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Call them Gen Y, the Millennials, Generation Catalano, or now even Generation C, but whatever name you use for the young and plugged, this group certainly gets a lot of press. Members of this generation are also called "digital natives," which gives you a partial clue as to why the 20-something set is seen as the prime driver of tech innovation. Digital natives are natural consumers for each new gadget or app.
Aside from the avalanche of media coverage, Gen Y also makes up a huge part of the start-up community in a Silicon Valley business ecosystem that's been accused of bias against those with gray hair. All of which adds up for a tendency for tech-oriented start-ups to consider the young their natural customers and pay less attention to older folks.
That's a mistake if Y Combinator alum Weebly is anything to go by. It's a service that allows just about anyone to make a website super easily and at a very low cost, or no cost. (Weebly works on a freemium model giving most of its features, including most webpage creation tools and hosting, away for free and charging a small fee of $3 to $5 a month for pro tools like larger file uploads.) And it's been hugely successful: the site gets 70 million visitors a month and the company estimates that Weebly-made websites represent two percent of all sites online.
But when we spoke with co-founder David Rusenko, he explained that the massive growth of his company wasn't just down to computer literate young people but also to users in their 50s and beyond. While Rusenko concedes exact figures are difficult to come up, Weebly estimates 19 percent of its user base is 50 or older, which amounts to 1.9 million customers.
"We've had people as young as five years old and people as old as 95 create a website," says Rusenko. "We've seen adoption across all age brackets and I think that that's pretty unique for a lot of web products." He chalks up the service's success with a broad spectrum of age groups to its ease of use and suggests that by keeping the less tech-oriented user firmly in mind, his company has tapped into a rich vein of customer need and appreciation.
Rusenko explains that for a lot of people, creating a website for themselves just hasn't been possible before. "It's one thing if you were able to build a website before and now you can do it five times faster," he says. "That's certainly very cool, but to someone that just couldn't even fathom that they'd be able to create a website for themselves and now they can actually do it because of Weebly, this has opened up a world of possibilities for them. They're just so excited about that."
It's an appreciative and lucrative customer segment that Rusenko feels many techie founders often overlook. "I think there are several markets that are underserved," says Rusenko. "Just look at Pinterest that's been able to really cater to the female audience generally and has seen explosive growth. Coming from a younger, male, techie sort of stereotype, they sort of tend to think of themselves but older generations are absolutely under-served. People don't picture their needs and don't necessarily create products for them." If you're determined to avoid this mistake and tap into this market, Rusenko has two simple words for you: user testing, and lots of it.
Weebly's success with older folks is all down to paying close attention to their needs, Rusenko says: "I think it really comes down to making intuitive, easy-to-use products. A lot of times that's easier said than done and what that really means is just a whole lot of user testing," he says. "It's really getting into the minds of the non-technical person."
And that's not necessarily intuitive. In fact, to get it right, you have to really test, over and over again, "honing in on usability and making that a core focus," Rusenko says. "When you do that then you'll end up with something that's accessible to people of all generations."


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IRVING, Texas, June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Road warriors find today's technology is essential to multi-tasking and life management while away. Business travelers ranked adjusting travel plans, making dinner reservations and checking into hotels as three of the top four "must-have" mobile applications, according to a recent survey from Omni Hotels & Resorts. The survey, which asked road warriors about mobile and social application preferences and usage, found that access to these tools were an integral part of time management on the road.
Beyond taking care of travel matters, the survey also revealed that business travelers utilized mobile and social applications to take care of personal items, explore the local area and connect virtually with friends and family - making these tools invaluable. Checking the latest sports scores, updating Facebook, looking for the nearest coffee spot and tweeting were also highly rated in the recent survey. In addition, 61 percent of all business travelers were burning the midnight oil online - not on business from the day - but rather managing their personal lives remotely.
The younger business traveler was even more focused on finding personal balance. Nearly one third of younger business travelers, ages 25 to 34, were more likely to order perks that make their hotel stay more comfortable; over 40% tweet about their travels and 65% enjoy updating Facebook to let everyone know where they are.
"Omni continues to launch innovative programs that appeal to the younger, affluent business traveler," said Tom Santora, chief marketing officer for Omni Hotels & Resorts. "This group is extremely adept at enjoying their careers while still finding personal time on the road, and it's increasingly important that we address their wants and needs."
One thing was clear - mobile applications are all about efficiency. Business travelers, who are inclined to order services from a hotel on a mobile device or computer, prefer things which will help travel go more smoothly. When asked which types of services they would order using their mobile device or computer, almost six in 10 business travelers said they would request a car service to the airport, while 48 percent said they would order anything that would allow them to multitask while on a business trip.
With the launch of new technology, ORION from GBCblue is an online ordering system utilized by Omni Hotels & Resorts where business travelers can fulfill many of their needs without ever looking away from their smart phone or laptop. Beginning in 2007, multi-tasking business travelers at the Omni Chicago Hotel, the Omni Mandalay in Dallas and the Omni Fort Worth Hotel have been able to logon to the system online to take care of a variety of needs, including room service, housekeeping or arrange for transportation. The offering has been so successful that it is being expanded into six more hotels and resorts this spring.
"Omni has always been an excellent partner willing to embrace new technologies that enhance the guest experience," said Joe Adkisson, EVP of Hospitality for GBCblue. "First adopters are rare in the industry, and working closely with Omni employees while observing their commitment to their guests has allowed us to better understand how to streamline the ORION system and make it fun for both for the guest and the hotel associate."
Also in 2007, Omni Hotels & Resorts was among the first hotel brands to launch online check-in, which is available on the company's mobile website and mobile applications available through Apple and Blackberry phones.
Complimentary Hotel Wi-Fi
In 2003, Omni Hotels & Resorts became the first hotel brand in the US to offer complimentary Wi-Fi access in guest rooms and public spaces to loyalty program members, and survey results indicated that free hotel Wi-Fi helps business travelers keep up with life and work.
DALLAS, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Hotels.com has revealed an increase in approval ratings for airport hotels. According to guest reviews collated by the accommodation provider, staying at...
United Airlines is cracking down on passengers who drag oversized bags into the cabin
FlightView system helps Roanoke Regional Airport put priority announcements in plain sight of the traveling public

domain: news


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The agenda of the first FutureLaw conference at The Stan- ford Center for Legal Informatics wasn’t your typical continuing legal education fare. Tim Hwang, name partner at three-year-old legal startup Robot Robot and Hwang,
served as the curator of the program. (Hwang is serious about
the “Robots” in his firm’s name, calling “Apollo Cluster” and
“Daria XR-1029” senior partners.) The April 26 conference
drew about 250 law students, lawyers, entrepreneurs, investors, consultants, and technologists to the Palo Alto campus.
Hwang declared that his goal was to assemble a group to
discuss legal service ideas and developments that they “might
not usually have a chance to nerd about with others.” Simply
put, Hwang wanted the conference to answer this question:
“What awesome things are people working on [in legal ser-
vices] that should be shared more widely?”
Among the highlights from the 26 speakers:
» Daniel Katz, assistant professor at Michigan State Univer-
sity’s School of Law, and co-founder of its Reinvent Law Labo-
ratory, said that surveys consistently document that 70 percent
of the people who need legal services can’t get them. (See also,
page 11, “Assassins Aim to Reinvent Law.”)
» Eddie Hartman, co-founder of LegalZoom, an online
service designed to help people create their own legal documents, looks at these surveys (and other data) and concluded
that the biggest competition lawyers face is not from other
Redefining the practice of law
by inventing new technology,
one startup at a time.
BY MARK MICHELS
lawyers or law firms but from “non-consumption” in the consumer market.
» Rocket Lawyer founder Charley Moore, who provided the
opening keynote, attempts to serve this consumer market.
Moore challenged lawyers to think like entrepreneurs, and
embrace technology to create efficiencies to serve the consumer market. Jamie Wodetzki, founder of Exari Systems,
which sells document assembly and contract management
software, said simply that “technology is the key enabler of
change” for the legal market.
MONEY. A quintessential Silicon Valley program component was a panel entitled “Financing the Legal Revolution.”
One speaker opined that the companies that will really transform the legal market will be supported by venture capital.
Blake Masters of Judicata said that startups can face a
daunting challenge explaining the legal market to potential investors. Masters illustrated the challenge by showing a
popular web video of a cat in a shark costume chasing a duck
while riding a Roomba vacuum cleaner. Masters declined
to say whether the duck represented the startup or the VC.
(One of the many You Tube versions of the video has charted
more than 2 million hits as of mid-May: http://at.law.com/
PHOTO BY SCOTT STE WART (TOP)
Robert Siegel, a general
partner at XSeed Capital, said
that “a lot of innovative technology is being developed to automate what was done manually”
in the legal arena.
One such technology that
caught Siegel’s eye was Lex
Machina’s machine learning
algorithm, which — in part —
explained xSeed’s investment
in the start-up.
(On May 1, Lex Machina
closed a $4.8 million Series


text: eBay and the United States Postal Service have a long relationship thanks to the importance of shipping to online sellers. In fact, eBay with its 120 million active users (globally) is one of the U.S. Postal Service's largest package mailers. The Postmaster General was warmly welcomed by eBay sellers when he appeared on stage at the 2005 eBay Live conference. But it's only now, in 2013, that the USPS is opening a store on eBay.


