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Driving the future of automotive and mobility
As Ontario’s flagship initiative on automotive and smart mobility technologies, AVIN is driving economic development and catalyzing a future that builds safer, faster and more efficient transportation.
Readying the future
Ontario has long been at the forefront of automotive technology and mobility innovation. With a century’s worth of expertise, world-renowned manufacturing and technological capabilities, and highly skilled talent, Ontario is unlocking the industry’s potential.
Helping companies succeed
“As a result of AVIN, Ontario is now a global leader in driving the future of automotive and mobility through the development of a model that leverages Ontario’s regional strengths and assets to support the commercialization of new technologies that will drive economic and social benefits in the province.”
– Grant Courville, VP, Products and Strategy, BlackBerry QNX
Explore Ontario’s ecosystem
By harnessing Ontario’s automotive and mobility ecosystem — including regionally located technology development sites, demonstration and testing zones, leading industry expertise, and more — start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and global leaders can tap into a wide range of resources, capabilities and opportunities.
Join us on social media
Latest News and Events
The Future of Smart Mobility – Transformed by Canadian Automotive Innovation
May 13, 2021
The future not only looks electric for the Canadian automotive industry, but also promises to be more connected, autonomous and shared.
Introduction to Electric Vehicles and Charging Infrastructure
June 30, 2021
In this report, we highlight the different types of electric vehicles and their charging infrastructure technologies. We also discuss the major benefits of adopting EVs for both the vehicle owner and the environment, and touch upon the current market dynamics of EV adoption globally and in Canada.
Shaping the Future of Ontario’s Automotive and Mobility Evolution with AVIN
April 27 @ 10:00 am
This session will focus on why Ontario is an ideal location for economic growth in this sector, and how AVIN and its constituent Regional Technology Development Sites are poised to support SMEs with s...
Learn more about Ontario’s thriving automotive and mobility landscape with the latest news, AVIN-led research, thought-leadership, reports and more.
Through AVIN, Ontario-based start-ups and SMEs are realizing economic benefits and contributing to economic growth and prosperity in the province.
ONTARIO SME REVENUE GROWTH CATALYZED*
ONTARIO SMEs SUPPORTED*
*As of November 30, 2020
Apply for programs
AVIN’s five programs are a key ingredient to driving the commercialization of automotive technology and smart mobility solutions. Find out which program best suits your needs.
Meet our team and collaborate with Ontario’s network of experts, innovators and entrepreneurs through social media and ongoing events.


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Fy, a fungi-based protein, is sustainable, quick to grow and nutritionally dense.
The Chefs Behind Sonoma’s Michelin-Starred SingleThread Open Little Saint, an Elevated Ode to Vegetables
Opened on Earth Day, the much-anticipated restaurant from Kyle and Katina Connaughton is serving flavorful vegan fare.
Chef Daniel Humm says “the current food system is simply not sustainable.”
They’ll dice your plant-based diet into haute cuisine.
Fake meat equals real money for Impossible Foods—and lots of it. The Silicon Valley-based startup, meatless food’s current It company, is valued at a jaw-dropping $2 billion after its latest round of funding raised $300 million in capital, according to Reuters. The funding means the company has now raised a $750 million across five rounds […]
The vegetable-focused restaurant is pushing against dining trends with a more curated experience.

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MIDVALE, Utah, March 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Ally Bank, the direct banking subsidiary of Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY), today announced it is offering customers with debit cards access to Apple Pay®, a simple and secure way to pay for goods and services with a compatible Apple mobile device.
In participating stores, Apple Pay will work with iPhone® 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch®, upon availability. Within apps, Apple Pay is compatible with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, iPad Air® 2 and iPad mini™ 3. Once a customer has entered their Ally Bank debit card information on a device, they will be ready to make payments with Apple Pay at supported merchants.
"Given the growing use of mobile devices, offering Apple Pay to our customers is yet another way we are making banking convenient and simple," said Diane Morais, chief executive officer and president of Ally Bank. "But we're not stopping there: our team is currently working on supporting two other mobile pay options – Android Pay® and Samsung Pay™ – to bring mobile payments services to a broader base of Ally Bank customers."
To pay at checkout, users simply hold their mobile device near a contactless reader and authorize the payment using a passcode or Touch ID®, and a subtle vibration and beep will confirm that the payment has been processed.
In addition to being easy to use, Apple Pay provides a secure form of payment. Since the card data is encrypted and not stored on Apple servers, it is inaccessible if the mobile device is either lost or stolen. In addition, the retailer or merchant never has direct access to a consumer's card details.
Android Pay and Samsung Pay support are expected to launch later this year.
About Ally Bank
Ally Bank is a direct bank in the U.S. that offers a straightforward approach to banking with no minimum deposit required to open an account, no monthly maintenance fees and 24/7 live customer service. A subsidiary of Ally Financial Inc., the Bank offers online savings, interest checking, money market accounts, certificates of deposit with terms ranging from three months to five years, and IRA Plans and products. Member FDIC.
For more information, visit the Ally media site at http://media.ally.com or follow us on Twitter @ally.
SOURCE Ally Financial


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Now that most major airlines, hotels, credit cards, and loyalty programs are on Twitter and Facebook, it can be easier (and quicker) to get problems solved by using social media than by calling a customer service center.
Customer service through social media is a pretty hot topic at the moment. More companies are investing in this, and more people expect to have their problems solved through Twitter or Facebook. We’ve already seen a glimpse of what ... Read Post
Topguest, the hot loyalty program which rewards users for engaging with brands on social networks, now has 5 million customers, the company has just revealed. These customers are collecting airline, hotel and other travel rewards po... Read Post


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Lafayette Mittelstand Capital, a Frankfurt-based equity investment firm, has signed an agreement for the acquisition of Kettler's assets, including the brand, the licensing rights, its intellectual property and its three factories in Germany. The closing of the deal, whose price has not been revealed, should occur in the next days, depending on various conditions.
Lafayette has agreed to retain only about 500 of the 700 people employed by the German manufacturer of fitness equipment, tennis tables, garden furniture and toys. According to the Westfalenpost, one of the clauses is the establishment by Lafayette of a temporary company for 170 employees who would continue to receive their wages for six months while training before they lose their jobs at Kettler.
A few weeks ago, Kettler was given more time to finalize the negotiations with its new owner after the failure of a previous round of discussions with a Luxembourg-based fund, Altera Capital, which led the company to file for insolvency for the second time in July.
The management informed the 700 employees of the German fitness equipment company last month that the Heinz Kettler Foundation had agreed to inject more money to keep it going until the arrival of the new investor. The foundation was set up to take over the patrimony of the company's former owner, Karin Kettler, after her sudden death last year.
Founded in 1949 by Karin's father, the late Heinz Kettler, the company still employed 1,100 persons before it ran into financial difficulties in 2015, when it filed for insolvency and sold off its bicycle operations. It currently generates annual sales of around €100 million.
Lafayette Mittelstand Capital, which specializes in supporting medium-sized enterprises, said it wants to turn Kettler into a trendier brand with the help of its current management, headed up by Olaf Bierhoff. The brand still enjoys a good reputation in the market and has potential for further development.


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MILAN — Limoni has completed its financial restructuring, which began in June when equity firms Bridgepoint and Orlando confirmed control of the Italian perfumery chain, squashing rumors of a takeover by retailer Gruppo Coin.
According to Limoni Group president and chief executive officer Richard Simonin, the company’s banks have agreed to shave off roughly 70 percent of Limoni’s debt, with the remaining 114 million euros, or $141.3 million at current exchange, to be paid by 2017 at a low interest rate, and a fresh injection of 40 million euros, or $49.6 million, from Bridgepoint and Orlando.
“We are now able to focus, serenely, on the turnaround of the Italian leading retailer in perfumery, makeup and cosmetics, with 430 stores and 380 million euros turnover in 2011,” said Simonin.
Italian daily La Repubblica reported that the case against former Limoni president and ceo Piofrancesco Borghetti — accused of embezzlement, tax evasion and falsely declaring bankruptcy — is proceeding separate from the company’s restructuring. Borghetti remains a fugitive.


