text:
Shepherdstown Shares awards $13,000 in gifts to local businesses
SHEPHERDSTOWN — On Sunday morning, a group of Shepherdstown Shares board members, volunteers and supporters gathered in front of the War Memorial Building to hold a small ceremony and raffle drawing.
The event, according to Shepherdstown Shares board member Mark Kohut, was the nonprofit organization’s second effort to help support Shepherdstown’s small businesses. It was also held in conjunction with the organization’s one-year anniversary.
“At our last board meeting a Wednesday ago, we realized that the community has been quite generous,” Kohut said. “We thought we had money that we should dispense in a smart way for the people in the community.”
The total amount of money the organization decided to give away was $13,000, divided evenly among 13 local businesses. Three of those businesses — Lellybelle Community Cafe, On Wings of Dreams and Hive House Apiaries — were automatically selected to receive the gifts, due to their support of the community throughout the last year of the pandemic. The businesses receiving the remaining 10 unrestricted gifts won through a raffle drawing from a hat, conducted by Brother Tim and Sister Didi. The 10 winning businesses were Creative Procrastinations and Whimsical Necessities, Betty’s Restaurant, Off Mane Street salon, Dickinson & Wait Craft Gallery, Honor D Fine Shoes & Hats, Mecklenburg Inn, Shepherdstown Sweet Shop Bakery, Mountaineer Popcorn, German Street Tattoo and Grapes & Grain Gourmet.
“We thought that the businesses in Shepherdstown have been hurting,” Kohut said. “With businesses, you need foot traffic, you need to be able to sit down and eat for restaurants, you need customers who come in — like for the barbers and hair salons.
“One of us on the board mentioned that there were three businesses which have helped Shares help people when we have nothing — no pantry, nothing — and if we’re going to have a lottery, they should be exempted from it. They should be rewarded for their service,” Kohut said. “We’d like to give it to every business in town, but of course, we couldn’t.”
According to Kohut, Lellybelle Community Cafe’s owner, Jay Thomas, offered free meals to people in need and created a food pantry in his restaurant, months before Shepherdstown Shares was able to open its food pantry in the Trinity Episcopal Church chapel. On Wings of Dreams owner Laura Rau has been buying homemade masks at full price, selling them in her store and donating the entire proceeds to Shepherdstown Shares throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic. Jason Murphy, who recently opened Hive House Apiaries on Princess Street, donated half his personal honey sales from October through December to Shepherdstown Shares, and also has helped the organization deliver food to those in need.
In her brief remarks during the ceremony on Sunday morning, Shepherdstown Shares President Marianne Davis stressed the need to take bold and significant action to assist both people and businesses in Shepherdstown hurt by the pandemic.
“This is our mission,” Davis said.
For the 13 business owners who received the gifts, the gifts’ impact has already been felt.
“It was such a wonderful surprise! It made my day,” said Creative Procrastinations and Whimsical Necessities owner Emma Casale, mentioning she’ll likely use the money to repair her car, which she couldn’t afford to do after the pandemic led to a loss in business for her. “I travel a lot for my business to find things elsewhere, and my car’s not in very good shape. This money means I can take it to a mechanic and have it on the road a lot sooner than I had planned.”


