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Following this first investment in Israel, 500 Startups intends to make further investments in the country
MyPermissions, an easy, powerful way to scan, control and clean up applications on Web and mobile accessing personal data, today announced it has raised a financing round of $1 million. Led by lool Ventures, 500 Startups and 2B Angels, with participation by Plus Ventures and Robby Hilkowitz, MyPermissions will use the investment to expand its product offering and accelerate the growth of its user base worldwide.
Through two free products, MyPermissions protects consumers’ personal information on the Web. MyPermissions Cleaner is the Web browser extension that lets users manage which applications and websites access their information and alerts users when a new app is accessing user data. Additionally they have its mobile application Permissions, now available on both iOS and Android. By linking directly to application permissions pages for services like Facebook, Twitter and Google, MyPermissions alerts the consumer when an app is accessing their personal data, giving them control over their personal information again.
“We at lool Ventures are investors and entrepreneurs, but first and most we are citizens of the Web,” said Avichay Nissenbaum of lool Ventures. “MyPermissions was born out of a deep concern for the privacy issues that arise from granting app permissions across the Web and mobile. We are excited to continue to support the growth of MyPermissions and help them fulfill their vision.”
“500 Startups is excited to be involved in MyPermissions,” said Dave McClure, Founding Partner at 500 Startups. “They are solving a real problem regarding consumer privacy during a time when most of us are participating in social networks. While we have invested in Israeli Founders in the US, this is our first investment in a startup based in Israel. We will be making more investments in Israel and other countries in the Middle East.”
“Applications access personal data such as email, photos, contacts and location in order to make using services like Facebook and Twitter better and more robust, which is great,” said Olivier Amar, CEO of MyPermissions. “However, over time, consumers tend to quickly add up the number of apps constantly accessing their data, and revoking access later can be difficult. We’re excited to be able to build out our product offering, expand our reach globally, and give more consumers the control they deserve over who accesses their personal information.”


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As I wrote in Saturday’s paper, the growth of wind energy in the Pacific Northwest has sometimes resulted in more electricity generation than the Bonneville Power Administration can handle. So the agency is paying for a pilot program in which home water heaters and space heaters can be centrally controlled, and soak up excess power.
To deal with high generation from renewable sources at times of low demand, it would have to sign up thousands of households as participants. Yet the agency is also working with an industrial customer that could absorb much more.
The Nippon Paper Industries mill in Port Angeles, Wash., which makes paper for telephone books, has an average load of 53 megawatts, which is roughly 10,000 times the peak load of a typical house. But the mill’s load can run up to 73 megawatts.
One of the big electricity consumers at the plant is the pulping operation, which turns wood chips into an intermediate product on its way to becoming paper.

domain: news


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Home > News > Middle East News
Posted on Jan 31, 10:55AM | UNI
Nashik, Jan 30 : A business team from Kuwait visited the Agriculture market committee at Mungse in Malegaon taluka of Nashik district and saw the onion auction.
The team, led by businessman Mosalis Damatil, visited the onion auction yesterday and noticed the weighing arrangements and billing of farmers.
They were taken around by market committee officials Sunil Aher and Tukaram Nikam. The team espressed satisfaction over the arrangements.
Later, the team interacted with local onion merchants to ascertain their views.


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A new study shows that combination therapies - combining two or more medications into one formulation - continue to be viable, affordable options for pharmaceutical brand teams to pursue and grow product franchise value.
Cutting Edge Information's report "Pharmaceutical Product Relaunch: Preserving Market Share through Line Extension and New Market Entry Strategies" reveals that 58% of companies that launch combination therapies increase revenues for their brands. The pharmaceutical industry shows no signs of slowing the trend to develop and promote combination drugs with new DTC advertisements for brands such as Vytorin and Caduet being broadcast.
"One reason the companies are pursuing combination therapies so heavily is that they are relatively cheap and a great solution to many generic woes," said Elio Evangelista, research team leader at Cutting Edge Information. Many companies can produce combination therapies for a fraction of the initial costs to develop the ingredient medications. Furthermore, combination drugs can often garner additional patent protection due to the nature of their new chemical makeup.
Research into combination therapies has met with both success and challenges. Pfizer backed off its initial plans to launch a combination of Lipitor with its new compound torcetrapib. However, as recently as March 2007, Roche had found success in combining a new investigational treatment for HIV with two existing treatments, Fuzeon and Prezista. According to a company statement, 98% of patients who received the investigational integrase inhibitor raltegravir, along with Fuzeon and the protease inhibitor Prezista, achieved undetectable levels of HIV according to new interim clinical data.
"Pharmaceutical Product Relaunch: Preserving Market Share through Line Extension and New Market Entry Strategies" examines combination therapies, along with six other lifecycle management strategies, to understand the motivating factors driving relaunch decisions. Furthermore, Cutting Edge Information collected key benchmarks on the strategies' average implementation costs, average return on investment, effectiveness and timing.
Source: PR Newswire


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BMW Motorrad has been selling motorcycles at a record-setting pace this year, and August was no different, with another new sales record for the German motorcycle manufacturer.
BMW sold 7,400 motorcycles in August of 2012, up 11.3 per cent from August of 2011. They’ve had several record-setting months already this year, although their total numbers are down a tad.
They’ve sold 76.729 motorcycles through until Sept. 1 this year, down two per cent from last year’s 78,280 two-wheelers. However, they’ve got several aces up their sleeve that should enable them to outstrip last year’s numbers; they still have the F700 series motorcycles waiting to hit showroom floors, the HP4 superbike will be for sale soon, their new maxi-scooters are going to be available in more markets very soon, and it’s possible the water-cooled R1250 GS (or R1300 GS, depending who you ask) will also be available by the end of the year, which should also help sales grow.
Why is BMW setting sales records while many of its lower-priced competitors see stagnant sales? It’s hard to say, exactly, but it’s certainly part of a trend these days. Mid-range motorcycles with conservative pricing don’t seem to be selling that well – most sales growth seems to be coming at the high and low ends of the scale.
are these US, Canadaian or World Wide figures?
Could the sales figures have anything to do with the general decline in the spending power of the middle class or the aging boomer population ?
It would be an interesting story to put together. There’s no doubt that demographics and income segments always play a large part in motorcycle sales. Right now, the bikes that rich people buy are seeing growth, the bikes that middle-class folks buy are mostly seeing stagnant sales, and here in North America. there are very few new bikes that are affordable for the lowest income bracket. In other areas, though, those bikes do exist and are selling very well.
Yes, please investigate – what’s stopping the big players from bringing in some of their ‘lower end’ product, meeting safety and emissions standards ? The CBR125R seems to work, why not more of that type ? Back in the Dark Ages we rode 50s, 90s – a 350 was considered a full size machine…
Here’s what I think the problem is: Manufacturers can sell cheap bikes in India/Thailand/China etc, because they can make cheap bikes there. They save a lot on taxes and shipping and labour. But by the time you make something in another country, pay the taxes and gov’t fees to import it to Canada, it’s just not feasible to sell it cheaply … and you can forget any ideas about Canadian labour cranking out cheap motorcycles.
Now, Cleveland Cyclewerks has an interesting model they’re trying …
Wow – I just checked out the CC site and I love “Tha Misfit”. It’s a good base for customization, and there’s a dealer on Vancouver Island 🙂


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All the news from the annual Google I/O event, including the latest on Android.
The 5.7-inch, metal-rimmed Android powerhouse is still the only large-screen phone that also comes with its own stylus.
Certainly an acquired taste, The Evil Within is sure to satiate the horror fanatic. For those with an appetite for an investment-heavy exploit through the mind of a madman, The Evil Within is more than capable, even with a few bumps along the way.
Functionally, the iPad Air is nearly identical to last year’s model, offering only faster performance and better video chatting. But factor in design and aesthetics, and the iPad Air is on another planet. It’s the best full-size consumer tablet on the market.
As E3 2014's doors close, which console looks more promising?
The battle of the phablet phones begins with a test of their built-in cameras that come equipped with optical image stabilization. Which phone takes the best shot?
The search giant's plan for conquering the cost-conscious hardware space bears fruit with three new devices -- Spice, Micromax, and Karbonn -- from India-based handset makers.
The new iPad Mini somehow shrinks down the iPad Air into an even more compact package, sacrificing nearly nothing. It's more expensive than before, but it's also the perfect smaller tablet.
Samsung's latest and greatest takes on recent rivals from LG and Sony. Let's see how the specs line up.
The Chinese company appears to be unable to keep up with demand for its phones in India -- leading to complains on Facebook about the "limited" quantity of its stocks.
FIFA 15 is easily the most realistic soccer game out there, even if it at times feels a bit over-the-top.


