text:
As smoking of electronic cigarettes among youths rises, Chapman University assistant professor Georgiana Bostean and her student team are studying the link between “vaping” and aggressive marketing of e-cigarettes to youth, including the proximity of smoke shops to schools.
The battery-operated penlike vape devices come in a rainbow of colors and designs and are commonly filled with a mix of liquid nicotine and a flavor called “juice,” with colorful names such as Cotton Candy Clouds and Insane Candy Cane. The liquid formula is heated by the device and the vapor (as opposed to smoke) is inhaled like a cigarette.
E-cigarettes essentially deliver nicotine – a stimulant – without the other ingredients that come in regular cigarettes, such as tar and carbon monoxide.
While researchers at UC Irvine and Georgetown University, among other universities, have found evidence that nicotine may have positive effects on an adult brain, the effect of vaping and liquid nicotine use on the overall health of young people is unknown.
E-cigarettes were initially marketed as a way to help smokers quit. But Bostean suggests that youthful marketing of e-cigarettes and the high number of unregulated specialty retailers may make young people more susceptible to e-cigarette use.
The Centers for Disease Control reported that cigarette smoking by youth is down, while e-cigarette use is up. The use of e-cigarettes by teenagers doubled between 2011 and 2012, according to the CDC. More than a quarter-million youth who had never smoked a cigarette used electronic cigarettes in 2013.
Another more recent report, by Monitoring the Future, also found that more students in in middle school and high school are vaping than smoking.
Marketing and local restrictions
Locally, restrictions on the use of e-cigarettes vary. Seal Beach was the first Orange County city to regulate the sales of e-cigarettes and vaping. Ordinances adopted earlier this year treat e-cigarettes equally to traditional tobacco products.
Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo, Buena Park, San Clemente, Laguna Niguel, Irvine and Costa Mesa are in line to follow suit.
Roughly one-third of Orange County 11th-graders have tried e-cigarettes, according to the 2013-14 California Healthy Kids Survey.
The downshift in cigarette smoking by teens has been due in part to the heavy restrictions applied to tobacco marketing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Since 1971, there has been a ban on TV and radio ads for cigarette and other tobacco products. Newer FDA regulations put tobacco products behind store counters.
Meanwhile, there are no regulations on vaping ads. E-cigarette brands VUSE, made by old-school cigarette maker R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.’s subsidiary R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co., and Lorillard Technologies Inc.’s blu eCigs both advertise on TV.
Advertising restrictions have not been applied to electronic cigarettes because the devices don’t contain tobacco, though the FDA has proposed extending its oversight to e-cigarettes.
So far, Bostean’s team has observed 22 e-cigarette retailers in Santa Ana to see whether there’s a link between proximity to schools and use of e-cigarettes. Research team leader Nate Vorapharuek, 21, said many of the locations are within a quarter-mile to a half-mile from schools.
There are marked differences in how traditional tobacco products are sold vs. e-cigarettes, Bostean said. For one, e-cigarettes are more visible inside the store and from the outside looking in. E-cigarettes are also more accessible.
“Many of the smoke shops were selling vape cigarettes on a counter, at eye level next to the candy,” Bostean said.
For the second half of the research, the researchers will observe Costa Mesa retailers.
Because e-cigarettes, which have been around for a decade, are unregulated by the FDA, the nicotine levels in the liquids are at the discretion of the mixer, said student researcher Katie Henderson, 21.
Ingestion and even topical exposure to the concentrated liquid nicotine used in home-brewed mixes can be extremely dangerous, even lethal, said Lee Cantrell, San Diego division director of the California Poison Control System.
“Ten to 15 milligrams per kilogram of body weight could be potentially lethal,” Cantrell said.
Up to half of all the California exposure cases involving liquid nicotine are children – 140 on record this year alone, Cantrell said.
Bostean’s primary research goal is aimed at identifying social trends and marketing influences. Next year, she plans to have students do a chemical analysis of the liquid.
Contact the writer: email@example.com


text:
Around 10,000 jobs will be axed across Sony’s worldwide operations over the next 12 months.
The number represents six per cent of the company’s total workforce.
Although unconfirmed as of yet, the report comes from The Associated Press and arrives only two days ahead of Kaz Hirai’s strategic update” on Thursday.
The move is designed to help the struggling multi-national return to profit.
A number of strategic alterations have been confirmed, however. Sony’s chemical unit will be sold and its LCD panel business is being merged with Toshiba and Hitachi.
As a result some 5,000 employees face a possible relocation if they wish to keep their jobs.

domain: news


text:
Ring, maker of the Ring Video Doorbell, has introduced a new outdoor security product called the Ring Floodlight Cam. This item is designed to take a standard floodlight and add onto it the benefits of both a smart home ecosystem and what Ring calls ‘proactive vision technology.’ The company says its new product is now the ‘most powerful security camera’ available.
Floodlights are traditionally motion-activated, flooding an area with bright light to deter potential prowlers and simultaneously draw others’ attention to the area, perhaps alerting them to a security situation. Ring says that it conducted its own study and found that for most homes, these lights are ‘marginally effective.’
The Ring Floodlight Cam aims to be a better solution by giving the homeowner a push notification when the system is triggered, letting them know about a potential issue even if they’re not home. As well, the system has a high-definition camera that starts recording when the system is triggered by motion, recording both video and audio for later review and, if necessary, to provide as evidence to law enforcement and an insurance company.
Of course, that’s all great, but also passive, which is why Ring has also equipped its connected floodlight with a siren. The homeowner can turn on this siren remotely if they see a suspicious individual, scaring them off. There’s also a pulsing light to draw attention and the ability to yell at (perhaps lecture, if that’s your thing) the individual over a loudspeaker.
Ring says its device can be powered using a house’s existing wiring, though particulars on that aren’t clear. The light can be turned on manually and scheduled to turn off and on at specific times. This device, like the video doorbell, is controlled by the Ring app for Android, iOS, and Windows 10.
The Ring Floodlight Cam will be available in April for $249 USD; interested buyers can pre-order it now, however.


text:
If you live in the Portland area, Walmart just made an announcement that the stores in the Portland area are permanently closing all of its locations later this month.
"We have nearly 5,000 stores across the U.S. and unfortunately some do not meet our financial expectations," Walmart said in its announcement. "While our underlying business is strong, these specific stores haven’t performed as well as we hoped."
I recently shared in another NewsBreak story that the CEO of Walmart, Doug McMillon, warned that shoplifting was a serious problem for Walmart and even said that some stores could close because of that problem. "If (retail theft) is not corrected over time, prices will be higher, and/or stores will close,” McMillon said. (source)
And theft played a major role in the decision to close these stores in the Portland area.
“Theft is an issue. It’s higher than what it has historically been,” McMillon said. "Prices will be higher and/or stores will close.” McMillon also added that the authorities in Oregon did not address rampant shoplifting problem at the stores. (source)
Both Walmart locations at Hayden Meadows and East Port Plaza will officially close on March 24.
Many other businesses in Portland are struggling as well
Public data shows that since the pandemic, more than 2,600 downtown businesses have filed changes of address with the U.S. Postal Service to leave their downtown ZIP codes. (source)
What do you think of this story?
Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. Also if you found this article helpful, please share it with friends or family on social media. Thanks!
Comments / 11


text:
Jun 9, 2009
Van Cleef suffers less than market
Jun 9, 2009
By Astrid Wendlandt and Pascale Denis
PARIS (Reuters) - Van Cleef & Arpels has not seen an improvement in trading in recent weeks and does not expect sales to rise this year even though it will open eight boutiques, the French jeweller's chief executive said on Monday 8 June.
Van Cleef & Arpels
Sales have been impacted by the global downturn but to a lesser extent than the global branded jewelry market, he said, estimated by some analysts to have dropped by 15 percent since January.
The industry will eventually return to and even beat its historical growth levels reached in 2006 and 2007, Stanislas de Quercize told the Reuters Global Luxury Summit in Paris. But he could not predict the timing.
"I don't know when the rebound will be. The point is to be ready for it," he said.
Asked if sales would be lifted by its expansion plans this year, the chief executive said: "I am not planning on that. I am cautious."
The Paris-based jewelry house, part of Richemont group (CFR.VX), is known for its flowery pieces and, more recently, its dragonflies and butterflies.
In response to the difficult market, Quercize said the company was buying fewer gems and trying to avoid an inventory build-up by focusing on production on demand. It has also cut its advertising spend and introduced a hiring freeze.
Demand for high-end and entry-level pieces starting at 800 euros ($1,106) was stronger than for middle-range jewelry priced at between 10,000 and 50,000 euros, he said.
Van Cleef & Arpels plans to keep up its tradition of opening shops in times of crisis, just as it set up its first boutique in New York as World War Two started, Quercize said.
The company, which sits alongside bigger rival Cartier at Richemont, is planning to open shops in Kuwait, Jeddah, Bahrain and Milan after opening a boutique at the Neiman Marcus department store in San Francisco last week.
Van Cleef & Arpels was born out of the marriage of Estelle Arpels with Alfred Van Cleef in 1896 and set up a boutique on Paris' plush Place Vendome in 1906.
Quercize said revenue from watches, which made up a little more than 10 percent of turnover, had risen since the beginning of the year, countering a global trend that has seen a drop in sales of 20-30 percent since January.
Van Cleef & Arpels, which was the first jewelry house to create a perfume in 1973, called "First," plans to launch a new perfume in December in partnership with French company Interparfums (IPAR.PA).
Richemont shares closed down 3.3 percent on Monday 8 June.
© Thomson Reuters 2022 All rights reserved.


text:
updated 07:56 am EST, Fri January 24, 2014
HTC confirms Android KitKat for HTC One in testing, certification expected next week
Users of the HTC One will soon receive an update to Android KitKat, according to a posting on the company's Twitter account. The message states that the Android 4.4 update has "entered carrier labs" for final testing, and to expect certification sometime next week, though the update will probably take longer to actually reach the devices. When asked about a similar European release, the same account advised it did not have "anything official to announce at the moment."
Time Warner Cable customers gain online access to A&E programming
Time Warner Cable has added more content to its TV Everywhere initiative, as part of a deal with A&E Networks, the company has revealed. Starting from today for Time Warner Cable customers, and from next week for subscribers of Bright House Networks, viewers will be able to access full episodes and extra clips from channels such as A&E, History, and Lifetime through dedicated A&E apps for mobile devices and through the desktop, at no extra charge.


