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In a country where homosexuality is punishable under the law, Anouk Ethnic, a clothing brand in India has come up with a commercial titled, “The Visit”, which shows a lesbian couple preparing to meet their parents. The commercial has created a lot of hue and cry among the masses and has more than three million views in just 10 days,across various social media networks.
As a part of their #BoldIsBeautiful campaign, the makers of the advertisement thinks that this will bring a positive change in a conservative society like India, where homosexuality is considered a sin. “We tried to avoid the stereotypes associated with gay people. There was no one woman looking more masculine or feminine in the film. We tried to give it a candid feel like it is any other couple being apprehensive about meeting the parents”,the ad’s producer Amitabh Ghosh told.
Going out of the box to promote a brand has always proved to be fruitful, and this time too it has not disappointed the makers. Despite the brilliant concept, it can’t be denied that this ad might get banned in India because of the content, which is regarded as explicit by many activist groups. So, watch it here before it is taken away from the internet.
Did you find this article fruitful? Let us know your feedback in comments.


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Newsmeister announced the second generation of its #1 Daily News Trivia App. Showing the door to boring, outdated trivia questions for which you need an encyclopedia to answer, Newsmeister delivers only the latest trending news questions from around the world.
Newsmeister’s Daily 8 News Quiz is a free, short, daily news quiz that takes less than 3 minutes to play, and offers news junkies worldwide a chance to outscore their friends. Questions focus on trending global news, covering categories such as Sports, Business, Politics, Technology, Entertainment, Science, and Literature.
Since Newsmeister’s initial launch in 2015, the app has delivered over 15,000 daily news questions and has been receiving rave reviews from its users and the media:
“It’s a great, new way to brush up on the day’s headlines and keep yourself informed.” writes Digital Trends.
Dyinghardhere says “Keeps you sharp, and prods one to pay attention”.
M209t adds “Interesting and fun. Daily quiz helps keep you informed on national and global news and challenges you to match your scores against others based on geographic location”.
Designed for the latest devices, including the Google Pixel 2, iPhone X and iPad Pro, users are encouraged to engage in friendly competition against friends, family and peers and then check the local leaderboards to see how they measured up.
The app can be downloaded from Apple iTunes, Google Play or Facebook.

domain: news


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By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
Children’s studio Nelvana has produced six new Piñata Smashlings short videos in partnership with Toikido.
The partnership also appears to be just the beginning for the two companies, as Nelvana says it is now working on a full animated series.
Toikido is a UK-based company that created Piñata Smashlings and the ‘Piñataverse’ with a hugely popular game in the Roblox metaverse. The Smashlings also feature a line of toys, allowing its young fans to collect the cute characters both in the game world and in real life.
Piñata Smashlings has been played 2 million times since its debut in the summer. Fans in Canada and the U.S. can currently explore the extensive Piñata Smashlings toy collection, featuring plush toys, figurines, and playsets, both online and at Walmart retail locations.
The hit status of Piñata Smashlings has now inspired the Canadian-based producer Nelvana to partner on storytelling in the world of video as well. Nelvana has produced six of the Piñata Smashling short videos for its ‘Keep it Weird’ YouTube channel.
“Our team has loved the challenge of giving these adorable and iconic characters their own distinct personalities,” said Mellany Welsh, VP of Nelvana Enterprises & Kids Can Press. “With their eclectic and hilarious escapades, the Smashlings are sure to captivate kids worldwide with their shenanigans. As the game continues to soar in popularity on Roblox, YouTube is the ideal stage to bring everyone’s favourite Smashlings to life and connect with the younger digital generation.”
Nelvana says the original shorts are an introduction to immerse kids into the Piñataverse world, ahead of the highly anticipated series in development that was announced earlier this year.
“Piñata Smashlings™ is an ever-expanding, multi-platform franchise that encompasses gaming, animation, music, toys, publishing, collaborations, and more,” said Darran Garnham, CEO of Toikido. “Nelvana is the perfect partner for the brand as they breathe vibrant life into our cherished characters, promising a vivid and engaging entertainment experience for kids as we launch the new shorts on YouTube.”
The series description says that in the Piñata Smashlings shorts, viewers meet five friends who have been thrown together by fate to form a team of very, very unlikely heroes. “Whether questing across the land, pranking the Piñatas in Piñata Village, or rescuing Smashlings from the no-good Bitter Bashlings, the Smashlings make the most out of every day as they learn to be heroes while celebrating being exactly who they are.”
Some of these shorts are enhanced by music and an opening theme song performed by Grammy-winning producer Jason Perry, along with Adam Nagy and Rich Savage. As an extra treat just in time for the spooky season, viewers can also enjoy a Halloween-themed song, performed by Jason Perry, Lana Carillo and Adam Nagy.
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Shares of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. jumped 6.6% in afternoon trade, after The Wall Street Journal reported that rival American Eagle Outfitters Inc. and private-equity firm Cerberus Capital Management were working on a joint buyout bid for the troubled apparel retailer. The WSJ report, citing people familiar with the matter, could be reached in about a month. In the meantime, other parties remain in the auction for Abercombie, including fellow apparel retailer Express Inc. and other private-equity firms, the WSJ report said. Earlier this month, Abercrombie's stock rallied after the WSJ reported that Abercrombie was in mergertalks with at least two interested buyers. Abercrombie's stock has climbed 8.3% year to date, while American Eagle shares have shed 25%, the SPDR S&P Retail ETF has lost 8.2% and the S&P 500 has gained 7.2%.
Copyright © 2017 MarketWatch, Inc.
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Consumer credit reporting firm Equifax Canada reported that Alberta still holds the highest consumer debt level among other provinces, while residents in Fort McMurray have been the largest borrowers compared to other major Canadian cities.
According to the first quarter figures released last week, Alberta's average consumer debt (excluding mortgages) peaked at $28,155, almost $6,000 higher than the national average. The average consumer debt in Fort McMurray was $37,755, while Calgary, came in second with an average of $29,283. Edmonton, meanwhile, ranked third on this ignominious list at $27,108.
"Over the past, I would say at least five years, Alberta has held that first place when it comes to the highest consumer debt levels, but that's not really the issue to me as an insolvency trustee. High debt levels become a problem when there's a lack of ability to service the debt," Edmonton-based insolvency trustee, Freida Richer, shared in an interview with CBC News.
She also pointed out that a lot of the debts in the province were acquired before the slowdown in the country’s economy four years ago.
"I think that stems from pre-recession, of course, the consumer optimism, the easy access to consumer credit. You know when people are happy about the economy, they feel good about it, people are working, there is a tendency to spend or overspend, “Richer said.
Prior the recession, Albertans also carried the largest debts in Canada, but it was not a concern back then because people were paying on time. During the downturn, though, many consumers were unable to pay their debts on time, and had to file for bankruptcy or a consumer proposal.
Assessing the condition in Fort McMurray, Richer said that the locals’ debts were likely used to recover from the massive wildfire that occurred in 2016.
"Maybe it's household renovations, or maybe it's getting that vehicle to get to and from work. There's a growing appetite for credit to help fund those things that are most important to people to help rebuild their lives," she emphasized.
Household debts in Alberta are not expected to fall anytime soon, but there is an effort from the consumers to be debt-free.
"I think people are still luckily putting money towards their debt, but just not enough because of cash flow issues,” Richer explained.
Central bank's interest hike almost certainly coming in July
Businesses feeling the most optimistic since 2011, per BoC
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Much loved cooking brand to celebrate its centenary in 2012
Leading cooking appliance brand, Belling has announced a 12 month programme of activity to take place throughout 2012 to celebrate its centenary year.
Founded in 1912 by Charles Reginald Belling with capital of just £150, a shed in Enfield and a young assistant, Belling has become one of the UK’s best loved appliance brands, with a multi-million pound turnover, worldwide exports and more than 1000 employees in the UK.
As part of the 100 year celebrations, Belling will unveil the Centenary Collection – a suite of specially designed products, plus a calendar of events for retailers, customers and employees. With the help of Belling employees and Facebook fans a Charity of the Year will also be selected, to be supported by 12 months of fundraising activity.
To commemorate its centenary, Belling has developed a special badge that will be used throughout the year on a dedicated advertising campaign. A new brochure and website will be unveiled and a limited edition Belling history book will also be produced that will chart the formation of the brand through to the present day.
Denver Hewlett, Chief Executive of Belling, said: “We are extremely proud of our heritage and all that the brand has achieved, so we intend 2012 to be a year of celebration that engages consumers with our history and rewards our customers and employees for all they have done to make Belling a great British brand.”


