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Chinese cosmetics brand Florasis is attracting younger consumers by combining tradition with modern e-commerce tactics.
The digitally native brand’s annual gross merchandise value (GMV) grew to over RMB3 billion ($470 million) between its launch in 2017 and 2020.
Florasis is riding a wave of interest in China’s cultural heritage known as Guochao, literally “national tide” in Mandarin. Its ingredients and packaging designs are steeped in local tradition and are a hit among Generation Z and millennial consumers.
At the same time, it is participating in major e-commerce shopping festivals, working with key opinion leaders (KOLs) including Lipstick King Austin Li, and creating a customer feedback loop that ensures its products are attuned to China’s fast-changing consumer market.
“We did the right thing at the right moment,” said Florasis’ branding director Lin Zeng in an interview with Alizila.
China’s cosmetics market, already the largest in the world, will double from its 2019 valuation to reach $145 billion by 2025, according to investment bank Goldman Sachs.
Chinese cosmetic brands hit an annual growth rate of 78% in 2020, according to data from Alibaba Group’s online marketplace Tmall, much higher than the 23% growth rate of cosmetics in general.
Though Gen Z consumers constitute only 17% of the population, they are more likely to try out new brands and spend up to twice as much on beauty products compared with other age groups, according to a study by investment banking group UBS.
Chinese beauty, known as C-beauty brands in the industry, jibe with digitally savvy youngsters keen to connect with their cultural heritage while coming of age in an economically powerful China.
“C-beauty brands captured the Guochao trend particularly well…they know how to do story-telling that appeals to Chinese aesthetics,” said Kelly Tang, beauty and fashion industry consultant at market research group Euromonitor International.
Hangzhou-based Florasis’ products fit the bill. The brand sources local floral essences and medicinal plant extracts for its color cosmetics. Its best-selling lipstick draws inspiration from a 2,600-year-old Chinese love story between a cowherd and a weaver girl.
To be sure, consumers won’t just pay for Chinese themed packaging. They are drawn in by the coherent story and image presented by C-beauty companies, noted Tang.
For Florasis’ branding director, that means Oriental aesthetics. “It is a total package rooted in Chinese philosophy, from using natural ingredients to finding the balance in key elements,” Lin explained.
In With the New
The look and feel of their products may be nostalgic, but C-beauty brands are leveraging cutting-edge e-commerce techniques.
Five months after launching, Florasis opened a flagship store on Tmall and brought on KOLs to kick off its first major marketing campaign.
“Austin Li was the man that kicked them off being a major brand,” said Mark Tanner, founder of Shanghai-based research agency China Skinny.
After describing a Florasis setting powder as “lighter than air,” Li followers converged on the brand’s Tmall store to buy more than 700,000 units during the 2019 11.11 Global Shopping Festival.
Li once said in an interview that he played the role of “quality control officer” for Florasis, offering pointed reviews and pushing for regular product updates. He said the color of its powder puff is too dark and the mirror on its setting powder is too large, to name a few of his suggestions.
“We invited Austin Li to join in the co-production of some products because of his astute observations of consumers’ needs and extensive knowledge of color cosmetics, ” said Lin.
Florasis’ digital tactics are paying dividends. From 2019 to 2021, Florasis consistently ranked among the top 10 color cosmetic brands on Tmall during the 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, alongside Guangzhou-based beauty unicorn Perfect Diary.
In 2020, Tmall included Florasis among the platform’s top ten emerging brands, as its GMV soared.
“We call Tmall one of our primary bases because it has been a major contributor to our GMV,” said Lin. “And it will remain so in the future.”
These e-commerce tactics are helping Florasis survive in a cut-throat market.
“If I look back five years ago, more than half of the brands we were following [aren’t] around now…they are here by night, they shake the market and [then] they disappear,” said Tanner.
During last year’s 11.11 shopping gala, Perfect Diary and Florasis ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, in terms of total GMV value between Nov. 1 to Nov. 11 among Tmall color cosmetics brands, lagged behind international brands.
But Lin is confident that building close relations with consumers will keep Florasis competitive.
The Floraisis team reads customer feedback on e-commerce channels and social media sites. It has also signed up over 200,000 consumers as “beauty co-creators”.
Around 150 of these co-creators receive samples for every step of the product development process, who post their feedback on an online community site for Florasis enthusiasts. The brand then aggregates the feedback and adjusts its formula accordingly, while giving those who provided feedbacks loyalty rewards.
Florasis has found from this process that young consumers like the hair-like strokes of an eyebrow pencil but not its waxy texture; and for eyebrow powder, they like the natural look it gives, but feel that they need greater control over the brows.
The result was a best-selling eye brow pencil, one that has been updated seven times within four years to stay attuned to customer tastes.
“It takes time, but we followed it through because that’s the best way to stay close to consumers,” said Lin.


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Foster's suitor SABMiller is likely to introduce more international beer brands into the Australian market, which could result in the sector looking very different in 10 years, says a market analyst.
The London-based brewer made an improved takeover offer for Foster's on Wednesday that values the business at about $12.3 billion, including more than $10.7 billion for shares and $1.54 billion for debt.
The Foster's board endorsed the revised SABMiller bid in the absence of a superior offer.
City Index chief market analyst Peter Esho said SABMiller, given its scale, could have a "good crack" at getting more out of the Australian beer market than Foster's had managed in recent years.
He said most of the costs in the beer sector were in distribution and packaging.
"What SAB wants to do is acquire the Foster's business and not only fix that up but also look at brewing their international brands locally and pushing that through the existing distribution network that Foster's has," Mr Esho said.
"That's where the upside is for them."
SABMiller would seek to wrest back market share that Foster's had lost to Japanese-owned beverage and food company Lion.
SABMiller would seek to re-assert the dominance of Foster's best known brands - including VB, Carlton, Foster's and Crown - and bring in international brands such as Miller.
SABMiller was likely to concentrate on the domestic market first, and if the brand push worked in Australia it might use this nation as a platform to expand brewing operations in Asia.
Mr Esho said SABMiller was already familiar with the Australian market, having a joint-venture brewing operation with Coca-Cola Amatil.
Should the SABMiller takeover succeed, Australian consumers were most likely to have more international beer brands on offer as SABMiller tests consumers' tastes.
SABMiller may also conduct a "clean out" of Foster's brands but would not fix anything that wasn't broken.
Prices were unlikely to rise given the current depressed state of the beverages market.
"The average consumer won't see a big difference, but in 10 years' time the beer market will look very different," Mr Esho said.
He said focus in the Australian beverages market may next turn to Foster's former wine operations, Treasury Wine Estates, which was demerged from Foster's in May 2011.
"This is a business that has struggled for a very long time and has really been the achilles heel of Foster's," Mr Esho said.
"It's just starting to improve now very slowly as they market their brands better.
"There's still a lot of oversupply in the wine market, but it's cyclical."
Mr Esho said Treasury Wines was an Australian-listed company and had some iconic brands, such as Penfolds.
"If they can get it right, there's a lot of potential there," he said.

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New rumors surface for Deep Down, a long-lived Capcom project that never saw the light of day, rumors that might point to the game destined to release on Playstation 5. The game was announced back in 2013, raising the bar for the industry with its high gameplay value and graphic intensity. Even while being in hiatus, the game gets some attention. Could we be close to a release date?
Back in 2013, when Deep Down was officially announced, Capcom set the foundations of a ground-breaking title that houses high-end graphics and intense fantasy battles similar to that of Dark Souls. The project received some gameplay footage and screenshots but never seen the light of day at that time.
Now, VGC reports that their sources claim Deep Down could be close to the end of its development, making it a possible exclusive for the upcoming Playstation 5.
Undeniably, the hardware infrastructure would have been low for such a game to release in 2013. The effort would have been wasted on low resolutions and framerates and it would have suffered from limited playtime due to the industry standards.
If Capcom has Deep Down brewing in silence all these years, then Playstation 5 seems like a safe bet to be its main platform. The game was announced during a Playstation 4 presentation 6 years ago, making it an exclusive by proxy.
The team that was working on Deep Down no longer exists, creating a handicap for the project. With the rights now being rest with Capcom, a new team might have taken over. It would be a shame for such an intriguing concept to never see the light of day and with the development power that Capcom holds, it can finally see outstanding results.
The company continues updating its trademarks for Deep Down and even its producer, Yoshinori Ono pointed to its being still in the picture.
If Deep Down is destined to see the light of day on Playstation 5 or current consoles remains to be seen, If it does, expect a procedurally generated dungeon crawler with co-op functionality to be scratching your itch for a souls-like title in the future.
We’d love to see a hint about it on The Game Awards tomorrow, although this seems like a long straw. E3 2020 would be a safe bet, but for now, we can do nothing but wait.


