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Industrial Supply Association (ISA), Philadelphia, Pa.
Jeffrey Hughes was named president and CEO, serving as the primary executive support and liaison to ISA officers and board of directors. He will also represent ISA in external relations, including key industry coalitions and media, among other duties. Hughes was chief executive officer of GAMA International, where he catalyzed a 76% membership increase, improved member retention and tripled the organization’s surplus. In addition, Hughes brings corporate experiences with AXA Equitable, AIG and Metropolitan Life.
Foster Farms, Livingston, Calif.
President and CEO Ron Foster announced plans to step down from his current position, but will continue his role as owner and director of the private, family-owned company. Under Foster’s leadership, Foster Farms’ sales have increased by 70% and maintained its position as what is said to be the No. 1 brand of fresh chicken in the Western United States. The company is in the second year of a 5-year strategic growth plan initiated by Foster, which will see the introduction of major new products under the flagship Foster Farms fresh brand in 2015 and new product entries in prepared foods categories.
Ready Pac Foods, Inc., Irwindale, Calif.
Tristan Simpson was promoted to chief communications officer, responsible for leading all strategic initiatives within corporate communications, creative, marketing and research and development. She will continue to serve as Ready Pac’s company spokesperson, and will focus on the areas of the company that champion the Ready Pac brand. In her most recent role as vice president, corporate communications, Simpson internally and externally drove corporate communications strategies, and played a key role on the senior leadership team, partnering with leaders to execute company-wide initiatives and continuing to ensure cohesiveness and alignment across the company. Since beginning her career at Ready Pac in 2011, she has managed a variety of roles, including marketing director, segment director, senior director of marketing and corporate communications, and most recently, as vice president of corporate communications. She has also been an integral part of launching many new product lines for Ready Pac, as well as launching the redesigned company website and social media platform in March 2012. A tried-and-true veteran within the consumer packaged goods industry, Simpson maintains 20 years of experience in CPG marketing, business development, communications and public relations, and has worked for a variety of high-profile brands and retailers, including Smart & Final, Roll Corp. (Sunkist), Nancy’s Specialty Foods, Frieda’s, Sun Pacific (Cuties California Clementines) and Pandol Bros.
Delhaize America, Salisbury, N.C.
Michael Laurenti joined as chief information officer, responsible for all information technology and information security operations, which support the company's millions of customers, 100,000 associates and 1,300 stores. Laurenti previously served as CIO for Belk Department Stores, and has more than 20 years of retail leadership in information technology, having worked at Family Dollar Stores, Linens 'N Things and Toys "R" Us. He succeeds Deb Dixson, who announced her retirement earlier this year. Dixson joined the organization in 2010.
Thai Union Frozen Products, Thailand
Dr. Thamnoon Ananthothai, independent director, was appointed to be a member of the audit committee, replacing Kiti Piluntanadiloke, who resigned Oct. 1.
The Kroger Co., Cincinnati
Alex Tosolini will serve in the newly-created role of senior vice president of new business development, effective Nov. 3. In this position, Tosolini will lead a strategic process to identify, evaluate and develop new opportunities that capitalize on Kroger's assets and contribute to the company's continued growth and financial performance. Tosolini has 24 years of experience as a global business executive for Procter & Gamble Co., most recently serving as senior vice president of global eBusiness and vice president of global eCommerce. He has held numerous leadership positions for P&G throughout his career, both in the United States and internationally, and has managed the development of innovative products and services in many lines of business.
Fairway Group Holdings Corp., New York
Dorothy Carlow was named chief merchandising officer, responsible for leading the merchandising team and the company's buying and sales strategies. She will also be working with the marketing department to amplify and develop programs and promotions that articulate and bring to life Fairway's very unique value proposition. Carlow comes to Fairway from Earth Fare, where she was chief merchandising officer, responsible for leading merchandising, marketing, transportation and logistics.
Barfresh Food Group, Inc., Denver, Colo.
The manufacturer of frozen, ready-to-blend beverages for quick-service and casual restaurants appointed Alice Elliot to its board of directors. Elliot is the founder and chief executive of The Elliot Group, and co-founder of The Elliot Leadership Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to leadership development and advancement in the foodservice industry.
McDonald’s Corp., Oak Brook, Ill.
Karen King was named new chief people officer, responsible for talent development and human resources for the U.S. business. King served McDonald’s for 37 years, starting as crew in the restaurants and working her way up to president of the East division prior to her retirement in the fall of 2012.
Domino's Pizza, Inc., Ann Arbor, Mich.
Richard Allison was named president, Domino's International, succeeding Michael Lawton, current chief financial officer, who ran the division prior to Allison. Allison has led the international division since 2011, where he added over 1,800 international stores and 10 new countries. Prior to Domino's, Allison spent over 13 years at Bain & Co., where he was a partner and co-leader of the firm's restaurant practice. Russell Weiner was named president, Domino's U.S.A., responsible for all domestic franchise and corporate store operations, in addition to U.S. marketing. Weiner joined Domino's as chief marketing officer in 2008, where he was central to the success of the Domino's brand turnaround, spurred by the re-launch of its core pizza recipe. Previously, Weiner was head of the Pepsi brand at PepsiCo. Michael Lawton, chief financial officer, will assume the additional responsibilities of the company's supply chain division. Lawton, who has been with Domino's since 1999, has served in both key financial and operational roles for the company, including leading its international business for six years. His expertise will enhance the division's overall effectiveness, including exploring opportunities to find more global efficiencies. Prior to Domino's, Lawton served in both finance and general management roles for Gerber Products Co.
Bunting Magnetics Co., Newton, Kan.
Mauricio Mendizabal was named international sales manager for Latin America. Mendizabal joined Bunting earlier this year as food industry territory manager, serving customers in the bulk, powder, feed, grain and general food industries. Mendizabal brings many years of domestic and Latin American industrial sales experience.
NewAge Industries, Southampton, Pa.
Michael Allard was promoted to director of sales, responsible for overseeing sales objectives for both NewAge and AdvantaPure product lines. He will also work with other department heads to plan, prioritize and attain corporate goals and manage and staff the sales team to establish and achieve departmental targets and work with key customers and distributors. Previously, Allard was global sales manager for the company’s AdvantaPure high-purity products division.
IN MEMORIUM: STEVEN LAVOIE, ARROWSTREAM, INC.
Steven LaVoie, founder and former CEO of ArrowStream, Inc., Chicago, passed away Oct. 13, after succumbing to injuries sustained after a disgruntled employee shot the executive before killing himself.
LaVoie founded ArrowStream in 2000 as an idea for how business partners could achieve greater results working together rather than working independently. This idea produced one of the most unique companies in the supply chain industry. With his leadership, ArrowStream empowered companies to re-invent business processes and relationships through use of a technology to drive remarkable value in their supply chains.
“Steven loved to question the status quo,” says Frank Morgiewicz, chief executive officer. “He inspired us to challenge ingrained mindsets and encourage new ways of thinking. His creativity and influence in the supply chain industry is felt in many circles, and is witnessed in the tremendous outpouring of goodwill as he fought to recover from his injuries.”
“Steven was passionate about helping companies think differently about their business,” says Jody LaVoie, Steven’s wife and advisor to ArrowStream. “It is that same great passion for our mission that propels ArrowStream forward with the strong, creative team that he brought together.”


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Samsung has reclaimed its spot as the top mobile manufacturer globally after a troubled 2016 following the disastrous launch of its Galaxy Note 7.
Market researcher TrendForce found that Samsung had 26.1% of the global production market share for the first three months of 2017. This is up from 18.5% in the last three months of 2016.
Apple came in second place, securing just 16.9% of the global market share. China's Huawei placed third with 11.4%.
Production is down
That said, global smartphone production fell 23% quarter-on-quarter from around 400 million units to 307 million units.
TrendForce noted that this was largely due to China-based manufacturers reducing their output for the season.
Samsung had a rough 2016 following reports of its Galaxy Note 7 devices catching fire through regular use. It eventually blamed the issues on an untested battery that was too big for the casing.


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Microsoft unveiled a range of AI updates for their suite of mobile apps, intensifying the competition with Google and others.
Among the updates is the rollout of several new features for Bing, such as videos, Knowledge Cards, graphs, improved formatting, and social sharing capabilities in Bing Chat. Desktop and mobile users can now enjoy chat history, allowing them to review their recent activity easily. Microsoft is also incorporating Bing Chat into the mobile version of its Edge browser app.
OpenAI recently announced the official launch of its iOS app, which allows users to access the popular AI chatbot on the go. Finally, we can chat with ChatGPT anytime and anywhere!
The new ChatGPT app is entirely free to use and ad-free. It even supports voice input through Whisper, OpenAI's voice recognition system. Initially, the app will be limited to U.S. users, but support for other markets will be coming in the following weeks. And good news for Android users, an Android version is also on the horizon.
Bitcoin payments app, Strike, led by CEO Jack Mallers, is expanding its reach from the U.S. to over 65 countries. This announcement came during the Bitcoin 2023 conference in Florida. Strike utilises Bitcoin and Lightning, a secondary network for faster and cheaper Bitcoin transactions, to provide global payment and cross-border money transfer services. The app has been redesigned with a new user interface and now allows users to hold funds in Bitcoin (BTC) and Tether (USDT).
This expansion significantly increases Strike's addressable market to nearly 3 billion people! To improve the user experience, Strike has focused on enhancing the app's onboarding process, particularly for users outside the United States, where app design standards may vary.
The main goal of Strike is to facilitate Bitcoin transactions and cross-border payments for individuals in Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean.


