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PerkinElmer, Inc. held an opening ceremony for its new Taipei Customer Knowledge Center (CKC) located in Neihu District, Taipei City on May 27.
For Citi's Consumer Banking customers in Asia Pacific, remembering multiple PINs and responding to a series of questions to verify their identities as they call into the bank will soon be a thing of the past.
Asiasoft Solutions, a leading IT solutions provider that specializes in cloud technologies, today announced a partnership with Stratoscale.
Applications open today for Asia-Pacific's third annual FinTech Innovation Lab
Baxter International Inc. and the Baxter International Foundation
To support new data centers across Asia Pacific, network operators are in a race to provide the needed capacity and services to support businesses' web-scale demands
Social Tables, a company recently celebrated in Washington D.C, as an example of how technology should grow in the nation's capital, is now taking its unique cloud-based event and hospitality planning approach to Europe and Asia.
Sequans Communications S.A, a leader in LTE for IoT chips, is providing technology to Telstra for testing on its LTE Cat 1 production network.
MetricStream, an industry leader in Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) Apps and Solutions
Amazon Web Services Inc.(AWS) an Amazon.com company, today announced the launch of the Asia Pacific (Seoul) Region.
Internet of Things Spending Forecast to Reach Nearly $1.3 Trillion in 2019
Distributors to meet growing demand for safe and efficient IV medication compounding


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By ABBIE PARR and STEFANIE DAZIO
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (AP) — A shooting at the Mall of America sent frightened customers at the nation’s largest shopping center racing into a lockdown just before the holiday weekend, mall officials and police in suburban Minneapolis said Friday.
The Bloomington Police Department responded to the shooting shortly before 8 p.m., the mall said in a statement. The lockdown lasted for about an hour before the mall tweeted that shoppers were being sent outside. Emergency vehicles had converged in the snowy parking lot and police could be seen putting up yellow crime scene tape near the Nordstrom store.
Police did not immediately provide details on whether anyone was injured or arrested. A press briefing was scheduled for 10:30 p.m.
Videos posted on social media show shoppers hiding in stores, and an announcement in the mall warned people to seek shelter. Some videos show shoppers running for cover after a loud bang is heard.
The reported shooting comes as shopping centers and malls across the U.S. see an influx of customers just days before Christmas.
Jenny Hefty of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and her 16-year-old daughter had just gotten off the escalator up to the mall’s second floor, in front of the Nordstrom store, when people started running toward them and screaming. Her daughter thought she heard gunshots, although Hefty did not.
“At first we thought they were just messing around,” she told The Associated Press on Friday night. “It was like ‘why are all these kids running by us?’”
Retailers began shutting their doors and her husband told them to run as armed guards rushed toward Nordstrom, where Hefty had been trying perfume about 20 minutes earlier.
The trio raced to their hotel in the mall complex and frantically tried to reach the couple’s 18-year-old daughter, 21-year-old son and their friends on their cellphones. They had been shut inside stores or whisked into safer spots as the mall locked down.
The family, which often travels the four hours to the mall, was in town for the Minnesota Vikings football game against the New York Giants on Saturday.
“Of course we wanted to come early and do some Christmas shopping,” Hefty said.
The Giants were staying at a hotel adjacent to the mall. Pat Hanlon, the team’s executive vice president of communications, said he believes some players were in the mall at the time of the shooting.
“Everyone is back in the hotel and accounted for now,” Hanlon said Friday night.
Since it opened in 1992, the mall has been a tourist destination and community gathering spot. It bans guns on the premises but shoppers have generally not been required to pass through metal detectors. The mall said in October it was testing a “weapons detection system” at one of its entrances.
The mall was placed on lockdown in August after a reported shooting at the suburban Minneapolis shopping complex sent some shoppers running for cover and two people were wounded last New Year’s Eve during an apparent altercation.
Representatives from the city of Bloomington did not immediately return requests for comment.
Dazio reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press Sports Writer Tom Canavan contributed.

domain: news


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Pokémon Ranger Batonnage announced in February Coro Coro
The February issue of Coro Coro Comics has announced a sequel to the Nintendo DS game Pokémon Ranger. Pokémon Ranger Batonnage (ポケモンレンジャー バトナージ) will be released March 20 in Japan and takes place in a school setting in the new region of Allumia (アルミア).
Players can choose to play as a boy or girl; the boy's name is Hajime. They can now select their partner Pokémon from one of 17 choices: Munchlax, Mime Jr., Kricketot, Machop, Chimchar, Piplup, Turtwig, Pachirisu, Cranidos, Shieldon, Croagunk, Starly, Snover, Misdreavus, Sneasel, Hipopotas, Gible.
The game's box art features the main human characters, Pikachu, Piplup, Munchlax, Lucario, Heatran, Cresselia and Darkrai. Among the new features shown in screenshots, characters can now ride Pokémon in water like Surf in the RPGs. Players can participate in side quests in addition to main missions, and they can collect cards to power up their Capture Styli.
The game release will be accompanied by a new manga of the same title in Coro Coro. Hajime's partners in that are Pachirisu and Munchlax.


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Pulses Price Hike: Your bowl of lentils is going to be more expensive. The reason is lack of supply compared to demand. In 2023, there has been a tremendous jump in the prices of Arhar Dal and Urad. Costly pulses are affecting everyone whether it is middle class or poor. Lentils are the biggest source of protein. And for the poor, it is considered the only source of protein. But the expensive pulses have already started spoiling the budget of every household. Not only arhar dal but also the prices of urad dal have increased. Similar is the condition of moong dal as well.
inflation of pulses
According to the data of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, in January 2023, the price of Arhar Dal in the capital Delhi was Rs 105 to 110 per kg, which has now increased to Rs 128 per kg. Whereas in the financial capital Mumbai, Arhar dal was available at Rs 125-128 per kg on January 1, which is available at Rs 139 per kg on April 24. Not only arhar dal, but the prices of urad are also seeing a rise. On January 1, 2023, urad dal was available in Delhi at Rs 118 per kg, which is now available at Rs 123 per kg. It was available in Mumbai for Rs 125 per kg, which is available at Rs 137 per kg on April 24. If we talk about moong dal, it was available at Rs.103 per kg in Delhi on January 1, which is now available at Rs.112 per kg. In Mumbai on January 1, it was available at Rs 124 per kg and now the same is available at Rs 138 per kg.
why the price rising
Importers importing Arhar and Urad from Myanmar are not importing pulses in India. They are hoarding the same pulses so that when the prices of pulses increase further in the domestic market, they can make huge profit by selling it in the market after importing it at higher prices. Companies importing pulses have hoarded 1.50 lakh tonnes of pigeon pea and about 2 lakh tonnes of urad in Myanmar. The Indian High Commission in Myanmar has been asked to investigate it with the local authority so that hoarding can be stopped.
Government can sell pulses in the open market
In case of further increase in the prices of pulses, the government can sell pigeon pea, urad and moong dal from its pool in the open market so that the prices can be controlled. The government can also sell pulses in the open market through Kendriya Bhandar and Nafed.
read this also
GST: After Rahul Gandhi’s promise of one tax rate, will GST become a big election issue?


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It seems as though every new property being built in either Virginia Beach or Norfolk has an electric car charging station and there doesn’t seem to be a downside to having one just yet.
Both Norfolk and Virginia Beach are home to electric car chargers installed by either Tesla, ChargePoint or any of the other 12 networks available for electric car drivers to use.
The chargers are installed by developers or donated by Tesla.
In Norfolk there are about 12 public electric car charging stations for anyone to use, according to the website PlugShare.
Those charging stations are in parking garages, library parking lots, business parking lots and restaurant lots.
Lori Crouch, city of Norfolk’s spokeswoman, said Tesla donated the chargers to the city for the parking garages.
She said each unit is valued at roughly $550 and is installed by Tesla at no charge to the city.
The city pays for the electricity (an average cost of $1.50 per charge), she said, and users pay for parking.
The other charging stations are installed by the property owners and developers.
In Virginia Beach there are nearly 30 charging stations according to PlugShare and Julie Hill, Virginia Beach spokeswoman
The city pays nothing for those stations, Hill said.
There are two charging stations in Virginia Beach Town Center that the city contracted with the company Charge Point to install.
Charge Point paid for a three-year renewal contract for $705 per unit, totaling out to a cost of $1,410 to have the charging stations in Town Center until Nov. 23, 2020, according to documents provided by the city.
The other charging stations in Virginia Beach were installed by the developers, Hill said.
By having so many different locations to charge your car, the cities have given those specific locations an economic boost, said Matthew Wade, area contact for Clean Cities Coalition Network.
He said it costs almost nothing to maintain an electric car charging station so after the initial installment and equipment costs, they are easy for a business to have.
“You can differentiate yourself from your competitors,” he added.
By having a charging station at your place of business, people who drive electric cars are going to be more loyal to you than other business, Wade said.
So far there are no downsides to having charging stations throughout the cities based on Wade’s assertions about costs and maintenance.
To find a charging station near you, click here.