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A special edition of dunnhumby’s Retailer Preference Index, designed to determine which retailers in the $1 trillion U.S. grocery market best personalize the customer shopping experience, finds that Amazon leads the way, followed by H-E-B in second and then Kroger.
According to the inaugural report for “Leadership in Personalization,” these three retailers are at the top because they deliver targeted savings, localized assortment and frictionless shopping experience best.
The seven retailers with the next highest overall customer preference index scores are Giant Eagle, King Soopers, Meijer, The Giant Co., Target, Fry’s and Smith’s. Seventy percent of those in the top-quartile of the Personalization Retailer Preference Index ranking also are in the top quartile for Targeted Savings, the most important personalization driver.
“With the long-term trend of shoppers across all income brackets demanding lower prices, personalization is an opportunity for grocers to better retain and acquire customers,” said Matt O’Grady, dunnhumby’s president of the Americas.
“The goal of this report is to help retailers improve personalization as a whole – the way customers define it. And because customers define personalization as targeted savings, local assortment and a frictionless shopping experience, understanding their preferences is key.
“The Personalization Retailer Preference Index provides a framework not only for grocery retailers looking to lead the market in personalization, but also for those who are in the earlier phases of their personalization journey who are trying to understand where to focus their resources.”
The dunnhumby RPI is the only approach to ranking grocers that combines financial results with customer perception. It includes 65 of the largest grocery retailers in the industry that sell everyday food and non-food household items.
For the Personalization Retailer Preference Index, the financial data and the customer perception data is sourced from dunnhumby’s survey of 10,000 American grocery shoppers.
Dunnhumby analysts cross-validate the model with financial data from Edge by Ascential, foot traffic data from Placer.ai and web traffic data from Similarweb to ensure that grocery retailers who rank higher in its approach are driving a higher share of visits and bigger basket sizes.
The Personalization Retailer Preference Index model also identifies which dimensions of the personalization proposition matter the most for driving financial and emotional performance by grouping more than 30 personalization levers into three main personalization preference drivers – targeted savings, localized assortment and frictionless experience.
Key findings from the study:
- Only Amazon, H-E-B, Target and Shoprite, which ranked in the top quartile in dunnhumby’s annual U.S. Grocery RPI published in January, were also ranked in the top quartile in the Personalization Retailer Preference Index.
- Retailers in the top quartile outperform the rest of the retailers on benefits, costs or both.
- Smith’s, Winn-Dixie, Kroger, Fry’s and Giant Eagle offer shoppers the best targeted savings.
- H-E-B, Big Y, Wegmans, Food City and Schnucks feature the best localized assortment, the second most important driver of personalization.
- Amazon, Target, H-E-B, CVS and Walgreens provide shoppers with the best frictionless experience, the third most important driver of personalization.
The full RPI report can be accessed here.
Read more technology news from The Shelby Report.


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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended lower lead limits for juice. The recommended limit is currently 50 parts per billion (ppb). New draft action levels would be 10 ppb for lead in single-strength apple juice and 20 ppb for lead in all other single-strength juice types.
The FDA estimates that establishing a 10-ppb action level could result in as much as a 46% reduction in exposure to lead from apple juice in children. For all other fruit and vegetable juices, establishment of an action level of 20 ppb is estimated to result in a reduction of 19% in children’s exposure to lead. The FDA issued a lower draft action level for apple juice because it is the most commonly consumed juice that young children drink.
The FDA will work with manufacturers of these products to encourage the adoption of best practices to lower levels of lead in juice. According to FDA, juice can become contaminated with lead through sources such as old lead-containing equipment.
Lead is toxic to humans and can affect people of any age or health status. Even low lead exposure can harm children’s health.
The FDA recommends that for good nutrition, parents follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommends limits on juice intake for children. Decreasing juice consumption would also reduce potential exposure to lead from juice. The guidelines recommend that children should get at least half of their fruit needs each day from whole fruit rather than juice, and that children under 12 months of age should not consume juice.
Though not binding, the action levels are intended to encourage manufacturers to maintain lead levels in juices below the action levels, thus reducing risks associated with dietary lead exposures.
Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
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The Blackout Club could have been a unique horror game that unfortunately fails to deliver on its promises.
A video of the real ending of the Resident Evil 2 remake after players complete Scenario B (as either characters).
Resident Evil 2 is a remake that completely redesigns a classic work of horror while also respecting what made it so great.
A look at the Resident Evil 2 “1-Shot Demo” and what fans could expect.
With all the attention focused on the best and the worst of the year, here are the most underrated games of 2018.
The 2018 season of fear ends with a look back at how Doom 3 set the ground work for future first-person horror games.
The Truth is Out There When it comes to discussing the best works of horror from the 90’s, The X-Files is one that always comes up. This ground breaking series […]
A special outfit in the Resident Evil 2 remake pays tribute to Elza Walker, a scraped character from the original prototype.
With Call of Cthulhu having gone gold, Focus Home Interactive has released a new trailer titled “Preview to Madness”.
Horror Game Icon looks back at the legacy of The Thing and how it beat the odds to become a masterpiece in its own right.
Horror Game Icon begins the season of fear by looking back at how the VR version of Resident Evil 7 set the bar for others to follow.
During the Tokyo Game Show, Capcom released the “Story Trailer” for Resident Evil 2.
Remothered: Tormented Fathers is an experience that is made for horror fans, be it of cinema or gaming.
A look at why Capcom was silent regarding the development of the Resident Evil 2 remake since the official announcement in 2015.
The Walking Dead: Our World establishes the blueprints for the AR horror survival in the hopes a real game development studio could make a better experience.
To say that Capcom impressed everyone with the Resident Evil 2 remake would be an understatement.
Horror game fans received a special treat during E3 2018 as Focus Home Interactive has unveiled a new trailer for Call of Cthulhu.
The terror returns to Raccoon City.
The final installment of Horror Game Icon 2017 looks at Dino Crisis, Capcom first attempt at an action horror game.
The third installment of Horror Game Icon 2017 looks at Rockstar Games first forte in the horror genre.
The second installment of Horror Game Icon 2017 looks at one of the greatest mods developed for Half-Life.
Horror Game Icon begins the season of fear by looking back at the first time gamers had to survive a night in Raccoon City.
Resident Evil: Revelations is still an excellent blend of new mechanics while preserving its horror content.
Capcom has officially confirmed that two new DLC’s and a Gold Edition of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard will be available.
Steamforged Games has announced that they have partnered with Capcom to create a board game based on Resident Evil 2.
Capcom plans to bring Resident Evil: Revelations to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
It’s official, Alan Wake has been removed from all digital download stores due.
Shannon Woodward from Westworld has announced that she is joining the cast of The Last of Us Pt. II.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard was already a frighting experience on the standard console but the PlayStation VR version is an unforgettable nightmare.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is a return to the series roots while setting the foundation for a new era for the genre. This is the horror survival that fans have always wanted as it will take them to an unforgettable nightmare.


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Reitmans (Canada) Limited announced Monday that they plan to close Thyme Maternity and Addition Elle this summer as part of its corporate restructuring.
A few weeks ago, the company announced that it had been granted creditor protection as it looked to restructure following lowered sales -- largely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, however no store closures were announced at the time.
In a statement, President and CEO of Reitmans, Stephen F. Reitman said,"The strategic decision to close two beloved Canadian fashion brands was not made lightly, but it is necessary to enable our business to move forward as a profitable organization. All of the efforts we put forth to turn these brands around were derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic and, unfortunately, we can no longer afford the required resources to bring them back to profitability."
This latest announcement will see all 54 Thyme Maternity stores and its e-commerce site close by July 18, 2020 and all 77 Addition Elle stores and its e-commerce site close by August 15, 2020.
These closures will see about 1,100 employees in retail stores, as well as another 300 at the Head Office in Montreal lose their jobs.
Going forward, Reitmans plans to focus on their remaining bands, Reitmans, RW & CO., and Penningtons.


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The paper company Miquel y Costas has advanced its investment plan of 100 million euros planned for the 2021-2023 period and this year it will allocate some 70 million to improvements related to the circular economy, the reduction of energy consumption, innovation and capacity of production.
Of the 100 million investment plan, a total of 20 million already materialized last year. The acceleration of the rest of the plan aims to prepare the company "for the year 2023, in which we hope that the industrial markets will be more orderly," according to its president, Jordi Mercader Miró, reports Efe.
This year, the paper company will allocate 25 million euros to a technological project to innovate the production process in one of the machines at its factory in La Pobla de Claramunt (Barcelona) for the production of special paper for the food industry, batteries automotive and decorative laminate. With this, the company maintains that it increases its production capacity by 20% and will be able to reach more strategic markets. It is a "unique technology in the world", said Mercader Miró, who added that to start it up it will be necessary to stop the production of the plant for about two months.
The company's vice president, Jordi Mercader Barata, said that all the projects in the portfolio have been accelerated because the company has "the capacity to do so".
During the shareholders' meeting held yesterday, the 2021 accounts were approved, highlighting a 9.9% increase in sales, up to 301.3 million euros, and a 13.2% increase in net profit , up to 50.8 million euros. It is a record result that has been achieved in "a difficult context marked by the high increase in energy costs and the price of pulp," explained the company.
Miquel y Costas, founded almost 300 years ago, is focused on the manufacture of paper for industrial products, the graphic industry and tobacco.


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Just a few days after Google unveiled its self-driving car prototype, Intel is getting in on the automated vehicle industry, too
The company is introducing what it calls an “in-vehicle solutions platform,” which could eventually support self-driving vehicles like the Google car. Intel’s new hardware and software technology aims to help “the car evolve to better inform, assist and eventually assume control,” according to a press release.
The infotainment system — which comes with processors, an operating system and developer kits — would make it easier for automakers and suppliers to bring updates to its platform much faster (in only 12 months) and at 50% of the cost. …
Via: Mashable: Tech


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San Francisco mayor Edwin M. Lee announced today San Francisco’s Entrepreneurship-in-Residence (EIR) program.
"We need the top entrepreneurs to work with us on opportunities that are actual pain points and needs of government," Lee said in a press release. "San Francisco’s EIR program advances our role and vision as the Innovation Capital of the World."
The program will also offer mentorship from public and private sector professionals, including those with experience at McKinsey & Company, Nokia and NBC Universal.
"San Francisco’s program is one of the first EIR programs within government, who is by far, the largest customer of products and services in the nation," said Jay Nath, San Francisco’s Chief Innovation Officer. "The entrepreneurial products and services developed through San Francisco’s EIR program should drive significant impact such as increased revenue, enhanced productivity or meaningful cost savings."
There will be three to five teams selected and announced by early October during Sacramento’s Innovation Month. Teams can apply at http://entrepreneur.sfgov.org


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Moores investment pays dividends for family company
A well-known family-run department store in Co Londonderry has announced a series of improvements – including a revamped French-style cafe.
Moores of Coleraine said it was consolidating its position as "market leader on the north coast".
The company said it had carried out a major transformation in the last 18 months. As well as a new cafe on the ground floor, it had unveiled a fashion floor for its womenswear, and a new menswear department under the label GANT.
The business is owned by Ulster Stores Ltd. Managing director Neville Moore said: "This is a very important series of developments for Moores and reinforces our commitment to the local area.
"We have been actively bolstering our presence by investing in our store, our brands and our cafes and restaurants.
"Our latest development, the reopening of Café M, is already paying real dividends in terms of feedback from existing customers as well as attracting a brand new customer profile through our doors.
"We have been delighted by the response."
Ulster Stores is an independent retail chain based in Coleraine.
The business dates back to 1925, and the group now consists of Moores of Coleraine, de Gruchy in St Helier in Jersey, the White House in Portrush and Clare's of Llandudno, north Wales.
The business has introduced other new labels such as Whitestuff, Joules, Seasalt, Isle Jacobsen Outerwear, Soaked in Luxury, Second Female, Esprit, Garcia Jeans, French Connection, Naf Naf, Masai, Not the Same and Bandolera.
Mr Moore said the new labels had helped it retain customers and attract new ones who might otherwise have gone further afield for their shopping.
Moores is not the only independent retailer in expansion mode in Northern Ireland's towns and smaller cities.
Last month, Armagh family-run supermarket Emersons announced a £2m expansion of its city centre store, with the creation of 150 new jobs.