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Lucy Nicholson/Reuters /Landov
The transportation app Uber matches ride-seekers with drivers. Uber says it will expand to more Chinese cities next week.
Happy Valentine's Day! Here's a daily round up of interesting business stories. Every day, KPCC compiles this awesome list.
Is KCET going bankrupt? The LA Weekly reports that the public television station, now known as KCETLink has lost $12.5 million last year. KCETLink Al Jerome spoke to KPCC in January, saying that the station lost ad revenue after it ended its relationship with PBS. He said the station's business was improving this fiscal year. KCETLink had landed a $1 million one-year grant for its nightly news show SoCal Connected. We'll be monitoring this issue.
In other media news, A.H. Belo Corp., the parent company of the Dallas Morning News, reported that digital ad revenues increased 7 percent in the fourth quarter, according to NetNewsCheck. The increase was in part due to the Dallas Morning News' involvement with 508 Digital and Speakeasy. Speakeasy provides sponsored content--when businesses pay for articles that will appear on the Morning News' GuideLive, entertainment website. Sponsored content has raised some eyebrows among journalists, including investigative journalism website ProPublica's president.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 13: A man carries a shopping bag in a Uniqlo store in Manhattan on February 13, 2013 in New York City. Uniqlo will be opening its first Southern California stores this fall.
Japanese retailer Uniqlo will open stores in Southern California malls for the first time this fall.
The new locations will be in South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa and the Beverly Center in L.A., both malls confirmed to KPCC on Thursday.
Uniqlo is known for its affordable, stylish clothes. Short sleeve t-shirts, for example, are listed on the company's website with a pricetag of about $13. The retailer opened in 1984 and is operated by Japanese company Fast Retailing and has grown to more than 1,300 stores worldwide in 14 markets.
Uniqlo said its global sales were roughly $11.6 billion for its 2013 fiscal year ending Aug. 31 and says its parent company, Fast Retailing, is the world's fourth largest retail apparel company.
"Uniqlo is a globally recognized fashion brand that will resonate well with our shoppers both locally and from around the world," said Debra Gunn Downing, executive director of marketing for South Coast Plaza.
Comcast is the largest cable company and home Internet service provider in the United States.
Here's a daily round up of interesting business stories in the region. Every day, KPCC compiles this list for your reading.
The big news is Comcast's plan to purchase Time Warner Cable for $45 billion. But what does this mean for Hollywood? Deadline explores how the deal could impact various levels of entertainment, including streaming video.
One of the big issues affecting this space is net neutrality. Should internet service providers demand fees from companies that provide streaming video services? Last month, two Netflix executives said they would "vigorously protest" that.
Deadline reports that how Comcast proceeds on this issue could be a spoiler for Netflix.
Retail sales nationwide declined in January due to the really cold weather, according to Reuters.
But that hasn't affected sales at San Bernardino-based grocery chain Stater Bros. Markets. The Press-Enterprise reports that Stater Bros. had its best sales day on Christmas Eve in the store's 78 years in business. The Stater Bros., which has 167 Southern California stores, had $3.9 billion in sales in 2013, according to the Press-Enterprise.
Since opening less than three months ago in Hancock Park, the French-inspired bistro and bakery, Republique has been packed every night. It’s been called the city’s hottest new restaurant, but it also might be the most controversial, because of a three-percent surcharge that’s added to every tab to pay for workers’ health care.
“It’s a little odd,” said Jessica Leblanc, who was eating pastries at Republique on a recent morning. “I’m kind of stunned. I don’t know how I feel about it.”
“I was very surprised,” said a customer sitting nearby, sipping a latte. (She asked not to be identified) “Quite honestly, I had an immediate reaction that was not positive.”
On Yelp, online reviewers have been less kind, calling the surcharge “obnoxious” and “tacky.”
“It is not MY responsibility to take care of YOUR employee's health care. That is YOUR job,” wrote one reviewer, continuing, "I will not be returning because of the 3% charge." Another simply asked, “Are they crazy?”
Orange County Register Publisher Aaron Kushner (left) and company President Eric Spitz.
The parent company of the Orange County Register is betting that bigger is better.
Freedom Communications said Wednesday it's expanding the distribution of its newspapers into five desert communities, including Palm Springs, with a new weekly publication called the "Desert Enterprise."
The "Desert Enterprise" will be distributed in 200 news racks and locations in Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, La Quinta and Indian Wells on Fridays starting on Feb. 21. The first edition will have 24 pages.
"Desert Enterprise will be a community-building newspaper that covers the developments, activities, people and businesses within the desert communities with depth and verve," said Aaron Kushner, Freedom's CEO in a press release.
The expansion into the desert communities follows Freedom's aggressive strategy to increase its presence in Southern California. Kushner's investment group, 2100 Trust, purchased Freedom in 2012.


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Ease of Doing Business for MSMEs: The government’s goal of making India, one of the world’s largest importers of guns, 70% self-sufficient in weaponry by 2027 and boosting defence indigenization has a lot to do with its MSMEs.
MSMEs have recognised their position as an untapped force multiplier for the defence sector, not merely the government and large companies. This is attributable not just to the fact that MSMEs have always been a component in the defence supply chain, but also to the manufacturing depth they currently provide as a result of their expanding presence across India and technological prowess.
According to data presented by former MSME Minister Nitin Gadkari in the Rajya Sabha in March 2020, there were 7,591 MSME vendors distributed across the country providing to the Defence Public Sector Units (DPSUs) in FY18, 8,643 in FY19, and 10,506 in Q2 FY20. The overall number of MSME’s had climbed to 12,000 by December 2021.
As a result, DPSUs’ MSMEs procurement value grew from Rs 4842.92 crore in FY19 to Rs 5463.82 crore in FY21. “MSMEs began their journey with DPSUs as their supply chain partners, but today they are playing an important role in discharging offset obligations, revenue procurement, and designing, developing, and manufacturing complete defence systems on their own,” said Dr. Mayank Dwivedi, Director, Industry Interface & Technology Management (DIITM), DRDO, at a panel discussion on the role of MSMEs in making India a defence manufacturing powerhouse. On Wednesday, the discussion was part of the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s symposium on defence and security.
Given the limited financial and technological bandwidth that Indian MSMEs work with, the number of such systems and subsystems that they are presently capable of manufacturing is more than one might think. According to a list issued by the Ministry of Defense, there are a total of 209 goods that would be made in the country, according to Dwivedi.
According to a statement released by the Ministry of Defence in February 2022, these included artillery cannons, wheeled armoured battle vehicles, missile vessels, land-based high-power radars, short-range surface-to-air missiles, and more.
During the panel discussion, Colonel KV Kuber (Retd), Director Defence & Aerospace at Ernst & Young India, stated that 450 request for proposals (RFPs) were issued between January and March 2022 to provide information to interested companies that may be relevant in submitting their ideas. These suggestions covered a wide range of items, including drones, simulators, ammunition, replacement parts, electronics, and more. “Even if we use a conservative estimate, it’s still a Rs 1,000-crore opportunity, mostly in the MSME space,” Kuber noted.
To make indigenization easier and faster, the government developed the Srijan portal in August 2020, which provides information on things that can be indigenized by the business sector.
Air Vice Marshall PS Sarin, highlighting the portal’s importance, stated that around 600 lines of spares are already posted on the Srijan portal, with another 400 lines in the process of being added.
“All you have to do is scan the QR code (for the product) and you’ll have access to all of the requirements…
Over 60,000 lines of spares have already been indigenized by the Air Force, with over 40,000 lines of parts being consumed on a regular basis. All of these items are primarily sourced from small and medium-sized businesses. “Of the 12,000 MSMEs in the defence sector, close to 700 MSMEs are directly registered with the Indian Air Force,” Sarin said.
‘MAKE Projects’ were also developed by the government in the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 to facilitate indigenous design and development of defence equipment with both government and industry support.
MAKE Projects have been essential in strengthening the role of MSMEs in the defence industry, according to the Make in India webpage, with over 40% of project sanction orders handed to MSMEs and projects worth over Rs 1,000 crores allocated for MSMEs. The government has also established a Technology Development Fund (TDF) to encourage MSMEs to participate in creating technology competence for defence systems by providing grants.
“The point is that any defence system will include numerous technology and agencies.”
The second option is to choose a product from Srijan and customise it based on your skills. The third strategy is to generate items similar to those produced by DPSUs but at a 50-60% reduced cost. MSMEs’ approach will be welcomed by DPSUs. “This is where the business is for MSMEs,” said Hari Mohan, former Chairman and Director General of the Ministry of Defence’s Indian Ordnance Factories.
However, there are particular areas in which purchasers should exercise caution when dealing with MSMEs, such as sufficient documentation. “So far, we have transferred 1,420 technology at DRDO, with 182 of those being transferred just last year.
” When we analyse SMEs, however, we encounter issues such as inadequate paperwork. While engaging with buyers and other industry members, Dwivedi pushed MSMEs to patent or copyright their ideas, adding that “proper paperwork almost ensures excellence.”


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- One Nation-One Uniform initiative; Last date for submission of design is Dec. 1
- Centre announces special fund of Rs. 12 crore for Urban Local Body whose design will bag first prize
Mysuru: Are you good in costume designing? Then you can win Rs.10,000 by crafting dress for Safaimitras. Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) is holding a contest for designing uniform for Safaimitras (Under-Ground Drainage cleaners and helpers) and has asked citizens and fashion designers of the city to take part in it.
In a press release, the Executive Engineer, UGD Division, MCC, has put forth three conditions for those taking part in the contest:
1. Costume design should be a comfortable wear for Safaimitras; 2. It should bear the logo of Safaimitra Challenge, Swachh Bharat and Mysuru City Corporation; 3. Costume should have pockets to keep tools like spanner, screwdriver and contain all safety equipment.
Last date for submission of the design is Dec. 1, 2020. Most innovative and attractive design will be selected as winning design and the winner will be given a cash prize of Rs.10,000. Other participants will be given certificates. For details, visit www.mysurucity.mrc.gov.in or call Mob: 74068-85654 or 90368-69654.
Why the competition?
An Engineer of the MCC UGD Division told Star of Mysore that the Government of India conceived the idea of designing a common uniform for all Safaimitras across the country and christened it as ‘Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge.’ The initiative was announced on Nov. 19 which happened to be World Toilet Day.
The Department concerned wrote to all the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to hold a contest for designing uniform for Safaimitras and the best costume design will be made applicable throughout the country.
Besides, the Government of India has announced a special fund of Rs.12 crore for that ULB whose design will bag first prize. The second prize will carry a cash prize of Rs.9 crore.
She said the motto of the Union Government has been ‘One Nation – One Uniform.’ The MCC has been asked to present its design of uniform dress on Dec.5. Lot of specifications had been given for the enthusiastic fashion designers to craft the suitable uniform. The prize-winning costume design will be announced on Aug.15, 2021 on the occasion of Independence Day. Then, that costume will be made mandatory for all Safaimitras of all ULBs across the country.
According to the MCC Officer, as per the Central Government guidelines, it was mandatory for the Corporation to provide the khaki uniform, face mask, gumboots, goggles and disposable hand gloves. However, they prefer using the rubber gloves because they find it comfortable in handling machinery and cleaning equipment. The MCC has to provide them with disposable gloves but it has not been possible owing to financial crunch.
How will MCC spend Rs.12 crore, if it wins contest
The Officer said the MCC will spend the winning amount on buying jetting and rodding machines and the purchase of other safety gadgets for Safaimitras. Unfortunately, UGD Division did not have any special allocation of funds as it is merged with Drinking Water Division.
In Mysuru, there is a need to upgrade UGD system following increase in load due to rise in population. Expenditure is increased on sewage treatment and bio-culture treatment. So, the MCC collects nominal charges for the removal of choked UGD connection as fixed by the State Government in 2011. Of the total amount collected, 60 per cent goes to Drinking Water Division and 40 per cent to the UGD Division.


