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Sorry, Trump’s EPA Changes Won’t Mean Giant New V8s
That’s just wishful thinking.
On more than one occasion in recent weeks, I’ve heard car lovers express the following thought during their personal searches to find some silver lining in President Donald Trump’s apparent plans to eviscerate the Environmental Protection Agency: Hey, maybe this means we’ll get giant new kickass naturally-aspirated engines again!
After all, if the EPA no longer forces car companies to stick to corporate average fuel economy standards, why, all those downsized, forced-induction engines that automakers have been transitioning to in order to eke through governmental testing won’t be needed anymore! AMG can go back to building the 6.2-liter M156 V8! GM can whip up a new big block for the mid-engined Corvette! Hell, Cadillac can finally build that 16-cylinder super-sedan the company’s been dreaming about since 2003!
Sorry, folks. Not gonna happen. And I’ll give you two reasons why not.
First off, automotive development cycles are just too long for carmakers to plan them around a presidential term. Designing an entirely new engine doesn’t just take a lot of money—it takes a lot of time, too. And most engines wind up being planned for multiple models, each of which will be sold across multiple model years. No automaker is going to take the risk of spending years developing an incredible new naturally-aspirated powerhouse motor and planning at least one model with a multi-year lifespan around it, only to run the risk of having said new gas-guzzler hit the market just as President Sanders takes office on the post-Trump rebound.
Secondly, major automakers are global corporations these days—part of which involves lowering costs by spreading parts across as many markets as possible (FoMoCo’s One Ford plan being the most obvious example of this). And while regulations may change here in the United States, they likely won’t elsewhere—at least, not to the same extent as rules might under President Trump. (Most of the signatories to the Paris Agreement aren’t planning on bowing out anytime soon.) And no giant automaker worth its salt would plan a corporate strategy around developing two separate engines for global markets when one could do the job just as easily.
After all, it’s not like engineers haven’t figured out how to pull incredible amounts of power out of downsized, forced-induction engines nowadays. Mercedes-Benz sells cars with a 2.0-liter turbo four dialed up to 375 horsepower, for God’s sake. You think SRT can pull more than 188 horses per liter out of a naturally-aspirated 6.4-liter Hemi with a mass-market warranty?
In a best-case scenario, a Trump presidency could mean a handful of extra years of life for some large-displacement motors sold mainly in the U.S. The Viper’s 8.4-liter V-10, the outgoing Camaro Z/28’s 7.0-liter V8, and so forth. But The Donald’s ephemeral will won’t be enough to bring about the Second Coming of the giant automotive engine.
Think Will’s wrong? Let us know in the comments below.


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Lagos – Microsoft, the American technology firm, has rewarded its Nigerian partners for enhancing the adoption of its solutions in the local market.
The maiden edition of its Partner’s Awards has been held in Lagos, where Signal Alliance and MainOne have emerged the major winners.
Office Everything was also rewarded.
Also read: Microsoft top credit rating in danger over $26bn LinkedIn deal
The awards, which is to recognize partners who have excelled in delivering Microsoft solutions in the 2016 fiscal year spanning July 2015 through to June 2016, have the objective of celebrating partner’s success in the area of sales excellence, customer experience excellence and cloud transformation.
“We are rewarding our partners for their level of dedication and competencies over the last fiscal year and their support in driving our digital transformation agenda in the country,’’ Oluwawemimo Adeniyi Director, Small, Midmarket Solutions and Partners at Microsoft Nigeria, said during her welcome address.
Awawu Olumide –Sojinrin, Marketing and Operations Director for Microsoft Nigeria, who made the closing remark, expressed excitement at rewarding the partners.
We are creating platforms for people to do more.” She then thanked the Partners for their support and urged them all to do more in Fiscal Year 2017.
- News24 Nigeria

domain: news


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The Witcher franchise has sold 20 million copies worldwide according to the latest figures from CD Projket.
The figure, which includes The Witcher, The Witcher 2: Assassin's of King and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, was presented by CD Projekt RED in its latest financial report (PDF).
Included in the report were digital and physical sales percentages for The Witcher 3.
If you look at slide two posted below, you will see 68.4% of The Witcher 3 sales came from physical copies compared to 31.6% in the digital market.
The slide also notes physical copies of the game contributed 49.8% to total game revenue while digital sales made up 50.2% of The Witcher 3 revenues.
CDP also revealed in it financial report it has something new in the works set for release this year in a format " previously unexplored by the studio."
It also has another triple-A game in the works set for release sometime between 2017 and 2021, in addition to Cyberpunk 2077.


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A new indoor market is set to make its debut in the historic Standard Motor Parts Building in Long Island City and showcase Queens’ creative spirit in everything from food to furniture.
Qns Urban Mkt will open Friday evening in a 6,000-square-foot space adjoining Coffeed on the ground floor of a building shared with the Brooklyn Grange, a one-acre rooftop farm that has been there since 2010.
The new market will feature a changing roster of 12 to 15 local vendors selling crafts, furniture, jewelry, clothing and all manner of food.
“I think what we are doing is different than the LIC Flea and other markets,” said Jie Whoon Kang, the market’s director and curator. “We stress community involvement from our vendors to our sponsors — that’s a whole other vibe.”
Qns Urban Mkt at 38-17 Northern Blvd. is working in concert with the Entrepreneur Space, a business incubator run by the Queens Economic Development Corp. less than two blocks away. Up to 160 clients take advantage of industrial kitchen space, at 36-47 37th St., producing food products for their start-up businesses.
“A lot of them get ingredients from the Brooklyn Grange, and come back to the E-Space to prepare the product,” said Rob MacKay, of the QEDC, “and now they’ll go back and sell it. It’s a win, win, win .... good for clients, owners and customers.”
Kang said such local synergy will include pop-up restaurants, where a visiting chef will take over Coffeed’s kitchen and prepare a meal. There will be “TED talks,” networking and discussion events where area business people can exchange stories and experiences with other young entrepreneurs.
Upon opening, Astoria’s SingleCut Beersmiths will be serving a special beer made of Coffeed’s coffee beans and barley and hops from the Brooklyn Grange. The founders of SingleCut Beersmiths will then take part in the TED talk, sharing stories from their own successful start-up last year.
“That’s the type of synergy we’re after here and that’s what makes us different,” said Kang. “I’m a foodie and I love Queens and I wanted to create a place that I would want to hang out in.”
The 34-year-old Bayside native started Coffeed with three friends last year. All four were Wall Street traders and self-described do-gooders who put a portion of the proceeds to local charities: 10 percent of their coffee sales and 5 percent of food sales.
“We do that at every location we open to support our socially conscious message,” Kang said.
There are currently four Coffeed locations with another four on the way. In addition, Kang and his partners have opened a pizzeria in Jamaica called Fetta that draws ingredients from the Brooklyn Grange. They will also open an open-area restaurant by the ferry depot in Hunters Point South Park.
“I’m looking to expand the model all over Queens, Jamaica, Bayside, Elmhurst, anywhere,” said Kang.
“These guys prove that Queens is not Archie Bunker’s Queens anymore,” said MacKay, adding “innovative business people are taking over the entire borough.”
There will be live music during Friday’s opening from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Qns Urban Mkt is open Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Group tours of the Brooklyn Grange rooftop farm are available until 3 p.m.
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at email@example.com or by phone at 718-260-4538
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LA Reaches Legal Settlement With Company For 'False Advertising' Of COVID-19 Test
In late March, the California company RootMD started advertising "at-home Covid-19 exposure and immunity tests" for consumers worried about the coronavirus. For $249, the company said it would mail out a test kit — including a "lancet" that buyers could use to prick their finger and collect a blood sample. Then, the company promised, consumers could mail that sample back to "certified MD immunologists" to test for antibodies to the coronavirus, and get results within 48 hours.
At the time, the Food and Drug Administration had not authorized any at-home tests for COVID-19. But the company's marketing materials appeared to suggest the FDA had vetted the RootMD kits. On Instagram and Twitter, the company's messages included the hashtags "#FDA #Approved."
On its website, the company's messaging was different. The site stated that "the test has not yet completed the several month investigation periods by the FDA to be labeled as approved." Still, the company claimed, the FDA had issued guidance "allowing its use under emergency provisions."
In fact, the FDA has made clear that any tests sold under its emergency guidance are only for use in health care settings, and that the policy "does not apply to at home testing" — including home collection of test samples.
The RootMD test soon caught the attention of the city attorney of Los Angeles, who in a lawsuit filed this week alleged that the company violated food and drug regulations, as well as laws against false advertising. As part of a settlement reached on Thursday, the company agreed to pay a $5,000 penalty, refund all customers and cease all sales of COVID-19 tests unless it receives authorization from the FDA.
In an interview before the lawsuit was filed, RootMD's co-founder, Dr. Elroy Vojdani, said he had sold around 800 kits. He expressed regret about statements made by the company on social media, but he maintained that RootMD had complied with FDA guidelines. Vojdani said he had already ceased sales of the test kits due to concerns about their accuracy, and said the company was offering refunds to customers.
In response to the lawsuit, RootMD issued a statement saying, "All of our blood collection and laboratory testing materials used were of the highest standard." The company also said it "follows all governing regulations."
An attorney for RootMD did not respond to a request for comment on the settlement. The LA city attorney's office declined to comment for this story.
RootMD launched in 2020 with an emphasis on treatments for "chronic gut conditions" such as irritable bowel syndrome, and even offers a "GutCheck" at-home blood test. The company says it can "analyze your blood to find the root cause of disease" and develop a personalized treatment plan that will often include the use of dietary supplements.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Vojdani appeared in a Facebook Live video and recommended a variety of supplements to help combat the spread of the virus. Some of those supplements were also available through his medical practice and its online shop.
There has been a surge in supplement sales in response to the coronavirus. But experts have warned that no supplements have been shown to effectively treat the coronavirus, and some may even cause harm if taken in excessive doses.
One of Vojdani's recommendations, colloidal silver spray, has come under intense scrutiny from federal regulators and medical experts at the Mayo Clinic and the National Institutes of Health, among others, who say it is neither safe nor effective for treating any medical conditions. The FDA has also warned several companies against marketing silver products as a treatment or preventive measure for COVID-19, including the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones of InfoWars and the televangelist Jim Bakker.
In his Facebook Live video, Vojdani claimed, "Colloidal silver is very well demonstrated to have antiviral properties and antibacterial properties" and recommended "using colloidal silver spray in the nose as a preventative measure."
NPR asked Vojdani for comment, given the warnings among medical and government authorities that colloidal silver spray is ineffective and potentially unsafe. In a statement, he said his medical practice "stresses the importance of being proactive in our approach to health. That includes being mindful of what one eats, how much one exercises, and what type of energy one puts out into the world."
Limitations of blood tests
With RootMD's expansion into COVID-19 testing, Vojdani joined a growing number of scientists and researchers across the country who have been conducting blood tests that look for antibodies — also known as serology tests — to try to determine how many people have been exposed to the coronavirus.
The FDA has allowed a large number of companies to sell COVID-19 blood tests for use in labs, hospitals and other health care settings. But as the LA city attorney's office notes in its suit against RootMD, the FDA has not authorized any at-home tests for COVID-19, and that includes collecting blood samples at home.
One reason why, according to experts, is that even in lab settings, blood tests can come with certain limitations. For one, it remains unclear whether people with antibodies to the virus are actually immune.
But visitors to the RootMD website got a different message.
If your test results came back positive, the RootMD site claimed, "you will be able to confidently put those around you at ease by helping them know with certainty that they can't contract the coronavirus from you."
Experts say that is untrue.
"There is just no data on whether someone with antibodies against the virus is protected from reinfection," explained Matthew Frieman, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine who researches coronaviruses, in an email.
In response to questions from NPR, Vojdani himself voiced concern about the testing claim made on the RootMD site, agreeing it was problematic. The company has since removed the claim from its site.
"I did not approve that message being put on the website," he said. "I feel really bad that that statement was on the website. I don't agree with it."
Concerns about accuracy
Another issue with at least some of the serology tests for the coronavirus now on the market is that they can be inaccurate, providing an unacceptably high percentage of false positive or negative results.
"There's not a lot of data on how those tests perform," according to Kelly Wroblewski of the Association of Public Health Laboratories.
Vojdani himself said he found problems with the accuracy of his kits. He said he was using test kits from three separate manufacturers. He said he tested samples from the same sources on all the kits, and found "tremendous variation" in the results.
"Obviously, that was a little bit eye-opening and concerning," he said.
On April 7, the Los Angeles city attorney's office says it contacted RootMD, and the company stopped selling test kits the next day.
Vojdani said the halt in test sales was due to his concerns about the tests' accuracy, and not the legal inquiry.
"We don't want to be distributing false information to people." he said. "And these tests are super important and super needed."
The FDA has agreed that serology testing is an important part of the country's response to the coronavirus. But this week, Dr. Stephen Hahn, the FDA commissioner, also issued a warning to companies manufacturing and marketing these tests, saying the agency would "go after" those that make misleading claims.
"It's not OK for someone to say that a test has been authorized or approved by FDA when it hasn't," said Hahn.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Woolworths is "strongly encouraging" customers across its stores in Sydney's southwest to wear masks while shopping.
It comes after a cluster of COVID-19 cases continue to be diagnosed across the local government areas of Fairfield and Liverpool.
"We have updated our advice in all our stores in the Local Government Areas of Fairfield and Liverpool with a close eye on other areas as the situation evolves," a statement from CEO Brad Banducci said.
"This is true for all Woolworths (including Metro), BWS, Dan Murphy's and BIG W stores.
"In these areas, we strongly encourage customers to wear a face covering when coming into any of our stores. "This is the same guidance we have given to our teams working in store in these areas, and we have provided them with masks to wear. We fully support all customers and team members who choose to wear a face covering."
Mr Banducci made note that anyone shopping in stores in greater Melbourne must wear musts and they are "fast becoming part of everyday life in Victoria (and indeed in many parts of Europe and the United States), it feels prudent to prepare for the same in NSW."
It comes as NSW health authorities issued a health alert for those who attended recent church and funeral services in Sydney 's southwest to be vigilant for COVID-19 symptoms.
NSW Health and the South Western Sydney Local Health District believe those who attended some services between 16 and 19 July may have been exposed to the virus.


