegal Dragon Box system. The theft of creative content is a pervasive threat to the dynamic legal marketplace for movie and television content, and ACE will continue its global efforts to advance creativity.”
The litigation, filed in January 2018, was the second civil case brought by ACE.


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MBA's Kittle calls for balance in efforts to improve mortgage regulation
Zoot enhances credit evaluation decisioning engine MortgagePress.comZoot, credit decisioning, loan origination solutions Zoot, a provider of advanced instant credit decisioning and loan origination solutions, announced a new release of its industry leading decision. Zoot's robust suite of decisioning solutions provide a flexible business rules engine designed for high performance, high transaction volumes and ease of integration with clients' existing legacy systems. "It is critical for banks to focus on improving decision-making capabilities. With bank profitability under the microscope, retail bankers can no longer afford to make sub-optimal decisions," said Kathleen Khirallah, managing director of banking practice at TowerGroup. "Stakeholders are insisting on greater transparency and improved performance. Creating a decision management infrastructure that is flexible and can change with minimal IT support along with embracing a more integrated, enterprise-wide approach to consumer lending are key elements financial institutions must employ to thrive in the coming years." Decision engines and scorecards must quickly adapt to accommodate ever-changing consumer behavior patterns, especially during economic turbulence. Zoot's most recent performance enhancement updates include: faster processing times, improved usability for clients and a change to the decision engine that allows configuration of custom program modules through the graphical interface, providing greater flexibility and making it easier to implement changes. "Zoot's solutions give business users the flexibility to make changes to credit policy as often as the market demands and to react quickly," said Dennis Dixon, president of Zoot. "Our latest updates are designed to support our clients credit risk management processes in an increasingly challenging market. We give clients access to multiple data sources, allowing them to make smarter decisions while improving their ability to respond rapidly to any situation and take advantage of new opportunities." Zoot has been processing credit decisions for top card issuers for more than 18 years. These recent enhancements are designed to help clients keep pace with industry changes from legislation to credit risk to consumer preferences. "In today's dynamic market, having a vendor partner that understands the financial service industry and the importance of your financial institution staying current is imperative," said Dixon. For more information, visit www.zootweb.com.


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The session entitled “Examining Regulatory Frameworks for Digital Currencies and Blockchain” at the US Congress has just ended, it involved the CEO of Circle, Jeremy Allaire, Rebecca M. Nelson, a specialist in international trading and finance, and Mehrsa Baradaran, professor of law at the Californian University “Irvine School of Law”.
The session focused on the issue of regulation within the crypto sector, with opening remarks concerning the previous session on Libra and the Facebook “cryptocurrency”, recalling the various doubts that were generated by the project. In general, all the Senators involved expressed their concern about the Libra project.
However, speaking of blockchain, Mike Crapo also explained how aware he is of the fact that blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies are inevitable, reiterating that for him it should be the US government to lead the sector. It is for this reason, explained Crapo, that the US Congress is organising these sessions, to obtain more information on the different cryptocurrencies and to understand how to create a framework for possible regulation.
Senator Sherrod Brown then took the floor and began the session stressing that they cannot trust Libra: every project always has negative aspects and that, while they could be advantageous, there are still rules to follow, which is why the US Congress wants some clarity.
After that, it was the turn of Circle’s CEO, who talked about his background in the financial sector, which spans more than 25 years. Circle was founded in 2017, explained Allaire, with the aim of sharing and simplifying the entry into the crypto world to users in order to address all the disadvantages and problems of the traditional banking system.
Allaire thus emphasised the various frauds and funds of dubious origin, praising the blockchain as the future of the banking world. In addition, Circle’s CEO expressed his concerns about the crypto market and how his company is complying with all of US regulations.
Professor Baradaran also took the floor during this session of the US Congress, stating that the blockchain is a great opportunity to ensure better security and stressed that the current traditional financial system involves too many costs for the end-user: if the current system can not be replaced immediately, explained Baradaran, it is still possible to integrate this technology to have better management of the entire industry.
In addition, Baradaran spoke about the various reasons that led to the 2008 crisis and referred to Libra by saying that, even if it is pegged 1 to 1 with the dollar, no one could predict what would happen if things went wrong, which is why no one is now able to determine the various negative effects on the entire financial system and the users who would use Libra.
Circle CEO talks about regulation
After these remarks, there were several questions to the CEO of Circle. First, Crapo asked Allaire for his opinion on the future of Bitcoin and how, according to him, it would be possible to achieve good regulation. As a result, Allaire, making a very clear distinction between bitcoin and Libra, explained how, according to him, bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies should be treated like the other commodities, although with particular attention to their custody and security as they are digital goods.
Then, Senator Cortez Mastoche made her point, explaining that in her opinion blockchain technology will not go out of fashion and that we will have to live with it, so as to be able to regulate its use to avoid problems for investors and not interfere with the American economic system.
Blockchain: an opportunity for America
Senator Van Hollen, in agreement with this statement, explained that America must act quickly to decide on a crypto framework so as not to miss such an important opportunity that is currently costing millions to the American system. The professor confirmed this statement, considering that more and more companies and startups are deciding to move out of America to have a clearer regulation and more opportunities for the sector.


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BEGIN ARTICLE PREVIEW:
An exciting new immersive experience venture has opened in the Valley this summer.Infinite Reality is one of the newest businesses helping to put a real buzz into Bacup town centre as it battles back from the pandemic. Launched by 22-year-old Jordan Jackson at the start of last month, the Market Street arcade offers a whole range of different game play and immersive experiences to choose from, from bungee jumping, to rollercoasters to walking off a tall building. Available for as little as half an hour – sessions are priced at £20.50 for an hour at weekends, with a 25 per cent weekday discount. Former BRGS student Jordan is encouraging people of all ages to give the growing phenomenon a try, with his simple message that ‘you are never too old to enjoy yourself’. And with a big part of the venue’s business model its party service, they are also going to make available group bookings for ‘social bubbles’.
VR arcade Infinite Reality, in Bacup
“Virtual Reality is based on a reality that you’re not actually in, but gives you the impression you are there,” he said. “It’s an experience that you cannot describe using words. It’s growing …
END ARTICLE PREVIEW


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The Competition and Markets Authority said it served a Phase 1 enforcement order on Amazon and Roofoods, which trades as Deliveroo. The food delivery service said it would use the investment to grow its engineering team in its London headquarters and expand its delivery reach to new customers.
In its announcement yesterday, the CMA said there were reasons to believe Amazon's investment in Deliveroo may eventually lead to the firm ceasing to be distinct.
In a statement Friday, Amazon defended its investment. In the United States, Amazon bought Whole Foods in 2017 to deliver groceries, and Amazon Prime members in some U.S., British, Japanese and German areas can order food through AmazonFresh.
The order requires Amazon and Deliveroo to operate independently for now, meaning they can not do things like transfer staff or commercially sensitive information.
Amazon has unsuccessfully tried to launch its own food delivery service in Britain, with Amazon Restaurants UK, but closed the service in December after two years of operation.
The deal was not billed as a takeover by Amazon, and Deliveroo has a number of industry competitors such as Uber and Just Eats. That process could be compromised if the companies had already merged financially.
Bosses at Amazon have already tried to take on the two established rivals in the United Kingdom with the company's Amazon Restaurants service.
Neither Deliveroo or Amazon have disclosed a figure for Amazon's funding contribution.
The vigilance had become tough as Andrew Tyrie joined as the Chairman of CMA in 2018.
The customer and supplier lists of both organisations must continue to be operated separately and "any negotiations with any existing or potential customers and suppliers in relation to the Deliveroo business will be carried out by the Deliveroo business alone", according to the CMA.


