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Gas prices to go up by $0.98 Thursday
Gasoline prices are to go up by $0.98 Thursday.
As a result, a litre of E10 87 will sell for $117.26, while E10 90 will sell for $120.33 per litre.
Automotive diesel oil will go up $1.39 to sell for $115.26 per litre.
Kerosene will move up by $0.21 to sell for $94.63 per litre.
Meanwhile, propane cooking gas will go down by $1.32 per litre to sell for $49.62, while butane will move down by $0.91 to sell for $54.01 per litre.
Marketing companies and retailers will add their respective mark up.


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An online version of HBO will be available on Dish Network Corp.’s Sling TV service in time for the premiere of the new season of the hit show “Game of Thrones.”
Sling TV customers, who pay $20 a month for the streaming subscription service, will be able to get HBO for an additional $15 a month April 12, the companies said in a statement.
Dish’s Sling TV is one of a growing number of so-called skinny bundles, or Web services that offer just a few popular channels at a lower price. The whittled-down packages are putting pressure on programmers that have relied on the 500-channel pay-TV universe to carry their less-popular niche networks.
Sling TV, which started service in February, includes Time Warner Inc.’s CNN and TBS in its lineup, as well as ESPN, Disney Channel and AMC, and provides sports and entertainment series such as “Monday Night Football” and “The Walking Dead.”
HBO already plans to introduce its own standalone Web service April 12 on Apple Inc. devices, letting people watch the channel for the first time without a pay-TV package. Apple itself plans to debut an online TV service this year with about 25 channels, according to people familiar with the effort.
(An earlier version corrected the spelling of the series “Game of Thrones.”)

domain: news


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Updated user experience, compliance tools, and METRC integration top the list of enhancements
“Compliance is top of mind for all of our customers. This new release gives cultivators new tools to streamline their operations and lower costs while staying compliant.”
– Eldon Brown, Broadleaf Software – CEO
BUCHANAN, MI, USA, July 14, 2021 EINPresswire.com
Broadleaf Software, the leading platform for cannabis cultivation management, has announced its latest release of enhancements. The new release brings compliance front and center for cultivators and a brand new user interface to make managing operations easier than ever. With states rapidly adopting regulations and stiff penalties for non-compliance, automation and control of compliance processes is key to successful cultivation management.
“Compliance is top of mind for all of our customers. This new release gives cultivators new tools to manage their operations and lower costs while staying compliant automatically.” says Broadleaf CEO Eldon Brown.
The new release manages the entire cultivation lifecycle, from cloning or seed to trimming and testing, in one interface. The platform is compatible with iOS or Android phones and tablets as well as any desktop web browser. Critical activities like plant tagging, room moves, harvesting, and drying are all managed within the platform and sync relevant data to state compliance systems.
Broadleaf Software is the leading platform for cannabis cultivation management. Broadleaf’s secure platform gives cannabis companies the freedom to nurture the art and craft of cultivation. We help cultivators improve efficiency across their teams, deliver a consistent, high quality product, and grow their operations. Broadleaf makes an immediate impact across every part of the business because every team gets better data sooner, which enables them to stay ahead of the competition. Learn more and schedule a demo at https://broadleafcannabis.com.


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Dusty Gibson with Winchester Ammunition demonstrates their newest ammunition cartridges.
Thrills and Spills on a Motorsport Mission
Injured, wounded and sick service personnel have had a high-octane treat at Thruxton in Wiltshire, thanks to two forces charities – Mission Motorsport and Flying for Freedom.
Related TopicsAir Force Topics >
Ammo Reload: Winchester's New Cartridges
Scoping Out the New SSR400 Digital Riflescope
Hanan Schaap from SenSight demonstrates the company's new SSR400 Digital Riflescope at the 2019 Rifle Show.
Centennial Pistols: Mossberg's 9mm Guns
Mossberg celebrates its 100th anniversary at the 2019 Shot Show with a commemorative pistol, as well as a look at


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Nigerians resort to ‘Naija’ used cars as ‘Tokunbo’ sales drop by 70% due to 40% hike in exchange rate for cargo clearance.
Low sales of 2nd-hand imported cars follows the implementation of the exchange rate from N422.30/dollar to N589/dollar by a PTML.
The current hike in the prices of imported vehicles popularly known as “Tokunbo” due to the recent 40 per cent hike in the exchange rate for cargo clearance at the seaports has forced many to resort to Nigerian used ones popularly called “Naija cars”.
According to reports, the implementation of the exchange rate from N422.30/dollar to N589/dollar by a terminal operator, Ports & Terminal Multipurpose Limited, has led to about 70 per cent drop in the sale of second-hand imported cars.
The NCS in a circular dated July 4, 2023, titled : ‘Implementation of the floating foreign exchange rate regime’ directed its area controllers to ensure that the information was communicated to relevant stakeholders.
The circular, signed by the Assistant Controller General, IT & Modernisation, K. I. Adeola, read in part :
“The CBN has instituted the floating exchange rate regime, which has given rise to incessant changes in the exchange rate for trade. The policy is to be implemented by all ministries, departments and agencies of the government, including the NCS.”
Confirming the development, the Youth Leader of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), at Tin Can Island, Remilekun Sikiru, said the directive has been communicated to members of the group, adding that the new rate had been effected on the Customs portal.
Sikiru, also the CEO of Siktemstar Logistics, told Punch that the customs duty payable on imported vehicles had increased astronomically.
Giving details of the new rate for clearing vehicles from 2001 to 2014, Sikiru said :
“The actual duty on Toyota Camry is N705,000, while the total duty and clearance cost is N1.7m. For Corolla, the duty is N558,000 and total clearance cost is N1.3m.
“Sienna duty is N930,000 and total clearance cost is N2.2m. Duty on Highlander is N1.1m, bringing the total clearance cost to N2.6m, while duty on Venza is N1.2m and total cost is N3m.
“For Lexus RX350, the duty is now N1.5m, bringing the total clearance cost to N3m; duty on Lexus ES350 is N1.3m and the total cost is N3m. For Toyota RAV4, the duty is N831,000 and total cost of clearing it is N1.2m.
“Honda Pilot’s duty is N966,000 and the total clearance cost is N2.2m. Honda Accord’s duty amounts to N769,000 and total clearance cost is N1.8m. For Toyota Tacoma, the duty is N417,000 and total clearance cost is N818,000. These vehicles are from 2001 to 2014.”
Total duty or total clearance cost is the duty payable on a car plus the surcharge, ECOWAS duty and the seven per cent (7%) port development levy.


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We take a slightly-less-than-timely look at Nokia's foray into the world of mobile gaming.
Nokia's N-Gage gaming service is set to close towards the end of 2010 as the company focuses its application downloads through the Ovi Store.
It's game over for N-Gage, as Nokia is killing off the N-gaming platform
The company's latest XpressMusic handset has been outed as the 5630, a mid-range phone that packs some interesting connectivity and gaming features
Nokia's N-Gage QD second-generation gaming cell phone corrects the most glaring mistakes of its predecessor.
Today Nokia launched the N-Gage platform, which lets you download games and play with your friends, all from the comfort of your N-Gage compatible phone
Nokia announces the launch of the N-Gage mobile platform, commuters rejoice.
ZDNet's Patrick Houston takes a look at the yet-to-be-released Nokia N-Gage, a Bluetooth-enabled console/cell phone combination designed for wireless gaming.
At the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, cell phone maker Nokia raves to ZDNet's Patrick Houston about a device for calls, gaming and MP3-playing.