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Mumbai, Sep 21 (UNI) The Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Retail India Limited was subscribed 45.21 times at the close of the issue with the company receiving total bids for 159 million equity shares.
Koutons, which is an integrated apparel manufacturing and retail company in India, had entered the capital market with an offer of 3,524,439 equity shares of Rs 10 each.
The issue, which was held through 100 per cent book building process, had a price band of Rs 370-Rs 415 per equity share.
The Issue will constitute 11.54 per cent and net issue 11.37 per cent of the post-issue paid up capital of the company.
The proceeds will be used to fund the future expansion plans of the company which include setting up of the exclusive brand outlets, establishing a new integrated manufacturing facility, purchasing plant and machinery and the improvement of its existing information and technology network, said a press release.
J M Financial Consultants is the book running lead manager and Karvy Investor Services is the co-BRLM for the issue.


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Start the conversation
One of the main obstacles holding back mass adoption of Bitcoin is that it's not all that easy for the average person to buy it.
That is quickly changing, however, with the spread of Bitcoin ATMs. The few hundred Bitcoin ATMs scattered around the world right now will bloom into tens of thousands over the next few years, and eventually hundreds of thousands. (There are about 2.2 million conventional ATMs in the world.)
That kind of accessibility will prove key to the wider adoption of Bitcoin. But the machines also need to be easy to use, a consideration the Bitcoin ATM pioneers already seem to understand.
"A lot of people have called our [Bitcoin] ATM the 'on-ramp to the masses,'" Jordan Kelly, the chief executive officer of Las Vegas-based Robocoin, told Bloomberg TV earlier this year. "What we've created is the easiest way to buy and sell."
So far there are at least four companies making Bitcoin ATMs - New Hampshire-based Lamassu, Ottawa-based BitAccess, San Diego-based Genesis Coin Inc., and Robocoin.
And sales are booming. Lamassu CEO Zach Harvey said at the CoinSummit this week in San Francisco that his company has already sold 220 Bitcoin ATMs.
"We try to make the machine as shiny and sexy as possible. I think the experience, that's when people start understanding it," Harvey said.
Harvey told The New Yorker that Lamassu is already turning a profit on its $5,000 Bitcoin ATMs and expects to ship 110 more over the next three months. His machines are already operating in places like Helsinki, Bratislava, and Albuquerque, N.M.
Bitcoin ATMs Will Multiply Rapidly Once Regulations Are Settled
At this point, the only thing holding back the even more rapid spread of Bitcoin ATMs is the lack of clarity on regulations. Many potential buyers are waiting to see what happens before they jump in.
In addition to regulations that might apply to digital currency in general, owners of Bitcoin ATMs will almost surely face addition rules that govern money-dispensing machines, such as a rule requiring that transactions of $10,000 or more be reported.
About the Author
David Zeiler, Associate Editor for Money Morning at Money Map Press, has been a journalist for more than 35 years, including 18 spent at The Baltimore Sun. He has worked as a writer, editor, and page designer at different times in his career. He's interviewed a number of well-known personalities - ranging from punk rock icon Joey Ramone to Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Wozniak.
Over the course of his journalistic career, Dave has covered many diverse subjects. Since arriving at Money Morning in 2011, he has focused primarily on technology. He's an expert on both Apple and cryptocurrencies. He started writing about Apple for The Sun in the mid-1990s, and had an Apple blog on The Sun's web site from 2007-2009. Dave's been writing about Bitcoin since 2011 - long before most people had even heard of it. He even mined it for a short time.
Dave has a BA in English and Mass Communications from Loyola University Maryland.


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It had to happen, and now it has: a social networking website for medical marijuana smokers.
Do you use Facebook mainly for chatting online about cannabis? Do you love it when you get a barrage of moronic “420 alert” status updates each afternoon? Are you hoping to connect directly with “experienced growers” and a “panel of experts” about all things pot-related?
Then look no further than WeedPals.
Neither the company's website nor the press release we received provides
any information about the company's ownership. In fact there's not even
an email address on the “Contact Us” page, just a form to submit online
queries, so for all we know this could be some kind of eloborate
government conspiracy to glean proprietary information from pot smokers
for use in some unspecified future crackdown.
According to a recent piece on WeedPals by William Breathes, the marijuana reporter for our sister paper Westword, most of the folks who are chatting online are from California. Breathes reports that the website's main attraction seems to be providing a new and 420-friendly forum for folks who aren't comfortable enthusing on Facebook about their favorite new ganja strain. The website he adds, “is so similar to Facebook that the layout and even color scheme mirror the social networking giant.”
The few unique features it does offer, says Breathes, include a “community shout box” which allows you to post a comment visible not just to your friends but everyone using the site, and a “dislike” button, something which Facebook has scrupulously avoided. It's too early to speculate whether WeedPals will grow large enough to become the next Weedmaps or Weedtracker, but Breathes reports a rather lonely vibe. So far, he says, he's the only person on his news feed and only has one friend.


