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July 07, 2014
Fighting the High-Tech Criminals
The days of small gangs or the lone criminal committing "grab-and-go" robberies or counterfeiting checks and currency are certainly not over. However, crime stories involving millions of dollars and criminal networks that span the globe tend to grab the headlines these days. Just about everyone has heard about the recent data breaches at major retailers and ATM cash-outs that have netted criminals millions of dollars. A presentation at a recent payments security conference addressed the role of high-tech criminal groups in such crimes and the major threat they present to the security and reputation of our payment system. The speaker described how law enforcement agencies are working vigilantly to shut down these large global criminal enterprises and their cybercriminal activities.
The speaker detailed the composition of a criminal network, which closely resembles the organizational structure of a multinational corporation with numerous subsidiaries. This image shows the major components of the criminal enterprise.
- Executives—These people serve as the originating group and ultimate beneficiaries of the spoils of their successful attacks. They identify the types of criminal cyberactivity to pursue, including identifying the target companies or computer systems.
- Financiers—If the executives don't have the financial resources to carry out their scheme, they often link to a funding source. The financiers may receive a share of the executives' profits as compensation, or they may simply treat the transaction as a loan, charging interest until the loan proceeds are repaid.
- Exploiters—The hackers and software personnel identify vulnerabilities in software or systems and write malware code to compromise a target's account credentials. They normally receive compensation based on the type of attack and the level of sophistication.
- Botnet operators—A botnet is a network of compromised computers. The botnet operators, sometimes called "bot herders," control these systems. They run automated programs in the background, so they are often undetected by the legitimate computer owners, to send massive amounts of spam, conduct spear phishing attacks, or in some other way launch attacks against their targets. Botnet operators receive payment based on the number of compromised computers they use and the time required for the attack.
- Money mules—These players are in the most vulnerable group; they are the people on the street, retrieving the stolen funds and sending them, minus their cut, to the executives. Some law enforcement authorities have said that mules' share of the ill-gotten proceeds can be as high as 60 percent, depending on an operation's level of risk.
While these players are closely linked, they are generally separate criminal groups that have developed niche roles. The separation provides some safety to the executive group in that if members of one of the linked groups are arrested, executives can find another group to take their place so they can continue their illegal activities.
The major global criminal networks have proven to be formidable because of their resilience, but they are not invulnerable. Law enforcement agencies in the United States and other countries are working together to attack these networks through a variety of strategies. Unfortunately, in many cases, the core criminal leaders are physically located in safe havens, so called because local policies may prevent extradition or because governmental officials may be complicit or corrupt so they ignore the criminal activity as long as the targets of the crime are outside their borders.
Portals and Rails salutes the law enforcement personnel for their tireless efforts in this constant battle.
June 30, 2014
A Call to Action on Data Breaches?
I recently moved, so I had to go online to change my address with retailers, banks, and everyone else with whom I do business. It also seemed like an ideal opportunity to follow up on the recommendations that came out after the Heartbleed bug and diligently change all my passwords. Like many people, I had a habit of using similar passwords that I could recall relatively easily. Now, I am creating complex and different passwords for each site that would be more difficult for a fraudster to crack (and at the same time more difficult for me to remember) in an attack against my devices.
I have found myself worrying about a breach of my personal information more frequently since news of the Heartbleed bug. Before, if I heard about a breach of a certain retailer, I felt secure if I did not frequent that store or have their card. Occasionally, I would receive notification that my data "may" have been breached, and the threat seemed amorphous. But the frequency and breadth of data breaches are increasing, further evidenced by the recent breach of a major online retailer's customer records. This breach affects about 145 million people.
As a consumer, I find the balance between protecting my own data and my personal bandwidth daunting to maintain. I need to monitor any place that has my personal data, change passwords and security questions, and be constantly aware of the latest threat. Because I work in payments risk, this awareness comes more naturally for me than for most people. But what about consumers who have little time to focus on cybersecurity and need to rely on being notified and told specifically what to do when there's been a breach of their data? And are the action steps usually being suggested comprehensive enough to provide the maximum protection to the affected consumers?
Almost all states have data breach notification laws, and with recent breaches, a number of them are considering strengthening those laws. Congress has held hearings, federal bills have been proposed, and there has been much debate about whether there should be a consistent national data breach notification standard, but no direct action to create such a standard has taken place. Is it time now to do so, or does there need to be more major breaches before the momentum to create such a standard makes it happen?
June 23, 2014
Do Consumers REALLY Care about Payments Privacy and Security?
Consumer research studies have consistently shown that a top obstacle to adopting new payment technologies such as mobile payments is consumers' concern over the privacy and security protections of the technology. Could it be that consumers are indeed concerned but believe that the responsibility for ensuring their privacy and security falls to others? A May 2014 research study by idRADAR revealed the conundrum that risk managers often face: they know that consumers are concerned with security, but they also know they are not active in protecting themselves by adopting strong practices to safeguard their online privacy and security.
The survey asked respondents if they had taken any actions after hearing of the Target breach to protect their privacy or to prevent credit/debit card fraudulent activity. A surprising 79 percent admitted they had done nothing. Despite the scope of the Target data breach, only 4 percent of the respondents indicated that they had signed up for the credit and identity monitoring service that retailers who had been affected offered at no charge (see the chart).
In response to another question, this one asking about the frequency at which they changed their passwords, more than half (58 percent) admitted that they changed their personal e-mail or online passwords only when forced or prompted to do so. Fewer than 10 percent changed it monthly.
When we compare the results of this study with other consumer attitudinal studies, it becomes clear that the ability to get consumers to actually adopt strong security practices remains a major challenge. At "Portals and Rails, we will continue to stress the importance of efforts to educate consumers, and we ask that you join us in this effort.
June 16, 2014
Banking on the Financial Institutions as Gatekeepers
With all the changes and new participants in the payment industry, financial institutions remain the participants in the best position to know their customers. They still play a central role in transactions, so laws, regulations, and rules view them as gatekeepers, best able to protect consumers from unauthorized payments and fraudulent business practices. This gatekeeper role has never been simple, but the increase in the number and type of businesses conducting transactions over the internet and mobile devices has added to its complexity and difficulty. Complicating the gatekeeper role further is the increasing number of intermediaries involved in the payments stream.
Over the years, regulators have issued guidance to institutions highlighting issues related to high-risk businesses and service providers. In the fourth quarter of 2013, both the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Reserve Board issued guidance on third-party risk management for financial institutions. The new guidance highlights the growing importance of managing relationships with payment participants and makes it clear that institutions have to focus on managing customer relationships, which starts at onboarding.
Regulatory pressure is one approach to keeping the payments system safe, and so is the pressure that law enforcement agencies put on financial institutions. A recent example includes the crackdown of the New York Department of Financial Services on unlawful payday lending practices.
Payments system rules are also effective in keeping financial institutions focused on indicators of the fraudulent use of a payment type. For instance, NACHA Operating Rules include a provision that says an institution is out of compliance if its businesses have a return rate for unauthorized transactions over 1 percent. (A previous post addressed proposed enhancements to the NACHA Operating Rules to address additional indicators of fraud.)
An even stronger type of pressure exerted on financial institutions is when an agency bans a payment type entirely or restricts its usage. For instance, the Federal Trade Commission issued a proposal last year to ban the use of remotely created checks by telemarketers. If a payment type is banned, the financial institution's role is to enforce the ban with its business clients.
The emphasis on the financial institution's gatekeeper role underscores the continued importance of protecting consumers from fraudulent payment practices. It also highlights the fact that this role is not an easy one and brings with it certain risks and costs.


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Hundreds of thousands of shoppers in the US state have started stocking up household essentials after up to 70,000 supermarket employees launched an indefinite strike.
Staff at 859 stores walked out on Saturday after union negotiations over pay and medical and pension benefits broke down, sparking the first supermarket strike in southern California in 25 years.
Talks between the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union and three supermarket chains – Vons, Ralphs and Albertsons – collapsed, sending workers onto the picket lines.
While hundreds of stores closed when staff walked out, most reopened at the weekend with emergency staff manning them, while opening hours have been shortened and some departments shuttered.
“It is likely going to be several weeks before we sit down again,” said Vons spokeswoman, Sandra Calderon in Los Angeles.
Staff were picketing the stores on Monday in a bid to force customers to shop elsewhere until the labour action had been settled, causing many stores to be all but deserted by customers.
Two of the three affected chains, Albertsons and Ralphs, locked out their striking employees.
“It is likely going to be several weeks before we sit down again”
The union says the grocery companies want to cut health care benefits by 50%.
In addition, the firms are seeking a temporary wage freeze and the right to hire new employees for less money.
But the grocers said their proposal on health care was not as bad as the union had portrayed it.
“In view of the explosive growth in health care costs, the companies are asking employees to share in a very small portion of their health care benefits – $5 a week for the employee’s coverage and $10 to $15 a week to cover the entire family,” they said in a statement.
The union represents about 70,000 market workers in southern California and beyond. With about 900 stores in southern California, the three companies represent 60% of the area’s grocery store market.

