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In just six weeks, the entire global economy has completely come apart. All over the world we are seeing numbers fall faster than we ever have before, and the outlook for the rest of the year is exceedingly bleak. Fear of the coronavirus is going to paralyze global trade for the foreseeable future, and the lockdowns in some nations will last for many months to come. Here in the United States, some states are attempting to make an effort to “reopen”, but in most instances that will involve “multiple stages”. Meanwhile, tens of millions of Americans have already lost their jobs, much of the population has already run through their meager savings, and financial institutions are becoming extremely tight with their money. Even if COVID-19 disappeared tomorrow, our momentum would still take us into an economic depression, but of course this virus isn’t going to disappear any time soon. After 9/11 our society evolved into an anti-terror state, and COVID-19 is going to permanently alter our society as well. So anyone that was hoping for a quick “return to normal” can forget it, because “normal” is about to be completely redefined.
The pace at which economic conditions have deteriorated in recent weeks has been absolutely breathtaking, and the numbers just keep getting worse and worse.
The following are 18 signs that we are facing a record breaking economic implosion in 2020…
#1 According to economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal, the April jobs report will show that the unemployment rate in the United States is now above 16 percent.
#2 U.S. manufacturing orders just crashed by the most ever.
#3 U.S. gasoline consumption just dropped to the lowest level ever recorded.
#4 Light vehicle sales in the U.S. just fell to the lowest level that we have seen since the early 1970s.
#5 The government program that was supposed to get small businesses through this crisis has been a tremendous failure…
According to the CNBC/SurveyMonkey Small Business Survey released Monday, which surveyed 2,200 small business owners across America, while the $660 billion Paycheck Protection Program was instituted to give them a lifeline through the coronavirus and economic shutdown, only 13% of the 45% who applied for the PPP were approved.
#6 The “coming meat shortages” are already here. According to the New York Post, Costco is now rationing meat and Kroger is warning customers of very serious supply problems…
Costco on Monday said it will be limiting customers to just three packages of meat per shopper, while Kroger supermarkets posted an alert on the meat section of its website warning that it may have limited inventory “due to high demand.”
Grocers have been bracing for a run on meat in mid-May as major meat processing plants, including Tyson Foods, have been forced to shut down production. But the shortages appear to have come earlier than expected as consumers worried about the meat shortage have been stocking up, experts say.
#7 Global smartphone shipments were down 11.7 percent in the first quarter compared to a year ago. That represents the fastest drop on record.
#8 Hong Kong just recorded the worst economic contraction in the city’s entire history.
#9 U.S. consumer spending was down 7.6 percent during the first quarter of 2020.
#10 American Airlines posted a loss of 2.2 billion dollars during the first quarter of 2020.
#11 It looks like retail giants Neiman Marcus, J. Crew and JC Penney are all headed for bankruptcy.
#12 Fox Business is reporting that Hertz is preparing to file for bankruptcy due to plunging car rental ridership.
#13 Gold’s Gym field for bankruptcy on Monday.
#14 Edmunds is projecting that auto sales in the United States this month will be down by more than half compared to April 2019.
#15 In Mexico, manufacturing activity is falling at the fastest pace ever recorded. The following comes from Zero Hedge…
While few have lofty expectations for economic performance with the global economy still largely shutdown, what is happening in Mexico is simply unprecedented. Here are some striking observations detailing the unprecedented economic collapse of the southern US neighbor, courtesy of Goldman.
Business confidence declined sharply in April (the seventh consecutive monthly decline) with the index now sitting deep within pessimist territory. The Manufacturing and Services PMIs also fell sharply in April, and are now at the lowest levels on record.
#16 More than 30 million Americans have already lost their jobs, and economists are projecting that millions more will lose their jobs in the weeks ahead.
#17 In March, U.S. home sales declined by double digit percentages in every region of the country.
#18 White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett is warning that U.S. GDP could fall by up to 30 percent during the second quarter of 2020.
For investors, the good news is that stock prices have bounced back quite a bit after the initial crash, and many market optimists are hoping that this Fed-fueled rally will keep on rolling.
But others are warning that this is a trap for bullish investors, and Kevin Smith is openly telling everyone that this could be the “last chance to sell” before another huge move downward…
The stock market may be flashing some ridiculously bullish signals, but hedge fund bear Kevin Smith is sticking by his prediction that the Dow and S&P 500 are on the verge of a Great Depression-level crash.
In fact, the Crescat Capital founder warns, this is your “last chance to sell” before the impending collapse.
We shall see what happens, but for the moment the financial markets are doing their best to try to defy economic reality.
Unfortunately, economic reality is hitting most Americans like a ton of bricks right now. We are in the middle of the greatest spike in unemployment that the United States has ever seen by a very wide margin, and most of the jobs that have been lost are never coming back.
And as bad as things are already, the truth is that this is just the beginning.
A whole lot more pain is on the way, and it is going to shake our nation to the core.
Our economic and financial bubbles lasted far longer than they should have, but now fear of COVID-19 has burst them all, and it isn’t going to be possible to reinflate them this time around.
About the Author: I am a voice crying out for change in a society that generally seems content to stay asleep. My name is Michael Snyder and I am the publisher of The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe. I have written four books that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned) By purchasing those books you help to support my work. I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but due to government regulations I need those that republish my articles to include this “About the Author” section with each article. In order to comply with those government regulations, I need to tell you that the controversial opinions in this article are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the websites where my work is republished. The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions. Those responding to this article by making comments are solely responsible for their viewpoints, and those viewpoints do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of Michael Snyder or the operators of the websites where my work is republished. I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help. During these very challenging times, people will need hope more than ever before, and it is our goal to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with all many people as we possibly can.


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Pipit is a small fine diner in Pottsville, a seaside town about a half hour's drive from Byron Bay. When it opened in 2019, we called it the most anticipated northern NSW restaurant of the year, and its esteem has only risen since.
A few weeks ago, following two years of pandemic-disrupted trade, owners Yen Trinh and Ben Devlin decided to take a short break, before getting stuck into the new year. Then the floods started.
"And we came back to all of this," says Trinh.
"Compared to other places, [Pipit] came out relatively okay … we had no nbn and no 4G, a lot of our suppliers couldn't get to us – and we got a lot of local cancellations, and people cancelling their holidays."
But thanks to the lack of flooding damage to the building, Pipit was able to reopen, with some menu tweaks.
"You have a kind of survivor's guilt about reopening, so we've looked at a whole bunch of different ideas for helping," says Trinh.
First, Pipit asked any guests with gift vouchers to Pipit to consider donating those vouchers – and their reservations – either to friends and family who could make those reservations, or to members of the flood-affected community that deserved an evening out to take their minds off things.
If you have a voucher to a flood-affected business – such as a restaurant, hotel, or spa – but now can't make it over there, consider donating it to someone who can.
"We hadn't thought of that, Trinh says. "So I thought, 'well, maybe other people haven't thought of this – let's offer it out to the rest of our guests, see how many people can convert their vouchers."
"We're not asking people to buy new vouchers [to Pipit]," says Trinh. "Businesses will have years of accumulated vouchers, and for us, we can't use that as a cash, so it's not helping us, so we might as well just use it to help other people."
And second, Trinh and Devlin have put together a raffle, with a goal of raising $40 000 to donate to flood relief. One $50 ticket gets you a chance at winning one of seven prize packages, each worth well over $700.
Highlights from across the packages include a night's stay at Halcyon House; a voucher at Maurice Terzini's new restaurant Belongil Beach Italian Food; surfing lessons; clothing vouchers, massage treatments; a night's glamping; a guided turtle snorkel tour; and more. The Pipit Package an exclusive evening of dining at Pipit for you and five mates (including drinks), as well as a kitchen tour and exclusive merch.
So far, over 500 tickets have been sold with over $25 000 raised. The majority of the funds are going to Givit's flood appeal. The remainder of the money raised is being split equally between three crowdraiser funds for flood-affected hospitality businesses in Lismore.
Ticket sales close at 12pm on March 22, prizes are announced on March 23. Buy tickets here.

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Rick Scott's popularity is somehow on the upswing, according to a recent poll, despite a series of controversial laws he approved this month.
The bill makes it "unlawful for a person to knowingly and willfully sell or offer for sale at retail any drug paraphernalia... other than a pipe that is primarily made of briar, meerschaum, clay or corn cob."
That means that starting July 1, Florida head shop proprietors found selling pipes, bongs, and bowls, etc. will be charged with a first-degree misdemeanor; any subsequent violation will result in a third-degree felony charge, in which they lose the right to vote.
But the key wording is "knowingly and willfully," meaning as long as everyone doesn't make illicit drug use reference, sales of pipes, bongs, and bowls can continue in shops that make at least 75 percent of their revenue from tobacco products.
"If you come in referencing illegal substances, then we wouldn't sell it to you," an employee at Hialeah's Headquarters Tobacco & Gift Shop told the Miami New Times. "But that's how we have always operated."
Although the ban will be tricky to enforce, a Criminal Justice Impact Conference determined that a similar bill would have put more heads in beds at state and local prisons.
Meanwhile 70 percent of Floridians support more progressive marijuana laws such as legalizing medical cannabis, although one such bill didn't even get a committee hearing this legislative session.


