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Law firm partners with VOA
Blanchard, Walker, O’Quin & Roberts partnered with Volunteers of America to host a holiday card design event for participants in the Lighthouse summer tutoring program. Blanchard Walker gave fourth through sixth graders the opportunity to participate in the design competition in return for a chance to have their drawing featured on the firm’s holiday card this season.
The contest winners were recently announced. Out of 20 entries, the firm awarded first place to Zekerria Marshall, a fifth grader, second place to Camella Gladney, a fifth grader, and third place to Leony Zavala, a fifth grader. The firm presented each of them with a certificate of achievement.
Zekerria’s design will be featured on the Blanchard Walker’s holiday card this year.
McCary’s Jewelers to open new store
McCary’s Jewelers has been constructing what will be their first free-standing location in 75 years, in Fern Marketplace by Whole Foods. Just a stone’s throw away from their current E. 70th Street home, McCary’s plans to open the doors of a new location in early August.
The store began in downtown Shreveport in a rented space shared with a local Milam Street Barber Shop, and now McCary’s fourth generation of the family-owned business is launching into the 21st century.
The new store is scheduled for a soft launch in early August and a grand opening month in September.
While customers will find the same familiar brands in the showroom, McCary’s will also have special collection lines like Raymond Weil and others. The new showroom was created to include a retail space that showcases the expertise shared by those key members of the McCary’s team. There will be an open window to view the in-house engraving and custom artistry being performed by registered jewelers using CAD and 3Dmolds.
For more information, visit www.mccarys.com, call 798-3050 or visit McCary’s Jewelers at 1409 East 70th Street.
Virginia College announces new program
Virginia College in Shreveport recently announced its new Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) Technician program at its campus located at 2950 East Texas St., Suite C. The program will launch Sept. 13.
The new HVACR diploma is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to safely install, troubleshoot and repair equipment used in the home and light commercial industry. This program also includes preparation for the following certification examinations: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certification, Industry Competency Exams (ICE) and North American Technician Excellence (NATE) certification.
Upon successful completion from this program, graduates will be able to isolate malfunctions in heating, air conditioning, heat pump and refrigeration systems as well as design, fabricate and install ductwork to provide proper airflow in heating and cooling systems, among other skills.
To learn more about Virginia College in Shreveport, call 741-8020 or visit www.vc.edu/Shreveport.
Patrick Henry to speak at annual conference
NWLA SHRM – Human Resource Management & Professional Chapter will host their annual conference Aug. 23 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at ElDorado Resort Casino 451 Clyde Fant Pkwy, Shreveport.
Featured speakers include Patrick Henry, author and SiriusXM Radio humorist - Creating a Leadership Legacy; Sherry Johnson, SHRM-SCP, CAE, field services director with the Society of Human Resources Management - Six Key Elements of an Effective Talent Acquisition Strategy; Megan Tyson, HUB International, director of client communications - The Three Essentials of Employee Communication and Engagement: Who, How and What.
Employers can attend as guests or apply for membership at the event. Students can attend as guests or contact admissions/credentialing and apply for student membership at the event.
Morning snacks and lunch will be served.
Advance registration and payment is required. Contact Northwest Louisiana SHRM at firstname.lastname@example.org or visit https://northwestlouisianashrm.wildapricot.org/2017-Conference.
Bossier Chamber welcomes new teachers
The Bossier Chamber of Commerce will host their annual New Teachers Luncheon on Wednesday to honor new Bossier Parish School teachers and welcome them to the community. This year’s luncheon, sponsored by Barksdale Federal Credit Union, will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn located at 2015 Old Minden Road, Bossier City at 11:30 a.m.
Teachers and distinguished guests will be treated to lunch and Paul Reiser from Reiser Group Sonic will share some advice and words of wisdom for the incoming teachers.
The luncheon will host up to 150 new teachers as they enter the Bossier Schools system for the first time in 2017. Teachers will receive start-up materials and prizes to help them get off to a great start for the 2017-18 school year.
Contact Katie Theriot for more information at 746-0252 or visit www.bossierchamber.com.


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DRAM prices expected to bounce back
Has Dataquest changed its mind?
The DRAM market is on the brink of a boom time, expected to start early next year, according to Dataquest senior analyst Richard Gordon. His comments came in response to reports from analysts in the Far East which suggested the DRAM market was about to enter into a period of rapid consolidation with only three major vendors left in the market. Yoshiharu Izumi, market analyst at SBC Warburg Japan, said the top three DRAM makers, Samsung, NEC and Micron would have the market to themselves over the next two years. Izumi predicted that falling DRAM prices would force more manufacturers to drop out of the market. But Gordon rejected this scenario. “The price of DRAM has started to creep up on the spot markets in the Far East,” he said. “There is an expectation that even though the market on the whole is in a state of over supply, there will be shortages in specific product areas.” Years of falling prices had resulted in a lack of capital investment by DRAM manufacturers, this would bring about product shortages, coupled with increasing demand for DRAM this would lead to higher prices - an incentive for more players to enter the market. “The market is turning,” he said. “Starting possibly in the first half of next year we will enter a three to four year boom period for DRAM. Rather than the top three sew up the market, more people will enter it.”

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Activision has said it didn’t get the balance right for last year’s Call of Duty Infinite Warfare, but is aiming for improved sales for this year’s game by taking the franchise back to its roots.
“Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is a high quality, innovative game that paired with Modern Warfare Remastered offers a tremendous amount of value and gameplay variety. However, sales underperformed our expectations, and it’s clear that for a portion of our audience, the space setting just didn’t resonate,” Activision CEO Thomas Tippl explained during the publisher’s Q4 earnings call overnight.
“We had a passionate experienced studio deeply committed to this direction, and despite the risks we saw, we believe it is important to consider the passions of our game teams in deciding what content to create. While it wasn’t the success we planned, it allows us to protect a core tenets of our culture that Bobby [Kotick, president] discussed, empowering our talented teams to have the chance to pursue opportunities that they are passionate about.”
Tippl believes this year’s game from Sledgehammer will be both a high quality title and bigger commercial success.
“In 2017, Activision will take Call of Duty back to its roots, and traditional combat will once again take centre stage,” he explained. This is what our dedicated community of Call of Duty players and Sledgehammer Games, who has been developing this year’s title, are the most excited about.”
NOW READ:TODAY'S COIN MASTER FREE SPINS HAVE ARRIVED - FIND OUT WHAT THEY ARE HERE!
Eric Hirshberg, Activision CEO, also talked up the prospects of this year’s Call of Duty.
“Last year I don’t think we got that balance right. Infinite Warfare had a ton of great gameplay innovations that many of our fans appreciated and loved, but it also had a setting that didn’t appeal to all of our fans,” he said. “The good news is, is that I’m excited to say that in 2017 we think we have this balance in perfect harmony with a game that our teams are incredibly passionate about, with a lot of great innovations, but that also has the traditional combat that we know our fans are going to love.”
Hirshberg added: “We green-lit it over two years ago now, and they’ve been hard at work at it ever since, and we can’t wait to unveil it to the world soon. And without discussing too much about what else we’ve got in the Call of Duty pipeline, I can also tell you that we’re confident our fans are going to love those games as well, and we’ve never be more excited either creatively or commercially about our three-year Call of Duty slate.”
Sledgehammer’s first Call of Duty game as the lead studio was 2014’s Advanced Warfare.
Source: Activision IR via Seeking Alpha


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Hyatt Regency recently debuted in Kerala, India, bringing the distinguished brand to one of India’s best-known cultural centers.
The property brings 77 guestrooms to India, joining nearly 200 Hyatt Regency properties around the world, including 12 in India.
“We are thrilled to announce the opening of our very first Hyatt Regency hotel in the beautiful and vibrant state of Kerala,” said Sunjae Sharma, vice president of India operations, Hyatt.
Of the 77 guestrooms, seven suites greet guests in addition to a presidential suite. In terms of dining, the Regency Café is open 24 hours and offers a menu showcasing local fare. Nougat, a secondary restaurant, offers a number of sweet treats and desserts. The property boasts 2,552 square metres of meeting and event space, including the Regal Ballroom, which accommodates up to 900 guests.
Wellbeing is at the hotel’s forefront, with an outdoor pool, fully equipped fitness centre and a wide menu of services available at Santata Spa.
Check out the Hyatt Regency Thrissur’s website to see everything the property has to offer.
Canadian airline WestJet will now offer free COVID-19 travel insurance on eligible bookings to Mexico, the Caribbean and European destinations, including the United Kingdom, made on or after Sept. 18.
Finding a beachfront Punta Cana all-inclusive resort for all ages can be daunting when you want to take home great memories with loved ones but also experience a sophisticated escape. Now, you can have both thanks to a new resort: Finest Punta Cana.
Creating a wellness environment in the workplace is a terrific idea, and many companies acknowledge the benefits of providing health and wellness programs to employees. However, the concept is anything but new. More than a century ago, Johnson & Johnson offered its New Jersey-based employees access to an on-site health center and a fitness center with a swimming pool and basketball court. In the 1970s, the company followed with the launch of Live for Life, an on-site wellness program with “access to behavior modification tools and education on topics like nutrition, stress management and more.”
United Airlines is the first U.S. airline to launch a rapid COVID-19 testing program for travelers. Beginning Oct. 15, United customers traveling from San Francisco International Airport to will be able to take a rapid test at the airport or a self-collected, mail-in test before their trip.
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy, small businesses create two-thirds of net new jobs and account for nearly 48 percent of the U.S. private sector workforce. And small- and medium-sized businesses outpace all other sectors as one of the fastest-growing in the United States. InterContinental® Hotels Group (IHG) goes above and beyond to create opportunities for this segment with its IHG® Business Edge program, voted Best Small- to Mid-Sized Business Program in Global Traveler’s 2019 GT Tested Reader Survey awards.
ON THE GROUND: We took a car service from my home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, to Newark (about 50 minutes) as we would be gone for more than 10 days and could save on the parking. We probably had more luggage than necessary and both checked a bag. Check-in was swift, as was security, and we had time to stop by the United Club using our United Mileage-Plus Club Card from Chase for entry. We tried to sneak into Polaris, but it is limited to international business-class travelers; even though this is a long flight, it is still domestic.
Though air travel slowed as airports temporarily closed and borders shuttered to stifle the spread of coronavirus, the airline industry — led by oneworld alliance member airlines — enacted enhanced protective measures to reduce risk and protect passengers.
Princess Cruises sold two vessels, Sun Princess and Sea Princess, in accordance with parent company Carnival Corporation's plan to remove less efficient ships from its fleet. The buyers were not disclosed in the announcement.


