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The two companies said Tuesday their $9.39 billion all-stock transaction will result in the creation of a new company with a market capitalization of about $29 billion.
Tokyo Electron's chairman Tetsuro Higashi said the deal is meant to create a "truly global company" to meet the needs of companies supplying consumer electronics such as smartphones and tablets.
The new company will have shared leadership, with Higashi as its chairman and Applied Materials' president and CEO Gary Dickerson as its CEO.
Applied Materials' shareholders will own about 68 percent of the new company and Tokyo Electron's will hold about 32 percent. The two companies expect the deal to be finalized in the latter half of 2014.
The companies said they plan to conduct a $3 billion stock repurchase program within 12 months of the deal's completion.
Tokyo Electron's profit has stagnated in the past few years because of weaker demand from chip makers.
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Covidien Ltd. began trading on the New York and Bermuda Stock Exchanges on Tuesday, marking its debut as an independent, diversified healthcare products company. The business, formerly known as Tyco Healthcare, recently spun off from Tyco International.
“Covidien is distinguished by its outstanding portfolio of well-established and highly respected global brands that are leaders in several fast-growing product categories,” said Richard J. Meelia, Covidien president and CEO. “As a premier provider of medical devices, supplies, imaging products and pharmaceuticals, we look forward to strengthening our longtime collaborative partnerships with medical professionals and institutions as we identify critical clinical needs and meet them with innovative, quality products.”
With brand names that include Autosuture, Kendall, Mallinckrodt, Nellcor, Puritan Bennett, Syneture, U.S. Surgical and Valleylab, Covidien products compete in five business segments: medical devices, imaging solutions, pharmaceutical products, medical supplies and retail products. Revenue in 2006 was $9.6 billion, with over one-third of Covidien’s sales outside the United States. Covidien employs more than 43,000 people in 57 countries, and its products are distributed in over 130 countries.
"As an independent $9.6 billion company, we expect to drive accelerated growth through strategic initiatives that focus exclusively on healthcare and through our increased flexibility to invest in innovation,” Meelia said. “In addition to significantly expanding our global sales presence, we are increasing R &D investment and funding opportunities within our family of businesses that have the greatest potential to deliver sustained profitable growth.”

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Whether or not the video game industry is recession-proof, being a hit-driven business gives it volatility: tracking firm NPD is reporting an 8.5 percent year-on-year first-quarter drop in game sales in Canada.
The NPD Group's Matthew Tattle said the unusual drop isn't a result of the surrounding recession, but rather a simple reflection of early 2008 and early 2009's relative release lineups.
"It may be tempting to attribute the decline in sales to the current state of the economy. However, on closer inspection, the first quarter of 2009 lacked the number of blockbuster titles that drove sales during the same period last year," he said, pointing to Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
, Rock Band
, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl
as key Q1 2008 drivers.
The decline is the market's first such year-on-year drop since NPD began its tracking in 2002.
Although the 8.5 percent figure applies to video game software, hardware, and accessories in total, most of the decline was due to hardware -- home consoles saw sales drop 14.5 percent, and portable consoles 21 percent.
Their respective software categories declined only by 7.5 percent and 1.5 percent respectively.


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Company announces global commitment of 2.5 million EV charging spots by 2025.
Global electric vehicle (EV) charging network supplier, ChargePoint, has announced plans to have 2.5 million EV charging spots by 2025. “Our commitment… comes as the company embarks on the most significant period of growth in our history and in the midst of a revolution in transportation,” said Pasquale Romano, President and CEO, ChargePoint.
The company is on a mission to enable an electric mobility future, which will include passenger cars, buses, trucks, fleets, and more. According to the Electric Vehicle Outlook 2018 (Bloomberg New Energy Finance, 2017), by 2040 EVs will account for more than half of new vehicles sold around the world. ChargePoint’s 2.5 million charging spots will support the forecasted 20 million EVs that will be on the road in North America and Europe by 2025.


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In June I covered 10 new accessibility features rumored to be in iOS 8 discussing hinted features like a Braille keyboard, improved zoom capability, multi-device support, and more. For months now, several rumors have emerged answering the question, “What’s next in line for Apple?” The rumors may finally come to rest in less than a week with Apple’s unveiling event taking place next Tuesday, September 9. The event is scheduled to take place 10 a.m. Pacific, 1 p.m. Eastern.
Based on a report by MacInsider, not only will Apple be introducing iOS 8, but they will also unveil the new and highly anticipated iPhone 6. While Apple keeps their products under strict lock and key, many leaked photos and specifics have made their way onto the web.
Here are some of the said rumors:
- The iPhone 6 will not only feature the upgraded operating system (iOS 8), but it is rumored to feature a larger screen, which is ideal for individuals with visual impairments. The screen is predicted to be available in two different dimensions: 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches. While this may be beneficial for people with visual impairments, it also may prove difficult for others to hold. Some online posts discuss how holding a large phone in one hand is more difficult.
- Following the current wearable technology trend, Apple is also rumored to debut an alleged “iWatch” that will communicate directly with the new iPhone. This will allow users to take full advantage of the rumored health applications (heart rate monitor, HealthKit, etc.), as well as offer the ability to operate the iPhone without physically holding it. There are two uncertainties regarding Apple’s wearable: 1. The device may not be a smartwatch, and 2. The device may only be hinted at and not unveiled until possibly October.
- The new iPhone is also rumored to incorporate a higher capacity battery, granting twice the capacity of the current iPhone battery. This is of great benefit for all users.
- Another rumor discusses the integration of near field communication (NFC) technology. This technology is featured on other smartphones currently available on the market. NFC allows the phone to communicate wirelessly with other nearby devices. This could allow persons with differing abilities to have pre-programmed events that are triggered by simply placing their iPhone in a specific location, such as home automation.
Again, the above statements are rumors. The truth behind Apple’s upcoming products will be unveiled next Tuesday, September 9.


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Mattress Bathtub & Over and above is closing 150 much more merchants — just a week following the struggling retailer announced the closure of 87 areas.
The company’s brick-and-mortar footprint has previously shrunk dramatically, a regulatory submitting confirmed late Monday, and the new closings mean it will have shuttered 400 outlets in the previous yr — just about fifty percent the 950 or so suppliers it had open in February 2022.
That consists of previous week’s announcement that it was also closing all 49 remaining Harmon Experience Benefit outlets, which marketed cosmetics moreover 5 buybuy Baby places. A checklist of the new retail outlet closures wasn’t quickly offered.
A turnaround does not glimpse imminent: The embattled home goods chain forecasts initial quarter revenue to be down by 30% to 40% with “sequential, quarterly profits enhancement thereafter” the submitting said.
The business said Tuesday it lifted some $1 billion by way of an giving of chosen inventory and warrants in a final-ditch energy to stave off individual bankruptcy. On Monday, the business mentioned it appointed Holly Etlin, a bankruptcy specialist, as interim main economical officer.
Mattress Tub & Past explained Tuesday it will eventually have 360 outlets and 120 buybuyBaby suppliers. That usually means that the business will have introduced ideas to close practically 500 of the shops it experienced just a yr in the past, and the new organization will be about half of the measurement of the old a person
The chain has stated in modern weeks that it had defaulted on a mortgage and may possibly not be in a position to remain in business, boosting issues about its long run. Mattress Bath & Past held talks in modern times with an expenditure firm to underwrite a major part of the proposed providing, according to Reuters.
Bed Bath and Outside of has been portion of the meme inventory phenomenon, with shares skyrocketing as significantly as 400% previous yr when activist trader and GameStop chairman Ryan Cohen took a stake and sought alterations.
Shares of the retailer, which closed up 92% at $5.86 in a rollercoaster session Monday, were being down 40% in in pre-industry trading Tuesday.
Founded in 1971, Bed Bath & Further than grew to become a staple for affordable property decor, kitchenware and higher education dorm area household furniture. It’s also identified for its ubiquitous 20% off blue discount codes, and cavernous outlets with goods stacked significant to the ceilings.
But the company struggled to make the transition to on the net buying and fend off more substantial chains these as Walmart and Concentrate on
(TGT). Quite a few buyers switched to those competitors as the novelty of Mattress Bathtub & Beyond’s coupons pale.
The business was also hit really hard throughout the pandemic, closing merchants briefly throughout 2020 whilst rivals remained open. The company shed 17% of its sales in 2020 and 14% in 2021.
– CNN’s Nathaniel Meyersohn and Reuters contributed to this report


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The focus at Sony's PlayStation Meeting event in New York is on PlayStation 4 Pro, but it's not the only Sony console that will be able to use the capabilities of the latest TV sets.
At the event, PlayStation boss Andrew House revealed that all PS4s will gain the ability to support the High Dynamic Range (HDR) colour capabilities of some UHD, or 4K, TVs. HDR support will be added to PS4 via a system update next week.
Previously, the only console with HDR capabilities has been the recently released Xbox One S from Microsoft. It can play UHD Blu-ray discs, which use HDR, and HDR is coming to some games, including this month's Forza Horizon 3.
But House didn't mention what HDR content would be available for regular PS4s to play. It doesn't have a UHD Blu-ray player, 4K streaming video from Netflix and YouTube was only mentioned as a PS4 Pro feature, and HDR was only mentioned in the context of games playing on PS4 Pro.
Nevertheless, it's a nice move from Sony to bring support for some of the benefits of Ultra HD TV to all PS4 owners, not just Pro players.


