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The Motor Vehicles Act clearly says that they have to go by the taxi meter. The government has formed a committee under Roads Secretary Sanjay Mitra to draw up guidelines for taxi aggregators. Auto and taxi operators in the Capital went on a three-day strike opposing Ola and Uber operations.
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FreeCharge announced today that they have crossed 1 million customers in their payment platform. The achievement makes FreeCharge the first ever e-Wallet company in the country to have attained such a milestone.
WhatsApp Web allows you to send messages through WhatsApp via your desktop browser. The functionality is being rolled out in a phased manner, but will be very similar to how it works on an Android device. All users have to do is head to settings and hit the “WhatsApp Web” tab, then scan the QR code on the desktop browser.


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McDonald’s to offer books instead of toys in its U.K. Happy Meals
- McDonald's is giving away 15 million children's books in its U.K. Happy Meals over the next two years
- The books include Dorling Kindersley's ‘Amazing World’ series
- The promotional effort is sponsored in part by the U.K.’s National Literacy Trust
McDonald’s children’s menu just got a little smarter.
The fast food giant is giving away at least 15 million in books in its U.K. Happy Meals over the next two years, in place of toys.
McDonald’s says it will have distributed the millions of fiction and non-fiction books to British families by the end of 2014.
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Will the kids love it? McDonald's is giving away 15 million in books in its U.K. Happy Meals over the next two years, in place of toys
The literary offering for kids began Wednesday with a five-week promotion in which a non-fiction book from Dorling Kindersley's ‘Amazing World’ series will be given away with each Happy Meal, the Guardian reported.
The promotional effort is sponsored in part by the U.K.’s National Literacy Trust as the independent charity group looks to further encourage literacy in the country.
The ‘Amazing World’ books cover topics including stars and planets, animals and oceans.
‘When children own their own books, it makes a huge difference to their reading,’ Conal Presho, the NLT’s head of fundraising, told the Guardian.
‘Our focus is on using any way we can to encourage children to read, and to read anything they can, whether that's menus in restaurants, non-fiction books or magazines – anything which spreads children's enjoyment of reading.’
Smarter Happy Meal: The book giveaway for kids started Wednesday with a five-week promotion in which a non-fiction book from Dorling Kindersley's ¿Amazing World¿ series will be offered with each Happy Meal
McDonald's also plans to launch new ‘Happy Readers’ £1 book offers, which will be redeemable at British book retailer WHSmith.
The fast food chain said it will additionally ‘lend its family-friendly restaurant environment and its focus on family fun to encouraging parents and children to enjoy books together.’
In addition to Kindersley, McDonald’s plans to work with other authors and publishers over the next two years, the company says.
The latest book offerings follow a similar effort last year when McDonald’s gave away nine million Michael Morpurgo books in its Happy Meals.
Alistair Macrow, McDonald's vice president and head of marketing in the U.K., said the feedback from its previous book giveaway pilot had been 'overwhelmingly positive.'
He said that 9 out of 10 parents wanted to see more book promotions from the popular burger chain.
McDonald’s has 1,200 restaurant locations in the U.K. and an estimated 12,800 locations in the U.S.
McDonald’s is the world's largest chain of fast food hamburger restaurants, serving around 68 million customers a day in 119 countries.
Literary promotion: McDonald's teamed up with the U.K.¿s National Literacy Trust to help further encourage literacy in the country
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One of the most anticipated fighting games announced this year, Jump Force, finally gets a release date – February 15, 2019.
Along with the release date, we got quite a few other new interesting tidbits of info about the game, as well as a new gameplay trailer! Here’s a look at the official box art and the trailer.
Official Box Art
First up is a pic of the official box art. Check out the high resolution image below.
Jump Force box art in High Quality pic.twitter.com/qJyH97gUd7
— YonkouProductions (@YonkouProd) October 25, 2018
While it doesn’t look bad, some fans weren’t particularly enthusiastic about it and thought it could’ve been better. Many felt that Goku should’ve been in the center as the de facto leader of the trio.
Others felt that the image itself was lackluster and that Bandai Namco could’ve chosen better poses for the three Shonen heroes.
New Gameplay Trailer
Bandai Namco also released a new gameplay trailer revealing two additional fighters who will be joining the fray: Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star
Just in time for Paris Games Week, the new trailer just happens to show off a new Paris location that will have fighters duking it out to the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and other famous Parisian sites.
Jump Force is shaping up to be the biggest and possibly the best anime crossover fighting game that we’ve seen so far. Stay tuned for more information as it’s possible that Bandai Namco still has a couple more surprises to unveil before the game becomes available in February.
Featured Image Source: Attack On Geek


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Rush believes that day-to-day life is not something that can be done without a properly working smartphone.
The investment was made through Ascent Myanmar Growth Fund I (AMGF).
The tech company plans to use the fresh funding to help accelerate its go- to market strategy, engage with customers and early adopters, and continue strengthening its team.
The startup plans to bring an online to offline (O2O) approach in order to facilitate a deal between apartment owners and renters in Jakarta in a much simpler way.
The fresh capital injection will be used to recruit exceptional talents while preparing to improve its logistic capabilities.
The furniture e- tailer is actively seeking investors in Southeast Asia and China to close the Series C round by 2020.
The firm aims to build a developer ecosystem that allows global creative talents to create their own AI- enabled products and services.
The contactless payments approach powered by blockchain technology is already being utilised in Myanmar and Cambodia
Despite the global health pandemic, F88 proceeds to captivate major investors’ attention
Singapore-based Telehealth Startup Doctor Anywhere Secures US$27 million in Series B Fundraising Round
Doctor Anywhere, a telehealth startup based in the island city-state of Singapore...


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INDIANAPOLIS — For its fourth year, the Indy Chamber of Commerce's St'ArtUp 317 Retail Pop-Up Program is offering local artists a chance, once again, to get a lot of public exposure.
Through an agreement with property owners, local artists can showcase and sell their work in empty store fronts. The space serves as an incubator for future business ideas without the entrepreneurs having to take on so much risk. All of the work the artists do will be on display and on sale throughout the month of May.
"You're really giving back to the community when you come and buy stuff from us," Codi Banks, owner of Witty by Codi, said about people supporting local businesses. "It's so personable knowing exactly who you're giving your money to instead of a big-box store."
Banks and a dozen other people have come together at 231 Virginia Avenue City Way for POP UP Art & Fashion. One of Banks' fellow artists, Emily Gartner, also weighs in on the importance of people being able to the things local artists make.
"If people can come here in-person, they can touch it, feel it, and try it on, that makes all the difference in the world if they buy it or not," Gartner said.
For now, the artists call themselves Be-Z-Art. Marc Ebtinger, who helped bring all these artists together, hopes this endeavor of having a storefront will show them what's possible in the future, something that could be long lasting.
"It makes the community stronger. It boosts the local economy. There's so many reasons to support local art and local shopping," Ebtinger said.
"This is an opportunity to get our stuff out, meet other creators, network, and to showcase your stuff and feel good about it," Burns said.
"This is kind of giving people that jump start that a lot of people need because becoming a well known artist is a combination of luck and talent," West added.
While the future of this art collective is still being decided, they now has a clearer path ahead, thanks to them getting a chance to try out a storefront.
"This is just the beginning for all of us. This has definitely inspired us all to start networking and come up with on our own that we can do after the end of the month," Lisa M. Swieczkowski, a Potawatomi artist said.
To learn more, visit May 2021 Pop-Ups.


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The leading cruise industry trade association announced Wednesday it is extending the voluntary suspension of all cruise operations in U.S. waters through at least the close of October amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement, the Cruise Lines International Association announced: “Committed to the health and safety of passengers and crew, CLIA oceangoing cruise line members are announcing a third voluntary suspension of U.S. cruise operations until 31 October 2020.”
The cancellations extend well beyond the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “No Sail” order that bans cruising in U.S. waters through Oct. 1, WESH reported.
The association’s member lines serve 95% of the world’s oceangoing cruisers, and the revised guidance will apply to all member ships the CDC order applies to: vessels carrying 250 or more passengers, USA Today reported.
Meanwhile, the association will announce no later than Sept. 30 – the day the CDC’s “No Sail” order is set to expire – whether a further extension is necessary. The industry may also consider an earlier start of shorter, modified cruises if COVID-19 activity subsides, the newspaper reported.
“The extension will allow additional time for our oceangoing members to work with outside experts and partners to develop enhanced public health protocols,” Bari Golin-Blaugrund, the association’s senior director of strategic communications, told USA Today.
According to the newspaper, the cruising community typically generates nearly $53 billion annually to the U.S. economy, and the industry will have been stalled for seven months – at a loss of about $110 million daily – if the voluntary sailing suspension expires Nov. 1.
To date, Norwegian Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Oceania Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line have all voluntarily canceled sailings scheduled through Oct. 31, and Carnival subsidiary Princess Cruises extended its suspended operations through Dec. 15, USA Today reported.
© 2020 Cox Media Group