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By Johanna Blume
Two years ago, they began.
The “beauty brigades” started in every residence hall bathroom on Rider’s campus. Green buckets, adorned with pictures of cosmetic packaging and various personal hygiene bottles accompanied by a list of accepted empty containers, mysteriously appeared in both men’s and women’s restrooms. The only other signal for the fate of these empty bottles was a logo that read “TerraCycle.”
The founder of TerraCycle, entrepreneur and environmentalist Tom Szaky, was a special speaker for Rider in 2008. He dropped out of Princeton University and founded the global company known as TerraCycle, which upcycles packaging and products that are typically difficult to recycle. Not only does the company give new life to trash, but it is also creative and unique in its expression. Over 12,000 cosmetic containers have been collected from Rider’s campus, which TerraCycle then upcycled into outdoor furniture.
Melissa Greenberg, sustainability manager, said Rider’s involvement in the brigade aims “to raise awareness about recycling and that items like shampoo bottles can carry on a life when we are done with them. It shows innovation and sends a message about seeing items in a reusable way and not trash for a landfill.”
The 10 eco-reps, seven on the Lawrenceville campus and three on the Westminster campus, have seen growth in the brigade throughout the years, with major contributions coming from the sororities and the performing art students who live in Ridge House. The beauty brigade is an easy way for students to become more aware of their actions and how those actions impact the world, eco-reps say.
“Students participate in the TerraCycle beauty brigade because it’s really easy,” said senior geoscience major Steve Schwartz. “The effort is so successful because they feel like they are directly a part of a new, innovative method of upcycling. It’s awesome that Rider offers so many new ways for students to be sustainable.”
Since establishing the partnership with TerraCycle, Greenberg and the eco-reps have no plans to stop. They hope students will check out those green buckets in their bathrooms and join in the brigade.


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Eric Watkins is a Morgantown resident who said he hears about people getting DUI's too often so he created a company to help the situation.
Dub V Safe Ride was started by Watkins with $15,000, and a hope to end drunk driving in the area.
"Most people when they're drinking they don't want to depart from their car. So therefore, they drink and drive. Or they have to go to work the next day and they don't want to have to go back and get their car," said Watkins. "Now you get to keep your car with you the entire item while you're drinking… legally, safely, and morally."
The idea of DubV Safe Ride is simple. You call the number and wait for one of the drivers to show up on a scooter. The driver then easily breaks down his transportation. The scooter can fit into the trunk or backseat of your car, and then just get into the passenger seat and enjoy the ride.
Grant Blaisdell is a WVU graduate and said getting involved with the operation was a no brainer. He went to school for criminology and knows what the affects of a DUI can do to someone's reputation.
"A lot of the businesses will ask you if you ever got a DUI," said Blaisdell. "I feel like this is a good way to help out and still be along the lines of my major. And good experience too, good resume builder."
Rides cost $15 to be picked up in town and $2 per mile. Watkins said you can't put a price on staying safe.
"We're cheaper than a DUI, it's cheaper than a night in Doddridge. You don't destroy your car, your life, your career, your future career," Watkins said. "You don't get a DUI and go to Valley."
DubV Safe Ride will start this Thursday. They will be taking rides Thursday through Friday from 10 pm-4 am.
We'll have more about DubV Safe Ride later in the week. If you want to become a DubV Safe Ride member visit the website here.


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To any digital marketer and business owner, 2020 was undoubtedly the epitome of the word “arbitrary” because of all the different events that took place. Although the year started with the expectation of having a clearer shot at success because of all the technological developments that came out in the previous year, the pandemic clearly pushed all those hopes aside. Sure, some may argue that digital marketing itself has seen an uptake in constituents and participating businesses because of the current lockdown restrictions, but the truth is that it has not made prediction any easier.
We are now five months into the new year, it seems like the central focus that business owners look forward to is the huge rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine. Considering that a cure is guaranteed to be a beacon of hope that everything will go back to normal, it’s easy to see why many businesses have focused on their digital marketing efforts.
Despite all the hopes that the age of in-person sales and physical stores are about to make their combat, it’s also worth noting that now is the perfect time to start refining your knowledge of what to expect for the rest of 2021.
What’s the digital marketing forecast like for 2021?
Regardless if you’re keen on refining your customer journey or making the full migration to an online business set-up, it’s essential to note challenges and openings that lie ahead for digital marketing.
Besides the present difficulty that the pandemic has been posing when it comes to effectively forecasting the next move for businesses, some key actionable details are guaranteed to occur. Let’s look at three predicted developments in the coming months that will help you figure out your strategy for a complete recovery:
Development #1: Mobile functionality-first approaches will be essential for success
If anything is worth keeping an eye on this year, it’s the clear development that mobile functionality has become the gold standard and norm for everything digital marketing.
Regardless if it’s social media platforms, websites, or applications, mobile access is bound to take center stage as more customers use their smartphones to do everything. If you want to ensure that you’re noticeable for potential customers to convert far easier, you’ll need to prioritize mobile functionality in all of your digital marketing efforts!
Development #2: Mobile e-commerce is bound to become the norm
With a projected 280 million expected smartphone users in 2021, it is no surprise that mobile platforms are slated to become the primary access point for anyone who uses the Internet. This is especially true when it comes to the case of e-commerce.
Based on this report, mobile e-commerce sales are expected to account for at least 54 percent of online sales in 2021. This should be a signal to start doubling down on your e-commerce strategy! If you need a strategic approach that will ensure you start the coming year on the right foot, then aiming for online sales at all costs will be your best course of action.
Development #3: Outsourcing will become more common
When it comes to management-centric trends for digital marketing, the foremost development that you should capitalize on is outsourcing digital marketing services.
Compared to other parts of a business that can be handled hands-on, digital marketing shouldn’t be learned by trial-and-error because of its detail-intensiveness. For this reason, outsourcing has become such a vital alternative for businesses looking to crawl out of the pandemic and recover properly.
With the help of a dependable expert—such as Cyrusson—you can focus on your efforts to jumpstart your business and bring it back to fighting shape while your digital marketing needs are professionally handled!
Although last year was completely arbitrary and the security of 2021 hangs in the balance, your business’s digital marketing aspect bears a valuable exemption as there are several predicted trends that linger. By keeping this guide and watching out for the three main developments mentioned above, you can ensure that you don’t end up missing out on any valuable opportunities along the way!
We’re a digital marketing agency in San Francisco that helps all businesses and entities with our digital ad campaign, search engine optimization, and social marketing services. Give us a call or send us an email today to learn more about how we can best serve your digital marketing needs!


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HashiConf Europe took place once again in Amsterdam this year. Watch our complete sessions playlist, read a recap of the big keynote announcements, and take a look back at the sights and sounds of our annual European community conference.
After two years as a fully digital event, HashiConf Europe will once again return to Amsterdam on 20-22 June 2022. Here’s what you can expect.
HashiConf Global takes place Tuesday–Thursday, October 19-21, 2021, and we are excited to introduce several new elements to the program.
HashiConf Europe 2021 is coming June 8-11. Here are some of the highlights that you don’t want to miss, from customer stories to product deep-dives.
Gain a deeper understanding of HashiCorp tools and products with 90-minute hands-on workshops at HashiConf Europe: Thursday and Friday, June 10 and 11, 2021.
With the impact of COVID-19, we have transformed this year’s annual HashiCorp community conferences into online events: HashiConf Digital. The very first edition took place June 22 to 24, 2020. Over 6,600 community members from 105 countries gathered online for three days to hear product announcements, take part in product workshops, share ideas, and deepen their knowledge of HashiCorp products.
HashiConf Digital, our first fully digital community conference, will take place in just a couple of weeks from June 22-24, 2020. The program is packed with product updates, keynotes, technical sessions, workshops, and community connections all delivered through a new digital conference platform.
We are excited to announce that our global community conference program is expanding even further in 2020. For the very first time, our events will take place in three locations around the world: Sydney, Amsterdam, and San Diego.