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Libraries across Denbighshire are moving to the next phase of re-introducing services.
From Monday (July 27) libraries in Rhyl, Prestatyn and Corwen will be offering limited access to public computers and One Stop Shop services by appointment and similar access will be available in other libraries over the coming weeks.
Customers should phone their library to book an appointment to use public-access computers, or to visit the One Stop Shop to make a payment or for help with Council services.
An order and collect service has been in operation for four weeks and has already proved popular with more than 1,400 customers collecting bags of books.
Cllr Tony Thomas, Denbighshire County Council’s Lead Member for Housing and Communities, said: “I’m pleased we are able to continue our phased re-introduction of services at the county’s libraries. “We know how important our libraries and One Stop Shop services are to our residents and this latest phase will give residents the chance to access more services in a safe way.
“The order and collect service has already proved popular with our customers and we have been getting positive feedback from our users. As lockdown continues to ease we will be able to re-introduce further services while ensuring the safety of customers and our staff.”
One library user said: “I just wanted to extend a big thanks of gratitude to the library and their wonderful click and collect service. As someone who was self-isolating this has been a wonderful highlight to very long days. It’s lovely that the library is just a phone call away and they’ll try their very best to get the books I would like to read and even throw in a book I would never think about reading.”
Further information at www.denbighshire.gov.uk/libraries


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TV with internet capability is powered with a built-in camera as well as face, voice and speech recognition features
Samsung has unveiled an upgradable model of ‘smart’ television that can be connected to the internet, providing users access to a new on-demand animated television channel Angry Birds for free.
Analysts say the facility of internet is offered on most of the high-quality TV sets, and thus sales of internet capable televisions are on the rise.
At this year’s CES, connected televisions with built-in processors are one of the hottest trends, with the organisers claiming that about half of all TVs shipped in 2012 would have internet capabilities.
The new Samsung television is powered with a built-in camera as well as face, voice and speech recognition features which will help change channels by speaking in 20 languages and browse websites by waving hands, along with the ability to receive future software updates.
Most of the features have been a reality as the television is equipped with dual microphones and a discreet camera at the top.
Samsung is on course to hit a figure of global TV app downloads before the end of January, according to Tim Baxter, President of consumer electronics America.
Boo-keun Yoon, President of consumer electronics at Samsung pointed out the firm sells two televisions every second.
While Samsung looks ahead to launch the smart television, LG has announced a television with built-in Google TV for the US market.


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Is there really a school for hackers?
ncharles 3 years ago
PCWorld has an article where they were talking about a hacking school set up by Anonymous and Lulzsec. Is this for real, or were they just speaking figuratively? And what kind of a threat does it pose to our network?
Topic: NetworkingAnswer this Question
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The Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies is suing Ford and General Motors for violating copyrights with the CD-ripping capability of their cars. The lawsuit calls for punitive damages equal to $2,500 per CD-R player installed.
Amazon.com is investing US$2 billion more in India, which is witnessing an online retail boom.
Amazon.com believes that pricing e-books at US$9.99 will boost sales by over 74 percent as the books are highly price-elastic.
Twitter more than doubled its sales in the second quarter, the company reported Tuesday, showing a strong advertising business.
Early one morning in April last year, someone accessed an underground vault just south of San Jose, California, and cut through fiber-optic cables there. The incident blacked out phone, Internet and 911 service for thousands of people in Silicon Valley.
New Dynamic Perspective sensors help boost cost, though display costs are minimal, IHS says.
Uber and Airbnb, which have already proved popular with travelers and urbanites with smartphones, have unveiled new features and links to other services designed to attract more business users.
Microsoft and IBM are gaining momentum in the cloud infrastructure services market, putting pressure on Amazon and outpacing rival Google, according to a new study.
If you're looking for a place to stay where you can hole up with Netflix in the evening, avoid some of the hotel industry's biggest names.
If there are no bees left what will save agriculture? Robots, of course!


