text:
Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lowered its position in Hershey Co (NYSE:HSY) by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 14,907 shares of the company’s stock after selling 475 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,269,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. American National Bank grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.4% in the second quarter. American National Bank now owns 5,251 shares of the company’s stock worth $704,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Tdam USA Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.7% in the second quarter. Tdam USA Inc. now owns 2,753 shares of the company’s stock worth $369,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Cornerstone Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 37.3% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Advisors Inc. now owns 302 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 25.2% during the first quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 417 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 0.4% during the second quarter. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 25,436 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,409,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. 53.89% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
In other news, CEO Michele Buck sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.14, for a total value of $774,840.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 163,429 shares in the company, valued at $21,105,221.06. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Hershey Trust Co Trustee In Tr sold 524,260 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.14, for a total value of $67,702,936.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 473,052 shares in the company, valued at $61,089,935.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders bought 3,100 shares of company stock worth $401,990 and sold 661,336 shares worth $86,643,260. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group upgraded Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $100.00 to $145.00 in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Hershey to $133.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Piper Jaffray Companies downgraded Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $122.00 to $125.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 19th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Hershey from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Hershey from $132.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $138.71.
Shares of Hershey stock traded up $2.98 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $155.40. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 40,210 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,374,817. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $145.09. Hershey Co has a 12-month low of $98.01 and a 12-month high of $156.69. The firm has a market cap of $32.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.75, a PEG ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.09. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71.
Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.13. Hershey had a return on equity of 83.29% and a net margin of 15.51%. The business had revenue of $1.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.77 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.14 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Hershey Co will post 5.74 EPS for the current year.
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 23rd will be given a $0.773 dividend. This represents a $3.09 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.99%. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.72. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 22nd. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 53.92%.
The Hershey Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells confectionery products. The company operates through two segments, North America; and International and Other. It offers chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery products; gum and mint refreshment products comprising mints, chewing gums, and bubble gums; pantry items, such as baking ingredients, toppings, beverages, and sundae syrups; and snack items, including spreads, meat snacks, bars and snack bites, mixes, popcorn and protein bars, and cookies.
Featured Article: Day Trading – Risk Worth the Reward?
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding HSY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Hershey Co (NYSE:HSY).
Receive News & Ratings for Hershey Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hershey and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.


text:
If you are looking for an answer to the question What is Artificial Intelligence? and you only have a minute, then here's the definition the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence offers on its home page: "the scientific understanding of the mechanisms underlying thought and intelligent behavior and their embodiment in machines."
However, if you are fortunate enough to have more than a minute, then please get ready to embark upon an exciting journey exploring AI (but beware, it could last a lifetime) …
As we know that these days AI has been a very demanding topic these days. All the industries are using AI also it will change the phase soon. The most successful and widespread technique is the use of artificial neural networks (ANNs). ANNs emulate the way that neurons function in biological systems such as the human brain, creating a network of interconnected artificial neurons. They have proven to be very effective at several tasks, especially those involving pattern recognition, such as computer vision, speech recognition or medical diagnosis from symptoms or scans.
Tesla has reigned over the electric car market for over a decade, but these new autos are hoping to give Tesla a run for their money. Current and former Tesla employees working in the company's open-air "tent" factory say they were pressured to take shortcuts to hit aggressive Model 3 production goals, including making fast fixes to plastic housings with electrical tape, working through harsh conditions and skipping previously required vehicle tests. For instance, four people who worked on the assembly line say they were told by supervisors to use electrical tape to patch cracks on plastic brackets and housings, and provided photographs showing where tape was applied. They and four additional people familiar with conditions there describe working through high heat, cold temperatures at night and smoky air during last year's wildfires in Northern California. Tesla can't appeal to women: Electric cars, Elon Musk may be off-putting Why I bought a Tesla: One woman's experience buying Elon Musk's sleek EV Their disclosures highlight the difficult balance Tesla must strike as it ramps up production while trying to stem costs. Tesla recently told shareholders that in the three months ending June 30, 2019, it made 87,048 vehicles, including 72,531 Model 3s, the company's lowest-priced sedan.
The race to incorporate artificial intelligence in modern weapons threatens to outstrip the technology's capabilities -- and the world's ability to control them. The Commander-in-Chief of Russia's air force, Viktor Bondarev, has told a gathering at the MAKS-2017 international airshow his aircraft would soon be getting cruise missiles with artificial intelligence capable of analysing their environment and opponents and make "decisions" about altitude, speed, course -- and targets. "Work in this area is under way," Russian news agency TASS reports Tactical Missiles Corporation CEO Boris Obnosov as adding. "As of today, certain successes are available, but we'll still have to work for several years to achieve specific results." While neither indicated which missiles were slated to get such enhanced artificial intelligence, there are two apparent contenders among the "super weapons" President Vladimir Putin bragged about last year: the "Avangard" hypersonic glide vehicle and the "Burevestnik" nuclear-powered cruise missile.
All major powers are currently focusing on the development of autonomous weapon systems. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a technological breakthrough that would render the world unrecognisable as we know it today. Though the idea that machines would possess human-like cognitive capabilities might have sounded like science fiction in the past century, it has now transitioned to reality. Since its inception, Artificial Intelligence has drawn attention from a diverse number of fields and the concerned "researches and developments" are moving at a staggering pace. AI-powered smart assistants to advanced training simulations and even self-driving vehicles are a reality now.
Coalition of privacy groups asks the feds to investigate Amazon for possible violations on Echo Dot Kids Edition; FBN's Jackie DeAngelis reports. We surround ourselves with devices. Our cars respond to us. Our smart TVs listen to us. Every camera in every tablet and laptop is a potential spying device.
The Commander-in-Chief of Russia's air force Viktor Bondarev has told a gathering at the MAKS-2017 international airshow his aircraft would soon be getting cruise missiles with artificial intelligence capable of analysing its environment and opponents and make "decisions" about altitude, speed, course -- and targets. "Work in this area is underway," Russian news agency TASS reports Tactical Missiles Corporation CEO Boris Obnosov as adding. "As of today, certain successes are available, but we'll still have to work for several years to achieve specific results." While neither indicated which missiles were slated to get such enhanced artificial intelligence, there are two apparent contenders among the "super weapons" President Vladimir Putin bragged about last year: the "Avangard" hypersonic glide vehicle and the "Burevestnik" nuclear-powered cruise missile. RELATED: Why the world's most holy place sends people crazy RELATED: Earth's magnetic pole is on the move and we don't know why Much modern weaponry is already capable of making choices -- such as the automated Gatling guns designed to react and shoot-down incoming missiles in the blink of an eye.
Demands by automakers for zero defects over 18 years are colliding with real-world limitations of testing complex circuitry and interactions, and they are exposing a fundamental disconnect between mechanical and electronic expectations that could be very expensive to fix. This is especially apparent at leading-edge nodes, where much of the logic is being developed for AI systems and image sensing. While existing equipment for wafer, die and package inspection works well enough for most applications all the way down to 7nm, automakers' demands that chips remain functional for 18 years under harsh road conditions is a time-consuming process. So while 99% sampling may be good enough for a smart phone, it is not good enough for safety-critical functions. To make matters worse, automotive testing often requires synchronization between different components, both within and outside of a vehicle, and much more insight into where potential problems can arise. This is no longer just about using an automated test equipment (ATE) machine in a flow to sample a certain percentage of dies and wafers.
Along with virtual and augmented reality and the Internet of Things, self-driving cars have been one of tech experts' go-to applications when explaining the utility of edge computing. Until not too long ago, Dean Nelson, who just left his job as head of computing infrastructure at Uber, also assumed autonomous vehicles, which can generate tens of terabytes of data per day, would shuffle much of that data to and from servers in their vicinity, relying on the processing power at the edge (and ultra-fast wireless networks) to augment their onboard computing muscle. But, after spending a few years up close and personal with the technology infrastructure that powers one of the front-running companies in the race to make driverless cars viable, he's no longer sure edge computing will play a big role. "In the last couple years I changed my mind with autonomous vehicles," Nelson said Thursday while sitting on a panel at DCD San Francisco, a data center industry conference. Earlier that day, he had announced in post on LinkedIn that he was leaving Uber to start his own consultancy and devote more time to family and the activities of Infrastructure Masons, the industry group for data center professionals he founded in 2016.
The promise of autonomous cars has no doubt been an exciting and intoxicating one for technophiles everywhere, not to mention those who see driving as a chore that must be endured, rather than enjoyed. There's no shortage of autonomy evangelists - Tesla CEO Elon Musk is a famous example, Ford reckons it will have its first truly self-driving car ready by 2021 and BMW and Mercedes have similar timelines - while ridesharing companies and Silicon Valley tech giants like Uber and Google are also bullish on fully-autonomous vehicles. And why wouldn't they be? Without a driver taking a cut of fares, profit margins for those businesses would explode, while also giving the public cheaper rides and potentially freeing them from the financial burden of owning a car. But according to one of the world's biggest manufacturers of the advanced sensors that make autonomous cars possible, the utopian vision of completely hands-off, point-to-point driving is highly unlikely for the foreseeable.
FRANKFURT - Volkswagen AG and Ford Motor Co. will cooperate on electric and self-driving car technology, sharing costs on a global scale to take a major step forward in the industry's disruptive transformation. VW will invest $2.6 billion in Ford's autonomous-car partner Argo AI in a deal that values the operation at more than $7 billion, the two manufacturers said Friday in a joint statement in New York, confirming a figure first reported by Bloomberg. This includes $1 billion in funding and VW contributing its Audi $1.6 billion Autonomous Intelligent Driving unit. "While Ford and Volkswagen remain independent and fiercely competitive in the marketplace, teaming up and working with Argo AI on this important technology allows us to deliver unmatched capability, scale and geographic reach," Ford Chief Executive Officer Jim Hackett said. Ford shares climbed as much as 2.1 percent as of 9:40 a.m.