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Romans are encouraged to wear their finest ‘smoking jackets and stoles’ to an event that will take them back to the Victorian era. And it’s all to help end childhood hunger.
“Whisper of the Garden Party” is a fundraising event which takes place Saturday, Oct. 19 at Magnolia Hall, the designer showcase home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Spears.
The event will feature the Atlanta Jazz Quartet, comfort food, luxury auction items and organizers promise a fun-filled evening.
The vent supports the efforts of the Helping Hands Ending Hunger program. The organization hopes to expand its student-led program into schools throughout Georgia as they work to end childhood food insecurity, reduce food waste and promote education equity.
Currently helping more than 5,400 individuals weekly with grocery bags filled with meals for families, Helping Hands has distributed more than 500,000 pounds of nutritious food that otherwise would have gone to landfills.
“Whisper of the Garden Party” will take place Oct. 19 at 239 Chulio Rd. from 6-10 p.m. Tickets are $45 per person and $80 per couple. Tickets are available online at www.helpinghandsendinghunger.org or by calling 706-844-4014.


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Blog: One bad apple
Chris Brook-Carter | 25 November 2003
Walk into a UK pub or bar and contemplate the array of drinks on offer, and one that many people would not consider is cider. Unless, of course, you walk into a pub in the west country. A recent trip to Somerset confirms that, in this small pocket of the United Kingdom at least, cider is alive and well. But times have been tough for the drink.
Since around 1995, cider volumes have been down and value has been eroded. As the popularity of cider has taken a beating, so has its relevance to retailers. The emphasis has been more on “buy one, get one free” or “50% extra free” than trying to “sex up” the image of cider to a new generation of drinkers. Peter Spencer, managing director of Matthew Clark, makers of Blackthorn and Gaymer’s Olde English, is well aware of the situation. “Most people tend to associate cider with either their first teenage hangover, or men with pipes and beards.”
The fiasco at Bulmers, and the subsequent acquisition of the company by Scottish & Newcastle, has redirected the focus in the industry away from this main issue. These have been interesting – and difficult – times for those in the business of making cider. But Matthew Clark has recently made a strong statement of intent for the future. The company remains committed to the cider business, and believes that it is a strategic imperative for both Matthew Clark and its owner Constellation.
What the industry needs is a market leader to take control of the perceptions surrounding cider drinking. Be it Bulmers or Matthew Clark, the sooner these issues in the British drinkers’ heads are challenged, the sooner the choppy waters of the past eight years can be greeted by a calming, golden sunrise.
Major wine players flocked to China ready for online giant Alibaba's 9.9 Global Wine and Spirits Festival, which took place on 9 September....
In May, Heineken's CEO, Jean-François van Boxmeer, called Vietnam the "poster child" for international beer thanks to strong demographics and growing demand....
Heineken is known for its flashy adverts. Now the brewer has given the star treatment to a new recruitment drive with a glamorous and highly-persuasive ad that, quite frankly, had the staff here at...
Move over iPhone 7 headphones-gate, there is a new Apple product causing a stir. Or a shake. Or just a shot....
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Amazon Now Storing 2 Trillion Objects in S3
In his article “Amazon Now Storing 2 Trillion Objects in S3” posted 4/25 in The Schwartz Cloud Report, Jeffrey Schwartz commented on 2nd Watch President, Jeff Aden’s statement about AWS:
“We think Amazon has a three- to four-year headstart on product depth and pricing and a decade on global infrastructure,” said Jeff Aden, president of 2nd Watch, a Seattle-based systems integrator that has deployed 200 core production enterprise systems using AWS. “You’re talking potentially five to 10 years out until there’s a serious contender.” While most acknowledge AWS’ lead in the market, some might beg to differ with the challenge its rivals are facing in catching up.
I [Schwartz] asked Aden if he was exclusively tied to Amazon. He said he’s cloud-agnostic but AWS rivals have not been able to match the cost and level of infrastructure 2nd Watch requires to date. Aden said his company spends an extensive amount of time investigating alternatives, notably the newly expanded Windows Azure Infrastructure Services, as well as OpenStack-based services from HP, IBM and Rackspace.
“We continually on Windows Azure and look at it,” Aden said. “It’s great for the marketplace overall, because competition leads to better products, but there are certain things that we have to around security and being able to manage the services before we make recommendations on how to use it.”
Read Schwartz’ full article Amazon Now Storing 2 Trillion Objects in S3 .


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Interactive media and computer games companies based in the South East of England are set to benefit from a new support scheme initiated by Skillset, the Sector Skills Council for the audio visual industries.
The industry-led scheme aims to strengthen and develop the employment base in the sector, offering a specifically tailored support package for small and medium sized companies in the region to provide valuable business skills and commercial awareness.
"The initiative will ultimately improve the competitiveness of the sector as a whole through demonstrating the benefits of business orientated thinking to the games industry," commented Ian Livingstone, Eidos creative director and chair of Skillset's computer games skills forum.
Collectively funded by the Department of Trade and Industry, South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), South East Media Network and additionally supported by industry investment through Skillset, the new scheme will offer developing companies a range of expert business consultancy advice, resources and guidance for commercial growth.
Encompassing a bespoke suite of individual mentor sessions, workshops, masterclasses, networking events and online resources developed specifically for participants, participants will benefit from advice on when and how to invest in technology, how to raise necessary capital, planning projects properly and awareness of new markets and available resources that can help businesses to grow and flourish.
Sector Skills Councils are independent organisations led by groups of influential employers in specific business sectors, supporting the creation and development of new companies and businesses in the sector. The computer games skills forum includes figures from companies including ELSPA, SCEE, Activision, THQ, Microsoft and many more.
According to Skillset, the South East of England has seen substantial growth in recent years for the interactive media and computer games business sectors, which now account for almost sixty per cent of all audio visual employment in the region and continues to boost its economic development.