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People would complain he had ignored their song requests, when really he had no idea what they were saying.oakley sunglasses lenses replacement Psychedelic Aztec costumers Psychedelic Aztec costumers To my left, one group of young dudes, who spent a dear amount of time reassuring each other they were drunk, point across several dozen people: "Look, there he is.Discontinued Oakley Sunglasses "I liked tying literature to the real world; reading stories about people in need. They have 1GB of DDR2 SDRAM, 8GB of flash memory, and a modified version of the popular – and powerful – Android operating system running on a dual-core processor with dedicated graphics. Safety and performance demand true, accurate vision, so we injection-mold the lenses under extreme pressure to achieve a precise optical geometry. "The high-end design will allow more intricate colors," Fish said.P. oakley sunglass for women Owned by huge Italian eyewear company Luxottica, Oakley will launch its first global marketing initiative in early April.Cheap Oakley Sunglasses For Kids "The high-end design will allow more intricate colors," Fish said. Interchangeable lenses allow you to adapt to any sport environment in just seconds. “The reason why we’re doing this is not only for financial impact on our renewal, but because we care about the health and wellness of our employees,” she said. As to new deals: “First, we want to get an understanding of her current partners and where they are with their brand and where they are going,” Jones said. And even some of their newer sunnies like Radars have been treated to a 30th anniversary colour scheme makeover and a lazer-etched 30 in the lens corner.cheap oakley sunglasses saleFake Oakley Sunglasses Wholesale The family thanks the doctors and staff of the third floor Oncology Department of St.
Another interesting thing to note about the patent is it was filed for in 2012, quite a while after Panda was rolled out, and not granted until 2014. oakley sunglasses lenses replacement Lyft - and its competitor Uber, which launched earlier this month- have been advertising for drivers on social media for weeks now.Oakley Sunglasses Sale Uk As to new deals: “First, we want to get an understanding of her current partners and where they are with their brand and where they are going,” Jones said.Use of Oakley’s Jawbone sunglasses spread like wildfire throughout bike racing’s ranks since their introduction in 2009. According to the federal suit, since the county approved the resolution, the developer “has lost, and continues to lose, sales of his four 30-acre lots. With Yelp, and other websites, there’s a constant critique because you’re so visible all of the time. [oakley sunglasses lenses replacement] Intel announced that it was teaming up with hipster design label Opening Ceremony on a bracelet that will be sold at Barneys, though specific design and pricing details are still unknown.
The important lesson of the case for intellectual property lawyers and agents alike is that they should revisit first-right-of-refusal language in contracts, understand it and make sure that they protect their endorsement and avoid litigation in the future.cheap oakley sunglasses sale “Their parking lot is overflowing with employees.Another small annoyance is how the new, taller arms make contact with certain helmets on certain riders. Luxottica will set-up teams focused on design, development, tooling and engineering to create the sexier Google Glasses. Despite being disbarred in 1979, Fred Phelps pushed his name into the public eye, through the political arena in campaigns to vie for Senator and Governor. [oakley sunglasses lenses replacement] Lenses with UV protection are the way to go.
He commented on everyday events such as the Olympics, the royal baby and even his own birthday. oakley sunglass for women There also are 20 single-family homes near Hyde Park Square with parking meters in front of them, said Carl Uebelacker, another community council member. Investigators with Cincinnati police's homicide department and the Hamilton County Coroner's Office responded and have determined the remains are not human, he said. “It really comes down to … what is the corporation looking for and what type of quality of life do they want for their employees?” said Mayor David Nichols, the former CEO of Interlott Technologies Inc. [oakley sunglass for women] “We believe it is high time to combine the unique expertise, deep knowledge and quality of our Group with the cutting edge technology expertise of Google and give birth to a new generation of revolutionary devices,” said Guerra.


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Will Apple compete with streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon by implementing its own streaming TV service? Shelly Palmer addresses these rumors with Sukanya Krishnan and Jennifer Lahmers on Fox 5’s, Good Day Wake Up. Shelly also talks about the latest Apple products scheduled to be released, and the launch of their new iPad Mini and iPad Air. Original Airdate: March 19, 2019
Shelly Palmer talks with Hala Gorani on CNN's Hala Gorani Tonight to discuss the censorship controversy surrounding Netflix and Saudi Arabia. Original Airdate: January 2, 2019
Courtesy of Black Friday/Cyber Monday pricing, I am the proud owner of a brand new, top-of-the-line 82” Samsung 4K TV set. It is huge, awesome, and amazing. The picture quality is breathtaking. You just run out of superlatives when trying to describe the viewing experience. There’s only one problem. The best 4K content is only available over-the-top (OTT). Regular TV viewers (cable TV customers and antenna users) are simply out of luck.
Shelly Palmer reviews popular streaming services and the effect they may have on your wallet with Sukanya Krishnan and Jennifer Lahmers on Fox 5. Original Airdate: June 5, 2018
Apple CEO Tim Cook and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg have been all over the news this week. Before your eyes glaze over and you decide you are already a world-class expert in this subject, or worse, you think data is someone else’s issue, or much worse, you don’t think there’s anything you can do about your data, let’s review:


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Lason Shares Plummet Following 4th-Qtr Profit Warning on Y2K Order Delaysgreenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread
Technology News Mon, 20 Dec 1999, 4:12pm EST
Lason Shares Plummet Following 4th-Qtr Profit Warning on Y2K Order Delays By James Mosher
Lason Shares Plummet Following 4th-Qtr Profit Warning (Update2)
(Updates shares in 2nd paragraph. Adds ratings cuts in 4th.)
Troy, Michigan, Dec. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Lason Inc. shares plunged as much as 53 percent after the documents manager said Friday that fourth-quarter earnings will miss estimates because customers delayed purchases over Year 2000 concerns.
The shares fell 11 15/16 to 11 3/8 in midday trading of 9.94 million, the biggest drop in U.S. markets. Earlier, the shares fell as low as 10 27/32. Before today, Lason had fallen 60 percent this year.
The Troy, Michigan-based company said it expects per-share earnings to be 31 percent to 38 percent less than the 61-cent average estimate of analysts surveyed by First Call/Thomson Financial. The company earned $6.2 million, or 39 cents, on revenue of $92.6 million in last year's quarter.
At least five analysts cut their ratings today. ``We expect Lason's stock to continue to suffer a tempest in the near term,'' Jefferies & Co. analyst Susan Lacerra wrote in a report. She reduced her rating to ``hold'' from ``buy.''
Lason, which manages documents, records, volume mail and copy centers for companies, said it will focus on electronic commerce and quit ``traditional'' litigation support, software development and other non-Internet services. It expects the moves to reduce 2000 earnings by 60 cents to 80 cents a share. Analysts had forecast $2.67, according to First Call.
Lason plans to announce fourth-quarter earnings during the week of March 6.
-- Michigander (email@example.com), December 20, 1999
And we wonder why some executives may be less than forthcoming? See what happens when you tell the truth?
-- Mad Monk (firstname.lastname@example.org), December 20, 1999.


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Anti-sugar campaigners say we should follow the UK's lead in looking to ban children from buying energy drinks.
One campaigner told Newshub they could be as harmful as cigarettes, but the Government is ruling out such action - for now.
They're marketed as if they're the difference between winning and losing - and while sports drinks contain good things like electrolytes, one of their key ingredients isn't so beneficial.
"They are just a sugary delivery device," says Dr Gerhard Sundborn. "They're the same as the other drinks."
There are 60 grams of sugar in a bottle of Gatorade - about 15 teaspoons of sugar, and well above the recommended maximum daily dose.
"It's five days of sugar for a child," says Dr Sundborn, who is part of anti-sugar group Fighting Sugar in Soft Drinks (FIZZ).
The All Blacks - who are sponsored by Gatorade - and other sporting celebrities have a lot of pull for young children. To see them promoting such products make them more acceptable to young people and children.
The UK government wants to ban under-16s from buying energy drinks in the hopes of solving its own obesity crisis.
You'd have to show your ID and go through the same hoops as if you were buying cigarettes, which Dr Sundborn says isn't a bad idea.
"When you think about type two diabetes and cardiovascular disease, heart disease, those are all consequences of too much sugar."
Health Minister David Clark says there's no doubt we need to tackle obesity, but he wants to see what works overseas and evidence that obesity rates are actually falling before rushing to follow the UK's approach.
The Minister says he'll work with the industry to reduce sugar levels in processed food and drink and develop a better labelling system.


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Here is a link to a WorldWatch, Nourishing the Planet, article on the state of five fisheries that are being managed sustainably, with an excerpt:
According to a 2010 Food and Agriculture Organization report, 33 percent of the world’s fisheries are over-exploited, depleted, or recovering from depletion, and another 52 percent are fully exploited. As more fish stocks fail under the pressure, many fisherpeople, fishery managers, and policymakers are focusing on making fishing more sustainable, using methods that have proven effective at restoring both quantity and quality in depleted fisheries.
Fish market outside Banjul in The Gambia. Fish is a crucial food for billions of people, but many fish stocks are threatened due to overfishing. (Photo credit: Bernard Pollack)
Just as importantly, consumers should be conscious of the dietary and ecological impacts of the seafood that they eat. Resources like theMonterey Bay Aquarium and a National Geographic Seafood Guide, designed by Barton Seaver, make it easier than ever for seafood lovers to choose fish that are healthy for people and for the planet.
Today, Nourishing the Planet introduces five fisheries that have benefited from sustainable management and are improving the outlook for fisherfolk and ecosystems.


