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An Uber driver who filmed his argument with the company's CEO told NBC News that the firm does not care if drivers are "not even making minimum wage." » Read More
By: Arjun Kharpal
Sir Martin Sorrell also said that Snap, scheduled to go public this week, can be a "third force" in advertising. » Read More
Workday's CEO is hoping that Oracle's acquisition of NetSuite could have customers knocking on his door. » Read More
The co-founder of Microsoft thinks that together he and Musk could do some real good.
It's inevitable Snap will face questions about how it can compete in overseas markets — where users are young and mobile is growing quickly.
How one of the most powerful women in Silicon Valley splits her time between her day job and investing
The company is continuing to take a more active stand against harassment on its platform, as well as letting people filter what they see.
A current female employee says men were promoted before more qualified women, and were catcalled by male employees while at work.
Over the past few years, the company has repositioned itself as a modern-day camera company, the New York Times reports.
Nintendo Switch, which hits stores Friday, will have you slack-jawed with wonder one minute and fuming with anger the next.
As people get more used to multi-touch devices without keyboards, smartphones and tablets are becoming our new computers.
Snap is eyeing a range of $17 to $18 per share for its upcoming IPO, sources told CNBC on Tuesday.
"If Europe is to remain a credible force in this global race, our industry should also move fast…to deploy and trial 5G capabilities."
Bernstein says it sees an "increasing number of credible competitive threats" to Intel's products.
Social media has become a new tool researchers have at their disposal, the NYT reports.
CNBC talked to Gen Z teens and young adults to figure out about their social media and app habits.
An engineer from Lagos, Nigeria, was asked answer programming questions by U.S. Customs before being allowed to enter the country.
Google is giving your an alternative way to watch TV without cable or satellite for $35 a month.
In a video obtained by Bloomberg, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is pictured arguing over fares with his driver.
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Matt Rosoff is the editorial director of technology coverage at CNBC.com in San Francisco.
Matt Hunter is the senior technology editor at CNBC.com.
CNBC.com news associate
Michelle Castillo is a reporter for CNBC Digital, covering advertising and media.
Senior Tech Reporter
Harriet Taylor is a CNBC.com technology reporter based in San Francisco.
Working from Los Angeles, Boorstin is CNBC's media and entertainment reporter and editor of CNBC.com's Media Money section.
Jon Fortt is an on-air editor. He covers the companies, start-ups, and trends that are driving innovation in the industry.
Josh Lipton is CNBC's technology correspondent, working from CNBC's Silicon Valley bureau.


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First responders continue to show up daily to support communities across America – and this October, Lowe’s will be there for them. Lowe’s stores nationwide will support first responders through community impact projects, in-store deals, events and more to show support to the men and women who serve our communities, the company said.
In honor of National First Responders Day on Oct. 28, Lowe’s will again offer a discount to eligible first responders at Lowe’s stores nationwide and on Lowes.com. As a special “thank you” and way to #BuildThanks for this community, eligible first responders must sign up to receive $10 off a $75 or more qualifying purchase – redeemable Oct. 21 through Oct. 28.
Now through Oct. 28, first responders can learn more and register for the special one-time offer by visiting Lowes.com/FirstResponders. Eligible first responders include firefighters, EMTs, police officers, nurses and doctors.* Those who register will receive their discount via email.
“These heroes show up every day to support communities across the country. They’re always the first to arrive on the scene and the last to leave,” said Marvin Ellison, Lowe’s chairman and CEO. “We hope to demonstrate our immense gratitude and appreciation throughout October with a special offer and ongoing service projects to improve the spaces they call home.”
With October also being Fire Prevention Month, Lowe’s stores will continue its tradition of raising public awareness for threats of fire and carbon monoxide by hosting a series of fire safety demonstrations and DIY safety workshops, led by local fire departments and Lowe’s partner, First Alert, on Oct.1, Oct. 8 and Oct. 15.
Lowe’s commitment to the first responders’ community extends beyond the month of October. Projects benefiting first responders are part of this year’s Lowe’s Hometowns program – a five-year, $100 million commitment to restore and revitalize spaces in the communities Lowe’s serves.
This year, Lowe’s associates and community volunteers are participating in efforts to renovate and restore three signature projects enhancing first responders’ spaces: Montclair Ambulance Unit (Montclair, N.J.), Penn Wynne-Overbrook Hills Fire Company (Wynnewood, Pa.), Webber Township Fire Protection District (Bluford, Ill).
Additionally, Lowe’s stores across the country are leading community impact projects to support and celebrate local first responder organizations and nonprofits, furthering Lowe’s commitment to this essential community and continuing to #BuildThanks across the country.
To register for the special one-time offer or to learn more about store events, visit Lowes.com/FirstResponders.

domain: news


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If you haven't picked up the redesigned Chromecast yet, now is a good time to make a new purchase. Google is offering $20 in Play Store credit when you purchase the streaming stick, which is currently on sale at Best Buy and Walmart for $30 (regularly $35).
Google says the free Play Store credits will be available for Chromecasts purchased between December 13th and January 2nd, 2016. (The deal applies to the Chromecast Audio as well.) With an effective cost of $10, a new Chromecast — now with Spotify support — may be too good to pass up right now.
The future of the Chromecast


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Egyptian pound steady at central bank sale, weaker on black market
The central bank said it sold $37.6m at a cut-off price of 7.1401 pounds per dollar
The Egyptian pound remained stable at a central bank dollar sale on Thursday and weakened slightly on the black market.
The central bank said it sold $37.6 million at a cut-off price of 7.1401 pounds per dollar, unchanged from its last sale on Wednesday.
The rate for the dollar sales has stayed within a very tight range since the beginning of June, after the bank allowed the pound to weaken in May. It had offered $40 million on Wednesday.
On the black market, the dollar changed hands for 7.39 pounds, one trader said, weaker than the rate of 7.385 on Wednesday.
The rates at which banks are allowed to trade dollars are determined by the results of the central bank sales, giving the bank effective control over official exchange rates.