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Exactly six years ago today, Satya Nadella became CEO of Microsoft and began turning the company upside down.
And now that he’s got Microsoft innovating and executing as well as any company on Earth, Satya Nadella has set his sights on digitalizing the world.
It’s no longer Microsoft’s goal for its business customers to consume huge volumes of enterprise software and services. Rather, Nadella’s reimagined vision calls for Microsoft to make its business customers not only consumers of Microsoft software but also wildly capable creators and consumers of their own software.
The result will be a digital world featuring hundreds of billions of digital devices, many hundreds of zettabytes of data, powerful new forms of collaboration and communication across 5G, and seamless access to data and IT resources across cloud and edge.
For all of you tech companies out there that are currently competing with Microsoft or looking to stealthily pick off a few points of market share here or there, just bear in mind that the long game Microsoft is playing is the biggest of them all: digitalizing the world.
But hey—don’t just take my word for it. Instead, looking back across the past 20 months, let’s hear this unfolding story through the very words of Satya Nadella himself. We can start with some excerpts from his keynote talk in May 2019 at Microsoft’s Build conference in Seattle, during which Nadella first framed out his vision of Azure becoming “the world’s computer.”
Other tech vendors, of course, have touched on some of these or similar points. But no one has pulled these sweeping threads together into a grand vision the way Nadella has. And between this keynote in May 2019 through Nadella’s 6-year anniversary as CEO today, Microsoft has also made excellent progress in turning that vibrant vision into business-value reality for its customers.
“When I think about the world today, computing is getting embedded in the world in every single place, whether it’s our homes, our offices, factories, and stadiums; in every industry from oil and gas to retail to agriculture to financial services; and in everything from connected cars to connected refrigerators to smart surgical tools to smart coffee machines. And they are all being driven by software.”
Turning Developer Relationships Into Moonshots.
“That’s the opportunity in front of us: the opportunity for developers and our colleagues from all other disciplines to come together to build this new world. And that’s the sense of purpose and mission that grounds us at Microsoft, to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. It starts by empowering all of you as developers to go after that moonshot in any industry, in any sphere or life or society.”
The World’s A Big Place—With Big Requirements.
“We also have more certifications than any other public cloud out there. We have over 90 compliance certifications, and why is that important? It’s because we have to meet the real-world needs, regulated industries, data sovereignty needs, operational sovereignty needs. You need to be able to meet the world’s complexity with what you build, so that it really enables all of you as developers to be able to build with less friction.”
A Digital World Needs A World Computer.
We are building out Azure as the world’s computer. We have 54 data center regions around the world.
This is, to my knowledge, Nadella’s first invocation of the audacious idea of Azure as “the world’s computer.” And while it may be fanciful and perhaps even arrogant to some, Nadella doesn’t blink when he uses this metaphor—and no company on Earth is better positioned than Microsoft to tackle such a challenge.
The Cloud Is Booming, But Must Embrace The Edge.
“We are not stopping there. We are extending the cloud to the edge. This is what we’ve always had as a vision for distributed computing, which is there’s a cloud and an edge and distributed computing will remain distributed.”
The Developer Era Is Upon Us.
“So I thought I would just share some of the ambition. One of the things that really excites me is, right now as we speak, there are more software developers being hired outside of what is considered the tech industry and it’s only going to grow. That’s the proliferation of what is the power of software going forwards and you see that ambition.”
Businesses Must Be Able To Build *All* Their Digital Solutions.
“Now, the most important thing, though, of the Bot Framework is the strategic importance for every business out there to build their own conversational canvas. Just like you build websites, just like you build mobile applications, it becomes very important for every business out there to be in control of their own destiny when it comes to this new platform of conversations.”
Turning Developer Dreams Into Reality.
“These platforms are rich canvases for you in this era of the cloud and the edge to enable you to turn the dreams that you all have into reality. Not just imagine the future, but to create it, to build these magical experiences. Magical experiences that empower people to be more productive and collaborative, magical experiences that help organizations to grow, evolve, thrive. Magical experiences that address the most pressing challenges out there, whether in education, healthcare, magical experiences that help people connect, relax, have fun.
It’s this community here that has the power to create that future. And most importantly, to build a world that we all want to live in. I can’t wait to see the magic you build!”
In the wake of those heady ambitions laid out 21 months ago, Microsoft has made some huge progress in weaving them into the everyday fabric of not only how businesses work but also how they imagine what could be possible in an end-to-end digital world.
Nadella shared a few of those developments and advanced thinking during his remarks on Microsoft’s Jan. 29 earnings call. (I analyzed that call in some detail in Microsoft Blows Away Amazon in 2019 Cloud Revenue: 30% Bigger.)
It All Starts With Data.
“The competitiveness of every business going forward will be defined by their ability to harness the full value of their data.”
The Rise Of Software Engineers In The Business World.
“One of the data points I love to use is the number of developers in the non-tech sector is now more than in the tech sector. This is software engineers and that’s going to only increase in the world going forward. So we want to build the best tool chain. After all, that’s who we are as a company. We love building tools for developers.”
Modern Digital Tools + Data = Optimized Real-Time Business.
“When I look at what the world needs, it needs a business application suite that is more comprehensive, and that can turn the real currency of this next era—data—into predictions, insights and automation without boundaries…
And by the way, we’ve architected Dynamics 365 on top of Azure, it’s cloud native in terms of its use of databases. All those insights modules I referenced are all built on Azure Synapse, so it’s sort of deeply integrated into Azure. It integrates into LinkedIn. It integrates into Microsoft 365, into our Power Platform, which is the extensibility model for both Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365…
There’s no such thing as a canonical business and no such thing as a canonical business model over time, right? The business processes change. The question is how rapidly can people and domain experts keep up with the change—and that’s where Dynamics 365 absolutely shines.”
The world’s coming at us faster than ever before—and in many cases, faster than we can imagine, and faster than we can cope with. In the modern digital economy, that’s just not going to be good enough. Such inadequacies will become fatal. Whatever you may think about Microsoft’s ability to “digitalize the world,” one thing is certain: no business process, no company, no industry, and no region of the world will be immune.
Are you prepared?
Subscribe to the Cloud Wars Newsletter for in-depth analysis of the major cloud vendors from the perspective of business customers. It’s free, it’s exclusive, and it’s great!


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As extra people are requested to stay house as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Amazon is making a portion of Prime Video children and circle of relatives programming loose, together with widespread displays like Arthur, Daniel Tiger’s Group, and extra.
Beginning today, 40 circle of relatives and kids’ shows can be made available to stream on Prime Video for all shoppers, together with those with out Top memberships. everybody want is an Amazon account, which they can get without cost through signing up on the primary web page.
The be offering comprises both Amazon Original collection like Simply Add Magic, Pete the Cat, and When You Give A Mouse A Cookie, alongside authorized series like Daniel Tiger’s Group, Atypical Squad, and PBS’s cherished Arthur. In Europe, approved programming also comprises Peppa Pig and Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom. Amazon’s other unfastened streaming carrier, IMDb TELEVISION, may also be offering EIGHTY unfastened circle of relatives films thru its advert-supported gadget. These movies come with Scooby-Doo: The Film, Shrek 2, and The Smurfs, amongst others.
Amazon is the latest company to offer portions of its provider totally free to shoppers who’re caught sitting at house. Other streaming services and products, including horror-centric streamer Shudder and sports activities streaming structures like NBA League Move and NFL Game Pass have started offering loose past video games to fans looking to get their basketball or soccer repair at a time when live sports activities have hit pause. Sling TELEVISION and Hulu have began including unfastened reside news options to subscribers seeking to sustain with the latest knowledge at the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even Though Amazon didn’t say how lengthy the loose offering will remaining, it’s an excellent technique to court docket new Top Video subscribers. Streaming usage is up, as Netflix’s leader content officer Ted Sarandos instructed CNN on Sunday, as people keep home and look for assets of leisure. The Usage Of the time to search out new doable shoppers, and preserving them after lifestyles returns to a couple type of normalcy, is a transfer that many companies are going to check out to do. Amazon providing loose family leisure — on a site where parents are most probably ordering or deliberating ordering basic provides, too — is one among the ones moves.
Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. Those do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media would possibly earn commissions for products bought by way of affiliate links. For additional information, see our ethics coverage.


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Responding to customers and fans on social media isn’t a 9-5 job. Customer service complaints happen at all hours, and your brand may have fans worldwide who are waking up just as you’re getting dinner.
That’s why making sure a company has a strategy for what happens when their social media point-of-contact takes a vacation. According to a poll by SmartBrief On Social Media, 35 percent of companies don’t have such plans in place, and their social media broadcasts go dark when their staffer’s gone.
Another third delegate the tasks to either one replacement, two replacements, or a whole team.
But 17 percent of employers said “Our social media person doesn’t get to take vacations.”
Really? Yes, consumers have come to expect responses through social media. But employees need breaks. Is this acceptable?


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CES 2020 is now in full flow and smart lighting company Philips Hue lit up day one with the unveiling of a new range of outdoor smart lighting, as well as the news that is Play Sync Box will soon be updated with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice control functionality.
The new outdoor lights include wall-mounted fixtures and pathway lights, with each supporting the ability to display 16 million colours and 50,000 shades of warm-to-cool white light. The full list of Hue outdoor lights is as follows:
Appear: This wall light creates a sharp, directed triangle of light both up and down for a strong light effect.
Resonate: Available in both black and silver, the Resonate creates elegant, up-and-down triangles of light.
Attract: This wall lantern offers a unique light effect that casts a subtle arc of colourful light against the wall.
Daylo: This circular wall light is available in stainless steel or black and provides a subtle, backlit glow.
Nyro: The angular and architectural Nyro family includes wall light and path light options.
In addition, Philips Hue also announced a new low-voltage selection of outdoor lights, too, including a new Lily XL spot and low-voltage versions of its Impress and Econic lights.
“With our latest additions to the Philips Hue outdoor collection, we offer consumers endless possibilities to create unique and personalised light effects that enhance their home’s curb appeal and set the right outdoor mood for every occasion,” said Jasper Vervoort, Business Leader, Home Systems & Luminaires, Philips Hue at Signify.
All the lights are available by the end of Q2 2020.
Lastly, Philips Hue also announced that the well-received Play HDMI Sync Box will shortly get upgraded with voice control functionality. This means that Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri and Google Assistant will now be able to be used to turn the box on, swap lighting modes as well as flick between different inputs.
The voice control update for the Sync Box rolls out in Spring 2020.