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The True Meaning of “420” for the Cannabis Industry
By Elizabeth Michael
Every April 20, cannabis enthusiasts worldwide unite in celebrating the plant, but the true meaning of “420” is clouded in mystery. Some report 420 refers to the number of plant molecules; or believe it has a reference to Hitler’s birthday; or it’s the date of Bob Marley’s or Jimi Hendrix’s death (neither died on that day). It is most often reported to be the police code for smoking marijuana in progress. None are true and the origins of the term “four twenty” are much more humble – and simple.
In fact, the term was coined by a group of teens called the “Waldos” in the 1970s on their quest to find an abandoned plot of cannabis in California’s Point Reyes Forest. They continued to use the term as a subtle cue to smoke with friends. Eventually, the Waldos introduced the term to the Grateful Dead’s subculture of the Deadheads. High Times took the term international by referencing the term in events and other pieces of content. It’s a true cultural phenomenon by the Waldos and they haven’t made a dime. But, plenty do today.
While the phrase’s origins are modest, its economic impact on the cannabis industry is great. In 2019, the legal cannabis industry pulled in $90 million on April 20 – its biggest day of the year. The second biggest day, April 19, was 50 percent lower, according to BDSA. Bud Agency caught up with cannabis industry experts on the heels of this year’s 420 to get an idea of what 420 means to them:
“For our Steep Hill team, 4/20 has a special meaning for us. It was just about a year ago that we began accepting our first cannabis samples from Arkansas growers. We had just gone through our ISO accreditation inspection, which was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, and had gotten our approval from the Department of Health to officially test cannabis. Getting through the ISO process and actually testing cannabis was a huge milestone for our team. We treat 4/20 as our anniversary and celebrate being able to work in this industry. Also, the first payment we received as a business from a customer was $420! I’ve got a copy of the check framed on my office wall.
Personally, every 4/20 I think about just how mainstream this unofficial holiday has become. Even my mom knows what 4/20 stands for. To me, that means the negative attitudes of the past are going away and more people are accepting of cannabis as medicine.”
— BRANDON THORNTON, STEEP HILL
“The progression of the 420 holiday is a powerful one. Like the industry as a whole, 420 has moved from a shadowy celebration into a full-blown consumer tradition. Personally, 420 always acts as a bit of a measuring stick, demonstrating how far we have come in the fight for legalization – Netflix aired a show about cooking with cannabis during 420 week – and how much work we have yet to do to ensure access for all Americans.”
— CELIA DALY, CANOPY BOULDER
“I’ve always heard it was the time that some high school students would get together and smoke after school. (Wikipedia said it was a code word for meeting up to smoke cannabis). Personally, for the date, it’s become the ‘cannabis holiday.’ I usually gather with friends and hang out for the day and smoke to celebrate. Working in cannabis retail, of course, I work on that day, but I find the time to still enjoy. I see it now more than ever as a celebration because it’s legal in some way in most states. I think it’s pretty cool that we’ve created this day to celebrate!”
— MLEAH WEBB, HAWGS HEMP
“420 is a symbol to disconnect from your daily grind. A reminder that we should be focused purely on what is happening, what I need to do … but relax. Separate from your current stress, enjoy your favorite plant by yourself and, even better, with friends. You have to disconnect to reconnect.”
— PAUL GOOD, DEMETER
“In recent years, April 20 (or 4/20) has become an important date for cannabis advocacy and organizing, and also an important date to reflect upon and celebrate the success we’ve had to date in reversing decades of ill-conceived cannabis prohibition. For states with legal cannabis programs, both medical and adult-use, the date is one of the most significant sales events of the year, and is an important benchmark for retailers and producers alike. In states that don’t yet have legal cannabis, however, 4/20 is also a reminder that there is still work to be done.”
— DAN RODA, ABACA
“When I was deployed in Afghanistan, I used to look at my watch and think, ‘Huh, it’s 4:20,’ and think about how I couldn’t wait to be back in America to be a regular guy again. I consider myself the luckiest guy in the world to get to work in an industry I am passionate about.”
— ADAM GRIMMET, GROWBRITE
“It’s real easy for me … it’s my birthday!”
— FRANK HART, CUSTOM CANNABIS


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Posted on August 23, 2018 at 6:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek
Ugh. One-third of teenagers haven’t read a book for pleasure in the past year, according to a new survey from the American Psychological Association.
Many aren’t even reading a newspaper or magazine, either: Just 16 percent of twelfth-graders reported looking at one of those every day in 2016, compared with 60 percent in the late 1970s.
Don’t blame TV and movies, though. Blame digital media. In 2016, the average twelfth-grader spent about six hours per day online, texting, and browsing social media — more than twice the average figure in 2006.
The APA website has a summary of the survey (plus a link to purchase the full version), and Time magazine also has more details in its article.
Categories: Today in Books


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Several new laws were passed in the recent Maryland legislative session that affect how small brewers may sell their products to consumers in the state. Generally speaking, sales of alcoholic beverages in the United States are funneled through a “three tier” system: producers (i.e. brewers, winemakers, and distillers) sell to wholesalers; wholesalers sell to retailers; and retailers sell to consumers. In Montgomery County, where I live and work, there is another tier — the county Department of Liquor Control (DLC) itself, which inserts itself between the wholesaler and the retailer, requiring all purchases by retailers to made directly from the DLC.
With the enactment of the following laws, the Maryland legislature has loosened the requirements of the three tier system when it comes to certain small producers. Unless otherwise indicated, these laws relate to holders of Class 7 micro-brewery licenses, which permit the production of up to 22,500 barrels of beer per year.
- Sale of Prepackaged Beer. Starting July 1, the holder of a Class 7 micro-brewery license may sell its own beer, in prepackaged non-refillable containers (i.e. bottles and cans, but not growlers), at retail for consumption off the premises. Think of this as allowing small producers to sell six-packs of their own beer directly to customers who come to visit their brewery, as wineries commonly do with bottles of their own wine.
- Direct Sales to Retailers in Montgomery County. In 2013, the Maryland legislature passed a law that permitted Class 7 micro-brewery license holders to seek a license to self-distribute (i.e sell directly to retailers, thus skipping the wholesaler tier noted above) up to 3000 barrels of their own beer to retailers in the state. Because of Montgomery County’s “fourth tier” of the DLC, however, this law did not apply to Montgomery County retailers. Effective July 1, however, holders of these special beer wholesaler’s licenses may bypass the DLC completely and sell directly to retailers and restaurants. For an explanation of the significance of this change, and how it will change the landscape for consumers in Montgomery County, read this fantastic piece on DCBeer.com’s Bill DeBaun. Montgomery County’s own Denizens Brewing Company was instrumental in getting this law passed.
- Self-Distribution by Farm Brewers. Maryland is one of handful of states — another is my native New York — that has a special farm brewer’s license, which is intended to promote both small brewers and Maryland farmers by requiring the beer produced to be made with Maryland agricultural products. A new law will allow those holding these Class 8 Farm Brewer’s licenses to obtain a Class 7 limited beer wholesaler’s license to they may self-distribute their beer to retailers as well.
- Craft Beer to Somerset County. Though it does not relate specifically to self-distribution, the legislature also passed a bill which added Somerset County to list of Maryland counties in which a Class 7 micro-brewery license may be issued. This is good news for aspiring brewers on the lower Eastern Shores and leaves, at last check, Caroline, Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Saint Mary’s counties as the remaining Maryland jurisdictions thirsting for the possibility of local craft beer.
As craft beer continues to expand throughout the country, we can hope that enactment of these laws brings greater variety of beer to consumers, and promotes the growth of these important small businesses in our state.


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Bancrédito to Issue Amex Black Card
SAN JUAN – Bancrédito International Bank & Trust Corp. has announced it will issue the Bancredito Black American Express, a premium credit card from the Blue Box line of the global payments company.
As part of an international group of financial entities Bancrédito was founded in 2008 as an international banking entity (IBE) under the laws of Puerto Rico and applicable U.S. law to offer services aimed at people and entities from around the world and focusing on Latin America.
Bancrédito’s new card will offer “a suite of benefits for high-net-worth clients who seek luxury experiences focused on lifestyle and travel,” the IBE said.
The card is equipped with contactless technology, allowing holders to make safer purchases by simply tapping their card at contactless enabled payment terminals, avoiding physical contact.
“As part of Bancrédito International Bank & Trust Corporation’s strategy to offer first-class products and services, we bring to the international market a card for those consumers that enjoy exclusive experiences and benefits, in line with their needs, and with the standards of American Express,” explained Bancrédito President and CEO Frances M. Díaz Fossé.
“The card will be offered in metal form and will include a wide range of specially curated benefits and services to provide an enriched offering, travel memberships and unparalleled access to global experiences,” added Mario Luna, American Express’ managing director for the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America.
The financial entities pointed out that cardholders will be in a loyalty reward program with which they can earn points and get credit on their account statement; complimentary Priority Pass membership with access to more than 1,300 lounges in airports around the world; complimentary status in the loyalty programs of hotel services; car rental discounts; access to premium dining events such as #AMEXFORFOODIES; access to pre-sale tickets to entertainment events; concierge services 24 hours a day and 7 days a week; travel and purchase protection program; and no fees on eligible foreign transactions.
“Our objective as an international bank is to continue investing in products, platforms and technology to improve our clients’ experiences,” Fossé said.


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CEVA Logistics has completed a successful zero defects start-up for the full omni-channel distribution of Under Armour’s sports apparel products in the UK. The announcement follows CEVA’s implementation of the company’s e-commerce business as part of an ongoing, multi-year contract. Up to 200 employees now operate from CEVA Logistics’ 75,000sq ft distribution center in Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire which is dedicated to the Under Armour omni-channel contract logistics business. The facility features a range of technology and automation solutions including a […]
Food and FMCG companies must take steps to organise themselves now if they are going to have the right warehouse infrastructure in place to meet post-lockdown trading conditions.
Grocontinental has opened a £6.5m chilled warehouse and taken delivery of 65 new trucks in response to increasing customer demand.
Hauliers are looking to use technology to maximise fleet efficiency to a greater degree than before the Covid-19 pandemic, according to software specialist FleetCheck which has seen more than 100 new users sign up to its fleet management software and volumes back to pre-coronavirus crisis levels.


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Soho China Ltd. News
How to Grab a Piece of China's Backdoor Bailout in Real Estate
Governments are lifting price controls and discounting land in hopes of reviving the nation’s slumping real estate sector. Here's how to buy a piece of the action.
Will Tesla (TSLA) Stock Get A Boost From Soho China Battery Charging Deal?
Shares of Tesla Motors (TSLA) are slightly higher in pre-market trade after the electric car company signed an agreement with real-estate developer Soho China (SOHOF) to set up additional battery charging outlets in China.
Tesla Q2 Deliveries Slump To 254,695 As Shanghai Shutdown, Supply Chain Snarls Take Toll
Tesla said it had a record rate of production in June, but supply chain disruption and the closure of its Shanghai gigafactory triggered a slump in Q2 deliveries.
Roe v. Wade: Google Makes a Major Decision to Protect Privacy
Google will delete a person's location history for going to an abortion clinic.
Elon Musk Drops The Curtain On His Natures
The billionaire and CEO of Tesla remains an enigma despite its omnipresence on social media.
Coinbase Faces A New Scandal
The platform denies selling proprietary customer data and announces it is expanding into several European countries.