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Fitness Lonnie…The World’s Best CrossFit Trainer?
Fitness Lonnie is nothing short of controversial. The self proclaimed creator of CrossFit and so-called “Fittest Man Alive” was not only...November 27, 2011
Concept 2 Cyber Monday Offer
Concept 2 Rowing has announced their Cyber Monday Offer. If you shop online with the rowing company on November 28, you...November 26, 2011
Coffee: Another Reason?
No matter what your diet, Paleo, Zone or the SeeFood Diet (you know the one, you see food and you eat...November 26, 2011
Black Friday: Let the Sales Begin!
So Black Friday has come and besides the hundred and one page refreshes what does it bring? The Rx Review takes...November 25, 2011
Vibram’s 2012 Seeya
Vibram are at it again. The five-finger shoe company just announced next year’s barefoot line-up. There are a variety of new...November 25, 2011
Burpee Challenge Anyone?
Today’s Sydney Morning Herald’s Executive Style section has thrown down a Burpee Challenge! Those of us who have been CrossFitting for...November 24, 2011
Robb Wolf v US News Over Paleo Diet
It seems the Paleo diet really is causing a bit of a stir in the CrossFit world. A week ago I...November 23, 2011
Cain Velasquez and Vibrams
It was just over ten days ago today, on November 12, that the biggest fighting event in UFC history took place....November 23, 2011


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Amazon Echo Dot
24 Aug 2019
The best smart speakers you can buy in 2019
Smart speaks are a great add-on to enrich your digital life. They are portable (some of them), affordable and easy to use.
29 Jun 2019
Amazon Dot v/s Echo: Which one should you buy?
It feels so futuristic to summon Alexa and have her do things for you - play music or read news or set reminders or simply turn on/off the lights.
16 Jun 2019
Father's Day 2019: 5 best tech gifts for your dad
Father's Day is here, and there is a good chance that you have already started the search for some cool presents to show your love and affection to your dad.
16 Apr 2019
Amazon Earth Week Sale: Top-deals on smartphones, accessories, and laptops
In commemoration of the Earth Day, which falls on April 22, Amazon has announced the Earth Week Sale from April 16-22.
02 Dec 2018
5 interesting things you can do with Amazon's Echo speakers
When it comes to smart assistants, there's no denying that Amazon's Alexa is neck-to-neck with Google Assistant.
21 Sep 2018
Amazon's new Echo smart speakers available for pre-orders in India
Alongside a host of new Alexa-powered products, Amazon has announced updated Echo devices at its hardware event in Seattle.
30 Mar 2018
Google Home smart speaker to come to India in April
According to reports, Google will launch its voice-enabled smart speakers Google Home and Google Home Mini in India in April.
05 Nov 2017
Alexa powered Amazon Echo devices can now understand your accent
Amazon has taken its own sweet time to launch the Echo range of smart speakers in India, and for good reason.
04 Oct 2017
What to expect from second "Made by Google" event today
Tech giant Google is set to unveil the next-generation Pixel smartphones - Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL- at the second "Made by Google" event today.
23 Aug 2017
Mini Google Home speaker to compete with Amazon Echo Dot
Google is reportedly planning to launch two Pixel smartphones and a Pixel-branded Chromebook at a hardware event expected to be held in October.


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The Barilla pasta controversy exploding on social media right now has drawn the attention not only of indie sauce makers, but two major competitors (Buitoni and Bertolli) as well as customers.
Over on Facebook, Barilla pasta’s gay marriage controversy has opened a door — and both Buitoni and Bertolli have slipped through alongside the “fabulous Beekman boys” in showing support for LGBT equality.
Since Barilla came under fire for the CEO’s Wednesday night remarks about “classic family” values excluding gay folk, controversy over the pasta brand has raged on sites like Facebook and Twitter. Many users have stated an opinion about Barilla and their stated views since the remarks were first circulated.
Buitoni and Bertolli both publicized their own positions on marriage equality and LGBT rights after the Barilla controversy began, posting to Facebook with ads or promotional images adorably stating their views.
On Buitoni’s page, the pasta maker simple arranged six tortellini alongside gendered markers — one set male and female, one male and male, and one female and female.
Over a green background, the Buitoni logo is displayed alongside a simple phrase: “Pasta for all.”
An international Bertolli page used a similar message, but added a cute graphic of little pasta shapes in what appears to be a pot of sauce slash same-sex wedding. (We can only infer, a penne noodle is marrying a penne noodle.)
A farfalle looks on in joy as a couple walks a mini-shell, and the message is as follows:
While the Barilla pasta controversy continues, it seems more brands are stepping up to show LGBT support in the boycott’s aftermath. Do you support or boycott brands that vocally support LGBT rights?


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More Problems for XM
May 24, 2006 11:08 PM
comment(s) - last by
When it rains, it pours at XM
XM Satellite Radio is facing a bunch of problems recently. Earlier this year, XM's director Pierce Roberts Jr.
announced his resignation to the company
. Roberts said that there was increased tension between him and other executive board members and also warned that XM would be facing a critical situation down the road if costs weren't managed well. Later down the road,
XM was taken to court by the RIAA
. The company was brought to court because the RIAA claimed that users of XM's service are able to download tunes into portable XM players.
XM defended itself by saying
that its portable XM players do not allow users to transfer off music to other devices.
Unfortunately, the problems haven't ended for XM. This week, the company announced that its acquisition plans for WCS Wireless LLC have fallen through. Last year, the deal between XM and WCS was being put together so that XM could acquire WCS and obtain its technology as well as its frequency spectrum. Unfortunately, that deal took longer than expected and time has not been good to XM. The company's stock prices have dropped significantly since last year and unfortunately, this has negatively affected the acquisition. XM was to purchase WCS for 5.5 million shares of XM stock, which at the time was valued at roughly $200M USD. Now, the same amount of shares are worth less than half the original amount. From the official announcement:
At the time of the acquisition agreement between XM and WCS Wireless, announced July 13, 2005, the parties had expected to close their transaction by this time, with the timing dependent on receipt of necessary government approvals. Despite both parties' efforts to obtain that approval, it has not been forthcoming to date. Accordingly, XM and WCS Wireless have agreed to terminate the acquisition agreement in order to free WCS Wireless to pursue other alternatives for its spectrum licenses.
XM said that it originally
wanted to acquire WCS to expand its network offerings
. Audio, video and other content was in the works. XM has also been competing heavily against Sirius, which also offers competitive satellite radio services. WCS says that it hopes to find other companies to sell its technology to.
This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
Zuma is a fool. I pity that fool.
5/29/2006 4:30:02 PM
HD is great, zuma is an idiot, and XM sucks.
I'm a Sirius fan now that XM pissed it away.
"If you can find a PS3 anywhere in North America that's been on shelves for more than five minutes, I'll give you 1,200 bucks for it." -- SCEA President Jack Tretton
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Aussies Targeted By 'Aggressive' Tax Scam Calls
Hundreds of Australians have been hit with a robo-call from scammers pretending to be the Australian Tax Office in the first few days of the new financial year.
There have been more than 250 reports of phone-based tax scams between July 1 and July 4, according to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC).
This is on top of the more than 13,000 reports made so far in 2019, leading to reported losses of more than $1 million.
People are reporting phone calls from either an "aggressive scammer" or a robotic-sounding voice, asking them to fix an outstanding tax debt or face imminent arrest and jail time.
The person is then directed to pay the tax fine either via iTunes of Google gift cards or through a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin.
"Scammers are taking advantage of people lodging their taxes at the end of the financial year," an ACCC spokesperson told 10 daily.
"The tax office will never threaten you with arrest or ask for immediate payments through unusual payment methods such as gift emails."
Another ATO scam currently doing the rounds is via email, telling the recipient they are owed a large tax return. However, it's nothing more than a phishing scam, designed to get you to put your details into a fake myGov website.
"People who receive a call or email telling them they will be arrested for a tax debt should hang up the phone or delete the email," the ACCC spokesperson said.
If you do receive a call or email and want to check if it's legitimate, you can call the ATO on 1800 008 540.
Meanwhile, millions of Australians are set to receive a $1080 tax cut this financial year, after the government passed its mammoth $158 billion tax cut this week.
While lower and middle-income earners are bound to feel some relief from the tax cuts, changes to HECS debt repayments from July 1 -- with the lowering of the repayment threshold from $52,000 to $45,881 -- mean some income earners will lose the financial benefit.
Contact the author: email@example.com