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Thailand on Tuesday decriminalized kratom, a tropical leaf long used as a herbal remedy but which some health regulators around the world have criticized as potentially unsafe.
Kratom—scientific name Mitragyna speciosa—is part of the coffee family, used for centuries in Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea for its pain-relieving and mildly stimulating effects.
It has become increasingly popular in the United States, where the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned against its use, citing risks of addiction and abuse.
The change to Thai law means "the general public will be able to consume and sell kratom legally", government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said in a statement.
A Thailand Development Research Institute study estimated that decriminalization will save authorities about 1.69 billion baht ($50 million) in prosecution costs.
Kratom stimulates the same brain receptors as morphine, though with much milder effects, and in Thailand it is mainly used in the deep south, where Muslim workers use it for pain relief after manual labour.
It has not been subject to international restrictions, though the World Health Organization announced last month that it was examining whether kratom should be considered for control.
Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch said the decriminalization of kratom—which is native to Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea—was "welcome, and frankly long overdue".
"The legalisation of kratom in Thailand ends a legacy of rights-abusing criminalisation of a drug that has long been used in traditional, rural communities in the country," Robertson told AFP.
Soontorn Rakrong, an adviser to the committee on drafting the new legislation who has long advocated decriminalization, said farmers in southern Thailand could grow kratom as a crop to make up for a fall in rubber prices.
In Indonesia, kratom is legal but its status is under review, with some politicians pushing for it to be banned.
Thai lawmakers have shown some appetite for reforming the kingdom's harsh anti-drug laws in recent years.
In 2019, Thailand became the first Southeast Asian country to legalize medical marijuana, and the government has invested in the extraction, distillation and marketing of cannabis oils for use in the health industry. But overcrowded Thai prisons are still packed with inmates handed long sentences for drugs offenses—possessing just a few methamphetamine pills can earn a decade in jail.
Jeremy Douglas of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said Thailand is discussing and considering drug rehabilitation and diversion programmes for meth users to ease some pressure off the system and "also because it is more effective".
GREAT FALLS — Kratom, or Mitragyna speciosa, is a plant which grows naturally in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is concerned that the drug, which affects the same opioid brain receptors as morphine, may have properties that could expose users to the risks of addiction, abuse, and dependence.
In Cascade County, officials including Dr. Deborah Rose with Benefis Health System, Great Falls Police Chief Dave Bowen, and District Judge Gregory Pinski are also concerned about the drug’s existence in the community. According to Pinski, almost all criminal activity in Great Falls is connected to substance abuse, and the addictive nature of
“It’s very easily obtained in our community and on the internet,” explained Beth Price Morrison, co-chair of the Cascade County Substance Abuse Prevention Alliance Task Force. “There’s no age limit whatsoever. Because it has very complex properties, it’s both a stimulant and a sedative, that’s what makes it extremely high for addiction, and it often, most times, requires medical treatment to get off of Kratom.”
The Task Force will deliver letters to retailers this Friday in an attempt to educate them about the dangers of selling Kratom to their customers. Because Kratom is legal in most U.S. states, its status lies in a relatively gray area for both the FDA and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The FDA has said that there are no approved uses for kratom, and that they have received concerning reports about the safety of kratom.
The goal of the Task Force is not to eradicate the drug from a legal standpoint; that responsibility lies with lawmakers, law enforcement agencies, and judges. Their goal is simply to raise awareness and educate people. “The purpose of what we’re doing here is really to educate and make people aware, and to form a collaborative effort to address some of the substances that our youth and our other community members are stumbling upon,” Morrison said. “In a lot of cases, even the retailers we’re reaching out to might not be aware, actually, what they’re selling.”
The DEA has had discussions in the past about classifying Kratom as a Schedule 1 drug, but those talks have not come to fruition thus far. Schedule 1 drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Some examples of Schedule I drugs from the DEA are: heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy).
Morrison says that without that classification, it’s more difficult for prevention agencies, health officials and law enforcement agencies to regulate the drug’s use. She says that it’s so unregulated, in fact, that you could get a different potency from one capsule or packet than you might get from another. Speaking of, the most common form of Kratom that Morrison has seen is capsules, but she says that it can also come in a more natural form and be stepped in to a tea-like drink, or as a powder.
Some retailers have claimed that Kratom can be used to help with opioid addictions, but the FDA does not support those claims. The Cascade County Substance Abuse Prevention Alliance is focused on stopping the spread of Kratom usage now before it becomes as widely addictive as opioids.
“It is currently a big issue, in my opinion,” said Morrison. “When we’ve got medical facilities that are seeing what they’re seeing in their ER’s, and we’ve got addiction counselors telling us what they’re seeing with their clients, and working with law enforcement and working with other community members on our Substance Abuse Prevention Alliance, it is a big concern.”
Boston—The Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network (DILIN) is raising concerns about patients presenting with severe liver disease after consuming kratom, a botanical product with opioid-like effects that has become increasingly popular in the wake of the opioid epidemic.
Derived from Mitragyna speciosa, an evergreen indigenous to Southeast Asia, kratom triggers opioid receptors, acting as a stimulant in low doses but a sedative–hypnotic agent in higher doses. In 2018, the DILIN database included at least five people who had experienced liver injury after consuming kratom. That was up from one in 2016, researchers reported.
“I think that all providers and consumers should be aware that this product is out there and is quite accessible,” said Victor J. Navarro, MD, the chief of hepatology at the Einstein Healthcare Network, in Philadelphia, who presented the findings at the 2019 Liver Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (abstract 212). “From the perspective of the DILIN, we feel this is a bellwether that not only are we seeing increased use of kratom but [also] that liver injury might be one characteristic of its use.”
To help describe kratom-associated hepatotoxicity, Dr. Navarro and his colleagues examined 404 cases of herbal and dietary supplement–associated liver injury in the DILIN database between 2004 and 2018. Of these, eight were associated with products containing kratom: two in 2008, one in 2016 and five in 2018. A causal association with kratom was established in seven of the eight cases (median age, 46 years; range, 25-70 years). Six cases occurred in men.
In five of the eight cases, patients reported having used kratom for its psychotropic effects; one said they took it for joint pain. The products were used for a median of 22 days (range, 15-49 days) before the onset of liver injury. Five patients had jaundice, six had itching, five had abdominal pain and three had fever; none had rash.
Median laboratory values among the eight patients were as follows:
Two of the patients underwent biopsy, which demonstrated cholestasis. Although six patients were hospitalized, all recovered without a transplant. Three products underwent chemical analysis; all three had kratom compounds and no other toxins.
“I think the importance of disseminating this is very timely with the opioid epidemic,” said Meena B. Bansal, MD, a professor of medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center, in New York City. “[Clinicians] may be seeing an increased incidence of this and really need to be watchful.”
Data Mining U.S. Poison Control Centers
C. Michael White, PharmD, the head of the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy, in Storrs, is well versed in the potential adverse reactions associated with kratom, having published a review of the herb in 2017, which he updated late last year.
“In my latest review of kratom’s efficacy and safety [Am J Health Syst Pharm
2019;76:1915-1925], liver dysfunction was one of the bigger areas of concern with the use of this herb,” he told Pharmacy Practice News.
Dr. White’s review included an assessment of U.S. poison control center calls from 2011 to 2017. The review determined that liver-related issues of concern (defined as an AST or ALT concentration of >100 units/L) occurred in 59 individuals; 30 also had increased bilirubin concentrations. “This was in addition to the eight individual cases of liver dysfunction reported in the literature, with only one of these occurring before 2017,” Dr. White said. Symptoms of kratom-induced liver injury in these cases, he noted, included upper gastrointestinal quadrant pain and light-colored stools.
As for why kratom can be hepatotoxic, “there are two potential explanations,” he noted. “Basic animal data support kratom’s ability to damage the liver, and, like many dietary supplements, some kratom [products] have not been produced with good manufacturing practices.”
Although the new cases reported by Dr. Navarro “support the body of evidence that kratom products can and do damage the liver, the big missing piece of the puzzle [is] the utilization rates,” Dr. White said. “With the potential for millions of users, the incidence of liver injury could still be quite low. We desperately need a better way to track utilization of this product and patient outcomes.”
Not a Fan of a Ban
The risks posed by kratom have led to calls for the substance to be banned in the United States—a course of action that Dr. White cautioned against. Such a move “might increase the use of heroin or other illicit opioid products and increase deaths from respiratory depression,” he said. “I have called for a ban of sales to minors, only allowing products certified by outside laboratories as free from contamination or adulteration, and placing the products behind the pharmacy counter like decongestants to enhance patient safety as we await further research on ... benefits and risks.”
Dr. White added that pharmacists can play a role as well. Specifically, “I would ask all pharmacists to recommend that patients without opioid use disorder or chronic pain who were previously treated with opioids avoid starting kratom products.” Patients who do use the herb “should be monitored for moderate upper gastric pain and light-colored stools.” If a patient develops such symptoms, they should report them to their physician “as soon as possible to reduce the risk of irreversible liver injury.”
Kratom has become extremely popular for treating a variety of conditions like opiate withdrawal, anxiety, and pain. Even with so many benefits, the taste of kratom is not desirable to many. Some also say that kratom has a characteristic bitter taste that is no less than hideous. As kratom is found majorly in the powdered form, people use it to prepare tea, which makes it way more intense.
In order to help you out with the taste of kratom, we are going to mention a few recipes of smoothies where you can incorporate kratom for good.
You can prepare these smoothies at your home to gain all the benefits kratom has to offer without having to compromise on the taste. The amount of kratom you wish to add would depend on your preference. However, discuss with your healthcare professional before deciding on the dosage.
Yogurt and Fruit Smoothies Yogurt and fruit would be the most preferred options for making a smoothie because they are easy to prepare and have a pleasant taste. When you plan on making kratom smoothies, it is best to use vanilla yogurt. However, you can also experiment with yogurts of different flavors, as per your choice. You can have these smoothies for breakfast or in the form of light dinner.
We would always encourage you to experiment with the juices and fruits you wish to add until you find a recipe that is perfect for your taste buds. Let’s check out some of the common ones that people tend to like –
Avocado and mango Kratom Smoothie Ingredients –
Banana Kratom Smoothie Ingredients –
Green Smoothies Many people may make a very disgusted face when they think about green smoothies. But, many people actually love the idea of having green smoothies. You can also add a few extra ingredients to the veggies in a green smoothie to make it tasty and healthy at the same time. We are going to mention some of the green smoothies that are beneficial and tasty.
Fruit and Spinach Kratom Smoothie Ingredients –
If you do not like the taste of spinach, you can still enjoy the benefits by adding the fruits mentioned in the ingredients.
If you would like to buy kratom powder to prepare this delicious smoothie, check out the elaborate gallery of kratom crazy to find the right product for your kitchen.
Pineapple and Cucumber Kratom Smoothie Ingredients –
Chocolate Kratom Smoothies Chocolate smoothies are the best because they are so flavorsome. Plus, bu adding kratom, you make it very nutritious.
Blueberry and Chocolate Kratom Smoothie Ingredients –
Closing Thoughts Through these recipes, you can understand that making kratom smoothies can be so easy. All you have to do it try out these recipes and include extra ingredients of your choice to find a drink that is perfect for you.
Found in smoke shops and some corners of the internet, this leafy natural remedy is growing in popularity to self-treat a host of conditions.
Kratom is a tropical tree native to South Asia. Its leaves or extract from its leaves are harvested and made into a variety of forms (think tablets or drinkable doses) to help with chronic pain, opioid dependence and withdrawal, and — since you’re here — symptoms of depression or anxiety.
Although some evidence exists about kratom’s effectiveness, there’s also plenty out there about the dark side of this natural remedy. More research is needed to really be sure, so take suggested benefits with a grain of salt, and try not to gloss over the risks.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hasn’t blessed kratom with approval just yet. It’s *technically* a dietary supplement (get the 411 on the FDA’s recommendations here).
While it’s not considered an illegal drug at the federal level, it has been banned in six states. So if you’re thinking about jumping on the kratom train, proceed with caution.
Let’s dive into the risks, supposed benefits, and multiple varieties of kratom.
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Here’s how kratom worksKratom is sometimes referred to as a “natural opioid.” Since actual opioids can become a problem real quick, it’s no wonder some people in pain turn to kratom to get the same pain relief.
The secret sauce here is called mitragynine. At low doses, mitragynine can have energizing properties. At higher doses, it can feel like a sedative. It binds to opioid receptors in your brain, relieving pain — which may explain the antidepressant and anti-anxiety effects.
TBH, there isn’t a ton of research on kratom’s effects on mood.
One 2017 review confirmed that among some users, kratom enhances mood and relieves anxiety. This review cites an older study in mice that showed a reduction in corticosterone (in humans, that’s your stress hormone, cortisol).
The same research also suggests kratom can have sedative effects. Researchers have yet to dive into whether side effects such as sedation interfere with the benefits.
What else can it do?Beyond depression and anxiety, kratom is said to help with:
Some research also describes an appetite-suppressing effect, but (once more for the people in the back) more research is needed to confirm any of these benefits.
But like, what is it?Kratom (scientific name Mitragyna speciosa) is a tree found in parts of Southeast Asia, including Thailand and Malaysia, and that sweet, sweet mitragynine nectar is in its leaves.
People in some parts of Southeast Asia have been using kratom for centuries. You might see it called:
In fact, the FDA has confiscated more than $5 million worth of kratom and kratom products since 2014.
Kratom’s many formsPlayer’s choice! Kratom comes in a bunch of different forms, including:
The method of ingestion may influence kratom’s effects. However, there’s currently no research identifying which method is preferable in treating depression and anxiety.
Kratom’s many strainsMuch like that other green plant stuff, kratom comes in a variety of strains. They’re named after where they came from, and each strain is said to produce a different vibe.
There really isn’t any research about the effects of different strains of kratom, so keep in mind these descriptions are based solely on anecdotal reports.
Another FYI: The effects of each strain might vary from one supplier to another.
Maeng daMaeng da is a blanket term for several strains of strong, long-lasting kratom.
This strain can be green, white, or red and is primarily from Thailand, but Indonesian and Malaysian maeng da strains exist too.
Some describe maeng da as a stimulant, giving you an energy boost while also reducing pain. Other effects: feeling talkative and increased feelings of well-being.
Green MalayThis strain of kratom comes from Malaysia and is characterized by its dark green color.
This is a strain commonly thought to help with anxiety. At low doses, it’s said to give a boost of energy and focus (along with the standard pain relief). Take a little more, and it may act more like a sedative.
IndoIndo kratom comes from — you guessed it — Indonesia. It can be red, white, or green and is known to be less stimulating than other strains.
Indo is known for relaxation, pain relief, and feeling good, happy vibes. With all that in mind, it’s no surprise, this is another common go-to for anxiety.
ThaiThere are three types of Thai kratom — red, green, and white vein — and each is said to have a different effect.
The green and white vein strains are thought to feel stimulating and create a euphoric “high,” while red vein Thai kratom is said to relieve pain. As the name suggests, this strain comes from Thailand.
MalaysianMalaysian strains are said to provide a balance between the sedative and stimulating natures of kratom. Users report pain relief, increased energy and focus, and a lift in mood from Malaysian strains, which come in green, red, and white vein varieties.
Bali/red veinThis Indonesia-born strain is said to be the most opiate-like of all the kratom strains. This reddish strain may help relieve pain-related conditions, including depression and chronic pain.
BorneoBorneo kratom, with its eponymous origins, is considered one of the more sedative strains of kratom. It comes in red, green, and white vein varieties, and may be used to treat anxiety and stress thanks to its mellow effects.
How much should you take?Honestly, there’s not a ton of solid kratom dosage info for depression and anxiety.
In a 2017 study based on a survey of 8,049 people who use kratom, most people reported that a dose of up to 5 grams of powder taken up to 3 times a day was enough to feel the effects, whether that be energizing, sedative, or somewhere in between.
Like most medications, the best dose depends on your age, sex, and general health. It’s recommended that you start with a low dose, gradually increasing the amount until you feel what (and how strongly) you want to feel.
Low to moderate1 to 5 gramsincreased energy and focus
High5 to 15 gramspain relief
increased risk of side effects
Use caution> 15 gramssedation
increased risk of serious side effectsFrom there, how you take kratom and which strain you go for can affect how much (or little) you feel it. For example, kratom extract is said to pack more punch than the powder form.
What to expect: The good, the bad, and the dangerousKratom can be a bit of a wild card — what you feel (and how much you feel) depends on how much you take, what kind you take, and possibly other factors. Research into this is ongoing, so keep your wits about you.
These effects are based on a mix of available research and feedback from online users, but know that this is likely not the complete list of potential ~feels~.
Emotional, mental, and behavioral effects include:
Although kratom seems to be simpatico with some people, like any drug it can have its share of side effects.
In a 2016 CDC report, out of 660 poison control center calls about kratom exposure, most reported side effects were minor or moderate.
Most kratom-related hospitalizations, adverse effects, and overdoses are linked to using kratom with other substances, according to various reports.
Mild side effects include:
Even if you get nothing but good vibes from kratom, you should know it may cause dependence and physical withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking it. In fact, some report developing an addiction, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
The risks here are real. A 2017 review concluded that the potential side effects of using kratom may outweigh the benefits, and more researchers are hinting at the same. One 2019 article suggests putting kratom behind the pharmacy counter, at the very least.
Kratom has been shown to negatively interact with other substances and could create potentially life-threatening complications. Alcohol and kratom are a particularly bad duo, and the CDC reported a death related to a bad mix of antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and kratom.
Yes, kratom use has been shown to contribute to multiple deaths. In 2018, the FDA identified 44 deaths, many finding kratom mixed with other substances.
Another 2019 paper using data from the National Poison Data System identified 11 deaths between 2011 and 2017, nine of which involved kratom plus other drugs.
tl;drIf you’re thinking about jumping on the kratom train for depression or anxiety, just take a minute to educate yourself on the risks.
Kratom may help quell certain symptoms like pain and anxiety. But for some, the juice ain’t worth the squeeze.
Smaller doses have been found less likely to trigger negative effects.
Don’t forget kratom can interact with medications, booze, and other substances. There have been several deaths reported involving kratom plus other substances, including antidepressants.
Don’t wreck yourself. If you’re having severe side effects, put the kratom down and seek medical attention — stat. Your mental health professional can work with you to find effective treatment options.
Even after Colorado's April 16 stay-at-home order over COVID-19 is lifted, many businesses in the state will remain closed, Governor Jared Polis reported during an April 20 news conference, including bars, clubs and restaurants outside of to-go and delivery service. But Clean Kratom Wellness Center, at 1520 Simms Street in Lakewood, will be open — even though it received a notification last week that it would have to shut its doors.
Clean Kratom owner Faith Day vowed to fight this edict, and within days, the notice from Jefferson County Public Health was rescinded — but not because the sale of kratom, a controversial herbal substance of Southeast Asian origin, was deemed essential. Instead, the center was allowed to continue operating because it also sells CBD products that Jeffco considers food.
There's no shortage of irony over this determination. After all, the Clean Kratom Wellness Center branch in Portland, Oregon, has been licensed to package and sell kratom by the Oregon Department of Agriculture — a designation that Day believes is the first of its kind in the United States. And that agency, unlike its equivalent in Colorado, treats kratom like food.
The federal government displays even more antipathy toward kratom, regularly issuing warnings about the product's alleged addictive qualities even as advocates tout it as both a pain reliever and a tool to help opioid users kick infinitely more dangerous habits. Indeed, the Food and Drug Administration specifically targeted Day's business in early 2018, during a campaign that included the seizure of a kratom shipment to a Denver company the next year.
Even before this conflict, Day was careful to follow all regulations for packaging and distribution of kratom — and she stresses how much closing the store would hurt her customers. "Our sales haven't slowed down at all" since the stay-at-home order, she says. "There's a huge demand for this product."
One possible reason: Kratom is among the many items being touted for its alleged ability to stave off COVID-19. While Day makes no such claims about kratom, she reveals that "we've got people coming to us who are visibly sick. It's very hard for us to just turn away people who are in dire need."
And she won't have to do so now. Corresponding via email, Nicole Work, a spokesperson for Jefferson County Public Health, writes that the Colorado Department of Public Health "has declared CBD to be food and recommended the reopening of businesses selling it. Clean Kratom was one of them, and they have been approved to reopen."
Even so, Work notes that the Clean Kratom Wellness Center is "not licensed with JCPH. The FDA does not recognize kratom as food, so we do not allow it any of our retail food establishments." The takeaway: Kratom in and of itself won't allow a business to stay open, but neither will it automatically result in it being prevented from doing so if it sells other essential items.
Day, who holds a standard retail license for Clean Kratom, finds Jeffco's rationale confusing. "We were told that the few CBD items we have for sale were the determining factors for us remaining open," she allows. "I'm definitely not upset about it, but I'm hoping that the viewpoint on kratom changes."