text:
At around 9 in the evening on Tuesday, a series of outages roiled Windows Azure, a popular cloud computing platform run by Microsoft. According to the Register, the blackouts continued well into the next day, with some users reporting problems as recently as Wednesday evening. It was a "meltdown," to borrow the terminology of one popular tech blog.
Now, Microsoft says it has sussed out the source of the problem – and it all has to do with the wonky 2012 calendar.
"While final root cause analysis is in progress, this issue appears to be due to a time calculation that was incorrect for the leap year," Bill Laing, a Microsoft executive, wrote on the Azure blog yesterday afternoon. "Once we discovered the issue we immediately took steps to protect customer services that were already up and running, and began creating a fix for the issue."
Laing acknowledged that "some sub-regions and customers are still experiencing issues," but he said Microsoft was working to address the problem. As of yesterday, Azure service had been restored to the "majority" of customers, Laing added.
Not that all users were easily comforted. IDG highlights today a series of complaints on the Azure forum, including this one, from an especially dyspeptic customer: "I can't imagine the damage this has done to companies with large scale customers. I mean we have chosen Windows Azure due to the redundancy... How can we explain this to our customers?"
As Charles Babcock of Information Week noted, the outages also served as further evidence of the occasional instability of the cloud.
"This incident is a reminder that the best practices of cloud computing operations are still a work in progress, not an established science. And while prevention is better than cure, infrastructure-as-a-service operators may not know everything they need to about these large-scale environment," Babcock wrote.
Next week, at a press event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, in San Francisco, Apple will almost definitely take the wraps off a new iPad. Smart money is on a top-flight tablet with improved cameras, more powerful processors, and a high-resolution "Retina Display."
Apple currently sells three versions of the iPad 2: a 16GB unit for $499; a 32GB unit for $599; and a 64GB unit for $699.
Beginning with the iPad 3, Apple will shift course, eliminating the 64GB tablet and introducing an 8GB iteration. So says the Taiwanese newspaper DigiTimes, which has published a report this week alleging that Apple will also roll out an 8GB iPad, in order to "cover different segments and to defend against Windows 8-based tablet PCs."
There is no confirmation from Apple; DigiTimes, a source of much Apple gossip, says the scuttlebutt comes from sources in Apple's "upstream supply chain." So yes, we take the whole thing with a grain of salt. All will be revealed next week. But it's certainly worth noting that the Kindle Fire, which is priced at a very accessible $200, has sold well for Amazon – already, a Kindle Fire 2 may be on the way.
Apple would be remiss if only kept its eye on the top reaches of the tablet market. Right? Drop us a line in the comments section, and let us know what you think. And for more tech news, follow us on Twitter @venturenaut.
Microsoft today took the wraps off Windows 8, the latest iteration of its popular operating system, and the first to be designed as a cross-platform OS – on traditional desktops, laptops, and on tablets. Users interested in getting a sneak peek of the OS, which will likely launch later in 2012, can navigate to this page, and download a preview version of the software.
"[The preview] represents a work in progress, and some things will change before the final release," Microsoft's Kent Walter wrote in a blog post today. "This means you’ll encounter some hiccups and bugs. One of the great things about widely releasing a preview like this is that it gives us a chance to get a lot of feedback through telemetry, forums, and blog posts on where we can smooth out some of the rough edges."
Windows 8 has been described as a mash-up of "Windows Phone, iPad and traditional desktop Windows." The OS features the Metro interface, a tiled-layout intended to appeal to users accustomed to uncluttered smartphone and tablet screens. Microsoft clearly hopes Windows 8 will appeal to a fresh generation of users.
Of course, as Edward C. Baig notes at USA Today, "the stakes for Microsoft and the entire computing ecosystem are enormous. This new era is built around tablets as much as traditional laptops and desktops, and multi-touch as much as the keyboard and mouse. At the same time Microsoft marches toward Windows 8, archrival Apple is revving up a new version of Mac OS X called Mountain Lion," Baig adds.
Like Windows 8, Mountain Lion, scheduled for launch this summer, incorporates several features from the mobile sphere. Among them: a "Game Center" and a new "Messages" program – an app that appeared first on the Apple iPhone. In other words, both Mountain Lion and Windows 8 demonstrate the increasing convergence of mobile and desktop operating systems – a trend likely to continue apace for next few years.
The trade-off: Google will now collect and compile user data from all of its services, in order to provide what it calls improved search results.
The catch: Users can't opt-out of the new policy (although, Hayley Tsukayama points out today at the Washington Post, users can simply choose not to sign into Google before entering information into search fields).
"The result," Doug Gross notes over at CNN, "encapsulates perhaps the most basic conundrum of the modern Web. More information means better service (and potentially, more targeted advertisements). But that service (in this case more accurate search results, more interesting ads and new features that work across multiple sites) requires you to give up some of your privacy in return."
Privacy – it's been a sticking point since Google first announced the new changes, back in January. Competitors such as Microsoft were quick to pile on, as were politicians. "The lack of opt-out means users cannot pick and choose which data they want integrated into their Google profiles," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, noted at the time.
CNIL asked Google to hold fire on the new policy until the organization has a chance to vet it; Google has refused, writes Mark Hachman of PC World.
For more information on how the new policies will affect you, check out this post at the official Google blog, and keep your eye on Horizons for further updates.
The company has issued a limited number of invitations for a private event in San Francisco on March 7. "We have something you really need to see. And touch," the invitation reads. That's a pretty vague description, of course, and Apple has not officially confirmed the launch of a new iPad. Still, the rumors have reached fever pitch, and the timing is right: Apple, which updates its big products every year, last unveiled a new tablet in March of 2011.
Also, the invitation has a giant picture of a touch screen, and the familiar glossy black of the iPad frame, so we can all be reasonably sure that Apple isn't planning on introducing a new laptop. (Interestingly, there is plenty of speculation that Apple may be planning to introduce both the iPad 3 and a new Apple TV, possibly with Siri capabilities. But those rumors are a little murkier – take them with a grain of salt.)
What kind of features will be included on the new iPad, you ask? More powerful innards, probably, along with a better set of cameras. And almost definitely a better screen – odds-on favorite being the same high-resolution "Retina Display" used in the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Meanwhile, over at Macworld, Lex Friedman and Dan Moren have forecast a price cut on the iPad 2, which currently starts at $499.
"A discounted iPad 2 still might not get as cheap as the Kindle Fire," Friedman and Moren write, "but a $300 iPad 2 with limited storage space might look awfully appealing to folks over any of the numerous, interchangeable, and bland tablet competitors in the market."
Speaking at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Schmidt told attendees that Google was now activating 850,000 Android handsets a day – so fast, Schmidt joked, that "we’ll need to produce more people soon." Schmidt added that "if Google gets it right, there will be an Android in every pocket, according to Ingrid Lunden of TechCrunch, who was on hand for the event.
As recently as December, Google was activating 700,000 Android devices a day, up from half a million in June and 400,000 in May. At some point, of course, the number of activations is going to hit a terminal velocity. So what happens then? Well, Schmidt said, manufacturers will produce cheaper devices, in an attempt to open up whole new markets.
"Next year's $100 phone is this year's $400 phone," Schmidt said (hat tip to CNET for the quote). "Many people are working on [smartphones] in the $100 to $150 range. When you get to the $70 point you get to a huge new market."
That huge new market would presumably comprise folks in the developing world – or in the US – who previously balked at the $200 price tag on most modern smartphones – a $200 that does not include the price of a two-year data and voice contract. This plays into why Google started Android in the first place. In 2007, the company introduced its cellphone operating system has a way to excite Americans – but also to prepare for the next billion Internet users, people that would not use Google through a computer because they could not afford a computer.
Android! Everywhere! All the time! That's the idea behind a pair of new Google goggles, allegedly bound for shelves in the US by the end of the year. As we noted last week, Google is said to be prepping a pair of augmented reality, Android-powered glasses, which would allow users to receive real-time information on their surroundings.
It's common these days for prosecutors to use the contents of computer hard drives as evidence in cases involving financial and computer crimes. Take the copyright cases from the early 2000s, for example, when the RIAA showed that defendants had downloaded songs to their computers without paying. But last week, the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit set a precedent that could make it harder for the government to prosecute based on electronic evidence in certain cases.
In a nutshell, the court ruled that decrypting the contents of a hard drive can, under certain circumstances, amount to giving testimony. Since the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution protects against self-incrimination, the court concluded, defendants can't be forced to decrypt hard drives to provide potentially incriminating evidence against themselves -- unless prosecutors can prove beforehand that they know what's on the drives. (In theory, government hackers could still attempt to gain access on their own, but well-encrypted drives can take decades to break through brute force.)
In this case, the defendant -- referred to as John Doe -- was suspected of possessing child pornography and compelled to testify before a grand jury in exchange for immunity. The prosecutors had seized encrypted hard drives belonging to Doe, and ordered him to decrypt the drives as part of his testimony. He was told, however, that his immunity did not cover the use of evidence against him. In other words, he could still have been charged based on what was on the hard drives.
Doe refused, invoking his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination, and was put in prison for eight months for contempt of court. The Circuit Court's ruling vindicates Doe's actions, reverses the lower court's decision to hold him in contempt, and confirms that it would be unlawful to force him to decrypt the hard drives.
There's an important distinction to be aware of here: in Doe's case the prosecutors didn't know what, if any, data, was stored on the seven disks. Thus, the court concluded, Doe's compliance in decrypting the drives would be akin to giving testimony against himself in court. The full verdict includes this line: "We conclude that the decryption and production would be tantamount to testimony by Doe of his knowledge of the existence and location of potentially incriminating files; of his possession, control, and access to the encrypted portions of the drives; and of his capability to decrypt the files."
Things would be different if the prosecutors knew for sure what information on the drives and whether it was authentic. In that case, decrypting the files would be the equivalent of handing over a key to a safe, which is not covered by the Fifth Amendment. An example of the latter case occurred just a few days earlier in US v. Fricosu, when a judge ordered the defendant in a bank fraud case to decrypt her laptop computer so that prosecutors could use its contents as evidence against her.
It's important to note that the outcome of the Doe case doesn't mean that criminals can escape prosecution in all cases just by encrypting digital evidence. If prosecutors can show that they have an idea of what's on a drive, as they did in the Fricosu case, a court can still demand that the drive be unlocked and the contents used as evidence. But in murkier circumstances, defendants can't be required to incriminate themselves by decrypting a drive.
Late last year, Nokia took the wraps off the Lumia 710 and Lumia 800, the first two Nokia handsets to run the Windows Phone 7 operating system – and the first fruits of the much ballyhooed relationship between Nokia and Microsoft.
Today comes news that just a couple months later, Nokia is already the largest Windows Phone 7 vendor in the world, topping former title-holder HTC.
According to Strategy Analytics, 2.7 million Windows Phone handsets were shipped globally in the fourth quarter of last year, a 36 percent from the quarter before. Of those 2.7 million handsets, 900,000 were sold by Nokia, giving the Finland-based company a 33 percent share of the overall Windows Phone market.
Translation: More Windows Phone devices are shipping, and more of them are being shipped by Nokia.
"An expanded portfolio of Windows Phone 7 models, such as the Lumia 800, an increased retail presence and highly visible marketing campaigns across several European and Asian countries drove Nokia's growth," Strategy Analytics exec Neil Mawston said in a press release this week (hat tip to CNET for the quote).
About a year ago, Microsoft and Nokia announced their plan to team-up on a range of new smartphones – Microsoft would develop the software, and Nokia would manufacture the handsets. Over at TechCrunch, Matt Burns sees the relationship as shaping up nicely.
"[T]his as much about Microsoft as it is Nokia. The partnership is nearly perfect. Microsoft knows software and Nokia knows hardware. Take the Zune: fantastic software hampered by just average hardware that had limited market distribution," Burns writes today. "Likewise, the Nokia N8 is one of the finest phones I’ve ever felt but the Symbian OS made it unsellable."
Separate, Burns adds, "these two companies were being pushed out of the mobile race. But together, they’re a major force."
The white cord and 30-pin dock: They've been a fixture on the Apple iPhone since the launch of the first-generation device, in 2007. But according to the tech site iMore, Apple is considered ditching the old dock, and replacing it with a smaller connector, which would purportedly debut on the iPhone 5 – a handset expected to launch later in 2012.
The reason for the purported change-up, Rene Ritchie of iMore writes, "isn’t anything political, like a new desire to conform to an outdated micro-USB standard, but typically Apple: to save space inside the iPhone 5 for what are now more important components." Not that the current dock connector takes up gads of space. But in a relatively slim handset like the iPhone, every inch and ounce counts.
iMore, of course, does not specify the source of the rumor – presumably it came from somewhere up the Apple supply chain. And Apple is staying mum. Still, the gossip provides some interesting grounds for speculation: What if Apple does ditch the current dock, in favor of what Ritchie calls a "micro dock"? As Adrian Kingsley-Hughes of ZD Net notes, it could alter the entire Apple eco-system.
"[Y]ou might be thinking that Apple won’t do this because it would make a whole raft of accessories obsolete," he writes. "Well, yes, but you can never guarantee that an accessory built for one device will work on a new device anyway, so this is a moot point. It might make it harder for manufacturers to who make things like docks because they’re have to somehow cater for two different connectors, but again that’s not an insurmountable problem."
In related news, buzz around the next iPad – presumably called the iPad 3 – continues to ripple across the tech press this week. It's a good bet that the next Apple slate will have a "retina display," a better processor, and maybe even 4G support. But it probably won't look a whole lot different than the current iPad 2: images recently posted by MacRumors show a very familiar casing and frame.
The company's plan was to build a wholesale 4G network -- a system that would bring fast Internet access to the entire United States -- using a combination of land-based towers and satellites. The company has already launched a satellite into orbit, paid for frequency to be used for the project, and even struck a $65 million deal with Sprint to build and operate its network for the next 15 years.
RECOMMENDED: 20 iPhone tips and tricks everyone should know
Now, a technical hiccup could bring it all to a halt.
It turns out that the frequencies on which Lightsquared would build its network bump up against those currently used by many consumer GPS devices. The portions of the spectrum are close enough, in fact, that this week the FCC rejected Lightsquared's application to build its network, saying that it would cause "irrevocable issues" with GPS equipment.
Let's back up for a second and look at how "the spectrum" works. Radio signals -- including wireless data -- can be broadcast only across a finite amount of the electromagnetic spectrum. The FCC (and equivalent departments in other countries) makes sure that services such as TV, cell phones, and GPS don't interfere with each other by occupying overlapping portions of the spectrum. In this case, Lightsquared and GPS manufacturers share adjacent (but not overlapping) portions of the spectrum. So what's the problem? The FCC states that in practice, the airwaves are close enough that Lightsquared's network would interfere with some GPS devices.
Lightsquared isn't going down without a fight, however. According to the Wall Street Journal, it's looking to strike a deal with the Department of Defense, which owns a portion of the spectrum farther away from GPS signals. An LTE network on those frequencies wouldn't cause any interference with GPS. But for the deal to work, Lightsquared and the DoD would basically have to swap frequencies -- and the DoD hasn't given any indication that it's interested in trading. If the deal falls through, Lightsquared will have to look elsewhere -- or to try to sell off its spectrum.
Readers, what's your take on Lightsquared? Do you think the DoD will bite -- or balk -- at the proposed deal? Will a wholesale 4G network ever get off the ground? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
RECOMMENDED: 20 iPhone tips and tricks everyone should know

domain: news


text:
Google’s New VR180 Video Format For All:
Google is big on VR and everyone knows it very well. World is rapidly going towards the VR field to amaze the people and their surroundings. Regarding this Google has just launched the VR180 video format to standardise the VR content on YouTube.
Google’s DayDream team promises the world that they will make such type of VR content that will be much easier to create VR content from cameras like YI, Lenovo, and LG. Google says that it will be as easy as to point and shoot.
While the VR180 video appear in 2D on mobile devices and on desktop as well. They appear in 3D when viewed on Cardboard, Google’s DayDream headset or Sony’s PlayStation VR headset.
Creative Process of VR180
Liz Markman Senior Spokesperson of Google said “Creators don’t have to choose between making a 360 video and providing new content for their subscribers.”
It’s easy for creators to start producing VR videos since they won’t have to change their filming style or techniques, she added.
The interesting thing is that YouTube also supports VR180 video format. Video creators just need a VR180 enabled camera for this purpose. Creators can film videos just like they would do with any other camera.
The VR180 enabled camera can be available on a YouTube Space in certain cities, including London, Paris, Berlin and New York.
The VR180 video format is just to improve the resolution and making it the least expensive for the users, said Google authorities. It will enhance the users videos can work on any camera but it should be VR180 enabled.
The most amazing thing in this format is that it divides into two 180-degree and users can view videos and images one with each eye.
Google’s New VR180 Video Format For All
Powered by Android e How


text:
A recent article by Eric Asimov in the New York Times began, “There’s a joke going around West Coast wine circles, 'What’s the difference between a case of syrah and a case of pneumonia? You can get rid of the pneumonia.' ”
Pneumonia expert Dr. Orin Levine of Johns Hopkins Medical Center saw the article and posted this response on the Huffington Post:
"In recognition of World Pneumonia Day 2010, which will take place November 12, I am asking all winemakers and wine retailers to contribute $10 from every case of Syrah they sell in November to the GAVI Alliance, and asking American wine drinkers to make Syrah their wine of choice in November."
"Pneumonia is the leading killer of children around the world, with more than 100 million serious cases in kids occurring every year, over 1.5 million of which are fatal. Safe and effective vaccines and treatments can eliminate at least half the cases of fatal pneumonia in children. Systems in developing countries exist to deliver these vaccines and treatments. The major obstacle is a lack of funding to purchase them for the children who urgently need them."
"So, let's get rid of pneumonia cases while drinking Syrah."
The intrepid board of directors at the Rhone Rangers answered the challenge and is coordinating a pledge drive to gather donations from case sales of syrah in the month of November.
I don't yet have a link to participants who are NOT Rhone Rangers, so if you know of such a link, or if you are participating directly with the Gavi Alliance pledge, please announce your participation here and we'll support you!