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Stand down, marines - it appears that today's Xbox One system update won't actually be releasing today. The console's new dashboard has been pushed back to later this week, as revealed by Major Nelson.
"The team is working on finalizing," he added in a Tweet. "More details when I get them."
The new version of the Xbox One's dashboard adds a battery charge indicator, USB keyboard support and the ability to manage storage. The update will also make improvements to Kinect voice control and general stability. Catch a picture of the revised dashboard below.
Another update will follow on 4th March "to prepare your Xbox One for Titanfall". It will offer "many new features and improvements, most significantly a new party and multiplayer system".
The tweaks to the Xbox One's party app are particularly welcome news - the app is popularly considered to be a step back from the Xbox 360's equivalent.
Source - OXM


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As the most widely accepted replacement for R-404A refrigerant in the supermarket industry, Solstice N40 provides significant energy and environmental advantages
SEOUL, February 26, 2018 – Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today announced that its Solstice® N40 (R-448A) refrigerant is being installed in all Lotte Mart stores over the next seven years, with an initial installation already complete in the company’s Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea store. This adoption makes Lotte Mart the first supermarket company in South Korea to implement Solstice N40, which is already in use in thousands of stores across Asia, Europe and North America.
Lotte Mart is aiming to achieve energy savings of up to 8 percent by 2025 and lower its carbon footprint. Solstice N40 helps meet those goals by providing at least 3 percent lower energy consumption in low-temperature applications, and 5 to 16 percent lower energy consumption in medium-temperature applications, compared with current refrigerants such as R-404A. It also provides the industry’s lowest global-warming-potential (GWP) from a nonflammable refrigerant, which is 68 percent lower than R-404A. Solstice N40 can be used in new installations as well as in installed systems that use high-GWP refrigerants like R-404A, R-507 and interim blends.
“Lotte Mart is aiming to achieve ‘Healthy Value’ as one of its goals in 2018 as the year marks the 20th anniversary for the company, not only by delivering goods but also actively working on global environmental policy,” said Cheol-min Lee, team lead of Consumer Safety Management Team at Lotte Mart. “With such change in eco-policy, Lotte Mart has decided to get ahead of the curve by switching to a more environmentally acceptable yet high-performing refrigerant. Solstice N40 is an ideal choice for us as it allows us to abide by regulations and protect the environment while reducing energy costs.”
In accordance with revisions to South Korea’s Atmospheric Environment Conservation Act, which went into effect in May 2012, the country is regulating the use of refrigerant substances that damage the ozone layer and contribute to climate change. In 2014, South Korea began reducing the use of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)—high-GWP substances that also deplete the ozone layer—following the HCFC phasedown amendment to the global Montreal Protocol treaty. The country aims to reduce average HCFC consumption by 97.5 percent between now and 2030, compared with the average consumption between 2009 and 2010.
“Global demand for Solstice N40 is higher than ever, as supermarkets like Lotte Mart choose it as the best option to meet upcoming GWP regulations, deliver significant energy efficiency and achieve operational cost-effectiveness,” said Eric Yang, Business Director of Honeywell Fluorine Products, Asia Pacific. “We look forward to collaborating with Lotte Mart to set an example for the Korean supermarket industry with this conversion.”
Honeywell is a world leader in the development, manufacturing and supply of refrigerants sold worldwide under the Solstice and Genetron® brands for a wide range of applications, including refrigeration, building and automobile air conditioning. Honeywell and its suppliers have completed a $900 million investment program in R&D and new capacity based on Honeywell’s hydrofluoro-olefin (HFO) technology. For more information, visit www.fluorineproducts-honeywell.com/refrigerants.
Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 software-industrial company that delivers industry specific solutions that include aerospace and automotive products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes, and industry; and performance materials globally. Our technologies help everything from aircraft, cars, homes and buildings, manufacturing plants, supply chains, and workers become more connected to make our world smarter, safer, and more sustainable. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywell.com/newsroom.


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Government is open to considering the restaurant industry’s demand of shifting back to higher goods and services tax (GST) along with benefit of tax credit on their inputs, revenue secretary Tarun Bajaj said on Wednesday.
Currently, a 5 per cent tax is levied on restaurant services, irrespective of whether it is air-conditioned or not, without the benefit of the input tax credit (ITC). Also, restaurants in starred-hotels that charge ₹ 7,500 or more per day room tariff will be levied 18 per cent GST but ITC is allowed for them. Those restaurants in hotels charging less than ₹ 7,500 room tariff will charge five per cent GST but will not get ITC.
“I also got this suggestion from the restaurant industry that they would like to go back to a higher rate of taxation with ITC being allowed to them, rather than (be) only on five per cent tax rate. Which is very fine. We would be open to look into this,” Mr Bajaj said at an industry event.
A final decision on the reversal in the tax rate for the restaurant industry will be taken by the GST council, chaired by the union finance minister and attended by state finance ministers.


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The issue of 2,01,60,000 shares received bids for 2,25,63,63,400 shares.
The qualified institutional buyers (QIB) quota was subscribed 108.8 times, non-institutional investors (NII) 354 times and retail investors 14 times.
IRCTC has been the best PSU as well as the most successful IPO in the last two fiscal years in terms of overall subscription where it leads in QIB, NII and employee segments.
IRCTC had set the IPO price band at Rs 315-320 per share. At the upper price band, the stock was priced at P/E multiple of 18.8 times to its FY19 EPS of Rs 17.
Anand Rathi Financial Services said that the company revenue should shoot up in the next 1-2 years due to the convenience fee and privatisation of two routes. Also, the company would get additional benefit from the recent effective tax-regime change to 25 per cent, it said.
"Undoubtedly, the debt free, IRCTC has a strong moat in a monopolistic business. However, the government’s interest would not always align with the 12.6 per cent minority shareholders interest," it said.
The IPO looks attractive due to limited competitive risks, and expected margin swing from revenue windfall with reintroduction of service charge, said Prabhudas Lilladher.
The issue is an offer for sale and is a part of the government's divestment process.
IRCTC operates a website, www.irctc.co.in, with transaction volume averaging 15 to 18 million transactions per month in the three months ended June 30. At present, it operates in four business segments, namely, internet ticketing, catering, packaged drinking water under the “Rail Neer” brand, and travel and tourism.
The inclusion of a convenience fee on railway tickets, setting up 10 water plants in the next two years and the recent tax reduction of corporate tax bodes well for EPS growth, said ICICIdirect in a note.
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FOUL PLAY: A man walks past a Qualcomm advertising logo. The U.S. integrated circuit maker has been handed a record-high fine by the Chinese Government for anti-competitive practices (CFP)
The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) announced on February 10 that American company Qualcomm Inc., the world's largest integrated circuit (IC or "chip") maker, will be fined 6.09 billion yuan ($975 million) after a 14-month investigation. The fine amounts to 8 percent of Qualcomm's sales revenue in China in 2013.
One of the key reasons for the penalty is the unfair and excessively high royalties Qualcomm collected from Chinese smartphone makers. "Qualcomm refused to provide a patent list to its customers in China and out-of-date patents were included in the licensing package and charged," the NDRC said in the statement on February 10. Other major breaches of the Chinese anti-monopoly law include product bundling and adding unreasonable conditions to the sale of baseband chips.
"Qualcomm's actions have precluded and restricted market competition, impeded and restrained technology innovations and development, and damaged interests of customers," said the NDRC's statement. "This has violated the Anti-Monopoly Law of China, which prohibits market players holding a dominant market position from abusing the position by selling products at unfairly high prices, implementing tie-in sales or imposing other unreasonable trading conditions without justifiable causes."
Qualcomm said in a press release on the same day that it will not pursue further legal proceedings contesting the NDRC's findings, and has agreed to implement a rectification plan that modifies certain business practices in China and fully satisfies the requirements of the NDRC's order.
This marks the highest monetary penalty since China's Anti-Monopoly Law came into effect as of 2008. According to Xu Kunlin, Director General of the NDRC's Bureau of Price Supervision and Anti-Monopoly, the NDRC and various provincial price-supervising authorities fined a total of 1.8 billion yuan ($288 million) for price monopolies in 2014, up by 50.7 percent from a year ago. This means the penalty Qualcomm will pay is three times the total fine China collected for price monopolies last year.
Wang Junlin, head of Yingke Law Firm's Antitrust and Anti-Unfair Competition Committee thinks this penalty demonstrates the NDRC's determination to implement the antitrust law, but it doesn't change Qualcomm's profit model.
"Is Qualcomm's model of calculating royalties on the basis of whole devices reasonable? Is there price discrimination between China and foreign countries? All these issues need to be further investigated," said Wang. "If Qualcomm has indeed abused its market ascendancy, related parties may report it to the supervising authority or raise litigations."
Qualcomm has a history of accusations by other companies to the NDRC regarding its hold over the chip industry, including two U.S. companies in 2009, a U.S. company in 2014 and a handful of Asian entities, including the China Communications Industry Association, which filed seven accusations of monopoly against Qualcomm.
In mid-November 2013, investigators raided Qualcomm's China headquarters in Beijing and its Shanghai office. On December 13, the NDRC announced it was investigating Qualcomm under monopoly charges. The company quickly fought back, arguing their behavior abides by Chinese laws.
In May 2014, Qualcomm denied its monopoly status in a report. In July, top executives of Qualcomm visited the NDRC. After a meeting, Qualcomm changed its tone, saying that it was under monopoly investigation. During the process of investigation, the NDRC held 28 meetings with Qualcomm.
The NDRC said in the February 10 statement that after investigation and analysis, it has proven that Qualcomm has market ascendancy in standard-essential patents licensing for CDMA, WCDMA and LTE, and it abuses this position.
"Our purpose is to maintain fair competition in the industry. Some practices have hindered the innovation capability of other companies. This is not beneficial for the industry or its customers," said Xu on February 10.


