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After only two phones, Samsung may decide to discontinue the Fan Edition line. Samsung's "FE" (Fan Edition) line of cheap flagships appears to be discontinued.
Samsung's approach of combining a flagship CPU, a great camera, and simple software — all neatly packaged in luxury design without emptying buyers' pockets — was highly enticing. Apple has been doing something similar with its SE iPhones, albeit at a far lower price and with more obvious sacrifices.
The Galaxy FE, or Fan Edition, is a stripped-down version of the company's flagship phones that offers the flagship experience at a lower cost. The Galaxy S21 FE, which was released earlier this year, was the most recent in the series, and if rumors are to be believed, the Galaxy S22 FE may never be released at all.
According to Sammobile, the South Korean firm may opt not to expand its inexpensive flagship phone portfolio any further.
According to the magazine, the incoming phone was intended to have the model number SM-S900, based on earlier reports. Those expecting a Galaxy S22 FE since the ordinary Galaxy S22 flagships are out of their price range may be disappointed.
According to SamMobile, the Galaxy S22 FE project has been canceled, and no preliminary model number for the phone has been discovered in any Samsung database or code inventory.
While the story doesn't go into detail about why this decision was made, it does say that many sources have confirmed that the Fan Edition is no longer available. If this is accurate, the Galaxy FE line will be discontinued after only two phones - the Galaxy S20 FE and Galaxy S21FE - are released.
This is in sharp contrast to speculations that surfaced a few weeks ago claiming that the business would employ a Mediatek processor in one of its flagship phones for the first time. in March Samsung revealed that Samsung is likely to use MediaTek Dimensity 9000 in the upcoming Galaxy S22 FE.
While this story hinted at MediaTek's growing importance, it remained unclear if it will replace Samsung's Exynos SoC or Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipset in the range.
A Special edition that was created only for fans
The only reason Samsung would consider canceling the Galaxy FE series is due to a lack of sales. Ideally, the FE series was supposed to bridge the gap between the flagship range and the mass-market smartphones.
The S20 FE was favorably reviewed because of the powerful Snapdragon 865 CPU, as well as a good set of cameras and general performance.
While this should have given any confidence to the company to release its successor, the Galaxy S21 FE was significantly delayed owing to the chipset scarcity and Covid-19-induced lockdowns, causing the total launch timetable to be impacted.
Because the Galaxy S22 range debuted shortly after the S21 FE, the phone didn't have a large enough window to make an effect.
That said, it would be strange if Samsung decided to discontinue the line owing to a single phone's poor performance. However, it's possible that the business is shifting its emphasis to the foldable phones that will be released in the second part of the year.
Infinix Smart 8 HD Set to Launch in India on December 8
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Apple Watch Ultra Prototype: FCC Images Unveil Black Ceramic Back
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Fastrack Reflex 3.0: A Digital Unisex-Adult Watch
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Samsung Galaxy A35 Leaks: Design Insights
Prior to the Samsung Galaxy A35's official release, OnLeaks published exclusive images of the device, giving viewers a preview of its design and standout features.
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Unveiling the iQOO 12: Key Specs revealed for Upcoming India Launch
The key specifications of the iQOO 12 indicate an exciting debut in India, with much-anticipated features and advancements to improve smartphone experience.
22-Nov-2023 03:27 AM


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Report: Yahoo mulling $50M deal for video app maker Qwiki
Yahoo is in talks to acquire mobile video application developer Qwiki for as much as $50 million, All Things D reports.
Sources close to Yahoo said the company is in advanced negotiations with Qwiki, whose free Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS app automatically groups the best photos and videos on the user's phone, combining them with captions, music and other effects to create mini-movies optimized for sharing via email, SMS or social media. Qwiki has raised more than $10 million from investors including Lerer Ventures, Lightbank and Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) co-founder Eduardo Saverin.
AllThingsD reports Yahoo is also exploring a deal to purchase Xobni, which offers the Smartr Contacts address book apps for iOS and Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android as well as contact management tools supporting platforms like Yahoo Mail, Google's Gmail and Apple's iCloud. Insiders said Yahoo is offering between $30 million and $40 million, less than the more than $40 million Xobni has raised from investors like First Round Capital, Baseline Ventures and Khosla Ventures--sources added that Yahoo has offered a better deal than other Xobni suitors and represents the most organic fit given its messaging efforts.
Yahoo, Qwiki and Xobni did not respond to requests for comment.
Yahoo has been on a spending spree since former Google exec Marissa Mayer took over as CEO in mid-2012. In addition to snapping up social networking platform Tumblr for $1.1 billion in cash, Yahoo has recently acquired mobile-focused startups including Summly, Jybe, Alike, Stamped and Astrid. Last week, the company also completed a deal for GhostBird Software, the startup behind iOS photo applications KitCam and PhotoForge, a move to expand its Flickr photo-sharing platform, which Yahoo acquired in 2005 for a reported $35 million.
Mobile is one of Mayer's four key focus areas, alongside search, display and video. Researcher Onavo Insights reports apps like Yahoo, Yahoo Mail, Yahoo Weather and Flickr all posted significant user gains in May 2013, indicating Mayer's aggressive mobile push is paying dividends.
Yahoo scoops up iOS photo app maker GhostBird Software to boost Flickr
Yahoo revamps Flickr for Android, offers free terabyte of photo storage
Yahoo buys Tumblr for $1.1 billion in bid for social media relevance
Yahoo continues mobile shopping spree, buys Astrid to-do app
Yahoo pulls the plug on Messenger, Mail apps for feature phones
Yahoo: We now have 300 million mobile monthly users

domain: news


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The deal is Amazon's largest acquisition to date. Zappos' investors, who were reportedly eager to cash-in, despite the company's inspiring performance through the recession, will receive 10m Amazon shares, worth $888m.
An additional $40m in cash will be paid out to Zappos employees.
Zappos was launched in 1999 by Hsieh, who modelled the company after Amazon. It is backed by venture capital fund Sequoia, best known for its early investments with internet giants Google, YouTube, PayPal and Yahoo!.
The company will continue to operate as a separate brand to Amazon, which also runs its own online shoe business, Endless, launched in 2007 and allegedly copied from Zappos' own business model.
Zappos grossed nearly $1bn in merchandise sales last year and is known for its cult like following among customers, and in turn, for its attentive approach to customer service.
The company offers free shipping for its products, with an open returns policy, and is a leader among retailers for embracing social networking -- the company has more than one million followers on Twitter.
Bezos, on YouTube (video announcement below), said: "I get weak-kneed when I see a customer obsessed company, and Zappos certainly is that."
In a letter to employees, also posted on Twitter, Hsieh wrote: "We've been on friendly terms with Amazon for many years, as they have always been interested in Zappos and have always had a great respect for our brand.
"Several months ago, they reached out to us and said they wanted to join forces with us so that we could accelerate the growth of our business, our brand, and our culture.
"When they said they wanted us to continue to build the Zappos brand (as opposed to folding us into Amazon), we decided it was worth exploring what a partnership would look like."
The deal is set to close by fall. Amazon said Zappos management set-up will remain as it is. Zappos is the latest in a number of acquisitions for Amazon, which has purchased other online firms, such as IMDb and Alexa.


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Some new cars have special problems, including animal invasions. For instance, Mazda has had to recall 65,000 new cars because of an infestation of spiders in the hoses leading to their gas tanks.
People who drive a Prius (or other hybrid car) can be a bit boring at times. But despite their obsession with the mileage they’re getting, sometime THEY get a little bored too, with their polite, docile QUIET cars. Some people have suggested adding an artificial sport car sound to them. Now hybrid owners have a new excuse to do this: complaints that these silent cars are sneaking up on pedestrians (especially blind ones) because they don’t give them enough warning to get out of the way.


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Here's a decent idea: Nintendo is rolling out a barebones, $99.99 Wii Mini to pick up any stragglers who didn't buy one of the 97 million Wiis sold to date. Here's a bad idea: Nintendo may only release the Wii Mini in Canada in time for the holidays.
To be fair, this is perhaps not how Nintendo wanted to unveil its new hardware — the existence of the Wii Mini was revealed by a blog article posted by Best Buy. The post spills the beans: the Wii Mini will enjoy an "introductory price" of $99.99 that includes a sensor bar, red MotionPlus controller and Nunchuk, though it lacks an Internet connection or the ability to play Gamecube games, and lands on December 7 in Canada.
Just Canada, so far — you'd figure Nintendo would strike while the iron's hot during the holidays, but instead the company appears to be testing the waters before fully committing.
What do you think? As someone who never picked up the Wii (plenty of people in my life have one, so I never felt the need), I'd be tempted to check out the Wii Mini at $99. Not a dollar above $99, mind you, if that introductory price ever lifts. To my mind, as it's lacking any kind of Internet connectivity — something that the Wii handled poorly to begin with, but which also cuts you off from a lot of features — Nintendo would be really pushing it to try for more than $99.
Then again, as Techland's Matt Peckham points out, a full-bodied Wii bundled with Wii Sports and Sports Resort costs only $30 more at $130. Perhaps Nintendo will soon transition from a Wi-Fi-enabled model of the Wii to one without, but right now, the Mini doesn't make a lot of sense.


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api – anonima petroli italiana S.p.A., Italian leading company in the oil and energy industry, is looking for graphic designers to be involved in the creation of the new layout of IP’s CartaMaxima, a fuel card devoted to Companies and Business fleets. CartaMaxima is not just a simple fuel card, but a world of services and benefits devoted to commercial vehicles users and company fleet drivers. A new value-in-use, that the card must tell through a brand new design.
Designers are asked to create the new layout of CartaMaxima, a layout able to express to its target market its new value-in-use and international positioning. api asks designers to develop n° 2 layout proposals:
- One of free invention in colours, mood and lettering.
- One that have to recall the current visual, using the same color coding and lettering.
PRIZES AND VISIBILITY
- 1° Prize: €1.500
As well as the cash prize, the winning proposal could become the OFFICIAL LAYOUT of IP’s CartaMaxima.
Find all the details and the official brief on Shicon.com
Contest ends on March the 13th 2012, 23.59 (Italian time).


