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- U.N. condemns Israel, U.S. for not sharing Iron Dome with Hamas
- Eric Cantor says he’ll resign on Aug. 18
- Ted Nugent slams ‘lying freaks’ at liberal media: I’m ‘doing God’s work’
- Joe Biden’s secret love: Skinny-dipping, Secret Service agents say
- Just-forged Israel-Hamas cease-fire ends in rocket fire
- Obama military downsizing leaves U.S. too weak to counter global threats, panel finds
- Sen. Tom Coburn vows to slow down budget-busting bills ahead of recess
- Obama fantasizes about more executive power, signs new order on federal contractors
- Clintons call Klein, Halper, Kessler ‘a Hat Trick of despicable actors’: report
- Boehner accuses Obama of ‘legacy of lawlessness’
Kim Kardashian: Reality star, sister bring clothing ‘Kollection’ to U.K.
Question of the Day
Kim, Kourtney and sister Khloe — who didn’t attend the Thursday evening event because she’s busy filming the U.S. version of “The X Factor” — have teamed up with British clothing store Dorothy Perkins, which will stock the line.
At the launch, Kim Kardashian expressed hopes of one day opening their own store in London, saying “we would love to.”
Kourtney added “we’ve been talking about it.”
The Kardashian Kollection will be available immediately in more than 200 Dorothy Perkins stores in the U.K.
It will also be sold internationally to 11 other countries in the Middle East and Asia.
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There are few animals as famous as Fiona, the Cincinnati Zoo’s beloved hippo.
Fiona has been making headlines her whole life: on January 24, 2014, the hippo was born six weeks premature, and her miraculous survival made her an instant celebrity.
Since then she’s become the face of the Cincinnati Zoo, starring on popular web shows and even becoming the subject of two children’s books.
Fiona is so popular that when her fourth birthday rolled around this month, fans around the country wanted a way to celebrate.
Since the coronavirus pandemic prohibits any kind of large celebration the zoo might’ve thrown, they found another way to mark the occasion.
The Cincinnati Zoo let fans buy apples for Fiona online. And in a special twist, the apples were marked with numbers and put into a “slow-paced race.”
In the event, dubbed “Float4Fiona,” the apples were placed in the water Hippo Cove, and the first apple to get through a Fiona mouth would win its owner a chance to have a meet-and-greet with Fiona!
“We can’t invite people here to witness the race, but we will stream it live on Facebook and announce the winners as the apples cross the finish line,” said Cincinnati Zoo director Thane Maynard in a press release.
The event was livestreamed on the zoo’s Facebook page. You can watch the thrilling conclusion here:
It was a fun way to keep fans involved and allow them to support the zoo while social distancing is still in effect.
Fiona fanatics also have the opportunity to buy special merchandise created for the hippo’s birthday: local businesses made Fiona her own beer, cookies and ice cream, while the zoo will sell new limited-edition Fiona merch.
“Since she is the sweetheart of the city, several Zoo partners are offering Fiona-themed goodies to celebrate her birthday,” Maynard explained.
Which is all well and good for Fiona’s fans, but what about the famous hippo herself? What did she get for her birthday?
Well, the zoo made her a very special birthday gift: a giant cake, all made out of her favorite hippo-friendly fruits like apples and oranges. A mural in the background wishes her a happy birthday, and says “You’re the apple of my eye.”
And it’s very clear that Fiona appreciated her gift — she didn’t hesitate to chow down on her cake:
Fiona often makes the news thanks to events at the zoo. For instance, this time last year she correctly predicted the Kansas City Chiefs would win the Super Bowl, in an adorable albeit slightly gross way.
And other times Fiona goes viral for reasons that were completely unplanned, like when she accidentally photobombed a couple’s engagement photo:
Happy birthday, Fiona! Thanks for always entertaining us over the years! We hope you enjoyed your cake!
Share this adorable story if you love Fiona!

domain: news


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Yesterday, Facebook launched Facebook Gifts, a new social gifting service that allows users to send physical gifts to their friends, the result of Facebook’s May acquisition of mobile e-commerce app Karma for $80 million. [Facebook used to have a Gift Shop application that allowed users to send virtual gifts in the form of images, but that was discontinued in August 2010.]
“Every day, millions of people share special moments with their friends on Facebook by saying “Happy Birthday,” “Congratulations,” or simply, “I’m thinking of you.” Now there is another way to celebrate those moments. Starting today, you can give real gifts to your friends on Facebook using Gifts.” announced Facebook on Thursday on its website. “You can post your gift to your friend’s timeline or send it privately. Your friend can then unwrap a preview of the gift and it will show up on their doorstep a few days later.”
What’s particularly cool about this feature is that you can send gifts from birthday reminders, or from your friend’s timeline – so it’s seamless to wish someone a Happy Birthday on Facebook, send the gift and voila! – you’re done. Your friend is notified of the gift, and they put in their own shipping information, so you don’t have to know it when you buy the gift. The gift recipient can also choose to change the size, color or flavor of the gift, or even choose another gift instead. You can opt to pay for the gift either before or after the recipient has accepted the gift.
I’m assuming that (if it’s not already happening) eventually the gifts that are suggested to the purchaser will be based on the recipient’s preferences, Likes, Interests, relationships and other profile history, making it much easier to select a gift and much more likely that returns and complaints are significantly reduced.
Facebook has currently partnered with over 100 retailers to offer a large selection of gifts that includes stuffed animals, cupcakes, toys, coffee mugs, Starbucks gift cards and more, receiving a percentage of every gift purchase, and generating a possible significant and alternative revenue stream to its ad platform.
According to some security experts, the new service might encourage users to expose information like their home addresses, birth date, clothing or shoe size that could pose security and privacy risks. An article titled Facebook Gifts could encourage users to expose more private information by Lucian Constantin on Computerworld describes some of the security threats that may be of concern:
“The amount of private data users are sharing on social networking sites already exceeds all security precautions,” said Bogdan Botezatu, a senior e-threat analyst at antivirus vendor Bitdefender. “Making it so much easier for the user to add a number of addresses they can receive parcels at (including probably work or school addresses) would make it even easier for real-life criminals to gather information about a potential victim.”
According to Mr. Botezatu, home addresses combined with other information commonly shared by users on Facebook like vacation dates, pictures of houses or news about recent high-value purchases, could make it very easy for burglars to select potential victims and plan raids. However, the fact is that people already share a great deal of information online across a variety of websites and e-commerce transactions, the difference here is that the information will be going to a single platform.
For most marketers however, the ability to reconcile a user’s social profile data with a phone number and physical address provides a huge opportunity, and will allow companies to enable, improve and enhance online-offline targeting by targeting their customers on Facebook through phone number- and email address-matching.
The Holy Grail for most companies (and marketers in particular) today is the battle for the Customer’s Identity – a 360-degree view of the customer, their profile data, their behavioral data and their transactional data, over their lifetime.
Today, the battle for a customer’s identity rages between Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook for that data, and each has their own strength in a particular area – Google know search data, Apple has tablet, mobile and apps, Amazon has transactions, and Facebook has behavioral data to the nth degree. If Facebook can solve the equation for collecting a user’s transactional data and history including a user’s physical address and combine that with behavioral data, it will pose a serious threat to the other players in this battle.
According to Facebook, the new Facebook Gifts service will be rolled out gradually to users starting with those in the U.S.
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- Never Say Never: Online Privacy in Real Estate Transactions


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iPhoneForums.Net News Team
- Jun 18, 2010
- Reaction score
MacRumors reports today that the white iPhone 4 could be launching as soon as Tuesday April 26, according to an Italian website, iPhoneItalia. This follows on from Bloomberg reporting last week that they had heard from anonymous Apple sources that the white iPhone 4 would be released by the end of April. 9to5 Mac also had a story last Friday about the white iPhone 4s imminent release, complete with proof that the white iPhone 4 will be coming to Verizon as well as AT&T, in the form of a sneaky glimpse at Verizons internal inventory database, which shows new model numbers for 16 GB and 32 GB iPhone 4s, which 9to5 Mac says are for the white iPhone 4, based on the numbering system.
So there we have it, the white iPhone 4 will soon be here! This could be perfect timing for Apple with a few months to go before the iPhone 5, and with the white iPad 2 proving so popular as well, I can see a lot of people fancying a matching set!
Source: White iPhone 4 to Launch on April 26th? - Mac Rumors, White iPhone 4 shows up in Verizons inventory | 9 to 5 Mac White iPhone 4 shows up in Verizons inventory | Apple Intelligence


