text:
To the Editor:
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced on March 18 that he is sending legislation to the City Council that would ban stores from being able to openly display tobacco products.
This is not the first law to be put forward on this initiative. In April 2012, the Village of Haverstraw in Rockland County, passed the first law in the United States that would regulate tobacco displays in retail stores. Unfortunately, seven tobacco manufacturers and the New York Association of Convenience Stores fought the display regulations and filed a federal lawsuit against Haverstraw. To avoid the risk of incurring hefty legal fees to fight the lawsuit, the village rescinded the law.
As Mayor Bloomberg points out, the tobacco companies are targeting youth with their packaging and displays and they have been very successful in doing so. Ninety percent of current adult smokers started smoking at or before the age of 18 and 99 percent by the age of 26.
Research shows that kids who shop at stores with tobacco marketing two or more times a week are 64 percent more likely to start smoking than their peers who don’t. There may be other factors that contribute to youth smoking, but marketing has a direct link, and it’s something our communities can do something about.
We congratulate Mayor Bloomberg on his forward thinking and desire to protect our youth. The initial reaction will undoubtedly be similar to smoking bans in restaurants and bars. These policies have been shown significant negative impacts on those businesses. lt has become the norm now and in time, we are hoping that display bans and not smoking where our children can be exposed to it, will also become the norm.
Senior Public Health Educator
Clinton County Health Department
Adirondack Tobacco Free Network


text:
Henkell Freixenet CEO reflects on 2020’s challenges as it looks to 2021
Dr. Andreas Brokemper, who heads up the world’s largest sparkling wine business, Henkell Freixenet, talks to db about this year’s challenges, and the key topics that are driving the industry at the moment.
For Brokemper, as for everyone – the year was dominated by Covid-19, but the company went into 2020 in a strong financial position, having had the full financial year of 2018 to integrate the Henkell and Freixenet operations globally and strong 2019. “We had a year to see how strong the cooperation of these totally different companies and brands and different markets was performing and 2019 was very good,” he explains.
Brokemper notes that there was a discernible difference in the way different markets reacted in the pandemic, depending not only on whether sparkling wine is consumed primarily in the on-trade or at home, but also how it is drunk – as a celebration or as an everyday treat.
“Markets who have a very high proportion of on-premium consumption of sparkling suffered the most,” he explained, pointing to Spain, which was particularly affected, Italy and France, while markets such as the UK, where traditionally retail is the most important branch of the business, performed better.
“Additionally, in countries in which sparkling wine consumption is a bit younger, where it has been a growing trend for the last 10-15 years, people drink sparkling on an everyday basis – notably the UK and US and the Nordics, but where it’s drunk ‘celebrationally’, it was affected more,” he explained.
Looking forward, ecommerce, both direct to consumer and indirect via specialist and multiple is here to stay, he said and the company has bolstered both platforms, through its Bellini retailer in the German markets and online specialist Slurp in the UK, which it now owns out-right, as well as through partnerships with third party retailers and ecommerce platforms.
“Ecommerce has become more and more important,” he noted. “All of our owned ecommerce activities are showing very strong development this year. In the same way we worked more intensively with more ecommerce companies, so in the US, for example, we expanded the business we are doing with Drizly tremendously.”
More recently, the company’s UK operation Freixenet-Copestick snapped up the UK on-trade merchant Jascots out of administration, proving its confidence in the long-term future of the hospitality sector.
Likewise, digitalisation is “changing our world” he said. “The positive element of Covid crisis we’ll see is a mature push in digitalisation. If you’d ask if everyone could work from home [a year ago] they’d think you were be crazy. So it’s an important year and hopefully the economic effect of Covid will be over in 2021, and then we’re steadily coming back.
The question really is how heavily will the people be affected by the Covid crisis in the longer term, he explains, pointing to the responses from governments putting measures in place to help cushion the immediate impact on consumers. “There are things to help out so the consumers doesn’t feel it in the pocket. However in the next few years it might be more tough,” he explains. This may be likely to have an impact on consumers’ ability to trade up in the mid-term, although he believer it will continue in the longer term.
Responding to the Covid-crisis
Speaking about the company’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Brokemper said it become apparent in February that the virus would an impact, following the lockdown in Wuhan and then across China. By March, the effect began to be felt in its Italian wineries, one of which lies in the heart of Prosecco’s Valdobbiadene region, and it started crisis management to protect its employees (it has 4,000 around the world).
“We had a constant learning, taking the learning from Italy, then applying it for Spain, France, Germany and then in winery in the US. So it was protecting our employees which went pretty well, and then protecting the supply chain which sounds easy but was really quite challenging, and then what it meant for our sales” Brokemper said.
The first wave hit sales at Easter, “the small season”, when traditionally sparkling wine is consumed across Europe.
“We prepared ourselves by building different scenarios for the group, depending on coronavirus. This gave us the flexibility to act and react with developments, so we can say that after a difficult April, we could manage our supply chain and were able to deliver to all our customers,” he explained.
He said that over the summer things became better and better, although the scenario expectation “could have gone one way” and they started preparing for a possible second wave.
“All in all we were well prepared in all our group companies to adapt in some markets to a changing situation,” he said. “Very often retail was better than it was before, ecommerce is booming more than ever while the on premise was closed at a lower level due to lockdown.”
“It was a very challenging situation for all of us, but we managed to it in a good way,” he noted. “The only time you got the impression there was anything else happening [apart from Covid in 2020} was the US elections. And we were pretty happy when people celebrated on the streets with a bottle of Cordon Negro. But it’s hard to say there was any other big things beyond Covid as everything this year has related to it.”

domain: news


text:
Ontario to allow private retailers to sell cannabis, report says
Government will still control the distribution, manage online sales
The Ontario government will reportedly allow private stores to sell marijuana once recreational cannabis becomes legal on Oct. 17.
A source in the provincial government told the Globe and Mail that Finance Minister Vic Fedeli and Attorney General Caroline Mulroney are expected to make an announcement as early as next week to outline a plan to let the private sector own and operate cannabis shops.
The source, who spoke on condition of not being identified, also indicated that the government would still control the distribution of the product to the stores and manage online sales.
The previous Liberal government under Kathleen Wynne had planned to give the Liquor Control Board of Ontario a monopoly on the sale of recreational cannabis, with 40 stores slated to open this year under an LCBO subsidiary called the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS).
The new system would mirror the Alberta model, which will allow for privately run cannabis stores to sell marijuana with licences granted by the liquor commission.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has already indicated that he was considering the private sector, saying in late June that he doesn't believe "government should stick their nose into everything."
A spokesman for the Ontario Ministry of Finance wouldn't comment on the details but said the province will be ready by the time marijuana is legal in October.
Surprised but excited
Meanwhile, pot activist Jodie Emery is expressing both excitement and surprise at the report, saying she thought it would take more time to get to this point. She said
"I'm ready to jump on this opportunity to be able to provide private retail sales in a free market," she told CBC Toronto.
"I'm very excited about private retail but only if it's private retail that's equitable and fair for everyone. Private retail for big business with connections to government isn't really what Ontario needs."
The Amsterdam model
Emery said legalization of cannabis should be about job creation and tax revenue generation.
The pot activist recently opened a hemp-themed coffee shop — Jodie's Joint — at Kensington Market, where she hopes to stock shelves with cannabis along with coffee.
Noting that this model has been successful in Amsterdam, Emery said Toronto is more than ready for similar outlets.
"I think adults should be able to get coffee and cannabis and consume it in a safe space. So this café is designed to be that sort of model," she said.
On the issue of the production of cannabis, Emery said it's now controlled at the federal level and that too needs to change.
"A big problem across Canada is that the provincial governments who are in charge of wholesale and retail won't have enough product from the federally approved growers," she explained.
"I'm hoping that the Ontario government will lobby the federal government to allow farmers in Ontario to grow cannabis for this market."
With files from CBC News


text:
Mirabeau and Transavia launch chatbot
Digital agency Mirabeau and low cost airline Transavia together created a chatbot on Facebook Messenger that smoothly guides customers through their ticket selection and purchasing process.
Leading airlines like Transavia know that they need to be where their customers are. And conversational interfaces are a game-changing solution to this.
Ines Verburgh, innovation lead at Transavia: “When Mirabeau approached us with their initial proposal, we were immediately enthusiastic. We knew that chatbots were the next big thing, and Mirabeau helped us to apply them to create real added value for Transavia.”


text:
- The company will make electric vehicles.
- It will be made available by the end of this year.
- The company also said that the vehicles will be available at a reasonable price.
The demand for electric vehicles is increasing rapidly and the same has become an important factor of our life. As electric vehicles do not provide carbon emissions and the same helps to protect the environment. The players of electric vehicles are also increasing and now we got a new piece of information which reveals that the Chinese telecommunication giant Huawei is also planning to enter into the settlement.
According to the latest information, the Chinese giant Huawei is planning to manufacture electric vehicles under its brand and the same is in the advanced stage.
There is no exact timeline on the launch of the upcoming electric vehicles of a Chinese company but it is confirmed that the same will be launched before the end of this year and the company has also revealed that the pricing of the vehicles will be affordable.
As of now, we don’t have much information about the upcoming vehicles of the company but we are looking forward to hear more about the same in the coming days and we would like to know your thoughts about the same in the comments section below.
Having said that, if you are new on this website then don’t forget to smash the bell icon at the left corner of the screen to get the notifications instantly.
Read interesting news, reviews as well as tips & tricks on TechnoBugg website, and stay updated with the latest happenings of the tech world on the go with Technobugg App. Also follow on Google News and join our Telegram channel for the latest updates.


