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What were the biggest automotive stories of 2011?
There were certainly plenty to choose from. From GM offering to buy back every one of the 6000-or-so Volt hybrids which were sold, and had a tendency, in testing, to catch fire after an accident, to Toyota announcing plans to produce more than eight million cars worldwide in 2012, the auto news was hot and heavy on a daily basis.
Having trouble narrowing our own list, we went to industry analyst Jim Wangers, founder of Automotive Marketing Consultants, Inc., for some answers. Wangers has been working n the car business for almost 70 years, so we figured his point of view would have value.
And his list of top stories had some surprises.
The top story of the year, according to Wangers?
The resurgence of Chrysler. Their snappy "imported from Detroit" marketing campaign and the intro of the "200" model caught the public's attention, and the company starts out 2012 flying high. And though sales of Chrysler were hot, it's the Dodge Ram truck which really drives the company. Chrysler is selling the Ram without the Dodge name, and in a few years, says Wangers, the Fiat-built Avenger may be the only Dodge-branded car sold by the company.
That's right -- Fiat. The gigantic Italian company now owns Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep, but Wangers says most people don't know the Fiat name and even if they do their opinion will be pretty neutral. The reality is that 2012 will be one of the last years that Chryslers and Dodges engineered in the U.S.A. will be in the showrooms. One example is the upcoming Dodge Dart, as the company rolls out an old name for a new model which is actually built by Fiat's Lancia division -- talk about confusion for the consumer!
For the power-hungry among us, the company promises a new Viper for 2012, but it remains to be seen if the company will make the huge investment necessary for an all-new car.
It hasn't been all winners for Chrysler. The intro of the Fiat 500, one of the most popular cars in Europe, has been a bust. Their hiring Jennifer Lopez for their advertising was a good idea, but Wangers says, "The car was on trial and it failed, whether due to bad marketing, poor distribution or any other number of reasons doesn't matter. The 500 was the re-introduction of the Fiat name to Americans, and the truth is that J. Lo was probably better than the car!".
Other big stories, according to Wangers, include Ford's Lincoln luxury division becoming confused and meaning little to potential buyers, Buick having a good, significant car in the LaCrosse but little else, and good news for General Motors --- their Chevy Cruze and Sonic models have great potential for 2012 and beyond.
When it comes to imports, no one can argue with the success of Hyundai and Kia. The Korean companies (actually one company selling two brands in the U.S.), Wangers says "show incredible value and remarkable strength. It all really started with the Sonata sedan in 2010 and suddenly, Kia, which had no name recognition, is now significant in the marketplace."
Big story for 2012?
One will surely be the appearance of Chinese-made cars in the U.S. Honda has just announced that Chinese-made Fit models will be sold in Canada in 2012. The marketplace is going to be driven not only by the dollar, Japanese Yen and Korean Won, but by the Chinese economy, which is now the biggest automotive market in the world.


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Shift4 (NYSE: FOUR), the leader in integrated payments and commerce technology, has announced an integration with Mashgin, the world’s fastest touchless self-checkout system. The partnership enables retailers who use Mashgin to seamlessly equip their point of sale with Shift4 payment processing — and it also allows stadiums, retailers, and other businesses who use Shift4 to drastically reduce checkout lines with computer vision-powered checkout kiosks by Mashgin.
Mashgin kiosks are already deployed at more than 2,300 locations in the U.S., including convenience stores, major league sports stadiums, airports, corporate cafeterias, ski resorts, and entertainment venues. Equipped with multiple cameras, Mashgin kiosks identify food and goods with 99.9% accuracy and ring them up simultaneously. There’s no need to find and scan barcodes. Customers simply place their items on the Mashgin kiosk tray and item costs are instantly calculated for payment. Transactions on Mashgin are up to 400% faster than a typical cashier and are proven to increase customer throughput by 96% — resulting in shorter lines, more sales, and happier customers. Stadiums who use Mashgin have seen documented sales increases ranging from 25%-400%.
Shift4’s end-to-end payment ecosystem powers commerce for over 200,000 merchant locations worldwide. The company’s integrated, streamlined solution includes everything a business needs to process payments, including point-to-point encrypted EMV devices, secure payment platform, POS/PMS software integrations, mobile and contactless technology, and more – simplifying operations and reducing the overall cost to accept payments.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Mashgin to deliver a better payment solution for users of their innovative technology,” said Anthony Perez, Shift4’s SVP of New Verticals. “Together, we can transform the checkout experience at sports and entertainment venues as well as other retail locations.”
Retailers can easily deploy Mashgin’s kiosks in days, which is significantly faster compared to other vendors whose solutions typically require months to implement. The integration of Mashgin with Shift4 will enable tech-forward venues and retailers to combine streamlined payments with game-changing checkout speed to delight shoppers and retailers.
“The integration of Mashgin’s computer vision technology with Shift4’s end-to-end payment processing solution makes the deployment of Mashgin’s Touchless Checkout System an even more convenient option for the many companies already using Shift4 to process payments,” said Jack Hogan, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Mashgin.

domain: news


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After electronics giant Samsung revealed that the company’s upcoming 2022 smart TV will have non-fungible token (NFT) support, the company revealed that it has opened a virtual store in the Decentraland metaverse. Based on the physical store Samsung 837, Samsung’s Metaverse store is called “Samsung 837X”.
Samsung marches into Metaverse
Samsung These days are all about Metaverse and NFT, because the company has opened a store in the blockchain virtual Metaverse Decentraland. The Samsung 837X store is based on a physical store in New York City, and the virtual store will be open to Decentraland visitors for a limited time.
“Samsung’s new Meta Festival experience uses its spirit as an experience playground, allowing people to discover amazing possibilities when technology and culture collide,” the electronics manufacturer’s announcement explained. The company further elaborated that visitors will be able to experience connected theaters, sustainable forests and customized stages.
Samsung NFT badge and Metaverse mixed reality live dance party
According to Samsung, fans who peruse in theaters and forests can “complete the mission of the 837X Non-Fungible Token (NFT) badge along the way.” The theater will display Samsung News, and the stage will host the “Mixed Reality Live Dance Party for the Metaverse Festival” hosted by DJ Gamma Vibes.
“At Samsung 837X, we are excited to tell our story of connectivity, sustainability, and customization in a novel way in a unique space,” Michelle Crossan-Matos Electronics America, senior vice president of corporate marketing and communications, Samsung Stated in a statement statement. Crossan-Matos added:
Metaverse enables us to transcend physical and spatial constraints and create unique virtual experiences that would otherwise be impossible to achieve. Innovation is our DNA, and we can’t wait to let everyone experience this thriving virtual world.
At the same time, Metaverse tokens from projects such as Decentraland and The Sandbox have made considerable gains in recent weeks. Decentraland (MANA) is the native token of blockchain metaverse, which has risen by 2,304% so far this year.Have seen both projects important Land sale Recently, as well as the metaverse land have been sold at high prices.
Samsung’s newly launched 837X store is close behind Announce The upcoming smart TV will have NFT support. Samsung’s smart TVs in 2022 will be equipped with a new smart center with a “game center”, “watch all” and “NFT platform”.Samsung has entered Blockchain technology For a few years, but also Added encrypted wallet support To the company’s Galaxy smartphone.
What do you think about Samsung’s entry into Metaverse Space and Decentraland’s virtual store? Please tell us your thoughts on this topic in the comments section below.
Image Source: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wikimedia Commons, Samsung,
Disclaimer: This article is for reference only. It is not a direct offer or invitation to buy or sell, nor is it a recommendation or endorsement of any product, service or company. Bitcoin Network Does not provide investment, tax, legal or accounting advice. The company or the author is not directly or indirectly responsible for any damage or loss caused or claimed to be caused by using or relying on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.


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“We need to increase the value of FSC markets to ensure that we have increased social empowerment, improved economies, and environment quality,” he said. “We can only do that if we raise awareness of the benefits of FSC certification, drive growth in certified areas, and share trade, and be innovative to develop new markets. FSC recently commissioned a global consumer research, carried out by GlobeScan, in 13 markets to understand their characteristics as well as consumer and stakeholder needs.”
He added that for FSC the priorities were to gain market insights that will direct the focus and collaboration with key markets.
Presenting the findings of the study, Eric Whan from GlobeScan said the research assessed the marketplace for sustainable forests products and the value of the FSC brand.
“We live in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world where there’s low trust in businesses about their interest for our society, therefore collaboration is vital. We also have a declining sense of hope, which means we need a vision. Current consumers are [more] likely to punish companies that are seen to be socially irresponsible than reward them,” he said.
The research was done in the form of an online survey using reputable national consumer research panels to recruit respondents in the 13 countries.
“One of the findings is that drivers of forest product purchase are product quality followed by responsibly managed forests and health considerations. That means sustainable forest management is part of the value equation. The research also found that expectations are very high from consumers on issues of protecting forests and information about sustainability on products, and that certification should be done by an independent organization,” added Whan.
The research also found that half the consumers surveyed recalled seeing the FSC label and that 15 per cent of the respondents said they trusted FSC and had confidence that it protects forests.
“The potential for the FSC brand is very large: of the surveyed respondents, 48 per cent are already engaged; 25 per cent also indicated they are willing pay more for an FSC-certified product compared to an equivalent product without certification,” Whan added.
The current messaging from FSC of “Forests For All Forever” was also found to be motivating and that there is wide gap between supply and demand for purposeful companies.
“Currently, 45 per cent of people are able to name a company with a purpose and 65 per cent want to support companies with a purpose – that means there’s a 20 per cent gap between desire to support purposeful companies and the ability to do so. FSC has an opportunity because, from the research, we can see that sustainable forest management matters and those who know about FSC trust it,” he concluded.
Panel discussion messages
Karin Kreider, from ISEAL Alliance, said that the important value that FSC brings is the certification standards that provide a roadmap for operationalizing sustainability and provide a business case for companies to procure certified products.
Peggy A. Murphy, from Kimberly-Clark Corporation, said that third party certification from a consumer side builds trust and assists companies to move out of their four walls and engage with consumers about what certification entails.
Julia Young, from WWF UK, pointed out that her organization continues to engage with both consumers and companies about the value of FSC certification and the impact that it has.
The panel also indicated that there is still an opportunity to segment the markets further and draw on data on the impact on an ongoing basis, and also to recognize the role of corporate members and partners in educating consumers about forestry.