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Fomento Economico Mexicano
Mexico is a “good story” for Heineken as it continues to integrate FEMSA Cerveza, an analyst has said....
Coca-Cola FEMSA's CFO has said a proposed tax on sugary beverages in its domestic market of Mexico will reduce volumes and lead to job losse...
Heineken will report its third-quarter and year-to-date results on Wednesday (23 October). Here just-drinks takes a look at the company's h...
Grupo Modelo is likely to be worse affected than its rival Heineken by the opening up of Mexico's beer market, according to an analyst....
In part one of my interview with Heineken's CEO, Jean-François van Boxmeer, which ran earlier this week, we took a close look at the brewer's purchase of FEMSA Cerveza last year. We also started a world tour of beer markets, discussing Europe, Russia, Brazil and Mexico.
This month, we have decided to run The Wehring Interview over two instalments. After all, having waited so long to speak to Heineken's CEO, I have a lot of questions for him. Luckily, I've been granted plenty of time in which to ask them.
Coca-Cola FEMSA has seen sales in its half-year receive a boost from last year's purchases in Brazil and Mexico.
Shareholders at Fomento Economico Mexicano (FEMSA) have approved the Mexican company's annual dividend payment.
Coca-Cola FEMSA, the world's largest Coca-Cola bottler, has completed the placement of US$2.15bn worth of senior notes, in three tranches, in the international capital markets.
Mexico's proposed tax on sugary drinks is close to becoming law after it won approval from the country's Senate, according to reports.
The British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA) has criticised new research calling for a soft drinks tax, saying higher levies will not curb obesity.
- just The Preview - Diageo's FY preliminaries
- Analysis - SABMiller's Australian issues continue
- Comment - Beer - What’s in a (Brand) Name?
- just The Preview - Anheuser-Busch InBev's H1 & Q2
- NPD: Alcohol Beverage “Mash-Ups” Fuel Innovation
- Diageo silent over Shuijingfang writedown report
- Britvic promotes GB marketing head to global post
- Molson Coors CEO to retire
- Diageo's Captain Morgan Facebook ad banned
- PepsiCo appoints W Europe, S Africa Tropicana GM


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The aircraft set an altitude record for powerless flight.
It has killed more than 6 million bats across North America since 2007.
Scientists studied the brains of 202 former players.
The risk directly implicates U.S. national security.
Buildings destroyed by Irma
75 percent of Republicans identify themselves as white Christians.
Darius Moses works removing water from the gymnasium
They hope to set a new standard for the fashion industry.
The iPhone X will cost $999.
It is back-to-school time in the United States, which for many is bittersweet.


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Discover the Shamengo pioneers who create with ethics!
Siem Reap / Cambodia
I created a fabric from the lotus flower
It was by chance that this Frenchman discovered the fibres in the lotus stem resembled silk threads. That was all the impetus he needed to pursue the production of a vegetable silk fabric. It was a diamond in the rough.
21 June 2016
Bruno Anes, a Master’s student in Innovation at the University of Grenoble, is doing a 4-month internship at Samatoa, the company started by our pioneer Awen Delaval. Bruno offers his thoughts on this unusual work experience, organised in partnership with the Promising program.
27 April 2016
Based in Cambodia, French pioneer Awen Delaval manufactures lotus thread, the only natural microfiber in the world.
31 March 2016
Since 2015, Elyx has been illustrating and supporting the Shamengo Villa challenges. Already known in his paper and digital forms, he’s now featuring on a textile in two new ethical fashion collections created by Made in Sens.
17 March 2016
Returning from Haiti, our pioneer Nina Raeber is relocating her business to Switzerland and launching a new collection of bags inspired by the traditional embroidery and beading of voodoo flags.


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As previously reported, Namco Bandai’s next Accel World game, titled Accel World 02: Apex of Acceleration, is scheduled for release in early 2013. Today, Namco released the game’s first trailer, which gives a look at in-game footage:
Like the previous Accel World game, Accel World 02 will be released on both PSP and PlayStation 3. Namco will release the game in a limited edition set with a Vacation; Hot Spring anime OVA. Just like the previous title, the OVA will come on DVD with the PSP version and on Blu-Ray with the PlayStation 3 version.
Namco Bandai haven’t announced a release date for Accel World 02 yet.


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DeFi-focused altcoin Algorand (ALGO) has partnered with renowned music and file-sharing platform LimeWire, which plans to relaunch the NFT market. Algorand has become the network of choice for energy efficient NFT markets and the Web 3 economy as the first carbon negative blockchain. LimeWire is looking to launch a token later this year that will provide unique community access, voting mechanisms, and a reward system for its investors, in addition to publishing its digital products on Algorand.
LimeWire signs up with a DeFi altcoin project
LimeWire is P2P file software for arts, entertainment, music and file sharing. The market is returning as a one-stop shop for artists and fans to produce, buy and trade NFT works without the technological barriers plaguing the current NFT industry. Through its relationships with leading musicians in the music industry, the company hopes to introduce digital treasures to the public and gain one million customers within the first year. It was announced in the past hours that Algorand technology will be used for this, with the following Twitter post.
The tweet includes the following statements about Algorand:
Algorand is carbon negative since 2021
Scalable, fast and secure
This makes it perfect for NFTs
As a result, we will be able to offer free NFT printing (mint)
About LimeWire and the NFT market
With a simple registration process, hassle-free KYC, and products priced in dollars, LimeWire will make joining and ease-of-use as simple as possible for NFT beginners. Without the need for a crypto wallet and thanks to the strong relationship with payment provider Wyre, customers will be able to purchase collectibles directly via credit card, wire transfer and other fiat gateways. The NFT marketplace was created with the cutting-edge user experience in mind and also with a more natural and familiar design for the typical customer.
Algorand CEO Steven Kokinos made the following statements about the partnership:
We are excited to see LimeWire launch on Algorand and we see huge potential for them to take the music collections market by storm. Interest in NFTs will grow and we look forward to supporting them. A global brand like LimeWire is entering the field to help open the market to the mainstream.


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In light of the current lockdown and government restrictions around mass gatherings, we have decided to move the dates for the capital’s premier classic car show. The show will continue to be held outdoors in the beautiful grounds of Syon Park and will now take place on the weekend of the 25th – 27th June 2021. This allows us to deliver an even safer outdoor event that will be fully Covid-compliant and meet all government regulations regarding social distancing.
We felt that with such uncertainty around when lockdown may be lifted, it was best that we made a proactive decision and move the event to ensure it goes ahead. The new June fixture offers extra time for us to curate an even more impressive visitor experience as well as being given the luxury of enjoying the longer daylight hours and summer weather that June welcomes!
If you have any queries regarding your booking please send an email to firstname.lastname@example.org
More information: Event website
See our website for details.


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I'm Jeff Bakalar for cnet.com.
We're here at the Sony PlayStation 4 event in New York City.
Just wanna recap real quickly what was announced.
The entire event was really focused on games.
A lot of major developers got on stage and showed off what they're working on, not necessarily games, but what they're capable of doing with the new hardware.
We saw that "Watchdogs" and "Beyond: Two Souls" would probably be
PlayStation 4 games.
They were, originally, sort of announced PlayStation 3 games.
And we also got to see that a lot of titles will also make debuts simultaneously on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. And another big focus of the event was an impact on social gaming, how people will share videos of what they play, how that will integrate with Facebook.
Now, strangely enough, they did not show us what the actual PlayStation 4 hardware is
going to look like.
We did get a glimpse of what the new controller will look like.
That's called the DualShock 4. And we did get to see what the new Eye sort of stereo camera device will look like as well.
Again, no price, no hardware and, only known right now, is that it will have a Holiday 2013 release.
Sony and Gaikai are teaming up to bring the biggest streaming online gaming initiative we've ever seen so far.
That includes things like streaming games live to
demo them before you buy them.
Some interesting stuff being proposed here at the Sony PlayStation 4 event in New York.
We will be following up with much more in cnet.com.
For now, I'm Jeff Bakalar.
Thanks for watching.


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News by Madeleine Oakley
Chanel has announced the postponement of their 2020 Cruise collection show, which was originally planned for November 6th. Political unrest and anti-government protests have caused upheaval in the region, making it the sensible choice to not go ahead with the event.
Originally unveiled in Paris earlier this year, the Cruise collection is Chanel’s first fashion offering without Karl Lagerfeld in charge, following his death in February. Chanel publicised their plans in July to stage the show in Hong Kong, despite the fact that protests were already abundant throughout the area. Many were shocked by this announcement and therefore, Chanel’s decision to reschedule the show to a “later and more appropriate moment” was received with understanding.
The protests in Hong Kong are in response to the extradition bill and include pro-democracy marches, some drawing crowds of over a million citizens. Protestors have torn down facial recognition cameras and caused upheaval to transport, including the cancellation of many flights from the airport. Other luxury events have been cancelled, including the Tatler Ball and the opening of a new shopping site in Kowloon, which was planned for November. The demonstrations have been happening for three months and the end is uncertain.
In the short term, the cancellation of Chanel’s show and similar luxury functions will affect the local economy, as each event would have brought in a few million pounds for the hospitality and travel sectors. The long term consequences are still yet to be felt, but it is unlikely that companies will want to base their future events in the region. Moreover, Hong Kong retail sales in July were down by 11.4%, meaning that brands will be likely to concentrate their efforts on other areas of the world. Chanel has nine boutiques in Hong Kong and these may also see a slump in sales.
Despite the postponing of their show, Chanel has confirmed that their latest resort collection will still be available to buy in Hong Kong from November 6th.