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Porsche is recalling Panamera models for the re-programming of their electric power steering control units…
Porsche is requesting that owners of current generation Panameras bring their vehicles into their OPC for work to be completed on the electric power steering control unit. Affected vehicles, which totals 74,585 cars worldwide, are those built between 21 March 2016 and 6 December 2018 – these cars will have their systems re-programmed.
The recall has been actioned due to a software fault meaning that there is the potential for the assistance offered by the electric power steering to become unavailable for a limited period of time. If this happens then, of course, increased force is required for steering. Porsche says that the reprogramming is strictly a precautionary measure. Affected customers are being contacted in writing, they are being asked to visit their local Porsche Centre as soon as possible where the workshop will undertake the job, this is said to take around an hour and is conducted free of charge.


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Get Alerts »
Peanut, almond and nut butters recalled
Bruce York says he's seen comments on Facebook from all over the world. WMTW News 8's Jim Keithley reports.
A Maine man shot video of what appears to be a fireball in the sky over Oxford County on Saturday.
Tap here to view the video on your mobile device.
United Parcel Service has discovered a computer breach at 51 stores, making Big Brown the latest retailer to lose customer data.
UPS said that the hacking had escaped detection at stores in 24 states, or around 1% of its locations. At most stores, the...


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Infosys opens outsourcing center in San José
Infosys BPO on Monday opened a new outsourcing center in Costa Rica that employs more than 100 workers. The office will provide key services in strategic sourcing and procurement for Procter & Gamble, the world’s largest consumer packaged goods company.
The company plans to offer its entire range of services in Costa Rica for global clients, in areas including finance and accounting, human resources management, analytics, legal processes, customer relations services, marketing, and supply chain management.
President Laura Chinchilla and other government officials participated in an opening ceremony, along with Infosys CEO Swami Swaminathan.
“This investment is very significant for Costa Rica. Infosys is a global leader in technology, consulting and outsourcing, and they conducted a detailed and rigorous selection process to choose our country for a new center by considering our capabilities and competitive advantages,” Chinchilla said.
In addition to Costa Rica, the India-based company has operations in Poland, the Czech Republic, Brazil, Mexico, the United States, China, the Philippines and Australia, and employs some 25,000 people.
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An archival inkJet printer that prints inkjet-quality ink at an extremely high resolution is now available to the public in India.
The new machine is the first of its kind, as it is the only one with a 3D printer capable of printing in the inkjet format.
The archival print is also available in the form of a 3d printed case for home use.
“This new 3D-printing printer has great potential for high-quality and low-cost printing,” said Arvind Shukla, co-founder and managing director of Inkjet 3Ds, which makes the inkJet.
“We will be able to print a variety of products, from jewelry to medical supplies, as well as books, posters, etc.”
The company says the printer can print any ink at up to 100 microns per inch, and that it can print the same ink at high resolution up to 300 microns.
It has already printed a variety and sizes of products ranging from wedding invitations to greeting cards, with many smaller orders coming soon.
The inkJet has a single printhead and a single bed, making it easy to stack multiple prints on top.
The print head has a 3-axis servo-driven motor and a 1.5-millimeter nozzle, while the bed is powered by a 5-millimetre servo motor.
The print head also comes with a range of different functions, including laser cutting, filtration, UV-absorbing ink, and more.
“We are proud of the quality of the 3D print, which we call the Inkjet Print,” said Shukala.
“It can print up to 150 microns of ink at a resolution of up to 250 microns.”
Shukla says the print head can print a wide range of products from wedding and greeting cards to medical instruments, and he hopes to expand to other print sizes soon.
“I have already printed the entire wedding invitation, including a photo of the bride and groom.
We will soon be printing wedding invitations, including the bride’s name, groom’s name and a picture of their baby,” he said.
The new printer is the latest addition to the company’s portfolio of products that include an inkjet laser printer, a 3DM printer, and a 3DS Printer, which can print objects that look and feel like real 3D models.
Inkjet has also recently partnered with a Japanese printer to print digital artworks.
“The new 3d printing is the perfect complement to our portfolio of 3D printers,” Shukana said.
“The Inkjet is a powerful tool that can print even more durable objects.”
Shakla has been a printer at the company for about three years, and is currently on a three-month tour in India, where he will be testing and manufacturing the new printer.
“During this three-week trip, we will be printing inkjet products from scratch.
We have been working on the ink jet print for the past few months, and have been extremely pleased with the final product,” he added.
Shukala is also working on several other inkjet printers, including an inkJet Laser printer, which is currently in the testing phase.


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By Staff writer
South Africa based musician – Nhlanhla Sibanda – popularly known as MuDealer, says he will not let the Covid-19 pandemic derail his progress in the music industry as he is set to release his third album titled ‘Bhera’.
MuDealer who has been in the music industry since 2010 has been keeping himself busy in the studio over the years producing hit songs.
Speaking from his base in South Africa, MuDealer said he has big plans for the year 2021 which he believes will enhance his name in the music industry.
“I have been in the industry for a while now and I feel this is my year and I am gonna make a breakthrough. I have learned a lot since I first released my first album in 2017, so now I have confidence that 2021 will be my year to shine,” he said.
As musicians from this side of the border are crying that their careers have been severely affected by the global pandemic Covid-19, MuDealer has urged them to be creative and use other forms of marketing their works so they can reach their fans and make money.
He said, “We are now in a digital era where we should use different digital platforms to market our works. As musicians, our revenue streams are now limited so we have to use different digital platforms to market our works. That is the only way to make money nowadays.
“We just have to be creative in how we conduct our business because we are now in a new age,” he said.


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Virat Kohli Issued Notice by Kerala High Court For Promoting Online Rummy
Aside from Kohli actors Tamannaah Bhatia and Aju Vargheese have also been issued notices based on a petition seeking ban on such platforms.
Virat Kohli finds himself entangled in a legal trouble after being issued notice by the Kerala High Court for his association with an online rummy gaming portal. Aside from Kohli actors Tamannaah Bhatia and Aju Varghese have also been issued notices based on a petition seeking ban on such platforms.
The victims allege that association of public figures like Kohli, Tamannaah and Aju plays a role in misguiding youngsters and getting them addicted to such online games. The high court has also sought reply from Kerala government, as per news agency ANI.
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Pauly Vadakkan, a Thrissur native filed has filed the petition.”Online Rummy games are becoming more and more popular. It should be legally prohibited. Other states have done the same. Kerala has a 1960 law. But no other steps have been taken. It does not include the topic of online rummy. The stars, who are the brand ambassadors, attracted the audience and took part in the competition. Online Rummy is within the limits of gambling,” Vadakkan was quoted as saying by The Indian Express on Wednesday.
Vineeth, a 27-year-old Kerala youth, died by suicide at Kuttichal in Thiruvananthapuram a couple of weeks ago after losing around Rs 21 lakh.
“The intervention of the honourable High court is welcome as I know that several people have lost huge amount of money playing this online game and I myself have lost more than Rs 6 lakh,” said a 32-year-old Sajesh who also lost a significant amount while playing online rummy.
“The brand ambassador’s indeed play a big role in attracting the gullible youth in playing this game which soon turns into an addiction. I had to seek professional medical help to come out of this addiction and the court must ban this game in India,” he added.


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Google has introduced a Pinterest-like feature that allows people to archive photos into folders and look at them later.
The new Google Inside Search feature — described in more detail on this blog post by Google software engineer Diego Accame — allows users to star and bookmark images directly from Google’s image search in a mobile browser.
Google highlights how people could use the feature to store photos of things like their next big adventure, a knitting project or a style-changing haircut. This is the same sort of “inspirational” content that Pinterest users archive when they pin images to their Pinterest “boards”.
“Once you’ve starred a few images, you can keep them organised in folders: to add an image to a folder of similar items, tap the pencil shaped edit icon,” Accame wrote. “Create a grouping such as ‘haircuts for the winter’ or ‘snowman ideas’ and your image will be added to a folder with similar ones.”
The new feature will initially only be available to mobile users in the US and can only be used when users are logged into their Google account. It is compatible with all major browsers on iOS and Android, Google said.
Pinterest, a San Francisco startup with an $11 billion (£7.3 billion) valuation, has 151 million users and is planning to grow its user base to 329 million by 2018. It makes money by selling adverts on its platform but it is also reportedly working on a new product called “Action Buttons” that will allow users to instantly check out shopping items straight from Pinterest.
from Business Insider http://ift.tt/1OwyPaw


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A Taiwanese manufacturer demonstrates a bendable screen that sends input to a phone's operating system. Perhaps someday the screen can warn users if it bends too much in your pocket?
...of Windows devices with tiny prices, iCortana, and an amazing little Pi
LG 65" 4K OLED Curved TV review
First Look: LG V10
Hands-on and first impressions of Microsoft's Lumia 950 flagship
As general release nears, what do you think of Windows 10 Mobile?
Hands-on and first impressions of Microsoft's Lumia 950 XL flagship
lumia 950 xl
LG will invest $8.5bn in OLED display technology over the next three years, in an effort to establish itself as a leader in OLED TVs and a new generation of devices with truly flexible displays.
Samsung demonstrated its upcoming Youm fexlible display technology at its CES 2013 press conference in part by using what it might look like on a version of a Windows Phone device.
Samsung is creating very thin displays that are half as thick as ones available today. The ultimate goal is to allow the displays to be flexed and folded, increasing the portability in devices.
Nokia and Samsung are hoping that 2012 will be the year of flexible displays, but Apple isn't buying it. Could flexible displays be just the thing Microsoft needs to gain a foothold with Windows 8?
Nokia showed off a wild looking smartphone display prototype that it called the "Nokia kinetic device" that lets the user physically flex the screen in order to perform various tasks.


