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The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee gave its full support to a bill that would encourage whistleblowers in the auto industry. Under the legislation someone that speaks out could get 30 percent of any federal fines against automakers for safety lapses.
The Autodromo Nazionale Monza has been a mainstay of Formula One since its inception, but if it doesn't get the funding it needs, it could find itself in serious trouble - and lose the Italian Grand Prix in the process.
Drivers in the US might be stuck with quite a wait to get their vehicles repaired under the Takata airbag inflator recall. As things stand now, the Japanese supplier could need as long as two years to produce enough replacement parts to service every affected model in America. If the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is successful in making the campaign nationwide, then that timeline could grow even longer.
With the Takata airbag debacle still yet to be resolved, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has found itself in hot water again. Parties both from within and from without the agency's ranks are asking hard questions about NHTSA's handling of the widespread recall, and now the agency's leadership will have to answer some of those hard questions.
Tesla Motors has been fighting to sell cars in many states, but has come up against laws prohibiting the electric automaker to exercise its direct-to-consumer business model. Such has been the case in Pennsylvania. Recently, though, Tesla worked out a deal with the Pennsylvania senate to approve a bill allowing five Tesla stores in the state, with the blessing of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. The bill, though crafted with Tesla in mind, doesn't specifically name the California-based
Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill (shown above) has had it with automotive execs stalling when it comes to recalls. The Missiourian has proposed a new bill, the Motor Vehicle and Highway Safety Enhancement Act, which aims to improve the automotive safety following the high-profile fiascos involving General Motors and Toyota.
In the Keystone State, the compromise number between zero and unlimited is five, apparently. Pennsylvania's Senate applied that math in an attempt to resolve the issue of allowing Tesla Motors to operate company-owned stores in the state. The senate this week unanimously voted for a bill that will allow Tesla's operations, but placed a limit on the number of stores at five. The bill will now go to the state's House for approval, according to Automotive News.
Drivers are one step safer to having improved privacy behind the wheel. The Senate Commerce Committee has granted bipartisan approval to legislation that aims to protect the information on automotive Event Data Recorders (EDR), also known as black boxes. The committee concluded that the vehicle owner is the one who owns the information stored on the device.
The internal investigation General Motors is conducting regarding its response (and responsiveness) to the ignition switch recall might be having its first effects. The company has put two of its engineers on paid leave. According to The Detroit Free Press, this action took place after a briefing by its internal investigator, former U.S. Attorney Anton Valukas. The engineers haven't been officially identified by GM.
It looks like General Motors CEO Mary Barra will be staying in Washington D.C for an additional day in April. The Senate has scheduled its hearing into the automaker's ignition switch recall for April 2, according to The Detroit News. That will put it a day after Barra's testimony in front of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on April 1. National Highway Transportation Safety Administration Acting Administrator David Friedman will also testify at both inquiries.
A pair of US lawmakers told the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that ethanol credits are leading to some deficits. Attempting to stem what they say could be an additional boost in gas prices prior to the busy summer-driving months, David Vitter (R-LA) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) are raising questions, Reuters reports.
US House of Representatives members will soon have access to plug-in vehicle charging stations in their Washington DC parking garage after the government makes good on a pledge made last August to make such stations available to both House and Senate members.
It's been working its way through Congress for years, but according to Car and Driver, an event recorder mandate could soon become law. The Senate has already voted to adopt a transportation bill that would make the so-called "black boxes" mandatory by the 2015 model year. According to the report, the House of Representatives is also expected to pass a similar statute.
The czars – all of them – are dead in the House of Representatives. Even though every "czar" position in government had already been vacated, the House passed a spending bill that officially eliminated the role and forbids the White House from naming more. In some cases, automotive and banking bailouts and executive pay especially, the czar himself was as polarizing as the job he had to do, and the enduring, transformative effects of their work can explain why politicians might targe


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Montreal Restaurants - Summer is long way gone in Montreal. Good thing there are lots of interesting things.
Marriott International recently announced that guests of their entire hotel portfolio (W Hotels, Westin, Marriott, Delta, Ritz-Carlton, St.Regis,.
BIGNO's - Just over six months ago, Stefano Infantino opened up the first bignolatti shop ever to be.
January is the toughest month for Montreal restaurants and bars. After the Holidays, clients have had enough of.
If there's something we all need right now to beat this cold snap, it's comfort food. The arrival.
The annual Happening Gourmand is back for the 12th edition as of Thursday, January 10th until Sunday February 3rd, 2019. Happening.
Who says vacations says lazy mornings, late brunch and lots of food. This Holiday season, take the time.
The Socks For Bubbly campaign is back for the 5th year in a row in Montreal ! From.
The 7th edition of MTLàTABLE has officially started! During these 11 days of gourmet fun, take advantage of the special.

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The Rev. Philip Parham's 50th anniversary of ministry will be celebrated Jan. 5. ...
The Rev. Philip Parham's 50th anniversary of ministry will be celebrated Jan. 5. The event will be at 3 p.m. at St. John's Episcopal Church, 515 E. Division St. For information on the celebration,
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Stainless steel barrels could be the next big thing
The metal barrel of the future is already here, thanks to a pair of stainless steel benchtop knives from Swiss company Stainless Steel, which are now being sold by retailers.
The stainless steel knives come in a range of sizes, with a knife that measures 14.7 by 7.6 inches (41.9 by 25.9 centimeters) and one that measures 17.8 by 9.6 (52.4 by 39.6 centimeters) making them the largest and heaviest stainless steel blades on the market.
The knives come with an extra blade, which makes them ideal for cutting meat, vegetables and nuts and making sandwiches, the company said in a press release.
A knife that fits a single person would weigh about 12 pounds (6.6 kilograms) while one with two or more people would weigh roughly 19 pounds (8.4 kilograms) the company says.
The knife is made from steel that has been alloyed with carbon and a unique alloy of carbon nanotubes that has a unique magnetic effect that allows the carbon to act like a magnet, making the blade more resistant to the elements and to heat, and also stronger.
The blades are lightweight and extremely strong, making them ideal to carry in the pocket or to hold in a pocket for food and drink, the statement said.
They can also be used for slicing meat, with the blades weighing in at 0.16 ounces (0.05 grams) for the 14.71 by 7-inch (41-inch) blade and 0.27 ounces (1.04 grams) per inch (16.2 by 10.3 centimeters) for a 17.4-by-9.6-inch blade, according to the company.
The Stainless Steel benchtop knife also features a black anodized finish that allows for a more durable, scratch-resistant finish.
The company says the stainless steel is an environmentally friendly alternative to stainless steel used in high-end consumer goods and industrial products.
“The blades have a very high corrosion resistance and are extremely strong for their weight, making these a perfect option for a daily carry,” the company told ABC News.
The products were initially launched at a Paris, France, event in September but the company has since launched a Kickstarter campaign for them, according the company’s website.
Stainless Steel is headquartered in Switzerland, but it has a manufacturing facility in Japan.


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India: Government sponsored transport for organic produce in Sikkim stateSikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling said that, in each assembly constituency, the state government would provide a vehicle for the transport of fresh organic produce to the markets.
This decision is aimed at mitigating future shortages of fruit and vegetables in the market, as imports of non-organic produce from outside Sikkim will be banned from April 1st, 2018.
Outlook India reported on opposition parties having raised concerns over the likely shortages and the ensuing effects on the prices of he agricultural products.
The promise of government sponsored vehicles would help Sikkim become a self-sufficient and self-reliant state in the agriculture and horticulture sectors.
Publication date: 1/25/2018
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Apple just announced a new version of the Apple Watch with Nike, targeting more active users. It features a bright green color, a plastic band filled with holes, and the now well-known Apple Watch face.
But at first glance it seems a bit… ugly. Well, at least that's what Tech Twitter is saying. Here are a few tweets:
That's ugly pic.twitter.com/iFyVApSug1— James Cook (@JamesLiamCook) September 7, 2016
this nike watch looks ugly— noah kulwin (@nkulw) September 7, 2016
nike design has all the aesthetic appeal of NERF products pic.twitter.com/H0hb81rT98— tc (@chillmage) September 7, 2016
The new Nike Apple Watch reminds me of the ugly iPhone 5 case pic.twitter.com/xiGrIVUZFA— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) September 7, 2016


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Wine Australia’s four ‘heads of market’s’ recently joined forces to present a market overview for a Wine Communicators of Australia webinar late in 2016. They examined the issues, risks and opportunities for Australia’s major export markets. Daniel Whyntie sat in to bring you the highlights of their presentations.
UK: Stop the world I want to get off
Laura Jewell MW Head of Market Europe, Middle East and Africa
Looking back across recent history, the UK market has been pretty stable – recent declines had slowed and there was growth in the retail sector and in sparkling. However, the impacts of ‘Brexit’ have meant the outlook seems to change on a daily basis. The vote to leave was unexpected and it has become very clear the UK Government had not actually planned for this outcome. Continue reading


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It’s Elephone’s turn to unveil a dual rear camera smartphone and it apparently comes in the form of the rumored Elephone Max.
Elephone’s upcoming phablet, according to Facebook-posted gossip, touts a 6-inch display with 2.5D glass and sports a pair of rear snappers for high-quality photography. A front and back render of the handset have been doing the rounds on social media as part of the rumors.
Elephone Max (Rumored Specs)
- 6-inch display, 2.5D curved glass
- Dual rear cameras
- Android 7.0 Nougat
According to the rumor mill, the Max is positioned to be a “cost efficient device” and could be “unveiled in early 2017.” Rumors will be rumors, though.
That’s all that we have on the Elephone Max, at least for now. Stay tuned to Unbox for more leak and rumor coverage on Elephone’s upcoming 6-incher.