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Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks during the Google I/O keynote session at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain Watch, California on Could 7, 2019.
Josh Edelson | AFP | Getty Images
Alphabet noted weaker-than-anticipated earnings and revenue for the second quarter. The inventory rose much more than 4% in extended investing.
This is how the business did:
- Earnings for each share (EPS): $1.21 vs $1.28 expected, in accordance to Refinitiv
- Earnings: $69.69 billion vs $69.9 billion anticipated, according to Refinitiv
- YouTube promoting earnings: $7.34 billion vs. $7.52 billion envisioned, according to StreetAccount
- Google Cloud earnings: $6.28 billion vs. $6.41 billion predicted, in accordance to StreetAccount.
- Site visitors acquisition expenditures (TAC): $12.21 billion vs $12.41 billion anticipated, according to StreetAccount
Revenue progress slowed to 13% in the quarter from 62% a yr previously, when the business was benefiting from the write-up-pandemic reopening and customer investing was on the rise.
Currency fluctuations from a strengthening greenback knocked 3.7 percentage points off revenue expansion, CFO Ruth Porat told CNBC’s Deirdre Bosa. Porat mentioned the strength of the greenback will strike up coming quarter’s outcomes even harder.
Porat also characterized the latest outlook as a single of “uncertainty in the world-wide economic ecosystem.”
Promotion earnings elevated just 12% to $56.3 billion, as entrepreneurs reeled in their paying to manage inflationary pressures. The most notable deceleration was in the YouTube division, where by gross sales rose 5% after jumping 84% in the similar period of time a year ago.
In addition to the general pullback in advertisement paying, YouTube is also dealing with heightened levels of competition from TikTok in quick-sort videos.
The report arrives times following Snap declared disastrous quarterly results and explained it programs to sluggish hiring for the reason that “forward-looking visibility continues to be unbelievably demanding.” In contrast to Snap, Alphabet shares rose marginally soon after its numbers were being produced, as traders may possibly have been expecting far more troubling indicators.
Google’s Look for and Other income was $40.69 billion, up from $35.85 billion the year prior, the report confirmed. That advancement was boosted by travel and retail queries, claimed Philipp Schindler, Google’s main business officer.
Revenue in Alphabet’s Other Bets phase, which involves self-driving car unit Waymo as perfectly as some health-tech assignments and the company’s undertaking arms, rose by $1 million from a calendar year before to $193 million. It misplaced $1.69 billion for the duration of the quarter.
Google Cloud, which fell small of revenue anticipations, misplaced $858 million all through the quarter. The cloud division is trying to just take share from Amazon Website Solutions and Microsoft Azure, the leading two players in the sector. Microsoft stated on Tuesday that profits from Azure and other cloud expert services grew 40% in the time period.
Alphabet stated its headcount rose 21% to 174,014 total-time staff members from 144,056 the calendar year prior. Even so, the organization stated last thirty day period it will sluggish the tempo of choosing and investments by 2023, and CEO Sundar Pichai informed personnel in a memo, “we’re not immune to economic headwinds.”
The organization expects individuals problems to go on through the stop of 2022.
“Going ahead, the very robust profits overall performance very last year continues to make challenging comps that will weigh on calendar year on calendar year growth charges of promotion revenues for the remainder of the yr,” Porat claimed on the phone.
Alphabet failed to deliver a income forecast, but analysts anticipate expansion for the 12 months of 14% to $293.9 billion, in accordance to Refinitiv. The shares have shed about a quarter of their benefit this 12 months.
View: With the recession looming, ad spending is heading to come down


text:
Professor of agricultural economics at Cornell University’s Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Andrew M. Novaković, PhD, told DairyReporter Mexico looking beyond the US for trade partners is not a surprising move.
“The part that is scary about Mexico is with all of this economic plus immigration rhetoric, Mexico is exploring alternative suppliers across the board and dairy is an important one for us,” Novaković said.
Since NAFTA became law in 1994, US dairy exports to Mexico have more than quadrupled to $1.2bn, making Mexico the US dairy industry's No. 1 export market, accounting for nearly one-fourth of all US dairy exports last year, according to USDEC.
“A lot of people will tell you that Mexico is already looking to diversify their sources of supply even though nothing has changed yet because they’re so worried about the rhetoric and they don’t want to find themselves caught short,” he said.
“In some ways that damage has already started to occur.”
Last month, US dairy leaders traveled to Mexico City to reaffirm the value they see in maintaining Mexico as a trade partner, while advising Mexico to be cautious in pursuing new trade deals with other nations.
"I believe Mexico needs to be smart about opening its market to other dairy suppliers that are more interested in spot sales than a long-term partnership," USDEC president and CEO, Tom Vilsack, told Mexican dairy leaders attending the National Dairy Forum in Mexico City.
Argentina reportedly next trade partner
However, Mexico has moved toward finalizing a trade deal with Argentina by the end of the year, Mexico’s deputy minister of foreign trade, Juan Carlos Baker, said during an interview with Reuters.
Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri also promised to open the Latin American country’s economy and trade to Mexico by the end of 2017.
"The potential is there," Baker said. "The Argentine exporters could find attractive conditions in Mexico."
Baker told Reuters Mexico would not go back to paying an export tax if exports to the US became restricted.


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HONG KONG: Crystal Group joins Sustainable Apparel Coalition
Hong Kong-based garment manufacturer Crystal Group has joined the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), which works to reduce the environmental and social impacts of global apparel and footwear production.
Crystal Group, one of Asia's largest apparel makers, will provide data and resources to facilitate SACs sustainable initiatives for the apparel and footwear industry around the world.
The SAC has been working to develop the Higg Index, a benchmark which helps companies evaluate material types, products, facilities and processes based on a range of environmental and sustainability rankings.
"In joining SAC, we would like to work with the industry in a global manner to drive the sustainability agenda further," said Crystal Group chairman, Kenneth Lo.
"With the strong coalition, I believe that Higg Index will become an industrial norm that serves as a harmonised standard for benchmarking."
The company said it has completed its first set of five-year targets and is working on its second set, which include: reducing its carbon footprint per garment by 6%; increasing the use of renewable energy to 5-10%; reducing fresh water consumption per garment by 10%; reducing energy consumption by 5%, reducing paper consumption by 10%, sending no operational waste to landfill; and to increase the use of recycled water to 50%.
An interactive databank with intelligence on the major apparel sourcing countries
- How M&S plans to revamp its clothing business
- The difference between compliance and safety?
- Central America must make better use of DR-CAFTA
- Yarn-forward rules weigh on Vietnam TPP potential
- Is China really going through a slump?
- Gap accused of rights violations in supply chain
- US Q1 in brief – Guess, Burlington Stores, Sears
- H&M, Inditex and Nike rated supply chain leaders
- Adidas Speedfactory eyes large-scale production
- BHS supplier Courtaulds Brands in administration