text:
BUFFALO, N.Y., Oct. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- PostProcess Technologies, the only provider of automated and intelligent post-processing solutions for 3D printed parts, announced Daniel J. Hutchinson, Founder, President and CTO, has been named by Upstart Business Journal to the 2016 Upstart 100 list of most dynamic, disruptive and game-changing people in business today. Upstart looked for those who have been most innovative with their businesses and who have had the biggest impact in their industries and communities.
"The Upstart team selected Daniel as an Upstart 100 Inventor because he created a real advancement in 3-D printing," said J. Jennings Moss, editor, Upstart Business Journal. "Because of his invention, 3-D printing can be taken out of the realm of making prototypes and placed into the world of making finished products."
Founded by Hutchinson in 2014, PostProcess is the first company to address the growing challenge additive manufacturing, widely known as 3D printing, is facing for increasing volume production. The 3D printing process is divided into three steps – design, build and post-print. The third step, post-printing, is largely completed using manual processes. Daniel's experience interrogating radar systems in the U.S. Navy, along with his background in engineering and additive manufacturing, enabled him to create PostProcess to transform the labor-intensive manual process through technology and automation.
"I am proud to be recognized among this elite group of entrepreneurs," said Hutchinson, founder, president and CTO, PostProcess Technologies. "This acknowledgment emphasizes the value of our solutions being deployed by PostProcess that are accelerating the additive manufacturing industry."
"I joined PostProcess after meeting Daniel and seeing first-hand how his revolutionary thinking and execution is expanding the additive manufacturing industry," said Jeff Mize, CEO, PostProcess Technologies. "At PostProcess, we are truly enabling the evolution of 3D printing to volume production levels through our comprehensive solution including software, hardware and consumables."
About PostProcess Technologies:
PostProcess Technologies is the only provider of automated and intelligent post-processing solutions for 3D printed parts. PostProcess Technologies removes the bottleneck in the third step of 3D printing – post-processing. Through patent-pending technology, PostProcess Technologies delivers consistency and scalability in addition to delivering an increase in productivity. Customers span many industries including aerospace, automotive, consumer goods, defense and medical. For more information, visit www.postprocess.com.
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/postprocess-founder-daniel-j-hutchinson-honored-by-upstart-100-300338135.html
SOURCE PostProcess Technologies


text:
City of Darwin and Northern Territory Government have joined forces to support local businesses during what is one of the quietest trading times of the year with a new round of the successful myDarwin vouchers available from 12.01am Wednesday.
“The myDarwin vouchers were originally launched early in the Covid pandemic, when many businesses were suffering,” Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis said.
“Covid brought home to us all, the critical need to work together, as our city responded to and rose from this challenge.”
“Once launched, local businesses reported that the myDarwin vouchers increased customer spending significantly.”
“Both levels of government want to see local businesses succeed and thrive and the $200,000 final round of myDarwin vouchers helps achieve this.”
Registered myDarwin users receive $40 worth of myDarwin vouchers with spent vouchers redeemed every 48 hours. Vouchers can only be redeemed at local Darwin businesses
Since being launched in May last year, the popular myDarwin scheme developed by City of Darwin has already resulted in more than $5 million injected into the local economy to support Darwin jobs and businesses. More than 400 local merchants and 37,000 Territorians are registered to participate in the program.
It was so successful that four other Northern Territory councils as well as the Canberra territory government have since also adopted the technology and program to support their local economies.
Businesses can still register to be part of the myDarwin voucher program. Overall Council has invested $650,000 from parking reserves towards funding the vouchers with an additional $400,000 provided by the NT Government.
Quotes attributable to Chief Minister, Michael Gunner:
“Throughout the pandemic we have done everything we can to support small business and keep Territorians in jobs.
“The Territory Labor Government has committed $1 million towards myDarwin and other local council voucher schemes, and it’s been a massive success. These vouchers have helped the Territory be Australia’s comeback capital.
“We chipped in $200,000 for this final round of myDarwin vouchers to ensure the Territory’s economy continues to tick over, and business stays on track.”
For more information visit my.darwin.nt.gov.au


text:
The Monjasa’s office brings new opportunities to bridge upstream and downstream business relationships as well as offering a new recruitment channel in the US Gulf region.
Since opening the first US-based office in Stamford, volumes have increased year on year. From 40,000 tonnes in 2011, Monjasa has experienced a soaring demand across the Americas region with total volumes reaching 1.4m tonnes in 2020. Strong demand in the Panama Canal and across US ports represent important drivers for this development.
Monjasa introduced own supply operations in Houston just ahead of the IMO 2020 transition to more environmentally friendly marine fuels with a maximum 0.5% sulphur content.
“Today, we believe that Houston reflects a contemporary oil and shipping hub, where shipowners are giving more focus to logistics and product specifications than before IMO 2020,” said Rasmus Jacobsen, Managing Director, Monjasa Americas.
“This massive area holds opportunities for making a real difference by bridging our oil and shipping relationships and ensuring availability of several different fuel grades and specifications. Matching supply and demand across the supply chain is exactly where Houston and Monjasa are good for each other.”
Monjasa operates three barges and supplies all main bunker grades across the Houston Greater Area, which includes 12 different supply locations ranging across more than 400 km.
Trading Director Americas, Kelsey Ware, will be leading developments in Houston and trader, Thomas Cirillo is relocating from Stamford to Houston and will play an important role in securing a steady developing Monjasa presence in the US Gulf region.


text:
‘Efflorescence’ Fashion Premier hits the runway on March 20th at the Hotel Marshfield
MARSHFIELD — This two-day event will showcase area boutiques and their upcoming spring fashions. Attendees will get a look at what leading fashion trends are making their way into the mainstream.
Along with the fashion show, exhibits will feature the newest in seasonal décor, beauty and health care products, and accessories. Enjoy VIP access to area stores modeling new spring fashions with special promotions, tips, and secrets from the professionals.
This ticketed event is brand new to Marshfield. The fashion show will be held at Hotel Marshfield on Friday, March 20, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Beverages and appetizers will be available to guests throughout the night. During day two, area businesses will greet guests with promotions and exclusive shopping opportunities only available to attendees.
For tickets and hotel packages, visit efflorescence999.com or call 715-255-0093.


text:
Amidst global concerns of the second wave of COVID-19, many financial markets took a dive. However, the wool market took small but positive steps forward.
Reports of exporters selling, along with commission orders direct from China; coupled with the need for wool over the three week July recess have been the factors at play this week.
The AWEX EMI rose 4c and 2c on Wednesday and Thursday respectively to see the indicator rise to 1116c.
In US dollar terms the indicator rose 1c over the week to rise to 772c. While the West Australian indicator rose 9c to climb to 1185c.
Online Auction Results saw 37 bales offered by Jemalong Wool, with the physical auctions closing on a strong note buyers looked online. The sale saw the usual buyers in attendance along with several growers and brokers.
The top priced lot was a line of AAA merino 16.6µ micron weaners fleece wool, which sold for 975c greasy. While 15µ and 17µ micron fleece wool sold up to 958c and 789c greasy.
Online Offer Board Results: The positive market sentiment saw buyers demand spill over online to AuctionsPlus to see 69 bales sell over the last 7 days. 18µ and 19µ micron fleece wool sold to 785c and 735c greasy or 1328c and 1161c dry.
The top priced lot sold on the Offer Board was a line of AAA Super Fine 15µ micron fleece wool. This lot had the very low vm of 0.5% and 89mm in length.
This line was branded GLEN STUART, offered by Roberts of Tasmania and sold for 1670c greasy or 2215c dry.
Looking forward, the last week ahead before the three week break should open with a similar positive position. The question remains how far forward are oversea’s mill looking, with global economies and markets still under a cloud of uncertainty.


text:
Editor Josh Popichak firstname.lastname@example.org
Looking for a local job? Check out these local businesses. They're hiring!
From May through November, the Saucon Valley Farmers' Market is open Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Hellertown's Water Street Park, just off the Saucon Rail Trail.
The newly launched site offers tips, info and digital know-how for small business owners.
Hellertown's Sagra Bistro and Lower Saucon's Yianni's Taverna will be two of the participating restaurants in the 2013 Lehigh Valley Food & Wine Festival's 'Grand Tasting,' which will be held May 31 to June 2 in Bethlehem.
Northampton County's monthly sheriff sale will be held Friday.
The new Rodizio Grill Brazilian Steakhouse in Allentown features a gourmet salad bar and slow-grilled meats carved table side by 'gauchos.'
Warm Sugar, a Main Street cupcake bakery, is looking to relocate to an area with more foot traffic, according to a recent post on its Facebook page.
Dorney Park opened Friday. You'll have to wait another three weeks for Wildwater Kingdom, which opens May 25. Here's info on discounted tickets.
Advertise on Patch and reach potential customers in your backyard and beyond. Click here for more information.
Learn more »
If you want to help local causes, or your cause needs local help, your next click should be right here.
Learn more »
Enter your tip here and it will be sent straight to
Josh Popichak and Community Manager Mary Ellen Alu,
Hellertown-Lower Saucon Patch's (incredibly grateful)
Hellertown-Lower Saucon news, events, and deals sent to you daily and breaking news as it happens.
See more options
You’re now signed up!


text:
Lately, all of the media attention has been on energy drinks. Beverages that rev you up, dose you with an extra hit of caffeine, keep you awake all night and make you super extreme, dude. Of course, the not-so-nice side effects that some of these drinks cause — including increased blood pressure, anxiety and heart palpitations — has also been in the news.
Now get ready for the flip side: drowsy drinks. While their numbers are still dwarfed by their high-octane counterparts, drinks that promise to chill you out are increasing in popularity. They promise a vacation in a bottle or an acupuncture session in every can. But these so-called relaxation drinks come with their own set of health concerns.
Many contain herbs such as valerian root and the hormone melatonin. These are meant to create feelings of relaxation and even induce sleep. But therein lays the problem: Some health experts fear people will down one of these drinks before getting behind the wheel of the car or operating heavy machinery and not realize they are becoming groggy or disoriented. And excess consumption of either ingredient can spark withdrawal symptoms if use is stopped suddenly. Most of the drinks come with warning labels, but consumers might not notice them.
Still, it looks like the trend is here to stay, at least for the moment. The makers of Red Bull, the famous energy drink, recently introduced Slow Cow, which promises to help consumers focus and concentrate. Another company is now selling a similar beverage called Drank, which is distributed in more than forty states.
The jury’s still out on whether these drinks will catch on with the public. Vacation in a bottle? Sounds good. But as relaxing as the real thing? That’s for consumers to determine.


