text:
Sony today announced that the PS4 has cumulatively sold through more than 50 million units to consumers worldwide as of December 6, 2016, having enjoyed the best ever Black Friday week in the history of PlayStation.
With a vast array of exciting software titles from 3rd party developers and publishers as well as from SIE Worldwide Studios (SIE WWS), PS4 software sales also remain strong, with more than 369.6 million copies sold in retail stores globally and through digital downloads on PlayStation Store as of December 4, 2016.
“We’re truly delighted that the PS4 community continues to flourish since launch three years ago.” said Andrew House, President and Global CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment. “With tremendous support from our fans and partners across the globe, this year we were able to deliver an unprecedented lineup of hardware such as the new slimmer PS4, PS4 Pro and PlayStation VR. We will continue to provide the best gaming experiences available through our ground-breaking software lineup and network services, as we focus on accelerating our business and expanding the PS4 ecosystem.”
PS4’s software portfolio will continue to grow this holiday season and beyond with highly anticipated games including The Last Guardian, Horizon Zero Dawn, Resident Evil 7: biohazard (Capcom), Mass Effect: Andromeda (Electronics Arts), Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games) and PS VR games such as Farpoint launching with the PS VR Aim controller for direct one to one tracking. The independent development community will also continue to deliver a variety of innovative new titles for PS4 including Yooka-Laylee (Playtonic), Boundless (Wonderstruck) and Vane (Friend & Foe Games).
The PS4 system is currently available in 122 countries and regions worldwide.


text:
New Delhi, Dec 25 (IANS) Metaverse – the most used tech buzzword of the year – has failed to catch the attention of the masses so far. Will it become useful in our daily lives in 2023 as companies spend billions on virtual reality/augmented reality (VR-AR) related technologies?
Meta (formerly Facebook), which laid off more than 11,000 employees in 2022, is reportedly struggling to gain and retain users on its social virtual reality (VR) platform called Horizon Worlds – its biggest bet to realize its dream of $10 billion metaverse.
In fact, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that while many tech companies are optimistic about the Metaverse, it’s not clear that the average person can understand what the Metaverse really is.
However, the industry is still optimistic about the metaverse. According to reports, the global metaverse market is expected to reach $996 billion in 2030, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 39.8%.
The metaverse market size reached a value of $22.79 billion in 2021, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
“As India prepares to become one of the fastest growing economies in the world in 2023, the coming months will be crucial in setting the stage for our long-term success,” said Prativa Mohapatra, vice -President and CEO of Adobe India, at IANS.
The year 2022 has sparked megatrends like the cryptocurrency boom and bust, growing examples of the power of generative AI, and the emergence of incredible use cases on what could be the journey to term of the metaverse to have a real impact in the world.
“With such rapid trends driving the dynamics of industry and customer experiences in 2023, companies will need to continuously adapt to change, evolve strategies and focus on looking around the corner to drive innovations that can create impact,” added Mohapatra.
Various players in the technology sector, including those who manufacture semiconductors, components and application software, have started to take advantage of the metaverse.
According to Deepak Agarwal, project manager at GlobalData, the metaverse is still largely conceptual but could transform the way people work, buy, communicate and consume content.
“Although it is in the early stages of development, it has the potential to be the next digital media mega-theme,” Agarwal said.
In 2023 and beyond, the building blocks of the consumer metaverse as well as its potentially deadly use cases will continue to be refined, experts said.
“Enterprise Metaverse will continue to gain momentum through 2023. Enterprises will seek to further increase efficiencies and combat potentially unsustainable black swan events,” said Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group, CMR, at IANS.
Thanks to digital twins, for example, Indian manufacturing companies have been able to remotely monitor, map and manage their supply chain and production plants, he added.
Meta in November announced that it was supporting industry body FICCI with $1 million for the XR Open Source Fellowship (XROS) program which will help 100 Indian developers working on XR (extended reality) technologies for the future of the metaverse. .
Administered by FICCI, the XROS program will provide developers with scholarships that include a stipend and mentorship.
The National e-Governance Division, an initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), will be the technical partner of the program.
“India’s techade vision can only be realized when young developers and start-ups, including those in Tier 2 and 3 cities, contribute to enabling future technologies such as XR in the metaverse,” said Ajay Kumar Sood, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government.
In 2021, Meta has partnered with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to bring immersive technologies to over 10 million students and 1 million educators over the next three years.
(Nishant Arora can be reached at )

domain: news


text:
The batteries that power our modern world—from phones to drones to electric cars—will soon experience something not heard of in years: Their capacity to store electricity will jump by double-digit percentages, according to researchers, developers and manufacturers.
The next wave of batteries, long in the pipeline, is ready for commercialization. This will mean, among other things, phones with 10% to 30% more battery life, or phones with the same battery life but faster and lighter. We'll see more cellular-connected wearables. As this technology becomes widespread, makers of electric vehicles and home storage batteries will be able to knock thousands of dollars off their prices over the next five to 10 years.
There is a limit to how far lithium-ion batteries can take us; surprisingly, it's about twice their current capacity. The single-digit percentage improvements we see year after year typically are because of improvements in how they are made, such as small tweaks to their chemistry. What's coming is a more fundamental change to the materials that make up a battery.
First, some science: Every lithium-ion battery has an anode and a cathode. Lithium ions traveling between them yield the electrical current that powers our devices. When a battery is fully charged, the anode has sucked up lithium ions like a sponge. And as it discharges, those ions travel through the electrolyte, to the cathode.
Typically, anodes in lithium- ion batteries are made of graphite, which is carbon in a crystalline form. While graphite anodes hold a substantial number of lithium ions, researchers know a different material, silicon, can hold 25 times as many.
The trick is, silicon brings with it countless technical challenges. For instance, a pure silicon anode will soak up so many lithium ions that it gets “pulverized” after a single charge, says George Crabtree, director of the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, established by the U.S. Department of Energy at the University of Chicago Argonne lab to accelerate battery research.
Current battery anodes can have small amounts of silicon, boosting their performance slightly. The amount of silicon in a company's battery is a closely held trade secret, but Dr. Crabtree estimates that in any battery, silicon is at most 10% of the anode. In 2015, Tesla founder Elon Musk revealed that silicon in the Panasonic-made batteries of the auto maker's Model S helped boost the car's range by 6%.
Now, some startups say they are developing production- ready batteries with anodes that are mostly silicon.
Sila Nanotechnologies, Angstron Materials, Enovix and Enevate, to name a few, offer materials for so-called lithiumsilicon batteries, which are being tested by the world's largest battery manufacturers, car companies and consumer-electronics companies.
For Sila, in Alameda, Calif., the secret is nanoparticles with a hard graphite-silicon shell and lots of empty space inside. This way, the lithium can be absorbed into the particle without making the anode swell and shatter, says Sila Chief Executive Gene Berdichevsky. Cells made with Sila's particles could store 20% to 40% more energy, he adds.
Angstron Materials, in Dayton, Ohio, makes similar claims about its nanoparticles for lithium-ion batteries.
Dr. Crabtree says this approach is entirely plausible, though there's a trade-off: By allowing more room inside the anode for lithium ions, manufacturers must produce a larger anode. This anode takes up more space in the battery, allowing less overall space to increase capacity. This is why the upper bound of increased energy density using this approach is about 40%.
Sila's clients include BMW and Amperex Technology, one of the world's largest makers of batteries for consumer electronics, including both Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy S8 phone.
China-based Amperex is also an investor in Sila, but Amperex Chief Operating Officer Joe Kit Chu Lam says his company is securing several suppliers of the nanoparticles necessary to make lithium-silicon batteries. Having multiple suppliers is essential for securing enough volume, he says.
The first commercial consumer devices to have higher-capacity lithium-silicon batteries will likely be announced in the next two years, says Mr. Lam, who expects a wearable to be first. Other companies claim a similar timetable for consumer rollout.
Enevate produces complete silicon-dominant anodes for car manufacturers. CEO Robert Rango says its technology increases the range of electric vehicles by 30% compared with conventional lithiumion batteries.
BMW plans to incorporate Sila's silicon anode technology in a plug-in electric vehicle by 2023, says a company spokesman. BMW expects an increase of 10% to 15% in battery-pack capacity in a single leap. While this is the same technology destined for mobile electronics, the higher volumes and higher safety demands of the auto industry mean slower implementation there.
Enovix, whose investors include Intel and Qualcomm, has pioneered a different kind of 3-D structure for its batteries, says CEO Harrold Rust. With much higher energy density and anodes that are almost pure silicon, the company claims its batteries would contain 30% to 50% more energy in the size needed for a mobile phone, and two to three times as much in the size required for a smartwatch.
By Christopher Mims


text:
Apple Thanks Korean Police for Seizing Fake Accessories
US tech giant Apple is planning to present a plaque to officers at a local police unit to express its gratitude for their efforts to prevent the sale of fake accessories worth 1 billion won ($892,000), sources told The Korea Herald on Wednesday.
As a token of thanks, Donald Shruhan, senior regional director for Apple’s Asia-Pacific operations, will visit the Bucheon Sosa Police Station in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday to deliver a plaque of appreciation to investigators who arrested local distributors of fake Apple charging cables and earphones.
The fake products were reportedly shipped from China. The police are still attempting to trace the routes by which they entered the country, and the distributors are under investigation on suspicions of fraud and trademark violation, sources said.
Shruhan previously worked with Pfizer to hunt down counterfeit Viagra and currently leads Apple’s anti-counterfeiting operations in China.
- Apple Removes iCloud Activation Lock Status Tool From Website Alibaba Pandora Lab Jailbreaks iOS 11.2 Successfully macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 Beta 4 Now Available Rumor: Apple Blocks Activation on iOS 9.0-9.3.5 Firmware Qihoo 360 Vulcan Team has Achieved iOS 11.3 Jailbreak iOS 11.2.2 Jailbreak With Electra Might Be Possible, Here’s What You Need To Know Apple Still Signing iOS 11.3 Beta 5/6, Downgrade to It to Jailbreak Your iPhone iOS 11.1.2 Exploit async_wake ipa is Released


