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Nationwide: how members were angered
Nationwide has drawn the anger of its members in recent times, as the building society attempts to survive the aftermath of the financial crisis.
We take a brief look at a year-and-a-bit in the life of a building society under fire
Poor savings and falling customer services standards, are among the allegations from customers. So what's really going on at Britain's biggest building society, asks Money Mail
Nationwide is spending £450m a year to subsidise consumers on its variable rate mortgages as well as being stung by a leap in bad debts, it is revealed
Nationwide Building Society will prevent certain customers from making cash withdrawals of less than £100 from its counters
Aggrieved members greeted the chairman of Nationwide Building Society with a round of jeers at a packed AGM
Nationwide has announced it will axe fee-free use of debit cards abroad - one of the most popular benefits of its current account
Nationwide's network of agencies, most of them based in estate agents, faces closure
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We Are Social’s Monday Mashup #322
Highlights from Salesforce Advertising Index Q2 report include Facebook’s global costs per thousand impressions (CPM) soared 65% in Q2 compared with the second quarter of 2015, to $6.33. For Instagram, global CPMs of $6.30 were up 42% compared with the first quarter of 2016. For LinkedIn global CPMs rose 13% in contrast with the second quarter of 2015, to $29.43. In contrast to this, global CPMs for Twitter were down 18% compared with a year ago, to $4.29.
Instagram Stories is off to a powerful start, so far
Last month Instagram launched a new feature called Instagram Stories (if you don’t know, seriously where were you?!), which seemed just slightly similar to a fellow competitor – Snapchat.
According to a new YouGov US poll undertaken between August 23-26, when asked whether they prefer to use Snapchat Stories or Instagram Stories, 45% of 18-34 year olds said Snapchat, meanwhile 21% said Instagram, and 34% surprisingly suggested they had no preference between the platforms.
Although users are still showing a strong alliance to Snapchat Stories rather than Instagram Stories, the new data from YouGov does reveal that the new Instagram Stories feature has been well received. With 53% of millennials active on Instagram stating they look at content on Instagram Stories at least once a week, and 27% saying they post content on the feature at least once a week, it’s certainly setting the scene for some competition with Snapchat stories.
Snapchat ad sales to hit $935 million next year
According to new figures from eMarketer, Snapchat’s impact on the ad market is increasing. In 2015 Snapchat’s ad revenue was $59.2 million, it’s predicted to collect $367 million in ad revenue in 2016 and to continue to increase that figure 155% next year to $935.5 billion.
Twitter’s Direct Messages feature starts to act like a messaging app…
Twitter has rolled out updates to make its Direct Messages more like a mobile messaging app. The updates include a number of new features such as read receipts, typing indicators and web link previews. Personally I think read receipts are a great way of knowing if your friends are blanking you or not, but of course, you don’t have to have the feature turned on – Twitter does have a setting for opting out of this.
New! Direct Messages are more dynamic than ever with read receipts, typing indicators, and web link previews. pic.twitter.com/VEU92V5Gqj
— Twitter (@twitter) September 8, 2016
Starbucks launches a chat bot on Facebook Messenger
Starbucks has jumped on the Facebook Messenger bot bandwagon and launched their Real Pumpkin Spice character that lets users access GIFs, photos and ask the drink questions. Because what can be more fun than stating your underlying love for the Pumpkin Spice Latte by chatting with the actual drink on Messenger! Hurrah. Its called ‘The Real PSL’ and the chat bot is certainly a sassy one.
Durex conducts aubergine flavoured condom stunt
So, there’s no icon in the official emoji alphabet that lets people discuss and broach the subject of safe sex in text-speak. So what does Durex do? ‘Launch’ an aubergine (eggplant) flavoured condom as part of its #CondomEmoji campaign.
#BreakingNews: We’re launching an exciting new savoury #condom range – Eggplant flavour! ? #CondomEmoji pic.twitter.com/idA07EaiXC— Durex Global (@durex) September 5, 2016

domain: news


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The Orange Is The New Black fan favourite wore a plunging black suit showing off just the right amount of flesh as she made her way into the awards ceremony at the Mediolanum Forum.
The eye-catching design was just one of many that Ruby rocked through the star-studded evening she is co-hosting with Ed Sheeran.
Ruby also found time to slip into a strapless ball gown covered in lips, as well as an all leather outfit too.
Her most unusual number was spaghetti-inspired dress, worn to celebrate World Pasta day.
Ellie Goulding, the headline act at the recent AFL Grand Final in Melbourne, also had her cleavage front-and-centre for the red carpet.
The 28-year-old wore a hip-hugging black dress with a daring plunging neckline and thigh-high split.
She also showed off a new hair colour, adding a much more yellow tint to her usual platinum ‘do’.
Justin Bieber caused the biggest stir, as only he can, by high-fiving fans as he strutted down the carpet wearing a dazzling red suit.
American girl band Fifth Harmony weren’t to be out-done, however, as they sang and danced into the auditorium performing their hit Worth It
Check out our picks for best, and wackiest, outfits in our special MTV gallery.


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Children trick-or-treating in Cambridge are in for a lean time, according to a survey.
The city has been dubbed the third ‘stingiest’ in the UK, in a study by internet shopping company OnBuy.
A spokesman said: “ Hallowe’en is right round the corner and many children are hoping to fill their pockets with goodies when trick-or-treating around their neighbourhoods. However, some UK cities are stingier when it comes to delivering the goods to trick or treaters.
“We conducted a survey of 65 UK cities and found that Cambridge was the third stingiest town in the UK, with households spending a meagre average of £1.65 on sweets.”
The most generous people are in Leeds, the survey revealed, spending an average of £16.40.
The poorest pickings for trick-or-treaters are likely to be had in Hull, where residents will spend just £1.25, and Nottingham finished runner-up, with an average sweet spend of £1.50.
One 11-year-old boy in Cambridge told the researchers: “I was turned down by a few houses as they said they didn’t have any sweets. One woman gave us bruised bananas, and I don’t even like bananas.”


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App developers on the Facebook team seem to think that it is more important to get something out for phone users than tablet users.
Sure, there are more iPhones in consumer hands than there are iPads. But, those numbers are quickly changing. In order to meet the demand of Facebooking tablet owners, the social networking giant had better get moving.
Last May, we heard mumblings from the front line that Facebook was working on a native iPad Messenger app. Yesterday, TechCrunch reported hearing from someone close to the situation that Facebook Messenger for iPad is ready to go and it may even be launched at tomorrow’s “Come See What We’re Building” press event.
It’s about time. We’ve been waiting on the Facebook chat client on the iPad for far too long. Just like the official Facebook for iPad app, we’ve been sitting on our hands for over a year while the development team takes its sweet time. Admittedly, the Facebook for iPad app was stunningly beautiful with a fantastic user-interface that made the wait worthwhile. But, that’s beside the point. We want our Messenger app and we want it now.
According to TechCrunch, the native iPad app will include video chat, VoIP, and voice messaging. Not only will you be able to tell your friends what show you are watching at the moment through Facebook posts, you’ll also be able to video call your mom while watching it.
Now that Facebook owns Instagram, lets hope the iPad announcement includes an optimized version of the social photography phenomenon, too. Instagram for iPad is long overdue.


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There are a total of 9 articles associated with Gamestop.
Silvergate short interest is astronomically high, opening real possibility for a squeeze on bearish traders
While meme stocks GME, BBBY and AMC have clawed back losses this year, DOGE holders are booking profits
CEO Matt Furlong reportedly said high inflation and a difficult job market led to the most recent downsizing
Solana NFTs are picking up, and metaverse trademarks are also on the rise
Countries around the world are leveraging NFT technology for real-world use cases
Jack Dorsey’s vision for decentralized internet will be built solely on the Bitcoin blockchain
The Y2K Japan-inspired NFT collection has seen consecutive losses in the past few days
Layer-2 scaling platform Immutable X will also be used to power the company’s forthcoming non-fungible token marketplace, co-founder Robbie Ferguson told Blockworks
Kadena triples in the last 30 days despite the broader market sell-off, and Loopring rallies
Get the daily newsletter that helps thousands of investors understand the markets.


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Properly integrating hemp into less-sustainable agricultural regions and efficiently using the biomass could be the first steps to a brighter future.
Uncovering the mysteries deep within its leaves, clinical trials with cannabis are putting science behind the claims.
Vapor capture extraction technology, or VCT, an effort to efficiently and cost-effectively produce safe, clean cannabis extracts.
Supercapacitors powered by hemp-based carbon nanosheets.
Solventless extractions are simple, efficient, and safe... and increasing in demand.
Ready for a more hands-off approach to cannabis cultivation?
As the most significant expense in indoor growing, let’s look at how grow lights have evolved over the past few decades.
Because of the equipment crunch, used equipment values are skyrocketing as producers seek solutions to the supply chain nightmare.
Technology innovations in cannabis consumption look to solve a variety of problems.
Is it time to bring hemp back into livestock diets?
Everyone is riding the wave of cannabis legislation, including places of higher education - but the question for many is - "Is it worth the investment?"
Trimming cannabis is a critical step in the process regardless of which method you choose. Learn about dry vs. wet trimming here!
Cannabis is beginning to see a rapid push for app-based cannabis purchases that are as fast and easy as shopping on Amazon.
Face your fear of the unknown; implementing crop monitoring software doesn’t have to be scary.
In the ever-changing and fast-paced cannabis industry, choosing the right extraction technology is pivotal to an extraction company’s success.
To keep neighbors and regulators happy, operators must find better solutions to cannabis cultivation's odor problem. Can new odor control technologies solve this growing issue?
These cannabis cultivation technologies enable operators to scale, increase profit margins, and stay competitive.
A unique, dual perspective in consumer purchasing data for cannabis and alcohol.
To operate and invest in the cannabis sector in 2021, you must pay attention to who is holding and developing intellectual property.
Eliminating pests doesn’t have to start with hazardous chemicals.