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Arkansas Best profit falls on low tonnage
Arkansas Best Corp., parent of less-than-truckload carrier AFB Freight System, said third quarter net profit fell 40 percent to $18.9 million, compared to $31.5 million in the year earlier period.
ABF’s revenue was down 6.5 percent to $462 million. The company said its income was affected by lower tonnage levels.
The Fort Smith, Ark.-based company’s results mirror the LTL sector as a whole. In recent days, companies such as Con-way, and YRC Worldwide reported sharp drops in revenue and earnings. YRC’s profits were down more than 50 percent.
The downturn for trucking began around September 2006 as the economy began to soften. ABF said that it’s tonnage levels stayed consistent since volumes plummeted at that time through August. But tonnage for October appears to be running 4 percent to 4.5 percent lower than last October, and ABF said it is idling more trucks and taking other measures to reduce costs while demand is slow.
Carriers have also suggested they’ve had to scale back freight pricing to remain competitive, but that most of the industry is still charging compensatory rates. ABF said it is supplementing its LTL business with more spot-market truckload moves to increase utilization of its assets.
ABF said it plans to begin labor negotiations with its unionized employees next month. The current labor contract expires on March 31, 2008.
ABF has indicated it wants to withdraw from the Central States multiemployer plan that covers workers at a number of trucking companies, and the company noted Friday it would cost $800 million to $850 million to withdraw from the plan.


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Mar. 15, 2023
BASF's Agricultural Solutions Division revealed to AgroPages that it has invested €2.5 million to increase its production capacity at its inoculant and biological products plant by 30%.
The information was provided during an event commemorating the 10th anniversary of the launch of the BASF plant in Santo Tomé in the Argentine province of Santa Fé, which was attended by producers, authorities, employees and the community represented by various institutions, as well as strategic allies in the sector.
Since 2015, the plant has seen a year-on-year growth of over 10% in terms of production volume. This sustained growth has enabled the company, since 2019, to invest more in capacity expansion.
Santo Tomé is a plant that produces bioproducts for agriculture of the Agricultural Solutions Division of BASF, which occupies a plot measuring 1.2 hectares and has a constructed area of 2,300 m².
At the plant, inoculants and biological products are produced with state-of-the-art technological equipment, complying with the highest quality standards and strict safety protocols, which guarantee the efficiency of the solutions brought from the laboratory to the field.
″Our factory in São Tomé is strategic. It is the only BASF production plant in Latin America specializing in the formulation of biological products for the seed treatment segment. Upgrading this production hub is yet another example of our long-term commitment to Argentina, after more than 70 years in the country,″ said Gustavo Portis (Director of BASF’s Agricultural Solutions Division for Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia).
Florencia Palacio (Plant and Operations Manager) said that ″a new 15,000-liter bioreactor was acquired, and we incorporated it into our reactors for biotechnological processes. We also work with a national supplier on a unique aseptic automatic packaging technology in the market, which is important for the quality of the solutions we offer. We also worked with the same local supplier, and we incorporated a robotic team to obtain greater speed and efficiency in this packaging process.″
″From here, we export solutions to Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay. In addition, in 2021, we first export, to Brazil, the Gelfix inoculant, which was previously only produced there. In 2022, we doubled our supply volume to 40% of the demand for this product in that country,″ Palacio added.
The factory has a regular staff of 25 people, quadrupling the number of employees since its creation, and works with 45 suppliers from Santo Tomé and the Santa Fé metropolitan area, focusing on contracting suppliers of local goods and services to generate indirect employment.
According to BASF, the production of inoculants at the factory represents a ″key element for the development of biological products, which are strategic for BASF in Argentina, since this is part of its commitments to evolve towards more sustainable solutions that improve productivity for farmers.″
Likewise, since 2019, the factory has been working on improving the efficiency of its water use, achieved a 32% reduction in 2021.
″On this anniversary, BASF also is also celebrating its many years of working together with the São Tomé community, and we will continue to promote its development,″ Palacio said in conclusion.
(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)
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Cedar Capital LLC lessened its stake in shares of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) by 27.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 290 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock after selling 108 shares during the quarter. Cedar Capital LLC’s holdings in Amazon.com were worth $279,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AMZN. Whitnell & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Amazon.com by 581.3% during the third quarter. Whitnell & Co. now owns 109 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Vestor Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Amazon.com by 10.1% during the second quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 109 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $106,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Clear Investment Research LLC grew its holdings in shares of Amazon.com by 73,100.0% during the second quarter. Clear Investment Research LLC now owns 732 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 731 shares in the last quarter. LeJeune Puetz Investment Counsel LLC purchased a new position in shares of Amazon.com during the second quarter worth about $116,000. Finally, Mountain Capital Investment Advisors Inc purchased a new position in shares of Amazon.com during the second quarter worth about $121,000. 59.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Vetr raised Amazon.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $1,155.74 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 29th. Wells Fargo & Co reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Amazon.com in a report on Monday, December 4th. Oppenheimer restated a “buy” rating on shares of Amazon.com in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Macquarie restated a “buy” rating on shares of Amazon.com in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Canaccord Genuity restated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,650.00 target price (up previously from $1,500.00) on shares of Amazon.com in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, forty-eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Amazon.com currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,437.43.
Shares of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ AMZN) traded up $36.54 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $1,451.05. The company had a trading volume of 5,881,238 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,060,000. Amazon.com, Inc. has a 12 month low of $831.45 and a 12 month high of $1,498.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $702,460.00, a PE ratio of 235.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.10 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.04.
Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The e-commerce giant reported $2.16 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.31. Amazon.com had a return on equity of 9.23% and a net margin of 1.71%. The firm had revenue of $60.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $59.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.54 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 38.2% on a year-over-year basis. equities research analysts predict that Amazon.com, Inc. will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current year.
In other news, Director Tom A. Alberg sold 835 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,202.74, for a total value of $1,004,287.90. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,114 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,583,692.36. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Chief Executive Officer of Worldwide Consumer Jeffrey A. Wilke sold 2,800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,160.34, for a total value of $3,248,952.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $11,603,400. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 4,505 shares of company stock worth $5,253,740. Insiders own 17.00% of the company’s stock.
COPYRIGHT VIOLATION NOTICE: This piece was originally reported by Dispatch Tribunal and is the property of of Dispatch Tribunal. If you are reading this piece on another site, it was stolen and republished in violation of U.S. and international copyright & trademark laws. The original version of this piece can be read at https://www.dispatchtribunal.com/2018/02/14/amazon-com-inc-amzn-holdings-decreased-by-cedar-capital-llc-2.html.
Amazon.com Company Profile
Amazon.com, Inc offers a range of products and services through its Websites. The Company operates through three segments: North America, International and Amazon Web Services (AWS). The Company’s products include merchandise and content that it purchases for resale from vendors and those offered by third-party sellers.
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Continuous evolution of smartphones has facilitated the innovation in display technologies, with foldable displays emerging as the latest component to take the industry by storm. According to a recent report by Future Market Insights (FMI), the foldable phone market is expected to surpass a valuation of US$ 65 Bn, growing at a CAGR of over 25.2% through 2031.
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The foldable phone market is projected to expand at an impressive pace owing to rapid advancements in technology, improvements in design, stronger functionality, and product up-gradation. This is anticipated to bode well for the global foldable phone market in the forthcoming years.
Increasing consumer awareness regarding the latest trends in smartphone technologies is fueling demand for innovative smartphones. As a result, some well-known companies have been patenting their design architecture for soon-to-be-released folding phones. Apple Inc., for example, has patented its folding smartphone technology with a hinge heating technology to protect it from wear and tear over time.
Also, smartphone makers are experimenting with technologies and features in their foldable smartphones, which can be seen in Samsung Galaxy Fold and Motorola Razr, as these phones have a unique design but prefers front-to-front fold display technology.
Furthermore, in April 2021, Oppo launched two new foldable phones in the market, both with an inward-folding design. Vivo is also expected to release a folding phone with an inwards folding design, while Xiaomi has already released the Mi MIX Fold.
Another trend that is propelling the foldable phone market is the implementation of work from-home culture. Rising viewership and increasing interest of individuals towards job opportunities that offer remote work has led increasing demand for reliable and efficient electronic products. This is anticipated to provide impetus to foldable phone sales in the forthcoming years.
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- Based on display size, the under 6 Inches display segment is expected to hold a 44.6% of the total foldable phone market share in 2021.
- Foldable phone with a 12 GB RAM are likely to dominate the market in 2021, accounting for over 46% of the total market share.
- Under the storage segment, foldable phone with the storage space of 256 GB will hold more than half of the total foldable phone market share in 2021.
- US$500-1,500 is projected to hold the leading share in the market in 2021, accounting for nearly half of sales.
- Sales of foldable phones through online retail channels are projected to grow at a prolific 38.1% CAGR through 2031.
- China will emerge as an attractive foldable phone market, accounting for over 40% of the market share in East Asia 2021.
- The U.S. will dominate the North America foldable phone market with nearly 80% the market share over the forecast period.
- India is projected to account for more than one-third of the South Asia foldable phone market share in 2021.
““Increasing sales of consumer electronics through online channels, along with smart promotional activities adopted by key market players such as influencer marketing and celebrity endorsements are anticipated to spur demand for foldable phones over the assessment period,” says a FMI analyst.
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Who is Winning?
Leading players in the foldable phone market are Samsung Group, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., Microsoft Corporation, Xiaomi Corporation, Royole Corporation, Motorola (Lenovo Limited), TCL Technology, LG Corporation, ZTE Corporation, Sony Group Corporation, AsusTek Computer Inc., Energizer among others.
Leading manufacturers of foldable phones are focusing on promotional strategies, advertisements, and new product launches to improve sales of foldable phones. Apart from this, mergers, acquisitions, and strategic collaborations will remain prominent growth strategies among key market players over the assessment period. For instance:
- In 2021, Xiaomi launched their first foldable smartphone, Mi MIX FOLD, at the Spring 2021 New Product Launch. Equipped with a large 8.01” WQHD+ resolution flexible internal display and a 6.52” external display, this innovative new device touts the largest foldable display on any smartphone.


