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Economy under Pressure, but to weather the Pandemic crisis.
May 8, 2021:As state after state have decided to impose a complete lockdown, with a few Exemptions of business establishments, it is only a guess what impact will they have on the economy, Though, the economy was only limping back to a growth trajectory after the sledgehammer blow from the 21-day lockdown during the first phase of the Corvid 19, there is a palpable pressure on the economy to keep itself prepared for an eventuality of a severe impact.
Till not there was no indication of a national lockdown like the one imposed duringthe first phase, however, vacillation in taking a clear view of the impact of the current phase was reflected in the industry preparing itself for a complete lockdown. This comes at the back of several states in the last two days, resorting to complete lockdown, which impinges on the mobility of goods and services. This could severely affect the industry’s economic activities reflecting in its profit and loss accounting during the ongoing quarter of Fiscal 2021-22.
While there is a stoic resistance to believing that the impact of the second phase of the novel corona disease on the economy could be only minimal, the rapid rise in the fresh cases setting a record for the daily record at more than 4, 00,000 and 3,253 deaths, has caused a deep concern among the business community to protect its own employees as well.
The reflection of the sentiment came from the President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CCI), Mr. Uday Kotak, who in a statement three days ago asked the industry to review their operations and minimize the use of in-person manpower, limiting it to only critical operations or activities required by the law. He said all responsible corporates should “Protect their employees and ensure that their employee balance sheet remains healthy. “He urged industry “to curtail all non-essential economic activity requiring the physical presence of employees at the workplace, for the next two weeks,” the chamber said, adding.
Many auto majors, such as Maruti Suzuki, Hero MotoCorp, JCB India, MG Motor, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India, have taken the lead in halting production temporarily or advancing maintenance schedules in the interest of the safety of their employees, it added.
Several service sector organizations like Kotak Mahindra Bank, TCS, and Infosys have also adopted work from home. The statement coming in the background of a reported forecast of a third wave of Covid-19 assumes special importance. Although not explicitly stating that a third phase was imminent, principal Scientific Advisor, Mr. K. Vijay Raghavan, who had only three days ago painted a grim picture about the onset of a third phase of Corvid 19, modified his statement on Friday said, “if strong measures were taken then a third wave of Covid 19 may not happen in all parts of the country or anywhere at all.”
Meanwhile, the industry, which reported declining sales of passenger cars in April this year, said the wholesales (sales from companies to dealers) of eight main carmakers for the month were down by 7 percent, compared to March 2021. Also, the industry expects the impact to be considered this month. Even as the industry was facing the heat with the partial lockdown and severe mobility restrictions by a few states, Friday’s complete lockdown announced by many states is expected to accentuate their difficulties in their retail sales (from the showrooms).
Meanwhile, a Union Finance Ministry had sought to downplay the impact of the second phase on the economy as “muted”, albeit it may pose a downside risk in the current quarter (April-June). It added that domestic indicators have done well until the end of April and there was an improvement in the Centre’s fiscal position.
However, Global ratings on Friday said indicated that the growth rate for fiscal 2022 was likely to dip to 9.6 percent against its earlier projection of 11 percent under the ‘moderate scenario’, when infections peak in May and falling to as low as 8.2 in ‘severe scenario’. This is the first time a lower than 10.5 to 12.5 percent GDP growth rate forecast by the Reserve Bank of India and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last month.
Mr. VK Varadarajan is a noted journalist and columnist
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A photo posted by @zacposen on May 2, 2016 at 5:50pm PDT
If you follow "orgies of fashion," as CNN tastefully describes the Metropolitan Museum of Art's yearly Gala, you may have already seen the show-stealing glow-in-the-dark dress Claire Danes had to ride in a bus to wear on Monday night. Using fiber optic lights woven into silk organza and powered by 30 battery packs, the Homeland actress became more machine than woman under the eye of designer Zac Posen, who in the past worked with fashion trailblazer Madison Maxey on another illuminated dress.
Posen reveals the fact that Danes had to stand up in a bus in order to be transported to the Met Gala, and that Gala officials had to saw off the back of a chair so that she could be seated more comfortably. Danes' dress is the latest in a long line of tech-infused dresses, ranging from Lady Gaga's flying dress designed by Studio X/O, to Nervous System's 3D-printed created ready-to-wear dress that was acquired by MoMA. In fact, it's not even the first light-up dress to be worn at the Met Gala, as Cute Circuit designed a light-up color changing dress for Katy Perry in 2011. However, Danes' dress ranks amongst the more elegant examples of light-infused couture—ability to sit in a normal chair aside. Below, check out some more angles of the stunning wearable artwork.
A video posted by @zacposen on May 2, 2016 at 4:15pm PDT
A photo posted by @zacposen on May 2, 2016 at 7:07pm PDT
A video posted by @zacposen on May 3, 2016 at 9:11am PDT
A photo posted by @zacposen on May 5, 2016 at 8:13am PDT
A photo posted by Claire Danes (@claire.danes) on May 3, 2016 at 7:27am PDT
A photo posted by Claire Danes (@claire.danes) on May 2, 2016 at 9:40pm PDT

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If you own a lawnmower, chances are good that it was produced -at least partially – from this company. Briggs & Stratton (NYSE: BGG) is one of the top producers of small gasoline engines and outdoor power equipment, has positioned itself as a dominant player in this market for years.
However, the stock ended up taking a big hit, cementing what has been an excruciatingly long decline, after posting a surprise loss on their recent financial results. In addition to this, the announcement that the company would be closing one of its signature plants sent the stock down to a 44-year low.
Shares of the stock took a hit after the company reported an unexpected fiscal fourth-quarter loss, lowing it’s full-year guidance as well as cutting its quarterly dividend. Net sales for the quarter were down to $472 million, a $30 million decrease representing a 5.9 percent decline from the same time last year. Net sales were down slightly as well, from $1.88 billion last year to $1.84 billion.
This was attributed mainly due to unusually dry weather in Australia and Europe, which lowered storm generator sales. Full-year GAAP gross profit margin fell drastically, down from 21.2 percent to 16.4 percent.
At the same time, the company announced it would close its facility in Murray, Kentucky, laying off 630 employees. While in comparison to other major companies and their layoffs, 630 might not be a lot of people, it is a significant symbolic announcement if nothing else. Analysts are already calling this to be a “disastrous” quarter for the company.
“We are clearly disappointed with the fiscal 2019 results. The fourth quarter capped a difficult year of unprecedented market challenges and higher than expected operational inefficiencies encountered during the ramp-up of our business optimization initiatives,” said Todd J. Teske, Chairman, President and CEO in a press release. “The North America lawn and garden market slowed considerably as the quarter progressed from unusually wet, cool spring weather compounded by near-term market disruptions with channel partners. Europe set record high temperatures in June and July to impede channel inventory reductions. While we achieved operational improvements on many of the business optimization program start-up issues, continued inefficiencies offset the benefit of those improvements, including near-term labor availability challenges.”
Shares of Briggs ended up reaching a 44-year low before gaining back a few percentage points in after-hours trading. Over the past five years, the company has lost more than three-quarters of its market cap as its share price has declined from almost $30 to less than $5 per share at the time of writing.
While some analysts are still bullish on the stock, considering it undervalued at it’s current price point, it remains to be seen whether these losses will continue.
Briggs & Stratton Company Profile
Briggs & Stratton Corp is a producer of gasoline engines and outdoor power equipment. It operates in two segments including Engines segment and Products segment. Briggs & Stratton manufactures four-cycle aluminum alloy gasoline engines with gross horsepower ranging from 5.5hp up to 37hp and torques that range from 4.50 ft-lbs gross torque to 21.00 ft-lbs gross torque. The company’s engines are used primarily by the lawn and garden equipment industry. – Warrior Trading News