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Welcome to the PaymentsSource Morning Briefing, delivered daily. The information you need to start your day, including top headlines from PaymentsSource and around the Web:
New CEO at Payveris: Payveris has appointed former Online Resources executive Ron Bergamesca as CEO. While at ORCC, Bergamesca led the technology company's banking division, which includes more than 900 financial institutions and 3 million users as clients, serving during a period in which the company's revenue grew to $160 million from $4 million. Payveris offers an application programming interface that allows financial institutions to embed payments into web banking, recently signing New York's oldest credit union as a client and partnering with Infosys to build a new bill payment platform. At Payveris, Bergamesca replaces Jeff Weikert, who has decided to pursue interests "outside the company," according to a Payveris press release.
Samsung changes payment rules to fight bribes: As it continues to navigate the fallout from the Note 7 recall, Samsung now faces new challenges stemming from a bribery payment scandal. As part of its recovery, the South Korean technology giant is tightening its internal payments policy. Engadget reports all corporate donations over about $880,000 will have to be reported to the company's board, and the details of the actual payments will have to be reported to South Korea's financial regulator, where the payments will be shared publically. That's much lower than the previous internal payment threshold for this level of transparency, which was about $600 million. The change follows the arrest of executive Lee Jae-yong, who allegedly donated $38 million to a friend of high-ranking company executives in order to help his rise through the company. Lee Jae-yong is in jail awaiting trial, which could take nearly two years.
Blockchain U: As universities begin to offer courses in financial technology, a blockchain research and development company is narrowing the curriculum further. Research development company IOHK and the University of Edinburgh have established a Blockchain Technology Laboratory within the university's School of Informatics. The lab will include students and academics, who will focus on matching blockchain to specific industry needs. Cryptocurrencies and transaction processing will be part of the subject matter, and students will have the opportunity to network as part of an effort to keep technology talent in the United Kingdom. IOHK previously opened a similar center with the Tokyo Institute of Technology, and the company plans to open additional centers in Greece and the U.S. later this year.
Loyalty cryptocurrency: A blockchain platform that's designed to encourage loyalty program uptake is launching a crowdfunding campaign. Finextra reports Chain of Points is offering a token sale, in which 21 million "points" will be offered over the next six weeks from a pool of 100 million points. These points are a cryptocurrency that can be used to transfer and redeem loyalty and rewards programs for merchants and consumers. The Toronto-based startup's blockchain technology will power transfers and track redemptions. The blockchain also enables the agreements between merchants and consumers to support a network of loyalty and marketing programs.
From the Web (powered by Wiser)
Is Facebook Inc. Copying Tencent?
Fool.com: The Motley Fool • Leo Sun
The social network looks like it’s following the Chinese tech giant’s lead in “super app” chat platforms -- but will those moves widen its moat against other tech giants?
Samsung Pay arrives in Malaysia
Samsung Malaysia Electronics today announced its partnership with several leaders in the banking industry.
Are alternative payment methods mature enough for broad adoption?
www.tnooz.com • Marisa Garcia
A lot of water has passed under the Golden Gate bridge since the travel industry began to discuss the mobile wallet war.
More from PaymentsSource
The Apple Pay way: Small banks win, big banks lose
The battle between banks and Apple Pay in Australia has global implications, but there is a notable rift within the banks' ranks that drives home just who benefits and who suffers by Apple getting its way.
New York web rules are a signal to step up data protection
The State of New York has implemented new security rules the wake of a tsunami of web attacks, and card issuers and financial institutions will need to substantially step up their cyber risk management, IT protections and incident response strategies.
9 areas overdue for payments innovation
The payments industry has been overrun with innovation in mobile, wearable and cloud-based digital payments. But many niches are years — if not decades — behind this trend.
Barclaycard adds contactless pay to more jewelry and watches
Barclaycard has signed two new deals to expand its Near Field Communication-enabled bPay wearable payments technology to more jewelry and watch lines.


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SLI Systems [NZX: SLI], the search engine software developer which debuted on the NZX last year, posted a smaller than forecast loss while keeping more cash on hand.
The Christchurch-based company reported a loss of $5.7 million in the 12 months ended June 30, below the $7.2 million loss forecast in its offer documents in May last year, it said in a statement. Operating revenue was $22.1 million, about matching its forecast for $22.2 million, while cash reserves were $11.4 million, versus the $7.3 million flagged in its prospectus.
Annualised recurring revenue, SLI's preferred financial measure, rose about 29 percent to $24.9 million, missing its forecast of $25.9 million, but in line with its profit warning in July. SLI had 511 customers at June 30, compared to the 581 it had forecast in its prospectus, but said the initial deal size for new customers was 20 percent larger than forecast.
SLI is forgoing profit and reinvesting earnings to fund its growth plans, as it hopes to capitalise on the growing e-commerce market, particularly in the US, and says its software as a service is the second biggest after Oracle providing online retailers with suggestive search engines.
"SLI can look back on its first year as a publicly listed company with some satisfaction," said chief executive Shaun Ryan. "We enjoy a vast untapped market and product awareness that is in its infancy. Recent research out of the US indicated there are well more than 100,000 legitimate e-commerce sites in the world, and only a small portion of these have any kind of premium site search software or service in place."
The company raised $27 million in last year's IPO, of which $15 million was new capital to be invested in the business.
Shares of the company last traded at $1.40, and have declined some 36 percent over the past 12 months.
This article is tagged with the following keywords. Find out more about MyNBR Tags
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Two weeks after a contentious Capitol Hill hearing into Johnson & Johnson's quality problems with children's medicine, the chairman of a House panel says the company is hindering the investigation.
One of the medicines for children that Johnson & Johnson recalled in April.
Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY) told the New York Times that J&J hadn't been forthcoming with the committee's investigation.
Other companies probed recently by the panel, including Bank of America and AIG, did a better job, he told the paper. "But we are not getting the kind of information and cooperation from Johnson that I would like," Towns told the Times.
In an e-mail to Shots, Bonnie Jacobs, a spokeswoman for J&J's McNeil unit, disputed that characterization:
We have been very cooperative with the Committee. We have provided about 20,000 pages of documents to the Committee. Every executive that the Committee asked to interview has been made available.
A spokeswoman for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform told us the "Chairman's comments stand."
At issue is how the company handled quality problems at a plant that made liquid medicines for kids, including Tylenol and Benadryl, and were recalled in late April. Another line of questioning concerns the company's handling of problems with adult-strength Motrin tablets and what the committee called a "phatom recall" of the medicines.


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Google is experimenting on the local news front. The idea, according to Quartz, is to add a local news card to its Google Now service, meaning early adopters of Google Glass can be among the first to benefit from it.
Anyone with an Android device (Google Now also works on iPhones via its Search app) will get information that Google thinks will be relevant via Push notifications–meaning you don’t have to go to another site to find it, it finds you. But that, of course, depends on the brilliance of Google’s algorithm. The service is currently being tested in-house, but Google’s vice president of search and assist, Joanna Wright, said this:
“One thing we’re testing right now is a very local hyper-local news card. Which is really useful–it teaches me things about my neighborhood. For example, I found out Miss Mexico came to my son’s school, I saw that [the local] Chipotle was giving out burritos, and someone was stabbed in the park near my house. It’s very, very targeted to you and your interests.”
Although the rainbow of hyperlocal news may have a pot worth an estimated $100 billion, finding the end of the rainbow is not as easy as you think. AOL attempted to do it with Patch, which launched in 2010. Incidentally, AOL’s CEO, Tim Armstrong, who used to work at Google, was Patch’s founder. Despite heavy investment, the hyperlocal news site has been “limping” towards profitability.
This is not the first time Google has jumped into the local news pool. It attempted to hook up citizen journalism with a local TV news channel back in 2010 with its uReport initiative, which attempted to bring footage from a person’s cellphone direct to San Francisco’s ABC7 News’ YouTube page. But this is arguably a more thought-out version and, using the ever-increasing magic trickery of smartphones plus geolocation, might be the thing that finally monetizes local news.
[Image: Flickr user Miguel Vera]


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With a still unannounced price and a footprint the size of a washing machine (as The BBC handily points out), the Jet Fusion 3D 4200 is big and (most likely) expensive. But HP is also positioning the big ole industrial machine as an entry into a new paradigm for 3D printing, calling it, “the world’s first production-ready 3D printing system.”
Other giants in the space like Stratasys and 3D Systems might take some issue with that qualification, but HP’s new line represents a compelling proposition for companies looking to employ additive manufacturing machines for more than just behind-the-scenes prototyping.
The keys to developing such a system are accuracy, speed and pricing. According to HP, “The platform can address more than 340 million voxels [an IRL 3D pixel, more or less] per second, enabling precision at much faster build speeds.”
Of course, the caveat “short-run” needs to be added here. The 4200 won’t likely be entering the mass production business soon, but HP does view Jet Fusion as the beginning of a shift in 3D printing’s role in the production process.
The printer is due out later this year. It will be joined by the entry-level 3200, which will ship in 2017, with a starting price of $130,000.