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David Trainer said The Honest Company's sustainable product branding is a "nice gimmick" but not enough to justify a valuation above $1.4 billion.
Jessica Alba's consumer goods business Honest Company filed for an IPO on Friday with plans to sell shares on the Nasdaq under the symbol "HNST."
Founder Jaime Rogozinski signed with United Talent Agency as Hollywood looks to capitalize on the GameStop saga.
Jessica Alba uses “spy cameras” in her kids’ bedrooms to monitor them while they take classes remotely from home, she said on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” “I can call them out. I’m like the voice from the ceiling coming in,” Alba said. The actress and founder of The Honest Company, […]
Jessica Alba revealed on “Hot Ones” that she was told never to make eye contact with the cast of “Beverly Hills, 90210” when she guest-starred in 1998. Alba called the experience “really strange,” especially when she had to act across from them. Alba played pregnant teen Leanne for two episodes […]
Last week, Lana Del Rey posted a photo to her Instagram with the caption, “Contemplating at Costco the Santa Clarita fires.” Earlier this year, the news that Mark Zuckerberg shopped there left some in disbelief that the billionaire tech mogul would be a fan of the bargain hunters’ shopping paradise. […]
Some actors have had some not-so-great things to say about some of their films. Stars like Charlize Theron and Jamie Lee Curtis have openly called some of their films bad. Other actors, like Katherine Heigl and Jim Carrey, have had a few issues with the content of some of their […]
For these 11 famous entrepreneurs and celebrities, their side hustles became more than just a way to supplement their income. Some of these successful entrepreneurs, like Marc Benioff, stayed at their full-time jobs even after their companies took off. Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield never intended for the messaging platform he […]
Justin Timberlake has been in the spotlight since starring on “The Mickey Mouse Club” reboot at age 12. He became a ’90s icon as a member of *NSYNC and later transitioned into a wildly successful solo career. Timberlake has since dabbled in major film roles, become a father with his […]
Some of your favourite websites, clothing brands, and beauty lines have famous names behind them. Flower Beauty is a cosmetic line from actress Drew Barrymore Snoop Dogg and Jared Leto are partial owners of Reddit. Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories. Although a number of brands, like Kylie Jenner’s Kylie […]
We tried a beauty treatment where you wear a LED mask. It’s meant to boost collagen production and regenerate skin cells. LED mask treatments are popular with celebrities. Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson Kourtney Kardashian, and Chrissy Teigen have all tried it. Wearing a LED mask is meant to boost collagen […]
Apple is breaking into original TV content, and...
The Honest Company is finally removing a...
Jessica Alba's Honest Company may be on the...
The Teen Choice Awards featured a powerful and...
Jessica Alba wasn't always the confident...
Good morning. 1. Markets, and Americans are going mad for housing. Home sales just recorded their biggest gain in 24 years. Plumping for what MUFG Union Bank chief economists Chris Rupkey calls “the biggest of big ticket items” means confidence levels are sky-high in the US. And that means the […]


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Dec 19, 2013 Target has revealed that the credit card numbers for more than 40 million customers have been stolen from its retail network.
Stacey Vanek Smith
Dec 19, 2013 Millions of Target shoppers may have had their information stolen from card swiping machines.
Dec 13, 2013 Brick and mortar retailers are hitting back against customers who shop in the store, but buy online.
Dec 12, 2013 Adobe's security concerns could impact the company’s financial performance, eventually.
Nov 21, 2013 Best Buy says it’s preparing deep discounts – even if they put profit margins at risk – to win the holiday season.
Nov 22, 2013 When Wall Street tries to get some laughs.
Nov 19, 2013 Best Buy avoided the fate of other big box electronics retailers like Circuit City, but the company is still threatened.
Nov 15, 2013 Costco, Nordstrom and BJ's Wholesale Club will stay closed on Thanksgiving Day.
Nov 13, 2013 A massive hack last month is having a continuing impact on the social network.
Oct 23, 2013 As online retailers fight for a piece of the customer pie, the ability to deliver goods quickly and cheaply is key.


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Callaway introduces new Big Bertha Irons and Hybrids
CARLSBAD, Calif. (Sept 24, 2014) -- Callaway Golf has brought back the Big Bertha name in a big way over the last year or so, garnering success on Tour and in the bags of amateur players with the Big Bertha and Big Bertha Alpha drivers. Today, the Carlsbad-based company took it to the next level, putting the Big Bertha name on their most technologically-advanced irons, maybe ever.
The new irons will be accompanied by a line of hybrids carrying the same name. Both will be available at retail in mid-October.
Following is information provided by Callaway:
The Big Bertha Irons can make golfers up to two clubs longer with a new 360 Face Cup technology, a technology previously used for big distance gains in the company’s Fariway Woods and Hybrids. Yes, that’s right: a face cup in an iron — it’s real, and so are the benefits! The Big Bertha Hybrid, a long, easy-to-launch club available in 3H-7H, is Callaway’s first adjustable hybrid.
Both products will be available for purchase on www.callawaygolf.com and at retailers nationwide on October 17. The Big Bertha Irons’ new product introduction price is $999.99 (steel) and the Big Bertha Hybrids’ new product introduction price is $249.99.


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But it definitely will be revised, perhaps by a lot. In fact, last year, the US government job counters missed the creation of nearly 650,000 jobs, in part because they failed to capture the number of new gigs created by brand new small businesses.
(Oh, for the record, that old chestnut about small businesses creating the bulk of new jobs should be tempered by the fact that they also account for a large share of the jobs that get destroyed, as small businesses often fail.)
Small business creation—and the job growth related to it—is a devilishly tough thing to measure. But there’s a relatively simply proxy we can use as read on American entrepreneurs: pickup trucks. Sales of pickups skew strongly toward small business owners. And guess what? They’re booming. In April, sales of Ford’s F-series pickup jumped 24%. Chevy Silverado sales rose 28%. And Chrysler’s revamped Ram sold 49% more from last April.
In fact, sales of pickups have been on a tear for a while. And that clearly plays into the kind of virtuous economic cycle policy makers hoped a recovery in US housing might set off. A rebound in housing boosts the prospects for the contractors that help build and renovate them. Those contractors upgrade their equipment. And that demand for new equipment spills over into other segments of the economy too.
Just today, Ford announced it is adding a third shift of workers—around 2,000 people—at a plant near Kansas City, Missouri, in order to build more F-series pickups. And truck makers have been been beefing up for a while now. All good stuff.


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GMB: PETA guest wants people not to eat Xmas turkey
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Paul Kelly, boss at Kelly Turkeys, assured consumers there will be enough birds in stores for Christmas, but fewer free-range options due to bird flu.
He explained: “Avian flu has not affected the cost of turkeys. What has caused the big increases is the price of wheat and energy due to the Ukraine war, along with a shortage of workers.”
Shoppers have also been hit by egg shortages, with the British Egg Industry Council saying farmers were doing “everything” to ensure shelves are stocked.
And Minette Batters, president of the National Farmers Union, warned of “sleepwalking into a food supply crisis”.
She said farm energy costs have increased 650 percent since 2019.
She warned: “If the Government doesn’t act, this situation with eggs could mark the start of a wider food supply issue.”
Source: Read Full Article


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Your very own Henry Cavill.
You can now dress Geralt in his Netflix Witcher clothes thanks to a new mod.
WitcherSeb has been hard at work modding The Witcher 3 to match the Netflix show. Last year the modder released a mod to change Geralt’s face to that of actor Henry Cavill, as well as mods to add Anya Chalotra’s likeness to Yennefer and Freya Allan’s likeness to Ciri.
Now WitcherSeb has a new mod that tweaks Geralt’s clothes too.
Where the game has Geralt in more traditional armor, the Netflix show gives him an all-black attire. That’s matched by his casual shirt too, instead of the game’s loose white shirt.
CD Projekt previously announced that DLC inspired by the Netflix show would be coming to The Witcher 3, with updated cover art for the Complete Edition stating it includes “extra items inspired by the Netflix series”.
It’s unclear what those items will be and we still haven’t had a release date. However, some fans have speculated they’ll be included in the forthcoming remasters due out sometime this year.
Deja vu? ?
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt next-gen update is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC this year! Here’s a sneak peek of our updated cover art.
Spoiler alert: we also prepared some free DLCs inspired by @witchernetflix ?
More info coming soon! pic.twitter.com/O34E1xCReI
— The Witcher (@witchergame) July 10, 2021
In the meantime, check out WitcherSeb’s Netflix-inspired mods on NexusMods.