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At present, it is an important period of rice growth, and a UAV is carrying out operations. After ten minutes, the spraying of more than ten acres of rice fields is completed.
“I only started to operate UAV this year. In June, July, and August, this drone sprayed more than 10,000 acres of pesticides, which previously required hundreds of manuals to solve it.”
Mr. Gao, a villager of Longshan Village, who is operating an agricultural drone, said that agricultural drone saves time and effort. Compared with manual judgment based on experience, the whole process of computer operation greatly improves the accuracy, reduces the amount of pesticide used, and makes agricultural production more “green” and more environmentally friendly.
Most areas of Dandong are hilly and mountainous areas, and the paddy fields are mainly concentrated in Donggang City. The earliest was to invite people to use drones for spraying. In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operation has become popular.
Mr. Gao said there are at least 40 or 50 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the Dandong area, and the owners of these UAVs are in contact with each other. Mr. Jiang in Longshan Village has several drones.
It is easy to damage crops when walking, and farmers are also prone to poisoning and heatstroke. However, use an agricultural drone can effectively avoid these risks.
The cost of UAV is not high, which is almost the same as manual operation. It takes more than 10 hours a day to spray pesticides for 40-50 acres, while UAV can spray at least 400 or 500 acres of paddy field every day under the condition of good weather, flat terrain, and fewer obstacles.
The drone owner’s van is loaded with generators. In the whole process of UAV operation, the generator keeps charging the UAV battery. Mr. Gao said that in one day, gasoline costs are more than 100 yuan.
“Although UAVs are not difficult to operate, they also need to work with certificates.” Mr. Gao said. He had been trained for more than half a month in a professional training school, and only after passing the test can I purchase a drone for operation.
Another UAV operator, Mr. Song, the first year to operate the UAV, said: “a drone costs 60000 yuan, so it’s almost no problem to earn money in next year.”
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By Spencer . April 18, 2007 . 10:42am
Legend of the Heroes III: Song of the Ocean (aka Eiyuu Densetsu Gagharv Trilogy V: Umi no Oriuta) closed the Gagharv Trilogy when it was released back in January. Falcom’s latest project in the Legend of the Heroes universe is Legend of Heroes VI: Sora no Kiseki which is scheduled to come out in Japan on September 26, 2007. It’s the first two disc UMD game to hit store shelves and it looks like the battle system is completely different from the other PSP games as seen in the screenshot. Famitsu has more screenshots to check out and one of them looks like a shot from an in game movie, which could be the main reason for the two disc release.


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Responding to allegations that Four Barrel Coffee founder Jeremey Tooker sexually harassed and assaulted eight former employees, company co-owners Jodi Geren and Tal Mor have revealed a plan to transfer all ownership of their company to employees and rename the company The Tide.
After The San Francisco Chronicle broke news of a discrimination lawsuit against Tooker and the company on Friday, Geren and Mor issued an apology over the weekend, explaining that Tooker had already stepped down as CEO of Four Barrel in November and agreed to divest his remaining ownership in the company. Now Geren and Mor say they will give Tooker’s shares, which amount to 50% of the company, to their employees, eventually doing the same with their own stake.
“[As] we stabilize the business as peer-owners and diversify our staff’s skills to fully manage the company, we’ll make increasing shares available for our own remaining ownership until we’ve completely divested from the business and the new entity is 100% employee owned,” Geren and Mor write. Meanwhile, they plead with wholesale customers and cafe patrons, many of whom have publicly condemned or parted ways with Four Barrel, to maintain their relationship with the coffee company. Le Marais, for example, will no longer sell Four Barrel Coffee, while retailers as far as Strange Matter Coffee in Lansing, Michigan have announced the same.
In their initial apology, Mor and Geren wrote that “Four Barrel will not tolerate inappropriate behavior in the workplace.” But according to the lawsuit, when they were made aware of the accusations against Tooker, they discouraged employees from taking action or “creating drama.” Complicating their attempt to make reparations, many of the employees who allege wrongdoing left the company before the lawsuit.