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On 26th November, 2022, the Miss Pride of Africa Beauty Pageant was held to empower African women by providing a platform that would encourage them to further deepen humanitarian services on the continent.
Nigeria emerges top in London African beauty pageant
Nigeria emerged as one of the top winners at the recently concluded Miss Pride of Africa Beauty Pageant that held in London, United Kingdom.
A host of African countries were represented, with Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Rwanda, Congo, Mayottee and Sierra Leone among those with representative beauty queen aspirants.
17 candidates contested the ultimate crown of the night and it was Nigeria’s Akerejola Itiafa that emerged as one of the top 3 winners after several stages of assessment.
Speaking on her plans for the crown, Akerejola shared that: “as Queen, my charitable campaign would be focused on promoting financial literacy in Africa, especially for low-income enterprising women, that is women with small business.”
Apart from being crowned ‘the people’s queen’, the Miss Nigeria earned other awards such as second princess, an ambassador of the pageant and best swimwear.
Akerejola showcased multi-faceted aspects of the Nigerian culture through food, different cultural attires, and an amazing manifesto targeted at increasing financial literacy among low-income enterprising women in Nigeria.
The newly crowned Miss Pride of Africa Beauty hails from Ogori-Magongo in Kogi State. She graduated with a B. A. in Business Marketing from the University of Lincoln and a Master's Degree in International Trade, Strategy and Operations from the University of Warwick.
Although Akerejola has resided in the United Kingdom for over two decades, she draws her inspiration from her native country where she was born.
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When it comes to business travel in Asia, Hong Kong remains the most expensive location in the region and was the 16th most expensive location globally despite depressed demand for business travel to the city in 2022, said ECA International recently.
The average business trip to Hong Kong costs an overall total of US$ 520 per day, a small decrease of US$4 from last year’s total, according to the firm.
“Hong Kong has always been one of the most expensive location and remains so when it comes to business travel in Asia”, said Lee Quane, Regional Director – Asia at ECA International. “Business travel costs decreased in 2022, albeit slightly, due to low volumes of business travel demand caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and a poorly performing economy.”
- Singapore is now the second most expensive location in the region and the average daily cost of a business trip, at US$ 515, is now only slightly cheaper than Hong Kong.
- Like Singapore, locations in Taiwan including Taipei and Hsinchu have risen in the rankings, with both locations entering the ranking of the ten most expensive business travel destinations in Asia.
- The rise in our rankings of Taipei is largely due to the fact that locations such as Yokohama, Beijing and Macau, which were all more expensive before the Covid-19 pandemic, are now relatively cheaper rather than Taipei becoming more expensive in absolute terms.
- As locations in Taiwan will expect to receive more business travellers this year, their guests will find Taiwan to be more expensive relative to other comparable destinations in the region.
- Tokyo fell one place in the ranking and is now the third most expensive city to visit in Asia.
- Although daily costs for business travellers have increased in local currency terms in the past year, the depreciation of the yen against the US dollar has caused it to fall in the rankings.
- In local currency terms business travellers’ costs rose by over 5% in Tokyo last year.
- However, the weaker yen means that with average costs of US$424 per day.
- Elsewhere in Asia, inflation in many locations has contributed to significant increases in business travel costs in local currency terms even though business travel demand has not yet recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic, ECA pointed out.
Costs have risen most in countries such as Sri Lanka, Laos, Pakistan and Kazakhstan but have actually fallen in some key cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, the firm noted.
Business travel expenses were more than 75% higher in local currency terms in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2022 in comparison to the year before, said Quane.
This is due to high inflation and currency depreciation since some costs associated with business travel, such as hotel costs, are incurred in US dollars by foreign business travellers here, he explained.
At the other end of scale, the fall in costs for business travellers in China has been largely due to falling hotel costs associated with a drop in demand for business travel last year, he added.
In spite of this, Shanghai is nonetheless the fourth most expensive location when it comes to business travel in Asia, Quane observed.


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© Osram Business | September 26, 2019
The courtship of Osram continues - Bain is not giving up
A consortium comprising of Advent and Bain Capital has indicated it is willing to make a new takeover offer for all outstanding shares of OSRAM Licht AG.
In the coming weeks, the consortium intends to conduct confirmatory due diligence before deciding on a binding offer. In its letter to the Managing Board of Osram, the consortium has indicated it may offer a “meaningful” premium over the current offer from ams AG of EUR 38.50 per share, Osram writes in an update. The potential bidders have also indicated that they are working on a new financing structure for the possible transaction. Advent and Bain intend their binding offer to be superior to that of ams AG in terms not only of the offer price but also the strategy and growth prospects for Osram. Bain Capital has already submitted an initial offer together with Carlyle for EUR 35 per share. In the event of a binding offer, the new consortium has indicated it would be willing to sign an investor agreement similar to that signed by Bain and Carlyle and to support the strategy of the management in the ongoing transformation of the company. “We believe the future of Osram needs to be well aligned with all stakeholders, including unions and employee representatives,” the letter Osram reads. The consortium is prepared to make clear commitments in this respect. The Board of Osram deems it necessary for the non-binding offer from Advent and Bain to be further concretised. Bain and Carlyle’s existing investor agreement contains, among other things, commitments to protect the workforce and sites. Osram would continue to operate under the existing name after the takeover. The corporate headquarters would remain in Munich, and the rights to all patents would remain with Osram. Existing labor agreements, collective bargaining agreements and similar agreements as well as existing pension plans would remain unchanged. The investors are committed to the cornerstones laid out in the benchmark document “Future Concept Germany”, which was agreed in July 2017 with the trade union IG Metall and the workforce.
ROHM presents Rear Lamp 4ch Linear LED Drivers designed for Motorcycles ROHM announces the availability of a 4ch linear LED driver IC with built-in MOSFET ideal for LED rear lamps (turn/stop), fog lamps and turn signals for automotive use.
Leuze’s construction project is making progress Almost seven months after the groundbreaking ceremony for the new distribution center in Unterlenningen, Germany, Leuze is making good progress and is on schedule.
NXP: ‘the impact of COVID-19 was greater than anticipated’ The semiconductor company has updated its performance expectations for the first quarter as the business impact from COVID-19 has proven to be greater than initially anticipated.
Unprecedented power density in low-voltage power conversion systems Each time a power MOSFET is being turned on or off in a SMPS, parasitic inductances produce ground-shifts that may cause false triggering of the gate-driver IC.
Nordic Semi expands and opens new office in Australia With the newly opened sales, marketing and customer support office for Southeast Asian, Nordic Semiconductor aims to provide faster customer support to the regions expanding wireless electronics design and manufacturing sectors.
Osram appoints new Chief Financial Officer Osram Licht AG has appointed Kathrin Dahnke as a member of the Management Board. Effective April 16, she will be responsible for the financial business of the high-tech company.
u-blox acquires IoT communication-as-a-service provider thingstream u‑blox has acquired IoT Communication‑as‑a-Service provider, Thingstream. Thingstream provides an end‑to‑end solution for global IoT connectivity using the industry standard MQTT protocol.
Tachyum opens new EU headquarters in Slovakia The semiconductor startup has opened a new European Union headquarters to address the regional needs of its growing number of customers, partners, vendors throughout the EU.
EtherCAT interface option added to programmable DC power supply series TDK Corporation (TSE 6762) announces the introduction of an EtherCAT interface option to all models in the GENESYS+™ series of programmable DC power supplies.
MaxLinear to acquire Intel division MaxLinear, along side its subsidiary, have entered into a definitive agreement with Intel Corporation under which MaxLinear would, subject to customary closing conditions, acquire Intel’s Home Gateway Platform Division for USD 150 million.
America II: 'we remain open for business' The situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, and doing so rapidly. Globally we’re seeing nations and governments react with recommendations and restrictions to movement and business operations – and companies are reacting.
Infineon receives final green light for its acquisition of Cypress Infineon says it has received all necessary regulatory approvals for its acquisition of Cypress Semiconductor. Infineon expects to close the transaction within five business days.
Schurter updates on the impact of COVID-19 Continued travel restrictions, the shut-down of borders and whole cities and other similar events have created unanticipated labour, logistics and material shortages throughout the world.
COVID-19 case at Fukui Murata Manufacturing’s plant On April 4, Murata Manufacturing, confirmed that an employee at the Takefu Factory of Fukui Murata Manufacturing has tested positive for COVID-19.
Cree: COVID-19 has had a greater impact than first anticipated Cree says that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a greater impact than originally anticipated when the company provided the third quarter outlook back in late January.
Hirose expedites shipment of medical equipment manufacturers Connector solutions manufacturer, Hirose, says it is prioritising and expediting orders to medical equipment manufacturers.
Short-time work starts at Elmos Elmos will start with the previously announced short-time work in mid-April. Associated with this, the Management board and executives will voluntarily waive a part of their remuneration.
Hirose’s Malaysian factory has been temporarily closed The connector company had to temporarily close its operations in Malaysia on March 18 following a government order. The order is a precautionary measure against Covid19 and is affecting most of the country’s industries.
COVID-19: Vishay provides operational update The manufacturer of discrete semiconductors has provided an update on the operational status of its manufacturing facilities amidst COVID-19 pandemic.
Axcelis receives its first order For Purion in Japan Axcelis Technologies, a supplier of high-productivity solutions for the semiconductor industry, says it has received an order to ship its first Purion system into Japan.
NXP invests in Kalray An EUR 8 million equity investment to strengthen partnership between the companies who will co-develop, jointly promote and deploy autonomous driving solutions on the market.
SEMI urges ‘essential business’ designation of semi companies SEMI has urged government representatives around the U.S. and world to designate the semiconductor industry as an essential business so operations at companies across the chip supply chain can continue without interruption as the spread of COVID-19 continues.
Digi-Key inks distribution partnership with Siglent Technologies Digi-Key Electronics has expanded its product portfolio by signing a North American distribution partnership with Siglent Technologies, providing its customers with electronic test and measurement solutions.
Jenoptik supplies infrared optics to Rheinmetall The photonics group Jenoptik will supply infrared optical components to Rheinmetall between 2020 and 2025.Load more news