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Apple hits back at AG Bill Barr and says it IS helping the Pensacola investigation
(January 15 01:16) Dailymail.co.uk
Apple hit back at US Attorney General William Barr who accused the company of refusing to provide 'substantive assistance' with unlocking two iPhones used by a gunman.
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Simon Malls is considering turning ailing Sears and JC Penney stores into Amazon fulfillment centers
Simon Property group, the largest mall operator in the US, is in talks to turn ailing Sears and JC Penney Stores into Amazon distribution warehouses.
UK announces more coronavirus deaths
Statistics from NHS England and Northern Ireland have confirmed the deaths of seven more people in a count which will be added to the Department of Health's total today.
Two ruthless inmates rape a prisoner after bashing him to a pulp with a frozen water bottle
Two Victorian prisoners have been given more jail time for the vicious assault and rape of another inmate over a demand for contraband.
Dozens appeal plans to rename slave trader square in Plymouth after footballer
Dozens of campaigners in Plymouth have appealed against a decision to rename Sir John Hawkins Square, named after a slave trader, to instead commemorate black footballer Jack Leslie.
Senior British officers in Hong Kong police force could face torture charges in UK
Torture has allegedly been carried out in police stations and on the streets, with a specific incident cited at Hong Kong's Citic Tower during protests in June 2019.
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Mother-of-two and Labor's communication spokeswoman Michelle Rowland, from Blacktown in Sydney's west, tipped the scales at more than 100kg in her mid-40s.
(August 09 23:15) Dailymail.co.uk
Runaway jet ski crashes into Mexico beach restaurant killing one, injuring two
A runaway jet ski crashed into the outdoor Mango Deck beachfront restaurant at El Medano beach in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico on Friday, killing one and injuring two others.
Mnuchin says Dems will 'have a lot of explaining to do' if they challenge Trump's executive orders
The White House is confident Trump's four new executive orders will stand up in court as lawmakers denounce the unilateral move as 'unconstitutional' and the action faces potential legal battles. ...
(August 09 23:11) Dailymail.co.uk
Teachers union tries to sabotage school reopening plan with 'impossible' list of 200 safety demands
The National Education Union has provided its half a million members with a 'checklist' of Covid-secure measures which its institution should be enforcing.
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Tag - Navigation
Apple has received a patent for a location-discovery system that could potentially work alongside GPS to help users navigate a town or city in a car. Published today, the patent for a "System with wireless messages to enhance location accuracy" (9,344,989) describes a system of transmitters on various structures that could help a receiver triangulate its position, in a similar way to how beacons can help visitors to a building navigate their way to specific locations of interest.
With the usual warnings that you can't use any phone car mounts at all in certain parts of the USA, the Montar Qi one is a good option where you're allowed to have it -- and when you're not using an iPhone. It does fit both the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, but its best features are not supported by Apple as yet. Well, we say "as yet" -- but we might as well say as never.
First introduced in mid-2013, Apple's CarPlay interface -- which supplements vehicles' built-in infotainment and navigation systems with a car-safe version of iOS and Siri technology -- is finally to be widely available in most US new car models starting with the 2016 model year, which is rolling out to dealers now. In most cases, compatibility with CarPlay -- and, to a lesser extent, Android Auto -- will be a standard feature in cars with built-in navigation systems, but in some cases will be considered a standalone feature that is added to entertainment upgrade packages.
Google is making its offline mode in Google Maps mobile apps more useful, with the Android version getting the change now and iOS set to receive it "soon," according to the official blog. The updated offline feature promises to make life easier for its users, by allowing them to continue navigating to a location whenever the cellular signal drops, or in cases where the user wants to save on their wireless plan's data allowance, with the app seamlessly switching between offline and online modes.
Apple could soon launch a way for people to navigate their way around an indoor location, such as a mall or a large building, without using GPS or iBeacons. The Indoor Survey App has quietly surfaced in the App Store, allowing its users to create a map of an indoor area, with the iOS device using its onboard sensors to measure radio signals and other data in order to work out where it physically is within a location.
We may have been looking at this the wrong way: previously, we've described this app -- now updated to Localscope 4.3 -- as a competitor to Where To?, and we've said that its rival wins. For apps you use to find a place and then get to it, Where To is better -- but maybe we were wrong to regard them as direct competitors.
Previously on Where To: back in January -- which, depending on when yours arrived, is is four or five months BW (Before Watch) –– we gave this app a bit of a rave. It's not the only app for finding the nearest bar or bank, or for finding directions to the closest library or train station, and our sole caution was that we recommended having a couple of these sorts of apps. Now with Where To? 8.0.1 we're going to change that to recommending that you just buy this one.
As I write this, it is one month to the day since my Apple Watch arrived -- and I only know that because I looked it up. It simultaneously feels like I have always had one and that it is still a new toy. Those two things can't both be true, but they are and really it just means I am firmly in that time when I just don't appreciate that I'm actually a lucky git for having one.
TomTom, the Dutch mapping data company that has been one of the key partners in Apple Maps since day one, will continue to supply the iPhone maker with geographic and street-level data, despite rumors of a wholly revamped Maps service in the works. TomTom is one of several partners Apple uses to collect location data for Maps, but has been one of the most important, even as Apple has spent much of the last three years acquiring other GPS-related companies.
On Sunday, Apple confirmed that it had acquired precision global positioning company Coherent Navigation, a small business that worked on military-grade precision navigation systems, robotics, and autonomous navigation technology. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Coherent, which was founded in 2008, "focused on creating commercial navigation services based on partnerships with companies like Boeing and Iridium, the satellite network operator," according to the former CEO's LinkedIn page.
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Cirrus creates Lightning-headphone dev kit
Apple supplier Cirrus Logic has introduced a MFi-compliant new development kit for companies interested in using Cirrus' chips to create Lightning-based headphones, which -- regardless of whether rumors about Apple dropping the analog headphone jack in its iPhone this fall -- can offer advantages to music-loving iOS device users. The kit mentions some of the advantages of an all-digital headset or headphone connector, including higher-bitrate support, a more customizable experience, and support for power and data transfer into headphone hardware. Several companies already make Lightning headphones, and Apple has supported the concept since June 2014. http://bit.ly/29giiZj
Apple Store app offers Procreate Pocket
The Apple Store app for iPhone, which periodically rewards users with free app gifts, is now offering the iPhone "Pocket" version of drawing app Procreate for those who have the free Apple Store app until July 28. Users who have redeemed the offer by navigating to the "Stores" tab of the app and swiping past the "iPhone Upgrade Program" banner to the "Procreate" banner have noted that only the limited Pocket (iPhone) version of the app is available free, even if the Apple Store app is installed and the offer redeemed on an iPad. The Pocket version currently sells for $3 on the iOS App Store. [32.4MB]
Porsche adds CarPlay to 2017 Panamera
Porsche has added a fifth model of vehicle to its CarPlay-supported lineup, announcing that the 2017 Panamera -- which will arrive in the US in January -- will include Apple's infotainment technology, and be seen on a giant 12.3-inch touchscreen as part of an all-new Porsche Communication Management system. The luxury sedan starts at $99,900 for the 4S model, and scales up to the Panamera Turbo, which sells for $146,900. Other vehicles that currently support CarPlay include the 2016 911 and the 2017 models of Macan, 718 Boxster, and 718 Cayman. The company did not mention support for Google's corresponding Android Auto in its announcement. http://bit.ly/295ZQ94
Apple employees testing wheelchair features
New features included in the forthcoming watchOS 3 are being tested by Apple retail store employees, including a new activity-tracking feature that has been designed with wheelchair users in mind. The move is slightly unusual in that, while retail employees have previously been used to test pre-release versions of OS X and iOS, this marks the first time they've been included in the otherwise developer-only watchOS betas. The company is said to have gone to great lengths to modify the activity tracker for wheelchair users, including changing the "time to stand" notification to "time to roll" and including two wheelchair-centric workout apps. http://bit.ly/2955JDa
SanDisk reveals two 256GB microSDXC cards
SanDisk has introduced two 256GB microSDXC cards. Arriving in August for $150, the Ultra microSDXC UHS-I Premium Edition card offers transfer speeds of up to 95MB/s for reading data. The Extreme microSDXC UHS-I card can read at a fast 100MB/s and write at up to 90MB/s, and will be shipping sometime in the fourth quarter for $200. http://bit.ly/294Q1If
Apple's third-quarter results due July 26
Apple has advised it will be issuing its third-quarter results on July 26, with a conference call to answer investor and analyst queries about the earnings set to take place later that day. The stream of the call will go live at 2pm PT (5pm ET) via Apple's investor site, with the results themselves expected to be released roughly 30 minutes before the call commences. Apple's guidance for the quarter put revenue at between $41 billion and $43 billion. http://apple.co/1oi1Pbm
Twitter stickers slowly roll out to users
Twitter has introduced "stickers," allowing users to add extra graphical elements to their photos before uploading them to the micro-blogging service. A library of hundreds of accessories, props, and emoji will be available to use as stickers, which can be resized, rotated, and placed anywhere on the photograph. Images with stickers will also become searchable with viewers able to select a sticker to see how others use the same graphic in their own posts. Twitter advises stickers will be rolling out to users over the next few weeks, and will work on both the mobile apps and through the browser. http://bit.ly/29bbwUE


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NEW ORLEANS-Credit unions have no choice but to re-examine their fee structures and opt-in policies in the wake of pending changes to Reg E.
And they will have to move quickly.
Fabio Biasella, VP and managing drecto of Strategic Advisory Services with Raddon Financial Group, told the CUNA CFO Council's annual meting, "Every fee is under assault. It's hard to quantify how much of a threat there is to various income streams."
Biasella said the typical CU household generates about $100 in revenue for a credit union; for Raddon Financial clients, he said that figure is about $125. To this point, that revenue has "masked a lot of other things that have gone on in the industry, most notably, margin compression." But moving forward, Biasella added, "Creatively, it's not just about fees, it's going to be getting back to how we price. Two big drivers are debit card fees and NSF fees."
A 2009 study of 62 institutions commissioned by RFG and designed to create a better understanding of Reg E found approximately 70% of checking account-holders never overdraw, 20% are infrequent/occasional overdrafters, and 10% overdraw habitually. "The last credit union I was in identified 663 people who do 80% of the overdrafts," he remarked. "They almost knew them by name."
Of the credit unions in the study, 74% of their income was derived from Courtesy Pay, and of that figure, 54% of the activity came from overdrafts via the debit card and ATM. "The impact for these institutions to not begin the process of opting in was about $1.7 million," he added."There is no magic lever that we will be able to turn on as easily as we turned on Courtesy Pay," said Biasella. "We have a lot of clients taking long, hard looks at this. There is lot of dough at risk. When you think of how much is at stake, even if not allowing the member to do debit card overdrafts, we still have to manage that number." The new law prohibits overdrafts as the result of a debit transaction.
The "good news," according to Biasella, is that when asked members who never or seldom overdraw their accounts say Courtesy Pay isn't important to them. "But it's very important to the habitual overdrafter," he said. "They see the value in opting in. If you are not beginning the process of earnestly opting in, you are really getting behind the curve."
One credit union at the meeting noted that when it comes to opt-ins, "It hasn't been a hard sell. It's been members saying, 'Are you going to offer us something similar to what we've had?' "
Biasella said Raddon sees revenue opportunities for credit unions in debit cards. "You need to examine the business line much more carefully, and right off the bat you need to examine penetration and activation," he said, noting the average CU penetration rate with debit cards is 84%, three quarters of which are typically activated.
Biasella noted the average value per debit card is approximately $60. And while very few CFOs in the meeting indicated they offer instant activation, Biasella added, "The instant issue cards have much higher activation and usage rates."