text:
Everyday millions of American shoppers swipe a credit or debit card at a retailer. The familiar motion – magnetic strip down – may soon become a thing of the past according to the Wall Street Journal. Retailers and credit card issuers are looking to reduce fraud by bringing the U.S. credit payment system – cards and all – up to the standards used by the rest of the world.
In January, Lenovo, the world’s largest PC manufacturer, purchased Google’s Motorola phone division for $2.91 billion. This marked an exit from the mobile phone market for Google after just 20 months – and marked a loss from purchase price of nearly $10 billion dollars.


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Sony has officially confirmed that their next-generation console will be called PlayStation 5, and they’re launching it in time for holiday 2020.
That means that, as we pretty much expected, we can expect to get our hands on Sony’s next console in a little over a year, just in time for Christmas. Although the release date and the title of the console are no big surprise, it is still nice to get official confirmation, but what is a little more surprising is Sony’s announcement that they are revamping the controller for their next console.
Specifically, Sony says that they want to “deepen the feeling of immersion when you play games”, and to do that they want to “reimagine how the sense of touch can add to that immersion”. To do this, Sony is replacing the traditional “rumble” technology that has been present in controllers since the 5th generation of console, which could be quite a revolutionary thing to do. Replacing the rumble technology will be “haptic feedback”, which will allow players to “feel a broader range of feedback” from their controller. Sony says that this will make crashing a car into a wall feel distinctly different from making a tackle on a football field, and you should even get a sense of textures when you’re travelling through long grass or puddles of mud.
The new controllers will also have “adaptive triggers” , which will allow developers to program the resistance of the triggers so that players can experience “the tactile sensation of drawing a bow and arrow or accelerating an off-road vehicle through rocky terrain”. Sony says that these adaptive triggers coupled with the new haptic feedback will produce “a powerful experience that better simulates various actions”.
It’s quite the change for Sony to get rid of the rumble feature that has been a staple of every console in recent memory, and it’ll be interesting to see if Microsoft opt to do a similar thing with the controller for their next-generation Xbox. The new technology sounds like it will give every game its own distinct feel in your hands, which should help to improve the immersion, but I’m now more curious about what it will look like. Will it follow the same design that Sony has used for years, or could we finally see a radical overhaul of its appearance and feel too? We’ll have to wait and see.
PlayStation 5 will launch in Holiday 2020.


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Returning to the judges’ table for the fourth time, Sofia Vergara made a statement with her colorful power suit, perfect for the spring season.
Sofia Vergara in playful Dolce & Gabbana leggings and blazer featuring painterly floral and zebra prints arrives at America’s Got Talent Show on March 28, 2023, in Pasadena, California (Credit: BauerGriffin / INSTARimages)
She opted for oversized printed sunglasses and a medium tan Christian Dior Book Tote handbag to accessorize, giving her business-chic fashion an edge. Vergara chose subtle makeup and matte beige lip color for her glam look.
Sofia Vergara shows off a young child’s fan art and styles her Dolce & Gabbana outwith with square sunglasses, black Amina Muaddi Bianca pumps, and a Christian Dior Book Tote (Credit: BauerGriffin / INSTARimages)
As Vergara approached the studio doors, she received a young child’s fan art, which she proudly held up for photographers. The drawing featured her alongside two other AGT judges, showcasing her impact on her young fans.
Meanwhile, returning to the judges’ panel for the tenth time, Heidi Klum opted for a business-casual look.
The former Victoria’s Secret model sported a Camila Coelho Raina top, featuring a cropped pink and yellow sweater with sheer black paneling and a black sheer corset top that lined her bodice.
Her top had busk closures running down its middle and boning throughout. She paired these with high-waisted black pants that had pleating on the wide-leg trousers.
Heidi Klum wears bold oversized red Kilian Kerner x Fielmann 018 Fa sunglasses as she arrives at America’s Got Talent Show on March 28, 2023, in Pasadena, California (Credit: BauerGriffin / INSTARimages)
Despite their stunning outfits, the duo found themselves amidst April Fool’s backlash after their “tacky” prank went wrong.
They shared a photo on social media where the German supermodel held her stomach in a dressing room while wearing a long skirt, a cropped black sweater, and a pair of tan UGG slippers, and Vergara was seen kissing Klum’s fictitious baby bump, leading people to believe that she was pregnant.
Heidi Klum effortlessly exuded style in a pink and orange Camila Coelho Raina sweater featuring semi-sheer panels on the front and left sleeve paired with sleek black pants and a red MCM Milla tote bag (Credit: BauerGriffin / INSTARimages)
Her colleague Howie Mandel, also back in his 14th season, posted the photo on Instagram along with the caption, “Congratulations @heidklum. Coworkers @sofiavergara and I are the first to know.”
Vergara then shared the same picture on social media, saying, “I’m going to be an aunt!!”
However, hours later, Klum shared a photograph of Mandel with a prosthetic baby bump on his stomach, proving it was just an innocent prank.
She jokingly said, “From me to you, congratulations.”
Unfortunately, their followers disapproved of the joke, with many saying that since “so many women experience infertility,” “being pregnant isn’t a funny April Fools’ joke.”
View this post on Instagram
The 18th season of America’s Got Talent will feature a new lineup of aspiring performers, including vocalists, dancers, comedians, magicians, and death-defying and high-flying acts to win the $1 million grand prize and the opportunity to open an AGT live show in Las Vegas.
It will air on NBC on May 30, with Terry Crews returning as the presenter and Simon Cowell as a judge on the summer talent competition series for his eighth season, along with co-judges Vergara, Klum, and Mandel.
As we gear up for another exciting season of America’s Got Talent, we can’t wait to see what Sofia Vergara and Heidi Klum have in store for us in fashion and entertainment.
They may have faced backlash for their prank, but they will undoubtedly continue bringing their unique style and personalities to the show.


text:
AKRON (July 10, 2003)—Goodyear has launched a new H-rated Eagle performance tire aimed at automotive enthusiasts wanting a high performance tire at a value price.
The Eagle GT-HR features an all-season, directional tread pattern and carries a 50,000-mile treadwear rating. It also is designed with Goodyear's Race Wrap construction technology in which the ply wraps from the center of the tread, down around the bead, up the sidewall and back under the steel belts.
This is the same technology Goodyear uses in its NASCAR race tires and “gives us high-speed durability without nylon overlays,” said Bob Toth, marketing manager for Goodyear brand auto tires.
The tire, which replaces the Goodyear Eagle HR line and 18 T-rated sizes of the Eagle GT II tire line, is available in 20 sizes ranging from P185/60R14 to P245/50R16. It carries a UTQG rating of 440AA.
Only independent tire dealers, Goodyear company-owned stores, Sears Automotive Centers and National Tire & Battery stores will offer the new tire.
Goodyear is building the tire at its Union City, Tenn., tire plant.