domain: news


text:
“The principle two components which can be build up that may weaken the rupee are primarily on the worsening commerce and capital move dynamics,” Parul Mittal Sinha, head of India monetary markets, stated in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Tuesday, including that that was the outlook of the financial institution’s buying and selling desk. She stated the forex could lengthen its decline to as little as 82 per greenback over the following three months.
commerce deficit widened essentially the most on file final month as increased international commodity costs additional raised import prices, information confirmed Monday. That together with about $29 billion of outflows from the inventory market will pile additional stress on the rupee at a time when charge hikes by the Federal Reserve are driving flows to US from rising markets.
A shortfall in India’s present account — the broadest measure of commerce — could widen to three% of gross home product within the fiscal 12 months ending March 31, Sinha stated, almost double the extent seen within the earlier 12 months.
The rupee additionally has room to fall on an actual efficient trade charge foundation, she stated. The RBI‘s 40-currency
real-effective trade charge stood at 104.90 in Could, with a price above 100 signaling overvaluation.
“Should you have a look at rupee valuations on a REER foundation, we see additional room for correction because the rupee is at the moment valued increased than common historic ranges,” Sinha stated. “We see one other 2% correction in rupee ranges or depreciation from present ranges.”


text:
Sometimes advertising campaigns are so successful, brands just can’t help but extend them for another year in the hope of repeat success. This month saw exactly that: the return of the NHS Blood and Transplant #MissingType campaign. First launched in 2015, the campaign aimed to encourage new blood donors to sign up, and existing donors to continue regularly giving blood. According to NHSBT statistics, last year 1000 brands took to Twitter to show their support, and the #NationalBloodWeek and #MissingType hashtags were tweeted 26,121 times. There was widespread media coverage both online and offline, and 30,000 people signed up as new donors.
This year, NHSBT attempted to replicate the success of the 2015 campaign, but this time on a more global scale and using paid media. NHSBT teamed up with blood services and brands in countries such as Australia, the US and the Netherlands. Brands dropped the letters A, B and O from their signage and Twitter accounts, and a number of well-known tourist hotspots, including the ‘I amsterdam’ attraction in the Netherlands’ capital city, were also involved in the campaign to encourage blood donation. Royal Mail also supported the campaign by creating a special postmark which read ‘Intern ti n l Missing Type’ and was stamped on all mail sent within the UK between 16th to 19th August 2016 (National Blood Week).
The campaign continued to make use of owned media, for example, partner brands’, such as O2 and Transport for London, Twitter channels to disrupt the social media landscape, and it also benefitted from earned media, predominantly from online press. However, this year NHSBT also chose to invest in paid media, producing a 30-second TV spot which launched at the beginning of National Blood Week. Jon Latham, assistant director for global services and marketing at NHSBT, has explained that the aim of the UK TV spot was to “amplify the message” and “drive footfall”. He added that “if last year was about creating awareness, now it is about keeping blood donation on people’s agenda,” which in part explains their expansion into mass scale broadcast channels like TV.
Whilst the campaign was visually disruptive, eye-catching and endorsed by so many high-profile brands, will it be as successful as it was this time last year? Now that National Blood Week has come to a close, and brands have reclaimed their As, Bs and Os, the challenge for the NHS is to keep the momentum going by continuing to engage their audience online, to encourage both current and potential donors to take the most important step: register and donate.


text:
Chinese trade unionist: "WTO failed because it has no ethical or moral guidelines"
Han Dongfang, founder of the first free Chinese trade union, told AsiaNews that the "WTO could play an important role in exporting values which protect workers". To save itself, China "must change its mentality and allow free unions".
Hong Kong (AsiaNews) "The big players of the global economy gathered in Hong Kong have failed because they think of trade as an end in itself, without ethical or moral guidelines." Contacted by AsiaNews, Han Dongfang, the founder of the first free Chinese trade union, explained thus the failure of the sixth meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO), convened in Hong Kong on 13 December.
Han spent years in prison after the Tiananmen massacre. As he got sick, Beijing "freed him for medical reasons" (practically expelling him) to the United States. On his return, border guards confiscated his passport. Stateless and hosted by Hong Kong, today Han runs the China Labour Bulletin, which features news about the plight of workers in China.
"The WTO is failing even this time round because to improve its internal trade situation, each nation is looking for profit and pushing its own working class lower and lower," he said. "So the WTO has become a mere meeting of industrialists. And the rich become richer and the poor become poorer.
"This phenomenon is present above all in underdeveloped nations, but it can be found also in states which do not give clear rules to this world. This is the case with China, the new giant on the world economy, which does not have proper work laws and where free trade unions do not exist."
In this regard, "the WTO could play an important role which however it does not do."
"The meeting of 149 delegates of member states should be seen from two perspectives," Han continued. "On the one hand, the organization has a positive worth, because the will can be discerned to export economic and work laws of western countries to countries where they do not exist. From another viewpoint, however, it is negative, because the magnitude of the meeting does not allow for the discussion of local problems, more felt by and more urgent for workers.
For Han, however, the western industrial world "cannot be blamed for the decision to invest in markets where workers are less protected. This is the nature of business and of businessmen. Even Indian industrialists shift their factories to China because the workforce costs less there."
What must change is the "workers' mentality. It is only thanks to independent trade unions, which are born from a true desire to change things, that Chinese workers can be saved."


text:
Alphabet’s Google (GOOGL) – Get Report said it expanded its Google Pay app to enable users to open back accounts, pay friends and manage budgets.
The updated application debuted Wednesday.
Alphabet partnered with Citi (C) – Get Report and Stanford Federal Credit Union to launch the mobile bank accounts with plans to add 11 new partner institutions in 2021.
“Along with our bank partners, we were looking to make banking more relevant for the mobile-first generation,” Caesar Sengupta, general manager of payments at Google, told CNBC Wednesday.
“It will help our partners make banking more approachable to that generation, and not only make it more relevant, but make it more fun.”
Google will have so-called Plex checking and savings accounts, which have no monthly fees, overdraft charges or minimum-balance requirements.
People who sign up for Google bank accounts can request a physical debit card, which will run on Mastercard’s (MA) – Get Report network.
The accounts are free to open and in-network ATM use is free.
The Mountain View, Calif., search, advertising and tech giant says Google Pay will never sell users’ data to third parties or share transaction histories with the rest of the company for targeting ads.
The timing of the announcement comes as big tech faces increased scrutiny from federal lawmakers.
In October, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Google alleging that the company has unlawfully maintained a monopoly in search by leveraging its platform to cut off competition from rivals.
Alphabet shares were down 0.8% to $1,747.71 in afternoon trading Wednesday.
Apple is a holding in Jim Cramer’s Action Alerts PLUS member club. Want to be alerted before Jim Cramer buys or sells AAPL? Learn more now.


text:
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
I'm not the only path-poster in the blogosphere!
One of my favorite pathology blogs is published by Ole Eichhorn, Chief Technical Officer of Aperio Technologies, a digital pathology company in San Diego. Eichhorn’s blog, The Daily Scan (http://blog.aperio.com/), covers news and offers opinions about pathology, technology, and the interface between the two. A related blog, Digital Pathology Blog (www.tissuepathology.typepad.com), addresses issues pertaining to telemedicine and image technology.


text:
One thing for sure that both of us agree with is that the just concluded four-day Makerere University 70th graduation ceremony was one of the most fashionable ceremonies ever. Graduands put in the time to look for some of the leading fashion designers in town in a bid to have the most colorful event of their education journey.
Speaking of top designers, fashion youngster Oscar Kampala styled most of the fashionable Makerere graduands last week and Campus Bee was there to witness the fashionable ceremony.
Given the fact that Oscar is a Makerere University student pursuing a Bachelor’s of Statistics, the graduands found him easy to work with because he is a young scholar, just like them. According to him (Oscar), the graduands found his suits on internet while others were recommended by pals who are already satisfied with his services.
All graduands styled by Oscar Kampala were spotted smiling back to back unlike the “I have my guy” graduands who were only recognized by gowns. In fact, they all allowed that “Embizi tekola Supuu”.
The humble and hardworking Oscar is the guy behind the multi-million collection Oscar Kampala House of Suits which is located in Ham Shopping Grounds, Nakivubo Block C Level 3, Shop No C109. They deal in tailored suits for both men and women.
Below are more photos;