text:
The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is now officially the most powerful standard Corvette ever, as Chevrolet today announced the car's LT1 6.2-liter V-8 engine delivers 455 horsepower.
Read This Article
General Motors today announced an exclusive relationship with RelayRides, the world's first peer-to-peer car-sharing marketplace.
Brash and outspoken, we've got to say we miss Bob Lutz and his candidness, which have been missing on a regular basis since he retired from General Motors in 2010.
General Motors announces a new engine for the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra.


text:
With the launch ahead this week in the country, India’s popular Walmart-owned e-commerce site Flipkart has started teasing that upcoming Google launch date on its portal, which suggests the upcoming Pixel phones are most likely to be Flipkart exclusive. For those who are unaware, Pixel will be launching its new mid-range smartphones, which are supposedly the trimmed-down versions of the last year released Pixel devices. The new mid-range phones from Google are said to be termed as – the Pixel 3a and the Pixel 3a XL.
While we have seen the upcoming Pixel 3 leaked images in earlier reports, there are new official renders revealed by Droid-Life, which sheds more details of the forthcoming mid-range Google phones. Firstly, going through the renders shows us all the three color variants of the Pixel 3a devices that include – White, Purple and Black variants. On the whole, the device looks much identical to the earlier released Pixel 3 device, featuring noticeable bezels on the front and dual tone glass and metal finish on the back.
The revealed official renders also suggest some more features that upcoming Pixel phones are said to be offering. The primary feature of these devices is indeed the rear cameras since they retain the same excellent camera of flagship Pixel 3 devices. Both the 3a devices will also come with Google’s Night Side mode, alongside portrait mode, Motion Auto Focus, and unlimited Google Photos storage as well.
As for the specifications of the 3a and 3a XL is concerned, the Pixel 3a will be featuring a 5.6-inch display, and the larger Pixel 3a XL will be coming with a 6.0-inch display. Under the hood, the Pixel 3a is expected to be featuring Snapdragon 670 SoC, and the Pixel 3a XL is said to be coming with Snapdragon 710 SoC. Both the devices, as stated will be featuring Pixel 3 cameras comprising of 12.2MP dual rear cameras and an 8MP front-facing cameras as well. As for the storage, both the devices will be featuring 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage.
Apart from the device renders, the official images also reveal that these Pixel 3a and the 3a XL devices will be featuring Fast charge support and also Google’s Call Screen feature as well. Needless to say, these devices will be running with Google’s latest Android 9.0 Pie out-of-the-box. As for the pricing, the device is said to be priced around $399, and in the Indian markets, these Google Pixel 3a devices are believed to be aggressively priced as well. Stay tuned to PhoneRadar for more such interesting updates.


text:
BEIJING, March 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from chinadaily.com.cn
China will remain a key growth engine for the world economy as well as a valuable destination for foreign direct investment, thanks to the country's stable economic recovery, sound long-term economic prospects and improving business environment underpinned by its unwavering reform and opening-up efforts, said global business leaders.
They said the country still provides plenty of business opportunities despite the current economic headwinds, with its consumption market, for instance, having great potential. China is also expected to show increasing vitality in green development and high-end industries such as life sciences, providing more business opportunities for both global and local enterprises.
Their comments stand in stark contrast to some misconceptions seen in some Western media reports, which claimed that the world's second-largest economy has peaked.
"No one can displace China, in our opinion, when it comes to manufacturing, infrastructure, the knowledge of the people and the labor force," said Rani Jarkas, chairman and CEO of Cedrus Group, at the CEO: Growing with China forum, hosted by China Daily on Thursday.
"The (Chinese) government did an amazing job in investing in infrastructure a long time ago and now it can reap the benefits from that."
Confident in China's economic transition toward an innovation-driven model, the Swiss international financial group set up a headquarters in Beijing last year and launched two private equity funds, worth 1 billion yuan ($140 million) each, to invest in China's life sciences and agriculture sectors.
Also at the forum, Crete Zhou, vice-president of government affairs at Starbucks China, said that as China continuously enhances its policies regarding foreign investors, the services for foreign investors are continuously improving and becoming increasingly effective.
"The story of Starbucks in China has just begun," said Zhou, pointing to the nation's huge consumption potential, adding the company will step up its investment in China.
Last year, it invested 1.5 billion yuan respectively to build the Starbucks China Innovation and Technology Center in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, and the China Coffee Innovation Park in Kunshan, Jiangsu province. The Kunshan park adopts the "from bean-to-cup" scaled vertical integration model across one market ? the first for the company globally.
Huang Xiaojun, senior vice-president and managing director of Veolia China, said that the French environmental solutions provider will continue to enhance its presence in China, with its signing of an agreement to deepen cooperation with a development zone in Dalian, Liaoning province, in February showing the company's confidence in the Chinese market.
"China is still the second-largest economic power in the world and is still the world factory," Huang said, adding that the country's pursuit of high-quality development is providing more and more opportunities for Veolia in the areas of environmental protection, resource management and climate change mitigation.
Justin Yifu Lin, dean of Peking University's Institute of New Structural Economics, said in an earlier exclusive interview with China Daily that he believes the Chinese economy can grow around 5 percent year-on-year in 2024, which means the country will remain one of the most dynamic economies in the world and make great contributions to the global economy.
Pan Shuang, director of the Liaoning Provincial Department of Commerce, commented that dividends from China's opening-up have made the nation very attractive for foreign, private and State-owned enterprises to develop business.
Taking Liaoning as an example, Pan, who is also a deputy to the National People's Congress, released that the province aims to deepen cooperation with multinationals and forge an international business hub in Northeast Asia.
As of the end of 2023, 165 Fortune Global 500 companies and subsidiaries had invested in 238 foreign-funded enterprises in Liaoning.
Jin Weidong, chairman of Liaoning-based Wellhope Foods Co Ltd, said that as a feed and food producer, Wellhope is preparing new investments in areas such as slaughterhouses, meat processing and recycling as the future of China's economy remains robust and offers plenty of business opportunities.
Zhou, with Starbucks, said there are many successful trials across China regarding expanding opening-up and improving business climate, and experiences accumulated in some regions of China can be adopted by others.
Chinese authorities can further attract foreign investment by promoting a level playing field between the State-owned enterprises and other companies through ensuring competitive neutrality and removing certain implicit guarantees, Ayhan Kose, the World Bank's deputy chief economist, said at a webinar hosted by the International Finance Forum.
While the possibility of China witnessing a slowdown in economic growth this year remains, it is on the trajectory of achieving "sustainable, high-quality growth, said Kose.
These press releases may also interest you


text:
Indian business leaders are coming to grips with their country’s electricity shortage issues and looking for their own solutions, like buying power at reduced rates from solar farms or building factories with sustainable features, á la the Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles Facility in Bangalore.
The Mahindra Reva plant collects rain water; uses natural ventilation and translucent building coverings to reduce reliance on fans and air conditioning; has a solar roof to provide factory power, street lighting and charging facilities to test the battery powered cars; as well as a battery recycling capability.
The facility has the capacity to build 30,000 cars a year.
Image courtesy of Mahindra Reva
Chelsea is a former newspaper reporter who has spent the past few years teaching English in Poland, Finland and Japan. When she wasn't teaching or writing, Chelsea was traveling Europe and Asia, sampling spicy street food along the way.


text:
Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 ‘Beluga Reflective’ release date
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the debut of the Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 and it looks like the brand is planning to celebrate the ever-popular model by bringing back the original colourway of the shoe, but with a twist.
According to Yeezy Mafia, The Yeezy Boost 350 V2 “Beluga Reflective” is on the release schedule for the holiday season this year. Given its distant release date, images of the alleged shoe have yet to be leaked, but account has revealed that it would look almost identical to the original “Beluga” makeup with the familiar gray-based color scheme with it. an orange stripe reaching to the lateral side of the shoe although the new reflective hits covering the Primeknit upper.
This is not the first time that a new version of the âBelugaâ Yeezy Boost 350 V2. In 2017, the brand ditched a 2.0 iteration of the style.
As of yet, Adidas has yet to confirm the release of the “Beluga Reflective” Yeezy Boost 350 V2 but we will keep you posted if anything changes.
UPDATE (06/28 /): Thanks to @Sneakerjamz_new on Instagram, here is a first glimpse of the future style âBeluga Reflectiveâ Yeezy Boost 350 V2. The shoe is currently rumored to be released in family size over the holiday season, but the release has not been confirmed by the brand. Stay tuned to Sole Collector for updates.