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Life Time fitness, a chain of gyms in the U.S. and Canada has removed all cable news channels from the televisions displayed throughout their facility, as customers complained that the constant barrage of news was not healthy.
That we need to be constantly entertained while doing something like exercise illustrates how ingrained media consumption (and manipulation!) has become.
But it is interesting to see that many others are fed up with the constant barrage of 24 x 7 “news” (I put that in quotes since most of it is now entertainment, not traditional news reporting).
Me – I go running. I do not even listen to music while running. Clearly, I am weird!


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The following press release was issued by Meprolight
Meprolight, leading innovator and manufacturer of pistol night sights announced the addition of high visibility night sights designed specifically for the popular Smith & Wesson M&P Shield.
Meprolight has led the industry in the development of tritium gun sights, which provides the shooter with a more accurate sight picture in low-light conditions. Their proprietary state-of-the-art manufacturing process provides gun owners the highest quality, highest visible night sight on the market at an affordable price.
Now, M&P Shield owners can join other S&W owners with tritium night sights designed specifically for the M&P Shield and can shoot with confidence knowing they have the best night nights on the market.
The Mako Group is the exclusive US Distributor for Meprolight, FAB Defense, Front Line Holsters, E-Lander Magazines and RTS Targets. To find out more, visit their website at www.themakogroup.com. “Like” The Mako Group on Facebook and follow on Twitter to stay up-to-date on the latest news and products.
The Hi-Point Carbine is the same size as its larger-bore brothers in 9mm, .40S&W,...
by Personal Defense World / Mar 4, 2015


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MacBook Pro Sales Defy Critics
Despite lots of media criticism, revenue numbers for Apple’s new MacBook Pro are sky high, according to Slice Intelligence. The 2016 MacBook Pro starts at US$1499 for the non-Touch Bar 13-inch model and $2399 for the Touch Bar 15-inch model.
“In the first five days of availability, US online shoppers spent more on the new MacBook than any other laptop in 2016. It is safe to say that this launch has been a pretty big success for the folks in Cupertino,” Slice said in a press release on Tuesday.
New purchase data from Slice Intelligence show that the new MacBook Pro sales online generated seven times the revenue the 12-inch MacBook received during its launch in April 2015.


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In early December 2016, the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) proposed leverage caps for retail CFD Brokers which will be dependent on the experience of the client. The proposal can be found in the FCA’s Consultation Paper CP16/40 entitled Enhanced Conduct of Business Rules for firms providing contracts for difference products to retail clients, which is open until March 2017. However most CFD brokers in the UK are anticipating that shortly afterwards, it will come into effect.
Following on from the FCA’s announcement, retail CFD brokers felt the effects of the proposed changes almost immediately. Some of the biggest players in the retail CFD industry found their share value dropped by at least 20%.
Now the question that the industry wants answered is, does the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) have the power to implement the same leverage restrictions?


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iNew has announced its new Smartphone with MediaTek MT6580 – powered called “ iNew U5W “. It is a successor of iNew U5 Smartphone which is powered by MediaTek MT6735 processor.
Now lets move on the specification of iNew U5W Smartphone.
The iNew U5W Smartphone comes with a 5-inch LED IPS display screen with set resolution of 854*480 pixels. it is powered by a MediaTek MT6580 processor with 1GB of RAM. the iNew U5W smartphone runs on the Android v5.1 lollipop OS.
Storage wise, it has 8GB internal storage and expandable storage via microSD card slots. It has 5-megapixel back camera with LED flash light and 2-megapixel front facing shooter. The phone has 3000mAh battery power.
According to the report, the phone is estimated to go on sale in the coming few days and there is not pricing yet but it will be expected in the range of UMi Rome X-Bluboo Picasso.


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The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right, and I totally agree with him.
Taking Indian tea and Kenyan green beans as examples, the research by Oxfam found that workers and small-scale farmers earned less than 50% of what they needed for a basic but decent standard of living in their societies. The report also found that the gap between the reality and a decent standard of living was greatest where women provided the majority of the labour. In South Africa, over 90% of surveyed women workers on grape farms reported not having enough to eat in the previous month. Nearly a third of them said that they or a family member had gone to bed hungry at least once in that time.
In Thailand, over 90% of surveyed workers at seafood processing plants reported going without enough food in the previous month. In Italy, 75% of surveyed women workers on fruit and vegetable farms said that they or a family member had cut back on the number of meals in the previous month because their household could not afford sufficient food. In less than five days, the highest paid chief executive at a UK supermarket earns the same as a woman picking grapes on a typical farm in South Africa will earn in her entire lifetime. That is simply not good enough.
Large UK supermarkets lack sufficient policies to protect the human rights of the people they rely on to produce our food. Supermarkets need to act on human and labour rights, support a living wage and radically improve transparency of their own human rights and those of their suppliers. This is vital if our supermarket supply chains are not to be a breeding ground for trafficking. We must be persistent on this matter. Unfortunately, we cannot depend on supermarkets to do this on their own. We need the Government to enforce compliance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015. They must set out how they will measure decent work practices, reform company law and support the adoption of a binding United Nations treaty on business and human rights.


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ROUND ROCK, Texas – Nolan Ryan Beef announced that it will be launching uncured beef franks, which will extend across its hot dog and frank portfolio.
After supplying smoked beef franks to customers for nearly 10 years, the new product is set to launch with a foodservice partner in mid-July.
“The beef frank was reformulated to remove the added nitrites that previously served as the curing agent and replaced this ingredient with celery powder," said Cody Marburger, chief operating officer and vice president of operations for Nolan Ryan Beef. "The product will remain free of gluten, soy and MSG, and it will still have the same great taste and texture our consumers have enjoyed for nearly a decade.”
Nolan Ryan Beef will implement the reformulation of its hot dog products by the end of the third quarter.
“It’s important that our products evolve to meet the growing demand and best interests of our consumer’s. Customers are seeking brands and products that are making progressive steps in eliminating artificial preservatives and opting to find natural solutions that better align with the growing needs and wants of their families,” said Perry Coughlin, president and CEO of Nolan Ryan Beef.
Nolan Ryan Beef is available at Kroger in Texas and select stores in Louisiana along with foodservice locations across the US.


