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'Deflation to start next week'
Inflation will next week tumble into negative territory for the first time since 1960, fuelling fears that Britain's downward economic spiral is worsening.
The February reading for the Retail Prices Index is likely to be minus 0.7 per cent, compared with a 0.1 per cent gain for January, according to City forecasts.
The fall in prices will mark the first occasion since March 1960 - when Lonnie Donegan was at the top of the charts with My Old Man's A Dustman and Harold Macmillan was prime minister - that RPI has shown an annual decline.
Last month's Consumer Prices Index, which excludes housing costs, is tipped to fall from 3 per cent to 2.6 per cent.
The figures will raise the stakes in the Bank of England's battle against deflation. This is a defined as a sustained, generalised fall in prices across the economy. The most prominent example of this in recent years was Japan's 'lost decade', which started in the 1990s.
The RPI plunge expected next week reflects declines in house prices and mortgage payments.
Although it is not yet indicative of outright deflation, Capital Economics managing director Roger Bootle said it remains a real threat down the road
He said: 'There's a serious chance in the next two years that we will be in a period of deflation that is both genuine and threatening. The question is whether the Bank of England has done enough to stop this.
'It's touch and go. They will be prepared to throw the kitchen sink at it.'
He said figures showing private sector wages actually declined 1.1 per cent in January were particularly worrying.
Falling retail prices will give companies an excuse to carry on cutting or freezing pay in the months ahead because many employers peg salaries to the RPI, said George Buckley of Deutsche Bank.
Inflation, deflation and the cost of living
- A history of inflation
- Interest rates: The inflation impact
- Deflation: Winners and losers
- 30-second guide: Controlling inflation
- 30-second guide: Deflation
- 30-second guide: Inflation basket
- Calculator: What money used to be worth
- Calculator: Your personal inflation rate
- Table: Price changes over 10 years (click & scroll down)
Despite predictions of gloomy data, the pound punched its way to the biggest weekly gain against the sickly dollar for almost two months. Sterling trounced the greenback because of worries about America's slump and signs of political paralysis in the Obama administration.
Helping the pound, BoE chief economist Spencer Dale said the UK will begin an economic rebound later this year. The pound gained 3.1 per cent in the week, trading at $1.44. Sterling traded at 1.06 against the euro.
Still, worries about the state of the public finances may weigh on sterling after a report by the ITEM Club today predicts Government borrowing will exceed Treasury forecasts by £270bn over the next five years.
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The Food and Drug Administration has again updated Import Alert 86-07, which is its list of foreign manufacturers whose FDA-regulated products are to be detained by the FDA without physical examination if those products are introduced into the commerce of the United States.
In other words, if you purchase certain goods from one of the companies identified on this "Red List" then those goods will be detained by the FDA automatically upon presentation of the shipment to U.S. Customs, and you will likely have to export or destroy the merchandise.
The Vision Council has recently learned that four new companies from China, Taxhou Meidiya Glasses Co., Ltd., See-Good Enterprise Co., Ltd., Chao Zhou Kai Tai (Kui Hu) Optical Mfg. Co., and Linhai Xuanhong Glasses Factory, and one new company from Taiwan, Co-World Technology Co., Ltd., have been added to the list, bringing the total number of red-listed foreign companies to twenty.
For more information, and to view the current list of companies on the "Red List", click here.

domain: news


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Visa close to 'normal' after outage blocks transactions across Europe (Update)
Payment systems giant Visa said late Friday it was "operating at close to normal levels" after a hardware failure left it struggling to process transactions in Europe.
The blockage had left some customers stuck at the tills in stores across the continent and queueing at cash machines.
"Visa cardholders can now use their Visa cards as we are currently operating at close to normal levels," the company said in a statement.
"The issue was the result of a hardware failure. We have no reason to believe this was associated with any unauthorised access or malicious event."
A spokesman told AFP earlier it was not possible to say how many Visa users across Europe had been affected.
Visa users took to social media to complain and banks tried to explain the situation their customers.
HSBC bank's UK Twitter account earlier said: "From what we understand there are still intermittent issues but services are slowly recovering."
Paymentsense, which provides card machines, online payment gateways and virtual terminals to some 60,000 independent businesses in Britain and Ireland, advised users to try paying via contactless transactions.
"We have been informed that Visa has corrected the outage and transactions are now starting to go through. There is still some intermittency however, we believe this is due to a backlog of transactions," it said.
"We now understand that contactless transactions have a better chance of going through."
It is understood the Bank of England is aware of the issue and is in touch with Visa.
The Royal Bank of Scotland's Twitter help account said cash machine withdrawals were unaffected.
"This is an industry wide issue which is being investigated as a matter of urgency and we apologise for any inconvenience. ATM and MasterCard transactions are not impacted," it said.
Queues in shops
In a Primark store on Berlin's Alexanderplatz, frustrated customers were queueing for 20 minutes to pay. Staff did not know why transactions were not going through.
However, in the neighbouring store, transactions were being processed without any problems.
Sandra Foy, who owns a bookshop in Manchester, northwest England, told Sky News television: "I run a small business and the loss of any business is a big deal for us.
"Not knowing when this is going to be sorted out is incredibly frustrating."
The BBC posted a picture of a London supermarket worker standing outside holding a sign reading: "cash only".
It cited Elle Gibbs-Murray, from Bridgend in south Wales, as saying she was stuck in traffic on the Severn Bridge between England and Wales for 45 minutes as drivers were unable to pay the toll by card.
Alex Neill, Which? consumer magazine's managing director of home products and services, said: "Clearly this issue will be a huge inconvenience to customers and it must be resolved urgently. Visa and the banks need to ensure no-one is left out of pocket due to this outage.
"We strongly advise people to keep any evidence of extra expenses they've incurred in order to claim them back."
© 2018 AFP