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Hi: 11° Lo:0°
By Laura Maltby Wednesday 12 December 2012 Updated: 13/12 10:05
A CORONATION Street star swapped the cobbles of Weatherfield for the leaves of Leamington as he opened a new travel agents.
Alan Halsall, who plays Tyrone Dobbs in the TV soap, did the honours at the new branch of the Midcounties Co-op Travel on The Parade.
The new venture will create up to eight jobs and is one of the first stores to be branded as cooptravel.co.uk.
Natalie Turner Head of Branches at Midcounties said: “Our new branch is a great opportunity to serve the local community.
“We moved our headquarters to Warwick so the area is important to us and opening in Leamington will help to grow our links here. We are excited about welcoming local people and new members and giving them a wider choice and independent advice when it comes to booking their holidays.”
CHANGES have been made to the timing of
THE future of a multi-million pound project to
DRUG drivers are as much a target for
MORE jobs and services could be at risk
A KEEN knitter is busy helping children in freezing refugee ...
A 'DEGRADING and disgraceful' assault on his partner has earned ...
BTHE NATIONAL Homebuilding & Renovating Show - with a record ...


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Members of the BFKN Litigation and Antitrust & Commercial Competition Groups represented Louis Vuitton and Loro Piana in a victory in a putative class-action antitrust lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of New York, in which the plaintiffs alleged an anticompetitive agreement to control the wages and job prospects of luxury retail employees.
In February 2020, plaintiffs Susan Giordano, Angelene Hayes, Ying-Liang Wang, and Anja Beachum claimed that firm clients Louis Vuitton and Loro Piana, along with Gucci, Prada, Fendi and Brunello Cucinelli conspired with Saks Fifth Avenue to not hire Saks employees within six months after the end of their employment, unless managers of both companies agreed to an exception. The plaintiffs claimed that this alleged agreement violated Section 1 of the Sherman Act. In December 2020, the defendants jointly moved to dismiss the plaintiffs' amended complaint, arguing that the claims were barred by the four-year statute of limitations, and that the plaintiffs had failed to allege anticompetitive conduct or anticompetitive effect.
Last month, Judge Margo Brodie of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York granted the defendants' motion to dismiss in its entirety, holding that the statute of limitations barred the claims asserted by three of the four putative class representatives, rejecting plaintiffs’ argument that the alleged conduct was a “per se” violation of antitrust law, and determining that plaintiffs failed to plead sufficient facts to support a plausible inference that the alleged agreement had any anticompetitive effect.
BFKN's legal team was led by Owen H. Smith, Robert E. Shapiro, Maile Hitomi Solís, Connor T. Gants and Nicholas W. Laird.
To read more about this case, visit:


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Amazon announced Tuesday that it is lobbying the U.S. government to legalize cannabis federally.
“Given our previous support for legalizing cannabis at the federal level, as well as expunging certain criminal records and investing in impacted businesses and communities, Amazon recently announced our support for, and began actively lobbying on, the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement act of 2021 (MORE Act),” the company said in a press release. “We are also pleased to endorse the recently introduced Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act.”
“In the past, like many employers, we’ve disqualified people from working at Amazon if they tested positive for marijuana use,” the announcement said. “We will no longer include marijuana in our comprehensive drug screening program for any positions not regulated by the Department of Transportation, and will instead treat it the same as alcohol use.”
Amazon is lobbying the US government to make pot legal https://t.co/VDvBNlMYw2— Business Insider (@BusinessInsider) September 21, 2021
Part of the reason that Amazon supports the legalization of weed is to make hiring employees easier, according to Tuesday’s press release.
“We’ve found that eliminating pre-employment testing for cannabis allows us to expand our applicant pool,” the press release read.
The company also noted that it highlighted the growing number of states moving to legalize marijuana as well as the data that “indicates that pre-employment marijuana testing disproportionately impacts people of color and acts as a barrier to employment” for its reasoning behind lobbying for cannabis.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Apple’s current flagship iPhone feature, the Dynamic Island, is set to trickle down to the standard iPhone 15 when the device launches in September this year – but now we’re almost certain that the company’s next vanilla iPhone will be getting a 48MP main camera, too.
We’ve actually been hearing this rumor for months, but it’s now been corroborated by a new report – seen by ITHome – which says that Sony has asked chipmaker TSMC to help it manage more demanding iPhone orders in light of every model in the upcoming iPhone 15 line featuring a 48MP main camera.
For reference, the standard iPhone 14 features a dual-camera setup comprising a 12MP main sensor and a 12MP ultra-wide camera. This setup is essentially unchanged from the iPhone 13 – save for the upgraded imaging pipeline and larger aperture measurements inside the iPhone 14 – so it’s good to hear that Apple may be preparing to give vanilla iPhone fans a tangible reason to consider upgrading to the iPhone 15 this year.
Notably, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max were the first iPhones to get pixel-binning 48MP sensors. In other words, they’re capable of capturing 12MP images, with four pixels combined into one effective larger pixel, which results in better low-light performance and color fidelity.
By the sounds of things, though, these premium sensors won’t be remaining exclusive to Apple’s Pro-level iPhones for much longer, and the addition of a 48MP camera on the standard iPhone 15 seems likely to result in a camera bump redesign versus the iPhone 14, too.
That’s not to say the gap between the standard iPhone 15 and its Pro siblings will be any smaller than the usual vanilla/Pro divide, though. The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max (which may yet arrive as the iPhone 15 Ultra) are set for some serious camera upgrades of their own come September, with one or both models expected to feature periscope cameras and the biggest iPhone camera sensors ever. The Pro Max/Ultra could even get a telephoto camera with a variable zoom lens. Yikes.
The standard iPhone 15 may also still lack one of the iPhone 14 Pro’s biggest features. The latter boasts adaptive 1-120Hz refresh rate technology (dubbed ProMotion) that automatically adjusts the smoothness of its display to suit whatever’s happening on-screen, but the iPhone 15 will reportedly stick with its predecessor’s 60Hz refresh rate.
Apple’s always-on display functionality relies on ProMotion to function, so it looks like the standard iPhone 15 won’t be getting that feature, either.
That said, if you’re not fussed by the iPhone 14 Pro’s always-on display functionality but like the look of its Dynamic Island, better camera, and super-fast A16 Bionic processor, then the base iPhone 15 could be a cheaper alternative to Apple’s current flagship handset.
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Axel is a London-based Senior Staff Writer at TechRadar, reporting on everything from the latest Apple developments to newest movies as part of the site's daily news output. Having previously written for publications including Esquire and FourFourTwo, Axel is well-versed in the applications of technology beyond the desktop, and his coverage extends from general reporting and analysis to in-depth interviews and opinion.
Axel studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick before joining TechRadar in 2020, where he then earned an NCTJ qualification as part of the company’s inaugural digital training scheme.


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With one of the most exciting product launches since its inception in 2005, Quixant – the market-leading supplier of PC-based gaming platform and display solutions – is excited to introduce a portfolio of products which bring AMD’s cutting-edge Ryzen Embedded APU technology to the global gaming market for the first time. Quixant has selected the new Ryzen Embedded APUs as the heart of a portfolio of three new products: the Quixant X, QMax-2 and QXi-7000.
The Quixant X represents optimal performance to drive the most demanding, vibrant games. Combining the Ryzen Embedded APU with the Radeon E9550 and a top of the range feature-set, the Quixant X is the ultimate gaming platform.
The QMax-2 provides an ultra-high performance backplane-compatible solution which also incorporates the RyzenTM Embedded APU, with an optional discrete GPU to boost the already impressive integrated graphics.
Finally, the QXi-7000 is an all-in-one solution, capable of driving up to four 4K screens and utilising Quixant’s patented fanless enclosure technology to enable passive cooling, without compromising on performance from the Ryzen Embedded APU.
These three new products leverage all the unique benefits of Quixant’s Gaming Ecosystem, which expedites time to market for EGM manufacturers when introducing regulatory compliant Zen-based machines. Advanced features include SAS 6.02 protocol (QxSAS), accelerated playback of multiple video overlays with minimal CPU overhead (QxVDR) and an advanced hardware based tracing tool to speed up game development (QxATS). All these advantages are available at no cost with Quixant gaming platforms.
“The launch of these new products based on AMD’s latest RyzenTM Embedded processors represents a milestone in Quixant’s technology roadmap, not to mention that of gaming as a whole,” said Jon Jayal, chief operating officer of Quixant. “Thanks to our strong partnership with AMD, we are proud to be bringing our purpose-built Zen-based gaming platforms to the gaming market on the same day as AMD launch their chips. This maximises customer production lifetime, and enables our customers to leverage the latest chip technology today. We are excited to share the huge benefits of this cutting-edge technology with our customers.”
For further information, visit www.quixant.com


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Japanese media reported yesterday that Toyota is working on a hybrid version of the Yaris that will add a more cost competitive hybrid than the Prius to its lineup. Reports said that Toyota will build the Yaris based hybrid in France within two years.
According to AutoCar, Toyota says that it has no plans to build a Yaris hybrid.
“Toyota has no plans at present to build a Yaris hybrid in France or anywhere else,” a source told AutoCar. “The hybrid system we have works well in the bigger cars like the Lexus as it helps to cut CO2 emissions and improve fuel economy next to its competitors.”
Toyota plans to have a hybrid option in every model by 2020 but believes that cars like the Yaris “are already efficient and the system would be difficult to implement. Any gains would be marginal.”
– By: Stephen Calogera