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TCBY was honored to accept the Prepared Foods Excellence in Innovation Award for its development of Super Fro-Yo at Monday’s Prepared Foods New Products Conference in Naples, Florida. TCBY joins a prestigious list of current and past winners including Kraft Foods, Tyson’s Foods, and Mrs. Fields Cookies. Cosponsored by Prepared Foods and the American Egg Board, the Excellence in Innovation Awards are designed to recognize innovative new products introduced nationally during 2010 through 2011, and the inspirational teamwork and creativity that made those new products possible.
“We are very excited to receive the Excellence in Innovation recognition, which is a reflection on our continued investment in research and development and the impressive team behind it,” says Tim Casey, CEO of TCBY. “Having the best tasting frozen yogurt has been a long standing focus of ours, but we placed enormous pressure on ourselves to introduce a product line beyond taste, one that is far and away healthier than anything in the marketplace. And so with Super Fro-Yo, we marry impressive nutritionals with that classic TCBY taste profile, and the consumer loves us for it. It’s very rewarding.”
Judges for the Excellence in Innovation Awards were made up of a panel of industry experts including those in the culinary field and food and beverage writers at Prepared Foods. The judges chose TCBY as the first place award winner, in the foodservice industry category, due to its commitment to creating a healthy, good for you, great tasting treat in Super Fro-Yo—what Prepared Foods called the “Holy Grail” for food developers and marketers.
Prepared Foods cited the exhaustive research, led by Craig Bennett and Dr. Wayne Geilman of the TCBY Research and Development team, which contributed to the advancement of several proprietary technologies that could dramatically elevate the nutritional benefits of TCBY products. Bennett and Dr. Geilman were supported by three other members of the TCBY team. In addition, TCBY suppliers allowed the brand to use their labs and pilot plants to produce test products and provide technical support. Super Fro-Yo took almost two years to refine and focused on components that would not only boost the health benefits, but also improve the richness, texture, flavor, and overall taste appeal.


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PlayStation has announced a new State of Play Showcase. The showcase will premiere LIVE tomorrow Wednesday, March 9th at 2 PM PT/5 PM ET on YouTube and Twitch.
The show will be around 20 minutes with updates on multiple PS5 and PS4 titles. There will be a “special focus” on games coming from Japanese publishers. It’s been noted in the PlayStation Blog that there will be no PlayStation VR2 or hardware updates of any kind.
What’re you hoping to see at the State of Play tomorrow?
Leave a Reply


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Some 250,000 tons of citrus fruits were exported from the northern Mazandaran Province during the last Iranian year (March 2020-21). This is a 60% rise compared with the year before. With 150,000 hectares of orchards, Mazandaran is the top fruit and horticultural producer of Iran.
The director of Horticultural Affairs Department with the province’s Agricultural Organization, Hadi Izadi¸ stated: “Our main export destinations over the period were Russia and Iraq.” He added that last year’s citrus fruit production in Mazandaran stood at 2.7 million tons, which was 10% more than the previous year.
“At present, there are 500 sorting units with a capacity of 250,000 tons of citrus fruits, 119 cold storage facilities with a 473-ton capacity and 148 warehouse units with a storage capacity of 381 tons in the province. This has led to an increase in exports and reduced the amount of fruit wasted every year,” he told financialtribune.com.
Mazandaran’s citrus fruit orchards stretch across 112,000 hectares, 110,000 hectares of which currently bear fruit. Out of the total figure, close to 80,000 hectares and 30,000 hectares are under orange and tangerine cultivation and lemons, limes and bitter oranges are produced on the rest.


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Dr Tytko reports:
Congratulations go to Jess and Yadin (both in 10 Omega) for scooping the top prize at the Young Enterprise Trade Fair on Saturday 19 November 2016 against very tough competition.
They took the opportunity to launch Quotes&co to the general public and won the award for Best Overall Company. Their trade display was particularly striking and their confident and professional approach with customers won favour with the judges.
The range of products included attractively priced and affordable stationery gifts and seasonal Christmas items all decorated and designed by this committed new venture. Other Directors of the Company include Lauren, Maeve, Tabitha, Lucy and Phoebe (also in 10 Omega), Cheska (10B) and Izzy (10 Alpha).
Quotes&co got the opportunity to further develop their business at the School Christmas Bazaar on Sunday 27 November 2016 and will pitch their business offering at a Dragons Den event on Thursday 1 December 2016 in Farnborough. We wish them every success with this.


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In a sense, it’s been with us a long time. Why is the gold price more than eight times higher than it was twenty years ago. Why do house prices continue on their upward spiral. Why are crpyto-currencies exploding against all rational expectation? The answer is inflation.
The governments of the world have been able to claim over the course of the past decade or two that inflation has been broadly under control in the western world and in the broader global economy. Basket cases like Zimbabwe and Venezuela are outliers, pariahs to the global economic order anyway.
But the claim that inflation has been under control is based on consumer prices rather than asset prices. Homeowners will know that having low-to-zero consumer price inflation while house prices hurtle skyward can give a nice warm sense of economic security. But for those not already on the housing ladder, the shine is rather taken off stable food and clothing prices by the stark reality that a place to live is increasingly unaffordable.
In short, like so much in the financial system, inflation and its measurement has become a scam designed to benefit the properties middle classes who see their power in other areas ebbing away inexorably.
But all that’s about to change, and if recent news is anything to go by, quite quickly too.
Chinese inflation numbers came in overnight, and showed that while consumer price inflation is duly conforming to the pre-established path set out for it, and is holding at or below 1%, purchasers price inflation, which measures the cost to businesses, has rocketed to over 6%.
Establishment economists, noting similar trends in the cost of construction in the US and UK, will argue that it’s just a coronavirus-related blip. Lumber, for them, might be a case in point – hitting new highs in the US because the virus curtailed production while at the same time people stayed at home and purchased materials for home improvement projects.
If it was just lumber, or even if it was just lumber, copper and a couple of other commodities, then that argument might hold water. But it isn’t. Everything’s on the move, and not just by a few percentage points either. Copper’s at an all-time high. Spot iron ore has never been higher. Gold is showing signs of pushing back up towards the record prices hit last summer. And all the while, more and more fiat currency is flooding into the global economy, as governments continue to print money hand over fist.
How much are these fiat currencies really worth? It’s a pertinent question, because when most major currencies are being devalued at the same time all boats will fall. Put another way, it’s really hard to derive any meaningful measure of value of the dollar by comparing it, say, to the pound or the Euro, when those currencies are also being devalued. Of course, if central banks all devalue roughly at the same rate, then some comparison might be warranted. But so too would the charge that by acting in concert the central banks are rigging the system.
So, if you can’t meaningfully measure the value of one currency against the other, how can you value them? The answer is, of course, assets. And it’s no surprise to see, as we’ve already noted, that property and commodities have been marching upwards in terms of their currency valuations for years. Because, it’s not just a coronavirus issue. Governments and central banks have been jigging the numbers at least since the global financial crisis, and there is some argument to be made that it’s been going on all the way back to when Nixon took the US off the gold standard.
Equities are assets, too of course, and it’s on the same inflation paradigm that equity markets have been hitting new highs too. Every buyer of equities is also a seller of currency, so here too we see the active hand of policy-driven inflation at work.
Note too, that when equity markets do crash, governments simply crank up the printing presses even more, and market recovery follows fairly quickly.
Is this a good thing? The great fear amongst economic policy makers is another 1930s-style recession. That’s been avoided in the post-war years – although there have been ups and downs, total economic meltdown has been averted. Protectionism too has been staved off, albeit that there was a stunted attempt at reintroducing it under Donald Trump.
So the system continues to function, or at least stumble on. But there is a cost. If the young continue to be financially as disenfranchised by asset inflation as they have been over the past 30 years or so, there will be little incentive amongst the next generation to support the status quo. Rioting is now a commonplace in several parts of America, and don’t believe the headlines that it’s all racially motivated. Nihilism is in there too.
So, if the new round of money printing does end up finally breaching the levée, and the inflation which has previously been contained at the level of assets and purchasers spills out into the consumer space, it might turn out to be seriously destabilising. Proponents of modern monetary theory have had it their own way thus far, but their days could well be numbered. People are beginning to question the ultimate legitimacy of fiat currency, and those questions are only going to get louder.
Story by ProactiveInvestors
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The Pokemon Company has announced that a new entry in the Pokemon Rumble series is coming to smartphones soon.
The future is tilted, according to the latest tease for Fortnite’s ninth season.
Android users can sign up now to beta test Mario Kart Tour.
CD Projekt Red has revealed that its The Witcher card-game spinoff Gwent is getting a smartphone release.
Activision is bringing its free-to-play Call of Duty mobile title to the West for iOS and Android devices.
Nintendo has reportedly adjusted the drop rates and currencies of its mobile games to encourage players to spend less money.