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November 24, 2014
U.K. Consumers Set to Spend More This Christmas; Majority Plan to Shop on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Accenture Study Finds
LONDON; Nov. 24, 2014 – Amid signs of greater economic optimism, almost a third of U.K. consumers (31 percent) plan to increase their spending on holiday shopping his year, according to Accenture’s (NYSE:ACN) 2014 Christmas Shopping Survey. The survey indicates that more than a quarter of consumers (27 percent) are planning to spend £250 or more on Christmas shopping than they did in 2013.
According to the survey, more than half of British consumers plan their Christmas shopping in advance: 57 percent had already started or planned to start purchasing presents by mid-September. In addition, one in five consumers (21 percent) had already spent between £60 and £300 on Christmas gifts by mid-September.
More than half (54 percent) of the survey respondents said they will put cash aside to pay for their Christmas shopping with a third (32 percent) planning to do so to take advantage of special “door buster deals.” Nearly all respondents (93 percent) said that discounts are the primary driver of purchasing decisions related to their holiday shopping.
The survey shows that in the run up to the holiday season, the adoption of U.S. retail milestones is clearly taking a stronghold in the U.K. In fact, 82 percent of respondents plan to shop on Black Friday and 62 percent on Cyber Monday. The survey found that clothing (64 percent), grocery items (49 percent), gift cards (41 percent) and toys (37 percent) top British consumers’ Christmas shopping lists this year, with almost a third of respondents (31 percent) spending most on themselves.
“With consumers starting to shop for Christmas gifts as early as September, retailers have an extended period to drive sales and acquire new customers,” said Fiona O’Hara, managing director, Retail, Accenture UK & Ireland. “Further, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday fast becoming fixtures on the U.K. retail calendar, retailers have an opportunity to capitalize on these key milestones too. With so much competition, it is more important than ever that retailers switch from a mass-marketing approach to targeted-one-to-one offers.”
Staying Connected: growth of digital and omni-channel
The survey indicates that with the proliferation of smart phone use and advances in technology, digital will play a more significant role in Christmas shopping this year. A third of consumers surveyed (34 percent) believe shopping with a mobile device will lead to better discounts and also help them compare prices while in a physical store. On Black Friday, 44 percent of consumers surveyed, said they will use a personal device – a laptop, tablet or smartphone – to shop, while 57 percent plan to use one of these devices to shop on Cyber Monday.
Further, more than half (56 percent) said that they would be willing to try or would definitely use a service that would enable them to pay using their mobile phone at checkout.
While doing their in-store shopping this Christmas season, many consumers surveyed said they would be willing to use new digital tools. In fact, 82 percent said they were using, would definitely use or are willing to try mobile services that offer them real-time promotions and offers as they shopped in store.
“Mobility is having a dramatic impact on shopping in the U.K.,” said O’Hara. “With over one-third of survey respondents saying they would use a mobile device in store to compare prices, it is critical for retailers to make it seamless for consumers to trade on mobile applications by incorporating social media and mobile technologies into their stores and multichannel environments.”
Privacy vs personalization
Interestingly, the survey found that while data privacy is a concern for some U.K. consumers (16 percent), 45 percent are willing to overlook privacy issues if retailers provide customized products or services during the Christmas season. However, U.K. shoppers this festive season are concerned with delivery times and rising costs: More than half (58 percent) are worried about receiving online deliveries on time, while rising home energy, food and petrol bills (43 percent, 40 percent and 24 percent, respectively) were cited as major concerns.
Additional trends highlighted by the survey:
More online shopping trends:
- Overall this Christmas season, two-thirds (65 percent) of shoppers plan to spend 50 percent or more of their Christmas gift pounds online.
- Free shipping is the number-one incentive for buying gifts online (64 percent) followed by discounted items (51 percent) and an easy-to-use websites (49 percent).
- Over half (51 percent) of online shopping will occur between midnight on Black Friday and midnight on Cyber Monday.
- Nearly seven in 10 consumers (67 percent) say they will do most of their Christmas shopping at online-only retailers.
More trends in-store shopping trends:
- Some shoppers (34 percent) are still very motivated to avoid crowded stores during the Christmas shopping season, while others (32 percent) say they love the Christmas shopping experience of going to stores.
- Local independent stores and chains (86 percent) top the list of physical retail store destinations for Christmas shoppers as compared to department stores or discount outlets or specialty retailers.
- A majority (85 percent) of consumers say they will do most of their holiday grocery shopping at one of the big-four grocers this year compared to 41 percent who will do their Christmas grocery shopping at discount retailers.
Pricing and promotions:
- Special door-buster deals motivate consumers (32 percent) to shop in store on Christmas Eve.
- Special deals also motivate consumers (40 percent) to shop in store on Boxing Day.
- A third of respondents (33 percent) plan to spend between £250 and £500 on Christmas shopping this year.
- Email is by far the most preferred method for receiving personalized offers and coupons (51 percent), followed by regular mail (18 percent).
- Loyalty programs will be the most utilized program that consumers plan to take advantage of this festive season (41 percent).
Accenture conducted an online survey using a representative sample of 500 U.K. consumers in September 2014.
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 305,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$30.0 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2014. Its home page is www.accenture.com.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 13, 2013
Halifax, NS – Eastlink launched a nationwide campaign today called “Unmatched TV” that is all about the customer and what they want and expect in their TV viewing experience.
“We started this business 40 years ago with TV and we have taken pride in doing it really well – and many would say better than anyone,” says Lee Bragg, Eastlink CEO. “Customers have been very clear about what they want in their video products. Our new Unmatched TV delivers a video experience that revolves around our customers giving them control of their TV experience.”
Mr. Bragg explains that customers want the best viewing experience out there whether it be on TV, computer or mobile device.
“Our customers are busier than ever and expect to be able to watch their content whenever they want, wherever they are, on any device. And that’s precisely what we are focused on delivering.”
When asked about competition in the video market, Mr. Bragg proudly affirms that no other direct competitor delivers what Eastlink’s Unmatched TV delivers, which includes:
o Over 75 per cent of consumers rate this a 9 or 10 out of 10 as important to their viewing experience. Eastlink is the first provider to step up and deliver this level of choice.
o About half of consumers rate this a 9 or 10 out of 10 as important to their viewing experience
o Just under 50 per cent of consumers rate this a 9 or 10 out of 10 as important to their viewing experience. This percentage increases significantly with younger consumers.
o Consumers are viewing TV while exploring the internet and they expect to be able to leverage devices like their tablet, for example, to explore what’s on TV in a more personalized way.
o Consumers’ busy lives often require that they record their favorite programs and view them later.
o Over 75 per cent of consumers have already invested in one or more HDTV’s.
o In a world where virtually everything is global or centralized, consumers love to support local causes, cheer on local heroes, and hear about good news local stories.
Public and Media Relations
Our Chat Support Hours: Monday to Friday: 8 AM to 9 PM, Saturday: 9 AM to 5 PM, Sunday (Tech Support only): 9AM to 5PM. Holiday Hours may differ. For frequently asked questions, find the answers in Eastlink Support.
For assistance with purchasing or upgrading your products and services, or to make changes to your account.
For technical support assistance with your products and services.
For assistance or questions about your billing and / or statement.
Connect with Us
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After its month-long “Ear Candy” contest and coinciding with the announcement of the winner of serial #001, API Audio announces that its new product is called the A2D (pictured; $1,995).
The A2D integrates two API 312 discrete mic preamps with API’s new proprietary A/D converters into a 1U rackspace device. It represents the first digital offering in API’s successful line of microphone preamps and signal processing modules.
“When we began design of the A2D, we wanted to do it right,” says Larry Droppa, president of API. “We knew the analog-to-digital converters had to be the best possible to fully complement two of our 312 discrete mic amps, one of our most popular mic amp designs for over 25 years.”
For more information, visit www.apiaudio.com.


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Since Reliance Jio’s introduction, the 84GB data plan is where other telecommunication giants have focused to cope with the challenge and this has resulted in some of the best offers we have seen ever.
Before Reliance Jio was launched, users were used to spending way more on their monthly phone bills for data usage as they are spending in the current scenario. Most users had an approach of limited usage when it came to data consumption, in order to limit their monthly expenses but things have changed now. About a month from now, Reliance Jio is going to mark its first anniversary and in these 11 months, Indian telecom sector in India has been changed forever.
Jio’s entry has forced telecommunications giants like Airtel and Vodafone to drastically reduce their tariffs plans and offer free calls in order to remain in the market but for consumers, this competition has been great so far.
As a part of their latest attempts to fight against Reliance Jio, Vodafone, Airtel, Idea and Aircel have unveiled new pre-paid plans which effectively offer 84GB 4G data for a period of 84 days along with unlimited calls for less, in almost every case, and that too near the 400 rupees-mark.
Here is the list of all 84GB data plans that Reliance Jio, Vodafone, Airtel and Idea is offering right now.
This offer is applicable only for prepaid customers using 4G handsets with 4G SIMs.
2. Reliance Jio
For users interested in this Jio plan, they have to pay a sum of Rs 99 for yearly Jio Prime Membership, as well.
For the first month, this 84GB data plan will cost the users Rs 445 but later the monthly tariff will come down to Rs 352. This offer is valid just for new connections.
4. Idea Cellular
Idea Cellular offers one of the least economic 84GB data plans in this list and moreover, it is valid for only first time recharge users. While in the Delhi/NCR region, this plan is valid for only 3G data speeds, in the Mumbai circle, there is 84GB data plan that costs Rs 395 with 84 days validity, and comes with unlimited local as well as STD calls along with 1GB daily FUP limit. For non-4G users, the validity is reduced to 28 days.
As Reliance Jio intends to increase its consumer base, after ending its free offers, there will definitely be more such offers to come which essentially means that the price war between the telecoms is far from over. For the consumers, however, it’s great news as there is plenty of data packages to choose from.


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Nationwide's computers hit by criminal attack
AG: 91,000 Iowans affected by computer network attack
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller cautioned current, recent and potential Nationwide Insurance and Allied Insurance customers Tuesday about a recent computer network attack.
Nationwide reported the attack last Tuesday, saying it happened on Oct. 3.
Miller said that computer hackers accessed the personal information of more than 91,000 Iowans.
"Many Iowans are probably confused about how they could have gotten caught up in this massive data breach," Miller said. "That's because sometime over the last year or so someone may have sought a competitive insurance quote through a company or third-party agent, and that agent may have obtained quotes from several companies, including Nationwide, on their behalf. In fact, they may not have even realized the agent checked with Nationwide."
Officials said the data breach affects approximately 1.1 million people nationally
The attack was focused on an area that contained some personal information of current, former and prospective Nationwide and Allied Insurance customers.
"What's scary about this is it involves Social Security numbers, dates of birth, driver's license numbers, your marital status, your address, maybe where you work. There's a lot of information they could have," said Geoff Greenwood of the Iowa Attorney General's Office.
Greenwood said the online attack also affects those who haven't done business with Nationwide or its subsidiary, Allied Insurance.
"Maybe you went shopping around for insurance, maybe you had somebody else -- an agent -- shopping on behalf of you. And they checked with Nationwide, they provided the company that information, and that's how Nationwide has your information," Greenwood said.
Nationwide said it immediately took steps to secure the network.
NewsChannel 8 spoke with one of the victims of the hack.
"Now you worry about the future -- what's going to happen to us one year, two years, three years. Is my name going to get used? Is it not going to get used? There's no guarantees," Patrick said. "When Nationwide said they discovered the problem, why it took so long for us to get notified. That was my biggest concern."
Nationwide began mailing warning letters to those affected by the breach in mid-November.
In fact, Patrick didn't receive a warning letter until Friday.
"When we finally did read it, our bank was closed. So there wasn't any action I could take with calling the bank and check on our accounts, make sure nothing had already started that was suspicious," Patrick said.
Each person will be offered free credit monitoring and identity theft protection for one year.
"The free credit monitoring we get, the free identity theft program protection we get -- what happens when that stops? What happens to our ID down the road?" Patrick said.
So far, the company said it is not aware of any personal information being used for criminal purposes.
Experts said the victims should closely monitor their credit reports and credit card bills, watch their banking accounts and think about investing in identity protection services.
Nationwide has also established a toll-free number for customers with questions about the incident at 800-760-1125.


