text:
UofL, GE Appliances collaborate on advanced manufacturing hub that will support student and micro-factory projects
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (April 16, 2014) — GE today announced its first micro-factory, FirstBuild, will be in Louisville, Ky., at GE Appliances’ headquarters. This follows the March 1, announcement that GE is partnering with Local Motors, the open-source hardware innovator, to create a new model for the manufacturing industry.
“To win in the appliance industry, we have to innovate faster than ever before since we are now competing with companies that apply their rapid electronic products introduction strategy to the appliance industry,” said Kevin Nolan, GE Appliances’ vice president of technology. “This new model will enable us to be more creative in the design and delivery of the products, and do so with lower risk and cost while drastically reducing the time from mind to market. FirstBuild will also enable us to move select products to larger scale production with more confidence because they will have been vetted by the new platform first.”
The new FirstBuild micro-factory will be located on the University of Louisville (UofL) Belknap Campus and will officially open this summer. It will harness the power of an open platform and a global co-creation community to power micro-manufacturing capabilities to accelerate the introduction of the products consumers want, when they want them. The location will also enable easy access for engineering, advanced manufacturing and other student activities to build a strong local network of on-site community members.
“Today, America is searching to define its new manufacturing soul,” said Jay Rogers, CEO of Local Motors. “Many people assume this industrial reinvigoration will come out of the tech hubs of San Francisco, Boston, or New York. Trends such as micro-manufacturing powered by co-creation, however, as well as the industrial Internet are showing us that cities like Louisville can again be leaders in the Third Industrial Revolution. FirstBuild is showing us that it is happening right now.”
The new FirstBuild community will focus on the future of cooking as its first set of projects. It will provide a platform for a global community of innovators to prototype, iterate and refine existing GE products, as well as surface new designs. Local community members will be encouraged to work alongside FirstBuild employees to bring the community designs to life at the East Brandeis Avenue micro-factory location.
“We selected Louisville for the first micro-factory because of the strong collaborative innovation and entrepreneurial spirit that is nurtured by the UofL and our city government,” said Nolan. “It is also important to be close to GE Appliances’ design and engineering teams to ensure real-time iteration as small batch production of community designs are transitioned to larger scale production.”
UofL, which owns the building where FirstBuild will be housed, will be much more involved than a typical landlord. UofL and GE Appliances have plans to create an Advanced Manufacturing hub where students can conduct research while getting practical training on the latest additive manufacturing and technologies in the micro-factory setting.
“The University of Louisville is excited to be expanding our collaboration with GE,” said UofL President James Ramsey. “Together, we’re finding new ways to grow technologies and our economy while giving our students real-world engineering experiences.”
FirstBuild employees and on-site community members will use social media tools daily to keep community members around the world appraised of the progress being made at the facility on the designs they helped to create. To become a community member or for more information, visit firstbuild.com.


text:
Despite Fallout 4's release date still being two months away, developer Bethesda Softworks has just announced its post-launch plans for the much-anticipated game.
As it did with Skyrim, Bethesda intends to release free updates for Fallout 4 which will address any bug issues and add new features to the game. The developer says it intends to work with the fans to discover what they would like added to the post-apocalyptic RPG.
The studio is also planning to release a $30 season pass that will allow access to all the DLC Bethesda releases for Fallout 4. "Since we're still hard at work on the game, we don't know what the actual DLC will be yet, but it will start coming early next year. Based on what we did for Oblivion, Fallout 3, and Skyrim, we know that it will be worth at least $40, and if we do more, you'll get it all with the Season Pass," a post on Bethesda.net reads.
The post also mentions the mod support that will be available for Fallout 4; Bethesda will be releasing the free Creation Kit next year, which will allow players to create their own mods and share them with others. The kit is the same tool the team used in the studio during development of the game. These user-created mods will eventually be sharable on both the Xbox One and PS4, not just the PC.
"The most important thing in our games is the freedom you have to create your own experience, and modding is a big part of that," Bethesda said. "Like all our previous games, we've made sure to keep Fallout 4 open and moddable at every step in development."
Bethesda will likely be hoping it can emulate the success of this year's other open world RPG, The Witcher 3. CD Projekt Red's fantastic fantasy adventure sold 4 million copies within two weeks of its release, and has since received several free updates that add new features, modes and quests to the game.
Fallout 4 will be released on November 10th for the PC, Xbox One and PS4.

domain: news


text:
The Royal Mint has confirmed that four new limited edition 50p designs will be released.
The coins will feature characters from Beatrix Potter stories, as an extension of the celebration of the famous author’s 150th anniversary in 2016.
Flopsy Bunny, Mrs Tittlemouse and a helpful mouse from ‘The Tailor of Gloucester’ will all also be printed onto the back of the coins and circulated later this year.
The coins will be released in two forms - 'brilliant uncirculated' or 'coloured silver proof'.
The limited edition coloured coins will cost £60.00 per coin while the uncirculated silver coins will retail at £10.00.
Anne Jessopp, acting CEO at The Royal Mint said: "The Beatrix Potter range has grown in popularity since Peter Rabbit was first introduced onto UK coins in 2016.
"Since then, Peter Rabbit has been joined by a number of furry friends throughout the years.
"This year we are delighted to present another group of Beatrix’s characters, giving them a new lease of life on our specially-designed coloured commemorative coins."
The amount of coins that will be released into circulation will depend on how popular they are.
Previous versions of the Peter Rabbit coin sold out with hours of their initial release.
Today, the same coins are being sold on eBay for upwards of £65.
Thomas Merrington, Creative Director at Penguin Ventures, added: "We are thrilled to be working on the third release of Beatrix Potter coins with The Royal Mint.
"The incredible popularity of the series has taken us all by surprise and we are delighted to add more beloved characters to this wonderful collection."
"Alongside the special edition coloured coins, the four designs will be hopping into the UK publics’ pockets and purses later this year as plain-metal circulating versions.
"Look out for all four designs in your change and put the coins in the Beatrix Potter 2018 Collector Album to admire the coins in one place."
Both versions of the Petter Rabbit coin are available to buy online here


text:
It’s a one-day, in-store-only deal: Big W has a pair of $20 iTunes cards for $30 on Saturday November 10. That 25 per cent off is as good as it gets, but if you miss out, there are several other deals active at the moment. [via OzBargain]
Dealhacker: Two $20 iTunes Cards For $30 At Big W Tomorrow
Trending Stories Right Now
Are you looking to make your smartphone or tablet more useful? Each week, we collect the latest productivity apps for Android, iOS and Windows Phone; all of which are 100 per cent free! Here are this week's highlights.
Skytrax has released its annual world airline star ratings, which are recognised as a global benchmark of airline standards. Once again, the industry's worst performers have been named and shamed with a star rating of two or lower. Here are the worst offenders that you will probably want to avoid while travelling abroad.
Brief video items of note for Lifehacker readers, including. the new Star Wars movie trailer released on Instagram, Metal Gear Solid's plot explained in 12 minutes, big machines and the creation of a cello.


text:
According to local media reports, the Italian luxury brand Prada is researching the possibilities of launching initial public offering in Hong Kong in the first half of 2011.
The insiders quoted in local reports said that if Prada chooses to be listed in Hong Kong, it may gain more capital than in its domestic Italian market, because the individual investors in Asia are more active.
Prada tried to get listed four times in the past ten years, but the plans were aborted due to various reasons. In addition, the company will make the final decision for whether to launch IPO or not before the end of 2010.
Headquartered in Milan, Italy, Prada eyes operating revenue of EUR2 billion in 2010 fiscal year; while its profit is expected to reach between EUR450 million and EUR500 million. Due to the recovery of the global luxury industry, Prada's loan level has obviously declined, and it recently opened several stores in the Asian markets.
In regards to the news about the IPO, Prada's spokesperson commented that the company is still observing factors such as the market conditions.


text:
After the RuneScape 3 released, most RuneScape keen players are join the it in the first time. Per minute over 2,000 cows died in Runescape3, according to the publisher by Jagex.
More than 2,000 cows go to that big green pasture in the digital sky every minute in RuneScape 3, free play from the UK publisher and developer Jagex Massively multiplayer online role-playing game. This is a big hamburger - 3.5 yuan per minute, according to recent information published charts.
Now, the latest chapter has officially launched the game, Jagex share some statistics from the team's 12-year history. It has created more than 220 million players since RuneScape account first launched in 2001, the publisher said. Players killed an estimated 208 boss, earn more than 307 experience points and cheap rs gold, and produced nearly 62,000 weapons per minute.
On the technical side, Jagex claims RuneScape 3 uses about 60GB of bandwidth a second. It also has more than 480 million words of text available in five languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese.
Kicks off RuneScape 3 launched "Lumbridge campaign" event, which has the player-driven dynamic content, which two groups compete collect the famous "God's tears". In addition to buy rs gold for new content, the update includes a new interface system, audio and camera improvements.


text:
Microsoft confirms consumers restricted from partaking in class-action lawsuits against the company over next-generation platform.
By agreeing to the Xbox One terms of service, consumers will waive their right to launch a class-action lawsuit against the company, Microsoft has confirmed.
"Terms include binding arbitration with class-action waiver to resolve disputes," a new new Xbox One policy requirements document reads.
Microsoft originally updated its Xbox Live terms of service in October 2011 to forbid class-action suits. Today's news is confirmation that the policy will remain in place going forward.
Microsoft is not the only major game maker to forbid class-action lawsuits. Sony's PlayStation terms of service restricts gamers from suing the company en masse, while Valve also blocks class-action suits.
It is unclear if Sony has updated its terms of service with the PlayStation 4 launching this year. A company representative had not responded to a request for comment.
[ Watch Video ]
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
Got an iPhone?Download Drippler 2.0
Notify me when Drippler 3.0 comes to iOS.
To Facebook Messenger


text:
Barnes & Noble declined to comment on the matter, but here are a few nuggets we’ve been able to glean about such a device:
The bookseller will likely introduce it on Oct. 20. The company has an event planned for that day at Chelsea Piers in New York, for what an invitation calls “a major event in our company’s history.” Again, Barnes & Noble has no comment.
The bookseller also hopes to make e-book lending a centerpiece of its device, according to two people in publishing who asked not to be named because talks were confidential. Readers can not lend digital books on the Kindle, although books can be read on up to six separate devices linked to the same Amazon account.
Ifølge The New York Times er der tale om en e-reader med en skærmstørrelse på 6 tommer og touch-skærm.
Tilbage i juli måned åbnede Barnes & Noble deres e-boghandel, hvor man ifølge The New York Times kan hente e-bøger til forskellige enheder, blandt andet Blackberry, iPhone og computeren.