text:
The company has partnered with Lilasons Industries in Maharashtra and Pali Hills Breweries in Jharkhand to further increase its capacity and footprint in the states.
Carlsberg India Managing Director Michael N Jensen said the company has seen significant growth from both the states over the last few years.
"While Maharashtra is a growing market for Carlsberg India and this association is a step towards strengthening our operations in the state; our association in Jharkhand is aimed at ensuring that our focused brand portfolio is available to our consumers in the region," he added.
Lilasons Industries has made significant investments in equipment, automation and processes to upgrade brewery operations in Maharashtra to ensure global quality standards, said Carlsberg in a statement.The brewery will manufacture Carlsberg Elephant and Tuborg Strong.
Pali Hills Breweries, which presently has a production capacity of 0.2 million hectolitres per annum, would manufacture the Carlsberg and Tuborg brands.
In 2015, the state government in Bihar had decided to ban liquor in the state, which led to the company's revenues falling and forcing it to consider pulling out, since there was no backup plan for this unexpected move.
And now with the ban on National and the state highways liquor companies will be barred from selling beer closer to 500 meters that involves half of the total 66000 liquor outlets in the country. The company said the ban would not only reduce the number of point of sale but also impact sales volumes.
Carlsberg sells a range of brands, including Carlsberg Green and Carlsberg Elephant, Tuborg Green and Tuborg Strong in India. It is the third largest beer maker in the country with 16% market share. Carlsberg India volumes were up by 16% in the December quarter.
- Front Page
- Pure Politics
- Brands & Companies
- Adani Stocks Stay Under Pressure in Choppy Mkt
India’s stock indices swung between gains and losses in choppy trading on Monday as Adani shares dropped for the third straight day, following the Hindenburg Research report.Abu Dhabi-Based IHC Commits $400m to Adani Enterprises FPO
Additional investments of $1-1.1b likely from Middle East, Southeast Asia entities.CXOs may Get Average 9.1% Pay Hike in ’23: Survey
India Inc’s top-level executives including chief executives are likely to get a 9.1% average salary hike in 2023, according to Aon’s latest Executive Rewards Survey. This is a slight drop from average salary increment of 9.7% last year, when salary hikes saw a correction post-pandemic, but were higher than pre-Covid increment of 8.1% in 2019.
Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
ETPrime stories of the day
8 mins read
3 mins read
3 mins read


text:
Motorola Pokes Fun at the iPhone's Lack of Flashiness
The image came via Ben Forta who posted it via Twitter. It sames simply, "Flash websites? There's a phone for that" showing the new Motorola Droid 2, which ships with Android 2.2 (Froyo), and has been given a recent update that allows downloading Flash 10.1 from the Android Market. Froyo is required to run Flash.
Apple has made some highly criticized decisions, such as the exclusion of Flash on the iPhone, including the ban of cross-compiled Flash apps from the App Store. The jury is still out on Flash support in Android, which many say slows the browser and device down to much, which has been part of Apple's reason behind its ban.
Other recent ads that have targeted the iPhone from other manufacturers have included pokes at the iPhone's "death grip" problem. Motorola's is just the latest in that series.


text:
Mobile banking apps are paving the way for the future. We are slowly seeing banks integrate more features into their mobile banking apps, making it more accessible to clients, and allowing them to do even more than before. In some cases, mobile banking apps really just let you do the bare minimum on your account.
Posts Tagged ‘transactional account’
Last year we saw ING Direct introduce the THRiVE Chequing account, a no fee chequing account that answers all the needs clients have been asking for. Ever since the release of this chequing account, ING has been updating various aspects of the account to make it even more suitable for customers. One thing I love
It is official; the financial product of the year has been announced and the winner will come at no surprise to many people. What is Product of the Year? Product of the Year is a distinction award for consumer products that reward innovation, and Canada’s most discerning critics determine it. Product of the Year has
I recently wrote an article about BMO’s upcoming Mobile Application,which is meant to be released in April. We were able to get in contact with BMO and get more information concerning their upcoming mobile application, which I am here to share with you. Like I have said, BMO’s mobile application will be released in April
On March 9th, 2011, four celebrities will be taking part in a nation wide spending spree to demonstrate the power of THRVE Chequing – ING Direct’s new no-fee daily Chequing account that actually pays interest. ING is introducing the THRIVEtastics and a contest that allows the winner to donate to the charity of their choice.
ING Direct is the bank that introduced high interest rate savings accounts to Canadians and is now offering Canadians a no-fee, interest-paying chequing account. Today marks the launch of ING Direct THRIVE Chequing account, an online, no-fee daily chequing account. With the THRIVE Chqeuing account, customers will now be able to deposit, withdraw or transfer
After losing the Citizens Bank of Canada no fee chequing account, we are in need of a replacement for those who wish to keep their money in a chequing account and not have to worry about any fees. What other no fee chequing account is available? For people looking for a replacement no fee chequing


text:
Debating benefits of e-cigarettes
By Bill Mayeroff For Sun-Times Media
Smoke shop talk: Dhiren Shah (left) demonstrates how the Double Diamond e-cigarette works to customer Jerry Stuffle, of Crown Point, who came in to Karma Tobacco & Cigar Lounge in Merrillville to smoke a cigar. The business has seen an increase in popularity of e-cigarettes. | Staff photo
Before Richard Bell switched from smoking normal cigarettes to electronic cigarettes, he was unsure about how easy it would be to make the switch.
“I was a complete skeptic,” said Bell, who manages Mr. Smoke Chicago, a smoke shop in Lincoln Park.
Bell, who started smoking in his hometown of Homewood when he was about 17, said he smoked for about 10 years before making the switch to electronic cigarettes (also known as e-cigarettes) about a year and a half ago. But these days, he said, he smokes them to demonstrate them to customers who come into his shop and even then, he said, he does not put any nicotine inside them.
“I’m completely weaned off the nicotine, as well,” he said. “There’s just flavor inside of them.”
Though Bell is an e-cigarette evangelist who is quick to tout them as a way to stop smoking normal cigarettes, the actual benefit of e-cigarettes is still up for debate. An NBC News article from last month said that 21 percent of U.S. adults have tried e-cigarettes, but the Centers For Disease Control said they may be addictive and dangerous.
E-cigarettes are battery powered devices that work by converting liquid nicotine into vapor that the user inhales, according to Howstuffworks.com. The website said they were invented by Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik, who patented them in 2003.
The main difference, according to the website, is that e-cigarettes don’t contain tobacco. Manufacturers and satisfied customers say that the nicotine vapor offers advantages over traditional cigarette smoke, but regulatory agencies and some health experts aren’t sure. They’re asking questions about the possible side effects of inhaling nicotine vapor, as well as other health risks e-cigarettes may pose — both to users and to the public.
What’s difficult to debate, however, is the popularity of e-cigarettes in the greater Chicagoland area.
Dhiren Shah, owner of Karma Tobacco & Cigar Lounge in Merrillville, Ind., said his shop has only been selling e-cigarettes for about a year and a half, but said that despite a slow start, e-cigarettes now account for between 5 and 7 percent of his store’s sales.
“We really didn’t want to get into this thing until they really became popular,” Shah said.
While e-cigarettes get more popular, Shah said regular cigarettes are decreasing in popularity. Shah said sales of regular cigarettes at his store have decreased between 7 and 10 percent per year each of the last two years.
Bell said e-cigarettes, however, are rapidly becoming popular at his store.
“We’re predominantly a glass shop,” he said. “But electronic cigarettes have easily become our main focus.”
Prices for e-cigarettes start at $8.99 for a disposable device, Shah said. A high end e-cigarette “starter kit” – which includes two liquid nicotine cartridges (each of which can provide a user with as much nicotine as a carton of cigarettes), a USB charger and a battery – can cost up to $34.99, Shah said.
But even at the high end, Shah said, a starter kit costs less than the cheapest carton of cigarettes in his store, which goes for $37.99.
Bell and Shah both said people of all ages and of both genders buy e-cigarettes equally. Bell said that he’s even seen longtime-smokers use e-cigarettes to completely quit regular cigarettes in a matter of weeks.
While the jury may still be out on the safety and efficacy of e-cigarettes, Bell remains a big fan.
“There’s no secondhand smoke from it,” he said. “It’s good for everybody.”


text:
Facebook Gaming saw a massive 238 per cent growth in hours watched in the month of April (year-over-year) when people stayed home owing to Covid-19 pandemic, followed by the live game streaming platform Twitch that saw 101 per cent growth in hours watched while YouTube gaming logged 65 per cent rise in viewership globally.
At the top when it comes to hours watched, Twitch saw a record 1.65 billion watch hours of gaming while YouTube saw 461 million hours watched and Facebook Gaming saw 291 hours watched (from just 86 million in April 2019), according to the data provided by live-streaming data analytics platforms StreamElements and Arsenal.gg.
While Microsoft Mixer had the least amount of growth (just 0.2 per cent in gaming hours watched), it still has a potential ace in its pocket depending on “how they marry Ninja with Xbox Series X and Halo Infinite”.
Facebook saw the most significant leap in terms of personal growth, benefiting greatly from the release of their standalone gaming app and hosting several successful celebrity tournaments.
In the first quarter (January-March period) this year, Facebook’s game streaming platform received almost 554 million hours of viewing time, compared to 1.1 billion for YouTube and 3.1 billion for Twitch, according to the latest data from live-streaming software service Streamlabs.
Facebook last month launched its own gaming app on Google Play Store for Android. Facebook Gaming app is free and will allow millions of users watch and stream live games from their smartphones.
“There is no question that live-streaming has been on the rise for a while, but the pandemic-driven shelter-in-place mandates have supersized the industry. In addition to more people watching and playing games, there’s been a huge influx of non-gaming context,” the companies in a statement.
This has ranged from big music events to dance classes and fitness streams as individuals and organizations look for new means to generate revenue for themselves or others.
From March to April, every major live-streaming platform experienced growth with 45 per cent more hours being collectively watched.
“Riot’s closed beta launch of Valorant was a thing of beauty when they leveraged select members of the streaming community to be primary destinations for others to visit in order to get their own beta keys via drops,” said StreamElements and Arsenal.gg.
“Fortnite also continues to impress this year. It has grown month-over-month since January which is usually not the case for titles of its size that have been out for over a year,” they added.
While gaming categories rise and fall depending on new updates and events, Just Chatting, which boasted a whopping 138 per cent year-over-year increase in hours watched, has turned our infographics into steps that keep on ascending.
While many have turned to Twitch as a way to make money in lieu of being able to tour and perform, others have used Twitch as a vehicle to raise money for those in need.
Twitch even hosted their own celebrity-packed Stream Aid charity event that showcased the power of their platform.