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“Being on the ground floor of Sony Computer Entertainment’s Tools and Middleware program is part of our long-term commitment to Unreal Engine 4 developers, and we’re excited to help teams ship fantastic new games for PlayStation®4 , ” said Tim Sweeney, founder and CEO of Epic. “Unreal Engine 4 has been built from the ground up to take full advantage of high-end next-generation hardware capabilities.”
For more information, visit http://www.unrealengine.com/unreal_engine_4/.
About Unreal Engine
Developed by Epic Games, the award-winning Unreal Engine is known for its cutting-edge graphics technology, world-class toolset and scalability across PC, console and mobile platforms. Unreal Engine 3 (UE3) is designed to accelerate developers’ productivity for creating high-quality games, applications, training simulations, visualizations, digital films and animated entertainment. Powering hundreds of games and integrated with two dozen leading middleware technologies, UE3 holds more than 20 technology awards, including eight Game Developer Front Line Awards and five Develop Industry Excellence Awards. The Unreal Engine also owns a seat in the Front Line Awards Hall of Fame. Unreal Engine 4 (UE4), winner of multiple Best of E3 2012 awards, offers unprecedented graphical capabilities and workflow improvements that provide unparalleled accessibility for developers building the next generation of games and applications.


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One such businessman, Faramarz Mohammadi said Afghanistan’s future is dark and people are not in the mood to buy clothes….reports Asian Lite News
After the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, sales of clothes in general and women’s clothes in particular have faced a sharp fall, Raha Press reported.
Clothes sellers in Herat province said compared to last year, women’s clothes sales have reduced by 70 per cent.
One such businessman, Faramarz Mohammadi said Afghanistan’s future is dark and people are not in the mood to buy clothes, the report said.
“On such a day last year, I earned 10 to 15 thousand Afs on a daily basis but now I can hardly make 1 Afs on most of the days”, Mohammadi said.
According to him, Afghans are fleeing from their country due to increasing poverty and economic collapse.
“People sell their house furniture to escape rather than buying clothes”, Asif Heidari, a shopkeeper in Leilami street in Herat said, as per the report.
When people sell their house furniture it means economic collapse and the Afghan people will die from starvation unless the world community recognizes the new rulers in Kabul, Heidari said
According to him, tens and hundreds of Afghan youths flee the country due to poverty every day but they are forcibly returned back since they tried illegal ways to neighbouring countries.
“Afghan youths are disgraced due to lack of income and the killing poverty”, he added.


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Getty makes 35 millions images free online
Getty has announced that it will be giving Internet users free access to more than 35 million images spanning over 100 years. People will now be able to embed the free photos on websites and social media accounts (with some exceptions) for non-commercial use, without paying a license fee.
The selected images will appear in a frame, with copyright information and a link back to the Getty website. Users will be able to search Getty’s archives and embed images using a simple code.
According to Getty’s Craig Peters (speaking to the British Journal of Photography) the organization decided to release some of its images owing to an ongoing battle with piracy. “Our content was everywhere already. If you want to get a Getty image today, you can find it without a watermark very simply,” he said.
The photography power house hopes that by releasing a bulk of its images, users will source them directly from the site – rather than simply use them without permission – meaning that organizations and photographers get proper attribution. It is thought that Getty may be considering introducing an advertising model for the embed tool, to generate revenue that way.
Read related articles in Business Review USA


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Sony working on new PlayStation hardware with first-party developersWritten by: / / No Comments
In an interview with Develop magazine, head of Sony Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida has revealed that the company is currently working on “concepting new hardware” as well as “future platform related activities.”
Only now for the first time, and since the departure of Ken Kutaragi (the ‘father of the PlayStation’) from Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony is working with its impressive array of first-party developers to help design and craft any new videogame hardware that Sony creates, including the next PlayStation, in order to ensure that they, the developers, are given the tools necessary to create the games of the future.
In comments made to Develop, Yoshida said:
“When Ken Kutaragi moved on and Kaz Harai became the president of SCE, the first thing Kaz said was, ‘get World Wide Studios in on hardware development.’
“So he wanted developers in meetings at the very beginning of concepting new hardware, and he demanded SCE people talk to us [developers].”
“Yes, we are undergoing many activities that we haven’t yet been talking about in public,” Yoshida said when asked if developers will be included in the design process of future PlayStation hardware. “Some future platform related activities.”
One of the greatest complaints levelled at the PlayStation 3 (and all PlayStation hardware in the past) has been the difficulty in developing software for the platform, compared to the ease with which developers are able to create games for the Xbox platforms.
With this new approach, and with developers ‘in the trenches’ having a say as to how games are created for future platforms from Sony, perhaps the PlayStation 4 (for lack of a better term) will finally match other platforms (most notably, the Xbox 360) in terms of ease of development.
John Carmack will be pleased.


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Taking place in Miami on January 18th and 19th 2018.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA (December 28, 2017) – Victory Square Technologies Inc. (“Victory Square” or the (“Company”) (CNX:VST)(OTC:VSQTF)(FWB: 6F6) is proud to announce that they have partnered up with the North American Bitcoin Conference, a part of World Blockchain Forum: Investments & ICO’s. Victory Square execs and entrepreneurs will be speaking and presenting at the conference, as well as hosting a $100,000 Investment Prize pool for the top three blockchain companies during the Pitch Your ICO session.
Taking place in Miami on January 18th and 19th, the World Blockchain Forum event will bring together over 1500 major stakeholders in the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry. The North American Bitcoin Conference (“TNABC”) is the longest running and most attended financial conference for bitcoin, blockchain and currency industries. The conference will cover a wide array of topics including blockchain technology, Bitcoin and Ethereum, ICOs, token sale mechanics, investing, regulation, startups, disruption, and much more. Notable ICOs that have launched with Keynote include Ethereum ($27 billion market cap), Litecoin ($2.5 billion market cap), Dash ($2 billion market cap), Factum ($70 million market cap), and Blockchain Capital ($30M market cap).
Keynote Events (“Keynote”) have hosted 12 global blockchain-focused conferences in the last 5 years, having hosted events in London, Brussels, Dubai, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, and Chicago. TNABC speakers are innovators, thought leaders, and decision makers in the blockchain and currency industries. Past speakers have included Roger Ver (CEO of Bitcoin.com), Halsey Minor (Founder of CNET, Founder of Uphold), Craig Sellars (Co-Founder of Tether), Brock Pierce (Co-Founder of Blockchain Capital), Dr. Moe Levin (Founder of Keynote), Charlie Shrem (Co-founder of Bitinstant), Sasha Ivanov (Founder and CEO of Waves Platform), William Quigley (Founder of WAX), Diego Gutierrez Zaldivar (CEO and Co-Founder of RSK Labs), Adam Perlow (Founder of Zen Protocol), and many other illustrious colleagues.
“We’re extremely excited to be partners at The North American Bitcoin Conference,” said Shafin Diamond Tejani, Chief Executive Officer of Victory Square. “It is the premier conference for blockchain and cryptocurrency and we’re excited to engage with some of the most promising startups and most respected blockchain thought-leaders in the world.”
TNABC will also offer Pitch Your ICO sessions where Victory Square will gain valuable insight from founders of the most promising upcoming blockchain companies. Over 30 leading blockchain companies have been selected from all over the world to present at the conference to some of the leading blockchain and cryptocurrency investors. Victory Square portfolio company, FansUnite, presented their new sports betting platform using blockchain technology at the last Keynote event in London in September 2017.
“Partnering with Victory Square is a natural fit.” said Dr. Moe Levin, Chief Executive Officer of Keynote. “Victory Square is dedicated to engaging with the world’s leading companies in the blockchain ecosystem, and Keynote is dedicated to showcasing these companies at our events.”
Highlight Video from the last World Blockchain Forum Event in London (September 25 and 26, 2017)
For further information about the Company, please contact:
Howard Blank, Director
ABOUT VICTORY SQUARE TECHNOLOGIES INC.
Victory Square Technologies is a blockchain-focused venture builder that funds and empowers entrepreneurs to implement innovative blockchain solutions. Victory Square portfolio companies are disrupting every sector of the global economy including Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Personalized Health, Gaming and Film. Victory Square has a proven process for identifying game-changing entrepreneurs and providing them with the partners, mentorship and support necessary to accelerate their growth and help them scale globally. For more information, please visit www.victorysquare.com.
ABOUT THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE (CSE)
The Canadian Securities Exchange, or CSE, is operated by CNSX Markets Inc. Recognized as a stock exchange in 2004, the CSE began operations in 2003 to provide a modern and efficient alternative for companies looking to access the Canadian public capital markets. The CSE has not reviewed, nor approved or disapproved the content of this news release.
This news release may include forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, concerning the business of Victory Square. Forward-looking information is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the management of Victory Square, including future plans. Although Victory Square believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking information is based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because Victory Square can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Forward- looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. Victory Square disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws.


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Royal College of Art rector Christopher Frayling has been knighted in the New Year Honours list, along with industrial design group Renishaw’s chief executive David McMurtry. Design Council chief executive Andrew Summers receives a CMG, Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, for the promotion of UK design abroad.
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital has found that the mental health and experiences of those receiving intrusive examinations, surgery, chemotherapy and emergency care are improved when visual art is installed.
The suitcase aimed at space tourists weighs just 900g and can stick itself to walls in zero gravity.
Offthetopofmyhead’s founder and creative director says there’s no such thing as brand design and much of what the design industry says about brand is incomprehensible, pretentious and just plain daft.
The new store — conceived by design and architectural practice Gensler — has a gaming lounge, multi-purpose Community Theatre and a McLaren sports car on the ground floor.