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It appears that Arnold Schwarzenegger just doesn’t know when to quit. He certainly is not in need of the money, although he just agreed to a huge deal for one ad that will be aired during the Super Bowl.
The Super Bowl is coming up soon, and with four teams remaining in the NFL playoffs, it is down to the Patriots, Broncos, Seahawks and 49ers.
Arnold Schwarzenegger did not want to have to miss out on the action, and he has signed a mega deal for Bud Light, and will be paid $3 million for the ad.
It is well-known that during the Super Bowl is the best time to air the best advertisements, and some people even claim to watch the show because of how good the advertisements are. A handful of celebrities are often known to include themselves in ads during the ceremony.
In addition to Arnold Schwarzenegger, several other big name celebrities will be seen in ads during this year’s Super Bowl including Laurence Fishburne, Danica Patrick, Scarlett Johansson, David Beckham and Ben Kingsley.
The former California governor has three films that are set to come out in 2014, including The Expendables 3, which released its trailer last month. He will also give his take on the issue of global climate change during the upcoming Showtime series Years Of Living Dangerously.
Holy crap walking into stage right now w Jerry Weintraub , Arnold Schwarzenegger& the incredible producers of @YEARSofLIVING !! WTF! Amazing
— ian somerhalder (@iansomerhalder) January 16, 2014
Schwarzenegger is set to appear in a humorous ad for the popular beer that sponsors many NFL games, despite having a personal focus on health and fitness, and even being a former bodybuilder.
The ad is a big deal for the Terminator star and former California governor, who has not done ads in the United States before. A source close to Arnold Schwarzenegger said of the ad, “Arnold has shot a series of ads in Japan [a trick used by celebs who want to cash in but without looking greedy at home] but pretty much hasn’t done anything in the US. Persuading him to promote a beer is a big coup for Bud Light.”
With advertisers spending $4 million for a 30 second slot on Fox Sports during the Feb. 2 game, it is no surprise that Arnold Schwarzenegger and several other celebrities are wanting to get involved.
The Bud Light ad feauting Arnold Schwarzenegger is titled “The Perfect Beer for Whatever Happens,” and will air during Super Bowl XLVIII with two corresponding “Epic Night” commercials featuring an array of celebrity surprises.
Image via Wikimedia Commons


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Guangxi and S. Korea seek business cooperation during Friendly Exchange Week
The China (Guangxi)-South Korea Economic Cooperation Forum is held in Nanning on July 9. [Photo by Chen Wen/gxnews.com.cn]
An economic cooperation forum got underway in Nanning on July 9, serving as an important part of the 2019 China (Guangxi)-South Korea Friendly Exchange Week. It attracted more than 100 political and business representatives from the two countries to discuss business opportunities, as well as promote the development of the automobile and health industry.
Liang Yiguang, deputy director of the Guangxi Department of Commerce, noted at the forum that trade volume between Guangxi and South Korea in the past 10 years has increased from $303 million to $730 million, with an average annual growth rate of 9.2 percent.
Zhang Xiacheng, ambassador of South Korea in China, delivers a speech at the forum. [Photo by Yu Jing/chinanews.com]
Zhang Xiacheng, ambassador of South Korea in China, said that South Korea and Guangxi have broad prospects for cooperation in the automobile and health industries.
In addition, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Guangxi Committee signed a memorandum of cooperation with the China Office of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency at the forum.
According to the memorandum, the two sides will promote exchanges and cooperation in various fields such as automobiles, electronic information, energy, and health. A platform for consultation and exchange between enterprises from both sides, as well as an information exchange and sharing mechanism will be established to regularly exchange economic and trade trends, industry trends, market analysis, product supply and demand, as well as investment projects.
A memorandum of cooperation is signed by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Guangxi Committee and the China Office of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency at the forum. [Photo by Chen Wen/gxnews.com.cn]
In addition, entrepreneurs in the automotive, health, and business services industries from China and South Korea also shared cooperation and development opportunities in their respective fields at the forum.


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Posted Mon Jan 31, 2011 at 11:00 AM PST by Dick Ward
But will the quality live up to the name? We'll have to wait to find out.
HDTV enthusiasts remember the Pioneer Elite line fondly - especially the Kuro, which is still held up as one of the best ever on the market. Sharp knows this, and has licensed the Elite brand from Pioneer to market a new TV line.
Sharp says that the new Elite televisions will be among the company's premium offerings, and will consist of high-quality large-screen TVs. What you might not have expected is that all of Sharp's Elite TVs will be LCD.
"Adding a line of high-end flat panel TVs fills a market need in the industry and will help reinforce the strength of a complete Elite home theater offering," says Pioneer's Russ Johnston. "With its cutting edge LCD technology and unmatched production capabilities, Sharp is an important strategic collaborator that will deliver a whole new dimension to the large-screen home theater experience."
The latest news on all things 4K Ultra HD, blu-ray and Gear.


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In 2017, Snacktaku pledged it would no longer be a slave to Nabisco’s relentless barrage of novelty Oreo flavors. Now it’s 2018, and it’s so cold we’ll put anything with the word “hot” on the package in our mouth.
If we had known how 2017 was going to turn out, there would have only been one article this year—Our Emotions: The Snacktaku Review. It would have saved us a whole lot of typing, video editing and Tums. But snacking isn’t about why we eat—it’s about what we eat. Here’s what we ate in 2017.
In its latest attempt to replace all foods with processed potato product, Pringles takes on Thanksgiving dinner with eight different flavors—turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, macaroni and cheese and creamed corn. We’d say grace first, but no.
On October 21, Arby’s brings deer meat to the masses, selling a limited number of venison sandwiches at its more than 3,300 U.S. locations. Not trusting our ability to wake up before noon on a Saturday, Snacktaku hit up Arby’s headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia for an early taste test.
Due to a rapid-fire barrage of novel new flavors, Snacktaku has instituted a temporary moratorium on Oreo videos. But then they had to go and drag apple pie into this. Fine, Nabisco, but you’re not getting a video. Let’s talk Apple Pie Oreos.
What happens when the world’s favorite brand of stack-able potato crisps meets Nissin’s popular line of Japanese-style survival rations? Lots of people tilt their heads and go “huh,” for starters. Also, I make a Snacktaku video.
The other day, our intrepid snack and gaming hardware reporter Mike Fahey picked up KFC for lunch. He brought it home and returned to his office, where, at the most recent count, he keeps 11 mechanical keyboards. Collecting them is his new hobby. And he’s taking it very seriously. He refused to eat anything anywhere…
We here at Snacktaku have given the Oreo a great deal of attention over the years, but several years before the popular cookie’s 1912 debut there was another. Hydrox, the original sandwich cookie, takes on Nabisco’s usurper in the first-ever Snacktaku Showdown.
Now thats it’s finished tasting game cartridges, Snactaku moves on to something slightly more edible. We were unsure about the Easter-themed combination of Marshmallow Peeps and Oreo cookies, but now we are completely certain our entire digestive tract is currently bright pink.
The two weeks are up, and it’s time to put Taco Bell’s new fried chicken taco shell creation into our mouths, for science. Sometimes science is pretty awesome. Believe it or not, this is one of those times.
January 26 shall be known as the day the taco shell changed forever, or at least the day Taco Bell started folding up fried chicken patties and calling it a Naked Chicken Chalupa.
Snackology is often referred to by completely real people as the loneliest of the sciences, but it doesn’t have to be. Join me and a host of Kotaku guest stars in our poorly-lit home office as we eat one of the best non-cookie Oreo products yet.
For decades state fairs across the country have reeked of things that aren’t generally deep fried—Twinkies, candy bars, drifters—receiving the hot oil treatment. Hostess has decided it’s time to capitalize on one of those. Let’s cook us up some Hostess Deep Fried Drifter.
The internet is abuzz with the news that, come July, Reese’s is putting out Peanut Butter Cups with tiny Reese’s Pieces inside. Corn-looking yellow candy piece aside, this doesn’t seem like that great of an idea.
In a last-ditch effort to turn the tide of the decade-spanning cola wars, Pepsi travels back in time 123 years to recover a pair of flavors fancy enough to secure a space in the premium section of the convenience store cooler.
Looking to stay competitive with gas stations, baseball stadiums and guys with dirty food carts, Burger King today became the biggest restaurant-based seller of hot dogs in the nation. But who goes to a restaurant for a regular hot dog? Aside from me, I mean.
A cornerstone of snack culture, popcorn is a light and fluffy snack that’s relatively harmless to eat by the handful. At least until a company like Pop Works & Co. starts putting delicious stuff all over it.
The Snacktaku staff put many, many things in its mouth during the past year—at least one thing a day—in order to bring you this, the ultimate list of bad things that tasted good in 2015.
In a holiday season awash with pumpkin-flavoring spice, gingerbread and caramel apple, Hostess foregoes the dominant fall flavors in favor of a pair of special edition snack cakes colored and flavored like toothpaste. Mmmm, minty.
As snackers around the world prepare for one of the most important holidays of the year—the day after Halloween—Snacktaku celebrates the only flavor combination powerful enough to knock pumpkin spice off the fall charts.


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A Mexican restaurant is set to replace Citizen 7 in Norton Commons
Less than a month after South American street food restaurant Citizen 7 shut down, a new tenant has been announced for the space in Norton Commons.
Mexican restaurant Gustavo's Mexican Grill will open its fourth location in the recently vacant space at 10715 Meeting St. The first of the restaurants opened in 2010 at 6402 Westwind Way in Crestwood, and others soon followed at 1226 Market St. in LaGrange and 6501 Timber Ridge Drive in Prospect.
Owner Gustavo Reyes said he was waiting for the right time and opportunity to come along. His restaurant brand is already popular in the Norton Commons area, he said, so it made sense to open there.
Gustavo's Mexican Grill serves a range of Mexican dishes including tacos, burritos and fajitas on a menu separated by protein: chicken, steak and seafood. Reyes said he's also planning to add more traditional menu items to the menu, such as mole poblano and posole based on his mother's recipe. The new restaurant will also have an updated cocktail menu.
Reyes said the 3,200-square-foot Norton Commons restaurant has a projected opening for early December. The location will also have slightly different decor than the other Gustavo's locations and will include a full-wall mural done by a local artist yet to be selected.
"We're working on the new menu now and should have it done before we open," he said. "I want to be more unique and show my wonderful customers about the traditional dishes in my country."
Looking forward, Reyes plans to continue to the grow the restaurant group in areas such as Eminence or Middletown, as long as quality can remain consistent across locations.


