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The High Price of Cheap Goods.
by Natalie Pace.
Includes a Technology Report Card featuring Apple, Cisco, Dell, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, Intel and Amazon.
Multiple suicides at a Chinese factory that assembles iPhones, Kindles & PCs.
The world’s most popular phones/computers/readers/PCs and more are assembled at a Chinese-based, Taiwanese-owned, factory that has become a hotbed of employee deaths of late. It is widely reported that there have been, 13 suicide attempts and ten resulting deaths at FoxConn Technology. (Source: BBC, the AP, China Daily, Reuters and various other media outlets). Foxconn employs 800,000 workers and is one of the most popular technology factories in Asia. This is where many Apple, Sony, Dell, Nokia, Cisco, Intel, Microsoft, Nintendo, Amazon, Motorola, Nokia and Hewlett-Packard products are assembled by Chinese workers with very little education, and, by some reports, even less freedom.
This isn’t news, really. There is already a Wiki page devoted to the crisis at FoxConn. Working and living conditions at Foxconn came under scrutiny in 2006, after an article by two China Business Daily writers, Wang You and Weng Bao, who reported on (alleged) unsavory factory conditions. Wang and Weng were subsequently sued by FoxConn, had their assets frozen and were fined $3.77 million – a decisive judgment that scared off articles critical of FoxConn for years thereafter. A recent Wall Street Journal (on May 27, 2010) op-ed piece claimed that the article published by Wang and Weng had been "shown to be false." Whether the ultimate truth is that the reporting was shoddy or Foxconn was successful in buying off the judge (both claims have been made), Reporters Without Borders and Steve Jobs, who reportedly intervened, were successful in having the fine reduced to one yuan (12 cents) and the reporters’ assets were released.
After the article was published, Apple conducted an audit of the factory. The Apple audit didn’t turn up any major grievances that employees had with the factory and found "the supplier to be in compliance in the majority of the areas audited." The Apple auditors recommended reducing the workers’ overtime and putting in an employee and manager training protocol that would prevent potentially objectionable disciplinary punishment – mostly long periods of standing -- which two employees had complained of.
With the spate of recent suicides, however, the Foxconn situation has become heightened. There are daily updates on China Daily and other Chinese media. The Chinese government has promised an investigation into the Foxconn crisis and to release the results of this investigation to the public. At the same time, the Chinese government is also assuring Taiwan business owners (like the owners of Foxconn) that the country will continue "favorable policies" for enterprises based on the mainland.
While the tragedies are getting headline coverage and senior government handling in China (a country with censorship policies), the situation has largely flown under the radar in the U.S. Regular updates continue to be provided from Reuters and the Associated Press, but the ink and airtime devoted to this crisis is relatively small, considering the gravity of the situation. The Wall Street Journal covered the suicides on May 27, 2010 (the day after the 13th death), in an online op-ed with the headline, "It's too soon to draw conclusions about a complex issue," which stated, "Indications so far are that conditions in the factory are good and job applicants are eager to work there." Without providing any evidence of the investigative journalism required to make such claims, the Journal’s opinion writer went on to note, "Several of the recent suicides seem to have been related to love affairs gone wrong," and that "suicide clusters" are common among "young people, who are highly suggestible."
Foxconn, which employs 800,000 workers in China, has already begun making changes. The company has, reportedly, hired psychiatrists, increased wages (effective October 1, 2010, for workers who satisfy a probationary period and performance evaluation), installed safety nets on buildings and will have an outside real estate contractor manage at least half of their dorms going forward. (Source: various reputable media outlets, however there was no press release on the Foxconn or Hon Hai websites.) But will that be enough to stem further suicides?
One journalist, JonT, at the Shenzhen Post, who claims to know both workers and management at Foxconn, counsels that the issues run deeper than wages (though the pay raise is certainly a leap in the right direction). None of the below complaints of JonT’s sources were identified in the Apple audit. JonT claims that the comments provided by his sources are not part of the public record because: "You see employees will say one thing to reporters and to investigators under threat of the company’s pendulum and a whole other thing to a friend of a friend over Johnnie Walker."
So, with the forewarning that the following is unsubstantiated, secondhand hearsay, which must be false or to have been deliberately hidden from the view of Apple’s auditors in 2006, I publish this blogger’s comments. There are plenty of U.S. companies and Chinese officials conducting a thorough investigation at Foxconn and now is the time to turn over all rocks and see what crawls out. If these claims are true, they should be addressed head on and corrected immediately. And if these claims are without merit, an in-depth investigation will only give American consumers greater confidence in factory conditions where their favorite products are assembled.
According to JonT, workers are fined for infractions such as arriving late, missing work (even if they are legitimately ill), washing their own clothes, talking while on the job and purchasing clothes and other personal items outside of the designated on-site store. (The Apple audit posted on Hon Hai’s website made no mention of the company fining the workers for any reason whatsoever.) One employee reported that she had to borrow money to pay the negative balance from her salary one month, and that women were at risk of sexual harassment from the onsite managers -- including rape. As for the movies and pools and other recreational facilities on the "campus" of the factory, those perks are limited to upper management, according to JonT’s source, and even if they were extended to the blue collar workers, there was no time left after 18 hours of work to enjoy them.
Ten suicides in a population of 800,000 people are far lower than the U.S. national average (which experienced 13 suicides for every 100,000 people age 20-24 in 2000). However, the fact that all of the suicides are clustered in one central location (Foxconn campuses) is alarming. One well-documented incident is the suicide of Sun Danyong on July 16, 2009, which centered around a missing iPhone (not love gone awry). It is widely reported that FoxConn Security used abusive and illegal measures for interrogating Sun Danyong about the missing phone and that the company later apologized to Sun’s family (sources: Wall Street Journal, Southern Metropolis Daily, Sina Online News and ND Daily). At the time, the security official Gu Qinming, denied any physical abuse, saying, "I was a little angry and I pulled his right shoulder once to get him to tell me what happened. [The beating] couldn't have happened."
Last Monday (on June 20, 2010) social scientist Yang You-ren from Taiwan’s Tunghai University told the Associated Press, "Foxconn's military management model, including scolding and sometimes beating front-line workers, helps drive isolated Chinese workers to kill themselves. If the company does not put an end to that, there will be more suicides in the future."
Cheap labor is the dirty underbelly of low-priced products. No giant U.S. technology company is exempt. Under the world’s increasing scrutiny, however, CEOs with factories in China are being forced to reevaluate the living and working conditions of their labor force.
The major U.S. companies who contract with Foxconn have joined together, led by the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition. Steve Jobs has vowed that Apple is "on top of this." Hewlett-Packard launched an investigation of Foxconn earlier this month, and, according to a statement on June 8, 2010, has already identified "a number of areas of improvement and we are actively working with Foxconn to address these concerns." Michelle Mosmeyer, a Dell spokesperson, updated me by email, writing, "Dell is actively investigating this situation. We recognize the magnitude of this situation, and we are concerned and saddened by this terrible loss of life." Ms. Mosmeyer further commented, "Our hope is that in the wake of this tragedy, the EICC task force can drive global improvements that address this difficult issue."
If you own shares in a major technology company and wish to voice your concern over the Foxconn tragedies (or thank them for their commitment to getting to the bottom of this and correcting the situation), simply go to the company website, click on Investor Relations and there you should discover an email or snail mail address for your comments. These technology companies are very popular holdings in mutual funds and Exchange Traded Funds, so it is likely that you own them in your 401K, IRA, etc., and thus have a voice that increases in power with each additional person who joins you.
Click on the Technology Stock Report Card to discover which companies can afford to have their factory costs increase without a substantial hit to the bottom line, and which might already be looking to move their factories to Viet Nam.
Today, I added Amazon to the Cooling Off portion of my Hot News on Cool Stocks List.
About Natalie Pace:
Please note: NataliePace.com does not act or operate like a broker. We report on financial news, and are one of the most trusted independently owned and operated financial news corporations in the U.S. This article is intended to educate and inform individual investors, and, thus, to give investors a competitive edge in their personal decision-making. The publicly traded companies mentioned in this article are not intended to be buy or sell recommendations.
ALWAYS do your research and consult an experienced, reputable financial professional before buying or selling any security, and consider your long-term goals and strategies. Investors should NOT be all in on any asset class or individual stocks. Your retirement plan should reflect a long, safe strategy, which has been designed with the assistance of a financial professional who is familiar with your goals, risk tolerance, tax needs and more. The "trading" portion of your portfolio should be a very small part of your investment strategy, and the amount of money you invest into individual companies should never be greater than your experience, wisdom, knowledge and patience.
Information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable however NataliePace.com does not warrant its completeness or accuracy. Opinions constitute our judgment as of the date of this publication and are subject to change without notice. This material is not intended as an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial instrument. Securities, financial instruments or strategies mentioned herein may not be suitable for all investors.


