text:
Minister for Trade and Industry, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen has said that Ghana must consider developing pharmaceutical and plant medical products that can rake in foreign exchange and reduce the debt burden of the country. The Minister who was the special guest at the relaunch of COA Mixture, a herbal medicine for general wellbeing, asserted that pharmaceuticals and manufacturing are the ways to diversify the economy for robust growth.
Mr. Kyerematen explained that over the years Ghana has depended on two major commodities for its economic growth which has become unsustainable. He indicated that, there is a need to diversify the economy to include the pharmaceutical and Medicine manufacturing which is worth over 5 trillion in 2050.
He insisted that if Ghana can tap less than 1% of this projection by encouraging the production of pharmaceuticals including plant medicines, the country would have earned foreign exchange thereby reducing the country’s debt burden and stabilizing the cedi.
“If Ghana can focus on developing pharmaceutical products including plant medical products, the potential for export is very significant, even if we don’t make one percent of the (5trillion) but 0.001% it will help us reduce our debt burden and help us earn foreign exchange, which is the only way we can support our currency” he noted.
He also indicated that, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 80% of the developing world's population use traditional medicine, particularly herbal medicines for their health care needs and that in places such as Africa and Asia, herbs are even used as the first line of treatment for some diseases. He asserted that many pharmaceutical products currently in use are plant-derived, and most of these originate from the tropical regions of the world including Africa.
The minister applauded the efforts of the COA Research and Manufacturing Company in employing the highly skilled persons thereby reducing the unemployment burden of the country, and also producing plant medicine for the use of the country. He assured the company of his Ministry and government’s commitment to their endevour.
Founder and CEO of COA Research and Manufacturing Company, Prof. Samuel Ato Duncan, in his remark explained that COA Mixture was a well-researched plant medicine that had been scientifically developed and approved by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) as a medicine for the general wellbeing of all persons. He further espoused that the mixture is very powerful and that it preserves itself and have unique vito chemicals that supports the immune system for health living.
"It is not an HIV and AIDS drug. COA Mixture is for healthy living; it is a 100 per cent natural product from plants and without any artificial preservatives,” he emphasized.
Prof. Ato Duncan asserted that the COA Mixture which is manufactured for the general wellbeing of all persons should be taken whether sick or not to promote total health of the individual. He also indicated that COA Mixture is one of the best medicines the world has ever produced because of the marvelous testimonies across the world from its users.
The CEO further revealed that COA Research and Manufacturing Company is close to another research breakthrough in plant medicine that will make the country realize about $32 billion annually.
“When successful, Ghana stands to realize not less than 32billion dollars from this plant medicine, this will bring economic relieve to Ghana and also get treatment for some diseases the world is struggling to treat,” he noted.
Prof. Samuel Ato Duncan also donated an amount of GH¢100,000 to the Ghana Federation of Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association (GHAFTRAM) to assist members to register and certify their herbal products.
By Jeorge Wilson Kingson and Derick Botsyoe
Content created and supplied by: DumeviJeorge (via Opera News )
Opera News is a free to use platform and the views and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent, reflect or express the views of Opera News. Any/all written content and images displayed are provided by the blogger/author, appear herein as submitted by the blogger/author and are unedited by Opera News. Opera News does not consent to nor does it condone the posting of any content that violates the rights (including the copyrights) of any third party, nor content that may malign, inter alia, any religion, ethnic group, organization, gender, company, or individual. Opera News furthermore does not condone the use of our platform for the purposes encouraging/endorsing hate speech, violation of human rights and/or utterances of a defamatory nature. If the content contained herein violates any of your rights, including those of copyright, and/or violates any the above mentioned factors, you are requested to immediately notify us using via the following email address operanews-external(at)opera.com and/or report the article using the available reporting functionality built into our Platform See More


text:
While many mobile phone companies have various types of earbuds, the wireless ones are currently the toast of users.
Meet the Ghanaian entrepreneur who has developed wireless earbuds that can translate 40 languages
Ghanaian-British entrepreneur Danny Manu has been trending in the past week after developing a special set of earbuds.
Manu’s earbuds, known as Click, are not only wireless, but they can also live translate over 40 languages.
Face to Face Africa reports that the product is the world’s first truly wireless earphones that can translate that many languages.
When connected to any smartphone, Click automatically detects the language being spoken and translates it into sentences.
Customers across Europe, America and Asia are reportedly impressed with the device and are ready to make purchases.
In an interview with Keepthefaith, Manu revealed that he struggled to build his business, especially with funding.
He explained that as a black-owned business in the UK, he had to self-finance his business at the beginning.
“Like all the other ethnic minority-run businesses within the UK, I had a hard time getting the funding and financial support from banks and government-funded programmes that I needed,” he said.
Manu said he raised about $5,000,000 through crowdfunding sites and used that to start his Mymanu brand.
“If you truly believe in your product and ideas, you shouldn’t have too much trouble convincing other people to believe in them, too,” he noted.
JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

domain: news


text:
As delegates from the US and China get together to discuss an ongoing trade rift, experts and officials have voiced optimism that a resolution could be in the works.
Cui Tiankai, the Chinese ambassador to Washington, met with John Sullivan on Wednesday, for talks that could see a full list of tariffs pitched by the US and China scaled back, an expert at Capital Economics told Verdict.
A new set of tariffs announced by the US on Chinese goods on Wednesday and retaliatory measures threatened by China less than 24 hours later, were just a “deterrent” and may never go ahead, Chang Liu, China economist at London-based macroeconomics research consultancy said.
“Our view is that it’s unlikely that the exact, full list of tariffs will get implemented. Most likely it will be watered down.”
US tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminium products proposed by Trump have in recent weeks been scaled back for all countries except Japan and China, Liu said.
If the full list of US tariffs do go ahead, analysts predict that the damage would skim a minimal 0.1% off China’s GDP.
“Given the small economic impact on China, the response from the Chinese government yesterday, announcing retaliatory tariffs, was a little bit surprising, and we think the response is mostly a deterrent to stop the situation escalating.
“There’s also a chance that China and the US come to some kind of agreement, within the next few months, so it may not happen in the end.
Both sides have voiced willingness to reach a deal, following the hour-long meeting between delegates in Washington yesterday.
In an interview with state-owned China Central Television after the talks, Cui Tiankai, China’s ambassador to the United States, said:
“Negotiation would still be our preference, but it takes two to tango. We will see what the US will do.
While Trump’s top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow said:
“I think we’re going to come to agreements,” he said, adding that “I believe that the Chinese will back down and will play ball.”
Asked by Reuters if the US tariffs announced on Tuesday were just a bargaining chip and would never go ahead, Trump’s top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow said:
“Yes, it’s possible. It’s part of the process,” adding the announcements by the two countries were merely ‘opening proposals’.
Liu was optimistic that a deal could be reached, but said it would take time and fall short of meeting Trump’s full demands.
“The $100 billion reduction in the trade balance that Trump has demanded is hard to achieve, more likely China could offer some kind of concessions, for example deals on some big ticket imports, to sort of appease the US, of at least give the appearance of reducing the bi-lateral trade balance.
If they did go ahead, the retaliatory tariffs proposed by China of 25% on 106 US goods, including Soybeans, whisky and aircraft parts, could be disastrous for Trump’s support base, and would escalate the growing trade war, Liu explained.
“China has targeted the [imports from] states where Trump’s support has been the strongest.”
It is no accident that soya beans were top of the list, as they are made in states who voted for Trump in the 2016 election, Lui said, serving as a powerful threat.
“If this does lead to an escalation of tensions between the two countries, and more measures introduced in the future, then it could obviously lead to a broader trade war that would damage both economies. But right now I think it’s more likely a compromise will be reached between both of them.
Markets in Asia and Europe rallied on Thursday amid signs Washington and Beijing could work it out.[visualizer id=”152912″] Source: USITC, USTR, Capital Economics


text:
Local Campground Celebrates One Year as New Owners
Newberry/I-26/Sumter NF KOA celebrates one year as new campground owners with special, week-long event
Kinards, SC (May 4, 2021) – Newberry/I-26/Sumter NF KOA is celebrating their first anniversary as campground owners with a special, week-long event. Th event, called “Camping Makes You Young at Heart,” will feature daily events from May 9-16 for campground guests.
Originally built in 1974 as Joanna KOA (Kampgrounds of America), what is now the Newberry/I-26/Sumter NF KOA has long been a family-owned business in the community. The campground has had several owners and names before being purchased by three couples in May of 2020. Owners of the campground are Linda and Gene Nichols, Stanley and Mary Ellen (MEA) Ambroe, Steve Hernandez, and Becci Ambroe.
“Being new owners at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic was definitely a challenge,” said Stanley Ambroe. “But it’s been worth the effort. Again and again, we’ve heard guests tell us stories about camping here when they were kids. We truly love our guests and their stories that remind us how special camping is, with or without a pandemic. We’re very blessed and thankful to be a part of this community.”
Events to celebrate the campground’s first anniversary include daily games, an ice cream social, and a campground-wide scavenger hunt. Additionally, a pancake breakfast will be offered Friday morning. A Saturday night dinner included live entertainment from The Country Boys Band.
The week also culminates with KOA’s Care Camps Big Weekend where guests who stay Friday, May 14 get Saturday, May 15 for just $20. All funds raised from May 15 support KOA Care Camps Trust which distributes more than $1 million dollars annually to support 125+ Care Camps. These specialized, medically-equipped facilities offer a true summer camp experience to kids currently undergoing treatment or recovering from cancer.
“We’re really honored to be part of such a great cause,” Linda Nichols said. “We’ve already raised $1,650 this year, and our goal is to raise $3,000 by June 30th. It’s really important to us to give back and share our love of camping with kids who could use it most. That is also why 100% of all donations raised during the celebration will go directly to the KOA Care Camps Trust.”
While the anniversary events are limited to camping guests, sites are still available.
ABOUT KAMPGROUNDS OF AMERICA
Kampgrounds of America, Inc. (KOA) is the world’s largest system of open-to-the-public campgrounds with more than 520 locations across the U.S. and Canada. The industry leader in outdoor hospitality, KOA’s family of campground brands – KOA Journey, KOA Holiday and KOA Resort – offer sites and amenities designed for every type of camping experience. The company was founded 59 years ago in Billings, Mont., and today serves more than a million camping families each year, who rely on the standards of excellence and unique outdoor adventures KOA is known for. For more information, visit KOA.com.