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Hyundai has unveiled plans to extend its production of hydrogen fuel-cell technology beyond its cars as part of its ‘FCEV Vision 2030’.
A partnership between Shell and ITM Power has resulted in the opening of the UK’s first hydrogen filling station to share a forecourt with petrol and diesel fuel pumps.
Toyota has targeted the sale of 5.5 million electrified cars per year by the year 2030 as part of a long-term plan which reaffirms the brands commitment to EVs.
Predicting the future of automotive retail is almost impossible as it is now in the hands of the politicians, writes Jim Saker.
New survey results have shown that 42% of motorists would buy a hydrogen car over electric.
General Motors Co and Honda have announced a manufacturing joint venture to mass produce an advanced hydrogen fuel cell system that will be used to power future products.
Aberdeen City Council is making four ix35 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles available for pay-as-you-go public use and for businesses to trial.
A pair of Hyundai dealerships in London will be named as specialist retailers of the Korean brand’s hydrogen fueled vehicles within the next six months.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has confirmed that Transport for London has will run four Toyota Mirari hydrogen fuel cell vehicles as part of its fleet.
Toyota's first hydrogen fuel cell production cars destines for UK sales have arrived at Portbury
Automotive Management Live: Where franchised and independent dealers will find everything they need to know about operating a modern showroom and service and repair facility fit for the digital age.
When: November 12 2020
Where: Birmingham NEC
Find out what features are in this month's, and future, issues


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Uber is enabling passengers to tip its U.S. drivers with a tap on its ride-hailing app for the first time, part of a push to recast itself as a company with a conscience and a heart.
Besides the built-in tipping option announced Tuesday, Uber is giving drivers an opportunity to make more money when passengers keep them waiting or don't cancel rides within two minutes.
The expanded earnings opportunities are the first step in what Uber is billing as "180 days of change" for its U.S. drivers.
U.S. & World
The company is trying to burnish an image tarnished by revelations of sexual harassment and other bad behavior in its office, as well as allegations of trade secrets theft and an investigation into its efforts to mislead government regulators.


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The company's S-1 lays the groundwork for what is widely expected to be one of the largest initial public offerings of the year, second only to Uber's IPO in May. It's also...Technologyread more
Fraud investigator Harry Markopolos' accusations extended beyond GE's management to actuaries, auditors and analysts who he claims overlooked billions in liabilities.Marketsread more
Trump's tweet comes a day after Apple put out a press release describing the money it spends on U.S.-based suppliers and vendors.Technologyread more
CNBC combed through Wall Street research to see which stocks are still a buy after their earnings reports.Marketsread more
President Donald Trump held a call on Wednesday with the CEOs of three major U.S. banks, according to people with knowledge of the situation.Marketsread more
Despite aggressive strides, Waymo needs one thing before their self-driving cars become a seriously useful transportation system: people. We talked to the ones closest to it.Technologyread more
Scientists say the smoke plumes, filled with megatons of tiny, harmful particles, could travel to other areas of the world and cause serious respiratory problems for people.Weather & Natural Disastersread more
Some Weight Watchers loyalists applaud Kurbo by WW. But nutritionists worry Kurbo promotes an unhealthy relationship with food during an especially impressionable time.Health and Scienceread more
Benefits from what President Trump called "the biggest reform of all time" to the tax code have dwindled to a faint breeze just 20 months after its enactment, writes John...Politicsread more
Epstein, 66, was found in his cell in Manhattan federal lockup Saturday morning and transferred to a nearby hospital, where he was subsequently pronounced dead.Politicsread more
Air travelers faced delays at U.S. airports on Friday afternoon after a computer issue snarled processing of international arrivals.Airlinesread more
Elon Musk isn't the only Tesla executive with a start-up on the side.
Redwood Materials' chief financial officer, Andrew Stevenson, also posted a job opening for a mechanical engineer to work at the recycling venture in Northern Nevada a week ago on LinkedIn. Stevenson worked at Tesla for about 3 years until June, in a special projects office of the CTO.
At Tesla, Straubel spends most of his time at the Gigafactory 1 in Sparks, Nevada, which churns out batteries for electric vehicles and solar energy systems. He has overseen battery tech, but also power electronics, motors, software, firmware and controls, among other responsibilities at Tesla.
Redwood Materials was established in Redwood City, California, in 2017, near Tesla's headquarters in Palo Alto. However, the company is not working with Tesla, Straubel told CNBC in an email.
"Redwood is not currently doing any business with Tesla and our expansion to Nevada is unrelated to Tesla or to the Gigafactory directly," said Straubel. "Northern Nevada has a welcoming business environment, a growing technology presence and gives us a strong foundation for aggressive future growth.
Tesla's Gigafactory and its main auto plant in Fremont, California, typically generate large amounts of scrap, cardboard and waste from construction, according to multiple former employees. In late June, a fire broke out at Tesla's Fremont factory, where cardboard was being prepared to go off to a recycling center.
At an annual shareholder's meeting for Tesla in June, Straubel answered a question from a Twitter user about the company's approach to battery waste. He said:
Tesla will absolutely recycle, and we do recycle, all of our spent cells, modules and battery packs. So the discussion about is this waste ending up in landfills is not correct. We would not do that, these are valuable materials. In addition, it's just the right thing to do.
We have current partner companies-- on every major continent where we have cars operating-- that we work with to do this today. And in addition, we're developing internally more processes, and we're doing R&D on how we can improve this recycling process to get more of the active materials back. Ultimately what we want is a closed loop, right, at the Gigafactories that reuses the same, recycled materials.
Straubel has also repeatedly spoken about recycling minerals, which are used in electric vehicle batteries and motors, and can be both costly and subject to shifting tariffs.


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As you know, the third-generation Ryzen Threadripper processors will debut in November – AMD itself told about it earlier.
Now we have the exact date. More precisely, the date planned by AMD, which was relevant a couple of weeks ago, but hardly anything has changed.
So, according to these data, the news will be presented on November 5, but the ban on publishing reviews will be lifted only on November 19. And on November 19, processors go on sale.
However, there are nuances. The source says only about three CPUs: Threadripper 3960X, Threadripper 3970X and Threadripper 3990X. At the same time, the latter will appear only in January, and not all of its parameters can reveal on November 5.
We know that the Threadripper 3960X is a 24-core CPU. Earlier, it was assumed that the Threadripper 3970X will receive 32 cores, 3980X – 48 cores, and 3990X – 64 cores. Now, the Threadripper 3980X is “lost” and it’s hard to imagine anything. AMD may, for example, not release a 64-core CPU, or it may just skip the 48-core one. In any case, we will find out on November 5th.
As for the TRX40 chipset, it will be presented together with processors.


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NEW YORK (AP) -- Shares of Guess appear to be headed for a multi-year low Friday after the company announced the departure of both its chief financial officer and chief operating officer.
The stock fell 10 percent before the opening bell, which would put the price at lows not seen since the summer of 2009.
Shares have been sliding since August, when Guess cut its guidance for the year and posted disappointing numbers for the second quarter. The stock tumbled $10 in one day and has been moving largely south ever since.
The company said that the two executives were leaving to pursue other interests.
COO J. Michael Prince will stay with the company until Nov. 26. Senior Vice President and CFO Dennis Secor will remain until Dec. 7.
The entire sector started feeling pressure after Levi Strauss & Co. revealed in July that its profits during the second quarter had tumbled 38 percent.
Gap Inc. on Thursday posted revenue from established stores that fell short of Wall Street expectations.
Jefferies & Co. analyst Randal Konik downgraded Guess to "Hold" from "Buy" and slashed its price target to $25 from $45. Konik said that the departures "are significant, leadership is in flux, the brand is under pressure in the U.S. and international risks remain."
Guess CEO Paul Marciano said late Thursday that he expects a smooth transition, though there are no plans to find a new COO and other executives would step in to manage those responsibilities.
Betty Chen of Wedbush cut the company's price target to $24 from $27 and kept a "Neutral" rating. She said the company now lacks "serious leadership to steward the ship amidst a tumultuous turnaround despite a strong bench."
Margaret Whitfield of Sterne, Agee & Leach said that the personnel changes may allow Guess the opportunity to upgrade its executive team. She maintained a "Buy" rating and $36 price target.
Guess Inc.'s stock fell $2.58 to $23.31 in premarket trading.


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Heavy Rain dev shows off ‘Kara’
“We never thought it would work on a PlayStation 3,” Cage told an audience at Game Developers Conference. He then showed off “Kara,” running on Quantic Dream’s new engine for the PS3.Andrew Yoon
March 7, 2012 3:15 PM31
Quantic Dream, the team behind Heavy Rain, is working on a brand new game for PS3. While it will take advantage of lessons learned by their last adventure, creative director David Cage said that they wanted to create brand new tech for their next game.
“We never thought it would work on a PlayStation 3,” Cage told an audience at Game Developers Conference. However, after experimenting, he announced “then we discovered that it could.”
Repeating the footsteps of 2006’s “The Casting,” Cage revealed a brand new prototype that isn’t necessarily related to their upcoming game. “We wanted to see if what we learned on Heavy Rain could be applied to a different genre,” Cage said when describing his new game. As the lights turned down, he revealed “Kara,” a new prototype. Before the video played, however, he announced that in all-caps: “NOT OUR NEXT PROJECT.”
Running in real-time on the PS3, Cage said that the new engine would allow for a low-cost motion capture solution with a “direct-to-engine” pipeline. He said that the team is aiming “if not the quality of Avatar, something really high quality.”
The Kara demo is already one year old running on “version 1” of the engine. Since then, Cage claims the team is currently utilizing a “version 3.” While he wouldn’t talk about the studio’s next game, he did say that the final product would look even more realistic than what we saw. “I think you’re going to get much better than that in the game,” he confidently told the audience.