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There is lots of hype and excitement around virtual reality technology, but it’s still too early to get hard stats on the actual demand for the current crop of VR headsets.
Google has provided some figures, though. In January, it said that more than five million Google Cardboard VR headsets had shipped, while in May it announced that more than 50m Cardboard-compatible apps had been installed.
Cardboard was an interesting initiative: a parallel strand of VR from the expensive headsets represented by Oculus Rift. It used people’s smartphones as the processor and screen for a sub-$20 cardboard headset, with open specs ensuring dozens of companies could make their own variants.
From games and documentary films to 360-degree videos on YouTube, Cardboard has sparked some creative ideas. Now Google is launching its follow-up: a platform called Daydream, which includes a Google-branded headset called Daydream View, which was unveiled yesterday.
Daydream was actually announced in May at the company’s I/O developer conference: a more powerful headset – still with a reference spec so external companies can make their own – and dedicated software built in to new Android smartphones, capable of running richer VR apps.
Samsung, HTC, LG, Huawei and Xiaomi are among the manufacturers making Daydream-capable phones, while the first headset broke cover yesterday at Google’s press launch for its new Pixel smartphones and Home smart speaker.
Daydream View will cost $79, undercutting its closest existing rival, Samsung’s Gear VR, when it goes on sale in November. Users will need to supply their own smartphone, although we suspect that a number of retailers and mobile operators will choose to bundle a Daydream headset in when people get a new handset. For now, Daydream View will be available in five countries: the US, Canada, UK, Germany and Australia.
Like the Gear VR, Daydream View uses the smartphone as both its screen and its computer to run VR apps and games. It differs from Cardboard in one obvious respect: the new device is made from fabric rather than cardboard, which Google hopes will make it comfortable to wear.
The Daydream View comes with a controller, shaped like a mini remote-control, which will be used to track the wearer’s hand gestures to control apps.
“It points where you point, and is packed with sensors to understand your movements and gestures. You can swing it like a bat or wave it like a wand. And it’s so precise that you can draw with it,” is how Google describes it. “The controller slides right inside the headset when not in use, so you don’t have to worry about losing it in your bag or between couch cushions.”
Google has been working hard already to sign up content partners for Daydream more generally, including the Daydream View headset. 50 apps are already confirmed from various partners, as well as Google’s own services.
That includes a YouTube Daydream app to “watch the entire library of videos on a virtual big screen” as well as dedicated 360-degree and VR videos on the service; and VR versions of Google Street View, Google Play Movies and Google Photos.
The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Warner Bros’ VR take on J.K. Rowling’s ‘Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them’ will also be present and correct on Daydream, along with apps from the MLB, NBA, Hulu, HBO and Netflix, and a catalogue of games.
What about music? It wasn’t mentioned much during the launch beyond the YouTube connection, but there are a growing number of VR/music startups who we expect to see exploring the Daydream platform alongside Gear VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and other VR platforms.
Earlier this year we profiled two of them, UK-based MelodyVR and US-based TheWaveVR, who are taking different approaches to the technology. MelodyVR is filming gigs so that fans can watch from multiple vantage points, and look around within the venue. TheWaveVR still involves live performance, but with more of an element of visualisation woven in.
Both companies are planning to launch on various VR platforms, but if Daydream headsets (including the View) take off, Google’s platform could offer them their biggest route to people’s eyeballs – and ultimately to their wallets, if there’s demand.
Sales will be the key. Daydream-capable Android smartphones will sell in their hundreds of millions over the next couple of years: that’s guaranteed. The question is how many of those purchasers will also pick up a Daydream headset – a function of how many bundle deals there are, as well as the appeal of the devices and their $79-ish (some will be more expensive, some may be cheaper) price.
One more thought about why Daydream is an interesting platform. If it does take off, it will inevitably focus more attention on whether Google’s great rival, Apple, will follow suit with its own VR platform and/or devices.
CEO Tim Cook recently said that he thinks augmented reality (AR) will be more mainstream than VR, but some of Apple’s patents and recent hires suggest that exploring the latter technology would not be a stretch for the company.


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Cooking Channel show spotlights Philly pizzas
Pizza Cuz finds pies at Barbuzzo and Pizza Brain.
As fourth-generation pizzeria owners, cousins Sal Basille and Francis Garcia eat a lot of pizza - mostly their own from their hot Artichoke Basille shops in New York City.
"But we had no intentions of ever being on TV," says Garcia.
A production company liked the guys' rapport and their cred, and so without much arm-twisting, Pizza Cuz was born on the Cooking Channel last month. It sent them across the country to find top pies and the people behind them.
"We 're impressed by every place the production company picked," Garcia said.
Two Philly shops made the list. The episode Monday, June 3 (9 p.m.) stops at Barbuzzo, which is not a pizzeria but a Mediterranean bar-restaurant owned by chef Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran.
"It was a Monday, pouring rain, and jampacked to the rafters," said Garcia of the shooting day. "We were totally blown away."
The Guanciale and Truffled Farm Egg Pizza bowled them over. What also impressed the cousins is how Safran and Turney own many of the businesses on their block, on 13th Street between Chestnut and Sansom.
Man does not live by pizza alone. The guys claim allegiance to Ralph's in the Italian Market for calamari and veal Parm.
The other shop that turns up on Pizza Cuz is Pizza Brain, the pizzeria-slash-museum in Fishtown. Its moment is next Monday, June 10.
"I'm a Rocky fan," said Basile of the neighborhood, not far from where the movie is set. "And the whole Fishtown gentrification thing reminds me of what happened in Williamsburg [Brooklyn]."
(Not surprisingly, they said they are toying with the idea of opening an Artichoke Basille in Fishtown.)
As for the pizza at Pizza Brain ... They seemed to like the shop overall, but Basille could not get his head around its "Frankford Avenue Taco," which is a slice of cheese pizza topped with a scoop of pizza-flavored ice cream from Little Baby's.
"That made me gag," he said. "I like Plain Jane pizza."


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Satoshi Island- The First Real-World Private Island Which Aims To Be A Crypto Capital
A private crypto-focused island in the South Pacific has announced that after two years of development it is ready to launch a crypto-hotspot with the aim to become the crypto capital of the world.
By purchasing Satoshi Island Land NFTs, holders will be provided with a corresponding physical land title with which they can choose to develop their property on the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu. Additionally, smart homes called “Satoshi Island Modules” are ready to be shipped in to be used as homes or offices.
The unique form of NFTs would enable purchasers to buy and sell their real estate, with the option to hold a more traditional form of ownership in the form of a Property Token which will provide the holder with physical documentation on the official land registrar of Vanuatu.
James Law, director of James Law Cybertecture and chief architect of Satoshi Island noted:
“Living, working and visiting Satoshi Island will be an experience like no other. The tech industry in Silicon Valley, the entertainment industry in Los Angeles and soon the crypto community will have its own mecca”
With approval from the Vanuatu Ministry Of Finance, Satoshi Island will be built on the core fundamentals that underlie blockchain including a totally democratic system which aims to be the first real-world crypto economy and blockchain-based democracy. The Island has crypto-friendly laws and a development process that is provided by world renowned architectural firm, James Law Cybertecture.
While there are now a number of crypto-friendly locations across the world, including El Salvador which recently became the first country in the world to qualify Bitcoin as legal tender, Satoshi Island is specifically designed for crypto professionals and enthusiasts worldwide to innovate and collaborate.


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Thousands of homeowners converged on the South Towne Expo Center for three days of shopping at the 2016 Salt Lake Tribune Home + Garden Festival. With ideas in mind and money to spend, visitors walked the show to gain inspiration and meet with the more than 500 exhibitors and experts to discuss their projects. Here’s a recap of the exciting marketplace these buyers experienced.
12:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
On the outside, Jason Cameron looks like a TV star. But on the inside, he’s all handyman and all business. Watch him work and it quickly becomes apparent this licensed contractor really knows his stuff, especially when it comes to his own personal passions: home improvement and landscaping. Jason says he recently even gutted his own home and completely revamped the backyard. Now he’s putting his extensive hands-on expertise to work for DIY Network building, landscaping, hardscaping and more.
Catch Jason putting all his tools to work on DIY Network’s Desperate Landscapes, Man Caves and Sledgehammer.