text:
Samsung is officially set to unveil its 2018 range of 4K, HDR ‘QLED’ TVs (sets that use Samsung’s metal-clad Quantum Dot technology) at the American Stock Exchange on March 7th. We’ve been able to glean a few early details, though, courtesy of Samsung’s Senior Manager for Quality Innovation at the brand’s North American Quality Assurance Lab, Jim Langehennig.
During a Q&A session at a recent Society for Information Display (SID) conference on Emerging Display Technologies in Los Angeles, Langehennig claimed that there would be four QLED series in the new range rather than the three released (at least initially) in 2017.
These series would be called the Q6, Q7, Q8 an Q9, following the naming convention introduced for last year’s debut QLED sets.
The addition of a Q6 series suggests that Samsung is keen to offer a more affordable QLED option - sensible given that one of the biggest criticisms of last year’s QLED range was that they were too expensive. Samsung has also previously indicated to me, though, that it intends to be more competitive on price with all of its 2018 4K QLED sets.
According to a report on Display Daily, Langehennig had more good news to share during the SID Q&A: namely that both the Q8 and Q9 series for 2018 are going to use direct LED lighting, where the LEDs sit directly behind the screen rather than around its edges.
As I reported in this first look article from the CES, it was already known that, unlike its 2017 equivalent, the 2018 Q9 flagship series was going to feature direct lighting - an approach that generally produces much better contrast than edge lighting. But it’s great to hear now that the likely much cheaper Q8 model will be direct lit too.
Even better, Langehennig confirmed that both the Q8 and Q9 would support their direct lighting with local dimming technology, where different LED zones can output different light levels simultaneously. Langehennig wouldn’t say exactly how many individual dimming zones each model would support, though he did confirm that, as you would expect, the Q8 will have significantly fewer than the Q9.
It was suggested to me at this year's CES that the Q9 would have a good few hundred separate LED zones. That would be an impressively high number, and would help to minimize the amount of ‘haloing’ (extraneous light) around bright objects when they appear against a dark backdrop.
If the 2018 Q8 and Q9s are able to combine the new backlight system with the same high 1500-2000 nit brightness levels seen with 2017’s equivalent sets, they really may have the potential to challenge rival OLED screens again in a way that the edge lit 2017 models ultimately could not. Especially as all of the new QLED TVs will almost certainly feature the impressive anti-reflection screen technology that was arguably the single biggest attraction of 2017’s models.
The Q6 and Q7 models will presumably feature local dimming with their edge LED lighting systems too, with the Q6 likely to have fewer zones of separate control than the Q7. Inevitably, though, this edge-based dimming solution won’t offer nearly as much local light precision as you will get with the direct lit sets.
There’s speculation in the Display Daily article (not based on anything that Langehennig revealed) that the edge-lit models may feature a new type of Iris Glass capable of ‘focusing’ light from the edge LED array to where it’s need more accurately. Personally, I doubt that this will prove to be the case. But even if it does, experience of current technologies suggests that the more local a band of light from an edge LED zone is, the more distracting it can look!
I’ve pushed Samsung to provide more details on its 2018 QLED range, though I suspect we won’t now hear much more until the official March 7th unveil. Keep an eye on my Forbes channel for a follow up article then.
If you enjoyed this article, you might also like these:


text:
Johnston to give the lone domain name related talk at SXSW.
A fashion brand actually uses the rare .jobs domain name. I went to the mall with my daughter this past weekend when something suddenly stopped me in my tracks.
Coalition calls out ICANN for apparent lack of progress in dealing with Employ Media.
Response to disclosure request mostly redacted. The .JOBS Charter Compliance Coalition, a group of companies opposed to the expansion of who can register .jobs domain names, has gotten the cold shoulder from ICANN in a recent request. The group made a request through ICANN’s Documentary Information Disclosure Policy (DIDP) for information on how and why the IANA database entry about the “purpose” of .jobs was changed. ICANN responded by releasing the support ticket chain including the request from Employ Media LLC, but almost all of it is redacted
Monster, CareerBuilder, and others write open letter to ICANN. The .Jobs Charter Compliance Coalition, whose membership consists of online job boards, has sent an “open letter” to ICANN regarding Employ Media’s request for arbitration over .jobs.
Legal bills could start coming in as two sides bicker of .jobs domain name. An argument between .jobs registry Employ Media and ICANN has already cost some legal dollars, and I have a feeling it’s about to get more expensive. Although the two parties are technically in a process of “Cooperative Engagement”, recent correspondence is not favorable. In fact, the parties are sending correspondence about correspondence.
Group questions if ICANN’s compliance operations are up to the task with new TLDs on the horizon.
.Jobs debate “ends” Thursday. I wrote last month about a move to open up the .jobs domain name . Currently only companies can register .jobs domains, and only with their company name (e.g
Brady acted alone, says he wanted to generate money for long term health care. Nelson Brady has responded to a lawsuit filed by Oversee.net and Snapnames regarding the company’s bidding scandal.
Technology drives just about everything we do, and not just at our jobs. From banks to hospitals to the systems that keep the juice flowing to our homes, we are almost entirely dependent on tech.
Some old friends who are worried about their jobs disappearing have been asking me if there are still opportunities to make a living with domain names or on the Internet at large. This is what I told them…


text:
The Coca-Cola owned coffee shop business says it has reopened a further 75 drive-thrus yesterday (21 May), and will reopen a further 58 next Thursday (28 May).
As well as takeaway, delivery will be available at all locations via UberEats.
Having closed its entire UK estate back in March due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Costa begun a phased reopening of its sites last month with a focus on drive-thrus and takeaway only locations.
This process has allowed the business to trial social distancing in its stores, implement enhanced hygiene procedures, and adapt operations to keep both staff and customers safe.
Teams have been provided with PPE, and all sites will for the time being only accept contactless payment.
In an update to customers yesterday, Costa Coffee CEO Jill McDonald said: “All of us here at Costa Coffee hope you and your family and friends are well and looking forward to another long-weekend.
“Over the past four weeks, in line with Government guidelines, we are pleased to have successfully reopened over 70 Costa Coffee stores.
“To keep our store teams and customers safe, we’ve made a lot of changes to how we serve our coffee, introducing social distancing and enhancing our hygiene procedures.
“Customers are telling us that they feel safe when visiting and are delighted that we’re open.
“Our store teams have responded well to our new ways of working, which has given us confidence that we can re-open more stores."
In the last several weeks, Costa has also been delivering ready-to-drink Costa Coffee cans to key workers in hospitals, police and fire stations, as well as NHS call centres.


text:
NEW DELHI: Following the National Green Tribunal's order, Supreme court
of India on Tuesday said that it could ban diesel cars and SUVs with engine capacity of more than 2000cc. The ban will be in effect for three months from January.
This comes five days after NGT had ordered to stop the registration of all diesel cars
in Delhi till January 6, when the next hearing has been scheduled. The tribunal had also asked central and state government to stop buying diesel cars in Delhi.
“Such a sudden changes will impact the in a way a that it creates confusion and uncertainty in the minds of buyers. There should be comprehensive study on the sources of pollution,” said Jnaneswar Sen, Senior Vice President, sales & marketing) Honda Cars India.
This order from the apex court will be a big blow to all the luxury car manufacturers like Mercedes
which mostly have cars with engines bigger than 2000cc.NGT had earlier issued notice
to Delhi government, Ministry of Environment and to Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises on plea of car dealers seeking modification of order banning registration of new diesel vehicles.
SC also ordered to ban the entry of trucks registered before 2005 in the national capital region and increase the cess on trucks entering Delhi.


