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Dubai Land Department (DLD) has announced that a total of 88 real estate projects have been launched from the beginning of 2016 until H1 2017. DLD has also confirmed that 68 real estate projects were registered during H1 2017, representing a value of AED 21 billion.
His Excellency Sultan Butti bin Mejren, Director General of DLD, commented: “Dubai is currently witnessing increasing interest from international investors, which has reinforced confidence in our real estate sector and its future prospects.”
Against a backdrop of growing demand in the real estate market, the first half of this year saw the launch of 68 new projects that meet the aspirations of investors from [...]
Consumer spending in the UAE, which amounted to nearly $183 billion in 2016, is forecast to rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.5% over the next five years to exceed $261 billion in 2021, analysis released by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry showed.
The analysis, based on recent data from Euromonitor International, revealed that consumer expenditure per household during 2016 was highest in the UAE when compared to other GCC countries, amounting to around $103,000, followed by Bahrain ($96,000).
Housing was identified as the top spending category for UAE consumers with $75.7 billion recorded for 2016, accounting for 41% of total consumer [...]
Robust growth momentum of the non-oil private sector in Dubai was maintained in July, with the seasonally adjusted Emirates NBD Dubai Economy Tracker Index – a composite indicator designed to give an accurate overview of operating conditions in the non-oil private sector economy – at 56.3 in July, broadly similar to 56.5 in June. The latest index reading was one that was above the long-run trend (55.2).
By sector, the wholesale & retail industry (index at 57.9) was once again the best performing category, followed by travel & tourism (56.3) and the construction sector (54.8).
Commenting on the Emirates NBD Dubai Economy Tracker, Khatija Haque, Head of MENA [...]
Dubai Customs’ knowledge club has run an educational and sports open day specially designed for differently-abled staff. The move highlights the department’s commitment to caring for and empowering its people of determination by fostering a working environment that is fair, healthy, disability-friendly and receptive for everyone.
The open day’s program of events included different mind-blowing activities that combine both entertaining and educative content.
The audience was lectured on the importance of positive thinking through a discussion of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s book ‘Reflections on Happiness and Positivity’. The lecturer Dr. Abdullah Lashgary explained how [...]
Business leaders in Dubai are more positive about their expectations of business conditions and business confidence in the third quarter of 2017, according to a new survey conducted by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The Business Leaders’ Outlook Survey revealed that 39% of respondents expect to see business conditions improve in Q3-2017. Around 43% of surveyed business leaders expected no change in business conditions, while 18% expected conditions to worsen over the same period.
The survey revealed that 45% of business leaders expected business confidence to strengthen in the third quarter of this year, compared to the 37% who predicted no change and 18% [...]
From information security and customer relations to virtual assistance and geolocation services, Expo 2020 Dubai is teaming up with leading global professional services company Accenture to create a powerful and engaging digital experience for millions of visitors from around the world.
As the newly appointed Digital Services Premier Partner and Systems Integrator, Accenture will play a key role in making the first World Expo in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region one of the fastest, smartest and best connected places on Earth.
To achieve this, Accenture will work with Etisalat Digital, a business unit of the international telecoms and technology [...]
Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), the regulatory body for Dubai Silicon Oasis, the integrated free zone technology park, in collaboration with NXN (formerly neXgen), the leading Smart city consulting and digital service provider, have received the prestigious ‘Best Infrastructure Innovation Award’ for its Silicon Park project at the annual Global Telecoms Business (GTB) Innovation Awards ceremony held in London.
Recognising the industry’s most significant project partnerships and showcasing the very best projects in telecommunications, the award celebrates DSOA’s collaboration with smart city advisory and managed services provider NXN towards the establishment of Dubai’s [...]
Dubai Customs continues to drive innovation and creativity in developing government and trade services, yielding great returns in the process.
An aggregate of AED 1.07 billion was added by Dubai Customs from 2004 to 2015 as income and cost savings due to the implementation of 17,771 employee ideas and suggestions.
Hussain Fardan, manager of Innovation Center at DC, attributes the remarkable return on innovation (ROInn) to the systematized management and efficient optimization of employee suggestions developing them into productive ideas and innovations that support Customs business and overall government performance.
“The innovation approach adopted by Dubai [...]


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NAPLES, Fla. — Four people were arrested after police said the group worked together to steal credit cards from elderly shoppers and make thousands of dollars worth of purchases.
According to the Naples Police Department (NPD), Miguel Benito Plaza Farias, 47, Maria Lilian Riveros Lucero, 75, Jose Alberto Fernandez Correa, 42, and Rosa Patricia Vallejos Valdes, 66, were arrested on Monday, Oct. 17, in connection to the scheme.
Police said the group distracted elderly women while they were shopping and removed their wallets from their purses.
According to the report, they then used the victims’ credit cards in stores throughout Collier to purchase gift cards and expensive items. NPD and the Collier County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) discovered the four are connected to multiple thefts and fraud cases throughout the City of Naples and Collier County.
Farias is facing charges of scheme to defraud, credit card fraud and grand theft. Lucero is facing charges of scheme to defraud, credit card fraud and grand theft. Correa is facing a charge of scheme to defraud. Valdes is facing a charge of retail theft.
Count on NBC2 to bring you the latest developments on this story.

domain: news


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The year 2016 was an eventful one for home building.
5 takeaways from the October new-home sales index
The Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development released the October new-home sales index today, and the news was mostly positive. Here are five key takeaways from the report.
new-home sales, new home sales, october 2011 new home sales
The Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development released the October 2011 new-home sales index today, and the news was mostly positive. Here are five key takeaways from the report.
- Sales growth hits five-month high. Sales of newly built, single-family homes were up 1.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 307,000 units in October — the best new-home sales activity since May 2011.
- Year-over-year growth nears double digits. October new-home sales are up 8.9 percent over October 2010 numbers (282,000 sales).
- Midwest and West break out. New-home sales grew by 22.2 percent in the Midwest and 14.9 percent in the West.
- Inventory at record low. The nationwide inventory of new homes for sale held at an all-time record low of just 162,000 units in October, which is a 6.3-month supply at the current sales pace.
- Home prices at 2003 levels. The median sales price of new homes sold in October was $212,300, while the average sales price was $242,300 — the lowest level since September 2003.
Click here to download a PDF of the repot.