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Your comments on our articles.
"We kind of like the idea of taking her story forward from this point."
Crystal Dynamics' latest Tomb Raider hit shelves yesterday amid general critical enthusiasm. As our own review
observes, it's an accomplished, beautifully put-together action-adventure that "pays tribute" to a classic while striking out in a new direction.... read more


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Are You A Gamer, Yet?
“There are over a billion gamers in the world, but there are 8 billion people. Someday everybody’s going to be a gamer,” said Jensen Huang, in a recent interview with Katie Tarasov, a senior producer at CNBC.
In an exclusive interaction with AIM, Huang admitted that AI has actually made gaming better, and gaming has made AI better. “We used AI to revolutionise computer graphics, graphics enabled AI, and now AI is saving graphics.”
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial


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Early reports from FTR on trailer order activity for March show that while orders declined by 16% from the month before, they remain historically strong.
FTR is projecting 27,500 trailer orders for the month, down from 32,000 the month before. However, trailer orders were still at the highest level for March since 2014 and up 34% from the same month a year ago.
Trailer orders for the past 12 months have totaled 328,000 orders, according to FTR.
“Even as orders decline, this remains a stout month of orders for the trailer industry,” said Don Ake, FTR vice president of commercial vehicles. “Some dry van OEMs are running out of 2018 production slots, so we should see orders take their typical swoon in the summer months.”
FTR expects trailer backlogs to increase slightly as build rates also increase in the coming months. 2018 is shaping up to be another banner year for the trailer industry, Ake added. FTR attributes the historic trailer orders to an increase in freight growth. Fleets are ordering more equipment to address the high freight demand.
“The ELD conversion and driver shortage are just exacerbating an already tight capacity market,” said Ake. “Fleets need more trailers now and orders placed for Q4 delivery means they expect the freight surge to continue for a while - a good sign for the economy.”


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1. The Eighth Consultation between the ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) and the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan was held in Ha Noi, Viet Nam on 12 September 2001. The Consultation was co-chaired by H.E. Mr. Vu Khoan, Minister of Trade of Viet Nam and H.E. Mr. Takeo Hiranuma, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan.
ASEAN-JAPAN TRADE AND INVESTMENT RELATIONS
2. The Ministers exchanged views on recent developments in ASEAN and Japan. The Ministers noted that ASEAN exports to Japan grew by 38.1 % from USS 37 billion in 1999 to US$ 52 billion in 2000 while imports grew by 19.7% from US$ 51 billion to US$ 62 billion for the same period. Both ASEAN and Japan recognised the importance of further promoting bilateral trade and investment between both parties.
3. The Ministers further noted that despite positive economic growth and optimism in ASEAN in year 2000, there is a consensus that these would be tempered by a number of downside risks this year, in particular the slowing down of the global economy.
4. ASEAN informed Japan of some of the measures she is taking to counter the effect of the global economy slowdown including the acceleration of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), ASEAN Investment Area (AIA), e-ASEAN initiative and the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI). Japan also briefed the ASEAN Ministers on the measures she is taking to restructure and revitalise her economy.
ASEAN-JAPAN ECONOMIC COOPERATION INITIATIVES
5. H.E. Mr. Cham Prasidh, Minister of Commerce, Cambodia and H.E. Mr. Takeo Hiranuma, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan as Co-Chairs of the AEM-METI Economic and Industrial Cooperation Committee (AMEICC) briefed the Ministers on the outcome of the Fourth AMEICC Meeting in Ha Noi, Viet Nam, held on the same day. The Ministers noted with appreciation that the projects under AMEICC have been implemented in a timely and effective manner, in particular, the strengthening of the Centers of Excellence (COEs) in ASEAN and their networking, and the dispatch of experts and deployment of equipment to COEs in the new member countries of ASEAN.
6. The Ministers noted and welcomed the results of the Overall ASEAN Industrial Competitiveness Study conducted by the Institute of Developing Economies (IDE -JETRO) of Japan.
ASEAN-JAPAN Closer Economic Partnership (CEP) Experts Group
7. Pursuant to the decision of the 7th AEM-METI consultation in Chiang Mai, Thailand to conduct an economic integration study on ASEAN-Japan, the Ministers endorsed the terms of reference and the establishment of the ASEAN-Japan CEP Experts Group. They tasked the Experts Group to report the outcome of its Study to the next AEM-METI consultation in 2002,
8. The Ministers welcomed the successful cooperation in energy matters through the SOME-METI Consultation and expressed the hope that the cooperation would be deepened further.
New Cooperation Initiatives
9. The ASEAN Ministers welcomed Japan’s new Initiatives to support the development of local industries in the new ASEAN member countries and to support the development of standards and conformance system in ASEAN.
LIST OF MINISTERS
The meeting was attended by:
- H.E. Mr. Vu Khoan, Minister of Trade, Vietnam;
- H.E. Pehin Dato Abdul Rahman Taib, Minister of Industry and Primary Resources, Brunei Darussalam;
- H.E. Mr. Cham Prasidh, Minister of Commerce, Cambodia;
- H.E. Ms. Rini M.S. Soewandi, Minister of Industry and Trade, Indonesia;
- H.E. Mr. Takeo Hiranuma, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan;
- H.E. Soulivong Daravong, Minister of Industry and Handicrafts, Lao PDR;
- H.E. Dato’ Seri Rafidah Aziz, Minister of International Trade and Industry, Malaysia;
- H.E. Brigadier General David 0. Abel, Minister at the Office of the Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council, Myanmar;
- H.E. Dr. Thomas G. Aquino, Undersecretary of Trade and Industry, Philippines;
- H.E. Brigadier General (NS) George Yeo, Minister for Trade and Industry, Singapore;
- H.E. Mr. Adisai Bodharamik , Minister of Commerce, Thailand; and
- H .E. Mr. Rodolfo C. Severino, Jr. , Secretary General of ASEAN.


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Ecommerce company Catch Group continues to push ahead with its geographic and product expansion, today launching its Catch of the Day platform in New Zealand.
Catch Group has partnered with Optus to launch mobile service Catch Connect as it looks to further boost its offering after its rebrand of flagship marketplace Catch of the Day last year.
Catch Group and Lux Group have today announced the swapping of several assets and the creation of a new joint venture in a bid to streamline each of their offerings.
Catch Group has announced that it will be expanding its Catch (no longer ‘of the day’) offering offline, with the introduction of a bricks-and-mortar store.
Catch Group has launched Bon Voyage, a platform allowing travellers to find and book luxury travel experiences.
Catch Group has announced the rebranding of Catch of the Day and relaunch of the platform, as the business looks to expand into New Zealand.
Catch Group has announced today its acquisition of troubled trans-Tasman childrenswear retailer Pumpkin Patch, with its focus on reviving the brand online.
Ecommerce company Catch Group has announced the launch of Club Catch, an Amazon Prime-style membership for its leading platform CatchoftheDay, that will give members access to discounts, free delivery, and prioritised dispatch for delivery within one to two days.


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£17m Covid-19 Grant Funding Unclaimed By Small Businesses
Over £28m has been awarded to eligible small businesses, shop owners and leisure organisations in Babergh and Mid Suffolk since the launch of the Government’s Small Business Grant and Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants at the end of March.
The aim of the grants is to support businesses with ongoing costs though the COVID-19 crisis, and so far, over 2,500 businesses have received their grants of either £10k or £25k.
Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils estimate that approximately 1,300 businesses and organisations have yet to claim the grants that they are entitled too and are urging small businesses and shop owners, those in the hospitality industry and leisure sector, as well as organisations such as sports clubs, community buildings and village hall committees who pay business rates to find out if they are eligible for the grant.
Cllr Michael Holt, Babergh District Council’s Cabinet Member for Economic Growth said: “The Government’s business grant scheme has provided much needed financial support to many of our small businesses, but we are concerned that a proportion of our qualifying businesses have not yet completed the online application form and supplied us with their details to claim their grant.”
Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils are responsible for payment of these grants and have written to all eligible businesses and are in the process of contacting the remaining businesses by telephone to encourage them to apply for the grant.
Cllr Gerard Brewster, Mid Suffolk Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economic Growth said: “These grants are there to help businesses with ongoing costs through the coronavirus crisis and will not need to be repaid. I urge small businesses, community building and village hall committees, and those in retail, hospitality and leisure to apply for these grants. All businesses should also seek advice about the financial support that may be available to them.”
The Small Business Grant and Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants are available to those businesses who receive small business rate relief, rural rate relief or have a business premises with a rateable value of less that £51,000. To access the grants, businesses must complete an online form to confirm their eligibility and payment details.
It appears that a significant number of businesses located on industrial estates and business parks have not yet applied; possibly because they have not received the direct communications to these premises.
Additional funding and financial support packages are available for businesses who cannot claim the small business grants. These include a new scheme from New Anglia LEP totalling over £10m to support businesses and economic growth in Suffolk and Norfolk, while the Government has announced a Bounce Back Loan scheme for small businesses which will provide loans of up to £50,000 which are interest free for 12 months.
Businesses can search use the Government’s Business Support Finder tool for a breakdown of all the financial support available while trained advisers at the New Anglia Growth Hub can provide advice and guidance on a range of matters.
Business owners who have not been contacted by Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils and believe they are eligible for either of the grants, can find out more or submit details online: www.babergh.gov.uk / www.midsuffolk.gov.uk.