text:
It must have been a good year. The Wheel of Fortune is still spinning, Super Bowls are still being played, PCs have a lot more memory these days, and American HealthTech continues to offer proven, intuitive clinical and financial software and technology solutions for the long-term care industry.
From those tiny seeds in 1975, American HealthTech was officially formed in 1982. It has since grown to become one of the largest software companies in the industry serving almost 3,000 customers nationwide.
With more than 30 years of experience, American HealthTech understands the unique concerns and needs of the long-term care industry. "We know that our customers' top priority is delivering quality care to residents while keeping a watchful eye on the bottom line," said Bill Caldwell, company president and CEO. "And our software and technology solutions are designed to help them do just that."
Caldwell explained that the company's focus on software has been deliberate and well defined. "It is what has allowed us to grow our customer base the old-fashioned way--one customer at a time," he said. "We feel this is important because we've had to earn each and every customer we have."
This grassroots growth philosophy has also given the company the advantage of supporting--and growing--just one product. "When you can concentrate your resources on refining and enhancing a single product, you are in a position to better serve your customers' needs," said Caldwell. "It's all about giving customers the tools they need to provide their residents with quality care while monitoring costs at the same time. It's a delicate balance that requires a great software resource like ours."
The company's new automated charting module, Smart Charting, is a good example of how supporting a single product can benefit the customer. The company created Smart Charting from the ground up to fully integrate with its industry-leading LTC product.
"We designed it to be simple and easy to use," explained Caldwell. "It can reduce the time caregivers spend behind the desk and increase the time they spend in front of residents. Smart Charting promises to revolutionize the way facilities deliver care. Plus, it's a no-brainer to cost justify."
American HealthTech credits its long-term success to its dedicated employees, a proven product, and its cohesive leadership over the years. With the exception of one founder who has retired, American HealthTech's original management team remains in place. "The result is that we enjoy both a base of long-term company experience and a group of next-generation visionaries who bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise," said Caldwell. "Together, this pool of talent combines a strong corporate identity with the energy to take the company and our customers to new heights."
460 Briarwood Dr., Ste. 210 | Jackson, MS 39206 | 800-489-2648 Ext. 1051 | www.healthtech.net
|Printer friendly Cite/link Email Feedback|
|Publication:||Contemporary Long Term Care|
|Date:||Nov 1, 2003|
|Previous Article:||Achieve Healthcare Technologies.|
|Next Article:||A FurniturEvolution: from "bamboo beginnings" to today's furniture industry leader.|
|Information technology. (Buyers Guide).|


text:
Regulators approved a licensing program that legislators proposed earlier this year. The plan has the first round of retail licenses for applicants with past cannabis-related convictions. New York State is the first State to do this.
And it’s a far cry from how other jurisdictions have tackled the issue. In Canada, for example, the government swept the case of expunging past convictions under the rug. Former cops and politicians were cashing in on legal cannabis, asking the government to bar individuals with past convictions. Even four years later, there haven’t been any significant moves north of the border.
When New York State legalizes cannabis, the devils will be in the details.
New York State Legalizes Cannabis: Details
An applicant for the Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) license must provide proof they, or a family member, have been convicted of a cannabis-related offence sometime in the last year. The offence will have to have taken place in New York State.
Unfortunately, this step in the right direction is met by usual government barriers. Applicants must also have at least two years’ experience owning a profitable business. Critics say this is a back door to further discrimination, particularly among people of colour who bear the brunt of cannabis convictions.
And it makes sense – if you’ve had trouble with the law all your life based on your upbringing and surroundings, legal cannabis offers a road to redemption. But New York State bureaucrats have already cut these people out. It’s not enough to have a passion for the industry. It’s not even enough to have some capital to prove you can do something with that passion. No, according to taxpayer-dependent pencil-pushers, you already have to be an established business owner.
Limiting entry to established business owners is crony-capitalist and not what free markets are about.
And it isn’t surprising considering the other discriminatory practices of New York State. Covid vaccine mandates prevented many people from entering restaurants or going to the gym. And since most of New York’s unvaccinated were African-Americans (a demographic that rightfully has trust issues with the government), New York’s vax-mandate policy was effectively racist segregation.
New York State Legal Weed When?
Expect the application process to go online next month. The New York Office of Cannabis Management says it’ll notify everyone 14 days before the application window opens.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul is still promoting the “Seeding Opportunity Initiative,” which claims to prioritize those impacted by the war on drugs. And while offering retail licenses to those with cannabis convictions is a step in the right direction, regulators have offset it with other bureaucratic hurdles.
Like most things in life, actions speak louder than words. And so far, New York State’s cannabis actions are dismal. Cannabis Control Board chairwoman Tremaine Wright said, “We’re leading with equity in this state.” But is this true?
Equality means individuals have the same opportunities. If New York’s cannabis laws strived for equality, everyone would be free to succeed or fail based on their own ingenuity.
Equity means that, since each person has different life circumstances, the State should step in and allocate resources to ensure marginalized people are given the same opportunities as non-marginalized people.
Definitions, of course, are provided by the State with intellectual backing from the taxpayer-funded Universities.
Nevertheless, the process for New York legal cannabis is underway. Expect recreational adult sales by the end of the year, possibly by Thanksgiving.
What About Medical Cannabis?
New York’s Cannabis Control Board is also changing the medical program. They’re streamlining patient registration processes. The State is also revising its packaging, labelling, marketing and advertising rules to align with the new recreational regulations.
New York State Legalizes Cannabis: Rules
New York’s new rules on cannabis include:
- Child-resistant packaging
- Labels to spell out warnings, serving sizes, potency, ingredients, and usage and storage instructions
- A universal THC symbol
- No appealing to anyone under 21 (no labels with cartoons, celebrities, etc.)
- You can’t inform the consumer if the product is organic. No health claims. Also, you are not allowed to use the term “craft.”
- The Cannabis Control Board must approve graphics/labels.
- Products cannot emit scents or sounds.
In some ways, New York State’s legalization scheme is shaping to be stricter than even the most strict jurisdictions. Despite their “Seeding Opportunity Initiative,” the devil is in the details. And the details don’t look good.


text:
Archive for "Xbox Series S" Tag
Here are the crucial details you should know about Braindance.
End the year on a high note with some high-profile releases.
Duke Nukem voice actor sings a Christmassy song while dinos get blown up.
Hunt monsters and complete challenges for exclusive rewards.
Ryu ga Gotoku Studio's series is "highly evaluated by overseas users" though still considered niche.
Bungie is "currently investigating" to determine "when it will return."
The developer is working on two new games, one each with Take-Two Interactive and Square Enix.
They'll work pretty much how you'd expect them to work.
Playground Games' next entry in the Forza franchise could be ready to go before Turn 10's next outing.
343 says they'll open up about the game in time.
There is also a direct comparison of the PS5 to the Switch.
More details on CDPR's upcoming massive RPG.
The industry has showcased a lot of annoying trends in the past generation - and it's time to stop.
Rockstar's next big open world title could be even better with these features.
Bungie's latest expansion falls back on incessant grinding and menial tasks to pad the runtime.
"We’ve never had so much power in a console before," says Unity's Brett Bibby.
Xbox Series S performance also revealed in a new video.
Find out how Ubisoft collaborated with CRCR for the trailer.
CD Projekt CFO says digital sale ration should be "farther than we had on The Witcher 3."
Quality and Performance options are now available for Xbox Series X/S and PS5 players.


text:
This summer, the French Fashion Institute, ESMOD Dubai, has partnered up with luxury couture house Rami Al Ali, in a special collaboration for Dubai’s emerging fashion industry. The partnership will provide a unique opportunity for Undergraduates, to develop their very own capsule collection under the guidance of the acclaimed founder and designer himself, and with the aim of winning an invaluable internship experience at the Rami Al Ali atelier this August.
As leading fashion names in the Middle East, each partner’s commitment to such initiatives is central to the vision toward shaping the leaders of tomorrow’s fashion industry with flair and professionalism. Under the expert tuition of the designer himself, as-well-as some of the industry’s most highly qualified professionals, both ESMOD Dubai and Rami Al Ali have supported and guided the Undergraduate students throughout the collaboration. The students were briefed to design a look inspired by any of Rami Al Ali’s couture collections, to represent the DNA of the Al Ali brand. Each student was required to demonstrate innovation and creativity, with commercial factors front of mind; price, production and market appeal.
The winner, second year student Karashash Nurakhmet, was selected by Rami Al Ali after presenting an inspiring and comprehensive response to the design brief. The winner has the wonderful opportunity to intern at the Rami Al Ali atelier and will have the chance to gain inside knowledge and expert guidance to produce her own capsule collection. The student’s three-piece collection will be sold exclusively at Polette Concept Store in CityWalk Dubai this September. The incubator retail store was created back in 2012 by Mrs. Tamara Hostal and Mr. Denis Ravizza to support ESMOD students and the business of their alumni’s fashion labels.
Commenting on her success, Karashash remarked: “Not even the sky is the limit. I gave my best to this project and it has been a great opportunity and experience to design and produce a capsule collection under the guidance of acclaimed designer Rami Al Ali. It is a very positive step forward in my fashion career, and I am so thankful to ESMOD Dubai for having opened the doors of the fashion industry to me and other students.”
The Rami Al Ali couture house is recognized globally for its exceptional workmanship and stands out in its remarkable aesthetic of refined glamour, while ESMOD Dubai is the authority in fashion education in the Middle East. Both inspired by the talent and freedom of expression nurtured at ESMOD Dubai, Rami Al Ali not only seeks out the leading talent of tomorrow’s fashion industry, but also shares valuable international experience from the prestigious fashion house. Through the collaboration, ESMOD Dubai and Rami Al Ali act as a united incubator platform, educating and driving an entrepreneurial mindset, whilst highlighting the contribution by tomorrow’s leaders and today’s entrepreneurs.
»It has been an absolute pleasure collaborating with ESMOD Dubai, a fashion institute held in such high international esteem. I was honored to meet the next generation of innovative designers and be able to share my advice and guidance and watch their skills and designs develop throughout the process,’’ Al Ali said.
ESMOD Dubai Founder Tamara Hostal commented that such collaborations further cemented ESMOD Dubai’s teaching, methodology and curriculum as unparalleled in the region and beyond. “We were recently rewarded by the UAE Ministry of State Dr. Maitha Al Shamsi in Abu Dhabi for our achievements in contributing to fashion education at the highest level. ESMOD Dubai and Rami Al Ali are on the same dynamic which is to build a closer link between fashion education and the fashion industry. We are thrilled to welcome the capsule collection designed by our student Karashash Nurakhmet mentored by Rami Al Ali. Such a collaboration is a recognition of the savoir-faire to train the next fashion professionals needed in this industry.
« The introduction to a household name of global fashion allows for a dynamic program and ultimately students that respond to the ever changing fashion trends both regionally and globally, » Ms Hostal said.
For more information on ESMOD Dubai and Rami Al Ali please visit www.esmod-dubai.com and www.ramialali.com.


