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The Department of Justice recently announced that it has shut down three website domain names engaged in the unauthorized sale copyrighted Android cell phone apps. The operation was the first of its kind.
According to the DOJ, the seizures are the result of a comprehensive enforcement action taken to prevent the infringement of copyrighted mobile device apps. The three seized domain names – applanet.net, appbucket.net and snappzmarket.com – are now in the custody of the federal government.
In most cases, the servers storing the apps sold by the online marketplaces were being hosted in other countries. The DOJ acknowledged that it received assistance from Dutch and French law enforcement officials.
The seizures signal that the federal government is expanding it anti-piracy efforts into mobile applications and software. This is good news for software developers who lose out on royalties when apps are bought and sold through unauthorized channels.
“Criminal copyright laws apply to apps for cell phones and tablets, just as they do to other software, music and writings. These laws protect and encourage the hard work and ingenuity of software developers entering this growing and important part of our economy. We will continue to seize and shut down websites that market pirated apps, and to pursue those responsible for criminal charges if appropriate,” said U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates.
How Can We Help?
Mobile applications are becoming a growing target for infringers. To make sure you are protected, contact us today by phone or email to schedule your free 30-minute consultation.
At Sheldon Mak & Anderson, we recognize that innovation is your competitive edge - and it needs protection. As a full-service intellectual property firm with more than two decades of experience, we provide local, regional, national, and international legal services in the following areas: patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, IP litigation, international patent and trademark prosecution, licensing, alternative dispute resolution, and green technology.
Contact our knowledgeable intellectual property attorneys today TOLL FREE at 1-855-UR IDEAS (1-855-874-3327) or email us at firstname.lastname@example.org to find out how we can provide powerful protection for your unique ideas.


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Week of wins for Startups 100 alumni companies
PROPERCORN, Koru Kids, HeadBox, Pixoneye, and MiDrive announce major successes with investments, hires and a product launch
On the back of the launch of the Startups 100 2018 in May, five alumni companies have announced major successes in the space of a week.
From investments, to new hires and product launches, the various announcements are yet more evidence of the prestigious index’s history of identifying the UK’s most innovative and promising start-ups.
PROPERCORN hires former Tyrells managing director as CEO
Popcorn brand PROPERCORN has appointed Mike Hedges, the former managing director of Tyrells Potato Crisps, as its new its new CEO
Hedges will work alongside PROPERCRON founders Cassandra Stavrou and Ryan Kohn to fulfil the brand’s global ambitions.
PROPERCORN currently sells more than three million bags per month in seven countries. It recently underwent a major “refresh” including a redesign of its packaging with the help of seven global artists.
Ryan Kohn said: “We have big plans for our next chapter – we want to become the global leaders and standout innovators in healthy snacking. With Hedges on board, we are in an extremely strong position to deliver that vision.”
Hedges added: “I’ve watched with tremendous admiration as Cassandra, Ryan and their team have built PROPERCORN into one of the UK’s best-loved snack brands. I can’t wait to help them deliver their ambitious international goals.’
Building a website for your business idea is easier than you might think. Wix' website builder is easy to use and offers professional looking sites.
Childcare company Koru Kids lands £3.5m seed investment
Koru Kids, the London-based childcare start-up, has raised £3.5m in seed funding led by Forward Partners and Albion Capital, alongside JamJar Investments and a number of angel investors.
Koru Kids was founded in 2016 by former McKinsey & Company consultant Rachel Carrell when she discovered how difficult it was to arrange childcare after the birth of her first child.
The platform assigns one of its own in-house trained nannies to two families, who looks after both sets of children at the same time. This means each family spends less on childcare and the nanny gets a higher-than-average pay.
Carrell commented: “Childcare is a crippling expense and also a major headache for many families. One mum I recently spoke to described her childcare arrangements as a ‘hamster wheel of hell’. With so many problems to solve, we’re incredibly excited to be able to use this investment to build the world’s best childcare service.”
HeadBox launches its STACK booking software in 5,000 UK venues
HeadBox, the three-time Startups 100-listed marketplace for inspiring underused spaces, has announced the roll-out of its booking software across 5,000 UK venues.
Consisting of a booking and payment widget, a CRM dashboard, and a marketing platform, STACK increases the visibility of available venues and makes every venue website “transactional” 24/7, 365 days a year.
This enables its clients to drive enquiries to their own sales channels, and increases enquiries and conversions.
Needham commented: “Our vision is to reinvent the global events industry through technology, and we have developed the HeadBox marketplace and its range of digital tools for the millennial generation that will make up over 50% of the workforce by 2025.”
Pixoneye raises £6m from Octopus Ventures
Pixoneye, the artificial intelligence (AI) insights business has secured £6m in Series A funding from Octopus Ventures.
Founded by Ofri Ben Porat and Nadav Israel in 2015, Pixoneye uses AI to analyse consumer data – such as photos, locations and activities – and provide “optimal targeting”, special offers and loyalty rewards.
To ensure privacy and security, the service is able to do this without seeing, removing or storing data from their device.
Porat commented: “At Pixoneye we’ve pioneered the use of artificial intelligence to deliver valuable and secure outcomes for consumers. So that every consumer intention is met with an intelligent brand interaction, highly relevant to the individual’s circumstances and stage of life.
We’re at a tipping point of AI, where these technologies will increasingly become commonplace and synonymous with giving consumers better choice, optimised pricing and more autonomy.”
Midrive closes £2.5m Crowdcube campaign ahead of learner app launch
Midrive, the driving lesson and insurance platform, has raised £2.5m on Crowdcube ahead of the launch of its latest learner app.
Ready for the law change on 4 June 2018 (enabling learners drivers who are ready to take their test to have motorway driving lessons with an approved instructor), the app helps learners improve their safety awareness and track their progress.
The free app features modules for motorway driving, in addition to insightful lesson reports, and easy lesson scheduling with instructors qualified for motorway driving.
Asher Ismail, MiDrive CEO, said: “For an industry that has historically been slow to progress, today’s law change is an exciting step forward. We’re thrilled to be part of it with the launch of this app. We are also thrilled with this new investment to now have the resources to accelerate our mission to modernise first time driving.
“With the new funds we plan to further develop the Midrive learner app and launch other tools that enable new drivers to learn faster and smarter.”

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It's official, Facebook has a new company name.
During Facebook's Connect event earlier today, Mark Zuckerberg announced that their new name will be 'Meta', as reported by The Verge.
"Together, we can finally put people at the center of our technology. And together, we can unlock a massively bigger creator economy.” The CEO said.
Zuckerberg said that Facebook doesn't reflect everything the company now does and is still just linked to the app "But over time, I hope we are seen as a metaverse company."
Now before you ask... no, the Facebook app we all know will not change names to 'Meta'. It's just the parent company (remembering that facebook owns Instagram, and Whatsapp as well) that will be changing rebranding to 'Meta'.
The rebrand is just the next step in Zuckerbergs plan in creating the 'Metaverse'.
On their website, Facebook writes '3D spaces in the metaverse will let you socialize, learn, collaborate and play in ways that go beyond what we can imagine.'
The change is official from now, with the brand's website officially changing over to 'Meta' and the twitter account going live.


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New car buyers in Britain who are thinking about getting a new motor suitable for families during 2017 have plenty of reasons to be excited.
During the course of 2017, some exciting new family cars are set to arrive in various sectors popular with family motorists. Some of the most popular family car names today are getting new-generation models while certain brands are entering new sectors for the first time in a while or perhaps even for the first time ever.
It’s going to be a great year for family cars in 2017, so here’s a look at the five new family cars launching during the next 12 months which we are most excited about.
The Swindon-built Honda Civic is a much-loved family car here in the UK (while the Type R version is a popular hot hatch nowadays). Therefore, the upcoming launch of the new, tenth-generation Civic here during early 2017 is no doubt a big deal.
The bold, sporty styling of the previous Civic was one of the car’s most notable features, but Honda have decided to radically change the styling for the new hatchback. More importantly, the new Civic is bigger, more practical, has an overhauled and more sophisticated interior and it uses turbocharged petrol engines from launch.
Skoda has a strong line-up of family cars already and that line-up is about to get even stronger with the arrival of the Kodiaq. Available to pre-order now and arriving to the UK in March, the Kodiaq is Skoda’s first large SUV and the brand’s first car available with seven seats.
We’ve already test driven the Skoda Kodiaq and we can tell you now that is a great car for anyone after a large family motor with an SUV design. It’s practical, comfortable, well-equipped, has a strong line-up of engines (particularly the diesels) and it’s good to drive.
Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport
Nearly nine years after it first arrived, the Vauxhall Insignia is finally getting a successor. Meet the new Insignia Grand Sport, which will reportedly launch to the UK during June 2017.
Like with the previous Insignia, the new Grand Sport will come in the form of a large hatchback and a Sports Tourer estate version is also bound to follow. Besides adding ‘Grand Sport’ to its name, changes for the new Insignia also include a much lighter construction which will benefit performance and efficiency.
The exterior and interior of the new Insignia have both been given a more premium makeover, which Vauxhall thinks will appeal to car buyers who might typically sway towards the likes of the BMW 3 Series.
The previous couple of years have been very good for Renault in regards to family cars. The French manufacturer has released strong entries in recent times including the Kadjar crossover, a new Megane and new, stylish versions of the Scenic and Grand Scenic MPVs.
In 2017, Renault will be looking to attract a new batch of family motorists by returning to the large SUV segment after a long absence. The car for the job is the all-new Koleos, and if recent Renault family cars are any indicator, this SUV is bound to offer quite a few appealing qualities.
Since it first arrived on the UK market, the Mazda CX-5 has been one of the best-looking and most likeable family SUVs available.
A new-generation CX-5 is set to arrive around the middle of 2017 and while there are some styling changes, it still maintains Mazda’s famous KODO design philosophy. The interior is enhanced with up-to-date gadgets including an updated TFT instrument panel display and a new infotainment system with a seven-inch display.
The engine line-up is also set to expand with a new and intriguing 2.5-litre petrol unit joining updated versions of the CX-5’s 2.2-litre diesel and 2.0-litre petrol engines.