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What more could any reporter ask for here in the “Motor City?” There’s been a lot of news to cover in the last few years. But, it’s even more exciting now, because I’m covering the re-birth of one of the nation’s most important industries.
I get to talk with people who make the industry run, and get to drive some really cool vehicles…including some of those concept cars that you see at the auto show each year. Of course, I’m at the North American International Auto Show every year…but I’ve also covered shows in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Frankfurt, Germany. My work is regularly heard on CBS Radio Network.
You can hear my reports on WWJ Newsradio 950 at any time. But, I also host “The Car Chronicles,” which runs every afternoon on WWJ. You may also hear my weekly “Car Chronicles” feature on CBS Radio Network affiliates around the country. I also write many of the auto industry related stories you see on this web site. And, I’m even starting to dabble in video.
I’ve covered a lot of stories in nearly four decades in broadcasting. Among them: The 1981 Reagan Inaguration and 1993 Clinton Inauguration, the 1992 and 2004 GOP Conventions, the first World Trade Center bombing and the 1987 plane crash at Detroit Metro Airport. I’ve even covered some big sports stories, including Super Bowl XL, and the 2004 Rose Bowl. I got to see history being made when I became–as far as I know– the only reporter to visit all three sites, in the 24 hours after the September 11, 2001 “Attack On America.”
I’ve also received more than my share of broadcasting awards. The number is well over a hundred, including: the National Headliner Award, the Ohio State University Award, The International Automotive Media “Moto” Award, and the Gold and Bronze Medals from the International Radio Festival of New York. I’ve also been honored sixteen times by the Michigan Associated Press Broadcasters as the top radio reporter in Detroit.
I’m also one of the fifty “jurors” who get to vote on the North Amercian Car and Truck of The Year Awards.
I’m married to Dr. Cheryl Kovalski, who is an Oncologist/Hematologist here in Metro Detroit. We live in Northville with our son Christopher, who was born in 1995.
I invite you to follow me on Twitter @jefferygilbert.
Car companies look to the land and sea as they come up with interesting ideas for the SEMA aftermarket show.
SEMA — Specialty Equipment Market Association — is a group dedicated to the aftermarket, which can range from small customization, to big engines.
Chrysler sales jump 11 percent. Company expects October annual sales rate of 15.7 million.
CEO vows to learn from mistakes. Still, Chrysler earned 464 million in 3rd quarter, 22 percent more than last year.
GM earns 698, million, after one time charges. Pre tax earnings jump to $2.6 billion.
Consumer Reports drops several vehicles from its “recommended” list.
While white remains the most popular car color, it looks like blue has become the emerging color of the year.
Bi-fuel Chevrolet Impala will be on the market next year. General Motors isn’t talking about a price.
Ford builds new Asia plants to prepare for expected growth.
Ford sales were up 6 percent in September. Chrysler sales rose 1 percent. Total industry is expected to be down about 5 percent.


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After aggressively promoting its new social media platform Lemon8 in the US, Chinese-owned ByteDance’s Lemon has filed a trademark for a range of book publishing products and services, 8TH NOTE PRESS.
The brand name called 8TH NOTE PRESS offers an interesting insight into ByteDance’s apparent e-publishing ambitions. The list of products and services registered for 8TH NOTE PRESS includes: an application for reading, downloading and discussing fiction in an online community; retail bookstore services; ordering books in audio, printed and digital formats; publication of e-books, audio books and physical books; and the provision of online non-downloadable fiction and non-fiction books.
Publishing and distributing books seems like a logical step for ByteDance given TikTok’s success in bringing book lovers to Bookcross under the hashtag #BookTok on the short video platform. ByteDance posted record profits last year, but TikTok itself suffered huge losses and the company is likely looking for new ways to monetize its hundreds of millions of users overseas. It’s likely that the company is using TikTok to direct users to a potential book app — as was the case with Lemon8.
If ByteDance jumps into e-publishing, how will it compete with industry giant Amazon in publishing and distributing books? ByteDance’s strength in the book space lies in its offering of social networking applications where authors and fans can communicate directly and readers can share their thoughts with others.
E-books are no stranger to ByteDance. In 2020, the company acquired about 11% of Chinese e-book reader Yuewen. The company also operates one of the most popular web novel apps in China, Tomato Novel. In 2021, she attempted to launch an English-language web fiction app called Mytopia, covering the romance, horror, and fantasy genres.


text: 7 October 2019 A quick guide to your personal data for Stay Smart Online Week 2019 Stay Smart Online Week is an annual event focused on empowering people, businesses and the community to protect themselves online. 11 February 2019 Warning about 'emergency' text messages Scamwatch is warning members of the public about a spate of text messages asking for emergency assistance. 11 September 2014 Indigenous consumers, watch out for scams – the top scams reported SCAMwatch is urging Indigenous consumers, especially those living in rural and remote communities, to be on the lookout for scammers trying to trick you into handing over your personal details or money. 7 August 2008 Inheritance scam in your letterbox The Australian community is warned to be wary of inheritance scam letters from scammers. 28 November 2006 A personal request from “The Reserve Bank of Australia”? Not likely! Scammers often use the names of non-existent realistic sounding institutions like “the Federal Bank of South Africa” or “the European Consumer Protection Bureau”.


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By: Rick Stein, Vice President, Fresh Foods, Food Marketing Institute
You’re on your way home from work and realize you didn’t plan anything for dinner. As panic starts to set in you realize you have to make a choice—do you stop off at the grocery store to pick up some quick meal solutions or do you go out to eat?
New research from FMI and Technomic, The Sophistication of Supermarket Fresh Prepared Foods, finds that as supermarkets become increasingly skilled in food service, this decision for shoppers becomes more complex. The study details the sophistication of supermarket fresh prepared foods among 28 banners, representing 8,000 stores, and substantiates the $15 billion growth of supermarket fresh prepared foods over the last eight years. The study finds that most stores (64 percent) witnessed 2014 prepared foods category growth of nine percent or higher.
Here are the top 10 in-depth findings from the report.
1. Supermarket fresh prepared foods grew by an annual rate of 10.4 percent between 2006 and 2014 making it one of the highest performing segments in the entire food industry.
2. While only 8 percent of responding supermarkets reported total store sales growth of more than 5 percent in 2014, 69 percent reported that same level of growth (or much higher) in their prepared foods department.
3. Clear lines of delineation can be observed between supermarket chains based on their prepared foods strategies and execution.
4. Professionally-trained chefs are being tasked with contemporizing the prepared foods menus of leading supermarket chains and 88 percent of banners now employ a corporate executive chef.
5. Significant numbers of supermarkets are now offering in-store amenities such as café seating, Wi-Fi, and adult beverage sampling to complement their prepared foods programs.
6. In an attempt to replicate a restaurant-style experience, 23 percent of responding supermarkets report having re-modeled deli departments in the past three years.
7. Managing a deli profit and loss is commonplace, but 43 percent of responding supermarkets indicate that they also manage a separate prepared foods profit and loss.
8. Another sign of increasing sophistication is supermarkets’ reduction in prepared foods SKUs (over half offer fewer than 50 items) while still accommodating the shopper desire for variety.
9. While prepared foods growth rates can be expected to stabilize, the segment will continue to be considered high-growth in comparison to virtually all other retail food and traditional foodservice segments.
10. Prepared foods competition will intensify as most leading supermarkets make continuing long-term investments and as traditional foodservice operators (namely restaurants) aggressively counter this threat to their business.
For the full study and more research on fresh foods in food retail, visit www.fmi.org/FreshFoods.


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Tech giants have defended their policies on helping UK customers to avoid falling victim to fraudsters in disclosures to a committee of MPs, amid concern over a surge in scams.
Google, Facebook, Amazon and eBay wrote in response to a request from Mel Stride, chair of the Treasury select committee, outlining measures to counter the blight of online fraud.
The committee had asked the tech groups how much they had taken in advertising payments from UK public bodies including the Financial Conduct Authority for advertising to warn the public of the risk of scams, and any compensation they had offered those bodies for the costs of advertising.
Tech groups have come under greater scrutiny in the fight against online fraud as the incidence of scams has soared in the pandemic.
“With cases of fraud rising rapidly, it’s clear that further action is needed to protect consumers online,” said Stride, a Conservative MP. “As a committee, we’re calling for online technology companies to stop taking advertising pounds from these fraudsters.”
UK Finance, a trade body for banks, said last month that criminals were exploiting weaknesses outside banks’ control to trick customers into making payments directly to them.
It reported a 71 per cent rise in the first half of 2021 in so-called “authorised push payment fraud”, where criminals trick people into handing over personal details and passwords, often working through social media posts and online advertisements leading to fake websites.
In letters disclosed on Friday, Google said it had offered to provide $3m worth of advertising credits to the Financial Conduct Authority to help raise awareness about the risk of scams, and an additional $2m in ad credits for specific campaigns to combat scams.
Facebook, the social media group, said it had pledged to support an anti-fraud campaign run by UK Finance. It said no UK public sector body aside from the FCA had paid for advertising on the platform.
The company also said that it was “exploring additional vetting of financial services advertisers in the UK” and that it was communicating with the FCA on the issue.
Amazon said that between January 2020 and September 2021, it responded to claims in the UK for more than 190,000 customers, with over $2m paid out as a result. It removed 20,000 product reviews after an FT investigation last September found they had come from just seven of the top 10 UK reviewers.
Auction site eBay said that the average payout under its money back guarantee, when items are not received or are significantly different to their description, was $13.10.
The tech industry has also been involved with the Online Fraud Steering Group, formed in April 2021 by tech industry group TechUK (which includes all four companies as members), UK Finance and the National Economic Crime Centre, a group created by the Home Office in 2018.
In May, draft legislation for the online safety bill, which covers a wide variety of “online harms”, proposed giving media regulator Ofcom the ability to fine companies up to £18m or 10 per cent of annual global turnover if they failed to clamp down on harmful content including investment and romance scams.
The growing threat of legislative pressure led to the formation of Stop Scams UK, an alliance of big banks and telecoms companies launched in April. Of the four companies, only Google is currently a member, although eBay was the first to say it was open to joining.