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Bengaluru: Several traditional and new-age ventures said they had been adversely affected by the riots and bandh in Bengaluru related to the ongoing Cauvery river water dispute with Tamil Nadu.
said that it has suffered Rs 4-crore losses over two days after it was forced to shut down its office on Monday. “Now we have an order backlog of 20,000 to be delivered to the consumers. It will take three days to clear the backlog if we work on Wednesday. The packed fruits and vegetables will be spoilt,” Bigbasket co-founder and CEO Hari Menon told TOI.
Bigbasket, which could not ship products from its collection centres on Bengaluru-Mysuru road, will now call customers and fix new time slots for delivery
. Its second customer service centre in Pune is functioning at full strength and working overtime, Menon said. “We expect Bengaluru will not return to normal tomorrow either. However, our operations in other cities have been unaffected,” he said.
, which prepares food in its own centralized kitchens, could not deliver orders since Monday evening. Founder Rashmi Daga said the company could not open the kitchen on Tuesday morning and was not sure about delivery boys coming in sufficient numbers. It lost a few thousand orders over the past two days. Restaurants too would have suffered significant losses on account of the forced shutdowns.E-commerce
company Flipkart said packages originating from Bengaluru had been affected, but the situation is normal in other parts of the state. “As of today, we have stalled operations because the safety of our delivery staff remains our top priority. As we hope the situation to get better soon, we are trying to mitigate all customer impact by keeping them informed about expected delays,” said Neeraj Aggarwal, head of supply chain operations at Flipkart.
Rival Amazon said impact on delivery was primarily in Bengaluru, Mysuru and Mandya. “Given the situation in the city, there may be very limited impact in other regions, for orders serviced by our fulfilment centre in Bengaluru,” the company said.
Automaker Toyota Kirloskar Motor, which has its factory in Bidadi, an area that witnessed significant violence, was completely shut on Tuesday after having to close early on Monday. It termed the impact of the strike on its operations as “fairly direct and immediate.”
“We work on a just-in-time (JIT) model and considering that no supply could reach the factory today, there is a chance we may not be able to begin operations tomorrow,” said Shekhar Vishwanathan, Toyota Kirloskar vice-chairman. Vishwanathan added the strike last Friday did not impact the company as it had stock ahead of time. But if the violence continues, he fears there could be serious losses.
Industry body Assocham estimated the riots and strike in Bengaluru have resulted in a loss of Rs 22,000 crore to Rs 25,000 crore, given the disruption in productivity of businesses, movement of goods and transportation hassles.
“Violence in the state capital and other parts of Karnataka has severely dented the image of Bengaluru as Silicon Valley of India, home to almost all the Fortune 500 companies,” said Assocham.Signs on Tuesday evening pointed to a relatively normal Wednesday. If indeed there are no further forced shutdowns, the damage may be limited.


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Multinationals looking to operate in Africa cannot simply duplicate what they are doing elsewhere in the world and need to offer the continent relevant products and services.
This is the view of Nicolas Maweni, an independent marketing and communications consultant with extensive experience in sub-Saharan Africa. Maweni was speaking during the inaugural KPMG Africa Conversations held in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Maweni said there has been particular interest in the continent by multinationals. “One reason is that places like Europe and the US are not experiencing rapid rates of growth. Africa – or the dark continent, as it’s often perceived to be – is now presenting these large companies with great opportunities. The challenge for these companies is to ask themselves whether they will do a ‘copy and paste’ as they’ve done in other parts of the world, or whether they will develop solutions that are relevant for Africans.”
Moses Kgosana, chairman and senior director for KPMG Africa, pointed to higher than average growth forecasts for Africa for 2011 as a motivating factor for investors to look at African markets. “It is estimated that the sub-Saharan African economy will grow by 5.3% in 2011, with individual economies – such as Nigeria and Angola projected to grow at over 7%. Clearly, there is increasing confidence in Africa’s economic potential as a collection of diverse emerging markets with much to offer the global economy.”
Lullu Krugel, senior economist at KPMG, pointed to some factors revealed in a survey conducted by KPMG into business and economic conditions on the continent which could enable the accelerated diversification of African economies: “Business would like to see a greater mobility of highly skilled labour, and hence, these skills could being transferred across economies. The retail sector has also been identified as a growth key area, given the size of the African population. However, consumers need incomes to bring about the growth of the economy through the retail sector.”
“From a regional perspective, East Africa represents a powerful market comprising five countries and 130 million consumers”, said Josphat Mwaura, managing partner at KPMG in East Africa. Mwaura added that that region also “has historical linkages with India, China and Pakistan – what one would call the ‘monsoon countries’ – which serve as crucial export destinations.”
On the issue of political volatility, Mwaura maintained that “political risk is a way of life in business.” However, he urged the business community “to engage more proactively in identifying the issues before they blow up into a crisis.”
Maweni added that from a marketing perspective there is a need to conduct a proper analysis of the four ‘p’s before undertaking business in Africa: “One of them is political stability in any territory one enters. If one is going to get involved in Africa, one must be patient, because Africa is not for the faint-hearted. One must also persevere. Lastly, there are lots of profits to be made in this continent.”
On strengthening private-public partnerships (PPPs), Krugel pointed out that that had worked well in some sectors such as telecommunication infrastructure and that there have been mixed results in the energy sector. However, in other infrastructure areas such as water, sanitation and irrigation there seems to be challenges which need to be addressed. Where PPPs have worked well, it could be attributed to the private sector understanding the needs of the public sector, communicating with the public sector and not imposing business models applied in other countries, on Africa.
“We believe that Africa is a continent whose ‘time has come’ and we would like to encourage business to participate in and contribute to what is turning out to be an extraordinary continent, potentially offering extraordinary returns on investment,” said Kgosana.


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A consortium of state-owned Chinese petroleum companies has bought the oil and pipeline interests of Canada's EnCana Corporation in Ecuador.
Andes Petroleum Company - a group led by the China National Petroleum Company - paid nearly $1.5 billion for the assets, which include an oil field with 143 million barrels of proven reserves.
China has been snapping up oil and gas interests around the world to help fuel its fast-growing economy.
The latest official statistics from China show the economy continues to soar, despite government efforts to cool it down. China's fixed asset investments grew nearly 30 percent in August from a year ago, and industrial output increased 16 percent in August. Inflation has slowed, though, to one-point-three percent last month, from one-point-eight percent in July.
While most Asian economies are expecting higher inflation because of record oil prices, subsidies are so far shielding Chinese consumers from paying more for their fuel.
The Hong Kong-listed clothing retailer Esprit Holdings says profit jumped 67 percent, to $430 million, for the year ending in June. Chief Financial Officer John Poon says Europe was the key.
"Although Germany is still our core market, it represented 48 percent of the group's total turnover year on year," he said. "However, the rest of Europe, which now represents 37 percent of the group total turnover, achieved a year-on-year growth of 39 percent, which contributes about half of the 26 percent of increase in turnover."
Sales in Asia, which represent only nine percent of the group's total revenue, grew 21 percent.
The company, which was founded in California in the 1960's, wants to rebuild its presence in the United States, and is planning to open new branches there selling women's clothing.
In Australia, Parliament after much debate has voted to sell the government's controlling stake in the telecommunications giant Telstra. Politicians were worried that residents of the remote Australian outback would lose services once Telstra was privatized. The government stands to earn some $23 billion from the sale, which is expected next year.


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Lamborghini sales: the best half-year ever. Orders taken for the next ten months
Sant’Agata Bolognese, July 16, 2021 – The first half of 2021 makes Lamborghini history, as global sales from January to June reached record levels. The House of Sant’Agata Bolognese delivered 4,852 cars in the first six months, making it the best half-year ever, with a 37% increase over the same period of 2020 and a growth by 6.6% over the first half of 2019 (pre-Covid period). The outlook is equally positive, with orders taken already covering production for the next ten months until April 2022.
Sales of all Lamborghini models are on the rise. The Urus Super SUV holds its place as the top-selling model (2,796 units, +35%), thanks to its ability to combine top-level performance with outstanding versatility, followed by Huracán (1,532 units, +46%) and Aventador (524 units, +21%).
Also scheduled to arrive on the market this summer is the Huracán STO, a road-legal super sports car inspired by the motorsport tradition of the Huracán Super Trofeo EVOs that race in the Lamborghini Squadra Corse championship, as well as by the Huracán GT3 EVO, three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona and two-time winner of the 12 Hours of Sebring.
Jul 18, 2021 at 00:34


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friends and colleagues.
By: Fahmida Rashid, PC Magazine
Several Wordpress themes have been found to host a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability, according to a professional penetration tester. If you have a WordPress blog and are using one of the affected themes, you need to download the fixed themes and install them to close the XSS flaws.
XSS vulnerabilities can be found in Unite, Salutation, Intersect, and Traject themes from Parallelus, said Janne Ahlberg, a Finnish product security professional and a penetration tester. The themes generally range between $30 and $60 and can be easily found on Themeforest.net, a theme marketplace for Wordpress environments.
Related Business News Articles
Results from the Kaspersky Lab Consumer Security Risks Survey show that 20 percent of ransomware victims in North America claimed they did not get their files back even if they have paid the cyber criminals.Learn more >
Kaspersky Lab announced today that Forrester Research, Inc. has recognized the company as a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Endpoint Security Suites, Q4 2016.Learn more >
Kaspersky Lab has released a new report on botnet-assisted DDoS attacks for the third quarter of 2016, which is based on data received from Kaspersky DDoS Intelligence.Learn more >


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Looks like PlayStation Asia may have let the bandicoot out of the bag. Crash Bandicoot Racing is listed as a PS4 game in a new survey.
Following the success of Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy, Activision would be crazy not to release more of the spinning marsupial. Rewind back to 2017, and there was positive news from Vicarious Visions, who stated clearly that a Crash Team Racing PS4 remaster was still a possibility.
Furthermore, earlier this year we caught wind of a 5-year plan to create games in the Crash Bandicoot franchise. Basically, a licensing management company let slip that Crash is going big after its success with the N Sane Trilogy. They stated that there are multiple Crash games coming, with one launching in 2019.
Crash Bandicoot Racing PS4 Spotted In Survey
Evidence that there could be a Crash Bandicoot Racing PS4 version has now appeared in a new survey. Found by Wumpa Gem via Twitter the survey asks users to tick a box for all the games they’ve played. The list includes games like God of War, Metal Gear Solid V and games from the Uncharted series.
According to @gearnuke, PlayStation Asia sends a survey to everyone interested in purchasing TLoU Part 2.
And in the checklist of games you may have played, “Crash Bandicoot Racing” is mentioned out of nowhere.
Is the 2019 game turns out to be a remake of CTR? pic.twitter.com/guyYI1h6fm
— The Wumpa Gem (@TheWumpaGem) September 11, 2018
However, it also mentions Crash Bandicoot Racing. We’ve double-checked and this is definitely a legit survey being sent out to those with a PlayStation South Asia account. Users are asked to complete the survey before September 17, 2018.
Crash Team Racing was originally developed by Naughty Dog for the original PlayStation in 1999. Players race around tracks controlling characters from the Crash Bandicoot universe and pick up power-ups and weapons.
Is this latest survey simply a mistake by PlayStation Asia, or have they just let slip that a Crash Team Racing Game for PS4 is on the horizon?