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With plans to go deeper in the emerging markets around the world, German startup incubator Rocket Internet has partnered with Qatar-based telecommunication services provider Ooredoo to form ‘Asia Internet Holding’. This holding group aims to invest in new and existing Asian e-commerce startups, especially the ones with a mobile services-centric approach.
Asia Internet Holding will invest in 15 potential Asian markets with a focus on emerging ones like Singapore, Myanmar, Thailand, Pakistan, Vietnam etc. The planned course of action, according to Asia Internet Holding, will be to encompass all types of commerce-related business which range from payment services to mobile-based retailers. This joint venture (JV) would mean an enhanced knowledge of local market trends and an influx of capital for emerging startups, benefiting all of the concerned parties in the process.
Rocket Internet already has six projects running in Pakistan, the latest of which is a hotel-booking service labelled Jovago. The most significant of the Rocket ventures in Pakistan is a buy-and-sell platform Kaymu.pk (previously known as Azmalo.pk). According to Rocket Internet’s Managing Director for Asia Region, Mr. Ahmed Khan: “The investment is greatly based on the success already achieved in Pakistan. During investor presentations in Singapore and Indonesia, Pakistan was shown as the success story on which the potential of the region is gauged.”
This Rocket Internet joint venture is not only expected to trigger a number of reforms in Pakistan’s current e-commerce scenario, but also bring in a significant sum of foreign investment.
While there is no word on how much Rocket Internet is willing to invest in Asian region as of now, RI’s previous ventures do give a hint of the expected investment’s magnitude. Rocket Internet, not too long ago, formed ‘Africa Internet Holding’ in collaboration with African carriers and reserved over $410 million for investment in regional startups.
“We look forward to working with a partner as innovative and customer-centric as Ooredoo in Asia,” said the co-founder of Rocket Internet, Mr. Oliver Samwer. “We feel that by bringing e-commerce models that have worked well elsewhere in the World to Asia, and that by partnering with an operator like Ooredoo, we can jointly bring better services to customers,” he added.
With the promise of providing a social and transactional experience to the users, Rocket Internet’s partnership with a telecommunications company would mean a merger of e-commerce and m-commerce services, right in the palm of a consumer. The real worth of such ventures is expected to be realized soon in the wake of the ongoing transition of country’s mobile services to the next-gen 3G/4G technologies.


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40 percent of food in the United States gets thrown out annually, according to a report from the Natural Resources Defense Council. That adds up to $165 billion of lost food each year. Globally, the amount of wasted food is slightly lower but still shockingly high; the United Nations estimates that one third of all food is thrown away every year. And consumers are the worst offenders. In the US, consumers toss 27 million tons of food per year – or 43% of all wasted food – according to Refed, a U. S. nonprofit tasked with reducing food waste.
As sustainability becomes mainstream, a host of new technological solutions are hitting the market to help counteract food waste at the consumer level. These products are making it easier than ever to track freshness and use up produce and leftovers before they spoil.


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All the latest hires, movers, shakers, and mergers from the last month, keeping you up to date with the partnership space.
Read about the latest trends in influencer marketing and how brands can successfully engage with creators on all platforms to execute campaigns and partnerships that drive desired outcomes.
This year's agenda is coming at you bigger, better, and stronger than ever. Explore the agenda's dynamic and diverse range of sessions, which all orbit our central theme of 'new horizons' in creator marketing.
As discussions swirl around the possibility of a TikTok ban in the UK, industry leaders stress the importance of proactive measures to safeguard marketing strategies and consumer insights.
CreatorFest's launch event saw a panel discussion that provided invaluable insights into the evolving dynamics of the Creator Economy, emphasising adaptation, innovation, and collaboration for tomorrow's influence.
CreatorFest's debut marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of the Creator Economy, promising a vibrant ecosystem of inspiration, collaboration, and strategic growth as industry leaders unite to shape tomorrow's influence.
The House has passed a bill potentially banning TikTok in the US, pending Senate approval, sparking concerns in the Creator Economy and prompting calls for proactive measures from industry leaders.


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Definition 6, a marketing agency specializing in viral video campaigns, released the Timeline Movie Maker for Facebook Pages, a brand-oriented version of the Timeline Movie Maker app that it launched for individual users early this year.
With Timeline now the standard Facebook user interface, Definition 6 has revamped its Timeline Movie Maker to allow brands to create one-minute movies to share their stories.
“Timeline Movie Maker had such a positive impact on the Facebook community, we wanted to extend that experience to brands,” stated Chris Thornton, CMO of Definition 6. By reaching out to brands, Thornton said the product allows brands to connect with their community "in a much more meaningful way.”
Timeline Movie Maker's goal is to pull together a creative one-minute video. Rachel Conforti, director of marketing communications at Definition 6, says it "evaluates your most highly engaged content on your Timeline.” The app is capable of zeroing in on the “key moments and milestones” of a brand.
Brands that are concerned that Timeline Movie Maker for Facebook Pages will miss key events can rest easy. While not an entirely automated system, Conforti said that page admins have the ability to customize the movie in order to make it the best experience possible for consumers.
The original Timeline Movie Maker has received some updates as well. Users can now share their videos in nine new languages, including Italian, Japanese and Russian, while working with a simplified editing process.


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The president has long threatened to ditch Nafta, but businesses largely discounted that as more bluster than reality. That has changed in recent weeks as negotiations with Canada and Mexico have become rockier, prompting industry leaders to organize and speak out. The next round of trade talks were postponed until mid-November to give the parties more time to resolve their differences.
Bill Lane of the Trade Leadership Coalition, which advocates preserving Nafta, said that until recently businesses had been largely silent on Nafta because they did not want to undercut other policy priorities, such as rewriting the tax code to secure a lower corporate tax rate.
“But they also realize it doesn’t matter what the tax rate is if you’re not competitive, and Nafta makes North American manufacturing competitive,” Mr. Lane said.
Businesses argue that the administration’s proposed changes to Nafta would reduce the certainty the agreement gives them over their future operating environment — a key consideration when investing long term. They say other proposals the United States seeks would increase their regulatory burden and costs. In an age where capital is mobile and businesses move around the world to increase their profits by a few percentage points, they argue that tighter restrictions could push manufacturing out of North America altogether.
The administration’s proposals for reforming Nafta including adding a clause that would terminate the agreement after five years unless the three countries voted to continue it, as well as setting a higher threshold for the proportion of automobiles and other goods that must be made in North America and the United States to benefit from favorable tariffs. Other provisions would make it easier for American businesses to levy punitive tariffs on Canadian and Mexican products, helping to wall off the United States’ market from what the administration describes as unfair competition.
In remarks to the press after the fourth round of Nafta talks, Robert Lighthizer, the United States trade representative in charge of the talks, acknowledged that the administration’s current strategy involves rolling back some of the advantages enjoyed by businesses under the pact, with the aim of redistributing those benefits elsewhere.
Mr. Lighthizer described his objective as getting “back to the days where there was a substantial majority of people in both parties that voted for these trade agreements.” But in order to get to that point, he said, “everybody has to give up a little bit of candy.”
“I think it’s possible to take a little bit of the sugar away, and have them say yeah, we’re still doing pretty well,” Mr. Lighthizer said of American businesses. “I understand that everybody that’s making money likes the rules where they are, that’s how it works. They can make a little less money or make more money in a different way, and we can get the trade deficit down.”
In the final analysis, Mr. Lighthizer said, he believed businesses would support the revised agreement.
So far, however, many businesses have expressed firm opposition to the proposals. Speaking in Mexico City earlier this month, Thomas J. Donohue, the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said that several proposals on the table could “doom the entire deal” and that the chamber would send an “army” of lobbyists to Capitol Hill to try to stop them.
Among the biggest opponents of the administration’s changes is the automobile industry. Under the administration’s proposed changes, 85 percent of the value of an automobile would need to be manufactured in North America to benefit from Nafta’s zero tariffs, up from 62.5 percent currently. The proposals would also require half of the value of cars manufactured in Canada or Mexico to be sourced from the United States.
According to Matt Blunt, the president of the American Automotive Policy Council, which represents Ford, General Motors and Fiat-Chrysler, these restrictions would probably encourage companies to ignore Nafta altogether, prompting them to make automobiles outside of the United States and pay a tariff to import them. That would essentially create a tax on the auto industry and harm its competitiveness, Mr. Blunt argued.
On Wednesday, the American auto manufacturers, parts suppliers and dealers announced they would form a coalition called Driving American Jobs to fight to preserve Nafta.
Hun Quach, a lobbyist for the retail industry who planned to visit the Senate on Tuesday, said retailers saw opportunities to update and improve Nafta in a number of areas. But her group, the Retail Industry Leaders Association, was concerned about tighter regulations for apparel and textiles, the introduction of more uncertainty into the deal through a sunset clause, and more protectionist trade cases by the United States that would block imports from Canada and Mexico, she said.
“Anyone doing business within the Nafta region would like to have certainty to know that their supply chains they build over decades will remain in place,” Ms. Quach said.


