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New Delhi: Anna Hazare has accepted the police offer to allow him to go on hunger strike for 15 days. Read more... -
While the government scrambles for cover, stock markets in Asia fell on rising yen. With the yen rising to record levels, investors are selling stocks of companies that derive majority of their revenues from overseas. The Nikkei at 9,000 is down 0.62%.
Overnight, stock markets in the US closed mixed as investors cautiously gauged the impact of weaker sales forecast by Dell Inc. Shares of Dell fell 10% as lower spending on PCs and consumer technology crimped its sales forecast. The S&P 500 at 1,193 closed slightly up by 0.09%.
Back home, foreign and domestic institutional investors are increasingly turning cautious about companies’ political links. With several politicians and corporate executives actually being sent to jail institutional investors are staying away from companies that are too dependent on political connections for securing business. Read Mint’s story...
With more flyers taking low cost airlines, Jet Airways said it will introduce more low-fare flights to capture greater market share. The move will entail a change in its current business model.
Mundra Port and SEZ and a consortium of Welspun group companies have submitted bids to develop and operate a port at Vizhinjam in Kerala. The bids contain technical and financial proposals. The port is reported to have a capacity to load 2.8 million standard containers and 1.8 million tonnes of other types of cargo per year.
Malaysian telecom major Axiata Group has increased its holding in Idea Cellular to 19.98%. The company acquired an additional 0.9% stake through open market purchase.
Ramky Infrastructure is expecting an additional Rs 6,000 crore worth of orders in the current financial year. The company recorded order inflows of Rs 1,600 crore in June quarter.
GMR Infrastructure is planning to sell extra coal in local market until a requirement in its power projects arises. The company has coal mines in Indonesia and South Africa.
Finally, Coal India surpassed Reliance Industries as India’s most valuable firm by market capitalization on Wednesday. This is the first time since February 2007 that Reliance Industries has slipped a notch below from its position as the nation’s largest company by market value. Read more...


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This year’s Stroud’s Brick and Rolling Pin competition on Saturday will have an extra addition.
As well as throwing rolling pins and bricks, visitors are invited to wear an Akubra-style hat in an attempt to break the current Guinness Book of World Records of the most people in one place wearing Akubra style hats.
1912 is the year the iconic Akubra brand name was founded and is also the number of people Stroud will be aiming to beat, to knock out Kempsey’s record from 2012.
In 1960 the towns of Stroud in the UK and the USA, both brick-making towns, held the first bricking-throwing contest.
With Australia and Canada joining in 1961, and in 1962 Australia suggested including a women’s rolling pin contest.
NSW’s Stroud is now the only town still running the competition.
Bricks, rolling pins and rubber chickens will be flung across the historic town Hunter Strongman and current Australian Champion Brick Thrower, Kurt Livens will return to the 2018 event to defend his title.
Entries for all categories of the competitions open after the official opening at 11.30am.
The world record attempt will be at 12.30pm.
Here’s how we covered it last year:
A near record-breaking 200 people hoisted household items skyward at the weekend for the 57th annual Stroud International Brick and Rolling Pin Throwing Competition.
“It was unbelievable,” committee president Karen Hutchinson said of the number of competitors, an increase of more than 80 from the year prior.
“It’d go close to being a record amount.”
Ms Hutchinson said the increased range of activities played a role in thousands of people flocking to the small town for the annual event.
This year saw the introduction of the Hunter Valley Tent Pegging Team. Meanwhile, a “Back to the Future” street parade, martial arts demonstration and hundreds of stalls offered entertainment alongside the traditional brick and rolling pin throwing.

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text: Death Grips have randomly released a 14-track instrumental record entitled Fashion Week. The band also recently announced that double album Powers That B, set for a February 10 release will be the bands last. Always up to spring a surprise, Death Grips have released this instrumental project without warning, which you can listen to for free below and download here. Without the screaming lyrics of Stefan Burnett, the 14 tracks sound quite tame for Death Grips standards and not something unlike you might hear during Fashion Week events. Have a listen to the new music below.


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Sobeys Inc. parent Empire Company Ltd. eked out sales gains for its fiscal 2022 second quarter atop strong pandemic-driven growth a year ago.
At the bottom line, the Canadian food and drug retailer surpassed analysts’ consensus earnings-per-share estimate and topped their high-end projection.
For the quarter ended Oct. 30, food retail sales rose 4.9% to $7.32 billion (Canadian) from $6.98 billion a year earlier, when Stellarton, Nova Scotia-based Empire posted an 8.4% increase. Same-store sales inched up 0.4% but were down 1.3% excluding fuel, compared with growth of 7.3% overall and 8.7% excluding fuel in the fiscal 2021 quarter.
Empire attributed the fiscal 2022 quarterly growth mainly to the acquisition of Longo’s, higher fuel sales and benefits from its Project Horizon three-year strategic plan, including the expansion of retail banners Farm Boy in Ontario and FreshCo in Western Canada and online grocery service Voilà in Ontario. The company noted that the gains were partly offset by the stabilization of consumer buying behavior amid relaxed COVID-19 restrictions.
“It was a straight-up good quarter, well-executed by our teams across the country. We are consistently putting numbers on the board. We have strong underlying momentum and, in only 4.5 months, we will be entering our crucial final year of Project Horizon, which we’re feeling very good about,” Empire President and CEO Michael Medline (left) told analysts in a conference call on Thursday.
“Our sales grew 4.9% this quarter, while same-store sales grew 90 basis points from Q1 to negative 1.3%,” he said. “As we and many others have said, year-over-year comparables do not tell the entire story as we lap strong COVID sales. Our same-store sales are growing 6.8% over the last two years.”
For the fiscal 2022 first half, food retail sales advanced 4.3% year over year to $14.94 billion. Comparable-store sales in the 26 weeks were flat overall but down 1.8% excluding fuel.
After the pandemic led many consumers to shop Empire’s value grocery store banners, customers have more recently been shifting back to its full-service supermarkets, according to Medline.
“We expect discount will return almost to pre-pandemic levels, but slowly. In other words, we are not seeing fast, significant changes. In fact, we continue to see a lot of stickiness in our full-service banners. As we look ahead, we believe our full-service stores will keep momentum coming out of COVID,” he explained.
“While customer occasions are starting to change, including more visits to restaurants, we are seeing a structural change in consumption of food at home,” Medline noted. “Over the past 22 months, customers have seen and experienced the affordability and convenience in eating at home with their families. We believe there is permanence in this shift. We’re seeing this as how customers are shopping. Prior to COVID, customers shopped an average of eight food stores a month. During COVID, that dropped to one or two. Today, that number is steady at five to six stores. Despite this, our customers continue to favor larger shops, full-service stores.”
E-commerce sales, excluding Longo’s Grocery Gateway service, rose 1.8% on a comparable basis in the second quarter, indicating that online grocery sales remained elevated since the 241% digital sales jump in the 2021 quarter.
“This number disguises the fact that Voilà has continued to grow, while being partly offset by our IGA.net and Thrifty Foods [online] businesses coping strong COVID-driven sales,” Medline said.
Voilà service launched in June in the greater Toronto area, powered by an Ocado automated customer fulfillment center (CFC) in Vaughan, Ontario. Empire has accelerated plans to construct three more CFCs. They include a second CFC in Montreal to support the Voilà par IGA home delivery service in Ottawa and cities in Quebec, which is expected to go into operation in spring 2022. Two more CFCs are slated to be built in Western Canada, including in Calgary, Alberta, which is expected to begin delivering to customers in the first half of calendar 2023.
In fiscal 2021,Voilà Curbside Pickup launched at 30 stores in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and Alberta, and the service has since expanded to British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario. Empire added 30 pickup sites in the 2022 second quarter and expects to add up to 35 more locations in the remainder of the fiscal year. Powered by Ocado’s store-pick solution, the click-and-collect program is designed to serve customers in areas where CFCs don’t deliver or aren’t yet built.
“E-commerce is a small fraction of the market today. But it is growing quickly and is top-of-mind right now,” Medline told analysts. “For our customers, we believe it will be critical to have the best omnichannel experience; that includes e-commerce. And for our shareholders, it will be critical that we do this profitably.”
On the earnings side, Empire totaled second-quarter 2022 net income of $175.4 million, or 66 cents per diluted share, compared with $161.4 million, or 60 cents per diluted share, in the 2021 quarter. Analysts, on average, had forecast adjusted earnings per share of 61 cents, with estimates ranging from 58 cents to 64 cents, according to Refinitiv.
First-half 2022 net earnings came in at $363.4 million, or $1.36 per diluted share, versus $353.3 million, or $1.31 per diluted share, in the 2021 period.
“Strong cash flows allow us to continue investing in our store network,” Chief Financial Officer Matt Reindel, promoted to the CFO post in late October, said in the analyst call. “During Q2, we improved 45 stores through renovation, redevelopment or conversion. This included one new FreshCo store, with seven more to open over the next few months. We also opened one new Farm Boy in the quarter and two more locations subsequent to the quarter, including one new and one conversion site.”
Farm Boy is on track to expand its footprint by seven net new stores in fiscal 2022, Empire reported. Through Dec. 8, the chain had 42 stores, mainly in the greater Toronto area. The company expects to open another seven FreshCo sites in Alberta in the remainder of fiscal 2022, for a total of 40 locations open in Western Canada by the end of the fiscal year.
Empire’s food retail network, operated via its Sobeys subsidiary, encompasses more than 1,900 food, drug and convenience stores in all 10 provinces under banners such as Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, Foodland, FreshCo, Thrifty Foods, Farm Boy and Lawtons Drugs.