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Polish Enterprise Fund VIII, a private equity fund managed by Enterprise Investors, signed an agreement to acquire a 100% stake in Studenac, a network of neighbourhood grocery stores operating in Croatia’s region of Dalmatia, Enterprise Investors said on June 8.
The value of the transaction was not disclosed. The Polish fund acquires Studenac as the food retail market in Croatia enjoys healthy growth on the back of increasing disposable income and also a rapid rise in the number of tourists in Dalmatia, which boasts popular destinations such as Split and Dubrovnik.
The takeover also comes at a time when the Croatian grocery retail landscape is expected to evolve towards modern trade formats, Enterprise Investors said.
“During our investment horizon we plan to accelerate the development of the network, participate in market consolidation and enhance the current stores’ performance,” Enterprise Investors’ Michal Kedzia said in a statement.
The seller is Josip Milavic, the company’s founder. The transaction is conditional upon obtaining antimonopoly approval.
At the end of 2017, Studenac operated 384 stores in Croatia which generated revenue of over €200mn.
Croatian telecom operator A1 launched its 5G offer after winning a holding of 5G-ready spectrum at an auction last week, the Developing Telecoms portal reported. The operator will deliver services ... more
Croatian telecommunications equipment producer Ericsson Nikola Tesla (ENT) reported a consolidated net profit of HRK101.4mn (€13.5mn) for the first half of 2021, up three times year-on-year with as ... more
The Slovenian and Croatian development banks and the European Investment Fund (EIF) signed an agreement in Ljubljana on July 26 to set up a regional technology transfer platform worth at least ... more


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eMotoRacing to compete at Willow Springs and Sonoma Raceway.
Tag Archives: electric motorcycle
Energica gets approval from NHTSA and EPA.
Terra Motors to initially sell electric rickshaw, then progress to motorcycles.
Polaris has been a strategic investor and partner with Brammo since 2011. Recently, Polaris announced its complete ...
Woodcraft title sponsor for 2015 eMotoRacing series, will offer scholarship to winning collegiate team
Energica secures first Canadian dealer
Polaris acquisition includes certain Brammo assets, technology and trademarks
New Energica sales team also announced
TV star and certified gearhead gets first taste of the Lightning LS-218
2015 Zero electric motorcycles available for law enforcement and military.


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Metro: Exodus happens to be the cover story of Game Informer’s March 2018 issue, which brings new screenshots showing developer 4A Games and publisher Deep Silver first-person shooter. The game is set to come out this year for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
A month after Metro: Exodus developer 4A Games took up an interview with the Official PlayStation Magazine UK to talk about Metro Exodus map size and how the upcoming title will have more sandbox gameplay experiences, the game is now Game Informer’s March 2018 cover story.
Thanks to a certain individual by the name Alexeymakarov, who frequents Reddit, posted up a new batch of screens that Game Informer has featured in the March 2018 issue.
You can get a good look at Metro: Exodus weapons and environments below thanks to the screens said Reddit user posted up.
Metro: Exodus executive producer, Jon Bloch revealed not too long ago that the game in question will be much bigger than previous titles in the series in many ways.
One example provided by Bloch is that each city in Metro: Exodus will be three or four square kilometers in size, which will make them the biggest areas created under 4A Games’ belt. This means that there will be a lot to explore in these areas.
Bloch also made mention that cities will be filled with things to do and activities that shouldn’t make the game feel empty. Players are noted to be able to interact with new characters in these cities, which adds to the game’s initial script.
More information via Game Informer’s March 2018 issue pertaining to Metro: Exodus will surely bring out more info in the near future, if you want to know more about the upcoming first-person shooter game.
You can look forward to Metro: Exodus to launch sometime this year for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.


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With the success of the recently concluded Acetech Mumbai, ET Acetech gears up for unveiling in other major cities.
Is it possible to have an entire industry wrapped in a nutshell, breeding the fruit of possibilities? ET Acetech says ‘yes’.
Conceptualised and executed by Asian Business Exhibition & Conferences Ltd, ET Acetech is a platform, like none other in India; an initiative undertaken to propel the building industry across new horizons by simply bridging the gap between its components.
In other words ET Acetech is an opportunity to exhibit, exchange, invest and progress. In Asia, it is the largest allied pan-India industries exhibition facilitating the development of architecture, construction, engineering, innovation, design and building materials. Today it has accomplished a grand scale of operation, with national as well as international associations to its credit.
When trade shows became a success in India, ET Acetech stood amongst the firsts in line waving the flag for architecture, construction, design and building materials. It is no wonder that over 1525 exhibitors across the world celebrate the chance to showcase their potential by providing detailed demonstrations of latest products and services, within industry segmented pavilions.
Success takes on a domino effect as it is orchestrated in an area making room for everything from the most renowned to the most promising. It allows for showcasing the latest in the industry – construction and building material, architecture, innovations and designs, sustainable building materials and even interiors.
By partnering with Mosbuild this year, one of the largest exhibitions in the world for building and interiors, bath & sanitation, tiles & ceramics, wood, veneer & floorings, natural & engineered marble & stones, ET Acetech has proved itself as one of the most ambitious expos of its kind. The ET Acetech and Mosbuild association is all geared up to present a bed of ripe opportunities in an area across 2 million sq.ft. (gross), for over two months.
The show was not only about exhibiting products, services and technologies but also a network arena in the form of Connect, The Design Wall, The Global Green Summit, The International Lighting Summit, The Felicitation Evening and Grand Stand Awards.
Each year Acetech brings new propositions, a beneficial initiative, an unforeseen opportunity or a sub-platform to enhance productivity to its maximum.
After a grand successful unveiling of The ET Acetech 2013 on 17th October 2013 at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, Acetech is now geared to continue creating benchmarks in the industry, for over two months. The four-day mega event at Mumbai from 17th October through to 20th of October 2013 got a bright start with a plethora of experiences for the guests including conferences, panel discussions and designer exhibits.
Spreading its wings across six cities in India – Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Chennai, with its newest launch in Kolkata, it is surely becoming an eagerly awaited event, year after year.


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The Design Star
Jason Wilson pulled off an impressive feat with Pinterest’s first major redesign last March: Its 28 million monthly users didn’t get out their digital pitchforks to skewer the visual social network. "Companies piss off their users when they don’t respect what they love about their products," says Wilson, who, from November to January, worked 100-hour weeks, creating 70 "wildly different" versions of the site’s design. The redesign isn’t radical (the new Pinterest engine simply shows an endless scroll of others’ pins), but that wasn’t the goal. "A redesign is not about ego," he says. "It’s about taking a fantastic product and making it better."
[Photo by Jason Madera]


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For nearly 18 months IGTV is working hard to improve the video experience. IGTV creators never showed a passion for uploading their videos on IGTV regularly. Primary reason is ofcourse money. Until now, IGTV didn’t paid its creators. But now IGTV has a partner program for creators to monetize their contents.
After increasing the time limit of videos on its platform now IGTV is testing a monetization platform. The monetization will motivate creators to create better content for IGTV. Content Creators may receive upto 55% of total revenue from ad breaks inserted in middle of videos as ad breaks.
Until now IGTV creators earned money vis promotions and sponsorships. IGTV will now be a great platform for earning money just like youtube. IGTV lacks quality content and the primary reason was lack of monetization. Lack of Quality content is the primary cause of such poor performance of IGTV. Only 7 million+ users use IGTV from billions of Instagram users.
TikTok is blowing up and Instagram did its very best to boost IGTV. But, now IGTV’s monetization will soon be coming. Tools will be available for users on the mobile app. The new Partner program has no fixed date. But within a month or two it will be available for everyone.
WIth monetization IGTV could be a great platform to produce content. With more quality content, more users will download IGTV and faster you upload your content higher will be your rates for organic growth. Let me know in comments what do you think of monetization on IGTV?


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Those in need Thursday had the opportunity to warm up with a bowl of hot soup at St. George’s United Church along with an item to keep them warm way past the lunchtime hours.
Thanks to Rebecca Nelson and her fellow employees at Torry and Sons Plumbing & Heating, coats, jackets, sweaters, pants, gloves, hats and more were handed out during the lunch.
Nelson said she wanted to do more this holiday season, and collected clothing donations from co-workers, friends, family and community members.
“I’ve been helped out in the past and it’s something I really want to do,” explained Nelson.
In it’s first year, Nelson said the company collected 12 large boxes full of warm clothing, and said next year she hopes to start collecting earlier in the year.
“I put a poster in our Nanaimo branch and had items sent up here. We even had a lady go out and purchase packages of gloves,” she noted. “It’s amazing how people came together and added to what we’re doing already.”
She said the company also works to support a family through the Salvation Army and collects food for the Comox Valley Food Bank.
Nelson said she is grateful to the company for allowing her to co-ordinate the drive, and is looking forward to ensuring next year’s drive collects even more warm weather clothes for those in need.