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It’s not easy to see how things happening in your country affect people in other regions of the world. First, because your own personal experience and culture inform your perception, and second, your community will address the situation under its principles and the interests of the majority or group in power.
That said, media organizations across platforms, radio, social networks, TV, OTT, and web are the ones capable of raising awareness at scale. This, paired with widespread interest of consumers to stay up to date on one or more of these topics, is largely why these global issues identified by the United Nations form the basis of content production and media coverage:
|Population - Youth and Ageing
|Oceans and water
While covering the above topics to gain larger audiences and retention makes sense on paper, we have had hints that appealing to high-demand topics is not enough in today’s shifting media and entertainment landscape.
One theory that confirms this is the television broadcast of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Spoiler alert: TV viewership was at 30+ year lows in major markets for this global event. On average, there were 15.5 million people watching it broadcasted in the United States, a 46% plunge compared to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The company that owns the broadcasting rights to the Tokyo Olympics also missed its expected return by a longshot in other major markets.
At the same time, the Tokyo Olympics were the most-streamed Olympics ever, hitting a record 5.5 billion streaming minutes across other non-television mediums. Peacock (NBC’s streaming app) had its best two weeks since its debut last year due to its exclusive streaming of popular US Olympic content to US viewers.
Never had we gotten to experience the Olympics in such a personalized way, making the 2020 Summer Games extremely unique—not to mention, packed with lessons learned about shifting consumer preferences around content.
In recent years, streaming services have saturated the market with more personalized content and experiences on their platforms. In consequence, many TV networks have also launched platforms to compete with the giants already dominating the space, aware that audiences are constantly seeking out more fitting experiences.
Now that the ability of media organizations to personalize content and experiences has become normalized, media strategies are changing once again. In fact, the most successful marketing agencies in the world today don’t focus on the segmentation of audiences as much. To achieve superior revenue, customer engagement, and loyalty, ultra-personalization is key— this means each individual consumer is an audience of one.
Here are some milestones that must be reached along the path to “Ultra Personalization,” according to eNautics research:
To know how, when, and why to engage with us, media companies are dealing with data. A lot of data. Let me put it into perspective:
Every month, the average smartphone user generates 40 exabytes (one billion gigabytes) of data. Today, there are 5 billion smartphone users, meaning about 200 billion exabytes of data that companies can leverage to better understand the customer and transform the CX and UX. The data generated on the internet is even more impressive—every minute, 4.5 million videos are watched on YouTube, 1 million comments are posted on Facebook, and 188 million emails are sent.
With these immense numbers, leveraging big data to create valuable experiences for individual consumers is daunting. The most future-ready businesses are leveraging data multi-dimensionally through the "Five V’s" of big data:
To create personalization initiatives around data, data scientists rely on different frameworks (like Cassandra, Hadoop, and Spark) and parallel processing. This combination allows data scientists to break down data into multiple tasks, allocate tasks to different processors each generating their own insights, reassemble the results, then communicate them transparently and quickly to the right stakeholders and decision-makers. With this effective use of big data, any department in charge of creating content and communications to secure retention and lock-in purchases can leap into action during the most decisive moment for individual consumers.
Softtek has an array of services to store, manage, and process data through its Centers of Excellence dedicated to providing information management, advanced business analytics, and database and storage administration. Additionally, Softtek delivers customer experience design and engineering, and digital innovation services for your content production needs.


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Facebook's top priority in the upcoming year will be to improve the experience of its mobile users, the company's chief technology officer Bret Taylor noted earlier this week at the Inside Social Apps conference in San Francisco.
Taylor said that more than 200 million people regularly access Facebook through their mobile device, and that this group of users is nearly twice as active as those who check their page using a desktop computer, according to the Wall Street Journal.
While this is clearly good news, Taylor noted that it has created a bit of a fragmented user experience because Facebook has so many different mobile platforms -- each of which offers a specially designed look and feel. He said that when Facebook adds a new feature, the company needs to update seven different mobile platforms, including Android, iOS and touch.facebook.com.
“It’s an incredible challenge,” he said. “And there’s feature-skew."
So, Facebook's plan for 2011 is to rework its mobile platforms so that they all offer a similar user experience. To help with this transition, Facebook will look to HTML5.
"It is the future platform,” Taylor said of the Web standard. “That’s where we’re putting a huge amount of our resources.”
Taylor noted that 125 million of Facebook's more than 200 million active mobile users currently own a HTML5-enabled smartphone. That number should only increase in the coming year, he added.
In a separate interview with TechCrunch, Taylor indicated that Facebook is also working on creating a version of its site that is designed specifically with tablet devices in mind. As any iPad owner can tell you, Facebook doesn't have the same look and feel when it is running on a tablet.
“We need to make a tablet version of Facebook," he told MG Siegler of TechCrunch. "It’s something we’re working on right now.”
In related news, Facebook recently announced that it acquired Seattle-based Rel8tion to improve the company's mobile advertising service. Click here to read that story.
Want to learn more about the latest in communications & technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO East 2011, taking place Feb 2-4, 2011, in Miami. ITEXPO offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. To register, click here.
Beecher Tuttle is a TechZone360 contributor. He has extensive experience writing and editing for print publications and online news websites. He has specialized in a variety of industries, including health care technology, politics and education. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.Edited by Tammy Wolf
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Google has announced that Tilt Brush has now been Open Sourced. As reported by 9to5 this comes after the company decided to cease “active development” of the VR Painting App it acquired in 2015.
A move like this is hardly surprising given Tilt Brush ahs been out of the news for some years in terms of development. In its day though the app was making waves as the premier application for showcasing VR capabilities.
In 2017, games were developed in record time thanks to the use of Tilt Brush and its capabilities. Google made the application available with the Oculus Rift when the VR and the app were at the height of their popularity a few years ago.
Now Google has announced that the company has ceased its development of the app. As such has released Tilt Brush to Open Source to allow “everyone to learn how we built the project”.
Google Open Source Tilt Brush
Google announced the move in a statement where it looked back on the impact Tilt Brush had. The statement pointed out that the app helped “users create their artwork on every major VR platform”.
Google has taken the decision to open source the application in order to open it up to users. The company hopes this move will encourage users “to take it in directions that are near and dear to them”.
Tilt Brush is now available on GitHub where you can use, distribute, and modify the app under Apache 2.0 License. Despite this Google will not take any pull requests. The company has also said that some changes and removals were made “due to licensing restrictions”.
Google appears to have no plans to pull the version of Tilt Brush available in digital stores. Given these were paid purchases and the app remains available on steam for $19.99 this probably will not change.
The open sourcing of Tilt Brush is not wholly surprising given a number of applications have gone this way in recent years. For example, Poly, the 3D model sharing site and the Expeditions App shut down in 2019.
This can, therefore, be seen as another step Google’s expedition into Virtual Reality coming to an end. This mid-2010s experiment from Google appeared to work for a time but now appears to have fizzled out.
The company appears to have more of a focus on augmented reality at the moment with ARCore and web-based approaches currently on offer in search.


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As briefly-anointed billionaires Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss can attest, 2017 was a banner year for bitcoin. The flagship cryptocurrency was valued at around $1,000 last January; by the end of the year, it had skyrocketed to more than $20,000, bringing other major cryptocurrencies like ethereum and Ripple along with it. As financial bubbles go, only the infamous Dutch tulip craze of the 1630s comes close. Yet after months of gains, the hyper-volatile cryptocurrency market took a major tumble on Tuesday, dropping to its lowest level since early December (bitcoin fell to less than $10,000, by one estimate) and erasing months of added value in just a few hours. (As of Wednesday morning, bitcoin had recovered slightly, once again hovering at around $10,000, leaving the Winklevii about $443 million poorer, each.)
The proximate cause for the crash was news that certain countries will begin to tighten regulation around cryptocurrencies. Pan Gongsheng, a senior Chinese central banker, reportedly wrote in an internal memo last week that China “should ban centralized trading of virtual currencies as well as individuals and businesses that provide related services.” South Korea, which is among crypto’s largest markets, is expected to decide whether to propose a bill to ban cryptocurrency exchanges; the country’s finance minister, Kim Dong-yeon, said in a radio interview that a total shutdown of cryptocurrency exchanges is still possible. In the United States, BitConnect announced that it would be closing its exchange and lending operation after receiving cease-and-desist letters from securities officials in Texas and North Carolina.
There’s some irony in the fact that cryptocurrencies—decentralized, digital stores of value—would lose value after being targeted by the very governments they are meant to circumvent. Currencies like bitcoin, after all, were designed to be anonymous and stateless. Instead of being regulated by a central bank, new bitcoins can be created by anyone running the software to “mine” them—a computational process which also serves to update and maintain the complex public ledger underlying all bitcoin transactions. For those who believe, as the most fervent crypto fanatics do, that digital currencies will ultimately replace traditional money altogether, a government crackdown only proves their fundamental value.
It’s too soon to tell whether this week’s crash will undermine that thesis. Over the last several months, huge numbers of speculators have piled into the crypto market, driving up the price. On its face, the recent sell-off suggests that investors see real geopolitical risk in moves by China, South Korea, the U.S., and other countries that have raised concerns about digital currencies. At the same time, the crypto market is remarkably concentrated, with about 95 percent of bitcoin controlled by just 4 percent of investors (about 94 percent of whom are men). That can make for spectacular volatility—or, counterintuitively, unusual stability. The bulk of crypto wealth appears to be held by its truest believers, as The New York Times’ Nellie Bowles documented in a recent profile of Silicon Valley’s cult-like bitcoin and ethereum enthusiasts. And they’re in it for the long haul:


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"In this context, we reiterate that not only Amazon, its joint ventures in India too are hand in glove and knowingly helping it desecrating our country's rule of law. It is also deeply worrying that some banks are colluding with Amazon by helping it keep prices lower than the market through exclusive policies giving cashback," CAIT said.
Shripad Nadkarni, an early investor in Paper Boat and Epigamia, and Ashutosh Valani and Priyank Shah, founders of Beardo, also participated in the capital raising.
The mom and baby care brand has raised $10 million so far including the latest round.
The brand, with its 30-product portfolio and one million transacting customers, has focused on catering to the mom and baby market -- from pregnancy to postpartum and baby care.
"Our focus is mom and her personal care needs... For instance, in our skincare range, we focussed on pigmentation, and in our haircare range, we concentrated on hair fall - both are common postpartum occurrences," said founder and CEO Malika Sadani, a banker-turned-entrepreneur who founded the brand with husband Mohit Sadan in 2017.
The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of new-age brands with maximum consumption being driven by premium products, health, and wellness, ET had reported earlier.
The Moms Co competes with Johnson & Johnson, Cetaphil, Sebamed, Aveeno and Himalaya across some product categories, as well as Sequoia Capital-backed MamaEarth.
In a few years, The Moms Co has established a niche for natural products and trust, given its early tie-ups with maternity hospitals across the metros.
"Over the last few months, we have seen an accelerated trend of moms re-evaluating their choices when it comes to the personal care products they use. They are searching for natural and safe products," Sadani said.
Today, about 15% of the company's sales come from gifting combos.


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Bergstrom closes Milwaukee Smart car dealership
- Stacy Vogel Davis
Bergstrom Automotive has closed its Milwaukee Smart car dealership, leaving the Milwaukee area without a Smart car outlet for now.
Smart cars are manufactured by Mercedes-Benz, but dealerships in the United States, including the Bergstrom dealership, were distributed by Penske Automotive Group in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Now, Mercedes has canceled its deal with Penske and will be selling Smart cars through Mercedes dealerships, said John Bergstrom, CEO of Neenah-based Bergstrom Automotive. He said he's not sure if Mercedes has chosen a local Mercedes dealership to sell and service Smart cars.
The Smart Center Milwaukee at 11340 Metro Boulevard, Milwaukee, closed May 1.
Bergstrom recently opened a Fiat dealership at the same Metro Boulevard site and will expand it into the former Smart car space, John Bergstrom said.
Smart cars debuted to loud buzz in the United States in 2008, but sales have fallen off drastically in Milwaukee and around the country as reported in the Dec. 10 issue of The Business Journal. Bergstrom sold just 55 Smart cars in 2010, compared with 227 cars sold in 2009 and 289 cars sold in 2008.
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Konami is suing Cygames over Uma Musume! This was revealed by Cygames itself when making the announcement via a press release, but how exactly did Uma Musume become the subject of the lawsuit?
Konami Is Suing Cygames Over Uma Musume
According to Cygames, Konami decided to file a patent infringement lawsuit against them, Cygames even tried to talk on good terms with Konami who didn’t want to accept.
Uma Musume’s mobile game has been on the market for years. According to the report, Konami asks 4 billion yen for Uma Musume infringing on their patent.
Cygames didn’t say why Konami is suing them, nor Konami, but fans suspect it’s because of the above reason, similarities between Uma Musume’s mobile game and Power Pro’s.
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The Italian car, truck and bus maker Fiat S.p.A. said yesterday that it would pool its bus-making operations with Renault S.A. of France in a 50-50 joint venture that will become the second-largest bus maker in Europe, behind Daimler-Benz A.G.'s Mercedes-Benz. Fiat said the combined companies would have annual sales of about $1 billion and produce 4,500 buses and 1,500 mini-buses a year. The combination of the bus units of Fiat's Iveco division and Renault's RVI will lead to ''substantial savings,'' the statement said.
Iveco buses account for around 15 percent of the Western European bus market, and RVI about 10 percent. Mercedes-Benz had around 33 percent of the market last year. Fiat's shares jumped 460 lire, to 7,739, and Renault gained 85 francs, to 2,535.Continue reading the main story


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The Alberta government is changing the payment schedule for people in the province who receive payments through the Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) program and other income supports.
The change will mean that those who rely on the supports will receive their payment four business days prior to the first of the month.
In a news release Friday, the province said the change is based on feedback from a recent survey of Albertans who receive AISH and income support payments. The survey results showed those Albertans wanted more time to pay their bills and to avoid any unnecessary late charges.
The province said the new payment date will begin with the March 2024 payment cycle.
“This move aims to provide people with additional time to pay rent, manage their financial obligations and avoid incurring any unnecessary late charges,” said Seniors, Community and Social Services Minister Jason Nixon.
“This is a welcome and positive change for AISH and income support recipients who are working with a fixed income,” said Joy Bowen-Eyre, chief executive officer with the Alex Community Health Centre.
“This change means individuals who rely on these benefits can worry less about having their fixed income reduced, by avoiding and preventing any possible late payment fees.”
The province said clients will receive a notice to update any automatic bill payments when they receive their February 2024 payment. The government said this ensures that they will have the time necessary to change any automatic payments from their accounts.
The full payment date schedule is also available online.


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The persistent headache for Kenya’s manufacturing sector has been how to increase its contribution to the economic pie.
For the longest time, the sector’s share of gross domestic product has stagnated at about 10 percent, with government and stakeholders seeking ways to unlock its potential and make it the catalyst for economic growth.
Under the country’s Vision 2030 manufacturing is at the centre of the economic transformation objective. So how then can expansion of manufacturing be accelerated?
Analysts say the adoption of technology is one of the ways to realise this goal.
The Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) has been pushing for the integration of digital solutions in the sector, noting that innovations hold key to a vibrant sector.
“Our sustainability and self-reliance as a nation is only guaranteed through our capacity to be a competitive economy on a global scale, and the use of technology will play a critical role in growing our economy,” says KAM acting chief executive Tobias Alando.
Using technologies such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) allows businesses to better manage their internal operations including procurement, manufacture, and distribution, and to store this transactional data.
Several manufacturers have already adopted digital systems into their operations in a bid to boost competitiveness and enhance efficiencies while cutting costs and wastage.
This adoption has especially accelerated on the realisation of the depth and scope of business disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
A research by South African business management software provider SYSPRO notes the pandemic underlined the importance of technology in business operations.
“With the impetus displayed by Kenya’s international peers, the onus is fast becoming one of digital renovation. Change may happen slowly but it must happen nonetheless,” says the study titled Manufacturing CFO 4.0 Survey 2021 published by SYSPRO and the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya.
According to the survey, the adoption of ERP is producing positive results in Kenya, with 44 percent of the firms interviewed expressing a desire to invest and migrate into the new way of doing things.
“Warehouse Automation trails just behind at 39 percent, and Business Intelligence following at 38percent,” the study notes.
Xetova -a tech firm providing an interactive platform for the procurement ecosystem - in a recently research interviewed CEOs drawn from diverse sectors including manufacturing to determine the scope of their digital application and the benefits or setbacks they confronted.
The study, ‘The CEO Perspectives; The State of Digital Transformation in Kenya, 2022’ shows that agriculture firm Sasini established an automation roadmap with focus “on projects for significant bottom-line impact”.
Sasini now uses ERP at 95 percent from “barely used” before and in just two years of implementation, has witnessed a 25 percent increase in profits.
The Xetova survey notes that a rising number of local manufacturers, are embracing Artificial Intelligence to transform how they operate – by fully automating their production lines to be in touch with their customers and suppliers, with traditional customer service models taking a back-seat.
As manufacturers start the journey of digital transformation, experts say the success of the undertaking depends on how it is executed.
Tech experts advise manufacturing firm to get their digital shift right if they are to tap its promises, noting that digital transformation involves change in how enterprises use technology, workforce and business processes to improve performance and value to customers.


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EU, the European Union regulators have fined Google for a record $5 (€4.34bn; £3.9bn) Billion for 3 types of Antitrust Violations including illegal restrictions on the use of Android and unfair dominance in search. According to CNBC report, Google will have to end the illegal conduct within 90 days, or the company will face additional charges of up to 5 percent of Alphabet’s average daily worldwide turnover.
This is the biggest fine ever imposed by EU for an antitrust penalty. To recall, last year’s 2.3billion Euro fine was also against Google by EU.
Now, what would be the Google’s move on this? well, Google has now made it clear that it would appeal the EU’s decision.
“Android has created more choice for everyone, not less,” a spokesperson for the company said in statement. “A vibrant ecosystem, rapid innovation and lower prices are classic hallmarks of robust competition.”
Here is what Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s competition commissioner said on Wednesday at a press conference.
“Our decision stops Google from controlling which search and browser apps manufacturers can pre-install on Android devices or which Android operating system they can adopt,” she said.
Fine of €4,34 bn to @Google for 3 types of illegal restrictions on the use of Android. In this way it has cemented the dominance of its search engine. Denying rivals a chance to innovate and compete on the merits. It’s illegal under EU antitrust rules. @Google now has to stop it
— Margrethe Vestager (@vestager) July 18, 2018
What are the 3 Antitrust Violations by Google?
Ms. Vestager alleges that there are three ways that Google has acted illegally:
- it required Android handset and tablet manufacturers to pre-install the Google Search app and its own web browser Chrome as a condition for allowing them to offer access to its Play app store
- it made payments to large manufacturers and mobile network operators that agreed to exclusively pre-install the Google Search app on their devices
- it prevented manufacturers from selling any smart devices powered by alternative “forked” versions of Android by threatening to refuse them permission to pre-install its apps (as reported by bbc)


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A study of New York City’s pioneering law on posting calories in restaurant chains suggests that when it comes to deciding what to order, people’s stomachs are more powerful than their brains.
The study, by several professors at New York University and Yale, tracked customers at four fast-food chains — McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken — in poor neighborhoods of New York City where there are high rates of obesity.
It found that about half the customers noticed the calorie counts, which were prominently posted on menu boards. About 28 percent of those who noticed them said the information had influenced their ordering, and 9 out of 10 of those said they had made healthier choices as a result.
But when the researchers checked receipts afterward, they found that people had, in fact, ordered slightly more calories than the typical customer had before the labeling law went into effect, in July 2008.