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The Canadian government has invested $1m in the marketing of canola to help the industry tap new markets and grow existing ones, said Randy Hoback, Member of Parliament for Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, at the Canola Council of Canada's (CCC) Summer...
Frutarom USA has received organic certification from certification body Secal Israel for its Origanox ingredient, designed to combat lipid oxidation in foods – allowing it to market the ingredient in the United States and around the world.
Stevia supplier PureCircle has said that stevia awareness has grown to 62 percent in the United States, up from 46 percent a year earlier, according to new survey results from its PureCircle Insights Group.
Adventurous, bold flavors in sauces and condiments are driving new consumer taste discoveries, according to a new trend report from the Center for Culinary Development (CCD) and market research organization Packaged Facts.
Fortification and added healthy ingredients are stronger factors in driving purchases of foods perceived as healthy than absence of less healthy ingredients like sugar, saturated fat and sodium, according to the results of a new survey.
Calorie labeling, healthier options and reformulation work notwithstanding, some of America’s biggest restaurant chains are still selling products so eye-wateringly caloric that diners eating just one course are getting all the calories they need for...
Sales of seafood in US foodservice outlets slumped 2 percent in the year to March 2011, according to market researcher the NPD Group. This compares with flat traffic in the foodservice market as a whole.


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Webley Release World Exclusive .22 Pellet Revolvers - The New 'Police' & 'Civilian' MKVI Models. The new Webley MKVI 2.5” Civilian and 4” Police Revolver
Highland Outdoors secure exclusive Tier-One agency for UK and Europe Highland Outdoors is excited to announce our new European distribution partnership with TIER-ONE, effective 1st
The Fabulous new Daystate Delta Wolf is in production and heading out to customers. Starting with UK specification 12-foot pound rifles Delta Wolf
Gamo Phox Silenci PCP Pack - .22 or .177 The Gamo Phox is an excellent starter pack for the shooter looking to advance into the
Vortex introduce their latest edition to the optics world; the Impact 1000!
Make first strike second nature with the new Vortex Strike Eagle 1-6x24 or the 1-8x24 riflescopes.
Prepare for immediate impact with the new Strike Eagle riflescope from Vortex Optics.
The hugely successful Umarex Legends Cowboy range of rifles has increased. YeeHaw!
ShooterKing has 500 protective suits ready to ship to the NHF for FREE!
The Shooting Party, (TPS), announced today the launch of a brand new, multi-shot PCP air rifle by Lee Enfield (Guns) Ltd.


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St. Mark’s Episcopal Church announces Fall Craft Show
Published 11:00 pm, Sunday, September 9, 2012
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church is excited to announce plans to host its first Fall Craft Show in October.
The event will be held on Saturday, Oct. 20 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the church (located at 7615 F.M. 762, in Richmond 77406 across from George Ranch).
Admission is free. The craft show, which will become an annual event, will feature many home and small business vendors. The youth of St. Mark’s will be serving cold drinks and food and all proceeds will go to youth activities. Don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy this worthwhile event filled with great shopping while helping local businesses! For more information about St. Mark’s Fall Craft Show, visit us at www.stmarksfortbend.org or contact us at 281-545-1661.
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Meet the companies that boast the highest employee engagement in Canada: 30 platinum and nine gold winners are Canada’s Best Employers for 2017 according to Aon.
There are 16 exchanges that are a part of the “$1 Trillion Dollar Club” with more than $1 trillion in market capitalization. This elite group, with familiar names such as the NYSE, Nasdaq, LSE, Deutsche Borse, TMX Group, and Japan Exchange Group, comprise 87% of the world’s total value of equities.
Every time you shop online at your favourite retailers, you earn back a percentage of every purchase. From niceties to necessities, Continue reading Ebates: A great website that actually pays you Cash Back every time you shop
Canadians who purchased their first home within the past two years reflect a “new normal” in the Canadian housing market, according to Mortgage Professionals Canada’s fall 2016 survey. Thirty-four per cent of recent first-time buyers think it is important to generate income from their properties, and 13 per cent of those who undertook renovations on their homes did so to add space for a rental unit. Half of 18-34 year-olds do not own a home, primarily because they are saving for a down payment.
Deal expires: Sunday, January 1st, 2017, 3:01am Eastern
High demand and low supply continued to characterize Vancouver’s and Toronto’s housing markets throughout 2016 as competition from buyers for limited inventory of single-family homes pushed prices higher. The average residential sale price increased 13 per cent in Greater Vancouver to approximately $1,020,300 and rose 17 per cent in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to an estimated $725,857. Although demand remains high in both urban centres, limited inventory in the freehold market, the new 15 per cent foreign-buyer tax in Vancouver and the recent tightening of mortgage rules by the federal government are expected to soften market activity in the short term. In 2017, RE/MAX estimates average residential sale price will increase by two and eight per cent in Greater Vancouver and the GTA respectively.
Labour Minister Dominique Vien will soon announce Quebec’s minimum wage for the year 2017. The MEI would like to remind the government that a dramatic increase would threaten thousands of jobs in the province. Moreover, an Economic Note published today shows that such a policy would have a disproportionate effect on jobs in rural regions, and accelerate the rural exodus.
The HBC Barbie was released in stores across the country as well as online last month. The joint partnership with Mattel and the Hudson’s Bay Company Collection has the fashion icon, and children’s toy, wearing an HBC striped coat with a matching pencil skirt. She is also sporting a black turtleneck, a knit tuque, and classic ankle boots.
Continue reading Collectors Edition HUDSON’S BAY COMPANY HBC Barbie
Freeman Real Estate Ltd. will give away 500 turkeys to those in need on Sunday, Dec. 18 at 12 noon from the realtor’s location at 988 Bathurst Street, just four blocks north of where the iconic retailer started the tradition.
Massage or Advanced Firming Facial with Access to Spa Amenities at The Spa at the Four Seasons Toronto (Up to 41% Off)
Receive a relaxing aromatherapy massage or natural advanced firming facial at this luxurious spa oasis, with sunlit indoor pool & whirlpool
DH Corporation (TSX:DH) (“DH” or the “Company”), a leading provider of technology solutions to domestic and global financial Continue reading DH Corporation an acquisition target?
According to Equifax, the average Canadian now owes $22,081 in consumer debt, a figure that doesn’t include any mortgage.
Continue reading Canadians’ consumer debt load now stands at more than $1.7 trillion


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Chang said that the Google smartwatches will be powered by Android Wear 2.0. This means that the smartwatches will be the very first wearable devices to come with Android Wear 2.0. Chang also revealed that the smartwatches will not have any Google or Pixel branding on them. The smartwatches will instead carry the OEM branding .
The move is surprising as earlier this year the search giant removed OEM branding from its Pixel smartphones. Launched in September end, Google Pixel smartphones sport Google logo at the back.
Rumours also claim that the smartwatches will come in different sizes and target both genders. Of the two smartwatches, one is likely to be slightly more feature-laden than the other.
Android Wear 2.0 OS version is expected to bring new features along with standalone apps that will no longer require a connected smartphone to operate. The OS is also supposed to bring Android Pay and Google Voice Assistant seen in Pixel smartphones.
In addition, since Android Pay has certain hardware requirements for a smartwatch, some may not be able to support the feature.
The list of smartwatches that are likely to get Android Wear 2.0 are Moto 360 Gen 2, Moto 360 Sport, LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE, LG Watch Urbane, LG G Watch R, Polar M600, Casio Smart Outdoor Watch, Nixon Mission, Tag Heuer Connected, Fossil Q Wander, Fossil Q Marshal, Fossil Q Founder, Michael Kors Access Bradshaw, Michael Kors Access Dylan, Huawei Watch, Huawei Watch Ladies, Asus ZenWatch 2 and Asus ZenWatch 3.


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Louisiana reaches export record of $65.1 billion
BATON ROUGE - The U.S. Department of Commerce says merchandise exports from Louisiana climbed 2.8 percent to a record $65.1 billion in 2014, and new trade agreements could boost those totals in the coming years.
The World Trade Center in New Orleans says the 2014 gain marked the sixth consecutive year of export growth for the state, up from $63.3 billion in 2013.
Louisiana's principal export markets for 2014 were China, $8.7 billion, up 8.9 percent; Mexico, $7.3 billion, up 14.5 percent; and Canada, $3.3 billion, up 5.6 percent, followed by the Netherlands, Japan, Colombia, France, Brazil, Egypt and Panama.
The World Trade Center says Louisiana ranked sixth among U.S. states, the same ranking it held in 2013.
Desktop NewsClick to open Continuous News in a sidebar that updates in real-time.
Surveillance video from local store captures dramatic tail-end of police chase
Sports2-A-Days-Previews: University High Cubs
Local grocery store giving opportunity to special needs workers
Sports2-A-Days Preview: Walker Wildcats
Leaders at Baton Rouge Detox center blame incompetence for possible shutdown


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BABIES should be fed exclusively breast milk and formula milk for the first six months, then weaned on to solids, an expert has said.
Gill Rapley, of the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), said spoon-feeding pureed food to children can cause health problems later in life. She said feeding babies pureed - paste-like - food is unnatural and unnecessary.
She said: "Sound research and government advice now agree there is no longer any window of a baby's development in which they need something more than milk and less than solids."
More than four out of five of one million babies aged between four and 20 months eat and drink baby food worth more than £120m a year. Makers of baby food say they are taking Rapley's study seriously.
Roger Clarke, of the Infant and Dietetic Foods Associations, representing such manufacturers as Heinz, Nestle, Boots and Nutricia, said: "Infant food companies support a flexible approach to feeding infants but the age at which solids are introduced depends on the nutritional and developmental needs of individual infants."
Rapley said: "In 2002, the World Health Organisation backed research that found breast or formula milk provided all the nutrition a baby needs up to the age of six months.
"That research said feeding a baby any other food during their first six months would dilute the nutritional value of the milk and might even be harmful to the baby's health."
Offering babies pureed food once they can chew is not only unnecessary, it could delay the development of chewing skills, Rapley believes.