text:
Independent traders could be forced to close their shops after being hit with massive hikes in business rates after an error by government inspectors.
Monthly payments for around 20 shops in Ealing Green have shot up by hundreds of pounds after the Valuation Office decided to raise their rates in October.
Now the owners, who are already hit by falling trade, fear they will be unable to meet back-dated demands for cash.
They are preparing to mount a formal challenge to the government agency, which told them the increases were necessary because of a mistake in the previous evaluation three years ago.
Baby e owner Elizabeth Pilgrim, whose monthly rates more than doubled overnight, said: "My blood is boiling about this. A month ago we had a call from the valuation office, and the same inspector who evaluated us originally came back and remeasured.
"I was paying £835 a month for the privilege of having my shop in Ealing, then I got the notification that they wanted £1,700.
"I nearly fell off my chair. I'm a one woman band with two small children, and I'm just trying to make my business work. This is going to have such a negative effect.
"We've got shops closing left, right and centre. At a time like this, they should be giving us rate subsidies. We are going to fight this all the way."
Jim Martinez, of Big Jim's Trims hair-dressers, also had his rates double from around £600 to £1,200. He just opened a new shop in Chiswick which, despite being much larger, costs him only £620 per month.
"Having to pay £500 extra a month is going to really affect us," said Jim, "especially now Westfield has opened.
"I don't know what's going through the valuation officer's mind. I think what's happened is that Starbucks have come in to The Green and they've had a look at it and thought, this is a nice parade, let's up the rate a bit.
"Closing the shop does become a possibility. It's a worrying time, to say the least."
Ealing Broadway BID is working with the traders to help mount a co-ordinated challenge to the rate hikes.
Executive director Steve Breen said: "All the traders along The Green have had at least a 40 per cent increase in their rates dropped on them. That sort of increase is enough to drive these businesses under.
"It's shaping up to be something that will affect the whole of the town centre.
"People are saying that they want independent traders, and Ealing Green is the showcase for the type of shop that we want here. When they get hit with these charges it goes against everything we're trying to achieve."
The Gazette contacted the valuation agency but no-one was available to comment.


text:
Police are on the hunt for a man who stole thousands of dollars worth of baby formula.
David Enright, from the Fleetwood area, is accused of stealing $8,000 worth of formula from the Weis supermarket on Route 73 in Oley Township, police said.
Managers at the Fine Fare Supermarket in Reading are aware of the rising baby formula thefts, and as a precaution, they have secured their inventory with a lock and key.
"They go from $80 to $90 a case," said Jim Marte, the store's manager. "So, you know, if they come in and try to steal it, we lose a lot of money because we also have to pay our overhead plus our employees."
Inail Cruz, of the 1100 block of North 11th Street in Reading, was arrested and charged Wednesday with stealing $7,956.24 worth of baby formula from the Walmart on Allentown Pike in Muhlenberg Township, investigators said.
Cruz had stolen from that Walmart 31 times between January 31 through March 7, officials said.
Some parents were irate when they got word of the alleged crime.
"It makes me angry," said Antonio Alvarez. "Real angry because it could hurt someone in my family."
Police said the alleged thieves are often drug users who sell the stolen product to small stores for lower prices.
The criminals are also known to change the labels and expiration dates, officials said.
The National Retail Federation reports that the stolen baby formula is often not stored in the best conditions, either.
"The kid can get sick because of somebody else," said Edwin Viera. "And then who's going to pay the price? The kid. That's not fair."
If you know anything about these baby formula thefts, you can contact Crime Alert Berks County. The number is 877-373-9913. Information leading to an arrest could earn you a cash reward.


text: Inflation continuing to trend down. The headline consumer price index climbed by 3.0 percent year-over-year in June, the smallest increase since March 2021. A 16.7 percent decline in energy costs helped slow the overall inflation rate to a third of its June 2022 peak. However, prices for other categories of consumer goods and services, such as housing and medical care, continue to ascend. Core CPI inflation, which omits more volatile food and energy costs, rose by 4.8 percent year-over-year in June. While also down from a previous peak of 6.6 percent last September, core inflation is still above both the headline rate and historical norms. Resolving these core pricing pressures will take time, given the structural nature of the underlying challenges, but positive signs are emerging.


text:
Studies right into cannabidiol particularly, however, have discovered couple of or no negative negative effects. Research study into making use of cannabis recommends that it may have unfavorable health results, specifically when an individual smokes it. In this research study, cannabidiol not only made individuals really feel far better yet likewise transformed the way their minds replied to anxiousness. Cannabis is recognized to assist leisure, making it a prominent option therapy for anxiousness. The best-known cannabinoid is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which triggers the "high" people really feel after utilizing marijuana.
Can you take too much CBD?
Taking alcohol and CBD together could amplify these effects, potentially causing symptoms like increased sleepiness and sedation. Some also claim that mixing CBD and alcohol can intensify each other's effects, resulting in changes in mood and behavior.
Can you drive on CBD?
Clinical cannabis is practically any kind of cannabis product used for medical purposes, and these can have THC or CBD or both, said Nick Jikomes, a neuroscientist at Leafly, an internet site that supplies information concerning legal cannabis. " An usual blunder people make is to believe that CBD is 'the medical cannabinoid' and THC is 'the leisure cannabinoid.'" That's inaccurate, he claimed, since THC is a powerful anti-inflammatory as well as can be practical for discomfort. Go deep on CBD with this publication that includes study, meetings with doctors, a review of the current cannabis research, and also how researchers are discovering marijuana for numerous medical uses.
Before you begin utilizing CBD oil, review it with your medical professional to guarantee your safety and security and also avoid possibly damaging interactions. In addition, numerous pet studies have demonstrated that CBD may help in reducing the swelling and also cell death connected with cardiovascular disease as a result of its powerful anti-oxidant as well as stress-reducing properties. Scientists have suggested that the stress- and anxiety-reducing buildings of CBD are in charge of its capacity to assist reduced blood pressure.
- In 2015, the National Academies https://cbdmegashop.co.uk/collections/cbd-oil/ of Sciences, Engineering and also Medicine released a virtually 500-page record on the health and wellness effects of marijuana and also cannabinoids.
- One point, nonetheless, ought to be noted below which is that some people might feel some adverse effects after consuming CBD.
- CBD and also THC are two types of cannabinoids located in cannabis.
- The testimonial additionally notes that researchers have yet to study some aspects of CBD, such as its lasting effects on hormones.
On July 1, 2015, HB 32 ended up being law after Gov. Matt Mead neither authorized the expense neither vetoed it, enabling the use of hemp essence which contains at the very least 15% CBD as well as no more than 0.3% THC for the treatment of intractable epilepsy. On Mar. 17, 2017, South Dakota Guv Dennis Daugaard authorized SB 95 right into legislation. On Apr. 27, 2017, Gov. Eric Holcomb signed HB 1148 right into law, enabling the use of cannabidiol that goes to the very least 5% CBD as well as includes no more than 0.3% THC for treatment-resistant epilepsy. An individual should search for the CBD laws in their state and anywhere they travel.
Does GNC sell CBD oil?
What You Need To Know About CBD. It's all over the news, in your local grocery store's aisles and now available in cosmetics at GNC. Unlike THC within Marijuana plants, CBD is not psychoactive, meaning it does not change a person's state of mind when they use it.
However trace amounts would not have much impact on mood or hinder stress and anxiety. The duty of cannabidiol as a treatment for anxiety disorders continues to be vague, as more long-term research studies are called for to analyze the advantages and also dangers. Smoking marijuana may position more risks to wellness than utilizing CBD oil.
Does the Vitamin Shoppe sell CBD oil?
CBD oil and hemp oil come from different parts of the cannabis plant. CBD oil uses the whole plant, while hemp oil comes from its seeds, but more recently, because of the growing CBD market, hemp oil derived from the seed of the plant is now more commonly referred to as hemp seed oil.


text: Tomorrow is Veterans Day, a federal holiday to honor the men and women who have fought to preserve our liberties, freedom, and independence. The day began as Armistice Day to commemorate the end of “the Great War” on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. November 11th has been a legal federal holiday since 1938. It is dedicated to American veterans of all wars. Remember to thank a vet!


text:
Morgan Stanley, the global financial services company, has revealed a new study report which predicts that mobile internet is gaining popularity over its desktop counterpart and more users will go online using mobile phones than desktop PCs within the next five years.
The report, titled "The Mobile Internet Report," states that mobile internet, now in its “early innings”, is evolving faster than any other technological cycle ever seen including the development cycle of desktop PCs.
The document also points out that smartphone evolution is contributing directly to the growth and popularity of mobile internet. The expanding smartphone popularity is one of the 5 trends that are boosting the use of mobile internet, others being 3G broadband technology, online video, social networking websites and VOIP services like Skype and Vonage.
Morgan Stanley also added that Apple Inc will continue to enjoy its current market share over which will ‘bloom’ for another two years, but after that Google Android and various other emerging competitors will pose serious threat to the company’s dominant status which it has acquired from its iPhone, iPod Touch and iTunes offerings.
However, these predictions are expected to come true after witnessing the sudden rise of smartphone which has come a long way since the launch of Apple iPhone in 2007.
A host of new mobile devices such as internet friendly tablets and e-readers like Amazon Kindle along with the ever growing smartphone technology will surely take mobile internet to a whole new level.