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INDOSOLAR LTD Q2 RESULTS
Coffee Day Enterprises reports Q2 loss of Rs 190 crore
Revenue from operations stood at Rs 843.16 crore compared with Rs 979.73 crore.
Hexaware to see business impact in Q1-Q2 on account of Covid-19
The company had transitioned to a work from home model almost a week before t...
AGR hit: Vodafone Idea posts India’s biggest loss of Rs 50,921 crore
Telecom firm Vodafone Idea on Thursday reported a record loss of Rs 50,9...
GE Power reports Rs 22 crore loss in Sept quarter
The company had posted a profit of Rs 5.2 crore in the year-ago quarter, a BSE filing said.
Grasim Industries Q2 profit at Rs 1,473 crore
Grasim Industries had reported a net loss of Rs 1,319.79 crore in the September quarter a year ago.
Airtel posts Rs 23,045 crore Q2 loss on AGR provisioning
Bharti Airtel has reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 23,044.9 crore in Q2 of 2019-20, against a loss of Rs 2,866 crore in the previous q...
Reliance Retail m-cap surpasses HDFC, ICICI Bank, Kotak and SBI
Reliance Retail shares, in the unlisted market, have risen over 75 per cent in the five months.
Q2 results: Tax cut boosts profit, but revenue crawls
India Inc’s topline growth is expected to remain in single digits for the second quarter.
Tech View: Nifty forms Bearish Belt Hold pattern; showing fatigue
The trend may become bullish, once it crosses above the 12,150 level.
Tata Motors Q2 loss narrows to Rs 217 crore; JLR puts up a good show
Auto major Tata Motors on Friday posted a consolidated loss of Rs 216.56 crore for the quarter ended September 30 against a loss of Rs 1,048...
Wipro Q2 profit beats Street estimates, rises 36% YoY to Rs 2,561 crore
IT major Wipro on Tuesday reported a 35.82 per cent YoY rise in consolidated net profit at Rs 2,561.30 crore for the September quarter compa...
Tata Steel Q2 profit rises 6% to Rs 3,302 crore on one-time tax gain of Rs 4,365 crore
Total revenue declined 15.44 per cent to Rs 34,579.18 crore during the quarter under review.
L&T Q2 profit rises 7% YoY to Rs 2,770 crore, meets Street estimates
Engineering and construction major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) on Wednesday posted a 6.83 per cent year-on-year (YoY) rise in net profit at Rs 2,7...
DHFL postpones release of financial results
DHFL was scheduled to announce its financial result on November 25.
JPVL Q2 loss widens to Rs 165 crore
Total revenue declined to Rs 797.57 crore in the quarter ended September 30.
Copyright © 2020 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service


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Even the biggest fast food company in the world, McDonald's, is feeling the effects of coronavirus. According to Business Insider, McDonald's plans to shut down 200 U.S. restaurants by the end of the year, with half of them located in Walmart stores. Recently McDonald's Corp reported a 30% decrease in revenue and Global same-store sales fell 23.9%. During an earnings call, CEO Chris Kempczinski noted that the "public health situation seems to be worsening" in certain parts of the United States.
How McDonald's is Dealing with Coronavirus
Back at the beginning of July when COVID-19 cases were beginning to spike across the country as states started to reopen, McDonald's announced it would pause all U.S. reopening plans for 21 days. Joe Erlinger, head of McDonald's U.S. division, and Mark Salebra, chair of the National Franchisee Leadership Alliance, wrote in a note to McDonald's restaurant owner/operators that the decision was made "to protect the safety of our employees and customers." Ultimately the owner/operators had the final say on whether to open up their dining rooms or keep it strictly open to drive-thru, takeout, and pick up orders.
Before the announcement, 15% of McDonald's USA locations were back open with reduced seating. McDonald's has extended the pause of reopening for another 30 days according to a letter from Joe Erlinger and Mark Salebra.
Earlier this week McDonald's Corp. announced its new Coronavirus procedures the company is putting in place to slow the spread of the virus, including requiring face coverings for all customers and employees. Starting August 1, all customers will be required to wear a face mask when entering a McDonald's location. "While nearly 82% of our restaurants are in states or localities that require facial coverings for both crew and customers today, it's important we protect the safety of all employees and customers," the letter states. McDonald's has required face coverings for all McDonald's employees since the beginning of the pandemic.
Along with promoting social distancing, hand sanitizer usage, and proper PPE execution, McDonald's is adding protective panels to both the Front and Back-Of-House. McDonald's workers will most likely be taking your order through a protective panel.
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Earlier this week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved a request by the Rover Pipeline to bring additional portions of the project into service, including the market segment of the pipeline, the Defiance Compressor Station, and the Vector Pipeline delivery meter station.
This is incredibly encouraging news for the Coalition for the Expansion of Pipeline Infrastructure, our members, and consumers across the region.
Why? Bringing these additional portions of the project online will allow for clean-burning natural gas to efficiently travel even further—transporting affordable, domestic energy to regional consumers and manufacturers alike. Bringing these sections into service is one step closer to allowing this $4.2 billion-dollar project to fulfill its full potential and serve its original purpose of efficient, safe energy production.
CEPI is proud to see Rover entering its final stages and reaching full operation. The pipeline is expected to deliver up to 3.25 billion cubic feet per day of Marcellus natural gas to markets across the region. After years of regulatory review and construction, it’s exciting to see the collective efforts of Rover, its construction crews, and state and local officials across the Midwest come to fruition.
As demand for petrochemical products continues to grow, it’s imperative that our regulatory bodies and energy companies work together harmoniously to ensure completion of the infrastructure we need to produce and transport those products. We’ve seen this cooperation with this latest development for Rover, and we look forward to seeing the project become fully operational.


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But will it save Fiat in the United States?
Fiat's sales have slowed in the United States and the Italian brand is in desperate need of some new products. Even the Fiat 500, the car that helped relaunch the brand in the US, will be discontinued following 2019. So far, Fiat has not announced any official plans for a replacement, although the brand did show off a car called the Centoventi Concept at the beginning of last year.
The Centoventi was an all-electric car, about the same size as the Fiat Panda. We expect this model to reach production in the near future as the next-generation Panda but not before Fiat releases the next-generation 500. We already know that the next-generation Fiat 500 will be all-electric and for the first time ever, spy shots have emerged of the new 500 in prototype form, looking just as chic as you'd expect.
All earlier test mules of the new 500 used the old body surrounding the new electric platform. This latest prototype finally gives us an idea of what the restyled model will look like. The body is still heavily camouflaged but we can still make out what should be a new split headlight and rear taillight design.
Like the current Fiat 500e, this new model will have no need for a conventional grille, so it should look more like the 1950s original model that had its engine mounted in the back. But unlike the old 500e, this new model is based on a dedicated EV platform with the batteries mounted in the floor. This should yield more passenger space, improved performance, and a longer driving range.
Fiat is expected to produce a larger wagon version called the Giardiniera and a new generation of the Panda should also be based on a longer version of this new platform. The new 500 is expected to make its debut at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show in March with deliveries set to begin in the summer. It remains to be seen whether or not this new 500 will be offered in the US, as the last-generation model never had much success there.


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(Mirror Daily, United States) – Alphabet’s YouTube has pulled off another experiment that’s meant to increase the company’s revenue on the video service front. With plenty of the big media companies on board, YouTube will offer users ad-free content for only $10 a month.
According to inside sources, the media players interested in partnering with Alphabet include 21st Century Fox’s Fox Sports, Time Warner Inc.’s Turner cable unit, Comcast Corp.’s NBC Universal, and A+E Networks Inc. But these are not all, as the list will soon expand after YouTube completes negotiations with others, including Walt Disney Co.
Getting these partners to sign a deal is nothing short of a success for YouTube, as the company was trying to make said above media giants agree on its terms. Most of these media companies were previously inclined to refuse signing the deal, saying that its revenue sharing terms were not to their advantage.
To be more precise, the deal proposed that YouTube will keep 45 percent of every dollar generated through subscribing to the ad-free service, while the remainder will be shared among the content creators proportionate to how much time consumers spend on their videos.
This is where YouTube and the big players had trouble agreeing, because many of them thought they deserved greater revenue share compared to smaller YouTube creators, seeing that they will offer superior content and bigger brand names that would attract more prospective users to subscribe to the service in the first place.
YouTube was able to convince many to sign without changing any of its revenue sharing terms; negotiations are still underway with the companies that are still resisting the current terms. This paid service is an interesting turn from the ever-free YouTube, a platform that got its bread and butter from advertisements.
After Google Inc. was acquired by Alphabet Inc., some important changes were made inside the firm. In spite of the billion global users who view billions of hours of videos per month, YouTube isn’t bringing in lots of profit. This is where the new subscription service comes in, designed to up its earnings stream.
It’s a bold move, seeing that YouTube has made it compulsory for the content owners to sign on to the service if they don’t want their videos to be removed altogether from the platform. And seeing that having access to the most popular broadcasting network on the planet is rather important, most accepted without much fuss.
Hurt in their prides by less than favorable terms, other media companies are still trying to negotiate some additional benefits out of the deal, such as more promotion guarantees from YouTube.
Image Source: Marketing Land


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As his legion of fans waits for him launch of the expected iPhone 12, the United States Patent Office released a series of applications filed by Apple that promise a revolution in its mobile products, since they will be able to use their own cleaning system using ultraviolet light.
In the document, Apple describes two methods They could deploy ozone, generated by ultraviolet light, that would aim to erode and decompose “unwanted organic compounds” inside an Apple Watch device or its flagship iPhone phone.
“Many mobile electronic devices have sensors that allow devices to perform many more functions than communications,” says one of the documents titled “Elimination of organic pollution by ozone oxidation for the integration of the environmental sensor”.
While in another report, the US company that focuses the method on ultraviolet light claims the same.
Both methods ensure that “measuring heart rate, blood pressure and the level of oxygen in the blood are among the many applications” that the devices can use, according to the specialized site Appleinsider.
The company says the phones can also “be equipped with environmental sensorssuch as pressure, humidity and gas sensors “.
However, Apple indicated that the devices are prone to accumulate organic wastesuch as skin oils, dirt or body hair and “such accumulations can contaminate the device’s housing and / or the sensor packaging which can produce interference signals and lead to increased sensor errors over a long period of time” .
For this reason, the company proposes a system “for decompose organic pollutants inside the product case or near the sensor packaging to restore the clean environment necessary to achieve accurate readings from the integrated environmental sensors, “using ultraviolet light to” illuminate contaminants. “
“Ultraviolet light rays can initiate a photo-oxidation process that results in the decomposition of squalene,” an oily organic compound that can adhere to the surface of the sensor’s housing or packaging.
“By reacting with ultraviolet light, squalene, which is shown with its chemical formula, breaks down into three by-products that may not be dangerous for environmental sensors,” adds Apple.