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After less than a year, The Estée Edit is no more. Parent company Estée Lauder is retiring the cosmetics and skin-care brand, which launched in 2016 to target millennial consumers, reports WWD. Sales of the brand will conclude this September at Sephora (the remaining products are currently selling for a discounted price at the retailer), while the brand's own e-commerce site will continue through the end of 2017.
Despite tapping social media-savvy influencers (notably, Kendall Jenner and Irene Kim), a tried-and-true beauty marketing method of late, The Estée Edit struggled to deliver on its projected $60 million in first-year sales. Still, Estée Lauder representatives don't count this as a loss. Rather, they're quick to point out that this decision comes as a result of success other Lauder brands have experienced reaching millennials.
Estée Lauder provided the following statement:
Estée Lauder created The Estée Edit collection for Sephora to recruit millennial consumers. Simultaneous efforts by the core Estée Lauder brand have recruited millennials via digital and makeup at an unprecedented rate. Therefore, after a year of valuable insights and learnings, we have decided that a separate brand in North America dedicated to recruiting millennials is no longer necessary. We are committed to our partnership with Sephora and we are working closely to strengthen our business in Sephora and develop exciting new programs.
Over the past few years, Lauder has experimented with ways to reach younger consumers, both with the launch of The Estée Edit and through an increasing practice in investing in established millennial-targeted brands. In the past year alone, the company has acquired both Becca Cosmetics and Too Faced, each known for devoted millennial fan bases and impressive digital footprints. Meanwhile, Lauder's own legacy brands, like MAC, Clinique and Origins (all department store tentpoles), have struggled in a difficult retail market.
Fabrizio Freda, Estée Lauder's CEO and president, has been candid about focusing on growing the company's digital presence and focusing on millennial consumers in recent interviews. In a February earnings report, he said the company would be prioritizing multichannel engagement: "The consumer can expect much more participation from our brands in social media engagement, digital marketing, paid social media and, most importantly, the aspect of unpaid [user-generated] social media," he said. "All our brands are interacting with the consumer now on multiple platforms."


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Fort Collins Wing Shack to open April 11
The Wing Shack is scheduled to open its new Fort Collins store on April 11.
The Northern Colorado chain specializing in a variety of chicken wing sauces and dry rubs is setting up its fifth location at 1011 S. Lemay Ave. It replaces the former BookEnds bookstore near Poudre Valley Hospital.
Along with wings, the restaurant offers salads, sandwiches, wraps and a selection of Colorado beers on tap.
“We are pretty thrilled to be in Fort Collins,” said Doug Baker, Wing Shack’s director of marketing. “Fort Collins has such a vibrant and cultured dining scene. We are just excited to be part of that community.”
The new Fort Collins location will host a ticketed pre-opening party April 9-10 that includes samples. Proceeds from the pre-opening party benefit Larimer County Food Bank, SpokesBUZZ and Fort Collins Museum of Discovery.
The Wing Shack was founded in Garden City in 2004 by Brian Seifried. A Loveland location opened in 2006. And The Wing Shack added Greeley and Windsor locations in 2012. The Wing Shack also operates a food truck.
BEFORE YOU GO: Tips for your trip to Waltzing Kangaroo
Seifried, who attended Colorado State University before opening his first restaurant, owns all of the locations.
“At the end of the day, we try to make best chicken wings we can,” Baker said. “We try to give (customers) the best value we can, with the best service we can.
“That’s sort of been our model. And it’s done well.”
Follow Jake Laxen on Twitter and Instagram @jacoblaxen


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Microsoft authorities go to the facility of a brand-new rumor after it was exposed that audio recordings made by Xbox gaming consoles are being paid attention to by 3rd parties.
Whether it’s a wise audio speaker, a console or a TELEVISION, they do not begin refining voice commands up until after paying attention to search phrases. It appears that those gaming consoles have actually tape-recorded a lot a lot more than you believe.
According to a record released by Vice, 3rd parties employed by Microsoft paid attention to your residence recordings made by Xbox gaming consoles. This info enhances the rumor began a couple of weeks earlier, when it ended up being clear that staff members of third-party firms were paying attention to portions of your Skype discussions, along with communications with online aide Cortana.
In a suitable globe, the console would just begin taping from the minute the proprietor claimed Xbox or Hey Cortana. According to the declarations of those associated with recording the recordings, it appears that unintentional recordings were likewise set off, when the console ought to not have actually heard what you were speaking about in your house.
The troubling scenario does not also take place quickly. 3rd parties validated that they had accessibility to documents made by individuals’s houses from the moment of the Kinect sensing unit, prior to Cortana. Because of the severity of the circumstance, Microsoft eliminated the online aide from Xbox in July this year, yet you can still connect with voice regulates with the console utilizing Cortana for Android or iphone.
3rd events have actually paid attention to your documents to boost the high quality of solutions used by the Redmond titan. “We have actually been clear for a lengthy time that we are collecting voice recordings to boost voice triggered solutions as well as that this information is in some cases evaluated by 3rd events.”


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Muslim Fashion Developments in The World, The Latest! Recent developments in the field have led to a variety of public discourses on a range of different levels, from politics, religion, to culture. Different positions are taken by different participants in discussing the politics and culture of Islamic fashion. The development of Muslim fashion in the world, online fashion developments.
According to the latest news The muslim fashion Market currently presents a rapidly growing niche that is still relatively empty on a global scale. Major brands try to present their collections relating to the worship of Islam, however. Without the effort to see single-handedly securing Muslim customers in Western, countries leave room for young designers to emerge mainly from Muslim countries.
In the United Arab Emirates, especially Dubai, which continues to lay the foundation for becoming the centre of Islamic Fashion with highly curated. Regency Designers and leading Islamic housing brands. the development of men’s fashion, the development of French fashion.
The growing popularity of online shopping around the world, among Muslim youth has proven that the internet, today plays an important role in promoting exclusive. Muslim identity as well as allowing unexpected convergence and relationships, between individuals from different backgrounds and between the demands of fashion and belief. In addition, online Islamic fashion shops promote ethical trade as part of their income for charity.
The last decade has seen the diversification and spread of the Muslim fashion trade in the United Kingdom, the United States and around the world, both inside and outside the network, with several entrepreneurs serving higher markets.
What is the Latest Muslim Fashion Development?
The main target of the muslim fashion market. In part, opposition to headscarves is banned in some countries and limits regulations for doing sports encouraging, the transformation of Islamic clothing and spurring activity on the Internet (fashion blogs, social networks, etc.), especially, contributing to the growth of various Islamic modes. e-shop.
However, the emergence of online stores with Muslim lifestyle, magazines and fashion blogs has increased the tide of criticism associated, with religious commercialization and covert religious propaganda. On the other hand, some scholars interpret this problem in other ways: the influence of fashion developments, the development of fashion retail in Indonesia.
Entrepreneurs involved in promoting online headscarves can be motivated by a mixture of religious, ethical, political and commercial concerns that grow from the personal. experiences of those living in urban multicultural environments and who reflect and respond to the desires expressed by many young Muslim women living in the West to be fashionable and simple.
Especially for Muslim women, headscarves have become an important part of their appearance: they are increasingly looking for clothes that do not distinguish them from other communities. With the rapid growth of digital networks and users of social media, the need for this “digital platform” is increasing and the purchasing power of young consumers tends to increase over the years.
Apart from traditional websites as online stores, it is possible to use social media to market hijabs by saving time and money, starting from Facebook, to Instagram and Pinterest. That is the development of muslim fashion that you can know.