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Nokia's N-Gage game deck/cell phone is pressing ahead. Despite receiving so-so reviews of its games, offering a $100 rebate on its $300 price and the looming specter of new mobile game systems from big daddies Sony and Nintendo, Nokia continues to line up commitments from top gamemakers.
Electronic Arts recently said it's working on an N-Gage version of "The Sims: Bustin' Out" for release by summer. That raises to 27 the number of titles available or in the works for the cell phone that wirelessly plays video games with other N-Gages, stores and plays MP3s and records from its built-in FM radio. When game publishers such as EA, Activision and Sega heard about those capabilities, they offered to make N-Gage versions of top-drawer games such as "NCAA Football 2004," "Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4" and "Virtua Tennis."
We'll see how long N-Gage can keep it up. Nokia on Thursday is scheduled to release sales numbers for its fourth quarter (N-Gage made its worldwide debut Oct. 7) and for all of 2003.
That's when we'll find out how many gamers took the plunge on a system with so many cool features in so small a space that compromises were in order: the view screen is vertical, as opposed to the horizontal screen gamers have played on since Pong; to swap out games, the owner has to turn off the N-Gage and unscrew a back plate; you must turn off the game and lose your spot to answer the phone; without a headset, the phone can be used only by placing the unit against the ear as if you're showing off the game deck to passersby (The last shortcoming has been hilariously spoofed at www.sidetalkin.com).
IT WAS 20 YEARS AGO TODAY ...
Video games comprise a multibillion-dollar-a-year industry with no end in sight -- just like 20 years ago. Then the end came. Everybody, it seems, sold a video game system, everybody and his dog created an abysmally un-fun video game with advertising tie-ins (starting with a rushed "E.T." Atari game based on the movie), and super-cheap (and super-awful) home computers by the likes of Coleco and others arrived to give parents a choice between video games and a computer that played games and helped do the family budget.
Almost overnight, the video game industry collapsed, companies folded, the awful home computers gave way to the Apple and the video game landscape was cleared for the rise in 1985 of Nintendo and the video game universe we now recognize.
THE FUTURE LOOKS SMALLER
"It's so small and cute." Those are the words makers of handheld video games, MP3 players, cameras and camcorders love to hear, for they often are followed by "I want one."
To boost the small-and-cute factor, those gadgets must be able to store lots of songs or pictures in a tiny space, and here comes Toshiba to make it happen. The Japanese manufacturer is promising to deliver this year a 0.85-inch hard drive that can hold 4 gigabytes of stuff, meaning that future music players could make the new iPod Mini and it's 4gb hard drive look gargantuan by comparison. Toshiba has only prototypes of its drive right now but aims to roll them out this year. No word on what gearmakers will use the hard drive, which will compete against solid-state but higher-priced flash memory devices for space on ever-shrinking digital gear.
KEY FOR GAMING PLATFORMS
PS2 -- PlayStation 2
GC -- GameCube
XB -- XBox
GBA -- Game Boy Advance


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Los Angeles – In a Los Angeles neighborhood, outside the nation’s busiest port facility, trucks carrying cargo containers move day and night as workers attempt to break into an unprecedentedly unprocessed ship waiting to land. Despite this, it is backed up and there are frequent traffic jams.
About 40% of all shipping containers entering the United States pass through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Ship log jams disrupted global supply chains, and last week the Biden administration allowed port facilities to operate 24 hours a day to unload goods and deliver them to consumers.
Since then, residents of the Wilmington area, just north of the port, have complained that trucks are always parked on the road. On the other hand, cargo companies that lack space to store unloaded containers are stacking containers outside overloaded warehouses or in parking lots.
This week, a container slammed off a truck, turned into a narrow street, and pancaked a parked car. No one was injured, but local officials say it was an accident where so many trucks were packed into a small area waiting to happen.
“It’s becoming a security issue,” said Jacob Haiku, deputy chief of Los Angeles City Council member Joe Buscaino, who represents the working class sector. Haiku said the city would begin issuing citations to companies that were not safely stacking containers or trucks blocking roads.
As of Tuesday, there were 63 ships and 96 vessels awaiting docking and unloading at the two ports, according to the Southern California Marine Exchange, which oversees the passage of port ships. .. The number of ships waiting to enter the port reached a record 100 on Monday.
Wilmington resident Sonia Cervantes said a truck blocked her path when she was trying to go to work at 6:30 a.m. His entire block is tired of traffic.
“This is a group of neighbors who are very upset because of the non-stop situation,” Cervantes told CBSLA.
Maria Arierne, who owns UCTI Trucking Company with her husband Frank, said she is sympathetic to the community, but that truck traffic is due to limited container storage.
“It’s an ongoing problem. We’re just trying to get these truck drivers in and out,” she said on Wednesday. “I’m literally on the road that guides the traffic.”
California Governor Gavin Christopher issued an executive order on Wednesday aimed at reducing the unprocessed portion. He directed the California State Agency to seek state-owned property that could temporarily store goods entering the port. Democratic Party Newsom has asked the state’s interior affairs and communications ministry to consider possible sites by December 15.
He also ordered the governor’s trade and economic development department to investigate other properties that are not with the state, such as privately owned or locally owned parcels, which could also be used for storage. , Review timeline not shown.
Newsom’s orders are the beginning, Haiku said, but he also urged the governor to allow cities to change zoning rules to make it easier. He said the city has identified several port-owned plots that can be quickly paved and turned into storage without the existing red tape.
“The lots are very small, but if you can put together 10 or 12 lots and have 40 containers each, you’ll have 500 containers,” Hike says. “That’s some serious relief.”
More relief could be provided by diverting cargo traffic to Oakland Port. Mayor Libby Schaff told KRON-TV on Wednesday that her city’s port “currently has untapped capacity” and that Auckland “could take some of these ships out of your hands.” ..
Newzam’s order also directed state transportation agencies to look for freight routes to assist with freight traffic that could be exempt from vehicular weight restrictions. He urged his administration to bring reforms in ports and transport which could be included in the next state budget to be presented in January.
A coalition of business groups including retailers, truck drivers, grocery stores etc said on Wednesday that Newsom’s orders were not going well.
“There are additional realistic and concrete actions that governors can take to face the moment and deal with this crisis, but set up a task force in 2022 to delay emergency action by at least a month. We cannot impose the money debate on the January budget, which now provides the necessary urgency to deal with this crisis. ”
The group will facilitate Newsom’s suspension of air quality rules governing truck emissions, allow cities to lift restrictions on unloading goods in stores during non-business hours, and facilitate the warehouse permitting process. I request you to take such drastic steps.
Associated Press writer Kathleen Ronin of Sacramento, Calif., contributed to this report.
Copyright 2021 AP Communications. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.


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Say hello to Goojje, a Chinese search engine that looks remarkably like one we've seen before. It launched on January 14, and yes, it's filtered for less flavor.
Ain't it always the way? Just when you think you're the owner of the world's biggest yacht, an even larger one appears out of nowhere? (Well, I say nowhere, I really mean Belgium, where boat designers Emocean hail from.)
A few days before Crimbo last year, Blam posted on the news that Virgin boss Richard Branson was getting into deep water. Well, we've now got a render of the hydrobatic Necker Nymph, as it's been named.
As well as measuring an object's distance, speed and direction, you can adjust the volume on the cellphone's music player - even when it's in your pocket, or covered by an object. The researchers, from Aalto University, wanted to really ramp up the speed, testing it out on a bike, but apparently there was too much…
Long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I was a sucker for Battlestar Galactica (while these days I merely mix my sci-fi metaphors. Boldly.) Anyway, Earth's twin is due to be discovered this year - says Michael Mayor.
So, una buncha de architectos have inventados a heat-resistant glue for erecciones, have they? (My real Spanish is pretty damn good, I'm just playing to the gallery, you understand.) Well, why am I not surprised it's a Spanish invention?
It may be lagging three inches behind Panasonic's big telleh, but Mitsubishi's whopping great screen is OLED. Or should that be ZOLED? It was unveiled at ISE 2010, with Number 6 and Boomer dressy-likeys lending a hand.
I'm not just sure how practical this is, but ION has just announced details of its iType keyboard, a full-sized, battery-operated keyboard. Available in the second quarter of 2010, there's no price as yet. Or whether it's wireless or not. [Slashgear]
San Andreas fault fans, there's a new TED in town. The United States Geological Survey has developed the Twitter Earthquake Detection project, in an attempt to improve its handling of those natural disasters when they hit across the U.S.
Digital photo frames? Errrrrrrrm, MEH. Casio's Digital Art Frame, however, I could almost write a QVC script for. It takes your own digital photos and transforms them into paintings - well, it turns them into digital images with special effects.
Razer, the firm that brings us all those high-end gaming peripherals, has made its first foray into the Xbox market with a couple of add-ons. The Onza controller and Chimaera pro gaming headset will be available later this year.
Clue: It's not the world champion Conker player's special box. There's a clue in those last two words, though.
Those clever people at Sigma have just announced the arrival of NeoVue, a wireless streaming platform that will let you watch stuff from your small-screened gizmo (laptop, phone) on a bigger-screened gizmo (telly.) Yay! [Wireless Developer's Journal]
Yesterday, Obama's Chief Technology Officer went to Vegas to hang out with Blam, Chen, Frooch, et al. And what did he get from Consumer Electronics Association head honcho? Not a request for POTUS's cell number, but a bollocking.
President Sarkozy, that small man with the excellent peripheral - wife Carla Bruni - could be going for the Internet giants in order to claw back some of the revenue he claims that creatives are losing through piracy.