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Reality as we know it is undergoing a historic transformation. Our world today stands at the threshold of a profound technological revolution that is taking the ‘real world’ we inhabit far beyond the limitations of physics and time.
Welcome to Extended Reality (XR), a new frontier of converging technologies shaping the metaverse of tomorrow – an immersive, interconnected 3D world in which Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies will redefine how we live, work and socialize.
The promise of XR is fueling predictions for an array of some once-unthinkable possibilities within the fast-emerging metaverse. By 2030, we could be spending more time in the metaverse than in the real world. People will be applying for jobs, earning a living, meeting with friends, shopping, even getting married using the virtual capabilities of the metaverse.
In the coming decade, higher education and job training may increasingly be provided in virtual 3D settings, along with boardroom and workplace meetings. Businesses and governments will rely on the power and reach of the metaverse to share information, provide services and collaborate as never before.
Say goodbye to your traditional workspace. You will likely be surrounded by surfaces that provide new interfaces and a new realm of instantaneous virtual connections to people, places and work settings. Modern tools will let you forge connections and manipulate 3D objects intuitively within the lifelike virtual space you are occupying.
By 2030, we can expect to see the emergence of brain computer interfaces (BCIs) that enable human thought to be tracked, recorded and shared. These XR capabilities may literally enable us to experience moments and memories from someone else’s life. Synthetic data generated from simulated worlds, meanwhile, will likely guide robots to problem solve and replace humans performing high-risk work.
As technology advances and converges immersing us in new virtual worlds, we believe the industry is at an inflection point. We are seeing investment and technological advancement soar as more businesses wake up to the vast realm of emerging opportunities. Facebook, for example, has changed its name to Meta and committed US$10 billion on metaverse technology development1. Microsoft meanwhile has announced a record-breaking US$69 billion deal to buy Activision Blizzard, makers of popular multiplayer online games2. Make no mistake – as the metaverse continues to emerge, many businesses will find opportunities for change.
AI is going to really feed into VR. That’s why I’m really bullish on frontier tech as a whole because it’s not going to be any one industry as we’ve seen in the past vertically. It’s going to be horizontal. Blockchain is going to empower VR, and AR is going to be powered by AI technologies in the future.
Co-Founder of Shape Immersive, Co-founder/CEO at Frontier Collective, and
Founder/President of the Vancouver VR/AR Association
Avatars will allow people to represent themselves beyond the limitations of status. There’s the opportunity to alleviate people’s identity beyond their wardrobe or how much money they have in their bank account. There’s more freedom to express themselves beyond gender, representation and social conventions.
Artist and researcher at Australia’s University of Technology Sydney
Reality goes ‘horizontal’ – and more inclusive
Simply put, the virtual future is horizontal. AI, VR, AR, blockchain and other ‘frontier technologies’ are already being designed to connect and complement each other, forging an ecosystem of technologies harnessed for multiple virtual environments. No single technology will likely rule this ecosystem – and future technologies and players that will enhance metaverse capabilities have yet to emerge.
Within 5 years, hundreds of millions of virtual reality tools and platforms are expected to be embraced by consumers and businesses globally and these technologies could be more pervasive than phones by the end of this decade.
As access to the metaverse becomes more universal, we are seeing companies develop both all-inclusive and niche solutions with a wide range of users in mind. This broad network of emerging capabilities may help to overcome social and economic barriers to progress by toppling the gender gap, economic obstacles and other inequalities.
The power and reach of the metaverse can potentially eliminate many of the constraints and biases of today’s reality.
As the wide horizontal reach of the metaverse reshapes almost every type of experience in our lives, businesses should be exploring their role in this new frontier. Consider not only the obvious – that employee, client and third-party interactions may take place in the metaverse – but also that as XR-based business transactions proliferate, your business could have a different value proposition. Early adopters will likely have a significant advantage, making it crucial that businesses start exploring and experimenting now as the pace of change accelerates.
By the time you take a 5-minute walk down a virtual city road, we’re going to know what your sexual preference is, what your favourite colour is, what brands you associate yourself with – and this is without you even saying a word by utilizing eye tracking and biometric data. This is some of the type of data that’s emerging from immersive technologies, which I know is a scary concept and is something that’s going to need to be regulated. The real issue is regulation is always 10 years behind the tech.
A bold new world of opportunities – and challenges
While the outlook for metaverse’s profound and fast-emerging impact cannot be overstated, access remains a work in progress for now. Creating immersive content is difficult and current XR hardware and software can pose friction points for today’s early adopters and first-time users. But barriers to entry are expected to fade quickly.
While the emergence of virtual technologies and applications is accelerating, the recent rise of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and blockchain-based platforms such as Decentraland, The SandBox, Cryptovoxels and Somnium are serving as significant drivers to progress and encouraging people to make their initial foray into virtual environments.
NFTs are essentially a mechanism for aggregating a community. Companies should therefore make sense of the growing NFT space and develop a robust strategy around community building and management. Universities, for example, can use its capabilities to bring students from around the world together to work and learn inside virtual ecosystems.
Business leaders will ultimately need to understand how their organizations should adapt and evolve as the metaverse transforms industries and lifestyles.
I would be looking at an inflection point for the XR industry in the next 3 years to move beyond a very fast-growing market to a rocket ship. Two dependencies include a continued evolution of AR hardware and continued maturation of the software process to make it easier to develop content. You need these two pieces to see the market move in a compelling way.
VP at Vuforia Business Strategy, PTC
With NFTs you’re part of a club and with that comes membership and access to real world events. You’ll see bars, nightclubs and lifestyle brands built around specific NFTs. But if you’re a company trying to get in this space, it’s important to understand how communities are forming as a result of these NFTs.
Faculty member at the UK’s Singularity University
What happens to privacy in the metaverse?
With hundreds of millions of virtual reality products expected to be in use in the next 5 years, experts believe it will not be unusual for people to spend 12 to 15 hours a day in the metaverse to communicate, work, learn, shop, capture data and more. It is also expected that people will have more than one avatar, or virtual persona, which may create a reality of billions of digital personas within a decade. But as usage explodes, what are the risks to privacy and identity security?
Regulators and governments will need to invest in wide-scale deployment and testing of the emerging technology ensure appropriate security and privacy protection. Appropriate data management in the metaverse will need to address, for example, the differences between traditional business or public data and confidential personal data.
The best way to describe the metaverse is as a marriage of the world as we know it combined with a world where the laws of physics and space-time aren’t a limitation. Corporate leaders need to understand it’s not just about having a great reality architect. Industry leaders will need to now have professionals in C-suite senior positions – the Chief Metaverse Officer or Chief Realities Officer – set the tone for the language throughout their workforce to redesign how they monetize their core skills.
VP at Vuforia Business Strategy, PTC
If somebody stole your metaverse ID and was able to impersonate you in these virtual worlds and block you out, it’s much worse than losing your phone today. You can’t go to work anymore. You can’t go to school. You can’t go buy anything. You are essentially put in jail. So how do we protect users from that happening?
China President of HTC
Key takeaways as the metaverse explodes into view
As our journey into the metaverse races ahead, new opportunities and challenges will continue to emerge. It will be up to businesses, regulators and governments to help ensure we ‘get it right’ – making it imperative that business leaders get involved today in this historic paradigm shift. Businesses building out their XR ecosystem will need to make clear how this new frontier can add value to customers and all stakeholders. Key steps on the journey may include these initiatives:
- Map your organization’s value proposition on the metaverse. Start defining use cases that are clear and probable.
- As the pace of change accelerates, reassess your value proposition on an ongoing basis and ensure customers recognize what your organization has to offer.
- Identify natural partners and ecosystems you’d want to join forces with in the metaverse and reach out today.
- Rethink the employee experience and create a roadmap to bring employees closer through XR.
XR has the potential to bridge the gender gap and other inequalities. Firstly, by offering solutions at any price point for any experience level, but also by giving us an opportunity to be whoever we want to be and eliminating others’ perceptions and biases based on our appearances.
Co-founder of Tokyo-based technology developer Intertangible
Look for tangible business outcomes that move the needle and create champions by the realization of business value. Use this journey and find proof points. Start small, scale fast and use established KPIs. Don’t let technology drive the conversation ¬– let business value drive it. The intersection of transformative XR technologies and realized business value is the fuel to drive this market further into the stratosphere.
VP at Vuforia Business Strategy, PTC


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Sony has announced the third DSLR in its Alpha range, the entry level A200, which replaces the A100. The camera features a 10.2MP sensor, and severa enhancements from the recently…
Alongside the EX-F1, Casio has confirmed four further new models.
Casio has announced the Exilim EX-F1, with a burst mode capable of 60fps.
Sony has announced a new entry-level addition to its compact portfolio.
Olympus has made a program available which imports and displays RAW files in Windows Vista.
Firmware Version 3 available for download
Free-to-enter Young Garden Photographer of the Year competition prizes announced
Panasonic has released a firmware update for its latest DSLR, the L10.
We've just posted our video reviews of the Olympus E-3 DSLR and Nikon's P5100.
Renowned photographer and climber, Mike Robertson, to use Sony Alpha 700 to capture new and exciting landmark images.
Samsung Cameras rewards GX10 customers with fantastic cashback offer
Lastolite has announced details of a new Ezybox Hotshoe kits in two sizes – 38cm square and 60cm square. The Ezybox, a portable foldaway softbox designed for portable flashguns, comes…
Award-winning software company Mr. Site has released a pro version of its website creating programme.
Delkin Devices has announced a 16GB UDMA enabled CompactFlash PRO card which offers read/write speeds of up to 305x (45MB/sec), when used with a UDMA enabled camera. The card also…
One of the world's biggest photography galleries is to open in the heart of Soho.
Top wildlife photographer Andy Rouse is running a special Christmas promotion on his fabulous 2008 large format wildlife calendar. Visit his website at www.andyrouse.co.uk and you can buy it for…
Samsung has added two new compacts to its digital portfolio.
A new exhibition, Extinct, is opening on December 7 at Hoopers Gallery in London.
Sigma has announced a pair of new telephoto zoom lenses.
We've just uploaded our compact round up video review, which includes some of the latest models from Nikon, Fujifilm and Samsung.


