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Apple has finally made a commitment to VR, announcing on stage today at Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2017 that not only will they offer an external GPU developer kit for MacBooks capable of meeting the graphical demands of VR, but that both the new 27-inch iMac and the iMac Pro will be VR-ready out of the box.
Senior VP of software engineering Craig Federighi announced today to the WWDC crowd that Metal 2, the company’s updated hardware-accelerated graphics API, will be launching with support for external graphics as well as a set of VR-specific features to the newly revealed High Sierra macOS.
Dubbed ‘Metal for VR’, the update will include developer features such as a VR-optimized display pipeline, viewport arrays, system trace stereo timelines, GPU queue priorities and frame debugger stereoscopic visualization. The company says Metal 2 will also support Unity, Unreal Engine and the Steam VR SDK, making Apple’s new operating system a true VR-native.
The new external GPU dev kit, available today, is coming with a VR-capable AMD Radeon RX 580, which is somewhere between an NVIDIA GTX 1060 and 1070 in function. While it may not be specifically marketed for VR consumers, instead targeted towards developers, the external GPU enclosure would technically allow you to use a high-quality VR headset like a HTC Vive or Oculus Rift with a MacBook using the Steam VR beta.
Apple VP of hardware engineering John Ternus later presented the new iMac lineup, concluding with the 27-inch iMac that’s finally packing a VR-ready GPU and making it the first out the door to have native VR support. Calling it a “great platform for VR content creation,” Ternus revealed that Lucas Film’s ILMx Lab has been using the 27-inch iMac and Unreal Engine to develop a new Star Wars themed real-time creation with the help of Epic’s Unreal VR Editor.
In the Star Wars-themed creation, Epic’s Lauren Ridge demonstrated by putting on a HTC Vive and building a basic scene by picking assets and resizing them, including an animated Darth Vader.
27-Inch iMac Specs
- Intel 7th Gen Core processor (“Kaby Lake”)
- Radeon Pro 570, 575 and 580 graphics options with up to 8GB VRAM
- New Retina 5K display (up to 500 nits, or 43 percent brighter)
- Up to 64GB memory
- Fusion drive (up to 50 percent faster, up to 2TB capacity)
- 2 USB-C connectors with Thunderbolt
- Starting at $1799
iMac Pro, Apple’s high-sec 27-incher with Retina 5K display, is going to be VR-ready too, coming with a Radeon Pro Vega GPU which delivers up to 11 Teraflops of compute power for real-time 3D rendering and high frame rate VR. The iMac Pro is scheduled to ship in December starting at $4,999 (US).


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Are budget delivery options a false economy for e-commerce companies
In the last few years, review portals have been flooded with customers complaining about poor delivery services. From packages left in bins to companies failing to attempt delivery at all, the stories are adding up. Poor delivery occurs for many reasons, but the primary reason is companies try to find ways to cut costs. However, these same companies soon realise the only cuts come in the form of fewer repeat customers.
Everyone knows your name
We won’t mention them here, but several national and international delivery companies have become associated with bad delivery. In a survey conducted by distribution company Descartes, a fifth of respondents admitted closing the site at the delivery options page due to the named delivery service.
A Mintel Report replicated these finds, finding almost a third of potential customers changed their minds about ordering for fear that the product wouldn’t arrive, would be damaged or would require them to visit a third party location to retrieve the parcel. The customers who abandoned their shopping carts at the last hurdle were also much more likely to be high earners.
Next day delivery
While next day delivery was once an amazing feat of logistics, today it is the expected norm. Reading couriers such as https://www.uk-tdl.com/same-day-delivery.html provide this service as a matter of course because, for e-commerce companies, it is a must. However, the next day delivery option is only seen as a valid option once it is completed. If a package is returned to the depot because the recipient was not available to take delivery, the customer associates the issue with the e-commerce company and not the invisible delivery service.
Success is appreciated
On the other hand, studies show, 75% of customers will order with the same company again as long as they are satisfied with the delivery service. This says a lot for Amazon’s market dominance. Delivery is key. In fact, many people who take to Amazon to leave a negative review, do so because they were unhappy with the delivery and not the product.
While many e-commerce companies claim that for financial reasons, next day delivery isn’t an option for them, it would be more accurate to say, for financial reasons, it is a must. The online giants have raised the delivery bar and this shows in their success.

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Porsche was supposed to partner with Red Bull, until a planned 50% buy-in collapsed amid fears among the existing Red Bull Racing leadership it would have to cede too much control to the Germans.
Porsche was never intending to build an entire F1 engine themselves and the plan was for Porsche to just do the electrification portion of the Red Bull engine, with Red Bull Powertrains Division doing the internal combustion portion.
With Porsche not having the capacity at its own motorsport facility to build an F1 standard engine at present, partnering with Red Bull would have given it access to the Red Bull Powertrains division created to solve the gap presented by Honda’s announced F1 exit, although their plans have since changed.
With 2026 approaching fast, Porsche is likely going to have to use the internal combustion engine their sister VW company, Audi, is designing, with Porsche doing the electrical components (Battery, MGU-K – KERS, etc) like they were going to do for Red Bull.
It’s either that or Porsche may have to cancel its F1 plans, though recent comments from its CEO indicate they still plan to enter F1.
The rumor remains out there that Porsche is close to signing a deal to buy into the Williams F1 team. The team currently run Mercedes engines, buy would switch to Porsche in 2026.
The sudden departure of Team Boss Jost Capito and Technical Director FX Demaison indicates something big is up, and it’s likely that if the Porsche buying 50% of Williams rumor is true, they want a say on who leads the team and who leads the design department.
Should Porsche decide to do the entire engine themselves, or badge the Audi engine, then there are other possibilities, such as being the engine supplier for the Andretti Global effort. With the Haas team moving their design team to Maranello and being tied to the hip with Ferrari, it seems unlikely Haas is an option for Porsche.
Some think Porsche could buy the Alpha Tauri team but Porsche has no desire to operate an entire team, they just want to be an engine supplier. And besides, Red Bull has every intention of keeping AlphaTauri as their ‘B’ team – it’s not for sale – to use the team to develop young drivers and to test new engine parts before the ‘A’ team uses them. The intention was for all four cars to run the Red Bull engine (possibly badged as Ford).


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Self-proclaimed super-shopper Nancy Reynolds probably would have been ready for Black Friday if it had been moved up to Wednesday.
As it was, the South Glens Falls resident was more than ready to handle this year’s earlier start to the biggest shopping day in the country, which now begins on Thursday night.
“You just have to plan around it. Do things a little earlier,” said Reynolds, who was starting her shopping extravaganza at Target in Wilton to buy a PlayStation 2. For her, the early start meant getting the family’s turkey into the oven by 10 a.m.
A handful of big box retailers began offering their Black Friday deals at record early times. Walmart began selling some items at 8 p.m., Toys’R’us was selling doorbusters at 8 p.m. too, and Target began letting people in at 9 p.m.
At the Walmart in Halfmoon, things were very calm a few minutes before 8 p.m., as people waited with their shopping carts next to pallets of stacked items that weren’t yet available. Once the awaited hour hit, people began ripping apart the displays and creating traffic jams as they tried to get to another stand of goods. Other stacks of items remained under the watch of an employee and untouched, as they wouldn’t be available until 10 p.m. or midnight.
There was some backlash against those earlier starts, as some employees and labor organizations decried them as unfair.
Reynolds expressed reservations about forcing people to work earlier on the holiday, but said it was fine if the employees had a choice.
Tommy Barnard, 21, who works at a Wilton retail store offering deals at midnight Friday, was able to spend quality time with his family as they waited for a deal to start at the Best Buy in Wilton. He, three siblings and his mother were the first people in line, which they secured by arriving at 9 p.m. on Wednesday.
Where he was spending the holiday, though, didn’t matter to him. “It’s Thanksgiving, so you got to spend it with family,” Barnard said.
The family’s setup included two tents, a space heater, a charger for their electronic devices and a car nearby for warmth during the night.
After failing to secure a television the family wanted last year at Best Buy, Tommy’s mom, Andrea Barnard, said this year they wouldn’t let it happen again. Their desired haul at Best Buy included a handful of televisions, electric toothbrushes and a sound bar.
“When we got here, the manager said, ‘This is the first time I’ve ever seen someone get here this early,’ ” Andrea said. “We were not going to miss this deal.”
She added that they already ate turkey multiple times this week, saying, “I think we are all turkey’d out.”
After Best Buy, the Black Friday veterans were moving on to JCPenney for a stainless steel waffle maker and then on to BJ’s.
Multiple stops were also the plan for Nancy Reynolds, who was hoping to accomplish most of her Christmas shopping. “I’ll go to Walmart after [Target] and then I’ll go to sleep and then Home Depot at 5 a.m. when it opens and then Joann [a fabric and craft store],” she said, clarifying that the last stop was to pick up quilting supplies.
When she mentioned quilting, another woman in line noted that she shared the hobby. Upon realizing the bond, Reynolds, who had already been chatting with the people around her in line at Target on Thursday evening, said, “I’ve met the best people standing in line and talking.”
Saratoga Springs resident Bill Weisenforth was taking a more isolated approach to waiting at the Walmart in Wilton. Armed with a collapsible chair, his smartphone and an iPad 2, he arrived at the store around 3:30 p.m. to secure a 60-inch wide screen television.
Once he found out where the line started for the item, he opened up his chair and set up camp as the first person there.
“This is my first time,” said Weisenforth, who felt the deal was too good to pass up and noted that if he was home he would just be watching television on the couch. Instead he was watching television and movies on his iPad.
His deal wasn’t going on sale until 10 p.m., but he wasn’t concerned, considering he had full battery life on all his electronic devices.
Black Friday deals continue today, with another wave of sales starting around dawn and lasting well into the afternoon.