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The possibility of an iPhone running on Verizon's LTE network has shown a spotlight on a loophole in the open access provision the U.S. Federal Communications Commission set on spectrum Verizon uses to offer the network.
Each year, the editors and reviewers of the InfoWorld Test Center gather to look over the list of products that earned the highest marks in stand-alone reviews or came in first in multiproduct shoot-outs. We then determine which ones were particularl...
Some analysts said Tuesday the iPhone 4G on Verizon Wireless will cannibalize Google Android smartphone sales across various carriers including AT&T early on, while others disagreed.
With its CEO gone, chip maker AMD has a chance to reinvigorate the company and start beating rival Intel on some new products.
If Verizon Wireless introduces its own version of the Apple iPhone on Tuesday, users of its network might begin to face some of the same performance problems that plagued AT&T subscribers in some areas since the rollout of the popular iPhone 3G.
The number of mobile broadband subscriptions will reach 1 billion before the end of 2011, boosted by faster networks and the growing popularity of smartphones, telecom vendor Ericsson said on Monday.
Mobile operators were out in full force at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week, promoting their improved data networks and unveiling new devices. But with their marketing efforts in overdrive, the operators may confuse ...
Verizon Wireless is expected to announce Tuesday that it will be selling Apple's iPhone, but it remains unclear whether the smartphone will be CDMA-only, or will also support Verizon's evolving LTE network in dual mode.
Research in Motion said Monday it will work with Indonesia's carriers to filter out pornography websites as soon as possible for BlackBerry subscribers.
The number of corporations arming workers with tablets will double early this year, a research firm said last month, citing its recent survey of 1,641 IT buyers.
More than 80 tablet computers were shown at the four-day International Consumer Electronics Show, and one expert predicted some wouldn't last beyond the event.
LAS VEGAS -- Verizon Wireless is expected to get the iPhone early this year, but what about Sprint Nextel, the nation's third-largest carrier?
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Android users who thought they fat-fingered a text message to the wrong person may be able to lay the blame with Google developers.
Sprint Nextel will sell a WiMax version of the Research In Motion PlayBook tablet beginning this summer, the companies announced on Thursday at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
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For work use, Microsoft Word and Excel programs pre-installed on the device are adequate for preparing short documents.
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My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.


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Week 7 of Fortnite Season 10 makes major changes to two different map regions, bringing back classic areas with wild new changes.
Articles by Rory Young
Square Enix releases a brand new Final Fantasy 7 Remake trailer, giving players their first glimpse of the Ifrit and Shiva summons.
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Bungie confirms that Destiny 2 players have completed the Mars Community Menagerie Challenge and that bonus rewards are now available.
Hideo Kojima takes a break from crunching on Death Stranding's development to reveal his favorite games, including the best from the past 5 years.
Highly anticipated indie adventure-RPG Cube World is confirmed for release, six years after an alpha that left the creator struggling.
Square Enix releases a nostalgic piece of Final Fantasy 7 Remake art that recreates a piece from the original game featuring Cloud.
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Bungie makes broad changes to Super abilities, including massive nerfs to Super Energy Generation leading up to Shadowkeep's launch.
Nintendo teases the announcement of a new 'experience' for Nintendo Switch that uses the JoyCon's motion controls and an odd belt accessory.


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(Written by Anirban Nag)
India has extended its deadline to impose retaliatory customs duties on a number of US imports, including almonds and pulses, by a month.
In a notification issued by the country’s finance ministry, the government said that the implementation of increased customs duties has been postponed to May 2 from April 1.
India has put off imposing retaliatory tariffs a number of times since June 2018, when it decided to hit back at a move by the US to place high customs duties on certain steel and aluminium products.
Earlier this month, the US decided to withdraw export incentives being provided to Indian exporters for certain goods under the generalized system of preferences program.


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Join gaming leaders, alongside GamesBeat and Facebook Gaming, for their 2nd Annual GamesBeat & Facebook Gaming Summit | GamesBeat: Into the Metaverse 2 this upcoming January 25-27, 2022. Learn more about the event.
Apple stores aren’t big enough, CEO Tim Cook said today at a Goldman Sach’s conference in San Francisco, and there aren’t enough of them. So the company is moving and expanding 20 existing stores and adding 30 new ones this year.
“Our average store does $50 million in revenue,” Cook said in some amazement. “Who would have thought of that!”
He also likened Apple’s stores to a drug, saying that he uses them as a quick pick-me-up if he ever gets depressed.
“If I ever feel I’m dropping down from an excitement level, I go in a store … it’s like a Prozac,” Cook said. “It’s a feeling like no other.”
Apple currently has 400 stores in 12 countries. One of the 30 new stores the company is adding in 2013 is its first in Turkey, which will be Apple retail’s 13th country. Last year, Cook said, 370 million people came in to an Apple store, including 120 million in the last quarter alone.
Cook credits the stores for at least part of the iPad’s success:
“I don’t think we’d have been as successful with iPad if we didn’t have our stores,” he said. “I don’t think the launch would have been nearly as successful. They’re an incredible competitive advantage … that is not so easy to replicate.”
Analysts had questioned earlier in the call what Apple is doing with its $137 billion in cash, and Cook said that opening more stores was one way the company would be putting that money to work. The new stores help Apple launch new products and educate customers on new categories, he added … perhaps a hint that Apple will launch some entirely new category of products (Apple TV, anyone?) at some point in the future.
Cook also said that perhaps “store” was not the right word for Apple’s retail endeavors anymore, noting that local musicians play gigs there, people come in for a social experience, and that each store is, in some way, becoming a focus for local community events.
None of which detracts, of course, from that $50 million in revenue per store.
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by Mitch Kokai
Senior Political Analyst, John Locke Foundation
The Swedish think tank Timbro has published the first global index of the sharing economy. The Timbro Sharing Economy Index (TSEI) is the first study to compare the impact of the sharing economy between nations. …
… The resulting data set offers the world previously unconsidered insight into the global sharing economy. With the rapid global growth of the sharing economy coupled with increased government determination to regulate the market, this new data will help regulators and entrepreneurs respond effectively to the shifting economy and understand the benefits associated with a flourishing sharing market.
Among the threats to the sharing economy are some common misconceptions about the nature of the market that the new data provided by Timbro refute.
For instance, many believe that high levels of social trust are a precondition to maintaining an effective sharing economy. By controlling their international data sample for certain variables, Timbro found that social trust is unrelated to the use of sharing economy services. This suggests that introducing sharing economy services to a nation contributes to an increase in social trust there.
Critics have also claimed that the sharing economy has developed simply as a way for businesses to avoid taxation and regulation. If this were true, one might expect the data to show a correlation between high regulatory environments and expansive sharing networks. Instead, TSEI shows a negative correlation between the two. Furthermore, sharing networks tend to thrive in nations with greater economic freedom. According to the report, the sharing economy is “basically a new and innovative way of doing business” rather than an end-around run around excessive regulation. This suggests that regulators should be less skeptical about the emergence of a sharing economy innovation in an area they regulate.


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Vancouver, BC – In a move that aims at increasing brand awareness, My Vancouver Movers, a premier moving company operating in Vancouver BC and surrounding areas, has just announced the launch of their new website. The company, which is a subsidiary of My City Movers, claims to have been prompted by the increasing number of clients enlisting their services. The new website will offer more information and allow clients to consult, ask for quotes and book for services. It comes with refined search tools, mobile compatibility, and more functionality. This move comes as the first step in a series of changes that will be witnessed in the company in the next year.
“Our new website (http://www.myvancouvermovers.com/) is expected to offer more information and help our clients access our services with ease,” said Vadim Zavialov, the founder of My Vancouver Movers. “We are on the path of creating awareness for our clients so as to enable them to learn what we offer as well as reach out to new clients. The new website comes with increased functionality.”
Being a subsidiary of My City Movers, My Vancouver Movers has been in the industry long enough to offer personalized moving services. The residential and commercial movers Vancouver have not only launched a sleeker website, but have also expanded their services to offer their clients a better experience. Today, clients have access to overnight moves, long distance moves, emergency moving services, packing supplies, international moves, storage and piano moving. The move to launch and improved website comes after the company reported a growth in the number of clients they serve.
My Vancouver Movers is a corporately owned business that has been in operation for several years. When Vadim Zavialov started the company, only were truck did all the moving. The company only had one location and only a couple of employees. Today, the company has 8 locations spread all over the Lower Mainland with more than 15 trucks. With an experience of about ten years, the company has garnered thousands of clients in the Lower Mainland and continues to offer personalized services. “We are bringing a blend of experience, skills, premium quality customer service and convenience to the moving industry,” said Vadim.
Following the launch of the new website, the moving company Vancouver has been promoting their services more on social media and through paid ads in a bid to enlighten more. According to Vadim, their efforts are paying off as more new clients are streaming in every day. The business plans to expand their service in the near future to cover more areas in BC.
About the Company:
My Vancouver Movers is located at 2087 East 12th Ave in Vancouver, British Columbia (V5N2A9). The company can be reached by phone at (778) 200-2325 or from their website, http://www.myvancouvermovers.com/.
Company Name: My Vancouver Movers
Contact Person: Vadim Zavialov
Phone: (778) 200-2325
Address:2087 East 12th ave
State: British Columbia