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Android 11 Beta 1 was scheduled to launch via a virtual event on June 3. However, Google decided to delay the launch due to ongoing protests in the United States. While the launch was officially pushed back on Friday, some Pixel owners were in for a surprise. On Monday, some Pixel owners reported getting Android 11 Beta release. It has reportedly rolled out to at least two Pixel 4 XL owners and potentially to other Google devices as well. Also Read - Google delays Android 11 Beta launch event
According to XDA‘s Mishaal Rahman, Android 11 Beta 1 arrives with build number RPB1.200504.018. 9to5Google further reports that the update is not widely available yet. There is a possibility that someone pushed the switch and released the update early to a small set of users. In the past, we have seen Googlers-only OTA builds being pushed to users. However, the update being pushed out early to Pixel owners does not carry the “Confidential internal only”. Also Read - Android 11 Developer Preview 4 released, first public beta to come on June 3
Android 11 Beta 1 Arrives Early
This appears to be a straightforward release of “beta version of Android R”. While Google announced a tweak to roll out schedule, it announced that the final Android 11 update will release during the third quarter of this year. The beta 1 release includes the final SDK and NDK APIs. Google will also open Play Store publishing for apps targeting Android 11. The update already includes some features previously not seen in the Developer Preview 4. Here is a look at some of these features. Also Read - iQOO 3 will get Android 11 and Android 12 updates; company confirms
Screenshots of these 3 icon shapes pic.twitter.com/lU4kDkOZcV
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) June 1, 2020
Google is allowing developers to enable media controls in Quick Settings with the release of Beta 1. It means Spotify can add a music player in the quick settings with the new beta release. As reported yesterday, Android 11 Beta 1 also brings a customizable power menu. This includes the option to control devices and wallet. There are also new app suggestions for Pixel Launcher dock, as noted by 9to5Google. Rahman further adds that Beta 1 brings new icon shape overlays including Vessel, Tapered Rect and Pebble.
The Android 11 Beta 1 release also includes a new setting for Bubbles notifications. In Settings, you can head to Apps & Notifications followed by Notifications and then tap on Bubbles. Here, you now have the option to enable or disable apps from showing bubbles. It is not uncommon for Google to add new features to beta release. However, Android 11 Beta 1 seems like an update that brings a new developer option that will simplify user experience.


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Force One Overview
Force One is an SUV launched by Force Motors. The SUV, launched formally with Bollywood biggie Amitabh Bachchan on 20th August 2011, has been introduced in the SUV space to compete with Ford Endeavour, Mahindra Scorpio, Tata Safari and Toyota Innova. Force Motors aims to sell 4,000 units of the car annually and has appointed 22 new dealers across India for the purpose. The SUV is one of the most anticipated launches, due to the reputation of the company for its range of commercial vehicles. Force One will be available in Intense White, Bold Black, Fierce Red, Emphatic Grey and Robust Blue colour options in India.


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Waitrose launches its own inspiring Apple Day orchard – in the car park
Operation Apple went into dramatic action in the car park of Marlborough’s Waitrose supermarket today (Wednesday), leaving customers surprised and fascinated as they arrived to shop. (main pic: Robert Rostill)
No fewer than 20 senior supermarket branch managers took the day off to work on preparations for “a town in an orchard” project, all part of the vision of the Marlborough Apple Day and Community Orchard organisation launched last year.
They came from Waitrose branches in Wiltshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire with Andy Davies, the Marlborough Waitrose manager discarding his customary smart suit and tie for jumper and jeans to dig the site alongside them.
“The idea for this was born at one of the monthly meetings I have with other managers in Newbury,” Andy told Marlborough News Online. “We wanted to do something that would help with issues like climate change and make an active on-going contribution to a community project.”
“We calculate that planting 20 trees will offset the carbon footprint created by two years’ travel to and from our regional group meetings.”
He added: “None of us have done anything like this ever before. Waitrose is in the heart of the community here in Marlborough and with the help of my colleagues we will now leave the legacy of an orchard that will last for years and years.”
Then they set about clearing a 200ft long bed on the edge of the car park and preparing it for the planting of the first Waitrose-sponsored tree – an espalier heritage variety called Ellison’s Orange, which is noted for its beautiful blossom and intense aromatic quality.
The tree, which came bearing fruit, will be followed by 20 baby rare apple trees, to be planted in the spring now that the site has been dug and prepared with a lorry load of compost from Waitrose’s own orchard and mushroom farm at Leckford.
And there to supervise the operation was Philippa Davenport (pictured), founder the first local Apple Day event, to be held again at St Mary’s Church on October 29, when the results of Marlborough Apple Day photographic competition will be revealed.
“We were blessed by the weather and truly blessed by the most truly remarkable team of people working together, which in my experience often happens when it is gardening,” Philippa told Marlborough News Online as the car park exercise came to an end after more than four hours of hard work.
“Gardeners are so good at sharing and I think that’s why community orchards and allotments do so well. It is the earth that brings them together just as food brings people together sitting down to break bread and share a meal.”
“So we did pick one of the apples off the Ellison’s Orange and shared that at the end of the afternoon. Then we toasted the tree we planted, the community orchard we have started and the marvellous Waitrose team.”
“And what was really nice is that there were lots of people in the car parked who shared in it. Altogether it was an inspiring day.”
She hopes that people won’t pick the apples as they appear. “We want the apples to be left in future years so that we may be able to juice them or make our own Marlborough cider,” Philippa explained.
“We want to share that not only among the Waitrose partners in the store but also to take it to the schools and old people’s homes. We will have a community press in due course to do that and some beehives as well.”
The bare-rooted maiden trees to be planted next year will come from Trees for Life, one of the biggest growers in the country. Plaques will be erected announcing them as the Marlborough Community Orchard and giving details of their varieties and date of planting.
“We needed a proper tree to start with and will follow that with the babies,” added Philippa “The other ones are going to be a whole range of Wiltshire varieties, some from our neighbouring counties too, because one of the big things about this project is to revive the biodiversity native to our area which have traditional done well here.
“Otherwise they are going to become extinct.”


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Mexico Cars Market in October 2023 rises for the 18th month in a row, with 113,672 new sales (+24.8%). YTD figures at 1.10 million are up 25.3% from the previous year. Mazda surges 62.6% in year-on-year sales.
Market Trend and Outlook
The Mexican economy is in the midst of a broad-based expansion. Growth is expected to be 3.2 percent by the end of 2023, led by robust private consumption and investment, with notable strength in service sectors, construction, and auto production. This has led to record-low unemployment rates and record-high manufacturing capacity utilization rates. The authorities have commendably kept public debt in check. Monetary policy is rightly focused on bringing down inflation.
This strong momentum is evident in the Mexican Vehicle Market, with sales in October 2023 rising for the 18th month in a row and reaching 113,672 new monthly registrations (+24.8%). YTD figures at 1.10 million are up 25.3% from the previous year.
Looking at cumulative data up to October 2023 brand-wise, the first two spots remain unchanged, with Nissan in 1st at 194,357 sales (+47.5%) and Chevrolet in 2nd at 138,935 (+11.6%), while Volkswagen rises 1 spots into 3rd with 90,745 registrations (+23.8%).
Toyota falls 1 spot into 4th position with 83,009 sales (+9.2%), followed by Kia with 77,563 sales (+4.8%), Mazda -up 1 spot- at 60,106 (+62.6%), MG with 45,507 registrations (+19.8%) and Hyundai with 39,688 units sold (+16.5%).
Ford maintains 9th with 37,573 sales (+13.8%) and Renault closes the Top 10 with 35,021 units sold (+26.6%).
Looking at specific models the Nissan Versa is the market’s best seller, with an 57.7% year-on-year increase in sales, followed by the Nissan NP300 up 62.4% and 1 spot.
Medium-Term Market Trend
The Mexican automotive industry grew uninterruptedly from 2010 to 2016 with sales booming from 803,263 in 2010 to the all-time high at 1,61 million in 2016. The trend reversed in 2017 falling for 3 years down to 1.32 million in 2019.
Covid-19 forced manufacturers and distributers to close down, causing the car market to drop 28% to 952,982 sales by the end of 2020.
After the pandemic the market recovered, growing 6% in 2021 back above the 1 million mark. 2022 grew another 7% to 1.09 million cumulative sales. Despite the market reporting increases in sales, lately the global industry has been confronting some big problems: firstly a disruption in the global supply chain caused by a lack of raw materials, in particular for the production of microchips and the Governments push towards Evs, an expensive alternative for many consumers if compared to ICE vehicles.
Tables with sales figures
In the tables below we report sales for all Brands, top 10 Manufacturers Group and top 10 models.


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Notion, a Denver, Colorado-based provider of a complete IoT home awareness system, secured $3.2m in seed funding.
Backers included XL Innovate, Liberty Mutual Strategic Ventures, the strategic venture capital arm of Liberty Mutual Insurance Global Consumer Markets’ business, and other investors. As part of the financing round, Martha Notaras, a partner at XL Innovate, will join the Notion board of directors.
The company intends to use the funds to accelerate go-to-market initiatives.
Led by Brett Jurgens, co-founder and CEO, Notion provides complete home awareness via a system of smart sensors. Its initial product is a multi-function sensor that provides recognition of doors or windows opening, water leaks, temperature changes, smoke alarms going off, etc.
The company’s home monitoring system – available on both iOS and Android platforms – can be up and running within a few minutes and sends alerts to homeowners via a mobile app.
Notion is currently selling its products in the US, Canada and parts of Europe.