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The global economic climate is in better shape than at any time since 2007 but could be hurt by public budget deficits, inflation and unemployment in the months ahead, according to a survey of more than 1,000 economists in 120 countries.
The quarterly World Economic Survey by the Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce and the Munich-based Ifo Institute for Economic Research said its indicator of the global economic climate hit 107.7 in April, above its 15-year average of 96.9.
Despite its overall optimism, the report highlights marked regional variations and problems that could upset further global economic recovery in the next six months. Public budget deficits topped the economists’ list of urgent problems, ahead of high inflation and unemployment.
ICC Secretary General Jean-Guy Carrier said the survey shows the economy is still recovering but that “if governments struggling to reduce their debts resort to increasing protectionism, there’s a real danger that further global economic recovery could stall. Governments must work together and encourage a multilateral trading system that can allow the global economy to continue regaining strength.”
With short- and long-term interest rates expected to rise, the report said further tightening of monetary policy is likely in most of the countries surveyed. Emerging economies such as China, Turkey and some Latin American countries are particularly concerned by high inflation as prices soar.
Survey respondents from Brazil were especially worried that their strong currency could lead to a loss of competitiveness or a process of deindustrialization. On average, worldwide consumer prices are expected to rise 3.8 percent over the year, up from 3.4 percent forecast in early 2011.
“The upswing of the world economy continues, but one should nevertheless be aware of the risks,” said Gernot Nerb, Ifo director of business surveys. “Downward risks for positive development have gained weight during the last months. If downside risks do not materialize, this could be a sustainable track for the world economy.”
Among the risks that could hit the world economy in the next six months, pushing it off the road to recovery, the ICC-Ifo report cited excessive international capital movements and potential oil price shocks driven by tensions in supply.
World economic growth is expected to reach 3.2 percent in 2011, up slightly from last year’s level. The economists said the main growth engines include China, India and Latin American countries such as Peru and Argentina.
Contact Joseph Bonney at firstname.lastname@example.org and follow him on Twitter @jbonney.


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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.- The renovations continue at Centerpointe Mall in Grand Rapids, located at 28th Street and East Beltline, changing it from an indoor mall to a 550,000 square foot Power Center.
A spokesperson for Lormax Sterns, Chris Brochert, said that as of March 3, 2013, a new TJ Maxx/Home Goods store will open right next to the now demolished Klingman’s. The former TJ Maxx site will be torn down. Signs are already on the door of Menards, indicating that it will close down. Brochert said that the dates is sometime in July with a north end renovation then taking place. He added that 98 percent of the new development is leased and will include: Dress Barn, ULTA, Five Below, World Market and Rue 21 when the first phase is completed in June. Current favorites such as Nordstrom Rack, Jo Ann Fabrics, Golf Galaxy and Dunham’s will remain at their current locations.
The owner of Lady’s Designer Outlet, Mary Arbanas, had to move out after many years at the mall due to higher rent. However, Arbanas completely understands that the structuring is more for bigger retailers. However, she did not give up, moving to the D & W Shopping Plaza, next to Hallmark, in Cascade Twp.


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McDonald’s Sweden gave out free limited-edition picnic blankets featuring a quick response (QR) code, letting people place food delivery orders from their phone. The initiative—which the company introduced in a video on its Sweden Instagram—comes after McDonald’s announced its investment in technology company Plexure and acquisition of logic technology leader Dynamic Yield, which will play a key role in advancing the brand’s ability to personalize customer experiences.
McDonald’s featured the offer for free blankets through its social media networks in a push for increased mobile app usage and location-specific services. Upon scanning the QR code, smartphone users’ geographic location was sent to their food delivery service of choice thereby alerting the nearest McDonald’s to fulfill the order and deliver it to the blanket’s location.
“Across all of our markets, we’re using technology to elevate and transform the McDonald’s customer experience. Our mobile apps play a key role in our digital acceleration, allowing customers to interact with us on their terms in a personal, customized way. This investment is a testament to our belief in Plexure’s ability to deliver strong results for our business as well as the talent and technology they’ve cultivated,” said Steve Easterbrook, president and CEO of McDonald’s, in a company press release.
Plexure has powered a version of McDonald’s global mobile app in 48 countries outside the US. In addition to access to Plexure’s technology, McDonald’s will further its targeted strategy thanks to its acquisition of Dynamic Yield, with which it has plans to vary outdoor digital drive thru menus which change food displays based on the time of day, weather, and trending menu items–making the company one of the first to integrate decision technology into the customer point of sale at a brick and mortar location. Utilizing both company’s resources, McDonald’s will reinforce itself in the quick service restaurant (QSR) space with highly customized experiences for fans.
Fast food giants that have leveraged mobile hot spot delivery are few and far between, making McDonald’s ahead of the game. In 2018, Domino’s introduced over 200,000 hot spot delivery locations. This year, 7-Eleven announced 7NOW Pins, allowing customers to locate the nearest pin and order 7-Eleven via the brand’s app to 2,000 hot spot locations.


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Nubank Fintech Grows Client Base By 25 Percent Since August
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
The digital bank said at the Brazil Investment Forum in Sao Paulo that it has 15 million clients, according to Nubank founder and CEO David Vélez. Vélez said that 10 million out of the 15 million clients are holders of the bank’s credit card.
“We have opened many new business fronts in the last 12 months. We are growing quickly,” he said.
Nubank offers a no-fee credit card funded in part by China’s Tencent. The company was reportedly valued at $10 billion in July.
Photo courtesy of Juanedc.


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Make Room in Your Game Library for Arlingtonopoly
The hyperlocal board game, arriving later this year, will feature Arlington businesses and landmarks. 🎲
Feel like getting out but don’t want to leave the comfort of your living room? Your favorite Arlington locales will soon be only a roll of the dice away.
Introducing Arlingtonopoly, a forthcoming take on Monopoly that will sub out Park Place and Reading Railroad for Arlington shops and landmarks. It’s a fitting game for the county, which was once home to the presumed creator of Monopoly, Elizabeth Magie.
Arlingtonopoly, produced by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, will be customized by Arlington-based Design Powers and feature dozens of well-known county businesses and landmarks. The Chamber is currently taking wholesale orders, and the game is expected to hit local retail shelves and online shops this fall for $40.
The Arlington Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit serving 700-plus local businesses and organizations by providing advocacy and opportunities for networking, community engagement and professional development. Next year, the organization marks its 100th anniversary.
“We thought this would be a fun and creative way to celebrate the occasion,” says Kate Bates, president and CEO of the Chamber. “We also saw the success our friends at the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce had with community interest and excitement when they recently produced a game for their community.”
The Alexandria Chamber of Commerce released ALX-opoly in 2021, with custom game pieces and game board squares representing the Torpedo Factory, King Street Trolley, Del Ray Murals and other iconic symbols of the city.
Arlington businesses and organizations can purchase game sponsorships for Arlingtonopoly, landing their brands on game pieces, game cards and the game board itself. Sponsorship packages range in price from $400 to $7,500.
Which local entities can you expect to find on the board? The complete list is still in the works, but it so far includes VIDA Fitness, Alair Homes and Marymount University. The Chamber is also in talks with notable local sites and landmarks.
The Arlington Chamber of Commerce serves organizations in a wide array of industries and fields, including communications, the arts, education, hospitality, tourism and the nonprofit sector. Arlington Magazine is a Chamber member. The game, Bates says, will have broad appeal.
“Arlingtonopoly is designed for anyone who has a connection to Arlington, whether that’s people who live or work here, or those who have previously and remember it fondly,” she says.
Once the game is released, she adds, an Arlingtonopoly tournament isn’t out of the question.
Interested in wholesale orders of Arlingtonopoly? Contact communications@


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Holmes Report 08 Jun 2013 // 11:00PM GMT
The biopharmaceutical industry has improved its reputation in many dimensions, but improvements are still needed in reminding key stakeholders how its efforts contribute to overall public health, according to a new study from APCO Worldwide using the firm’s Return on Reputation Indicator model.
The study found that the industry continues to receive strong, positive ratings on innovation factors. But stakeholders now expect the industry to add context to their innovation story and assure its future commitment.
"After quantitatively analyzing the reputation for this industry, we've found a number of opportunities for the industry to further enhance its reputation with its key stakeholders," says Chrystine Zacherau, director of healthcare research at APCO. "Most notable among them is stakeholder's expanded definition of innovation, signaling a growing demand for the industry to address public health concerns and not only make products."
Using the ROR Indicator, companies can see quantitatively how a change in their reputation can ultimately influence a number of business outcomes such as consumer behavior, prescribing behavior, community activism, government policy, the litigation environment and financial return.
Among the report's other key findings is that a one point increase in its reputation index translates into:
• A 0.02 percent increase in market capitalization, or roughly more than a US$20 million increase for the average biopharmaceutical firm.
• A 0.2 percent increase in sales for the average biopharmaceutical company.
• An increase of more than 1.6 million people who are likely to support and defend the industry in the event of a crisis.
• A 1.2 percent increase in the number of Policy Leaders who support the most important policy issues facing the industry.
"Companies are increasingly aware that meeting stakeholder's expectations is a fundamental business principle," says Bryan Dumont, president of APCO Insight, which developed the ROR methodology. "With ROR, we can say with added statistical precision and confidence where biopharmaceutical firms should focus on improving reputation. With our proprietary, quantitative model, company executives can know exactly where to lead their company's external efforts."