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The New York City Council unanimously approved a number of bills Thursday was designed to limit the reach of third-party delivery app providers. They are taking advantage of devastated restaurants as a result of concerns the COVID-19 pandemic, even though they also helped them survive.
The council extended until February 17, 2022 a cap imposed during the pandemic Delivery charges are 15%, and marketing services are 5% The The cap was due to expire next month. This would have allowed apps Based on the services, charge commissions as high as 30%-35%.
“Small” These fees should not be forced on businesses. Francisco, Queens Council Member Moya, the bill’s sponsor. “To allow the temporary limit to expire This would severely hinder the recovery of many businesses that are already in trouble. Just starting to get on their feet again.”
Andrew Rigie is the executive director of NYC Hospitality Alliance. He praised the council for curbing what he called “the abuseative.” “Business practices of mega-sized third-party delivery businesses” Despite “misleading statements” from the industry.
Delivery app Companies strongly opposed the extension. Grant, GrubHub spokesperson Klinzman called fee caps “arbitrary prices controls” and predicted that they would be implemented. “Result in harmful and long-term consequences to locally-owned businesses Businesses, delivery workers, diners and the local economy.
Many The apps offer restaurants a variety of options at different price points. DoorDash reported that it provides a basic plan for restaurants. Delivery fees of 15% are charged. This fee covers both background and insurance. Delivery workers are paid and checks.
Third-party delivery services worried the city would enact a permanent cap like San Francisco did on the fees charged to restaurants. Bronx Council member Mark Gjonaj stated that a temporary extension should “withstand all challenges” by the apps.
Other Limits approved by the Council
Another bill approved on Thursday requires the apps to get written approval Before a restaurant owner lists their business, they can get this information from them. This bill also Restaurants are not required to compensate delivery platforms. They will be responsible for any damages that may occur after food and beverages have been removed from the premises Restaurant
The council approved another bill that requires the apps to share customer data After the industry complained that its members should be able to open restaurants, they were able to. Customers can be identified. This includes information about a customer. Name, phone number, email address, delivery address and contents They will be notified of your orders.
Concerns were raised by delivery companies about Customers’ privacy rights were respected by groups such as Gay Men’s Health. Crisis and the Haitian American Caucus. It claimed that 30% of its members were from Haiti. It is immigrants and would not allow them to compromise. Situations
DoorDash recommended that customers be required To opt in to having their data shared by a restaurant instead Opting out. The legislation is not effective for the time being, according to a spokesperson. several months and stated that “we will continue fighting to protect the Privacy of our customers
Restaurants are not allowed to comply with the law. You must not sell customer information without their permission. Despite passing The bill caused enough concern that a Brooklyn Council Member was forced to sign it. Carlos Mechaca stated that he would work with Keith Powers, its sponsor. Manhattan to increase protections so New Yorkers data cannot be accessed Other entities like Immigration and Customs can take it into their hands. Enforcement
Jonathan Forgash is the executive director of Queens Together Restaurant Association, applauded the legislation. These laws will allow our restaurants to take control of their customers. He stated that data is key to reducing costs and ensuring success in business.”
Another bill extends a pandemic-era restriction through February on charging customers for phone calls that don’t result in an order. The council also approved new legislation aimed at stopping apps from listing phone numbers that are not really linked to an individual restaurant, but appear to be and end up costing customers money when they call.
Depending on the law they are breaking, the city can fine companies up to $500.


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O'Reilly's completing purchase of Southern Auto Supply
O’Reilly Automotive Inc. is in the process of completing a purchase of Southern Auto Supply — Parts City Inc. in Van Buren.
The asset purchase is expected to be completed this week. The last day of business as Southern Auto Supply was Saturday. Beginning Monday, the store began operating as O’Reilly Auto Parts at its current location, 1603 East Main St. in Van Buren.
Customers can still use the same number, (479) 474-3496, to contact the Van Buren store for assistance by Cody Ackerman, Ryan Beckham, Zechariah Shehan and James Villines.
“Johnny and Cindy Litchford and the Southern Auto Supply — Parts City Inc, team would like to thank their customers for their business,” a news release states. “The Southern Auto Supply — Parts City Inc. employees are excited for the opportunity to continue to serve their customers’ auto parts needs as O’Reilly Auto Parts, supported by increased inventory availability, through O’Reilly’s vast distribution network, and unsurpassed levels of customer service.”
O’Reilly was founded in 1957 as one store in Springfield, Mo., and now operates more than 4,900 stores in 47 states.
“O’Reilly has been successful for 60 years by relentlessly focusing on providing consistently high levels of service to our customers. We would like to welcome the Southern Auto Supply — Parts City employees to Team O’Reilly, and we are excited about the opportunity to continue to provide top-notch service to all of Southern Auto Supply — Parts City existing customers, as well as new customers, in the Van Buren and surrounding communities,” Scott Kraus, O’Reilly’s senior vice president of Real Estate and Expansion, said in a news release.


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Channel 4’s ad sales team, 4Sales, is introducing an "agile working" policy from January that will allow staff to work from home one day a week.
The apporach has been tested in other parts of Channel 4 since the summer and has now been officially introduced across the broadcaster. 4Sales will be the last part of the business to introduce the policy, which a spokeswoman said was due to the importance of getting the right technical support in place.
According to Channel 4, the scheme was the result of discussions and consultations with staff that had been taking place for some time. Feedback from sales staff was that they wanted to improve their work/life balance.
Channel 4, which employs about 225 people within 4Sales, said it has invested in laptop and mobile technology that can be used by staff when they work out of the office. The scheme is particularly pertinent to Channel 4 given the relocation of jobs from London to Leeds, Bristol, Glasgow and Manchester. While most jobs at 4Sales will remain in London, the traffic division, which co-ordinates the broadcast of ads, is moving to Leeds.
Jonathan Allan, Channel 4’s chief commercial officer, said: "As businesses across our industry evolve and Channel 4 becomes a multi-site company, we now have the tech and support framework in place to introduce agile working within our sales team to support the different ways in which people need to work."
Flexible working is a hot topic in advertising at the moment. In September, it emerged that Starcom told employees it would have to reconsider its flexible working policy if office attendance on Fridays did not improve. Campaign’s story on the development was among the most well-read of 2019. In an article the following day, Creature’s Dan Cullen-Shute argued that flexible working was easier in theory than in practice.
Channel 4 announced in October that it was tripling the number of staff selling directly to advertisers as part of a wider shake-up of 4Sales. It wanted to bolster staff numbers in the client-facing part of the main ad sales team from around five to between 15 and 20.
This summer, Channel 4 revelaed that its ad sales revenue in 2018 had fallen below £1bn for the first time in four years. However, the broadcaster pointed out that it had outperformed the overall TV ad market.


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New car sales are expected to increase by 1.6 in January, 2014, compared to January 2013, with a total of 1.06 million units sold, and an estimated 15.9 million SAAR (seasonally adjusted annual rate), says the Kelley Blue Book, a leading source of used and new car information.
A January SAAR of 15.9 million would be a seven-year record (in 2007 it reached 16.4 million).
Alec Gutierrez, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book, said:
“January is typically the weakest sales month of the year as many consumers take advantage of holiday deals in December.”
“However, winter storms also could impact new-vehicle sales this month, as much of the country deals with historically cold weather and snowstorms. Early estimates indicate fleet sales will be down as well.”
Below are some highlighted data regarding the January 2014 sales forecast:
- New light-vehicle sales for January, including fleet, are expected to reach 1,060,000 units, an increase of 1.6% compared to January 2013, and 21.9% less than in December last year.
- The SAAR for January 2014 is forecast to be 15.9 million units, compared to 15.2 million in January 2013, and 15.3 in December 2013.
- 83% of the volume is expected to come from retail sales.
Good new car sales expected for Nissan and Chrysler
Chrysler, thanks to strong increases in the sales of its RAM and Jeep brands, is expected to have a respectable increase in January. Jeep sales rose 34% last month after the recent launch of the Cherokee crossover, “while overall industry was flat.”
RAM sales in December were 22% higher than in December 2012.
Gutierrez said “We expect Nissan to record a solid sales month in January from its top products, the Altima and the all-new Rogue. Both set record sales in 2013, and the Rogue has become an integral part of Nissan’s portfolio with compact crossover sales booming among consumers.”
1Historical data from OEM sales announcements. 2Kelley Blue Book Automotive Insights. 3Includes brands not shown. (Source: Kelley Blue Book).
For the 15th successive month, compact crossovers are expected to continue to report double-digit growth, but not as strong as the 20% seen in 2013.
The report authors predict that entry-level vehicles will register higher sales, partly driven by the recent introduction of the BMW 4 Series and all-new Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class.
Guitierrez said “Following a huge year in 2013, full-size pickup truck sales should see growth slow in 2014. General Motors will look to cut back on incentives on the all-new Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, while Ford manages their inventory before its new line of F-Series trucks hits the market later this year.”
1Kelley Blue Book Automotive Insights. 2Includes segments not shown (Source: Kelley Blue Book).