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“My faith defines me. It’s who I am,” Jim “Mattress Mike” McIngvale told Religion News Service. “How am I going to let my people drown? It’s as simple as that. I’m not going to let my people drown.”
McIngvale dispatched Gallery Furniture trucks to pick up victims. He opened his stores as emergency shelters, offering food, mattresses and clean restrooms to hundreds of evacuees and Texas Army National Guard troops.
He turned his stores into collection sites for disaster relief items, posted a “Pray for Texas” video on his Facebook page that received nearly 3.9 million views, and garnered heartfelt thanks and lifelong customers.
In the wake of Harvey, McIngvale said he has seen God at work.
“The best thing about this whole tragedy is the people helping each other and putting all of the left-wing and right-wing politics aside and caring about people, not about politics,” he said.
McIngvale believes Houston’s struggle will strengthen its spirit.
“This tremendous flood of biblical proportions brought this entire city together, and people aren’t fighting and bickering; they’re working with each other and opening the door for each other.”
Houstonians are acting the way Pope John Paul II had inspired people to act, he added.
“They’re loving each other. That’s the way it ought to be all the time.”
To read entire RNS story, click HERE


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Let's not sugarcoat it: Apple's (AAPL 0.68%) iOS platform is overdue for some aesthetic user-interface improvements. The iPhone maker has mostly maintained the same overall look and feel of its most important software platform since 2007. In the meantime, heavyweight rivals Google and Microsoft have come a long way in terms of interface design.
With Scott Forstall's ouster late last year, design enthusiasts may finally get their calls answered with a new interface aesthetic driven largely by Jonathan Ive's tastes, which is expected to take place with iOS 7 this year.
Just a couple weeks ago, The Wall Street Journal reported that the reorganization is indeed increasing collaboration among different departments, which was the stated goal of the shake-up in the first place. As head of human interface, Ive now attends meetings related to the design direction of Apple's software.
Ive has reportedly been trying to implement a more "flat design" that would be more modern and minimalist, two characteristics that both Android and Windows Phone now boast. At the time, sources were expecting the updates to be relatively conservative.
However, a handful of well-connected Apple followers is now hearing that iOS 7 is behind schedule, in part due to more dramatic changes to the interface. Daring Fireball's John Gruber believes a "systemwide UI overhaul" is in the works. In characteristically secret fashion, engineers using the new version are required to use polarizing privacy filters on their devices in public, so mere mortals can't steal any sneak peeks.
Software engineers from Apple's OS X team have even reportedly been diverted away from OS X 10.9 in order to pitch in on iOS. This wouldn't be the first time that the Mac maker has focused more on being an iPhone maker; in 2007 it delayed the release of OS X 10.5 Leopard to redeploy talent on the iPhone as the device was preparing for launch.
At the time, the Mac was still generating 41% of trailing-12-month sales, so the company got some flak for the decision. The iPhone is now 52% of TTM sales, while the Mac is just 13%, so don't expect investors to get upset that Apple is focusing resources on the big moneymaker, especially at a time of escalating competition.


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PlayStation has officially announced the return of State of Play, with a brand new showcase locked in for 13-14 September 2022. While not much is known about its content, PlayStation has promised ‘reveals and updates’ for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation VR2. Given the novelty of the upcoming device and its appearance at the Tokyo Game Show, it’s likely the PS VR2 will dominate proceedings – but there’s certainly plenty of room for new game announcements and other tidbits.
We can expect to see at least some surprises for the shiny new VR device, given there are so few playable games announced – it’s essentially just Horizon: Call of the Mountain VR and Resident Evil Village so far. But what exactly these announcements will be is currently unclear. Could we see a backward compatibility announcement? A new chapter in the excellent Space Channel 5 VR series? Something wild and unexpected – like Ape Escape VR?
We’ll just have to tune in to see everything in store.
How to tune into the latest PlayStation State of Play
- Australia – 8:00 am AEST | 7:30 am ACST | 6:00 am AWST (14 September)
- United States – 3:00 pm PT | 6:00 pm ET (13 September)
- United Kingdom – 12:00 am CET (14 September) | 11:00 pm BST (13 September)
The show will be around 20 minutes long, and include gameplay footage for 10 games coming to PlayStation consoles and PS VR2 in future. There’ll be updates specifically from PlayStation’s ‘amazing Japanese partners’ as well as surprises from other developers around the world.
While the latest State of Play is fairly short, it should still be well worth tuning in for as we head towards the future of gaming in 2022 and 2023.


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In 2005, EU customs seized more than 75 million counterfeited and pirated goods.
Foodstuffs, medicines and other goods that can seriously damage the health of consumers continue to be faked in large quantities. Changes in the routes of fraud, an increased range of products being copied and the use of the internet in selling counterfeit goods make customs job even more challenging.
The European Commission said that its response is being implemented via the Community's Anti-Counterfeiting Customs Action Plan.
"A secret wave of dangerous fakes is threatening the people in Europe," said EU taxation and customs commissioner Laszlo Kovacs.
"The key is to be faster than the counterfeiters. We must quickly identify, and act to deal with, new routes of fraud and constantly changing counterfeit patterns to protect our health, safety and the economy."
Customs seized around 75 million articles in 2005, and the number of customs cases involving fakes increased to more than 26,000. Growth in seizures of fakes dangerous to health and safety also continued. For the first time ever, more than 5 million counterfeit foodstuff, drinks and alcohol products were seized.
Since the launch of the Commission's Customs Action Plan to combat counterfeiting and piracy, a number of actions have been initiated. These include targeted time limited Operational customs actions at major ports and airports in Europe.
A recently finalised customs action has already led to the seizure of more than 90 large maritime containers of fake products and more are expected.
Counterfeiting and tampering is a major issue for the food industry. It can undermine consumer trust in the quality and safety of a branded food product, leading to a loss in market share.
The private sector, through organisations such as Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries of the European Union (CIAA), has consistently advocated improved intellectual property protection as the key to EU competitiveness.
To this effect, the EU and US also took joint action last year against counterfeiting and intellectual property theft. Under the terms of agreement, the two blocs agreed to form closer co-operation through strengthening border controls, shared intelligence and forming special teams of embassy staff to search out counterfeiters.
Initial efforts of the joint programme have focused on China and Russia. EU and US representative say they also have major concerns in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.


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Iconic ice cream company Peters Ice Cream is continuing its longstanding partnership with Publicis Media, appointing Spark Foundry to its media account.
Zenith was the incumbent on the $10 million account, and B&T understands Initiative was also involved in the pitch process.
Peters was established in Australia in 1907 by Fred Peters and its brands include Drumstick, Proud & Punch, Icy Pole, Connoisseur, Maxibon, Frosty Fruits, and Peters Original.
Emma-Jane Collins, director of marketing, sales and product technology at Peters Ice Cream, said: “We are delighted to continue our venerable partnership with Publicis Media. Spark Foundry shares many of our values.
“Sue [Squillace], Peter Butler, Kate Provan, and the Spark Foundry team demonstrate a passion to find new ways to improve our business and excite the market. We look forward to our collaboration and partnership with Spark Foundry.”
Spark Foundry Australia CEO, Sue Squillace said: “This is a great result for us and we are so excited to be working with the team at Peters.
“This is a testament to our people and culture and, more importantly, our approach to the communications that we developed for Peters.
“It’s also a reflection of a collaborative partnership developed throughout the process that saw great alignment of the business and what we can achieve together moving forward.”
Spark Foundry’s appointment is effective from the beginning of August.
Twitter is saying ‘bye to the reply guys’, allowing users to control who can reply to their Tweets. ‘Reply guys’ have long been an issue on the social media app, where users (often anonymous) frequently comment on posts in an annoying, condescending or otherwise unsolicited manner. Twitter first put these users on notice in May […]
The Virtual Conference Network, an Australian-founded disruptive alternative to video conferencing, has today launched to provide risk mitigation, improved flexibility, new post-event revenue streams, and optimal cost-effectiveness to conference organisers, business leaders and peak bodies. With over 20 years of first-hand experience with the high-risk and costly ways of delivering traditional conferences, co-founders Alex Paine […]
Medallia has appointed Heather Paterson as its new ANZ country manager to drive further growth across Australia and New Zealand. With a strong sales performance and leadership background, Paterson joins Medallia as ANZ country manager following more than seven years with leading SaaS financial technology provider, Intralinks, where she was most recently director for Asia […]
Integral Ad Science (IAS) today announced the launch of “Channel Science”, an industry-leading partnership between Channel Factory and IAS. The Channel Science solution helps advertisers to leverage both companies’ technologies through a single product to ensure their YouTube campaigns are brand-safe, brand-suitable, and performance-optimized. More than ever before, advertisers are searching for ways to streamline their media buying and improve […]