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Our friends at CB Insights made an early break out of the gate again today with data on venture capital investments in private companies, this time reporting total VC funding of $5.4 billion in 715 deals nationwide for the third quarter that ended Sept. 30.
The CB Insights Venture Capital Activity Report shows, though, that venture investing continues to seesaw, with mixed results in many sectors. The New York information services company notes that the $5.4 billion total for the quarter is the lowest U.S. funding level since mid-2009. On the other hand, the CB report says the 715 deals is the second-highest tally over the past two years—July was particularly strong with 298 deals—and “would suggest optimism given the quarter’s dealflow strength.”
CB Insights also charted a re-emergence of seed-stage deals, from 1 percent of the deals in the third quarter of 2009 to 11 percent of total deals across a variety of sectors in the same quarter this year. CB says that also indicates “a healthy early-stage investment environment.” In short, CB’s numbers show that VCs throughout the country are funding a larger number of smaller deals.
Healthcare was the single largest sector for dollars invested, as usual, with more than $1.75 billion invested in 184 deals nationwide during the three months that ended September 30. Yet it declined from the same quarter of 2009, when venture firms put … Next Page »
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PDP, a leading video game accessory company based in North America has announced that it will be selling it’s products across Europe in time for the holiday season.
PDP has also announced a new range of gaming headsets and charging systems and will also be selling them across Europe. Each product will pay homage to the most popular of gaming franchises.
PDP offers many products, from above the Maliwan Borderlands 3 Pistol that is fully interactive with a trigger that emulates the ammo cartridge spinning and lights that make it look like you’re firing the gun. Fans of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will love the fully licensed Wired Fight Pad Pro.
If you want to browse the full range of what PDP has to offer you can visit the site HERE.


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Sony has announced the world’s first-ever AI image sensor, which incorporates AI smarts. The new IMX500 sensor has included the good of both processing power and memory. This incorporation helps the camera to perform machine learning-based operations very easily.
The best part is that the ML-powered computer vision tasks can be carried out without the need for any extra hardware, unlike the existing ones in the market. That results in faster, cheaper, and more secure AI cameras, as per Sony. A number of products and devices, over the years, have essentially benefitted from the conjunction of AI. Machine learning has expanded the realm of operations and quality.
The face detection feature, while taking a picture, is another widely used application of the technology. This tech allows the machine to think like a human, view, and observe like a human does and act accordingly. But, there are significant threats that are posed inadvertently on the way. For instance, the use of the cloud is undoable.
The cloud storage is used to store images and videos from devices. The process of sending these images, videos, and other media files to another location is in itself very risky as it exposes the device to a number of threats from hackers waiting for the device to fall prey. It is a pretty Unsafe and slow journey. The technology makes its usage counted in stuff like self-driving cars and as detailed as automated surveillance.
Many companies have tried to tighten security measures. The new high-end phones from Apple, Google, and Huawei need makers to install specialized processing cores on their machines to take care of the additional demand. In edge computing, however, the chips are not directly attached to an image sensor. It is special, as it has never been achieved earlier.
Given that Sony dominates a considerably large chunk of total space in this industry, clients will be attracted to use this technology more and more. It should be understood that the IMX 500 is not for the consumer hardware in general but the commercial clients.
IMX 500’s test samples have already started to get shipped to the beginner customers with prices beginning at ¥ 10,000, which is the same as $ 93. Sony is hopeful that its first range of products which aptly utilize its latest technology, the image sensor shall be reaching in the first quarter of the next year 2021.
Whereas the Movidius by Intel incorporated in DJI’s Phantom 4 drone and Google’s Clips camera takes seconds or at least 100s of ms, the IMX 500 from Sony can do the standard image recognition algorithm to a single video frame in just 3.1 ms. That is the reduction in time taken, which is simply massive.
Sony vice president of business and innovation, Mark Hanson, said that his technology is unlike the industry’s existing ones. There shall be greater speeds and faster privacy. Right now, only some basic algorithms can be applied by the image sensor, as per Hanson.
Image source: The Verge


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When Cara Piscitello and Joy Rubey began a local food delivery service in June 2011, they set out to create a system that would benefit northwest Washington farmers and food suppliers.
As they developed the model that would eventually become ACME Farms and Kitchen, they realized that to accomplish that goal they would need to approach their business from a perspective usually thought to be completely opposite.
“We’re the consumer, we’re the demographic, we’re the target audience. That’s what we just stuck with,” Rubey said. “We created this basically for ourselves, and we gambled on the fact that there’s got to be people like us out there.”
Now in their second year in business, Piscitello and Rubey are moving into a 5,400-square-foot location in the Dahlquist Building at 1313 N. State St. in downtown Bellingham.
The new storefront will eventually include a commercial kitchen, a distribution facility, an event space and an office. They plan to open by late June.
ACME operates almost entirely with consumers in mind.
Members of the service, which supplies local food to more than 300 people in Whatcom County, purchase weekly orders online that are delivered straight to their homes.
The owners grow about 90 percent of the company’s produce and raise bison on a 115-acre plot of land in the county. They also buy from more than 30 food growers and suppliers, most of which are located within 100 miles of Bellingham.
Piscitello said they started the business in order to connect their members with the source of their food and also to get them out of the supermarket.
“They can do almost all of their grocery shopping online with us and buy all local,” she said.
“The locavore box”
The service’s “locavore box” is by far its most popular product.
Each box includes a selection of meat, seafood, bread, pasta, cheese, eggs, dairy and seasonal produce. Boxes also include recipes for meals that can be created with the “locavore” ingredients.
Rubey said ACME’s first year in operation was used as more of a test run to see how well customers would respond.
Initially, they didn’t offer prepackaged boxes or meal plans. Instead they allowed people to just pick whatever produce they’d want off the company’s website.
They realized fairly quickly that in order to get more people eating local, they would have to not only sell food but also help people learn to cook with the food they offered.
“We rolled it out and we realized – they actually want us to tell them what to eat,” Rubey said. “Our focus has shifted to putting more local meals on the table, rather than just selling produce.”
Giving their members more direction also helped them clear hurdles in their supply process, including getting people used to cooking and consuming more uncommon food products such as homogenized milk, raw beans and bread made without preservatives.
A new storefront
Once ACME Farms and Kitchen moves into its new location, it will be one of the first businesses inside the neglected Dahlquist Building, which has a long history on State Street but has remained mostly empty for years.
Along with ACME, Dashi Noodle Bar, a downtown Asian restaurant located on Unity Street – run by Josh Silverman, the former owner and chef of the upscale Nimbus restaurant that closed in July 2011 – will move into the building this summer.
Rubey said the move to the heart of Bellingham would help them get more face-to-face time with their members.
It will also provide a central base for delivery. Until now, the company has had to coordinate deliveries between members, suppliers and its farm in Acme, which has proved challenging, Rubey said.
Piscitello said the commercial kitchen space will allow them to expand the business to create “value-added” items such as sauces and dressings.
They also plan to make the kitchen available to local chefs, food-truck vendors and others who need commercial cooking space.
The new location should serve as a good spot to develop the next phase of their business, Piscitello said, offering pre-prepped or even pre-prepared meals for members in order to make the mission of ACME Farms and Kitchen much simpler to accomplish.
Getting people hooked on eating local is a multi-faceted process, Rubey said.
By keeping members out of grocery stores, they can help reduce the amount of food that winds up going to waste, while saving their members money, she said.
Piscitello said developing all the tools to help consumers eat local helps people conquer the time-draining drawback of having to run to the supermarket multiple times each week just to get enough ingredients to put meals on the table.
“The biggest obstacle for people eating more local food is time. It’s time for shopping, time for cooking, time for meal planning,” Piscitello said.
“If we can eliminate the majority of that time spent, then we’ve run out of excuses.”