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After idli on stick, a video of strawberry and chocolate samosas goes viral, internet users hate it | viral News
New Delhi: Fusion food is taking the internet by storm and not all combinations are popular like this latest version of strawberry and chocolate samosas that puts people in a really bad mood.
The industrialist Harsh Goenka, very active on social networks, posted a video of a food blogger who shows on the camera the two variations of the delicious salty but with a sweet touch. The video was captioned, “Seeing the idli lollipop circulating in social media was ok, but this one â.
Seeing the idli lollipop circulating on social networks was good, but this one! pic.twitter.com/aKArtGMLyb
– Dur Goenka (@hvgoenka) October 1, 2021
In the 18 second video we see two samosas, one chocolate and one pink colored strawberry samosa stuffed with jam. The video appears to be an excerpt from a video by a food blogger who went to the food stall to taste the strange combination of samosa.
The video starts with the chocolate samosa on screen, then the man checks the strawberry samosa breaks to reveal the jam filling inside. The viral video also shows the man try a tandoori paneer samosa.
The video shared by Goenka has over 24,000 views and hundreds of comments and retweets.
Most users weren’t happy with the combination saying, “There should be a law against such fusion food.” While another said, “I just can’t experiment at this level!” Someone will come up with a spiralless cheese jalebi or katchori soon, âcommented another user. One horrified user said: “I request that this video be removed from the internet.”


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Need to know
- Data shows the number of scam victims and the total losses among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are on the rise
- Remote communities face unique challenges when shopping online and may receive less support when scammed
- The ACCC says education and awareness in First Nations communities will be a focus of the new National Anti-Scams Centre
When Tye Garvie needed a shipping container to store his furniture and belongings while his house was being built in Collie, Western Australia, he turned to a company he found online through Facebook.
After checking the company's website and looking up their Australian Business Number, he thought they were legitimate and paid them $3285. The company promised to deliver the container within a week.
He never heard from them again.
"It was frustrating, it's a lot of money to lose. Then we still needed a sea container, so we ended up getting another one anyway, but we couldn't recover the money from the first," he says.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) say shipping container scams are on the rise across Australia with $1.8 million lost to this type of scam in 2022, up from $782,000 in 2021.
They have previously called on Facebook's parent company Meta to do more to take down fake shipping container pages.
Scams on the rise in WA
Tye is just one of the 50 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Western Australia who have reported scams to the state's Consumer Protection body over the last 12 months. WA Consumer Protection says the number of scams affecting First Nations consumers is on the rise, with online shopping scams like Tye's making up the highest number of scams, and investment and hacking scams accounting for the highest losses.
Commissioner for consumer protection Patricia Blake says the scams reported to the department are likely only the tip of the iceberg.
"What we understand from surveys that the ACCC has done is that we expect that only about 13% of scam losses overall are reported. This is probably even less in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities who are less likely to complain or report to government agencies when these things happen," she says.
Targeting Aboriginal communities
Blake says in many cases, like Tye's, the scams are not specifically targeting Aboriginal people, but she explains that people in remote communities who are more reliant on online purchases and have lower internet literacy rates may be more vulnerable to scams.
But in other cases she says scammers do go out of their way to target First Nations communities and this is exactly what happened in the wake of the devastating flooding in the Kimberly region in January 2023.
We expect that only about 13% of scam losses overall are reported. This is probably even less in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communitiesWA commissioner for consumer protection Patrica Blake
Following the floods, Facebook messages were sent to Kimberly residents, many of whom are Aboriginal, saying the government was offering disaster relief payments of $20,000. The messages were scams and the senders later requested fees be paid upfront to receive the payments.
WA Consumer Protection is calling for more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to come forward and share their stories of being scammed so they can better understand and combat the issue.
WA Consumer Protection says some scams are directly targeting Aboriginal communities.
ACCC concerned about increasing scam losses
The ACCC, which runs the national ScamWatch program, says it's concerned about the increasing number of scam losses by First Nations people and about access to support in remote areas.
"Indigenous Australians reported losses of $5.1 million in 2022 – up five percent compared to 2021, while the median loss for Indigenous Australian scam victims rose to $754, from $650 reported in 2021," ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe says.
Indigenous Australians reported losses of $5.1 million in 2022ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe
She says the agency also believes that rates of under-reporting of scams in First Nations communities may be higher than the general population. One of the aims of the new National Anti-Scams Centre, which will open in July, will be to address this issue.
"A key focus for the National Anti-Scam Centre will be tailoring communications for First Nations communities to remove obstacles to reporting scams and reduce the social stigma with being a victim of a scam. We will actively engage with community groups to learn how our messaging and its delivery can be most effective.
More awareness needed
Alex Price-Busch, a financial counsellor with the Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network (ICAN) based in Far North Queensland, says he often sees clients falling victim to gift card purchasing scams after being contacted on social media.
He says tailored messaging and awareness raising for First Nations communities is essential, as well as encouraging those in the community to speak up.
When people don't speak out it can run rampant through a community, and before you know it half the community has been scammed and no one has spoken out about itAlex Price-Busch, financial counsellor, ICAN
"When people don't speak out it can run rampant through a community, and before you know it half the community has been scammed and no one has spoken out about it," he says.
"People might not have grown up around the internet like people in the cities, so there needs to be some catching up in terms of looking for the telltale signs of a scam."
Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.


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The Amazon Fire TV Stick is a $39 device that you can plug into the HDMI port of your TV to stream internet video or play games. It’s a simple device that offers much of the functionality of the original Amazon Fire TV for less than half the price.
But the Fire TV Stick is also a lot slower than the Fire TV box which means it can’t play some games and lacks support for some features such as listening to audio using Bluetooth headphones.
Now it looks like Amazon may have a more powerful Fire TV Stick in the works… although it’s not clear yet how much it’ll cost or just how much more powerful it will really be.
Amazon hasn’t officially introduced the 2nd-gen Fire TV Stick yet, but a device called the Amazon AFTS just showed up in the database of graphics benchmarking tool GFXBench. AFTS could stand for Amazon Fire TV Stick.
While it’s possible the specs listed at GFXBench are wrong, or that this isn’t actually a Fire TV Stick, there are a few clues that suggest it really could be Amazon’s next media streaming device.
First up, it features WiFi and Bluetooth, but no GPS, compass, accelerometer, light sensor, camera, or SIM card. You’d expect most phones, tablets or other Android devices to have at least a few of those things.
Second, the AFTS features a MediaTek processor. While Amazon’s original Fire TV uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 chip and the first-gen Fire TV Stick has a Broadcom BCM28155 processor, Amazon does use MediaTek processors for some of its most recent devices: the 4th-gen Fire HD 6 and Fire HD 7 tablets each have MTK8135 quad-core processors.
OK, so if the GFXBench listing is accurate, what can we expect from the next Fire TV Stick?
- MediaTek MT8173 1.5 GHz quad-core processor (with 2 Cortex-A72 cores and 2 Cortex-A53 cores… although GFXBench thinks they’re all Cortex-A53 cores)
- PowerVR GX6250 graphics
- 1.5 GB of RAM
- 8GB of storage (give or take)
- Android 5.1-based operating system
That means the new model would have a higher-performance processor and more memory than the current version (which has 1GB of RAM and a dual-core, ARM Cortex-A9 processor).
It could bring Fire TV-level performance to the Fire TV Stick… although I’ll be curious to know if Amazon also plans to update the wireless hardware to add support for Bluetooth 4.0. The original Fire TV Stick only supports Bluetooth 3.0.
Both of Amazon’s current Fire TV devices also run FireOS 3.0 software, which is based on Android 4.4. Amazon recently began testing Fire OS 5, which is based on Android 5.0. But this is the first time I’ve seen any mention of an Amazon device running Android 5.1 (not counting custom ROMs).
There are some other specs listed which probably don’t mean much. GFXBench says the AFTS has a 6.9 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel non-touch display. But it’s likely that’s just a screen the Fire TV Stick was attached to when the benchmark was running (the reason GFXBench often posts specs for products before they’re released to the public is because people working at the company might run the test on pre-production hardware).
GFXBench also thinks the original Amazon Fire TV has a 13.8 inch, 1080p display.


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People look at electric cars on display at a showroom in Beijing. Agence France-Presse
The coronavirus pandemic has undoubtedly revolutionised the way of living in many parts of the world. There is no need to go to a shopping mall, everything can be ordered online. There is no need for a cinema. Streaming platforms will unveil the latest
Economists concerned about slowing productivity have spent the past decade hotly debating the value of free digital services such as Google’s web search and Amazon’s online store. But those online services have proven their worth during
China’s factory gate prices fell last month at their slowest pace since February, official data showed on Monday, suggesting the country’s manufacturing sector continues to see a rapid recovery from the COVID-19 shock.
Improving technology and digitalisation have sure contributed to the coping of countries and governments with the one-year-old Novel Coronavirus pandemic. Yet, the most compelling realisation is that health is the key to happiness, dependent on one’s attitude and perspective in life; and for which each and every individual must be responsible for.
The World Expos like Expo 2020 Dubai, have provided a platform to showcase or announce the greatest innovations that have shaped the world we live in today. The Expo 2020 continues the tradition as a number of latest technologies on display at various pavilions.
The Ministry of Culture and Youth unveiled its strategic agenda and announced a series of international conferences for Expo 2020 Dubai, which opened its doors to visitors on October 1, 2021. The Ministry’s programme aims to showcase the richness and diversity of the UAE’s cultural landscape,
Another breakthrough was sealed between the UAE and Israel on Wednesday morning with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on space exploration. Details of the MoU, signed at the Leadership Pavilion within the Expo 2020 Dubai, by UAE Minister of State for
Economic progression happens where businesses are making massive transactions to further trade of good ad services. Kashif Ansari, CEO Juwai IQI speaking to Gulf Today exclusively from Kuala Lumpur shared his thoughts that with global economy opening, investors and travellers.


