text:
Two saxophones hang on the wall next to electric guitars, plasma televisions and CD players in a pawn shop that sees a constant stream of customers.
But the number of instruments and electronics at Goodfellas Pawn Shop, 1203 S. Glendora Ave., West Covina, pales in comparison to the number of power tools stacked on shelves and along the floor.
“About a year ago, we started seeing construction workers who lost their jobs coming in and selling of their equipment,” said Mike Galstyan as he helped customers last week at Goodfellas.
“Now, we’re seeing a lot of people wanting to sell or loan their jewelry,” he said.
Just as finished his sentence, two men walked into the pawnshop looking to sell off three 14-karat gold necklaces and a gold ring.
More and more people grappling with job losses are bringing in jewelry, family heirlooms, engagement rings and wedding bands in hopes of cashing in or getting a loan.
“How much do you hope to get?” Galstyan asked the men.
“As much as I can,” the customer responded.
Galstyan stood over the cases of jewelry, examined the necklaces, calculated the daily price of gold – $925 an ounce – and offered $175 to the customer, who declined and walked out of the store with his baggy of jewelry.
“The pawn industry is a pretty good indicator of the overall economy,” said Monrovia Mayor Rob Hammond, who owns Neighborhood Pawn, 619 S. Myrtle Ave. in Monrovia. First he noticed the construction tools, then the automotive tools. Now he is seeing workers across all sectors.
Nick Yanez, manager at Arts Jewelry & Loan on Greenleaf Avenue in Whittier, said there has “absolutely” been an increase in business because of the economy.
“I would say the percentage is a lot. We get anywhere from 15 to 20 new people a day.
“We’ve seen a pretty high peak as far as new customers are concerned.”
Yanez said a high number of clients have recently come back to claim their pawned items because they are receiving tax refund checks from the IRS.
David Ferguson, manager of West Covina Pawn, said the number of people selling to him has doubled compared to an average year.
Most of his customers these days are bringing in gold.
“It’s the only thing that has any real value right now,” Ferguson said. “They can walk in with a handful of gold, and they walk out with a few hundred bucks.”
Ferguson’s father has owned the pawnshop at 823 S. Glendora Ave. for nearly two decades. Things are not exactly flying off the shelves lately, he said.
“Now we’re competing with Wal-Mart, and it is so cheap there that people would rather buy something new than used,” Ferguson said.
While there may be more customers visiting pawnshops, “as far as sales, they are flat, just like every other store,” Hammond said.
(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2477


text:
The company will soon offer the Watch Instantly video-streaming feature on Apple iPhones and iPod Touch devices and the Nintendo Wii gaming console, according to an industry executive familiar with Netflixs plans. (Netflix wouldnt confirm the info, with a rep saying it declines to comment on rumors or speculation.)
MultiChannel notes that Netflix already provides content on: PCs, Macs, Microsofts Xbox 360, TiVo DVRs, Internet-connected Blu-ray players from LG Electronics and Samsung, the Roku set-top, and TVs from Sony and LG.
Whether or not a Netflix app would be approved is debatable. Apple could refuse the app because it 'duplicates' iPhone functionality and AT&T would likely object to the app on its 3G network. That being said the increased pressure by the media and the FCC on fair App Store practices might make now a good time to submit the application for approval.

domain: news


text:
The Switch exclusive action IP, which recently cleared one million sales, is half owned by the developer and half owned by publisher Nintendo.
Speaking to VGC in an interview focused on the newly announced Kickstarter campaign for The Wonderful 101, Platinum studio head Atsushi Inaba didn’t rule out the possibility of Astral Chain following in the Wii U game’s footsteps by making the jump to non-Nintendo systems.
“In the case of Astral Chain, it’s an IP that’s owned half by Platinum and half by Nintendo,” he said. “So right now it just came out and it’s too early to say. For the time being we’re just hoping that it’s a success for the Nintendo Switch and we’ll see how it goes from there.”
Pressed on the possibility of a wider release, Inaba added: “Ultimately it’s Nintendo’s call, not ours. They own the publishing rights to Astral Chain so really we have no say in that matter. We consider The Wonderful 101 an exclusive case.”
According to Inaba, Astral Chain has been “a big success” for Platinum. Following the interview, Nintendo revealed that the game has sold more than one million copies.
“Of course we are very, very pleased with its success,” he said. “In particular, the feedback that we’ve gotten from reviews is very high.
“We hear that it’s been sold out in a lot of places, so we’re very pleased. We make the game, we don’t sell the games, so to get that kind of confirmation from users makes us very happy.”
In a previous interview Taura shared his desire to create a sequel, telling Malaysian site Bunny Gaming: “I do have a lot of ideas at my disposal and if there’s an opportunity to make a sequel or more entries, I’d be able to do so.”
VGC’s Astral Chain review called the title “a one of a kind combat experience and Platinum’s most well-rounded adventure to date.”
The Wonderful 101 will mark Platinum’s first attempt at self-publishing, which is why the studio has decided to adopt a crowdfunding model.
“It’s very important for Platinum,” Inaba said of the Kickstarter campaign. “If this is a big success, that allows us to confirm that we have a large fanbase and we can be confident in moving forward with projects in the future.
“We’re trying to move forward to the next stage and hopefully with everybody’s help and support that’s what we can do.”


text:
Tech Startup: Cinebody app automatically uploads footage to the cloud
The power of the cloud: instant distribution
Scott McDonald and Gavin Anstey worked together at Lumenati, the Denver video production company McDonald founded in 2015.
During production for clients, Lumenati’s crew would use iPhones to shoot and social media to distribute “quick behind-the-scenes edits,” McDonald says. “Those were gaining a lot of traction, more traction than the commercial.”
But the iPhone wasn’t ideal. Shooting with it was awkward and unwieldy, McDonald says. “Everybody felt really dumb using it. We said, ‘How can we fix this?’”
McDonald and Anstey set out to create an iPhone-encasing body that would mimic the “coolest camera ever,” a retro Super 8 model funded by a Kickstarter campaign, manufactured in China and launched to the retail market in early 2016.
But the $150 Cinebody spawned a software platform of the same name that allows a horde of users to shoot and upload footage to the cloud. It’s quickly gaining traction in pilots with Nike, Red Bull, Tropicana and other high-profile Lumenati clients.
“We built this beta software program while building the hardware,” McDonald says. “The real business is that.”
IN A NUTSHELL:
Numerous users shoot footage with their iPhones or other iOS devices anywhere on the planet, and the Cinebody app automatically uploads the footage to the cloud. Lumenati can edit the footage into a finished spot, or in-house teams at agencies or brands can handle the task.
The turnaround is speedy. “That’s the power of the cloud: instant distribution,” McDonald says. “Twenty minutes after it’s done, it’s edited, polished and out on social media.”
In late 2016, Nike used the platform to produce an ad with footage shot by running clubs all over the world. “That gave us the go-ahead that people could use this at events or concerts,” McDonald says. He’s since pitched the concept to creative agencies and major brands and says he got a notably positive response.
Platform subscription fees start at $1,000 a month for smaller businesses and go up to $5,000 for larger companies.
Cinebody is releasing a software update and new camera case in spring 2017. “We have one coming out that mimics the retro Sony Handycams with the flip-out viewfinder,” McDonald says.
The plan is to launch a “freemium” model for the platform and a cardboard version of the case. “Free users would be able to participate in brand campaigns,” McDonald says. A cardboard Cinebody “would be affordable to every single person at Coachella,” the annual musical extravaganza in the California desert.
The market for video content is massive and trending toward Cinebody’s model of affordable spots served in bite-sized chunks.
“Brands spend $1 million on an ad, but there’s a 24-hour timeline before that content’s dead,” McDonald says of the initial idea behind Cinebody. “How would it be to create 365 pieces of content for the same price as one piece of content?”
“Lumenati’s self-funded,” McDonald says. “Cinebody raised a total of $1.3 million in our first seed round.” Lead investor Bryan Singer, director of numerous “X-Men” movies and “The Usual Suspects,” “was thrilled to invest in a company that fits his life’s work.”
While McDonald says he’d love to scale without more outside capital, it’s unlikely to happen. “We’ve been exploring the idea of a Series A and spoken to a few venture guys,” he says.


text:
Canada’s economy saw slight growth in August, according to new figures from Statistics Canada.
Real GDP grew by 0.1 per cent, similar to what the nation’s economy saw in the previous two months.
Growth in services-producing industries was partially offset by a decline in goods-producing industries, according to the agency’s monthly report.
Retail trade rebounded 1.2 per cent from July when output fell back to December 2021 levels.
Sales at gasoline stations increased 6.9 per cent following three consecutive monthly declines while gasoline prices fell 9.6 per cent.
Food and beverage stores rose 1.3 per cent following two consecutive monthly declines. Supermarkets and other grocery stores contributed the most to the subsector’s growth, along with beer, wine and liquor stores.
Wholesale trade grew 0.9 per cent in August, up for the second time in seven months. Machinery, equipment and supplies wholesaling contributed the most to the growth. Building material and supplies merchant wholesalers also recorded a notable increase.
Decreases in the farm product and personal and household goods merchant wholesalers subsectors tempered the overall growth.
The public sector — which includes educational services, health care and social assistance, and public administration — expanded 0.3 per cent in August, marking the fourth consecutive monthly increase.
The agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting sector rose 3.9 per cent, mainly due to increased crop production.
Construction contracted for the fifth consecutive month, down 0.7 per cent in August. Engineering and other construction activities was the main driver behind the sector’s decline.
Residential building construction was down for the fourth time in five months, in large part due to lower activity in new construction of single-detached homes, row units and apartments. Non-residential building construction and repair construction were also down.
Manufacturing contracted 0.8 per cent in August — the fourth decline in five months and the lowest output level since January — led by a decline in durable goods industries.
The mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction sector contracted one per cent in August after a 1.9 per cent gain the previous month.
Utilities rose 1.5 per cent, led by an increase in electric power generation, transmission and distribution.
You can view the full report online by clicking here.