text:
With its clashing colours and graphics-led personality, 55DSL is shaping a reputation beyond its skater kid roots
Celebrating its 15th birthday this year, cult streetwear brand 55DSL has all the characteristics of a teenager. The errant kid brother of denim brand Diesel, 55DSL’s against-the-grain, skate-punk attitude has helped the brand to not only forge a fashion-forward design personality, but also to develop one of the industry’s most innovative approaches to consumer marketing.
“I started working full time with 55DSL in 2000 but it’s always been very close to my heart,” explains creative director Andrea Rosso, son of Diesel founder Renzo Rosso. “I grew up skating and snowboarding in Italy before moving to California, where I became more immersed in the culture of action sports. It’s an evolving market which started in the 1960s but had boom periods in the 1980s with skateboarding, then the 1990s with snowboarding. That decade changed a whole generation, not only in terms of how people were dressing, but their entire attitude.”
While the explosion in boardsports-inspired fashion drove many branded specialists into the mainstream, creating household names such as Quiksilver and Billabong, not every player followed the same path. “Once upon a time this market was a niche area,” says Rosso. “Then it became huge and we had to make a choice as to whether we wanted to follow the market into the mainstream. In doing so we would have lost our humility, so we decided to stay closer to our niche market. We have 40 people at the head office, all of whom are on first-name terms, and we have annual sales of €30 million (£27.5m), so we’re still relatively small.”
This commitment to remaining niche informs the brand’s distribution strategy, says UK brand manager Russell Pickett. “We have to get the distribution balance between the high-volume retailers and niche players right. Policing the distribution is key.”
Remaining close to its target consumers preoccupies the brand’s marketing efforts. Leading the marketing charge is 55DSL’s Junior Lucky Bastard campaign, which selects two customers annually via an online campaign.
The winners experience a three month, all-expenses paid, globe-trotting fandango, in return for regular diary contributions to the brand’s website. “They have to have colourful and ironic personalities which reflect the brand, because in effect they become ambassadors for it,” says Rosso.
For creative inspiration Rosso looks largely to Japan, the UK and the US, but also spends time immersed in books, the web and vintage clothing markets. “In terms of graphics the 1980s has been done and people are now talking about the 1990s,” Rosso says. “People have become bored of 1980s neons and we’re trying out cleaner, more solid styles. Our graphics-led T-shirts and nylon jackets have helped create a uniqueness for 55DSL and it’s through those types of product that we are growing our brand.”


text:
The life of a drug is well established: a compound is patented. It’s then clinically trialled, approved for sale, and then when the patent expires generic companies mass-produce it. Sales then collapse for the innovator company.
But there are some drugs to which this cycle doesn’t apply: biologics.
These are complex molecules, created from cell lines, consisting of tens of thousands of atoms. Generic companies can’t copy them as they’re too complicated.
Biologics aren’t unusual.
Roche generates the vast majority of its sales from biologics: its most famous is Herceptin, used to treat breast cancer.
Biosimilars are attempts at making a generic of a biologic.
They’re not identical copies but they’re very similar.
A crucial difference between normal generics and biosimilars is that biosimilars must be clinically trialed to show it’s no different to the original drug. If it can, regulators will approve it and it can be used instead of the original drug.
Who makes biosimilars?
The usual suspects: Novartis, Merck and Pfizer are all developing biosimilars for their competitors’ drugs.
Some of the higher tech generics companies – Mylan, Teva, Allergan – are also getting in on the act.
3 years ago, there were no biosimilars.
Now there are several, and the number is growing.
$35bn of US sales are targeted from the top 14 biologic drugs alone.
By 2019, there could be approved biosimilars for 12 biologics.
This is good news for consumers, as biosimilars are normally priced ~20-40% cheaper than the original.


text:
Remember 2006 when suddenly everyone was afraid to eat spinach because there were reports of contaminated greens in a couple of taco restaurant chains. It turned out to be contaminated iceberg lettuce that caused at least 276 cases of illness and 3 deaths.
How much good produce had to be thrown out because people were rejecting vegetables then – when they should have been boycotting their CAFO (concentrated animal feeding organizations)-grown meat. Providing cheap meat is a very toxic process.
Here we go again. This time in Germany where some infected vegetable matter, originally thought to come from sprouts, have killed 22 people and infected at least 2,200.
“I’m stating clearly that for the federal government, the fight against E. coli is the highest priority,” said Ilse Aigner, the German agricultural minister, adding that Germans should continue to avoid bean sprouts, tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers until the source of the E. coli outbreak, which is among the deadliest in modern history, is found.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Europeans are avoiding fruits and vegetables and costing farmers $44 million a week.
The Journal concludes that researchers believe the strain behind the outbreak could have formed from a genetic recombination of two different E. coli bacteria, producing an unusually virulent bug, the World Health Organization said last week, citing preliminary genetic-sequencing data.
According to the Cornucopia Institute, this nightmare is a direct result of the overconsumption of meat and the demand for cheap meat that keeps cattle and other animals jammed in CAFO feedlots being force fed corn in crowded conditions.
These strains of E. coli, which may now have morphed into something that didn’t exist before and are highly toxic. Cows evolved to eat grass, but on feedlots they are given high-grain rations that change the pH in their rumen. This has been linked to the creation of new and more deadly E. coli pathogens.
These pathogens get from the cows’ rumens into us when their manure lands on plants that we eat. It happened in 2006 when the containment “ponds” of liquid poop leaked into neighboring vegetable fields.
Often that manure is spread deliberately. Both conventional and organic agriculture use manure as fertilizer, but organic farms compost manure, which kills the pathogens. Much conventional farming does not. I suspect this is a particular issue with large agricultural enterprises that supply the grocery stores.
I prefer to get my vegetables from my local farmers’ market. I do this mainly because I want to help strengthen the local food shed, but I get an added benefit that I know my food was not grown next to the CAFO that the agribusiness food grower also owns.
Do you know who grew your food and where it comes from?
Do you feel comfortable about that source?
Do you think you will still be getting your food from the same place in 10 years?
Check out this chart compiled by Cornucopia Institute on recent sprout recalls in the U.S..
|Brand Name||Product||Organism||Conventional or Organic||Date|
|Caldwell Fresh Foods||Alfalfa Sprouts||salmonella||Conventional||5/21/2010|
|Chang Farm||Bean and Soy Sprouts||Listeria monocytogenes||Conventional||5/28/2009|
|Chang Farm||Bean and Soy Sprouts||Listeria monocytogenes||Conventional||7/14/2009|
|Calco Brand||Alfalfa sprouts||Salmonella||Conventional||4/23/2009|
|Kowalke Family Sprouts||Alfalfa sprouts||Salmonella||Conventional||7/6/2009|
|Specialty Farms||Alfalfa sprouts||Listeria||Organic||7/23/2010 and 7/29/2010|
|Snow White Food||Alfalfa sprouts||Salmonella||Conventional||8/19/2010|
|Living Foods||Alfalfa sprouts||Salmonella||Conventional||10/7/2010|
|Jonathans||Alfalfa sprouts||Salmonella||The original recall, based on positive test results, was limited to conventional. The recall was expanded on to include organic, as a precaution. (no organic products tested positive)||4/19/2011 and 4/24/2011|
10 recalls – 9 because conventional sprouts tested positive for contamination.


