text:
Staples to Sell for $6.9 Billion (But Is the Saga Really Over?)
Last week, we reported that Staples was close to finalizing a sale to Sycamore Partners, a private equity firm. It looks like the deal is just about set, with the company naming a $6.9 billion price tag—significantly higher than the original estimation of $6 billion.
According to a press release, Staples' board of directors unanimously approved the merger agreement yesterday.
"Today's announcement is the result of a comprehensive process in which our board, with the assistance of a transaction committee comprised of independent directors and outside financial advisors explored and considered various alternatives to enhance our value for our stockholders," Robert Sulentic, chairman of the board, said in the press release. "Staples' board believes that this pricess has led to a transaction which is in the best interests of our stockholders, as well as Staples and its employees."
This isn't Sycamore's first foray into the retail world. The company already owns big name brands, including Talbots, the Limited and Hot Topic, according to The New York Times.
The deal is still subject to the usual closing conditions, including stockholder approval, but is expected to close in December at the latest.
"With an iconic brand, a winning strategy, and dedicated and passionate associates who are deeply focused on the customer, Staples is truly an outstanding enterprise," Stefan Kaluzny, managing director of Sycamore Partners, said in the release. "We have tremendous confidence in [Staples] CEO Shira Goodman and great respect for the Staples management team, and are excited about this opportunity to partner with them to accelerate long-term profitability."
"The Sycamore Partners team shares Staples's entrepreneurial spirit and long-term vision," Goodman said. "This transaction will enable us to drive greater valuye for our customers and immense opportunity for our business."
Sycamore is taking over the Framingham, Massachusetts-based office supply company at a difficult moment. The company is still recovering from declining profits and a failed merger with Office Depot. However, The New York Times cited its financial disclosures, and reported that Staples only has about $1 billion in debt, which won't be much of an issue for Sycamore, creating ample opportunities for growth and profit going forward.
But, The New York Times also speculated that, due to the company's standing in the stock market, Sycamore might be purchasing the company to sell to another private equity firm or another retail giant, like Wal-Mart.
The story of Staples could be far from over.


text:
If you use Facebook, you need to be aware of the latest scam circulating around the social media network.
The scam, aimed at cloning people's accounts, could try to get money from your friends and family -- all while the person on the other end pretends to be you.
According to The Daily Star, several Facebook users have had their accounts copied to look identical to their current profile.
What's more, the scammer even copies and pastes your status updates into the new account, in an attempt to fool your friends and family into believing the deceptive account belongs to you.
Since the scam was first reported, several people who use the platform have received requests for money from the duplicated friend's fake account.
The new scam comes at a time where another Facebook scam is losing ground. Last month, another scam claimed Facebook would start charging users to use the platform.
Have you been the victim of an online scam? Let us know in the comment section.
QCWriter is a journalist who is fueled by espresso and motivated by determination. She specializes in pop culture, country music, and news content. You can follow her on Twitter by clicking here: @QCWriter.

domain: news


text:
Apple just revealed the new games coming to Apple Arcade this month, and the additions are quite surprising. I also expected a certain game to launch into the service, but it hasn’t been revealed yet. Junkworld () is the highlight of the month for me alongside Cypher 007. The month of new releases begins with My Talking Angela 2+ arriving this Friday. As an App Store Great, it won’t have any in app purchases, and the virtual pet game will be playable with all of its mini-games, sticker collections, and more. Check it out here on Apple Arcade. We’ve covered Ironhide’s Junkworld quite a bit, and it is now launching exclusively on Apple Arcade on September 22nd. Check it out here on Apple Arcade.
Japanese Rural Life Adventure is a new cozy simulation game with a pixel aesthetic coming September 15th to Apple Arcade. It will feature traditional JApanese festivals and the ability to meet new villagers and more when it launches. Check out Japanese Rural Life Adventure on Apple Arcade here. Cypher 007 from Tilting Point is the final new game of the month, out September 29th. It features James Bond’s most iconic moments with the ability to compete against other players to be the best spy. Check it out here on Apple Arcade. I expected a new NBA game this month, but I guess it may arrive later on if we don’t get an update for the current NBA on the service.
Apple has revealed that Hello Kitty Island Adventure will be getting a big update on September 29th bringing in a Spooky Celebration event with new visitors arriving on the island: Baku, Cherry, and Berry. If you haven’t read it yet, check out Shaun’s top 10 Apple Arcade games feature here. For everything Apple Arcade and more, we have a dedicated section in our forum. Head over to it here for discussion on current and upcoming games. What do you think of September 2023’s new Apple Arcade games?


text:
Caribbean-inspired dishes are on the menu at Little Chango Hispanic Craft Kitchen. Plus: El Gallo lands new ownership; Buxton Hall BBQ is still accepting holiday pie orders; and plenty more!
The inaugural Harvest Festival kicks off at the Burton Street Community Peace Gardens. Also: White Labs Asheville hosts its latest fermented pairing class; Twin Leaf and Whisk AVL team up; Fiesta Hendersonville returns; and plenty more.
Each of the nine breweries along or near Coxe Avenue will debut a beer created specially for the collaborative Monday, Oct. 30, event.
**UPDATED AUGUST 3** Burial releases two collabs, ABC taps a new sour and Twin Leaf revives its anniversary beer due to popular demand
Beer Scout can’t cover every event in print, so here’s a handy guide to some upcoming beer- and cider-related happenings.
HiveMind Brew House is coming to the South Slope, Twin Leaf celebrates its first anniversary, Catawba Brewing is hiring, Oskar Blues is expanding its taproom and some crazy Valentine’s Day love at Asheville Brewing Co.


text:
Physics-based businesses contribute more than €7bn annually to the Irish economy and directly employ more than 86,000 people. That’s according to a new report from the Institute of Physics (IOP) that has just been published.
The Importance of Physics to Irish Economy report, which the IOP commissioned Deloitte to carry out, shows that physics, and physics-trained people, are employed in businesses in Ireland ranging from medical technologies to ICT, space industry, web services and some areas of high finance.
According to the IOP, the aim of the report was to show the impact of these sectors, which depend on the supply of new physics research and physics-trained people.
The report said physics-based businesses directly contributed €7bn to the Irish economy in 2010, while 86,000 people – or 4.5pc of the Irish workforce – are directly employed in physics-based jobs.
In 2009, it said physics-based sectors exported more than €23bn worth of goods and services.
Launching the report yesterday, the Minister for Research and Innovation Sean Sherlock, TD, welcomed its analysis of the importance of physics to the Irish economy.
“It reinforces the rationale behind the emphasis being placed on ensuring the flow of science, including physics, graduates from our third-level institutions,” he said.
Kevin McGuigan, chair of the IOP in Ireland, said the source of the strength of physics-based industries is the products of physics research.
“To be able to develop this research, and create wealth, there must be a ready supply of physics-trained workers,” he said.
However, McGuigan said it was “worrying” that 23pc of post-primary schools did not offer physics at Leaving Cert level.


text:
At a time when sales of tablets are outweighing sales of dedicated eReaders, Kobo forges a new path
Digital Book World reports on the promising alliance with Indie bookstores
In fact, it only took a month.
According to the ABA, Kobo has helped indies sell more ebooks in its first month working with them late last year than Google did in more than two years in a similar partnership.
At this point, Kobo says that 460 stores have signed up for the program and that it plans to have 1,000 signed up by the end of the year. That’s much more than Google ever had and it’s a vote of confidence in the industry for the strategy: sell the e-reader, sell the ebooks.
Sales are still comparatively small, however. Will they burgeon, in the face of the booming tablet market? Only time will tell.


text:
Five rates of Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) will be available to people who lost their jobs as a result of the Government's latest COVID-19 restrictions.
The payments will range from €150 to €350 a week, depending on what people were earning before losing their jobs.
The move comes despite the PUP having previously been closed to new applicants, and the original rates having been cut during the reopening process.
It comes ahead of new restrictions coming into effect from tomorrow, amid concern over the high number of COVID-19 cases and concerns over the new Omicron variant.
All nightclubs will have to close until January 9th.
Restaurants and bars also have to implement strict social distancing rules - including no multiple table bookings and no counter service.
Indoor events can only have 50% capacity - a move that has already led to a number of concerts and other events over the Christmas period being cancelled.
Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys said PUP was being reopened for a 'limited period' to support anyone who loses their job directly as a result of the new restrictions.
She said: “PUP will be open for those who are directly impacted from Tuesday 7th December.
“As has previously been the case, the rate of PUP will be linked to a person’s previous earnings and there will be 5 rates of payment available, ranging from €150 to €350 per week.
“This is not where any of us wanted to be - however, reopening PUP for those directly impacted will provide vital support during these difficult times."
The hospitality sector met with Government ministers this morning, with CEO of the Restaurants Association of Ireland Adrian Cummins describing the meeting as productive.
He said it largely focused on the COVID-19 Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS) for businesses.
Speaking yesterday, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said the Government 'fully understands and appreciates the shock' the new restrictions have caused for impacted workers.
He said the PUP would be returning at a 'higher rate' due to people finding themselves without a job again 'nearly overnight'.


