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Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters are to become the joint CEOs of Netflix after Reed Hastings announced he was to relinquish the role after 25 years.
Do you have a passion for aviation and a desire to work with a dream crew? Then the Netflix Aviation department wants to hear from you. Yes, Netflix has an […]
Nielsen has expanded its relationship with Netflix, which includes a multi-year agreement to provide linear and streaming audience data across the US, Mexico and Poland.
The number of viewers in Poland accessing HBO Max via the internet fell by a third in December.
Netflix has announced plans to open an engineering centre in Polish capital, Warsaw.
SVOD services were viewed by 15.3 million internet users in Italy in September 2022.
Spain’s Telefónica plans to strengthen and diversify its offer on Movistar+ in the face of growing competition from Netflix.
Its emerged that markets, where Netflix is planning to increase the amount of its Netflix Originals, have a smaller discount on the streamer’s new ad-funded tier.
Netflix was viewed online by almost 44% of Polish internet users in November.
Netflix has introduced a pilot project in Poland under which it is providing creators of popular local productions with additional remuneration.


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Competitor Group Inc (CGI), the leading media and event resource in the active lifestyle industry, has confirmed the acquisition of the SBR Triathlon Series from the team behind the popular online and retail store SBRshop.com.
Entering its fifth year, the two-event SBR series of USAT-sanctioned sprint triathlons kicks off this weekend in New York’s scenic Harriman State Park. The second event, scheduled for Saturday, August 13, 2011, will be rebranded as part of CGI’s TriRock Triathlon Series – becoming TriRock New York presented by SBR.
“We are excited to bring the TriRock Series to the greater New York metro area and joining forces with a retail partner like SBR is a natural fit,” said Scott Dickey, President of CGI. “Both companies share a vision of pushing the sport of triathlon beyond its niche endurance reputation, while supporting the active and vibrant triathlon community in the Northeast.”
CGI organizes the 24-event Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series and publishes both Triathlete Magazine and Inside Triathlon. The TriRock Series events have a fun and entertaining atmosphere, which is ideal for the beginner triathlete looking to get more experience as well as the seasoned athlete looking to test their speed in a short course race.
2011 TriRock series schedule
TriRock Seattle – July 17, 2011
TriRock New York presented by SBR – August 13, 2011
TriRock San Diego – September 11, 2011
TriRock Gettysburg – October 16, 2011
Organized by Competitor Group, the TriRock Series successfully debuted in San Diego on Sunday, September 12, 2010. TriRock has certainly put the rock into triathlon, taking the racing experience to the next level. Race courses feature varying distances while triathletes can listen to their favourite tunes with live bands positioned along the route and transition area. Each event features a finish line festival with a red carpet finish, beer garden, food and a post-race concert.
New York’s musical multisport mash-up (presented by SBR) will feature a ½ mile swim, 16 mile bike and 3.1 mile run. The event will include live bands along the swim, bike and run courses, followed by a post-race party and concert.

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The Confederated Tribe of Warm Springs, consisting of the Warm Springs, Wasco, and Paiute Native American Tribes, live on the Warm Springs Reservation just south of Mt. Hood and north of Bend, Oregon. The business arm of the tribe, Warm Springs Ventures, has researched the potential benefits of incorporating cannabis into their economy.
The tribe will vote on a cannabis referendum, which will take place on December 17th, that would allow the cultivation of cannabis on their Warm Springs reservation for sale in nearby Bend and Portland, Oregon. It would also allow for the authorization of “the production, sale, wholesale, and retail sale of industrial hemp for future development.”
If the referendum passes, the Warm Springs Tribe may be the first large Native American cannabis business to legally grow and sell cannabis in the United States.
The referendum will need to pass with a majority vote, but there are some stipulations attached. It must win by a 51 per cent majority in order to proceed and has to be voted on by at least one third of the population. There are 3,313 eligible voters in the Warm Springs Tribe currently, which means approximately 1,110 voters must cast their vote for a win to be considered valid.
The operation would consist of three retail stores and a growing location: a 36,000 square foot “Cultivation Greenhouse Facility” secured with steel walls and controlled access. Conservation is important to the Warm Springs Tribe, and accordingly the facility is being planned for low water use and maximum sun exposure, while not exceeding 5 acres.
The Warm Springs Tribe plans on installing retail locations in the greater Portland area and Bend, a popular tourist destination. All three planned locations will be located off of the reservation itself. The referendum explicitly states that the sale of cannabis will not be authorized on the Warm Springs reservation, where personal use of cannabis is not allowed.
Based on similar operations in Colorado, adjusted to the current Oregon market, Warm Springs Ventures estimates a net profit of $11.7 million in 2017, the first year of sales, and predict a jump to $26.1 million the following year, with a seven year total of $173.6 million. This would be a huge boost for the reservation’s economy which will receive an estimated $8.75 million in 2016 for all of their current ventures: the Indian Head Casino, Power and Water, Composite Products, Kah-Nee-Ta, Credit and Ventures.
Therefore, the cannabis project would triple the income of the tribe in 2017 and quadruple it in 2018, based on the estimates given.
Warm Springs Ventures also predicts the cannabis business will create at least 85 new jobs for the tribe. From entry level jobs, such as budtenders and flowering technicians, to mid and high level jobs: store managers, an operations manager, and leads for all the low level positions, just to name a few.
The profits and jobs created by incorporating cannabis into their economy would help repair the revenue declines and budget cuts the tribe has been experiencing for the past five years. These jobs would remain within the tribe and would be fully owned and operated by the tribe as well.
If the Warm Springs Tribe votes in favor of the referendum, the cannabis project will inject much needed funds into their economy, revitalizing the reservation. For other Native American tribes suffering from a poor economy, the referendum may well end up inspiring them to explore cannabis cultivation on their own reservations.


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Buying meat at the grocery store can be a tricky business. Customers are becoming more aware of the sometimes deplorable conditions for both the animals and the factory workers that result in dirt-cheap drumsticks, and the industry is fighting hard to catch up.
But as a result, some manufacturers are simply slapping meaningless labels on the same old product and charging you more. One you see more and more these days is “no antibiotics.” But what does this label even mean, and why should you care?
Well, first things first. You should care because an overabundance of antibiotics in your body can lead to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. And if that makes you worried, it should. Nearly two-thirds of all antibiotics produced in America go to livestock. The use of antibiotics in agriculture has skyrocketed—there was a 22 percent increase in just the five-year period from 2009 to 2014.
That means if you get an infection that might normally be treated with a 10-day course of antibiotics, it could take much more medicine and much longer to totally eradicate the infection. It could even create a superbug that antibiotics can’t beat at all. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified antibiotic resistance as “one of the world’s most pressing health concerns.” In the fall of 2016, an elderly woman in Nevada was the first person to die of a strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae that was resistant to “all available antimicrobial drugs.” Doctors tried no fewer than 26 antibiotics.
So now back to your food. If we know that the overuse of antibiotics in meat is a serious issue that could give rise to a super-flu, then why are we still using them? Well, some producers use them to make animals grow faster or survive conditions like overcrowding that can lead to infections.
But in recent years, the meat industry has been scaling back, largely due to massive advocacy campaigns and the rising rates of informed consumers. The poultry industry has led the charge, with many major sellers promising to halt antibiotic use in chickens. Everyone from fast food giants like KFC and McDonalds to poultry producer Purdue have jumped on the no-antibiotics bandwagon.
But what about those stickers that promise “no antibiotics”? What do they really mean? Well, that’s where things get tricky—because it’s not a blanket statement. Some packages might read “no antibiotics ever” while others tout “no medically important antibiotics” and still others “raised without growth-promoting antibiotics.” And organic meats are in a class of their own.
Here are explanations of three common labels you’ll see on packaged meat:
1. No Antibiotics Ever
This actually means exactly what it says. If an animal is sick enough that antibiotics are the only option to keep it alive, it will be removed from the “no antibiotics” processing line and sent to one that packages conventionally raised meats. This is a verified claim, and if the label also has a USDA Process Verified stamp, even better. This means that USDA inspectors have confirmed, in person, that no antibiotics were used. Organic meats fall under this label, and if antibiotics have to be used, the animal can no longer be processed and sold as organic.
2. No Medically Important Antibiotics
This is a trickier label. It means that the animals weren’t given any antibiotics that you would also give a human, like amoxicillin. But this still means they’re using other antibiotics, which can still lead to overuse and those aforementioned superbugs.
3. No Growth-Promoting Antibiotics
This also means what it says: No antibiotics were fed to the animal to make it grow faster. But this still means that medically important antibiotics may have been used to keep the animal healthy. Also, according to the FDA, meat producers can’t use those medically important antibiotics to make animals grow faster, so this is really only marginally better than standard meat industry practices.
Next time you’re at the meat counter, take a second look at those labels so you can select a product you feel good about serving your family, and make sure you’re getting your money’s worth.


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Cancel Christmas! Sam’s Club just announced that it is introducing Scan & Go pay functionality at the gas pump. After piloting the capability at 70 Sam’s Club stores throughout the country, Sam’s club announced today that it will roll out the capability to all 518 of its own and operated fuel stations by the end of the year.
Here’s how it works:
Sam’s Club members simply download the Sam’s Club app on their mobile phones. They then can click the Scan & Go icon within the app, scan a QR code at the pump, select their method of payment, start fueling up the car, and then, voila, drive away and ultimately receive an electronic receipt via email.
It is another iteration of contactless shopping for which many in the retail industry have been waiting.Forbes


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Sony announced late last that its first two Android tablets, the mostly conventional S and the hinged split-screen P, would be getting an official Ice Cream Sandwich update. Of course, a promise without a timeframe rings somewhat hollow. TechRadar reports that Sony announced that both models will be updated “this spring”, speaking to the press at a London event. The company spokesman also let loose about some exciting new functionality, including Microsoft Office and PlayStation 3 controller compatibility.
The former honestly isn’t that big of a deal – anyone who really needs Office support has already shelled out for one of the many document managers already available in the Android Market. But using Sony’s PS3 SIXAXIS and/or Dual Shock 3 controller in conjunction with tablets that are PlayStation certified is an exciting prospect indeed. After the update, you could ditch the on-screen controls and play classic PSX titles like they’re meant to be played – not to mention play new games with physical controls. Previous attempts to use PlayStation controllers on Android hardware have met with little success, but the controller support baked into Ice Cream Sandwich has likely changed the equation.
We can assume that the declaration only technically applies to tablets in the UK, especially since the Tablet P still isn’t available from US retailers. (They were more than happy to show it off at CES in Las Vegas earlier this month.) That said, WiFi tablets usually get a pretty universal update, and with a minimal language barrier US Tablet S owners can expect to see Ice Cream Sandwich gracing their hardware soon. Hopefully we’ll see the Office and PlayStation features trickle down to Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA phones as they get updated.