text:
Tier, a Berlin-based e-scooter corporate that’s briefly increasing all through Europe, has bought Vento Mobility, the Italian subsidiary of Wind Mobility. The corporations aren’t sharing the phrases of the deal, however it’ll mark Tier’s access into the Italian marketplace.
Simply closing month, Tier additionally bought Nextbike, a German bike-sharing platform, a transfer to each turn out to be multi-modal and extra consolidate its micromobility empire. Since its founding, Tier has additionally bought Makery, a supplier of virtual services and products like product technique, design and control, engineering, checking out and high quality, coaching and make stronger, and body of workers augmentation, in addition to Pushme, a battery swapping corporate.
At the Wind aspect of items, the corporate additionally lately bought off its Israeli operations to Yandex, the Russian tech massive, so it’s imaginable Wind is succumbing piece by way of piece to the inevitable trade consolidation. The corporate has raised a complete of $72 million; its closing investment spherical was once a Sequence A again in 2019. Tier, for comparability, raised $200 million as simplest a part of its Sequence D spherical in October, bringing its general investment as much as round $647 million.
Wind didn’t reply to TechCrunch’s inquiry for more info about its technique transferring ahead.
As of Tuesday, the primary Tier e-scooters will probably be to be had at the streets of Bari and Palermo, with different Italian towns to observe within the coming days and weeks, in step with the corporate. Tier is already found in 165 towns in 18 international locations, providing its scooters that come with an built-in helmet, flip alerts at the handlebar and rear wing, and triple brakes with a big entrance wheel.
Wind’s Italian fleet had 4,500 e-scooters throughout 11 cities and towns in Italy. Tier didn’t reply to requests for more info about what can be completed with the ones scooters, or if Tier would inherit all, or only a few key participants, of Wind’s Italian body of workers.


text:
Maserati is planning to enter the world of electrification soon, and has released the first teaser images of the GranTurismo, its first all-electric sports car.
We don’t know much about the Maserati GranTurismo other than the fact the automaker is currently testing a number of prototypes. The cars are being put through both road and closed track testing in a number of different driving conditions “to acquire vital data for the preparation of the final setup.”
Ahead of the official launch Maserati has released a few teaser images of the GranTurismo EV.
The heavily camouflaged vehicle features a sleek two-door coupe design with a long sloping hood reminiscent of the current gas-powered car by the same name. The prototype is also sporting aero wheels that look very similar to Tesla’s Model 3 aero wheels.
Keen-eyed observers might also notice what appears to be a chrome exhaust tip in one of the teaser images, suggesting this prototype might still be powered by a gas or hybrid engine.
When the official unveiling will take place is unknown, but it probably won’t happen until sometime in 2022, meaning customers likely won’t be able to order one until at least 2023.


text:
Despite the prolonged crypto cold sparked by the bankruptcy of crypto exchange FTX last month, most cryptocurrencies have managed to post profits this week. On Wednesday, Bitcoin opened at $17,783, a gain of 3.70 percent (roughly Rs. 14.7 lakh). Compared to its day-ago price of $17,150, Bitcoin’s value increased by $663 (or about Rs. 54,806) in the last day (roughly Rs. 14 lakh). According to market statistics from around the world, Bitcoin (BTC) gained little under four percent and remained quite stable in price.
Along with Bitcoin, the price of Ether rose by 3.53 percent on Wednesday. Gadgets 360, a website that keeps tabs on cryptocurrency prices, reports that the cost of one ether (ETH) at the time of writing was $1,318 (or around Rs. 1.08 lakh).
Most alternative cryptocurrencies followed Bitcoin and Ethereum’s lead and rose on Wednesday. Binance Coin, Binance USD, Ripple, Cardano, Polygon, and Polkadot are just some of the other cryptocurrencies accepted on the exchange.
Bitcoin, Ether Rally as Overall Crypto Market Rises by 3%
There were 4.35% and 1.78% increases in value for the memecoins Shiba Inu and Dogecoin, respectively.
SHIB is now selling at $0.0000092 while DOGE is trading at $0.091 (about Rs. 7.55). (roughly Rs. 0.000762).
Only a handful of alternative cryptocurrencies have shown losses so far today. Tether, USD Coin, Leo, Cosmos, Elrond, and Iota are all examples of these.
At the FOMC meeting tomorrow, there is a high possibility (about 80%) that the FED will reverse course and reduce the pace of rate hikes to 50 bps from 75 bps. The CoinDCX research team told Gadgets 360 that these findings “may also lend credence to the notion that Inflation has clearly peaked at 9.1 percent earlier this year in June,” citing disinflationary numbers two months in a row and supply chain breakdowns associated with significantly easing goods inflation.
The entire cryptocurrency market is up 3% in the past day. To put it another way, CoinMarketCap estimates that the total value of the cryptocurrency market is currently $871.64 billion. Following this event, the market valuation of cryptocurrencies, which had been approximately a trillion dollars just two months prior, dropped precipitously to its present level.
With the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX last month due to a lack of available cash and poor management, the cryptocurrency sector is in disarray.
Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO of FTX, was detained by US authorities on December 13; the SEC has since filed charges against him for allegedly cheating investors out of billions of dollars.
While many crypto companies have had to lay off workers to stay viable, others have had audits of their proof-of-reserves to win back the faith of their investors.


text:
- March London cocoa fell 0.5% to 1,717 pounds a tonne
- March raw sugar was flat at 20.17 cents per lb
LONDON: Arabica coffee futures on ICE rose on Friday, heading back up to a near 10-year peak hit in the previous session on tightening supplies.
Sugar was little changed meanwhile, though cocoa headed lower.
March arabica coffee rose 2.3% to $2.3440 per pound at 1333 GMT, after reaching $2.3835 on Thursday, the highest level for the benchmark second position since January 2012.
"Coffee prices have (reached) new multi-year highs on the back of poor supply outlooks in Brazil and Colombia (and) expectations La Niña could cause further crop issues," said Fitch Solutions in a note.
The market's recent strong performance has also fuelled technically driven buying.
January robusta coffee rose 1.9% to $2,254 a tonne.
Erratic weather has slowed the bean ripening process in top robusta producer Vietnam.
March raw sugar was flat at 20.17 cents per lb, after peaking at 20.69 cents on Thursday, the highest level for the front month since February 2017.
"Sugar prices have risen further as reduced sugarcane supply in Brazil has been further compounded by increased cane diversion to ethanol, while global demand for sugar trends upwards," said Fitch Solutions.
Thailand's sugarcane production is expected to rise by nearly a third this season, bouncing back from decade-low levels hit last year due to drought.
The International Sugar Organization on Thursday forecast a global sugar deficit of 2.55 million tonnes in the 2021/22 season, with a diminished outlook for consumption reducing the anticipated shortfall. The inter-governmental body had previously forecast a deficit of 3.85 million tonnes in 2021/22.
March white sugar was little changed at $516.60 a tonne.
March London cocoa fell 0.5% to 1,717 pounds a tonne.
"We expect (cocoa) prices to rise from spot (levels) over the coming months as grindings recover. We are bearish in softs in 2022, with the exception of cocoa for which the continued demand recovery will send prices higher," said Fitch Solutions.
March New York cocoa closed down 0.9% to $2,567 a tonne.


text:
In its latest webmaster
SEO is eveolving by each passing day, and in past years it has seen trmendous changes in
Lately, many webmasters noticed random drop and up in their website rankings and rushed
Amit Singhal, Senior VP of the company and eminent Googler disclosed last week the latest
After several queries from webmasters, Google finally answered whether using numbers in
In January this year, Google news removed sport box that was right there on its home page.
Last week, Google has announced new and improved layout for Google Maps search results.
Google is going one step ahead to make search over mobile devices more engaging. It has
If you’re waiting for the next Google update to get recovered from Penguin penalty,
Google, on time and again said that rich snippets and structured markup language isn’t
Finally, Google, the search engine conglomerate and top-notch internet tech giant unveils
Webmasters ask this question now and again: Are social signals are crucial factor for ranking
Google is testing a ‘Book an Appointment’ feature that will enable users to book an
In April this year, Google


text:
Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid are currently on one gorgeous vacation.
The two models Instagrammed photos of themselves on a sunny getaway on Wednesday, riding jetskis together and striking a few sexy poses in their bikinis for the camera.
"Back to life," 20-year-old Bella, who sported a white two-piece, wrote.
Meanwhile, 21-year-old Kendall looked to be the very picture of relaxation.
"Carefree Kenny," she wrote, reclining on a boat with a drink in her hand.
"I don't think you will be seeing them make a public announcement anytime soon, but there is something going on there for sure," the source told ET. "It's been going on for a while. Kendall is happy."


text:
Officials have discovered a new scam that Americans all over the country have been falling for. It’s similar to the one known as “secret shoppers”, but this time it’s “secret surveyors”.
We in the 21st century should be able to see through all the scams right? You’d think. There’s always a new way to scam someone.
What the scammer does is hires you for a ‘job’ or ‘gig’ that’ll earn you several hundred by the time you’re done. In several cases, people receive ‘priority’ envelopes with large checks inside. One woman, Kim Cordero, said her parents received an envelope, and “the envelope was addressed from Smart Shopper in Santa Clarita, California, and showed that the sender paid $6.65 in postage,” according to Pix 11.
The idea behind the scam is that you deposit the cashier’s check, which goes into the account right away, and then buy $100 gift cards with the money, sending the details of those cards to the scammer’s website.
In a few days, the bank calls and says the check bounced/was a fake, which means the gift cards will be charged to your account. Or the account will be in the negatives.
AmericaNow has more:
The idea behind the scam is to deposit the check into your bank account, then take $2,000 of the funds and purchase 20 iTunes gift cards valued at $100 each. The money is supposed to appear in a victim’s bank account immediately, as law dictates that cashier’s checks be deposited quickly.
The instructions dictate that once the cards are purchased, you are supposed to take pictures of the front and back of all of them and then fill out a form with information about where the cards were purchased. Then, send an email including photos of the cards and a scan of the completed form to the email provided [email protected].
The extra $400 left over is supposedly the reward for doing the survey work for the company, but Cordero’s mother, Irma, said she was skeptical about its legitimacy.
The skepticism, it turns out, was entirely warranted. The address listed on the envelope does not exist, nor does the company that supposedly sent the survey. In fact, an actual company called Smart Shopper has received complaints from across the country about the scam.
The most important aspect of the scam is the check. Though the bank on the check is real, the check itself is fake. Once the bank becomes aware of a counterfeit check being deposited, the money spent on the gift cards is taken from the victim as the check is invalid.
Many readers expressed shock and anger over the scam, with some even recalling their own experiences.