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In the money Feb. 3: Austin startup funding wrap-up
At least two Austin-area companies reported receiving investment capital last week to take the business to the next level, according to the companies and filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Click on the link below for more information about each financing:
• Cloud services company IQumulus LLC reported receiving $150,000 of a planned $375,590 financing from two investors.
• Software maker Gravitant Inc. raised $10.2 million of a planned $12.2 million financing from 23 investors.
Follow finance and technology reporter Christopher Calnan on Twitter @abjcalnan, and sign up for TechFlash here.
Christopher Calnan covers technology, finance and clean energy for the Austin Business Journal. Subscribe to the Energy Inc. newsletter
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Albert Heijn showed his latest innovation at a conference: a delivery robot. The aim is to extensively test the robot on the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven.
The supermarket chain presented the delivery robot at the Digital Food Conference. The device will be deployed on the High Tech Campus Eindhoven during the coming summer. Visitors can place their orders at the local AH to go via an app. The order is then neatly delivered by the robot, which uses a virtual floor plan.
The robot was developed by TeleRetail and its development was partly funded by the ESA space agency. The cost is currently between 50,000 and 100,000 euros, but that could quickly fall to 10,000 to 20,000 euros. The intention is to test the robot for a few weeks. However, Albert Heijn has no plans to use robots effectively on public roads.


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This past January, the Japanese government placed an embargo on poultry products after
the U-S-D-A confirmed cases of avian flu in poultry flocks in four U-S states. Since then,
the number of affected states has increased to 21, so the Defense Commissary Agency, or
DECA, has started working with suppliers to put other products on shelves.
Reginal Flowers Yokota Commissary Store Director:
We have increased our stock levels for frozen and chilled items that’s primarily beef,
pork and fish items to help compensate for the loss of the cooked poultry items that
we won’t have on our shelves. REPORTER:
The embargo hasn’t impacted all poultry products. Eggs, canned poultry, and turkeys
for the holiday season are not affected. However, the restriction has limited foods that contain
poultry as a secondary protein. Reginal Flowers
Yokota Commissary Store Director: Most of the customers will see kind of disappear
from our shelves are going to be hot dogs, sausage links, lunch meats, chicken wings,
frozen meals. Those are going to be most of the items that we will have difficulty stocking.
Anything that has poultry as a secondary protein product also would be affected, like lobster
ravioli or even some pizzas. REPORTER:
Although the embargo has restricted certain foods, DECA will continue to do all it can
to keep shelves stocked. Airman First Class Justin Stokes, Yokota Air Base, Japan.


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Fresh research out of the University of California, Davis suggests the global warming potential of cultured meat could be between 4-25 times higher than regular beef if a highly refined growth medium is used in its production.
Multus Biotechnology’s ‘first-of-its kind’ facility will open its doors before the end of the year. We catch up with co-founder and CEO Cai Linton to ask: Why should industry outsource growth media, rather than develop it in-house?
BioBetter is a food tech start-up that aims to address one of the biggest bottlenecks facing the cultured meat sector: the high cost and low availability of growth factors. A fresh round of funding positions it to do just that.
Right now, the pricier components of growth media – the nutrient-rich broth used to feed cells that will turn into cultivated meat – are typically produced by armies of microbes engineered to churn out recombinant proteins in big steel bioreactors. But...


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Apple’s HomePod officially goes on sale today, with online sales of the devices expected to arrive next week.
The smart speaker uses Apple’s Siri voice agent, in the company’s relatively late entry into the smart speaker market.
A HomePod ordered today is expected to be delivered by Feb. 22 at the earliest, according to the Apple site, though those who preordered are expected to receive them earlier.
Apple stores and retailers such as BestBuy start selling the speaker today.
Apple significantly trails Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Home lines of smart speakers entering the market, but Apple put a high emphasis on speaker sound quality.
“HomePod is a magical new music experience from Apple,” stated Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing in. “It brings advanced audio technologies like beam-forming tweeters, a high-excursion woofer and automatic spatial awareness, together with the entire Apple Music catalog and the latest Siri intelligence, in a simple, beautiful design that is so much fun to use.”
The HomePod is priced at $349, which compares to an Amazon Echo at $149 and Google Home at $129, with the smaller devices of each costing about $50. The HomePod also works only with iOS devices.
This year, 30 million people in the U.S. will use an Amazon Echo, according to eMarketer, which projected overall voice-enabled smart speaker share at 68% for Amazon Echo and 25% for Google Home.


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Aion Capital Partners has agreed to invest INR3 billion ($43.5 million) in India-listed integrated fashion retailer Future Lifestyle Fashions (FLF).
According to a regulatory filing, Aion will buy 6.5 million newly issued shares in FLF at INR463 each, a slight discount to the July 29 closing price of INR463.05. The deal will give Aion a 3.2% stake...
A compilation of India-based IPOs - some of them private equity-backed - that have been withdrawn or appear to have fallen behind schedule
Hesai Technology, a China-based developer of sensors used in autonomous driving, is targeting a US listing. Its investors include Lightspeed China Partners, Baidu, Bosch, and Xiaomi.
Indonesia financial technology start-up iSeller, which helps businesses to digitise sales and operations, has raised USD 12m in Series B funding led by Intudo Ventures.
New Ruipeng Pet Group, a China-based pet care services platform that counts Hillhouse Capital as a significant shareholder, has filed for an IPO in the US.


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Coming soon: the best cars of 2019
The crop of new models could be the most memorable for years, despite turmoil in the industry. Ed Wiseman selects his magnificent seven
The crises that face the car industry continue to grow. What might once have been described as challenges have, over the past few years, evolved into existential threats and there’s a real risk that not all manufacturers will survive the next wave of regulatory and consumer hurdles. You would forgive them for battening down the hatches, shrinking their ambitions and preparing for the worst.
But they aren’t – 2018 was one of the most exciting years for new cars that I can remember, and this year promises to be even better. Amid the usual mix of lookalike SUVs and humdrum family hatchbacks in the mainstream, the industry looks set to unleash some truly interesting designs.
For proof, look no further than the seven cars we’ve featured this week.


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Pennsylvania Auditor General Timothy DeFoor’s finding that the Wolf administration’s lockdown waiver process was flawed and Paul Muschick’s Sept. 18 column on this subject sidestepped the major issues — the unconstitutionality of forbidding people from earning a living and the amateurishness by which the state did so.
What was the epidemiological basis for shuttering shoe stores but letting people buy shoes at big box stores? Doesn’t the principle of habeas corpus forbid banning legal services? Why was dry cleaning deemed “life sustaining”?
Also, why is Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 death rate worse than the national average if Wolf’s edicts protected us?
The auditor general should investigate why the government leaped to the economic nuclear option before even suggesting, much less mandating, the far better measure of wearing masks.
The spring 2020 economic shutdowns in Pennsylvania and several other states violated this nation’s founding principles, and the perpetrators got away with it so far. But that may change on Nov. 8, 2022.


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Hunt for toxic acne treatment
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Durban - Eight Durban residents are being treated in hospital for suspected high levels of lead in their blood after taking a “toxic” over-the-counter skincare supplement.
City health authorities launched a probe of the product, Skintocare – manufactured by Indian company Bacfo Pharmaceuticals – after being tipped of by a haematologist who was treating a patient.
It was found that all the patients, mainly teenage girls, were using the product in capsule form.
“The product overall is toxic to many organs in the body, including the heart, nervous system and bones,” Tim Houston, environmental manager with the eThekwini Municipality’s health unit, said on Wednesday.
“In severe cases, after a long period of ingestion, it leads to seizures, comas and sudden death.”
Some of the consumers were tracked down by the unit, using a distribution list from the importer of the product.
Skintocare is an ayurvedic preparation imported from India and has been available through health shops and homeopaths
While Bacfo Pharmaceuticals has recalled the product, the health unit says there may still be residual products on the market. About 305 bottles of Skintocare had been distributed, mainly in KwaZulu-Natal, but less than a hundred have been accounted for.
The unit, which analysed the product and found that it contained significant high levels of lead, has called for outlets to remove Skintocare from their shelves immediately, and for people who have been using the product to contact their medical practitioner as soon as possible.
With more people expected to come forward, the doctor treating the eight Durban patients fears that the imported chelating agent being used to reduce lead levels in blood would quickly run out.
“The medication I am currently using to treat the patients had to be flown in on a compassionate basis from New York,” said Monica Vaithilingum, a paediatric clinical haematologist.
Vaithilingum said permission from the Medicines Control Council was needed to import more of the agent, but there has been a significant delay.
She said a blanket permit was needed urgently to administer the drug.
“The symptoms of lead poisoning are non-specific, so there could be people who have been using this product walking around with toxic levels in their blood and they don’t even know,” she said.
Early symptoms of lead poisoning include headaches, depression, loss of appetite, intermittent abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhoea, constipation, muscle pain and a metallic taste in the mouth.
Vaithilingum said the first patient she treated had been sick for three months before she pinpointed the problem and alerted the municipality’s health unit.
Since then, more patients have been contacted.
A Durban man, Phillip Ingham, whose wife and two daughters are being treated at Parklands Hospital for lead poisoning, questioned how such a potentially deadly product could make it past port authorities.
He said his wife, Sally, 49, and daughters Kate, 17, and Hannah, 14, had been taking the capsules to clear their skin.
The product was advertised as a research-based formulation consisting of antimicrobial, blood purifying, anti-itching, and astringent ingredients, which worked to remove the cause of blemishes, dark spots, and acne by removing toxins stored in the body.
Neil Larratt, deputy head of the municipality’s health unit, said Bacfo Pharmaceuticals had other skincare supplements on the market which were being analysed. - Daily News