text:
Apple Confirms Beats Music & Beats Electronics Purchase
After much speculation, Apple has officially confirmed its purchase of music peripheral powerhouse Beats Music and Beats Electronics for a whopping $3 billion, making cofounder Dr. Dre the wealthiest man in hip-hop and potentially our culture's very first billionaire. As part of the acquisition, the two architects --the other being Interscope Records cofounder Jimmy Iovine -- behind one of Apple's only competitors in manufacturing will be absorbed by the tech giant, taking on new roles within the world's (now) second most profitable company.
It has yet to be revealed precisely what positions Dre and Iovine will be fulfilling in the company, but you can be sure that just as virtually every other thing the Midas-touch wielding producer hones in on turns to gold, that this will likely not detract. There's been a few hiccups along the way, but it seems that the deal is finally going through, giving way to what might be an overhaul of Apple's product line, outfitting those glossy aluminum laptops, phones and tablets with studio quality audio playback. So say goodbye to the bass-less refrain of laptop speakers and be prepared for the next episode of Apple dominance. Keep it locked, as there's a plenty more to come.


text:
Drewry’s World Container Index increased by 5% to $1,406 per 40ft container this week.
Our detailed assessment for Thursday, 02 November 2023
• The composite index increased by 5% to $1,406 this week and has dropped by 54% when compared with the same week last year.
• The latest Drewry WCI composite index of $1,406 per 40-foot container is now 1% below the average 2019 (pre-pandemic) rates of $1,420.
• The average composite index for the year-to-date is $1,704 per 40ft container, which is $972 lower than the 10-year average rates of $2,676 (which was inflated by the exceptional 2020-22 Covid period).
• Freight rates on New York to Rotterdam decreased by 7% to $656 per 40ft container. Likewise, rates on Los Angeles to Shanghai declined by 3% to $784 per 40ft box.
- Promotional Ads -
Furthermore, rates on Rotterdam to Shanghai and Rotterdam to New York inched down by 1% to $465 and $1,500 per 40ft container. Conversely, rates on Shanghai to Los Angeles increased by 11% to $2,175 per 40ft box. Similarly, rates on Shanghai to Rotterdam surged by 4% to $1,048 per 40ft container. Likewise, rates on Shanghai to New York rose by 3% to $2,616 per 40ft box. Moreover, rates on Shanghai to Genoa inched up by 1% to $1,359 per 40ft container respectively. Drewry anticipates East-West spot rates to remain close to current levels, overall, in the upcoming weeks.


text:
Whirlwird two weeks for would-be model
Following a whirlwind two weeks for aspiring model, Kate Grant, Chair of Mid Ulster District Council, Councillor Kim Ashton took time to congratulate her on her success.
Cookstown schoolgirl Kate, 19, who has Down’s syndrome, hopes to break down barriers for disabled people by taking part in a unique beauty pageant next year.
Kate is one of 50 beauty queens chosen from hundreds of applicants from around the globe who will compete in the 2018 Ultimate Beauty of the World pageant next summer.
This is a dream come true for Kate who has always wanted to become a model. Her dreams became a reality two weeks ago when her mum’s appeal on Facebook went viral and resulted in Kate being booked for her first fashion shoot just two days later.
Lots of other modelling offers have followed but by far the biggest opportunity is the Ultimate Beauty of the World Competition.
The international beauty pageant was launched three years ago and is open to all women regardless of age, size, height or marital status. The event final will be held in the Seagoe Hotel in Portadown over two days next summer.
Council Chair, Councillor Kim Ashton praised Kate for following her dreams: “Kate is a truly remarkable girl and an inspiration to us all! She has taught us that we should never give up on our dreams. I am delighted Kate’s modelling ambitions are becoming a reality.
“Kate has helped to break down barriers and act as a symbol of hope for everyone. I would like to wish her the best of luck in the Ultimate Beauty of the World Competition.
Kate, a student at Sperrinview Special School in Dungannon, added: “It is my dream come true. To me people are beautiful not just on the outside but on the inside and everyone is special.
“I will work hard and do whatever I need to do.
“I want to be a model and I have Down’s syndrome and I hope other people with Down’s syndrome will be encouraged to follow their dreams.”


text:
Former bakery owner speaks out on mental health
August 11, 2017
By Bakers Journal
Ottawa — Amanda Lunan, formerly known as Auntie Loo, is making lemonade of her closed business via her consulting business This Charming Mandi.
After a decade of owning Ottawa’s first all vegan bakery and changing the landscape of vegan food in Eastern Ontario-including an appearance on the Food Network, Lunan had a public burnout and closure in the summer of 2015.
She is now putting her vast knowledge and networks in the Ottawa food industry to good use via This Charming Mandi (TCM). TCM is a food business coaching service with a strong emphasis on mental health and wellness for entrepreneurs. She is also writing a blog on the food industry from a business perspective.
Lunan’s blog series on business grief has been read over 5000 times in the past two weeks and tears the cloak off of the unique emotional issues entrepreneurs suffer. It’s raw, brutally honest and vulnerable tone has attracted reactions from all over the country.
“Nobody talks about life after a business closure,” said Lunan in a press statement. “I’d like to change that.”
Print this page


text:
NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- Retail stocks largely gave up early gains but some managed to cling to the upside Wednesday even as the broader market retreated from its previous highs.
The S&P Retail Index
shed 1.9 percent to close at 279.41, and the Merrill Lynch Retail Holdrs
lost 1.1 percent to close at 77.52.
Among the discount broadline stocks, Wal-Mart
retreated by $1.63 to close at $48.25. Dollar General
shed 21 cents to close at $17.20. Target
lost $1.12 to close at $33.50.
In the apparel-dominated department store group, Dillard's
Federated Department Stores
May Department Stores
and J.C. Penney
all closed lower.
Specialty retailers The Limited
lost $1.05, or 6 percent, to close at $16.40, but The Gap
added 14 cents to close at $12.92.
Drugstore chains Longs Drug Stores
added 39 cents to close at $23.70, while Walgreen
rose by 52 cents to close at $33.82.


text:
If Apple does market a “less than eight-inch screen” version of its iPad, will people buy it? And if so, will it cannibalize full-size iPads, the Amazon Kindle, Google Tablet?
Apple is perhaps the most ferocious “cannibalizer” of its own products in any part of the consumer electronics business, developing products that cast dangerous shadows over its own earlier devices. Perhaps as it has done in the past, the company will do the same to sales of its 10-inch iPad, to broaden the market appeal of the iPad.
But some think any such device is aimed at confronting competition from Amazon Kindle Fire and Android Tablet at a lower price point than the original iPad.
One survey suggests a bit of truth to the statement that Apple will not cannibalize its sales prospects for the original iPad. Some 43 percent of respondents to a poll said they would definitely buy an iPad Mini should Apple decide to make one. But that leaves a substantial percentage of who might do so.
Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster recently wrote in a research note that Apple could sell four million to six million "iPad Mini's" by December of this year.
Over a quarter of its respondents – 28 percent – agreed with former CEO Steve Jobs in that a seven-inch tablet was "dead on arrival,” and would not likely buy such a device because its functionality was questionable.
Few would discount the notion that Apple will sell substantial quantities of the smaller screen device, as it sold many varieties of iPods. About the only question is whether Apple is pulling from the same potential customer base as, say, the Amazon Kindle Fire.
Again, the answer is likely to be that some percentage of potential users will prefer a Kindle because of its integrated approach to Amazon content. Others won’t care so much, especially those looking primarily for an app and Web content consumption device.
Google Tablet buyers likely aren’t as interested in the content or app offerings, whereas Apple has something of an advantage in terms of apps, while Amazon leads in digital content. If any iPad Mini is produced, many of us would guess that it will both cannibalize some original iPad sales, but also grow Apple’s overall tablet share, taking some buyers that would have bought a Kindle or a Google Tablet.
As always, Apple will risk some cannibalization of an existing product to grow overall sales of a new product.
The Amazon Echo, not the Apple Watch, became the last iPod-like product largely because of a far more accessible price point, a more compelling name, …
Apple's 13 percent sales decline and subsequent stock price drop this week has lead to the usual crazy talk about how to "fix" the company. Vivek Wadh…
Over the past 13 years, Apple has been one of the most successful companies in the world of tech, posting sales growths in 51 straight quarters. That …
Travel may be starting to make a bit of a comeback, as a new report suggests that shared-space providers like Airbnb and WeWork are on the rise.
One of the great downsides to having a lot of content in any one place is that, after a while, it starts looking downright pointless to add more.