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One can only imagine how deeply frustrating it is for Microsoft executives to know that the Xbox One is still a name associated with bad decisions.
Not only that, but poorly communicated bad decisions, awkwardly endorsed by the company's representatives before a sudden and dramatic reversal amid a chorus of outrage.
The past may be prologue, but the Xbox team are desperate to draw a line under the whole debacle, and E3 will offer that chance.
Phil Spencer, the new head of Xbox, seems to take a no-nonsense approach to business matters. His first major decision was - controversially for some - to drop Kinect from the Xbox One bundle, thereby eliminating the PS4's significant price advantage. This was undoubtedly a painful choice, not least because it effectively eliminates the most unique aspect of Xbox One, and near enough guarantees that the industry will neglect the 3D camera that Microsoft has poured so much investment into.
Importantly, it shows that Microsoft is willing to take the necessary steps to manoeuvre the Xbox One into a stronger position, even if they are drastic, which bodes well for the console. But it also means the difference between Xbox One and PS4 is becoming negligible from a hardware perspective. It's no coincidence that Spencer has also reformed the Live Gold subscription service to closely resemble Sony's PlayStation Plus.
The wider strategy here is that eventually there will be very little to distinguish the two systems, aside from software, which is one area where Microsoft often has the upper hand.
So expect to see Spencer's no-nonsense approach return at Microsoft's E3 press conference, where the hardware manufacturer will likely showcase an extraordinary volume of high quality triple-A games and content, much of which will be exclusive.
"[Microsoft] will likely showcase an extraordinary volume of high quality triple-A games"
One of these projects is in development at what Spencer has referred to as an "awesome Japan studio", which makes Platinum Games among the likely candidates. Whether this game will be revealed prior to the Tokyo Game Show in September is another matter entirely. Our gut feeling says it will.
Up in the air too is Microsoft's suite of TV programmes and video content deals, which it probably would love to flaunt, but nightmares from last year's Xbox One reveal may ensure these deals are saved for a later date. Recent Xbox press events have been noticeably jumbled, and Microsoft's new agenda is an unflinching focus on nothing but games.
It's also a year or two too early to begin discussing the Kinect VR Glasses, that is, if the project has internally been commissioned. Having only just torn Kinect from its Xbox roots, it seems highly risky to start introducing new tech so soon.
Microsoft's E3 will be nothing but a game reveal extravaganza, and with Sony possibly facing a thin 2014 release slate, this could become a major advantage.
One shouldn't underestimate the wider economic situation here too. Sony is in a financially dangerous position, having recently reported a third successive annual loss despite its comprehensive cost-cutting operation. Microsoft, by contrast, has recently posted record-breaking revenue figures.
How Spencer will take advantage of his far bigger budget will likely be a determining factor, especially since it's so far behind in terms of indie support.
The journey ahead will be difficult for Microsoft, but it can still achieve the extraordinary. While there are still those who associate Xbox with its past problems, its lack of focus, and its infamous consumer-hostile policies, this E3 will likely prove that such views are becoming outdated.
Microsoft's E3 press conference takes place on Monday, June 9, at 9am Pacific Time (5pm UK time) - CVG will be covering the event live with live video, live text and up-to-the-minute news


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April 18, 2001Phyne Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Recalls Colchicine Injection
AZ (SafetyAlerts) - The Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) said today that Phyne Pharmaceuticals Inc. has recalled certain
Colchicine Injections because of a lack of super-Potency (By Mis-Formulation).
This is the first public notice of
this Class I
recall issued by FDA.
(Rx) Colchicine Injection, 0.5 mg, 30 ml Multiple Dose Vial.
Lot No. 1EC093000.
Amram Inc., Rathdrum, Idaho.
Phyne Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Scottsdale, AZ, on December 7, 2000. Firm-initiated recall
Nationwide to physicians.
Questions concerning this recall may be directed
to the FDA at 1-888-INFO-FDA.
Notice of this product warning was sent via email
to SafetyAlerts subscribers April
18, 2001. For more information regarding the SafetyAlerts free email alert service
please click here.


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The company takeover was the subject of rumours for months. It is possible that in the next five to ten years, something big could come from Amazon's laboratory, but that doesn't help Amazon in the short term. Leaping to mind are "Walmart's worst nightmare" followed by "this changes everything", the latter effective immediately in natural and organic foods retailing and, longer-term, potentially with regard to all grocery, not just in the USA but worldwide, notes David Lummis, market research analyst with Packaged Facts.
Amazon's expertise with data crunching could benefit both companies, especially as Whole Foods moves to collect more customer information through the rollout of its loyalty program.
U.S. Foods Holding (USFD) has dipped almost 3%.
Chicago-based Grubhub, the online restaurant delivery service? The culture and mission of Amazon is very different than that of Whole Foods. There could be a bidding war if someone puts in a better offer. Reuters was first to report that Wal-Mart wasn't making a counterbid, sending Whole Foods stock down 0.6 percent to $42.95.More news: Off-Duty Officer 'Treated As Ordinary Black Guy,' Shot By Another Cop
More selection, lower prices and delivery accuracy will be the pillars of a successful acquisition. Many current Whole Foods stores are in locations with limited parking space, so this could create problems for current building owners. Since capacity and reliability are always challenges in organic procurement, Amazon is starting from a strong position.
Amazon is also known for being disruptive by nature, across varied markets. It's easy to imagine that Amazon might later decide to integrate this technology from its warehouses to its Amazon Go shops, and probably Whole Foods stores, too.
But even with the push to the web, brick and mortar stores are popping up all over the place. The prototype version, now open in Seattle, allows consumers to walk in a store, pick food products, and leave.
Up to now, grocery has been a tough nut for Amazon to crack. A growing number of consumers aren't willing to wait in line to give a retailer money. It's available in most Southwest Florida communities.More news: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West to hire surrogate for third child?
"If they figure that out, it portends well even for brands like ours", he says. That's when Apple introduced the revolutionary iPods and the iTunes music store for convenient, legal access to music. According to industry watcher Gartner, the market for public cloud infrastructure will grow 36.8% to $34.6 billion worldwide this year.
The same fate awaits food retailing if it doesn't embrace the future. Only time will tell. But overnight, Amazon is the number one brick-and-mortar seller of natural and organic foods in the USA, and if Amazon can parlay that out to grocery overall the rewards are potentially vast. For all intents and purposes, Amazon still considers Canada as a pilot project, but that may change quickly. Amazon is undoubtedly viewing the opportunity as a more lucrative one. The company accounts for about half of new spending online in America. Most are barely in the online game (the average rating of Canadian grocers' iPhone apps is 2 out of 5). "We're not Whole Foods people and Amazon people". And since millennials have a long-standing relationship with online shopping, that competitive advantage is key. With a portfolio of new fashionable private labels like Happy Belly, Wickedly Prime, Presto! and Mama Bear, millennials are clearly on Amazon's mind.
Wal-Mart spokesman Greg Hitt declined to comment on whether the company is considering a bid for Whole Foods. This is a whole new world. That leaves Amazon with few likely rivals after its $13.7 billion deal to buy the organic grocer on June 16.More news: Liberal Steve Thomson BC's new Speaker in likely short-lived government
Sylvain Charlebois is senior fellow with the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies, dean of the faculty of management and a professor in the faculty of agriculture at Dalhousie University, and author of Food Safety, Risk Intelligence and Benchmarking, published by Wiley-Blackwell (2017).