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One of the most popular games Fortnite will not play on Steam Deck, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has confirmed.
Steam Deck is set to release later this month however it seems that Fortnite won’t be playable on the console because the developer Epic Games doesn’t feel confident about its ability to combat cheating.
Tim Sweeney said users will have to install Windows on the device if they wish to play the game as they don’t feel confident that they would be able to stop cheating on a custom Linux configuration.
READ MORERochelle Humes scared to take child to nursery after backlash to TV show
Steam Deck uses the platform Linux for its console and compatibility layer called Proton so that Steam games compiled for Windows can run on it.
When asked whether or not Fortnite would run on Steam Deck, Tim Sweeney said: “Fortnite no, but there’s a big effort underway to maximize Easy Anti Cheat compatibility with Steam Deck.
He added: “We don’t have confidence that we’d be able to combat cheating at scale under a wide array of kernel configurations including custom ones.”
Sweeney then said that Linux was “a terrifically hard audience to serve given the variety of incompatible configurations” and “and if you subdivide it by blessed kernel versions then it’s even smaller”.
The good news is that the Steam Deck will allow you to install Windows if you want to.
On Valve’s new FAQ, the company addressed BIOS and dual booting on Steam Deck. The company said: Multi-boot is supported – you can have multiple OSes installed and choose which one to boot into. Users will have access to the BIOS menu.”
Not only can you dual boot Windows, but Valve says that you can launch an operating system from an SD card, which will save valuable space, especially if you choose to go with the cheaper Steam Deck with less storage.
Stay up to date with the very latest news from your Birmingham or West Midlands street or neighborhood with our daily Birmingham News Email Updates.


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Nestlé has been delivered a fine of Tl346.9m ($11.2m) by competition officials in Turkey over its violation of the law on the protection of competition.
In January, Rekabet Kurumu, the country’s competition watchdog, found the Aero chocolate maker to have breached Turkey’s law on the Protection of Competition.
Rekabet Kurumu concluded that Nestlé had broken Article 4 of the legislation, which prohibits any decision that could “likely [affect] the prevention, distortion or restriction of competition directly or indirectly in a particular market for goods or services”.
According to the regulator, the Fitness cereal producer violated the law by “determining the resale prices of its distributors and imposing regional and customer restrictions on its distributors”.
After a unanimous decision from the watchdog, Nestlé has now been handed a fine of Tl346.9m – higher than the originally predicted Tl260m.
The competition authority said the company can appeal the decision within 60 days at the Ankara Administrative Courts.
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In a statement to Just Food, a Nestlé spokesperson said: “We are waiting for the full reasoned decision and cannot comment further at this time.”
According to Global Competition Review, the Swiss giant is set to challenge the sanction.
Nestlé had been under investigation, alongside dairy giant Danone and four other Turkish food companies, for the alleged violation of competition laws on sharing pricing information.
The other companies examined were Turkish confectionery and savoury snacks producer Eti Gida, and consumer-goods manufacturer Horizon Fast Consumption.
Danone was found not to have violated any national competition regulations, Rekabet Kurumu said in its online notice.
Eti and Horizon Fast Consumption, on the other hand, were both found to have made similar breaches to Nestlé and were given fines of Tl36m and Tl55m, respectively.


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50% of Rats Given this Died -- Why is it On Your Dinner Plate? Oh, YUMMY! being poisoned by the sweet corn on your dinner plate, the canola oil you use to fry and bake with, the soy "joy" bars and milk among many other applications of soy in your foods that you are conned into buying. Just the tip of the "iceberg" so to speak of countless other GMO crops contaminated with Roundup and other toxic pesticides and herbicides being sprayed directly onto the fields. Thanks to Monsanto, the most evil corporation in the world, we are being poisoned to death. Read Dr. Mercola's well documented article below:
Glyphosate—The World's Most Popular Herbicide…
Genetically engineered crops have vastly increased the use of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto's nonselective broad-spectrum herbicide Roundup, and this product alone is now wreaking unimaginable havoc in our environment. According to Jeffrey Smith with the Institute for Responsible Technology, by 2004 farmers used an estimated 86 percent more herbicides on GM soy fields compared to non-GM fields.Potential Health Hazards of Glyphosate
So-called "Roundup Ready" soybean, cotton and corn crops became exceedingly popular because it allows farmers to spray Monsanto's Roundup herbicide directly onto their fields without harming the crops. Ordinarily, if you were to spray Roundup, or any other glyphosate-based herbicide, onto a plant, it would rapidly die.
Since the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) stopped updating its pesticide use database in 2008, it's becoming increasingly difficult to estimate how much glyphosate is actually used in the US, but the following 2006-2007 market usage estimates were reported by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) earlier this year:
- Agricultural market used 180 to 185 million pounds of glyphosate
- Home and garden market: 5 to 8 million pounds
- Industry, commerce and government: 13 to 15 million pounds
Usually, whatever toxins lurk in the environment has a tendency to find its way into animals' bellies and onto your dinner plate, and this holds true for glyphosate as well. Some of the fungi promoted by glyphosate produce dangerous toxins that can end up in the food supply. Some of these have been linked to human toxicosis in Eastern Europe, esophageal cancer in southern Africa and parts of China, joint diseases in Asia and southern Africa, and a blood disorder in Russia.
A recent report from Earth Open Source has also revealed that Roundup herbicide not only causes birth defects, but that industry regulators have known this for years and did nothing about it. After reviewing industry studies and regulatory documents used to approve Roundup, they noted:
- Glyphosate is suspected of causing genetic damage, infertility and cancer.
- It is also acutely toxic to fish and birds and can kill beneficial insects and soil organisms that maintain ecological balance.
- Laboratory studies have identified adverse effects of glyphosate-containing products in all standard categories of toxicological testing. In one animal study, rats given 1,000 mg/kg of glyphosate resulted in a 50 percent mortality rate, and skeletal alterations were observed in over 57 percent of fetuses!
- The surfactant ingredient in Roundup is more acutely toxic than glyphosate itself, and the combination of the two is even more toxic.
- Industry (including Monsanto) has known since the 1980s that glyphosate causes malformations in experimental animals at high doses
- Industry has known since 1993 that these effects could also occur at lower and mid doses
- The German government has known since at least 1998 that glyphosate causes malformations
- The EU Commission's expert scientific review panel knew in 1999 -- and the EU Commission has known since 2002 – that glyphosate causes malformations
How Do You Know if You're Eating GM Foods?
According to the latest US Department of Agriculture (USDA) statistics, about 88 percent of all corn, 90 percent of all canola, and 94 percent all soy grown in the United States is genetically modified in one way or another (not all are the Roundup Ready variety), which means that virtually every processed food you encounter at your local supermarket that does not bear the "USDA Organic" label will contain one or more GM components.SOY, SUGAR FROM SUGAR BEETS, CORN, HAWAIIAN PAPAYA, COTTONSEED USED IN VEGETABLE COOKING OILS, SOME VARIETIES OF ZUCCHINI, CANOLA, CROOKNECK SQUASH, AMONG MANY OTHER GM FOODS."
Therefore, if you want to avoid GM foods (which have a variety of inherent health dangers over and above the hazards of Roundup residues), you'll want to, first and foremost, avoid most processed foods, unless it's labeled USDA 100% Organic. You can also avoid GM foods that are not found in processed foods, if you know what to look for. There are currently eight genetically modified food crops on the market:
50% of Rats Given this Died -- Why is it On Your Dinner Plate? Read the rest of this horror story about what you are eating and how you are being slowly poisoned to death at this link below:


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Development of diverse PU technologies outlined at FSK’s meeting
By Liz White, editor
At the 50th anniversary event of the FSK (Germany’s association for foamed plastics and polyurethane), some common polyurethane themes emerged. These include the material’s versatility, its ability to solve problems, the increasing need to handle environmental issues, and the complex technology exploited in its use.
The latter was adroitly illustrated in a dual presentation from German car maker BMW AG and tooling specialist Frimo Lotte GmbH, illustrating how far production of instrument panels has come since the early 1970s, when backfoaming using polyurethane was introduced.
Foaming’s role in BMW’s success
In early attempts to make backfoamed instrument panels (IPs) for the BMW 3-series, production was challenging: “We had a high rate of defective parts,” said Dr Thorsten Pflamm-Jonas, leader of cockpit development with BMW AG.
But now BMW sees itself as a pioneer who realised the potential of this process.
Cycle times are now 2-4 min instead of the 20 min they were in the 1970s, and tool delivery times have been cut to 18 weeks from 45 initially, said Jürgen Lause of tooling specialist Frimo Lotte GmbH.
IPs – which consist of a carrier and decorative layer, with a soft interlayer between the two – are now far more complex…


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Mary’s Gone Crackers has announced plans for expanded distribution of its Kookies line. Following the launch of the Kookies line in February 2022, consumer demand has steadily climbed, with additional retailer growth anticipated in the coming months.
“Consumers are always on the lookout for healthy dessert replacement options and our Kookies line has been able to offer just that along with an incredible flavor profile,” said Jason Galante, vice president of sales with Mary’s Gone Crackers. “We are excited for the opportunity to grow our footprint and make Kookies snacks more available to the masses.”
Under the distribution plans, new retailers including Sprouts, INFRA Independents, Woodmans, Sunset, Caputos, Plum, Jimbos, Lassens, and Down to Earth will make all three Kookies flavors available to consumers. These new retailers will introduce the product to new markets and allow for greater accessibility in order to meet consumer demand. The Kookies line will continue to expand its distribution over the next year and well into the future.
The distribution expansion will also aid in the brand's efforts for sustainability, allowing it to give even more money back to GloryBee, founder of SAVE the BEE, whose mission is to protect Earth's precious pollinators. A portion of each sale goes back to supporting this mission, and the increase in distribution will result in an increase in sales, making every bite of Kookies an even sweeter deed for the planet.
All of Mary's Gone Crackers' offerings are made in its state-of-the-art facility, and are USDA Organic and non-GMO Project Verified. The low-sugar and low-calorie Kookies join the current portfolio of Original, Super Seed, and Real Thin Crackers.