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By KIMBERLIE NGABIT-QUITASOL
BAGUIO CITY — Three trucks that will be ferrying flowers to Metro Manila this Valentine season are exempted from Baguio City’s truck ban from February 9 to 14.
Mayor Mauricio Domogan agreed to give excemptions to three trucks delivering flowers from Benguet province to Metro Manila out of the original 19 trucks that the La Trinidad cutflowers and truckers association requested.
In 2017 the Baguio City government imposed a truck ban on some major roads from 6:00AM to 9:00AM and 4:00PM to 9:00PM to ease traffic in these areas.
Domogan explained that based on the travel schedules of the 19 trucks only three will actually be affected by the truck ban.
“We asked them (truckers) how many of their truck will actually pass through the city roads during the truck ban schedule and they said three so we will excempt only the three,” Domogan said.
Mayor Romeo Salda of La Trinidad, Benguet’s capital town said that the flower delivery truckers requested for the excemption to be able to keep up with the increased demnd for flowers, especially roses this Valentine.
Ligaya Pumihic, a whole sale seller of roses in Metro Manila, said that February is among the peak season for flower sales especially for roses. “The demand will be at its highest from February 12 to 14,” she said.
Pumihic said that during off peak months they could sell some 20 boxes of roses at the most but during peak months they could sell some 50 to 70 boxes. She said that a box contains an 50 bundles of roses on the average; a bundle is two dozens.
Apart from February, flowers are in demand in May for Mother’s Day and Flores de Mayo; November for All Soul’s and All Saint’s Day and the Christmas and New Year’s in December and January.
“We are able to earn enough during the peak months to cover for our losses during the lean months,” Pumihic said.
At the moment, whole sale price for roses is still at P700 per bundle.
Pumihic said flower whole sale prices are largely dependent on supply and demand. “If there is an oversupply we cannot jack up our selling price because we will not be able to sell enough,” she said. # nordis.net


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Hunter joins from the brand consultancy Red Spider, where he worked on clients including Diageo, Unilever, Cadbury and HSBC.
Before Red Spider, he spent 12 years in a variety of senior strategic planning roles in the UK and overseas. Hunter is a former global head of strategic planning at Ammirati Puris Lintas and then at Lowe Lintas, where he worked on global positioning and campaign development for Unilever and HSBC.
"Malcolm's appointment to this new role is consistent with our strategy of broadening Vizeum's offer by bringing in outside talent and fresh perspectives. It also reinforces our commitment to putting the connection between brands and consumers at the heart of communication planning," Martyn Rattle, the chief operating officer of Vizeum, said.
Hunter added: "Successful communication and media strategy is not really about media, it's about people."
Vizeum launched in June and now has 21 offices in 16 markets. Trista Grant is the principal at Vizeum UK, formerly known as BBJ.


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Social Media Roundup – Week 2
The warmth of the islands?
Convenience is everything. With the rapid improvement in technology coupled with an increasingly hectic on-the-go lifestyle, it is important for brands to stay in-tune with their market and invest in options that brings them ease. Yes, we’re looking at you Caribbean Airlines. While promotions are welcome, it is both disappointing and disconnected from the market’s expectations that flight bookings cannot be made via a mobile phone.
Social Media Security Checks
Planning to fly out for vacation in 2017? Your social media name may become an important addition to your travel information. U.S agency Homeland Security is proposing the addition of a ‘social media identifier’ to forms for travelers to complete when entering the country. It has sparked heated debate across many tech companies and groups, with many citing it as an invasion of privacy, and a precursor to other countries introducing similar proposals. So, be mindful of that status you’re posting about the bad customer service you received at that U.S. restuarant – Homeland Security is watching you.
Facebook has its eye on your interests
Why would you see the above Rituals Facebook ad in your feed? Perhaps under your tastes/preferences, you like coffee, or hot beverages, or cozy breakfast spots etc. Facebook recently took a step forward to educate users on how the company markets to them based on their interests. The Ad Preferences page gives a summary of a person’s interests, and their FAQ gives a transparent view of Facebook Ads.
The Social Media Zoo
In the face of a social media storm, is deleting your company’s social presence the right move? The Cincinnati Zoo certainly thought so. After having their social media feeds bombarded with Harambe memes, as well as the Zoo Director’s Twitter account being hacked, the Zoo called it quits on social. While the ‘If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em’ adage is fantastic advice for social media managers, that approach is tricky in this sensitive situation. What would your company do if faced with a similar public barrage?
Proliferation of Memes
100 years from now, when civilization looks into the archive of the human race, they will be thoroughly blown away by memes, I’m sure of it! It’s truly an interesting, creative, outright amusing way to communicate on topics, both casual and serious. #Rio2016 had a front seat to the meme circus, from Usain Bolt, to Michael Phelps, to the debacle of the green pool. Much of our pop culture now is steeped in memes. It will be interesting to see if memes survive the test of time, and how companies continue to utilize this creative medium.


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After IBM and Google, it is now Apple's turn to announce it is bringing part of its manufacturing back to the United States.
Recent announcements from IBM and Google have revealed their intention to create more jobs in the United States. IBM will be bringing back Lenovo production from China, while Google is set to manufacture its Google Glass product mostly in Santa Clara, California. Now it is Apple’s turn, with the announcement of its plans to assemble the new Macbook Pro in the US. In his ‘State of the Union’ address in February, US President Barack Obama underlined that after shedding jobs for more than 10 years, US manufacturers had added around 500,000 jobs at home between mid-2009 and 2012. So is this the start of a general move by high-value-added technology firms to switch production back to home base? There is no denying that these latest announcements only cover a small percentage of each company’s production of certain very specific products and while this trend is still rather muted, these moves seem nevertheless to be a response to demands from some consumers for faster, more local and more personalized production.
Production skills coming home?
The main reason these firms are shifting part of their production back to the United States is to bring manufacturing nearer to all the other parts of the business, first and foremost to the company’s headquarters. In terms of logistics, when a firm has its production plant close to its distribution and product return centers, this should result in smoother and faster processes, especially delivery systems. An increasing number of customers are now calling for faster delivery and manufacturers need to respond to this demand. IBM recently announced it would bring back part of its Lenovo production to North Carolina. IBM Lenovo Corporation is headquartered in Morrisville, NC, and its distribution center is close by. A second reason, which Apple CEO Tim Cook mentioned in relation to the decision to assemble the new Macbook Pro in California, is the desire to repatriate manufacturing knowledge and skills relating to advanced electronic devices to their country of origin. This knowhow and these skills left the US many years ago, mainly in the direction of China.
More personalized products
It is clear that, for the moment, only a very small percentage of production is coming home. IBM CFO Robert Parker stressed that the new manufacturing facility in Whitsett, N.C. would only make certain niche products. Production of the remainder of the seven million Lenovo units produced each year will remain in China or elsewhere. This ‘onshoring’ process – bringing production back to base after many years of systematically offshoring it to low-cost countries – does raise some basic questions, the main one being pricing. However, products scheduled to be made henceforth in the US are items for which there is very specific demand, essentially more personalized products which also require faster time-to-market. Moreover, some customers, such as local authorities and universities, will only buy products that are made stateside. The low prices that result from traditional mass production are no longer the priority for a consumer segment who are looking first and foremost for more customized products. But if the firms are to achieve efficient customized home-based production, they may well need to update some manufacturing methods, essentially towards greater automation. This is a process which is already underway, especially in North Carolina.


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As Gen Z Women Prepare to Enter the Workforce, New HackerRank Data Offers Key Insights for Tech Recruiters
In a Break from Previous Generations, Gen Z Women Value Company Prestige Twice as Much When Choosing an Employer
For years, the tech industry has been abuzz with talk about Millennials in the workplace, but that is about to change. 2019 marks the first year that members of Generation Z (those born from 1997 onward) will enter the job market en masse. HackerRank, a technical recruiting platform that helps businesses evaluate software developers based on skill, released its second annual Women in Tech Report to help technical recruiters understand and empower this new generation of women developers.
The Women in Tech Report, based on a survey of more than 12,000 women developers from over 100 countries, reveals what they value in employers; their recruiting turn-offs; and where they think the next global technology hub will be.
HR Technology News: Appogee HR Launches Further Google Integration with the Addition of Hire by Google
“Gen Z, particularly Gen Z women, will transform the tech industry, bringing in fresh ideas, skills and perspectives. Our future is in good hands,” said Maria Chung, VP of People at HackerRank. “These talented developers will build our most important products and services for decades to come. To get there, businesses must understand what motivates them and what they’re seeking in jobs, and adjust the recruiting process accordingly.”
HR Technology News: Buck Offers Guidance on Impact of Canadian Budget Changes on Employee Benefits
Key findings from the report include:
- Gen Z women value prestigious company brands twice as much as previous generations. Fourteen percent of Gen Z women think it’s important for their future employer to have a prestigious company brand, while only seven percent of women from other generations feel the same way. This is likely because as digital natives — 25 percent had smartphones before the age of 10 — they have spent most of their lives surrounded by, and engaging with, many prestigious tech companies like Apple, Snap and Twitter through their devices. To compete with this, hiring managers must aim to create a strong employer brand and then market it to Gen Z candidates throughout the recruiting process.
- They are less confident in Silicon Valley’s ability to remain the global tech hub. As housing prices in Silicon Valley continue to skyrocket, forcing entrepreneurs and company headquarters to relocate, Gen Z women are less sure of the city’s ability to remain the leading global tech hub. The decrease in confidence is sharpest in EMEA, where only 27 percent of women surveyed believe Silicon Valley will stay the center of tech innovation, compared to almost 39 percent of women from previous generations. Notably, Shanghai consistently emerged as a strong contender across women surveyed in all regions.
HR Technology News: Overlooked and Under-Engaged – How the Workplace Forgot an Entire Generation