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Free delivery estimates for 15-inch MacBook Pro orders placed today have slipped to June 6-8 in the United States, indicating delivery during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2017), which kicks off on June 5.
The delivery estimates lend credence to a report claiming Apple plans to announce new MacBook Pro and 12-inch MacBook models at the WWDC keynote on June 5. The notebooks are expected to receive internal improvements only, including an upgrade to Intel’s faster Kaby Lake processors.
In-store availability for pickup are showing as June 8, also indicating a possible refresh of the 15-inch models is on the way. 13-in MacBook Pro models remain available for delivery as soon as tomorrow in the U.S.. and several other countries. This could indicate Apple doesn’t plan to refresh the 13-inch models next week, or there may simply be more of those models available.
Apple in the past has staggered the release of various MBPro models in the past. As recently as 2015, it released a 13-inch MBPro model in March, followed by a 15-inch refresh in May.
The MacBook Pro was last refreshed in October 2016, when the models equipped with the new OLED Touch Bar were released.


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AT least two Ballarat businesses have fallen victim to cruel scammers who are taking advantage of unsuspecting residents who believed they had won competitions.
Both Laser Cut Fire Pits in Bunkers Hill and Avalon Nursery in Haddon have been victims of a social media scam where customers are contacted saying they have won a price and being asked to provide full details, including credit card numbers so the 'prize' can be sent out.
Both businesses are currently running Father's Day competitions, with the scammers opening up a series of social media accounts and copying the competition details, telling followers they have won and requesting $25 for postage from each 'winner'.
IN OTHER NEWS
Kelly Dubberley from Laser Cut Fire Pits said since their competition was launched, at least six fake sites had been set up.
"They've always got something wrong with them, for example there's an apostrophe in the wrong spot, or they've spelled something wrong.
"I reckon I've had about 300 messages from people in the past couple of weeks, but fortunately all of our customers have been really good about it.
"We're giving away a $480 fire pit, but what we'll also do now is give away 10, $100 vouchers to say thanks to the people who are loyal to us.
"We just wanted to do something to bring some joy to the community given everything that we've been through, but people just feel they need to take advantage of it."
David Winters from Avalon Nursery said since launching their own competition this week, he had received almost 200 messages from people believing they had won.
He said it was critical that people understood the company would never ask for credit card details online.
"The prize is due to be drawn on the 28th. If anyone gets a message from them, do not click on the link and do report the profile. We would never ask for your credit card details," he said.
"It's really disappointing that people are taking advantage of others at this type of time."
Mr Winters said he had reported the scam to police.
It comes as Australia prepares for 'Scam Awareness Week" from August 17-21. Throughout the week, police and governments around the country will be highlighting the different types of scams that occur in the community.
Last year alone, Australians were scammed of $15.8 million.
Ballarat Inspector Dan Davison said as more people were connected online, scammers were becoming more covert.
"It's really important because these scammers are so good at duplicating sites, that you don't provide your credit card details, unless it's something you are a willing participant to," Inspector Davison said.
"If you think you're the victim of a scam contact your bank in the first instance and try and work out the magnitude of the loss.
"Quite often scammers will look at small amounts which won't necessarily flag with security. Most people will skim over and miss small transactions, so they are quite deliberate in their intentions."
If you are a victim of a scam, report it as scamwatch.gov.au or ring Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
If you are seeing this message you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Courier, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thank you very much for your support and allowing us to continue telling Ballarat's story. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great city.
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BACOLOD City – The Provincial Board (PB) of Negros Occidental passed on third and final reading the measure that would institutionalize a ban on entry of pork and pork products from African swine fever-affected.
Board member Andrew Montelibano, chairman of the PB’s Committee on Agriculture, said he authored this ordinance as a means to protect the province from the continuous spread of the dreaded pig disease.
He underscored the need for a permanent law preventing the entry of any live pig, boar semen, pork and pork products, including food items containing pork, saying that ASF cannot be eradicated in 10 to 20 years in Luzon.
“It’s going to be difficult if the disease enters Negros, that’s why our precautionary measures are very important,” Montelibano said.
He added that once the ordinance is signed by Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, the current 90-day suspension on the import of hogs and pork products will be extended indefinitely and will be lifted once ASF has been eradicated in the country.
Lacson, who chairs the Provincial ASF Task Force, earlier issued an executive order enforcing pork ban from ASF-hit areas for a period of 90 days. It took on Sept. 18.
The governor said the ordinance will now identify the prohibited acts and items, include the prohibition on use of waste items and left-overs, and determine the responsibilities of the ASF task force, PVO, and local government units. A penalty clause is also included, he added.
Negros Occidental is the country’s number one backyard hog producer, with a P6-billion swine industry./PN


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You spend a lot of time online. Maybe it comes with the job. Maybe your idea of a perfect weekend is to be perched in front of your computer reading blogs, buying shit you don't need on Amazon, Tweeting and Facebooking, or surfing YouPorn. But at what point are you considered a bona fide Internet addict? To find out, I called up a psychologist and a fancy rehab center who specialize in this type of thing.
I must admit there was a part of me that went into reporting this story with a smirk. Internet addiction? Aren't we all Internet addicts to some extent? And then I talked to Coleen Moore of the Illinois Institute of Addiction Recovery, who told me that 20% of all addicts who check into the rehab center are there for Internet addiction. Some of them use drugs along with the Internet so they can stay awake and online longer, and others get urinary tract infections or wet themselves because they don't want to take bathroom breaks. Carpal tunnel and eye strain are only the tip of the iceberg. For some, Internet addiction is a very real psychological issue that calls for medical help.
The compulsion to be online all the time is slightly different than more conventional addictions like alcoholism and prescription drugs, says Dr. Kimberly Young, a clinical psychologist who runs the web site NetAddiction.com
. "It's not quantitative," she says. "It's not like you can measure how much they're drinking." And while it's more common in people who have other mental health conditions to begin with — staving off depression by surfing online porn, for example — the accessibility of the Internet has also spawned a new population of addicts. "A lot of patients describe situations like this: 'I never thought about porn but then I found it online, and the more I found the more I wanted it,'" says Dr. Young. "It's something very specific to cyberspace — they don't have to go to the adult bookstore in town, it's just right in their rooms."
When Young started treating Internet addiction in 1994, the biggest problem people saw her for was day trading. Now, there are more addicts who show up (voluntarily, or at the heels of concerned parents) for online gaming. "World of Warcraft and Everquest seem to be the ones that individuals identify most often," says Moore, who is the admissions manager at the Illinois Institute. These addicts typically stay at the Institute for 30-90 days, paying up to $1200 a day (though many insurance plans cover at least part of it) to follow the same treatment program that alcoholics and sex addicts go through. "We have a philosophy here that an addiction is an addiction, and that those who suffer from gambling or sex or Internet or alcohol can all learn from one another," Moore says.
There's no concrete definition of what qualifies you as an Internet addict. And because the Internet is such a prevalent part of everyday life now, complete abstinence isn't usually an option. Instead of trying to gauge your addiction level by how long you're online, you're supposed to be looking more at whether your Internet usage is affecting the way you perform in other parts of your life. Are you getting in trouble at work? Is your partner leaving you? Are you forgetting to shower, eat, and pee? If so, you might want to consider getting help.
"An addiction is an addiction," Young says. "It doesn't matter if it's porn or the Internet."
Or, for that matter, if it's porn and
You can take Dr. Young's Internet addiction test here
Advisor is a column about how to juggle technology, relationships, and common sense. Got a story to tell? Email me at lisa [at] boingboing [dot] net.
Alex Jason, 15, used his lawnmowing money to acquire what Cult of Mac says “is becoming one of the most significant private collections of Apple devices in the United States.” Jason converted his family’s basement into a museum, called the Apple Orchard, and in a couple years he plans to move it into a former […]
On Saturday, Franky Zapata took his prototype Flyboard Air hoverboard for a rather impressive flight, three miles on the French coast. It’s based on Zapata’s previous water-powered hoverboard. When the first short flight video went up last month, The Verge interviewed Zapata: So there’s three parts to this, right? The board, a fuel tank, and […]
On the left: a Colby Walkmac, “the first battery-operated Macintosh computer and first portable Mac with a LCD display.”
Why buy one of those expensive and confusing universal remotes, clogged with enough buttons to launch a space shuttle, when you could accomplish the same electronic control right on your favorite mobile device? The Blumoo Universal Remote, now just $52.99 in the Boing Boing Store, harnesses the audio power of all your household equipment right […]
You may not love Microsoft Word, but you’ve definitely used it. Other than being one of the most ubiquitous programs on the planet, it’s been the go-to word processing system for more than a quarter-century because it’s as basic as it gets. But occasionally, you’ve got assignments that beg for a lot more options than simple […]
Almost everyone has their smartphone in a case of one kind or another. Beyond simple protection, finding a case that can charge your phone on its own, but doesn’t feel like it’s also adding a couple pounds to the phone’s weight is the tricky part. Billed as the world’s thinnest battery case, the ThinCharge iPhone […]