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Top Companies and Two Washington Non-Profit Leaders Honored Nationally by Better Business Bureau
Arlington, Virginia -March 31, 2009 – A top retailer, a car company, a tech leader, a construction firm and two Washington non-profit leaders were honored this evening at the BBB International Torch Awards event in Washington, D.C. The Torch Awards are given by the Council of Better Business Bureaus to recognize businesses and executives exhibiting integrity in the marketplace and exemplary dedication to advancing trust between businesses and consumers.
“Our current economic mess is directly traceable to the loss of confidence and trust that we have in the banking system and Wall Street, in business generally, in the government and, to some extent, in each other,” said Pete Blackshaw, Executive Vice President, Digital Strategic Services, Nielsen Online, and Chairman of the Board of the Council of Better Business Bureaus. “It is crucial that those of us who work so hard to advance trust in the marketplace – who understand the relationship of ethical and trustworthy behavior to economic success – gather to celebrate the ‘best of the best’ in business and consumer leadership.”
American Honda Motor Company and Target Corporation received the BBB Torch Award for Advancing Marketplace Trust, which recognizes businesses that set high standards of excellence for trust through innovative voluntary actions, programs, or sustainment activities. American Honda was recognized for consistently developing and producing some of the industry’s most innovative and fuel-efficient vehicles, while at the same time balancing production and environmental, safety and social responsibility concerns. Target Corporation, one of the Council’s corporate partners and a BBB Accredited Business with the BBB in St. Paul for nearly 30 years, was recognized for being consistently ranked as one of the most philanthropic organizations in the country.
Two companies – Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. and Messer Construction Co. – received the BBB Torch Award for Marketplace Excellence, which recognizes superior commitment to exceptional standards that benefit customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders and surrounding communities. Freescale, a former division of Motorola, upholds the highest ethical standards, for which it is known globally. The company has defined seven core values, what it calls its “Freescale Fundamentals,” that guide their culture and business operations. Employee-owned Messer Construction embodies the commitment and best practices of an ethical company, including open-book record keeping, a 100 percent performance guarantee, and state-of-the-art technology that enables every member of a project team, including the customer, 24/7 access to project files.
The BBB President’s Award is given as special recognition for sustained superior performance that fundamentally changed the marketplace, and shaped the definition and expectation of trust for all marketplace participants. Cass Wheeler, the recently retired CEO of the American Heart Association, was presented the award by Council President and CEO Steven J. Cole, who said, “Throughout his career, Mr. Wheeler has been a strong advocate for charitable accountability and has championed both good health for people and good fiscal health for the nonprofit sector.” He noted that Wheeler served on the BBB Wise Giving Alliance board for more than 20 years, and was instrumental in establishment of a charity seal.
The BBB Torch Award for Consumer Leadership went to William Novelli, chief executive officer of AARP and former President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. His award was presented by Matthew Myers, the current President of the Campaign and a long-time associate. “Throughout his career, Mr. Novelli has been recognized for his integrity, ingenuity, and advocacy skills on behalf of underserved populations,” said Myers. “From health issues to relief and development, and from social marketing to social change, he has charted an amazing course and built a legacy of extensive contributions to trust in the marketplace through a career dedicated to consumer advocacy, protection and education.”
The BBB International Torch Awards event was held this evening at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in downtown Washington, D.C. Chris Matthews of MSNBC’s Hardball and NBC’s The Chris Matthews Show, delivered the keynote address, and ABC Good Morning America’s consumer reporter Elisabeth Leamy served as mistress of ceremonies. Entertainment was provided by the renowned political satire group, The Capitol Steps. Verizon Wireless was a “Performance Circle” sponsor of the event.
Presented annually since 1996, the BBB International Torch Awards recognize companies and individuals that maintain outstanding dedication to upholding ethical business standards and promoting trust in the marketplace. BBB Torch Awards are awarded locally by more than 80 BBBs across the U.S. and Canada and on the international stage by the Council of Better Business Bureaus – the national organization representing the BBB system.
BBB is an unbiased non-profit organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. Businesses that earn BBB accreditation contractually agree and adhere to the organization’s high standards of ethical business behavior. BBB provides objective advice, free business BBB Reliability ReportsTM and charity BBB Wise Giving ReportsTM, and educational information on topics affecting marketplace trust. To further promote trust, BBB also offers complaint and dispute resolution support for consumers and businesses when there is difference in viewpoints. The first BBB was founded in 1912. Today, 125 BBBs serve communities across the U.S. and Canada, evaluating and monitoring nearly four million local and national businesses and charities. Please visit www.bbb.org for more information about BBB.


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Founded in 2014, the American company Navitas Semiconductor wants to revolutionize the market for electric cars by increasing their efficiency. The company relies on gallium nitride, a material with unique properties.
Gallium nitride (GaN)-based power cells are up to 20 times faster than their silicon counterparts, offering triple the charging speed while cutting battery weight and size in half. The technology, Navitas says, is relatively new, but its widespread adoption is hampered by the material’s high cost, which can only be countered by increased production volumes.
Over the past three years, the company has worked with consumer electronics manufacturers like Dell in the United States, as well as Vivo and Xiaomi in China, which have shipped 35 million units. Navitas has made several rounds of financing, managing to raise $100 million from investors and generating $20 million in annual revenues. The company went public via SPAC takeover with a market capitalization of over $1 billion. Navitas plans to reach profitability in 2023.
Now the company wants to prove itself in the electric car market. The principal obstacle in this market, however, is that the car industry remains very sluggish. It takes 3 to 4 years to develop cars, so cars with gallium nitride-based charging units won’t go on sale until 2025 at the earliest. Navitas has already opened a representative office in Shanghai to establish cooperation with local companies. So far, none of the electric car manufacturers has announced a transition to GaN systems, but they have managed to establish a partnership with BRUSA HyPower, a supplier of power electronics for Porsche, Audi and Volkswagen.


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Kordsa to invest $22 million in US tyre cord plant
Laurel Hill, North Carolina--Tyre cord processor Kordsa USA Inc. will invest $22 million through early 2006 to modernise and expand its fabric twisting and weaving plant in Laurel Hill by 40 percent.
Kordsa USA, a unit of nylon yarn maker DUSA International LLC, said the modernisation project will allow it to stay competitive.
The company will build a 216,000-sq.-ft (20 000m2). building on the premises of the existing facility to house new twisting equipment and looms. The expansion will create seven jobs, adding to the 177 already employed, Kordsa said.
The state of North Carolina is supporting the project with a $75 000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund, which exists to help the state recruit and expand quality jobs.
DUSA International is a global manufacturer of industrial nylon yarn, fabric and single-end cord products for the tyre, mechanical rubber goods, webbing and cordage markets. The Wilmington, Delaware-based firm is a 50/50 joint venture between DuPont Co. and Haci Omer Sabanci Holding A.S. of Turkey.
From Rubber & Plastics News
Press release from State of North Carolina


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The record growth in tourist demand for Antalya, multiplied by the problems of hotels with staff, may lead to the fact that during the high season there will simply be nowhere to accommodate tourists in the resorts of Turkey. This is exactly what the German travel market expert Karlheinz Kögel, the founder of L'Tur, a company specializing in last minute vacations, and the owner of HLX, a company specializing in package tours, voiced.
First of all, German tourists, demand which to Turkey in the first post-COVID year jumped by 480% (!). It should be noted that German tourists have already ousted Russian tourists from the first place, the number of which is limited by air sanctions.
“Flights to some destinations have exceeded hotel capacity. At the same time, hotels that laid off their employees after the pandemic are having difficulty finding staff to work in the summer season. If this trend continues longer, some places will not be able to find hotel rooms in July and August. In summer, passenger traffic will exceed the capacity of hotel beds,” the German expert voiced his forecast.
At the same time, Mr. Koegel said that according to the results of his companies as a whole, they will leave behind the results of 2019 in eight months of 2022. At the same time, Turkey leads in terms of growth rates. “Compared to 2019, the number of our guests increased by 43% and our revenue increased by 81%. For holidays in Turkey, primarily in Antalya – explosive demand – by 480% compared to last year. It is followed by Mallorca with 140% and Greece with 74%,” concluded the German tour operator.
For those who care about a healthy lifestyle, we recommend reading: “An expert told how weather changes change sleep and can undermine health.


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Jun 24, 2021 · BWP · Paardenfotograaf
As you noticed, we already lifted a tip of the curtain in the past weeks; the collection of the BWP Elite Foal Auction is mouth-watering. Al info concerning the foals is now online with photos, videos, pedigree, veterinary reports, ... So, have a look and click here for the collection!
Practical info :
It will be a live studio auction, starting on Monday July 5, at 8 p.m.. The foals will be commented by thé specialist in performance mare lines : Jo de Roo.
The online biddings already open on Friday, July 2, at 10 a.m.. On Monday, we temporarily close the biddings for a while at 6 p.m., and then we start again at 8 p.m. with the actual studio auction with professional comments.
You can bid online during the live auction. Therefor, you have to register in advance on www.bwp.auction.


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Major League Baseball (MLB) announced its plan to launch a crypto-based game later this summer. The game will run on the Ethereum blockchain platform. This is in line with the shift towards new age technology as revamping is going on in baseball collectibles such as bobbleheads and cards.
In any case, this is one more use case of blockchain beyond the fintech sector, though the dominant use-case of blockchain continues to be cryptocurrencies.
Similar to Popular Game
According to The Verge, the game revolves around classic collectibles, similar to the popular game Cryptokitties, where players use Ether for buying and selling cartoon kitten characters. The famous cat game has generated Ether worth more than $25 million.
The success of Cryptokitties has made MLB look at a similar option. The company has been toying with an idea of a crypto-based game for quite some time.
In MLB’s version, people could engage themselves in purchasing avatars which could later be traded. MLB will look to target a broader audience rather than focusing only on people who already know about digital currency. The objective of the company is to develop a game that is quite easy to understand and use.
That means developers have a lot of work to do. They pointed out that the game will have a learning curve that will help the masses learn gradually.
Aside from that, the game will be rolled out in stages. The purpose of the staggered release is to help new players get familiar with the concept.
Kenny Gersh, EVP of gaming and business ventures of MLB, stated that the game would attract young people. He said:
“That is 100% one of the strategic goals of this initiative. […] Collecting items related to your team, engaging with your team in a new way. For me, say the Red Sox win the division in a couple months, I want to buy something that symbolizes that. These will be event-based things—those moments in sports that happen that you want to remember and cherish, and have a sense that you were there, even if only digitally.”


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Digital TV News: John Porter
Eltrona merges with SFR-Coditel in Luxembourg
Feb 25, 2020 – Eltrona has merged with SFR-Coditel, owned by Telenet (Brussels: TNET). Eltrona shareholders now hold 50% +1 share and Telenet 50% -1 of the merged entity. The deal means that Eltrona becomes a cable operator with coverage of the whole of Luxembourg.
News categories: Eltrona, Telenet, SFR-Coditel, Paul Denzle, John Porter, Cable TV, Digital TV, Luxembourg, MnA
Telenet acquires SFR BeLux from Altice
Dec 22, 2016 – Telenet (Brussels: TNET) has entered into an agreement to acquire Coditel Brabant for €400 million from Coditel Holding, a subsidiary of Altice. Coditel Brabant, operating under the SFR brand, provides cable services in Brussels, Wallonia and Luxembourg and mobile telephony in Belgium.
News categories: Telenet, Altice, John Porter, Belgium, Cable TV, Digital TV, Luxembourg, MnA
HD Coming To AUSTAR
Sep 29, 2009 – Austar (ASX: AUN) has announced that its Next Generation television product will be launched on November 15. The new MyStar HD service will include 13 subscription channels and local free-to-air channels in high-defintion (HD).
News categories: Austar, Australia, Digital TV, OTT, Satellite
OpenTV and AUSTAR Launch Quad Tuner PVR for Combined Satellite and Terrestrial Service
Mar 5, 2008 – OpenTV (NASDAQ:OPTV) has announced the commercial launch of the AUSTAR PVR, called MyStar, a quad tuner set-top box featuring two satellite tuners and two terrestrial tuners providing a first-of-its kind integrated PVR service for AUSTAR subscribers.
News categories: OpenTV, AUSTAR, Australia, Digital TV, DVR, Middleware, Satellite, Terrestrial
MyStar revolutionises regional Australian TV
Feb 8, 2008 – AUSTAR has announced that its new Personal Digital Recorder, MyStar, has hit a chord with regional Australians, just a week following the product's launch to new customers on 1 February.
News categories: AUSTAR, Australia, Digital TV, DVR, Satellite
- Highest ever Samsung Smart TV sales in 3Q 2020
- Orange France delivers targeted ads with SoftAtHome video player
- Velocix unveils cloud-native video personalisation service
- DIRECTV GO now available in Brazil
- VR consumer content revenue to exceed $7 billion in 2025
- XroadMedia to power hyper-personalization at ZEE5
- Ericsson predicts 40% of mobile subscriptions in 2026 will be 5G
- Pay TV revenue in New Zealand to follow -3.1% CAGR
- iQIYI International available for ZEASN-based smart devices
- Growing demand for smart displays driving smart speaker sales
- Forthnet becomes part of United Group
- Anevia powers Skymedia's SkyGo service in Mongolia
- UK marketers expect to spend more on Advanced TV ads in the next 12 months
- NetRange moves browser to the Cloud for low-cost Smart TVs
- Over 13 billion Smart Home devices in use by 2025
- MultiChoice picks Metrological to deliver OTT services on DStv
- Oregan Networks builds on Amlogic's Android TV reference platform
- Bitmovin and OKAST team up to deliver live and VOD streaming
- 61% of US broadband households subscribe to two or more OTT services
- 14% of Australians plan to cancel pay TV as a result of the pandemic