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After months of increases, Ford's sales were flat last month, the company just reported. But the good news was that sales to individual customers -- those that are most profitable -- rose 5%, and sales to fleet customers such as rental car agencies fell 8%.
Fuel price increases hit Ford where it hurts the most, its highly profitable F-Series pickup line. Sales there fell 15% compared with a year ago.
With gas prices soaring, Ford Motor saw some of its biggest demand increases in its two smallest models, Fiesta and Focus, last month. They were up 74% compared with the same month a year ago.
"Customers increasingly are demanding new products that deliver compelling fuel economy," said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president for sales. "Ford's new fuel-efficient products and powertrains arrived at the right time – just as fuel efficiency became even more of a consideration among consumers."
The Ford Fusion midsize car has seen sales increases for five consecutive months. Eight out of 10 are ordering the car with four-cylinder engines, up from 50% five years ago.
Ford's redesigned Explorer, designed to be larger and a tad more fuel efficient, rose 135% vs. a year ago. It was the highest sales for Explorer in 47 months, Ford says.
Chris Woodyard is an auto writer for USA TODAY who covers all aspects of motoring. He revels in the exhaust note of a Maserati and the sharp creases of a Cadillac CTS. Chris strives to live a Porsche life on a Scion budget. More about Chris

domain: news


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Only 4% of MSMEs Have Access To Credit Facility
The Association of Credit Bureaus of Nigeria (CBAN) stated that despite the efforts of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), credit agencies and financial institutions to provide loans to micro and small enterprises (MSMEs), only about 4% of the 40 million small and medium enterprises and micro companies in the country have access to credit.
President and Executive Director of the Nigeria Credit Bureau Association, Tunde Popoola (PhD.) said that, the CBAN is looking for ways to deepen MSMEs’ access to credit by focusing on capacity building and raising awareness of small business creation. In a webinar entitled “MSME and Access to Credit” organized by the CBAN, he stated that easy access to credit is essential for MSMEs to fulfill their role as a tool for economic growth.
He stated that some of the problems that hinder the development of small, medium and micro companies are the lack of adequate accounting, insufficient capacity to propose good business plans, insufficient business presence and the challenge of providing guarantees for obtaining credit.
He said, ”We have a lot to do to defend the credit problem and we are vigorously developing the capacities of our stakeholders. For CBAN, we are proud of our ability to develop advocacy resources that we believe will lead all businesses and individuals to obtain credit in Nigeria.” He suggested that small, medium and micro businesses digitize their financial records, saying the government, financial technology companies and commercial banks have a variety of financing opportunities and intervention funds.
Dr Taiwo Popoola, managing partner of Taisha Associates, said that small, medium and micro companies are the basis of the economy, but he said that accounting is a challenge that affects his operations in the country. According to him, accounting allows small businesses to obtain loans to expand their businesses. He said that a well-preserved book allows creditors or investors to clearly understand the financial situation of the business and make financial projections and investments.
He highlighted that the lack of good records is one of the reasons why small, medium and micro companies are struggling to expand their businesses while maintaining their livelihoods.
Jameela Sharrief-Ayedun, managing director of the credit registry, emphasized that companies need to implement the use of technology to deepen access to credit and expand access to credit. She suggested that small, medium and micro companies understand the 3Cs so that they can easily obtain credit from financial institutions.
3Cs includes capacity, character and capital. Good financial accounting shows that you have the ability to repay loans and that you have a fixed income. Personalized loan repayment is another feature that small, medium and micro-enterprises must have in order to obtain loans, as it shows they are willing to pay back. An accountant can help you show your character with a good credit score,” she suggested.
Read all the relevant news here: Agro News.


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Its broadband subscriber base is the
highest in the country
It has nine lakh landline and over two lakh broadband subscribers
BANGALORE: The Bangalore Telecom District (BTD) of BSNL has bagged the Best Maintained Telecom System Award in Category – I at the all-India level for 2007-08.
The award, Shubhendu Ghosh, Principal General Manager, BTD, said was in recognition of the positive growth in landline and broadband connections in the telecom district. Mr. Ghosh told presspersons here on Saturday that BTD had nine lakh landline and over two lakh broadband subscribers.
The broadband subscriber base of BTD was the highest in the country, Mr. Ghosh said. In fact, broadband connections had propelled the demand for landline connections.
Nearly 30 per cent of landline subscribers were broadband subscribers too, he added. On the occasion of eight years of the formation of BSNL, Mr. Ghosh said several of its offers with regard to prepaid mobile services and dial-up Internet services would continue for some more time. BSNL will offer 20 per cent discount on rent for a period of six months from the date of activation of broadband for all new customers. This is applicable if the booking is made by October 10. One month free subscription for Home 256/Start-up 250 Plan with one GB free download/upload is available under HCL bundled offer.
BTD had made all its landlines Internet-enabled so as to ensure that the customer remained connected even if his broadband connection was not working.
If the broadband connection was not working and the telephone line was normal, the customer could get connected to Internet through dial-up.
There would be no Internet charges (Rs. 6 earlier) and only normal local voice call charges would be applicable till October-end, he said.
Mr. Ghosh said BSNL had decided to waive Rs. 20 clip charges levied on customers who were given caller line identification-enabled instruments.


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When it comes to spending money on technology, we’d like to believe we are best at it, but apparently you don’t work for the US government. It appears that after the government gets your tax checks in, they go on a tech shopping spree much like we do when we get our tax returns. Gizmodo went on a digging adventure and turned up with a few good facts about how the government is spending money on technology.
From the information found in the Federal Procurement Data System, the government spends quite a lot of money on consumer tech. President Obama has been quoted before saying “When it comes to technology, we are like 30 years behind.” I guess everyone gets iPad’s, PS3’s, Xbox 360’s, except the President.
RIM’s BlackBerry phones take the top spot for the expensive technology purchased by the government over the last ten years. $117 million has been spent on acquiring devices and paying for service, which isn’t too surprising given President Obama’s preference for the device. By contrast, only $2.5 million was spent on iPhone devices (though $10.8 was spent on iPods, and $3.9 million on iPads).
In one instance, approximately $663,000 of taxpayer money was spent on Sony’s PlayStation 3 consoles for the Air Force. Now this isn’t just for fun, but I’m sure a few of them were used for games; the purchases put together a supercomputer using the console’s super-powerful processor. Between 2001 and now, the government has spent close to $1 million dollars on PS3’s alone; no wonder my friend stationed in Germany is having so much fun.
Kindle purchases, which include books and everything related to that system, make up $200K in the spending budget. Nook, a system that has been dwarfed by the Amazon’s superior Kindle, cost $12K. Now the most surprising spending in the budget is for the Wii – honestly! Who even plays the Wii?
Nonetheless, this was a good view of how the government is spending money. I am not too shocked by this report, and I won’t be complaining about how they are using our money for the wrong reasons. Most likely a lot of these 360’s and PS3’s that aren’t making up a supercomputer, which the 360 couldn’t do even if it tried, is going to the people fighting for our country and that’s not so bad.


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In the presence of more than a thousand officials, the Direct Media system, which operates within the United Group, marked the beginning of a new development cycle of business and announced the entry of regional marketing into the next evolutionary phase.
With the new visual identity, DIRECT MEDIA United Solutions will continue to be the leader of the digital transformation of the region on the way to the future of marketing and advertising, as a long-term leader in advertising, communications and media services in South East Europe, as well as in the new business era.
“Last year we became part of the United Media and United Group, the leading system in this part of Europe in the field of telecommunications and media that is striding through the new technological era and innovating business on a daily basis. That is why we have a great privilege to start a new growth with United Group, while at the same time we can clearly recognize the contribution that we will give to the development of the Group and regional marketing in general, “said Chief Operating Officer DIRECT MEDIA United solutions Jovan Stojanovic.
In the large United Media and United Group, DIRECT MEDIA United Solutions will continue to develop new technologies, innovative advertising models and digital marketing. This will enable the creation of unique communications solutions that will be marketed through various advanced platforms, and companies, brands and the media across the region will make a quicker step forward in the digital era and more efficient business development.
“In the new era, connectivity is the main currency, and solutions for business challenges are the communication strategies of the new generation we are developing. It will be far more complex, technologically demanding solutions that merged the existing ones and create new communication bridges. As professionals, we are fully prepared for this step and with a lot of enthusiasm and confidence, we are entering a new development cycle, “said Jovan Stojanovic.
Almost twenty years of Direct Media’s operations have marked regional expansion, the shift of borders in the advertising industry, the production of premium television content, and socially responsible business. Through continuous refinement of expertise, Direct Media has succeeded in introducing global standards in the region’s marketing industry, despite the fact that it does not belong to the global agency chain.
DIRECT MEDIA United Solutions provides services to international and domestic companies on the markets of eight countries of the region through a network of offices and affiliates: in Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Croatia and Bulgaria.