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Facebook’s 10th F8, a conversation about technology and human connection, was held in San Jose, CA, on April 30 and May 01. This two-day event was intended for developers, creators, entrepreneurs and innovators from around the world. It was not only a networking opportunity but also the chance to get more knowledge through deep-dive sessions and product demos.
This year event was launched with the discussion about an ambitious transition to become a more private-focused social platform. In other words, according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, it was “The future is private”.
The company has just finished its opening keynote. During the keynote, Facebook introduced new features and updates to Facebook’s family of apps, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, and Oculus. There are so many announcements to handle, but you don’t have to worry about that. Because in this article, we will break down the highlights of F8 for you.
Here are the five main announcements of Facebook’s F8 2019 keynote.
Facebook’s App Redesigned and Groups Focus
The first new update, called “FB5” by Zuckerberg, is the new Groups tab. It will show a personalized feed of activity from all the groups you are already a member of. In addition, Facebook recommends more similar groups that are related to your interest. Group content will also appear while you are browsing other parts of Facebook.
“This redesigning makes it easy for people to go from public spaces to more private ones, like Groups. There are over ten millions active groups on Facebook, and when people find the right one, it often becomes the most meaningful part of how they use Facebook. That’s why we’re introducing new tools that will make it easier for you to discover and engage with groups of people who share your interests.”
Facebook has made so much effort to show that it is not only a platform for manipulation and viral content but also beneficial in a community connection sense. Moreover, it added the Meet New Friends feature, which connects strangers who share the same community, for example, school, workplace or city. This feature will help people expand their social circles.
You might also like: Amazon Launches P2P Payments in India
New Updates for Instagram
First off, Instagram is rolling out a new camera design, which is “Create Mode”. With this new update, it will be easier for Instagram’s users to share stories without photos and videos. In F8 2019, Instagram also introduced an option for users to raise money via donation stickers in Stories. Besides the new fundraising feature, Instagram’s Check Out was added, which allows users to buy products inside the app.
In the meantime, Instagram is testing a hide-likes system. This will hide the number of likes on a person’s feed. Instagram plans to try this feature in Canada. And if there is a positive result, it might be rolled out in other countries.
Facebook called the new messenger project is “Lightspeed”. Because Facebook Messenger now is redesigned to open within 2 seconds. The new version of Messenger is not only fast but also small. It will be 70MB lighter than the current one. Your phone just needs to use 30MB to install this new version.
As Mark Zuckerberg has said “The future is private”, Facebook has made a lot of effort to become a private-focused social platform. With this purpose in mind, Facebook will make the Messenger end to end encrypted by default. This means that all users’ messages and stories will be seen between only them and the sender with end to end encryption.
Another update of Messenger is Close Friend feature. With this new feature, you can discover the content of your family and your friends. Besides that, you can set status messages as well as sharing photos and videos with people you trust. The final update of Messenger is for MacOS and Windows’users. The good news is that they don’t have to open Messenger on browser tab anymore, cause Facebook will kick off Messenger app for PC around the end of this year.
Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift S Are Available for Pre-Order
In F8 2019 Developers Conference keynote, Facebook had made an announcement about its Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR and AR). The Oculus Quest and the Oculus Rift S VR headsets are up for pre-order in the US. Both of them cost $399 and will ship from May 21, in 22 countries.
Both the new VR headsets make use of Oculus Insight, Facebook’s computer vision technology. “By mapping the world around you and your position in it, Oculus Insight lets you navigate virtual and physical spaces-all in real time,” says Facebook. The Rift S is the successor to the company’s 2016 Oculus Rift VR headset with the more accurate inside-out tracking camera.
The Oculus Quest is being launched with support for about 50 titles, including Beat Saber, Moss, first-person indie shooter Superhot, and Tilt Brush. However, it has some limitations such as it doesn’t employ external environment tracking via cameras.
In the AR space, Facebook announced some new updates for the Spark AR Studio software. Firstly, the AR platform will finally be available on Windows and Mac. Secondly, a new feature, Blocks will enable developers to break down their projects in small resizable chunks. The last update is Spark AR Studio features a Patch Editor. It allows developers to add complex interactions in their AR effects.
Facebook New Dating Feature
A new dating services, “Dating” allows Facebook users to create separate dating profiles from their main accounts. In other words, the two profiles do not interact with each other. Therefore, your Facebook friends won’t be able to see your dating profile.
The special feature of Facebook Dating is “Secret Crush”. With this feature, you can make a list of your Facebook friends you like, whether they have dating facebook or not. And of course, this is a secret list that only you can know it. The maximum number of friends you can choose in this list is nine. If they also add you as their secret crush, Facebook will send a notification that there is a match between two of you.
After all new updates which Facebook announced in its annual developer conference, Facebook is showing that it is a trustworthy platform. Facebook and its family of apps are making many efforts to connect people around the world as well as keeping users’ information private.


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A new Bughunt map pack for Aliens vs Predator
will be released one week from today on July 7 as DLC for SEGA's first-person shooter, offering four new maps and new weather types for $6.99 USD or 560 MS Points, announces SEGA of America
. Word is: "The Bughunt Map Pack contains two new multiplayer maps for the six different competitive online modes; Deathmatch, Predator Hunt, Infestation, Species Deathmatch, Mixed Species Deathmatch and Domination, as well as two new maps for the “Survival” mode in which a team of up to four Marines fight to survive against the increasing horde of Aliens. For the first time, these maps will include environmental hazards and new weather effects, detailed descriptions of these maps are available on www.sega.com/avp
." We have some Bughunt screenshots
and a Bughunt trailer
, which is embedded below.


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Google’s Android seems unstoppable. The Consumer Electronics Show, held in Las Vegas over the past few days, has seen the launch and announcement of an huge number of gadgets running Android, including so-called iPad killers like the Motorola XOOM, which be running Android’s next big version, Honeycomb.
Google is switching on 300,000 new Android devices per day! And there are more Android phone users in the US than there are iPhone users in the US.
Apple may have unleashed the age of the touchscreen super-smart phone, but Google is starting to look like the strongest contender for the future of mobile computing.
A “marketing machines” war
I was sitting with a senior executive of a regional telecom the other day who told me he felt that 2010 might turn out to be another “1990” for Apple. Back then Apple was doing really well. But post 1990, Microsoft started working like crazy to bring out the first versions of Windows, which where pretty crappy compared to the superior Macintosh operating system. But Microsoft was licensing its operating system to so many PC manufacturers which mean that Apple had to fight not only Microsoft but also the marketing machines of people like Dell, Acer, HP, IBM and many others. All of these companies where pumping out Windows PCs, while Apple refused to license its OS to others manufacturers. Consumers where surrounded by Windows PCs of all shapes and sizes and Apple started looking like an isolated island.
My telecom executive friend thinks the same thing will happen again. Google is the new Microsoft. Apple has to pit its offering against Android-based Motorola, Samsung, LG, HTC, Sony Ericsson phones and tablets, and soon against ultra cheap Android devices pumped out by Chinese manufacturers.
In the late 1990s, while Steve Jobs was away, Apple finally started a half hearted effort to license MacOS to others. Umax, Radius and others started manufacturing “Mac compatibles”, only to see Steve Jobs return to the company in 1997 and stop all these agreement immediately, going back to his core philosophy of creating fully integrated appliances where software and hardware are tightly controlled, to offer users a smooth and superior experience.
Apple, still under Steve Jobs, will not license iOS. Probably never ever. So we’re back in an open vs. closed war. Apple is seen as closed. Controlling software and hardware. Even controlling which apps make it into the iOS Appstore. Google brand itself as open. Android is open-source and free. Any manufacturer can use it, change it, skin it. Its own Android app market is more open too.
Obviously, people are loving both Apple’s iOS devices and Google Android’s devices. Google is evolving Android fast. They hired Mathias Duarte, the guy behind the design of Palm’s webOS, a beautiful, smooth mobile operating system, to polish up the user experience of Android. We’re witnessing an all out mobile computing war.
Open, good. Closed, bad?
Google’s executives speak almost religiously about the inevitability of the eventual historical triumph of open systems over closed system. They would claim that what Apple has going for it is a short term lead with a great closed system, but that eventually Google’s vision of providing an open and “free” mobile OS to the world will eventually win.
Jobs has made interesting comments recently, trying to change the conversation from open vs. closed to integrated vs. fragmented: What do end USERS really care about? Is it “openness” or getting a phone that “just works”? Google is forced to think of different hardware partners, screen sizes, skin-ability (i.e. manufacturer-specific visual and functional layers that HTC, Samsung and others end up sticking over Android), the presence or absence of physical buttons, etc. etc. Apple just has to worry about a limited set of its own devices, striving to perfect the overall experience.
It’s a very interesting philosophical debate.
Does open always win against closed in the world of human products?
It got me thinking.
Yes, I believe standards, especially open standards are important. Where would we be without international agreements on aviation control? Hasn’t the development of standard shipping containers revolutionized global trade? Aren’t JPEG, USB, HTML, CSS, MP3 great technologies that allow people to innovate around agreed standards. Isn’t the extensibility of Linux, PHP and WordPress great?
Obviously, humanity would benefit from global standards. Even better if they are open, where everyone can contribute to the development of platforms that all of humanity can use.
But maybe there is a limit to openness? What is the real-world situation when it comes to open vs. closed?
Cars, watches, fridges. Who wants openness?
But lets look at other industries. Let’s talk about cars.
Maybe it is a shame that humanity has not yet developed a mass produced, open source car platform. The car industry is over 100 years old. But Mercedes is still Mercedes. People buy the Mercedes brand, experience and package.
Maybe there is a standard automobile platform in our future. But Mercedes has thrived and will probably still thrive in the decades to come while remaining a manufacturer of what is essentially a closed package of design, engineering and propriety technologies.
Let’s talk about watches. Is Rolex feeling the pressure of some open source system that will be used to run all watches. Probably not.
When buying a fridge, you want it to be compatible with certain global (or semi global) standards: you want it to run on 220 Volt electricity, to adhere to safety standards, maybe be EnergyStar certified and so on. But you wouldn’t care if it was based on an open fridge standard.
Granted, a computer is not a fridge. A computer is a mix of a number of technologies and can have endless applications. But I think it would be naive to judge Apple’s “integrated” and “controlled” offering, just because Google says that Apple is on the wrong side of the open/closed divide.
Pure engineering thinkers might consider all the success of closed companies as an unfortunate period of human development. Maybe they see in Google the dawn of a new utopian age of openness. We should note, though, that Google is, of course, a profit-making company and not a global NGO. Google is in the advertising business and what they want are more an more eyeballs looking at their search, video and communication products to sell more ads. Android is not exactly like Linux or HTML.
Closed innovation. Starting from scratch
Finally, let’s talk about innovation. When Apple turned the phone industry upside down with the iPhone in 2007, it came out with a fundamental kind of innovation. The overall user experience of Android (and most other mobile OSs) still lags behind Apple’s perfection. Apple also innovated an ecosystem around its products. The AppStore and iTunes Store are an integral part of the Apple mobile experience.
Innovation sometimes means ignoring the norms and standards and going for something totally new.
Now consider what Samsung is doing now. It is bolting its own “TouchWiz” interface thing over Android. Although Android is open source, Samsung will still be tied to Google’s innovation roadmap. How will this affect the ability to innovate in the Android universe. Will Apple-like breakthroughs be possible?
It is hard to predict the future of mobile computing. For one Microsoft might still be able to make a come back here with its pretty amazing WIndows Phone 7 offering. Blackberry is still number 1 in the US smartphone market. Nokia needs to reinvent itself and will not just give up. HP/Palm is still lurking in the market. What if Facebook comes out with a mobile computing/communication platform?
With Google’s unstoppable energy behind it, Android might well dominate the world starting 2011. But Apple is the highest valued US tech company and its vision of design and experience perfection might still guarantee it a dominant position, or at least a large and very profitable niche of the market, even if it is remains “closed”.
Apple could eventually become the Posrsche of mobile computing. Or it will use its huge cash reserves, become more expansionist and go for more device diversity (think of a 100$ iPhone) to try to outsell the major Android manufacturers combined.
The future: don’t forget the hardware!
If we take the risk of attempting a medium to long term view of mobile computing we need consider all the factors including technical innovation, design, open vs. closed systems, branding, ecosystems and distribution. I can imagine a situation where a lot of the applications become cloud based, living on the “open standards” web. Here is where openness could win (this doesn’t mean Google will win necessarily. Maybe Facebook or Twitter!). But the physical embodiment of mobile computers could become the exciting arena o newf “closed” innovation. Think immersive 3D. Think augmented reality. Think location. Think digital to organic body interfacing.
All cars run on the same “open standard” petrol worldwide. But there are still Hyundais, Mercedeces and Toyotas to choose from.