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The scheme: Facebook posts are seen by only a woeful fraction of a company’s total fans or subscribers (often less than 15 percent). And conveniently, that percentage is controlled by Facebook, while the site simultaneously offers an expensive “service” that allows companies to pay to reach its own fans. This throttling quickly became a source of millions of dollars of revenue for the social network.
It’s about as plain and malignant a case of conflict of interest can get. One that only Facebook would dare to try.
Small businesses and entrepreneurs have reacted vehemently against it, even going as far as to create a protest called “I Want My Friends Back”. Mark Cuban threatened to stop using the platform over it. Hell, the whole thing is old enough that the inevitable counter-backlash already came and went.
Some of the tweets from Bilton’s colleagues are pretty amazing: “I dunno, I kind of feel like we knew this was coming eventually,” writes Anthony De Rosa, a Reuters columnist and social media editor.
Indeed! We knew it because it already happened.
Felix Salmon, also of Reuters, tweeted back to Bilton at the Times, “Insofar as it applies only to fans/subscribers rather than actual friends, surely not a big deal.”
Except that’s not true either. In October, TechCrunch revealed that Facebook was expanding the program so that users needed (or could choose, depending on your interpretation) to pay $7 to extend the reach about “important announcements” like weddings, garage sales or parties.
I don’t mean to pile on any of these well-meaning writers. (Some, like Zach Seward at Quartz, pretty much nailed it with his analysis of how Facebook tweaks “the black box that is EdgeRank,” in order to promote and incentivize features). They are right to be outraged and perplexed. Facebook’s pay-for-placement program is ridiculous. Except it’s been ridiculous for quite some time. And apparently part of the reason Facebook has been able to get away with it is that few media gatekeepers, who are supposed to follow this stuff for a living, know how the platform really works.
The common dismissal I’ve seen from far too many journalists–“how else should Facebook make money?”–implies that they or their sources just don’t understand the ad business. They aren’t able to see that Facebook’s sponsored story play is fundamentally different from most ad models.
Take Tumblr’s new ad platform Radar, on which I have done six-figures worth of buying for my client American Apparel. To create it, Tumblr designed entirely new advertising space on the platform that people have to pay to be a part of. In that case, buyers didn’t previously have access to it so if they want it, they have to pay for it. Tumblr’s interest is to make that space as attractive and valuable as possible to buyers, so they’ll pay for it. In this case, our interests are aligned–however long it took Tumblr to get here.
That’s very different from Facebook’s model, in which the worse Facebook posts ‘work’ for brands, the more brands will need to pay Facebook. That means that Facebook and I now have divergent interests. Intentionally or not, the less my posts show up, the more I need to spend to cover the difference, especially since brands have invested in and become dependent on Facebook over the years.
Facebook has put itself in an ugly position. Even if they’re not doing anything with it right now—it looks like they easily could. To me, it doesn’t seem any different than someone like Goldman Sachs or any financial firm being short a position that they turn around and sell to an unsuspecting client as an investment. The worse it does for their client, the better it is for the house. Why even risk the potential impropriety? Greed is the only answer. I seem to remember we fined a ton of Wall Street analysts during the first dotcom bubble for exactly such a maneuver.
Does Facebook have a ‘right’ to operate this way–to throttle access and charge unequally for passage? As a for-profit company, they absolutely do. It’s just bafflingly shortsighted–and borderline unethical–to anyone who really thinks about it for two seconds.
I’m just starting to realize that most tech media have neglected to do that.
And THAT is why Facebook has gotten away with this appalling bait-and-switch. That’s how they’ve been boldly able to be (and remain) broken on purpose.
Ryan Holiday is the bestselling author of Trust Me I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator and a PR strategist for brands and writers.


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Arsenal signs up £10m sponsor
MOBILE phone group mmO2 is to become the official sponsor of Arsenal Football Club, it was announced today. The firm, spun out of BT last year, has clinched a deal with the Premiership side that will see it become official club sponsor and exclusive mobile communications partner from August this year.
The two-year deal is worth at least £10m, with a further option for another two years.
MmO2 said the deal was the largest sponsorship agreement Arsenal has signed. As well as an up-front sponsorship fee, the club will receive a percentage share of network revenues generated from jointly-branded interactive mobile data and audio services.
Dave McGlade, managing director of O2 UK, mm02's brand in this country, said: 'This partnership is financially beneficial to both parties, an enormous brand builder and, above all, great for fans and customers.'
Computer games company Sega has been Arsenal's chief sponsor for the past three seasons. Its Dreamcast games console currently advertised on players' shirts has ceased production. Previously the club had an18-year arrangement with electronics group JVC.
Nike, McDonald's, Bank of Scotland and Capital Radio were thought to be among the companies bidding to take over from Sega.
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The resignation of European Central Bank Executive Board Member Juergen Stark sent the markets tumbling to a sharply lower open with the Dow plummeting 134 points
to 11,161. Nasdaq fell 11
poRints to 2518.
On the upside
Ulta Salon (Nasdaq: ULTA) reported higher second quarter earnings and revenue that topped analyst expectations and forecast current quarter results ahead of estimates.
Swift Transportation (NYSE: SWFT) will provide a mid-quarter update through a conference call on Monday, September 12, 2011.
Marvell Technology (Nasdaq: MRVL) will present its high-definition ARMADA Systems-on-Chips family of media processors at the IBC 2011 being held from September 9-13 in Amsterdam.
On the downside
VeriSign (Nasdaq: VRSN) announced the resignation of chief financial officer Brian Robins.
Lululemon Athletica (NYSE: LULU) reported higher second quarter earnings that topped analyst estimates but the athletic apparel company forecast disappointing third quarter results.
Kroger (Nasdaq: MW) reported higher second quarter earnings and revenue but the grocery store chain warned that rising expenses will impact results.
In the broad market, declining issues outpaced advancers by a margin of more than 4 to 1 on the NYSE and by more than 5 to 2 on Nasdaq. The Russell 2000 which tracks small cap stocks tumbled 6 points to 688.


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Five weeks ago The Next Web announced the Turkish Startup Awards. An online competition to discover the most talented startups, founders, investors and accelerators of the country.
The public could nominate and vote for their favorites in 7 categories. Without further ado, we present the winners:
Startup of the year
Best web app
Best mobile app
The winners received a ticket to TNW Conference Europe 2013
in Amsterdam, the 25th and 26th of April.


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U.S. manufacturing activity slowed slightly from March to April according to the results of the monthly Cutting Tool Market Report (CTMR), a monthly log of cutting-tool consumption as an indicator of manufacturing activity across a wide range of industries. Manufacturers consumed $203.68 million worth of cutting tools during April, 1.6% less than in March, but the latest figure also represents a 21.2% rise over the April 2017 consumption total.
Through the first four months of this year, U.S. manufacturers’ cutting-tool consumption totals $784.69 million, a 9.6% increase over the January-April 2017 period.
“April results trended down slightly, but that does not indicate the cutting-tool market is softening,” stated Philip Kurtz, president of the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI), which jointly issues the CTMR with AMT – the Association for Manufacturing Technology
“The year-over-year and year-to-date results reflect a very healthy market,” Kurtz continued. “Metal cutting shops have strong backlogs that will carry well into the future and the need for cutting tools will follow. Taking those much-needed summer vacations may be a challenge, but being busy is a good problem to have.”
Data presented in the CTMR is based on the actual totals reported by participating cutting-tool manufacturers, and represent the majority of the U.S. market for those products.
Sales of cutting tools are an indicator of current manufacturing activity, as those products represent “a primary consumable in the manufacturing process,” according to the CTMR authors.
According to Gregory Daco, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, cited by USCTI and AMT, “growth in cutting tools (demand) is outpacing the solid momentum from the broader durable goods category, which has seen shipments rise 7% year to date. A 9% gain in year-to-date durable goods orders points to solid momentum in the second half of 2018.”


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Game-worn jerseys and helmets from some NFL legends were the hot items at the Super Bowl auction in Miami.
Live bidders doubled the price of a 1940s Sammy Baugh game-worn jersey at the Super Bowl XLIV Live Auction in Miami.
The well-worn #33 jersey once donned by the Pro Football Hall of Famer was bid up to nearly $20,000 online, but once the internet portion closed, weekend attendees at the Hard Rock Cafe pushed the final bid to $40,000. With Hunt Auctions’ 15% buyer’s premium added, the final realized price was $46,000.
The pre-sale estimate was $20-30,000.
Collectors also focused on a game-worn Joe Namath jersey dating to his post-Super Bowl days with the New York Jets. The green #12 shirt sold for $27,600 including the "juice".
Some vintage game-used items from Norm Van Brocklin, sourced directly from the family, also drew bidders. His 1949 College All-Stars uniform and helmet sold as a package lot for $10,350, while a a helmet from his NFL career with the Los Angeles Rams brought $24,150 against a $10-20,000 estimate.
NFL Auctions, which partnered with Hunt for the sale, contributed several lots with a portion of the proceeds going to charity. A jersey worn by Brett Favre during his one season with the New York Jets sold for $11,500 while a Mark Sanchez Jets jersey donned this past season brought $7475.
A game-worn 1997 Dan Marino Dolphins’ jersey went for $6325, the same figure attained by an Eli Manning helmet from the 2008 season, signed by the Giants’ Super Bowl winning quarterback.
Another helmet, this one autographed by 23 quarterbacks who won Lombardi trophies, went for $4370.


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Teeling Whiskey Distillery objects to 9-storey Liberties development
Company says 33-apartment complex would stifle its attempts to expand the business
A Dublin whiskey distiller has lodged an appeal with An Bord Pleanála over a new nine-storey development in the Liberties, arguing that it may stifle its attempts to expand the business.
Dublin City Council last month granted permission to Creedon Group to demolish an existing building on Mill Street and build a 33-apartment complex, featuring retail units and 81 bicycle parking spots.
But Teeling Whiskey Distillery has said the development will significantly impact on its ...