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China pledges continued support for Cambodia’s economic development
China reiterated its support for Cambodia’s economic development, Cambodian rice exports and increasing direct flights between the two countries.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi pledged the country’s support during a meeting with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn on July 3 in Bagan, Myanmar.
“China, as a close strategic partner, will continue to stand firmly with Cambodia and support its political stability and economic development,” Wang said.
During the meeting, the two sides praised their comprehensive cooperation, vowing to continue pushing for further cooperation.
They also agreed to continue cooperation in several areas, including agriculture, environmental protection, technology, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
Cambodia and China are good trading partners in bilateral, regional and global trade, with bilateral trade volume increasing every year, said Sok Sopheak, state secretary at the Ministry of Commerce.
Cambodian exports to China have increased in value by 6 to 10 percent on average every year, he said.
“The increase in exchanges is due to the good cooperation between Cambodia and China in all fields and at all levels,” Sopheak said.
Chinese direct investment in Cambodia reached 206 million U.S. dollars in the first quarter, while China-Cambodia economic and trade cooperation has steadily grown, said Wang Wentian, Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia.
“The mutually beneficial cooperation in the agricultural sector of the two countries has been a new practical achievement, reflecting the strong resilience and mutual complementary economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, becoming an important part and vital source of economic recovery and growth in the region. Wang said at a forum on economic diplomacy in the new normal last week.
Following imports of Cambodian agricultural products, including bananas and mangoes, into the Chinese market, the Kingdom’s “Pra” fish export is expected to officially complete procedures in the near future, he said.
In the first five months of this year, bilateral trade between Cambodia and China reached 4,990 million dollars, an increase of 26.1 percent over last year, according to data from the General Department of Customs. and excise.
Cambodia exported $519.8 million worth of goods to China during the period, down 6.9% year-on-year, while imports rose 31.5% to $4,470 million of dollars.
- Key words: Relations China Cambodia, China


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Samsung is about to discontinue its Galaxy Alpha in the coming weeks. According to a report by ETNews, Galaxy Alpha will be replaced by Galaxy A5, which is set to launch in South Korea in early February. Production will come to halt once inventory for its materials is exhausted.
Galaxy A series smartphones will retain the Galaxy Alpha’s metal designs, but will settle for specifications to get a superior edge in the competitive mid-range smartphones segment. Moreover, Galaxy Alpha made headlines due to its attractive design but hasn’t been a great smartphone in terms of sales due to its high price tag. Samsung has to rethink their approach due to stiff competition from Chinese manufacturers in the price-aggressive smartphone market.
Analysts and insiders have acclaimed the Samsung’s choice. The Galaxy A5 is having “better price competitiveness based on specifications than its predecessors, and its design is thought to be better than that of the Galaxy Alpha. It is rumored to be price at $361 (KRW 400,000), which is quite meaningful according to- Chang Jung-hyeok, VP of Atlas Research.
The Galaxy A5 features a 5-inch 720p display powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 410 chipset 2GB of RAM, a 13MP rear camera, a 5MP front camera, 2300mAh battery with an attractive metal unibody design. Currently, the Galaxy A5 is on sale in China and Russia and expected to arrive in February 2015 in South Korean market.
Samsung Galaxy Alpha to be discontinued by next February


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[hanoi] Unilever tops the list of advertisers in Vietnam, spending more than $14 million in 1999 and more than doubling its ad budget from the previous year, ACNielsen said. Unilever's top-selling brands -- Omo, Sunsilk, Clear, Viso and P/S toothpaste -- made up half of the country's top 10 most advertised brands. Rival Procter & Gamble Co. ranked second on the Adex list, spending $4.1 million on advertising in '99; Coca-Cola Co., upping its spending by 46%, was third. The top 10 buyers in 1999 spent $31 million on advertising, one-third of the country's total ad expenditure for TV and print media.
Burnett regains McD's account in Argentina
[buenos aires] McDonald's Corp. returned its Argentine branding and product account to Leo Burnett Co. Burnett lost the work two years ago to DDB Worldwide. This time, Grey Advertising and Agulla & Baccetti/ Lowe also pitched for the account. Burnett staged its pitch in a conference room redecorated as a world championship boxing match complete with a boxing ring and a popular local TV boxing announcer, who touted Burnett's strengths over the competition. The agency is immediately unveiling a new campaign for a premium McDonald's sandwich. A larger branding campaign will follow.
P&G to back Dryel debut with $15 mil in France
[cincinnati] Procter & Gamble Co. plans a $15 million campaign for the mid-April launch of home dry-cleaning product Dryel in France. The campaign, from Leo Burnett Co., Paris, will be one of P&G's largest ever in the country. Dryel is challenging Svit, recently launched by German rival Henkel. P&G debuted Dryel in the U.S. late last year, and it has since entered Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Further European expansion is likely.
Unicef taps TBWA for ads pushing children's rights
[london] Unicef awarded TBWA GGT Simons Palmer the global task of pushing children's rights to the top of the international agenda. The appointment for this new project followed a pitch including M&C Saatchi, New York. TBWA's assignment is to create a coherent brand identity for the international initiative in anticipation of a U.N. conference next year on children's rights, said Neil Christie, agency chief operating officer. Advertising will target a broad section of governments, non-governmental organizations, corporations, media, academics and young people themselves. A budget figure is "difficult to quantify," Mr. Christie said, referring to the figure of $320 million quoted by U.K. trade reports as "spurious."
DDB in Hong Kong snares Windows 2000, airline
[hong kong] Just weeks after McCann-Erickson Worldwide debuted Windows 2000 ads for Microsoft Corp. in the U.S., the software giant unveiled its campaign via DDB Worldwide here for Windows 2000 in Asia. DDB won the assignment without a pitch. Separately, DDB next month takes over the account of Dragon Air, following a pitch against Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, M&C Saatchi and Saatchi & Saatchi. The Hong Kong-based regional airline's previous agency, Euro RSCG Worldwide, didn't participate. The carrier spent between $4 million and $5 million last year in key markets such as China, Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan and Hong Kong. Dragon Air is now expanding into China and other Asian destinations with a new brand campaign due out by June.
Publicis acquires German agency Boebel/Adam
[frankfurt] Publicis' office here acquired Boebel/Adam, which recently severed ties with Omnicom Group's BBDO Worldwide and was looking for a new international partner. Boebel/Adam posted gross income of $6 million last year. The agency will be renamed Publicis.
BK joins fast-feeders' bulgogi boom in So. Korea
[seoul] Burger King Corp. introduced a Korean version of its burger -- the Bulgogi Whopper -- in what a spokesman dubbed "fast fusion food." Bulgogi is a traditional dish in Korea: barbecued beef with rice, raw garlic and spicy bean paste wrapped in a lettuce shell. The new Bulgogi Whopper isn't so adventurous. It's a regular Whopper plus a little "bulgogi sauce." But it's a necessary item to compete with other fast-food chains selling their own pseudotraditional dishes. For example, McDonald's Corp. has a bulgogi burger and KFC a chicken bulgogi burger.
India ad awards canceled because of bogus entries
[bombay] The Advertising Agencies Association of India shelved its annual awards competition this year after entries flouted the rules. Some agencies submitted showcase ads for bogus clients and brands that never made it to market, industry insiders said. The AAAI's Triple A awards stipulate that advertising entered must be run over a reasonable amount of time, must be in keeping with the brief and must enhance the image of the product or service being advertised. AAAI officials said the awards for 1999 work were canceled because "an abnormally high amount of entries were received that [the AAAI] believes do not strictly adhere to the spirit behind the awards." The AAAI plans to reinstate the awards next year.
Dot-com dash spans world's markets
France's answer to Amazon.com picked its first agency, while on the other side of the world, Ogilvy & Mather is creating an Asian consultancy focusing on the convergence of mobile phones and the Internet. Among recent developments worldwide in online marketing:
* French e-tailer Alapage.com tapped Ammirati Puris Lintas, Paris, to handle its account. The up-and-coming online bookseller, a subsidiary of France Telecom, recently diversified into household appliances. Alapage.com will launch its initial media campaign in the coming month in a bid to raise name awareness before the expected entry into the French market of Amazon.com, a spokesman said. "We may decide to use television, if that medium is available to the retail distribution sector," he said. France's top audio-visual regulator decided last month to allow TV advertising for dot-coms in a host of sectors, including retail, all of which previously have been prohibited from broadcast advertising. But the decision has come under wide attack and is currently being reviewed by the regulator (AA, March 13).
* Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide is establishing what's being called the Asia-Pacific's first communications consultancy devoted to advising clients on using technology that allows people to access the Internet via phones and other mobile wireless devices. The new m.Ogilvy unit will be part of OgilvyInteractive. "We believe that m.communication and m.commerce will grow faster, and to a larger size, in Asia than in any other part of the world. They will be driven by mobile-phone penetration, which will become the major source of Internet access," said Miles Young, Asia-Pacific chairman of Ogilvy. "The phone, with a range of `anytime, anywhere' services, will offer marketers a whole set of new ways of connecting with consumers." The Japanese mobile wireless market, for example, is expected to be worth $100 billion by 2003 vs. $18 billion in 1999, according to estimates by the Mobile Office Promotion Association.
* Chello Broadband assigned its global account to Publicis, London. Amsterdam-based Chello uses high-speed Internet access to deliver text, sound and video through local-language portals. Chello offers broadband Internet access to residential and business subscribers in Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, and it plans to expand into Latin America.
* America Online Latin America's forthcoming campaign in Mexico is likely to include enticing new customers with free software. "We're planning a very big launch," said Jose Alberto Teran, director general of Mexico City agency Teran, which is handling the campaign. Advertising will include outdoor, print and TV. AOL Latin America is a joint venture of America Online and Venezuelan media giant Cisneros Group.
* CNN Interactive next month will launch a Japanese-language Web site in Japan. The site (cnn.co.jp) will be CNN's first fully localized Asian-language Web site, said to Scott Woelfel, senior VP-general manager and editor in chief of CNN Interactive in Atlanta. It will be CNN's seventh non-English-language Web site, "featuring news specific to Japan in addition to the full scope of global news and information available to CNN.com users worldwide," Mr. Woelfel said. CNN Interactive also formed an alliance with Asahi.com that allows for that site and CNN.co.jp to share Japanese-language news content.