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Parade, the underwear brand from Columbia University dropout Cami Téllez, has shown the apparel industry that it’s possible to put people, the planet and inclusivity at the forefront of a successful business.
“We’ve been committed to thinking about sustainability, from the materials and processes [we use] to the entire lifecycle of a garment,” Téllez told Glossy. In late September 2021, the brand revealed that it had raised a $20 million Series B round of funding led by growth-equity firm Stripes, bringing its overall valuation to $140 million. Parade grew three times over from 2020 to 2021 and has sold over 3.5 million units. It opened its first retail store in NYC’s SoHo neighborhood in December. With a goal of serving 1 million customers, the brand, created months before the pandemic hit, has accelerated its business over the last two years.
Underwear makes up 4% of all womenswear products currently selling online across the U.S. and the U.K. According to retail intelligence platform Edited, the global lingerie market is expected to grow to $79 billion by 2027. Last week, in time with Earth Day, the label announced science-based sustainability targets under its Science Based Targets Initiative: It aims to reduce its scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 42% by 2030, compared to 2020, which is in line with the 1.5-degrees Celsius scenario defined by the Paris Agreement.
Earlier this year, Parade also launched the Second Life program, which is the first national underwear recycling program created in partnership with recycling company Terracycle. Through the partnership, the brand takes back used underwear and repurposes it as insulation. “It was really important for us to answer the question the customer always had, which was, ‘What do I do with my underwear when I’m done?’ It was critical to address the full lifecycle, especially as we’re making a product that the customer is wearing every single day,” said Téllez. So far, the brand has recycled 30,000 pairs of underwear.
Parade is also one of a handful of brands to work with a strategic sustainability partner to create its own information labels relaying a product’s environmental impact — others include footwear brand Nisolo. Working with Eco Age, the brand developed its own methodology, pulling in industry best practices and Circulytics data from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation around three areas: climate impact, social impact and circularity. “We’re in the business of creating consumer transparency, and our mission is to hand this category back to the customer,” said Téllez. “We think about [this label] as [providing] a sustainability grading scale that takes into account the holistic impact of this product on the business.” In addition, the company previously announced plans to invest in a proprietary supplier seal, communicating its standards for the suppliers it works with, by 2024.
Téllez said she entered the underwear category knowing that it’s a space in the broader apparel industry that has barely been touched by sustainability. “We needed to quickly learn how to be at the bleeding edge of sustainable innovation across our materials, across [products’] full lifecycle and across all of our practices as a brand,” because there was no brand to emulate, she said. She called herself a “learning CEO,” adding that all business leaders should consistently be learning what their businesses can do to best respond to the climate crisis.
Parade officially became carbon neutral this year and is tracking to be carbon positive by 2025. At this point, few other fashion brands have addressed carbon positivity. Parade’s roadmap for reaching the goal is focused on reducing its Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, and working with partners to offset impacts. At the same time, it’s keeping in mind energy usage in its corporate facilities and shipping processes, with the goal of converting to 100% clean or renewable energy by 2023. The brand has also said it will divert 100% of its corporate and factory waste from landfills by 2025. That’s something that less agile brands struggle with, as old stock and inefficient returns policies often result in their product landing in landfills.
The company focuses on people, both through its factories and in its ambassador program, Project Parade. The program gives prizes to the brand’s 25,000 ambassadors leading sustainability initiatives in their communities the opportunity. They receive $25,000, with $1,000 to donate to individuals and $5,000 to donate to organizations. The entries closed on April 15 and winners will be announced soon. Meanwhile, all of the brand’s factory partners are WRAP SA 8000 or Fair Trade Certified. They sign a supplier code of business integrity, requiring them to pay their workers in line with the global minimum wage standard.
“We’ve seen a categorical shift toward the customer thinking more critically about the underwear they’re wearing. Customers are also thinking more critically about the way they’re supporting companies.” The brand taps into younger consumer groups by linking with celebrities for its launches. “Euphoria” star Chloe Cherry starred in Parade’s new campaign for its New: Cotton collection, which launched yesterday. It’s a line of sustainable basics made from Refibra x Tencel Lyocell, upcycled cotton and sustainably-sourced trees.
Going forward, Parade will focus on global expansion beyond its current markets of the U.S., Canada and the U.K. Parade will also be expanding into other channels with partners that it believes share its values and stand for the better future of the underwear category. Over the next 12 months, the brand will be launching collaborations with brands across various categories and will continue to position itself as a lifestyle brand and the only pop-culture brand within the underwear space. Téllez also mentioned that Parade will be expanding to many new and unexpected categories over the next year.


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Vintners put new wine in old bottle: San Francisco
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Urban wineries are pouring into San Francisco.
With a new one opening this week, another expanding and business booming for several more, San Francisco winemaking is thriving — opening the door to what could be a revival of the city’s once-flourishing industry.
“Few people know that quality artisanal winemaking is happening right here in the city — and we’re doing some really interesting stuff,” said Jim Mirowski, owner of Treasure Island Wines, which in 2007 was the first winery on the island. It has grown to produce 8,000 cases annually.
Now Treasure Island boasts a number of boutique winemakers, including Fat Grape, Bravium, Eristavi Family Wines, as well as Winery SF and Bodega Wine Estates — a couple of independent brands that spawned from Mirowski’s facility.
In the city, the fledgling urban wine industry took off a couple of years ago after the departure of Crushpad, which sprouted Dogpatch Wineworks and Bluxome Street Winery in South of Market.
Crushpad, the largest, most visible winery of the bunch, abruptly decided to move its operations out of the city and into wine country before going bankrupt and shuttering last year.
Former Crushpad employees and clients then opened Bluxome and Wineworks and became the newest entrants touting the virtues of urban winemaking. Now they’re flourishing with new business, big-ticket events and increased production — promising to bring San Francisco winemaking back to its pre-1906 earthquake roots. California winemaking didn’t start in Napa or Sonoma, but in SoMa, where there were approximately 120 wineries before the 1906 earthquake wreaked havoc, and prohibition a few years later discouraged newcomers, according to Bluxome.
Renée Frojo covers hospitality, restaurants, retail and nonprofits for the San Francisco Business Times.
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The Economy Has To Be Getting Better, Doesn't It?
RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke says he sees some - I'm quoting him now here - green shoots in the economy. Another top White House economic advisor, Larry Summers, also says he spotted sprouts of green. To find out if it is spring time for the economy, we turn to David Wessel, economics editor of The Wall Street Journal. Good morning, David.
Mr. DAVID WESSEL (Wall Street Journal): Good morning, Renee.
MONTAGNE: Do you hear any birds tweeting behind your - over your shoulder? What would you make of this positive gardening rhetoric?
Mr. WESSEL: I think what Mr. Bernanke and Mr. Summers are saying is that after a period of relentlessly bad news a few months ago, where the economy seemed to be in a free fall, the news is not as bad as it was before and there are some signs of things leveling off. We think the first quarter economy shrank at a rate of five or six percent at an annual rate, and now they think the economy might shrink only two percent in the current quarter. So it's kind of like that Nancy Sinatra song, we've been down so long, it looks like up.
(Soundbite of laughter)
MONTAGNE: Well, and what are the things - you're talking about shrinking, but what are the things that they see coming up, the green shoots and sprouts of green?
Mr. WESSEL: Oh, well, I want to make clear that I don't think they're wildly optimistic, but they see things like consumer spending seems to have stopped falling, and so has consumer confidence. Car sales were up a little bit in March, and that was the first time in four months. With low mortgage rates, sales of existing homes have turned up. There's some signs that factories are beginning to see an upturn in orders, and, of course, there's the fact that the stock market is up 20 percent or so in the last four weeks.
MONTAGNE: Well, one other thing that has been up is the unemployment rate, already to 8.5 percent. It doesn't seem to be spring time for a lot of American workers.
Mr. WESSEL: No, it isn't. The job market remains very weak. One of the early warning indicators is the number of people who filed new claims for unemployment benefits, and that's been running at the highest level since 1982, which was a very deep recession, and that's not a good sign. But we know that the job market often continues to deteriorate even after the economy stops contracting and starts growing again, so it doesn't mean that things aren't getting better, but it does mean that for a lot of workers it still is awful out there.
MONTAGNE: Well, how will we know if the recession is ending?
Mr. WESSEL: Well, that's a good question. You know, you really only know in hindsight. At the time when the recession is bumping along the bottom, we see lots of mixed signals, and that's what we are seeing now. We know that the recession is already at 17 months, the longest since World War II, and we know that economic forecasters, whose record is a little spotty, or very spotty, say we could have another six months before it's over, before the economy's growing again. And even then, they tell us that we should expect prolonged period of painfully slow growth, so slow that the unemployment rate might keep rising.
MONTAGNE: You know, David, after all the surprises and virtually all of the bad over the past year and a half, what makes anyone so sure the economy will turn up even later this year?
Mr. WESSEL: Well, some of it is a kind of innate optimism that at some point, the U.S. economy is so resilient, that it'll bounce back. Larry Summers, for instance, points out that it takes about 14 million car sales to replace cars that are wearing out or breaking down usually, and we're only selling nine million cars at an annual rate now. So eventually, people will stop buying cars. Eventually, with companies selling more stuff than they're producing now, inventories will run down and things will stop - start buying. And, of course, we know that a lot of the government stimulus - the tax cuts, the big government spending that President Obama pushed soon after taking office…
Mr. WESSEL: …is only now beginning to show up in people's paychecks.
MONTAGNE: Well, David, thanks as always for joining us.
Mr. WESSEL: A pleasure. Thank you, Renee.
MONTAGNE: David Wessel is economics editor of The Wall Street Journal.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.