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Make Phone Calls Through Tablets
WASHINGTON: Movirtu has reportedly come up with a software platform called Cloudphone, which allows users to make calls over Wi-Fi networks using their mobile phone numbers on tablets and laptops sans a regular sim card.
Moreover, operators can also offer CloudPhone on smartphones as an alternative to improve cellular coverage using small cells
Movirtu's CEO Carsten Brinkschulte said that with the IP-based CloudPhone, tablets and laptops become virtual smartphones, allowing users to make and receive calls even when they are out of mobile coverage range or incase of low battery, PC World reported.
Brinkschulte said that mobile operators can rely on cheaper Wi-Fi networks, instead of using small cells. Meanwhile, travelers could use Cloudphone to reduce their roaming costs by making calls over Wi-Fi. (ANI)


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According to the Coindesk portal, the first cryptocurrency crossed a new milestone - $ 40 thousand. Bitcoin's growth has been fueled by increased demand from institutional, corporate, and speculative investors. They were attracted by the prospects for the rapid growth of cryptocurrency.
Many experts do not rule out that the main cryptocurrency may soon break through the $ 50,000 level. Some traders said that the increase of Bitcoin was facilitated by the forecast from JPMorgan about the digital coin growth to $ 146,000. Overall, in less than a month, the price of Bitcoin has doubled.
As previously reported, Bitcoin is the most popular cryptocurrency in the world, representing the largest share of the entire cryptocurrency market. This is the first cryptocurrency to be presented publicly, and, accordingly, has the most developed infrastructure. Bitcoin is believed to be the trendsetter in the cryptocurrency world.
For the first time, the price of Bitcoin exceeded a new psychological milestone, crossing the $ 40,000 mark on Thursday, January 7th.


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Acreage Holdings Inc. plans to leverage its cannabis health care market place presence as adult use profits open up up in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, the company’s main monetary officer stated.
Adult use income in chosen shops opened up in New Jersey on April 21, as a “huge driver” for progress in 2022, plus New York and Connecticut are also readying their marketplaces as well, CFO Steve Goertz reported.
“The dominos are stacking up extremely perfectly for us in the Northeast,” Goertz said.
Like other cannabis shares, Acreage’s share cost remains in the crimson for 2022 amid dim potential customers for U.S. federal legalization in Congress in the in close proximity to potential.
OTC-listed shares of Acreage
are down 49.3% in 2022, compared to a fall of 47% by the AdvisorShares Pure U.S. Hashish ETF
“There was a large runup in hashish share charges commencing in 2021 immediately after the election when persons thought that there would be federal reform appropriate away,” Goertz said. “Those potential clients go up and down, but suitable now sentiment is detrimental.”
Several big brokerages and fund professionals in the U.S. will not permit buyers to obtain shares of a domestic, plant-touching business enterprise for the reason that hashish remains illegal beneath federal legislation.
“A ton of retail investors arrived into the room expecting substantial gains, but valuations have collapsed and they’ve taken losses and there’s exhaustion,” Goertz stated. “Until there’s impetus for adjust in Washington, it’ll be a tricky environment” for shares.
Also Read: Stifel cuts cannabis marketplace watch as analysts weigh Tilray
Acreage’s to start with-quarter effects introduced on Thursday confirmed the company’s earnings jumped 50% with boosts from acquisitions in California, Ohio and Maine.
The company finished the quarter with 1,100 personnel and $32 million in income.
Acreage’s internet reduction widened to $14 million, or 12 cents a share, from $8.6 million, or 8 cents a share in the 12 months-back quarter.
Income elevated to $56.9 million from $38.4 million.
Acreage fell brief of the analysts estimates for a loss of 5 cents a share with profits of $57.5 million.
Also Study: Green Thumb Industries CEO eyes income flow in vein of Warren Buffett


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Ford to develop new engines at South Wales plant
US auto group chooses Bridgend as the UK location to develop a new generation of low-emissions engines
Car giant Ford has announced a £70 million investment boost at an engine plant in the UK, giving a big lift to the recession-hit motor industry.
The company announced that its factory in Bridgend, South Wales, will produce a new generation of low CO2 petrol engines.
The investment will secure work at the 28-year-old factory which employs more than 2,000 staff.
The company has invested more than £300 million at Bridgend over the last five years and the additional money announced today will increase the plant's production capability to almost one million engines a year.
The investment includes £13.4 million from the Welsh Assembly. The new engines will go into production within two years and will be among the first of a new generation of petrol engines expected to provide up to 20 per cent better fuel economy and 15 per cent lower CO2 emissions, according to Ford.
John Fleming, chief executive of Ford Europe, said: "The Bridgend team will play an important role in delivering these new engines which add an innovative ingredient to petrol engine technology and deliver a combination of low emissions and efficient performance that will be vital to meet future customer needs around the world."


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New Delhi: Indian employees are expected to see a good hike in their salaries next fiscal year, experts have opined as companies are expected to emerge from COVID-19 induced lockdowns. Among the sectors that are predicted to offer larger salary hikes in India are e-commerce, Information Technology, pharmaceutical, and financial services, a report by Bloomberg claimed. However, sectors like aerospace, hotels, and hospitality will take some more time to bounce back.Also Read - 7th Pay Commission: Here’s What Govt Employees Can Do In Case Dearness Allowance Hike Denied
The report by Bloomberg stated that if everything goes well and authorities could tackle the third wave of COVID, employees in India can expect a hike upto 8 per cent in the next financial year (FY) starting April 2022. This comes as good news for private-sector employees in India as they had to suffer job losses or pay cuts owing to the pandemic. Also Read - 7th Pay Commission: Centre Approves 4% DA Hike For Govt Employees | HIGHLIGHTS
Earlier the Finance Ministry issued an order to implement the Union Cabinet decision to hike Dearness Allowance for Central government employees to 28 per cent from July 1. Besides, pensioners will also get a 28 per cent hike in their Dearness Relief (DR) DR from July itself. Also Read - 7th Pay Commission: Early Diwali For Govt Employees as Their DA Hiked by 4% — Here’s How Much Salary Will Increase
Around 48.34 lakh central government employees and 65.26 lakh pensioners will be directly benefitted from the restoration of DA and DR, the Ministry of Finance stated. Apart from it, the Centre has also revised the House Rent Allowance (HRA) for government employees to 27 per cent. The revised HRA will be provided to them from August.


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MILANO FINANZA May, 23rd 2014
Sacom, a company listed on AIM, active in the production and distribution of products for plants nutrition and care, has signed an agreement with Shenzhen Agro Hunter for the distribution of its products in China.
Shenzhen Agro Hunter is one of the leading traders of agrochemicals in the Chinese market; after the acquisition of Shandong Libang Chemicals it became the first player to be active both in the production of agrochemicals and in the import and distribution of nutritional products.
Today, however, Sacom announced that the University of Athens has tested its products and that the Ministry of Education and Research has admitted to the benefits the international cooperation project called Poch Art Eurostars.
The Greek University, in particular, has published the results of the field trials on the use of mycorrhizae in hydroponics tomato:
the use of Sacom products has led to an increase in production (total weight) of +20% while, adding Micoseeds Plus to the application of the above, has led to an increase of +30%.
The Poch Art Eurostars project concerns the improvement of microbiological products for crops sustainable management and is set up as a research and development out of the Eurostars Programme sponsored by the European Commission. The project aims to improve industrial microbiological products for sustainable agriculture, based on beneficial fungi and bacteria that promote plant growth, and aims to improve an emerging line of concealers/cleansers soil and plant protection products already marketed by Sacom.