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Tempting China's Low-End Smartphone BuyersChristina Larson
In the same week that Motorola and Google launched the new Moto X smartphone in New York, the Chinese mobile-phone company Xiaomi unveiled a new model in Beijing that also has potential to reshape a domestic smartphone market.
Like the Moto X, Xiaomi’s new Hongmi (“Red Rice”) is billed as a high-quality, moderately priced model—meant to appeal to the fast-growing lower end of the smartphone market in China. The upstart Chinese company announced last week that on Aug. 12 it will release its new smartphone, priced at 799 RMB, or about $130. The price tag “is incredibly aggressive for the specs it has,” says Bill Bishop, an expert on personal technology markets in China and editor of the Sinocism newsletter. “[It’s] great for consumers, brutal for component suppliers and handset makers.”
A half-decade ago, smartphones were seen as luxury accessories in China, dangled as status symbols by aspirational Beijing and Shanghai residents; back then, Apple was the company to beat. No longer. The percentage of Chinese people regularly going online has jumped from 16 percent to 45 percent in just six years. Much of the rapid growth in Internet penetration has been driven by the swift adoption of smartphones and tablets, especially among consumers who never before had enough cash to shell out for laptops or PCs. (Among China’s new and eager smartphone users: the country’s millions of migrant workers, many earning just $500 per month.)
According to data from China’s leading e-commerce company, Alibaba, 61 percent of the smartphones purchased on its e-tail sites, Taobao.com and Tmall.com, were models selling for less than 1000 RMB. Xiaomei’s founder and chief executive officer, Lei Jun, told state-run China Daily that his company was now targeting this vast market: “I believe the Hongmi is the best product among all 1,000-yuan smartphones.” Charles Custer, editor of the respected Tech in Asia industry website, doubts Lei is just bluffing: “Low price point is already Xiaomi’s selling point and this [phone] is already cheaper; it will probably sell like hotcakes.”
The Hongmi model uses an Android-based operating system, like most of Apple’s competitors in China. (Android is a free, open-source software platform.) Sinocism’s Bishop notes the irony, calling the ubiquitous operating system’s dominance in China “Google’s revenge.” Although Google has dramatically scaled back its search-engine ambitions in mainland China, the handiwork of its Mountain View (Calif.)-based software engineers has “enabled the massive growth in smartphone penetration in China and put a huge dent in Apple’s business prospects here.”
Apple is reportedly working on a lower-priced smartphone to sell in China, but it may already be too late. Good-bye Apple. Hello Red Rice?


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In local action, St Michael’s are out of the FAI Junior Cup.The Tipperary Town club, who last won the trophy in 2014, drew 1-1 after extra-time with Newmarket Celtic but lost the subsequent penalty shoot-out 4-3.Ray Lonergan, who watched the 6th Round match for Tipp FM, says the Clare side had some very impressive performers. There was better news for Clonmel Celtic – they’re through to the next round after scoring a 3-2 home victory over Castleknock Celtic of Dublin.
Pile of credit cards on table, closeup MIAMI, Florida – Not all ATMs, debit cards, and credit cards are alike, and the wrong ones can cost travelers a lot in extra fees and poor exchange rates. But, according to a new “Savvy Retiree” report from International Living, when used with a smart strategy in place, these banking tools can help make an overseas trip smooth and good value.Source: Internationalliving.com“Not all ATM systems and debit and credit cards are created equal,” says Dan Prescher, senior editor with International Living. “Get a debit or credit card from any-old bank, and you may pay much higher fees than you need to. Choose the wrong ATM when you’re on the road and you could pay sky-high foreign-exchange rates. But armed with a few key guidelines, it’s easy to ensure you’re keeping your banking costs to a minimum—so you can spend your money on more entertaining things.”A recent “Savvy Retiree” report from International Living outlines the ways travelers can make smart use of their debit and credit cards and choose the right ATMs. Here are three cost-saving tips:Seek out bank ATMs.First, not all ATMs are alike. One example is Euronet, whose machines are ubiquitous across Europe. They pop up in hotels, airports, souvenir shops, convenience stores, and on any street where tourists are commonplace. But they can be more costly than other ATMs in several ways.First, when a debit card is used from any country other than where the machine is, these ATMs are programmed to initially offer uncommonly large withdrawal amounts.In Prague, for example, these machines offer withdrawal amounts between 10,000 and 20,000 Czechia crowns. In dollar terms, that’s the equivalent of $440 and $880. The reason these ATMs are programmed this way is that Euronet offers very high exchange rates compared to the official daily rate that banks use. The more dollars — and the higher the spread between the official exchange rate and the Euronet rate, the better for Euronet, and the worse for the cardholder.The better strategy: find ATMs belonging to local banks. Exchange rates will be the same or much closer to official daily rates.If the only ATM around is a Euronet or other non-bank ATM, select “Different Amount” if the quantities offered on-screen are excessively high. Withdraw as little as possible to get by until a real bank ATM is located.Don’t convert funds at an ATM.Even with bank ATMs, there’s a strategy to prevent extra charges: Reject the currency conversion option often shown on the screen.The option to convert currency typically uses a higher exchange rate. The option to “accept without conversion” will yield an exchange rate closer to the actual daily rate.Always pay in the local currency.With credit cards, the strategy is to always choose the local currency option when given a choice.For instance, in a Czechia restaurant or supermarket, the card-reader typically displays a message:


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Kim Kardashian showed off her newly-slimmed down frame and did what she does best: Promotion. Promotion. Promotion.
The Kardashians star wore a tight outfit, though it wasn’t for a night out but for an all-together, more cozy time at home.
She wore tight white leggings that were high-waisted, emphasizing her hourglass figure, and a matching white tank top that showed a bit of her flat stomach.
The lounge set featured the SKIMS logo all throughout, as well as rhinestones for a sparkly holiday feel.
Despite wearing a comfortable outfit, Kim was not about to start slacking and chill on the couch. She posed in front of a rack of clothes and a wooden chair as she pointed her toe to show off her best side.
Kim had her long, platinum blonde hair in its usual middle part and falling down her shoulders, and she matched her makeup to the minimal look of the outfit, wearing mascara and nude lipstick.
She confidently posed, staring at the camera that appeared to be at a lower angle, and gave her an imposing look.
Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS brand recently dropped the Rhinestone Pointelle collection
The lounge set Kim was wearing is from the new Rhinestone Pointelle collection that just dropped a day ago. It’s part of the new Season of Sparkle featured on the SKIMS website, which is promoting limited-edition holiday items, including cozy lounge sets and fleece pajamas.
The Rhinestone Pointelle drop features a tank top that was worn by Kim for $68, coming in white and black, as well as pink for the Barbiecore fans. The pants Kim wore retail for $98 and also come in those colors.
The other pieces from the new collection feature a slip dress, a onesie, and a scrunchie, all featuring the SKIMS logo, which would be perfect for anyone wanting to perfect their Instagram aesthetic during the holidays.
For fans of SKIMS who feel the items are just out of their price range, Kim recently announced via Instagram that the SKIMS Bi-Annual sale starts today.
The reality star shared a video announcing the sale as she was having her hair done.
Kim and Balenciaga have come under fire for new campaign
Kim has come under fire this week, along with Balenciaga, whom she frequently wears. The high-fashion brand shared holiday ads featuring children carrying teddy bears in what appeared to be BDSM outfits, prompting outrage online.
Right after, Kim shared a selfie of herself in the Balenciaga x Adidas collaboration, wearing a tight gray top with the Adidas logo, tiny black shorts, and knee-high black boots.
Kim’s ex-husband Kanye West was dropped from both brands for his anti-semitic remarks.
The reality star has not come out and said anything about the scandal involving photos of children or condemned the ad, and it looks as if Kim is supporting the brand.
Balenciaga has since apologized for the thoughtless ad and pulled the pictures.
In an Instagram statement, they wrote, “We sincerely apologize for any offense our holiday campaign may have caused. Our plush bear bags should not have been featured with children in this campaign. We have immediately removed the campaign from all platforms.”More: Keeping Up with the Kardashians, The Kardashians


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LONDON (CBS.MW) -- Decoma International Inc deca said it has decided to shut down its anodizing operations in Ontario. The automotive equipment maker said it sees writedown costs of $16.4 million from the closing of the facilities. In addition, the restructuring plan will result in pre-tax severance costs of about $3.6 million, which are expected to be recorded in the fourth quarter. Regarding its European operations, the company said it will record a fourth quarter impairment charge of about $16 million.
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NordPass has published its list of Top 200 Most Common Passwords for the year 2020, and these passwords are laughably insecure. Indeed, people are putting their data at risk by using these easy-to-guess passwords. Experts claim that if your password is easy for you to remember, it might be easy for a hacker to crack it. Tech companies have warning users for years to use hard-to-crack passwords. Moreover, they recommend consumers to use two-factor authentication. However, users are still using insecure codes.
According to NordPass, the majority of consumers use easy-to-remember and straightforward passwords only because it is convenient. However, the problem is that these most memorable codes are highly vulnerable to cracking. If you use such insecure passwords, the chances are that a hacker will easily crack your password.
The top three passwords in the list of 200 most used passwords for 2020 are 123456, 123456789, and picture1. ‘password’ is the No. 4 on this list, followed by various number combinations as well as qwerty, abc123, and Million2. It is worth mentioning that consumers need to avoid using phrases such as iloveyou, omgpop, Ashley, sunshine, dragon, pokemon, chatbooks, and princess as their passwords.
The platform worked with a third-party provider in order to evaluate a database containing 275,699,516 codes. Out of these 275,699,516 passwords, only 44% were unique. The other passwords were repeats of common and easy-to-remember codes that leave people highly vulnerable to threats. It is worth noting that only 78 out of these 200 most common passwords this year were new. According to a cybersecurity expert at NordPass, Chad Hammond, if your password is among these 200 most used passwords of 2020, then you should change it immediately. Hammond stated that a hacker could hack most of these passwords in less than a second. The cybersecurity expert added that these passwords have already been exposed in previous data breaches. For instance, the password, 123456, has already been breached 23,597,311 times.
The most important question here is what you need to do to strengthen your password. You can use complex codes and save them in a password manager. Some password managers are free to use, such as Enpass Password Manager and Avira Password Manager. PCMag Editor’s Choice password managers are LastPass, Dashlane, and Keeper. Moreover, you should always two-factor authentication if available.