text:
CHICAGO (CBS.MW) - Home Depot said Friday that it sees 2003 earnings coming in higher than earlier estimates called for, but the company pared its planned store openings in for the first time in three years.
Shares of Home Depot
The nation's largest home-improvement retailer expects earnings per share growth of 17 percent to 19 percent, better than earlier projections of a 15 percent to 17 percent increase.
Total sales are forecast to grow 11 percent with sales at sores open longer than year anticipated to be higher by 3.8 percent.
The company continues to see 2004 earnings growth in a range of 7 percent to 11 percent.
However, Home Depot executives told analysts at its annual investors meeting that it will spend $3.7 billion this year to spruce up stores and open 175 new ones. That's 25 short of the 200 it has opened each of the last three years.
The company said it has "strategically moved" 25 new stores openings from January to February, but did not explain why.
Chief Financial Office Carol Tome said $1 billion of the capital expenditures for this year - or double what it spent last year - will be earmarked toward updating stores.
The company also said it had completed about $3.4 billion of a $4 billion share repurchase program.


text:
Alan McGee, the former head honcho of famed British indie label Creation Records as well as manager of the Libertines and head of the Poptones label, is auctioning off a bunch of his stuff. The Manchester Evening News (via Spin) reports that McGee will sell off over 1,000 piece at Omega Auctions on Saturday in Manchester. Those pieces include early Oasis demo tapes, previously unheard songs by the Libertines, notes from Courtney Love, and more.
McGee says the pieces he's selling represent only 30 percent of all the Creation Records memorabilia he has. "I'm just clearing out all this rock and roll rubbish from my house", he told the Manchester Evening News. "There will be more to come in future auctions."
All of that's pretty fitting, given that McGee said he thought it was funny when a fire destroyed a Sony PIAS warehouse in London last fall. "Got rid of all the shit music. And you get paid for it, the stuff you couldn't sell."
Watch the video for the Libertines' "Don't Look Back Into the Sun", below:


text:
In its first five days of release, Taylor Swift’s Lover has claimed the largest week for any album in the U.S., in terms of total units earned, since her last release, reputation, in 2017.
According to initial reports to Nielsen Music through Tuesday, Aug. 27, Lover has earned over 750,000 equivalent album units in the U.S., of which more than 625,000 are in album sales. Lover was released on Friday, Aug. 23.
Until Lover, the largest week for any album in 2018 and 2019 — in terms of equivalent album units earned — was tallied by the debut week of Drake’s Scorpion, which earned 732,000 units in the week ending July 5, 2018.
As for Swift’s reputation, it started with 1.238 million units (of which 1.216 million were album sales).
Equivalent album units comprise album sales, track equivalent album (TEA) units and streaming equivalent album (SEA) units. Equivalent album units are used to rank the most popular albums of the week, as reflected on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
This album is very much a celebration of love, in all its complexity, coziness, and chaos. It’s the first album of mine that I’ve ever owned, and I couldn’t be more proud. I’m so excited that #Lover is out NOW: https://t.co/t7jK7XmEqa pic.twitter.com/NMgE7LTdGZ
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) August 23, 2019
Lover by Taylor Swift already logged (by just its second day of release) the biggest sales week for any album since reputation sold 1.216 million copies in its first week and debuted at No. 1 on the Dec. 2, 2017-dated Billboard 200 chart.
For the full tracking week ending Thursday, Aug. 29, industry forecasters expect Lover to earn around 825,000 to 850,000 equivalent album units, with album sales perhaps 650,000 to 700,000 of that sum.
Lover’s first-week sales are aided by the set’s release in four collectible deluxe editions at Target, as well as dozens of merchandise/album bundles sold through Swift’s official website.
It’s expected that Lover will bow at No. 1 on the Sept. 7-dated Billboard 200 chart, securing Taylor Swift her sixth No. 1 album.
Image Courtesy: Supplied


text:
We have already covered all the crazy Black Friday sales from the nation’s top retailers including Best Buy, Walmart, Target and more. We also told you about a number of incredible Black Friday 2014 sales that have already begun. For example, Amazon is offering new lightning deals every 10 minutes, Best Buy’s early access sale began on Tuesday, and Target’s early Black Friday sale kicked off on Wednesday morning.
But eBay is the one website we can always count on for huge deals all year round, and the site has just announced a number of crazy deals offering discounts that are even better than the auction prices we normally see on eBay. More →


text:
- PROJECT HELP
- WHITE PAPERS
Mobile payments accounted for 15 percent of Starbucks' total U.S. revenue, the coffee giant said Thursday during its third quarter earnings call. CEO Howard Schultz told investors during the call that there are 12 million mobile app users in the U.S.
Mobile Payments Today Editor Will Hernandez believes robust rewards could help such an initiative take off.
Ron Herman, Founder & CEO of Sionic Mobile, urges mobile-payment app providers to focus on the customer experience first.
Kristen Gramigna, chief marketing officer for BluePay, gives some insight into what she believes works at the point of sale.
Mobile Payments Today Editor Will Hernandez addresses one particular marketing issue that is backfiring on mobile wallet providers.
Noah Glass, Founder and CEO of Olo, believes mobile ordering will one day change this particular industry.
Executives from White Castle and Dave & Buster's gave their take on the issue at the NRA Show.
CEO Ben Kaplan discusses the role gift cards can play in mobile payments.
Mobile-payment and loyalty provider opens its door to a new office.
Most Americans now own a smartphone and are using them to shop and eat out.
The smartphone has revolutionized the way we communicate, search, shop, share, purchase and stay connected. What were only concepts 10 years ago are reality today.
LoopPay, a mobile wallet platform provider, today announced it has received an investment from Visa, according to a press release. The investment is part of a larger strategic funding round for LoopPay, announced earlier this month, which includes Synchrony Financial...
SK Planet Inc., the U.S.-based mobile-commerce subsidiary affiliated with wireless giant SK Telecom, this week announced its beta launch of its touchless, beacon-enabled shopping experience through its Slyde mobile app, according to a press release. Slyde, which consumers can download...
ShopKeep announced today the addition of new features added to its cloud-based point-of-sale software. The Check Management feature allows merchants to hold tabs open for customers throughout a shift and let them pay for their transaction when they are ready....
Synchrony Financial today announced the completion of a strategic investment in LoopPay, according to a press release. LoopPay is expected to provide Synchrony Financial with special features and benefits for its cardholders and retail partners. LoopPay recently introduced the LoopPay...
Agilysys Inc., a provider of IT and hospitality software and services, announced it has expanded its rGuest product offering to include solutions for online dining reservations, table management, loyalty and a Point-to-Point Encryption payment gateway. According to a news release,...
CashStar, a digital gifting company with over 300 retailer partners, today announced it achieved an 80-percent year-over-year increase in the number of digital gift cards sold in the month of June, according to a press release. The company contributed the...
Lavu Inc. recently announced the addition of several new features to its online ordering application Lavu ToGo, including multiple payment options, real-time notifications, customizable online menus and website embedding. Lavu ToGo is directly integrated with Lavu iPad POS. The multiple...
TouchBistro today announced that it has integrated the Pay at Table service in the PayPal app with its TouchBistro mobile point-of-sale solution for tableside ordering. Customers at any participating TouchBistro location in North America can now use the PayPal app...
LevelUp, today announced the launch of InApp Surveys,enabling businesses to automatically collect posttransaction feedback and immediately respond to customer compliments or complaints.
KFC has developed a training platform through Google Glass. According to a blog on parent company Yum! Brands' homepage, KFC wanted to condense its 80-page instruction manual into an interactive video.
Toronto-based startup Tab has partnered with 18 high-end restaurants in the city to use a mobile-payment app so that patrons can use it to pay for meals, according to a report in The Globe and Mail. Tab uses geolocation for that app so users can check into a participating restaurant before they start their meal.
Consumers who visit select Hesburger locations in Finland can now use a mobile app from Seamless to pay for their order, according to a joint statement from the companies. SEQR is a mobile app from Seamless that is now live in three countries with Finland as the latest market thanks to the Hesburger partnership.
Tim Hortons announced today that its TimmyMe App now includes support for Passbook, allowing guests to access their Tim Card from the home screen on their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. The new technology, available on iOS, Android and BlackBerry...
Domino's Pizza announced today it is integrating Google Wallet with its Android ordering app. Domino's customers who have an Android device can now pay for their online orders using Google's digital wallet, according to a news release. Google Wallet is...
Consumers in Toronto now can use their PayPal mobile app to pay for food and drinks at 50 bars, restaurants and food trucks throughout the city, according to a report in the Toronto Star. PayPal app users in Australia, the...
Topic Center Sponsored by:
CONNECT: Mobile Innovation Summit will explore the many opportunities that retail and restaurant enterprises have for leveraging mobile and digital channels to build their brands, increase sales and improve customer engagement, experience and loyalty. During this event, you will network, share ideas and learn from the brightest minds in the industry.
© 2014 Networld Media Group All rights reserved.


text:
What are we teaching the children of the world when companies are constantly telling AMOLEDs they’re too fat? In their quest to rid the world of fatty, fat, fat AMOLEDs, Samsung and LG have both announced uber-thin displays today.
Samsung is touting another ‘world’s thinnest’ with a 2.2-inch display that’s 0.52mm thick-about the same size as your credit card. Screen resolution is at 320×240 with a 10,000:1 contrast ratio and it’s already in mass production. Not to be outdone by its SK counterpart, LG has brought out a 4-inch display that flexes and it’s only 0.15mm! But, yeah, that’s about all it brings. Looks like Samsung takes the trophy on this one.
Samsung OLED [AVING]