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NEW YORK—STR and Tourism Economics have upgraded the recovery timeline for U.S. hotel revenue per available room (RevPAR). On a nominal basis, the metric is now expected to surpass 2019 levels in 2022, according to the latest forecast just presented at the 44th Annual NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference.
The major factor in the revised timeline was a +$11 adjustment in 2022 average daily rate (ADR). Occupancy for the year is projected to come in under the pre-pandemic comparable, while ADR and RevPAR are forecasted at $14 and $6 higher than 2019, respectively. Previous versions of the forecast projected nominal RevPAR recovery in 2023.
When adjusted for inflation, full recovery of ADR and RevPAR are not projected until 2024. Central business districts and the Top 25 Markets are not expected to reach full RevPAR recovery until after 2024.
“Demand and occupancy have trended well in line with our recent forecasts, but pricing continues to exceed expectations due to the influence of inflation as well as the economic fundamentals supporting increased guest spending,” said Amanda Hite, STR’s president. “This latest forecast acknowledges the risk of a light recession with no anticipation of mass layoffs and household finances in a strong position to mitigate recession impacts. The traveling public is less affected by recession, and right now, we are forecasting demand to reach historic levels in 2023 as business travel recovery has ramped up and joined the incredible demand from the leisure sector. Of course, while the top-line metrics are set to reach full recovery on a nominal basis, we must recognize that profitability has only started hitting 2019 levels recently. Concerns persist around the cost of labor and services, and hotels in some major markets are still well behind in the recovery timeline. Our forecast revision next quarter will reflect any visible impact from recent Fed decisions on interest rates.”
“The outlook for hotel performance remains positive,” said Aran Ryan, director of lodging analytics at Tourism Economics. “Even as the economy faces headwinds of higher interest rates, volatile financial markets, and inflation, lodging demand and room rates are being buoyed by strong household finances and the return of business travel.”
“With the Federal Reserve rapidly tightening monetary policy to tame inflation, there is a risk that financial conditions, which remain very accommodative, start to tighten in a disorderly manner,” said Adam Sacks, Tourism Economics president. “This would risk abruptly slowing the flow of credit and weigh on corporate and business confidence, which would further restrain economic growth. Should a U.S. recession occur, it is anticipated to be less severe than the Great Financial Crisis, due to lower current overhang of financial imbalances. Elevated savings buffers among consumers, particularly those of higher income households, would also help mitigate the impact of a downturn to sectors such as lodging.”


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The last couple of years have seen flower fans branch out (pun intended), with plant and bulb sales booming during the pandemic. Yet, when it comes to Valentine’s Day, traditional red roses can be harder to resist than the lure of a forbidden love affair. A dozen of these long-stemmed flowers might once have signalled the height of romance, but after a quick look at the environmental impact they don’t smell quite as sweet for UK-based buyers. So how can you make sure you are giving an ethical bunch on 14 February?
The bloom is off the rose
Due to Britain’s climate, the vast majority of roses sold in this country during the early months of the year are imported. Most come from Kenya, where it is warm enough for them to grow naturally, or the Netherlands, where they are grown under artificial heat and light. Around 8m stems (570 tonnes) are imported via Heathrow alone during February – about three times as many as any other month, leading to a carbon footprint of around 30kg of CO2 for a mixed bouquet of 11 Kenyan and Dutch stems. They are often sold at a loss, in the hope that customers will buy other, more expensive items as they shop.
“We do a lot of work in events, and often we would find there was a huge disconnect,” says Olivia Wilson, co-founder of SSAW Collective, a community of chefs, florists and growers, who are urging buyers to take a seasonal approach to flowers. “Sustainable sourcing of the food menu would be considered, but the tables would be covered with imported flowers.”
Valentine’s Day is perhaps the biggest culprit when it comes to shopping out of season. “It is one of the most significant events in the floristry calendar but it’s very stark in February,” says Wilson. “When you look outside and see what is growing naturally, it definitely doesn’t look anything like traditional rose bouquets.”
As with food, supporting local businesses is often the best option. “Once flowers are flown into the country, they are usually transported around the UK in huge refrigerated vehicles, which also have an impact on the environment,” says Alison Down, a flower farmer at Boho Flowers, Hertfordshire. “From cutting to customer, it can take a week.”
Have a spring fling
If you want to say it with flowers, roses are not your only option. “A lot of Cornish growers have narcissi available by February, especially the bridal crown and paperwhite [daffodil] varieties,” says Jess Geissendorfer, who also co-founded SSAW Collective. In addition, she recommends snowdrops, cyclamen, quince and winter-flowering blossoms as alternatives to roses.
“I’ve seen a shift to tulips and early spring bulbs,” says Debra Prinzing, founder of the Slow Flowers Society and author of books including The 50 Mile Bouquet. “Other gift ideas are also gaining popularity, such as flower subscription services – so you give the certificate to your sweetheart now, but maybe the first delivery doesn’t arrive until May.” SSAW Collective’s own subscription service launches this month, offering sustainable flowers on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis.
“Last year we provided seasonal spring bouquets for Valentine’s Day, grown in the UK without pesticides and not wrapped in plastic,” says Down. “You could have hellebores, narcissi, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and alstroemeria – you can get all those from UK growers. We also use lots of dried grasses, contorted hazel and willow (they’re like wiggly sticks with little catkins), lots of eucalyptus and evergreen foliage.”
Bloom & Wild, the online postal florist, is forgoing red roses on Valentine’s Day for the second year running. “We ran a survey and found that 58% of people thought roses were a cliche,” says Charlotte Langley, VP of brand and communications. “From a sustainability point of view, this also meant we had no bouquet wastage last year. Historically, we’d seen double-digit wastage on red rose bouquets because the demand drops off so dramatically after Valentine’s Day.”
You don’t need to look far to know that dried flowers are all the rage. “Some farmers are growing flowers specifically to dry, cutting them at the right time so that they retain that colour, and a lot of them have that pink/red Valentine’s Day palette,” says Prinzing. “I know someone who is teaching a wreath workshop for Valentine’s using all dried flowers, showcasing them in a new way.” Being long-lasting, dried flowers also help to minimise waste, which leads us to …
What happens when the love dies?
Or, at least, what should you do when your ethical posy wilts? “A lot of flowers dry well by being hung upside down,” says Wilson. “Tulips make excellent confetti and spring flowers press really nicely. You don’t need a flower press; you can do it using blotting paper and books.”
Langley advises: “If you’re not feeling crafty then it’s best to pop them in your compost or garden waste bin, rather than in your normal bin, otherwise they would be sent to landfill.”
It’s what’s on the outside that counts
Opting for imported blooms is not the only pitfall for shoppers when choosing a bouquet for their valentine. “You also want to think about packaging,” says Langley. “Our letterbox packaging has been 100% recyclable for a long time but we’ve now moved our flower food from plastic to paper sachets and we’re working on swapping bubble wrap for cardboard vase protectors and using compostable moisture bags.”
“Another major sustainability issue is the conventional green florists’ foam,” says Prinzing. “It’s single-use plastic, which doesn’t break down in landfill. Giving flowers which use an alternative shows your recipient that you care about the environment.”
Put a label on it
Aside from eschewing roses, there are other things to look out for if you want to be sure you’re picking an ethical posy.
“Pesticide use is incredibly harmful for the environments where flowers are grown en masse and for the people working with them,” says Wilson. “We’re really passionate about improving labelling because it’s difficult for florists to always know where their flowers are coming from, and what chemicals have been used to grow them.”
Down agrees that better labelling would also make it much easier for customers to identify ethical bouquets. “You want to see that they are fair trade and organic,” she says.
If you’re not buying directly from a local grower, then it’s worth considering how the businesses you buy from have committed to supporting local communities. “Do a little bit more research into where flowers come from,” says Geissendorfer. “Search online for what’s available in your local area; it’s really rewarding to build relationships with small independent businesses.”
A little research can go a long way when buying from bigger floristry businesses, too. “If a company is taking their responsibility to the environment and the community seriously, they should be able to show that; check out their credentials before buying,” advises Langley. “Are they thinking deeply about issues across the whole spectrum, from sourcing to delivery and packaging? Are they offsetting emissions and working on a plan to get to net zero?”
Lastly, get into the habit of seeking out seasonal produce. “By summer, you can get a bouquet that’s full of variety, grown entirely in the UK. There really is no need to import anything,” says Wilson. “It’s important to think about flowers in the same way you might fruit and veg: strawberries in December would feel a little odd.”


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Latest Yoghurt Stories
With a society increasingly focused on health and customer service, it is no surprise that the make-your-own frozen yogurt business has caught on.
Forget red meat -- a new Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) study suggests that men trying to demonstrate their machismo might be better off eating yogurt.
Green Valley Organics, the only organic, certified humane, makers of lactose free yogurts, kefirs and sour cream, announces two new products available nationwide. Sebastopol,
Voskos Greek Yogurt celebrates the acquisition of YoGreek parfait.
- Growing in low tufty patches.