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November 14, 2006 PRESS RELEASE
FUJIFILM TO RE-INTRODUCE FUJICHROME VELVIA
Valhalla, NY, November 14, 2006–FUJIFILM U.S.A., Inc. is pleased to announce plans to re-introduce an ISO 50 Fujichrome Velvia professional film, tentatively named Velvia II. Fujichrome Velvia (RVP 50) was the first high color saturation, high contrast transparency E-6 compatible film when it was introduced in 1990 and was a favorite among photographers. Its discontinuation was announced last year due to difficulties in procuring some of the raw materials used to produce the emulsion.
“Since we announced the discontinuation of Velvia 50, we have been inundated with requests from photographers worldwide to continue production,”said Christian Fridholm, Director of Marketing, Picture Taking, Imaging Division, Fujifilm USA. “They had used Velvia for many years and consider it unmatched in terms of quality and character. One of Fujifilm’s main priorities is to nurture the culture of photography, so we took those requests very seriously.”
As a result, Fujifilm research and development teams have developed substitute raw materials and new manufacturing technologies that enable the company to restart production. The new film is expected to be available in late spring 2007. The characteristics of the new emulsion will mirror that of the previous product.
“We are pleased to, once again, demonstrate our commitment to photographic film and to our photographer customers,”concluded Fridholm. Specific details, including naming, pricing and shipment dates will be announced when they become available.


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ALDI Australia has become the first Australian member of the Slave-Free Alliance and has published its annual Modern Slavery Statement outlining actions to mitigate modern slavery.
ALDI and Slave-Free Alliance will conduct a Human Rights Risk Assessment and roll out Modern Slavery Awareness Training for Aldi employees and business partners.
The Modern Slavery Awareness Training Program will ensure all employees with sourcing responsibilities, as well as merchandise suppliers, are equipped with the skills they need to understand risks, identify the signs of modern slavery, and take action to address them.
ALDI’s Human Rights Risk Assessment will look into important local supply chains such as fresh produce, fresh meat and goods not for resale.
ALDI Australia corporate responsibility director, Daniel Baker said the partnership with Slave-Free Alliance will support ALDI’s proactive approach to prevent modern slavery and work towards ensuring fair and safe working conditions.
“Modern slavery is a complex issue requiring thorough and progressive action. We understand the significant impact we can have on intercepting the exploitation of workers within our supply chain and our partnership with Slave-Free Alliance will help to ensure modern slavery continues to be identified and addressed,” he said.
Slave-Free Alliance director for Australia, Lynnette Kay said it is critical to take a holistic approach and work closely with all parties in a supply chain to properly mitigate the risks of modern slavery.
“We are delighted that ALDI Australia is leading the way in Australia’s fight against modern slavery, and we are looking forward to working together to achieve our shared goal; a slave-free supply chain,” she said.
“As an international company with suppliers in Australia and across the globe it’s wonderful to see ALDI putting in place robust programs to prevent worker exploitation. We hope that other businesses will follow its example so that we can tackle modern slavery collectively.”
Slave-Free Alliance, part of the global anti-slavery charity Hope for Justice, is a social enterprise that supports businesses to protect their supply chains and operations from modern slavery.


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Amazon, the world’s largest online retail bookseller, has long enjoyed the status as the company that everyone loves to hate. Its nickname among some in the publishing industry as the “Evil Empire” might even seem well-earned considering its exponential growth over a short period of time and its ability to dominate in a wide variety of publishing and consumer service industries. Of course, the news almost every month that the corporate giant is expanding into a whole new field–expansion into online art galleries and print newspapers during these few summer months alone–must have industry watchers more than a little frightened. Everything Amazon touches seems to turn to gold, at least on the surface.
But there is one nagging question. If everyone hates Amazon so much, how did they get so big?
If there is a general sneer for the retailer and its business practices, are the consumers hypocrites? Are people actually blasting the online retail king in strongly worded and venomous blog posts, articles, and–like the recent threatening rant from the CEO of the American Booksellers Association–open letters, then staying up late at night to place their orders under the cloak of darkness in order to get free shipping on orders over $25?
Certainly, the concern that Amazon was going to be the death of brick-and-mortar bookstores was valid. Who was going to patronize the indie bookstore when Amazon could offer practically every book ever printed, and do it with overnight shipping? But while it’s very noble to envision customers making a conscious choice to support their local indie bookstore over a corporate overlord–one that has a program in place to hire work-at-home disabled American soldiers and their spouses, incidentally–not all of us have that option. I, for one, live in an area whose nearest bookstore is in the next town, a bookstore that is…yes…another major chain retailer, one who refuses to stock self-published titles.
Of course, that self-publishing access is truly what’s behind so much of the anger lobbed at Amazon. By stripping a centuries old publishing industry of its ability to control everything from the price of books to what titles make their way in front of readers, Amazon made some powerful enemies, even to the point that federal laws were broken to try to bring down the Evil Empire. Amazon was even criticized for its traditional publishing arm, notably for changing the model under which it paid its authors, abandoning the time-honored and tired quarterly payment system in favor of paying its authors their royalties once a month, just like it pays its self-published authors.
Where critics may actually have some merit is in Amazon’s tax woes. For its part, Amazon has faced issues with sales tax collection to the point that many states began calling their litigation attempts the Amazon Tax. Why not the Overstock.com Tax? Why not the Tiger Direct Tax? And while it admittedly might be lip service on the part of their public relations teams, Amazon has stated repeatedly that it will comply with sales tax regulations when Congress passes a nation-wide tax bill for online retailers. Like it or not, Amazon has operated within the tax law as it currently stands, and yes, the retailer cancelled affiliate status in states that used those affiliates to claim a physical presence in the state. Amazon has said it and it bears repeating: it cannot be expected to adopt fifty different sales tax codes, and it will comply when the government creates a uniform regulation for the entire country.
Of course, that doesn’t answer why Amazon has somehow skirted the tax law in Europe, a fact that indie retailers are seething about. While those allegations may also have merit, the governments have apparently agreed to look the other way. Just like they did for Google, Apple, and other foreign entities.
So is Amazon really the bad guy for not being better than other corporations? If they are operating the same way as the other major retailers that American consumers enjoying patronizing, why are they so bad? Are they somehow obligated to be more noble than their industry counterparts?
It would be interesting to know if any of the many vocal critics of the online retailer have Amazon accounts and therefore contributed to birth of an empire.


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NEWORLEANS - The Times-Picayune is ending its daily publishing October 1 -- ending a 175-year daily tradition for the company -- and The Advocate is stepping up to fill the void.
On Monday, the Baton Rouge paper made a major announcement about its expansion into the New Orleans market.
At Rock N' Bowl, The Advocate's publisher David Manship launched the first New Orleans edition. The Advocate handed out free copies of the paper at all of their point of sale locations, such as drug stores.
People in the 35 zip codes where delivery is available will get some free editions before paid home delivery starts on Oct. 1.
In May, the Times-Picayune decided to end its seven-day a week publication, and switch to a three-day a week printed edition. About 200 members of the Times-Picayune staff were laid off as the paper decided it wanted to focus on the website. Many former Times-Picayune employees who are now Advocate employees were on hand for the first edition announcement.
Following T-P announcement to scale back printing, The Advocate decided they would put out a special New Orleans printed edition of their paper seven days a week.
There will be an eight-member bureau in New Orleans. The location of the bureau as well as the details of the new publishing schedule, which is set to begin Oct. 1, will be released.


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WILTON, Conn. -- Greenfield Healthy Foods here has mounted a national in-store promotion that offers consumers store-specific rebate checks.
Called "Top This! Free!" the program offers a rebate check of up to $2 to consumers who purchase a package of Greenfield's fat-free brownies, blondies, cookies or popcorn and a dessert topping of their choice.
The rebate is intended to cover the cost of any kind of topping, from fresh fruit, to chocolate sauce, to low-fat whipped topping, said Eric Klar, executive vice president for Greenfield, a unit of Campbell Soup Co.
Freestanding floor shippers displaying the promotion were placed in grocery stores across the country throughout January and February, Klar said. Tear-off pads are attached to riser cards on the units.
To redeem the promotion, the consumer fills out appropriate information, including the store name, and mails it in with a register receipt. Greenfield's clearinghouse issues the check, which is payable only at the retailer where the original purchase was made.
Klar said the company rejected using customized tear pads for each account, due to the added logistical complexity.
Participating retailers were required to set up some kind of promotion program including authorizing the display, he added. The units were handled through Greenfield's national network of DSD distributors, said Klar.
The promotion was designed to provide strong incentive for retailers. "They sell more of our product. They get the added sale on the dessert topping, and a return visit from the consumer," Klar said.
The company said separately it is expanding Greenfield distribution to the drug, mass and convenience-store classes of trade, including Wal-Mart stores on a promotional in-and-out basis, plus regular distribution to all its SuperCenters. The brand has also gained national distribution at Circle K convenience stores, following a test last year.