text:
Amy Tam Joins Elevate Gourmet Brands as West Coast Regional Managerhttps://elevategourmetbrands.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Amt-Tam-Headshot-Small.jpg736966Greg RabbittGreg Rabbitthttps://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4f9799951076157e08343db01a472476?s=96&d=mm&r=g
Amy has an extensive background in both the food & beverage and retail industries at the district and regional managment levels, and brings two decades of expertise and enthusiasm to Elevate Gourmet Brands’ high volume West Coast region.
“What excites me are the people that make up the Green Beans Coffee cafe teams. Our baristas are really the cream of the crop, and are super motivating to work with!” Amy said. “As we recruit and onboard new team members for the Pronto! and Mac + Cheese Kitchen brands, I’m looking forward to building that same enthusiasm with a new group of team members and brand ambassadors.”
SAN RAFAEL, CA –Elevate Gourmet Brands® is pleased to announce Benedikt Reifler has joined EGB as its new Chief Financial Officer. Benedikt, formerly CFO at Philz Coffee, brings 22 years of financial executive experience in the hospitality industry to Elevate Gourmet Brands, with a proven track record of value creation.
Originally from Switzerland, Benedikt started his career in banking and after completing business school, he moved to the Bay Area for its mild weather, cultural diversity, and forward-thinking mindset. He’s an incisive and focused leader with experience with several US brands including Philz Coffee and Tavistock Restaurants, where he built strong financial and administrative foundations, allowing them to successfully expand their footprint. He was a key player in growing Philz Coffee from 14 to 55 coffee shops and Tavistock Restaurants from 17 to 115 restaurants (with a mix of fine dining, casual and quick service concepts all across the US). Benedikt brings a talent for problem solving in operations, systems, and process optimizations in addition to his financial expertise.
“I’m excited to join the Elevate Gourmet Brands team,” Benedikt said. “One of my highest priorities right out of the gate is to leverage technology to transform the accounting and finance department to a fully digital environment, enhance the analysis and planning functions, and help build the strategy for successful growth of Elevate Gourmet Brands’ existing and new concepts in the US airport space.”
Benedikt holds a business degree from the school of economics and business administration (SEBA) in Zurich-Winterthur and is a Certified Public Accountant in California.
Brian Laliberte Named New CEO of Elevate Gourmet Brandshttps://elevategourmetbrands.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Montanous-cupping_brian-ceo-PR.jpg1624643Greg RabbittGreg Rabbitthttps://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4f9799951076157e08343db01a472476?s=96&d=mm&r=g
SAN RAFAEL, CA –After 25 years of leadership, Elevate Gourmet Brands’ founders Jason and Jon Araghi have named Brian Laliberte as new CEO. Laliberte, EGB’s Chief Operating Officer since 2008, will assume his new role May 1st as US air travel ramps up for summer 2022. The Araghis will continue to serve on EGB’s Board of Directors.
For more than a decade Brian has directed Elevate Gourmet Brands’ growth and diversification within the airport industry, and was instrumental in navigating EGB through the unprecedented challenges brought on by the Pandemic of 2020. Now as US air travel climbs, Laliberte is ready to lead EGB upward as well.
“We’ve developed an aggressive roadmap for growth that we’re very excited to begin implementing. We have two new brands launching in the next 12 months, as well asfour build-outs in two airports to complete by the end of the year. Our entire US team is ready to serve airport employees, flight crews and travelers at pre-pandemic volume,” said Brian Laliberte. “We’re committed to continue elevating our customers’ airport dining experience at all our established and emerging brands!”
“Jon, Negissa and I started Elevate Gourmet Brands as a family business, and over the last 14 years, Brian has become part of our family,” said Co-Founder Jason Araghi. “I know that I speak for all of us in thanking Brian for his tireless dedication to the company, our mission and our customers.”
Green Beans Coffee to Sponsor George W Bush Presidential Center 2022 Forum on Leadershiphttps://elevategourmetbrands.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Screen-Shot-2022-04-20-at-2.03.26-PM.png24641275Greg RabbittGreg Rabbitthttps://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4f9799951076157e08343db01a472476?s=96&d=mm&r=g
Green Beans Coffee, a supporter of America’s Service Members since opening their first café serving Troops in Saudi Arabia in 1997, will serve speakers and attendees of the forum with an espresso bar and fresh brewed coffee. Green Beans Coffee will also present a Cup of Joe For a Joe exhibit at the forum, showcasing the program’s 15 year impact on American Service Members deployed overseas, and their supporters stateside.
The 2022 Forum on Leadership features speakers including the 26th Secretary of Defense, General James Mattis, 24th Secretary of Labor, Elaine Chao, and the 61st Secretary of State, James A Baker III, bringing together leaders in domestic and foreign policy, global health, and economics.
“Green Beans Coffee’s mission is to support American Service Members from deployment to discharge and beyond, and we’re proud to share that with attendees at this year’s Bush Center Forum on Leadership,” said C.O.O. Brian Laliberte. “We launched Cup Of Joe For A Joe in 2008 so Americans stateside could connect with Service Members deployed overseas by buying their next cup of coffee at one of our cafes there, and exchange messages with them. With Cup of Joe For a Vet civilians can say thank you and help support veterans here at home every time they buy Green Beans Coffee products online. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase Green Beans Coffee’s 25 year history with the US military, and present the Cup of Joe For a Joe and Cup of Joe For a Vet programs’ impact in the military community, at home and abroad.”
Whisk & Bowl ACDBE Partner Sends Holiday Message to Team Membershttps://elevategourmetbrands.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Elliott-threatt.png1020585Greg RabbittGreg Rabbitthttps://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4f9799951076157e08343db01a472476?s=96&d=mm&r=g
KANSAS CITY, MO – Whisk & Bowl ACDBE Partner and Co-Owner Elliott Threatt sent some holiday cheer to all the Whisk & Bowl team members at DFW airport in a new video.
“Through all this adversity you’ve gotten through all those DFW lines of stressed customers and sent them on their way with what they need- with a smile on your face through the mask!” Threatt said. Holding up his Christmas lights, he continued, “I think you’re our points of light, and I want to thank you!”
Threatt, a Grammy® Award nominated comedian and entrepreneur has been a moving force behind several Elevate Gourmet Brands partnerships, including the Cup of Joe For a Vet Program, a partnership with Kansas City-based veteran nonprofit Veterans Community Project.
Whisk & Bowl, Elevate Gourmet Brands’ premiere bakery concept, launched in Summer 2019 with two locations at DFW airport. Offering airport travelers, employees and flight crews an elevated selection of modern twists on local Dallas favorites and indulgent pastries and treats, baked fresh daily. In 2020 Green Beans Coffee rebranded their breakfast and bakery sections with Whisk & Bowl at all locations.
Green Beans Coffee featured again in San Francisco International Airport’s video campaignhttps://elevategourmetbrands.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/video-screecap-1.png24271200Greg RabbittGreg Rabbitthttps://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4f9799951076157e08343db01a472476?s=96&d=mm&r=g
Green Beans Coffee’s new Terminal 3 location which opened in 2019 was featured again in San Francisco International Airport’s second video “Call 9-11” focused on the airport’s “If you see something, say something” policy. Green Beans’ team members act out both the incorrect and correct protocol for employees to address abandoned luggage left at the café.
BNA Pronto Moves to A/B Food Courthttps://elevategourmetbrands.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/thumbnail_pronto-a-b-food-court.jpg818605Greg RabbittGreg Rabbitthttps://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4f9799951076157e08343db01a472476?s=96&d=mm&r=g
The BNA Pronto Provisions has moved to the A/B Food Court! Pronto is serving delicious coffee drinks from featured purveyor Green Beans Coffee as well as snacks, sundries and curated provisions from local purveyors.
Green Beans’ Best-Selling Spiced Chai Tops Amazon’s Hot New Releaseshttps://elevategourmetbrands.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Spiced-Chai-Amazon-List.jpg25001664Greg RabbittGreg Rabbitthttps://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4f9799951076157e08343db01a472476?s=96&d=mm&r=g
Green Beans’Spiced Chai has been a favorite among Green Beans Coffee drinkers for over a decade. Now it’s finished 2020 in the number 1 spot on Amazon’s Hot New Releases list for Chai, topping household names like The Coffee Beans & Tea Leaf and Celestial Seasonings.
“We’re thrilled Amazon shoppers are starting to discover our Spiced Chai, it’s been a best-seller in our cafés and online for over two decades,” said Elevate Gourmet Brands’ Chief Operating Officer Brian Laliberte. “We launched it as a complement to our coffee offerings in our cafés, and customers immediately loved it. The Spiced Chai latté is delicious on its own, but in our smoothies and frappés it really elevates them to the next level. When we first added our Spiced Chai Smoothie on the menu it was an instant hit and outsold other blended coffee drinks the first week.”
To promote the Spiced Chai, Green Beans continues that spirit of playfulness and experimentation with a series of “snackable” social media recipe videos using the Spiced Chai powder. Flourless Spiced Chai Chocolate Cake, Spiced Chai Roasted Nuts and Spiced Chai Chia Seed Pudding are among the fun recipes Green Beans suggests you try with the Spiced Chai.
Green Beans Coffee featured in San Francisco International Airport’s first ever music video #MaskOnSFOhttps://elevategourmetbrands.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/SFO-Rap-Video-Screencap-2.jpg25601296Greg RabbittGreg Rabbitthttps://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4f9799951076157e08343db01a472476?s=96&d=mm&r=g
When you do travel, SFO wants you to #TravelWell. Wear your mask. Stay six feet apart. Wash your hands. Wear your mask. Stay six feet apart. Wash your hands. We hear it over and over again and sometimes it feels like a chore.
That’s why the amazing crew at #SFO wanted to switch things up by communicating these critical health reminders in a different and more memorable way. The result: SFO’s first ever music video, #MaskOnSFO!
Green Beans Coffee was excited to be a part of the video along with gate agents , custodians, airfield crew and engineers.
Green Beans Coffee launches “Cup of Joe For a Vet” with Partner Veterans Community Projecthttps://elevategourmetbrands.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/COJ4AVET-header-pic-1.jpg25001484Greg RabbittGreg Rabbitthttps://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4f9799951076157e08343db01a472476?s=96&d=mm&r=g
KANSAS CITY, MO – Starting Veterans Day, Green Beans will donate coffee to veterans in need for every box of K-Cups purchased from their Amazon store. The “Cup of Joe For a Vet” promotion continues their partnership with Veterans Community Project (VCP), a Kansas City-based nonprofit working to eliminate veteran homelessness through transitional housing solutions and social services.
For over a year Elevate Gourmet Brands’® Green Beans Coffee® has supplied coffee and collateral to veteran residents of the Kansas City community. The Cup of Joe For a Vet initiative is the first step in engaging Green Beans customers in the brand’s efforts to support America’s Veterans in the same way their Cup of Joe For a Joe program engages civilians to support deployed Service Members.
“Green Beans Coffee is committed to supporting American Service Members from deployment to discharge and beyond. That’s been at the core of our mission as a company from Day 1; we opened our first café ever in 1998 in Saudi Arabia serving American Service Members. We launched the Cup of Joe For a Joe program in 2008 as a platform that a person in New York or Omaha or San Francisco could use to connect with a soldier deployed overseas by buying their next cup of coffee in real time, at one of our cafes there,” explained Co-Founder Jason Araghi. “COJ even allows them to exchange messages with the Service Member. Sharing a cup of coffee is universal, and Cup of Joe For a Vet connects civilians with veterans here at home in the same way.”