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You now have an easier online to way to manage your Home Delivery subscription for The Oklahoman. Go to our secure server to update account information, make a payment, set up vacation no-delivery times, change your delivery address, or report delivery concerns.
Oklahoma City's Bricktown Association calls for openness on convention center site selection
Bricktown Association Chairwoman Avis Scaramucci on Thursday called on city leaders to provide an open site selection process for a new convention center.
BY STEVE LACKMEYER •
Modified: July 2, 2010 at 9:56 am •
Published: July 2, 2010
Bricktown Association Chairwoman Avis Scaramucci declared Thursday that site selection for a new convention center is the most important issue facing the entertainment district over the next 50 years and called on city leaders to provide an open process.
More than 50 people...
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TikTok is a popular video-based social media platform developed by the Chinese developers, Bytedance. The app is one of the most popular social media platforms throughout the globe, and provides its users with the ability to create short comedy, lip-sync, and talent videos. According to the latest reports, the recorded TikTok downloads reached a total of 1.5 billion on the Android Play Store, and the iOS App Store combined. Here is a look at the incredible feat pulled off by the Chinese social media app:
TikTok has reached another milestone of popularity among global audiences. According to reports, the TikTok app downloads have reached a total of 1.5 billion across the globe. With this achievement, TikTok has not only reached a new milestone, but it also secured itself a place in the list of the most downloaded apps 2019. According to the reports by Sensor Tower, India constitutes a total of 433 million Tiktok downloads to date and is leading the charts.
TikTok sits at the third position in the list of most downloaded apps 2019, just behind WhatsApp Messenger and Facebook Messenger. With a global figure of 614 million, TikTok downloads have been recorded to be one of the highest non-gaming app downloads for 2019. India alone totals up to a value of 277.6 million TikTok app downloads for 2019, with the developing nation China ranking at number 2 with 45.5 million TikTok downloads, and the USA third in the list with 37.6 million installs of the social media app.
The Chinese social media app reached 1 billion downloads earlier in February. It took only 9 months for the app to hit another 500 million installs. TikTok ranks among the most downloaded apps 2019, and it is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms. TikTok also released a lite version of the official app which accounts to a total of 2,33,308 downloads on the Google Play Store.
Also read: Woman Moves Bombay HC For Ban On TikTok
In November 2017, TikTok’s parent company Bytedance spent an amount of $ 1 billion and acquired Musical.ly, a startup based out of Shanghai and headquartered in Santa Monica, California. TikTok officially replaced Musical.ly on August 2, 2018. TikTok has received immense competition with other apps offering similar features like Helo and Likee (Formerly Like).


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Got a Beacon and want to know how to pair it successfully. This post has all the steps to ensure success.
Want some pro tips on public wifi? Grab our expert tips from Thomas Pecora, retired CIA Officer.
Google has revealed the new Pixel 3 smartphone, and several features of both the hardware and software are likely to appeal to travelers. Since the original Pixel debuted, the camera has been a standout feature. Tom’s Guide called the Pixel 2 XL the “best overall camera phone” of 2018 and Tech Radar also gave the phone high marks, ranking third. The […]
When used as intended, the new Play Disney Parks app lets guests bypass wait times with interactive games that can change their surroundings inside a ride queue. The free iOS and Android app can be used at home or at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, allowing guests to answer trivia questions about termites while walking through Animal Kingdom’s zoo-like exhibits or quiz each other […]
You thought the only place with fast internet was Japan? If you did then… you might want to take a look at this brand new information we have for you! According to the World Broadband Speed League ranking from U.K. analyst Cable, the African island of Madagascar has some of the fastest internet speeds in the world. […]
Apple is trying to get more people to use Apple Maps and you’re gonna love the new improvements! Despite being available on every Apple device, Maps has never quite garnered the popularity of Google Maps or CityMapper. So developers are rebuilding the app from the ground up. The new Apple Maps, debuting later this year, will be faster […]
Welcome to the era where a mobile app can improve your travel experience! Although Venmo might have relieved us of the need to physically exchange money when going overseas, the app that best harnesses Venmo to liberate you from everything else that goes into exchanging money (time, emotional distress, fractions) is Splitwise. Splitwise has been […]


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Whitman Area Toy Drive cheers children in need
WHITMAN — Within an hour on Sunday morning, a small army of volunteers had transformed the VFW Post 697 pavilion at 95 Essex St., into something like an annex of the North Pole.
Members of the VFW Men’s Auxiliary and the Whitman Mother’s Club were joined by the WHRHS Drama Club and many more residents responding to a Facebook appeal for assistance, participated in the Whitman Area Toy Drive kickoff day on Nov. 8. In previous years, the kickoff was in early December.
Drama Club Vice President Samantha Healy said the group’s members volunteered because they know volunteer Jane Plasse.
“I mentioned to her that we wanted to do something to give back,” Healy said.
School Committee member Fred Small, a longtime volunteer with the Whitman Area Toy Drive, thanked the Drama Club for its participation.
“It’s really appreciated,” Small told the students. “Don’t ever stop getting involved. Don’t ever stop giving back.”
Volunteers Dan, Amy and Logan Desmond received a Facebook message from toy drive founder Donnie Westhaver and decided to come and help, too.
This is the toy drive’s 14th year and, for the past couple of years, a nonprofit partner of the VFW Men’s Auxiliary, according to Westhaver. That helped streamline the to drive’s nonprofit status while helping bring in some corporate donations, he said.
A first this year will be a visit by Santa Claus for photos with children from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 6. There is no charge for the photos, but toy donations would be welcomed.
“We are here for the needy,” Westhaver said. “We always have been.”
The Whitman Area Toy Drive was started as a Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots collection, but the toys collected that year didn’t stay in the area because there is no reserve unit on the South Shore to oversee it.
“In order to pick up the slack for the community we decided to start Whitman Area Toy Drive, which goes to local families,” Westhaver told the volunteers. “It’s kind of a ‘one-stop shopping thing.’”
Westhaver also works to cooperate with toy drives in neighboring communities.
“A lot of the surrounding towns — Abington, Hanson, Rockland — have toy drives,” he said. “I told them if they run out of toys by the middle of December, call me up.”
But he encourages residents of those towns to go through their community program first.
Client families come to the pavilion close to Christmas to select toys for their children — often three to five toys per child s well as clothing items — and are provided with gift wrap supplies they need and even Christmas trees, complete with lights and ornaments.
The Men’s Auxiliary presented Westhaver, it’s president as well as the toy drive organizer, with a $3,000 donation Sunday morning and the Whitman Mother’s Club presented $5,000 as its annual donation. The auxiliary’s donation was one of many it was able to make from the $17,000 raised at its annual golf tournament in August. The Mother’s Club’s donation is also a regular part of the group’s community support fundraising.
“It’s very rewarding and we have a great time doing it,” said auxiliary member Matt Olson. “It’s too much for one guy, so all of us do whatever we can. [Westhaver is] very dedicated to it and doesn’t want all of this to fall away.”
Last year the drive received $9,000 in cash donations and $50,000 worth of donated toys and clothes.
“There’s some great people here,” Westhaver said. “This is overwhelming.”
The volunteers assembled briefly to receive instructions and to hear more about the toy drive’s roots and mission before sorting the toys donated since last Christmas, which have been in storage. Two long rows of tables, covered with red or green plastic tablecloths, were labeled with signs indicating how to lay out the toys by gender and age group.
On Friday, Nov. 20, a performance by an Elvis/Johnny Cash impersonator is planned at the VFW to support Whitman Area Toy Drive and Men’s Auxiliary programs. Call 781-447-6883 for tickets and more information. A meat raffle is planned for Saturday, Nov. 28 at the VFW to support the Men’s Auxiliary.


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Intuit QuickBooks is proud to announce global free access to QuickBooks Online Accountant (QBOA), enabling accounting professionals in 170+ countries to move to the cloud faster, scale their practices and bring more value to their clients and the wider economy.
Australian advisors have had access to QuickBooks Online Accountant for many years now, and the fact that we’ve now launched globally – means that Australian advisors with team members based overseas, now have access to the same great tool.
Accounting professionals make a huge contribution to the economy at a local, regional and global level, working as trusted business partners to the small business community, which represents 90% of businesses and accounts for 70% of employment globally.
But their impact could be even bigger, as QuickBooks research suggests accountants are now busier than ever. Four out of 10 (43%) report they have more than 40 clients, and 86% are looking to technology to help them be more efficient and better meet client needs.
QBOA addresses this by enabling accountants to manage their practice workflow, client interactions and billing all in one place. Developed with a select group of accountants globally over the past 12 months, QBOA – Global Edition is a refined suite of benefits to help professional accountants move to the cloud faster and drive greater efficiency and scalability of their firms.
Access to real-time insights from anywhere in the world puts professional accountants at the heart of driving informed business decisions that could positively increase small business survival rates – currently, only up to 40% of Australian small businesses survive beyond the first five years.
Intuit serves more than 100 million customers worldwide and is one of the biggest software companies in the world, with Intuit QuickBooks now being the first provider in the market to deliver at this scale for the accounting profession.
Lars Leber, Vice President of Intuit QuickBooks Australia, said: “The scale of this rollout is unlike anything that has been done before. The global, free rollout of QBOA will arm accountants all across the globe with the most efficient financial management solutions, proving the difference for a business-ready community.”