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(Photo: China News Service)
China is not going to have a large-scale consumer price inflation though the novel coronavirus outbreak will lead to higher CPI pressure in the short term, a central bank official said on Saturday.
"It still needs some time to resume production, which will bring pressure on price stability, but to maintain a prudent monetary policy is the precondition which has never changed," said Fan Yifei, vice-governor of the People's Bank of China, the central bank, said at a media conference.
The central bank will take measures to stabilize prices, as "we believe that China will never have large-scale inflation," said Fan.
The consumer inflation in China, which is indicated by the consumer price index (CPI), rose to 5.4 percent in January, compared with 4.5 percent in December, mainly driven by the higher food prices amid the outbreak of the virus.
Meanwhile, the central bank pledged to maintain a prudent monetary policy. As a measure to support enterprises hit by the epidemic, financial regulators said a higher ratio of nonperforming loans in commercial banks will be tolerated.
More detailed rules will be released soon by the banking regulator, indicating a temporary financial deregulation and more flexible supervision standards to prevent company bankruptcies.
"Maybe the nonperforming loans will increase, and we are preparing for that," said Fan. "We are trying to solve that problem."
China has a relatively low level of nonperforming loans, compared with some other countries, thus the regulators will have more room to adjust the policies, according to the PBOC official.


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Back in August we wrote about the domain name MakeAmericaGreatAgain.com which is has become Donald Trump’s famous tag line of the his 2016 Presidential run.
At the time we noted that although “The Donald filed a trademark on the term back in November 2012, the trademark was filed for opposition in 2013 and not finally granted until July, 14th 2015.
The domain name MakeAmericaGreatAgain.com was first registered in 2009 under the domain name registrar 1and1.com, however the domain name MakeAmericaGreatAgain.com actually dropped in June 2014 and sat unregistered for a few months until it was registered on October 7, 2014, meaning Donal Trump could have registered the domain name MakeAmericaGreatAgain.com for about $10 until October 7th when someone registered the domain name at Godaddy under privacy.”
That someone contacted me last night claiming to be the owner of the domain and answered an email we sent to makeamericagreatagain.com.
The purported owner, Wendy Vantiem commented on our August post saying that the domain was for sale. I asked Ms. Vantiem how much she wanted for the domain name, to which she responded “I was really hoping to get at least $2,000,000. for the domain name.”
Back in August when we wrote about the domain, it had an Alexa Ranking of 13 Million worldwide, however now the Alexa ranking has climbed to 6.5 Million Worldwide with 100% of the traffic coming from people typing in the domain.


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Bengaluru: In a first, IRCTC has set up a tablet-operated food vending machine on the newly unveiled Coimbatore-Bengaluru UDAY (Utkrisht Double Decker Air-Conditioned Yatri) Express. Passengers undertaking the seven-hour journey between the two cities can now order a variety of ready-to-eat snacks and hot and cold beverages from the vending machine.
An order can be placed over a tablet linked to the vending machine after making the payment in cash. The vending machine can be found in the mini-panty-cum-dining areas of three coaches on the double-decker express, according to a report.
The official Twitter handle of the Ministry of Railways released a 45-second video in which a passenger was seen ordering a hot beverage. It appears the menu and other options on the tablet are entirely in English. Other features of the UDAY Express include a Wi-Fi enabled infotainment system, GPS-based passenger information system and exclusive dining area for passengers.
Union Minister Rajen Gohain, who flagged off the train on June 8, said UDAY Express would be a major attraction for business class travellers. The air-conditioned chair car train leaves from Coimbatore Junction at 5.45 am and arrives in Bengaluru at 12.40 pm. And from Bengaluru, it starts at 2.15 pm and reaches Coimbatore at 9 pm.


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Expo Showcases Products Proudly Made In Minnesota [VIDEO]
ST. CLOUD -- The first-ever Made in Minnesota expo was held today at the River's Edge Convention Center in downtown St. Cloud.
The expo featured local businesses and their products that are made here in the North Star State.
The event was free to the public and offered hotdish lunches, trivia and inflatables by Airmaxx for the kids.
Expectations for the event were met and perhaps exceeded as thousands of people attended to check out the Minnesota-made goods.
"This is just great, what an awesome [day]," John Brichacek of Smude's Sunflower Oil says.
"[We] couldn't have asked for a better turnout."
Brichacek says local businesses can really benefit from the exposure they get at events like Made in Minnesota.
"A lot of people don't realize that [great products] come from Minnesota," Brichacek says.
Dave Patrick Otto of Third Street Brewhouse say the event allows a unique and valuable interaction with their customers.
"The most important thing is just being able to make that face-to-face time [with our customers]," Otto says.
"People might think of a brewery as being some sort of faceless company, but it's really just a handful of people really working hard to try to make the best beer possible...and represent the community."
With the first-year success, vendors like Brichacek are already looking forward to future Made in Minnesota expos.
"Absolutely...this is definitely something we're going to do again and again and again."


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Durex this week unveils a refreshed identity and packaging, as part of a bid to reposition the brand globally as a sexual ‘wellbeing’ product range.
Repositioning work, previously undertaken by Jones Knowles Ritchie, was picked up by Elmwood when Durex head of global marketing Mark Critchley approached the consultancy in January 2006.
Simon Preece, account director at Elmwood, explains that the need to sustain growth was one of the motivations behind the latest project.
‘When you’re the number one condom brand in most regions [of the world], it’s hard to have sustainable growth. It’s a case of “Where do you go from here?”, says Preece. ‘And, as most of the consumer base gets older and goesthrough different life stages, there’s a continual [process of] youth recruitment, which is not really sustainable.’
Armed with in-depth research from a global survey of 26 000 people on sexual health, Durex is planning a shift away from its perception as a clinical, masculine and functional brand, towards being more about approachability, confidence, choice and freedom.
‘There’s no one else in the market delivering in this holistic way. The idea is to create a whole sexual wellbeing category,’ says Preece.
Elmwood was tasked with strengthening on-shelf visibility, as well as with refining and softening the logo to give it a more unisex appeal.
The consultancy has softened the structure of the identity, using bigger on-pack colourways, while creating a series of information icons and changing the tone of voice.
‘The tone of voice previously was quite euphemistic, so, to make it more approachable, we replaced words like “intercourse” with “sex”, and, for the lubricants, instead of saying “Massage into erogenous zones”, it now says “Massage into wherever turns you on”,’ says Preece.
Elmwood has also tweaked existing packaging, giving the product a tighter cellophane wrap. Preece explains that this not only looks better under store lighting, but also overcomes psychological nuances and communicates the idea of a betterfitting and higher-quality product.
The branding, for which a series of guidelines has also been produced by Elmwood, will be applied to website, advertising and communications across 160 countries.
Durex’s future plans include focusing on new products and range extensions to support the new positioning, including lubricants and its range of vibrators designed by Seymour Powell.
Elmwood is to continue its strategic work with the brand in segmenting and positioning these ranges.
• Durex has been manufacturing condoms for 80 years and has been involved in the Global Sexual Wellbeing Survey for more than ten years
• The idea of the repositioning is to ensure that there is a product in the Durex portfolio that appeals to all ages, life stages and lifestyles
• 60% of 16- to 19-year-olds rely on condoms for contraception.
This figure drops to 20% among 45-year-olds


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MultiChoice Nigeria, has announced the commencement of its yearly popular ‘Step Up’ offer for DStv and GOtv customers.
In a statement by the company, it said the offer will run from January 15 to March 31. According to the company, Step Up allows customers to pay less for world-class entertainment content at no additional cost.
“Step Up attests to our commitment to always give the best entertainment to our customers. This annual window allows our customers to access high-quality content on higher packages.
Multichoice said with Step Up, customers on the DStv Yanga package who upgrade to the Confam package would get boosted access to the Compact package, saying those on the Compact package who renew on Compact Plus will get boosted to experience DStv Premium.
‘On the GOtv platform, customers who upgrade from Jolli to Max, will automatically get boosted to the Supa package, while those who upgrade to Supa, will be upgraded to Supa +.


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Will HTC’s co-founder and chairwoman Cher Wang be able to turnaround the struggling smartphone company?
It’s too early to make that call, but in an interview with Fortune, the 55-year-old executive provided some insight into what she’s been prioritizing for the past year since taking on more control. Some of her responsibilities now include marketing, building relationships with wireless carriers that carry HTC devices and lifting morale among employees.
The last job is a tough one. Since the company’s drastic drop in revenue and losses, it has experienced an exodus of senior leaders and employees, including dozens of layoffs at its HTC Americas division based in the Seattle area.
When reports first started surfacing that Wang was stepping into a more active role last October, it was a little unclear how the company would operate since Peter Chou was retaining the title of CEO. In that way, it’s different than other companies, where the founder regains control.
But employees tell Fortune that Wang’s leadership has started to help. In particular, Chou said he can now focus on building new products and new product categories.
Last week, HTC had its first reason to celebrate in awhile. After reporting three straight quarterly operating losses, the company returned to a profit, boosted by strong sales of its flagship HTC One smartphone (and cushioned by a more conservative marketing budget).
Wang, who is known for being cost-conscious by willing to fly on Southwest, has a lot of incentive to see things turn around. As the company’s largest shareholder, the value of her holdings have plunged by 90 percent since 2011.