text:
Monday, April 16, 2012
Pampers Celebrates Their London 2012 Olympic Games Partnership with a Facebook Sweepstakes and More!
Beginning April 16th through May 19th, parents can visit the “Team USA Sweeps” tab on the Pampers Facebook page and register for a chance to win the grand prize trip for a family of four to attend the London 2012 Olympic Games and attend the first ever Pampers Playground event alongside Team USA Hopeful, Kerri Walsh, and her husband and sons. The recipient of the grand prize trip to the London 2012 Olympic Games will be drawn on or around May 21st. Additionally, Pampers will be randomly selecting weekly winners between now and August 12th to receive a prize pack consisting of one month’s supply of Pampers Limited Edition “USA” diapers and wipes as well as a souvenir volleyball signed by Kerri Walsh.
What awesome prizes! CLICK HERE to enter the Pampers Team USA Sweepstakes. You can enter daily!
DISCLAIMER: No products or compensation were exchanged for this post.


text:
Supermarkets across the country are now operating reduced hours amid huge demand on stores as shoppers continue to panic buy.
Asda, Aldi and more are now closing earlier than usual to allow staff to unload new stock onto shelves which have been left empty each day by customers.
Many stores are also offering the first hour of trading to NHS staff, elderly or vulnerable shoppers to help them get items they need.
By now, we've all saw photographs taken outside supermarkets showing huge queues in the mornings so we have taken a look at what times stores are closing for those who prefer to do their shopping in the evenings.
We've provided a full round-up below of all stores including the big four supermarkets, budget stores such as Aldi and Lidl and M&S Food Halls too.
A number of stores are now operating at reduced hours due to "operational reasons", Tesco said on Twitter after photos showed shelves cleared of food and other essential goods.
Some Tesco Extra stores and larger Metro stores have reduced their hours to between 6am and 10pm so they can properly restock overnight.
You can find timings for your nearest Tesco store here.
Asda's CEO Roger Burnley announced at the weekend all Asda stores would be operating reduced hours.
He shared a statement via email to all Asda customers. In his statement he said: "His statement said: "We also want to support our colleagues and our customers as much as we possibly can. As of today, we will be moving our stores to 8am-8pm opening hours, meaning our colleagues have some time to re-stock the shelves of their stores and thoroughly clean for our customers to be able to shop.
"As a final point, we would also urge our customers, where possible, to use cashless payment options to reduce contact with our colleagues and help prevent further spread of the virus.
You can find your nearest Asda store here.
In a letter to customers, the supermarket’s CEO said: “You will have seen that we put restrictions in place this week to ensure that more products are on shelf for longer. From Monday 23rd March, we are consolidating our opening hours and all our supermarkets will be open from 8am to 8pm, Monday-Saturday, including those with an Argos store. Sunday opening, Sainsbury’s Local and petrol station opening times will stay the same.”
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, all our supermarkets will dedicate 8am - 9am to serving elderly, disabled and vulnerable customers, as well as NHS and Social Care workers.
You can find the timings of your local store here.
Morrisons' store appear to be closing at the usual times, this means its Speke store closing at 8pm.
Things are almost changing daily, so it is always worth checking here for your local store to check timings.
Aldi has altered its opening times slightly during this uncertain period.
A message has been placed on its website where shoppers are also thanks for their patience during the last few days whilst its stores have been busier than usual.
Aldi stores will now close at 8pm Monday- Saturday for stores across the UK and Ireland. In Scotland stores will close at 6pm.
Sunday hours are not affected which means Aldi stores on Sundays will continue to close at 4pm.
You can find your nearest Aldi store here.
Lidl is advising customers to use its store finder tool to keep up to date with the latest opening and closing times.
For today, Lidl's Maghull and Bootle stores will close at 10pm.
You can find your nearest store here.
Marks & Spencer
The majority of M&S Food Halls close at 9pm, however it is worth checking the timings of your local store here.


text:
F100 given the green light again - Mackintire @ BON
At first I chocked this up as a a pipe dream, but the chips are starting to fall in place and I am beginning to believe it. Giving a little more credit to this is the fact that I have recently visited 5 Ford dealerships and all have said that they have been receiving requests from customers for an updated truck smaller than the F150.
So here's the latest rumor.
2014 release as a 2015.
Chassis based off of the [strike]F150 but narrower and modified[/strike] Full size Ford Transit
EB 2.0 and EB 2.7 are the suspected engines. Ford can pull many parts from the F150, but the narrowed chassis will require unique sheet metal and interior.
The goal appears to be to have a smaller vehicle that fits in the slot under the F150 with 2-3 mpg increase over a 2x4 F150 and sell at $2-3K less than an F150.
This line of thinking has merit as there has been discussion on how to get the current F150 to drop the almost 1000lbs required to make up the currently expected deficit generated by the upcoming 2016 CAFE regulations.
I am of the belief that the F100 would help pull up the current F series CAFE ratings and would be able to be produced at the same factory that currently produces the F150.
Here are the FACTS
Ford stated that the US is not getting the T6.
Ford stated that the F100 project had been placed on hold and could be restarted if necessary
Ford has stated that they need the F150 to drop 1000lbs to make their 2016 fuel economy goals
Ford had assumed that the EB 2.0 liter and the weight loss of 1000lbs would reach their increased fuel economy goal
Ford has been surprised at the number of consumers that still want a truck smaller than the F150. This info was sourced from multiple Ford dealerships.
Ford currently has the EB 2.7 liter engine is development and expects to have it available in a Lincoln mid 2013. This wouldn't be the first time Ford has made a habit out of releasing a engine in a car a year or two before the same engine is released in a truck..
The Ford transit is now scheduled to be build in Kansas, starting 2013
Back to the world of possibility:
Unless Ford intends to sell a lot of transits, it is very likely that the F100 will be built on a modified transit platform in that same plant.


text:
Your guide to a better future
You'd be surprised how much data is hanging out in your phone that you don't need.
We test the iPhone's new 48-megapixel main camera, Cinematic mode and the new Action mode in San Francisco's Mission District.
The company is scaling back plans to increase manufacturing of the new phones.
Why you should clear your iPhone cache and exactly how to do it in Chrome, Safari and Firefox.
The new flagship phone is expected to arrive early next year.
From budget Galaxy A phones to futuristic foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold 4, there's a Samsung phone at every price.
Two top-end phones from Apple and Samsung go head-to-head in our tests.
Get the best bargains on all of Google's latest phones, including the brand-new Pixel 6A.
Samsung flagship foldable phone is available with 70% or more off with trade-in right now.
The phone packs some exciting tech and goes on sale in Europe with a sky-high price attached.


text:
Shares that traded for under $12 on Nov. 27 were being sold for over $15.30 before the market opened this morning.
The move brings the market capitalization for the gaming retailer to $4.6 billion.
Why, GameStop, Why Now?
There are early signs that the current holiday season will set records.
But the sudden move in GameStop stock does not appear to be based on fundamentals. Analysts still expect the company to report a loss in its next earnings report and a loss for the year. GameStop has sales of about $6 billion per year and is now selling for about 75% of sales.
By comparison, Walmart (NYSE:WMT) sells for 66% of its sales but consistently shows a profit of roughly 2.5% on sales.
Instead, this looks like a return to the “meme stock” era of early 2021. That January, GameStop shares jumped from under $5 to a high of $81 on pure speculation from small traders, urged on by comments on Reddit.
They seemed to be at it again on Stocktwits, where comments like “to the Moon” predicted a short squeeze ahead. The most recent public data at Fintel showed 22.7% of shares being held short, with over 12 days to cover. Almost 64% of the stock was being held short outside the listed exchanges.
Investor Ryan Cohen put himself in charge of the company in September. He immediately warned employees to become “extremely frugal.” He said he had no time to waste on “delegators and time wasters.” Since then, however, there have been no new growth initiatives.
GME Stock: What Happens Next?
A short squeeze or meme stock wave is fragile. Anyone who gets into GME stock should be ready to sell at any time since the rise is based on sentiment.
As of this writing, Dana Blankenhorn did not hold (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.