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Yelp, an online review platform, stands accused of deploying harmful practices that unfairly target small businesses. Allegations of biased ratings, manipulative advertising, extortion-like strategies, and privacy breaches have been leveled against the platform, resulting in significant challenges for small businesses.
A central bone of contention is Yelp's rating system, managed by an undisclosed algorithm. Critics argue that this algorithm systematically amplifies negative reviews, creating undue penalties for small businesses that might otherwise provide exceptional services or products.
Yelp also stands accused of deliberately manipulating reviews and ratings to favor businesses that advertise on the platform. This manipulation leads to the suppression of positive reviews from small businesses that do not advertise, while negative reviews are prominently displayed. This bias can deter potential customers, leading to direct harm for small businesses.
Adding to these allegations, Yelp is accused of deploying extortion-like practices, pressuring small businesses into purchasing advertising by obscuring positive reviews and accentuating negative ones. This controversial strategy has drawn widespread criticism, with numerous businesses claiming that Yelp effectively holds their online reputation hostage, thereby creating an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty.
Yelp's management of privacy has also been heavily criticized. The platform amasses extensive information on businesses, including customer data and business specifics. Alarmingly, Yelp has been accused of using personal information without consent, such as posting private emails and phone numbers on the website, resulting in unwanted communications from Yelp advertisers. Yelp's disregard for personal information further exacerbates the challenges faced by small businesses. Yelp's concerning lack of respect for business owners' and employees' personal data further exacerbates the challenges faced by small businesses. Reports of Yelp publishing private contact information such as emails and phone numbers without consent are alarmingly frequent. This unceremonious handling of sensitive data not only violates privacy norms but also opens the door for unsolicited communications from Yelp advertisers. These intrusive communications can significantly disrupt daily operations, adding yet another layer of strain on small businesses. This blatant disrespect for personal privacy not only fuels mistrust but also tarnishes Yelp's reputation as a reliable and responsible online platform.
These practices undeniably harm small businesses. A 2015 study by Harvard Business School revealed that Yelp's algorithm favors businesses with a large volume of reviews, even if they were negative. This system disadvantages businesses with fewer, but more positive, reviews by undermining their visibility in search results.
Yelp has faced litigation due to these issues. In 2018, a class-action lawsuit accused Yelp of pressuring small businesses into purchasing advertising by obscuring positive reviews and accentuating negative ones. Another lawsuit in 2017 saw a California small business owner accusing Yelp of publishing her private email address without her consent, leading to unsolicited communications that disrupted her operations.
The opaque nature of Yelp's algorithm design directly impacts the platform's trustworthiness. The lack of transparency fosters suspicion of potential biases within the algorithm, thus undermining its credibility. This obscurity unquestionably affects stakeholders' and users' perceptions of Yelp's recommendations and rankings, compromising the platform's objectivity and impartiality.
In the midst of the controversy surrounding Yelp, businesses and consumers are turning to other online review platforms such as Google and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) for reliable and trustworthy feedback.
Google, the world's leading search engine, employs machine learning to identify and eliminate fake or spammy reviews, protecting businesses from malicious reviews. Google's review system, tied to a user's Google account, provides an extra layer of transparency and authenticity.
The BBB, known for its reliability, verifies reviews before publication and requires reviewers to provide their full name and address. This process significantly reduces the risk of false or malicious reviews. Both Google and BBB provide comprehensive review categories, catering to a wide range of industries. Unlike Yelp, they offer a more inclusive platform that addresses the needs of diverse businesses.
While Yelp remains popular among some demographics, businesses and consumers are decidedly turning towards platforms like Google and BBB for more reliable feedback. These platforms empower consumers to make well-informed decisions and offer businesses accurate feedback to improve their services.
Yelp's alleged extortion-like practices, biased rating system, and privacy breaches underscore the substantial responsibility online platforms carry to ensure their operations are equitable, transparent, and unbiased. As we navigate an increasingly digital world, upholding fair practices in online business reviews has transcended expectation and has become an absolute imperative. Regrettably, Yelp's practices thus far have fallen short of fulfilling this critical responsibility.


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Much has been written about Bitcoin’s limitations and its scripting ability, especially compared to the Ethereum network. While both Bitcoin and Ethereum are based on cryptography and distributed ledger technology, until now, Bitcoin’s utility has been limited to being a store of value and a decentralised payment network. Learn why Taproot could change this below.
From its inception, one of the main limitations of Bitcoin has been its lack of smart contract flexibility which is the reason why Ethereum, as well as other similar projects, are the blockchains of choice for running smart contracts. Currently, hundreds of projects such as NFTs, DApps and ventures in the DeFi space run on Ethereum, Cardano and others. Why is this?
A simple network
In the Bitcoin whitepaper, Satoshi Nakamoto states they are creating a network that “is robust in its unstructured simplicity”, hence Bitcoin was developed as Turing-incomplete blockchain. This means that it cannot perform all the computations that any other computer may be able to perform. A machine that is considered “Turing-complete”, on the other hand, is universally programmable. This is the case with Ethereum.
However, the next Bitcoin upgrade by the name of Taproot, which is the most significant one since 2017, is scheduled to take place via a soft fork in November 2021 and is bound to bring significant traction to the original design. Taproot has already been approved by miners all over the world following a general consensus regarding BIP 343 (Bitcoin Improvement Proposal) as it sets out to expand the utility of the Bitcoin network and to lay the groundwork for future functions such as smart contracts.
Beyond the throes of SegWit
Bitcoin’s last major update, SegWit, took place in 2017. Some will still remember the huge rift this upgrade caused in the Bitcoin community. Basically, SegWit decreases the weight of transactions in blocks on the blockchain by segregating each transaction to two sections. The update also resulted in the creation of Bitcoin Cash, which was supported by opponents of SegWit in the scope of a hard fork and implemented an increased block size.
In contrast, it was smooth sailing for the Taproot BIP, with consensus on the Bitcoin Taproot upgrade scheduled for November 2021 having already been reached on the 12th of June this year. Taproot will be the most significant Bitcoin update since 2017 and plans are underway to add a number of functions to Bitcoin.
Decreasing transaction size while increasing efficiency
What does “Taproot” mean? In the world of plants, a taproot is a type of long root that develops from the source of the root into the main root and that grows straight down into the soil. A carrot or a dandelion are examples of plants with taproots. Side roots emerge from the taproot itself.
First proposed by Bitcoin developers Gregory Maxwell, Andrew Poelstra and Pieter Wuille in 2018, let us try to explain it simply: Bitcoin has a scripting system with the ability to specify all types of conditions where coins can be spent.
For example, said conditions are that a public key represents an address and anyone who signs a transaction with the matching private key can spend the coins, alongside many other possible conditions. Currently, all conditions are stored, revealed and validated on the blockchain, although ultimately, there are only a few that matter: the amount, the sender and recipient and when the coins are spent.
By introducing Taproot, all these different conditions are packaged into a hash tree (Merkle tree) based on the MAST (“Merklized Abstract Syntax Tree”) principle - this way, only one condition needs to be revealed. The hash tree bundles many hashes in the “root”, thus decreasing the size of the transaction - “a thick central path and small alternatives,” according to Maxwell.
Key aggregation with Schnorr signatures
Taproot also sets out to change multiple key functions for transactions that are signed by several senders. When Bitcoin was created as a permissionless and open system, the ECDSA (Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm) was elected as its security signature scheme because of its properties, such as being lightweight, open-source and secure.
Now, the Taproot upgrade is set to replace ECDSA with Schnorr signatures, which have the advantage of being security-proof and non-malleable.
Schnorr signatures also enable key aggregation for multiple parties that want to produce one signature together while the multisig transaction still looks exactly like a normal transaction.
What happens when you use Schnorr signatures? Even very large multisig transactions - in which, for instance, 36 out of 71 participants are required to sign - become just as small as ordinary transactions as a “master signature” is included in a transaction transmitted over the network, improving transaction privacy and reducing storage and bandwidth, thus providing ample room for more transactions on a blockchain at a lower cost.
Paving the way for smart contracts
While running smart contracts on the core protocol layer of Bitcoin would still be expensive and time-consuming, with a lot more work needed for them to actually function, Schnorr signatures are an essential prerequisite for scaling the Bitcoin network and providing leverage for addition to the Lightning Network.
Taproot will enable tying a key to a hash of data, such as timestamps, into a regular transaction with a high level of privacy while improving the technology behind Bitcoin in order to lay the groundwork for future smart contract functions. It will take time to get there but, in the meantime, private and flexible cooperative spending is on the way.


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Skull and Bones was revealed at E3 2017, and is being developed by the studio behind Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag.
After the initial trailer, Ubisoft then showcased a full, almost 10-minute long gameplay walkthrough that showcases a ton of what the game will have to offer, including hefty dialogue, tons of weapon options, and a variety of other new additions that fans of the series will no doubt love. So what are we expecting? Similarly, we get a few opportunities to play as Aya in Assassin's Creed Origins.
This brings us to Trials, another popular yet frustrating Ubisoft title that has players all over the world raging over their consoles. The game will be available for PS4, Xbox One, and PC starting October 5.
We got to see more footage of the toys-to-life game Starlink: Battle for Atlas at E3 2018, but we also learned that Ubisoft and Nintendo are teaming up to bring Star Fox to the game. This is another new feature for this franchise.
Of course, MacCoubrey didn't go into detail as to what those endings might be, or the decisions that'll change the course of the story, but she did delve a little into the ripple effect your choices have in the game.
Reportedly, Odyssey lets you control either a male or female protagonist, who are said to have connections to the First Civilisation.
Moving closer to the Ubisoft E3 2018 conference we find The Crew 2.
Last but absolutely not least, the stage moved to Assassin's Creed Odyssey. They're clearly built on the same foundation. Assassin's Creed Odyssey will be out on October 5th, as the series returns to a yearly release schedule. You'll play through the entire game as either Alexios or Kassandra.
The game will take place in Greece and its surrounding islands.
E3 2018 coverage at Giant Bomb: Still more commentary and news from E3, from our colleagues at Giant Bomb.