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pistachios from the gardens of Mashhad
Tahmasebizadeh, director of Mashhad Agricultural organization, about Mashhad pistachios said:
It is predicted that this year, 1,400 tons of dried pistachios will be harvested from pistachio orchards in Mashhad with an average yield of 1,171 kg per hectare.
He stated that this amount of dried pistachios is equivalent to about four thousand tons of fresh pistachios, adding: “According to the forecast of harvesting this amount of fresh pistachios from the gardens of Mashhad, this amount of crop despite the annual gardens and the occurrence of cold damage, compared to last year It will increase by about 30%.
The director of Mashhad Agricultural organization, pointing out that there are currently 3,575 hectares of pistachio orchards in Mashhad, of which 1,150 hectares are fertile and 2,425 hectares are infertile, continued: Mashhad has a pistachio processing terminal An active and a terminal is under construction that the active unit processes and prepares more than 1,500 tons of products annually to the market.
source of the news: YJC


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It's hard to believe that extra 25 cents a share bothered Wall Street so much, but I don't know how else to explain the battering taken Monday by shares of computer maker Dell. After announcing last week negotiations to acquire cloud storage vendor Compellent Technologies at a proposed price of $27.50 a share, Dell said early Monday it will go ahead with the purchase, but at a slightly higher price of $27.75 a share.
The deal, which is contingent upon approval by Compellent shareholders, is worth around $960 million (with Dell paying $820 million, net of Compellent's cash). That's up from the approximately $876 million discussed last week, a difference of $84 million. By the time Monday's final trading bell had rung, shares of Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) were down 53.5 cents, or 3.85 percent, to 13.355. The closing price was barely above the day's low of 13.34. Compellent shares (NYSE: CML), meanwhile, fell 73 cents, or 2.5 percent, to 27.98. However, Compellent shares had climbed last Wednesday to a 52-week high of $34.16 the day before negotiations with Dell were publicized. The virtualization specialist's stock has more than doubled since mid-April as interest in cloud data-storage technology acquisitions by larger vendors began to heat up. One analyst quoted by MarketWatch speculated that the Compellent deal could damage its relationship with data-storage vendor EMC Corp.: “We think the Compellent deal will cause further strain on the EMC relationship,” Wells Fargo analyst Jason Maynard said in a note. “However, Dell still has product holes in the high-end storage and deduplication markets, so we think there is room for Dell to continue to resell EMC VMAX and Data Domain.” If approved by Compellent shareholders -- and barring a higher bid by a Dell competitor -- the deal is expected to close early next year.
Chris Nerney writes about the business side of technology market strategies and trends, legal issues, leadership changes, mergers, venture capital, IPOs and technology stocks. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisNerney.


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Extortionists take over e-call up system as NPA crisis lingers
The stakeholders, who spoke to The Guardian, said extortionists at the port corridors have stepped up their game to exploit the truckers while the NPA management is facing a crisis.
The Deputy National President, Air Logistics, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr. Segun Musa, said the involvement of security operatives has always been an issue to the e-call up system.
He said the security operatives are now controlling the highest number of haulage in the port corridors, as some of them are now buying trucks and making hundreds of millions daily.
Musa lamented that, while the e-call up system has been a fraud on its own, the security operatives are frustrating truck owners, just as the e-call up system allows abnormalities within the port corridor.
“We don’t need to have security operatives at the port corridors; it should be that when a truck that is not called up approaches the port corridor, even if there are a thousand trucks, they should all be turned back. The law is already there along with the holistic measures to be carried out on the defaulters,” he said.
Chairman, Logistics Practitioners Association of Nigeria, Godwin Ikeji, said the NPA management crisis has served as a distraction, thereby enabling extortionists to take advantage and extort truck drivers more.
He said, though the e-call up system has had its issues, certain individuals have leveraged the system to make money due to their greed for wealth.
He noted that the youths are no longer interested in meaningful and gainful jobs, as they are now looking for easy ways to make money in the industry, which he said is “bleeding.”
“The NPA management crisis will affect the e-call up system. The extortionists are having their way due to the crisis,” he said.
The Vice-Chairman of the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) Dry Cargo Section, Abdullahi Inuwa, said the current crisis facing the NPA management will give room for saboteurs to successfully destroy the system.
He said the saboteurs of the system are already taking advantage of the NPA crisis to further carry out their extortions on truckers, which he said would affect the progress of the system.
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Domino's Pizza Enterprises is bracing for a barrage of complaints from franchisees forced to sell stores under a program aimed at improving sales.
The group is buying back a record number of franchised stores in Australia and New Zealand and operating them as corporate stores after launching benchmarking program "Operations 360". It enables franchisees to measure their performance against other franchisees in areas such as customer feedback scores, food safety, and sales growth.
Domino's Australia and New Zealand chief executive Nick Knight told analysts on Wednesday some franchisees did not have the "passion or capabilities" to take their stores to the next level and Domino's had "helped those franchisees exit the business".
Some of them might be unhappy with the price they received, and were expected to complain to the media or analysts, or take legal action, he said.
"It's not unexpected if they do in an attempt to bargain with us or if they're genuinely aggrieved," he said.
His comments follow complaints from several franchisees that Domino's has forced them to sell stores for a fraction of the price they paid.
"I'm confident this process is working well [and] I'm confident our system will benefit from improved average performance," Mr Knight said.
Domino's also expects to make a profit when the stores are eventually resold to franchisees. It had 92 corporate stores at the end of the first half, up from 66 the previous year, and well above its 40-to-60 store target in Australia and New Zealand.
Domino's has also largely completed the rollout of a camera-based quality control program dubbed "Pizza Checker", which scans pizzas to ensure, for example, they have the right amount of toppings.
Mr Knight said customers were starting to notice the difference, citing improved net promoter scores, and said the initiative was expected to flow through to improved sales.
Domino's issued no updated profit guidance and group chief executive Don Meij said analysts could "assume" that existing guidance was unchanged.
Analysts say Domino's needs to increase earnings before interest and tax about 9 per cent in the June half to meet its full-year guidance for EBIT of between $227 million and $247 million.
Analysts believe earnings growth is likely to fall short of targets due to fewer-than-expected new stores in Australia and New Zealand, margin pressure from rising cheese costs, and soft trading in Europe.
However, Domino's indicated it was happy with its performance in Europe and said it was on the lookout for more acquisitions after buying the master rights to the Domino's brand in Denmark in April and Luxembourg in October.
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Pennsylvania-based 84 Lumber Company this week opened its first Idaho store, near the state capital of Boise.
The building materials, manufactured components and services supplier for family residences and commercial buildings said the store opening is part of a company effort to “meet a growing need for lumber and building materials across the Pacific Northwest.”
The store is located at 1220 W Franklin Road in nearby Meridian. The retail location will offer “high quality building materials including roofing, trim, treated lumber, windows, doors and more,” the company said.
The public location employs 15 associates, with plans to expand in 2022. The facility spans 33,000 square feet, including 8,000 square feet of showroom and office space where customers can browse and consult with staff members.
“This is 84 Lumber’s first location in the state of Idaho, and we’re excited to be a part of the growth and development around Boise,” said Chris Olmstead, general manager of 84 Lumber Boise. “We’ve already been connecting with area builders, and we look forward to expanding our relationships and becoming a part of the growing community.”


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Over the last century, the almighty chicken has been on a slow and steady rise toward national diet domination; beef consumption has been on a steady slide downward since the banner year of 1976 when the average American consumed a heart-stopping 90 pounds of it a year; and meanwhile pork has held steady at around 40 or 50 pounds per person per year the whole hundred years. According to the chart from the illustrated SuperFreakonomics that appears on the Times site today, we now consume just about as much chicken per year as beef, 60 pounds per person or so. But what about pork? It’s everywhere, right?! Well …
We’ve got bacon-stuffed hot dogs, trotter tots, and braised bellies coming out of ours ears these days, but the data says that pork consumption isn’t peaking — in fact, it’s remained pretty much constant for the last century. Well, the chart does cut off in 2008, right as the pork-belly craze was spreading out of urban areas and David Chang’s Momofuku empire was just hitting its stride, so maybe that explains it. (But what’s this? As of today on Wall Street, hog futures are on the rise because pork demand is up up up!)
And poor turkey … you’ve never really been anyone’s favorite.
Beef or Chicken? A Look at U.S. Meat Trends in the Last Century [NYT]
Earlier: Putting the Feet Before the Belly: How Pork Trotters Became Such a Thing [Grub Street]