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Conferon Global Services, Twinsburg, Ohio, the country's largest independent meeting planning and events management company, has a new name: Experient Inc.
The change was revealed in late August during the company's annual meeting in Denver. It follows an internal restructuring that took place earlier this year when the company's three brands — Conferon, ExpoExchange, and ITS — were combined into a single enterprise, Conferon Global Services.
“The name change is a natural evolution to follow the organizational restructuring,” Ed Shartar, Experient CEO, said at a press conference. Company officials considered using one of the existing brand names, but felt the new name better encompasses what the company does: meeting and event management, housing, registration, and exhibition services.
CGS received more than 1,000 name suggestions from employees. Experient was a name generated by both employees and an outside consultant, noted Experient Chief Marketing Officer Rick Binford.
For more articles on here., click


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[CES 2018] Recently it was discovered that Samsung had filed a patent for what appeared to be a rollable display, and given that we’ve seen Samsung work on flexible/foldable displays in the past, this seemed like a natural evolution. However it looks like Samsung’s hometown rival LG won’t be letting them hog all the glory and ahead of CES, LG has taken the wraps off the world’s first 65-inch UHD rollable OLED display.
One of the unique advantages to such a display is that according to LG, it can be rolled up and hidden when not in use. While TV technology has improved by leaps and bounds over the years, the fact that they still take up space when not in use can be a problem for those in small homes, so with a rollable display, users can choose to unroll it or hide it when they want.
As you can see in the images, this can create a rather unique setup for users where if they want, they can rolled it to become a full 65-inch display and watch their shows on, and when they’re done, they can roll it back, or roll it out partially where it can be used as a information display to show things like the weather, time, temperatures, and so on.
Unfortunately for now it appears that LG’s rollable display is more of a proof-of-concept rather than an actual product that you can buy, but given the advancements we’ve seen so far, it probably wouldn’t be too far off into the future where we can actually get our hands on such devices.


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What’s New in Buckhead
One of Atlanta’s most vibrant neighborhoods, Buckhead is known for its posh culture scene, including dining, nightlife and wellness. It’s no surprise that luxury condos in Buckhead are in high demand, given that most have easy access to unique experiences, chef-driven restaurants and world-class shopping. Here’s what’s new in Buckhead this month.
A new park, indented to create a multitude of connections along Peachtree and Lenox Road, is in the works. Spanning a total of nine acres over the GA400 freeway and through MARTA’s Buckhead station this new greenspace is meant to be a “highly centralized, highly attractive, property-value-boosting space in the heart of commercial Buckhead.”
Lenox Square mall plans to add a mix of nine permanent and temporary shops this spring and summer. Coming soon, local shoppers can expect to see an Amazon pop-up shop, Sweet Hut Bakery & Café and three casual men’s apparel brands, UNTUCKit, Elk Head Clothing and Hammer Made. Crafted and The Merchant, both novelty shops, have also recently opened at Lenox. Finally, mall-goers can expect to see some familiar stores relocate including footwear retailer, Standard and denim retailer, G-Star RAW.
This spring, Buckhead will welcome two new fitness concepts, Highland Yoga and F45 Training. Highland Yoga studio, offers a unique hot yoga option that includes “vigorous power Vinyasa, creative movement and mindfulness practices.” F45 Training, claimed as the fastest-growing group fitness training network in the world, will debut its first Georgia location in May at The Shops Buckhead Atlanta.


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Common industries for college startups include catering, agriculture, IT, transportation, education and culture. 13.8% of the entrepreneurs were interested in hospitality and catering, while 13.7% chose agriculture, the report said.
If it isn't appropriate to interrupt, make a quick note of your question so you don't forget, and ask later.
The global trend of peace, development and cooperation and globalization are indivisible.
According to a report by Beijing Statistics Bureau, retail sales of consumer goods in the Chinese capital surpassed 1 trillion yuan ($152 billion) in 2015, up 7.3 percent year on year.
That will require different skills — notably a clearer vision among leaders of their organisation’s shared purpose. The dilemma of how to lead “teams” of robots and humans will become even more pressing this year.
The highest newly ranked school is Université Paris-Dauphine at 57.
According to local media, the gang, based in Nanning, the capital city of south China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, was able to make up to 16,000 yuan (￡1,750) profit on every tonne of the putrid meat, by injecting it with chemicals, increasing its weight by 50 per cent.
“This has been a miserable year for EM,” said Paul McNamara, investment director of emerging markets at GAM, the Swiss fund house. “There has been a steady bleed out of assets and no one is certain what shape the market might be in this time next week.”


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A new twist to an old scam is making its way across North Texas. People are selling cars online that they claim belong to members of the military being transferred on short order.
But the military members don't exist, and usually the cars don't either.
Most teenagers love a fast car, so when a 19-year-old Grand Prairie woman saw a fire engine red Dodge Charger for sale online, she says it "spoke" to her.
It's $1,500 price tag "screamed" buy me!
"She decided to contact the person to see how they should get the car," said the girl's uncle, Cranston Burke.
Burke spoke to NBC 5 Responds about his niece's decision on her own to buy a car supposedly from a member of the military.
"They said her name was Rebecca Wilson, a military person stationed in Alaska, of all places, and she had a car in a backyard that she couldn't get rid of," Burke said.
The latest news from around North Texas.
The alleged service woman emailed that she was being transferred to another base and had to get rid of the car now.
"They had to think quickly before it was gone or she went somewhere else," Burke said.
And so she did, paying not with cash, but gift cards.
But after the card number was passed along, there was no word and the phone number was disconnected.
It's all a trick and more people are falling for it. They buy into the story about the member of the military that was transferred and in a bind.
"$1,500 could have helped her with clothes, a doctor, all the needs you have with a newborn baby," Burke said.
Burke knows that money is long gone. There's likely no Rebecca Wilson, no car and who knows where the gift card funds may be. His niece is embarrassed by what she did, learning a lesson the hard way.
"If it's too good to be true, like mom used to say, it probably is," he said.
Just remember cold hard cash is the currency of choice in America.
You shouldn't buy a car with gift cards to Target, Amazon or anywhere else and don't wire money for any reason to someone you don't know.
Meet in person, look at the car and test drive it. Buying cars online can work, but you just have to protect yourself.


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Rock Hard rocks Arawak
In a full page ad taken out in the Weekend Nation of Aug. 9, the TCL Group, parent company of Arawak Cement Co. Ltd. in Barbados, said it disagreed with the ruling by the Caribbean Court of Justice on the rate to be charged on cement imported from outside the region.
The CCJ had ruled on Aug 7 that the regional tax payable on ‘other hydraulic cement’, imported by Rock Hard Cement from Portugal and Turkey, should be 5%. TCL and the other plaintiffs, which included Trinidad & Tobago, had argued that the cement imported by the Rock Hard company should be classified as ‘Building cement (grey)’ just like Arawak Cement, and be subjected to the CET’s 15 per cent tax for that category as it is in direct competition with TCL’s product.
In its press release, the TCL Group said it was sticking to its original submission that the cement imported by its competitor had been “wrongly classified and therefore the applied tariff is incorrect.”
It is sad when all you can do is tell the court, which has provided you with ample opportunity to defend your position and after you have done so to keep saying, “Well, you’re wrong!” And then invoke the “loss of jobs” argument as your fall back position.
TCL said the ruling could lead to “the mothballing of remaining factories, giving rise to more imported goods,” stating that “this will result in further ‘forex’ consumption and the protection of jobs outside the CARICOM region at the expense of local jobs.”
Friends, do you think for one second that Arawak is up there in St. Lucy diligently making cement to save Barbados foreign exchange?
According to the court’s ruling, the application of a 60% tariff on cement imported into this country goes back to 2001, when Barbados applied to COTED to increase its rates of duty up to the WTO bound rate on a range of manufactured products. Barbados said then that this was necessary to protect the local manufacturing sector “from the competitive forces unleashed by trade liberalisation and globalisation,” the court noted.
60% tariffs cannot prevent the demise of manufacturing. They may have bought it a bit more time, sending the bill to consumers, but now I think the price is way too high. The stated goal of protecting Barbados’ manufactured exports from the onslaught of globalisation, if it ever was achieved, has long been replaced by the goal of giving ministers of government more direct executive power to intervene for whatever reason in a market sector.
And many years ago I learned that keeping consumers paying those ridiculous rates was partly to give the government a bargaining chip in its negotiations with the EU on the EPA (remember that?)
Fortunately, the Caribbean Court of Justice, in the Rock Hard vs. Arawak and others cases, has ruled that we can easily do away with all of those ridiculous “bound rates” and simply go back to the standard - and much lower Common External Tariff rate - for every single one of them.
Not having the list to hand I can only offer a few examples of what I remember seeing on it, so there might be one or two for which you might be able to make some sort of case for keeping, but as I recall, they actually protected sectors which are were already very small or dying off here for other reasons. For example, pasta of all kinds, garment-making, cheese-making (I think) and printing. There are some, like certain meats used in the fast food sector which are not even produced here in the form needed by the sector and which reman in a prohibitive tariff range.
The CCJ’s ruling has really hit the TCL Group hard, it seems, but their arguments just don’t seem to have the intensity they once may have had.
In 2015 the minister of Commerce in the last administration, Donville Inniss, said Barbados had decided to return to the CET and apply a 5% tax on the ‘other hydraulic cement’ imported by Rock Hard Cement Limited. But since COTED did not at the time place a cut-off date for the permission granted, said the court, the question remained open as to whether Barbados was obliged to obtain the approval of COTED before it could properly reimpose the lower CET rate.
However, the CCJ pointed out that this question was not likely to recur in the same manner since COTED had in 2015 added the phrase ‘for a period of time’ on any such future exemptions. The court said there was no need for the Member State to obtain approval from COTED to revert to the CET as long as it had given reasonable notice of its intention of returning to the regional tariff, and this had been done.
So, with nowhere to take its outdated argument, TCL argued in its press ad that the ruling did not augur well for the region’s economy as “changing regional rules would adversely affect the way foreign investors will take decisions about investing in our markets.”
Really? First, nobody is going to invest in large-scale manufacturing here ever again. Our market is way too small for import-substitution. Second, large-scale manufacturing is already dead in Barbados, except maybe for rum-making.
So you have the majority of consumers, including small businesses, having to pay higher prices for imported items that are often not even produced here, under the guise of protecting local industry. When these artificial protections are removed - as they can be at the stroke of a pen - people and companies will be further encouraged to bring their foreign exchange to reside here with them in those fancy new forex accounts rather than keeping money abroad to purchase items they would now be able to buy here at similar prices.