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UTEST company Onyx Motion, makers of an Android wear app called Swish that provides digital coaching for sports like basketball, will appear on CBC’s NextGenDen.
UPDATED! You can watch the Onyx Motion/Swish episode here (jump to the 6:15 mark).
The online web series seeks to take the popular Dragon’s Den model to Internet- and mobile-focused companies and features a new panel of dragons: Michael Hyatt, Michelle Romanow, Paul Miklas and Matthew Corrin.
Onyx Motion, led by CEO Marissa Wu and CTO Vivek Kesarwani, will appear in the premier web episode, which launches February 2, 2015. The company was previously featured in TechVibes and is part of the third UTEST cohort.


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Monday, 30 March, 2020
The Welsh Government has announced a further package of support for the business community to help it deal with the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford has announced £500 million of new funding to provide extra support to the Welsh economy, as organisations experience a sharp drop in trading as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The Economic Resilience Fund aims to 'plug the gaps' in the support schemes already announced by the UK Government, including the Job Retention Scheme and the Self-employed Income Support Scheme, which will guarantee 80% of people's wages and income.
The Fund will support businesses that have been temporarily forced to cease trading – to go into 'hibernation' – or those that need cash flow support to adapt to a remote way of working. It will be open to firms of all sizes, including social enterprises, with a focus on those that have not yet benefited from the coronavirus grants already announced by the Welsh Government.
The £500 million initiative is made up of two main elements:
This announcement builds on the £1.4 billion business support package announced by Welsh Government on 18 March, which provides a year-long rate relief holiday for all but the largest premises in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors and grant support for more than 70,000 small businesses.
First Minister Mark Drakeford said:
'We made a commitment as a Welsh Government to fill the gaps and support the economy and businesses through this incredibly difficult time.
'This package of support provides further assurance to firms, charities and social enterprises that we will do just that – help them deal with the economic impact of the pandemic.'
Business Wales is providing firms with tailored support and advice about dealing with coronavirus, from financial and supply chain planning to advice on staffing issues. Those affected are advised to visit the Business Wales website or call the helpline on 03000 6 03000.


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The low-priced e-commerce platform Temu is now available in several EU countries and may become a threat to established platforms in the future.
- Temu is a young e-commerce startup that offers competitively priced products, ranging from clothing and jewelry to lawn furniture and electronics.
- Pronounced ‘tee-moo,’ according to their website, Temu was founded in Boston, MA, and is owned by PDD Holdings Inc., which is based in Dublin, Ireland.
What happened: Temu.com has expanded its operations to serve several European countries, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain, reports Reuters.
Temu already serves many other English-speaking countries around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, as well as the United States.
What it means: The company is expanding at an extraordinarily rapid pace and may see it expanding further into Europe and the EU.
Beyond this, Temu may set its sights on expanding to other countries outside Europe, such as Asia and the Americas.
Why it’s important: Temu offers exceptionally low-priced products. If the startup can continue to grow at this rate, it could become a real challenge to established platforms like Amazon.
Growth could be cut short: Expanding at a rapid rate, particularly in the US, Temu and rival Chinese e-commerce platform ‘Shein’ have caught the eye of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
Their report titled ‘Shein, Temu, and Chinese e-Commerce: Data Risks, Sourcing Violations, and Trade Loopholes’ highlights the potential risks the platform may have for US consumers.
So, we may see tighter regulation on such e-commerce platforms in the future.


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You probably remember the dual-screen YotaPhone from 2012 and its two successors, the YotaPhone 2 and 3, released in the next five years. Well, the company behind those handsets is no longer.
The Russian company is having some serious financial problems and it was probably not too hard to guess given that two years have passed and we haven’t heard anything from Yota.
The news of bankruptcy come from the Cayman Islands Supreme Court where Hi-p Electronics filed a case against the smartphone manufacturer due to the multi-million debt. Hi-p Electronics is the supplier for e-ink…


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SAN FRANCISCO — Yahoo is renovating the main entry into its website in an effort to get people to visit more frequently and stay longer.
The long-awaited makeover of Yahoo.com’s home page is the most-notable change to the website since the Internet company hired Marissa Mayer as its CEO seven months ago. The new look began rolling out in the United States yesterday.
It’s the first time Yahoo has redesigned the page in four years. In that time, the company has had its annual revenue drop by about 30 percent, from $7.2 billion in 2008 to$5 billion last year, as more online advertising flowed to rivals such as Internet-search leader Google Inc. and social-networking leader Facebook Inc.
Mayer, who for 13 years helped to build Google into the Internet’s most-powerful company, has vowed to revive Yahoo’s revenue growth by establishing more of the company’s services as daily habits that “delight and inspire” their users.
Yahoo.com’s revamped home page figures to play a key role in determining whether Mayer, 37, realizes her ambition.
“We think this will be the new foundation for Yahoo,” said Mike Kerns, the company’s vice president of product.
Despite the company’s recent financial malaise, Yahoo’s home page has remained one of the Internet’s top destinations. The page attracted
392 million worldwide visitors last month, a 7 percent increase from 365 million a year earlier, according to research firm comScore Inc. By comparison, Microsoft Corp.’s msn.com drew a crowd of 334 million, up 4 percent in a year.
But visitors haven’t been spending as much time at Yahoo.com when they check in. They also haven’t been making as many return visits each month. That’s been a problem for many other websites, too, as Facebook and other online hangouts capture more of people’s online time.
Yahoo’s revamped home page isn’t a radical new look, but there are enough changes that could make the website more addictive.
The biggest switch will be in how Yahoo determines which stories to show each visitor on the home page and how the information is displayed.
Kerns says Yahoo has developed more-sophisticated formulas to determine which topics are most likely to appeal to different people so the news feed can be fine-tuned to cater to different tastes.


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Over 460 Moldovan local entrepreneurs will promote their products in the 19th edition of the National Exhibition Made in Moldova. The event will take place in Chisinau, starting on January 29. For five days, visitors will have the opportunity to buy local products and items at a reduced price.
For the first time, this year's edition will be attended by 30 local entrepreneurs, who will put on sale ecologically certified products. The statement was made by the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sergiu Harea, at a press conference.
"We focus on eco products. These products will be in pavilion number 3. We have several companies in the Republic of Moldova, who will participate in this exhibition with local products," said Sergiu Harea.
Meanwhile, during the exhibition, our entrepreneurs will benefit from seminars, training and will be able to initiate partnerships with economic agents from Romania, Belgium, Hungary, Italy, Great Britain, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Turkey, Israel and Georgia.
"We believe that those presentations and information, which will be provided to the general public, will be useful and timely to launch certain businesses," said the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sergiu Harea.
The Exhibition Made in Moldova is organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Moldova, under the patronage of the Government, in order to support local entrepreneurs and to promote the products made in Moldova.


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Terrapin Beer is the Presenting Sponsor of the event, which will be held in coordination with the Decatur Concerts on the Square series. All proceeds will benefit the Dogwood Alliance and the Decatur-based organization Poverty is Real. Along with the music, the free event will feature dozens of vendors displaying a vast array of sustainable goods and services, local and organic food and drinks, an artists’ market, a kids zone, and more.
The Dogwood Alliance—a beneficiary of the event since its inception—mobilizes the public to increase protection for millions of acres of southern forests through transforming the forest products industry. Poverty is Real leverages the universal love of music to combat poverty at the local level by coordinating concerts that benefit community organizations addressing the issues of poverty and homelessness in their hometowns. 2013 will be Poverty is Real’s first year working with Decatur Green Fest.
For more information, visit decaturgreenfest.com.


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The North American based automotive giant, the Chrysler Group LLC, has recently announced a recall for some of its models, because of two separate issues.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a total of 442,000 vehicles will be affected by this recall in the United States, 25,000 in Canada, 10,000 in Mexico and 12,000 elsewhere. The NHTSA says that some of them might have a potentially faulty microcontroller which can prevent the active head restraints from working properly. These components have been installed during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Chrysler will change or fix the necessary parts free of charge.
The affected vehicles are the 2011-2013 Chrysler Sebring / 200, the 2011-2013 Dodge Avenger, the 2011-2013 Jeep Liberty and the 2011-2013 Dodge Nitro. Owners of these models can contact Chrysler at 1-800-853-1403 in order to find out more on the subject. Besides these cars, Chrysler is also recalling the 2013 Ram 1500s with 4WD, because of a warning light which might indicate that the stability control has been disabled. A software update will be installed by the dealers in order to prevent the ESC deactivating. The same phone number can be used to contact Chrysler and find out more on this recall.


