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Casual Connect 2014 in San Francisco offered a packed schedule of sessions covering a wide variety of topics. The [a]list daily was there, and here’s some of what was discussed. Google talked about its plans for gaming, and mobile publishers discussed how they are increasingly providing more value to developers in the increasingly sophisticated mobile marketplace.
Google’s global head of games business development for Google Play, Bob Meese, discussed some of the reasons that it’s a better time than ever to be creating games fro Android. For one thing, he pointed out, there are over 1 billion monthly Active Android users. “That’s the largest group of people playing games on any platform, ever,” said Meese. Though he didn’t mention how many different devices and versions of the operating system that is spread over, an important consideration for developers. Google paid out over $5 billion to developers in the last year, Meese mentioned. (On Apple’s earnings call yesterday, the company revealed it has paid out more than $20 billion to developers so far, with $5 billion of that in the last six months.)
Meese spent a fair amount of time talking about Android TV, and how developers should be developing for a multiscreen world, with games moving from smartphone to tablet to the TV screen. Google has lined up a number of top TV makers to support Android TV, and Meese encouraged developers to go to developer.android.com/tv to get a free Android TV and Android TV development kit. “We are looking for local multiplayer experiences, and games that can be played with a simple remote,” Meese said, not expecting developers to bring their entire catalog of games to Android TV.
Meese also noted the increasing utility of Google Play, and showed some stats on how developers are benefiting from the higher quality users who log into games using Google Play. For instance, Deer Hunter players who accessed the game through Google Play logings were made 4.6x as many purchases as other uses, and had three times the LTV (lifetime value). Meese noted that Google is also helping developers extend their reach geographically, now offering support for Google Play cards in 16 countries, direct carrier billing in 25 countries, and PayPal in 12 countries.
The Mobile Publishers Executive Roundtable brought together some top executives at mobile publishers to discuss why, in fact, mobile publishers have their uses when developers can simply put titles right into the App Store or Google Play store. Why give up margin to a mobile publisher
DeNA’s Barry Dorf, VP of partnerships & alliances, established where the mobile game business is at right now. “Twenty months ago DeNA had the #1 and #2 top-grossing games on iOS and Android, but the world was a different place back then,” Dorf noted. “Getting your apps into the top ten, figuring out how users are playing, â€¦ it was the dawn of the age we’re in right now. Since then times have really changed. There are three top players; there’s Supercell, GungHo, and King, and they make up 60 percent of the App Store top-grossing. There’s about ten companies that make up about 30 percent of the top-grossing, and then indies make up the other 10 percent. That’s changing dramatically, even today. The top 60 percent is growing, the top 30 percent is getting smaller, and we’re tapping into that 10 percent. It’s harder and harder for indies to break into the marketplace today.”
Giordano Contestabile,VP of product management & revenue at Tilting Point, explained how there’s still room in the marketplace, but developers need help. “The market is dominated by a few players, but the #100 app in the US is doing $30K per day — that’s a $1 million per year run rate,” Contestabile said. That’s still a reasonable amount of money if a developer is small enough. “The App Store is dominated by a few players, but these players are all new,” Contestabile said. He explained that production values are rising, and players expect you to compete with the best in class even if you’re only a small developer. You need to have money, someone who understands user acquisition, monetization, and expertise in a lot of areas that most small developers just don’t have. Hence, mobile publishers provide the help. “If you only want to hit a single or a double, you don’t need a publisher,” Dorf added.
The publishers discussed some of the specifics about how they help developers . “We do a lot of user acquisition, but we also rely on other forms of marketing,” Contestabile noted.. “For example, we launched Leo’s Fortune a couple of weeks ago, and we premiered a live-action trailer which was a huge Rube Goldberg machine built to simulate the game environment. It was very expensive, took about 70 days to shoot, but it’s gotten 1.5 million views on YouTube so far. There are two reasons why we do that. One is because performance marketing is increasingly expensive, and we want to find other ways for people to discover the game. But really, we want to build brands, we want to build big franchises over time. I don’t think you can build a brand by buying your users one at a time. People have to feel an emotional connection to the game.”
“Performance marketing has become table stakes,” said Walter Driver, CEO of mobile publisher Scopely. “That’s just blocking and tackling now. I think you’re going to see a lot more of this offline marketing starting to be table stakes, running television campaigns, working with celebrities, influencers, creating spectacles and trailers. Those are the kind of things you need to do to break out of the pack. That’s a big financial risk for a developer who has already invested a lot of itme and capital into a single game, and may not have another game coming out for quite a while. It’s another area where you’re going to see publishers provide value.”


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Two vendors at the Marabella Market are considering suing the San Fernando City Corporation for compensation for the losses they claim they incurred while the facility was temporarily closed on Saturdays June due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In their pre-action protocol letters sent to San Fernando Mayor Junia Regrello on October 8 and obtained by Guardian Media, lawyers representing Agatha Sawh and Marina Ramlochan claimed that the corporation was required to pass bye-laws if it wanted to change the set opening hours of the market.
“There is no other Bye-Law that has been passed relative to the Marabella Market since the issuing of the Market (San Fernando) Bye-Laws 1997,” their attorney Umesh Maharaj said, as he called on the corporation to disclose if they had passed a bye-law that was not published.
“There exists no power to allow same to be done when the opening and closing times are fixed by the Bye-Laws,” he added, as he claimed that the action breached the requirements of the Municipal Corporation Act.
In the letter, Maharaj initially threatened to seek an injunction if the decision was not reversed.
On Tuesday, the corporation’s acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Indarjit Singh wrote to the vendors and informed them that their legal letters were raised and considered at a meeting of the corporation’s Special Finance, Planning, and Allocation meeting on October 28.
He announced the corporation had decided to resume its normal operations this Saturday. Guardian Media understands that although the injunction is no longer necessary, the vendors are considering still pursuing legal action over the losses they suffered during the temporary closure, which they maintained was illegally implemented.
The vendors, who have been renting stalls at the market for several decades, claimed that they lost significant income during the five-month closure as Saturday’s is one of the busiest days for sales.
The vendors are also being represented by Nerisa Bala.

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Click-A-Brick's latest building toy sets, released last month, are already selling well, capitalizing on the success of the company's original two sets. Sales numbers for Feather Friends and Mighty Machines are in line with the company's more ambitious sales goals.
After the success of its first two sets -- Animal Kingdom Safari and Army Defenders -- Click-A-Brick Co-Founders Jason Smith and Georg de Gorostiza decided to increase their sales goals to more accurately reflect what they expect from their new sets. The pair of businessmen say the strong showing of the recently released sets indicate the brand is picking up steam.
They credit a strong customer base that features a lot of returning customers, plus a strong and growing reputation for being a sturdy and engaging learning toy, for the rapid success of their latest two sets.
“We were sort of caught off guard with the popularity of Click-A-Brick when we first started," Smith said. “But, now that we know what to expect, we have adjusted our goals and even with the new goals to reflect the more aggressive sales of Click-A-Brick, we're still doing well and reaching all the milestones for the new sets. Obviously, it has a lot to do with returning customers and the growing reputation the toy is garnering. We didn't think things would happen quite this quickly, but we're certainly glad they did. We will have another group of sets coming out shortly and we've had to push everything up due to the almost overwhelming popularity."
Available on Amazon, Feather Friends and Mighty Machines have each garnered high praise from the customers that have already purchased them, which the Click-A-Brick team says it has also come to expect from its sets. Both Animal Kingdom Safari and Army Defenders have managed to maintain a high average customer review ranking on Amazon and the new sets appear to be keeping pace with the first two for customer reviews.
The Click-A-Brick team also credit strong customer engagement, particularly on social media, for the new sets' quick sales start. The company asked its customers via Facebook to name the Army Defenders set and while both Feather Friends and Mighty Machines were named in-house, the co-founders say asking fans to name the new sets due to be released soon is something they might revisit. Asking fans to name the sets makes them feel like they are a part of the Click-A-Brick family, Smith points out, and gets people talking about the toys. Click-A-Brick is also still in negotiations with a select few brick-and-mortar retailers to sell the toys in physical locations.


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Frasers Group secures funding deal worth nearly £1bn
Fast-expanding Frasers Group has secured nearly £1 billion in fresh funding, with the deal becoming the largest support package in the UK retail sector this year.
The retail group, whose portfolio includes Sports Direct House of Fraser, Jack Wills and high-end fashion retailer Flannels, among others, will be able to access credit facilities and a term loan totalling £930m to support its ambitious growth plans across online and stores.
That said, the £1 billion isn’t completely new money. Jointly led by HSBC UK and backed by several other lenders, it actually refinances £913.5 million of existing loan facilities and adds £16.5 million in new funding.
Frasers Group’s growth strategy and continues to invest significantly across its portfolio of retail fascias and digital platforms.
The company has been one of the most active in UK retail of late as far as store openings are concerned and has put major support behind its Flannels chain in particular, with new, large and experiential luxury stores.
Chris Wootton, CFO at Frasers Group, said: “Partners like HSBC UK, will allow us to continue with our commitment to the UK high street and retail sector – investing significantly into the future with our on-going elevation strategy that fuels our long-term growth.”
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Adult entertainment site Playboy TV UK has turned to e-mail marketing firm Email Reaction to promote its TV, online and mobile entertainment products.
Playboy TV UK sends e-mails with links to video clips taken from the most popular Playboy TV and Playboy UK Cyber Girl model videos.
“By using Email Reaction we can tailor our e-mail communications to our readers’ interests and refine them over time,” Richard Gale, director of marketing and sales, Playboy TV UK, said in a statement. “These e-mail promotions are vital in acquiring new customers and driving existing users to view our latest content. Email Reaction makes it easy for us to manage our communications, including embedding links to video content.”
Playboy TV UK operates Playboy TV and five other TV channels, which are available on Sky Digital, Virgin Media and Tiscali TV platforms. The channels are available as encrypted premium services on a monthly subscription and pay-per-night basis. Playboy TV UK also operates Playboy One, a free-to-air channel on Sky and playboy.co.uk, which features exclusive photo galleries, video clips, and behind-the-scenes footage.
Email Reaction’s e-mail platform will let Playboy TV UK personalize messages be used to send readers content that matches their interests. Click-through rates from e-mails are tracked and used to tailor future campaigns.
“Playboy TV UK’s use of integrated video links in its e-mail communications is a pioneering use of the Web,” Bryan Black, managing director of Email Reaction, said in a statement.