text:
We had a great time and made a lot of big announcements at the Nashville Fashion Week 2017 Kickoff Party at The Hermitage Hotel Ballroom last night. The event sold out quickly, but don’t worry if you missed it, here’s all of the inside scoop.
SIXTH ANNUAL NASHVILLE FASHION FORWARD FUND RECIPIENT NAMED BY THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE
Fashion photographer Brett Warren has been named the sixth annual Nashville Fashion Forward Fund recipient by The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT). A committee of the Board of CFMT selected Warren amongst a group of experienced fashion industry applicants with ties to Middle Tennessee. Warren is the first photographer to be selected as a recipient of the fund.
Brett Warren lives in a world where anything is possible. While studying design and photography at MTSU, Brett became passionately inspired to present the world as it could be through images that would appeal to the mind and imagination. What started with a dream and a Nikon Cool Pix has turned into a means to convey emotion, and to share untold stories and convictions. Along the way he found encouragement through a personal encounter with Wayne White, a more-than-serendipitous internship with Annie Leibovitz, and invitations to shoot at New York Fashion Week.
Since 2011 he has produced multiple events, spoken at Universities, worked behind the scenes on sets for Vogue, art directed major label music videos, and had his work featured in local and national publications. In addition, Brett has been highly active in the local community by serving on the Nashville Fashion Week Advisory Council, and is an avid supporter of the Nashville fashion community. He has been recognized among his peers, for his “Point of View,” and built long-lasting relationships with those in and out of the fashion world.
While he has worked with easily recognized brands such as, Billy Reid, Surface Magazine, and GQ, he is just as passionate about working with some that may not be as familiar…yet.
Established in 2011, the objective of the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee is to provide an award that recognizes the individual achievements of a fashion industry professional. The financial resources that accompany the award are intended to provide an experiential professional development opportunity for the recipient to further advance their career in the fashion industry.
2017 DESIGNERS ANNOUNCED
Nashville Fashion Week 2017 will include three nights of runway shows on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday nights. For the first time, NFW will offer a Runway Pass that includes entry to all three events plus the option to upgrade to guaranteed seating.
We're excited to announce sixteen designers that will be featured at unique runway locations throughout the city during year seven of the five-day event.
NFW will open with the Nashville Designer Showcase on Tuesday April 4. NFW alumni Amanda Valentine, Any Old Iron, Ona Rex and Truly Alvarenga will join Cavanagh Baker and Minxx on the runway.
Andrew Gallivan, Lily Guilder, Madness Is, Nasheli Juliana and Splashed by DKG were selected from hundreds of designer applications to show collections on Wednesday night at the Emerging Designer Runway Show.
Fauxgerty, Lagi Nadeau, Michael Drummond, Patrick Assaraf and Shea Steele will present their collections at the 2017 Ready-to-Wear Runway Show on Friday night.
Bios and photos of all designers are available at NashvilleFashionWeek.com.
SANDRA LIPMAN TO RECEIVE THE 2017 STYLE ICON AWARD AT THE NASHVILLE FASHION FORWARD GALA
Nashville Fashion Week 2017 will close with the fourth annual Nashville Fashion Forward Gala. Last year’s Gala Co-Chair Gen Sohr, co-founder of Paper and Pencil, is back this year and will be joined by Emerson Grace boutique owner, Kimberly Lewis to chair this year's celebratory event featuring the Nashville Fashion Forward Awards presentation. The 2017 Style Icon Award will be presented to Nashville philanthropist and fashion maven Sandra Lipman. The Fashion Forward, Legacy, Face of Fashion, Rising Star and Point of View Awards will be announced at the Gala.
Nashville Fashion Week will also host a Photography + Fashion event on Thursday. City-wide shopping events and educational experiences will fill the official schedule. More specific event details will be announced in the next few weeks.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
Nashville Fashion Week 2017 will be held April 4-8. All Access Passes, Runway Passes and tickets for all events are on sale now at NashvilleFashionWeek.com.
All NFW ticket holders get FREE admission to the Frist Center for the Visual Arts from April 3-16 featuring the exhibit of iconic fashion photographer Irving Penn: Beyond Beauty with proof of purchase.
All proceeds from Nashville Fashion Week benefit the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, an endowed fund established to support the next generation of fashion industry professionals with ties to Middle Tennessee by providing financial award and resources for experiential professional development opportunities.
ABOUT NASHVILLE FASHION WEEK
Nashville Fashion Week is a city-wide celebration of Nashville’s thriving fashion and retail community and its vast array of creative talent. Featuring local, regional and national designers and industry professionals in an array of creative events throughout the week encourages both Nashvillians and visitors to explore the city’s diverse fashion and retail spaces throughout theweek with promotions, partnerships and educational workshops. NFW is founded and directed by a collaboration of fashion, retail and media professionals who have combined their passion and resources to create a completely volunteer-led and run event spotlighting Nashville's growing fashion community with a sustainable focus for philanthropic support of the NashvilleFashion Forward Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.


text:
Forever 21 has bought into a new offering from Campbell Ewald as it seeks to boost the cultural relevance of its brand. The fashion retailer has named The Salon, a cultural consultancy the agency launched earlier this year, as its culture agency of record, it revealed on Friday.
There was no formal pitch or incumbent for the business. Campbell Ewald declined to share figures related to the size of the account.
The Salon assembles “culturally curated teams and culture coaches that provide context and uncover insights to help brands connect with consumers in more meaningful ways,” according to a press release.
“The moment I started dialoguing with The Salon and CE, I knew we could do something totally unique and relevant. The model of connecting with culture is truly cutting edge and is central to our efforts to transform our brand,” said Winnie Park, CEO, Forever 21, in a statement.
Known for fast fashion, Forever 21 is facing a changing consumer base that cares more about sustainability and the environment than keeping up with the latest trends. Like other retailers, Forever 21 is also adapting to the rise of e-commerce.
Park joined as CEO in January to carry out a digital transformation that will make the brand more accessible across channels, including experimenting with new technologies like the metaverse.
“I feel strongly our brand speaks to the need for customers to self-express as opposed to having someone tell them how to dress or what is on trend,” she continued. “With social, customers are telling us that they can be many different things based on how they show up and leverage fashion to reflect their mood and identity. I’m excited about our new initiatives as we look to connect with our customers in new ways through social, the metaverse, on our site or in our stores.”
For The Salon, the remit will include incorporating more influencers into Forever 21’s marketing strategy, said Chelsea Smith, cultural coach and influencer lead, Campbell Ewald, in a statement.
“Forever 21 recognizes that everyone is an influencer,” she said. “Many brands make business decisions that don’t reflect consumers’ interest because they don’t engage with them. We are working with Winnie and her team to make a seat at their table for influencers as we plan out our moves in today’s culture.”
Overall a key goal of the relationship is to keep up with changing consumer shopping habits, said Michael Shawn Tucker, managing director, The Salon, Campbell Ewald, in a release.
“The American consumer is changing. And fast,” he said. “Winnie’s vision means that we’re creating a connected experience authentically made for the shifting consumer, from advertising to in-store to e-commerce. Oftentimes brands make business decisions based on demographics alone. We bring the voice of the consumer, literally.”


text:
Today, on May 25th 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation enters into force. In time with this historic event, Bundesblock releases a Position Paper on the much needed improvements to GDPR and ways to deal with data protection on the blockchain effectively.
GDPR was created before Blockchain and is already outdated, since it doesn’t account for decentralized technologies. We make recommendations for interpretation of the current law and highlight areas that can be improved in the future.
Germany has emerged as a home to world leading blockchain companies and fostered an innovative and supportive ecosystem. However, some blockchain companies have limited their activities and expressed concerns regarding the application of the GDPR to their businesses. A leading blockchain company based in Berlin decided to abandon efforts to create a commercial product that would provide “know your customer” (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) services to other blockchain companies, in accordance with German KYC-AML regulations, because of their fear of the impact of the GDPR. This decision was in part because of concerns that those services might not comply with the GDPR, despite their belief that their products would improve users’ privacy. Another Berlin-based company withdrew support for a not-for-profit entity that was building a public blockchain database, citing concerns about GDPR compliance and the resulting potential exposure to liability.
In addition to the negative impact on existing German blockchain companies, the GDPR may increase the risk of liability for node or mining operators, in such a way that the balance of power on public blockchain networks shifts further away from Germany and the European Union and toward other countries, like China or Russia. This has more than an economic impact—enough control over the validating nodes could allow these countries to tamper with the integrity of the blockchains themselves, a worrying prospect as more critical applications, including governments and the financial sector, rely on these blockchains.
It’s time to act now and enable the Blockchain ecosystem to actually build the decentralized platforms that will enhance users’ data sovereignty.


text:
Holiday Happenings 2019: Holiday Farmers’ Market celebrates 30 years
photo by: Mike Yoder
Now in its 30th year, the Lawrence Holiday Farmers’ Market will soon bring dozens of vendors to the DoubleTree hotel.
And while the season for fresh produce may be over, Lawrence Farmers’ Market manager Brian McInerney said there will be something for everyone at the market, scheduled for Dec. 14.
The holiday market is an opportunity for the more than 60 vendors to switch gears and sell different kinds of products than they normally would, McInerney said. That includes homemade wreaths, ornaments, baked goods, metal designs, body care products, wine and knitted designs. Hot breakfast and lunch options will also be available throughout the day, according to the Lawrence Farmers’ Market website.
McInerney said the market has grown into a community staple over the past 30 years.
“Once established, the Holiday Market proved to be more than a place for shopping,” McInerney said. “It became an event for buying the most unique foods, enjoying live music and finding the most elaborate holiday decorations.”
photo by: John Young
Many of the vendors who participate in the farmers market during the growing season will also be at the Holiday Market, including Pendleton’s Country Market, Avery’s Produce, Homestead Ranch, Red Tractor Farm, Mellowfields Farm, Sweetlove Farm and Flory Family Farms.
The Holiday Market runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, at the DoubleTree hotel, 200 McDonald Drive.


text:
This phase of refurbishment follows an initial £2 million refit which was completed in November 2016 and saw the lobby, 113 bedrooms and facilities updated with new sumptuous, art deco inspired colour palettes and furnishings.
The latest phase will see the existing bedrooms and meeting spaces on the eighth and ninth floors transformed into city view rooms and an additional luxury penthouse, with panoramic views over Belfast. This will bring the total number of bedrooms to 150, a 15 per cent increase, to meet the continuing rise in visitors seeking luxury accommodation in the city.
The new luxury penthouse on the 9th floor, named ‘The Residence’ will be a stand-out space for visiting VIPs and for the first time, the hotel will now be offering family-friendly rooms giving guests more variety. The additional capacity created by the new rooms will also cater for the hotel’s corporate and out-of-state guests who want that element of luxury when on business and they can now take advantage of high-end incentives and group business.
The increased capacity will also create 17 new hospitality jobs in front of house, the bar and restaurant and accommodation, meaning that the hotel now employs over 100 staff.
Speaking about the investment, The Fitzwilliam Hotel’s General Manager, Cian Landers said: “Northern Ireland’s hotel industry is experiencing strong growth and with the increased demand we are delighted to be able to contribute to the stock of premium hotel rooms in the city. On the completion of this phase, the Fitzwilliam will have invested a total of £4million in the last two years and we plan to make more investment and extension announcements in the near future.”
David Harte, Project Manager with principle contractor, Edgewater Contracts, said: “This is planned to be a 26-week project which will take us up to the end of July so our challenge is to work seamlessly behind the scenes without creating any impact on the guests so that the Fitzwilliam maintains its five-star service throughout.”


text:
Crypto market maker Winteremute was hacked on Tuesday.
Losses from the incident are estimated at $160 million at press time.
The hack only affected decentralized finance operations, platform CEO and founder Evgeny Gaevoy tweeted to the community.
Gaevoy stressed that Wintermute remains solvent with twice the hack amount in equity.
The platform is also open to communication from the hacker(s).
Wintermute suffered a hack on its decentralized finance (DeFi) operations resulting in losses of around $160 million from 90 exploited assets, the company’s CEO Evgeny Gaevoy confirmed on Tuesday. Gaevoy said the hack may affect operations for a few days.
According to Gaevoy, other operations on the crypto market maker aside DeFi remain unaffected at press time. A crypto market maker holds a large assortment of digital assets and sells these virtual currencies to other broker-dealers.
Market makers also provide liquidity for specific cryptocurrencies.
Wintermute Solvent Despite Massive Hack
CEO Gaevoy stressed that Wintermute does not face insolvency following the hack. The crypto market maker has double the amount in equity, per tweets from the company’s chief. However, Gaevoy anticipates a disruption in services over the next few days before things return to normalcy.
The founder also tweeted that Wintermute is capable of settling loans with lenders if they so wish. Finally, Gaevoy noted that the crypto market maker views the incident as a white hack for now. As such, the hacker is encouraged to reach out and possibly remedy the situation.
Wintermute joins a list of crypto companies and DeFi players that have suffered major hacks in 2022. The $600 million hack on Sky Mavis’s Ronin Bridge remains the biggest exploit in the digital asset ecosystem so far this year.