text:
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, April 8, 2014/ FW/ — Entitled ‘IMG Fashion Announces E-commerce Launch at Fashion Week Australia’, at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia in Sydney this week, IMG Fashion launched an e-commerce component to its global Fashion Week business, enhancing the runway content by creating a ‘shoppable’ experience. Consumers around the world are now able to shop select pieces of designer collections as they come down the runway.
As the digital landscape increasingly shifts consumer mentality into a ‘see now, buy now’ attitude, the ever-evolving face of Fashion Week, has taken on an impressive new offering. The MBFW Boutique housed on MBFashionWeek.com has been pre-stocked with capsule designer collections that will become available as they come down the runway.
With IMG Fashion’s E-commerce site, guests in the runway room, or across the globe viewing the live stream during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week are able to click on the select pieces and order their favorite Spring Summer 2014/2015 pieces. Customers will then receive their new wardrobe pieces months in advance before they are available for retail.
“Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia is the first event in our family of global platforms that adopts this new technology. The initiative helps convert consumer interest into commercial outcomes for our designers, and provides an added value and measurable benefit of staging their MBFW show,” says Catherine Bennett, SVP and Managing Director, IMG Fashion Events and Properties.
Consumers don’t have to head online either, with the latest technology by ShopReply enabling fashion fans to shop by tweet or text as well. Consumers can tweet the word SHOPTHERUNWAY to @MBFWBoutique in order to see all the pieces available at that time. The boutique also can be activated by texting SHOPTHERUNWAY to +61 417 645 503.
With the combined new and exciting consumer engagement options, designers are now able to maximize business outcomes while showing at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Weeks.
“As IMG Fashion’s global offerings evolve, it’s important to us that we continue to provide designers with the necessary tools to reach the industry and to also engage the consumer in the early stages of a collection’s lifespan,” stated Catherine Bennett.
For More Information about IMG Fashion and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Check Out:


text:
The George Daniels Spring Case Tourbillon sold for over $4 million at Phillips while a Richard Mille raked in over $3.6 million at Christie’s.
Pieces from names like Masahiro Kikuno and Daizoh Makihara are as good as it gets.
The Medellín native has sold 18 million albums, just launched a Mezcal brand—and shows no signs of slowing down.
With so much money flowing into the art world, hucksters can’t help but claim their share.
The virtual show allows you to view 59 extraordinary timepieces with expert commentary.
Patek Philippe Just Created a One-of-a-Kind Titanium Chronograph, and It’s Heading to Auction for Charity
The one-off is the first titanium Ref. 5270 and sports a distinctive green dial.
Scheufele and his sister Caroline have been running the 162-year-old Swiss jewelry and watch company since 2001.
Located on Lake Geneva’s northern banks, the Woodward houses 26 suites and restaurants from Joël Robuchon and Le Jardinier.
With three master horological artisans pushing the form in bold new directions, it’s time to reconsider your clock.


text:
Export turnover increased by more than 10 percent, the industrial production index increased by 17.3 percent, and retail sales set a record with an increase of more than 136 percent compared to 2021... The above figures have partly confirmed the southern largest city's economy has recovered from the pandemic and is accelerating development.
Mr. Bui Ta Hoang Vu, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade, said that the situation of industrial production and market trade activities in the city has returned to normal after a long time of being affected by the coronavirus epidemic. Production facilities and enterprises have been hurriedly boosting production to meet the needs of domestic and export markets. Many businesses have been flexible to maintain production and resume smooth supply chains. At the same time, businesses have done well to ensure the chain of production activities right from the beginning of the year in the new normal state.
By the end of 2022, the total import-export turnover of city enterprises through the national border gate is estimated at US$115.7 billion, up 10.1 percent over the same period in 2021; plus, export turnover is estimated at $49.5 billion up 10.3 percent. Index of industrial production (IIP) is estimated to increase by 17.3 percent; in which, four key industry groups including the food and beverage processing industry, chemical - pharmaceutical - rubber - plastic industry, mechanical engineering industry and electronics manufacturing industry had seen higher growth rates, reaching almost 20 percent. The most impressive growth of the city's economy is retail sales of goods, estimated at VND672,000 trillion, up 136.5 percent.
Mr. Nguyen Dang Hien, General Director of Tan Quang Minh Company, excitedly said that since the beginning of the year until now, the company's production capacity has increased by 60 percent to meet the demand for domestic and export orders. Some products such as bird's nest water, salted lemonade, and aloe vera juice have insufficient production volume to supply partners.
Currently, the company's products processed entirely from domestic agricultural products are not only favored by domestic consumers but also by consumers in markets such as Korea, Japan, Singapore, the United States, and Europe make a choice. Assessing the processed food market in 2023, Mr. Nguyen Dang Hien said that processed products from domestic agricultural products will continue to dominate the local and foreign markets.
Mr. Pham Thai Binh, General Director of Trung An Hi-tech Agriculture Joint Stock Company, added that free trade agreements have been signed to help the export tax of Vietnamese agricultural products to zero percent instead of 5 percent -45 percent like before when entering the European and US markets. This fact has helped increase the competitiveness of Vietnamese agricultural products compared to similar products from neighboring countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia.
With the advantage that many enterprises have prepared the production platform, meeting GlobalGap, VietGap standards and many other technical barriers, Vietnamese agricultural products have accelerated to expand their export market share.
The World Trade Organization has ranked Vietnam in the group of 30 countries and territories with the largest import and export value globally, reaching $700 billion as of mid-2022. Businesses in Ho Chi Minh City have made a great contribution to the country’s outstanding achievement.
At the Ho Chi Minh City Business Association’s seventh Congress of Deputies for the term 2022-2027 with the theme "Strong enterprise - A developed city", Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Phan Van Mai emphasized that the city has over 515,000 businesses and household businesses. These businesses play a decisive role in the development, quality and growth rate of the city. Enterprises not only contribute to the city’s state budget but also make plans to help the city develop the right policies and directions for development; therefore, the city has built its brand and competitiveness in the international arena step by step.
However, the global economic crisis will still have a certain influence on the sustainable recovery process of enterprises. Petrol prices are expected to fluctuate in an upward direction, leading to the risk of increasing production costs and input materials. This is one of the great difficulties posed to the economy in general and the manufacturing, processing, manufacturing and trading services industries in particular in the coming time. Therefore, it is very important to maintain a synchronous policy to improve internal resources, increase market connectivity and promptly remove difficulties that businesses face.
Mr. Bui Ta Hoang Vu said that Ho Chi Minh City has implemented many programs to stimulate investment demand in projects to develop high-tech industrial products, key industries, and technology to improve production capacity for businesses. Especially, city leaders and competent agencies have supported enterprises to invest in renewing machinery and equipment - technology, expanding production, and improving productivity and product quality. Last but not last, businesses have been helped to connect with commercial banks for investment capital in the field of the industry - supporting industries.
Regarding solutions to support market expansion for businesses, the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City strengthens the provision of information on consumer demand of markets in parallel with increasing the ability to connect supply and demand of goods according to market signals. In particular, in 2023, e-commerce, commodity trading floors and the formation of large-scale goods distribution chains to support enterprises to promote exports will be widely applied to increase their ability for cross-border goods transactions as well as promote the distribution of goods in the domestic market.
Also in 2023, the city will focus on developing the logistics industry into a key service industry of the city, promoting the role of the largest distribution center of goods in the South, said the Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade Bui Ta Hoang Vu. He added that this is considered a solution to help businesses avoid disruption of the supply chain, and at the same time reduce logistics costs due to dependence on foreign shipping lines.
Previously, the city People's Committee committed the implementation of four programs to support businesses including the city management innovation program, infrastructure development, development of human resources and culture and innovative start-up business development. Ho Chi Minh City has implemented a program to assess the competitiveness of departments, agencies and localities of districts. This is seen as a driving force for the city to take stronger action to improve the investment environment.


text:
LADSON — A wildlife organization is calling on the Exchange Park to end its relationship with a national reptile expo company for health reasons.
World Animal Protection, a global animal welfare nonprofit, is asking Exchange Park officials to cancel the Feb. 13-14 Repticon Expo to help in mitigating the spread of diseases such as salmonella.
"Reptiles are known vectors of zoonotic diseases and the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) holds them responsible for salmonellosis outbreaks every year which hospitalize people,” said Ben Williamson, programs director for World Animal Protection.
“Households with children under 5 are specifically warned against keeping reptiles, yet there are no age restrictions at these events," he added. "At a time when we’re observing the CDC’s advice over COVID-19, it seems crazy not to follow its guidance on avoiding contact with reptiles.”
The Repticon Expo organizers said they are taking all the necessary precautions to help prevent the spread of any disease.
“This is a retail sale,” said Lisa Parker, Repticon’s venue coordinator in a prepared statement. “All elements of a social gathering have been eliminated. There are no educational areas, no food concessions, no seating areas, and no area in which to congregate.”
The company website bills Repticon as an opportunity to buy reptiles and other exotic pets from quality breeders and get advice from breeders and experts.
Parker said the company is taking several social distancing precautions, which include mask wearing and face covering, spacing sales booth at least 6 feet apart, limiting capacity, and clearing the building every two hours to allow sellers to sanitize their sales booths.
“We are taking more precautions to promote the safety of the shoppers and sellers at our temporary retail location than most big-box stores in the area,” Parker said.
Williamson said the spread of disease is only part of what troubles his organization about an event like Repticon. The group also has concerns about how the animals for sale are housed.
“They are kept in small boxes and Tupperware containers with very little food and water," he said. "Events like this are ignoring the best advice of health experts and as a result there is a very real health risk for the public like salmonella.”
The S.C. Department of Natural Resources said they will be monitoring the two-day event.
“We are keenly aware of events like Repticon,” said DNR spokesman David Lucas. “Our staff is intent on making sure everyone participating in those events are doing so within the guidelines and regulations that are out there.”
The buying and selling of reptiles, especially turtles, is big business in South Carolina. Last year state lawmakers passed legislation implementing strict rules on the sale, purchase or transfer of native reptiles and amphibians out of the Palmetto State. It also prohibits the release of nonnative species.
The law imposes penalties for releasing non-native species into the wild. Violating the law is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
No person or organization is exempt from the new law. Even zoos and conservation organizations must abide by the rules.