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Yes, the iPhone X crowds are growing.
The iPhone X officially arrives tomorrow, Nov. 3, around the world beginning at 8 a.m. local time. Not surprisingly, long lines for the newest iPhone have already formed internationally.
In Singapore, huge crowds have gathered outside of the Apple store in Orchard Road, according to Channel NewsAsia.
Over in Toyko, Elise Hu took to Twitter indicating, “Already a block down from the Tokyo Ginza Apple Store and the line for iphoneX is still going,”
Already a block down from the Tokyo Ginza Apple Store and the line for iphoneX is still going https://t.co/OJDIEbp2ZN— Elise Hu (@elisewho) November 2, 2017
Apple began accepting pre-orders for the company’s new flagship device on Friday, Oct. 27. Within minutes, the phone sold out. However, Apple claims its retail stores will have some units in stock for walk-in customers when the doors open tomorrow. Apple Authorized Resellers and carriers may also have a limited supply of iPhone X units tomorrow.
In total, the iPhone X will be available in more than 55 countries and territories starting on Friday. This includes Andorra, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Japan, Jersey, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UAE, the United Kingdom, the United States, and United States Virgin Islands.
Will you be in the iPhone X crowd tomorrow? If so, where?


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The document will be signed within the framework of the 11th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which will be held June 8-10 in Russia's second-largest city.
"The EBRD loan will be used to purchase equipment and modernize production capacity, and also to start serial production and sales of the aircraft," an EBRD Moscow branch official said, adding that the decision to grant the loan was made by the EBRD board last December.
The SuperJet-100 project is a family of medium-range passenger aircraft developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau in cooperation with major American and European aviation corporations, including Boeing, Snecma, Thales, Messier Dowty, Liebherr Aerospace, and Honeywell.
Sukhoi plans to produce at least 700 RRJs, and intends to sell 35% of them to North America, 25% to Europe, 10% to Latin America, and 7% to Russia and China.
The company is expected to sign a number of other deals during the forum in St. Petersburg and exhibit a model of its new Super Sonic Business Jet, developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau.
Earlier, Kirill Androsov, a deputy economic development and trade minister, said the economic forum in St. Petersburg is expected to produce deals worth $3.3 billion and gather 6,000 officials and businessmen from 60 countries, including 10 presidents, 11 prime ministers and 64 ministers.


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LHHNY cast member, Kiyanne, claims she was assaulted by a white Whole Foods store manager during a race-driven attack caught on store surveillance video. She says the cops refused to properly report and investigate the incident. Kiyanne took to her Instagram, detailing the allegedly violent encounter that happened Monday night at a Whole Foods in […]Read More
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Luxury auction house Sotheby’s has acquired an ownership interest in RM Auctions, creating a dynamic duo of great magnitude now dubbed ‘RM Sotheby’s’. Their first joint sale took place in Florida last month with a record $60 million in collector cars changing hands.
Sotheby’s now owns a 25 percent share in RM Auctions in a long-term investment strategy to cater to the burgeoning market. Analysts peg the market for collector cars at a staggering $2 billion, making the partnership a seemingly wise move in terms of creating a larger fishing net than those wielded by competing auction houses. This is not the first time the pair has joined forces—recall the ‘Art of the Automobile’ auction back in 2013. That team effort ended in $63 million in sales in just 2 hours, with the Ferrari 250 LM going for $14.3 million. That sale and a few other joint efforts were but the beginning of this now legal union, which is certain to flourish as the economy continues to regain strength.
RM Auctions enjoyed phenomenal success in Monterey last year with $140 million in sales. Because both companies cater to the same types of collectors and there is much overlap, the alliance makes complete business sense. According to RM Auctions CEO and founder Rob Myers: “The partnership that has been formed between RM Auctions and Sotheby’s is undoubtedly the most effective way for us to reach the ever-growing worldwide audience of collectors who take a keen interest in the collector car asset class. No other organization in the world has a client base as far-reaching as Sotheby’s and since we have worked so closely and successfully with them in the past, it makes perfect sense that we form a strategic partnership that creates a truly worldwide platform for collector cars. It’s an exciting time in our company history, and for the hobby at large.” Sotheby’s returned the flattery by referring to RM Auctions as the clear market leader.
Additional RM Sotheby’s auctions are slated for Fort Worth, Texas, Lake Como, Italy, Monterey, California, London, England, New York and more locations will emerge as they are announced. Sotheby’s will have the opportunity to increase ownership as the relationship grows. Overall, it will still be some time before the entity is only remembered as a set.
Post by Imagine Lifestyles


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According to a city council report released today by Gracie Rowe, the city of Franklin is about to welcome a brand new restaurant to town.
New Franklin business owners, brothers Jeremy and Bryan Rogers, told the Franklin City Council Thursday night about their plans to open the former Captain Billy’s restaurant as a Mexican restaurant with a wine and beer license in a partnership with the former operator of the Loco Mex of Bowdon.
These brothers have successful Mexican restaurants in Alabama and are projecting the opening of their Franklin location to be around Thanksgiving. They plan to stay open seven days a week. (Image courtesy of The Carrollton Menu)


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Smart Fabrics Summit brings together market segments that need to collaborate in order for the smart fabrics industry to meet its full potential and accelerate its development by U.S. manufacturers, spurring original thinking among public and private sector organizations on how new and existing policies affect future products.
The Smart Fabrics Summit is also a forum to support and encourage future innovators! On the morning of March 29, Day 2 of the Summit, attendees met in the Convocation Center of the Wilson College of Textiles for a showcase of exciting work being done by students.
11 Apr 2023 - 12 Apr 2023
North Carolina State University


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Starbucks launches NFT loyalty program on Polygon
Starbucks revealed that users could buy the NFTs with their debit and credit cards in order to increase accessibility.
According to the announcement, the new loyalty program combines its existing rewards program and a non-fungible token platform where users can earn and buy NFTs that give them access to exclusive rewards.
While built on the blockchain, Starbucks makes the reward system as simple as possible by obscuring the underlying technology.
The Starbucks Odyssey participants can log into the program with their loyalty program details. They can engage in interactive activities called journeys and earn NFTs called Journey stamps.
Also, the coffee chain revealed that users could buy these NFTs with debit and credit cards.
The firm did not provide information on the number of NFTs in the collection or the price of each NFT.
Starbucks’ NFT plan has been in the works for a while
The company has been working on its foray into web3 for some time. In its Q2 earnings call, Chief Marketing Officer Brady Brewer said:
“Emerging technologies associated with web3, and specifically NFTs, now enable this aspiration and allow us to extend who Starbucks has always been at our core.”
The firm added that its NFT community would be on an environmentally sustainable platform which would likely be chain agnostic or multichain.
Polygon is helping web2 companies pivot to web3
Several web2 companies looking to pivot into the web3 have increasingly chosen Polygon network as their partner of choice,
This year alone, Coca-Cola, Adidas, Prada, Bulgari, DraftKings, Liverpool Football Club, and several others have launched NFT collections on the layer-2 network.
Technology companies like Adobe and Meta have also integrated support for Polygon in one way or another. Polygon is one of the networks supported for NFTs on Instagram and Facebook, and Adobe integrated the network into its portfolio app, Behance.
Applications running on Polygon bypass the high transaction fees and scalability issues battling the Ethereum mainnet.
Polygon’s MATIC rose 3.5% to $0.9 in the last 24 hours.


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Rwanda won the award of the most promising tourist destination during the Outbound Travel Mart held between 21st to 23rd February 2017 in Mumbai, India.
Mrs. Belisa Kariza, who received the award was pleased with the award noting that Rwanda’s participation at the outbound travel mart; India’s leading travel show presented an opportunity to tap into fast growing market of tourist. She also noted that Rwanda denoted itself as premier business and tourism destination in Africa and created awareness of Rwanda’s diverse unique range of both business and leisure traveler.
The award matched with new Kigali-Mumbai long haul flights by Rwanda Air taking advantage of the growing Asian tourist market particularly India which receives up to 15 million visitors. The Mumbai-Kigali flights will also boost trade and tourist arrivals.
Kigali city, with its new Kigali convention center featuring Marriott blue and Radisson five star hotels is now a MICE destination. Rwanda hosted more than 15 global business forums in 2016 including the world economic forum, pan African summit and the recently concluded Africa aviation summit. Likewise Mumbai, the business hub of India would greatly act as a key source market for Rwanda.
During the Outbound Travel Mart, Rwanda among 1000 exhibitors show cased its tourism attractions to more than 15,000 attendees. To potential visitors, Rwanda’s eco tourism adventures including mountain gorilla trekking, volcano hiking, golden monkey and chimpanzee tracking, canopy walks, and wildlife viewing, bird watching and breathtaking scenery.
Rwanda also unveiled its investment opportunities for luxury and leisure tourism on Lake Kivu and the proposed five star golf courses, residential villas, entertainment and leisure complex in the lakeside town of Rubavu, western province.
Rwanda is a strategic conducive environment for tourism investments given its online business services as well as a fact that tourism is the major foreign exchange earner. The Rwandan development board has given priority to strategic tourism infrastructure including the new Bugesera airport, greening Kigali city and its roads connecting to the western province as well as water supply and hydro-power supply.
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Apple’s CEO, says one, is both the company’s biggest asset and its biggest risk
The U.S. financial markets were closed, but a few analysts took a break from their Martin Luther King Day remembrances to say a few words about what Steve Jobs’ latest health advisory might mean to Apple AAPL shareholders.
Morgan Stanley’s Katy Huberty saw it as a “buying oppty ahead of earnings.”
Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster treated it as a nonevent:
“Recall that during Jobs’ last medical leave (Jan-09 to Jun-09) Cook became interim CEO of Apple and the business continued to perform well. Since Jobs is not stepping down as CEO, we believe Jobs expects the leave to be shorter and/or less serious than his previous leave.”
RBC Capital’s Mike Abramsky took it more seriously, issuing big red “negative” trading indicator. He had three thoughts:
1) Limited disclosure (no indication of reason or seriousness or timing) may sustain uncertainty, including fears that Steve might not return this time (note last time Steve stepped down he specifically indicated he’d return in 6 months, but not this time).
2) That being said, investors may focus on the fact that Steve returned from 2 prior health absences successfully, and may observe (a) Apple has an otherwise strong management team and talented workforce with Tim Cook as operational leader; (b) Apple has a lengthy product pipeline and enormous sustained advantages which are likely to continue to sustain its business and leadership; (c) last time stock fell 3% on the day of the announcement only to subsequently rise 57% in the first 6 months of 2009 even with continued uncertainty and despite lack of news over Steve’s health and long-term status at Apple (however, note that at that time the stock was already depressed on rumors over Steve’s health and economic headwinds).
3) In our initiation we commented regarding Steve Jobs as being Apple’s biggest asset — and its biggest risk. Upon his return he presided over the launch of iPhone 4, the iPad, the refresh of the Mac Air and other innovations. It will be difficult to assess how the absence of Steve’s drive, innovation and leadership — and his high level of involvement — may or not have a negative impact in the longer term on Apple innovation and talent retention. After handwringing, street and media reaction are likely to assume the stance for now that Apple can carry on.
UPDATE: Tuesday morning, Needham’s Charlie Wolf added this:
As arguably the greatest innovator in the past century, Jobs has successively disrupted and redefined a series of industries, starting with the iPod in 2001, the iPhone in 2007 and most recently, the iPad in 2010.
What Apple loses, then, in Jobs absence is the ability to redefine markets and industries going forward—in short, the option value of future innovations.
We continue to recommend the stock. Apple’s shares were relatively inexpensive even before the latest news. More importantly, Apple has one of the deepest managerial benches in this country starting with Tim Cook. Jobs’ absence should have no material impact on Apple’s financial performance over the next several years.
The major risk in the Apple story is Steve Jobs’ heath. Risks arising from the competitive landscape pale in comparison.
For comments from analysts about COO Tim Cook as interim chief, see here.