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By SIRIVISH TOOMGUM
DTAC revealed that more than 1 million subscribers in its group regularly use the 850MHz band. Of these, around 90,000 are in DTAC’s 850MHz concession. The rest of the more than 1 million are subscribers of its subsidiary, DTAC TriNet, who regularly roam with DTAC’s 850MHz. The DTAC group currently has more than 21 million subscribers.
If the consumer protection plan is not approved, the 850MHz concession customers will be disconnected past midnight on September 15, while the DTAC TriNet customers roaming on 850MHz may experience service disruptions in some areas.
DTAC has provided the 3G service on the 850MHz band. In its latest move to defend customers, DTAC yesterday filed a lawsuit before the Central Administrative Court for temporary protection of its 850MHz customers, in response to the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC)’s continued failure to approve its consumer protection plan.
DTAC executives yesterday said the company had prepared several consumer-protection measures, including aggressive expansion of its 2.1GHz network to make up for the potential shutdown of the 850MHz network.
The company also has proactively reached out to customers with planned compensation proposals for network problems they may experience in the coming weeks.
DTAC said that despite multiple requests for relief measures, the NBTC had yet to grant remedy to DTAC’s customers. With nine days left before the end of the concession, DTAC is therefore forced to take action to protect its customers by petitioning the courts to allow customers to continue using the 850MHz network.
DTAC chief corporate affairs and business development officer Rajiv Bawa said yesterday: “We view with grave concern the NBTC’s inability to arrive at a conclusion on this matter, despite the existence of a legal framework as well as the existence of precedence involving other operators. To protect our customers, we have no choice but to file a case for temporary protection.”
Ensuring uninterrupted coverage for DTAC customers is a joint responsibility of the NBTC, CAT Telecom and DTAC. It is also a legal obligation under the NBTC’s remedial measures, he added.
CAT has granted the 1800MHz and 850MHz to DTAC to offer telecom service.
On June 7, DTAC and CAT submitted a joint letter to the NBTC, seeking the right to provide 850MHz services after the end of the concession.
Bawa said that the NBTC, in the past, had granted such a protection to customers of DTAC’s competitors after their concession ended for a duration of nine months to 26 months. The NBTC has declined to approve DTAC’s customer protection plan, citing the company’s decision to not bid for the 900MHz licence.
In early August, DTAC petitioned the watchdog to revise this decision.
However, the NBTC board meeting on Wednesday declined to consider the petition but asked the NBTC office to gather more information for its consideration at the next board meeting on September 12.
The NBTC has reclaimed DTAC’s 850MHz and rebanded it 900MHz and recently put it up for auction. However, none of the potential bidders submitted offers, citing some impractical conditions, prompting the abortion of the planned auction.
Bawa said that if DTAC loses all its 850MHz customers, then it might lose interest to bid for the 900MHz to lure back customers when the NBTC re-auctions the 900MHz. He added that once the [850MHz] customers exit DTAC, they are unlikely to come back.
“If the court grants an injunction allowing customers to use the 850MHz network during the court process, the state will collect all profits on 850MHz, meaning customer protection does not damage the state in any way. On the other hand, if customers cannot use the 850MHz network, this would lead to the 850MHz spectrum remaining idle, damaging both the state and DTAC customers irreparably,” Bawa said.
According to the NBTC’s rules, telecom operators will have to transfer revenue after cost deduction, which they gain during the remedy period, to the NBTC.
The remedy period is a temporary duration that the NBTC provides to the telecom operators to continue to offer service after the concession ends, so as to give time to consumers to migrate to other networks.
DTAC’s share price yesterday fell to 43.50, down 1.69 per cent.


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The Chairman, Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh, has called on Nigerian banks to embrace the ongoing digital disruption in the financial services sector.
While commending Access Bank Plc for taking the lead in digital disruption, he stated that the bank had been equipped for the process aided by the rise of financial technologies in the financial services sector.
Speaking on the sidelines of the inaugural edition of Africa Fintech Foundry Conference in Lagos, Ekeh said that the platform would give young African tech start-ups and entrepreneurs access to capital, capacity and partnership opportunities.
According to him, the establishment of the Africa FinTech Foundry, a new financial industry that applies technology to improve financial activities, by Access Bank is a bold move that demonstrates the bank’s readiness to take the lead in the race to leverage financial technologies in the sector.
“I can now see why the young men at Access Bank exude so much confidence to lead in the financial sector in the near future at a time the Nigeria banking sector is almost ready for a certified leader,” he said.
Ekeh also said, “I commend Access Bank for the launch of the Africa FinTech Foundry, which will not only boost technological innovations in the financial services sector, but also offer young African tech start-ups and entrepreneurs access to much-needed capital, capacity-building, world-class partnership opportunities and a useful platform to launch innovative products and solutions on a global scale. We all expect the Nigerian government to use platforms like this to build a new generation of Nigerians who can defend their wealth.
“This is an era in which you either disrupt or stand the risk of being disrupted. This reality is much more pronounced in the banking and financial services sector, hence the growing popularity of financial technologies or FinTech, as it is widely known.
“The landmark step taken by Access Bank shows the bank’s readiness for the future of disruption in the sector, which is already here with us.”
The Zinox chairman, who featured as a panelist in one of the discussions, ‘From growth to sustainability – How FinTech can survive and thrive,’ also gave attendees a plethora of insights and useful tips, drawn from his over 35 years’ journey as an African technology entrepreneur, during a fireside chat moderated by the Managing Partner at Grand Central, Nigeria, Chinenye Mba-Uzoukwu.
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It's been awhile since my last post, vacations here at Rothco have left us a little shorthanded.
First, an article from the Click of Lancashire, U.K. about an army surplus store owner who was warned by his town government that "a tailor's dummy wearing a British Army uniform was menacing to passers-by."
According to the article "military surplus dealer Mr Shahabi says he is displaying the camouflage-clad mannquin outside his "Arms and Outdoors" store as a tribute to British soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq." It seems there have been a number of armed robberies in the area, and folks were a little spooked. Not that they were robbed by men in camouflage, but it seems that a few Lancashire folks are easily scared.
From the the meek of Lancashire, to the fierce of the U.S. a somewhat random photo of chart-topping hip hop artist 50 Cent. While I don't think this is the cause of the mad demand for ammo cans over the past several months, it sure can't hurt sales either.
From the ferocious to the fun and frivolous is a picture and article in the Birmingham News about a great little mannequin that sits in front of the Army Navy Surplus store in Bessmer, AL. Nicknamed Chucky by neighborhood kids, our friend, Joyce Underwood, owner of the store tells of his "... celebrity. People know him. He has fought the battle of good times and bad.'' Haven't we all!
Lastly, the folks who run the ASD trade show, coming up August 9 - 12th, did a very nice q & a with us about Rothco and our participation at the ASD trade show. As I said in the article, "our new 2010 Catalog and New Product Supplement will debut at ASD and they will have hundreds of new items. Of particular interest in August will be a whole new line of miltary outerwear and accessories from our new Fishtail Parkas to our CWU-99E Enhanced Vintage Flight Jacket. It's been our experience that the success of our show is in direct proportion to the strength of our new product. With the offerings we have this fall, it could be a record-breaking August show."
The new 2010 Rothco Catalog is going to be PACKED with great new outerwear, tactical goods, military fashion and more. Look to see your copy sometime in August!! And come down and see us at the ASD Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, we'd love to see you there!!!
Have a great weekend!!
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With the exploding Note 7 battery fiasco, Samsung inadvertently did something that’s increasingly difficult these days: It made smartphones interesting for a flickering moment. Super interesting in fact. Besides the intriguing mournful saga of the Note 7, whose embarrassing recall cost the company billions, Samsung also set up a dramatic release narrative for the Galaxy S8. This wasn’t just another smartphone—this was a make-or-break device charged with saving a company in the throes of an existential crisis. A smartphone that screams at the void—yikes!
Some innovations seem so inevitable once they’re out there that you wonder just why no one has thought of them before.
Citing an unnamed official at a Samsung supplier, South Korean new agency Yonhap reports that the company has temporarily suspended production of its flagship Galaxy Note 7 smartphone. According to the source, the suspension is being done in coordination with safety officials in South Korea, the United States and China.
Samsung may have another explosion problem on its hands. Today, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that it was looking into some of Samsung’s top-loading washing machines because of “safety issues.”
Cell phone technology continues moving forward year after year, but many of the developments are incremental—a better camera, more storage space, or a faster processor. Those are just the improvements that make it to the mass market, though.
After reports emerged on social media of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 exploding when charged, the company announced on Wednesday that it was delaying shipments of its new flagship device for “additional tests being conducted for product quality.” Now, it seems the smartphone maker is taking more drastic measures, with South Korean media reporting that Samsung plans to issue a worldwide recall in “less than a week.”