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Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Nintendo Reveals Release Dates for First Quarter Line-Up
Rhythm Heaven Fever - Feb. 13
Poképark 2: Wonders Beyond - Feb. 27
Mario Party 9 - March 11
Mario & Sonic At the London 2012 Olympic Games - Feb. 14
Kid Icarus: Uprising - March 23
They also confirmed that Dillon's Rolling Western will be hitting the 3DS eShop in Quarter 1, as will the Gameboy game Kirby's Block Ball. Metal Gear Solid 3D: Snake Eater was once again confirmed as coming out in Quarter 1 and Resident Evil: Revelations is being released on Feb. 7th. No release date has been set in stone for Xenoblade Chronicles as of yet but it is still confirmed as being released in April and they have revealed the final American Boxart.
You can check that out, as well as a new trailer for Poképark 2: Wonders Beyond after the break.
About the Author
Matt is one of the founding members of Adamant Ditto and has been gaming since the age of three. He's a big fan of everything from Mario to Sonic to Twisted Metal. He handles a lot of the editing, uploading and technical stuff for the group and is always anxious to see where the road takes us. Turn-ons include long walks on the beach and pancakes. Turn-offs include Yanma, Sonic Chronicles and Eggman Nega.


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Gin suits new Fife distillery to a T
A gin maker is toasting its “homecoming” as it unveiled its new distillery in Scotland. Darnley’s Gin opened its new distillery and visitor centre at Kingsbarns in Fife yesterday. Previously distilled in London, the award-winning Scottish spirit will now be exclusively produced where its founders, the Wemyss family, have lived and worked for centuries.
Scott Gowans, distiller at Darnley’s Gin distillery.


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NEW YORK (AP) – Amazon tired of ringing the door.
The online shopping giant is nudging homeowners across the country – sometimes with financial incentives – to give their drivers the ability to open their apartment doors on their own using a mobile device.
The service, dubbed “the key to business,” is marketed as a way to reduce the number of stolen packages by making it easy to leave them in the lobby rather than outside. Amazon wins because it allows delivery workers to move faster. And fewer packages stolen reduces costs and can give Amazon an edge over the competition.
Those who installed the device say it reduces constant noise from couriers and is a safer alternative to issuing codes to multiple couriers.
But Amazon’s program, which was first announced in 2018, could raise security and privacy concerns as it gains traction. The company said it is conducting background checks on the shippers and that they can only open the doors when they have a package to scan. But tenants may not be aware that Amazon drivers have access to their front doors, as Amazon leaves it up to the building to notify them.
Ashkan Soltani, a privacy researcher who was a senior technical advisor to former President Barack Obama, said any device connected to the Internet could be hacked, including an Amazon device, and attackers could try to open doors.
“Basically, you are injecting a foreign Internet-connected device into the internal network,” said Soltani, who was also a former chief technologist at the US Federal Trade Commission.
Amazon did not respond to questions about a possible hack.
The company has already installed the device in thousands of apartment buildings in the United States, but declined to give a specific number. This sometimes leaves a clue by placing a round Amazon smile logo sticker on the buzzers where the device was installed. On one of the streets of New York, the sticker was on three of 11 buildings. In another area, the sticker was on two of the seven buildings.
Amazon sellers traveled to cities across the country to knock on doors, make phone calls, or approach building managers on the street to convince them to install the device. The company even partnered with local locksmiths to nudge building managers into repairing locks. Amazon installs the device for free and occasionally tosses a $ 100 Amazon gift card to whoever lets them in.
Soltani said he learned about Key for Business when he was approached by two Amazon sellers in April who wanted access to the building he lives in in Oakland, California. The building administration refused and no device was installed.
Amazon had better luck with Kenton Girard. Chicago-based homeowner Girard agreed to install the device in four of his buildings to reduce the number of thefts, which were becoming so serious that he considered building a parcel box on the street.
“I would pay for this,” Girard said of the Amazon device.
Currently, only the US Postal Service has the ability to enter apartment buildings to get to the mailboxes. UPS says it has tested a way for its workers to enter buildings without causing noise from tenants by teaming up with a smart lock company in 2018. But this test ended and UPS refused to say why. The company says shoppers can instead deliver their packages to nearby grocery stores, dry cleaners, or florists if they are not at home.
FedEx declined to comment for this story.
Amazon has wanted to walk through people’s front doors for years. In 2017, he allowed shoppers to allow delivery people to come to their homes when they weren’t around and leave packages in the lobby. Walmart did the same shortly thereafter, but the delivery staff also filled the refrigerator with groceries. Amazon and Walmart do not say how many people use these services, but they have recently expanded their reach to more cities.
In 2018, Amazon targeted apartment buildings by launching a key to business and signing major landlords to install the device in their developments. But that push seems to have accelerated over the past year as Amazon deployed sales teams across the country. Recent job postings in Miami and San Antonio say Amazon sellers can earn between $ 3,000 and $ 11,000 a month in bonuses and commissions. Amazon doesn’t say how much it spends on the effort.
Not all Amazon packages can be walked through the front doors. According to Rakuten Intelligence, a purchase data firm, the company itself delivers about 60% of its packages; the rest comes through other delivery services that can’t get in.
Philip T. Evers, professor of logistics at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, said Amazon’s desire to place the device in as many buildings as possible could be a way to keep competitors out.
“The landlord might say, ‘You know, I’ll do this for one company, but maybe we don’t want it to be for every delivery company,” he said. He added that Amazon could find other uses for the service, such as for the delivery people to pick up returns left in the lobby, rather than forcing shoppers to trudge to the post office. Amazon declined to share any future plans.
Jason Goldberg, director of commercial strategy for marketing company Publicis Communications, said the device could save Amazon money as workers can drop more packages during a shift and may have to offer fewer refunds to those whose packages have been stolen.
He heard about the program in December, when a locksmith who replaced a buzzer system in his Chicago apartment building offered to install Amazon Key for Business for free. Goldberg, who helps manage the building, later allowed Amazon sellers – with a $ 100 Amazon gift card – to install the device.
“They give it away for free because it benefits Amazon more than it does us,” Goldberg said.
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San Marcos appears to have been successful in its effort to force the shutdown of a medical marijuana dispensary that opened earlier this year on Grand Avenue.
In a hearing slated for Friday, the city is asking Vista Superior Court Judge Earl Maas to issue a preliminary injunction barring the shop from doing business — at least until trial, should the case get that far.
But the shop, Jungle Meds, may no longer be in business. A man at the San Marcos store on Wednesday said the dispensary had closed for good and all product had been moved out. Its website now advertises delivery services in North County.
Medical pot shops have been banned in San Marcos since 2006.
In April, city officials learned that Jungle Meds had opened on Grand Avenue, and promptly notified the businesses that it had to shut down, according to documents San Marcos filed in Vista Superior Court last month.
As of May, the shop was still open when an undercover sheriff’s deputy went in and bought medical marijuana.
No one from Jungle Meds management responded to messages left by U-T San Diego. The company’s attorney could not be immediately reached for comment. No formal responses to the suit have been filed by the defendants.
This is the fifth pot shop San Marcos has sued to shut down. The city won the other four cases; the latest was in February 2011.
California has allowed marijuana for medicinal use after Proposition 215 passed in 1996. But contentious legal battles have followed on a number of fronts, including with regard to storefront dispensaries where marijuana is sold.
In May 2013, in a case involving the city of Riverside, the state Supreme Court ruled that local governments can outlaw the dispensaries if they chose to.
Even before the ruling, a number of cities — including San Marcos — had adopted ordinances banning pot shops.
San Marcos Mayor Jim Desmond said Tuesday that while he personally is fine with medical marijuana, the city is caught in a tight spot between state laws that allow for its use versus federal laws that make marijuana use illegal.
“Because of the discrepancies, we have these Kool-Aid stands — pot shops — cropping up in the city,” Desmond said.
None of the North County cities along the state Route 78 corridor from Escondido to Oceanside permit medical marijuana dispensaries, although one shop remains open in Oceanside, pending a legal battle and a possible vote later this month by its City Council.
Other local governments do allow the dispensaries, including the county (since 2010) and city of San Diego, where the City Council voted earlier this year to allow 36 shops to operate in the city, but with restrictions.
According to documents filed in the Jungle Meds case, the city learned from the Sheriff’s Department in April that the store was doing business in a suite on Grand Avenue, a little more than a block east of South Rancho Santa Fe Road.
A code compliance officer went to the shop April 21 and issued a citation.
When the officer returned days later, Jungle Meds was still open for business.
In May, an undercover sheriff’s officer went to the Jungle Meds site and purchased marijuana. Later that month, on May 23, the city filed suit to shut down the shop as an illegal business.