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This week’s confirmation from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) that an advance on this year’s Basic Payment will be paid in the autumn is good news for farmers.
Cash flow is the driver of every business. And farmers are as dependent on money coming into their bank accounts as are all other small enterprises.
The sting in the tail, however, will be the exchange rate of Sterling against the Euro. The pound has weakened considerably against most of the world’s currencies over recent months. And this means that local farmers will get less Sterling for their Euros, once the conversion is made. All of this assumes that the currency exchange rates will stay as they are until the end of September.
The upside of all this is the fact that a weaker pound makes food exports from Northern Ireland more competitive on EU and international markets. This factor has helped drive most commodity prices forward over recent months. And, of course, a weaker Sterling makes food imports into the UK relatively more expensive. This is a further boon for local food companies and farmer prices.
DAERA’s rationale for confirming the advance payments this year reflects the continuing upward trend, where on-line Single Application Form (SAF) submission rates are concerned. I know that many farmers still feel inconvenienced by this requirement: they just don’t feel at home, when it comes to using computers and IT-related systems.
However, this is the future. We cannot stop progress. But one thing which the Stormont Executive can do – assuming it reconvenes in the autumn – is to grasp the nettle of poor rural broadband speeds, once and for all. Farmers and other rural businesses are most affected by the unacceptably poor broadband speeds currently available to them. And this is inherently unfair.
To their credit, DAERA staff have been extremely helpful when it comes to facilitating farmers wanting to make on-line SAF applications from their offices. But, in truth, this is only papering over the cracks. All farmers should be able to settle their own Basic Payment-related affairs without having to leave their own yards. But in those cases where new farm maps have to be downloaded and amended, current broadband speeds in many rural areas make this operation a very fractious process.


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Bulgaria is leading Southeastern Europe’s digital economy as a hub of entrepreneurship and innovation, particularly in the information technology sector, according to the country’s top envoy to Korea.
“A vibrant, inclusive and supportive startup ecosystem has been developing in Bulgaria for the last 5 years involving various stakeholders, including pre-accelerators, accelerators, venture funds, business angels, co-working spaces and startup nongovernmental organizations,” said Bulgarian Ambassador to Korea Petar Andonov at a roundtable event on Friday at Pangyo Startup Campus, Gyeonggi Province, which explored partnership opportunities between Bulgarian startups and Korean IT firms.
“These actors facilitate and accelerate the growth of entrepreneurs at various stages of development in our country. Bulgaria is gaining momentum as Southeastern Europe’s entrepreneurship and innovation hub, as well as an IT powerhouse. We occupy the second place in Europe after Germany in terms of the number of IT startups, and the fourth place after the United Kingdom, Spain and Germany in acceleration investment.”
In addition, he said, the nation’s capital Sofia was among the top 10 places to launch a startup in the world in 2016, citing a report by Forbes, as the city offers one of the lowest corporate tax and personal income tax rates at 10 percent. Sofia also boasts internet speeds among the fastest in the world.
“Bulgaria is a great place for foreign startups. There is a growing trend of international entrepreneurs establishing operations in Bulgaria, taking advantage of our highly educated and talented workforce, IT expertise, low cost of living, lower labor costs relative to other European countries, and of course, great lifestyles combining nature, social life and tasty cuisine.”
Pointing to the success of Bulgarian startup Imagga Technologies -- a global company with an office in Seoul and offering cloud-based application programming interface platforms for automated imaging and video-tagging -- the ambassador said the two countries were the best entry points into their larger regional markets.
Imagga Technologies deals with more than 200 different types of businesses and employs 10,000 developers across 82 countries worldwide. It finished fourth place at K-Startup Grand Challenge 2016 competition in Seoul, and in the same year, won the “best startup for artificial intelligence development” category at the Central European Startup Awards.
“Bulgaria is already a regional hub for information communications technology,” said Stamen Kotchkov, chairman of the management board at the Bulgarian Association of Software Companies and vice president of SAP Labs Bulgaria.
“Leading software and IT companies have based their research and development functions in Bulgaria, including SAP, HP, VMware, Visteon, CSC, Experian and others. Global companies like Oracle, HP, Microsoft and Cisco also have strategic presences in Bulgaria.”
Emerging Bulgarian enterprises in the field include Telerik, Bulpros Consulting, Imperia Online, Nemetschek Bulgaria, Scale Focus and Melon Technologies, he added.
Kotchkov said global ICT corporations have chosen Bulgaria to reap benefits from its deep pool of talent, strategic location connecting Europe and Asia, political stability, long tradition of excellence in ICT, vibrant ecosystem, advanced IT infrastructure and network, as well as competitive business and living costs.
In Bulgaria last year, according to the Bulgarian Association of Software Companies, 420 startups were created, 70 percent of them in the services sector and half of them in the IT sector. Bulgaria’s IT industry is largely business-to-business oriented and offers products and services for digital marketing and software development, encompassing cloud systems, platform integration, device connection, process automation, machine learning as well as analytics and big data.
The industry employs some 100,000 people, including 22,000 software engineers, whose salaries are several times the national average.
“One of the four priorities of our Council of the European Union Presidency this year was related to developing our digital economy and skills for the future, which are indispensably linked to the EU Digital Single Market and access to innovation,” said Andonov, referring to Bulgaria’s rotational presidency in the first half of this year.
The presidency bore fruit on a number of fronts, including the Audio Visual Media Services Directive, European Electronic Communications Code for developing high-speed broadband networks, and European Regulation for Electronic Communication.
On June 25, the European Commission launched the Digital Agenda for the Western Balkans -- Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia -- with aims to engage and incorporate the outlying countries into the EU’s fold digitally.
The European Commission and the six states jointly vowed commitments to investing in their broadband connectivity; strengthening cybersecurity, trust and industrial digitalization; fostering the digital economy and society; and boosting research and development on digital infrastructure.
By Joel Lee (firstname.lastname@example.org


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Special menus at restaurants on Valentine’s Day are gimmicky and pricey.
Marriage proposals at restaurants are cheesy — although breaking up at a restaurant is still much worse.
These are two takeaways Zagat’s second annual Valentine’s Day survey.
Not all of the questions were Valentine’s Day specific. But all deal with the issue of romantic dining.
Below are some highlights (and some suggestions) from the survey.
Dining out done?
Fifty-seven percent of respondents stated that they have no plans to go out to dinner on Valentine’s Day. Some are opting for a home-cooked meal, others plan on ordering in.
As for the 43 percent who do plan to dine out, 33 percent stated that the plan was to patronize an old favorite.
It’s not me, it’s you
Note to the restaurants that continue to celebrate Valentine’s Day with special menus — it may be time to retire that play. A whopping 78 percent of respondents to Zagat’s survey stated that they prefer a restaurant that has a normal menu.
“People complain that they are overpriced, gimmicky and limit options,” Zagat reports.
Affairs of the wallet
You may not be able to buy love, but you better be ready to buy dinner. Asked about dining dutch, only 8 percent of respondents stated that was the plan for Valentine’s Day.
And as for the whole dinner/marriage proposal plan, that is so over. Sixty-eight percent of respondents stated that marriage proposals at restaurants are “cheesy,” Zagat reports.
The only thing worse is breaking up at a restaurant. Ninety-two percent of respondents stated that this venue is off limits when it comes to calling it quits.
To get the full 4-1-1 on the Zagat survey, click here.
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BURBANK, Calif. — When I interviewed Donnie and Mikey—stars of the upcoming 2D animated series Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, who may be best known as Donatello and Michelangelo to fans of the classic series—it was hard to know where to look. I was enveloped in a virtual Manhattan, surrounded on all sides by skyscrapers and shadows. As they answered my questions, a sewer rat darted across the street.
I was standing in an 8ft x 8ft mixed-reality green-screen cube, wearing a virtual reality headset that enabled me to feel like I was part of their cartoon world. When I asked whether kids or parents were more excited for the return of the Turtles, Mikey looked up as if deep in thought. “Dads are super excited for the show,” he said.
The experience was developed by Nickelodeon’s Entertainment Lab for reporters at Comic-Con. The Lab was tasked with creating a unique way to introduce the press to the new Nickelodeon series, which begins September 17. The result invites reporters to become part of the turtles’ world as they interview 2-D animated renditions of Donnie and Mikey, who are voiced in real-time by the series actors Josh Brener and Brandon Mychal Smith.
“VR has become integral to how brands communicate their messages and make an impact. Research shows that the way consumers experience brands influences how they feel about them.”
Yes, the virtual press junket is a way to stand out at Comic-Con, an event full of stunts and eye-popping activations. But VR has become integral to how brands communicate their messages and make an impact. Research shows that the way consumers experience brands influences how they feel about them. So what better way to impact reporters whose pens have the power to influence a company’s narrative then having them experience the turtles’ world?
“There is an inherent power in putting users at the center of the action, in letting them experience what’s happening on their own terms,” Colin White, who heads up the tech side of Interbrand’s VR initiative, said in a company article. “It leads to more engagement, even empathy.”
This is the first time the Lab has combined so many elements into one project. There’s virtual reality, live compositing (combining visual elements from separate sources into a single image, to create the illusion that all of those elements are parts of the same scene), recording, puppeteering, virtual cinema and real-time animation.
“This is at the heart of what the Lab is set up to do,” says Chris Young, senior vice president, Nickelodeon Entertainment Lab. “It’s a unique design that offers press an immersive look inside the ‘Rise of the Turtles’ universe and gives them the opportunity to interact with two of the stars from the show.”
Young’s team has been planning and building the activation since January and rehearsing for six weeks leading up to Comic-Con. In the early days they were creating the technology as ideas came up. Other days they hung the green screen on the rigging using safety pins.
While reporters partake in the front-of-house experience, engineers, technicians, animators and voice actors sit behind a curtain to bring the experience to life. The actors, as guides in the virtual experience, are able to watch the reporters via computer screen so they can direct reporters toward various things in their world. For example, during my interview, Donnie suggested I look down into a puddle. When I did, I saw the reflection of myself as Sandy Cheeks, of SpongeBob fame. (To keep with the tone of the new series, its writers created a playbook of suggested sayings and phrases for the voice actors.)
“It’s a unique design that offers press an immersive look inside the ‘Rise of the Turtles’ universe and gives them the opportunity to interact with two of the stars from the show.”
Meanwhile, a combination of multiple virtual and a real-world camera record the participant. Live compositing technology combines video of the reporter with the animated turtles into the same scene. As reporters ask questions, a “cartoon DJ,” works a keyboard that controls the turtles’ physical responses in real-time. For example, when I arrive on the set and say “Hi,” the digital puppeteer hits the button to make Donnie wave.
Each reporter has five minutes for their interview. Toward the end of the allotted time, the voice actors gently encourage reporters to wrap up by directing them to watch a billboard featuring a preview of the new series. Each reporter leaves with a flash drive of their conversation. The hope is that they’ll upload the video to run alongside their article.
It takes about five minutes for the engineers to edit and convert the video to a useable file. While that happens, Shazzy Gustafson, a VR and AR engineer at the Lab, introduces the reporter to the voice actors—giving both sides another chance to chat, this time without the virtual cosplay.
And with that, I say goodbye to Donnie and Mikey. Next stop for them: San Diego.