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Wawa’s Got Your Free Cup of Coffee this Sunday
It's a boost of caffeine to celebrate the Super Bowl, courtesy of Wawa! Here are the details:
To celebrate the Eagles making it to the big game, Wawa won't charge you for your cup of coffee before the big game starts.
That's any size coffee, right up until kickoff at 6:30 pm, at all Wawa's in our state!
Wawa has its roots in Philly, hence their excitement about the Eagles possibly winning a championship on Sunday.
A big thank-you to one of our already-favorite convenient stores...celebrating Goose-Pride and Superbowl Pride and WE get to benefit :)


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Shore Capital Partners has completed a recapitalization of Main Street Gourmet, a wholesale bakery based in Akron, Ohio. Main Street Gourmet provides frozen baked foods, including muffins, cookies, granola, brownies and bars, and other sweet goods to retail in-store bakery and specialty food service customers across the United States.
Shore Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in Chicago, plans to invest in the business development, sales and marketing, and production infrastructure of Main Street Gourmet. Opportunities will be explored for inorganic growth through acquisitions and for organic growth through adjacent product lines, customers and distribution channels.
“We could not be more excited to partner with the entire MSG team and look forward to creating a leading multi-regional bakery platform in the U.S. with a diverse range of high quality products, manufacturing capabilities and commitment to superior customer service,” says Richard Boos, partner at Shore Capital and chairman of Main Street Gourmet.
Steve Marks and Harvey Nelson, once college roommates, founded Main Street Gourmet, then known as Main Street Muffins, in 1987. The company’s name changed to Main Street Gourmet in 1997. The company now operates out of a 68,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and employs about 160 people in Akron.
“We are proud of the custom- and solutions-oriented bakery model we have built and scaled as a team and are excited to continue to serve our customers with a diverse range of high quality and differentiated products through a new phase of transformational growth,” said Mr. Nelson, chief executive officer of Main Street Gourmet. “Our partnership with Shore Capital will allow us to accelerate our organic growth through expanding on our product capabilities, serving additional retail I.S.B. (in-store bakeries) and specialty food service customers and broadening our footprint by pursuing acquisitions with other differentiated bakeries in adjacent categories and channels.”
Marks, formerly co-CEO of Main Street Gourmet, now will serve on the board of directors under the partnership with Shore Capital.
“I have high aspirations for what we can collectively accomplish alongside Shore Capital and am excited to partner with a group that understands our value proposition as a custom, value-added supply chain partner,” Marks says. “We continue to strive to be highly responsive with product development, able to commercialize new ideas in collaboration with our customers and maintain flexibility to work with unique ingredients and processes.”


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- Daily Zen
The U.S. department for agriculture has warned that is a high probability of food price increase due to a severe drought in the Midwest. More than 55 percent of the land mass in the U.S. is affected by the drought. Torrid heat and the drought, which is said to be the worst in over 50 years, will likely have an impact on food prices.
Dry as bone
According to sources, over 55 percent of the U.S. is in drought. The 2012 drought is believed to be the worst since 1956. Moreover 2012 is the hottest year recorded in the U.S. Corn and soybean crops have been severely affected by it, so that up to date prices of those crops have increased. The U.S. government admitted that it expected price advances for groceries next year, including milk and meat. The situation looks dramatically, over 88 percent of the corn crop, which is the main farm export product, has been affected by the unexpectedly severe drought.
It has been stated that the price of milk, eggs and meat would increase above the normal rate of inflation. Some experts say that prices may increase by between 3 percent and 4 percent next year. However according to the government’s forecast, prices will rise up to between 4 and 5 percent for beef in 2013, the price advance for dairy products, pork or eggs is expected to slightly lower.
Richard Volpe, the economist of the U.S. department for agriculture, said: “The drought is really going to hit food prices next year.” He also stated that we could expect the price increase event this year. As it was spotted by Richard Volpe: ”It’s already affecting corn and soybean prices, but then it has to work its way all the way through the system into feed prices and then animal prices, then wholesale prices and then, finally, retail prices.” The situation is really catastrophic. The disaster aid has been already designated to 1,369 counties in 31 states.
Not only crops have been affected by the dry and hot weather. Also the infrastructure is harmed by the weather conditions. Runways and subway rails in Washington, nuclear power plants in Illinois, just to mention few, are affected by the heat and drought. These days Congress is being pressured to imply farm bill. However Republican leaders are reluctant to pass the act.
The estimated results
The predicted price increase next year is said to have a modest economic impact according to some economists. Experts believe that the price rise will not be so noticeable, because only 13 percent of American household budget is spent on food. However some economists admitted that particularly poor and unemployed consumers would definitely feel effects of the price rise. Chris G. Christopher, a senior principal economist at IHS, said: “There’s a lot of people in this country living paycheck to paycheck. This is not a good thing for them.”
Experts are more afraid of impact outside the U.S., feeling that it could be much greater than in the country, because the U.S. is a major exporter of agriculture products, including corn and soybean. The shortages in crops at home mean that there will be less supply and at the same time will be higher prices outside the U.S. Not to forget, there are also other countries affected by droughts, including Kazakhstan and Russia, which export also some agriculture products. According to the experts, countries which import substantial amount of animal crops will be mostly affected, and that shortages could also cause the price rise of meat on the global market.


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Micromax launched its first 3D smartphone canvas 3D (A115) in the Indian market strengthening its Canvas Series.
The smartphones would be available in the Indian market from the Ist week of May, 2013.
The latest offering from Micromax needs nO 3D Glasses to view its content in 3D, thereby giving the user a hassle free rich life like experience. Building on the unprecedented success of Canvas 2 and Canvas HD, Micromax has introduced Canvas 3D giving the consumers a complete bouquet of options to choose from the series.
Powered by a 1GHz dual core processor, Canvas 3D (A115) promises superior quality graphics, multi-tasking and improved application performance. Canvas 3D comes with a 5" full touch screen and runs on Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean).
Packed with a 2000 mAh battery, the phone provides a talktime up to 4.5 hours ensuring a strong battery backup. The phone sports a 5.0 MP rear camera with auto focus to further enhance the superiority of the memorable moments and features a 0.3 MP front camera which will facilitate video chatting. Users can also convert the regular pictures into the 3D picture format.
The 3D enabled A115 will help users in faster browsing, downloading attachments and watching streaming videos with excellent 3D quality.
With an expandable memory of 32 GB, the phone supports Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi, ensuring full time connectivity for the social media buffs. The phone comes with ‘Micromax 3D Space' giving them access to 3D videos, and pre-loaded 3D games.
The smartphone is priced at Rs 9,999 and would be available across all leading retail outlets in India.


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Retail sales fell 0.2% in May: Statscan
OTTAWA — Canadian retail sales slipped in May, the second month in a row of declines but not as severe as in April, Statistics Canada reported Thursday. The decline of 0.2 per cent to $36 billion in May was weaker than some analysts had expected. There had been a two per cent decline between March and April and some had expected there would be a bigger rebound in May. Retail sales were up substantially year-to-year, however, from $34.2 billion reported in May 2009 when Canada was still in a recession. The agency said last May’s sales dropped from month-to-month in six of the 11 retail sectors it tracks as well as in five of the provinces, including Quebec. Building materials and gardening suppliers were off 4.1 per cent, while gasoline stations reported a 2.3 per cent drop as pump prices fell from April to May.
Sales of motor vehicle and parts slipped 0.5 per cent as a slight rise in new car sales failed to offset drops in used cars, parts and accessories, including tires.
West Fraser reports Q2 profit
West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. (TSX:WFT) said Thursday it turned a profit in its latest quarter, boosted by higher prices and increased shipments. The lumber producer, whose holdings include Sundre Forest Products and West Fraser LVL near Rocky Mountain House, said it earned $63.3 million or $1.46 per diluted share for the quarter ended June 30 compared with a loss of $39.1 million or 91 cents per share a year ago.
Revenue totalled $772.2 million, up from $611.8 million. In its outlook, the company said lumber prices in the second half of the year are expected to be lower than in the first half of the year as low U.S. housing starts will continue to dampen demand. West Fraser said housing starts in Canada are likely to support reasonable demand for plywood, although increasing imports of U.S. plywood could temper price increases.


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EPIC LAUNCH TRAILER PREMIERES AS DiRT® SHOWDOWN™ COMES CRASHING INTO STORES TOMORROW.
Turbo-charged launch trailer now playing at www.dirtgame.com ahead of DiRT Showdown’s race into retail on Friday May 25th
Gamers are set to go fast, take chances and never give way as DiRT® Showdown™ speeds into UK stores tomorrow, Friday 25th May*, on the Codemasters Racing label. To mark the game’s retail release, Codemasters has unleashed a spectacular launch video featuring DiRT Showdown’s new brand of full-throttle, tyre-shredding, panel-smashing gameplay, now showing at www.dirtgame.com.
The launch video showcases the maximum-impact racing, bone-rattling destruction game modes, freestyle Hoonigan events and multiplayer party games set to take centre stage on DiRT Showdown’s World tour of motorised mayhem. From Miami to LA and San Francisco to Yokohama, the trailer features drivers taking down their rivals, boosting to overtake, hitting jumps and performing stunts as they go for the win across DiRT Showdown’s wide range of game modes. The video is now playing at www.dirtgame.com.
DiRT Showdown players have already done plenty of damage since the demo launched earlier this month.
- Destroyed over three million cars in crashes
- Driven over five million miles
- Boosted for over 2000 days
These impressive results were recorded by RaceNet†, the free new online extension for Codemasters Racing games that tracks and rewards player achievements. RaceNet launched in Beta mode alongside the DiRT Showdown Demo and will add extra functionality to mark the retail release of the game.
New features in the update will include players being invited to take part in regular community challenges and RaceNet events and the ability to add other RaceNet members as friends. Gamers will be able to earn new RaceNet Awards and XP which can be viewed on a new Driver Profile page and additional new pages will reflect the status of Showdown Challenges and enable players to compare best times and scores with their friends across a range of game modes. Gamers can enjoy these new features and more by registering at www.racenet.com.
DiRT Showdown will deliver a new world of competitive and combative racing as players race, crash and hoon their way to ‘Showdown’ finals to perform in front of thousands of fans when it launches May 25th for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and PC.
A special ‘Hoonigan’ edition of DiRT Showdown is available exclusively from GAME and Gamestation. Sporting unique packaging, the DiRT Showdown: Hoonigan Edition will include an in-game cash boost, an online XP multiplier plus Monster Energy liveries for the Kohler D350, Duke Coupe and Ford Fiesta Gymkhana 3 and Hoonigan liveries for the Holbrook Growler, Logan Vulture and Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X JUN, redeemed via an online code.