text:
Plagiarism isn’t a new problem. (The Ten Commandments bear a striking resemblance to the Code of Hammurabi.) But while changing technology has given people the opportunity to publish independently and get their work in front of the reading public, it has also made it easier for other people to steal entire books from authors.
Writing is generally not a way to get rich, and it becomes even less of one if thieves sell your work as their own, or buy it not caring if it’s pirated. As reported in The High Low
an alarming number of people are knowingly buying pirated books, and a significant number of them (25%) do so unrepentantly, with a clear intention to continue doing so. Broken moral compasses aside, (precious few pirates will mail guilt money as one reader did to Mary Roach) this is a direct assault on authors.
Unfortunately, Kindle Direct Publishing apparently has few protections in place to prevent this beyond requiring customers to declare that the work being published is their own. Ruth Ann Nordin reported on Self-Published Authors Lounge that two of her books were co-opted by a thief. The same thing happened to Shayne Parkinson’s Sentence of Marriage. More cases have been reported on The Book Market. Amazon’s response, as reported by the authors, is inconsistent. Some report Amazon taking down the offending books, others say Amazon hasn’t taken action in their situations.
Part of the problem is that Amazon is being spammed with cobbled together books created using Private Label Rights content. There’s even a product available called “Autopilot Kindle Cash that claims to teach people how to publish 10 to 20 new Kindle books a day without writing a word.” With this much content coming in, it’s not surprising Amazon is failing to police itself. What there’s no excuse for, is their apparent disinterest in solving the problem, as some authors have reported. Cynically, but also accurately, they’ve noted that Amazon gets its cut whether the book sold is stolen or not.
But before we get out the pitchforks, Amazon can hardly be the only offender. This is probably happening in the Barnes & Noble ebook stores, and Borders, and Smashwords. Amazon is just the biggest market, so it attracts more thieves.
Does this mean that it’s too risky for authors to self-publish? No. This isn’t a self-publishing issue alone. Traditionally published authors are vulnerable to this as well. It does mean we have to be vigilant. (There is no automated way to screen for pirated content that can’t be easily circumvented.) Will we lose a certain amount of income to piracy? Of course. Brick and mortar bookstores lose money to pilferage too. I like Ruth Ann Nordin’s idea of an Indie Author Defense League, perhaps as an arm of a professional organization for indie authors like the Association of Independent Authors. In the meantime,
As for what authors can do if their book has been pirated, I recommend reading The Passive Voice and benefitting from Passive Guy’s legal knowledge.


text:
As the war against cybercriminals and their devastating attacks wages on, a new weapon in the fight has emerged to help merchants better protect themselves and the privacy of their consumers: data.
Billions of transactions were analyzed from April-June 2015, and in that time more than 75 million cyber attacks were detected and immobilized in real time via ThreatMetrix’s Digital Identity Network. Vince Lau, Senior Product Manager at ThreatMetrix, explained that combating cybercrime requires the power of shared knowledge, enabling payments players to not only prevent fraud, but also improve customer experience and boost revenue.
MPD CEO Karen Webster recently sat down with Lau for a digital discussion shedding light on the ever-growing shift in fraud to mobile eCommerce, how and where cybercriminals are evolving their attacks, and the critical need for greater insight into the unique digital identities of consumers.
One of the most surprising results of ThreatMetrix’s Q2 2015 Cybercrime Trend Data Report was the change in two of the Top 5 attack originators for the period. The U.S., U.K. and Germany held the Top 3 spots for countries where cyber attacks originated, but the latest data found the Dominican Republic and India rounding out the list, replacing France and Canada.
Lau noted the shift in cybercriminals and suggested that this may be a trend we see more of going forward. Knowing the next moves of cybercriminals is always a challenge, as they are “very smart and don’t want to be predictable,” he added.
He cautioned that until the technology reaches a point where very powerful predictive models can be used to estimate where cyber attacks will come from next, the best approach merchants can take is to be proactive in their cybersecurity efforts.
“To keep up with cybercriminals, you have to continually fine-tune rules and policies. Knowing this information can potentially help you to control fraud if you see more attacks coming from these countries we’ve never seen before,” Lau said.
Cross-border transactions remain a highly favored attack target for cybercriminals and ThreatMetrix’s data shows a significant increase in the rejection rates among these types of transactions.
“The range here is between two to three times higher than domestic rejection rates, so international or cross-border transactions are being rejected a lot more, which is indicative of the fraud that is occurring out in the wild,” Lau pointed out.
Webster then asked, are the high declines on cross-border transactions linked to a built-in assumption that merchants have that transactions coming from another country are fraudulent transactions?
Lau explained the ongoing trend of cybercriminals using a type of attack called spoofing, which hides their true identities, has contributed to the rising rejection rates. The ability to know who is a trusted consumer and who is a cybercriminal is critical and not something a merchant wants to confuse mistakenly.
“It’s very important to use technologies that can recognize returning customers and differentiate between them and the fraudsters. That is the real key takeaway,” Lau said.
The transactions analyzed for ThreatMetrix’s report spanned eCommerce, financial services and media verticals, and covered three types of use cases: authentication, payments and account originations.
One of the most significant findings was the detection of 36 million attacks in eCommerce sector, a 20 percent increase over the previous year. Lau confirmed the amount of attacks roughly translates to $1 billion to as much as $3 billion in losses being stopped.
Lau also noted that when it came to eCommerce, the data show higher downloads of retailers’ mobile applications and a significant shift to transactions taking place on the mobile side.
Webster pointed out that this could suggest an area of vulnerability and risk associated with the use of retail-designed mobile apps that are used for shopping.
“The mobile side is a very new channel and even with some of the more secure platforms we are starting to see a lot of successful attacks. Cybercriminals are getting very creative and customers really need to up their game in adopting newer technologies introduced by vendors,” Lau said.
The combination of mobile still being a relatively new frontier in cybersecurity, along with increased privacy solutions being incorporated onto devices, makes the security of mobile transactions a challenge, Lau emphasized.
“People are favoring mobile and you can’t ignore that,” Lau stated.
The significant shift in consumers’ preference for mobile is underpinned by the steady increase in mobile phone ownership and the growing usage of mobile services in both developed and emerging economies. The proliferation of connected devices can be applied to all industries across the globe.
ThreatMetrix’s data show a 50 percent increase in mobile transactions from 2014.
But as mobile transactions grow, so do the number of attacks targeting the mobile channel.
Attacks on both iOS and Android mobile devices slightly dipped during Q2, while Windows attacks increased from 1.7 percent to 2.2 percent, despite iOS devices accounting for nearly two-thirds of total mobile transactions and Android’s dominance in the market.
Lau explained that merchants who are able to best protect themselves from cyber attacks on the mobile platform exhibit key behaviors:
- Constantly fine-tuning policies and rule sets to keep up with evolving tactics of cybercriminals
- Leveraging new mobile enhancements and technologies to their advantage
The recognition of a consumer’s device, identity and behavior is key if merchants want to be able to fight cybercriminals while avoiding causing inconveniences to their customers.
The ThreatMetrix Digital Identity Network enables customers to better recognize three key criteria:
- Visitors across all the platforms and how consumers move between Web browsers to mobile apps
- Accurate IP addresses and locations for users to determine if cloaking or spoofing technologies are being used, which can indicate a cybercriminal is at work
- How devices interact with webpages, which can help identify the presence of a bot or man-in-the-browser injection attack
ThreatMetrix’s multi-layered solution attacks cybercriminals from all angles, analyzing devices, threats, personas and behavior.
But ultimately, Lau said the most critical aspect of combating cybercrime is the sharing of global intelligence.
“The secret sauce to making this work, no matter what vendor, is really that shared intelligence. It takes all of this information to really combat what cybercriminals are doing and without that there’s really not an effective way to handle it,” Lau concluded.
To watch the full digital discussion, please view the video below.