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Proposals to regulate airboat operators and to make it easier to order alcohol online were among a final batch of bills from the 2018 legislative session that have landed on Gov. Rick Scott’s desk. Lawmakers passed a measure (HB 1211), called “Ellie’s Law,” that would require commercial airboat operators to take a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission course and complete a course in first aid that includes cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
The measure is named after Elizabeth “Ellie” Goldenberg, 22, who died last May after being thrown from an airboat on an Everglades tour. Goldenberg was with her family celebrating her graduation from the University of Miami. Another bill (HB 667) would allow Floridians to use smartphone apps to order beer, wine and liquor. The state already allows such sales to be made by phone or mail order. Also, among 33 bills sent to Scott on Monday was a measure (HB 961) about branded glassware in establishments that sell beer. The measure is opposed by craft brewers that contend it would allow larger competitors to flood the market with company-branded glassware in exchange for free advertising at bars and restaurants.
Supporters of the bill argued that the change would allow small businesses to save on the cost of glassware. Scott has 15 days to act on the 33 measures, which were among the 195 bills the House and Senate passed during the 2018 session. As of Monday, Scott had signed 156 bills into law. Among the other measures now before Scott is a bill (HB 55) that would allow people to use credit cards to make payments for background checks on firearm purchases. Also, a bill (HB 523) would make it a third-degree felony to trespass on airport property where signs are properly placed to tell people to stay off the grounds.
(News Service of Florida)


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Lenovo and AMD engineers introduce “automatic mode shift” kernel patch for Linux 6.0
Phoronix reports that Lenovo and AMD engineers have just teamed up to create an "Automatic Mode Transition" (AMT) patch for the Linux 6.0 kernel....
Lenovo’s new ThinkPad X1 Extreme coming soon: up to i9-12900H + RTX 3080 Ti
Lenovo's overseas website has now announced the configuration information of the new ThinkPad X1 Extreme, which is expected to be available soon. IT Home has...
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Meizu 20 series configuration announced: with 7.8mm thickness and 1.57mm bezel
Meizu officially warmed up the Meizu 20 series again,...
Canon RF 24-105mm f / 2.8L lens is expected to be released in the first half this year
Canon has a bunch of lenses that will be...
Huawei Mate X3 configuration exposure: 7.8-inch 2K screen and IPX8 waterproof rating
The digital blogger "Digital Chat Station" published an article...
Tank 300 SUV will be launched with a 3.0T V6 engine version, target price of more than 350,000 RMB
The tank brand of Great Wall Motors announced that...
Samsung announces Exynos Connect U100, Which can be applied to mobile and automotive devices
Samsung Electronics today announced its first ultra-wideband (UWB) solution,...


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Commentary by Zebersky Payne Shaw Lewenz, LLP
On June 24 of this year, the Supreme Court overturned the earlier ruling of Mutual Pharmaceutical Co. v. Bartlett, in which a woman from New Hampshire was awarded $21 million dollars in damages, after suffering a rare reaction to the generic drug, sulindac. MPC (Mutual Pharmaceutical Co.) is a subsidiary of an Indian drug maker, and the original drug, Clinoril, an Nsaid, was approved by the FDA in 1979.
The victim, Karen Bartlett was originally prescribed the drug by her doctor to alleviate shoulder pain that she had been experiencing. Within two weeks, she began to suffer the horrific side effects of Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis, a severe form of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. Two-thirds of her skin fell off, her lungs and esophagus were left permanently damaged, and she is legally blind. She spent two months in a burn unit, and then two in a medically induced coma. Her quality of life has been severely impaired.
Generic drugs account for 80% of all drugs prescribed in the U.S., and thanks to the shortfalls of the FDA and the latest Supreme Court ruling, consumers are now at the full mercy of generic drug companies. The most recent ruling only further limits the available channels for consumers to engage in litigation. In Pliva v. Mensing the Supreme Court ruled that generic drug companies could not have control over what their warning labels said, and therefore could not be sued for failing to warn consumers about the dangers of their drugs. The victim in the sulindac case wasn’t arguing this point. The lawsuit was based on the fact that it shouldn’t have even been on the market, given that the company was aware of its inherent dangers.
In 1978, when the FDA approved Merck Pharmaceutical’s Clinoril, it did not yet have all of the information regarding potential side effects. It wasn’t until 2005 that stronger warnings were issued, but this came too late for Karen Bartlett. It is evident justice was not served in her case.
So who is to blame here? Is it the Supreme Court for ruling in favor of a pharmaceutical giant? The FDA for pushing through drugs without fully understanding their dangers? Or the drug makers themselves for knowingly selling a product that could have adverse effects? As consumers, we need to take extra precautions, because clearly the powers that be do not have our best interests at hand.
If you have been the victim of the pharmaceutical company, contact us today to discuss your options.