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Google’s Chromebooks have been popular with some consumers because of their cheap prices, which give anyone looking for a web-focused computing experience access to a dependable machine, even though Google’s desktop operating system isn’t exactly on par with Microsoft’s Windows or Apple’s OS X. For many PC buyers, Chromebooks aren’t even an option due to their limitations, but the fact that Google and its partners are selling them for low prices might be one reason to root for Chromebooks even if you don’t want one.
Apparently, Microsoft is keeping a close eye on these cheap Chrome OS computers, and wants to put up a fight with affordable Windows machines of its own. Digitimes has learned from sources familiar with the matter that Microsoft plans to release cheaper laptops to compete against affordable Chromebooks this year.
The company is working on at least two distinct clamshell notebook models, the publication says, both featuring 11.6-inch displays. The devices should start selling at some point in mid-2015, with prices ranging from $149 to $179.
The new affordable Windows devices will pack Intel’s Bay Trail-T CR processor, with one model geared towards education, which also happens to be a target for Google’s Chromebooks. Interestingly, the consumer model will cost $149, while the education version will be priced higher, at $179.
Microsoft might also release bigger affordable laptops in the future in an effort to compete against similarly sized Chromebooks. Google’s line of Chromebooks goes all the way up to 15-inch devices and includes the high-end, expensive, Chromebook Pixel generations.
Considering Microsoft’s interest in bringing Windows 10 to as many devices as possible this year, it’s likely these affordable laptops will also run Microsoft’s newest operating system, though the report doesn’t offer any details regarding operating systems.


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Retail Sector Takes Stand Against Proposed Tax Policy
US retailers are concerned about a potential “border adjustable” tax that could dramatically affect business. CEOs and executives of Target, Best Buy, Gap, J.C. Penney, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Autozone, Jo-Ann Fabric, Craft Stores, and Tractor Supply, among others, have met with President Trump to argue that a tax on imports under discussion by the House would cause serious damage to their bottom lines. The retailers believe that the proposal would result in a rise in prices for US consumers, according to the Wall Street Journal. Mr. Trump’s position on the idea is not clear. It’s a reminder that the “new normal” in business under the current Administration promises to be a climate of unprecedented disruption, one in which companies will be forced to take stances on public policy.
John Howell, Editorial Director


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Washington, DC, September 24, 2020—Sales of new single-family houses in August 2020 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,011,000, according to estimates released jointly by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, 4.8% above the revised July rate of 965,000 and is 43.2% above the August 2019 estimate of 706,000.
Today's Flooring News
Keep up to date with the most recent news in the flooring industry. Today's News...As it happens! We update this news several times a day so you can stay connected.
Savannah, GA, September 24, 2020--The National Flooring Alliance’s fall meeting is underway in Savannah, Georgia, and, at the event, the group elected its new officers.
Hannover, DE, September 24, 2020—Domotex Germany has adjusted the trade show’s dates. The event will now take place from May 18 to 20, 2021.
Washington, DC, September 24, 2020—In the week ending September 19, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 870,000, an increase of 4,000 from the previous week's revised level.
Miami, FL, September 24, 2020—Tile of Spain, the international brand representing over 120 ceramic tile manufacturers belonging to the Spanish Ceramic Tile Manufacturer's Association (ASCER), announces the update of the Tile of Spain USA Quick Ship Collection.
Richmond, VA, September 24, 2020—Lumber Liquidators has announced the appointment of Alice G. Givens as the company's senior vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary.
Dallas, TX, September 24, 2020—With Gensler, a leading global design and architectural firm, serving as the design consultant, Daltile has recently created and launched three new tile lines: My City, Sector, and Flat.
Cleveland, OH, September 24, 2020-- Sherwin-Williams 2021 Color of the Year is Urbane Bronze.
Washington, DC, September 23, 2020—The pace of decline during August remained at about the same level as in July and June, posting an Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score of 40.0 (any score below 50 indicates a decline in firm billings), according to the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
Mountville, PA, September 23, 2020-AHF Products is launching Robbins PRO-TEKT, a new line of rigid core products.


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As we anticIpated last Friday (read here), Kanbox, a Chinese provider of cloud storage and sharing services has raised funding.
The $20m Series B financing was led by DCM, which joined SIG China.
The company intends to use the new funding to further enhance its products and services, and expand its user base and partner ecosystem.
Launched in January of 2011 and based on an open-platform, Kanbox provides over five million users with the ability to store photos, videos and documents across multiple locations and devices.
The company, which is led by CEO Tomy Gu and Chairman MingMing Huang, recently launched the service on the android app.
In conjunction with the funding, DCM co-founder and general partner, David Chao, is joining the board of directors of Kanbox.


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You might go to a concert expecting to rock out to your favorite band, but you probably don’t expect a spontaneous upgrade to the front row, or to walk away from the evening with a signed guitar. How fantastic would it would be if such things could happen!
Volu.me created an app linked to 30 beacons placed all around each of NHL stadiums - in Toronto (15k seats), Calgary and Edmonton (8000 seats each). All three shows were completely sold out.
City and Colour app gave the artists on stage information about where fans who had downloaded the app were sitting, and the opportunity to give them something extra. Concert-goers were given leaflets encouraging them to download the app. Giving away part of their anonymity, fans won the chance to come home with a signed guitar or an opportunity to get an upgraded seat.
But it goes even further than this. Usually, getting your hands on a band T-shirt means standing in a long queue. With the City and Colour app, you can pick a T-shirt, pay for it with your credit card and collect it at the merch stand in no time.
“Because we already have a beacon at the merchandise table and we know you, the fan, are walking up to the table — because you’re ranging — we can actually display to a person at the table: "Hey, here is Cooper’s merchandise; he’s 20 feet in front of you,” said Shawn Cooper from Volu.me.
Also, if you have the app but give up on the queues, the app will note that you stood in the queue and give you the opportunity to buy your T-shirt online at a discounted price.
The app has already been used at several gigs and its creators are planning to expanding it to more.