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It’s the kind of event where grownups play with slime and slinkies, and a life-size Peppa Pig wanders the conference rooms alongside executives. But Toys "R" Us Canada’s annual product showcase Tuesday, designed to prepare store operators for the crucial holiday season, wasn’t all fun and games. It also coincided with the news that president and CEO Melanie Teed-Murch had resigned.
The departure of Ms. Teed-Murch, who worked her way up over 23 years from store manager to the C-Suite, comes after a tumultuous year at the toy retailer. Toys “R” Us has been in the Canadian market for 35 years, but became a stand-alone Canadian company last year when Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. scooped up 82 Canadian stores from the toy retailer’s bankrupt parent company. Now, the search is on for a new leader, while the company works to expand projects that Ms. Teed-Murch started to help it adapt to an uncertain future.
Wayne, N.J.-based Toys “R” Us Inc. filed for bankruptcy in September, 2017, and its U.S. and U.K. stores were liquidated. But the Canadian operations, while smaller than other markets, had been performing better. The investment firm led by billionaire Prem Watsa secured approval in April, 2018, to buy the Canadian stores for $300-million.
Since then, Toys “R” Us has been working to update its stores to cope with changing consumer tastes. To persuade shoppers who are drawn to e-commerce to come to the stores, it began experimenting with renting out space for birthday parties and hosting community events such as consultation sessions on lactation and car seat safety. It has also spent heavily on marketing to shake off the bankruptcy news, and remind Canadians that the brand still exists here.
For now, the retailer will be run by the executive team, overseen by chairman Bill Gregson, who has led Fairfax-backed retail turnarounds at the Brick and at Cara Operations (now Recipe Unlimited Corp.).
“This business will grow under Prem Watsa’s ownership, there’s no question about it,” says Frank Juhasz, vice-president of e-commerce, marketing and PR at Toys "R" Us.
Under new ownership, Toys "R" Us Canada has the flexibility to invest in the business after years of cash being siphoned off to support the flagging U.S. operations. The Canadian retailer was profitable at the time and remains profitable, Mr. Juhasz says.
In the short term, the team is focused on the holidays. Roughly 45 per cent to 48 per cent of the retailer’s sales for the year occur in those three months. To compete, the company is ditching the outdated Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us websites it inherited from the U.S. operations, with a relaunch in September. Along with that, the company is working on better and faster shipping options to compete with the likes of Amazon.com Inc. A deal with Purolator is in the works to secure next-day delivery, and behind the scenes it is expanding drop shipping (delivery straight from the wholesaler to the customer) as well as shipping more products from stores in order to keep warehouse costs down and to offer cheaper and faster delivery options.
But long term, the future of the business will also depend on attracting shoppers to stores. That means focusing on services. New features piloted under Ms. Teed-Murch, such as car seat technicians in stores, will begin to roll out more widely. Through the Babies "R" Us business, the retailer wants to build connections with future customers by offering personal shopper-like services to help new parents find what they need.
“They’ve got to get on the front foot for marketing. People just aren’t thinking of them now,” said Jennifer Marley, a partner at retail consultancy Sklar Wilton and Associates.
The company will also be focusing on smaller and more cost-effective stores, with one new opening in Guelph, Ont., recently and two locations that are less than 10,000 square feet opening next year. It will be reconsidering leases on big box locations as they come up.
“In the new format stores, there are toys on the counters kids can play with, they’re just really inviting places for parents and children to go,” said Joan Ramsay, director of client development and entertainment at market research firm NPD. “They’ve always done some of that but now it’s a more well-defined part of their strategy.”
Toys "R" Us will have to grapple with a burgeoning set of competitors that have either expanded toy offerings or benefited from uncertainty around the Toys "R" Us brand created by the U.S. news – those include Amazon, Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd., Walmart Inc., Indigo Books & Music Inc. and Mastermind LP.
“It’s going to be a bit more effort to take back what we had. … We’re not going to win on pure convenience,” Mr. Juhasz says. “We’re going to win because we’re going to understand you better, focus on this baby part of your life more than even Amazon will, to be perfectly honest.”


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Apple and TimCook have spent $4.2 Billion just this past quarter alone on R&D work. Apple really wants to define our future.
Apple was always a laggard when spending on R&D, compared to other large technology firms.
Time Cook has realized that in order to define what the future will look like, he needs to have researchers at Apple develop the next generation of products that will catapult it to new heights.
So, what doess mean for our future? It means that we will continue to witness new advances that will transform our lives!
I can not wait to see what comes out of Apple next!
The Future is Bright!


text: Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading. Micron — The semiconductor manufacturer popped 14% after beating analyst expectations for its fiscal second-quarter earnings and revenue. Micron posted earnings of 42 cents per share on $5.82 billion of revenue. Analysts polled by LSEG expected a loss of 25 cents per share on $5.35 billion of revenue analysts had expected. The company also guided for higher third-quarter earnings and revenue than consensus had estimated. Apple — The technology stock dropped 3.2% on news that the Department of Justice was suing Apple. Regulators said that the iPhone ecosystem is a monopoly and anti-competitive practices appear in multiple areas of the business. Astera Labs — The data center connectivity chip seller popped 14.1%. That adds to its 72% rally seen on Wednesday, which was its first day as a publicly traded company on the Nasdaq. Li Auto — U.S.-listed shares of the Chinese electric-vehicle maker slid 7.5% on weak guidance for first-quarter deliveries. Li told investors to expect 77,000 vehicles at the midpoint, down from a prior estimate of 101,500. Chewy — Shares of the pet goods retailer fell 6% on the heels of disappointing guidance for the first quarter. Chewy said it expected between $2.84 billion and $2.86 billion of revenue for the quarter. Analysts surveyed by LSEG were expecting $2.89 billion. Five Below – Shares of the discount retailer were under pressure, tumbling 14% a day after the company reported weaker-than-expected earnings and revenue for the fourth quarter. Five Below also issued soft current quarter and full year outlook for the top and bottom line. Guess — The clothing designer surged 23.1% after its latest earnings topped forecasts. Guess posted adjusted earnings of $2.01 per share on $891 million in revenue, while analysts polled by LSEG anticipated $1.56 per share and $856 million in revenue. Darden Restaurants — Shares slid 5.7% after the Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse parent missed revenue expectations . Daren posted $2.97 billion in revenue, under the $3.02 billion StreetAccount forecast. Earnings per share came in line with expectations at $2.62. Paramount Global — The media and entertainment stock slid 4.6% after CNBC’s David Faber reported the company is not interested in selling its studio apart from other assets as it continues sale discussions. The update throws cold water on a report from the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday that Apollo Global Management had offered $11 billion for Paramount’s film and TV studio. That report sent the stock up 11% on Wednesday, before it gave back some gains on Thursday. Accenture — The consulting firm dropped 8.1% after revenue for the second fiscal quarter came in below analyst expectations. Accenture reported $15.8 billion, under the estimate of $15.85 billion from analysts polled by StreetAccount. Revenue guidance for the current quarter was also lower than analysts forecasted. FactSet — The research platform slipped 6.7% after revenue for the second fiscal quarter came in lower than expected. FactSet recorded $545.9 million, less than the $546.8 million consensus estimate of analysts polled by StreetAccount. Diluted earnings per share topped expectations, on the other hand, coming in at $4.22 against the Wall Street forecast of $3.90. Illumina — The life science stock popped 3.5% after a European Union court advisor said regulators exceeded their power in blocking Illumina’s bid for health care company Grail. Broadcom — The chipmaker rallied 8.1% on the back of a TD Cowen upgrade to outperform. TD Cowen said the stock can see further upside tied to its artificial intelligence business. Revolve Group — The fashion retailer added 3% following an upgrade to outperform from market perform by TD Cowen. The firm said Revolve should move back to growth after a tough year that required markdowns. Nvidia – The chipmaker saw a more than 1% increase after TD Cowen reiterated its outperform rating on the stock and increased its price target, citing the company’s “compute leadership across the stack” following the unveiling of its Blackwell platform. Sunnova — The residential solar stock jumped 12.2% after Goldman Sachs said it was standing behind its buy rating . After diving this year, Goldman thinks the stock could now rally nearly 200%. Nextracker — Shares gained 2% after Baird initiated coverage of the solar tracker technology company with an outperform rating. The Wall Street firm said Nextracker is a compelling investment, with a “simplified business model, healthy balance sheet, and differentiated technology.” — CNBC’s Lisa Kailai Han, Tanaya Macheel, Sarah Min, Jesse Pound and Sara Salinas contributed reporting Correction: WSJ reported Wednesday that Apollo Global Management had offered $11 billion for Paramount’s film and TV studio. A previous version misstated the day of the week.


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News > Amazon opens online pharmacy, shaking up another industry
Amazon opens online pharmacy, shaking up another industry
Newsdig | 18/11/2020 12:34 PM | Click to read full article
The company opened an online pharmacy on Tuesday, giving Amazon shoppers the chance to buy their medication and order refills on their phones and have it delivered to their doorsteps in a couple of days, just like a book or toilet paper.
The move propels Amazon into a new business, potentially shaking up the pharmacy industry as it has done to everything from booksellers to toy stores and grocers.


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COSY CARAVAN/CAMPERVAN HOLIDAYS LINKED TO RELATIONSHIP BLISS
STOKE THE CAMPFIRE TO KEEP THE FLAMES OF TRUE LOVE BURNING
If you’re looking to keep your love alive, research suggests that cosying up on a caravan, motorhome or camping holiday could be the answer. A study of 1,500 caravanning and camping couples has revealed that the majority, (80%) believe their love has blossomed as a result of the shared interest.
Over half, 60%, said the ability to just ‘up and go’ on holiday when they wanted meant they spent more ‘quality time’ together as a couple, with many going on six or more breaks each year. And when on holiday, 44% said that being up close and personal in their caravan, motorhome or tent helped them learn the valuable lessons of ‘tolerance, patience and a willingness to compromise’.
The research was undertaken by The Caravan & Camping Show, which opens at the NEC Birmingham next week (Tuesday 18th – Sunday 23rd February). The Show is expected to attract in excess of 85,000 visitors from across the UK and features all the latest models of caravans and motorhomes, from intimate 2 berths to spacious family sized ‘vans sleeping up to six.
Also on offer are the latest models of caravan holiday and park homes, specialist and family sized tents and thousands of accessories, many at show-only prices. Visitors in search of romantic destinations can also discover hundreds of UK and international campsites and book there and then. Advance tickets cost from £7 for seniors and £8 for adults with children under 15 years admitted for free. For more information or to book tickets visit www.thecaravanandcampingshow.co.uk or call 0044844 581 1250.