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7 days ago Obviously it s okay, but you lied to me to feed the black market testosterone prices prolonging drugs medicine, Lanshan bit her lip. The Background.Unlike other nations, the black market prices for drugs. doesn't directly regulate medicine prices. In Europe, the second-largest pharmaceutical market. This lays bare one of the absurdities of the FDA process: for a drug to be approved, a company must do the work of bringing it to market. For. In most cases, government can use similar techniques to get a low price for prescription drugs without disrupting the competitive market. The. 2 days ago BANGOR, Maine (WABI) - A local realtor says Maine's housing market is expected to remain competitive in 2022. Kortnie Mullins with The Chez. But health economists say the administration's call to tie prices to of regulations aimed at reshaping the prescription drug market.
AMP is average manufacturer price. FUL is federal upper limit. MAC is maximum allowable cost. WAC is wholesale acquisition cost. CMS is Centers for Medicare &. By N Dasgupta 2013 Cited by 73 Objective: To assess the possibility of crowdsourcing black market drug price silkkitie market darknet data by cross-validation with law enforcement officer reports. Additional Details on Wholesale Acquisition Cost (WAC). 38. Appendix III. Prescription Drug Pricing Strategies in Selected Countries. 5 hours ago On this page, we publish all the links of the vendors and market scams Different darkweb marketplaces offer to buy illegal drugs online. Black market prices for drugs effects and black market prices for drugs and black market prices for drugs should take them? Outlook. Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, and Stendra are popular drugs for. The world's second most populous country is currently the hardest hit by the pandemic and the health system cannot cope.
Drug shortages are also endangering cancer patients, heart attack is the development of black (or gray) markets, where price gougers buy. More People Are Turning to the Black Market for Life-Saving Medications Prescription Drug Ads Will Now Include Prices. Will It Help Lower Costs. 5 hours ago On this page, silkkitie link we publish all the links of the vendors 2022 darknet market and market scams Different darkweb marketplaces offer to buy illegal drugs online. By CP Adams 2021 annual reduction in the number of new drugs entering the market in the CBO estimated that provisions in the act requiring drug price. Website Tracks Black-Market Prescription Drug Prices Ever wonder, "What's the street price of OxyContin in Nevada?" No? Well, if you ever have. 4 hours ago They have now decided to enter the drug war and increase penalties for those operating outside the highly-regulated, expensive legal cannabis.
By CP Adams 2021 annual reduction in the number of 2021 darknet market new drugs entering the market in the CBO estimated that provisions in the act requiring drug price. AMP is average manufacturer price. FUL is federal upper limit. MAC is maximum allowable cost. WAC is wholesale acquisition cost. CMS is Centers for Medicare &. Get best price and read about company. Charas is undoubtedly one of the best CBD hashish products in the legal cannabis CBD market. On inspection, three men. But health economists say the administration's call to tie prices to of regulations aimed at reshaping the prescription drug market. But bringing prescription drugs across the black market prices for drugs. border is also illegal. Those who attempt to bring foreign drugs into the black market prices for drugs. risk having their. More People Are Turning to the Black Market for Life-Saving Medications Prescription Drug Ads Will Now Include Prices. Will It Help Lower Costs.
Gray Market, Black Heart: Pharmaceutical Gray Market Finds a drug shortages before hospitals do, outraged by the price gouging that. The Background. Unlike other nations, the black market prices for drugs. doesn't directly regulate medicine prices. In Europe, the second-largest pharmaceutical market. KFF research has consistently found prescription drug costs to be an important and making it easier for generic drugs to come to market. By O Egunsola 2021 difference between the official price for pharmaceutical drugs and the price when sourced from the black market in black market prices for drugs: Drug prices re. The black market for prescription drugs is booming as more and more people look to save money by acquiring opioids through illicit means. Beyond. Prohibition also meant the emergence of a black market, operated by criminals and Those laws also support artificially high prices and assure that.
Our goal is to make a comprehensive, extremely detailed portal here for you folks, so you get the gist of every Darknet market right here, right now without having to spend hours analyzing and understanding each one of those on your own. While some simple ransomware may lock the system in a way which is not difficult for a knowledgeable person to reverse, more advanced malware uses a technique called crypto viral extortion, which it encrypts the victim's files, making them inaccessible and demands a ransom payment to decrypt them. On Monopoly Market Established Vendors are vendors that have a proven significant background across various markets and communities, Legacy Vendors are new vendors that we accepted before black market prices for drugs the introduction of escrow, New Vendors are new vendors we accepted after we implemented escrow. After reading up on the material, downloading Tor, and logging out of every other application, you can finally open Tor’s Browser Bundle to begin secure navigation. It later pivoted to focus on enterprise blockchain applications for industries such as healthcare. Es gebe in Deutschland derzeit keinen eigenen Straftatbestand für das Betreiben illegaler Handelsplattformen im Internet. But there is no information about the order of implementation of закладка in Europe. This Missouri backwoodsman and sharpshooter was also a bit of a troublemaker who smuggled liquor into camp, avoided promotions like the plague, and had a soft heart for mademoiselles and fräuleins alike.
“According to CipherTrace research, there has been at least black market prices for drugs one notable darknet market launched every month on average since early 2019.”
The reason for Tochka’s disappearance isn’t entirely clear, but it’s evident that it left many disgruntled customers in its wake who accused Tochka of committing an exit scam. What can change is where this drug use happens, and where drugs are used, manufactured, transported, bought and sold. The platform features a very advanced rating system which should help people overcome the fear of scammers. Posts that talk about any market or other sites being down will be removed. What did you find to be the most difficult part of this project? Agartha has various categories such as Cannabis, Phychedelics, Stimulants, Pills, black market prices for drugs Digital Items, Services, Documents fraud and etc.


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A new Buffalo Wings & Rings restaurant will open on Monday, June 21, in Springdale, Ohio, for a private VIP event. It will open to the public on Wednesday, June 23.
A special grand opening celebration will be held Saturday, July 17, featuring a ribbon cutting at 10:30 a.m. with city officials. The doors will open at 11 a.m. and the first 100 customers that day will receive a free Buffalo Wings & Rings pint glass, T-shirt, and coupon for $5 off a purchase. Four of the pint glasses will have a $100 gift card inside.
The new location’s franchisees, Edvin Rajauskas and Val Kirielius, are both Lithuanian natives. Their similar backgrounds led Rajauskas and Kirielius to become friends when they met in America. They are using their restaurant and foodservice experience – along with a strong work ethic – to pursue their goals together.
“To open a Buffalo Wings & Rings is a fantastic opportunity, and we could not pass it up,” Rajauskas says. “We just thought: ‘If not now, when?’”
“This is an exciting time for us,” Kirielius says. “The people who live in the area are really looking forward to having a Buffalo Wings & Rings. And we believe our Express Lunch exclusive offers a casual and valuable lunchtime dining option for Springdale’s business professionals. There are currently very few options within this niche and price point for lunch, so we’re excited to offer that option to the community.”
The new location will feature more than two dozen televisions – including a large projection TV – featuring full access to NFL Sunday Ticket and UFC events. The restaurant will offer seating for more than 250 diners, including outside dining and a private party room.
Buffalo Wings & Rings is located at 11305 Princeton Pike in Springdale between Tri County Parkway and Merchant Street. The store will be open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, call 513-772-2111.


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Paco Rabanne launched menswear yesterday in Paris at their spring/summer 2020 runway show as the brand works to grow beyond their successful womenswear line. "The idea is to extend to menswear what we do in womenswear," said Paco Rabanne general manager Bastien Daguzan to Business of Fashion. "There is a continuation in fabrics and prints. For some categories like jersey, knits, t-shirts, accessories, it was seamless."
Paco Rabanne already has five retailers committed to carrying the line and will also be selling it via their own e-commerce channel. The first drop of the collection will be in December of this year.
The menswear launch is part of the brand's "One Rabanne" strategy. Originally the company, which is owned by Puig, kept the ready-to-wear and perfume businesses separate. In 2017, everything was brought under one entity beginning with the creation of the Pacocollection fragrance. In terms of beauty, Paco Rabanne also has a genderless makeup line in the works.
Puig is betting big on Paco Rabanna and expects sales to reach 1 billion euros by 2025. This year alone the brand is expected to triple its revenue according to Business of Fashion, with credit being given to the brand's creative director Julien Dossena. They are also doing well on the ecommerce front with 50 percent of sales being generated online. Fragrances still make up the majority of their business, although Puig doesn't release concrete sales figures.photo: via Pacorabanne.com


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Opportunities and challenges faced by the auto parts industry in 2021
(1) The industry market is huge
After my country entered the 21st century, industry and manufacturing have continued to develop rapidly, and the manufacturing level of auto parts has been continuously improved. In addition, relying on manufacturing cost advantages, huge market demand and a good business environment, China has attracted many well-known automobile and parts manufacturing companies from all over the world to invest and build factories in China, which has greatly promoted the development of China's automobile parts manufacturing industry. Rapid development.
According to statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the total operating income of Chinese auto parts companies has increased from RMB 2,226.7 billion in 2012 to RMB 3,744 billion in 2020.
(2) The air intake system is one of the key auto parts
The internal combustion engine intake system is an important part of the engine, and the performance of the intake system directly determines the performance of the engine and even the entire vehicle. With the iterative of automobile technology, the air intake system has played an increasingly important role in improving engine fuel economy and intake noise control in addition to the basic functions of particulate filtering and improving engine life.
(3) The requirements for the intake system of internal combustion engines have been greatly increased
With the continuous increase of internal combustion engine load, gradual improvement in performance and changes in the working environment, the structure and performance of the matched air filter and intake system have undergone major changes.
During the "13th Five-Year Plan" period, in order to ensure the realization of the binding targets for energy conservation and emission reduction, my country's major automobile manufacturers have successively launched turbocharged engines. Compared with naturally aspirated engines with the same displacement, the power has been greatly improved and fuel consumption has been reduced. The air intake system has gradually evolved parts such as low-pressure pipes, superchargers, high-pressure pipes, intercoolers, etc., mainly air filters, with richer functions and more complex materials and structures.
(4) National Sixth Standard promotes the upgrading of pollution control technology
The issuance and implementation of the National Sixth Standard will promote the technological upgrading of fuel evaporative pollution control system products such as carbon canisters. Companies with simultaneous research and development capabilities will face new development opportunities.
The current National Sixa Emission Standard requires a 30% increase in CO (carbon monoxide) emissions compared to National Five. The National Sixb emissions standard, which will be fully implemented in July 2023, will fully exceed the EU and US emission standards. The requirements for the control of gasoline evaporative emissions have been greatly improved.