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Mahindra will soon launch the XUV 500 facelift in India and the car has already been spied a few times. Mahindra will launch the new SUV on 18th April and will also announce the official price. The facelifted XUV 500 has already started arriving at the dealerships across India.
The Mahindra XUV 500 has been updated inside out with the facelift. The front grille has been replaced with a new bigger one with a mesh-like design. The car also gets updated bumpers and headlamps with DRL. At the rear, the new XUV 500 will get new tail lamps too. It replaces the Christmas-tree styled tail lamps. From the side, the XUV 500 facelift remains same as the current model except for new updated alloy wheels.
The new XUV 500 will be offered in 5 trim levels that will further get variants. With the facelift, Mahindra will introduce a new top of the line W11 option, which will offer premium features like leather upholstery, and leather trim on the dashboard. The variants also get AWD versions and automatic variants too. The new XUV 500 also gets more colours and the vehicle will be offered in as many as seven colours with two all-new shades.
The interiors are expected to remain similar to the current model. The car gets an electrified 8-way adjustable driver seat, dual HVAC, reading lamps, power windows, remote tailgate release, glove box with laptop holder, flat 2nd and 3rd-row foldable seats and follow me headlamps. The new XUV 500 also gets driver express-up window, puddle lamps, camping lamp and door ajar lamps, 18-inch diamond cut alloys, window chrome lines, illuminated scuff plates and all-chrome tailgate applique.
The top-end variant of the new XUV 500 gets a more powerful version of the 2.2-litre mHawk diesel engine. The engine now produces 155 Bhp and 360 Nm in the top end variant. The lower end variants continue to get the 140 Bhp – 330 Nm engine output. Mahindra XUV 500 is one of the top-selling vehicles in the segment. With the arrival of the Jeep Compass, the sales have been affected slightly but the new changes should put the XUV 500 back to the top in future.


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Interested in Working Lands Alliance’s bumper sticker?
Our Annual Luncheon at the Capitol is coming up! Please reserve your tickets now by emailing email@example.com ... See MoreSee Less
UConn released an update on the economic impact of CT Agriculture this morning:
"The agricultural industry has a critical and significant impact on the economy of Connecticut in output, jobs, and quality of life: up to $4.0 billion in output, 21,696 jobs, and significant social and environmental benefits."
You can read the report here:
workinglandsalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Economic-Impacts-FINAL-2017.pdf ... See MoreSee Less
For over 150 years, the Jones family has been … [Read More...]


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Currently, individuals can sell goods in some 20 categories, while professional sellers have been approved to sell items in more than 15 additional categories. Individual-approved categories include books, consumer electronics, tools and home improvement, and toys and games. On the other hand, professionals must meet various requirements to sell beauty products, clothing, fine art and wine.
The company was founded as a result of what Jeff Bezos called his "regret minimization framework," which described his efforts to fend off any regrets for not participating sooner in the Internet business boom during that time. In 1994, Bezos left his employment as vice-president of D. E. Shaw & Co., a Wall Street firm, and moved to Seattle, Washington, where he began to work on a business plan for what would become Amazon.com.
In November 2013, Amazon.com announced a partnership with the United States Postal Service to begin delivering orders on Sundays. The service, included in Amazon's standard shipping rates, initiated in metropolitan areas of Los Angeles and New York due to the high-volume and inability to deliver timely, with plans to expand into Dallas, Houston, New Orleans and Phoenix by 2014.
Amazon now has more than 100 private label brands, some without the name Amazon even remotely attached, for product categories like clothing, dog food, and furniture. Yet AmazonBasics, and the Amazon Essentials clothing brand, remain the company’s biggest weapons in its war against offline retail. Just as Walmart, Target, and other stores launched their own private label brands for virtually every product imaginable, the company has done the same. (In 2015, it also launched an official Etsy competitor in the form of Amazon Homemade.)
Nail your timing. While it can be valuable to be one of the first in line for limited-quantity products, if you’re going to shop online on Black Friday, timing may not actually matter all that much. According to data from deal-finding browser extension Honey, online purchases spike well after sunrise. “On Black Friday, spending peaked at 11 a.m. PST in Los Angeles and at 12 p.m. EST in New York City,” says Kelly Parisi, Vice President of Communications at Honey.
When it comes to last-mile delivery, Amazon has publicly disclosed its work on drones and the Prime Air program to use those unmanned aerial vehicles to drop packages on our doorstep. The project has been in the works since 2013, and it’s hit a few snags as the regulation of US commercial drone operations has been a slow and often painful process for companies trying to get operations off the ground.
In one brief keynote, the company announced a car infotainment device, yet more updates to the standard Echo speaker and Dot line, a subwoofer, a set of stereo amplifiers, a Chromecast Audio competitor, a smart wall clock, a smart plug, and a super-powered Slingbox-style device for over-the-air programming. Oh and lest we forget, Amazon also made a microwave with Alexa built in, using it as a model to start competing with companies like KitchenAid, LG, and Samsung by making Alexa the go-to voice assistant and AI hub for household appliances. In addition to building its own devices, the company also invests in startups through its Alexa Fund to scout new and promising entrants and product categories, and it’s acquired quite a few of those companies — including security cam startup Blink and smart doorbell maker Ring — to ensure it has every corner of the smart home covered.
A9.com, Inc.AbeBooksAmazon AirAlexa InternetAmazon BooksAmazon Game StudiosAmazon Lab126Amazon Logistics, Inc.Amazon PublishingAmazon RoboticsAmazon.com Services, Inc.Amazon StudiosAmazon Web Services, Inc.Audible Inc.Body LabsBook DepositoryDigital Photography ReviewGoodreadsGraphiqIMDbRingSouq.comTwitch.tvWhole Foods MarketWootZappos
According to sources, Amazon did not expect to make a profit for four to five years. This comparatively slow growth caused stockholders to complain that the company was not reaching profitability fast enough to justify their investment or even survive in the long-term. The dot-com bubble burst at the start of the 21st century and destroyed many e-companies in the process, but Amazon survived and moved forward beyond the tech crash to become a huge player in online sales. The company finally turned its first profit in the fourth quarter of 2001: $5 million (i.e., 1¢ per share), on revenues of more than $1 billion. This profit margin, though extremely modest, proved to skeptics that Bezos' unconventional business model could succeed.
H&M's business concept is to offer fashion and quality at the best price. H&M has since it was founded in 1947 grown into one of the world's leading fashion companies. The content of this site is copyright-protected and is the property of H&M Hennes & Mauritz AB. H&M is committed to accessibility. That commitment means H&M embraces WCAG guidelines and supports assistive technologies such as screen readers. If you are using a screen reader, magnifier, or other assistive technologies and are experiencing difficulties using this website, please call our TOLL-FREE support line (855-466-7467) for assistance.
Information may be abridged and therefore incomplete. This document/information does not constitute, and should not be considered a substitute for, legal or financial advice. Each financial situation is different, the advice provided is intended to be general. Please contact your financial or legal advisors for information specific to your situation.
But Amazon has been testing its drones for years and performed the first public demo delivery in the US last year. Meanwhile, it continues to submit outlandish patents about its vision for the future of drone delivery, including one for a self-destructing drone that disassembles itself in an emergency and a delivery drone mothership of sorts that would act as a city’s central hub for package-carrying UAVs.
finder.com is an independent comparison platform and information service that aims to provide you with the tools you need to make better decisions. While we are independent, we may receive compensation from our partners for featured placement of their products or services. We may also receive compensation if you click on certain links posted on our site.
In addition to pulling in hosting revenue from companies like Disney, Netflix, and Spotify, AWS is also the backbone of the company’s own internal infrastructure and the underlying foundation for its Alexa digital voice assistant. It is a major competitor to Microsoft and its Azure platform, as well as Google’s cloud computing division and the cloud businesses of IBM and Oracle. AWS is so important to the integrity of the apps and websites we use that a rare S3 outage, which is the web hosting pillar of AWS, took out large swaths of the internet.
Fitness guru Billy Blanks entered American homes across the country when he introduced his Tae Bo workout. The creator of the martial art known as Tae Bo, Blanks sought to teach people how they could get more physically fit, be more confident, and do so from the comfort of their own home. The Tae Bo workout has revolutionized the way people get their exercise and provided millions of people access to an easy and effective martial art that they can learn through instructional videos.


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China Greets Blockchain With A Smile. Since Bitcoin’s inception, the terms “blockchain” and “cryptocurrency” have gone hand-in-hand, with many using the two words to complement each other in a similar context.
Although it is widely understood that the acceptance of blockchain directly implies the acceptance of cryptocurrencies, China has taken a different approach, with innovators within the country seeking to propel the development of blockchain technologies, while hampering the adoption of cryptocurrencies at the same time.
As per a report from the Asia Nikkei Review, an Asia-based news outlet, Chinese firms have clearly led the blockchain-related patent race, with Alibaba alone accounting for more than 10% of the world’s blockchain patent applications. China’s infatuation towards blockchain innovation has reportedly taken the entire country by storm, with internet giants such as Tencent and Baidu issuing a staggering 56% of 406 worldwide patents.
To put this 56% statistic into perspective, the U.S., which is unarguably the world’s foremost technological superpower, is only responsible for 22% of blockchain-centric patent filings.
As per a chart from the report (seen right), the People’s Bank of China takes the cake when it comes to the most decentralized ledger technology (DLT) patents
filed by an individual entity, with China’s central bank issuing 68 filings in recent years. Following the PBOC’s 68 patents is Alibaba, Bank of America, nChain Holdings, Beijing Rui Josie Technology Development, Mastercard, Jiangsu Tongfudun Information Technology, Cloud Minds (Shenzhen) Technologies, China United Network Communications and Hangzhou Qulian Technology.
John Eastwood, a Taiwan-based partner at Eiger Law, commented on China’s unrelenting drive for blockchain adoption and development, stating:
Blockchain is a new technological landscape where it could be very profitable for Chinese companies to grab significant territory in their patent claim language. Holding several patents helps to give an aura of legitimacy that helps many companies in the blockchain field to attract investors or acquirers.
Chinese blockchain trailblazers have found a good variety of industries to apply DLT to, including supply chain management, global financial transactions (remittance), postal services, healthcare, and more.
Alibaba’s Blockchain Drive
Alibaba, China’s 2nd most valuable company, has taken a rather open-minded approach when it comes to blockchain. Jack Ma, Alibaba’s founder and one of the most well-known entrepreneurs in the world, has openly endorsed DLT. Speaking at the launch of his firm’s blockchain-centric remittance service in Hong Kong, Ma stated:
Blockchain technology can help overcome the challenges of security, sustainability and inclusion. It could change our world more than people can imagine.
And it seems that the firm hasn’t taken an ‘all talk, no action’ approach, with the $450 billion giant making a series of moves to accommodate blockchain technologies in recent months. Most recently, Alibaba has begun exploring the use of blockchain in healthcare, partnering with the city of Changzhou to verify and “secure” a patient’s medical data on a blockchain.
While China has undoubtedly taken a leading role in the so-called ‘blockchain revolution’, the heavy-handed government seems to be hesitant to say yes to cryptocurrencies, or at least for now.