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- While Australians are still not eating the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables, research shows the fastest growing consumer trend is healthy snacks....Monday 21 July 2014
- A new state of the art greenhouse facility will be built at the University of Western Sydney, focusing on research and development, in the horticulture industry. ...Thursday 10 July 2014
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- The Director of the Hawaii-based Breadfruit Institute of the National Tropical Botanical Garden, Dr Diane Ragone, has just handed over royalty cheque to the Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa. The money is the result of two years of ma'afala breadfruit tree sales,coming out of what's described as a ...Monday 28 July 2014
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IN DEPTH: Covering a contentious lobster fishery
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Holiday tastes and traditions
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Kevin Springer says he feels like a boxer who finally has someone in his corner.
On Tuesday, Proposify, the Halifax software company Springer co-founded with CEO Kyle Racki, announced a deal with an investment fund that will see the company continue to grow and reach untapped markets.
Since beginning in 2013, Proposify has built a customer base of 10,000 in 35 countries.
"We're going to grow together. We all want the same thing. We all want to build an amazing company (and) we want to do it from Atlantic Canada," said Springer, also the company's chief operating officer.
George Rossolatos, CEO of the Canadian Business Growth Fund, agrees that the sides share the same mandate of growing the company and seeing it reach its potential, which is why the agreement is only for a minority equity stake in the business.
"What we bring to the table is something different. The typical investment fund brings a three-to-five-year horizon to an investment and works toward a sale. A lot of times these great companies are sold and they are consolidated into a bigger entity, oftentimes a foreign entity," he said.
"We want the owners to stay in control and keep control longer as they grow because too many times in Canada owners give up control early."
Proposify has about 85 employees based out of its Hollis Street office. The company provides software solutions for clients in terms of creating, sending, tracking and e-signing proposals, as well as contracts, agreements and other sales documents.
Springer said the product helps clients save time and makes sure all the documentation is sent in a complete, error-free package that avoids some documents finding their way into a spam folder. There is also a feature that lets the sender know if the proposal has been opened, he said.
"We targeted the Maritimes as an area where we wanted to become more prominent and wanted our brand to be known. And that takes time. We saw Halifax, and the Maritimes in general, as a hotbed of entrepreneurialism in Canada."
Before becoming the CEO of the Canadian Business Growth Fund, Rossolatos was the head of a public company. In that role, he said, he saw first-hand the value of what a company like Proposify can offer.
CBGF was launched in June 2018.
The $545-million evergreen investment fund has 13 investors, all of which are financial institutions, said Rossolatos. These are CIBC, BMO, Scotiabank, Toronto Dominion, Royal Bank of Canada, HSBC, National Bank of Canada, ATB Financial, Laurentian Bank and Canadian Western, as well as three insurance companies: Canada Life, Manulife and Sunlife.
The fund's investments in a company range between $3 million and $20 million. Rossolatos wouldn't disclose the exact amount of the investment in Proposify but did say it falls within that range.
Rossolatos and his Toronto-based team were in Halifax about a year ago. Through that visit, they became aware of Proposify, which led to a meeting with the company in February. The deal was finalized about a week ago, said Rossolatos.
Even though this is CBGF's first Atlantic Canadian investment, Rossolatos said he is working on a couple of other deals in the region.
"We targeted the Maritimes as an area where we wanted to become more prominent and wanted our brand to be known. And that takes time," he said.
"We saw Halifax, and the Maritimes in general, as a hotbed of entrepreneurialism in Canada."
For Springer, Proposify still has a lot of work to do to reach its growth potential, but he's excited to be part of the process.
"We really just want to grow this business and continue to enjoy what we do. I absolutely love to go to work every day."


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Strategic design agency Designworks, part of STW, has created a bold and lively new identity for Centennial Parklands Foundation, in a move aimed at raising awareness of the outstanding charitable organisation.
Unveiled this week, the identity is centred on the concept of ‘Inspiring Connections’, and also comprises a new tagline and online presence to support the Foundation’s evolution and growth.
It is the first project Designworks has undertaken for Centennial Parklands Foundation since being appointed last year to develop an enhanced image and brand that encapsulates the spirit of the Foundation – a not for profit organisation tasked with enhancing the three magnificent parks of Centennial Parklands.
Centennial Parklands Foundation officer Rachel Fowler said the organisation had undertaken the change to create “an identity that is relevant across our diverse stakeholders to communicate our commitment to the community and the Parklands, but also reinforces our credibility and professionalism”.
“We wanted our new identity to be a confident statement of intent, moving away from our understated heritage to unapologetically celebrate the role the Foundation plays in supporting Centennial Parklands,” continued Sarah Champneys, executive officer, Centennial Parklands Foundation.
To achieve this outcome, Designworks undertook research and immersion with the Foundation’s stakeholders, and identified that the Foundation plays an active and important role in creating connections.
“These are connections between people and the Parklands, between corporates and communities, between people and place. Our strategy was to amplify and celebrate this role of creating connections which culminated in the single organising idea ‘Inspiring Connections’,” explained Kasia Wydrowski, creative director, Designworks.
“Creatively, this idea has been communicated by focussing on the AND within the word PARKLANDS. What more universally recognised, simple and direct way of expressing connection is there than the word AND?” she said.
The result is an overarching strategy, messaging matrix, brand identity culminating in a unique combination of brand identity that forms the basis of a campaign message.
“Through clever typography, the identity we created reveals the role of the Foundation in a playful yet bold way,” said Wydrowski.
“We’ve been fortunate to work with such ambitious clients who were clear about their objectives from the outset. We feel the new identity signals their move into their next exciting phase and firmly cements their role in inspiring connections between people and the Parklands,” said Debbie Spence, strategy director, Designworks.
Thenew identity was officially launched at the Centennial Parklands Foundation Wild Play Cocktail Party held at The Residences in Centennial Park on Friday 6th March 2015, and will be rolled out by the Foundation across a range of platforms over the next few months.
Implementation/Rollout Rachel Fowler, Centennial Parklands Foundation Officer
Design: Emily Matthews, Senior Designer
Creative: Kasia Wydrowski , Creative Director
Strategy: Debbie Spence, Strategy Director
About the Centennial Parklands Foundation:
Centennial Parklands Foundation (the Foundation) is an independent charitable organisation established in 1998 to facilitate fundraising activities for Centennial Parklands.
Centennial Parklands is self-funded for the day to day running of the Parklands and relies on alternative funding from the Foundation along with other sources.
The Foundation’s mission is: To raise funds and awareness to support and enhance the three magnificent parks of Centennial Parklands.
Flight Centre Travel Group is anticipating some of its biggest years of growth as Australia’s vaccination rollout gains momentum, travel restrictions ease and international borders start re-opening. With travel industry leaders forecasting unprecedented demand for both domestic and international travel as the world moves into a phase of post-COVID management, Flight Centre Australia general manager […]
From the audio producer of The Teacher’s Pet comes The Elements, a new Acast Creator Network podcast hosted by Thredbo survivor Stuart Diver. The Elements is a podcast that journeys into the heart of surviving a natural disaster and will be hosted and distributed by the creator-first podcast company Acast as part of the Acast Creator […]
DoubleVerify has today announced enhancements to its brand safety and suitability solution that include the introduction of DV’s Brand Safety Floor as a turnkey option, extending Brand Suitability Tiers on YouTube, and more. Available to both advertisers and publishers since January 2021, Brand Suitability Tiers allow brands to align suitability settings with their own unique standards, […]
Andrew Piccoli spent his career overseeing some of Australia’s most memorable ad campaigns. Now, he has turned his attention to a particular area of passion: children’s literature. Now retired, Piccoli spent the COVID-19 lockdown writing the story of Dexter the Dahu for children aged between five and nine. He has donated a copy of the charming […]


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It is rumored that the new Apple iPhone 6, among other new Apple products, will be unveiled at this event. There has been no confirmation on the specs of the new Apple smartphone, however, a lot of speculation and leaked photos of the new device have been floating around in the internet world.
Last September, Apple launched its iPhone 5S and 5C models with some new features like the new iOS 7 operating system, the new A7 dual-core 64-bit processor, and fingerprint recognition system. Globally, iPhone sales in 2014 were over 125 million units. I guess, we will have to wait and see what the actual specs are, but listed below I've provided a table with the comparison of the iPhone 5S with the new iPhone 6. I will update this chart once the actual specifications are released.
Comparison Chart iPhone 5S vs iPhone 6 Rumored Specifications
In the past few weeks, iPhone users have been using trade-in sites in anticipation of the new iPhone launch. Trade-ins of older model iPhones have been increasing because once the new iPhone 6 is launched the trade-in prices will not be as attractive. Amazon is one such site on which you can trade in your old iPhone. For example, an iPhone 5S (16GB) is trading-in as high as $394.
Below you check the video from CNET (Apple Byte) with rumored specs of the new iPhone 6:


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Europatat Congress 2021 – Registrations are open!
мая 03, 2021
Europatat, the European Potato Trade Association, is excited to announce the opening of registrations for its upcoming annual Europatat Congress that will be organized on Thursday, 10th of June in a virtual format.
Pessl Instruments GmbH acquires Solentum products
апреля 29, 2021
Last month HZPC Holding B.V. announced to stop with the business activities of Solentum B.V. Pessl Instruments GmbH will take over some of the products of Solentum B.V. as of May 1, 2021.
NASA Harvest And CropX Partner To Support Sustainable Ag Initiatives
апреля 12, 2021
NASA Harvest (NASA’s Food Security and Agriculture Program) and CropX, a global leader in soil analytics for agriculture, today announced a strategic partnership that will give NASA Harvest unprecedented soil insights for its global agricultural monitoring efforts.
Agrico's Next Generation potato varieties now available on its online platform
марта 27, 2021
Last November Agrico built an online news platform to support its buyers and growers with important knowledge and information. Agrico now also shares the latest insights and successes of its Next Generation potato varieties on this online platform
UK Potato Storage Specialist Crop Systems Limited sees growing business
февраля 21, 2021
UK Potato Storage Specialist Crop Systems Limited is responding to major growth in its business with further investment at its factory and new appointments, including Tony Barnes as Sales Manager.
Smart Big Bags for seed potatoes keep track of temperature during transport
декабря 29, 2020
With the pilot, 'smart big bags' HZPC uses the internet of things to share knowledge and get a better grip on the delivery process of seed potatoes.
Bosch and BASF establish joint venture for digital technologies in the agricultural sector
ноября 12, 2020
Bosch and BASF Digital Farming have signed a 50:50 joint venture (JV) agreement to globally market and sell smart farming solutions from a single source in the future.
Cropmap Belgium 2020 now available
сентября 18, 2020
An overview of the Belgian agricultural landscape. The cropmap shows the main crop type on each individual field cultivated in the 2020 growing season and is openly available via an interactive online viewer.
ePhyto: Electronic phytosanitary certification can facilitate international agricultural trade
сентября 09, 2020
The Industry Advisory Group (IAG) of the IPPC ePhyto Solution calls on governments to support the adoption of ePhyto to facilitate international agricultural trade, which would be crucial in safeguarding global food security beyond the Covid-19 recovery period.
Smart potato farming: AVR and Dacom combine field and machine data
августа 28, 2020
Less cultivating equipment required by cleverly combining field and machine data. This data is displayed on the digital platform AVR Connect, offering the farmer improved, real time insights into what is going on inside the machine, how it is operating, and how the process can be made more efficient.