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Huawei has recently dispatched a new update for the Huawei Petal Search app, now it lets you conduct new related searches via mobile applications as well as better app results from AppGallery and third-party sources.
Through, this new update for the Huawei Petal Search engine works to provide improved related searches for the users. Alongside it enhance the security to give trusted and verifies apps.
Here is how this new update for the Huawei Patel Search gives you a better result, check below:
- For example, if you search the “Green Tea benefits” on the Huawei Petal Search: Then it gives you the search result matter on the top instead of links of a certain.
- It doesn’t mean that the links of the web are not available there, but on top, you will find your search result content.
- It also shows you certain related keyword variations related to your search query like Green tea recipe, What is Green tea, and more.
- If you wanted to switch your query to the suggested one, then simply tap on one of them and the search will be conducted onsight.
— Huawei Mobile Services (@HMS_GlobalPage) August 11, 2022
The Huawei Petal Search is inspired by the related searches for the user’s convenient and better results. We recommend users check whether the new update for the Huawei Petal Search is available on their smartphone or not:
- Sign in to the AppGallery
- Connect and click My apps
- Search Huawei Petal Search App from the list
- Check whether the update option is available
- If yes, then hit the Update tap to experience the new version.
Here is how to activate the Petal Search Home screen widget
- Access the Home Screen.
- Two fingers should be squeezed or pressed together.
- Click Widget.
- Pick “Petal Search” from the list of widget options. To discover, scroll left or right.
- To add the widget to your home screen, simply touch it.
Breaking: Qualcomm said recent change won’t impact supply to Huawei
A few days ago, a report appears that the U.S. has decided to put a close on new licenses applied to supply to Huawei including technologies from Qualcomm but the chip seller has confirmed that the recent changes from the U.S. administration won’t impact supply for the tech company.
During the Q1 2023 earning call, Alex Rogers – President, of Qualcomm Technology Licensing (QTL) & Global Affairs said the recent changes made by the U.S. commerce department remain unknown to Qualcomm and the company doesn’t see any significant impact of those new changes in shipment to Huawei.
“So I don’t think it’s fair to characterize it as the latest restrictions on Huawei. What we’ve seen in our news reports the effect that Commerce is considering not issuing new licenses outweighs. And we haven’t heard anything from Commerce itself.” told Alex.
He said, Qualcomm already has licenses for a while, that allow us to ship 4G and other chipsets including Wi-Fi to Huawei. He emphasized that these licenses were issued after the commerce department’s confirmation that these don’t pose any threat to national security.
“Those will continue for some number of years and so within the scope of those licenses we don’t see an impact,” Alex added.
This is quite a big revelation made by the chipset seller. As previous reports revealed the U.S. has barred the export of 4G, Wi-Fi 6, 7, and AI chipset to Huawei under a new strategy.
Still, there are some clouds that need to confirm on this matter because Huawei has already planned its upcoming flagship that will launch this year. This includes P60, Mate X3, and Mate 60 series. Interestingly, all of these will solely use Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ chipsets.
It’s also possible that Huawei could stock a big quantity of Qualcomm chips that could stay in use for an entire year. For now, it’s good news, and we’ll keep you posted on further updates.
Huawei Sound X gets limited time price cut, starts at 1999 yuan
Huawei Sound X is a smart speaker that offers immersive sound for your ears and recently, Huawei began to offer a big price cut of up to 200 yuan (30 USD) on its initial version in China.
According to the price cut details, Huawei Sound X Gilt Theater Edition is priced at 2399 yuan, a limited-time discount of 100 yuan (15 USD). On the other hand, Huawei Sound X Interstellar Black Edition is priced at 1999 yuan, a limited-time discount of 200 yuan.
To note, this price cut will come into effect on February 3, 2023, for only 24 hours (one day). This is
According to the information, the Huawei Sound X series brings a gradient and transparent design, and the light setup moves with the sound. Huawei has jointly made this speaker with Devialet.
It features an 8-unit three-way acoustic architecture, and a theater-level immersive sound field. It supports HarmonyOS smart space perception and a distributed impact system.
Huawei Sound X Gold Theater Edition provides a theater sound field thanks to the Devialet, which can bring users an immersive experience like a golden theater. This version of Sound has HarmonyOS 3 operating system.
Ono the other hand, Huawei Sound X Gold Theater Edition boasts built-in one 3W high-frequency unit, four 5W intermediate frequency units, one 50W subwoofer unit and two passive radiator units.
Huawei Sound X Platinum Theater Edition can generate a sound experience similar to the concert hall. In addition, the Sound X Gilded Theater Edition has added a Hi-Classical Gilded Theater classical music section. The new HarmonyOS 3 supports convenient control experiences such as one-touch audio sharing, super device, and multi-device playback control.
This is an amazing opportunity for people in China, who want to grab this smart speaker and get it home.
Huawei will launch new data storage products on February 8
Huawei has officially confirmed that a launch event is set to unveil data storage products on February 8, 2023. The company has planned this unveiling to bring in new data storage solutions for the industry.
According to the information, the event is themed “Hyper-Convergence +” with a new strategy and Kunpeng Hyper-Convergence, app store, software, and supporting tools.
The event will be joined by Dr. Zhou Yuefeng, Vice President of Huawei and President of Data Storage Product Line, Xu Yulin, Vice President of Huawei Flash Storage, Liang Ye, Director of Huawei Hyper-Converged Storage Products, and Chen Jing, Director of Huawei Data Storage Product Customer Experience Department will bring you relevant information. Speech, and will announce “Huawei Blue Whale App Mall Ecological Sail”.
Check the full invitation (translated) of the Huawei data storage event on February 8, 2023.
“We sincerely invite you to participate in the “Huawei Hyper-Converged + Strategy and New Product Launch Conference”. This conference will be held online on February 8, 2023. We look forward to your arrival.
With the acceleration of the digital transformation of enterprises and the wide application of cutting-edge technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence, edge computing, and intelligent manufacturing, hyper-converged infrastructure has evolved rapidly, moving from data centers to edges, from structured data to unstructured data, and from single General-purpose computing power is moving towards diversified computing power, which has become one of the mainstream construction models of data centers.
As a leader in the hyper-convergence market, Huawei has a deep insight into the development trend of the hyper-convergence industry and will release a series of new products such as the “Hyper-Convergence +” strategy and Kunpeng hyper-convergence, Blue Whale App Store, hyper-convergence software and supporting tools at this conference. , focusing on comprehensive upgrades in three aspects: ecology, experience, and business, truly helping partners build and make good use of hyper-convergence, and jointly promoting the prosperity and development of the industry.
“Beyond traditional integration, continuous evolution”, on February 8, 2023, we sincerely invite you to witness together!”


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The European Court of Justice has ruled that the brewer cannot have exclusive rights to use the name in the European Union.
The ruling brings to an end a 14-year long legal dispute with Czech brewer Budejovicky Budvar to gain control of the Budweiser name in Europe.
Budejovicky Budvar uses the Budweiser name in several European countries.
AB-InBev had appealed an earlier decision by the European General Court refusing its trademark request because it clashed with the existing trademark protection Budejovicky Budvar already has.
Marianne Amssoms, vice president of global communications at Anheuser-Busch InBev, says: “This judgment has no effect on Anheuser-Busch InBev’s business in Europe or our existing Bud and Budweiser rights, which remain strong and intact.
“We have rights to the Bud or Budweiser trademark in 23 of the 27 European Union member states. Filing this application was an effort to further expand our extensive trademark rights and gain additional protections that we continue to believe are rightfully ours.”
Both companies have used the Budweiser name for centuries.
Budweiser means from Budweis, the previous name for the Czech city where Budejovicky Budvar is based.
US brewer Anheuser-Busch, bought by InBev in 2008, began making its Budweiser in 1876.


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ASEAN KEY DESTINATIONS
Indonesia hopes Ukraine will invest locally in wheat
Indonesia and Ukraine have agreed to enhance cooperation in the agriculture sector. Besides the transfer of technology, it is hoped that Ukraine will invest in agriculture in Indonesia, particular in wheat.
President Jokowi "Jokowi" Widodo witnessed the signing of an agreement on agriculture cooperation between Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman and Ukrainian Food Minister Taras Kutovyi.
"We invite them to invest in Indonesia, particularly in wheat, because the country is known for its expertise in that commodity. We will try to develop wheat in Sumatra," Amran told journalists at the State Palace in Jakarta.
Ukraine is one of the biggest wheat producers in the world and ships more than 60 percent of its wheat exports to Indonesia, while more than 60 percent of Indonesia's exports to the country is palm oil, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said.
As the most populous country in Southeast Asia, Indonesia in 2014 imported more than 7 million tons of wheat, making it the third-biggest wheat importer in the world.
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Letters become the property of AseanAffairs and may be republished in any format.
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Indonesia to launch 13th economic package this month
Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution said on Wednesday that the government would release its 13th economic policy package in August, adding that the draft had been completed.
Darmin said the 13th package was largely an extension of the previous one, but would expand its focus beyond industry. The 12th package focused on small and medium enterprises.
"We are just waiting to schedule a meeting with the president," Darmin told reporters at his office. He refused to give the exact date the new policy package would come into effect.
The ministry team must meet with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo one more time to finalize the details, Darmin said.


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The firm is partnering with solar PV companies to sell systems between 2kWh and 4 kWh with an installed price of £2,000 to £2,800. It expects to have sold 10,000 home energy storage systems in three years and 50,000 within five years, by which time it expects them to retail for less than £1000, undercutting Tesla whose units will sell for $4,000 (£2,500).
The company said it will use the new funding to redesign the product to help cut manufacturing costs by 20 per cent. The patented project includes batteries, charger, inverter, and control unit. Powervault claims it can “lower household energy bills by up to 15 per cent and save 0.3 tonnes of carbon a year from conventional generation”.
The system works by storing surplus electricity during the day and releasing it in the evening, allowing homeowners to keep their own power for when they need it, rather than exporting it to utilities and paying more to get it back.
Former energy minister Greg Barker said home energy storage can “play a key role in building a low-carbon economy, saving money for homeowners and helping the UK to cut its carbon emissions”.
“Powervault is a British company with a British designed product and it’s great to see them ready to seize the opportunities of this rapidly growing market,” he added.
Managing director Joe Warren said: “Tesla is raising awareness of home energy storage, exciting potential customers and helping to create a market. Their entry into the market demonstrates the scale of the business opportunity, with battery costs falling and up to two million UK homes forecast to have solar panels by 2020. The Powervault system has been designed specifically to meet the needs of British homeowners and is available today.”
Electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors last month unveiled its rechargeable lithium-ion energy-storing battery, Powerwall. The battery is available in a 7kWh and 10kWh form, and is designed to collect and store excess energy from roof-mounted solar panels and small-scale wind turbines.
There is also a utility-scale product, which consists of 100kWh battery blocks grouped together to create powerpacks of between 500kWh and 10MWh. Tesla said it will embark upon a trial in Ireland to develop a pipeline of multiple-battery projects, with an initial 1MW demonstration project due for deployment next year.


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Amazon is reported to be developing a voice-enabled wearable gadget that can recognise human emotions. If the company is successful in manufacturing it then it could help it in improving its target advertisements. Besides this, it can also make improved and refined product recommendations and advise human beings on how to be nicer to each other while interacting.
A few internal papers have revealed some details about the upcoming product. The device can be worn on the wrist, so its appearance could resemble that of Apple Watch or a Fitbit. It is being produced by a collaboration of Amazon and Lab126, a firm which was responsible for making other Amazon products such as Kindle, Fire mobile phone and the smart speaker Echo.
As per Bloomberg, the device will be working in sync with a smartphone application and will come with microphones paired with software which can determine the emotional condition of the customer from his or her sound. It is not yet confirmed if Amazon has future plans to make the device available for mass consumption. However, it is clear that the company is working on a large ecosystem of electronic devices with inbuilt speech recognition facility.
Amazon has come a long way from a simple online company selling books, founded in a garage to a major e-commerce company and a cloud services giant. It is also the first company to reach a valuation of one trillion dollars. It recently launched a chain of automated convenience stores, Amazon Go. It enables the customers to make purchases without going through the regular checkout by a cashier. Till now it has been launched in 11 locations across the United States. Amazon plans to launch further stores depending on the functioning of the current stores.
Apart from the wearable device, it is also reported to be working on a humanoid robot “Vesta”. Named after the goddess of the home, family in Roman mythology, this robot could be able to perform cleaning operations, set up alarms. It will be equipped with highly developed cameras, computer vision software and move around homes like a self-driving vehicle. Amazon is also planning to compete with Apple’s AirPods by developing its own earphones powered by Alexa.
Although it sounds futuristic, devices capable of monitoring emotions is not improbable. As per the research company Gartner, within 2022, almost 10% of devices will have AI abilities to detect emotions either through the device or with the help of cloud technology.
Would you like to use such devices and let companies know about your emotions? Tell us with a short and quick comment.