text:
SAN FRANCISCO -- Intel's (INTC) - Get Free Report history tends to repeat itself. Last January, when the stock was trading at an all-time high, analysts fell over themselves raising their price targets and upgrading their ratings. Now that it's at a new record high, they're doing it again.
analyst John Lazlo Wednesday raised his share-price target to 95 from 80. (Intel closed Thursday at 75 15/16, after brushing against an all-time high of 76 3/4 midday.) On Aug. 5,
Salomon Smith Barney
analyst Jon Joseph raised his target to 95 from 85 after raising it from 73 on July 14. On July 6,
Joseph Osha upgraded his near-term rating from accumulate to buy.
Drew Peck, one of the most respected of chip analysts, got into the act with an upgrade to buy from neutral on July 27, something he hasn't done in several years. Now, after a year of taking flack for his unfashionably bearish call on Intel, Peck is suddenly the longstanding "ax," at least according to
Wall Street Review's
Mike Green. (PaineWebber, Salomon, Merrill and Cowen have no underwriting relationship with Intel.)
This time analysts are scrambling to upgrade Intel in time for an anticipated seasonal upswing, but their bullish reports are peppered with caveats and question marks about Y2K, competition from
Advanced Micro Devices'
Athlon chip, and the hard-to-predict popularity of "free PCs." Meanwhile, long-term concerns -- the slow growth of the PC market, dropping chip prices and declining margins -- still linger.
There is a general expectation that Intel stock rises in the fall with back-to-school and holiday sales, and then drops off after New Year's. Still, something always seems to throw off the patterns, helping Wall Street's chip analysts justify their jobs. In 1994, a Pentium bug crashed Intel's Christmas sales. In 1995, a chip glut sent the industry into a slump. In 1996, AMD failed to produce its K5 chip and gave Intel a competition-free year. And in late 1997, the Asian economic crisis pulled down Intel stock.
Still, a summer upgrade of Intel is the safest play, says
Fahnestock & Co.
analyst Dan Scovel, who has had a hold rating on Intel for over a year and says he's not about to change that now. Fahnestock is not an underwriter of Intel.
Compared to corporate sales, consumer sales now account for a much bigger chunk of the overall microprocessor market than they did in the past, Scovel says, and that has sharpened the seasonal swing for back-to-school and Christmas. Raising estimates now, he says, is a way of protecting one's ass -- something that is likely on many analysts' minds these days. Who can forget the fall of former ax, Thomas Kurlak, a respected
analyst until he ran for
cover to hedge fund
in February after he failed to spot Intel's rise in time for his clients to score.
Beyond the expected seasonal upswing, the bullish factors cited by analysts seem uncertain. Peck based his upgrade in large part on booming sales of free PCs. "We are now betting that 'free' PCs will boost Celeron sales by an additional 6 million units in 2H99," Peck wrote. The thinking is that free PCs will boost demand for chips. But Peck hedges his comments: "Whether that actually happens depends largely on the ability of ISPs to continue to subsidize the PC business."
Niles and Scovel both believe there's a good chance chip prices can come down more, particularly if the Athlon, now supported by such top-tier companies as
, gives Pentium III a run for its money. Declining prices could lower margins and disappoint investors.
Even consistently bullish analyst Mark Edelstone of
Morgan Stanley Dean Witter
, deemed the Intel ax by
November, warns investors that the chipmaker doesn't have much more room to grow gross margins this year above the 58.9% it reported for the second quarter. "Intel's all-time gross margin high of 64.5% was reached in the first quarter of 1993, and we believe it will be difficult to reach that level again unless AMD's Athlon product cycle is a complete bust," he wrote last month. Morgan Stanley is an underwriter of Intel.
Moreover, expectations of booming school and Christmas computer sales may already be in the stock. It has risen 50% since bottoming June 1. At Intel's current price, shares are less than $5 off Edelstone's $80 price target set July 14.
Regardless of a boom or bust this season, Intel's long term remains murky. "The seasonal impact is only good for the season," Scovel says.
The bottom line: PCs are growing at a maximum 15% a year in units and severe price erosion continues to undercut profits. The bulls are counting too much on Intel's continued ability to cut manufacturing costs to boost margins, Scovel says. "Soon you can't squeeze your organization anymore and at some point the bubble breaks and things start to fall apart."
Even Peck hasn't changed his outlook past December. "All of the issues that we have raised in the past, especially the technological issues that are constraining processor sales and pricing, remain," Peck wrote. And he emphasized that the estimates will only rise for Intel in the short term.
Greg Mischou, an analyst at
Warburg Dillon Read
who has a buy rating on the stock and who recently lowered his year-end earnings estimates, acknowledges that predicting Intel's performance past the third quarter is difficult. "It's hard to figure out how the fourth quarter will be," he says. (WDR has no underwriting relationship with Intel.)


text:
Posted Tue May 24, 2016 at 06:00 AM PDT by Steven Cohen
The nature documentary is swimming toward Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray in August.
In an early announcement to retailers, Shout Factory is preparing 'Humpback Whales' for Blu-ray on August 2. An Ultra HD Blu-ray/Blu-ray 3D version will also be released on that same day.
Narrated by two-time Golden Globe® nominee Ewan McGregor, HUMPBACK WHALES is an extraordinary journey into the mysterious world of one of nature’s most awe-inspiring marine mammals. Set in the spectacular waters of Alaska, Hawaii and the remote islands of Tonga, this ocean adventure offers audiences an up-close look at how these whales communicate, sing, feed, play and take care of their young. Captured for the first time with IMAX® 3D cameras, and found in every ocean on earth, humpbacks were nearly driven to extinction 50 years ago, but today are making a slow but remarkable recovery. Join a team of researchers as they unlock the secrets of the humpback and find out why humpbacks are the most acrobatic of all whales, why they sing their haunting songs, and why these intelligent 55-foot, 50-ton animals migrate up to 10,000 miles round-trip every year.
Specs and supplements have not been detailed yet.
Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $19.99. Suggested list price for the Ultra HD Blu-ray/Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/Digital Copy combo pack is $39.93.
The latest news on all things 4K Ultra HD, blu-ray and Gear.


text:
Toyota Mirai spied nearly undisguised
Mere days after announcing the December premiere of its second-gen Mirai, Toyota took its barely disguised fuel cell sedan out for some road tests.
In fact, since the Japanese automotive giant showed us the production version of the Mirai Mk2 back in January this year, the wrap may not be necessary altogether. The test vehicle looks almost exactly like its concept revealed last year (see video). It is 4,975 mm (16.32 ft.) long, 1,885 mm (6.18 ft.) wide and 1,470 mm (4.82 ft.) tall with 2,920 mm (9.58 ft.) between the axles.
Inside the hydrogen-powered saloon are a digital instrument cluster, a large infotainment display, a wireless gadget charger and much more. The only powertrain-related spec known to date is the range: 650 kilometers, or 404 miles.
Editor Andrew Raspopov


text:
Wheat supplies have hit record levels across the globe, but for France and some other European markets quality concerns are emerging, warns an analyst.
Lallemand Baking Solutions has developed a range of aromatic baking yeasts that enable natural flavor improvement and differentiation in baked goods.
Frito-Lay has filed a global patent to make snacks with high fruit content that combine crunch with a melt-in-the-mouth sensation.
General Mills has defended the future of Annie’s natural and organic snacks under its ownership, but two experts say the company will have to work hard to beat the critics.
Ancient Harvest’s hot cereal range plays to a consumer focus on protein, gluten-free and nutrition at breakfast, says the firm's CEO.
Fletchers Group of Bakeries has launched a half-white, half-brown sliced bread under its Kara Brand to the UK’s out-of-home market.
Increased availability of gluten-free packaged foods is helping coeliac teenagers keep many of their old food habits as they embark on a gluten-free diet, according to a Swedish study.
Asda has pledged to stock eight staple gluten-free products across all of its UK stores; a commitment that should spark innovation and encourage new players into the market, says Coeliac UK’s CEO.
Bovine proteins freeze dried with inulin can improve the overall structure and nutritional value of gluten-free breads, say researchers.
Campbell Soup-owned Plum Organics has halted production of its kids’ rice milk snack line Little Crèmes after issuing a recall over choking hazards.
People can become addicted to the process of eating but not to consuming specific foods like those high in sugar or fat, according to research.
UK-based Synergy Flavours has developed a range of flavor pastes and seasonings to help bread makers stand out on shelf, it says.
Danish firm ZPD has won EU food approval for its chondroitin sulfate – a process that has been riddled by misapprehension and prejudice, the company says.
Exposure of food industry workers to flour has been found to be main cause of occupational asthma in France, according to new research.
‘Thins’ have taken off in the US and Canada with bread, bagel and even tortilla varieties offering less calories for the health-conscious consumer, and it’s an area that holds great promise for Europe, says Mintel.
Gluten-free manufacturers should develop products according to metabolic disorders common among celiacs; improving the nutritional profile and lowering glycemic load, says a nutrition expert.
Eating a handful of almonds may help lower risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in populations with abnormally high fat concentration in the blood (hyperlipidaemia), according to a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition.
Givaudan has developed a compound blend that creates an acceptable umami impression in food and beverages, enabling elimination or reduction of monosodium glutamate (MSG).
Low-GI bakery specialist BreaDr wants to secure co-manufacturers to drive US expansion and hit annual sales of $20m within five years, its CEO says.
The Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak has threatened upcoming cereal harvests across Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, says the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as it issues a ‘grave food security’ warning.
Need an ingredient that can deliver serious hydration, endurance and recovery benefits for your next sports bar or beverage? Veg...
That’s what one major bread manufacturer thought when it removed HFCS from one of its main brands four years ago. However, rather than...
We’ve helped millers save over $100,000 annually with accuracy improvements in their production. How? The advanced hybrid spectr...