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You can trust Apple … right?
As I write this column, Apple still has an inaccurate label for Satisfying Slime. And it’s not the only deception. When I spot-checked what a couple dozen apps claim about privacy in the App Store, I found more than a dozen that were either misleading or flat-out inaccurate. They included the popular game Match 3D, social network Rumble and even the PBS Kids Video app. (Say it ain’t so, Elmo!) Match and Rumble have now both changed their labels, and PBS changed some of how its app communicates with Google.
Apple only lets you access iPhone apps through its own App Store, which it says keeps everything safe. It appeared to bolster that idea when it announced in 2020 that it would ask app makers to fill out what are essentially privacy nutrition labels. Just like packaged food has to disclose how much sugar it contains, apps would have to disclose in clear terms how they gobble your data. The labels appear in boxes toward the bottom of app listings. (Click here for my guide on how to read privacy nutrition labels.)
But after I studied the labels, the App Store is now a product I trust less to protect us. In some ways, Apple uses a narrow definition of privacy that benefits Apple — which has its own profit motivations — more than it benefits us.
Apple’s big privacy product is built on a shaky foundation: the honor system. In tiny print on the detail page of each app label, Apple says, “This information has not been verified by Apple.”
The first time I read that, I did a double take. Apple, which says caring for our privacy is a “core responsibility,” surely knows devil-may-care data harvesters can’t be counted on to act honorably. Apple, which made an estimated $64 billion off its App Store last year, shares in the responsibility for what it publishes.
It’s true that just by asking apps to highlight data practices, Apple goes beyond Google’s rival Play Store for Android phones. It has also promised to soon make apps seek permission to track us, which Facebook has called an abuse of Apple’s monopoly over the App Store.
In an email, Apple spokeswoman Katie Clark-AlSadder said: “Apple conducts routine and ongoing audits of the information provided and we work with developers to correct any inaccuracies. Apps that fail to disclose privacy information accurately may have future app updates rejected, or in some cases, be removed from the App Store entirely if they don’t come into compliance.”
My spot checks suggest Apple isn’t being very effective.
And even when they are filled out correctly, what are Apple’s privacy labels allowing apps to get away with not telling us?
Trust but verify
A tip from a tech-savvy Washington Post reader helped me realize something smelled fishy. He was using a journaling app that claimed not to collect any data but, using some technical tools, he spotted it talking an awful lot to Google.
To test if privacy labels were hiding the truth, I repeated part of an experiment I ran on my own iPhone in 2019. Software made by surveillance-fighting firm Disconnect called Privacy Pro forces your phone’s data to go through a local virtual private network that logs and blocks connections to trackers.
It has become extremely common for app makers to embed code called software development kits (SDKs) in apps that sends your data to other companies. Privacy Pro catches some of this activity.
The clearest test for me — and, presumably Apple — was to probe the apps with labels promising the highest level of privacy: “Data not collected.” These are the apps that get a blue check mark and shouldn’t be sending data to anyone other than themselves.
Using a search engine, I found apps claiming they’re completely clean. After testing them with Privacy Pro, I asked Patrick Jackson, Disconnect’s chief technology officer and a former National Security Agency researcher, to run a deeper analysis on some of the suspect apps.
One thing we looked for is evidence of apps sending my phone’s unique ID, known as its Apple IDFA. That’s the keys to the kingdom for companies that want to track you — nearly as important as your name or Social Security number — allowing them to connect up data they get from one app with lots of other sources.
A few highlights — or, should I say, lowlights — of apps claiming they took no data at all:
- The Satisfying Slime Simulator, rated for ages 4 and higher, was sharing a way to identify my iPhone and other device properties with Facebook, Google and a service called GameAnalytics. And it was sending Unity, a software provider for game makers, not only my phone’s ID but also my battery level, free storage space, general location and even volume level. I never heard back from the app’s maker.
- The social network Rumble was also sending Facebook and Google an ID that could be used to track my phone, along with other data about how I used the app. Rumble didn’t respond to my emails but changed its privacy label in mid-January to disclose that it collects a lot more data.
- Travel app Maps.Me was sending my ID and other data to Google and Facebook, but also app-analytics company Flurry and Russian Internet company Mail.ru. The app’s director, Andreas Constantinides, said his company purchased the app from Mail.ru last year and was in the process of updating its practices and its labels.
- Other apps we spotted erroneously claiming to take no data include FunDo Pro — which has not since changed its label — and PlayerXTreme, Instdown and Whats Direct Chat and Web, all of which have changed their labels.
These four-Pinocchio falsehoods were only the beginning of the story. Then I started spot-checking apps that claimed they collected some limited data, but weren’t using it to track you.
In my house, we play a lot of the popular game Match 3D, which challenges the brain to find pairs of things on a crowded page. Its label claimed that it only took “data not linked to you.” But we found it sending an ID for my phone that could be used to track me to more than a dozen different companies. The app’s maker didn’t respond to me, but did change its label after I got in touch, to acknowledge collecting “data used to track you.”
To be clear, I don’t know exactly how widespread the falsehoods are on Apple’s privacy labels. My sample wasn’t necessarily representative: There are about 2 million apps, and some big companies, like Google, have yet to even post labels. (They’re only required to do so with new updates.) About 1 in 3 of the apps I checked that claimed they took no data appeared to be inaccurate. “Apple is the only one in a position to do this on all the apps,” says Jackson.
But if a journalist and a talented geek could find so many problems just by kicking over a few stones, why isn’t Apple?
Even after I sent it a list of dubious apps, Apple wouldn’t answer my specific questions, including: How many bad apps has it caught? If being inaccurate means you get the boot, why are some of the ones I flagged still available?
Who gets to define ‘privacy’?
Putting aside the deception, there’s another question: Are Apple’s labels even helpful?
For anyone who takes the time to comparison shop, privacy labels can reveal differences in how apps take our information. In general, apps that collect less data are better for consumers than the ones that take more. The detailed App Store privacy label for Facebook stretches for 14 screens, leaving a clear impression we’re getting a digital shakedown.
But there’s a tremendous amount of power — and billions of dollars to be made — in allowing companies to define for themselves what counts as “privacy.” Apple’s definitions may not make common sense to many people.
You can spot the squishiness of the labels in a back-and-forth I had with PBS about the app store listing for its popular PBS Kids Video app. We found the app sending my phone’s ID to Google, even though its label said it didn’t collect data that could be linked to me. PBS told me the label reflected an update to the app it eventually published on Jan. 28, in which Google no longer gets sent my ID but still helps PBS measure performance.
Even with its update, the label is still missing an important piece of information: There’s Google inside.
Nowhere on any of Apple’s privacy labels, in fact, do we learn with whom apps are sharing our data. Imagine if nutrition facts labels left off the whole section about ingredients.
Irony alert, there’s a tech giant that is more transparent: Facebook. With a setting called “off-Facebook activity” that it launched in 2020, you can actually see all the different apps and websites that are feeding your data to Facebook and ask the social network to stop using the data to target you with ads.
Apple’s definition of privacy is curiously narrow in other ways, too. For example, the privacy labels appear to consider “tracking” to be limited to targeted advertising, ad measurement and data brokers. “It leaves the door open to a lot of behaviors that meet any reasonable definition of tracking,” Disconnect’s CEO Casey Oppenheim told me, including sharing data with governments.
Cutting off the ability of Facebook and Google to track us could benefit Apple, which similarly collects data about you and has a growing business of its own selling ads in the App Store.
I’m under no illusion that making privacy clear is an easy problem to solve. Apple’s labels are, by its own description, a work in progress. Just adding more information to app stores won’t really help most people. In fact, overwhelming us with choices and work is one way these companies get away with saying they give us “control” while still sucking up our data.
We need help to fend off the surveillance economy. Apple’s App Store isn’t doing enough, but we also have no alternative. Apple insists on having a monopoly in running app stores for iPhones and iPads. In testimony to Congress about antitrust concerns last summer, Apple CEO Tim Cook argued that Apple alone can protect our security.
Other industries that make products that could harm consumers don’t necessarily get to write the rules for themselves. The Food and Drug Administration sets the standards for nutrition labels. We can debate whether it’s good at enforcement, but at least when everyone has to work with the same labels, consumers can get smart about reading them — and companies face the penalty of law if they don’t tell the truth.
Apple’s privacy labels are not only an unsatisfying product. They should also send a message to lawmakers weighing whether the tech industry can be trusted to protect our privacy on its own.
The secret life of your data: What you need to know
For all the good we get from technology, it can also take a lot from us. The Post’s tech columnist Geoffrey A. Fowler examines the personal information streaming out of devices and services we take for granted.
Amazon Sidewalk: Amazon Sidewalk shares your Internet with smart homes — and surveillance devices. Here’s how to turn it off.
Alexa: By default, Amazon keeps a copy of everything Echo smart speakers record.
Browser extensions: Add-ons and plug-ins can see and share everything you do on the Web.
Cars: Automakers use hundreds of sensors and an always-on Internet connection to record where you go and how you drive.
Credit cards: A half-dozen kinds of companies can grab data about purchases, from your bank to the store where you’re shopping.
Don’t sell my data: The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) can help even residents of other states see and delete their data — and tell companies to stop selling it.
iPhones and Android phones: Hidden trackers in apps share personal information — even while you and your phone are asleep.
TVs: Once every few minutes, smart TVs beam out a snapshot of what’s on your screen.
Web browsers: Google’s Chrome loaded more than 11,000 tracker cookies into our browser — in a single week.


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Businesses in Greater Lincolnshire are being invited to take part in a digital conference that will explain what the future of digital business holds.
Business Lincolnshire has organised the #GoDigital18 conference, and it will aim to feature engaging demonstrations and interactive polls for those who attend.
It is set to be hosted by BBC journalist, Kate Russell, who will look at the exciting developments taking place in our county.
Those who attend will also have the opportunity to share challenges they have faced with digital technology, the successes they have had for implementing various digital programmes and processes, and share the positive results that digital technology can have on small and medium sized businesses.
Head of the Business Lincolnshire Growth Hub, Samantha Harrison, said: "We are very excited to see a whole host of local businesses getting involved and showing enthusiasm for what the future holds in business and digital technology.
"It provides the chance to ask questions and to see the latest digital technology and how it can be used to increase productivity, streamline processes and generally ensure the efficient running of businesses.”
There will also be a live question and answer session with a panel of industry experts exploring the future of technology and the vision for the next ten years.
With the digital sector being one of the fastest developing sectors in Lincolnshire, worth £779million, this event could be a great opportunity for businesses to understand how they can adopt digital processes to enable innovation, become more efficient in business operation and support business growth.
The event takes place on July 18 at the Isaac Newton Building at the University of Lincoln.
For more information or to book a place visit www.businesslincolnshire.com


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Madisonville’s Woodbine Hotel & Restaurant for sale with hopes to keep it open
The historical building has been there since 1904.
MADISONVILLE, Texas (KBTX) - A Madisonville landmark could change owners in the future. The Woodbine Hotel & Restaurant has been on on the market for a year and a half. The newest owners are ready to part ways after the challenges they faced during the pandemic.
For decades The Woodbine has been a favorite spot in Madisonville. The turn-of-the-century home was two kit houses from Sears and Roebuck.
It’s a popular spot for lunches during the week and Sunday meals too. Tuesday morning people from out of town were stopping by hoping for a bite to eat.
“[I] wanted to see this gorgeous old home,” said Barbara Thomas a visitor.
Thomas drove in from Clear Lake to meet a friend for lunch. The restaurant was temporarily closed, but she noticed the for sale sign out front.
“I hope that we can sell this one this year because [there’s] a lot of interest. People are coming and looking... There are a few showings this year also and some look like a potential buyer,” said Woodbine’s owner Shamshad Zaidi.
She says they are optimistic about keeping the business going with a potential buyer.
“We are not under contract right now so it will be quick because The Woodbine Hotel is a historic landmark, as you already know, that was built in 1904,” said Zaidi.
Her realtor tells KBTX they are currently in a feasibility period, with a potential buyer who has experience running restaurants.
“I think it’s something that’s good. I think it’s something that we need. It’s a tradition, been here a long time and they make good food and good accommodations, so that’s what we’re looking forward to. Hope someone comes in and buys it and keeps it open,” said Mayor Bill Parten of Madisonville.
The Woodbine Restaurant will reopen for lunch again this week on Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The historic building was last sold in November 2018.
Copyright 2021 KBTX. All rights reserved.