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After growing at a record 31% CAGR between 2002 and 2018, Mahindra & Mahindra has taken a fresh guard to chart new aspirations and scale a new growth trajectory
The history of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M) as a company can be mapped as a series of inflection points, often resulting out of inspired action or resilience in the face of a crisis.
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Fortune’s Global 500: the six biggest Canadian companies on the list
Fortune has published its much-anticipated Global 500, its annual look at the companies around the world that generate the most revenue.
Organisations from 34 countries are present in the ranking and Canada is one of them, bringing 11 businesses to the list.
Here, in reverse order, we take a look at the six highest-revenue generating companies in the country:
#311 – Alimentation Couche-Tard (US$34.1bn)
Couche-Tard is one of the biggest convenience store operators in the world.
From its headquarters in Laval – where it opened its first shop in 1980 – Couche-Tard manages over 12,000 stores globally across North America, Central America and Europe.
#304 - Royal Bank of Canada (US$34.9bn)
The RBC is the largest bank in the country, serving over 16 million clients.
Founded in Halifax in 1864, it now bases itself in Toronto but has offices in 40 other countries around the world. 2017 marks its 23rd year on the list.
#293 - George Weston (US$36.2bn)
George Weston represents a number of food and drug retail companies including Loblaw and Weston Foods.
The conglomerate is Canada’s biggest employer in the private sector with over 200,000 employees, though it originally just started out with George Weston building a Toronto bakery business in the 19th century.
#290 - Magna International (US$36.4bn)
Car supplier Magna International works in nearly 30 countries globally with 321 manufacturing operations and 102 product development, engineering and sales centres.
Magna has a reputation for innovation and technology having picked up numerous awards for its first-to-market concepts.
#266 - Power Corporation of Canada (US$38.3bn)
Power Corp. of Canada is a Montreal-based holdings company that has close to $800bn worth of assets under management.
According to its website, its main interests are in ‘financial services, renewable energy, communications and other business sectors’.
#250 - Manulife Financial (US$40.2bn)
Topping the mini-Canadian list for this year – and ranking halfway down the overall ranking - is Manulife Financial with over US$40bn worth of revenue.
The insurance and financial services company has a customer base of over 22 million in its three key areas of North America, Asia and the United Kingdom.
Manulife has been operating in Canada for 125 years, serving one of five of the population.
- Top 10 sustainable companies in the US and CanadaSustainability
- Coinbase in Canada: Providing citizens with simpler cryptoCorporate Finance
- US & Canada key markets for airline service leader SwissportLeadership & Strategy
- Company profile: Canadian energy giant Imperial OilCorporate Finance


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New Lawsuit Challenges California's Assault Weapons BanA gun rights group is taking on California's ban on assault weapons.
One California City Mayor Wants All Gun Owners To Have Liability InsuranceIn the wake of mass shootings around the country, the mayor of one California city wants to require all gun owners to carry liability insurance for their weapons.
California Lawmakers Return To Work: More Gun Control On The Way?State lawmakers are returning to work on Monday and they have a full plate – including discussing tightening California’s gun laws.
Walmart Walkout: Some Employees Push Retail Giant To Stop Selling GunsSome Walmart employees are organizing a walkout on Wednesday to protest the retail giant's stance on gun sales.
Cleveland Elementary Shooting Survivors Call For Action, Gun Control After Mass ShootingsAbout 75 people gathered in Stockton Tuesday to thank Congressman Jerry McNerny for his support of laws to improve public safety and urge him to return to Congress to get bipartisan support of stricter gun control legislation.
California Town Wants To Be A Sanctuary - For Gun OwnersLeaders have declared the historic Old West desert town a "sanctuary city" for people who believe California's strict gun laws have encroached too much on their constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
Judge Again Halts High-Capacity Ammunition Magazine Sales In CaliforniaA federal judge on Friday halted sales of high-capacity ammunition magazines in California, giving state officials a chance to appeal his order last week that allowed their sale for the first time in nearly 20 years.
Becerra Seeks Delay On Ruling That Declared High-Capacity Magazine Ban UnconstitutionalWith the ban lifted, even temporarily, Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a court filing that "there is evidence that sales have begun already."
California Gun Owners Rush To Buy Ammunition Ahead Of New LawGun stores across California are reportedly seeing a boost in shoppers ahead of a new law taking effect next year.
Supreme Court Turns Away Challenge To California Gun ControlThe Supreme Court is refusing a new invitation to rule on gun rights, leaving in place California restrictions on carrying concealed handguns in public.
Guns Send Over 8,000 US Kids To ER Each Year, Analysis SaysGun injuries, including many from assaults, sent 75,000 U.S. children and teens to emergency rooms over nine years at a cost of almost $3 billion, a first-of-its-kind study found.
California, Already With Strictest Gun Control Laws In Nation, Pass A Bunch MoreThere were loud and sustained calls for more gun control legislation after the mass shooting earlier this year at a high school in Parkland, Florida. A lot of those efforts failed -- but not in California.
California Legislators Consider Tightening State Gun Laws California already has some of the toughest gun laws in the country but lawmakers are considering even more restrictions.
California Authorities Melt Seized Guns Into RebarMore than 3,500 guns seized in Los Angeles County have been melted and converted into rebar for highway and bridge construction.
Reno-Area School District No Longer Bans Pro-Gun ClothingThe northern Nevada school district that serves the Reno area no longer bans pro-gun clothing.


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The cryptocurrency community is constantly looking for ways to bridge the gap between traditional finance and fiat currencies. A decentralized finance (DeFi) tool. The Crypto OnRamp platform is the primary way users can move between these two financial ecosystems.
However, a new report from Cointelegraph Research and crypto-based financial services provider Onramper reveals that 50% of fiat crypto transactions fail even after the completion of Know Your Customer.
In addition, the difficulty of the transaction process can result in transaction abandonment rates as high as 90% during the purchase flow.
The study looked at the 9 largest fiat currency onramps, including Coinify, MoonPay, Transak and Wyre.
Data shows that different on-ramp performances vary greatly, but one of the main factors is user location. Europe has the highest transaction success rates, while Africa and South America have the lowest.
Other factors that influenced transactions on the crypto onramp included payment method, fiat currency used to convert to crypto, and available trading pairs. Bank transfers as a payment method have proven to have excellent transaction success rates, achieving close to 100% success in two instances.
Related: Credit Cards Can Bridge Web2 to Web3, Music Industry Executive Says
Additionally, transaction value is a key indicator of success, with smaller transactions worth $0-26 achieving a 66% approval rate.
This research concluded that a potential solution to the transaction authorization problem could be for token service providers to offer the broadest possible aggregated onramp in a single interface. Another is to dynamically route transactions to provide the best option for the user’s situation.
Recently at the World Economic Forum, Tether Chief Technology Officer Paolo Ardoino called the platform’s stablecoin Tether (USDT) a gateway to Bitcoin (BTC).
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority also explained that upcoming retail central bank digital currencies are a potential entry point into the DeFi space.


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2012 Mazda3 Unveiled, Receives Direct-Injection SkyActiv Four-Cylinder
Although the 2012 Mazda3 looks almost identical to the 2011 model, the new compact offering, unveiled today at the Canadian International Auto Show, does receive some mechanical improvements designed to increase fuel economy.
The 2012 Mazda3 is the first production model to implement Mazda's new SkyActiv powertrain, which aims to eke additional economy and performance from existing drivetrain technologies. The Mazda3 will be offered with Mazda's SkyActiv-G gasoline engine, along with an efficient SkyActiv-Drive automatic transmission.
Detailed specifications are still forthcoming, but the Mazda3's Sky-G engine is a 2.0-liter, direct-injection I-4, which features a 14:1 compression ratio to boost low-end torque. Corporate representatives have shied away from promising any fuel economy figures, but Mazda has previously suggested that the optimized Sky drivelines can increase fuel economy by at least 15 percent.
Although the SkyActiv-G engine is similar in specification to that used in the Japanese-market Mazda3, there's still no word if Mazda's i-Stop engine start/stop function is destined for North America. Representatives tell us the system, which promises a 10-percent fuel economy improvement in urban traffic is still being considered, but is years away. We've previously been told that Canada, which is ramping up anti-idle mandates, may be the first North American market to receive the technology.
2012 3s are also treated to a modest exterior makeover. Updates include reshaped headlamps, a mildly tweaked grille and air intakes, and a reshaped rear valance panel.
The 2012 Mazda3 is expected to roll into U.S. showrooms later this fall. Pricing has yet to be announced, but we expect base prices to remain around the $16,000 mark for an entry-level sedan.
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DETROIT – General Motors is launching a new tool that it believes will assist in filling the “EV knowledge gap” for electric vehicle ownership, not just for its own cars but other automakers as well.
The Detroit automaker on Monday launched “EV Live,” a free online platform that connects electric vehicle owners or consumers who have questions about zero-emissions cars and trucks with an expert who can answer them.
GM says the purpose of the new program is to improve education around EV ownership. But if someone is interested in purchasing or learning more about one of GM’s electric vehicles, the experts on the platform will be able to direct them to more information.
“Addressing common misconceptions about EVs will accelerate widespread EV adoption. We saw a need for accessible, credible and engaging sources of information to empower consumers to adopt EVs and appreciate their many benefits,” said Hoss Hassani, GM vice president of EV ecosystem, in a release.
Consumer hesitancy due to lack of knowledge and potential misconceptions about electric vehicles is considered one of the greatest hurdles for EVs, along with charging infrastructure and the vehicles’ often-higher prices.
GM’s new platform will host “EV specialists” in a live studio alongside electric vehicles and simulated charging scenarios. The specialists will answer questions through voice or text chat and will have two-way audio equipment and one-way live video, so consumers can watch as the expert demonstrates a charging connection, for example, and ask follow-up questions.
The experts will answer any general questions such as how to charge an electric vehicle to more detailed answers about safety and EV batteries, according to Hassani.
GM said EV Live will also help in preparing its dealers, employees, fleet and commercial customers and other third-parties “for the all-electric future.”
This post has been syndicated from a third-party source. View the original article here.