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If you are an Android fan, you most likely hear a lot about Samsung. They sell a vast amount of phones, hell a vast amount of everything. When the Galaxy S 3 dropped, it was easy to get caught up in the reviews, critiques, and over coverage. What gets lost in that glut of media is the human side of device design. There is an army of people behind that phone. They spent vast amounts of time designing every aspect of it and Samsung has put together a video to show... Read The Rest →
I briefly touched on this last night but the rumor has persisted so let’s revisit it. It looks like Android’s latest and greatest JellyBean may be arriving on the Galaxy S III later this month. On August 29th Samsung has a big announcement planned that should be the unveiling of the Galaxy Note 2. However, if you own a GSIII this may not be the big news coming out that day. It looks like Sammy may have a Jellybean surprise up its sleeve according to a source of GSMArena.com. With... Read The Rest →
MetroPCS Fires Up World’s First Voice Over LTE Network, South Korea To Follow Tomorrow On GSIII!!!!!
At times a lot of us probably forget that the Android device in our pockets also works as a phone( you know to make calls? LOL) and some big news has come out today on that front. The first Voice over LTE network has been fired up and is it a big name like Ma Bell or Big Red, nope it is MetroPCS. Down in Dallas-Fort Worth you can now turn on your LG Connect 4G and take advantage of this service. What is Voice over LTE? This uses... Read The Rest →
When the Samsung Galaxy S III was finally unveiled, we all knew it would be a popular device. The phone is on all the major carriers in this country and packing the latest and greatest hardware so it only make sense that the shiny new version of Android would find its way onto the phone pretty quickly. The rumor of the Jelly bean update has been floating around for a while, with the original update time being pegged as August. According to the latest leaks that time-table is just a... Read The Rest →
So you have a shiny new Rooted Samsung Galaxy S III and want to finally use that NFC capability hidden deep inside the phone? Well if you are on Verizon, it is going to take a little bit of hackery. Since the Galaxy Nexus dropped on Big Red’s network folks have been asking about using Google Wallet. Wallet is Google’s own NFC payment system that has a whole variety of stores backing it. Verizon has seen fit to put the kibosh on Wallet since the launch of the Nexus and... Read The Rest →
So I will say this up front, I am a big proponent of putting cases on your phone. I carry mine everywhere and work on a tile floor. I will freely admit to dropping mine on that hard tile floor more then once and thanks to my case I have never broken one. So when my Samsung Galaxy S III hit the mail system I went over to my favorite case maker, Cruzerlite for a new outfit for my device. Their A2 line is a favorite of mine, both for construction and... Read The Rest →
The Samsung Galaxy S III was announced in London on May 29th of this year. The rollout of the device that followed saw the phone drop in 28 countries. In addition over 9 million pre-orders were placed globally on more than 100 carries across the world. Now surely with a demand such as this even Samsung will have trouble filling the demand? I am sorry to say this looks to be true as news is coming in that the phone will be slightly delayed on a couple of carriers here in... Read The Rest →
OK people it is finally being shown off!! The Samsung Galaxy S III has been caught in disguise in Vietnam and on video. Samsung is sending out the phone’s internals in dummy shells as to keep the final aesthetics under wraps. The Vietnamese site, Tinhte, has gotten their hands on video of the phone in its dummy shell but the most important thing is the confirmation of the internals that the phone will be packing. The site put up a very through video tour of the phone and some pretty epic hardware... Read The Rest →
With all this news and release of the HTC One X, I am going to bust in here with the latest out of the Samsung Galaxy S III rumor mill. The latest flagship Sammy phone is easily the most anticipated phone of the year next to HTC’s One X and it looks like Samsung is hard at work to bring its A game to this showdown. With the One X featuring an amazing display, beastly processor, flat-out spectacular camera, and NFC, Sammy has its work cut out for it. Fortunately for... Read The Rest →
Samsung Scoffs At Copy Accusations, Looks To The Future Of Phone Design That Will “Define Our Time”..
Samsung has had a long, interesting, and at times ugly history with cell phones. From the early days when people were literally breaking their Omnia phones in the streets in protest to becoming one of largest smart phones manufacturers in the world it has been quite the wild ride. Last year Samsung grossed $7.4 Billion in handset sales alone so they are definitely on the right track. However the ride has not been without some bumps particularly from the Apple camp. Time and time again Apple has raised lawsuits against... Read The Rest →
The only thing taking more room on the internet than release dates of ICS for different phones is the speculation over the release of the Samsung Galaxy S III. Today the release rumor mill is rocking and rolling thanks to Kim-Young Ha, the chief executive of Samsung Great China. Speaking at the Samsung Forum 2012 in Bejing Kim-Young Ha let the new date slip. He was speaking on the fact that Sammy is looking to expand hard-core in the China Mobile Device market. This makes sense considering China is expected... Read The Rest →
Rumors have already begun about the successor to Samsung’s wildly popular Galaxy S II phones and alot of people were banking on the phone being unveiled at the Mobile World Congress at the end of the month. Samsung is well-known for its flashy device announcements but it looks like we will have to wait to see what the Galaxy S III has in store for us. Samsung sent an email to PCMag stating that they will NOT be hosting any press conferences at the MWC. There is also a successor... Read The Rest →


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Sony announced the PlayStation 5 Showcase event will be on 16th September 2020 at 1 PM PDT. So In India, that translates to 17th September 2020 at 1:30 AM IST. In this event, Sony says that it will talk about the PlayStation 5 launch titles and other PS5 games releasing after that. But it is rumored that, in this event, Sony might reveal the cost and availability of PlayStation 5 and PlayStation Digital Edition.
Agenda of this event:-
Since the company held its event in June, Microsoft has had a games event for Xbox Series X. Revealed a more affordable next-gen console in Xbox Series S. Microsoft announced the prices and release date for both those variants. The pre-orders for Xbox Series X and Series S kick off on 22nd September 2020. So Sony also wants to open the pre-orders as soon as possible in order to give tough competition to Microsoft. However, it is expected that Sony will launch it’s PlayStation 5 in November. To stand as the major competitor at the event of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series launch.
Further, we have already obtained a look at 27 PS5 games at the earlier PS5 event. So another event dedicated entirely to those games appears useless. So, It looks like Sony will hype up its game offerings for the PS 5 before revealing prices and launch date at the end of this event. Sony had a similar playbook at the earlier PS5 event, where it revealed the PS 5 hardware and accessories after showcasing all the games. So the same strategy might be seen from the company this time also. That is it will first talk about the launch titles and games and then reveal the launch date, price, and availability at the last.
Sony PlayStation 5 event will be on 16th September at 1 PM PDT, So In India, that translates to 17th September 2020 at 1:30 AM IST. This lasts about 40 minutes and will be available on YouTube and Twitch platforms.
Also Checkout:- Sony WH-1000XM4 can connect with two devices at a time