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Microsoft earlier this month quietly extended the life of Windows 10’s debut edition, the version launched in July 2015.
Rather than end support for Windows 10 v. 1507 — Microsoft labels the OS by year and month — in March, as announced last year, the company will issue the version’s final security updates in May, probably May 9, that month’s Patch Tuesday.
The new date was posted as a revision to a mid-January blog post by Nathan Mercer, a senior product marketing manager for Microsoft. In the original entry, Mercer had tapped March 26 as the end of 1507 “servicing,” a company synonym for updating and patching.
Source: News Feed


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Pokemon GO! has made $14M already
July 11th, 2016 | /pokemon-go-has-made-14m-already/
Last week a collaboration between The Pokémon Company and Niantic released an augmented-reality game called Pokémon GO! which managed to instantly reach the top-grossing ranks on both Android and iOS platforms. Few other titles have managed to do this, and considering the relevance of the companies involved (Nintendo, Alphabet), as well as the novelty of augmented reality technology, presents a unique case study on the current state of the mobile games market.
Early estimates indicate that Pokémon GO! has so far managed to generate $14.04 million across mobile platforms since its release, putting it ahead of other titles using the franchise, including Pokémon Shuffle Mobile which has earned an estimated $14.03 million since its release in August, 2015.
Why we are not surprised
Pokémon GO! doing so well initially should not be a surprise: it is one of the most enduring and widely popular game franchises in the world. It has produced no fewer than 18 full feature films, a cartoon series, trading card games, and a slew of swag. More so, even though Pokémon is operated independently, it is part of the Nintendo empire, which saw a similar consumer response with Miitomi. It is hard to underestimate the strength of this Japanese giant and its assets, even if contenders have emerged in the last few years.
The initial audience response is more telling of the increasingly lethargic mobile games market: with its growth slowing, it takes an established franchise like Pokémon for the numbers to suddenly, and likely briefly, flutter before reestablishing its previous equilibrium. Given the current of user acquisition in the mobile games market on iOS ($4.01 in May 2016, up 2.3% YoY) and Android ($3.40, 3% YoY), many industry participants seek to leverage established franchises and brands to offset marketing expense.
What will be critical is the coming period: can Pokemon GO! keep its momentum and cultivate a loyal following. Just like every other mobile game it will have to face the retention figures after 7, 30, and 90 days. Chances are we are looking at the mobile games’ equivalent of a summer hit song rather than a revolution in the mobile game monarchy.
What this means for Nintendo
The initial success of Pokémon GO! has drove Nintendo’s market share price up 25% in Tokyo trading today. However, the Pokémon Company is a licensing and marketing firm under the control of a joint-venture between Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures, which each represent a different branch of licensing products: games, magazines, and trading card games, respectively. Nintendo owns 32 per cent of of The Pokémon Company. Niantic Inc., the developer behind Pokémon GO! is a spin-off from Google parent Alphabet, and previously published a comparable augmented reality game called Ingress, which has only generated just over $1.1 million since its release. Nintendo, in other words, reaffirms its control over a very valuable franchise portfolio that may yet carry the company through its current phase as it seeks to recover from disappointing Wii U sales, the loss of one of its figureheads, and the market’s shift into mobile gaming.
What does this mean for AR/VR?
As the games industry continues to ramp up its efforts behind both AR and VR, the consumer market ultimately requires a ‘killer app’ that will allow mainstream audiences to familiarize themselves with new technology and its applications. When the iPhone was first introduced, it was games like Angry Birds that taught consumer audiences how to swipe and use a touch-screen, which was a novelty at the time. Augmented has been available for some years, and with the popularity of the new Pokémon game seems to have found a suitable application with the ability to both motivate and educate audiences on its uses. Mobile devices are the first point of contact for mainstream consumer audiences with augmented reality, but on the long term companies like Microsoft have devices like the Hololens in development. For 2020E we forecast the total AR market (hardware + software) to reach $4.3 billion in worldwide revenues.
- Pokémon GO! Has so far managed to generate $14.04 million across mobile platforms since its release, putting it ahead of other titles using the franchises, including Pokémon Shuffle Mobile which has earned an estimated $14.03 million since its release in August, 2015.
- Niantic previously published a comparable augmented reality game called Ingress, which has only generated just over $1.1 million since its release.
- User acquisition on mobile are up year-over-year for May 2016: $4.01 on iOS, up 2.3% YoY, and $3.40 on Android, up 3% YoY.
- The worldwide market for games totals $103.9 billion this year, and is up 7% year-over-year. The mobile games market.
- For 2020E we forecast the total AR market (hardware + software) to reach $4.3 billion in worldwide revenues.
- On live streaming channels, Pokémon GO! is among the top 35 titles, with almost 200,000 hours of content streamed since launch, placing it well above other Nintendo franchises like The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask and Mario Kart 7.
- See our most recent AR/VR numbers.


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Koenigsegg has unveiled an all-new megacar – the Koenigsegg Jesko – at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show. Jesko inherits the mantle left by the Agera RS as the leading track-focused, road-legal car for those looking for the ultimate in vehicle performance.
Jesko von Koenigsegg was a key presence at Koenigsegg Automotive during its formative years. His considerable business acumen helped steer the company through many early challenges. Now retired and in his 80’s, Jesko von Koenigsegg and his wife, Brita, were on-hand at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show to see his namesake vehicle introduced to the world.
Further information available here.
Please get in touch to discuss availability of the new Koenigsegg Jesko.


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Leeds cuts ribbon on 'revolutionary' £35m heat network
One of the UK's largest heat networks has been officially launched by Leeds City Council, in a development which will deliver low-carbon heat and water to thousands of homes and businesses.
Aldi rolls out natural refrigerants across UK stores to cut emissions
German discount supermarket group Aldi has invested £20m in natural refrigerants which will be installed across all of its UK stores to reduce its environmental impact.
BEIS to invest £35m in heat innovation projects
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is to invest £35m in two heat innovation projects centred around smart systems and hydrogen gas as alternatives to conventional gas-grid connected domestic heating.


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The latest rumors said Canon is working on a new EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM lens to replace the current EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II ($1,949), which was announced in March 2010. This new Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM lens is currently in testing – the exact announcement date is still unknown and it is expected to have a new IS system, improved optical and it will be a little bit lighter.
The upcoming Canon Lenses:
- EF 200-600mm f/4.5-5.6 IS USM Lens
- EF 135mm f/2L IS USM Lens
- EF 50mm f/1.4L IS USM Lens
- EF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM Lens
- EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM Lens


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Working with Microvett, an Italian company which converts Fiats, Nice will focus on Fiorino, Scudo, Porter Cargo and Doblo models. Ducato is also expected in the range.
Julian Milford, Nice co-founder, said the Fiorino was one of the “best commercial propositions” currently on the market.
Nice will be marketing to fleets, through PR activity and association stakeholder groups like LowCVP.
The London-based electric car company declined to comment on profit margins or sales targets. Along with the rest of Nice’s line-up, the vehicles will sell at its only outlet – Nice’s headquarters – in West London.
It also takes cars out to people at their homes, and will do the same with Fiat vans. Nice plans to open outlets in key cities including Manchester and Birmingham over the next year.


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Launching is a win condition
In August of last year, Jordan wrote “I’m going to lose so much time to The Settlers.” Not anytime soon, he won’t!
The newest game in the long-running strategy civilization-building series has been hit with an indefinite delay. Maybe developer Blue Byte couldn’t get the right zoning permits, maybe conquering new lands is no easy feat. Regardless, The Settlersisn’t settling anytime soon.
The reason for the delay is vague. In an announcement post, Blue Byte just says “While we are on the right path to deliver a great game, we really want to deliver an exceptional gaming experience. Since quality is our main priority, we want to take the time necessary to make it right. Therefore, we had to make the difficult decision to postpone the release of the game until further notice.”
This is just the latest setback for a game that was supposed to launch in 2019. That (obviously) didn’t happen, and then it was pushed to 2020. With this indefinite delay, it’s impossible to tell when — or even if — The Settlerswill eventually release. For what it’s worth, the Epic Games Store lists 2021 as the launch window.
While it doesn’t seem as though Ubisoft is willing to take the wrecking ball to The Settlersquite yet, something is clearly not right. The delay announcement and the Settlersforumshave a handful of people who mention they were issued automatic refunds, seemingly because of the delay. So, we’ll have to wait while Blue Byte tries to get everything back on track.
A message from the “The Settlers” team [The Settlers]


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Get your crab crackers ready, the fourth annual St. Paddy’s Day Crab Fest will make its return this weekend.
Held at the NyE Communities Coalition activities room, 1020 E. Wilson Road, the festivities will kick off Saturday at 6 p.m.
Around 150 tickets have been sold to the event at $50 a piece, a bit higher than previous years due to increased crab prices, with all of the proceeds going to the Pioneer Territory CASA, Inc. Last year the event sold out and was able to raise around $10,000 for CASA, a program to support and promote court-appointed volunteer advocacy for abused and neglected children.
The crab is imported from the Pacific Northwest and arrives the day before the event, making sure it is as fresh as crab can be in the middle of the desert.
In addition to crab, there will also be chicken, salad and fried dishes, to accommodate those who want to take part but aren’t particularly fond of the crustacean cuisine.
“It’s one of these things that’s grown over the years as more people hear about it,” Willi Baer, Executive Director of Pioneer Territory CASA, Inc. said. “They enjoy it because it is a lot of fun, besides being delicious.”
Also on slate for Saturday along with the meal are raffles and a live auction, which will feature prizes ranging from $500 in various gift cards for the raffle winners, to a hot air balloon ride and a jetpack experience at Spring Mountain speedway for the auction winners.
If you have any questions about the event call 775-513-9514.