text:
William Shatner, Monica Lewinsky and other prolific Twitter commentators — some household names, others little-known — could soon be losing the blue check marks that helped to verify their identity on the social media platform.
They could get the marks back by paying up to $11 a month. But some long-time users, including Star Trek legend Shatner, 92, have baulked at buying the premium service promoted by Twitter's billionaire owner and chief executive Elon Musk.
After months of delay, Mr Musk is promising that Saturday is the deadline for celebrities, journalists and others who'd been verified for free to pay up or lose their legacy status.
"It will be glorious," he tweeted Monday, in response to a Twitter user who noted that Saturday is also April Fool's Day.
After buying Twitter for $44 billion in October, Mr Musk has been trying to boost the struggling platform's revenue by pushing more people to pay for a premium subscription.
But his move also reflects his assertion that the blue verification marks have become an undeserved or "corrupt" status symbol for elite personalities and news reporters.
One of Twitter's main reasons to mark profiles with a blue check mark, starting about 14 years ago, was to verify politicians, activists and people who suddenly find themselves in the news, and little-known journalists at small publications, to help curb misinformation from accounts that are impersonating people.
Ms Lewinsky tweeted a screenshot Sunday of all the people impersonating her, including at least one who appears to have paid for a blue check mark.
“What universe is this fair to people who can suffer consequences for being impersonated?" she said.
"A lie travels half way around the world before truth even gets out the door.”
Shatner, known for his irreverent humour, also tagged Mr Musk with a complaint about the promised changes.
“I’ve been here for 15 years giving my (clock emoji) and witty thoughts, all for bupkis,” he wrote. “Now you’re telling me that I have to pay for something you gave me for free?”
Mr Musk responded that there shouldn't be a different standard for celebrities.
“It’s more about treating everyone equally,” he tweeted.
For now, those who still have the blue check but apparently haven’t paid the premium fee have messages appended to their profile saying it is a “legacy verified account. It may or may not be notable".
They include Beyonce, Stephen King, Barack and Michelle Obama, Taylor Swift, Tucker Carlson, Drake and Mr Musk himself.
One of his first product moves after taking over Twitter was to launch a service granting blue checks to anyone willing to pay $8 a month.
But it was quickly inundated by imposter accounts, including those impersonating Nintendo, pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Mr Musk's businesses Tesla and SpaceX, so Twitter had to temporarily suspend the service days after its launch.
The relaunched service costs $8 a month for web users and $11 a month for iPhone and iPad users.
Subscribers are supposed to see fewer ads, be able to post longer videos and have their tweets featured more prominently.


text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
Carter’s opening Ga. distribution center, creating 600 jobs
Send this to a friend
Baby and kids’ clothing company Carter’s Inc. plans to open in June a multichannel distribution center in Braselton, Ga., and create 600 new full-time jobs by 2015.
The $50 million, 1 million-square-foot facility will support the Atlanta-based company’s e-commerce, retail and wholesale businesses. At first, it will have 250 full-time employees. Carter’s (NYSE: CRI) will create more than 600 new full-time jobs by 2015.
“This new facility is intended to allow us to support growth in our Carter’s and OshKosh B’Gosh brands, improve the efficiency of our operations and better serve our customers,” said Carter’s Chairman and CEO Michael D. Casey, in a statement.
According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Carter’s signed the lease for the facility on March 29.
The initial term of the lease ends Sept. 30, 2023, but the company has two five-year options that would extend the lease until Sept. 30, 2033.
The filing shows the base rent for the first six months is about $600,000 and then nothing for one year after. Starting Oct. 1, 2013, and through the final year of the initial lease term, the annual base rent will increase from about $2.3 million to approximately $2.9 million.
Carter's' profit fell 22 percent to $114 million in 2011, hurt by $9 million in charges related to the acquisition of Bonnie Togs and unusually high cotton prices.
As Georgia’s economy shows signs of recovering from the recession, rural Jackson County is emerging as the state’s big winner in the race for jobs. Carter's' plans is just the latest.
On Jan. 31, Toyota Industries Corp. reported plans to invest $350 million in a new manufacturing plant in Pendergrass, Ga., one of Jackson’s nine communities dotting the farmland and rolling hills along Interstate 85, a 45-minute drive northeast of Atlanta.
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.
- Most popular
- Can this man stop Ebola?
- Gulfstream’s latest: G500 and G600 (SLIDESHOW)
- MARTA ramps up its transit oriented development program at the right
- WSJ: Two years later Ocwen still trying to sell chairman’s home
- Atlanta’s Top 25 Private Companies
- 'Clipboard man’ without protective suit in Ebola transport from Atl.
- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. building giant ecommerce center near Atlanta
- Once rooftops, it's now chef-driven restaurants that retailers follow
- AT&T to bring "gigabit" Internet service to Atlanta
- Emory faces difficulties caring for Ebola patients
Vice President for Economic Development and Community Engagement Kennesaw State University | Kennesaw, GA
The Business Development Executive / Business Development Manager Lead Forensics | Atlanta, GA
Work For: ChannelAdvisor ChannelAdvisor | Morrisville, NC
Work For: Lead Forensics Lead Forensics | Atlanta, GA
Manager, Partnership Sales & Activation Atlanta Track Club | Atlanta, GA


text:
New customs rules came into force on New Year’s Day for UK businesses trading with the EU as post-Brexit changes continue to be phased in, with major impacts on many of our national, regional and local businesses.
From 1 January 2022, UK businesses will need to complete customs declarations and checks for EU products to pass over the border, except for goods from the island of Ireland.
UK exporters must also hold declarations from their own suppliers about the origin of their goods if they cannot issue a ‘statement of origin’ based on the production or manufacturing criteria for their work.
Pre-notification requirements of all sanitary and phytosanitary goods from the EU are now also needed, except for those imported from Ireland.
Afford Bond Director, Lindsay Beeston, commented: “There is already concern that January could be a tough month for retailers because of the rules – not least in the agricultural community. While the new UK rules will be introduced in stages, many experts are concerned that not enough planning has been done to ensure the new requirements are understood by everyone in the food supply chain and we have already seen shortages on the shelves in several areas.”
From July 2022, checks and certification rules on animal and plant products will become stricter, while the same certification and inspections will be required for dairy products from September 2022.


text:
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) _ A bill intended to help the state collect more online sales tax revenue has stalled in the Nebraska Legislature.
Supporters failed Thursday to overcome a legislative filibuster. Opponents argued the state should wait for a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could determine whether states can levy such taxes. A decision is expected in June.
Sen. Dan Watermeier of Syracuse says he introduced the bill to level the playing field between out-of-state online companies and brick-and-mortar businesses in Nebraska. Local business groups endorsed the proposal, but Gov. Pete Ricketts voiced opposition.
Watermeier presented lawmakers with an amendment in hopes of reaching a compromise, and filed a motion to end legislative debate and bring the bill up to a vote. Lawmakers voted 31-13 to do so, two short of what was needed.


text:
From Standard & Poor's European MarketScope
L'OREAL was down €1.80 to €61.15 Tuesday. SocGen downgraded the shares to hold from buy and trimmed its target to €67 from €70 after the company unveiled nine months 2005 sales of €10.75 billion, +4.7% vs. +7.1% in the third quarter of 2005. Ixis trimmed its target to €60 from €70 and keeps its add rating. UBS says sales growth has stagnated.
MICHELIN was down €3.86 to €45.99. Citigroup trimmed its target to €50 from €55 and keeps hold rating after the company reported third quarter sales of €3.89 billion, up 4.6% year-over-year and 3.3% like-for-like, driven by a mixed price effect. Deutsche Bank also cut its target to €63 from €65 and keeps its buy rating. Cheuvreux lowered its target to €56 from €58 and keeps its outperform rating. DrKW downgrades to hold from add and cuts target to €50 from €55. The company said its third quarter performance was lower than expected, particularly in the European heavy weight replacement sector, even despite easy comparables. The company does not see a significant improvement into fourth quarter and thinks FY05 performance will be similar to that of FY04.
DASSAULT SYSTEMES was up €1.05 to €43.74. The company reported third quarter total revenue of €213.8 million, up 14% as reported and in constant currencies. EPS was higher by 14%. The company says it is on track to deliver another year of accelerating revenue growth. It adds that looking to 2006, it appears well positioned to sustain the dynamics of strong revenue and earnings growth.
MERCK was down €2.15 to €67.70. The company reported third quarter sales of €1.472 billion, up 8.8%, and net profit of €185 million, up 53%. The company made a settlement of €10 million to resolve a dispute with an Electronic Chemicals customer, plus €3.1 million in legal fees. It expects positive business development trend to continue and upgraded its guidance for the fiscal year. Says it is confident that group sales, ex VWR International, should have a growth rate in the high single-digit range, while FY op. result should improve by a double-digit rate compared to last year.
DAIMLERCHRYSLER (DCX ) was down €0.16 to €40.68. MCG will weigh on third quarter profits, according to S&P Equity Research, which notes there is a lot of optimism about the company ahead of the third quarter results on expectations most of the bad news will be out this year. S&P Equity Research forecasts third quarter sales up 6.90% to €37.30 billion, but operating profits down 15.0% to €1.52 billion, with operating profits at MCG down 75% to €75 million. S&P estimates EPS of €0.71, down 32%, and maintains its hold recommendation, with a higher price target of €42 vs €40.0 previously. Yesterday the company was higher as Merrill upgraded to buy from neutral, with €48 target, as it raised EPS estimates.
BP (BP ) was down £0.07 to £6.10. The company reported third quarter profit of US$6.463 billion. BP says the third quarter trading environment was generally stronger than a year ago with higher oil and gas realizations and higher refining margins, but with lower retail marketing and olefins margins. It raised its quarterly dividend to 5.061p.
PRUDENTIAL (PUK ) was up £0.04 to £4.86. JP Morgan reiterates its underweight stance, reflecting lofty valuation and caution ahead of tomorrow's strategy update. The broker believes that, on balance, there may be little CEO Mark Tucker can reveal to positively affect sentiment. CSFB expects reasonably robust third quarter new business figures with year-over-year growth of 16%, helped by double digit growth in all of its three regions (UK, U.S., and Asia). CSFB rates the shares neutral with a target price of £5.60.
MARCONI was up £0.19 to £3.70. The company to sell its telecommunications equipment and international services businesses to Ericsson for approximately £1.2 billion. The company will be renamed telent plc and will be Ericsson's preferred services partner in the UK. The company will return £2.75 per ordinary share to shareholders in the 2006 first quarter. It says shareholders will also continue to own 100% of the equity of telent plc, which will also retain responsibility for the UK Pension Plan. The company will inject £85 million cash into the UK Pension Plan and £490 million to be retained in escrow arrangement for the potential benefit of the UK Pension Plan.