text:
Robust DR Planning Helps Combat Rising Retail Ransomware Attacks
Retail businesses are vulnerable to all sorts of disasters that can interrupt operations, ranging from natural threats such as storms, fires and floods to environmental events such as power outages, cable cuts and HVAC failures. However, the most dangerous threats to retail operations these days are decidedly man-made.
Retail organizations are now prime targets for ransomware attacks. More than three-quarters (77 percent) of retailers experienced at least one such attack last year, according to the 2022 Sophos State of Ransomware report. And the worst may be yet to come. Industry analysts anticipate a sharp spike in ransomware during the current holiday season when retailers stand to record about 25 percent of their annual sales totals. Malicious actors fully understand that retailers can’t afford downtime and lost sales during this critical period and are likely to simply pay a ransom without delay or negotiation.
While retailers can often prevent ransomware attacks with a variety of strong cybersecurity measures, they must also be prepared for worst-case scenarios. When an attack successfully breaches network defenses, a well-designed disaster recovery (DR) plan can help retailers minimize the impact by outlining steps necessary to restore data and resume operations as quickly as possible.
Not enough retailers have made such preparations, however. According to the Sophos report, less than half of retail organizations have a “full and detailed” DR plan. Ransomware victims often choose to simply pay the ransom, but that doesn’t always produce the desired effect. According to a recent Cybereason report, only 9 percent of retailers get all their data back after paying a ransom.
Here are three basic elements every retail DR plan should address:
1) IT Asset Protection
Robust backup practices help ensure that resources can be reliably accessed in the event of an attack. The 3-2-1 approach to backup calls for making three separate copies of data, storing them on two different types of media with one copy stored at an offsite location. Because some ransomware strains target backup systems, your plan should include an option for an immutable backup that cannot be altered or deleted. This ensures you have an untouched version of data that is always recoverable and safe from any attack or system failure.
2) Containment & Eradication
Once an attack has been identified, you should isolate infected servers and endpoints as soon as possible to protect networked and shared resources. All network passwords and online account passwords should also be changed as soon as possible. Following these initial containment efforts, you can focus on long-term corrective measures that will allow systems to be restored for use in production environments. This includes removing malware from all affected systems, finding and removing accounts or backdoors left by attackers, and installing security patches on affected systems. In severe cases, you may need to completely reimage hard drives to ensure that malware is removed and can’t cause reinfection.
3) Post-Attack Analysis
Conduct post-attack forensics to understand how the attack happened and how other attacks can be prevented in the future. Work with IT staff to evaluate decisions made during the recovery process and how they might be improved. If the attack resulted from an employee error such as opening an infected email or web link, implement additional awareness training efforts to reduce your risk profile.
Ransomware attacks on retail operations will almost certainly increase during the holiday shopping season. If you don’t already have a plan, now is the time to make one. If you do have a plan, test it now to ensure there are no flaws that could place your organization at risk. If you aren’t sure where to begin, give us a call. SageNet can help you develop and implement a plan that will boost your ability to survive a disaster.
Matt PittsfordSr. Director, Account Management
Aligning your in-store marketing with web and mobile can be tough in retail, whether you’re a restaurant or specialty retail store. But the goal is to create a better in-store digital experience for your customer. Digital signage is a great way to stay relevant and engage with customers in your retail stores. From a beautiful high-definition TV to a large touchscreen. That’s the great thing about SageNet – we can help all our customers see positive results, whether it’s through in-store digital engagement or the latest in digital signage menu boards and analytics into customer insights.Get to know Matt
Interested in what our experts had to say?
Learn more about our services - all driven by the changing technology landscape.


text:
Previously there were two different devices which were certified by the 3C authority in China, the OPPO PAAT00 and PAAM00. Oppo has recently confirmed the launch of its upcoming devices in the R-series, the Oppo R15 and the R15 Dream Mirror edition, with the media invites being sent out for the phone.
Oppo also had plans to release the R13 Moniker, but the launch was canceled because the number 13 seems unauspicious to many people. Anyways, heading back to our topic, the OPPO PAAT00, PAAM00, PACT00 and PACM00 models turns out to be the Oppo R15 and the R15 Dream Mirror.
Now, take a look at the TENAA listing:
Both these devices have received the TENAA certification in the previous month. Now talking about the device, the OPPO PAAT00 could probably be the R15 Dream Mirror Edition and this device sports a 6.28 inch AMOLED display which comes with a resolution of 2280*1080 pixels. Talking about some power, the device is powered by an octa-core processor which is clocked at 2.2 GHz and is coupled with 6GB of RAM.
Though the device comes with 128GB of internal storage, Oppo has also provided a micro SD card slot if in case you run out of storage. Out of the box the device runs on Android 8.1 Oreo and comes with 3,300 mAh of battery.
Talking about camera, the device comes with a dual rear camera setup which turns out to be 16MP and 12MP, whereas the front is a 20MP camera. Now talking about the Oppo R15 or the PACT00 model, this device sports a similar 6.28 inch AMOLED display which comes with a resolution of 2280*1080 pixels.
The Oppo R15 was also spotted in it’s official ad run in China, take a look at the ads:
The only difference is in the battery department, this device comes with an 3,365 mAh battery. Never the less, both the devices come with 19:9 aspect ratio displays and they do have a top-notch like the iPhone X.
Now lets wait till the phone goes official and we can get a good enough look at the phone!


text:
PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--EarnIn, the leader in on-demand access to income, today announced the continued expansion of the firm’s legal team. Led by David Durant, Nicole Miller and Diana Bergano join as Associate General Counsel and Senior Legal Counsel respectively.
Miller and Bergano bring over 30 years of combined experience to EarnIn and will support products and solutions that empower customers and address inequality in the financial system, particularly as it relates to the traditional pay cycle and access to earnings. In their new roles, they will work closely with David Durant and Simone dos Santos to advocate for consumers and further EarnIn’s mission to create products and solutions that meet the needs of American consumers today.
“Having Nicole and Diana join our legal team is a testament to the work we are doing,” said David Durant, General Counsel at EarnIn. “Their passion for EarnIn’s mission and ample experience strengthens our ability to continue our work of providing effective and consumer-focused products and services that empower our customers to say ‘yes’ to more through financial flexibility.”
Miller has over 20 years of expansive legal experience across the technology and fintech industries. Prior to joining EarnIn, she served as Associate General Counsel at Rocket Lawyer, an online legal technology company that serves individuals and companies seeking online legal services. Previously, Miller held the role of Associate VP and Associate General Counsel at Yapstone, a global provider of online and mobile payment solutions for global marketplaces and large vertical markets, where she built an in-depth knowledge of commercial, corporate and payments law through the lens of globally based businesses.
“It is an exciting time to join EarnIn, which is an incredibly dynamic and growing company,” shared Miller. “The team is clearly aligned under the brand’s mission and purpose to serve our consumers through mobile technology and breaking down barriers to financial empowerment, and I am looking forward to working with this team to advocate for EarnIn customers.”
Starting her career at Cisco, Bergano joins EarnIn with over 20 years of experience through a variety of financial services companies, particularly as it relates to data security and compliance issues. Prior to joining EarnIn, she worked as Payments and Product Counsel at Yapstone, focusing on licensing and privacy compliance. Diana’s compliance focus started with her tenure at Blackhawk Network, a leading international gift card and branded payments company. She has practiced law in both the U.S. and Colombia.
“I’m honored to join the EarnIn team as I believe in the difference the company is making for consumers across the country,” said Bergano. “Advocating for products that have an impact on the day-to-day lives of our customers is a privilege, and it is exciting to be a part of a team that is purpose-driven.”
This announcement follows an exciting start to 2023 for EarnIn as it launched an official rebrand that aligns with customer values and the ability to be “all In” with money that moves at the speed of life. EarnIn is actively hiring across all departments, learn more at: www.earnin.com/careers.
As one of the first pioneers of earned wage access, our mission at EarnIn is to reimagine the way money moves to empower every person’s potential. We’re building a first-of-its-kind hub of financial life powered by streamed access to earnings that allows our community members to spend and save on their own terms. Our products are widely recognized as innovative, easy to use, reliable, and value-driven.
Since our founding in 2013, our community members have downloaded our app over 13 million times and accessed over $15 billion in earnings.
We’re fortunate to have an incredibly experienced leadership team, combined with world-class funding partners like A16Z, Matrix Partners, DST, and are excited for what the future holds for our community members.
Learn more at EarnIn.com


text:
“As of Tuesday, etherscan.io, one of the longest-running and most widely used ethereum block explorers, was inaccessible from IP addresses inside mainland China.
This is likely the first known case of a blockchain explorer becoming an internet firewall target and puts etherscan.io in the company of such blocked information and social media sites as Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit.
This is another instance of friction between the decentralized and immutable technology of blockchain and the tightly controlled, centralized government of China.
It’s not immediately clear what exactly led to the blocking of a blockchain explorer in China. But last year, there were reports that cryptocurrency users encoded censored articles regarding the #Metoo movement and a pharmaceutical scandal in China onto ethereum transactions in a bid to bypass internet censorship.”
“The platform’s CTO, Paolo Ardoino, confirmed that as of Tuesday, it would support Bitcoin (BTC) transactions on the Lightning Network (LN). The move is a first for a major cryptocurrency exchange.
Users will benefit from instant transactions and will pay almost zero fees to send funds via Lightning. Lightning company Bitrefill confirmed it would assist Bitfinex with deposits and withdrawals.”
“Launched by New York-based WisdomTree – one of largest ETF providers in the U.S. – on Tuesday, the new product will compete with a similar physically backed bitcoin ETP from Amun AG on SIX.
We have been monitoring cryptocurrencies for some time and … have seen enough to believe that digital assets, like Bitcoin, are not a passing trend and can play a role in portfolios.”
“Blockchain startup LifeLabs announced that it is developing a digital currency dubbed BVI~LIFE in partnership with the British Virgin Islands (BVI).
The coin will be a stablecoin pegged 1:1 to the U.S. dollar — which the BVI have used since 1959 — and its use is expected to reduce transactional fees, increase transaction speed and be accessible to outsiders such as tourists.
LifeLabs is also developing Rapid Cash Response, a fund meant to provide aid in case of a national emergency.”
“The company jointly developed the platform with fintech firm HQLAX, which was launched by R3 and uses Corda DLT technology.
The platform was able to swap ownership of a basket of German government bonds and a basket of corporate bonds between UBS and Commerzbank while employing Clearstream Banking as a custodian.
The go-live of the HQLAX operating model demonstrates the power of innovation that DLT is already bringing to the financial services industry.“
“Starting on Dec. 4, Binance’s users will be able to trade with XTZ, with XTZ rewards to be calculated daily based on live snapshots and distributed monthly.“
“Bitcoin artist “Bnoiit.c” has created an Ethereum-based virtual museum “Cryptovoxels” that ensures censored artworks are immutably preserved for an online audience.
In its collection as of Aug. 25 has been a Bitcoin mural by French street artist Pascal “PBOY” Boyart, which was painted over by French authorities earlier this year.
The mural has now been tokenized as a digital collectible — split into 100 ETH-based non-fungible tokens, which can be bought and sold via peer-to-peer digital collectibles marketplace OpenSea.”
“The Canadian nonprofit Open Privacy is working on Cwtch, a zcash-fueled messaging app with more decentralization than Telegram or Signal.
Lewis said Cwtch (a Welsh word for hug pronounced something like “kutch”) was inspired by market research with sex workers and queer communities that experienced censorship and malicious surveillance.
The most critical aspect of this whole endeavour will be getting people who use Cwtch to a position where they can easily use zcash to pay for anonymous services, or even accept it themselves.”
“We are very pleased that today the judge found that Virgil should be released from jail pending trial. We dispute the untested allegations in the criminal complaint. Virgil looks forward to his day in court, when the full story can come out.
Griffith was arrested on charges of conspiracy to assist the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in learning more about cryptocurrency for its own benefit.
Klein has represented a number of high-profile individuals in the cryptocurrency and cybersecurity worlds, including bitcoin entrepreneur Charlie Shrem and security researcher Marcus Hutchins.”
“StrandHogg poses as any other app on the infected device and tricks users into believing that they are using a legitimate app. The vulnerability then allows malicious apps to phish users’ credentials by displaying a malicious and fake version of a login screen.
Aside from stealing personal information like crypto wallet login credentials, StrandHogg can also reportedly listen to the user through their microphone, read and send text messages, and access all private photos and files on the device, among other nefarious exploits.”