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SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – Chevrolet dealer Gordon Stewart knows what it takes to sell a truck: cash discounts. Yet General Motors won’t increase incentives to match its U.S. rivals.
Our truck business has been hammered, said Stewart, who has four Chevy stores in Michigan, Florida and Georgia. It’s hard to sell a pickup right now with our competitive approach. We don’t equal Ford’s incentives, and we don’t even come close to Dodge’s.
This month, Chrysler offered an average incentive of $5,598 per truck on the Ram 1500, 35 percent more than the Ford F-150 and 46 percent more than the Chevy Silverado, according to data dealers provide to researcher J.D. Power and Associates obtained by Bloomberg News. GM is holding off on incentives to preserve profit margins on its redesigned pickups.
This newfound discipline after years of matching foes’ offers or leading the way in discounting may give investors reassurance that the Detroit automaker has learned important lessons of its 2009 bankruptcy. GM’s gross margins in the first quarter may increase more than 20 percent while Ford’s may fall by almost 18 percent, according to analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg.
The restraint isn’t without disadvantages for GM, which is also grappling with a 2.59 million car recall that threatens the company’s safety reputation. In the tussle for lucrative and loyal truck buyers, Chrysler’s Ram boosted sales by 24 percent this year through February, while Ford’s F-series is up just 1.1 percent and the Chevy Silverado has fallen 15 percent.
This has always been a cash-on-the-hood kind of product segment, said Larry Dominique, president of ALG, a Santa Barbara, Calif., company that sets vehicle resale values. This is a huge segment. There’s lots of plants running, there’s a lot of metal being produced, and automakers want to push it out.
GM assembles Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups at its plant in southwest Allen County.
Strong sales of Ram pickups, including last year’s 21 percent gain, have kept Chrysler’s streak of monthly sales gains going to 47 months. The Auburn Hills, Mich., automaker will probably report a 10 percent increase in March sales, the average of eight analyst estimates in a survey by Bloomberg.
Industrywide sales may rise 2.1 percent to 1.48 million light vehicles, the average of 10 analyst projections. The annualized rate, adjusted for seasonal factors, may rise to 15.8 million, the average of 14 estimates, from 15.3 million a year earlier.
GM, Ford and Toyota are projected to have smaller gains than Chrysler’s, while Honda may report a decline. Nissan sales may be unchanged, the average of seven estimates. GM results may be little affected by the small-car recall because the models with defective ignition switches are no longer on the market. Separately, the company has announced a recall of its 2014 Silverado and Sierra pickups with 6-speed transmissions for a potentially leaky oil cooler line.
There is no vehicle type more important to the Detroit Three than pickups. They generate $8,000 to $10,000 in gross profits per vehicle and still produce most of their automotive income, according Morgan Stanley. Far from being the rugged roustabouts of old, today’s trucks can have as much leather and high-tech gear as a luxury car, with prices to match.
It’s not uncommon for a pickup truck owner to spend almost his annual income on his truck, said Dominique, who shepherded Nissan’s Titan pickup a decade ago when he ran the Japanese automaker’s product development. There are guys out there making $65,000 who are buying $65,000 trucks.
Those overextended buyers are very susceptible to the lure of a good deal, Dominique said. And with the generous profits trucks haul in, auto companies have room to negotiate. In March, Ford ran a promotion it calls Stampede of Savings in the big truck markets of Dallas; Houston; Memphis, Tenn.; and Kansas City, Mo. GM is running the Chevy Open House Event, where buyers are offered the same discounts granted to auto suppliers.
In recent months, though, Chrysler has offered half-ton truck buyers the biggest pile of cash. Ram incentives have risen 31 percent since December, when Chrysler offered $4,274 on its truck, according to the Power data. During that same period, Ford’s incentives rose 1.3 percent, while Silverado’s discounts declined 2.1 percent, according to the Power data.
That trend has Youngstown, Ohio, Ram dealer Chuck Eddy elated, especially since he’s always found it challenging selling Chrysler products just down the road from GM’s big car factory in Lordstown, Ohio.
We’re just kicking Chevy’s butt right now, and we’re doing it in a GM town, Eddy said. We always had the truck that chased everybody else. Now they’re chasing us.
GM is not descending deeply into discounts on the redesigned Silverado and GMC Sierra it began selling last year. It’s trying to protect profits per vehicle and prove it has learned from the mistakes that drove the company into bankruptcy in 2009, said Jim Cain, a company spokesman.
We would deeply disappoint so many people from Wall Street to our dealers on Main Street if we were to match the kind of things that Dodge is doing, Cain said. We’ve made commitments to be disciplined and that’s not anything we’re interested in walking away from.
Cain said GM recognizes it is losing some sales to Ram among price-sensitive shoppers, although not in volumes that have us staying up at night.
The company has put profits and margins ahead of sales volumes since at least 2012, when Dan Akerson, then the company’s chief executive, said those targets were more important than being bigger than Toyota, which unseated GM that year as the world’s largest automaker. He was succeeded in January by Mary Barra.
The largest U.S. automaker is loath to cut prices out of concern it will hurt resale values and average prices, Cain said.
Each have risen since the introduction of the new Silverado, which features a quieter cockpit and smoother, more fuel-efficient engines. It was named North American Truck of the Year by journalists at this year’s Detroit auto show, a prize the Ram won the year before.
The Silverado sold for an average of $37,794 last month, which was above Ram’s $37,060 average price and below Ford’s $39,015 average, according to J.D. Power data obtained by Bloomberg News.
It is a brand new truck and we’re achieving our objectives on almost every section of the scorecard, Cain said. The challenge for us is how do we deal with the lower end of the market, where we haven’t been performing well, without sacrificing all the other gains that we’ve made?
To Chevy dealer Stewart the solution is simple: Focus on having the highest sales, not the highest prices on the market.
If you’re selling a Cadillac and you’ve got limited supply and more demand than supply, then you can brag about your transaction price, Stewart said. Who in marketing brags about a high transaction price on a high-volume product?


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WyoLotto officials are still searching for the recent winner of a $2 million lottery prize bought from a Mills gas station.
“We’re still waiting … We’re telling people to check their tickets,” Jon Clontz, CEO of WyoLotto, said Tuesday afternoon.
The winning numbers from the May 5 drawing were 14, 29, 36, 57, 61 and the Powerball was 17. The ticket’s purchaser matched all five regular numbers, but not the Powerball.
This is the second largest lottery jackpot ever won in Wyoming. A Mega Millions ticket worth $5 million was sold in Evanston a few years ago, according to Clontz.
The $2 million ticket was bought just days after someone purchased a Cowboy Draw lottery ticket worth $466,159 from the Loaf’ N Jug along East Second Street in Casper. This prize also had yet to be claimed.
Clontz said the winners usually come forward in a few days, but sometimes people misplace a ticket and forget about it.
To celebrate, WyoLotto will be hosting two parties on May 21. The events are planned for 10 a.m. to noon at the Loaf ‘N Jug and from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Maverik.
Store clerks will receive gift baskets and the store owners receive a monetary gift, added Clontz.
“It’s just a small way that we thank players for playing and our retailers for selling out products,” he said.
More than 3 million ticket purchasers have won more than $42.5 million since WyoLotto launched almost four years ago, according to a press release from the Wyoming Lottery Corporation.
If you think you have a winning ticket, call the WyoLotto office at 855-995-6886.


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Helmut Ponath, founder and long-time managing director of the German shipping company NBS Group, has taken full control of the company.
Since 2000, the shareholders of the Buxtehude-based NSB Group have consisted of four owners: Conti NSB Holding, Gebab Holding, Norddeutsche Reederei Holding and Buxriver. In December 2021, the four shareholders signed the contract to transfer their all shares to Ponath’s Buxriver.
“In doing so, they are handing over the company to the one that has always been most involved in the operation of the shipping company. We will use the new shareholder constellation more intensively to continue the transformation of the company under the NSB GROUP brand. We thank the shareholders who have reliably accompanied us for more than 20 years,” said NSB Group CEO Tim Ponath.
This post appeared first on MarineLink News.


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(Pocket-lint) - The rumoured Harrods Apple Store in central London could open its doors in time for the iPad 3 launch, that's according to a report from 9to5mac.
Its says Harrods and Apple plan to open the new store in mid-March and - with the iPad 3 touted for an official launch announcement of 7 March - it doesn't take an Apple Genius to add two and two together and come up with A5X.
The original report rumouring the Apple / Harrods hook-up was also suggested by 9to5Mac, which said the outlet would be situated inside the world-famous department store and feature pretty much everything Apple has to offer apart from a Genius Bar.
Harrods, of course, is the exclusive seller of the BlackBerry Porsche P'9981, and was the first to take on the Sony Personal 3D Viewer on its UK launch, so it is no stranger to consumer electronics.
The shop has been operating in its current Brompton Road location since 1851. In 2010, Harrods was sold for £1.5 billion to to Qatar Holdings, the sovereign wealth fund of the State of Qatar.
In its illustrious history the shop has sold a humongous range of merchandise to its customers, including wild and exotic animals. Now it seems it will once again be selling lions, although this time much safer Mountain ones.


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Samsung started the day on a very positive tone, showing off their record third-quarter earnings. Only… to end it with an anticlimactic announcement from its CEO, stating that he’s officially resigning from its position.
The Korean manufacturer is expecting to have made around 14.5 trillion won (~$12.8 billion) in operating profit off 62 trillion won (~$54.7 billion) in revenue. That’s a huge operating profit jump of more than 170%. That’s not so shocking as it may appear, given the fact that Samsung lost a lot last year due to the Note 7 scandal.
Although the details are set to come later this month, it’s safe to say that Samsung has overcome the image crisis of 2016. That said, the company is apparently facing a different one at the moment, prompting chief executive officer and vice chairman Oh-Hyun Kwon to resign from the company.
Kwon is ending his journey as a CEO of Samsung after five years, planning on leaving his position as a head of its components and display units, too. “It has not been an easy decision, but I feel I can no longer put it off. As we are confronted with unprecedented crisis inside out, I believe that time has now come for the company start anew, with a new spirit and young leadership to better respond to challenges arising from the rapidly changing IT industry”, wrote Kwon in a letter to the employees.
This announcement comes months after vice chairman Jay Y. Lee was sentenced to five years in prison for bribery, embezzlement, capital flight and perjury charges. It seems that Samsung hasn’t had the best of luck with its leaders lately…