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The UK data centre industry must seize the opportunity to access funding provided by the European Commission and use it to become a world leader in High Performance Computing (HPC) technology. This is according to Greg McCulloch, CEO of Aegis Data.
The European Commission’s Horizon 2020 program has made €40 million available to finance the development of HPC technology, and the government is encouraging UK organisations to apply for this funding, despite the uncertainty around Brexit. The European Commission has identified HPC as a key technology to drive significantly faster data processing and the development of new services and business models across Europe. Originally used by researchers to analyse huge quantities of data, HPC is now growing in popularity across the commercial sector thanks to its potential to support emerging technologies that generate vast reams of data.
McCulloch commented: “The release of funding to finance the development of HPC presents the UK data centre industry with a fantastic opportunity to hone its existing expertise in HPC and become a hub for the management, processing and storage of data generated by emerging technology.


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More footage of the Kingdom Hearts III Round Theatre showcase at the "Tower of Radiance and Shadow" has surfaced, showing new footage from the game, including brief scenes from the opening cinematics, Kingdom of Corona, selfie scenes in San Fransokyo and Monstropolis, and Sora walking and running across the screen. During the screening, an orchestra version of Chikai was also heard.
You can see the new footage below.
Updated[January 08, 2019]: More footage has surfaced revealing the full preview of the orchestral version of Chikai!
Updated [January 10, 2019]: Twitter user aitaikimochii has released a video of the Kingdom Key sequence in action at the Toyko Skytree!
Update [January 12th, 2019]: Even more footage has been released from Twitter user clow_shirow showing off the 360°special video and even the elevator from the event.
Keep an eye on this space and our Twitter feed for more updates from the event!


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In January 2021, Samsung has begun to release February 2021 security updates for the Galaxy S20 series phones in Europe. Later, Galaxy S21, Note 20, S20 FE, and A51 also joined the latest security patches.
Now, the South Korean tech giant has sent new software updates to old flagship devices including Galaxy S9, S9+, and Note FE.
According to the latest security bulletin, this update fixes 32 high-level CVEs and 4 critical-level CVEs. Moreover, the company will send this new software update to Galaxy S9 and Note FE phones in different batches, so it may take some time to be widely used.
In addition to security patches, this software also provides new performance improvements and system function enhancements to improve user experience.
- The current software update provides the most up-to-date Android security patches on your device.
- Build (Galaxy S9)– G960FXXSEFUA1
- Build (Galaxy S9+)– G965FXXSEFUA1
- Build (Galaxy Note FE)– N935SKSU4CUA1
How to check for updates manually:
- Open device Settings
- Select Software updates menu
- Finally hit Download and install button.


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HMX CEO Douglas Williams during a recent stop in Rochester.
- Filed Under
The sale of high-end menswear companies Hickey Freeman and Hart Schaffner & Marx is being pushed slightly back.
U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Allan Gropper on Thursday approved the bidding procedures in HMX Acquisition Corp.'s Chapter 11 reorganization. As part of its bankruptcy, New York-based HMX plans to auction off those two clothiers. The auction originally was to take place Dec. 10. But under the terms OK'd by Gropper, the initial bid deadline is Dec. 12, with the auction taking place Dec. 17 and a bankruptcy court hearing approving the sale to the highest bidder on Dec. 19 or 20, ...


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"The Amazon is a living and self-regulating organism. The planet is also an organism but it is a system and everything is interdependent and everything is alive." Those are the words of Martin von Hildebrand, a Swedish environmental activist who has spent 40 years working with indigenous peoples in the Colombian Amazon.
In an interview with the Telegraph, he explains that the Amazon "plays an essential role in the water cycle." It pumps water from tropical forests and pumps moisture that contributes to the entire water cycle.
"If we don't have trees, we don't have Andes rivers, and this is the water upon which all the Andes up to the Rio de la Plata basin rely," he says. "Now we are seeing that there are much more intense droughts due to deforestation and carbon sequestration is now in trouble because too much carbon is being emitted and the Amazon is no longer sequestering as it used to.
Forests can adapt to changes in temperatures naturally but as climate change dries out the forest, more can be burned." He says indigenous people have been living in the Amazon for 10,000 years, and "they have observed how the system works.
Read the Entire Article
A customized collection of news from foundations from around the Web.
Cause Artist lists down the five health startups that are changing people’s views about health and wellness. These startups made use of their creative juices, and with tech know-how, have developed solutions to solve some of the world’s most complex health issues.


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When the Silk Road marketplace first began, the creator and administrators instituted terms of service that prohibited the sale of anything whose purpose was to “harm or defraud”. This included child pornography, stolen credit cards, assassinations, and weapons of any type; other darknet markets such as Black Market Reloaded gained user notoriety because they were not as restrictive on these items as the Silk Road incarnations were. There were also legal goods and services for sale, such as apparel, art, books, cigarettes, erotica, jewellery, and writing services. A sister site, called “The Armoury”, sold weapons during 2012, but was shut down, due to a lack of demand.
Regulated cryptocurrency exchanges — generally those in the US or Europe— can also be of service here. Because they are legally bound by “know your customer” policies and anti-money laundering rules, users can only register upon handing over identification. Supposed to be anonymous, the transactions are public for everyone to see.
Dark Web Onions
It would not be surprising if most of the drugs being sold on the Tor network have already violated patent protection laws in the US. A slew of legislation concerning cyber information and privacy has been passed in the last few years under the jurisdiction of the Federal Trade Commission. Some of these include the Fair Credit Reporting Act and Protecting Cyber Networks Act, which provide a process for the pubic to voluntarily share cyber data that could be threatening to national security. However, I have searched high and low on the (visible!) web but have not come across any Federal statutes or FDA regulations for guidances regarding underground online drug markets. Another way would be to increase the online surveillance resources at the FDA specifically to target fraudulent drugs on the dark web.
You would probably not notice an envelope that contained only a small number of pills. The biggest takedowns in terms of volume – Silk Road, AlphaBay and Wall Street – have been police-led, but in 2018, the EMCDDA published a study which found that, of the more than 100 markets, just 10 percent closed as a consequence of overt police action. BOSTON – A Fitchburg man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to his role in a wide-ranging fentanyl, heroin, crack and cocaine trafficking conspiracy. Senior District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel to eight years in prison and three years of supervised release.
Dark Web Links Reddit
There’s also the problem of the currency’s constantly fluctuating value. Around three-fifths of dark-web vendors are groups of people rather than individuals, judging by the share of profiles that refer to themselves as “we”. The study by Mr Christin and Mr Soska found that just 2% of sellers made more than $100,000 between July 2013 and January 2015.
- When there are several addresses behind the same transaction, this could indicate one person is securing smaller funds into one bigger pot.
- There are so many potential consequences and it’s overall more effort than getting them off the street.
- If you really need to avoid withdrawal symptoms, it’s much safer to get drugs from the street.
- Whether White House Market and its administrators are under ongoing criminal investigation is an open question.
- Shortages of these so-called precursor chemicals, those mixed with other drugs, are limiting the range of drugs dealers are now able to offer.
- If you’ve ever considered buying drugs on the dark web, be aware that law enforcement agencies are fully aware of what’s going on.
On Empire, one of the largest markets still online, people could have their pick of more than 26,000 drug and chemical listings, including over 2,000 opioids, shipped right to their mailbox. SAN FRANCISCO — Authorities in the United States and Europe recently staged a wide-ranging crackdown on online drug markets, taking down Wall Street Market and Valhalla, two of the largest drug markets on the so-called dark web. Drug prices increasing on dark web marketplaces due to chemical shortages in China. Coronovirus is driving drug dealers and punters off the streets, and business is brisk.
Because their identity is anonymous, they don’t believe they’re at as much of a risk as they would be selling face to face. However, two of the most famous hubs for drug sales, Silk Road and Alphabay, have been shut down. That doesn’t mean there aren’t other methods, because there definitely are. However, that doesn’t mean you should go looking, and we’ll get into the why next. To ship overnight, Cory explained, most dealers prefer to ship as many packages as possible at the same time.
The dark web is a section of the internet that can only be accessed by using a certain browser. You cannot access the dark web with standard browsers like Google, Yahoo, or Bing. And the way that the dark web is set up, the websites hosted there have a higher degree of anonymity compared to the rest of the internet. “If officials can find a way to flood a network with bad evaluations when it is first starting, that will make it difficult for buyers to make informed decisions. “There is less impact on these more highly connected buyers when you take out sellers,” Duxbury said.
All of these market place websites have since been shut down but new ones have emerged to replace the inexorable demand by consumers for illegal drugs. Some people might assume that buying drugs on the dark web is safer because of its perceived anonymity, but that isn’t necessarily true. The mere fact that most people are unable to access the dark web, especially without some sort of insider knowledge, shows just how difficult it could be for the average joe to purchase illicit drugs using it. At the time of its closing, the platform had nearly 900,000 users, of which more than a third—roughly 326,000—were active. Like other dark web markets, it was accessible only on anonymity browsers like Tor and I2P.
Dark Web Onion Sites
IT Security Experts have doubted the FBI’s claims because technical evidence suggests that no misconfiguration that could cause the specific leak was present at the time. In June 2011, Gawker published an article about the site which led to an increase in notoriety and website traffic. Senator Charles Schumer asked federal law enforcement authorities to shut it down, including the Drug Enforcement Administration and Department of Justice.