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In a bid to increase its appeal, UberIndia would now incorporate Snapchat in its app.
As per Uber, customers often book a ride to go and meet someone; with this Snapchat experience within Uber app itself, passengers now can "have a little fun getting to know that someone."
The feature will be available for both Android and iOS users.
Here's all about it.
Making a normal ride more fun
This new integration will let the Snapchat users in an Uber use its customized selfie filters and they will be able to send it to their friends as well.
The selfie filters that will be available in this Uber-Snapchat platform will mainly include ETA filters and Uber ride filters. There will be a surprise filter as well, which has not been disclosed yet.
Here's how it will work
Once the app starts rolling out the update, the Uber users will be able to see the Snap card in their Uber app's feed.
There will be three options - ETA filter, Uber ride filter, and the mystery filter. After the user chooses one filter, the app will direct them to Snapchat and through that users can apply the intended filter.
Personalizing the Uber experience
"Besides helping riders get to their destinations, we want to focus on the trip experience itself and make sure riders enjoy the journey," Apurva Dala, Head of Engineering, Uber India said.
"Technology is helping us personalize every ride, making the experience fun and delightful. With this integration, our riders can now Snap along the way and share their Uber moments," he added.
Snapchat now wants to make content for the mobile generation
Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, has been experimenting with the TV-style short form videos, including some projects related to NBC's Saturday Night Live, as part of a deal with NBCUniversal, which has recently invested $500 million in Snap.
NBC is also set to deliver a daily news program for Snap later this year, according to reports.


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Women are making significant contributions in today’s business world. More women are entering the entrepreneurial movement, starting businesses and creating jobs. In fact, women have been starting businesses at a higher rate than men the past 20 years.
Forecasts indicate that by 2018, there will be more than 9.72 million new small-business jobs created, and women are expected to create more than half of them. Startups by women tend to be small businesses that have fewer than five employees. This development represents a significant impact on the business world and society.
Successful woman business owners showed perseverance and creative ways to adapt and survive the Great Recession. They have firsthand experience at facing and overcoming challenges in business, which has made them more competitive than ever before.
To be sure, women continue to seek and choose corporate jobs, yet other women are not interested in a corporate environment. And when they start a company, their choice of business aligns with personal values and a desired degree of freedom and flexibility.
This movement increasingly is being witnessed among millennial women, those born between 1980 and 2000.
Research related to this entrepreneurial movement indicates these entrepreneurs possess traits distinctively suited to business success. These traits include emotional intelligence, a collaborative style to successfully complete the tasks at hand and good negotiating skills.
Sharon Hadary, former executive director of the Center for Women’s Business Research in Washington, said successful woman business owners tend to share characteristics that set them apart. She noted that those traits include:
Defining success on their terms.
Creating cultures of success.
Trusting their instincts.
Setting high goals.
Nurturing the “Midas touch.”
Building multiple support networks.
Treating their time and energy as a scarce resource.
Investing in themselves.
Always leaving time for serendipity, or being open to life.
The Center for Women’s Business Research measures the economic impact of the 8 million U.S. businesses that are majority woman-owned. Today, woman-owned firms have an economic impact of $3 trillion that translates into the creation and/or maintenance of 23 million jobs, 16 percent of all U.S. jobs.
The center’s study reveals some interesting facts:
The world is truly not aware of the importance and added value of woman-owned firms. If woman-owned firms were not in the economy and generating $2.8 trillion in economic impact, there would be an additional 16 percent of our labor force, or about 23 million people, that would be jobless.
There is untapped potential of woman business owners. If the great majority of woman-owned firms were employer firms as opposed to what we have today, or 80 percent nonemployer and 20 percent employer, the overall economic impact would be exponentially greater than it is today: perhaps three to four times greater, possibly exceeding $10 trillion.
There is a continuing social and cultural shift for work and for women. From 1997 to 2002, the U.S. Census data indicate that nearly all growth in small businesses came in the nonemployer segment, and women had the largest growth, compared to other groups.
“The glass ceiling that once limited a woman’s career path has paved a new road toward business ownership, where women can utilize their sharp business acumen while building strong family ties,” said Erica Nicole, YFS Magazine, a digital publication for startups, entrepreneurs and small businesses.
Glenn Ebersole is a strategic business development and marketing executive. He can be reached at email@example.com.


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It appears that the NVIDIA Tegra X1 is a beast of a chipset, which is proven by a fresh AnTuTu test, performed on a mystery device. There’s no way of telling if that’s a phone or tablet, but I tend to believe it’s the latter. The score is truly impressive, beating the 70k mark.
The mystery device scores 74,977 points, which is huge, considering the latest leaks regarding the Snapdragon 810 and Exynos 7420 only place them at around 60k points. The Tegra X1 CPU debuted at CES 2015 last month and seemed focused on automotive solutions at first. It’s a 64 bit octa core beast, with a 256 core GPU, that should provide gaming at the level of a PS3 or Xbox 360 theoretically.
The CPU performance score in AnTuTu is over 10,000 points and the 3D performance score is over 21,000 points, even with a 4K resolution support. This is pretty impressive for a mobile device of any kind, that’s for sure. Fingers crossed for seeing the Tegra X1 on more devices than the Tegra K1, that was available in a pretty limited fashion last year.


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It’s a historic gem at the heart of Leeds’s retail offering – but after years of neglect is Leeds Kirkgate Market about to get the investment it deserves? Well, yes and no, depending on who you believe.
The council has revealed more details on the next stages of the £12.3 million investment to redevelop large areas of the market.
The press briefing comes ahead of tomorrow’s full council meeting at Leeds Civic Hall which will see the Friends of Kirkgate Market (FOLKM) group present a deputation to complain about what they claim is a lack of progress on the improvement work.
FOLKM members claim urgent repairs have been delayed, a new management structure with traders on board is yet to set up and, over half way through the financial year, “nothing can be construed as breathing life into the market”.
The pressure group claimed there is still a leaking roof and “no sign” of other improvements despite an agreed £1.615m expected to be partially spent on an “imperative” backlog of maintenance repairs in this financial year.
Group members and traders also protested outside Leeds Civic Hall yesterday.
But senior council managers today hit back at the claims, saying a lot of work was going on behind the scenes of what is a ‘complex’ issue.
In their briefing, they said that consultants had been drawing up early plans for the project. These outline plans are due to be brought before the council’s decision-making executive board next month before more detailed proposals are brought back to executive board ‘early’ in the New Year ahead of the submission of a full planning application.
Improvement proposals, many of which were highlighted back in March, include:
- Moving the current butchers’ row next to the fish and game row
- Replacing the roof in the 1976 and 1981 halls
- Moving existing stallholders out of the 1976 hall to make way for a covered daily market and a flexible performance/exhibition space
- Improving ventilation and heating, as well as electrical work
The impact of the adjacent Victoria Gate development on the market was mentioned more than once. Interestingly, there are some ideas to transform the George Street frontage which will back onto Hammerson’s new development and the new John Lewis store.
The idea is to ‘lock down’ the frontage and in the current butchers’ row and have that part of the market open into the evening to reflect the later closing times of Victoria Gate and nearby Trinity shopping centres.
The frontage will include independent traders/current market stall holders who want to open later, as well as independent restaurants and takeaways. The area, it’s said, will have an international feel and is ‘an opportunity to extend the relevance of the market into the night time’.
Commercial property advisors are currently looking at the George Street plans, which are separate to the main regeneration of the market. It’s likely the retail units will have residential flats above them.
There are no detailed plans at present.
Traders will inevitably feel some disruption, market managers said. The traders who make their living in the 1976 hall are set to be offered a relocation to other parts of the market – but markets manager Sue Burgess could offer no guarantee that ALL stallholders could be accommodated. There may not be room for some of the traders on temporary contracts, depending on demand.
Ms Burgess said:
“There are some businesses in the 76 Hall who have indicated to us that they might not want to continue, they’re retiring for example.”
In answer to critics questioning the lack of repairs at the market, director of city development Martin Farrington said that repairs would be carried out on health and safety grounds or if they were ‘business critical’:
“We don’t want to do works that have abortive expenditure.”
In other words, if the roof’s leaking it might not make sense to repair it if it’s going to be replaced in a few years. Other repair works will be incorporated into the main refurbishment project.
But in a post on their blog, FOLKM argue:
“How can repairs that were urgent and imperative be now delayed until further notice? We are talking here about the basic repairs that the public has told the council in endless consultation exercises that the Market needs: a roof that does not leak, a floor where you do not slip and ventilated space where you don’t freeze or boil.
“In contrast, £750,000 and £115,000 are being paid to consultants to do more studies and design work.”
Once planning permission for the improvement scheme is granted, Ms Burgess said work could start in late 2014 or early 2015 with the work taking up to 30 months to complete.
David Gardner, from scheme designers IBI Taylor Young, said construction will be phased to limit disruption to traders.
Council officials were due to meet traders last night.
Cllr Gerry Harper, Deputy Executive Board Member for Development & Economy, said he hoped the traders would be ‘a happier bunch’ after the meeting.