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According to IDC, “real-world service-based use cases are growing exponentially.” When they interviewed companies about the most valuable ways that augmented reality is transforming service, 62% agreed that AR is driving a measurable ROI.
Augmented reality is helping service technicians to become more efficient and service organizations to be more effective. This means that overall, customer satisfaction also improves.
With an aging workforce that is quickly approaching retirement, and a high turnover rate among new employees, finding a quick and cost-effective way to onboard employees is crucial.
As IDC points out, “The beauty of using augmented reality for training is that it offers trainees an opportunity to move beyond paper manuals and watching videos to interacting with the tools and machines they'll use on the job.”
After surveying multiple organizations in a variety of industries using augmented reality for training today, 51% of them agreed that their company had already seen a measurable ROI. These organizations identified the following areas where AR is driving the most value:
- 66% use AR to provide training classes without travel
- 52% use AR for video capture and later training playback
- 50% use AR to provide interactive service manuals and instructions
- 50% use AR to enhance video conferencing
Augmented reality facilitates a faster learning curve for trainees which makes them much more efficient, and results in less down time for customers. Plus, service organizations that leverage augmented reality for training can save money that would have otherwise been spent on travel.
“The beauty of using augmented reality for training is that it offers trainees an opportunity to move beyond paper manuals and watching videos to interacting with the tools and machines they'll use on the job.”
Sales and Marketing
Augmented reality accelerates sales cycles by allowing customers to engage with large, complex, or very small, products on a new engagement level. Features and functionalities are displayed interactively and in 3D.
When IDC interviewed executives that use augmented reality in the sales and marketing industry, 65% of them agreed that augmented reality was already driving a measurable ROI. More than half of the companies interviewed stated that AR helped them secure more customers, since their product could be visualized better. Some of the key ways AR is being used for customer-facing experiences are:
- 62% use AR for product demonstrations without needing to transport their products;
- 59% use AR to place a digital version of their product into the customer's environment;
- Other key areas included virtual customization of the product and product instruction manuals.
The ability to not physically have to transport products directly to customer significantly decreases costs. Additionally, customers have a much stronger understanding of the products they’re evaluating, making more confident purchasing decisions.
65% of companies that use AR in sales and marketing agreed that augmented reality was already driving a measurable ROI.
Manufacturers were one of the first verticals to introduce and implement augmented reality technology because of the opportunities it provides to overall improve the entire production process. When IDC connected with manufactures already using augmented reality, more than 76% of them said their factory was already seeing an ROI from the following key areas:
- 70% said AR increased manufacturing efficiency;
- 60% said AR sped up the time between training and operations;
- 42% said AR helped them avoid mistakes;
- 39% said AR helped to decrease downtime.
It’s easy to see the measurable difference now, and early-adopters will have the foundation for future success. It’s in manufacturing companies’ best interest to adopt augmented reality technology, for they will come out on top over their competitors who may decide to wait.
The AR Future of Gains in Business Sectors
A great plan around augmented reality, as well as strategy, leads to many opportunities. As previously noted, the early opportunities are within these areas of business, however, augmented reality can provide a wide range of business process evolutions. This will drive productivity and significant cost savings.
With augmented reality driving value across so many key areas in a variety of enterprises, it’s clear to see that it’s continuing to create real-world use cases that will positively disrupt the future of business.


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Recalls Cost GM Millions
Numerous recalls in the last year have reduced General Motors' profits, Bloomberg News reported.
GM said repair costs had helped cut first-quarter profit in North America by 18 percent to $451 million. The company added that it had allocated $1.48 billion to reserves for recall and warranty claims linked to sales and recalls.
GM has 46 percent of U.S. recalls so far this year, almost double its market share. It recalled 7.92 million cars and light trucks as of July 2, as compared to a total of 7.36 million recalled vehicles in all of 2003. GM recalled 3.66 million Silverado and other pickups in March, the largest total this year, to repair a tailgate chain that breaks.
"Are we concerned with the number of recalls? Absolutely," said Kevin Williams, GM's vice president of quality for North America. "We know it is not an out-of-control condition."
Big-Truck Sales Start to Slow
Some high-profit, full-size pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles are starting to fall out of favor, The Detroit News reported, citing industry analysts.
Hardest hit is General Motors, which saw sales of several full-size pickups and SUVs plunge in June compared with a year ago. Although sales of the GMC Sierra pickup inched up, Chevy's identical Silverado suffered an 8.1 percent drop in sales last month.
Sales of the SUV fell 23.5 percent last month while demand dropped 13 percent for the and 23.9 percent for the Yukon XL.
Meanwhile, sales of the Ford F-series pickups rose 1.3 percent last month, but demand for the Expedition SUV dipped 0.7 percent and the Excursion SUV saw its sales drop 10.7 percent. At Dodge, Ram pickup sales slipped 3.7 percent in June.
Among foreign manufacturers, Toyota reported that sales of its SUV fell 16.6 percent.
For the year, demand for many large SUVs and pickups is flat or down, while overall light vehicle sales are up 2.3 percent, the story said.
Sales of some large SUVs and trucks this year:
Cadillac Escalade ESV
GMC Yukon XL
Ford F-150 pickup


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A Danish police confiscated a high-performance luxury sports car after its new owner was caught speeding while driving home from Germany to Norway.
According to a Danish newspaper quoted by the Associated Press, the man was an Iraqi citizen, residing in Norway, who was not identified, but who was driving his Lamborghini Huracan at 236 km/h on a highway where the maximum speed was 130 km/h.
Under a new Danish law, police can seize the vehicles of reckless drivers and auction them off, the money later going to the country’s coffers.
The man had bought the car a few hours earlier in Germany for 2 million Danish Kroner (260,000 euros) and, according to security forces, was “a little irritated” when the car was apprehended.
In addition to the arrest, he will also be fined for speeding.
Also read: Lamborghini recreated 1971 Countach.
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The Bolt EV safety features allow you to feel more comfortable behind the wheel in fact, many of these can be found on the entire 2017 model lineup. In addition to its impressive all-electric powertrain design that saves you money at the pump and eliminates emissions, the Bolt EV also recently earned a Top Safety Pick rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). With the Bolt’s high-quality design and the latest technologies on the market, you can rest assured you’re safe when you’re driving the new Bolt EV.
The Bolt EV is the first all-electric vehicle for 2017 to earn the IIHS rating, which marks a landmark for this Chevy model. According to The Car Connection, the Bolt EV scored “good” on all crash tests and a “Superior” in the category of front crash prevention. The five tests the IIHS uses are the moderate overlap front, small overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraint.
The Bolt EV’s optional front crash prevention system will reduce the risk of and possibly prevent collisions at speeds of 12 to 25 mph. This is just one of many great aspects on the latest electric vehicle to come from the 2017 model lineup. To learn more about Chevy safety features for the latest model year, visit El Dorado Chevrolet today.


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Reporting from Reuters, Friday (19/8/2022) the move was carried out as an effort to investigate 830,000 vehicles that use Tesla’s Autopilot system.
NHTSA then gave an assessment of the performance of Tesla’s Autopilot feature after reports of an accident some time ago.
By June, NHTSA had upgraded its investigation to technical analysis, which was a step before a recall. NHTSA asked Tesla to answer questions about the functionality of the cabin camera regarding enforcement of driver engagement or attention.
According to Tesla, the cabin camera, which is located above the rearview mirror, can monitor the driver’s attention while they are operating the car on the road.
NHTSA said it was seeking information on the impact of cabin cameras on the type and timing of driver engagement alerts, as well as recoverable data elements that demonstrate their effect.
The regulator is also reviewing whether Tesla vehicles meet safety standards with this feature.
On the other hand, Consumer Reports Magazine when evaluating the Tesla cabin camera said that the feature was not sufficient to ensure the driver fully pays attention to the surrounding conditions when using the Autopilot and Full Self Driving (FSD) features.
The magazine then added that they could block cameras in the cab, and the car would not issue warnings, slow down the car, or even shut down the system.
In June, Consumer Reports revealed that Tesla had installed an over-the-air update to be able to issue a warning when the camera was closed when FSD was activated, but not with Autopilot.
Meanwhile, the Autopilot feature is intended so that the car can drive, accelerate, and brake automatically in its lane, while the FSD allows the vehicle to obey traffic signs and make lane changes.
In addition to the defect investigation, NHTSA has also opened 38 special investigations since 2016 into accidents involving Tesla vehicles and where Autopilot or other advanced systems are suspected to be used. A total of 19 deaths have been reported in the Tesla-related investigation.
Separately, California’s state transportation regulator accused Tesla of misinforming a feature that provides autonomous vehicle control.
In a notice filed with the state, Tesla said it is currently hearing the complaint and intends to file a defense.
Meanwhile, the California Department of Motor Vehicles is seeking solutions that could include suspending Tesla’s license to sell vehicles in the state and requiring the company to compensate drivers.