text:
Kidd Kraddick had been hinting for weeks that Raising Cane’s had a big surprise in store for the 52 children participating in this year’s Kidd’s Kids trip to Disney World. During Thursday night’s welcome dinner at the Swan Hotel, Todd Graves ended the suspense.
“Who here likes surprises?” asked Graves, founder and CEO of Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers.
Dozens of children’s hands shot up and high-pitched screams filled the ballroom.
“The entire crew from Raising Cane’s and I thought you might have some fun with one of these,” Graves said, as he lifted up one of the 52 custom-designed iPads he had brought to the event. “We just wanted you to have something special to remember from your friends at Cane’s.”
The room filled with terminally, chronically and severely disabled children and their families erupted.
“How awesome is that?” said Kraddick, host of the most-listened-to contemporary morning show in America and founder of the Kidd’s Kids charity. “Once again, Todd and his crew from Raising Cane’s have gone above and beyond. What an incredible company!”
The iPad surprise was just the latest in a series of major initiatives Raising Cane’s has undertaken for the cause. On June 6th, the rapidly expanding chicken fingers chain hosted Kidd’s Kids Dine-in Day, during which every child involved with the charity nationwide was invited to eat free at their nearest Cane’s all day, along with the rest of his or her immediate family. The same day, Graves presented the company’s first check to the Kraddick Foundation in the amount of $10,000.
Last month, Raising Cane’s presented a check to the Kraddick Foundation for $31,560, representing the donations made by generous Cane’s customers along with more than 100 participating restaurants nationwide that pledged 15 percent of their net proceeds on Kidd’s Kids Day, October 17th.
Kidd’s Kids, a program of the Kraddick Foundation, was established in 1991 with the hope of making a difference in the lives of terminally and chronically ill children. Each year, Kidd’s Kids offers five amazing days of suspended reality to children whose lives have been ravaged by disease, with an all-expenses paid dream vacation to Disney World for the kids and their immediate family.
The Kraddick Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by nationally syndicated morning show personality Kidd Kraddick. The Foundation and its programs were created to make a difference in the lives of children with special medical needs. The Kraddick Foundation is certified by the state of Texas and registered with the appropriate state departments of each syndicated affiliate market. The Foundation’s two main programs are Kidd’s Kids and the Glamour Squad. To learn more, visit www.KiddsKids.com.
Founded by Todd Graves in 1996 in Baton Rouge, La., RAISING CANE’S CHICKEN FINGERS has more than 140 restaurants in 17 states with multiple new restaurants under construction. The company has ONE LOVE—quality chicken finger meals—and is continually recognized for its unique business model and customer satisfaction. Raising Cane’s vision is to have restaurants all over the world and be the brand for quality chicken finger meals, a great crew, cool culture, and active community involvement.
Earlier this year, Cane’s outstanding customer service was recognized by Sandelman & Associates’ Quick-Track study as one of the nation’s best among quick-service restaurants, for the fifth consecutive year. The company placed second for best overall service among 150 chains, and earned top honors for temperature of food, accuracy in filling orders and restaurant cleanliness.
More information is available at www.raisingcanes.com.
Ladd K. Biro
Champion Management LLC


text:
NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Abbott has confirmed that its TwistDx subsidiary is consolidating operations in one location in San Diego, and will close its Cambridge, UK locations by the end of the year.
The Cambridge Independent reported this week that TwistDx's decision to move came at a time when the company was switching from Cambridge Science Park into new, expanded premises in Coldhams Lane, Cambridge, and that more than 70 jobs would be at risk of being eliminated. The newspaper reported that certain previously offered products will be discontinued as part of the TwistDx decision to not move to Coldhams Lane and instead relocate operations to San Diego.
"As part of its business, TwistDx evaluated its operations and strategic direction in order to align its operations with commercial needs," Abbott confirmed in an email to GenomeWeb, adding, "We are supporting employees during this transition with severance and outplacement assistance."
According to TwistDx, its isothermal nucleic acid amplification technology, called recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA), can be used to replace PCR in a variety of laboratory applications, and end-users can use RPA to design their own ultra-sensitive assays.
In December, researchers at Harvard University and non-profit Diagnostics for All reported that they combined electrochemical detection with RPA on a portable device to improve detection of genetic material from multiple tuberculosis strains.


text:
Stop & Shop Opening 2nd Medford, Mass., Store
The Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. LLC will open its second Medford, Mass., store at 7 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 11. Last November, the Ahold USA banner acquired the lease of the erstwhile Johnnie’s Foodmaster on 471 Salem Street, and about 30 associates of that store were hired to work at the Stop & Shop location that has replaced it. The new market will employ more than 100 associates. The former store’s full-service Eagle Bank branch, featuring extended hours seven days a week, will also remain.
The grand-opening festivities will continue throughout the month with special promotions and savings for area shoppers, including the following:
- Stop & Shop Brands Patrol (Friday, Jan. 11-Sunday, Jan. 13, Saturday, Jan. 19-Sunday, Jan. 20): Stop & Shop is giving $1,800 worth of prizes through its Brands Patrol. Customers who buy Nature’s Promise and Stop & Shop brand products could win a $10 Stop & Shop gift card. About $500 a day will be given away during grand opening weekend on Friday, Jan. 11 12 p.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 12-Sunday, Jan. 13 12 p.m.-3 p.m. The Brands Patrol will also be in the store the following Saturday, Jan. 19 and Sunday, Jan. 20. 12 p.m.-3 p.m.
- Kids’ Entertainment (Friday, Jan. 11-Sunday, Jan. 13, Saturday, Jan. 19-Sunday, Jan. 20): Special guest Silly Sally the Clown will offer face painting, balloon animals and puppet shows. Hours are 12 p.m.-2:00 p.m. Jan. 11-13 and Jan. 19-20.
- Eagle Bank Raffle (Friday, Jan. 11 – Sunday, Jan. 13): Shoppers can enter to win one of two $250 Stop & Shop gift cards, as well as picking up a free reusable shopping bag.
Additionally, Weekly Specials and Real Deals (items on sale for several weeks) will be called out in store and in the circular; Stop & Shop Own Brands products offer quality, variety and everyday value; the Stop & Shop Gas Rewards program enables shoppers with a Stop & Shop card to save 10 cents per gallon at the pump for every 100 points amassed; the A+ School Rewards initiative lets customers support local schools; and shoppers can use the ORDER IT! deli kiosk to order deli items in store and then pick up at their convenience.
Quincy, Mass.-based Stop & Shop employs about 62,000 associates at more than 400 stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York, and New Jersey.


text:
WASHINGTON — The American Apparel & Footwear Association is redoubling its efforts for stepped-up U.S. government scrutiny of counterfeits on Alibaba’s online marketplace Taobao, calling for the e-commerce platform to be re-listed on a government watch list.
It is the latest move by AAFA to pressure Alibaba to engage in more substantive discussions that the trade association hopes will lead to an agreement on a permanent counterfeit takedown system on Taobao, and an easier and quicker process for U.S. brands and retailers.
AAFA submitted public comments to the U.S. Trade Representative’s office on Monday, as part of the government’s request for information for the 2015 “Notorious Markets” list that identifies online and physical marketplaces said to be hubs for counterfeits and digital piracy. The association’s main push is to have USTR re-list Taobao on the government’s watch list.
“We are filing these comments today because we are taking on counterfeits and we are going to take on counterfeits everywhere we find them,” Juanita Duggan, president and chief executive officer at the AAFA, said. “Taobao is synonymous with counterfeits. We think it is important that we go on record with the USTR asking that they be re-listed. We also have 100 markets that we have identified — 13 of them are online and 87 are physical markets — but Taobao is by far the most important because it’s the largest and it’s growing. It sets the standard for counterfeit products. That’s why we are doing this.”
USTR removed Taobao from its “Notorious Markets” list in 2012 and declined to re-list the site in its 2013 and 2014 reports that are aimed at prodding foreign governments to address intellectual property allegations raised, intensify efforts to combat piracy and counterfeiting and to pursue legal actions where warranted.
In the April report, USTR cited several steps Alibaba and the Chinese government have taken to address the concerns of industry and declined to re-list the online market to the list. However, trade officials said at the time and in comments in later forums that they are growing concerned about the recent allegations of counterfeiting and digital piracy on Alibaba’s consumer-to-consumer platform.
A USTR spokeswoman addressed the issue in an e-mail to WWD in response to a question about whether U.S. officials planned to raise the issue of Taobao with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his state visit here last month.
“The United States and China continue to address counterfeiting concerns within larger discussions on IP protection and enforcement,” she said. “In the 2014 Notorious Markets List, USTR noted the commitments and assurances made by Taobao to address the concerns raised by rights holders and consumers, including in the software, publishing, apparel and footwear industries, and cited Taobao’s reported actions to remove ‘millions of listings for counterfeit and pirated products manufactured in China.’
“We also noted our concerns that despite these actions, Taobao remains the target of significant enforcement actions within China and encouraged Taobao to continue working with all stakeholders to address ongoing complaints. On Sept. 10, USTR issued a Federal Register notice welcoming public submissions on the 2015 Notorious Markets List. These submissions will help form the basis for our determinations to list any potential markets in this year’s report.”
Duggan said when USTR de-listed Taobao in 2012, it was under the condition that they “continue to make progress on taking down counterfeits.”
“In our view that condition has not been met,” she said. “We are also doing this because we’ve had four years of completely unproductive conversations [with Alibaba officials]. There has been no response [from them] to work with us more closely.”
The relationship between AAFA and Alibaba became particularly strained in April when AAFA lodged two formal complaints with the U.S. government, charging that the counterfeit problem on Alibaba’s online platforms was worsening and costing brands millions of dollars in lost sales a year.
In July, Duggan sent a letter to Alibaba executive chairman Jack Ma outlining her members’ concerns about counterfeits on Alibaba’s online platforms and charging that there have been no verifiable results. She said in the letter that AAFA’s members are asking Alibaba to address counterfeit concerns more quickly and in a more transparent manner. The association, which represents more than 340 companies and 1,000 brands, also asked Alibaba to create a process where the company removes counterfeits quickly at the request of certified brands.
Alibaba publicly defended its measures in April, outlining several steps it has taken to prevent counterfeiting and pirated goods from being offered or sold on its marketplaces. The measures include the use of data-mining technology to analyze and track transactions of infringing products and identifying “hot spots” of counterfeit distribution and sales and collaborating with Chinese public security, copyright, quality inspection and intellectual property agencies to take down online counterfeiters.
“Unfortunately, de-listing Taobao in 2012 did not lead to sustained improvements to the counterfeit problem,” Duggan said in the submission to USTR. “In fact, it has gotten worse. Increased pressure is needed to fix this problem. Otherwise, counterfeits will only continue to proliferate worldwide as Alibaba continues to expand.”