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New York – From acquisitions to renovations and rebranding, hotel companies had a lot to talk about at the New York University International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference in June. Here’s a round up of the latest news.
* G6 Hospitality, the management company for the Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands in the USA, is focusing heavily on its e-commerce and digital platforms, according to EVP Lance Miceli. “We’re rebuilding to have a mobile-first strategy, really maximizing our SEO capabilities,” Miceli said.
On the development side, Miceli said the company is having conversations in Mexico, particularly to bring the Motel 6 brand to the central part of the country. “The idea would be to begin in Mexico, establish infrastructure and partner with developers and franchisors,” he said. Franchising will continue to drive the brand’s U.S. growth as well. “There’s still room for Motel 6, particularly in the Northeast and in the center of the country,” Miceli said.
* New Castle Hotels & Resorts had a positive 12 months for its owned and managed hotels, and plans more notable openings this year, according to president and COO Gerald Chase. “We’re doing some very creative projects,” he said. “New-builds that are not your typical target market properties, and repositioning of historic properties—that’s becoming our niche.” He cited the dual-brand Courtyard by Marriott/Residence Inn Syracuse Downtown at Armory Square, which opened last July as the first new-build hotel in Syracuse in more than 50 years.
He also spoke about New Castle’s recent joint venture to purchase and renovate the historic Algonquin Resort in New Brunswick, Canada and re-open it as the country’s first Autograph Collection hotel.
Moving forward, Chase said the company is looking forward to the opening later this year of the $41-million Westin Jekyll Island. New Castle was part of a joint venture to develop the property as part of the Jekyll Island Beach Village. “This represents the type of project we like,” Chase said. “It’s a wealthy community and we’re bringing it back to the interests of the island. The state spearheaded the new convention center there to revitalize business in that part of the country, and it’s an attractive destination.”
* Loews Hotels & Resorts is concentrating on operating success and measured growth, the brand’s goals since president and CEO Paul Whetsell took the position in early 2012. “Last year we had $250 million in renovations going on and two acquisitions going on,” Whetsell said. “This year will be less disruptive. Our system has never been in better physical condition, and our revenue per available room is exceeding what the industry is doing.”
The company’s new-build Loews Chicago Hotel is set for an early 2015 opening, and the new-build Cabana Bay Beach Resort at Universal Orlando recently opened in Florida.
Another major highlight this year was Loews’ acquisition of the Graves 601 Hotel Wyndham Grand in Minneapolis. “This is a great market with a diverse economy and we’re comfortable flying the Loews flag here,” Whetsell said. The building was built only eight years ago and is in good shape, but Whetsell said Loews will renovate all guestrooms and corridors and open up the lobby. “This is going to be exciting for us,” he said.
* Red Lion Hotels continues to push the envelope. HM talked with Bill Linehan, Red Lion’s EVP and CMO, along with Brian Quinn, the newly minted SVP and chief franchise officer, who joined Red Lion in May after a stretch with Driftwood Hospitality. The big revelation: In October, Red Lion will introduce a new upscale boutique brand, details of which were, and remain, paltry as the executives decided against showing their hand. The brand, the name of which is also upcoming, will focus on top MSAs. Red Lion, which up until now has been a primarily west coast hotel chain, will look to expand eastward into the “top 80 MSAs,” Linehan noted. Red Lion is also revamping its loyalty program, moving from a points-based system to one of recognition.
* Richfield Hospitality named a new president in May: the company’s former SVP of sales and revenue strategy, Will Loughran, who said that within the next two to three years, “We’ll be cresting over 50 hotels.” Richfield currently operates 18 hotels, with an ownership stake in four of them. Loughran added that opportunity remains in the select-service segment. “We will look to grow that side,” he said, adding that they are looking at M&A currently, with discussions ongoing.
* Virgin Hotels told HM that it will, indeed, open its first property in Chicago this fall. We sat with Raul Leal, who told us staffing at the hotel is ramping up, and the targeted opening date is either October or November. Virgin Hotels had been under fire of late for overpromising and underperforming. The hiccup in the Chicago opening was attributed to a rethink in design. But now it looks like brighter days are ahead. Leal said the Chicago property will aim to change the game in technology. “The focus is on comforts in the room. Technology is there to make the stay easier,” he said. Leal added that the rooms will not lay out like a typical room. “Today’s traveler will appreciate it,” he said. “It will bridge the gap between today’s cadre of lifestyle hotels and legacy hotels.”
Beyond Chicago, a 500-room Virgin hotel in New York will break ground at the end of the year, Leal said, with an early 2017 expected opening. In Nashville, Tenn., a 248-room Virgin hotel will also break ground by year end, with a summer 2016 slated opening.
Leal said the company is scouting all the major global markets—actively looking at Miami, Washington, D.C., and London. “Once our first hotel opens, the investment community and development pipeline will rise.”


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According to Monday´s official
Granma daily, in the first four months of
the year over one million liters of milk were not delivered
island´s central province, 17 percent of what was previously
meaning that nationwide there over four million less than
The daily adds that there are deficiencies in the contracts,
not allow producers to show their true potential,
transportation and collection of the product in addition to
organizational problems and quality of the milk.
This is currently happening, the daily recalls, amidst last
experience of inefficiencies when 39 million liters were not
sent to the
milk industry, reason why the country was forced to spend an
million dollars in importing the product.


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A federal judge this month accredited a warrant to get again greater than $600,000 in bitcoins after investigators stated a Coinbase consumer misplaced $11.6 million in an alleged rip-off, Insider studies.
In April, a Coinbase user purchased 200 bitcoins, which is now price about $12 million. A notification popped up on the consumer’s telephone that stated their account had been locked, in response to Insider. The notification prefer it had been from the cryptocurrency investing app, Coinbase. Nevertheless it wasn’t.
The notification was really part of a fraud scheme. Investigators stated the scheme led to virtually $11.6 million in cryptocurrency being stolen from the consumer’s account.
“It’s unclear how the alleged fraudster knew in regards to the Coinbase transaction and whether or not the net notification talked about within the warrant appeared on a telephone or laptop,” per Insider.
The Coinbase consumer referred to as a quantity related to the notification. An unknown particular person answered the decision and adjusted the consumer’s account, permitting a lot of the cash to be transferred out of their account.
Cryptocurrency scams stay a possible concern for buyers. Early in 2021, the Federal Trade Commission stated customers misplaced a mixed $80 million in scams. And that was towards the start half of the 12 months, so you’ll be able to think about numbers have climbed since then.
“Folks ought to at all times be cautious of platforms providing big returns,” Morris said. “By no means ship your cash or cryptocurrency to a platform you don’t utterly belief. If you happen to do some fast analysis it’s best to be capable of gauge on-line how respected an organization is.
“Even should you see huge names like Elon Musk supposedly endorsing the funding, don’t take this at face worth,” he added. “Scammers are so profitable as a result of they use recognizable and trusted names to dupe individuals into believing it’s a sound funding when actually these names don’t have any affiliation to it in any respect.”
It’s essential to ascertain your funding objectives, dedicate time to analysis the cryptocurrency market and discover platforms you belief.
“Be sure you are utilizing an alternate you belief and that doesn’t have insane charges,” Morris stated.
The Financial Conduct Authority has stated that cryptocurrencies will be dangerous for funding due to the unstable market, so it’s essential to be cautious.
“Investing in cryptoassets, or investments and lending linked to them usually entails taking very excessive dangers with buyers’ cash,” FCA’s statement said. “If customers put money into most of these product, they need to be ready to lose all their cash.”


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Microsoft is expected to simplify how it licenses Windows Server System, a move aimed at making it easier for customers to deploy software in networks where multiple virtual images of Windows are running, according to a company official.
Chinese PC vendor, Lenovo, has unveiled a little more of its plans for a move into the consumer market.
America Online Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Miller remained mum, in an appearance at the Web 2.0 Conference, when asked to comment on recent rumors that Microsoft may be talking to AOL about buying it or at least about striking up a ...
Companies working on direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), an emerging power source that could one day replace rechargeable batteries for some applications, are showing their latest progress at this week's Ceatec Japan 2005 exhibition. But for all the ...
VeriSign has bought network infrastructure that underlies key services for bloggers from owner Scripting News for US$2.3 million in cash, the companies announced Friday.
Intel has agreed to buy the assets of a U.K. company that makes components for building digital TVs and other consumer electronics gear, it announced Friday.
As Google positions itself to be a total online content provider, the question of what is next for the search engine giant might be at least partially forecasted by U.S. journalists Matt Thompson and Robin Sloan.
PlayStation Portable users looking to modify their gaming system so it can run software that has not been approved by Sony may find themselves running nothing at all. Ever.
"If Sony has any sense at all, they should be content with the money they make," Eddy Stevens said after his landmark victory against Sony Computer Entertainment Australia in the High Court of Australia on October 6.
Receptionists beware -- Haruka from Japan wants your job. She's cheap, doesn't get tired and could never be accused of being two-dimensional.
Users of the Symantec's AntiVirus Scan Engine are being advised to upgrade their software, thanks to a critical security bug in the product. The flaw could theoretically allow an attacker to take control of an affected system, according to Symantec
After a quiet September, Microsoft is planning nine security fixes -- at least one of them rated as critical -- as part of October's release of security updates.
Google has been in touch with Taiwanese representatives in San Francisco to work on resolving a dispute over the island's listing in Google Maps, which refers to it as "Taiwan, Province of China."
Nokia has signed an agreement to include Symantec's Mobile Security software on its Series 60 and Symbian OS mobile phones.
Microsoft Thursday unveiled its first antivirus, antispyware software designed for corporate networks, which will go into beta by year-end and ship in 2006.
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First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
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Weekly VAT Update – 15 August 2017
eBay has confirmed that it will start charging 20% VAT
In response to HMRC’s clampdown on unregistered online traders, eBay has confirmed that it will start charging VAT at 20% on its fees to businesses trading in the UK.
This will commence on 1 August 2017, following a restructuring by eBay which results in UK customers contracting with eBay in the UK, and not eBay Europe S.a.r.l in Luxembourg entity. Charities and other businesses that cannot recover all the VAT that they incur should ensure that they additional cost is factored into their business model.