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2nd Address chooses Onfido to power its modern booking experience with trusted AI-powered identity verification
Ensures business travelers and hosts can safely rent and stay long-term in furnished accommodations without fear of fraud
Onfido has partnered with 2nd Address to verify the identity of its users and build trust through its community of business professionals looking for furnished, long-term rental accommodation in US cities. 2nd Address joins Onfido’s growing roster of leading clients in the rentals and trust marketplace including Couchsurfing and Scoot.
2nd Address has thousands of listings in key US locations including the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Washington, DC and Boston. The service provides homey accommodations to working professionals for 30 days or longer as an alternative to staying in a hotel.
Onfido’s swift and secure identity verification technology enables 2nd Address to safely rent accommodations, protecting both travelers and hosts from fraud and building trust with its users. By verifying new users at the point of booking, 2nd Address has more assurance that customers are who they claim to be, making it harder for fraudsters to book accommodations with 2nd Address. Thanks to Onfido’s AI-powered technology, legitimate travelers and hosts can now be quickly onboarded to 2nd Address. Users simply take a selfie and a photo of their identity document; Onfido then checks that their government ID is authentic, and then matches it to the user’s face.
“We chose Onfido because of their commitment to providing an easy online check-in experience for our global guests,” said 2nd Address CEO, Chung-Man Tam. “2nd Address is committed to making sure that not only do our guests have a modern booking process but that our hosts receive high-quality guests. Onfido helps us deliver a smooth user experience while also creating the trust and safety that's crucial to our community."
“As the rentals market gets ever more popular, with millions of online transactions happening every month, it’s hard to know if your customers are who they claim to be,” said Husayn Kassai, CEO and co-founder at Onfido. “We bring trust to digital interactions worldwide and pride ourselves on delivering an experience that’s as rapid as it is robust. We’re excited to partner with 2nd Address and look forward to working together.”


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Spend a Weekend at WestEdge Design Fair and ArtExpo Dallas
This September 16–18, the WestEdge Design Fair, previously exclusive to Los Angeles, is making its Dallas debut at the Dallas Market Hall, and it’s teaming up with Artexpo Dallas to provide patrons a weekend of immersion into the best of modern art and design.
The event will feature a variety of demonstrations to show off the latest and greatest at-home technology and design trends. Head to the SKS Culinary Pavilion to learn chefs’ secrets, HOMEwork for home office inspiration, MADE:modern to shop one-of-a-kind furnishings, the Outdoor Lounge to deck out your deck, and the Convo By Design Stage for a series of panel presentations from industry pros.
Additionally, Artexpo Dallas will bring together over 85 top collectors displaying works from around the world, including drawings, paintings, prints, sculpture, photography, ceramics, giclee, lithographs, and glass works. Plus, the expo includes interactive and educational programming so patrons can learn along the way.
Tickets to the show, as well as the Opening Night Party, are available online and benefit Dwell with Dignity and Ronald McDonald House of Dallas.


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Get the low down on
credit card offers.
Free games and
demos for your PC.
|2012-07-01 - Weird News|
Stolen Salvador Dali painting returned thru mail
-- Paula David - Fourth Estate Cooperative Reporter
New York, NY, United States (4E) - Shortly after Salvador Dali's painting was stolen from a gallery in Manhattan last week, the unidentified thief returned the prized artwork Friday via the mail.
Dali's 11 x 14 watercolor and ink painting, "Cartel de Don Juan Tenorio," was stolen last June 19 by a man who calmly lifted the painting off the wall of the new gallery Venus Over Manhattan at 980 Madison Avenue.
Surveillance images revealed that the culprit was a man who wore a checkered shirt and carried a shopping bag, and managed to do the deed even when a security guard was close by.
Before further investigation on the stolen work, valued at $150,000, has been carried out, the painting was returned via Express Mail from Europe on Friday, accompanied by an anonymous e-mail to the gallery which said, "Cartel on its way back to you already," and bearing a tracking number from the mailing service. The police retrieved the package, which was in very good condition, at the Kennedy International Airport Friday.
Donna Harris, representative from the airport's inspection service said that it is hard to sell stolen paintings "because they're hot."
Painting owner Adam Lindermann, despite the retrieval, has stated that the artwork's authenticity has yet to be verified.
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The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), the U.S. government's traffic safety agency, is currently investigating complaints that the rear suspensions of some older Cadillac SRX SUV models may fail, potentially resulting in loss of vehicle control and increasing the risk of an accident.
NHTSA's investigation covers approximately 344,000 2010-to-2015 Cadillac SRXs. The NHTSA reports that it has received nine complaints from owners about the SRX, including two reports of accidents. Three people were injured.
Approximately 290,000 Cadillac SRX and the little-remembered Saab 9-4X twin model were recalled back in 2014 for the same problem, but some of the owners who have now complained to the agency said they were not included in that recall.
The agency explains that it will determine how many vehicles are actually affected by this problem, to help it determine if a recall is necessary. General Motors says it is cooperating with the NHTSA, as well as conducting its own investigation.


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According to Quebec’s strawberry and raspberry production industry association, thanks to an unseasonably mild spring, Canadians can expect to see strawberries for sale beginning this month; two weeks earlier than usual.
The Association des producteurs de fraises et framboises du Québec has stated that despite recent episodes of overnight freezing in some regions, producers were able to sufficiently protect their crop. Quebec raspberries are expected to be available next month.
The association notes that farms will be opening their market stalls soon, while consumers can do their own strawberry picking beginning around June 19-24 in the Montreal area and a week later in the Quebec City region.
In turn, do-it-yourself raspberry picking is expected to begin across the province in July an autumn strawberries and raspberries are expected to be available in August. The end of the season for both fruits is expected in October. Greenhouse strawberries are expected to be available this month.


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The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) has announced that Edlong, the world’s leading independent flavor company, has been recognized as a top WBE (Women Business Enterprise) in driving trends and making a significant impact in the Food & Beverage and Agriculture industry.
“As is the case with all of our achievements, this is a team effort,” said Laurette Rondenet, Edlong President and CEO. “We are humbled to be recognized by our peers, and grateful to our colleagues, partners, and customers that make this nomination possible.”
The 13 trendsetting women-owned businesses were recognized based on delivering innovative products and solutions while driving key industry trends, including ethical sourcing, sustainability, alternatives, organic ingredients, social responsibility, and more. Edlong was lauded for its ability to leverage 100+ years of dairy expertise to accelerate innovation and global product development, even in dairy-free applications.
“My dad gave me a copy of a poem called ‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling. And the first line starts: ‘If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs…’ that line has come back to me many times throughout my career,” shared Laurette when asked about the spark that drives her continued success leading the company. “Good leadership is keeping your head. Understand your strengths, passions, and goals, and remember that path to achieving them will not be a straight line.”
More about Edlong, all nominated companies, and how each is driving industry trends is available on the WBENC Blog at www.WBENC.org.


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Microsoft has pledged its commitment to the beleaguered Xbox Music streaming service.
Company CEO Satya Nadella recently said that streamlining will be brought in across the firm's music and video ventures, but Windows Phone boss Joe Belfiore has now promised that the Spotify rival is not about to fold.
"No plans to drop Xbox Music/Video," he wrote on Twitter. "My team builds these key scenarios for tablets, phones, PCs! And Xbox team does on console.
"In fact, we have one of our bigger/stronger Xbox Music updates just a couple weeks away… you're gonna like it. Performance fixes and some features."
Microsoft recently announced plans to cut 18,000 jobs, the most extensive wave of redundancies in its history, with the European Xbox division expected to be hit hard.
The firm has also closed its exclusive content arm, but its commitment to Xbox Music indicates that it still has some ambitions in home entertainment.


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Minneapolis, MN –-(Ammoland.com)- With almost 1.6 million copies in circulation worldwide, Blue Book Publications, Inc. is proud to announce the upcoming release of the 38th Edition Blue Book of Gun Values by S.P. Fjestad!
This new edition contains significantly updated values and information reflecting fundamental changes in the gun industry.
Firearms and their values continue to evolve significantly in this revitalized chapter of America’s history, and this new 38th Edition tracks both currently manufactured guns in addition to substantially older makes/models. While certain trends, like the runaway tactical demand initiated in 2013, have come to a close with the sharp turn in political events, other collectability crazes maintain their popularity. Regardless, it’s definitive that gun values have fluctuated, and the 38th Edition represents this new reality.
These movements and shifts are seemingly indicative of the overall industry, which has relaxed in price points and desirability now that the market isn’t under threat of immediate legislation. Sellers can perhaps depend on a mass of customers searching for steals and deals: previously red-hot models and accessories have leveled off alongside antique commodities, which are beginning to root instead of continuing to appreciate. Needless to say, it should be a great year for buyers! But never fear, FFLs: this predicted short-term plateau in inflation will undoubtedly prove to be an overwhelmingly positive flux with less regulatory burdens during the red administration.
Features of the new Blue Book of Gun Values 38th Ed:
- 2017 makes and models have been included, along with important pricing updates on many current and discontinued models.
- Trends in firearms collectability continue to keep changing, and this newest 38th edition carefully follows these fast-changing areas of interest.
- 2,512 pages includes nearly 1,500 manufacturers and trademarks, almost 20,000 gun model descriptions, and over 175,000 prices.
Why Guess When You Can Be Sure?


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Read about Elie Tahari denim - Greywire - in Women’s Wear Daily.
Saks Fifth Avenue says we don’t look a day over 29 in their Women’s Wear Daily congratulations. ;)
First look at our Spring 2014 and 40th anniversary collection in Women’s Wear Daily. #ElieTahari40
"I’m so honored to be featured in today’s Women’s Wear Daily Milestones issue. Thank you to everyone who participated to help make this happen.” -Elie
We are very excited to announce that September 4 is officially Elie Tahari Day!
Read more about this very special honor in Women’s Wear Daily.
Women’s Wear Daily reports about our new NYC pop-up shop at 510 Fifth Avenue.
Women’s Wear Daily’s review is in.