text:
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — 3DMakerpro, a pioneer in consumer-friendly 3D scanning technology, has made its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024 in Las Vegas from January 9 to 12. Showcasing a diverse range of its top-tier, consumer-grade 3D scanners at the event, 3DMakerPro has also lifted the veil on its newest innovation, Moose. This groundbreaking product is poised to revolutionize the very definition of consumer-grade technology.
The brand’s other products, such as Seal, Whale, Mole, Lynx, and Magic Swift Plus, have also gained significant attention during the event due to their proven appeal. For instance, when Seal was first launched on the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo in August 2023, it achieved a sales volume of over one million US dollars. Meanwhile, Whale, a professional handheld 3D scanner by 3DMakerpro, raised over 40 million yen on Makuake, Japan’s leading crowdfunding and pre-sale platform, in January 2023. This made it the highest-funded professional 3D scanner in the history of the platform.
According to Mordor Intelligence, the 3D scanning market is estimated to reach USD 7.16 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 14.98% during 2024 to 2029. This growth potential stems from the expanding applications of 3D scanners across various industries. Beyond traditional industrial and manufacturing sectors, 3D scanners have found new applications in architecture, healthcare, cultural heritage preservation, entertainment, and consumer electronics. As consumers increasingly seek personalized, customized products, the use of 3D scanners in the consumer electronics and retail industries is also expected to rise.
3DMakerpro is dedicated to expanding its footprint in the European and North American markets. The company views North America, particularly the United States, as a significant market for 3D scanning due to its diverse and advanced industries such as healthcare and medical, architecture and engineering, 3D animation, education and research, film and entertainment, and more. These industries present a vast opportunity for the development and growth of 3D scanning and modeling.
At present, 3DMakerpro’s consumer-grade 3D scanners hold a market share of approximately 40% in North America. Moving forward, 3DMakerpro is committed to ushering in a new era for 3D scanners by providing high-end technology, competitive prices, and impeccable customer service.
For more information, please visit: https://store.3dmakerpro.com/ ; or join the 3DMakerpro community on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/3DMakerPro
The information provided in this article was created by Cision PR Newswire, our news partner. The author's opinions and the content shared on this page are their own and may not necessarily represent the perspectives of Siam News Network.


text:
We get it, Black Friday is stressful.
Not only are you having to think about your Thanksgiving plans and start planning for Christmas, but now you’re also expected to juggle all of these Black Friday sales.
And, because we’re living in such unprecedented times, so many retail locations are actually starting their Black Friday shopping early. In fact, some are already going on right now!
You shouldn’t be expected to remember all these dates and times, so we’ve compiled a list to keep you in check.
From Target to Walmart to other major chains that are participating in Black Friday this year, scroll down to get all the information you need so you don’t have to miss a single deal.
You can actually shop Amazon’s “Holiday Dash” sale right now, which has Black Friday-like deals.
These deals will run until November 19, and it’s fairly safe to assume they’ll start their official Black Friday sale once the “Holiday Dash” is over.
Last year, Amazon started Black Friday at midnight on November 22.
Best Buy will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, but they are offering their Black Friday sale for the whole month of November.
Their deals are also offered both in-stores and online.
The gaming store has yet to announce their Black Friday plans, but they will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.
However, you can expect them to release their deals prior to November 28.
Home Depot will start their Black Friday sales both in-stores and online on November 6. These deals will run through December 2.
Kohl’s is planning to start their Black Friday shopping on Friday, November 28. They will also be closed on Thanksgiving Day.
Macy’s announced their Black Friday sale will run in-stores and online from November 24 to November 28.
They will also be closed on Thanksgiving Day. Customers will also get to shop Black Friday preview specials on November 16.
Nordstrom is beginning their Black Friday sale on Friday, November 20, and ending it on Sunday, November 29.
They will also be adding new deals throughout the week.
Target is offering new deals every week of November in place of their usual Black Friday event.
In fact, the first ad will be released on Thursday, October 29, so get ready!
Walmart is holding three events, called “Black Friday Deals for Days.”
The first event will begin on November 4 and will be available both online and in-stores. Just a reminder, the deals will become available online first.


text:
Penneys goes after the cents with US opening
IT was only a matter of time before Penneys went after the cents and dollars of American shoppers.
Now the Irish-driven retail chain will open in Boston, with more stores slated for the north east of America in 2016.
Penneys or Primark, which is headquartered in Dublin's Mary Street, has been buoyed by a successful European expansion, opening 270 stores across nine countries.
Who would have thought that when Arthur Ryan opened for business 45 years ago, that a north inner city store would mushroom in such a fashion.
It will now move into Filene's, an iconic department store retail space in the heart of Boston and a strong Irish-American community nearby will no doubt have influenced their choice of city for baby steps into the tough American retail landscape.
Primark have leased 70,000 sq ft of selling space in the historic Burnham Building, which is currently being renovated at Downtown Crossing. There are plans to open there towards the end of 2015 and negotiations are under way to open further stores in the north east, between Washington and Maine, into the middle of 2016. The US stores will be supported by warehousing in the region.
If anything gave Primark extra confidence last week on the eve of the expansion announcement, it was the vista of all those denim shorts and crop tops at California’s Coachella music festival.
In that sea of US celebrity royalty and 'cool' teenagers, there, amongst the fringing, florals and mesh tops was absolute proof that Primark’s current spring summer 2014 fashion collection resonates totally with the American market.
After a successful leap in retailing from Ireland to the UK, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Austria and most recently France, Primark carried out extensive research before dipping a toe into the competitive American market.
British brands like Topshop and Ted Baker have triumphed in the States but it hasn't been the same success story for others like M&S who failed to jump the Atlantic.
However, Primark - rebranded from Penneys outside of Ireland because of the existence of the American label JC Penneys - have a sound tailwind filling its sails.
The latest results show no sign of growth slipping and profits jumped by 26pc to £298m in the six months to the start of March. The company's tills rang up a 14pc increase in sales last year, worth a total of £2.3bn but the US retail landscape will present lots of challenge.
The Americans love to shop, their appetite for retail is 24/7 and, if they are not online, they are pushing the trolleys in malls and seeking out discounts by presenting coupons.
Key competitors for Primark in the value fashion sector will include Target, who have used personalities like Gwen Stefani to front clothing campaigns.
Forever 21 is another affordable, trend-driven fashion brand to pull in the lucrative 'juniors' sector along with Old Navy which has been a traditional mecca in the US for low cost family fashions.
H&M, a rival from the European scene, has been hugely successful in the US and then there's the locally owned Walmart, the world’s largest retailer in the world, with more than two million employees and driven by the Walton family.
Yesterday it was business as usual at the Mary Street offices in Dublin, and while the management team have to consider everything for their US expansion, the Boston opening is at least 18 months away. In the meantime, Europe continues to grow in volume terms.
Their 12th store in Germany opens in Cologne Neumarkt on May 2. That will mark Primark's 272nd store and 72nd internationally and the following month, their fifth French store opens in Creteil in Paris on June 6.


text:
we saw that Apple released the fourth developer version of their systems for 2019, including iOS 13 and iPadOS. Today (18) common users registered in the company’s testing program begin to receive the third unstable version of the systems.
Released only ten days after the second version, no visible changes have been detected at the user level in the update. Typically these updates come in to fix critical usability issues, improve performance, or promote tighter OS layer adjustments.
Those interested in testing the new iOS 13, iPadOS, tvOS 12 and watchOS 6 should be registered in the beta program of Apple. Anyone who is already using a version of these OS can download the latest via OTA, going in settings, general, and clicking on software updates.
The new version of the iPhone’s system brings news such as OS night mode, a redesigned gallery app with great editing features, a redesigned Find My App, and the new Look Around proprietary Apple maps that deliver 360 ° images in selected regions as well as Google Maps.
Already in terms of privacy, there are new features like Sign In With Apple, ensuring that companies will not be able to track you if it is not in your interest to receive personalized advertising and have your email box full of abusive marketing.