text:
The UK manufacturing industry has kept order book levels near a 30-year high thanks to strong demand for motor vehicles and transport equipment.
Total order books in the three months to December were in line with the month before when it hit the highest rate since August 1988, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) industrial trends survey.
While 14 of the 17 areas of manufacturing enjoyed "above normal" order book rates, export orders eased back slightly from the 20-year highs seen in the three months to November.
Anna Leach, the CBI's head of economic intelligence, said: "As we head towards the end of 2017, UK manufacturers' total order books remain at a near-30 (year) high, with export order books remaining at their strongest since the mid-1990s.
"While the lower level of sterling continues to support exporters, cost pressures remain intense.
"Businesses will expect to see the Government's Industrial Strategy make rapid progress next year to support manufacturing and the wider economy in every corner of the UK."
The survey, which includes the views of 371 manufacturers, said total order books had a balance of plus 17%, with 28% of firms reporting above normal levels.
While firms predict output growth to decelerate over the next quarter, their expectations still had a positive balance of 13%, as 26% believe volumes to rise.
Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said: "The recent progress in Brexit talks might give manufacturers confidence to undertake investment projects that they have delayed over the last 18 months.
"But investment won't boost capacity quickly enough to make a swift difference.
"The risk, then, is that the UK economy fails to capitalise fully on the recovery in global trade and remains the G7's laggard next year."
The update follows official figures earlier this month showing the manufacturing output kept growing at the start of the fourth quarter, expanding by 0.1% in October as industrial production came in flat.


text:
2019 Executive Conference Speaker: Ed Viesturs, Author and High Altitude Mountaineer
Atlanta — The 2019 Executive Conference Planning Committee, chaired by TTI’s Melanie Pizzey, has generated a slate of speakers all focused on leadership for what is expected to be a tumultuous decade: the 2020s. The theme is Vision 2020 – Leading with Clarity and this year’s conference attendees will be enlightened by a stellar roster of speakers who are experts in economics, strategic planning, change management, talent development and disruptive technologies like 5G and transportation — all seen through the lens of the impact on the electronic components industry.
Ed Viesturs is widely regarded as America’s foremost high-altitude mountaineer and is familiar to many from the 1996 IMAX Everest documentary and his position as National Geographic Adventurer of the Year in 2005. Viesturs has successfully reached the summits of all of the world’s fourteen 8,000 meter peaks without supplemental oxygen, an 18 year project he christened “Endeavor 8000.” His goal was completed on May 12, 2005 with his ascent of Annapurna, one of the world’s most treacherous peaks. He is one of only a handful of climbers in history – and the only American – to accomplish this. Ed’s presentation is generously sponsored by TE Connectivity and TTI, Inc.
In his presentation “No Shortcuts to the Top”, Viesturs will explain his motto of ‘Climbing has to be a roundtrip,’ meaning perseverance, planning and conditioning are the key to any journey. Attendees will learn how to channel disciplined preparation into professional goals for success.
“Ed will share his inspiring story which he has skillfully transformed into a prescription for professional motivation and achievement,” noted Debbie Conyers, ECIA Vice President Member Engagement. “I’m looking forward to seeing how he makes those connections,” she added.
“Attendees are going to really be inspired by this amazing accomplishment and the lessons Ed learned from his experiences,” continued Melanie Pizzey, Executive Conference Chair. “We’ve planned this conference program to balance experts with information specific to the components industry complimented by speakers that can bring an outside, unique perspective. We believe this will inspire the kind of innovative thinking we need for ‘20-20 Vision’ moving into the next decade!”
The ECIA Executive Conference runs October 20-22 at the Loews Chicago O’Hare.
The Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA) is made up of the leading electronic component manufacturers, their manufacturer representatives and authorized distributors. ECIA members share a common goal of promoting and improving the business environment for the authorized sale of electronic components. Comprised of a broad array of leaders and professionals representing all phases of the electronics components supply chain, ECIA is where business optimization, product authentication and industry advocacy come together. ECIA members develop industry guidelines and technical standards, as well as generate critical business intelligence. For more information, visit www.ecianow.org or call 678-393-9990.


text:
Changes coming for Post Offices in Rollinsville, Central City, Pinecliffe, Coal Creek and Ward
Options range from reducing hours to closure
By Lynn Volkens
The Post Offices at Central City, Rollinsville, Pinecliffe, Coal Creek and Ward are among the 184 Colorado Post Offices that the United States Postal Service (USPS) is considering for reduced hours of operation or potential closing. According to the Post Office Structure Plan (POStPlan) “realigning” hours of retail operation may be the solution to avoid complete closure of some 13,000 small rural post offices across the United States.
As part of the USPS evaluation process, surveys are being sent to postal customers who have Post Office boxes or receive rural delivery in the zip code area of the Post Offices being considered. In the case of the Rollinsville Post Office, (zip code 80474) the survey asks for input on four options:
1) Keeping the Post Office open, but reducing the window hours to four per day Monday through Friday with the Saturday hours remaining unchanged.
2) Conduct a discontinuance study for the Post Office in question, and provide delivery through a rural carrier. (A discontinuance study is the USPS procedure for evaluating the feasibility of continued Post Office services. Several factors are looked at, including insufficient customer demand.)
3) Conduct a discontinuance study, and find a suitable alternative location to be operated by a contractor. These are usually inside an already established local place of business, but cannot be in any establishment which sells alcoholic beverages.
4) Conduct a discontinuance study, and provide Post Office box service via another nearby post office, relocating the Post Office box deliveries from the current Post Office to the nearby one.
Box holders and rural delivery customers of the Rollinsville Post Office should receive their surveys by January 9, 2013. After that date additional survey forms will be available at the counter. The USPS will review completed surveys that are returned. Then Rollinsville Post Office customers are invited to a community meeting where they may ask questions or add further input. That meeting has been scheduled at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at Roy’s Last Shot in mid-Gilpin County. The USPS has not yet posted the dates when surveys will be distributed and meetings held for the Central City, Pinecliffe, Coal Creek and Ward Post Offices.
If the USPS decides to implement the first option, keeping the Post Office open but reducing hours, the proposed changes, per the USPS website, would be for the Pinecliffe, Ward and Coal Creek post offices to decrease window service hours the same as proposed for Rollinsville – from eight hours per day to four hours per day during the week, and keep Saturday hours as they stand now. For the Central City Post Office, window service would be reduced from eight hours to six hours per day during the week, maintaining current Saturday hours. Six-hour per day offices will be staffed by a part-time Postmaster. Post Offices reduced to four (or two) hours per day will be staffed by a non-career “relief” Postmaster. In all cases, customers would still have access to their Post Office boxes 24 hours every day.
If the Rollinsville, Pinecliffe, Ward and Coal Creek Post Offices are reduced to the four-hour per day schedule, the Postmasters of those offices will continue in their current full or part-time positions until sometime in 2014. After that, Postmasters of six-hour per day offices will be demoted to the position of part-time Postmaster with a salary adjustment equivalent to the appropriate hourly pay. Postmasters of the offices which are reduced to four-hour days, will not automatically become the part-time non-career Postmaster of that office, but may have the opportunity to retire or resign from the full-time position and then be reemployed in the part-time non-career position. There are numerous conditions detailed on the USPS website, regarding personnel options, including opportunities for early retirement.
According to their website, the USPS reaches 151 million Post Office boxes, residences and businesses, from 32,000 retail locations. It was ranked by Oxford Strategic Consulting as number one among postal services in the world’s twenty wealthiest countries. Yet, the USPS closed out their fiscal year 2012 with a net loss of $15.9 billion (compared to $5.1 billion net loss at the end of fiscal year 2011). The main financial impediment facing the USPS is not fewer customers, although First Class Mail has seen a 3.9% drop (electronic bill paying affected First Class Mail, but that decline is now slowing); and Standard Mail dropped by 4.3% (but appears to recovering). Package service increased by 8.7% ($926 million). According to Postmaster General, Patrick Donahoe, improved productivity has produced cost savings for 13 straight quarters. The postal service has reduced controllable expenses, but is hampered by a major uncontrollable expense – 2006 legislation which mandated that the USPS “pre”- fund 75 years’ worth of healthcare benefits, for future workers, over a ten year period; that’s $5.5 billion per year. The 2012 net loss ($15.9 billion) includes payments to the future retiree healthcare benefits “pre” fund of $11.1 billion and accounts for approximately 70% of the USPS losses.
The USPS receives no tax dollars and relies on the sale of postal products and services. It generates annual revenues of around $65 billion. Donahoe called for legislative changes that would allow the USPS to determine frequency of delivery, sell non-postal products and services, streamline governance so that pricing and product decisions would be made more quickly, require labor negotiators to consider the financial condition of the USPS when rendering decisions, and resolve the overfunding of the Federal Employees Retirement System. Meanwhile, the USPS is looking to further reduce the expenses they can control by closing or relocating Post Offices, or reducing window service hours to the times most used by customers. The national list of Post Offices being considered for these changes includes some Post Offices (urban, suburban and rural) in all fifty states. View that list at http://about.usps.com.
Warning: json_decode() expects parameter 1 to be string, object given in /home/customer/www/wrcnews.net/public_html/wp-content/plugins/posts-social-shares-count/classes/share.count.php on line 66