text:
Chipotle to retrain all workers on food safety after hundreds fall ill in Ohio
Chipotle Mexican Grill plans to retrain all of its restaurant workers nationwide on food safety after nearly 650 customers became ill after eating recently at one of its Ohio restaurants.
The company confirmed Thursday to USA TODAY that it would launch the training next week after the episode in Powell, Ohio.
“Chipotle has a zero-tolerance policy for any violations of our stringent food safety standards and we are committed to doing all we can to ensure it does not happen again," CEO Brian Niccol said in a statement. "Once we identified this incident, we acted quickly to close the Powell restaurant and implemented our food safety response protocols that include total replacement of all food inventory and complete cleaning and sanitization of the restaurant."
More:Chipotle reopens Ohio restaurant after customers report falling ill
More:New Chipotle CEO brims with ideas to enhance menu, appeal to young diners
More:Chipotle lures students, parents with buy-one, get-one deal Saturday
Nearly 650 people "self-reported gastrointestinal symptoms" after eating there in late July, according to a report Thursday by Traci Whittaker of Ohio's Delaware General Health District, which is investigating the matter.
Tests showed sickened customers had Clostridium perfringens, which "is a foodborne disease that occurs when food is left at an unsafe temperature," Whittaker said.
Investigators could not pin down a specific ingredient that caused the problem, but testing is ongoing.
Although there were no indications that the Ohio incident had any connection to other restaurants, the episode nonetheless became newcomer "Brian Niccol's first test as CEO," Cowen stock analyst Andrew Charles wrote in a note to investors.
The primary concern for the company surrounding the Ohio situation likely was the threat of renewed perception among customers that the food is unsafe, Charles said.
Niccol said Thursday that in addition to the retraining process, the company "will be adding to our daily food safety routines a recurring employee knowledge assessment of our rigorous food safety standards."
Niccol was under pressure to take decisive action to show the company is on top of food-safety issues, contrasting with the crisis that wrecked the company's image three years ago.
Chipotle's food safety woes began in 2015, when two E. coli outbreaks sickened a total of 60 people in 14 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Twenty-two people were hospitalized. That year also saw norovirus outbreaks linked to restaurants in southern California and Boston.
Last July, a small norovirus outbreak was linked to a Chipotle in Sterling, Virginia, and rodent sightings temporarily closed down one of the Dallas locations in December. That month, customers reported getting sick after eating at a Chipotle in Los Angeles.
Burt Flickinger III, managing director of the Strategic Resource Group, a New York-based retail and consumer goods consulting firm, said Chipotle's decision to retrain its employees nationwide is smart.
"The food safety problems don't seem to stop," he said. "What they’re doing is very commendable, but it’s very necessary for the ongoing viability of the business, because they’ve survived one or two more consumer health concerns than a lot of other restaurants, and they have to get it right."
Lynne Collier, senior restaurant analyst at investment bank Canaccord, agreed, even though it'll be expensive to retrain the staff.
"It's definitely a good move, both from a public appearance standpoint and also from a business perspective," she said. "It may prevent a future incident, which is also very costly."
Chipotle didn't respond to a request for information about the cost of the retraining.
Niccol, credited with Taco Bell's turnaround, took the reins from founder Steve Ells in March. In addition to food safety issues, the new CEO had to contend with a brand battered by the launch of the chain's long-awaited, but widely panned, queso cheese item and the shuttering of its hamburger concept, Tasty Made.
Ells is now Chipotle's executive chairman.
The company's stock was down 1.3 percent to $519.01 at 12:24 p.m. Thursday.
Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.


text:
Devon pub company Heavitree Brewery has extended its strategic review period and warned it half-year profits will be sharply lower.
The company, which owns 76 tenanted pubs, said it would make a pre-tax loss of £130,000 for the six months to 30 April at its Annual General Meeting today.
In the same period last year the company made a pre-tax profit of £784,000.
Heavitree blamed a fall of 2.3% in sales for the six months on adverse economic conditions.
Chairman Nicholas Tucker said: "What was anticipated to be a difficult and challenging year has so far proved to be that and more.
"The strategic review is ongoing and is being undertaken at a time when the company has a strong balance sheet. The outcome will help the board to decide on the best course of action to follow during these uncertain trading and economic times."
Heavitree announced in June that it had appointed Ernst and Young to conduct a strategic review of the business, the findings of which were originally due by today.
By Christopher Walton
E-mail your comments to Christopher Walton here.


text:
Real Estate activity in Port Credit for the year of 2017 was a tale of two markets.
The intense demand during the first half of 2017 produced 82 sales at an average sale price of $1,027,412. Listings where selling for 102% of list price and taking just under two weeks to sell on average. Fast forward to the six month period ending December 31, 2017 and these four benchmarks had all trended down. The last six months of 2017 saw 61 sales at an average sale price of $910,969, and these properties took 25 days to sell on average.
The same balancing pattern was found in the overall average list to sale price ratio as it dropped to 96% for the last six months of 2017. On average, during this time frame condo apartments where generating a sale at 98% of list price and townhouses at 97% of list while detached home listings produced a sale at 94.5% of list price on average.
By the time the year was over, the Port Credit real estate market saw 324 new listings come on the market on The Toronto Real Estate Board. However, this six year high in listings also produced a six year low sales to new listings ratio with 44% of new listings resulting in a sale.
Despite the fact that a lower percentage of listings generated a sale, the overall annual trend in sale prices continued to increase.
2017 saw the overall average sale price rise by 3% from 2016 to $969,190 for 2017. Detached houses saw the largest annual increase of any property type as the average sale price hit $1,440,500. With only six out of thirty five detached home sales selling for under one Million dollars, the brass ring of home ownership in Port Credit cost over 21% more on average than it did in 2016.
All that our neighbourhood has to offer continues to make Port Credit a destinantion of choice for home buyers.
For help finding your home in Port Credit or along the Lakeshore West, I invite you to contact me here.
For a more detalied report on detached home sales in Port Credit in 2017 click here. Townhouse activity can be found here, condo apartments here and semi-detached home sales activity can be found here.


text:
Parliamentary Impact Group COVID-19 on MSMEs noted in its report that the stimulus package announced by the central government was “inadequate,” as the measures were more about loan and long-term supply rather than improving cash flow to create demand as immediate relief.
Expressing concern about the dire plight of small businesses, the committee recommended that the government unveil “a larger economic package aimed at stimulating demand, investment, exports and job creation to help the economy, including MSMEs.”
Noting that Covid has had a major impact on MSMEs, the Department’s Standing Parliamentary Committee on Industry has demanded concessional loans to MSMEs at a minimum interest rate of 3-4 percent, liquidity support for small businesses, and the creation of a national e-employment system. Sharing together with the new employment policy.
In their submissions to the Committee, various industry associations have argued that MSMEs face an acute monetary crisis as pandemic affected their income by 20-50 percent. “It is estimated that almost 25% of MSME loans could default, as some MSMEs find it difficult to raise working capital from banks,” House members told the Committee, according to a report released on Tuesday.
A committee chaired by MP Raja Sabha K. Keshava Rao proposed that the Reserve Bank of India weaken the NPA regulations for MSMEs and bring them in line with the payment cycle. “… The 90-day limit set by RBI for classifying MSME arrears should be increased to 180 days so that MSMEs are not forced to use their working capital to service their loan payments and repay their premiums through normal business transactions. This proposed change to the RBI guidelines would save large numbers of MSMEs from illness or closure, resulting in a loss of economic activity and employment, ”the report said. The MSME sector accounts for about 30 percent of the country’s production and about 45 percent of exports.
Amid the monetary crisis
Various industry associations note that MSMEs are facing an acute monetary crisis as the pandemic has affected their income by 20-50 percent.
Stressing that the central government did not conduct any research to determine the magnitude of losses incurred by MSMEs due to isolation, it called for a detailed study of this issue. “Based on the written responses provided by the Ministry, the committee notes that the MSME Ministry has not carried out intensive research to establish the actual losses incurred by the MSME sector as a whole due to the nationwide lockdown imposed by the government. Moreover, the second wave of the pandemic has exposed MSME vulnerabilities like never before and highlighted the challenges they face, such as delayed payments, high levels of informality, low financial sustainability, shortages of raw materials, etc., ”the message says.
In addition to subsidized concessional loans for MSMEs, the commission recommended the inclusion of traders and retailers in the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) and the restructuring of the existing subordinated debt scheme, which never worked. Traders, retailers as well as wholesalers have now been reinstated into the MSME category, with the result that nearly Rs 2.5 crore traders are eligible to participate in the ECLGS.
The group suggested ways to stimulate domestic production and stimulate import substitution. “The availability of concessional loans for MSMEs at a minimum interest rate of 3-4 percent with an extended maturity, easy land acquisition, lower compliance parameters, etc. Can help in the development of import substitution in the country. In addition, special economic zones (SEZ) oriented at import substitution can be created throughout the country, ”it was reported.