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News | 08 August 2012
Dublin-based speciality pharmaceuticals group Warner Chilcott plc (NASDAQ:WCRX) said it had terminated talks with potential buyers and decided instead to pursue other alternatives to boost shareholder value. At the end of its review of strategic ...
Click on the link to read the full article at FinancialNews.co.uk
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Apple and Goldman Sachs are being picky about who they approve for Apple Card, the new credit card they launched in August.
"The approval rates early on have been lower," Goldman CEO David Solomon said on the bank's third-quarter earnings call, adding that the bank is favoring applicants with excellent credit scores.
Approval - Rates - Apple - Low-risk - Credit
"Keeping approval rates low suggests that at least initially Apple wants to focus on low-risk (higher credit score) customers, rather than catering to higher-risk customers," a Wharton associate professor told Markets Insider.
Watch Apple and Goldman Sachs trade live on Markets Insider.
Apple - Goldman - Sachs - Apple - Card
Apple and Goldman Sachs are being picky about who gets an Apple Card, the new credit card they launched in August.
"The approval rates early on have been lower," Goldman CEO David Solomon said on the bank's third-quarter earnings call. "That's a decision Goldman Sachs is making as the bank, but we're doing that in concert with Apple."
Pair - Side - FICO - Bands - Solomon
The pair are "skewing to the highest side of the FICO bands," Solomon continued, meaning they're mostly approving applicants with excellent credit scores.
"We are quite vigilant" about "not being negatively selected out of the box," he added. "Over time, we'll start to see better credits appear, the approval rates will go up."
Interest - Apple - Card - Apple - Goldman
Strong interest in Apple Card has allowed Apple and Goldman...
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Bitcoin is an utmost controversial and debated topic globally. From millennials to Elon musk, everyone is just discussing bitcoin at the instance. Bitcoin has gone through a volatile route multiple times in these passing years.
The fact might amaze you that from 2018 to 2021, the cryptocurrency market has crashed three times. Still, the growth of bitcoin is just positive and nothing else. Regardless of the fact, bitcoin investors recently confronted a loss of more than 100 billion, and the unrealized losses in the recent cryptocurrency crash are correspondingly extreme.
The cryptocurrency market crash has just turned the entire market upside down as more than a trillion cryptocurrency units vanished from the industry in a nominal range of time. You can check Crypto.com for getting some considerable results in your bitcoin journey with huge profits. However, few robust sources are stating that investing in bitcoin is a brilliant idea but is it a bright idea? Let’s checkout.
What Caused The Dip?
As established above, the entire cryptocurrency industry confronted a dip on the 19th of May 2021. There were three primary reasons for the cryptocurrency market crash. The foremost one, which every possible individual acknowledges, is China announcing a cryptocurrency crackdown.
You might be familiar with the fact that recently, China’s joint committee announced that activities related to privately mined cryptocurrency would be prohibited. The activities were signalling towards bitcoin mining, financial institutions rendering cryptocurrency services, and acceptance of bitcoin as a payment method.
Regardless of the fact that China’s higher authorities did not ban any trading and investment in bitcoin, there was an exceeding extent of chaos in the cryptocurrency industry as China did warn investors and traders.
The second reason for the ban was Elon musk’s tweet regarding bitcoin. Undeniably Elon musk was the only individual who boosted the value of bitcoin, but still, recently, the tweet of Elon musk correspondingly declined the value of bitcoin to an exceeding extent.
After the announcement of Elon musk on bitcoin as a payment method in tesla motors, he tweeted a reversal announcement that just tanked bitcoin. Elon musk stated that bitcoin would not be accepted as a payment method anymore.
The third reason why the cryptocurrency market crashed was the US newly flanged crypto regulation panel. You might be familiar with the fact the United states have pocketed out more than $400 billion in profit just from bitcoin. The fact demonstrates the interest of the population of the United States is bitcoin, and in order to aim for financial stability, the United States will be coming up with a new cryptocurrency panel.
Is It Smart To Invest In Bitcoin At The Instance?
Bitcoin is an exceedingly popular cryptocurrency of all; all the more acceptance of bitcoin in contrast to other cryptocurrencies is just commendable. However, the recent incidents and behaviour of bitcoin did put the crypto investors in a dilemma whether they should invest in bitcoin. Investing in bitcoin is recommended by several robust sources, whereas few robust sources are stating the fact that the bearing run of bitcoin will continue for a much more extended period of time.
You can make the decision of investing in bitcoin, considering the history of bitcoin. As mentioned ahead, the bitcoin market crashed two times except for this one. Regardless of shattering cryptocurrency, especially bitcoin, the cryptocurrency managed to rise. All the more subsequent to every cryptocurrency crash, bitcoin has created a new record of an all-time high.
Considering the crypto crash of this time, bitcoin was immediately headed to the restoration route after the crash. Elon Musk tweeted diamond hands after the crash, demonstrating the value of bitcoin in the future, undauntedly the value of bitcoin restored from its actual price.
All the more, bitcoin mining is correspondingly banned in china, and china is the capital of bitcoin mining. At the instance of the bitcoin mining ban in China, the supply of bitcoin will be restricted for a much more extended period, and restricted supply will lead to an increment in demand.
As per the robust sources, this is the lowest value bitcoin has ever touched, and bitcoin will grow in a positive manner. Bitcoin block reward halving in 2024 will correspondingly skyrocket the value of bitcoin. To sum up, this is a brilliant idea to invest in bitcoin right now as per the robust sources.


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J. Cole reached a new career milestone with the recent success of his December 2014 Forest Hills Drive album. MTV officially reports J. Cole is celebrating a new career milestone thanks to his latest album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, which has gone platinum, according to Vibe.
The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) announced the album’s gold certification in January, just over a month after its December release.
2014 Forest Hills Drive is Cole’s first platinum album (with a mix of retail sales and album streams), according to the Vibe report, which claims 2011’s Cole World: The Sideline Story sold 735,000 copies while 2013’s Born Sinner reportedly moved 720,000 units.
***JUST IN CASE CHECK OUT FOREST HILL DRIVE BELOW***


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The Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) Plc has completed training and mentorship programmes for 780 more farmers and other agricultural value chain actors across the country.
This is part of NIRSAL’s ongoing efforts to improve the capacity and productivity of Nigerian farmers, it said in a statement.
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It said the programmes, which held in the six geo-political zones, are also a continuation of efforts targeted at achieving a key component of NIRSAL’s mandate of de-risking the agricultural value chain to encourage more investment in agribusiness by the financial sector.
It said the series of training sessions under the NIRSAL Strategic Business Support Services (SBSS) are part of its technical assistance pillar aimed at building the capacity of value chain actors for improved production, handling, processing and marketing of agricultural commodities.
The sessions focused on 10 Commodities of Interest (COI) that have ecological and economic advantages in each geo-political zone.
The commodities, NIRSAL said include rice, ginger, maize, fresh fruit and vegetables (FFV), cassava, beans, aquaculture, oil palm, livestock and cotton.
During the NIRSAL SBSS sessions, it noted farmers as well as input suppliers, processors, transporters, exporters and traders of agricultural products were trained on modern, business-oriented pre-upstream, upstream, midstream and downstream operations with a view to achieving the micro and macroeconomic effects of farmer income enhancement and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increase.
According to the statement, the NIRSAL SBSS programme identified farmers and value chain actors most in need of training, assessed value chain gaps, designed intervention approaches and implemented the same; the main approach being a four-week long mentorship programme comprising in-class and field sessions.
The value chain actors received training on the production and packaging, as well as on the servicing of not only the domestic market, but also on ways to take advantage of an export market with huge economic potentials for Nigeria.
He revealed that the company plans to venture into the manufacturing of other medical consumables


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Travis Kalanick’s kitchen rental company CloudKitchens has received a $400 million investment from Saudia Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund that values the startup at around $5 billion, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Kalanick has a longstanding history with Saudia Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, known as the Public Investment Fund or PIF. The fund first poured $3.5 billion into Uber in 2016. Kalanick was ousted from his position as the company’s chief executive officer a year later, following numerous reports of a toxic culture within the company.
Since his departure from Uber, Kalanick has quietly been building CloudKitchens. He has said that CloudKitchens, which owns kitchen rental properties for food delivery in seven countries including the U.S., China and India, will be “bigger than Uber.” Today, Uber has a market capitalization of around $46 billion.


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Cover´s Grand Reopening Saturday
After an extensive two-year rebuilding process, Cover’s Apple Ranch in Tuolumne will host its grand reopening Saturday.
Family spokesman Ben Cover says the new apple ranch offers many of the attractions of the past — animals and a barn tour, hayrides, gift shop, and a new large scale model steam train by Ken Keagy, which tours visitors around the ranch.
Cover recalled the two years of hard work and, at times, not really knowing if it would all come together. He also expressed appreciation for the community´s support in helping rebuild.
“We´re a family and we´re used to working together as a family,” Cover said. “But, this has been a real effort with not just family, but from a lot of folks in the community. We have a lot of people we need to thank for that.”
When people think Covers Apple Ranch they think pies. Head baker Martha Cover says production in their brand new 10,000-square-foot bakery is at full speed.
“We probably put together up to 100 pies a day,” she said, adding that total number can go up depending on demand. Pies that are made are quick frozen on site then baked fresh each day – a process that fills the new building with wonderful aromas.
“Most everybody walks in and they smell baking apples,” Martha Cover said. Visitors familiar with the ranch bakery can pick out the bread or the cinnamon rolls or sweet, spicy smells of other goodies browning in the oven.
“If you get real good, then you can tell us what we´re baking,” she said with a smile.
The popular family destination on Cherokee Road in Tuolumne was destroyed by fire just before harvest in September 2000.
A special tri-tip barbecue and Diestel turkey fry will be featured Saturday. The grand reopening celebration runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.


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PPS and Monese launch Google Pay in the UK
PPS has officially launched functionality for Google Pay in the UK with its challenger bank customer, Monese.
Monese. The UK debut represents continued growth in the mobile wallet market for PPS, which is now delivering Google Pay, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay in 8 counties: the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Poland and the Czech Republic.
For Monese, the launch has enabled its customers to add their prepaid Monese debit cards to their Google Pay accounts, and easily make contactless payments using Android devices. The addition of the new feature builds on PPS’ existing service proposition for Monese, which includes the provision of Mastercard cards and full direct debit capability.
Ray Brash, CEO of PPS, said: “The launch of Google Pay in the UK is a significant step forward for PPS. Since launching our first mobile payments solution in 2001, we’ve been committed to driving the migration of digital payments across Europe and beyond. To our knowledge, no other payments organisation is currently delivering mobile wallet functionality on such a vast scale. We look forward to building on this early success by launching in new geographies before the end of the year.”
Monese announced the enabling of Google Pay and another new feature, Smart Transactions, in April 2018, as part of its goal to improve access to banking services for the modern, global and mobile workforce. The challenger bank has gone from strength-to-strength since launching in 2015, and recently announced that it has already signed up 500,000 users.
"By introducing Google Pay with PPS to the UK, we have created a new money management solution that enables our customers to have more control over..."
Norris Koppel, CEO, Monese, commented: “With so many transactions now being made using a mobile, we needed to upgrade our services to support our customers’ needs. By introducing Google Pay with PPS to the UK, we have created a new money management solution that enables our customers to have more control over where and how they make payments. Since its UK launch, we have enjoyed great feedback from users, and we look forward to rolling it out across Europe very soon.”