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Switching her career to start her own textile and personal protective equipment (PPE) company, a female mechatronics engineering graduate from the Hanoi University of Science and Technology is now leading a firm of nearly 400 employees.
Nguyen Yen, 35 years old, is the co-founder and CEO of Nam Duong Textile Garment Production Trading JSC, which is based in the Vietnamese capital.
In a recent inteview with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, Yen shared her thoughts on running such a business while being a mother of two children.
According to Yen, Nam Duong JSC has exported 90 percent of its products, namely face masks and PPE, to the U.S. and Europe.
In 2020, the company shipped nearly five million sets of protective gear to such big markets as the U.S., Switzerland, Germany, and Japan, Yen said.
2020 might be a year of success for Yen, but there were tough times when the woman shouldered the pressure of both her work and maternal duties.
“But in the end, I overcame all that pressure,” said Yen.
|Nguyen Yen (3rd right) and her business partners are pictured during a charitable activity. Photo: G. Hoang / Tuoi Tre|
Like many Vietnamese entrepreneurs, Yen often spares her busy time for charitable and community activities.
In January, when the new COVID-19 outbreak began in northern Hai Duong Province, Yen and her business partners donated 20,000 sets of protective clothing to medical workers on the front line of the coronavirus fight and support in other forms to people in need.
“We acknowledge that we are lucky while many others are not," Yen said.
"Therefore, we decide to give the community a helping hand in this arduous journey against the pandemic.”
The woman revealed that her company’s goal is to expand its markets internationally.


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With its acquisition of Hollywood film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Sony Corp. is one step closer to its vision of linking hardware and content, and to winning the key battle for the next generation DVD.
Sony's acquisition of MGM will create the world's largest film library, about 7,600 titles, and would appear to fit nicely into Sony's overall strategy of creating synergies between its consumer electronics and its movies, music and games.
A group headed by Sony Corp. of America has agreed to buy MGM, the 80-year-old studio that owns the James Bond, Pink Panther and Rocky movies, in a deal worth about $4.85 billion including the assumption of about $2 billion of debt.
Analysts and investors are worried about the potential damage to Sony's balance sheet and have doubts about when and how the synergies between movies and electronics will be achieved. But they say the reasoning behind the acquisition was sound.
"The MGM library is a rich source of content and potential profits for Sony," said Kiyoshi Yamanaka, a fund manager at T&D Asset Management.
Sony also announced on Tuesday that it had reached an agreement with U.S. cable TV operator Comcast to offer Sony and MGM movies over Comcast's video-on-demand systems and on new cable channels that it would form with the Sony group.
This means Sony will also be able to generate cash flow by selling the Sony and MGM library of films on cable TV, in addition to the revenues produced by retail sales of DVDs.
Sony does not provide a breakdown of its DVD sales, but the company's music division recorded an operating profit of $318 million (35 billion yen) in the previous business year to March 31, on sales of $6.9 billion (756 billion yen), or about 10 percent of the group's total.
Sony acquired Columbia Pictures in 1989 for $3.4 billion, which at the time was the largest ever acquisition by a Japanese company. That deal caused numerous headaches for Sony due to losses from large budgets and box office duds.
The MGM purchase could help stabilize earnings in Sony's movie division, and may also advance the company's cause in the battle to establish a format called Blu-ray as the industry standard for the next generation of DVDs.
"One of the important aspects of this deal with MGM is that it may help Sony prevail in the DVD format war," T&D Asset's Yamanaka said.
Sony knows how important formats are, having lost out to JVC in the famous fight over videotape formats more than two decades ago, with JVC's VHS system becoming mainstream at the expense of Sony's Betamax.
Sony's consortium is up against a format called HD DVD, which is endorsed by Japan's NEC and others.
Both HD DVD and Blu-ray technologies use blue laser light, which, with a shorter wavelength than the red light used in conventional DVD recorders, can read and store data at much higher densities needed for high-definition recordings.
Sony would also look to use its larger library to capitalize on the spread of broadband Internet access worldwide, UFJ Tsubasa Securities analyst Kazuya Yamamoto said.
"Delivering movie content to the home online could become a lucrative business in the future as broadband access expands. Holding movie contents will become more valuable in that light," Yamamoto said.