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The USDA listing for SkyWay MAX is especially meaningful because Solectek is one of a few vendors that design and manufacture products in the US, directly supporting the US economy
San Diego, CA (PRWEB) July 16, 2009
Solectek Corporation, a leading provider of broadband wireless connectivity products, today announced that its WiMAX product line has received USDA acceptance and Buy American status from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Utility Services (RUS).
"The USDA listing for SkyWay MAX is especially meaningful because Solectek is one of a few vendors that design and manufacture products in the US, directly supporting the US economy," says Dr. Eric Lee, CEO of Solectek. "Solectek is now well positioned to serve rural broadband operators with their wireless needs, from last-mile to backhaul."
In addition to fixed WiMAX, Solectek's comprehensive product portfolio includes mobile broadband systems, licensed microwave backhaul, unlicensed band PTP kits, and video surveillance transport systems. These product combinations, delivered in integrated solutions, represent an easy way for operators to build infrastructure rapidly and without delay.
Recently, the US government has clarified further initiatives beyond the original USDA RUS programs. Solectek's WiMAX and other broadband wireless products are well suited for the newly open federal stimulus packages -- Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) administered by National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) administered by the US Department of Agriculture.
"Wireless technologies are widely regarded as the only practical means to extend broadband services quickly at reasonable infrastructure costs," says Dr. Lee, "Solectek welcomes the opportunity to work with any operators that are planning on submitting applications for BTOP, BIP and RUS funding programs."
About Solectek Corporation
Founded in 1989, Solectek has long been a leader in the broadband wireless networking industry. Headquartered in San Diego with offices/partners worldwide, Solectek has installations in over 80 countries. Solectek manufactures a full line of broadband wireless connectivity products from last-mile access, video surveillance transport to high capacity backhaul up to 1 Gbps in 2 to 80 GHz frequency bands. For more information, visit http://www.solectek.com.
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What is Solaris?
Solaris is a decentralized open source cryptocurrency focused on
privacy, innovation and the advancement of technology.
Solaris XLR was released on 18th March, 2017. On Saturday, 07 October 2017, at 14:00 UTC the Solaris
blockchain was relaunched. The former Nist5 algorithm was replaced by XEVAN.
XEVAN was founded by the Bitsend developer and has since then proven to be a stable, ASIC resistant
and efficient algorithm. The Xevan hash algorithm is a unique combination from the dual X17
difficulty algorithm with an extension to 128 bits. Solaris has many unique features which
distinguish it from other cryptocurrencies, some of which include a decentralized governance system
which employs masternodes and an 'instant send' feature allowing transactions to be confirmed
Solaris understands that everyone has the right to privacy and so the wallet includes privacy
features that give users the option to perform XLR transactions anonymously. On 16th December 2017,
Solaris wallet with Zerocoin protocol support was released. Zerocoin transactions will be enabled on
the network at block 259300
Solaris News And Market Price Data
- Historical Data
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- Fear of the unknown: A tale of the SEC’s crusade against syntheticsCointelegraph.com News - 16 hours agoDeFi built on blockchain and legacy financial systems is on the verge of clashing in one of the most tumultuous battles in economic history. On…
- NFTs for freedom: Nonfungible tokens and the right to self-determinationCointelegraph.com News - 18 hours agoWith a rise in distributed political discourse, nonfungible tokens can provide exciting new opportunities for self-governance. It seems that everyone — from corporate behemoths like…
- What has been standing in the way of a pure-Bitcoin ETF?Cointelegraph.com News - 19 hours agoWith regulators slowly starting to come to terms with Bitcoin as an asset, how could this affect the present and future views of BTC ETFs?…
- Bitcoin 'still bullish' even if BTC price drops to $50K — analysisCointelegraph.com News - 19 hours agoIt may not be likely, but Bitcoin has a lot more room to lure bears into a false sense of security, one analyst forecasts. Bitcoin…
Solaris Frequenty Asked Questions
Where does Solaris (XLR) rank among in terms of popularity? How relevant is it compared to competitors?
In terms of popularity, Solaris currently ranks in position 2366 out of the top 1000 cryptocurrencies. Another important factor in popularity is Solaris‘s market capitalization – in general, the higher the market cap of a cryptocurrency, the more dominant it is considered to be in the market. Solaris has a market cap of $ 594,070, which compares to Bitcoin (the most popular cryptocurrency by several metrics) with a market cap of $ 1,136,169,151,282, Litecoin at $ 13,274,471,798, Ethereum at $ 475,949,654,091, Tether at $ 70,282,540,689, and XRP at $ 50,594,653,875.
What is the price of Solaris (XLR) today (updated in realtime)?
The current price of Solaris is $ 0.255841 in USD. (The price in Euros is 0,219710 €; and the price in Bitcoin is Ƀ 0.00000425 BTC.)
How has Solaris (XLR) performed recently?
Solaris‘s price has increased in the last 24 hours by 31.97%. The change in price over the last seven days was 35.58%. The trading volume over the last 24 hours was $ 95,110. Trading volume indicates how many units of a currency are being bought and sold on specific exchanges. High trading volumes are likely to drive more on-chain activity, for example when people deposit and withdraw funds, and it is considered a good indicator of popular interest in the currency.
What is Solaris‘s (XLR) market supply?
The total circulating (available) supply of Solaris is 2,322,032 XLR. The total supply of Solaris is 0 XLR.
What is the 24 hour volume for Solaris (XLR)?
The 24 hour volume of Solaris is $ 95,110.
What is Solaris (XLR) official website?
Solaris‘s official website, social accounts, blockchain explorer, and Github repository if applicable.
All Supported Currencies
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The more you use the internet, the more that your data is exposed in various parts of the online realm, even in apps and sites that you don’t even remember using. This is where Israeli startup MINE comes into the picture, enabling users to regain power over their personal data, while erasing existing info that lay in the wrong hands. Today (Wednesday), less than a year after coming out from stealth mode with Seed funding, MINE announced another funding round. The investment was led by the VC arm of the company that pretty much owns all of the world’s data - Google.
Allowing you to control your own data
MINE’s system attaches itself to users’ email and scans the subject line (without collecting info from the body of the mail), in order to determine if the current interaction shows if the contacting company has any data on you.
This leads the user to comprehend where their info is being kept, who is doing the keeping, and what the ramifications are? If the user wants, then they can use the system to send a request to erase the data from where it’s being kept, and the system will transfer the message depending on location and both private and corporate privacy laws.
Planning a trip abroad? Be prepared to release your data on at least 6 companies
In a conversation with Geektime, CEO and co-founder Gal Ringel shares that on average, user data is being held by at least 350 entities, with Israel above average at around 450. “Every month the average number increases by 8 companies, with March’s COVID lockdowns leading to a 55% increase because we were all forced to move our lives online.”
According to Ringel, almost every action, no matter how trivial, that we perform online leads to our data spreading to different corners of the internet. For example, going abroad increases the spread of our data by 6 new companies on average. “Our product goal is to help users reduce their personal data exposure online to help reduce the risk of our private info falling into the wrong hands,” claims Rigel.
MINE’s B2C system is still free for use, though Ringel reveals that he believes that early 2021 will see the company start to charge a couple of dollars for a monthly subscription to the service. The question behind their business model had us pondering quite a bit ourselves, assuming that MINE can really erase your data from the internet with a click of a button. Rigel explains that it’s not a one-time thing and that users should expect to embark on a “journey” with the system. As things develop, more and more data-hunting services will be added. MINE is designed to be used once a week, or even only once a month.
Ringel continues to add that MINE also provides users with insight like apps and services that should be erased, or alerting about companies that have been recently hacked, and more. Down the road, MINE expects to launch an easy-to-operate B2B model, which will offer enterprises a remote “erase data” solution for managing requests.
So why is Google investing in a startup that erases valuable data?
Today (Wednesday), MINE announced a $9.5 million Series A funding round with participation from Battery Ventures, e.Ventures, MassMutual Ventures, and Saban Ventures. Though the most interesting financial backer leading the round was Gradient Ventures, which is an AI-focused venture capitalist arm of Google. This marks its first Israeli investment ever.
It’s hard not to wonder what Google, the company that contains most of the world’s data, is looking for in a company that aims to do the opposite and erase user data from even Google’s reach. Ringel asks to separate the VC fund and the search engine giant: “The AI-focused VC fund is not tied to Google’s business model, and is actually purposely separated due to this reason. As a rule, Google’s VC arm is strictly a financial backer and not a strategical one. This means that Google has no access or say regarding MINE’s technology or business model.”
In addition, Ringel states that despite the investment, users will still be able to erase their data from Google via MINE’s technology. With that in mind, Ringel notes that according to company analytics, it seems as if users don’t want to use MINE’s service to erase their Google stored info. “At the end of the day, it’s all about choice and control. We are here to provide users with complete objective visibility over their personal info whereabouts, and empower them with data management tools.”
Based on company reports, the current funding round, which was done entirely by remote, comes only 9 months after the company completed its Seed round. Now, less than a year later, MINE has increased its users by over 100k, which have sent 1.3 million data-erase requests. “As part of this announcement, we are launching MINE V2, which includes new features that reveal who these companies are and what they are doing with our data. Furthermore, the new version will provide a digital risk calculator.”
Ringel further reveals that the company is responsible for 90% of global erase-requests, leading to many companies inquiring how they can improve their privacy. To those companies inquiring, MINE will offer its B2B tool. “And most important,” says Ringel, “we are growing. Today, we already have 16 team members, and each one’s footprint on our collective vision is definitely felt.”
The company is based out of its Tel Aviv offices, and plans to continue recruiting talent over the next few months. The incredible minds behind MINE are 3 experienced entrepreneurs who met during their military service: CEO Gal Ringel, CTO Gal Golan, and CPO Kobi Nissan, who stem from the worlds of cyber and venture capital. MINE is an alumnus of Intel’s Ignite accelerator program’s first batch.