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Greater than 300 staff voted in a consultative poll – the place 97% mentioned they had been able to strike – forward of a doable formal vote on whether or not to hold out a strike, the GMB union mentioned.
“Amazon staff are rightly livid and they’re able to stroll out,” GMB Senior Organiser Amanda Gearing mentioned. “They’re being supplied 35p an hour throughout the worst value of dwelling disaster in a technology – and that is from an organization value greater than 1 trillion (kilos).”
Amazon, which has 70,000 staff within the UK, mentioned its beginning pay had risen to a minimal of 10.50-11.45 kilos ($12-$13) per hour – a 29% improve within the minimal hourly wage for Amazon associates since 2018.
Staff are additionally supplied a advantages bundle value “1000’s of kilos yearly”, a UK consultant for Amazon mentioned in an announcement.
Rising prices of dwelling have sparked a wave of commercial unrest throughout industries in Britain as hovering inflation outpaces pay rises.
Uncover the tales of your curiosity
A whole lot of Amazon staff at a warehouse in Tilbury in southeast England walked out in protest over pay final month, over a 35 pence per hour pay improve, lower than the 2-pound rise sought by the GMB.


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Qualcomm sues Apple for breach of software license contract2017-11-02 17:28 by Daniela
Tags: Qualcomm, Apple, Intel
The patent licensing battle between Apple and Qualcomm keeps getting more heated. Qualcomm filed suit against Apple on Wednesday in a California state court, alleging the iPhone maker breached a software license contract and used proprietary code with competitor Intel.
Qualcomm wants a court to declare Apple breached the agreement and award damages, among other demands.
"As the direct and proximate result of Apple's conduct, Qualcomm has suffered significant damages in an amount to be proven at trial," the filing said.
The suit is the latest development in what has been a lengthy legal battle between Apple and Qualcomm. In January Apple first filed a $1 billion lawsuit against Qualcomm, alleging it commanded "royalties that they had nothing to do with."
Apple then filed a second lawsuit in China against Qualcomm for $145 million over patent-related disputes. Apple then levied a third lawsuit against the chipmaker in the U.K. in March over patent and design disputes.
Read more -here-


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Huhtamaki has introduced a 100% renewable paper cup solution for hot and cold beverages, ice cream and takeout food.
The new Future Smart cup is made entirely from plant-based materials – including paperboard from Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)-certified, sustainably managed forests and a newly developed plant-based polyethylene, which is used as a moisture barrier coating.
The Finnish-headquartered business said that the technology offered ‘the perfect business reason to renew your beverage and food packaging’, and said that it could help reduce dependence on resources as finite as fossil fuels.
Richard Skidmore, vice-president of innovation for Huhtamaki Foodservice’s Europe-Asia-Oceania business segment, said: “Huhtamaki’s Future Smart paper cup solution is a giant leap forward in substituting fossil oil-based plastics in packaging with a fully renewable and economical next-generation, plant-based material.”
Last month, the company announced plans to set up a US manufacturing unit with total spend expected to exceed $100 million.
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2019


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IHG’s Holiday Inn is calling on kids to share their views on its accommodation offering in a new campaign called Kids Critics.
The brand, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary, is inviting children 12 years and under to review their hotel stays across Australia and New Zealand and plans to reward them for their efforts with free ice-cream for the month of November.
A research survey will also draw insights from kids and their parents to better understand the needs of families.
Families have long been a focus for the Holiday Inn brand, which offers a global Kids Stay and Eat Free promotion.
Holiday Inn has 4,200 hotels globally, with 31 open or pipeline Holiday Inn hotels across Australasia. It is currently rolling out a refreshed brand identity throughout in the region featuring ‘Open Lobby’ spaces connecting the front desk, restaurant, bar, lounge area and business centre. Holiday Inn Werribee in Victoria and Holiday Inn Queenstown Remarkables Park in New Zealand are among the first properties to showcase the new look.
IHG launches global media campaign
IHG also recently launched its most extensive media campaign investment for loyalty, Guest How You Guest, which encourages guests to embrace travel moments.
The move follows a major overhaul of IHG’s loyalty program with the launch of IHG One Rewards earlier this year.
The vibrant, data-driven media strategy rolled out in the US and UK in August, and is now hitting Australasia with out-of-home placements at Sydney and Melbourne airport billboards and terminals, metro shopping centres and billboards across Auckland, Wellington and Queenstown.
The multimillion-dollar campaign aims to show how guests can define their own journey at IHG hotels.
“When you look around, it’s hard not to notice that travellers are increasingly left to fend for themselves, and that’s simply not what being a guest should feel like,” IHG’s Global Chief Customer Officer, Claire Bennett.
“We have a mantra we say at IHG – we’re real people taking care of real people, and Guest How You Guest embodies that. The images and content are engaging and beautiful, but they are also authentic and send a message that you don’t always have to do everything. We’re here to take care of all of you.”
Globally, the images and videos will appear online, in television ads, magazines, billboards, murals and subway stations.


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16 Questions You MUST Ask Before Hiring Any IT Company
What’s the fastest way for a cybercriminal to get into a company’s environment and cause chaos? If you answered “a stolen legitimate password”, you’re right. Cybercriminals love nothing more than getting their hands on an employee password that lets them slip into systems undetected to steal data, deploy ransomware or work other mischief – especially a privileged administrator or executive password. Unfortunately for businesses, bad actors can often accomplish their goal without phishing. It’s become easier than ever for them to make that dream a reality thanks to the boatload of password data that has traveled to the dark web. But there are a few things every organization can do to keep their company passwords safely in-house instead of on the dark web.
The dark web has always been a clearinghouse for passwords. As the years have gone by, more and more stolen records, passwords, financial information and other data has made its way to the dark web through myriad data breaches. It’s a vicious cycle. Every new breach brings a fresh influx of data into the pool, and every influx of data can spawn a new breach. This pattern will keep on repeating, making the danger of credential compromise bigger every year. Credentials were the top type of information stolen in data breaches worldwide in 2020, and cybercriminals were quick to capitalize on their successes. An estimated 20 billion fresh passwords made their way to the dark web last year.
This year’s giant influx of fresh passwords from events like the RockYou 2021 leak just keeps priming the pump for new cybercrimes, especially password-fueled schemes like credential stuffing, the gateway to all sorts of bad outcomes like ransomware, and business email compromise, the most expensive cybercrime of 2020. Earlier this summer, the personally identifying data and user records data of 700M LinkedIn users appeared on a popular dark web forum – more than 92% of LinkedIn’s estimated total of 756M users. That created an enormous splash that will ultimately ripple out into a whole new world of opportunity for cybercrime.
Big companies aren’t doing any better. In a 2021 study, researchers found the passwords for 25.9 million Fortune 1000 business accounts floating around on the dark web. If cybercriminals felt like they really needed a privileged password to get the job done, that wasn’t a problem either. Credentials for 133,927 C-level Fortune 1000 executives were also accessible to bad actors on the dark web. Altogether, researchers determined that over 281 million records of personally identifiable information (PII) for employees of Fortune 1000 companies were readily available in dark web markets and dumps, making it easy for bad actors to find and use in hacking and fraud operations.
Far and away, password reuse and recycling is the biggest obstacle that companies face when trying to build a strong cybersecurity culture and keep their data safe. An estimated 60% of passwords that appeared in more than one breach in 2020 were recycled or reused, a factor that every company should keep in mind when creating and setting password security policies. Employees aren’t making the mistake of reusing passwords from ignorance either. Over 90% of participants in a password habits survey understood the risk of password reuse but that didn’t stop them because 59% admitted to doing it anyway that disconnection is a huge problem for businesses everywhere.
Bad Password Hygiene is Putting Your Data in Danger
That sloppy password handling is directly responsible for data breaches. In fact, over 30% of the respondents in Microsoft’s survey admitted that their organization has experienced a cybersecurity incident as a result of compromised user credentials that had been shared with people outside their companies. That danger has grown. People worldwide created an average of 15 new online accounts per person during the main thrust of the pandemic. That’s a lot of new passwords to create and remember. It also means that many more passwords were recycled or reused in 2020 than in past years making password exposure through cybercrime a strong possibility.
Source: ID Agent


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MOSCOW, April 12. /TASS/. Belarus signed the new Customs Code of the Eurasian Economic Union on April 11, Dmitry Nekrasov, head of the Department of Customs Legislation of the Eurasian Economic Commission, told reporters.
"Belarus signed the EAEU Customs Code yesterday. The Commission has already received it and it will be published on our website soon. However, it does not mean that it has already come into force, since it is an international treaty so it should be ratified by all parties," Nekrasov said on the sidelines of a conference on key foreign trade issues.
Leaders of the EAEU states (Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Kazakhstan) signed the Customs Code on December 26, 2016 at the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council.
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko was not present at that meeting.
On February 3, Lukashenko told reporters he did not sign the Customs Code, because many agreements in this area did not work. He also instructed Belarusian specialists to withdraw from the line up of the Customs agencies of the Eurasian Economic Community.
According to Lukashenko, Belarus' trade turnover within the EAEU fell by almost 40% in 2015and by 18% in 2016.