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Apple today confirmed another 23 U.S. banks and credit unions now offer support for Apple Pay. The moves comes just a day after Canadian banks Tangerine and President’s Choice Financial also announced support for the mobile payments service.
Pokémon Go is still available in just a small number of countries right now, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to miss out on all the hype. You can download the hit game today, wherever you live, by creating a U.S. iTunes account. Here’s how!
Google is bringing Android apps to Chrome OS to make its Chromebooks an even more attractive option for laptop buyers, but it turns out they’re already doing pretty well. For the first time ever, Chromebooks are now outselling Macs in the U.S.
Apple’s new iPhone SE might be able to take sales from Android in some emerging markets, but it certainly won’t be able to stem the bleeding in many countries, where Google’s platform continues to rob iOS of its market share.
According to the latest figures, Android is up in China, Europe, and even the U.S. as the iPhone’s share falls.
Apple launched its new 8GB iPhone 5c in Europe this morning, but the cheaper handset is yet to reach the U.S. online store. That’s because it isn’t going to. The Cupertino company has confirmed that the device will only be available in a select few countries, and the U.S. isn’t one of them.
While the U.S. market has been the biggest measure for success with handset makers over the last few years, all of that may soon change as the U.S. smartphone market quickly gets dwarfed by China and others.
According to a new report from ABI Research, China will displace the U.S. as the largest smartphone market by the end of 2013, but just five years later both India and Brazil will pass the U.S. too:
The only way to get an iPhone on T-Mobile the past few years was to go out and buy an unlocked iPhone and put a T-Mobile SIM card in it. Now that T-Mobile has become an official carrier, a lot of iPhone users that are already on the carrier want to be able to use LTE but can’t.
To make things better, T-Mobile says they’re going to rollout an update for all unlocked iPhones on the network starting April 5th. The update will flip the switch on features that aren’t currently available, like LTE and Visual Voicemail.
Shipping times for the new 21.5- and 27-inch iMacs were this weekend reduced to just 1-3 business days for customers in the United States and Canada. Both machines have been in short supply since they went on sale back in November, and just one month ago, the shipping delay reached its peak when it slipped to 4-6 weeks in Europe.
iPad mini shipping times have today been reduced to just 1-3 business days at the Apple online store, which is the shortest wait the device has seen since it made its debut back in November. The new timescale currently applies only to the U.S. and Canadian stores at the moment, but it’s expected to roll out into other territories soon.


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21 March 2018
Europe Woos China with Wider Alipay and WeChat Pay Acceptance
Germany and the UK lead the way as Euro-retailers set out to make high-spending Chinese visitors welcome.
Alipay and WeChat Pay, two of mainland China's most popular mobile-payment apps, are becoming increasingly accepted throughout Europe. In Germany, for instance, Rossmann – one of the country's leading pharmacy chains – began accepting Alipay earlier this year, while 70 of the outlets operating out of Munich Airport now accept Alipay and WeChat Pay.
In the case of Rossmann, it began accepting Alipay after it saw a surge in sales to mainland tourists, many of whom were buying baby food and milk powder from its outlets, with a view to taking a supply of such items back to China.
With many such products bought at the request of third parties back in China, WeChat is often employed as a means of remotely confirming the volume and variety required. In light of this, Rossmann sees incorporating WeChat Pay into its check-out system as a logical progression of the welcome it already extends to mainland visitors.
Over at Munich Airport, many of the outlets have stolen a march on Rossmann and already have the facility to handle Alipay and WeChat Pay payments, with all such transactions processed by Wirecard, a Munich-based payment-service provider. Following Munich's lead, with the airport the first German retail site to accept WeChat Pay, Frankfurt Airport is said to be considering a similar move.
Frankfurt's decision to follow suit is far from surprising. In the first three months after Alipay was accepted, Munich Airport retailers saw their revenue from Chinese tourists grow by 92%. Given that more than two million Chinese tourists visit Germany every year – largely buying branded luxury goods – the potential revenue hike that accepting their favoured payment options could deliver is clearly colossal.
Reflecting on his own experience to date, Seven Zahn, Managing Director of Eurotrade Munich, the operator behind many of Munich Airport's duty-free outlets, said: "Given the excellent results we achieved with Alipay, it was an easy call to offer WeChat Pay as well.
"In addition, many Chinese visitors to Europe tend to work out their shopping lists well in advance. As a result, it's important for us to have access to the marketing platforms that mobile payment apps open up to us."
WeChat Pay and Alipay have not only penetrated the German market, however. There are clear signs that UK retailers are also stepping up their efforts to facilitate the needs of high-spending Chinese visitors. Camden Market, for instance, said to be London's fourth-most popular tourist attraction, already accepts WeChat Pay.
This is believed to be a concession both to visiting mainlanders and to the British capital's resident Chinese community, many of whom have adopted the social media company's payment platform. This is clearly a smart move, given that the total amount spent by Chinese tourists in the UK is now more than the combined spend of all of the country's US and European visitors. In total, 50% of all tourist luxury purchases in the UK are made by Asian visitors, with China accounting for the largest proportion.
Acknowledging the impact of these visitors, Han Chin, Creative Director of the Studio Collection, a Camden-based designer-clothing boutique, said: "Students and tourists from China and across Asia have flooded into London over recent years.
"Recently, more and more of them have found their way to Camden and, as a retailer, our job has been to provide these customers with a flexible and enjoyable shopping experience. As part of that, accepting WeChat Pay has proved an important way for us to cater to this new visitor demographic."
Overall, Alipay and WeChat Pay have revolutionised the way payments are made in China. While WeChat remains the challenger brand, it claims to already have more than 600 million active monthly users, making it China's most widely used mobile payment app after Alipay.
June Weng, Frankfurt Office


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Investors holding 432.7 million out of 502.4 million BPB shares tendered their stock by Friday's deadline in London, Saint-Gobain, based near Paris, said in a Regulatory News Service statement. It declared the offer unconditional.
The French company will combine BPB, the world's biggest producer of gypsum, with its insulation business to create the No. 1 maker of building interiors such as walls and ceilings. Based in Slough, southern England, BPB accepted a 775 pence-a-share offer last month after rejecting earlier approaches from Saint-Gobain Chairman and Chief Executive Jean-Louis Beffa.
"Saint-Gobain announces that all conditions of the recommended offer have been satisfied or waived," the French bidder said in its statement. The offer will remain open for acceptance until further notice, it said.
Three century-old Saint-Gobain, Europe's biggest distributor of building materials, gains leadership in a board-and-gypsum industry with sales growth twice that of construction as a whole.
It's buying a business whose sales have increased almost 50 percent in four years as demand for more user-friendly building materials surges, with countries such as China and India increasingly adopting modern construction methods.
The purchase price is 51 percent more than BPB's close on July 20, the day before Saint-Gobain first indicated it was considering a bid.
BPB ranks No. 1 in world production of plasterboard, made up of layers of fiber and paper bonded to a gypsum-plaster core. Invented in the US in 1888, plasterboard has come to replace lath and plaster, a system in which wet plaster is applied to strips of wood in a method akin to the centuries-old practice of wattle and daub, which used sticks with mud or dung.
The UK company has almost 13,000 employees and annual sales of 2.32 billion pounds, according to Bloomberg data; Saint-Gobain has 175,000 workers and revenue of 32 billion euros.


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The IMF trims its economic growth forecast again as the U.S.-China trade war continues, Brexit worries linger and inflation remains muted.Economyread more
Citigroup thinks Tesla investors hoping for a post-earnings rally later this week should scrutinize a pair of related financial metrics.Investingread more
Olive branches were extended from both China and the U.S. as the two nations are set to restart face-to-face trade negotiations after a monthlong truce.Marketsread more
Coca-Cola topped Wall Street's expectations for earnings and revenue.Food & Beverageread more
New disclosures show Facebook and Amazon each spent more than $4 million on lobbying activity in the second quarter of 2019.Technologyread more
Boris Johnson, one of the biggest voices in the Brexit movement, wins the Conservative Party leadership race by a 2-1 margin.Europe Politicsread more
Disney can nearly double its earnings by 2024, Morgan Stanley said in a note to clients on Tuesday.Investingread more
Amazon is expected to report its second-quarter earnings on Thursday.Investingread more
The largest residential brokerage company in the U.S. is partnering with the largest online retailer in a strategy to boost sales for both.Real Estateread more
Here are the biggest calls on Wall Street on TuesdayInvestingread more
Canaccord Genuity's Tony Dwyer believes stocks are about to fall as much as 5% from their all-time highs.Trading Nationread more
Republicans are pushing back plans to vote on a bill to make permanent the temporary provisions in the new tax law, CNBC has learned.
Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., who introduced legislation to extend individual tax cuts, said he had hoped for a vote around Tax Day next week. Now the timeline is unclear, but he is speaking with leadership about bringing the bill to the floor.
A person briefed on the process, who spoke to CNBC on the condition of anonymity, said Republicans are worried about the optics of voting for potentially costly new tax cuts shortly after the Congressional Budget Office projected that the national debt will nearly equal the nation's entire economic output by 2028.
A Penn-Wharton Budget Model analysis released Thursday estimated extending the individual tax cuts would add between $573 billion and $736 billion to the national debt.
The person said any vote on additional cuts may not happen until the summer. Davis said he is open to debating potential offsets for his bill once it is on the floor.
"We need to invest in American families," he said.