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By Kristy Nease
OTTAWA — Less than a day after an area brewery launched a home delivery service in conjunction with a local organization devoted to helping homeless young people find jobs, the service was shut down because another brewery complained.
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario broke the news to Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company on Thursday, the first day that Buy Your Beau’s Online was being run by Operation Come Home. The commission would not say which brewery complained, and co-founders Tim Beauchesne and his son Steve said late Thursday night that they “have absolutely no idea” who complained.
Steve Beauchesne said by phone that it’s up to Operation Come Home — an Ottawa organization trying to end youth homelessness — to file an appeal with the commission. “And I really hope that they do, because if they do, they find out who the complaining brewery was,” he said. “So, it’s a little bit out of our hands at this point, but we have a close relationship with Operation Come Home and I hope that they still want to fight this because I think this is a service worth fighting for.”
Steve Beauchesne said the organization could also decide to continue the service with The Beer Store or the LCBO. He also said he understands why the commission made the decision after it received a formal complaint.
In a press release, Beau’s said the competing brewery’s complaint centered around a technicality in the home delivery service license’s wording. “It states that alcohol intended for home delivery can only be purchased from the LCBO (a crown corporation), or The Beer Store, a foreign-owned, privately held corporation run by the parent companies of big breweries Molson, Labatts, and Sleeman,” the press release explained. “The home delivery service license makes no mention of microbreweries or small wineries, whose presence in the market has flourished in recent years.”
Steve Beauchesne said he believes the wording is just an “oversight.”
“If we’re allowed to sell it in every other respect, I can’t see any logical reason why the Ontario government would want to deny access for local breweries. It’s so against everything else the Ontario government has been doing for local breweries,” he said.
Steve Beauchesne added that while he’ll do everything he can to have the license changed, Beau’s can’t afford a team of lawyers.
Twitter and Facebook lit up with the news after Beau’s announced on Thursday afternoon that the service was shut down. Many said they want to know which brewery complained so they can stop buying their products.
Tim Beauchesne said about 10 delivery orders were made on Thursday, and that Beau’s was allowed to fill those orders only. Two homeless youths who would have delivered the beer through Operation Come Home are now out of work again.
“It’s a lose-lose situation,” Tim Beauchesne said.
In a public blog post, Steve Beauchesne wrote that he was “simply aghast” at the news.
“The Beer Store is a retail outlet owned by three breweries. Why would they be allowed to sell to a home delivery service and Beau’s (or any other brewery) not be? It doesn’t make any sense, it’s anti-competitive and it restricts choice to the residents of this province.”
Representatives of Operation Come Home, including executive director Elspeth McKay, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday night.


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Amazon Faces German Booksellers’ Antitrust Complaint on E-BooksKarin Matussek
Amazon.com Inc., the world’s largest online retailer, faces a complaint filed at Germany’s antitrust regulator claiming it’s unfairly wielding its market power against publishers.
The Boersenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, the country’s association of booksellers, asked the Federal Cartel Office to probe Amazon’s negotiation practices when buying rights for e-books. Since March, Amazon has delayed deliveries of Bonnier Media’s physical books to force it to accept lower prices, the association said in an e-mailed statement today.
“With this extortive action toward publishers, Amazon violates antitrust laws,” said Alexander Skipis, managing director of the association. “The action has not only consequences for the publishing house, but is a threat for all e-book sellers and distributors in Germany.”
Amazon, the biggest seller of e-books, has faced similar controversies in other markets, including a tussle with France’s Hachette Book Group. Amazon is seeking a bigger cut of the retail price of titles so it can continue discounting e-books and boost margins, three people familiar with the matter said earlier this month.
Amazon’s German press office didn’t immediately reply to an e-mail seeking comment.


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Contactless payment for Uber rides now possible thanks to bKash
Uber customers can now breathe a sigh of relief as contactless transactions have again been enabled amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in the form of automatic trip-end payments through bKash.
In November last year, the Bangladesh Bank had instructed banks to block payment for the purchase of goods and services originated and sold in Bangladesh through international credit cards. Subsequently, banks barred their customers from paying for Uber rides with their credit cards as the ride-hailing service debits the fund from the foreign currency quota of the card.
This left Uber customers with no other option but to make payments in cash.
Even during the pandemic when handling cash is deemed to be risky because of the highly contagious nature of the coronavirus, Uber customers could not go cashless.
But now, Uber's partnership with bKash, a first-of-its-kind for the global ride-hailing giant in Bangladesh, is solving a part of the problem.
Bangladeshi cardholders travelling abroad are unable to pay for Uber with their credit cards as local banks have suspended all kinds of payment to the ride-hailing platform because their system is incapable of distinguishing between domestic and foreign rides. This has put Bangladeshi tourists in an inconvenient position as Uber does not accept cash in many countries.
But to avail the new service for rides taken in Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet and Cox's Bazar, customers have to go to Uber's app payment option and tap on "wallet" or "payment" and then "Add Payment Method" before selecting bKash and adding their account information.
A notification will inform of a successful linking of bKash to Uber. For automatic payments, customers need to ensure that bKash is set as the default payment method on the app.
The amount of money in the account needs to be slightly higher than the charge shown before the ride.
"With this partnership, we hope to promote more digital transactions, reduce cash dependency on the platform and improve the country's digital financial infrastructure," said Nandini Maheshwari, director for business development for APAC at Uber.
During an ongoing global pandemic and especially as cities start moving again, the importance of safer, cashless transactions to help maintain physical distancing cannot be more stressed, she added.
The payment service for world leading ride-sharing company Uber will enhance the existing network of diversified digital payment solutions and services bKash provides to local consumers," said said Mizanur Rashid, the chief commercial officer of bKash.
The customers of ride-sharing platforms Pathao and Shohoz can also make their payment through bKash. However, only Uber users have the option of automatic payment from the mobile financial service.
Launched in 2011, bKash, a joint venture of BRAC Bank, US-based Money in Motion, International Finance Corporation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Ant Group, operates as a payment service provider offering a broad range of digital financial services under the regulation of the BB.
The partnership with Uber comes on the heels of its announcement last month of introducing digital loans to Bangladesh in partnership with City Bank.
After a three-month-long suspension of operations due to the coronavirus, Uber has resumed services with an on-demand "Uber X" car service in Dhaka earlier in June after a hectic battle with the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) over enlisting vehicles under the authority.
According to a BRTA notice issued on 1 July, only 6,846 cars, microbuses and ambulances affiliated with various ridesharing services are allowed to resume operations as they got enlisted with the regulatory body.
Of the permitted vehicles, Uber topped the list with 6,365, suppressing rivals by a massive margin.
Currently, four services of Uber are available for customers: Uber X, Intercity, rental and connect and a package delivery service.


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Sidecar, an e-commerce marketing company founded by Lower Merion High School graduate Andre Golsorkhi, has been acquired by New York-based Quartile, writes Joseph N. DiStefano for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Sidecar has been a local success story for the last seven years. The company has been helping retailers reach digital customers, primarily through carefully tailored ads on Google and Facebook.
Now that it has been acquired, the company has also opened itself up to Amazon, as the new owner helps retailers get more customers by targeting them using Amazon’s fast-growing ad services.
“Sidecar was being seen as pigeonholed into Google and Facebook,” said Paul Melchiorre, one of the early investors in Sidecar. The firm “had to do something. E-commerce is on fire, but in today’s environment they had to be bigger and broader.”
This merger with Quartile provides clients with access to all three big digital ad channels, along with others. This year, the two companies have managed ads worth $2 billion.
That is almost one percent of the digital advertising total. Sidecar contributed more than half of this and employs a larger staff. However, Quartile is growing faster and is worth more.
Read more about Andre Golsorkhi’s company in The Philadelphia Inquirer.