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Beyond Encryption (BE) aims to extend the European reach of its email security system Mailock through Paragon Customer Communications (PCC), which has selected it as a preferred solution to deliver encrypted email to end customers.
Mailock will form part of Paragon’s OnePlatform Customer Communications Management (CCM) solution, enabling PCC clients to select an additional level of secure email communications.
PCC’s list of enterprise clients is spread across a diverse range of sectors, with financial services at its core. The business is responsible for around 2.4bn communications each year on behalf of its customers. BE already works with Origo Services, the Edinburgh fintech company, to deliver secure email to brands including Aegon and Royal London.
“This latest development will see Mailock reach millions of UK customers as well as extending its reach into European territories,” said BE.
Dave Reynolds, COO of transactional and service divisions at PCC, said: “Introducing Beyond Encryption’s market-leading technology in response to increased digital demands is a natural evolution.”
Paul Holland, chief executive at Beyond Encryption, added: “PCC work with many of the worlds most trusted brands and provide unrivalled communications capabilities. It reinforces the work we continue to do with global brands that are recognising the increasing threat of cybercrime to their customers, employees and businesses.”


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Merger of two giants in their respective fields has global implications
News broke in the Wall Street Journal on Monday, Feb. 12, that the leading pharmacy chain is looking to merge with the No. 2 drug wholesaler in the US. Two facts were quickly cited by the WSJ and other business reporters: Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) already owns 26% of ABC, as part of a path-breaking 10-year supply agreement forged between the companies in 2013; and the foray by Walgreens’ executive chairman, Stefano Pessina, a serial acquirer, is a reaction to the pending $69-billion bid by CVS Health to merge with Aetna, a leading health insurance company. And behind the CVS-Aetna deal is the worry that chain pharmacies and drug wholesalers have over whether Amazon will enter those businesses (it’s going on six months since the Amazon rumor-mongering cranked up without a substantive move by the e-commerce giant—so it remains no more than a rumor).
Both WBA and ABC had little to say about the proposal, which might go nowhere given its preliminary nature.
WBA has a market cap of around $68 billion, while ABC’s is just under $20 billion (although its stock price saw a double-digit jump after the news came out). Besides the share of ABC it already owns, WBA also represents about a third of the volume of drugs ABC distributes. When the supply agreement was announced in 2013, ABC joined in a joint venture, Walgreens Boots Alliance Development, to pool the companies’ drug purchasing globally. (In Europe, Walgreens Boots Alliance is both a major chain pharmacy and a major drug distributor.)
Besides its strong base in North America and Europe, WBA also has business in South America and parts of Asia; ABC has a partnering agreement with a Brazilian drug distributor, and has been bulking up the business that its global express delivery company, World Courier, is doing. Walgreens is also currently in the process of gobbling up some 1,900 stores from Rite Aid, while ABC is in the process of absorbing most of H. D. Smith, one of the largest privately held drug distributors in the US.
The nominal rationale for such a vertical integration is business synergies and market clout, but since both companies’ businesses are already intertwined, synergies are likely not to be a dramatic change from current practices. Both WBA and ABC are major players in specialty pharmaceuticals, with Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy, and the former AmerisourceBergen Specialty Group reorganized last year (in part) as Global Commercialization Services. That combination of specialty services could be a significant factor for pharma companies commercializing new products. Unlike the CVS-Aetna bid, which pulls both of those companies closer to the healthcare-delivery business, the WBA-ABC proposal seems to supersize drug distribution and retailing, and confronting the Amazon boogeyman head-on.


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Archive for December 2010
Breach Hands-on Preview
After the demolition jobs delivered by Bad Company 2 and Red Faction: Guerilla, games boasting heavily destructible environments seem to have gone somewhat out of vogue as of late – shooters such as Medal of Honor, Halo: Reach and the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops concentrating more on traditional FPS elements over the ability to disintegrate everything in sight.
Section 8: Prejudice Priced
TimeGate Studios has announced that the sci-fi shooter sequel Section 8: Prejudice will be a digital-only release for PC, Xbox LIVE and PlayStation Network, costing $15.00 USD.
Sizeable Civilization V Patch Released
Huge patches are all the rage of late. Fallout: New Vegas had one, Elemental: War of Magic followed suit, and now Civilization V joins the party with a mega-update.
Elemental: War Of Magic Patched To v1.1
To call Elemental: War of Magic a ‘troubled’ release would be a bit of an understatement.
Oddboxx Prices Announced
Oddworld Inhabitants has revealed a set of international prices for the Oddboxx collection.
Darkspore PvP Developer Diary
The latest developer diary from the Maxis team discusses the PvP features in their upcoming action RPG which is being released by EA early next year.
Buy Games Using Touchscreen Using New Amazon App
iPad users wanting to buy games online can now do so using a new touchscreen app launched by leading retailer Amazon.
Good Old Games Offers Tyrian 2000 For Free In Holiday Sale
Good Old Games has launched its Christmas/New Year sale, offering up to 50% off the classic titles in its catalogue.
OnLive Chief Executive Receives ‘Fundamental Patent’
OnLive’s chief executive Steve Perlman has told VentureBeat that he has received a “very fundamental” US patent which “covers an important part of the [cloud gaming] system.”
US Patent number 7,849,491, citing Perlman himself as the inventor, is summarised as “Apparatus and method for wireless video gaming.” As we know, however, OnLive is a server-based streaming games service (often called ‘cloud gaming.’)
The patent was originally filed in December 2002, but has just recently been granted.
Humble Indie Bundle #2 Launches With Braid & Machinarium
As was foretold earlier this month, the second Humble Indie Bundle has now launched – offering another five top-notch indie games under a ‘pay what you like’ scheme.
Monday Night Combat Coming To The PC In January
Uber Entertainment is bringing its arena-shooter Monday Night Combat to the keyboard-and-mouse crowd on 17 January next year.
New Homefront Single Player Trailer
THQ has released a new single player for Volition’s upcoming shooter Homefront.
Heroes of Newerth 2.0 Released
S2 Games has finally pushed the Heroes of Newerth v2.0 update out the door and there’s a whole host of updates and additions to the strategy action RPG title.
Allods Online High-End Gear Shots & Preview Videos
gPotato have released six new shots and two preview videos ahead of tonight’s launch of the third volume, The Fury of War on its European servers.
Microsoft To Unveil iPad Rivals
Microsoft is planning to announce a number of devices from third-party manufacturers that will rival the Apple iPad next month.
‘Major’ Black Ops Patch Released
Treyarch has launched major updates for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of Call of Duty: Black Ops, with a PC update due out ‘this week’.
Behind the Scenes of L.A. Noire Coming Thursday
Rock star updated their site with news that this Thursday they will be releasing a new video for L.A Noire, their 1947 themed detective action title.
Fallout: New Vegas v1.2 PC Patch Available on Steam
PS3 gamers had their version of Fallout 3 patched last Friday and the good news for PC gamers this evening is that the patch has now arrived on Steam.
Mass Effect 3, Teaser Video
We’ve had the reveal, the official reveal and the platform confirmation – now enjoy the London-based teaser trailer for Mass Effect 3, shown at the VGAs.
Strange Days: New Batman Arkham City Trailer
Remember the pifflingly short Arkham City teaser released last week? Well, RockSteady has now released the full version – and it’s quite a bit better.
Bloodline Champions – Blood Priest Profile
FunCom has revealed the newest and (as the voiceover on this profile dubiously claims) ‘sexiest’ addition to Bloodline Champions: the Blood Priest.
Age of Conan v2.1 New PvP Minigame Details
Funcom are getting ready to launch v2.1 on the live servers and with this update comes a new PvP mini-game and the map “The Call of Jhebbal Sag”.
Elder Scrolls V Will Use ‘Fantastic’ New Engine
Publisher Bethesda has revealed its next title in the Elder Scrolls franchise will boast a brand new engine, developed in-house.
The VGA 2010 Award Winners
It was a painful experience watching last night’s VGAs which really are a huge advert for the industry with a few reveals thrown in to get you to watch.
Mass Effect 3 Platforms Confirmed
If you were worried that Mass Effect 3 may become some sort of weird platform exclusive title then worry no more.
More RIFT Beta Keys to Give Away
Over the past week or so MMO fans have been able to acquire a Beta key for RIFT from us here at IncGamers instantly.
Mass Effect 3 Revealed (Again) at VGAs
Not exactly a huge surprise as it was revealed earlier today, but in case you had any doubts, Mass Effect 3 was announced at the VGAs this evening with a slightly extended trailer from what we have seen before.
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Unveiled
Many announcments coming this evening and Bethesda’s Todd Howard took to the stage along with cloaked blokes and some moody lighting to reveal the next game in the Elder Scrolls series, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
Minecraft Beta Coming December 20
The highly popular sandbox title Minecraft is due to go into Beta phase on 20 December according to the latest developer update.
Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rebirth of the Sith Empire
The weekly StarWars: The Old Republic update once again features Master Gnost-Dural who investigates the story of Imperial Military Leader Grand Moff, a character “who played a critical role in Imperial history”.