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For the first time this year, existing home sales increased, meanwhile inventory increased and home price growth moderated, according to the National Association of Realtors. With more inventory available and a slowing of home price increases, the market is opening up for increased sales levels. Further, properties sold faster for the fourth straight month in April, reflecting the prolonged lag in inventory relative to demand. The median time on market for all homes was 48 days in April, down from 55 days in March.
Although existing home sales improved 1.3 percent in April, they remain 6.8 percent below April 2013. Dr. Lawrence Yun, NAR Chief Economist notes that the improvement was expected. “Some growth was inevitable after sub-par housing activity in the first quarter, but improved inventory is expanding choices and sales should generally trend upward from this point. Annual home sales, however, due to a sluggish first quarter, will likely be lower than last year.”
Inventory levels shifting
Perhaps the most welcome news is that inventory levels rose 16.8 percent, hitting a 5.9-month supply at the current sales pace, up from 5.1 months in March. NAR reports that unsold inventory is 6.5 percent higher than a year ago, when there was a 5.2-month supply.
“We’ll continue to see a balancing act between housing inventory and price growth, which remains stronger than normal simply because there have not been enough sellers in many areas. More inventory and increased new-home construction will help to foster healthy market conditions,” Dr. Yun noted.
Home prices and transaction types
The median existing home price rose 5.2 percent over the last year to $201,700, which Dr. Yun states suggests a trend of slower growth, “which bodes well for preserving favorable affordability conditions in much of the country.”
One in ten sales in April were foreclosures, selling at an average discount of 16 percent below market, while short sales accounted for one in twenty sales, selling at a 10 percent discount. In April, foreclosures typically sold in 56 days (short sales in 96 days), and non-distressed homes sold in 45 days. NAR reports that 41 percent of homes sold last month spent less than 30 days on the market.
All-cash sales accounted for 32 percent of transactions in April, the same as April 2013, and down one percent from March. Individual investors (70 percent of whom paid cash) snapped up 18 percent of homes for sale, an increase of one percent compared to March, but a decrease of one percent compared to April 2013.
First time buyers still account for roughly one in three buyers, but NAR points out that in April, they accounted for 29 percent of sales, dropping a point from March, but remaining the same as April 2013.
Regional performance varied
In the Northeast, existing home sales were unchanged at an annual rate of 600,000 in April, but are 6.3 percent below April 2013. The median price in the Northeast was $244,000, down 0.4 percent from a year ago.
Existing home sales in the Midwest slipped 1.0 percent in April to a pace of 1.03 million, and are 9.6 percent below a year ago. The median price in the Midwest was $157,200, which is 5.8 percent above April 2013.
In the South, existing home sales increased 1.0 percent to an annual level of 1.94 million in April, but are 3.5 percent below April 2013. The median price in the South was $173,200, up 3.2 percent from a year ago.
Existing home sales in the West rose 4.9 percent to a pace of 1.08 million in April, but are 10.0 percent below a year ago. The median price in the West was $291,200, which is 9.7 percent above April 2013.


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The US Commerce Department said on Monday that they would grant Chinese telecom giant Huawei a 90-day extension on their license allowing them to do business with American companies. This extension was motivated by the reliance on Huawei telecom infrastructure by some rural parts of the US.
In an effort to limit the disruption to these rural parts of America, the US Commerce Secretary said, “The Temporary General License extension will allow carriers to continue to service customers in some of the most remote areas of the United States who would otherwise be left in the dark.” This is the third time the United States has extended Huawei’s license to conduct business with American companies since the Chinese company was placed on the Entity List in May.
Huawei responded in a statement claiming that the license extension does not reprieve the United States from what Huawei considers unfair treatment, “won’t have a substantial impact on Huawei’s business either way. This decision does not change the fact that Huawei continues to be treated unfairly.”
Huawei has previously spoken about the negative impact of the blacklisting on American companies, previously commenting, “has caused significant economic harm to the American companies with which Huawei does business, disrupted collaboration and undermined the mutual trust on which the global supply chain depends.“
The conflict between the US government during the Trump administration and Huawei underlines the decoupling of global supply chains, in an era when free trade agreements such as NAFTA and TPP have been reconsidered by the US government. While Huawei is very much a symbol of the trade war between the US and China, the Chinese telecom company has generated stable performances despite the difficulties caused by the blacklist. Huawei’s competitiveness may have even been augmented as the blacklisting has spurred the company to develop their own components via their subsidiary HiSilicon and their own operating system Harmony OS.


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Clarkrange, TN- The owners of Rock-a-Billy and Cumberland Mountain General Store announced that they will be closing at the end of this month. After 100 years in business, they have decided it is time for a new journey.
Rock-a-Billy posted on Facebook:
Hello Rock-a-Billy family. First off, we would like to say a huge thank you to all of the years of memories you have given us. The past 100 years have been nothing but fun and it has been a pleasure to serve you. However, with a heavy heart, we are announcing the closing of the Cumberland Mountain General Store and Rock-a-Billy diner. Our last official week open for the diner will be March 30th – April 1st. The Cumberland Mountain General Store will be holding a clearance sale in the following weeks. Everything must go! We will then be having an auction to sell the rest of the items, so be on the lookout for those dates to come. Once again thank you for supporting us throughout the years we are sad to see it go, but it is now time for a new journey.


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Sony has launched its return to smartphones with a 60-spot by film director Wes Anderson. The ad is for Xperia handsets, Sony's first line of phones since completing its $1.5 billion buyout of Ericsson last month.
McCann Worldgroup, with digital agency LBi and media shop PHD, are shepherding the campaign, which is expected to be one of Sony's biggest this year. In the "Made of Imagination" spot, Mr. Anderson, whose films include "Fantastic Mr. Fox" and "The Royal Tenenbaums," interviews children on how smartphones work. It's the first iteration in a campaign that will span TV, print, digital, out-of -home and retail throughout the year.
Sony Mobile's chief marketing officer, Steve Walker, has said the company will double or triple ad spending in key markets, including the U.S.
Sony Corp.spent $2.04 billion across all divisions on measured media worldwide in 2010, according to the Ad Age DataCenter. It spent $892.4 million on U.S. media, with more than half going to its movie studios.
Once a leader in handsets, Sony has fallen behind Samsung and Apple. Sony Ericsson had less than 2% of the global handset market last year, while Nokia took 24%, Samsung 18% and Apple 5%, according to Gartner Research.
Sony's hope is that integration with its entertainment products, which range from TVs and game consoles to movies and music, will make the handsets viable competitors. All three Xperia devices provide access to Sony's entertainment network, which provides one login for a flat-fee subscription service for video content and 15 million songs.


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Music Gear News
Stevie Wonder tries out Korg Kronos music workstation
Musical icon Stevie Wonder has become one of the first people to be given a chance to try out the new Korg Kronos music workstation.
The star had a go on the piece of musical equipment during the recent NAMM conference in California, drawing crowds to the Korg stand at the music industry event.
Pictures of Wonder taking a turn on the Kronos music workstation have been posted by the musical instrument manufacturer on Twitter, while an image of the pianist playing the Korg Wavedrum Oriental has also been put online.
The Kronos music workstation offers its owners nine sound engines, each with the finest sound-creation technologies that are available.
A number of different models of the musical equipment have been produced, with consumers able to purchase versions with either 61, 73 or 88 keys.
It makes use of several signature sounds that have been created with the help of top musicians, while an expanded drum track is also included.
"Kronos is more than a new instrument. It is a milestone in synthesis and workstation evolution - one that embodies fresh ideas and breakthrough technologies," said a statement from Korg.
Start Saving Money On Musical Instruments Now
ÂPosted on 19 Jan 2011 16:21 to category : Band / Celebrity News
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An icon who helped propel the rock 'n' roll movement to new and unprecedented heights. Chucky Berry is praised by many as a founding father of modern music.
Founding guitarist of legendary LA band Y and T Joey Alves passes away due to complications relating to Ulcerative Colitis. Documentary on soon to follow.
Destroyer Cola is to be the latest release in rock veterans Kiss' long line of merchandise currently available to the general public for purchase
In a recent unconfirmed report, frontman of famous rock and roll outfit Guns N' Roses is said to be heading into the studio with Australian rock veterans AC/DC
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On the 22nd of April, Pink Floyd will be releasing an unheard version of the iconic classic 'Interstellar Overdrive' in celebration of world record day