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Oakville’s economy ‘remains strong,’ says Economic Development Report
Published May 26, 2022 at 4:58 pm
The attraction of new companies like Amazon and growth at existing ones like Geotab resulted in some 1,000 new jobs, highlight the Town of Oakville’s 2021 Economic Development Report.
Released at the Town Council meeting on Wednesday night, the annual report provides an overview of the town’s economic activity in 2021, highlighting local economic growth, recovery, and resiliency.
“Oakville’s economy remains strong because our livability and our pandemic recovery plan continues to attract new investments that are essential to supporting the pandemic recovery, job creation, and the long-term health of our local economy,” said Oakville Mayor Rob Burton.
“The town remains committed to helping local businesses recover from the pandemic and remain resilient because together, we can help ensure business and people continue to thrive in our community.”
Some key highlights from the report include:
- Oakville welcomed several new companies across various industries, including Wiseacre Studios, Amazon and NVA Canada, and saw growth at existing companies, including Geotab, Terrestrial Energy, and SteriMax, resulting in approximately 1,000 new jobs.
- When compared to 17 surrounding municipalities Oakville’s commercial market remains highly competitive, ranking within the top five in the cost comparison for taxes and development charges.
- Oakville’s industrial market is comparatively less competitive in the areas of land sale values and taxes, ranking more costly than half of the municipalities reviewed. Cost competitiveness for industrial development charges has improved, and industrial market demand overall remains high.
- The Town’s Economic Development department continued to focus efforts on supporting pandemic recovery through its participation on the Recovery and Resiliency Committee, patio program, workplace self-screening rapid antigen testing program, and Digital Main Street.
- In an effort to address the rise in office vacancy rates in Oakville, which reached a peak at 20.7 per cent in the third quarter of last year, the town developed the Where Living Works campaign, which promoted Oakville’s livability as a key differentiator for investment. While office vacancy rates rose across Ontario last year, the market remains optimistic with numbers declining in the fourth quarter. Many companies have also reintroduced return to office plans, with a focus on the hybrid work model.
- For the third year in a row, Site Selection Magazine, an international business publication covering corporate real estate and economic development, listed the Town of Oakville in the top 20 of Canada’s Best Locations to invest based on significant investment and facility expansions at existing companies as well as new company arrivals.


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The goal of making India a $5 trillion economy by 2024 is "challenging, but achievable" with the concerted efforts of states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the fifth meeting of Niti Aayog's Governing Council. Modi stressed that Niti Aayog has a key role to play in fulfilling the mantra of "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas".
A conversation between two moderately patriotic friends about China blocking Masoor Azhar as terrorist number one.
"West Bengal is one of the key markets in Ikea's plans in India and we would like to start working in your state for establishing Ikea's expansion plans," Ikea said.
"During the period of such leave, female contractual employees will get contractual remuneration as per terms and conditions of the contract," it added.
IRCTC will be given responsibility of managing catering services in all trains with pantry cars be December end, Railway Board Member (Traffic) Mohd Jamshed said.
A simple summary format for the first two months has also been prescribed (GSTR- 3B) in line with the announcement made in the last GST Council meeting.
"Children these days say that the other word for Paytm is 'PayPM' ", Banerjee said today at an anti- demonetisation rally in Patna.
Barooah’s company has also taken up an Rs18 crore project from the ministry for readymade garments to promote locally made products and employ artisans.
Traders said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee are expected to address traders in Delhi's Azadpur Mandi.
“Besides promoting Bengal's art-e-facts and handicrafts, the store plans to promote tourism in Bengal, and Kolkata in particular,“ said Sovan Chatterjee.
The formalities for holding the exhibition were completed recently after the Italian consul-general in Kolkata met the chairman of the Khadi Board.
Citing the instance of the pharma sector, she said "allowing FDI in it will lead to increase in prices of medicines including life saving ones."
The state government has signed up Ogilvy & Mather, which created the Gujarat Tourism Campaign, to promote Bengal.
ITC Ltd is soon going to foray into packaged frozen fruits, vegetables, shrimps and fish to grow its fast moving consumer goods business, chairman YC Deveshwar said.
Diversified conglomerate ITC today unveiled three projects in West Bengal involving an investment of Rs 3,000 crore.
The investment-hungry Mamata Banerjee government can get a big boost from food processing sector soon.
One can now buy famous jamdani, tangail, handloom and silk printed sarees from the state-owned Tantuja with a click of a mouse or using smartphone.
Opposition parties said Banerjee is indulging in ‘politics over Maggi’ and her view is a “Trinamool view and not the Bengal government’s view".
The development brings some confidence among the jute industry that involves 300,000 workers and 40 lakh farmers in West Bengal alone.
Mamata Banerjee has barred its despatch to Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam and the northeast unless traders in her state sell it at Rs 14 per kg.


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MME is a weekly show focusing on the issues, developments and trends that affect the region's business climate.
(CNN) -- IN FOCUS: Gaza's struggling economy
As an IMF delegation heads to Egypt to bash out a deal for a multi-billion dollar loan, MME headed over the border to take a look at one economy that relies heavily on Egyptian stability: Gaza. Some goods can only be smuggled into Gaza through tunnels, but they have been shut down following clashes in the region. Their closure combined with restrictions on exports through Israel is hurting the economy. MME reports.
IN FOCUS: The ripple effect
Tensions in Syria continue to spill over into neighboring Lebanon and Gulf countries this week urged their citizens to leave. Lebanon has long been an popular destination for people from the Gulf looking to escape the summer heat. They are a huge part of the tourism sector, which, as MME found out, is being hit hard by the crisis in Syria.


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By Beth David, Editor
The Fairhaven Business Association is in the business of business, and it’s ramping up for spring.
President Cathy Melanson and VP Charlene Conway are getting ready for a busy season of advocacy, events and lots of new ideas for enhancing the business climate in Fairhaven.
The FBA is a private organization that began with a small group of business people in 2011. In 2013 the FBA was legally incorporated.
The group collaborates for marketing, encouragement for local economic development, and assisting in ventures that are advantageous to members and the community as a whole.
In addition to advocating for business friendly policies in town, the group sponsors events, raises money for scholarships, road races and other community events.
The whole point, said Ms. Melanson and Ms. Conway, is to make sure Fairhaven is a friendly place, not just to businesses, but to residents and visitors, too.
Members make sure that meetings are friendly, informal affairs.
“We just want to help make the town better,” said Ms. Melanson, who owns Emma Jean’s and EJ’s.
“We’d like to help with the empty buildings,” said Ms. Conway, who owns Carousel Family Fun Center.
The organization provides input to town agencies and boards on regulations and bylaws that affect businesses.
Meetings often include a speaker, a social hour, and, of course, food and refreshments from an FBA member business.
The next meeting is on Tuesday, 5/9, and will feature Elizabeth Howe, manager for Interise, an organization that helps business owners with a program called Streetwise ‘MBA’™.
The meeting will be held at EJ’s Restaurant, 111 Huttleston Ave., Fairhaven. Refreshments and hors d’oeuvres.
The two women promise that meetings will not drag on and on with agenda items and meeting rules.
“We know you’re busy running your business,” said Ms. Conway. “We know you don’t have a lot of time, so we won’t waste it.”
Members and prospective members are welcome. Owners or representatives of business entities operating within Fairhaven, MA, are eligible for membership.
For more information about joining the Fairhaven Business Association, contact Cathy Melanson, president, at firstname.lastname@example.org. or Charlene Conway, vice president, at email@example.com.
Click here to download the entire 4/13/17 issue: 04-13-17 FlashlightEggHunt


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Those looking for a pop culture fix can find some of their favourite television, movie and comic book characters all under one roof at the Wizard World Comic Con Toronto 2010 — but for one Humber student, it’s the chance to get closer to achieving her dream of becoming a comic book illustrator.
Second-year visual and digital arts student, Lauren Ground, 20, said she’s excited for the big event to come to Toronto.
“I’m psyched for Comic Con. This is a big opportunity for Canada,” she said.
“I hope to get tips from the artists because I’m trying to publish my own online comic strip.”
Film and television production program co-ordinator and professor Michael Glassbourg said the event is worth attending — having so many different types of media — but the convention is still about business.
“The exhibitors are there to make money, not to give advice.”
The inaugural three day event begins tomorrow at the Direct Energy Centre at Exhibition Place and features exhibitors who create and sell comic books, movies, television shows, toys and video games.
Toronto is the only Canadian stop on the convention’s North American tour.
“Toronto is a fantastic city,” said Gareb Shamus, CEO of Wizard Entertainment, the company running the event.
“It’s a large market with many fans and this is a great opportunity to meet them and put together an enjoyable experience for them.”
Guests range from actors in Battlestar Galactica and the SAW movies to writers and artists of various comic books.
While Glassbourg said pop culture is an exciting indication of where art and media is going, he said the convention won’t be useful for his students.
“The selling of pop culture doesn’t mean it’s important. I’d tell my students to go to the AGO if they want to see great art.”
However Shamus said Comic Con will benefit students in a creative field.
“They can see a thriving community wholly based on being creative. Comic Con shows that there’s a prosperous market out there for what they’re studying.”
Student tickets are $10.