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New China Aftermarket Forum Launched
(Akron/Tire Review) MEMA’s Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) has established the China Aftermarket Forum, a new discussion group for aftermarket executives heading their businesses’ Chinese operations. The China Aftermarket Forum will meet quarterly to discuss industry issues and solutions, share best practices and network with peers.
“China is a fast growing market with more than 20 million vehicles on the road already and new cars sales in 2004 of more than 5 million. We are forming this group to meet the needs of our members with operations in China selling products in the country’s aftermarket,” said Paul Foley, AASA president. “We are discovering that China will be a very unique market with complicated dynamics and there aren’t lessons learned that can be shared. Dialogue among peers will be instrumental for companies of all sizes to share experiences and shape the market.”
The China Aftermarket Forum, said MEMA, is based on AASA’s European Aftermarket Forum, formed in 2004. The new group will hold an organizational meeting 23 August in Shanghai.
For details about AASA or the China Automotive Aftermarket Manufacturers Council, contact Paul Foley, vice president of AASA, 919-406-8840 or email@example.com.


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It is estimated that about 7,666,667 CCTV cameras are installed annually in the United States.
- According to the IHS market report, as of 2018, there were about 70 million CCTV cameras installed in the United States as compared to 47 million in the year 2015.
- Based on the IHS Markit report, the CCTV camera market in the United States saw a compound annual growth rate of 14.2%.
- The number of CCTV cameras installed in the United States amounted to 6,674,000 in 2016, 7,621,708 in 2017, and 8,704,292 in the year 2018.
- Based on the report published by the IHS Markit, an estimated 7,666,667 CCTV cameras are installed annually in the United States.
- The United States CCTV cameras market size is estimated at $3 billion.
- According to the report published by Precise Security, there are about 5 million CCTV cameras installed in the U.K., and about 7.5 CCTV cameras are installed per 100 people.
- The Precise Security report revealed that London has the highest number of CCTV cameras installed with 627,707 cameras in the UK, and the number of cameras per 100 people is 6.84.
- According to a report published by the Surveillance Camera Commissioner Annual in 2017, it is estimated that 90% of the CCTV cameras in the UK are owned and operated by businesses, quasi-government organizations, public sector organizations, voluntary sector, and private households.
- According to the Precise Security report, about 1.65 million CCTV cameras are installed in France, and the number of cameras per 100 people is 2.46.
- The Nordic region consists of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland, and there are about 18.0 people per security camera in the Nordics region.
- In 2019, the Danish government presented a new security package to increase the installation in the number of CCTV cameras in public spaces.
- To increase security in Denmark, the Danish Police took steps by setting up 50 new CCTV cameras across the country, and they are also in the process of setting up about 100 additional CCTV cameras by 2021.
- Based in Sweden, Axis Communications AB is one of the key players in the global CCTV camera market.
- In 2019, the regional council of Stockholm, Sweden, planned to install cameras in the 271 subway train carriages in use in Stockholm.
After our extensive research and creative assumptions, our research team was unable to identify the number of CCTV cameras installed annually in each of the listed countries/regions. However, we were able to calculate an estimated number of CCTV cameras installed in the United States. For this project, our research initially focused on searching for a direct answer and began scouring through industry reports in the specified countries and regions. However, the reports only published the total installed cameras in some countries/regions like the U.S., UK, and France. As specific data was unavailable, we found relevant industry statistics from the industry reports of the CCTV market industry to calculate estimated figures for the US market. We also searched through the press releases, company announcements, and articles in the given regions to find any mentions on the number of CCTV cameras installed in previous years, or over the years, but were unable to find any such information. Next, we scoured through multiple media publications and industry organizations such as Forbes, Business Insider, BBC, security news desk, security magazine, among others. The idea here was to check for any mentions about statistical data in the mentioned regions, but we were unable to do so. At last, we have compiled the relevant information for the CCTV market in the specific countries/regions.
- In the United States, there were about 47 million CCTV cameras installed in the year 2015, and the number increased to 70 million by 2018.
- Using the CAGR calculator, Starting value= 47,000,000, Ending value= 70,000,000, the number of years= 3, it was found that the United States CCTV cameras market saw a CAGR of 14.2% from the year 2015 to 2018.
- Now using the reverse CAGR calculator, at a CAGR of 14.2%. For example, the starting value for the year 2015 is 47,000,000, CAGR is 14.2, and the number of period/years =1, it was found that the number of CCTV cameras installed in the United States accounted for 6,674,000 in 2016. Using this similar method, it was found that the number of CCTV cameras installed in the United States accounted for 7,621,708 in 2017, and 8,704,292 in the year 2018.
- Now to find the number of cameras installed annually, we took the average/mean of 3 years = (6,674,000 + 7,621,708 + 8,704,292)/3 = 23000000/ 3 = 7,666,667
Therefore, based on calculations, it is estimated that about 7,666,667 CCTV cameras are installed annually in the United States annually.


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Measuring the Lab-Grown Diamond Market: Size, Growth, and Future Opportunities
National Jeweler talks to two analysts about market share and where the stones go from here.
The category slowly has been building in market share as production ramps up and more consumers opt for a man-made stone, with the U.S. market being the largest by far for the products.
To put the current market size and near-term prospects into perspective, National Jeweler spoke with independent industry analysts Edahn Golan and Paul Zimnisky.
Both use their own research and analysis to create the data shared below, which is based on their estimates and forecasts.
An Upward Curve
Looking at the market over the past five years shows an interesting growth curve.
Prior to 2018, lab-grown diamond jewelry sales totaled less than $1 billion, representing less than 1 percent of the total global diamond jewelry market, Zimnisky estimates. (Though these are global figures, Zimnisky noted that the U.S. makes up the majority of the market—more than 90 percent.)
Golan’s estimates for 2018 have lab-grown diamonds accounting for less than 1.5 percent of all diamond sales by specialty retailers in the United States.
By the following year, that had crept up to more than 2 percent, he said, and it’s continued to grow, especially as more producers, like De Beers with its Lightbox brand, have come online.
By 2020, the stones’ market share had increased to about 3.5 percent, and last year it neared 5 percent, indicating continued growth in consumer awareness and acceptance of the product, Golan said.
Overall, Golan said lab-grown diamonds were a $3.9 billion business in the U.S. in 2021.
Zimnisky’s estimates for the market are more bullish.
His research indicates that in 2021, global lab-grown diamond jewelry sales totaled approximately $5.9 billion, representing 7 to 8 percent of the total diamond jewelry market.
According to these two experts, there’s no doubt the lab-grown diamond market will continue to grow, especially as producers ramp up supply and major retailers, like Signet and Pandora, continue to increase their lab-grown diamond inventory.
“All things being equal, a 7 percent share in 2022 is not an unlikely scenario,” Golan said.
Zimnisky, meanwhile, said lab-grown jewelry sales could near $8 billion-plus in 2022, approaching 10 percent of the total diamond jewelry market, and near the $10 billion mark by 2023.
Bridal vs. Fashion
One of the biggest conversations around lab-grown diamonds is, what will consumers buy them for, exactly? Bridal or fashion jewelry?
Currently, about 60 percent of lab-grown diamond sales by value at specialty jewelers are bridal, according to Golan, who noted that’s largely because engagement rings generally cost more than fashion pieces.
But when one looks at the market share by number of units sold (volume), bridal and fashion are evenly split at 50-50, he said.
Golan also noted the ratio of lab-grown diamond sales at larger retail spaces, like Macy’s or Amazon, is very different because consumers tend to shop there for fashion jewelry more than bridal, further indicating that, in the U.S., lab-grown diamond bridal jewelry doesn’t have such a large share.
“I think self-purchase is probably getting to be the biggest segment of the market and a lot of that’s fashion jewelry.”—Paul Zimnisky
Zimnisky said while the lab-grown diamond market has seen the lion’s share of its opportunity in bridal so far, it will start to occupy more in fashion jewelry in the coming years.
“I think self-purchase is probably getting to be the biggest segment of the market and a lot of that’s fashion jewelry,” he said, adding that big companies like Pandora and Lightbox are positioning them as fashion products as well.
Pricing could also influence this potential trend, he said.
As lab-grown diamond prices keep dropping—as they have been for a few years now—it’s likely more lab-grown diamonds will be marketed as fashion jewelry.
Pricing and Its Effects
Lab-grown diamond prices fell last year, while natural polished diamond prices rose by about 30 percent, Zimnisky estimated, widening the gap between the two categories.
Better methods among growers and competition among wholesalers will lead to a continued decrease in prices, both analysts agreed, and it remains to be seen when lab-grown prices will bottom out.
Right now, generic lab-grown diamonds are priced as much as 75-85 percent lower than natural diamonds of the same quality, Zimnisky said.
He said lab-grown diamonds likely will end up being priced similar to Lightbox, which has a linear pricing system based on size ($800 for a 1-carat diamond, $400 for a half-carat diamond, etc.).
The widening price gap also plays a role in one big question on everyone’s mind: Are lab-grown diamonds taking away from sales of natural diamonds?
Just a few years ago, when lab-grown diamonds were priced 10 to 15 percent less than comparable natural diamonds, “almost all of those lab-grown diamond sales were probably taking sales away from natural,” he said.
But now that the price gap has widened, there are probably many consumers buying a lab-grown diamond that wouldn’t have considered a natural diamond of the same quality because the price is so much higher. In other words, lab-grown diamonds are potentially finding new consumers.
Ultimately, though, market share and growth will depend on one important aspect, both analysts agreed—marketing.
“It’s still a luxury product. It’s an emotional purchase, and people buy it because they like the way it makes them feel. And I think that’s where the marketing kind of really comes into play,” Zimnisky said.
“I think the natural diamond industry can really protect its market if it’s successful with proper marketing. And if they aren’t, then I think that there’s serious risk there.”
The jewelry trade show awarded brands and individuals across 14 categories.
Many times, customers walk away without buying because of this one thing salespeople neglect to do, Peter Smith writes.
The donation to a school in Namibia included computer equipment, infrastructure repair and sanitary wear.
The most trusted diamond report, available in print or the GIA App.
More than 250 gem, jewelry, and mineral companies are expected to exhibit, including the American Gem Trade Association.
This year’s Design Atelier is full of gems.
They’re a testament to the power of excellent design.
Navigate origin determination with Continuing Education seminars offered by the GIA Alumni Collective™.
This year’s honorees include one of Florida’s largest independent jewelers and two multi-store independents in the Chicago and New York areas.
The industry’s most influential contemporary designers are showcasing their latest jewelry designs.
The marketing agency has integrated its first C-suite.
The jewelry trade show also will debut educational content centered around social media.
Luxury kicks off today, with the full show in swing on Friday.
One of the three new collections was inspired by the legend of a woman who traded her mansion to Cartier for two strands of natural pearls.
Rob Ballew will be tasked with communicating the jewelry giant’s plans and financial performance to investors.
With the app, customers receive a 15-day insurance offer on new purchases while their coverage needs are being evaluated.
From consumer trends to retail technology, these are the JCK Talks sessions that should be on attendees’ radar.
Signature pieces from Cartier and David Webb will appear in the June jewelry auction.
They will be celebrated at the annual dinner dance and gala in the fall.
Gemologists have long used machines in diamond grading but technology has made it possible for them to “learn” how to do it on their own.
Supplier Spotlight Sponsored by IGI
Watch retailers Jeffery Bolling and Bobby Bengivengo discuss employee training, customer education and the sticky subject of future value.
The company has plans to revamp the Movado brand and offer less expensive watches this year.
Set with a 118-carat unheated Sri Lankan sapphire, it just sold for $3.4 million at Phillips jewelry auction in Hong Kong.
Sponsored by Noam Carver
As cybercrime incidents threaten the industry, jewelers need to know what they’re up against and the best ways to protect their businesses.
The Pittsburgh jeweler is redoing the lighting and showcases, and adding a full hospitality bar as well as new shop-in-shops.