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SK hynix takes over US LAMD to bolster NAND flash business
By Kim Yoo-chul
SK hynix has been in the limelight in the global M&A market after taking over two foreign companies in the past month, a move seen as SK Group’s attempt to foster the chipmaker as its growth engine.
The bold move is in line with Chairman Chey Tae-won’s globalization drive under which the group is seeking to expand into U.S. and European markets. SK Telecom bought SK hynix, formerly Hynix Semiconductor, early this year.
Chey has opted for an inorganic growth strategy to bolster the chipmaker so that it can catch up with its rivals and emerge as the group’s main growth engine.
SK hynix said Wednesday that it bought a U.S.-based Link A Media Devices (LAMD) for 287 billion won. The deal allows it to completely acquire all patents owned by LAMD, which will become the company’s NAND-focused business unit.
Expectations are that the latest acquisition will help SK hynix expand its NAND flash business ― it had a 24.6 percent global share of conventional DRAM memory chips in the fourth quarter of last year, market research firm iSuppli said.
Last month, SK hynix acquired Italian NAND flash maker Ideaflash and has turned it into a research and development (R&D) center to boost the development of flash memory-related technology.
The series of acquisitions came as the company’s business for flash-type memory chips ― a component in almost all high-end digital devices such as tablets, cameras and smartphones ― was stalling.
The company is the fourth-largest player in the NAND chip market with a 12.6 percent share as of the end of last year after Samsung Electronics, Toshiba and Micron Technology, iSuppli said.
Officials said SK hynix is struggling to increase its NAND shipments to clients such as Apple as its manufacturing technology currently remains as a ``second-tier’’ level, causing it to fail strict quality standards.
The latest deal with LAMD is a step in the right direction, given that SK hynix is the only NAND manufacturer that has failed to find a breakthrough in the market for solid-state drives (SSDs) ― the next-generation storage device that is replacing the bulky and conventional hard disk drives (HDDs).
SSD is based on very-fined NAND flash chip-making technology and Intel, Samsung, Toshiba, Micron Technology and even SanDisk are all big names in the market. One common thing with all of them is they have their own firmware.
SK hynix said the company can now guarantee a speedy supply of high-performance controllers made by LAMD. LAMD’s proven expertise could potentially help the firm improve battery life and storage capacity in high-end devices and also lower costs related to flash components.
``For SK hynix, securing in-house controllers is more important as it means higher profitability. The company secured a springboard to raise its market share in NAND flashes,’’ said Lee Seung-woo, an analyst at IBK Securities.
Officials say the latest acquisition is considered SK hynix’s answer to better respond to Apple’s purchase of Anobit ― an Israeli company that manufacturers digital signal processing technology to improve the performance of NAND flashes used in its i-branded devices.
``SK hynix also wanted to acquire Anobit. However, Apple did it. LAMD was our second option,’’ said a company executive familiar with the situation.


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Performance footwear sales are in a downturn.
According to NPD’s senior industry advisor, Matt Powell, analysts began to notice this trend in 2015—right at the beginning of athleisure’s rise, which is no coincidence. Since then, no single performance footwear category has shown anything resembling marked improvement, and brands have struggled to adapt.
According to the latest data available from NPD, overall performance footwear sales were down in the mid-single digits in the first quarter of 2019. Although most footwear categories suffered under industry headwinds in the quarter, including the later release of tax refunds, performance footwear was hit especially hard. Baseball shoes were the only category that didn’t experience a loss in the first quarter, staying flat from a year ago.
Running shoe sales were down 6 percent, year-over-year, (possibly due to a long winter) and golf shoes were down 5 percent under similar circumstances. However, it was the fall of basketball shoes that proved to be the most shocking outcome in the first quarter. Despite iconic basketball events like March Madness and the NBA regular season both occurring during the quarter, basketball shoe sales were down 21 percent in Q1.
Powell told Sourcing Journal this was all part of a larger trend that has caused a major blurring of footwear categories, lessening the importance of performance factors.
“Since the middle of 2015, we haven’t had a single major performance category that is trending positively. We are very much in an athleisure phase in footwear and apparel and people want to wear athletically-inspired shoes and clothes but they really don’t intend to use them for sports,” Powell said. “We asked our consumer panel last year, you bought a pair of sports shoes—now what do you intend to do with them?’ Only 16 percent who responded said that they were going to use it for sport. That’s down from 25 percent five years ago.”
According to Powell, this likely has more to do with the influence of fashion in performance footwear rather than lower activity rates. Looking at youth sports, participation has actually risen thanks to more girls participating in competitive activities. According to the most recent data available from the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), 15,009 more girls enrolled in competitive athletics in 2017-2018 than those who did the previous year, and competitive athletics participation for both genders increased.
However, the answer to performance footwear’s ills becomes more clear when looking at participation in specific sports. Soccer, for instance, is fast becoming one of the nation’s most popular competitive sports. In fact, it received the largest individual gain in participation, year-over-year, among males in 2018 and was almost as popular with females. Yet, footwear sales for the category still fell by 2 percentage points in a year where more young athletes should have been buying soccer cleats.
There is something missing from these sports, according to Powell, that led the market in years past.
“For the first 50 years or so in the sport shoes business, we always had at least one performance category that was in fashion,” Powell explained. “In the early ‘70s, tennis was the sexy sport. People wore tennis shoes and tennis apparel on the street as sportswear. Then jogging shoes came along and running became a thing. Then it was basketball shoes and then training. Then, over the last 20 years or so it’s just cycled through all of those categories.”
However, NPD’s data now shows that those cycles have lost their power, the forces that once drove the market are no longer in the driver’s seat. Instead, performance footwear is stagnating, waiting for consumers to give the industry an answer.
Coresight, a market research firm, told Sourcing Journal their data shows the performance footwear industry is excessively top-heavy, with the top 20 companies accounting for 29.4 percent of global footwear sales. Nike and Adidas, alone, make up 15.3 percent. In comparison, the apparel industry’s top-20 rake in a combined 15.3 percent. A top-heavy industry can result in less innovation, Coresight suggested, referencing data from a Feb. 2019 report—even without headwinds.
“Footwear, especially brands tied to sports activities and outdoor experiences, have fared better than apparel brands, but they too have been vulnerable to the vicissitudes of retail channels with bankruptcies and store closures,” Coresight noted. “Footwear brands have enjoyed strong brand equity (Nike, Adidas, Vans) and the right sneaker is social currency for many youths around the world.”
However, the reality has been different for smaller brands, with larger market issues presenting challenges that few can overcome—and low-margins won’t help.
“Digital disruption is bifurcating the traditional wholesale apparel and footwear market into those companies and brands with adequate brand power to go direct to the consumer and those that don’t have the brand relevancy to make it on their own,” Coresight wrote. “The alternative for those brands which lack the power to go it alone can use Amazon, Zappos, Alibaba and Tmall as well as other online marketplaces. But, customer data is king, and direct to consumer brands must also have retail, fulfillment and return expertise on top of a desirable brand at an attractive price. Industry margins have been impacted by growing consumer expectations and are likely to remain under pressure for all but the most sought-after apparel and footwear brands for the next few years.”
NPD’s data does suggest there are some brands that have been able to make moves in this crowded market, with gains seen at Brooks, Fila, Puma and Vans in Q1. Powell told Sourcing Journal that, absent any positive trends, the industry can look to those brands (and others like Hoka and ON) for clues on how to move forward.
Most of all, he said, they need to be looking at a traditionally underserved demographic.
“When we look at the total footwear market, the women’s portion of the marketplace is much larger than the men’s piece,” Powell said. “Only when we look at athletic sales do men have a larger portion of the spend. It really says to me that brands have not focused enough on their women and women’s assortments. They tend to be takedowns, reinterpretations of men’s shoes. They aren’t really developing women-specific product. That’s really the reason we see predominant women’s brands like Lululemon and Athleta taking share.”


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Britvic is pleased to announce Robinsons as the Official Soft Drinks Partner of The Hundred, cricket’s innovative and exciting 100-ball competition, in time for the 2022 season.
The three-year agreement will see The Hundred feature on the Robinsons’ ready to drink, no added sugar, packaging and Robinsons branding across eight venues over the competition.
The partnership will be brought to life from June this year through a ‘Win tickets’ promotion to reward consumers, amplified with a disruptive instore and digital campaign for our Robinsons ready to drink range.
The Hundred launched in the summer of 2021 to packed out crowds across England and Wales, exciting cricket fans – new and old – with its mix of high energy sporting action and brilliant entertainment.
In the coming 2022 season, Robinsons will also put its name to the Strategic Timeout, a break in the game which gives the bowling team 120 seconds to regroup and rehydrate during a critical phase of play.
Bruce Dallas, Britvic’s Great Britain Marketing Director, said: “The Hundred has quickly established itself as one of the most exciting events in the UK’s sporting calendar and we are thrilled to be part of the action in the coming seasons. Part of The Hundred’s mission is to make the game of cricket more accessible and more inclusive to families up and down the country and, as a family-favourite brand, Robinsons fully supports these efforts to promote broader engagement with the sport.
“At Britvic we are committed to helping people make healthier choices and live healthier lives through our brands by keeping well hydrated and Robinsons’ involvement with this competition provides a great platform to further this agenda.”
Rob Calder, Commercial Director of The Hundred, said: “Partnering with Robinsons gives The Hundred a fantastic opportunity to get more people into cricket, through the chance to win tickets this summer.
“We are delighted to partner with such an established, British brand like Robinsons and look forward to working with them throughout an important second year for cricket’s newest competition.”


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Bashundhara Tissue distributes prizes among scratch card winners
Bashundhara Tissue, a brand of the country’s leading business conglomerate Bashundhara Group, has distributed prizes among the scratch card winners under the third phase of Dhamaka offer it launched for consumers marking the 18th anniversary of the tissue company.
Yeasha Sobhan, Director of Bashundhara Group, handed over the prizes to 17 scratch card winners at an event at Bashundhara Industrial Headquarters-2 in the city on Sunday.
The prizes include motorbikes, laptops, microwave ovens and gold coins.
Bashundhara Group Chief Financial Officer Mirza Mujahidul Islam, Executive Director (sales) Masuduzzaman and General Manager (marketing) Toufique Hasan of Bashudhara Tissue and other officials of the Group were present at the prize-giving ceremony.
Speaking at the programme, Toufique Hasan said, “We started journey back in 2000 and we have passed long eighteen years. We launched the programme to share our love and joy with our consumers.”
Of the winners, two received motorbikes, three laptops and seven gold coins.