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Online gaming is a technology-based entertainment that has gained popularity over the years and has witnessed a vast increase in users since the recent pandemic began. This new trend requires a huge demand for high-speed internet connections, which has led to an increase in demand for fiber optic cables and other equipment that are used for telecommunication purposes also. However, the process of installing fiber optic cables can be time-consuming and expensive.
Cloud Gaming Era
The growth of the gaming industry has presented telecom companies with a huge chance to diversify their businesses. Just like music, TV, and telecom, gaming is now also moving to the cloud. Companies like Microsoft are announcing their upcoming cloud gaming projects; so, the fact that these giants are moving into gaming and streaming marks a huge opportunity for the telecom field.
Furthermore, the gaming industry has lived through multiple eras of new technologies, but one of the biggest disruptions was the internet. The internet has changed gaming as we know it, from connecting gamers across the world to changing the way we imagine, play, and even purchase games. In addition, in combining cloud gaming and 5G, data utilization and connectivity will grow rapidly, which will require a considerable increase in network capacity; It's not just about streaming, but also about mobile gaming, which is the fastest expanding gaming genre.
In order to meet this growing demand for bandwidth, telecom providers will need to create scalable networks that can handle these capacities. As 5G expands, telecom players will be able to demonstrate the real benefits of reduced latency and faster download speed. Telecom companies are at the perfect time to refine their strategies and create packages that take advantage of the benefits 5G has to offer.
Allied with relevant gaming providers, the telecom industry can play an important role in the expansion of cloud gaming. For instance, AT&T, Verizon, and Ooredoo group have already exhibited this in the market; Verizon recently announced a partnership with “Twitch”, a popular gaming streaming platform, and AT&T on the other hand partnered up with “PlayGiga”. While Ooredoo welcomed its new community of gaming “Ooredoo EZ”. According to Telecoms.com “cloud gaming and subscription services revenue is expected to grow 9% per year, reaching $8 billion by 2023.”
Gaming and Video Streaming: Myth vs Reality
By 2021, most modern games used about 40 MB to 140 MB of internet data/hour; this is oddly similar to data consumption during music streaming on popular platforms like Spotify, YouTube Music, among others. As opposed to popular belief, the average data usage while gaming online is significantly lower than what you might use watching HD+ videos on YouTube or streaming your favorite TV shows on Netflix. Modern games don’t use data as much as video streaming, even at their highest level of usage (around 200 MB/hour).
Moreover, there’s more to internet usage when it comes to online gaming: a stable internet connection is needed with enough bandwidth and speed to run modern games smoothly. Thus, if you don’t have a stable internet connection, you might end up facing issues like packet loss, jitter, or high ping. Not to forget, many modern games require large downloads, which is something to consider when playing.
Africa Gaming Market
Gaming is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12% during the forecast period (2021-2026), according to Mordor Intelligence. The Covid-19 pandemic had a positive impact on the African gaming market, especially South Africa, being one of the largest video game markets on the continent. As a result of the pandemic, stay-at-home orders were mandated, causing customers to spend more time and money on various games and gaming consoles, which led to the growth of the commercial gaming market.
In addition, the African gaming industry is influenced by many factors, such as young population, and laws on online gaming betting. Furthermore, there is an increasing prevalence of high-speed internet connections, especially in emerging economies, which has made online gaming practical for more people in recent years.
Tips for Reducing Bandwidth Usage While Gaming
Even though many people today use unlimited internet data plans, there are still situations when they may have a limited monthly bandwidth allowance. So, how can the amount of gaming bandwidth be reduced?
Gaming data usage depends on many factors that cannot be controlled, such as how improved the game’s code is, the size of the server population, and the complexity of the data that needs to be transmitted. However, there are factors that can be directly influenced, and with all that in mind, here are a few steps to take to reduce bandwidth usage while gaming:
- Turning off voice chat
- Setting texture size to medium or small
- Reducing shadow and post-processing quality
- Switching off anti-aliasing
- Checking for background processes such as game launchers running in the background and turning them off if they are not needed
- Avoiding excessive downloads of games and patches while on a limited internet connection
To some, it may come as a surprise, but the gaming industry is a billion-dollar industry with billions of gamers worldwide. The impact of network performance on streaming services and gameplay cannot be underestimated and the majority of end-users will make the necessary corrections to optimize gameplay and connectivity.


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There are many Tesla fans among disinfonauts, not to mention a contingent of technology types, all of whom I am sure will cringe at this vision of the genius inventor going to…
Alyson Shontell reports in Business Insider:
There’s a tiny 12-person startup churning out of Des Moines, Iowa. Dwolla was founded by 28-year-old Ben Milne; it’s an innovative online payment system that sidesteps credit cards completely.
Milne has no finance background, yet his little operation is moving between $30 and $50 million per month; it’s on track to move more than $350 million in the next year. Unlike PayPal, Dwolla doesn’t take a percentage of the transaction. It only asks for $0.25 whether it’s moving $1 or $1,000.
We interviewed Milne about how he is building a credit card killer and Square rival from the middle of the nation where VCs and press are scarce.
Mark Andreessen (you know, the Netscape nerd turned venture capitalist) explains for the Wall Street Journal:
This week, Hewlett-Packard (where I am on the board) announced that it is exploring jettisoning its struggling PC business in favor of investing more heavily in software, where it sees better potential for growth. Meanwhile, Google plans to buy up the cellphone handset maker Motorola Mobility. Both moves surprised the tech world. But both moves are also in line with a trend I’ve observed, one that makes me optimistic about the future growth of the American and world economies, despite the recent turmoil in the stock market.
In short, software is eating the world…


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The preview for Android M has been out in the wild for quite a while now, but we still din’t know what exactly the M stands far. But now it’s official – the M stands for marshmallow, as many out there, including yours truly, were supposing.
The most recent Android 5.2 update was first previewed at the company’s I/O conference in late May, but at the time Google didn’t disclose the full name for Android M. And yeah, marshmallow does seem to be the obvious choice here, although marmalade wouldn’t have been too bad either.
Android versions have been developed under a confectionery-themed code name sine April 2009, so let’s have a brief look back and see how were the previous versions called:
- Cupcake (1.5)
- Donut (1.6)
- Eclair (2.0–2.1)
- Froyo (2.2–2.2.3)
- Gingerbread (2.3–2.3.7)
- Honeycomb (3.0–3.2.6)
- Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0–4.0.4)
- Jelly Bean (4.1–4.3.1)
- KitKat (4.4–4.4.4, 4.4W–4.4W.2)
- Lollipop (5.0–5.1.1)
As you can see from the above picture, Google has added a statue to the lawn in its Mountain View headquarters. Dave Burke, Android’s VP of Engineering, was the first to have published the picture of statue on Twitter.
— Dave Burke (@davey_burke) August 17, 2015
The “near-final” software development kit for Android M is also expected to launch soon and it will allows to tinker with their apps to make them ready for Marshmallow. As usual, it will rollout over-the-air (OTA) or you can to choose flash through factory images. Google also confirmed that Marshmallow will be known as Android 6.0.
Among its most important new features, Android Marshmallow comes with a more user-friendly approach to permissions, the new Android Pay mobile wallet platform, USB Type-C support, and a bunch of other various improvements.


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A trade association for producers of ``infomercials`` has adopted self-regulatory guidelines in its effort to clean up the industry and ward off further crackdowns by federal regulatory agencies.
``We created the guidelines to send out a clear message to the FTC, Congress and consumers that we are legitimate marketers offering quality products,`` said Greg Renker, co-founder of the National Infomercial Marketing Association.
Some makers of infomercials, which usually run about 30 minutes, have been criticized by the Federal Trade Commission and congressional leaders for allegedly violating federal regulations prohibiting deceptive or unsubstantiated claims.
The FTC has brought charges against six infomercial producers. The largest case involved a $1.5 million fine against Twin Star Productions of Scottsdale, Ariz., which was selling an appetite-suppressant endorsed by Ronald Reagan`s son, Michael, a baldness remedy and an impotence treatment.
The FTC said in April that Twin Star`s product claims were unsubstantiated and that the infomercials misled viewers by portraying themselves as consumer shows rather than paid advertising.
Twin Star agreed to pay the fine and pull the infomercials off the air.
The agency has said infomercials must use disclaimers identifying them as paid advertising at the start and close of each program and when ordering information is presented.
The guidelines adopted by the association require disclaimers as well as prohibiting producers from making programs that appear to be legitimate newscasts or documentaries.
In addition, association members must provide evidence to support any health or beauty claims, according to the guidelines.
Infomercial producers will buy close to $300 million of TV air time this year from cable networks, independent stations and network affiliates, according to industry sources.
``In the present environment, most producers adhere to these guidelines. We have a vested interest in following the law,`` Renker said.
The industry, which grossed $450 million last year, is expected to reach sales of $1.6 billion nationally by 1992, according to Synchronal Group Inc. of New York, the largest producer of infomercials.
Lee Peeler, the FTC`s associate director for advertising practices, said the agency gave the association, at its request, ``informed comments`` on the guidelines.
``It`s a positive development. The real test is whether they follow the guidelines,`` Peeler said.