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American commentators have the unfortunate tendency to view democratizing countries, even those emerging from decades of repression and dictatorship, through an idealized lens that would leave even the United States out of focus. Mongolia is a case in point.
The country has been in the news lately with the conviction of former Prime Minister and President Nambaryn Enkhbayar for corruption, a development that has led some to worry that mineral-rich Mongolia is already succumbing to the "resource curse." But some perspective is necessary. Freedom House has consistently ranked Mongolia as a "free" country—the only former Communist country outside of Europe to have done so since 1991.
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Topgolf is about to open its second Charlotte location in the heart of Uptown with a smaller concept called “Topgolf Swing Suite”.
According to a press release from the company, they want you to think of the concept as “everything you love about Topgolf in a luxury suite.”
The new 10,000 square foot facility will include a full food and drink menu, lounge seating, and massive simulators featuring a variety of golf games, as well as other sports like Baseball, Football, Hockey, and even zombie dodge-ball:
Uptown Charlotte’s new Topgolf Swing Suite is located in the old Flight Beer Garden in Northside Station;
Construction is almost finished on the facility. Topgolf officials are planning on hosting a grand opening celebration sometime next month.


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In the US this week the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated a seven-year-old civil lawsuit that alleges Archer Daniels Midland Co . and its rivals rigged what is today a $2.4 billion (€2.5bn) market for the corn sweetener high-fructose corn syrup, used widely across the food industry.
The decision on Tuesday resurrects an ongoing price-fixing scandal that began in the 1990s. In 1996 the US Justice Department ordered a $100 million fine from ADM for fixing the prices of two much smaller products - lysine and citric acid - and, in the same case, a federal jury in Chicago sent three Archer Daniels executives to prison, reports the Wall Street Journal.
"I have no idea about the merits of the case," said David Nelson, an analyst at Credit Suisse First Boston . "But a trial would bring back that taint."
The plaintiffs, a group of about 30 companies that make everything from confectionery and soft drinks to baking goods, are seeking billions of dollars in damages, said Robert N. Kaplan, of Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer of New York, a lawyer defending the plaintiffs.
According to the WSJ report, the circuit court has not taken sides on the guilt or innocence of Archer Daniels and its rivals but concluded that there is enough evidence for a jury to consider.
A spokeswoman for Archer Daniels, which controls roughly one-third of the high-fructose corn syrup market, said on Tuesday that the company was still studying the decision, and did not comment on whether it planned any appeal.
The news will no doubt dampen company celebrations this week as the agribusiness giant toasts its 100-year anniversary.


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Microsoft Is Further Behind than It Thinks
John is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinion of the blogger and are not formally edited.
Given the decades of dominance that Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has enjoyed over the PC market, it’s a bit hard to believe that the Surface tablet is one of the few products that are Microsoft in hardware and software. That’s because the PC market has always been a collection of hardware companies that run on Microsoft’s software, creating a competitive PC market while solidifying Microsoft’s hold on the industry. Now with the PC industry giving way to the tablet industry, Microsoft is trying to be both hardware and software to remain relevant.
So far, it’s not working out.
Not the leader anymore
Microsoft’s quarterly earnings confirmed that the slowdown of the PC industry is hurting the company in the eyes of its investors. It posted a 10% increase in sales to $19.9 billion, and a $0.66/share profit, missing expectations of $20.7 billion and$0.75/share profit. The reasons for this downturn are pretty straightforward: poor sales of the Surface tablets, which had to undergo a $900 million write down in inventory, a still-struggling Windows Phone, and uncompetitive pricing for these late entrants into a highly-competitive industry have caught Microsoft flatfooted.
According to industry analysts, PC shipments were down 11%, marking the fifth straight quarter of decline, hammering into Microsoft’s core business and setting the company back considerably. It is evident that Microsoft needs to make a bigger play in the mobile computer business if it wants to get on the right side of the balance sheet. Unfortunately for them, they are entering a hostile market that they are late to, unfamiliar territory for this long standing company.
A bitter rival putting Microsoft in the hole
Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), Microsoft’s bitter rival, is expected to restructure the company a bit over the next quarter. The transition in question will involve both the release of the iPhone 5S, an upgrade from the very popular iPhone 5, as well as moving to decrease iPhone prices while lowering costs. The ability to sell iPhones for less demonstrates that Apple has turned a corner with its gadgets in the sense that the technology that goes into making them has gotten cheaper to develop, thus lowering prices.
Microsoft, meanwhile, is still developing tablets and its smartphones, which puts them at a huge disadvantage compared to Apple’s iPads and iPhones. The iPhone 5 costs as little as $199, while a phone like the Nokia Lumia 1020 can fetch up to $299 on contract and comes with a screen design that has been criticized as being too cluttered by some consumer websites. The iPhone hasn’t been dominating either, as Samsung’s Galaxy series helped the Korean company pass Apple in terms of market share (20% vs. 19% in 2012.) This just helps to show how far behind Microsoft is in terms of development in this new section of the tech industry.
Behind the curve in hardware as well
It’s not just software development that has kept Microsoft down for the last few years, hardware is getting hurt as well, thanks to chip-maker Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM). According to its most recent earnings report, Qualcomm chips are in over 800 smartphone devices, with nearly 500 more on the way. As the only LTE chip maker in business, Qualcomm has the inside track with phones like the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the iPhone 5S when it is released. All of this is bolstered by over $1.8 billion in R&D investment, a 21% increase year-over-year. This has helped the company boost its yearly earnings estimate from $4.20-4.45/share, to $4.40-4.55/share, which goes nicely with the expected increase in chip shipments for the rest of the year.
This is bad for Microsoft because it highlights another area where the company was once king. Microsoft would dominate when PCs ruled the land, and an area that Microsoft should be doing better. Yet, they aren’t, and that’s what is keeping the company back even further.
Microsoft’s silver lining
Fortunately, there are ways Microsoft can rebound over the coming months. While Qualcomm has a fairly good earnings season, a drop in smartphone prices from companies like Apple and Samsung will put pressure on the company to streamline its chip-making capability. As the current monopoly on LTE manufacturing, it will also have competitors that can start from scratch rather than having to decrease existing costs, a disadvantage for Qualcomm.
Enter Microsoft, which has both the experience in the tech industry as well as a need to get back to competitive strength by driving investment in LTE. If Microsoft can make its own LTE chips, theoretically, it could sell them off or collect royalties. It would have the Microsoft stamp, which is still valuable as a sign of quality, so there would be a market for the chips. It would also provide a chance for the company to upgrade Windows Phone devices cheaply. This would make the phones more competitively priced, and would also give Microsoft a renewed edge in the tech industry. That is something that the company desperately needs right now.
The bottom line
Until Microsoft makes these shifts, which will probably take a few quarters to become profit-making, its stock is probably not a good bet right now. In fact, none of the PC companies seem like good bets because of the bearish market they inhabit. Qualcomm may be the best stock in the sector to own because it deals in chip manufacturing, allowing it to sell to a diverse range of clients and tablet makers.
With a forward price-to-earnings of 12.5 and a $60/share price tag, Qualcomm is a good buy if you want a stock that will either go up or stay flat for as long as it has the LTE monopoly. If Microsoft gets in on the act, or some other company looking to cash in on LTE chips, then watch how Qualcomm reacts to the competition and hedge your bets accordingly. Until then, the company is a good buy, and Microsoft won’t be until it can get its act together on smartphones and tablets.
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John McKenna has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Apple. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple, Microsoft, and Qualcomm. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Is this post wrong? Click here. Think you can do better? Join us and write your own!