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The pigs are here. And uncommonly badge heavy. Earlier tonight, the #BLM pulled over El Couchino for a registration violation. In 18 years on the playa, I've never seen a more aggressive police presence than what’s been going down today. Deeply upsetting, outrageous stuff. One DPW member was issued a $275 ticket for urinating on the playa, and threatened with being forced to register as a convicted sex offender. I suspect this is fallout from the lawsuit BMORG won against the BLM earlier this year. Whatever the cause, know this: Law enforcement is going to be VERY AGGRESSIVE at Burning Man this year. Keep your shit as right as you do back in the world. Don't give them any excuses. Be extremely cautious, and MAKE SURE TO TELL YOUR FRIENDS. Things are changing. #BM2013 #LEO #police IF YOU DO GET STOPPED: Make sure to file an incident report with Burning Man. And before you get here, LEARN YOUR RIGHTS.
Alex Wood is an addict but won’t give up his smartphone. But he has five strategies for limiting its control over him: “I used to wake up tired. My body would ache and my head felt sore, like waking up with a hangover. Finally, I took control, like attending an AA class for addicts, I […]
Ok, it’s not just solar powered. It’s also an anti-theft, waterproof marvel that keeps my phone’s power bar from ever getting into the red.Sure the idea seems obvious now – tuck a gigantic solar powered battery pack into an exposed slot and turn the wearer into a walking energy harvester. Simple maybe, but I didn’t […]
The Lightning port has thus far resisted the cruel fate that befell the headphone jack, and despite rumors that it may be disappearing come iPhone 8, for the present and foreseeable future, Lightning cables are a hot commodity for iPhone users. As such, we must make do in this strange time in which long, glorified […]
All the filters in the world won’t save your smartphone pics from a shaky hand. To really step up your mobile photography game, you’ll need some kind of mount to hold it steady. You could buy a smartphone attachment for a conventional camera tripod, but who wants to carry that kind of gear everywhere they […]
The forced transition from analog to digital TV signals was probably met with relative indifference from people with Netflix subscriptions and the “I don’t even own a TV” snoots. But anyone living in the vast swaths of the country that don’t have guaranteed high-speed internet, broadcast TV is a perfectly valid (and 100% free) way […]


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01/08/2018, Las Vegas
- Next-generation FCEV NEXO creates tellurian entrance during CES 2018
- NEXO advances unconstrained pushing in an eco-friendly vehicle
- Hyundai to offer 18 eco-friendly models by 2025
- Fuel cell-powered home applications prominence a ‘Hydrogen Life Vision’
- AI-enhanced ‘Intelligent Personal Cockpit’ checks motorist vitals
- Hyundai announces critical partnership with Aurora for unconstrained driving
- Hyundai to pierce Level 4 unconstrained car to marketplace by 2021
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 8, 2018 – Hyundai Motor will prominence new record concepts during CES 2018, all focused on joining destiny record with elaborating mobility solutions, and share a latest achievements to allege a destiny mobility prophesy – clean, connected and leisure in mobility – announced a year ago.
Under a thesis of “Connected to Future Mobility”, Hyundai presented a next-generation fuel-cell electric vehicle, a prophesy for hydrogen-powered life and an synthetic intelligence-based personal cockpit judgment during a press discussion hold on Jan. 8 in Las Vegas.
Hyundai Motor Company suggested a name of a newest fuel-cell SUV, a NEXO, and introduced a apartment of advancements in unconstrained pushing capabilities all finished in an eco-friendly powertrain as a covenant to perform a ”Clean Mobility“ prophesy announced final year during a CES.
In addition, Hyundai showcased a “Hydrogen Life Vision” featuring home applications for hydrogen energy that pierce tolerable travel advancements into even some-more bland uses.
Hyundai also denounced a judgment for how destiny vehicles will be tranquil around a “Intelligent personal Cockpit” that voice-enables probably each command. The judgment showcases how a cockpit serves as a personal partner and even checks a driver’s critical signs so a car can take movement if a motorist is stressed.
“While it’s formidable for a singular association to envision how all these latest changes might impact a destiny of a industry, we all know that technological hurdles and innovations are a everlasting routine that will continue until we comprehend a mobile multitude of limit convenience, 0 accidents and no emissions,” Dr. Woong-chul Yang, Vice Chairman and a conduct of RD, pronounced during a press conference.
As partial of efforts to comprehend a prophesy of ‘Freedom in Mobility’, Hyundai currently announced a critical partnership with Aurora Innovation, a eminent autonomous-driving startup, to pierce Level 4 unconstrained pushing Hyundai vehicles to marketplace by 2021. The dual parties have concluded to start their commander tests with a newest fuel-cell SUV, NEXO.
All of Hyundai’s latest advancements can be gifted during counter 6329 in a North Hall of a Las Vegas Convention Center Jan. 9-12, 2018.


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The telecom company’s mobile phone operations in the central and eastern Europe region are based in Hungary, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Serbia. Telenor did not reveal the name of the potential buyer and the strategy behind the exit plan.
Telenor recently sold its India telecom business to Airtel. Telenor’s India business made huge losses due to tough market conditions in India.
“With a view of creating shareholder value, Telenor has engaged in a process to evaluate the interest received. Telenor expects to conduct these assessments in the first quarter of 2018,” it said in a statement.
Telenor will report its full-year 2017 earnings on January 31.
Telenor said the eastern and central European operations contributed with approximately 9 percent of Telenor Group’s revenues and approximately 8 percent of EBITDA before other items in 2017.
Telenor has telecom business operations in 12 countries, including the four in continental Europe, three in the Nordic region and five in Asia, with a combined wireless customer base of 176 million.


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In Monday’s intraday session on the BSE, shares of L&T Finance Holdings (LTFH) rose 6.3% to Rs 98 after the business reported a 39% increase in net profit for the December quarter at Rs 454 crore compared to Rs 326 crore in the same quarter last year.
In comparison to the same quarter the previous fiscal year, the lender’s interest income increased 15.6% year over year (YoY) to Rs 3,322 crore from Rs 2,874 crore. The lender’s net interest margin increased to 7.41% for the quarter from 6.9% for the three months prior.
At the end of December, its retail assets had grown 34% YoY to Rs 57,000 crore, while a planned sell-down had resulted in a 24% decrease in the expected wholesale book to Rs 31,000 crore. The retail portfolio mix has increased from 58% in the quarter that ended on September 30, 2022 to 64% as of this writing.
The company reported that it had the highest-ever quarterly retail disbursements in the December quarter, coming in at Rs 11,607 crore, up 53% over the same time last year.
At 11.47 am, the stock was trading at Rs 96, up 3.8% from the day before’s closing share price of Rs 92.45. The stock has also increased by over 33% over the past six months and by nearly 20% over the past year.
“L&T Finance Holdings has proposed a merger of its subsidiary lending companies, L&T Finance and L&T Infra Credit, with itself following the divestiture of the mutual fund business. A straightforward and cohesive structure will come from this, allowing for the best possible use of resources and management bandwidth. The required statutory and regulatory permissions must be obtained before this merger can proceed “According to a BSE filing by the company.
LTFH is a financial institution that provides financing for rural businesses, two-wheelers, and farm equipment (including micro-loans).
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Eagles vs. Chiefs: Philadelphia-based RushOrderTees rushes to get Super Bowl ready
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — To say they are employed at the RushOrderTees facility in Northeast Philadelphia would be quite an understatement.
You have what you call a “Super Bowl moment” and hit as many Eagles-themed tee shots as possible before the big game.
“People want to celebrate and ride those emotions and keep things going, so it’s been a very busy week up here, to say the least,” said Drew Smith, Head of Marketing.
He says after the Birds won the Super Bowl, their design team got to work Monday morning.
They tossed around a few different ideas. Then they went into production.
The process seems well oiled, but the Super Bowl run in 2018 laid the groundwork.
“We are not beginners at all. We did last time when the Eagles were in the Super Bowl,” Smith said.
Some of her other designs fresh off the press also include an It’s a Philly Thing shirt and a Grease the Poles shirt.
In total they have about 10-15 other custom designs that you can order.
Though they’re very busy, Smith says it’s worth producing shirts that will become a part of potential Super Bowl history for her hometown.
“We love it. It’s a lot of fun,” Smith said.
But he knows there’s still work to be done after a Birds win.
“Like Jalen Hurts says, we have one more win to really celebrate here,” said Smith.
If you order soon, the shirts can be delivered by the middle of next week.
Copyright © 2023 WPVI-TV. All rights reserved.
https://6abc.com/super-bowl-2023-philadelphia-eagles-tshirt-order-rushordertees-facility/12764058/ Eagles vs. Chiefs: Philadelphia-based RushOrderTees rushes to get Super Bowl ready


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Cheapest Gas Price in Paso Robles
Where is the best gas price in town?
The new 7-Eleven at Spring and 24th streets has the best price at $3.659, according to a recent survey published by Motor Trend Magazine. The best price on Diesel in Paso Robles is at the independent station at 703 Creston Road. The survey was updated as of Feb. 2, 2013.
The gas prices shown on MotorTrend.com are provided by OPIS, a comprehensive source of U.S. retail fuel purchases. The fuel prices shown are actual pump prices paid by consumers as OPIS data is based on credit card transactions collected from fleet vehicles. MotorTrend.com is updated daily with new data from roughly 100,000 gas stations and convenience stores across the U.S. Due to the volatile nature of fuel prices, MotorTrend.com makes no guarantee in regard to the accuracy of prices shown.


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Entrepreneurs Turning to SEO
Starting your own business, as well as growing and maintaining its success is difficult enough. Throw in a global economic downturn and the task becomes a whole lot tougher. So how have entrepreneurs been dealing with the current economic climate?
A survey detailed in a recent article from Entrepreneur.com shows many of them are turning to SEO.
The article shows that 76% of entrepreneurs surveyed said they are now relying more on online marketing efforts. Almost half of this 76% said they have either recently upgraded their website or increased SEO efforts.
This new focus by entrepreneurs on the benefits of online marketing is not at all surprising. In this day and age, marketing online is a must for any business, especially if we’re talking about an entrepreneur with a single location. If they want to draw more visitors into their brick and mortar location, the first step to getting into the local space is as easy as claiming and optimizing local search listings for their business in the major engines. The importance of these listings are especially true in Google since their local results have taken much more prominence in the last few months.
If an entrepreneur is looking to expand into the e-commerce arena, investing in SEO is an easy decision. Taking steps to ensure their business’s site is as optimized as possible is incredibly important, whether building a site from the ground up or redesigning like those in the survey.
The great thing for entrepreneurs about internet marketing is that in the online space, every business is on a level playing field. (There are exceptions regarding the larger brands, but you get what I mean.) Any business has the chance to reach both local and world-wide audiences through search. It appears entrepreneurs are well aware of this idea, as well as the help SEO can provide for reaching those audiences.