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Verizon are canceling home online installments during the pandemic
‘We were reducing all of our in-home installment strive to crucial goals’
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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Verizon try canceling arranged appointments for online installation and fixes, relating to some visitors as well as 2 Verge journalists with chronic internet dilemmas. The decision probably renders Fios subscribers without wired online at one time whenever they’re most likely relying on they for perform also to read relatives and buddies through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are reducing the in-home installation work to vital has to hold our very own staff members and people as well as to cut back the scatter of COVID-19,” Verizon claims in an assistance document.
“To lessen the scatter of COVID-19 and keep the workers and subscribers safer, the audience is creating every make an effort to play jobs without going into property or smaller businesses and are also limiting in-home installs to health issues and important installments,” Verizon says to The Verge in a statement. Self-install choices are furthermore readily available for “qualified services purchases,” the company added.
However, Verizon in fact altered the language for the help data at some point on Tuesday early morning, in accordance with company Insider. Formerly, your website said that “our gurus will not be able to enter your residence or company to install new treatments or perhaps to carry out restoration operate.”
Here is the past code, from a type of the web page archived on Monday:
Because of COVID-19, we have been getting safety measures maintain the staff members and customers safer. Today, our professionals will not be able to get in your residence or company to install latest services or even create repairs jobs. Qualified purchases will be supplied self-install alternatives, or you may continue with putting your order for a technician-required construction and it will feel used for future consultation consideration. You’ll get alerts to choose an installation time when we resume functions.
Customers on Twitter need stated that their unique construction visits currently canceled. One said past that his installations appointment is terminated for internet which he necessary for school. In a reply, Verizon stated the “technicians will be unable to get in your house to set up new treatments or would restoration efforts.”
Through COVID-19, the audience is having precautions to keep our very own staff and people safer. At this time, all of our technicians will not be able to go into your house to set up new service or perform repairs jobs.
Past now, Verizon advised a consumer which said their own setting up consultation was actually canceled that “qualified sales should be provided self-install choice” and that however see “future visit top priority” if he chosen installment by a professional.
Skilled sales can be provided self-install selection, or you may go ahead with putting your order for a technician-required setting up and it will surely end up being held for future visit top priority. Could obtain notification to choose an installation date as soon as we resume operations^CKM
Some Twitter consumers has stated that Verizon is actually telling them that a professional might fix her internet in November, but Verizon stated in reply to one of those consumers that November go out try “incorrect” and it is “simply a placeholder for subscribers in your community.”
Jass, that information is wrong. That go out is actually a placeholder for consumers locally. We’re going to get in touch with your after we receive approval to convey an earlier big date. Thank you so much. ^HEN
Verizon’s brand new guidelines have suffering journalists only at The brink. Technology reporter Loren Grush possessn’t had net from Verizon since April first. A professional found their house that day to investigate, nonetheless they said an engineering technician needed to Shreveport free hookup website look at the difficulties and possibly do a repair. The technology technician’s consultation is booked for yesterday, nonetheless never ever arrived. Verizon told Grush there clearly was another process implemented on April 6th that intended professionals could no further come right into her house.
“I attempted contacting these days but in essence was actually informed ‘engineering will-call your,’” Grush mentioned in a Slack content. “We need to loose time waiting for these to contact us, and because this brand-new rule is during room, I’m maybe not totally optimistic.”
In the meantime, Grush and her husband currently forced to rely on their mobile hotspots for web, which they need for their own jobs right now. She claims she practically hit their cellular data cover, while the girl spouse was required to shell out to include a greater data cap. “I’m worried [that] as we hit the limits, the world wide web would be unusable,” stated Grush.
Makena Kelly, an insurance plan reporter from the Verge, has additionally been experiencing problems with her Fios net since April first. A technician was actually planned to confirm the challenge on April fourth, however the internet came back, very Verizon terminated the session, she mentioned in a Slack content. Cyberspace sought out again later that day, and Kelly keepsn’t had the oppertunity to reschedule a scheduled appointment.
To assist clientele fix issues that don’t requirement a technician to consult with personally, Verizon tells The brink that it’s piloting “a virtual assistant technical means which enables all of our area technicians to interact with subscribers via real-time, interactive videos cam.” The company have not taken care of immediately issues from The brink on how huge that pilot is or with regards to might roll out even more generally.


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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – More than 5,500 jobs are available in the mid-state with two companies participating in upcoming job fairs.
Macy’s is looking to immediately hire 3,500 season employees for its logistics warehouse in Portland.
Openings include picking, packing, shipping, power equipment operator and other positions. Rates of pay range from $12.50-$14.50. Transportation for specific shifts may be available.
Macy’s will participate in hiring events at Goodwill Career Solutions centers at the following times and locations:
- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8, at 2008 Memorial Blvd., Springfield
- 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10, at 2101 Gallatin Pike N., Madison
- 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11, at 2001 Needmore Road, Clarksville
Integrity Staffing Solutions seeks to fill more than 2,000 full-time, part-time and temporary Amazon warehouse positions in Murfreesboro.
Rates of pay range from $11.50 to $16.25 per hour.
The hiring event will be held from 9 a.m. until noon on Friday, Nov. 11, at 108 Lane Parkway in Shelbyville.
Representatives from these companies will be on-site and interviews are possible, so job-seekers should dress for success.
Job candidates are encouraged to bring a resume, photo ID and their Social Security card or birth certificate.


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Showing results 1 to 20 of 827
In response to an evolving market, Intel plans to combine the resources of its PC division with its struggling chip group.
In addition to its new micro-sized PC, the world's largest computer supplier has also boosted its ThinkCentre E63z all-in-one with an Intel Core i3 processor.
A long-running court case over consumers' right to get a refund on unwanted OS has finally been settled. Will it change the PC market in the country?
Newly released figures from two popular web analytics firms show a PC market that is essentially static. The most interesting detail: Apple's push to update its installed base to the latest OS X version has largely succeeded, while Microsoft is less successful with its efforts to get Windows 8 users to move to the free 8.1 update.
If you're envious of the affordability of Chrome OS laptops, but need to run Windows applications, Lenovo's 15.6-inch B50-30 has much to recommend it.
As expected Intel announced its 14nm Broadwell processor family, but it is running late and won’t be available until the holidays. Despite this, Intel says Moore’s Law is alive and well, and will not only reinvent the PC, but also drive the next era of integrated computing.
If a lot of what Apple announced at this week's WWDC seems familiar, that shouldn't be a surprise. Increasingly, the owners of big computing platforms are building features designed for a multi-device world. And in that world, PCs and Macs are no longer at the top of the food chain.
The applications, announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, could wind up being the glue that connects Lenovo's post-PC devices.
Easily swappable components could make building your own PC a breeze. The company's CEO said the self-contained parts could potentially be sold on a subscription basis.
The boutique PC company hedges its bets with a hybrid Steam Machine that starts at $1,899.
Latest worldwide usage figures for PC/Mac operating systems and browsers show little change in November, a traditionally slow month. But a close look at the numbers shows that the free Windows 8.1 and OS X Mavericks upgrades were a hit.
Some people are still in denial about the rise of the Linux operating system with the Chrome Web browser interface, Chrome OS, and its hardware: the Chromebooks. The experts say, however, it's the one segment of the PC market that's growing while everything else shrinks.
OS X and Mac applications have security vulnerabilities too; some people still don't believe it, but it's true. Here are the latest ones and why you need to take them seriously.
The reasons why Apple put a 64-bit processor inside the iPhone 5s goes way beyond hype. While the applications for it might be limited right now, Apple is paving the way for improvements that we'll see trickle into the iPhone over the next few years.
The 24-inch all-in-one PC uses a Tegra 3 processor and runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, but is there a market for it?
Microsoft designed Windows RT to get its newest OS on tablets using the popular ARM processor. It did this well, but in the process crippled it, making it a no-go for the consumer.
A project is aiming to build a Wine-like compatibility layer for Linux operating systems that would allow them to run OS X applications.
Intel's new processor family is focused on ultrabooks and two-in-one devices, and Intel's doubtless hoping it will help breathe fresh life into the ailing PC market.
The PC is, at its heart, a gestalt of components that come together to serve a purpose. Lose the ability to choose what goes into a PC, then a PC becomes nothing more than a black box, like a DVD player or a games console. And that's not a PC.
The best of ZDNet, delivered
- 1 Perfectly legal ways you can still get Windows 7 cheap (or even free)
- 2 How much does an iPhone 6 really cost? (Hint: It's way more than $199)
- 3 31 ways to improve your iPhone's battery life
- 4 Seven privacy settings you should change immediately in iOS 8
- 5 Review: Tile Bluetooth tag (verdict: Great)


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BIO-key has been helping Microsoft to spread the word about Windows 10’s biometric security capabilities.
The companies recently concluded a 12-city tour that placed a spotlight on Windows Hello, the biometric security apparatus that comes built into the new Windows 10 operating system. BIO-key is helping users to take advantage of Windows Hello via its fingerprint sensor devices; BIO-key is Microsoft’s exclusive biometric solutions partner, and as such its devices are compatible with Windows 10, offering plug-and-play functionality with respect to Windows Hello.
Speaking to Small Cap Nation‘s Jane King, BIO-key CEO Mike DePasquale emphasized the utility of these biometric security options to both enterprise users and consumers in the mass market, and showed off his company’s SideSwipe and EcoID USB scanner solutions. DePasquale also highlighted the “huge market” that Microsoft’s efforts with Windows 10 is opening up to these biometric security solutions, noting that in the last two months alone Microsoft has upgraded the OS’s of 110 million customers.
It’s an exciting time for the company and for Microsoft, not to mention the hundreds of millions of users who stand to benefit from the companies’ promotion of biometric security solutions.
February 3, 2016 – by Alex Perala