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Bradley Looks Forward at 20-Year Mark18 Apr, 2005 By: Kurt Indvik
Bill Bradley with wife Connie holding a commemorative plaque.
Bill Bradley charged into the video rental business 20 years ago, and he hasn't slowed down since. His Santa Rosa, Calif.-based Bradley Video chain of 17 video and video game stores celebrated its 20th anniversary April 6.
It was in 1985 that president and founder Bradley, 44, opened the first Bradley Video in the northern California town of Fairfax. It was a 700-square-foot space with some 800 movies in inventory.
“I was an electrician at the time, but I always had loved movies,” said Bradley, who maxed his credit cards and took a second mortgage on his house to get started in the business. “I could see that this would be a fun business to be in.”
As Bradley has grown his business, he has seen the industry's independent retail industry wax and wane. He recounts the time when the small town of Novato, Calif., where he has a store, had 13 video stores operating. Only a few years earlier, it had just one.
“What I remember about the early years was that I never saw a video store go out of business,” Bradley said. “There was definitely a little more of the Wild West feel to things back then. The independents were doing all of the exciting changes and trying new stuff, while Blockbuster was just sort of holding steady. Now it seems it's Blockbuster that's trying all the new stuff.”
Bradley Video has hardly stayed still. In the past two years alone, Bradley has opened three new video stores and four of its five The Game Cage video-game-only stores that sell or trade new and used video games. The chain's video stores offer game rentals. The company has 172 employees, headed by GM Mark Raymond and a corps of experienced store managers, some of whom have been with the company for more than 10 years, including Kevin Brock, Jackie Thomas and Scott Madia.
Forward momentum is a key to Bradley Video's longevity, the rental veteran said. “It's just constant and never-ending focus on improvement. Keep your eye on the ball, and keep moving and shaking,” he said.
Bradley also has made a concerted effort to learn from successful retailers in other parts of the country. “We have flown all over the country visiting other operations to learn what kinds of things they are doing that we can do in our area,” he said.
For now, Bradley said he's content to work on firmly establishing the seven new stores he's opened in the past 24 months before moving forward again.


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No, I'm not unveiling my new bike -- quite the contrary actually.
Instead, it's been announced today that next week's Xbox Live Arcade release is Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. The 2D action-adventure is widely considered one of the best Playstation games ever made and there are many who would say it's one of the best games ever. Period. It will be available for download next Wednesday for 800 points ($10 US) and features improved visuals to take advantage of high-definition televisions and also contains "modernized sound", widescreen support, online leaderboards, and of course, Achievements.
I ended up deciding against downloading this week's TMNT game as I just know I'm not really going to play it. But SOTN? Definitely. Especially since I never played it the first time around. I actually bought it for $5 at a grocery store in Greenville, NC several years ago, never opened it, then proceeded to sell it on Ebay last year for about 5x what I paid for it. So even with the $10 download fee, I'm still up a few bucks and will finally get to play it. I can't wait.
Click here for a bunch of screenshots.


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Tobii eye-tracking tech gives users hands-free control of tablets
- John Larrabee, Special to Mass High Tech
More people with physical and communications impairments will soon be using mobile devices, thanks to a new advancement in eye-tracking technology developed by Tobii Assistive Technology Inc.
On Sept. 19 the company will begin selling the Tobii EyeMobile, which allows control by eye gaze of most of the popular Windows 8 tablet devices. “For stroke victims and those with spinal cord injuries, this brings back their freedom,” said company president Tara Rudnicki. “We see a huge market.”
The Tobii EyeMobile makes possible hands-free use of over 100,000 Windows 8 applications. The software, Tobii Gaze Selection and its Windows 8 Function Overlay, were designed to mirror all functions of Windows 8 originally designed for touch, such as swiping, tapping, and scrolling. The company worked closely with leading Windows tablet manufacturers, including Microsoft and Dell, to develop a solution that complemented popular off-the-shelf devices already available and in use by consumers.
The PCEye Go tracker includes two cameras that read eye movement by projecting infrared light into the user’s eyes and measuring the reflected glint. Using two cameras eliminates errors that might otherwise occur should the user blink or look away momentarily, according to Rudnicki. It’s the same technology Tobii ATI has used to provide hands-free control for desktop and laptop computers, but adapted for tablets.
“You can move and you can blink,” she said. “You don’t have to be a statue. It learns to recognize your eye patterns. And you can also track with just one eye.”
“EyeMobile extends the Tobii experience to popular tablets, enabling anyone with a physical disability to enjoy full internet and computer access regardless of location or environment,” said Oscar Werner, executive vice president of assistive technology for parent company Tobii Technology.
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Kinpo to expand capacities in Thailand, Philippines
Ninelu Tu, Taipei; Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES
EMS provider Kinpo Electronics plans to expand production capacities in Thailand and the Philippines in 2020 to meet strong demand expected to begin in 2022, according to company CEO Simon Shen.
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Urgent warning about Bitcoin Formula (affiliate for ProfitsTrade, LucromPro, or FXCM Group). The crypto hype is getting stronger by the minute. Almost every day, we read headlines about new crypto events. PayPal reports records since they accept cryptocurrencies. Elon Musk and his Tesla are buying $1.5 billion worth of Bitcoins, and most recently, Twitter chief Jack Dorsey and Jay-Z announced the creation of a Bitcoin trust. Meanwhile, the big media houses like CNN, BBC, or the Financial Times entertain with ever new exciting crypto stories. Scammers use this hype to rip off greedy and/or naive consumers with scams like Bitcoin Formula and ProfitsTrade.
Bitcoin Formula to lure people…
Bitcoin Formula is currently aggressively promoted via Facebook and other social media with fake celebrity statements and fake news reports. Fake news is posted in Facebook posts leading via a cascade of links to Keumarleli (www.keumarleli.top) and ZoneShops (www.zoneshops.com) to ElectOffers (www.electoffers.com), for example. There you can register for the Bitcoin Formula. An automatically started video explains that you can earn a fortune with the Bitcoin Formula within a few weeks and become a millionaire.
Here are smart affiliate systems at work to acquire new victims on social media platforms for broker scams. Nothing new in the background, though.
… to just another broker scam
After registering with Bitcoin Formula, one lands on the ProfitsTrade page (www.profitstrade.com and www.profitstraderoom.com), the LucrumPro (www.lucrum.pro) page, FXCM Group (www.fxcm-group.io), or other scam broker sites. There you will be asked to make a deposit. Once again, Praxis Cashier of Amit Klatchko processes the payments for the scam via its gateway. Credit card and debit card payments and payments via LeaderPay (www.leaderpay.co), are integrated. Don’t fall for Bitcoin Formula or ProfitsTrade. It may well be that Bitcoin Formula is used as the frontend for many other broker scams.
In case you do have information on Bitcoin Formula, ProfitsTrade, or other scams and payment processors we would be more than happy to receive it.


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Kadey-Krogen Yachts is celebrating its 600th new-boat sale, a Krogen 44 AE (pictured above), to two new Kadey-Krogen owners.
“Who would have thought that when the late naval architect and designer James S. Krogen doodled the first version of a Krogen 42 on a napkin for Art Kadey it would result in Kadey-Krogen Yachts that would sell 600 yachts?” Kadey-Krogen Yachts partner Larry Polster said in a statement.
“While 600 is just a number, this achievement is perhaps a timely reminder for us during this holiday season to be thankful for the founding partnership and Jim’s timeless design,” he said. “Jim was a master of merging the tried and true with fresh, innovative concepts, creature comforts and convenience, and we continue to maintain his values.”
The company congratulated sales executive Greg Kaufman for closing the deal.
“How appropriate it is that the 600th new Kadey-Krogen to be built is a Krogen 44 AE,” Kaufman said. “It goes to show just how right Art and Jim’s original 42 design was, that after nearly 40 years, it still resonates well with cruisers.”
Production will begin next month at Asia Harbor Yacht Builders in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and delivery is slated for fall 2015.
This story originally ran in our affiliate publication, Soundings Trade Only and can be viewed here.


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After two decades, we revisit one of the wildest races in the footwear industry that involved sports giants Nike, Adidas, and Reebok.
LeBron James, also known as “King James,” made a decision just after midnight in Akron, Ohio the night before the 2003 NBA draft lottery. He signed his rookie endorsement contract with Nike, which was worth a whopping $87 million fully guaranteed over seven years. This remains the richest rookie shoe deal ever signed by any basketball player in history. The following day, May 22, 2003, at 7:54 a.m., dozens of Nike employees received an email stating that they had signed James. The message emphasized that the deal was more about what James saw and felt rather than what he received. The news was reported by the Associated Press five hours later, stating that James had chosen Nike over Reebok and Adidas after years of being courted by all three global footwear companies.
LeBron James, a talented high school basketball player, held a press conference in Akron, Ohio, after the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA draft lottery on May 22, 2003. James’ first agent, Aaron Goodwin, organized a bidding process that reached unprecedented heights. Three brands, including Adidas and Reebok, believed they had a good chance of signing James. However, two weeks before his graduation from St. Vincent-St. Mary’s High School, James rejected an offer from Adidas that only partially guaranteed payment, despite expecting $100 million over ten years. He also declined a six-year offer from Reebok that included additional perks and a bonus check presented by CEO Paul Fireman to him and his mother. The final offer from Reebok was well over $100 million, but James turned it down.
LeBron James revolutionized the concept of player empowerment, but in a way that might surprise you. In the lead-up to the draft lottery, Reebok executive Tom Shine and Fireman met with James at an Akron hotel to secure a deal. They stepped out of the room at one point, and James expressed his comfort with Reebok. However, three hours later, he unexpectedly chose Nike. James had smartly signed the deal before he or any of the sneaker companies knew where he would begin his NBA career.
The Cleveland Cavaliers clinched the first selection at the NBA draft lottery on May 22, 2003, with a 22.5% probability of winning. The owner at that time, Gordon Gund, was well-prepared and had a wine and gold No. 23 LeBron James jersey at hand to celebrate. In a post-lottery news conference, James expressed his preference for Nike, and within three months, the company delivered nine pairs of Air Zoom Generation shoes, eventually becoming James’ first signature sneaker. This event is considered one of the most remarkable pursuits in the history of the sneaker industry, where Nike outperformed Reebok, which only had drawings of James’ shoe.