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Entries in 'date' (440)
It’s looking increasingly likely that Konami’s Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D will miss its 2011 release and slip instead to early 2012.
You could run an entire website based on nothing more than Apple launch rumours, but here’s an interesting one that comes directly from Apple itself.
A press release issued in Germany seems to indicate that Nintendo’s 3DS Video download service is due to launch in Europe tomorrow (July 13th).
Codemasters' Xbox 360 and PS3 shooter Bodycount will be released in Europe and the UK on September 2nd.
More than two million consumers have signed up to participate in the upcoming Call of Duty Elite public beta.
Sony has announced its next generation portable, PlayStation Vita, will launch this Christmas.
The public beta for Call of Duty: Elite is expected to go live on July 14th.
Now in their fifth year, the ultra-popular Games Media Awards in association with Grainger Games look set to be even bigger and better in 2011.
The Next Generation Portable will be launched in 2011.
Having already suffered one delay, Nintendo has confirmed another change of plans for its 3DS digital downloads portal.
While remaining tight lipped about a specific return date for PSN, Sony has indicated that it has entered the final stages of testing its rebuilt console service.
The Wii Vitality Sensor has not been abandoned and is still on track for a launch at some stage, Nintendo president Saturo Iwata has confirmed.
PlayStation platform holder Sony has confirmed that it hopes to have some PSN services back online by May 3rd.
Two of PS3's most interesting and anticipated titles may now not be released in 2011.
Nintendo has dated a raft of 3DS, Wii and DS titles, including Ocarina of Time 3DS, Steel Diver, Dead or Alive: Dimensions and a sequel to Wii Play.
Nintendo has announced that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will be released in the US on June 19th.
Sony has stated that the manufacturing disruption caused by the fallout of last month's earthquake and tsunami last month could force it to alter its NGP launch plans.


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Christmas assistance helpers needing help this year
The countdown the Christmas is an exciting time for many. But for families in need, it can be scary when there's not enough money to put presents under the tree.
This year more parents are reaching out to local charities and asking for help, and local groups are seeing a need like never before. With such a high need, even those who help are needing some help this year.
The Forgotten Child Fund's toy warehouse might as well be Chattanooga's North Pole.
"These are the big two weeks," said Clay Ingle, who helps the organization provide needy families with children's toys for Christmas.
More than 2,500 parents have asked for help since November 1, but Ingle said the list will grow much longer.
"We'll double that amount and do another 5,000 in the next two weeks."
That means being Santa for more than 7,500 local children. Each child receives six to seven gifts. It's a giant task, but a simple goal.
"We just want every child to have a good Christmas," Ingle said.
Volunteers were busy packing up boxes Monday. The warehouse is starting to run low on toys for toddlers.
"Chattanooga is in need," said Kimberly George of the Salvation Army.
The Salvation Army's Angel Tree still has 2,000 angels waiting for help. George said more parents reached out this year than ever before.
"We have hundreds of families that have approached us in need of Christmas assistance. Without the Salvation Army and the generosity of the community, they won't be able to provide a Christmas for their children," she said.
But with a little help, Ingle said some children's wish lists can become a reality.
"It lets them know they're really special for one day in their life."
After a big week of shopping events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, some charities have dubbed Tuesday "Giving Tuesday." The Salvation Army hopes consumers will think of someone else in need when they shop.


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Longtime area food truck Nana's Kitchen is now Dana's Kitchen
When Dana Carpenter purchased a long-time St. Cloud-area food truck business, she only had to change one letter to make the name her own.
As of summer 2021, Nana's Kitchen became Dana's Kitchen. Nana's Kitchen had been in the St. Cloud food scene for almost two decades. Carpenter knew the owners, she said
"We'd always told them we were interested in it, and they were finally ready to sell last year and to retire," she said. "Opportunity came, and we took it."
She's spent almost two decades herself in the food industry, Carpenter said, working in catering, restaurants and also manufacturing. She'd always aimed to have her own restaurant, but her eight kids have kept her busy. A food truck (often staffed by some of her children) seemed to be the solution.
Carpenter said she loves that the food truck lets her move her business around and lets her meet people. And she said her kids seem to love the food truck, too.
"We're a big foodie family," she said.
Much of the menu has remained, including the burgers and hand-dipped cheese curds, but other things (like chicken tacos) have been added on. The menu will also fluctuate depending on the event, which Carpenter said is a result of her catering mindset.
Carpenter also wants customers to know she strives to provide affordable, family-friendly prices because she knows what it's like trying to feed several children at a festival.
Eventually, she'd like to add another trailer to her operation, Carpenter said.


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Shaquille O’Neal Becomes NBA Virtual Fan and Steals the Show While ‘Sitting on Kid’
The NBA’s return to action in the Orlando bubble has been more entertaining than what fans have witnessed in the past. Now, fans not only have exciting NBA action to watch, but they can also see virtual fans on the sidelines acting out in ways you would never see court-side in your traditional NBA contest. Shaquille O’Neal became one of those virtual fans this week, and, let’s just say, his size put a strain on the technology and the fans sitting next to him.
NBA virtual fans becoming part of entertainment
Unlike the MLS and its inclusion of virtual fans, which are rarely seen during the broadcasts, the NBA has made the virtual fandom experience an integral part of the game. NBA games feature fans displayed on large video boards located directly behind the team’s benches. Fan are easily seen in the background during the on-court action.
The NBA prioritized its inclusion of fans because it not only allows the fans to be a part of the broadcast, but it also was an opportunity to generate revenue. Michelob Ultra is prominently displayed in the areas of the video boards.
The NBA virtual fan is also more appealing in appearance compared to the version employed by the MLS. The MLS’s display of virtual fans is what we’ve all grown accustomed to with the Zoom experience, which features multiple boxes on the screen like the Brady Bunch opening. The NBA’s virtual fan experience is considerably different because fans look like they’re actually sitting in individual seats next to each other.
Shaquille O’Neal becomes an NBA virtual fan
This new technology, coupled with the fans and their various computer setups, the NBA virtual fan experience can sometimes generate visuals where some fans appear disproportionately larger or smaller than fans sitting in the seats next to them. Enter Shaquille O’Neal.
O’Neal decided to join in on the fun of being a virtual fan during a recent game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat. And not surprisingly, O’Neal turned it into his own little stage. Initially, O’Neal could be seen moving in his seat like he was dancing to a song. He then flashed a peace sign, before moving in close to his computer camera, and sticking out his tongue.
NBA analyst Reggie Miller couldn’t help but offer his thoughts on the NBA’s biggest virtual fan. “There’s no way he’s fitting in that chair. I’ll tell you that right now,” Miller joked.
But O’Neal wasn’t done. He showed up later in another game between New Orleans and Sacramento in what appeared to be a black mask with goggles.
Fans react to Shaquille O’Neal’s virtual fandom
As you might expect, Shaquille O’Neal’s surprise appearance as a virtual fan generated numerous comments on Twitter. Not surprisingly, all of them related to the big man’s size and how he appeared on the oversized video boards.
“SHAQ is literally sitting on the kid next to him! #VirtualFanDonts,” posted Angel Gray, who is a reporter that covers the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Another fan wrote, “Shaq’s face barely fits in the screen lmao.”
“I never knew Shaq’s head could get any bigger,” wrote another fan.
Shaquille O’Neal knew that when he signed up and logged in as a virtual fan, he was going to take grief for it. He also knew it would make a lot of fans laugh. And during this unprecedented time when our only option to be an NBA fan is through technology and a computer screen, a little laughing goes a long way.


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Kia Motors, part of Hyundai Motor Group, is testing robotics technology through the development of the Hyundai Vest Exoskeleton wearable industry robot.
The company is in the process of verification testing through the end of this year, following a demonstration of the technology in August.
Hyundai identified robot artificial intelligence as one of five areas of its future growth and innovation and established a robotics team at its technology headquarters to develop it along with related technology.
The automaker is developing technology in three areas of robots: wearable robots, service robots and micro-mobility, according to a company statement.
The first exoskeleton is a knee-joint protective device that helps maintain a worker’s sitting position. Testing of another device that alleviates pressure on workers’ neck and back is also planned.
The company is also developing a hotel service robot that provide room service and guide guests around a hotel. Those robots will be bested at South Korea’s Haevichi hotel and resort and the Rolling Hills hotel.


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There was a new Nintendo Direct today, and a ton of new info got revealed about the upcoming Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. But the most exciting thing was a newly revealed playable character. No, not Bowser Jr: Mewtwo!
Returning for the first time since Melee, Mewtwo will be offered as a free DLC reward for those who buy both versions of Super Smash Bros. He won’t be available right away though, as according to the Direct he’s “still in development.” Thus he should be available in Spring of 2015. There’s no word on whether or not he’ll be available for purchase seperately for those who don’t want to buy both versions of the game.
Are you guys excited about this? I know I am, Mewtwo has always been one of my favorite Pokemon! Do you think you’ll be using him in Smash Tours, or the 8-Player Smash?