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Wine2Wine launches call for speakers
Vinitaly’s international wine forum Wine2Wine has launched a call for speakers as it gears up for its sixth annual show in November.
The two-day event, which is organised by Veronafiere, the team behind the popular Italian trade show, will take place on November 25th and 26th in Verona.
The organisers are planning planning to host more than 100 speakers from across the international wine community, and although around 80% of the speakers will be recruited directly by the wine2wine team, it has opened up the process to attract a diverse roll-call of professionals to take part in seminars, interactive workshops and a speaker’s corner.
“The purpose of this is to widen the net, render the event inclusive and to ensure that participants benefit from the most exciting, relevant and practical content,” the organisers said.
Applicants will need to submit a proposal including an outline and title of their presentation title as well as a short video demonstrating their presentation skills, and a short bio by 22 July via the wine2wine website. The sessions must be practical, approachable and provide tangible tools that assist participants in growing their wine businesses, the organisers added.
The team has already confirmed a broad line up of speakers from across the industry, comprising retailers, ecommerce strategists, sommeliers, journalists, academics, winemakers, entrepreneurs, investors and educators.
Experts already taking part include sommelier Yannick Benjamin, vine geneticist Professor Attilio Scienza, e-commerce strategies expert Gerard Spatafora, presenter and head of London sales at Fields, Morris & Verdin Joe Fattorini, winemaker Lenz Moser, and Italian winery owner and brand ambassador Gaia Gaja.
Some of the sessions already organised include demystifying the latest technological advances from augmented reality, to blockchain technology, and the latest wine apps to enrich wine businesses; a look at digital analytics and platforms to revolutionise marketing & communication strategies; how effective management & leadership underpins success; the dynamics of export markets and how to boost sales, ecological & social sustainability and how viticulture & oenology influence and reflect market trends.
“Wine2wine provides unique opportunities to share ideas on the most important issues facing the rapidly evolving wine industry and to connect with wine professionals and experts,” the organisers said, adding that the event was “a key reference point for wine producers” eager to develop and grow their wine businesses worldwide.


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Apple adds faster AMD Vega graphics options for 15-inch MacBook Pro
You'll have to pay a premium for the newer GPUs, however.
Mac mini teardown uncovers all of the tiny desktop's updates
Just don't expect to upgrade the storage yourself.
The best weapon in 'Just Cause 4' is Mother Nature
There's also one hell of a grappling hook.
Gorgeous platformer 'Gris' arrives December 13th
It's launching on Nintendo Switch, PC and Mac.
‘Football Manager 2019’ is out now on PC, Mac and mobile
Three versions are available today.
Activision debuts 'Call of Duty' companion app for your phone
The COD Points microtransaction currency has also arrived.
‘Fallout 76’ install bug ‘won’t be the last bump in the road’
Bethesda apologized for the glitch that affected PC beta downloads.
Apple will add Radeon Pro Vega graphics option to MacBook Pro
The faster GPU will be available in November.
Apple's new Mac mini is all about increased power
It'll be available November 7th for $799.


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U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney
District of Nevada
District of Nevada
For Immediate Release
July 25, 2012
Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney
Contact: Natalie Collins
LAS VEGAS BUSINESS OWNER CHARGED WITH PURCHASING "CONTRABAND CIGARETTES"
LAS VEGAS – The owner of a local convenience store was arrested this morning by federal and local authorities on charges that he purchased 12,000 contraband cigarettes from an undercover local police officer, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada. The charges are being brought as part of a federal and local law enforcement effort to combat organized retail theft.
Amer "Sunny" Ramo, 54, of Las Vegas, is charged in a criminal complaint with receipt, possession, and purchase of contraband cigarettes. Ramo was arrested at his business, Sunny's Market, located at 600 W. Lake Mead Blvd., in North Las Vegas. He is expected to make an initial appearance before a federal magistrate judge tomorrow.
"Organized retail crime costs the American economy billions of dollars every year," said U.S. Attorney Bogden. "This investigation is an excellent example of how federal and local law enforcement agencies can work together to combat a growing national problem. It should serve as a warning to retailers who consider purchasing stolen merchandise for resale."
According to the complaint, in February 2012, the LVMPD received information that Ramo was allegedly purchasing sealed, unopened liquor from individuals whom he knew or had cause to believe were stealing it from local grocery stores. LVMPD began an undercover investigation and made several sales to Ramo of liquor which they told him had been stolen from local businesses. On July 11, 2012, Ramo allegedly knowingly purchased 12,000 unstamped cigarettes from an undercover officer for $300, after the officer told Ramo that the cigarettes were stolen and did not have any tax stamps, as required by state law. The retail value of the cigarettes was approximately $3,314.
If convicted, Ramo faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The case is being investigated by the ATF, the LVMPD, and the North Las Vegas Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christina Brown.
The public is reminded that a criminal complaint is a preliminary charging document and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.


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In what looks like a particularly insightful move, TMC announced the hiring of their first Chief Marketing Officer with the appointment of 40-year-old Marc-Hans Richer to lead the manufacturer’s quest for a younger market.
Say adios to the iconic beret as the beacon in the marketing lighthouse. According to AdAge Daily News, the former head of Pontiac’s brand effort has his sights set on Milwaukee after several spectacular innovations with the GM brand he’s piloted since 2004. Like what? The most outrageous stunt was the giveaway of 276 G6 models on Oprah.
He’s been instrumental in linking the mature brand to a younger audience with pioneering web efforts, including the Second Life virtual marketing model. Among his challenges at HD: getting by with a $30 million budget instead of the nearly $150 million he directed at Pontiac, despite the legendary rep of Harley’s marketing reach. Other unknowns: a departure on the heels of a continuing Detroit automotive mega slump, including his much heralded Pontiac division, which was down 14% in the first half of ’07.
With this announcement, Harley acknowledges the obvious: concern for the future. Will fresh thinking and a contemporary approach move the meter? Watch Wall Street — and maybe TiVo Oprah — to find out.


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The Edition has hired One Sotheby’s International Realty to handle sales for the remaining inventory, replacing Douglas Elliman.
One Sotheby’s represents the development as of Friday, president Daniel de la Vega told The Real Deal. That includes four units priced from $3 million to $10.9 million. Anna Sherrill is director of sales, and Macarena Gomez and Ivan Chorney are the listing agents.
Marriott International and Ian Schrager opened the Edition, at 2901 Collins Avenue, in late 2014. It has 26 condos and 293 hotel rooms. Shortly after the hotel was completed, Marriott sold it to the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority for $230 million.
De la Vega said One Sotheby’s will market the project online, through its affiliates and through events in locations like London, New York, Paris and the Middle East. He said his firm is finding success in cities like Chicago, D.C. and Boston. Latin America is “still strong, but not as strong as it was.” Harvey Daniels is vice president of development sales for One Sotheby’s, de la Vega said.
“I believe the development was lacking true international exposure, which is something nobody else in our market can offer,” he told TRD. “Our strategy is to expose this property to the world. The Edition has become a very well-known brand and it’s grown tremendously. The condominiums are ultra luxury condos with the highest finishes.”
Susan de França, president and chief executive officer of Douglas Elliman Development Marketing, said it was “an honor” to represent the project. “We are enormously proud to have sold 85 percent of the residences, including the recording-setting penthouse, and wish the new team the best of luck with the remaining units,” de França wrote in a statement to TRD.
The inventory One Sotheby’s is taking over includes: penthouse 1404, a 3,725-square-foot unit that will be re-listed for $10.9 million; units 1001 and 1101, listed for $5.5 million and $5.9 million, respectively; and unit 1203, a 1,517-square-foot condo that will be asking $3 million. Asking prices range from $2,926 a foot for the penthouse to $1,978 per square foot for the smallest available unit, 1203.
The brokerage worked with the developer to adjust pricing on the units. “Everybody’s adjusting because of pent-up inventory and slowed demand,” de la Vega said, calling this period of the market a “slight adjustment.”
Unit owners at the Edition include Schrager, who paid $5.5 million for a 2,268-square-foot penthouse in March of last year, and Bollywood actress and businesswoman Poonam Khubani, who re-listed her penthouse with the Jills for a whopping $26 million, or nearly $5,000 per square foot.


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It was an exciting year in 2022 for McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Vancouver with a number of new store openings and 2023 promises to be a continuation of the momentum developed in the retail sector for the property.
Robert Thurlow, General Manager of the shopping centre, described 2022 as a “spectacular” year.
“It was so much better than anticipated. I was very surprised by the rebound that we saw in 2022. It was remarkable. We finished the year 30 per cent ahead of our budget. And if anybody had told me that back in the first quarter I would have told them they were crazy,” said Thurlow.
“But it really did happen probably from the April/May period onward straight through the end of the year. Once we saw some of the lifting and easing of some of the pandemic restrictions that we had earlier in the year, and most of those were restricted around March time, and we really did see a return to travel, especially domestic travel, I thought it really surprised us. What we saw was huge numbers of people returning not just to McArthurGlen but obviously to Vancouver and British Columbia from Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. Those were the big feeder markets that we saw throughout 2022 and interestingly when we were looking at the visitor numbers coming from those other provinces we were actually over indexing from 2019 from Ontario. We actually saw a 15 per cent increase of visitors from Ontario visiting the centre from what we saw in 2019.”
He said traffic was up 29.8 per cent from 2021 and just over 30 per cent up in sales.
Thurlow said the local catchment has been very supportive throughout the pandemic as well.
“We’re really seeing local customers in much stronger numbers than we ever saw pre-pandemic. I think the brand mix, the new stores that we opened, really resonated with that local customer,” he said.
In 2022, the centre opened seven new stores – Furla, Karl Lagerfeld, Pandora, Harry Rosen, Browns, Steve Madden and Castella Cheesecake.
In 2023, Thurlow said Oak & Fort and Moose Knuckles will be opening new permanent additions. There will also be a new Plenty store as well as the upsizing of Versace and Mountain Warehouse.
“By the time we get to mid-year with the openings of the new stores and the stores that are under construction for the expansions, we’ll be fully leased, It will get us up to 99 per cent which is considered fully leased, which is a great spot for us to be,” said Thurlow. “A lot of our success is certainly down to the really strong leasing activity that we’ve had throughout the pandemic and leading us all the way into 2023.”
The second phase of McArthurGlen was opened just a few months before the pandemic struck in March 2020.
“For us to get that kind of a rebound and to see phase two fully leased within two, two and a half years, is remarkable,” said Thurlow.
McArthurGlen currently has about 325,000 square feet. By mid-year with the new stores, the shopping centre will be up to 95 stores.
“We are planning a phase three. We’re working on that now and hopefully we’ll have an announcement maybe in the next quarter of what the timing of that is going to look like because we do have land on the northeast corner of the property right now,” explained Thurlow.
“It’s about another 65,000 square feet that will be our phase three. That will be about an additional 30 to 35 stores depending on how we carve up the space. That’s coming on the radar very quickly and I think we should have an announcement about that within the next few months about our planned timing for that phase.”