text:
At IFA, the software giant again outlined forthcoming updates to Windows and discussed its partners' efforts in future "Mixed Reality" headsets.
The new focus on video is bolstered by a new glass lens, new video effects, and improved zooming and audio features.
Despite the shadow of the Note 7 recall, Samsung looks poised to stand out in the phablet category.
More than a display, these old computers are working and available for researchers to use, which really makes this museum special.
Samsung's answer to the Microsoft Surface Pro 2-in-1 comes complete with the pen for artists, plenty of power, and a fantastic Super AMOLED display.
The Sony Cyber-Shot RX10 Mark III is a bridge camera, which is a great option for taking certain kinds of photos.
Office 365 subscribers get regular updates, and many of the latest include features making Word and PowerPoint much smarter.
Robots, autonomous vehicles, the 'gig economy' and more were topics of how the work of the future will take shape.
After widely-publicized incidents, Silicon Valley business leaders discuss how things have to change for women and minorities in tech.
Former heads of the CIA, NSA, and the US military, not to mention famous journalists, had a lot to say about our current cybersecurity issues.
Both retail giants are embracing the fact that having physical and digital stores is key to their survival and success.
While the battle with Apple continues for now, Qualcomm's CEO thinks they can come to terms out of court as it paves the way for faster wireless.
Dell has big plans to build on the major growth and success it's seen since it went private years ago.
The best Android phone on the market in terms of screen and processing power, the S8+ also shines in many other areas.
Excellent performance and reliability are just the beginning with this smartphone, a deserving flagship for LG.
Not much has changed recently in the world of supercomputing, but the ISC 17 conference revealed that there are significant leaps coming in the future.
The latest from Lenovo's event showcase: PCs of the future and workstations that will change the way we work today.
The use of the internet is growing for everyone, and how we use it will continue to transform. Media leaders discussed just how their businesses are changing with the times at Code.
From AI to drones to autonomous cars, Intel plans to be a big part of every aspect of future tech.
Former Secretary of State and Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton took the stage to talk politics and tech.


text:
6 July 2012
The Google+ platform team gets on stage and answers questions at the Google I/O 2012
1 June 2012
Avinash Kaushik talks at the Strata 2012 about "A Big Data Imperative: Driving Big Action"
25 May 2012
At the Parallels Summit Guy Kawasaki keynoted. Kawasaki explores why enchanting your customers is the key for service providers (or any entrepreneur) to build a business: it's the path...
11 May 2012
Alex Bogusky talks about creating a successful business in social and using social.
4 May 2012
In this Friday Talk you get to listen to the plans that Microsoft has with Bing. Bing's Jean-Benoit Van Bunnen talks about that at the Search University.
27 April 2012
Guy Winch talks about "The Squeaky Wheel: Complaining the Right Way to Get Results, Improve Your Relationships and Enhance Self-Esteem"
20 April 2012
Brian Solis, author of the bestselling book, Engage, delivered the keynote address at Affiliate Summit West 2011.


text:
What distinguishes an iPhone from all other phones in the market is its unique design. And the most recognizable part of the exterior of the iPhone and the iPad as well as the home button. However, according to rumors, Apple is considering the removal of the multi-use home button. From all devices. Forever. According to the most credible Apple analyst out there, Ming Chi-Kuo, Apple has really made up their mind. They don’t like the home button cum fingerprint sensor anymore. Kuo believes that Apple is working on a fingerprint on display (FOD) for the new versions of the iPhone.
Why is Apple switching to FOD
There are two dimensions to this decision taken by Apple-
- The reception towards Face ID– Apple’s risk of removing the fingerprint sensor and replacing it with retina scan, i.e Face ID, has paid dividends. It had a great consumer reception and is currently the best facial recognition system.
- Apple’s decision to go OLED– The new iPhones that will be released in the upcoming launch event, majorly have OLED screens. Apple plans to use OLED screens in its premier phone models and FOD works best with OLED screens
The company filing several patients of the FOD technology confirms Apple is working on integrating the technology in its new phones.
Should Apple really switch to FOD
Kuo believes that this decision might be a problem. Android phones already have integrated FOD, with the first phone with such feature coming from Vivo. He also thinks that Samsung’s S10, which comes in 2019, will have FOD. However, iPhones with this feature won’t be out at least before 2020.
If this comes out to be true, Apple might face a hard time ahead. If it integrates the Fingerprint on display feature then it would be criticized for being behind Android. If it doesn’t, then its quest of making multi-modal phones could be in jeopardy. Apple has a big fork in the road ahead of them.


text:
Nifty 50 Weekly Gainers and Losers; Kotak Mahindra Bank, Nestle India, Hero MotorCorp, HDFC
Top 5 Weekly Gainers
Kotak Mahindra Bank
India is the largest private lender on Kotak Mahindra Bank Share price this week increase 11.91% to 164.75 points and in the bank’s current market share price Rs.1,547.
Packed cover Food maker in Nestle India share price growth this week up 8.05% to 1,277 points were that company current share price Rs.17,140.05.
This company share price growth for 5.07% to 1,051.30 points increase was and Shree Cement’s current market share price Rs.21,579.05.
HDFC Life Insurance
Hdfc life share price growth last week 4.63% to 26.10 points increased and in the company’s current share price Rs.590.15.
Their share price grew 4.47% to 94.70 points and Asian Paint’s current share price Rs.2,214.10.
Top 5 Weekly Losers
This company share price down the weekly position on -10% to -311.25 points fall the share price and Hero motor’s current share price Rs.2,799.80
In the company share price, this week falls -6.61 to -136.15 points and Hdfc on day current share price Rs.1,923.55
Vehicle manufacturing on Bajaj Auto share price down for -6.34% at -196.35 points and in the company of current share price Rs.2,886.90.
State Bank of India
India Largest bank on State Bank of India this week share price fall -6.29% to -12.75 and this bank current share price Rs.190.
Hindalco share price this down on -6.15% to -11.20 points and in the company current share price Rs.171.
Thank you for reading have more updates Follow Social Media and Stay tune to Businsline.info


text:
Massage and skin-care chain Massage Envy is introducing a new campaign to grow its facial business.
The 18-year-old company introduced facials to its massage-only service menu in 2018. For 2020, Massage Envy is increasing its budget for advertising facials from 20% to 50% of its total marketing spend, according to Kathy Collins, Massage Envy chief brand and innovation officer. By the end of 2020, facials will represent 20% of the services performed at its 1,100 locations.
The campaign, called “Start With a Facial,” features comedians Vanessa Bayer and Arturo Castro. It’s set to run throughout the year across linear and connected TV, which will make up 70% of the campaign, as well as on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. In Bayer’s commercial, she speaks directly to the camera while getting a facial, explaining that she is curious about the products used but usually falls asleep instead of asking questions from her aesthetician. The commercial ends with an onscreen offer for a free 60-minute treatment between Jan. 1 and Feb. 9. The treatment is typically a $75 service for new customers.
“By working with comedians, we are taking a completely different approach to advertise a facial,” said Collins. “It’s about breaking through [to the audience] because facial ads usually feature spa music and talk about being refreshed and rejuvenated.”
Facials have become a popular service category over the last three years, with various boutiques like Heyday, FaceHaus and Glowbar untethering the service from the traditional spa environment. Each company seeks to democratize facials by offering them at lower costs, typically $65-$100. Massage Envy prices its facials within the range of $50-$90. Massage Envy earned an estimated $1.6 billion in yearly sales in 2018, according to WWD. Its facial customers are typically in their mid-30s and younger than its massage customers, who are in their mid-40s. Twenty-five percent of these facial customers also purchase a product after their session. Massage Envy has partnerships with skin-care brands like PCA Skin and Obagi, using their products in services and selling them in-store. It will introduce an acne facial using Proactiv in February. Massage Envy also introduced private-label skin-care products, under the label CyeMe, in April 2018. They’re sold in all locations.
“Massage Envy’s increased focus on affordable facials may seem like a direct threat to smaller, independent boutiques, but that’s not necessarily the case,” said Nathan Richter, senior partner at market research firm Wakefield Research. “Despite its national presence, Massage Envy has just five locations in downtown LA and three in Manhattan [where boutique facials have concentrated], so it does not have a major footprint in the key battleground regions for fast facials.”
For its part, Massage Envy has a high penetration in markets like Chicago, Charlotte and Houston.
Massage Envy expects its efforts to be successful, not only because of its facials’ comparatively low price points but also because of the burgeoning self-care and wellness movement, said Collins. In the third quarter of 2019, Massage Envy conducted four focus groups, eight phone call interviews and a quantitative study of 300 people on the topic of facials, finding that customers believe facials and self-care are essential to their mental health. Collins compared the movement to yoga, which began in the U.S. in the 1970s before ballooning to $27 billion industry by the mid-aughts. “I think that’s critically important for us to understand as marketers,” she said. “Taking care of yourself in the right way has become a form of intelligence.”
For help with your market research and opinion survey needs, contact Wakefield Research today.