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Outdoor gear maker Cotopaxi stitches its social goals into every backpack
Customers who order one of Cotopaxi’s $49.95 Luzon del Día backpacks don’t know what they’re going to get. That’s because the outdoor gear company lets workers making the packs at a factory in the Philippines select the combination of colors used, so no two are the same. Besides injecting some creativity into what is typically mind-numbingly repetitive work, the strategy helps cut down on the amount of fabric that goes to waste.
The $646 billion outdoor recreation industry is filled with companies that have staked their brands on green ideals, Patagonia being among the most prominent. Fewer of these businesses, though, have embraced a humanitarian mission, says Davis Smith, Cotopaxi’s founder and chief executive officer. “When I looked at a lot of the work other outdoor brands do around the environment, it’s amazing work,” he says. “Sometimes it’s around preservation of land or national parks. The sad thing is, really, it’s the elites that go to those things.”
A Wharton graduate whose previous startup was a baby products e-tailer in Brazil, Smith draws inspiration from his itinerant childhood. Cotopaxi, which he founded in 2013, is named after the volcano that looms over Quito, the capital of Ecuador—a city where he once lived. Its logo is a silhouette of a llama’s head.
Smith initially set out to model his Salt Lake City-based company on shoemaker Toms Shoes and eyeglass e-tailer Warby Parker, whose buy-one, give-one formula has helped turn them into household names. When Cotopaxi introduced its first backpacks, a portion of the sales of each design was earmarked for a particular nonprofit.
It made for a nice story: Buy a Cusco pack and help fund a shelter for street children in the Peruvian city of the same name. But as the company’s range expanded to include almost 100 products, from water bottles to tents, its do-good mandate became cumbersome to administer. It also left Cotopaxi’s beneficiaries exposed to the vagaries of consumer tastes: If a new backpack cannibalized sales of an earlier model, a charity could see its donations dwindle.
“I know nothing about the nonprofit world, other than that I’m passionate about it,” Smith says. “That’s why I needed Lindsey to come in and fix everything.” That would be Lindsey Kneuven, who joined the company in June of last year to fill the newly created post of chief impact officer. Kneuven, whose résumé includes stints at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and the Salesforce Foundation, has revamped the giving strategy so five grantee organizations, down from nine previously, receive a steady 2 percent of the company’s revenue. “We are working on building a sort of endowment with those
“He said that venture capitalists would not want to invest”
funds as well as actively granting with them,” she says.
The nonprofits in Cotopaxi’s portfolio fit into one of three categories: education, health, and livelihood. They range from scrappy nongovernmental organizations such as Educate Girls, whose work is focused on India, to more established groups such as the International Rescue Committee. “One of the most exciting things about working with Cotopaxi is their potential and ability to tap into the young professional, young humanitarian audience that we are looking to engage,” says IRC Corporate Alliances Officer Shannon Paz. She says Cotopaxi helped IRC raise about $28,000 during last year’s Giving Tuesday, a day in November that NGOs want to turn into a Black Friday for charitable causes.
To expand awareness of its brand, Cotopaxi stages one-day adventure races it calls Questivals, in which teams of two to six people complete outdoor challenges for a chance to win gear and trips. At the company’s upcoming world championship, which runs April 22-30, participants will race across seven countries, from Belize to Panama. Along the way, they’ll have to squeeze in good works, such as volunteering in soup kitchens. Armchair adventurers will be able to track the teams’ progress on a proprietary app.
Cotopaxi is one of about 1,700 businesses worldwide that have registered as a Benefit Corporation, or B Corp, a legal category for corporations that hew to the concept of a double bottom line, in which financial goals don’t take precedence over social ones. (Patagonia, Method Products, and Plum Organics are also B Corps.) Smith says his attorney advised him against going this route so early in the company’s life: “He said that venture capitalists would not want to invest in this new type of entity that was giving away money before you even make money.” Turns out his lawyer was wrong. Cotopaxi received $3 million in seed capital in 2014 and last year raised $6.5 million in a funding round led by Greycroft Partners.
“Having to bring in outside investors, that’s kind of when outdoor brands go a bit sideways—when there are greater profit pressures,” says Mike Geraci, chief strategy officer at MercuryCSC, a marketing firm where he’s worked on brand planning for more than 50 outdoor companies. “By already having some sort of patient investor coming in and saying, ‘I really like what you’re doing here and I believe,’ that is the model of the future.” Lindsey Kratochwill
The bottom line At outdoor gear maker Cotopaxi, backpacks and tents have a social mission stitched into them.


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The Real Housewives of Orange County star Gina Kirschenheiter is proving that her newfound fashion savvy is here to stay.
She recently posted images wearing a flattering leg-baring outfit that caught our attention after she got all dressed up for a Christian Louboutin beauty event.
Gina shared the post on social media as she posed for the camera and looked chic in a black minidress with short sleeves and exaggerated shoulders.
The jersey dress featured a slanted section in the front with ruched details that cinched at the waist.
She paired the LBD with black ankle booties with gold side zips and details on the heels.
The Bravo personality added a pop of color to the all-black ensemble with bright red lips to perfectly match Louboutin’s trademark red color.
Gina had her blonde bob parted to the side and slicked behind her ears, showing off a pair of stud earrings that glistened in the photos.
Gina Kirschenheiter strikes a pose for Louboutin Beauty
The Real Housewives of Orange County star made it known in her Instagram caption that she enjoyed the Louboutin Beauty event.
Gina shared a carousel of pictures from her night out as she snapped several stylish photos clad in her little black dress.
“Great event last night! Doesn’t get better than @Christian Louboutin Beauty ❤ #beautytips #glow #ownyourmagic -Michael Anthony,” the mom-of-three captioned her post.
In one image, Gina had her mouth wide open and one hand in the air as she struck a pose with makeup maestro Michael Anthony by her side.
In another photo, the reality TV personality had one hand on her hip as she posed with her friend, Tatiana, who accompanied her to the event.
Gina Kirshenheiter promotes her brand Cara Gala
The Real Housewives of Orange Couty star has been heavily promoting her brand, Cara Gala Skincare, with lots of deals and holiday discounts.
Last season, the launch party for Gina’s company played out on the show as she hosted her first big event since becoming a Housewife.
Gina launched the line of products after becoming frustrated with skin issues of her own, and she decided to create a brand that would make it easy for women to invest in themselves.
Gina has been sharing her 12 Days of Christmas promotion this month by offering major discounts on different products each day. She recently posted her favorite, the Rosehip Renewal wash, at 40 percent off.
In a video posted on Instagram, the RHOC star showcased the product and wrote, “12 days of amazing skin care coming at ya!!!”
“Our Rosehip Renewal Wash is my personal favorite! Go to CaraGala.com and use code 22HOL40 for 40% off your entire purchase!!” she added.
The Real Housewives of Orange County is currently on hiatus on Bravo.


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| Nov 18, 2013
| 4:05 AM
Innovation is messy. It lurches forward in a heartbeat, then retreats and often flames out, hardly lending itself to endless corporate measurement protocols.
So how can big companies protect their intrapreneurs and create the wide-open spaces that...
| Mar 19, 2013
Thirty years ago, when the world faced the terrifying prospect of an untreatable disease known as AIDS, big drugmakers saw an opportunity and raced to develop new medicines.
Today, as the world confronts the crisis of antibiotic resistance, the industry...
| Apr 26, 2013
| 10:17 AM
Aurora, IL, April 26, 2013 – The UIC Pavilion in Chicago was once again rockin’ for the FIRST Robotics Program’s Midwest Regional competition on April 5 and 6. Geneva (IL) High School’s Robotics Team – the Robovikes –...
| Apr 15, 2013
| 1:44 PM
What automotive brands and models come closest to the claim that they are American made?
The American University's Kogod School of Business analyzed 253 cars, trucks and SUVs for sale in the U.S., and the answers may surprise you.
Tied for first place...
| Jul 10, 2012
Zinc oxide would be the perfect sunscreen ingredient if the resulting product didn't look quite so silly. Thick, white and pasty, it once was seen mostly on lifeguards, surfers and others who needed serious sun protection.
But when the sunscreens are...
| Apr 8, 2012
| 7:05 AM
Batteries made in America for America and backed by America. That's how politicians hailed Ener1.
The company tapped the country's top scientists at Argonne National Lab in Illinois, and U.S. taxpayers pledged up to $118 million in federal stimulus funds...
| Jan 17, 2012
| 4:35 PM
The impending closure of Kraft Foods’ management center in south Glenview might leave a hole in the neighborhood, but the redistribution of the nearly 1,000 …...
| Oct 18, 2010
| 12:58 PM
Darlene Senger and Dawn DeSart both have ideas on how to right Illinois state budget woes and keep jobs in the Naperville area âÂ two areas …...
| Jun 7, 2010
| 4:32 PM
Since 9/11, we now actually import more oil than we did before 9/11. It's insulting to common sense...Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass) on ABC's "This Week" yesterday Following up on this assertion I found... Financier Michael Milken showed this slide during......
| Jun 16, 2010
| 4:24 AM
President Obama's address, as prepared for delivery, is available after the jump.......
| Mar 17, 2014
| 3:46 AM
PARIS/TOKYO (Reuters) - Renault and Japanese alliance partner Nissan unveiled their boldest steps yet to combine key operations and pursue economies of scale to rival auto giants like Volkswagen .
The creation of an alliance management team was among...


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Nintendo Switch Console Has 8 Million-Seller Games
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
- Super Mario Odyssey: 10.41 million units
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: 9.22 million units
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: 8.48 million units
- Splatoon 2: 6.02 million units
- 1-2-Switch: 2.29 million units
- ARMS: 1.85 million units
- Xenoblade Chronicles 2: 1.31 million units
- Kirby Star Allies: 1.26 million units
Nintendo additionally revealed that the Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon games have sold a combined 7.51 million units. The two games are now the ninth best-selling games for the Nintendo 3DS family of consoles.
Nintendo stated that 12 of its titles sold more than 1 million copies in the fiscal year that ended on March 31.


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The LinkUp Blog The Industry's Best-Kept Secret
An Idea For The Daily Newspapers
Itâ€™s a tough time to be in the daily newspaper business. Even as advertising online is booming, the dailies are seeing at best slow growth in print, the former cash cow print classified business has been commoditized to the point where superior products are being offered online for free, free dailies and weeklies are popping up in major metro areas, and thousands of employees are being laid off.
In February, I attended the Newspaper Association of Americaâ€™s Marketing Conference. Coming away from the event, I was left with the impression that the newspaper executives were well aware of the monumental challenges facing them, but donâ€™t have a lot of good ideas about how to deal with them.
Well, a couple of weeks ago I heard one such idea from Bob Etheridge, the VP of Marketing at GetTheJob.com.
Bob and I go way back to when I was just starting ERE, and he was pushing job fairs at TechExpo. Since then, he has been one of the principals at Jobcircle.com, before their eventual merger with JobNet.com. Heâ€™s also worked at BostonWorks, the recruitment division of the Boston Globe. This is a guy who gets our business.
Bobâ€™s idea is simple – newspapers should all be providing wireless internet access to their local communities.
I can see the newspaper execs rolling their eyes already â€“ â€œDavid, we are not in the technology business â€“ we are media companies!â€ And they are right â€“ to a point.
Editorial missions (both real and imagined) aside, the business of most newspapers is to aggregate the largest number of eyeballs in their local areas and then sell them to advertisers. Traditionally, they collect those eyeballs with editorial content and then sell ads with their extensive sales force and network of local merchants. Selling ads is the business, and it is what allows the nobler journalistic mission to continue (look no further than all of the recent layoffs of journalists for proof.)
When you core business attack is under attack, you need to think about how you can leverage your existing strengths. And in the case of the papers, their local advertising sales force is a huge asset.
So they should outsource the actual technology. They should partner, or simply engage the services of an Internet provider to handle the online access, and just focus on their strength â€“ selling those ads.
Imagine if everyone with a laptop in Chicago were able to log from anywhere in the city, in return for viewing a few ads from the Tribune. Do you think that might help them sell a few more ads? Boost the bottom line?
In a perfect world, with the newspapersâ€™ local content and a true local online community built around the wireless access home page, they could add tremendous value to their real life communities. It could even help them reestablish the position they once enjoyed as the default information providers of their respective communities.
Even better for the newspapers, they could use their existing strength in local advertising to make this model highly profitable.
Keep an eye on The Pilot, who recently launched the beginnings of a free wireless service in Moore County, North Carolina. They are working with a great idea, and one that every newspaper should be considering.
[Tags]ERE Media, Idea For Newspapers, Metro WI-FI, Free WI-FI Access, The Pilot[/tags]