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AAPLThe 2020 MacBook Air on the left versus the 2020 13-inch MacBook Pro on the right.Todd Haselton | CNBC
The update will be followed by new versions of the MacBook Air, the Mac Pro desktop and the entry-level MacBook Pro, likely later in the year, the report said.
It shows how Apple is quickly working to capitalize on using its own chips after announcing last year it would transition away from Intel processors. The Apple M1 processor made its debut in the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac Mini last year and is also used in the new iMac, which launched this spring. The computers will reportedly use newer and more powerful versions of Apple’s processor.
Apple’s MacBook customers seem to like the new chip so far. Paired with the at-home work environment of the pandemic and a crop of new M1 computers, Apple’s fiscal Q2 Mac revenue jumped 70.1% year over year from $6.86 billion to $9.1 billion. Apple CEO Tim Cook told CNBC last month that he expects the business to continue to perform well, even


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If you're itching for a new "Star Wars" NERF item, have we got the thing for you! Inspired by Boba Fett's EE-3 Blaster, this new release is available to pre-order now. It's expected to start shipping…
Hasbro has launched a Nerf M41A pulse rifle from the sci-fi classic "Aliens," and it is everything fans of the franchise could ever want.
Police have seized a firearm disguised to look like a Nerf gun during a drug bust in Catawba, North Carolina.
Nerf has finally designed a gun that can shoot around corners! The Nerf Rival Curve will be able to hit even the most skilled hiders.
2020's version of Red Ryder BB Gun for "Star Wars" fans, feast your eyes on the official "The Mandalorian" Amban Phase-Pulse Blaster from NERF!
L.A. Live is hosting the ultimate Nerfer's Event


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Popular radio show and website Cruise Radio announces the launch of Cruise Radio Live, a new iPhone and Android application that instantly connects users to a variety of cruise-related content. Cruise Radio Live offers easy access to weekly Cruise Radio shows, videos and premium content, as well as consumer cruise news. The app also features iProducer, which enables users to instantly submit pictures and text to the Cruise Radio team.
For only 99 cents, Cruise Radio Live is available for iPhone, iPad and iTouch through iTunes or the Apple App Store, and for Android phones and tablets through the Android Market. The one-time cost of purchasing the app includes lifetime updates and unlimited access to show archives.
“The Cruise Radio Live application enables our listeners to stay connected with us no matter their location, and offers easy access to all Cruise Radio has to offer,” said Cruise Radio Host Doug Parker. “Through the iProducer feature, we hope to have cruisers from all over the world share their voyages with the Cruise Radio audience.”
With more than 125,000 weekly listeners, Cruise Radio is an informative and entertaining resource for cruisers that presents news and information via a weekly radio show.
Subscribe to our Cruise News Updates.


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This video is sponsored by: Jojoba Desert
In this video interview, sponsored by Jojoba Desert, Anna Aharoni, Ph.D., head of R&D for the company, describes the current market challenge of replacing traditional cosmetic ingredients with natural and sustainable alternatives.
"Natural products that combine excellent quality and sustainability are in high demand with self-educated consumers," said Aharoni. "Recently, surveys showed that almost 50% of consumers will always prefer a natural product that is also kind to the environment."
She added that as such, cosmetic manufacturers and formulators are constantly seeking natural and natural-derived raw materials that provide the desired effect, advanced sensory performance and also meet consumers' demand for clean and safe beauty.
In response, Jojoba Desert has launched JD Lusteris, a premium emollient sustainably sourced from jojoba oil that according to the company, offers multifunctional performance with an extraordinarily light, silky sensory profile and good efficacy in formulations. The ingredient is biodegradable and can serve as an alternative to nonvolatile low viscosity silicones.
Learn more about the challenges of replacing traditional ingredients, as well as the benefits JD Lusteris has to offer, in this free videocast. Register to watch; it's free.


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10 July 2020
COVID-19 has rapidly transformed the way the world operates and has resulted in millions of people being more digitally connected than ever before. Now, reliance on breakthrough business software and digital collaboration tools is stronger than ever, impacting consumers and organisations alike.
As a result of the outbreak, organisations across most sectors have adapted to remote working models, which has increased corporate spend on technology and the use of services like cloud security, digital collaboration, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics process automation (RPA).
According to Sarah Hindlian-Bowler, Macquarie’s Senior Software Analyst, these technologies have seen sizable uplifts in both demand and opportunity with software sector valuations rebounding above prior 2019 highs.
“The software sector is driven by the major digital, collaboration and cloud security trends that must be enabled in today’s virus-wary workforce,” says Hindlian-Bowler. “These tools allow organisations to connect across geographies, streamline tasks and automate customer experiences, influencing the ways in which companies will operate post-pandemic.”
As businesses embrace new remote working models, consumers are shifting their habits as well. According to Macquarie’s US Equities Research team, there has been a collective shift to virtual and streamed experiences across almost all consumer sectors, including media, advertising, gaming, leisure and lifestyle.
“Prior to COVID-19, less than 15 per cent of global retail sales were made online,” said Paul Golding, Macquarie’s Consumer Lifestyle Analyst. “E-commerce has since grown to 27 per cent as the online shift gathers momentum.”
Golding also highlighted how the entertainment industry is adapting to today’s digital transformation with companies like LiveNation investing in live-stream technology for virtual or online concerts and events.
Similarly, Chad Beynon, Macquarie’s Gaming and Leisure Analyst, noted how online gaming and sports betting has emerged as a pastime in the United States, especially among the Millennial and Gen X demographics.
“By 2025, we expect sports betting in the US to become a $US20 billion revenue industry – up from less than $US1 billion in revenue today,” Beynon said. “This would make the US market comfortably larger and more mature than those in the UK and Australia.”
Within the media and advertising space, Senior Analyst Tim Nollen has observed the rise of Connected TV (CTV) as a major trend, with platforms like Roku and Amazon Fire TV leading the charge in the US.
According to Nollen’s research, 71 per cent of American households currently own a CTV device, with global advertising spending on these platforms projected to double to $US12.5 billion nationally and reach $US41 billion globally by 2022.
As a result of COVID-19, the TV upfront market has been thoroughly disrupted as linear TV consumption declines and cord cutting has accelerated by 5-6 per cent annually.
The latest trends in software services and technology were among the themes explored at Macquarie’s recent 2020 Software Corporate Day, hosted by the US Equities Research team. Presenters included leaders from companies including Proofpoint, Dropbox and UiPath, whose technologies help organisations improve cloud security, data storage and process automation, respectively.
“In this widespread work from home initiative, organisations are looking at how to enhance their security architecture,” said Gary Steele, CEO of Proofpoint. “It is now more important than ever to protect individuals and their data.”
Lev Finkelstein, VP of Corporate Finance and Strategy at Dropbox, echoed the sentiment. A cloud-based workplace for digital content that already has 600 million registered users and 550 billion pieces of content, Dropbox is continuing to see new and unexpected opportunities arise from the current environment.
“Our product is designed to keep teams and files in sync anytime and anywhere, which is exactly what people need right now,” Finkelstein said.
AI and automation continue to be top-of-mind for businesses as well. A leader in the automation space, UiPath provides a complete software platform to help organisations efficiently automate key business processes.
Vijay Khanna, the company’s Chief Corporate Development Officer, cited the ways automation can help essential businesses automate key tasks. For hospitals, this may include automating patient credentialing, records management processes and other healthcare workflows.
“Automation provides a competitive advantage, which is driving growth,” said Khanna. “Our pipeline has never been stronger.”
Ms. Hindlian-Bowler believes that the future of work and consumption are permanently altered by COVID-19, resulting in a large push to digitally transform businesses and consumer experiences despite many areas of the economy being shuttered.
“Every organisation today must think about business continuity planning and safety measures for their employees, and further, find ways to minimise costs,” says Hindlian-Bowler. “Software is one of the most important tools to enable the future of work, connecting people across geographies and time zones while also helping to automate manual and repetitive tasks. As we look at an altered future, the digital revolution is only accelerating.”