text:
USB Group Working On Slimmer, Reversible Connector
The USB Implemeters Forum and the USB 3.0 Promoters Group today announced that they have begun development on the next-generation of USB connectors. According to the USB-IF the new USB connector, referred to as Type-C, will be based on the existing USB 3.1 and 2.0 specifications, but will use an entirely new design that is smaller and more apt to work with slim electronics. The new connector will do away with the fixed orientation of today's USB 2.0 and 3.0 plugs, and will use a unidirectional connector that can be inserted either way. The Type-C connector will also support scalable power charging and will be future-proofed so it can meet increased bus performance and speeds in the future. The new plug will not be backward compatible with older devices, so the standards groups will also create a series of adapters to work with the Type-C connector. The USB-IF says the specification should be drafted by the end of the first quarter of 2014 and finalized by the middle of next year.
Sep 12, 2018
Apple today announced the fourth-generation of Apple Watches. For the first time since the original Watch, Apple is changing the dimensions of its smart wearable.
Apr 19, 2018
Motorola today announced four new affordable Android phones coming to the U.S. market before mid-year.
Oct 16, 2017
Huawei today announced the Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro, the Chinese company's flagship smartphones heading into the end of the year. The Mate 10 (left) and Mate 10 Pro (right) are high-end devices with curved glass panels front and back, and a metal frame in between.
Oct 16, 2018
Huawei today announced it flagship series for the year, the Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro. The phones share a number of features, but have their own identity thanks to differences in the screen and chassis.
All I can think of is Apple..


text:
- Order Reprints
- Print Article
- Resize icon
Helped by a double-digit increase in its pet business, Zoetis reported third-quarter earnings that handily beat Wall Street expectations.
The animal-care company’s stock (ticker: ZTS) was around $123 Thursday morning, up more than 1% on the session.
Zoetis, based in Parsippany, N.J., earned 90 cents a share, up from 71 cents a year earlier,...


text:
Amazon plans to slash seller fees for clothing items priced below $20, initiating a price competition with Chinese fast-fashion brand, Shein. Starting in January, merchandise under $15 will have associated fees reduced to 5%, while those priced between $15 to $20 will see fees lowered to 10%. The strategic move intensifies Amazon's appeal to merchants offering low-cost apparel, widely dominated by Shein.
💡 Why this matters: This move by Amazon indicates a strategic shift towards winning over budget-conscious consumers and suggests a potential escalation in competition within the low-price apparel market. Additionally, it also poses challenges for other online marketplaces and fast fashion brands that rely on competitive pricing.
Tesla is on the brink of producing a $25,000 car, otherwise known as the robotaxi, aimed to redefine the automotive market. These next-generation vehicles are to be produced at an unprecedented scale, with recently revealed plans of producing 5 million units annually. Initiation of the production has been redirected from Giga Mexico to Giga Texas due to logistical improvements. The new car technology emerges from Tesla's Gen-3 platform and its production is expected to commence in the next 12 to 18 months.
Twitch, a well-known video streaming service, has announced its withdrawal from South Korea due to exorbitant network fees. Despite efforts to mitigate costs, including employing a peer-to-peer model and lowering streaming quality, the Amazon-owned platform reported operating at a significant loss with no sustainable future prospects. South Korea's high internet costs have been a point of contention, with Netflix also previously falling foul of the region's usage charges.
ByteDance Ltd., TikTok's parent company, has offered to buy back up to $5 billion from investors at a valuation of $268 billion, a figure 11% lower than its 2022 valuation. The firm, in the face of increasing scrutiny and setbacks, has remained one of the world's most valuable start-ups, with a broad international user base despite withdrawal from ventures outside its core business.
Uber has introduced a "Store Pickup" feature, allowing customers to arrange for couriers to collect purchases for delivery to a recipient. Accessible via the Uber Connect feature, customers must upload proof of purchase, and items must be under $200, weigh less than 30 lbs, and comply with restrictions. The service is available in 1,500 locations.
Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup, X.AI, aims to secure $1 billion in an equity offering, after successfully amassing nearly $135 million from four investors. The firm, which seeks to understand the universe, recently unveiled Grok, a chatbot with advanced features that competes head-on with other AI systems such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Bard, and Anthropic's Claude. The company's team consists of individuals from renowned tech giants such as DeepMind, OpenAI, Google Research, Microsoft Research, Twitter, and Tesla.
Programmer Theia Vogel revealed that the AI model, ChatGPT, produces longer responses when offered a monetary tip. Through several tests, Vogel discovered a correlation between the promised tip amount and the length of the chatbot's response, with a $200 tip receiving 11% longer responses. Critics cast doubt on the effectiveness of this strategy, but this discovery highlights the unique learning opportunities provided by large internet-based datasets used for training AI models.
Microsoft's Copilot is scheduled to adopt OpenAI's latest models, GPT-4 Turbo and an improved DALL-E 3, promoting better understanding of queries and improved responses. The forthcoming features also include a new code interpreter that aids in precise calculations and data analysis, along with deep search functionality in Bing that enables optimized search results for complex topics.
Shares in Asana Inc. plummeted over 12% despite recording higher-than-expected earnings and revenue for its fiscal third quarter. The decline was prompted by the company's warning about macroeconomic difficulties ahead. Despite reporting an adjusted net loss of $8.2 million, Asana's revenue increased by 18% to $166.5 million, led by robust growth among enterprise customers. However, the company cautioned that ongoing market headwinds are affecting its renewal base and extending deal cycles.
The U.S. labor market is showing signs of healthy rebalancing after pandemic-induced extremes. New data reveals a drop in job vacancies in October with minimal impact on layoffs, pointing to a steady recovery. The rate of job openings to unemployed workers eased to 1.3 from a peak of 1.2 pre-pandemic, showing steady market balancing. Concurrently, the services sector showed steady growth with the Institute for Supply Management's index marking a 52.7% expansion in November.
ByteDance Ltd., the owner of TikTok, plans to buy back up to $5 billion from investors at a $268 billion valuation. Despite 11% lower than their previous offer, this would still rank ByteDance among 40 most valuable public companies globally, and third in China. However, plans for an IPO have faced setbacks, including a crackdown on internet firms in China, overseas scrutiny, and a ban in India.
Apple's $3 trillion market cap exemplifies its agility amid slightly slower growth and looming challenges. Despite projecting no annual revenue growth for the December quarter, forthcoming product launches, including the Vision Pro virtual reality headset, remain promising.
Net New ARR growth is rebounding, indicating that software headwinds may have bottomed out. Amazon and Snowflake suggest that Cloud Optimizations are giving way to net new workload growth as customers grow tired of diminishing returns from cost optimizations and start to prepare for the integration of new technologies such as AI and ML.
💡 Why this matters: The rebound in net new ARR growth suggests a revival in the software industry's momentum. Recent comments from Amazon and Snowflake hint businesses are now focusing less on cost optimization and increasingly on new workload, including AI and ML technologies, potentially reshaping market strategies.
Anker's Qi2-compatible wireless chargers are set to provide 15W fast charging for new iPhone devices. These chargers have the same max rate as Apple’s own MagSafe gear but no Qi2 certified products are available yet.
Messaging startup Beeper has launched an app that allows Android devices to use Apple's iMessage. Beeper Mini's direct iMessage sending improves security and integrates seamlessly with text conversations.


text:
Pre-order stock for the Apple iPhone 5 on the company's US website was apparently sold-out within one hour.
Despite widespread criticism of the device after many were expecting more innovation from the technology giant, reports state that this is the fastest sell-out to date.
Customers in the UK are also facing delays due to stock depletion. The new handset was released for pre-order on the UK Apple Store at 08:00 September 14th. The website currently states that all versions of the iPhone 5 will be dispatched in two to three weeks.
Customers who missed out on pre-ordering and want to get their hands on the device on its launch day of September 21st will need to join the huge queues expected outside Apple stores across the nation.
Fans of the iPhone manufacturer are renowned for camping outside the retail establishments days before a new device is set for release.
Official pre-order and sales figures should be released soon.
Posted by Claire Marshall