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KFC customers see cabbage in their burgers and wraps as Australia faces a shortage of lettuce
KFC customers have been told to expect a mix of lettuce and cabbage in their dishes after floods destroyed Australia’s lettuce crop.
With concerns this could impact UK businesses, let’s take a look at the Australian situation and why they are facing a lettuce shortage.
Is there a shortage of lettuce?
Like the rest of the world, Australia is struggling with soaring prices for essential groceries, and photos of individual salads on sale can go for as much as AUD 10 (£5.72).
KFC Australia said on its website: “Due to the recent flooding in New South Wales and Queensland, we are currently experiencing a lettuce shortage.
“That’s why we’re using a lettuce and cabbage mix for all products that contain lettuce until further notice.
“If that’s not your bag, just click ‘adjust’ on your selected product and remove lettuce from the recipe.”
In a statement, the fast-food giant expanded, saying: “We have struck something of an iceberg and are currently experiencing some disruptions to the lettuce supply chain due to the impact of the recent floods in Queensland and NSW
“We are working with our multiple suppliers to offer them support, but we expect there to be more disruption in the coming days. We apologize for any inconvenience, we appreciate you all being Little Gems while we work to get things back to normal as soon as possible.”
Supply chain expert Flavio Macau of Edith Cowan University told AFP that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was also a factor driving up diesel and fertilizer prices.
Has this happened before?
In January 2022, KFC Australia had to change its menu due to the lack of the main ingredient, chicken.
This was caused by a staff shortage at Ingham’s, Australia’s largest chicken supplier, due to the “rapid spread of the Omicron variant across the eastern Australian states” in late 2021.
But that happens to a lot of restaurants.
Last August, McDonald’s announced it had removed milkshakes and bottled drinks from the menu in the UK as supply issues impacted the retail and hospitality sectors.
At the same time, Nando’s was forced to temporarily close more than 40 stores in the UK after a staff shortage hit its chicken supply chain.
In Japan and Singapore, McDonald’s announced a chip shortage in December 2021 and had to ration french fries.
Factors such as the war in Ukraine, the pandemic and the climate crisis that have caused major flooding on Australia’s east coast are driving up the cost of living.
In Australia, the cost of living increased by 5.1% in the first three months of 2022.
The Reserve Bank of Australia raised its main interest rate by half a percentage point to 0.85% and the Reserve Bank of Australia raised borrowing costs in an attempt to control rising inflation.
How did people react?
The people of Australia have not taken kindly to the cabbage-related news. One person wrote on Twitter: “The fact that you’re replacing lettuce with cabbage makes me reconsider my entire meal at KFC. There are 4 or 5 other things I would eat before cabbage. It’s such a strange choice.”
Another wrote: “Feels like a sign of the apocalypse”.
A third tweeted: “Hey @KFCAustralia instead of substituting cabbage for lettuce consider using hash browns instead.”
Could this happen in the UK?
In April 2022, some supermarkets such as Morrisons faced meat and salad shortages. Yorkshire Live reported a customer briefing stating: “Due to disruptions in our supply chain we are seeing low availability of lettuce. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.”
They reported that a number of factors such as the war in Ukraine and the floods in Spain have led to shortages of some foods in UK markets.
However, whether the salad crisis will impact UK KFC restaurants remains to be seen.
https://www.nationalworld.com/news/world/kfc-lettuce-shortage-cabbage-australia-uk-3723248 Is there a shortage of lettuce? Why KFC offers cabbage


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- All Automotive
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April 09, 2014 -- 2002 Ford Expedition used transmissions are now included for online sale at the Got Transmissions website. These automatic editions are part of the growing Ford inventory now available.
April 09, 2014 -- Cheap car insurance for drivers is now comparable online using the new tool built at the Insurance Pros USA website. A new solution for locating affordable rates is now active at...
April 08, 2014 -- The ten top private jet rental companies for the month of April 2014 announced by bestofluxury.com.
April 08, 2014 -- USA Cash For Cars has launched their new instant cash for cars program that provides same day pickup of any vehicles by calling (866) 834-3884.
April 08, 2014 -- Summit Racing now offers a whole line of American-made Be Cool aluminum radiators and Cooling Modules that will keep the LS in an early Camaro or Corvette, shoebox Chevy, or S-Series truck running...
April 08, 2014 -- Hot rod tech guru and editor Jeff Smitth will be putting his over 40 years of experience to work answering tech questions in his new Ask Away! column at Summit Racing Equipment's blog, On All...
April 08, 2014 -- The nation's most reputed...
April 08, 2014 -- New site serves as a one-stop resource for racers and performance auto builders.
April 08, 2014 -- A Texas-based InventHelp client has invented the E Z Plug, which is being submitted to companies for review.
April 08, 2014 -- InventHelp, America's leading inventor service company, attempts to submit an invention, Baby on Board Minder, to companies for review.
April 08, 2014 -- A Florida-based InventHelp client has invented the Race Car Grill, which is being submitted to companies for review.
April 08, 2014 -- Hughes Estate Sales Announces Call for Consignments to Benefit San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity
April 08, 2014 -- Affordable car insurance finder built for public usage courtesy of the Auto Pros company is now displaying rates for women in 2014. The rates tool can be used by any female adult to find discounts at...
April 08, 2014 -- Cheapest car insurance at the state level is now viewable by drivers at the Quotes Pros company website. Rates from all 50 states are now searchable at...
April 08, 2014 -- Automatic acceptance auto insurance plans are now among the coverage types quoted at Auto Pros website. These domestic plans are now accessible at...
April 08, 2014 -- Full coverage car insurance national costs are now featured inside the public tool at the Auto Pros USA website. These protection plans are comparable at...
April 08, 2014 -- Cheaper car insurance in California is now provided to motorists who use the finder tool at the Auto Pros website. This new tool allows private exploration of statewide policies at...
April 07, 2014 -- When it’s time to refurbish your clutch setup or install a new one, Centerforce makes some very nice flywheels that will help keep the drivetrain transferring engine torque.
April 07, 2014 -- One of the country’s highest rated cash for junk cars service, releases new advertising videos across California. They hope that the videos like...
April 07, 2014 -- As the official accommodations sponsor of Burning Up the Beaches, Ocean Reef Vacation Rentals & Real Estate is offering nightly rate discounts to event attendees.
April 07, 2014 -- A North Carolina InventHelp client has invented the Clean Sweep, which is being submitted to companies for review.
April 07, 2014 -- Pittsburgh-based InventHelp attempts to submit an invention, Bear Claw, to companies for review.
April 07, 2014 -- Join the Honorable Willie Brown, Jr. and Congressman Jared Huffman for an unforgettable evening of rare cars, delicious food, and rock n’ roll benefiting the Anova school for children with autism.
April 07, 2014 -- bestwebdesignagencies.com has announced Sourcebits as the ninth best Android app development agency for the month of April 2014.
April 06, 2014 -- The independent authority on search marketing in Canada, topseos-canada.com, declares the rankings of the best reputation management services for the month of April 2014.