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Shares of CBS Corp. got a boost Wednesday after the broadcasting company posted better-than-expected second-quarter results, driven by a rebound in local ad spending.
CBS reported net income nearly 10 times what it earned a year earlier, thanks to cost-cuts and higher revenue. The company saw ad sales rebound across the board, led by the automobile, telecommunications, retail, financial services and entertainment sectors.
Ad sales contracted sharply during the recession, hurting media companies like CBS. But the improving ad market benefits CBS more than other media companies because of its market-leading position as a broadcaster.
"Advertising shows no signs of slowing down," wrote Jefferies analyst Brian S. Shipman in a note to investors, keeping a "Buy" rating on CBS shares. He said the advertising momentum carried into the third quarter and raised his earnings estimates for 2010 and 2011.
Wedbush Morgan's James Dix said advertising growth continues to impress. But he added that it is not a leading indicator, so economic jitters "keep us on sidelines."
"With roughly (two-thirds) of its revenue coming from advertising, across a mix of national and local sources, CBS is the clearest play on the economic cycle among the diversified media names," wrote Dix, who has a "Hold" rating on the company's stock.
Shares of New York-based CBS rose 50 cents, or 3.3 percent, to $15.51 in late morning trading. In the past 52 weeks, the stock has traded between $8.46 and $16.98.
© Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Magnet joins Enet and AirSpeed Telecom as part of the Speed Fibre Group, which is controlled by the Irish Infrastructure Fund.
Speed Fibre Group has completed its acquisition of the Magnet Networks business from Columbia Ventures Corporation.
With this acquisition, Speed Fibre Group now owns entities with a combined annual turnover in excess of €70m. This includes Enet and AirSpeed Telecom.
‘We can bring years of experience in managing and actively developing telecoms businesses’
– PETER MCCARTHY
The group’s CEO, Peter McCarthy, said: “As part of the Speed Fibre Group, Magnet Networks will continue to have the support it needs to further develop its range of customer-focused solutions and drive best-in-class customer satisfaction for its large client base.
“Importantly, the team sees potential for growth and, from our point of view, we can bring years of experience in managing and actively developing telecoms businesses – whether they be wholesale or retail organisations. It’s an exciting time for the business and, importantly, for its customers.”
Ken Peterson, the founder and outgoing chair of Magnet Networks, added: “We are proud of Magnet Networks’ achievements over the past 16 years, pioneering fibre-to-the-home in Ireland and advancing Irish voice and connectivity solutions as a trusted partner to some of the biggest names in technology.”
Peterson said that the acquisition will further innovations in areas such as remote working and customer service.
The acquisition was cleared by Ireland’s Competition and Consumer Protection Commission last month. It was the commission’s view that the proposed transaction would not substantially lessen competition in any market for goods or services in the State.
Speed Fibre Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Irish Infrastructure Fund (IIF), which controls more than €500m of investments across energy, telecoms, tourism and healthcare in Ireland.
As an investment vehicle, Speed Fibre is focused on telecoms infrastructure as well as communications service provision.
Magnet Networks’ connectivity network services some of the world’s biggest technology companies as well as telecommunications and data connectivity solutions in both commercial and residential markets.


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Rifco National Auto Finance will implement several changes to its Fast Forward 500 Club (FF500) dealer rewards program based on feedback received at its annual dealer meeting last month.
Changes for dealers include more one-on-one direct contact to Rifco’s credit and funding team, and access to a dedicated analyst, a spokeswoman told Auto Finance News. “The personalized service is a huge factor of what draws dealerships to the FF500 program, and this is another way to add value for our dealers,” she said.
Additionally, the lender wants to find new credit opportunities to boost dealer business. “This will require analysis of our credit space to see how we can do 100% of our dealers’ business,” she said.
FF500 has three status levels: bronze, silver, and gold. There are approximately 110 dealers in the program, which has been growing at a rate of 10% to 15% a year.
Rifco will also increase the amount of points dealers can earn, and offer bronze members access to a 60-day deferral payment program, which allows finance managers to push a customer’s first payment date back 60 days.
Previously, the deferral program was only available to silver and gold members. All changes will be implemented in the first quarter of 2018, the spokeswoman said.


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highs and lower lows. There's no clear consensus on Bitcoin's birthday; you could, for example, argue that the cryptocurrency was created on the date when Satoshi Nakamoto released the Bitcoin whitepaper, a seminal document that describes the basics of the project, on Oct. The paper says these stocks are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. January 28th Block #105000 is generated at that point,.24 million bitcoins had been issued, 25 of the total 21 million.
December 23rd Douglas Feigelson of BitBills filed a patent application for "Creating And Using Digital Currency" with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, an action which was contested based on prior art in June 2013. 31.00 top of first "bubble followed by the first price drop Dec 2011.00 minimum after few months Dec 2012.00 slowly rising for a year 266 top of a price rally, during which the value was growing by 5-10 daily. The possibility that Satoshi Nakamoto was a computer collective in the European financial sector has also been discussed. It is unclear whether the Founders sold any of their stocks, the report said. November 14th, Falling below 6000. Mar Price fell through to early 2015.
Questra einzahlung bitcoin, How long mining for 1 bitcoin, Bcu bitcoin,
May basically stable, again slowly rising. January 22nd, South Korea brought in a regulation that requires all the bitcoin traders to reveal their identity, thus putting a ban on anonymous trading of bitcoins. In public posts that showcase the increasingly coordinated nature of exchange policy in the region, both. The number of bitcoin users increases significantly. May 2010 less than.01 On, Laszlo Hanyecz made the first real-world transaction by buying two pizzas in Jacksonville, Florida for 10,000 BTC. Over two weeks starting late June 2013 the price dropped steadily. July 17th MtGox Cryptocurrency exchange is launched.
Two of Chinas most widely used bitcoin exchanges have announced that they will suspend bitcoin.
Bitcoin : Bitcoin has seen better days, thats for sure, but all things considered, its doing pretty well.


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Nokia has unveiled its Android flagship smartphone, the Nokia 8.
Engadget was given early access to the device before its official launch, and stated that it is set to take on the Samsung Galaxy S8 and new iPhones.
The phone is made by HMD Global, which has already released the Nokia 3, Nokia 5, and Nokia 6 in South Africa.
The Nokia 8 features a 5.3-inch 2,560 x 1,440 LCD display, an aluminium body – which is 4.6mm thick at the edges and 7.3mm ” on average” – and is available in four colours: Polished Blue, Polished Copper, Tempered Blue, and Steel.
The device is set to go on sale for €599 in September, and will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor which is attached to a copper cooling pipe that runs across the phone.
The Nokia 8 also packs high-end cameras, with a dual rear unit which comprises one 13MP monochrome camera and one 13MP colour camera.
The front camera is also 13MP, with all the units equipped with an f2.0 Zeiss lens.
Users are able to use all three cameras at once, stated the report, and display and record from the front and rear cameras at the same time.
Nokia has also added a livestream button which lets user instantly stream to social media.
The Nokia 8 further features three embedded microphones and OZO Audio, which allows for the recording of 360-degree spatial surround sound.
This article originally appeared on MyBroadband and has been republished with permission.


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What you need to know
- A recent leak showed off an Emdoor handheld gaming console known as the EM-GP080MTL.
- The portable gaming PC pairs an Intel Meteor Lake-H CPU with Intel Arc 5 graphics.
- Intel Meteor Lake chips are set to launch in December, so we likely won't have to wait long to see Emdoor's console running on a CPU from the lineup.
Intel's new Meteor Lake CPUs don't launch until December of this year, but we now know of a handheld gaming console that will be powered by the chips. Notebook Italia shared details about an upcoming Emdoor system that will pair an Intel Meteor Lake-H CPU with Intel Arc 5 graphics. The original content from Notebook Italia has since been removed, but VideoCardz snagged all the details.
An image shared by Notebook Italia shows the system specs of the Emdoor EM-GP080MTL. I suspect the device will have a more consumer-friendly name when it launches, but that's what we have to go by at the moment. The EM-GP080MTL runs on an Intel Meteor Lake-H processor with a TDP of 20 to 35W. That wattage is noteworthy because the ASUS ROG Ally, which runs on an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme, has a TDP of 10 to 25 watts. The Steam Deck maxes out at 15 watts.
The display of the EM-GP080MTL is an 8-inch 16:10 panel with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. The portable gaming console also has 32GB of LDDR5X memory and up to 2TB of PCIe Gen4 storage.
The CPU of the EM-GP080MTL will pair with an integrated Intel Arc 5 GPU. We don't know the number of cores in that Alchemist GPU, but VideoCardz speculated that the figure is likely between 4 and 8 Xe cores.
Emdoor's design looks similar to other gaming consoles on the market. It features offset thumbsticks and the standard array of buttons. The portable PC space is quickly filling up, which will hopefully result in companies driving each other to make even better devices.
Promotional materials shown by Notebook Italia show the EM-GP080MTL running God of War, which would suggest the console is capable of running the best PC games.
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TAIPEI (Reuters) – Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics maker, reported near flat quarterly profit on Thursday, beating market estimates amid firm demand for telecommuting devices as the pandemic-induced work-from-home trend continues.
The Taiwanese company, whose clients include technology majors such as Apple Inc, booked July-September net profit of T$30.8 billion ($1.08 billion), Reuters calculations showed based on nine-month figures.
That compared with the T$28.61 billion average of 13 analyst estimates compiled by Refinitiv. Profit growth was nearly flat versus the T$30.7 billion of the same period a year prior.
Chief Financial Officer David Huang told an investor conference that third-quarter revenue fell 7% due to clients delaying product launches.
Still, Chairman Liu Young-way said Foxconn saw “stronger than expected” demand for both smartphones and servers, with strong shipments of Apple’s new iPhone 12 supporting revenue.
Foxconn, formally Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, said it expected revenue to rise