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Sibeg, the bottler of products from the Coca-Cola Company in the Sicilian market, partners with Nissan in the second phase of the "Green Mobility Project" to develop a new electric ecosystem.
Nissan and Sibeg partner to develop a new electric ecosystem with 110 Nissan LEAFs in Sicily, Italy
The main action was the introduction of 110 second-generation Nissan LEAFs into the Sibeg fleet, under long-term rental. Additionally, 8 new CHAdeMO fast chargers were installed on top of 53 normal AC charging and 7 DC fast chargers that were already available on the island.
It's interesting that in its latest press release Nissan already is aware that the temperature (usually high in Italy) slows down the fast charging. The 0-80% recharge time is promised between 40-60 minutes: "The eight new quick chargers, which let the sales force recharge from zero to 80% in 40 to 60 minutes". Here is the official explanation: "*From 40 to 60 minutes according to charging conditions, including the type and conditions of the actual recharging facility, battery temperature and environmental conditions upon use."
By the way, Sibeg, with these actions noted above, becomes the first company to switch its entire car fleet to electric cars (and four electric scooters).
In 2017, electric car sales in Sicily increased 135% year-over-year.
"For Nissan, the new ecosystem is an application of Nissan Intelligent Mobility, the company's strategy to change how cars are driven, powered and integrated into society. Sibeg has partnered with ALD Automotive to provide all administrative and management services for the cars through its E-go Long-Term Rental proposal. Thanks to its strategic partnership with Enel X, the major long-term rental company offers integrated mobility services for the spread of zero-emission mobility.
Through the cooperation with Nissan, Sibeg has expanded its infrastructure network across the entire island, which now counts a total of 68 charging stations. The eight new quick chargers, which let the sales force recharge from zero to 80% in 40 to 60 minutes*, add to the previous 60 charging points installed by Sibeg in partnership with Enel. Seven of the existing 60 are fast-charging, thus giving new impetus to corporate as well as local e-mobility."
"The new Nissan LEAF electric vehicles replace previous ones already assigned to the Field Force back in 2015 during the first phase of the "Green Mobility Project." This initial stage made Sibeg the first company in Europe to equip itself with full-electric zero-emission vehicles, as well as four electric scooters used for activities on smaller islands.
The "Green Mobility Project" is a revolution of corporate mobility as well as an infrastructure resource for the territory and the environment. It prevents the emission of 363 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere, the same quantity absorbed by 27,225 trees in one year."


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More Options in Wedding Group Transportation
In 2011, the average wedding in Sonoma County cost $30,885, according to The Wedding Report, a company that tracks wedding statistics. That number is anticipated to go up to $33,552 in 2013.
If that’s a sign that the North Bay economy is improving, then it’s no surprise to some wedding transportation companies, who are finding good business in limousines, Town Cars, and even charter shuttle buses, since the average number of guests invited to Sonoma County weddings comes in at 143, notes The Wedding Report.
For Pure Luxury Transportation of Petaluma, the New Year is kicking off with a bang, as the company opens a second satellite location in Wine Country, adds nearly a half dozen vehicles to its fleet of high-end shuttles and motor coaches, and welcomes more employees to staff the growth.
“Our clients have been requesting a large number of bigger buses,” said Jennifer Buffo, co-owner of Pure Luxury. “The large-scale events and weddings are making a real comeback.”
Healthy business gains and a more robust hospitality economy has driven the company to add three 56-passenger motor coaches, another 47-passenger shuttle bus, and another 12-passenger executive van to its existing stable of almost 100 vehicles.
To staff the expanded service and new office, the company is seeking to hire professional chauffeurs, noted Jennifer Buffo. Already in place is new general manager Keo Hornbostel, formerly GM at Hyatt Vineyard Creek Hotel & Spa in Santa Rosa.
“Keo is excited to be joining us here, and we are excited to welcome him, as we have lots of growth ahead of us this year,” said Pure Luxury co-owner Gary Buffo. “He has a lot to bring to our company from his extensive experience in the hospitality side of a very large organization.”
What all this means to wedding couples is an increased ability for the company to coordinate wedding events. Hyatt Vineyard Creek Hotel & Spa is renowned as a preferred wedding destination, and Hornbostel has a rich background in pulling together parties and social functions of all sizes.
And while that wedding budget may be creeping up, the Pure Luxury team says that cost doesn’t have to translate to transportation.
In fact, as Jennifer Buffo noted, arranging for private vehicles to transport guests to ceremony, reception and accommodation venues often is much less than configuring individual rental cars, gasoline, and parking fees for large groups. Luxury shuttle buses, outfitted with TVs, music and optional sparkling wine can add even more to a party mood.
As for the convenience and safety of leaving the designated driving to the experts: that’s priceless.
Details: Pure Luxury Transportation, 800-626-5466, pureluxury.com.


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Everything screams yes to me.
When we found out that Netflix was making a brand new series based on The Dark Crystal, we were reminded of the terrifying nightmares that we had back in the Eighties as a result of the original.
Now that we’re a little bit older and a little bit bolder, we *think* we can handle it.
Netflix is giving us a second chance, and I think Jim Henson would be proud of the effort that the company is putting forth, because The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance looks absolutely wonderful. The mood, the animation, and the return to physical puppetry creates a completely new, yet familiar experience.
It arrives on the streaming service in August.


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- Products & Services
- Knowledge Base
Prenatal education company Kokilico announced it launched a storybook app called "1Day1Book." It contains stories in Korean and English.
ANYANG, KOREA, July 22, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Prenatal education company Kokilico announced it launched a storybook app called "1Day1Book." It contains stories in Korean and English.
Kokilico said 1Day1Book contains about 200 stories for prenatal education that are also translated into English, in hopes of reaching users outside Korea as well.
1Day1Book is a smart app that is made for parents who want prenatal education to their unborn children but don't like buying books, for they have a short life.
The app consists of a program that is designed to have the parents read 180 books for six months, from four-month to last month of pregnancy. By downloading the app, the users can read 30 books for as low as 9,900 KRW per month. The unborn children will be able to listen to different stories every time the parents read for them.
There is a wide variety of categories of books available, such as Korean tales, foreign tales, nature, cognition, and fables. Around 300 books from well-known publishers like Applebee Publishing, Jakkajungsin, Kinderland, and Namusun are registered in the app, helping the children to develop creativity, emotions, and EQ.
It also can record the voice as it is playing. It is a unique technology from Kokilico that is patented. This helps the mother and child build a special bond and help develop social skills.
Kim Yong-hwan, the CEO of Kokilico, said, "We are going to introduce 1Day1Book in Beijing International Book Fair this year to meet the local people there and are expecting to receive great reviews from the Chinese market."
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After weeks of heightened volatility, Bitcoin has for the first time traded above a key technical level since May.
On Saturday the number one cryptocurrency surged above the 50-day moving average sustaining the rise on Sunday. By press time, the asset was trading at $34,296 having gained almost 2% over the last 24 hours.
The latest price movement comes as a relief considering that early in the week, the cryptocurrency traded below the crucial $30,000 support level. The crypto recovered after plunging to $29,000 on Tuesday.
Picks for you
According to Pankaj Balani, the CEO of crypto-derivatives exchange Delta Exchange, Bitcoin might face some resistance on the way to hitting $35,000.
“For the first time in many weeks, we are seeing bullish signs here and expect Bitcoin to head toward the upper end of the $30,000 to $40,000 range. Bitcoin should face little resistance between $35,000 and $40,000 levels,” said Balani.
Elon Musk’s effect on BTC price movement
The recent momentum comes in the wake of the B-Word conference where Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the company will likely accept Bitcoin payments again in the future. Additionally, barely two months ago, Tesla stopped accepting Bitcoin citing the asset’s carbon footprint.
Besides increased crackdown from China, the move by Tesla resulted in a major price correction with Bitcoin struggling to trade above the $30,000 mark.
Musk further added that his goal is for Bitcoin to succeed while at the same time revealed that his space exploration SpaceX owns some of the assets.
“If the price of bitcoin goes down, I lose money. I might pump, but I don’t dump. I definitely do not believe in getting the price high and selling or anything like that… I would like to see bitcoin succeed,” Musk said.
Musk added that he is currently studying the Bitcoin environmental impact. At the same time, the Bitcoin Mining Council issued a report stating that most of the Bitcoin network is now powered by renewable energy.