text:
If you had to, you'd probably guess that Days Gone's open world map was developed by a huge team. However, a designer from Bend Studio has revealed that this is far from the case as the map's dev team was comprised by just over a handful of people.
The PlayStation exclusive, which released late last month, has left the masses pretty impressed, although a few issues - mostly relating to audio - have been noted.
Speaking during a Reddit AMA on Wednesday, Bend's lead open world designer Eric Jensen disclosed that only five or six devs were responsible for constructing the game's open world.
“The thing I’m most proud of is how diverse and dynamic we were able to make the open world with such a small open world design team (5-6 people),” he said. “We had to think smart and efficient with all of our design choices knowing the manpower limitations.”
“Seeing all of the crazy videos and screenshots that people have posted of the open world coming for Deacon or even interacting with itself has been incredibly cool for our team to see!"
Days Gone was April's second most purchased game in the US, behind NetherRealm's Mortal Kombat 11. And it has already passed God of War's lifetime sales in Japan, having led the charts over there for two straight weeks.
As recent PS4 exclusives go, God Of War sets the benchmark, while Marvel's Spider-Man did amazingly well too following its launch last year.
Bend's zombie shooter is clearly making a name for itself, though, and there's much to be had from its large open world, which seems all the more impressive now that we know the design team wasn't a big one.
As TheGamer's review puts it, "Days Gone is at its best when Deacon happens upon a Freaker horde, or when the horde finds him. Surviving a horde attack is chaotic, intense, and terrifying - and that’s exactly how it should be. Saber Interactive’s recent World War Z does a great job with its swarm attacks, but Days Gone does it better."
You could read our full review of the game here.
The game is exclusively available for PS4 and is still too young to go on sale. But, given that both GOW and Spider-Man saw their prices slashed by $20 months after their release, it's safe to assume that Days Gone will be cheaper by, say October?


text:
The world's second largest economy moved to reopen its borders to the outside world and dismantled the remnants of the Zero Covid policy, and jumped in Hong Kong's stock market as it moved to reopen its borders to the outside world.
The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index gained as much as 2.6% as traders returned from a holiday on Wednesday. Shares related to tourism and retailers rallied, with a Bloomberg gauge tracking six casino operators in Macau briefly rising more than 5%.
China is poised to emerge from years of self-imposed global isolation as the government removed quarantine requirements for inbound travelers from Jan. 8, in addition to re-issuing passports and travel permits to Hong Kong. The moves may increase Chinese shares after the nation s worsening outbreak and disruptions to economic activity cooled sentiment.
The National Immigration Administration said the government will resume express checkpoints on the borders with Hong Kong and Macau on January 8.
The Hang Seng China gauge gained 6.5% this month after a 29% rally in November. Markets in Hong Kong opened for the first time this week after a Christmas break. The CSI 300 Index declined on Wednesday on the mainland.
There was more downbeat sentiment across Asia as investors focused on the potential for higher inflation spurred by China's reopening. None Of The Federal Reserve Doesn't Care About Your Misery Whether It's Your Misery or Your Misery


text:
Get Forbes' top crypto and blockchain stories delivered to your inbox every Friday for the latest news on bitcoin, other major cryptocurrencies and enterprise blockchain adoption.
CRYPTO INSURERS POISED TO PROFIT
With the value of all cryptocurrency assets hovering near $300 billion and hacks continuing unabated, demand for insurance is rising rapidly. Companies like Lloyd’s of London, Aon and the cyber security insurance startup Coalition are reaping the rewards.
Two years ago, the market for crypto insurance was “non-existent,” Coalition CEO Joshua Motta says. Today he thinks it’s worth between $200 and $500 million in premium revenue. And there’s plenty of room for growth: With $300 billion in crypto assets on the planet and less than $1 billion in available insurance coverage, there’s still a huge imbalance between supply and demand.
Whenever there’s news in the U.S./China trade war, be it a tweet from the commander in chief or a raft of new tariffs from Beijing, there’s news in bitcoin, too. Here’s why traders should be keeping an eye on both, and why some think bitcoin, “the gift that keeps on giving,” could hit $20,000 by Xmas.
Crypto Price Prediction: $100,000 Bitcoin Could Come Even Sooner Than You Think With Ethereum Leading The Way
JPMorgan Warns Big Investors Are Suddenly Dumping Bitcoin For Ethereum Amid A $150 Billion Crypto Price Crash
Beth Moses, the astronaut training billionaire Richard Branson to be the first passenger on Virgin Galactic, has seen the Earth from 56 miles away. Now, the long-time bitcoin advocate wants to share what she saw: how blockchain and other technologies are enabling a borderless world.
The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), which holds records for some $48 trillion in assets, has released new guidelines for operating private enterprise blockchains in the financial sector.
Plus: Swiss grocery chain Migros has joined the likes of Kroger and Cargill in instituting a blockchain-based food tracking system with the help of TE-Food. The move could allow Migros to speed up distribution and reduce food waste.
China’s Crypto Competitor Is Being Built in a Secret Office with Restricted Access. [CoinDesk]
Apple sees ‘long-term potential’ for cryptocurrency but isn’t focused on it today. [CNBC]
Samsung to Launch Smartphone Meant to Make Blockchain Friendlier. [Wall Street Journal]
Fewer People Are Sending Bitcoin to Largest Crypto Exchanges. [Bloomberg]


text:
- Greek gods memes are flooding Reddit thanks to TV reboot rumors 4 Years Ago
- Anti-impeachment protesters aimlessly fumble through halls of Congress Today 12:54 PM
- Everything we know so far about the Xbox Series X Today 12:17 PM
- ASMR YouTuber Life with MaK says she was branded a ‘Nazi’ by online smear campaign Today 10:46 AM
- Voters duped by fake ex-Bloomberg intern’s tweet about being fired Today 9:47 AM
- HBO’s ‘Watchmen’ and the fantasy of competence Today 8:00 AM
- Cómo ver Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington en el UFC 245 Today 7:00 AM
- ‘Penis fish’ memes erupt after worms wash up on California coast Friday 5:58 PM
- Why Britons are tweeting ‘Little England’ in wake of the U.K. election Friday 3:22 PM
- Net neutrality advocates ask for rehearing on federal court decision Friday 2:29 PM
- Americans are sharing their #PrivateHealthLIFEhacks to help Brits Friday 2:28 PM
- Warren, Sanders, Yang pledge to skip next week’s debate over union dispute Friday 2:12 PM
- How to watch tonight’s Nets vs. Raptors matchup on NBA TV Friday 2:00 PM
- Alt-right comedian Owen Benjamin banned from Instagram over anti-Semitic memes Friday 1:55 PM
- TikTok teens are procrastinating with #FinalsWeek Friday 1:46 PM
Target aisles have become ground zero for anti-trans rants
Videos from multiple states show protesters ranting in the aisles of the superstore.
Last year, it was Planned Parenthood. This year, it’s…Target?
This week, conservative Christian bathroom panic advanced out of a massive petition that inspired stock prices to drop and into a series of coordinated actions that saw street preachers storm stores in multiple states—resulting in fear, arrests, and at least one active-shooter call.
Protester Michael Merichko made headlines Monday when his loud anti-trans rants inside a suburban Illinois Target led employees to warn police of a possible active-shooter threat. It turned out Merichko wasn’t armed, but according to police he still managed to cause “panic among store employees and customers.”
It’s unclear whether Merichko was part of another coordinated series of videotaped in-store protests that took place over the weekend in Tennessee, Oregon, and an unclear location that might be Salt Lake City.
At those Target stores, Bible-thumping street preachers wearing identical neon sweatshirts walked up and down the aisles yelling about “perverts” and lakes of fire.
At a Portland, Oregon, Target store, one fire-and-brimstone preacher yelled, “You will be judged. And if there’s Christians in here, shame on you!” He was quickly chased out of the store by customers admonishing him to “Shut up and leave.”
One customer can be overheard telling the protester, “You’re not a true Christian. You’re an asshole.”
A Facebook user posted a similar video on Sunday that she captured during a visit to a Hendersonville, Tennessee, Target store. There, a protester wearing an identical neon-yellow T-shirt yelled, “It’s time to get rid of the rainbow. The rainbow belongs to God, not to you.”
A street preacher with the YouTube account OneChristianVoice posted several videos of himself protesting at a Target store in an unidentified location last week and over the weekend. The protester—whose other videos show him warning Mormons to repent in Salt Lake City and calling a preteen boy at a Justin Bieber concert a “lesbian”—walks next to a row of cashiers and rants about Target’s trans-friendly bathroom policy.
In a second video featuring the same open-air preacher, he bellows, “Wicked! wicked!” as store security ushers him out the door.
The series of crazed store takeovers came about two weeks after popular evangelical pastor Greg Locke posted a Facebook video rant about Target’s restroom policy that received over 18 million views.
Mary Emily O'Hara is an LGBTQ reporter. Her work has appeared in Rolling Stone, NBC Out, Daily Dot, Broadly, Vice, the Daily Beast, the Advocate, Huffington Post, DNAinfo, Al Jazeera, and Portland's Pulitzer Prize-winning newsweekly Willamette Week, among other outlets.


text:
Video: As Winter Storm Jonas pummeled the United States' east coast over the weekend, Washington DC's Smithsonian National Zoo posted up this fantastic video of one of its pandas, Tian Tian, enjoying the weather.
A Blizzard Can't Dampen The Spirits Of The Nation's Panda Bears
Trending Stories Right Now
The closest galaxy to our own is the majestic Andromeda galaxy, a collection of a trillion stars located a "mere" two million light years away. New research suggests that, contrary to previous estimates, this galaxy isn't much bigger than the Milky Way, and is practically our twin. This means our galaxy won't be completely devoured when the two galaxies collide in five billion years.
Star Wars and toys have gone hand in hand ever since the franchise kicked off four decades ago. But usually, it's the movies dictating what we see on store shelves - not the other way around. But in one particularly odd case, it ended up being that way for The Last Jedi.