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Sign up for our daily recaps of the ever-changing search marketing landscape.
Google AdSense Brings Full Ads To iPhone, Android & Pre
The Google AdSense blog announced that sites designed specifically for full-rich mobile phones, such as the iPhone, Android or Palm Pre can now show high-end contextual ads.
The blog said:
Today we’re launching a new feature for AdSense mobile publishers that will allow you to take advantage of the high-end mobile phone browsing experience. This feature offers publishers the ability to run larger AdSense ads visible on high-end phones. Before this launch, AdSense mobile publishers were only eligible to serve smaller text and image ads on their website content.
Yes, Google is betting big on mobile ads.
Here is a video from Google on this news:


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Virtual brand company Peckwater has closed a £15m Series A funding round led by Stonegate Group, one of the UK’s largest pub companies.
London-based Peckwater Brands helps develop the virtual brand of restaurant chains operating a delivery-only service without the need for a physical location.
Lead investor Stonegate Group has taken a minority stake in Peckwater Brands, after trialling the startup’s services in some of its pubs.
“Peckwater Brands’ partnership with some of our pubs has demonstrated the Company’s exciting potential,” said Suzanne Baker, the commercial director of Stonegate Group.
“As such, we were delighted to collaborate with them, participate in their latest funding round and offer support to this promising team.”
The new funding will go towards the development of Peckwater’s kitchen operator technology, including menus generated through machine learning.
Following the latest investment, Peckwater Brands co-founder Sam Martin has been appointed the company’s CEO.
“Given the rapid success we’ve seen in the UK, we’ve now set our sights on the international stage,” Martin said.
“Not only have we established a strong presence within the US and UAE, but we are set to make waves across Europe in the very near future.”
Martin’s fellow co-founder, Leo Bradshaw meanwhile, has been given the position of executive chair.
“The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for disruption within the hospitality sector and Peckwater Brands has done just that,” said Bradshaw.
“Our innovative use of technology, combined with our expert knowledge of brand management and hospitality has transformed the way restaurants, bars – essentially any venue with a kitchen – approaches branding and customer reach.”
Also participating in the latest funding round is Japan’s Softbank Investments (SBI) as well as existing investors Fuel Ventures and Pembroke VCT.
“Following Peckwater Brands’ growth since its previous funding round, we were delighted to have the opportunity to invest in such an exciting business,” said Yoshitaka Kitao, the representative director and CEO of SBI investments.
The Series A investment follows a £3m seed funding round led by Fuel Ventures in October 2021.


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An increasing number of UK businesses are starting to shake off the recession with latest industry findings showing marketing spend is on the rise.
One of the key barometers of the overall state of the economy, the latest Bellwether survey, has revealed marketing spend is at its highest rate for almost six years.
A sharp upward revision was recorded in marketing budgets in Q2 of this year, clearly illustrating that businesses are taking advantage of the improving economic climate.
Twenty two per cent of companies reported an upward trend in their marketing budgets during the latest survey period, with the internet being labelled as one of the key drivers to overall budget growth.
As a leading full-service marketing agency, the most recent Bellwether findings have been of particular interest to us. For more than a decade, we have been delivering powerful and successful marketing and PR results for a wide range of clients, who demand more from their marketing budget.
Planned and sustained marketing strategies are the driving force behind the success of many of today’s forward-thinking organisations, and form the backbone for many companies striving to enhance their business growth.
The latest findings clearly demonstrate businesses are starting to confidently place a far larger emphasis on the importance of investing in their marketing spend without compromising their ROI.
Find out in 5 minutes whether you're maximising return on investment on your sales and marketing spend by taking our marketing health check below.


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As the 4th of July approaches, the Grinnell Police Department would like to remind residents and visitors that the discharge of consumer fireworks is prohibited within Grinnell, as directed by City Ordinance 41.12.
This includes the discharge of consumer fireworks by those attending the July 4th activities at Ahrens Park. In cooperation with Ahrens Park staff and managment, signs will be posted to remind attendees that the discharge of consumer fireworks is prohibited. Grinnell officers will also be present to enforce this ordinance. With the number of persons attending this great event, it becomes a safety issue with the discharge of consumer fireworks in such close proximity to others.
The Grinnell Police Department would like to extend a Happy AND SAFE 4th of July to our residents and visitors. We encourage those who purchase and/or possess consumer fireworks to research where they can legally discharge them in the Poweshiek County area, and do so in those jurisdictions.


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UGANDA – Coca-Cola Beverages Africa in Uganda has launched a new product known as Ades Nutri-Bushera.
Ades is the global brand for plant-based beverages for the Coca-Cola Company with blends of nuts, cereals, fruit juices, indulgent flavours, vitamins and minerals for a rich, smooth and delicious taste.
While, Bushera is a traditional drink made in Ugandan households out of millet and sorghum, mainly consumed at social gatherings such as weddings, child naming ceremonies etc.
The new Ugandan blend, Ades Nutri-Bushere has been produced and packaged to match the specific taste and quality preferred by the consumers, a great tasting modification of the traditional drink made in Ugandan households.
“Ades Nutri – Bushera is perfect evidence of our customer obsession. We listened to our customers, our consumers, and our community, and developed a drink that you wanted. We have crafted it to suit your tastes and preferences; and we have packaged it to ensure we meet your standards of health, quality, and for your convenience as you consume it at home or on the go.
“We are constantly innovating to give people more of what they want while actively encouraging informed choices and balanced lifestyles,” indicated the company.
Launching Ades Nutri-Bushera is another step forward in the ambitious journey undertaken by Coca-Cola Beverages Africa in Uganda to spearhead the Buy Uganda Build Uganda (BUBU) agenda in the country, reports Nile Post.
Through this, the beverage maker will support the local farmers and suppliers, as millet the main ingredient used in production of the new drink will be locally sourced.
Melkamu Abebe, Managing Director, Coca-Cola Beverages Africa said, “The launch of Ades Nutri-Bushera is part of our larger strategy to grow sustainably by creating shared opportunities on our journey to becoming a total beverage company.
“We are therefore extremely excited for what this opportunity means to us as a company, and more importantly to the Ugandan farmers who are involved in growing the millet and the employment opportunities that come with setting up a new line.”
The launch comes months after the company recently installed US$15 million production line, at the Century Bottling Company Namanve Plant to locally produce Minute Maid Fruity Boost Mango drink.
“We are very happy today as CCBA to have our own Bushera. We made a business decision to focus on local sourcing more than fifteen years ago, and it has had significant results. Everywhere we operate, we deliberately find ways of localising our supply chain.
“We remain focused on our role as an economic contributor and will keep our promise to our people inside and outside of the Company,” Conrad van Niekerk, Coca-Cola Beverages Africa Regional Managing Director said.
Coca-Cola Beverages Africa in Uganda bottles various non-alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages at its Rwenzori and Century Bottling plants in Namanve and Mbarara.
The beverages include carbonated soft drinks (sodas), juices under the Minute Maid brand, Rwenzori Pure Natural Mineral Water, and Predator and Power Play Energy drinks.
Liked this article? Subscribe to Food Business Africa News, our regular email newsletters with the latest news insights from Africa and the World’s food and agro industry. SUBSCRIBE HERE


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The iPhone 5c is like a happy middle between the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 5s. It isn’t as powerful as the iPhone 5s, but it is a tad newer than the iPhone 5, so for those who’d rather not buy the iPhone 5s, they had the iPhone 5c to consider. Unfortunately the device wasn’t exactly the most well-received, with Tim Cook admitting that the low sales were unexpected.
However it turns out that there were markets in which the iPhone 5c was doing well in, and it seems that it is over in the UK. According to the Kantar Worldpanel’s latest numbers, it was revealed that prior to the iPhone 6 being launched, the iPhone 5c was actually the best selling smartphone in the UK for the month of August.
They reported that the phone had a market share of 8.9% and even outpaced that of the iPhone 5s which was at 7.6%. Interestingly enough the iPhone 5c even managed to outsell the Samsung Galaxy S5 which was sitting at a 6% market share. It should be noted that these figures are a slightly drop from July.
Kantar notes that despite it being a drop, it only dipped by 1.6% and they claim that this is because those who buy the iPhone 5c might be customers who aren’t concerned about having the latest and greatest technology, despite the rumors of new phones being launched. So it looks like perhaps the iPhone 5c was not the great flop that we had all expected it to be.
Filed in iPhone 5C.. Read more about


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It's no secret that Google and Facebook have taken over the world. Their domination of digital advertising still might come as a bit of a shock, though: Google and Facebook currently take a whopping 85 cents of every new dollar spent on online advertising.
The remaining 15 cents gets split between the rest of the digital media world.
What's the reason for this imbalance? Will things ever change? Learn all about it IGNITION 2016, Business Insider's upcoming flagship conference.
We'll get an overview of Google from expert Danny Sullivan, founding editor of Search Engine Land, and the lowdown on Facebook from expert Mark Mahaney, top internet analyst at RBC Capital. They will tell us everything we need to know about these two tech companies' domination of digital advertising. This is a crucial topic, as the field of digital media continues to become more crowded and competitive.
This is just one reason that IGNITION 2016 is shaping up to be the perfect opportunity to peer into the future of technology and media. Grab your tickets now to see innovative speakers like Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins, IBM Watson General Manager David Kenny, and Tencent's SY Lau. Business Insider is bringing them all together from December 5-7 at the Time Warner Center in New York City.
Don't miss your chance to attend this event - sign up today before tickets sell out!
Get the latest Google stock price here.