text:
Starbucks Japan's New Key-Lime-Flavored Frappuccino Is Sunshine in a Cup
In 2016, Starbucks introduced a tart Key Lime Pie Frappuccino in China and Indonesia. Stateside, customers quickly found a way to re-create the tart drink using a secret menu recipe. Now, Starbucks launched another international Frappuccino that has left us looking into the whole secret menu thing again: the Key Lime Cream and Yogurt Frappuccino.
Currently available in Starbucks locations throughout Japan, the new blended drink combines a lime custard sauce with yogurt and butter cookie crumbs. If you're already drooling, you're not alone. It seems to be a local hit, too. Though the Frappuccino was just recently released, there are already a notable number of pictures of it on Instagram.
As these things go, the Frappuccino will likely remain an international menu item. That being said, we can still appreciate it from afar . . . right?


text: World's biggest carmaker Volkswagen is giving itself a makeover. The German company which has made only little changes since world war II has unveiled its new logo, and also new car models. VW also unveiled a new battery-powered ID.3, the first model in an unprecedented $33 billion push to make electric vehicles for the masses at the Frankfurt auto show. The twin steps -- both heavy with symbolism -- reflect the high stakes involved in Volkswagen’s ambitions to become the world’s electric-car leader just four years after the diesel-cheating scandal plunged it into the worst crisis in its history. The carmaker aims for the ID.3 hatchback, priced under 30,000 euros ($33,200) to become a trendsetter and take on similar status as its iconic Beetle. Chief Executive Officer, Herbert Diess said the unveiling is a defining moment, and called for an end to coal-generating electricity, and said he sees nearly 50% of the company's sales in Europe, and China being electric in 10 years.


text:
After prolonged debate, government plans to unveils its decision this month whether to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO) or not. The debate to join or not to join WTO started in 2009 when the country was given observer status.
In 2009, the then Thinley government had almost decided to join the world trade body but withdrew at the last hour. The accession would open up trade opportunities for the country but there are questions whether Bhutan can sustain the open door trades and promulgate enough legal tools to regulate such trades. The country also beed to bear costs.
The cost refers to the financial resource that the country needs to amend or abolish existing acts and regulations to make them coherent with WTO rules and agreements, and even to establish new institutions for that matter.
Going by the studies conducted in the past, membership in the WTO would give Bhutan a stake on direction of international trade. The country can also reap the benefits from access to open market and ensure that Bhutanese goods are not discriminated in the market.


text:
Sony Xperia Z1 Compact Is a Smaller Flagship
Sony revealed the Z1 Compact at CES this week, a new, smaller Android smartphone that offers many of the features found in the Z1S in a miniature package. It carries over the 20.7-megapixel Exmor camera sensor with G Lens, IP58 rating for protection from water immersion, and Sony applications and services, such as Video and Music Unlimited. The Z1 Compact has a 4.3-inch 720p HD TriLuminos display with Sony's mobile Bravia Engine, and a 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor with 2GB of RAM. The Xperia Z1 Compact runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and supports various HSPA+ and LTE bands. It will be available in four different colors and will ship later this year.
Feb 24, 2019
Nokia today introduced five new phones, all of which run a clean version of Android One, with a promise of three years of Android updates. The new range includes a unique new camera-oriented flagship, three very affordable Android models, and one feature phone.
Aug 31, 2017
Sony today announced the XZ1 and XZ1 Compact smartphones, two metal-clad flagships that pair novel features with classic Sony looks. The phones share nearly all specs and capabilities, with the XZ1 Compact downgrading only a few components due to its smaller size.
Mar 27, 2018
Huawei today introduced the P20 and P20 Pro at an event in Paris. The new phones, direct competitors to Apple's iPhone, are high-end devices that include unique colors, powerful processors, and the newest camera technology.
Apr 16, 2018
Sony today announced the Xperia XZ2 Premium, a high-end Android phone that boasts some of the most advanced imaging features available in a mobile device. The XZ2 Premium has a 5.8-inch 4K HDR display (16:9 aspect ratio) that Sony says is 30% brighter than its previous mobile 4K screen.
If only Sony made phones for Verizon...


text:
The Chinese company OnePlus announced on Thursday partnership with Marvel Studios.
The new partnership focuses on the Avengers: Infinity War, which was launched in India and the United States on April 27th: Infinite War, and has expanded the links between OnePlus and Disney.
It mainly hinted at the launch of the Avenger-themed OnePlus 6, which could make its debut on the release date of the Avengers: Infinity War later this month.
As of now, the official OnePlus 6 release date has not yet been announced. Last year, OnePlus partnered with Walt Disney Studios to exclusively launch the OnePlus 5T Star Wars Limited Edition in India.
The news about the partnership between OnePlus and Marvel Studios first emerged through a video teaser that showed OnePlus and Avengers logos and featured an Avengers: Infinity War poster for a brief 10 seconds. It was posted on OnePlus India’s Facebook page for a short while before being deleted.
“OnePlus’ association with Marvel Studios is a manifestation of the enduring love and support they have garnered from its respective community over the years with a purpose to go beyond the ordinary and achieve groundbreaking innovations in mobile technology only to create the best user experiences,” OnePlus writes in a press note.
OnePlus hasn’t revealed any formal details about the Avengers-themed OnePlus 6. Nevertheless, it is expected to come with Avengers branding and may have some preloaded content specifically for Infinity War fans.
All this is similar to what OnePlus offered with the OnePlus 5T Star Wars Limited Edition that was launched in India at Rs. 38,999.
Specifications-wise the original OnePlus 5T and OnePlus 5T Star Wars Limited Edition didn’t have any noticeable changes.
Therefore, it is safe to say that the Avengers-themed OnePlus 6 model will also be identical to its original model that is so far set to have a notch design and Snapdragon 845 SoC.
Other leaked specifications tip a dual rear camera setup and up to 256GB of onboard storage.
The handset is also speculated to come with a water-resistant build and an Alert Slider to enable ‘Slide to Focus’ option.


text:
Nintendo Space World events live on in gaming history, from a time when Nintendo would save some of its very biggest reveals for the show. It’s also a collector’s goldmine, with demos, hardware and more revealed at the show before
Day: April 30, 2021
Good news for FPS fans: Titanfall 2 will be free-to-play this weekend. After noticing there’s a new surge in player interest in this five-year-old game, the developers are making it easy for curious gamers to check it out. The game
Actually, this may be worse.
Capcom has released a musical puppet show featuring characters from Resident Evil Village.
It’s meant to be cute, though there’s still buckets of blood represented by red cloth, tinsel and streamers. Of course, fan-favourite Lady
If you think Grass-type Pokémon are underrated, or you’ve been trying to grow your green thumb over the pandemic, then you will most likely be the target audience for the new Pokémon Grassy Gardening collection.
They have pot-plant plushies:
And additional hoaxes have been made since then.
The hostage hoax that saw armed police rush to the offices of Ubisoft Montreal while dozens of employees barricaded themselves on the rooftop for safety was the work of a notorious Rainbow
Halo Infinite comes out this year, and it’s coming to both PC and Xbox. Microsoft’s gaming division has offered a broad commitment to PC gaming for both players and developers this week, and as the stewards of Xbox’s flagship, 343


text:
Rivigo raises $20 million in Series F funding round: Report
Gurugram-based unicorn Rivigo has raised $20 million (Rs. 142 crore) in a Series F round of funding. According to regulatory filings cited by Inc42, the start-up, which offers India-wide logistics solutions, has received the Series F investment from SAIF Partners and Spring Canter Investment Ltd. as well as an additional $3.4 million (Rs. 25 crore) debt funding from Trifecta Capital. Here's all about it.
First, a bit about Rivigo and its work
Rivigo was founded in 2014 by Deepak Garg and Gazal Kalra with a vision to make material movement faster, safer and in a cost-effective manner. The company, which offers its services to e-commerce, pharmaceutical, automobile, and FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) firms, claims to provide logistics solutions through a globally unique method, enabled by a strong interplay of technology, data, and operations excellence.
How Rivigo will use the fresh funds
According to previous reports, the company is gearing up to cut down its losses in the near future. But, Rivigo hasn't commented on the latest fund-raise. The start-up, which turned unicorn last year, had reported a loss of Rs. 600 crore and a revenue of Rs. 1,028 crore for FY19. It is also eyeing to be EBITDA profitable in March 2020.
Rivigo introduced relay trucking model last year
Further, in an attempt to enhance its efficiency, reduce operational costs, and overcome the challenges of truck driver shortage, Rivigo recently introduced a relay trucking model called RaaS (Relay as a Service). The model ensures that the drivers are behind the wheel for a maximum of four-five hours in a single stretch and reach their home the same day.
Finally, here's a look at the previous investments in Rivigo
Prior to this investment, Rivigo had raised $4.9 million in September 2019 from KB Global. The company had also received $65 million in a Series E round of funding from existing investors SAIF Partners and Warburg Pincus in July 2019. And, with the inclusion of this funding, the total capital raised by the company now stands at around $270 million.


text:
Jesse Ellis O'Brien
Close scrutiny of proposed health insurance rates for 2018, along with a new state program to contain rate hikes, has cut more than $100 million from premiums for Oregon consumers.
OPINION --Oregon health insurers have proposed rate hikes as high as 32.3% for next year, the second year in a row of big double-digit increases. Not only is this outrageous, it’s also unsustainable.
OSPIRG urges Oregon lawmakers to support new legislation introduced today in the Oregon State Legislature that will empower consumers to take personal responsibility for their own health care costs by improving access t


text:
SocialTradingGuru.com was launched in 2012, providing social trading comparison services and had partnerships with eToro, Ayondo, and Tradeo.
“Social and copy trading represents an excellent market for us to expand our products and services into,” said Adam Grunwerg, CEO of Investoo, in a statement. “It is also a strong platform to build our own SEO and revenue share business. We plan to capitalize on the acquisition of SocialTradingGuru.com by launching in a number of new languages and on a new design.”
Investoo is “actively looking” for more website acquisitions and partnerships to bolster its portfolio, said David Merry, chairman of Investoo’s board. “We have grown more than 10-fold since the beginning of the year and look forward to working with new partners,” he said.
Investoo Group is a newly-funded venture backed by Kinetic Investments and Optimizer Invest. This is its third acquisition, following deals earlier this year for broker comparison site 100ForexBrokers.com and financial news site Invezz.