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Amazon’s fall Prime Early Access Sale has kicked off, and with it comes the best deal on the Apple TV 4K that we’ve ever seen. You can get the 32GB model for $104.49, down from $179.00.
You will need an active Amazon Prime subscription to see this deal, and many others during Prime Early Access. You can get one month of Amazon Prime for free when signing up this week, and afterwards the service will renew at $14.99 per month or $139 per year.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
This is the best price we’ve ever tracked on the 2021 Apple TV 4K. This is the model that comes with the A12 Bionic chip and the new Siri Remote. The 64GB model is also available at an all-time low price at $123.49, down from $199.00.
We will continue to track Prime Early Access deals as the event continues, so be sure to keep an eye on our front page for more news and on our main Prime Early Access article for more Apple deals. Remember that you can sign up for Amazon Prime for free for one month to take advantage of the deals.
Update July 12: Amazon has discounted the Apple TV even further for Prime members, dropping the 32GB model to $109.00 and the 64GB model to $129.00, savings of $70 off the regular retail price. Original article is below. Joining the early influx of deals on Apple products during Amazon Prime Day is now the Apple TV 4K, which has hit the best-ever price of $119.99, down from $179.00. This is…
Woot today has Apple’s previous generation Apple TV 4K (32GB) in new condition, priced at $99.99 for Amazon Prime members and at $109.99 for everyone else. When this device originally launched in 2017 it was priced at $179.00.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Woot. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Amazon has further discounted the 32GB Apple TV 4K this week, now available for $119.99, down from $179.00. This is just about $10 higher than the all-time low price on the Apple TV 4K that we tracked during Prime Day.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Amazon is discounting the 32GB Apple TV 4K to $129.99 this week, down from $179.00. We saw an all-time low price (around $109) on the Apple TV 4K earlier in July during Prime Day, but since that event ended this is the best deal we’ve tracked on the 2021 Apple TV 4K.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a…
Steep discounts on the Apple TV 4K have been very popular this summer, and the sales are still available on Amazon right now. You can get the 32GB Apple TV 4K for $119.99, down from $179.00, and you don’t need any sort of coupon code this time around as the sale has been automatically applied.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we…
One of the summer’s best sales is still around as we head into September this week, with the 32GB Apple TV 4K priced at $119.99 on Amazon, down from $179.00. You can get this model delivered as soon as this Wednesday for Prime delivery customers.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep…
Amazon has returned with an all-time low price on the 32GB Apple TV 4K, available for $149.99, down from $179.00. This remains the best price we’ve ever tracked on this version of the 2021 Apple TV 4K, and it has an estimated delivery window as soon as this Thursday for many places in the United States.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link…
The 32GB Apple TV 4K has dropped to $149.99 this week on Amazon, down from $179.00. To date, this is the best price we’ve ever seen on Amazon for this version of the 2021 Apple TV 4K, and it’s in stock now with delivery as soon as this weekend for many places in the United States.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we…
Earlier this year, Apple launched a feature allowing residents of participating U.S. states to add their driver’s license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age.
As we wait for IDs in the Wallet app to expand to additional U.S. states, here is everything you need to know about how the feature …
Back in May, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that a new Apple TV would be released in the second half of 2022. Last month, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman also said that a new Apple TV was “getting closer” and “could potentially launch this year.”
With a new version of the Apple TV potentially on the horizon, here are four rumored features and changes for the streaming box.
Faster chip: Gurman said…
Rumors suggest that Apple still has several new devices that are coming before the end of the year, including a range of Macs and iPads. It’s not looking like we’re going to get an October event in 2022, but refreshes are coming soon, probably via press release. If you’re planning to buy a Mac or an iPad, make sure to check out our list to know what’s safe to pick up now and what’s not.
One of iOS 16’s most praised features comes at the cost of draining battery life, according to recently published Apple support documents.
The feature, known as “keyboard haptics,” is optional in iOS 16 and allows users to get physical feedback via slight vibrations upon the touch of each key, confirming that it was pressed much like keyboard sounds. The feature is a useful addition to the…
The fourth-generation iPhone SE will feature a 6.1-inch LCD display and a “notch” cutout at the top of the display, according to Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) analyst Ross Young.
Young told MacRumors that he has revised his expectations for the fourth-generation iPhone SE. In October 2021, Young, who has a very good track record when providing insights into Apple’s plans, said that …
Apple today released iOS 16.0.3, a minor bug fix update that comes a few weeks after the launch of the iOS 16 operating system. The iOS 16.0.3 update follows iOS 16.0.2, software that addressed a number of launch day bugs on the iPhone 14 models.
The iOS 16.0.3 update can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
According to Apple’s…
The first week of October has passed, and while we’re expecting to see a number of hardware and software launches from Apple in the coming weeks, there’s no sign of a media event in the works.
This week also saw the launch of the iPhone 14 Plus, the last member of the iPhone 14 lineup to become available following last month’s introduction. We’re also looking forward to operating system…
Apple today provided developers with a new beta firmware update for the AirPods 2, AirPods 3, AirPods Pro, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods Max. The new beta has a version number of 5B5040c.
Apple has been providing beta updates for the AirPods since the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, and the firmware is limited to developers who can download it from the Developer Center. Installing the…
Overwatch 2: Sojourn the Main Target of Nerfs in Season 2 Update – IGN
Blizzard Entertainment has revealed what we can expect from Season 2 of Overwatch 2, including balancing updates, limited-time events, skins, and more ahead of its December 6 launch date.
Alongside the introduction of the new Omnic revolutionary tank hero Ramattra and the winding Shambali Monastery Escort map, Season 2 is also bringing some important balancing changes, according to Blizzard Entertainment’s official blog post.
Most significantly, Blizzard Entertainment has moved to nerf the damage hero Sojourn, who according to a blog post on the company’s website has been dominating the high-skill competitive scene in recent weeks, while “remaining a challenge for players without the same mechanical skills”.
Overwatch 2: All 35 Heroes at Launch
To address the issue, the developers announced that they would be “focussing on the lethality of her Rail Gun at distance for Season 2”. This has been done to encourage players of all skills to use Sojurn’s mobility and her power slide to “close the distance for more devastating right-clicks”.
Doomfist — another tank — will also receive significant balancing tweaks to better reflect “his role as the team’s front line”. Ana, Bastion, Junker Queen, Kiriko, Mercy, and Symmetra will also be tweaked when the new season goes live on December 6, though Blizzard Entertainment has yet to reveal exactly how.
Next month’s launch will also bring a new map pool to Overwatch 2. Rialto and Blizzard World will be entering rotation alongside the new map Shambali Monastery. Oasis and Nepal will also be appearing “at different times of day”, while Hollywood and Watchpoint: Gibraltar will be rotated out.
Blizzard revealed details for the Greek mythology themed Season 2 Battle Pass. Progression rewards for the premium pass will include a Poseidon skin for Ramattra and a Hades costume for Pharah. The “pinnacle reward” for the pass is a Mythic Zeus skin for Junker Queen, which comes with “new customizations, weapon models, voice lines, and special effects”.
Season 2 is also set to bring three special events to the game. Winter Wonderland will run from December 13 – January 4, while the Lunar New Year event will start on January 17 and end on February 1.
Special skins will be up for grabs during each event, including “Epic Ice Queen Brigitte, Legendary Winged Victory Mercy, and Legendary Kkachi Echo.”
Sandwiched between these seasonal celebrations is the Battle for Olympus event, which will be around for a limited time from January 5 – 19. During this period players will be able to earn skins as they engage in a new game mode which will see certain heroes “imbued with awesome god-like powers”.
Finally, Season 2 will feature catch up challenges that will allow players to unlock heroes, including Kiriko from Season 1. To stay up to date and find out how to get the most out of your hero, be sure to check out more of IGN’s coverage of Overwatch 2.
Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer
Xiaomi 13 Pro camera detailed with a 1-inch main sensor, floating telephoto lens
The Xiaomi 13 series is arriving tomorrow, and today the company revealed some key features of the camera on the Pro member. According to the released teasers, the main shooter will have a 50 MP 1” Sony IMX989 sensor, while the telephoto camera will have 75mm equivalent, which is 3x magnification.
Xiaomi revealed how the new “floating” telephoto lens would work in a 20-second video – it is moving the elements closer to achieve infinite focus and take pictures of far objects; when it needs to take close-ups (up to 10 cm), the elements are moving away. The camera is developed with know-how from Leica, which once again is having its branding on the back of the phone.
The Xiaomi 13 Pro also appeared in a leaked hands-on video, revealing the camera design and some specs like MIUI 14 on top of Android 13, 8/128 GB memory variant and a Qualcomm chipset with 3.19 GHz CPU, which is unsurprisingly the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
We also got some punchy camera samples, but since they were posted on social media, they have been heavily compressed.
Camera samples at 3x zoom
Camera samples from up close
Camera samples of main 50 MP shooter
The Xiaomi 13 series is bringing LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage for extra snappy performance. We expect a Xiaomi 13 and a Xiaomi 13 Pro at the December 1 event, as well as announcements of a Xiaomi Watch S2 wearable and the MIUI 14 interface.
Overwatch 2 season 2: New game modes, holiday skins revealed
Overwatch 2’s second season and new tank hero Ramattra arrive on Dec. 6, and a new trailer for the free-to-play game’s new content shows what else players can expect in season 2. That includes a new Zeus-themed mythic skin for Junker Queen, Greek mythology-inspired skins for other heroes, a new Escort map, and the return of two classic Overwatch holiday events.
Season 2 of Overwatch 2 will also include a new limited-time event called Battle for Olympus, which runs Jan. 5-19, 2023. The trailer doesn’t offer much in the way of specifics, but it does appear to take place on the game’s Ilios map and includes Junker Queen calling down team-wiping lightning strikes. The Greek gods theme for the game’s second battle pass appears to include new skins for Roadhog (Cyclops), Ramattra (Poseidon), Lúcio (Hermes), Widowmaker (Medusa), Reinhardt (Minotaur), and Pharah (Hades). Junker Queen’s new mythic skin will likely be the end-of-battle-pass reward, similar to Genji’s Cyber Demon skin from season 1.
A closer look at Overwatch 2’s season 2 skins, some of which will be available through the battle pass, others through the in-game store, are in the gallery below:
Elsewhere in the trailer, we get a peek at new holiday cosmetics for Bastion, who appears to be getting a gingerbread house-inspired skin for Winter Wonderland 2022 (which runs Dec. 13 to Jan. 4), and Mei, who is getting a rabbit-themed skin for Lunar New Year 2023 (which runs Jan. 17 to Feb. 6).
But the bigger gameplay additions come in the form of Ramattra, who will be included as part of season 2’s battle pass, and a new Escort map, Shambali, set in the Himalayan peaks.
Overwatch executive producer Jared Neuss said earlier this month that, in response to season 1 of Overwatch 2, Blizzard wants players “to feel more rewarded” for playing the game in future seasons. Neuss hinted at more free skins that can be earned by playing events — like Battle for Olympus — and by watching streamers on Twitch.
Overwatch 2 is available now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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Advanced Info Service (AIS) and Bangkok Bank have launched their first co-branded card on a digital platform with the introduction of the Be1st Digital AIS POINTS debit card.
The partnership provides online shoppers special privileges from AIS points and secure financial services from Bangkok Bank.
The move should help drive the e-commerce ecosystem, estimated to have a value of 1.6 trillion baht in 2027, up from 800 billion baht in 2022, according to a report from Meta and Bain titled SYNC Southeast Asia 2022.
Tee Seeumpornroj, chief financial officer of AIS, said customers who apply for the debit card from March 27 to Aug 31 receive up to 200 AIS points.
Every 200 baht spent on online shopping via the card receives one AIS point, up to 100 points per card per month.
AIS points can be redeemed for several privileges, including telephone or internet charges, Line stickers, food and beverage, or discounts from leading lifestyle brands at more than 1.8 million stores nationwide.
AIS points can also be redeemed for 20,000 leading brands at department stores, retail stores, street food vendors and food carts across the country on the myAIS app.
Customers who open an e-savings account with Bangkok Bank mobile banking receive 200 AIS points for their first online purchase with the card, while existing customers who apply for the card receive 100 AIS points for their first online purchase using the card.
This collaboration uses our strengths in intelligent networks and financial innovation, connecting the digital experience for customers and creating opportunities for Thais, said Mr Tee.
The venture should strengthen customer loyalty via privileges and rewards for AIS's 46 million customers, he said.
Mr Tee said more than 1 billion AIS points were redeemed last year, of which 80% were in the provinces and the rest in Bangkok.
AIS offers one AIS point to its customers in exchange for every 25 baht they spend on service fees.
Shoke Na Ranong, executive vice-president and credit card division manager of Bangkok Bank, said the debit card offers the option of using only a digital card or both a digital card and physical card.
The digital card also covers various transactions on Bangkok Bank mobile banking, including withdrawals, transfers, and payments via ATM, as well as contactless payments.
Mr Shoke said Bangkok Bank and AIS are confident the card will attract interest from customers, as they expect at least 2 million applications for the first year of operations, rising to 6 million within five years.