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You probably block ads while you’re browsing, even if you don’t realize it.
Google pushed out an update to its Chrome browser in February that made its ad-blocking capabilities active by default. It wasn’t the first web browser to offer native ad-blocking functionality, but it’s by far the biggest, as 57 percent of respondents in a kNOW study conducted earlier this year singled out Chrome as their browser of choice.
Google’s dominant market position caused widespread concern among digital marketers -- after Google’s Chrome update, eZanga CEO Rich Kahn told CNBC, "This gives Google even more power over the internet now than ever before. When does one consider it to be too much power in the hands of one company?"


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It's been almost a year since the retail REIT sector saw a significant merger or acquisition, but one may soon be in the works between Inland American Real Estate Trust, Inc. and Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust. On Apr. 7, Oak Brook, Ill.-based Inland filed a 13D form with the Securities and Exchange Commission, revealing that it owns a 5.6 percent stake in Farmington Hill, Mich.-based Ramco. The firm also said it was considering a further strategic alliance with Ramco that may take the form of a merger or an acquisition.
Ramco currently owns 20 million square feet of shopping center space, most of it concentrated in the Southeastern, Midwestern and Mid-Atlantic United States. Because its properties serve everyday consumer needs, they are less likely to be affected by the drop in consumer spending, wrote Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Philip Martin in an Apr. 8 note. Ramco also offers attractive valuation. Over the past year, the value of its stock decreased 48 percent, compared to the 21 percent decrease for the U.S. retail REIT sector as a whole, according to Jason Lail, senior research analyst with SNL Financial LC, a Charlottesville, Va.-based research firm. As of Apr. 17, Ramco's shares were trading at $22.53, still 37.4 percent below the $36 per share target price estimated by Cantor Fitzgerald.
“We have no idea what Inland would put out for an acquisition price, but there is definitely some room for arbitrage there,” says Lail. “It definitely could be a bit of a discount.”
The interest in Ramco is the second merger overture Inland has made this year. In January, the firm revealed that it amassed a 9.8 percent stake in the Port Washington, N.Y.-based REIT Cedar Shopping Centers.


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Last post on Aug 25, 2013 at 7:43 AM
You are in the Kia Rondo
What is this discussion about?
Kia Rondo, Car Buying, Wagon
#6 of 44 Re: Carens interior [bgw]
Oct 11, 2012 (12:18 pm)
sorry for the delay, been away for a few weeks. No I don't have it, I traded it last November on a 2012 Soul 4u. Purchased from the same dealer - they have treated me very well over the 4 years I owned the Rondo. The Rondo was great and very reliable which was the reason I bought another Kia, didn't even consider anything else.
some specs I've found for the 2014 model comparison to the current 2012 Rondo.
Length - 178.1" vs current 178.9
Width - 71.1" vs 71.7"
height - 63.4" vs 65.0"
ground clearance - 5.9" vs 6.1"
wheelbase - 108.3" vs 106.3"
#7 of 44 Confirmed for Canada
Oct 11, 2012 (12:30 pm)
this new version will be available in Canada, here's a quote from Kia Canada on there latest sales announcement:
Kia also revealed the all-new 2014 Rondo Urban Utility Vehicle at the Paris Motor Show last week. The all-new Rondo will be launched next year, as a Canadian-specific model in North America, offering the flexibility of up to seven passengers and versatility to meet the needs of growing families
#8 of 44 2012 Rondo vs 2014 Rondo (Carens)
Nov 24, 2012 (8:40 pm)
#9 of 44 Re: 2012 Rondo vs 2014 Rondo (Carens) [conwelpic]
Nov 25, 2012 (5:31 am)
By the pictures above, this is a 2013 Rondo?
#10 of 44 Re: 2012 Rondo vs 2014 Rondo (Carens) [bgw]
Nov 25, 2012 (6:48 am)
there is no 2013 model in the Rondo.
#11 of 44 Available in Canada
Jan 15, 2013 (8:42 pm)
Kia Canada says the new Rondo is scheduled for spring 2013 release.
#12 of 44 Re: Available in Canada [conwelpic]
Jan 16, 2013 (2:47 pm)
Canadian specification and features have not yet been released.
#13 of 44 North American premier
Jan 28, 2013 (8:16 am)
the all new Rondo will have its North American introduction at the Toronto Auto Show in February
#14 of 44 Production of the new Carens/Rondo
Feb 14, 2013 (10:14 am)
the Gwangju factory has made the change over from the old model to the new in January as they only built 82 units for export for that month. This plant has had an extensive expansion to increase production by 120,000 vehicles a year.


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Apple reopened all of its 42 stores in mainland China on Friday, Reuters reported, after they were closed Feb. 1 due to the deadly outbreak of the coronavirus in the country. The move is a sign that the worst might be over in mainland China even as the virus tears through the rest of the world. Apple CEO Tim Cook said in late February that China had gotten the virus under control and that...
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Owner of Fla. panhandle convenience store fatally shot
Authorities said the owner of a Florida panhandle convenience store was fatally shot during an apparent robbery.
Escambia County sheriff's spokesman Mike Ward said two men wearing ski masks shot the owner of State Line O'Yes Lotto on Tuesday afternoon. The store is located near the Florida-Alabama state line.
The Pensacola News Journal reports the body of Thomas "Tommy" Kroll, 74, was found behind the counter.
Kroll and his wife, Kathy, have owned the store for about 11 years.
Deputies and officers from the nearby Century Correctional Institution searched for the shooters.
The investigation continues.
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Tulane, Loyola faculty warn students, local residents of venomous caterpillars
JPSO investigating homicide in Marrero; One dead, one injured
NOPD: Bodies of woman, toddler found in Gentilly
Federal investigators arrive in Reserve after fatal small aircraft crash
Officers find pizza delivery driver dead from gunshot wounds in Mid-City


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Vancouver International Airport will be first in Canada to use NEXUS facial recognition kiosk technology. Innovative Travel Solutions announced today that their biometric kiosks have been configured to meet the requirements of the NEXUS program, a joint Canada Border Service Agency’s (CBSA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (U.S. CBP) operated Trusted Travellers program. BorderXpress NEXUS features ‘tap-and-go’… Read More »
Facial Payment PopID Technology NRF 2022 Innovation Award Nomination as Used in Kiosks NRF and the Vendor In Partnership (VIP) Awards have forged a partnership for VIP Awards for NRF 2022. Solutions will be recognized and celebrated by hundreds of retail professionals at NRF 2022 taking place January 15th, 2022 Datacap in conjunction with the Kiosk Association has entered PopID… Read More »
Case Study – Photo Kiosks with Facial Recognition Showtime Pictures at Georgia Aquarium Photo concession kiosks deliver fun for aquarium visitors Showtime Pictures, a respected name in photo concessions that provides photography services to attractions across the nation, partnered with Frank Mayer and Associates, Inc. to deliver kiosks with facial recognition technology to the Georgia Aquarium. Facial Recognition… Read More »
KFC Biometrics TechCrunch reports that KFC China is going to try facial recognition technology. Couple that with demographic and historical data and you can begin to approach smart ordering. Baidu and KFC’s new smart restaurant suggests what to order based on your face Baidu is demonstrating some of its most recent tech advancements in novel ways, including a… Read More »
CaliBurger has created a machine that uses facial-recognition technology to remember orders, with customers ordering simply by smiling at a kiosk.
Biometrics and face recognition trying to be the frictionless transaction. This is in Pasadena, CA being tested currently (Caliburger).
Facial Recognition Kiosk Software KioWare for Windows version 8.16 is now available with support for Omron’s Facial Recognition Device. It also now allows for the transferring files from connected phones or tablets to the kiosk. Facial recognition is becoming commonplace and being used in multiple scenarios. Recently Hertz announced facial recognition being used now in renting a car… Read More »
Full article as published by Denver Post 2/3/2019 Amazon Face-Detection Software Has Bias NEW YORK — Facial-detection technology that Amazon is marketing to law enforcement often misidentifies women, particularly those with darker skin, according to researchers from MIT and the University of Toronto. Amazon’s website credits Rekognition for helping the Washington County Sheriff Office in Oregon speed up how… Read More »
Noted on GGB News Excerpt: It’s called “biometrics”—a type of artificial intelligence that maps the features of the face with such accuracy, it not only can identify that person but detect their sexual orientation and, in the most advanced versions, even gauge their emotional state. Casinos in Macau and elsewhere are now testing the technology as a way… Read More »
From Design Smart City Jun-2020 Several developments in the Facial Recognition arena. The big starting point is that IBM is ditching Facial Recognition. In a letter to members of Congress, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna said the company would no longer make general-purpose facial recognition and analysis software, citing concerns about the technology’s use by law enforcement agencies. He clarified that… Read More »
Wendys and Pay by Face Seen on BusinessWire and Yahoo Finance PASADENA, Calif. & TOKYO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–PopID, Japan Computer Vision (“JCV”, a subsidiary of SoftBank Corp), and Wendy’s First Kitchen (“WFK”) announced today the launch of PopPay – PopID’s face-recognition-based ordering and payment system – in Tokyo, Japan. As a first step in the launch, Wendy’s First Kitchen locations… Read More »
From Olea Kiosks Feb 2022 How Biometric Technology is Used in Self-Service Kiosks Businesses are making the switch from traditional forms of security to biometric technology. Learn how to leverage biometrics through self-service kiosks. Because of the growth in document fraud and identity theft, terrorism and cybercrime, we’re seeing an increase in the number of requests for biometric security… Read More »
Face Recognition, Temperature Kiosks and COVID funding Article on Wired Nov2020 Intro Wired did an investigation into kiosks (well, temperature tablets…) and has determined schools are purchasing thermal cameras that include facial recognition technology. Ok. We can live with that… Technically most all of the schools have been purchasing infrared sensor-based tablets. They are not thermal cameras (e.g.… Read More »


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Shares of Zumiez Inc. jumped Thursday evening after the sporting wear retailer posted stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings.
Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial were expecting earnings of 38 cents a share on revenue of $126 million. Zumiez expects current fiscal year earnings of 90 cents to 93 cents a share.
But shares of Pacific Sunwear of California PSUN fell 2.3% to $11.48. The teen apparel retailer said its fourth-quarter profit rose to $64.7 million, or 95 cents a share, from $57.3 million, or 72 cents a share, a year ago. Excluding items, the company said it would have reported a profit of 93 cents a share for the latest quarter.
Revenue rose to $591.3 million from $506.8 million. Analysts were looking for a profit of 88 cents a share on revenue of $583.1 million. The company sees a first-quarter profit of 20 cents to 22 cents a share. Analysts expect 22 cents a share.