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Ejoy, a gaming company under the Alibaba Group, responded to the “Area F2” game infringement incident. Ejoy responded exclusively to Phoenix.com, saying, “Respect each other and there is no infringement.”
On Friday, Ubisoft Entertainment, a well-known French game developer, filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in the Federal Court, saying that “Area F2” developed by Alibaba Group’s game company Ejoy “almost copied” Rainbow Six: Siege.
Ubisoft said that the company has notified Apple and Google of “Area F2” infringing its copyright, but the two companies refused to remove the game from the App Store and Google Play.
The Ejoy team responded to the lawsuit, saying that the “Area F2” project was independently developed by the Ejoy team for two years and there was no infringement. “We respect Ubisoft very much, and our legal colleagues have already actively communicated with each other.”
Previous information shows that Alibaba Group acquired Ejoy in 2017 to strengthen its online games and mobile games business. At the end of last year, Ejoy began to promote the “Area F2” game in the United States through YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter platforms. The lawsuit shows that “Area F2” was opened to the public through mobile phones and tablets last month.


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Cooking Mistakes That Are Making Your Food Unhealthy
These bad cooking habits could be costing you essential nutrients, tricking you into overeating or even making you sick.
Boiling your veggies
A review published in the International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science in 2016 showed that boiling vegetables resulted in a high loss of vitamin C and folate. One study found that broccoli, for example, lost about 33 per cent of its vitamin C. “Water-soluble vitamins leach out,” says Nishta Saxena, a registered dietitian based in Toronto. “If you’re not using the fluids in something like a soup, you’re missing out on nutrients.”
Here are eight foods you should be eating raw.
Rinsing raw chicken
While your favourite old cookbooks likely tell you to rinse a chicken before roasting, this outdated advice is a safety hazard. Running poultry under the tap may remove some of the bacteria (including salmonella and campylobacter, which can cause diarrhea, vomiting and fever), but it’s also likely to transfer it around your kitchen—as far as nearly one metre from the sink, according to research from Drexel University in Philadelphia. “Droplets can spread from your hands to countertops and even onto the floor, which can be a concern, especially if you have small children,” says Saxena. To stay safe, skip the rinse and wash your hands thoroughly after you’re finished prepping your bird.
Consult our healthy home checklist to eliminate potential hazards, room by room.
Removing skins from produce
Peeling your produce rids your food of an important layer of nutrients. “Significant amounts of vitamins, minerals and fibre are found in the skins,” says Liz Powell, a registered dietitian with Yaletown Nutrition in Vancouver. Researchers at the University of Maine estimate that the skins of potatoes, for example, contain 10 to 12 times more antioxidants than the flesh. Peeling fruits and vegetables also strips away a dose of insoluble fibre, which is crucial for digestion and bowel function. (Here are 12 high fibre foods worth adding to your cart.)
Concern about herbicide or pesticide residue isn’t a good enough reason to forego the peelings, says Powell. Washing your fresh produce will remove some pesticide residues from the surface, she says. You can also opt for organic varieties of heavily sprayed produce, such as peaches.
Find out which fruits and vegetables you should (and shouldn’t) peel.
A smoothie is a smart way to sneak in some greens (and down your breakfast in a hurry), but liquid meals tend to be unbalanced. They’re often lacking in protein, healthy fat and complex carbohydrates. These components work together to keep us feeling full and satisfied, Powell says. “Without them, it’s not really a balanced meal.” Powell recommends adding a scoop of yogourt or protein powder and part of an avocado or a spoonful of hemp hearts for protein and fat. To sneak in a complex carb, you can add some oats to the blender or have a piece of whole-grain toast on the side, she says.
“Salads have this health halo—we think we can add anything to them and they’ll still be a nutritious choice, but it’s just not true,” says Saxena. “If you’re topping your bowl with dried cranberries, candied pecans and a sweet goat cheese, you’ve easily added 30 grams of sugar to your so-called healthy lunch.” Chopped, raw nuts and seeds are better options to beef up the flavour profile of your greens. Oil-based dressings also tend to be more nutritious than their creamy counterparts.
Find out more cooking mistakes everyone makes.


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If you have been thinking of getting on Youtube now may be the time to do it.
Most businesses now know the value of having a website and email list. But many still neglect video as part of their marketing campaign.
This is tragic.
Youtube is currently offering an innovative service to businesses that are advertising on their platform:
Google expanding YouTube Director onsite video ad service to more than 170 cities
Originally offered in only six cities when it launched last year, YouTube’s video ad creation service will now be available to many more businesses.
First offered last year to advertisers in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., YouTube Director onsite is now available in more than 170 US cities.
The video ad creation service provides access to “experts” who will script, film and edit a 30-second video ad for free when a business commits to spend at least $350 on YouTube through Google AdWords. That is more than twice the original buy-in of $150 worth of YouTube ads Google required businesses to purchase to use the service when it was available in a limited number of cities.
Google shared the following graphic to clarify how the process works when advertisers sign up to work with a YouTube Director onsite expert.
That’s right, if you are advertising on Google they will literally MAKE YOU an ad for free! Ok so maybe it costs $350 but that is not a bad deal at all.
One of the things that prevents people from starting on Youtube is knowing where to start. This is a common problem for any entrepreneur looking to expand their business. It is the unknown.
Moz.com recently released a great guide to growing your Youtube presence:
A Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up and Growing Your YouTube Presence
When was the last time you saw a video on YouTube? I bet you’ve seen one today. YouTube is too huge and too popular for marketers to ignore.
If you don’t have a YouTube channel, now’s the time to start one.
If you have a channel and you never got it off the ground, now’s the time to take action.
This article will take you through the process of setting up your YouTube presence, listing steps, tools, and important tips to get you started and moving forward.
1. Define your goals
If your goal is to become a YouTube star, you might be a bit late to the party: it’s really hard to get noticed these days — too competitive. Stardom will take years of hard work to achieve because of the number of channels users have to choose from.
Even back in 2014, when I was reading about YouTube celebrity bloggers, one quote really stood out to me:
“We think, if we were coming to YouTube today, it would be too hard. We couldn’t do it.”
That’s not to say, however, that you cannot achieve other, more tangible goals on YouTube. It’s an excellent venue for business owners and marketers.


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After the successful global launch of Xiaomi Buds 4 Pro along with the Xiaomi Watch S2, and Xiaomi 13 Pro at MWC 2023, the Chinese electronics maker is eyeing the global launch of Xiaomi Buds 4. The new TWS earbuds have appeared on TDRA which confirms imminent launch in the global markets.
The earbuds have already appeared on the SIRIM, and IMDA in the recent past.
Xiaomi Buds 4 is already launched in the Chinese market and comes with some exciting features. The earbuds house BL 5.3, and support AAC, SBC, and LHDC codecs. It offers upto 30Hours of battery backup with ANC turned off, and upto 6hours with active ANC. There’s a 480 mAh battery capacity case, and each earbud holds a 25 mAh battery capacity.
Further, the earbuds boast a range of impressive features, including intelligent active noise cancellation, 360-degree spatial audio, and a transparency mode. It is available in three color options – White, Black, and Green.
In the coming days, we could see these on the shelves of Mi Stores across countries like UAE, India, etc.


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Attention, bleep: your prayers (see eighth comment) have been answered. Today, 2K Sports announced that they will be releasing NHL 2K9 on the Wii this year. It will be the first officially licensed hockey videogame on the Wii, so all you Wii owners who have been waiting so patiently for this can stop complaining (not that the complaints weren’t warranted, of course).
The press release (after the jump) mentions that you’ll be able to “play like the pros using the Wii Remote™ controller as a hockey stick,” and that certainly sounds exciting. Apparently, the Wiimote will be used to control face-offs and shots. The most heartening news of all is that the Wii version won’t be dumbed down; 2K President Christoph Hartmann promises that the game will have “the full feature set as available on other platforms.”
I just feel sad for Wii owners because EA isn’t putting out NHL 09 on the Wii (at least, they haven’t said anything about a Wii version yet). The general consensus last year was that EA’s game blew 2K’s effort out of the water, so if that trend continues this year, Wii owners will be stuck with an inferior game as their only hockey option. Of course, that’s something like the Sony-exclusive baseball game MLB 08: The Show — I feel so bad that people who don’t own a PS3, PS2, or PSP are forced to play MLB 2K8.
Anyway 2K has sent along the cover artwork (featuring Rick Nash) for the game’s four platforms (PS3, 360, Wii, PS2); you can view them in the gallery below. NHL 2K9 will be out this fall.
2K Sports Announces NHL® 2K9 as First Official NHL and NHLPA Licensed Hockey Video Game for the Wii Console
Exciting NHL hockey action pairs up with fun new features and Wii Remote™ controls
New York, NY – June 12, 2008 – 2K Sports, the sports publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), today announced that the next iteration of the popular hockey franchise, NHL 2K9, will be coming to the Wii™ console from Nintendo this fall. As the first and only officially licensed NHL and NHLPA video game for Wii, NHL 2K9 will offer fans the fun opportunity to play like the pros using the Wii Remote™ controller as a hockey stick, and enjoy playing hockey in a wholly unique and entertaining experience like never before.
“Nintendo is thrilled to have 2K Sports’ NHL 2K9 on the Wii platform this season,” said Steve Singer, VP of Licensing at Nintendo of America Inc. “This title has been highly anticipated by our Wii consumers who will now be able to use the Wii Remote to face-off, play hockey, and fire a slap shot in their living rooms.”
In celebration of NHL 2K9 for Wii, Nintendo’s most iconic video game character, Mario™, will be walking down the red carpet during the 2008 NHL Awards tonight at the Elgin Theatre, 6:15 p.m. ET in Toronto. Fans in attendance will also have the special opportunity to meet and greet Mario and have their picture taken with him.
“It’s our goal this year to bring the fun back to hockey video games,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “NHL 2K9 for Wii includes the full feature set as available on other platforms, and added Wii Remote controls and other exciting features specific for the Wii console will allow dedicated fans the opportunity to fully enjoy and embrace NHL hockey in a brand new experience.”
NHL 2K9, being developed by Visual Concepts, is not yet rated by the ESRB, and will be available this fall for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Wii console from Nintendo, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system.