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Yesterday TUAW reported on Apple's withdrawal from the EPEAT green electronics registry, along with a note that federal, state, and local governments might balk at buying Macs as a result. The City of San Francisco, CA has announced that letters will be sent to all 50 city agencies over the next ...
One of the unsung heroes in the success of Apple over the past ten years or so has been the ability for the company to take control of manufacturing, procurement, and logistics of its products in ways that are completely innovative. In a Bloomberg Businessweek post yesterday, writers Adam ...
Deals of the Daymore deals
Software Updatesmore updates
- Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 Update 14.3.4
- Pixelmator 2.2 available with over 100 new features and improvements
- DabKick for iPhone lets you share photos, watch videos and now listen to music in real-time
- Google Now added to search app on iPhone, iPad
- GateGuru for iPhone has been updated and greatly improved
- Twitter updates its OS X client


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Windows 11 unveiling set for June 24, check the livestream of new Windows OS version
The Windows operating system developed by Microsoft is the most favored OS for personal computers and laptops. Now, the company has been working on the successor of Windows 10 for a long time, which is soon to be revealed.
According to the recent information, Microsoft officially confirmed the unveiling date of the upcoming Windows OS. It’s confirmed that the company will hold a conference on the 24th of June at 11 AM (Eastern Time) to unveil the next Windows OS.
It’s noteworthy that Microsoft didn’t mention the name Windows 11, instead, referred to as the next Windows so it may be possible that the company can come up with a new name for this yet-to-be unveiled Windows OS.
Apart from this, there is no more information disclosed by Microsoft about the event or forthcoming OS. So, we have to wait until the launch event to know more about the new features and modifications coming with the next Windows.
Prior to this, the new features of this upcoming Windows showing a fresh UI, Start Menu, color scheme, wallpaper, file explorer, and so on have been leaked ahead of the official launch. (Read Here)
Huawei LYSA: Meet Huawei’s first virtual person, she is realistic and beautiful [Video Demo]


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Hyundai hopes hybrid Ioniq entices fleets away from conventional fuels
25 July 2016
Hyundai is aiming to pull customers from regular petrol and diesel models with its new Ioniq, which will be the first car to arrive in the UK with a choice of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric powertrains.
The Ioniq Hybrid is a 79g/km model combining a 1.6-litre petrol engine and small electric battery, and rather than focusing on the existing hybrid market leader, the Toyota Prius, as its main competitor, senior product manager Sylvie Childs told BusinessCar that the goal will primarily be to take customers from internal combustion engines into the newer hybrid technology, especially if the pressure on diesel emissions continues in its current vein.
The hybrid is expected to take half of Ioniq sales once all three variants are on offer, with the plug-in hybrid, capable of up to 31 miles on electric power and coming with an expected 32g/km emissions figure, launching in the second quarter of 2017 to join the full-electric and hybrid versions that arrive ths October.
The plug-in is predicted to take around 35-40% of registrations, with the electric model grabbing the final 10-15%.
The electric Ioniq, which will charge to 80% in 23 minutes, is eligible for a £4500 Government grant and the
plug-in version £2500.
Hyundai is offering an eight-year, 125,000-mile warranty on the batteries.


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In response to Amazon's announcement about their Prime Day offer on July 15, Walmart plans to launch a rival sale on the same day, including more than 2,000 online exclusive "rollbacks," as Walmart calls their discounts.
The lower prices on items in categories including electronics, home, baby and toys will last 90 days, the typical time period for rollbacks, which Walmart usually has hundreds of at any given time throughout the year. Starting Monday, July 13 Walmart is also reducing the minimum order for free shipping from $50 to $35 for at least 30 days.
Read more at http://www.usatoday.com/story/...../29973997/
For the third year, Best Buy also has a July Black Friday sale planned, this year on July 24-25, 2015. Since 2010, Target has also tried to drive in more customer traffic with their "Black Friday in July."


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(New York Post) An elderly convenience store owner in California is being hailed as a hero after he shot at a would-be robber who ran out of the store screaming his arm was “shot off.”
Shocking surveillance footage from Norco Market & Liquor at the 2800 block of Clark Avenue in Norco, Calif., showed a masked assailant entering the business at about 2:47 a.m. with an AR-15-style rifle pointed at the 80-year-old store owner.
The suspect yelled, “Freeze, hands in the air,” but within seconds, the quick-thinking store owner pulled out his own rifle from under the counter and immediately shot once at the robber, hitting him in the arm.
Video footage further showed another man getting out of a black BMW SUV, but he stopped and got back inside the vehicle once he saw the first suspect run out of the store repeatedly screaming, “He shot my arm off!”
The three suspects involved in the attempted robbery were all caught, with the suspect who was shot in the hospital in critical but stable condition.Fox11
Riverside County Sheriff’s officials arrested three suspects— Justin Johnson, 22, of Inglewood, Calif., Jamar Williams, 27, of Los Angeles, and Davon Broadus, of Las Vegas, Nevada— at a local hospital.
The primary suspect, a 23-year-old man, remained in critical but stable condition at the hospital, officials said. His identity is being withheld pending his release from the hospital.
“In this case, a lawfully armed member of our community prevented a violent crime and ensured their own safety, while being confronted with multiple armed suspects,” Riverside County Sheriff’s said in a press release. “This investigation is active and ongoing and no additional information will currently be released.”
Employees at Norco Market & Liquor said the owner was watching the store cameras as the SUV pulled into the parking lot. Once he saw the first assailant get out of the SUV and pull a mask over his face, the owner immediately went for his rifle.
The 80-year-old store owner did not hesitate to defend himself and his business when the suspect entered with his rifle pointing directly at him.Fox11
“He just prepared himself … and he stood right here, aimed and shot,” store manager Marnia Tapia told Fox11.


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Suntech files for bankruptcy in China
Suntech Power Holdings Co., a Chinese solar panel maker with U.S. headquarters in San Francisco, said Wednesday that eight banks are seeking bankruptcy for its Wuxi Suntech subsidiary and that the company would not dispute the petition.
The bankruptcy petition was filed in the Wuxi Intermediate People's Court in Jiangsu Province and the court will decide in a matter of days whether to accept it, the company said. The banks that filed the petition are owed more than $1 billion by the company, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Suntech Power Holdings (NYSE: STP), wracked by a global oversupply of solar panels that has led to falling solar prices, as well as tariffs imposed on Chinese-made panels by the United States, defaulted Friday on a $541 million bond payment.
Suntech, which has employed only about 50 people in San Francisco, said the company plans to restructure and to complete orders for customers.
Lindsay Riddell covers energy and cleantech for the San Francisco Business Times.
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LONDON – British American Tobacco plans to test a hybrid product that combines tobacco and e-cigarette technology next week in a European market, a senior executive said on Wednesday.
The product, called iFuse, will use elements of the company's Kent brand, and be sold in a market where Kent cigarettes are popular. Executives declined to say precisely which market that will be.
The test is the latest in a line of cigarette alternatives sold by big tobacco firms like BAT, Philip Morris International , Imperial Tobacco and Japan Tobacco, who are jostling for position in an emerging category and trying to offset the decline of the tobacco market.
Excluding China and the United States, the market for so-called "next generation products" is worth 2.8 billion pounds ($4.3 billion), BAT said.
It is expected to grow to 8.4 billion pounds by 2020, but would still be a fraction of the global cigarette market, worth more than 450 billion pounds.
Like an e-cigarette, the iFuse heats nicotine-laced liquid into an inhalable vapor, but the vapor passes through a bit of tobacco near the tip that imparts flavor, said Kingsley Wheaton, BAT's managing director of next generation products.
Philip Morris also has a tobacco-based vapor product that uses what it calls Marlboro Heatsticks.
The companies say the products are les dangerous than conventional cigarettes because they avoid the burning that causes the release of deadly chemicals.
Relative to BAT's other tobacco-only vapor product, the iFuse is "simpler to use, more compact, more convenient, neater, cleaner and probably attracts a lower excise position," Wheaton said. Excise tax is often calculated using the amount of tobacco.
BAT's other cigarette alternatives include the Vype e-cigarette and the Voke nicotine inhaler, which is licensed as a stop-smoking product.
In the traditional cigarette business, BAT and its peers are challenging a new law being imposed by the UK government that would require "plain packaging" for all tobacco products. The measure is meant to reduce the lure of smoking, particularly among youngsters, by removing bright colors and logos.
The companies claim the law infringes on their intellectual property. BAT expects a six-day hearing with the UK High Court to start on 10 December. ($1 = 0.6577 pounds) (Reporting by Martinne Geller in London; Editing by Louise Heavens and Keith Weir)


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Sotheby's Achieves Highest-Ever Online Auction RecordLeading the results was George Condo’s 2005 painting ‘Antipodal Reunion.’
After setting an online auction record with its 20th Century Design sale earlier this month, Sotheby’s is once again seeing the success of its online auction programs. Yesterday, Sotheby’s Contemporary Curated sale in London brought in $6.4 million USD — the highest ever recorded total for an online sale. It was also the biggest London edition of the sale, live or online. This year’s Contemporary Curated was guest curated by Margherita Maccapani Missoni, who selected works by established names such as Damien Hirst and Yayoi Kusama, along with lesser-known ones, like Eddie Martinez Fahrelnissa Zeid.
Leading the results was George Condo’s 2005 painting Antipodal Reunion, which depicts three grotesque cartoon figures wearing striped shirts. After its initial estimate of $986,000 USD, the work sold for $1.3 million USD — the highest price ever achieved by a painting in an online sale at Sotheby’s. Other key pieces included in the sale was an intricately patterned work from 1993 by Yayoi Kusama that went for $293,000 USD and a mirrored glass painting by Monir Farmanfarmaian, which sold for $463,000 USD — a new record for the Iranian artist’s work.
With the art market on lockdown around the world, online auctions have become a viable way for auction houses to stay afloat. Sotheby’s has been one of the more successful in transitioning to online initiatives, bringing in $26 million USD across 14 digital sales in March. For its Contemporary Curated sale, 88 percent of the 105 lots sold — over half of which exceeded their estimates.
Elsewhere in the art world, museums are sharing the creepiest objects in their collections.