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PRAYAGRAJ: The festival of colours, Holi, is around the corner and people are eagerly looking to have some fun playing colours. Since the demand for safe, healthy and chemical-free products is rising as citizens have become health conscious after the pandemic, around 4,058 women volunteers associated with 426 self-help groups across 32 districts in the state are preparing 5,000 kg herbal gulal and colours daily for Holi.
Moreover, herbal gulal and colours made by an SHG in Sonbhadra are being dispatched to London and other countries, besides being sold through e-commerce giants like Amazon and Flipkart.
The herbal gulal and colours are being manufactured from flowers offered to the deities and collected by volunteers from prominent temples like Vindhyavasini Devi temple (Mirzapur), Devi Patan (Shravasti), Kashi Vishwanath (Varanasi), Khatu Shyam (Lucknow), and Shiva Temple at Gola Gokaran Nath in Lakhimpur Kheri.
The herbal colours are safe, easy to remove and do not cause allergies and irritation as they are free from harmful chemicals.
The members of SHGs are being trained under UP State Rural Livelihood Mission (UPSRLM), which has set a target of selling herbal gulal and colours worth Rs 1 crore on Holi.
UPSRLM mission director Sujeet Kumar told TOI, “Over 4,000 members of 426 SHGs are preparing 5,000 kg herbal gulal every day which is being sold for Rs 70,000. We have demand from UK and some other countries.”
Kumar further added “We are focusing on quality control and all members are following global hygiene standards and precaution while preparing herbal gulal, colours, potato chips, papad, namkeen and gujias.”
SHGs in many districts, including Lucknow, Shravasti, Balrampur, Gonda, Mirzapur, Fatehpur, Kheri, Unnao, Barabanki, Prayagraj, Aligarh, Sonbhadra, Ghaziabad, Banda, Varanasi, Bhagpat, Chandauli, Lalitpur, Ayodhya and Jhansi are making the Holi products.
The volunteers who used to collect used flowers for manufacturing incense sticks are now collecting rose and marigold flowers from temples for the SHGs.
“The flowers are dried and boiled with arrowroot. Then perfume is added to it. It costs Rs 50 to prepare one kg gulal which is being sold between Rs 100 and Rs 130,” said Kumar.
The SHG members earn Rs 80 or Rs 90 per kg, he added.
The officials of UP State Rural Livelihood Mission have set a target of manufacturing herbal gulal worth Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh in each district.


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- WisdomTree, an American exchange-traded fund (ETF) provider, adds three new products to its product range.
- The announcement was made on Tuesday.
- According to the announcement, the products are already listed on a number of European exchanges.
WisdomTree, an American exchange-traded fund (ETF) provider, continues with the expansion of its suite of cryptocurrency projects in Europe by launching three new cryptocurrency exchange-traded products (ETP), which are backed by Cardano (ADA), Solana (SOL), and Polkadot (DOT).
The ETF provider announced the launch of the three new products on Tuesday. The three new products will be called WisdomTree Solana (SOL), WidomTree Cardano (ADA), and WisdomTree Polkadot (DOT).
The ETPs are already listed on numerous major digital exchanges in Europe, including the Swiss SIX exchange Deutsche Boerse’s Xetra and the Swiss Stock Exchange. Another pending listing will take place on Thursday and will see the ETPs being listed in Paris and Amsterdam on Euronext, according to WisdomTree’s announcement.
The new ETPs follow WisdomTree’s growing product offering in Europe, and will join products like WisdomTree Crypto Mega Cap Equal Weight ETP, which is backed by assets such as Ether (ETH) and Bitcoin (BTC), as well as WisdomTree Crypto Market (BLOC) and WisdomTree Crypto Altcoins (WALT).
Alexis Marinof, who is WisdomTree’s head of Europe, said that the aim behind the new offerings is to meet the growing demand from institutional investors to diversify their cryptocurrency portfolio.
Marinof stated, “While Bitcoin and Ethereum grab the headlines, altcoins are now viable options for many institutional investors, providing more options to diversify their crypto holdings just like they would with any other asset class.”
The ETPs should offer European investors another option to gain exposure to the price of Cardano, Polkadot, and Solana via regulated cryptocurrency exchanges.


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The Eide Chrysler team in Pine City is excited to welcome Linda Tougas as our newest salesperson.
A Minnesota native, Linda was born and raised in the Brainerd area. She got into the automotive industry while living in Wisconsin.
“I accidently got into the car business,” she said. When she moved to Wisconsin, she needed a job, and was hired at a dealership in Eau Claire.
It was a big change for her, but she forged ahead, hit the learning curve at a run and soon was the top salesperson at her dealership – something she has strived to accomplish at every dealership where she’s worked.
Providing a good customer experience is very important to Linda. She chose Eide because she wanted to work at a dealership where they focused on treating the customers well.
“I’m excited to be part of a dealership that’s growing in a positive way,” she said. “I appreciate the core values that Eide has, and I really am excited that the management gets involved in the process in a positive way.”
She said Eide feels good. Everyone is friendly and works well together as a team. That makes a big difference in the workplace culture.
Outside of work, Linda is looking forward to spending time on the lake. She just bought her first home, and she’s looking forward to exploring what it’s like to be a homeowner, gardening and sitting on the dock as the weather gets warmer. “It will be wonderful,” she said.
Linda said Eide in Pine City is a family-friendly dealership – which is important to her, as starting this job means she’s close to family, including her grandkids. Eide’s way of selling really puts the customer first, and she loves finding opportunities to find the vehicles that suit a customer’s needs.
“I’m really looking forward to getting the new Jeep Grand Cherokee on the lot, both the Wagoneer and the L,” she said. “I’m excited we’re going to have a third-row Jeep vehicle again, as a complement to the Durango. It’s nice to offer customers a choice.”


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Thanksgiving is coming up, and it’s a holiday built around abundance, sharing, and, most importantly, food! The Thanksgiving feast is a favorite tradition of a lot of Americans, and it’s a great way to get together with family and kick off the holiday season. That said, the holiday can take a toll on the environment for a lot of reasons. Between food waste, disposable cookware and décor, the emissions from holiday travel, and the kickoff of holiday shopping with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Thanksgiving can get pretty energy-intensive and wasteful. But with some planning and awareness, you can make your Thanksgiving celebrations sustainable and abundant.
Getting ready for a big Thanksgiving celebration involves a lot of shopping. The grocery run is going to be big no matter what, but there are a few things you can keep in mind to keep your purchases more environmentally friendly!
The biggest environmental issue with Thanksgiving is food waste. It’s estimated that Americans waste about 300 million pounds of food during Thanksgiving. That’s the same thing as every single person in the US throwing away a pound of food! The average cost of this food waste last year was about $450 million dollars, and with food prices continuing to skyrocket, that number is sure to go up this year.
In addition to the financial cost, this waste comes with a big environmental price tag. All of this wasted food takes water, labor, and energy to grow, often involving lots of emissions from fossil fuels. And almost all food waste ends up in landfills, which then generates methane gas (which contributes to climate change) as it decomposes. So, to celebrate the holiday without waste, keep these things in mind:
Holiday travel is notoriously stressful because so many people are in transit at the same time. This also means that the environmental impact of travel is even larger, because there are more flights every day, and during peak road traffic periods, more cars are stuck idling as they creep down crowded highways. “Interrupted flow conditions” (so, traffic) have been shown to increase emissions per mile, and commercial flights are a big contributor to climate change.
The surest way to limit the environmental impact (and a lot of the stress) of holiday travel is to consider staying close to home. But if that’s not an option with your family, see if you can opt for a lower-impact way of traveling.
Flying is the most emissions-intensive option, and airports are a nightmare around the holidays anyway. If you’re only going a few hundred miles, consider taking a train or bus, or carpooling with family members instead of a flight to lower the impact.
Unfortunately, our rail systems are woefully underfunded and underdeveloped, so there’s a good chance you may need to drive to get where you’re going. In that case, try to stick to off-peak times to avoid getting stuck in traffic. Here’s a useful tool that shows peak traffic on roads and businesses during Thanksgiving week that can help you make shopping and travel plans to avoid the crowds.
For a lot of people (and for most retailers), Thanksgiving marks the start of the holiday shopping season. Black Friday and Cyber Monday – these days are designed to get you to spend money and buy a lot of stuff. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this spike in consumption has a huge environmental impact. One study estimates that 80% of Black Friday purchases end up in landfills or incinerated after a very short life. And the uptick in online shopping compounds the problem. A study from the UK estimates that Black Friday deliveries generated over 380,000 tons of emissions in 2021. And that’s just for the deliveries, and just in the UK!
If you’re keeping an eye on your personal energy and resource consumption, the best thing to do is simply be careful how much stuff you buy. We live in a consumer economy, and it’s truly hard to escape it entirely, but before you get sucked into Black Friday deals, take a beat and think about what you really want and need. Try not to fall into the “it’s on sale, so I should buy it now” mindset. Skipping the purchase will save you 100% of that money, and stepping away from the consumer mindset will save the environment a lot of resources as well.
For the items you do want to buy, consider going to the store in person rather than ordering it online. For items you do order online, try to group your purchases into as few shipments as possible and choose the slower shipment options to limit the emissions from deliveries. No matter what you’re looking to buy, try to buy high-quality items that will actually be used and will last, so those purchases don’t end up right in the landfill. And make sure to recycle the packaging if you can!
Thanksgiving should be a day of good food, friends, and family, not waste. Spend a little time planning how you want to include your favorite dishes and traditions this year, and with a little awareness, you can make sure your Thanksgiving celebrations are fun, abundant, and sustainable.


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An overzealous police force is endangering the supply of essential goods across the country. The government has finally intervened—but will it save out online deliveries?
Italy’s death count soars, while India records its first fatality. Stock markets around the world experienced the panic in pandemic. And the virus broke many a sports fan’s heart.
Britain’s royal family’s troubles have unfolded like a classic Bollywood drama. Yesterday, the family matriarch—aka the Queen—rendered her ruling. Pop-up today: The ‘Desi Khana’ Edition


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Tag - A500
Accessory maker Rapoo announced the US release of two of its wireless speakers today, bringing the revamped style of the A500 and A300 models to a new audience. Both of the Bluetooth 4.0 speakers feature NFC pairing, a dual-mode that enables an auxiliary connection, and 360-degree sound coverage. Each speaker has its own construction features, as the A500 contains speakers made from bio-fiber materials, while the A300 has an aluminum alloy exterior.
Acer's New Zealand division has confirmed that the Iconia Tab A500 will not receive an Android 4.0 upgrade until sometime in April. The announcement was directed at users in Australia and New Zealand, rather than the company's global customers, leaving the release timing unclear for other regions.