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San Diego Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer and World Trade Center San Diego (WTC), JPMorgan Chase & Co. and business and civic leaders unveiled the 20 companies selected to participate in the MetroConnect program, a comprehensive export assistance program to help local companies accelerate their global growth.
“Expanding San Diego’s global reach is vital to creating more local jobs for San Diegans and boosting our regional economy,” said San Diego Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer. “The MetroConnect program and their growing companies are introducing innovative products and services to new international markets and sharing San Diego’s story with the rest of the world.”
From visual-aid tech startup Aira, to soap manufacturer Dr. Bronner’s, to top 10 Inc. 5000 company Scientist.com, the 2018 MetroConnect companies represent a diverse cross section of San Diego’s innovation economy.
Now in its fourth program-year, the MetroConnect program equips small- and medium-sized companies (SMEs) with a suite of financial and programmatic resources in their efforts to bring their products and services global. Program resources include:
- $10,000 in matching grants to cover up to 50 percent of the costs associated with international expansion, made possible by JPMorgan Chase and the Department of Defense’s Office of Economic Adjustment and EDC’s 501(c)(3) Foundation
- Dedicated WTC San Diego staff manager to support company participants in deploying overseas strategies during the grant period
- Free export consulting with JAS Forwarding (USA), Inc. on ITAR/EAR regulations and other export activities; in-kind support by San Diego International Airpor
- Access to workshops that address export compliance, financing and fundraising and more
- Reduced airfare on the Japan Airlines direct flight from San Diego to Tokyo, and on Air Canada direct flights from San Diego to Canada. Assigned Lufthansa agent for direct flights from San Diego to Frankfurt, Germany
- Access to country representatives at the Japan External Trade Organization and the United Kingdom Government Office in San Diego
- Free access to SYSTRAN software for website translation and customer service needs
- Consideration to compete for an additional $35,000 during the MetroConnect Grand Prize Pitchfest in June 2019
“JPMorgan Chase is proud to continue supporting the global expansion of San Diego businesses,” said Tim West, Executive Director and head of JPMorgan Chase’s Middle Market Banking practice in San Diego. “MetroConnect will empower these 20 local companies to grow in targeted international markets, and help them navigate many of the complex nuances of global business. MetroConnect’s track record speaks for itself, and we’re looking forward to seeing the program’s continued impact on the San Diego economy.”
Since the program’s debut in 2015, 45 MetroConnect alumni have collectively generated $15 million in new export sales, signed more than 116 new contracts, added 161 new jobs to the region, set up nine new overseas facilities and seen four successful company exits. Past participants include Calbiotech (now ERBA Diagnostics), Rough Draft Brewing, Deering Banjo Company, Cypher Genomics (acquired by Human Longevity Inc.), Planck Aerosystems and many more.
“Amid increasing uncertainty over national trade policy, ensuring that local companies get the tools they need to be successful overseas is more important than ever. We know that companies that export pay higher wages, are less likely to go out of business, and become more competitive and resilient,” said Nikia Clarke, executive director of World Trade Center San Diego. “Thanks to JPMorgan Chase, the MetroConnect program helps San Diego companies export their innovation around the world, which creates jobs and opportunities back here at home.”
Against the backdrop of rapid changes in global production, a newfound ‘trade war’ with China, and renegotiations of trade agreements, it is more important than ever to support SMEs in going global. In 2015 alone, San Diego exported more than $17 billion in goods overseas, as well as billions more in services like software, cybersecurity, engineering and research. SMEs produce 92 percent of those goods – driving home the point of programs like MetroConnect. According to the Brookings Institution, companies that are global pay higher wages, are less likely to go out of business and increase productivity of the domestic market.
For more information about MetroConnect, please visit MetroConnectSD.org.
The 2018 MetroConnect companies are:
- Arctic Zero, Inc.
- Bitchin’ Sauce
- Conectric Networks
- Dr. Bronner’s
- Eddy Pump Corporation
- Epitope Diagnostics Inc.
- IPS Group Inc.
- KULR Technology Corp.
- LRAD Corporation
- MRP Training Solutions
- PKL Services
- Quality Controlled Manufacturing, Inc.
- Raveon Technologies Corporation
- Telaeris, Inc.
The MetroConnect program is highly competitive, with just 20 companies selected based on a variety of criteria, including interest in new markets, interest in targeted metro markets, assessed impact of funds, current international traction and more. This is up from just 15 companies in the first three years of the program. Applicants were assessed by a panel of judges, including representatives from Qualcomm Ventures, Biocom, U.S. Commercial Service, Tech San Diego, Rough Draft Brewing, San Diego State University, Tech San Diego, UC San Diego, San Diego Regional EDC and WTC San Diego.


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Malaysian National News Agency
UniMAP Keen To Collaborate With Lotus
From Adnan Jahaya LONDON, Dec 20 -- Universiti Malaysia Perlis is keen to collaborate with Lotus Industries, a sports car manufacturer, especially in the field of automotive engineering, said its vice-chancellor, Prof Datuk Dr Kamarudin Hussin.
Thursday Dec 19
New Zenos is a road legal track tool
Zenos is a new name in the world of purist sports cars and its first offspring, the E10, is a razor-sharp track day car that's also legal for road use - if only just.
Wed Dec 18, 2013
The Car Connection
At The Car Connection we are continually striving to get you timely, relevant information about the vehicle you are interested in.
Tue Dec 17, 2013
Unable to compete with the current youth-targeted Marvel juggernauts, the folks at DC Comics seem to be shooting for the more seasoned demographic in this second installment about a group of semi-retired international Bond- and Bourne-like black-ops spies that includes many ages and both sexes.
Sat Dec 14, 2013
The Star Online
Visitors greeted with goodies galore
KUALA LUMPUR: Visitors who poured into the five halls of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre were greeted with freshly-made tropical flavoured ice cream, paired with cones naturally flavoured in vanilla, green tea, tomato and even squid ink.
Fri Dec 13, 2013
Top-Secret Tata Composite Car Styled By Lamborghini Countach Designer Gandini?
The original Fiat Panda, one of Europe's best-loved cars through the 1980s, was the work of Giorgetto Giugiaro, best known for cars like the Lotus Esprit.
Thu Dec 12, 2013
Paul Tan's Automotive News
Proton P2-30A Global Small Car sighted again
Readers have been sighting the new P2-30A Proton Global Small Car more frequently now, a signal that a launch might happen in the next six months time.
Fri Dec 06, 2013
Gran Turismo 6 Is Fantastic, Infuriating, Fantastically Infuriating
The 1998 Subaru 22B STI is one of my favorite cars. I immediately went and bought it in GT6 , expecting an amazing experience.
One Lap of the Web: French driving clubs, tube-frame racers and 'Full ...
The Matching Numbers group, a club of drivers in Paris, held a rally inspired by the Claude Lelouch's cult classic, "C'etait un Rendez-vous" over the weekend.
Thu Dec 05, 2013
Lotus Expands In the Middle East
Lotus has expanded its presence in the Middle East with the opening its first showroom in Dubai, a joint venture between Middle East Lotus distributor, Lotus Cars Middle East, and the Al-Futtaim Group's Trading Enterprises company.
Tue Dec 03, 2013
Sleek Lotus Evoras Co-Star in "The Host"
The movie adaptation of " The Host " written by Stephanie Meyer, author of "The Twilight Saga" was released to theatres in March 2013, and is on video now.
Tue Nov 26, 2013
These Are The Lovely Italian Stallion Mustangs
As we all know by now, next week the 2015 Ford Mustang will be revealed, and while we all think we have a pretty good idea what it'll look like, we're still excited.
Lotus Receives A 10 Million From British Government
Lotus has managed to secure A 10.44 million in funding from the British government via its Regional Growth Fund program, which is aimed at creating jobs in the U.K. Lotus says the funds will be used for research and development of products, along with staff training.
Sun Nov 24, 2013
Green light for A 10m government cash for Lotus
Long-awaited details of a 10.44 million deal struck between car maker Lotus and the government will be unveiled today, which will help secure the sports car manufacturer's future in Norfolk.