text:
Performance Food Group, which owns Vistar Corp., announced the transition of Tom Hoffman from president and CEO of customized distribution to chairman and CEO of customized distribution. Hoffman will serve as chairman and CEO of customized distribution through the end of the 2011 calendar year and will continue to serve as chairman of customized distribution through fiscal year 2013.
George Holm, president and CEO of Performance Food Group, said in a prepared statement, "Tom has been an instrumental part of the executive team of Performance Food Group since joining the organization in 1989 and has developed a highly-talented team during his 22 years with the company. Tom's diligence and attention to detail in servicing our customers has earned him the respect of the industry."
Performance Food Group also announced today the promotion of Craig Hoskins to the position of president and chief operating officer of customized distribution. Hoskins has been with the company for over 20 years. He has served in various roles of increasing responsibility in the Vistar and Roma business segments, and most recently held the role of senior vice president of sales for Performance Food Group.
Tom Hoffman, chairman and CEO of customized distribution, added, "Anyone who knows our business understands our commitment to service and the loyalty of our customers and our associates. It is with great pride and respect that we announce Craig's promotion. His proven leadership will further enable this legacy of service and loyalty to continue."


text:
| ||Thread Tools|
|5th August 2010, 16:48||#1|
Join Date: May 2002
Logitech crams 13 'controls' on new wireless gaming mouse
The WarMouse Meta might take the crown for most prepsterous number of buttons, but Logitech's Gaming Mouse G700 doesn't fall very far behind. Announced earlier today, the new Logitech pointing device has 13 "precisely placed" controls that can be assigned to macros, and it boasts a "full-speed" wireless connection.
|Thread||Thread Starter||Forum||Replies||Last Post|
|Logitech G7 Laser Wireless Gaming Mouse||jmke||WebNews||0||6th December 2006 09:57|


text:
The Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest) and Guyana’s High Commission to India on Thursday led a multi-sectoral investment exchange with TATA Group- a multinational conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai, India.
The company holds a revenue size of US $103 billion as of 2021 and has some 800,000 employees.
Chief Executive Officer of GO-Invest Dr. Peter Ramsaroop and Guyana’s High Commissioner to India, His Excellency, Charrandass Persaud attended the virtual meeting.
Dr. Ramsaroop gave a comprehensive presentation to representatives of the company on the vast investment opportunities in the agriculture, energy, manufacturing, technology, and tourism sectors.
With TATA’s massive and diverse portfolio across the globe, the preliminary discussions were able to identify sectors in which the Government of Guyana and TATA could work together to boost Guyana’s capacities and open doors for large-scale sustainable investments in Guyana.
Company representatives gave a brief overview of the operations of the various companies under TATA including the TATA Power Limited, an electric utility company based in Mumbai.
The representative of the company pointed out that there is potential for the company to tap into the energy sector of Guyana. Other operations highlighted were the TATA Motors Limited, an automotive manufacturing company that manufactures passenger vehicles such as Jaguar and Land Rover, and Rallis India Ltd. which produces agricultural inputs, seeds, and chemicals.
The representative of the company pointed out that Guyana could benefit from its technological access to improve its productive capacity. Brief introductions were also given on the Indian Hotels Company Limited & Taj SATS, TATA Consultancy Services Ltd., TATA Consumer Ltd., TATA Projects Ltd., and Titan Company Ltd. Persaud expressed his appreciation to the TATA Team for their Interest in Guyana.


text:
In October of 2010, a major cybercrime ring was brought down. Before they were, however, their scheme to target mid-sized companies managed to steal $70 million. Every company needs to be aware that they could be a target for cybercrime - not just the large companies. Often, those are the best protected - and criminals know that.
Earlier this year, ArcSight and Ponemon released a study on the Costs of Cybercrime estimating that addressing cybercrime ranges from $1-52 million, with the median annualized cost at $3.8 million. That's costly.
Based on that report, you can take several key points away, as nicely summarized by PC World:


text:
Image source: Vanity Fair
Kia Makarechi, Vanity Fair:
â€œMarc is without question one of the most influential designers of this generation,â€ Ive said in a statement provided to VF Daily. â€œHe is extraordinarily talented. We are particularly excited to formalize our collaboration as we enjoy working together so much and have found our partnership so effective.â€
Design will ostensibly continue to be one of Apple’s several competitive advantages.


text:
As the summer travel season approaches, the lodging industry is celebrating a major legislative win. This time last year, AH&LA was fighting an intense battle against the Internet Travel Tax Fairness Act (ITTFA). Opposing ITTFA is our number one legislative priority and hoteliers from across the country visited with their members of Congress during our 2010 Legislative Action Summit (LAS) to explain the threat ITTFA posed to the lodging industry.
Aided by a common sense message of fairness, and coupled with several meetings to educate lawmakers, AH&LA has blocked this legislation on the federal level. Although the Online Travel Companies (OTCs) recognize that lawmakers are now aware of the issue and oppose their legislation, they remain determined to gain a tax preference over hotels. Hoteliers need to be concerned.
AH&LA identified early on the threat created by the OTCs that is occurring—hotels are being targeted in lawsuits as a way to recover the tax dollars localities believe they are owed.
The City of San Francisco is suing hotels for taxes it believes were collected by OTCs but not remitted—despite the fact that the hotels have never received this money and have paid their tax bills in full. Here, the hotels are a means to an end—the hotels are located in the City of San Francisco’s jurisdiction. Unfortunately for San Francisco hoteliers, it looks to be an expensive end. This is the scenario AH&LA has always feared and we expect more localities to follow suit if this practice is successful.
The City of Columbus, Ga., successfully sued the OTCs, claiming they owed taxes that were collected but not remitted. As a result, every hotel in the city was de-listed from the OTC websites (Orbitz subsequently came to an agreement with the city and now lists hotels in Columbus again). The OTCs are appealing the court’s decision. In the appeal documents, OTCs state that if the city wants the tax money, they should sue the hotels instead of the OTCs. Again, this is despite the fact that the hotel never collects and has no knowledge of the final tax amount. OTCs have created a lucrative business model by not remitting taxes on the retail rate and they are more than happy to shift the burden to hoteliers in order to keep their tax preference.
In addition to being dragged to court, hoteliers now need to be aware of legislation appearing on the state level. When the OTCs were stymied at the federal level by AH&LA, they began to pour resources into tourism-heavy states in hopes of quickly and quietly codifying their tax loophole on a state-by-state basis. Perhaps the best example of this strategy is in Florida.
Members of the Florida legislative leadership were supportive of the OTC bill due to years of lobbying by the OTCs. Once AH&LA became aware that a bill similar to the federal draft legislation was being considered, we actively opposed the legislation and began to organize Florida hoteliers.
Hoteliers from around the state made the trip to Tallahassee to testify against the bill and AH&LA coordinated with counties to create a strategy to kill the legislation. Thanks to the many engaged Florida hoteliers who testified, wrote, and called their members, this legislation was unable to pass this session.
Three hoteliers in particular deserve special recognition—Keith Overton of TradeWinds Resort, Tom Williamson of Ocean Partners Ltd., and Bob Davis of the Hotel & Lodging Association of Volusia County.
It must be emphasized that while we were able to get the Senate to stop the legislation due to our determined opposition, we expect the issue to reappear next year. This issue has been delayed, not resolved.
Florida is only one of many states that are dealing with OTC bills. Both Virginia and California have had legislation introduced and defeated, and AH&LA fears that this issue will continue to spread.
AH&LA is coordinating with our partner state associations to help hoteliers take preemptive action. The most effective time for hoteliers to contact their state legislators and governors is before the issue has gained traction or momentum. It is significantly easier to alert lawmakers of the possible threats now, rather than to play defense. Make no mistake; many more states will see OTC legislation introduced.
The silver lining in this difficult and time-consuming endeavor is that when we explain the issue to decision makers, they normally agree with the lodging industry’s position. Giving online travel companies an unfair tax loophole that puts hoteliers at the risk of paying substantially higher taxes is incredibly hard to justify. Politicians generally support hoteliers (who happen to be important constituents) and the news media overwhelmingly supports the lodging industry on this issue—if they hear the facts.
Our industry needs to proactively demand tax equality with out-of-state OTCs. Our position is easy to support, but we need to make sure that it is widely broadcast. Every politician, reporter, and decision maker should hear this phrase: OTCs should remit taxes based on retail price, as hotels have always done. If hoteliers do not get this message out and to the public, explaining the devastating effects this legislation would have on hotels in their districts, we will be dealing with higher taxes and an unlevel playing field.
The tax preference for OTCs over hotels is being successfully blocked at the federal level, but remains a massive threat to jobs, revenue, and our entire industry. The best way to ensure victory is to make our voice heard.


text:
(Denver-AP) -- State health officials say four additional
grocery stores in Colorado have been found to have sold beef
tainted with E-coli -- and are part of the nationwide recall by
ConAgra Beef Company.
Consumers who purchased beef at the following stores should
immediately discard the meat: Big T Supermarket in Denver purchased
between April 12th and July 29th, Hudson Locker purchased between
May seventh and June sixth, Ellicott General Store between April
12th and July 17th and at L-and-I Market in Evans purchased between
April 30th and July 17th.
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment officials
say the additional stores were identified through an investigation
after ConAgra released a recall distribution list.
Officials believe at least 38 people became ill after eating
ground beef that originated at the plant.
Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or email@example.com.