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July 20 update below, post originally published July 19.
The confirmation of Apple’s move from Intel-based processors to ARM-based processors across the Mac platform will impact consumers for years, if not decades, to come. This year’s ARM-powered MacBook Pro will be at the cutting edge of a transformative plan.
It is right to be excited about this move and its impact on Apple and the wider industry, but the transition will not be without risk. Here are three areas where MacOS on ARM is going to deliver… and one danger you need to be aware of.
July 20 update: As Apple pushes ARM to the foreground, it’s worth remembering that the transition is not instantaneous. Not only will new Intel-powered machines remain on sale, but MacOS will be supporting the older architecture for years to come; note that MacOS 11 Big Sur will offer support back to Macs from 2013.
Brooke Crothers discusses the issue. While the obvious call is to wait for the new technology, which is what I’m exploring here, Crothers has a good counter argument for staying with Intel and buying a new Intel machine today:
"After Apple announced its transition to Intel in 2005, it took Apple about four years to come out with OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, the first OS that no longer supported the old PowerPC processors. What will the transition look like this time? I don’t know but, again, your Intel-based MacBook will not, by any means, be instantly obsolete.”
MacOS on Intel remains a solid option with a few caveats. For those who are looking to join Apple on the cutting edge of the ARM revolution, read on for those advantages and disadvantages...
The MacBook Is Going To Get Thinner
Even though this new MacBook Pro is going to have a keyboard and screen wrapped in aluminium with a glass trackpad and not enough ports (which MacBook has ever had enough ports?), the ARM-powered MacBook is going to be a new design.
Apple’s predilection for thin and light machines will be well served by the switch to ARM. I would expect that - much like the iPad and iPad Pro - there will be no need for a fan to help cool the laptop. Thermal design will still be important, but with less heat to draw away from the core Apple can pack the MacBook board as densely as the iPad Pro board.
Expect the ARM-powered MacBook to be one of the thinnest MacBooks yet.
There are going to be questions around the relative performance of the ARM processor compared to the Intel-powered Macs - as well as the comparisons to Windows 10 on ARM (although the initial benchmarks look to be in Apple’s favour). Eyes will be on MacOS 11 and how it optimises for ARM as well as continuing to serve the millions of Intel machines currently in use.
It’s not just the raw power where performance can be improved. The ARM processor should be more efficient in its use of battery power. That could see a laptop that will comfortably reach twenty hours of battery life while in use. That’s assuming Apple keeps the same size of battery. It could stay in the current endurance window and reduce the capacity, which would once more help with making a thinner and lighter machine.
The other area ARM offers better performance is on connectivity, especially LTE. A glance at the specs of the many ‘Pro’ styled Windows 10 machines and you will see cellular connections available. It’s not something that you find on MacBook Pro hardware, but it is on the iPad Pro. While Apple has not confirmed any specifications for the first consumer-focused ARM machine, the addition of LTE support should be under consideration.
MacOS on ARM has not appeared out of nowhere. Apple’s engineering team will have been working internally on this for many years, and some of the key third-party software will have been working with the the new architecture. The lack of ‘new’ features in MacOS over the last few years has left the MacBook range especially looking like Apple’s secondary team behind the iPhone and iPad families.
How much of that is down to Apple moving Mac from a powerful standalone computer to a cloud connected device, or more engineers allocated to ARM rather than Intel, is unlikely to have a clean answer.
But ARM is the future of the Mac platform. Apple will not want to top the ball on this one, in fact it will want not only to push the development heavily, it will want to be seen publicly to be pushing the development.
That means MacOS is going to get a lot more attention over the next two years, which should be of huge benefit to the platform and will build confidence in the new ARM world.
The Danger Of The Cutting Edge
From a practical point of view, MacOS on ARM is very much a brand new thing. It may have been tested inside Cupertino, it may be running on Developer Transition Units, and it may be with external app developers, but when the sales start both the MacBook Pro hardware and the MacOS on ARM software are going to be majorly tested.
It would be highly unusual if any product was perfect at launch, software bugs and unexpected use cases will always appear, even in mature hardware like the iPhone. With the move to ARM, everything is going to be new, and rough at the edges.
If you’re not ready to get your hands dirty and work round anything that’s broken, the first wave of MacOS on ARM hardware may not be for you. Let the geekerati test and break everything, and join in with the second wave later in 2021.
Apple’s decision to move the Mac platform to ARM should deliver a lot of benefits, and many of these will be immediately apparent on the first consumer laptops that go on sale. As with any significant move to a new architecture, it’s going to be a bit rocky at the start. Apple may have smoothed out as many bumps along the journey as possible, but the public have a way of pushing past the edge of the envelope.
This is ultimately a good thing, as it brings more stability to the platform, but it’s not an easy ride to get there.


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Burlington, Mass. — March 30
Centive, a provider of on-demand strategic sales compensation management, has announced that Salary.com Inc., a provider of on-demand compensation management solutions, has selected Centive Compel to automate sales compensation management for its worldwide salesforce.
Salary.com will deploy Centive’s AppExchange-certified solution within salesforce.com, providing its sales representatives and managers with a single, integrated view of actual earnings and attainment performance, as well as potential earnings based on forecast opportunities.
“After a comprehensive evaluation of sales compensation solutions on the market, Centive Compel emerged as the best fit for our requirements,” said Ken Goldman, Salary.com senior vice president and chief financial officer. “As a publicly traded company, our financial applications have to support our Sarbanes-Oxley compliance initiatives, and Centive proved most capable in that area.
“In addition, their integration with salesforce.com will enable us to derive additional value from our CRM system investments.”
Centive Compel automates the entire sales compensation process in one secure, centralized system.
More than just a calculation tool, Compel provides strategic value by enabling customers to model and forecast commission expense, optimize plan effectiveness and drive sales performance and top-line revenue growth.
“Salary.com understands the power of compensation in driving performance; it’s part of their corporate DNA,” said Mike Torto, Centive president and CEO. “We are pleased that a leader in on-demand compensation solutions recognizes Centive Compel as the best solution for on-demand sales compensation management.”


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Worries are mounting over China's imported inflationary pressure this year and the possibility that prices may become uncontrollable after oil prices rose to a 29-month high on Monday due to the unrest in Libya.
However, officials and economists in Beijing said that inflation will not spiral out of control and the target to contain inflation at around 4 percent is attainable.
Premier Wen Jiabao said on Saturday during the opening of the fourth session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) that China would make stabilizing consumer prices a top priority this year while holding inflation at around 4 percent.
"Recently, prices have risen fairly quickly and inflation expectations have increased. This problem affects people's well-being, bears on overall interests and affects social stability, Wen said.
The move demonstrated the government's increasing concern about rapid price hikes and its determination to keep inflation in check.
Yao Jingyuan, a chief economist with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), said at a forum on Saturday that the chances of runaway inflation are very slim due to the country's bumper grain harvests over the past seven straight years, its overall balanced industrial market and excess capacities in some industries.
China's January inflation remained high at 4.9 percent, despite a series of measures to cap price rises.
The growth accelerated from 4.6 percent in December but was lower than the 28-month high of 5.1 percent in November.
Also, the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the central bank, boosted the reserve requirement ratio for commercial banks eight times since the beginning of 2010 and raised interest rates three times to rein in inflation.
The banks' reserve requirement is currently at a historic high 19.5 percent.
"China is taking measures to mop up excess liquidity on the market as early and as fast as possible, laying a solid foundation for stabilizing overall prices this year," said Yang Ziqiang, governor of the Jinan branch of the PBOC.
However, higher grain prices, resulting from adverse weather conditions worldwide, surging prices of oil and other commodities are adding imported inflationary pressures on China.
The global commodity price surge is due to the U.S. quantitative easing monetary policy and low interest rates by some developed economies, said Li Daokui, a central bank monetary policy advisor.
On Monday, crude prices in New York climbed to a 29-month high at 105.44 U.S. dollars per barrel, due to escalating unrest in Libya.
Zhang Liqun, a researcher with the Development Research Center of the State Council, told Xinhua on Tuesday that imported inflationary pressure faced by China is not as high as people think since surges in global commodity prices would just be temporary.
"The world's emerging economies have experienced vigorous recovery from the financial crisis, but serious inflation came along with it. As a result, commodity demands of those countries will decline as they take measures to cool their economy this year," said Zhang.
He also noted that developed countries were recovering relatively slowly from the crisis, which would not support the constant rise of commodity prices.
"The prices this year will be generally stable, and the target to keep inflation around 4 percent is attainable," according to Zhang.
In order to reassure public confidence, Wen said that the country has excess supply in major industrial products, ample grain reserves and abundant foreign exchange reserves, which the government says it will "make the most of" in its fight against inflation.
The government has included liquidity management, production increases and an intensified crackdown on price speculations and hoarders in its policies, thereby showing its resolve to keep inflation under control.


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Mar 20 2013, 4:07am CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr
Sometime this year Microsoft will unveil the new Xbox 720 aka Durango. Leaked information and rumors say that the new Xbox requires games to be installed on the HDD and that the box is always online. Games would need to be activated online.
Some leaked information suggests that you would not be able to sell used games. This would be a major sales blocker as games cost a small fortune ($60). If gamers cannot trade used games to recoup some of the cost, they will not by the Xbox 720.
A game activation system that prevents used game sales would require cutting the cost of games by at least 50%.
I expect though, that Microsoft will not change the current system. So keep cool and look forward to what the new Xbox 720 will offer.
Luigi Lugmayr (Google) is the founding chief Editor of I4U News and brings over 15 years experience in the technology field to the ever evolving and exciting world of gadgets. He started I4U News back in 2000 and evolved it into vibrant technology magazine.
Luigi can be contacted directly at email@example.com.
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text: From Black Friday to Cyber Monday, shoppers across the globe unite for the weekend to find the best deals they can from their favourite clothing stores. While the holiday used to be an American exclusive, it's clear the Black Friday craze has extended to Canada and even the UK.\nREAD MORE: Netflix Canada’s Newest Movie Is Being Called The Most Twisted Thing Since "Black Mirror"\nJustin Bieber And Hailey Baldwin Spotted Making Out At Toronto Maple Leafs Game\nThough when it comes to scoping around for deals, the last thing that's on a shopper's mind is that the store you're buying from could be deceiving you with their Black Friday discounts. Unfortunately, several online clothing companies have recently been caught in the act and shoppers are not impressed.\n@jebevanembedded via\nIt all started when one shopper in the UK was browsing popular online clothing store, Pretty Little Thing. She noticed that prior to the Black Friday sale, one of their coats was priced at £50, about $84 CAD. But when Black Friday came, the site claimed the jacket had initially been priced at £60 and was now on sale for £54.\nHow is it that the same jacket from a few weeks ago is now more expensive in the Black Friday ‘sales’??? @OfficialPLT 👀👀 pic.twitter.com/72j0ZXluMA\n— Mhairi🎀 (@xmhairi) November 23, 2018\nUnfortunately, it seems Pretty Little Thing isn't the only culprit as other shoppers quickly realized, showing examples ranging from popular online stores such as Missguided and BooHooo to other well-known sites:\nMissguided are just as bad 🤦🏽♀🤦🏽♀ pic.twitter.com/Ll91jXxCAu\n— MoniqueAlexandra (@MoniqueAlex_) November 23, 2018\nTwo weeks ago I bought trousers for £15, looked today and they were ‘on sale’ for £22.50 😂😂\n— Abs (@abi_congreve) November 24, 2018\nThis happened with ohpolly! Raised it by $15 literally RIGHT before Black Friday sale. Absolute rubbish\n— purrbunny (@purrbunny) November 24, 2018\n@boohoo is even worse! Im shocked🙃🙃 I bought it for £42 just over a week ago and now its on SALE for £61!!😒 pic.twitter.com/JvurBMG6pL\n— MakeupByTammi💜 (@makeupbytammi) November 24, 2018\nAs of now, Pretty Little Thing is the only company who has publicly addressed the controversy and claimed it was a result of their "pricing fluctuations:"\nThis is due to fluctuations in the current market which unfortunately is out of our control. Our teams closely monitor pricing to ensure PLT remains competitive, we have additional offers running over the Black Friday weekend - Jess B\n— OfficialPLT_CS (@OfficialPLT_CS) November 23, 2018\nOne customer was quick to correct the brand, pointing out that it's actually illegal to change up prices that close to setting a sale price, to which Pretty Little Thing never responded back to.\n“Under Trading Standards rules, pre-sale prices should be the last price at which goods were offered – and the goods should have been at that price for 28 consecutive days in the previous six months” 👀\n— Ashley (@Mr_AJA) November 23, 2018\nWhile everything went down in the UK, Missguided, BooHoo, PrettyLittleThing and Oh Polly all have the same pricing for Canadian customers, the only difference is the conversion.\nMeaning that while you are shopping today and racking up deals for Cyber Monday, you may want to consider that the deals you are scoring aren't as great as they seem. It also may be worthwhile to do your homework the day before a big sale weekend such as Black Friday next year to make sure the deals are legit.