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Result(s) found: 135
2016: The year that was
The Index of Industrial Production (IIP), which provides quick estimates of the performance of key industrial sectors, started resurrecting upward movement during FY2015-16. As per IIP, the industrial sector broadly comprises of mining, manufacturing and electricity. In FY2015-16, IIP growth of T&C was bracing and it outstripped the growth of overall manufacturing and general IIP.
Zero raw silk import by 2020: CSB
India is marching towards self-reliance in raw silk and plans to bring down imports to zero level by 2020, according to K M Hanumantharayappa, Chairman, Central Silk Board (CSB).
BSTIM knitwear fair in February 2017
The third edition of BSTIM, a show for the fashion industry, will be held in Igualada, a textile city near Barcelona, where 145 factories and 2,500 industry professionals are located, from 22-23 February 2017. T
Simta spindle tape unit makes progress
Located in Coimbatore, Simta Machinery Pvt Ltd is an integrated group of textile engineering companies, consisting of tapes manufacturing, overhead travelling cleaners, bobbin transport system, clearer rollers, sheet metal engineering and industrial fabrics divisions located at spread-out geographies.
Sustainable technologies: Italy leads the way
Italian textile machinery companies are working to provide technology solutions that place reduced consumption in energy, water and chemical products at the centre of the production process in the textile industry, supporting their customers in order to reach the target in terms of efficiency and cost savings.
Globalisation unstoppable: IAF chief
Globalisation still dominates apparel production and it is highly unlikely that reshoring or backshoring will bring back many jobs that were lost via offshoring, says the International Apparel Federation IAF President, Han Bekke.
Cotton crop on the rise amid shrinking acreage
India expects to produce 35.1 million bales (170 kg) this season beginning in October. India’s official body, Cotton Advisory Board met in Mumbai and decided on this year’s first estimate of cotton production.
Tool to detect harmful substances in textile chain!
The Oeko-Tex Association has launched a new tool ‘Detox to Zero’, which enables manufacturers along the textile chain to assess the status of their chemical management systems and the quality of their wastewater and sludge.


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Toronto Fashion Week - Designer David Dixon
The gender inequalities and stigmas women face around the world inspired David Dixon's latest collection at Toronto Fashion Week. The designer says there's a glass ceiling in fashion too, as shown by a lack of runway diversity.
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This week, the German magazine Stern reported that the company is making an announcement on Wednesday that it is to build a speaker that is actually a subwoofer.The German company is also working on a speaker with a built-in amp, and this speaker could possibly be a sub.However, the speaker is likely to be a small, unassuming speaker that has […]
If you’ve been reading this article in the past month, you’re probably thinking, ‘This is an easy fix.’But it’s not.And if you’re still thinking it’s going to work, you’d be wrong. It’s going, well, wrong.If you’re using the Bose wireless speakers, you’ve probably heard that one.That’s because they’re one of the best Bluetooth speakers on the market.They’re also one of their […]
The truck speaker box is here.It’s called the Bose Wireless Speaker, and it will be available later this year for about $1,500, according to an article by Fox News.The new speaker, which will feature a 6-inch touch-sensitive touchscreen, is designed for “people who want to connect with the world via wireless,” according to the company.And it’s a very, very good […]
On Thursday, Bose announced that it has acquired a major player in the wireless speaker market with the acquisition of the $1 billion company Bose Technologies.The acquisition, which includes its $1.1 billion acquisition of speaker maker AudioTechnica, comes after years of competition with other wireless speakers on the market, including Samsung and Amazon, according to Bloomberg.Bose says that it will […]
Best speakers systems in Europe and North America can cost anywhere from $500 to $1,000 depending on the type of speakers you want, but the best ones tend to cost less than the ones with built-in speakers.Here are our picks for the best speakers in Europe, North America and other countries around the world.


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The buses that were flagged off have been supplied by Switch Mobility, a carbon neutral electric bus and light commercial vehicle company. The new technologically advanced electric buses are a part of the 300 electric bus order and would be inducted into the transport utility BMTC's fleet to cater to the people of Bengaluru. Switch Mobility will supply, operate and maintain the 300 Switch EiV 12 standard electric buses.
The CM, speaking at the event, said the Centre has sanctioned 922 EV buses for Bengaluru on a lease basis as against 1500 buses the government had requested. The 922 buses plus 300 buses which Switch will supply will strengthen transport utility BMTC's fleet, he said.
Bommai said Bengaluru was seeing addition of about 5000 new two and four wheelers a day, and at this rate, the city's vehicle population would overtake the number of city's residents. The city has the highest vehicle density in the country, he said, and urged people to switch to public transport to make the city liveable.
The CM told Switch India authorities to further bring down the cost per kilometre from Rs 48 by working on the battery technology to get more mileage for the same cost.
Switch India CEO Mahesh Babu said: “With increasing focus on electrification of mass public transportation, Switch India is committed to democratizing zero carbon mobility. In order to cater to these needs, Switch India launched the Switch EiV 12 platform in June 2022 and today we are delighted to begin initial deliveries of our Switch EiV buses to BMTC as part of our 300 strong electric bus order. These buses will play a vital role in reducing carbon footprint in the city of Bengaluru - a reduction of over 14,500 tonnes of CO2 per year equivalent to planting 87,000 trees.’’
The company, in a statement said, that its EiV 12 buses have been configured and designed with cutting-edge technology to deliver delightful customer experience and passenger comfort. "The Switch EiV 12 platform is built on the experience of 50 million electric kms globally. The platform has a unique, advanced, global EV architecture to deliver superior efficiency, safety, and reliability. Switch EiV 12 delivers exceptional drive performance and efficiency, and is embedded with proprietary, connected technology solutions, ‘Switch iON’, enabling remote, real-time diagnostics and monitoring services, as well as world-class digital battery management tools," it said.
The buses are equipped with a new generation of highly efficient, modular batteries with advanced lithium-ion NMC chemistry, specially formulated for the Indian market and climatic conditions. The modular batteries increase the capacity per battery cell for the same weight, enabling a higher range of kilometers, the statement said.
Tuesday, 05 Dec, 2023
- Poll Vault: D-Street Bulls Cheer BJP Feat in States
Analysts expect Sensex and Nifty to gain 4-6% ahead of Lok Sabha elections.Indian equities surged to all-time highs on Monday with the Sensex closing above 68,000 for the first time, as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s strong showing in state elections pumped up an already buoyant market.The High-powered ET Awards Jury
Next week, Mumbai will see a gathering of a distinguished group representing the best of Indian business: The high-powered jury that will select the winners of The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence 2023.
Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
- Wipro Consumer Care acquires three soap brands from VVF Ltd
- Global industrial real estate giant Panattoni to invest over Euro 100 mn in India for significant growth
- Royal Enfield forays into pre-owned bike biz with Reown
- Weikfield Foods exploring campaigns similar to its lie detector test ads: CEO D.S. Sachdeva
- Air India moves its computational workload to cloud; shuts two data centres
- Industrial and Logistics sector in Kolkata to record 5-year high in supply
- Record more than 2,000 fossil fuel lobbyists at COP28 talks: NGOs
- Diwali 2023 sees big jump in online shopping with credit cards: Visa Report
- In the salt deserts bordering Pakistan, India builds its largest renewable energy project
- Foxconn cancels first shift on Tuesday at Indian iPhone facility after extreme weather: Sources