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(CNN) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is proposing changes to the nutritional standards that foods must meet before they can carry the “healthy” label on their packaging.
The proposal comes as the White House held its conference on hunger, nutrition and health and released a new national strategy to end hunger, improve nutrition and improve physical activity.
About 5% of food is labeled as healthy, which is a regulated claim. Foods making this claim have restrictions on individual nutrients such as fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, and must contain minimum levels of vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, protein and fiber.
The FDA says nutrition and nutritional science has changed since the claim was first defined in 1994, rendering the term obsolete.
For example, certain cereals with high amounts of added sugar still meet the definition of “healthy,” but salmon, which is rich in beneficial polyunsaturated fats, does not.
The proposed criteria change the definition of healthy. Instead of just counting individual nutrients, health claims would also take into account the variety of nutrients present in food and the nutrient density.
In order to be labeled with the claim “healthy”, products would have to:
- Contain a specific, sensible amount of food from at least one of the food groups or subgroups recommended in the dietary guidelines – such as fruits, vegetables or dairy products.
- Maintain certain limits on certain nutrients, such as saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars. The limit is based on one percent of the daily value for the nutrient and varies by food and food group. For example, the limit for sodium is 10% of the DV.
For example, a granola would have to contain three-quarters of an ounce of whole grains and no more than 1 gram of saturated fat, 230 milligrams of sodium, and 2.5 grams of added sugars, the FDA says.
Foods high in fats, such as certain oils, nuts and seeds, would also be newly eligible for the health claim, the FDA says.
“Nutrition is the key to improving the health of our country,” said Xavier Becerra, US Secretary of Health and Human Services, in a press release. “Healthy eating can reduce our risk of chronic disease. But too many people may not know what constitutes healthy foods. FDA’s move will help educate more Americans to improve health outcomes, address health inequalities, and save lives.”
Proposal would have limited effect, critics say
Diet advocates say the proposed rule has some strengths but doesn’t go nearly far enough to encourage better food choices.
“The potential impact as we see it is fairly limited,” said Eva Greenthal, senior science policy associate at the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Greenthal says the number of food products that currently carry the voluntary claim “healthy” is tiny and that tightening standards could see that percentage shrink even further.
She points out that people really struggle to understand when a food isn’t nutritious. The “healthy” assertion doesn’t help.
Instead, the Center for Science in the Public Interest wants labels on the front of food packages, like those used in Mexico and the UK, that warn consumers if food is high in salt, sugar or saturated fat.
These warnings sometimes look like traffic lights or black stop signs.
“There is a large body of experimental research that tends to favor nutrient alerts because they have a significant impact on consumer choices and improve the overall health of the foods selected when grocery shopping,” Greenthal said.
Greenthal says her group will submit comments on the proposed rule to voice their concerns.


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Sprint, Google Embrace: Google Voice, Nexus 4G Coming To Carrier
Get ready for a slew of mobile deals beyond the AT&T/T-Mobile linkup, all timed to this week’s CTIA conference. For instance: Sprint is offering Google Voice for all of its mobile customers; Sprint says the integration will be finished “soon”. The two companies have also announced that Sprint will be offering Samsung’s Nexus 4G, the “first pure Google phone” running the Android 2.3 “Gingerbread” operating system. You can find Ina Fried’s comprehensive CTIA coverage here.


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Folding Smartphone Samsung Galaxy Fold sometimes fails just one day or two after the beginning of use. This was announced by several experts to which the company provided Galaxy Fold for posting the review.
In particular, Mark Gurman (Mark Gourman), writing articles about Bloomberg, said he received a writing check Galaxy Fold completely crashed after only a few days, noting that he accidentally removed the screen protector.
YouTube's technical observer, Marquez Braunley, who also removed the protective film, faced the same problem. By the way, a Samsung representative on Wednesday warned that this should not be done. However, the CNBC device, provided by the South Korean company, did not remove the film, but also collapsed after two days.
When you open the smartphone on the left side of the flexible display, it now flashes continuously.
In turn, Dieter Bohn (Dieter Bohn), the editor-in-chief of the The Verge resource, announced that his smartphone has a defective "little bulge" hinge, leading to a slight distortion of the image on the screen.
Samsung began receiving orders for the Galaxy Fold over the weekend, although it does not last long. Obviously, the offer of new items is limited to a small amount, at least until the start of the sale, scheduled for April 26.
Samsung has not yet commented on Galaxy Fold defect reports.
If you notice an error, select it with the mouse and press CTRL + ENTER.


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New studies show canola meal fed to dairy cows can help to reduce their output of methane and nitrous oxide, two greenhouse gases that create a lot of attention for cattle businesses.
Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service helps Canadian exporters to find and maintain business relationships, boosting canola trade in Pakistan, China and many other markets.
Margaux McDonald, Canada’s senior trade commissioner in Pakistan, answers a few questions about canola market expansion in Pakistan.
Protein Industries Canada provides updates on two investments that show a lot of promise for canola. The Merit plant in Winnipeg will make food products that use canola proteins, and Botaneco has a new processing method that makes canola protein a better option for aquaculture.


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The National Weather Service issued an Excessive Heat Warning that’s been extended through September 9th. Forecasters predict a prolonged period of potentially dangerous heat across the Bay Area and Central Coast.
A Red Flag Warning means warm temperatures combined with low humidity and strong winds are expected to produce an increased risk of fire danger.
Tier 2 Status Delayed
Last Friday, the State indicated Marin County could graduate from Tier 1 to Tier 2 status based on the County’s most recent coronavirus metrics, which would allow for more businesses to begin operating or expanding their limited operations. However, yesterday evening, Public Health Officials learned that a new methodology being used for analyzing coronavirus data has led the state to decline Marin’s move into the next tier. The new methodology includes a different timeframe for calculating a county’s case rate and a new adjustment for counties testing more than the State average.
Because of this, the following businesses have been delayed and must remain closed:
- certain personal care services
- indoor dining
- indoor gyms
- movie theaters
- indoor houses of worship
- expanded capacity at indoor retail establishments and malls
Visit the State’s Blueprint page to view a full list of businesses and at what capacity they are allowed to operate.
Are you ready for a PG&E Power Shut Off?
Yesterday Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) issued power shut off warnings to nearly two dozen California counties; Marin was not on the list. It may not be affecting us this time, but we know that it can in the future—let’s make sure we’re prepared when it does.
Get cash and gasoline: With the power out, stores may not be able to make credit or debit card transactions. Gas pumps require electricity to work, don’t count on them having a generator—fill up.
Put one or two bags of water in the freezer: By filling several gallon bags of water and sticking them in the freezer, you actually make your freezer more efficient. If the power goes out, put the frozen water containers in the fridge to keep that colder longer. And once the water’s melted, you have a small store of emergency water.
Learn to open the garage door with no electricity: Most garage doors can be opened without electricity by pulling on the red handle that’s on the garage door unit and then opening the door manually.
During a PG&E Power Shut Off, the City and PG&E may open community resource centers, or charging centers. Especially in times of COVID, these should be a last resort. Should a center be needed, priority will be given to those who require medical devices. If you can, prepare now to avoid the need for a charging center by purchasing portable battery packs that allow you to extend your cell phone’s battery life 2 to 5 times longer. Save the charging center for the medically vulnerable and those in need.
Woodward Fire Nearly Contained
To date, the Woodward Fire at Point Reyes National Seashore has burned 4,835 acres and is and 95% contained (a 54 percent gain since last week). A total of 161 personnel continue working the fire, which is anticipated to be fully contained by Sunday September 20th.
For the latest information follow the Northern Rockies National Incident Management Team 2 news releases or visit their social media channels:
- Radio – Tune in to KWMR daily at 9:30 am to hear the live audio stream of the Incident Command Daily Briefing
Air quality today isn’t great and we’ll continue to see unhealthy levels tomorrow, so when you can, stay inside with windows and doors closed as much as possible and try to avoid extended outdoor activity.
Always remember your face covering
Carry a cloth face covering with you when you leave home. Have it visible at all times, and put it on when others are nearby.
Many people with COVID-19 have no symptoms, but they can still infect others. Wearing a cloth face covering over their nose and mouth helps prevent unknowing carriers from spreading the disease.
When to wear a face covering
Everyone over the age of 2 is required to wear a face covering when outside your home by the State of California. Wear a face covering when you are:
- shopping at a store
- waiting in line to enter a store
- using or waiting for public transportation
- in a taxi or ride share
- seeking healthcare
- inside any workplace, either as an employee, customer, or visitor
- during outdoor dining, at all times other than when you are actively eating or drinking
- walking outside and you see someone within 30 feet (about the length of a bus)
You will not be allowed to enter a business or use public transportation if you are not wearing a face covering.
When you are walking, running, or biking outside and see someone 30 feet away, put on your face covering. This way your nose and mouth will be covered by the time you get close to them.
When you don’t have to cover your face
Face coverings are not required when you are:
- at home, only with members of your household, and assuming everyone is healthy
- in a car alone or exclusively with members of your household
- sitting or standing with people you live with (such as picnicking outside) and you are more than 6 feet away from others
- outside and not within 30 feet of anyone you don’t live with
When outside alone or with members of your household, you should still have a face covering with you. It should be visible and readily accessible when you’re exercising, like hanging around your neck.
Put it on when you see someone come within 30 feet (about the length of a bus).
- SIP Violations in San Rafael should now be reported to SIPViolations@
- Wildfire Safety Forum—Did you miss it? The recording is available on the City’s YouTube Channel.
When emergencies strike, public safety officials use timely and reliable systems to alert you. Sign up now:


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- Security Watch: FireEye appoints first ever Asia Pac president
- Arbor-Cisco deal enlists service providers in the fight to push DDoS defences away from customer networks
- Microsoft’s rolls out ‘free’ iOS, Android MDM with Office 365 business plans
- Optus undertakes extensive security review as sanction for “significant” privacy breaches
- The Upload: Your tech news briefing for Monday, March 30
Fitbit - News, Features, and Slideshows
You don't need to splurge on a fitness tracking device to record how much you've walked, because smartphone fitness apps do the job just as well, and sometimes better.
The tech industry's most influential companies spent record amounts of money on federal lobbying in 2014 despite a general drop in lobbying by most tech companies. The spending was often directed at areas away from the central business of technology, and it indicates how diverse and powerful major tech companies are becoming.
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) wants the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to investigate the data gathering and sharing practices of makers of personal fitness devices and applications.
OK, kids, strap in for this post - we're going to move quickly here. Start off by watching the video above to see a bunch of new gadgets that we saw this week at the CE Week New York event (in New York City, natch).
Who says you have to sacrifice on looks if you're into wearable tech?
A place in your pocket is no longer enough for mobile gadget makers: now, they want your body.
- Microsoft activates Office 365 and Dynamics CRM Online on local datacentres
- NBN Co hits back at TPG with Fibre-to-the-Building launch
- Opengear deploys ZTP capabilities across its products
- Cirrus Networks signs $4.6 million in contracts via new strategy
- Invigor uses Big Data to slice prices for consumers


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- Inventory at dealer lots remains limited amid a global chip shortage.
- The average time a new vehicle sits on a dealer lot before being sold is 26 days, compared with 62 days before the pandemic hit.
- Your car may be worth more than anticipated at the start of your lease when the residual value was pre-determined.
If you're nearing the end of your car lease, don't assume another one is your best option this time around.
While many consumers go from lease to lease — which puts them in a new vehicle every few years — the pandemic has upended the auto industry. This generally means the calculus has changed for whether another lease makes sense, experts say.
For starters, "the ability to get access to the car you want quickly isn't there," said Pat Ryan, founder and CEO of car-shopping app CoPilot. "You might be waiting three to six months for it."
An ongoing global shortage of microchips — key components needed for today's autos to operate — that began last year continues to impede manufacturers' production of new vehicles, which has translated into demand outpacing supply.
The average time a new vehicle sits on a dealer lot before being sold is 26 days, according to a forecast from J.D. Power and LMC Automotive. Two years ago — before the pandemic hit — it was 62 days. An estimated 54% of vehicles were sold within 10 days of arriving at dealerships in October.
That supply imbalance has pushed the average amount paid for a new vehicle to about $44,000, according to the J.D. Power/LMC forecast. That's 19.3% higher than October 2020 when the transaction price averaged $36,887.
Part of the reason for record transaction prices is that manufacturers have slashed their incentives because, generally speaking, they don't need to offer big discounts to sell cars right now.
Consumer demand also has spilled into the used-car market, pushing values there up, as well. For vehicles that are 1 to 3 years old, the average retail price is $38,974, a 46% jump from $26,627 two years ago, according to CoPilot.
The good news for lessees is that your current car may be worth more than anticipated — and give you a chance to capitalize on the difference. CoPilot has a tool for its members that helps figure out the value.
In other words, you may be able to buy out your lease for less than what you'd pay for the car if it were sitting on a dealer's lot right now. This is because the residual value — the vehicle's worth at the end of the lease — was established when you signed the lease several years ago.
"You paid for depreciation that didn't take place," Ryan said. "You're sitting on a profit but if you turn it in, you're giving the dealer that profit."
Additionally, the bells and whistles you have on your existing car may not be on the next one, he said. Due to the chip shortage, some features — such as driver assistance and monitoring systems, or blind-spot monitoring — have been suspended by some automakers.
"You may not get new features on the next car or even the features you currently have," Ryan said.
And, with prices on cars at record highs, the next lease would reflect those increased values, he said.
"What we're telling our members to do is buy out and keep an eye out," Ryan said, adding that when inventories eventually return to normal levels, you could generally expect to see prices normalize.


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Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Will Launch in Less Than Two Months
Its about time guys! The successor of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is coming in the coming two months. According to Evan Blass, the guy behind @evleaks on Twitter, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is “almost exactly two months away”.
Galaxy Note 6/7 launch event is almost exactly two months away.
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) June 2, 2016
This means that the phone will come at the start of August this year.


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The world-renowned audio experts at Sennheiser will be offering CES 2018 attendees a look at no fewer than four products at this year’s event, including a 3D soundbar, a headset, and two earbud-style accessories. Unfortunately, the soundbar in question is actually still in its prototype form, so the company hasn’t shared any images or information about that. Those attending the technology-focused event will have the chance to see that prototype in action. That soundbar also just so happens to fall into the same category as another product the company will be showing off – namely the company’s AMBEO 3D audio program. First shown at an L.A. exhibit back in October, the AMBEO Smart Headset will also be demonstrated at CES. For those who may not already know, Sennheiser’s AMBEO Smart Headset is an earbud-style set of wired headphones designed to allow both listening to and capturing of 3D, binaural audio.
That should already be fairly exciting for any audiophiles, but that headset was also technically launched back in October. Meanwhile, Sennheiser has two brand new devices it wants to showcase, as well. The first is a set of noise-canceling earbuds under the model CX 6.00BT. The buds are similar to some others already on the market in that they are joined together by a single wire and feature Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity, but they also include support for Qualcomm’s apt-X Low Latency. That means that not only should the sound remain crisp and detailed, with plenty of bass. Watching videos or gaming should also not result in sound-syncing that is ever-so-slightly off from the visuals. Following that are Sennheiser’s new HD 820 over-the-ear headphones. These are wired and offer a completely unique closed-back design which is counter to how most audiophile-class headphones work – via an open-back design. That’s made possible, Sennheiser says, thanks to thanks to a glass transducer cover that which helps to minimize resonance, while still blocking out ambient noises that may otherwise interrupt the listening experience.
As to pricing and availability, Sennheiser has not, as of this writing, provided any of those details for its soundbar or its headphones. As mentioned above, the AMBEO Smart Headset was made available earlier this year and currently sells for just shy of $300. With that said, there will likely be more information made available either during or shortly after the CES 2018 event.


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Apple's latest iPhone SE release represents a basic, familiar, and affordable "classic" model of iPhone that wouldn't normally be expected to garner too much attention. Yet it has, due in large part to Apple's use of its most advanced A13 Bionic chip in what is now its least expensive new iPhone, just six months after initially launching the A13 in its most ultra-premium iPhone 11 Pro. Why is Apple shaking up the status quo, and who is this new model for?
A day after issuing new beta builds of iOS 13.4.5, iPadOS 13.4.5, tvOS 13.4.5, and watchOS 6.2.5, Apple has followed suit with a second beta version of macOS Catalina 10.15.5 for developers with a new battery health management feature.
Today's top Apple deals include a limited-time price drop on the new 2020 Mac mini. Plus, Amazon-owned Woot is having a flash sale on cheap Macs and iPads with prices as low as $80. Adorama is also slashing the price on an 8-core 15-inch MacBook Pro with Vega 20 graphics exclusively for AI readers.
Apple and Google appear to be in a standoff with the UK’s National Health Service over the development of a COVID-19 contact tracing app. The Guardian reported that the firms’ desire to protect user privacy is as odds with proposals for the NHS’s app which aims to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
Apple and Google are encouraging health services worldwide to build contact-tracing apps that operate in a decentralised way, allowing individuals to know when they’ve been in contact with an infected person but preventing governments from using that data to build a picture of population movements in aggregate. Their policies, unveiled last week, mean that if the NHS goes ahead with its original plans, its app would face severe limitations on how it operates. The app would not work if the phone’s screen is turned off or if an app other than the contact-tracing app is being used at the same time. It would require the screen to be active all the time, rapidly running down battery life, and would leave users’ personal data at risk if their phone was lost or stolen while the app was in use.
The first Apple Store outside of China set to re-open is in Seoul, South Korea and it will take on service needs and order pickups.
Apple's new low-cost 2020 iPhone SE second generation is a remarkably good value for all it gives you. But, to get to that $399 price point, you forego many key features that distinguish the iPhone range.
Apple does a lot to help us find our misplaced iPhones, Apple Watches, and iPads, and rumors strongly suggest that Apple is currently working on a Tile-like device that will allow us to find other items as well. Here’s everything we know so far.
Update 4/16/2020: Added a reference to Bloomberg's report regarding Apple's fall lineup.The latest rumor: AirTags referenced in Apple support video
Apple isn’t trying too hard to hide the existence of AirTags. In March of 2020, it uploaded a support video to its YouTube account showing how to erase an iPhone. At roughly the 1:43 mark in the video—which has since been pulled—Apple shows how to turn off Find My iPhone, and in doing so revealed a toggle for turning off the feature “Enable Offline Finding.” In the feature’s own words, “Offline finding enables this device and AirTags to be found when not connected to Wi-Fi or cellular.” The video was originally spotted by Appleosophy.
Tech bus drivers worry that companies like Apple, Google, and Facebook will begin to cut pay as tech company employees continue to work from home.
While it’s been reported for a while the Apple has pair of noise-canceling over-ear headphones in the works for release sometime in 2020, we haven’t gotten much in the way of details beyond a generic glyph found in leaked iOS 14 code. But a new Bloomberg report sheds some light on what Apple’s new headphones might look like.
Mark Gurman and Debby Wu report that Apple’s over-ear headphones will come in two models and feature components including ear pads and headband padding “that can be swapped in and out” via a magnetic modular system that “will allow users to customize their headphones as they do with the Apple Watch.”
Regulators in Brussels have already talked with Google about the risks to privacy of its COVID-19 contract-tracing app, and are going to meet with Apple's Tim Cook over the same issues.