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“There is no way any of us could have foreseen the immense upheaval which this horrid Covid-19 has and is causing to people’s lives, livelihoods and businesses,” said Jackie Collins, managing director and owner of Cherry Orchard Publishing. “I had envisaged Team Cherry Orchard would have been celebrating Cherry Orchard’s 25th anniversary year, not having to restructure the company to safeguard it for the future,” Jackie added, having just undergone a consultation process with all members of its sales team which has resulted in all of its employed sales team being made redundant, but with all five individuals collectively approaching Jackie with their proposal to continue working for the Tewkesbury-based publisher, but as independent sales agents.
The company has been represented in Scotland by two sales agents since February, following the retirement of sales representative, John Clark.
Paying tribute to Fiona, Jackie commented: “Fi is an absolute gem, I cannot thank her enough for everything she has done for Cherry Orchard, building wonderful relationships with all the team at Cherry Orchard and Cherry Orchard’s customers. It is with a very heavy heart that we have to lose her and will miss her immensely. I wish her all the best.”
Of the proposal Jackie received from the Sales Team to become agents following their redundancy, Jackie said that this solution means that “a sense of continuity will prevail. It means that our retail customers will be able to continue their relationship with members of our wonderful sales team, as they transition to become agents. I am very touched how everyone has been so supportive and committed to Cherry Orchard,” added Jackie.
Above: Jackie Collins, owner and managing director of Cherry Orchard Publishing has restructured the company to futureproof it.


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February 23, 2016
A study by Infinite Convergence Solutions, Inc. released at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona has found that enterprises across retail, legal, healthcare and finance industries allow employees to use third-party consumer messaging apps to communicate with and send documents to colleagues, clients or customers and external partners or stakeholders.
Upwards of 44% of employees regularly use mobile messaging throughout the workday, with SMS/MMS, Facebook Messenger, Skype and Google Chat/Hangouts being the most popular chat apps used. Only 17% say their company has and uses an internal, company-created mobile messaging app the most.
“Third-party messaging apps, especially those that are primarily for consumer use, do not have the necessary security regulations in place to protect sensitive or classified business information,” said Anurag Lal, CEO of Infinite Convergence. “Instead of implementing an enterprise-grade platform, employers are allowing their employees to use the apps they’re most familiar with from personal use, which risks information being compromised.”
Across various industries, employers are not implementing official mobile messaging platforms to regulate and secure employee communication. According to the study, 54% of retail employees, 51% of healthcare employees, 44 % of legal employees and 38% of finance employees say their company does not have an official mobile messaging platform. However, 84% of employees would use a company-wide mobile messaging platform if one was implemented.
Additional findings across these industries include:
Overall, the study found that employees across industries are frequently in communication with colleagues, clients or customers and partners or stakeholders via a range of mobile devices:
“Our study suggest that employees are increasingly using mobile messaging to communicate at work, but they’re receiving mixed signals on the dangers associated with third-party messaging apps,” said Lal. “Many of them are aware that consumer apps are not secure, but their employers are not providing an official, compliant platform for their use. Enterprises across industries need to realize that a secure, internal mobile messaging platform is crucial to increase efficiency, maintain compliance and secure communication.”


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The low wages in China and Southeast Asia have turned the region into an unrivalled market for fashion production over the last decade. But things are starting to change, according to a new study published on Tuesday.
Facebook Inc has tentatively concluded that spammers looking to make money, and not a nation-state, were behind the largest-ever data theft at the social media company, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
An EU decision to ramp up trade pressure on Cambodia has alarmed unions in its garment industry, a pillar of the economy, but a key grouping of manufacturers said the risk would take months to materialise.
Chinese search engine Baidu Inc has become the first Chinese company to join an artificial intelligence ethics group led by top U.S. tech firms, amid wider political clashes over AI competition between China and the U.S.


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Earlier this month, rumours about Halo Infinite surfaced online, suggesting that the game could get a battle royale mode shortly after the release in 2021. However, these are completely made up by a random Reddit user.
When covering leaks and rumours, we usually suggest that you take them with a dose of scepticism, especially if the rumour comes from anonymous sources. There are plenty of reliable insiders in the gaming industry and these people are usually spot on with their info but from time to time, we get some 4chan or Reddit "leak" which is completely fabricated 99 per cent of the time.
The latest leak regarding Halo Infinite sounded fishy from the get-go but it was discussed all over the gaming forums and social media despite that. The leaker suggested that the game would get two to three spin-off titles and a battle royale mode among other things.
Today, the person who made up the rumour admitted that everything they wrote in the post is completely fake. "We're back to just getting information about the game from cookie promotions and toy leaks; rather than even simple videos of the devs talking face to face with us while showing in-game renders of things they are working on," the fake leaker complains in the latest post.
Apparently, the sole reason for making up such a rumour lies in his disappointment with 343 Industries, who do not talk enough about Halo Infinite development. Yes, believe it or not, someone got mad at 343 Industries and decided to spread fake rumours about the game.
All in all, this is just another reminder that most of these posts on 4chan and Reddit should be taken with a huge grain of salt. It's for the best to stick to reliable sources and of course, official Xbox and 343 Industries channels for news and announcements.


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Bella Luce Boutique has new products, new owners and a new look
"Beautiful light" is the translation for the name "Bella Luce". In this case the translation is true. From the moment you walk into the Bella Luce Boutique, near the waterfront, you are surrounded by light. From Swarovski crystal enhanced Christine Alexander clothing to jewelry of every kind, light radiates from everywhere.
James and Dianne Linden, Houlton, are the new owners of "Hudson's Hidden Treasure on the St. Croix River." The couple purchased the business in February. Since then they have been tailoring it slightly, with a new logo, reflecting the Italian based name, a new canopy and much more.
James retired a year ago as a pharmacy administrator and Dianne, has an online design business with several national accounts, creating custom designs for cotton throws.
"I always wanted a brick and mortar shop," said Dianne, who did interior decorating as well. "This is my dream and his nightmare."
The couple is enthusiastic about their new endeavor.
"It is just a beautiful setting," said Dianne. The small shop is big on product with 30 percent more inventory including home décor items all contained in a welcoming atmosphere, with a view of the river and a cozy fireplace. "We have something for everyone." That includes handmade "Cotswold" sheep created by a craftsperson in Michigan, the home décor item features the long curly wool of the breed.
"The message we want people to know is that along with new owners the shop has new product lines, a new look, new courtyard and a new attitude," said James. The courtesy courtyard is open in the back of the shop and it offers customers a space to relax, an area for "girls night out parties" as well as shopping parties.
They have added an alterations service for their customers.
"It has been a positive for the shop," said Dianne. "We offer a quick turn around and the workmanship is amazing."
A grand opening is planned for June 14 through June 17.
Located at 106 Buckeye St., Bella Luce Boutique is open every day except Tuesday. Hours are Monday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday noon to 4 p.m. For more information, call (715) 386-5856 or go to www.bellaluceboutique.com.


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- bitcoin, evaluation, latest, updates, value
This volatility is an enormous part of why specialists recommend maintaining your crypto investments to lower than 5% of your portfolio to begin with. Bitcoin’s price had a wild experience in 2021, and final November set another new all-time excessive worth when it went over $sixty eight,000. Experts say it’s finest to have not more than 5% of your general portfolio tied up in crypto, and solely to go that far after you’ve constructed up an emergency fund and paid off any high-interest debt. It’s nonetheless early for DeFi, so when you’re comparing standard financial products to DeFi products, it’s sensible to weigh the risks in opposition to the potential rewards. You’ll take extra risks together with your cash within the DeFi house because it’s unregulated, however you’ll even have extra freedom and management. You’ll first need to buy crypto for entry, and have an honest quantity of crypto information underneath your belt to get began. Further refinement is the next necessary step for DeFi, according to Dr. Merav Ozair, blockchain expert and a fintech professor at Rutgers Business School.
That’s a big a part of why every new bitcoin excessive could be simply adopted by big drops. But technically, anyone can sell an NFT, they usually may ask for no matter currency they need. So somebody created this web site referred to as The NFT Bay as a type of artwork project, where they put up a torrent pointing to a 19TB ZIP file, which they said included every NFT on the Ethereum and Solana blockchains.
“The next step is figuring out the way to make good code and kick every thing up a notch,” he says. But DeFi remains to be in its relative infancy — just like how the early days of the internet had a “Wild West” really feel of fundamental chat rooms, rudimentary websites, and early on-line service providers. With that in thoughts, there are going to be some bumps and bruises alongside the way in Food Cooking News which with its development, consultants say, however there could be an Amazon or Google of the longer term within the DeFi house in time. From an investing perspective, buying an NFT is “even riskier” than shopping for crypto because it’s “nearly like a leveraged wager on crypto,” in accordance with Yang.
Why Are There So Many Cryptocurrencies?
Sending You Timely Financial Tales That You Could Financial Institution On
“It’s essentially playing but people don’t really know the difference they usually buy them as a result of they’re enjoyable,” he says. Experts remain cut up on it, with some screaming “bubble,” whereas others declare it’s the expertise behind NFTs — the smart contracts on blockchain technology — that provide real value. Meanwhile, creators and artists are claiming that is the next form of monetization. But there continues to be debate about whether or not NFTs are here to stay or simply a fad.
NFT gross sales in June fell under $1 billion for the first time in … Read More