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Montgomery Gentry, Gretchen Wilson, John Rich headline The Woods concert
Reserved tickets for the 7 p.m. event, which is sponsored by Logan’s Roadhouse, are $49.95, with a limited number of VIP reserved seats priced at $99.95. General admission tickets are $25, and all seats may be purchased through http://www.ticketmaster.com, beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2.
“This is the kind of star-studded event we built The Woods for,” said co-owner Marc Oswald.
Comments are closed.


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New Tesla Android App Update Makes Tesla Apple CarPlay Hack Easier
According to an update shared with Tesla North by developer Mike Gapinski, the latest Tesla app update for Android includes Apple CarPlay on board, requiring significantly less hardware to run.
As shown in the video below, Tesla Android app version 2022.38.1 includes a few updates which make setting up Apple CarPlay even easier.
The developer also pointed out that the update now runs Apple CarPlay as a single-board stack, rather than having to run as a workaround from a third-party developer.
The prior renderings of CarPlay also had content overlapping in audio apps, but the shift to an Android-based stack fixes the app’s resolution on the touchscreen. CarPlay also lets navigation sounds work when the Tesla browser is active.
Android 12 / CarPlay for Tesla updated: less hardware required, easier setup. @Teslarati @9to5mac @NotATeslaApp @xdadevelopers @Raspberry_Pi @ElectrekCo @RealTeslaNorth https://t.co/kAIT4TEKj1
— Michał Gapiński (@mikegapinski)
While many Tesla drivers have installed CarPlay on their vehicles using Android 12 which required the use of Raspberry Pi units, the new update is hosted on Android itself and no longer requires the use of external hardware to run.


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Back in March, the Queensland state government announced it was giving residents the opportunity to plan a local getaway at a discount thanks to its Holiday Dollars initiative. Previously, Queenslanders could head to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef with their vouchers, but this time around The Whitsundays and Greater Brisbane are in the spotlight.
Queensland residents can access either $100 or $200 travel vouchers to the two regions, in an effort to boost tourism to these areas beloved by international tourists and therefore hard-hit due to the pandemic.
Under the Brisbane Holiday Dollars offering, 30,000 $100 vouchers will be available for 50 percent off tourism experiences and accommodation in the Greater Brisbane region. This includes Brisbane, the Scenic Rim, the Moreton Bay islands, Redlands Coast, Somerset, Logan and Ipswich.
For the Whitsundays Holiday Dollars package, 6000 vouchers are available to people who are already staying in the region during a set period from May 4. They’ll get you 50 percent off tours and attractions up to $200 in value.
BREAKING: 36,000 travel vouchers will be up for grabs for holidaymakers in Brisbane and the Whitsundays.
The Holiday Dollars are valued at $100 and $200, and give visitors 50% off at selected accommodation or tourism experiences.
Don’t miss out! Find details for each offer 👇 pic.twitter.com/tdlO3tw8cz
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) April 21, 2021
How To Get Your Hands On Them
For those interested in the $100 Brisbane vouchers, registration be open from 12pm (AEST) on Tuesday, April 27 and will close at 11.59am (AEST) on Friday, April 30.
Set an alarm for April 27, when you’ll need to click here to go to the Tourism Queensland site and register your details.
If you’re a lucky bugger, you’ll receive a text message and an email with your voucher to redeem at participating operators. They’re announcing voucher recipients from May 6. You’ll just need to book your Brisbane adventure by 4 June, and travel by 15 August.
Information for applying for the $200 Whitsundays travel vouchers isn’t actually available yet, but will be from May 4 on the Tourism Whitsundays site. Interestingly, Queensland residents over the age of 18 will need to already be in the region to get their hands on one.
“The vouchers will be available to visitors (and locals) who are in the region from 4 May – 30 June 2021, or until the voucher quota is exhausted, whichever is sooner,” says the site. “Vouchers are activated once a booking is made, so it will be first in, best dressed to activate the vouchers for travel.”
Another one to pop an alarm on for. The Whitsundays are bucket list for many Aussies and offer a chance to see the incredible Great Barrier Reef. When you’re there, definitely check out an Indigenous led tour like this one.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk explained in March why there’s no better time to get to FNQ.
“Tourism has taken a hit during the pandemic, and those who depend on international visitors have been doing it particularly tough – especially up north,” she said on social media.
“So if you‘ve ever wanted to visit Tropical North Queensland, now’s the time – Queensland is the place to be.”
(Lead image via Tourism Whitsundays)


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Recently I had a couple of beers on a Friday afternoon with an old college chum, who now owns and operates a small, high-tech manufacturing company in Exton (PA). Bill made two intriguing comments. The first was an assertion: “If you’re not making money as a manufacturer in this country, it’s because you’re dumb.” The second was: “Container ships bringing goods to the U.S. from China used to travel back home empty. Today, if you want to ship overseas, you have to reserve a container well in advance.”
Bill’s words came echoing back to me, when the NPR six o’clock news reported, even more recently, that America’s gross domestic product (GDP) had grown by 3.3 percent during 2008’s second quarter. “The overwhelming story is that the export numbers have offset… domestic weakness in consumer spending and business investment,” John Silvia of Wachovia Corp observed elsewhere in the media.
That very night, Barack Obama, accepting the Democratic nomination, commented, “Change means a tax code that doesn’t reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it. Unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America. I will eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and the start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow.”
I liked the sound of that. By the time this column is in print, we’ll know what John McCain has to say on the same subject. Let’s hope it’s something along the same lines. Clearly, small-business entrepreneurs like my friend Bill are key to our future. This has always been the case in America.
Many years ago, when I was a Coast Guardsman on the Great Lakes, I visited a maritime museum that featured old photos of ice harvesting. Intrigued, I researched the subject and learned that in 19th century New England, ice harvesting was big business. Crafty Yankee merchants cut blocks of ice from lakes, ponds and rivers, packed it in saw dust below their ships’ waterlines and shipped it all the way around the world. A website called “The Heart of New England” [http://www.theheartofnewengland.com] confirms my memory: “The birth of America’s large scale commercial ice industry began in
New England in 1805. Frederick Tudor, a Boston merchant, created the first
natural ice business in the United States. He shipped ice harvested on a pond in
Lynn, Massachusetts to the West Indies. Over the next thirty years Tudor made
a fortune shipping ice around the world to places like Charleston, New
Orleans, Cuba, Calcutta, South America, China and England. British records
show that Queen Victoria purchased some ice from Massachusetts in the 1840’s.”
Who but an American entrepreneur would conceive of a scheme such as this, and then work out the technology to make it a reality? In his famous trilogy, “The Americans,” historian Daniel Boorstin wrote, “Between the Revolution and the Civil War, America flourished not in discovery but in search. It prospered not from the perfection of its ways but from their fluidity. It lived with the constant belief that something else or something better might turn up.”
Obama’s acceptance speech captured Boorstin’s sentiment: “It is that American spirit — that American promise — that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain… that makes us fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.”
In the 1890s another famous historian, Frederick Jackson Turner, worried in a famous paper and a book that the official Federal announcement of the closing of the American frontier during that decade might start the decline of the American democracy. He didn’t know that Americans would continue finding, or creating, new frontiers. In the 1960s the New Frontier was in outer space. In the 1990s it was in cyberspace.
The surprising vigor of our economy from April through June had many causes, some surely beyond our control and purely serendipitous. But it wasn’t all by accident, as my old college buddy, Bill, would be the first to tell you.