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WASHINGTON — Taking one more step toward putting its legal troubles behind, Microsoft Corp. agreed Tuesday to settle more than 100 private class-action lawsuits that accused the software giant of overcharging consumers for its products.
Under the novel agreement, Microsoft will donate $1 billion worth of software, computers and training to the nation's poorest schools.
The agreement still needs federal court approval and comes a few weeks after the company reached a settlement with the Justice Department and half of the states that sued it for violating the nation's antitrust laws. Negotiations are continuing with the nine other states and the District of Columbia, which rejected the Justice Department deal.
Tuesday's settlement "avoids long and costly litigation for the company," said Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive. "At the same time I think [it] will really make a difference in the lives of schoolchildren in some of the most economically disadvantaged schools in the country."
But critics contend the settlement is another court victory for Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft and will help it gain stronger footing in the education market at the expense of rivals Apple Computer Corp. and Dell Computer Corp. Both companies have significant sales to public school systems.
Michael Hausfeld, a lawyer who negotiated the settlement with Microsoft, said the traditional approach of splitting the payment among all the plaintiffs would have resulted in individual payments of about $5 to $11--or a coupon for that amount. About 65 million computer purchasers would have been eligible for a payment under the class-action lawsuits.
Under the five-year agreement, Microsoft would make computer technology available to all K-12 public schools in the U.S. and territories in which 70 percent or more of the students qualify for federal school meal programs, or about 12,500 schools, the company said.
Microsoft would provide schools with software that could exceed $500 million in value. It would also spend $150 million to create a foundation to make grants to local organizations to buy computers and software for schools. Local school officials would have flexibility to buy non-Microsoft products.
Lawyer vows to fight
Microsoft has not completely escaped from the legal minefield of consumer lawsuits. A lawyer for California consumers suing the company vowed to continue the legal fight, despite the settlement announced Tuesday. The California litigation by itself exposes Microsoft to billions of dollars of liability, experts said.
Legal experts said Microsoft employed a common strategy to reach the agreement. It chose to negotiate with lawyers representing the weakest class-action lawsuit hoping they would be most susceptible to settling on Microsoft's terms.
If U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz in Baltimore, who is scheduled to hold a hearing next week, says the agreement represents a national settlement, the California class action--which experts view as much stronger--would legally vanish.
"That's Microsoft's diabolical scheme," said Eugene Crew, a lawyer for California consumers. "Microsoft's tactic is to go to the weakest link, and that's certainly not California."
Under California law, the damages--calculated between $2 billion and $4 billion--can explode threefold. "This is of concern to Microsoft. They don't want to deal with a substantial claim like that."
The lawsuits settled this week arose after a federal judge last year found Microsoft guilty of using its monopolistic power--it provides the operating system on more than 90 percent of personal computers--to harm competitors and consumers in violation of the nation's antitrust laws. A federal appeals court this year upheld that ruling.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuits alleged that Microsoft used its dominance over the computer industry to maintain artificially high prices, thus adding to the overall costs of the computers they purchased.
Support, training planned
Under the settlement, Microsoft also would provide $160 million for technical support, including establishing technical support programs at community colleges to aid the public schools. The company would also spend $90 million on teacher training.
It would provide licenses for its software to non-profit groups that refurbish computers. Rebuilt computers would be available to schools for $50 per unit. Microsoft would guarantee that 200,000 Pentium-class computers were made available to schools each year.
Denise Cardinal, spokeswoman for the National Education Association, applauded the settlement.
"There is a great need out there, and we're pleased to see a company that has such enormous resources willing to try and make a difference in America's classrooms," she told The Associated Press.
The settlement's critics suggested that Microsoft would actually spend far less than indicated. They pointed out, for instance, that the cost to a software developer of reproducing an existing software program is virtually zero.
Also, many of the computers Microsoft would make available to schools under the agreement would be refurbished computers whose value would be far less than new machines.
"It's pennies on the dollar from what's being asked for," said Robert Lande, a law professor at the University of Baltimore Law School, of what Microsoft would ultimately spend.


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Depending on the survey used, parents should plan on spending anywhere from $600 to $1,000 during 2016 on school supplies. This is a huge expense, and the earlier that families start to plan on this (and budget for it), the better. Even after they do that, many households will still not be able to take on that extra expense.
Survey’s from the National Retail Federation (NRG) show that in recent years anywhere from $600 to $700 is spent. The American Express Spending & Savings Tracker will normally show that over $1000 is spent each year. No matter which survey or data source is used, the fact is that parents can expect to spend hundreds of dollars on school clothing, supplies, electronics, and more. This is very difficult for low income families to budget for.
Anyone with children should take action now. The earlier they start to save in 2016 the better. Parents should also start to look for sales on items that their children may need. Buying school supplies (and really any items) can be done throughout the year. So if the low to moderate income parent is looking for sales and sees a good deal on say sneakers in February, they can purchase the shoes then and put them away until the upcoming school year starts.
As we always say, plan and budget! As we head into the second half of 2016, families now have time to save some of their weekly paycheck for school items. They can shop at garage sales, search for online deals, and watch the Sunday paper flyers for savings. The early they plan on buying that backpack or tablet that their child needs (and not wants!) the better.
That brings us to another point. Only buy what the student needs. If they had a new tablet or backpack bough last year, more than likely they do not need a new one for 2016….or even for the next few years. Some items can just be flat out reused. Just like shopping on a daily basis, it is critical to buy what is “needed” and not what a student “wants”.
Not only do families need to make decisions over needs vs. wants for their children, but they can cutback in other ways as well in order to free up extra money to pay for school supplies. In fact, in recently years, American Express has reported that about 75% of parents are reducing spending on items they personally need so they can afford the school items.
About ½ of households are cutting back on other “luxuries”, such as eating out or trips. This is what budgeting is all about….planning for what the priority is and cutting back where possible. Every dollar saved can help pay for school items.
If families start this as early as possible in 2016, it will definitely help them afford to pay for new everything that a student needs. Whether it is sneakers, or a laptop, paper, or whatever, start the process now. As the back to school season is always an expensive time of the year.
Even after doing this, if more help is needed, apply for assistance early. There are charities and groups that can pass out free school supplies to working poor families. But the demand is always very high, and if you want to apply for your child, it is often too late. You may be able to get not only clothes for school, but also critical educational supplies.
Kids can chip in too. In recent years the National Retail Federation reports that almost 50% of teenagers are helping to buy what they need. Feel free to share this information with your kid! They are paying up to $100 or so dollars for the back to school gear they need. The NRF shows they spend this money on core items, and not just frivolous needs. This trend of the student help to pay some of the costs is expected to continue into 2016 as well.


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LISBON, Portugal (AP) — The board of Portugal Telecom (PT) is continuing its extended deliberations on Telefonica’s euro7.15 billion ($9.3 billion) offer for its stake in Brazil’s leading cell phone company, Vivo.
PT shareholders have voted to accept the bid, but the company’s board has rejected it and the Portuguese government has used its special voting rights to block it.
The government says the two companies are negotiating.
Telefonica wants to expand its presence in the fast-growing Latin American market, but PT doesn’t want to give up its Brazilian revenue stream.
PT and Telefonica each own 50 percent of Brasilcel, a holding company which owns 60 percent of Vivo. The Spanish company wants to buy PT’s half of Brasilcel, and its offer expires at midnight Friday.


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FRAMINGHAM (04/28/2000) - The boom in the online travel industry has created a similar boom in the market for middleware that can link central reservations systems to easy-to-maintain Web sites.
Two of the leading vendors of middleware for travel-booking systems merged recently in hopes of dominating the market for booking engines.
Dublin-based Datalex Ltd. will absorb Portland, Oregon-based Sight & Sound Software Inc. The two companies have helped create Web sites for Delta Air Lines Inc., American Airlines Inc. and the National Railroad Passenger Corp., better known as Amtrak.
The booking engines allow everyone from air carriers to retail chains to grab for a slice of the online travel pie, which Forrester Research Inc. in Cambridge, Mass. projects will be a $29 billion market in 2003.
Middleware, such as Sight & Sound's BookSmart and Datalex's BookIt, will be a key factor in that expansion, said Lorraine Sileo, on online-travel analyst at PhoCus Wright Inc. in Sherman, Conn.
"There's a lot of second- and third-tier players, international carriers, business-to-business operations and e-commerce sites (that) would like to add travel (services) that can take advantage of their products," Sileo said.
BookSmart can communicate with global reservation systems like Sabre, Amadeus and Worldspan, while plugging into a broad range of application servers such as IBM's WebSphere, Art Technology Group Inc.'s Dynamo or BroadVision Inc.'s One-to-One. Third-party integrators such as New York-based PricewaterhouseCoopers have used the product to create online reservations systems - including one for Aer Lingus Group PLC in Dublin.
The new company will support both the BookIt and BookSmart products for the immediate future.