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It has been 20 years since Malaysia adopted the Look East Policy. Some of the romance may have worn off, but we think there are still benefits to be gained. However, globalisation may prompt Malaysia to reconsider, writes PROF LEE POH PING.
AFTER two decades, the Look East Policy may no longer hold any more allure for Malaysia and indeed elsewhere.
In part this is due to the passage of time.
Twenty years is time enough for any romance Malaysia might have had with the model in the beginning to wear off, especially when the problems associated with the implementation of the policy become evident.
There are also two other reasons.
One is the economic stagnancy Japan has been, and still is, experiencing since the Japanese economic bubble burst in the early 1990s.
The ensuing decade has exposed the inability of the model the Japanese practised to overcome this stagnancy, let alone continue to bring about high economic growth for the Japanese economy.
The politicians who are supposed to provide the stability for policy implementers, or the bureaucrats, to manage the economy have turned out in the public eye to be a squabbling and corrupt lot.
The bureaucrats have shown themselves unable to guide effectively the economy to a new era.
And some of the most hallowed structures, like the keiretsu, and practices of Japanese business, such as lifetime employment and seniority, are now under siege.
The other is the Asian economic crisis.
While the crisis and the Japanese model, and indeed the Japanese economic stagnancy, would seem unrelated, there nevertheless were incessant criticisms by many, especially Westerners, that the crisis has as one of its sources state management of the economy.
And this state management was held by these critics as resulting from the practice of the Japanese model, whether the affected Asian countries had been consciously following that model or not.
Such criticisms, valid or otherwise, had a negative effect on the attractiveness of the model.
Despite all these, Malaysia recently stated it has not completely abandoned the Look East Policy.
It will continue to learn from Japan even if only to find out where it has gone wrong.
Moreover, Malaysia Incorporated, adapted from Japan Incorporated, has not been a failure as, according to Malaysian leaders, it has helped race relations in Malaysia.
How does one make sense of all these?
One way to look at it is to distinguish between the capacity of the model to deliver high economic growth, to help conquer markets, and to stimulate managerial and technological innovations from that of maintaining social-cultural values and developmental aims.
It is clear that the Japanese model cannot deliver the former results any more. Japan is no longer in a high growth mode.
The West no longer feels the threat of Japanese exports as it did a decade or so ago.
And in many industries, in the automobile sector even, Western industries have closed the gap in many areas where the Japanese had managerial and technological leads.
One needs only to be reminded that one of the most important public policy initiatives of Malaysia in recent years, the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC), was not based on any Japanese example.
If there were any example the MSC was based on, it probably would have been the Silicon Valley of America.
But the model is also about helping maintain the socio-cultural values of society.
Businesses strive to maintain full employment even if profitability may be affected as too many people thrown out of work can affect social harmony.
At the same time, many businesses believe that workers, who have demonstrated loyalty to a company, should not be given the sack because of temporary downturns in the business.
Moreover, the ultimate purpose of the state, under the model, when helping strong businesses prosper and the weak ones fade away, is to ensure a strong country.
The goal was as much political, or developmental, as economic.
Thus Malaysia will continue with the Japanese model for these socio-cultural and developmental reasons.
If the state had not been able to competently guide the economy anymore, it can at least ensure that the economically weak will be given a chance to survive and to be involved in projects that will help modernise the country.
And if the economy is bad, the model could be used as a justification to ensure that retrenchment would not be undertaken in the kind of ruthless style normally attributed to Anglo-American capitalism.
The question ultimately arising is the length of time a nation can hold on to such a policy if the economy remains stagnant.
Implicit in such a policy is that if one retains the loyalty of the employee, one can ensure that he will work ever harder to help his company through thick and thin.
And also if the state helps develop an economy the country will benefit in the long run.
Such will enable the nation to last out the economic stagnancy.
Yet that does not seem to be the case in Japan now, what with its long period of the economic doldrums.
This is casting into doubt the ability of Japan to hold on to their model without sinking into a dangerous economic situation.
In this respect Malaysia has a better record of growth in the past decade than Japan and hence better able to continue with the socio-cultural and the developmental aspects of the model.
Yet with the onslaught of globalisation, particularly that of the march of Anglo-American capitalism, Malaysia’s ability to continue with the model remains in question.


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Shift One, a blue-collar job marketplace, announced Tuesday it had raised $5.2 million in seed funding, led by City Light Capital and JAM Fund.
Founded in 2019 by Uber’s former West Coast Operations and Logistics Technology leader Jason Radisson, Shift One is aimed at connecting available warehouse and logistics labor with companies in last-mile logistics, e-commerce fulfillment and large-scale event management.
This labor economy has historically dealt with an information deficit, which forces companies to overhire in order to find the correct employee for the job. The strategy is not cost-efficient for companies, and brings down the value of these employees as well.
“Shift turns the labor problem of adverse selection on its head by identifying, assembling and upskilling top talent and putting it to work where it can have the biggest impact,” said JAM Fund principal and Tinder co-founder Justin Mateen in a statement to PR Newswire. “I’m excited to watch how this new approach can bring workers along as we tackle last mile and on-demand labor.”
Many of these workers are currently or transitioning to becoming contract employees, which tends to come with no benefits. Shift One gives workers on its platform the opportunity for full benefits, along with checking accounts and debit cards.
“In the wake of COVID-19, stable jobs are more important than ever, especially in the massive logistics and warehouse sectors. We are proud to work with Shift One and believe the company’s model can be truly transformational for millions of blue-collar workers around the world — creating a more straightforward path to the employment opportunities that are so critical for supporting the overall economic recovery,” said Jeff Reinhart, partner of City Light Capital in a statement to PR Newswire.
Early adopters of this technology like Amazon, NASCAR, the Consumer Electronics Show, Weee! and Mensajeros Urbanos, have been able to take advantage of Shift One’s marketplace and its full suite of productivity solutions including time, taxes, attendance, productivity and work-order management as well. Shift One plans to use this round of funding to build on those technologies and expand into new markets.
“In the last four to five months, we’ve moved very strong into last mile,” Radisson told TechCrunch. “We want to give opportunities to millions that didn’t go to college and that have seen stagnant wages for years. We want to give them opportunities to get ahead.”


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BCDVideo Named to CRN 2017 Solution Provider 500 List
Northbrook, IL June 5, 2017 – BCDVideo, the video security leader in purpose-built on-premise storage, announced today that they have been named to the 2017 Solution Provider 500 list by CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company. The Solution Provider 500 is CRN’s annual ranking of the largest technology integrators and solution providers in North America by revenue.
The CRN 2017 Solution Provider 500 List is a predominant channel partner award list, serving as the industry standard for recognition of the most successful solution provider companies in the channel since 1995. This year, for the first time since 2010, the complete list will be published on CRN.com, making it readily available to vendors seeking out top solution providers to partner with.
“It’s a pretty significant achievement for the company, especially considering it highlights those companies that ‘provide solutions’. We are passionate about providing solutions for the video surveillance infrastructure marketplace and preserving justice. It’s always nice to be recognized for something you are passionate about to begin with.” – Jeff Burgess, BCDVideo President and CEO.
“The companies on this year’s Solution Provider 500 list represent an incredible, combined revenue of over $318 billion, a sum that attests to their success in staying ahead of rapidly changing market demands. We extend our sincerest congratulations to each of these top-performing solution providers and look forward to their future pursuits and successes”, said Robert Faletra, CEO of The Channel Company
The complete 2017 Solution Provider 500 list will be available online at www.crn.com/sp500 and a sample from the list will be featured in the June issue of CRN Magazine.
BCDVideo began in 1999. At the time, enterprise-quality, purpose-built IP video storage solutions didn’t exist for the security market. Focusing on proactive response and personal service has allowed BCDVideo to excel. Our award-winning products cover video servers, access control panels, client viewing stations, and networking.
We proudly work with the world’s top security integrators implementing security solutions certified by the top Video Management Software (VMS) and digital camera manufacturers. Our global footprint includes 30,000+ installed systems, spanning 50+ countries and countless verticals.


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Study quantifies information consumption
By UCSDA UCSD researcher has quantified how much information U.S. households consumed in 2008 in a report released Dec. 9 and noted that for an average annual growth rate of 5.4 percent.
According to the report, the average American’s information consumption of 34 gigabytes a day is the equivalent of about one-fifth of a notebook computer’s hard drive, depending on the model.
Roger Bohn, director of the Global Information Industry Center at UCSD’s School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, figured out that Americans consumed approximately 3.6 zettabytes of information in 2008 — the equivalent of the information in thick paperback novels stacked 7 feet high over the entire United States, including Alaska.
One zettabyte is 1,000,000,000 trillion bytes.
“How Much Information? 2009 Report on American Consumers,” is part of a project creating a census of the world’s information in 2008.
The study measured information consumed by U.S. consumers in and outside the home for nonwork-related reasons, and included the gamut of information sources, including going to the movies, listening to the radio, talking on the cell phone, playing video games, surfing the Internet, and reading the newspaper, among other things.
“This report is a snapshot of what the information revolution means to the average American on an average day, who consumes 34 gigabytes and 100,000 words of information,” Bohn stated in a news release.
“The total volume of 3.6 zettabytes consumed last year is much larger than previous studies have reported, partly because they measured different views of information, such as information creation rather than consumption. Also, nobody had looked at the role of computer games, which generate a staggering number of bytes.”
Some highlights include:
- The new report estimates that between 1980 and 2008, bytes consumed increased 350 percent, for an average annual growth rate of 5.4 percent.
- On average, 41 percent of information time is watching TV (including DVDs, recorded TV and real-time watching).
- Based on bytes alone, computer games are the biggest information source, totaling 18.5 gigabytes per day for the average American consumer, or about 67 percent of all bytes consumed.
- Approximately 80 percent of the population plays some kind of computer game, including casual games such as Bookworm, Tetris and social networking games.
- Americans spent 16 percent of their information hours using the Internet (second only to TV’s 41 percent). With the proliferation of e-mail, instant messaging and social networking, the Internet today dominates two-way communications, with more than 79 percent of those bytes every day.
- Despite rapid growth, consumption of new media such as YouTube videos, text messaging or games on smartphones is still outpaced by traditional media.
“There are several hundred million TV sets in the U.S., and depending on whom you ask, about 50 million smartphones,” explained report co-author James Short, research director of the Global Information Industry Center. “And new media devices are increasingly personal devices — mobile phones, Kindles and hand-held gaming devices — with small screens and relatively low resolution, limiting the number of bytes consumed.”
Looking to the future, the report’s authors point to current patterns of information consumption that will change the information landscape by 2015. In addition to the expected widespread use of HDTV, mobile television and video over the Internet have the potential to revolutionize where American consumers receive their visual information.
According to the study, the 3.6 zettabytes of total information used by Americans in their homes far exceeds storage or transmission capacity. For example, the total is roughly 20 times more than what can be stored at one time on all the hard drives in the world. Less than two percent of the total information was transmitted over the Internet.
“What is clear is that we consume orders of magnitude more information than can be stored on hard drives or transmitted over today’s Internet,” said Internet pioneer Larry Smarr, Director of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, a partnership of UCSD and UC Irvine. “Even small changes in how Americans consume information would have serious implications for network planners and require large-scale investments.”
To allow comparisons with earlier studies, the UCSD report’s authors devised mathematical formulas to convert all information statistics into words, bytes and the number of hours spent consuming information.
The report, “How Much Information? 2009 Report on American Consumers,” can be found at https://hmi.ucsd.edu/howmuchinfo.php.