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KUALA LUMPUR: The continued slowdown in Malaysia’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) suggests the external demand for the country’s goods will likely remain weak in the near term.
This trend reinforces expectations that the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth will soften in the second half of 2023, according to several brokerages.
In its report yesterday, TA Research noted the persistent downward trend in PMI during the third quarter raises significant concerns, as it likely mirrored the performance of critical economic indicators, including industrial output, exports, and, ultimately, the GDP.
“Notably, there exists a meaningful correlation of 44.8%, 36.6%, and 46.1% between PMI, industrial output, exports, and GDP, respectively,” the brokerage explained.
“The observed relationship between manufacturing PMI and official economic statistics underscores the subdued economic conditions prevailing in the country. “This alignment suggests that the manufacturing sector, a crucial driver of economic growth, is facing challenges, and these issues are extending to other facets of the economy,” it noted.
The latest report from S&P Global Market Intelligence on Monday showed the manufacturing PMI fell to 46.8 in September from 47.8 in August.
It represented the 13th consecutive month of the index being below the 50-mark, which indicated contraction in the manufacturing sector.
For the third quarter of 2023 (3Q23), the average PMI stood at 47.5, down from 48.1 in the preceding quarter.
Year-to-date, the average manufacturing PMI stood at 47.8.
Based on the latest PMI data and a simple regression analysis using one variable, TA Research estimated GDP growth would reach 3.4% in 3Q23, marginally lower than its 3Q23 official estimate of 3.5%.
According to Kenanga Research, the weak external demand outlook in the near term was expected to extend the slowdown in manufacturing activity in the country.
“The lower manufacturing PMI reading in September reflects a persistent weakness in the manufacturing conditions amid weaker demand, mainly from the external sector.
“This is also partly due to the higher base effect recorded last year and as the economy returns to normalcy,” it explained.
Kenanga Research maintained its GDP growth would slow to 3.1% in the second half of 2023 (2H23) from 4.2% in 1H23. This was due to the high-base effect from 2022 as well as weak China’s post-pandemic recovery.
“This could be further weighed down by the impact of a higher interest rate environment among advanced economies.
“Nevertheless, growth is expected to be supported by resilient domestic demand amid stable capacity expansion and further improvement in the services sector,” it said.
For the full-year, Kenanga Research expected GDP growth to slow 3.5% to 4% in 2023 from 8.7% in 2022.
Meanwhile, MIDF Research noted that the continued sluggishness in the manufacturing sector was generally in line with the overall downturn in global external trade and manufacturing activities.
“We opine that the sluggishness in external trade will persist in 2H23, causing real exports of goods and services to contract by 5.3% in 2023, as compared to a growth of 14.5% in 2022,” the brokerage said.


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OnePlus has released a new OS update to 10.0.7 for OnePlus 7T a Snapdragon 855 Plus-powered smartphone claiming to improve RAM management, minor camera improvements, and few bug fixes.
Here’s the official report for the OTA update releases to the OnePlus 7T:
- Improved the launching speed of some apps
- Optimized the RAM Management
- Optimized the black and white screen issues with some apps
- Improved system stability and general bug fixes
- Update Android security patch to 2019.11
- Improved the photo quality
OxygenOS 10.0.7 is now rolling out for the OnePlus 7T. Expect this OTA update to arrive over the next few days. pic.twitter.com/g8GIHQntwy
— OnePlus Hype (@OnePlusHype) December 16, 2019
OnePlus on its forum has said that this OTA will be incremental. The OTA will reach a small percentage of users today, and a broader rollout will begin in a few days.


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Best Automated Bot Traffic
Samsung recently launches Galaxy SmartTag to help you find your lost items with Bluetooth facility.
Many people forget or lose important things including luggage and bags. SmartTag could help you find lost things easily.
The device announced at Samsung’s annual ‘Galaxy Unpacked‘ event. This smartTag can be hung around the neck of a pet, including keys, bags and other items that are at risk of being lost.
With the help of a special app on the smartphone, it has the advantage of playing the ringtone as well as locating the lost items.
Samsung’s authority says their Galaxy SmartTag can easily find out objects up to 120 meters away without interruption.
If you want to find things far away, you have to take the help of Galaxy Find Network. Samsung has given this facility only to Galaxy devices.
There is also the advantage of controlling the Internet of Things (IoT) device using this smartTag device. For this, of course, IoT devices have to be pre-registered in an app called SmartThings.
Samsung has added Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology to the SmartTag Plus device to find out the exact location of lost objects using augmented reality.


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Home Tags Business
The president and the former CEO both built huge brands, profited from their positions, voiced wild ideas, employed family, and created crises.
Corporate travel is a $300 billion market, and travel search engine KAYAK is trying to break into it with a new platform for business travelers
KAYAK for Business promises to streamline the process of booking corporate travel. As of November 1, prospective users can sign up for a waitlist.
WOMEN-OWNED-BUSINESS MONTH: Women entrepreneurs share their top tips and strategies for running their companies, and how to be a successful leader
Business Insider profiled female entrepreneurs, interviewed experts, and reviewed research highlighting major opportunities and challenges.
The biggest game company in the world isn’t Nintendo — it’s a Chinese company that has a piece of everything from ‘Fortni...
You've almost certainly never heard of the biggest game company on the planet — especially if you're American.
Some companies try to create a more inclusive environment by catering products to the LGBTQ community and contributing to advocacy groups.
This Los Angeles-based sustainable fashion start-up turns milk into clothing. Yes, you read that right.
Sustainable fashion start-up Mi Terro created the Milk Tee to put wasted dairy product to good use — for both their customers and the environment.
This free daily email newsletter keeps me and 1 million others up to date about the most important business news
Morning Brew delivers the important business news of the day with a concise, approachable, and witty style.
Go easy on the jargon.
A group of major US companies just took out a full-page NYT ad pushing Apple, Amazon, and Walmart to ‘get to work’ prioritizing social res...
The CEOs of dozens of major companies published a letter aimed at Apple, Amazon and others pushing for social responsibility.
The closure of Toys R Us stores hammered toymakers' sales and profits, shrunk their distribution, and landed them with debt.


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T-Rex Roars in Canada
“Workload License Charges” payment plan lets mid-size customers pay only for the portion of z990 capacity they need
Multi-million dollar mainframe systems don’t typically sell like hot cakes, but some industry watchers have suggested that IBM Corp.’s next-generation z990 mainframe—the largest, most powerful and priciest mainframe system that Big Blue has ever produced—could be a tougher sell than most.
At this point, Big Blue has been shipping the z990 for less than two months and has already trumpeted at least one big customer convert (http://info.101com.com/default.asp?id=2105).
Last week, IBM heralded another z990 win—this time with the Workman’s Compensation Board (WCB) of Alberta, Canada, an existing mainframe shop.
A mid-size, not-for-profit corporation, the Alberta WCB is an unlikely candidate for a super mainframe such as the z990, which in an eight-processor configuration starts at $1 million.
Thanks to a flexible payment plan offered by IBM Global Financing, however, the Alberta WCB was able to afford a new T-Rex. The payment plan, which IBM calls “Workload License Charges,” lets mid-size customers pay only for the portion of z990 capacity they need. This approach also makes it possible for mid-size customers to purchase additional capacity as their requirements change.
"With the financing IBM makes available, the Workers' Compensation Board gets the power and functionality of IBM's flagship eServer—the z990—and the ability to scale on demand to meet its business needs now and in the future,” said Mark Renfer, Business Unit Executive for zSeries with IBM Canada, in a prepared statement.
The Alberta WCB is using the z990 to support its claims management operations and says that the hardware transition from its existing mainframe to the new z990 has been seamless, with no disruption of customer services.
As expected, IBM’s new mainframe has improved the Alberta WCB’s online response times and accelerated its nightly batch processing operations. “[The z990’s] leading edge technology combined with the financial packaging provided by Workload License Charges delivers the performance our clients demand and the economics we need to maintain the mainframe as a viable business solution," concluded Murray Mitchell, the Alberta WCB’s manager of application hosting, in a press release.
Gordon Haff, a senior analyst with consultancy Illuminata, notes that the Alberta WBC is an unusual customer win for IBM, insofar as it’s upgrading from an existing mainframe system to a new z990. “The thing like [the Alberta WBC] was an upgrade for sort of traditional mainframe-type applications, and I don’ know how many of those types of upgrades will necessarily be required, because those applications do tend to be relatively static,” he notes. “If you have a previous generation mainframe and all you’re doing is continuing to run the same applications, upgrades are in the minority.”
Haff says that new workloads—such as Linux, Web services, and server consolidation efforts—have helped to drive mainframe growth. In this respect, customer wins such as Softbank Uway (a South Korean company that processes online university applications) are more representative of mainframe growth. After all, Softbank replaced an assortment of 45 database and Web servers from Hewlett-Packard Co. and Sun Microsystems Inc. with a single z990 mainframe.
“What’s kept IBM’s mainframe business going is bringing new types of applications to the mainframe, even if it’s not entirely to run virtualized Linux partitions, or entirely to run Web services types of applications,” Haff notes.
IBM Beefs Up z990 Securityhttp://info.101com.com/default.asp?id=2401
z990: Relief and Elation http://info.101com.com/default.asp?id=1437
IBM Showcases Next-Generation Mainframe http://info.101com.com/default.asp?id=1436
IBM Touts Linux-on-zSeries Grids http://info.101com.com/default.asp?id=1110
Linux Driving Mainframe Shipments http://info.101com.com/default.asp?id=1031
Stephen Swoyer is a Nashville, TN-based freelance journalist who writes about technology.