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Pure Watercraft Acquires ELUX Marine to Expand Electric Boating Operations in Upper Midwest
SEATTLE and MAYER, Minn., Jan. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pure Watercraft, the electric boating technology leader, has acquired ELUX Marine, the top Minnesota electric luxury pontoon boat manufacturer. The equity-based transaction combines ELUX’s expertise in the lucrative Upper Midwest boating market with Pure Watercraft’s industry-best electric outboard motors and complete electric boats.
ELUX Marine was founded in 2017 by Howard Root, a former medical device entrepreneur and lifetime Minnesota boater, and Bart Jones, a Minnesota boat craftsman. “Our mission at ELUX was to build a small, but focused electric boat manufacturer that would redefine the Minnesota pontoon experience,” said Root. “But as we introduced our Stealth and Breeze electric pontoons and saw the potential of electric boating, we knew we couldn’t stop there. We needed to scale. In meeting Pure Watercraft, we found a team that shared our passion to deliver boating that’s emissions-free, maintenance-free, and gas-free. Last summer, we field-tested Pure’s proprietary electric outboard technology and concluded that Pure Watercraft is the company to lead the recreational electric boat revolution. Both Bart and I, along with the entire ELUX team, are thrilled to join forces with Pure to bring large-scale, high-performance electric boating to the waters ELUX knows and loves.”
Starting with the 2021 model year, ELUX will focus exclusively on the launch of Pure Watercraft’s electric boat products in the Upper Midwest market. This business combination gives Pure Watercraft an immediate presence in the nation’s largest per capita boating market. Minnesotans spent $924 million on boats in 2019 (up 6.5% from the prior year) and Minnesota boat-related spending has increased each year this past decade.
“As we begin our 2021 launch year, we know we need to be close to our customers,” said Pure Watercraft CEO Andy Rebele. “By acquiring ELUX, we connect to a key boating market with a team that has established itself as a leader in launching electric boats.”
About Pure Watercraft
Pure Watercraft is leading a fundamental transformation of boating. Founded in April 2011 in Seattle, WA, the company delivers innovations that make boating more enjoyable and accessible for everyone, and more sustainable for the planet. To pre-order the Pure Outboard or an integrated boat package, or for more information on products and career opportunities, please visit www.purewatercraft.com
About ELUX Marine
ELUX Marine’s mission is to redefine the pontoon experience by using the clean power of electricity to lead the next generation of enjoyment on the water. Founded in 2017 in Mayer, MN, ELUX developed, manufactured and sold its Stealth and Breeze electric pontoon boats directly to boating customers principally in the Upper Midwest.
SOURCE Pure Watercraft


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United City Football Club (UCFC) has announced its CHRONOS ATHLETICS kit partnership with the launch of its limited-edition AFC Champions League jersey collection, with the competition set to take place end of June in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
United City Football Club (UCFC) co-founder Eric Gottschalk says, “I’m very excited to announce that Chronos Athletics will be the official kit supplier of UCFC for the 2021 season. We continue to stay true to our mission of supporting local businesses involved in football in the Philippines while not compromising on the quality required for our professional players.
We are also excited to have found a dynamic partner who shares our vision of how football can be promoted, and we are thrilled that we were able to develop a limited-edition jersey just ahead of the AFC Champions League campaign, which will be available to our fans from today onwards.
“We Believe This Historic Event For Philippines Football Deserves A Special Jersey – Thank You To Our New Partners From Chronos Athletics To Make This Possible” Says Gottschalk
Chronos not only involved us in the development of the AFC Champions League design, but it also ensured that we have a complete distribution and marketing channel behind our merchandise range. All our products can now be ordered conveniently through Shopee, Lazada, and other online channels.
“Chronos Athletics is proud to be chosen to become the official kit supplier and merchandiser of UCFC, undoubtedly currently the most dominant Club in the Philippines,” states Lloyd Yniguez, Founder of Chronos Athletics.
The aim is to promote the brand of UCFC and to make the merchandise products available to fans in the Philippines as well as abroad. Fans can reach out on our social media platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter) to order products.
The quality range of Chronos sportswear for UCFC includes customized replicas of the current AFC Champions League home and away kit, which are available in the “Premium,” “Cheer,” and “Fan” versions starting as low as Php 650.00. But fans can also order the UCFC branded face masks and training kits.
The PFL 2021 UCFC home and away jersey, which was designed and chosen by the fans, will be launched ahead of the start of the league.
Gottschalk also says that this marks another milestone in the Club’s development to make a quality merchandise range available to fans on so many platforms with complete marketing and logistics support provided.
“It all goes back to make sure we are as close as possible to our fans and the community; without them, we are nothing. We need to be able to communicate to and through our fans, and having our team jerseys available for purchase is just one of the vehicles we are exploring,” ends Gottschalk.
Fans may purchase the official UCFC AFC Champions League Home & Away replica jerseys through the UCFC website or the Chronos Athletics online store (@chronosathletics.ph) on Shopee and Lazada from 22 May 2021 onwards.
- United City Football Club (UCFC) has announced that they have partnered with Chronos Athletics as their official kit sponsor.
- “We have chosen Chronos athletics to continue our mission of supporting local businesses through football. We want to give local businesses exposure on the international stage.” Eric Gottschalk, UCFC Co-Founder, and President.
- “We wanted to keep the design simple yet powerful. This is our first time working with United City FC, and we wanted to make a statement.” Lloyd Yniguez, Manager Chronos Athletics.
- The jerseys and other merchandise will be available for purchase soon through online platforms.
- The UCFC Dubai training camp will be held from 30 May until 20 June, followed by the AFC Champions League, which will be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from 26 June to 11 July.


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A shiny Tesla doesn't turn heads anymore, at least here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Teslas have become so commonplace that the once-elusive electric vehicles don't feel that special.
This may be specific to California, the most popular state for Tesla purchases and EVs in general, along with a few other EV-heavy states like Florida, Texas, and New York. This past weekend a California gathering of more than 1,000 Tesla owners came together, just to celebrate the community around a car company.
As Kelvin Gee, vice president of the Tesla Owners of Silicon Valley club, and a Tesla meetup organizer, told me in a recent call, "the Bay Area is the mecca for Tesla." Other cities and states have clubs, but many struggle to scrape together a handful of attendees at meetings and events.
Seeing this many Tesla fanatics in one place, one can forget that electric vehicles made up only 1.1 million of 276 million registered cars in the U.S. in 2020. EVs are not the norm — yet.
In EV hotspots like California you can see where electric is heading. When the Tesla Model 3 sedan first came out in 2018 I stopped a driver parking on a San Francisco street and asked them to show me the newest sedan with its sparse interior, self-parking abilities, and iPad-like touchscreen.
But three years later, it's the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Polestar 1 and 2, and Volkswagen ID.4 vehicles that are grabbing the interest of Californians. And it's happening right as Tesla has shifted from niche to household name, along with the other two ubiquitous all-electric cars that have risen to prominence, even as they stayed in Tesla's more aerodynamic shadow: Nissan's Leaf and Chevy's Bolt EV.
A CarGurus survey on electric vehicles released in April found that Tesla is the leading brand preference. Toyota and Honda are close behind, both with plans to unveil plug-in electric options in the coming years.
Tesla's eccentric CEO Elon Musk congratulated Ford when the Mach-E debuted at the end of 2019, recognizing that this is about the bigger EV picture. He seems unfazed by a new generation of EVs catching the public's attention, but his loyal following might be more perturbed.
This week when Musk announced that Tesla would open its Supercharger network to other EV companies, club vice president Gee saw it as "an indication that Tesla wants other makers to be successful and will help the overall EV market grow."
Tesla wants to promote EV adoption while bringing in revenue at charging stations from the new non-Tesla drivers who will start to use its infrastructure. That doesn't sit well with some in the Tesla community who feel like Tesla is giving too much to newer, and potentially flashier, EVs from legacy car companies.
One profanity-laced response threatened a lawsuit (as did others), and protested that "Tesla has Prommised [sic] Supercharging without sharing it with others." That user and many others also wrote they were worried about long lines and wait times. Another called the decision to open up the exclusive charging network "incredibly stupid."
"Musk has always said all are welcome," Cars.com executive editor Joe Wiesenfelder said in a phone call. Devoted fans conveniently forget that.
"There’s always going to be a degree of devotion for the company, the product, the service who are viewed to have done it first," Wiesenfelder said. "You can’t take that away from Tesla."
As Gee sees it, the Tesla community breaks into two groups. There's the "legion of ardent fans" who only have eyes for Tesla. And then there are the realists, who want to promote Musk and Tesla's stated mission: "to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy."
We're slowly getting there, one Tesla or Nissan Leaf at a time. EY, a global data firm, released findings this week from a June survey of 9,000 respondents from 13 countries that showed 41 percent plan to buy an EV as their next car. That's up 11 percentage points from the same survey in November.
"To achieve the mission, you have to allow for other car manufacturers to be successful," Gee said. He said he would never buy anything other than a Tesla again (he has a Model 3 and Model Y for his family), but it's important that legacy automakers like Ford, General Motors, and Volkswagen are transitioning to electric.
And it's worth noting that non-Tesla startups like Rivian and Lucid are creating EV businesses from the ground up, without a history of internal combustion engine production.
But accepting the risk of being overshadowed can be a tough pill for that army of loyal Tesla and Musk fans to swallow.
Take a look at Twitter, a digital hunting ground where supporters of Tesla competitors get attacked mercilessly. A Tesla owner who dared to buy a Ford Mustang Mach-E was threatened for crossing "enemy" lines.
The Porsche Taycan versus Tesla Model S discourse gets aggressive quickly, as does any mention of Jaguar, Volkswagen, or Audi's EV options. Any story about a Tesla recall, or a Tesla catching fire prompts Tesla fans to engage in a form of EV whataboutism in which they share links about Chevy Bolt EV battery issues and malfunctions.
The hostile environment that erupts to defend Tesla's honor in the face of the many potential "Tesla killers" might cool off once the Tesla Cybertruck arrives. Tesla is at least guaranteed to be back in the spotlight for a while with the release of its cyberpunk electric pickup. Musk has even hinted at doors without handles.
But until then, the petty Twitter squabbles will continue. The Musk fans will never give up on Tesla, and, more importantly, his loyal army isn't going to let any startup or legacy car brand outshine the OG EV-maker.