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Kwik Fit has revealed that they are set to promote two new services at this year’s Commercial Vehicle Show at the NEC in Birmingham. The two services will be known as ‘Mobile7’ and ‘Fleet Web Booking tyre facility’.
After extending its reach into the vehicle servicing and MOT segment Kwik Fit saw fit to increase its penetration into the Light Commercial Vehicle sector as well which helped then gain a much broader audience due to the ever increasing amount of vans on Britain’s roads caused by E-commerce.
Kwik Fit now anticipates the launch of Mobile7 and Fleet Web Bookings, both designed to minimise fleet and driver inconvenience and maximise vehicle uptime, will lead to further growth in this area.
Fleet Web Booking has recently launched to fleet customers that use Kwik Fit’s tyre management service and enables drivers of those company vans – and cars – to make an appointment at a centre of their choice or use Mobile via smartphone, laptop, PC or tablet.
Fleet drivers enter their vehicle registration number and postcode. The Kwik Fit database will verify that it is a vehicle under tyre management and will validate tyre size and customer brand preferences against the known policy.
The database will check tyre stock availability, centre fitment slots available that are convenient to a driver’s location and offer the option of Kwik Fit Mobile fitment.
If tyres are in stock a list of the centres with fitment times available or Mobile times will be provided to the customer for next day replacement. If tyres have to be ordered, they will be delivered to the customer’s chosen centre location, ideally for next but one day fitment.


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Search for a game on Google and play instantly: this is how this option works with Stadia and Xbox Cloud Gaming
While it is not yet implemented for all users, there are those who can access the games via Google.
everything points cloud games It’s becoming a big target for a handful of companies in the industry to reach. This has left us with startups like Xbox Cloud Gaming and Stadia, two services that allow access to a large catalog of games without the need for a powerful console or system. Stadia hasn’t really taken off, but the team responsible for Google isn’t willing to put the brakes on its progress in the video game industry.
This is how we see it, with the latest functionality implemented in the iconic web browser. As first reported on The Verge, Google has launched some initial tests of the possibility. search for a title and play instantlySomething exemplified by Bryant Chappel’s video demonstration on Twitter.
Chappel demonstrates this option with games like Control or Halo Infinite, which are accessible through Google-associated Stadia and Xbox Cloud Gaming services. However, the feature will also be available to play its catalog. amazon bear Y NVIDIA GeForce Now. They’ve also been able to access a few games using the new Google mechanics on The Verge, but it gets lost from time to time and therefore, first test a service that can be stabilized in the future.
Even so, Google’s idea will grab the attention of multiple players. We’ll see if this feature can beat Stadia’s success, as the service has failed to attract the public’s attention and has therefore faced a number of rumors about it. its so-called closure. Despite this, Google assures that they will continue to offer great games with their service, and to encourage the public, they have announced a free 3-month Stadia Pro offer for users with LG Smart TVs.
Source: 3D Juegos


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An enchanted forest, an 18-foot holiday tree, and a bewildering light maze – all in the heart of the city.
Lincoln Park Zoo’s much-loved annual ZooLights event is returning for almost eight weeks of family fun involving many of its cherished holiday traditions and some all-new features.
After the beloved event was forced to adapt last year in order to conform with coronavirus safety measures, Zoolights will this year be back to its best in 2021 offering a more magical family-oriented experience than ever before.
Last year the zoo ticketed entries at $5 per person for the first time in 20 years due to the financial implications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 version will again cost $5 per person for anybody attending Wednesday-Sunday but this year Monday and Tuesday nights will be free of charge.
Hundreds of larger-than-life 3D LED displays will cover Lincoln Park while the usual delicious holiday snacks including warm spiced wine, frosty beers, and festive specials, will all be available throughout the event. There will also be exciting additional experiences returning to the zoo’s grounds such as the dazzling one-of-a-kind light maze and a reimagined and enhanced enchanted forest offering guests the chance to “meander among butterflies, flowers, mushrooms, and dripping lights with whimsical music and a magical ambiance.”
There will also be a Lionel Train Adventure which will take kids 10 and under on an exhilarating ride through a small garden with fun sculptures and animal whimsy along the way!
An impressive 18-foot tree, a new holiday lights experience in the Main Mall, and an exciting new light show on the South Lawn are new additions this year as well as sensory-friendly days on November 30 & December 15.
As with previous years, there will be members-only nights on Friday, November 19, and Monday, December 13 from 4-10 pm when members and their guests get exclusive access to a free night of ZooLights.
Tickets for Monday and Tuesday non-members free nights listed below become available on Thursday, October 21!
- Nov. 22 & 23
- Nov. 29 & 30
- Dec. 6 & 7
- Dec. 14
- Dec. 20 & 21
- Dec. 27 & 28
ZooLights 2021 will run from Friday, November 19 through Sunday, January 2. More information can be found at Lpzoo.org.
In all cases, tickets must be booked in advance regardless of age or cost. Animal buildings will be closed but animals may be visible in their outdoor habitats!


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The U.S. cybersecurity watchdog agency on Wednesday ordered federal officials to update or remove a slew of products made by digital services company VMWare Inc, saying hackers were actively using vulnerable versions of the products to break into targeted organizations.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said in an advisory that hackers had managed to reverse engineer recent updates made to VMWare products and were using the knowledge to target old versions and hack into unpatched devices.
The affected products include VMware Workspace ONE Access, which is meant to provide one-stop access to various digital services, and VMware vRealize Automation, which helps manage and automate complex IT processes.
CISA said that any unpatched VMWare devices still accessible from the internet should be assumed to be compromised.
VMWare, which spun off from Dell Technologies Inc last year, told its customers in a blog post that, “It is extremely important that you quickly take steps to patch or mitigate these issues in on-premises deployments.”
CISA Director Jen Easterly said in a statement that the vulnerabilities in old versions of the VMWare products posed “an unacceptable risk to federal network security.”
“We also strongly urge every organization – large and small – to follow the federal government’s lead and take similar steps to safeguard their networks,” she said. Reuters


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With so much online page space taken up by the RAV4, Corolla, Camry, Tacoma and other practical, high-volume Toyota products, it’s often easy to forget that the staid and sensible automaker sells an entry-level, rear-drive sports car.
February marked a significant milestone for the Toyota 86 (née Scion FR-S), sibling to the Subaru BRZ, in that it was the first month since 2013 that didn’t see a year-over-year sales decline. That year was also the high water mark for sales.
No doubt aware of the rebranded coupe’s lagging fortunes, Toyota has adopted a time-honored method of drawing eyes back to its 86. Offer a slightly enhanced version, raise the price, and cap production numbers. (Read More…)
The Subaru BRZ has been struggling along since hitting its sales peak in 2013, and its recent refresh hasn’t done much to help it rebound on the sales charts.
Now, thanks to conflicting information from Subaru itself, the future of the rear-drive coupe is as clear as San Francisco Bay at 7 a.m.
Back in May of this year, TTAC reported the list of changes coming for the 2017 Subaru BRZ and asked if what amounted to a rather modest workover would get consumers excited enough to reverse the sports coupe’s declining sales trend.
Having spent a week acting barely responsible in Subaru’s only two-wheel-drive offering, my belief is no, the BRZ will not buck the trend. After commuting in it, doing school pick up duty and grocery runs — all in a most irresponsible way, revving the little four-cylinder boxer engine to redline again and again — I expect there will be a blip on the sales radar this year. Sadly, I also expect the BRZ (and its Toyota 86 twin) to slowly slip into automotive obscurity.
This terribly depressing thought has mostly to do with declining overall consumer interest in fun, driver-oriented cars, and it does nothing to celebrate what a wildly fun machine this is.
Toyota has released 2017 prices for some of its small cars, and it looks like a name change (and modest power increase) tacked a slight premium onto the Toyota 86, formerly the Scion FR-S.
A sign of our automated times, it looks like the manual transmission’s days could be numbered in the Corolla lineup. (Read More…)
It beats hooning your mom’s Honda Odyssey.
A teenager took the top spot in the first three races of the Toyota 86 Racing Series this past weekend, beating back the 38 entrants in the fledgling event.
Former kart champion Cameron Hill’s win is exactly what Toyota had in mind when it crafted the three-year series. Designed as an entry point for up-and-coming drivers, the series pits up to five professional drivers against a field of amateurs, with training being top of mind. (Though a $125,000 prize pool sweetens the deal). (Read More…)
The main complaint levied against the Toyota GT86 (and Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ twins) is its supposed lack of power, even though it pumps out 200 horses. Coming in at a close second on the 2+2 hatchback coupe’s complaint list is its lack of usable space.
Toyota Australia has an answer to that second concern, and it’s in the form of a Shooting Brake that looks like a Honda CR-Z after hitting up some free weights.
Scion’s slow-selling FR-S rear-wheel-drive coupe is about to become Toyota’s slow-selling rear-wheel-drive coupe, and it will be branded with the same moniker as in many other parts of the world.
That’s right: this is the Toyota 86, also known as what it should have been named here in the first place.
The Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ may only exist for one generation, as comments by the car’s chief engineer suggest a dissolution of the partnership between Toyota and Subaru.
The Scion FR-S – lightweight, affordable sports car that the world was supposedly waiting for – is reportedly lagging behing its sales targets across the globe, making it difficult for Toyota to justify upgrading the engine or bringing a convertible to market.
Ahh, the benefits of free PR. Mere minutes after Toyota UK’s official blog posted their “interview” with GT 86 chief engineer Tetsuya Tada, the outlets of the autoblogosphere were alight with Tada’s comments praising shooting brakes.
See, dropping a choice quote about Tada’s desire for a GT86 shooting brake isn’t just a coldly calculated way to ensure that this interview is re-posted ad infintium on every content aggregator and “enthusiast blog” (read: free PR machine for the OEMs) in the world. It also provides a bit of insight into the economics of vehicle development, sales and manufacturing today – not to mention the PR and marketing side.
Ever try and play a round of golf as a Miata driver? From first hand experience, I can tell you it doesn’t work well. If you are lucky at manipulating large objects and have nothing else in the trunk, your golf bag might fit. God help you if you are giving a friend a lift to the course. One golf bag will go in the passenger footwell, the other will likely have to sit on the folded soft top, with the passenger’s arm holding the golf bag. Ask me how I know.
Anyone attending the Geneva Auto Show will get to see a concept version of the Toyota 86 convertible, pictured above in a sketch. Enjoy it as you sip your 7 Franc lattes. We’ll have live shots for you starting March 5th, once the show is on. Maybe it will be warm enough to put the top down on the MX-5 by then…
No, this isn’t another lame rumor-mongering post based on idle speculation; Toyota’s own Tetsuya Tada, chief engineer for the 86, confirmed to Top Gear that two more sports cars are in the pipeline.
One of the most popular “Out of Thin Air” stories over the last 24 months has concerned the existence of a factory turbocharged Scion FR-S. In second place, the existence of a convertible Scion FR-S. At long last, a reliable source of information has confirmed their existence – but we won’t be getting them.
With the Toyota 86 set to go on sale in a couple of weeks (the first production models are set to leave the line on Friday), Toyota’s Japanese sales outlets will have separate spaces to sell the new sports car – and in some cases, stand alone sales facilities, similar to the Chrysler/Fiat arrangement in America.