text:
BlackBerry issue being periodically reviewed: A Raja
Telecom Minister A Raja today said the issues concerning BlackBerry smartphones are being "periodically reviewed" and expressed hope that these would be resolved soon.india Updated: Sep 14, 2010 20:26 IST
Telecom Minister A Raja today said the issues concerning BlackBerry smartphones are being "periodically reviewed" and expressed hope that these would be resolved soon.
"The Home Ministry has extended the time for Research in Motion (RIM) by two months. We are periodically reviewing it," Raja told reporters here on the sidelines of a FICCI event here.
The Centre had threatened to block some of RIM's services in the country following concerns that militants might be using Blackberry smartphones to plan attacks.
The Home Ministry had set a deadline of August 30 for RIM to provide access to Indian authorities for monitoring Blackberry services.
RIM got a 60-day reprieve from the government to continue services in the country on the condition that the Canadian firm would have to ultimately set up a local server in order for its full services to continue beyond November.
RIM provides corporate email and instant messaging services to about one million users in the country.
First Published: Sep 14, 2010 20:11 IST


text:
itel IT2192T Thermo Edition comes with an in-built temperature sensor that enables users to be like frontline workers.
Itel It2192t Thermo Edition
To help users test their health amid the COVID epidemic, itel Mobile has offered an entry-level feature phone-itel IT2192T thermo variant in its portfolio. Through this, people will get help in knowing the body temperature. In a statement, TRANSSION India CEO Arijit Talapatra said, India is grappling with one of the worst pandemics ever. It is very important for thousands of people struggling for their protection against the virus to help them as a responsible technology brand.
In such times, innovation only makes our life easier. itel latest feature phone itel IT2192T Thermo Edition comes with an in-built temperature sensor that enables consumers to be like frontline workers. They monitor your body temperature with ease.
Only one thousand will get a phone and a trapping machine
Talapatra stated, “We are ready to enable, empower, and provide access to customers with technology-based solutions. People will get to know about their health just by touching the sensor with the finger. ” Priced at Rs 1,049, this phone comes with an in-built temperature sensor that enables consumers to monitor their temperature. The phone also has a text-to-speech feature and supports eight regional input languages.
Equipped with these features
The thermo sensor is placed next to the camera. To use this feature, the user needs to long press the thermo button on the phone and hold the sensor on the palm or touch the finger on the sensor to enter the Thermo menu. This will give a temperature reading in Celsius, which can also be converted to Fahrenheit.
In addition to temperature monitoring, the IT2192T Thermo Edition supports a text-to-speech feature that helps users listen to incoming calls, messages, menus, and even their phonebooks. The phone reads the results of the temperature test for consumers which makes it more convenient for people with disabilities in particular and supports eight languages including English, Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Gujarati.
Battery too strong
With a 1,000mAh battery onboard, it can provide up to 4 days of battery backup with super battery mode. Featuring a 4.5 cm display, this keypad feature phone features a rear camera, wireless FM with recording benefits, an auto call recorder for recording conversations, an LED flashlight, a touch mute and pre-loaded games.
read this also:
What is 5G, how long will it come in India, what will it change and what will be the benefits to you?
OPPO’s great offer, phone at 80% discount, band for 1 rupee and cash discount of 10%, know how to avail


text:
iPhone 5 iOS 9.1 Release: 10 Things to Watch For
The iPhone 5 iOS 9.1 update and its new emojis are confirmed but the upgrade’s release date isn’t. With new details emerging, we want to take a look at a few things you should be looking for as the iPhone 5 iOS 9.1 release date approaches.
In September, Apple confirmed four iOS 9 updates for the iPhone 5. Three of those updates (iOS 9.0, iOS 9.0.1, and iOS 9.0.2) have rolled out to the iPhone 5 bringing new features and bug fixes to the aging former flagship.
The iPhone 5 currently sits on iOS 9.0.2 and it could stay there until Apple’s ready to release the other iOS 9 update that’s sitting on the horizon.
Shortly after its iPhone 6s launch date, Apple confirmed an iPhone 5 iOS 9.1 update. The company didn’t roll out the red carpet like it did for iOS 9.0. Instead, it confirmed the iOS 9.1 update with a release into its beta program for developers and the general public.
Apple didn’t reveal much on stage but the iOS 9.1 beta confirmed several details including brand new emojis for the iOS 9 keyboard. The update will bring a taco, burrito, unicorn, and more to the iPhone 5 in the future.
iOS 9.1 is the first milestone upgrade for the iPhone 5 and naturally, there’s a ton of excitement. Thing is, with Apple reportedly skipping an October launch event, we might not see the iOS 9.1 update or its release date appear on stage.
With that in mind, we want to take a look at a few things we think iPhone 5 users need to be looking for as we approach the iOS 9.1 release date. Keep these things in mind as we push deeper into the month of October.
iOS 9.1 Release Date Clues
Apple probably won't host an October launch event which means that we probably won't get any iOS 9.1 release details ahead of the release date. So that's why those of you interested in iOS 9.1 and its emojis will need to look for clues.
The biggest clues that we have right now are the reports that suggest that iOS 9.1 will be coming out alongside the iPad Pro and Apple TV 4.
The iPad Pro is Apple's new 12-inch slate and its release date is confirmed for November. The Apple TV 4 will most likely land in October. So, the iOS 9.1 release date will likely land in October or November.
Keep your eyes peeled for iPad Pro release date rumors (we've already see a few emerge) and keep an eye out for Apple's Apple TV 4 iPad Pro announcements.
They'll help set your expectations for the iOS 9.1 release date for the iPhone 5.
10/09/2015 at 6:16 am
10/24/2015 at 1:25 pm
10/28/2015 at 11:17 am
I haven’t upgraded to the 6 because I’m still really happy with my iPhone 5. It’s been dropped and has taken the odd swim, and I’ve never needed to replace the screen or battery. I’m hopeful that this new update from Apple will prolong my 5, but an Otterbox would likely help with that as well! Thanks for your review.
pokemon go rare pokemon cheap pokemonbux
04/08/2017 at 2:19 am
I don’t know


text:
After a decade bereft of IPOs, venture-backed tech companies have come roaring back into the public markets over the last couple of years. But in case you think this means we’re in a bubble, some of these companies — including Zynga, Groupon and Facebook — have struggled in their market debuts.
So how are top investors handling the opportunities and pitfalls of taking top companies public in the current era? How are they changing their strategies to prepare the next generation of startups for big exits? You’ll be hearing all the details at Disrupt SF during our panel with leading VCs on Wednesday, September 12. Here are some of the things we’ll touch on… (and get your tickets here!)
First, Wall Street does indeed love some tech companies. ServiceNow is up nearly 200% from its opening price early last month. Palo Alto Networks has risen nearly 20% since its late July IPO. Both, however, are “unsexy” businesses — IT cloud management services and network security.
Luckily enough, Sequoia was in both deals. So is its success in enterprise causing it to move away from other areas? Sequoia Partner Alfred Lin comes from the e-commerce world, having just finished a big stint at Zappos, and he’s investing in more e-commerce startups like Humble Bundle these days. Lin will be on stage to explain what he’s most excited about now.
LinkedIn is perhaps the most consumer-facing tech company of this generation that’s above its opening price in IPO. Having gone public more than a year ago, its shares have since gained over 12% on the strength of revenue growth in areas like recruiting services. Greylock, which is chock-full of former LinkedIn execs, is certainly not getting out of consumer, though.
Along with Kleiner and other top VCs, it has put money into private mobile social app Path. James Slavet, the Greylock partner joining us on the panel, has been focused on consumer tech for years — with exits ranging from DoubleClick to Farecast, Kongregate and more.
Meanwhile, as top VCs are finally getting the big exits they’ve been aiming for all these years, they’re also transforming themselves to adapt to the broader startup world. They’re hiring more public relations people, they’re becoming more transparent, and they’re going further out of their way to invest in early-stage companies. They’re becoming full-service operations, in other words, for startups of any size.
Longtime Kleiner partner Aileen Lee, for example, has just started a new fund that will be focused on seed-stage investments. David Lee of SV Angel is now leading Silicon Valley’s formative angel firm, expanding in a big way to other markets like New York City in order to find the next generation of top talent.
And, Bill Maris, the managing partner at Google Ventures, will talk about his firm’s view of the world as an ambitious independent entity that still has strong connections to its corporate parent.
Founder, Cowboy Ventures
Aileen Lee is founder of a seed-stage focused fund currently called Cowboy Ventures, announced in July 2012. She is also a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, which she joined in 1999. She focuses on working with consumer-oriented digital companies. Aileen has worked closely with the teams at companies such as ShopKick, Zazzle, Bloom Energy, Miasole, Blue Nile (NASDAQ: Nile), Friendster (acquired by MOL Global), Good Technology (acquired by MOT), Tellme (acquired by MSFT). She currently works with companies including Callaway Digital Arts, Dollar Shave Club, One Kings Lane, Plum District, Rent the Runway, True & Company, and RMG Networks (formerly Danoo), where she was founding CEO for two years.
Prior to joining KPCB, Aileen worked at Gap Inc. in various operating roles. She has also worked for Odwalla and for The North Face in brand and product marketing. Aileen began her career at Morgan Stanley in technology mergers & acquisitions.
She has a Bachelor of Science from MIT and an MBA from the Harvard Business School, and is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute.
Managing Member, SV Angel
David Lee is the Managing Member at SV Angel, where Ron Conway is a Special Partner. SV Angel focuses its investments on early-stage consumer media companies.
He focuses on investments within the consumer Internet, mobile, video and other IT industries. Prior to SV Angel, he was at Google, where he led new business development efforts in video, media and content/data partnerships. After Google, he led all business development-related efforts for StumbleUpon.
Recently he was a partner at Baseline Ventures and also an attorney at Morrison and Foerster representing high-tech companies in commercial transactions. He is a graduate of Johns Hopkins, NYU (JD) and Stanford (MSEE), where he was a National Science Foundation Graduate fellow. He is an individual investor in Square, WePay, Chomp and EQAL; an adviser at ScanScout, SocialDeck (acq. by Google) and Rupture (acq. by EA); and was on the board of directors of BookFresh (acq. by Sugar Inc.).
Venture Capitalist, Sequoia Capital
Alfred is a venture capitalist at Sequoia Capital. He currently sits on the board of Humble Bundle and Stella & Dot and works with consumer Internet, enterprise and mobile companies.
Previously, Alfred was Chairman and COO/CFO at Zappos. He joined Zappos in 2005 and was responsible for all financial, administrative, and warehouse operations. Alfred focused on bringing focus, strategy and financial discipline in order to grow the business efficiently and profitably. Prior to joining Zappos, Alfred served as VP of Finance and Business Development at Tellme Networks, helping grow that business from no revenue to over $120M in recurring revenue per year, 30% cash margins and a $0.5B estimated contracted revenue backlog.
Prior to joining Tellme Networks, Alfred co-founded Venture Frogs with Tony Hsieh. Venture Frogs is an incubator and investment firm that backed Internet startups, including Ask Jeeves, Tellme Networks, and of course, Zappos.com. Prior to Venture Frogs, Alfred served as VP of Finance and Administration at LinkExchange, where he managed the sale of the Company to Microsoft for $265M. Alfred met Tony Hsieh (Zappos CEO) in college, when Tony was running a pizza business and Alfred was his #1 customer.
Managing Partner, Google Ventures
Bill is the Managing Partner of Google Ventures, and brings with him a combination of technical expertise and hands on start-up experience, including founding Web hosting pioneer Burlee.com (now part of Web.com), where he built much of the key computing, network and technological infrastructure.
Prior to that, Bill was a biotechnology and healthcare portfolio manager for Stockholm, Sweden-based Investor AB. Bill’s background also includes research at the Duke University Medical Center, Department of Neurobiology.
Bill received his degree in Neuroscience with honors from Middlebury College, and is based in Mountain View, CA.
James Slavet is a partner at Greylock. His primary areas of investment focus are e-commerce, online advertising, and Web-enabled consumer services. James’ investments include Auditude, Groupon, High Gear Media, One Kings Lane, Redfin, Revision3 and TellApart.
He previously represented Greylock in its investments in Farecast (acquired by Microsoft) and Kongregate (acquired by Gamestop). His complete profile can be found at LinkedIn here.
[Bubble traffic photo via Alexia.]