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Meet the Entrepreneurs Who Wowed Prince William and Kate Middleton
At a tech event on Monday in India, several top entrepreneurs got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pitch their startup concepts to two unlikely judges: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
On the second day of their India tour, Prince William and Princess Kate met with some of the brightest minds in innovation at The Social, a collaborative workspace for young entrepreneurs.
The royals reportedly tested out a dosa-making machine, a new Braille device, and a racing car simulator. At the end of their visit to the tech event, the couple kicked off the third annual Tech Rocketship Awards. Winners are eligible to go on a week-long business trip to the UK where they will meet with venture capitalists and fellow entrepreneurs, according to the British High Commission New Delhi.
Here are the entrepreneurs who met Their Royal Highnesses on Monday:
Eshwar Vikas, founder and CEO of Mukunda Foods
Prince William poured batter onto “a dosamatic machine” hot plate that makes pancakes, crepes, dosas and omelettes in just one minute. The invention is the brainchild of 24-year-old innovator founder and CEO of Mukunda Foods, Eshwar Vikas. The machine allows users to control the thickness, size and type of the dosa. After the Duke of Cambridge took a bite, Vikas reportedly told the media, “The Duke told me he and the Duchess love dosas and he said it was a wonderful machine. He said they would love to have one in their palace and the Duchess said that because you can also use it to make pancakes the whole of London will want one.”
Though it’s unclear which members of the Mahindra Racing team attended the tech event, it looks like Prince William had a great time trying out their racing car simulator. Mahindra Racing is the company behind the motor racing team that competes in the Formula E championship for F1-style electric cars. According to People, William managed a lap time of 2 minutes and 6 seconds in the car simulator. Isaias Sousa Valero of Mahindra racing reportedly said, “It’s a good lap time. He is a really nice driver and he could come and drive for us anytime with a bit more training.”
Sanskriti Dawle, co-founder Project Mudra
Blindfolded, the Duke and Duchess spelled out son George’s name using an innovative Braille learning machine. The machine, which only costs about $150 to make, aims to improve literacy rates among the visually impaired in India. Computer science students Dawle and Aman Srivastava designed this affordable Braille “dicta-teacher” by attaching a box with six pegs to a Raspberry Pi. The pegs move up or down as words come through the machine’s headphone jack.
Chris Sheldrick, co-founder & CEO of what3words
Chris Sheldrick worked in the music business for 10 years booking bands and managing production. During his time in the business, he became increasingly frustrated with band members who couldn’t find their way to gigs and suppliers who were unable to locate the right site entrance. So Sheldrick decided to solve this problem by starting what3words, a company that provides a new method of mapping that divides the world into square grids and tags them with simple English words. The company has raised £3.5 million, or about $5 million, in venture capital, according to Forbes.


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Update (1050ET): In addition to the settlements below, Bloomberg just reported that e-cigarette maker Juul Labs has agreed to pay $1.2 billion to resolve about 10,000 lawsuits targeting the e-cigarette maker as a major cause of a US youth-vaping epidemic, according to people familiar with the matter.
As The Epoch Times' Katabella Roberts detailed earlier, the accord, which hasn’t yet been finalized, was announced on Tuesday, but an amount wasn’t disclosed.
In a press release, Juul said the settlements “represent a major step toward strengthening Juul Labs’ operations and securing the company’s path forward to fulfill its mission to transition adult smokers away from combustible cigarettes while combating underage use.”
The lawsuits were filed against Juul Labs and its officers and directors, and the settlement resolves claims of personal injury, consumer class action, government entity, and Native American tribes.
The company said that it cannot disclose the amount of the settlement at this time due to the court process, but noted that it has “secured an equity investment to fund the resolution.”
“Over the past year, Juul Labs also has settled with 37 states and territories, and we remain in ongoing discussions with other key stakeholders to resolve the remaining litigation,” the company said.
The latest settlement comes after Juul in September said it would pay $438.5 million to 34 states and territories as part of its “ongoing commitment to resolve issues from the past.”
That settlement followed a two-year investigation into the company’s marketing and sales practices of its high-nicotine vaping products amid a surge in teen vaping.
Surge in Teen Vaping
The investigation found that the company had marked its e-cigarettes to underage teens via launch parties, product giveaways, and adverts on social media that featured young models, according to officials.
At the time, Juul said in a statement that it “remains focused on the future as we work to fulfill our mission to transition adult smokers away from cigarettes—the number-one cause of preventable death—while combating underage use.”
The company also said that it had appealed a decision by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to remove its products from stores in the United States due to concerns over toxicology levels, noting that the appeal was based on “science and evidence.”
Read more here...


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The group Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), from the prestigious and well-known British medium The Economist, has published a new study that analyzes the global cost of living in 2021, exploring the rise and fall of it in 173 cities.
According to this study, which is carried out annually, the cost of living in 2021 has undergone important changes. On average, prices of goods and services has increased by 3.5% year-on-year, the highest inflation rate recorded in the last five years. In addition,
supply chain problems, as well as changes in the exchange rate and changing consumer demand, have led to a price increase of raw materials and other goods.
This 2021, Tel Aviv tops the ranking of most expensive cities to live for the first time in history. The Israeli city rose from fifth place last year, pushing Paris to a second position, next to Singapore. Tel Aviv's rise primarily reflects its currency and price increases for around one-tenth of the goods in the city, led by groceries and transportation, in local currency terms. Property prices they have also increased, especially in residential areas.
For its part, Rome has seen the biggest drop in The Economist rankings, from 32nd to 48th, with a particularly steep drop in its shopping basket and clothing categories.
Furthermore, this year's report highlights that most of the cities of USA have fallen in the rankings compared to last year, after the government responded to the Covid-19 pandemic by pumping more money into the economy. This held down the value of the US dollar compared to European and Asian currencies.
Most expensive cities to live
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) index, the most expensive cities in the world to live in are the following:
- Tel Aviv
- Hong Kong
- New York
- The Angels
Cheaper cities to live
In addition, the study also includes a list of the cheapest cities to live in. These are:
- Buenos Aires
- Buenos Aires


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The Commerce Department reported Thursday new single-family home sales fell 6% last month to an annualized rate of 551,000 units. New home sales in April were revised down to 586,000 units, still the highest since February 2008, from the previously reported 619,000 units.
The median forecast called for 560,000 units.
Still, single-family home sales were up 8.7% from a year ago and are volatile month-to-month. Preliminary figures are subject to large revisions because, as well as having incomplete data, they are mostly drawn from building permits data.
New single-family home sales declined 0.9% in the more populous South, where most building construction is conducted, and plummeted 33.3% in the Northeast. Meanwhile, home sales in the West tanked 15.6%, where there has been a dramatic increase in home prices due to tightening inventories. Single-family home sales increased only in the Midwest, jumping 12.9%.
Christine / June 25, 2016
It’s because no one is making a “living wage”…


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Amazon will offer major discounts on furniture on upcoming Prime Day
June 25, 2019 | 5:32 pm UTC
Retail behemoth Amazon has announced the dates for its upcoming Prime Day event: July 15-16. The 48-hour event will offer more than a million deals around the world, including steep discounts on furniture.
Last year, Amazon's 100 million Prime members saw discounts of up to 60 percent on items from the company's two furniture lines, including bed frames, sofas, accent chairs, and more. While this year's deals haven't been named yet, we can expect similar discounts for 2019's event.
One of Amazon's brands is Rivet: a mid-century, modern living room furniture collection offering sofas, chairs, and other decor, and the other brand is Stone & Beam: a higher-priced, transitional, and modern living room furniture collection. Each brand features hundreds of pieces, and items designated as 'Prime' feature free shipping. Amazon offers 30-day free returns for both brands and Rivet items carry a one-year limited manufacturer warranty. Stone & Beam offers a three-year limited warranty.
Furniture retailers selling on Amazon have historically took advantage of Prime Day, offering steep discounts themselves.
Amazon hasn't disclosed revenue gained from previous Prime Day events, but considers the event "the biggest global shopping event ever." 2019 is set to be the biggest Prime Day yet, running 12 hours longer than last year's 36-hour affair.
Amazon launched Rivet and Stone & Beam in 2017 - rattling the furniture industry. As the announcement hit, the stocks of many leading furniture makers - including Wayfair, Williams-Sonoma, La-Z-Boy, Bassett Furniture, and Ethan Allen - were down.
Furniture is one the fastest-growing retail categories on Amazon, according to a report by Nathan Rigby for One Click Retail.
Total U.S. furniture sales were $70 billion in 2016, according to One Click Retail. Amazon furniture sales were $2.3 billion in 2016 and reached $4 billion in 2017.
In May 2017, Amazon decided to venture more deeply into sales of bulkier non-traditional e-commerce items—including furniture, power tools, and home appliances.
Also in 2017, the e-commerce giant built a new 850,000-square-foot fulfillment center in Jefferson, Georgia. Amazon said facility will help it move more deeply into furniture and other large items. More than 1,000 full-time jobs were created at the plant.
In October 2018, Amazon began paying all U.S. employees a minimum of $15 per hour. Earlier this year, it launched its first autonomous delivery robot.
Have something to say? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.