text:
- Today, we’re kicking off the #BuyBlack Friday show on the Facebook Shop tab to support Black-owned businesses facing another tough holiday season.
- We’re launching the #BuyBlack Live Shopping series on Instagram.
In the US, Black-owned businesses continue to be among the hardest hit by the pandemic, and this holiday season will be make or break for many of them. More than a third of US Black-owned businesses expect to make at least half of their annual revenue in the last three months of the year. So, we’re bringing back our #BuyBlack Friday campaign to make it easier to shop with Black-owned businesses at this crucial time.
We started #BuyBlack Friday last year to harness some of the energy from the biggest physical retail day of the year in support of Black-owned small businesses. Today, the #BuyBlack Friday Show starts on the Facebook Shop tab, hosted by NY Times best-selling author, journalist and television host, Elaine Welteroth, with new episodes every Friday in November. More than 15 million people tuned into the show last holiday season, which includes Live Shopping experiences that celebrate Black culture and feature Black-owned small businesses and creators. This year, #BuyBlack Friday will be global with programming kicking off in Brazil and Australia this month.
You’ll also be able to find great ideas for presents and stocking fillers in our #BuyBlack Friday gift guide collections, which are available all month long in both the Facebook and Instagram Shop tabs. In this year’s show we’ll be highlighting fantastic businesses, including:
Shaquanda’s Hot Pepper Sauce, owned by Andre Springer, who started his business four years ago as an extension of his drag queen persona Shaquanda. It began as an art project with a friend to celebrate his Caribbean heritage. As part of the art piece, Andre labeled and put bottles in a shopping cart as an homage to his grandmother and sold out. Encouraged by the reception his delicious sauce received, Andre turned his performance into a business.
House of Takura, owned by Annette Njau and featuring eco-friendly bags and sunglasses. Annette left a career in law to be a designer. She makes handbags and accessories with traditional fabrics from Ghana, Tanzania and Kenya. Named after her son Takura, the company helps provide economic opportunities for communities in Africa. Proceeds from each bag sold go to nonprofits working there, from helping to build an orphanage in Ivory Coast to empowering young girls in Sierra Leone.
OBIA Naturals, owned by chemist Obia Ewah, who has used her training to create her own all natural skincare products. Obia was diagnosed with thyroid cancer while at medical school at the age of 26. Looking into the cause of her cancer led her to examine the chemicals that go into many skincare products and inspired her to make her own healthy alternatives. Her creams and lotions have been a big hit, winning awards and building a loyal following. Obia also supports other local businesses and has a program called Haircuts for the Homeless, where she works with local barbers who volunteer their time.
Beaux & Paws, owned by 15-year-old entrepreneur Sir Darius Brown who knew since an early age that he wanted to make stylish bow ties for both people and pets. When he was younger, he was diagnosed with speech and language issues. As he grew up, he saw his sister using a sewing machine to make bows. He loved them and started making his own bow ties, which also helped develop his motor skills. When Hurricane Harvey hit, Sir Darius made bow ties for pets to encourage people to adopt animals displaced by the storm.
Today also marks the launch of Instagram’s #BuyBlack Live Shopping series hosted by musician and actor Keke Palmer (@keke). Keke will sit down with Black creators to learn about their business journeys and encourage people to #BuyBlack. You can also find curated collections of Black-owned businesses on Instagram from Zerina Ackers (@zerinaackers) award-winning stylist and founder of @blackownedeverything.
Many Black-owned small businesses need their second pandemic holiday season to be a big one. You can help once again by tuning in and buying Black.


text:
Outlet shopping trip
Region - posted Jun, 21 2013
REGION- Take a bus trip to the Kittery Outlets in Maine on Saturday, Aug. 10. Cost is $45 per person. Bus will depart EASTCONN CLC in Willimantic at 9 a.m.; EASTCONN in Hampton at 9:15 a.m., and EASTCONN NLC in Danielson at 9:30 a.m. Bus departs the outlets at 6:30 p.m. Visit www.thekitteryoutlets.com to view what it has to offer. To register for the trip, go to www.eastconn.org/continuinged. or call 860-779-3770.


text:
Just a few days from the international grand finale of the spectacular Face Off competition organized by American Crew in Los Angeles, California, we are revealing the looks created by the six finalists.
The finalists will spend three days in Los Angeles during the coming week, where they will participate in the photo shoot of their dreams with a renowned photographer a the famous Milk Studios. There they will meet with the winners from other countries and then demonstrate their skills in person while surrounded in the glamorous atmosphere of Hollywood.
Later American Crew will announce the World Champion at an awards dinner. Of course, this is much more than a mere chance to take home the American Crew Face Off trophy: the winner will attain fame worldwide thanks to the benefits and support offered by American Crew.
The six finalists are:
– Dean Tsopanis (Australia)
– Katrina Saxton (New Zealand)
– Loretta Tom (Canada)
– Miguel Gutierrez (United Kingdom)
– Patrick Chai (USA)
– Pedro José Muñoz (Spain)
Who will win the title on January 31st? Find out more at: http://www.americancrew.com/faceoff


text:
Winchester-based Gentian Developments aims to positively impact people’s lives. As a commitment to this, they have announced financial support for three local charities which include The Winchester Beacon. Each charity will receive £3,000 per year for the next two years from Gentian.
The charities were chosen because of the invaluable services they provide to the Winchester community. As well as supporting The Winchester Beacon, the company will be helping Winchester Young Carers’ and Move Momentum. Gentian hopes the money can cover some of the core costs of the charities. Enabling the charities to deliver support to more people in Winchester.
The company has an ongoing commitment to supporting local community groups having previously supported Winchester Rugby Football Club and Hampshire Pride.
Managing Director of Gentian, Nick Ekins said: “Following our significant investment in Winchester’s High Street, we wanted to ensure we also gave back to the local community. We hope our financial support will enable these charities to continue their vital work for people in Winchester.”
Chief Executive of The Winchester Beacon, Michèle Price commented: “We are extremely grateful for the support of Gentian Developments particularly as their help comes at a time when our running costs are rising. Their funding will certainly help us to continue our vital support for people experiencing homelessness.”
Gentian is headquartered at the top of Winchester High Street in Trafalgar House. They have investments across the UK and have made a significant investment in Winchester. In the past year Gentian has purchased four retail properties on the High Street. They have an ongoing commitment and confidence in the City’s retail offering and future.


text:
30 April, 17
Dot.Cy is pleased to announce the successful completion of Dynamics CRM for Etisalat’s Enterprise & Government operations implementation!
The new system, dubbed Business Customer Relationship Management (BCRM), was ideated to expand, across several phased releases, the telecom giant’s now four-year-old CRM for Sales Force Automation (SFA) – a solution also implemented by Dot.Cy to overhaul the company’s operations on the Consumer and SMB fronts.
BCRM enlarges the scope of SFA by ambitiously including the telecom giant’s Enterprise and Government operations in synchrony with the pre-existing solution, covering needs encompassing Customer Service, Sales, Marketing, Automated Order Provisioning, and Product and Order Management, and includes a Mobility solution as well as a Channel Partner Portal.
As a testament to its early success, more than the 1,500 professionals using the then-current release of the system throughout 2016 were able to reach over 100,000 closed orders and manage over 80,000 support tickets.
Etisalat is the Middle East's leading telecommunications operator and one of the largest corporations in the six Arab countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Dot.Cy is honored to have been on the front line, leading the charge in its strategic paradigm shift, and is grateful to have developed such a symbiotic relationship with the company.
On this note, Dot.Cy remains eager to see the beneficial effects of the implementation continue to flourish down the road.


text:
Global Docker Monitoring Market is expected to reach US$ 1.53 Bn. by 2029, at a CAGR of 5.5% throughout the forecast period.
Please type a website description
Aside from being the first former US president to face four indictments, Donald Trump was also the f..
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (..
Temu is a free online shopping app that offers a wide variety of products from tech to household ite..
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- California regulators voted Wednesday to establish a drinking water limit on hex..
Washington, April 18 (VOICE) The US Senate has voted along party lines to adjourn the impeachment tr..