text:
Sharpless Begins as FDA Acting Commissioner – On April 5, Norman E. “Ned” Sharpless, M.D., became the acting commissioner of the FDA. Previously he was the director of the National Cancer Institute.
SEC Chairman Release Statement on Commissioner Gottlieb’s Departure – The chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission released a public statement thanking Commissioner Gottlieb for his service. He stated, “In carrying out my responsibilities as Chairman of the SEC, I have looked internally and externally for benchmarks – ways to measure the effectiveness of our efforts and identify opportunities for improvement. For the past two years, I have often looked to Dr. Gottlieb as a shining standard for agency leadership. Dr. Gottlieb, thank you for your service, and for the example you have set.”
April Is Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month – In partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the FDA announced the beginning of Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month. The Commissioner called for “greater collaboration with public, private, and nonprofit partners, as well as state and local officials, to educate and engage consumers and stakeholders throughout the supply chain on the need to reduce food loss and waste.”
FDA Warns Homeopathic Product Producers – The FDA warned four producers of homeopathic products about “significant violations of current good manufacturing practice regulations,” including lack of “quality oversight while manufacturing homeopathic drug products containing ingredients with potentially toxic effects for consumers, including snake venom.”
FDA Focuses on Insulin Pricing – The FDA reiterated its continued focus on the need for competition in the insulin market. One of the FDA’s plans is to change the approval pathway for insulin from a drug approval pathway to a biologics approval pathway, which the FDA believes “will open up these products to biosimilar competition.” FDA Commissioner Gottlieb stated that the FDA is “already seeing robust activity among sponsors seeking to bring forward biosimilar copies of insulin.” The FDA will also hold a public hearing on May 13, 2019, “to discuss access to affordable insulin products and issues related to the development and approval of biosimilar and interchangeable insulin products.”
FDA Evaluates Regulatory Pathways for Cannabis Products – The FDA announced its continued efforts to evaluate the possibility of regulatory pathways for products containing cannabis and those derived from cannabis. The FDA plans to hold a public hearing on May 31, 2019, to “give stakeholders an opportunity to provide the FDA with additional input relevant to the agency’s regulatory strategy related to existing products, as well as the lawful pathways by which appropriate products containing cannabis or cannabis-derived compounds can be marketed, and how we can make these legal pathways more predictable and efficient.” The FDA has also formed a working group to focus on the topic and issued “multiple warning letters to companies marketing CBD products with egregious and unfounded claims that are aimed at vulnerable populations.”
FDA Expresses Concern About Certain Stem Cell Products – The FDA issued a press release reiterating the importance of stem cell products and research; however, it also addressed bad actors, stating that “some actors are leveraging the widespread belief in the eventual promise of these products, flouting the statutes and our regulations, and deceiving patients by illegally manufacturing or selling purported therapies, and falsely promoting their benefits. This ultimately puts at risk the very patients they claim to want to help.”
FDA Warns Genomics Lab for Marketing Unreviewed Genetic Test – The FDA announced the issuance of a warning letter to a genomic laboratory for marketing genetic tests that “have not been reviewed by the FDA for safety and effectiveness.” The release states, “The tests claim to predict patients’ responses to specific medications based on genetic variants. Selecting or changing drug treatment in response to the test results could lead to potentially serious health consequences for patients. The FDA is unaware of any data establishing that Inova’s tests can help patients or health care providers make appropriate treatment decisions for the listed drugs.”
FDA Issues REMS Guidance – The FDA released a guidance titled “REMS: FDA’s Application of Statutory Factors in Determining When a REMS Is Necessary.” The guidance is meant “to clarify how the Food and Drug Administration … applies the factors set forth in section 505-1 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act … (21 U.S.C. 355-1) in determining whether a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) is necessary to ensure that the benefits of a drug outweigh its risks.”
FDA Addressed Medical Devices Based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) – The FDA is considering a new regulatory framework for AI-based medical devices. FDA released a discussion paper “to help developers bring artificial intelligence devices to market.”
FDA Seeks to Bolster Access to Animal Product Adverse Event Reports – The FDA announced that it will make available adverse event reports related to medical devices used in animals and animal drug products going back 30 years.
FDA Announces Workshop to Support Youth Tobacco Cessation – The FDA will hold a public scientific workshop on May 15, 2019, to “discuss scientific understanding and treatment options for youth tobacco addiction and cessation, with a focus on e-cigarette cessation.”
FDA Investigates Seizures Reported After E-Cig Use – The FDA notified the public of a potential safety issue related to e-cigarette use. It stated, “We have reports indicating that some people who use e-cigarettes, especially youth and young adults, are experiencing seizures following their use.” The FDA also stated, “We want to be clear that we don’t yet know if there’s a direct relationship between the use of e-cigarettes and a risk of seizure. We can’t yet say for certain that e-cigarettes are causing these seizures.”
Congress Questions Commissioner Gottlieb on Compounding – During the House Appropriations Committee Hearing on April 3, Rep. Cuellar asked, “How is the FDA taking small pharmacists’ issues with regulations regarding distribution and dispensing of medications into consideration?” Commissioner Gottlieb responded, “What we want to do is make it easier and less expensive for the 503A pharmacies to become 503B pharmacies, outsourcing facilities, and what we ‒ what we believe is by developing a center that can work more directly with pharmacies, help them ‒ help train them on how to meet GMP requirements, provide a higher level of touch, train them on how to be inspected.”
Commissioner Gottlieb Comments on Opioid Summit – The FDA held its second Online Opioid Summit. Commissioner Gottlieb’s comments focused on illicit internet trafficking of opioids. He stated, “Cutting off this illicit internet traffic is critical. And we’ll continue to pursue all available means of enforcement to stop these online drug dealers.” He indicated that the FDA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will be “working to maximize each agency’s inspection and detection capabilities to protect Americans from illegal and harmful products entering the U.S. through the nation’s International Mail Facilities and Ports of Entry.”
FDA Warns Internet Providers of Opioid Medications – The FDA issued warning letters to two “websites that illegally market potentially dangerous, unapproved and misbranded opioid medications, including tramadol.”
FDA Seeks to Improve the Quality of Compounded Drugs – Commissioner Gottlieb and Deputy Commissioner Abram issued a statement about the FDA’s commitment to quality compounded drug products. They stated that the FDA plans to use appropriated funds to set up the Center of Excellence on Compounding for Outsourcing Facilities, which will include “trainings on current good manufacturing practice requirements for outsourcing facilities. The goal will be to bolster the quality of compounded drugs produced by outsourcing facilities.” They also stated that the FDA plans to finalize the compounding memorandum of understanding in 2019. In addition, on May 21, 2019, the FDA will hold a public meeting titled “Drugs Compounded for Office Stock by Outsourcing Facilities.” This meeting is intended to give “health care professionals, outsourcing facilities, and other stakeholders an opportunity to discuss access to office stock from outsourcing facilities considering the policies proposed in the revised draft guidance Current Good Manufacturing Practice Guidance for Human Drug Compounding Outsourcing Facilities Under Section 503B of the FD&C Act.”
VA Passes Law Adding Pharmacy Protections – The Virginia legislature recently passed HB2561, which provides additional protections to pharmacies interacting with pharmacy benefit managers. The law requires that PBM contracts contain certain terms relating to pharmacy audits, including a 14-day notice period.


text:
Panasonic Forms Strategic Alliance with Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort
Panasonic and Walt Disney Parks & Resorts announced today that Panasonic Projection Imaging Systems will be the “Official Projection Technology” of Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. and Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif. As part of a long-term agreement, these Disney properties will have access to the latest in Panasonic’s market-leading projectors with advanced image processing and lens solutions.
As a leader in storytelling, Disney creates innovative attractions, entertainment and magical lands which immerse guests into the worlds of the stories they love. The aim of pairing Disney’s limitless creativity with Panasonic’s leading-edge projection technology, is to provide guests of Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort with even more amazing and new entertainment experiences.
“Panasonic is delighted to work with Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort in exploring new ways in which its high-performance projectors may be used to support the Disney storytelling that has captured the hearts of millions of guests who have visited these iconic vacation destinations,” said Panasonic AVC Networks Company President Yasuji Enokido. “The Panasonic brand has earned the trust of generations and today we have a fresh technology vision to support the creativity and innovation of the Disney theme parks in the U.S.”
Panasonic already maintains a significant technology presence at Disney theme park attractions in the U.S., including Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland Park; Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure Park; Haunted Mansion and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom Park; Frozen Ever After and Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros at Epcot; and the upcoming Na’vi River Journey at Walt Disney World Resort’s newest and most immersive land, Pandora – The World of Avatar, at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park.
“Disney creates one-of-a-kind, world-class experiences which inspire guests to create unique and cherished memories at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort,” said Carlos Castro, vice president, Disney Corporate Alliances. “We are thrilled to work with Panasonic to continue to explore exciting and innovative new ways to tell our stories.”
Panasonic is the worldwide market leader in high-brightness professional projectors and has continued to hold this position for seven years in a row. Featuring advanced image processing and distinctive technologies, they yield enhanced visual quality, significantly longer product life, and reduced maintenance costs.
Panasonic Corporation is a worldwide leader in the development of diverse electronics technologies and solutions for customers in the consumer electronics, housing, automotive, enterprise solutions and device industries. Since its founding in 1918, the company has expanded globally and now operates 474 subsidiaries and 94 associated companies worldwide, recording consolidated net sales of 7.553 trillion yen for the year ended March 31, 2016. Committed to pursuing new value through innovation across divisional lines, the company uses its technologies to create a better life and a better world for its customers. To learn more about Panasonic:
About Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort is a world-class entertainment and recreation center featuring four theme parks (Magic Kingdom Park, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park); two water adventure parks (Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon); 35 resort hotels (27 owned and operated by Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, including seven Disney Vacation Club resort properties); 63 holes of golf on four courses; two full-service spas; Disney's Wedding Pavilion; ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex; and Disney Springs. Walt Disney World Resort is committed to building better futures for children; last year, the company donated more than $44 million in cash and in-kind support to non-profit organizations in Central Florida and Disney VoluntEARS contributed 200,000 hours to community service. Located at Lake Buena Vista, Fla., 20 miles southwest of Orlando, Walt Disney World Resort opened Oct. 1, 1971, and is open daily, year-round. For more information, visit www.wdwnews.com/about.
About Disneyland Resort
The Disneyland Resort features two spectacular theme parks – Disneyland (the original Disney theme park) and the reimagined Disney California Adventure Park – plus three hotels and the Downtown Disney District, comprising unique dining, entertainment and shopping experiences. The Resort’s hotels are the luxurious, 948-room Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, which also features 50 two-bedroom equivalent Disney Vacation Club units; the magical, recently renovated, 973-room Disneyland Hotel – both AAA Four Diamond properties – and the 481-room Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel with its “day-at-the-beach” fun. The Disneyland Resort is committed to providing opportunities for families to spend time together. Last year, the Resort donated nearly $20 million to programs benefitting children and families, and our cast members volunteered at more than 230 community events. With 29,000 cast members, the Disneyland Resort is Orange County’s largest employer and generates $5.7 billion for the Southern California economy. The Resort has welcomed more than 750 million guests since opening on July 17, 1955. For more information, please visit Disneyland.com or call (866) 43-DISNEY.
Global Communications Department
Media Promotion Office
Om Business Wire
(c) 2018 Business Wire, Inc., All rights reserved.
Business Wire, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is the global leader in multiplatform press release distribution.
Følg saker fra Business Wire
Registrer deg med din epostadresse under for å få de nyeste sakene fra Business Wire på epost fortløpende. Du kan melde deg av når som helst.
Siste saker fra Business Wire
TRIGO Deepens its Expansion into the USA by Acquiring Lumbee Enterprises23.7.2018 13:00 | Pressemelding
TRIGO has acquired 100% of the capital of Lumbee Enterprises based in Greer, SC. This acquisition allows TRIGO to deepen its expansion into the USA within the automotive industry. Lumbee began providing supply chain and logistics services over 25 years ago and it’s TRIGO’s intent to leverage Lumbee’s proven expertise to further expand its business. Lumbee is best known for its expertise in Quality Manufacturing, Sorting, Inspection and Sub-Assembly Operations, specializing in providing best-in-class inspection and rework services to keep OEM assembly lines running seamlessly and without interruption. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180723005040/en/ Co-founded by Colby Griffin in 2001, LUMBEE Enterprises of South Carolina has focused on providing quality management services to shorten supply chain interruptions through the innovative use of technology and processes. “This acquisition is a great opportunity for
STATS Taps Dr. Helen Sun, Former CTO of JPMorgan Chase Commercial Banking Division, to Lead STATS’ Technology Operations23.7.2018 11:00 | Pressemelding
Today, STATS, the worldwide leader in sports data and intelligence, expanded its executive roster with the introduction of Dr. Helen Sun as Chief Technology Officer. Sun will oversee STATS’ product, engineering, artificial intelligence and data production teams in developing the next generation of products and services that will revolutionize the performance and experience of sports. Sun joins STATS from JPMorgan Chase, most recently serving as Chief Technology Officer of the Commercial Banking division. For over 22 years, Sun has a proven record as a technology strategist and thought leader in previous roles as Vice President of Cloud Computing, Information Management, and Architecture at Motorola Solutions; Senior Director of Global Enterprise Architecture at Salesforce; and Director of Enterprise Architecture at Oracle. “Helen is a leader in transforming businesses through innovative solutions and she will be a driving force in building upon our reputation as the leading sports tech
IBC2018 Enhances Conference Programme with Keynote Sessions from Amazon, Viacom and Wonderhood Studios23.7.2018 10:57 | Pressemelding
IBC2018, the world’s most influential media, entertainment and technology show, today announces three new Keynote speakers from globally renowned media and entertainment powerhouses. The addition of executives from Amazon, Viacom and Wonderhood Studios adds to the big-name line up of thought provoking and informative sessions and speakers already announced by IBC. Taking to the stage on the first day of the conference, Thursday 13 September, to deliver the Trailblazer Keynote session entitled ‘Give Your Vision a Voice’ is Max Amordeluso, EU Lead Evangelist Amazon Alexa, Amazon. As voice assistants such as Amazon Alexa are transforming the way audiences discover content and control devices, Amordeluso’s must-attend presentation will explore a variety of avenues, including: how to build a voice strategy with Alexa; why voice experiences are now a crucial part of any multi-platform content business; how to implement an engaging voice strategy for content products and generate new revenues
SIGOS: Digital Experience - 120 mobile network operators from 60 countries meet in Nuremberg23.7.2018 10:06 | Pressemelding
For more than 10 years, SIGOS has been inviting mobile network operators from all over the world to the annual telecommunications conference. After venues such as Düsseldorf, Berlin, Munich, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, etc., this year's multi-day conference took place at the Nuremberg convention centre. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180723005282/en/ SIGOS conference panel discussion - photo: www.uwe-niklas.com Over 120 network operators and telecommunications companies from over 60 countries worldwide came together to talk about the latest innovations in areas such as network quality, performance, 5G, IoT, roaming, and telecommunications fraud detection solutions. Dr. Ulrich Maly, Lord Mayor of the City of Nuremberg, welcomed the international audience in his opening speech and explained:"...when we talk about mobile communication, then we talk about people and their needs that are and should be the focus of atte
AURAK Enters into a Memorandum of Understanding with Al-Farabi Kazakh National University22.7.2018 09:52 | Pressemelding
The American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) President, Professor Hassan Hamdan Al Alkim, and the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU) Rector, Professor Galimkair Mutanov, of the Republic of Kazakhstan, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), agreeing to exchange students, faculty, and research. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180722005025/en/ The Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU) Rector, Professor Galimkair Mutanov, of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) President, Professor Hassan Hamdan Al Alkim, exchange a gift to commemorate their universities uniting in an MoU agreement. (Photo: AETOSWire) In the spirit of fostering a close international relationship between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates, developing bilateral relations in educational and scientific fields, and wishing to make their own contributions to the
Philip Morris International Announces Non-Executive Board Chairman Louis Camilleri to Assume CEO Role at Ferrari S.p.A.21.7.2018 18:19 | Pressemelding
The board of directors of Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) has its board member, Sergio Marchionne, and his family in our thoughts and prayers during this challenging time. We congratulate our board chairman, Louis Camilleri, as he assumes the role of CEO of Ferrari S.p.A. The long term relationship between our two companies is deep and meaningful and we look forward to continued business collaboration. Mr. Camilleri will continue to serve as non-executive chairman of the PMI board. Philip Morris International: Who We Are We are a leading international tobacco company engaged in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes and other nicotine-containing products in markets outside the United States of America. We’re building our future on smoke-free products. Through multidisciplinary capabilities in product development, state-of-the-art facilities and scientific substantiation, we aim to ensure that our smoke-free products meet adult consumer preferences and rigorous regulatory requirem