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From the fake Dior outfit worn by Australian model Steph Claire Smith to the ‘Borrow My Balmain’ fallout which exposed a designer rental business to be profiting from rip-offs, the movement of calling out copycats on social media has been gaining some serious traction, lead by outspoken Instagram account, @diet_prada.
Galvanising a community of keyboard warriors to fight the good fight in the name of intellectual property, the Diet Prada phenomenon has seen a number of high-profile fashion players publicly scrutinised for unoriginality. Designs that once were discussed under the gentler light of ‘homage’ are now being called out for imitation in front of the account’s (at time of writing) 389,000 followers. But the rapid growth of this movement and people’s bandwagon-jumping reaction to it begs the question: is there still room for interpretation under the hyper-aware and politically correct microscope of social media?
The idea of the homage is fundamental in fashion. Born of a process that starts with mood boards and ends in seasonal trends, to demand that designers create wholly original collections is idealistic and fails to acknowledge the industry’s cyclical nature. Fashion does not exist in a vacuum. It is an intrinsic part of our understanding of the zeitgeist, reflecting and responding to its environment and becoming a touchstone for people to understand the culture. Consider, for example, how much the fashion of the 70s is intertwined with our perception of that decade and how those trends have made their way back to being relevant today.
Over the last two years, the fashion fanatics behind @diet_prada, Tony Liu and Lindsey Schuyler, have shown to have no qualms in calling out the fashion elite and — as per their account’s bio — ‘ppl knocking each other off’. Loewe, Ellery, Céline and Balenciaga (among others) have all been subjected to the pair’s sharp humour and dry sarcasm. They started an online feud with Stefano Gabbana (birthing the hashtag #pleasesaysorrytome) and launched a line of highly sought-after ‘call it out’ themed merchandise. No one is safe from the wrath of their Instagram backlash and granted when that backlash is aimed at retail giants for ruthlessly ripping off independent and luxury designers, it feels warranted. But there are times when the hard-lined approach adopted by @diet_prada and its disciples can feel like a reach. When grainy archival pieces are dredged up as ground zero for a FW18 coat that may have taken some inspiration from the cut or the fit or the print, we have to ask whether such an association constitutes plagiarism? When the message becomes less about intellectual property, and more about the glory of the call-out, it’s missing the point.
In some cases, the fashion industry has embraced artful imitators. Consider the unexpected relationship between Gucci and Dapper Dan, the rapper-turned-bootlegger who made crazy, logo-emblazoned outfits of fake Gucci and Louis Vuitton in the 80s and 90s. When Alessandro Michele paid homage to his aesthetic in Gucci’s Cruise 2018 show, it kicked off a string of unlikely events that culminated in Gucci and Dan opening a boutique atelier together in Harlem earlier this year. Ironically, Dapper Dan, despite his black market origins, is held up as a bastion of originality and stick-it-to-the-man irreverence, which is also what Michele seems to be pursuing in his own subversive collections.
In an industry where the presence of social media poses a risk of over-sanitation, a degree of creative license and interpretation is necessary to keep fashion striding forward. Yes, there are some who deserve to be shamed on social media, with lazy renditions that warrant confrontation by the Diet Pradas of the world. But there is a difference between those who take inspiration and those who are copying for profit. In an age where ‘going viral’ holds a kind of glamorous appeal, we must strive to reserve our wrath for only those who are worthy.


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Being built over an area of around 130ha in Sagunto, the Spanish cell factory is expected to begin production of the unified cell in 2026 to contribute to the German automobile major's €10bn Future: Fast Forward investment initiative
Volkswagen Group has broken ground on Gigafactory Valencia, the second gigafactory of PowerCo, located in Valencia, Spain, and entailing an investment of more than €3bn.
Gigafactory Valencia is a key component of the German automobile major’s €10bn Future: Fast Forward investment initiative, unveiled last year in collaboration with its battery company PowerCo and 49 partners.
The new cell factory is anticipated to have an initial annual production capacity of 40GWh with the potential to be expanded to 60GWh in the future.
Being built over an area of approximately 130ha in Sagunto, the Spanish cell factory is expected to begin production of the unified cell in 2026.
Gigafactory Valencia will also directly employ over 3,000 people in the future and further up to 30,000 indirect jobs that could be created at suppliers and partners in Spain, said the company citing a recent study.
Spanish President Pedro Sánchez said: “The factory that will be built here exemplifies the Spanish Government’s commitment to innovation and sustainable mobility.
“It is a sign of our commitment to industry, but also to the characteristics that define an entrepreneurial nation in the global market: innovation, territorial cohesion and public-private cooperation.”
PowerCo’s first €2bn cell factory broke ground in Salzgitter, Germany in July 2022. The German factory is planned to begin production in 2025.
Recently, the German company selected St. Thomas in Ontario, Canada to develop the company’s first gigafactory for electric vehicle (EV) battery production outside Europe.
PowerCo supervisory board chairman Thomas Schmall said: “We are moving into the fast lane with PowerCo. We have just broken ground for PowerCo’s second gigafactory in Valencia, and are already making the next step with the announcement of another gigafactory in St. Thomas, Canada.
“Our objective is to make PowerCo a global player in the battery business and pave the way for better mobility with sustainably manufactured battery cells. The gigafactory Valencia is an important milestone in that.”


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The Future of QuickBooks Desktop: What’s Next?
Everyone has been wondering what the future of QuickBooks Desktop will be. Some may say that QuickBooks online is the future in cloud technology. However, Intuit Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Small Business Financial Solutions, Dan Wernikoff, said, “We are never discontinuing it. I can’t see a time when we are not doing…read more


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Give Thanks for Local Restaurants with Small Business Saturday and Giving Tuesday
More than 45,000 Texas Restaurants are Small Businesses Operators Rely on 4th Quarter to Sustain Operations Year-Round.
AUSTIN, TX (November 25, 2022) – To kick off the holiday season, the Texas Restaurant Association (TRA) encourages Texans to support local restaurants on two key days—Small Business Saturday on November 26 and Giving Tuesday on November 29. Both days are an opportunity to give back as we celebrate with family and friends.
The holiday season is always a critical time for restaurants and other hospitality businesses, with many relying on this quarter to sustain their operations year-round. This year, the holiday season is particularly important as local restaurants continue to rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and inflation.
“Texas restaurants are resilient and have endured over 32 months of unprecedented economic challenges with their communities’ support,” said Emily Williams Knight, Ed. D., President & CEO of the TRA. “Small Business Saturday and Giving Tuesday give us all a chance to celebrate this resiliency together, enjoying time with loved ones while we reinvest in our local communities.”
Small Business Saturday, November 26
Founded in 2010, Small Business Saturday celebrates small businesses and the contributions they make to our economy and to our communities. Local restaurants are the quintessential small business; across the US, nine in ten restaurants have fewer than 50 employees, and seven in ten are single-unit operations.
There are many ways Texans can support local restaurants during Small Business Saturday. For example, Texans can:
- Purchase gift cards and merchandise from their local restaurants—creating great gifts for family, friends, teachers, and coworkers;
- Dine at local restaurants while supporting small retail shops;
- Bring a meal home from a local restaurant; and,
- Contact a local restaurant about catering a holiday celebration at home or for the office.
With nearly every restaurant battling historic price increases for food, labor, and operating costs, every purchase makes a positive impact not only for small businesses, but also for the employees, suppliers, and surrounding businesses that they support.
Giving Tuesday, November 29
Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world. To help rebuild restaurants and the talent pipeline that is essential for their future, the TRA set a goal to raise $250,000 for the Texas Restaurant Foundation (TRF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to building and maintaining a strong foodservice workforce.
Texans are encouraged to use and share this fundraiser link
to not only donate but also to challenge their friends and family to donate as well. By contributing to the TRF’s Giving Tuesday campaign, Texans will help:
- High school students get the resources they need to jumpstart their hospitality careers;
- Educators receive training to accelerate in their field; and,
- Local restaurants access the funding they need in times of crisis.
Restaurant operators and educators are already contributing, and all donations are tax-deductible. If each of us who loves dining out at restaurants contributes the price of a single meal to the TRF’s Giving Tuesday campaign
, we can ensure the Texas foodservice industry remains a force for good for years to come.
Tony Abruscato (Chief Marketing Officer) & Kelsey Erickson Streufert (Chief Public Affairs Officer)
ABOUT THE TEXAS RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION
Formed in 1937, the Texas Restaurant Association (TRA) serves as the advocate and indispensable resource for the foodservice industry in Texas. As a leading business association, the TRA represents the state’s $70 billion restaurant industry, which comprises approximately 50,000 locations and a workforce of 1.3 million employees. Along with the Texas Restaurant Foundation, the workforce development arm of the TRA, the association proudly continues to protect, advance, and educate a growing industry as the TRA enters its 85th anniversary year. For more information, please visit www.txrestaurant.org.