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Ronald’s in the Hospital
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Nutritionists think the chain’s offerings areun-Happy Meals.
By BETTY BRINK
It was not your typical McDonald’s crowd. Too many people in wheelchairs, for one thing. And there were as many older folks pushing walkers as young moms with baby strollers. That’s because the 30 or so customers at the multicolored McDonald’s at 1500 S. Main St. one recent Friday evening were in John Peter Smith Hospital, medical center of first resort for Tarrant County’s poorest and often sickest citizens.
This outlet’s been dishing out its high-cholesterol, high-sodium, and high-calorie meals from its location in JPS’ main lobby for almost 10 years. But the situation is only now coming under scrutiny from shocked nutritionists, many of whom were unaware that McDonald’s is Peter Smith’s only dining option for day patients, visitors, and — after 3 p.m. — staffers. One nutritionist called it “the county’s best-kept dirty little secret.”
Peter Smith, which saw more than half a million patients at its main and satellite locations in 2001, is one of dozens of hospitals nationwide that have opted for on-site fast-food chains (including Parkland in Dallas, which operates one of the largest McDonald’s outlets in the nation) as a way to feed people without cost —and sometimes with profit — to the hospital.
Such trends alarm health professionals such as Joice Carter, diabetic education specialist at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. She and others are concerned about the nation’s rising rates of obesity, heart disease, and Type II diabetes. Hospitals that contract with such restaurants are “sending a very wrong signal,” Carter said. “They are endorsing [junk food] as OK.”
Her concerns were given weight in June with the release of a study by researchers at the University of Michigan Health System showing that, among the country’s top-rated medical centers, 38 percent have fast-food franchises on their main medical campuses. Those include Johns Hopkins (Subway), UCLA Medical Center (Numero Uno Pizza), St. Louis’ Barnes-Jewish (Burger King), and the UMHS itself, with a Wendy’s that inspired the study.
“It’s hypocritical,” Dr. Peter Cram, the lead author of the study, said in an interview with a reporter for a medical web site. “For hospitals to say they promote healthy lifestyles and then offer these fast foods because it’s convenient and potentially profitable is a mixed message.”
Sharon Price, a Bedford nutritionist, found the JPS partnership with McDonald’s “deplorable.”
“A county hospital, of all places, should not be condoning a McDonald’s and all the unhealthy eating habits it stands for,” she said. Hospitals “should serve the public by promoting healthy eating habits and by setting an example for the entire community.”
Price works with private clients as well as physician-referred patients suffering from life-threatening diseases. She was unaware of the fast-food outlet at JPS. “I don’t condone a McDonald’s diet for anyone,” she said, “inside or outside the hospital.”
Two local pediatricians, who asked not to be named, are angered, they said, by Peter Smith’s willful disregard for the health of the children it serves, especially given the increasing rates of Type II diabetes now being found among minority children. “We are seeing an epidemic in a disease that is easily avoided by diet, by eating healthy foods, and here we have a hospital that is promoting just the opposite,” one doctor said.
The majority of the day patients at a county hospital, Carter pointed out, “are at the poorest state of their health or at the worst stage of their disease, and most of them have to be there all day.” The cheapest things on a McDonald’s menu are usually the highest in fat content, making them the most perilous for such patients, she said.
“Taking in such ‘nutrition’ even if you don’t take it in every meal, is dangerous,” Price said, because of the trans-fatty acids and saturated fats in which the chain fries its spuds and chicken nuggets. “They are the bullies on the block, knocking out the good stuff [the polyunsaturated fats] that helps keep the heart healthy.”
And even though McDonald’s recently announced it will begin using somewhat healthier cooking oils, Price said the change has more to do with public relations than substance. “Even in lower percentages, those fats will still be available to the body,” she said, “and can still do their damage.”
“We’ve got to practice what we preach,” Dr. David Grant said. The retired plastic surgeon, one of the founders of Medical Plaza Hospital, is now a nutrition consultant. He said that there is not only a correlation between fast-food diets and the growing numbers of overweight children, but health professionals are finding an alarming rise in the loss of bone density in adolescent girls with large intakes of carbonated drinks. The medical profession, he said, must lead the way, through education and example, in reversing these trends.
Contract terms require the McDonald’s franchise holder to pay the hospital district a base rent of $24,000 per year, plus 10 percent of the restaurant’s gross yearly sales in excess of $800,000. JPS pays for all of McDonald’s utilities — gas, electricity, water, and sewage — and repairs to the utilities.
Nutrition got short shrift in the 18-page contract, appearing in only one tortuously worded paragraph. There, the company agreed that “without committing McDonald’s to offer any particular product, or to employ any particular method ... McDonald’s will ... consider for use ... products and methods which will result in lower fat and calories than those generally available in McDonald’s Restaurants.”
That 1992 agreement, hospital spokesperson Theresa Singleton said, was negotiated by an earlier — and long gone — administration. “No one here now had anything to do with it,” she said. Still, the 20-year contract has an option for renewal every five years. Hospital CEO David Cecero did not return calls seeking comment on the health concerns involved.
These days, the McDonald’s Corporation pats itself on its back for making the nutritional breakdown of its products available on site to anyone who asks.
But when one of the slouching teen-age boys punching in orders at the JPS McDonald’s was asked for a copy of the chain’s nutritional listings, he looked confused. The young female manager who left the deep-fry machine to come to his rescue also came up empty-handed after a frantic search. “Sorry,” she said as she turned back to pour salt on the hot fries, “Guess we don’t have ’em.”
A search on the web, however, turned up the calorie counts for 63 products sold at most of Ronald’s restaurants. The Arch Deluxe with bacon is the most artery-clogging single entry at 590 calories and 1,150 grams of salt. But its most popular full meal, a Big Mac with super-sized fries and cola, is a hefty 1,410 calories. There are some healthier offerings. Grilled chicken salad deluxe is only 120 calories, but if you add that tasty ranch dressing and some croutons, those calories jump to 400. Bon appetit.
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Motorcycle helmet law repeal trend leading to higher death rates
The report, released by FairWarning.org, outlines how for the past 30 years, states have begun to loosen helmet restrictions on bikers and deaths have climbed, even as automotive deaths have dropped to historic lows. In 1972, 47 states required riders to wear helmets. In 2012, only 19 states have laws requiring every rider don protective headgear.
Meanwhile, deaths on motorcycles has more than doubled from 1997 to 2010, from 2,116 to 4,502, according to NHTSA.
"We call it the organ donor enhancement act," a doctor told TheDetroitBureau.com. "We've always had a shortage of donors but expect to see the numbers go way up. "
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The Union government on Thursday decided to raise the retail price of urea by 10 per cent and allowed manufacturers to fix the rates of DAP and MOP fertilisers.
The decisions, a part of new nutrient-based subsidy (NBS) scheme approved by the Cabinet today, will be effective from April 1, 2010.
At present, the maximum retail price (MRP) of urea is Rs 483 a quintal, while DAP costs Rs 935 a quintal and MOP Rs 445.50 a quintal.
Under NBS, subsidy is given to nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potash and sulphur) contained in the fertiliser. It will also do away with the maximum retail price (MRP).
However, the government will continue to fix the MRP of widely used fertiliser urea.


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Two more consumers are suing Nashville, Tenn., retailer Genesis Diamonds over its sales of diamonds with EGL International reports.
The two new suits, filed this week in the circuit court for Davidson County, Tenn., bear certain resemblances to the initial one.
In the first, plaintiff M. Nathaniel Averitt says that in October 2012, he bought a pair of diamond cufflinks from the three-store chain, which carried EGL International reports. Those reports called one diamond a 3.01 ct. G SI excellent cut and the other a 3.04 ct. G SI very good cut. They were appraised at $135,000, it said.
But according to the lawsuit, another appraisal called the 3.01 ct. stone an M SI1 very good cut, and the 3.04 ct. stone an N SI1 good cut. It valued them at $22,500.
The suit also contends that Averitt later bought a diamond eternity band with was represented as a 7.8 ct. F VS1 excellent cut, purported to be worth $45,000. A second appraisal termed it a J VS1 good cut, worth $18,000, the suit says.
Genesis lawyer Eli Richardson says the cufflinks were custom-ordered and designed from scratch. “Genesis Diamonds worked for weeks to have them completed,” he says. “The complaint makes it sound like he just walked in off the street one day and selected these cufflinks out of the case.”
He adds that Genesis’ out-of-pocket costs for the cufflinks were more than $53,000—or more than double the plaintiff’s appraisal—plus time and labor. Averitt paid $85,000, plus tax, for them.
He says there was never any kind of report issued for the eternity band, which he called a “blatant error” in the complaint.
The second suit, launched by plaintiff Richard Vien, claims that Genesis sold him a diamond with an EGL International report that called it a 1.01 ct. D S12 excellent cut. An appraisal valued it at $6,395. However, the GIA graded the stone as an F I1 excellent cut, worth about $4,400, the complaint says.
Both suits charge fraud and violations of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act and seek triple the difference between the stones’ stated value and what they are actually worth.
Richardson counters that both plaintiffs never complained about their purchases.
“You have to wonder whether the customer was perfectly satisfied with his purchase until he encountered a plaintiff’s attorney, who saw an opportunity to take advantage of Genesis Diamonds and use litigation to try to make money,” he says.
He adds that when the attorney contacted the store with their complaints, both customers were offered full refunds, which they turned down, preferring to sue.
Richardson also told local station WSMV that all grading is subjective.
“EGL International is known to be more lenient than GIA,” he said. “That does not make EGL International certifications fraudulent, just more lenient.”
EGL International could not be reached for comment, but has called its grading “more practical.”
The lawyer who filed the first suit, Brian Manookian, had said more suits were coming, and that he hoped to consolidate them all into a class action. However, the two new complaints use a different lawyer, Brian Cummings. The lawyers did not respond to requests for comments on whether the suits were related—although Richardson notes that both attorneys once worked at the same firm.Follow JCK on Instagram: @jckmagazine
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Regarded as the “Queen City of the South,” Cebu City is one of the most-prosperous cities in the Philippines with its thriving commerce and tourism industries. As the second-largest city in the country, Metro Cebu undeniably has a lot to offer any local or foreign tourist, from Instagrammable destinations and historic sites, shopping malls, gastronomic delights to hotels.
In the middle of the city lies a luxe yet inexpensive crash pad.
With its cozy air-conditioned rooms, wide windows and wallpapered interiors, Anika Suites is surely one of the top picks for guests who seek a comfortable stay and be at the center of the city. Guests can make the most out of their time with the city’s landmarks, malls, hospitals, the Cebu Provincial Capitol and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport all just a ride away.
It hasn’t been an easy journey for Anika Suites, however. “We had low occupancy rates, sometimes not even hitting 50 percent,” said Joey Enario, owner and property manager of the hotel.
When Anika Suites opened its doors in Cebu on March 18 this year, the owners decided to name it after their business partner’s already well-known Anika Island Resort in Bantayan, Cebu to leverage the popularity of the other property. This proved to be not enough with low occupancy rate. That is, until OYO came in June.
Anika Suites saw the growth opportunity with the minimum guarantee offered by OYO, which means OYO will help boost the hotel’s occupancy rate and business regardless of revenue performance. “We compared what OYO can offer against the competition and decided that OYO would be a better pick for us,” Enario said.
The results of that decision and the subsequent partnership became apparent in just a few months. “Our occupancy rate right now ranges from 80 percent to 85 percent, a significant increase from before just like OYO has promised,” Enario happily shared.
Enario also noted how OYO OS, a hotel management system that allows online procurement and inventory management, has improved the efficiency of the hotel’s daily operations. “The system makes it easier for my front office and accounting staff to keep track of all the hotel bookings and transactions,” he said.
With the help of the OYO Captain, a dedicated manager who guides hotel staff and assists them in managing the hotel business, Enario saw sustained improvements in daily hotel operations. “The OYO Captain assigned to us has been very helpful. She always attends to all our queries,” he said.
OYO Hotels & Homes, the world’s second-largest chain of hotels, homes, and managed living and workspaces, continues to collaborate with small independent hoteliers to equip them with operational and technological capabilities that will enable them to keep pace with major hospitality players. For hotels such as OYO 208 Anika Suites, OYO is an ideal partner with its technology, manpower and capacity to bring asset owners’ revenues up.
Aside from Cebu, OYO has established its presence in key cities in Metro Manila, Baguio, Pampanga, Boracay, Talisay, Iloilo, Bataan, Tagaytay and Davao and now has more than 260 hotels and 4,300 rooms across the country. With its fulfillment-led technology, OYO empowers more hotel owners to be better hospitality players while contributing to the growth of the country’s tourism industry.
About OYO Hotels & Homes
Opening its doors in 2013, OYO Hotels & Homes, a young hotel startup, today is the world’s leading chain of hotels, homes, and spaces. The portfolio combines fully operated real estate comprising more than 44,000 hotels with over 1.2 million rooms. Through its vacation homes business, the company offers travellers and city dwellers access to over 125,000 homes around the world under OYO Home, Belvilla, Danland, Dancenter and Germany-based Traum-Ferienwohnungen brands. OYO today operates in over 800 cities in 80 countries, including the U.S., Europe, U.K., India, Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Japan. For more information, visit www.oyorooms.com.