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Amazon uses many different transportation services (as per this CNBC report) to deliver packages. Amazon-branded services include:
- Amazon Air, a cargo airline for bulk transport, with last-mile delivery handled either by Amazon Flex, Amazon Logistics, or the United States Postal Service.
- Amazon Flex, a smartphone app that enables individuals to act as independent contractors, delivering packages to customers from personal vehicles without uniforms. Deliveries include one or two hours Prime Now, same or next day Amazon Fresh groceries, and standard Amazon.com orders, in addition to orders from local stores that contract with Amazon.
- Amazon Logistics, in which Amazon contracts with small businesses (which it calls “Delivery Service Partners”) to perform deliveries to customers. Each business has a fleet of approximately 20–40 Amazon-branded vans, and employees of the contractors wear Amazon uniforms.
As of December 2020, it operates in the United States, Canada, Italy, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Amazon Prime Air is an experimental drone delivery service. Amazon directly employs people to work at its warehouses, Bulk Distribution Centres, staffed “Amazon Hub Locker+” locations, and delivery stations where drivers pick up packages.
As of December 2020, it is not hiring delivery drivers as employees. Rakuten Intelligence estimated that in 2020 in the United States, the proportion of last-mile deliveries was 56% by Amazon’s directly contracted services (mostly in urban areas), 30% by the United States Postal Service (mostly in rural areas), and 14% by UPS. In April 2021, Amazon reported to investors it had increased its in-house delivery capacity by 50% in the last 12 months (which included the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States).
The Ultimate Truth Revealed by Amazon DSP Drivers on The Challenges of One-Day Shipping
Amazon has more than 115,000 drivers working under independent small businesses – Delivery Service Partners, or DSPs – who deliver Prime packages to doorsteps with one-day shipping. We talked to current and former Amazon DSP drivers about the pressures of the job.
From urinating in bottles to running stop signs, routes that lead drivers to run across traffic, dog bites and cameras recording inside vans at all times – some of the 115,000 DSP drivers have voiced big concerns.
How Amazon Beat Supply Chain Chaos with Ships, Containers and Planes
As supply chain chaos causes shipping delays this holiday season, experts say Amazon’s logistics empire and predictive analytics will allow it to avoid the worst of it. Amazon leased long-haul planes to get goods from China to the U.S. faster, and its been making its own containers and chartering private cargo vessels for years.
Now retailers like Walmart, Home Depot, Target, IKEA and Costco are trying out the tactic, chartering smaller vessels to bring goods to less congested ports.CNBC
How Amazon is Competing with FEDEX and UPS by Shipping Non-Amazon Orders
Amazon is on a spending spree to grow its fleet of planes, vans, Semi-trucks and drivers in its latest move to compete with FedEx and UPS.
Now, it’s using the added capacity to move cargo for outside customers, betting big on the business of third-party shipping while also shipping 72% of its own packages.CNBC


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While most people think that too many places ask for tips, they’re also frequently happy to pay a little extra for good service, according to new data from BentoBox. The restaurant-marketing platform checked in with more than 2,500 diners across the United States for a comprehensive look at the state of tipping in the country, breaking down the numbers by type of establishment, diners’ income level, and more.
When it comes to full-service dining, 68 percent of respondents said that tipping is always necessary, with 88 percent saying that fine dining deserves a gratuity. Upscale restaurants fared quite well overall: 58 percent of those who eat at fine-dining establishments tip 10 to 20 percent, and one in five add more than 20 percent. Compare that with one in 10 when it comes to casual diners.
High earners—defined by BentoBox as those making more than $100,000—are more likely to be eating at these fine-dining restaurants, and their thoughts about tipping are somewhat conflicted. In the survey, they expressed that they liked tipping because of the control it gives to diners, with high earners responding most positively to statements like “The practice of tipping leads to better service overall.” However, this same group is the most likely to call for tipping to be replaced. A whopping 85 percent said that restaurants should pay a living wage instead of asking for gratuity, while 45 percent said they’d prefer that a restaurant add an “adequate percentage” to the bill.
That is consistent with the overall trend exhibited in the data. While 62 percent of respondents said they wouldn’t miss tipping if it were gone, 56 percent also said that their preferred method of tipping is choosing the amount themselves, rather than having gratuity automatically added to the bill or paying slightly more for items to avoid tipping in general. And a whopping 80 percent of diners said they like tipping because it rewards good service.
Americans may not be united on whether they want tipping to stick around or not, but they do seem to agree that good service should be acknowledged.


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A web site recently reposted a video of an NYU professor dutifully and smugly rattling off the latest rationalization for modern wealth inequity, as he is likely paid to do by his corporate patrons. His line of patter? That we should be GRATEFUL for wealth inequities since "surely" those are a result of somebody who has done something that improved the world SO MUCH that people were glad to pay a premium to get this unique and wonderful thing. So "obviously", the money these people accumulated is only a fraction of the value they've created, as is testified by their being rich.
So here is my response, slightly edited for reposting here.
Professor Epstein’s statements are based on ideology, not facts. Here is the reality.
Most wealth is not primarily a result of innovation. America’s wealthiest businesspeople from Vanderbilt forward, are mostly successful makers and enforcers of monopolies. America not only doesn’t gain from monopolies (or even oligopolies) it is harmed by them as people are forced and scammed into paying excessive prices for things that they need. And honorable companies who try to succeed based on doing good work get destroyed by unscrupulous slime right alongside of us exploited consumers.
Another disproportionate source of business success is starting out rich. Bill Gates was richer at the age of five than most people will ever be, with a fat trust fund and daddy a hotshot corporate lawyer. Almost every part of Microsoft has always lost money. They still lose money on things like the X Box. Their wealth comes largely from the market power they got from the Windows license. An operating system that Bill Gates didn’t create. In fact, he stole it. But since his mother was friends with the IBM executive choosing their OS, he got the contract anyway.
More wealth comes from using other people’s money and insider connections to buy up companies (or government assets) break them up like a horse butchered and sold by the pound to make glue and dog food. Pay off enough legislators and you can get away with almost anything. America is further and further “stripped for parts” by looters like this every year. They get richer. We get poorer.
Then we get the media fortunes. Most media companies are doing very badly. But the executives are getting richer all the time. They falsify the recordkeeping. They put their friends in sweetheart jobs. Look it up. And ask yourself if America is really enriched by this.
Then we get executive salaries. Which get bigger all the time, even for people who are obviously incompetent or evil. Explain to me how Yahoo’s previous CEO “deserved” twenty million dollars. Or H.P.’s. And this is money that comes directly out of the pockets of the actual workers in the company who create that wealth.
Epstein is bought and paid for. Don’t believe the hype.
And please, do not succumb to the logical fallacy that anybody saying that we need change is just “against somebody being richer than others”. Nobody I know with more than three brain cells is that simplistic. This isn’t some rap song where the world is divided into “playas” and “playa haters”. We’re not opposed to have some be richer than others. We’re opposed to a society where too many people successfully steal, defraud, bully, and scam their way to wealth and then pay *less* in taxes while getting *more* government protection.
We’re opposed to a 1.3 TRILLION dollar savings and loan bailout after which not a single person served a jail term as long or as hard as that of a bank robber who steals a thousand dollars. We’re opposed to companies like Enron having killed people (yes, those rolling blackouts resulted in deaths) by intentionally shutting off power supplies to Americans, all to up their quarterly profits. And then, while we know that dozens of them actively designed and executed these schemes and hundreds or even thousands were knowing participants, three people in the entire multi-billion dollar corporation ever saw any noticeable jail time at all and most of them got to keep most or all of the money they “made”.
I run a small business. I work hard to create excellent products and I expect to be paid for what I create and sell. I hope to some day make a lot of money doing that. I have known millionaires who I'm delighted got millions of dollars for their work. They deserved it. Bully for them. The problem is that in reality most of the people getting rich and staying rich are NOT “creating value.” They are getting rich by hurting people. And the trail of bodies and misery they're responsible for is more than most people can even imagine.
Most of our farmers have been reduced in recent decades to sharecroppers on their own land, with almost no control over what they grow, how they grow it, or how they sell it. As the grandson of a Kansas farmer, I find that monstrous.
Congress required our worker pensions to fork over a percentage of their money to be “invested” by venture capitalists. Venture capitalists who then ignored most of the real entrepreneurs and instead blew it on funding “dot-coms” run by the kind of people they liked drinking with. Almost all these dot-coms went bankrupt, the real businesspeople having to compete for resources made more expensive by these spendthrifts, and money that was supposed to fund the retirement of schoolteachers and factory workers was instead spent on fancy dinners and condos for rich bankers.
Our engineers and scientists have created waves of good products, from old-school Rubbermaid appliances to “clamshell” computers. And then some new executive fad comes along and they’re ordered to cheapen the quality or move the factory overseas or simply replace it with some shoddy garbage. All while customers are BEGGING to be allowed to buy the high-quality goods that our engineers created in the first place. In those cases even the companies lose money. Again, look at H.P. And the executives who do this get millions in pay and bonuses and even if the company fails, and then get even more money to serve on boards of other companies.
And THAT is what we are opposed to. This is a wave of crime against the vast majority of the American people and we have no intention of passively waiting to be told what to think or what to do. We are informed, we are outraged, and we are fighting back. And I can guarantee you that the “Occupy” movement isn’t even close to all that we are doing.
And, ya know, here I am writing these marathon responses to Professor Epstein’s trash and maybe I just need to keep it simple. If somebody being rich is “obviously” because they found ways to sell things that made the world even better than what would have existed otherwise, what has he got to say about drug dealers and pimps? After all, they get rich. And they certainly do so by selling products that are in demand.
Check what people like the FBI and business insurance firms say. As far as they can tell, most embezzlers get away with it. And they get away with billions. And frequently they do it by being freelance bookkeepers to many families or small businesses, who they defraud over years, thereby, yes, concentrating wealth. Just as you crowed about.
So tell me, Professor Epstein, if YOUR bookkeeper got rich by stealing YOUR money and that of ten of your friends, would you call that a “gain” to society?