text:
Future Models - Toyota 2012 RAV4
Toyota teases RAV4 EV
Tesla-powered: Toyota's first modern EV for the US will be revealed within a week.
All-electric Tesla-powered RAV4 concept partially revealed prior to LA show
12 November 2010
A DAY after Land Rover revealed the five-door version of its most fuel-efficient vehicle ever, Toyota has released the first two teaser images of the all-electric RAV4 concept car it will also unveil at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 17.
Co-developed with Tesla Motors Inc, which will supply battery packs and electric motors for the vehicle, the RAV EV will go on sale in North America in 2012.
No further details have been revealed, but apart from a stylised ‘Toyota EV’ rear-end badge, the teaser images indicate the RAV4 EV Concept will have a speedo that reads to 220km/h and comprises an LCD read-out with the words “RAV4 Powered by Tesla’ replacing the standard odometer.
Toyota says further specifications and details of the Tesla-powered plug-in compact SUV will be announced at LA and has not revealed where the RAV4 EV will be built.
However, US news service Bloomberg has reported Tesla CEO Elon Musk as saying in a conference call late on Tuesday (November 9) that initially only about 2000 examples will be produced
“This is a test fleet,” Mr Musk told Bloomberg. “The initial phase is in the couple thousand-unit range.”
Toyota announced in July it would produce an electric version of the RAV4 after buying a 3.2 per cent stake in the start-up Silicon Valley EV manufacturer for $US50 million in May. Toyota’s contribution to the project is believed to be $US60 million, while Panasonic Corp has agreed to invest $US30 million.
The world’s largest car-maker said the fitment of its RAV4 with an electric powertrain from Tesla is the latest example of Toyota’s efforts to reduce the use of fossil fuels and cut CO2 emissions by developing more efficient and alternative powertrains.
“By working together, Tesla will benefit from Toyota’s manufacturing expertise, while Toyota aims to learn from Tesla’s EV technology capabilities, and its responsive and flexible approach to business and decision making,” said Toyota yesterday.
Long before its Prius became a byword for the hybrid vehicle movement, Toyota produced an electric version of its first-generation RAV4 between 1996 and 2003.
While the Prius has now notched up more than one million global sales, the original RAV4 EV was the world’s first vehicle to be powered by nickel-metal hydride battery technology – which continues to be employed by all Toyota and Lexus hybrids – and found around 1900 customers.
In a joint statement issued earlier this year, Toyota and Tesla said the first RAV4 EV prototype had been built and would be tested with a ‘fleet’ of other prototypes this year.
It is not clear whether the RAV4 EV will look any different to the standard RAV, or if it will eventually be sold outside the US.
While Toyota is working on a smaller electric city vehicle using Panasonic lithium-ion battery technology, which is also expected to emerge in 2012, it is believed to be interested in using Tesla technology for a full electric version of the Lexus RX SUV, which is already available as a petrol-electric hybrid.
Toyota, which has committed to introducing a hybrid version of its entire model line-up by 2020, is currently conducting a global field trial of its Prius Plug-In Hybrid, which will be among the first Toyota models to be powered (in part) by a lithium-ion battery.
Meantime, following the completion of its initial public share offering in recent months, Tesla this week posted a $US34.9 million loss in the third quarter of 2010 – far greater than the $4.6 million loss it recorded in the same period last year.
The result follows a 31.4 per cent fall in revenue to $US31.2 million and an increase in research and development spending, from just $US1.3 million in the third quarter of 2009 and $US15.4 million in the second quarter of this year to $US26.7 million in the last quarter.
The extra costs are due to the Model S electric sedan, which Tesla says is on schedule to be sold in the US from 2012 for about $57,400. Until then, Tesla says it will remain unprofitable while it continues to market the Tesla Roadster EV globally, including in Australia.
“The near-term quarterly profitability is not a particularly meaningful goal because we’re spending on the order of half a billion dollars over the next nine quarters,” said Mr Musk on Tuesday.
“So you can expect to see some fairly significant expenses there. It’s really the only way to execute the business given that we’re going from roughly 600 units a year to roughly 20,000 units a year.”
Tesla will use the former GM-Toyota joint-venture factory in Fremont, California - New United Motor Manufacturing Inc (NUMMI), which it bought earlier this year – to produce the Model S.
As we’ve reported, Tesla plans to employ the Model S platform underneath a range of future Tesla models, including an SUV, convertible and even a commercial van.
Apart from the RAV4 EV and Range Rover Evoque five-door, also confirmed to debut at the 2010 LA show next week are Saab’s 9-4X crossover, Volkswagen’s latest Eos coupe-convertible, Nissan’s Murano Cross Cabrio concept and Chrysler’s 200 sedan and convertible.
Also among up to 20 world debut will be concept cars from Subaru and Cadillac, the Optima Hybrid from Kia, Mercedes-Benz’s CLS63 AMG, Nissan’s Ellure concept, Mitsubishi’s larger i-MiEV and Nissan’s latest Quest, while Honda will show an EV concept, Mazda will stage the motor show debut of its Shinari concept, Chevrolet will show the production Camaro convertible and Acura will show its TSX sedan.


text:
Meghan Markle’s wedding gown will be fit for a princess for sure, but will it come with a royal price tag? Over the weekend, rumors spread that the bride will wear a custom Ralph & Russo Couture number costing approximately £100,000 (about $135,600).
Though we likely won't know the the bill—or the design—until the big reveal on May 19, E!’s royal expert Melanie Bromley breaks down what to expect from the future duchess' gown, financially, for BAZAAR.com.
The cost will likely be six figures.
“Meghan’s dress is expected to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Bromley says. “It’s going to be featured in the history books so needs to stand the test of time.” The Ralph & Russo number put that into perspective; by comparison, the average US bride spends $1,564 on her bridal gown, according to The Knot.
But even with the heavy price tag, it won’t be as expensive as Kate Middleton’s custom Alexander McQueen gown in 2011. “Catherine’s cost around four hundred thousand dollars but that eye-watering price was befitting for a future Queen, so it’s unlikely Meghan’s will be as expensive because it could be seen by some as being disrespectful,” Bromley added. In fact, it was previously reported that Markle wouldn’t want to “upstage” her future sister-in-law’s wedding gown cost.
“Even so, Meghan’s dress will still be astronomically pricey,” Bromley continues. “Like any bride, Meghan will want to look her best, so she will probably choose a top designer for the job to ensure her bespoke gown is worthy of the magnitude of the event. The cost of the unique design and the countless dress fittings that follow will quickly hike the price up. Ultimately, it will be worth the price tag. This has to be a fairytale dress that will satisfy the more than two billion people expected to tune in to watch the ceremony.”
There's no go-to budget on royal wedding gowns, but "it’s never going to be cheap," Bromley says.
The royal family is reportedly paying for the dress.
After announcing the engagement, Kensington Palace clarified that the royal family would pick up the bill for the ceremony—and that includes Meghan's dress, Bromley says. But the royals run the risk of public outcry "if too much of the tax-payers’ money is forked out on just one item of clothing." In that case, it wouldn't be a shock if the bride chipped in.
"It wouldn’t surprise me if Meghan decides to foot some of the costs herself so she can have the dress of her dreams," Bromley explains, calling Markle "independently wealthy." The former actress' net worth is roughly $5 million from her Hollywood salary and promotions, but that's nothing compared to her fiancé's net worth, which is eight times as large, according to Town and Country.
Ultimately, the cost of the dress will be just a fraction of the overall wedding cost, which will probably total at under $50 million, Bromley estimates. That's substantially more than William and Kate's wedding, which cost $34 million. "Bear in mind, prices have risen over the past seven years," she adds. Plus, about $40 million is reportedly just for security—Harry is a vulnerable target because he served in the army.
The Queen has to approve the design.
There are a few factors Markle (and her bridal designer) had to consider before ultimately choosing a gown. One is the royal family's input, especially the Queen's approval. "It’s essential the designer works hand-in-hand with the palace to make sure the dress is appropriate for the occasion," Bromley explains.
The second element is the venue, St. George's Chapel, which is much smaller than William and Kate's venue, Westminster Abbey in 2011. (The Duchess of Cambridge had a nine-foot train for her frock.) Though Markle's gown may accommodate the more intimate location, "the dress will have to be striking enough to provide enough wow factor for the tens of thousands of fans who have turned up to Windsor to see the couple go on the two-mile open-air carriage ride."
The third element is Harry's place in royal succession (which is currently sixth, following baby Prince Louis). "He enjoys more freedom than his brother," Bromley explains, so he and Meghan may get to bend the rules a little more easily. For starters, their wedding won't be a "full-on state occasion" like William and Kate's was.
Markle is very hands-on with designing her dress.
The bride-to-be reportedly chose her dress designer in January, and has been "going through designs and having top-secret fittings ever since." Once again, she uses her history in the public eye as an advantage.
"She has a keen sense of fashion and knows what she likes and also what suits her, which, of course, is another benefit of being a working actress," Bromley says.
Expect Meghan's dress to look different from Kate's.
Just like Markle doesn't want to upstage Middleton's bridal look, she also won't copy it.
"From what we’ve seen so far, Meghan is more willing to take fashion risks and not stick to the traditional royal rule book," Bromley explains. "She also seems to possess more confidence than Catherine did, at this point in her relationship with William, which is not surprising considering Meghan’s red carpet credentials."
And the groom won't be wearing a suit—he'll be in uniform.
"Serving with the British military gave Harry a tribe, it gave him a family, outside of the House of Windsor, and a sense of belonging," Bromley tells BAZAAR.com. "It will be crucial to him that he uses this day to pay tribute."
Watch Bromley live at Windsor for the royal wedding on E! Live From the Royal Wedding, airing Saturday, May 19 starting at 5 AM EST/2 AM PST.


text:
THE generics price war is
continuing to hot up, with an
unnamed atorvastatin sponsor
having initiated a 25% price cut on
the product effective from the
beiginning of December.
Both Alphapharm and Ranbaxy
have distanced themselves from
the move which under the price
disclosure arrangements will affect
all generic Lipitor suppliers.
Alphapharm issued a statement
on Saturday in which it “states
categorically that it is not
responsible for the price cut.
“Alphapharm is interested to
understand the logic and rational
for the cut from the sponsor that
initiated it,” the company ...
The above snippet is the first part of an article sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 16 Jul 12
Pharmacy Daily is Australia's favourite online publication dedicated to the pharmacy industry. The publication launched in March 2007 and is distributed every day by email to pharmacists across the country. MORE