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Shares of the following companies may have unusual price changes in Philippine trading. Stock symbols are in parentheses, and share prices are as of 12 p.m. in Manila yesterday.
The Philippine Stock Exchange Index increased 1.5 percent to 3,990.49.
Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI PM): The nation’s No.3 bank by assets posted 2010 profit that “significantly” exceeded 2009 earnings, President Aurelio Montinola said. The bank expects loans to rise 10 percent this year and is “always on the lookout” for acquisitions, he said. The stock gained 0.8 percent to 54.50 pesos.
Globe Telecom Inc. (GLO PM): The mobile phone services provider was lowered to “underweight” from “neutral” by James Sullivan, an analyst at JPMorgan Chase & Co. The analyst has a 12-month share price estimate of 620 pesos. The stock fell 0.3 percent to 778 pesos.
Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (TEL PM): The nation’s biggest phone company was cut to “neutral” from “overweight” by JPMorgan’s Sullivan. The analyst has a 12-month share-price forecast of 2,400 pesos. The stock was unchanged at 2,500 pesos.
RFM Corp. (RFM PM): The food and drinks manufacturer said 2010 profit rose 71 percent to 625 million pesos ($14 million), a stock exchange filing showed. The stock rose 0.6 percent to 1.70 pesos.
San Miguel Corp. (SMC PM): The biggest Philippine food and beverage company may price a planned share sale at between 150 pesos and 250 pesos each, a stock exchange filing showed. The amount of 250 pesos is the "high end" of the range, the company said in the filing. The stock jumped 11 percent to 178 pesos.


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Lynn Gastineau, owner of Gastineau Log Homes of New Bloomfield, returned home from China Tuesday after signing a contract in Shanghai, China, to export precut oak log homes to China.
Gastineau accompanied Gov. Jay Nixon and other state officials on the Governor's Trade Mission to China from Oct. 22 to Oct. 29. On the trade mission, Missouri reached an agreement to sell $4.4 billion worth of products, mostly Missouri-produced grain, to China during the three-year period starting next year.
She hopes the export deal with the Chinese firm will be a boost to her business that has been hurt by the 2007 collapse of new home construction in the United States.
Gastineau said Tuesday Gastineau Log Homes is the world's largest producer of precut oak log homes. She said her firm has homes built in all 50 states in the United States and in 10 other nations scattered around the world.
About a year ago, she was approached by a Chinese builder who wanted to buy oak precut log homes to assemble and sell in China.
"He had heard about us and came to us. He especially liked the fact that we build our log homes with oak lumber. Oak will last for 100 to 200 years. Oak logs do not have to be pressure-treated with chemical preservatives. That is a big selling point in our homes," Gastineau said.


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AMD CEO Gets Down at SXSW 2024
Lisa Su even brought in a surprise guest, straight from the Academy Awards in Los Angeles.
At a Glance
- AMD CEO Lisa Su let her hair down at SXSW 2024, showing a more personable side of her personality - in cowboy boots.
- She said the AI cycle is in its early stages, with room for several chipmakers to flourish. She showed off AMD's MI300 chip.
- Su invited a Hollywood friend: David Conley, whose firm was involved in the Oscar-winning animated short, 'War is Over.'
Smiling broadly, relaxed and even a bit boisterous, Su welcomed attendees of SXSW 2024 to Austin, Texas. She has reason to do so: Su lives in Austin even though the semiconductor company she runs is based in Silicon Valley.
“Is this a great crowd?” said Su, to a roar of assent from the audience. “Wonderful, welcome to Austin!”
AMD chips were also used in the production of Pixar’s ‘Elemental’ animated film and James Cameron’s Avatar 2. “Special effects require a tremendous amount of compute,” Su said.
Attendees also heard more about Su’s personal life. She described herself as a “nerd at heart” and her first job was doing “grunt” work at a semiconductor lab when chips were the size of a dime or quarter.
“I was in semiconductors when it wasn’t sexy,” she said. “I don’t know if it’s sexy now but it’s sexier.”
Related: AMD Continues AI Push with New Chips for Data Centers, Laptops
The dressed down Su is a more personable version of the tough CEO who is able to go toe-to-toe with Silicon Valley chieftains. Her rival and real-life cousin, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, is known for his trademark black leather jacket and a tattoo of Nvidia’s logo on his arm.
Catching up to Nvidia?
Asked if AMD can catch up to Nvidia, the market leader in GPUs that are widely used for AI processing, Su said there is room for several players.
“AI is really the most important technology in the next 10 plus years, but we’re so early in the current cycle,” she said. “I think you’re going to find that there’s no one size fits all.”
“We have a lot of respect for Nvidia,” Su added. “But we also have a lot of confidence in where we’re going.”
AMD launched its latest generative AI chip, the MI300, in December. Su said it has 153 billion transistors with 12 little chiplets stacked side by side and on top of each other to get the most power out of the chips.
Su said there is a shortage of compute right now but AMD is “really good at ramping up supply. … That’s what we’re working on.”
The next 10 years
“AI is the most important technology that has come on the scene over at least the last 50 years,” Su said. It is especially true with generative AI, when ChatGPT captured the public’s imagination worldwide.
Related:How AMD Could Catch Up to Nvidia in the AI Chip Race
“AI has always been around, but the ability to make AI so simple” to use such as with ChatGPT, she said, is only enabled by “a tremendous amount of computing power.”
In the next 10 years, Su predicted that AI will be “everywhere” – in data centers, at the edge and PCs.
Manufacturers are starting to roll out AI PCs in which the AI infrastructure sits on the device so data does not have to travel to the cloud and back.
AMD played a video where an AI PC using its Ryzen 8000 chip created an image using Stable Diffusion. The prompt was “a very cute bat eating tacos in Austin” – the bats under a downtown bridge are a tourist attraction in the city.
The image was generated in a few seconds. “You can see just how fast it is,” Su said. “This is on a local PC and you don’t have to pay anybody anything to run this.”
And the technology is only going to get better. The future of AI, she said, is “mind-blowing.”


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ATLANTA Arby’s veteran Russ Umphenour has succeeded Steve Romaniello as president and chief executive of Focus Brands Inc., franchisor of the Moe’s Southwest Grill, Schlotzsky’s, Carvel and Cinnabon chains, the company said Monday.
Romaniello moves up to chairman of Focus and joins Roark Capital Group, the private-equity firm that owns Focus, as managing director and a member of the investment committee. Roark also owns a controlling stake in McAllister’s Corp., franchisor of the namesake fast-casual deli chain.
Umphenour’s appointment follows his exit from the board of Wendy’s/Arby’s Group Inc., the concern that was known as Triarc Cos. Inc. until it completed the acquisition of Wendy’s International Inc. Triarc is now operating and franchising both the Wendy’s and Arby’s chains.
Umphenour had been affiliated with Arby’s since 1967, when he started in a part-counter job at a store. In 1973 he started his own franchise, called RTM, for Results through Motivation, and parlayed it into the system’s largest operator, with 870 stores. When Triarc decided in 1997 to focus exclusively on franchising restaurants, the operator-franchisor divested its company units to RTM for $71 million.
In mid-2005, RTM sold those and all of its other stores to Triarc for $176 million in cash, 10 million shares of stock and $400 million in assumed liabilities. The deal was valued at $706.9 million.
Anumber of RTM’s executives moved at that time to Triarc, including Roland Smith, now CEO of Wendy’s/Arby’s and chief executive of its Wendy’s business. Wendy’s/Arby’s currently franchises or operates about 10,340 fast-food restaurants.
Focus Brands was conceived as a pure franchisor, but branched into operating restaurants when it acquired Schlotzsky’s, a fast-casual sandwich brand. Based here, it now franchises or operates 2,200 quick-service restaurants in 32 countries.


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by Hemp Black onThe CIO of Hemp Black, Mark A. Sunderland, guest-starred on an episode of Electric Runway. In this episode, find out why we believe in hemp and how we are putting the super plant to use. https://electricrunway.com/tag/hemp-black/
by Hemp Black onBusiness News Australia noted Ecofibre’s recent surge towards the $1B market cap. Ecofibre, the Aussie hemp giant pushing a $1 billion market cap. With a share price that has doubled since listing on the ASX in March, great expectations have surrounded Australian hemp company Ecofibre (ASX: EOF) ahead of its results announcement today and the numbers are unlikely to disappoint. Read the full article...
by Hemp Black onEcofibre and Hemp Black Inc. are in the process of expanding into a new facility. On June 21st, 2019, Ecofibre broke ground a new building in Georgetown, Kentucky. This state-of-the-art facility is aimed to be awarded the highest standard for green building design and construction, LEED Platinum. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is the most widely used...