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Little Goat Coffee Roasting Co. has perky appeal
The aroma of excellent, roasting coffee on Newark's Haines Street is so alluring, it cajoles passersby, even those who might have already had their daily caffeine allotment.
The source of this bewitching, beguiling smell is an adorable Sears Roebuck kit house, dating back to the early 1940s, that once was the original home of the Newark Natural Foods Co-op and, later, a hairdresser and skate/snowboard shop.
At Little Goat Coffee Roasting Co., customers can watch the roasting process in action, snuggle on a floral couch near a (non-working) fireplace, or grab a seat in one of two plush red seats that once faced the stage at Wilmington's Grand Opera House.
Want to enjoy the outdoors while scrolling through your phone? A large patio deck has bar stools and railing seats.
Little Goat was founded by business partners Joe Lins and Olivia Brinton, who wanted to bring their own freshly-roasted, organically-grown and fairly-traded coffee to Delaware.
The coffee shop and micro-roaster at 16 Haines St. opened in September 2017. Brinton says the refurbished building had been sitting empty for about seven years after Switch Skateboarding moved to its current spot at 54 E. Main St.
While the coffeehouse industry nationwide has been cooling off, independently owned businesses seem to be thriving in Delaware.
The total number of coffee shops in the U.S. was expected to grow by just 2.17 percent this year, the slowest growth rate seen in the last six years, according to Mintel Group Ltd., a London-based market research firm.
Yet, over the past year alone, several coffeehouses have opened throughout Delaware's three counties including Legal Grounds Cafe in Elsmere, The House of Coffi in Dover, Mug & Spoon in Rehoboth Beach and The Station on Kings, a new business at 720 Kings Highway in Lewes that's also a garden center, bakery and market.
Coming soon is Harvest House, a Wilmington coffeehouse/healthy foods eatery from Big Fish Restaurant Group. It will move into the former Presto! location at 1204 Washington St. by mid-May.
Drip Cafe, a popular Hockessin coffeehouse and restaurant since 2013, plans to open a second, 40-seat eatery this summer at 60 N. College Ave. in Newark.
A coffeehouse is one of the least expensive new restaurants to open, according to data compiled by Digital Trend Coast, a Chicago-based marketing agency.
Other lower cost food businesses are food trucks and Chick-fil-A franchises.
The National Coffee Association says 64 percent of U.S. consumers drink coffee daily, up from 57 percent in 2016.
"Younger consumers appear to be leading the charge,” said Bill Murray, National Coffee Association president and CEO. “A steadily growing taste for gourmet varieties is also driving a wider trend toward specialty beverages.”
Caleb Bryant, a Mintel senior foodservice analyst, said the coffee shop market now is benefiting from shifting consumer interest in more premium, albeit pricier, coffee drinks such as specialty coffees, cold brew coffee and artisanal, third wave coffee.
Brinton says The Little Goat's name comes from a popular legend that hungry goats helped lead to the invention of coffee.
According to the tale, an Ethiopian goat herder noticed his animals became much more lively after munching on fresh coffee berries.
Little Goat buys its green coffee from one importer, Royal Coffee New York, which has access to specialty beans from all around the world. It offers changing coffee varietals ranging from funky, earthy Sumatra to smooth, easy-going Nicaragua to bright, sweet Colombian.
The beans, all organic and fair-trade certified, are roasted in a souped-up Diedrich roaster inside The Little Goat shop that's within walking distance of the University of Delaware's Newark campus.
Coffee is roasted daily, Brinton says, adding the shop just received a shipment of eight 60 kilograms bags.
"We roast pretty much every morning around 6 a.m. Coffee needs to rest about 12 to 24 hours before being served," she says.
The Newark location is not surprising since coffee tends to be the non-alcoholic juice that keeps college students fueled through hectic semesters.
And there's certainly no shortage of coffee in Newark.
A Starbucks franchise is little more than a stone's throw away from Little Goat. Brewed Awakenings at 64 E. Main St. has been one of Newark's favorite coffee shops since its 1994 opening.
Still, Little Goat stands out because of its excellent service and, of course, coffee, which comes in small ($1.75), medium ($2.25) and large ($2.75) sizes.
In the seven months since opening, the shop has been growing its wholesale business. Little Goat is served at Newark's Cafe 67 and Grain Craft Bar + Kitchen; the House of William and Merry and The Perfect Cup, both in Hockessin, and St. Andrew's School in Middletown.
Brinton says several breweries including Iron Hill and the new Midnight Oil Brewing Co. have used Little Goat coffee to make stouts.
A favorite varietal I tried recently was the light and fruity Ethiopian Yirgacheffe that had a distinctive, floral aroma.
Drinks also include cold brew, espresso, lattes, cappuccino, black tea and Tussi Rose chai.
Not really a coffee drinker? Well, this isn't really the place for you, but a sip of a companion's sweet and decadent peanut butter hot cocoa ($5), topped with a mountain of whipped cream, had me reconsidering my coffee order. Next time.
Brinton, a former bartender for three years at the House of William and Merry, says there also are three tea options, and the shop is continuously adding specialty drinks such as an orange cold brew soda.
They also make all the syrups in house and use dairy by Natural by Nature, which produces grass-fed organic milk provided by dairy farmers in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
What you won't find is much food.
Brinton says they do have pastries from The Perfect Cup in Hockessin, but "we're not interested in expanding the food." She says the focus is on serving high-quality hot and cold beverages. Still want a nosh?
"You can bring food in, it's not a problem with us," Brinton says.
Hours for Little Goat Coffee Roasting Co. are: 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday; . 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or email@example.com and on Twitter @pattytalorico


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Headcount is being reduced at Amazon’s 40+ Fresh grocery stores across the US. The retailer is doing away with the ‘zone lead’ role, that is, a store manager role with the responsibility of overseeing work in individual departmental responsibilities, including training of employees.
The exact number of employees who will be asked to leave has not been officially disclosed. However, media reports say that hundreds may be impacted. The company has reduced its global headcount by about 27,000 in the last one year.
Amazon is apparently trying to rehaul its operations model and its in-store workforce to offer more efficient services to its customers and workforce. Early this year, Amazon had revealed its intentions to shut down some of its Fresh outlets and Go stores.
According to the Washington Post, employees have been offered either other roles within the company or a severance package.
The maximum number of these Fresh outlets are located in Virgina, Washington, California and Illinois. Over 20 cashier-free convenience stores are also operated by it in the US in the form of Amazon Go. About six years ago, Whole Foods was also bought by Amazon in a $13.7 billion deal. In April, Whole Foods laid off hundreds of its employees a part of a restructuring exercise.
In trying to reduce costs, Amazon has been checking spends across its operations, so it is not surprising that the grocery stores were also affected. Andy Jassy, CEO, Amazon, had spoken of the need to identify a suitable ‘mass grocery format’.


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Premier Ford to meet with GM, other automakers and Unifor in Detroit
Will discuss opportunities to support workers who will be out of a job when the Oshawa plant closes.
GM invests $12M to up Equinox production in Oshawa
Money breathes life into the plant’s consolidated production line.
UPDATED: GM extends production at Oshawa assembly plant
The consolidated line will now cease production in 2016.
Peugeot Citroen, GM unveil vehicles they’ll make as new alliance
GM puts its 7% stake in French automaker to work to cut costs and turn around business in Europe.
BREAKING: GM shuttering one of its Oshawa plants
Older car plant set to close by June 2013, which could cut the jobs of 2,000 people.
UPDATED: GM invests $68 million to build Impala in Oshawa
The move will secure 350 jobs at the Ontario plant


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Beyonce is playing approximately no games with her comeback campaign.
Today saw the drinks giant announce their partnership with the ‘Single Ladies’ singer, a multi-year deal – encompassing commercials, music videos, tours, and much more. It’s a contract which is set to net the 31 year old millions.
Read excerpts about the unique pairing, via the New York Times, below…
In an expansion of the recent marketing experiments that have brought PepsiCo ever closer to the music industry, the company has embarked on a hybrid project with Beyoncé that will include standard advertising like commercials as well as a multimillion-dollar fund to support the singer’s chosen creative projects.
“Pepsi embraces creativity and understands that artists evolve,” Beyoncé said in a statement. “As a businesswoman, this allows me to work with a lifestyle brand with no compromise and without sacrificing my creativity.”
The campaign will coincide with a blitz of promotion for her next album, which has no title or release date so far but is expected in 2013. Sometime after she performs at the Super Bowl halftime show on Feb. 3 (also sponsored by Pepsi), Beyoncé will appear in a new TV ad — her fifth for the soft drink since 2002 — and her face will be on a limited-edition line of soda cans.
The less conventional aspects of the deal are meant as collaborative projects that indulge Beyoncé’s creative whims, and might well have no explicit connection to Pepsi products. They are still at the brainstorm stage, but could include live events, videos, “a cool photo shoot” or almost anything else, said Lee Anne Callahan-Longo, the general manager of Parkwood Entertainment, Beyoncé’s company.
For Pepsi, the goal is to enhance its reputation with consumers by acting as something of an artistic patron instead of simply paying for celebrity endorsements.
“Consumers are seeking a much greater authenticity in marketing from the brands they love,” said Brad Jakeman, president of PepsiCo’s global beverage group. “It’s caused a shift in the way we think about deals with artists, from a transactional deal to a mutually beneficial collaboration.”
The multiyear campaign is estimated at $50 million, the bulk of it for media placements and promotions around the world, and the remainder split roughly equally between Beyoncé’s fee and what Pepsi calls a creative content development fund.
Peep the Beyonce branded (limited edition) cans which will begin appearing next year (first in Europe from March 2013)…
Epic, epic, epic!
The branding geek in yours truly is salivating at what this already means for King B’s next project. Pepsi’s corporate muscle (and wallet) are huge and are being leveraged towards Beyonce’s new videos, tours, promotion, and a whole lot more. And not just for this upcoming “era”, but beyond.
We have yet to hear a single track, yet Beyonce continues to strut ahead of the pack, making the right power moves to ensure her iconic status becomes a reality. Now, that is diva!
At this point, all we need is for Bey to bring it as she always does musically and on-stage. Should she comply, the masses are in for one heck of an “era”.


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co. will likely see some increased trading activity on Tuesday, joining the market spotlight with BP PLC, Pfizer Inc. and United Parcel Service Inc., all of which report earnings.
Auto makers will hand in their January new-vehicle sales results, with analysts expecting to see double-digit improvements for all major manufacturers. GM GM, +0.47% is seen as the laggard, up 11%, while Ford F, +1.75% will likely fare only slightly better.Read preview for auto-sales results.
On the earnings front, analysts polled by FactSet Research are looking for oil giant BP BP, +0.13% to report a profit of $1.62 a share on sales of $73.5 billion.
Anadarko Petroleum Corp. APC, -0.44% and Novellus Systems Inc. NVLS, +5.17% both reported financial results late Monday and should also garner plenty of investor attention at the opening bell on Tuesday.


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EVOCA Group, global leader in the vending machines market for coffee, hot beverages and snacks, as well as a major player in the Ho.Re.Ca sector and OCS, and Mastercard will present Breasy, a new payment app which allows to buy coffee with smartphones, at Venditalia, the most important international exhibition of automatic distribution.
Thanks to Breasy and through a Bluetooth connection, customers can link their devices to a vending machine, equipped with the innovative cashless payment system Hi!. By choosing the products at their disposal with this new app, consumers have the chance to live a completely innovative and digital shopping experience. The payment is done by Breasy app, a brand-new app by Newis, available for Android and iOS platform. Using Breasy, customers can pay via smartphones through safe technology, granted by the online payment platform Masterpass by Mastercard.
Through this unique app, that vending industry operators may tailor with their colors and logos, Evoca transforms the way purchases are carried out by vending machines. This is possible, because products’ choice takes place directly from smartphone, without touching the machine. Furthermore, Breasy saves purchase preferences and manages queues in a very smart way: the app points out to the consumers the number of people in a queue, and as the customers turn comes, it automatically connects them to the authorized vending machine. Breasy allows to easily and safely buy at vending machine, by using one of the cards already registered through the Mastercard technology, which drove for years the digital payment innovation worldwide.
Mastercard and EVOCA make innovations in the way customers pay and choose products: from coffee break at the office to every kind of transit hubs.
“We are committed to create and enable innovative and safe payment solutions to support banks, customers and merchants. Our main role is to guide the digital revolution, offering to our partners some technologies, which streamline the user experience in order to answer to their needs. At Mastercard, we want to speed the everyday purchase habits, like shopping, restaurants and public transports, trying to break down the barriers between the physical and digital environment”, stated Massimiliano Gallo, Vice President Business Development Italy at Mastercard.
“Evoca Group stands out to suggest some cutting-edge technologies, which are capable of dealing with market needs, redefining the operative industry standards. Today, as never before, to succeed in more and more competitive markets, it is necessary to focus on innovation and digital technologies. Obviously, this is possible, by providing tailored service to customers and more innovative answers in a very changing market”, affirmed Andrea Zocchi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Evoca Group.