text:
- Smart TVs, which connect to the internet to offer online apps and services, can be exploited by hackers.
- The devices also pose surveillance risks, according to the FBI warning.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
If you own a smart TV or recently purchased one for the holidays it's time to acquaint yourself with the risks associated with the devices, according to a new warning issued by the FBI.
Smart TVs connect to the internet, allowing users to access online apps, much like streaming services. And because they're internet-enabled, they can make users vulnerable to surveillance and attacks from bad actors, according to the FBI warning.
"Beyond the risk that your TV manufacturer and app developers may be listening and watching you, that television can also be a gateway for hackers to come into your home," Beth Anne Steele, an agent in FBI's Portland bureau, wrote in the warning.
"A bad cyber actor may not be able to access your locked-down computer directly, but it is possible that your unsecured TV can give him or her an easy way in the backdoor through your router," she added.
Hackers have also proven that it's possible to take control of smart devices in people's homes. An investigation by Consumer Reports last year found that Samsung and Roku smart TVs are vulnerable to hacking.
"In a worst-case scenario, they can turn on your bedroom TV's camera and microphone and silently cyberstalk you," Steele wrote.
Here are the steps that the FBI recommends all smart TV owners take to protect their privacy:
1. Do some research on what model smart TV you own and its features. The FBI recommends doing an internet search with your model number, along with the words "microphone," "camera," and "privacy."
Allison Joyce/Getty Images
2. Check your smart TVs settings and see if its possible to turn off any data collection on the device. Also, change your password.
Will Wei/Business Insider
3. Some, but not all, smart TVs have microphones and cameras, which the FBI suggests shutting off in your devices settings. If its not possible to turn off the camera, put a strip of opaque tape over the TVs camera lens.
4. Check whether the TV manufacturer has issued any security patches for the device, and if so, make sure theyre installed.
6. The FBI has asked anyone who believes theyre a victim of cyber fraud to report it to their Internet Crime Complaint Center.
The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center can be found online here .
- I'm a loyal Apple Watch user, but after switching to Fitbit, I found 3 things I liked better and 3 things I didn't
- Here are all the companies and divisions under Google's parent company, Alphabet, which just had a major shake-up at the top
- A security expert found that Apple's latest iPhone can still track your location data, even if you toggle it off for every app
SEE ALSO: Hackers have reportedly figured out how to reactivate people's canceled Netflix accounts and start charging them again for monthly subscriptions


text:
by Dive Report Ltd
December 9, 2013
Dive Report, the fast growing Dive Travel guide, has seen rapid growth in Dive Centers advertising their services – with over 1200 Dive Center pages being added to the website over the past 6 months. The website, which also tells divers the best time to travel to see their favorite marine life, has also seen it’s diver-membership grow by over 2000% over the past three months.
“We are delighted with the current progress! Adding a free page to Dive Report is a no-brainer for a Dive Center and it does not take very long” says Catherine Jones, Dive Report’s MD. “We have spent a lot of time developing our anti-spam systems that, so far, have proven to be 100% reliable against the usual spambot activity.”
The website so far promotes approximately 150 diving locations and has been growing steadily since they launched one and a half years ago. The recent surge in popularity has been a real boost for the young company and has helped drive product improvement.
“We have learned a lot about working in the diving industry over past couple of years and we feel we are getting close to having a product that is useful for divers and dive centers alike” says Catherine. “We are now focusing on increasing the number of locations we serve to provide a better coverage of world-wide diving locations.”
To document the world’s diving locations is clearly a big task for a small team however Dive Report aims to triple the number of locations they serve during 2014. “We are currently reaching out to Dive Centers to help us with locations and we provide advertising and exposure for those who help in return.”
About Dive Report
DiveReport.com is a Dive Travel guide where Divers can quickly find out the best time of year to see their favorite marine life – and also to find dive centers to dive with. You can view the website by visiting; http://www.divereport.com
We can be contacted directly by emailing: email@example.com


text:
As reported yesterday, the backing of a unified standard called System I/O heals a rift that had pitted Intel, Dell Computer, and Sun Microsystems against IBM, HP, and Compaq Computer. The standard, a critical part of future design of high-performance computers, governs how components such as network cards plug into servers and how the servers connect to each other.
The new standard itself will arrive by the end of the year, and the first systems shipping with the new architecture will arrive in late 2001, executives said today as they announced the new agreement.
But the companies had planned for new servers to be able to take advantage of the design standard much sooner. The Intel camp hoped for products using its standard to appear in products in 2000. The IBM, HP, and Compaq group hoped for its first products to arrive in the first quarter of 2001.
"We had been targeting a slightly earlier time frame," said Intel's Tom Macdonald in an interview today.
"Taking a little extra time is well worth it to have the best specification going forward," added Dell's Jeff Hornung.
The late 2001 ship date is in time for Intel's McKinley chip, the second in its upcoming 64-bit family. However, the System I/O will work in servers using less expensive hardware as well, said IBM's Tom Bradicich.
Sun's Mark Canepa wouldn't say whether Sun plans to have its System I/O-based designs out in 2001. "As soon as the standard is in place, we're going to race to market like everyone else," he said.
System I/O will be governed by a steering committee that will be led by Intel and IBM and will also include Dell, Sun, Compaq, HP, and Microsoft. Microsoft's Ed Miller said his company had been neutral on the standards dispute. "System I/O" is a working name only; a formal name will be chosen later.
The group's first meeting will be in October, the companies said.
The System I/O standard uses a method called a "switched fabric" to carry traffic from server CPUs to peripherals and other servers. The method essentially puts a miniature network inside the computer, a faster and more reliable method than the prevailing PCI bus.
System I/O will come in three flavors at the outset, with 1, 4, or 12 wires going through the fabric, depending on how powerful a server is being built. Those three flavors will transfer data at 0.5 gigabytes per second, 2 GB/sec, and 6 GB/sec, the companies said.


text:
It’s been known, though not officially, for a while now that Platinum Games is working on a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game, presumably with Activision (the two also teamed up on The Legend of Korra and last year’s Transformers Devastation). But tomorrow, we’ll finally get to know something about the game, as Platinum is teasing an official leak for the project for January 26.
We also got a neat, brand new teaser image for the game, that’s really not cryptic at all, all but confirming that the new project in question is TMNT. What the new game looks like, however, remains to be seen- but given just how great and fun Transformers Devastation was, and just how great Platinum’s pedigree is, we can probably expect it to be far better than most other licensed titles are.
Whatever it is, color us excited. It’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles done by Platinum, what’s not to like?
— PlatinumGames Inc. (@platinumgames) January 25, 2016


text:
A growing number of beauty brands are opting out of the multi-step skincare method and opting to go less.
When Gloss was launched in 2010, the beauty site inadvertently developed a formula for every stylis medicine cabinet photo (then known as “Top Shelfie”) that has since dominated Instagram. Each photo should include a serum (at least one for each day of the week – bonus points if you know what they all do), line a handful of jars in a row and remove the makeup of a small village Enough facial cleanser for every night. According to market research firm NPD Group, Maximism overtook sales of skincare for the first time in Canada in 2019. The Korean beauty multi-step routine (which encourages the use of everything from multiple cleansers to serums, creams, and oils) was to be expected six years ago, considering it was a hit in North America. Today, a quick Google search for a “10-step skincare routine” stunned 31 million results.
However, for a devotee looking to regain every hour-long skincare, the founder of a Mary Kando-esque brand urges consumers to select just a few high-quality products rather than amassing a huge collection – In the same way, if possible, invest in a well-shirt instead of fast-fashion items that will be engraved soon. Due to a combination of more-than-skincare consumers, growing concerns over the environmental impact of beauty consumption and global economic instability, the once-glamorous glow of shelves jammed with jars has begun to dim.
Jennifer Brodeur, the Montreal-based founder of JB Skin Guru (and Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey, others’ faces), has always been a skincare minimalist. Broodur worked and taught in the aesthetic-aesthetics industry for over 20 years before launching her brand in 2016. To keep the skin healthy, she emphasizes the importance of only three things: sleep, proper cleansing and the use of soothing ingredients to bring on inflammation. One of the main culprits of inflamed skin? Using a lot of products, especially highly aggressive exfoliants. “I was constantly criticized for my philosophy,” Brodeur says. “When I was working in a skincare clinic, I was told by the owner that I would never succeed because I wasn’t selling enough.” But Bradeauer was not interested in promoting a multi-step uplift that she would not use herself. “I am a two-phase- or three-phase-maximum type of galaxy.” Four years after its launch, JB Skin Guru’s nine products include a lineup and two more functions. “That will probably be this for some time,” she says.
The minimalist approach adopted by Madison and Matthew Ruggieri, the siblings behind the recently launched unisex brand Onekind, is a result of their background in men’s skincare. After launching two product lines for men, the siblings realized that those brands were also attracting a female customer. “I think the women appreciated that our collection was curated and we were only selling what the consumer needed,” says Matthew. “If a male consumer does not understand a product or needs it on a daily basis, then he is not going to buy it.” He applied these lessons to OneKind, which launched in the fall of 2019 and currently has three products in its lineup: a retinol serum, an exfoliating mask, and a nighttime moisturizer. “Every product has to have a clear place in one’s routine; Madison says that we are never going to be a brand that has endless scrolls of products on our site.
It takes magic numbers for three up and coming tightly curved brands. After suffering from a cystic-acne breakout, Neada Deters, a former communications associate Vice And former editor DoréLaunched Les in 2018, once she moved from Australia to New York. During his time as an editor, he found himself interviewing dermatologists and aestheticians who spoke highly of a simple skincare regimen. Those learnings, coupled with her search for confusing (and ultimately unsuccessful) good organic skincare products, before she partnered with the Canadian ranch began to mix ingredients in her kitchen, which is now Grows and manufactures all its products. Today, the brand only sells a serum, a mask and a cleanser, although Deters has plans to gradually and firmly add more to the lineup. Now based in LA, DeTales says she never wants to “reduce all the wonderful things our skin naturally knows how to do, such as exfoliating or healing; instead, we’re asking How can we support it so that it happens every day. ”
Jordan Samuel Packitti, a ballet dancer turned esthetician, said as the founder of Instagram‘s famous brand Jordan Samuel Skin, he often disappears to customers for six months to a year, traveling his brand of scalp-down skin Disappear for a year before returning. “They’ll come back and say ‘I’ve started adding all these products and doing all these steps and now I need to reset my skin,” “he explains. For Packitti, it’s proof that his Products work: “They are tempted by other things, whether it’s a new trend or an influencer talking about a new product, and suddenly a new product becomes two, which becomes three.”
When it comes to broadening the multi-step routine, Pacti believes that “essentially, something is going to mess up your skin.” When this happens, he welcomes his customers with open arms. Packitti compares his brand to a friend who is always there for you, even when you might deserve a cold shoulder: “Whenever you’re ready to return, Jordan Samuel Skin is here for you . ” As hardworking as they are, Mitchi will always try to improve the existing 11 products in its line before making new ones. “A lot of brands launch things that are almost meaningless,” he says. “I just go back to the drawing board and make corrections.”