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KFC Goes to Eleven Posted by: Aaron Stearns | 0 Comments
Exactly how do you feel about the KFC brand? Positive? Indifferent? Maybe negative?
KFC wants to change your mind.
The chicken chain launched a new “fast casual” concept called KFC eleven. (We think that “eleven” is supposed to be lowercase, and we’re assuming that’s a reference to Spinal Tap. It might as well be.) The first incarnation of the idea will open in Louisville, which is as it should be.
According to Eater.com, “The menu features KFC original recipe chicken, flatbreads, salads, sandwiches, and rice bowls. According to an earlier job posting, KFC eleven aims to ‘transform how people think about the brand.'” That could be found in the arena of new flavors, such as “island BBQ,” “creamy chipotle” and “orange ginger.” See the new menu in its entirety here.
KFC began testing this new concept in early July on the indie-dominated Bardstown Road. There will be no alcohol sales. It’s not that upscale because it’ll still have a drive-through. And Pepsi products. (Blech.) We suppose if KFC and Cheddar’s had a love child, maybe you’d get KFC eleven? Maybe?
What do you think? Does KFC really need to go upscale?


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Those little hotel bottles are close to becoming things of the past. IHG Hotels & Resorts announced that it’s replacing the bathroom miniatures with bulk amenities in 4,000 hotels. Guests will now find larger bottles/dispensers of at least 235 milliliters, which will not be replaced after each stay.
The switch is part of IHG’s commitment to eliminating single-use items by 2030 and is expected to save at least 850 tons of plastic annually in the Americas region alone. How much is that exactly? It’s the equivalent of five fully-grown blue whales or 70 double-decker London buses.
In 2019, IHG became the first global hotel company to commit all of its hotel brands to remove bathroom miniatures for larger-size amenities.
“IHG has pioneered the move to minimal waste in the hospitality industry and we’re excited to spell the end of bathroom miniatures through our collaboration with Unilever,” said Yasmin Diamond, Executive Vice President, Global Corporate Affairs, IHG Hotels & Resorts. “Our guests are increasingly mindful of the impact their travel choices have on the environment and our colleagues, investors, owners and suppliers all expect us to act responsibly. Transitioning to bulk amenities across our global estate was one of our first significant steps towards eliminating single-use items throughout the guest stay by 2030. We’ll continue to find innovative solutions for operating more sustainably to deliver our purpose of True Hospitality for Good.”
Unilever’s largest brand, Dove, will supply full-size hand wash, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion to IHG Essentials and Suites Collection hotels, including Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, avid hotels, Staybridge Suites, and Candlewood Suites.
“Unilever is committed to making sustainable living commonplace, and we have ambitious targets across every part of our business,” said Umesh Shah, CEO of Unilever International. “We are pleased to partner with IHG Hotels & Resorts to help extend sustainable living into the travel industry by providing bathrooms with bulk amenities. Through this collaboration, IHG’s guests will enjoy a range of products from Dove during their stay, while reducing their use of plastic.”
This is part of IHG’s 10-year “Journey to Tomorrow” responsible business plan, which includes a series of ambitious targets to drive positive change for people, communities, and the planet. In addition to adding bulk amenities, it is also working to eliminate single-use items, minimize food waste, and adopt circular solutions for major hotel commodity items by 2030.
By 2025, Unilever plans to help create a circular economy for plastic, including commitments to halve the amount of virgin plastic it uses in its packaging and achieve an absolute reduction of more than 100,000 tons; collect and process more plastic packaging than it sells; ensure 100 percent of its plastic packaging is designed to be reusable, recyclable or compostable; and to use 25 percent recycled plastic in its packaging.
All of IHG’s markets now have bulk bathroom amenity contracts. In some regions, hotels have a choice of supplier, so a different full-size amenity brand may be used.


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Social media is all about building, engaging with, and nurturing community. So are you giving proper care and attention to how you manage your community? Yes, manage. If you’re taking a lassiez-faire, casual approach to your community you’re likely both wasting time and possibly… Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.
Hey social media pros, the funny folks at CollegeHumor are having some laughs at your expense with this “Social Media Professional” Halloween costume, featured this week in an article titled 7 Costumes to Really Scare Twenty-Somethings. The description on the package is LOL funny, if… Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.
When it comes to the holiday shopping season, retailers and businesses from sea to shining sea all have their own set of apprehensions and concerns. And, as each year passes, the need for businesses and brands alike to have a social media plan in place for the holidays is paramount. For example,… Please visit Marketing […]
SMX Social Media Marketing Early Bird rates expire this Friday, November 1. Register now and save! Join us November 20-21 in Las Vegas for: Wicked-effective paid, earned and owned social media tactics that will frighten your competition. Expert speakers sharing what makes them successful, and how… Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.
Instagram is the fastest growing social network with 150 million users and 40 million photos being uploaded each day according to social analytics company Simply Measured. A new report from Simply Measured shows that brand engagement and interaction is also thriving on the photo-based social… Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.
The U.SDepartment of Defense is getting its very own app store, so soldiers can more efficiently book plane tickets and call in airstrikes. The department awarded a contract to Digital Management, a Maryland-based firm, for an initial amount of $2.9 million to build the “mobile device management system,” according to a release. Along with apps […]
Storms are usually tracked with Doppler radar, but those systems are expensive and not available everywhere around the world — especially in developing countries. Guinea, a small country in western Africa, has started using a new, cheaper technique for charting weather: tracking flashes of lightning. The system uses lightning as a proxy for storm intensity, […]


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Xiaomi tablet rumours have reared up again following the posting of a purported photo of the 7-inch MiPad earlier today.
Rumours of a Xiaomi tablet first started to do the rounds at around the time of the Xiaomi Mi3 launch but since then the trail has gone cold leading many to believe that Lei Jun and his team have given up on the idea. However today Weibo user Punkpanda (famous for leaking Chinese tech news) posted a new image of the rear of a Xiaomi branded tablet.
Gizchina News of the week
The image doesn’t show much just the black rear of the device and Mi logo. Sources who claim to know more about the device though say it will have a 7-inch display, quad-core processor, 3G support and cost just 999 Yuan!
Wow if this is true it will sell as hot cakes 😀 Xiaomi is a very good Chinese company at it’s own I just do hope that they will continue to expand their international market 😀
that’s news 😀 kitkat on my M2S
If it where true, it would be quite something. I’d be the first to try to get my hands on that device. But then again, even I could take a grainy photo of any given tablet and slap the MI logo in gimp on it. Would take no more than half an hour. I guess we just have to wait and see.
Good! This means that their will be a tablet version of MIUI aswell, at last android tablets that dont burn my eyes with its gothic designs


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Snapchat and Facebook consent future of social networks looks like TikTok
Snapchat invented the Stories format to share disappearing images and videos. Stories are out, TikTok is in.
In comments to investors for its quarterly earnings report on Thursday, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel said less time is spent viewing friends' Stories in the app. However, the company expected Stories engagement to increase as pandemic lockdowns eased and people began to leave their houses more. Instead, Snapchat users increasingly flock to Spotlight videos, Snapchat's rival TikTok for viral videos posted by random creators, and its Discover section for premium programs.
"This is a continuation of the trend we have observed throughout the pandemic, and friend story posting and viewing per daily active user have not returned to pre-pandemic levels," Spiegel said in his comments to investors. "While we are hopeful our community will in time return to the friends' story behaviours that we observed prior to the pandemic, we are focused on innovating on our content offerings to better serve our community today."
While Snap hasn't yet detailed precisely what the changes to its content section will look like, it's easy to imagine the tab becoming more like TikTok by opening up to full-screen videos from the creators of Spotlight, with the ability to drill down into shows Discover's longest. Spiegel noted that some Spotlight creators already have their recurring shows on the app, supporting "our vision of Spotlight as a platform where audiences can discover new Creators, topics, and communities, and then engage with them more deeply on Discover."
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook parent company Meta, also identified TikTok as a formidable threat this week. "People have a lot of choices about how they want to spend their time, and apps like TikTok are growing really fast," he said during Meta's fourth-quarter earnings call on Wednesday. Unlike Snap, which continues to grow its user base and shows better-than-expected revenue growth, Meta disappointed investors with its earnings report this week, wiping more than $200 billion off its market value in one day, beating the record it had previously set in 2018.
So while Snap and Meta's business performance is being divulged, it's notable that they both view TikTok as competition. New engaging formats, whether it's Stories or TikTok video, have the potential to shift user attention quickly. Snap invented a format that is now ubiquitous, but now it and Meta are trying to catch up.


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Safetyflex Barriers concludes major contract in Sweden | Midlands Manufacturing News
Coventry-based Safetyflex Barriers have beefed up defenses in another European city after securing a major contract in Sweden.
More than 100 kiosks were set up around a shopping parade in Stockholm to protect members of the public from the threat of vehicle attacks.
LED bollards are part of its hostile vehicle (HVM) mitigation street furniture range.
Marcus Gerrard, Director of Safetyflex, said: âWith the threat of vehicle attacks ever present, more and more large cities are now opting for Safetyflex Slimline products.
âWhile traditional tubular steel bollards can be too large and require deep foundations that can disrupt utilities, our line offers a slim, cost-effective solution.
âThe Stockholm project offers a strong defense to buyers, using military grade materials that have been tested to stop a car or truck at up to 50 mph.
âOur bollards also include LED lights to illuminate the street at night, which means they don’t compromise public safety or aesthetics.
“We are delighted that we were able to help deliver these new fenders in time for a busy Christmas shopping season.”
The program is the latest in a series of projects that Safetyflex has secured in partnership with Swedish distributor Perimeter Protection Sweden.