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We all know that the trend toward providing a more enjoyable and diverse shopping experience has been prevalent in the supermarket world. So it comes as no surprise that food stations that resemble quick-service or fast-casual restaurants are on the rise at supermarkets, emerging as a natural extension of the traditional deli counter.
But a SupermarketNews article reports that ten years ago Whole Foods Market, Wegmans, and the Texas chain Central Market began to experiment with bringing a high-quality dining experience into their stores.
While the full-service restaurants have been slower to catch on, some chains, such as Wegmans and Price Chopper have found success with the concept, the article said.
A more recent Boston.com article shared numerous examples of how an increasing number of supermarkets in greater Boston are winning fans with affordable, high-quality restaurants.
As new supermarkets spring up, plans invariably include kitchens run by chefs, dining facilities, and more-in-store classes, the article said, citing as an example the Whole Foods in Dedham, Massachusetts, which has a glassed-in Wellness Club. Others feature live music and poetry slams, and the Shaw’s at Boston’s Prudential Center conducts nightly wine tastings!
Supermarkets may not have yet achieved the level of customer service associated with more traditional hospitality organizations, such as Ritz Carlton, but they certainly seem to be on the right track toward greater levels of customer service and engagement.


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Vion exits UK
Vion Food, the UK’s largest meat processing group, announced it was ceasing its involvement in Britain to focus on its core business areas.
Having recently closed its pork processing facility in Broxburn, Vion Food announced that it planned to dispose of all its UK meat processing interests. The group, as the UK’s largest meat processor, employed 13,000 persons in 38 sites across the country. Is interests covered beef, lamb, pork and poultry. Vion entered the UK processing market in the late 1990s with the acquisition of Key Country Foods and more recently acquired Tranfield and Grampian Country Foods.
A company statement said the move would allow the group to return to its core activities, its food operations in Holland and Germany and its global food ingredients business.
In the pork sector, Vion has processing sites at Scunthorpe, Hull, Haverhill, Malton and Cookstown (NI) as well as an 8,000 sow pig producing operation in Scotland.
The Vion move was extensively covered in the national, local and trade press – and recent reports suggested that the pork business would be sold to current management, with private equity backing.


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Traders Buy Square (SQ) on Weakness Following Insider Selling
Traders purchased shares of Square Inc (NYSE:SQ) on weakness during trading hours on Friday after an insider sold shares in the company. $205.18 million flowed into the stock on the tick-up and $187.49 million flowed out of the stock on the tick-down, for a money net flow of $17.69 million into the stock. Of all companies tracked, Square had the 26th highest net in-flow for the day. Square traded down ($0.64) for the day and closed at $38.09Specifically, CEO Jack Dorsey sold 50,000 shares of Square stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.42, for a total value of $1,921,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Ajmere Dale sold 2,814 shares of Square stock in a transaction on Monday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.23, for a total value of $104,765.22. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 1,529,827 shares of company stock valued at $51,969,434 over the last three months. Company insiders own 32.68% of the company’s stock.
SQ has been the subject of several recent research reports. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Square from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $32.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 3rd. Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Square in a research report on Monday, September 25th. Vetr cut Square from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $30.12 price target for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, September 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $31.00 price target on shares of Square in a research report on Sunday, October 8th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Square from $30.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and twenty-four have issued a buy rating to the stock. The company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $33.82.
The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a current ratio of 1.81.
Square (NYSE:SQ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 8th. The technology company reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.05 by $0.02. Square had a negative return on equity of 7.98% and a negative net margin of 3.04%. The firm had revenue of $257.12 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $244.95 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.01 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 44.6% compared to the same quarter last year. research analysts expect that Square Inc will post -0.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.
A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SQ. Neuberger Berman Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Square by 5,187.9% in the 3rd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 540,000 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $15,557,000 after acquiring an additional 529,788 shares during the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Square by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 368,151 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $10,606,000 after acquiring an additional 14,451 shares during the last quarter. Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Square by 256.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. now owns 59,112 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,701,000 after acquiring an additional 42,506 shares during the last quarter. Whale Rock Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Square in the 3rd quarter valued at about $44,337,000. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC bought a new stake in shares of Square in the 3rd quarter valued at about $5,039,000. 54.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
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Square Company Profile
Square, Inc (Square) is a commerce ecosystem. The Company enables its sellers start, run and grow their businesses. It combines software with hardware to enable sellers to turn mobile devices and computing devices into payments and point-of-sale solutions. Once a seller downloads the Square Point of Sale mobile application, they can take their first payment.
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eBay joins list of firms avoiding most tax - and doing it legally
Sunday 21 October 2012
The auction website eBay has become the latest major company to be accused of tax avoidance after an investigation found it had paid just £1.2m in corporation tax, despite British sales totalling nearly £800m.
The site is among a growing number of international firms revealed to be cutting a vast proportion of their bills entirely legally by channelling profits through countries with far lower tax rates.
Using the company’s worldwide profit margin of 23 per cent, the Sunday Times estimated that eBay’s four UK subsidiaries would have produced profits of £181m.
Were its tax affairs based solely in Britain, it would have owed HMRC £51m in corporation tax – but it was able to reduce that by almost 98 per cent thanks to funds being passing through its offices in Luxembourg and Switzerland.
The claim adds to pressure on the Government to close tax loopholes, with Starbucks disclosed to have paid no corporation tax in the UK at all over the last three years despite £389m sales, Amazon doing likewise on sales of £7.6bn and Facebook paying £238,000 last year on sales of £20.4m.
Google has also been shown to have paid £6m in tax on a turnover of £395m last year, which led to Labour MP John Mann, a member of the Treasury Select Committee, to criticise the practices used by multi-national companies as “entirely improper and immoral” .
eBay, which also owns the online payments firm Paypal, attracted 17 million users in Britain last year. In a statement, a spokesman said: “eBay in Europe works with tax authorities and complies fully with all applicable tax laws and regimes – including national, EU, and internationally recognised OECD rules.”
The Swedish furniture company Ikea was also reported to have reduced its tax bill by more than half, paying the Government £8.1m rather than the £17.8m it would have done otherwise, by paying fees to other divisions of the firm based in the Netherlands.
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So what happens when one of the world’s biggest retailers decides that selling through its own exclusive channels is not enough despite being proven very successful for the last 70 years! IKEA’s website lists more than 12,000 products, almost the entire IKEA range and you will never find such a big range in their world-famous catalogues.
IKEA sold 36.4 billion euros worth of goods in 2016 mostly through their website and their almost 400 stores in 48 countries, leaving 4.2 billion euros in net income! The website is responsible for only 1.4 billion euros of sales, a tiny fraction compared to the total revenue.
Torbjorn Loof, IKEA Group’s Chief Executive through statements on Reuters clearly recognises that the competitive landscape is changing and that the sales from the website are really small. News reported by Reuters say that IKEA plans to test selling its products on websites other than its own.
It is obvious that Amazon is the eCommerce king and the top-of-mind choice for everyday shopping for million of consumers in the USA, UK and many other big markets. Indeed, when you look into Amazon for IKEA products you can find a few thousand IKEA products sold online! Given these two facts, it just makes sense that IKEA will start testing new eCommerce platforms by working with Amazon.
But for me, that would be a wasted chance. Amazon’s footprint is huge in North America and Europe and so is IKEA’s footprint. It would make much more sense to use eCommerce platforms to expand or grow into markets that IKEA doesn’t have such an influential presence and Asia seems like a great choice! They have a presence in less than 10 countries there and these markets are huge. Also, consumer trends when it comes to online shopping in these countries are way different than what is perceived in Americas and Europe.
That’s why working with local eCommerce platforms and partners would make great sense for IKEA.