text:
The highly anticipated October Business Month (OBM) 2016 calendar of events has been launched.
This year's line up features an exciting 171 events across the Territory with entrepreneurs, bestselling authors, industry leaders and innovators among the high calibre of speakers who will share their knowledge with Territory business.
Keynote speakers include the founder of Boost Juice Janine Ellis, New York times best-selling author and founder of IQuitSugar Sarah Wilson, Olympian and gold medallist Steven Bradbury, award winning social researcher and TEDX speaker Mark McCrindle, Territory export and innovator Scott Boocock and Emma Isaacs from Business Chicks.
For the first time OBM will have a pop-up office in the Mitchell Centre in Darwin where you can find out more about the program, register for events or pick up a copy of the calendar.
For more information visit OBM


text:
Choice says an increasing number of females say they're forced to shop online or at chain stores because they can't fit the stylish clothes sold in shopping malls or high street stores.
Retailers who say they are struggling should consider expanding their range to fit the growing number of women who wear size 16 and above, Choice spokeswoman Ingrid Just says.
"What we're essentially identifying is that there is a whole market out there that many designers and retailers aren't necessarily tapping into."
"Consumers are finding themselves quite frustrated by not being able to buy clothes that suit their bodies."
Part of the issue was the fact that there was no standardised clothing sizes in Australia, Ms Just said.
"The other part is the fact that they're simply not making clothes that fit the average Australian body like they used to, except for a couple, a handful, of labels."
Ms Just says larger women are having to shop at chain stores such as K-Mart and Target to find clothes that fit their bodies.
Shopping malls and high streets stores cater for size 10s and 12s, but 14s vanish quickly from the shelves and it is very difficult to find a size 16, she said.
Larger women who want to wear stylish clothes say they are forced to shop online at US and UK stores which do better in this area compared with Australian retailers, Ms Just added.
Larger women are also paying more than slim women.
"Some of the shoppers that we've spoken to said that in some instances they're paying double what a smaller woman might pay," Ms Just said.
Choice suspects some designers and retailers shun plus sizes because they want their label and fashion to target a particular demographic, or particular "look" or body shape.
"It's certainly within a designer or label's right to market and to design for a particular type of customers that they want to wear their clothes," Ms Just said.
"But at the same time, if they're concerned about falling retail sales and the difficulties of getting more customers in store versus shopping online, then this is an opportunity for them that they shouldn't overlook."
Do you think larger women lack clothing choice and are paying too much?


text:
Students In Haryana Village Forced To Walk For Miles To Access Smartphone For Online Classes
Students who come from less privileged backgrounds have found it extremely difficult to keep up with online classes. Even as students in cities and towns across the country attend classes online, rural areas continue to grapple with the new system due to unsteady connectivity and lack of devices such as smartphones and computers.
Several students in the remote Morni village, in Badisher, are forced to walk miles to access a smartphone.
In the village, the majority of the population doesn't have smartphones and face interrupted networks, which forces the kids to walk to a house where they can access online classes.
According to The Indian Express, Karamjeet and his two sisters have had to walk to Rinku's house, one of the village boys who possess a smartphone, where they take turns to take down notes from the videos teachers sent to Rinku's phone.
The report states that Karamjeet who works as a farmer couldn't afford a smartphone and had no option but to send the kids to the village boy’s house who has a smartphone.
“I had some savings but due to the lockdown, all of them were spent on survival only. Now, I am planning that the production of tomatoes is sold by a month. With that money, I will purchase a smartphone for the kids, so that they don’t have to travel so much to access a smartphone,” said Om Prakash.
“I just use this simple phone but it is not of any use to kids. So, till the time the sale of tomatoes takes place, I am sending kids to the house of the boy who has a smartphone. We had never thought that studies will be done only on touch phone,” he added.
From the same village, Bhawna, Mamta, Kulwanti, and Deepak, students of classes X, VIII and VI respectively, from a government school in Koti also travel to Amri Devi, a relative’s place, to access a smartphone.
"In the evening, all of them have to work in the farm. So, during the afternoon, they all come with their notebooks and copy from the notes sent by the teacher and the lesson videos on my phone. It is a struggle, but that is the only way to learn things. Since April, the classes have been in online mode," said Devi, a college student of Government Polytechnic college, Morni. The kids go to Devi's place after she's done with her online classes.
She added that since there are no WiFi facilities, the recharge is yet another problem they face. Meanwhile, Pawan Jain, Principal of Government Senior Secondary School, Koti, said that nearly 20 per cent of the total 190 students from his school do not have a smartphone.
"Till now, they have just been jotting down notes by going to different houses to access a smart phone. But network and recharge are also a problem, their internet data pack finishes in four-five days. We have registered these phones numbers in our groups from where these students study," he said.
With the imposition of lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic, schools across the country have been transitioning to online learning. In June this year, an 11-year-old boy from Kerala gave up his birthday gift to buy TVs and tablets for underprivileged kids.


text:
Collective Rights Management proposal – what the press said.
You’ve heard what we’ve had to say about the new proposal, but what is everyone else doing? Here are some highlights of press coverage from the European Commission’s copyright proposal…
EU OBSERVER, 11/07/2012 Michel Barnier, European Union commissioner for Internal Market and Services
Moving the single market for online music
Music is everywhere, and the digital age has only increased its presence. Today, (11 July) I am proposing a modernised system of collective rights management that will use the single market – the EU’s most powerful economic tool – to distribute music online. This is a crucial adaptation to the world we inhabit, a world in which both supply and demand are increasingly digitised.
WALL STREET JOURNAL, 11/07/2012
EU Aims to Ease Music-Licensing Rules
Copyright-collecting societies—the organizations that collect royalty payments from music, movies and books and distribute them to copyright holders—must adapt to an age of online music downloads, the European Commission said Wednesday as it laid out plans to modernize the industry.
EUROPOLITICS, 12/07/2012. Nathalie Vandystadt
Long-awaited proposal on copyright
There will be no lack of intellectual property issues during the Cyprus Presidency. In addition to the European patent (see separate article), the initiative on collective management of copyright, due to be presented on 11 July, is likely to spark…
INVEST IN EU, 12/07/2012 Eric Pfanner
Copyright: Commission proposes easier music licensing in the Single Market
The European Commission has today proposed measures to modernise collecting societies and put in place incentives to promote their transparency and efficiency.
NEW YORK TIMES, 10/07/2012
Europe Moves to Aid Digital Music Industry
The European Commission plans to introduce legislation on Wednesday to bolster the digital music market in Europe by streamlining the methods of agencies that collect royalties on behalf of copyright holders.
Curious to know more?


text:
Medical nonwoven products to reduce healthcare acquired infections in future
About one in every 20 patients picks up an infection while hospitalised. This unnecessary expense costs the United States of America billions of dollars. So, plans are afoot to develop more medical nonwoven and technical textile products to prevent or reduce healthcare acquired infection, says Mohammad Hassan of Biax Fiberfilm.
As a research engineer, I am focusing on filtration application, acoustic and thermal insulation, elastic nonwoven and mass production of fabrication of nanofibres. All these areas show strong signs of potential growth due to several reasons such as urbanisation, emerging markets, rising population and the great need for clean air and water. Growth rate of most of these markets is about 5-10 per cent which is very promising for the nonwoven industry specifically, and to the technical textiles in general.
The biggest markets for us are still the United States of America and Europe, but we see a lot of enquiries coming from the Asian countries. Emerging markets such as India and China represent a good opportunity for growth for many companies, because of the huge population and the fact that their quality of life is improving at much higher rates than anywhere else. The countries that are still seeking more technical textiles are United States of America, European countries and Japan.
In the last two years, we saw a lot of enquires about our technology and a majority of the companies were beginning to develop good faith in the economy after the recession of 2008. Companies are willing to take the risk of investing to buy new equipment to support continuous demand for their products now. In the last two years, Biax-Fiberfilm was able to sell many pilot equipment and three turn-key spun-blown (Multirow meltblowing) lines, plus tens of upgrade orders that resulted in a growth rate of approximately 15 per cent compared to 2013. In the next two years, we are targeting approximately 20 per cent growth rate.
As a company that believes in research and development as an important tool to stay ahead of the curve, we invest roughly 5-10 per cent of our revenue on R&D to make sure that we are delivering cutting edge technology that puts our customers ahead of their peers. We are continuously improving our spinnerette design and investigating new nonwoven products using high molecular weight polymers and new bio-engineered resins, besides our effort to provide mass production of nanofibres to the market.
In the coming few years, we will see many medical nonwoven products developed to prevent or reduce healthcare acquired infections (HAIs). After the Obama-care provisions, by putting the burden on the healthcare providers and by financially penalising hospitals that see high rates of readmission of patients within 30 days due to HAIs, hospitals started taking extreme measures and seeking all possible solutions to reduce and prevent HAIs. Another area that will see good growth rate for nonwovens will be in industrial wipes. After almost 30 years, the EPA published Solvent-Contaminated Wipes Rule. With wide adoption of such a rule by many states, nonwoven industrial wipes will experience rapid growth and many products will be developed for the market. As a result of the continuous effort to cut down the price of carbon fibres, we might see some carbon fibre-based products penetrating the commodity market, such as automotive sector.
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of technicaltextile.net.


text:
Mouth-watering cupcakes, cherry phosphate from the soda fountain and gluten free treats are but a few of the luscious treats on display at a new Clinton staple known as Bella Cakes. Bella cakes is owned by Kristen Livoti and is located at 1 High Street in Clinton. Kristen is excited to get to know the community through her affiliation with the Taste of Wachusett event. The Taste of Wachusett – the region’s longest running tasting event – will be held on Wednesday, September 28 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Cyprian Keyes in Boylston.
Kristen Livoti shows off her yummy cupcakes!
Prior to coming to Clinton, Bella cakes had been in Marlborough for 8 years. “We closed that store to open this one. “ Kristen said. When asked how she came to be a baker, Kristen explained that she started in school as music major and one day she woke up and decided she wanted a whole new life. “I left music school and the country and flew to Edinburgh Scotland where I learned to cook at the Edinburgh School of Food and Wine,” she said. The school taught more than just baking cakes, but Kristen loved making desserts and puddings so focused on that.
Kristen is excited about coming to the Taste of Wachusett to network with other vendors, and meet community members while serving up her fabulous fall shortcake. “I know I am there to work, but I consider it an evening out too,” she said.
Bella Cakes is most proud of the fact that all of their foods are made with as many naturally sourced ingredients as possible, and they will cater to any allergy – within reason. “We are a peanut and tree nut free establishment,” Kristen said. “We also offer vegan and gluten free alternatives. I cannot promise to accommodate everyone, but I will accommodate any allergy I can.” Bella cakes makes all of their own artisanal ice creams as well as the hot fudge and whipped cream toppings. “Nothing comes from a can, and there are no preservatives in my food,” Kristen said.
One of the most unique aspects of Bella Cakes is the soda fountain. When asked about it, Kristen noted that she had read an article about a Farmacy located at 513 Henry in Brooklyn, and was smitten by the idea of having a store complete with soda jerks –a person who serves and sells soft drinks and ice cream at a soda fountain. “I get such a warm, fuzzy feeling around old fashioned soda fountains,” Kristen said. “I remember going with my mom and enjoying a cherry phosphate. A soda fountain says small town America to me.”
In the future, along with the already popular homemade artisan ice creams, pastries and cupcake treats, Bella Cakes would like to expand and offer a date night with desserts. “I hope to have parties and offer people a bigger place to sit down,” she said. For now, she is happy in her new Clinton home, and looks forward to welcoming the locals at the Taste of Wachusett by doing what she does best – feeding them with love.
To learn more about Bella Cakes or place an order visit BellaCakes.net or call 978-368-9090. Your sweet tooth will be glad you did! To purchase tickets to the Taste of Wachusett event click HERE.