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Man charged in Huntsville furniture store burglary
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - Huntsville police have charged a suspect in a furniture store burglary.
Police say an officer was on a traffic stop shortly before 3 a.m. Sunday when he heard an alarm coming from Farmers Home Furniture on Memorial Parkway. Upon arrival, the officer noticed the back door forced open and called for additional officers and a K-9.
Police say the suspect was hiding inside the business and had a small bag and gloves.
Joshua Ben Abu Bakr was charged with burglary.
The investigation continues.
Copyright 2019 WAFF. All rights reserved.


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A majority of marketers believe that television advertising has become less effective in the past two years, according to a new survey from the National Association of Advertisers and Forrester Research.
Over 50 percent of marketers reported that when half of all television households use DVRs, they would cut spending on TV advertising by 12 percent. Current DVR penetration is estimated to be nearly 25 percent.
At the same time they also seem to be somewhat happier with the performance of their media agencies in dealing with all the changes occurring across the media landscape. Still, 28 percent of respondents reported that their media agency is ill-equipped to address the changes in TV advertising, compared to 47 percent two years ago.


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Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s British restaurant empire is now a stack of burnt toast.
His sinking restaurant chain, which includes Jamie’s Italian, rang up an eye-popping $122 million in losses and has gone into bankruptcy protection.
As many as 1,300 jobs are at stake after the new twist on Oliver’s foodie fortunes. The financial woes will have no impact on Oliver’s Canadian restaurants.
Staff were fired by email just 30 minutes before the company called it quits.
“I’m really angry because Jamie won’t be the one looking for a job and struggling to pay his bills, it’ll be poor saps like us who worked for him,” one worker told the Daily Mail.
Rumours had been rife that things had gone sour for the chain, pummelled by takeout apps, intense competition and rising rents.
Oliver fingered Brexit as the reason for his struggles.
But don’t weep for the ubiquitous celebrity chef.
The 43-year-old has a nearly $400-million fortune, which will go a long way to ease the The Naked Chef’s resto collapse.
Oliver said he was “devastated” and “deeply saddened” by the bitter pill.
“I appreciate how difficult this is for everyone affected. It’s been a real pleasure serving you,” he said.
The kitchen kingpin even poured millions of his own money into the chain to keep the floundering ship afloat.
And while his other businesses are solvent, Jamie’s Italian was strangled to death by a financial fettuccine.
The company opened its first restaurant in 2008 with great expectations.
‘We launched Jamie’s Italian in 2008 with the intention of positively disrupting mid-market dining in the U.K. high street, with great value and much higher quality ingredients, best-in-class animal welfare standards and an amazing team who shared my passion for great food and service,” Oliver said.
“And we did exactly that.”


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Georgia fraud, identity theft complaints among highest in nation
MACON, Ga. (WGXA) -- According to the Federal Trade Commission, Georgia ranks among the highest in the country for fraud and identify theft cases.
Georgia is number two in fraud cases with 1,136 per 100,000 people.
The state ranks number eleven in identity theft cases with 124 per 100,000 people.
Debt collection fraud and employment-tax fraud are the top complaint categories in Georgia.
Investigator Michael Parrott with the Bibb County Sheriff's Office said these types of crimes are on the rise as technology evolves.
Parrott said fraud and identity theft occur much too often in Bibb County.
He said Georgia could rank so high on the lists because many people travel through the state, either to the airport or down to Florida on vacation.
Kelvin Collins with the Better Business Bureau said often times identity thieves commit fraud and try to put together pieces of a puzzle to see what personal information they can obtain.
It's not uncommon for some people to steal pieces of mail over time to build up enough information on someone to open credit card accounts in their name.
Collins advises people to only carry credit cards that are needed everyday in wallets. Things like department store credit cards should only be carried when going to that store.
He also suggests to have a copy at home of everything in your wallet. If the wallet is lost or stolen, you'll know what cards to cancel and what to report to authorities.
Parrott said it's nearly impossible to be immune to identity theft and fraud, but keeping personal information like a social security number in a safe place to minimize the risk.


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Binance CEO to Step Down
In a surprising development, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao has agreed to step down from the digital currency exchange and has pleaded guilty to United States anti-money laundering requirements. This notice has caused whole lot of volatility in the cryptocurrency market, particularly affecting the prices of Bitcoin (BTC) and altcoins, and generating many of discussion on social media.
CZ Steps Down, Company Charged $4B in Fines
Earlier today, the United States Department of Justice announced that it would take action against a major digital currency company, resulting in Binance being ordered to pay $4.3 Billion in fines. As a result, CEO Changpeng Zhao stepped down and pleaded guilty to United States anti-money laundering charges. This news caused an initial dip in the cryptocurrency market, but Bitcoin (BTC) and altcoin prices quickly bounced back before experiencing further volatility throughout the day.
Cryptocurrency Market Reacts to Binance News
As the market adjusts to these developments, volatility is expected continuation in the near term. On social media platform X (formerly Twitter), prominent figures in the cryptocurrency industry have shared their opinions on CZ’s departure from Binance and its probability impact. On-chain analyst Will Clemente highlighted the likelihood of Bitcoin (BTC) ETF approval now that Binance is no longer a factor. Messari Cryptocurrency CEO Ryan Selkis views the settlement as a whole lot of step in establishing cryptocurrency as a legitimate industry.
Hot Take: Binance’s Turmoil and Impact on the Cryptocurrency Industry
The recent turmoil at Binance, including the CEO’s departure and the hefty settlement, has rattled the cryptocurrency market. Nonetheless, the price rebound likewise indicates the resiliency of the market. This event could pave the way for further regulatory clarity and industry legitimacy, potentially leading to advancements such as ETF approvals and favorable legislation. Although while volatility is expected in the short term, the long-term impact of these developments may be transformative for the cryptocurrency industry.
Newt Bettec emerges as an intellectual voyager at the intersection of crypto analysis, meticulous research, and editorial mastery. Within the digital labyrinth of cryptocurrencies, Newt’s intellect traverses intricate corridors, resonating with seekers of diverse inclinations. His talent for unraveling complex threads of crypto intricacies seamlessly blends with his editorial finesse, transmuting intricacy into an engaging tapestry of understanding.


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The Irish Postmasters’ Union (IPU) is the representative body for Postmasters. The IPU works to ensure a secure future for Post Offices across Ireland. The IPU is committed to maximising the economic and social value of Post Offices.
Your Post Office – at the Heart of your Community
Post Office Network critical for local business during and after COVID-19 Postmasters have called for clarity on the future of hundreds of Post Offices – and what action Government will take to support the Network. Speaking at the Irish Postmasters’ Union AGM this weekend (by virtual meeting), General Secretary Ned O’Hara said an ‘inject and spend’ approach to the economy was central to Budget 2021. He said Post Offices provide a core asset of national infrastructure through which to support local businesses and economies during and after the COVID-19 pandemic – and Government must take action to secure this. A report commissioned by business advisors Grant Thornton, published in September, […]
SOCIAL WELFARE PAYMENTS TO RETURN TO WEEKLY Postmasters to seek Government response to Post Offices report Postmasters today welcomed a Government decision to return to weekly collection of all social welfare payments at Post Offices. The Irish Postmasters’ Union (IPU) has received confirmation from the Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys that the Department is set to announce the change this week. The change, which is due to come into effect in late October / early November, will give all Social Welfare recipients the choice to collect any payment either weekly or every two weeks at their Post Office. Customers can clarify any changes to their collection details with their local […]
Report says Post Office Network continues to return strong economic and social value ‘Collapse of Post Office Network’ if State support not introduced urgently An annual Public Service Obligation (PSO) for the Post Office Network of €17m has been recommended in an independent review by business advisors Grant Thornton. READ the full Grant Thornton Report. The report Review of the economic contribution and financial sustainability of the Irish Post Office Network, commissioned by the Irish Postmasters’ Union (IPU), recommends that the Government invest with urgency in the Post Office Network, as it provides a multi-fold economic and social return to communities, far in excess of the PSO requirement. The report […]
COVID-19 impact on Post Offices affecting local economies Weekly collection needs to be offered for all welfare payments Transactions in Post Offices are estimated to be down by 25% – heightening serious viability challenges facing the Network. Postmasters today warned that coronavirus is having a very serious negative impact on transactions in Post Offices, and by extension cash spending in local economies. The Irish Postmasters’ Union today called for people to be offered the choice to collect social welfare payments either weekly or every two weeks. A comparison of transactions for the month of August comparing 2020 with 2019 by Postmasters estimated that Post Office business was down by 25%. As […]