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ILWACO — A former Oregon family that’s relocated to Texas, but still craving a taste of the Pacific Northwest, can satisfy their taste with a few clicks. Meanwhile, a chef in Colorado can order albacore loin from the same company Wednesday and anticipate sashimi-grade cuts arriving in time for a Friday special. With the advent of Front Door Fish, top-quality, ultra-fresh seafood is delivered directly to doorsteps around the world.
Front Door Fish is operated out of Garibaldi, but the customer base is global.
“Garibaldi is where we do Front Door Fish out of because we have a processing plant and custom canning there,” sales and marketing manager Warren Howe said. The mission for their seafood business is simple: To deliver the freshest, highest-quality catch to customers’ front door. The product, which isn’t beholden to traditional processing or storage methods, is par with what only family and friends of fishermen could provide, according to Howe.
“Everybody wants the quality of fish we used to provide for our friends,” he said. Front Door Fish was started as a platform to ship certain products overnight anywhere in the country.
“We process to order,” Howe said.
“If you order cooked crab today, we cook it and FedEx it the next day and that’s kind of what it’s all about. It’s not really a store — more a way for us to share.”
Front Door Fish works exclusively with local fishermen to get the freshest product possible.
“We work with the fleet and buy directly from them,” Howe said.
“People in New York City can have ocean-trolled king salmon delivered to their door quicker than anywhere in Portland would have it.”
Front Door Fish is part of the Ilwaco Landing Fishermen, a fleet-integrated seafood wholesaler, that started with sport fishermen Mike Shirley and Scott Kastengren. Today, the wholesaler has grown to include more than 100 boats during certain seasons.
“As we get bigger, and have more facilities, bigger boats, and more obligation to the fishermen,” Howe said. In 2016, they acquired the Tillamook Bay Boathouse in Garibaldi to serve more fishermen and provide additional processing and offloading facilities for the growing fleet.
“A lot of our fishermen have dual state permits. Some species you can only land in the state with the permit. It’s really to support our Ilwaco fishermen who have some Oregon gear.”
The number of boats offloading at the Ilwaco or Garibaldi landing fluctuates with the fishing seasons.
“During crab season, we started with 31 vessels out of Ilwaco and about eight out of Garibaldi,” Howe said.
“That slows down as guys go off to fish for other things.” During tuna season, the numbers swell as fishermen from Canada, California and Hawaii converge.
“We’ll have well over 100 boats fishing for us,” Howe said.
It was a simple change and continually serves as a steady reminder.
“It was always traditionally called Ilwaco Landing,” Howe said. “But we changed it to Ilwaco Landing Fishermen… it all starts with the fishermen.” Howe said they support the fishermen by helping them with bait, ice or “anything they need to go fishing.” Ilwaco Landing is often the last land they touch before heading out to sea, and the first stop on the way back.
“When they come back we are the initial receivers in Oregon and Washington,” Howe said. “We write the official fish ticket for the state and it becomes an official product.”
As fresh landings continue to increase, Howe is planning to incorporate a way for customers to see specifically which boats are fishing for what, and when.
“We’ll start putting promotions out saying this particular vessel is going out on this day after this species,” Howe said. Orders will be taken as the fish is being caught.
“You can’t get any fresher even if you’re catching it yourself,” Howe said.
The impact of the fresh-seafood market is profound for Pacific County, and there’s a movement to bring top-shelf seafood to the masses.
“There’s such a difference between truly top-quality seafood and what the general public perceives,” Howe said.
“We really are losing top-shelf seafood. It’s going away. People are losing the taste for it because they’re not having the quality.” Maintaining a demand for seafood is important to the Pacific County economy.
“Fresh seafood is what keeps our coastal communities alive,” Howe said. Howe believes the fresh fish market will improve the image and overall sales for seafood.
“The coast is being strangled by big business and the quality of seafood is being left behind,” he said. Using sustainable methods and using extra steps in handling the product is important to ILF, whereas other wholesalers may be less scrupulous, Howe said.
“The frustration that started this whole thing is guys that took the extra effort, put time and money into their gear, did the right, sustainable methods to catch quality fish, were all offloading to a couple giant processors and they co-mingle the loads,” Howe said.
“There are professional fishermen and there are straight-up tweekers,” Howe said.
“The problem is, the good loads and the bad loads were getting combined together. … The whole spirit of quality fish, doing the right thing and sustainability were not being optimized. And the money wasn’t there for the fishermen. We look at ourselves as drawing the line in the sand for quality seafood. We believe you should know your source. We think you should be able to understand where every bit of your seafood came from. Quality seafood is simple. If it’s ever not simple, it’s bad. If you don’t know the guy who caught it or where it came from, then what do you know?”
Each order shipped from Front Door Fish includes the fishing vessel name. “It’s complete transparency and that’s what we’re all about,” Howe said. “It’s a business but it’s more of a campaign to spread quality seafood and keep it alive.”
Less than two months after their launch sales have been strong, particularly for crab.
“The majority of what’s going on right now is Dungeness crab,” Howe said. In February, they shipped their first order, which included albacore loins, oysters, smoked salmon and crab destined for a Super Bowl party on the ski slopes in Salt Lake City.
“They prepared it on slopes at 7,000 feet,” Howe said. “They said it was a ‘bucket list’ experience.” Six weeks later, the similar sentiments from satisfied customers haven’t stopped. Corporate and team-building events have been among their steadiest customers.
“It’s really flattering hearing the comments,” he said. Orders have come from Oregon, California, Washington, North Dakota, New Jersey, Texas and Alaska.
“There are no geographical boundaries and you get it the next day,” Howe said. As the seasons change, so will the available catch. In spring, Chinook salmon, rockfish and sablefish will be among the daily catch. Fresh halibut, sockeye, coho, sardines and tuna are anticipated in the summer.
The catch will vary with the seasons and success of the fishermen, making product availability and consistency hard to predict.
“I’ve seen boats sink and people die after I’ve sold the load and before they’ve got back in,” Howe said. Weather and mechanical issues can also hinder success, particularly for an business that banks on freshness and sustainable catch methods. “There’s a lot of challenges, it’s not always about easy.” The clock is the biggest competition, and time is the biggest expense.
“Most of the cost in overnight shipping,” Howe said, adding that they’ve been able to spare customers nearly 60 percent of retail shipping costs.
“We’ve done everything we can to keep those costs down. But as the old saying goes, ‘Cheap seafood is never good and good seafood is never cheap,’” Howe said.
Business overall is going “good” despite a disappointing Dungeness season, according to Ilwaco Landing owner Mike Shirley.
“It was a challenging crab season with the overwhelming numbers hitting the docks all at the same time,” he said.
“There was a shortage of totes, trucks — all those things.” Shirley said the weather also impacted much of the Dungeness season.
“There was snow in Portland, we couldn’t get bait for our boats. It just slowed everything down,” he said. Most of the fishermen have now turned their attention toward new seasons, such as black cod.
For more information or to place an order, visit www.ilwacolandingfishermen.com


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Safaricom has recorded a Ksh33 billion profit in half-year financial results to September 2020, a six percent drop as compared to the same period last year.
Publicizing the results on Monday, Safaricom attributed the drop to the zero-rating of M-Pesa transaction below Ksh1,000 and a drop in voice calls.
M-Pesa recorded a revenue of Ksh35.9 billion as compared to Ksh42 billion similar period in 2019, a year on year (YoY)decline of 14.5 per cent.
According to Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa, voice revenues declined by 6.5 per cent YoY, while messaging declined 6.9 per cent YoY in line with global industry trends.
Voice and messaging now stand at 40.0 per cent of service revenue.
Mobile data grew 14.1 per cent YoY even as more customers resorted to work from home, which increased demand for mobile data and internet.
One month active Mobile data customers grew 11.6 per cent YoY to Ksh22.91 million, while distinct data bundle customers grew 22.7 per cent YoY to Ksh15.68 million.
Active 4G devices grew 56.0 per cent YoY while 4G devices using more than 1GB in the telco’s network grew 60.6 per cent YoY.


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ARCHOS today announces the forthcoming availability of thousands of the GranitePhone by SIKUR, allowing both companies to enter the global market of private communications smartphones, where the need for voice and data protection is a growing concern.
The GranitePhone, unveiled at MWC, has immediately attracted the attention of government, defense agencies as well as private companies and individual users concerned by their privacy, generating huge quantities of pre-sales on the Granitephone website.
With a 5 inch screen Full HD, Granite OS, 4G and a 16MP camera the phone has all the latest hardware specs along with an unrivaled focus on security, eliminating loopholes which could allow data theft and spying.
The security architecture has been carefully designed with multiple layers of protection to mitigate security issues whilst still delivering the best in mobile technology today.
For additional flexibility, the device’s data storage is also kept in an encrypted form in the cloud so that GranitePhone’s users can access safely to their data from anywhere, using SIKUR applications.
They can do so from a computer and from other mobile devices, either Android and even iOS, which ensures great flexibility without compromising privacy.
“ARCHOS, through its subsidiary Logic Instrument is pleased to have been selected as industrial and development partner for this project as the demand for secured mobile solutions is increasing” says Loïc POIRIER CEO of ARCHOS.
“With GranitePhone, you can create a corporate digital environment, secure for the exchange of strategic information, without compromising productivity and speed offered by mobile devices,” says Frederico D’Avila, CEO of Sikur.
The GranitePhone, the first smartphone entirely focused on user privacy can be ordered through the website www.granitephone.com


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As per the rumours and leaks, there is a huge possibility for Apple to host an even in the month of October. Where-in Apple will be launching the all new 2018 iPad Pro and few updates to the Mac line up. There are also possibilities for a new Apple Pencil, AirPod 2 and Apple Power Pad to be launched as well.
Today, we are going to talk about the new 2018 iPad Pro which have been in rumours and leaks since quite some time. And we the launch of iOS 12.1 Beta, it was confirmed that a new 2018 iPad Pro is under Development.
New 2018 iPad Pro with LandScape FaceID and 4K HDR Display over Type-C
The new 2018 iPad Pro will be having two display sizes and the model codes for the Wi-Fi models of the 2018 iPad Pro will be iPad8,1, iPad8,2, iPad8,5 and iPad8,6. While, the cellular models will be iPad8,3, iPad8,4 and iPad8,7 and iPad8,8.
Now, let’s talk about the other possible features of the new 2018 iPad Pro:
The new 2018 iPad Pro will be having an edge-to-edge display with no Home Button, a lot familiar design to the new iPhone Xs, Xs Max and Xr. Though, there will be a notch on the top, to accommodate the TrueDepth camera which is used for FaceID.
There are chances of two size option being available in the upcoming 2018 iPad Pro. It’ll be great to see the size options, as the current iPad Pro line up is available in 9.7″ and 12.9″.
FaceID in LandScape
The FaceID now will be capable to detect your Face even in LandScape mode in place of just Portrait mode as in the current iPhone line up. Anyhow, 2018 iPad Pro won’t be able to detect your face when inverted or upside-down.
There are chances for the same feature to come on to the current iPhone if possible for Apple to provide the same with a software update. It’ll be pretty amazing to unlock iPhone Xs Max in LandScape Mode.
The new 2018 iPad Pros will be capable to transfer data to external monitors at a resolution of 4K over USB Type-C. Users shall get option to adjust the resolution and other options under the Settings App. It’ll be great to see finally an iPad to be able to be attached to external monitors for Content Browsing.
New Apple Pencil
Apple Pencil was good product of Apple but eventually get that a lot of hits because of the design and the price tag attached to it. This year, Apple plans to role-out another second gen. model of Apple Pencil that will be able to connect to the iPad with help of Proximity like the AirPods and HomePods. Also, it’ll be easy to switch between devices as you’ll no longer have to insert the Apple Pencil into the charging slot before use.
Though, it isn’t sure that the current Apple Pencil will be compatible with the new 2018 iPad Pro.
New Magnetic Connectors
Apple introduced the Magnetic Connectors will the first gen. of iPad Pro for attaching the SmartKeyboard to them. But this year Apple is planning to add a new type of Magnetic Connectors which will be at the back side of the new 2018 iPad Pro.
Which means, there is a possibility for a newly designed Smart Keyboard to be launched as well.
So, what are your thoughts about the new 2018 iPad Pro? Are you planning to buy it? Let us know in the comments down below.


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References in periodicals archive ?
Hanson admitted not all fishers want to pull out of the FFMA, pointing to some fishers in the far north.
The system would be in production use in the member shops of the FFMA during spring 2006.
Sales of FFMA's member businesses totalled EUR812m in January 2005, reported the Finnish news agency STT.
The combined sales of FFMA member department stores and hypermarkets amounted to EUR381m, according to the association.
Sales of FFMA member enterprises decreased by 3.3% in October 2004 year-on-year.
The Finnish Food Marketing Association (FFMA) reportedly said on Friday (6 August) that sales in Finnish department stores and supermarkets in June 2004 had increased by 2% to EUR365m, as compared to June 2003.
Home and leisure departments increased sales by 11.6% while grocery sales increased by 6.2%, according to a report by the Finnish Food Marketing Association (FFMA).
FFMA said the increased figures were due to strong consumer demand and increased efficiencies, reported the Finnish online news service NewsRoom Finland.
The Finnish Food Marketing Association (FFMA) reportedly said on Monday (19 January) that the Finnish department stores had increased their sales in December 2003 by 2.1% to EUR550.9m, as compared to the corresponding month in 2002.
The Finnish Food Marketing Association (FFMA) reportedly said on Tuesday (30 December) that the Finnish sales of daily consumer goods had increased by some 1% in January-November 2003, as compared to the corresponding period in 2002.
The Finnish Food Marketing Association (FFMA) has reportedly called for the establishment of a new company to deal with Finland's system of returnable beverage containers so that the merchants would have a greater share in the transport of the bottles and cans.
Acronyms browser ?
Full browser ?
- FFM Marketing Sdn. Bhd.