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Sovos Has Acquired Paperless
Global tax compliance and reporting software leader Sovos announced that it has acquired Chile-based Paperless to expand its real-time government reporting capabilities with electronic receipts and consumer point-of-sale tax reporting. With the acquisition, Sovos will expand its presence in Brazil and extend Latin American operations into Chile, Colombia and Peru.
Paperless is the world’s largest eReceipts and eDocuments company, processing more than two billion transactions across more than 40,000 third-party systems in 2016. Its solutions support global retailers and manufacturers like HP, InBev and Cencosud, the second largest retailer in South America.
The addition of Paperless makes Sovos the first software provider to offer a global solution for real-time business-to-government reporting, a highly disruptive form of regulatory compliance that has now spread to more than 60 countries.
“Over the last several years, we’ve helped our clients deal with a wave of disruptive tax reporting regulations across Latin America and Europe, and eReceipts, which has quickly become a significant burden for businesses that sell directly to consumers, is the latest example of that,” said Andy Hovancik, president and CEO of Sovos. “Paperless is the clear leader in the eReceipts space and the only solution capable of handling these high-volume transaction scenarios globally. That makes it the perfect solution to enhance our Intelligent Compliance Cloud – and a critical solution for enabling our clients to stay ahead of eReceipts regulations as they spread around the world.”
By acquiring Paperless, Sovos builds on the value of its Intelligent Compliance Cloud, a unique global compliance platform that helps more than 4,500 companies, including more than half the Fortune 500, reduce the burden and risk of tax compliance and business-to-government reporting.
Sovos is owned by London-based HgCapital and Vista Equity Partners. EY Chile served as financial adviser to Sovos, and Skadden provided legal counsel. Altis served as financial adviser to Paperless and Dalgalarrando, Romero & Cia provided legal counsel.


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Here are just a few of the interesting executive changes making headlines over this past week:
Lynton Snaps Up Executive Chairman Position
Texting application Snapchat hired Sony Entertainment’s CEO to be its new chairman of the board. Michael Lynton resigned from Sony Entertainment and will begin his new duties at Snap in six months. During the transition period Lynton will work together with Kazuo Hirai, the president of Sony Corporation in Japan, to secure his replacement. Hirai will be co-CEO and chairman of Sony Entertainment, sharing duties with Lynton until his departure.
Mattel Creates CEO Barbie in Reality
Toy and game manufacturer Mattel hired a new CEO. Margo Georgiadis hangs her hat at Mattel after a stint with Google as its president, Americas. She also worked as the COO of Groupon. The current CEO, Christopher Sinclair, now serves as Mattel’s executive chairman. Sinclair was a key member of the search team for a new CEO. He joined Mattel’s board in 1996 and has been its chairman and CEO since 2015. He worked over the past two years to transform the company culture. Georgiadis was chosen in part for her acumen with technology and building brands through global digital marketing.
Jackson Hewitt Tries the Ferber Method
Tax services provider Jackson Hewitt hired Alan Ferber from home security firm ADT Residential. Ferber begins his new job as Jackson Hewitt’s CEO immediately at the end of tax season. Until then, Ferber will work as co-CEO along with outgoing CEO David Prokupek to facilitate an easy transfer of power. Ferber is well-known for his special emphasis on customer satisfaction. His leadership style has historically been tied to growth through customer experience initiatives.
Look for more Executives on the Move next week!
Linet Krouse is a SWAT Editor for Hoovers. Previously, she performed quality assurance for Dun & Bradstreet’s global customer operations. Before joining D&B, Linet’s work experience includes customer service, property management, and benefits administration.


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WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (April 19, 2017) – Watkins Glen International announced today that Ticket Galaxy will be the primary sponsor of the Finger Lakes Beer Festival on October 21st, 2017.
The multi-year deal includes “Official Secondary Ticket Sponsor” status of Watkins Glen International and naming rights for the Ticket Galaxy Beer Festival, effective immediately. Ticket Galaxy will also have a presence at the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race weekend at Watkins Glen International, August 3-6.
“We are thrilled to partner with a great organization like Ticket Galaxy for our popular Finger Lakes Beer Festival event beginning this fall,” said WGI President Michael Printup. “Ticket Galaxy has a strong position in the sports and entertainment industry, and we look forward to working together throughout this upcoming season and beyond.”
Established in 1988, Ticket Galaxy adds another partner to their motorsports profile which includes the Ticket Galaxy 200 at Phoenix International Raceway.
“Watkins Glen International is one of the most distinguished racing venues in the Northeast, and provides exciting opportunities for fans” stated Steve Kobelski, President of Ticket Galaxy. “We’re proud to add WGI as a motorsports partner, and sponsor such a fantastic live event experience.”
Tickets to the Ticket Galaxy Finger Lakes Beer Festival can be purchased by calling 866.461.7223 or online at www.theglen.com.
About Ticket Galaxy
Ticket Galaxy is the sports and entertainment industry’s leading marketplace to buy and sell tickets to sport, concert, theater, and family events. Providing consumers with hard-to-get, sold-out, and discount tickets to live entertainment in the United States and abroad, Ticket Galaxy partners with some of the world’s most identifiable brands, including the Harlem Globetrotters, Professional Bull Riders, Capital One Orange Bowl, Phoenix International Raceway and teams across the NHL, NFL, MLB, NBA, MLS and collegiate athletics. Its retail, mobile-optimized website grants fans access to unmatched inventory, premiere customer service and secure ticket transactions in an easy-to-navigate environment, all with a 100% money-back guarantee. For more information on Ticket Galaxy, visit www.ticketgalaxy.com, Facebook.com/TicketGalaxyUSA, or Twitter.com/TicketGalaxy.
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By: Sophie O'Reilly, Customer Success Specialist
We talk to people about gifting everyday.
If we had a $1 for every time someone told us they don't like the traditional way that #swag has been promoted, given, manufactured, glorified, etc. at events and within the corporate gifting world we would...have a lot of dollars!
As a team, Unwrapit has decided to share some of these sentiments. And in doing that we're also creating a monthly roundup of interesting or thought provoking articles we've come across about the topic - and we invite you to shout it out with us!
At Unwrapit, we are passionate about the concept of business as a force for good. This is key to our foundation as a B Corp certified company. We know that digital gift-giving and offering a low/no waste gift can be as fun, memorable and on-brand as any sent physical gift. And better yet, it is more seamless and a more sustainably-minded solution.
Each month we see articles pop up on our newsfeed clearly demonstrating that others feel the same and that there is an indisputable need for a monumental shift away from useless, wasteful and unwanted swag.
As individuals we can make more sustainable choices in our every day life. But significant change won't happen without the commitment from decision makers within businesses as well. It's imperative that companies take the lead and individuals within a business that are championing gifting for internal or external needs can also choose to make a more sustainable choice.
A few interesting things we read this month!
We came across this great article written by Lemonade Stand earlier in the year which outlined why alternative #swag options should be considered.
We were pleased to see that each of arguments against #swag outlined by Preston at Lemonade Stand, Unwrapit can solve for. How so?
A big shout out to Team Form in Australia this week, who attended an event and instead of giving out branded swag, they planted a tree in honor of everyone who registered interest with them. This totalled 50 trees being planted via Carbon Positive Australia.
At Unwrapit, we offer multiple social impact gifts with our valued gifting partners, one of them being One Tree Planted.
It is always amazing (and seriously refreshing!) to see how many people decide to ‘pay it forward’ and plant a tree in a location of their choice, rather than choosing a gift for themselves.
Some other great articles which caught our attention this month:
A different view on the saying 'recycling won’t save us from Global Warming:
In a recent article, Peter Kmech, president of Creative Promotional Marketing Agency said that ‘his company has one “shockingly popular” offering where virtual attendees ‘plant’ trees online—but also fund real tree planting in Canadian forests.’


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An article from Glixel on RollingStone.com announces a New Wizards Of The Coast Transformers Trading Card Game In 2018.
The article features an interview with Wizards Of The Coast President Chris Cocks who revealed plans for a brand new Transformers themed next fall.
The game hasn’t been formally announced yet, but Cocks says it’s a title aimed both at young teens and the collector and toy audience. It will come out in September or October. “We think Transformers are cool and the game has interesting, unique mechanics,” he says. “All cards are two-sided, over-sized and feel bigger, weightier in your hand.” Cocks says the game has a relatively light learning curve, but a lot of depth. “It should take one or two times to understand how to play,” he says.
The game, which has a unique rule set, is built around two decks. One of the decks is a hero deck and the other is a powers and abilities deck used to “amp up heroes.” The strategy around play, he says, is to choose the right hero with the right abilities and powers. They’re also considering making a digital version of the game, once it launches, depending on how it is received. “Transformers will be brand new to Wizards.”
The article also shares two pieces of art of Optimus Prime and Megatron (in both modes) for the upcoming Transformers game. You can check the images attached to this news post after the jump and then you can sound off your impressions at the 2005 Boards!


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4Front, a leading cannabis company, has announced on Friday May 1, 2020 that the company has successfully secured 22 Million USD of New funding. According to the details released by the PR Newswire News Agency, the company has said that the secured funding would be used to accomplish the company’s financial objectives in the second half of 2020.
The company has further said that it will raise 4 Million USD through private placement. The placement for the funding is scheduled to close on May 4, 2020.
The company has gained a reputation of being one of the credible cannabis company in the highly competitive market of the US. The company is now producing 300 SKUs and 25 different products across the United States. 4Front focus on manufacturing low-cost and quality production at scale to masses.
Chief Executive Officer of 4Front, Leo Gontmakher said, “This is a watershed moment for our company. We believe these non-core divestitures, combined with our private debt placement, put the Company in the enviable position of not needing additional capital to become cash flow positive.”
Our commitment to a lean corporate structure and focused execution allows us to achieve self-sufficient operations while minimizing dilution to our shareholders. The momentum in our business is strong and we can now turn our complete attention to maximizing growth in our core geographies and expanding our vertical operations to take a meaningful market share in nascent adult-use markets,” Gontmakher further added.
Sharing his thought on the company’s funding, Gulati of Navy Capital said, “We are impressed with 4Front’s focus on long-term, sustainable growth and its ability to operate an efficient and lean business during these uncertain times. We believe their low-cost, high-yield cultivation and production facilities in Washington, Massachusetts and Illinois are replicable across multiple geographies and well-suited to driving growth at scale in a production-led industry. We are delighted to support the Company in its next phase of growth.”