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IIC Vegas 2
Why Las Vegas
Why Las Vegas
NEWS & EVENTS
What's New with GOVegas
The GOVegas mobile application is now being updated on a quarterly basis, this month look for new features that will include information ab ...
Improvements to Streaming
The City launches streaming services Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV just over a year ago to wide acclaim including an award for innovat ...
Technology Takes a Bite Out Of Crime
A major goal for Fire & Rescue is to improve outcomes for patients in cardiac arrest. Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) have been pl ...
IoT, AI, and Drones OH MY!
The International Wireless Communications Expo was recently held in Las Vegas, attracting more than 8,000 government, public safety, transp ...
Hello it's Wi-Fi Calling
Recently, Apple released iOS 12.2 which provides support for the FirstNet Wi-Fi calling and RealTime Text (RTT) features. WiFi calling uses ...
Open Data Visualization for Council
The Dynamic Location Intelligence Tool (DLIT) has been available to use by the special assistants to the city council since the end of Janu ...
Apple TV "GoVegas" App
In an effort to expand our internal development ecosystem of products and consolidate our support and maintenance requirements the Applicat ...
Smart Cities Innovation Accelerator
City of Las Vegas hosted over 80 agency representatives from across the country as well as international representatives from Canada, South ...
Government Making Inroads at CES 2019
The gigantic Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will occupy every convention venue and casino conference space across Las Vegas Jan. 8-11. Des ...
Las Vegas Among Top 25 Cities in Digital Services Employment Growth
Recently, tech giants Amazon, Apple and Google have all made headlines with their expansion beyond Silicon Valley and Seattle bringing thou ...
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Jay Baer, a digital marketing consultant in Bloomington, Ind., spends half his time traveling on business. That means he also has to spend hours each week coordinating that travel.
Help has arrived with the Pana app, which employs artificial intelligence to aid customers.
Virtual travel assistant services — some from established companies like Facebook, IBM and Expedia, and others from new entrants like Pana and HelloGbye — are now popping up worldwide, just as major hotel chains like Starwood and Hilton are incorporating robots into their everyday operations.
Many of the virtual assistant services use artificial intelligence, a branch of computer science that simulates intelligent human behavior. Some respond to questions posed by travelers, either in live speech or digitally, while some, like Pana, rely on additional input by humans to provide answers.
Although many services are now in their infancy, they are expected to change the way travel is planned in the not-too-distant future.
The Pana app lets users chat, in conversational language, about booking travel and helps if they encounter a delay or cancellation. Responses are provided by a team of travel agents who are on duty round the clock and have access to artificial intelligence to gather information customized for the traveler.
Mr. Baer, who has been a Pana devotee since last year and recently signed a contract for his staff of 11 to use it, relies on it primarily for tips on places he visits and to rebook when his schedule changes or he encounters an unexpected delay.
Like many in the travel industry, Miriam Moscovici, director of emerging technologies for BCD Travel, a travel management company, predicts that within a year “lower-priority tasks will be handled by self-service artificial intelligence, which will free up human travel agents to do more of the intense work required.”
In 2011, artificial intelligence came into the limelight in the United States when the Watson computer, made by IBM, beat human competitors in a “Jeopardy” match. IBM’s artificial intelligence efforts are also at the forefront of travel-related initiatives. Two years ago, it invested in and began working with WayBlazer, a company whose co-founder, Terrell Jones, helped start the travel websites Travelocity and Kayak.
Using Watson’s natural-language capabilities and other cognitive computing technology, WayBlazer makes customized recommendations for travelers planning trips to Austin, Tex. The Leading Hotels of the World, a luxury-hotel marketing organization, is using WayBlazer to help customers choose accommodations based on their tastes, through its website.
WayBlazer and Watson’s cognitive technology are the brains behind Connie, a robot being tested at the Hilton in McLean, Va., outside Washington. Connie answers guests’ questions about amenities and services, and also suggests local attractions.
Norm Rose, an analyst for Phocuswright, a travel research company, predicted that artificial intelligence would help simplify and automate travel planning by providing quicker responses and more relevant content.
But noting that artificial intelligence is not yet capable of completely replacing human interactions, he warned it could also alienate travelers if a travel company used it but was unable to answer their questions.
He said artificial intelligence systems need to understand the vocabulary used in travel to be successful, but still may have difficulty helping travelers if their requests are complex. He also said some emerging systems are arranging complex itineraries that contain multiple flights or involve flights and hotels, and predicted many will eventually be able to handle both.
Expedia is among a few dozen companies and organizations that Facebook recently said would use a new chatbot on the social network’s Messenger platform. This lets users pose questions in digital chats and employs artificial intelligence-powered systems to provide answers. Expedia is testing responding to hotel booking requests via Messenger.
Passengers of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, an earlier partner on Messenger, can now use the platform to confirm bookings and get flight status updates. The airline also plans to offer bookings through Messenger. And since 2011, the airline has been testing a 6-foot-3 robot, Spencer, at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, its home base. In its most recent trial, which ended in March, Spencer escorted travelers to their gates.
Robots are also being used at select Starwood, InterContinental and Marriott hotels in the United States and are being tested in Europe by SNCF, the French railway, and on cruise ships operated by Costa and Aida.
Skyscanner, a travel search engine, this year developed a voice-enabled app for Alexa, the cloud-based voice service for the Echo from Amazon, to search for flights. Alexa also recently began working with Kayak to help users search for flights, hotels, rental cars and destinations, though no booking is done through it.
HelloGBye will begin testing an app this summer that lets users type or speak into their phone and create an itinerary with flights and hotel accommodations. The app can book travel for as many as nine people at once.
In November, Hipmunk, which has helped travelers research and book travel online since 2010, began testing a free, personalized virtual travel-planning assistant, Hello Hipmunk, powered by artificial intelligence. It provides help via email. Users can also give Hello Hipmunk permission to access their Google calendar, which it then periodically scans for events requiring travel and proactively provides booking options.
The Pana app answers many users’ questions in less than a minute, said Devon Tivona, the company’s chief executive, and agents notify customers if more time is required. Pana is geared toward people who frequently travel for business. Its monthly fees range from $19 for one person to $449 for companies with fewer than 200 employees. Introduced in a beta test last summer, it formally began operating in April and works with thousands of individual travelers and fewer than 100 businesses.
Mr. Baer, the digital marketing consultant, said Pana is “so reasonably priced and so fast, if you travel any more than once a month, it’s literally a no-brainer to buy this.” His company pays $250 a month for its services.
Henry Harteveldt, a travel analyst for Atmosphere Research, predicted that artificial intelligence would make shopping for travel “more efficient, less time-consuming and more useful.”
Mr. Harteveldt said this would occur, in part, because travel-planning tools that employ artificial intelligence would make use of travelers’ relevant data, such as their home city and age, and would not require them to use technical terms, like airport codes, as many sellers now do. The result, he added, would be tools that come up with suggestions “at lightning speed that are contextually relevant.”
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Man fed up with package thieves sells booby-trapped box that scares crooks
A Washington man has invented a product designed to scare package thieves so much, they never return.
Jaireme Barrow, of Tacoma, says his "Blank Box" business is booming.
The package — an empty booby-trapped box — is left on a porch. But it’s rigged with fishing wire and a 12-gauge shotgun blank that goes off.
“It’s fully contained. You can move it around however you want. You don’t have to worry about it going off. Leave it on the porch all day and then when someone comes up to pick it up — pop! pop! — that’s when it goes off,” Barrow explained.
Barrow invented the Blank Box after being the victim of package theft.
"I got tired of all my packages coming up missing," Barrow said. "I'd be at work and I'd get home and they wouldn't be on my front porch and I'd watch my surveillance and see someone running away with them."
One year after coming up with the idea, his Blank Box business is booming.
"It's all hands-on, made in America. Every one of these is built with love," he said. "Everything I test out myself, want to make sure everything is 100 percent safe."
He's now selling "The Blank Box" on his website. He also sells T-shirts with the wording, "Don't Touch My Package!" and "Don't Touch My Box!"
Police have warned that the booby-trapped box could backfire. If a package like this injures a thief, you could be held liable.
Officers say the best bet is to file a police report and hand surveillance video over to investigators.