text:
This article is part of a VB special issue. Read the full series here: How Data Privacy Is Transforming Marketing.
We’ve been shaking the crystal ball on the cookieless future, and it’s still cloudy — we know it’s coming, but we’re not sure when, or how exactly it will play out.
Still, now is the time for organizations to prepare, lest their marketing methods become obsolete.
It is imperative, experts say, that enterprises be proactive in balancing the dual consumer demand for privacy and personalization. How can they achieve this? By harnessing lower-level types of data — including second-party, first-party and zero-party — and leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) in a way that is both ethical and accurate.
“Moving forward, brands have to think about how to collect data transparently and use it in a way that delivers value to the customer,” said Stephanie Liu, privacy and marketing analyst at Forrester. “That’s a relatively new mindset for marketers, and many are struggling today because for decades they’ve prioritized benefits to the business while neglecting the customer.”
Join today’s leading executives at the Low-Code/No-Code Summit virtually on November 9. Register for your free pass today.
Comparing first-party data and third-party data
Essentially, first-party data is “data that customers and companies share ownership of,” said Andrew Frank, VP analyst at Gartner. This lets a brand tailor experiences in the way of loyalty programs and incentives.
Putting it in human terms: First-party data is like being friends with someone and sharing information directly, said Liu.
“You know each other well and your friendship can deepen over time,” she said.
Third-party data, by contrast, is akin to having an acquaintance who you’ve mostly heard things about “through the grapevine” — and not all that is accurate.
“Personalization has turned into an amorphous catch-all, but when it comes to asking customers for data, brands need to think about what data they need, how they’ll use it to benefit the customer and how they’ll encourage customers to actually share that data,” Liu said.
With changes occurring and more afoot, “marketers are facing data deprecation,” she added.
Cross-site tracking is becoming more difficult, privacy regulations are adding new consent requirements, consumers are more protective of their data and walled gardens are limiting data access and use.
“It’s not just the death of third-party cookies,” said Liu. “There are multiple significant forces impacting marketers’ ability to collect and use customer data.”
The power of AI
Organizations are increasingly leveraging AI to fill in this gap. AI and machine learning (ML) models can categorize and segment third-party data to correlate, segment and make predictions.
Liu pointed to one common use case of lookalike modeling. When a customer hasn’t shared “a plethora of information about themselves,” a brand can take what it does know about them and try to match them with customers who look similar, she explained.
“It’s a way of filling in the gaps for customers whose profiles are data scarce,” said Liu.
Unsurprisingly, there are risks. If someone has chosen not to share much about themselves, it’s probably because they don’t know the brand well or don’t see value in sharing data, she pointed out.
Brands can nail it pretty accurately and personalize based on data a customer hasn’t explicitly shared, but this can be perceived as “creepy and invasive,” she said. Case in point: The infamous example of Target recognizing a customer was pregnant before she’d even broken the news to her own father.
On the other hand, if a brand gets it wrong, it risks personalizing off faulty assumptions.
“So, marketers need to think about what benefit the customer will get from this type of modeling and if the benefits (to marketers) are worth the risks (to customers),” said Liu.
‘Small data’ trend
The conventional wisdom is that the most cutting-edge AI is dependent on large volumes of data. However, other approaches do not require massive labeled datasets — a few examples are transfer learning, data labeling, artificial data, reinforcement learning and Bayesian methods, according to the Center for Security and Emerging Technology.
This is what’s known as “small data.”
“Behaviors have changed so much in so many different ways in society around the world, that the data you collect is less indicative of the future than it used to be,” said Erick Brethenoux, VP analyst at Gartner.
Organizations may have a lot in terms of volume, but not quality, he said. And, when there isn’t enough quality data or data is fragmented, that’s when model accuracy decreases.
This is prompting the use of additional AI techniques in the background to “enhance or complement” data, said Brethenoux. For example, in insurance, applying knowledge graphs to provide more context and better accuracy.
“The people who say they have too much data don’t know what is in their data,” said Brethenoux.
Other types of data collection
But, as third-party data from cookies to fuel AI models decreases, brands can increasingly rely on another tool: “Zero-party data.”
This was termed by Forrester in 2017, and it refers to data that a customer proactively and intentionally volunteers. Such as, Liu said, product preferences, purchase intent, and content preferences.
For example, they can specify, “I have a cat.” A brand can then use this information to show them cat products on their site or app — and stay away from hawking dog products.
“This is data customers are choosing to share with a brand because they like the brand and are getting some benefit or value in return,” said Liu. It is much more transparent and straightforward than buying from a data broker, she said, and helps reduce the creepiness factor of “why do you know that about me?”
Right now, it’s still just a concept, contended Frank. He does see it evolving into something “more substantial,” and potentially used with distributed or decentralized ledgers.
Still, he pointed out that first and zero-party data, where there is “incentivized consent” is not always permitted — or even a possibility. More generic categories that don’t sell directly — say, a tissue paper supplier — don’t have that ability, and the cost of losing access to third-party data is higher.
Another emerging method for procuring data? Second-party data via data clean rooms. This is a collaboration between brands with direct relationships to consumers with brands that don’t, explained Frank.
Data clean rooms allow companies to leverage intelligence extracted from personal data without exposing personal data to any parties, he explained.
A new Interactive Advertising Bureau standard is “seller defined audiences,” which allows companies with large amounts of data to define an audience that an advertiser could buy without revealing specifics, he said.
Then there are concepts such as Unified ID 2.0, an unencrypted alphanumeric identifier created from emails or phone numbers. This method allows advertisers to target specific consumers without compromising their privacy.
Responsible AI — and marketing
The key to all this is getting the right kind of consent, and making sure that that is always honored and enforced in different contexts.
Then, of course, there’s the imperative that AI models be responsible, ethical and trustworthy — undoubtedly one of the most pressing discussions occurring in tech right now. Respective to third-party data, organizations must be cautious and seek advice on how to use it, said Brethenoux.
“It is the responsibility of the organizations getting that data to do that work,” he said.
The future of procuring data, said Frank, could either be a “walled garden” concept, where a few large companies have a great wealth of data and sell that data; a “consent economy” controlled by consumers; or a decentralized, self-sovereign identity where people would control their identity.
In any case, “we’re heading for a world where people do have more control over their personal data and can make more intelligent decisions with how they share it with brands,” said Frank.
Ultimately, third-party data isn’t going to go away, said Frank. Brands just must get smarter about how they use all other types of available data — whether that’s zero, first, second, or creative procurement of third-party data that respects privacy.
In the meantime, continue to keep an eye on that cookieless crystal ball.


text:
|By PR Newswire||
|January 8, 2013 02:00 PM EST||
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- HEX, award-winning fashionable techcessories brand, today announced the debut of its Axis Folio for iPad mini, and two new hard shell laptop cases at CES 2013 (Jan. 8-11). Featuring HEX's signature textiles, each new accessory offers a blend of thoughtful design and street wear sophistication that make an unmistakable style statement. CES attendees can check out the new lineup of HEX products, including a sneak peek at to-be-announced spring and summer collections, in the North Hall of the LVCC at booth #6422.
Proving that good things come in small packages, the Axis Folio for iPad mini ($69.95) is the ideal fusion of modern functionality and rich fabrics. The Axis Folio's slim design, flap pocket and built-in card slots allow users to get the most out of their mini case by removing the need for bulky wallets or money clips. Multiple viewing angles and a camera hole means users can capture and view what inspires the most with without having to press pause on their style. The Axis Folio for iPad mini is available in Torino black leather, Torino red leather, grey waxed denim with black coasted canvas trim, or charcoal with ivory pinstripe and tan faux leather trim. The HEX Axis Folio for the full size iPad ($79.95) is also available in the same fabrics.
In addition to tablet accessories, HEX is also unveiling a hard shell case for MacBook. In an innovative step, its designers combined premium waxed denim and canvas to a custom molded polycarbonate to bring texture and new appeal to laptop cases. The hard shell MacBook cases ($59.95) are available in grey waxed denim, or blue, red and ivory cabana striped canvas.
"We want to provide consumers with products that are an extension of their personal style and reflect the fashion industry's increased adoption of the tech world," says Dan Maravilla, co-founder, HEX. "CES is the ideal platform to unveil these products and demonstrate how HEX products eliminate the need to choose between function and fashion when it comes to carrying the devices that help keep us connected."
The Axis Folio for iPad mini and hard shell cases for MacBook will be available beginning in February. For more information about any of these new products or HEX's extensive line of techcessories, visit www.shophex.com, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Also check out the collection in action in the HEX Spring 2013 look book video.
Established in 2010, HEX is proud to bring fashion forward thinking to the often mundane world of tech apparel and merchandise. With over 20 years of design roots in the fashion industry, HEX has not only come on the scene, but stolen it. With a collection that showcases a stylish array of bags, wallets and cases, HEX has created some very innovative products, through fusing fashion with technology that will no doubt garner top-quality storage for all of your tech devices without damaging your style or street cred. We're here to serve... More information on HEX can be found on www.shophex.com, Facebook and Twitter.
SYS-CON Events announced today that Coalfire will exhibit at the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Coalfire is the trusted leader in cybersecurity risk management and compliance services. Coalfire integrates advisory and technical assessments and recommendations to the corporate directors, executives, boards, and IT organizations for global brands and organizations in the technology, cloud, health...
Oct. 26, 2016 06:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,655
In past @ThingsExpo presentations, Joseph di Paolantonio has explored how various Internet of Things (IoT) and data management and analytics (DMA) solution spaces will come together as sensor analytics ecosystems. This year, in his session at @ThingsExpo, Joseph di Paolantonio from DataArchon, will be adding the numerous Transportation areas, from autonomous vehicles to “Uber for containers.” While IoT data in any one area of Transportation will have a huge impact in that area, combining sensor...
Oct. 26, 2016 06:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,080
November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Penta Security is a leading vendor for data security solutions, including its encryption solution, D’Amo. By using FPE technology, D’Amo allows for the implementation of encryption technology to sensitive data fields without modification to schema in the database environment. With businesses having their data become increasingly more complicated in their mission-critical applications (such as ERP, CRM, HRM), continued ...
Oct. 26, 2016 06:15 PM EDT Reads: 1,143
As data explodes in quantity, importance and from new sources, the need for managing and protecting data residing across physical, virtual, and cloud environments grow with it. Managing data includes protecting it, indexing and classifying it for true, long-term management, compliance and E-Discovery. Commvault can ensure this with a single pane of glass solution – whether in a private cloud, a Service Provider delivered public cloud or a hybrid cloud environment – across the heterogeneous enter...
Oct. 26, 2016 05:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,509
SYS-CON Events announced today that Cloudbric, a leading website security provider, will exhibit at the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Cloudbric is an elite full service website protection solution specifically designed for IT novices, entrepreneurs, and small and medium businesses. First launched in 2015, Cloudbric is based on the enterprise level Web Application Firewall by Penta Security Sys...
Oct. 26, 2016 05:15 PM EDT Reads: 1,266
Enterprises have been using both Big Data and virtualization for years. Until recently, however, most enterprises have not combined the two. Big Data's demands for higher levels of performance, the ability to control quality-of-service (QoS), and the ability to adhere to SLAs have kept it on bare metal, apart from the modern data center cloud. With recent technology innovations, we've seen the advantages of bare metal erode to such a degree that the enhanced flexibility and reduced costs that ...
Oct. 26, 2016 04:15 PM EDT Reads: 364
In his general session at 18th Cloud Expo, Lee Atchison, Principal Cloud Architect and Advocate at New Relic, discussed cloud as a ‘better data center’ and how it adds new capacity (faster) and improves application availability (redundancy). The cloud is a ‘Dynamic Tool for Dynamic Apps’ and resource allocation is an integral part of your application architecture, so use only the resources you need and allocate /de-allocate resources on the fly.
Oct. 26, 2016 04:00 PM EDT Reads: 3,827
DevOps is being widely accepted (if not fully adopted) as essential in enterprise IT. But as Enterprise DevOps gains maturity, expands scope, and increases velocity, the need for data-driven decisions across teams becomes more acute. DevOps teams in any modern business must wrangle the ‘digital exhaust’ from the delivery toolchain, "pervasive" and "cognitive" computing, APIs and services, mobile devices and applications, the Internet of Things, and now even blockchain. In this power panel at @...
Oct. 26, 2016 04:00 PM EDT Reads: 2,119
Governments around the world are adopting Safe Harbor privacy provisions to protect customer data from leaving sovereign territories. Increasingly, global companies are required to create new instances of their server clusters in multiple countries to keep abreast of these new Safe Harbor laws. Is it worth it? In his session at 19th Cloud Expo, Adam Rogers, Managing Director of Anexia, Inc., will discuss how to keep your data legal and still stay in business.
Oct. 26, 2016 03:45 PM EDT Reads: 1,511
SYS-CON Events announced today that SoftNet Solutions will exhibit at the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. SoftNet Solutions specializes in Enterprise Solutions for Hadoop and Big Data. It offers customers the most open, robust, and value-conscious portfolio of solutions, services, and tools for the shortest route to success with Big Data. The unique differentiator is the ability to architect and ...
Oct. 26, 2016 03:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,083
In the 21st century, security on the Internet has become one of the most important issues. We hear more and more about cyber-attacks on the websites of large corporations, banks and even small businesses. When online we’re concerned not only for our own safety but also our privacy. We have to know that hackers usually start their preparation by investigating the private information of admins – the habits, interests, visited websites and so on. On the other hand, our own security is in danger bec...
Oct. 26, 2016 02:45 PM EDT Reads: 360
SYS-CON Events announced today that Embotics, the cloud automation company, will exhibit at the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Embotics is the cloud automation company for IT organizations and service providers that need to improve provisioning or enable self-service capabilities. With a relentless focus on delivering a premier user experience and unmatched customer support, Embotics is the fas...
Oct. 26, 2016 02:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,007
SYS-CON Events announced today that MathFreeOn will exhibit at the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. MathFreeOn is Software as a Service (SaaS) used in Engineering and Math education. Write scripts and solve math problems online. MathFreeOn provides online courses for beginners or amateurs who have difficulties in writing scripts. In accordance with various mathematical topics, there are more tha...
Oct. 26, 2016 01:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,112
SYS-CON Events announced today that Niagara Networks will exhibit at the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Niagara Networks offers the highest port-density systems, and the most complete Next-Generation Network Visibility systems including Network Packet Brokers, Bypass Switches, and Network TAPs.
Oct. 26, 2016 01:15 PM EDT Reads: 1,422
The best way to leverage your Cloud Expo presence as a sponsor and exhibitor is to plan your news announcements around our events. The press covering Cloud Expo and @ThingsExpo will have access to these releases and will amplify your news announcements. More than two dozen Cloud companies either set deals at our shows or have announced their mergers and acquisitions at Cloud Expo. Product announcements during our show provide your company with the most reach through our targeted audiences.
Oct. 26, 2016 01:00 PM EDT Reads: 5,020
@ThingsExpo has been named the Top 5 Most Influential Internet of Things Brand by Onalytica in the ‘The Internet of Things Landscape 2015: Top 100 Individuals and Brands.' Onalytica analyzed Twitter conversations around the #IoT debate to uncover the most influential brands and individuals driving the conversation. Onalytica captured data from 56,224 users. The PageRank based methodology they use to extract influencers on a particular topic (tweets mentioning #InternetofThings or #IoT in this ...
Oct. 26, 2016 12:45 PM EDT Reads: 8,570
Virgil consists of an open-source encryption library, which implements Cryptographic Message Syntax (CMS) and Elliptic Curve Integrated Encryption Scheme (ECIES) (including RSA schema), a Key Management API, and a cloud-based Key Management Service (Virgil Keys). The Virgil Keys Service consists of a public key service and a private key escrow service.
Oct. 26, 2016 12:45 PM EDT Reads: 1,169
In his general session at 19th Cloud Expo, Manish Dixit, VP of Product and Engineering at Dice, will discuss how Dice leverages data insights and tools to help both tech professionals and recruiters better understand how skills relate to each other and which skills are in high demand using interactive visualizations and salary indicator tools to maximize earning potential. Manish Dixit is VP of Product and Engineering at Dice. As the leader of the Product, Engineering and Data Sciences team a...
Oct. 26, 2016 12:45 PM EDT Reads: 622
OnProcess Technology has announced it will be a featured speaker at @ThingsExpo, taking place November 1 - 3, 2016, in Santa Clara, California. Dan Gettens, OnProcess’ Chief Analytics Officer, will discuss how Internet of Things (IoT) data can be leveraged to predict product failures, improve uptime and slash costly inventory stock. @ThingsExpo is an annual gathering of IoT and cloud developers, practitioners and thought-leaders who exchange ideas and insights on topics ranging from Big Data in...
Oct. 26, 2016 12:45 PM EDT Reads: 437
SYS-CON Events announced today that Cemware will exhibit at the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Use MATLAB functions by just visiting website mathfreeon.com. MATLAB compatible, freely usable, online platform services. As of October 2016, 80,000 users from 180 countries are enjoying our platform service.
Oct. 26, 2016 12:30 PM EDT Reads: 962