text:
Maersk reports record results but downgrades global container forecast to negative
Maersk’s forecast may signal a turning point for global trade as it expects global container demand to decline between 2% and 4% across 2022, even as it reports another quarter of strong earnings
A.P. Moller - Maersk has reported a revenue increase of 37% in Q3 2022 to $22.8 billion, its 16th straight quarter of growth, but it also expected container demand across the year to decline between -2% to -4%.
It said in results that it estimated that global container volumes had already fallen -3% year-on-year in Q3 as the company picked up the early signs of easing demand in the global economy. The projection is down on initial expectations from the company of very similar volumes being shipped this year compared to last.
The overarching demand picture was driving lower freight and charter rates, and Maersk also said that they are seeing bottlenecks in shipping diminish, which should further reduce congestion and high rates on certain routes.
Even with this decline, Maersk said that ocean freight rates remain above where they were last year and last quarter, with the company noting that ocean contract rates remain one of the “drivers of improved performance” for their Q3 results. This continued level of pricing underlines how far freight rates remain elevated above pre-pandemic norms and even with fa;ling demand.
Søren Skou, CEO of A.P. Moller – Maersk, warned that “there are plenty of dark clouds on the horizon,” most notably, “the war in Ukraine, an energy crisis in Europe, high inflation, and a looming global recession.”
He said that “it is clear that freight rates have peaked and started to normalize during the quarter, driven by both decreasing demand and easing of supply chain congestion. As anticipated all year, earnings in ocean will come down in the coming periods.”
The company did note strong growth in its logistics business, which it hopes will insulate it from reductions in ocean freight rates. In this sector, revenue grew 60% to $4.2 billion for the third quarter.
Overall guidance for the full year was for an underlying EBITDA of approximately $37.0bn.


text:
AT&T Slammed in Spoof Spot
AT&T is dreading the day its iron-clad, exclusive contract with Apple expires allowing Verizon to carry the phone thereby causing million upon millions of iPhone owners (yes, they'll likely need a new phone) to switch from ATT&T to Verizon all on the same day.
This spoof spot by Pat Lee gleefully craps on AT&T for it's terrible service, dropped calls and general crappiness. Sadly, it's unlikely ATT&T will be able to get its shit together before Verizon steps in causing, perhaps, one of the biggest cell service defection rates of all time.
If only Verizon would just buy AT&T then we could all stop worrying about this crap and go back to using our phones instead of bitching about them.


text:
Samsung recently unveiled five new products at its Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event on August 5. At the event, the company took the lid off its new flagships, the Galaxy Note 20 series of smartphones, and launched alongside it the all-new Galaxy Watch 3, Galaxy Buds Live, Galaxy Tab S7 tablets and also the Galaxy Z Fold 2 smartphone.
Of these, the Fold 2 had still remained a bit of mystery as the company had not revealed all information about the device. However, that's changed now as the company has finally launched the phone to the world.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2: Availability
The device is Samsung's second-generation foldable smartphone which has been launched with a number of upgrades over its predecessor. Samsung has announced that the Galaxy Z Fold 2 will be available in Mystic Black and Mystic Bronze, in around 40 markets including the US and Korea, on September 18, 2020, with pre-orders from September 1, 2020, starting with select markets including the US and Europe. The company is also extending the option to customise their devices from Samsung.com.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2: Specifications
The Galaxy Z Fold 2 builds on the DNA of the original Galaxy Fold, however, there are a few differences here that set it apart from its predecessor. The inner screen now has a punch-hole selfie camera. The outer display is also bigger, and now covers almost the entire area of the front of the phone, instead of just a part of it as we saw on last year's Galaxy Fold. The front display has also been equipped with a selfie camera housed within a punch hole
Arguably the biggest improvement seen in the Galaxy Z Fold 2 is in the display department. On the outside we have a bigger display, that takes over the front of the phone. This screen has very little in terms of bezels and feels like a modern-all screen solution. The panel here is 6.23-inches in size capable of HD+ resolution. This panel sports a 25:9 aspect ratio. The panel also uses a punch-hole instead of a notch on the Galaxy Z Fold.
The design of the rear camera module has also been changed quite a bit, as it appears to look very much like the one on the Galaxy Note 20. The phone also shares the Mystic Bronze color with Note 20. In terms of cameras, the module houses three lenses with the primary being a 12-megapixel lens paired to another 12-megapixel Super Dual Pixel lens. the third lens in the set-up is a 12-megapixel telephoto lens. The front camera on the phone is a 10-megapixel lens for clicking pictures.
The Galaxy Z Fold 2 also offers more in terms of performance when compared to its predecessors. The device is powered by Samsung's latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ chipset. This has been paired to 12GB LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS storage. As for the battery, Samsung is has equipped the phone with a 4500mAh battery that's again been divided into a dual battery setup. The phone also supports wireless charging, reverse wireless charging, and 25W wired charging.


text:
Christmas Eve set to become a public holiday in Queensland as soon as the clock strikes 6pm.
The change would ensure workers either get paid more to work the night before Christmas, or they get the night off to spend with family and friends, the Sunday Mail reported.
The move would mean a worker under a retail award would pocket an extra $124 for working that evening.
Fast food workers would take home an extra $157 for the night, according to the government.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the night before Christmas is as important to families as the day itself.
‘It would ensure workers have the right to have Christmas Eve off as a public holiday just as they do for Christmas Day,’ she said.
She said making it a public holiday would give workers in essential services, such as nurses and hospitality workers, better pay for their time.
Queensland follows in the footsteps of South Australia and the Northern Territory, where from 7pm Christmas Eve becomes a pubic holiday.
The Queensland government plans to legislate the proposal in time for Christmas eve this year.
Should this be a national holiday?
Share your comments below


text:
Chesterton Taps New Leader
A.W. Chesterton Company, a manufacturer of high-performance protective coatings, industrial fluid sealing systems and specialty industrial lubricants, has named one of its own to advance to the role of president and CEO.
Andrew W. Chesterton, formerly the Groveland, MA-based group’s executive vice president and chairman of the board, succeeds longtime Chesterton executive Brian O’Donnell in the position, the company announced Thursday (June 2).
“I intend to focus on profitable sales growth by concentrating on exceptional customer service, technology leadership and innovation, and unparalleled product quality,” Chesterton said of his new role.
“We will return to the intensive, global, solutions-oriented approach to support the customers’ immediate sealing and equipment reliability challenges,” he added.
O’Donnell will continue to act a senior advisor on a variety of projects through the end of the year.
Family Leadership, Values
Chesterton built his skill set through 29 years of hands-on experience in the family business, according to the manufacturer.
He began his career in customer service after earning his bachelor’s degree from Duke University and an MBA from Babson College.
Then, in an effort to learn every aspect of the business, Chesterton took on many different roles in the business, ranging from sales and business strategy to information technology.
As Chesterton takes the helm, he plans to deliver a renewed focus on exceptional customer care, unparalleled product quality and technical innovation, he said.
With the Chesterton’s appointment as the new president and CEO, the company returns to its family leadership and founding values, the company noted.
“Since its founding, the A.W. Chesterton Company has been steeped in the values of Arthur Wellington [Chesterton] himself, who, from the very, beginning was dedicated to his customers, distribution partners, and employees,” said John Carroll on behalf of the Board of Directors.
“We are thrilled that he has agreed to take the helm at this important moment in our company’s history.”
Arthur Wellington Chesterton founded his company in 1884 on Boston’s waterfront as a steamboat and engineering supplies business before expanding the business to deliver a broader range of industrial sealing solutions.
Today, Chesterton has more than 1,250 employees and 500 sales and service locations in 113 countries and has been recognized over the years with many awards for its mechanical seal, packing and lubrication technology.
The company recently unveiled an expanded headquarters with a new global training center, valve emissions testing facility, and industrial equipment service center at the Groveland location.


text:
The grades of these moonlight teas are of the highest and the plucking process is very fine. Only the silvery blooming buds and the two leaves are used to make this specialty tea. Folklore has it that these teas are plucked by skilled pluckers only during the full moon nights and processed into made tea before the break of dawn.
To encourage production of quality teas and highlight premium Darjeeling and Assam teas, the Tea Board had come up with an innovative circular last month under which tea plantations did a special plucking on May 21, on the occasion of International Tea Day. The tea producers were instructed to mention in the lots that the leaves were plucked on this “Special Day”. Auction of these teas were carried out electronically at different auction centres in the country today, 20th June 2022.
Another premium lot from Assam was also purchased by Golden Tips Tea from the Guwahati auction at the highest price in the sale.
Mr Madhav Sarda, Tea taster and managing director of Golden Tips Tea says “We are extremely happy to have procured the season’s best Darjeeling moonlight teas from Badamtam and Castleton gardens. Made from AV2 clonal tea leaves, these moonlight teas manifest in excellent tea leaf texture, smooth taste and a floral aroma that is absolutely unique. The decision of Tea Board to promote quality Darjeeling and Assam teas by ensuring plucking on 21st May and subsequent auctioning on 20th June on the occasion of International Tea Day imparts special significance to these teas and the auction process.”
He further adds, “Badamtam and Castleton produce small batches of moonlight teas every season due to scarce availability of tender buds and tea leaves.”