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Over the past thirty years, Japan’s Tokyo Game Show (commonly known as “TGS”, an annual video game expo held in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan), and the country at large, have been a symbol of the gaming industry’s future. In the 1980’s Japan produced some of the best and brightest arcade games; in the 1990’s they were at the forefront of console innovation and design; but in recent years, Japanese blockbuster gaming series like Final Fantasy and Super Mario Bros. have been fading into the background, allowing games developed in the West to dominate the market (e.g. Skyrim, Battlefield, and Call of Duty). This shift has prompted industry leaders to question whether there’s any hope for a resurrection.
Perhaps however, an existential view of the Japanese industry is an outdated concept. While some suggest that Japanese developers should overcome their pride, and learn from their western counterparts how to compete in the global marketplace, others take a different view. Gavin Moore (producer of Sony’s Puppeteer) for instance, suggests that competing with the West for global market-share is a mistake; it’s not a question of dead or alive, but rather an issue of focus.
“Japan did something very, very wrong… They forgot who they were. They saw these big-selling western titles and they tried to make [them], and they didn’t have the staff and were slow to get used to the technology. They didn’t use any middleware, and for those titles you have to. They spent a lot of money on it, and it bit them – and then they retreated and thought that the west didn’t like their games anymore.”
According to Moore, western gamers love Japanese games, and they don’t want Japanese developers making western games. There is something very unique to the Japanese mentality; “that old-school sense of clearing the game,” as we saw in Demon’s Soul, that isn’t matched in the west. James Mielke, of Q Games, agrees. The Japanese conjure up fantastical environments, creatures, and characters, and they do a good job of making them cool. “Japanese [developers] need to get back to knowing what they do well and embrace that.”
Level 5’s President, Akihiro Hino, is doing just that: “In the past I’ve tried to make things that are targeted for overseas, but that hasn’t always worked out so well. My intention is to make something Japanese-like and do it well – and then people will follow.” Following that line of thinking, there’s no need to lament; the Japanese gaming industry is not at all dead and never has been – rather it’s in a period of retrenchment and purification. In today’s post-modern era, where authenticity commands a premium, Japan’s industry can be seen as paving the way of the future.
Furthermore, if the 2012 Tokyo Game Show exhibitor line-up is any indication, the shift is not just in focus, but in technology. Last year’s show saw an unprecedented number of mobile platform gaming companies, with industry leaders like Gree International and DeNA Co. coming out in force. According to James Greiner of MonkeyPaw Games, Japanese gaming continues to represent the industry’s future. “We’ve shifted from a console-dominated market to a mobile-dominated market. That’s not necessarily a bad thing… Gree is one of the biggest companies in the world now, so to think that the industry went away or died is false – to say that it shifted to another platform and with that platform you have different users is fair.”


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CAPITOL CHATTER Legislative notebook: Farmers look to add butanol as biofuel
By Don Davis
Minnesota farmers soon could produce a new biofuel, butanol.
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Frantz Coutard is now following SABMiller
SABMiller partners with Major League Baseball in Canada In the world of Big Beer in Canada, SABMiller is the new kid on the block. On April 1, the company officially took over operations of its brands – such as Miller Genuine Draft and Miller Lite – in Canada. And it is betting on sports sponsorship to help it find a foothold.
SABMiller partners with NBA Canada The beer used to be sold at Air Canada Centre because it was distributed in Canada by Molson Coors Brewing Co. through a deal with SABMiller PLC. That relationship ended on April 1, as SABMiller decided to take over the task of marketing its brands to Canadians. But it also meant that MGD no longer benefited from Molson’s relationship with Toronto’s pro basketball team. It is no longer sold at concessions in the ACC or bars in the arena.


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Considering the phenomenal growth in the market for compact SUVs all around the world, no automobile player wants to be out of the league. The latest entrant to join the race is American off-roading brand Jeep. The company is in early stages of launching a Jeep compact SUV on Fiat 500x platform. The early models have been spotted in the US and Europe and we expect to see the car coming to India in about two years from now.
The new car, duped as baby Jeep, may have an all wheel drive variant which can be used for both city drive as well as off-roading fun. The bonsai Jeep will carry the family tradition with emphasis on parameters like fuel economy and superior driving experience.
Getting into the mechanics, the car is expected to have petrol as well as diesel variants- both sourced from Fiat. Since the present day Fiat 500 offers 0.9 liter, 1.4 liter petrol and 1.3 liter diesel engine, you will most probably see the same options for this new baby Jeep.
Once the new vehicle comes on road, it will take charge of the baton from the likes of Compass and Patriot models and will compete against the likes of Chevrolet Trax, Ford Ecosport and Renault Duster . As far as the India story is concerned, the company is very keen on launching its cars in a highly potent market. We have already reported that its Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Grand Cherokee have been under testing on the Indian soil.
However, before the India story really takes off, the company has to do a lot of ground work. Setting up the sales, service and other support network will be the primary challenge. Whatever happens on this front, all of us will dearly await for their arrival in India.
We will keep an eye on the developments on Jeep in India, so stay tuned to Car Blog India for latest updates. Meanwhile, do connect with us on Facebook for latest updates, car pictures and videos from across the world.
image credits- AutoBlog


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There are holiday deals galore on the Web. Here's how to protect your identity while shopping online.» Read More
In preparation for its split from PayPal, eBay may be planning to slash thousands of jobs.
An appellate court decision significantly redefined insider trading, and may have altered the course of all further enforcement.
Millionaires love a certain stock that fits in your pocket, but overall are surprisingly conservative investors, a CNBC survey reveals.
An appearance by venture capitalist Peter Thiel was cut short at UC Berkeley by demonstrators protesting police killings in Missouri and New York.
The latest assault on private pensions may be coming from the U.S. Congress
TrueCar forecasts the latest pickups from Ford and Ram will be the most popular models sold among all vehicles with prices over $50,000.
Organic farms may be a lot more productive than previously thought, and they be able may perform better in tough times, according to a study.
Why are Black Barbies priced differently than White Barbies? Toys R Us, Target and Wal-Mart have all done it recently.
When a person works till 70 years old, Social Security payments increase a startling 76 percent and 401(k) assets double.
Banks with loan exposure to energy firms face a much different scenario than they did during the 1980s oil price glut, said Cullen/Frost's CEO.
Americans plan to spend more on gifts this Christmas than in any holiday season since 2009, the CNBC All-America Economic Survey finds.
Investors feel that the market is overvalued and a financial crisis is possible, Nobel Laureate Robert Shiller tells CNBC.
Some of Wall Street's biggest players are ready to write billion-dollar checks to finance a nearly $16 billion Gulf Coast natural-gas project.
The cost of job-based health coverage, including premiums and deductibles, has outpaced wage growth in the past decade, squeezing household budgets.
The new Ferrari FXX K has everything the ultimate Ferrari should have. But it is missing one key thing: a license plate.
Vastly divergent policies from global central banks have sparked investor concern that 2015 is set to be a turbulent year.
Remington firmly denied that the replacement of allegedly defective triggers is a recall, and insists its products are not defective.
The U.S. economy is picking up speed, according to a survey of business economists.
Technology investors are gearing up for a holiday shopping spree. LendingClub headlines a banner week for Internet IPOs.
U.S. outperformance has been the key to stocks, currencies, and commodities in 2014. But can the trend continue?


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- The beer industry in the UK has invested billions more since the beer duty escalator was scrapped in 2013.
- Investment in 2016 was £1.96 billion, which is £800 million more than in 2013.
- 2013 was the year when the beer duty 'escalator' was scrapped and a planned 3p increase instead became a 1p cut.
- Breweries alone are estimated to have invested £325 million.
- The average brewer is making just one to two pence per pint in profit, compared to nearly £1 that goes to HM Treasury.
- The pub sector is paying one pound in every three of total turnover in taxation.
New research from the TaxPayers' Alliance shows how a massive injection of private investment into the beer industry followed the lowering of the tax burden in 2013. Thousands of jobs have also been created since George Osborne scrapped the escalator.
Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, John O'Connell, said:
"Cutting taxes on beer has led to huge investment in industry, helping the economy, consumers and creating jobs. The beer industry is massively over-taxed, and any further increases would scare off further investment as well as risking thousands of jobs. Further cuts to beer duty would see even more investment in an important industry."
The paper features testimonials from breweries and companies. For instance, Brecon Brewing said:
"As a result [of scrapping the duty escalator], we’ve taken the decision to invest in our business, and have recently purchased a machine for bottling and kegging beers, which will enable us to supply UK customers and to approach other export markets with much more confidence."
TPA spokesmen are available for live and pre-recorded broadcast interviews via 07795 084 113 (no texts)
Launch of the TaxPayers' Alliance's
pre-Budget #CutBeerTax Campaign
In advance of the Budget, the TaxPayers' Alliance will be running a high profile nationwide campaign calling on the Government to cut beer duty. The campaign will seek a reduction in beer duty from the Chancellor on November 22nd.
You are invited to attend our campaign launch party:
LAUNCH PARTY - PHOTO AND INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY
TaxPayers' Alliance Chief Executive, John O'Connell will unveil the new #CutBeerTax campaign at the launch party. He will be joined by supporters, figures from the brewing/hospitality industry and parliamentarians of all political colours.
John O'Connell will be available for interview with broadcast, print and online media.
Please RSVP to firstname.lastname@example.org


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Tyler Perry is already in the holiday spirit. TMZ reported that the film mogul has paid off over $400,000 in Walmart shoppers’ layaway debt —paying off $178,000 at one store in Atlanta and another $256,000 at a Walmart in nearby Douglasville, part of the Atlanta Metro Area.
According to TMZ, “all the customers have to do to collect their outstanding items is pay a penny at pickup.”
Perry is not only generous with his money but as a successful filmmaker and entrepreneur, he finds time to dole out advice to aspiring creatives and entrepreneurs. At a recent event, the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Summit, Perry took part in a panel discussion dropping various gems of wisdom. Some of his tips for entrepreneurs included:
- Stay creative, fresh, and relevant
- Serve and then super-serve your audience
- Focus intensively on your core/niche
- Show them how special they are
- Show them that you appreciate them
- Treat them with as much respect and sincerity as you would anyone else
Perry also advised those in attendance of the importance of having a good team in place to achieve your dreams, acknowledging that it’s extremely challenging to identify and formulate a good team.