text:
Which is the lucky winner today to receive its gold card and be sent off to the presses?
Sanity: Aiken's Artifact will be making it's way to stores in the not too distant future. That's right, it has just been announced that it has gone gold and has been sent to the factories for reproduction. So sharpen up your magic skills and listen to some Ice-T albums, cause Sanity is on the way.
-- IGN Staff


text:
By Jamie Pietras
Having incensed customers, inspired nationwide consumer protests, and inadvertently given community banks and credit unions a bonanza of free marketing opportunities, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase and SunTrust Banks Inc., are all dumping or changing new monthly debit card fee strategies.
BofA was supposed to begin its much-maligned $5-a-month fee for debit card use in 2012, but heavy consumer backlash and strong marketing offensives from competitors have caused the bank to consider new ways for consumers to avoid it—these include simply having a direct deposit or credit card account with the bank, The Business Review reports. Wells Fargo and Chase, meanwhile, have suspended pilot debit card fee programs, and SunTrust is abandoning a monthly fee it put into effect in June, according to the AP.
[Article: 5 Annoying Bank Fees, and How to Beat Them]
The fees came as a response to federal regulations that put a limit on the amount of money banks can collect from retailers in "swipe fees" imposed every time a consumer makes a debit card transaction. To recoup the billions large banks would lose under the new policies, banks shifted the burden onto consumers.
In recent weeks, a movement encouraging people to transfer their money away from mega-banks and toward community banks and credit unions that could help them avoid fees coalesced amid street protests and online. The Move Your Money project offers an online tool for finding a new financial institution; Nov. 5 is a designated "Bank Transfer Day."
Credit unions are gearing up for the potential barrage of new customers. In the last month, traffic to The National Association of Federal Credit Unions' online credit union locator was up 350 percent in the past month, according to The Washington Post. Despite the big banks' recent gestures, the momentum isn't expected to die down, says Credit Union Times. Bill Handel, the vice president of research and product development at Raddon Financial Group in Chicago, tells the publication that "the difference between the mega-banks and community-based financial institutions was significant even prior to the imposition of debit card fees and so the imposition of these fees was a means by which this difference could be driven home."


text:
As part of their 1990s deals with Israel, the Palestinians agreed not to immediately create their own currency, and their economy primarily uses the Israeli shekel, as well as the Jordanian dinar and the US dollar.
Palestinian banks are currently inundated with shekels because of an Israeli law banning large cash transactions, intended to combat money laundering. Israel also limits the number of shekels that Palestinian banks can transfer to Israel each month. As a result, they sometimes have to borrow to cover foreign currency payments to third parties and end up with a glut of Israeli banknotes. This could be one of the reasons why a digital currency would be attractive to the Palestinian monetary system.
Two cryptocurrency studies are underway and no decision has been made yet, but the hope is eventually to use digital currency “for payment systems in our country and hopefully with Israel and others for actual payments, ”Palestinian Monetary Authority Governor Feras Milhem said. in an interview with Bloomberg Television.
It may not be feasible, however.
The Palestinian economy is inherently weak, severely constrained by Israeli limitations on the free movement of goods and people. It relies heavily on donor money and remittances from Israel.
Raja Khalidi, director of the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute, said that “the macroeconomic conditions do not exist to allow a Palestinian currency – digital or otherwise – to exist as a medium of exchange.”
However, he added, the issuance of some sort of digital currency could “send a political signal to show the apparent appearance of monetary autonomy from Israel.”
Palestinians join monetary authorities from Sweden to China to examine the potential of national digital currencies as the declining use of banknotes and coins threatens to disrupt traditional payment methods. The emergence of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin has increased pressure on central banks to ensure they have a viable alternative before unregulated forms of payment take over.
Barry Topf, former senior adviser to the governor of the Bank of Israel, agreed that a Palestinian digital currency is highly unlikely to be a true medium of exchange. “It will not replace the shekel, the dinar or the dollar. It will certainly not be a store of value or a unit of accounting.
A credit crunch has left the Palestinian private sector strapped for cash, and the European Investment Bank has pledged $ 425 million in loans that Milhem wants to channel to small and medium-sized businesses in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Fearing the money could end up in the hands of the ruling Hamas movement in Gaza, considered a terrorist group by the United States and Israel, Milhem said all funds would be distributed through banks regulated by the PMA.
“Our banks have very strict rules,” he said. “They implement the rules of ‘know your customer’. In this case, we are not worried.
–With the help of Alisa Odenheimer and Fadwa Hodali.