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As the December 31 deadline for the removal of CFC albuterol inhalers in the US approaches, a new report by Kalorama Information forecasts big changes in the global $36bn (€26bn) a year respiratory products market.
The impending ban on albuterol inhalers that use chlorofluorocarbon
(CFC) propellants will see branded hydrofluoroalkane (HFA)-based
products completely dominate the US market as, to date, no generic
HFA albuterol has been developed.
Spanish firm Almirall is working on a new chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD) treatment combined with a hi-tech easy use
inhaler, creating what it hopes will be another competitive product
from its in-house pipeline.
There are lessons to be learned about the importance of rigorous due diligence of pharma contractors, now that Inyx' customers are facing possible supply issues and a scramble to find alternative manufacturers after the firm's collapse.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed plans to
phase out chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in metered dose inhalers that
contain epinephrine, but the decision could spell the end for some
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has suffered a blow in the advance of its top
selling pharma drug Advair after US regulators issued a not
approvable letter for an increased strength in the treatment of
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
BioWa has announced it is to commence Phase 1 clinical trials
anti-IL-5 receptor monoclonal antibody (Mab), which is being
developed for the treatment of asthma, a respiratory disorder that
is on the rise, particularly in children.
Curalogic, a Danish biotechnology company, has appointed SAFC's
Pharma business segment to provide protein isolation, extraction
and purification services as part of its product development to
treat Allergic Rhinitis.
The world's most prescribed product for chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD) could soon be formulated with a new
propellant-free device following an observational study on a soft
mist inhaler (SMI) that Boehringer Ingelheim...
Skyepharma has finally found a partner to license and market its
new asthma drug delivery product after over a year of searching and
one big-pharma partnership that went belly up in 2005 - giving the
company new hope of revamping...
Bang & Olufsen Medicom has joined with specialist device
manufacturer Bespak to co-develop and co-market a new single
increment dose counting inhaler for the expanding asthma and COPD
(chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) market.
Bespak is now ramping up manufacturing of Chiesi Farmaceutici's new
dry powder inhaler (DPI), in preparation for clinical trials of the
device in patients with asthma and COPD (chronic obstructive
British drug delivery firm Vectura has inked a deal with Boehringer
Ingelheim to develop a dry powder inhaler (DPI) for a range of
proprietary respiratory products of the German company,
intensifying competition in a burgeoning asthma...
Ranbaxy has announced the purchase of Senetek's Autoinjector rights
and assets for its proprietary disposable autoinjector for
self-administration of parenteral drugs, adding to Ranbaxy's
growing presence in the growing...
UK drug development company SkyePharma, which put itself up for
sale last month, has said that several new bidders have expressed
interest in buying some of its assets as well as acquiring the
entire company for cash.
UK drug delivery company Skyepharma has been forced to raise funds
to carry out trials of its combination drug for asthma and chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) after failing to find a
partner for the project.
Germany's Merck KGaA has laid out its plans to take on the market
for generic respiratory medicines, revealing that it is the
previously unnamed company that has licensed UK inhaler company
Innovata's Clickhaler device in...
Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT) has announced positive results
of its human anti-IL13 monoclonal antibody, to be used as a
potential treatment for severe asthma. The Phase I clinical trial
of CAT-354 represents research towards...
UK pharmaceutical company ML Laboratories has acquired Quadrant
Technologies, a company specialising in drug formulation and
stabilisation, for £46.7 million (€70m), boosting its capabilities
in the development of inhaled medicines,...
According to data presented this week, multiple second-generation
antisense drugs that show potential as new treatments for asthma
could represent the future in treating this disorder that has
soared in worldwide cases, particularly...
Researchers may have found a novel way to fight asthma by targeting
a protein that is centrally involved in the bronchial inflammation
and airway constriction that prompts asthma's hallmark symptoms.
The antibody treatment is...
Isis Pharmaceuticals is developing its first inhaled antisense drug
for the treatment of asthma and related pulmonary diseases. The
drug represents a potentially effective therapy for these diseases
that continue to see cases rising...
Novartis has announced the formation of an alliance between Vectura
Group and Arakis to develop and commercialise AD 237, a novel, long
acting, antimuscarinic agent, for the treatment of chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Novartis has acquired a global license to a combination drug and
inhaler device for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in
one of the largest deals signed by the UK biotechnology sector,
reports Phil Taylor.
The US Food and Drug Administration's decision to ban the use of
chlorofluorocarbon propellants in albuterol metered-dose inhalers
(MDIs) from the end of 2008 will effectively mean the market will
revert to one of branded rather...
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set the end of 2008 as
its deadline for the complete phase-out of albuterol inhalers using
ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as propellants,
reports Phil Taylor.
Theravance has announced that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has exercised
its option to license Theravance's inhaled bifunctional, muscarinic
antagonist/beta2 agonist (MABA) program under the terms of their
2004 agreement. The compounds...


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It was an early call time in the morning when we were invited to witness the grand unveiling of the new Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ at the posh City Of Dreams in Manila. After getting off a Grab … Read more
Let’s say you’ve already seen Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens a couple of times and enjoyed every moment of the film, from the first sequence and up to the last. You’re so cool! Definitely a geek Star … Read more
In line with Globe‘s Galactic Celebration, another Wonderful World with Globe event was staged last night to add to the #FillYourGalaxyWithWonder journey this Christmas and right before 2015 ends. Globe presented a special block screening of the … Read more
Kata Philippines have been teasing its market on their Facebook page by announcing the release of the newest addition to their tablet line – the Kata T4. Kata calls it their ‘hippest phablet ever’.
We had the exclusive opportunity … Read more
The latest news on LG G4 is it will be one of the first in the world to get Android 6.0 Marshmallow update as it rolls out to owners in Poland and Philippines, according to LG Electronics/
The … Read more
Asus Zenfone Selfie is a 5.5 inch device with Full HD IPS display with 72% screen-to-body ratio. Bundled with Qualcomm Snapdragon 64-bit Octa Core processor with 3GB of RAM, Gorilla Glass 4, LTE Category 4, Dual SIM, and Dual … Read more
Global brand OPPO seems to be unstoppable as they decided to launch another set of stylish smartphone just right after a month releasing the Mirror 5 in the Philippine market. The newest devices under the R7 Series are 5-inch … Read more
Zenfone Selfie is primarily made for all the people who love taking selfies. The build and design has the classic Zen brushed-metal finish. The camera feature itself is loaded with 13MP rear and front; Dual LED Real Tone Flash… Read more
Kata T Mini 2 is the latest phablet/tablet device from Kata Philippines made available last February 2015.
Under the hood houses a quad core Media Tek MT8382 1.3 GHz processor with 1GB RAM and … Read more
Global mobile provider OPPO revealed their first local brand ambassador to hundreds of spectators and guests at The Atrium, SM Mall of Asia, last Thursday evening. The loud screams from fans … Read more


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Acer has built a powerful laptop for just over £1,000, but is it good enough? Read our Acer Swift X SFX16-52G-78PY review
Tag - Acer
Find out how to breathe new life into Acer's netbook
CES 2022 has seen a huge number of laptop releases. We reveal the best laptops of CES in this round-up
We got an early look at the Acer ConceptD 7 SpatialLabs Edition laptop and were blown away. Stereoscopic 3D screens have come of age.
Everything you need to know about Acer's flagship business laptop for 2021
We reveal the top releases from CES 2020, the world's biggest technology show
We go hands on with the world's lightest 15in laptop
Acer announced the Chromebook Spin 13 at its New York launch event on 23 May, and unlike the sexy Swift 5 – also announced – it actually exists. Or...
Vegas is a city where appearance is everything, so it’s fitting the first thing I’ve seen at this year’s CES is the Acer Swift 7 – a...