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Malee Group Plc, one of the country’s top juice makers, has formed joint ventures with an Indonesian consumer giant in a bid to strengthen its international presence.
Opas Lopansri, executive director, said it has signed an agreement with PT Kino Indonesia Tbk to set up two joint venture companies with combined registered capital of 400 million baht, of which 50% has been paid up.
The joint ventures are Malee’s second investment abroad after Monde Malee Beverage Corporation in the Philippines in 2016.
“Malee Group continues expanding under its ‘Reconnect’ strategy by strengthening and developing collaborations with leading partners that offer considerable expertise in many areas to develop new products and increase sales and distribution channels locally and abroad. We aim to become a health-driven global F&B firm that operates sustainably,” he said.
“Malee selected Indonesia for market expansion as it is a strategically important country in Southeast Asia. It has the largest population in the region of 260 million, a significant growth in the middle-income base, and GDP rising at an average annual rate of 5%, resulting in an enormous economic base with considerable purchasing power. The strength of PT Kino Indonesia’s distribution network was also important in our decision.”
Mr Opas said the two new joint ventures are Malee Kino Thailand Co in Thailand and PT Kino Malee Indonesia Ltd. Malee Kino will focus on marketing and distributing Kino Group products in Thailand, while PT Kino Malee will develop new beverage products and expand the market for Malee products in Indonesia.
The group is conducting a market study to develop products that best meet the demands of consumers in both countries, and expects the businesses to become operational by mid-2018.
“We are confident these two joint ventures will enhance both companies’ competitiveness while expanding our business into new markets and reinforcing our existing markets by offering more diverse products that meet consumer preferences. By combining the strengths and expertise of Malee and Kino, we believe this partnership will drive a leap in growth for our companies,” said Mr Opas.
Malee recently announced it plans to spend 1.5 billion baht to transform the company into a health-driven global food and drink firm by 2021. The rebranding started with last year’s change from Malee Sampran to Malee Group. A packaging redesign and new product development align with its goal to focusing on health-driven products.
Some 57% of Malee’s revenue stems from the domestic market, with the rest coming from 40 countries including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, the Philippines and the US.
The group reported revenue of 6.54 billion baht in 2016, with a net profit of 530 million.
MALEE shares closed yesterday on the SET at 44.25 baht, up 75 satang, in trade worth 247 million baht.
Source: Bangkok Post Newspaper, November 2, 2017, page B5


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India Adopts 865-867 MHz for RFID
Regulators in India recently designated 865-867 MHz as the country's UHF RFID spectrum, in line with the frequencies used by the United States and Europe.
Jul 05, 2005—In a move expected to kick-start RFID adoption among Indian companies, regulators in India recently designated UHF RFID spectrum in accordance with the frequencies used by Europe and the United States.
The Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC) wing of India's Ministry of Communication assigned the 865-867 MHz UHF band for use by radio frequency identification devices. The ruling was part of a process initiated by EPCglobal India, a joint industry-government initiative that is leading the development of electronic product code to support the use of RFID.
"India has a strong export economy, so getting this spectrum was an absolute must," says Ravi Mathur, CEO of EPCglobal India, which is based in New Dehli.
Clearing the spectrum in India will enable Indian manufacturers to tag shipments of goods to meet the UHF RFID requirements of customers in Europe and the United States. Prior to the ruling, each use of the UHF spectrum for RFID required special permission from the WPC. Until now, Mathur maintains, some Indian pharmaceutical companies supplying tagged shipments to Wal-Mart have been forced to do so after the products have already arrived in in the United States, where the UHF spectrum for RFID is 902 MHz to 928 MHz. Because Wal-Mart and other retailers are requiring more of their suppliers to tag shipments of goods, Indian companies will increasingly be expected to tag their exports, as well.
Tags that comply with EPCglobal's Gen 2 standard are designed to operate between 860 MHZ to 960 MHz without degradation in performance. Thus, Indian companies will now find it much easier to encode and read tags on goods shipped, regardless of whether those goods are bound for the United States or Europe (where the UHF spectrum for RFID is is 865 MHz to 868 MHz).
Being able to use the 865-867 MHz UHF band for RFID will also be a boon to India's high-tech businesses. "The Indian software industry is in a position to be a major provider of RFID systems solutions [to the United States and Europe], but it needs to be able to test and develop RFID. In addition, chip manufacturers are also in discussions about producing RFID chips in India. With the spectrum allocated, Indian companies can work with UHF RFID without requiring special clearance," says Mathur.
EPCglobal India is also hoping to see an Indian university become one of the Auto-ID Labs—a federation of research universities that has evolved from the now-defunct Auto-ID Center and is dedicated to researching and developing new technologies and applications for revolutionizing global commerce.
India had originally considered allocating 2.4 GHz as the spectrum for UHF RFID, but EPCglobal India argued that having UHF spectrum incompatible with that used by the United States, Europe and other key markets would have seriously limited the ability of India's businesses to stay in step with RFID adoption elsewhere around the world.
"Our objective was to ensure that RFID spectrum in India would [provide] important access to the world markets," says Mathur.
EPCglobal India says its petition to the WPC faced initial opposition from both India’s military and railways, which had previously had had access to the 865-867 MHz spectrum. In its application to the authority, EPCglobal says it was supported by allocation of the UHF spectrum that had already taken place in the United States and Europe.
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(CNN) — This fossil is a sight for lizard enthusiasts. Sotheby’s New York announced that it will auction the skeleton of a Gorgosaurus, a cousin of the T-Rex, later this month, and it is estimated to sell for up to $8 million.
This member of the tyrannosaur family roamed the earth about 77 million years ago and was an apex carnivore that resided in the western United States and Canada during the late Cretaceous period. Due to his T-Rex genes, he has similar features, including a huge head with dozens of sharp, curved teeth and two small front limbs. However, it was faster than a T-Rex and had a stronger bite force, according to Sotheby’s.
“As the master hunter of its time, in which it was believed to hunt in packs of four, Gorgosaurus was a dominant force and singular predator,” Sotheby’s said.
The huge fossil, which is 3 meters tall and almost 7 meters long, was discovered in 2018 near Havre, Montana, according to Sotheby’s. All other known Gorgosaurus skeletons are in museum collections, making this the only specimen offered for private ownership.
“In my career, I have had the privilege of handling and selling many rare and unique objects, but few have the ability to inspire awe and capture the imagination like this incredible Gorgosaurus skeleton,” said Cassandra Hatton, global director of science and popular culture. Sotheby’s, in a press release. “Excavated only a few years ago, a Gorgosaurus has never been offered for auction before, and the opportunity to share this dinosaur with the public for the first time is an immense pleasure and a highlight of my career.”
This is Sotheby’s second sale of a fossilized dinosaur skeleton. In 1997, the auction house sold “Sue,” one of the largest dinosaur fossils in history, for a whopping $8.36 million. That sale broke a record for the most valuable fossil sold at auction.
Dinosaur enthusiasts can visit the Gorgosaurus skeleton starting July 21 at Sotheby’s York Avenue galleries. It goes up for auction on July 28.


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Omnichannel retailer Mister Spex has announced the appointment of Davide Croci as its new chief marketing officer, effective April 1. Croci comes from Flixbus, an international travel company where he last served as vice president of marketing, sales and commercial development. He will report directly to Mirko Caspar, co-CEO of ...
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MANILA, Philippines — It’s okay not to be okay.
Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach said there was nothing to be worried about after she opened up about her personal struggles and not feeling “100%” okay in a recent vlog post.
Speaking to reporters at the announcement of her upcoming book for ABS-CBN Publishing on Thursday, October 10, Pia said she recorded the video in March but only uploaded it recently because she first waited for the launch of her YouTube account.
“A lot of people have been asking me about that… I take a lot of the content on my own. I bring a little camera with me and sometimes, I asked someone else to shoot but I usually shoot everything on my own. So what happened with that is I blogged that around March, so it wasn’t a recent video. And I just woke up and had a bad day,” she said.
The beauty queen said she recorded it partly because she wanted to dispel the notion that she lived a perfect life.
“I was thinking, why don’t I share something more real? Because people will think that we’re okay all the time. And because I won a beauty pageant a few years ago, then I’m set for life and I’ll never have a bad day…. It’s just that I wanted to share that sometimes, we wake on the wrong side of the bed,” she said.
“I just want to share that it’s okay not to be okay sometimes,” she said.
New movie, new business
Aside from her upcoming book, her TV show Pia’s Postcards, and other engagements, Pia is working on a movie with Vhong Navarro under ABS-CBN Films’ Black Sheep.
“Right now we’re still trying to finish the movie with Vhong. We got pushed back a little bit. It’s just something internally that they needed to fix but were tying to finish the movie,” she said.
Pia is also set to launch a milk tea business with friends Nina Almoro and Pauleen Luna-Sotto called Bestea.
“November din siya so we’re under construction now sa Festival Mall sa Alabang. Hopefully other malls will take us in. Medyo mahirap kumuha pala ng puwesto. But it’s a milk tea business that Pauleen, Niña and I thought of one day while having lunch.
(It’s going to be open by November so we’re under construction at Festival Mall in Alabang. Hopefully, other malls will take us in. It’s hard to find a spot. But it’s a milk tea business that Pauleen, Niña, and I thought of one day while having lunch.)
She said they were inspired by the booming industry and decided to give it a try. “Kaya abangan n’yo iyan magpapa milk tea din ako,” Pia said with a smile.
(So watch out because I’ll also be giving out milk tea soon.) —Rappler.com


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Reyes signs LoI to acquire distribution rights to Coca-Cola in California and Nevada
Reyes Holdings has signed a new letter of intent (LoI) with global beverage firm The Coca-Cola Company to acquire distribution rights for its products in California and Nevada, as well as three bottling facilities.
The agreement covers some of the major metropolitan markets of Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Las Vegas in the US. Reyes initially signed the LoI in February 2014, when it established Great Lakes Coca-Cola Distribution to serve six states in the Midwest, including the cities of Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, and Milwaukee.
Reyes Holdings' founder and co-chairman Chris Reyes said: “It’s been exciting being part of the Coca-Cola system in the Midwest and we see tremendous opportunity with this territory expansion into the Western US.”
The new LoI includes the West Operating Unit of Coca-Cola Refreshments.
Coca-Cola's North America president Alexander Sandy Douglas said: “We chose Reyes Holdings as our new partner in California and Nevada because they are a long-term operator that is well positioned to invest in this local business and help us grow our total portfolio of brands.
“We are very pleased that Reyes Holdings will expand its already significant role in the US Coca-Cola system.”