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"My fears of a collapse in global trade, the likes of which we have not seen since the Great Depression are coming closer and closer to reality. Obama’s Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is dead. Obama’s Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is also dead on arrival. Neither of those agreements is realistically about free trade. Both contain inane provisions allowing corporations to sue governments. And TPP is mired in global warming muck. Yet, the collapse of the agreements culminates a long period of dwindling deals of any kind. Trump is highly likely to label China a 'currency manipulator', and U.S. relations with Mexico are going to suffer whether of not Trump foolishly builds a wall. Other than the wall, if indeed one is built, it’s highly doubtful anything would have been much different under a Clinton administration. No one wins trade wars, ever. Sarkozy’s comments should be downright scary to any student of history. Trade tit-for-tat madness is very similar to what we saw in the Great Depression when the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act raised tariffs on 20,000 imported goods to record levels. I am in rare agreement with Ben Bernanke who says 'Economists still agree that Smoot-Hawley and the ensuing tariff wars were highly counterproductive and contributed to the depth and length of the global Depression.'"
LINK HERE to the commentary


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Fallout 4 will receive mod support on PS4 this week, Bethesda has announced.
If it’s anything like Skyrim, the size limit for mods on Sony’s console will be 1GB. The last time Bethesda addressed the matter revolving around Fallout 4, the publisher said it would have a 900MB cap on PS4.
Furthermore, mods on PS4 can’t use outside assets, so players can only create things like new dialogues, questlines and the like, as opposed to adding in such outlandish horrors as Thomas the Tank Engine.
Like Skyrim before it, the new update to Fallout 4 will also patch in PS4 Pro support, allowing for native 4K resolution.
We’ll update when the patch is live.


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Plans are in the works to offer crypto buying and selling to users of PayPal and Venmo, according to a report by CoinDesk's Ian Allison.
“My understanding is that they are going to allow buys and sells of crypto directly from PayPal and Venmo,” said one of three unnamed sources, according to the crypto news outlet's report. Liquidity for the offering would be sourced from crypto exchanges.
When reached for comment, a PayPal representative told The Block: "PayPal does not comment on rumors or speculation."
In terms of timing, CoinDesk reported that, according to one source, the service may become available in the next several months.
The news, if true, would represent a deepening relationship between PayPal (which owns Venmo) and the crypto ecosystem. Back in 2014, PayPal struck up partnerships with three bitcoin payment processors, including Coinbase, which allowed merchants in its network to accept bitcoin as payment.


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Week in Review: Can the Government handle data security?
Data security becomes a top level Government matter, as Labour and the Conservatives argue over ID cards and the best way to tackle cyber crime.
1 billion cut from ID card scheme Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announces revised plans for a national ID card scheme, including a budget cut of 1 billion. Other changes include a choice between an ID card and a biometric passport for participants, and a slower rollout of the plan.
Tories call for new cyber security minister Shadow Home Secretary David Davis makes speech at the 2008 e-Crime congress, criticising the Government and outlining Conservative plans to change the state approach to cybercrime in the UK.
3G iPhone arriving mid-year? Plans are announced for a potential mid-year roll-out of Apple's highly-anticipated 3G iPhone. The new, faster device may be available for consumers as early as June or July of this year.
Yahoo buys time against Microsoft bid After speculation of a boardroom takeover by Microsoft, Yahoo extends the board nomination deadline. This gives the internet company more time to consider its options in light of the Windows maker's unsolicited acquisition bid.
Microsoft launches online document sharing Microsoft releases a beta version of its Office Live Workspace as a free download. The service, which allows documents to be shared online, will take on Google Docs.
Poor information management costs millions a year Missed opportunities worth billions are wasted every year, a study on data management reports. Almost two-thirds of managers believe poor information management is knocking down their productivity by 29 per cent, which equates to a 46 billion loss in the national private sector and 21 billion in the public sector.
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Despite state law on disposal of surplus property, Palm Beach Junior College President Ed Eissey obtained a luxury auto from the college for about $2,000 less than the listed retail value shortly after ordering $350 in repairs on the car at public expense, records show.
A provision in state law requires that the public be notified when surplus vehicles are sold by a junior college and be given a chance to bid on the vehicles. But records show that no such public notice was given when Eissey bid on the car in November 1984.
Eissey, the only person to bid on the 1983 Buick LeSabre, took a short-cut on college purchasing practices to have almost $350 in repairs done. The repairs were done four days after bids were solicited and five weeks before he was awarded the bid, records show.
Eissey gets use of a car under his contract with the college. The practice has been to replace the car every two years. When Eissey decided to get a new car last fall, he bought the one he had been driving..
By failing to advertise the auto in local newspapers, as required by state law, the college effectively ensured that no bid would approach the $10,325 average retail value listed in the National Automobile Dealers Association Blue Book, which lists average prices for used cars. The college did seek bids from eight used-car dealers. None bid on the car.
Eissey paid $8,250 for the LeSabre, $25 more than the $8,225 listed as the average loan value, considerably less than the $9,050 listed as the average trade-in value and less than the average retail value, PBJC records show.
Eissey said he is not familiar with the law on disposal of surplus property and that he entrusted handling of the sale to lower-ranking PBJC staff members.
"This is the most honest, straightforward, penny-pinching, law-abiding community college in the state," Eissey said. "I just rely on my purchasing agent to make sure everything is done properly. Our purchasing agent, Dick Jones, told me he did put it out for bids. I don't know how or in what manner he did it.
"Nothing was done irregularly -- knowledgeably irregularly -- to shortchange this institution. I've told my staff if they're going to steal, steal a couple of million dollars and don't mess around with penny ante stuff."
Eissey defended the sale because he paid more than the college could have gotten by trading the car in when a new car was purchased.
He said the college could not have gotten a better price for the car by offering it to the public, and that he did not get a particularly good deal because of his position.
PBJC Business Affairs Vice President Tony Tate said the way the sale was handled "was not an intentional kind of thing."
"It was something that was an oversight if it was not in accordance with the rules," Tate said.
Jones, PBJC's director of purchasing, said he thought he had the authority to sell the car without advertising it in the newspaper. Instead, records show, he sent invitations to bid on the car to eight used-car dealers.
The state law governing disposal of surplus property by government agencies says the property "shall be sold only to the highest responsible bidder, or by public auction, after publication of notice not less than 1 week nor more than 2 weeks prior sale in a newspaper of general circulation . . . and in additional newspapers if in the judgment of the governmental unit the best interests of the county or district will better be served by the additional notices."
Tate said the sale of the car to Eissey was approved by James Adams, PBJC's attorney, who concluded the procedure was legal. Attempts to reach Adams last week were unsuccessful.
But Bob Johnson, a state senator who is also a lawyer and who serves on the Senate Governmental Operations Committee, said the law specifically requires that an advertisement be run to let the public know that surplus property is for sale.
"It applies that the notice must set forth whether (the sale) will be by bid or by auction," Johnson said.
Jones said he thought this surplus property sale was governed by a state Division of Community Colleges rule that allows the sale of surplus property through bids without public notice.
But Fred Atherton, who promulgates rules for the division, said the rule Jones referred to applies only when a community college is buying goods, not selling them.
"We applied it both ways, to buying and selling," Tate explained.
Atherton said the disposal of surplus property is governed by state law, not a rule.
"They're supposed to follow the statute and if they didn't, they're in violation of the law," Atherton said.
Most of PBJC's surplus property is sold at an advertised public auction that is held once a year, Tate said. Vehicles are either traded in, sold at auction or, if there is no acceptable bid, kept for parts, Tate said. The president's car usually is traded in, he said.
The law on surplus property applies to counties as well as community colleges. Palm Beach County sells surplus goods by auction and advertises the sale. Broward County, which sells surplus vehicles through a bidding procedure, advertises the bidding in the newspaper to comply with state law, said Russ Simpkins, special projects coordinator in the county's Office of Equipment and Facilities Management.
Eissey said PBJC officials tried to follow the rules.
"Our purchasing agent said if we went ahead and bid it, advertised the bidding, we may get a higher price. I said fine but I'd like to bid on it too," he said. "I have no knowledge of how the bidding was done.
"We wouldn't have gone by the state procedure if we had known (what it entailed)," Eissey said. "I'm sure if we knew we had to do all that we would have gone ahead and traded it in."
When the college asked car dealers in August 1984 to name a price for a new car, responses came from only two dealers. Gus Machado Buick asked $14,303 for the car but offered $8,500 for the LeSabre that Eissey eventually got. Tate and Jones rejected the Machado bid and a bid from Sheehan Leasing, which was willing to sell the new car for $13,072 but offered no trade-in deal.
Both bids were rejected and college officials again solicited bids in September. Three dealers responded:
(BU) Machado slashed its price to $13,351, and also cut its trade-in offer by $400, to $8,100. That was $150 less than Eissey eventually paid.
(BU) Reef Buick asked $13,500 but offered only $7,650 for the trade-in.
(BU) Schumacher Buick's price was $13,281, and the dealership offered $7,800 for the trade-in.
Tate instructed Jones to buy the car outright from Schumacher, which offered the lowest price, but to keep the LeSabre and see how much they could get for it, Jones said.
Jones then invited eight local used car dealers to bid on the '83 Buick. None responded.
In a memorandum written in February from Jones to "whom it may concern," Jones said: "Bids were opened on November 26, 1984 with a bid of $8,250. After consultation with the Business Affairs staff and the legal counsel, it was presented to the Board of Trustees on December 19, 1984, where it was unanimously awarded."
Nowhere on the agenda distributed to members of the public at that trustees meeting six days before Christmas was it indicated that Eissey was the person buying the car. Nor was there any public discussion of the matter. Also, the car was declared surplus by PBJC officials, when state law says that declaration is supposed to be made by the board of trustees.
Nine days after the bids were opened, Jones wrote a memo to Tate outlining the comparison prices obtained from the Blue Book.
Ken Marshall, a salesman at Don Cook Motors, one of the dealers invited to bid on the car, said it did not surprise him that no one bid for the car because it is not a popular model.
He said the Blue Book prices are used only as a guide and that the car could fetch a price higher or lower than the $10,325 average retail price listed in the book.
"A car has to stand on its own two legs," Marshall said. "The price could be more or could be less depending on its condition."
Eissey said he wanted to keep the car because he had been driving it and knew "it had good performance."
Nevertheless, the car needed a few repairs, he said. Records show that on Nov. 12, Eissey took the car to Schumacher to have included replacing the cruise control engagement switch; replacing the right front door lock; adjusting the engine timing; aligning the front end; and replacing air- conditioning hoses.
Claude Edwards, PBJC's physical plant director, wrote a memo the next day pointing out that Eissey had failed to follow the regular procedure in getting the repairs done. Edwards said that Eissey was supposed to get a purchase order ahead of time, instead of after the work was done.
"No purchase order was written and repairs were apparently authorized by the school mechanic or the president," the memo stated. Attached to the back of the purchase order -- made out a day after the repairs -- was a note from Tate's secretary to Edwards' secretary that said, "this is for Dr. E's car."
Eissey acknowledged ordering the repairs. But he said he had to get the repairs done to sell the car, and that he was not aware that he was the only bidder. At the time, the used-car dealers still had 14 days to bid on the car.
"If we didn't get a bid, I'd still be driving it," Eissey said. "If the door didn't open, we couldn't have sold it."
Eissey acknowledged that the car could have been traded in with the defects, but maintained that college officials did nothing wrong.
"No, we could not have gotten a better deal," he said.
"There is no one any more sensitive to the public funds than Ed Eissey," Eissey said. "I take tremendous pride in the honesty of this institution. If we made a mistake, we made a mistake and we'll never do that again. But I don't want any shadow of a doubt cast on this institution's honesty."