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Apple’s iPad 2 launched last Friday in the U.S. International release was expected to follow shortly thereafter, but Apple has confirmed that it will delay the release of the iPad 2 in Japan, following the disastrous earthquake and tsunami.
“We are delaying the launch of the iPad 2 in Japan while the country and our teams focus on recovering from the recent disaster. Our hearts go out to the people of Japan, including our employees and their families, who have been impacted by this terrible tragedy,” the company said in a statement.
Apple is collecting donations for the Red Cross on its iTunes site. The iPad 2 was set to roll out in Japan on March 25, but no word has been given on when the new release date will be.
Apple is not the only company to show its support to victims of the disaster – movie studios Disney and Warner Bros. have announced they will make donations, both standalone and from profits of DVD sales. Warner Bros. also pulled the release of Hereafter from Japan, saying that the film’s themes are not appropriate at this time in the country.
Tags: ipad 2
, steve jobs
Categories: Gadgets and Gizmos


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Nerd Focus is the Official Energy Drink of the New Jersey Devils and Prudential Center as part of a new multiyear partnership.
Under the agreement announced Feb. 9, the energy drink, which is owned by Freehold-based Beverage USA Holdings Inc., will receive digital signage throughout Prudential Center, hospitality and retail marketing, as well as a digitally enhanced dasherboard advertisement during Devils’ away games.
Nerd Focus will also be the presenting partner of the popular T-Shirt Toss at Devils’ home games, while its specialty cocktail – the Electric Screwdriver – will be available for purchase at all Prudential Center events.
Additionally, brand representatives will be on hand at select Devils’ home games during the regular season, providing fans with a chance to sample their product.
To kick off the partnership, Nerd Focus will host a sweepstakes next month giving four Devils fans a chance to win tickets for them and a guest to the newly renovated Nerd Focus suite at Prudential Center when the hometown team hosts its cross-town rivals the New York Rangers on March 30.
“As a New Jersey based company, we couldn’t be more proud and excited to be partnering with New Jersey’s home team, the Devils, and Prudential Center, one of the top ranked venues in the country. This partnership sets the stage for our full launch of Nerd Focus in the New Jersey/New York area over the next couple of months,” said Beverage USA co-founder Rocco LaVista. “The Devils’ energetic style of play and the focus they show on the ice epitomizes who Nerd Focus is as a brand. We are really looking forward to enhancing the fan experience through some of the interactive features that we put in place.”
Founded in 2006 by a student at the University of Texas at San Antonio who wanted an alternative to highly caffeinated energy drinks with potentially dangerous ingredients, Nerd Focus went on to build a grassroots network of distributors and fans.
After creating a loyal following at Texas universities and local retailers, Nerd Focus was acquired by Beverage USA in 2020 to invest in scaling the brand nationwide.
“We’re excited to partner with a New Jersey-based energy drink company to enhance the atmosphere at Prudential Center and during Devils home games,” said Chad Biggs, senior vice president, Corporate Partnerships Activations, New Jersey Devils & Prudential Center. “Having Nerd Focus on board to provide the opportunity to amp up the crowd and create unique experiences for fans is a great addition to our in-arena experience.”


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Brave Collective offers beautiful clothing, sense of community
With the opening of Brave Collective in Kruse Village, Jennifer Riker has brought a whole new retail experience to Lake Oswego.
Like other women's clothing stores, Brave Collective offers women's clothing and accessories, as well as cards, books and other gift items. But the similarity stops there. Riker has brought a fresh new component to the store: a sense of community.
The Kruse Village shop is Riker's second; the original store was opened two and a half years ago in Bend, where Riker lives. The store specializes in carrying products made for women by women, and its vendors — such as Sudara and Bronwen Handcrafted Jewelry — promote social well-being around the world.
"My intentions are always about women first," Riker says. "I want to help women designers and artisans succeed, and that all starts with community."
New store focuses on making shopping more meaningful
Sudara founder Shannon Keith had visited India and heard many stories of women who were sold into sex slavery. The women lacked education and the resources and skills to have a choice.
Knowing that safe, steady and living-wage employment would be a pathway to freedom for the women, Keith formed a small team of family and friends in 2006 and partnered with a sewing center in India to teach women to sew a pattern for Punjammies, or loungewear pants. Now, a dozen years later, multiple sewing center partnerships have been made and hundreds of women have found freedom through living-wage employment. Many of the women have graduated from the training programs and started their own tailoring business, others have taken technology or cosmetology courses (also offered at the center) and found jobs in those fields.
Sudara creates clothing for women, men and children, all made by the women at the sewing centers.
Bronwen Handcrafted Jewelry is the brainchild of Bronwen Lodato, a Bend resident who has been making jewelry for as long as she can remember. As an Outward Bound instructor, she says she began fielding requests for jewelry that was "strong enough to withstand the rigors of the outdoors but still be delicate enough to feel sexy."
She launched the "active jewelry" line 12 years ago. Lodato herself is fueled by outdoor adventure to stoke her creativity and world travel to inform her collections. On the website bronwenjewelry.com, the company says it believes it is its responsibility to use fairly traded materials that support local economies. Environmental and social equity is not a marketing strategy, the company says, but a responsibility of conducting business.
Riker says that sense of responsibility and community carries forward in the events Brave Collective hosts. Recently at the Bend store, a fundraiser was held for a mother with cancer and 400 people attended. Riker says photos were taken of the attendees so that the woman could see who came to the event. Riker said the woman recognized the support she had from the community, even though she didn't know many of those pictured.
At another event, a team of Brave Collective employees volunteered to teach fourth- and fifth-grade students at a Bend school the difference between refugees and immigrants, then asked them to create art that could be sold to benefit Mercy Corps. More than 500 pieces of art were donated to the project.
"This was all on their own," Riker says. "It wasn't a school project. The children went home and told their parents about what they had learned and they created the art. Things come out of things, and I know the Lake Oswego store will continue that trend of community support."
When shoppers enter Brave Collective, Riker hopes they will feel welcomed, supported and celebrated. Personal shopping assistance is available, and Riker says items in the store are accessibly priced.
"We want to make every woman's day better," she says. "If her day is better, she'll make her husband's day better, and her children's. It all impacts life at home."
To introduce the community to Brave Collective, a trunk show of Sudara and Bronwen clothing and accessories will be held from 2-6 p.m. on Thursday, March 1, at the store, located at 4835 Mercantile Drive, Suite 143, in Lake Oswego's Kruse Village.
A third Brave Collective will open in Cedar Mill's Timberland Town Center later this spring. For more information on all the shops, visit shopbrave.com.


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MarketsandMarkets forecasts the global social media analytics market to grow from $620.3 billion in 2014 to $2.73 billion in 2019. In terms of regions, North America is expected to be the biggest market in terms of market size, while Europe and Asia-Pacific (APAC) are expected to experience increased market traction […]Read more ›
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La Vista : Yahoo! has announced that they are expanding their team in La Vista, Nebraska, creating approximately 100 new jobs across customer care, integration, and logistics. “Yahoo! is focused on building a world-class customer care team to set new standards for excellence across the globe. Over the past three […]Read more ›
Savio Sequeira has been appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Percept Sports & Entertainment. In his new role as CEO, Percept Sports and Entertainment, he will be in charge for providing strategic direction, creating opportunities for integration, and paving the roadmap for the overall businesses for the Percept Sports & Entertainment […]Read more ›