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Holst Centre Demos a Shirt You Can Read (video)
Late last year Holst Centre, a Netherlands-based research outfit, showed off a new LED screen prototype at Printed Electronics USA.
The following video shows a variety of flexible electronics, including a foil-backed LED screen mounted in a shirt sleeve. it’s not integrated into the cloth, but that could be a real possibility as research continues.
I know the demo doesn’t look like much (and the refresh conflict between the screen and the camera doesn’t help), just imagine what you could do with this one day. Rather than just wear a sponsor’s logo and be a billboard, an athlete could show a complete commercial and be a literal walking advertisement.
And on a more serious note, this tech teases the possibility of ereaders, tablets, and other mobile devices which are lighter and thinner than any product on the market. Unfortunately, those gadgets are probably years away from hitting store shelves.
Host Centre has been quietly working on flexible displays for several years now, and they demoed a similar display as a smartwatch concept back in 2013.
You won’t find their names on a product label, though. Holst Centre is an independent R&D center that develops technologies like wireless autonomous sensors and flexible electronics. Its business model is to partner with industry and academia to provide its technical expertise in the development of cutting edge tech and research projects.


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A new touch-screen device that is supposedly “the world’s first Christian tablet” has been announced by FamilyChristian.com, an online ministry that markets Christian products and services. Called the edifi, the device is equipped with a “Family Christian Reader”, offers “Safe Search Wi-Fi” web browsing, and retails for USD149.99 putting it in direct competition with new low-cost tablets being offered by Web giants such as Apple, Google, and Amazon.
Holy iPad slayer! shouts a FoxNews.com report which features excerpts from an interview with Brian Honorable, technology supervisor at Family Christian…
It also comes with movie-watching capabilities, Christian radio stations, and even a web browser with built-in â€œsafe search,â€ so the tablet is safe for the whole family. â€œWe put that on there just in case it was given as a gift to a child, so they wouldnâ€™t have access to things they shouldnâ€™t have access to,â€ said Honorable. â€œWe definitely had to tailor it to our customers.â€
This, indeed, is another case-in-point highlighting the commoditisation of tablet computing devices as a looming price war in the low-cost segment of the industry threatens premium products such as Apple’s $500 iPads.
More importantly, edifi is an example of such a device that offers a tightly-controlled environment taylored for specific users — interesting for parents in particular who are increasingly concerned about the nature and quality of Web content that is getting in front of youngsters’ eyeballs in greater quantities. What’s stopping other content marketers from coming up with their own such tablets?
If Scientific American came up with a similar device, I’d buy that for my kid for $200!
- Depreciating Philippine peso could spell doom for social media “influencers” - June 18, 2018
- Philippine poverty is really a very simple problem. It really is. - June 8, 2018
- Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord God Ninoy Aquino in vain - June 6, 2018
- Filipino liberals presume to know better than people who choose NOT to be “victims” - June 5, 2018
- Rappler journalists make DISHONEST conclusions out of unsound observations - June 4, 2018


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Entries in 'MCV USA' (1672)
Obsidian’s Kickstarter success Pillars of Eternity has surpassed 500,000 units sold.
Grand Theft Auto V has retaken the top spot on Steam’s weekly best-sellers chart, thanks to a feature discount in the distributor’s Halloween Sale.
A new update is set to arrive for Super Mario Maker this week, bringing the ability to place mid-level checkpoints and a few other notable additions.
Fallout's own Nuka-Cola Quantum will arrive at Target later this month, coinciding with the release of Fallout 4.
Warner Bros has announced it will be offering full refunds for the Steam release of Batman: Arkham Knight through the rest of the year.
Bethesda and Valve have collaborated on a new Dota 2 announcer pack that will bring Fallout's robot companion Mister Handy to the MOBA.
Scribblenauts studio 5th Cell has taken its upcoming action RPG Anchors in the Drift to Fig in hopes of crowdfunding the title.
Valve has introduced a series of software tutorial videos to Steam's library.
Bethesda has released a new Halloween-themed update for Fallout Shelter.
Upcoming sci-fi adventure game No Man's Sky will launch this June, developer Hello Games has announced.
Bandai Namco has revealed Tekken 7 will receive a worldwide console release on PS4, with the publisher teasing unspecified support for PlayStation VR as well.
Street Fighter V will launch on PS4 this Feburary in Europe and North America, Capcom has revealed.
The PC release of Galak-Z: The Dimensional will arrive on Steam later this week, developer 17-Bit has announced.
Everquest franchise designer Ryan Barker has moved on from the game he spent the past fifteen years working on to found his own studio, Stonethunder Games.
Valve has released Steam's latest weekly top ten sellers chart, with pre-orders for Fallout 4 outpacing the rest for the second straight week.
The PC edition of Batman: Arkham Knight will be relisted for sale on Steam later this week, Warner Bros has announced.
A Microsoft source has confirmed to Game Informer that the company will no longer provide sales updates for Xbox One.
Eric Neustadter – one of the creators of Xbox Live – has announced his exit from Microsoft after nearly two decades with the firm.
The sixth and final release of Telltale's debut Game of Thrones episodic will land next week, the studio has announced.
Nintendo has revealed a new Yo-Kai Watch-themed 2DS bundle set to arrive in North America next month.
Twitch's dedicated viewing app for PS4 has arrived on the North American PlayStation Store.
The PlayStation 4 edition of Fallout 4 will include some form of support for Remote Play on PS Vita, Bethesda has revealed.
Market intelligence services group Ico Partner's Thomas Bidaux has published new data which shows Star Citizen's funding outpaced all successful video game Kickstarters combined in 2014.
Free-to-play mobile release Lara Croft: Relic Run has exceeded 10m downloads, Square Enix has announced.
Guild Wars 2 developer ArenaNet has joined forces with eSports organizer ESL to form an official Pro League for the MMO.


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BMW Group expects sales in China to grow around 10 percent this year while global sales are likely to climb 5 percent to 5.5 percent, BMW board member for sales and marketing Ian Robertson said at the Shanghai auto show on Wednesday.
Robertson also said he expected pricing to remain stable in China this year as the carmaker prepares to produce a sixth model locally. BMW and Chinese joint-venture partner BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd are currently kicking off the production of the 5 Series long wheelbase, along with the new 1 Series Sedan. The joint venture is also producing an X1 long wheelbase for the Chinese market.
Robertson further said he expected Chinese authorities to tone down plans for introducing a quota for electric cars starting in 2018. Currently, the stipulation says that automakers have to meet a 7 percent sales target in 2020 and 15 percent in 2025, for electric cars and plug-in hybrids.
“Discussions are ongoing with the Chinese government. We firmly believe this market will have a very strong footing within electric vehicles, whether it is as early as 2018, whether it applies to all manufacturers in the same way, is open to discussion,” Robertson said.


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NEW BERN, N.C. – The Hatteras Collection and Galati Yacht Sales have mutually agreed to discontinue Galati’s representation of the Cabo product line in the Gulf of Mexico region, the Brunswick Boat Group unit reported in a recent statement.
This decision reflects the Hatteras Collection’s desire to integrate its product distribution through a Hatteras Collection exclusive dealer network, according to the company, and comes after extended discussions between the two organizations. Hatteras Collection boat brands include Albemarle Boats, Cabo Yachts and Hatteras Yachts.
This move comes only six months after Brunswick acquired Cabo Yachts to fill in its offshore sportfishing boat offering.
Carmine Galati, principal of the Gulf Coast dealership, commented that Galati’s leadership understood and respected the Hatteras Collection’s strategy.
“For the past 10 years, Galati Yacht Sales has contributed greatly to the strong industry position currently held by Cabo Yachts but future strategy dictates another direction for the Cabo brand, one that is more closely tied to the rest of the Hatteras Collection,” said Mark Harakal, president of the Hatteras Collection. “However, we greatly value Galati’s loyalty and excellent service to the Cabo brand and wish the organization nothing but success in its future endeavors.”
- For more of the latest news, click here.


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Online Financial Fraud: In view of the increasing online financial frauds, the Secretary of Financial Affairs has held a big meeting with the stakeholders of 12 organizations. The government said that 1.4 lakh mobile handsets related to financial fraud cases have been blocked by the Telecom Department. The government has asked banks and financial institutions to launch 6-digit serial numbers instead of 10-digit numbers for commercial promotional calls.
In this meeting held to prevent financial services sector and online financial fraud, the preparations made after the first meeting held on 28 November 2023 were reviewed. In this meeting, cyber security in the financial sector, increasing trend of digital payment frauds and preparations to deal with it were discussed.
It was told in the meeting that the Department of Telecommunications has prepared an AI/ML based engine by the name of Astra which will be able to detect such mobile connections which have been obtained through fake and fake documents. 1.40 mobile handsets have been blocked which were connected to disconnected connections or were linked to cyber crime or fraud. The government has asked banks and financial institutions to launch 6-digit series numbers instead of 10-digit numbers for commercial promotional calls. Besides, financial institutions have also been asked to run awareness campaigns.
DoT has detected 35 lakh principal entities who send bulk SMS. Out of these, 19,776 entities which used to send fake SMS have been blacklisted and blocked. Also, 30,700 SMS headers and 1,95,766 SMS templates have been disconnected. 500 people involved in financial fraud were arrested and 3.08 lakh SIMs and 50,000 IMEIs have been blocked through Prakharpan portal since April 2023.
In November, the government had said that 70 lakh mobile connections reported through the digital intelligence platform had been disconnected which were involved in cyber crime and financial fraud. Also, an amount of Rs 900 crore could be saved from fraud which benefited 3.5 lakh people.
Get more latest business news updates


text: Reality star Kim Kardashian was the talk of the Met Gala for wearing one of the most famous dresses in the world. Kardashian sported a beaded gown worn by Marilyn Monroe sixty years ago. Monroe wore it when she famously sang “Happy Birthday” to then President Kennedy. The gown is now owned by Ripley’s Believe It or Not. And believe it or not, not everyone was thrilled to see Kardashian squeeze into a dress that some consider a national treasure.