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By Gary Gerard
At the Times-Union, a 10,000 six-day daily in Warsaw, we published our first – albeit rudimentary – website in 1996.
It didn’t take me long to figure out that paying people to produce news content and then giving it away online for free was an absolutely useless and broken business model.
Shortly after we started uploading a few local news and sports stories online, one of my subscribers called me.
“Will you put obituaries on the Internet?” she asked. “Not sure,” I said, “Why do you ask?”
“Well,” she replied, “If you put the obituaries on the Internet, I won’t have to buy the newspaper.”
I had my epiphany. And frankly, I still don’t understand today why so many publishers have not come to the same bluntly obvious realization.
In virtually every market this size across the United States, if there is no print news, there is no online news. If the business model of tossing up a website and uploading local ads and content – pay wall or no pay wall – was profitable, independent digital dailies would be springing up in small towns all over America.
They aren’t, because they aren’t profitable. In small-daily markets, online news only works if there is a print vehicle behind it paying the bills. Even AOL’s vaunted patch.com is struggling and shutting down numerous sites – and volunteers staffed it in large part.
Print advertising works. Hear a commercial on the radio? Change channels. See a commercial on digital TV? Skip it. Click-through percentages on our web ads hover around 1 percent.
All the aforementioned forms of advertising are good only for branding. Print is the only medium where people buy the product for the ads.
If our inserter skips a cycle and a subscriber doesn’t get the Walgreens flyer, my phone rings. Subscribers want our ads, and they want them for the content, not just for the branding.
Print content is simply more compelling than digital.
Even the best websites can’t create the level of impact and variety of content that a print newspaper can. Story placement on a print page immediately prioritizes content for readers. Readers can quickly scan a newspaper for content that interests them.
Think local, state and international news and sports, comics, puzzles, Dear Abby, horoscope, letters to the editor, a full compliment of editorial and op-ed columnists, etc., all in one neat little package.
If you wanted to replicate the content of a daily newspaper online each day you would have to visit dozens of websites.
The notion that we must attract younger readers is a red herring.
I was told that in 1979 in a 400-level journalism class. I can show you textbooks from the 1960s that said if newspapers didn’t attract young readers, print would die out in 10 years because of the fracturing of advertising markets by the advent of TV and radio.
Here’s a news flash: Young readers have never read a newspaper. And they never will. When these young people get a little older, get married, have kids and buy a house, like magic the newspaper pops up as a good idea.
Suddenly, these former young people who never cared about newspapers want to know about property tax rates, school textbook choices and the best place to buy groceries or a car. And they want to see junior’s picture in there once and a while.
Print is far from dead.
Newspaper industry trainer Kevin Slimp’s observation that those promoting the death of print are those who would profit most from its death brings to mind Joseph Goebbels. You know, “The bigger the lie, the more it will be believed,” or “Repeat a lie often enough and people will believe it’s the truth.”
Gary Gerard is general manager at the Times-Union (Warsaw).


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Smirnoff Zero Sugar Infusions hits shelves in US
Diageo-owned vodka brand Smirnoff has launched a range of zero-sugar, lower-abv expressions in the US, called Smirnoff Zero Sugar Infusions.
The Smirnoff Zero Sugar Infusions range is bottled at 30% abv
The range comprises three flavours: Cucumber and Lime, Watermelon and Mint, and Strawberry and Rose. Each has an abv of 30%.
The line is targeted at consumers looking to cut down on their sugar intake. According to the International Food Information Council Foundation Food and Health Survey 2018, 70% of people are cutting back on added sugar.
To support the launch, Smirnoff has worked with brand partner, actor and producer Ted Danson and Saturday Night Live cast member Cecily Strong to create numerous TV spots.
The videos are available to view on YouTube now and will be broadcast on US TV in June.
Jay Sethi, vice president, Smirnoff, Diageo North America, said: “As a leader in the vodka category, Smirnoff has built a reputation for creating breakthrough innovations based on consumers’ evolving taste preferences.
“Now more than ever, consumers are demanding lower sugar options that are still delicious. With the launch of new Smirnoff Zero Sugar Infusions, we are proud to embrace the zero sugar trend in order to grow the category and give everyone [over 21] an accessible way to enjoy a zero-sugar spirit.”
Click the video below to watch one of the TV spots starring Danson and Strong.


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HTC is getting ready to start updating all of their high end flagship smartphones from last year with some new goodies. All the neat improvements and features from Sense UI 5 on the HTC One like BlinkFeed and Zoe are headed to the HTC One X+. We're seeing the update arrive in Asia, and it has also leaked in a few other forms as well.
Tagged: Sense 5
HTC Butterfly smartphone. Multiple reports have arrived this week that HTC has begun updating the handset to Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, along with Sense UI 5.0 with Blinkfeed and all. Well, at least the models in Taiwan have received the update, and hopefully others follow suite.
DROID DNA talk has been focused on the topic of the HTC One. Specifically, as to whether or not the HTC One is coming to Verizon Wireless as the replacement for the now six-month old DROID DNA. Assuming you are a Verizon user that is eligible, or close to being eligible for an upgrade, those talks were probably what you wanted to hear. On the flip side though, there are plenty of DROID DNA users that are going to be tied to an agreement for quite a bit longer and that group is most likely thinking of updates.
HTC haven't been what we'd consider the best in that regard. However, some new details are surfacing this week suggesting they'll be working hard to improve in that area. First up their popular HTC One X which recently got 4.1 Jelly Bean, will apparently get the latest and greatest in June.
HTC, the company has confirmed that Sense 5 will be coming for several of the previously released HTC smartphones. In fact, four currently available HTC smartphones will be getting an update that includes Sense 5. Or more specifically, an update that will include at least some of what Sense 5 has to offer. Yes, there will be a catch with the update.
HTC Sense user interface, screen captures for the next version have been leaking. These latest are for Sense 5, which is expected to get an official unveiling alongside the HTC M7 at Mobile World Congress. We have already seen a few images of Sense 5, however this time around, the leak comes courtesy of xda user mdeejay and brings a few additional pics.
HTC M7 earlier in the month and it looks like a bit more information has since been revealed. This latest round of details confirms some of those earlier bits and includes quite a bit more. And while we cannot say these details are official as they did not come direct from HTC, they have come by way of a reliable source.


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US computer giant Apple claims it has reached a deal to bring the iPhone to China Mobile, the world's biggest phone carrier.
The deal could significantly boost sales of the iPhone in China.
Demand for iPhones, once hugely popular in China, have slumped in the country as lower-priced rival smartphones from Samsung and Chinese companies entered the market.
The iPhone 5s and 5c will go on sale in Apple stores and China Mobil stores next month, and customers can register for phones starting on Christmas Day.
Financial details of the proposed agreement have yet to be removed.
More top news
After a relatively mild and quiet night, an episode of rain for many of us tomorrow.
The 34-year-old from Coulsdon in Surrey died during the private party in Headley in the early hours of Monday, Surrey Police said.
The Home Office made the arrests at various restaurants across London on July 4.


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A sharp decline in crude oil prices fails to hit the stock market's rise on Thursday thanks to gains in the consumer sector.
Stocks rise as a rally in shares of Best Buy and Sears overshadow a slump in crude oil prices.
The retail and financial sectors should best be avoided.
S&P Retail ETF fell as much as 3.3% week to date.
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Apparently the makeover paid off.Marilyn Manson's "Mechanical Animals" will top the "Billboard" album chart next week after selling just under 223,000 copies in its first week in stores. Bolstered by a promotional push that included print, TV, and billboard ads, in-store appearances, and high-profile face time on MTV, the Manson gang posted its best sales week ever knocking last week's number one, "The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill," down to number two. Meanwhile, last week's big rock debut, Hole's "Celebrity Skin," takes a minor drop from number nine to number 10 after selling another 79,000 copies. The dip makes room for the Brian Setzer Orchestra, who finally crack the top 10 with their "Dirty Boogie," which slips up to number nine. Next week will also see Hootie & the Blowfish return to the top five as the band's latest effort, "Musical Chairs," will debut at number four after selling more than 110,000 copies. Other notable debuts belong to the "Rush Hour" soundtrack
at number seven, Magic's "Sky's The Limit" at number 15, Bette Midler's "Bathouse Betty" at number 45, and Shaquille O'Neal's "Respect" at number 58.Next week will also see Canibus free fall from his debut spot at number two last week to number 22 this week after selling another 51,000 copies.


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The machine stops Oct 1
NASA activates 622 Mbps laser network between the Earth and Moon October 24, 2013 at 1:28 pm
Using their new lunar laser link, NASA and MIT have succeeded in beaming data from the Moon at 622 megabits per second. This impressive feat is an important step in moving away from radio communications, which have reached the limit in the face of the new data demands for work in space.
The Windows 8.1 Store: Much improved, but still a long way off iOS and Android October 21, 2013 at 10:18 am
Windows 8.1′s store is a far cry better than Windows 8.0, with a number of features that make it worth a second look. If you’re considering the OS, check out the improvements.
T-Mobile launches Simple Global data, destroys roaming data bill October 21, 2013 at 9:25 am
Yesterday, T-Mobile’s newest Uncarrier initiative went live, expanding the effective coverage for T-Mobile customers to over 100 countries worldwide. In these countries, T-Mobile customers no longer have to worry about excessive roaming bills and can truly afford to communicate while traveling the world.
The ‘underwater internet’ could be an early warning system for natural disasters October 16, 2013 at 9:04 am
Using a network of sensors, a team of researchers have unveiled plans to knit the world above and below the waves together to create an underwater internet. cCombining all the disparate networks of underwater acoustic sensors into one could improve data gathering and make important early warning systems more accessible and reliable.
MacPhone Air: Mark Shuttleworth predicts Apple will merge Mac and iPhone October 11, 2013 at 3:11 pm
Anyone that has been paying attention to the evolution of OS X and iOS will have at some point noticed that the two operating systems are slowly acting more like each other. Mark Shuttleworth, CEO of Canonical who recently attempted to crowdfund the Ubuntu Edge phone that would double as a desktop PC, has certainly noticed Apple’s seemingly slow merger of its desktop and mobile OS. He predicts Apple will merge Mac and iPhone hardware one day soon, creating a device similar to the Ubuntu Edge.
Microsoft, Google working on super cookies to track your activity on every device October 11, 2013 at 12:15 pm
It has served us well for almost 20 years, but now the humble browser cookie is on its deathbed, faced with forced obsolescence by a new brand of super cookies. Developed by the likes of Microsoft and Google, super cookies will track you wherever you go, and whatever you do, whether it’s on your smartphone, PC, game console, or even TV.
Xbox One will be ‘best experienced’ with IPv6: How do you get IPv6 at home, though? October 10, 2013 at 11:56 am
According to Microsoft, if you want to enjoy the best possible Xbox One gaming experience, you should use IPv6. The Xbox One natively supports IPv6, but finding an ISP that will give you an IPv6 connection to the internet is difficult. By using IPv6 on your Xbox One, you should have less latency when playing multiplayer games, any data that you do transmit over the internet should be safer and more private, and in general any connections made by the Xbox One — either to remote servers, or peer-to-peer — should be faster and more responsive.
Samsung reportedly close to releasing Glass competitor — and Google’s involved October 9, 2013 at 2:26 pm
Analyst and blogger Eldar Murtazin has tweeted rather definitely that Samsung is “developing [its] own version of Google Glass. We will see it (probably) around April – May under Gear Glass brand.” The target timeframe might put Samsung’s wearable device out to market before Google’s own Glass.
Silk Road: How to be a Deep Web criminal and get away with it October 9, 2013 at 12:15 pm
Today, not only has the Silk Road been shut down and its alleged founder arrested, but now the authorities are beginning to arrest the market’s biggest and most profitable sellers. What did they do wrong?