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German carmaker Volkswagen will be investing up to EUR3.4 billion ($4.4 billion) to upgrade its model lineup and plants in Brazil. According to VW chief executive officer Martin Winterkorn, the investment is part of the carmaker’s goal to become the biggest auto maker in the world by 2018, noting that Brazil is a cornerstone of the Strategy 2018.
The German carmaker’s investment plan in Brazil runs through 2016 and includes an investment of EUR126 million at its component factory in Sao Carlos in a bid to increase output to 4,800 engines a day from the current 3,800 units. VW is hoping that its strategy in Brazil could help it offset the dwindling demand for vehicles in Europe.
However, VW is not without rivals in Brazil as the other carmakers from Asia and the United States are also making their moves in the South American country. According to IHS Automotive, vehicle sales in Brazil are expected to jump by 8.6 percent this year.
Michael Macht, VW’s production chief, said that the German carmaker’s investment in Brazil will involve standardizing factories and installing technology to produce vehicles based on its MQB platform, the same architecture that underpins the VW Golf and other models. Macht remarked that he sees enormous potential in Brazil just from the systemic implementation of parts sharing.
Headquartered in Sao Bernardo do Campo, Brazil, Volkswagen do Brasil Ltda., is a subsidiary arm of Volkswagen Group in the country. Established in 1953 and led by Friedrich Schultz-Wenk as it first president, Volkswagen do Brasil was in responsible for the local assembly of the Volkswagen Type 1 from parts imported from Germany.
Volkswagen do Brasil had its first plant in Ipiranga, Sao Paulo, Brazil, although this was strictly a knock-down kit operation. Here, Volkswagen do Brasil had assembled the 2268 Fuscas and 552 Kombis by hand.
Volkswagen do Brasil decided to build a proper plant in Brazil after the Brazilian government banned the import of completely built vehicles into the country in 1953. Volkswagen do Brasil opened a proper facility in Sao Bernardo do Campo, which operations started in mid-1957. The Sao Bernardo do Campo site initially produced only the VW Kombi from September 1957. In January 1959, Volkswagen do Brasil added the production of the 1200-cc Fusca in the plant. In 1959, Volkswagen do Brasil commenced production at its new factory near Sao Paulo.
Volkswagen do Brasil was accused by its workers of spying starting in the 1970s, during the country’s military dictatorship in 1964 to 1985. In 1976, there were mass arrests and some workers at Volkswagen do Brasil were tortured. Because of this, local workers at Volkswagen do Brasil traveled to its headquarters Wolfsburg in 1959 to personally inform the CEO.


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Bitcoin (BTC) could see $3,000 in the near future if the market conditions do not change. According to BitMEX CEO, Arthur Hayes, the largest cryptocurrency could retest the $3,000 region once again before starting a bull market. Financial markets would be the main reason that would push Bitcoin to the $3,000 region.
Could Bitcoin See $3K Again?
Bitcoin, the most popular cryptocurrency in the market, could see its price drop to $3,000 in the near future if financial uncertainty continues around the world. According to Mr. Hayes, stock markets could move downwards in the coming days, which could push Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies down. He said that in his Crypto Trader Digest post on April 9.
It is worth mentioning that in the last few months, Bitcoin and stock markets have been certainly correlated. As the Coronavirus crisis expanded all over the world, financial markets massively fell, something that pushed risk-on assets such as cryptocurrencies down as well.
Mr. Hayes is not the only one claiming that Bitcoin and digital currencies could keep falling. The cryptocurrency user @CryptoCapo_ said on Twitter that he has opened a swing short between $7,000 and $8,000 with two main targets: $3,000 and $2,1000. This crypto user is known for predicting the drop to $3,800 a few weeks ago.
Countries all over the world have been pushing for very strong stimulus packages in order to reduce the negative effects of the current sudden stop. The Federal Reserve (FED) of the United States announced a $2 trillion USD stimulus package that would also have a positive effect on stocks. Indeed, markets seem to have recovered in recent weeks.
In Europe, the situation is also very difficult. Several companies have already closed their operations and many others are going to do so in the coming days. Employment offices have already experienced a surge in job requests from individuals of all ages. The consumption sector has been devastated.
About Bitcoin reaching $3,000, Hayes mentioned:
“Bitcoin will be owned unlevered. Could the price retest $3,000, absolutely. As the SPX rolls over and tests 2,000 expect all asset classes to puke again. As violent as the Q1 collapse in asset values was, we have almost 100 years of imbalances to unwind the ancien regime.”
However, Hayes also considers that in the future, Bitcoin could become a major player in the economy. Indeed, the current inflationary expectations may help it become a store of value. At the moment, Hayes end-of-2020 price target remains $20,000.


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Epson's return to the UK PC market began in earnest last week, six months after it signed Congleton-based Mitek group as its exclusive distributor.
Mitek will deal directly with Epson Italia after Epson UK decided not to handle PCs.
Epson Italia, which is running the European PC operation for the peripherals giant, decided not to go for a broadline distribution model for its relaunch, three years after the Seiko-owned company was forced out of the UK.
Malcolm Roach, MD at Mitek, said: 'It's an exclusive contract between us and Epson Italia. Epson UK distributors are not involved. We've gone for a traditional type of dealer network. We have around 160 interested dealers, most of which are software developers.'
The move comes ahead of a fileserver and notebook launch by the manufacturer which is expected within the next month.
Infrastructure provider says international sales now make up 51 per cent of its revenue
Suzanne Chappell of TMS plans sailing venture after selling Oxfordshire-based TMS to acquisitive Chess
Withdrawal of credit insurance by some providers a 'reflection' of current challenge facing IT sector, according to MD Steve Soper
SMART's UK managing director joins Lenovo to boost SMB business


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- Tag results for smartphone
The onslaught by foreign manufacturers, especially Chinese brands, have left Indian smartphone makers in the dust.
However, the offline channel had a rather muted year with a modest 6.7 per cent growth in 2018 and growing 5 per cent sequentially in Q4 2018.
The recommendations to prevent noise-induced hearing loss and related conditions include better functions on personal audio devices that monitor how loud, and for how much time, people listen to music
In a recent study by the Pew Research Center, nearly 50 per cent of adults reported they "couldn't live without" their phones.
This increasing interest in biometric authentication is due to lower costs and improved user experience.
Fifteen-year-old Siddhanth, studying in 10th standard, has to write his board exams next month.
Worldwide handset volumes declined 4.1 per cent in 2018 to a total of 1.4 billion units shipped for the full year, according to research firm IDC, which sees potential for further declines this year.
On its social media account, One Plus dares all iPhone users to ask Siri 'Which is India's premium smartphone?'
Thursday's announcement comes as Huawei Technologies Ltd., the world's biggest maker of network gear for phone companies, combats US warnings the company might be a security risk.
According to psychologists, around 70 per cent of the children suffer from mobile addiction.
According to Pune-based De-Addiction and Rehabilitation Centre, as many as 95 cases of internet/screen addiction were reported at the centre in the last two months.
As many as 95 cases of internet/screen addiction have been reported at a rehabilitation centre in Pune in the last two months
It cited "lacklustre demand in the memory business and intensifying competition in the smartphone business" for the dismal outlook.
Several companies are offering employees subsidies for Huawei phone purchases, while others have even warned staff against buying Apple products.
The Ganjam district administration has started preparation to record some of the best classes taken by teachers in various subjects in primary sections, which will be available on YouTube and WhatsApp


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Papa Bello launches franchising program
Baltimore Papa Bello Enterprises said Friday it will franchise its Italian eatery chain in Maryland, according to a report in the Baltimore Business Journal.
The restaurant chain currently operates stores inside Wal-Mart Superstores as well as stand-alone operations.
Papa Bello also registered to franchise in Virginia and California. The registration process is expected to take a few weeks, pending individual state review, comment and due diligence.
Locations cost between $150,000 and $250,000 to start, and range from 1,600 sq. ft. to 2,400 sq. ft.
Currently, the franchise operates 19 locations in the South and Midwest.
Walgreens celebrates grand opening in Coney Island
DEERFIELD, Ill. Walgreens is celebrating the grand opening of its 7,000th store nationwide at 2590 Coney Island Ave., in Brooklyn, N.Y. State. Local officials will welcome the retailer to another New York neighborhood during a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The new store in the Gravesend neighborhood, near iconic Coney Island, is Walgreens 20th in Brooklyn and its 67th across the five boroughs. The company employs more than 1,250 people in the city.
As part of the grand opening, the AARP/Walgreens Wellness Tour is offering free health screenings to all adult attendees and flu shot vouchers to uninsured adults in the store’s parking lot on Oct 1. The appearance by the traveling health-screening bus is part of a nationwide tour of nine vehicles to deliver free health screenings across the country for early detection and prevention of diseases, as well as health education. Screenings test for total cholesterol level, blood pressure, bone density, glucose levels and body mass index.
The grand opening will feature a ribbon cutting ceremony, food, music and entertainment. Guest speakers include Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and other state and local officials. Walgreens also will donate $7,000 to Lenny’s Lighthouse, a Brooklyn charity that provides support to people with disabilities.
Toys’R’Us builds a promotion with LEGO
WAYNE, N.J. Toys”R”Us announced that it has partnered with LEGO Systems to create “Bricktober,” a month-long event at Toys”R”Us stores nationwide and online at Toysrus.com.
During October, Toys”R”Us will be promoting LEGO products with weekly deals, in-store boutiques, special events and exclusive items.
Every week during the month of October, Toys”R”Us stores and Toysrus.com will offer savings on all LEGO products. The deals begin with up to 30% off select LEGO products and with additional specials on more than 230 LEGO construction sets available at Toys”R”Us from Oct. 4 through Oct. 10, while supplies last.
Toys”R”Us is giving LEGO products dedicated boutiques in its stores that will feature the largest assortment of LEGO construction sets available. In addition, the retailer is offering exclusive LEGO products.
“‘Bricktober’ celebrates the influence that LEGO continues to have in building kids’ imaginations and the value that it offers to parents in terms of quality and longevity of play,” said Richard Barry, VP, divisional merchandise manager for Toys”R”Us, U.S. “With hundreds of sets to choose from, at a wide variety of price points, LEGO products offer affordable fun for the whole family at a wide variety of prices to fit any budget.”


text: Vivienne Westwood's Flagship store in China opens today in the mall Grand Gateway 66. Its the designer's 3 store in China. There are plans for additional stores to open across China within the next three years, with rumoured plans of creating a China specific collection. Westwood is set to open 30 boutiques in China, and fellow British fashion house Burberry has confirmed that it will add 66 stores to its current 44 Chinese outlets by 2012. This comes as no surprise as luxury houses are eager to expand in Asia given the increase in luxury spending there.