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Snapchat, a time-limited message-sharing app, has allegedly turned down billion-dollar offers from Facebook and Google.
Never post anything to social media that you wouldn’t want your mother to see. A pretty good rule of thumb, if you assume a particular post will linger in perpetuity.
A new app called Snapchat, however, argues that some photos and messages should not stay with us forever. That’s why the app lets you set an expiration of up to 10 seconds for shared content after it’s viewed. The app developers then delete these “snaps” from their servers.
Sounds like the perfect app for sexting, although Snapchat’s makers insists that’s not what it’s for. Anyone who goes that route should know Snapchat is subject to search warrants just like any other site. And they store unopened snaps for 30 days.
Snapchat declined both offers. Maybe they want to follow Twitter’s path to a big IPO. If they’re just holding out for more money, they better hope their appeal lasts longer than one of their snaps.
Credit: Scientific American


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Plus500 shares surge on record half year profits
Shares in Plus500 Ltd rose more than 11 percent today after the spreadbetting firm doubled its first-half core earnings and said 2017 results would significantly exceed its expectations. Plus500, an online trading platform for retail customers to trade Contracts for Differences (CFDs) internationally, also said it was exploring a number of opportunities to extend its market reach to new territories.
Shares in the London-listed company hit a high of 730.5 pence after the results, the highest since Sept. 28 last year, and were trading up 11 percent at 0812 GMT. The provider of online trading tools for retail investors said earning before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation for the first six months of 2017 jumped 100 percent to 118.5 million pounds ($154.6 million) as it added customers. “Overall, momentum is expected to continue, resulting in strong growth in 2017 significantly ahead of the group’s previous expectations,” the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) listed company said.
“Delivering this performance is expected to enable the board to continue its policy of delivering attractive shareholder returns through generous dividends payments and the additional, enhanced share buy back programme,” it said. Plus500 added 31,671 new customers in the second quarter, 43 percent higher than the 22,210 it added in the first quarter.
CFDs allow people to bet on moves in share prices without having to buy the underlying stock. Binary options are a bet on whether a stock or other instrument will trade above or below a set level in future. However, regulators have been moving to tighten controls on the fast-growing 3.5 billion pound spreadbetting industry.
Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said in December it had found evidence of poor market conduct over the past six years and that people using CFDs lost 2,200 pounds a year on average. Liberum analysts said in a note that they believed Plus500 was continuing to prove very capable of adapting to changes in its markets. Shares in the Plus500 have outperformed rival CMC Markets so far this year.


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MGS: Peacewalker up to MGS5 standard
Hideo Kojima has been talking up the PSP exclusive Metal Gear Solid: Peacewalker in a Q&A released by Konami today.
"This game is an MGS5-class game. I am supervising, designing, producing, directing, and editing this title together with the MGS4 team," he said.
"The story can be replayed numerous times and the game is full of challenges to complete, so I feel that this title will really satisfy players with its long-lasting play time,
"Just as an example, do you recall the cardboard box at the end of the Peace Walker trailer? In addition to that two-man box, we are preparing a variety of other different cardboard boxes this time around."
We always welcome news of new cardboard boxes in MGS round these parts
Additionally, Snake can be given a custom loadout at the start of each mission, which will have an affect on how events pan out in the field.
"Being able to make decisions and plot a strategy will be one of the really enjoyable features of this title," Kojima-san stated. "We are also working on a 'growth feature' as well, where your character evolves. It will be a new type of system, so I hope everyone will look forward to it!"
Oh, but we are Mr. Kojima!
There are also rumours that Peacewalker will feature a multiplayer element.
Consider yourself up to speed.
- Valve's Chet Faliszek has been confirmed as the first developer session for EGX Rezzed 2015
- One area from Zelda Wii U is as big as the entirety of Skyward Sword
- Telltale's new collaboration is with Mojang, on a Minecraft story game
- Franklin voice actor indicates GTA V story DLC is on the way
- Red Dead Redemption, LA Noire and Bully sequels will come when the time is right says Rockstar
- Telltale teases another collaboration with another game developer
- New Company Of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault trailer recognizes the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge
- New Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare trailer focuses on character customization
- Splash Damage's free-to-play shooter Dirty Bomb coming to Steam in the new year


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Storm8, a developer responsible for iMobsters, Vampires Live, and Zombies LIve, is the target of a class action lawsuit accusing them of secretly collecting the phone numbers of users who download and play their games. The company claims that their games have been downloaded more than 20 million times. Storm8 admitted to transferring users' phone numbers back in August, but shook it off as only a bug.
You may remember that in iPhone 3.0 a bug was discovered which kept email messages on POP accounts from being properly deleted. A demo of the bug can be seen here. At the time it was believed that Apple was aware of the issue and that a fix would likely appear in the 3.1 update. Just as we expected, several people we've talked to report that the bug seems to have been resolved in iPhone OS 3.1. In fact, the issue may have been fixed earlier on in developer preview builds of 3.1. Good news for those of you worried about the security implications of this bug!
According to The Mac Security Blog, the iPhone OS 3.1 update released earlier this week adds an anti-phishing feature in Mobile Safari similar to the one in it's desktop counterpart. The feature, which is not active in the update but still present, should warn users when they are visiting a known malicious website and asks if they want to continue.
Among the myriad of tiny improvements included in iPhone 3.1, Apple introduced a new feature to their "Find My iPhone" service. Introduced with 3.0, Find My iPhone allows users with MobileMe accounts to find and remotely wipe a lost or stolen iPhone. In 3.1, you can now remotely lock your iPhone with a four-digit passcode. Jump down for the how-to!
A potential security hole in the iPhone OS 3.0 and 3.0.1 firmware has just surfaced via a YouTube video in which the host describes how, by searching for the title of a deleted message, the resulting screen displays two copies of the message; when either is selected for the first time, Mail crashes. According to MacNN, when the messages are selected a second time however, an iPhone will either display the original text, or a warning saying "This message cannot be displayed because of the way it is formatted."
If you receive a text message in the near future containing nothing but a square character, Collin Mulliner and Charlie Miller suggest immediately turning off your iPhone, as this is the only clue you will get that someone has exploited the bug that could take over your iPhone completely. At today's Black Hat cybersecurity conference, they plan to publicize this bug, which, when exploited properly, can be used to gain control of all functions of someone's iPhone without their consent or even knowledge.
Jonathan Zdziarski is back, and now he says Apple's encryption on the iPhone for business users is not as good as it should be, and could potentially put company data at risk. According to him, the encryption is so weak that it could be cracked in two minutes using nothing more than some easily available freeware.
Yesterday we reported on a security vulnerability found in the iPhone OS that could potentially allow an attacker to gain access to your phone via a flaw in the SMS application/protocols. Today, the UK's Telegraph tells us that Apple is in the process of preparing a fix for this security risk.
Security researcher Charlie Miller claimed at the SyScan conference in Singapore that he has discovered a new significant exploit in the iPhone's SMS system. The flaw may "allow an attacker to remotely install and run unsigned software code with root access to the phone."
Charlie Miller, also known by some in the security community as "Safari Charlie" for his Safari exploits at the Pwn2Own hacking contest, has announced that he and Vincenzo Lozzo, a student at the University of Milan, have recently discovered a new exploit to trick the iPhone into running unsigned code, and will be revealing their findings at the Black Hat Security Conference in Las Vegas.


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Asus has seemingly confirmed what the next version of Android will be called.
Android 5.0 will be known as Jelly Bean, as previous speculation had pointed to, at least according to Asus, who spoke to TechRadar on the matter.
Google has been following the alphabet with its dessert-based Android names, going from Froyo, to Gingerbread, Honeycomb and now Ice Cream Sandwich, so the next one has to begin with a “J”.
And it will be followed by a K, which other sources have already said will be Key Lime Pie.
Asus confirmed the Jelly Bean name as it was boasting about its close relationship with Google, and the fact that the company’s devices would likely carry Android 5.0 first.
Benson Lin, Corporate Vice President at Asus, told TechRadar: “Asus is very close to Google, so once they have Android 5.0 I think there will be a high possibility that we will be the first wave to offer the Jelly Bean update.”
Asus has prided itself on being able to roll out Android updates swiftly, being the first firm to get Ice Cream Sandwich on its tablets.
Further rumour has it that Jelly Bean, which will be out later this year, will be able to be installed on a Windows 8 tablet. Not just for dual-boot usage, but you’ll actually be able to hot-switch between operating systems without needing a reboot – pretty clever stuff.


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Understanding the Amazon TaxWray Rives
August 10, 2009 — 1,953 views
States across the US are dealing with budget shortfalls and a popular new law that seems to be spreading is what the New York Post has called the "Amazon Tax". To help understand the concept, let's start with Max who lives in California and wants to buy a new flat screen television. Max goes down to Walmart, finds the perfect TV and pulls out his credit card. Included in the purchase prices of Max's new TV is sales tax which Walmart collects and sends on to the state of California.
In fact in 2008 just over 26% of California's total state revenue came from sales tax. Suppose Max thinks better about the purchase and instead goes back home to search for televisions online. Max in fact finds the exact same TV online at Bob's television and pet emporium in El Paso Texas. Since Bob is in Texas and Max is in California, Bob does not charge Max sales tax, because Texas, like every other state, does not require companies to collect sales tax on items that are sold outside of the state.
Now technically Max is required to report his purchase to California and pay the sales tax that he would have paid if he had purchased the TV at Walmart. Of course Max is probably not going to do that, because nobody else in California or in any other state does it. California doesn't like it, but they don't really want to track down every Max who buys a TV and hound him for sales tax. The state would much rather go after Bob who sells a 100 televisions a month to California residents and make Bob pay the tax on the TVs he ships into their state. Essentially it is much easier to collect tax from Bob, plus Bob doesn't get to vote in California elections, so who cares if he's mad at state government.
The only thing Bob has going for him is a legal concept called nexus. Nexus basically means that Bob doesn't have a business presence in California, so California has no legal right to require him to collect or pay tax to their state. What the Amazon tax is attempting to do is expand the concept of nexus. Let's say Sue promotes Bob's TV business by advertising on websites or any other way she can to get people to buy televisions from Bob. In return Bob pays Sue for every TV sold within 200 miles of her home, which happens to be in Garden Grove, California. Sue doesn't work for Bob, she is and independent business person who just promotes Bob's business. Through the Amazon tax what California wants to say is Bob has nexus in the state because of his relationship with independent business person Sue.
So far New York and Rhode Island have passed Amazon tax laws. North Carolina has said it will pass the Amazon tax, possibly as early as July. California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota and Tennessee have all indicated they are studying the possibility and have proposed laws in their legislatures now.
I am not sure how Amazon.com feels about having a tax named after their company, but they have certainly been playing hardball with states that pass the tax. When New York and Rhode Island passed the tax, Amazon sent letters to all of it's affiliates in those states telling them Amazon would no longer be paying commissions to or signing up affiliates in those states. According to , the last week of June the same letters went out to North Carolina and Hawaii affiliates.
The impact for the states, at least in regards to Amazon affiliates, is not only does the state not get the sales tax, but they loose any income taxes on Amazon commissions, that were being paid by the affiliates in their state. Overstock.com is another major online retailer that has followed Amazon in cancelling affiliate programs.
Obviously Amazon is in a unique position that they could be hugely impacted by having to collect sales tax for every state and they can probably afford to push back by dropping affiliates in specific states. It is too early to tell who will win in this game of chicken. As recent as July 2 the governors of California and Hawaii both vetoed Amazon tax bills presented by their respective legislatures. It appears that right now many states, and many other companies with affiliate programs are choosing to sit on the sidelines and watch Amazon and Overstock battle it out with a few states to see which side is winning, before they jump into the war.
The tax will not impact advertising revenue earned by bloggers and websites, as it is directed at sales tax which is typically charged on products. You will be affected if your site directly markets products for out of state vendors earning commission on items sold.
Online E-tailers, eBay sellers and anyone who ships products to out of state customers be sure you keep good records of where your income is generated.
Wray Rives, CPA
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wray_Rives