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Cancer Pathologist Ignites the First Green Tea Health Claim Discussion with FDA; Sin Hang Lee, M.D. Advocates Quality Green Tea Standard for Health Benefits
After evaluating the report, Dr. Lee noted that the FDA response did not comment specifically on qualitative properties and the periodic quantitative intake of the green tea. The qualified health claim, originally filed by Dr. Lee, cited a National Cancer Institute (NCI) recommendation that daily consumption of 40 ounces of typical green tea containing 710(mu)g/mL natural (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) comprise the criterion for evaluation of possible risk reduction of certain forms of cancer. The NCI standard, published in 1996, is based on the traditional green tea drink consumed by the residents living near tea plantations in China and Japan. Dr. Lee continues to request the Administration set the equivalent standard for green tea when related to health protection.
“to consider exercising its enforcement discretion for”
Following a systematic evaluation, the FDA yesterday indicated its intent "to consider exercising its enforcement discretion for" qualified health claims for breast and prostate cancer. In a letter to Dr. Lee, the agency said, "The FDA concludes that there is very limited credible evidence for qualified health claims specifically for green tea and breast cancer and for green tea and prostate cancer, provided that the qualified claims are appropriately worded so as to not mislead consumers." The FDA cited two negative cohort studies, however Dr. Lee noted the "lack of ready access likely prevented the studies from utilizing the standard recommended by both the NCI and our efforts for evaluating health benefits of green tea." The FDA concluded that current evidence does not support qualified health claims regarding any other type of cancer, however, the FDA also stated its continued intent to evaluate new information that becomes available.
"Cancer has become the Number One killer of Americans below the age of 85," said Sin Hang Lee, M.D. "Prevention of cancer occurrence, or prevention of cancer recurrence after its surgical removal, through scientific evidence-based, integrative healthy diet and lifestyle programs is the best approach to combat cancer. I am pleased the FDA is taking a look at this important issue."
Dr. Lee submitted an application under FDA Docket No. 2004Q-0083, requesting the FDA approve a green tea health claim food label to increase awareness of the natural EGCG levels required in the tea drinks for the fight against cancer. Dr. Lee and his company, Fleminger, Inc., maintain an educational website at www.greenteahaus.com to disseminate evidence-based information to the public about the health benefits of green tea, and assert the use of green tea as a conventional food to help fight other disorders associated with aging, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease and obesity. A high natural-EGCG green tea is available to consumers under the brand name of Dr. Lee's TeaForHealth(TM). Interested readers may visit www.teaforhealth.com for more information regarding the art and technology of drinking tea for health, or for the virtual tea shop that provides high natural-EGCG green tea to health-conscious consumers.


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Shipments of cellular M2M terminals will reach 5.7 million units in 2020
Approximately 2.7 million cellular M2M terminals were shipped globally during 2015 according to a new research report from the M2M/IoT analyst firm Berg Insight. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.1 percent, this number is expected to reach 5.7 million in 2020.
“North American and Asian vendors dominate the global cellular M2M terminal market”, said Jonas Wennermark, IoT/M2M Analyst at Berg Insight.
Cradlepoint, Sierra Wireless and Digi International are the largest vendors in North America, while SIMCom is the main manufacturer on the Asian market. Combined, these four vendors generated close to US$ 290 million in revenues from M2M terminal sales during 2015.
“A large number of small and medium-sized vendors are active on the European market, while the North American market is dominated by a handful of major vendors, largely due to barriers in the form of carrier certifications required for cellular devices in the region”, concluded Wennermark.


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Toyota received the $16.4 million (£10.76 million) fine, the largest given to a motor firm by the US government, over evidence that it knew about the defective pedals in September but did not issue a recall until January.
Under federal law, car firms are required to notify the government within five business days when they find a potential safety defect.
A Transportation Department official said Toyota did not intend to admit wrongdoing explicitly, but in the government's eyes an agreement to pay the full fine - which would have to be within 30 days - constituted an acceptance that it hid the pedal fault.
Toyota said it made a "good faith" effort to investigate safety issues and that it was paying the fine "to avoid a protracted dispute and possible litigation".
"We did not try to hide a defect to avoid dealing with a safety problem," it said.
US transport secretary Ray LaHood said: "I am pleased that Toyota has accepted responsibility for violating its legal obligations to report any defects promptly."
The fine was based on timelines provided by Toyota that showed it had known about the sticky pedal defect at least since September 29 last year, when it issued repair procedures to distributors in 31 European countries to address complaints of sticking pedals, sudden increases in engine RPM and sudden acceleration.
The documents also indicate that Toyota knew owners in the US had experienced problems.
The Japanese firm has been weighing its options since the fine was announced in early April but analysts expected it to pay the penalty.
"When you look at the toll it's taken on Toyota's reputation, when you look at the number of vehicles involved, when you look at the hardship it's placed on Toyota's customer base, it's only right for Toyota to take this fine," said Dennis Virag, president of Automotive Consulting Group in Michigan.
Officials have not ruled out additional fines. The transport department is reviewing whether Toyota was six weeks late in the US recall of the 2009-2010 Venza in January to address floor mats that could trap the accelerator pedal.
Toyota announced the recall of 2.3 million vehicles in January to address sticking pedals on vehicles such as the Camry and Corolla. The Japanese firm has recalled more than eight million vehicles worldwide because of acceleration problems as well as braking faults in the Prius hybrid.
The company is facing personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits in federal courts. Federal prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission are conducting investigations into the recalls.Reuse content


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ST. LOUIS (KMOX) – Expanding on past success, this year’s Taste of St. Louis event will increase its presence downtown this weekend.
Another block has been added, meaning food booths and other display will be bordered by Tucker Blvd. and 15th Street to the east and west, and Pine St. and Market to the north and south.
Starting hours each day are 6:00 pm Friday, 11:00 am Saturday, and 11:30 am Sunday.
Admission is free.
Activities at this year’s Taste of St. Louis include:
- 45 Restaurants on Sauce Magazine’s Restaurant Row
- The Master Chef Competition, celebrity appearances and the Taste of St. Louis Pizza Games on the Lumière Place and River City Casino Culinary Stage
- National and local music on the Peabody Opera House Main Stage
- Juried artist booths and wine sampling at the The Art & Wine Walk
- Local and national businesses at The Charter Marketplace
- A variety of activities in The Kids Kitchen.
- And much more.
And spokesman Mike Kociela says another big change for the better will be the launch of a system they’re calling EGS, Event Greening Systems.
He says this year they’ll be completely eliminating all bottles for food and beverage service.
“All the beverages will be poured into corn-based cups,” Kociela tells KMOX News. “The public will be able to walk around with a cup that actually decomposes and/or composts in about two-to-three weeks.”
A test run of the system last year allowed Fair St. Louis to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills by over 50%, Kociela claims.
For a full schedule or more information about the Taste of St. Louis, log onto www.TasteSTL.com.
Copyright KMOX Radio


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A while back we were telling you that the BMW Welt building in Munich will be hosting a stage of the Drone Racing League this summer. This past weekend was the lucky one and it seems like the event was a success, gathering over 3,000 fans in one place to see the fastest drones in the world compete against each other. 12 DRL pilots had their custom-built drones going around inside the building at speeds over 100 km/h (62 mph).
As you can see in the footage below, the circuit set up for this particular event included BMW-specific items, like a BMW i kidney grille, for example, while the drones were racing at full speed over some rather beautiful BMW cars. “The drone races certainly provided me and the viewers at BMW Welt with some exciting moments. This is where innovative dynamic performance, fascinating technology and digital connectivity come together. It is a perfect fit for the BMW brand and BMW Welt,” explained Helmut Käs, head of BMW Welt.
“We loved hosting our ‘Level 6: BMW Welt’ event at BMW Groupe’s iconic multisensory brand and product experience center. It was incredible to watch elite DRL pilots fly high-speed racing drones through an elaborate three-dimensional course, weaving around BMW cars, darting through a BMW branded gate, and zooming past a thousand cheering fans,” said DRL CEO and Founder Nicholas Horbaczewski.
The experienced FPV (First Person View) pilots steer their individually-built DRL drones through complex three-dimensional courses. At the end of each round, the pilots had to steer their brightly-lit projectiles through the BMW Gate in the shape of the iconic BMW double kidney, where they were greeted every time by thundering applause. The event was also an all-round success for the host: Within days of tickets going on sale, front-row seats inside BMW Welt were sold out. For those unable to buy tickets, the fan zone outside BMW Welt provided a free and varied program with food options, live music and various opportunities to experience drone racing hands-on.


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If you live in Europe and you’re contemplating an upgrade to Windows 7 later this year, I’ve got good news and bad news for you.
The good news is you’ll get a better price than your counterparts in other markets. You’ll be able to buy a fully licensed retail copy of Windows 7E (Microsoft’s customized version, with Internet Explorer 8 stripped out to mollify the European Commission antitrust regulators) for the price you would normally pay for an upgrade edition.
The bad news is that Microsoft plans to completely disable upgrade capabilities in Windows 7E.
Yes, you heard that right, and I’ve confirmed the details with a Microsoft spokesperson. The upgrade option will be disabled in all copies of Windows 7E.
Microsoft’s Brad Brooks, Corporate VP for Windows Consumer Marketing, explained the decision in an in-house interview:
We wanted to make sure that all of our customers got Windows 7 at the same time. And because of what needed to occur around testing of Windows 7E, it became very clear that we would not be able to offer a retail upgrade version of that piece of software on October 22nd.
So, we had a choice to make. Either we delayed the launch of Windows 7 in Europe or that we brought it all together and did something different. So, what we decided to do is do something different.
And so in Europe we're going to basically offer Windows 7E full version at upgrade prices.
For Windows XP users, this isn’t an issue, because upgrades from XP to Windows 7 are blocked already. But anyone running Windows Vista will be disappointed to learn that the upgrade path available everywhere else in the world is unavailable in the EU. If you buy a retail copy of Windows 7E, you’ll be forced to do a custom (clean) install, and then reinstall all your applications and drivers and restore your data files and settings.
Speaking of the rest of the world, Microsoft is planning to launch Windows 7 in 35 languages in two waves, all in a period of less than two weeks:
October 22: English, Spanish, Japanese, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Russian, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Chinese (Hong Kong).
October 31: Turkish, Czech, Portuguese, Hungarian, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Greek, Ukrainian, Romanian Arabic, Lithuanian, Bulgarian, Estonian, Slovenian, Hebrew, Thai, Croatian, Serbian Latin, and Latvian.
By contrast, Windows Vista was released in 18 languages initially, with another 18 delivered approximately 100 days later.