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Android smartphone marketshare up to 75 percent
- Staff Silicon Valley Business Journal
Google Inc.'s Android operating system was on 136 million smartphones shipped during the third quarter, 75 percent of the 181.1 million total smartphones shipped in the period.
According to International Data Corp.'s report, Apple Inc.'s iOS operating system was a distant second with 14.9 percent of the market (26.9 million units) and followed by Blackberry (7.7 million units, 4.3 percent of market), Symbian (4.1 million units, 2.3 percent), Windows Phone 7/Windows Mobile (3.36 million units, 2 percent), and Linux (2.8 million units, 1.5 percent).
Google's market share was 57.5 percent in the year-ago period, according to the report, and Samsung was the biggest Android vendor.
Written by Lisa Ward. To contact someone about this article, Shana Lynch can be reached at 408.299.1831 or email@example.com.
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Genius Brands International continues to expand its global distribution business to support preschool series Rainbow Rangers and Llama Llama, appointing Natalie Setton as Senior Vice President, Global Content Distribution. The news was announced by Genius Brands Chairman and CEO Andy Heyward, to whom Setton will report.
Based in London, Setton is tasked with driving international sales of the Genius Brands programming library, including CG-animated series Rainbow Rangers, which premiered in November 2018 to top ratings on Nick Jr. (U.S.), as well as Netflix Original series Llama Llama, starring Jennifer Garner and currently in production on Season 2. Offerings also include Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club, created with and starring the iconic investor; award-winning toddler brand Baby Genius; adventure comedy series Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab; and other projects currently in development.
“Natalie has amassed a wealth of experience and solid relationships with a vast number of global media platforms around the world to bring to her role at Genius Brands,” said Heyward. “As our strategy rolls out around the globe, and our operations continue to expand, Natalie is a perfect fit to facilitate our growth and success in the content distribution arena as we gear up for series rollouts in 2019 in territories all over the world.”
“I’m honored and excited to be part of the Genius Brands team,” added Setton. “I’ve been very much aware of Genius’s success and achievements with the development of timely and engaging content that not only entertains but imparts value and supportive messages to even the youngest of viewers. I am eager to begin working with the Genius Brands team to continue the upward trajectory, building on the company’s quality content distribution and partnerships.”
Since April 2016, Setton has served as Managing Director for Ludorum in the U.K. and has been with the company overall for over a decade, also fulfilling the roles in International Sales and Licensing (2008) and as its Commercial Director (2015). In these posts, Setton was responsible for developing and implementing the company strategy for the exploitation of Chuggington, its computer-animated television series, and managed relationships with all major clients, including Disney U.S., BBC, TF1 France, Super RTL Germany, ABC Australia and Fuji TV in Japan. Ludorum was recently sold to Herschend Entertainment Studios, and Setton will continue to be involved in their business moving forward under her consultancy company, Set On Brands Ltd.
Previously, Setton spent two years in children’s TV distribution as a sales executive responsible for the Asia territory working with other global children’s animated properties, including Little Princess, Transformers and My Little Pony. A fluent Japanese speaker, she has also worked in Japan as an account manager in the travel industry.


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Long road ahead: Restoration work begins after treasure trove of THIRTY-SIX Corvettes found collecting dust in a garage after 25 years
- The most valuable car in the collection is a 1953 Corvette, which is one of only 300 ever made
- Adam Heller who owns the fleet of cars said 'well over six figures' was being put into the restoration of just one car
- Some of the cars were expected to only take two weeks to restore, while others would take more than a year
A rare collection of 36 classic Corvettes that were hidden away for 25 years is being prepared for sale - and one model alone is expected to sell for half a million dollars.
The classic American muscle cars were originally won in a competition organised by music channel VH1 and were then sold to German-born graphic artist Peter Max who wanted to incorporate them in his work.
The collection consists of every model of Corvette released between 1953 and 1989.
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A rare collection of 36 classic Corvettes that were hidden away for more than 20 years are being prepared for sale - and one model alone is expected to sell for half a million dollars; pictured above is the co-owner of the collection, Adam Heller
The classic American muscle cars were originally won in a competition organised by music channel VH1 and were then sold to German-born graphic artist Peter Max. The cars were all released consecutively between 1953 and 1989
Mr Heller had reportedly offered to work with Mr Max to restore the cars for sale and then split the proceeds, something the artist declined. However, Mr Max was then said to have asked Mr Heller if he wanted to buy the collection outright
Though Mr Max started to carry out his plan for the cars, issues such as a tax fraud case forced them on the backburner and he eventually sold the fleet to members of the Heller family.
Real estate broker Adam Heller said the family now has a 'museum of Corvettes'. The 32-year-old said: 'We can go back in time with these cars. We started off by picking up cars from the mid 1970s and now we have one from 1958.
'It's covered in dust but it's in very good condition considering its age.'
The most valuable car in the collection is a 1953 Corvette - one of only 300 ever made. Another vehicle in the collection was produced in 1955, and was one of only 700 ever made.
The thick layer of dust covering the cars was said to have protected the paintwork, with some of the vehicles only needing minor restoration
While some of the cars would only take a matters of weeks to restore, others would take up to a year, a Corvette expert said
Chris Mazzilli, a Corvette expert and owner of Dream Cars Consulting on Long Island, USA, poses next to a 1969 Corvette Stingray
Mr Mazzilli said one of the cars, a 1953 Corvette would undergo a full frame one restoration, meaning that the body would be removed from the chassis and 'everything will be refurbished and gone through'; the vehicle is expected to become the most valuable 1953 Corvette in the world
One of the most valuable cars in the collection, a 1955 Corvette - one of only 700 ever made - gets a good working over at the garage
The Vintage Auto Restoration Garage in Hickville, where the collection of Corvettes is being restored before being offered for sale
Mr Heller said: 'We're putting a substantial amount of money that's well over six figures into just one of the individual cars.
'I think that by the time we get done on this restoration we will have the most valuable 1953 Corvette in the world.'
Chris Mazzilli, a Corvette expert and owner of Dream Cars Consulting on Long Island, USA said the car will be worth around half a million dollars when it is fully restored.
The 49-year-old added: 'It's number 291 of 300 and will be getting a full frame one restoration which means that the body will be removed from the chassis and everything will be refurbished and gone through.'
He said the thick layer of dust that covered the cars had protected the paintwork, and some vehicles would need little in the way of restoration. Some would take around two weeks, and would simply need a few hoses and belts changed, while others would require 'more than a years worth of work'.
When the restorations are complete Mr Heller, who lives and works in New York City, will attempt to sell the collection in its entirety to one lucky bidder.
Mr Heller had reportedly offered to work with Mr Max to restore the cars for sale and then split the proceeds, something the artists declined. However, Mr Max was then said to have asked Mr Heller if he wanted to buy the collection outright.
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November 19, 2020
Does Mexico Have a Border Tax?
If you’re considering moving your company’s manufacturing operations to Mexico, you’re likely intrigued by the nation’s cost-effective labor force and geographic proximity. In addition, you probably know that the USMCA agreement has recently replaced NAFTA and will continue promoting free trade between the United States, Mexico, and Canada. However, it’s important to understand the taxes […]


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Android users who follow a plant-based diet and are heavily reliant on wordless communication have reason to rejoice.
Android users who follow a strict vegan diet and are heavily reliant on wordless communication have reason to rejoice.
On Wednesday, Jennifer Daniel, a manager on Google’s design team, announced on Twitter that there would be an evident change in its salad emoji. In side-by-side photos, the original shows a bowl of lettuce with two tomato slices and half of a hard-boiled egg, and the new version shows…just the lettuce and tomatoes.
“There’s big talk about inclusion and diversity at Google,” she wrote, noting that they have “removed the egg in Android P beta 2, making this a more inclusive vegan salad.”
After the inevitable backlash from many Twitter users, Daniel later clarified that “the goal of salad emoji redesign was to create an image more faithful to unicode’s description,” which is: “A bowl of healthy salad, containing lettuce, tomato, and other salad items such as cucumber.” (It should again be noted that there are no “other salad items” apparent in the new emoji, not even such as cucumber.)
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This is not the first time that Google has made a major change to one of its food emojis. In November, they switched the placement of the slice of cheese in their cheeseburger emoji after public outcry over the incorrect order of operations (cheese goes on top of the patty, not under it.)


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Denmark’s largest conference for Nordic game developers is back in Aalborg on 7 December. The fourth annual Games Business conference, organised by NordicGameBits, Shareplay and Interactive Denmark, will focus on the future of business in the games industry.
During the one-day conference, veterans from the Nordic games industry will take the stage to discuss where they see business in the fast growing games industry moving in the coming years.
Among the expert speakers is Tommy Palm, former game guru to Candy Crush Saga maker King and co-founder of virtual reality studio Resolution Games, which has received a US$6 million investment from Google Ventures among others, and Eidos Shanghai GM Christine Thaarup.
During his keynote, Palm will talk about his experiences with King and how he believes virtual reality might change the future of business in the games industry.
“Having the games industry come together to share best practices and lessons learned is critical,” says Tommy Palm. “One of the keys in making mobile games so successful was building upon advancements and creating an open forum for discussion. It will be an equally necessary component in making emerging games platforms like VR and AR successful.”
The Games Business 2015 program in Aalborg also includes “business insight” stories from earlier stage companies in the Nordic games industry, a “Visions of the Future” expert panel that will dive into everything from Apple TV and smart-watches to emerging markets and the future of self-publishing, and a networking mingle to wrap-up the conference, giving everyone a chance to meet and share ideas.
Games Business 2015 on 7 December in Aalborg, Denmark is open to everyone looking to know more about the games business and gaming industry. See the full program here and purchase tickets here. See you there!