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Samsung’s LED Back Cover for the Galaxy S10 is a case like no other, emitting a starlight effect that’s somewhat reminiscent of the interior of a Rolls-Royce Phantom. But that’s not the best bit — that would be the Cover’s option to double as a countdown timer for taking pictures from afar.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so instead of going into elaborate detail about how the feature works (it’s rather simple, as you’ll see in no more than a couple of seconds), we thought it would be best to show you it in action, courtesy of Facebook outlet Her GadgetMatch.
Just like the Phantom, the LED Back Cover won’t come cheap. It’s set at £50 in the UK and is expected to retail for around the same in the US. But when you consider the case can moonlight as a countdown timer and a star map, while also depicting incoming notifications, it’s not that bad.


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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Target says debit card PIN numbers may have, in fact, been stolen as part of a massive theft of debit and credit card information from customers who used their cards at Target between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15.
But in a statement, the nation’s second largest discount retailer said the information cannot really be used by the thieves.READ MORE: Franklin Park YMCA Installs Butler Co. Company's Virus-Killing Copper Material Invention
“We remain confident that PIN numbers are safe and secure,” said Molly Snyder, a Target spokesperson. “The PIN information was fully encrypted at the keypad, remained encrypted within our system, and remained encrypted when it was removed from our systems.”
But one local bank servicing the North Hills and Butler-Armstrong area has decided to go a step further.
NexTier Bank may not be one of this region’s largest banks, but it is taking the lead in combating the fraud, the credit card-debit card fraud at Target.
How? By replacing its customers’ debit cards.
“Whenever the public hears the word breach or compromise, the public is concerned,” Maria Smathers, senior vice president of marketing & retail delivery told KDKA money editor Jon Delano on Friday. “They’re concerned about their personal information. They’re concerned about their money. “They’re concerned about identify theft.”
Smathers says NexTier Bank is closing down old debit cards for selected bank customers who used them at Target — and replacing them with new cards.
NexTier says it wants to “give our customers some level of comfort that their card has been replaced — they have no risk at all.”READ MORE: Former Allegheny County Council President John DeFazio Passes Away
“In order to address our customers’ concerns, we took a little bit of a conservative approach, saying we are going to replace these cards,” said Smathers.
Smathers says the bank was alerted on Monday which Target customers had card information stolen — at that point they called or emailed those customers, saying the bank would keep the cards open through the holidays but then replace them.
“I think our customers have responded very positively to the way we’ve chosen to approach this, which is we’ll leave your card open temporarily, we’re going to monitor it, but for your safety and protection, we’re going to close it as of Jan. 3,” said Smathers.
The area’s largest banks — PNC and Citizens — have similar lists of Target customers, but both tell KDKA they are not replacing the debit or credit cards of their Target customers.
In a statement, PNC spokesperson Marcey Zwiebel said, “We have suggested to customers that it is not necessary to cancel their cards unless we alert them to suspicious card activity, or they themselves see unauthorized charges to their accounts.”
In their statement, Citizens spokesperson Lauren DiGeronimo noted, “We are monitoring for unusual activity 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As is our standard procedure, customers have no liability for fraudulent charges.”
NexTier is only replacing debit cards whose pins would have been used at Target.
Security experts say for Target customers keeping their cards — no matter the bank — it’s a smart idea to change the pin — right now.MORE NEWS: Police: Man Falsely Reports His Vehicle As Stolen, Googles 'How To Set Your Car On Fire And Make It Look Like An Accident'


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Tag: Exclusive Books
Several South African magazines have been pulled off the shelves after their publishing houses became casualties of the COVID-19 economic downturn. With the fortunes of prominent glossy magazines doomed, what does this mean for other reading materials like books? Grattan Kirk, CEO of Exclusive Books joins CNBC Africa for more.
Jacques Pauw’s ‘The President’s Keepers’ selling hand over fist


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Holiday Inn Club Vacations Incorporated Secures Major Win and Exposes Timeshare Exit Team for Its False, Misleading and Deceptive Practices
· Successful legal action removes Timeshare Exit Team's harmful tactics with owners and allows Holiday Inn Club Vacations Incorporated to continue offering no-fee timeshare relief options to owners
· Court settlement includes an undisclosed payment from Timeshare Exit Team to Holiday Inn Club Vacations Incorporated and prohibits them from soliciting or taking money from additional Holiday Inn Club Vacations owners
ORLANDO, FLA. (Jan. 20, 2020) Holiday Inn Club Vacations Incorporated, a national vacation ownership company, today announced it has achieved a significant victory in its ongoing efforts to prevent timeshare owners from falling prey to the false claims of Timeshare Exit Team and other similar companies that charge exorbitant upfront fees and make misleading or false guarantees to timeshare owners - when safe, legal and free options, such as the Holiday Inn Club Vacations Horizons program are available directly from timeshare companies.
"We are vigorously fighting to educate owners and protect their financial wellbeing from the pitfalls of working with unscrupulous exit companies that demand thousands of dollars upfront and cause long-lasting credit damage, said Tom Nelson, President and CEO, Holiday Inn Club Vacations Incorporated. "We understand customers have circumstances in which they can no longer use or afford their timeshares and have always provided a pathway out - without fees. The most productive solution for timeshare owners is to work directly with their developer instead of hiring companies who use deceptive advertising with paid influencers to mislead consumers with money-back guarantees that they never receive. This court settlement holds Timeshare Exit Team financially accountable to Holiday Inn Club Vacations and protects our customers.
According to the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) Coalition for Responsible Exit, timeshare exit companies typically take large upfront fees, promising to cancel or exit timeshare owners from their contracts and offering money-back guarantees. They often inform consumers that the process will take approximately 12-36 months, advising them to stop making mortgage and fee payments and cease all communications with the timeshare company during this time. These actions almost always result in negative consequences, which may include damaged credit, foreclosure, court judgment and continued obligations. In addition, these actions cut off communications between the timeshare owner and developer, which deprives the owner of the opportunity to learn about the cost-free and risk-free programs offered by timeshare developers.
The lawsuit filed by Holiday Inn Club Vacations in U.S. District Court alleged that Reed Hein & Associates through Timeshare Exit Team unlawfully interfered with the company's consumer relationships and prevented it from communicating with and assisting its timeshare owners. Holiday Inn Club Vacations also filed suit against Reed Hein and Timeshare Exit Team alleging violation of Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act on the grounds that it solicited owners through false and misleading advertising that promised 100-percent guarantees of cancelling timeshares when it cannot legally or ethically fulfill the guarantee.
Holiday Inn Club Vacations Incorporated took this action to protect owners who were blocked from its legitimate, no-fee solutions based on Timeshare Exit Team's practices of creating high-risk delays that put owners in serious financial peril. As a result of these efforts, a court settlement requires Timeshare Exit Team to step away from owners to prevent further financial harm to them. In addition, this settlement also requires an undisclosed payment from Timeshare Exit Team to Holiday Inn Club Vacations Incorporated, and Timeshare Exit Team is prohibited from soliciting or taking money from any additional Holiday Inn Club Vacations owners.
In court proceedings demonstrating the precarious promises that were made to owners, the judge in the Middle District of Florida ruled that "a reasonable jury could find (that some of Timeshare Exit Team's statements) were literally false or literally true but misleading. Owners testified that Timeshare Exit Team's advertisements and representations led them to believe that Timeshare Exit Team would get them out of their timeshares or refund their money. Yet, Timeshare Exit Team never had the power or capacity to do what it promised, did not exit the vast majority of the owners and refused to refund most of the owners either by ignoring their requests or persuading them to continue with Timeshare Exit Team.
This legal action comes ahead of approximately 19 major lawsuits against third-party "exit companies and attorneys misrepresenting their ability to get timeshare owners out of their contracts and on the heels of several other cases that have led to bankruptcies and judgments against timeshare exit companies and law firms. The volume of consumer complaints against timeshare exit companies led the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to conduct a study in Southwest Missouri, in which the BBB stated it is "warning consumers to be extremely wary of paying money in advance to any company claiming it can get them out of their timeshares, even with full money-back guarantees.
ARDA encourages timeshare owners contemplating exit to always contact their timeshare developer, resort management company or HOA as their first source of information regarding exit options. For example, Holiday Inn Club Vacations Incorporated offers the Horizons program, a free, easy service that helps owners explore possible next steps in their vacation ownership. For more information about exit options as well as the pitfalls consumers can face working with third parties, owners can visit https://responsibleexit.com.


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Solar exchange traded funds are burning up as industry growth outshines expectations that a string of negative factors would weigh on solar stocks.
The Guggenheim Solar ETF (NYSEArca: TAN) surged 55.5% between the April 5 low and Wednesday high. Meanwhile the Market Vectors Solar Energy ETF (NYSEArca: KWT) jumped 36.4%.
“The glare from the red hot TAN (Guggenheim Solar ETF) can be ignored no more,” Chris Hempstead, Director of ETF Execution Services at WallachBeth Capital, said in a note. “This product is up 50% since early April. This sector has been on a tear with names like FSLR and SPWR leading the way. Trading volume during this most recent run is up almost 35% compared to the YTD average volume.”
TAN includes a 18.7% allocation in FSLR and SPWR is 6.5%. KWT has 13.6% in FSLR and SPWR is 4.7%.
First Solar and SunPower have both been giving out better-than-expected guidance for the rest of the year, reports Donna Hwell for Investor’s Business Daily. SunPower guided a revenue of $2.5 billion to $2.6 billion with EPS of 60-80 cents, compared to analysts expectations of $2.54 billion in revenue and an EPS of 64.
SunPower also expects to double its 2012 installed customer base by 2015.