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After Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday announced fresh measures to boost economy, industry leaders reacted with a thumbs up. The announcements made by the government today would have big impact on the economy and revive the economy’s animal spirits, said Deepak Parekh, Chairman, HDFC. The lower tax rates would attract more international manufacturing companies as now we would be comparable to the global companies in terms of tax rates, he added. Sharing his views, Uday Kotak, MD, Kotak Mahindra Bank said that the reduction of the corporate tax rate to 25 per cent is a big bang reform.
Among the major decisions, the finance minister announced lowering corporate tax rate and relief on capital gains for FPIs. To provide relief to companies which continue to avail exemptions and incentives, rate of MAT has been reduced from existing 18.5 per cent to 15 per cent.
Sharing her views on government’s big reforms today, Kiran Mazumdar- Shaw, MD, Biocon said that it was needed the most. “Corporate Tax Rate Cut From 30% To 25.2% To Spur Growth- this is a great move which will firmly revive growth n investment. My hats off to FM @nsitharaman for this bold but most needed move,” she tweeted.
The announcements made today by FM Sitharaman will kickstart the economy, Ajay Piramal of Piramal Enterprises told CNBC TV18. The reforms gives an impression that the government is willing to embrace the industry as a partner, he added.
“Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Rs 1.45 lakh crore stimulus to reboot India is a bold move to unleash the animal spirit! This can certainly turn the tide for the economy & markets! Also it’s a move towards simpler low tax regime with no or minimal incentives exemptions (which are misused more than used),” Nirmal Jain, Chairman, IIFL Group said.
The demand will get a boost from the government’s moves and the company will save 4 per cent from rate cuts, S Subramaniam, CFO of Titan told CNBC TV18. The consumption demand will get a boost from the government’s decisions, he added. Talking on the matter, Sameer Arora, Helios Capital tweeted: “this is not bigger than budget, this is bigger than last 20 budgets.”


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The Eden Prairie, Minn.-based third-party logistics provider has added Oceania as a new region to its Global Forwarding division, thanks to the company’s acquisition of Melbourne-based APC Logistics.
The United States imported 2.99 million net tons of steel in August, an 8.5 percent month-over-month decline, driven down by lower volumes from Brazil and South Korea from a month prior.
Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., said he will fight the trade deal in the Senate, but Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., hinted the deal could fly in 2017 if controversial language giving corporations the right to challenge a nation's regulations is removed.
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Several ocean carriers have decided to launch various routes in order to fill the void from Hanjin’s halted operation.
Datamyne provided American Shipper with statistics illustrating how some non-vessel-operating common carriers pulled U.S. import volume from Hanjin ships prior to August, while others ramped up their use of the financially stricken carrier.
The Northern Sea Route, which can cut 12 to 15 days off voyage times between Asia and North Europe compared to the traditional Suez Canal routing, is currently only usable during the summer season, but could be open year-round by 2020.


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The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has placed restricted activity measures on the embedded payments company regarding onboarding new customer segments.
According to a notice on the FCA website, the firm has agreed with the regulator that it will not without its prior written consent on-board any new agent and/or distributor.
Existing agents and/or distributors will for now be the only ones permitted to distribute and/or redeem e-money or provide payment services on behalf of the firm, the FCA said.
“With many new and revised UK regulations coming into force in 2023 and 2024, we have agreed to temporarily pause onboarding certain new customer segments in the UK, specifically agents and distributors,” a spokesperson for Modulr told Vixio when approached for comment.
New regulations referenced by the company include the Consumer Duty, which came into force at the end of July 2023.
“This increases the duty of care we and our SME and consumer-facing customers now have to end customers,” said the spokesperson.
In addition, the spokesperson mentioned the upcoming authorised push payment (APP) fraud mandatory reimbursement model, which comes into force in 2024, and the application of the Financial Promotions Requirements to high-risk assets and digital assets, including an extension to the ban on incentive marketing.
“We are responsible for monitoring our customers’ adherence to all regulations and we continue to take this very seriously,” said the spokesperson.
There is no impact on existing customers or their ability to onboard new customers, the firm told Vixio. However, it also said that customers are being kept informed.
Further, the company said that there is no impact on existing or new direct customer businesses or on growing European operations.
“We are building a truly world-leading business, and in close partnership with the FCA, we are continuing to invest in our systems and processes, consistent with our scaling ambitions,” the spokesperson said.
In July, the company revealed that it had received regulatory and branch registration approvals from Banque de France and Banco de España.
The company has grown fast since 2016 and its audited 2022 financial statements show that it grew revenue by 80 percent year-on-year to £31m, and its spokesperson told Vixio that the company will end 2023 at a substantially higher run rate.
The company additionally raised $108m in Series C funding in April 2022.


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LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Uber riders who want to bring their pet along on a ride will now have the option to do so. Uber has launched Uber Pet in 10 cities, including Las Vegas.
Riders will be able to select an Uber Pet option on the app. They will have to pay a $5 surcharge on top of the standard fare.
Uber has always allowed service animals but this move takes it a step further.
People have pets and it’s a way they can bring them and ensure that the driver is OK with that, said Stephanie Sedlak, Uber.
Uber riders with service pets are not required to use Uber Pet and don’t need to pay the surcharge.


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New Delhi: Each year often brings technology-driven changes—most incremental and some big leaps. In 2008, there will be easier ways to pay bills, better avenues for comparison-shopping, and more efficient methods of hiring. And, this (Chinese) Year of the Rat will have more than its average share of big changes on the technology front for the average urban Indian. Expect changes in the fuel that powers your car or bike; the way entertainment—and work—happens while on the move or in so-called dead time, as in waiting for traffic gridlock to clear or a plane to take off. And, even how your office and, perhaps, home is lit.
Let’s start with mobile phone networks that service 220 million customers (statistically, that is equivalent to one in every Indian home, though that’s not quite the ground reality). Despite the acrimonious pull-and-push by various business and government lobbies, we will most likely see the ushering in of what is called 3G, or third generation, mobile-phone services in India as also, in small pockets, so-called fourth generation phone services where voice communications can be offered for free.
Such services will mean that phone companies will have to hard sell these offerings to improve their average billing among customers notorious for wanting everything on the cheap. Bharti Airtel Ltd and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) are clear that’s the path to improved profitability. Meanwhile, while 3G and Wimax technologies will let users download data, including music and video files as well as live television on their phones, another offering by telecom providers—Internet protocol television, referred to as IPTV, will allow subscribers to watch their favourite TV programmes as and when they want to.
BSNL, India’s biggest phone firm by revenues, plans to launch Wimax-based services in at least 1,000 villages and two large Indian states, including Punjab, by the first half of 2008. Wimax will offer broadband, high speed Internet access to mobile users in urban areas, predicts one company executive, adding that it would also be used to provide connectivity in community service centres in villages. “Wimax allows five times faster data download than 3G technology,” he insists.
The spread of Wimax offerings, yet, will “become a mainstream technology only after operators are able to make money out of 3G services, which looks more immediate,” says Deepak Kumar of tech research firm IDC’s India unit. He expects the launch of 3G services by late 2008.
With the Union government planning to auction radio spectrum for 3G services, operators are readying their roll-out plans. In phases, the millions of mobile phone subscribers in the country will have a choice to access and download music and video files by paying an extra fee to their telecom operators.
“We have already done our pilots and can launch the services within six months of spectrum allocation,” according to Abhay Savargaonkar, senior vice-president in charge of 3G services at Bharti Airtel. Customers in large cities are ready to pay for high-end data services, he said back in October.
The average revenue per user for 3G services “could range anywhere between Rs500 and Rs700 depending upon the pricing strategies adopted by the operators,” said a telecom analyst at a Mumbai-based financial brokerage house, who expects some 15 million 3G customers in India in the first year of launch. And, if operators hungry for market share subsidize 3G handsets, research firm BDA China Ltd says there could be around 30 million customers for the service by 2010.
IPTV services, already running as pilot projects in some Indian cities, are also set to become less esoteric. Some 105 million Indian homes have TVs, a market growing by 20% annually, presenting an attractive market for telecom operators who have the benefit of fibre?and other potentially-high bandwidth networks running into a significant chunk of those households. “Apart from television services, IPTV will include video-on-demand, digital video recording, instant channel changing and personal media sharing services,” says Usha Rajeev of consultant PricewaterhouseCoopers.
BSNL, which started offering IPTV services to 1,000 trial customers in Pune, Bangalore and Kolkata in 2007, expects to cover 55 cities by June and sign up a million customers by end of the year. India’s second biggest mobile services firm by subscribers, Reliance Communications Ltd says it intends rolling out its IPTV services in early 2008, having earmarked up to $500 million, or about Rs2,000 crore, to buy technology from Microsoft Corp. Bharti Airtel, which is testing its IPTV offering with about 1,000 customers in New Delhi, is expected to launch the service by the first half of the year.
“IPTV will be the most exciting thing to expect in 2008, especially since operators are already talking of networks with 2MB per second (mbps) to almost 8mbps kind of download speeds,” said Kumar of IDC India Ltd. Experts point to the sharp increase in direct-to-home satellite TV customers—more than three million paid subscribers—as a proxy indicator of demand for TV delivered on media other than the most-common cables.
Meanwhile, technology leaps won’t just happen with cellphones, Internet access and TV, but also with your set of wheels and the fuel that drives it.
Hydrogen-powered and so-called hybrid cars may be the first, important tangible breakthroughs that come out of India’s private research labs in 2008. Watch out for the hybrids first (as early as next Wednesday), which come with two ways of powering the wheels: a petrol engine as well as an electric battery, combining the mileage and power of a petrol engine with the environment-friendliness of an electric vehicle.
Auto maker Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd, for one, is ready to showcase its hybrid cars at industry event Auto Expo starting 10 January in New Delhi. “We are testing the mild hybrid version of the Scorpio,” said Arun Jawar, research head at the company. In mild hybrid versions, the driver has to manually switch from engine to motor, and this is expected to be cheaper than automatic versions, though the company has not decided yet by how much.
A local unit of Honda Motor Co. Ltd, too, is readying its plans for bringing in a much-publicized hybrid model from its stable into India. “We have plans to launch the Civic hybrid in India by (late 2008),” says Jnaneswar Sen, senior general manager of marketing at Honda Siel Cars India Ltd.
Hydrogen-fuelled vehicles are a little further away. The Tata group recently announced plans to partner with the Indian Space Research Organisation to develop hydrogen-fuelled buses. Bajaj Auto Ltd, which displayed a prototype of its hydrogen-fuelled autorickshaw at an industry event in September, said it is working on developing a “fleet” of such vehicles later this year. Says Shubhangi Chiplonkar, a researcher at Bajaj Auto: “Our next step is to develop suitable hydrogen dispensing pumps and we hope the government is looking into this.”
The Delhi government is. “We are looking to initiate a pilot project, wherein hydrogen fuel dispensing stations will be set up with, in Delhi. While the prototypes are ready, the locations should be finalized by the middle of the year,” said N.P. Singh, adviser to the Union ministry of new and renewable energy.
Yet, it will be a while before hydrogen-pumping stations and cars dot the country’s cities. Before that, a more likely scenario will be ethanol blending in petrol and diesel. In a bid to bring down its fuel subsidy Bill, the government has mandated that 10% ethanol, high-purity alcohol manufactured from sugar cane in India (it can be derived from maize, potatoes, tapioca...), be added to every litre of petrol or diesel sold in the country.
Oil firms are sceptical of the October deadline, but the effort is likely to make a small beginning this year with three effects: more demand for sugar cane cultivated, lower vehicular pollution levels and less burden on government budgets.
Another green initiative, with promise to become larger in 2008, is playing out in rural Maharashtra. In hamlets close to Otur town in Pune district, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), for years used in display panels, have been used in 10,000 homes for lighting. Powered by solar panels, LEDs have provided these homes with light, a task administrations across the country have failed in.
“Within two-three years, CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) will be on the back-burner. The US is already experiencing a major shift towards this efficient lighting system,” insists Jasjeet Singh Chaddah, founder?of?Surya Bijlee,?the rural solar lighting project, which uses LEDs. CFLs are slowly replacing the common incandescent, yellow light bulbs.