text:
Earlier this month, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force arrested a gang that duped as many as 600 customers to the tune of Rs 50 lakhs through the means of an online shopping website.
The gang duped 600 customers from across the country on the pretext of a lucky draw competition on the online shopping website, reported Gadgets Now.
A complaint by the national security head of the website in question led to the arrest.
In his complaint to the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF), the national security head said that the website recorded about 7,139 grievance emails out of which 590 customers stated that they were asked to pay extra money to avail gifts and that is how a cumulative amount of Rs 50 lakh was accumulated.
After gathering data pertaining to customer purchases from across the country by either hacking into the website’s database or acquiring it through a third-party, the gang claimed to represent the website in question and duped the customers on the pretext of a lucky draw competition with an SUV as the top prize of the competition.
The customers were then instructed to deposit the money in a bank account in order to avail the prize. Once they did, the miscreants cut all ties with the customers. Upon receiving no prise after a couple of weeks, the aggrieved customers contacted the website in question which led to the complaint leading to the bust.
With the Delhi police’s surveillance as their basis, the STF arrested 18 people from a call centre in New Delhi’s Dwarka area. However, the gang’s mastermind, Yogendra Chaudhary and his brother Sandeep Chaudhary, both residents of Mathura, are still on the run.
A top official with the Uttar Pradesh STF said that the customers were convinced because the miscreants provided them with the exact description of not only the products ordered but also the time and date of the order. Another shopping website has also been compromised in the same manner by members of the same gang, he added.
A case has been registered under Section 419/420 of IPC and Section 66 D of IT Act at the cyber police station in Noida. Incidentally, this is the first FIR registered at the cyber police station, opened in March last year.


text:
MNX Global Logistics has announced the opening of its dedicated supply chain and logistics facility in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, located just outside of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
This facility with validated temperature-controlled supply chain capabilities will serve as the operations and warehousing hub for the firms’s life sciences and medical device customers throughout Europe.
“The demand for our services particularly in biologics, cold chain, and medical devices logistics in the EMEA region has been tremendous, and we have seen double-digit growth in the past 12 months,” said Paul J Martins, MNX chief executive officer and president. “Customers with the need for expertise in regulatory transport, strict adherence to chain of custody, visibility, control, and security of their high-value and time-critical products are turning more and more to MNX. Our investment in this new facility in Amsterdam is testament to MNX and our private equity partner, The Riverside Company’s commitment to meet the needs and exceed the expectations of our customers.”
This new facility’s capacity exceeds 1,300 square meters with the option to expand by another 1,700 square meters when needed. The HACCP- and GDP-compliant facility was designed to exceed the highest standards in the handling and movement of critical biopharmaceutical, radiopharmaceutical, and medical device shipments. It features –20 degrees C, 2-8 degrees C, and 18 degrees C temperature-controlled storage with 24/7 monitoring, backup systems, and state-of-the-art security.
Using its own dedicated GDP-compliant facility at Amsterdam allows MNX to provide on-site highly qualified and trained staff, with the ability to comply with strict standards for packaging, inventory, cross-dock, storage, and transportation for shipments.
MNX, headquartered in Irvine CA, maintains regional headquarters in Singapore, Amsterdam, and Miami FL. It serves more than 190 nations, including key Asia Pacific, South American, and EMEA markets.
Go to www.mnx.com for further information.
The Riverside Company is a global private equity firm focused on acquiring and investing in growing businesses valued at up to $300 million. Since its founding in 1988, it has invested in more than 390 transactions. The firm’s international portfolio includes more than 80 companies.


text:
A new diet regime is making some hefty claims but health experts aren't convinced
Stay off carbs, fast for two days a week, only eat alkaline foods…the arena of dietary advice is certainly a competitive and often confusing one.
Do you know how to lose weight and keep it off - because the latest diet doing the rounds is rather dramatic.
Now a new player has stepped up to the mark and its founders are making some hefty claims about what it can do.
The 'Bulletproof Diet' promises to help subscribers not only shed unwanted pounds, but also boost their IQ.
The arena of dietary advice is a competitive and often confusing one
Founded by a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur, the diet is hinged on 'Bulletproof Coffee,' which uses coffee beans that have been stripped of mycotoxins.
A 'modified' version of the coffee most of us have day-to-day, the beverage blends the beans with butter from grass-fed cows and other ingredients.
The result is a milkshake-like drink to be consumed at breakfast instead of a meal.
CEO and founder Dave Asprey, who now lives in Canada, said it acts as an appetite-suppressant, as after drinking one 'you don't care about food for a very long time.'
Coffee is the key ingredient to the latest fad diet, which claims to make you a 'better person'
Speaking to the AFP, Dave said: "Your brain has energy that doesn't come from sugar, you didn't want sugar in your coffee and you lose the craving and you sort of have freedom…
"You become a better employee, better parent, better friend, better person.
"My energy changes, my brain changes. I can pay attention, I can follow through."
But health experts are far from sold on the regime.


text:
Microsoft will tout its planned Silverlight 3 rich Internet application technology -- and competitor to Adobe's Flash -- at the Mix09 conference in Las Vegas this week along with a host of other developer-related offerings, according to the Mix09 Web site .
Other efforts to be pondered at the conference include the planned Visual Studio 2010 IDE, the Azure Services Platform for cloud computing and Expression Web, for building Web sites.
Mix09, which begins on Tuesday, is billed as an event for developers and designers, with an emphasis on Web development and design skills. While Microsoft representatives declined to comment on specific announcements planned for the event, an industry analyst focused on Microsoft said he anticipates news about Silverlight 3 as well as other developments from the company.
"Mainly, I'm looking for Silverlight 3 and Expression 3 announcements. I think that's going to be the highlight," said analyst Rob Sanfilippo, research vice president for developer platforms at Directions on Microsoft, an independent research firm.
Other possibilities at the event include release of bits for Internet Explorer 8 and a licensing plan for Azure Services Platform, Sanfilippo said.
Microsoft debuted Silverlight in April 2007; the current version is Silverlight 2. With Silverlight, the company is showing it is serious about the rich Internet application market, said Sanfilippo. "They're not just dabbling in it. They're here to stay," he said in an interview on Monday.
In a session entitled What's New in Microsoft Silverlight 3, Microsoft will ponder experience-oriented features, such as pixel shaders, perspective 3D, animation enhancements, bitmap APIs, and media stack improvements. Also, Silverlight base framework additions will be covered, including updates to the style model, data binding improvements, improved resource handling, and Web services stack improvement.
Silverlight 3 is to include major media enhancements, such as H.264 video support as well as GPU hardware acceleration, said Scott Guthrie, corporate vice president in the Microsoft .Net Developer Division, in a November 2008 blog post. Guthrie, who will be a keynote speaker at Mix09 on Wednesday, also stated Silverlight 3 would be out this year and feature such application development improvements as richer data-binding and additional controls. Silverlight 3 will be a major release of the technology, according to the blog.


text:
Brazil April 2016: Fiat Toro 2nd best-selling pickup, Mobi in Top 40
Both Pickup and SUV, the Fiat Toro is a total success in Brazil.
* See the Top 20 best-selling brands and Top 140 models by clicking on the title *
No sign of recovery for the Brazilian market with April deliveries down 26% year-on-year to 157.579 and down 28% year-to-date to 622.620 units. Brand-wise, Chevrolet leads the way and follows the market at -24% to 16,4% share, ahead of Fiat (-35%) and Volkswagen (-32%) both in great difficulty. Hyundai stands out with sales down just 3%, the result of a shift to local production a few years back. Toyota (-11%) also fares well in the Top 5 but Ford tumbles down 46% and both Renault (-23%) and Honda (-22%) only lose slightly less ground than the market. The bright-shining light is once again Jeep: thanks to the locally produced Renegade, the American brand is up 414% to consolidate its spot within the Brazilian Top 10 at #9 with 4.182 sales. Just outside the Top 10 at #11 Peugeot manages to deliver an outstanding 35% year-on-year gain.
The Fiat Mobi is already having an impact on the top of the Brazilian sales charts.
In the models ranking, both the Chevrolet Onix (+21%) and Hyundai HB20 (+12%) continue to display insolent health atop the sales charts, posting double-digit gains where the market is stuck at double-digit declines. The VW Gol surprises with a return on the podium thanks to sales down just 13% due to a reshuffle in Fiat’s lineup. The arrival of the Mobi (#38 with 1.062 sales) has hurt the Palio greatly: it is down 54% to #11, while the Uno is even more harshly hit at -61% to #17. The Gol has therefore taken advantage of a vacuum left at the bottom of Fiat’s lineup and the Palio loses the #3 YTD spot to the Ford Ka in the process.
The Toyota Corolla hits a record 4th place overall in Brazil this month.
Meanwhile the Toyota Corolla continue to discreetly climb up the ladder, now reaching an incredible 4th place overall thanks to sales up 1% to 5.825. This is simply the Corolla’s best-ever monthly ranking in Brazil throughout a career that spans over three decades. Let’s not forget the Honda HR-V consistent at the highest levels with another #5 spot this month. Another very significant shift happening before our eyes in a Brazilian market that has never evolved so fast: the Fiat Toro surges to #13 to become the 2nd best-selling pickup in the country (3.954) below just the Fiat Strada (5.427). The Toro thus frankly outsells such blockbusters as the VW Saveiro (3.042), Toyota Hilux (2.744), Chevrolet S10 (1.871) and VW Amarok (968). The Renault Oroch (1.179) is also starting to make its mark on the Brazilian stage.
The JAC T5 (aka Refine S3) has landed in Brazil.
Chinese manufacturers had made themselves rather discreet in the past few months, but in April we see the return of JAC inside the Top 20 brands at #19 with 280 sales – albeit amounting to a 34% decline – outselling Lifan at #20 and 262 (-38%). There is one reason behind this resurgence: the launch of the T5 SUV which is none other than the Refine S3 – an absolute blockbuster at home in China. The JAC T5 breaks into the Brazilian Top 100 for the first time in April at #91 with 152 sales, also becoming the best-selling Chinese nameplate in the country above the Lifan X60 (#98) and Chery Celer (#114).
Previous month: Brazil March 2016: Honda HR-V up to #4, Fiat Toro at Toyota Hilux level
One year ago: Brazil April 2015: Honda HR-V and Jeep Renegade take off
Full April 2016 Top 20 brands and Top 140 models below.