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Although aquanale 2021 is not due to open for around another 15 months, the International Trade Fair for Sauna, Pool and Ambience is already registering numerous enquiries from the industry concerning participation. The sector’s clear commitment to aquanale and to Cologne as a location underlines the importance of the trade fair as an indispensable hub for business, networking and communication. “In the last 10 years, aquanale has become a global industry gathering – with a strong concept, strong content and, above all, strong, dedicated partners. The event’s co-location with FSB – International Trade Fair for Public Space, Sports and Leisure Facilities is unique worldwide, creating additional synergies to the advantage of all participants,” so says Oliver Frese, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse. As Bert Granderath, Vice President of the German Federal Association for Swimming Pools and Wellness (bsw), points out: “Koelnmesse has, first and foremost, proven to be a reliable partner that bases its decisions on the interests of the exhibitors and believes in fair play.” Dr. Stefan Kannewischer, President of the International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities (IAKS) and a figure actively involved in issues relating to the construction of public swimming pools, also regards aquanale as the sector’s leading trade fair event: “Global challenges call for concepts that are suitable for international application. For operators and planners, Cologne is a source of wide-ranging ideas for the future of pool management.” As a leading platform, the aquanale event scheduled for 26 to 29 October 2021 will play a key role in the post-coronavirus era. In Cologne, solutions and trends for a successful future will be presented, commercial relationships strengthened and ground prepared for the establishment of new business at an international level.
With over a year to go before the trade fair’s gates open, well-known industry players have already announced that they will be taking part in aquanale 2021: Behncke, Binder, Bünger & Frese, grando, G. Eichenwald, G quadrat, Herget, hobby-pool-technologies, Hugo Lahme, Meranus, Peraqua, Renolit, Rollo Solar, Schmalenberger, sopra, Speck Pumpen, swimroll, Whirlcare, WIBRE, Zodiac Pool Deutschland/Fluidra. In addition, Koelnmesse has received numerous enquiries from companies in Germany and abroad about booking stand areas or increasing the level of their participation. “The association is fully supportive of aquanale,” says Ute Wanschura, CEO of bsw.
Next October 2021, the International Trade Fair for Sauna, Pool, Ambience will occupy Halls 7 and 8. aquanale will include the topics of private swimming pools, public pool construction, swimming pool technology, saunas and spas (both public and private) and green living. aquanale 2021 aims to build on its outstanding results from last November: The 2019 event yet again achieved further impressive growth in its international reach and a further improvement in quality on both the supply and demand sides. Nearly 28,000 visitors from 128 countries attended to find out about the range of services offered by the 281 exhibiting companies from 31 countries.
In collaboration with the German Association for Swimming Pools and Wellness (bsw), which acts as aquanale’s conceptual sponsor, and IAKS, the International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities, which focuses primarily on operator and architectural issues, another stimulating and informative event programme is being prepared for the International Swimming Pool and Wellness Forum in 2021. The forum will also provide the networking opportunities that have been strongly requested by all target groups.
Koelnmesse – Global Competence in Furniture, Interiors and Design: Koelnmesse is the world’s top trade fair organiser for the areas of furnishing, living and lifestyle. At the trade fair hub of Cologne, the leading international fair imm cologne as well as the trade fair formats of LivingKitchen, ORGATEC, spoga+gafa, interzum and Kind + Jugend rank among the internationally renowned and established industry meeting places. These fairs comprehensively represent the upholstered and case furniture segment, the kitchen industry, the office furniture sector and outdoor living as well as the innovations of the furniture supply industry. Over the last few years, Koelnmesse has specifically added international fairs in the most important fast-expanding markets to its portfolio. These include idd Shanghai, interzum bogotá in Bogotá, interzum guangzhou in Guangzhou and Pueri Expo in Sao Paulo. With ambista, the online portal for the interiors business, Koelnmesse offers direct access to products, contacts, expertise and events relevant to the industry all year round.
Further information is available at: www.global-competence.net/interiors/
Further information about ambista: www.ambista.com/
The next events:
LivingKitchen® - The international Kitchen Show
n(open to the public on Friday, Saturday and Sunday), Cologne 18.01. - 24.01.2021
imm cologne - THE INTERIOR BUSINESS EVENT (open to the public on Friday, Saturday and Sunday), Cologne 18.01. - 24.01.2021
interzum bogotá - The event for industrial wood processing and furniture manufacturing, Bogotá 02.02. - 05.02.2021
Note for editorial offices:
aquanale photos are available in our image database on the Internet at www.aquanale.com/imagedatabase in the "News” section.
Press information is available at: www.aquanale.com/Pressinformation
If you reprint this document, please send us a sample copy.
aquanale on Twitter:
Volker de Cloedt
Phone + 49 221 821 2960
Fax + 49 221 821 3544


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Manchester-based independent town planning consultancy Indigo Planning has been shortlisted for planning consultancy of the year in the Royal Town Planning Institute's Awards for Planning Excellence 2013. The winners will be announced on 10 July at a ceremony in London.
The Co-operative Group's new head office, One Angel Square, won three awards at the RICS North West Awards, including the overall title of project of the year. The £100m building, designed by 3D Reid and built by Bam Construction, also picked up the commercial property and design & innovation awards. Other winners included the Florence Institute in Liverpool for building conservation; Trinity Methodist Church, Ellesmere Port for community benefit; and Stockbridge Village Regeneration, Knowsley for regeneration.
Golden Square in Warrington won best use of digital marketing at the British Council of Shopping Centres' Purple Apple Awards. A 2011 customer survey revealed less 16-34 year olds were visiting Warrington's Golden Square shopping centre. In response, Golden Square worked with retailers on exclusive offers, creating e-newsletters, a new fashion website, a mobile site, social media engagement and interactive digital events, Golden Square now speaks online to 30,000 shoppers weekly. A 2012 shopper survey showed that 16-34 year olds account for 39.6% of all customers – an increase of 14.6% year on year.
Liverpool ONE was voted the Coach Friendly Shopping Destination of the Year at the annual Coach Tourism Awards, held at Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral on 9 May.


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Just last week the developer of TinyUmbrella has updated the version of its tool to provide the option of saving iOS 5 beta 3 SHSH blob and now he has updated again its software to add the support of Apple’s recently released iOS 4.3.4 and iOS 4.2.9 for saving SHSH blobs. It is not necessary to update your iOS devices from iOS 4.3.3 to 4.3.4 because this update is only comes up with the fix of Safari exploit which currently uses by the comex released JailbreakMe to jailbreak iPad 2 and all other iOS devices running iOS 4.3.3, but if still anyone wants to go with iOS 4.3.4 and update their device, surely they will lose jailbreak state and also on iOS 4.3.4 there is only tethered jailbreak is available.
It is highly recommend to iPad 2 owners to save their iOS 4.3.3 SHSH blobs because Apple has fixed the jailbreak hole in iOS 4.3.4 and if they update their device to latest iOS version without saving SHSH blobs than there will be no way to jailbreak their device. So it is recommended to users if they want to go on iOS 4.3.4 must save their iOS 4.3.3 SHSH blobs, because currently Apple is signing the SHSH blobs, once the window is closed than there will be no option to save SHSH blobs.
Download TinyUmbrella To Save iOS 4.3.4 SHSH Blobs


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Apple has started to tease some iOS 15 features ahead of next weeks iPhone 13 press event. The event will take place next Tuesday the 14th of September.
Apple is sending out notifications from its Tips app on iOS letting users have a preview of what is coming to the iPhone with the new iOS software update. Apple is also going to be releasing iPadOS 15 at the same time as the new iOS update.
The event next week will see some new iPhones, the new Apple Watch Series 7 and possibly a new iPad, we may also find out about some new AirPods at the event.
There will be four new iPhones announced at the event, the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Mini, plus the iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max
The new iOS 15 software is coming with the new iPhone 13 smartphones this month, we should find out the exact release date of the software at Apple’s press event next week.
apple are also expected to hold a press event some time in October where they will launch their new range of Macs. We are expecting a new 14 inch and 16 inch MacBook Pro and also a new larger iMac which may come with a 32 inch display.
We will have full details about Apple’s new iPhones and also details on the release dates of iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 next week.
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April 26, 2006
India's first cargo of imported wheat in six years arrives
India's first consignment of imported wheat in over six years arrived at Chennai port Tuesday (Apr 25), a senior official at the State Trade Corp of India (STC) said.
"The first cargo of Australian wheat carrying a little over 50,000 tonnes has arrived in the southern port of Chennai," the official said.
The cargo will be inspected at port by officials from the Plant Protection and Quarantine Department and the Ministry of Health. If it meets India's quality standards, it will be discharged from the port, the official said.
According to the tender for import, the tolerance limit for hydrogen phosphide in the imported wheat has been set at nil. In addition, the wheat must also be from the current 2005/06 crop harvest.
The maximum moisture content has been set at 12 percent, the tender document said, and the minimum protein content on a dry weight basis should be 10 percent.
India has also set limits for insecticides and pesticides. Wheat imports should be free of 32 types of poisonous weed seeds.
The next cargo is expected to arrive in Tuticorin by May 2.
The overall schedule has been delayed slightly as delivery depends on the availability of ships, the STC official said.
Earlier, it was expected the cargoes would start arriving from the end of March or early April.
"We are not in a hurry to seek deliveries because the imported wheat is only meant to augment buffer stocks and not meet immediate local demand but quality should be in line with the norms laid down by us," he said.
The consignments are to arrive through five southern Indian ports--Mangalore, Chennai, Tuticorin, Visakhapatnam and Cochin by mid-May.
According to the tender, between 250,000 and 300,000 tonnes of wheat are contracted to arrive by the end of April. However, this now seems unlikely.
STC is the nodal agency that has imported wheat on behalf of the government and it has contracted a purchase of 500,000 tonnes from Australia's AWB Ltd at US$178.75 a tonne, on cost and freight basis.