text:
Press coverage about Stein Mart (NASDAQ:SMRT) has been trending somewhat negative on Thursday, according to Accern Sentiment Analysis. The research group scores the sentiment of press coverage by analyzing more than 20 million news and blog sources in real time. Accern ranks coverage of companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores closest to one being the most favorable. Stein Mart earned a news impact score of 0.00 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned news coverage about the company an impact score of 43.3510872332677 out of 100, meaning that recent press coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an impact on the stock’s share price in the immediate future.
Stein Mart (SMRT) remained flat at $$1.22 during trading hours on Thursday. 233,600 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 331,350. Stein Mart has a 1 year low of $0.89 and a 1 year high of $5.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.13, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a current ratio of 1.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.10, a PE ratio of -1.97 and a beta of 0.82.
Stein Mart (NASDAQ:SMRT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 15th. The company reported ($0.31) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.21) by ($0.10). Stein Mart had a negative net margin of 2.18% and a negative return on equity of 44.60%. The firm had revenue of $285.40 million during the quarter.
About Stein Mart
Stein Mart, Inc is a national retailer offering the fashion merchandise, service and presentation of a department or specialty store. The Company offers apparel for women and men, as well as accessories, shoes and home fashions. The Company’s target customers are women over 45 years old. The Company operates approximately 280 stores in over 30 states and an Internet store.
Receive News & Ratings for Stein Mart Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Stein Mart and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.


text:
Held from 23rd to 27th July 2012, and staged within the Helderfontein Conference Centre, Johannesburg, the event proved a complete success for NuVo who hosted a number of well-attended training sessions during the week.
8 and 16 channel full-feature digital amplifiers and two in-wall interface options on display at 2012 CEDIA
Will debut five exciting new products that reflect the company's commitment to developing technology that benefits the consumer.
Announces the launch of a new range of consumer products at the IFA tradeshow in Berlin.
Announces additions to their sales and marketing teams
5LINX is a direct marketing company providing electrical, power, cellular and satellite services to customers throughout America with its head office located in Rochester, New York.
Dana Innovations, parent company of Sonance, iPort and TRUFIG has announced the release of its new SonArray by Sonance outdoor satellite and subwoofer speaker system designed for a new market segment and accessible price point.
Sonance launches new SLS (Sonance Landscape Series) High Output models for large residential and commercial installations.
Dana Innovations, parent company of Sonance, iPort and TRUFIG has announced the release of its new Sonance "High Output" models as part of its SLS (Sonance Landscape Series) range.
New 3-way model takes engineering cues from flagship CS3.7 and features proprietary drivers along with completely new cabinet architecture and crossover networks
Atlona(R) today announced the latest additions to its distinguished list of system control manufacturers with which its products integrate -- Clare Controls(TM), ELAN(R), On Controls(TM), Remote Technologies Incorporated (RTI), and Universal Remote Control (URC(TM)).
Digital Projection International (DPI), an Emmy® Award-winning manufacturer of high-performance projection systems, announces a highly-anticipated brightness upgrade to their entire LED projector lineup.
PPi Chooses Christie Technology for the 5LINX Sales Meeting at the Las Vegas Convention Center
Nearly 50% of U.S. smartphone users consider 4G/LTE access important when choosing a mobile provider
Parks Associates: Nearly 50% of U.S. smartphone users consider 4G/LTE access very important when choosing a mobile service provider
DVEO Launches Streaming Appliance for Multiple Channel Scheduled Continuous HLS Streaming from On Board Hard Drive
DVEO will demonstrate the new system at the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam, September 7-11, at Stand 2.A54.
The VTX system successfully demonstrated its versatility while handling many different types of program material over the eight days-with the opening and closing ceremony including speech, video feeds and live music, and daily performances from DJ's and live bands.
Records 11566 to 11580 of 27846
The Bryston BDA-1 is a state-of-the-art external Stereo DAC (digital to analog converter) using fully discrete Class-A proprietary Bryston analog circuits, two independent linear power supplies and dual Crystal CS-4398 DAC chips. The BDA-1 features an impressive array of inputs for USB, COAX, OPTICAL, AES-EBU and BNC equipped digital devices. For audio outputs, the BDA-1 offers both balanced XLR as well as unbalanced RCA stereo connectors on the rear panel.


text:
VISTA, Calif. — Reading is one of life's greatest skills and joys, but we all needed a nudge to get going. In this Zevely Zone, I went to a book drive in Vista with my favorite librarian of all time, my mother.
"Alright, is everybody ready to get some free books?" said staff members at Foothill Oak Elementary.
This was the day thousands of children at four schools in Vista, Oceanside, and Carlsbad were taking home brand new books for free.
"We were absolutely amazed," said Fran Tovar from the Assistance League of North Coast.
Fran never dreamed the nonprofit organization's book drive would have this happy of an ending.
"I am a retired teacher so anytime a child gets to read, it makes me so happy," said Fran.
Barnes and Noble Oceanside pitched in by asking their customers for help.
"We are asking them if they would like to donate to the Assistance League of North Coast because they give those books to kids that are most in need in North County," said Melissa Carlysle from Barnes and Noble.
Melissa said nearly 2,000 books were going to be given away until her store doubled the donation - something she's quite modest about.
"We try to make sure they are not coming up short," said Melissa laughing.
I visited Foothill Oak Elementary for the giveaway and you could read my excitement. In honor of the big day, I brought my favorite librarian of all time, my mother. For 10 years, my mom Sandy Stevens, drove all over the county in the Mobile Media Van for the San Diego County Office of Education reading books to kids and entertaining them with puppet shows.
My mom introduced students to famous authors like Sid Fleischman, Clyde Robert Bulla, Judy Blume and so many more.
"This is 'Where the Red Fern Grows.' [The author] Wilson Rawls came to the county office once," said my mom.
Just the sight of children lining up to read made my mother say, "It makes my heart swell. I almost want to cry because it's just beautiful that these kids want a book, need a book and can take a book home."
"I used to read this to you," said Sandy while picking a copy of the kid classic "Goodnight Moon."
Now, thanks to the Assistance League, a new generation of readers are discovering the power of getting lost in a book.
"Some are really exciting. You don't get to see the story but you get to imagine it yourself," said Jim who is a 10-year-old student reading at a 7th-grade level.
"This is just such a happy occasion for all of us and we'll have smiles that will not go away for a long time," said Fran.
All the kids held up a book and said, "Thank you!"
The Assistance League of North Coast has 190 members and they're always looking for new volunteers. For information go to https://alnc.org/


text:
McDonald’s closes stores in Kazakhstan
American fast-food giant McDonald’s has closed its operations in Kazakhstan this month as the ongoing war in the Ukraine disrupts product supplies.
McDonald’s franchises in the Central Asian country were unable to buy meat patties from Europe due to the recent price increases in both produce and transport.
Furthermore, due to the Western sanctions against Russia, McDonald’s in Kazakhstan were no longer able to procure meat patties from Russian suppliers either.
Sources revealed that obtaining meat from Europe or local suppliers at inflated costs would have resulted in the restaurant operating at a loss.
After just six years of trading, McDonald’s has consequently withdrawn its trademark golden arches from Kazakhstan.
Many Kazakh businesses have faced similar supply problems on the back of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Western sanctions against Russia that followed.
However, Kazakh government officials this week announced that McDonald’s successor in Russia, Vkusno & Tochka, has filed an application to register their trademarks in Kazakhstan.
Vkusno & Tochka is yet to make any formal comment or announcement.
Last May, McDonald’s closed all operations in Russia, due to the Ukraine war ‘humanitarian crisis,’ and instead agreed to sell the business infrastructure to Alexander Govor, who has been a McDonald's licensee in Russia since 2015.
Govor agreed to purchase the entire restaurant portfolio and operate them under a new brand, Vkusno & Tochka (which translates in English to: “Tasty and that’s it.”)
The twenty-five Belarusian McDonald’s franchises also reached the agreement to rebrand their stores under the same name last November.
Odd Burger, one of the most famous vegan fast-food chains, today announced it signed a letter of intent with Franchise Investment AG and Angelpreneur AG.
Retired Slovakian pro tennis player, Kamil Čapković, talks about becoming a McDonald's franchisee.
Nordic-inspired treats fresh and direct.
Order fried chicken to your table during the FIFA world cup.
The French-style pancake franchise that serves food all day.
A franchise package, otherwise known as a franchise license is at the heart of every franchise system. It contains the franchisors complete business concept from A to Z.
If you are thinking about purchasing a franchise or franchising your own company, these books are a great place to start.
Thinking of franchising in the European Union? Find out exactly who regulates franchising in the world’s biggest single market.
Master franchising is used to accelerate business growth in a whole new region with minimum resource commitments.
The idea of tapping into new global markets is financially appealing to any ambitious business owner.


text:
Many highly innovative electronic components such as microcontrollers, memory ICs and displays are these days often only available for one or two years after production before they are replaced by the next more powerful generation of products. However, it’s not only this development that is increasingly causing problems for manufacturing companies from the automotive, aerospace, military, railway, power station, medicine, and automation technology sectors, which sometimes have to stock spare parts for their products for up to 20 years or more. Company acquisitions, environmental requirements and unforeseeable events, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, demonstrate time and again how fragile the supposedly secure international supply chains can be.
But how can we minimize these obsolescence risks for companies? What options are there for protecting yourself from potentially serious financial consequences if components are suddenly not available or software programs are no longer supported by a manufacturer?
Visitors to electronica 2020 will receive answers to these questions and more on the first day of the trade show as part of the Obsolescence Day organized by COGD (Component Obsolescence Group Deutschland) e.V. in cooperation with Messe München. Members of the COGD will be at their exhibitor stands all day, providing interested parties information about their own tried-and-tested obsolescence management systems. Following that, in the afternoon, an obsolescence forum will be held in hall B3, offering attendees the rare opportunity to find out first-hand about the latest trends, some particularly efficient preventative strategies, and helpful software tools, in over half a dozen expert lectures.