text:
A new form of franchise
If you have associated the franchise so far only with fast-food and cafes, it’s time to look at it from a completely different perspective. Daniel Wrocławek, a private entrepreneur and businessman, also well-known Polish artist, created from scratch an innovative idea of a franchise television network. In a short time, this product was appreciated by the Jury of the biggest plebiscites in the country.
Daniel Wrocławek was awarded Diamond Award “Discoveries of the Year”, won in the “Discovery of the Year 2016” plebiscite, statuette “Personality of the Year 2016”, statuette “Success of the Year”, “Business Leader 2017”, “Luxury Brand of the Year” and “Polish Exlusive”.
About the franchise business was wrote in „The Times Poland”, „Businessman Today”, „Law Business Quality” and many other magazines.


text:
Naruto Face Shield: A fan of Naruto? Why not incorporate the famed Japanese manga into your daily apparel, better yet, into your protective gear (Naruto Face Shield)? This is what the online store ‘Tiyangge ni Corona’ has thought about. The online store, spawned in the time of COVID, aims to supplement all personal protective equipment needs of Ilonggos, and even beyond Iloilo. Its products include face shield, alcohol dispenser, and disinfecting mats to mention a few.
It may be recalled that, earlier in August, a mandate was issued ordering commuters to wear face shields, especially when using public transportation. It was first ordered to the Department of Transportation and then to public places and establishments until it became a staple in everyday life.
It may also be recalled that the Department of Health Western Visayas Center for Health Development reminds the public that physical distancing, along with the use of face mask and face shield must be observed to protect oneself from COVID-19. The agency also clarified that minimum standards or requirements are issued by the health department to affirm that the protective device can serve its purpose – face shields, for example, should completely cover the full sides and length of the face.


text:
Initial studies find patients, including those with cancer, have benefited from cannabis extract treatment and it may inhibit cancer cell growth, according to the Government Pharmaceuticals Organization.
GPO specialist Nanthakan Suwanpidokkul said on Monday studies were being conducted after GPO started distributing medical cannabis products to public and private hospitals in August last year.
She said the Prasat Neurological Institute and Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health found that symptoms had improved in 10, or 62%, of 16 children suffering from difficult-to-treat and intractable epilepsy.
The Prasat Neurological Institute also found that five out of seven multiple sclerosis patients who did not respond to standard treatments were improving while being treated with THC:CBD (1:1) extract. THC stands for tetrahydrocannabinol and CBD for cannabidiol.
The National Cancer Institute reported that the 14 terminal cancer patients who were receiving palliative care saw their pains relieved by more than 50%, had more appetite, gained weight and slept better after receiving THC:CBD (1:1) extract for three months, Ms Nanthakan said.
The Department of Medical Services applied THC extract and normal medicines to 42 terminal cancer patients at its medical cannabis clinics in provinces for a month and found improvements in their pains, appetite loss and insomnia. [Read more @ Bangkok Post]
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
Notify me of follow-up comments by email.
Notify me of new posts by email.
South Dakota’s new medical marijuana law could be scrapped and replaced with what’s being called a “compromise” that would legalize cannabis use for adults. That’s the aim of draft legislation that will be considered Tuesday by a committee that spent the summer and fall studying “adult-use” marijuana policy. “It’s about as close as we’re going to…
Watching Santa Ana, California-based Unrivaled Brands (OTCQX: UNRV) compete in this market reminds me of the movie Memento, where memoryless Guy Pearce literally experiences the action unfold along with the rest of us, even though it’s his story and he’s the only one in it living life essentially in reverse. Similarly, and this may indeed…
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The U.S.′ expanding legal marijuana market is helping drive strong sales and profit growth for multistate operators like Trulieve Cannabis Corp. The Quincy, Florida-based company sells cannabis products in 11 states from Arizona to Pennsylvania. It reported $408.9 million in revenue in the first half of this year, an 89% jump…
A new research report from New Frontier Data, Cannabis and Wellness, a New Consumer Paradigm, challenges the existing framework of the cannabis market and expands it from a two-segment medical and adult-use (recreational) market to a three-segment market. In keeping with changing consumer perceptions and lessening social stigmas related to cannabis across age groups, the…


text:
While we can’t attend this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon in person (sad face emoji), brands like Honda are still releasing vehicles virtually. Last week, we saw two cute little concept cars from the company: an N-One mobile cafe and an off-road Fit hatchback. Today we have our first official look at another N-One concept Honda has prepared for Tokyo.
This is the Honda N-One K-Climb Concept, and as the name suggests, this pint-sized pickup was explicitly built for hill climbs. Based on the sporty N-One RS, the K-Climb Concept produces 63 horsepower (48 kilowatts) and just 77 pound-feet (104 newton-meters) via a 0.6-liter engine, mated to a six-speed manual transmission. . .
Although the engine hasn’t changed, the skipped foundations make the K-Climb concept even more agile. Honda slightly lengthened the N-One’s wheelbase and fitted with bigger, stickier tires. And to accommodate that extra width, a set of carbon fiber fender flares adorn each wheel. There’s also a carbon fiber hood, as well as a carbon fiber front bumper, grille and rear splitter – all in an effort to keep weight down. Honda hasn’t said how much the K-Climb Concept weighs, but the base RS model already tips the scales at 907 kilograms (2,000 pounds).
The K-Climb pictured here is just the prototype, sporting a yellow exterior with carbon fiber accents and a few performance-oriented decals. But Honda says that’s not the vehicle’s final look. The company encourages you to vote on three potential liveries on its website: blue with a gold stripe and numbering, white with bright yellow accents and a black roof, or a multicolored pink and green look that we love the most. One of these looks will debut at a later date.
It’s unclear if the N-One K-Climb is just a concept, or if Honda will actually offer a limited series of these super little vans in Japan. All the company is saying right now is that they will keep us “informed of the development process”.


text:
UPDATE Sept. 11, 12:20 GMT: Following the FBI's denials that an agent's laptop was breached to grab 12 million Apple UDIDs, a small app publisher in Florida has confirmed that it was the source of the device identifiers. The CEO of Blue Toad said his company had reported the breach, which reportedly occurred in the last two weeks, to law enforcement. “We’re pretty apologetic to the people who relied on us to keep this information secure,” Chief Executive Paul Hart told NBC. Read the full story and its privacy implications here. As for Anonymous, the revelation could mark a new dent on the network's credibility, despite its already-solid reputation for "trolling" via networks like 4chan and Twitter. Organizers have said on Twitter that "There is still no evidence. Stay tuned," but the appearance of lying in their earlier press release will make any future leaks by the subversive network much harder for anyone to believe.
UPDATE Sept. 4, 21:50 GMT: The FBI has denied that it ever had the 12 million Apple IDs in question: "Statement soon on reports that one of our laptops with personal info was hacked," it said on Twitter. "We never had info in question. Bottom Line: TOTALLY FALSE." It also said in an emailed statement: "The FBI is aware of published reports alleging that an FBI laptop was compromised and private data regarding Apple UDIDs was exposed. At this time, there is no evidence indicating that an FBI laptop was compromised or that the FBI either sought or obtained this data."
UPDATE Sept. 4, 19:00 GMT: There is some speculation that an app developer, not Apple, released the dataset of 12 million device IDs to the FBI. Marco Arment of Instapaper writes on his blog that, "all of this information could have been collected from an app transmitting data to a server... This is exactly the information that an ad network would want to collect. Apple and the carriers probably weren’t involved at all." He adds that the "popular and free AllClear ID app, related to NCFTA, is a likely culprit," given the name of the dataset stolen by hackers (see below).
An AllClear spokeswoman denied the company's involvement, saying, "AllClear ID does not collect, nor has it ever collected, UDIDs. We have determined this incident is not linked to AllClear ID."
The NCFTA, or National Cyber Forensics and Training Alliance, is a non-profit partner with the FBI whose legal arrangement with the government allows it to hand over information to the FBI. Forbes privacy writer Kashmir Hill writes that NCFTA is not allowed to share names or addresses of people affiliated with the scheme. AllClear ID a free iOS app that aims to protect a user's identity from fraud.
The inclusion of "Push Notification Tokens" in the data leak was another reason to believe the data had come from an app developer. Apple's Push Notification Service can decrypt these token using a key, according to its site for developers. This means that if an app developer (or developers) leaked the data, Apple could potentially identify them.
UPDATE Sept. 4, 17:50 GMT: Anonymous / Antisec supporters have posted a sample of 100 Apple mobile device identifiers from the breach, in plain text, viewable here. The data is in four columns 1) the Apple device unique device identifier 2) the Apple Push Notification Service DevToken 3) the device name 4) the device type. They say it lists the top 50 and bottom 50 UDIDs in the dataset. One source from Anonymous says supporters are currently working on uploading the full, unencrypted dataset of 1 million UDIDs to the web, as well as a searchable database.
Three years ago special agent Christopher Stangl appeared in a video calling on people with computer science degrees to join the Federal Bureau of Investigation, saying they were needed "more than ever." Last night, hackers with subversive online networks Anonymous and Antisec answered that call with nothing short of irreverence: they published what they claimed were more than 1 million unique device identifier numbers, (UDID) for Apple devices, stolen from Stangl's own laptop.
In total, the hackers say they were able to steal more than 12 million of these strings of numbers and letters, but, "we decided a million would be enough to release." They announced the hack through the widely-watched Twitter feed, @AnonymousIRC last night.
Forbes cyber security reporter Andy Greenberg has downloaded the encrypted file posted by Anonymous containing the identifiers, and decrypted it. "It does seem to be an enormous list of 40-character strings made up of numbers and the letters A through F, just like Apple UDIDs," he reports. The data is being analyzed by cyber security research firms like Denmark's CSIS, whose specialist Peter Kruse tweeted earlier today that three of his devices were in the leaked data.