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A few words in memory of Ollie Towler-Jones who sadly died in July 2014.
We recently support the Computing At School Scratch competition. Here is the organisers write up of the event.
Zynga's co-founder Mark Pincus takes a break from his duties as chairmen to form new app development company, superlabs.
With the new year already well underway, many of us will have finally got to grips with the new phone we received at Christmas.
This article can show you that data in your database could be more important than you think.
2015 brought us the Apple Watch, and while the initial selection of apps was a bit disappointing, developers are creating new and exciting ways to use this wearable tech, whether you're a fitness fan or aspiring intellectual.
Google has announced a new program that has been designed to aid the world's museums in the creation of mobile apps.
What exactly is a 'mobile friendly' website and does it matter if your site is or not?
Apple has announced that 64-bit support must now be included with all apps for its IOS, fuelling speculation that 64-bit CPUs will be the norm for smartphones before 2016
We're delighted to announce that we will be a sponsor of the Norfolk Care Awards 2016 for the second year running.


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Business & Merchant
- Last Updated on Friday, 29 August 2014 11:43
Signal Graphics in McMurray recently received a Century Club Award, placing them in an elite group of Signal Graphics franchises worldwide. The Century Club sales achievement award recognizes 100 of the top franchises in the entire network for outstanding sales achievement in 2013.
The award was presented at the annual Signal Graphics International Convention, held July 23-27 at the Disneyland Resort Hotel in Anaheim, CA. Signal Graphics in McMurray is owned by Roy and Sandy Crumrine.
"Roy and Sandy have not only achieved growth for their business, they have done it by helping their customers grow and succeed with their marketing objectives," said Richard Lowe, president and COO of Signal Graphics parent company, Franchise Services, Inc. "This is an accomplishment of which their entire team can be very proud."


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And we are so excited.
This week the store has announced a new collaboration, and it’s unlike anything they have done yet.
The high street chain has teamed up with a very famous designer to create a line of designer bags at bargain prices, and it’s all thanks to Henry Holland.
Yes, that’s right. Primark is teaming up with Henry Holland to create four tote bag designs, from cat and dog illustrations to inspiring quote slogans, hitting stores this week.
And if that wasn’t exciting enough already, it turns out it’s all for a very worthy cause, with the Henry Holland X Primark collaboration actually being part of a bigger initiative.
The tote bags, costing £3 each (and made from 100% sustainable cotton by the way), will go towards supporting aspiring designers and nurturing new talent, with £1.32 from each purchase going to the Graduate Fashion Week Foundation.
‘We wanted to create something that worked for the Primark customer and was infused with the Henry Holland DNA,’ the designer explained about his new collaboration. ‘Colour, print and slogans were key, and ensuring the bags were made in an ethical way were high priorities for both myself and Primark.’
He continued: ‘I’m so excited about creating something so accessible that is raising funds for something I passionately believe in.’
We cannot wait for this.


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The court ordered the Florida man, johnny Perez to pay the publisher of the game GTA Online considerable compensation for the creation and distribution of pay-cheat software is Elusive. Of course, created by a hacker software gave one the advantage over the other players, and much ruined the sales of the game. Besides, the illegal software was not free, and the Creator could well cash in on it.
As punishment for creating the Elusive court sentenced johnny Perez to the payment of compensation by the publisher in the amount of $150 thousand Besides, he is obliged to pay of $66.9 thousand as payment for the services of a lawyer of the copyright holder. Perez was accused of the copyright infringement Take-Two Interactive, the violation of the balance of the gameplay, the violation of the model of in-app purchases. In addition, he is accused of the fact that he spoiled the pleasure of playing honest players.
This case is another indicator of how far can the use of cheats in a multiplayer game. Soon, the dishonest players can be either in the court or even in prison.
We will remind that the head of Xiaomi said, what will the smartphones of 2019. Note that the company a year ago acquired a company that specializiruetsya cameras smartphones. That’s why Xiaomi smartphones, even the budget, is the top camera that can not be compared even lenses iPhone XS Max. In any case, we can expect a lot of interesting things, so the time patience and money.
Earlier Znayu reported that Apple are very bad, and figured out how to increase the number of sales of the new iPhone, which failed miserably at the end of 2018. It is reported that employees of service centers Apple ordered to sell the iPhone XR, instead of simply to do the repair for broken iPhone user.
Znayu wrote that the design of the Chinese Oppo R19 first appeared in the network. Among other things, it is worth noting a good screen and unusual camera that has a retractable mechanism.


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The trend for consumers to be fitter and healthier is one of the biggest influences helping the professional skin care market show signs of recovery, with Germany and the UK as the driving regions at present.
To address the 'under appreciated' needs of an increasingly ageing population, Nestlé Skin Health's innovation hub in Shanghai will look at skin health issues including intense dryness, skin cancer and ageing.
Nestlé Skin Health will open a global network of 10 innovation hubs focused on developing solutions and techniques that will promote healthy skin through medical investigation, education and application of skin health technologies.
Latest figures from the Advertising Standards Board of India (ASCI) show that complaints against adverts for personal care and health care products are being upheld far more than any other consumer product group.
A study from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) has fired a warning shot to manufacturers of nail care products claiming that many nail care products contain toxic chemicals even though their labels claim otherwise.
Speciality chemicals company International Specialty Products (ISP)
continues its quest to expand the company's presence in the growing
personal care market segment with the news this week that it has
collaborated with biotech...


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SEATTLE, Wash.—As part of its North American Partnership Program, 7-Eleven will launch a new Wild Alaska Pollock item perfect for convenience store customers looking for a protein-packed snack, the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) announced today. The new Wild Alaska Pollock Fish Bites can curb that snack-craving with five breaded bites of mild, flaky Wild Alaska Pollock with an herbed tartar sauce dipping cup. These fun new ‘bites’ will be available for a limited time while supplies last and will retail for5/$3.69 every day and 5/$3.00 on Fridays for 7Rewards members.
“We’re pleased that once again 7-Eleven is sourcing this sustainable, versatile and nutritious fish—Wild Alaska Pollock—for their Lenten season limited time offering,” said Craig Morris, GAPP CEO. “This delicious snacking option will once again put Wild Alaska Pollock front and center by name and by story and we’re proud to work with 7-Eleven on this new product introduction!”
“We got such great reviews on the Alaskan Pollock sandwich last year, we knew we had to bring back a seasonal fish option for our customers in 2021” said Anjuli Wilkie, 7-Eleven senior category manager of hot food, “Because we’re all about convenience and offering delicious, easy-to-eat food, Fish Bites is the perfect grab-and-go option.”
Last year, GAPP teamed up with the leading convenience store chain on its Wild Alaska Pollock fish sandwich which was very successful and brought valuable insights back to the industry through the partnership reporting process. This year, the partnership aims to take a bite out of the growing snacking market and marry that with the convenience renowned by 7-Eleven customers.
“The convenience industry continues to experience growth in the U.S., even despite the pandemic and we are excited to be collaborating with the world’s largest convenience store chain, 7-Eleven, for the second year in a row,” said Craig Morris, Chief Executive Officer of GAPP. “This collaboration is exactly what the program was designed to do — respond to consumer trends and meet them exactly where they are with Wild Alaska Pollock.”
The North American Partnership Program was conceived by the GAPP Board of Directors to recognize and provide support for companies throughout the Wild Alaska Pollock industry who are looking to bring new, innovative products to market or introduce the fish to food influencers and decision-makers at forums where it hasn’t previously had visibility. Over the course of the program’s history, GAPP has now obligated over $5 million toward this important initiative.
Each partner brings equal or greater funds to the table, meaning that for every dollar of GAPP investment, there is at least a one-to-one, and in most cases greater, investment in bringing WAP to new channels and consumers. While exact partner investments will remain confidential, GAPP investments have been more than quadrupled with matching partner funds. All partners also use the new, approved GAPP messaging that has been compiled based on the extensive consumer research conducted by GAPP this year in an effort to build our Wild Alaska Pollock narrative domestically and create familiarity for our fish’s attributes among consumers.


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It's been a long time coming, buy Philips has been the first to release a Wireless HDMI Blu-ray player.
The BDP7580, which will retail for $499.99, will be released in April, the company announced at CES 2011 in Las Vegas.
In order for the wireless system to work, a wireless equipped TV is required, or users can purchase the separate Philips Wireless HDTV Link device.
The wireless link allows the two connecting devices to be placed up to 75 feet (nearly 23 meters) away, without signal loss or degradation.
The Blu-ray player also supports a varied range of online video streaming services, including Netflix, BlockBuster, FilmFresh, Pandora, NetTV and Philips' own MediaConnect. The player does not support 3D Blu-ray playback.
Also at CES, two companies launched HDTVs with a new format ratio. The new 21:9 screens aim to fix a common problem with today's 16:9 HDTVs, the fact that our current widescreen TVs still have to display a black border for most movies, which are shot in the 2.35:1 or 2.39:1 ratios. With these new 2560x1080p 21:9 screens, the black border for these movies are removed, although for high definition TV broadcasts, gaming, and many other movies, which still use the 16:9 ratio, a black border will still be visible, but this time on the two sides of the screen.
Philips will release a new 58" LED 21:9 TV that will also be 3D capable. Vizio is also planning to release three 21:9 TVs, at 50" and 58", and eventually a 71" model.
Discuss this story in our forum:


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Asus has recently officially launched its new gaming smartphone, the ROG Phone 3, with many powerful capabilities, one of which is the use of a screen with a refresh rate of 144Hz.
Of course, the presence of a screen with a high refresh rate makes the gaming experience smoother and smoother. But apparently, the ability of ROG Phone 3 does not stop there.
XDA-Developers recently reported that it turns out that the screen of the ROG Phone 3 can support a higher refresh rate of up to 160Hz. This certainly makes many people shocked and impressed with the smartphone.
It was mentioned that the 160Hz option on ROG Phone 3 was experimental. Although it can be activated, Asus is known not to allow everyone to enable it because it can make the features and smartphone system become unstable and run optimally.
To activate the 160Hz feature, ROG Phone 3 users must activate ADB (Android Debug Bridge) and type in the code “ADB shell setprop debug.vendor.asus.fps.eng 1”. After that, users only need to restart and can find the 160Hz option in the settings menu.
It was mentioned again that users who want to activate the 160Hz feature must understand the risks experienced after using it. But at least this shows that the ROG Phone 3 is a very great smartphone.