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before for the Wall Street journal reporter Jessica Lessin disinformation ““, amazon’s official officially finally broke his silence to respond. Official spokesman said: amazon will not launch smartphones this year, even if later want a smartphone, and can not be free of charge.
Lessin previously reported: amazon will sell smartphones, free and unlimited customer will sign contracts with the carriers.
there are a large number of media have speculated that the amazon was developing its own smartphone, but amazon’s official response to dispel the phone may this year.
if amazon to launch smartphones, face the trouble is that most of the mainstream smart phone manufacturers are open handset alliance (smaller companies ), a member of the many manufacturers have signed contracts promise only Google authorized Android equipment. and amazon mobile nature as its tablet, to pick up amazon’s depth customization system for amazon content (e-books, audio, application) sales platform, and eliminate all Google services, it is hard to imagine that this kind of behavior will be considerate of Google.
in addition, amazon also consider that a smartphone is a very good content consumption platform? Audio, electronic books in tablet experience may be better.


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Company says move will help raise consumer awareness
This is a highly significant development from a large mainstream food company.
Campbell Soup says supports mandatory GMO labelling
Reuters, 8 Jan 2016
Campbell Soup Company said it supports the enactment of federal legislation for a single mandatory labeling standard for foods derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
The world's largest soup-maker said on Thursday that it believes if all foods and beverages regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are labeled for GMOs clearly, it will help raise consumer awareness. (bit.ly/1OeE1Md)
Campbell also said that if a federal solution has not been achieved in some time, it is prepared to label all of its U.S. products for the presence of ingredients that were derived from GMOs and would seek guidance from the FDA and approval by USDA.
The company said it also supports a national standard for non-GMO claims made on food packaging.
Campbell, in July, said it would stop adding monosodium glutamate (MSG) to its condensed soups for children and use non-genetically modified ingredients sourced from organic farms.
The company also said, at the same time, that it would remove artificial colors and flavors from nearly all of its North American products by July 2018.
(Reporting by Sneha Teresa Johny in Bengaluru; Editing by Sunil Nair)


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by Staff Writers
Paris (AFP) Jan 16, 2013
Current trade statistics miss a vital part of the story of where production occurs in the globalised economy, the OECD and WTO said on Wednesday, adding that China's trade surplus with the United States was overstated by a quarter.
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the World Trade Organization unveiled a new database that seeks to measure the value-added in trade.
With manufacturing highly dependant on imports of raw and intermediate materials, the OECD-WTO database sought to reveal where value was being added throughout global trade.
It found that measured by value-added that China's bilateral trade surplus with the United States was over $40 billion (25 percent) smaller in 2009, and 30 percent smaller in 2005.
It said this reflected value attributable to goods China imported from the United States and Asian suppliers that China processed and ultimately sent the United States.
The OECD-WTO initiative also found that services were greatly underestimated in traditional trade statistics.
While services account for about two-thirds of output in developed economies, traditional statistics put their share in trade at less than one quarter, while on a value-added basis it rises to over 50 percent of exports for countries such as the United States, Britain and Germany.
With production chains becoming increasingly globalised, the OECD and WTO cautioned that "traditional measures of trade..., alone, may lead to misguided to misguided decisions being taken" in trade policy.
"Blocking imports will damage a country own productivity growth and automatically damage its competitiveness," said OECD chief Angel Guria.
The OECD-WTO calculations showed for example that a third of the value of the cars that Germany's powerhouse car industry exports is generated in other countries.
"If Germany would say 'no imports', well, no export of cars!" said Guria.
WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy said "countries that export more and best are the countries that import more and best."
Global Trade News
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There’s been a good amount of news about craft beer going international. The latest comes from Left Hand Brewing Co., which is strengthening its commitment to the United Kingdom. This September, the Colorado-based brewery will expand supply across the UK with distribution partner James Clay. In addition, Left Hand has established its first onsite, international brewery rep, Sharona Selby, to represent the brand in the UK market.
With 10 years of international distribution under its belt, Left Hand Brewing has been an early entrant onto the U.S. craft export scene.
“For us, it’s about contributing to the craft beer movement,” commented Chris Lennert, vice president of operations. “We want to share American craft beer with the world.”
With presence in greater Scandinavia and Japan, Left Hand is excited to strengthen its distribution of world class ales and lagers in the United Kingdom. James Clay is a UK-based importer and distributor of craft beer with 25 years of experience.
“We have been fortunate to have presence over the years in mainland Europe. Our partnership with James Clay will provide us an established distribution in the UK and set us on the right path for years to come,” Lennert said.
Left Hand’s expansion will bring the brewery’s coveted Nitro series featuring Milk Stout Nitro in limited release for the first time to UK soil. The innovative nitrogenated bottles were first introduced to a London audience at the Beer Innovation Summit with enthusiastic reception.
“American craft beer truly unites innovation and quality,” commented Sharona Selby, Left Hand UK rep. “Something this good needs to be shared, and I am excited to see Left Hand become part of the wonderfully inclusive British beer community.”
James Clay will distribute Left Hand’s award-winning perennial line, including Milk Stout, Black Jack Porter, and Polestar Pilsner with limited releases of Milk Stout Nitro, 400 Pound Monkey IPA, and Sawtooth Ale. UK patrons can find Left Hand at Beer Hawk, Whole Foods, Barworks and craft pubs.


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Today’s finally the day, folks! After a lengthy delay, Team Sonic Racing is now available on consoles, including Nintendo Switch.
To celebrate the occasion, Sega released a new, live-action launch trailer for the game, featuring a grocery store battle for a box of cereal. There’s a lot of Easter eggs in this video, including the Sonic toaster and Sonic Team lead Takashi Iizuka! Check it out for yourself!


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MG Motor India has filed a design patent for a new electric SUV, giving rise to speculations about the brand’s plan to expand its EV lineup
The EV market space is still in the nascent stages in India, but it’s been steadily growing over the past few years. MG Motor already has two electric vehicles on sale in India – ZS EV and Comet EV – covering the premium and budget-friendly ends of the market, respectively. However, seems like the automaker wants to expand its EV lineup in our market.
MG has filed a design patent for a new electric micro SUV in India. The design is reminiscent of Baojun Yep, which is sold in the Chinese market. Thus, it seems like this new EV will be a rebadged version of it. The Yep is slightly larger in dimensions – 3,381 mm long, 1,685 mm wide and 1,721 mm tall – compared to Comet EV, which makes it a little roomier and proportionate in design.
That said, the dimensions are still relatively tiny, which should make this a breeze to manage in urban traffic. Some of the key highlights include a boxy design, rectangular front grille, square LED headlights, rugged bumper and flat bonnet with sharp carvings. The side profile is distinguishable with its protruding wheel arches, thick cladding, long suspension travel, blacked-out A-pillar and functional roof rails.
The powertrain details of the Indian version are a mystery right now, In China, Baojun Yep EV is powered by a 28.1 kWh battery pack that moves a single electric motor on the rear axle. It is rated at 67 bhp of max power and 140 Nm of peak torque. The claimed range is 303 km, and the top speed is 100 kmph.
Recently, it was revealed that Baojun Yep could be equipped with a range-extending small ICE engine. As per speculations, the ICE engine could be a single-cylinder unit, generating around 13.5 bhp of peak power. It could add around 80 km to Yep’s range, thus adding more practicality to the vehicle. We’re not sure if this hybridised model would make its way to India or not.
MG’s new small EV could be launched in 2025. It will be positioned above the Comet EV, likely as a direct competitor to the Tata Tiago EV in terms of pricing. Considering that the Comet EV was the brand’s second-highest-selling model in June 2023, this new electric micro SUV has the potential to rake in a lot of new shoppers.


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The future very rarely produces what we expect it to, or what we are lead to believe it might produce by science fiction writers. Where are the flying cars? The teleporters? But instant, from-the-ether food might be on its way (a-la Star Trek's replicator or the Jetson's food machine), thanks to a company called Systems & Materials Research Corporation, which is developing a food printer or "universal food synthesizer." And Quartz is reporting that NASA just gave the company a $125,000 grant to create a prototype.
devopstom via flickr 3-D printer at work. Soon they may be printing food.
To those of us invested in the art and comfort of cooking, this sounds highly suspect, but the intention of the 3-D food printer is in fact to end world hunger, or so the developers say. Still, the entire thing sounds creepy. From Quartz:More »


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According to the research company IGD, online grocery sales in the UK will double between now and 2011 to GBP3bn (US$5.7bn), but will still only account for 2% of the total food and grocery market.
The online market for food and grocery is currently worth GBP1.6bn, and represents just over 1% of the total market, according to IGD’s report UK Grocery Retailing 2006.
Tesco remains the only retailer to make online shopping profitable so far, IGD says, adding that it predicts Tesco will retain its leadership in the sector. Sainsbury’s has announced that it is hoping to more than double online sales to GBP500m by 2008, while Asda’s online service will cover half the UK by the end of the year. Ocado, the specialist online retail service run in partnership with Waitrose, continues to make a loss, according to IGD.
“There are many challenges associated with online grocery shopping,” said IGD’s senior business analyst Patrick Mitchell-Fox. “It is a costly service for retailers to provide. Some have experimented with specialist ‘picking depots’, while the more successful have relied on their existing stores to fulfil orders. A retailer’s online service can also eat away at other, more profitable store sales.”
Nearly 14m households in the UK have an internet connection, more than two-thirds of which are broadband, and 60% of adults use the internet regularly. Most consumer purchases made on the internet are for gifts or leisure purposes.
“Despite the fact that many shoppers admit to finding supermarket shopping a burden, and despite internet penetration levels, there remain barriers for people switching to online shopping instead of visiting their local store every week,” Mitchell-Fox said. “The convenience of having your food and groceries delivered to your doorstep does not seem to outweigh the ease and convenience of modern store shopping.”