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Blush featured in Vogue Magazine!
We are proud to announce our Gaia vibes are the feature of a Vogue article on sustainable pleasure!
Online manufacturer of adult sex toys, Blush Novelties, has developed a biodegradable vibrator called the Gaia. Made from bioplastic, it will degrade within a few days in the right conditions — but don’t worry, it won’t biodegrade in your drawer or while you’re using it. Ducky DooLittle, a spokesperson for Blush Novelties, explains that while the Gaia vibrator has been popular, it will be a while before we see a more diverse range of sustainable sex toys on the market. “If we can get away from plastic, we will, but as a sex toy company, that’s not easy.”


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Facebook has asked Microsoft to remove 41 unofficial and clone 'Facebook' apps from the Windows Phone store as the social network prepares to introduce its official app for the platform.
Windows Phone 7 and 8 launched without a fully featured official Facebook app, but the OS has tight integration with Facebook as contacts and messages are baked in.
Yet with the growth of the Windows Phone platform, the lack of an official Facebook app became evident, and developers tried to plug the gap with their attempts at a Windows Phone Facebook client, some with better results than others.
Now there are more than 40 such unofficial apps in the Windows Phone app store and Facebook wants all of them removed. Why? Well, the social network launched a beta Facebook app for Windows Phone 8 last month, with a version for 7.X in the pipeline, which could mean that a final public version should be ready soon.
Facebook sent a letter to Microsoft this week, Windows Phone Central reports, that claims infringement of its trademark in 41 third-party Facebook apps in the Windows Phone store.
The apps there carry names like Facebook, Facebook* and Facebook++, which can easily confuse users, and one of them is even called Facebook WP8 beta, clearly vying for novice users searching for the official app.
Microsoft has an online systemfor companies to report trademark and copyright infringement in the Windows Phone app store.
The developers targeted by the Facebook letter have been given one business day to remove their app from the store, according to reports.
Presumably if they do not comply, Microsoft will take the apps down.
Windows 8 apps next?
Next on Facebook's hit list could be Windows 8, which also lacks an official Facebook app. Windows 8 has been installed on more than 100 million computers Microsoft said, so there is a demand for a Facebook app for the new interface. This has resulted in numerous third-party apps with names like Facebook Touch, Facebook Now, Facebook Friends, and so on.
Just as with the Windows Phone 8 unofficial apps, these are less-than-stellar efforts, receiving generally adequate ratings by users.
It wouldn't surprise us if the social networking giant also took offense at those apps when it is ready to launch an official Win 8 Facebook app.


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Anime and Basketball Collide in New Collection From Black Owned Streetwear Brand Hypland and National Basketball Association
February 19, 2023
It has been a busy two weekends for Los Angeles-based anime streetwear brand Hypland. On Super Bowl Sunday, Rapper Saweetie was seen rocking a custom Hypland’s X Hello Kitty Varsity Jacket. And now the brand has announced a special 8-team collaboration with the National Basketball Association during All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Owned by Jordan Bentley, Hypland has become a standout in the anime streetwear scene having collaborated with brands like Dragon Ball, Naruto, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Hello Kitty. The inspiration for this collection came from his love of anime and basketball, which Bentley blended together for this special launch. The full collection will be featured at a pop-up at the NBA crossover this weekend and will go on sale on Monday, February 20th, 2023 at 9 AM PST online at www.hypland.com.
Representing 8 teams (The Bulls, Celtics, Lakers, Suns, Raptors, Warriors, Wizards, and Nets) the collection will consist of graphic tee shirts, sweatshirts, varsity jackets and tapestry blankets ranging from $40 to $400. Additionally, the brand will be releasing a manga featuring each team’s mascot-themed hero as they fight to save the game of basketball. The Manga comes free with every purchase.
You can check out the entire collection at HYPLAND X NBA
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What counts as poverty in the NWT? Here’s one way it’s measured
In the NWT’s larger communities, a family of four would need at least $60,000 a year – but in some cases, $80,000 or more – to meet their basic needs.
That’s according to the NWT Bureau of Statistics’ market basket measure, used across Canada to measure low income based on how much a set “basket” of goods costs in each area.
The figurative basket includes food, clothing, transportation, shelter, and other expenses for a family with two adults and two children. The NWT has adjusted the clothing section of its basket to account for additional winter clothes, like parkas, that southerners don’t need.
If a family makes less than the basket costs, the bureau considers those people to be living in poverty.
Six communities are surveyed for the study: Fort Simpson, Fort Smith, Hay River, Inuvik, Norman Wells, and Yellowknife.
The 2018 figure – published in January this year – shows Yellowknife had the lowest cost of basic goods, with its market basket measure totalling just under $60,000.
In Norman Wells, however, a family of four needed an extra $22,000 for the same goods, which cost $82,336.
In the four years between 2015 and 2018, the cost of the basket in Yellowknife remained almost identical, increasing from $59,662 to $59,853.
However, there were significant increases elsewhere in the NWT over the same period.
In Fort Simpson, for example, the basket cost $5,000 more in 2018 ($69,336) than it did in 2015.
In 2018, the basket cost $60,911 in Fort Smith, $64,190 in Hay River, and $75,107 in Inuvik.
New income data
Bureau economic statistician Jeff Barichello said working out the cost is easy enough in Yellowknife, but gets harder as communities get smaller.
“We do a quarterly food price survey, so we go to the grocery stores to collect the prices of food,” he explained.
“Once you get to a smaller population it becomes more challenging to even collect the data … how do you measure something when maybe the information isn’t there? How do you measure the cost of housing if there is no market rent? Some of the really small communities may not even have a grocery store, so what is the cost of food?
“Then you have to look at their income and family size, and then compare their income to the adjusted thresholds,” Barichello said, explaining how the bureau calculates whether people can afford basic needs.
Understanding income in the NWT may be about to become easier, Barichello added, as the NWT Bureau of Statistics is working with Statistics Canada on new data.
“The income side comes from a very specific survey that [Statistics Canada] just started doing in the North last year,” he explained.
That information is expected to be published later in 2020. Combined with the market basket measure, the bureau hopes it will provide a clearer picture of how many families in the NWT are experiencing poverty.
Barichello said the federal report is also expected to estimate market basket costs in the NWT’s smaller communities, which currently aren’t covered. Federal statisticians will do so by adjusting market basket data from the territorial government to account for changes in geography and community size.


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Travel store opens second branch
A POPULAR Hinckley travel shop has opened a second store thanks to their on-going success.
Richard and Jo of R and J Associate Coach Travel first opened their travel shop on February 2 2007.
Having gone from strength to strength, the two partners decided it was time to expand and opened their second store on Saturday September 1.
The new store is at The Courtyard, 17 Bond Street, Nuneaton, just down from the train station.
The pair are encouraging customers to go along and visit the new store and pick up a brochure.
For more information you can contact the travel shop on 01455 444328.


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Electronics giant Samsung has warned that it expects to report a sharp fall in quarterly profit and painted a grim outlook amid tough competition and falling chip prices.
The warning from the South Korean company added to concerns about the wider tech sector after Apple shook world markets last week when it said it was set to miss its latest revenue target thanks to a slowdown in China.
Samsung said a "stagnant and fiercely competitive" mobile market had weighed on earnings as marketing spend rose but smartphone sales volumes remained flat.
It was now expecting to report operating profit of 10.8tn Korean won (£7.5bn) for the fourth quarter of 2018 - down 29% on a year earlier and missing analysts' expectations of 13.2tn won (£9.2bn).
Sales for the period were down more than 10% to 59tn won (£41bn).
Samsung added that it expected earnings to remain subdued in the first quarter of 2019, but to strengthen in the second half of the year.
Samsung is the world leader in smartphones and memory chips and has enjoyed record profits in recent years despite setbacks including the recall of handsets due to reports they were catching fire.
But it faces mounting competition from Chinese rivals such as Huawei producing quality devices at lower prices.
On Tuesday, Amazon eclipsed Microsoft and Apple to become the world's most valuable listed company.


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Pet Age Staff//June 21, 2023//
Pet Age Staff //June 21, 2023//
Press release: Petaluma
Premier Rugby Sevens (PR7s), the highest professional level of rugby sevens in the United States, recently announced that Oakland-based Petaluma will sponsor the Golden State Retrievers for the 2023 season. Petaluma, a sustainable dog nutrition brand that launched in 2019, will be the jersey sponsor for the Retrievers men’s and women’s teams. This exciting partnership marks Petaluma’s first collaboration with a professional sports team and will include a series of cross-promotional content and brand-tailored activations.
“The connection between Petaluma, as a mission-driven dog food company, and the Golden State Retrievers goes beyond the team’s mascot. We deeply believe in the mission behind Premier Rugby Sevens, and as a former collegiate rugby player myself, I have a soft spot for the sport,” said Garrett Wymore, co-founder and CEO of Petaluma. “The league’s approach to equity for its athletes and staff is a shared value for Petaluma, and we’re honored to be a part of the Retrievers’ expansion season for the men’s and women’s teams.”
As an expansion franchise in PR7s, the Retrievers will host the 2023 Western Conference Finals tournament at PayPal Park in San Jose on Saturday, July 15. Petaluma and PR7s will also activate a series of content collaborations as part of the partnership. The PR7s tournaments will be available to watch via CBS Sports and FS1 in the United States. Each tournament includes eight 14-minute games, rotating between the men’s and women’s competitions on the same day.
“At PR7s, we believe in partnering with mission-based companies, and Petaluma is leading the way for sustainability in the pet industry,” said Owen Scannell, CEO of Premier Rugby Sevens. “As the Retrievers inaugural jersey partner, we plan to bring exposure to both brands in creative ways throughout the Bay Area and nationally this season.”
PR7s will crown a men’s and women’s winner at each tournament while building towards a 2023 PR7s Championship, where one franchise will take home the 2023 PR7s United Championship – an unprecedented prize that combines the men’s and women’s results. Additionally, the last men’s team standing will take home the A. Jon Prusmack Cup, and the women’s prize is the Kathy Flores Cup, honoring two major pioneers in American rugby.
Founded by Garrett Wymore and Caroline Buck in 2019, Petaluma is a sustainable dog nutrition brand with an ambitious goal to challenge the pet food industry’s reliance on animal agriculture. Petaluma first launched its gently oven-baked dog food in July 2021 before expanding into treats less than a year later. The mission-driven brand replaces resource-intensive animal ingredients with plant-based alternatives that require far less land, water, and greenhouse gas emissions. Backed by science and formulated by veterinarians, Petaluma provides all the nutrients dogs need for a healthy and balanced diet. As a public benefit corporation, Petaluma is a certified B Corporation, Climate Neutral Certified and a member of 1% for the Planet. Petaluma is currently based in Oakland, California.