text:
After eight years of sluggishness, the $1,897 Ether wallet that had been idle since Ethereum’s ICO (Initial Coin Offering) in 2015 suddenly revived, transferring a total of 8,000 ETH in just two minutes.
8,000 ETH was earned after participating in Ethereum’s ICO (Initial Coin Offering) in 2015, and the wallet remained inactive until May 27th. On that day, the owner starts by transferring 1 ETH to a new wallet as a precaution. They sent the remaining 7,999 ETH to a new wallet address one minute later.
ETH stock is now valued at around $14.7 million at the time of writing. Lookonchain, a blockchain analytics business, was the first to spot the move and notified its 219,000 Twitter followers. There was a lot of community discussion in the comments section of the post about the reasons for the move. One user speculates that the owner just got released from prison, while another jokes that they moved cash from the old Ledger – a dig at the company’s controversial new Recovery update.
At that time, 8,000 ETH was acquired at a price of $0.31 per token, placing the initial investment at around $2,500. At today’s price of $1,917, the owner has made a profit of 590,000%. This isn’t the only ICO-era Ether wallet to have made a comeback in recent months. Another wallet that got 2,365 ETH ($4.5 million) made its first transaction in over 8 years on April 24, when the owner simply transferred 2,360 ETH to a new wallet address.
After being inactive for five years, another ETH wallet moved 10,226 ETH ($19.6 million) to a new wallet address on March 5th. The new wallet address also has no meaningful transaction history. The only other ETH transaction recorded in the new wallet was a 207 ETH ($380,000) login transaction made just a few minutes ago. Notably, an additional 207 ETH was transmitted from an inactive wallet since June 12, 2017.
According to DeBank’s Web3 wallet tracker, the new wallet also stores $46 worth of memecoin called Gensler (GENSLR) and just $0.24 worth of a dragon-inspired token called Dejitaru Tsuka (TSUKA). The Ethereum ICO took place in two parts. The first step was the pre-sale, which raised $18 million by selling Ethereum tokens to new investors between July 22 and September 2, 2014. For the pre-sale, the prevailing exchange rate was 1 BTC for 2,000 ETH. The second step was the official launch of the Ethereum blockchain on July 30, 2015. As a result, some investors had to wait more than a year to redeem and utilize their ETH.
Inactive wallets containing large amounts of cryptocurrency can wake up for a number of reasons. Inactive wallets can sometimes revive after being hacked. Other times, it’s simply because the owner forgot and, after being rediscovered, thinks now is the perfect time to sell.


text:
It’s not rare to see Japanese corporate executives bowing in apology for scandals resulting from weak governance and compliance, and then vowing to prevent a recurrence.
A year after the introduction of a governance code urging companies to appoint multiple outside directors, many firms are trying to boost transparency and strengthen monitoring.
Corporate governance experts believe Japan Inc. is moving in the right direction. But some argue having a governance mechanism in place is not a panacea for rooting out scandalous behavior and that instilling a culture of compliance among employees is a more difficult task.
A recent scandal involving vehicle fuel figures at Mitsubishi Motors Corp. highlighted the difficulty of making a drastic change from within, as the automaker was also engulfed in recall cover-ups in the 2000s.
“Mitsubishi Motors lacked a sense of unity in developing, manufacturing, and selling cars,” a third-party panel said in a report in early August after spending three months looking into the scandal.
The assessment came as Mitsubishi Motors is tapping outside help to change what the panel described as a “closed” corporate culture and rebuild itself after the scandal, which damaged consumer trust. The company has installed Mitsuhiko Yamashita, a former Nissan Motor Co. executive, as executive vice president overseeing development and reform.
Nissan, once on the brink of bankruptcy in the late 1990s, carried out a drastic revamp in its organizational structure together with its French peer, Renault SA.
Nissan is expected to complete its due diligence in August before taking a 34 percent stake in Mitsubishi Motors, a deal that will enable Japan’s second-largest automaker by volume to appoint a third of Mitsubishi Motors board members.
Japanese companies have been said to have “inward-looking” governance mechanisms.
Nobutaka Kazama, professor of comparative management at Meiji University, supports the idea of making them more open.
“When it comes to improving governance, it largely concerns management and shareholders,” Kazama said. “But we also need to remember the roles of employees, along with consumers and society as a whole.”
“The influence of middle managers who can say no to their bosses and also check on and give advice to subordinates has been weakening,” Kazama said.
Mitsubishi Motors said in April it had manipulated data to make four of its minicar models, including two supplied to Nissan, look more fuel efficient amid tough competition with rivals. The scandal then widened to include other models as it was found that the automaker had used noncompliant testing methods and desktop calculations instead of actual tests to obtain fuel economy figures.
The investigation panel, consisting mainly of lawyers, found factors behind it included poor communications, indifference between corporate divisions, and a lack of manpower and other resources to develop cars.
At Mitsubishi Motors, Yamashita found multiple managerial layers that would slow information-sharing. He is now aiming to communicate directly with the workers who develop vehicles.
“It boils down to how much we meet face-to-face and communicate,” Yamashita said.
Mitsubishi Motors Chairman Osamu Masuko has acknowledged that efforts to renivent the company after past scandals failed to examine in-house information in 2005 and 2011. Had it done so, the improper practices might have been revealed.
For years, compliance specialists have argued that insufficient protection for employees, lifetime employment — a common practice in Japan — and a corporate climate that demands full dedication from workers tend to discourage whistle-blowing.
Japan has witnessed a series of corporate scandals in recent years that pointed to the need to raise awareness about compliance among employees.
In 2015, Toshiba Corp. admitted to overstating profits for years. The accounting scandal forced the industrial conglomerate to restructure its unprofitable businesses and go ahead with job cuts.
Suzuki Motor Corp. revealed in May that it, too, had used unapproved testing methods since around 2010.
“It’s a big test for Japanese companies on how to improve governance and compliance,” said Hidetaka Aoki, an associate professor at Chuo University and a specialist in corporate governance.
“We are in the midst of a transitional phase where the employment system is changing and information can be easily shared via the internet … and people have started to believe wrongdoings will be exposed sooner or later.”
Tokyo Stock Exchange data show some 77.9 percent, or 1,525, out of the 1,958 companies listed on the main section of the bourse had two or more independent outside directors in 2016. That marked a 29.5 percent rise from a year earlier.
Mitsubishi Motors’ investigation panel did not present specific steps to be taken to prevent a recurrence on the view that its employees should first and foremost discuss and share the same future corporate vision.
Yamashita is seeking to boost the morale of its employees and get them all involved in the revival process by each identifying challenges facing Mitsubishi Motors.
“We may need outside help, but the power comes from inside,” Yamashita said.
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.


text:
FireEye has detected Shellshock attacks against network-attached storage devices made by Taipei-based QNAP and used by universities and research institutes in Korea, Japan and the U.S.
The Xen Project has revealed the details of a serious vulnerability in the Xen hypervisor that could put the security of many virtualized servers at risk.
The Joomla project pushed out new updates for its popular content management system Wednesday after a glitch was found in the high-priority security patches it released a day before.
Virtual private network servers based on OpenVPN might be vulnerable to remote code execution attacks through Shellshock and other recent flaws that affect the Bash Unix shell.
Google has tripled its maximum reward for finding flaws in its software to US$15,000, a figure the company hopes will deter independent researchers from selling their information on shady markets.
Cisco Systems and Oracle are hard at work identifying networking and other products in their portfolios that are affected by the critical Shellshock vulnerability.
China has effectively cleared the iPhone 6 for sale in the country, granting the product a license, but not before a government regulator demanded Apple make some security changes in the iOS operating system to fix suspected flaws in the software.
Apple released a patch Monday for Shellshock, a serious software vulnerability disclosed last week, although the company had said it posed no risk to most users.
The cybercriminals behind the CryptoWall ransomware threat have stepped up their game and are digitally signing new samples before using them in attacks in an attempt to bypass antivirus detection.
System administrators who spent last week making sure their computers are patched against Shellshock, a critical vulnerability in the Bash Unix command-line interpreter, will have to install a new patch that addresses additional attack vectors.
Apple's OS X is vulnerable to the Shellshock bug, but it's not that easy for attackers to take advantage of it, according to Intego, which specializes in security software for the operating system.
A long-standing vulnerability unearthed in the GNU Bash software, nicknamed Shellshock, has disrupted the daily activities of the Linux system administrator community, as Linux distributors, cloud vendors and end users grapple to understand the full ...
Apple's iOS 8 addresses a serious weakness that could allow attackers to hijack the wireless network authentication of Apple devices and gain access to enterprise networks.
Twitter's recently announced bug bounty program has helped the company identify and patch a serious vulnerability that could have potentially disrupted advertising on its platform.
After a one-week delay, Adobe Systems has released security updates for its Reader and Acrobat products to patch critical vulnerabilities that could lead to computers being compromised.
Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Windows 8.1 tablet
- 2 Samsung Galaxy Tab S (10.5) 4G review
- 3 TomTom Runner Cardio GPS watch
- 4 LG G3 review
- 5 Nokia Lumia 930 review
Best Deals on GoodGearGuide
Latest News Articles
- Artificial intelligence system can predict data theft by scanning email
- Orange targets home applications with new mobile-to-TV gadgets and services
- Is that used iPad actually stolen? Apple creates tool for would-be buyers to check
- Angry Birds developer slashes up to 130 jobs to 'reignite growth'
- How hackers accidentally sold a pre-release XBox One to the FBI
GGG Evaluation Team
First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.


text:
The iPad Mini's pricing scale may begin at $329.
9to5Mac is now reporting that its insider sources have indicated that the device will sell for $329 at launch in the U.S.
The two higher capacity models will retail for $429 and $529.
These three price points apply directly to the Wi-Fi only models, as Apple will also release versions of the Mini tablet that connect to cellular networks.
Those three models will sell for $459, $559, and $659. The major U.S. networks expected to carry the iPad Mini include AT&T and Verizon, who already provide service for the third-generation model.
Apple is expected to unveil the new iPad Mini at a special media event on Tuesday, Oct. 23.
Invites to this iPad Mini event were sent out last week, which confirms that the company will actually be releasing the mini tablet after about a year's worth of rumors and leaks.
The invitation reads "we've got a little more to show you," pointing to something small or shrunken down.
Another device expected to debut at this event is a 13-inch MacBook Pro with a Retina display, which will join the 15-inch model that was released by Apple earlier this year.
However, the iPad Mini is still expected to be the star of this show.
The tablet is expected to be priced between $199 and $299 in order to compete with other small tablets including the Barnes and Noble Nook HD, Kindle Fire HD, and Google Nexus 7.
The long-rumored iPad Mini was reportedly seen by a Wall Street analyst while he visited component suppliers in Asia.
"We actually had the opportunity to play with a pilot iPad Mini used by one of the vendors," said Topeka Capital analyst Brian White. "This 7.85-inch iPad Mini fit our hands like a glove and we were easily able to tuck the device in our sport coat, offering consumers a more mobile iPad experience."