text:
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said she will introduce legislation enabling cruise ships to permanently sail between Alaska and the Lower 48 without stopping in a foreign port.
The bill would exempt Alaska cruises carrying more than 1,000 passengers from the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA), the U.S. law mandating that foreign-flagged ships stop in at least one foreign port on cruises between two U.S ports. It was enacted in 1886 to protect the U.S. shipbuilding industry.
“While the PVSA is well-intentioned to protect American jobs and businesses, it had the unintended consequence of putting Alaskan businesses at the mercy of the Canadian government,” Murkowski said during a speech in Haines this week. “It nearly wiped out Southeast Alaskan economies as we saw business after business ready to welcome visitors but unable to because Canadians would not respond to our requests to allow foreign stops at their ports to meet the requirement of PVSA. We cannot let that happen again.”
- Related: Canada lifting cruise ban on Nov. 1
Murkowski said the legislation would exempt Alaska cruises carrying more than 1,000 passengers from the PVSA until there is a U.S.-built cruise ship that carries more than 1,000 passengers, to ensure that foreign-built cruise ships do not compete with ones built in the U.S.
“We do not want to compete with U.S. shipbuilders — that’s why this legislation ends once there is an American market,” she said. “Bottom line, we need to reform the PVSA so that Alaskans’ ability to engage in commerce isn’t derailed by the government of another country.”
Murkowski and Alaska’s other senator, Dan Sullivan, cosponsored the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act in the spring, giving cruise ships a temporary reprieve from the PVSA as long as Canada’s cruise ban was in place. It passed both chambers unanimously before being signed into law by President Joe Biden on May 24.
The legislation allowed Alaska to operate a small and truncated cruise season this summer.
Source: Read Full Article


text:
WASHINGTON – Attorney General Eric Holder says this week's drop in oil prices should put government investigators and regulators on alert for instances of fraud and manipulation that keep prices for consumers at the gasoline pump artificially high.
Holder issued his call Friday to be vigilant about "suspected illegal activity" to a government task force that recently was set up to investigate whether there are illicit forces behind the recent surge in gasoline and other energy prices.
The attorney general said in a memo that he realizes there will not be a perfect correlation between the decline in oil prices and the cost of a gallon of gasoline. But he said that if wholesale prices continue to decline, consumers also should pay less when they fill up.
Keywords clouds text link
Dịch vụ seo, Dịch vụ seo nhanh , Thiết kế website , máy sấy thịt bò mỹ thành lập doanh nghiệp
Visunhome, gương trang trí nội thất cửa kính cường lực Vinhomes Grand Park lắp camera Song Phát thiết kế nhà thegioinhaxuong.net/
|aviatorsgame.com ban nhạc||confirmationbiased.com|
|mariankihogo.com ốp lưng||Giường ngủ triệu gia|
© 2020 US News. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Net Zero Insights’ quarterly analysis on global funding and deal activity in the private market venture space.
26th July 2023
Globally, Climate Tech startups raised $14.3B across 1,006 deals.
However, acquisitions are ascending.
New Climate Tech Investment Data from Net Zero Insights and Alder & Co. Shows Uptick in Q2 M&A Activity as Corporations Display Appetite for Innovative Solutions.
Despite lowest global fundraising figures in years, exit activity in Climate Tech suggests rapidly maturing market.
LONDON/PORTLAND, Ore. – July 26, 2023 – While supporting the widespread consensus that the global economic downturn has finally caught up with the Climate Tech sector, new data from Net Zero Insights, the leading market intelligence platform for climate tech in Europe and North America together with Alder & Co., a purpose-driven climate tech marketing agency, highlights one significant financial bright spot: mergers & acquisitions (M&A).
Globally, Q2 2023 quarterly funding showed an astonishing decline of 38% compared to the same quarter last year (for a total of $14.3B USD), and deal activity declined by 32% (for a total of 1,006 deals). However, this quarter also witnessed 66 exits (all but two being acquisitions), indicating a significant (22%) QoQ growth. In 44% of these transactions, the acquiring parties were corporations, the majority of which are headquartered in Europe or the U.S.
Among exits, energy solution companies stood out as the most acquired (25), representing a 56% increase YoY, with the built environment (8) and food & agriculture (9) sectors also seeing massive increases in global acquisitions. Overall global investment continued to favor the energy ($9.21B) and transportation ($3.95B) sectors, with a notable and somewhat surprising performance by the circular economy category in the U.S. specifically.
Bas Hendriks, Director at IMPROVED Corporate Finance, commented: “The market for climate tech has matured rapidly in the past few years. On our projects, we see continued interest from strategic/financial buyers to acquire companies that have mature technology stacks and proven product-market fit. Especially strategics continue to have cash available for executing well-defined M&A strategies to acquire technologies complementing their portfolio.”
“Despite challenging times for the economy and society, the urgency to address climate change keeps growing,” said Federico Cristoforoni, Co-founder & CEO, Net Zero Insights. “While technology alone won’t solve the issue, the need for action grows every day, and investments in the solutions remain insufficient.”
Despite the temporary decline in funding, the growing acquisition activity may signal that businesses are realizing the importance of taking action and embracing a broader range of solutions to combat climate change.
“We see this M&A activity as a sign of a maturing market, which also leads us to believe that corporates are looking to innovate and meet their aggressive sustainability targets”, said Melanie Adamson, partner & chief marketing strategist at Alder & Co. “While the US typically leads on VC funding, the European market is acting swiftly to acquire commercial-ready climate tech companies.”
Some of the largest funding rounds raised this quarter include:
€430 million for German solar panel company 1KOMMA5°, granting the not-yet two-year-old company Unicorn status.
$142 million for Chinese nuclear fusion startup, Neo Fusion.
$195 million for U.S. mining company KoBold Metals.
Interestingly in Europe, water and greenhouse gas (GHG) capture sectors experienced wide QoQ variations in funding, recording remarkable growth rates of 574% and 200%, respectively. In the U.S., water and natural environment also saw notable QoQ surges with growth rates of 908% and 258%, respectively.
For more information, read the full report here.
About Net Zero Insights
Net Zero Insights operates the Net0 Platform – today probably the most comprehensive database of climate tech startups and SMEs operating across the globe. Investors, corporates and decision-makers work with us to gain insight into financial and tech trends by accessing data on funding rounds, activity sectors, technology, patents, contact details, and much more. Find out more: netzeroinsights.com
About Alder & Co
Alder & Co. is a leading, global strategic brand marketing agency with the mission to drive the adoption of climate technologies until they become universal. Alder partners with forward-facing, innovative climate tech companies that need progressive brand & marketing strategies to drive growth, secure investment, and make the impact needed to address our generation’s most urgent crisis – our environment. Find out more: alderagency.com
Whitney McGoram: firstname.lastname@example.org
Exclusive insights into the climate tech landscape!


text:
Kmart has announced the launch of the inaugural Latina Smart internship program. Five retail-minded Latina Smart interns will be selected to participate in a 10-week paid summer internship at Sears Holdings corporate headquarters in Hoffman Estates, Ill. Interns will gain on-the-job experience, develop industry connections and receive mentorship and career development counseling throughout the program.
Latina Smart interns will document their journey in real time via Latina Smart social media channels as they shadow a series of departments and job functions to gain an understanding of the retail process from business strategy and merchandising to store execution and customer experience. During the 10-week program, interns will be given the opportunity to contribute to vendor negotiations, participate in advertising and promotional planning, work on public relations and marketing activations and perform financial analysis.
“Kmart embraces the opportunity to support the ambitions of our diverse community,” said Andrew Stein, interim chief marketing officer, Kmart. “Through the Latina Smart internship program, we aim to empower young Hispanic women looking to enter the competitive workforce by providing professional advancement opportunities that will bridge the gap between education and experience.”
Established in 2011, the Latina Smart initiative was designed to serve as an online community dedicated to empowering Hispanic women. In its introductory year, the program created a scholarship fund that awarded $25,000 in tuition assistance to graduating high school seniors and post-secondary students. Building from this momentum, the Latina Smart program works to continue providing unique opportunities for Kmart’s diverse customer.


text:
By now, you’ve probably heard: The Dodge Demon is coming back to possess our souls and melt our faces in the form of the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon.
Because, apparently, the 707-horsepower Hellcat just wasn’t getting it done for some people.
While Fiat Chrysler has confirmed the Demon’s summoning, officials haven’t shared power numbers, nor specified whether the vehicle would be street-legal, or a drag-strip monster like the Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak.
However, if you visit Dodge’s official Demon countdown page, you’ll find a series of reveal videos slated to be released incrementally, along with a .GIF of a smoking tire and the words “Built to decimate the streets,” which suggests there will likely be a street-legal version, but that traffic cops and road-repair crews won’t be too happy about it.
“Most cars attempt to be everything to everybody. Then there are the rare few that revel in a single objective, rendering them totally irresistible to a subculture…,” said Fiat Chrysler’s Tim Kuniskis. “The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is conceived, designed and engineered for a subculture of enthusiasts who know that a tenth is a car and a half second is your reputation.”
Dodge also introduced a roadster concept at auto shows in 2007 and 2008 it called Demon, but the car was never built.
Now, we’re about to come face to face with a vehicle designed to eat the Hellcat’s lunch. It’s a lot to process.
And what we ultimately want to know is whether the Mopar faithful, or just fans of stupid amounts of torque and horsepower, would rather conjure a Demon designed for the track or one designed for the street.
Which would you prefer?


text:
Google’s parent company Alphabet’s branch for startup investments is reaping its rewards with Uber after six years as its $258M investment in 2013 blew up by 20 times, says CNBC. Previously called Google Ventures, the investment arm now owns around 5.2% shares which are estimated to have a value of more than $5 billion.
The ride-hailing company is deemed to be valued at $100 billion, which makes Alphabet’s stake value around $5.2 billion. However, this figure is expected to be highly volatile as the company’s lock-up agreement will expire 6 months after the recent IPO prospectus.
However, it seems that the two companies may be benefitting from one another without getting along in terms of litigation. Reports reveal that Google’s parent company took legal action against Uber accusing the ride-hailing company to have ‘stolen trade secrets.’
This follows after ride company obtained Waymo, an early-stage business established by Anthony Levandowski who used to be Google’s executive. The cases ended with Uber paying Waymo $245 million in equity stake which is equal to 0.34% shares.
Meanwhile, the two companies’ business relationship seems to be in good terms as Uber acquired Google’s map, tech infrastructure and enterprise services, as well as marketing and advertising services for $58 million, $70 million and $631 million, respectively.
Alphabet’s involvement with Lyft seems to be another source of its combative relationship with Uber. Aside from this, Alphabet has also invested in its competitor Lyft. CapitalG, the company’s late-stage investment branch placed capital reported to be valued at $500 million back in 2017.
Recent figures show that Google’s parent company now owns 5.3% shares in Lyft, which amounts to $783 million. The two companies also have a lock-up agreement which lasts for 6 months after the IPO.