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Warner Bros. Interactive announced today that the Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection will be coming to online services this summer. Planned to be released on Xboxlive, the PlayStation Network, as well as for the PC, all gamers can expect to get their hands on the classic 2D fighting goodness of the first three Mortal Kombat arcade games.
We are very excited to finally have the first three Mortal Kombat games available in one download package for long-time and new fans to play,” said Ed Boon, Creative Director, NetherRealm Studios. “With the release of our 2011 Mortal Kombat, and its return to 2D game play, players have been asking for these classic titles and we are happy to deliver them.
In addition to the opportunity for fans of the series to relive the original experience of all three arcade games, the new arcade kollection will come with achievements and trophies, leader-boards and online play.
This kollection will price in at $9.99 on the PlayStation and for 800 Microsoft points on the Xboxlive service, (the equivalent of $9.99.)
Sharpen those fighting skills ladies and gentlemen, and prepare for an old-school arcade throw-down come this summer.


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Courts approve Ticketmaster settlement
In this May 11, 2009 file photo, Ticketmaster tickets are shown at a box office in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, file)
Published Friday, October 26, 2012 2:41PM EDT
VANCOUVER -- Courts in four provinces have approved a settlement agreement between Ticketmaster Canada and customers who sued over the company's sales and pricing practices.
The Courts in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec allowed the deal which includes changes in ticket resale practices and an automatic refund of $36, less certain deductions, to customers who bought qualifying tickets on www.ticketsnow.com.
The settlement does not cover tickets sold over the Ticketmaster website.
Ontario enacted a law to stop the U.S. entertainment giant and others from selling and reselling tickets to the same event.
The province made the changes after people complained they tried to buy concert tickets the minute they went on sale, only to be redirected to another site where prices were much higher.
Ticketmaster said it does not divert tickets between Ticketmaster Canada and the TicketsNow site, which it owns, or provide preferential access to primary market tickets to TicketsNow.
Ticketmaster has described TicketsNow as a safe resale service for private individuals.


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Coinbase Releases Cryptocurrency Tax Calculator
The U.S cryptocurrency exchange is easing the crypto tax procedure with a new automatic gain/loss calculator.
Cryptocurrency startup Coinbase has launched a new gain/loss calculating tool as part of an effort to help its user base keep up with U.S. tax requirements.
In a blog post published on Tuesday, the firm explained that the calculator can be used to generate a report which outlines their capital gains (or losses) on its platform, using a first-in-first-out (FIFO) accounting method.
The tool comes with a few caveats, however, namely that it's primarily aimed at users who have bought and sold on Coinbase exclusively – and isn't recommended for those who have purchased digital assets elsewhere or participated in an initial coin offering, per the blog.
"This tool provides a preliminary gain/loss calculation to assist our customers, but should not be used as official tax documentation without validating the results with your tax professional," the startup also cautioned.
Its release follows an earlier step by Coinbase on the tax front, when, in January, the startup reminded its users that they are liable for U.S. capital gains, even going as far as posting a consistent banner about the issue.
The issue of taxation and cryptocurrencies has always been someone of a contentious topic, ever since the U.S. Internal Revenue Service announced in 2014 that it would treat such assets as a taxable form of property rather than, say, a currency.
Concerns over the ambiguity of the IRS guidance – in its new blog, Coinbase itself writes that "we understand taxes for digital currency can be complicated" – have fueled complaints from professional circles.
The topic also carries an added degree of weight for Coinbase specifically, which was the target of a lawsuit by the IRS as it sought information on U.S.-based users in an effort to sniff out potential tax avoiders.
Ultimately, the startup would send information on about 13,000 users who had transacted on the platform between 2013 and 2015 after being ordered to by a U.S. district judge in November 2017.
Bitcoins and keyboard image via Shutterstock
The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups. As part of their compensation, certain CoinDesk employees, including editorial employees, may receive exposure to DCG equity in the form of stock appreciation rights, which vest over a multi-year period. CoinDesk journalists are not allowed to purchase stock outright in DCG.
Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk’s longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.


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LOS ANGELES – (April 15, 2021) – Stratus Building Solutions, the nation’s leading green commercial cleaning company, is releasing the results of a new national survey detailing how cleaning habits and expectations have changed since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The survey shows 90% of Americans remain concerned with cleaning and sanitizing of businesses they frequent even after they receive a vaccination. 8 in 10 of those surveyed say their habits have changed permanently and they do not plan to return to their old ways once the pandemic fades.
“We conducted this survey because we were interested to learn how the pandemic has affected our society’s relationship with cleaning and disinfecting,” said Afshin Cangarlu, CEO of Stratus Building Solutions. “What we learned is, commercial cleaning is no longer a luxury. People expect this level of clean when they walk into a business.”
The survey also reveals where people are most concerned about germs and cleanliness and what their expectations will be as the pandemic fades.
Key survey findings:
- 8 in 10 say they worry about a COVID-19 variant or something like COVID-19 surfacing in the future.
- 8 in 10 are extra cautious about germs at restaurants, retail and grocery stores and airports.
- 94% want the businesses they frequent to put an extra emphasis on cleaning and sanitizing even after more Americans get vaccinated and the country continues to open.
- 76% say they are willing to ask a business they frequent about cleaning practices even after vaccination.
- 92% say they want to be confident in a workplace’s cleaning and sanitizing procedure before returning to the office.
- 6 in 10 say they plan to be diligent because COVID-19 isn’t the only issue. The flu and the common cold are also a concern.
- 66% say they expect their workplace to be cleaned and sanitized every workday.
Please cite Stratus Building Solutions as the source for this survey. This online survey was done by a third party and was commissioned by Stratus Building Solutions. Survey participants (264 men, 244 women) have no affiliation with Stratus Building Solutions.
About Stratus Building Solutions
Stratus Building Solutions is an international franchise company in the commercial cleaning industry, founded in 2006 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Stratus was developed to provide environmentally friendly commercial cleaning services driven by dedicated, entrepreneurial, small-business owners and regional support offices. Stratus has over 2,000 unit-franchisees in 57 major cities across the United States and Canada. Stratus is setting new standards in the building services and maintenance franchise industry by being the first to offer green janitorial products with their proprietary, Green Seal Certified line of cleaning chemicals.