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The Total Number of Covid Cases in the World has Surpassed 500.3 million
According to Johns Hopkins University, Washington's global coronavirus caseload has reached 500.3 million, with over 6.18 million deaths and over 11.12 billion vaccinations.
One of the most concerning economic concerns is the chaos in the world's fertiliser market currently. The Ukraine conflict has pushed up already high fertiliser prices. As per the data from the French research organisation CEPII, Russia is the world's leading fertiliser exporter, selling USD 7.6 billion in fertiliser in 2020. Russia's invasion of Ukraine harmed both countries' trading capabilities, and the Russian government ordered fertiliser producers to halt all exports in early March.
Prices have risen at an astonishing rate due to the new supply pressures. Since the invasion began in late February, the Green Markets North America fertilizer-price index, which tracks the costs of urea, potash, and diammonium phosphate, has risen by 42 percent.
Higher fertiliser prices may not seem concerning to the average American because potash and urea aren't on most people's shopping lists. However, the prices of food staples such as wheat are also skyrocketing, threatening hunger crises in low- and middle-income countries. Food inflation could become a long-term issue if fertiliser costs continue to rise, plunging the world into a new type of economic turmoil.
They are highly concerned that the violent conflict in Ukraine, which is already a disaster for those directly involved, will be a tragedy for the world's poorest people living in rural areas, who will be unable to absorb price increases in staple foods and farming inputs caused by disruptions in global trade, according to Gilbert Houngbo, president of the UN's International Fund for Agricultural Development.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has only exacerbated the situation. Wheat prices have risen by 27 percent since the invasion began as markets prepare for supply from both Russia and Ukraine to dwindle. While advanced economies can absorb higher costs and seek alternatives, developing countries have few options other than a foot a larger bill.
Fertiliser prices are up about 260 percent from pre-pandemic levels, despite higher energy costs and new export-licensing mandates imposed by significant exporters such as Russia and China. These higher costs force farmers to reduce production or use less fertiliser, risking lower yields. Some people want animal manure to replace commercial nutrients. Even if the Russian invasion were to end soon and food inflation subsides, rising fertiliser costs would have a delayed effect on the market, putting supply under strain for the foreseeable future.
Crop nutrients are too expensive for advanced economies to fill the world's food supply gap. In late March, the US Department of Agriculture predicted that farmers in the United States would plant less corn but a record number of soybeans in 2022. Soybeans require less commercial fertiliser than corn, and this shift indicates that farmers are bracing for a long-term disruption in the fertiliser market.
Fertiliser price increases could even spark civil unrest in countries with insecure food supplies. Food price shocks sparked riots in Haiti, Bangladesh, and Mozambique in 2007 and 2008, according to Insider's Jason Lalljee. Food scarcity also played a role in the Arab Spring protests of the early 2010s, as people suffering from hunger and poverty took to the streets to protest their governments.
In the world's most vulnerable countries, severe damage has already occurred. In late February, the UN World Food Programme announced that it had been forced to halve food assistance for 8 million Yemenis facing hunger. According to the program's executive director, David Beasley, dwindling funds and skyrocketing prices threaten to push millions of Yemenis into famine.


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Gowda's letter assumes significance as usually such complaints and allegations are sent to the Registrar General of the high court concerned.
In April this year, the company changed its name to Shop CJ from Star CJ after the exit of broadcast major Star from the venture.
Best Deal TV, a television shopping venture launched by Bollywood’s celeb duo Raj Kundra-Shilpa Shetty with actor Akshay Kumar six months ago, is looking to raise Rs 100 cr.
Aggregation of data and compilation would take some time. Final picture on additional capital requirement is expected to emerge in 2-3 months.
Govt is looking to infuse Rs 25,000 crore in the ongoing financial year to boost the PSU banks' reserves, in a total of 3 tranches.
FM Arun Jaitley had said that to be in line with Basel-III norms, there is a requirement to infuse Rs 2.40 lakh crore as equity by 2018.
Mobile banking transactions will overtake internet banking transactions over a period of two years as customers find it a convenient mode of transaction.
Country's largest insurer Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has raised stake in state-owned Canara Bank by about 7.7 per cent through preferential allotment of shares.


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Digital payments in India is going through the roof, literally. India is already has some wonderful payment processors as UPI, IMPS, RTGS, CTS etc.
In July 2022, the digital payments have seen a growth of whooping 300+% as compared to the base year, 2018.
India has also started with a pilot of CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency). Stay tuned to Automentum for more news on India’s digital payments story.


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by CARMEN SIERING
Jordan Huneycutt and Julian Rogers like to travel, spending time on both coasts, in big cities, and on tropical beaches. They’re also a couple of health-conscious guys.
“What we’ve noticed is it is so hard to eat clean and healthy when you’re on the go in the Midwest,” Huneycutt says.
From that simple pronouncement, Soul Juice was born.
Soul Juice is more than a juice bar. With 100% organic offerings, local and in-season produce, plus housemade nut butters
and non-dairy milks, the emphasis is on nutrition as well as taste.
At 122 W. 6th St., Soul Juice offers a variety of vegan-based bowls with fruit, granola, and other toppings; coconut yogurt parfaits; chia pudding; sprouted spelt waffles; gourmet toast with gluten-free options; and Kamut cereal, in addition to juices, smoothies, wellness shots, and on- tap cold brew coffee.
Huneycutt, 32, is an Evansville, Indiana, native who majored in business administration at the University of Southern Indiana. Soul Juice is his second business venture, after his digital marketing company. “I’m still doing that and still living in Evansville,” he says. “I come up to Bloomington twice a week to keep a hand in things here.”
Rogers, 24, grew up in West Lafayette, Indiana, and moved to Bloomington in 2015. He’s taken business classes at Ivy Tech Community College–Bloomington, but spends a lot of time traveling. His passion is fruit.
“I’m contacting people, seeing their farms,” Rogers says. “Eventually we want to have our own farm, but right now we’re making contacts and gaining knowledge.”
Soul Juice opened in September 2020, during COVID-19 lockdown.
“We didn’t take out any loans,” Huneycutt says. “We put our equity into this, and we’re already seeing a profit.”
Soul Juice is growing beyond the corner of West 6th Street and North College. So far, it’s supplying juice to the Indiana University football team, the Graduate Hotel Bloomington, and the city’s new nightclub, Kalao. There are plans for another location in Evansville, and the purchase of a food truck to take Soul Juice on the road.
For more information, visit juicemysoul.com.


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Sony warns about health effects of 3D technologyBy Matthew Smith 25 comments
While stereoscopic 3D continues to be promoted as the next big thing in home theater technology, the long term health consequences of it are not clear. Some people - myself included - have complained of headaches, blurry vision, and other side effects.
Sony, no doubt preferring to play it safe, has issued a warning saying these problems are not to be taken lightly. The latest Playstation 3 Terms of Service statement advises that anyone who experiences "eye strain, eye fatigue or nausea" should turn off 3D immediately. Players can begin using the technology again when discomfort subsides, however.
It isn't clear what research Sony's disclaimer is based on, but the company isn't alone in its caution. Nintendo has stated that the new 3DS will carry a recommendation that children under the age of seven should only use the device in 2D mode. Samsung has also stated that watching 3D content isn't advisable if you "need sleep or have been drinking alcohol."


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Board of Adjustment votes 4-1 that operation not allowable under current downtown zoning.
By Mark Esper
The Silverton Board of Adjustment voted 4-1 Thursday evening to uphold the town staff’s ruling that Mountain Boy Sledworks’ shop behind Smedley’s Ice Cream Parlor is a manufacturing operation not allowable downtown.
Board member Ken Safranski, filling in for Fritz Klinke who had to recuse himself owing to a financial interest in the building, added a provision to the motion recommending "that the Town allow temporary use if an application for ED-L (Economic Development-Limited) zone change is submitted."
Voting to declare the sled-making shop inappropriate for downtown under current zoning were Jim Lindaman, Chris Tookey, Aaron Brill and Safranski. Ernie Kuhlman voted against the motion.
Then, on Tuesday evening, Dec. 8, the Town Council held a conference call with Town Attorney Jeff Robbins to discuss the case in an executive session.
Robbins said before that meeting that the next step is for the council to decide if it wants to file a lawsuit to shut down the 2-person sled-making shop.
The dispute centers on whether the sled-making shop is an arts and crafts studio, which is allowed downtown, or a manufacturing operation, which is not allowed.
Several Silvertonians spoke in support of Mountain Boy Sledworks at the Board of Adjustment hearing Thursday, and town officials acknowledged they have received no complaints about the “manufacturing” operation downtown.
The town’s enforcement action against Mountain Boy Sledworks has drawn criticism in the media, with the Denver Post editorializing that “grownups need to intervene in this spat.”
Mountain Boy Sledworks owner Brice Hoskin told the Board of Adjustment on Thursday that “yes, we are” manufacturing sleds. “Manufacturing sleds is the number-one thing we do. It’s 95 percent of our revenue,” Hoskin said.
“But manufacturing is not what we do in Silverton,” Hoskin added, with the couple of hundred sleds constructed here being instead hand made.
He said the small shop poses no hazard to downtown.
“None of these products are flammable, combustible or hazardous,” Hoskin said and he said the shop has a fire-code approved dust collection system.
Hoskin complained that town building official Dee Jaramillo never asked what Hoskin had planned for the building.
“By his reckoning we were guilty until proven innocent,” Hoskin said.
Hoskin pointed to the stop-work order Jaramillo posted at the site Oct. 1, claiming a building permit was needed for the minor renovations at the shop.
Hoskin said the project, involving putting up a few 2x4s and plastic sheeting for a dust-free area, cost a total of $283.11 including labor. The Town Code requires a building permit for work in excess of $500 value.
He said town officials’ claim that an architect’s review is needed due to an alleged change of use is nonsense.
“State law requires an architect review for substantial changes,” Hoskin said, which were not involved in this case.
He pointed to the shop’s prior use as a printing shop and use for woodworking, and manufacturing items for the printing industry.
Hoskin accused town officials of then “shopping the issue,” raising the zoning matter after all else failed.
“After you jump one hurdle, you get another one,” Hoskin said. “Now suddenly two weeks later they said we were a manufacturer.
“What we do here is arts and crafts,” Hoskin said, showing slides of the sleds being made by hand.
He said the shop involves “hand craftsmanship” and not “industrial mass production.”
“We’re clearly an arts and crafts studio or shop,” Hoskin said.
He pointed to the sleds’ presence at various arts and crafts shows and on the cover of a gallery guide for Silverton.
“1314 Greene Street is a design studio,” Hoskin said. “We do not use industrial machines to make products on a large scale.”
Hoskin said other woodworking and metal-working shops have been operated downtown. He argued that means “legally the town has accepted their use.”
Hoskin also argued that the neighbors of his shop are feeling no impact and in fact are supportive of his operation.
And Hoskin said there are “no other suitable buildings in all of Silverton for us to rent for this purpose.”
“Don’t be arbitrary,” Hoskin told the Board of Adjustment.
Hoskin also accused Jaramillo of not doing required inspections of at least one other construction project that actually did require a building permit.
“I would like to see clarity, fairness and I would like to be considered innocent until proven guilty,” Hoskin said.
Hoskin said that he will appeal the board’s decision and has a “powerhouse lawyer” ready to take on the town over the issue.
In the meantime, if the shop is ordered closed, “I’ll have to let two people go,” Hoskin said. “Is this what is best for Silverton? (Town Planning Director) Adam (Sickmiller) and Dee made decisions without asking the right questions.”
Sickmiller gave the town staff’s brief response to Hoskin’s presentation.
“For the past seven years this business has considered itself a manufacturing business,” Sickmiller said, pointing to the company’s business license application.
“This is not my arbitrary decision. It’s in their business license,” Sickmiller said. He pointed to the company’s literature which claims “local and offshore manufacturing.”
“It wasn’t until they moved into the BP (Business-Pedestrian) district they were interested in being arts and crafts,” Sickmiller said.
He also pointed to an article in the Gunnison County Times where Hoskin cited the need for “good industrial space” in Silverton for his operation.
The public comments
After Mountain Boy Sledworks and the town staff had their say, Jim Lindaman, who chaired the panel after Fritz Klinke recused himself, opened the floor to public comment.
The first to take the podium was Kyle Roberts of Silverton, an artist in his own right. He said an arts and crafts producer is also a manufacturer and the town staff is making an unnecessary distinction.
“I’ve been a craftsman for 35 years,” Roberts said, producing some 140,000 pieces of pottery. “On my IRS form it says manufacturing. As a fellow craftsman, I have to support them (Mountain Boy Sledworks) on this. They clearly are an arts-and-crafts operation.”
Jackie Kerwin urged the Board of Adjustment “to stand behind the staff decision.”
Kim Buck, who operated the Gear Exchange shop adjacent to the sled-making facility last summer and fall, said there were no adverse consequences from the sled-making shop.
“It turned out the noise was a lot less than the espresso machine (at Smedley’s Ice Cream Shop,” Buck said. She said it was actually a big plus to have the sled-maker at hand, noting she sold some models, including some custom orders.
She said town officials should allow the small shop to exist.
“If you have a choice, it’s a big advantage to choose art and crafts for this case,” Buck said.
Everett Lyons suggested the town staff was being too aggressive on the issue and didn’t have much of a case except the word “manufacturing” on a business license.
“You cannot hang your case on one word on a piece of paper,” Lyons said. “What I heard from Adam was not a case.”
He said he was convinced the small sled-making outfit was an arts-and-crafts outfit based on the evidence, and to declare otherwise did not serve the interest of the town.
“In a small town like this we need to be flexible,” Lyons said.
George Foster said he saw no need for the town to seek the ouster of Mountain Boy Sledworks.
“These guys are trying to put these beautiful sleds together,” Foster said. He said the town needs the jobs and the Board of Adjustment should not decide the squabble based on the characters involved.
“The Board of Adjustment isn’t the place to do that,”
He said the sled shop should be permissible given its minimal impact and its qualifications as an arts-and-crafts producer.
“We all know that’s craftsmanship,” Foster said.
Kevin Gagnon, operations manager for Mountain Boy Sledworks, said the products have been “showstoppers” at arts-and-crafts shows across the country.
He said the company makes “individualized kicksleds for those with special needs. We individually craft every sled. We are craftsmen, not industrial producers.”
Megan Kimmel said she didn’t understand what the fight was about.
“I don’t know how you can even argue it,” Kimmel said. “These things are hand-made arts and crafts. There is no doubt about it.”
Scott Fetchenhier said there may be some grey area here, “but it is obvious these are hand made, hand crafted.
“What we’re coming down to is that your decision is whether to support or not support a business,” Fetchenhier said. “Your interpretation of words is going to mean whether a business stays in Silverton and survives.”
Bruce Conrad said the zoning rules are set up for the betterment of the town in the first place.
“It seems like a no-brainer to me,” Conrad said.
Karen Hoskin said the dispute has taken its toll.
“It has affected my life,” Hoskin said. “We’re trying to make a living. I don’t understand why this has had to be so difficult.”
Sharon Zimmerman, owner of the shop in question, said she and the Hoskins have little in common other than “none of us can sleep and we both have our own lawyers now.”
Her husband Paul Zimmerman noted the planning commission is in the process of refining the Business-Pedestrian zone rules anyway.
“That may be another reason to take a close look at this,” he said.
She said the space behind Smedley’s has a concrete floor and walls and steel beams and was built for such light shop work.
Larry Raab said “we need to support jobs in this town,” but he said “we have an industrial park and the Economic Development Zone. It makes more sense these things go on in those areas.”