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By Chris Nicholls
BAYSWATER, VICTORIA: Clive Peeters has announced it will open a new store in the new Rocklea HomeMaker Centre in Bendigo, Victoria.
The new centre will be built at High Street in the Kangaroo Flat region of Bendigo.
The new store will be 3,200 square metres in size and is leased for eight years with two further six year terms in the pipeline.
While the centre is still looking for other tenants, Sleep City has also announced it would establish a shop in the centre. Their initial lease is set for 10 years, with two five year extensions after that.
Both centre developer Philio and Clive Peeters were contacted for further information, but Philio did not respond and Clive Peeters media relations department declined to comment.


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If you’re going to see Australia, you need to see it in a big way.
That’s the message from comedian Hamish Blake and his wife Zoe Foster Blake who have teamed up again with Tourism Australia for a new campaign that urges Aussies to plan a “big” extended escape to bring some love back to the regions around Australia.
From beach-hopping to bush-bashing, Australian’s backyard really does have it all.
In their new ad, which is part of Tourism Australia’s Holiday Here This Year campaign, the couple showcases some of the “big” ticket items Australia has to offer for a domestic getaway.
While Tourism Australia has found domestic travellers have been shunning cities in favour of regional areas due to health and safety concerns, there has been a surge in shorter, more frequent, trips rather than traditional month-long getaways typically reserved for…


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Auto safety agency closes Lexus probe
Federal safety regulators have closed an inquiry into sudden-acceleration incidents involving certain Lexus ES models after concluding that a vehicle defect was unlikely.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s inquiry into the 2007 Lexus ES 350 and the 2002-03 Lexus ES 300 was triggered by a petition from Jeffrey A. Pepski of Plymouth, Minn.
Pepski said his 2007 Lexus ES 350 suddenly accelerated from 60 to 80 mph while he was driving home from work Feb. 3.
Pepski said his accelerator pedal became stuck and he could not lift it up with his right foot, while the car continued to accelerate.
He said he “depressed the brake as hard as I could using both feet” but managed only to slow the vehicle. He eventually shifted into neutral and shut the engine off.
Toyota said the incident was caused by an out-of-place floor mat, an explanation it has used in responding to most reports of sudden acceleration. The company also wrote to NHTSA officials, saying they should deny the petition.
After considering the case for seven months and interviewing Toyota executives, NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation said it decided to deny Pepski’s petition for a formal investigation and issued a letter Tuesday outlining its response.
NHTSA officials said any additional investigation “is unlikely to result in a finding of a defect” and cited the agency’s “limited resources” in deciding to close the case.
The denial letter, signed by Kathleen DeMeter, director of the defects office, was entered into an online investigation file Tuesday but then was removed later in the day without explanation.
DeMeter could not be reached for comment on why the file was removed. Normally, such letters are issued publicly at the same time they are published in the Federal Register, which has not yet carried the formal notice.
Since Pepski filed his request, Toyota has voluntarily recalled 3.8 million of its vehicles, after a horrific crash in San Diego involving a Lexus took the lives of a California Highway Patrol officer and his family.
Although the local accident investigation is pending, Toyota has told owners of seven Toyota and Lexus models to remove floor mats, which reportedly can jam accelerator pedals. The company says it is working on a broader solution to the problem.
Toyota’s recall includes the 2007 to 2010 Camry, the 2005 to 2010 Avalon, the 2004 to 2009 Prius, the 2005 to 2010 Tacoma and the 2007 to 2010 Tundra. The Lexus models recalled are the 2007 to 2010 ES 350 and the 2006 to 2010 IS 250 and IS 350.
NHTSA’s denial of the Pepski petition marks the fifth time the agency has denied a petition for a probe of Toyota products for sudden acceleration defects since about 2000.
The agency has not opened a formal evaluation related to the current recall by Toyota, though it has received written requests to conduct such an investigation.


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The global artificial intelligence (AI) market is forecast to make up $54 billion by 2032, according to PYMNTS. Berlin-based payment intelligence startup Fraugster has launched tools based on AI designed to help eCommerce retailers and payment services reduce fraud and maximize their revenue. This is also important in terms of chargeback prevention.
Fraugster’s BNPL Risk Model
Fraugster has recently introduced its product called “Alternative Credit Decisions.” The product enables Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) and Enterprise merchants to approve more customers while mitigating credit risk.
The company aims to help its customers enjoy more accurate decisions and lower costs. Currently, BNPLs and enterprise merchants use credit bureau checks for added confidence and approval, as well as for making a fee payment for checks.
Payment processing security and chargeback prevention are critical to your success. Thankfully, there are reputable payment experts like eMerchantBroker.com dedicated to offering the highest level of fraud and chargeback prevention.
With EMB, you can get fast and hassle-free access to the most advanced, safest, and lowest cost merchant services to grow your business. EMB is voted the number one high risk processor in the U.S. and carries an A+ rating with the BBB. Moreover, EMB talks to every merchant to know his or her pain points to offer the most suitable merchant services for his or her financial needs.
What To Expect from Fraugster’s BNPL Product
With European retailers facing the challenge of protecting customer data, fighting financial crime and dealing with E.U. and national regulations, Fraugster’s AI tool steps in to help merchants. The offered solution is a new module intended to prevent criminals from accessing BNPL services using fake, stolen or synthetic identity documents.
Christian Mangold, CEO of Fraugster, says that their mission is let customers feel confident about trusting the person they’re approving to pay back the borrowed amount. Mangold further notes they’re already registering positive results with trial customers. So, they feel confident that their service will allow the eCommerce ecosystem to approve more customers with greater accuracy.
Fraud Prevention with Fraugster’s BNPL AI Tool
Fraugsters newest AI tool is designed to enrich BNPL credit scoring models, providing more than 100 attributes, giving a more accurate picture of a borrower’s true credit risk.


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If you're looking for the hottest fashion news, these launches are giving our editors life. Scroll through to discover your favorite new collections and shop them all!
Meghan Markle's Sarah Flint Boots
If you’re looking for the perfect fall boot, look no further. Shoe brand Sarah Flint just restocked two of Meghan Markle’s go-to boots: the Sophia ankle boot and the Marina to-the-knee boot.
“Customers have been requesting both the Marina and Sophia constantly since they sold out,” says founder Sarah Flint. “We’re so thrilled that it’s finally fall and we can bring these beloved boots back!”
Click to read full article on People.
For press inquiries, please contact email@example.com.