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UK consumers avoiding online electronics purchases
21 September 2011 - 09:33 by Mike Price
A study suggests that UK consumers are unwilling to commit to buying large, expensive electronics such as TVs online.
Instead they are choosing to search for the products they want to buy on the internet, carry out a little research about the price and performance and then head to a high street outlet to seal the deal rather than using an online retailer.
Sixty three per cent of those questioned in a recent report by the NPD Group, said that they would research electronic devices online and then use this knowledge to find the best deal at bricks and mortar stores.
This level is a little lower for TV buyers, although it still accounts for more than half of all consumers who want to purchase electronics.
NPD's Stephen Baker explained that consumers are hesitant to buy large products via safe shopping online because they have a deficit of awareness about the facts of e-commerce.
The study suggests that there is still a large proportion of the British public that does not want to part with their cash online, perhaps because they do not perceive it as particularly secure when dealing with large sums of money.
When it comes to consumer electronics, it could be that they are interested in seeing the device in person before they buy it. But many experts advise that you head to your local megastore to check out the performance of a TV or Hi-fi and then use the web to find the best price, getting the best of both worlds.
What this research also reaffirms is the idea that multichannel retailers will get the benefits of a divided customer base to a greater degree than online or high street-only firms. If a consumer can research a product on your website and then buy it in your store, you have them coming and going.>


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Created by Wieden+Kennedy New York, the ad campaign marks the first time that the brand has created a unified global campaign in its 150-year history. Consisting of a series of films, it taps into the at times irrational love that people can have for Heinz.
The focus is mainly on ketchup, with the odd appearance of Heinz baked beans, as fans of the red stuff are shown sneaking it into high end restaurants or using it as a sushi dipping sauce, while filling their home with Heinz memorabilia.
One spot focuses on the precision that Heinz brings to its ketchup, by showing a Heinz ‘tomato master’ obsessively searching for the perfect red tomatoes. The five films are all linked by the tagline, ‘It has to be Heinz’.
The new campaign follows a run of quirky and memorable ads for Heinz ketchup by Rethink, which have all articulated Heinz’s unique position in the sector. These have included a campaign where both humans and AI were asked to ‘draw ketchup’ and produced the distinctive Heinz bottle.
W+K’s work keeps the tongue-in-cheek tone that the brand has built up over the years, though features a more mainstream feel, suited to a global campaign.
“As we looked to unify the brand under one global brand platform, we dove into the world of our consumers and found that they all shared one thing: the irrational lengths they go to for Heinz products,” says Diana Frost, chief growth officer, North American zone at the Kraft Heinz Company. “As a brand obsessed with our consumers, we created ‘It has to be Heinz’ as our love song back to them, our fans are our muses.”
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy New York
CCO: Scott Dungate
Creative Directors: Christine Santora, Will Binder
Associate Creative Directors: Jessica Ghersi, Marc Duran
Copywriter: Mikayla Dumas
Art Director: Nikki Vandervelde
Production Company: Love Song
Director: Camille Summers-Valli
Editorial Company: Final Cut
Editors: Adriana Legay, Matt Carter


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Leaked images seem to show upcoming Lumia device with super-sized camera
Microsoft looks to have taken a significant step forward in its efforts to further its launch into the smartphone market, according to a series leaked images purporting to be a new flagship Lumia device.
The images, which were posted on a Chinese auction website over the weekend and revealed by GeekOnGadgets, appear to show a large-scale smartphone with a significant camera bump which dominates the rear of the device.
The site identified the device as a “Nokia RM-1052”, running Windows Phone 8.1 alongside 2GB of RAM and a 5-inch 1080p display.
Microsoft has yet to comment on the images, but the title given on the posting has led some sources to theorise it is the cancelled Nokia ‘McLaren’ device, which was created as a prototype to test the company’s first efforts at gesture-based technology.
The size of the camera would imply that this is a high-end device, most probably the next step along from the Lumia 1020, which featured a 41 megapixel lens alongside a range of other imaging-focused features which former CEO Stephen Elop hailed as the “next chapter in smartphone photography,”
Microsoft launched the first non-Nokia Lumia device, the Lumia 535, last month, following the £4.6 billion buyout of Nokia’s smartphone division in April.
The company officially began rebranding last month, starting with the websites and social media pages formerly owned by Nokia, following the news that that Microsoft was planning to move the Nokia.com website over to its existing website as part of its Christmas consumer push.
However Nokia has announced it is looking at licencing out its iconic brand name as part of a move to ensure the company remains in the public eye.
The first such device to feature this branding, the Nokia N1 tablet, was announced two weeks ago, with the 7.9in device pitching Nokia against the likes of Apple and Microsoft in the mini tablet device range.
What do you know about Nokia? Find out with our quiz!


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When Michelle Obama wore a white, one-shoulder gown by Jason Wu to the Inaugural Ball in 2009, the then 26-year-old designer was, as the New York Times described him, “barely known outside the fashion beltway.”
Four years later, Wu, whom the First Lady wore again to the Inaugural Ball Monday evening, has reached mass recognition, having launched a diffusion line with Target in early 2012. The young designer has also partnered with St. Regis hotels on a luggage line and with faucet company Brizo on a bathroom collection, in addition to dressing celebrities such as Diane Kruger, Zoe Saldana and Michelle Williams for red carpet appearances.
The red, chiffon and velvet dress he designed for Obama on Monday night will only raise Wu’s growing profile. The sleeveless gown showed off Obama’s famously toned arms, and she accessorized it with a handmade diamond embellished ring by jewelry designer Kimberly McDonald, and shoes by Jimmy Choo.
Obama’s pick surprised many fashion critics, who thought she would give the honor to another designer this time around. But in one way, the First Lady’s decision to repeat the designer was a perfectly fitting end to a campaign season defined by her recycled outfits, most notably the magenta Michael Kors dress she wore on Election Night.


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When hospitality development firm HES Group purchased a Midtown Miami lot in 2014, it planned to build a hotel. Monday, the 4company is putting the 1.02-acre site up for bid in a direct sale or joint-venture opportunity, said Francisco Arocha, the firm’s CEO and founder.
The mortgage on the lot at 3601 N. Miami Ave. is three weeks in arrears, and the mortgage holder has begun foreclosure proceedings, Arocha said, due to the pandemic’s severe impact on the hospitality industry.
“The hospitality industry has been hit,” Arocha said. “Once you’ve been hit, you have to digest that situation and prepare for the new cycle that is going to begin in the next few months. Miami is going to continue to position itself as one of the most attractive cities in the world and, as in the past, it will recover. [Already,3/8 we saw people travel by car in the summer and we are just starting to see air travel.”
Design-savvy HES also co-owns Aloft hotels in Brickell and Coral Gables, a Hotel Indigo in Brickell, and several Miami restaurants and hotels in Latin America.
HES purchased the property for $12.25 million in 2014 with plans to build a 500,000-square-foot, 20-story mixed-use Triptych, with retail, office and 297-room hotel. The Miami Urban Development Review Board approved of plans in 2015.
The site is approved for a 24-story tower with up to 300 hotel rooms.
Miguel Pinto, president and broker at the MiMo-based Apex Capital Realty, and Daniela Lainville, Realtor with Yaffe International, are representing the seller.
The site is ideal for a mixed-use project, including all of the components — retail, office, and hospitality — HES Group originally planned for, Pinto said. “Anyone that buys this site won’t get off the ground for 18 or 24 months. I don’t see ourselves wearing a mask in 24 months. People will be coming back.”
Pinto and Lainville will issue requests for offers in December. Although HES has not specified a minimum price, Pinto and Lainville are not asking for a specific amount, a comparable sale closed at $544.60 per square foot. In April 2020, the 1.11-acre site at 201 NW 21st St. sold for $26.4 million.
South Florida’s hospitality industry has been severely impacted by the pandemic. HES Group’s original predictions of an overall 50% drop in occupancy rates in its South Florida hotels have proven optimistic; in September, hotels experienced a 37% occupancy rate in Miami-Dade County, according to industry data firm STR. Across the market, employee furloughs have been widespread.
However, some developers are betting on recovery and moving forward with new projects, including Dezer Development’s Sunny Isles Monaco hotel; Fernandez Properties’ 64-room hotel in South Beach, and the new luxury Aman hotel and condos, planned for the historic Versailles hotel in Mid Beach.
“Hospitality is going through a tough time right now but the rainy days are going to go away,” Pinto said.
©2020 Miami Herald
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Though a recent revision to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) warnings about COVID-19 indicates that the virus does not live on surfaces for as long as originally feared, many have still become hyper-aware of what they touch.
And with the CDC advocating for increased hand-washing, items such as hand soap and hand sanitizer have become hot commodities.
Cheshire resident Deborah Davidson and her business partner Jonathan Martin have been making soaps for approximately eight years out of Davidson’s garage in her Cheshire home. Davidson began her soap-making journey when she realized that she was allergic to most soaps that are sold in stores.
Ever since then, Davidson and Martin have been cranking out bricks of soap for a small profit.
“When I first started, I just had so much soap that I started giving it away to family and friends, and then once they all had enough I had the idea for the online store,” Davidson explained.
The online store, called Sunny Bungalow, sells everything from handmade soap and lotion to shampoo bars and bath fizzies, and they’re all made by Davidson and Martin.
Davidson works full time as a registered nurse, but her passion for helping people has spilled over into her soap making.
“I am just addicted to making soap! I really love what it can do for people,” she added.
While Davidson and Martin have been in business for a while, the COVID-19 crisis and a renewed concern over hygiene has meant a boom in sales. After a few recent Facebook shout-outs, Sunny Bungalow has nearly sold out of all their hand soap.
“A few weeks ago, one woman posted about us on the Cheshire Woman’s Facebook group and we got almost 25 orders just from that,” Davidson mentioned. “But we have been seeing an increase in orders because of COVID-19 and that a lot of bigger stores are selling out of things.”
Most of Davidson’s handmade soap bars cost about $6 and each bar is roughly 4.5 ounces. She uses ingredients like lavender, kaolin clay, and aloe to ensure that her soap is not only easy on the wallet, but good for the skin.
Davidson assures that her soap is safe to use during the pandemic, and she and her partner are working hard to ensure that what they do sell is packaged and delivered in accordance with the social distancing precautions set out by the CDC.
“We still run our business pretty much as normal; our shipping and delivery have changed a little since I only go to the post office once a week now, but we are still filling orders and processing them,” Davidson said.
For Davidson, the business is more about creating a good product than it is about making money.
“We don’t make a huge profit, but it’s something I enjoy, and if I can share it with others that makes it even better,” she added.