text:
Continued From Last Post
On March 14, Monsanto President Brett Begeman discussed Whole Food’s move in an interview on NPR radio.8 According to NPR:
“Monsanto President Brett Begeman, speaking at an ag event this week in Decatur, Illinois, called the move 'Big' and said it shows that the agriculture industry needs to come together to address the concerns of what he called the 'affluent consumer.'
Begemann: ‘How do we address their concerns and provide them the choice that they’re asking for without driving up the cost on the large part of the population that cannot afford another increase in the cost of food.' The potential of higher costs is one of the concerns companies have raised about the Whole Foods plan. Begmann says the ag industry needs to figure how to cooperate and co-exist with those who have different food policy views.”
ORCA Takes Proactive Role to Address ‘Natural’ Products Intentional Mislabeling
In related news, the organic and fair trade standards watchdog the Organic Consumers Association (OCA), recently announced the creation of a new nationwide campaign called the Organic Retail and Consumer Alliance (ORCA). The announcement was made at the national Expo-West Natural Products convention. This new alliance includes public interest groups, food producers and retailers, including co-ops, natural food stores, farmers markets, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) buying clubs and wholesalers.
ORCA’s mission is to “aggressively promote organic food and products, and expose and eliminate the misleading practice of 'natural' labeling and marketing that has slowed the growth of America’s $30-billion dollar organic sector.” In a press release, OCA’s National Director, Ronnie Cummins states:9
“Routine mislabeling and marketing has confused millions of U.S. consumers, and enabled the so-called ‘natural’ foods and products sector to grow into a $60-billion dollar a year powerhouse, garnering twice as many sales in 2012 as certified organic products. By exposing these misleading tactics, and promoting truth-in-labeling, we believe we can rapidly grow sales of certified organic and authentically natural food and products.”
This is indeed a huge problem, as numerous polls and surveys have shown that otherwise health-conscious Americans do not understand the qualitative difference between organic and so-called “natural” products. Contrary to reality, the majority of consumers believe the “natural” label equates to “almost organic,” and many believe the “all-natural” label means a product is better than organic! That’s the power of word-association, and these industries are well aware of how the word natural “feels” to consumers who are in the dark about the regulatory differences between the labels... As stated by Cummins:
“This is outrageous, given that organic food and products, by law and by third-party certification, are produced without the use of synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, animal drugs, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), irradiation, nanoparticles, or sewage sludge, whereas so-called 'natural' products are unregulated.”
To achieve its aims, ORCA members will use “a combination of public education, marketplace pressure, boycotts, class action lawsuits and state legislation to end misleading labeling practices in the 'natural' products sector.”
Consequences of 20 Years of Commercial Cultivation of GE Plants in the US
Just in time, as the GE issue is about to heat up once more, a critical assessment of the consequences of commercial cultivation of GE plants in the US was published. The report, published in Berlin, was commissioned in response to increasing pressure from biotech companies requesting broader authorizations to cultivate GE crops in the European Union (EU), where acceptance of such crops is much lower than the US. By looking at the effects that two decades worth of GE crop cultivation has had in the US, the report makes recommendations on how to best handle the technology in the EU. Presented by TestBiotech10 (which published the English version of the report),11 some of the principal findings include the following damaging assessments:
Consequences for farmers: Because the weeds have adapted to the cultivation of the genetically engineered plants, farmers are experiencing a substantial increase in both working hours and the amounts of herbicide they require. Cultivation of insecticide-producing plants have led to "an arms race in the field" against the pest insects, which have adapted quickly. Genetically engineered plants have been created to produce up to six different toxins. Costs for seeds have increased dramatically, without there being a substantial increase in yields or significant savings in the amounts of spray required.
Impact on the seed market: The seed industry in the US is largely dominated by agrochemical industries such as Monsanto, Dupont and Syngenta. In the future, it has to be expected that developments in the US will be strongly influenced by the interests of agro-chemical companies pushing for the cultivation of genetically engineered plants.
Consequences for producers who avoid genetically engineered crops: Contamination with non-authorized genetically engineered plants has already caused billions of dollars worth of damage in the US.
Consequences for consumers: Consumers are exposed to a whole range of risks regarding unintended substances from plant metabolism, from residues from complementary herbicides and from the properties of additional proteins produced in the plants. As yet, there is no way of monitoring the actual effects that consumption of these products might have.
Income for the 98% that fail in Their Internet Business.
The Smothers Brothers - My Old Man
God Bless Everyone & God Bless The United States of America.


text:
From Amman to Cairo, several cities have been tipped as the Silicon Valley of the Arab world. But there is a new contender for the crown as the region’s star start-up centre: Sharjah.
Many of the UAE’s most dynamic entrepreneurial ventures have sprung up in Dubai, making it a magnet for the regional offices of established global players like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
But two new initiatives designed to boost Sharjah’s start-up status could result in the Middle East’s elusive Silicon Valley edging northwards.
The university-based Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre, known as Sheraa, plans the first intake of its entrepreneur accelerator programme next month, while the separate shjSeen initiative is to start its incubator scheme, with 50 start-ups, in early 2017.
Both offer incentives such as free business licences and office space. But are they enough to make Sharjah shine bright as a start-up hub?
Najla Al Midfa, general manager of Sheraa – which means “sail” in Arabic – acknowledges that this is something that will take time.
“Entrepreneurship cannot be implemented overnight,” she says. “Sharjah is an emerging entrepreneurship hub.”
Sheraa, located on the American University of Sharjah campus to encourage students to become entrepreneurs after graduating, launched in January under the patronage of Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, chair of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority.
It recently opened a co-working space and is accepting applications for its first accelerator programme until Thursday. It has already received more than 100, many of which are for tech-enabled ventures. Eight of the 10 accelerator places available will be for those with some link to one of the universities in Sharjah. But two are open to people without any university connection.
The three-month scheme’s first accelerator programme, which starts on October 15, will offer the teams a free trade licence for at least a year, a Dh35,000 grant, access to potential customers and the crucial mentorship sessions.
Ms Al Midfa, a UAE national who was born in Sharjah, says the emirate’s 20,000-plus student population is a key advantage for anyone looking to build a start-up business there.
“It’s a talent hub. If you speak to many entrepreneurs and start-ups in the region, one of the key challenges they face is access to talent. And we’ve got that right here,” she says. “The other draw, of course, is that it has a lower cost base than Dubai.”
Sheraa is just one initiative in Sharjah’s wider drive to become an entrepreneurial hub, says Ms Al Midfa.
The Sharjah Tatweer Forum, established in 2005 and which runs leadership programmes, is also part of the wider “ecosystem” contributing to this vision.
Jassem Mohammed Al Beloushi, chairman of the Sharjah Tatweer Forum, said earlier this year that the forum is gearing some of its activities towards the increasing number of Emiratis who want to set up their own business.
“Every young Emirati today likes to have his own company, likes to be an entrepreneur,” he told The National in May. “There are more companies now led by UAE nationals compared to five or 10 years ago.”
Another programme that aims to boost Sharjah’s start-up activity is called shjSeen, an initiative from the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI).
Sara Al Madani, a board member of the SCCI and shjSeen board of trustees, was clear about Sharjah’s bold ambitions in the field.
“We want to make Sharjah the start-up hub in the Middle East,” she says.
Ms Al Madani, an Emirati national who started her own fashion label at 15, says Sharjah’s affordability, facilities, and good geographical positioning make it a prime contender.
ShjSeen’s first two-year incubator programme will begin in January, with applications accepted from both UAE nationals and expats up until December 15, Ms Al Madani says. The 50 successful applicants will have the use of office space, a free trade licence and access to facilities.
Ms Al Madani says while the UAE already provides people with many opportunities when setting up their own business, shjSeen would help to steer them in the right direction.
“In the UAE we have the opportunity, but not the right ecosystem,” she adds. “It’s easy to open a business in the UAE. But it’s like saying you have a fast car, you have a Ferrari, but you don’t know how to drive it.
“So this is the gap we are trying to fill. We are preparing these drivers for these fast cars. So we are just preparing people, teaching them how to use these opportunities in the right way.”
But it’s a long road ahead when it comes to Sharjah’s aim to be an entrepreneurial hub, cautioned Ms Al Midfa.
“You can’t expect to see a billion-dollar company by the end of your first year,” she says. “It has to take its time, it will evolve.”
Follow The National’s Business section on Twitter


text:
Do we really buy those 'Top-Rated' deals when we shop online? New study says rankings matter but how so may surprise you - phys.org
According to a new study, the answer is, "yes" and "no."
The study found that products with high online rankings have a causal effect on what consumers search, but those rankings do not necessarily affect purchase decisions directly. Search intermediaries like Amazon and Expedia use rankings to influence purchases but only secondarily to their search decisions. The article emphasizes the importance of optimizing the search process, distinguishing it from assumptions that consumers are likely to make purchase decisions solely on a product's or service's high rankings.


text:
According to a recent study done via the Internet, it seems that the number of women who own gaming consoles is actually higher than men. While the test audience is a bit small at barely 1000, and there are some large questions about the methodology of the test and the demographics of the respondents, the results could also be due to broader appeal of modern games:
“While women are only a small percentage of the audience for violent blockbusters like "Halo," the newsletter said, they are increasingly taking part in dance and music games, making them a fast-growing segment of the gamer population.
"The idea of gaming being just for the 18-34 male set is now out of date," said Ann Mack, director of trendspotting for JWT. "You're seeing women playing games like 'Dance Dance Revolution' and 'Guitar Hero'--women under 35 who want to do something fun and social."
Mack also noted the impact that the Nintendo Wii, a console aimed at casual gamers seeking a more social experience, has had on the female player.
"The Wii has really caused a democratization of gaming, because that has opened it up to all generations and both genders," Mack said.”
For years game developers have been trying to find a way to increase their bottom line by targeting the female audience and turning them into gamers. Have they succeeded?