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Fri, 07 Jun 2013 06:51:23 GMT
The whole of the country (Philippine's) has been urged to take time-keeping seriously, now that President Benigno Aquino has signed Republic Act No 10535 requiring all government offices and broadcast media to follow the Philippine Standard Time (PST) effective June 1, 2013.
On the same day, BBDO Guerrero launched its PST effort under Pizza Hut’s Hate Late? delivery campaign. Announced through print, a dedicated website ( www.pst.ph) and on Facebook, everyone is encouraged to call Pizza Hut’s delivery hotline 911-1111 for the PST time. A call handler will happily give the correct time based on PAGASA – a service Pizza Hut Delivery has committed to give to the public in full support of the President’s mandate.
BBDO Guerrero launched the Hate Late? delivery campaign way back in 2006. It is based on a strong consumer insight – that in a country known for being lax with time-keeping, Filipinos seem to demand punctuality when it comes to their meals.
David Guerrero, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of BBDO Guerrero, the first and only Philippine agency to make it at the Top 50 of the Gunn Report global creative rankings, said: “As punctuality is inherent to the delivery brand, Pizza Hut took it on as an ongoing advocacy. So it is just fitting that Pizza Hut would be the first to show full support when this became standardized.”
In 2011, BBDO Guerrero and Pizza Hut partnered with the Department of Science & Technology, the Discovery Channel, and beauty queens Shamcey Supsup and Venus Raj to stage the Pizza Hut Pre-countdown Countdown. The event encouraged the public to synchronize their watches as they simulated the New Year’s Eve countdown a day early so the whole country could celebrate New Years Eve at exactly the same time.view more - Creative
Categories: Food, Fast foodBBDO Asia, Fri, 07 Jun 2013 06:51:23 GMT


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The Canadian Vacation Ownership Association (CVOA) has named Ingrid Jarrett to the position of President and CEO. With deep experience in the vacation ownership industry the new CVOA leader is taking the reins as the Association continues to grow.
In addition to her hands-on experience in resort management and business development, Ms. Jarrett brings a wealth of Tourism Board and Association expertise to CVOA. Currently, she’s on the executive of the British Columbia Hotel Association, was Chair of the British Columbia Hotel Association and Vice Chair of the Marketing Advisory Committee for Destination British Columbia. Prior to that, she was Chair of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association.
CVOA is dedicated to the business of hospitality and counts among its 63 members a mix of development companies, management firms, resorts, exchange companies and service providers.
According to Jon Zwickel, previous President and CEO of CVOA, who stepped down to devote more time to his hotel and resort consulting practice and who now serves as Volunteer Chairman of the Board of the Association, “We are in excellent hands with Ingrid. She shares our vision for CVOA as we continue to grow. Under her leadership we will continue to forge industry alliances, increase government advocacy and stay on the cutting edge as thought leaders in the vacation ownership sector.”
Ms. Jarrett’s drive and passion for tourism have been acknowledged with numerous awards. In 2012, she was named in the Top 20 most influential people in the Okanagan Valley. She also won the President’s Award for the Economic Development Association of B.C. in 2012, as well as the Marketing award under $15K in 2012 by the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association. In 2017 Ingrid was awarded WXN Top most powerful women in Canada, and the BCHA awarded Ingrid Hotelier of the year for 2018.
“My vision and goals are to continue to build the growth and momentum following Jon’s leadership, and to build the relationships, membership and advocacy on behalf of our members,” said Ms. Jarrett. “I also look forward to working with the diverse and strong board of the CVOA and making a difference in the world of travel.
CVOA is Canada’s only association dedicated to representing the interests of the vacation ownership, timeshare and resort development industries. Since its founding 1980, the organization has become Canada’s preeminent industry association representing all forms of vacation ownership. CVOA membership is a community of active industry leaders committed to promoting and maintaining a high standard of ethical conduct within the Canadian vacation ownership industry, creating B-2-B and networking opportunities between Members, and educating consumers as to the benefits of vacation ownership. For more information, please visit www.CanadianVOA.org


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- Target is adding a slew of new features to its stores and digital platforms aimed at making consumers feel safe.
- Among them is the mobile payment option in the Target app, Wallet, which customers can now use for contactless self-checkout in stores, according to a press release. The retailer is also adding 1,000 MyCheckout devices to stores, allowing customers to check out with employee assistance anywhere in a store.
- Additionally, customers can visit the Target website to see if there is a line due to metered occupancy. Shoppers can reserve a spot in line digitally and will be notified from the company via text when they can enter. Other efforts include a doubling of parking spaces for Target's Drive Up service and a new checkout system for Drive Up that eliminates the need to scan barcodes.
Target's latest set of safety features is an acknowledgment of what's on customers' minds going into the holiday shopping season as COVID-19 cases spike around the country and health officials warn of the trend headed into the fall.
Some of the most important protocols for slowing and preventing the spread of the new coronavirus have been in place at Target for months: mask requirements, occupancy limits, and extra sanitization of carts and the store, among others. Target is also planning to devote staffing to sanitization and handing out masks to customers who need them going into the holiday season.
Those protocols, many of them pioneered by grocers and mass merchants, have already become commonplace in retail as the industry tries to balance business and consumer needs with safety in the face a pandemic that has killed more than 200,000.
More contactless options offer consumers an added measure of distance, while the line notification adds another a layer of convenience and control for customers. Its same-day options, which have exploded this year amid the pandemic, also offer customers a way to stay out of stores while getting to see merchandise before it gets to their door. Target has said it plans to double staffing for its Drive Up and Pick Up options for the holiday season.
Target's attention to safety concerns is also good business. PwC recently reported that 65% of surveyed consumers said they were concerned about catching COVID-19. And 66% of surveyed consumers said they are more likely to visit stores with strict health precautions in place like those at Target, according to a study from the International Council of Shopping Centers.
"As we've navigated the pandemic, that focus has evolved to ensure we're also creating the safest place for our guests to shop," Target CEO Brian Cornell said in a press release. "As we approach the holidays, guests can feel confident in choosing Target — a safe experience, incredible value, and a differentiated assortment that will help them celebrate the joy of the season."
Target has also said it will close for Thanksgiving for the first time in years, and spread Black Friday deals throughout the season, both of which are aimed at reducing exposure for employees and customers during the busy holiday season.


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Vargas, the funding firm that owns Northolt’s battery enterprise, has entered the warmth pump enterprise with a brand new enterprise known as Aira.
The Sweden-based firm says it goals to be “Europe’s No. 1 direct-to-consumer model.” It is going to assemble warmth pumps at a brand new facility in Wroclaw, Poland, the place manufacturing is scheduled to start in 2024. Aira’s warmth pump enterprise will assemble elements manufactured by different suppliers, in response to latest report on Sifted.
Aira says it makes warmth pumps inexpensive and accessible by providing “zero up-front prices” with a month-to-month charge cost mannequin. It’s stated to cut back the fee related to heating by 30%.
The corporate ensures a quick, seamless buyer expertise, transferring from preliminary quote to set up in simply 4 weeks. That is vital as a result of the excessive demand for warmth pumps in Europe leads to lengthy ready instances for the expertise.
The corporate is at the moment testing its options in Italy and can launch in Germany and the UK later this 12 months. It goals to determine a presence in additional than 20 markets by 2030, with greater than 10,000 clear power specialists and technicians working throughout Europe. Inside 10 years, Aira says its warmth pumps will serve 5 million properties in Europe.
Aira additionally plans to combine warmth pumps with house power storage and rooftop PV. It stated in a press release that the entire house power ecosystem will probably be managed by means of its totally built-in digital platform.
“With clear power expertise for each house, Aira is revolutionizing house heating and accelerating the power transition and decarbonization in Europe,” stated Aira CEO Martin Lewerth. “At present, shoppers spend 1000’s of euros on inefficient, soiled, and costly gas-based heating. We’ll make warmth pumps inexpensive and reduce power payments and emissions. Our distinctive mannequin of direct to shoppers will dramatically change how European households warmth their properties.
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Airbnb’s Storefront receives additional USD7.3 million funding
Today, Airbnb’s Storefront has taken in USD7.3 million led by Spark Capital, reported TechCrunch. This was after the AngelPad-backed startup has received seed funding valued USD1.6 million last summer.
Big brands and independent sellers find it easier to sell their products through Storefront without having to undergo hassle with building stores or leasing spaces.
Along with the new funding received by Storefront, the general partner of Spark Capital, Mo Koyfman, would join the board of directors of the company, reported TechCrunch. The company’s previous investors included Great Oaks Venture Capital, Sand Hill Angels, BoxGroup, 500 Startups and Mohr Davidow Ventures.
Storefront operates to have those who own empty real estate spaces in highly populated areas and merchants who do not want to make investments in building a physical store right away. Like Airbnb that serves as a marketplace for those who wish to rent their homes to others, Storefront allows those who have business spaces to be rented out by sellers on a temporary basis, reported TechCrunch.


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December may not be Australia’s hottest month, but it’s the month when Aussies eat most ice-cream, according to new research.
Payments company Square has released 2018 ice-cream sales data, analysing Australia’s consumption habits of the cold stuff. Square says it derived its data from thousands of transactions from hundreds of Square vendors across the country.
So what does the data tell us?
A creamy Christmas
According to Square, ice-cream purchases in 2018 enjoyed their biggest spike from November to December. In fact, sales in the build-up to Christmas rose by as much as 70 per cent compared with the average month.
Sales remained strong during the January summer holidays, Square says. But they then dropped off to only 25 per cent above the average monthly spend.
Surprisingly, February sales fell completely flat, despite the fact that February tends to be Australia’s hottest month.
Nevertheless, the peak hours for eating ice-cream fell during traditional times – afternoon and evening. Almost two thirds (62 per cent) of all sales took place between 2pm and 4pm, and between 8pm and 10pm, Square says.
Queensland – king cone?
The data also show that consumer demand and price sensitivity vary by state.
Customers in Queensland pay the most for ice-cream – almost $1.50 more for a scoop compared with those in WA and Tasmania. In fact, per scoop, ice-cream is cheaper in Tasmania than anywhere else in Australia.
Cost of a scoop of ice-cream by state:
- Queensland, $5.45
- ACT/Northern Territory, $5
- South Australia, $4.95
- Victoria, $4.70
- NSW, $4.15
- WA, $4.05
- Tasmania $4.
A cocktail of flavours
Last year was a year of “exotic tastes”, says Square. Flavours such as pandan, yuzu and durian made their way onto menus across the country in 2018.
The “it” cocktail flavour of 2018 – Aperol – also found its way into frozen treats. It was joined by other unconventional flavours such as lavender, rose, black sesame and ginger.
Vendors added diet-friendly options in 2018, according to Square. Notably, raw and vegan ice cream, usually made with a fruit base instead of dairy, were an increasingly popular option.
Likewise, ever-popular superfoods – matcha, green tea and ginger – were popular options for the health conscious.