text:
Adani Enterprises limited from Adani group is promoting a power project development company, Adani Power. The company is offering 301,652,031 equity shares of Rs 10 each for cash at a price, likely to be between 100-110, through a 100% book-building process.
There is an important point to note here, a pre-IPO placement was done in April 20008 at a price of nearly Rs 47 per share. And now the company is looking to price it anywhere between Rs 100-110 per share.
Though the long term power story is good, the pricing is on the higher side. There could be listing gains and people wanting these gains can invest. Otherwise one can wait and enter at a better price after the listing. Meanwhile Adani enterprises has gone up more than 40% in short term, citing this IPO.


text:
Retailer-owned mobile payments provider Yapital is testing the use of fingerprint biometrics to replace PIN entry when paying by smartphone. “As the major smartphone manufacturers are now integrating fingerprint scanning into their products, we have immediately launched appropriate tests,” says Yapital’s Oliver Kress. The company already supports payments via NFC, QR and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).
- Chinese province uses Alipay QR codes for citizen ID
- Facebook to launch Messenger payments in India
- Walmart equips garden centre staff with mobile checkout devices
- Chevrolet and Shell let drivers pay for fuel and access offers from their vehicles
- US supermarket chain Meijer to launch mobile self-checkout service


text:
HANDSHAKES WILL DO
Joe Biden’s mistake is a mistake this entire culture has been making for too many decades now.
It is the mistake of informality and physicality which can be found in every workplace, meeting, greeting on the street and other forms of communication. We have become a society where the “bro-hug” has replaced the handshake; where people feel free to cry and express private emotions and thoughts in public; and where the word “love” is thrown around like so much confetti.
We need a new level of formality, decorum and politeness in America, which starts with a return to … dare I say it … manners.
The vice president should not have been so informal and touchy-feely with people, but then he is a product of a culture that has grown to be that way. This is a time when presidents cry at the drop of a hat, and everyone tells everyone how much they “love” them. It is not sexual assault or harassment to invade a person’s space in a time when so many people will hug people they have met for the first time, depending on the moment and gathering, but it is annoying, distasteful and it needs to stop.
Democrats are upset at the way these accusations are being manipulated and exaggerated to the point of disgusting doctored videos of Biden with children, with implied suggestions that his actions are similar to Harvey Weinstein and Brett Kavanaugh. Frankly, many of us are upset that there is a clear political motivation to these attacks on Biden, and that they are coming from supporters of both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders.
It is time for civility and intelligent discussion to return to the public square in America. It’s time to bring back the handshake and leave the hugs at home.
~ ERNESTO BARRERA
E-WASTE OF TIME
California State Assembly Bill 161 (AB 161) is not just a solution in search of a real problem, but it will create substantial new headaches for every small business owner in the state.
AB 161 mandates — which is the legal term for “requires whether or not it makes sense for your business” — that every small business in California provide digital e-receipts on all transactions. The traditional paper receipt would only be available if the customer specifically requests it, and any business not in complete compliance with the new law would be subject to penalties — or worse, endless lawsuits. All that on top of backbreaking new costs for every business owner in order to be compliant.
Here is the menu of ways AB 161 hurts small businesses and our customers:
For starters, the out-of-pocket costs for business owners are enormous. The new system would require nearly every small business to replace their point-of-sale technology to comply with a mandated e-receipt. The estimated cost is $30,000-$45,000 per restaurant or store. That doesn’t even include the time and money to train and retrain employees. All of that adds up to increased costs for the business owner, which either means reduced hours for current workers, limitations on hiring or higher prices passed on to customers.
Now, the main course: Privacy. In order for a business to complete a mandated e-receipt transaction with a customer, the customer would have to provide some personally identifiable information. Consumer data management isn’t the arena people like me want to be in, and the recent passage of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) means that every small business owner would be forced to take on massive and scary new liability regarding data security. Pushed into the data-privacy business by AB 161, too many small businesses will face this liability and not survive.
Finally, there is the negative impact on customer experience — a critical component for any customer-facing business. Requiring consumer information like an email address or phone number will lead to confusing and even hostile interactions; increase wait times for people in line; negatively impact people who rely on paper receipts; and, worst of all, highlight and exacerbate the digital divide between the connected of California and the ones who are too young, too old, too digitally inexperienced, too nervous about government intrusion or simply prefer the convenience of paying cash without the requirement to provide yet another digital footprint.
We are small business owners that faithfully serve our local communities. We are not billion-dollar technology startups. We are not data-privacy security firms.
E-receipts are a fair choice for businesses that can afford to offer them and for consumers who choose to seek them out, but forcing small businesses to provide them will make it so much harder to successfully run our businesses, serve our customers and contribute to our communities.
~ JORGE A GUTIERREZ
Send letters to email@example.com. For news tips and information about happenings and events, contact Kevin at the address above or call (626) 584-1500, ext. 115. Contact Deputy Editor André Coleman at firstname.lastname@example.org and at ext. 114.


text:
A hand sanitizer manufacturer and soy sauce container manufacturer have joined forces in an unlikely collaboration dubbed SafeHandFish, that's helping in the fight against the spread of COVID-19.
Unlike most parts of the world, Japan had ample supply of hand sanitizer, however, containers for the gel were unavailable. This prompted Clear Electron to partner with the soy sauce container manufacturer Ohishiya, which is best known for its miniature fish-shaped soy sauce packets that are typically found in Japanese bento boxes. Now, these containers are being repurposed to offer hand sanitizer.
This unlikely pairing is offering consumers hand sanitizer in a convenient on-the-go format and serves as one of the many creative examples of brands coming together to help during these uncertain times.
Image Credit: Ohishiya
Photo Credits: designboom, cleanseex


text:
21 Megapixel Sony Xperia Z1 Officially Announced at IFA 2013
The Sony Xperia Z1 is Sony’s latest Android smartphone and it packs a punch thanks to a massive 20.1MP sensor and waterproof design that will allow users to take it pretty much anywhere for creative photography and fast sharing.
Sony took to the stage at IFA 2013 to announce the new flagship phone this morning. While rumors about the device’s camera capabilities had some industry watchers pegging the device as a direct competitor to Nokia’s Lumia 1020 smartphone, Sony seems to have opted to not compete with that device or the Samsung Galaxy Camera outright. Instead the company has blended the functions of a photo-centric smartphone with the design aesthetics of a standard Android flagship device.
While the Xperia Z1’s rear-facing camera sensor is larger than the average sensor included in a smartphone camera, Sony has opted to keep the device a reasonable size and include a 21 megapixel sensor, that’s 20 megapixels less than Nokia’s offering. Effectively giving users the power of a point-and-shoot camera, without all the heft that options from other manufacturers include.
Details about the new flagship have also been confirmed by today’s presentation and the company’s Twitter account. Just like the Xperia Z flagship that won GottaBeMobile’s Editor’s Choice Award earlier this year, the Xperia Z1’s body, will mostly consist of two sheets of glass, one on the front and the other on the rear. It’ll also be water-resistant and feature LTE and NFC connectivity.
However, that’s where the internal similarities end. The Xperia Z1 will feature 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdagon 800 processor. It’s that quad-core processor that LG announced was at the heart of the LG G2 last month. Sony is also adding a more robust display with this device. Just as rumors indicated, Sony is borrowing the Triluminos display technology it first created for televisions for use in the Xperia Z1. Sony says this should mark a big improvement in image quality for the Xperia Z1. The Xperia Z1’s 5-inch display will have a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.
Other internals include 2GB of RAM, a microSD card slot and a 2 megapixel front-facing camera.
If all of that wasn’t enough, The Xperia Z1’s software also has a few tricks to attract users. Built on top of Android 4.2.2, the Xperia Z1’s camera application includes many of the features that are found on other flagship smartphones like the ability to edit photos, capture HD video and capture small bit-size video clips. Sony has also partnered with provider Bambuser to allow users to livestream content from the Xperia Z1 to Facebook.
When the Xperia Z1 debuts this October, it’ll also come bearing gifts of a different kind. Users who purchase the device will have free access to the Sony Unlimited music service for 60 days. It’ll also gift users 10 free PlayStation Mobile games and 6 movies.
The company hasn’t announced specific pricing for the Xperia Z1. It’s also not discussed its launch plans for the United States, however it says users will be able to buy the device online in black, purple and white.
09/04/2013 at 9:51 am
Xperia Z1 Official Price in Germany €649 ( 649 Euro ) – Selling Starts in September
[ Availability in White, Black and Purple Color ]
Xperia Z1 Expected Price in UK – £500+
Xperia Z1 Price info here – https://xpgui.de/XperiaZ1Germany
09/04/2013 at 6:33 pm
What about Audio? Is it using the Snapdragon 800 inbuilt audio capabilities? I hear that supports Dolby 7.1. Does anybody know if it is any good? Is it comparable to the Sony S-Master Audio Chip?
10/15/2013 at 1:12 am
I don’t know if it has Dolby Sound, but I found the music quality on my Xperia Z1 pretty good.
Florida gator aparel
03/31/2017 at 2:33 am
Definitely believe that which you said. Your favorite reason seemed to be
on the web the easiest thing to be aware of.
I say to you, I definitely get irked while people consider worries that they plainly
don’t know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and
defined out the whole thing without having side-effects , people
could take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks
Site de Ginastica
12/12/2017 at 11:10 pm
Obrigada! Você sente varias dores nas costado? https://papodemusculacao.com.br/3-exercicios-simples-para-perder-barriga-e-culote-rapido%f0%9f%91%89-como-perder-barriga-e-culote-em-casa/


text:
The Ukrrichflot shipping company has added a new vessel – the Dnipro Line container ship – to its fleet. The vessel has a length of 106 meters, a width of 11 meters, a draft is 4.08 meters, and deadweight tons of 3,200.
According to the Vesselfinder portal, the container ship was built in 1998, and it is currently located in the Sea of Marmara, off the coast of Turkey.
According to Ukrrichflot, the Dnipro Line is a new type of container ship. The new vessel has been re-flagged, registered under the Ukrainian flag, and placed under the supervision of the Ukrainian Shipping Register. The Dnipro Line has a Ukrainian crew.
From March 2017, the vessel will operate on a coastal container line between Dnipro river ports (Zaporizhia, Dnipro) and ports in Greater Odesa.
As the CFTS portal reported, Ukrrichflot began performing coastal shipping of container cargoes in spring 2015.