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As apartment residents move to the site of their former location, Tommy Jordan and Ken Husvar are settling in to their own new digs.
Jordan and Husvar each ran businesses at Golf Masters, now the site of Revere at Lake Wylie luxury apartments on Charlotte Highway. Jordan offered computer-aided instruction through Accelerized Golf. Husvar handled service and retail needs at Victory Custom Golf. Both left when the driving range owners sold the land for the apartments.
Jordan now teaches out of a new 624-square-foot building at River Hills Country Club driving range. His business, now River Hills Golf Academy, brings a new junior program and more to the club.
“We want it to be where, if you want to get your game to another level, this is where you’ll come,” Jordan said.
Jordan has more than a decade teaching experience. His first job out of school more than 40 years ago was as an assistant pro at River Hills.
After moving from Golf Masters, Husvar has set up shop at 4543 Charlotte Highway in Plantation Square. Victory Custom Golf will remain there, however, he will make trips to the golf academy for service jobs.
Initially it was difficult, Husvar said, for he and Jordan to keep their businesses humming after losing the shared space at Golf Masters.
“We were both hopping around clubs and ranges, meeting people for appointments,” he said. “It was just a hassle.”
The new country club space brings the two back together.
“It’s a first-class facility,” Husvar said. “There’s not really a facility like that in the area.”
Jordan says its a win-win for their businesses and River Hills Country Club.
“That’s a potential member every time we have a lesson or have a fitting,” he said.
The academy uses a computer-aided approach on “a brand new system,” Jordan said. Golfers can see their swings under the high speed camera and compare it to others, including top professional players. One swing off a driving carpet generates data on distance, direction, ball spin and other numbers.
Players still can see the result sailing down the course driving range.
“I did not want to go indoors,” Jordan said. “My customers did not want me to go indoors.”
Computers make Jordan’s job easier, he said, but they’ll never replace an eye for the game developed over time.
“These tools help me understand what the most important problem is,” Jordan said. “My experience tells me the sequence (to fix it).”
John Marks: 803-831-8166
For information about the new facility or lessons, call 803-487-7260. For more on Victory Custom Golf, call 803-831-1156.


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They will be among 75 Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores across the country which will close this month wit 2,054 employees losing their jobs.
The UK division of the company collapsed into administration in February and has large stores at Riverside Retail Park in Nottingham and St Peter's Retail Park, Mansfield, plus a shop in the Victoria Centre in Nottingham.
Toys R Us in Norwich is set to close.
Simon Thomas, joint administrator and partner at Moorfields, said that discounts would be extended from today until the stores close.
The Norfolk store will be among the final shops to go on April 24 with the Suffolk outlet shutting its doors the day before, administrator Moorfields has confirmed.
Moorfields has been managing the administration of the bust company, after it was unable to pay a 15 million pound tax bill.
Meanwhile, New Look and Carpetright have both announced plans to shut stores as part of restructuring plans.
As one final incentive to bag yourself something nice that you don't really need because you're 37 and saving for a flat, Thomas says the chain has powered-up some of the sale discounts today, with some stickers now promising monies-off levels of up to 70 per cent.
Worldwide, Toys R Us had about 60,000 full-time and part-time employees a year ago.
Beleaguered retail chain Toys R Us Inc.is negotiating to sell its 85 percent stake in its Asian business, including the Japan operations.
Bricks-and-mortar retailers in the United States and the UK, among other countries, have been facing mounting pressure from the continued rise of internet shopping.
But that doesn't mean it doesn't profit from it. "I started Facebook, I run it, and I'm responsible for what happens here". Michael Burgess (R-TX) asked about what's in Facebook's terms of service on Wednesday and when on Tuesday Sen.
Ferrari announced that it is now investigating as to why Raikkonen was given a green light when one wheel was yet to be changed. Hamilton had his work cut out starting from ninth, and managed to achieve the podium finish he would have been hoping for.
The bank has received support from the government, stakeholders and employees, Mehta said, adding, "So the worst is behind us". A Mumbai branch of PNB had fraudulently issued LoUs for the group of companies belonging to Nirav Modi since March 2011.
The draw means Liverpool are now unbeaten against Everton in 17 straight games in all competitions (eight wins, nine draws). Everton look short of confidence pushing forward against a defence that barely broke sweat all afternoon.
Even though the economy has improved, the education cuts have not been restored, prompting struggling teachers to fight back. Oklahoma lawmakers recently agreed to a rare tax increase to bump teachers' pay by an average of $6,100 a year.
The quake, which struck about 86 miles from Los Angeles around 12:30 p.m., registered a magnitude of 5.3, according to the U.S. Renowned former USGS seismologist Lucy Jones described the Tuesday afternoon temblor as a "moderate" quake , KTLA reported .
Along with increased Gen 1 spawns, players will get double candy for catching and transferring Pokemon to Professor Willow. This information came from username Chrales, who is usually known for finding new materials for the Pokemon Go on Reddit.
Till then Washington was yet to hear directly from Pyongyang on the invitation extended by Kim via South Korean intermediaries. North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un mentioned future talks with the USA at a party meeting, state media reported on Tuesday.
I would love to put this behind me and will do whatever it takes to earn back the trust of the Australian public. Warner's decision means there will be no need for hearings‚ which could have further damaged CA's reputation.
He was been working in Hollywood as well with projects like SINGULARITY; LOVE YOU TO DEATH, THE DARJEELING LTD and HARE KRISHNA. Entertainment Weekly has additional details about the film festival's ties to the franchise and Star Wars creator George Lucas.
Police identify suspect in Second Street shooting
He was taken to Upstate University Hospital by AMR Ambulance and his injury does not appear life-threatening, police said. A viewer sent surveillance footage to 41 Action News that showed the driver evading officers near where the chase began.
Simmons triple-double in LeBron showdown
Larry Nance then botched a tip-in right before the buzzer, as the Philadelphia won its biggest game in five years. However, James' greatness shined through and he was able to get enough help for the win.
Anne Hathaway Beats Body Shamers at Their Own Game
I don't think she meant it that way, but there's something about her need to explain away her weight gain that's disturbing. Notably, this isn't the first time Hathaway had done some measures for body shamers that seemed to be everywhere.
U.S. trade deficit widens in February
That pushed Canada's monthly trade surplus with the US down to $2.6 billion in February, from $2.9 billion the previous month. The rise in imports was broad based, driven by a 15 percent rise in energy products to the highest level since late-2014.
Minnesota Woman Charged with Felony DUI in IL
While the latest arrest came in IL , she has also been arrested before in Kentucky, Wisconsin, Indiana, Minnesota and California. Schleicher reportedly lied about her name, birth date, Social Security number, and about being pregnant.


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Better Business Bureau Serving Acadiana recognizes companies that are committed to exceptional ethical standards for business practices and is proud to announce the 2020 finalists for its 28th Annual Awards.
The 28th Annual Awards bring attention to the practices that these businesses employ to become deeply rooted and valuable business leaders among customers and our community.
The following awards will be presented to one of the three finalists in each category:
The “Outstanding New Business Award” will be awarded to a nominated business less than three years old that has demonstrated success in customer service, marketing, advertising, communications and ethical sales practices. The finalists are:
Bounds Brothers Roofing & Construction, LLC
Champion Tire and Brake
The “Customer Commitment Award” honors a business with an outstanding customer service program that exceeds customers' expectations. The finalists are:
Bryson Law Firm, LLC
Chem-Dry of Acadiana
The “Good Neighbor Award” recognizes a business and its employees who play a significant role in the support of programs and services to the community. The finalists are:
Acadiana Garage Doors
Designs by Robin
The “Integrity Award” will be presented to a business that has gained the respect of the community through programs and services that promote ethical business principals while focusing on outstanding advertising ethics and contributing to self-regulation in the interest of the public. The finalists are:
Caroline & Company
Jim Olivier's Roofing Louisiana
SouthStar Urgent Care
In celebrating these businesses and community servants that maintain high standards, BBB Serving Acadiana will honor the award finalists will by highlighting and promoting them on different social media & online platforms throughout the week of November 2nd, 2020. The winners of each of the four (4) esteemed awards will be presented and surprised in person at their place of business on Friday, November 6th, 2020.
Judging was performed by a committee comprised of members of the BBB 2020 Board of Directors.
In addition, BBB will host an online auction that is open to the public for bidding. The auction begins October 26th through November 13th, 2020.
Celebrate with us and follow us on social media, as we honor those businesses that promote not only the importance of ethical business practices, but also recognize the willingness and efforts made by outstanding businesses to ensure that our marketplace remains fair and honorable for everyone.
“Look for the Seal” and Start with Trust®. BBB Serving Acadiana is a private non-profit organization. BBB strives for a trustworthy marketplace by maintaining standards for truthful advertising, investigating and exposing fraud against consumers and businesses.
Please contact Better Business Bureau at bbb.org or (337) 981-3497 24 hours a day for information on businesses throughout North America. Consumers can also sign up for our “Scoop” BBB eNewsletter by visiting bbb.org and clicking on the “Programs & Services” tab.
BBB Serving Acadiana services the parishes of Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Martin, St. Landry and Vermilion.