text:
In an article about the Serbian government decided to cap the prices of basic groceries like flour, pork and cooking oil over the course of 60 days, Bloomberg says that despite the measure, inflation in Serbia is at its highest rate in eight years.
“Global food prices are at a decade high following bad weather, labour shortages and logistical bottlenecks. That’s piling pressure on consumers and governments, with countries from Russia to Turkey introducing protectionist measures, calling for price cuts or boosting investment in local food production to secure supplies. Rabobank said this week that disruptions and prices should ease next year, but only slightly,” Bloomberg reports and continues:
“Surging inflation is denting nominal wage increases and threatens to cut disposable income. Serbia is expected to hold parliamentary and presidential elections in early April.
Serbia is trying to protect its citizens from an “excessive impact on their disposable income,” Mate Jelic, a senior macroeconomic analyst at Erste Group said. “Still, such measures are only sustainable in the short term.”
President Aleksandar Vucic’s party is still topping polls, but high food prices are adding to pressures he’s facing from simmering discontent over democratic standards, media freedoms and environmental protection. “
This post is also available in: Italiano


text:
BSS Bangladesh 2014.02.25 05:32
BARCELONA, Feb 25, 2014 (BSS/AFP) - Samsung unveiled yesterday its new
flagship Galaxy S5 smartphone armed with a fingerprint scanner and a built-
in heart rate sensor to defend its place as the world's industry leader.
Taking centre stage on the opening day of the world's biggest mobile fair
in Barcelona, Spain, the South Korean giant simultaneously revealed a
connected bracelet for health-concerned customers.
SAMSUNG, GALAXY, DEVICE, SCANNER, SENSOR, LAUNCH, Samsung, Sony, Gartner Inc., Suzuki, LG, China, Испания, USA, Japan


text:
By: Sara Mahmoud Mohamed
Queen B is a total slayer when it comes to her looks, she never ceases to amaze us with her choices yet her post twin body!
A couple of days ago she posted some photos of her on Instagram wearing a tight skirt and a blue sweatshirt and completed the look with Okhtein cross-body bag.
The US $530 bag is already sold out – of course – which is a great achievement to the Egyptian brand.
Okhtein founders are sisters Aya and Mounaz Abdelraouf who aim to bring true luxury back to Egypt through their artistic designs, the brand was officially born in 2014.
The brand co-founder Mounaz Abdelraouf took to her personal account on Facebook to express her happiness.


text:
Millennium hosted the company breakfast again. Needless to say, it was not only about eating delicacies hand-made by our new colleagues, but also about our new internally implemented tool which we would like to introduce you! It was not so long ago that we informed you about a new solution in our portfolio – Idea…
The latest news
- How to take control over management of service processes?
- Successful projects of medium-sized companies you can be inspired by
- Heineken Slovensko: “eshop“ in the CRM has made internal ordering much easier
- Artificial Intelligence in PowerApps reacts on current business needs
- We were at the launch of a new customer SMS competition named “POČASIE S TIPOSOM”


text:
5N Plus and Abound Solar sign long-term supply agreement
5N Plus Inc. - a developer and producer of high-purity metals and compounds for electronic applications - announced that it has signed a long-term supply agreement with Abound Solar Inc.
Under the agreement, 5N Plus will provide cadmium telluride to Abound Solar, which will be used “in the manufacturing of the company’s next generation thin-film solar modules,” said 5N Plus.
“We are pleased to report this agreement has been signed, following the memorandum of understanding with Abound Solar that we announced in January 2010,” said Jacques L’Ecuyer, 5N Plus president and CEO. “This agreement reinforces our position as the supplier of choice for CdTe in the solar industry.”
5N PLUS INC.
<hr size="2" style=" MARGIN-LEFT: 0px; MARGIN-RIGHT: auto” />
Recommended for you:


text:
|By Marketwired .||
|January 14, 2014 04:11 PM EST||
PALO ALTO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 01/14/14 -- With the holiday retail season now in the rearview mirror, Jumio, Inc. today released its 2013 mobile commerce analysis, finding that retailers celebrated the most successful mobile holiday shopping season to date, yet still missed out on billions of dollars in sales due to the prevalence of outdated mobile payment experiences. While shoppers increasingly took to their smartphones in search of the perfect gift, lost sales were equivalent to over one-quarter (27 percent) of total mobile commerce profits, according to Jumio's analysis.
Data released by the National Retail Federation shows that holiday sales overall totaled $601.8 billion with online purchases accounting for $95.7 billion. According to IBM, 16.6 percent of online sales during the fourth quarter were made on mobile. But, according to a recent Harris poll, 47 percent of shoppers abandon purchases(1) on mobile devices due to payment friction, and the majority (57 percent) do not attempt the transaction later(2) on a computer, meaning nearly $15.9 billion was left on the table by retailers this holiday season in the form of lost sales.
"While consumers abandon mobile shopping carts for a variety of reasons, from slow network speeds to high shipping costs, the most significant among them is entirely under a retailer's control -- removing payment barriers," said Daniel Mattes, founder and CEO, Jumio. "On the whole, retailers with mobile apps have done a remarkable job with most aspects of their mobile shopping experience and this season's numbers certainly show that. However, checkout pages and payment methods have not kept pace with what smartphone devices and services can do today to streamline those processes. This cost the industry billions of dollars this holiday season. Good news is that we expect that number to diminish as new technologies take root."
In addition to revenue lost due to payment friction at the time of checkout, retailers risk losing money on future purchases as well, with 63 percent of consumers less likely to buy from the same company via other purchase channels after abandoning a mobile transaction due to a poor experience, according to the recent Harris poll. While nearly one-half of consumers (47 percent) said they failed to complete a purchase because the checkout process took too long, other reasons shoppers don't complete a mobile transaction include:
- 51 percent reported they didn't feel safe entering their credit card information
- 41 percent said the checkout was too difficult on their device
- 23 percent said they failed to complete their purchase because it would not go through
"As mobile commerce sales increase each year, retailers need to offer a mobile checkout process that caters to on-the-go shoppers," continued Mattes. "Increased security measures to protect consumers and merchants as well as more convenient payment options are essential in creating the seamless mobile experience necessary to drive purchases from the cart to the front door."
Utilizing advanced computer vision technology, Jumio is a next generation credentials management company offering payments and ID scanning & validation products for mobile and web transactions. Designed to reduce fraud and increase revenue by minimizing friction in customer transactions, Jumio's products integrate easily into mobile apps or websites and create great customer experiences. Jumio's products are widely used by leading retailers, marketplaces and financial institutions.
Jumio's recently unveiled PORT, a secure device-based wallet infrastructure, allows consumers to conduct one-click purchases and transactions requiring identity verification, without the need to download a standalone wallet app. Netswipe® enables customers to scan their cards in online and mobile checkout resulting in increased revenue and reduced fraud for the merchants. Netverify® supports real-time ID verification in over 90 countries to help clients meet a variety of know-your customer requirements.
The company was founded in 2010 by CEO Daniel Mattes and is backed by top tier investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Citi Ventures and Facebook Co-Founder, Eduardo Saverin. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California Jumio operates globally with offices in the US, Europe and Asia.
(1) Jumio 2013 Mobile Consumer Insights Study
(2) Tealeaf 2011 Mobile Transactions Survey
"We've just seen a huge influx of new partners coming into our ecosystem, and partners building unique offerings on top of our API set," explained Seth Bostock, Chief Executive Officer at IndependenceIT, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 16th Cloud Expo, held June 9-11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York City.
Aug. 1, 2015 09:00 PM EDT Reads: 662
In a recent research, analyst firm IDC found that the average cost of a critical application failure is $500,000 to $1 million per hour and the average total cost of unplanned application downtime is $1.25 billion to $2.5 billion per year for Fortune 1000 companies. In addition to the findings on the cost of the downtime, the research also highlighted best practices for development, testing, application support, infrastructure, and operations teams.
Aug. 1, 2015 06:30 PM EDT Reads: 158
SYS-CON Events announced today that HPM Networks will exhibit at the 17th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on November 3–5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. For 20 years, HPM Networks has been integrating technology solutions that solve complex business challenges. HPM Networks has designed solutions for both SMB and enterprise customers throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
Aug. 1, 2015 04:45 PM EDT Reads: 483
For IoT to grow as quickly as analyst firms’ project, a lot is going to fall on developers to quickly bring applications to market. But the lack of a standard development platform threatens to slow growth and make application development more time consuming and costly, much like we’ve seen in the mobile space. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Mike Weiner, Product Manager of the Omega DevCloud with KORE Telematics Inc., discussed the evolving requirements for developers as IoT matures and conducte...
Aug. 1, 2015 03:15 PM EDT Reads: 328
The Software Defined Data Center (SDDC), which enables organizations to seamlessly run in a hybrid cloud model (public + private cloud), is here to stay. IDC estimates that the software-defined networking market will be valued at $3.7 billion by 2016. Security is a key component and benefit of the SDDC, and offers an opportunity to build security 'from the ground up' and weave it into the environment from day one. In his session at 16th Cloud Expo, Reuven Harrison, CTO and Co-Founder of Tufin,...
Aug. 1, 2015 03:00 PM EDT Reads: 519
With SaaS use rampant across organizations, how can IT departments track company data and maintain security? More and more departments are commissioning their own solutions and bypassing IT. A cloud environment is amorphous and powerful, allowing you to set up solutions for all of your user needs: document sharing and collaboration, mobile access, e-mail, even industry-specific applications. In his session at 16th Cloud Expo, Shawn Mills, President and a founder of Green House Data, discussed h...
Aug. 1, 2015 02:45 PM EDT Reads: 456
Mobile, social, Big Data, and cloud have fundamentally changed the way we live. “Anytime, anywhere” access to data and information is no longer a luxury; it’s a requirement, in both our personal and professional lives. For IT organizations, this means pressure has never been greater to deliver meaningful services to the business and customers.
Aug. 1, 2015 11:15 AM EDT Reads: 184
Container technology is sending shock waves through the world of cloud computing. Heralded as the 'next big thing,' containers provide software owners a consistent way to package their software and dependencies while infrastructure operators benefit from a standard way to deploy and run them. Containers present new challenges for tracking usage due to their dynamic nature. They can also be deployed to bare metal, virtual machines and various cloud platforms. How do software owners track the usag...
Aug. 1, 2015 10:30 AM EDT Reads: 215
The Internet of Everything (IoE) brings together people, process, data and things to make networked connections more relevant and valuable than ever before – transforming information into knowledge and knowledge into wisdom. IoE creates new capabilities, richer experiences, and unprecedented opportunities to improve business and government operations, decision making and mission support capabilities.
Aug. 1, 2015 10:00 AM EDT Reads: 317
Chuck Piluso presented a study of cloud adoption trends and the power and flexibility of IBM Power and Pureflex cloud solutions. Prior to Secure Infrastructure and Services, Mr. Piluso founded North American Telecommunication Corporation, a facilities-based Competitive Local Exchange Carrier licensed by the Public Service Commission in 10 states, serving as the company's chairman and president from 1997 to 2000. Between 1990 and 1997, Mr. Piluso served as chairman & founder of International Te...
Aug. 1, 2015 09:45 AM EDT Reads: 394
There are many considerations when moving applications from on-premise to cloud. It is critical to understand the benefits and also challenges of this migration. A successful migration will result in lower Total Cost of Ownership, yet offer the same or higher level of robustness. In his session at 15th Cloud Expo, Michael Meiner, an Engineering Director at Oracle, Corporation, analyzed a range of cloud offerings (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) and discussed the benefits/challenges of migrating to each offe...
Aug. 1, 2015 09:45 AM EDT Reads: 141
Puppet Labs has announced the next major update to its flagship product: Puppet Enterprise 2015.2. This release includes new features providing DevOps teams with clarity, simplicity and additional management capabilities, including an all-new user interface, an interactive graph for visualizing infrastructure code, a new unified agent and broader infrastructure support.
Aug. 1, 2015 09:45 AM EDT Reads: 190
SYS-CON Events announced today that MobiDev, a software development company, will exhibit at the 17th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place November 3–5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. MobiDev is a software development company with representative offices in Atlanta (US), Sheffield (UK) and Würzburg (Germany); and development centers in Ukraine. Since 2009 it has grown from a small group of passionate engineers and business managers to a full-scale mobi...
Aug. 1, 2015 08:00 AM EDT Reads: 314
One of the hottest areas in cloud right now is DRaaS and related offerings. In his session at 16th Cloud Expo, Dale Levesque, Disaster Recovery Product Manager with Windstream's Cloud and Data Center Marketing team, will discuss the benefits of the cloud model, which far outweigh the traditional approach, and how enterprises need to ensure that their needs are properly being met.
Aug. 1, 2015 08:00 AM EDT Reads: 1,689
Learn how to solve the problem of keeping files in sync between multiple Docker containers. In his session at 16th Cloud Expo, Aaron Brongersma, Senior Infrastructure Engineer at Modulus, discussed using rsync, GlusterFS, EBS and Bit Torrent Sync. He broke down the tools that are needed to help create a seamless user experience. In the end, can we have an environment where we can easily move Docker containers, servers, and volumes without impacting our applications? He shared his results so yo...
Jul. 31, 2015 11:45 PM EDT Reads: 790