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Beginning his career on Wall Street in 1938, Sir John Templeton pioneered the concept of internation...
Vipshop: Retail Shopping in China
03/12/2018 5:00 am EST
The Chinese retail industry is an enormous playground, with a few giants and many smaller aspirants, explains growth stock expert Timothy Lutts, editor of Cabot Stock of the Week.
Alibaba (BABA) is the biggest name, a company that distinguishes itself by offering a marketplace where others can buy and sell, but not owning any merchandise itself. JD.com (JD) is a more traditional online retailer, with a string of warehouses and an extensive delivery infrastructure.
Many investors think that these two giants are the only choices in Chinese retail. But today, we’re looking at Vipshop Holdings (VIP), with a market cap $11.9 billion), a company that’s finding a way to prosper in the shadow of the giants.
Vipshop’s big thing is big discounts and limited quantities, in other words, flash sales. The company focuses on name-brand apparel, shoes and handbags, but will sell almost anything that it can offer at a great price.
The company has cultivated relationships with over 20,000 brands. And manufacturers see Vipshop as a way to introduce new lines, promote styles and liquidate inventory.
One quirky highlight is that Vipshop recently announced that it has become a sponsor (and the exclusive Chinese e-commerce partner) for London Fashion Week. The company plans to use this sponsorship to introduce British brands and fashions to Chinese consumers.
The company’s customer base skews young, and customer loyalty is high, with 96% of orders coming from repeat customers and a 22% year-over-year increase in average revenue per customer.
The company is still primarily a Chinese retailer, but that has been changing, with Vipshop increasing its warehouse space in Australia, France, the U.S., the U.K. and Italy.
We got a good read on the development of Vipshop’s business when the company delivered its Q4 and full-year report on February 12. Analysts were looking for $3.7 billion in revenue and twenty cents per share in earnings. What the company delivered was revenue that hit expectations exactly and beat on earnings by two cents per share.
VIPS made a huge run from the middle of 2012 to April 2015, and then started a long decline, falling to $10 in early 2016 and trading sideways through May 2017, when it started another correction. The stock rebounded to nearly $18 by late January. This stock is strong, but lower-priced and therefore volatile.
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The Williamsville Village Board says it never has been against food trucks operating in the village.
The board opened its second public comment session on food trucks Monday. The problem is, the Village says it doesn't have any laws or regulations when it comes to the trucks, and wants to make sure that pedestrians and food truck operators are safe when drafting the regulations.
One major concern for board members is the food trucks parking on Main Street. Village leaders say more than 40,000 vehicles travel the busy stretch of road each day, and having food trucks on the street and extra bodies could pose a major safety hazard.
"The concerns from my board are what if food trucks attract a lot of pedestrian activity, people crossing, doing stuff around and about the food truck that could create visibility problems," said Village of Williamsville Mayor Brian Kulpa. "We need to make sure where the operation occurs and how it occurs is well demarcated, and people aren't just going to do dashing across the street."
The village says its talked to other towns like West Seneca and East Aurora about how they integrate food trucks into their communities.
The board plans on drafting a new law and regulations and sharing it with the public during a July session. The board is also considering inviting food trucks to participate in the Taste of Williamsville later in the summer.
At this point, the village has not determined pricing for food trucks. Board members say they're considering having an annual, one-time fee.


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Astec companies Telsmith, Inc., Breaker Technology, Inc. (BTI), and Osborn Engineered Products have debuted newly designed logos, which the group of companies says supports its marketing initiatives. Astec Industries Vice President Rick Patek says the new logos "are a symbol of ...
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Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) took an axe to its 2012 financial projections and issued a gloomy forecast for the current quarter amid weakness at its Olive Garden restaurants and rising food costs.
Shareholders of the Orlando-based parent of Red Lobster, LongHorn Steakhouse and other restaurants punished it for the news, sending its stock slumping more than 9%.
Darden downgraded its full-year EPS growth view to 4% to 7%. That marks a significant downgrade from its earlier call for a jump of 12% to 15%.
Similarly, Darden expects revenue to rise 6% to 7%, down slightly from 6.5% to 7.7% previously.
Darden warned it sees EPS in the current quarter coming in at just 41 cents, which would mark a wide miss compared with the Street’s view of 54 cents.
Darden detailed more trouble at its Olive Garden restaurants, which are expected to suffer a 2.5% decline in same-restaurant sales for the current quarter. Same-restaurant sales at the Olive Garden slipped 0.8% in September, 1.5% in October and 5.7% in November. Traffic also continues to decline, falling as much as 5.7% in November.
CEO Clarence Otis blamed the ugly Olive Garden numbers on incentives and a reluctance to raise prices despite higher food costs.
"At Olive Garden, we're addressing the erosion in one of the brand's essential attributes, its value leadership in casual dining,” Otis said in a statement. “In working to re-establish that historical value advantage, Olive Garden more strongly emphasized containing check growth this quarter than in prior periods, and that was reflected in its promotion and in-restaurant merchandising tactics.”
On the other hand, Darden sees same-restaurant sales this quarter rising 6.8% for Red Lobster and 6% for LongHorn Steakhouse.
Shares of Darden took the news hard, sinking 9.09% to $43.39 ahead of the opening bell. The company’s stock had been up almost 3% on the year as of Monday’s close.


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- Shoppers can buy a sexy mail-in-ballot costume this Halloween from Yandy.
- The costume maker is also selling "I Voted" pasties, a racy postal-worker costume, and a skimpy murder-hornet bodysuit.
- "We want to bring humor and we want to bring lightheartedness to the holiday," Pilar Quintana-Williams, Yandy's vice president of merchandising, said.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Voting is sexy. So sexy, in fact, that the controversial costume maker Yandy is selling a racy mail-in-ballot costume, as well as "I Voted" pasties.
Yandy is selling its "Mail In Ballot" costume for $29.95. The costume features a tube dress with the text "Official Ballot Enclosed" and "First Class Mail." The return address printed on the dress says "Sexy Headquarters, 1234 Lovers Lane."
The costume includes two "I Voted" pasties. Shoppers can also buy the bust stickers on their own for $7.95.
Pilar Quintana-Williams, Yandy's vice president of merchandising, recently told Business Insider that the company was committed to selling sexy topical costumes, despite the chaos of 2020.
"I think that it has been a difficult year for everybody with quarantine, with all the changes," Quintana-Williams said. "So the stakes are high. But again, we want to bring humor and we want to bring lightheartedness to the holiday."
Other topical costumes from Yandy include a "Postal Babe" and a skimpy murder-hornet bodysuit.
Some topics, however, remain off-limits. Quintana-Williams said there were no plans to make a "Sexy COVID" costume. A representative for Yandy said any costume related to President Donald Trump catching the coronavirus was similarly off the table.
"I don't think there's anything sexy about it," Quintana-Williams said of the coronavirus.
Are you shopping for a sexy costume this Halloween? Or, are you changing up your holiday routine? Email firstname.lastname@example.org if you have a story to share.


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Strong Q2 prompts Qiagen guidance hike
This article was originally published in Clinica
Dutch diagnostics firm Qiagen has raised its revenue and EPS guidance for fiscal 2009 after posting healthy second-quarter results. The company upped revenue expectations for the full year from $920-970m to $930-970m and EPS forecasts from $0.88-0.94 to $0.90-$0.94 per share. Venlo-based Qiagen said that robust market demand and solid economic trends within the diagnostic sector helped to boost sales. Revenue for the period was $240.2m, up 10% from Q2 2008. Increased sales of the firm’s HPV screening products, KRAS diagnostics and H1N1 tests helped grow the top line. Qiagen’s net income also benefited from the stronger sales and reached $48.3m compared to $40.4m in the same period last year.


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Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday he was committed to working with India to maintain "peace and tranquility" on their disputed border, following a stand-off between troops at the frontier.
Samsung ATIV Tab 3
Let’s start with the design because, in full-fat (i.e. not RT) Windows 8 tablets, we’ve never really seen anything looking so swish. Think Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.
The white on silver design is one that will be familiar to anyone who has picked up a Samsung Galaxy mobile device in the last year or so, but the super-sveltness of the ATIV TAB 3 is like nothing you’ve ever seen before from a Windows 8 machine.


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Labour activists have long claimed that brands can’t be trusted to self-regulate. Now, a series of lawsuits are opening a new frontier in efforts to hold brands accountable for abuses in their supply chains.
This week, Chanel announces Kate Wylie will lead its sustainability team, while Ferragamo makes changes to its board’s size and structure.
This week, Lindsay Peoples Wagner returns to New York Magazine’s The Cut, while Tiffany gets an executive shakeup following the completion of its acquisition by LVMH.
The Sandro-owner said it would ramp up spending on advertising and increase investment in online sales.
This week, the stylist is American Vogue’s latest editorial addition, while Abloh joins the nonprofit's board of governors.
The Sandro and Maje owner cited store closures and fewer shoppers due to the outbreak as the reason for the decline.
The group remains optimistic about a growth in sales following a rise in third-quarter revenue by 10.8 percent to €274.5 million from last year.
This week, Tommy Hilfiger hires its new CMO from Hollister, while Refinery29 taps Nylon’s former editor-in-chief for a newly created role.
This week, Gucci hires its first lead for diversity and inclusion, while SMCP appoints its new HR and sustainability lead.
The fashion company reported rising second-quarter sales, with growth between 9 to 11 percent.
With its first acquisition in a decade, SMCP intends to strengthen its footprint in the men’s market, which it is already developing through Sandro men.
First-quarter sales rose to €274.6 million ($306.4 million), up 9 percent from the previous year.