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One year later, the newest second-generation Samsung Series 5 Chromebook has a faster processor and more RAM along with a better Chrome OS...but it's more expensive than an iPad 2. That just doesn't make much sense.
iPad and iOS news
Assuming the images are what they seem to be, they provide the first look at the next generation of Apple's 12.9-inch tablet.
As Microsoft seeks to extend its momentum as an innovator in the tablet space, the Internets churn out predictions of what's to come with the next Surface Pro.
Expect to see plenty of iPad 5s in the fourth quarter but not many second-generation iPad Minis, an analyst predicts.
The second-generation Nexus 7 has one of the highest pixel density displays for a tablet to date. Apple could opt for the same display technology in the iPad Mini Retina.
Apple has carved the ship times for its second-generation tablet down to 24 hours in the U.S. and Canada for the first time since launch.
iPad 2 Donald Bell gets his first hands-on time with the iPad 2, the second generation of Apple's tablet. The iPad 2 is thinner, lighter, and faster than its predecessor and is ready for some new apps including GarageBand and iMovie.
Despite long wait times in the U.S., Apple says the second-generation iPad will be available in the U.K. and two dozen other countries this week, as planned.
The second-generation iPad will have better performance--that's a given. An analyst discusses the fundamentals of how that may change the iPad experience.
The Apple iPad 2 brings with it new dual-core power and cameras in a slim new casing. But what's missing from Apple's second-generation tablet PC?


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“Apple Pay almost got buried in the blowout profits of Apple’s first fiscal quarter reported today,” Robert Hof reports for Forbes. “But while Apple’s new mobile wallet surely won’t contribute to those profits anytime soon, if ever, it’s clear that new iPhone 6 owners like it. A lot.”
“During the company’s earnings conference call today, Apple CEO Tim Cook said Apple Pay accounts for about $2 of of every $3 spent using contactless payments across Visa, Mastercard, and American Express,” Hof reports. “‘We are more confident than ever that 2015 will be the year of Apple Pay,’ Cook said.”
“Whole Foods, he said, has seen a 400% jump in mobile payments since the October launch of Apple Pay, even though it can accept other mobile payment schemes such as Google GOOGL -2.83% Wallet,” Hof reports. “Panera Bread says Apple Pay is responsible for 80% of its mobile payments”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Sleep tight, CVS.
Apple Pay arrives on 200,000 vending machines, kiosks, parking stations, and more – January 27, 2015
Western Union now supports Apple Pay – January 27, 2015
Forget Stores: Apple Pay is already taking over mobile shopping – January 22, 2015
Sprouts Farmers Market now accepting Apple Pay – January 21, 2015
Apple Pay adds 15 more banks and credit unions – January 20, 2015
Apple Pay expands to Save Mart Supermarkets – January 15, 2015
Apple Pay adds support for 8 new card issuers, banks – January 6, 2015
Chevron to support Apple Pay at gasoline pumps in early 2015 – December 29, 2014
Self-interested retailers continue to fight against Apple Pay and, ultimately, their own customers – December 24, 2014
Apple Pay has strong momentum; took 1% of digital payments in November – December 20, 2014
What Apple Pay means to Bank of America: Security – November 6, 2014
Apple Pay is nirvana for (smart) retailers – November 6, 2014
Entrepreneur warns retailers, restaurants, bars: Do not wait, jump on the Apple Pay bandwagon ASAP – November 5, 2014
Apple Pay fuels usage of long-moribund Google Wallet – November 5, 2014
After CVS and Rite Aid blocked Apple Pay, Schubert law firm launches antitrust investigation – November 4, 2014
Sorry, Walmart, CVS, Rite-Aid et al. — Apple Pay and NFC have already won – November 4, 2014
CVS will sooner than later accept Apple Pay. iCal me.
They had better do or else they will never dispense another pill to me. Nor sell me lipstick or paper plates or anything at all.
> But while Apple’s new mobile wallet surely won’t contribute to those profits anytime soon, if ever…
Apple Pay is yet another Apple “value-added” customer service that helps to sell more Apple hardware products (iPhones in this case). And its positive impact on iPhone sales (as a differentiator over what the competition can offer) will only grow over time. It’s an Apple exclusive.
It may make a profit (eventually), but it’s not meant to be a “profit center.” And that’s the key difference. For Apple’s competitors in this new market, their payment service MUST be their profit center, or there’s no point. Because the service itself must make money, they are going to be annoying and intrusive (such as by tracking your usage patterns to sell you more stuff). Apple Pay just wants to make your iPhone user experience better; once again, the motivations of Apple and its customers are perfectly aligned.
I don’t know the percentage cut that Apple gets from every Apple Pay purchase, but even a small amount adds up over billions of dollars worth of purchases. I agree that the big money is associated with the contribution of Apple Pay to the attractiveness and “stickiness” of the Apple ecosystem and the resulting effect on sales of Apple products. But I could see Apple earning quite a bit from Apple Pay for decades to come.
They talked similarly about iTunes I seem to remember, not so small fry now is it.
It’s really small, 0.0015 cents per dollar. That means $100B in transactions nets just $150M. Its value to Apple well exceeds what it will bring in directly. Once you’ve used it you don’t want to be without it. The brand loyalty and new sales are the big payoff.
Great post, but I’d like to add, that ApplePay is basically the poster child being used by the financial institutions to promote and proliferate the adoption of new, more secure payment transaction protocols.
As more and more banks, POS “middleman”, retailers, and digital “wallets” jump on this bandwagon, all consumers – not just Apple’s – stand to benefit.
Every single vendor I run into without Apple Pay, I make a comment. Um so when are you going to get Apple Pay. I know the clerk can’t do anything about it. But it’s the message. Enough commends at the register are bound to be heard upstairs.
I agree completely. I do the same.
iTunes or APP Store solutions were not designed to make a profit either, correct?
All about value and the total package in my opinion!
Apple Pay, Apple Pay, Apple Pay… This IS and will be selling even more iPhones. Security. That’s wha’ we’re needing boys.
“But while Apple’s new mobile wallet surely won’t contribute to those profits anytime soon, if ever,”
-On the contrary; The primary reason I upgraded from the 5S to 6 was for Apple Pay.


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Let’s face it – the print industry is going South in the US. On the other hand, Jeff Bezos has his hands full with Amazon; and while this business is growing from strength to strength, it does require constant attention and innovation. So why spend $250 million in a dying business? Your guess is as good as mine. The attached article outlines six theories.
Read the article here
Visual courtesy : https://www.flickr.com/photos/donkeyhotey/


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Milton Keynes Primark opening date in Bletchley, Milton Keynes has now been announced here!!
I thought I would do this post as I know a few local Milton Keynes blogger
s would be interested to find out the facts about this, and also there are many people Googling the rumours and landing on my page! Some of you may have heard the exciting news that Primark is coming to Milton Keynes. Last week I attended the exhibition in Middleton Hall on the new development plans for Milton Keynes city centre. The Centre MK Alliance group therefore produced a plan to meet the community’s aspirations and ambitions for the city. They are aiming to shape the future of Milton Keynes, and adapt to the growth of businesses.
They have planned the following:
- Investment into public transport, landscaping and open spaces.
- Rejuvenating the half empty Food Centre.
- A new site for the market which will include better access and facilities
- And lastly.. a new anchor store, which has been decided as the recognisable high street brand, Primark!
The 90,000sq ft flagship store will be opening where the current market is. That’s a huge space! For me personally, I think this is a great idea, as the shopping centre appears pretty run down these days, and those days of being the best shopping centre in Europe are long gone! People expect almost every town and city to have a Primark, just as they expect a Boots or WH Smith. A few years ago, rumours were spreading around the city that the reason we didn’t have a Primark was because thecentre:mk thought that it was too ‘down market’.But, since they have now introduced a Greggs and a Poundland, I don’t think they can say they keep it only for prestigious brands anymore. Despite the snotty woman next to me at the exhibition, complaining that Primark is grotty and cheap, it’s the fastest growing fast-fashion retailer in Europe, and it is hugely popular with all classes of people. Primark will trade across three floors at the new store, and subject to planning, work is expected to start on in spring 2013 with Milton Keynes Primark due to open in 2015.
|MK1 Shopping Park
Primark has already agreed to open a store at the MK1 out of town shopping park near the MK Dons football stadium near Bletchley, meaning Milton Keynes will be the first time the retailer has opened a store both inside and outside the same town. The brand new MK1 shopping park will comprise a high quality area of eight units and 600 car parking spaces. Key anchor tenants are Marks & Spencer, H&M, Primark, River Island and Arcadia. Completion of this project is expected late this year.
So, exciting times for us Primarni lovers in MK! No long will you have to travel to Luton/Bedford/Northampton. We will be spoilt for choice with two big Primark stores in the city! Please let me know your thoughts on the developments 🙂 Do you think it’s a good thing Primark are coming?EDITED TO ADD (27/10/12) H&M has announced its store at the new MK1 development at stadiummk will be opening in November. The clothing retailer, which will be the first to launch at the site, will open on Thursday, November 29 at 11am. I expect the other stores, including Primark, will open soon after. Primark have already recruited members of staff for jobs in the new store.
EDITED TO ADD (14/11/12) Primark will open in Bletchley in December 2012.
EDITED TO ADD (18/11/12) BHS was one of the first retailers to open at the brand new MK1 Shopping Park at Stadium MK on Wednesday 14th November 2012
EDITED TO ADD (27/11/12) Primark is rumoured to be opening in within the next 2 weeks.
EDITED TO ADD (30/11/12) MK1, Milton’s Keynes’ new shopping park, will officially open its doors next week.
Here are some photo’s of the plans from the exhibition.