text:
Recently, Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) and Coborn’s announced a new supplier partnership agreement. AWG will be serving as the primary wholesale supplier for Coborn’s, effectively serving the 59 grocery stores across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin operating under the Coborn’s, Cash Wise Foods, Marketplace Foods, and Hornbacher’s banners.
“The upper Midwest is home to Coborn’s and other extraordinary independent grocers,” David Smith, AWG’s President and CEO said. “We have experienced strong growth in this region, but distance and distribution costs weren’t favorable for our members or us. We believe this new Division will be a game-changer for grocers in the area and will quickly become our highest growth Division.”
According to the release, AWG will commence supply of grocery products to the Coborn’s stores in January 2022 from AWG’s new Upper Midwest Division in St. Cloud, Minnesota, situated in the former Creative Memories warehouse facility located in St. Cloud’s I-94 Business Park at Opportunity Drive and I-94. Fresh and frozen products will temporarily ship from AWG’s Nebraska and Great Lakes Divisions. Later on in 2022, AWG will complete a new fresh and frozen warehouse at a location still to be determined.
Once the new location is completed, the collective warehouses will provide more than 650,000 square feet of warehouse space and accommodate the full-line distribution of products to Coborn’s and other AWG member stores in the region. Additionally, once a site is selected for the new fresh and frozen warehouse and completed, AWG plans a future expansion into a single state-of-the-art facility with automated high-tech operations and with up to one million square feet of space, based on retail demand. In total, AWG expects this project to create over 400 new jobs.
“We are excited to embark on this new partnership with AWG and to be a part of their plans to expand into Minnesota. This partnership provides Coborn’s a strong wholesale partner and positions our company well for future long-term growth and stability,” said Chris Coborn, Chairman, President, and CEO of Coborn’s. “As an employee-owned company, we are proud to join the AWG co-op which allows us to continue to serve our guests in a remarkable way. As community members, we are also pleased about the additional jobs this will create for Central Minnesota.”
Currently, the Upper Midwest Division will supply and support current and future cooperative members closer to the new operation. The service area will include Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Wisconsin, providing those member-retailers a more localized assortment, lower cost of goods, and saving those AWG members millions of dollars annually through reduced freight expenses.
“Coborn’s is one of the nation’s top independent grocers, with a rich history and impressive 100-year track record of retail excellence and growth while serving and supporting their communities. We’re very excited to welcome Coborn’s to the AWG cooperative family, and it’s a blessing to know that we can now support them as they enter the next century of their history”, said Smith.
This expansion will create AWG’s ninth full-line wholesale Division. AWG currently operates Divisions in Kansas City, KS; Springfield, MO; Oklahoma City, OK; Southaven, MS; Goodlettsville, TN; Pearl River, LA; Kenosha, WI; and Norfolk, NE. The new Upper Midwest Division will be overseen by Danny Lane, AWG Senior Vice President, and long-time industry veteran.
We here at Deli Market News cannot wait to see this partnership grow and look forward to more developments in the retail sector.


text:
President Donald Trump revived his tough talk on the North American Free Trade Agreement Tuesday, warning Canada it must stop protecting its dairy farmers from US competition.
Standing up for dairy farmers in Wisconsin "demands fair trade with all of our trading partners", Trump said, "and that includes Canada". The pricing agreement was a response to growing USA exports of milk proteins that were not subject to Canada's high tariffs.
Canada's action made it too expensive for that country's dairy companies to continue purchasing ultra filtered milk from the USA, which had been entering Canada duty free.
More than 70 dairy producers in both Wisconsin and NY are affected.
In a joint letter with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday urged Trump to "address Canada's protectionist dairy trade policies so that they honor their global commitments under NAFTA and other trade agreements". "Canadian farmers always get $5-10 per hundredweight of milk more than us because they have a government-controlled supply management program".
Relations with the US are crucial as more than 75 percent of Canada's exports go to the USA, while 18 percent of USA exports go to Canada. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has blamed the Senate for delaying the confirmation of Trump's USA trade representative.
In a joint letter, the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) urged the administration to tell Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to halt the new pricing policy and restore imports of the blocked U.S. products, specifically ultra-filtered milk.More news: UK's Johnson cancels Moscow visit after Syria gas attack
"We're going to call Canada and we're going to say 'What happened?"' Trump said during an appearance at a Snap-On Tool plant in Kenosha. "This is going to add to it", said Kimball, who runs Country Ayre Farms in Dewittville.
Last month, a free-market think tank suggested using more open trade in the dairy sector as a bargaining chip in upcoming trade negotiations with the U.S.in exchange for more stable trade in softwood lumber.
"The whole thing is ridiculous".
"We're going to make some very big changes or we're going to get rid of NAFTA once and for all", he said.
"I strongly encourage other dairy processors to consider how they can be part of the solution", Brancel said.
"So the Americans are not suffering from the current terms of NAFTA and existing trade agreements".