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US growth forecast to hit 4.8%
ONE of America's biggest business groups says it expects the US economy to grow 4.8% this year, with so-far elusive jobs gradually being created.
The US Chamber of Commerce said it expected the unemployment rate would fall from 5.9% to 5.5% by the third quarter.
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Like most other digital entertainment sectors, the video game category is experiencing somewhat of a transition in 2022, and the future of the category could be defined by a slew of anticipated new hardware and technologies expected in the next 18 months. Fortunately, these new video game products could spell good news for consumer technology retailers looking to spark sales excitement.
One aspect of the anticipated video game transition is being driven by the lucrativeness of the market, even with a slight regression expected this year after a two-year Covid bump. NPD projects that video game hardware, content and accessories will dip a bit this year to $55.5 billion in the U.S., a decline of 8.7% compared to 2021. CTA, however, is, not unexpectedly, a bit more gaming bullish for H2. According to Steven Hummel, a CTA market research manager, gaming consoles were the fourth most anticipated tech product consumers expected to purchase in 2022, with 29% of U.S. households planning to buy one. CTA says more than 15 million home gaming consoles will ship in 2022 in the U.S., a 5% increase from 2021.
Worldwide, IDC expects video game market revenue to rise slightly to $275 billion this year. According to Piers Harding-Rolls, research director for Ampere Games, consumers around the world will spend $18 billion just on new consoles in 2022, while new boxed games will drive $9 billion in spending. “So, across these two parts of the market, there is an almost $30 billion market opportunity,” Harding-Rolls concludes. “Add in accessories, used games and hardware and merchandise, and the market remains substantial. Reselling game subscription cards or store credit on prepaid cards is well established but remains relevant.”
Regardless of single-digit market rises or falls of video game sales this year, the overall market remains enormous and still sits comfortably second behind the TV business in the overall entertainment market, more than three times that of the movie business. However, the uniquely splintered nature of the video game industry – from the varying hardware and content platforms including mobile (smartphones and handhelds), PC, and console, to its wide accessories opportunities led by headphones, monitors, and keyboards/controllers, present plenty of areas of continued retail sales potential.
According to Ampere, the global mobile video game content and services market will generate $111.1 billion globally this year, the console market $42.6 billion, and the PC gaming market $34.2 billion, and IDC projects revenues from the sale of PC and console gaming accessories and peripherals this year will reach $20.6 billion.
“Gaming is a different space than other tech because the content these devices can play have an important role in the sales of the hardware and software,” observes Emily Herbert, research associate on the North America team for Counterpoint.
New Hardware Anticipation
As usual, the fall will bring new gaming hardware. A third update to the Sony PlayStation 5, the CFI-1200, has already appeared in Australia, was expected to be released in Japan on September 15, and eventually the rest of the world, although Sony has not said when. Sony also started pre-sales of a new camouflage PS5 and accessories on September 15.
Microsoft revealed a more affordable Xbox Elite Controller Series 2 “Core” ($130) sans interchangeable components and a separate Component Pack ($60), both scheduled to be available on September 21.
On the portable gaming side, most anticipated is wider availability of the popular Valve Steam Deck portable, which originally went on sale in February but suffered from extensive shortages due to unanticipated high demand along with Covid-impacted production issues. While Valve struggles to fulfill orders, rumors of a pending second-generation handheld have begun swirling. New versions of Nintendo’s popular Switch portable, including the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet version, are coming this holiday season, according to Ampere’s Harding-Rolls. These and other portable gaming handsets continue to battle the more all-in-one but still technologically and ergonomically restricted smartphone for mobile gaming supremacy.
On the accessory side, next-gen 3D “spatial” 360-degree headphones and even neck speakers are bringing more aurally enveloping experiences for players. “The word ‘immersive’ is a large buzzword for gaming and the hardware being developed and trending now will push to make the most immersive experience,” explains Counterpoint’s Herbert. Additionally, LG just released a “bendable” monitor that transforms from a flat wide screen monitor into a curved one.
New Tech, New Potential
Perhaps the most anticipated new gaming development is “meta” or “metaverse,” thoroughly video immersive virtual reality gaming, especially for massive multiplayer online games, aka MMOs such as “Call of Duty.”
Leading the metaverse hardware world is the Meta Quest 2 – formerly the Oculus Quest 2 – of which 10 million were shipped by the end of 2021 according to Counterpoint, compared to 6.6 million Sony PlayStation VR, 3.3. million HTC Vive, and 7.6 million other Meta VR headset versions. Sony is expected to release its PlayStation VR2, theoretically by the end of this year, “but with the ongoing supply chain issues the OEM is facing, [Sony] is unlikely to release the device until 2023,” according to Herbert, along with 20 games from both first- and third-party developers. Counterpoint expects standalone VR will reach almost 40 million units by 2025, while a new report from ARRIS Composites finds that 79% of Americans are interested in VR, with 29% planning to buy a VR headset in the next year – and, more importantly, that 92% of VR headsets are used for gaming.
“I’m predicting that 2023 will be huge not just because of ongoing Meta momentum with its Quest line but because PSVR 2 will supposedly launch in late 1Q 2023, and that will have a lot of great games coming out for it next year,” agrees Lewis Ward, IDC’s gaming, esports, and VR/AR research director. “VR isn’t a huge part of the gaming pie, but I do expect to see at least 100% revenue growth next year worldwide in this market relative to 2022’s total.”
See also: Another View: The PS5 Price Hike Is Part Of A Worrying Trend


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Namibian Hip Hop artist, Rizzy, who is credited with hit tracks such as ‘Up in the Club’ featuring Ms Thangs, Gangster Girl and Loli Pop, will launch his album at the Warehouse Theatre tonight. Tickets at N$30 will be available at the Warehouse box office. Doors will open at 20h00 and the show will kick off at 21h00. The launch will feature various Namibian artists with the likes of, Jericho, Quonja and Maaps, Militants, Snazzy, Lady May, Ms Thangs, Lo2, Verdicts, Effy, Image, Sciencetist and R.o.G. The long-awaited debut album will hit the stores in a week’s time. One of Rizzy’s tracks titled ‘Down and Under’ featuring Arthur is taking the Namibian Hip Hop and Rn’b scene by storm and is gaining popularity at an alarming rate. For those who have not yet heard, they can buy their CDs at their local retailers before the launch so they can familiarize themselves with the songs. For further details you can contact Krazzy-E! Studios at 081 253-1450 or email us at Mufaro_n@yahoo.com.
3.7 ° C


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Exit133 is about Tacoma
For-profit colleges don't have the best reputation in the education world. Now an investigation is turning up questionable business practices by Corinthian Colleges, parent company of Everest Colleges.
The chain of for-profit schools is under investigation by the Washington Attorney General's office for preying on low-income students and falsifying job-placement rates. Those falsified job numbers, along with altered grades and attendance numbers, used in marketing materials, have gotten the attention of the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Securities and Exchange Commission too.
There's an Everest campus in downtown Tacoma on Pacific Avenue, about a block south of the UWT campus. Corinthian will be either closing or selling its Everest schools, which have already had state and federal financial aid yanked.
So, there could be a school, or maybe even a whole building available on Pacific soon ...Read more at The Seattle Times


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28 June 2018
As Leader Price’s chief executive discusses the retailer’s changing model, the banner opens its first stores in Italy in collaboration with locally-based Crai.
Leader Price steps away from hard discount
As part of the launch of its new concept, dubbed ‘Next’, Casino-owned Leader Price is evolving its business model. The retailer’s chief executive, Tina Schuler, was quoted as saying; ‘ Low p...