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AccessMyLibrary provides FREE access to millions of articles from top publications available through your library.
(From Hull Daily Mail)
A RARE, internally-flawless blue diamond is expected to fetch up to GBP3.8m when it is sold at auction next month.
The 5.16-carat, pear-shaped stone, which is set in a ring, is the first blue diamond from the De Beers Millennium Jewels collection to go under the hammer.
It was among 12 stones displayed at the former Millennium Dome in a collection that included the 203.04-carat Millennium Star white diamond and 11 blue stones of various shapes and weights.
The gem will be sold by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on Wednesday, April 7, with an estimated price tag of $4.6m to $5.8m (GBP3.04m to GBP3.8m).
It has been graded as …


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Rappers are always talking about how they can "make it rain," but for the first time ever, we are hearing the opposite claim— a guarantee to make it NOT rain. A British travel company is promising a rain-free wedding day because it's 2015 and humans apparently are gods now. Oliver's Travels says it can provide all the equipment to ensure a rain-free wedding, including a plane, pilots, and a meteorologist. Using a carefully-plotted, three-week plan, the company does its utmost to make sure it won't rain on anyone's parade (pun definitely intended).
Apparently, Oliver's Travels uses silver iodide to do something called "seeding" the clouds. The silver iodide makes the water vapor in the clouds condense, produce rain, and then dissipate. The company guarantees that this will be a successful process, unless there's an actual hurricane or natural disaster that can't just be "dissipated" for a wedding day. It's so hard being human sometimes.
Oliver's Travels currently offers services in France and hopes to soon bring it to the UK. If you're considering getting married in France and would absolutely jump on the chance to have good weather guaranteed, though, you might want to slow down — these luxury wedding planners charge a hefty $150,000 for the service. I don't want to speak for anyone else, but I certainly can't afford that with my art school degree. I guess I'll just have to resort to, you know, doing what people have been doing for all of eternity and leaving the weather up to chance. Or having an indoor wedding. Or waiting for the summer. Or all of the above.
Image: Fotolia; Giphy


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US: Perry Ellis sees growth as charges dent Q4 profit
By just-style.com | 21 March 2011
Costs associated with its recent acquisition of Rafaella Apparel Group have dented fourth quarter profit at fashion giant Perry Ellis International Inc.
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Ten steps taken to turnaround Liz Claiborne
Apparel seller Liz Claiborne Inc has spent the best part of the last four years trying to reduce its long-term debt and bring expenses in line with weak sales and consolidation of its department store customers. Measures have included the axing of thousands of global jobs, and the disposal of at least 14 brands - the most recent of which was its loss-making Mexx business. Here just-style charts its turnaround efforts so far.
US: Perry Ellis swings to Q2 profit
US fashion designer Perry Ellis swung into a second-quarter profit today (18 August) on the back diversification and growth initiatives.


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Take a look at our newest video introducing you to MassTaxConnect, our new, modernized online tax system. Hear from Commissioner Mark Nunnelly and several DOR employees about what to expect come November 30th when we launch MassTaxConnect for business taxpayers, practitioners, and professionals. Get an …Continue Reading VIDEO: Introducing MassTaxConnect!
MassTaxConnect for Massachusetts Business Taxpayers Available November 30, 2015! Things are about to get easier and faster for Massachusetts business taxpayers. MassTaxConnect will replace WebFile for Business later this year and will feature the best of what WFB offers plus state-of-the-art enhancements to make tax …Continue Reading What’s New with MassTaxConnect?
Last week the state legislature passed and Governor Charlie Baker signed into law the Sales Tax Holiday that will officially suspend the state’s 6.25% sales tax for the upcoming weekend of August 15th and 16th. State policymakers have passed an annual summer’s sales tax holiday …Continue Reading F.A.Q. Everything you Need to Know about the Sales Tax Holiday
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- 21 October 09: Nintendo have released an update to the Wii Shop Channel. This allows users who have purchased the Internet Channel for 500 points to get a free NES virtual console title.
- 9 October 09: A new version of SDL Wii has been released, compatible with the latest devkitPPC/libogc.
- 9 October 09: devkitPPC release 18 and libogc 1.8.0 have been released - see the devkitPro announcement for details.
- 7 October 09: The HackMii folks have pushed out an update to Homebrew Channel 1.0.6, just open the HBC or grab the updated installer to get the new version.
- 1 October 09: Comex has released an updated version of Bannerbomb for users with System Menu 4.2.


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Much of the attention in the payments industry goes toward the consumer-facing side of the relationship. It shouldn't be a complete surprise because the success of new technology ultimately resides in the hands of customers who are willing to test out and, hopefully, embrace the latest and greatest systems. However, banks and financial services providers play a major role in enabling merchants to deliver innovative experiences to their customers. As a result, it's up to banks and similar institutions to understand what their merchant account holders want and need as the payments industry continues to evolve.
With this in mind, here are a couple of ways that banks can address their clients
Provide merchants with services and products
A recent opinion article from PaymentsSource highlighted the fact that many of the merchant services offerings aren't keeping pace with the changes in technology and consumer expectations. For instance, it was once fairly standard that creating a merchant account amounted to providing a terminal and not much else. How times have changed! Today, merchants look to the financial institution providing them with their merchant account for a variety of products and services. These solutions can include:
These options are hardly an exhaustive list, but the more important point is that banks need to recognize which of these solutions will fit the needs of their merchant account holders. The relationships that financial institutions create with business owners rely on transparency of needs and having flexible options that will accommodate the circumstances facing any merchant.
Equip reps with options and knowledge
Beyond being responsive to the needs of business clients, merchant account representatives should be able to leverage the products and services at their disposal to actively diagnose and explore payment solutions opportunities with their customers.
The Atlantic recently painted a pretty glaring portrait of the rapid development in payments, starting with rudimentary bartering systems and arriving at the current up-swelling of support for mobile payments. For instance, Starbucks has had significant success with its mobile app, as roughly 13 million customers use it regularly to pay for goods at the coffee chain's stores, wrote The Atlantic. While credit and debit card payments have become thoroughly entrenched in most commercial settings, the rise of phone-based solutions is currently underway.
Banks should push to give their merchant account reps greater insight into their clients' position in the local economy and what services would benefit them most. With sufficient research into the customer base operating in a given location, reps should be able to explain whether or not it would be a smart decision to invest in mobile payments or an e-commerce solution. If smartphone adoption rates are low in a specific region or broadband access is limited, then these offerings may not make the most sense.
Regardless, the key point is banks need to be prepared and informed about what the best payment solutions are for every client in their merchant account portfolio. By doing so, they can solidify relationships and maintain them over the long term.


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Here is a lesson in Bidenomics. “Going Green” sounds great to some (like Al Gore, Leonardo DiCaprio and Greta Thunberg), but there are costs to not growing America’s energy supply.
Rising energy costs have helped create the rise in consumer prices and inflation. Not to mention chip shortages for car and trucks. The University of Michigan conditions for vehicles plummeted to 46 (100 baseline) as used vehicles prices sky rocket.
Under Biden’s reign of error, West Texas Crude futures prices have risen 87% (regular gas prices are up 49% even with Biden’s releasing two days of supply from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
On the housing front, the University of Michigan buying conditions for houses fell to 72 (baseline of 100) as home prices are roaring at a 18.81% YoY clip.
To paraphrase the comic strip “Gasoline Alley,” “Unca’ Joe, what have your done t’ US?”


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By Matteo Castia
B&M European Value Retail SA said Friday that the pandemic boosted trading during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020 and in the first eight weeks of fiscal 2021.
The convenience retailer said U.K. like-for-like revenue in the 13 weeks to March 28 rose 6.6% year-on-year, boosted by exceptional trading in its grocery products during March.
In the eight weeks to May 23 business continued to be strong, with U.K. like-for-like revenue jumping 23% on the year, driven by the do-it-yourself and gardening divisions, it added, as consumers spent more time at home.
On the other hand, the company is experiencing higher-than-normal operating costs in distribution and at stores in the U.K. resulting from the application of social-distancing measures put in place to protect our customers and colleagues, as well as the payment of premium-wage rates during the pandemic peak period, B&M said.
The 49 U.K.-based stores that were temporarily closed have now all reopened, it added.