text:
Emirates and Barclays team up to court US-based frequent flyers
Dubai-based airline unveils co-branded credit cards as it looks to boost revenue with new income streams
Emirates and Barclays have partnered to push out co-branded credit cards, marking the first move by the Dubai-based carrier into the space in the US.
US-based members of Emirates' Skywards frequent flyer programme will be able to earn miles on travel and lifestyle purchases.
“This is a unique opportunity allowing our more than 2.5 million US members to boost their Skywards miles to use as a payment option with cash plus miles and for flight upgrades while travelling from cities across the US, including New York, Houston and Los Angeles,” divisional senior vice president Dr. Nejib Ben Khedher said in a statement.
Emirates Skywards, the loyalty programme of Emirates and flydubai, has 2.5 million US-based members and 27 million globally, Mr Ben Khedher added.
The new credit cards could offer a reasonable source of income to Emirates as it waits for the travel industry to bounce back, said Saj Ahmad, chief analyst with StrategicAero Research.
"Given how the entire airline industry the world over has been absolutely battered by the Covid-19 pandemic, any avenues that allow revenue generation is going to be welcomed, given that passenger traffic is unlikely to recover to pre-Covid-19 levels for at least a half decade or more,” Mr Ahmad told The National.
Airlines around the world face a collective loss of $84 billion (Dh308bn) this year as the pandemic halves revenue in the worst year of aviation history, according to the International Air Transport Association. Global passenger traffic is unlikely to recover to pre-crisis levels before 2024, according to Iata.
Any avenues that allow revenue generation is going to be welcomed, given that passenger traffic is unlikely to recover to pre-Covid-19 levels for at least a half decade or more
Saj Ahmad, StrategicAero Research
Last week, Emirates said it has paid more than Dh5bn in refunds since March after the Covid-19 pandemic forced passengers to scrap their travel plans as flights were grounded.
“By partnering with Barclays to allow Skywards members to accrue points on a co-branded credit card, Emirates hopes not only to curry favour with those who spend money with the prospect of a [flight] reward, but it also allows the airline to generate additional income,” Mr Ahmad added.
There are two versions of the credit card: the Emirates Skywards Rewards card, which offers silver-tier membership status and has an annual fee of $99, and the Emirates Skywards Premium card, which gives cardholders gold-tier membership status and has an annual fee of $499.
Both cards earn three miles per dollar spent with Emirates, two miles per dollar spent on other travel expenses such as airfares, hotel stays and car rentals, and one mile per dollar on everything else, including groceries, retail stores and entertainment.
The cards also offer frequent flyers other perks such as sign-up bonuses of up to 40,000 points after meeting spending requirements, lounge access, priority check-in and boarding, and priority baggage delivery.
“Our partnership with Emirates Skywards is focused on growing loyalty with US-based customers by helping them earn more Emirates Skywards privileges through their everyday spend,” said Bob Highland, head of US cards and partnerships at Barclays.
Updated: September 15, 2020 01:44 PM


text:
Displaying items 109-120 of 644 » View aberdeennews.com items only< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11-54 Next >
Lehigh Valley WildTaking a kid fishing just got a lot more exciting in Pennsylvania. During the fall meetings of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission held in Pittsburgh last week, the agency unveiled it’s Mentored Youth Pilot Program that will allow children...
Lehigh Valley WildThe Coldwater Heritage Partnership (CHP) is taking applications for the 2013 Coldwater Conservation Grants Program, which is offering Planning Grants and Implementation Grants to help protect and conserve the health of Pennsylvania’s coldwater...
This triple-layer chocolate chip bread is a wonderful breakfast bread similar to old-fashioned swirl bread that you used to get right from your baker. This bread is easy to make and is even better the next day after sitting in the fridge. It's moist...
Tags: Peanut Butter, Marketing, Butter, Breads
PLAINS, Ga. - The view from the train tells the story of this part of rural southwest Georgia: cotton fields speckled with puffs of white; peanut and soybean fields; groves of towering pecan trees. Rusted old cars that appear to have been parked in the...
DEKALB — In the kitchen outside his parents' bedroom, Jordan Lynch tried not to wake his mom and dad in the middle of the night as he chased his college football dream one peanut-butter sandwich at a time. "I knew I needed to gain more weight to...
Texans receiver Andre Johnson played a part in bringing Tim Jennings to the Bears, yet the two NFL veterans are relatively unfamiliar with each other personally. A couple of years ago, when the Bears searched the free-agent market for cornerback depth,...
You now can purchase a "Peanut Punch" T-shirt. You could have heard Charles "Peanut" Tillman talk about his penchant for forcing fumbles on his regular guest spot on WSCR-AM 670 Tuesday. Or you can hear him talk about it on ESPN (Rachel Nichols...
A recall of peanut butter that began at Trader Joe's grocery stores last week has expanded to other nut products and to more food stores, including several that operate in Maryland. In addition to Trader Joe's, the recall includes some nut butters and...
Q13 FOX News OnlineIt's a tradition nearly as old as Halloween itself — parents battling with their kids over the amount of candy they eat after making their Halloween hauls. One company is trying to end those arguments by "unjunking" candy of all the hydrogenated...
Sun-Sentinel.comIt is no surprise that snorkeling and South Florida have always been a perfect match. It's a recreational activity that showcases the beauty of our water and its diverse native wildlife while providing an escape from the oppressive heat. Here are a...
ATLANTA (AP) — Choosy moms and dads may be packing more PB&J in lunches this winter, when the cost of a jar of Jif or Skippy is expected to fall even as other grocery prices rise. Peanut butter prices soared last year after a drought and high...
Two guys walk into a bar. Sounds like the start of a cheesy joke, right? Not when the two guys are Dan Bazis and Kevin Pyles, who bellied up to the bar at Union Jacks in Columbia last winter to discuss one of those existential questions men on bar stools...
Tags: Cheddar Cheese, Breast Cancer, Ginger, Peanut Butter, Butter
Oct 4, 2012 | Allentown Morning Call
Sep 20, 2012 | Allentown Morning Call
Jun 1, 2012 |Column| Herald Mail
Nov 20, 2012 |Story| McClatchy-Tribune
Nov 13, 2012 |Column| Chicago Tribune
Nov 10, 2012 |Story| Chicago Tribune
Nov 10, 2012 |Column| Chicago Tribune
Oct 1, 2012 |Story| Baltimore Sun
Oct 31, 2012 |Story| KCPQ-LTV
Jun 15, 2012 |Story| South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Oct 26, 2012 |Story| Petoskey News
Oct 26, 2012 |Story| Baltimore Sun
Original site for Peanuts topic gallery.


text:
Anyone and everyone in Hawaiʻi with a TV, phone or laptop can tune into this year’s fashion show produced and designed by the Fashion Design and Merchandising (FDM) students at UH Manoa.
Their 55th fashion show, themed “Road to Runway,” will be live streamed on Olelo and Hawaii News Now on Monday night, May 10 at 6 p.m. HST on Olelo 53 along with the livestream on Hawaii News Now.
The fashion show will feature seven collections. This includes designs from current students to include three seniors. The fashion show also includes designs from two 2020 recent graduates will be featured as the production was cancelled last year due to COVID-19.
Viewers can also look forward to nine guest cameo appearances, including UH President David Lassner.
“A labor of love"
Traditionally an in-person event that gathers faculty, staff and students to this sell-out event, there is usually a DJ, emcee and volunteers to put on the yearly production. This year, the fashion production students have navigated and organized this upcoming show to be fully virtual.
The runway footage was shot by fashion show production and fashion design students throughout various parts of Oahu, all in keeping within CDC guidelines.
“Being told that the show would be presented virtually almost crushed my spirit, so naturally, I felt almost reluctant to even participate since I knew my expectations would not have been met and I would not get to present my work the way I would have liked,” senior fashion design student Aaron Guillermo said.
Calling it a “labor of love,” Amanda Stevens, the Fashion Show Production class co-instructor of FDM 430, says that despite the many challenges and disappointments, “They students were able to pivot amongst many obstacles they faced. Each of them came out shining.”
The class curriculum included meeting with professionals and well-known designers, doing PSAs and coordinating photo shoots.
Senior Helen Park says that the virtual show will allow for a digital memory to look back on.
"I also think being able to look back at the interviews, photos, and show itself will be very rewarding and something I will cherish for a long time," Park said.
For Jade Young, who will be showcasing their “Dazzling Affairs” line on Monday, the night, it was seeing their designs come to life that made the arduous process worth it.
"The most rewarding part was looking at all of my finished designs together. It's very surreal to see my drawings materialized especially since, for most of my life, it's always been drawings I've been looking at."
Lynne O’neill: Continuing a legacy
The pandemic also presented a unique opportunity for the FDM students. Lynne O’neill, a well-known name in the fashion world. O’neill, a local from Hawaiʻi, has more than 40 years of experience in fashion shows and is a well-respected executive producer and director for New York Fashion Week.
O'neill was the inspiration for the character played by Margret Cho in the iconic episode of “Sex and the City.”
Stevens says that O’neill has has been committed to the students and this process “zoom”-ing in from New York late into the evening, and prepping production lesson well into 2 to 3 a.m. in the morning EST.
Dealing with deficits
Since the show has been forced to be virtual, ticket sales were non-existent. Normally, tickets would cost $25-$75 depending on the venue and VIP or regular tickets.
This year, Stevens said they are facing a $5000 deficit. Without a live event, the Fashion Show Production Class is unable to fundraise through ticket sales, therefore donations are being accepted. Checks can be addressed to Family & Consumer Sciences / 2515 Campus Road, Miller 110 /Honolulu, HI 96822 and made payable to UH Foundation.
Stevens and her students hope that a wider audience being able to appreciate their work will inspire spectators to contribute to the foundation which will also help aid future fashion shows.
"It has been an honor to co-teach this class with Lynne O'Neill who is the best in the business of fashion show production and directing shows. We were able to share our expertise with the students through production meetings and real life experiences in creating one PSA and two television shows," Stevens said.
More information can be found at https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2021/05/03/students-designs-at-55th-manoa-fashion-show/.