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PharmEasy’s parent company API Holdings is reportedly in talks for raising $200 million-$300 million from General Atlantic, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA).
The valuation of India’s largest online pharmacy has dropped drastically and could be at a significant discount of almost half of its October 2021 pre-IPO valuation of $5.4 billion in its pre-IPO round, at $2.5 -$2.75 billion, an Economic Times report said.
Previously, PharmEasy was also reported to be in talks with investors to nearly raise $200 Mn at a valuation of $3.8 Bn (a 30% valuation cut), but the deal did not materialise.
In the current round, existing investors TPG Growth, Prosus Ventures, Temasek and ADQ are also likely to contribute roughly $70 Mn-$80 Mn. The Economic Times report quoted sources as saying that the discussions are in an early stage and may not necessarily turn into a deal.
ADQ already owns a minority stake in PharmEasy, invested in a $350-million pre-IPO round in October last year. Morgan Stanley and Bank of America are the advisors for the fundraise.
Founded in 2015, PharmEasy holds a substantial position in the $350 Mn Indian epharmacy market. API Holdings filed its draft papers for an initial public offering (IPO) of INR 6,250 Cr in November 2021, but withdrew the regulator-approved draft three weeks ago due to valuation mismatch and market volatility.
Prosus Ventures (previously Naspers Ventures) is the largest shareholder in the startup with a 12% stake. Singapore-based Temasek holds a 11% stake in the company, while TPG Growth owns 6.6% and Evermed Holdings has a 6% stake. As many as 43 investors hold about 70% of the company.
Founded in 2015, Mumbai-based PharmEasy is the largest health tech player with a GMV of $1 billion, 5% contribution margin and -26% EBITDA in FY21. FY22 run rate is approximately $1.5 billion GMV based on 3MFY22, as per estimates from Sanford C Bernstein Research.
Between April and October 2021, it raised $700 million across two funding rounds. Its valuation soared 4X within seven months. Riding on the wave of aggressive spate of M&As, API Holdings’ consolidated revenues had ballooned 6X year-on-year to around Rs 4,360 crore during the year ended March 2021. However, API Holdings also spent Rs 5,868 crore in the same period.


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The Communication Workers of America (CWA) have announced a new campaign which will support tech and games industry workers in their efforts to organize and bring change to working conditions.
The Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA), launched Tuesday, seeks to address growing concerns in the tech industry, according to a press release. In game development alone, issues surrounding mandatory overtime, unequal pay, discrimination and sexism, and mistreatment of contract workers have been all too frequent in the past few years— even at big name companies, including Riot Games, NetherRealm Studios, and Rockstar Games.
CWA President Chris Shelton commented on the initiative via the press release.
“Companies in the technology and game industries have gotten away with avoiding accountability for far too long,” Shelton said. “Workers in these industries are exposing the reality behind the rhetoric. This initiative will help tech and game workers reach the next level in their efforts to exercise their right to join together and demand change.”
The CWA hired Game Workers Unite’s Emma Kinema to lead the efforts in the new initiative for its West Coast base. Wes McEnany, one of the leaders of the Fight for 15 campaign, which strives for the federal minimum wage to be raised to $15, will take head up East Coast efforts.
“Workers in the tech and game industries face unique challenges, and CWA’s expertise taking on massive corporations in the technology, media and telecom sector is a big asset as workers build genuine power to address these challenges,” Kinema said, via the press release. “CWA is a member-led union with a demonstrated commitment to bold movement building, engagement in social issues, and progressive union democracy. The launch of this new initiative marks a watershed moment for workers in the tech and game industries.”
For more information, including how to join the campaign, check out the official website for the campaign.


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Jessica A. Chittenden|
February 23, 2009
Commissioner Sets Date to Discuss Milk Price Crisis
Milk Marketing Advisory Council to Meet March 5th in Albany, Input Welcome
New York State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker announced that members of the Milk Marketing Advisory Council (MMAC) will meet on March 5th in Albany to discuss options surrounding the current milk price crisis, along with other milk marketing related topics.
"We’ve known it was coming, and the inevitable has happened," the Commissioner said. "A slowing economy and a surplus of milk on the market have resulted in milk prices falling below the cost of production, and it’s only expected to get worse. I look to the Milk Marketing Advisory Council as the eyes and ears in the industry, and anticipate an open and honest discussion on the realities and impact of these low prices on March 5th."
The MMAC is made up of representatives from all sectors of the dairy industry and was created to advise the Commissioner on matters related to dairy policy. Chaired by Dr. Mark Stephenson of Cornell University, members of the MMAC will gather on March 5th to discuss several issues, including milk balancing, milk prices, federal order reform and any proposed state initiatives.
Dairy producers are encouraged to submit their concerns or ideas to the Department by emailing firstname.lastname@example.org. Producers can also share their concerns with any of the members of the MMAC, who include:
· Craig Alexander of O-AT-KA Milk Products Coop., Inc. in Batavia
· Kathie Arnold, a dairy producer in Truxton and with Northeast Organic Farming Association
· Mindy Bockstein, Chair of the New York State Consumer Protection Board in Albany
· Gary Dake of Stewart’s Processing Corp. in Saratoga Springs
· Ed Gallagher of Dairylea in Syracuse
· Glen Gasstrom, a dairy producer in Ilion
· John Jennings of Great Lakes Cheese Co. in Adams
· Bruce Krupke of New York State Dairy Foods in North Syracuse
· Jonathan Lamb, a dairy producer in Oakfield and with Northeast Dairy Producers Association
· Dan McGarr, a dairy producer in King Ferry
· Eric Ooms, a dairy producer in Old Chatham and with New York Farm Bureau
· Neal Rea, a dairy producer in Cambridge and with Agri-Mark
· Dave Schieferstine, a dairy producer in Rome and with Oneida County Farm Bureau
· Ed Schoen, a dairy farmer in Phelps and with Dairy Farmers of America
· Dirk Young, a dairy farmer in Skaneateles
Governor David Paterson has been working closely with members of New York’s Congressional delegation to support New York’s struggling dairy farmers, asking them specifically to support enhancing the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program, a federal safety net designed to compensate dairy producers when milk prices fall below a specified level.
Dairy farmers are currently experiencing devastatingly low milk prices as a result of the dwindling economy. The recession has weakened the demand for dairy products both domestically and globally. Restaurant sales are down, as are pizza sales that utilize the largest share of cheese in the U.S. Exports of dairy products have declined 37 percent from a year ago as well. While milk production growth has slowed, it has not been enough to offset the decrease in consumption. Consequently, this has resulted in an increase in inventories, driving the price of milk down for farmers not only in New York, but across the nation.
Last year in January, New York dairy farmers received $20.36 per hundredweight for their milk; this January, they received $13.39 per hundredweight or $1.15 per gallon. Economists predict that the blend price could drop to $11.00 over the next several months. The average cost of producing a hundred pounds of milk in New York right now is estimated at $17.50 per hundredweight or $1.50 a gallon.
New York is the nation’s third largest dairy state, generating over $2 billion in milk sales annually. As part of the Northeast dairy region of the United States, they produce over 20 percent of our nation’s milk, providing fresh, wholesome and nutritious dairy products to 25 million people on the East Coast.
The economic impact of New York’s dairy industry is over $10 billion in New York State, and $50 billion regionally. New York has 6,200 dairy farmers with an average herd size of about 100 cows. Studies have shown that one dairy cow generates at least $13,000 in economic activity that is typically spent locally benefiting feed suppliers, equipment dealers, and small businesses in upstate, rural communities.
2009 Press Releases


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A South Tucson organization that teaches healthy eating has gotten a new five-year lease from Pima County, allowing it to continue and expand its programs.
The program, called the Garden Kitchen, was begun as a seed-to-table project in 2012. Since then, it has reached more than 200,000 people, showing them how to cook nutritionally, team member Jen Parlen said.
“My philosophy is that good nutrition comes in very small steps, and if we can just teach a little something new maybe it’ll help them improve their life," Parlen said.
The program is free and participants also learn gardening and how to cook recipes from scratch, Parlen said.
“I think it’s important for all of us to eat healthy," she said. "It helps us to be physically healthy but also feel good about ourselves. Everyone eats. It’s a factor for everyone.”
Parlen said the lease extension will allow the group to remodel and expand, resuming programs in July.