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Remember when Britain promised to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035? No? Well, now they’re moving that date up to 2030. Much better.
As EV technology continues to advance and deployments roll out faster than anticipated, expect to see this kind of thing happening more and more places.
“Success will depend on reassuring consumers that they can afford these new technologies,” SMMT said in a statement, adding the new deadline posed an “immense challenge” to the sector.
Johnson’s plan was broadly welcomed by industry.Reuters


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Four months after its release, Nintendo has stopped publishing and shipping the Metroid Prime: Collector's Edition. A company rep told an interested gamer the only way to find it now is through the second-hand market.
If Orson Welles' groundbreaking, multiple award winning film Citizen Kane has an analogous counterpart in the video game space, one ABC News report argues that it's Nintendo's Metroid Prime Trilogy.
Those picking up Metroid Prime Trilogy appear to be trading convenience for graphical fidelity, with this clip showing that one of the Trilogy versions of the game is sporting reduced textures and particle effects.
In Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Admiral Dane expresses his frustration with the Space Pirates by letting out a rather mild profanity. "Damn," to be precise. In the Metroid Prime Trilogy, which released a week ago, it's been scrubbed.
PS3 Slims. World of Warcraft expansions. Is there any news for the Wii gamer these days? A copy of Metroid Prime: Trilogy arrived in the office this week. I've had little time to investigate it, but did discover this.
Nintendo's Metroid Prime collection for the Wii is due to land in North America on August 24th in a snazzy "collector's edition" form that bundles up three games, a Metroid Prime Trilogy art booklet, special metal packaging and more.


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Brand new ŠKODA Fabia preview event on Wednesday, 12th of November
We are delighted to announce Wednesday, 12th of November as the eagerly anticipated date the brand new ŠKODA Fabia will be available for preview for Sligo drivers.
The new ŠKODA Fabia will not arrive in Ireland until mid-December however we will be showcasing the new Fabia during an exclusive preview event in the dealership on Wednesday, 12th of November. Come along to see the new model.
The third-generation Fabia model comes with innovative technology more usually featured in higher vehicle classes, a new design, more fuel efficient engines and 5-star NCAP safety rating.
The new Fabia is up to 65 kg lighter and up to 17 per cent more efficient than the previous model. In fact, the lightest Fabia weighs just 980 kg. In typical ŠKODA fashion, the car has the biggest boot in its segment at 330 litres and optimum functionality with many ‘Simply Clever’ features. The new ŠKODA Fabia will be available for test drive in December and will be available for the 151 registration plate.
The Fabia is going to be a big car for 2015 and we are offering local motorists a sneak preview of the car on Wednesday, 12th of November. We’ll have refreshments and competitions to celebrate the New Fabia’s arrival. It’s an event not to be missed!
In addition to our new Fabia reveal we also have exciting offers on all our other models in the range. ŠKODA Finance rates start from 3.9% APR equating to lower monthly repayments which can include the cost of routine servicing. Over the period we are also offering excellent trade-in allowances and product upgrades such as free leather interior and Satellite navigation on selected models.
For more information on the new Fabia >> Click Here
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Google’s pay-per-click and contextual advertising service AdWords is set to extend a beta version of a new feature called Automatic Matching, which will see customers who don’t use up their AdWords budget having the leftover sum directed into what Google says are relevant search areas.
Google sent out invitations to customers to participate in the beta run of this feature, which begins on 28 February, saying they had been selected for the campaign.
“Automatic Matching automatically extends your campaign’s reach by using surplus budget to serve your ads on relevant search queries which are not already triggered by your keyword lists through analysing the structure and content of your website and AdWords campaigns,” explained Google.
The internet search giant gave the example of a site selling Adidas shoes, explaining that Automatic Matching would automatically target the client’s campaigns to queries like ‘shoes’, ‘adidas’ and ‘athletic’ but also to less obvious ones such as ‘slippers’, which the AdWords system itself has deemed of benefit.
While Google promises not to exceed the customers daily budget, blogger and SEO (search engine optimisation) expert, Dan Thies, claims on his blog www.seofaststart.com that Google is essentially “offering you the exciting opportunity to bleed every penny of your budget every day, advertising against keywords that you didn’t want to bid on.”
The claim made by Thies and some other SEO consultants is that Automatic Matching would waste your budget surplus on irrelevant keywords that probably wouldn’t lead to a click-through at all, only to Google’s financial benefit.
By Marie Boran


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LG’s long-awaited dual-core Android-powered smartphone is coming to Australia as an unlocked device, seemingly without telco distribution, and has even won a “Guinness World Record” award, but LG’s 3D model is still not here.
LG is first to launch a dual-core smartphone in Australia, beating Apple’s next iPhone to the dual-core punch, but are dual-cores enough to win LG’s duel, not only with Apple, but its battle with every other smartphone maker on the planet?
China-based Oppo seems to be ahead of the curve lately. They launched the world’s thinnest smartphone called the Oppo Finder, and now they are looking to launch the first smartphone with a 1080p display called the Find 5.
After launching several single-core smartphones earlier this year in the face of several dual-core competitors announced and launched their models, HTC’s dual-core Sensation is finally set to cause a sensation for HTC and Telstra-lovin’ smartphoners.
The citizens of Singapore will now be able to have a device the rest of the world doesn’t for now– a Jelly Bean-powered Samsung Galaxy S III LTE smartphone. That’s right friends, Samsung is currently getting ready for the launch of the device by the end of September.
Intel has announced that it will showcase Android devices running a new dual core, dual graphics platform at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona from February 25 to 28. “Specifically, Intel will showcase its latest smartphone technologies and devices running the Android* platform, including a new dual core, dual graphics platform, as well as OEM- and service provider-supported devices ba
If you weren’t already well aware, it’s definitely smartphone season, and while the world waits to see what Apple does with its next iPhone, LG’s dressing up its newest single-core premium Android smartphone and is going black to the future!


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Forget presidential politics. In California, the hot election battle is being waged over what sits on your dinner plate.
In November, Californians will vote on proposition 37, a controversial measure that would make the state the first in the country to require food producers to label genetically engineered foods.
A few words printed on the side of a box or stuck on a package may seen unobtrusive enough, but opponents are pouring millions of dollars into stopping the ballot initiative in its tracks.
Two biotech companies, Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences, who have been on the forefront of crop innovation and have led the GMO food movement, have thrown down more than $12 million alone to stop the initiative. They are part of a growing coalition of grocers, food producers, and farmers who have raised nearly $36 million to beat the referendum in November.
Proponents of the bill, who have raised $7 million and have used star power to raise awareness about the proposition, say consumers have the right to know what's in their food.
Performers like Danny DeVito, Bill Maher, Dave Matthews and exercise guru Jillian Michaels have spoken up for GMO labeling in a new political ad.
But Kathy Fairbanks, a spokeswoman for the "No on 37" campaign says the measure would hit consumers with higher grocery bills, cost the state of California about $1 million a year in administrative costs and make grocers and farmers susceptible to lawsuits.