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Greater Toronto and the Windsor, Niagara and Hamilton regions, where daily new COVID-19 cases have stayed high, remain exempt from the Stage 2 reopenings that begin Friday.
Brian Platt- National Post.
June 8, 2020
3:04 PM EDT
Canada’s biggest province is allowing restaurant patios, shopping malls, hair salons and many other workplaces to reopen as it moves into “Stage 2,” but its biggest city will have to wait a little longer.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced Monday that a wide range of businesses will be allowed to reopen this Friday in most of Ontario — but not in the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton, where daily new COVID-19 cases have stayed stubbornly high, and border regions including around Windsor, Niagara and Sarnia.
Instead, the province will give an update every Monday on whether the health metrics allow for those places to reopen on the following Friday. That means the soonest they could reopen is June 19.
The list of what’s allowed to reopen in Stage 2 includes restaurant and bar patios, shopping malls, personal care services such as hair and beauty salons, museums, libraries, beaches, pools, and tour and guide services. However, they will all need to follow guidelines and restrictions to reduce personal contact and allow for social distancing.
Ontario is also now allowing social gatherings of up to 10 people for the whole province (including the Greater Toronto Area), increased from five.
The government is allowing churches and other places of worship to reopen at 30 per cent of building capacity. Venues for wedding ceremonies, funerals and similar gatherings can also reopen, but will still have to comply with the 10-person limit on social gatherings.
“We are able to make this announcement today because of the extraordinary effort of our frontline workers and every other person in the province who helped to stop the spread of this deadly virus,” said Ford.
“Entering Stage 2 means parts of the province will see more people back on the job and an opportunity to get back together with friends and family. Although this is extremely encouraging, I urge everyone to exercise caution and continue to follow public health advice as we are not out of the woods yet.”
The owners of Stratengers Restaurant and Bar (Dharam Vijh(L) and his brother Anil prepare their patio section for reopening on Thursday June 4, 2020 in Leslieville.Veronica Henri/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network
Restaurants and bars will be allowed to open up outdoor dining areas as long as they “ensure physical distancing of at least two metres between patrons from different households,” the reopening guide says. The province is also making it easier for them to temporarily expand their patios to adjacent areas such as sidewalks, curb lanes and parking lots.
Shoppings malls and markets can reopen, but enclosed food courts can only do takeout. The guide recommends that malls screen people for COVID-19 symptoms at the mall entrances, not at individual shops.
Personal care services can reopen including barber shops, hair salons, beauty salons, hair removal services, diet centres, piercing services, day spas, tanning salons and tattoo studios.
However, some services will remain prohibited including saunas, baths, steam rooms and services that tend to a person’s face (such as facials, facial hair grooming, eyebrow grooming and oxygen bars.)
Indoor and outdoor tour and guide services will be allowed to resume, such as winery tours and bike tours. Pools both outdoor and indoor can open, but waterslides and wave pools must stay closed.
“Outdoor-only recreational facilities that operate low-contact attractions and activities will be allowed to reopen,” the guide says, and lists examples such as paintball, mini-golf, archery ranges and go-cart tracks. But it still prohibits recreational activities that “do not allow for two-metre physical distancing between patrons.”
Libraries can reopen for certain services, including computer access and contactless book pickup and drop-off. Community centres and culture centres such as museums and galleries can also reopen, but with limited capacity and rules for physical distancing in place.
Small outdoor events can take place, “such as cultural celebrations, animal shows and fundraisers,” but large outdoor events such as concerts, large festivals, parades and amusement fairs will remain prohibited.


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Whole Foods Market has donated $50,000 towards developing and creating a new playground at Nannie J.Lee Recreation Center.
The city is undertaking the design process and will begin seeking public input on specific play equipment in February.
The project consists of installing modular play structures for children, ages 5 through 12. Using construction that incorporates the use of recycled materials, the park is expected to be complete by late spring or early summer.
Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods Market, the nation's first certified organic grocer, will open its newest location at 1700 Duke St. on Jan. 17. It will be located on the first level of a new multi-story mixed use building with underground parking for shoppers and tenants.
"We are so pleased that Whole Foods recognized a need for a playground, and chose the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs as its recipient and partner in its goal of making contributions to the community," said Kirk Kincannon, director of the department.


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TOKYO -- The technology behind bitcoin now looks like an answer for overburdened parcel delivery services.
Saison Information Systems, a software developer in Tokyo, has devised what it says is a safe and reliable pickup locker system controlled using a blockchain -- a digital ledger that records transactions using cryptography. Requests to lock and unlock the boxes are sent through the blockchain, ensuring that only designated recipients can collect the parcels.
In Japan, the explosion of online shopping is straining courier companies to the limit. Redeliveries are particularly problematic -- when the recipients are not home the first time, delivery drivers have to go back, sometimes again and again.
Pickup lockers are an increasingly popular way around this, but conventional ones have their issues. Customers worry about forgetting their code numbers or losing their keys. And there is the risk that a thief might look over your shoulder to steal your number.
Saison Information's blockchain system, developed with internet service provider GMO Internet, is different. Delivery personnel and recipients both control the lockers with a smartphone application.
Upon logging into the app, a delivery driver will see which lockers are available. After depositing the parcel, the driver chooses the recipient through the app and submits a lock request. The information is recorded in the blockchain and the box is locked.
A delivery notification is sent by email to the recipient's phone.
Later, when the recipient comes by to pick up the package, it is simply a matter of logging into the app and choosing the appropriate box number. The removal of the parcel is also recorded on the blockchain.
Data on the blockchain is distributed across a network, making it less vulnerable than data stored in one place. Since the digital key to open the designated box is held by the user alone, nobody else can get in. Plus, since the system records everything, it is relatively easy to get to the bottom of any problems.
Saison Information's system is built on a cloud blockchain platform provided by GMO Internet. It has gone through two usability tests: in December 2016, and then in May and June of this year.
"We plan to conduct another test involving a parcel delivery company and a locker maker as well," said Yasushi Hisai, head of the distribution and IT solutions department at Saison.
Saison Information intends to serve courier companies and locker manufacturers through something called an application programming interface, or API, which enables a piece of software to issue instructions to another. It will be possible to incorporate the API into existing delivery systems and pickup lockers as well, linking them to the blockchain.
The company also plans to offer the system to various e-payment services, enabling payment on delivery.
"We will seek partnerships for this new business, drawing on the expertise we have accumulated through developing distribution systems," Hisai said.
The software developer aims to tap the technology's full potential: In July, it set up an organization called the Blockchain Labo for joint research. Pickup lockers and other new services may be only scratching the surface.