text:
Expansion and acquisition are on the cards for rapid delivery firms Getir and Gorillas. Getir has announced a UK expansion, while Gorillas announced it is in acquisition talks with a French company.
Turkish firm Getir launched in London last year and plans to add a further 6,000 staff to its existing 4,000 strong workforce. The company says it will invest £100 million in its UK business this year.
It is competing against the likes of Gorillas, which launched a trial with Tesco last year, and which this week announced it is in acquisition talks with French firm Frichti.
In a joint statement, Gorillas and Frichti said the proposed acquisition would enable the firms to offer customers meal kits, private label and grocery categories, as well as local products.
Frichti was founded in 2015 and now delivers fresh groceries, private label products and ready-to-eat meals to more than 450,000 customers in eight key cities in France and Belgium. Gorillas meanwhile has already opened 22 stores in five key cities in France and the deal would allow it to broaden its local footprint and density.


text:
Instagram’s Android app has a code buried inside for Utilization Insights function. It is going to present you the time spent on the platform, TechCrunch reports.
It’s not clear if it is going to present the full time or primarily based on day, week or month. Nonetheless, it is going to present customers with measurement of their time on the platform and in flip, additionally assist the corporate higher analyse the utilization sample to additional present a tailor-made expertise.
The function is presently unlaunched, nevertheless, the corporate has confirmed that it’s certainly engaged on person insights.
The hidden code additionally reveals different upcoming options on Instagram together with an Emoji Bar that allows you to add hottest emoji with a single faucet, and an @ button that will help you tag others simply.
Instagram final week announced new options for companies, quickly after launching a payments feature that lets prospects purchase services and products straight on the social media platform. The Fb-owned service has launched a simplified inbox for these companies that utilise Instagram Direct, and within the coming weeks will start testing fast replies. It has additionally introduced new motion buttons, serving to companies convert events into precise prospects.
Lastly, Instagram says it is going to quickly launch a brand new collection of in-product tutorials to information enterprise on the most effective practices to make use of the service to attach with prospects. In its assertion introducing the adjustments, Instagram mentioned over 200 million day by day energetic Instagram customers go to a enterprise profile every day.
Written with inputs from ANI


text:
Fianna Fáil TD for Offaly, Barry Cowen, has called on the Taoiseach to give a guarantee that the proposed VAT hike on food supplements will not proceed on March 1.
Deputy Cowen was speaking in the Dáil and said, “it is plainly obvious to all parties and none, that the increase in VAT on food supplements was not contained within the Finance Bill."
“Speaking during report stage of the Finance Bill, Minister of State D’Arcy stated that the tax strategy group would be examining proposals on food supplements."
"That group is not due to publish their report until the summertime yet the announcement of an increase of 23% on food supplements was made by Revenue late last year. At no stage did the Minister or the Government indicate that the Revenue Commissioners were planning to publish revised guidelines in advance of the Tax Strategy Group examining the issue," he added.
“The majority of people take food supplements in a bid to live healthier lives. Their popularity can be seen in the number of health food shops around the country; they are in Birr and Tullamore and many other towns around Ireland."
"These shops are now facing a very real danger of having to close their doors. At a time when the cost of living is already high, a 23% tax increase on food supplements could push them out of reach for many families," Barry said.
“I think Revenue were premature in announcing the tax hike and I believe that the Minister must halt the 23% increase, and allow the Tax Strategy Group to complete and publish their review,” concluded Deputy Cowen.


text:
The Bank of England has issued a stark warning about the country’s soaring consumer debt, saying that British high street banks risk losing as much as £30bn from defaults on credit cards and personal loan credit were the economy to take a turn for the worst.
If interest rates and unemployment rates start rising sharply, lenders will struggle to deal with the losses incurred from customers being unable to pay back debt because of higher interest rates or because they’ve lost their jobs.
Some lenders have already started to increase interest rates on their credit cards. This month, John Lewis and Waitrose announced that customers of its “Partnership Card” would face higher interest rates and balance transfer fees from October. Currently customers pay 16.9pc interest on purchases and balance transfer, but from October 21 the rate is increasing to 18.9pc.
The Bank of England said that Britain’s banks will need to set aside an extra £10bn to cover possible losses on personal loans, credit cards and car loans.
For now, we’ve rounded up the best credit card deals currently on the market, from balance transfer deals and 0pc purchase cards, to reward credit cards and the best plastic for overseas spending.


text:
Steam users rejoice! This morning Valve announced their plans to make updates and patches smaller than ever, allowing faster downloads and more painless downloading. Also included in Steam update: more games via a shiny new publishing schema. All made possible through the power of hypertext.
By utilizing HTTP, Steam will skirt ISP caps on bandwidth while allowing for firewalls to be easily bypassed. Patching finally caught up this morning as well, with a new system that compares the old and new versions of games before installing just the new information. So, you know, like a real patch instead of an entirely new game (in practice). Even more useful is the implementation of a download scheduling system, a move that also includes download priority and bandwidth settings for absolute control.
Publishing will now be easier as well, with Valve officially stating that the new system
“[Will] simplify the process of both publishing and updating a game on Steam, [so] it takes the partner and us less time to ship each product, so we can ship more stuff to more users.”
Finishing the exciting announcements, a typically cagey announcement that DotA 2 would be coming soon finished the good news. Unfortunately, the new system has only been implemented for high def video downloads, but Valve has assured its users that content and updates will be doled out over time.


text:
Bangkok falls 19 places to 49th most expensive location worldwide
Locations reliant on international tourism have seen their rental markets hit especially hard during the pandemic, resulting in some major drops in the rankings. Bangkok has fallen 19 places to 49th, while Hanoi saw a similar drop of 12 places to 81st.
Thailand remains 54th in World Happiness Report’s ranking
As one would expect with lockdowns and physical distancing, the pandemic had a significant effect on workforce well-being. Falling unemployed during the pandemic is associated with a 12% drop in life satisfaction.
Skin-lightening products market to reach US$31 billion by 2024
In emerging Asian and African economies, the natural aspiration to enhance one’s circumstances has led to rapid growth in the market for skin-lightening products, which is projected to reach US$31 billion by 2024.


text:
Li-Ning quietly made Chicago its U.S. division home in August, general manager Ray Grady acknowledged Friday.
In 2008, Li-Ning opened a retail store in Portland's Pearl District. Behind the retailing walls and upstairs, about 30 people -- designers, marketing strategists, sales people and others -- were given the job of executing Li-Ning's U.S. operations strategy.
On Thursday, the Chicago office announced the introduction of a Li-Ning brand website and e-commerce strategy with the digital marketing company Acquity Group.
The operation will do business as "Digital Li-Ning." When it was based in Portland, the U.S. operation was named Li-Ning Sports USA.
Grady said basketball shoes will continue to be designed at the Portland office. He did not know how many employees remained in the Pearl District location, where the retail store, believed to have been the only one the Chinese brand was operating in the U.S., has been closed for weeks.
A woman who answered the front door of the Pearl District location on Friday said no one at the site was authorized to speak publicly on the company's behalf.
Grady said the design of Li-Ning running shoes, a task that used to be assigned to the Portland office, has been shifted to the company's corporate headquarters in Beijing.
The Li-Ning website on Friday featured the "Liede" running shoe, named for a bridge in China and designed in 2010 at the Portland office.
The brand's basketball web page features "Turningpoint" gear, inspired by one of the three Li-Ning sponsored NBA players, guard Evan Turner of the Philadelphia 76ers.
One of the other sponsored basketball players, point guard Baron Davis of the New York Knicks, has been the focus of perhaps the only social media campaign on earth seeking more bench time for Taiwanese-American sensation Jeremy Lin (a Nike-endorsed athlete), and more playing time for Davis.
Davis, who occasionally visited the Portland Li-Ning office when he was in town, has seen his minutes cut this season by injuries and, now that he's again healthy, by the emergence of Lin.
"Could we see Baron take over as the Knicks starting point guard?" a Li-Ning tweet asked March 4, with a link to a news article that speculated on that possibility.
The other NBA player sponsored by Li-Ning is Jose Calderon of the Toronto Raptors.
Li-Ning, while sometimes called the Nike of China, has struggled in the past year, according to Chinese news reports. While it once was clearly the No. 3 sports brand in its home country behind Nike and Adidas, that is no longer clear.
The company has made a clear shift to digital-only sales in the U.S., after it stumbled in one of its few attempts to find a bricks-and-mortar audience in the U.S.
It's "BD Doom" basketball shoe, designed in Portland for Davis, made a brief appearance in some Champs Sports stores before the start of the 2010-11 NBA season. But shortly after the season started, Champs dropped the poor-selling shoe from its stores though it remained for sale on the Foot Locker-owned company's website.
Li-Ning's shift from Portland to Chicago had been underway for more than a year. In January 2011, Li Ning chief executive Zhang Zhiyong told a Wall Street Journal reporter the company would invest $10 million in its U.S. business this year and enter a joint-venture with Acquity Group LLC to expand U.S. distribution.
As the year wore on, however, Li-Ning officials in Portland seemed at a loss to characterize the brand's U.S. strategy or how the $10 million was being spent. At the same time, the office underwent a mass exodus of staff, through job shifting or layoffs.


text:
Today is Cyber Monday! It’s a less known cousin of Black Friday but the discounts being offered toady are sometimes even higher than those offered on fourth Friday of November. Here are the best Cyber Monday deals* for Apple TV users.
Squirrels, the company behind the popular AirParrot, Reflector and Slingshot apps, has just released AirParrot 2, the long awaited sequel to AirParrot. This upgrade is available for Mac and Windows, and it introduces major new features along with “drastically” improved performance.
In our report on Apple TV 6.1 update, we mentioned the new ability to scan for AirPlay devices via Bluetooth, in addition to the normal searching over WiFi. At that time, we couldn’t attach much significance to it, as it only helps to find devices and not to conduct AirPlay Mirroring via Bluetooth. But as more expert eyes are falling on it, this feature is turning out to be a blessing for educational institutions.