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CIIE brings Chinese opportunities to SCO countries
Pakistani handicrafts, Indian spices, Iranian saffron, Azerbaijani pomegranate juice… More than 100 kinds of special commodities from Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries have caught the attention of numerous visitors at the Fifth China International Import Expo (CIIE).
Under the theme of “Sharing a New Era and a New Future for Win-win Cooperation”, 8 display cases, namely exhibition booths, were set up by the SCO Demonstration Area (SCODA) in the special areas of the food and agricultural products exhibition area of CIIE. The display of international style elements is in line with the theme of CIIE, providing a high-quality platform and carrier for the exhibition and marketing of special food products from the SCO countries.
During CIIE, SCODA has established contacts with various businessmen from Russia, Pakistan and other SCO countries. A businessman from Iran mentioned that SCODA provides more convenience for enterprises to rent space, design exhibition booths and coordinate logistics. During the Expo, an unexpected transaction amount was reached.
After years of development, CIIE has transformed exhibits into commodities, exhibitors into investors, exchanges concepts and ideas, connects China and the world, and has become the four major platforms for international procurement, investment promotion, people-to-people exchanges, openness and cooperation, and an international public product shared by the whole world.
After the first exhibition of the 4th CIIE, SCODA set up the SCO special area for the first time at this expo. “SCODA is a frontier for China to further strengthen economic and trade exchanges with SCO countries, and can provide broader market opportunities for various trading entities,” Sun Jing, director of Division 1 of the Industrial Development Department of the SCODA Administrative Committee, told China Economic Net. The participation of SCODA in CIIE is a strong combination of two international economic and trade cooperation platforms.
The items on display at the Qingdao·SCODA Pearl International Expo Center basically bring together feature goods from various countries. Among them, products in the Pakistan Cultural Elements exhibition area mostly cover the mainstream categories of Chinese consumer goods, including 50 products in four major categories such as food, handicrafts, clothing and furniture, presenting the rich cultural customs of Pakistan.
Referring to the recent achievements of SCODA in actively promoting all-round cooperation between China and Pakistan, Mr. George J. F. Chau, Vice Director of Division 2, Industrial Department of the SCODA Administrative Committee, highlighted that in June this year, at the Qingdao Multinationals Summit, a contract was signed for the oil refining and chemical project in the port of Gwadar in Pakistan. A new refinery and chemical plant with an 8 million ton refining and chemical capacity will be built in Pakistan, which is expected to provide 3,000 direct employment.
“In the next step, we will sign MOUs with relevant Pakistani institutions to further promote extensive cooperation between China and Pakistan in the fields of international logistics, modern trade, two-way investment, barter trade, business, travel and cultural exchanges, ”added Mr. George J. F. Chau.
Information in this article comes from third party providers. This website does not provide explicit or implied warranty for such information and is not liable for any losses directly or indirectly caused by using such information.


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Buc-ee’s Isn’t Done Building in Texas, Its Largest Store May Be Coming Soon
The iconic Texas gas station Buc-ee's is aiming to build a new location in Texas and it could be just as large or larger than one in the works in Tennessee.
Last year it was announced that Buc-ee's would build its largest store ever in Sevierville, Tennessee. That store, when completed in summer 2023, will be 74,000 square feet of amazing Buc-ee's goodness. Currently, the largest Buc-ee's location is in New Braunfels, Texas off of I-35. That location stands at 66,000 square feet.
Texans were saddened to hear the iconic Texas business would be building the largest store outside of Texas. It just seemed wrong. In fact, the out of state grand openings of Buc-ee's had some in Texas wondering if the mega gas station and tourist attraction had forgotten about the Lone Star State.
Buc-ee's has opened locations in Alabama, Florida and Georgia. Soon they will open their first locations in Kentucky and South Carolina, with future locations planned for Colorado, Mississippi, Missouri and the largest location (for now) in Tennessee. But that doesn't mean Buc-ee's is done expanding in the Lone Star State.
In February, the City of Amarillo announced plans for a Buc-ee's location. This week the Dallas Morning News reported that Buc-ee's is looking to build another new location along I-35, possibly in the city of Hillsboro. It would be the 5th location along I-35 and in a great spot. Right where I-35E from Dallas and I-35W from Fort Worth come together.
The proposed store would come in at 74,000 square feet, which ties the location in Tennessee and is just silly. Come on, Buc-ee's -- make it just a little bit larger.
It's not a done deal just yet, according to the Dallas Morning News:
The proposed Hillsboro store has some competition, said Arthur Mann, director of community and economic development in Hillsboro. Buc-ee’s has owned land in Waxahachie for several years, but that location would lose daily traffic coming from I-35W, he said.
Buc-ee’s has been raising wages and benefits in small towns and suburbs and now has a starting wage of $15 an hour. Each store employs 175 to 200 workers, and department manager jobs start at $22 an hour.
I'm still holding out a little hope that Buc-ee's will see the error of their ways and come to Lubbock one of these days.


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US Economic Forecast
A quarterly publication that offers insights from Deloitte economists on trends and events shaping the US economy.
United States Economic Forecast First quarter 2017
With a new US administration discussing shifts on trade, taxes, and regulations, it’s almost certain that economic conditions for businesses will change in the upcoming months. But it’s hard for CEOs to make key decisions until new policies begin to take shape.Read
Articles & media


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A day by day rundown of the industrial studies and company profits that might be grabbing the marketplace’s consideration within the week forward.
Monday December 26
Japan main index
Markets closed – Euro Space, U.Okay., United States and Canada — Tuesday December 27 Japan CPI, jobless fee and family spending
China commercial income
Germany retail gross sales
(nine a.m. ET) U.S. S&P Case-Shiller House Worth Index (20 town) for October. Consensus is a rise of zero.Five consistent with cent from September and Five.zero consistent with cent yr over yr.
(10 a.m. ET) U.S. Convention Board Shopper Self assurance Index for December. Consensus is 108.Five, up from 107.1 in November.
Canada – markets closed —
Wednesday December 28 Japan commercial manufacturing and retail gross sales
(10 a.m. ET) U.S. pending house gross sales for November. Consensus is a rise of zero.Five in line with cent from October. — Thursday December 29 Financial institution of Japan abstract of critiques from Dec. 19-20 assembly
Euro Space M3 cash provide
U.Okay. national space costs
(eight:30 a.m. ET) U.S. preliminary jobless claims for week of Dec. 24.
(eight:30 a.m. ET) U.S. items industry deficit for November (A). Consensus is $61.Five-billion, down $zero.Four-billion from October.
(10:30 a.m. ET) EIA herbal fuel record
(11 a.m. ET) EIA petroleum standing document — Friday December 30
(nine:45 a.m. ET) U.S. Chicago PMI for December. Consensus is 56.Five, down from 57.6 in November.
(1 p.m. ET) U.S. Baker-Hughes rig rely Apply akıl on Twitter: @GlobeInvestor


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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — President-elect Joe Biden is known as a lover of ice cream, and so it is fitting that an ice cream maker is launching a line of inauguration-themed flavors.
Ice Cream Jubilee is out with Cuppa Joe, a coffee-flavored ice cream, as well as Vanilla Chocolate Chip, which is Biden’s favorite flavor.
Two flavors pay tribute to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ home state. Cardamom Amaretto includes California almonds and Cardamom Kulfi, a spiced ice cream, which is a nod to Harris’ Indian heritage. Rose Mimosa is a nod to California’s wine country.
You can order the ice cream online by clicking here.
MORE ON CBSPHILLY.COM


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Starbucks’s latest iPhone app update lets customers in Portland, Oregon order and pay for their beverages right on their smartphone.
Portland customers will now see a new “order” button in their Starbucks iPhone app. Hitting it will transmit their order to the nearest barista, while simultaneously processing payment for the drink and estimating a pickup time.
Starbucks said the new payment system will roll out to more cities and Android phones in the “coming months.”
The update, which lets users bypass Starbucks’ register lines, marks the first phase of the company’s ambitious plan to eliminate those lines completely. Executives say mobile ordering could open up even faster ways to get coffee out of the door.
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz recently said the company would begin experimenting with deliveries of hot coffee as early as 2015, CNN reports. “That’s our version of e-commerce on steroids,” Schultz said during an October earnings call.
More Must-Read Stories From TIME
- How an Online Pharmacy Sold Millions Worth Of Dubious COVID-19 Drugs — While Patients Paid the Price
- Why Literally Millions of Americans Are Quitting Their Jobs
- Meet the Women Participating in the Study That Could Change Future of Breast Cancer
- Inside the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of Tomorrow's Business Leaders
- An Innovative Washington Law Aims to Get Foreign-Trained Doctors Back in Hospitals
- Why the Ex-Husband of a Missing Chinese Billionaire Is Risking All to Tell Their Story
- Timothée Chalamet Wants You to Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve


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The vast majority of U.S. patients are open to using telehealth solutions, but only a fraction have received care virtually, according to a new survey.
The Advisory Board Co.'s Virtual Visits Consumer Choice Survey reported more than three-quarters of nearly 5,000 respondents would see a doctor virtually, while less than 20% already have used telehealth solutions. The results suggest that the healthcare industry has yet to meet consumer interest in virtual care, researchers said.
"Direct-to-consumer virtual specialty and chronic care are largely untapped frontiers," Emily Zuehlke, a consultant for the Advisory Board's Market Innovation Center, said in a statement. "As consumers increasingly shop for convenient, affordable healthcare—and as payers' interest in low-cost access continues to grow—this survey suggests that consumers are likely to reward those who offer virtual visits for specialty and chronic care."
Many providers are investing in a big way in telehealth, which was valued as a $18.2 billion global market in 2016 and is estimated to reach $38 billion by 2022, according to a Zion Market Research study. Patients can download apps that will immediately connect them with a physician and have a prescription routed to the pharmacy in minutes, which can be ideal for minor issues such as rashes or colds and chronic matters that require frequent checkups.
Virtual direct-to-consumer healthcare delivery has been touted as a means to increase access, improve outcomes and lower costs, which satisfies value-based payment reforms. Yet, whether there are actual cost savings has been debated. While telehealth is cheaper than traditional doctor or hospital visits, more people may seek care because it is easier to use, driving up healthcare costs, according to a recent study from the RAND Corp. Integrating these tools can also be costly.
"While these survey results should be a wake-up call to healthcare providers, they must realize that virtual visits are not appropriate for all providers or appealing to all patients," the Advisory Board said in a news release.
Care quality was cited by 21% of respondents as the top concern with a virtual visit, the Advisory Board noted. Nearly 20% said they were worried that the provider would not be able to diagnose or treat them virtually and that they would have to go to a clinic anyway.
Of the 77% of respondents who said they'd be willing to try virtual care delivery, the best uses they cited for telehealth include asking a prescription question or getting a refill; seeing a provider for pre-surgery and certain post-operation appointments; receiving ongoing results from an oncologist; and receiving ongoing care for chronic condition management. Select pregnancy checkups, weight loss, coaching to quit smoking, dermatology consults and psychologist consults also ranked among top offerings.
Nearly 40% of the parents surveyed said they had used virtual checkups for their children. Nearly all of the patients who said they had used telehealth were 49 years old or younger, while privately insured, higher-income patients were far more likely to use virtual visits than Medicaid or Medicare patients in lower-income brackets.
Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente conducted more than half of its 2016 patient encounters virtually, 90% of large employers plan to offer telehealth services in 2017 and 63% of healthcare providers use a form of telehealth, according to the Advisory Board survey.
The telehealth market is poised to grow as patients are more willing to pay to receive care at their own convenience, said Tom Cassels, national strategy partner at the Advisory Board.
"Healthcare providers can no longer wait to catch up," he said.


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iPhone 12 will likely come sans earbuds and power adapter
We already knewCan ship We are all accustomed to seeing in a box with new iPhones. But now it seems that the iPhone 12 will also come without a power adapter.
Renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who predicted last month that the iPhone would come without 12 wired earpods, now says he expects the power adapter to be sold separately as well, according to the 9to5Mac report Sunday.
Kuo, who could not be reached for comment, says removing the in-box accessories helps offset the cost of the iPhone 12’s 5G networking components, according to the report. This will help Apple sell the iPhone 12 for the same price as the iPhone 11.
9to5Mac adds that dropping earbuds and power adapters can also reduce packaging size, reducing freight costs.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Kuo’s prediction. And while it has not confirmed the names of their upcoming phones or the time of their release, we are expecting them this fall.


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A key question in the latest Baird-MDM Distribution Survey addressed whether there is a real trend in suppliers changing minimum purchasing requirements, and who it's impacting most.
President Biden wants to raise the tariff rate on certain Chinese steel and aluminum imports to cut out "unfair competition".
The new branch in Olathe, MO is the distributor's 11th overall.
It marked the first time growth occurred over two straight months since March-April of 2023.
PTE Drives is a family-owned power transmission & bearings products distributor with a single location.
The accolade recognizes outstanding commitment to advancing the development and influence of women in the industrial supply channel.
The association’s annual John J. Buckley Award honors an individual in the MROP channel for their longstanding service in the industrial supply industry.
Major manufacturers may have taken a big early lead, but their smaller competitors have been able to close the digital gap in recent years.
It comes just a week after the construction supplies distributor announced an acquisition in Oklahoma.
Adding five branches across Nebraska, Iowa and North Dakota, it's the fourth acquisition Beacon has announced in 2024.
Boeing will now distribute about 1,000 additional actuation and propulsion system products.
Christopher Breslin will succeed interim CEO and OmniCable Co-Founder Jeff Siegfried on May 13.
The addition of Texas-based wire and cable maker Encore Wire will enhance Prysmian's North American presence and product portfolio.
Snap One - a manufacturer and distributor of of smart-living products and services - will be integrated into Resideo's ADI Global Distribution unit.
We update on where Ferguson is at in its MDC rollout plan that will place smaller distribution centers closer to pro customers in major metro areas.
It boosts the MROP supplies distributor’s Midwest footprint as its sixth acquisition in five years.
The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors appointed a SVP of Operations, Director of Product Sales and Director of Data Management.
Local media cited financial troubles leading to buyer backing out of purchasing the hand tool maker's Bushnell, IL plant.
The U.S. Census Bureau's annual March revisions to wholesale trade revenues considerably lifted its largest sector - oil & gas - which likewise raised the latest MDM forecast modeling.
United Hardware locations will maintain brand identities, allowing them to retain autonomy within the co-operative framework.


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Mike Lindell’s new social media platform Frank will be a haven for free speech with servers that can hold up to a billion people.
Lindell previewed the platform on War Room, Wednesday, saying when it launches the week of April 12th it will be impossible to censor or cancel.
“I designed this for free speech and to get the word out,” Lindell said. “Itâ€™s going to be the megaphone for the world.”
Lindell said Frank will be a combination of YouTube and Twitter, outside of the control of Big Tech oligarchs.
“Nothing can be taken down from Apple or Jeff Bezos,” Lindell said, after other Twitter alternatives were censored from the Google and Apple App stores, and Amazon servers.
“In Nazi Germany when they took over they were marketers,” Lindell said. “The first thing they did was take away free speech.”
Lindell said money was no object in protecting data security and for server capacity for hundreds of millions of people around the world. “I believe, up to 1 billion people” can be on the platform at once, he said.
“Itâ€™s basically to protect your right to free speech,” Lindell said. “The voice of free speech, what a concept.”


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Since that poster of Gisele, posing rump-first for Johan Lindebergs camera for the new BLK DNM campaign, was released last week, the Brazilian super and, might we add, mother of two has barely been out of the style blogs.
But the eagle-eyed amongst you will know that shes not the first, and she wont be the last, that Lindeberg has shot in such a provocative pose. We hear he sees his distinctive BLK DNM signature 'more as a creative collaboration than a traditional ad campaign'.
And what a stable of models he has found to do business with.
Click through to see them all.More


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Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Stephen Saad had a bad Friday.
Shares in the drugmaker he co-founded more than two decades ago crashed by as much as 50 per cent in Johannesburg as investors balked at mounting debt and another delay to a key asset sale.
Saad, who owns 12 per cent of the company, saw his net worth slashed by as much as 4 billion rand ($276 million).
The investor reaction capped a turbulent six months that have transformed Saad’s Aspen from a stock-market darling into a pariah. Through 2014, the drugmaker gained for six straight years, adding 1,108 per cent in value.
Since announcing the $829 million sale of its infant-formula business to French dairy giant Lactalis International in September, the shares lost almost half their worth through Thursday.
Divesting the formula business “was almost like selling the crown jewel, and an indication Aspen needed the sale money to service debt,” Patrick Mathidi, head of equities at Aluwani Capital Partners, said by phone from Johannesburg.
“The market is now concerned that Aspen will be in a position of panic selling of assets that are core.”
Generic antiretroviral drug
Saad and Aspen co-founder Gus Attridge got their first taste in dealmaking in 1999 with the purchase of a chain of South African pharmacies, before spreading quickly from Durban to international markets.
The company began producing Africa’s first generic antiretroviral drug for HIV in 2003; expansion into infant formula came the following year.
UK pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline Plc became an equity and distribution partner, before selling out in 2016.
But all those acquisitions came at a cost, and debt hit 53.5 billion rand at the end of December, the company said Thursday after markets closed.
The delayed sale of the infant formula business - which has been held up by regulators in New Zealand - restricts the ability to pay down the borrowings, which include a 1 billion euro loan that matures in May 2020 and a 500 million euro facility due May 2022, according to Bloomberg data.
The debt ratio “is much higher than expected as the deal is not completed and there’s weak cash-flow conversion,” said Andre Bekker, a Johannesburg-based analyst at Arqaam Capital, which has its price estimate and rating on Aspen under review. Lowering the debt is an immediate priority, Saad, 54, said by phone Friday, adding that further asset sales are under consideration.
“How Aspen succeeds or fails will depend on how we perform in commercial pharma,” he said in an earlier presentation to analysts.
“We want to de-lever quicker to allow Aspen to take hold of some niche opportunities.” Selling out of infant formula will enable Aspen to focus on its main pharmaceutical operations.
The company sells products such as hormones and anesthetics as well as antiretrovirals in more than 150 countries.
The deal also reduces the drugmaker’s exposure to China, which has long been a target market, although Saad said there’s no plans to withdraw from Asia’s biggest economy.


text: is down more than 18 percent to $6.20 after the Minneapolis promotional products and program services reported fourth-quarter earnings of $310,295, or 3 cents per share, down from its year-ago profit of $411,399, or 4 cents per share, and 6 cents below the average estimate of four analysts polled by Thomson First Call. Sales jumped 28 percent in the latest three months to $7.9 million from $6.2 million in the same period a year earlier. Looking ahead, the company said it expects point-of-purchase services, or POPS, revenue growth of at least 50 percent for fiscal 2003. POPS revenue for the fourth quarter totaled $6.9 million. The company said its latest results were hurt by roughly $700,000 in expenses related to a lawsuit and its corporate move. Earlier in the session, the shares scraped a 52-week low of $6.05.