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275 jobs axed as Lotus sales skid
LOTUS is cutting 275 British jobs, blaming a drop-off in demand for its sports cars. The cuts, 15% of the workforce at its Hethel plant in Norfolk, will be implemented over the next few months.
The firm said current market conditions and demand for its sports cars had forced it to realign its manufacturing capacity. Lotus makes the Elise and the Esprit, and also makes the Vauxhall VX220/Opel Speedster for General Motors.
Malaysian carmaker Proton controls 80% of the UK specialist sports car firm. Around 1,750 staff are employed worldwide by Lotus, with other bases in Detroit and Atlanta in the US and at Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. It also has an engineering analysis centre at Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex. While staff at these sites are not affected by the cuts, cost-cutting measures are being introduced across the firm.
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Swiss pharma company Roche’s insulin pump will be the next to support automated insulin delivery thanks to a partnership with French AI company Diabeloop.
As part of the deal, users will be able to integrate Roche’s Accu-Chek Insights insulin pump with the Diabeloop monitoring system. This integration would result in a hybrid closed-loop system – a system designed to take the pressure off the patient to dose glucose, instead relying on an algorithm.
Typically, hybrid systems are made up of a CGM, an insulin pump and a glucose-detecting algorithm.
The Diabeloop system uses and algorithm to continuously monitor insulin levels and data. It can then stop insulin delivery, adjust the basal rate or deliver automatic correction bolus. In a hybrid system like this the algorithm is largely able to calculate and adjust insulin delivery, except at meals when patients have to take control over the dosing.
The hybrid system will first be rolled out in Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands in 2021.
WHY IT MATTERS
The hybrid-closed loop system has been pitched by companies and innovators as a way to cut down on diabetes-management burden.
Over the last decade researchers have been exploring the use of closed-loop systems. In 2018, the Lancet published an investigative study that found the hybrid closed-loop demonstrated improved glucose control and lower risk of hypoglycemia compared to those managing their own glucose levels with an insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor.
“Diabetes management is complex and personal, and achieving therapy goals is an ongoing challenge. The integration of the Accu-Chek Insight insulin pump into an AID system creates new opportunities to lower the burden of constant insulin dose adjustment for people with diabetes,” Marcel Gmuender, head of Roche Diabetes Care, said in a statement.
“By partnering with Diabeloop, we’ll help people with diabetes get more out of life by supporting them to automatically meet their personal insulin needs day and night. At Roche, we believe that the more personalized therapy is, the better the outcomes will be.“
THE LARGER TREND
Automated insulin dosing has become an increasingly popular topic in diabetes care. In 2020, Inuslet made deals with medtech Dexcom and Abbott in order to ingrate its Omnipod Horizon Automated Insulin Delivery System into the partner's continuous glucose monitoring devices.
Medtronic’s MiniMed 770G System landed FDA clearance in 2020 for its hybrid closed-loop system, which marked the first time an automated insulin-delivery system was greenlighted for young children with Type 1 diabetes.
Diabeloop has been working on its tech since it was founded in 2015. The Grenoble, France-based company landed €31m in a Series B funding in 2019 for its system.
Roche is a veteran in the diabetes space. As far back as 2015, the company landed FDA clearance for an Accu-Chek connected companion app. However, the company has struggled with Accu-Chek’s management apps. In 2019, the pharma giant announced its sixth device recall for the app from the FDA.


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The global Humic-based Biostimulants Market is forecast to reach a market size of USD 1,037.5 Million by 2027, and register a significantly high CAGR over the next seven years, according to a new report by Reports and Data. Growing demand for humic-based biostimulants can be attributed to growing demand for high crop yield. Humic-based biostimulants find wide application in organic farming, greenhouse vegetable production, and horticulture.
The report is furnished with the latest market…
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The report on the Global Health Drinks Market recently published by Reports and Data spans over 100+ pages and offers a comprehensive assessment of the market in terms of value, market share, market size, demand and supply, trends, competitive landscape, industrial chain analysis, and other key elements. The report offers critical insights into fundamental aspects of the Health Drinks market inclusive of lucrative business approaches, market demands, prominent players of the industry, and a…Continue
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Reports and Data has recently published a comprehensive report on the global Superfoods Market that offers analysis of current and emerging trends, end-use analysis, and other key factors along with a thorough analysis of market share, market size, market value, supply and demand, and competitive landscape. The study also offers a comprehensive outlook for the driving and restraining factors along with micro and macro-economic factors that can impact the overall revenue growth of the market.…Continue
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The global Hydroponics Market is foreseen to be valued at USD 22.2 Billion by 2028 from USD 9.5 Billion in 2020, registering a CAGR of 11.3% through the estimated timeline. An agricultural technique—hydroponics is generally used for growing plants or crops in a soil-less medium, including a mineral water and nutrient solution. Hydroponics technique is gaining popularity in the overall agriculture sector due to the maximum yield obtained by using this certain technique. Furthermore, crops…Continue
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The global Commercial Greenhouse Market is exacted to expand at a significant CAGR of 11.6% and rise from USD 33.12 billion in 2020 and reach 79.66 billion by 2028. A variety of plants, vegetables, flowers and ornamentals, fruits, and nursery crops are grown in the commercial greenhouse for commercial consumption. The commercial greenhouses have heating and cooling systems, lighting, and aeration to provide controlled conditions to enhance the growth of the plants and nursery crops. The…Continue
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The global Trace Metal Analysis Market size is expected to reach USD 10.3 billion by 2028 at a CAGR of 9.8%, according to a new report by Reports and Data. A significant rise in food and drug adulteration practices worldwide, growing incidences of water-borne and food-borne illnesses, stringent food & drug safety regulations, and the imposition of strict food & drug certifications, such as the cGMP and cGDP, are some of the key parameters contributing to the global trace metal…Continue
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The global Agricultural Pumps Market is evaluated to augment from USD 4.21 billion in 2020 and reach USD 7.6 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 7.9% during the estimated time. The gradual shift from traditional farming techniques to advanced methods is flourishing the agricultural pumps market demand. Agricultural pumps are becoming an essential aspect of the farming industry.
This report on the Agricultural Pumps market delivers a cumulative synopsis of the speculations of this business,…
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The Global Ketogenic Diet Food Market Report published by Reports and Data offers extensive knowledge and information about the Ketogenic Diet Food market and spans over 100+ pages. Crucial statistical data relating to market size, market share, growth driving and restraining factors, opportunities, and current and emerging trends are covered thoroughly in the report. The report offers a comprehensive SWOT analysis and Porter’s Five Forces analysis to offer a better understanding of the…Continue
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The global Maternity Innerwear Market is expected to value USD 9.67 Billion in 2028 and to expand at a CAGR of 4.6% during the forecast period. Factors such as increasing purchasing power and availability and visibility of more westernized clothing, attire, and innerwear brands online and in physical stores and outlets, as well as celebrity endorsements of such products are driving growth of the global maternity innerwear market.
The global Maternity Innerwear market research report…
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The global Inoculants Market size is expected to reach USD 1469.6 Million by 2028 at a CAGR of 6.8%, according to a new report by Reports and Data. Inoculants, which is also known as microbial inoculants, aid in enhancing the nutritional status of host plant, along with reducing the requirement for fertilizer inputs. Containing several beneficial microbes such as fungi, bacteria, algae, and protozoa, inoculants are able to carry out growth in plants, along with suppressing diseases or…Continue
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The global Halal Cosmetics Market is forecast to reach USD 66.33 Billion by 2027, according to a new report by Reports and Data. The market is being driven by the increasing number of Muslim population globally. Muslims account for approximately 25% of the worldwide population. An increase in the health concerns among consumers after using cosmetic products is fueling the need for special cosmetic products, which is, driving the market for halal cosmetic products.
The research report…
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The global Functional Apparel Market is forecast to reach USD 519.04 Billion by 2027, according to a new report by Reports and Data. The increase in health and wellness trend is one of the main influencing factors that has propelled the demand for explicitly athletic wear or sportswear items of various types of garments. Consumers around the world have been taking their fitness activity seriously into consideration by indulging in multiple sports and fitness activities. Growing numbers of…Continue
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The Global Baby Personal Care Market is forecast to reach USD 9.31 billion by 2027. The Baby Personal Care market is rising rapidly in the global market due to increase in women empowerment and rise in economic development and proliferation of awareness in baby care & nutrition. Improvement in medical science has also reduced the rate of child death, mostly in the developing countries, which is also helping to heighten the overall baby products market growth significantly.
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The Global Coconut Milk Market is projected to reach USD 1.12 billion by 2027. The Coconut Milk market is fueled by the rising usage of the healthy alternatives of the cow & other animal milk products. Also, many health benefits of using coconut milk in food & beverage and the personal care products are propelling the market growth. Moreover, the growing demand for bio-based cosmetics anticipated opening new growth opportunities for the target market.
The global Coconut Milk…
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The global Bluetooth Speakers Market is forecast to reach USD 3.13 Billion by 2027, according to a new report by Reports and Data. Bluetooth speakers have the ability to stream audio content wirelessly and take up minimal space, as compared to other home theater systems. These speakers run on batteries and are perfect for outdoor purposes. Another advantage is their hassle-free maintenance, good functionalities, and increased durability, which will propel the demand for the market.
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The Global Oat Milk Market is projected to reach USD 6.47 billion by 2027. The market is fueled by the rising trend of consuming dairy based cereal alternatives, and growing practices of vegan diet, concerns about antibody residues, or growth hormones in animal milk. Oat Milk are often highly preferred by the patients who suffer from heart diseases, anemia, cancer, and allergic to dairy based products. More than 16% European consumers try avoiding dairy products for these aids and…Continue
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The Natural Food Colors Market is projected to reach USD 2.76 billion in 2027. The product demand in the coming years is expected to fuel increased concern about the health risks associated with synthetic and natural similar colors. Due to the increasing product penetration in major application industries like beverages and bakery and confectionaries, the market is expected to expand. Therefore, the industry is expected to benefit from the strict rules for synthetic colors which lead to…Continue
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Reports and Data has recently added a new research report titled ‘Global Digital Farming Market Forecast to 2027’ to its wide database that offers extensive information about the Digital Farming market with regards to market share, market size, revenue growth, global and regional reach, and product portfolio offered by the market. The report focuses on current and emerging trends in the agriculture industry such as sustainable farming, novel irrigation and air seeding technology,…Continue
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The report on the global Pet Dietary Supplement Market added by Reports and Data to its vast database comprises insightful details about the Pet Dietary Supplement market size, share, revenue growth, top companies, regional analysis, trends and demands, and offers comprehensive data about developments in the market. It provides in-depth assessment of present market conditions and future market opportunities along with drivers, segments, consumer demands, pricing factors, and overall industry…Continue
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The global Biological Seed Treatment Market is forecasted to reach USD 2,037.5 million by 2027, according to a new report by Reports and Data. The growing demand from emerging markets will help the biological seed treatment market to maintain stable growth over the forecast period. The adoption of modern farming techniques will provide strength to the Biological Seed Treatment Market and will also help in its growth over the forecasted period. The necessity to improve the rate and frequency…Continue
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The first project that was announced by the Pool was identified as setting standards for online video so that it is as easy to buy and plan against as a 30-second TV spot. This is clearly something of interest. The Pool's leadership -- Curt Hecht, president, VivaKi Nerve Center and Tracey Scheppach, senior vice president, video innovation director, Starcom USA. - discussed its direction in a keynote speech at the recent IAB Digital Video forum. Two potential game-changers (PGCs) were mentioned during the keynote. Here they are:
PGC # 1: There are two video ad format contenders, down from a consideration set of 30 -- neither of which is pre-roll. Most online video dollars are being spent on pre-roll placements, largely because of the ease of formatting offline placements and the fact that they have become the de facto publisher standard. The Pool is setting out to come up with something completely different. With data to support the new unit's effectiveness, this could turn the online video market completely upside down. While the executives gave no details in their presentation, two additional clues are that these two formats should be familiar to those in digital media, and that they are specifically designed to support long-form content. Any guesses out there on what they might be?
PGC # 2: No YouTube participation. This might not have been a big deal before last week, when YouTube launched a section of the site for professionally produced TV episodes and films. This is clearly aimed squarely at Hulu. Hulu got there first, but YouTube has a massive audience. If this new section gains traction with advertisers, as Hulu has done, we can be sure that YouTube will be allocating resources toward the best possible monetization strategy and advertising opportunities. And if it doesn't fit with the Pool's recommendation, there will be no Internet version of the 30-second spot. Hulu-level content and YouTube-level scale, combined with Google's technology, cannot be ignored.
Testing of the Pool is scheduled to be finished in October; it's set to be presented to the industry in February 2010. One thing is guaranteed: much can, and will, change by then in our market. This will be very interesting to watch.