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Yesterday, Vodafone Idea launched a unified brand titled Vi (pronounce we) which will bet big on digital to attract customers. Moreover, Vi ads are now also on TV and digital platforms with intense multi-media campaigns. It will surely make telecom market more competitive. Vi customers can make use of Vi movies & tv app. It is a video streaming platform now available on Android and iOS devices.
Vi has partnered with Zee5, Sony LIV, Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. Customers can enjoy OTT content with appropriate plan. Moreover, customers can use Vi movies & tv app to stream premium OTT contents of Zee5 and Sony LIV within app. Customers can now enjoy premium Marathi movies, tv shows and web series. This is a great asset for Marathi watching audience. Moreover, Marathi Khabri has compared Vi movies app with others and came to conclusion that Vi movies and tv app performs far better than its competitors in terms of speed as well as content. Stay tuned with Marathi Khabri for exclusive updates.


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IIn the context of its focus on local content, media group ProSiebenSat.1 is decoupling from the US business of its production subsidiary Red Arrow Studios. For about US$200 million (roughly €194 million), the part will go to newly founded Hollywood magnate Peter Chernin, The North Road, the company listed on MDax on Wednesday in Unterföhring near Munich. The deal has already been approved by the responsible antitrust authorities.
However, the European production business remains “an important part of the entertainment business and the company’s strategy,” the company emphasized. In addition to our German companies, this production business includes our holdings in countries such as Denmark and Great Britain. According to the announcement, CEO Rainer Bojian said it makes sense, then, to keep these companies in the group.
Red Arrow Studios is best known for productions like “Love is Blind” on Netflix or “The Weekly” on Hulu. In Germany, works such as “Germany’s Next Top Model” or “Taste” are known. The television group has long focused on the production of local content.
“Alcohol buff. Troublemaker. Introvert. Student. Social media lover. Web ninja. Bacon fan. Reader.”


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YOUTUBE / TechDroider
In recent years, Google has launched a large group of Pixel phones, which have been ranked among the best and most reliable smart devices, so what will the company’s phones bring with them next year?
On this subject, the technical site Phonearena stated that Google has registered a patent to develop phones with a front camera that will be integrated at the bottom of the screen, and it is possible to use this technology in Pixel 6 phones that will be launched next year.
The documents related to the aforementioned patent indicate that the phones that Google is seeking to develop will come with screens without frames, meaning that the screen will cover almost the entire area of the front end in it, and these screens will not contain special slots for the selfie camera, and the fingerprint scanner in these phones will be integrated. Also in the screen, as on some Samsung phones.
It is possible that the upcoming Pixel phones will also work, according to the leaks, with the new generation Snapdragon 865 processors that will enable them to communicate with the fifth generation cellular networks.
It is expected that these devices will be put on the market in the second half of next year, at prices starting at about $ 600.


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Louisiana's annual state sales tax holiday for purchases of hurricane-preparedness supplies is Saturday, May 29, and Sunday, May 30.
Louisiana's annual state sales tax holiday for purchases of hurricane-preparedness supplies is Saturday, May 29, and Sunday, May 30. During these two days, shoppers can plan for the 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season, which begins on June 1, by purchasing emergency supplies exempt from the 4 percent state sales tax. Tax-free purchases are authorized on the first $1,500 of the sales price on items like:
* portable self-powered light source
* portable self-powered radio, two-way radio, or weather band radio
* tarpaulin or other flexible waterproof sheeting
* any ground anchor system or tie-down kit
* gas or diesel fuel tanks
* package of AAA-cell, AA-cell, C-cell, D-cell, 6-volt, or 9-volt batteries (excluding automobile and boat batteries)
* cellular phone battery and any cellular phone charger
* non-electric food storage cooler
* portable generator used to provide light or communications or preserve food in the event of a power outage
* any carbon monoxide detector
For more information, click here.


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The launch of Red Dead Redemption 2 for PC is getting closer and with that YouTuber Cycu1 has taken the time to make a comparison video comparing the footage from the PC version to that of Xbox One X and t he PS4 Pro.
“Months of rumors has recently been confirmed. Red Dead Redemtion 2 coning to PC in just few weeks. And as a confirmation Rockstar has released its first gameplay trailer showing some graphcis upgrades. Let’s compare it to console version – in this case captured on Xbox One X.” – Cycu1
The footage that was used was taken from the 4K gameplay trailer that Rockstar released a few days ago. As you can see the results really speak for themselves as the PC version offers a much richer looking environment and improved draw distance.
Red Dead Redemption 2 will launch on PC on November 5th 2019.


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CHICAGO, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG) will host a webcast to share its presentation at the Barclays Global Consumer Staples Conference on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017, at 12:45 p.m. ET.
Sean Connolly, president and chief executive officer of Conagra Brands, and Dave Marberger, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Conagra Brands, will present information on Conagra Brands' business strategies and long-term financial objectives.
The live audio webcast and presentation slides will be available on conagrabrands.com/investor-relations under Events & Presentations. A replay of the webcast will be available for one year after the presentation on conagrabrands.com/investor-relations under Events & Presentations.
About Conagra Brands
Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG), headquartered in Chicago, is one of North America's leading branded food companies. Guided by an entrepreneurial spirit, Conagra Brands combines a rich heritage of making great food with a sharpened focus on innovation. The company's portfolio is evolving to satisfy people's changing food preferences. Conagra's iconic brands, such as Marie Callender's®, Reddi-wip®, Hunt's®, Healthy Choice®, Slim Jim® and Orville Redenbacher's®, as well as emerging brands, including Alexia®, Blake's®, Frontera® and Duke's®, offer choices for every occasion. With an ongoing commitment to corporate citizenship, Conagra Brands has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability™ North America Index for six consecutive years. For more information, visit www.conagrabrands.com.
For more information, please contact: MEDIA: Mike Cummins 312-549-5257 [email protected]


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Toyota announced Wednesday that will that will will be recalling more than 300,000 vehicles sold inside the U.S. because of safety concerns.
The recall will affect certain Sienna minivans with type years of 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 in addition to 2010.
The company said that will inside the affected vehicles, grease inside the shift lever assembly could transfer to different internal components, which could lead to a vehicle rollaway in addition to raise the risk of a crash.
Toyota dealers will fix the cars at no cost to the owners, the company said. The company said that will owners of the affected cars will be notified by mail by mid-December.
Toyota did not immediately respond to a request for comment.