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Microchip shortages are far from a new problem. But, current inventory shortfalls are limiting global industrial production in many sectors. A miscalculation by the auto industry, coupled with production and supply problems caused by the pandemic, contributed to the current shortage.
Dealerships are running out of new and used cars, which has driven up the price of vehicles. There are constraints on producing high-end appliances, airplanes or smartphones, and anything that uses semiconductors to function.
These small parts, which often go unnoticed, are as essential components in the industry as toilet paper is in our homes. The world is facing the worst chip shortage in its history. Just at a time when the most industrialized economies are beginning to show signs of recovery.
Why is there a shortage of microchips and how does it affect us?
Several factors came together to make the world face the current shortage of semiconductor chips. First, the shutdown of car assembly plants due to the pandemic led to a drop in demand. Microchip fabs then had to adjust and redirect their production.
On the other hand, chip inventory was reduced by the demand for electronic products: laptops, game consoles, televisions, and other equipment. In addition, car buying did not stop during the pandemic shutdowns last year as expected.
Manufacturers sold more cars than estimated and did not think demand would increase this year. By the time they tried to place more orders for computer chips, it was too late. Manufacturers had changed their production line. All this contributed to further depleting supplies.
Additionally, U.S. sanctions against Chinese manufacturing companies exacerbated the crisis. Initially, the microchip shortage was restricted to the automotive industry.
Now the crisis has spread to almost all industrial sectors that employ semiconductors in their products. Including, washing machines, microwaves, refrigerators, ships or aircraft or a simple electrical installation.
The shortage has generated nervous purchases of chips, reducing stocks and raising the costs of all components. Even, the cheapest ones on the market, because the shortage of semiconductors coincided with the shortage of raw materials as well. The result has been an increasing inflation in many products.
Why is the automotive industry so dependent on microchips?
The reason is that new cars employ the chips to improve the computerized operation of engines in terms of fuel efficiency, driving automation, emergency braking and driver assistance.
Due to the microchip crisis, manufacturers are cutting production of less profitable cars. Already, carmakers such as Ford and General Motors have announced that they will reduce production. Other manufacturers such as Toyota, Subaru Corp, Nissan Motor and Volkswagen AG are joining this policy.
It is estimated that around 1.3 million light cars would have been affected during the first quarter of the year, according to data from market research firm IHS Markit. The company revealed that the situation in the industry worsened, following a fire at a Japanese microchip plant.
The factory, owned by Renesas Electronics Corp, produces almost a third of the world’s demand for microcontroller units used in car manufacturing.
Likewise, last winter’s severe winter in Texas forced the industrial plants of Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, Infineon and NXP Semiconductors to close. These companies are major suppliers of microchips to U.S. vehicle manufacturing companies.
Analysts predict that disruptions in semiconductor supplies, coupled with the sector’s own shortcomings, will deepen the crisis in the automotive industry this year.
Divestment in Asian chip manufacturing plants
Another cause of the semiconductor crisis, is the lack of investment in 8-inch chip fabs. Most of these plants located in Asia and owned by companies in that region have been unable to ramp up production.
Most of it is being consumed by 5G phone makers and laptop makers, whose demand increased faster than expected. A new 5G smartphone requires 100 chips to connect to the different frequencies. Much more than any computer.
Among the manufacturers trying to meet the growing demand are Qualcomm Inc. Its chips are used by Samsung phones. Apple Inc.’s main supplier, Foxconn, had already warned of coming chip shortages. With the current crisis, all customer supply chains have been affected.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC), is another major contract manufacturer of microchips in Asia. Together with Samsung, they feed production for a variety of chip manufacturing companies.
Although U.S. semiconductor companies produce 47% of the world’s total chips sold, only 12% of global manufacturing is done in the United States.
Does the U.S. want to decrease its dependence as well?
In the face of looming chip shortages, U.S. President Joe Biden ordered a review of the microchip supply chain. The president discussed the current situation with 19 executives from major technology companies. The aim is to reduce dependence on semiconductors produced by South Korea and Taiwan.
In order to promote legislation aimed at increasing microchip manufacturing in the country, Biden has managed funds for 37 billion dollars. The plan calls for the installation of four new manufacturing plants. One TSMC and two Intel Corp factories in Arizona, and a fourth by Samsung that would be located in Texas.
Meanwhile, China is also offering subsidies for chipmakers in order to reduce its dependence on Western technology in this sector.
The shortage is believed to last at least another year, but no one dares to predict that the situation cannot get worse. Some of the scarcer types of microchips are manufactured by older plants. These plants will be a little more difficult to upgrade to raise production.
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You know that feeling of being digitally stalked on Facebook when ads appear in your feed based on a recent online search? Well brace yourself, … [Read more...] about Facebook local awareness ads to give SMEs more bang for their advertising buck
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A new report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority highlights that Australian SMEs' lack of urgency to modernise and embrace the … [Read more...] about New ACMA research: unlike large companies SMEs failing to see value in digital
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After a few fierce weeks, the US government eased the restrictions placed on Huawei and allowed it to work together with Google and stay with the Android family. Looking at the turn of events, many assumed that the company’s Plan B, its custom made Hongmeng OS will take a back seat but according to a new report, the company is still testing it with Huawei Mate 30 and will launch the two together later this year.
A source told Huawei Central that the Chinese smartphone maker is inviting people to test the Hongmeng OS on its new device and is planning to release it alongside Huawei Mate 30. The company has not yet confirmed the release date for the upcoming mate 30 series but if we look at the past releases, we can anticipate the phones to release in October 2019.
The launch month of Mate 30 series also coincides with the previous report highlighting the company’s plan to ship 225 million smartphones with Hongmeng OS by the end of October 2019. Previously, Huawei CEO, Richard Yu also revealed the possible debut of Hongmeng OS in Q4 2019 and looking at the Huawei’s effort to trademark the software in multiple countries, we can assume the company is not yet ready to leave its trump card behind.


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According to neuroscientists, when we travel, we reconfigure our brain. This is because new experiences are the key to building new neural pathways in the brain. By reconfiguring your brain, you become more creative and accept new ideas. That's why traveling makes you happy.
In addition to making you happier in the short term, traveling can also make you a much happier, happier and more relaxed person in the long term. Of course, most travel enthusiasts are constantly planning their next trip, but when we are at home or have passed the point of being able to fly when we want, past trips leave us with memories and personal skills, such as confidence, broad-mindedness, friends and a more worldly perspective, that people make happy. And that's why traveling makes you a happier person. They added that life satisfaction when traveling had more to do with the “frequency of satisfied trips” than with the frequency with which someone took vacations.
According to the results, reported by the Los Angeles Times, women who go on vacation every six years or less are, for example, more likely to suffer a heart attack or develop heart disease, compared to those who vacation at least twice a year. But since taking a vacation can be expensive, does that mean that people who can't afford to travel could have less satisfaction with life? The study also found that people who expressed that travel was very important tended to travel more often, often because they receive more travel-related information and talk about future vacations on a more regular basis. While it may seem that people who can't afford to take a vacation can't benefit from travel, the truth is that you may be able to achieve these benefits in other ways, something that is especially important while many people are still stuck at home during the pandemic. Here's what you should understand about the relationship between travel and happiness, along with some ways you can reap some of the psychological benefits of taking a vacation when you're on a tight budget or stuck at home.
But before the pandemic, rising levels of wealth disparity meant that, for starters, many people couldn't afford to take a vacation. A new study published in the journal Tourism Analysis has found that frequent travelers tend to be more satisfied with their lives than those who don't go on vacation often. In that same survey, 28% of people who said they had a bad vacation also said they left planning for the last minute. The key to reaping the benefits of an enjoyable experience, whether it's taking a vacation or doing a puzzle with your children, is to do it thoughtfully, says Dr.
If you need the anti-stress benefits of a vacation when travel isn't an option, you may be able to benefit from spending time in nature or the forest bathing, Schroeder says.


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Posts with tag "Alecia Moore"
- Posted Mar 16th 2011 at 02:30 AM by Christo Varghese
Pink recently debuted her new hairstyle, along with her distaste for the 'do. UsMagazine.com reports that the new style is a gray-blond pixie cut, which the singer showed off a few days ago at the Los Angeles premiere of the movie, 'The Lincoln Lawyer.' But later on, Pink went on to slam her new hairstyle and the stylist on Twitter, saying, "The woman that did my hair butchered it. I hate...
Popeater Hot Topics
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- This ?Scandal' clothing line lets you dress just like Olivia Pope
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Dropbox has been very busy lately. After announcing big updates to Mailbox and the all-new Carousel photo app, a new service is joining its repertoire. Loom, a popular photo and video storage service, announced today that it has been bought by Dropbox.
The news isn’t a complete surprise given the recent launch of Carousel. While it’s sad to see Loom go, the acquisition is very smart on Dropbox’s part.
The StackUp iOS App Bundle is offering 12 iOS apps valued at $113 for just $36. Several of these apps are geared towards making your iOS experience a more productive one, which is why this particular bundle caught my attention.
To pick up any (or all) of the apps in The StackUp iOS App Bundle, you can head to the Deals page and click on the “Buy Now” button or use the “Text Me” option to get texted a link so you can directly download the app to your iPhone.
By now you’ve heard all about the catastrophic Heartbleed bug and how it has siphoned passwords, credit card numbers, emails and other data to the vampires who would drain all of us dry. From your love life (OKCupid) to your tax returns, there’s a lot at stake.
Since 66% of web servers are vulnerable to the bug, that means you’re faced with only task more fun than decluttering the garage: changing your passwords.
To help you on your password resetting chores, we’ve compiled the best tools to make the process as quick and painless as possible. Also, they’ll sync your new passwords to your iPhone — all in under 10 minutes. Leaving you time to watch Silicon Valley again. You’re welcome.
Alongside Mailbox for Mac and Android, Dropbox announced an entirely new app today at an event in San Francisco. It’s called Carousel, and it’s coming to the App Store and Google Play later today. Think of it like a Photo Stream replacement that might actually work.
At an event today in San Francisco, Dropbox made several announcements about Mailbox, the popular email app for iOS that it bought a little over a year ago. Things have been busy around Dropbox since then, because Mailbox is coming to not one, but two new platforms.
Mailbox for Mac was unveiled today alongside an Android app, the latter of which is out now in Google Play. But that’s not what we’re really interested in. What’s important is that Mac users can now sign up to get access to the private beta of Mailbox on the desktop. There are some new Mailbox features that should also get you excited.
Want to easily interact with and edit PDFs like never before? Then this Cult of Mac Deals offer is for you.
PDFpen is the all-purpose Mac PDF editor. It has everything you need to edit all those PDFs you are constantly downloading. With PDFpen you can edit or change almost any part of an original PDF and save it as a Word document seamlessly, and with this Cult of Mac Deals offer you can get PDFpen for 50% off – just $29.98!
Sharebox adds a feature to Dropbox that should probably already have been there: it lets you drag and drop files onto the Dropbox icon in your Mac’s menubar, and have them upload to Dropbox. The neatest part is that it works using the existing icon, keeping your menubar clear.
Dropbox is planning an update that will let you switch between home and work accounts, according to the Verge. The new service will be announced on April 9th, and will let users switch between accounts without logging out of either.
If Google Drive’s recent price drop wasn’t enough to entice you over to the dark side, Dropbox dropped an update to its iOS client today, adding a number of improvements, including a major bug fix that addresses an issue in which Dropbox’s photo syncing ability would fall over.