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As well as the new iOS 13.6 software update for the iPhone and iPad, Apple also released a software update for the mac, macOS Catalina 10.15.6.
The update comes with a range of bug fixes and performance improvements, it also includes some new features for the Mac.
This includes some new local news features for Apple News in some areas, you can see what is included in the update below.
macOS Catalina 10.15.6 introduces local news in your Today feed in Apple News and improves the security and reliability of your Mac.
– Local news in your Today feed provides extensive coverage of San Francisco, the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Houston, and New York City
– More stories available from local news providers with a subscription to Apple News+
– Your daily newsletter from Apple News can now be personalized with stories that reflect your interests
This update also includes bug fixes and other improvements.
– Adds a new option to optimize video streaming on HDR-compatible Mac notebooks for improved battery life
– Fixes an issue where the computer name may change after installing a software update
– Resolves an issue where certain USB mouse and trackpads may lose connection
Some features may not be available for all regions, or on all Apple devices.
For more detailed information about this update, please visit: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT210642
For detailed information about the security content of this update, please visit: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222
The macOS Catalina 10.15.6 software update is now available as an over the air update on the Mac, you can install it by going to System Preferences > Software update on your Mac.
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Playbook users have some new toys to play with. Rim has officially announced that a dedicated Facebook app for the BlackBerry Playbook is on the way. The app has been optimized for the PlayBook’s 7″ display and will let users view and add friends using the grid view of profile pictures. You can also view profiles with photos and videos, Facebook chat, view and interact with the news feeds, and of course tell the world about your Likes and Comments.
You can also upload photos directly from the PlayBook to Facebook. Book to Book as it were. It sounds like one of the best Facebook app choices available yet. BlackBerry has also announced a Video Chat for the BlackBerry Playbook app, with support for One-Click Video and Voice over WiFi Calls, Incoming Call Notifications, a picture in picture function and a friends list. Both apps will be available tomorrow May 3rd as an over-the-air update. They sound great.


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Sam’s Club Unveils Plans to Deliver Something Special Throughout the Holiday Season
Believe it or not, 2020 is still not over, but fortunately, the best time of the year is yet to come. That’s why Sam’s Club has been preparing all year long to help its members make the most out of the upcoming holiday season.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201007006018/en/
(Photo: Business Wire)
In a survey of its members regarding holiday shopping plans, 61 percent said they would be shopping more online this year, and 31 percent said they would be shopping earlier than past years. In response, Sam’s Club is enhancing its member shopping experience by adding more days of deals, introducing more newness, more often in clubs and online, and planning unexpected moments that delight shoppers throughout the season. And, as Sam’s Club gears up for a busy shopping season, it is hiring 2,000 supply chain associates to support the expected demand.
“We take our cues directly from our members, and they’re telling us they’re ready for and excited about holiday shopping this year,” said Megan Crozier, Chief Merchandising Officer, Sam’s Club. “Our merchants are making this holiday extra special for our members across categories – from food and holiday décor to one-of-a-kind gifts – with more high-quality items at amazing members-only values, and special experiences they can’t find anywhere else.”
More Days for Members to Save
In recent years, Sam’s Club offered a variety of opportunities to save throughout the season, but its biggest days for holiday shopping were its One-Day Savings Events held in November and December. This year, Sam’s Club will offer a brand-new approach to holiday savings events, with events including:
- Beginning Oct. 4: October Savings Event
- Oct. 28 to Nov. 29: November Instant Savings
- Nov. 7 to Nov. 15: November Savings Event; extended from one day to nine days
- Nov. 20 to Nov. 29: 10 Days of Thanks-Savings; extended from four days to 10 days
- Nov. 30: Cyber Monday Online-Only Savings Event
- Dec. 1 to Dec. 24: December Instant Savings
- Dec. 5 to Dec. 13: December Savings Event; extended from one day to nine days
Additionally, for the first time ever and to help members better prepare for shopping Sam’s, the warehouse club will unveil all its November deals in a single savings book, mailed to members’ homes the week of Oct. 21. The deals for the December events will also be shared with members in just one book that is mailed to members’ homes in late November.


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Shoppers went for the deals this holiday weekend: It's up to retailers to keep them coming
More shoppers than expected chased deals over the holiday weekend, leading to record-breaking sales. Now it's up to retailers to keep the surge going during the long holiday season.
That was a key takeaway for the National Retail Federation, which says more than 165 million consumers browsed at stores or online from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday. That was roughly 1 million more than the number previously projected to shop during the five-day stretch that officially launches the holiday shopping season.
“The key for retailers will be capturing the momentum out of this weekend,'' Mark Mathews, NRF's vice president for research development and industry analysis, said in a call with media Tuesday. "It's more competitive than it's ever been and everyone is competing for that highly valuable multi channel shopper.''
Hopes are high for the all-important holiday season, with the NRF predicting that sales growth in November and December will be on the high end of its initial forecast of 4.3 to 4.8 percent, which amounts to between roughly $717 billion and $720 billion.
"This was a very strong holiday weekend and this is a very positive indicator of where we're headed over the next four weeks,'' said NRF spokesman Bill Thorne. "There are 32 shopping days from this early Thanksgiving through Christmas, and on average consumers still have over half of their holiday shopping left to do... There is a lot more spending to come.''
Increasingly, shoppers are dividing their time and dollars between stores and digital channels rather than choosing one space over the other.
More than 89 million consumers shopped both online and in-store this Thanksgiving weekend, nearly 40 percent more than in 2017, according to the survey conducted for the NRF by Prosper Insights & Analytics. They tended to spend up to $93 more on average than those customers who stuck solely to shopping either on websites or in a physical store.
When it came to online sales, the holiday weekend broke records. Shoppers spent $7.9 billion on Cyber Monday, making it the biggest online shopping day in U.S. history, according to Adobe Analytics. That represented a 19.3 percent leap over the previous record set last year. And much of the shopping took place via smart phone, where shoppers spent a record $2 billion on 2.2 million transactions — a 55.6 percent surge over 2017.
"Converting mobile traffic to sales has long been a thorn in the side of retailers," Taylor Schreiner, director of Adobe Digital Insights said in a statement. "But investments in making the experience faster and easier have paid off.''
Still, the number of shoppers was down a bit over the holiday weekend. ShopperTrak said that from Thanksgiving to Sunday, in-store traffic slipped 1.5 percent as compared to last year.
And the NRF said that while the overall number of shoppers in store and online was more than initially projected, it was less than the 174 million who shopped from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday in 2017. Shoppers this year also tended on average to spend about $20 less.
More Money:Cyber Monday sales likely hit $7.9 billion, surpassing record estimate
The lower number of shoppers may be due in part to the ample time consumers have to get gifts this holiday season, when there are five weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Thorne said. And consumers may also be feeling less pressure to immediately grab deals because the economy is strong.
"When people are struggling they're going to take first and full advantage while they can,'' Thorne said in regard to seeking out bargains. "When the economy is good, they're going to space it out probably further than they normally would if it was a tougher economy.''


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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - nVidia, whose graphic chip will be powering Microsoft's entry in the console gaming wars, isn't forgetting its PC roots. The company unveiled Tuesday its next generation graphics chip, the GeForce 2 GTS, heralding a new battle with archrival 3dfx.|
The GeForce 2, a second-generation line of the company's revolutionary GeForce chip, is expected to hit the streets in roughly two weeks. If the company makes the self-imposed deadline, it will beat 3dfx's anticipated Voodoo4 and Voodoo5 chips to market.
That's significant, since it will be the second generational chip nVidia has released since 3dfx's last version - the Voodoo3. nVidia's reputation and stock prices have climbed significantly in recent months, while 3dfx shares have languished. NVidia (NVDA: Research, Estimates) closed up 8-3/8 Tuesday at 85, while 3dfx (TDFX: Research, Estimates) gained 1/2 to close at 10-1/2. In January, nVidia shares were trading for less than $50.
"nVidia has clearly dominated this market for the past 18 months," said Mark Edelstone of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter.
Operating at twice the speed of the current chip, the GeForce 2 will also feature new technology designed to make PC computer games look much smoother and realistic, which the company hopes will attract more of the hardcore gaming crowd. While that number is growing rapidly, nVidia hopes to draw in a much larger audience by offering a cheap alternative to high definition television.
HDTV comes home
The GeForce 2 will include a High Definition Video Processor (HDVP), allowing users to view high-definition television programs on their PC monitor. Although the PC monitor isn't widely used as a television viewing device, nVidia hopes to sway users with the drastically cheaper card. Graphic cards using the chip will include a "TV out" port, allowing users to run their television through the PC, amplifying the image, which might make the card more appealing.
The chip will be compatible to all software titles that currently support nVidia products. Several major graphics card manufacturers, including Creative Labs and Guillemot, already have committed to making cards using the GeForce 2. While nVidia does not control the retail price of the cards, the company's public relations manager Rich Black estimated the cards will sell for a competitive $299-$349.
nVidia's power in the gaming industry has been growing rapidly over the past few months. Most recently, Microsoft tapped the company to power the graphics engine of its forthcoming X-Box, which will compete head-to-head with Sony's powerful PlayStation 2 console gaming system. On April 19, Microsoft made its first payment - some $200 million - against nVidia's future supply of graphics processing units (GPUs) to be included in the X-Box.