text:
Hastings's Third Quarter: Missing 50 Shades of Grey
In the third quarter ended October 31, total revenues at Hastings Entertainment fell 6.6%, to $94.7 million, and the net loss was $6.2 million, compared to a net loss of $8 million in the third quarter last year.
The company operates 127 superstores, 10 fewer than in the third quarter last year. Sales at stores open at least a year fell 2.2%, an improvement over a 4.7% drop in the same quarter in 2012.
CEO and chairman John H. Marmaduke noted that revenues for music, books and rental continue to be impacted by "the popularity of digital delivery, rental kiosks and subscription based services." The company added that book sales year-to-year in the quarter fell 11.7% because of "a weaker release schedule for new books and a decrease in trade paperback sales, as compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2012, which included strong sales from the Fifty Shades trilogy." For the year to date, book category comp sales are down 11.8%; the only category performing worse is music.
Hastings has previously announced a strategic initiative that focuses on "the introduction of new product categories which includes consumer electronics, music electronics and accessories, vinyl, hobby, recreation and lifestyle and tablets."


text:
One of the team from developer Cherry Pop Games discusses trophies and golden boots.
The neon filled Night City could become the city of dreams.
ARK Park gets a new trailer for the free DLC.
Already out in Europe, ISVR's title heads to the U.S. thanks to Oasis Games.
See the Sanctum of Sahir in action.
PlayStation VR can now scultpt 3D objects within VR.
D-GLES, an unofficial DOOM source port has introduced Google Cardboard compatibility.
VRFocus got the chance to catch up with the team at E3 2018 and learn more about the upcoming shooter.
A new 360-degree film takes a look at the Cuban rave scene through the eyes of one of its biggest influencers.
Seclusion in a newly opened courtyard.


text:
Sustainable actions, responsible growth: AIDA presents roadmap to the future
“Structuring growth sustainably and responsibly” - that was the subject of the Parliamentary Evening on February 13, 2014, hosted by Rostock cruise line AIDA Cruises and the Representation of the State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in Berlin. Around 180 personalities from the government, business, and media took this opportunity to discuss possible paths to an environment- and resource-conserving future in the cruise industry. Participants included the Prime Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Erwin Sellering, and Parliamentary State Secretary and Maritime Coordinator of the Federal Government, Uwe Beckmeyer.
In his welcome address, Prime Minister Erwin Sellering emphasized, “It is a good thing that the company is striving to conserve resources and protect the environment. In 2012, Rostock alone was visited by 300,000 cruise passengers. Cruise tourism is thereby a highly important factor for our state and has made Rostock-Warnemünde Germany’s most popular travel destination for cruise tourists from all over the world.”
On the occasion of the Parliamentary Evening in Berlin, President of AIDA Cruises, Michael Ungerer, remarked, “For AIDA, a business model that is sustainable and conserves resources is the guiding principle. Only this will allow us to stay on our successful course in the future. To this end, AIDA will have invested an additional 100 million euros in innovative technology by 2016.” The investment program features an extensive filter system for reducing emissions, which will be fitted in AIDA’s new ships in 2015 and 2016, and retrofitted in the existing fleet. With this yet unrivaled exhaust treatment technology, all three significant emissions – soot particles, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur oxide – can be filtered for the first time and thus reduced by between 90 and 99 percent.
“The cruise industry generates economic growth, jobs and added value for the German and European economy. In 2012, approx. 1.54 million Germans went on a cruise. I am convinced that we will soon reach the magical 2 million mark,” Michael Ungerer adds.
The AIDA fleet currently comprises ten modern cruise ships. With two new ships being put into service by 2016, the company will continue to provide important growth impulses for the German cruise market in the future. With each new ship, approx. 1,000 jobs are created with AIDA alone, 100 of these on shore. But also business sectors such as tourism, port business, or the maritime supply industry profit from growing value creation through the cruise line industry.
In the evening, AIDA Cruises and Becker Marine Systems received the “Baltic Sea Clean Maritime Award” from the Baltic Sea Forum for the category “Environmentally friendly infrastructure development in the Baltic Sea region.” This honored the LNG Hybrid Barge pilot project for using liquefied gas to generate power on board cruise ships while docking in the Hamburg port.


text:
24 July 2019
A Samsung smartphone bearing model number SM-A107F, believed to be the Galaxy A10s has passed through FCC and the listing reveals a couple of key details. First off, crossing FCC indicates the launch is imminent and once launched the device will join its siblings from Galaxy A10 series - Galaxy A10, and the Galaxy A10e which got launched in the US two weeks back.
The listing also includes the schematics of the device which reflects the design and allows us to take out some information on the same. The schematic clearly shows the presence of dual cameras accompanied by an LED flash below the camera module. The oval-shaped fingerprint scanner is placed on the back of the device. The smartphone is shown in the picture also has a headphone jack at the bottom on the right side of the USB port.
The FCC listing reveals that this smartphone will pack a 3,900mAH battery. It measures 157mm in length, 75.8mm in width and 174.3mm diagonally, which translates to 6.86-inch, it's not going to be an all-display, though.
This is the first time the alleged device has been spotted and that too at FCC, that is enough to suggest the launch isn’t too far from us.
For comparison, the Galaxy A10 launched with a somewhat smaller battery capacity of 3,400AH, Exynos 7884 SoC, and 13MP single rear camera. It’s yet to be seen if the Galaxy A10s will come with the same processor.


text:
TEXT OF STORY
Bill Radke: Google is expected to unveil its new smart phone next week. Marketplace’s Mitchell Hartman reports on the buzz.
Mitchell Hartman: Several technology Web sites are speculating that the Internet giant will unveil its own smart phone, called the Nexus One, on Tuesday. With features like a touchscreen, wi-fi Web access and apps galore, it’ll be a direct competitor to Apple’s iPhone.
It’ll reportedly come with a T-Mobile contract for $180. But for just over $500, there’ll be a version that’s not locked to T-Mobile’s network or anyone else’s.
Kent German follows the cellphone industry at CNET:
Kent German: Five hundred dollars would certainly be a great price for this, to have a completely unlocked phone that you could take to any carrier you want.
Keep in mind, Apple’s iPhone can only be used with AT&T. And like most phones, the cheap version comes with a long-term contract and penalties for early cancellation.
German: People are becoming more sophisticated. They’re willing to pay more and say, “Well, I’m going to be able to take this phone and use it overseas if I like, or I’ll be able to switch carriers at will if I move, or if I just don’t like the service I get.”
In an e-mail yesterday, Google refused to reveal any details about a press event it’s scheduled for next Tuesday — or its new smart phone.
I’m Mitchell Hartman for Marketplace.


text:
Standing as a £10.1million turnover business, it’s hard to believe that just 12 years ago Sim Trava was being operated out of the family home of husband and wife team, Simon and Tracy Vardy.
A business venture borne out of the lack of decent coffee in their local town, Simon and Tracy set up Sim Trava as a franchisee of Whitbread’s Costa Coffee brand in 2004.
They have been engineering its success since, propelling it forward as one of the fastest-growing businesses within the region’s thriving SME scene.
Having recently refinanced with HSBC, Sim Trava opened its 25th Costa Coffee store earlier this year and has expanded its portfolio – now owning and running two healthy Canadian fast food chain Pita Pit stores in central Manchester.
Over the coming months and years, the business is moving forward with an aggressive growth plan and timeline. Sim Trava has its sights set on growing its staff from 300 to 400 over the next year, reaching £20 million turnover by 2018 and opening its 47th store by 2020.
On top of an astute business prowess, the Vardy’s company sticks to its roots as a family business and runs a little differently internally than most of its franchise counterparts. In spite of exponential growth, it still maintains a personable approach to staff as it views its people to be its most valuable asset.
From humble beginnings at the kitchen table of the family home, to now having headquartered offices in a business park in Altrincham, Sim Trava has strived to maintain its culture and ensure its people come first.
Tracy Vardy, director, said: “ Sim Trava is an incredibly ambitious business, so we do have huge growth plans in place over the next few years.
"We’ve gone from operating out of our house with a single franchise in 2004, to operating 25 Costa Coffees and two Pita Pits across Northern England.
“Our people are our most important asset so we’ll continue to employ local, ambitious people who display the right attributes and characteristics to fit in here at SimTrava.
Due to demand, late last year the business acquired a further 1500 sq. ft. of office space to house the growing Academy and has just announced plans that it will take on ten new apprentices in September.


text:
Restaurant chain Hard Rock Cafe and spirits maker Cointreau Corp. are the latest bringing trademark complaints against CBD manufacturers.
In a pair of lawsuits filed this month in New York and Florida, the companies allege that CBD makers are trying to confuse customers into thinking they are branded CBD products coming from the older companies.
Hard Rock Cafe has sued Hard Rock Hemp, a South Carolina company that makes CBD topicals, edibles and pre-rolls called “one-hit wonders.” Its website links to a record store that touts “One of the Largest Collections of Retail & Private Music Memorabilia on the East Coast.”
Also this month, Cointreau Corp. filed suit against Canopy Growth Corp. for its line of hemp-derived CBD-infused beverages sold under the brand “Quatreau.”
Cointreau, an orange-flavored liquer, noted in its filing that “CBD-infused nonalcoholic beverages are now being sold in the same retail outlets as alcoholic beverages” and that both CBD drinks and Cointreau are commonly used as mixers with other alcoholic beverages.
Cointreau also told the court that a growing number of alcoholic beverage brands including Molson Coors are selling nonalcoholic CBD beverages, often alongside their alcoholic offerings in liquor stores.
Hard Rock and Cointreau both seek unspecified damages. The hemp companies have not replied to the charges and did not return messages for comment from Hemp Industry Daily.