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John Martellaro and Dave Hamilton joins Jeff Gamet to discuss the controversy surrounding an iMac Pro Apple reportedly isn’t fixing, plus they look at the viability of Amazon’s new Fire TV Edition.
Amazon has over 100 million Prime subscribers, which means now we know how big a competitor the company really is in the streaming video and music market.
Amazon is folding its Fire TV into a smart 4K/UHD TV, called the Fire TV Edition. It’s what some have called on Apple to do. Will Amazon’s vision pay off?
Jon McCormack previously worked at Google’s Advanced Technology & Products Group, but he was hired from his gig at Amazon, where he was Chief Technology Officer of the devices group.
You can keep your music for now, but eventually you’ll have to download it.
HomeKit has some great features, but some of its problems are big enough to push me back to Amazon’s Alexa for my smart home control.
Amazon Kindle rolled out an update to its iOS app recently with some major feature enhancements.
You can report an incident with the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Apple’s HomePod video ad focuses on the old, tried and true. Takes few risks and is predictable. What happened?
The idea of having a voice assistant device in your home is already creepy for some people, and now it’s even worse because Amazon’s Alexa is spontaneously laughing.
Saying “Hey Siri” is an awkward way to invoke Apple’s voice assistant platform. It’s time to drop the “Hey” and make talking to Siri feel more natural, like Amazon’s Alexa.
Bryan Chaffin and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to discuss Amazon’s Photo on Delivery feature and privacy concerns, plus they look at a list of Apple product features that were mocked but later became standards.
Amazon may be snapping pics of your house with its Photo on Delivery service. If that’s a little too creepy for you here’s how to turn it off.
Bryan and Jeff talk about the Spotify Platform problem and the problems facing any independent music streaming service. They also talk about the things they learned from Tim Cook’s interview with Fast Company, and whether or not Apple is signaling a bigger play in Apple TV gaming.
Apple beat out Netflix, Square, China’s Tencent, Amazon, Patagonia, CVS Health, The Washington Post, Spotify, and the NBA, the other top ten companies.
Spotify appears to be turning to hardware to solve what Bryan Chaffin calls the Spotify platform problem, and it may be turning to hardware to solve it.
How does Apple’s HomePod Siri voice control stack up? We pitted it against Alexa on an Amazon Echo and Google Assistant on a Google Home, and you might be surprised how they compare.
Amazon is hyping its Alexa voice assistant in a new ad to air during Super Bowl LII this weekend after teasing that new voices may be coming. Turns out they’re celebrities filling in to “help out.” Regardless of what you think of Amazon’s efforts in the voice control space, it’s a pretty funny commercial—and I kind of wish this is how my Echo really worked.
Andrew Orr and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to talk about Apple’s plan to get a stronger foothold in the ebook market, plus they look at what’s new in AirPlay 2.
Apple has a new strategy for gaining marketshare in the ebook space, and it hired away Amazon’s Audible vice president to help make that happen.


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Postal bosses dig in for a long strike
ROYAL Mail bosses are facing up to the prospect of a long strike by postal workers this winter.
Though they believe there will be a majority in favour of action in a national ballot, they say they will not increase their pay offer of 14.5% over 18 months.
Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier believes the union will call out only the more militant sorting offices once or twice a week rather than risk an all-out strike.
But he is convinced the management will win, arguing that the union's 160,000 members are split over the issue and the public will put pressure on the strikers.
Royal Mail is determined to face down its employees because next year, competition from other companies will be introduced into the letterdelivery system.
Crozier believes that the Royal Mail will have no chance of competing commercially unless changes are made.
He is banking on the fact that a strike that would be unpopular with the public would boost the management's determination to change working practices.
Royal Mail, which delivers 82 million letters a day, is losing £11 million a week. An all-out strike would cost the company £20 million a day.
The union leadership insists that not only is the
14.5% offer conditional, but that only about
4.5% of the money offered is guaranteed to reach their pay packets - a claim denied by Royal Mail.
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Tesco’s latest financial statement shows a fall in like-for-like sales of one per cent in the 13 weeks ending May 25th.
Non-food sales have declined, and consumer electronics has been specifically singled out by CEO Philip Clarke as a sector that takes up a lot of space without creating a lot of profit.
The firm said in a statement today: “The drag on like-for-like sales growth from non-food was more significant in the first quarter than in the fourth quarter of last year. This drag continues to be driven by our disproportionate exposure to consumer electronics and, increasingly, by the consequences of implementing our accelerating general merchandise strategy, as we shift our business from low-margin, low-growth categories to higher-margin, higher-growth categories.
“We are working towards our first relaunch of a new core range of general merchandise in our smaller format stores within the coming months and this will be followed by more extensive repurposing of general merchandise and electrical space in our larger stores starting later in the year, following promising results from our initial trials.”
This cautiousness around the consumer electronics sector may translate to other supermarkets. Either way, it could be good news for computing and technology specialists.
Talking about Tesco’s decision to pull further away from consumer electronics space on Twitter, Mark Webb, head of corporate social media for Dixons Retail, said: “They have been de-emphasising for some time, so don’t think we will see any significant impact. All welcome of course…”


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The government is committed to directly attract tourists from outside the EU as part of its completely new tourism strategy, Deputy Prime Minister Daniela Bobeva stated after a two-day discussion with hoteliers, restaurateurs and local businesses from the Smolyan area at the Bulgarian-Turkish border.
In October, a government delegation led by Bobeva will visit Istanbul to start directly attracting tourists from the Balkan region to the ski resorts of Bulgaria. "We have to turn to tourists from third countries and do a more active campaign. Instead of spending money on common activities, a direct and targeted approach is needed" the Deputy Prime Minister noted. "For the ski resorts in southern Bulgaria, the main potential markets are those of Greece and Turkey. This is where we are going in order to invite tourists from there to be our guests. This way the state will help local tourism businesses" Bobeva added.
" Pamporovo will not survive as a resort without an active campaign to attract tourists, most realistically from Turkey, Greece and the neighboring countries" the Deputy PM noted adding that Bulgaria has seen a 60% growth of Turkish tourists in its winter resorts and a pretty strong increase in their numbers in the summer as well.
"It turns out that we have to target for modern -minded young people in Istanbul who are looking for more liberal terms. Pamporovo is the closest ski resort to the European part of Turkey" Deputy Minister of Tourism Branimir Botev informed.
"There is great interest on the part of China in tourism to Bulgaria. Our wealth is that we provide an opportunity for all cultures - Chinese are looking for history, interesting places and spas" Bobeva said. She urged companies and associations in the region to offer a kind of unique tourism because this is the chance to attract the Chinese stream of tourists which is already flowing toward Europe.
The state will make all possible steps to ease visa regime in its upcoming talks with Brussels. "There could not be possibly a visa under EUR 35, but we will try to minimize fees in order to attract tourists from outside the EU " the Deputy Prime Minister concluded adding that one idea is a multiple-entry visa for a period of 5 years.


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Ahead of launch, Harley-Davidson Pan America's prototype showcased
Harley-Davidson will launch its Pan America adventure motorbike sometime in 2021. In the latest development, the company has showcased the two-wheeler's prototype at its showrooms across Europe, gauging public reaction. As for the highlights, it will feature a naked design, an adjustable electronic suspension setup, and will draw power from a 1,250cc, DOHC 60-degree, V-twin engine. Here's our roundup.
Harley-Davidson Pan America: At a glance
The Harley-Davidson Pan America will have an eye-catching off-road friendly design, featuring a sloping fuel tank, a stepped-up seat, an upswept exhaust, heated grips, and a raised windscreen. Designer body graphics will also be present. The bike will pack a TFT instrument console with smartphone connectivity and an all-LED setup for lighting. It will ride on spoked wheels wrapped in Michelin tires.
Power and performance
The Harley-Davidson Pan America will draw power from a 1,250cc, liquid-cooled V-twin engine that comes with a balance shaft. The motor makes 145hp of maximum power, 122Nm of peak torque, and is expected to come mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox.
What about safety and suspension setup?
To ensure the safety of the rider, the Harley-Davidson Pan America will be equipped with Brembo-sourced disc brakes on both the front and rear wheels along with dual-channel ABS and cruise control. Meanwhile, the suspension duties on the adventure bike will be taken care of by inverted forks on the front side and an adjustable mono-shock unit on the rear end.
How much will it cost?
The pricing and availability details of the Harley-Davidson Pan America will be announced at the launch event in 2021. As for the pocket-pinch, it should carry a price-tag of around €18,300 (roughly Rs. 16 lakh).


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Hublot MP-05 LaFerrari Watch
At the 2014 Geneva Auto Show, Ferrari revealed LaFerrari, the $1.3m super car of which only 499 will be produced. Ferrari said that it has already received more than 700 requests and the list is still growing.
The fight for LaFerrari does not end there. Those lucky 499 buyers will have to fight and spend even more for the limited edition Hublot MP-05 LaFerrari watch; a $300,000 timepiece designed alongside the LaFerrari.
If you've got the car, you also need the watch to go with it. The MP-05 is fit with 637 components and like the car, it's a record breaker. It features a 50-day power reserve which is a world record for a hand-wound Tourbillion watch. When it comes to winding it back, the watch comes with a cool mini power drill that winds it for you.
Only 50 MP-05 LaFerrari watches will be produced, which forces the rest of the 449 LaFerrari owners to settle for less.