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CMW has once again been contracted by the Bayford Group, this time to build their new Ford dealership and corporate headquarters at 356 Cooper Street, Epping. Sitting adjacent to the group's VW dealership (also built by CMW), the new Ford dealership will be a first of its kind in Victoria under the new design guidelines from parent company Ford in the USA.
The project is significant for the Bayford family as it will be completed for the group's Centenary.
CMW commenced construction of the new dealership in early October 2016, with completion scheduled for June 2017.
Total dealership floor area including corporate offices is in excess of 5,500m².


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The online games market in china grew to $1.66 billion last year, according to market research firm Pearl Research.
China’s most popular online games include Netease’s Fantasy Westward Journey, with 1.66 million peak concurrent users, followed by Giant Interactive’s Zhengtu Online with 1.52 million.
The year 2007 exceeded expectations with the market growing more than 60 per cent, driven by compelling and diverse content, free-to-play games, and rising demand for leisure and technology products,” said Pearl Research MD Allison Luong. Chinese-themed and advanced casual games are expected to drive revenues in 2008 and beyond.”
A key trend to track in 2008 is rising average-revenue-per-user. Certain online games are reaching $7 to $12 a month in average-revenue-per-user, significantly higher than past averages of $5 or less per month. I believe there is still room for average-revenue-per-user to grow, as game operators enhance monetization efforts from free-to-play games,”
Game operators in China enjoyed strong growth last year, with Shanda up 49 per cent to 338 million, Giant up 274 per cent to $209 million, The9 up 30 per cent to $175 million and Perfect World up 593 per cent to $95 million.


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December 12, 2014
For decades Nu-Way Industries operated with a conventional management structure. In recent years, managers at the Des Plaines, Ill., fabricator discovered that the two kinds of orders the company processed, engineered to order and make to stock, really called for two distinct value streams, each operating under a different business model.
December 11, 2014
Welders are the mortar holding the energy boom together, and today, we need more mortar than ever.
December 8, 2014
Fabricators expect steady growth for 2015. At the same time, they’re gearing up to handle increasing customer demand by investing in capacity-building equipment.
December 1, 2014
This month Senior Editor Tim Heston talks with Michael Chirchirillo, operations manager at Cary, Ill.-based Chirch Global Manufacturing, about how the fabricator developed the Chirch Global Manufacturing Network, a group of 14 family-owned businesses, all in different competitive markets, that collaborate to compete. Read the story.
November 26, 2014
Managers at one shop did the moral thing back in 2009, and that moral decision turned out to be a smart business decision, too. That's something to be thankful for.
November 17, 2014
Atlanta played host to FABTECH last week, when tens of thousands descended upon the Georgia World Congress Center. Most said they expected good times for 2015, but it's a complex business that requires careful coordination. A unique exoskeletal racecar on display last week proved to be an apt metaphor of metal fabrication at its best.
November 10, 2014
Three friends grew up in Sweden playing with LEGO®s and Erector sets. The creations they could make were endless, but their assembly method was pretty much standardized. Why, they asked, couldn’t a similar concept apply to material handling carts in a factory?


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Samuel Adams’ new Cold Snap recipe blends exotic spices, fruits
Samuel Adams is aiming to warm up winter with its new Cold Snap recipe.
The beer will feature a signature blend of exotic spices, fruits and florals that includes orange zest, vanilla, lemon zest, coriander, rose hips, hibiscus, plum, grains of paradise, anise and tamarind. It also features a smoother taste, the company said.
“When we first brewed Samuel Adams Cold Snap in 2014, we were inspired by the turn of the season from winter to spring, and we set out to offer a sign of warmer days with a beer boasting fruity, floral and spicy characteristics,” Jim Koch, Samuel Adams founder and brewer, said. “Our highly successful reformation of Samuel Adams Summer Ale earlier this year led brewers to revisit the complex flavors of Cold Snap, another seasonal favorite. The result was a brighter and smoother Cold Snap that will continue to help drinkers see past even the coldest winter days to a brighter future ahead.”
Samuel Adams also adjusted the ratio of Cold Snap’s spices by amplifying the orange and vanilla profiles for added brightness.
Samuel Adams’ Cold Snap will be sold nationwide through March in six-packs and 12-packs of bottles and cans. Prices vary by market, the company said.


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February 14(UPI)-- Alipay's data released today show it launched on January 27 Up to now, there are 600 million people In Alipay, we use 10 kinds of services, including epidemic information inquiry, online inquiry, buying vegetables to deliver medicine, health declaration, change of schedule, donation of love, travel with inquiries, etc. 10 categories and 48 services.
According to preliminary statistics, adopted Reduce the number of trips at least 90 million times, and take 4000 steps less per person every day。
From the first day of the first month to the 15th day of the first month, the average Chinese walk more than 4000 steps less every day, down 50% from the same period last year.
On AlipayOn the fourth day of alihealth's online consultation service, more than 700000 people visited the page, and more than 100000 people used the online consultation service, equivalent to 33 entities
In addition, services such as appointment mask, application for health code and community epidemic prevention system are online to reduce the cost of epidemic prevention.
Data display,Through Alipay Only by learning and thinking, homework helps 2 educational institutions. The number of learning per person per day on Alipay has reached more than 5 times since the Spring Festival. In addition, over 100 million people participated in Alipay's answer planet to answer questions and learn relevant knowledge.
To meet service needs, Alipay also issued


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Seven overseas fashion tech startups cosied up with Google in London this week as they look to scale their businesses.
The five-day exchange programme, led by Google program manager Francesca Dean, is designed to help the overseas startups forge relationships with retailers, investors, and other London companies.
Business Insider went to meet the cohort at Google’s London office on Tottenham Court Road on Wednesday. Here’s what we found out.
The fashion tech startups piled into one of Google's conference rooms and told journalists about their businesses.
Sarah Drinkwater, head of Google's Campus, told Business Insider: 'Given that London is such a hub for fashion and retail tech, we selected seven startups that were nominated by our global partners to come here for a week-long immersion in the city, from investor meetings to product mentoring.'
'Through the Google for Entrepreneurs network (Campuses and partners in 42 locations, from Galvanize in San Francisco, to Factory in Berlin, Gaza Sky Geeks, Fishburners in Sydney), we know there are communities of founders the world over keen to scale,' said Drinkwater.
The startups on the exchange program flew in from all over the world but the plane ticket was just about all they had to pay for.
Google paid for the startups to stay in Airbnb accomodation around Old Street's 'Silicon Roundabout', which is a few minutes walk from the Google Campus startup hub.
We got to meet all the startups involved. COSIGN is an American startup with smart tagging technology that allows consumers to shop directly from the image.
Shammane is a French startup with a smartwatch that 'helps you stay connected to the people, places, and events you care about most, without sacrificing style.'The smartwatch comes with interchangeable straps.
DeepVision is a Canadian startup that applies deep learning and its proprietary image processing technology to static images to make them more interactive. The company's technology could allow, for example, a Daily Mail reader to click on a photo of Kim Kardashian and find out information about her outfit.
triMirror is a US/Canadian virtual reality startup that allows shoppers to see what they look like in certain clothing through an app. The app shows shoppers where clothes will be too tight or too loose with a heat map
StyleID is a Canadian startup that helps TV and movie viewers to identify what clothes are being worn by the people on-screen.
The Brubaker is a Spanish startup with a luxury men's fashion website that claims to offer consumers the 'best in class garments at half the price.'
StyleSage is a Spanish startup that aims to deliver data-driven insights to help fashion brands and retailers maximise sales and optimise merchandising and planning. StyleSage decided to spell out what they do with this graphic on a whiteboard in the Google boardroom.
Business Insider questioned Drinkwater on what Google stands to gain from the exchange program and the answer appears to be nothing. She responded: 'Campus, and our work with startups, is simply our way of giving back -- Google itself began in a garage 17 years ago and we now have the resources, skills and belief in the transformative power of entrepreneurship to help those who are at the start of their founder journey.'
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A vegan convenience store in Nottingham is expanding following a deal brokered by NG Chartered Surveyors.
The V Spot has opened at 515 Mansfield Road in Sherwood in a deal sealed by NG’s Ellis Cullen on behalf of a private landlord.
The new premises will see The V Spot double the size of its store to almost 1,500 sq ft of retail space.
Adrian Bhagat, owner of The V Spot, said: “We’re delighted with our new premises. The new shop has room for a much wider range of vegan and eco-friendly products including a much bigger chilled and frozen section, a bigger chilled cabinet for cakes and sausage rolls. We’ve also now got a proper area
link source - The Business Desk