text:
Over the past six months, India’s most popular mobile game, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), has faced severe criticism for becoming an unhealthy obsession among the country’s avid smartphone gamers.
But now, the PUBG Corporation, a subsidiary of South Korean video game company Bluehole, has decided to step up its game to fight the backlash.
“While we strive to deliver the best possible gaming experience to our fans, we also believe it is extremely important for us to be a responsible member of the gaming ecosystem,” PUBG Mobile said in a statement, adding that it was working with parents, educators, and government bodies to improve its app.
The game, which has over 30 million daily active users globally and is a chart-topper on Android and iOS handsets alike in India, has shouldered a lot of blame for mishaps across the country in recent months.
In August 2018, India saw its first case of a Bengaluru clinic treating a 15-year-old boy for PUBG addiction. This January, a fitness trainer from Jammu was reportedly hospitalised due to mental imbalance after he began harming himself in the aftermath of playing the game. The next month, a Mumbai-based teenage boy killed himself after his parents denied him a high-end smartphone to play PUBG on.
“To foster a healthy and balanced in-game environment, we are developing numerous new features and enhancements which enables us to provide an environment for players to enjoy PUBG MOBILE in a rewarding and responsible manner,” the company, backed by the Chinese internet giant Tencent, said.
PUBG’s statement comes at a time when several voices have been raised in India, calling for a clampdown against the game.
To ban or not to ban?
PUBG was first launched in December 2017 on gaming consoles and then in March 2018 on smartphones. In each round of the game, PUBG parachutes 100 players on to a virtual island where teams of four fight each other to death till only one survives.
The game has been accused of being extremely addictive among young Indians, leading authorities in various parts of the country to act.
At the end of last year, Tamil Nadu’s Vellore Institue of Technology (VIT) reportedly banned students in its men’s hostel from playing the game in their rooms, copies of a circular posted across Reddit and Instagram show. By the end of January, a state-wide ban on PUBG was issued across primary schools in Gujarat owing to children’s studies being adversely affected.
Earlier this month, 11-year-old Ahad Nizam filed a public interest litigation (PIL) at the Bombay high court through his mother, alleging that the game perpetuates violence, aggression, and cyberbullying. Goa’s information technology minister Rohan Khaunte also labelled the multi-player game ”a demon in every house” and called to curb its spread in the coastal state.
But despite the resistance, PUBG has remained a rage–it even got a mention from prime minister Narendra Modi—and is only poised to get bigger.
Currently a $290 million (Rs2,070 crore) business, India’s gaming industry will be worth over $1 billion with 190 million games by 2021, a KPMG study estimates.
Already, Indian gamers made in-app purchases worth $19.65 million in the year ending February 2017, and over seven in 10 PUBG players were making purchases for players’ clothing and weapons within the app as of late last year.
Moreover, just playing isn’t a draw. PUBG streaming, especially in the local language, has become a lucrative business.
“Before PUBG I had around 17K subscribers on YouTube. As soon as I began streaming PUBG Mobile, it took me 50-60 days to reach around 70K subscribers,” Rahul Panday who posts PUBG games streams in Hindi on his channel GoldyHindiGaming, told Digit.in. Now, Panday has over 200,000 subscribers. And he’s not alone: Twenty-two-year-old Naman Mathur with the YouTube game streaming channel MortaL saw his subscriber base skyrocket from some 300-odd subscribers in August 2018 to over 995,000 subscribers by this month.
Additionally, competitions offer players a professional platform to compete, offering handsome rewards. For example, in the ongoing PUBG Mobile India Series 2019 tournament, which has a pool of Rs1 crore, the top 10 teams bag cash prizes and the winning team takes home Rs30 lakh.
Now, as a battle between fans and critics ensues, the game’s fate is up in the air.


text:
In Moscow were allowed to run beauty salons medical license
In Moscow, was allowed to continue the work of the beauty salon with medical license, reports the Moscow 24.
In the salons claim – all beauty treatments will fail. According to the latest requirements, the distance between people in public places should be at least 1.5 meters.
With this in mind, from the list of available services are deleted from manicure, pedicure and haircut. While under attack are both the clients and the employees themselves.
as for home visits, they are impossible – this is a direct violation of the regime of self-isolation. This has already been stated some owners of beauty salons.
Earlier it was reported that Moscow was identified institutions carrying out the procedure illegally, despite the requirement of the city authorities to stop the activity. The order they pass through exit service.
Moscow Authorities have extended the restrictions on the coronavirus before may 1. Extended closures of restaurants, cafes, cafeterias and other food service establishments, beauty salons and shops of retail trade of inedible goods.
Government of the Russian Federation approved the list of the most affected by the coronavirus industries


text:
When the Sony Xperia Z3 went official yesterday, many didn’t quite realize how similar it was to the Z2 – Sony’s last flagship phone, which was announced just a few months back. As it turns out, these phones are more than just a little similar, but are almost identical on paper. Some things have even become worse across the generation leap, which is disappointing, but let’s take a look at the full picture in our Sony Xperia Z3 vs Sony Xperia Z2 specs comparison chart below.
There are only two categories in our specs list where the two phones differentiate from each other: processor speed, and battery size. Both devices run one of Qualcomm’s newest chips, the Snapdragon 801, but the Xperia Z3’s unit has a slightly higher clock speed; instead of the 2.3 GHz found on the Xperia Z2, the Z3 pushes that to 2.5 GHz.
The battery is the one thing that has actually changed for the worse. On the previous generation, there was a 3,200 mAh battery, and the newest phone houses just a 3,100 mAh unit. Hopefully, with Sony’s new battery improvements through the software, that drop won’t be noticeable when we get the phone into our review labs.
Of course, the full comparison chart is right down below, and you can check out the rest of our extensive Xperia Z3 coverage right over here. Also, be sure to check out the rest of our IFA 2014 articles and videos to fill yourself in on the newest, hottest phones to arrive on the market.


text:
Anthony Ogogo signs up with Nike
- Credit: PA
Lowestoft boxer Anthony Ogogo has agreed a sponsorship deal with Nike.
The Olympic medallist, who is currently undefeated as a professional boxer since he signed with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions last year, has spoken of his pride at joining the brand.
'It is an honour for me to sign with Nike and I am very proud to do so,' said Ogogo, who becomes the first boxer since Frank Bruno to sign with the sportswear giant. 'They are the elite sports brand and are the best of the best – which mirrors everything that I hope to achieve in my career.
'Their products, apparel and training gear is unrivalled and I cannot wait to be wearing the famous Nike swoosh on my shorts every time I step inside of the ring. This is an exciting time for both me and British boxing as a whole and I'm very excited to begin working alongside Nike.'
Ogogo, who has won all of his four bouts since turning professional, is expected to soon be named on the Mersey Beat bill at the Liverpool Echo Arena on March 15.


text:
Additive Industries has received the first follow-on order for a MetalFAB1 industrial additive manufacturing (AM) system from Kaak Group, a Netherlands-based manufacturer of industrial...
Exact Metrology—a USA-based provider of metrology products and services—has been named as the greater Midwest dealer for EnvisionTEC’s portfolio of 3D printers.
LimitState—a UK-based provider of analysis and design software for engineers—has released FORM 3.0, the third and latest version of its design optimization software.
The German company Electro Optical Systems (EOS) has launched EOSPRINT 2.0, the latest version of its additive manufacturing (AM) CAM software, for industrial 3D printing.
Belgium-based Materialise has put two HP Jet Fusion 3D 4200 3D printers into operation at its 3D printing factory.
A partnership has been announced between USA-based Methods 3D—a provider of production-grade 3D printing solutions—and Markforged, a manufacturer of industrial 3D printers and printing...
USA-based Stratasys is previewing its Stratasys Continuous Build 3D Demonstrator—described as a multi-cell additive manufacturing (AM) platform for continuous production—at RAPID + TCT.


text: A new flooring business now offers rubber flooring for various needs. Felipe Arancibia has opened MAT & MAX to sell and install rubber flooring, whether for use in playgrounds, at entrances or around decks. The store offers standard measurements for playgrounds, which require multiple layers to make the rubber flooring safe for playing children, while thinner layers can be used around pools, decks or entrances. Customers can see various designs and colors offering what are described as beautiful layouts using rubber flooring. Rubber flooring cushions falls, isn't slipper and is long-lasting. More information about Mat & Max is available by calling 432-413-9459. *** MIDLAND PARK MALL will soon be welcoming LEGACY HARLEY-DAVIDSON to the shopping center. Legacy is building out a 1,297 square-foot location next to Fix It With Frosting and across from A'Gaci Shoes. It will offer Harley-Davidson-branded clothing, shoes, accessories, memorabilia, clocks, wall art and toys. Opening is expected later this month. "We are pleased to add Legacy Harley-Davidson to our retail lineup," said Kevin Church, director of marketing and business development. "We feel that this unique store will be very popular amongst Harley-Davidson fans and avid motorcyclists." More information is available online at www.legacyh-d.com. Meanwhile, longtime retailer FOOT ACTION closed late last month for a complete remodel of the store. It expects construction to be complete by Oct. 26.


text:
Glassmaker hopes World Cup will boost recycling
Recyclers are hoping that a good England performance in the World Cup (which starts on Friday 11 June) will boost the amount of glass collected from the public. Glassmakers need the increase to plug a shortfall in the level of glass being returned for recycling into new bottles and jars.
O-I, which recycles much of the glass collected from consumers and pubs in southern England at its plant in Harlow, wants to increase the levels of glass, especially clear and brown glass it uses in its furnaces to help the environment.
O-I Recycling Manager, Martin Langshaw said, “Whether at home or in the pub, people tend to socialise more and drink more beer, cider and soft drinks during major tournaments. We want to encourage them to drink responsibly and then recycle responsibly.”
The British Pub and Beer Association reported that pub revenue jumped £124 million during the last World Cup and supermarket drink sales also rose. A significant proportion of that was sold in glass bottles.
Martin Langshaw said, “Glass is the perfect recyclable material: every tonne of glass we put back into our furnaces reduces energy use, saves up to 1.2 tonnes of raw material quarrying and cuts carbon dioxide emissions. Yet too much glass still ends up in landfill or is diverted to less beneficial purposes. Lots of amber glass beer and clear glass soft drinks bottles will be used this World Cup summer; if consumers put pressure on their council, they can make sure that glass comes back to be remelted into a new container.”