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The iPhone 5 rush is on. If you're one of those who waited or were otherwise unable to secure your preorder within the one-hour window you were given last week you've probably had to suffer through the retail experience, lines and all, to try and get your hands on Apple's latest smartphone.
However, don't just assume that your store of choice has (or doesn't have) iPhone 5s in stock. It's in your best interest to call (the poor employees) who have likely been dealing with the same question-and-answer session all weekend. According to a new report by the Associated Press, it's a crapshoot: Some Apple, Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T stores have completely sold out of the iPhone 5, whereas others still have stock available for walk-up customers.
Of course, it also depends on which of the three versions of the iPhone 5 you're looking for: Black or white, and with 16, 32, or 64 gigabytes of built-in storage.
According to Sprint representatives, "the majority of Sprint-branded retail stores are seriously constrained or sold out of iPhone 5 inventory provided to us by Apple," said the company in a statement provided around 4 p.m. ET on Friday.
Sprint customers looking to pick up an iPhone 5 can currently add themselves to a wait list for notification when their store of choice has been resupplied with new smartphones.
Both Verizon and AT&T are staying hushed up as to how many phones they might have sold thus far and, more importantly, just how many are left for customers to purchase via walk-up transactions.
That said, AT&T's been the largest seller of iPhone 5s for preorders, at least. According to the latest stats from ComScore, AT&T took the lion's share of Apple preorders at 68% of all devices. Verizon ate up 24 percent of the first three days of presales for the iPhone 5, with Sprint coming in third at eight percent.
In total, reports Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Phil Schiller, the iPhone 5 sold two million devices in its first day of preorders.
Across its first three days, however, customers purchased as many iPhone 5s to equal 96 percent of all iPhone 4 smartphones sold during the device's first month of release.
In other words, demand for the iPhone 5 is high: According to ComScore, the overall smartphone-owning audience is bigger, and it's likely that an additional crop of customers held out for an iPhone 5 instead of picking up another smartphone during conventional upgrade cycles.
For more about the iPhone 5, be sure to check out PCMag's hands-on benchmarking of Apple's latest smartphone!


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NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. — When the two-week “Pause” started on Nov. 30, gyms across the state – including Ocean State Community Wellness in North Kingstown – were forced to temporarily shut down for two weeks. The pause put Ocean State Community Wellness Executive Director Kevin Brochu in a tough spot.
“We’re trying to make the best out of a pretty unfortunate situation for us as a gym, that we’re being asked to pause our operations for what we hope is two weeks,” Brochu said.
Brochu strongly disagreed with the state’s decision, arguing that gyms like his are safe. He said the OSCW has been inspected six times by the state since the start of the pandemic and has been commended for its cleanliness and adherence to guidelines. But despite that, he had no choice but to temporarily shut down. However, while his gym is closed, he wanted to do something that would benefit both his members and the community as a whole.
“We have to try to keep our members engaged in some way, shape or form, and we’re also looking to try and help support local small businesses who are just as equally impacted as we are,” Brochu said.
Then, while driving one day, it hit him: a local shopping scavenger hunt in Wickford that encouraged both staying active and buying local at the same time.
OSCW members and non-members alike who see the OSCW logo sticker in a participating store window are encouraged to take a video of themselves doing 25 bodyweight squats, post it on social media and tag both OSCW and the participating local business. They’ll then receive a $25 gift card to said business.
“We just figured that this would be a good way to connect with the local businesses and then also give them an outlet to participate with us and our social media followers, and then just kind of spread the positivity as much as we can,” Brochu said.
To Brochu, the scavenger hunt drives home everything that the OSCW stands for in its mission.
“A lot of the businesses when we went and approached them were like, ‘Well, what’s in it for you?’ and there’s nothing directly in it for us, in the fact that we’re not looking at it that way, we’re just looking at how we can help,” Brochu said. “Our mission within Ocean State Community Wellness is to make the people in our communities fit for life, but we’re also part of the community, so we want to help others succeed, so for us it was getting people out, getting people engaged and making them be a little more active while also helping them support local businesses.”
Six businesses in Wickford Village itself quickly signed up, though soon other businesses in town, such as The Nail Bar North, and even out of town businesses, like Salon Stella in Exeter, wanted in.
“A lot of these businesses have participated in just saying, ‘Hey, we’ve seen what you’re doing and we want to be involved,’ so it’s really cool because they’re starting to see that, ‘Hey, this is neat, it gives us some publicity’ but it also goes back to being part of a really tight-knit community,” Brochu said.
So far, Brochu says, the feedback from members and businesses alike has been very positive.
“It’s been fantastic. If you look on social media, especially when some of our members were getting their kids involved and their kids are doing the squats on video, it’s been really, really good,” Brochu said. “It’s great because we’ve had other businesses reach out to us who are not within downtown Wickford... We’ve had members call up, say, ‘This is great, the videos are fun, it’s good to see, it’s nice to get out,’ so it’s been super positive for us. It’s exactly what I had hoped for in just trying to create a little bit of levity in a fairly stressful situation.”
Brochu said him and the OSCW team are working on similar ideas to encourage physical activity and support the local economy while keeping people’s spirits up during a troubling time.
“The biggest thing that we’re fighting right now is anxiety, depression, loss of a schedule (and) loss of normal daily activities, especially for some of our older members (for whom) this is an integral part of their lives,” Brochu said. “They come here every day at 6 a.m. or they come at 11 a.m. and they meet with people and they engage, and there’s a social aspect of it, that mental aspect of it and the physical aspect of it and now that’s gone, so this at least hopefully allows them to get out, get them out in the community and they can talk, they can do something they’re familiar with with exercise, and we just kind of give them a break from their day because right now anxiety, depression and all of those psychological issues that they could potentially be dealing with are really critical.”
Overall, Brochu says helping to foster a supportive environment between local small businesses and community members relates back to one of OSCW’s most important pillars: community.
“It’s exactly the whole reason why we started this business: to be part of a community, to be part of a group of individuals that are looking to strengthen the bonds in the community, but then also to give back,” Brochu said. “We’re a nonprofit, so for us to be able to give back to the community is huge. We just had 30 of our members participate in a ‘Lose the Stuffing’ challenge over the Thanksgiving through Christmas period, in that they donated $100 each (and) with that $100 donation it went directly into purchasing food at Ocean State Job Lot. Ocean State Job Lot gave us a 40 percent discount on the food that we purchased, so we were able to get about $4300-$4400 worth of food that we then donated to the North Kingstown Food Pantry, the Jonnycake Center and then the East Greenwich Collaborative Food Pantry, so that for us is huge because we’re able to just go and do these things and it fits our mission.”
To Brochu, that’s what being in the business of community wellness is all about.
“We’re literally trying to help people. If you’re looking to get fit for a specific event or sport or whatever, we can do that, but then if you’re struggling to put food on the table or if you’re a small business and you’re struggling to get people in the door, what can we do to help you in any way that we possibly can,” Brochu said. “Ocean State Job Lot – in the 40 years that they’ve been in business – community and giving back to the community has been paramount and we’re able to fulfill that mission as well.”
The morale boost is not only just meant for members, Brochu says, but his employees as well.
“I’ve got to keep them engaged and I have to keep them positive, because it’s very easy to get negative in this situation, so I want the staff to be able to come out and be part of this and do something that takes their mind off a negative situation, that for the next two weeks we are closed,” Brochu said.
His main message to the community as a whole during COVID-19, he says, even if it’s become cliche by now, is to remember that you’re not alone.
“I don’t want to sound too corny, but we’re all in the same spot,” Brochu said. “It’s a very, very difficult and challenging situation, and the more that we can help each other as businesses, but also just as people, and support, that’s going to make the situation far, far better for everybody and that’s what we’re solely focused on, just making sure that we can impact as many lives in a positive manner as possible.”
To find OSCW on social media, go to Ocean State Community Wellness on Facebook or search @oscwellnessri on Instagram. For more information on them, visit their website, oscwellness.org.


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Google has disabled prepaid card use in response to the revelation that money could be stolen from Google Wallet user accounts.
"Osama Bedier, vice president for Google Wallet and Payments, wrote in a blog on Saturday that the company is taking this action temporarily until it can make a more long-term correction," writes CNET News' Lance Whitney.
"This move means that existing and new customers of Google Wallet will not be able to use a Google prepaid card to add money to their account," Whitney writes. "However, they can still apply for and use a Citi-issued MasterCard credit card."
For more on this story, go to Google Wallet Hack Raises Concerns Over Mobile Payment Security.https://o1.qnsr.com/log/p.gif?;n=203;c=204660766;s=9477;x=7936;f=201812281312070;u=j;z=TIMESTAMP;a=20392931;e=i
For regular security news updates, follow eSecurityPlanet on Twitter: @eSecurityP.


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by Rachel Parker
The British Fashion Council (BFC) have announced the appointment of David Beckham in their newly created role of Ambassadorial President. The retired footballer will assist the organisation in building worldwide networks and nurturing support for the fashion industry on a global scale.
The BFC is the UK’s main non-profit trade group for fashion designers, supporting and promoting the British fashion economy in the global market. David Beckham will contribute to encouraging links with Asia and the USA, endorsing up-and-coming British designers on the world stage, and advancing international investment in UK talent.
“We are thrilled and excited to welcome David to the British Fashion Council as Ambassadorial President,’’ commented Stephanie Phair, chair of the BFC. ‘‘David has been inspired by our work with emerging talent and education and his business acumen, global reach and passion for promoting talent and education make him the perfect Ambassadorial President to propel our industry into different corners of the globe.”
The star will also support the BFCs education and outreach schemes, visiting programs aimed to engage young talent such as BCF run clubs, scholarships and apprenticeships.
In a statement, David Beckham said, ‘‘Taking on this new role is an incredibly proud moment for me. I have long been passionate about British style, fashion and craftsmanship and this role gives me the chance to get under the skin of an industry I love. I am excited to be working closely with the British Fashion Council to promote and inspire young talent, from across the UK, on a global scale. The fashion industry is one of our best preforming global exports and I am looking forward to working with our future leaders and supporting the BFC in their global ambitions.”