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Dancehall Artiste Shenseea has announced a new partnership with Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty brand.
This, after weeks of announcing that she’s an ambassador for popular clothing company, Pretty Little Thing.
Making the announcement via social media, Artiste Manager, Romeich says the singer is now a brand ambassador for the brand. She joins a list of other celebrities to include Reginae Carter, Megan Thee Stallion, Normani and others.
Last week, Rihanna announced the latest Savage x Fenty Fashion Show, sharing the lingerie brand’s new fall 2020 collection.
The fashion special returns to Amazon Prime for its next edition on Friday, October 2.


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Ever felt wonder at the unbelievable products of Microsoft? Guess what! Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore says the company will “technically” support all existing Windows Phone 8 devices in upragding to Windows 8.1. That’s one step ahead from the Windows Phone 7 to Windows Phone 8 release, where existing devices were able to upgrade to 7.8, but not to the latest 8.0 version.
Microsoft will support on-screen forums(virtual buttons) with Windows Phone 8.1, apart from the new hardware support for Snapdragon 200, 400 and 400 LTE chipsets. Both changes will allow the Windows Phone makers to develop cheaper devices. Succinctly, the point seems to be targeting Android manufacturers to reuse the skeleton of the existing phones. Microsoft’s spring update for Windows Phone will also include support for apps to be stored on memory cards, allowing phone makers to ship handsets with just 512MB of memory and 4GB of storage.
Yet another significant change to Windows Phone 8.1 is the inclusion of dual-SIM experience, with Live Tiles for each EIM on windows Phone 8.1 and the ability to link those in the user interface. While dual-SIM support isn’t widely used in high-end smartphones today, Microsoft appears to be targeting emerging markets and countries where dual-SIM is key. Microsoft is largely focusing on some of its hardware changes before planning a full unveil of the features and changes at its Build developer conference in April, 2014.
I’m awaiting the release of this massive update. What about you?


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Dalfen Industrial has purchased a 174,300 square foot industrial property west of downtown Chicago at 1103 Butterfield Road in Aurora, IL.
The industrial property was built in 2004 and has features sought after by the modern e-commerce and distribution tenants, including immediate access to the I-88 Expressway.
Butterfield Logistics Center is well positioned in the I-88 industrial submarket, one of the top distribution corridors in the Chicago market.
“Strong tenant demand for modern space near both consumers and workforce has helped keep vacancy low and rent growth climbing in this area,” said Mark Bowen, SVP and Head of Acquisitions.
READ ALSO : PGIM provides $41m loan for acquisition of industrial portfolio
“The acquisition of Butterfield Logistics Center adds another last mile location in one the largest industrial markets in the country,” said Sean Dalfen, President and Chief Investment Officer.
“As e-commerce continues its rapid growth trend, nationwide demand for industrial real estate has skyrocketed. As a market leader in the last mile space, Dalfen Industrial remains ideally positioned to capitalize on this upswing,” he added.
Dalfen Industrial owns and operates over 25 million square feet of industrial properties in the United States and Canada.


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CHICAGO (CBS) -- More people are getting free bicycles as part of the city's.
CDOT is handing the bikes out at 3 p.m. in east Garfield Park near Sacramento and Franklin. Those receiving the bikes had to apply to get one.
Neighbors will also get a helmet, lock, and equipment.
250 bikes have already been given out this year. The goal is to give away 5,000 bikes by 2026.
for more features.


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UPDATE- 2:00PM EST on September 10th
Epic Games announced today that Apple has changed its decision and will not disable “Sign in with Apple” for Fortnite users as soon as Sept. 11th as previously announced. Despite the change, Epic Game is still advising users to prepare for its removal as Apple may decide to remove it down the road.
Epic does not state why Apple decided to change course, instead saying it was given an “indefinite extension”. Apple’s initial decision to revoke user’s access to the service was derived from Epic losing its developer’s account. Apple may have possibly realized that revoking the service from users only hurts their own customers, and not Epic Games directly.
Fortnite users will no longer be able to use Apple’s “Sign in with Apple” service beginning on September 11th, according to Epic Games. Apple disabled Epic’s developer account for violating App Store guidelines, included is Sign in with Apple.
Epic Games attempted but ultimately failed to save its own developer account. In court, Apple cited Epic’s clear violation of App Store guidelines by introducing and implementing a direct payment method within Fortnite. The method bypassed Apple’s own in-app purchasing system which has become the center of the “Apple vs. Epic” drama.
The service allows users to use their Apple ID to sign up for apps and websites and was introduced at WWDC 2019. It’s a direct shot at Facebook and Google’s own respective sign in/up service which some are concerned over privacy Sign in with Apple allows you to use your Apple ID, or to hide your email from the app/website. If you do choose to hide your email, Apple will generate a random email for that specific app/site.


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Twitter Just Took A Direct Hit In The Silicon Valley Hiring War
The competition for talent in Silicon Valley is fierce, and Twitter just put itself in a weaker position to fight for it.
Because this round is rumored to be a DST-style deal where early employees are allowed to cash out on some of their stock, there's a possiblity the company will soon lose some of its longest-tenured, most-talented employees. Already, product guy Jason Goldman quit the company last week.
Also, because the deal raises Twitter's valuation by ~3X, we can imagine it might be harder going forward for Twitter to entice new recruits with stock. There just isn't as much upside anymore. Facebook, which also took a similar late stage investment, was able to overcome this challenge with ridiculous revenue-growth in the past year. We haven't seen any signs of that happening from Twitter.
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Posted by Charley Hannagan March 19, 2008 11:41AM
DeWitt, NY - The New Process Gear Inc. gear plant will layoff about 300 people next week as a month-long strike at American Axle continues to ripple through the industry.
The plant's owner, Magna Powertrain confirmed the layoff, which begins Monday. The New Process Gear plant employs about 2,800 workers.
The company furloughed 239 workers for a week beginning March 10 as a result of the American Axle strike.
The strike has affected General Motors Corp. forcing it to close or partially close 29 plants and layoff more than 41,800 GM workers. New Process Gear makes transfer cases, devices that go into SUVs and trucks made by Chrysler LLC, Ford Motor Co. and GM.


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The Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das today reasoned that the central bank refrained from raising interest rates early this year because the projected retail inflation was well under the tolerable limit prior to the start of the Russia-Ukraine war.
“We had done our internal and scenario analysis assuming crude going up to $100, which was at extremely high level. Nobody had thought the crude price will shoot up to $100 per barrel. The crude at that time was around $82 -83 per barrel,” said the Governor.
The RBI’s internal analysis showed that the inflation is going to be around 5 per cent in 2022-23 even if the crude touches $100. But Russia-Ukraine war changed everything.
The RBI has convened a special meeting of the six-member monetary policy committee (MPC) tomorrow on draft a letter for breaching the inflation target for three consecutive quarters. This letter would be submitted to the government as per the inflation targeting mandate given to the RBI.
The MPC meeting tomorrow needs to explain the reasons for missing the target. The CPI, or retail inflation, which the RBI tracks for setting interest rates, has been consistently hovering above 6 per cent in the first 9 months of this year. CPI was at 7.41 per cent in the month of September this year.
“In early this year, when we looked at the CPI inflation trajectory ,our assessment showed that the average inflation would be 4.5 per cent in 2022-23,” said the Governor.
The RBI's professional forecaster also predicted a similar inflation trajectory of around 4.5 -5.2 per cent in 2022-23.
In a FICCI seminar here today, the RBI Governor touched upon the issue by saying that much has been made about RBI not being able to adhere to the inflation target. “If we had stated the process of tightening earlier , what would have been the counter factual scenario. What you prevent in the process doesn’t get the kind of appreciation that it should get,” said Das.
“We prevented a complete downward turn of our economy after recording negative growth in 2020-21. India’s economy bounced back in 2021-22 and sustaining it in 2022-23.“ he added.
“How was it possible if we had prematurely started tightening? ,” he asked. “We didn’t want to upset the process of recovery,” said Das. The projected GDP is around 7 per cent for 2022-23.
“We wanted the economy to safely land the shores and reached the shores and thereafter try and pull down inflation. But then the war between Russia and Ukraine started in February 22 and the global crude and other commodity prices shot up within matter of days,” said Governor.
The RBI will now also have to give the action plan to bring back the inflation to below 6 per cent. This would be very challenging as the nascent recovery in the economy would be a casualty. The RBI is likely to withdraw the liquidity more aggressively by keeping the system at neutral as against accommodative, which is today. In addition, the rate hikes in repo rates will continue in the December policy. The RBI has already hiked the repo rate by 190 basis points to 5.90 per cent this year.
The central bank will also have to give a timeline for getting back to the inflation target of 4 per cent with an upper tolerance limit of 6 per cent. RBI's own projection for inflation is 6.7 per cent for 2022-23. It expect inflation to fall below 6 per cent by the fourth quarter of 2022-23. CPI inflation is expected to fall further to 5.0 percent in the first quarter of next year i.e 2023-24. The RBI is likely to stick to these timelines in its response to government.
Also read: RBI Guv Shaktikanta Das lauds the launch of digital Rupee, calls it is 'landmark'
Copyright©2023 Living Media India Limited. For reprint rights: Syndications Today


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Because of its antibacterial properties, nano-silver is currently added to numerous products including clothes, personal care products, electronics, toys, and baby products. The effects of nano-sized silver are not fully understood, however, the material is known to be much more toxic to aquatic organisms than regular silver. The EPA has recognized nano-silver as a pesticide, but no further action has been taken to regulate its use.
The International Center for Technology Assessment (CTA) and a coalition of consumer, health, and environmental groups, such as Greenpeace and the Center for Food Safety, submitted a legal petition demanding that the EPA: regulate these nanotechnology products as new pesticides; require labeling of all products; assess health and safety data before permitting marketing; analyze the potential human health effects, particularly on children; and analyze the potential environmental impacts on ecosystems and endangered species.
To read more, including a list of products containing nano-silver, visit NanoAction's website at www.nanoaction.org.