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“They Cannot Breathe:” Poisoned Workers in Nail Salons
The grim story of deregulation in the US economy has another victim: nail salon workers. A New York Times expose has won tremendous attention to their plight in an industry that has long resisted regulation:
Some states and municipalities recommend workers wear gloves and other protection, but salon owners usually discourage them from donning such unsightly gear. And even though officials overseeing workplace safety concede that federal standards on levels of chemicals that these workers can be exposed to need revision, nothing has been done. So manicurists continue to paint fingertips, swipe off polish and file down false nails, while absorbing chemicals that are potentially hazardous to their health. . . .
In interviews with over 125 nail salon workers, airway ailments . . . were ubiquitous. Many have learned to simply laugh them off — the nose that constantly bleeds, the throat that has ached every day since the manicurist started working.
For those interested in the legal background, I highly recommend a piece by my former student, Kelsey-Anne Fung. In 2014, she concluded:
Southeast and East Asian immigrant nail salon workers face disproportionate exposure levels to dangerous and carcinogenic nail products, and as a result, suffer severe health outcomes at unusually high rates. Without FDA authority of pre-market approval, testing, or recall, the cosmetic industry is wholly self–regulated, resulting in scarce protections to consumers and professions who use nail products on a daily basis. Salon owners often pay below minimum wage, do not provide health insurance or any benefits, and fail to supply adequate safety equipment. Consequently, workers must rely on community safety net clinics and public hospitals for medical care to treat ailments from working in the nail salon, paying steep out–of–pocket rates. On its own, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act does not remedy any of the health policy issues facing immigrant nail salon workers. Thus, [state-level interventions] may be the only viable solution to securing preventative and affordable health care services for this overburdened and vulnerable labor force.
Both Fung’s article, and the NYT piece, are must-reads for anyone concerned about the fate of workers in an increasingly deregulated environment.


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By Lisa Johnston
New products on display at the American International Toy Fair, held in N
When Ultra High-Definition TVs and 4K video sources become more commonly available, the home audio industry could get a boost, with consumers trading in older audio gear for newer products that support 4K passthrough and 4K up-scaling, audio suppliers told TWICE.
The home audio industry could also get a boost from the CE industry’s transition to HDMI 2.0, which supports 4K video frame rates up to 60Hz, the 21:9 aspect ratio, 32 discrete audio channels, and audio sampling frequencies up to 1,536kHz, among other enhancements.
This TWICE webinar, hosted by senior editor Alan Wolf, will take a look at what may be the hottest CE products at retail that will be sold during the all-important fourth quarter. Top technologies, market strategies and industry trends will be discussed with industry analysts and executives.
One of the earliest problems in the transition from analog to digital televisions was a lack of compatible digital connection standards between TV sets and source devices.
Understandably, some early adopters, concerned about buying expensive products before standards were set, held off early DTV purchases. Fortunately, much of that headache is being addressed now for Ultra HD with the recent adoption of a new HDMI 2.0 spec and advances in more efficient video-compression standards.
Consumer acceptance of Ultra High-Definition TV depends on having 4K content to display.
Obviously, the best way to enjoy an Ultra HD picture is to have native 4K content piped directly to the set, but as with the start of any new format, it will take a little time for broad-based availability to catch up with the arrival of Ultra HD sets.
The Holy Grail of Ultra High-Definition TV entertainment lies in the ability to view native 4K content at home, and though it will take a little longer to make that ability broadly available, a few solutions have already started to pop up.
Upon arrival, the first Ultra HD sets already had a wealthy of home-brewed high-resolution still images and 4K movie clips available from a large installed base of high-megapixel digital cameras that produce pictures at a level few monitors could fully resolve.
Ahandful of manufacturers are pulling out all the stops to ensure their leadership positions in the burgeoning Ultra High-Definition TV brand-share sweepstakes, but will the arrival of this new technology provide a reset button for overall TV rankings?
Most industry players and analysts are doubtful, although it could help to put some lesser-known brands on the map.
Anyone buying an Ultra High-Definition TV in the U.S. in 2013 is getting either a projector or an LED-lit LCD set with a panel supporting the 3,840 by 2,160 resolution.
But the field is about to open up with the promised emergence of Ultra HD OLED TVs in both curved- and flat-screen varieties.
The following is a glance at Ultra HD TVs that are available or pending imminent U.S. market introductions:
Hisense has shown Ultra HD LED LCD TVs in the 65-inch, 84-inch and 110-inch screen sizes, but currently no market shipping plans have been announced.
Ultra High-Definition television is here, bringing four times the resolution of today’s FullHD 1080p sets and promising high-quality images tailor-made for today’s big-screen sizes.
At a time when flat-panel TVs are trending dangerously close to commoditization, Ultra HD is expected to offer manufacturers and retailers an opportunity to boost profit margins and deliver consumers what they seek most from a new television purchase — maximum picture quality.
DENVER – New home-audio components are turning up at the CEDIA Expo to enhance stereo music and surround sound performance, and some of them add the ability to enhance a home theater’s video performance.
Many of the products are targeting the luxury highend of the market, and some are coming with built-in HDBaseT technology to send uncompressed HDMI video and multichannel audio up to 328 feet (100 meters) over inexpensive CAT-5e or -6 cable.
DENVER — Bang & Olufsen will add during CEDIA Expo Spotify Connect to its floorstanding BeoPlay A9 networked speaker and will upgrade its current 65-inch 3D plasma TV.
With Spotify Connect, consumers who are streaming Spotify through their smartphones can, after entering their home, turn on the $2,699 discshaped A9 to stream their playlist where they left off through the cloud to save smartphone battery life. The A9 will also control Spotify streaming.
DENVER – KEF is showing at CEDIA Expo with a wide range of in-room and architectural speakers for multiple applications.
New in-room speakers include KEF’s first two active soundbars, a pair of left-right active TV speakers, and a wireless desktop speaker pair.
In architectural speakers, the company is unveiling its first models dedicated to home-theater use, its first in-wall subwoofers, and its thinnest in-ceiling speaker to date.


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Posts with tag "Tropic Thunder"
- Posted Apr 25th 2010 at 01:00 PM by Jo Piazza
'Iron Man 2' is expected to be this summer's biggest blockbuster. While Paramount and Marvel Entertainment hope it will bring audiences into movie theaters, the film's marketing partners are hoping it will single-handedly boost America out of the recession. The Robert Downey Jr. action-adventure is part of a $100 million marketing bonanza, according to Ad Age, as brands like Burger King, Dr. P...
Popeater Hot Topics
- FIRST LOOK: Boston Marathon Bombing Survivor Finds Dream Wedding Dress
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A robber threatened a shop assistant at a Huddersfield store forcing them to change fake £20 notes.
The man approached the staff member at Farmfoods on Leeds Road with £100 in counterfeit cash.
Police have just released details of the robbery from last Friday afternoon and now want to trace a male customer who is thought to have seen what happened.
The robber is thought to have been in front of the customer in the store queue, and allowed him to go first claiming he was waiting for someone.
The robber then struck, asking to swap five fake £20 notes. The cashier recognised the notes as fraudulent, but was threatened with violence and quickly changed the money.
Police describe the robber as white, 5ft 6in tall with short brown hair. He had a slim face with some stubble and was wearing a burgundy coloured zip-up hoodie and grey skinny tracksuit bottoms.
PC Mark Kitchingman, of Kirklees CID, said: “This happened at a busy time of day and there were other shoppers in the store at the time who might have seen what happened.
“I am particularly keen to speak to the man who may have either witnessed the incident or the build up to it and may remember the male who said he was waiting for someone.”
The robbery happened between 3.10pm and 3.20pm. Anyone with information should contact Kirklees CID via 101 quoting crime reference 13170439565.


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Qik Video Camera Pro released on Apple App Store
Qik has relaunched their camera app on the Apple App Store.
The new edition has been released as a brand new application named Qik Video Camera Pro.
This means that the users who paid for the first one would have to purchase this one again.
There are a couple of new features and fixes in this new app. Developers claim that the video files are no longer out of sync with the audio when the user apply some overlaying effects.
The new app also allows the user to pause recording. There are some other new features which makes this app a must purchase for anyone who loved the first one.
It is expected to sell for USD 2 though the company is currently offering it for free.


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What you need to know
- The iPhone 11 will allegedly ship with a USB-C charger and Lightning to USB-C cable.
- The charger and cable combo should charge the iPhone 11 much faster than Apple's normal 5W charger.
- You can pick up a USB-C charger and Lightning to USB-C cable from Apple right now.
When the iPhone 11 is released, it'll likely contain a Lightning port despite the iPad Pro (and the industry at large) already moving to USB-C. However, a report claims the release will finally see Apple take a small step toward fully embracing USB-C as the port of the future.
According to ChargerLab, Apple plans to include a USB-C charger with the iPhone 11 as well as a Lightning to USB-C cable. The move might seem like a small one, but by ditching the traditional 5W charger, iPhone 11 users should be able to charge their device much, much faster. Apple is expected to fully move the iPhone line to USB-C next year.
😆The iPhone 11 will come with a USB-C charger. pic.twitter.com/FqYgAHJnqx😆The iPhone 11 will come with a USB-C charger. pic.twitter.com/FqYgAHJnqx— ChargerLAB (@chargerlab) August 20, 2019August 20, 2019
This isn't the first time we've heard the iPhone 11 may come with an 18W USB-C adapter. Earlier this year, Mac Otakara essentially said the same thing.
As MacRumors points out, however, ChargeLab has a mixed track record when it comes to Apple rumors. The website previously said the ill-fated AirPower was in mass production when, in fact, it was ultimately cancelled by Apple.
Apple is expected to unveil three new iPhone models at an event in September, where the company may also unveil the Apple Watch Series 5 and pricing for Apple Arcade and Apple TV+. The event will supposedly take place on September 10.
Apple already sells an 18W USB-C charger and Lightning to USB-C cable, so you can pick up the combo right now if you prefer not to wait for the iPhone 11.
Charge your iPhone much faster with this 18W USB-C Power Adapter. This powerful adapter can be used with your iPhone, iPad Pro, and even your MacBook, making it the only charger you need in your bag.
Master your iPhone in minutes
iMore offers spot-on advice and guidance from our team of experts, with decades of Apple device experience to lean on. Learn more with iMore!


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Sweden’s national testing institute tested six models of beard on sale in the Scandinavian country and found that two of them turned into a raging inferno when coming into contact with a naked flame.
“We placed the beards on a peg in a laboratory. We placed a small flame underneath for two seconds to simulate a situation where Father Christmas gets too near to a candle or match,” fire expert Per Thureson said in a statement.
One of the firms selling one of the dangerous beards called on customers to return their furry appendages while another told worried Santas they could return them if they wished.
“Taken into account that numerous Father Christmases are not completely sober at Christmas, there is a risk they may hurt themselves,” the statement added.