text:
According to the National Restaurant Association spicy items will be one of the top 25 menu trends in 2015. Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s took note of this and created the spiciest burger in fast food history with the El Diablo, the latest edition to their Thickburgers lineup.
So what exactly goes into the El Diablo burger to give it the prestigious title of spiciest burger? Try four sources of fiery flavor including sliced jalapeños, crunchy Jalapeño Poppers, spicy habanero bacon sauce and pepper-Jack cheese, all on top of a 100% Black Angus beef patty. Not a fan of cow? Both chains will also offer a Crispy Chicken El Diablo sandwich featuring the spicy four on top of a 5-ounce crispy chicken fillet.
“When it comes to spicy food, a lot of the consumer research being done on the topic today clearly shows that the public’s desire for heat just keeps growing and growing every year,” said Brad Haley, chief marketing officer of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s. “We’ve witnessed that phenomenon in our own restaurants, where potential menu items that used to be rated as ‘too spicy’ in our market tests just a few years ago are now just right.
To follow their viral Super Bowl ad starring Charlotte McKinney, Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s created a bold and spicy commercial for El Diablo featuring 2014 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Rookie of the Year and Victoria’s Secret model Sara Sampaio. Titled “Too Hot To Handle” features the gorgeous Portuguese-born model melting an ice hotel while eating her Thickburger El Diablo. Watch the commercial below and see why it really is the spiciest burger in fast food:
Would you dare to eat the spiciest burger in fast food history? Let us know in the comments.


text:
Beatles, Apple Corps free to sue EMI, Capitol in royalties suit
The Beatles have been cleared to pursue their lawsuit against EMI Group and its affiliate Capitol Records.
In a ruling made Aug. 23 but released this week, New York State Supreme Court Justice Karla Moskowitz denied EMI's request that the fraud and breach of contract suit be thrown out.
In December, Apple Corps — the group representing surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr as well as the families of George Harrison and John Lennon — launched legal action in the High Court in London against EMI Group and in the Supreme Court in New York against EMI subsidiary Capitol Records.
The Beatles group claimed that the two record companies used fraudulent schemes to withhold millions of dollars in royalty payments and breached the band's contract.
The suit alleges that EMI and Capitol underreported some sales during the late 1990s and also classified copies of Beatles recordings as destroyed or damaged, but then went ahead and sold them.
In addition to seeking more than $25 million US in damages, Apple Corps is seeking the rights to the iconic Liverpool band's master recordings.
EMI currently owns the copyright, in perpetuity, to recordings made by the Beatles.
The two sides have previously clashed over the issue of royalties. The ongoing dispute dates back to 1979, when the band alleged it had been underpaid by more than $20 million US. The case was eventually settled out of court in 1989, with Apple winning an increase in royalties.


text:
Who’s the leader of the club that’s made for you and me? M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E, of course!
And our main mouse got a makeover with this new bag you have to see to believe!
Say hello to the new Mickey Mouse 3D Head Crossbody from Danielle Nicole!
This faux leather 3D purse is $68 and modeled after one of the most recognizable shapes on the planet: Mickey Mouse’s head. It comes with an adjustable strap and a spacious interior compartment.
You can pre-order now, but this 3-D wonder will begin shipping on June 29th! So whether you’re visiting Disney Springs or chillin’ at home — now’s the time to get your perfect matching outfit ready to show off this new bag!
Which Disney character would you want to see next from Danielle Nicole? Let us know in the comments!
From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: disney merchandise, Disney News, Featured, News, Special Stuff, 3d, bag, crossbody, danielle nicole, Disney, Disney merchandise, disney shopping, merchandise, mickey, Mickey Mouse, mouse, purse, shopping


text:
Emerging advances in technology have pushed the firearms manufacturing industry to create weapons that are more affordable and more exact faster than ever before. Not only are they being made with precision as a key function, but they’re lighter, collapsible and modular. All of these changes, although they’ve been in the works for years, are developed through fine-tuned processes that are continuing to get better. Here’s a look at some of today’s latest firearms advances.
With modern-day technology, new polymer composite tests are examining how to make a firearm lighter, more durable, able to limit recoil and handle a wider range of temperatures.
Polymers are able to bind different ceramics and nanoparticles that enable these features. Advancements in the field have led scientists to find ways to connect continuous fibers that can disperse the shock of a round throughout the weapon, rather than the firer’s hand. Because durability of the polymers is stronger, the industry is closer than ever to finding ways to make a completely plastic weapon. Until now, barrels were kept as metal, but that could change in the near future. Polymers that can handle the pressure and heat are being tested daily and will make their way to the market soon.
Although they’re perfect for making models and concept designs, the abilities of 3D printers don’t stop there. Using whatever material the printer is capable of processing, firearms can also be designed and developed.
Texas-based company Solid Concepts proved that these firearms can be easily printed and put together. With a 1911 as a base model, the company used an industrial-scale printer to forge the weapon from scratch. They sought to prove a 3D-printed firearm can be strong and accurate, and successfully changed perspectives in the process.
Personalization is an enormous concept used in marketing of all types, but firearms manufactures have found a way to capitalize on the same trend with modular weapons.
The Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle (SCAR) has the ability to serve as a Close Quarters Battle (CQB) rifle, but if you swap the barrel and a few attachments, it becomes a Designated Marksman Rifle (DMR), capable of reaching farther ranges.
While the AR15 and similar models have been capable of adjustments for years, the firearms industry has made these changes faster and more efficient. Turning the SCAR from CQB to DMR takes less than five minutes and can be done in the field. Militaries have started mass purchasing these firearms as they can teach one weapons system to their soldiers, but maintain the capabilities of multiple.
Even pistols that — just two generations ago — had nothing but the capability to fire bullets are now outfitted with changeable optics, lasers, flashlights and magazines.
The personalization of firearms means that along with new weapons will come a wide range of attachments and products all designed to help you create the firearm you want.
Today’s Guns Tomorrow
Years from now, the market will be saturated with high-tech firearms that are more diverse and more capable than anything on shelves today. As new technology continues to improve weapons of the future, the firearms of today will be for sale second-hand at affordable prices sooner than later. The lower price allows you to save money for things like attachments and ammunition while the advancements in technology let you know the quality of the firearm will be maintained.


text:
Gov't to test online ATM Cards
(IDG) -- The process of using a credit card to conduct business on the Internet has become commonplace thanks to the advent of sites such as Amazon.com and eBay. Now the idea has picked up support from state and local government officials doing online procurements.
But the next great innovation for citizens and government could very well be using an ATM card to perform online transactions and procurements, a service that may be available within a year in some parts of the country, according to an official from an electronic funds transfer (EFT) network company at last week's National Electronic Commerce Coordinating Council conference.
Julie Saville, vice president of Star Systems Inc., a regional EFT that serves about 3,700 financial institutions and 79 million cardholders, said three models are scheduled to be rolled out in pilot projects next month. The pilots are designed to test concerns of Web-based ATM transactions, including security and privacy issues, employing different technologies to the process and examining the costs and fees associated with ATM transactions.
"Different agencies in different states have asked about the ATM card option," Saville said. "Some want to use it for property taxes, but the average amount could be about $1,300, and that exceeds the daily withdrawal limits for most banks...and that's the challenge for higher-priced services."
The first model will use an ATM card and feature a device that can be plugged into a computer keyboard where the personal identification number (PIN) can be entered securely, Saville said. "We don't want anyone to be entering their account number and PIN on a keyboard," she said.
The second model will use digital signatures, with the consumer and funds verified by a financial institution. The third pilot will be based on a "trusted third party" scheme in which the customer is verified by a third party and a PIN-less online debit is routed to the financial institution, Saville said.
All three pilots should be rolled out by year's end and should incorporate different public and private-sector partners, including Citibank and the National Automated Clearing House Association -- the nonprofit trade association that promulgates rules and operating guidelines for electronic payments (www.nacha.org) -- and others, Saville said.
It's the year of the e-wallet
RELATED IDG.net STORIES:
What is ATM?
National Automated Clearing House Association
|Back to the top||
© 2001 Cable News Network. All Rights Reserved.|
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.


text:
INDIA'S sluggish economy and freefalling currency have cast a pall over the country's hospitality sector as average occupancy rates (AOR) and average room rates (ARR) plummet.
With the Indian rupee crashing by 11.6 per cent year-on-year last month, the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India confirmed in its independent study that AOR for 1Q2013 has hit a decade-low of 58.3 per cent.
In the meantime, ARR for the same quarter across major cities in India chalked up a paltry Rs6,214 (US$105), the lowest since 2007.
Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group South Asia chairman, KB Kachru, said: “The premium hotel segment has seen a downward trend in occupancy during the last financial year. Occupancy rates in five-star hotels in big cities have gone down by about 15 per cent as compared to last year.”
CRISIL Research expects profitability of five-star hotels to dip to 16 per cent in 2013-14 due to rising costs and a decline in occupancy.
The lacklustre state of the Indian economy has led underperforming hotels to seek avenues for shedding dead weight, with HVS reporting that 75 branded hotels have been up for sale since the beginning of this year.
Real estate giants DLF and Emaar-MGF have also stopped building new hotels and have been selling off their proposed prime hotel land plots since1Q2013.
The Indian rupee has been declining steadily by almost 12 per cent year-on-year. This, along with perpetually slow economic growth, high land prices and shrinking inbound numbers from prime source markets such as Europe, led to Royal Orchid Hotels selling its Ahmedabad property to Samhi hotels, and Ista Hotels selling a stake to a foreign investor and rebranding five of its hotels as Hyatt properties to tap the latter’s global reservation network last year.
According to industry sources, some of the hotels that remain in the market include Best Western Taurus, Delhi; Shangri-La Hotel, Mumbai; Hilton Mumbai International Airport; Novotel Hyderabad Airport; Hilton Garden Inn, New Delhi and Hyatt Regency, Pune.
New Delhi-based Omega Hospitality Consultants managing director, Rakesh Lamba, said: “The new hotel development market is downbeat as RevPAR and occupancy levels are down while construction costs are high. The cost of real estate in prime locations is disproportionately high so major investment in high-end branded properties is very slow at this time. We expect a recovery if the rupee stabilises and business travel picks up.”