text:
Palo Alto: Tesla Inc on Tuesday announced a five-for-one stock split, sending the electric carmaker's recently high-flying shares up 7% in extended trade.
Tesla's stock, which traded at $1,475 after the announcement, is among the highest priced on Wall Street, and the Palo Alto, California-based company said in a press release it was looking to make its shares more accessible to employees and investors.
Tesla's stock has surged over 200% this year, while shares of General Motors and Ford Motor declined on fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
Stock splits are a way for companies to make shares more accessible to retail investors, potentially attracting individual investors who make small trades. However, brokerages increasingly let customers buy parts of shares, making the benefit of share splits less clear than in the past.
Tesla said stock holders of record on Aug. 21 would receive four additional shares after the close of trading on Aug. 28, with the stock trading on a split-adjusted basis beginning Aug. 31.
Tesla's stock split follows a four-for-one split announced by Apple Inc in late July, the iPhone maker's first stock split since 2014.
Stock splits have become rare on Wall Street in recent years, with just three S&P 500 components announcing splits in 2020, compared with an average of 10 a year over the past decade, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices.
Tesla in July posted a second-quarter profit as cost cuts and strong deliveries helped offset coronavirus-related factory shutdowns, clearing a hurdle that could lead to the carmaker's inclusion in the S&P 500 index.
While many institutional investors have avoided Tesla's stock in recent years due to a lack of consistent profitability, the company has a strong following among individual investors.
Over the past 30 days, Tesla was second only to Apple as the most popular stock on the Robinhood trading app, according to Robintrack, a website that tracks Robinhood holdings.
Tesla's stock split should not affect S&P Dow Jones Indices' potential decision to add the company to the S&P 500, which is weighted by companies' overall stock market values.
The share split will not make Tesla any less expensive in terms of actual earnings it delivers to investors. The stock currently trades at 112 times expected earnings over the next 12 months, according to Refinitiv. By comparison, GM is valued at eight times expected earnings, and Ford at 45 times expected earnings.
German luxury carmaker Mercedes Benz, which has recently launched its second electric offering EQS 580 sedan for India, said that while the electric car is manufactured in Germany, India is the only country to locally assemble the EV outside of the home country. With this, Mercedes will also be the first and only luxury carmaker to assemble an EV in the country, thereby giving it an edge over its rivals in terms of pricing.
According to a complaint filed by Vivek Gupta, the Chief Financial Officer of JBM Group, Sector 44, it was on Friday that he received messages on WhatsApp requesting to transfer certain sums to bank accounts indicated in the messages.


text:
Tesla founder Elon Musk has moved from calling the coronavirus panic “dumb” to repurposing his electric vehicle and solar panel factories into assembly lines for hospital ventilators, for which there is currently a shortage across the world.
Early in March, the business leader used his Twiter account to call the coronavirus panic “dumb,” leading to both negative and positive replies. Now, the story took a twist as Musk said that Tesla’s factory in New York will start producing ventilators.
New York currently has access to roughly 6,000 ventilators and if the virus keeps spreading at the current rate, the state would eventually need as many as 37,000 of them, according to estimations by Governor Andrew Cuomo. For patients suffering from the worst effects of the infection, a ventilator offers the best chance of survival. Simply put, a ventilator takes over the body’s breathing process when the disease has caused the lungs to fail. This gives the patient time to fight off the infection and recover.
“New York State is the most impacted state in the nation,” state assemblyman Sean Ryan wrote in a letter earlier this week, urging Musk to start making ventilators at the Buffalo plant, according to local newspaper, The Buffalo News. “It makes sense that increased ventilator production would happen here.”
Reacting to the request, Musk first said Tesla’s factory will reopen to manufacture ventilators “as soon as humanly possible,” adding he will do “anything in his power to help the citizens of New York”. Later he also added the company is “making good progress” with the ventilators.
Tesla had already started producing ventilators in its factory Fremont, California, in collaboration with the medical supply company Medtronic. Musk is using the factory’s capacity to manufacture one of Medtronic’s lower-end ventilators, which are easier to produce in an off-site facility than more sophisticated models.
Earlier this week, Musk also donated 1,255 ventilators — which he said he’d bought from “an oversupply” in China — to hospitals in California, where Tesla is headquartered.
The business leader is also moving fast on facemasks. He sent 50.000 N95 face masks from Fremont to the home of a doctor working for the University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC) in Seattle, shortly after learning that there’s a shortage of face masks in the area.
“It was just so, so fast,” doctor Adams Waldorf, who received the donation, told The Seattle Times. “I feel so, so good about being a small part of these donations. To be at this critical shortage of personal protective equipment is frightening. We can’t have our health-care system crumbling at this moment.”


text:
Food delivery majors Zomato and Swiggy are not only intense competitors, they are also known to borrow a leaf or two from each other’s playbooks. Recently, Swiggy followed in the footsteps of Zomato by announcing its exit from the cloud kitchen infrastructure business. Zomato had exited the space in early 2020. Despite making substantial investments into what was once touted as a great opportunity, both companies seem to have drawn the curtains on their cloud kitchen plans.
SoftBank-backed Swiggy has sold off its business, called Access Kitchens, to cloud kitchen infra operator Kitchens@ as it looks to dispose of non-viable business verticals. The share-swap deal will see Swiggy becoming a stakeholder in Kitchens@.
There are many challenges in the space—from cracking the low expenses and high-optimisation model, to diversification of the cuisines, to achieving optimal utilisation of kitchens, building scalable and affordable brands, and creating brand recall. “It’s not a technology business... it is an intense operational business,” says a foodtech founder who wishes to stay anonymous. The founder adds that operators must have the DNA and experience of running a food and beverages business. “Experience matters when it comes to ensuring occupancy, effective utilisation of kitchen capacity, and selection of brands so that both kitchens and brands are profitable. The food delivery platforms lack all of these capabilities.”
Swiggy ventured into the space in 2017. The move allowed restaurant partners to establish kitchen spaces in neighbourhoods where they did not currently operate, with the goal of offering more variety and shortening delivery times for consumers. “This is not Swiggy’s core business. The company has its eyes on the public markets. As they prepare for an IPO, they want to refocus on their core offerings. They don’t want to be investing so much on these kitchen centres and employing so many people to run them besides managing the complex operational issues,” says the founder. Despite being a promising vertical that is anticipated to be worth $2-3 billion by 2025 (per Redseer), both Swiggy and Zomato have understood that running cloud kitchen brands in an exclusivity model doesn’t create a winning situation for either of the parties. In a duopoly, where one wouldn’t host the other’s brands, it becomes tough for their brands to thrive on a single platform.
Zomato had exited its cloud kitchen business called Zomato Infrastructure Services in 2018 and invested in Loyal
Hospitality, the parent of Kitchens@, for an exclusive partnership. But Kitchens@ later bought out Zomato’s shares in the company to end the exclusivity deal in 2020. “We wanted to be [brand]-agnostic in the market, so we offered to buy back their shares. At the time, the competition was intensifying between the two players and there were several issues. We continue to have good relations with Zomato. Swiggy is purely a financial stakeholder in the company now; it doesn’t have any operational control or any exclusivity rights. All our brands are sold across online platforms, including these two,” says Kitchens@ Founder & CEO Junaiz Kizhakkayil.
With both Swiggy and Zomato pulling out of the space, it is clear that food delivery platforms would prefer to play the role of pure-play distribution channels than being kitchen operators themselves. And as the industry matures, each player in the sector is playing to its strength—cloud kitchen brands focussing on their speciality of good cooking, infrastructure firms offering complete kitchen services, and food delivery platforms improving and expanding delivery options.
Copyright©2023 Living Media India Limited. For reprint rights: Syndications Today


text:
The Japanese automaker said that, due to a growing demand in Malaysia, it has decided to build a new plant there, scheduled to start making cars in 2019.
The Southeast Asian markets are growing at a fast pace and automakers have to quickly adapt their production to meet demand. And Malaysia is one of those countries where the passenger car segment is on an upward trend, forcing Toyota to start a reorganization process of its local operations through its subsidiary, Assembly Services Sdn. Bhd. The world’s biggest automaker said the current facility would eventually stop making cars by early 2019, using that site instead as a dedicated commercial vehicle plant, with the new factory to focus only on manufacture passenger vehicles. Toyota is investing about 49 billion yen (450 million dollars) in the new factory, which will have an annual production capacity of 50,000 units. The facility is set to be built in Klang, in the state of Selangor, and is scheduled to start making cars in 2019.
“This plant is another of our efforts to create new, competitive plants, following the decisions made last year to create a new plant in Mexico and a new line in China, and the opening of two new engine plants this year in Indonesia and Brazil,” Toyota Managing Officer Tatsuro Takami said in statement. The existing Malaysian plant started to produce Corona’s and Corolla’s Complete Knock Down in 1968 and by splitting the output of commercial and passenger vehicles between this line and the new one, processes and distribution should be optimized, Toyota said.


text:
American Savings enters 1989 with a new owner--Texas billionaire Robert M. Bass--and a new advertising campaign.
The multimillion-dollar ad campaign that makes its debut Sunday--the first for American in several years--is aimed at rebuilding customer loyalty and public confidence in the once-insolvent institution that has been shaken by years of unrest.
"We recognize that we have to win our customers' loyalty back," said Ronald W. Herman, executive vice president at Asher/Gould Advertising, the Los Angeles agency which created American's campaign. "They need to know it's safe and secure."
Earlier this week, American customers received mailgrams that focused on the institution's new-found financial soundness under Bass ownership and a $1.7-billion federal bailout package. The mailgrams were scheduled to be reprinted Tuesday in full-page ads in California newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, as well as the Wall Street Journal.
On Sunday, a series of television commercials aimed at touting American's service make their debut during the pro-football playoff games, Herman says. The commercials, which will also appear during the CBS program "60 Minutes," compare the S&L's service to that given by service stations, airlines and railroads in the 1950s "when service was a lot better than it is today," Herman said.
The campaign, which was created under the term of former American Chairman William J. Popejoy, received the blessing of Bass, 40, a Ft. Worth billionaire and takeover specialist. "Mr. Bass approved the ads prior to the air date," Herman said.
The trio of television commercials are scheduled to run during the entire year, Herman said. American's advertising had been previously limited to newspaper ads detailing the S&L's rates. "American has been dormant in terms of advertising in the past couple of years," Herman said. "These ads begin the new era of American."
Six years ago, American had been transformed from a sleepy S&L to a high-pressure, high-flying institution under the control of Charles W. Knapp. But Knapp was forced out after the Securities and Exchange Commission in 1984 insisted that American restate its earnings to show a large loss instead of healthy profits.
Popejoy was subsequently brought in to lead American. But attempts to revive American failed after alarming outflows of deposits, rising interest rates and huge losses on development loans made under Knapp.
Popejoy resigned and after a nearly two-year long search for a buyer, American was taken over by Bass, who pledged $350 million up front and assured regulators through associates that American would focus on traditional mortgage lending.
Herman readily conceded that rebuilding a new image for American will take a while. "It is quite a task," he said. "You can't just turn around four or five years of negative press in 90 days."