text:
Home grown brand Twelve Cupcakes, the cupcake franchise famously owned and founded by local celebrity couple Jaime Teo and Daniel Ong, has been sold to Indian tea producer, Dhunseri Group, for SG$2.5million.
According to multiple local reports, Dhunseri Group is said to be one of India’s largest tea producers and is based in Kolkata. In a statement to TODAY, Mrigank Dhanuka, vice chairman and the managing director of Dhunseri Group, confirmed that a 100% buyout was made in Twelve Cupcakes. The sale was completed last December.
He added that the move will help the group establish a strong foothold in the Singapore food and beverage scene. Dhunseri Group is also looking at “turning the business around”, which Dhanuka said is at about cash break-even point.
Multiple news reports state that Dhanuka is now based in Singapore to head up operations for Twelve Cupcakes. In an interview with The Straits Times, he revealed that plans are underway to add eight more outlets after business has stabilised. This is on top of the cupcake chain’s 17 outlets in Singapore, along with intentions to expand its offering in terms of flavours and diversifying into other kinds of desserts.
Dhunseri, which has been around for around five decades according to its corporate site, also has plans to expand in the region post the Twelve Cupcakes acquisition. It widened its reach from eight estates to 10 estates during the time period of 2012 to 2013 in Assam, allowing it to become one of the 10 largest tea producers in India.
Marketing has reached out to Dhunseri Group and Twelve Cupcakes for comment.
The sale follows news of Twelve Cupcake's celebrity founders split in December. Daniel Ong (pictured left) is a local radio and television host whereas Jaime Teo (pictured right) is a former Miss Singapore Universe.


text:
Birmingham sneaker store Size? moved the launch of a new Nike trainer online – after canceling the in-store event at the last minute as dozens showed up to queue.
The Nike Dunk Low ‘Marina Blue’ was expected to release this morning (Thursday February 3) and the store was to sell the shoe on a first-come, first-served (FCFS) basis at the Lower Temple Street store.
But after dozens of people joined the queue on Thursday morning hoping to get their hands on the sneakers, the store refused to open the doors as more than nine people showed up.
Read more: Birmingham Nike trainer launch canceled due to more than nine people queuing – and fight breaks out
It was revealed that only nine pairs of trainers were available – and the store refused to open unless the queue was reduced.
The launch of the Nike Dunk Low “Marina Blue” was then canceled minutes after the store was scheduled to open – and a fight broke out outside the store between people waiting in line.
The police have been called and it is believed that someone has been arrested.
Read more: Shoppers react to ’embarrassing’ and ‘chaotic’ handling of Nike trainer launch at Birmingham store
Some people had arrived as early as 6am today to queue for shoes – but were told around 9.30am there were only nine pairs available.
Cut? they later took to their Instagram account condemning people who couldn’t queue “in a sensible way”.
When staff were approached by the BirminghamLive reporter at the scene, they said police advised them not to comment.
The message read: “Due to the fact that people cannot reasonably wait in line, this launch has been cancelled.
Read more: A fight breaks out outside the Nike store in Birmingham after the launch was canceled
“It was a trial run to see if we would be able to release more stock on a first come, first come basis and after today nothing more will be done.
“Apologies to those who were able to queue properly and saw this opportunity wasted by those who were unable to follow the simple instructions.”
The store then announced that the launch was now taking place online – as they were giving people the option to purchase any of nine pairs via social media.
Cut? said: “To avoid long lines and ensure the health and safety of all our customers for your opportunity to purchase the Nike Dunk Low ‘Marina Blue’
“To enter, you must:
* Follow us @size_b2_birmingham.
* Have your profile open and not private
* Comment your UK size and full name
* One registration per person, multiple registrations will be canceled
* This will close at 11 a.m.
*Winners will be contacted by the end of today
* Collection date today and tomorrow
* You must have your winning dm, no screenshots will be accepted
“Size range 7-11 including half sizes
“Thanks and good luck.”
Read more: Nike trainers will go on sale in Birmingham and customers should expect queues
Stay up to date with the latest outings, nights out, shopping and more with our daily email updates.


text:
Music Beta by Google was one of the most important announcements at Google I/O, and we have all been waiting impatiently to get our taste of Google’s new toy. The same morning that this long awaited service was unveiled, its official site went up, allowing everyone to request an invitation to be part of Google Music’s beta testing. Well, it seems that the time has come, and many of those that requested invites, have been receiving them today (Not me… Yet).
Music beta may be Google’s main attraction for now, being its new toy, but we tend to forget that it is still in beta. In fact, the service started having its first issues yesterday. Google Music showed its imperfections for a 3-4 hour period, when new invitees were unable to access the Google Music Manager (uploading tool). New users started reporting that the music manager would ask them to log in repeatedly, despite the fact that they already were. Also, Music Beta’s site started displaying the following message: “Your computer or network may be sending automated queries.To protect our users, we can’t process your request right now.” We have to remember that we are signing up for a beta product, so we should expect some issues, but Google will be working hard to fix them. Aside from these issues, users seem to be very satisfied, and it is definitely exciting that Google is allowing us to check it out.
Though Amazon beat Google and Apple on releasing a cloud music player, all of us (Android enthusiasts) have been waiting for Google Music to show up. The Amazon Cloud Player is not bad at all, but it is a given that Google Music should simply work better, and be more integrated with the Android platform. The uploading process is very slow with Amazon, and it seems like Google has done a better job at this. Music Beta accomplishes this by giving you a piece of software that will upload your 20,000 songs to Google’s servers more seamlessly, as opposed to Amazon, which requires you to do it through your web browser (at a very slow rate).
Have you guys gotten some love from Google yet? If you have received the invite, please let us know how Google Music is working for you! If not, sit tight and wait with me, hopefully we will get it soon. Also, check out Chris’ introduction video about Music Beta for a good look at what Google has in store for us.


text:
The majority of the managers of publishers and marketers surveyed expect journalistic media to suffer losses of more than 30 per cent in digital advertising sales.
VDZ President Dr. Rudolf Thiemann calls on the German government to oppose the planned ePrivacy Regulation and not to bow to one-sided data protection and the needs of Internet giants. “For publishers, this could mean huge losses. The proposed ePrivacy Regulation will largely remove the basis for their business models, especially for open publishing offerings on the Internet,” explains Dr. Thiemann.
The experts believe that the consequences of the ePrivacy Regulation will especially pose a threat to small and medium-sized websites as well as niche offerings, since these websites will no longer be able to finance themselves and cover their costs while providing the same level of journalistic quality. In the medium term, this will lead to a loss in information diversity.
Ultimately, those who use online journalistic offerings will have to accept a poorer quality user experience as the price for improved protection of their personal data under the ePrivacy Regulation. Readers will be offered less relevant content because editors and newsrooms will receive hardly any data to analyse, so that content can no longer be made available on the basis of key figures. What’s more, users will be confronted with advertising that is not tailored to their interests as well as with new access restrictions for quality content due to closed systems. More than two thirds of the managers surveyed by VDZ believe that in future the media will only offer its content behind a login. This would put an end to the recent upward trend in paid content and make it extremely difficult to implement paid content.
Hear more about, and discuss with colleagues the impact of, GDPR at FIPP and VDZ’s 11th Digital Innovators’ Summit in Berlin on 19-20 March 2018. Discounted Early Bird tickets are currently still available, but the offer is about to end so register today if you want to join us at DIS2018.
The experts expect the economic loss for total digital advertising sales by all websites (including non-journalistic websites, but without Google and Facebook) to be in excess of EUR €300 million each year*. But they also believe the other digital revenue sources, such as direct-customer and agency business, along with transaction-based revenue in e-commerce, will decline significantly.
On the other hand, however, due to their high user numbers, platform giants like Facebook, Amazon and Google will benefit unduly from the ePrivacy Regulation unless EU policymakers take significant changes into account. All of the managers surveyed see Facebook as the winner under the new Regulation. This platform’s dominance on the advertising market and its gatekeeper function for content and downstream services will be strengthened even further.
For more information about the VDZ ePrivacy survey and a brief summary in PDF format, click here.
* Basis: VDZ Steering Committee – Digital media sales forecast for 2017 of around €1 billion for display advertising in Germany without Google and Facebook
VDZ is a member of FIPP.
More like this
[Congress Q&A] Axel Springer’s special interest magazines are booming in Germany
Mobile to power more than half of digital ad spend in Germany this year
eMarketer: mcommerce moving closer to mainstream in Germany
eMarketer publishes forecasts on time spent with media in Germany


text:
Out of concern about the negative impact of punitive tariffs no longer wants to restore the US camera maker GoPro for the home market of certain products in China. The current "geopolitical business environment requires agility," said GoPro on Monday to justify.
The company will dedicate itself to "proactively" to Worry about customs duties and shift production of cameras for Export to the United States from the people's Republic, the company said. Where GoPro left open initially but. The location change is to be made, therefore, in the middle of next year.
The U.S. and China had tariffs in the past few months, alternating with the Criminal and the threat of further premiums covered. Least a 90, it was agreed in the trade of conflict-day ceasefire, however, there is still the fear of a renewed escalation.
GoPro is concerned that the tariffs could force the company in the highly competitive camera market to a higher price. The manufacturer builds primarily small rugged cameras that can be mounted, for example, of helmets. So athletes can movies daring actions, without having a camera in your hands.
Long GoPro was a Synonym for such cameras. But the competition has now caught up; at the beginning of the year, GoPro had to pay after bad business for the umpteenth time, job cuts to announce. (AFP)
Created: 11.12.2018, 09:48 PM


text:
Prime Minister Tony Abbott's goal of a free trade agreement between Australia and China within a year is entirely achievable, according to West Australian Premier Colin Barnett.
In China this week to promote WA's strong economic relationship with the Asian superpower, Mr Barnett said he was being told only minor details stood in the way of a deal between the two nations - and the Chinese were very keen.
"It is realistic to think it could be done within 12 months, because as I understand it there are only a couple of details to be resolved. China has indicated to me several times this year they support a free trade agreement," Mr Barnett told Fairfax radio.
"It is being driven primarily by Australia, but there are only a couple of minor issues (in the way)."
Concluding his appearance at the APEC Summit in Bali this week, Mr Abbott said he would be disappointed if such an agreement could not be reached within a year, citing New Zealand's agreement with China as a template.
"Lets face it, the Kiwis, have had a series of agreements, including one with China, which have been very good for their economy," Mr Abbott said.
Following a week of meetings, including with the bosses of Baosteel, Mr Barnett said a free trade agreement would provide opportunities for small businesses across Australia to expand.
"In WA it would be an immense benefit for something like the wine industry, it would open the market up and bring the price of Australian wine in China down considerably," Mr Barnett said.
"The trend is to have these free trade agreements around the world, and we need to be part of it."
© AAP 2019