text:
The release of the Personal Income and Outlays report added more to speculation that we're headed into recession. With personal income only increasing 0.1 percent and personal consumption expenditures falling an unsettling -0.2 percent, the market was understandably stunned as neither of these figures met analyst expectations.
Consumer spending saw its first notable decline since September of 2009. One of the most likely reasons for that spending decline was the decline in wages and salaries, which dropped $2.2 billion in June after rising $15.0 billion in May.
click to enlarge
The largest decline in spending was on durable goods, which declined -0.4 percent in June and has declined for the last four months. This decline is in line with what producer prices for durable goods have shown us recently, that inflation cannot be passed down the value chain due to lack of demand. I was very surprised to also see a decline in spending on non-durable goods which consist of staple items like food and clothing. Spending on services was also muted during the month.
Profitability becomes a concern when you see consumers begin to pull back on purchases of even staple items. Companies who operate upstream in the value chain tend to have better results.
Tempur-Pedic International Inc (NYSE:TPX), a company that operates up and mid-stream in its value chain, has improved its profit margins by improving its operating performance. In contrast, La-Z-Boy Incorporated (NYSE:LZB), a company that has operations both upstream and downstream in its value chain, has had its profit margins pressured by the cost of raw materials upstream in its manufacturing segment and price pressures downstream in its retail operations.
Stagnant incomes combined with high unemployment is the recipe for the low GDP growth we are seeing. Combine that with inflation and not only do we find ourselves in a recession, we may have stagflation. Given that the country is already operating with a large budget deficit, stagflation will be next to impossible to eradicate should it take hold. Although we are beginning to see the prices of crude goods moderate, an ever weakening dollar will make it increasingly difficult to douse inflation and thus keep stagflation at bay.
Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.


text:
Heads up, Wiibrew developers! Here's the latest version of LibOGC, the premiere library for Wii and GameCube homebrew development. This version now has support for the Wiimote. Here's what else is new on release 20080602:
* Shagkur's lwbt port and reworking of Para's wiiuse library bring us wiimote support.
* The old sd card library has now been removed in favour of libfat.
* Extended and improved API for accessing the nand filesystem.
* Internal console now understands VT escape sequences.
* argv support for passing arguments to applications.
* Improved Video detection scheme for setting mode.
Like it? Share with your friends!
If you got an error while installing Themes, Software or Games, please, read FAQ.
libwiisprite Wiibrewers Chaosteil, Feesh and Arikado has released a new version of libwiisprite, a handy sprite library for the Nintendo Wii that uses GX as its underlying rendering engine
GRRLIB NoNameNo's C/C++ 2D/3D graphics development library for the Nintendo Wii, GRRLIB, has recently received a new update, bumping up the version of the app to 4
Revolution Engine Revolution Engine is the very First homebrew 3D Game Engine for Wii
GRRLib 3.0.1 With the rise of the Wii homebrew scene becoming even more pronounced lately, it's no surprise that there's been a generous amount of dev tools circulating around the community
GRRLIB GRRLIB is a C/C++ 2D Graphics library for Wii application developers


text:
It’s that time of year again! In less than a week, Fashion Week of Rochester returns to celebrate local fashion, creativity and community during seven unique events spread over six days. Thousands will come downtown to see local boutiques, artisans, designers and models strut their stuff in support of The Center For Youth. Events range everywhere from an interactive fashion exchange to high-end runway shows, where attendees will see what the latest and greatest in the Rochester fashion scene are offering for the Fall/Winter and 2016 seasons.
Look for Abigail Riggs Collection accompanied by some furry fashionistas at Wednesday’s “Puppy Love” show. Adorable pups like Isabella (above) will be riding in style in our leather handbags or leading their owners (clad in the latest Abigail Riggs designs) down the runway. Below are some details about the cutest night in fashion:
What: “Puppy Love” runway show featuring Abigail Riggs Collection
Where: The Tents on Main – 275 East Main St (across from the Sibley Building)
When: Wednesday, Oct 14th, 7:30pm – 10:30pm
Why: To see the latest in accessories from Abigail Riggs Collection & other local designers, to support The Center For Youth, and CUTE PUPPIES!
Now in its fifth year, Fashion Week of Rochester showcases the talented artists, designers and business owners we have here in our own backyard, all to benefit The Center For Youth. Last year they raised over $250,000 for The Center’s programs for Rochester’s homeless youth. Let’s make this year an even bigger success – get your tickets at Wegmans today!
image from Fashion Week of Rochester Facebook


text:
From the Street
Science & Tech
Nigeria’s economy to grow by 0.8 per cent in 2017 – IMF
By CNBC | 25 July 2017 | 2:46 pm
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Google+
Share on WhatsApp
Share via Email
The International monetary fund has projected a 0.8 per cent growth for Nigeria in 2017 and 1.9 per cent growth in 2018 in its updated World Economic Outlook.
In this article:
International Monetary Fund
World Economic Outlook
You may also like
AfDB forecasts Africa’s growth in 2021
Is flying in India safe amid surge in COVID-19 cases?
Tesla to hire up to 10,500 workers for German factory
2 days ago
Alphabet's Google to invest $10 billion in 'digital India'
1 day ago


text:
Founders of technology companies said these corporations bring high-paying jobs to New Jersey.
Newark Venture Partners has invested $15 million in 54 technology companies that employ a total of 400 employees.
Don Katz, founder of both technology company Audible and Newark Venture Partners, said that “technology companies have had access to the incredible domain expertise of Audible employees and our corporate partners.”
“I’m excited to see how this class of amazing companies contributes to our efforts to tether Newark to the elements of the economy that are creating jobs and taxable revenue and that validates the profound business case for this city.”
Colin Newman from Audible said he is thrilled by how quickly Audible has grown since it moved to Newark 10 years ago.
“Audible created podcasts before that word existed,” Newman said. “Our innovation goes beyond our four walls.”
Audible gives $500 per month to its employees to live in Newark, Newman said. This is an effort to get employees to spend money at Newark restaurants and other Newark businesses, he said.
Dwaine Maltais, a co-founder of human resources analytics company Talentegy, said that more than 50 percent of applicants will end a business relationship with a company due to a poor experience and more than 50 percent of people will abandon an application process because of a technical problem.
Preston Faykus, founder of voice analytics company RankMiner, said his company helps to reduce companies from spending money unnecessarily through employees leaving companies.
“Our purpose is to reveal speaker intent and predict future actions,” Faykus said.
Joe Scott, executive vice president in the Office of Health Care Transformation at RWJBarnabas Health, called health care difficult to understand. His employer is making health care easier to understand through artificial intelligence.
Rachna Dhamija, a co-founder of artificial intelligence health care company Ejenta, said her company helps people who receive medical care. Ejenta gathers data from wearable devices and from electronic medical records to create artificial intelligence-driven analytics that help health care providers to detect and predict which patients need care.
Eva Sadej, a founder of Floss Bar, brings dentists to people. She said that her company is making in-office dental care by eliminating inconveniences of waiting and traveling.