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A woman is trying to sell the late Bobover rebbe’s eyeglasses for $350,000.
A Nov. 5 posting on the online auction Web site eBay lists the glasses, “worn daily for over two decades by the Grand Rabbi Solomon Halberstam,” for the hefty sum. Shipping is listed at $125.
“Right now there are many people who are interested, but no one has bid yet,” said Daniel Givotovsky, who said he posted the glasses on behalf of a seller whose husband was the rebbe’s optometrist.
“This is the price the woman wants,” Givotovsky said. “She’s not crazy. She’s perfectly normal. I know it’s a pretty high price, but who knows?”
Halberstam was born in Poland in the early 20th century and saw nearly his entire family wiped out by the Holocaust. He re-established the Bobover dynasty in the United States after the war. He died in New York in 2000.
The Bobovers have tens of thousands of adherents in Brooklyn and in Israel.


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While the distribution rights territories for Kabali and Theri are selling like hot cakes, Kalaipuli S Thanu is looking for prospective buyers in Kerala to ink the deal for both films.
Shibu Thameens, a regular buyer of Vijay’s films in Kerala, is one of the top contenders to sign the deal with Thanu. Sources say Thanu has asked for a massive price of Rs. 13.5 crore for both films combined.
Trade pundits reveal that the final price after negotiations will come around INR 12 crores for both films as a package. The deal will be signed soon and an official announcement can be expected before the audio launch of Theri which is scheduled to happen in the first week of March.


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|TITLE:||GUEST & TITLE: Patrick Beja - Pixels, Phileas Club|
|Stories subject to change up until showtime|
|Daily Tech News Show is powered by its audience. To find out more head to dailytechnewsshow.com/support|
|This is the Daily Tech News for Jan 24th, Tuesday 2017 I'm Tom Merritt|
|t||Box has updated Box Notes to view all notes in a single browser, add desktop apps and eventually phone apps.||https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/24/box-unveils-an-overhauled-boxnotes-productivity-platform/|
|p||Microsoft has promoted LinkedIn’s senior VP of infrastructure to Microsoft’s Chief Technology Officer and a member of the company’s Senior Leadership Team.||http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-names-linkedin-infrastructure-chief-as-company-cto/|
|t||The Wall Street Journal reports iOS 10.3 will come with a ‘Find my AirPods’ feature, that will use the last reported Bluetooth connection to guess the location. iOS 10.3 went out to developers Tuesday.||http://www.wsj.com/articles/find-my-airpods-apple-now-helps-you-locate-your-little-lost-earphone-1485280800|
|Now here are some more top stories|
|t||Samsung saw Q4 operaing profit rise 50 percent, it's highest operating profit in three years, led by chip sales. However they still buy chips form other companies too, and the Verge corroborated a report by Forbes that sources say Samsung received the bulk of Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 835 processors. As a result, no phones launching prior to the Samsung Galaxy S8 will use the processor, including the already released HTC U Ultra and the forthcoming LG G6. Samsung has not announced a release date for the Galaxy S8, although rumors from Forbes and ETNews indicate a mid-April release.||http://www.theverge.com/2017/1/24/14367594/samsung-galaxy-s8-snapdragon-835-2017|
LG will announce its next flagship Android phone, the G6 on February 26th during Mobile World Congress.
LG Display has indicated the G6 will feature a 5.7-inch display with a 18:9 or 2:1 aspect ratio.
The Verge published an image of the top half of the phone which has a screen-to-bezel ratio of 90 percent.
|t||US President Donald Trump named FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai as chairman, replacing Tom Wheeler who stepped down Friday. Pai and fellow commissioner Michael O’Reilly sent a letter in December that the two planned to revisit the open internet guidelines as soon as possible. |
Pai was an Honors Program trial attorney on the Telecommunications Task force in the US DoJ’s Antitrust Division from 1998 to 2001. He was Associate General Counsel for Verizon until 2003 when he returned to government working for a US Senate subcommitte on oversight and the courts, and for the Department of Justice and FCC. In April 2011 he went to work for law firm Jenner & Block but was nominated to the FCC by President Obama that same year and was sworn in on May 14, 2012.
|p||At some point in the last few weeks, Amazon added the word “computer” to the list of wake words users of the Amazon Voice Services can choose from. |
The other options include Echo, Amazon and Alexa.
|t||The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan voted 4-4 on whether to hear an appeal of its decision forbidding the US government from forcing Microsoft to turn over customer emails stored on servers outside the US. The July 14th decision by a three-judge panel stands. That decision said a domestic search warrant could not cover the foreign-stored emails under the 1986 federal Stored Communications Act. Dissenting judges hoped that a higher court, meaning the supreme court or Congress could overturn the decision.||http://www.reuters.com/article/us-microsoft-usa-warrant-idUSKBN1581YQ|
|p||Amazon-produced “Manchester by the Sea” became the first movie from a streaming service to be nominated for an academy award for best picture. |
Manchester received six total nominations, the first Oscar nominations for Amazon.
Amazon is also distributing the Salesman in the US which is Iran’s nominee for best foreign language film.
Netflix was the first streaming company to receive an Oscar nomination for the documentary The Square in 2014.
|To get all the tech headlines each day in less than 10 minutes subscribe to dailytechheadlines.com||http://dailytechheadlines.com/|
|Hyperloop Transportation Technologies announced they will open a 3000 sq. meter facility in Toulouse, France. The facility will be at the Francazal Airport, a former military base being redeveloped into an aerospace-transportation village. HTT will develop prototypes and conduct outdoor testing there. Earlier this month, the company announced a deal to connect the 140-miles between Bratislava and Brno with a hyperloop train.||https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/24/hyperloop-transportation-technologies-to-open-up-facility-in-toulouse-france/?ncid=rss|
|Hyperloop Transportation Technologies - Wikipedia||https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperloop_Transportation_Technologies|
|Hyperloop One - Wikipedia||https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperloop_One|
|Hyperloop Transportation Technologies to open up facility in Toulouse, France | TechCrunch||https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/24/hyperloop-transportation-technologies-to-open-up-facility-in-toulouse-france/|
|Hyperloop Transportation Technologies to open European research HQ in France | VentureBeat | Transportation | by Chris O'Brien||http://venturebeat.com/2017/01/24/hyperloop-transportation-technologies-to-open-european-research-hq-in-france/|
|Hyperloop One to unveil tech by March; betting big on India | Business Line||http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/hyperloop-one-to-unveil-tech-by-march-betting-big-on-india/article9497878.ece|
|Hyperloop One wants to help your self-driving car go the speed of sound - The Verge||http://www.theverge.com/2017/1/23/14314986/hyperloop-one-self-driving-car-global-challenge-nevada-test|
|Hyperloop Transportation Technologies Moves Ahead With European Network by Signing Deal in Slovakia | WIRED||https://www.wired.com/2017/01/slovakias-hyperloop-moves-step-closer-not-joke/|
|The Hyperloop uses a linear electric motor to accelerate and decelerate an electromagnetically levitated pod through a low-pressure tube at speeds of up to 1,000 km/h (620 mph).|
Keeping them straight
|Hyperloop Transport Technologies (Santa Barbara)|
- Intends to build test track in Quay Valley, California
- Announced research center in Toulouse, France.
- CEO Dirk Ahlborn
- Founded on JumpStartFund
- Uses crowd collaboration (Crowdsourcing with team collaboration)
- Contributing corporations include Ansys for computer simulation and GloCal Network Corporation and UCLA Architecture & Urban Design for social interface, Vacuum maker Leybold, global engineering design firm Aecom, infrastructure powerhouse Atkins, and composites supplier Carbures.
- licensed passive magnetic levitation technology from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
- Some work in exchange for stock options. 30 salaried employees, 800 other collaborators from places like SpaceX, NASA, and Boeing.
- Announced agreement with Slovakian government in 2016 for feasibility study. Jan. 19 feasibility study with Brno, Czech Republic to connect Bratislava, Slovakia and Brno.
- Promises prototype system in California or Slovakia by end of year.
- Has raised $31.8 million in cash, toptal $108 million worth of cash, free work and land rights.
|Hyperloop One (LA)|
- Test track north of Las Vegas
- Raised $160 million. Demonstrated tech in May 2016
- CEO Rob Lloyd (former Cisco president sales and development) CFO Brent Callinicos from UBer
- Building full system test track for “first flight” by March. (500 meters at > 100 mph)
- Developing routes in the Port of LA, Finland, India, the United Arab Emirates, Moscow, UK and Switzerland (Most likely first route between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Feasibility stud)
- 35 semifinalists in contest to develop new routes (next round announced in May)
- Goal to deliver fully operational system by 2020
- CTO Broigan BamBrogan left the company July 2016. Settled lawsuit out of court November 18 2016)
- Met with Nvidia, Intel and McLaren about integrating autonomous cars into Hyperloop routes.
|Thanks to all those who participate in our subreddit. Submit stories and vote on them at dailytechnewsshow.reddit.com||http://dailytechnewsshow.reddit.com|
|Messages of the day (email@example.com)|
|On Twitter Steven Lewis @riadon79 wrote: Random Theory: Google is updating GVoice to integrate text or voice with GHome using any phone/device|
|Further to Tom and Allison's discussion on Monday. Android has changed their permissions on android marshmallow 6.0 and higher. Now apps built for 6.0+ and running on a phone with OS 6.0+ will ask for permissions as needed and not all at once on install. It works much like iOS this way. |
|Brian Easton wrote "As someone who has built a couple of different projects using a Raspberry Pi I think the most important part of a "clone" is compatibility. Both in terms of hardware and software. On the hardware side it has to be able to take advantage of the existing ecosystem. I should be able to buy an accessory from a shop like Adafruit and use it with any Pi clone. If I need to use an adaptor, that's fine but it needs to work. The GPIO pins should work the same way as on the official Pi. Software is basically the same thing. I don't want to have to rebuild or recompile to make software to work. Optimally it would be capable of running Raspbian."|
|On episode 2951 you solicited opinions about the newly announced single board computer from Asus. I'm a fairly casual maker, but I own a swath of SBCs, most coming from various kickstarters. While many of these boards outperform the raspberry pi in both specs and cost, they generally lack the level of support provided by the makers of the raspberry pi. Because many of these boards are the first produced by some newly-created hardware company they often arrive months late and lacking the basic software to make them function properly. ASUS isn't a new hardware start-up though, they have years of experience producing boards and the drivers necessary to make those boards work. What excites me about the new board is that I believe it has the potential to give raspberry pi some healthy competition from a well-established hardware brand that can keep up with demand and ship stable software. With a comparable price and improved specs compared to the latest raspberry pi, I hope to get my hands on one.|
-Jeff, Knoxville TN
|The difficulty in finding original source of the other popular image or story is a very old problem. Especially on platforms that offer and encourage easy re-sharing of media, like Tumblr. Many artists that use it as their primary blogging system besides their own website, find that their artwork is commonly repurposed and or even out right stolen. While it is a lot of work to track down the original artist; it is almost always worthwhile.|
I would like to encourage all of the DTNS listeners as much as possible to track down the ritual source of popular images and things of that nature it doesn't just improve the credibility at all so gives proper attribution either rightly or wrongly to the original source.
Caleb "one of a million trying to figure out how to survive making art on the internet"
|Thanks to Patrick Beja|
|Patron Thank You||http://www.dailytechnewsshow.com/support|
|Thanks to everyone who supports the show including James Fukunaga, Todd Campabello, and Christian Z. Walker|
And special thanks to Anitra Walker and Sam Sheppard who just increased their support at patreon.com/dtns.
|Our email address is firstname.lastname@example.org! We're live M-F at 4:30 PM eastern at alphageekradio.com and diamondclub.tv and our website is dailytechnewsshow.com.||http://www.reddit.com/r/dailytechnewsshow/|
|Plug tomorrow's guest:|
|END OF SHOW|