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Samsung Electronics has signed a multi-year deal with the American professional baseball team, the New York Mets. Samsung will be responsible for bringing the team’s vision of a “one-of-a-kind ballpark” to life by completely transforming the Citi Field stadium’s display, digital signage systems, and broadcasting systems.
This partnership fuels one of the largest single projects in all professional sports, though it is not the only one. Last year, Samsung also fitted the world’s largest-in-sports LED videoboard at the SoFi stadium. Similarly, the new project with the New York Mets will have Samsung install more than 1,300 LCD screens and 4,000 square feet of direct-view LED screens in public spaces.
Twice as many slow-motion replay systems
The multi-year project is expected to kick off in 2022. New York Mets fans who will attend future baseball games at Citi Field will get information about the game on a fully upgraded LED scoreboard capable of rendering 4K video.
Samsung will also install a ballpark-wide IPTV system through this new joint project. The system will carry nearly 100 channels of sports and entertainment.
Last but not least, spectators will benefit from twice the number of slow-motion replay systems and three times as many cameras, all working together to deliver better game coverage for sports fans who are watching from home.
“Our partnership with Samsung is a significant investment from our owner Steve Cohen to bring the most state-of-the-art technology to the ballpark and provide our fans an even better experience at Citi Field,” said Mets Chief Technology Officer Mark Brubaker.
Join SamMobile’s Telegram group and subscribe to our YouTube channel to get instant news updates and in-depth reviews of Samsung devices. You can also subscribe to get updates from us on Google News and follow us on Twitter.


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Dozens of protesters held a rally Tuesday morning in front of Juul’s Manhattan offices to call them out for marketing toward young adults and hooking kids on their flavored tobacco.
Protesters want City Council to restrict the sale of flavored e-cigarettes, and are backing a bill sponsored by City Councilman Mark Levine.
Earlier this year, NYC students testified to Congress saying that Juul representatives told students that their products were safe even though they do have nicotine. A statement from Juul about this read:
“The two student presentations we made were part of our short-lived Education and Youth Prevention Program which was ended in September 2018 after its purpose — to educate youth on the dangers of nicotine addiction — was clearly misconstrued. In November, we launched our industry-leading plan to combat youth vaping — we stepped up our advocacy for T21 legislation, we stopped the sale of non-tobacco and non-menthol based flavored JUULPods to our traditional retail store partners, enhanced our online age-verification process, strengthened our retailer compliance program with over 2,000 secret shopper visits per month, and shut down our Facebook and Instagram accounts while working constantly to remove inappropriate social media content generated by others on those platforms. Finally, we continue to develop technologies to further restrict underage access.”
Protestors were also met with activists during the rally.
News of this comes days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it is investigating 94 possible cases of severe lung illness associated with vaping, especially in teens and young adults. The cases are from 14 different states. The investigation is ongoing.
Last week, the New York Department of Health, which has reported 11 cases of related illness, joined New Jersey in issuing a health advisory against vaping. Reported symptoms in the cases include fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain and vomiting.
In response to the protests, Juul released the following statement:
“Juul Labs exists to help adult smokers switch off combustible cigarettes, which are the leading cause of preventable death and contribute to over 28,000 deaths per year in New York.
“We do not want or need new non-nicotine users. Our market is the over 1 billion adult smokers worldwide who should have the opportunity to switch to vapor products if they so desire.
“We have never marketed to youth, do not sell flavors like cotton candy or bubble gum, and strongly advocated for Tobacco 21 legislation here in New York. In November 2018 we stopped selling non-tobacco and non-menthol-based flavors to traditional retail stores, which represented 50% of our revenue at that time. All of our non-traditional tobacco-flavored pods are now exclusively sold through our ecommerce platform, which features an industry-leading, third-party, age-verification system that puts every purchase through a rigorous, multi-step process to ensure that the customer is 21 or older and restricts bulk purchasing. We offer these products in this limited, secure way because they play an important role in helping smokers switch by providing users with a taste and aroma different than traditional tobacco.
“We will continue to lead the industry and support industry-wide actions to reverse the trend in youth use, while preserving this unprecedented opportunity for adult smokers, and we will continue to work with New York policymakers in a transparent and collaborative fashion to achieve that goal.”
On Monday the New York Post reported Juul Labs Inc. has raised $325 million to speed up its international expansion as it battles U.S. regulators. Juul is 35 percent owned by Marlboro cigarette maker Altria Group Inc.


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Cruise, General Motors and Microsoft have announced a long term strategic partnership on the accelerate the development of commercial self-driving vehicles. San Francisco-based Cruise is the self-driving subsidiary of GM. Microsoft and Cruise will bring their software, hardware and cloud computing capabilities to the partnership, while GM will provide is expertise in vehicle manufacturing at scale.
Eric Walz2021-01-19 10:00 PT
With its first new logo in 50 years unveiled last week, U.S. automaker General Motors is getting ready for its electrified future. GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra delivered the opening keynote at this year's virtual CES where she shared some updates on the company's vision of an electrified future. The automaker want to put everyone into an electric vehicle.
Eric Walz2021-01-12 16:50 PT
With Ford announcing that the F-150 is going to get similar hands-off technology, it looks like General Motors doesn’t want to fall behind in the pickup truck wars.
Vineeth Joel Patel2020-12-12 07:45 PT
GM’s Autonomous Driving Division Cruise said it was deploying five self-driving vehicles in San Francisco without human backup drivers. Cruise chief executive Dan Ammann made the announcement in a conference call Wednesday morning. Cruise was granted a permit in October that allows it to test autonomous vehicles in the city without a driver behind the wheel.
Eric Walz2020-12-09 16:05 PT
U.S. automaker General Motors will recall millions of vehicles due faulty airbag inflators, which can injure occupants if the vehicle’s airbags are deployed during an accident. The airbags in question were supplied by Japanese auto supplier Takata Corporation and are installed in GM vehicles beginning in the 2007 model year through 2014.
Eric Walz2020-11-23 10:45 PT
U.S. automaker General Motors (GM) is going all in on electrification in a bid to gain some ground on Tesla and other rival automakers with billions in new investments. The automaker’s total investments to develop new electric vehicles now totals $27 billion through 2025, which is more than half of GM's capital spending.
Eric Walz2020-11-19 13:00 PT
General Motors CEO Mary Barra plans to announce the company’s revised and accelerated EV strategy on Thursday, which is reported to include billions in new investments. The move is also to convince investors it can be a serious competitor to electric automaker Tesla in the future, which is now the world's most valuable car company.
Eric Walz2020-11-18 10:45 PT
As U.S. automaker General Motors plans for an electric future that includes self-driving cars and software-as-a-service (SaaS), the company is looking to add thousands of high-tech roles. GM announced on Monday its hiring 3,000 employees through the first quarter of 2021 for new roles in fields such as software engineering, IT and design. The move will also increase diversity and inclusion and contribute to GM’s overall electrification strategy.
Eric Walz2020-11-09 16:35 PT
GM's Detroit Hamtramck assembly plant is being retooled to become the company's premier electric vehicle plant where the automaker will build many of its future EVs. The factory is also getting a new name that aligns with GM’s corporate mission of a future with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion.
Eric Walz2020-10-16 11:15 PT
In a blog post on Thursday, GM’s autonomous driving division Cruise announced it was granted a permit to operate its self-driving vehicles without a human safety driver behind the wheel, becoming the fifth company granted the new permit in California. However, Cruise will be the first to deploy autonomous vehicles without safety drivers within the city of San Francisco.
FutureCar Staff 2020-10-15 15:50 PT
U.S. automaker General Motors (GM) shared an update today on its new Ultium electric vehicle powertrains, which will power the automaker's future electric vehicle line up. The Ultium powertrain family includes five different units which are configurable for rear wheel, front wheel and all-wheel-drive electric models.
FutureCar Staff 2020-09-16 10:30 PT
U.S. automaker General Motors has lost one of its top executives with Chief Financial Officer Dhivya Suryadevara unexpectedly departing the company. Suryadevara is leaving the Motor City for Silicon Valley, where she was named CFO of the online payments startup Stripe.
Derrick Smith2020-08-11 11:30 PT
U.S. automaker General Motors has teamed up with the EV charging infrastructure operator EVgo to triple the size of its U.S. charging network, building more than 2,700 new fast charging stations in cities throughout the U.S. The Los Angeles-based company currently owns and operates the nation's largest public fast charging network for electric vehicles in the U.S.
Eric Walz2020-07-31 09:30 PT
U.S. automaker General Motors announced its second quarter earnings on Wednesday and it appears that the automaker has weathered the impact of the global coronavirus pandemic better than analysts had predicted.
Eric Walz2020-07-29 15:45 PT
U.S. automaker General Motors (GM) released its tenth annual sustainability report on Thursday. The latest sustainability report confirms the automaker's commitment to electrification. The report outlines GM’s plans to introduce 12 new fully-electric models by 2023 and that the recent pandemic has not caused any delays in the launch of the new models.
Eric Walz2020-07-17 14:30 PT
U.S. automaker General Motors is developing a fully-electric van aimed at business users, including shipping companies. The van will be built at the automaker’s Detroit-Hamtramck plant in Michigan. GM does “don’t want to leave the door open for Tesla” as they did in consumer passenger cars, sources say.
Eric Walz2020-06-04 09:45 PT
General Motors has started site preparations for its new joint venture electric vehicle battery factory in Lordstown, Ohio. The plant will produce the advanced Ultium battery cells for GM’s future electric vehicles together with South Korean battery maker LG Chem.
FutureCar Staff 2020-05-20 14:00 PT
U.S. automaker General Motors announced today it’s making a $20 billion investment by 2025 in electrification, including new EV architecture, new models and battery cell development. The announcement was part of the automaker’s “EV Day”, an event where GM shared its strategy to grow its electric vehicle sales and transition towards an electric future.
Eric Walz2020-03-04 12:00 PT
Cruise LLC, the self-driving arm of General Motors, was granted a permit from the California Public Utilities Commission to carry passengers in its self-driving vehicles in the state. Cruise joins six other companies with a permit in California to carry passengers in self-driving vehicles, including Waymo, the company that spun out of Google’s self-driving car project.
FutureCar Staff 2020-02-27 16:05 PT
General Motors has made enhancements to its “Energy Assist” feature in the “myChevrolet” mobile app so electric vehicle drivers can find the nearest EV charging station.
FutureCar Staff 2020-02-20 16:45 PT
Vineeth Joel PatelJan 18, 2021 7:10 AM PT
Vineeth Joel PatelJan 17, 2021 7:20 AM PT
Vineeth Joel PatelJan 16, 2021 8:00 AM PT