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Brazilian meats company JBS says exports to China growing - CEO
SAO PAULO Nov 13 (Reuters) - Brazilian meats company JBS SA said in an investor conference call on Thursday that its exports to China of animal protein products from its Australian unit were growing and are expected to continue growing.
Roughly 84 percent of the company's revenues come from markets outside of Brazil.
On Wednesday night, the company reported a five-fold increase in net gains in the third quarter to 1.1 billion reais ($428 million).
(U.S. $1 = 2.57 reais) (Reporting by Reese Ewing and Roberto Samora Editing by W Simon)
© Thomson Reuters 2017 All rights reserved.


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Free business breakfast will be epic
THEY say there's no such thing as a free breakfast, but don't tell that to Coast employment services agency Epic.
It is putting on a free, full buffet breakfast as part of its annual networking event at the Maroochy RSL on September 17.
It promises tips to deal with uncertainty, ways to find clarity about the future of your business as well as a goodie bag of business resources valued at $200.
National College of Business CEO Jon Mailer is the guest speaker.
To book a place, click here


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PICMG, a leading consortium for developing open embedded computing specifications, announces the release of the COM-HPC Platform Management Interface (PMI) specification...
PICMG announces that COM-HPC has been approved and ratified, and is now available for public download and distribution. ...
In conjunction with the review cycle, PICMG has published a preview specification. The abridged specification is available for public download and distribution.
COM-HPC is the soon-to-be-released PICMG standard for high-performance Computer-on-Modules (COMs). COM-HPC defines five module sizes to deliver edge server performance for small, rugged data centers. The new specification will complement COM Express, which will continue to play a crucial role in the COM marketplace for many years.
PICMG developed this specification to address emerging requirements in the embedded and edge computing market. Trends, including the substantial data growth and processing requirements of broadband and 5G as well as edge analytic including AI and situational awareness applications. IoT devices, sensors, and actuators are producing tremendous amounts of data that require preprocessing at the edge for improved data processing efficiency and, end to end security. Autonomous vehicles, smart factories, smart retail, medical robotics are among many applications that will benefit from massively increased edge server and edge client class processors processor modules or COMs being available in standard modules that existing standards cannot meet.
"The working group of 26 industry-leading companies has done an excellent job, said Christian Eder, Chairman COM-HPC Technical Committee. A big thank you to the team for their collective development of this specification over a five-year investment of time and resources. The importance of the COM-HPC specification is very clear, as is our commitment to a healthy market ecosystem. We are now well prepared to address current and future requirements over multiple industries".
CTIMES loves to interact with the global technology related companies and individuals, you can deliver your products information or share industrial intelligence. Please email us to email@example.com


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Everpix, the startup that organizes all your photos in the cloud (and a previous TechCrunch Disrupt 2011 finalist), has just closed a $1 million seed round led by Index Ventures. The round also saw participation from 500 Startups, Kii Capital, 2020 Ventures’ David Williams, and other angel investors. According to Everpix co-founder Pierre-Olivier Latour, the funding is helping the company, which has been flying under the radar for several months, to establish enough of a runway to get to its forthcoming 1.0 release, expected in just a couple of weeks from now.
For those unfamiliar with Everpix, the service includes an online interface as well as desktop and mobile software which pushes all the photos from your computer (iPhoto, Aperture, local folders, etc.) or from your phone’s storage into the cloud, and then aggregates those along with others from services like Flickr, Facebook, Picasa, and more. But Everpix’s value isn’t just in aggregation, it also automatically de-duplicates photos, organizes them into smart albums it calls “Moments,” and even automatically hides those that are blurry, out of focus, or under or overexposed. Plus, Everpix pays careful attention to privacy – controls are simple and the default is private, not shared.
In anticipation of its public launch, Everpix has returned to a closed beta, after previously opening up its public beta in December, and then debuting its iPhone application in February. The iPhone app was designed to help users automatically upload the photos saved to their Camera Roll into the Everpix cloud, but “it always remained kind of utilitarian, unfortunately,” says Latour of the application. “It’s extremely crowded on the iPhone platform, and the form factor is very different from iPad in terms of looking at your photos,” he notes. “You can’t really make your photos shine because the screen is so small and you can’t really navigate your collection.”
As you can imagine, the company has much more in store for version 1.0, including, obviously, an iPad application. “If you look at the iPad space, it’s growing like crazy,” Latour says, “but there’s no really good photo app in terms of accessing all your photos and navigating them in a nice way. We can make a significant difference here.”
(Below, an iPad proof-of-concept app)
There’s also a new feature being introduced called “Photo Mail,” which will be a simple way to share photos, a streamlined user interface, improved navigation, enhanced image analysis capabilities, and more.
Although Latour isn’t ready to share Everpix user numbers, he did say that the company has seen some 55 million photos uploaded to the service between its alpha and beta period. Interestingly, over two-thirds of these come from offline storage (around 60% are in iPhoto, 27% in the Pictures folder on Mac. The Windows version has yet to launch, we should note). Another 15% come from Picasa, 8% from Flickr and even fewer from Facebook – but that’s because Everpix only uploads the photos you’re tagged in, not your albums. That wasn’t always the case, Latour explains, but they found that the majority of the photos you shared on Facebook were duplicates of what Everpix was already pulling in from other sources.
We’ll take a look at the new version of Everpix when it’s ready for its public debut, but in the meantime, you can sign up to be notified here.
San Francisco-based Everpix was founded by former Apple employees Pierre-Olivier Latour and Kevin Quennesson, as well as Wayne Fan, previously of frog design. With the new seed round, the company has raised $1.8 million in total funding to date.


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Keysight Technologies Inc. announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics(TUSUR). The goal of the partnership is to organize the Center of Competence that will develop teaching and research programs to advance students' understanding of RF and microwave technologies.
Cambridge Instruments, a division of MagiQ Technologies Inc., introduced the QuantumWave 4000 series of PXIe based, RF and microwave sources that provide high-quality CW signals at frequencies up to 12 GHz and low size, weight and power (SWaP).
San-tron, Inc., a leading manufacturer of RF and microwave coaxial connectors and cable assemblies, has announced the appointment of two new sales representatives – Sea-Port Technical Sales and Coastal RF Systems.
Analog Devices, Inc., a global leader in high-performance semiconductors for signal processing applications, announced that its complete RF and microwave portfolio, including the Hittite microwave products from Analog Devices, is now available for sale through the company’s extensive distribution network.
Pasternack Enterprises Inc., a leading manufacturer and supplier of RF, microwave and millimeter wave products, has significantly expanded their portfolio of connectorized RF amplifiers including high power amplifiers, high-rel amplifiers, broadband amplifiers, limiting amplifiers, power amplifiers, low noise amplifiers (LNAs), log amplifiers and gain blocks.
API Technologies Corp., a leading provider of high performance RF/microwave, power and security solutions for high-reliability applications, announced that it has received a follow-on order for $1.3 million to provide microwave modules for the latest generation radar.
Anritsu Co. announces the appointment of Dr. Alexander Chenakin as director of R&D for the Anritsu Microwave Measurement Division (MMD). A renowned expert in the test and measurement industry who holds multiple patents and has earned numerous awards, Dr. Chenakin will oversee the Anritsu R&D team responsible for developing the company’s next-generation synthesized source product line.
Freescale Semiconductor is disrupting the microwave oven industry with additions to its RF heating portfolio: two new cost-effective, solid-state RF power transistor products and an application development ecosystem. The additions are engineered to enable consumer and commercial microwave oven appliance OEMs to create differentiated solutions and novel product types for a new cooking paradigm.


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LAC holds annual stockholders meeting, reports $70.2M in sales
Lakes Area Cooperative held its 100th annual stockholders meeting at SteVelly’s in Perham last Tuesday.
Co-op manager Dale Tellinguisen presented the co-op’s audit, reporting sales of $70.2 million and earnings of $1.5 million.
The cooperative announced that it would be paying out nearly $1 million in cash and issuing $1.1 million in equity to patrons of the company, based on 2012 purchases.
Milk Quality Awards were presented to 22 local dairy farms.
Three incumbent directors were elected for three-year terms, including Ken Herbranson, Marlin Flatau and Ron Palubicki.
Lakes Area Cooperative is a diversified energy, farm supply and milk purchasing cooperative with locations in Perham, Ottertail, Battle Lake, Vergas, Dent, Menahga, Wolf Lake, Park Rapids and Akeley.


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a wireless camera designed to track cars and read license plates
Around the web
Flock car tracking device could cut crime in your neighbourhoodFlock's sensor will log the number plate of each car that drives into a street It will also capture images and in the future could include facial recognition It has already led to the conviction of one offender, according to its creators The Flock sensor is expected to cost around £40 ($50) a year per house A new 'neighbourhood watch' sensor device that can track traffic on local streets has been unveiled.
Sensor tracks who is driving in your neighbourhood - BBC NewsA start-up that lets residents monitor who drives in and out of their neighbourhood was among the companies revealed at a Silicon Valley event on Monday. Flock's sensor, which it offers for $50 a year per house, logs the number plates of every car that drives into a street and takes a picture.