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Viet Nam News
HÀ NỘI — The first ever Craft and Design Challenge Prize 2017 has been launched for Việt Nam’s design students, young designers and entrepreneurs who either show an interest and ability in craft-based design or have experience running craft and design projects and/or businesses.
The contest, organised by the British Council Vietnam, aims especially to create new and more inclusive opportunities for women in sustainable and ethical craft-based production. The contest is also a response to the increasingly endangered field in the face of globalisation and rapid economic development.
Female artisans, who constitute a majority in this sector, are particularly vulnerable due to lack of knowledge and skills necessary for sustaining their business. The combination of traditional craft and contemporary design is expected to generate a renewed interest in crafts through creative processes, informed research and storytelling.
Organisers said the contest will create opportunities for designers and entrepreneurs to train in design and business management and work in collaboration with artisans on skills and product development, focusing on communicating cultural identity which will also enhance market access.
A panel of judges who are experts in the field of craft, design and entrepreneurship will select 15 successful candidates who can demonstrate strong interest in craft and design, and wish to create value from working with craft-maker communities through design.
Those 15 candidates will have to take part in different activities as preparation for the Craft and Design Challenge. The first one is a series of three professional development workshops to be held in November in Hà Nội, which will provide participants with practical knowledge and skills in craft, design and business planning, so as to be better prepared to enter the challenge.
The second stage is a residency programme planned to take place in November and December to facilitate the necessary connection and experience between the participants and female craft communities, so that the participants are better prepared to work with craft communities for the challenge.
After the residency, participants will have two months, tentatively January and February, to prepare for a design-led intervention and business plan for the Challenge. Project proposals could include the design of a prototype in collaboration with the artisan communities, new tools and ways of maximising economic benefit and sustainability which might support the livelihoods of female artisans and the sustainability of their craft practice.
Finally, a showcase of the craft and design projects/products will be organised for all entries of the Challenge. The showcase will be held during three weeks in March or April 2018, offering an opportunity for participants to present their product designs/prototypes as well as raise funds for their business plans.
First prize winner will get VNĐ60 million (US$2,640), and the two runner ups will get VNĐ50 million and VNĐ40 million. Prize winners will be expected to use the award as a seed fund to implement their newly formulated craft and design development projects.
Application packages should be sent to firstname.lastname@example.org by 25 October 2017. — VNS


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BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Everything and everyone deserves a second chance. That's the philosophy behind a local non-profit.
Re-train, reclaim and renew. That's the philosophy at Second Chance, Inc.
The warehouse on Ridgely Street, and is 250,000 feet of stuff -- furniture, lamps, sconces, book cases, art work -- much of it taken from homes around the country that are being demolished. The idea is simple. Second Chance reclaims it, you come buy it and find a way to reuse it.
"We're just a toy store for the people who are going to have fun with the stuff we reclaim," says Mark Foster, who started Second Chance in 2003.
It's so successful that it raises 99 percent of the money it uses. But it's most important mission isn't stuff, it's people.
Two hundred men and women work in the warehouse full time. Antonio Johnson, now a retail manager, was in and out of jail three times until he got his "second chance."
"I came down with my application and the rest is history and this was in 2008," he says.
He's one of thousands over the past decade whose life has been turned around by their time at Second Chance.
This Saturday night, Second Chance is hosting its fundraiser, "The Wreckers Ball." Dress code is construction chic.
Second Chance is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For more information, visit SecondChanceInc.org.
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Banks 'baling out on MyTravel'
TROUBLED holiday firm MyTravel is on the brink of bankruptcy, despite having won backing from bondholders for a £1.3bn debt refinancing deal.
The deal is expected to be announced on Monday, but industry sources warn that the company's bank debt is being sold more cheaply than Marconi's was before the collapse of the telecoms firm in 2001. MyTravel needed three-quarters of bondholders to agree to extend the length of their bonds from 2004 to 2007.
The bondholders will take 26% of the company's equity and increased interest on the bonds. The company said the deal meant it could concentrate on cutting costs and selling assets.
But industry sources said debts were at crisis levels and the company could be bankrupt by next month. One source said: 'The banks are baling out, selling MyTravel's debt on for just 20p in the pound. There is little support for the company.'
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The top 20 independent takeaway fish and chip shops have been announced as part of the 2016 National Fish & Chip Awards, organised by Seafish.
The shops, from across 10 UK regions including Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as London, will now compete against each other for the title of Independent Takeaway Fish and Chip Shop of the Year.
The shortlisted shops have so far been judged on shop appearance, responsible sourcing, customer service and staff training policies. They also received mystery shopping assessments focusing on the quality of the fish and chips, and customer service provided by staff.
The 20 shops will now be judged further with more mystery evaluations and audits, before the selected 10 regional winners compete for the top spot at the 2016 awards ceremony, set to take place at the Lancaster London hotel on 20 January.
The 10 winners will be announced in October, with each invited on an all-expenses paid study trip to Ålesund, Norway, organised by award sponsor the Norwegian Seafood Council.
Paul Williams, chief executive of Seafish, explained that winning the award could convey significant benefits to the shop in question, including industry trips abroad, increased turnover and the launch of their own line of products.
He said: "The aim of the National Fish & Chip Awards has always been to showcase the very best fish and chip businesses and individuals in the UK while setting incredibly high standards for the industry to aspire to. The Independent Takeaway Fish and Chip Shop of the Year Award is one of the highest honours to receive as a fish and chip business. It's great to see so many excellent shops through to this stage of the competition. I'd like to offer up my congratulations and wish them the best as they prepare."
Sponsors of the award include AAK, BD Signs, Henry Colbeck, Henry Jones, Friars Pride, Heinz SqueezeMe, JFK, Kingfrost, Norwegian Seafood Council, Pukka Pies, VA Whitley and the Responsible Fishing Scheme.
Latest video from The Caterer


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More than 250 vendors are expected to display their crafts during the fair. In addition, attendees will be able to dine on barbecue, chicken salad, friend chicken and home-made desserts.
There will also be a special section full of activities for children, including face painting, rides and art projects.
The fair will run from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Admission is $5. For more information, visit the event's website.


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Nigel Carty – Minister of Information
Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
June 14, 2013 (CUOPM)
Local media and advertising and security businesses are getting assistance from the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis.
Minister of Information, the Hon. Nigel Carty said that Cabinet of Ministers has considered and approved application for duty concessions for two small businesses operating in the area of media and advertising, and security.
“Honourable members were of the view that small local businesses operating in expanding services sector of the local economy, must continue to receive government support to enhance quality and competitiveness,” said Mr. Carty.
He said the duty concessions will be applied to materials that the businesses require to upgrade and expand their activities.