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Congress Reads `My Pet Goat'
As Planes Hit U.S. Auto Towers
by Paul Gallagher
Perhaps the most devastating week in the U.S. auto industry's long history ended on March 31 with a mild letter of protest by 14 Members of Congress, but no sign of movement towards action to preserve and use America's most versatile industrial capability.
While the 50,000-worker Delphi Corporation was demanding clearance in bankruptcy court to virtually liquidate itself in North America, and General Motors was in a desperate scramble to try to avoid bankruptcy, U.S. overall auto sales in the first quarter fell below the level of 1999. Clearly, at least 50% of the unparalleled machine-tool capacity represented by the auto sector, is effectively now unused, awaiting a move by a Congress which is informed how to intervene to use it, but lacks the will. Should its inaction continue, the United Auto Workers will be forced into a long and damaging nationwide strike, and scores of modern tool-and-die floors and hundreds of machine shops in the auto sector will "be turned into concrete slabs in a year," as one auto unionist warned early in the week.
The alternative has been before Congress in outline for a year, in a series of memos by Lyndon LaRouche beginning April 2005, on "retooling auto" for other vital production. Should auto's capacity be shut down permanently rather than diversified, LaRouche warned in "Auto and World Economic Recovery" in September 2005, the formerly industrial United States will sink to virtual Third World economic status, unable to recreate or even maintain its own economic infrastructure.
As if to drive the point home: On the same day the 14 Congressmen complained about Delphi's abandonment of its North American production and workforce, the Administration acknowledged that it had lost control of both the cost and the performance of contractors rebuilding the levees of New Orleans and Southeast Louisiana for the Army Corps of Engineers, and may be unable to get the work completed at all—certainly not before the 2006 hurricane season hits this Summer. It is just such major, modern infrastructural tasks and projects to which, historically, the nation has been able to turn the versatile (and underutilized) auto industry at critical moments—from building tanks and planes, to railroads, to space rockets and satellites.
A 40% Industry Shrinkage
The incredible shrinking U.S. auto industry headed for strikes and general bankruptcy at the end of March. GM and Delphi announced offers attempting to flush as many as 40,000 more "excess" workers out of the industry in 60 days, by retirement buyouts at GM's expense. The idea that this would soften Delphi's demands to cut its workers' wages by up to 60% in bankruptcy court, were dashed almost immediately, when Delphi, on March 31, asked New York bankruptcy judge Robert Drain to throw out its contracts with the UAW and the International Union of Electrical Workers (IUE). That day, Delphi's pirate CEO, Steve Miller, told the court what UAW leaders had learned three-four days earlier: that the company also wanted to close or sell 20 of its 28 plants in North America, eliminate 75% of its 48,000-strong productive workforce, walk out of many of its supply contracts with GM, and abandon its pension plan costs either to GM or the Federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. Delphi would thus use the bankruptcy court, if Drain allows it, to become, in effect, a U.S.-based holding company, run by participating private equity funds, for almost entirely outsourced auto parts production. These 20 auto-parts production plants are even more machine-tool rich than the auto production and assembly plants.
GM, which was supposedly to provide the cash for the multi-billions in charges resulting from all this, is being driven toward bankruptcy by it. Not only GM's bonds fell, but its stock actually suspended trading in the NYSE's final hour on March 28, then fell by 4% when traded March 29. This followed news that: accounting reports of both GM and its financial division, GMAC, have to be redone for 2003-05, and there are market rumors of large hidden losses on GMAC's books; new Security Exchange Commission subpoenas have been issued to both GM and GMAC for accounting investigations; GM's planned sale of 51% of GMAC to raise cash, is threatened; and GM acknowledged on March 28 that it may have lost access to its $6.5 billion bank credit line.
The company with the famous cash reserves is now scraping for cash, trying on March 30 to sell its share of Isuzu Motors for $340 million, after having raised $2.7 billion by selling out of Fuji Heavy Industries, Suzuki Motors, and Daiwoo. But the statement by UAW leaders Ron Gettelfinger and Richard Shoemaker on March 31—that if Delphi's outrageous actions are approved by the bankruptcy court, "it will be impossible to avoid a long strike"—could mean early bankruptcy for GM.
And that in turn promises a blowup of the global credit derivatives market. A Reuters March 29 story was headlined "Credit Investors Ponder a GM-Sized Hole in the Universe." The article reports, "For bond investors, a GM bankruptcy [brought on by a strike] would be hard, but a GMAC bankruptcy would be disastrous," because so much of the credit derivatives markets involve GM/GMAC debt. "To be blunt, it would be total carnage," a Standard & Poor's analyst was quoted. That prospect did not prevent S&P from downgrading GM debt again on March 30, to six levels below junk bonds.
Production employment in the U.S auto/auto parts sector as a whole, which was at 1.3 million as recently as 2000, has plunged by 240,000 jobs net since then. But as of the third week of March, with the shocking "retirement buyout" announcements made by GM and Delphi, combined with shrinkages planned by Ford, Chrysler, and a host of parts makers—the miserable prospect is that another 300,000 net jobs will be gone by 2008 or sooner. (Studies by the Chicago Federal Reserve and others have shown three to four auto-supply jobs disappearing for every one in auto production and assembly). Thus, a devastating 40% loss of employment in auto in less than a decade, and a corresponding loss to the nation of high-technology industrial and infrastructural capacity.
The shrinkage of auto is a global phenomenon, and the result of globalization. Auto sales worldwide in 2005, for the thrilling Toyotas and the boring GMs alike, fell or stagnated everywhere outside China, India, Brazil, and Mexico. Total auto sales in the United States, which are going at a 16.7 million annual rate so far in 2006, were 16.9 million in 1999, when the United States had 20 million fewer people. Not surprising, when real wages have fallen three of the past four years, household debt is an all-time record portion of household income, and the savings rate has been zero or negative for 12 consecutive months in February. The same real-wage factors of globalization have lowered auto sales in Europe and Japan, and created intense pressures for cheaper and cheaper wages—even as metals and other supply prices have hyperinflated for three years.
The falling real wages of globalization are not reversible by more intensive globalization, which is leading instead to a financial blowout. President Bush's "let the free market handle auto" stance is typically, dangerously incompetent. The Congress, confronting 50% "excess" capacity in auto, along with painful and worsening unmet infrastructure needs laid bare, among other events, by the hurricanes of 2005, has a clear path. Facing the same conditions before, as in 1939-40, we have "retooled" auto, with government credit and under definite mission-oriented reorganization, to meet the nation's prime economic or military needs.
Where is the Congress—where are the Democrats—in this auto crisis? In a self-declared election season, in which promises are stressed and action is discouraged? The danger is that both the promises and the inaction are being paid for by financial-contributor networks of Felix Rohatyn's "Democratic" faction of synarchist financiers. These happen to include—in Rohatyn, Kirk Kerkorian, Mike Steinhardt of Cerberus Capital hedge fund, Wilbur Ross, and Steve Miller, Kohlberg Kravits Roberts, etc.—the same financial networks tearing up the auto industry.


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The American Home Furnishings Alliance reported that the California official heading up revisions to that state’s longtime flammability regulation and the scientist whose research prompted the urgent regulatory overhaul currently underway will both participate in the 2013 Sustainability Summit presented by the American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA).
The event is slated for February 20-21 at the Marriott SouthPark in Charlotte, N.C. Registration information is available online at www.ahfa.us
“The environmental and health consequences of our industry’s efforts to comply with longtime flammability regulations have been the subject of much debate in 2012. And the resolution of those issues is likely to impact all segments of our industry in 2013 – suppliers, manufacturers and retailers alike,” notes Bill Perdue, AHFA’s vice president of regulatory affairs. “As a result, we have decided to devote the entire first half of our 2013 Summit to the regulatory policies, emerging science and consumer debate surrounding upholstered furniture flammability.”
Featured guests for the first half of the program include Tonya Blood, chief of the California Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair, Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation (BEAR-HFTI), and Dr. Arlene Blum, founder and executive director of the Green Science Policy Institute in Berkeley, Calif.
The Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation is tasked with protecting California consumers by implementing health and safety standards for bedding, furniture and thermal insulation. The bureau fast-tracked revisions to its 1975 flammability standard, TB 117, after a Chicago Tribune investigative report last summer examined the suspected eco-toxicity of flame retardant chemicals used to meet the standard’s strict open flame test. Blood, who was appointed to her post just last April, has overseen the revisions and will present the finalized rule at the Sustainability Summit.
Blum has been examining the toxicity of flame retardant chemicals since the 1970s when her research was instrumental in banning the use of brominated tris in children’s pajamas. Her studies figured prominently in the Tribune’s investigative report, and she made headlines again in November with the release of a study examining the flame retardant chemicals found in sofas purchased over the last two decades. She has been invited to present the Summit’s keynote address on how business, industry, science and government can work together on a “sustainable” strategy for chemical policy reform.
To bring further depth to the FR chemical conversation, AHFA has assembled a stakeholder panel to be moderated by Dr. Ana Mascareñas, policy and communications coordinator with Physicians for Social Responsibility in Los Angeles (PSR-LA). In addition to Tonya Blood and Arlene Blum, the panel will include:
- Robert Luedeka, executive director of the Polyurethane Foam Association;
- Hardy Poole, vice president of regulatory and technical affairs for the National Textile Association;
- Don Coleman, president of the Upholstered Furniture Action Council (UFAC); and
- Malin Näsman, product requirements and compliance specialist for IKEA North America.
To add a national perspective to the discussion, Chris Andresen from Washington D.C.-based Dutko Associates will bring attendees up to date on the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s progress on a federal flammability standard, as well as efforts to reform the federal Toxic Substances Control Act. Also, Joel Tenney, director of advocacy for ICL Industrial Products, will address emerging technology within the FR chemical industry.
AHFA’s Perdue will close the opening day business program with a brief review of California Proposition 65 labeling requirements for upholstered products that still contain the flame retardant TDCPP.
While the first half of the Summit will address the environmental impact of product – specifically, the environmental impact of flammability policy and regulation – the second half will be devoted to the environmental impact of manufacturing and distribution operations, with a special emphasis on energy efficiencies. Bob Leker, renewable energy program manager for the North Carolina Energy Office will present “Embracing an Energy Efficient Future,” and Wendy Cockerham, of Weaver Cooke Energy Solutions in Greensboro, N.C., will discuss “Lighting Retrofits and Improved Energy Efficiencies.”
A case study in environmental efficiencies will be presented by Paul Kaminski, director of environment, health and safety for Ethan Allen Inc. Kaminski has spearheaded modifications to AHFA’s EFEC environmental management program in order to implement it across Ethan Allen’s company-owned store and distribution center network. As a result of Kaminski’s efforts – and the cost-saving efficiencies experienced at the company’s retail locations – AHFA is now preparing a modified EFEC program designed for implementation at retail stores.
Shifting the attention to responsible recycling initiatives, AHFA has invited Ryan Trainer, executive director of the International Sleep Products Association (ISPA), to share his organization’s battle against “extended producer responsibility laws,” which require manufacturers to finance the costs of recycling or safely disposing of their products. Several initiatives have targeted bedding, and upholstered furniture could easily be added to these state-by-state efforts to reduce landfill content. ISPA supports a more efficient, cost-effective national system with uniform rules from coast to coast.
Finally, AHFA will close the 2013 Summit with a panel discussion including representatives from several organizations promoting consumer information labeling within the home furnishings industry. “What Consumers Really Want to Know: The Case for Transparency,” will cover foam, fabric, bedding and furniture labels designed to provide health and environmental information to consumers in an easy-to-understand format.
Until January 31, registration for the 2013 Summit is $299 for AHFA members and $399 for non-members. After January 31, member registration increases to $350, and non-member registration will be $500.
The Summit registration covers a light breakfast both mornings, plus lunch both days. In addition, all Summit attendees are invited to attend an awards reception February 20, during which the 2012 Sage Award Winner for environmental excellence, Gat Creek Furniture, will be honored.
A limited number of rooms are available at the Marriott SouthPark at the discounted group rate of $150 until January 29. Attendees are urged to contact the hotel promptly at 800/228-9290 or 704-364-8220 for reservations, requesting the AHFA group rate.
AHFA’s Sustainability Summit is the only forum in the home furnishings industry devoted to sustainability issues.
The American Home Furnishings Alliance:
The American Home Furnishings Alliance, based in High Point, N.C., represents more than 200 leading furniture manufacturers and distributors, plus about 150 suppliers to the furniture industry worldwide. AHFA is the home furnishings industry’s sole representative on Capitol Hill and elsewhere throughout the United States on legislative and regulatory matters that impact the industry.
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