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Florida crops lost during rainy winter, prices to skyrocket
Crops are lost, yields are down as prices skyrocket thanks to winter weather across SWFL
Since November, farmers have been locked in a losing battle with our baffling weather. High temperatures, high winds and high rainfall totals have taken their toll and consumers are just starting to see the impact.
Diminished harvests of tomatoes, peppers, squash and strawberries are causing losses for growers and an increase in produce prices for consumers.
On a chilly morning Thursday at a farmer's market under the Caloosahatchee Bridge, Michael Wallace, owner of Pine Island Botanicals in Bokeelia, gestured toward his stack of papayas. In previous years, that stack would take up most of the table. Today he had five.
“I lost two thousand pounds of papaya,” Wallace said. “I lost a fair amount of money this year.”
That money would have come from his tomatoes, peppers and yellow squash crops. “I lost all of my calabaza squash,” Wallace explained. “There are just so many things we lost. After the one day I had six inches of rain, my field of salad greens was under three inches of water. They don’t swim well.”
The wet January also affected his hydroponically grown crops. “I lost about 30 percent of that due to bacteria from the standing water,” he said.
Wallace isn’t alone. A few stalls away, Horace Brittain of Brittain Farms in Alva was standing over a bin of tomatoes.
How SWFL's tomato industry is changing
“It started in November,” Brittain said. “And then it went on to December and January. You can move the water, but you can only move so much of it.”
He held out a tomato, which appeared to be perfectly ripe and ready to eat but was topped with long splits and cracks. “When it rains, the tomatoes crack at the stem end,” Wallace said, his worn fingers tracing the trails along the top. “This is throw away. But I’m putting them in the bag and selling them for $2. That’s a deal with the current price of tomatoes.”
Brittain owns 40 acres but is only farming 18 this year. “The rain affected all of it. I lost 20 to 30 percent of my last two plantings.”
That loss is reflected in the price of his produce. “Everything is up,” Brittain said. “People are shocked. Prices are the highest I’ve seen in my 58 years.”
A Perfect Storm for Loss
“It started in the fall,” said Gene McAvoy, county extension agent for Hendry County. “We had an unusually hot, wet fall. That caused a lot of different fungal and bacterial diseases. Some of the commercial growers I work with had yields of 50 percent less because they had to throw so much away.”
The high temperatures and rain that continued past the rainy season meant humidity, which affected pollination of peppers, corn and tomatoes. “A lot of the tomatoes were puffy,” McAvoy said about the early harvests. “When you cut them open there was nothing inside the tomatoes. Or the peppers.”
Sweet corn was affected as well, which depends on wind pollination. “You ended up with a dry bud. The tip was all dried out and there was a zipper of two or three rows that never formed. Some of my growers in Clewiston were throwing out half of their corn.”
Then came January.
“It was wetter than summer,” McAvoy said. Not only did fields flood, but as the soil remained damp, fungal and bacterial diseases set in. “We had people who lost entire fields of cabbage and lettuce when the heads rotted from disease.”
Feeling soggy? This is already Fort Myers' wettest January ever
For Alfie Oakes, owner of Oakes Farms in Collier County, wind caused the most damage.
“The winds crushed us,” Oakes said. “The back to back rains didn’t help.” Oakes Farms has invested in water management systems on all of its farms, but even that wasn’t enough.
“If you can’t get the plant dried out, the bacteria grows,” he explained, adding that they responded by implementing a more diligent fungicide application program.
“Some of the crops are more hardy and can take the wind,” Oakes said. “We can harvest about 25 percent of the volume we planted, the other crops maybe 10 percent. What we are harvesting has a lot of wind scar so 80 percent of that 25 percent we harvested is number two product and has to be sold for less money.”
For TJ Cannamela, owner of Buckingham Farms in Buckingham, pinpointing why he has very little to harvest is proving difficult.
“Things are growing but not producing,” explained Cannamela. “Our strawberry plants are beautiful, but we have no berries.”
The 10,000 strawberry plants planted over 3 acres should be in full harvest right now. “We had a late start to the year because of the heat in December,” Cannamela said. “The rain doesn’t affect us as much except it washes the nutrients out of the soil and we have to fertilize more.”
If he did a sales report now, it wouldn’t show more than $500, Cannamela said. “It’s the first year we will lose money on strawberries. A lot of money.”
It’s that loss of income that concerns McAvoy.
The produce predicament has not gone unnoticed.
At least 23 crops are behind last year’s production, agriculture Commissioner Adam H. Putnam said in an email. “We’re currently in communication with the South Florida Management District, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and others to monitor the situation and provide support to the impacted communities as needed.”
With produce farmers facing little to no harvests and putting their hopes into the rest of the season, more than reassurance is needed, especially if conditions do not improve.
“It could take a year to recover,” McAvoy said. “For every dollar a farmer loses, he has to sell $10 to make it up. We had some farmers who didn’t get out of debt after the hurricanes for four to five years. It takes a while.”
Wallace isn’t just worried about this season, but the summer season as well. “Last year, mangoes were setting fruit the beginning of January,” he said. “I have two out of 300 trees that flowered, and only one has set fruit.” A lot of the trees have new growth, a sign that they are putting more energy into growing and less into producing fruit.
“I know people out on Pine Island who have 300 to 400 trees and not a single bloom on them. People are just writing off their crops this year. It’s not good at all.”


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Apple: Trading the Correction
Douglas is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinion of the blogger and are not formally edited.
Whether driven by the disruption in China, rumors over iPad mini delays or simply because the stock had run too far too fast, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) officially closed in correction territory during Thursday’s session, down over 10% from its recent all-time high above $700. Since the stock touched its historic high, I have been arguing that the meteoric rise was overdone and in need of some type of correction. While this opinion was not well-received by the Apple faithful, now that it has come to pass, it is time to consider if the stock has dipped sufficiently to make it a good buy yet. Ultimately, while I like the company’s upside from here, recent missteps suggest that a more favorable entry point may still be on the horizon.
The China Problem
In response to multiple stoppages at a Foxconn Technology plant in China that serves as a major cog in the iPhone supply chain, Tim Cook recently visited the location in an attempt to quell the mounting issues. Workers at the plant have claimed that they have been subjected to unfair labor practices and caused productions problems on multiple occasions. While the first issue was easily dismissed as a minimal hiccup, problems have persisted. These issues are not only detrimental to Apple’s production efforts, but have the potential to explode into a labor relations disaster, depending on the ultimate extent of the labor practices in question – the conditions have been blamed on multiple worker suicides over the past several years.
The issues are important not only to Apple’s ability to produce devices for sale in the U.S. and Europe, but the situation has the potential to define the relationship between the company and China, which has become Apple’s second largest market. This may also serve as one of the first major tests for Tim Cook since his taking over the top spot. While Apple will almost certainly resolve these problems eventually, the manner and timing of the resolution has importance as well.
More Release Rumors
Just as iPhone 5 release rumors have been put squarely in the rear-view mirror, speculation over the release of the expected iPad mini is taking center stage. Apparently the invitations to major media outlets that were expected to be sent out, welcoming attendees to an event planned for later this month, have yet to be put in the mail. While no official release date was ever announced, the news will likely be interpreted as a rare Apple miss in hitting one of its own targeted release dates.
There is still plenty of time for the smaller version of the popular iPad tablet to make it onto shelves ahead of the official opening of the holiday shopping season, but Apple will be well advised not to let the release date fall too far into November. With competing devices including the Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) Nexus 7 and the Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) Kindle Fire HD gaining some traction, Apple needs to manage its product line with care. Both Google and Amazon have performed well over the last few weeks and look very strong heading into the fourth quarter.
While Apple’s selloff represents a full 10% from its recent high, I think there is still room left on the downside. The negative news that Apple is facing is not likely to do permanent damage, but it may be sufficient to allow the stock to give back another 5%, or $35, from its high. Investors who are afraid of missing the ultimate continuation higher may not wish to wait, put I believe a targeted entry point at or below $600 is still in the realm of possibility. Whether you choose to wait for a more attractive entry point or not, Apple is getting the correction it needed in order to go higher. Any significant positive catalysts at this point should be seen as immediate buy signals and acted upon accordingly.
Mr. Ehrman has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple, Amazon.com, and Google. Motley Fool newsletter services recommend Amazon.com, Apple, and Google. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.If you have questions about this post or the Fool’s blog network, click here for information.