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Security software company Symantec has offloaded its digital certificate operations to rival provider DigiCert in a cash and stock deal involving a payment of $950m and a 30 per cent stake in the Digicert business.
The transaction comes after Symantec was put under increasing pressure for wrongly issuing a series of digital certificates for the second time in two years.
Google and other browser makers have started coming down hard on digital certificate issuing organisations that fail to maintain the standards expected of them.
Last month, Google announced plans to ‘withdraw trust' in two Chinese digital certificate authorities in the forthcoming Chrome 61 web browser, due out in a month, as punishment for failing to maintain the standards expected of certificate authorities.
The two companies had been accused of "knowingly and intentionally mis-issued certificates in order to circumvent browser restrictions and certificate authority requirements", according to Google Chrome security manager Andrew Whalley - and Symantec's case was also due to be heard shortly.
‘Withdrawing trust' in a certificate authority would mean that browsers to websites using those certificates would be greeted with warnings, encouraging people to browse elsewhere and organisations to purchase digital certificates from other companies.
In a statement on the sale weighed down heavily with buzzwords and euphemisms, Symantec CEO Greg Clark said: "Transitioning our website security and related PKI [public-key infrastructure] solutions to DigiCert allows us to sharpen our enterprise focus on delivering unparalleled protection for the cloud generation through Symantec's Integrated Cyber Defense Platform.
"As our recently announced deals with Fireglass and Skycure demonstrate, we are accelerating the pace of innovation we bring to market through a combination of acquisitions as well as development from the ground up," said Clark.
He also neatly side-stepped the core reason why Symantec has sold off the business: "We carefully examined our options to ensure our customers would have a world-class experience with a company that offers a modern website PKI platform and is poised to lead the next generation of website security innovation."
He added (more or less) that he was "thrilled" that the users would now be customers of DigiCert, which is owned by technology focused private equity outfit Thoma Bravo.
Atmospheric iodine works as a significant sink of tropospheric ozone, nullifying the harmful pollutant
A temperature rise of just 1.8° C would melt major ice sheets
The new framework could enable supercomputers that reach exascale levels
Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science offers £1.3 million to reveal secrets of the universe
The grant will be used to upgrade particle detectors at CERN


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Private sector body hails Industrial Enterprise ActThe Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI) has hailed the newly-endorsed Industrial Enterprise Act, stating the “no work, no pay” provision incorporated in the law has created positive vibes in the business community
The Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI) has hailed the newly-endorsed Industrial Enterprise Act, stating the “no work, no pay” provision incorporated in the law has created positive vibes in the business community.
Addressing a press meet here on Sunday, FNCCI President Pashupati Murarka said the new Act would help create a business-friendly environment and provide stability to the private sector.
The President is yet to sign the bill into law.
According to the private sector’s apex body, the Act has reinstated a majority of the facilities that were cut by the Income Tax Act 2002.
“We had long been demanding to insert a number of provisions in the Act to address the business community’s grievance. Although late, the Act has been endorsed,” he said. “The private sector welcomes the new law, which will help in the industrialisation of the country.”
The private sector is particularly pleased with the “no work no pay” scheme as businesses had been frustrated with the tradition of employees halting production in the name of protests and then demanding wages for the period when they did not work.
With the endorsement of the Act, industrialists are not liable to make such payments. “In fact, this provision will promote ‘more work, more pay’ regime,” said Murarka.
The provision, however, will not have a legal base if the new labour law fails to embrace it. This is because the Labour Act, which deals with all kinds of work-related issues, will supersede the Industrial Enterprises Act.
“Labour Bill, which is currently being reviewed by lawmakers, has categorised strikes into two categories—lawful and unlawful,” said FNCCI Vice-president Shekhar Golchha. “The bill has provisioned payment of 50 percent of the wage to the workers in the case of lawful strike, but the employers do not have to pay a penny in the case of unlawful strike.”
The new Act has also given income tax exemption for up to five years to hotels,
resorts and other businesses related to tourism established in the places other than
metropolitan and sub-metropolitan cities.
This provision, according to FNCCI, will be helpful in expansion and promotion of the tourism industry.
The business community also welcomed relaxations on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to be carried out by new industries before registration. “According to the Act, business firms can do such assessment after the industry is established and the operation is started,” said Murarka.
However, the new Act will be beneficial only if the government ensures its effective implementation. “We urge the government to be serious for the effective implementation of the Act,” said Murarka.


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First, they began to lose their customers…then, their employees. Now, North Bergen distributor Interstate Logistics Inc. plans on shutting down completely.
The company, which has been in business for 32 years, could not compete with the trucking industry’s rising costs and competition from strong companies like Road Scholar Transport.
To make matters worse, International Logistics’ sole customer, JC Penney which has been with them since 2002, did not renew their contract, believing it “more efficient to ship directly from suppliers to our other facilities” (http://www.northjersey.com/news/business/104257489_Feisty_distributor__closing_by_Dec__31.html?c=y&page=1).
The 65 employees still remaining will begin being laid off come November 11, according to NorthJersey.com.
Interstate Logistics Inc. decided to close its doors at the end of the year when JC Penney’s contract is officially up on Dec. 31, turning the engines off of 16 trucks and 80 trailers.