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LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. (NEWS10) – In a shifting calendar for a post-COVID summer, another new event got lined up this week for this season in the village.
The inaugural Lake George BBQ Festival was announced, set for Aug. 13-15 from 2-6 p.m. in Charles R. Wood Park, near the Lake George Steamboat Company.
Barbeque offerings from nationally-praised vendors will be headed to town, with a full list of vendors forthcoming.
In addition to food, craft beer and wine and area bands will entertain through the weekend. A marketplace space will be set up with wines, foods and craft items for sale.
The festival will be the same weekend as this year’s LARAC Arts Festival in Glens Falls, pushed back to August from its usual weekend in June.


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With Cryptocurrency soaring, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to envision a world without them. Crypto’s emergence surged during the pandemic, as with many other facets of technology and society.
But what’s next?
What Does the Future Hold for Cryptocurrencies?
Institutional Cryptocurrency Adoption Expanded
In 2021, mainstream companies from various industries have expressed interest in cryptocurrency and blockchain and have even invested millions.
AMC, for example, just announced that before the end of the year, it could take Bitcoin payments. PayPal is banking on cryptocurrency by allowing consumers to buy it on their platforms.
Even though Tesla owns billions in cryptocurrency, the firm continues to waver on whether or not it will accept Bitcoin payments. This type of buying is expected to become more common among experts.
This Means That There Will Be More Institutional Adoption for Investors
If more merchants start accepting payments in cryptocurrency, people may see its value and use it more often.
Still, more institutional acceptance could open up more use cases for common people, affecting crypto pricing.
Nothing is sure, but if you acquire cryptocurrencies as a long-term store of wealth, the more “real world” applications it has, the higher the demand and value will be.
Adopting Crypto as Legal Payment
Bitcoin, Ethereum, Binance Coin, and Cardano have reached new all-time highs in the past few months. Athletes are now being paid in cryptocurrency, card companies are enabling crypto settlements, huge financial institutions are adding crypto to their portfolios, and even governments are adopting crypto as legal payment.
Remember: to buy bitcoin in Dubai and any other part of the world, you need a secure exchange with risk-free transactions and the best rates.
Is Stablecoin the New Answer?
Stablecoins have increased in popularity as a way to support bitcoin with assets that have real worth, similar to how the US dollar was once backed by gold. Other currencies, commodities, or anything else could be used as assets.
For example, people in countries with weak currencies may be better off investing in Bitcoin rather than local equities and bonds.
The future of cryptocurrency is still evolving. There is a divide between those who see great potential in something and those who see only the risks involved. There will be immense situations shortly where cryptocurrencies could be useful.
So, what are you waiting for? Buy and sell bitcoin in Dubai at the best exchange rates.


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"Season 1" aired today to ring in the new year.
Not long ago, TYPE-MOON teased a new animated project for its annual New Year's Eve showcase. Fans guessed that the project, codenamed FGC on the website, would be Fate/Grand Carnival — and those suspicions proved true! Not only that, the new special will get a home video release next year in Japan, as well as a second part.
The new special, a continuation of popular TYPE-MOON crossover Carnival Phantasm, brings in Mash, girl-type Ritsuka Fujimaru (known to fans as "Gudako"), and more favorite characters for a half-hour special. At the end of the special, it was revealed that fans had just watched "Season 1" of the new project... with "Season 2" coming to DVD and Blu-ray next year.
Today's special will be released as "Season 1" on June 6, and will include a cover drawn by the animation director, a memorial booklet, and a CD of the opening theme, "Super ☆ Affection." "Season 2" (another half-hour episode) will be released on August 25, and will include similar extras. Pre-ordering the two releases as a set will net fans a variety of bonus goods, like tapestries and charms, to be revealed at a later date.


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Online gaming is just some harmless fun, a way to pass the time or hang with friends. Right? Unfortunately, for some, Internet game addiction has taken a darker turn as shown in an upcoming HBO documentary—“Love Child.”
Exploring the tragic consequences and dangers of online gaming for one young, South Korean couple and their baby, the “Love Child” documentary will no doubt contribute to society’s ongoing discussion of how technology is changing us for the good and for the bad. A thorough discussion on addiction and substance abuse in general can also contribute to a great research paper topic.
The story behind the “Love Child” documentary
A South Korean couple were arrested in March 2010 after their three-month-old baby starved to death. The reason for the parents’ neglect? They were heavily involved with online gaming. “‘Love Child’ Examines Death Linked to Game Addiction” posted by Jeyup S. Kwaak January 10, 2014, on The Wall Street Journal’s blog, shared more details.
The couple actually made their living through the online role-playing game. They had met online, and looked to that world for acceptance when their parents did not approve of their marriage. Part of the game they were involved in included caring for an online child. Gaming is extremely popular in South Korea, with “PC bang,” or PC rooms (communal cyber cafés), everywhere. The husband received a two-year sentence, while the wife (who was pregnant with their second child) received a three-year suspended sentence.
Kwaak wrote, “In South Korea, equipped with the world’s fastest broadband connection, videogame addiction has been a nationwide debate for years. Last year, an addiction law introduced in parliament included videogames alongside alcohol, drugs and gambling.”
Online gaming a growing epidemic
Internet gaming addition is a huge and growing problem in South Korea. As a result, the country has begun to focus more on the dangers of online gaming. According to a July 9, 2014, post, “Documentary ‘Love Child’ to Premiere July 28 on HBO,” by Sara Bibel on the website, TV by the Numbers, “A reported two million people suffer from gaming addiction in South Korea.” The case against the couple marked the first involving Internet addiction. The couple were deemed to be mentally ill as a result of their addiction to online gaming, so they received more lenient sentences.
The HBO documentary aims to raise awareness around the issue of online gaming addiction, which has worldwide reach. Bibel also wrote that there is a movement in the United States to have an entry for Internet addiction added to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
While the “Love Child” documentary is sure to spark conversation among fans of online gaming, as well as its detractors, one game creator has already weighed in. Dong Nguyen, the man behind the popular Flappy Bird app, released in 2013, apparently became concerned about the addictive nature of the game. He made the decision in early 2014 to pull the game. Fans of the game were very upset, and Nguyen even received death threats.
“Trending: Rachel Kilroy: Creator Says His Game Too Addictive” a post to News Sentinel February 15, 2014, shared more about Nguyen’s decision and its consequences. The article stated, “When a game is easy to play, it will be tempting for some people to play in certain situations that could be dangerous, such as when walking or driving.” The article also added, “Nguyen made a smart, selfless decision by pulling the app.”
Although Nguyen’s game was a different style of game from the one behind the HBO documentary “Love Child,” the dangers of online gaming are the same no matter what is being played—a disengagement from reality to the detriment of yourself or others.
What are the dangers of online gaming? Do you think Internet game addiction is a real problem? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.


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NationalCreditReport.com advises consumers to check their credit report at least quarterly, especially for those working on raising their credit score, to identify any inaccuracies and to view their credit as potential lenders see it.
Delray Beach, FL (Vocus/PRWEB) April 13, 2011
NationalCreditReport.com®, a leader in credit report, credit score and credit monitoring services, reminds consumers that when they're doing their taxes and have their finances at their fingertips, is also a smart time and a good reminder to check their credit reports and scores.
"NationalCreditReport advises consumers to check their credit report at least quarterly, especially for those working on raising their credit score, to identify any inaccuracies and to view their credit as potential lenders see it. We think tax season is a logical time to do it because finances are already top-of-mind," said, Samuel S. Ambrose, Vice President of Marketing & Operations for NationalCreditReport.com. "Since a credit score is like a bird's-eye view at one's finances, checking their credit now is an easy step for the consumer to include in their tax time routine because they're already thinking about their financial situation."
NationalCreditReport recently launched a new product offering that allows consumers to simply buy their credit reports with no trial of a credit monitoring service. This one simple transaction does not include automatic enrollment in any free trial or recurring billing subscription programs. This ensures that the consumer does not have to be bothered by having to call and cancel and no monthly credit card charges.
According to Ambrose, an easy transaction like this fits nicely into one's tax time routine because it doesn't require any further action or follow up on the part of the consumer. "Even for people not aiming at raising their credit score, it's a good idea to check their credit report to make sure that there is no unauthorized activity that might turn out to be identity theft or surprise inquiries by lenders," said Ambrose.
Since 2004, NationalCreditReport.com has specialized in providing credit information and credit monitoring services to consumers to help them understand their credit report and score. NationalCreditReport.com is the only company in the credit report industry that places its main focus on allowing customers to buy a credit report with no trial of a credit monitoring service. NationalCreditReport.com encourages consumers to check their credit report on a regular basis.