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IOI tackles deforestation, De Beers to store CO2, Kensington recycles Nespresso pods, global standard for sustainable procurement, Apple aims circular, new #Squaremilechallenge target, Heathrow climate projections dismissed
Palm oil giant IOI commits to third-party auditing
IOI, the world’s third-largest palm oil trader, has committed to third-party auditing of its supply chain as it strengthened its Sustainable Palm Oil policy. Greenpeace, which has waged a nine-year campaign against the Malaysian company over its contribution to deforestation, hailed the move as a significant commitment to protect rainforests. “If put into practice, this would address the problems on the company's own plantations and set new standards for the whole industry,” the NGO said.
IOI said it will commission independent verification of the implementation of its sustainable palm oil policy to verify how well forests and the rights of workers and communities are being protected on its own land in Malaysia and Indonesia. It also committed to resolve long-standing conflicts with local communities and respect the rights of plantation workers.
Another commitment is to implement global best-practice peatland management in Ketapang in West Kalimantan, including the peatland standard currently being developed by the Palm Oil Innovation Group (POIG).
In March last year IOI was suspended by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) following a complaint by environmental organisation Aidenvironment on its activities in Ketapang.
IOI sued the RSPO about the suspension, although later dropped the case. Major customers such as Unilever and Nestlé stopped buying from IOI and refused to go back even when the RSPO suspension was lifted. General Mills followed in June after a letter-writing campaign by Greenpeace supporters.
Greenpeace said the big prize would be the new policy’s impact on other big palm oil traders, including Wilmar, Musim Mas, and Golden Agri Resources. “Any company selling palm oil to IOI will need to prove it is protecting forests, so the impacts should spread far beyond IOI's own operations.” It added: “All eyes are now on them to follow IOI's lead.”
De Beers ‘could be carbon-neutral in five years’
DE BEERS could operate a carbon-neutral mine within half a decade, safely storing more carbon than it produces, according to a research project funded by the organisation.
Evelyn Mervine, who is leading the project, said the world’s biggest diamond producer has plans to store carbon dioxide in kimberlite rock, the ore best known for containing diamonds, which also naturally reacts with carbon to remove it from the atmosphere.
Using readily available waste rock, and by accelerating this natural process, the company could offset its emissions. De Beers has vast amounts of previously mined waste rock stored in tailings dams above ground at its mines, ideal for this purpose.
Mervine said De Beers is also looking at removing carbon dioxide from power generators at its mines by piping the gas through a fluid that can be injected into the kimberlite waste rock and stored safely. It’s also potentially looking at spreading waste rock more thinly to increase carbon extraction from the atmosphere.
The diamond producer aims to be carbon-neutral at some operations within five to 10 years. Mervine said: “There will be key learnings from this that can be used in larger bodies of rock that can be found throughout the world.”
Kensington first UK council to recycle Nespresso pods
NESPRESSO this week launched its first UK kerb-side recycling service in partnership with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Consumers living in this well-heeled part of London can now recycle their used aluminium coffee capsules through their council household recycling service.
The company said the six-month trial is part of an ambitious project to give customers easier and more convenient options to recycle used aluminium capsules. Francisco Nogueira, managing director, Nespresso UK and Ireland, said: “We know recycling is incredibly important to Nespresso Club Members and it remains a top priority for us as a business.” While the company has its own dedicated recycling service “we know there is still much to be done and recycling through the municipal system is something our members have asked for.”
The used pods will be sent to a dedicated Nespresso recycling facility, which will extract the coffee grounds from the sealed aluminium capsules. The aluminium will be recycled while nutrient-rich compost will be made from the coffee grounds.
Nogueira added: “We are focused on ensuring the success of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea trial and are committed to making recycling as simple as possible for our customers. We do have an ambition to work with other councils in the future to roll out similar schemes.”
Nespresso’s aluminium coffee pods are the company’s Achilles’ heel in sustainability terms, as they cannot be routinely handled in municipal recycling systems, and the company has refused to divulge information on its own take-back schemes.
First global standard for sustainable procurement
THE INTERNATIONAL Standards Organisation (ISO) has launched the first international standard for sustainable procurement after four years of development.
The standard, ISO 20400, aims to help companies improve purchasing choices throughout their supply chains by establishing guidelines for companies to judge suppliers on ethical and sustainability issues.
Jacques Schramm, chair of ISO/PC 277, the committee that developed the standard, said the new guidelines will help organisations avoid the financial, environmental and reputational risks associated with poor supply-chain management.
The new standard will be used in 38 countries and 14 observing nations, representing 65% of the world’s population, and 73% of carbon emissions. Unlike many other ISO standards, ISO 20400 is a guidance standard rather than a certification standard, with the aim to build a global consensus around the expectations of global procurement.
Schramm said: "The risks of not understanding and managing practices throughout the whole supply chain are great. At best, poor quality products or ruptures of stock can result. At worst, disasters like the Rana Plaza in Bangladesh in 2013 can happen. Sustainable procurement helps to minimise risks such as these by encouraging buyers and suppliers to work closely together for a better result for all."
Apple says it aims to close the loop
APPLE PLANS to “one day” use only renewable resources and recycled materials in its products, according to its annual Environmental Responsibility Report.
However, the company did not set any targets for achieving this goal: “We believe our goal should be a closed-loop supply chain, where products are built using only renewable resources or recycled material. We are also challenging ourselves to one day end our reliance on mining altogether.”
Apple uses artificial intelligence, a robot called Liam, to help disassemble products and recover components that can be recycled. Its Apple Renew programme aims to encourage more consumers to return products to be recycled into new equipment. But it stops short of allowing customers to repair their devices through third parties, despite the fact that doing so would complement its sustainability efforts.
Apple also aims to reduce its reliance on conflict minerals and energy-intensive aluminium, an area where it has been criticised. Apple has reduced aluminium from its phones by 27% between the iPhone 6 and 7 models and uses 100% recycled tin for the main logic board of the iPhone 6S. It is also researching ways to recover cobalt from lithium-ion batteries.
Apple’s biggest progress is in renewable energy. In 2016, 96% of the electricity used at its global facilities was fossil-free and renewables power all its data centres.
5 million coffee cups new target in #SquareMileChallenge
HUBBUB CO-FOUNDER Trewin Restorick says the environmental charity’s #SquareMileChallenge last month will be extended, with a target of collecting 5 million coffee cups in the City of London by the end of the year.
He said the target of collecting 500,000 coffee cups for recycling through April is expected to have been met, although the count has yet to be independently verified. He said three-quarters of the cups were collected with the help of a large number of employers, who collected coffee cups from their premises.
“The #SquareMileChallenge has demonstrated that involving major employers is the most effective way to recycle a significant number of cups, working with campaign partner Simply Cups. …. The seven large, bright yellow coffee cup-shaped recycling bins placed on the streets of the City of London were essential in raising awareness and acted as a hook for press and social media, but are not a long-term solution as they attracted litter and the recycling collected was more contaminated,” Restorick said.
He pointed out that the cost of last month’s campaign was shared between a range of partners, including the City of London Corporation and Network Rail, which introduced cup recycling facilities at coffee kiosks in major rail stations.
He said 500,000 cups collected in April “is only the tip of the iceberg as we throw away 7 million coffee cups a day across the UK. There is a lot more to be done.” With the infrastructure now established, it will be cost-effective to meet the new target of collecting 5 million cups from the City of London by the end of 2017.
Heathrow third runway climate impact projections ‘a fantasy’
THE HEAD of the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) says the UK government’s calculations for the impact of a third runway at Heathrow on CO2 emissions are a “fantasy”. Mary Creagh, MP, also criticised the government for refusing to commit to air quality targets in relation to the expansion.
The government last week reaffirmed that it agreed with the Airports Commission’s assessment that Heathrow airport could expand without breeching legal air quality levels or putting extra pressure on other sectors to meet the country’s legally binding climate targets. It said its upcoming aviation strategy will consider measures to tackle the carbon impacts of aviation.
The government was responding to an EAC report in February warning that the expansion could create a "black hole" in future carbon budgets. “Heathrow expansion should only go ahead if the government has a clear plan for the extra air pollution, carbon emissions and noise,” Creagh said in response to the latest government position. “Ministers are still refusing to guarantee that EU air quality targets won’t be quietly dropped after we leave the EU, have no national plan for air pollution, and their carbon calculations are a fantasy.”
In March, Heathrow published its Heathrow2.0 strategy to tackle air pollution and CO2 emissions from the third runway expansion. But as Ethical Corporation reported, the document does not map out how it will achieve this, and contains no target beyond 2020 for cutting CO2. (Heathrow carbon-neutral plan still blue-skies thinking).
The government today published a draft clean air plan, which included proposals to pay drivers of older cars to move to electric vehicles, the retrofitting of buses, lorries and black cabs with particulate traps and setting up clean air zones in dozens of cities. Motor manufacturers welcomed the plans, but environmental campaigners said they were "half-baked."


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The manufacturer and developer of gambling products, renowned for their high quality and thrilling gameplay, Light & Wonder, announced its plans to showcase a new slot machine at the upcoming Global Gaming Expo (G2E). The provider confirmed Friday that at G2E it will present for the first time its brand-new Squid Game slot machine. As the name of the game suggests, it is inspired by the world-famous and most popular Netflix series of all time, Squid Game.
The new slot, matching the iconic series, will feature distinct games. Inspired by the series, Light & Wonder’s slot will include games such as Red Light, Green Light, Tug of War and The Glass Tile. The slot is expected to be a smashing hit and will mark its debut on HORIZON, the company’s new large-screen jumbo cabinet.
Visitors of G2E will be able to experience the new Squid Game slot at booth #1116. Moreover, they will be able to receive more information regarding the game’s online version. According to Light & Wonder, the Squid Game slot is expected to mark its debut in casinos next year.
The New Game Will Bring Unrivaled Experiences
Matt Wilson, Light & Wonder’s CEO, revealed that the company is delighted to join forces with Netflix to help deliver the iconic series to the gaming vertical. Moreover, he acknowledged that Light & Wonder was the first gaming company to team up with Netflix for the famous series. “We’ve seen how combining fan-favorite shows with immersive gameplay can resonate with audiences both digitally and on casino floors,” he added. Finally, Wilson predicted that the HORIZON cabinet along with the new game will deliver unique and engaging experiences for the players.
Players of the new slot game will benefit from the leading capabilities of the HORIZON cabinet. The new large-screen jumbo cabinet offers a 75-inch screen along with 600,000 individual micro-LED pixels, increasing the total display area to a staggering 90 inches. Moreover, the cabinet brings a 27-inch touch screen, dual play buttons and a mobile charger, elevating the thrill and excitement for the players.
Undoubtedly, the upcoming release will further reaffirm Light & Wonder’s role as a leading provider of games for the global gambling sector. Considering that the developer is planning the introduction of a digital version of the game, soon, fans of online gambling will also have a chance to experience the new slot.


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July 26, 2012, 12:23 PM — Juniper says it now has 200 customers for its QFabric data center switches, having gained 50 since the first quarter.
QFabric and other enterprise switches, such as Juniper's EX line, sold well during the company's second quarter, company officials reported earlier this week. Among new QFabric customers is General Dynamics, a multibillion dollar systems integrator for the aerospace and defense industries.
RIVAL REELING: Cisco layoffs this week part of 'Transformation Project'
Juniper's second quarter came in slightly ahead of company expectations, with revenue up 4% from the first quarter but down 4% from the second quarter 2011. Net income per share was up 19% from the first quarter - beating Wall Street estimates - but down 39% from the second quarter 2011.
Total switching product revenue increased 13% to $140 million. And Juniper's Enterprise revenue was $393 million, up 13% sequentially though flat from last year.
Nonetheless, "we are pleased with the momentum of EX, QFabric and wireless LAN, which all grew sequentially and year-over-year," said Juniper CFO Robyn Denholm during the company's Q2 earnings call, a transcript of which can be found on the Seeking Alpha site.
The company reported "very good uptake" of QFabric nodes in the quarter, having gained 50 more customers for the product to reach 200 in all. QFabric includes nodes, which can function as top-of-rack switches and access points into the QFabric interconnect, the core switching component of the data center line.
Juniper said it's also seeing a growing number of QFabric node customers purchase and either go through certification or deployment of the full QFabric node/interconnect system. Juniper recently announced a lower-end QFabric offering, the QFX3000-M, a fixed 16-node interconnect that provides a lower entry point for those customers who want to try the full QFabric system.
"We've surpassed 200 customers in the quarter, continued to see good progress on the QFX3500 with the top-of-rack and the nodes and certainly, a subset of those customers purchasing continue to deploy the full QFabric system," said Juniper CEO Kevin Johnson during the earnings conference call.