text:
Digital payments in India have received a ‘big boost’ since the demonetisation of 2016.Image Credit source: File Photo
When the country faced demonetisation in the year 2016, the long queues outside the ATM machines caught everyone’s attention. At the same time, the country got the ‘boon’ of digital payment like UPI in the form of BHIM App, and today after 8 years this UPI has brought the ATM itself to the stage of ‘finishing’.
Digital payments in India have received a ‘big boost’ since the demonetisation of 2016. Regarding this, in a report of State Bank of India (SBI), it has been said that the number of people going to ATM has fallen rapidly in the last 8 years. At the same time, there has been a flood of transactions done through UPI payment.
read this also: ₹ 2000 note can also be changed by people living abroad, just follow this method
50% less people went to ATM
SBI’s economic research report ‘SBI Ecowrap’ In April 2016, it has been said in the latest edition that on an average an Indian used to visit ATM 16 times in a year. While in April 2023, this figure has remained just 8 times. In the meantime, the payments made through UPI within the country have increased very fast, knowing the figures of which your eyes will be wide open.
There was a flood of UPI transactions.
Between the financial years 2016-17 to 2022-23, UPI transactions became a ‘flood’ in the country. At that time, the number of transactions through UPI was just 1.8 crores, it has increased to 8,375 as of today. Now 73 percent of the total digital transactions in the country are done through UPI only.
See also: If there is any online fraud due to cryptocurrency, the police will not be responsible
Not only this, only Rs 6,947 crore was transacted through UPI then. Today its figure has crossed Rs 139 lakh crore. This is an increase of 2004 times in the transactions done through UPI.
Let us tell you, it has also been revealed in the research of SBI that if there is an increase of 1 rupee in UPI transaction, then it directly falls on the debit card payment and there is a decrease of 18 paise in it.


text:
A consortium comprising Oaktree Capital Management and CURA Vermögensverwaltung has offered to buy listed German shopping mall investor Deutsche EuroShop for €1.4bn.
Funds managed by Oaktree and CURA are offering Deutsche EuroShop shareholders €22.50 for each share held, a price that represents a 44% premium to the share’s last closing price of €15.63 on 20 May.
CURA, the family office of the Otto family and parent company of ECE, holds approximately 20% of Deutsche EuroShop’s share capital.
Deutsche EuroShop owns a portfolio of 21 centres in locations across Germany and selected cities in Central and Eastern Europe.
Ben Bianchi, managing director and head of European real estate at Oaktree Capital Management, said: “Deutsche EuroShop has a top-quality portfolio that we believe is underappreciated by the capital markets following a multi-year sell-off of the entire retail sector.
“In partnering with CURA and ECE, we believe we have the real estate expertise and financial resources to support the company in an increasingly competitive and evolving retail environment.”
Volker Kraft, managing partner of ECE Real Estate Partners, the investment advisor to the consortium, said: “The ongoing headwinds that the retail sector has had to face have recently prevented the company from fully realising the potential of its otherwise successful and conservative strategy.
“We have a long term perspective and the strength to jointly offer continued support for the company on its journey ahead.”
In early afternoon trading, Deutsche EuroShop shares traded up 40.5% at €21.90 each, valuing the company at €1.35bn.
To read the latest edition of the latest IPE Real Assets magazine click here.


text:
Paramore To Release "Ain't It Fun" on Vinyl for Record Store Day
The release (as shown below) was designed by vocalist Hayley Williams and according to RSD founder Michael Kurtz, "essentially, it looks like somebody broke the record. That was the picture she drew for the label and they figured out a way to do it."
"Ain't It Fun" is taken from the band's stunning 2013 self-titled album, which is available now via Fueled By Ramen Records. The 12" vinyl will be available to purchase at all Record Store Day participating stores.


text:
May survey data from Turkey reveals a modest improvement in economic activity, as restrictions on production and social mobility were gradually eased during the month. Starting with the consumer side, the behavior of which remains essential to a robust, recovery, Bloomberg HT Consumer Confidence Index increased by 12.44 percent in May compared to the previous month and reached 73.20. The demarcation between pessimism and optimism being at 100, the improvement simply mean that consumers have become less cautious about the future.
When the details of the index are examined, it is seen that the increase mainly resulted from the rise in expectations for the next 12 months. The main reason for the recovery in Consumer Confidence seems to be the gradual opening plan of the economy and its reflections on the financial markets due to the decrease in the number of new cases and deaths by the coronavirus.
In this context, the survey observed that Bloomberg HT Consumer Expectation Index increased by 12.03 percent compared to the previous month to reach 82.40. On the other hand, the Bloomberg HT Consumption Tendency Index, which tries to measure the suitability of the period for consumer durables and the purchase of automobiles and housing and has a positive though varying correlation with GDP, has increased by 32.65 percent to 62.58.
The survey notes that that the evolution of the coronavirus epidemic will continue to be the most important factor in determining the course of the index in the coming period.
Turkey continued to report new cases falling to high three-digits for the lats two data dates, but with intercity travel bans lifted and well-heeled flocking to warm Aegean and Mediterranean vacation sports, the specter of a second wave looms large on the horizon.
You can follow our English language YouTube videos @ REAL TURKEY: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKpFJB4GFiNkhmpVZQ_d9Rg
And content at Twitter: @AtillaEng
Facebook: Real Turkey Channel: https://www.facebook.com/realturkeychannel/


text:
You know times are hard when Japanese start giving up their cell phones! The number of cell-phone shipments in Japan have dropped by nearly half since last year, according to a recent industry report. That is no small drop since Japanese cell-phone users are estimated to be over 110 million, or about 87 percent of the population. Without constant demand, the cell-phone industry, like many others, could be in for difficult times.
Loud conversations and pandemic use of cell phones is not likely to abate anytime soon, though. Roughly 1.8 million new cell phones were shipped last year even as the economy worsened. That’s still a lot of cell phones, old or new — evidence enough of how deeply integrated cell phones have become in the everyday life of Japan.
Japanese consumers may simply be accommodating themselves to tighter budgets and to discriminating feelings about one of their most prized possessions. The recession may give Japan’s insatiable consumers a chance to catch their breath and let an oversaturated market cool down a bit. That may not be so bad, all things considered, but it has effects on other parts of the economy as well.
The cell-phone industry is not a small one. The ministry of communications estimates that business carried out on cell phones was worth over a trillion yen in 2007. Cell-phone music downloads alone were worth some ¥75 billion in 2007, according to one industry analyst. Although sales did expand last year for phones with “one-seg” functions, which allow cell-phone users to watch TV and other broadcasts, the overall direction was down.
Japan has long been considered a testing ground for the interface between new cell-phone technologies and evolving consumer desires, but consumer priorities can shift suddenly and unpredictably. When that happens, greater demands are placed on marketers to provide new services and products at new rates. Japan may not yet be entering a communication recession, but the cell-phone industry, like other areas of the economy, has clearly hit a speed bump in its rush toward the future.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.


text:
Microsoft security director John Howie has said that the company’s robust mechanisms would not allow security breaches like in Sony or EMC’s security wing RSA, according to a report by Computing.
In April this year, the PlayStation Network of Sony experienced one of the biggest hack attacks in online history. The attack, which is believed to have compromised details of over one million users across the world, disrupted Sony’s services for around two months.
Howie, who is the senior director, online services security and compliance governance at Microsoft, blamed Sony and RSA for committing ‘rookie mistakes’ that allowed hackers to breach into their security walls recently.
Howie added that failure to patch its servers and use of outdated coding software led to the breaches at Sony.
"Sony was brought down because it didn’t patch its servers, it ran out of date software and it coded badly. These are rookie mistakes," said Howie.
The Sony hack attack is being investigated and the hackers have not been traced yet. Hacktivist group Anonymous has denied any role in the breach, but in May, another hacker group, Lulz Security claimed responsibility for the security breach in sonypictures.com website. The group had said in a statement that they had exploited the "primitive" security hole in the website because Sony deserved it.
Howie also said that lack of awareness at RSA made someone make a rookie mistake which led to the data theft.
In March this year, EMC’s security division RSA revealed that an "extremely sophisticated" hack had breached into its security systems, compromising a widely used ‘secure token’ technology for preventing computer breaches.
RSA chairman Art Coviello said in an open letter to customers that the cyber attack resulted in stealing of some information, including data related to RSA’s SecurID authentication products.
Howie said, "RSA got hacked because someone got socially engineered and opened a dodgy email attachment. A rookie mistake."
Howie told Computing that Microsoft is protected against such mistakes.
He said, "At Microsoft we have robust mechanisms to ensure we don’t have unpatched servers. We have training for staff so they know how to be secure and be wise to social engineering."
Howie added that Microsoft’s servers are also capable to ward off denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. DoS attacks are widely used by hackers to bring down a website with overwhelming requests.
"We have massively overbuilt our internet capacity, this protects us against DoS attacks," said Howie.
"We won’t notice until the data column gets to 2GB/s, and even then we won’t sweat until it reaches 5GB/s. Even then we have edge protection to shun addresses that we suspect of being malicious," he said.


text:
May 9, 2001 |
Allstate Corp., the second-largest home and car insurer in the U.S., said Tuesday that it has bought auto repair company Sterling Collision Centers Inc. to make car repairs and the processing of insurance claims more efficient. Terms weren't disclosed. Allstate and other auto and home insurers are facing rising claims at a time when competition makes it hard to raise prices. Analysts say many companies are trying to reduce costs by teaming up with preferred car repair services.