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- Marjorie van Elven |
The fashion industry is doing everything it can to prevent the Trump administration from establishing a fourth tranche of tariffs of up to 25 percent on imports of Chinese goods. This time the products would include apparel, footwear and accessories. Yesterday, Columbia Sportswear’s Director of Global Customs and Trade, Katie Tangman, testified against the proposal before the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) in Washington. During her testimony, Tangman stressed that the tariffs would force the company to either pass the additional costs onto consumers or curtail investments, two moves which would hurt the American economy.
“2019 is planned to be a record year of investment for Columbia Sportswear Company—over 130 million dollars, primarily in the US”, said Tangman during her testimony. “Reducing investment to pay millions of dollars in extra tariffs and to move production, will seriously hinder our ability to continue to grow and create more US jobs. At a time of rapid retail change, we simply cannot afford to slow our investments due to these punitive tariffs.”
Columbia’s design, development and innovation processes are carried out in the United States, according to a statement. However, as most players in the sector, the company has a diverse supply chain with partners all over the world, and China is one of its most important links. ”The products that we continue to manufacture in China are highly specialized and tied to significant investments that we have made in tooling, machinery and personnel training”, said Tangman during her testimony.
“The cost to move our remaining production operations out of China, purchase new machinery and train a new workforce is likely to cost us a minimum of 3 million US dollars, and would take at least one year to commercialize and start production”, noted Tangman. During this transition period the company would continue to pay the additional tariffs in order not to slow down its production or delay deliveries to clients and customers.
Tangman also emphasized that China is one of Columbia's largest international markets: present in over 700 retail locations, the company operates a wholly owned subsidiary in China. “Having local production helps us remain competitive in the local China market, which in turn supports US-based innovation jobs”, she explained.
Last but not least, Tangman reminded the USTR that apparel and footwear importers already pay a “disproportionate” amount of tariffs in the US. In 2018, the fashion, footwear and accessories industries paid more than 18 billion dollars in tariffs, representing nearly 40 percent of all tariffs collected by the US government, yet they accounted for only about 6 percent of all US imports. “Apparel and footwear importers pay, on average, double digit import taxes for apparel and footwear products. For example, some of Columbia’s products are subject to import taxes as high as 37.5 percent. Adding a tariff of up to 25 percent on goods from China means that our import taxes would be as high as 62.5 percent, an untenable amount”, Tangman said.
Fashion industry opposes tariff war against China
Tangman’s testimony comes one week after a group of 138 companies and 190 executives from the fashion and footwear industries co-signed a letter urging the USTR to reconsider the tariffs. The initiative was coordinated by the American Apparel & Footwear Association, the Council of Fashion Designers of America and the Accessories Council. Another letter signed by over 600 businesses from different sectors, including the giants Walmart and Target, was sent a few days prior to that.
The National Retail Federation published a report yesterday saying Americans will pay 4.4 billion US dollars more for apparel and 2.5 million US dollars for shoes, if the new tranche of tariffs is adopted. “Prices for apparel and footwear will rise across the board”, the NRF warned, stressing that low-income families will be the most affected.
Today is the last day that the USTR will be receiving public commentary about the proposed tariffs. Regardless of whether this new tranche of tariffs is adopted or not, it looks like the tariff war between the US and China is far from ending. “Both sides must make compromises and concessions, not just one party”, said China's Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen to journalists on Monday. Presidents Trump and Xi Jinping agreed last week to rekindle the talks, but things went sour once again on Friday when the US banned five Chinese tech companies from buying components from the US without government permission.


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Earlier this week, Vince McMahon announced a new Wild Card Rule that would allow four WWE Superstar to jump to the other brand on any given show. Even though the Superstar Shake-Up happened just a few weeks ago, it's been reported WWE is feeling the pressure from FOX and USA about the poor ratings.
In response, WWE is looking to add as much star power to each brand as possible. It seems like this new rule is just a bridge towards ending the brand split, but is that the way to go?
Should WWE end the brand split or continue to keep things separate?
Sound off with your thoughts in the "Comments" below and tomorrow we'll post a follow-up with the top quotes, along with any ideas that may have trended throughout your replies.
New subscribers can sign up for the WWE Network by clicking here and get their first month free, which includes WWE Money in the Bank on May 19.


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Recently I ran into a website where you could learn about how programming works. It has many different games as examples, but the most well known example must be that of Minecraft.
[intro] Today Mojang announced that they have succesfully sold their company to Microsoft. [/intro] Microsoft and Mojang have been working already for two years together on several things, now the deal is through to sell […]
[intro] Jeb has started on a new series of snapshots to test out new functionality. [/intro] Mojang’s main MineCraft developer has put his attention onto the Survival and Adventure mode of the game. Last Thursday […]


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I've long argued that instore mobile payments are solving a non-existent problem. But, in my blog post on Apple Pay (http://gtm360.com/blog/2014/09/12/apple-pay-puts-banks-squarely-at-the-center-of-mobile-payments/), I'd assumed that its emphasis on security
will help Apple Pay succeed where other mobile wallets have failed. I guess that accounted for the first time use of Apple Pay reported in your article. Beyond that, I'm afraid what I predicted in my post has come true: "However, people have short memories
and I wonder if better security alone will be enough to convert even the most zealous FanBoy or FanGal from plastic to mobile payment."
Use of fingerprint on iPhone6 to authenticate an Apple Pay transaction is one of the drivers for its adoption in a market that places a premium on a frictionless experience. From what I know, Apple Watch lacks a fingerprint reader. So, I don't see it increasing
Apple Pay adoption. PIN may have happened in Europe 10 years ago, India 1 year ago but I don't see it happening in USA for at least another 10 years: According to recent reports, even the first phase of Chip+Signature is likely to take that long. And, ironically,
the rise of Apple Pay was cited in one such report as being one of the major reasons for the slowdown in adoption of Chip + Signature in USA!
23 May 2014
11 Jul 2019
08 Feb 2019
13 Nov 2018


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The United States may no longer be the only one to express its mistrust of foreign technologies and software openly. In an official directive to be published, the Chinese government would gradually purge its administration of non-Chinese computers and software. The operation could start as early as next year.
A major upheaval is in sight within the Chinese administration and its IT equipment. A formal directive drafted last spring and left pending, for the time being, sets out a plan to remove foreign computers and software. This measure, which would primarily serve as a response to the US sanctions against Huawei and ZTE, banned from US soil and the Trump administration, could be implemented as early as next year.
In three years, all foreign hardware and software could be eradicated, following the following replacement rates: 30% in 2020, 50% in 2021, and 20% in 2022.
Who (and what) will replace American services?
To replace foreign equipment, China could use national brands, such as the giant Lenovo, which is very well positioned in the computer sector dedicated to the world of offices, companies, or administrations. Huawei, which is developing desktop computers with ARM architecture, could also be a potential avenue for the Chinese government to explore.
Software replacement, on the other hand, is much more problematic. Lenovo (to name but a few) depends on Windows and Linux for most of its computers. China should, therefore, find a way to develop its operating system as soon as possible to equip its administration. According to several media reports, the development of a Chinese OS has been under consideration for several months and more or less coincided with the creation of the “3-5-2” directive – nicknamed after the replacement rates mentioned above. The first and foremost idea would be to equip the army (which currently uses Windows) with it to eliminate any risk of American espionage.
Microsoft, Dell, and HP on the front line
If this directive were to be applied, American brands would be the first to be impacted by being excluded from a very lucrative market, explains internation medias. No longer being able to provide hardware or software equipment to the Chinese authorities means a loss of 150 billion in revenue for Dell, HP, or Microsoft, the leading players involved. This prospect is all the more frustrating as American groups have often had to make significant investments to establish themselves in the unique market of China, especially when it comes to equipping local administrations.
For example, in 2017, Microsoft had developed a particular version of Windows 10 called “Windows 10 China Government Edition”. In particular, the latter ignored some of the OS’s features, such as synchronization on OneDrive, Microsoft’s Cloud, while leaving the Chinese authorities to use their encryption algorithms on the system. Developments that, three years later, could be wiped off the map.