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Well, now the stock has bounced back to around $35, and it’s up about 18% for the past three days.
Five Below, which sells apparel at $5 or less, posted a blowout earnings report after the close on Thursday. Revenues spiked by 39.9% to $86.6 million, and adjusted earnings came to 3 cents a share. The Street was looking for $83.7 million and earnings per share of 1 cent.
However, going forward, the growth ramp will be somewhat tempered. For the next quarter, Five Below forecasts revenues of $167 million to $170 million and profits of 35 cents to 37 cents. The consensus is for $171.7 million and profits of 39 cents.
Why? Blame Hurricane Sandy.
Even so, the quarter will still be strong. Five Below’s low-cost retail strategy should be attractive as customers stay conservative and unemployment remains a problem. The company also has a knack for finding merchandise that consumers seem to like.
And the long-term potential looks bright as well. Five Below is still fairly small, with 243 stores, mostly on the East Coast. Consider that the company plans to expand that to 2,000 locations over the next 20 years.
Tom Taulli runs the InvestorPlace blog IPO Playbook, a site dedicated to the hottest news and rumors about initial public offerings. He is also the author of “How to Create the Next Facebook” and “High-Profit IPO Strategies: Finding Breakout IPOs for Investors and Traders.” Follow him on Twitter at @ttaulli. As of this writing, he did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.


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Britain’s Hut Group has grown remarkably fast over the past decade, and it hopes the launch of two new debt facilities will give it the further boost it needs to become the global leader in online beauty.
The chairman of consumer goods giant Unilever said on Wednesday he is stepping down after three years in the role. He will hand over the reins to Nils Andersen, but will remain on the board as a non-executive director.
German chemical and consumer goods company Henkel announced on Monday that it has signed an agreement to acquire NYC-based Deva Parent Holdings, owner of high-growth specialist professional haircare brand DevaCurl.
The need to match rivals' prices is continuing to impact John Lewis with the company still being forced into discounts. And it doesn't play along, its sales are going into reverse as could be seen in its latest week.


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Aggravated Robbery – JR’s Surf and Ski Rundle Mall (19-26)
At about 3.00 pm on Tuesday, 30th January, 2018, a shop assistant was working in JR’s Surf and Ski at Myer Centre City, in Rundle Mall, Adelaide, when they were approached by the above male who asked to look at a watch. The shop assistant was adjusting the strap on the male when he took out two more watches from the cabinet. The male then threatened and pushed the shop assistant causing them to lose their balance and fall into the cabinet. The male then ran out of the store concealing the watches in the pockets of his jacket wiithout paying for them. The watches that were stolen were two Nixon 5130 watches and a Sentry SS watch, all valued at over $1,000.
The male is described as: Middle twenties, approximately 170 cm (5’7”), medium build, possibly Middle Eastern to African appearance, with short black hair, wearing grey shorts and a dark coloured hoodie zip up jacket.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, report online or via the App.


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Vestavia Hills, Alabama — The Vestavia Hills City Center has had trouble attracting and keeping restaurant and retail tenants at the heart of the property, but officials hope a plan to mix in office and medical space with some vibrant new restaurants could change the center’s fortunes.
Excel Vestavia, which owns the center, has hired Birmingham’s Graham & Co. to lease part of the center for office users or medical clinic space.
ITAC Solutions is the first new office tenant to join the center. The staffing and recruitment firm just signed to take 7,200 square feet for its offices with plans to move into the space in late November from its renovated warehouse space in downtown Birmingham.
“We have very unique space downtown in a renovated warehouse,” said Brian Pitts, co-owner of ITAC. “We like that and wanted to find something similar over the mountain.”
Pitts said the company found that in the Vestavia Hills City Center. ITAC is able to build on the large space with personal flourishes like sliding barn doors, a break room with a bar, new furnishings and the glass walls that line the space.
“We’re building some incredibly unique space,” he said.
Pitts said he first thought Dan Lovell, the broker from Graham & Co., was crazy for showing him the space. But when he thought about how different it is and the convenience to the restaurants right there and the grocery stores, gas stations and other retailers, it all made more sense.
The company’s 32 employees can benefit from those conveniences, he said, and the added space will give ITAC room to add more workers as it grows.
John Abernathy, director of development and leasing for Blackwater Resources, likes the thought of businesses growing in the center after seeing too many businesses — retailers but especially restaurants — unable to last there.
“With each new restaurant tenant, it brings activity to the entire center and generates interest in the rest of the space,” Abernathy said.
Blackwater Resources manages and handles the retail leasing for owner Excel Vestavia, an entity created by San Diego-based developer Excel Realty Holdings, which bought the property after original owner AIG Baker Shopping Center Properties put it into bankruptcy following an ownership dispute.
Adding the office component along with a number of cosmetic improvements and updating the center are part of a renewed effort to try to fill up the empty space at the center.
Zoe’s is set to open its latest restaurant at the center today, joining the recently opened Frio en La Paz and the stalwart Panera Bread at the front of the property. The three restaurants give the center lots of color and splash but, more importantly, eliminate the vacancies.
Abernathy said getting the right mix is the key and Zoe’s, Frio, Mugshots Grill & Bar and Panera offer a good foundation. Adding medical clinic space and offices along with showroom space, real estate offices and other versatile uses will help.
An eclectic mix of uses has already proven to be somewhat successful at the center. “The Rick & Bubba Show” has the studios for its syndicated morning show at Vestavia Hills City Center.
Two spaces near the Rave Motion Pictures theater are slated for restaurant space but the rest of the vacancies at the center property could go for offices or retailers.
The Vestavia Hills City Center is actually made up of three centers — the central property, the strip center anchored by Publix Super Markets and the strip center anchored by Stein Mart.
Taken in total, the occupancy rate of the Vestavia Hills City Center doesn’t look so bad at 88 percent. But those numbers are boosted by the 98 percent occupancy at the Publix center and 97 percent occupancy at the Stein Mart center — where the latest addition, Newk’s Express Cafe, is slated to open Nov. 21.
The central property — which is the result of transforming a former enclosed mall into an open-air center — is only 75 percent full. Vacancy there at one time approached 40 percent, so the center’s fortunes are changing, Abernathy said.
“We’re seeing more interest from restaurants and office users,” he said. “The city is planning a tree-lighting ceremony here this Christmas. We’ve got a new more colorful, retro sign we’re going to put out front. It’s all starting to come together.”
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][ Read article at al.com ]


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Buckyballs® CEO Files Action Against CPSC
On November 12, 2013, Craig Zucker, co-founder of Maxfield & Oberton Holdings, LLC (M&O), filed suit in the U.S. District Court in Maryland against the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. See Zucker v. Consumer Prod. Safety Comm'n, et al., No. 8:13-cv-03355-DKC. Zucker seeks declaratory and injunctive relief to avoid being held personally liable in the Commission's ongoing administrative action seeking a mandatory recall of high-powered magnet products, including Buckyballs® and Buckycubes™, which were sold by M&O.
M&O was dissolved following the CPSC's filing of the administrative complaint against the company. On May 3, 2013, the presiding Administrative Law Judge granted the Commission's motion to amend its complaint, naming Zucker personally as a respondent. On June 19, 2013, the ALJ denied Zucker's motion to immediately appeal the ruling. If the CPSC prevails, Zucker, in his individual capacity, would be required to pay for all of the costs associated with the recall, which have been estimated to be as much as $57 million. As the Zucker complaint notes, this is the first time the Commission has taken action against "an officer or former officer of a company to personally conduct a recall." (Compl. at ¶ 62.)
Zucker alleges that naming him personally in the administrative action violates the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) as well as his constitutional rights under the First and Fifth Amendments. The complaint alleges that the Commission acted arbitrarily and capriciously and outside the scope of its authority, in violation of the APA, because Zucker is not a manufacturer, distributor, or retailer as those terms are defined in the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA). The CPSA authorizes the Commission may to "order the manufacturer or any distributor or retailer of the product" to conduct a recall. 15 U.S.C. § 2064(c) (CPSA Sec. 15(c)). In pleading this claim, the complaint criticizes the ALJ's application of United States v. Park, 421 U.S. 658 (1975), as an "unprecedented expansion" of the responsible corporate officer doctrine.
Zucker further alleges that the CPSC's actions infringed on his First Amendment right to free speech and denied his Fifth Amendment due process rights. The complaint states that the Commission has named Zucker in order "to punish him and to chill and deter him and other corporate officers from exercising their Constitutional rights to free speech, to free association, to publicly advocate for their companies, and to petition government officials for redress of their grievances." (Compl. at ¶ 108.)
These claims are made against a backdrop of purported interactions between Zucker and the Commission. The complaint describes M&O and Zucker's history of cooperation with the Commission with regards to Buckyballs® and Buckycubes™, which included a voluntary recall to relabel the products in May 2010; adding warnings to the product, packaging, and displays; instituting a program to control the sale and marketing of the products to adults only; starting and maintaining a website devoted to spreading the word about magnet safety; as well as taking other steps in consultation with the CPSC. Zucker maintains that he has been singled out by the Commission for punishment here, and that those efforts have been an attempt to "bleed first M&O and then Mr. Zucker to death." (Compl. at ¶ 86.) The complaint slams the CPSC as an "out-of-control bureaucracy" and their actions as unprecedented and an abuse of power. (Compl. at ¶¶ 65, 91.)
The Zucker complaint is only the latest in a string of actions that M&O and Zucker have taken to pressure the Commission. Following the filing of the administrative complaint, a press release was issued defending M&O's products, and the "Save Our Balls" campaign was launched. That effort was highly critical of the CPSC, prominently appeared across social media, and attempted to sell off the remaining inventory of Buckyballs® and Buckycubes™. On November 12, 2013, counsel for Zucker filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, asking that the Commission disclose all materials related to M&O or referencing Mr. Zucker, among other things. Zucker also currently runs a new site, "United We Ball," which sells products and accepts donations to fund his legal battle against the CPSC.
It is not known whether the Commission will bow to this pressure, particularly in light of personnel changes at the Commissioner level, including the pending departure of Chairman Tenenbaum. Former CPSC Chairman and Commissioner Nancy Nord authored an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on the same day as the Zucker case filing, supporting Zucker's efforts and dismissing the Commission for having "adopted the philosophy that any action, no matter how heavy-handed and outside established practice, is warranted if it achieves the desired result." Mr. Zucker's unprecedented attempt to fight back against the Commission's aggressive tactics will have significant ramifications for businesses regulated by the CPSC and the individual liability of their officers.
A copy of the Zucker complaint, with attachments, is available here.
Please contact email@example.com for more information.