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A leaked packaging shot suggests that the Nexus 5 will be available in white.
The purported box for the upcoming LG handset was revealed by underkg.com, and also provides a glimpse of what the device's camera may look like.
Previous leaked images show the same camera, which is rumoured to be 8 megapixels, while another will supposedly sit on the front at 1.2 megapixels.
The Chinese website behind the latest packaging shot has since removed the image from its site.
Earlier today (October 18) the Nexus 5 briefly appeared on the Google Play Store, indicating that the smartphone will cost $349 with 16GBs of storage.
However, the appearance - which featured a full press shot - was quickly pulled.
Repeated speculation suggests that the handset will launch on October 28.


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Michael Rubin attends Fanatics Tremendous Bowl Occasion on February 12, 2022 in Culver Metropolis, California.
Shareif Ziyadat | Filmmagic | Getty Photos
Billionaire Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin introduced Wednesday that he’s promoting his 10% stake within the guardian firm that owns the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils, citing a battle of curiosity with Fanatics’ collectibles and deliberate sports activities betting operations.
Rubin has no plans to purchase into a special group after he sells his stake in Harris Blitzer Sports activities & Leisure, an individual aware of the matter advised CNBC. His focus is as a substitute on Fanatics, the sports activities e-commerce firm that has grown since 2011 into a worldwide operation with a $27 billion valuation.
“Once I was a part of the possession group that acquired the Sixers in 2011, Fanatics was simply getting began with a small workplace in King of Prussia promoting solely licensed sports activities merchandise on-line,” Rubin said in a statement posted on Twitter. “At the moment, Fanatics has rapidly remodeled into a worldwide digital spots platform throughout a number of companies, with greater than 10,000 staff in 57 international locations and serving almost 100 million sports activities followers worldwide.”
Fanatics’ development has been partly fueled by its acquisitions lately of WinCraft, which makes sports-themed merchandise and Topps, the buying and selling card firm it purchased for $500 million.
The NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and a few gamers unions all have stakes in Fanatics, which has quite a few licensing rights and offers with skilled and faculty athletes.
Topps lately introduced that will probably be launching a brand new line of buying and selling playing cards that includes faculty athletes this fall, a program that can embrace greater than 150 faculties and lower a number of the gamers in on the earnings.
“I had the wonderful alternative to be a part of the possession group shopping for the group I grew up idolizing,” Rubin mentioned in his assertion. “Attending video games, attending to know our gamers and watching, up shut, from the within has been one of the vital exhilarating and academic facets of my life.”
Fanatics is a two-time CNBC Disruptor 50 firm. Join our weekly, authentic publication that goes past the annual Disruptor 50 record, providing a better have a look at personal firms like Fanatics that proceed to innovate throughout each sector of the financial system.
– CNBC’s Jessica Golden contributed to this text.


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United States —General Mills’ announcement Friday that it would voluntarily label products containing genetically-modified ingredients means Vermont, one of the smallest states in the Union, might have just managed a coup for consumers.
Vermont’s new law, which requires such labeling, goes into effect July 1st and is expected to create a ripple effect across the nation. As the Washington Post reported, Connecticut and Maine, in particular, have already “passed laws that require such labeling if other nearby states put one into effect.”
On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate struck down the latest incarnation of the DARK Act in a 48-49 vote, which would have prohibited states from enacting laws mandating labels for GMO-containing foods.
Food industry giants and trade groups, including the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), have protested that such labeling will be cost-prohibitive. Indeed, the GMA is appealing its challenge to the Vermont law after an injunction it sought was struck down in federal court.
General Mills follows Campbell’s Soup, Chipotle, Whole Foods, and a number of other companies in appearing to cave to consumer demand and the right-to-know movement to provide transparency in food labeling to various degrees. With these behemoths’ voluntary label disclosure of genetically-modified ingredients, the likelihood other corporations will follow suit just increased.
“This shows that the United States has the capacity to join the 64 other countries that already require GMO labeling,” said Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin, according to the Post. “I urge other companies to follow the lead of General Mills and extend this right to their customers nationwide as well.”
In fact, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President for General Mills’ U.S. Retail, Jeff Harmening, recently issued a statement explaining that waterfall effect:
“I have been eagerly awaiting a resolution of the GMO labeling debate in Washington and am disappointed that a national solution has still not been reached.
“As the discussions continue in Washington, one thing is very clear: Vermont state law requires us to start labeling certain grocery store food packages that contain GMO ingredients or face significant fines.
“We can’t label our products for only one state without significantly driving up costs for our consumers and we simply will not do that.”
In fact, the company’s capitulation to consumer demand versus GMO propaganda is readily apparent in Harmering’s statement. He asserts that“every major health and safety agency in the world agree that GMOs are not a health or safety concern.
“At the same time, we know that some consumers are interested in knowing which products contain GMO ingredients.”
Indeed, they seem enormously interested. As Ecowatch reported,“Coincidence or not, Campbell has also seen its stock price rise … after making its announcement to ditch GMOs.”
This unprecedented victory for consumers — a David versus Goliath allegory comes to mind — is made even more apparent by a statement from the GMA, itself. Its website explains the “U.S. food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry … generates $1 trillion in sales annually”and “contributes $415 billion in added value to the economy every year.”
And regarding General Mills’ decision to label GMO ingredients because of Vermont’s impending law, GMA stated simply, “One small state’s law is setting labeling standards for consumers across the country.”


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Posts From Justin Marden
This one will only apply to our friends over in China, at least for the moment. We’ve just gotten a press release from the folks over at Appular, who have just signed a deal with iDreamsky to create SkyNet, which will essentially be the one-stop shop for Android apps and games in the Chinese market.
Google has been pushing out updates to the Android Google Maps app quite frequently as of late, and today is no different. Google Maps has been updated, and it’s got a few new features in tow.
We reported earlier today that Google is taking steps to slow down fragmentation within Android releases by being more strict with manufacturer UIs. Well, we’ve just received an official statement from MIPS Technologies that clears up some questions about this whole ordeal. In a nutshell, Google sees what UIs are doing to Android.
The one thing that I love about Android is the amazing development community behind it. We have developers of all kinds, working their fingers to the bone to bring us the latest and greatest software to our devices. The most notable of these is the CyanogenMod team.
We thought for just a moment that Amazon had bought exclusive rights to Angry Birds Rio when it appeared on their new app store, but not the Android Market. We were wrong.
You read that correctly, HandyGames, the group behind such Android games as Aporkalypse and Guns ‘N’ Glory, has dropped the price of all its games to just 0.99€ (about $1.40).
Join me as I cover all the news we reported on AndroidGuys from March 20th to March 26th!
We just got a tweet from the official Samsung Twitter account, and it looks like it’s going to be good weekend for Mesmerize owners. That’s right, the Samsung Mesmerize is getting some Froyo love.
We’ve just gotten a press release from the team behind the SwiftKey Tablet keyboard, and they’ve apparently won the CTIA E-Tech Award. We here at AndroidGuys would like to extend our congratulations to the SwiftKey team. If you’re not familiar with SwiftKey, it’s a virtual keyboard for Android that started out as an alpha keyboard. I myself was an alpha tester, and let me tell you that it’s come a long way from the public beta released last year.
We’ve gotten word from the guys over at BusinessWire that Kyocera has launched an Android developer program, aimed specifically at app development for their Echo device that we saw back in February. They’re claiming that they already have some major Android developers on board (although they’re not naming any names), and are looking for more.
Well, you had to know it would happen sooner or later. The HTC Thunderbolt, one of the most talked about, loved, and delayed phones we’ve seen to date, has been rooted.
The Facebook for Android app has been updated once again. This update brings, among bug fixes and such, the ability to post pictures on a friend’s wall or on a
Ahh, the HTC Pyramid. We first got wind of this device in early February, when we learned that it’s likely headed for Tmobile. It also later popped up in a leaked inventory shot. Well, we finally got a good look at the Pyramid, and it’s impressive to say the least. It was spotted somewhere on the internet in China, and we’ve even got some supposed specs for you.
Yeah, it’s that time of the week again: time for the AG Weekly RoundUp, where I cover all the news that we reported on last week. So, let’s get to it!


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EU strikes trade deal with Canada, looks to US
By Robin Emmott and Philip Blenkinsop, ReutersBRUSSELS/LUXEMBOURG--The European Union and Canada agreed a multi-billion-dollar trade pact on Friday that will integrate two of the world's largest economies and paves the way for Europe to clinch an even bigger deal with the United States.
October 19, 2013, 12:42 am TWN
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso sealed the pact — the EU's first with a member of the Group of Eight biggest world economies — by resolving outstanding issues in Brussels.
Launched in May 2009, the talks had been stalled for months over quotas for Canadian beef and EU cheese. In a cheeky touch, chefs served gorgonzola and feta at the four-course lunch laid on for the two leaders.
“This agreement is a landmark achievement for the transatlantic market,” Barroso told a news conference, flanked by Harper. “With political will and a good dose of hard work, there is a way to reach a result that benefits people on both sides of the Atlantic,” he said.
The deal marks a breakthrough for Brussels' free-trade agenda, which had previously achieved smaller agreements with South Korea and Singapore. It is expected to increase bilateral trade in goods and services by a fifth to 25.7 billion euros (US$35 billion) a year, according to the latest EU estimates.
Barroso said he hoped the agreement could come into effect from 2015, after EU governments, the European Parliament and the Canadian provinces give their blessing.