text:
Three arrests made in stolen identity cases
Cybercrime police officers have arrested three suspects involved in stealing and selling the online personal information of more than 15 million victims.
The bust was announced on Monday at the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau in Bangkok in the wake of the police’s Data Guardians Operation.
The operation is a follow-up to the arrest of an engineer in Phuket province back in July. The suspect had allegedly sold the personal data of more than 2 million persons to “shady businesses”, the chief of cybercrime police Pol Lt Gen Worawat Watnakornbancha said.
He added that investigators tracked the source through which the suspect had bought the data via the dark web, which sees transactions of over 400,000 baht per month.
The investigation led to three separate suspects involved in the stealing and selling of personal information, he said.
The first suspect is Phasin (last name withheld), 41, a broker of an insurance company who allegedly siphoned personal information from the company’s client database.
The second suspect, Nattapong (last name withheld), 28, is a programmer who allegedly developed an API (application programming interface) to bypass facial scanning, a scamming countermeasure put in place by the Bank of Thailand for online transactions of more than 50,000 baht.
The last suspect, Yodchai (last name withheld), 24, allegedly acted as an administrator of a facebook group that sold the personal data of over 15 million victims.
The data stolen is classified as “grade A” personal information, consisting of name, surname, 13-digit ID card number, telephone number and bank account number, Worawat said.
The three have been charged with offences under the Computer-Related Crimes and Personal Data Protection acts.
Worawat added that police will also investigate the security system of the insurance company from where the data is suspected to have been stolen.


text:
Apple is broadening its reach into artificial intelligence with the acquisition of Silk Labs, a startup focused on the development of on-device AI technology, according to a report Tuesday.
Citing a person familiar with the matter, The Information reports Apple quietly snapped up Silk earlier this year.
Details of the acquisition are unknown, though the report estimates the deal was a trivial investment for Apple. Silk had about a dozen employees at the time of the purchase, while startup financing firm PitchBook estimates the company raised approximately $4 million in funding.
Based in San Mateo, Calif., Silk Labs was founded by three engineers who previously worked on Firefox OS, Mozilla's failed attempt to create a competing mobile operating system to iOS and Android. Former Mozilla CTO Andreas Gal and former Mozilla platform engineer Chris Jones teamed up with Michael Vines, who at one point served as Qualcomm Innovation Center's senior director of technology, to form Silk Labs in 2015.
According to the report, Silk emerged from stealth in 2016 as a startup focused on building an operating system "infused with AI" and designed to be a platform for internet of things hardware.
"Internet of things devices are not very smart — the word smart is totally overloaded," Gal said in an interview cited by the report. "They have very simplistic software on them."
Silk's website provides a brief overview of the company's "video and audio intelligence," as well as use cases of supported edge computing ranging from home security to retail analytics and building surveillance. The firm's technology is or was capable of detecting people, faces, objects and audio signals.
Silk is perhaps best known for a defunct Kickstarter project called Sense, a security camera and smart home hub capable of recognizing users and adjusting connected devices based on shared preferences. Unlike other AI-equipped smart home products, Sense accomplished all computational processing on-device — and stored data like recorded video locally — to ensure user privacy.
While the project achieved successful funding, Silk cancelled production plans in June 2016. Gal in a blog post said his company would open-source the platform and port the software to smartphones, TechHive reported at the time.
What Apple has planned for Silk is unknown, though both companies have in the past expressed interest in building AI systems that operate locally instead of in the cloud. Such solutions bypass controversial data collection policies used by companies like Amazon and Google, both of which market first-party AI technology in Alexa and Google Assistant, respectively.


text:
Due to the ongoing situation related to COVID-19 in South Carolina, the Charleston Farmers Market will open as an essentials only market on Wednesday, July 15, 2020 from 4 to 7 p.m. in the VIP parking lot adjacent to Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park, located at 360 Fishburne Street.
Free parking will be available in the lot across the street from the market.
Vendors and patrons will be required to wear masks and maintain social distancing throughout the event, and to follow all other CDC protocols related to COVID-19.
Similar to the West Ashley Farmers Market, this essentials-only format will feature farmer and grower vendors exclusively, including R. Fields Farm, O. Freeman Farm, R & R Acres and
Simmons Farm. No prepared food vendors, entertainment or other activities will be included.
Sanitation stations will be set up throughout the market, as well as signage designed to guide customers safely from vendor to vendor.
Future market dates will be announced via the Charleston Farmers Market Facebook (@CharlestonFarmersMarket), Twitter (@charlestonfarms) and Instagram (@charlestonfarms) pages as they are set.
The West Ashley Essentials Market is set to return to Ackerman Park (55 Sycamore Avenue) on Saturday, July 11, 2020 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Additional details can be found on the West Ashley Farmers Market Facebook (@WestAshleyFarmersMarket), Twitter (@WAshleyFarms) and Instagram (@washleyfarmersmarket) pages.


text:
A Ghanaian tech developer Benjamin Anderson has introduced an application that enables cryptocurrency traders across the world to trade using its secured escrow system.
The app, Mybitstore, provides a platform for the buying, selling, receiving and conversion of bitcoin to mobile money and vice versa. It also allows users to convert unused gift cards to bitcoin and bitcoin to gift cards.
Available on Google Play Store and the Apple App Store, Mybitstore provides a free bitcoin wallet to users and accepts over 250 payment methods including mobile money (Tigo cash, Vodafone cash, MTN), bank transfers, cash in person, Chipper cash, Paypal, Perfect Money and Western Union.
In an interview with Managing Director, Mr Benjamin Anderson, he noted that the Ghanaian Crypto currency trading market has been given a huge lift that represents the single biggest boost for the buying, selling and use of crypto currency.
He said despite the relatively widespread use of cryptocurrencies in Ghana, there is little or no trust in crypto transactions, especially ones that are based solely on peer-to-peer and blind trust.
“The Bank of Ghana has taken notice of recent developments in the use, holding, and trading of virtual or digital currencies also known as cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin. The Bank of Ghana is currently investing a lot of resources to further enhance the payments and settlements system, including digital forms of money, and also to introduce cyber security guidelines to safeguard electronic and online financial transactions.”
Mr Anderson revealed that currently, there is an ongoing revision that should bring the electronic payments space up to date to international standards and aligned with the evolving global electronic payments landscape, thus the introduction of the Mybitstore.
Touching on cyber security, Mr Anderson assured that the app is built to fight and erase all external threats.
“At the core of every financial transaction are trust and security. The app is built to erase all doubts and safety concerns by employing certain specific features. Before you sell any of the tradable cryptos, mybitstore keeps the bitcoin in its secure escrow2. Through the ‘raise dispute’ feature mybitstore moderates all transactions having discrepancies to achieve smooth and successful trades”, he added.
Mr. Anderson further explained that the Mybitstore App provides traders the opportunity to write reviews for trade partners, rate trade partners, and above all block trade partners.


text:
City puts pressure on Glaxo
In a rare public statement a City shareholder in drugs giants Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham has called for the two UK firms to restart their £100 billion merger talks.
The move comes after the US drugs industry was plunged into a new round of mega-bids last week. Pfizer, maker of Viagra, launched a £50 billion hostile bid for Warner-Lambert only hours after that firm announced a friendly merger with American Home Products.
Glaxo and SmithKline broke off merger talks almost two years ago after a row over the management pecking order in a merged group.
But Pfizer's move has raised the stakes in the medicines industry as it would propel the company into the lead with market share of about 8%, well ahead of the next player.
Pfizer's bid is expected to intensify City pressure on Glaxo's chairman Sir Richard Skyes and SmithKline Beecham's chief executive Jan Leschly to end their squabble.
There are also suggestions that Glaxo may be urged by investors to make a hostile bid if it cannot reopen talks.
In an open statement, fund manager Margaret McLaren of the £20 billion firm Britannia Asset Management said: 'There is likely to be shareholder pressure on the companies to merge. US companies are already way ahead and the bigger they get, the further behind European companies will become.
'Glaxo may not have the luxury to wait until SmithKline comes to the table. It may feel it has to mount a hostile bid to stop a US company making a tilt at SmithKline.'
Britannia is a big investor in Glaxo and SmithKline. It has £170 million in one pension fund alone.
Most watched Money videos
- Mercedes releases footage of new EQS electric vehicle
- Mercedes' new all-electric EQB is a seven-seater compact SUV
- Jupiter Green: How we invest in companies helping the planet
- Rare 1960 crashed Jaguar heading to auction for £10k to £15k
- Will investors see a Roaring Twenties on the stock market?
- Mazda's first all-electric MX-30 GT Sport Tech crossover
- Three Minute Money: Should we fret over house price indexes?
- 2007: Levi Roots pitches his Reggae Reggae Sauce to the Dragons
- Three Minute Money: Should every parent be saving in a Jisa?
- Three Minute Money: What to look out for when home hunting
- Three Minute Money: What's the point of a cash Isa?
- Citroen unveil the My Ami Cargo, a dinky electric van