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In a bid to achieve carbon neutrality and 100 per cent renewable tires by 2050, Bridgestone is gunning on an unorthodox ingredient for its new tyres.
Guayule is an evergreen desert shrub that is found in the arid zones of southwestern parts of the United States and Northern Mexico. This plant, whilst looking unassuming, actually contains a rubber constituent very similar to the kind found in traditional para rubber trees.
Therefore, Bridgestone has begun investing in this new discovery as a new source of environmentally sustainable natural rubber.
Seriously, a shrub?
Don’t count this little plant out just yet. Guayule can be farmed easily with existing harvesting equipment, hence it’s seen as cost-saving for farmers. It also requires much less water and is easily obtainable. So far so good.
Not wasting any time, Bridgestone has since sunk in more than USD$100 million into guayule R&D. This cost is not just for the guayule though, as some of it will be diverted to researching environmentally friendly solutions for end-of-life tyres, or finding alternatives for non-renewable materials in the production of new tyres.
So how does it work exactly?
Since it works in a different way, guayule is actually more complex to manufacture. The plant goes through a series of processes consisting of grinding up the whole plant, solvent extraction and impurity removal, in order to produce natural rubber.
Even though this process is technically more complex than current means of natural rubber production, it is still both cheaper and faster to produce compared to traditional para rubber trees. To harvest the shrub, Bridgestone will collaborate with local U.S. farmers and Native American tribes. This partnership will help increase yield by up to 25,000 additional acres of arable farmland.
Bridgestone also intends to invest an additional USD$42 million to establish commercial operations and expansions planned for 2030.
Has it been successful?
This may seem like new technology, but Bridgestone has already made prototype tyres in the past. The company first produced a tyre made from guayule-derived natural rubber back in 2015.
This material has gone on to debut in racing as well, being a component of Firestone’s Firehawk race tyres first introduced at the Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge, which happened this year in May.
By the turn of the new year, Bridgestone is targeting to have 350 new acres of guayule planted. Come 2030, it aims to bring this new material into the mainstream with sustainable commercial production.
Check out more exciting pertaining to tyres right here at AUTA!


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The octopus harvest season ended with a significant amount of product obtained by Yucatecan fishermen, generating a respite for the sector.
Progreso, Yucatan, (December 17, 2021).- José Luis Carrillo Galaz, president of the Federation of Cooperative Fisheries Societies of the Center and West of Yucatán, said that the average of octopus obtained in 2020 was exceeded by more than 100% when the fishery was severely affected by the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic and various meteorological phenomena that severely affected the product.
“Right now we are recovering the average production parameter at 30 thousand tons, I calculate. This represents a good production and two important factors were combined to make the season a good one. One is the production and the other is the price ”, he explained.
“We had a record price of 170 pesos per kilogram, which makes the volumes and prices give us a good season,” added the interviewee.
For his part, Enrique Sánchez Sánchez, president of the National Chamber of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Canainpesca), reported that the capture left a spill of about 5 billion pesos for the Yucatan fishing sector.
He noted that the volume obtained in 2021 served to compensate for the poor season in 2020 while ensuring that the fishery remains sustainable.
“Last year, not even half was caught. We have an average of up to 20 thousand tons, so we are obtaining what was not used last year, so the biomass of the product is not affected, so we continue to take care of it, ” he said.


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Just as Apple CEO Tim Cook took the stage in San Francisco to announce the newest iPad, 9to5Mac snagged details about the upcoming device direct from Apple’s inventory. According to an anonymous tipster, the next iPad (we don’t know the name yet) will come in both white and black, like the iPhone 4/4S. And some models will, in fact, feature “4G” connectivity. In addition, the inventory list notes that a new Apple TV model, as well as a “digital AV adapter” are also in the pipeline.
The listing only says “4G,” but does not mention LTE, so it’s possible that the new iPad will only have HSPA+ connectivity, like the iPhone 4S. (We doubt it — but that is possible.)
MD328LL/A – IPAD WI-FI 16GB WHITE – USA
MC705LL/A – IPAD WI-FI 16GB BLACK -USA
MD329LL/A – IPAD WI-FI 32GB WHITE – USA
MD706LL/A – IPAD WI-FI 32GB BLACK -USA
MD330LL/A – IPAD WI-FI 64GB WHITE -USA
MC707LL/A – IPAD WI-FI 64GB BLACK -USA
MD366LL/A – IPAD WI-FI 4G 16GB BLACK -USA
MD369LL/A- IPAD WI-FI 4G 16GB WHITE -USA
MD367LL/A – IPAD WI-FI 4G 32GB BLACK -USA
MD370LL/A- IPAD WI-FI 4G 32GB WHITE -USA
MD368LL/A – IPAD WI-FI 4G 64GB BLACK -USA
MD371LL/A- IPAD WI-FI 4G 64GB WHITE -USA
MD098LL/A – APPLE DIGITAL AV ADAPTER
MD199LL/A – APPLE TV – USA
So there you have it The big iPad event is currently ongoing, and we’ll have the full details shortly.
Update: Cook has announced that the new Apple TV will support 1080p video.
Update 2: The new iPad will in fact feature 4G LTE connectivity on Verizon and AT&T. Other updates include 2048×1536 resolution “Retina” display, an A5X processor with “quad-core graphics,” and a high-definition 5-megapixel camera.


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The Crown Market, the first kosher market in Connecticut, celebrated its 80th anniversary last year. Sam Smith, Sam Sowalsky and Meyer Goldfield established the market on Albany Avenue between Magnolia Street and Irving Street in Hartford in 1940.
Over the years, the kosher market adapted to changes and overcame difficult: It survived demographic shifts that pushed the store to a new location (West Hartford) in 1967, it rebuilt after a fire in 1970, it stayed open despite financial constraints that nearly shut it down in 2014, and it adapted to life during the pandemic in 2020.
When their loyal customers heard about the imminent shutdown back in 2014, they took quick action and two weeks later, a group of Jewish community investors breathed new life into the business. In February of that year, the Connecticut Jewish Ledger quoted a customer’s description of what the Crown Market meant for her, “It was a social event—it was almost like going to a kiddush or meeting in Keney Park after shul on the High Holidays,” she recalls. “You’d never know whom you’d see, but it was always friendly faces, familiar faces. It was like family. It was a ritual to go there for Pesach, for Rosh Hashana… You didn’t have a High Holiday if you didn’t go to the Crown."
In recent years, The Crown Market has been working to sustain business by extending more services to more markets. One new and exciting venture from the Crown is Royal Catering and Events, a full-service catering department with a start-to-finish event-management that can handle events of any size. Royal Catering is a dream-come-true for Connecticut Kosher Catering market; a vision made possible by the hiring of Executive Chef Andrea Gussak in 2018, and Catering Director Meredith Abel-Berei earlier this year. Andrea is the daughter of Margery Gussak, who owned and operated her Manchester-based kosher catering company for 35 years. Abel-Berei owned and operated Abel Caterers, continuing her father’s legacy of 45 years. The Crown Market had the vision to hire these two trusted experts as soon as they became available and establish a “dream team” to serve Connecticut kosher catering needs.
In Greater New Haven, The Crown will operate Café 360 at the JCC. Soon to follow will be the opportunity to order extended Crown menu items for pickup at Cafe 360. Jewish Federation CEO Judy Alperin said, "We are thrilled to welcome The Crown Market back to New Haven and to partner with local Jewish community leader, Meredith Abel to provide the high-quality products and services our community expects from Café 360. As more and more opens up in our Center, we know that Café 360 will become the hub of bustling activity it was before the pandemic closed its doors and we can't wait to welcome everyone back." The Greater New Haven Jewish community benefitted from the Crown Market at its Whalley Avenue location from 1985 to 2004 and looks forward to welcoming them back.


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Filtering software firms see opportunity in ruling
Published 10:00 pm, Monday, July 14, 2003
Seattle-area makers of Internet filtering software say they will work with the nation's 16,000 public libraries to help librarians understand and control that software and to adapt it to libraries' needs.
In exchange, the companies hope to win contracts from the libraries, many of which will install or upgrade that software under a recent Supreme Court decision.
The meeting is an attempt to introduce filtering companies to libraries.
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"It's very important that the filtering industry understand the library market," said Emily Sheketoff, exec director of the library association's Washington, D.C., office.
"Hopefully, this will be the beginning of that understanding."
The filtering companies stand to gain from a June 23 Supreme Court decision saying the federal government can require public libraries to set up anti-pornography filters if the libraries accept some federal funds.
The high court rejected librarians' objections that the law -- the Children's Internet Protection Act ---- amounts to censorship.
Some libraries already have filtering software installed, but not all that software meets the law's requirements, Sheketoff said.
N2H2 spokesman David Burt said that though libraries already make up a small part of its business, the new law offers an incremental increase in its revenue stream.
The library group wants to make sure the filters can easily be turned off when they wrongly block legitimate sites.
In addition, it wants more disclosure of the criteria used for blocking sites, something the companies tend to guard as proprietary.
Both companies said that they already share much of their technology with customers.
Other companies offering Internet-filtering software include SurfControl Plc., based in London, and 8e6 Technologies, of Orange, Calif.