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BlackBerry ends the year in the black
BlackBerry Ltd. ended the year in the dark despite declining revenue as it posted a profit of US$144 million in the fourth quarter. The Waterloo, Ontario-based company, which reports in US dollars, says it earned US$12 million on $718 million in revenue in 2021, compared to a loss of US$1.1 billion on US$893 million. in 2020.
For the three months ended Feb. 28, it earned 25 cents per basic share, compared to a loss of 56 cents per share or $315 million in the fourth quarter of 2021. Adjusted earnings were $6 million. , compared to US$14 million in the prior year quarter.
Revenue decreased 12% from $210 million to $185 million, including $122 million from cybersecurity, $52 million from Internet of Things (IoT) and $11 million from licensing . Analysts on average had expected BlackBerry to post $29.3 million in adjusted losses on $186.8 million in profit, according to financial data firm Refinitiv.
“We are pleased with the progress BlackBerry has made this quarter,” Executive Chairman and CEO John Chen said in a press release after markets closed. “The IoT business recorded its first quarter of revenue of over $50 million since the start of the pandemic. In addition to overcoming a number of industry-wide challenges, such as supply chain constraints and the war in Ukraine, the QNX business set another design-related quarterly revenue record , demonstrating both strong fundamentals and momentum for the business.


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In the first half of this year, the regional gross domestic product (GDP) of Zhanjiang saw a year-on-year decline of 4.4 percent to 138.26 billion yuan ($19.75 billion), with the rate of decline narrowing 3.4 percent from that of the first quarter of the year.
The added value of the primary industry in Zhanjiang was 25.64 billion yuan, up 0.3 percent year-on-year. The added value of the city's secondary industry fell by 6.6 percent to 47.38 billion yuan, while that of the tertiary industry reached 65.24 billion yuan, decreasing by 4.2 percent year-on-year.
The city's added value of industrial enterprises above designated size saw a year-on-year decline of 4 percent to 28.81 billion yuan from January to June, which narrowed 4.8 percent from that of the first quarter of the year.
An industrial enterprise above designated size refers to one that has an annual operation revenue surpassing 20 million yuan.
Zhanjiang's total retail sales of consumer goods in the first half of the year was 73.55 billion yuan, down 11.4 percent, which narrowed 5 percent from that of the first quarter of the year.
The total volume of foreign trade of Zhanjiang was 17.96 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 4.5 percent. The exports fell by 24.1 percent to 7.32 billion yuan, while the imports increased by 16.1 percent to 10.64 billion yuan.
The cargo throughput of ports in Zhanjiang in the first half year reached 111 million metric tons, increasing by 2.5 percent from the same period of the previous year, while the container throughput was 609,400 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), a year-on-year increase of 15.4 percent.


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NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — It’s been around for decades, but the list of apple cider vinegar’s medicinal uses keeps growing.
It’s rich in vitamins, minerals, probiotics, enzymes, and it might be able to transform your health.
As CBS2’s Emily Smith explained, some people may not love the taste, but others swear by apple cider vinegar as a natural elixir.
Nutritionists said it’s been a natural home remedy for centuries, but it’s picking up steam — particularly when it comes to matters of the heart.
“It seems apple cider vinegar is the new kid on the block that’s really showing to have a reduction in cholesterol,” Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, Lenox Hill Hospital said.
Dr. Steinbaum said a recent study done in the United Kingdom shows a dose of apple cider vinegar a day can decrease cholesterol by about 13 percent.
“What we know is some of the properties in apple cider vinegar can decrease the absorption of starches and because of that decrease triglycerides,” she said.
Nutritionists suggested starting with a teaspoon mixed with water about 30 minutes before a meal.
It has to be organic, and the label should say ‘the mother’ which means it’s unfiltered and still contains strands of proteins filled with health benefits.
“Certain enzymes prevent our body to absorb certain carbs. So that’s why it’s also good for diabetes and weight loss,” nutritionist Monica Amsterdam said.
For those who can’t get over the taste there is a pill, but nutritionists said the body doesn’t absorb it as quickly, so it’s best to drink it.
“If it could do all of that quickly, I would probably suffer through it,” one New Yorker said.
Nutritionists said it can’t replace a healthy diet, but within several months of daily use it can be the cherry on top of a quest for optimal health.
Amsterdam said she drank it while pregnant to calm her acid reflux and to soothe a sore throat. She said unless you are allergic to apples, it’s a natural, safe remedy.


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January 31st, 2012, 10:16 Posted By: wraggster
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has said that the company is using external studios to make games for Wii U which would previously have been developed externally.
Speaking to investors following last week's disappointing financial results, Iwata moved to allay shareholder fears about the impact Wii U's processing power could have on Nintendo's development budgets. In addition to using the services of external developers,Iwata was keen to point out that not every Wii U game would take full advantage of its processing grunt.
"Looking at the software for home console systems, there are certainly titles for which very rich graphics must be reproduced on HD display and which demand that a large number of developers spend a very long time to develop," he said. "But we do not think that any and all software must be created in that fashion.
"When you look at Nintendo's software, extraordinary rich graphics, massive gameplay volume and astonishing rendition effects are not necessarily the appealing point. It is, in fact, important for us that our games are appealing in other ways as well.
"When we need massive power and have a lack of internal resources, we collaborate with outside resources. We are increasing the frequency of working with outside developers where [Shigeru] Miyamoto and our internal developers alone used to develop."
Iwata goes on to stress that Wii U will be far more than just the Wii upgraded to reach technical parity with PS3 and Xbox 360, saying the new console would "not be forced into competing with the others where the contenders can fight only with massive developer resources and long development times as their weapons."
Which sounds very much like Nintendo is hedging its bets: Wii U will be capable of throwing HD graphics around at speed, but the company won't force it on developers and we shouldn't expect every firstparty title to show the system at its technical peak. This will help ensure the continued flow of quality software, the lack of which Iwata gives as partial justification for 3DS's early struggles and something he has vowed to remedy in the coming year. There are, of course, exceptions.
"It is true that, in some software areas, we need to be engaged in the power games," he said. "Take the Legend Of Zelda franchise, for example. The fans must be looking for the graphic representations that they do not see as cheap at all when the title is released for the Wii U.
"When it is necessary, we do not hesitate to roll out our resources."
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Microsoft is making great moves in the smartphone market these days. The market, which is already taken over by the iPhones and Android phones is gradually making a shift toward the Windows phone for its attractive features at a budget-friendly price.
While Microsoft has tried to impress the users by introducing Windows 8 for phones, it has failed to merge phones functionalities or apps with computers and people still have to use computers for their jobs. Yet, the reports at TechRadar hints the company is all set to launch Windows 10 for smartphones and redefine the perception about the device.
Reports indicating the bright future of the Microsoft smartphones states the phone can be transormed to a PC by just plugging in an HDMI connection, mouse and keyboard. However, none of the current models of Microsoft phones can support the new operating system as it requires some changes in the hardware. While the news that a smartphone will finally replace the need of PC has created an excitement, the news of hardware shift has received a mixed response, as there is a jeopardy regarding the performance of the new hardware.
Not just that, there is also a concern regarding the price of the handsets running on Windows 10 as people in the developing nations would not like to spend $600 to buy a mobile phone even if it diminishes the need of a computer. However, the planned device can rule the market if the company manages to retain its user-friendliness along with a budget price that is affordable for all.


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Trademark for ‘EA Sports FC’ was filed prior to the announcement of the ‘FIFA’ series name change.
Before the firm announced that it is considering changing the name of its “FIFA” video game franchise, Electronic Arts (EA) filed trademarks in the United Kingdom for “EA Sports FC.”
In the United Kingdom, “EA Sports FC” has two trademark filings. One trademark application was filed on October 1st, while the other was filed on October 4th.
On October 7, EA revealed that it was considering rebranding the football video game franchise.
Trademark filings for “EA Sports FC” have been discovered.
Days after the business publicly indicated that it could rename its “FIFA” series of football video games, trademark registrations for “EA Sports FC” were uncovered in the UK.
“Some believe EA Sports FC might be among the titles that EA is contemplating,” according to GameSpot, “should it not come to an arrangement with FIFA for the inevitable ‘FIFA 23.'”
According to Video Games Chronicle, EA filed its first software trademark application with the UK’s Intellectual Property Office on Oct. 1. On Oct. 4, a second application for “EA Sports FC” was filed with the European Union Property Office.
These two applications were filed before EA made the public statement about the name of the popular football video game series’ uncertain future.
According to the GameSpot report, similar trademark filings were not found in the US Patent & Trademark Office database as of publication time.
People believe the trademark filings are an attempt by EA to demonstrate FIFA that they are serious about the proposed name change, according to the report.
The ‘FIFA’ Series could get a new name.
On October 7, EA revealed that it is considering changing the name of its “FIFA” video game franchise. If the name change is implemented, the recently published “FIFA 22” will be the series’ final game to wear the FIFA moniker.
According to the GameSpot article, EA Sports GM Cam Weber is “reviewing our naming rights agreement with FIFA,” which is “different from all of our other official relationships and licenses across the football globe.”
EA has stated that the FIFA moniker is unnecessary for its football video game franchise. This is due to the fact that “it already has separate licensing relationships with over 300 different organisations outside of FIFA that offer the company access to over 17,000 athletes on 700+ teams in 100 stadiums and covering 30 leagues across the world,” according to the company. News from Brinkwire in a nutshell.