text:
Tag Archives : Skoda Octavia
The third generation Skoda Octavia was launched in October 2013 to much praise from the automotive community around the world. In India, it was the.
No changes to the 1.4 TSI, 1.8 TSI and 2.0 TDI engines. Skoda Auto India has revealed the 2017 Skoda Octavia (facelift) at the national.
To launch around July 10, 2017. The 2017 Skoda Octavia is arriving in India around July 10 and Autocar India has revealed equipment changes in.
Dealers are now accepting bookings. The Skoda Octavia received a facelift internationally last October and is currently undergoing road testing in India. According to a.
Skoda’s best-selling sedan to get its mid-cycle update soon in India. The 2017 Skoda Octavia has appeared in completely undisguised spy shots in India ahead.
Expected to arrive from 2019. According to TOI, Skoda could leverage the Volkswagen-Tata technical partnership to roll out entry-level compact cars based on Tata’s Advanced.
Model to launch here is the Octavia vRS 230. Drivespark reports that Skoda dealerships are now accepting bookings for the Skoda Octavia vRS in India,.
Deliveries 10-12 weeks away. Skoda Auto will soon launch the 2017 Skoda Octavia in India. According to Team-BHP forum member Pickdj, Skoda dealerships in the.
The split LED headlights are an easy giveaway. The 2017 Skoda Octavia (facelift) has been spied testing in India for the first time by a.
Hotter Skoda Octavia vRS 230 also in the pipeline. Autocar India reports that the 2017 Skoda Octavia (facelift) will launch in India this June. Like.
The Skoda Octavia gets a minor mid-life facelift in January. Skoda had unveiled the Skoda Octavia RS 245 and Skoda Octavia Scout at the 2017.
Rumoured to be called the Skoda Octavia Onyx Edition. Skoda Auto India has released a teaser of a limited edition Skoda Octavia, which is confirmed.
Will be launched in India this year. Skoda Auto is showcasing the 2017 Skoda Octavia at the Vienna Auto Show. Here are the facelifted Octavia’s.
Will be one of the four new products arriving next year. The Skoda Octavia Black Edition was one of the eight new cars Skoda UK.
Will go on sale in Europe in early 2017. A week after the 2017 Skoda Octavia‘s digital introduction, the company has sent us more pictures.


text:
|Bid||N/A x N/A|
|Ask||N/A x N/A|
|Day's Range||16.93 - 17.12|
|52 Week Range||12.52 - 35.00|
|Beta (5Y Monthly)||1.20|
|PE Ratio (TTM)||52.57|
|Forward Dividend & Yield||N/A (N/A)|
|1y Target Est||N/A|
The case is the Gambling Commission’s largest ever enforcement action.
The owner of Ladbrokes has been fined a record £17m after failing to spot problem gamblers and money laundering, including allowing one suspicious customer to spend £186,000 on its sites.
Some companies are cutting back their promotions in states where they already have a foothold as profitability targets loom next year.


text:
The suit is the latest in a long chain of complaints filed against Charney by former employees. Most of the suits have been dismissed, settled or moved into employment arbitration. American Apparel believes the lawsuit is based on allegations that are "contrived and untrue," according to Peter Schey, an attorney for Charney.
The suit, brought by former store manager Michael Bumblis, alleges Charney used racial and homophobic slurs against Bumblis after Charney allegedly discovered Bumblis working for a different company at a Las Vegas convention.
Charney then visited Bumblis's store and allegedly discovered the manager had removed an item from the sales floor that Charney believed was a hot seller. He flew into a rage, and ultimately shoved some dirt into Bumblis' face, the suit alleges.
Before doing so, however, Charney gave Bumblis a long lecture about store sales. Bumblis' sales were declining, the suit alleges, which is why Charney was mad that certain items weren't available.(Declining sales have bedeviled AA for the last few years until this year, when sales began to go up again.)
Charney said he's give Bumblis $10,000 if he could get his annual sales to go from $1.4 million to $1.6 million. His promotional solution to meet that goal consisted of girls in bikinis:


text:
Beloved Australian fashion label Alice McCall has gone into liquidation, closing its brick-and-mortar stores, as well as its online store.
Lovers of the brand can still grab a bargain from the store’s website, as well as one of their distributors The Iconic who are selling the remains of their stock at a bargain price. At the time of writing, they have a $549 dress listed for just $80. Some Alice McCall items are sitting around the $60 mark while some of the original retail prices are as high as $599.
Unfortunately, the beloved Australian fashion label succumbed to financial difficulties and went into voluntary administration. Despite having sold its clothes through popular online retailer The Iconic, the brand was unable to withstand the challenges posed by the ongoing pandemic.
The brand first showed signs of struggle when it went into voluntary administration back in 2020. While the brand’s creator Alice McCall hasn’t yet released a statement about the closure of the company, she did speak about the appointment of administrators at the time.
“Due to the unprecedented effects that COVID-19 has had on our economy, as well as some unsustainable brick and mortar rental obligations, I have had to make a necessary decision to edit down my business, with the objective of building a more sustainable business model for the future,” she said at the time.
“This is a difficult time for everyone involved, and we will do our utmost to support all stakeholders throughout the liquidation process,” Mr Kucianski said.
“Our team is committed to ensuring that the liquidation process is conducted in a professional and transparent manner, and that all parties are kept informed of developments as they arise.”


text:
Jillian Michaels has shared that she had one extra-special reason to be thankful over the holiday weekend: She and her long-term partner, DeShanna Marie Minuto, are officially engaged. The fitness guru and fashion designer (Minuto owns the luxury fashion label Letterino), respectively, have been dating since 2018.
The couple shared their news on Michaels’s — who popped the question — Instagram with an intimate photo of the two of them cuddled up. “1153 days... there are thousands more. She said ‘yes,’” read the caption. Minuto is showing off her new ring in the photo, a “7-carat emerald cut diamond, with two single carat, trapezoid diamonds on each side, and was crafted by a family friend and specialty jeweler at H&H Jewelers in Miami,” according to People.
“DeShanna is ‘all the things’ — beautiful, smart, funny, creative, quirky, passionate ... I could run down the list of adjectives. Those characteristics obviously attract you to someone. But it’s the quality of their character that makes you think ‘Thank God for this person laying next to me’ every night when you fall asleep,” Michaels told People. “It’s easy to stay together when everything is going great, but when real life sets in and things get messy, challenging, scary, and even downright ugly — that’s when the truth reveals itself. And this woman has revealed herself to be strong beyond measure, wise beyond her years, and loving beyond my wildest dreams. I am so grateful to officially call her mine.”
Sounds like the Biggest Loser star (and creator of The Fitness App by Jillian Michaels) is the biggest winner when it comes to love.


text:
Back in 2017, Apple introduced the 4K version of its 2015 popular Apple TV box. Since then, it appeared like the smartphone maker completely forgot about the product. Well, that changes now as Apple has finally brought the much-awaited refreshed version. We’re talking about the second-gen Apple TV 4K. With the new iteration, the iPhone maker has added a powerful chipset, a new premium remote, and smart features. Herer’s everything you need to know about it.
Apple TV 4K second-gen runs on an A12 Bionic chipset under the hood!
The refreshed version of the smart TV box uses the company’s in-house A12 Bionic chipset. It’s the same chipset that powers the iPhone XS and iPhone XR. The chipset has six cores with two high-performance ones and four power-efficient ones. It also has a quad-core GPU. The second-gen version of the product supports 4K HDR video playback in 60fps. Furthermore, you can now directly AirPlay the 4K 60fps Dolby Vision videos from iPhone to Apple TV. Sadly, it will stay exclusive to the iPhone 12 series.
Gizchina News of the week
The iPhone maker has also added a new improved remote that comes with Siri integration. With the new remote, the company has brought a new and improved design with a circular direction pad. The surface is touch-sensitive meaning you can swipe on it to navigate through the UI. The remote also has a Siri button. It also supports a mute and power button allowing you to directly control your television.
Another good addition is the smart color calibration feature that leverages your iPhone’s sensors. For this feature, you need an iPhone with a Face ID and at least iOS 14.5. In this feature, you start the Color Balance option and then hold the front of your iPhone within the marked area on your screen. This feature should come in handy if you’re unhappy with your television color calibration.
Apple has also partnered with a bunch of television networks to bring their high frame rate HDR content to the product. We’re talking about Fox Sports, NBCUniversal, Paramount+, Red Bull TV, and Canal+.
Apple TV 4K will be up for grabs starting from coming Friday i.e. April 30. It will set you back around $179. While the pre-orders will kickstart later this month, the product will only be available in the second half of May. The new product will make its way to more than 30 countries and regions.