text:
Volkswagen has been stockpiling VW ID.3, its new electric car, inventory as thousands of electric cars have been spotted in parking lots in Germany.
In November 2019, VW started production of their ID.3 electric car at its Zwickau factory, which they are completely converting from gasoline-powered car production to EV production.
However, VW said that ID.3 deliveries won’t start until summer 2020 as they accumulate vehicles until then.
At the time, it seemed like an unconventional way to launch a new vehicle, but we have since learned that the ID.3 might be facing some software problems preventing delivery.
Nextmove, an electric car subscription company in Germany, went on the hunt to find the ID.3s that VW produced over the last 5 months.
They managed to find to parking lots where they are storing about 2,000 VW ID.3 electric cars:
Volkswagen is reportedly reworking the software architecture of the ID.3, which is going to be the first VW vehicle capable of over-the-air software updates.
In the meantime, the German automaker is just making more vehicles and plans to deliver “30,000 ID.3 electric cars almost at once” when they start deliveries this summer.
Last year, a spokesperson said that VW is still “fully committed to the goal of producing and selling about 100,000 MEB vehicles in 2020” – and most of them are expected to be VW ID.3 vehicles.
The main specs of the ID.3 are battery pack options up to 77 kWh for 550 km (WLTP) of range, up to 125 kW charging, and a starting price under $33,000 (€30,000) for the base version.
You can read our post for the unveiling for the VW ID.3 last year for all the details.
It’s a bummer that those electric cars are not on the road converting gas mileage to electric.
It shows that established automakers need to adapt to this new era of software in vehicles being of the most important feature, along with the expectation of updates.
There’s a clear contrast between VW’s approach and Tesla’s. For those who don’t remember, Tesla actually delivered the Model 3 with uncomplete software and kept updating it over the months after the first deliveries, but it never sat on inventories – partly because they couldn’t afford to.
I am sure VW can afford to sit on those cars for a few months, but I am sure that they would prefer to deliver them already. By this summer, they are going to have about $1 billion worth of undelivered ID.3.
What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


text:
Organisers of next month's Australian International Motor Show in Sydney tried to put on a brave face this week, even though the list of no-shows for this year's event is almost as long as the exhibitors' list.
A press release this week announced that "the countdown is officially on" for the motor show with the release of its 2012 television commercial.
Only problem is that - except for a photoshopped sign and a new voice-over at the end - the 2012 television commercial appears suspiciously identical to the 2010 commercial, right down to the soundtrack of Steppenwolf's Born to Be Wild.
And judging by the exhibitors' list, Slim Dusty's A Pub with No Beer would probably be a more appropriate soundtrack for the ad.
At the moment the A-Z list of manufacturers at the show starts at F with Ford.
At last count, roughly half of Australia's automotive brands are not coming to the show, which means the variety of makes and models on display will be slightly less impressive than your average shopping centre car park.
Little wonder the show's advertising budget didn't stretch to a new commercial.
While we're on the topic of motor shows, this week's Paris show has sparked a bit of a catfight, with the Volkswagen Group taking a pot shot at its main rival for global domination, Toyota.
Volkswagen chairman - and doctor without a scalpel - Martin Winterkorn took aim at Toyota for its announcement that it was scaling back its plans to sell plug-in electric vehicles in the US.
"Many competitors are currently reducing their plans for electric vehicles," Winterkorn said with typical Germanic subtlety. "We at Volkswagen do not have to do that because from the word 'go' we have always looked realistically at this technology transition."
Conveniently ignoring the fact that the word "go" for Volkswagen was about a decade later than it was for Toyota, Winterkorn went on to back the General Motors "range-extender" approach to hybrids over the system in Toyota's Prius. The GM approach was an "intelligent combination of electric motor and internal combustion engine", Winterkorn said.
Toyota, on the other hand, clearly has no idea about electric vehicles. This week the company's vice-chairman and the man behind the Prius, Takeshi Uchiyamada, basically said electric vehicles were not yet fit for general consumption.
Uchiyamada, who has clearly lost his marbles, reckons EVs are basically dungers as consumer products because they are too expensive, don't go far enough and take too long to recharge.
Based on our recent first-hand experience with the Nissan Leaf, we have to say he couldn't be further from the truth. After all, the Leaf costs only about $20,000 more than a conventional car of the same size, can travel about a fifth of the distance and takes about 100 times as long to refill. Wake up to yourself, Takeshi-san!
They may not demand the same sort of media interest as pictures of topless princesses in a French villa, but spy shots are a sought-after commodity in the world of automotive journalism.
Unfortunately they're only of value when the real thing is still under wraps, which is why we don't anticipate much of a rush to publish the shots of the McLaren P1 that lobbed in our inbox this week.
Apart from the fact that the car in the pictures looks like a tent on wheels, there's the little matter of the P1 already having been revealed in all its undisguised glory in the lead-up to the Paris motor show. In fact, the shot is on our cover. OK, the car in the spy shots is a genuine production prototype and the show car is ostensibly still a concept, but we're guessing you'll be able to glean more information about the look of the new McLaren from the show car than the prototype.


text:
The Better Business Bureau of Western Ontario congratulates CLC Tree Service Ltd., this year’s winner of the prestigious BBB Business Integrity Award.
Armour Shield Roofing and Form & Build Supply Inc. each received awards as finalists.
The awards were presented at the 13th Annual Business Integrity Awards Breakfast on Wednesday, November 10th, 2010, held at the London Convention Centre.
The awards are presented annually by the Better Business Bureau to companies that meet high ethical standards of behaviour towards customers, suppliers, shareholders, employees and the community in which they do business.
In addition to a commemorative award, the winners received a $2,500 scholarship from the Rotary Club of London Foundation to be given by the company to a scholar or scholars of their choice in post-secondary education.
Speaking to the 300+ assembled guests was Donald J. McDougall, President & CEO of Rambri Management Inc. Mr. McDougall spoke about the importance of integrity in business leadership, especially in today’s financial climate.


text:
A jury in a US court in Delaware has just ruled that Apple's iPhone infringes on three patents held by software patent holding company MobileMedia. According to its website, MobileMedia itself owns about 300 technology patents relating to the usage of smartphones and other mobile computing devices — many of which were originally granted to Sony and Nokia. According to Bloomberg, it first brought its lawsuit against Apple back in 2010, claiming the smartphone maker violated 14 of its patents, including those covering screen rotation, rejecting calls, and "transmitting GPS coordinates" as part of getting mapping directions. Eventually, the patents being ruled on were whittled down to three, Apple failed to have the case thrown out, and the lawsuit was able to proceed to a jury verdict.
"We're very pleased," MobileMedia Chief Executive Officer Larry Horn said in a courtroom interview following the trial's conclusion. "We think it's justified." There's no indication yet on what the damages assessed to Apple will be.
The three patents, each dating back to the 1990s, that the jury has ruled Apple infringed include:
We reached out to Apple, who declined to comment on the story. We're waiting to hear back from MobileMedia and will update this post with any new information.
Matt Macari contributed to this report.
We'll email you a reset link.
If you signed up using a 3rd party account like Facebook or Twitter, please login with it instead.
Choose an available username to complete sign up.
In order to provide our users with a better overall experience, we ask for more information from Facebook when using it to login so that we can learn more about our audience and provide you with the best possible experience. We do not store specific user data and the sharing of it is not required to login with Facebook.