text:
While Apple is all set to unveil the iPhone 13 at its California streaming product event next week, a new leak from reputable tipster Jon Prosser of Front Page Tech has revealed what is allegedly the iPhone 14 leaked .
iPhone 14 Design Leaked Online
According to Jon Prosser, some iphone 14 models, possibly the pro variants will get rid of the notch in favor of the punch-hole camera. However, that doesn’t mean that Apple with drop Face Id, instead they will put Face Id sensors under the display.
Another change in the camera department involves dropping the camera bump. According to the report, the iPhone 14 will not have a camera bump. That could result in a thicker phone with a larger battery capacity.
As far as the design is concerned, the concept renders round volume buttons as seen on iPhone 4 and a titanium frame. you could also expect redesigned speaker grilles in the handset, and also the device will have the proprietary lightning port. Prosser also said that you could expect a Gold colour option with the iPhone 14.
From the looks of it, the iPhone 14 seems more tempting than the coming iPhone 13. So, would you rather wait for the iPhone 14 or would you go with the iPhone 13? share your thoughts in comments below –
Read More Articles From Crave Monger – Click Here


text:
Algeria's steel company Qatar exported 320,000 tons of products in the first quarter of 2023. In the first quarter of this year, Qatar-Algeria Steel exported approximately 200 million dolors to international markets, including 320,000 tons of rebar, wire coils and slabs. This year, there has been an important development in the export of Algeria-Qatar Steel. This allows to bet that products will reach all four continents of the world, despite the short time all units of transactions take.
In the last year of 2022, AQS company exported 240,000 tons, equivalent to approximately 160 million dollars. By gaining an important place on the Algerian map, the Qatar-Algeria firm aims to restrict the country's imports, increase its export value and diversify its income sources outside the Hydrocarbon sector.


text:
Entering the Paca Garden plant sale on Sunday, guests heard background music from a ukulele played by John Shields.
Shields has been playing the ukulele for over 40 years and has volunteered at the Paca Garden for 10 years, but since the pandemic he hasn’t had a chance to perform in front of people until Sunday.
“It feels really good, but I got to get used to singing with a mask — it is like putting a mute on a trumpet,” Shields said. “I love seeing things getting going again.”
During the pandemic, Shields went to Facebook to post his content for a music outlet and ended up posting over 100 songs in a year. “I never had Facebook and I was against it, but it was fun and I got a lot of responses from people I went to school with. They didn’t even know I played the guitar and ukulele,” Shields said.
Cheryl Findlay, chair of the plant sale, asked Shields to play while they sold plants.
Findlay said native, pollinator and drought-resistant plants, all hand-grown by volunteers, have been the most popular. A
The brand new plant this year was an Agastache, which is in the mint family and is very fragrant, Findlay said. She said in the summer it gets beautiful purple blossoms and bees love them. She picked some up for her personal garden.
Japanese ferns and Amsonia have been popular as well. The purple Amsonia blooms in the fall. The garden also had an Arum plant that goes dormant in the spring and summer but blooms in the winter.
Iris plants are one of Findlay’s favorites, which she calls an old-fashioned plant that has a long bloom time. “The iris are very fragrant, and I recently cut some and put in a vase, and my husband walked by them and was like ‘Wow they smell great,’ ” Findlay said.
Bare Naked Ladies have been selling constantly at the garden because they have big leaves that are dying now, but in a month a flower stalk will sprout with no leaves around it, Findlay said.
Last year the plant sale was online. Findlay said it is wonderful being back outside for this event. “The volunteers missed being able to talk to customers about their favorite plants, and we are really happy we can do this,” Findlay said.
Maria Lee has been volunteering for over 20 years and specializes in culinary plants. A tomato plant San Marzano has been the most popular and was the first to sell out. Lee said it is good for sauces.
Daily Top Stories
The basil plants this year have been selling constantly, Lee said, and a fish pepper that is native to Maryland is popular and sold almost right away. She said it is spicy.
Lee called last year chaos because of the pandemic but said this year is wonderful.
Carrie Kiewitt, senior vice president at Historic Annapolis, organized this garden sale and said this one of her favorite events of the year.
“People have so much fun here and bring their whole families. It’s nice to see how happy people are,” Kiewitt said. “We love it and so happy we were able to do it this way, this year.”
Kiewitt said gardening was important during the pandemic since it is something you can do alone and an outdoor space with social distance. “It gives you that instant gratification that your yard looks beautiful and then you can watch it all year round,” Kiewitt added.
The plant sale raised $31,000 to maintain the Paca garden and house, a record number.
Paca Garden will be doing an online sale again this year May 17 at 10 a.m., for anyone that couldn’t make it to the weekend sale.


text:
For the first time since the tablet launched in early November, estimated shipping times for Apple’s (AAPL) iPad mini have fallen to one week as supply finally begins to catch up with demand. The iPad mini launched on November 2nd and was met with heavy consumer demand — while Apple failed to break down sales by model, the company announced that it sold more than 3 million iPad and iPad mini tablets combined during their first weened of availability. Shipping times for new orders placed on Apple’s website have remained lengthy since early November but as of Thursday, estimates are down to one week for all Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + Cellular models, ensuring that deliveries will arrive in time for Christmas. BGR reviewed the iPad mini last month and called it Apple’s best tablet yet.
Consumer electronics sales typically decline following a surge in the December quarter but according to a new report, continued demand for Apple’s (AAPL) new iPad mini will help offset the typical seasonal decline in full-size iPad sales during the first quarter next year. According to Digitimes’ unnamed industry sources, orders to Apple’s iPad panel suppliers are down as much as 20% this quarter as shipments are adjusted to account for the typical slow-down after the holidays. The site’s sources state that iPad mini orders continued to climb in the fourth quarter, however, indicating that Apple anticipates continued heavy demand for the tablet through the first quarter of 2013. More →
Immediately following its launch earlier this month, Apple’s (AAPL) iPad mini ran into a problem that many iOS devices have faced in the past: Apple can’t build enough of them. The company sold more than 3 million iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad tablets combined during their first weekend of availability. The tablet has seemingly seen steady demand since then, and new orders placed on Apple’s website still take two weeks to ship. Citing unnamed industry sources, Digitimes on Friday reported that Apple’s iPad mini supply woes may soon come to an end as the company seeks a third display panel manufacturer to offset difficulties that AU Optronics continues to face. As a result of AUO’s yield issues, iPad mini shipments this year are estimated to fall to between 6 million and 8 million units from Apple’s purported initial goal of 10 million units.
Apple (AAPL) on Friday announced that the iPhone 5 and iPad mini will both become available in China beginning in December. The announcement follows news that Apple’s latest iPhone had finally been approved for use on China Telecom’s network. Wi-Fi-only versions Apple’s iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad will launch on December 7th and the iPhone 5 will become available the following week on December 14th. Apple’s press release follows below. More →
Apple’s (AAPL) component suppliers in the Far East continue to experience mass production issues that will keep the iPad mini and new iMac All-in-One computer lineup in short supply until some time in the first quarter next year, a new report claims. Citing unnamed industry sources, Digitimes on Tuesday reports that LG Display and AU Optronics continue to see display panel production issues for the new iPad mini tablet that likely won’t be fully resolved until some time next quarter. According to the site’s sources, iPad mini shipments will total just 6 million units in the fourth quarter this year, 40% short of the 10 million-unit target set by Apple. More →
With the recent launch of the iPad mini, Apple (AAPL) has continued its attempts to end its reliance on Samsung (005930). A new report from Digitimes suggests a majority of screens for the company’s smaller tablet are coming from LG Display (LPL). A recent teardown of the iPad mini’s hardware revealed that Samsung is still supplying some panels, however. AU Optronics (AUO) is also said to be supplying Apple with displays, although the manufacturer reportedly continues to have issues manufacturing the panels. It was reported last month that Apple also turned away from using Samsung’s displays in its fourth-generation iPad and latest MacBook computers.
Apple’s (AAPL) new tiny tablet is the target of an amended complaint from Samsung (005930), which alleges that the iPad mini infringes several protected technologies owned by the South Korean company. Samsung this week asked the United States District Court for the Northern District of California for permission to add several recently announced Apple devices along with a few earlier models to an earlier complaint that alleges various infringements. Along with the iPad mini are the fourth-generation iPad, the newest iPod touch and three earlier versions of the iPod touch, and all are said to be infringing the same patents Samsung cited earlier in the case. Samsung’s motion to add the six new devices has not yet been granted and the trial is scheduled to begin on January 8th, 2013.
In what has been called one of the dumbest crimes in recent history, a worker at John F. Kennedy airport has been accused of being the “less-than-master-mind” behind last week’s iPad mini heist. Renel Rene Richardson allegedly made suspicious comments to co-workers regarding the whereabouts of a forklift and the arrival of Apple’s (AAPL) cargo, The New York Post reported. Richardson is said to have acted as a lookout while two accomplices accessed a storage building containing thousands of iPad minis. The duo allegedly used the airport’s own forklift to load two pallets containing the devices into their vehicle, however they were confronted by an airport employee and were forced to flee the scene of the crime, leaving three additional pallets untouched. The incident took place in the same cargo building as the 1978 Lufthansa heist, which was featured predominately in the movie Goodfellas. It is unclear if the stolen iPads have been recovered at this point.
Apple’s (AAPL) iPad mini appears to be selling quite well, even with an “inferior” non-Retina display and two-year old guts. While the Wi-Fi model has been out since November 2nd and U.S. customers just started getting their LTE models last week, those living abroad are seeing shipping times for preordered LTE iPad minis slip from late November to December, according to SlashGear and Macworld.uk. But, not all models are seeing delays reports SlashGear. The tech blog says it believes the entry-level 16GB iPad mini with LTE is seeing short supply whereas the 32GB LTE iPad mini is still showing a delivery date by the end of November. More →
Apple’s (AAPL) iPad mini might be “pixel-poor,” but sales have already reached into the millions. Apple released the Wi-Fi version of its new tiny tablet earlier this month and the LTE-enabled model was said to follow at a later date. Many who preordered the tablet began receiving their orders on Thursday and Sprint (S) announced just after midnight on Friday morning that the iPad mini Wi-Fi + LTE is now available for sale in a number of its retail stores around the country. The tablet will likely be available in Apple Stores as well beginning today, along with other carrier stores and Best Buy (BBY) stores. It is unclear how much inventory will be available at launch and new orders placed on Apple’s website will ship within two weeks. BGR reviewed the iPad mini earlier this month and called it Apple’s best iPad yet.
Look, it’s kind of like Blue Steel versus Magnum, but there are two visible differences between Apple’s (AAPL) Wi-Fi-only iPad mini and the new iPad mini Wi-Fi + LTE. For starters, there’s the antenna cover at the top and while Apple decided not to go with a white plastic cover on previous white iPad models, this time it pulled the trigger — white on white on aluminum. Also notably different is the SIM card slot, but besides that, these two units feel identical. Verizon’s LTE network works beautifully with the iPad mini, delivering the amazingly quick performance we’ve come to expect, and the rest has been covered at length. There are some comparison photos of the iPad mini Wi-Fi and the new Wi-Fi + LTE model in our hands-on gallery, so make sure to check those out. BGR’s full review of the iPad mini can be found here. More →
Shortly before midnight on Monday two criminals accessed a cargo building in John F. Kennedy airport and managed to steal $1.5 million worth of iPad minis. According to The New York Post, the pair used the airport’s own forklift to load two pallets containing the Apple (AAPL) tablets into their vehicle. The criminals promptly fled the scene after being confronted by an airport employee with three additional pallets left untouched. As of Wednesday night, the duo were still at large and police are now suspecting the criminals had help from an insider. The more than 3,500 stolen iPad mini devices came from a shipping company known as Cargo Airport Services and had just arrived from China. The incident took place in the same cargo building as the 1978 Lufthansa heist where a group of criminals ran off with $5 million in cash and nearly $900,000 worth of jewelry, a haul that when adjusted for inflation totals more than $21 million.
Apple’s (AAPL) new iPad mini will cannibalize sales of the company’s full-size iPad. It goes without saying. What remains unclear, however, is whether or not that’s a bad thing. According to BOM estimates, Apple’s margins on the iPad mini are in the same ballpark as margins on its pricier tablets. And according to a recent survey conducted by financial services firm Cowen Group, the iPad mini does much more good than harm. More →