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It would appear that even Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition graphics card is susceptible to the ongoing 16-pin power adapter meltdowns. The first reported case of Founders Edition surfaced on Reddit (opens in new tab) over the weekend.
The affected GeForce RTX 4090 owner stated in a Reddit thread that they bought the GeForce RTX 4090 from Best Buy on October 19, so the Ada flagship wasn’t even a month old when it fell victim to the meltdown. The user housed the graphics card inside his Asus ROG Helios case without the side panel on so as to avoid bending the 16-pin adapter (the alleged cause of other RTX 4090 meltdowns). The Redditor confirmed that they had connected the three 8-pin PCIe power cables from his Asus ROG Thor 1200W power supply.
The user spent the next seven days playing Call of Duty: Warzone, around two to three hours a day, but then his screen went pitch black on October 29th. But, unfortunately, it was already too late when they took apart the system. The damage was already done, and the 16-pin power adapter and the 16-pin power connector on the GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition had melted. The Redditor has returned the damaged graphics card and adapter to Nvidia for analysis. Unfortunately, although the chipmaker sent the Redditor a replacement three days later, they are reluctant to install the graphics card.
According to the thread on Reddit (opens in new tab), we’re just four incidents short of reaching the magic 30 number. Until this weekend, there was only user feedback on custom GeForce RTX 4090 models, but it seems like even the Founders Edition may not be safe. Nvidia’s investigation continues as new reports continue to pile up. In a short statement, the chipmaker said it was still investigating the reports and didn’t have any new details.
The only new development so far is that Nvidia has confirmed to the German publication Igor’s Lab that the company purchased its 16-pin power adapters from two manufacturers: Astron and NTK. Both adapters conform to PCI-SIG’s specifications. However, Zotac and Gigabyte allegedly told Igor’s Lab that the NTK adapters are less vulnerable to failures after several mating contacts. The important word here is “less,” so there is still an inherent probability that a failure can occur.
There have been numerous theories around the 16-pin power adapter’s failures, spanning from the adapter’s design to user error. Sadly, there’s not much GeForce RTX 4090 owners can do other than wait until Nvidia concludes its investigation. Unfortunately, the clock is ticking, so let’s hope Nvidia can end the GeForce RTX 4090 casualties sooner rather than later.


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CHENNAI: Are you looking forward to join the wedding shopping jamboree of a cousin or relative ? Hold your excitement. For all you know, she may have finished her shopping on Skype
and all you get to do is be part of the conference call.
From organising Skype conference calls to emailing high resolution photos of wedding Kancheepuram silks to the entire extended family, silk saree retailers are going the extra mile to please their tech savvy customers.
While other cotton sarees and casual sarees have been popular on e-commerce sites, heavy Kancheepuram wedding silks were always preferred to be physically examined, scrutinized and draped before buying. But over the last year, silk saree retailers say they have seen a sharp increase in online sale of wedding silks. Retailers like Nalli, RmKV and Sri Palam Silks have ramped up their websites, offering an extensive range of sarees.
“I recently had an NRI customer who did all of her family’s wedding shopping online and on Skype for about Rs 2 lakh,” said K Sivakumar, MD, RmKV Silks. The company has over 3,000 sarees on its website and a lot of NRI customers buy them from the site. “But not all stores have the same sarees, and not all can be posted online. In cases where the buyer wants to see similar sarees in other outlets, we connect with them on Skype and show them the designs they can choose from,” he said.
Garment retailer Pothys too, which has been selling its products online for years now, allows customers to use video call services inside the store, says S Ramesh, managing director, Pothys.
Sri Palam Silks, the brainchild of Jeyasree Ravi
, who belongs to the Nalli family, too has noticed this trend, with one of her customers buying her entire wedding collection online. The store has been selling its products on its website for a year now, but has noticed an increase in online silk saree sales, and is putting in a lot of effort to assist customers who shop online. “When it comes to silks, the photograph of a saree can be very different from the original color. There could be a 20% difference. So we share this with our customers and also send in highresolution pictures of sarees they can choose from,” said Ravi. Also, considering that wedding shopping is usually a family affair, the retailer also makes the effort to mail the pictures to the entire family so they can collaboratively decide, she said.
With so many customers willing to shop online, the market is huge, retailers say. “But it takes a lot of effort. The time we spend with customers who shop online is more than that we do with them in the store. Having large scale operations online is as good as managing a different branch of the store,” Ravi says. She is, however, counting on her young daughter Sunitha to grow this business.


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TRADE IN ELGIN’S town centre could be further eroded by a shock decision to levy a charge on the use of the only public convenience in operation in the town centre.
The surprise announcement by management at the St Giles Shopping Centre that they will begin charging for use of the toilets has sparked anger in the local community.
Now many are pledging to boycott the shopping centre in protest over the plan – which is likely to go ahead as the centre sought to justify their decision through a post on their social media page.
It said: “We would like to make our customers aware that shortly we will introduce a system for charging for the use of the St Giles Centre toilets.
“This will be a nominal charge that will go towards maintaining the high standard of cleanliness and repair that our customers have come to expect. We would like to thank you for your patience in this matter.”
The notice was met with immediate condemnation – with Danny Raeburn commenting: “Maybe focus your attention on filling one of the vacant units to raise cash, rather than charging people to use the facilities? Surely you should be encouraging people to visit rather than creating policies that will stop folk coming in.”
Janette Thomson added: “Not good for young children with small bladders or people who have bowel issues or disabled people. In this day and age most people don’t have small change in their pockets because everything is done by card.”
MJ Strachan reminded the centre of their responsibilities, saying: “It is bad enough the centre is dead, due to the greedy high rent and rates, as for the toilets they are of low standard compared to other centres around Moray and Scotland – and to be fair that’s breaching folks human rights, as none of the cafes supply toilets, so what are folk supposed to do?
“Making money on people’s right to use a toilet – well that’s a low blow by anyone’s standards, whoever is running this establishment needs to stop watching dodgy Dave from Westminster.”
However, there was some sympathy for the Centre’s decision, with Vicky Nicolson saying: “If we are paying to keep the toilets in the condition they currently are then NO CHANCE I would be paying.
“But if us paying means they will actually be clean and tidy each and every time we wish to use them then fair enough. The baby changing is disgusting, so bad I would actually rather (and often do) change my baby in the pram laid flat!”
Local councillor Patsy Gowans also said she understood the charge – and that it would be an annoyance to shoppers, although she insisted it was not a “big problem” adding: “I think it is more important that the conveniences are kept clean than they are free.”
Another councillor, John Divers, also understood the reaction to the plan – but added: “If the money is used to improve the toilets then that can help welcome tourists.”


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Mother Nature has not been kind to the Japanese automakers.
Read This Article
Off-roading has become more and more popular, and in return automotive companies are beginning to offer an abundance of new options and models related to off-roading.
Toyota has release pricing information on its 2013 Toyota Venza midsized crossover.
You know it's bad when an automaker has to point out that one of its vehicles is "a car." And that's exactly what Toyota has done with a series of quirky commercials featuring its new Yaris and comedian Michael Showalter.


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After many rumors and even hints about new content for The Last of Us Part 2, Naughty Dog has confirmed that it is working on a standalone multiplayer game.
In a post on social media, the company explained that this will be the first project of its kind it produces. Although I’ve done multiplayer modes for several titles before, including several U series gamesncharted, this will be the first independent project of a base game.
The post is even accompanied by an advertisement for vacancies. Among the jobs are screenwriters, level designer, monetization designer, visual effects artist and programmers.
Naughty Dog is hiring across multiple disciplines for the studio’s first standalone multiplayer game! Visit https://t.co/xUYV9m8PJF to learn more! pic.twitter.com/ub9hg433po
— Naughty Dog Jobs (@NaughtyDogJobs) August 27, 2021
The developer even worked on a multiplayer mode for the The Last of Us Part 2, but the project was abandoned on the way. What is not known, however, is whether this new game will be a continuation of the old idea or if it is something entirely new.
It is speculated that the new game may be a Factions Mode (which included The Last of Us) more robust, which would be independent of the company’s latest game.
So, what do you think of a new multiplayer title based on the universe of Ellie, Joel and company? Leave your opinion in the comments section below!


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An encouraging recovery, a stronger DEI commitment and a splashy creative acquisition bode well. But time will tell whether Havas can be a stronger creative power in APAC.
Q1 revenues dropped 0.8% on an organic basis.
Vivendi describes French media report as "unfounded".
The outgoing chairman and CEO of Havas Group, Southeast Asia, India and North Asia, speaks with Campaign India about his advertising career, setting up the media unit at the agency, ageism and more.
Maria Garrido at Havas Group explains how APAC consumer expectations are sky high as part of the agency's 2019 Meaningful Brands study.
New appointments come as the agency looks to build on its association with French media and entertainment giant Vivendi.
Top news, insights and analysis every weekday
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Daily NewsView All News
Staffline Group PLC (STAF: LSE) the Nottingham-based recruitment firm confirmed that earnings for the full year will be in line with market expectations with good levels of growth in activity being seen across all divisions of the business driven by continued strong demand for services.
Full results are expected to be released at the end of January 2014 for the twelve months ending 31 December 2013. However, in the company’s most recent financial statement, they reported a +14.2% increase in revenue for the six months ending 30 June 2013, compared with the previous year.
In December 2013, the company acquired Leicestershire-based specialist recruitment business Magna Recruitment for an undisclosed sum. This acquisition is part of the company’s five-year strategic growth plan aimed at broadening their market reach and increasing the scale of their divisions.
In trading today, the company’s share price rose by +2.6% to £5.65, an increase of +92% compared with a year ago. Based on its current share price, the company has a market value of £143.95 million.