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EE has launched unlimited data plans
It's been a long time coming but EE has finally announced the launch of fully unlimited data plans for its millions of customers.
This means those using this popular network can now eat through as many downloads or stream as much music or video as they like without ever being charged any extra.
With many consumers now using their smartphones to view hours of content on the move this is a welcomed addition but some of EE's rivals have been offering unlimited data for a while.
Three Mobile and Vodafone already have these all-you-can-eat plans but how do they all compare?
Here's Express.co.uk's guide to unlimited data.
EE UNLIMITED DATA
PRICE • From £34 per month
UNLIMITED 4G AND 5G? • Yes
FULL DETAILS • EE has just announced the launch of its unlimited data plans which are available on both SIM-only and contract.
The new service is available now with 4G and 5G customers both able to take advantage.
If you are a 4G user then the cheapest unlimited option is for those who own their phone and simply need a SIM with prices starting from £34 per month which comes with two Swappable benefits.
Those wanting a new device on contract can expect to pay from £64 per month for unlimited data.
If it's 5G you want then expect to pay £44 per month SIM-only or £69 per month on contract.
All EE unlimited 4G and 5G data plan customers get the fastest speeds EE is able to offer and customers can use their plan to tether to other devices.
What’s more, all of EE’s unlimited plans come with a 100GB monthly giftable data allowance, so customers can gift their data to additional lines linked to the account, and this increases to 120GB of giftable data if taking a 5G Smart handset plan.
PRICE • From £23 per month
UNLIMITED 4G AND 5G? • Yes
FULL DETAILS • Vodafone announced the launch of its unlimited plans earlier this year with prices starting from a very reasonable £23 per month.
That price even includes access to 5G speeds if you have a compatible smartphone.
Although £23 may sound like a bit of a bargain there is one big catch as Vodafone limits the downloads speeds on this plan to just 2Mbps.
That's very slow and won't be suitable for those wanting to stream video on the move.
There are, however, two extra plans which offer faster speeds at a slightly higher price.
For £26 per month, you'll get 10Mbps download speeds and for £30 you'll always get the very best speeds Vodafone can offer.
PRICE • From £10 per month for the first six months then £20
UNLIMITED 4G AND 5G? • No
FULL DETAILS • Three has been offering unlimited data for a while with its plans offering some of the best value for money.
Right now you can get an unlimited SIM for £10 per month
This offer lasts for six months before rising to £20 for the remaining contract.
It's worth noting that although Three has launched 5G it's only currently available to its broadband customers and not on smartphones.
That upgrade is coming later this year and will probably include unlimited downloads so watch this space for updates.


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Samsung Electronics expects to start operating an eighth-generation (8G) TFT LCD plant in the second half of 2007, with a 9G plant to start volume production in 2009 at the latest, according to Sang Wan Lee, president of Samsung's LCD Business, as quoted by the South Korea-based Chosun Ilbo.
More here at DigiTimes.
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Articles tagged with: Instagram
Photographer Jana Werner has created some Photoshop actions which recreate the three missing Instagram effects — Gotham, Poprocket, and Apollo — as well as Nashville. You can now recreate these lost filters on your desktop or laptop.
An excellent behind-the-scenes look at photographer Brad Mangin’s upcoming six-page Sports Illustrated spread that was shot with an iPhone and processed using only iOS apps.
Here’s your chance to have one of your Instagrams featured in an upcoming TIME magazine article on mobile technology. TIME is searching Instagram and currently accepting submissions for this article.
Two years ago today, Instagram’s first photo was posted. For better or for worse, Instagram has had a huge impact on iPhoneography and more importantly, the way and the frequency that we (collectively) shoot and share photos.
This was no ordinary 365 project. Andrew Caldwell’s travels have taken him all around the world. He’s decided to document and share them on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and on his own website. For those of us who are stuck at home and even those of us who tackle more modest 365s, Andrew’s is a huge project and his iPhone photography from the corners of the globe is awesome.
Instagram is still mostly down today, hours after violent storms last night in Virginia knocked out its cloud server.
It’s been a bounty week for Instagrammers. In addition to the first significant update since the Facebook purchase, Instagram also quietly added new features to the web interface.
Instagram 2.5 was just released this week. It’s the first significant upgrade to the popular free social photo app since being purchased by Facebook.The update features an undocumented shortcut for direct access to your iPhone’s camera roll
When we first reviewed Picfx, it was a quirky little square format photo app with a fairly straightforward number of filter effects. It’s grown into a pretty versatile square format photo effects app with a large number of filter presets, adjustments and other new tools.
iPhoneographer Dixon Hamby has shared with us some of his suggestions for extricating yourself from Instagram and also serves up his recommendation for an alternate social photo network.
Mega-social network Facebook has purchased mega-social photo network Instagram for $1 billion dollars in cash and stock.
Hipstamatic have announced on their Facebook page news of a new update today. The new features greatly expand the sharing capabilities of Hipstamatic and let users tag Facebook friends and upload to multiple networks simultaneously — including Instagram.


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False alarm, everyone. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla seems like it isn’t coming to Xbox Game Pass. An e-mail promo began circulating around the internet seemingly showing that the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was coming to Xbox Game Pass. After posting the original story, a copy of the full image was shared, showing that the image was referencing games that will be optimised for the Xbox Series X/S.
Major Nelson also cleared up the confusion with a tweet stating “Confirming that the image containing Dirt 5, Assassin`s Creed Valhalla, and Destiny 2 Beyond Light are in reference to Games Optimized for Xbox Series X|S only. Sorry that was not clear.”
Microsoft has been coming out of the gate swinging with the Xbox Series X/S, and now rumours suggest they have secured another huge title for the Xbox Games Pass service, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is due for release on November 10th, the same day as the Xbox Series X/S release. The game is due to launch on Xbox One, Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC.
An e-mail promo for Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass subscription service has been circulating online, showing that Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will be coming to Game Pass. In addition, Destiny 2: Beyond Light, Gears Tactics, and Dirt 5 will be coming to the service at launch. The last 3 make sense, Destiny 2 is already confirmed, Gears of War is a Microsoft IP, and it has been confirmed Dirt 5 will be coming too. But as of right now there has never been any hint or confirmation that the new Assassin’s Creed game will be coming to the service.
Xbox Game Pass is a subscription based service that gives players access to over 150 games to download and play whenever they want. All of Microsoft’s first party IP’s, such as Halo, Gears Of War, and Forza release on the platform on day 1. There are also a large selection of third party games that rotate in and out. Yesterday it was announced that Microsoft had bought ZeniMax, who own Bethesda, meaning that it is likely current ZeniMax titles, and future games, will be coming to the service. Coupled with the fact EA Play will be added to Game Pass at no additional cost, Xbox has gotten a lot more attractive this generation. Phil Spencer also stated that there will be “really strong announcements” in regards to Game Pass, maybe this is one of them.
As of right now it is just a rumour and not an announcement. The promo image circulated from Reddit but we have been unable to find anyone else confirming and/or sharing the e-mail, and none of the staff here at Gamezo received this e-mail. But if Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is coming to Game Pass, this could be a huge blow right out of the gate to Sony. This could also be a sign of a shift in the industry away from traditional software sales to a more Netflix approach, which seems to be the direction that Xbox is headed. Users who subscribe to Game Pass Ultimate can now stream games such as Witcher 3, and Halo Master Chief Collection (which just saw ODST added to the PC version) directly to their smart phone or tablet.


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GRISWOLD — Slater Mills Fishing Co. in Griswold was almost the one that got away.
The company, which builds custom fishing rods, first opened shop in the old Slater Mill in February. Complications with the building, however, put them in a position where they had to move out — almost overnight.
Meanwhile, Shannon Webster, the office manager in the town’s Building Department, caught wind of the business — she previously didn’t know existed — and went to work to help the company find a new spot in town.
That new spot is 1 Brown St. in Griswold, and what started as an online custom sales company is slated to morph into a fully fledged retail operation with the potential to employ upwards of 50 people.
Co-owner James Devriendt said the business’ focus is getting back to roots and embracing traditional American values.
“Things that I see happening in the United States right now … It’s all about ‘What’s in it for me,’ ” Devriendt said. “If we reach out and help the community, then in essence, it does come back.”
Devriendt and co-owner Frank Kaszuba also have separate careers.
Some in the community have already banded together to make it possible for the company to stay in town. With help from volunteers, the company moved to its new location almost overnight and is preparing to develop an operation that will bring not only jobs, but opportunities for local youths, a driving force behind the owners’ passion.
Devriendt said when he was growing up in Michigan, fishing was a way of life and a time to bond.
“When we escaped from school, we escaped to go fishing, because it was quality time,” he said.
And what better place, Webster said, than Griswold to try to instill the same passion.
“Fishing is a pastime in the community, so it’s a very nice fit,” she said.
From workshops on building rods to fishing derbies and tournaments, the company is looking to bring the sport of fishing to Griswold and plans, ultimately, to offer an all-American-made product.
The company already sponsors two local youths, providing them with professional-grade rods for competition.
It’s something manager Mike Giacobbe wishes had been available to him when he was a youth. He believes it’s something that should be available to everyone — whether they can afford it or not.
“When the money comes in, we are going to do more, but this is what we can do now,” Giacobbe said. “If you give some kids some tools and if you stop one from going the wrong way, it’s all worth it.”
In the future Giacobbe, envisions involving local schools in producing parts, all the way from drafting designs to machining products.
“There’s a lot of talent here in this area,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of hope and expectation. I have a pretty big dream I want to see out of all of this.”
Part of that dream is getting kids away from televisions and video games and into the community.
As a parent, Webster is excited about the possibility of being able to offer the youth of Griswold something constructive and meaningful to do with their time.
For the owners, it is also a chance to honor people in their lives.
From a high school teacher to a best friend who died from cancer, each rod series is named after someone who has touched one of their lives.