text:
SWIFT has announced the launch of an instant payments messaging solution for the European market.
SWIFT does not yet feature on GTNews.com.
Do you work for SWIFT? Contact us to upload your company profile and reach a wide audience of relevant, industry professionals.
Upgrade your listing on GTNews.com
Get Listed on GTNews.com
SWIFT has announced that it has successfully completed the first phase of the global payments innovation (GPI) initiative pilot, clearing the way for the go-live of the service in early 2017.
Use of the Chinese yuan for international payments is in decline, falling to only the seventh most used currency with less than a 2% market share, according to data from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT).
Finance professionals travelling to Boston for the Sibos 2014 conference from 29th September to 2nd October should be aware that security measures have been increased to help stop the spread of infectious illnesses such as the Ebola virus.
A new RMB Tracker created by SWIFT has found that, over the past year, Renmimbi payments in four European countries have gradually outstripped even China and Hong Kong.
Visit the bobsguide TMS Directory


text:
AUSTIN, Texas - Gov. Greg Abbott has announced the Comfort Food Care Package program to provide meals for at-risk youth and families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a release from the governor's office, participating restaurants will offer care packages for patrons to purchase on behalf of families and youth in need. Each package will have enough food to feed a family of five or six and will be delivered to recipients' homes.
RELATED: Track COVID-19 in Texas
"Thank you to the generous Texans and restaurants across the state for stepping up to provide meals to families in need," said Abbott. "The Comfort Food Care Package program will provide at-risk youth and families with an additional food source, while giving Texans another way to support local restaurants and their fellow Texans experiencing hardships due to COVID-19."
Participating restaurants will have the care packages listed on their online ordering system for customers to purchase on behalf of at-risk families and youth in the community. Family and Youth Success Programs identify families and shelters who have the most need and work with participating restaurants and Favor to get the meals delivered.
The program is a partnership between the Governor's Public Safety Office, the Texas network of Family and Youth Success Programs, Favor Delivery, and the Texas Restaurant Association.
"This innovative new program is a win for communities and restaurants across Texas," said Emily Williams Knight, Ed.D., President and CEO of the Texas Restaurant Association. "By harnessing the generosity of Texans, customers can now support their communities and their favorite restaurants at the same time. I’m proud we could partner with Governor Abbott and Favor to launch this program so quickly. While we can’t predict when the impact of this crisis will end, we can find comfort in knowing that we have a new way to ensure everyone receives a meal and by doing that, we will help to keep local restaurants running."
Families interested in the program should contact their local Family and Youth Success Program for more information. Restaurants interested in participating in the program can sign up on the Texas Restaurant Association website.
FOX 7 Austin is working to keep you up to date with coronavirus, with both local and national developments. Every weekday we're live at 1 p.m. with a special show reporting the latest news, prevention tips and treatment information.
You can also get the latest COVID-19 news from around the country at coronavirusnow.com.


text:
In the year 2020, the global economy has witnessed the signing of the crypto-blockchain industry. As a result of the COVID-19 situation, millions of people ended up losing their jobs. While there were zero opportunities out in the field, it was the cryptocurrency industry that welcomed the people who were desperate to find a solution to their monetary problems.
Now, the global economy is making a comeback as the lockdowns and curfews have been lifted off and the companies are re-opening. However, millions of people who joined the cryptocurrency industry for a temporary basis have decided to stick around.
This development has led many countries to believe in the potential of the crypto-blockchain industry. Several countries have started proposing/passing laws to recognize blockchain technology as an alternative payment solution and monetary solution.
Recently, the European economic analysts have predicted that by 2030, at least three countries would have switched completely to central bank digital currencies.
dGen, which is a Dutch fintech-based think tank, recently released a report that comprises of thirty pages. The report is based on the financial data collected from around the globe per country. It shares a deep analysis of the current economic condition of each country’s fiat currency.
Although the data has been collected for all the countries, dGen has shown more focus on economic giants such as U.S.A, China, Russia, and Germany. In their report, dGen added that these analyses were made with the support of financial institutes. These institutes are Standard Chartered Bank (SCB), Frankfurt School, and the European Central Bank (ECB).
In their report dGen has not made it clear which countries would be going through the transition from fiat money to CBDC. However, they have outlined a few countries that seem to be making quite a progress in the digital currency sector. The list carries countries such as Sweden, Bahamas, and China.
The report added that China has already started making so much progress in switching from Yuan to digital-Yuan. To encourage their people, they have introduced apps such as Alipay and WeChat that are used as a digital payment solution.


text:
GCC Standardization Organization and Multinational Companies Business Group Partner to Advance the Gulf’s Standardization Efforts
The GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) and the Multinational Companies Business Group (MCBG) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that aims to further the understanding of the role of standardization in growing the economy and encouraging public-private partnership. The agreement was signed between the GSO’s President H.E. Saud Al-Khusaibi and MCBG’s Chairman Ramy Zaki at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Dubai.
The MoU will cover engagements between GSO representing its Member States and all of the MCBG’s 50 members representing various industries and sectors, and will include areas relating to awareness about the importance of standardization for governments and businesses, knowledge sharing on global best practices, MBCG representation on GSO committees, the establishment of a GSO-MCBG Task Force for cooperation and coordination of regulation activities, and the undertaking of joint research activities.
Along with the signing ceremony event, H.E Saud Al-Khusaibi and Mr. Ramy Zaki met H.E Hamad Bumaim, President and CEO of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who congratulated the MCBG and the GSO on signing the MoU, which he described as an important step in unifying industry standards in the region. H.E. Buamim noted that the agreement complements efforts by the MCBG, a business group operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chamber, to cooperate with public and private sector stakeholders to support the interest of businesses from various industries in Dubai. He lauded the two organizations for aligning their efforts to provide more clarity on the matter of standardization within business communities, adding that this aspect is key to facilitating trade and commerce.
The event showed attendance and participation by H.E Farah Ali AlZarooni, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Standards and Regulations Department at the UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology along with representatives and delegations from Gulf Standardization Organization, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry and member companies from the Multinational Companies Business Group (MCBG).
“Standards matter for all of us, and they ensure that goods or services are produced to a consistent quality level,” explained GSO’s President H.E. Saud Al-Khusaibi. “We are constantly looking to how we can improve shared standards across the Gulf, and we believe that there’s much we can share between ourselves and the MBCG when it comes to expertise, knowledge and research on standards. This MoU lead to better standardization practices, and that will benefit everyone, including governments, businesses, and consumers.”
“The GSO has been instrumental in raising the level of the standards for goods and services across the GCC, and we want to support them in their mission to promote intra-GCC trade and grow the Gulf’s economy, whilst protecting consumers, the environment and public health. This partnership will further that vision, and MCBG members will support the building of a world-class standardization process in the Gulf through the knowledge-sharing, engagement with GSO teams, and joint research.” explained MCBG’s Chiarman Mr. Rami Zaki.


text:
Deere to acquire majority ownership in battery technology company
Expanding its investment in alternative power, John Deere is set to acquire majority ownership of Kreisel Electric, an Austrian-based developer of immersion-cooled, high-density battery technology.
For Deere, the deal was prompted by growing demand for batteries as a sole- or hybrid-propulsion system for off-highway vehicles. The manufacturer intends to apply the technology to its lineup of turf equipment, compact utility tractors, small tractors, compact construction equipment, and some road building equipment, as it works toward a future with zero emissions propulsion systems.
“Kreisel’s battery technology can be applied across the broad portfolio of Deere products, and Kreisel’s in-market experience will benefit Deere as we ramp up our battery-electric vehicle portfolio. Deere will provide the expertise, global footprint, and funding to enable Kreisel to continue its fast growth in core markets,” said Pierre Guyot, senior vice president, John Deere Power Systems. “This is an opportunity to invest in a company with unique technology that’s designed for the demanding conditions where Deere customers work.”
In addition to its patented battery technology, Kreisel has also developed a complementary charging infrastructure platform (CHIMERO).
Deere has been testing a battery-electric backhoe since early this year and debuted the 310 X-tier E-Power at The Utility Expo. The unit will head into Phase 2 testing next year, with Deere indicating many of the specs will change before it is available for sale. It is unknown at this time if Kreisel’s technology will appear in this machine.
Kreisel Electric will retain its employees, brand name, and trademark, and continue to operate from its current location in Austria. The company, founded in 2014 by brothers Johann, Markus, and Philipp Kreisel, has approximately 160 full-time employees.
The transaction requires final regulatory approval in Austria and is expected to close in February 2022. Financial details are not being disclosed.
Did you miss our previous article…


text:
Robots created with 3-D printers are coming and they’re going to teach kids how to code.
While this may sound like the trailer for an upcoming sci-fi flick, it’s actually the brainchild of a tiny Sunnyvale, Calif.-based startup packed with dads who just happen to be former execs from the likes of Google Inc. and Apple Inc.
Calling itself Play-i Inc., the seven-person team is on a mission to make computer programming fun and easy. The team has spent the past year or so refining its vision, printing out robot prototypes on its 3-D printer, and scooping up $1 million in venture backing from Google Ventures, Madrona Venture Group and others along the way. Read More »


text:
Bella Hadid Shows Off Birthday Puppy Hendrix on Instagram
The stunning 19-year-old has an Instagram feed filled with images of her photoshoots and runway walks at various fashion shows around the world.
However, on her birthday of October 9th, Bella instead posted a cute picture of her new puppy, Hendrix.
Bella’s older sister, Gigi Hadid, also took to social media to celebrate her little sister’s birthday, posting a throwback photo of herself peering into Baby Bella’s crib.
Here’s to the birthday girl and the latest edition to the Hadid family! Care to take bets on how long it will take for Hendrix to book his first fashion show?


text:
There’s a Star Trek VR game that exists out there right now, and it is titled Star Trek: Bridge Crew.
A trailer for the game was shown during Ubisoft’s presentation at E3 2016, and it includes some familiar faces from the franchise such as LeVar Burton (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: First Contact), Jeri Ryan (Star Trek: Voyager), and Karl Urban (Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Trek Beyond).
Click on over to the other side to check out the reveal trailer for Star Trek: Bridge Crew.
This week,Â crucial news for Windows QuickTime users, Netflix and Amazon Prime video price changes, BlackBerry‘s encryption key is in the hands of the government, the future of VR, and should all locks have keys? All this and more on this week’s Drill Down podcast!
A trailer for another upcoming virtual reality game has been released titled Loading Human.
The game is an episodic sci-fi adventure game set in the 22nd century, and it is being developed for both PlayStation VR and Oculus Rift, which is a good thing considering some of the VR games we’ve seen have been exclusive to only one of the various headsets on the way—not a good sign for those who are excited about the technology but don’t have the means to buy a pile of VR headsets so they can play them all.
You can read more about Loading Human and check out the trailer below.
Sony Computer Entertainment has unveiled lots of information regarding their contribution to the incoming virtual reality era, once known as Project Morpheus but now simply called PlayStation VR.
Most importantly, Sony has shared both the release window for PlayStation VR and how much it will cost you to own it when it’s released. On top of that, they’ve shared technical details, previews for games and experiences, and more. You can find all of this in the videos below.