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Amazon’s Alexa smart assistant can now direct users to their nearest COVID-19 testing sites or help them find a vaccine trial.
Amazon quietly rolled out the new voice functionalities last week, allowing users to ask Alexa via their Echo smart speaker or their smartphone where they can receive a local coronavirus test.
If a user asks “where can I get a COVID-19 test?”, Alexa will pull data from GISCorps and sources like Yelp and offer a list of locations within a 10-mile radius.
READ MORE: Amazon launches brand new Alexa app
On the Alexa smartphone app users will then be given a number they can call to book an appointment, while Echo users can simply ask Alexa to “call the first one”.
Users can also ask Alexa to “find a COVID vaccine trial” and be offered a list of trial sites within a 30 mile radius using research organisation IQVIA.
The functionality was rolled out alongside the addition of a raft of new branded alarms, which allow users to choose to be woken up by sounds from Disney, Spongebob, Jurassic World and Harry Potter.


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Scientists working at Amazon have developed a new technology which they claim could mean the end of unwanted presents. The on-line retailer has been granted a patent for a "gift conversion" system which allows users to swap dodgy presents before they even arrive.
It's said the system would allow users to "blacklist" friends and family who frequently give bad gifts and set "rules" for their presents. This could be an automated exchange for another item, a different clothing size or gift vouchers.
Always assuming your relatives shop at Amazon in the first place.


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Author: Mukul Srivastava
After the arrival of Corona, OTT has given a new direction to the entertainment industry. FICCI and consulting firm EY report that in 2019, 28 million and in 2020 more than 53 million people have taken OTT subscription in India, which is a straight increase of 49 percent. On the other hand, 62 percent of the audience of cinema halls decreased and 13 percent of TV.
Actually, to set up an OTT platform (streaming service), no big capital is required compared to television. In this world dominated by Netflix and Amazon, many indigenous platforms have also tasted success in the Indian market. For example, ALTBalaji, a subsidiary of Balaji Telefilms, added 1.8 million subscribers as of September 2021, which is many times more than the 3.5 million subscribers three years ago. Other platforms like Zee5 and Sony Liv have also been headlined by overseas audiences.
It is the wonder of India’s diversity that the stars of Netflix and Amazon, which have become big names in terms of their number of subscribers across the world, are not so high in India. According to a report by streaming guide JustWatch, Disney Plus- Hotstar is at number one with a growth rate of 25 percent in the third quarter of 2021. Amazon Prime Video is at number two in this list, which has a growth rate of 19 percent. Netflix ranks third behind these three and has a growth rate of 17 percent, which is less than before.
Disney Plus- Hotstar continues to remain at number one with the highest growth for the third time in a row. In January this year, the growth rate of Disney Plus- Hotstar was 20 percent, which increased to 25 percent by the third quarter i.e. September. This had a direct impact on Netflix, whose growth rate decreased by two percent in the third quarter compared to the second quarter. A big reason for the success of Disney Plus- Hotstar and Amazon Prime is also to continuously show original content in Indian languages on these platforms, while most of the content on Netflix is in English or other European languages. While Netflix is dubbing its content in Indian languages, Disney Plus- Hotstar’s content shows more Indianness in terms of regionalism. Amazon is also serving the program keeping in mind the Indian audience. At the same time, more than 150,000 hours of video content is available on MX Player in 12 languages, which is very appealing to the audience.
Another reason Amazon Prime doesn’t use separate accounts for family members is all under one umbrella. But through this, shows and movies can be seen on different devices by creating profiles. But if multiple people are streaming on one account at the same time, a message will appear on the screen. Netflix lets you watch shows on anywhere from one to four devices, depending on the plan. The Disney Plus – Hotstar service is relatively the most generous of all, which allows streaming on up to four devices. It also has the option to create seven different profiles. This is also a big reason for its popularity in India.
History beyond statistics is a witness that change in human behavior never goes backwards. The COVID period has affected every area of our daily routine and many of these things will now become a part of our lives forever. Spending time on OTT platforms is one such habit. Although there are allegations of spreading obscenity on OTT, the variety that is there in the form of content, it is no longer with television, then the glut of advertisements on TV also breaks the immersion of the audience. There is also the fact that traditionally films first got hit by television, then VCR, then CD/DVD came, but our cinema halls kept on facing all these challenges by changing forms. How the TV and film industry will face this challenge from the OTT platform, is yet to be decided.
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are those of the author.


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Brown, Colleagues Call for Review of MV Realty's Deceptive Listing Agreements
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chair of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, along with Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN), Chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Urban Development, and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) requesting a review of real estate brokerage firms’ use of exclusive listing agreements. The letter follows several reports of companies like MV Realty misleading families into entering 40-year exclusive listing agreements, which can make it difficult for homeowners to refinance and often result in them losing out on up to three percent of their home’s value when they resell.
“MV Realty, and companies like it, take tens of thousands of dollars from homeowners in exchange for a minimal up-front payment. By advertising these agreements as a ‘loan alternative,’ companies are attempting to avoid the legal limitations on lending while in essence charging borrowers onerous rates,” wrote the Senators. “We urge the CFPB and FTC to work with state attorneys general to review whether these listing agreements and business practices violate federal consumer protection laws, including prohibitions against unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts and practices, and to take appropriate action where violations are found.”
Brown has long fought to protect Ohio’s homeowners and renters from bad actors in the housing market and to improve access to affordable homeownership. Earlier this week, he sent a letter asking manufactured housing investor Legacy Communities to halt drastic rent increases in Ohio manufactured home communities that could force Ohio homeowners from their homes. Last week, he sent a letter to VineBrook Homes Trust after multiple Cincinnati residents reported neglectful ownership practices. He also called on the CFPB to take action against mortgage servicers that violate the law by attempting to foreclose on homeowners for “zombie” second mortgages borrowers don’t even know they have.
A copy of the letter is available here and below:
The Honorable Lina Khan The Honorable Rohit Chopra
Federal Trade Commission Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
We are writing regarding recent reports that some real estate brokerage firms are misleading families into entering exclusive listing agreements, which exploit and deprive them of profits that they would earn from selling their homes.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused financial hardships for millions of American families, particularly lower- and middle-income households. The dire circumstances families encounter has created an opportunity for companies to take advantage of struggling homeowners.
According to recent reports, there is a growing trend within the real estate industry marketing exclusive 40-year listing agreements as a “loan alternative.” Companies, like MV Realty, offer consumers as little as $300 in exchange for entering into a 40-year exclusive listing agreement on the consumer’s home. Consumers are told that there is no obligation to return the cash, and they owe nothing in return unless and until they sell their home. What MV Realty does not fully disclose to consumers is that during the course of the 40-year term, if the home is sold for any reason – not just the consumer listing the property, but also if the home is foreclosed upon, or if the owner passes – and MV Realty is not used, then the homeowner, or their heirs, will be obligated to pay three percent of the value of the home as a penalty.
Further, many consumers report that MV Realty does not disclose that these agreements are filed in the public record. Lenders often consider the agreements to be a lien on the consumer’s home and thereby a disqualification when the consumer attempts to refinance their home or otherwise access their home equity through a line of credit or a reverse mortgage. Failing to disclose or misleading consumers about the way that these listing agreements will slow or prevent a consumer from refinancing or tapping into their home equity – denying them either the opportunity to save money or to access much-needed capital.
MV Realty, and companies like it, take tens of thousands of dollars from homeowners in exchange for a minimal up-front payment. By advertising these agreements as a “loan alternative,” companies are attempting to avoid the legal limitations on lending while in essence charging borrowers onerous rates. Sadly, exclusive listing companies are now a national problem – expanding their, affecting consumers across state lines. MV Realty now operates in 33 states and has reportedly issued 30,000 exclusive listing agreements.
Recent reporting raises serious concerns about potentially predatory and coercive practices by real estate firms, like MV Realty, and several state attorneys general are taking action. We urge the CFPB and FTC to work with state attorneys general to review whether these listing agreements and business practices violate federal consumer protection laws, including prohibitions against unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts and practices, and to take appropriate action where violations are found.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this important issue.
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