text:
The collaboration began on May 17.
Operating from a food truck inside Fat Pants Brewing, Red Bench Bakery offers a streamlined selection of pastries, cookies, and specialty coffee drinks, distinct from its extensive menu at the Chaska and Excelsior locations. Customers can indulge in these treats from Wednesday to Sunday, between 7 and 11 a.m.
Based in Chaska, the bakery has maintained its downtown location there for five years. In Excelsior, it has operated a downtown location for four years.
“It’s not our full boat of menu items, but it’s about three-fourths of our pastries until we start getting more people in, and then we’ll start bringing more stuff out,” said Andrew Mooney, the chef/owner of the family-owned business about the Eden Prairie location. “I don’t like wasting anything.”
The collaboration was driven by a shared connection between the two businesses. Mooney explained that Don Anderson, one of the owners and head brewer of Fat Pants, also holds a personal tie to the bakery. Anderson’s son was one of the bakery’s first employees at its Chaska location.
“When we were looking at branching off into the Eden Prairie market, we couldn’t find a spot that really stood out that we wanted,” Mooney said. “I reached out to Don and said, ‘Hey, what would it look like if we did sort of a pop-up at your place — a permanent pop-up to sort of see where the market is, to see where everything goes?'”
Mooney expressed optimism about the collaboration’s prospects.
“I mean, the sky’s the limit,” Mooney said. “We want to see where this goes and what the market of Eden Prairie brings. If it takes off, we would love to have a full third location. But if it doesn’t, this is an inexpensive way to test out the market and see where people are at.”
Red Bench Bakery has received positive customer feedback during its initial weeks in Eden Prairie. Last summer, Mooney noted, the bakery held regular pop-ups at Grace Church every couple of Sundays.
“Since we’re not doing that anymore, we’re having a lot of people come over to Fat Pants after church,” he said.
Mooney said the bakery primarily uses the space at Fat Pants before the brewery opens for the day.
“We’ve had a few people come in and get their coffee and pastry and then sit around until lunchtime and have lunch at Fat Pants,” Mooney said.
To promote the bakery’s new location, Mooney said he has used social media platforms and distributed flyers to local businesses.
“I have done everything I can for this,” he said. “If it succeeds, fantastic. If it doesn’t, I believe the market has spoken.”
We offer several ways for our readers to provide feedback. Your comments are welcome on our social media posts (Facebook, X, Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn). We also encourage Letters to the Editor; submission guidelines can be found on our Contact Us page. If you believe this story has an error or you would like to get in touch with the author, please connect with us.


text:
Sharp Hits Vizio With Patent Claims Over LCD TV Tech
By Mike LaSusa (March 11, 2020, 6:18 PM EDT) -- Sharp Corp. filed a suit Tuesday in California federal court against rival television maker Vizio Inc. and a collection of companies that help produce Vizio TVs, claiming they are infringing a dozen patents that protect Sharp's LCD technologies.
Sharp said in a suit filed Tuesday that it's being hurt by the conduct of California-based Vizio, which is selling allegedly infringing TVs that are produced by China's CaiHong Optoelectronics Technology Co. Ltd., as well as a group of related companies that, according to Sharp, constitutes "one of the world's largest manufacturers of televisions."
"The infringing products are displacing Sharp's products and sales,...
Stay ahead of the curve
In the legal profession, information is the key to success. You have to know what’s happening with clients, competitors, practice areas, and industries. Law360 provides the intelligence you need to remain an expert and beat the competition.
Access to case data within articles (numbers, filings, courts, nature of suit, and more.)
Access to attached documents such as briefs, petitions, complaints, decisions, motions, etc.
Create custom alerts for specific article and case topics and so much more!


text:
Nobody’s Child is to launch three pop-up stores across London this summer, in a continuation of its expansion strategy.
The fashion retailer’s pop-up stores locations will include Covent Garden, King’s Road and Spitalfields, allowing customers to shop a range of products including dresses, jumpsuits and tailoring.
It will also feature the brand’s bestselling collections including pieces from Happy Place X Fearne Cotton and Boutique.
The pop-up openings follow an injection of funding made by Marks and Spencer earlier this year, which it hoped to “power the brand’s expansion both in the UK and internationally”.
“We are extremely excited to share the news of our summer pop-up series across key locations in London,” Nobody’s Child CEO Jody Plows said.
“Opening more retail space allows our community to access the brand like never before. At Nobody’s Child, we continue to strive to make an impact via our responsible collections which are accessible to all women.”
Plows added: “There is plenty to come for Nobody’s Child growth for the rest of 2023 both in the UK and Internationally, so we are thrilled to announce these three pop-ups today as part of that journey.”
Image credit: Nobody’s Child


text:
Romania's exports contracted by 5.1% y/y in July, to €5.55bn.
This is the best performance since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hit global trade in March and a moderate, single-digit, performance in absolute terms. It marks the return to the pre-crisis path, which was far from bullish, however: in 2019, the country’s exports rose by less than 2%.
Meanwhile, the trend exports, meaning the cumulative exports over the rolling 12 months, continued sliding to €62.4bn as of July, the weakest performance since November 2017. In February, before the COVID-19 pandemic started, the country's 12-month exports exceeded €69.2bn.
Imports have contracted as well since the crisis began, but to a smaller extent: the imports over the rolling 12 months eased to €80.2bn in July (close to the level seen in July 2018), from €86.7bn in February. While the trend exports dropped by 8.9% since February, the trend imports contracted by only 7.4%. This, however, resulted in a smaller trade gap over the past 12 months ending July: €17.8bn, 1.4% less than in February.
The robust rise in households' incomes is visibly behind the more moderate contraction of imports, compared to the fall in exports driven by the standstill in global trade.
In July alone, imports contracted by 9.9% y/y — more than the exports indeed, but this is rather an effect of the volatility. The outstanding performance of the retail sales in July invalidates the hypothesis of shrinking private consumption implied by the imports' performance.
Nonetheless, due to smaller imports in July, the trade gap in the month contracted by an impressive 26% y/y. It is a statistical record, with little impact in the real economy, though. But it is true that the trend data indicate that the deficit has been rising at slower rates recently.
In Q2, the trade gap widened by only 5.1% y/y compared to the 19.7% y/y advance in Q1.
The state forecasting body projects a 6% increase in the trade gap this year (to €18.3bn), from the 14% advance in 2019, but it also expects the trade gap to widen again sharply next year, by 19% to €21.8bn.


text:
Google Plus Games Arrive to Make a Battle of Games
Google has announced a big move on social network world with integrating Web-based games within Google Plus. Google included games like Â Angry Birds, Bejeweled Blitz, Zynga Poker and Sudoku. Google has launched a new Google Plus Platform Blog to help developers more.Â
Quote from Google :
When youâ€™re ready to play, the Games page is waitingâ€”click the games button at the top of your stream. You can see the latest game updates from your circles, browse the invites youâ€™ve received and check out games that people you know have played recently. The Games page is also where your game accomplishments will appear. So you can comfortably share your latest high scoreâ€”your circles will only see the updates when theyâ€™re interested in playing games too.
Currently Games are not available for everyone, if there is game button on your circle icon you can start and play games. Other wise you need to wait for sometime. Google says the Games roll-out on G+ will be gradual. It starts today for some users.
You can follow us onÂ TwitterÂ or join ourÂ Facebook fan pageÂ to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google and Apple.