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At the Digiday Programmatic Media Summit late last year, 78 industry leaders discussed the hot topics in media. Here’s what they found….
- Almost half of respondents, 47 percent, are moving key product functions in-house rather than using an external vendor.
- The two biggest reasons companies aren’t moving more product functions in-house are internal talent and the prohibitive costs of such efforts.
- While still the minority, programmatic private marketplaces are becoming more common. Ten percent of companies run between 76 and 100 percent of their programmatic sales through a PMP.
- Ninety-seven percent of respondents said they plan to increase the amount of programmatic sales done through a PMP over the next year.
- Despite the issues surrounding header bidding, 28 percent have not yet adopted server-to-server bidding.
- Ads.txt has seen strong adoption. Over 80 percent report updating their inventory with ads.txt tags.


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First, and most persuasively, Apple just bought (and shut down) Matcha, a video discovery app. Matcha provided "smart aggregation and personalized recommendations around 250,000 titles from the most popular video services such as
There has been a lot written about novel interaction methods for the Apple TV, iWands, iRings, talking, eye tracking, waving your hands and, of course, using your iOS devices, but without really smart personalization, a smart TV cannot deliver a seamless user experience. So with Matcha, it would appear that Apple was watching the space, which includes Squrl, Fan and Dijit's NextGuide and many others, and made their move once a winner seemed to emerge.
In a similar move, Apple acquired app recommendation engine Chomp and then used it to remake the App Store in iOS 6 on it. In the case of Chomp, Apple kept the site going for almost a year after acquisition. Apple's use of the technology behind Siri followed a similar pattern.
Second, is the usual round of supply chain rumors, documented by The Register under the wonderful tabloid headline, "Apple big-screen TV rumor zombie RISES FROM THE DEAD." Economic Daily News from Taipei (see Google translation here) reports that "Apple has held talks in the US with representatives of
If Apple were to launch the next version of the Apple TV "puck" with Matcha's software (and the results of its recent deals with big media companies) in time for the holidays, might it also announce this stand-alone TV product at the same time? This would throw doubt into consumers' minds about buying a Samsung Smart TV this year and give them a reason to wait for the Apple iTV.
I would be inclined to agree with The Register's day of the dead assessment of the Apple TV rumors if it were not for a third little tidbit, this one from Google Ventures general partner MG Siegler on Daring Fireball blogger John Gruber's Talk Show podcast last week. Business Insider provided this transcription of his remarks (this is 1:27:00 into the podcast):
Not to go into rumor central here but the latest things like I've heard are some sort of television product — not necessarily a television screen but something — could be coming as soon as this November. And I think there's some surprises there about what it could actually be and I don't for sure what it could actually be but there's been whispers about, so I'm not going to write anything about it, but there's whispers out there that the interaction with it could be the interesting thing. People have talked about voice, but I think that's out the window and there might be some new way to interact with whatever this thing is.
Siegler has precisely gone into rumor central with this vague suggestion about "interaction," but it is interesting to put this together with the Matcha acquisition. Whatever the interaction method turns out to be (and odds are there will be multiple methods and perhaps even an SDK and APIs to address them) the choices offered need to be good choices for each user. This is why the Samsung Smart TV is not yet really smart. Waving your hand in front of a carousel of selections is only as good as those suggestions. A lot of the attention about the Apple TV or iTV has been about the explicit interactions (voice, gesture, etc.) that Steve Jobs said he had "cracked," but it may turn out that the implicit interactions that set the parameters of selection are even more crucial to the user experience.
Does Apple really have something on deck for November or are they planting rumors to drive us crazy? Any credible suggestion that there might be a product forthcoming is enough to depress sales of competing (existing) products, so this is a serious question. Replacing TV as we know it has turned out to be a harder problem than anyone anticipated. Apple wants to get it right, but the fans are restless.
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Supporters are advised that tickets remain on sale for our very own Christmas cracker – the crunch Guinness Premiership clash with Bristol at Sixways Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 3pm).
Mike Ruddock’s men will be gunning for a big win in the league as they aim for a spot in the top half of the table as we head towards 2009.
Warriors have been boosted by the news that Chris Latham and Chris Pennell have been declared fit to make the squad with Director of Rugby Ruddock announcing his starting line-up at noon on Friday.
And remember – avoid the High Street queues and get your Christmas shopping done with Warriors with the Kukri Sixways Store offering a 10percent sale in recognition of its official opening between 12.30pm and 1.30pm.
Fans are also reminded that the stadium will open to supporters at 1pm on Saturday.
Want to be a part of the biggest and best Christmas party this festive season? You still have time!
To book your place at Sixways Stadium – on the day the Slick Systems Stand opens fully – call the Warriors Box Office on 01905 454183 or visit the online Ticket section at www.warriors.co.uk


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Tesla submitted a new ‘Master Plan’ to the city of Fremont in order to add twelve new buildings around the factory, which could almost double in size, ahead of a massive production increase to satisfy the demand for the Model 3.
The presentation deck of what Tesla is calling the ‘Master Plan’ for the expansion was first obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle and now embedded below.
Recent reports suggested that Tesla started construction around the factory, but that’s unrelated to the expansion since the Fremont Planning Commission is only meeting to discuss the project next week and Tesla will only be able to apply for the permits after their decision.
They are thousands of housing units being built across railroad track on the other side of the factory and the new BART station.
Tesla acquired a 25-acre lot north of the factory and plans to make better use of its current lots to increase the already massive size of the plant. As it currently stands, it contains 5.3 million square feet of manufacturing and office space.
The new buildings could add 4.6 million square feet:
The new ‘Master Plan’ also includes new bike and pedestrian paths for employees and a new much-needed parking configuration.
The plan will also allow for a significant increase of Tesla’s workforce at the factory.
They are currently 6,210 Tesla employees working in Fremont on two shifts, that number is expected to increase to 9,315 after the expansion:
After receiving around 400,000 reservations for the Model 3 earlier this year, Tesla announced its plans to achieve a production rate of 500,000 cars per year at the factory by 2018. That’s close to the same output that the plant had when it was being operated by Toyota and GM.
This new expansion aims to support the new production plan.
CEO Elon Musk said that Tesla’s overall production could increase to 1 million vehicles by 2020 and while it’s not clear if all vehicles will be produced at the Fremont factory, he did say that he sees a path to the plant allowing for a total output of 1 million cars.
Here’s Tesla’s new ‘Master Plan’ in full:
[scribd id=326806364 key=key-SyP3PAqv77WN9ur0rg55 mode=scroll]
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New figures released by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) show that housing prices have dropped for the first time since 2020. The figures also reveal that inflation is showing signs of slowing down.
The CBS reported that home prices fell 0.2% in January and February 2023 compared to the previous month. This comes after several months of slow-rising prices following interest rate hikes by the Bank of Israel. The price of new homes fell by 0.3%.
The last time there was a month-over-month fall in prices was during April-May 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic began to impact the economy. Housing prices had been steadily rising over the past two years amid rampant inflation at home and abroad. In December, the statistics bureau stated that home prices had increased by 20% in September-October 2022 compared to the previous year. However, this figure has now dropped to 12.7% when comparing January-February 2023 to the same period in 2022.
While home prices fell by 1% or more in the south and Jerusalem, Haifa and Tel Aviv saw a decline of 0.5% each. Northern Israel saw a 2% increase in housing prices, and the central region surrounding Tel Aviv rose by 0.3%.
The Central Bureau of Statistics also released data indicating that inflationary pressures are still present, with consumer prices rising by 0.4% in March compared to the previous month. However, inflation has decreased by 0.2% over the last twelve months, as the CPI increased by 5% compared to 5.2% last month. This is the lowest annual inflation rate since September, when the index stood at 4.6%.
The biggest price increases during March were seen in clothing, shoes, poultry, and vacation rentals, while consumers spent less on fresh produce, disposable goods, fuel, and used cars.
The Bank of Israel has been increasing interest rates over the past year in an effort to reduce inflation, similar to moves by the US Federal Reserve. These policies have led to a steep drop in home sales, with mortgages totalling almost NIS 14 billion ($3.8 billion) less than a year ago, falling to less than fifty percent of that in January.
In its fight against inflation, the bank raised its benchmark rate to 4.5% and issued guidance showing that the judicial overhaul being pushed by the government could significantly harm economic growth. However, it has also forecasted that the economy could quickly recover should the issue be resolved in a way that reduces internal tensions and conflict. The bank predicted that the inflation rate could ease to 3.9% by the end of this year, versus the 3% forecasted in January, and move to 2.3% in 2024.