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The European Union Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that CBD cannot be regarded as narcotic, and that CBD products should enjoy the same free movement of goods between and among member states as other legal products.
The ruling, which bodes well for Europe’s CBD sector, grew from a case that was appealed to the ECJ via French courts to challenge France’s ban on CBD.
Specifically, the Court ruled that:
- Extract from flowers is not considered to be a narcotic in the 1961 United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.
- A member state may not prohibit the marketing of CBD legally produced in another member state when it is extracted from the cannabis sativa plant including flowers.
- France must provide scientific proof of the dangers of CBD if it chooses to keep in place its current ban on the marketing of CBD-infused products.
“The Court’s decision sets a binding precedent with European reach: its interpretation of EU law is binding on the European institutions – including the European Commission – and will require other EU member states to assess their national rules applicable to the marketing of natural CBD in light of the clear criteria provided by this decision,” said Eveline Van Keymeulen, Head of Paris-based law firm Allen & Overy’s Life Sciences Regulatory and Cannabis practices, who represented one of the defendants in the case.
That’s important in the context of a separate development last August in which the European Commission issued a surprising “preliminary conclusion” that CBD and other non-medical natural hemp extracts should be considered narcotics. Hemp stakeholders are fighting back ahead of an expected final decision by the EC later this year.
‘Big day for industry’
French hemp laws, considered some of the strictest within the EU, disallow marketing of CBD products, and limit hemp production to only fiber and seeds; whole-plant processing is not allowed, making it impossible to extract CBD, which is concentrated in the plant’s flowers.
European CBD interests have pointed to the case from France as an example of the problems inherent when EU laws are not clear, as is the case with CBD. Unclear EU rules on CBD have continually caused confusion among law enforcement officials in member states. Raids and shutdowns have hit hemp shops all over Europe, usually as a result of differing attitudes toward CBD by local law and health officials.
“This is a big day for the hemp industry,” said Daniel Kruse, President of the European Industrial Hemp Association. “If the industry now keeps being proactive and comes up with safety assessments and standards, the products will be legally marketable all over Europe – at the latest, in three years. And then the market potential explodes.”
“We are sure that this decision will benefit the whole sector, which has been limited for some time by prejudices and restrictive interpretations, not oriented towards economic growth,” said Sergio Martines, CEO, Canapar Corp., an Italian CBD maker. “The opening of the Court will allow the development of products of ever higher quality, the result of research and development.”
Broader effect in EU
The ECJ ruling contradicts the EC’s preliminary ruling in August that non-medical natural hemp extracts made from hemp flowers – frequently present in hemp food, food supplements and cosmetics – should be considered narcotics in the EU. That contradiction could have a major impact on a critical upcoming vote on the matter in the EU’s European Commission. If the EC’s “preliminary decision” becomes permanent across the EU, it will throw the sectors that use CBD, the leading hemp extract, into chaos, stakeholders have said.
The case before the European Court of Justice arose out of an appeal by two men who were arrested for selling CBD vape products made in Czech Republic on the French market.
Sébastien Béguerie and Antonin Cohen were hit with charges in 2014 for marketing their Kanavape-branded CBD vaping products in France. Béguerie and Cohen were convicted under France’s national narcotics laws and handed 18-month suspended prison sentences plus fines of €10,000.
“In today’s judgment, the Court finds that EU law, in particular the provisions on the free movement of goods, precludes national legislation such as that at issue,” the ECJ said in a press statement after the ruling was handed down. “
‘Contrary to the spirit’
The Court further noted “that, to define the terms ‘drug’ or ‘narcotic drug’, EU law makes reference inter alia to two United Nations conventions: the Convention on Psychotropic Substances and the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.
“CBD, however, is not mentioned in the former and, while it is true that a literal interpretation of the latter might lead to its being classified as a drug, in so far as it is a cannabis extract, such an interpretation would be contrary to the general spirit of that convention and to its objective of protecting ‘the health and welfare of mankind’,” the court said.
Finally, the ECJ ruled that “according to the current state of scientific knowledge, . . . unlike (THC), another hemp cannabinoid, the CBD at issue does not appear to have any psychotropic effect or any harmful effect on human health.”
“It is not right to limit research and prevent legal access to certain natural molecules that do not present risks, and to plants that have been used for thousands of years by mankind,” said defendant Cohen, a former co-director at Kanavape.
If France intends to keep its CBD ban in place, the Court said, it “must assess available scientific data in order to make sure that the real risk to public health alleged does not appear to be based on purely hypothetical considerations.
“A decision to prohibit the marketing of CBD, which indeed constitutes the most restrictive obstacle to trade in products lawfully manufactured and marketed in other Member States, can be adopted only if that risk appears sufficiently established,” the court said.
In their ruling, the five ECJ judges followed an opinion from Advocate General Evgeni Tanchev that challenged France’s ban on CBD sales. While French authorities in the original Kanavape case cited a “precautionary principle” aimed at protecting consumers as the basis for the original sanctions, Tanchev said the French government had not clearly identified any harmful effects from the use of CBD oil in e-cigarettes.
European CBD players are also concerned about what the European Commission will recommend to the 12 EU member states that will vote on cannabis and medical CBD issues at a critical meeting of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) Dec. 2, 2020 in Vienna.


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A partial sale of shares held by the National Social Security Fund in Uganda Clays Ltd (UCL) has failed to materialise for nearly two years in a transaction complicated by scarcity of buyers and concerns over the company’s growth outlook.
The offer was floated by the NSSF — UCL’s majority shareholder — in mid-2016 in an attempt to cut losses linked to the struggling building materials manufacturer.
The firm has watched its share price drop from an average of Ush75 ($0.019) in 2011 to less than Ush35 ($0.009) today.
It is also yet to clear a loan of Ush11.5 billion ($3 million) obtained from NSSF seven years ago.
NSSF sought to convert the outstanding loan and accumulated interest into shares that would in turn, increase its shareholding in UCL from 32 per cent to 50 per cent.
Following the debt-to-equity conversion, NSSF would have proceeded to sell part of its expanded stake in the company to a new investor, thereby leaving it with a minority shareholding of around 20 per cent.
Though the Fund had set a deadline for conclusion of this transaction at the close of 2016/17, this was not to be; neither was the 2017/18 date observed. The fund’s financial year reporting date is June 30.
Lingering concerns about the company’s growth fundamentals have reportedly scared off potential buyers.
Whereas UCL’s clay building materials, comprising roofing tiles, carved blocks, bricks and maxpans — a clay brick used for laying floors in multistoreyed buildings — fierce competition from cheaper product substitutes such as iron sheets and cement bricks raise fears about the company’s future.
The substitutes have shorter delivery times compared with clay products, are easier to install at construction sites and also cost less to transport.
These are all critical competitive factors that have made them more popular in the construction industry.
Questions over the distribution model of UCL’s products upcountry have also dampened investor appetite.
Though the company maintains large outlets in some major towns and a limited network of smaller “next door” hardware agents, some customers worry over high transport costs they may have to incur.
Modest real-estate sector growth between 2016 and 2018 is partly blamed for the poor investor interest in the NSSF offer.
The sector grew by 6.4 per cent in 2017/18 compared with 5.6 per cent registered in 2016/17. This trend was driven by improved credit flows to the real estate and construction industry but the longer-term outlook remains unclear.
NSSF top management insist they have been contacted by some interested investors.
Financial results published last month show UCL’s total turnover increased from Ush12.86 billion ($3.39 million) in June 2017 to Ush14.45 billion ($3.81 million) in June 2018 while its cost of sales rose from Ush6.55 billion ($1.73 million) to Ush8.62 billion ($2.27 million).
Profit after tax fell from Ush2.17 billion ($571,660) in June 2017 to Ush1.27 billion ($334,874) in June 2018.
Total assets grew from Ush15.63 billion ($4.12 million) in June 2017 to Ush18.06 billion ($4.76 million) in June 2018. Whereas UCL’s share price hit a record high of Ush33 ($0.009) in the final quarter of 2017, it has since dropped to between Ush20 ($0.005) and Ush23 ($0.006) over the past two months.
“UCL is a fairly complex business that holds a virtual monopoly but operates in a fragmented market. This is why we need a sophisticated investor that is able to combine money and expertise to transform the business. We have been contacted by a few buyers, whose identity will remain confidential.
Though fierce competition from imported product substitutes has affected UCL’s performance, the products still hold a niche market that appeals to customers who prefer the long-lasting tiles,” said Richard Byarugaba, managing director at NSSF Uganda.


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Average earnings have risen by 7.7% since June 2022, but real terms pay has fallen according to a new report.
Workers on the island have had a real terms pay cut in the last 12 months of 2.8%.
Public sector workers saw an even more considerable loss in their real-terms wages, as the value of their paycheck fell by 3.2%.
15% of Jersey's working population is on the States' payroll, making it the biggest employer in the island.
The care, service and cleaning industries gave out the lowest pay rises over the last year, with an average increase of just over 5%, with just 14% of people in the entire private sector on a living wage of £12.19.
Agriculture, hospitality and retail were found to have the highest proportion of workers on less than the living wage.


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Kroger announced that it will pay its frontline employees a “Thank You” bonus, which the company said will be paid out over two installments.
The bonuses of $400 for qualified full-time associates and $200 for qualified part-time associates will be paid out in two installments on May 30 and June 18, Kroger said. The bonuses will be given to hourly front-line grocery, supply chain, manufacturing, pharmacy and call center associates.
Friday’s announcement comes a week after the grocery chain announced it was eliminating its “Hero Pay,” which gave employees a $2 hourly bump from mid-March into mid-May.
The grocery chain saw a surge in business as consumers changed buying habits amid the spread of COVID-19.
“Our associates have been instrumental in feeding America while also helping to flatten the curve during the initial phases of the pandemic. To recognize and thank our associates for their incredible work during this historic time, we offered special pay in March, April and May,” said Rodney McMullen, Kroger’s chairman and CEO.
“As the country moves toward reopening, we will continue to safeguard our associates’ health and well-being and recognize their work. At the same time, we will continue running a sustainable business that provides steady employment and opportunities to learn and grow for over half a million associates.”
The United Food and Commercial Workers blasted Kroger for its decision to eliminate Hero Pay. The UFCW said it has confirmed that 65 grocery store employees nationwide have died from the coronavirus, and added that employees are still concerned for their safety at grocery stores.
"We are extremely disappointed by Kroger’s decision to end Hero Pay and we know that our members are disappointed as well,” UFCW President Marc Perrone said. “At the beginning of this crisis, Kroger first called these workers 'heroes' and now they have decided that they’ve stopped being heroes.”