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Pulse Market Insight #239 SEP 22 2023 | Producers | Pulse Market Insights
Concerns About India Front and Centre
(Please note that this was written on Sept. 22, 2023 and the situation remains fluid.)
One of the “fun” parts about following crop markets is that, on top of the usual uncertainties like weather, things can come out of left field, if you will. There’s been all kinds of information about Canadian crops in the last few weeks, including two StatsCan production estimates and an ending stocks report. Besides that, there’s production, trade and price data from various countries that influence the outlook.
One thing we didn’t have on our pulse market “bingo card” for 2023 was a full-blown diplomatic ruckus with one of our largest trading partners. The relationship between Canada and India could already be described as “strained but manageable” but Canada’s recent claims of assassination and interference have kicked the situation up to crisis level. In this type of environment, anything could happen, which is raising all kinds of concern about India’s stance on imports of Canadian pulses. In this report, we’re not going to debate the political issue, but discuss what’s at stake.
India hasn’t been a meaningful importer of peas from anywhere since late 2019, when it added restrictions on pea import volumes to the existing 50% import tariff. As a result, we haven’t really thought about India as a pea buyer for a few years and this diplomatic dispute couldn’t make things worse. Or could it? Lately, some intriguing possibilities were starting to show up.
Prices of desi chickpeas and yellow peas in India have been rallying sharply since the beginning of July, with chickpeas now at the highest point since late 2017. Yellow pea prices are still below levels of the last few years but are rising. With an Indian general election coming up next spring, there have been suggestions the government could reduce barriers for pulse imports to keep food prices in check and put voters in a better mood.
This outcome is far from certain but was raising some interesting possibilities. Of course, Canada has fewer peas to sell in 2023/24 but, as anyone who’s been at an auction sale knows, it never hurts to have more buyers bidding. If the Indian government was planning to open the doors to Canadian peas but now changes its mind, that would certainly snuff out some optimism for Canadian pea prices, especially yellows.
When it comes to lentils, an escalation in the situation would have more serious impacts. India is a major buyer of Canadian lentils, taking 15% of Canadian green lentil exports and 37% of red lentil exports in 2022/23. Losing that type of market would be negative for prices, more so for reds than greens. That said, the low Canadian supplies in 2023/24 would help limit the price damage.
From India’s perspective, it relies heavily on Canadian supplies of both red and green lentils. Australia has become a larger source of red lentils lately, but not enough to fully meet India’s needs. That’s especially the case since the Australian lentil crop will also be down considerably in 2023/24, 27% less than the year before.
We’re also seeing that Indian lentil imports have been trending higher for months and jumped sharply in June and July to the highest level in several years. This exceptionally strong demand for lentils suggests that cutting off access to Canadian supplies would have large repercussions for prices within India. And as mentioned above, with an election in a few months, triggering higher food prices wouldn’t be a popular move.
Keep in mind, there’s nothing to say India will decide to restrict pulse imports from Canada. In our opinion, we think the odds of this outcome are fairly low, but certainly not zero. This type of situation is unpredictable, but just crossing fingers and hoping it doesn’t happen may not be a very prudent marketing strategy.
Pulse Market Insight provides market commentary from Chuck Penner of LeftField Commodity Research to help with pulse marketing decisions.


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City State Entertainment has released a new Camelot Unchained update today, offering a glimpse behind the doors of the studio to see what’s cooking as May heads into its final stretch.
While there’s been some lost time due to a combination of events, the “Bat Shit Crazy” (BSC) streaming event is still on the horizon. Mark Jacobs notes that the event may not release on time, but no exact stream date or time has been set; however, the event will include a new and exciting announcement (promised not to be a Facebook buyout).
New interviews and new programmers are also on CSE’s table now, and Jacobs notes that finances are “right on track.” An end-of-week test is prepare to highlight some new improvements to the game, and much more is still on the board. For the full update, read here.


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Nike success may embolden other brands to take stronger social and political positions.
Nike’s controversial “Just Do It” 30th anniversary campaign with Colin Kaepernick was derided by many, spawned online-shoe burning videos and prompted one Louisiana mayor to ban Nike products from city rec facilities. Even President Trump argued, “Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts.”
But the calculated gamble appears to have paid off for shoe giant in free publicity and sales.
According to a new report from Edison Trends, Nike’s online sales grew by 31 percent over last year during the Labor Day weekend period, compared to a 17 percent increase in 2017. The company compared 2017 and 2018 online sales and found an increase corresponding with the controversy and release of an associated video ad campaign.
Edison Trends says the data is based on a sample of anonymized and aggregated e-receipts from more than 3 million US consumers.
Whether the sales bump was attributable to Kaepernick or the massive free media that Nike received (or both) is not entirely clear. However, an analysis provided to Bloomberg by Apex Marketing Group estimated that the free exposure was the equivalent of a $43 million media buy.
Read More at MarketingLand
Based in Rochester, New York, Netsville is an Internet Property Management company specializing in managing the Digital Marketing, Technical, and Business Solutions for our customers since 1994. For more information, please click here.


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Nielsen's latest release of sales lift studies shows how radio can deliver sales across multiple categories.
The radio industry had its best showing ever at the annual Association of National Advertisers Masters of Marketing Conference.
Nielsen studied a top telecom advertiser’s quarter-long campaign, and the results show how radio drives ROI. Every $1 spent in radio resulted in $14 in incremental sales.
NYC’s Advertising week reveals everyone is talking about audio.
Radio is a solution for marketers to reach the growing number of online consumers blocking digital advertising.
When stores are open, radio is on: radio dominates daytime shopping hours.
Westwood One's “State of the American Podcasting” report examined a number of data sources, including a custom study from Ipsos and a special cross tabulation from Edison Research’s quarterly “Share of Ear” study.
Are Radio Listeners The Engine Of E-commerce? A Look At Amazon Prime Day And E-commerce Upstart Jet.com
The New York Times said Jet.com represents “a frontal assault on Amazon … Jet’s promise is simple and … potentially momentous: to offer the absolute lowest price on just about everything.”
Test your knowledge with these four questions and see how you compare with America's advertisers.
Colleges looking to reach new students can utilize these strategies to create an effective marketing campaign incorporating radio.


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Texas Instruments Inc. on Monday reported a steep drop in second-quarter profit, but it also mustered a sequential increase in sales, with help from its analog business.
But the Dallas-based chip maker
TI posted a second-quarter net profit of $260 million, or 20 cents a share, compared with a profit of $588 million, or 44 cents a share, for the year-earlier period. Revenue totaled $2.46 billion, down 27% from $3.35 billion in the same quarter last year. But the company's revenue was also 18% higher from the first quarter.
Adjusting for various special charges and gains, income was 25 cents a share. Analysts had expected the TI to earn 18 cents a share, on revenue of $2.4 billion, according to a survey by Thomson Reuters.
The company said it expects third-quarter sales in the range of $2.5 billion to $2.8 billion, and earnings per share in the range of 29 cents a share to 39 cents a share. The average analyst estimate is projecting earnings of 27 cents a share on revenue of $2.52 billion, according to a Thomson Reuters consensus survey.
In a prepared statement, TI Chief Executive Rich Templeton said, "After sharp inventory corrections in our markets during the prior two quarters, our revenue levels are beginning to more closely reflect end demand."
Many chipmakers have seen quarter-to-quarter gains in sales recently, in large part because of what analysts regard as an inventory correction following the economic downturn as manufacturers scaled back chip supplies to levels below real demand.
"Analog was the biggest driver of sequential growth this quarter," Templeton said.
TI has been focusing more on its strengths in analog chips, which perform tasks such as converting sounds and temperature into digital signals that computers can use. TI's analog processors are used in home security systems, car airbags and industrial test equipment.
Templeton noted, however, that "it will likely take some time before the economy strengthens," add that the company has "aligned our operations and expenses to be consistent with the weak environment."
Analyst Roger Kay of Endpoint Technologies Associates said TI's report affirms Intel Corp.'s
"Looks like things are stabilizing," he said in an e-mail interview. "The worst is over. That having been said, gross margins are still down and revenues as well. The sequential picture is better than the year-on-year view, though, up substantially from the first quarter. The company is still heavily reliant on analog but the outlook rosy enough, helping confirm Intel."
Broadpoint AmTech analyst Doug Freedman said TI posted a "very strong report." But he added: "One point of concern maybe the wide revenue guidance range that may signal visibility is still not improving."
The company's report followed a number of positive reviews from analysts, including an upgrade from Jefferies & Company which raised its rating for TI to hold from underperform, citing indications that the chip maker's business has recovered. See story on TI upgrade and reviews.