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Good news for all of the CyanogenMod 9 users out there, who also use 4G (LTE). Gregory Sarrica and Android developer has created a brand new notification toggle for the ninth version of the popular CyanogenMod ROM. What exactly does it do? It allows users to enable and disable 4G LTE with the touch of a button. The feature should go a long way in saving precious battery life on 4G capable phones.
You can see the demo here:
Right now, the developer claims the toggle should easily work on all Verizon LTE devices. The testing was performed on a Galaxy Nexus with an early build of CyanogenMod 9. The Mod still needs an approval from the CyanogenMod team, but surely this feature is coming soon to your 4G devices.
Source : Droid Life


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Motorola had confirmed earlier that the company is working on a Razr branded phone that is said to be the Razr 3. Now, the price and colours of the rumoured smartphone have leaked online. The price of the smartphone in the European markets is said to be significantly lower than the predecessor, Moto Razr 5G. The handset is also said to launch in a single colour option with additional colours expected to launch at a later date. Earlier, the smartphone was reportedly going to launch first in China in late July or early August, before its global launch.
Moto Razr 3 price and availability (expected)
According to a report from CompareDial, published in collaboration with tipster Steve Hemmerstoffer, Motorola Razr 3 is going to launch in the European markets with a price tag of EUR 1,149 (roughly Rs. 94,300) that is said to be significantly lower than its predecessor, Motorola Razr 5G. It is expected to launch in a single colour option, Quartz Black, with additional colours said to arrive at a later date.
Previously, the Moto Razr 3 has been tipped to first launch in China in late July or early August before its global launch. Contrary to the new report, the handset was earlier said to launch in two colours, Quartz Black and Tranquil Blue. Motorola had earlier teased the new smartphone to launch globally in June 2022.
Moto Razr 3 specifications (expected)
Moto Razr 3 is said to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC. The primary display of the smartphone is expected to be AMOLED and said to offer 120Hz refresh rate, full-HD+ resolution, and 20:9 aspect ratio. The specifications of the secondary display are unknown. It is said to feature a 50-megapixel primary camera and a 13-megapixel macro sensor on the back. At the front, it is expected to get a 32-megapixel Omnivision sensor. The front camera is said to come with ultra-HD video recording capability at 60 fps and the rear cameras can get full-HD video recording capability at 120 fps.


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The “Bodak Yellow” rapper, 25, is the new face of athletic brand Reebok. As part of her partnership, Cardi B will promote the company’s ’90s-style Aztrek sneaker along with Reebok apparel, according to a press release sent on Monday.
During her epic back-and-forth with Minaj last week, Cardi warned her rap rival that she had many more fashion partnerships on the way. After the “Barbie Dreams” rapper, 35, claimed that Cardi turned other musicians away from collaborating with her, Cardi revealed that she was offered (and turned down) multiple opportunities in the style space, like the Diesel “Hate Couture” campaign that later went to Minaj.
Cardi B has a longstanding partnership with fast fashion retailer Fashion Nova in place, and previously curated a collection of shoes and sunglasses for Steve Madden.


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Media Release — With the first eight issues of MORNING GLORIES sold out and Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma’s enigmatic Shadowline series continuing to attract buzz, Image Comics has announced that the trade paperback collection, MORNING GLORIES, VOL. 1: FOR A BETTER FUTURE, has sold through its entire print run.
Written by Spencer with art by Eisma and covers by Rodin Esquejo, MORNING GLORIES has received widespread critical acclaim since launching in September 2010, and attracting some of the most glowing reviews of any Image title since THE WALKING DEAD’s illustrious debut. Despite rising initial orders, multiple reprints and an ongoing commitment to overprinting, each issue sells out within days of reaching stores, and now the first trade paperback is continuing that trend.
“The continued success of MORNING GLORIES has been really thrilling for Joe and I,” Spencer said. “The amount of support we’ve received for this book is just amazing, but we’re just getting started – we still want more people to read MORNING GLORIES!”
With that in mind, Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson noted that a second printing of MORNING GLORIES, VOL. 1 trade paperback has already been rushed to press in an effort to make the book available to curious new readers as quickly as possible.
“Based on the response to the trade, we knew we wanted to get back to press right away and had already begun working with Shadowline on a new printing,” he explained. “Sales velocity exceeded even our wildest imagination, though, and while selling so quickly is nice, we’d rather the book be available.”
MORNING GLORIES, VOL. 1: FOR A BETTER FUTURE (DEC100470), a 200-page trade paperback collecting the first six issues of the sold out Shadowline series at the low introductory price of $9.99 is available for re-order now with an in-store date of April 20.


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With various PlayStation State of Play events and Nintendo Directs over the last few months, it got us wondering about Xbox. It feels like an awfully long time since we've had an event dedicated to our beloved green X, and we reckon we're due a livestream sometime soon.
In fact, we haven't really seen anything of note since last year's The Game Awards, which followed the 20th anniversary event. Xbox had a major presence at the award show, with an incredible Hellblade 2 reveal along with a first gameplay look at a huge upcoming Game Pass title; A Plague Tale: Requiem.
Since then though, Sony and Nintendo have stolen the spotlight, with various livestream events in early 2022. Not to mention big releases, as Sony has just delivered two huge exclusives with Horizon Forbidden West and Gran Turismo 7.
So, we're in a bit of a weird spot with Xbox right now. It won't be too long until E3 season, which has now morphed into the 'Summer Game Fest', but that still feels like a long way off. With that in mind, do you think it's time for a dedicated Xbox event soon? Will we see one before 'E3'?
Let us know your thoughts in the poll and the comments.


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CFO believes long-term outlook is strong despite recent declines
Fonterra Co-Operative Group Ltd. is upbeat on the longer-term outlook for world dairy prices despite their continuing volatility, believing the worst of the declines may be over.
“We are very bullish,” the dairy giant’s chief financial officer, Lukas Paravicini, said in an interview Thursday. “Clearly, the fundamentals are very positive in terms of long-term protein needs and supply, and not just for China but also India, Africa, South East Asia.”
While he expects an improvement, Mr. Paravicini acknowledged farmers would face continuing difficulty in the short-term.
Global dairy prices have dropped by about 50% over the past year, as world supply has risen and China’s stockpiles have increased. Russia’s ban on U.S. and European food imports, including dairy, has also weighed on prices.
Mr. Paravicini said he believed milk prices had touched bottom and that he expected some improvement soon. Among other factors, he said there were signs demand in China was picking up again.
“I think we have seen a turnaround, but the question is when it will trend upwards,” he added. Any increase in dairy prices helps New Zealand, 30% of whose exports are milk related. The country’s agriculture-rich economy has been supported in recent years by surging demand from Asia’s rising middle classes for its dairy exports.
Mr. Paravicini’s optimistic remarks come after Fonterra lowered its forecast payout to its 10,600 farmer shareholders to 4.50 New Zealand dollars (US$3.42) per kilo of milk solids for the 2014-15 season from a prior forecast of NZ$4.70, citing significant volatility in international commodity prices because of oversupply.
The sharply lower payout means that farmers will earn some NZ$6.7 billion less than they did in the prior season.


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Amazon's entry into Australia will present great opportunities for Northland retailers and suppliers once Amazon extends access to New Zealand businesses, an e-commerce expert says.
Northland businesses will be able to expand their reach throughout the country when Amazon Australia opens up to New Zealand.
Their products won't have to leave the country because they can simply be couriered from Northland to any New Zealand destination, says Hamish Conway, director of Amazon e-commerce advisers Sell Global.
"Being online and getting noticed on Amazon is a massive opportunity for Northland's businesses," said MrConway.
"Contrary to many people's belief, Amazon is more of a business enabler than a competitor. Furthermore, it is not just for big business.
"No matter how large or small they may be, Northland's retailers, manufacturers and distributors can't ignore Amazon. They should start making the most of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get in fast and rank well once Amazon Australia opens up to New Zealand.
"Northland businesses can have their cake and eat it too by combining their bricks and mortar presence – and all of the feel-good factors associated with having a physical presence in the local community - with the benefits of using the world's most successful e-marketing platform to more deeply tap into local markets and open up to new ones."
Mr Conway said he has experience on all sides of the Amazon equation – selling his own products, other brands on Amazon in the US, UK and Europe and also advising businesses who want to have Amazon as a part of their e-commerce strategy.
He said there are misplaced beliefs that Amazon is just for big business sellers, very low-priced products or that selling on it will result in businesses losing control of their product.
"The opposite applies. Selling via Amazon – if done properly as a third-party seller – will provide more control and more profit. This will enable businesses to complement rather than cannibalise their other sales channels."
Amazon is a particularly successful platform for quality consumer products – something that New Zealand busiesses – particularly small ones - do well.
"A lot of high-quality, unique products are made or sold here. This gives our businesses a point of difference on Amazon that could not be easily copied."
Mr Conway said the key lies in understanding Amazon and how best to leverage it, and in being properly prepared: "Many businesses aren't getting the most out of their Amazon experience. Just because you are there on Amazon doesn't mean you'll make sales.
"It is a highly competitive market so success requires best-practice."