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Many people don’t associate URBN’s brands with each other, but the company hopes to change that perception soon. This fall, Urban Outfitters, Free People, Anthropologie and (wait for it) Pizzeria Vetri, URBN’s newest addition, will form a cluster within the King of Prussia Mall. This mall-within-a-mall will be more than just a bohemian girl’s haven; it’s a new concept for the company — and a bit of a gamble. Read more »
Nutella Dessert Pizza at Snap Custom Pizza
Since we rolled out our Fast Casual Tracker late last year to track the hot fast-casual concepts coming out of Philadelphia we’ve seen a whirlwind of activity. Of course there was the announcement that Urban Outfitters purchased Marc Vetri’s restaurants but also the ambitious plans of Snap Custom Pizza and Honeygrow’s continued growth.
We’ve recently updated the tracker and also made some changes, for one a concept has to have at least a second location announced before it is added (sorry Buena Onda and Scratch Biscuit).
More news on Philadelphia’s fast-casual scene »
The Melanzana at Pizzeria Vetri | Photo by Courtney Apple
Pizzeria Vetri has made national news over the past couple of days because of Urban Outfitters announcement that it was purchasing Marc Vetri’s pizza chain and the rest of his restaurants (minus the eponymous Vetri). Headlines have blared “Why Urban Outfitters Made Its Controversial Pizza Purchase,” “Urban Drops After Saying It Will Buy Pizza Chain” and “It Will Take More Than a Pizza Party to Sure Up Urban Outfitters.” The business end of the deal has been covered excellently by our business reporter Jared Shelly, but we’re the food guys, and we want to talk pizza.
So for all the Wall Street analysts, URBN stockholders, University of Texas Seniors and everyone else who has been meaning to try Marc Vetri’s jump into casual dining, here is your guide to getting the most out of Pizzeria Vetri.
Read more »


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Westlake Chemical Corp. WLK, +2.07% on Wednesday said it agreed to buy Hexion Inc.’s global epoxy business for about $1.2 billion. The Rotterdam, Netherlands business rang up $1.5 billion sales in the 12 months ended Sept. 30. Hexion Epoxy operates on three continents with eight manufacturing plants and five research and development labs in Asia, Europe and the U.S. Shares of Westlake Chemical are up 22.5% this year, compared to a rise of24.9% by the S&P 500.
This article was originally published by Marketwatch.com. Read the original article here.


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Newport Beach has partnered with a company to help enforce short-term rental regulations by comparing addresses in the city’s database of permitted hosts with listings on popular online services such as Airbnb.
The city has contracted with San Francisco-based Host Compliance to comb 22 websites that could reveal who’s advertising their homes for vacation rental without proper clearance.
Kim Brandt, Newport Beach’s community development director, said such rentals have long been part of the local culture, with zoning, lodging permits and business licenses to regulate them. The city doesn’t keep track of how the properties are advertised — such as through online platforms or a traditional property management firm — but it does collect a 10% transient occupancy tax, or bed tax, as it would for a hotel room.
With the rapid growth of online vacation rental sites, some property owners may not be aware of all the city’s rules or may think their registration with the websites covers that responsibility, Brandt said.
“We want to make sure they’re paying what a hotel would charge in terms of transient occupancy tax so there’s parity with all of our overnight lodging accommodations in the city,” Brandt said.
Newport Beach has about 1,230 active short-term lodging permits, mostly along the Balboa Peninsula, Balboa Island and Corona del Mar.
Local short-term rentals — regarded as less than 30 days — generated about $2.6 million in taxes in 2016, a little more than 10% of the city’s $25.7 million in overall bed tax revenue, Brandt said.
Ulrik Binzer, founder and chief executive of Host Compliance, said Newport Beach is one of his company’s roughly 50 clients worldwide and one of 15 in California. Other Southern California clients include Buena Park, Hermosa Beach and Oceanside.
Without guidelines for short-term rentals, Binzer said, investors can buy up buildings in residential areas and essentially turn them into hotels, displacing residents and altering the character of neighborhoods. Without companies like his, it’s hard for cities to prevent that kind of behavior, he said.
Brandt said a series of community conversations last year about expanding short-term rental regulations ultimately led the City Council to direct staff to simply enforce existing rules, perhaps with outside help.
“It doesn’t matter at the end of the day how many regulations you have on the books unless you’re enforcing them,” she said.
The city is awaiting the results of its first report from Host Compliance, which Newport is paying $62,500 for a one-year commitment. Staff expects weekly updates.


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New Delhi: Online fashion retailer Myntra is poised to cut additional 200 jobs at Jabong in the next three months after deciding to terminate services of around 250 employees as part of the restructuring at Flipkart Group, the Economic Times reported citing a person aware of the matter.
US-based retail major Walmart, which owns a majority stake in homegrown online retailer Flipkart, is all set to merge Jabong with Myntra. The two online fashion portals — Myntra and Jabong — have been brought under the control of Flipkart chief executive officer (CEO) Kalyan Krishnamurthy after co-founder Binny Bansal’s abrupt departure.
Myntra’s chief executive Ananth Narayanan at a town hall on Friday had announced that about 250 jobs will be cut as the online fashion company and Jabong are integrating functions from finance, technology, marketing and creative teams among others departments, as per the financial daily report.
“Myntra and Jabong will now fully integrate all the remaining functions including technology, marketing, category, revenue, finance and creative teams,” a Myntra spokesperson told ET in an email. He, however, refused to divulge more on retrenchment of another 200 employees.
To recap, Flipkart had bought Myntra in 2014, and Jabong was acquired by Myntra for USD 70 million in 2016 from German investors of Rocket Internet.
“Flipkart Group is deeply committed to the success of Myntra and Jabong as market-leading brands. The just-announced integration of the two brand’s back-office teams is a long-planned and one-off realignment that started since Myntra’s acquisition of Jabong in July 2016. We have no further restructuring plans at this time ... our decision to combine these teams was not taken lightly, but we believe it is the best way to ensure that both brands can achieve long-term growth and success," the ecommerce company said in a statement.
Myntra’s dismal performance this year could also push the online fashion retailer towards a merger with Flipkart. An announcement on this is likely to be made soon, the publication had earlier reported citing a person familiar with the development. “Flipkart Fashion, Myntra and Jabong will also be integrated wherever there are synergies, while the front-end will continue to operate separately,” the financial daily had quoted the source as saying.
Last week, the chief of Flipkart Group’s Myntra-Jabong clarified that he will continue to head operations at the online fashion retail firm after rejigging of roles following Binny Bansal’s resignation. “I’m very excited about Myntra,” Narayanan, CEO Myntra-Jabong told Reuters in an interview after several media reports mentioned that he may quit after he was made to report into Kalyan Krishnamurthy.
Architects of India's future will define the agenda for growth in this Golden Decade, at the Times Network India Economic Conclave - 25, 26 March | New Delhi. Watch LIVE coverage from the ground on Times Network News channels and www.indiaeconomicconclave.com.


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Subscribers to US satellite television service DirecTV will soon have free access to more than 70 XM Satellite Radio channels.
The two companies have inked a deal to compete with rival Sirius Satellite Radio and the partnership formed last year with DishNetwork.
Washington DC headquartered DirectTV, controlled by media magnate Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, has nearly 15 million subscribers, a large pool from which XM can extend its own five million customer base.
Says Patricia Kesling, the radio company's vp of marketing: "We know from experience that when people get to sample XM, they want to become XM subscribers."
The offering to TV customers, due to start mid-November, is mostly music but also includes children's programming, some sport and the adult oriented High Voltage channel.
Data sourced from reuters.com; additional content by WARC staff


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OnePlus 2, OnePlus' next-generation smartphone, which is slated to be launched officially via virtual reality on 27 July, has surfaced officially via a Chinese e-tailer which has even opened online purchases for the smartphone.
Chinese smartphone e-tailer OppoMart has listed the OnePlus 2. The e-commerce portal also claims to ship the handset to countries like the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Canada along with territories of the European Union.
At OppoMart, OnePlus 2 is priced at $499, £321, A$670.
These price tags are seemingly in line with earlier rumours that indicated that OnePlus 2, upon release, would get a sub $500 price tag.
Currently, OppoMart has listed the OnePlus 2 as "out of stock" quoting high demand which could be an exaggeration at this point in time.
The Chinese e-tailer has also listed key technical specifications of OnePlus 2:
- 5.7in 2K display having resolutions of 2056x1440
- OnePlus Oxygen OS based on Android 5.0 (Lollipop)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor
- Single SIM-card slot
- 16MP front camera
- 5MP front camera
- 3GB RAM
- 16/64GB internal storage
- LTE, HSPA, GSM, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 2.0 and microUSB connectivity
- Fixed 3,300 mAh Lithium-Polymer battery
A majority of these technical specifications are in line with those that are almost certain to be featured in OnePlus 2, such as the RAM, internal storage, battery and cameras (both primary and secondary).
However, going by an official teaser image of OnePlus 2 released by OnePlus employees last week on Reddit, it is evident that OnePlus 2 will be smaller than the current-gen OnePlus One.
OnePlus employees have stated that the China-based company has creatively worked on developing the primary camera of OnePlus 2. Therefore, the front camera of the OnePlus 2 will be an aspect to check out once the smartphone is officially launched.