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- Gross GST revenue collected within the month of May is Rs 1.02 lakh crore, almost a 28% decline in MoM
- Revenues for the month of May 2021 are 65% above the GST revenues within the same month last year
- Revenues from import of products were 56% higher during the month
New Delhi: The gross GST revenue collection within the month of May 2021 crossed Rs 1 lakh crore mark. As per the info released by the Finance Ministry, the gross GST revenue collected within the month of May 2021 is Rs 1,02,709 crore of which CGST is Rs 17,592 crore, SGST is Rs 22,653, IGST is Rs 53,199 crore (including Rs 26,002 crore collected on import of goods) and Cess is Rs 9,265 crore (including Rs 868 crore collected on import of goods).
The figure includes GST collection from domestic transactions till 4th of June since taxpayers got various relief measures within the sort of waiver/reduction in interest on delayed return filing for 15 days for the return filing month May’21 within the wake of covid pandemic second wave.
During this month, the govt has settled Rs 15,014 crore to CGST and Rs 11,653 crore to SGST from IGST as regular settlement.
#ETNOWNewsbreakConfirmed | Gross #GST revenue collected in the month of May 2021 is Rs 1.02 lk cr. This is almost 28% decline MoM@29_ruchibhatia reported on May 21 that #Govt expects GST collections to fall.@FinMinIndia @nsitharaman #India https://t.co/KlgfohktVl
— ET NOW (@ETNOWlive) June 5, 2021
MS Mani, Senior Director, Deloitte India said, ”Collections above Rs 1 lakh crore concerning the transactions within the month of April 21 indicates that the economic impact of the lockdowns has been much less than expected. an in-depth watch is required on subsequent months’ collections to work out the extent of the impact on GST collections FY22.”
The revenues for the month of May 2021 are 65% above the GST revenues within the same month last year. During the month, revenues from import of products were 56% higher and therefore the revenues from the domestic transaction (including import of services) are 69% above the revenues from these sources during an equivalent month last year.
This would be the eighth month during a row that GST revenues have crossed Rs 1 lakh crore mark. this is often despite the very fact that the majority of the States are under strict lockdown thanks to the pandemic.
”The collection for the month of May 2021 is above expected. Though most of the companies weren’t functioning within the month of April thanks to the lockdown, the numbers come as a pleasing surprise. The numbers should rise further considering that a lot of small businesses are yet to file their returns considering the Covid related relaxations extended by the govt for such businesses,” said Rajat Bose, Partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co.
In addition, while the taxpayers with turnover above Rs 5 crore had to file their returns by 4th June, which they might have otherwise filed by 20th May, smaller taxpayers with turnover but Rs 5 crore still have time till the first week of July to file the returns with none late fee and interest and therefore the revenue from these taxpayers is deferred till then. the particular revenues for the month of May 2021, thus would be higher and would be known when all the extended dates expire.


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MoneyonMobile goes live with Bharat Bill Payments System
The company said that the new service enables its retailers to meet the growing demand for digital payment services among the estimated 600-800 million underbanked population of India, and increase the monthly spend of their existing customers.
“We believe it will help MoneyOnMobile continue to transform the cash experience for retailers and their customers. With such a large number of services being added, consumers can convert their cash into digital payments to access more of the vital, everyday services that make their lives easier,” says Harold Montgomery, CEO, MoneyOnMobile.
The company wishes to help their retailers deepen their engagement with the community and be the “one-stop shop” people can visit for access to financial services thereby growing their retailer base, grow the share of consumer wallets and increase retailer retention.


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The fundamental explanation counsels in conventional workplaces that are currently remote battle is on the grounds that they will in general have heritage framework, as per Baltimore-based RIA Facet Wealth's main innovation official Paul Martin. "That tech framework is set up expecting everyone is sitting in the equivalent physical area, and afterward they stick a firewall before it and believe it's safe." KVM VPS Hosting
To advance remote work, Plano, Texas-based Insight Wealth began to embrace a few advances to keep up efficiency remotely, including encoded virtual gatherings through Zoom, secure archive trade with DocuSign, and a cloud-based scrambled server for customer records. The nine-counsel firm oversees $435.6 million in customer resources and permits workers to travel every which way in office as they see fit.Nonetheless, the RIA has encountered difficulties with customers needing to connect more by means of cell phones. "I have conventions and best practices for tech utilization I encourage customers to take with me, yet with different suppliers," Josh Hargrove, a money related counsel with Insight Wealth, said in a meeting.
In one occurrence, a customer sent Hargrove a screen capture over content with respect to an annuity appropriation and posed an inquiry about it. "Whenever a customer arbitrarily sends me a book or an email that I know hasn't been scrambled, I generally need to pause for a minute to remind them we have tech apparatuses set up to safely draw in and trade data with one another," he said. For Atlanta-based Gratus Capital, giving its representatives a cloud-based system where they could "simply plug in anyplace," was main concern too, Todd Jones, executive of speculations, said in a meeting.
The RIA has 15 consultants with about $2 billion in customer resources under administration, as indicated by its most recent Form ADV. With its new cloud-based programming, the firm will for all time work in a half breed workplace as customer interest for computerized forms expands, Jones said. "What counsels and customers are finding is forms had a lot of human intercession," BNY Mellon Pershing's chief of innovation customer commitment Michelle Feinstein said in a meeting. "A counsel can be on record with a customer strolling them bit by bit through an online application, which is such a great amount of better than booking a gathering seven days from now to take a shot at paper."
On the West Coast, Private Ocean — which brags $2.2 billion in customer resources under administration and has 24 consultants — utilizes Amazon WorkSpaces and requires all customer related data be shared through the gateway, counselor Steve Branton said in a meeting. "We are likewise utilizing Zoom, which runs outside of the remote work area server," Branton said. "However, we necessitate that no customer related data be partaken in the visit usefulness — just screen sharing." The San Francisco-based firm built up its innovation to advance remote work elements following the California out of control fires a year ago, which ended up being profitable for the firm when COVID-19 hit, Branton said. "We had the option to simply quickly begin telecommuting."


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The 2014 IKEA Catalogue will be launched in Sweden, many parts of Europe and the United States in early August. In Thailand, the catalogue will be launched at the IKEA Bangna store on August 27.
With over 1.2 million copies printed and distributed, it will be the biggest catalogue campaign of IKEA Thailand so far. Each catalogue will also include a 100 baht voucher as a gift to everyone to enjoy a fun day out at IKEA.
At the same time, IKEA Thailand will bring 1,200 new furniture and home furnishing items and add more products under its Even Lower Price (ELP) programme – by September 2013, IKEA will offer more than 900 ELP products. Leveraging IKEA’s large scale production advantages, the ELP programme enables customers to enjoy more low priced items across IKEA’s massive product range.
This year further steps have been taken to integrate digital channels into the IKEA catalogue. For example, the interactive features for the IKEA catalogue app have been developed, to help customers furnish their rooms in an augmented reality and see how over 100 products in the IKEA catalogue can fit in their homes.
If you want to win a special gift from IKEA, tell IKEA “You’ve got it” by capturing your catalogue moment and #IKEAcatalogue2014 via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Neighbourhood with the most tags will get something special from IKEA. You can be part of the catalogue journey at www.IKEA.co.th/IKEAcatalogue2014.
Some facts about the IKEA Catalogue:
- The 2014 IKEA catalogue is printed in 30 languages and more than 210 million copies, and delivered to homes in 44 countries, making it the world’s biggest regular annual publication.
- 1.2 million copies will be delivered to Thai households
- More than 20,000 pictures are taken by 14 photographers for the new catalogue
- The catalogue is published on chlorine-free paper
- First introduced in 1951, the IKEA catalogue has been a source of home furnishing inspiration for more than 60 years.
- The 2014 catalogue will be IKEA Thailand’s third catalogue launch
For more information, contact Khun Tissana Wateesatogkij at IKEA Thailand on 02 708 7999 ext. 7301


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Rolls-Royce has finally pulled the wraps off its first all-terrain model - the much-anticipated Cullinan.
The all-terrain luxury model is named after the largest diamond ever discovered - but will it shine bright in the eyes of the world's wealthiest drivers?
Under the hood, the Cullinan packs Rolls-Royce's twin-turbo 6.75-liter V-12 engine, which delivers 570 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque. The so-called "Architecture of Luxury", it features a spaceframe architecture which is completely unique to Rolls-Royce and will soon underpin its entire range. Cullinan's Lounge Seat configuration is more family friendly and allows for three passengers in the rear. Today, your latest Pollock or Louis Vuitton luggage set is secure within a capacious 560-litre boot, but the space between boot and Cullinan cabin can be glass sealed to increase refinement and maintain that ideal drinking temperature for passengers, even when your driver is loading bags. A first for the brand, the rear seats can be folded down.
Rolls-Royce expects many Cullinan customers to be people who already own a Roller, but want it as their weekend auto.
There's also an on-board button what Rolls likes to call the "Everywhere" button. Rolls-Royce also integrated its logo into the design in an interesting way.
Rolls-Royce have developed a bespoke all-wheel drive system and incorporated an all-wheel steer. For example the obvious options are a fishing module or shooting one, but Rolls-Royce has confirmed it has already been asked to work on a drone racing module. The center screen is touch sensitive (a Rolls first) and there is night vision, a panoramic-view camera, active cruise control and head-up display.
Although Rolls-Royce hasn't revealed how quickly the Cullinan can reach motorway speeds, a sub five-second time is expected. The Rolls-Royce Cullinan will debut this week on May 10. Oh, and the tailgate lowers to reveal the "rear-seat viewing suite", two leather-lined seats and a small table.
Inside, the cabin is familiar Rolls-Royce.
Prices for the Cullinan are still to be confirmed, as is its delivery date - its world debut will be "later this year" - although that hasn't stopped some customers from already putting down deposits to guarantee their auto. Other assistance and safety features include night vision, a four-camera display system that creates a panoramic view of the vehicle, adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning and automatic emergency braking. (The Cullinan can wade in water up to 21 inches high, again beating the Bentley equivalent.) Futuristic LEDs surrounding each headlight give it a slightly new, rectangular shape.
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West Hollywood, California, is implementing the first ban on fur in the United States.
When it comes to veganism, Emily Deschanel talks the talk and walks the walk, even on the red carpet! Always showing how stylish a vegan lifestyle can be, the “Bones” actress
Vegan rocker, Jared Leto, adds a cruelty-free accessory to his merch site.
If you’re at all familiar with the incredible eco and vegan company Vaute Couture, you know that today is a day that ethical fashionistas look forward to all year long.
The vegan actress asked her Twitter followers to support Beyond Skin Vegan Shoes launch their new line of cruelty-free footwear.
While Madonna, Liv Tyler, Kate Bosworth, Cameron Diaz and so many more famous faces made appearances at Stella McCartney’s spring 2014 presentation, the real stars had to be the rescue dogs.
As we mentioned a few weeks ago, for the third year in a row Ecorazzi is sponsoring a fantastic event that helps people, the planet and animals.