text:
Full Control has taken their strategy title based in the Warhammer 40k universe to Linux.
Fast becoming a force in PC gaming, Linux has seen Valve and a whole bunch of studios pretty suddenly throwing they hats into the alternate OS’ ring. Full Control is the latest to announce a title for the format with a port of their Space Hulk turn-based strategy title.
“We’ve always wanted to offer gamers different options on what platform they choose to play Space Hulk,” said Thomas Hentschel Lund, CEO of Full Control “We actively support Valve’s push for Linux as a gaming platform and the future release of steam machines, that will push PC gaming into the living room”.
The game was released on the PC last year to some fanfare as it recreated the board game that’s loved by pretty much every fan of Games Workshop’s classic tabletop version. It was also the first Space Hulk title to arrive in a good long time. Sporting 15 levels and multiplayer that crosses platforms, the Linux version of the game also features the Sword of the Halcyon and Defilement of Honour campaigns (available as as DLC) and Full Control has also announced that all future downloadables will also be compatible with the new edition as well.
Space Hulk is available right now on Steam and you can grab a copy here.


text:
Revenge is a dish best served gold
SCITUATE - After having about a dozen packages stolen this year, one Scituate woman decided to take matters into her own hands.
Melissa Peralta was going to try to catch her thief using a “glitter bomb.” Peralta put out a fake delivery that contained a “glitter bomb,” a device that would cover the person opening the package in glitter. She put the glitter bomb out last week and Friday she walked outside her Brook Street apartment to find a trail of glitter leading to a bathroom on the second floor of the mixed use residential-commercial building. The thief had taken the bait.
“There was a glitter everywhere,” Peralta said.
The U.S. Postal Service said that the next two weeks are the busiest delivery days of the year and expects to deliver 200 million packages in that span. With more deliveries comes greater chances for possible thefts. Police are advising people to use a few strategies to avoid having their packages go missing.
Hingham Police Sgt. Steven Dearth called package thefts “an opportunity crime.”
“When we’re on patrol we see packages out on people’s porch and we don’t know if they’ve been there for minutes or hours,” Dearth said. “Potential thieves can see them, too.”
Dearth said one of the biggest things people can do to avoid thefts is to find a way to get the packages out of sight. Dearth said his department is still working on returning a few packages recovered from a pair of thieves that struck the Crow Point neighborhood last month.
In the wake of arresting four people accused of stealing at least 10 packages worth more than $1,200 last week, the Quincy Police Department suggested a few tips for people trying to avoid being the victim of box bandits.
Police said that shoppers can have packages shipped to a family member or neighbor who will be home at the time of delivery or to a person’s place of work. Police also suggest requesting a signature from the delivery company upon arrival or giving the delivery company special instructions on where to leave the package, preferably somewhere out of sight.
Police said that shoppers can ask that the delivery company to hold onto the package for pick up or, if it’s from a store, a person can request in-store pick up.
Braintree Deputy Police Chief Sean Lydon said that shoppers could track the packages and make arrangements to be home when purchases are delivered or coordinate with their neighbors.
While Peralta said that the police weren’t able to catch her thief, she’s happy the thief opened the package. She said hopefully the thief would think twice about stealing again, and given the widespread media coverage of her trap, maybe they would be too embarrassed to steal again.
“I wanted a little justice,” she said, laughing.


text:
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Titan International Inc. TWI, -0.77% said Friday that it swung to a first-quarter net loss of $2.5 million, or 12 cents a share, from a profit of $8.6 million, or 36 cents a share, due to a one-time $13.4 million charge from the conversion of convertible debt into stocks. The firm, which manufactures wheels and tires for agricultural and construction equipment, said income from operations fell 16.6% to $14.3 million, while sales rose 24% to an all-time high of $226.3 million. "Titan sales have shown remarkable growth as a result of our increasing market share in the off-highway segments. We were pleased with the quarterly sales number; however, there is much work to be done," said CEO Maurice Taylor.
Have breaking news sent to your inbox. Subscribe to MarketWatch's free Bulletin emails. Sign up here.


text:
ACCC priorities and approach to mergers and acquisitions in concentrated markets
Speaking at the Australia Israel Chamber of Commerce WA, ACCC Chairman Rod Sims indicated that mergers and acquisitions in concentrated markets will be subject to close scrutiny. He provided business leaders with an overview of the ACCC's approach to assessing mergers and acquisitions including the steps the ACCC is taking to streamline the merger review process. Separately, Mr Sims also spoke about ACCC priorities in competition matters and under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL).
‘The ACCC at work: consumers, competition & regulatory issues’
ACCC Chairman Rod Sims addressed the John Curtin School of Public Policy at Curtin University and discussed the importance of ensuring that consumer requirements were incorporated into regulatory structures, citing port access undertakings within the wheat export framework as an example of successful regulatory structures. Sims spoke about regulatory arrangements and incentive challenges for the NBN and argued for important changes to the electricity sector.
‘Opportunities and challenges with infrastructure reforms’
ACCC Chairman Rod Sims gave a speech at the IPART conference in Sydney, outlining opportunities and challenges in the immediate infrastructure reform agenda across a range of areas including water, electricity, communications and transport. He highlighted the significant changes in the infrastructure landscape in Australia during the past 25 years and spoke about the role of Part IIIA of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 and the pending Productivity Commission review. Sims said getting the right regulatory access oversight in place is a key challenge to increasing the competitiveness of industries, for example, mining.
ACCC cartels film ‘The Marker’
The ACCC released a short film, The Marker, as part of their “integrated strategy to prevent cartel involvement”, and sent it to 300 CEOs from Australia’s largest companies.
Australasian Convenience and Petroleum Marketers Association Annual Conference
During his keynote address, ACCC Chairman Rod Sims addressed issues in the petrol industry such as market power and unconscionable conduct. Sims also gave a brief update on the ACCC's approach to mergers in the grocery, liquor and home improvement sectors, and signalled the ACCC's response to supermarket and capacity issues raised by the recent Master Grocers Australia report.
7th Seoul International Competition Forum, hosted by the Korea Fair Trade Commission
ACCC Chairman Rod Sims noted that less than a third of the world’s competition agencies have a consumer protection role, and advocated the benefits for both consumers and the economy that come from integrating competition and consumer regulatory functions in a single agency. The key benefits he noted from the ACCC’s approach and structure include the experienced enforcement culture which stems from having a single set of investigative tools.


text:
Investors have been calling for a great turnaround for years, but still, BlackBerry Ltd. (TSX:BB)(NASDAQ:BBRY) remains in a quagmire.
Its smartphones command less than 1% of the global market, and its software division, which is promising, is so small that it can hardly be compared to the BlackBerry of old. The average Wall Street analyst believes that the company will lose money this year, in 2017, and in 2018.
The biggest drain on earnings has been BlackBerry’s hardware segment—a failing business that is sucking up over 65% of BlackBerry’s research and development expenses. The handset division sold 500,000 phones last quarter, nearly 100,000 fewer than the quarter before. In the mid-2000s, the company was selling millions of phones every few months.
Investors have long known that by ditching a money-losing segment which is a significant drag on cash flows, BlackBerry could stage a turnaround in a matter of months, not years.
Last week, investors got some encouraging news.
Finally, an end to the madness
BlackBerry’s CEO John Chen also knows that hardware isn’t a long-term answer. “I personally do not believe devices are going to be the future of any company,” he said.
He has also previously said that he would make a decision in September about whether or not it made sense to stay in the smartphone business. A decision still hasn’t been made, but it’s September at last, and some cursory data suggests that hardware is winding down.
Curiously, BlackBerry just began a large sale on its own site (40% off all accessories). The sale is spread across all products, including cases, batteries, chargers, audio items, etc. The sale ends on September 27, which just happens to be the day before BlackBerry’s second-quarter earnings release.
Other reports also suggest that BlackBerry is ditching hardware.
In July, it discontinued production of its Classic cellphone model. Other outlets also reported that BlackBerry has told major U.S. carriers like Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc. that all devices running BlackBerry 10 will be discontinued.
Last month, BlackBerry released “the world’s most secure Android smartphone” in an attempt to fight off the success of Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone, which has stolen many of its contracts. For example, a few years ago 17,600 users in U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement were switched from BlackBerry devices to Apple’s iPhone after it was determined that Apple could better meet the department’s security requirements.
Weeks after its launch, the new phone model is already being discounted across multiple retailers.
According to The Globe and Mail, BlackBerry is finally starting to “shift its focus further away from its money-losing handset business and toward its software.” A true turnaround could finally be here.
The exclusive buy "signal" you can't ignore
Over the course of The Motley Fool U.S.'s 23-year history, this rare buy "signal" has generated massive wealth for those that have been smart enough to pay attention to it. It's so rare, that it's happened less than two dozen times... but when it does ... it's made investors undoubtedly rich. If you're interested in knowing the stock behind this rare buy "signal"--and you're excited to take advantage of this golden opportunity, then you're going to want to read this. Click here to unlock all the details behind this new recommendation from Stock Advisor Canada.
Fool contributor Ryan Vanzo has no position in any stocks mentioned. David Gardner owns shares of Apple. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple and has the following options: long January 2018 $90 calls on Apple and short January 2018 $95 calls on Apple. Verizon Communications is a recommendation of Stock Advisor Canada.