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Rumors that Apple will transfer its iPad line to mini-LED panels have been circulating for some time now: the (rumored) launch was originally scheduled for late 2020, but has been pushed back to this year. And it could finally happen.
DigiTimes reports that Ennostar will begin mass production of mini-LED panels at the end of this quarter (i.e. March). This is in line with unofficial informationon that the new iPad Pro (11 and 12.9 inches) will be unveiled in March.
Tablet Pros are said to be the first to adopt the mini-LED, followed by MacBooks (the upcoming 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, perhaps, but that’s not certain). It is said that the company has long been interested in …
Read more from source
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- According to this source The supplier Apple will reportedly start producing mini-LED panels for iPad in March
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“Kuka,” which is also the company that manufactured the robotic arm, began life as an automotive industry robot, and ended up with the record-spinner gig after the club issued a challenge to a robotics firm.
Club manager Adam Lipsansky said the unique attraction draws customers in. “People are excited (about the robot), because they haven’t seen anything like this around Europe, and I am not sure if there is something similar in the world,” he said.
The robot keeps the party going with its human programmer as they swap out hourly shifts. Lipansky admits that the robot’s people skills may be a bit lacking. “He knows everything like a human DJ. He is only unable to react to people, to how they are behaving,” he said.
As to Lipinsky’s claim about the MC mech, this is hardly the first time that robots have served DJ duty in clubs. In fact, a Ford Fiesta commercial from 2016 showcased the very premise of a professional DJ trying to teach an automotive assembly robot how to perform.
The versatile Kuka robotic arms can be programmed for a variety of tasks, which you can see in the Nigel Stanford-robot musical collaboration Automatica. They’ve even partnered with an amusement park ride maker to create RoboCoaster, and a Kuka robot performed at the Paralympics Opening Ceremony in Rio in 2016.
We’ve already got robot baristas, robot bartenders, and even robot dancers. Why not robot DJs? The reviews are mixed among Czech partiers.
“The robot is very good,” said a student named Sebastian. “I like it very much.”
On the other hand, some clubgoers found the experience too … robotic. “I don’t like the robot. It can’t feel what the people want to dance to,” said Marcia Lopes, 24. “There is no emotion behind the music. When there is a real person, they know, what fun is like.”
- Spot’s latest robot dance highlights new features
- Watch Ford’s robot test drivers take a car for an on-the-spot spin
- Watch seven Boston Dynamics’ Spot robots strut their stuff in dance routine
- Youbionic’s new robot appendage lends a hand without costing an arm and a leg
- The next photo you see while shopping online may have been snapped by a robot


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Management changes already yielding positive results.
City Auditor Matthew Grady has completed his independent examination of mixed beverage operations at Killeen Civic & Conference Center and published his findings for public review.
The audit focused on the contracted mixed beverage operations at the Civic & Conference Center during the 2017 fiscal year, October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017. The center has offered mixed beverage service since opening in 2002.
A management services agreement between the center and Jester’s, a bar management company, establishes that Jester’s is responsible for bartending, bar management services and inventory maintenance in exchange for 40 percent of gross receipts.
Killeen Civic & Conference Center has contracted Jester’s services since 2005. The current management services agreement term is February 2016 to March 2019.
Grady found discrepancies in monthly inventory reports submitted by bar management that are cause for concern. While the total amount of inventory loss in question amounts to about $3,000 for the year, it equates to about $15,000 or eight percent of sales value, which is a higher than industry average loss.
Some level of loss must be expected in bar service, and it can occur in a number of ways. Common causes are spillage, over pouring, under charging and theft of inventory. The auditor believes that the loss incurred at the conference center is most likely a combination of causes.
The audit recommends that the center should seek new bidders for the mixed beverage operation and negotiate new terms that adjust management fees and responsibilities and provide for penalties when terms of the agreement are not upheld. Alternately, it recommends that the center consider moving the outsourced operation in-house to provide more internal control and accountability.
Grady’s report noted a number of improvements new conference center management has already put in place to deter loss. A new point-of-sale system was installed in December 2016 to modernize sales operations. It allows for credit card payments in addition to cash and produces itemized sales reports. Security cameras were installed in February 2017 to monitor areas where inventory is stored. Lidded bar coolers replaced the former open tubs providing for better inventory control.
“Any loss of City property should be explored and corrected,” said Grady. “I am encouraged by the staff’s eagerness to take corrective and preventative action, and I fully expect future audits of beverage operations to reveal significant improvement in inventory control.”
The entire Killeen Civic & Conference Center Mixed Beverage Operation Audit is available at killeentexas.gov/auditor.


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Global Payments CEO Waiting for ‘Throw-in-the-Towel' Moment to Make Deals
(Bloomberg) -- In an industry where companies are rushing for mergers amid rising competition, Global Payments Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Sloan isn’t pressing for more acquisitions.
It’s not that the company isn’t on the hunt. In fact, management has a “full” deal pipeline, said Sloan, a former Goldman Sachs banker who has led Global Payments since 2013. After at least two acquisitions in the past six months, he’s seeing some price premiums that are higher than he’s willing to pay.
Valuations of closely held companies are “still pretty rich,” while economic weakness in Europe and trade risk in China mean potentially lower returns from those regions, Sloan said in an interview. Instead, he sees more opportunities among publicly traded companies, especially when they report disappointing results, he added, declining to mention specific stocks.
“I would expect volatility to result in more attractive opportunities where people might want to kind of throw in the towel based on what they see heading forward,” Sloan said. Until that happens, Global Payments would rather wait. “We have a very good stand alone strategy,” he said.
Payment processors have been under pressure to consolidate as they compete to offer more technology to their customers. Last month, Fiserv Inc. agreed to pay $22 billion to buy First Data Corp. to form the world’s largest payments processor. In 2018, Worldpay Inc. merged with Vantiv Inc. to gain greater exposure to e-commerce retailers and small businesses. Revenue in the payments industry is projected to surge to $2.4 trillion by 2027, according to a report from Boston Consulting Group and Swift.
To Sloan, all of this consolidation is “a validation” of the firm’s strategy to focus on providing technology that enables business transactions. This year, the company expects software, e-commerce and omni-channel businesses and faster-growth payments markets to account for about 60 percent of total revenue, up from 45 percent in 2018.
Shares of Global Payments rallied 4.5 percent on Wednesday after its 2019 revenue forecast exceeded the midpoint of analyst estimates. The company’s technology investments and increasing revenue contributions from faster-growing businesses could drive further upside, Wedbush analyst Moshe Katri wrote in a research note after the results.
Among its rivals, Worldpay and Square Inc. are both scheduled to report results in the final week of this month.
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.


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Cheers to Cookie Puss.
The iconic Carvel ice cream cake — made famous by the Beastie Boys song — and its Irish cousin, Cookie O’Puss, are getting their own beers to celebrate both St. Patrick’s Day and the soft-serve institution’s 85th birthday.
And we think Tom Carvel would approve.
The result is Cookie Puss Milkshake IPA and Cookie O’Puss Pastry Stout, which are both inspired by the quirky space alien cake that hails from “Planet Birthday.”
It’s the latest collaboration between Carvel and Westchester-based Captain Lawrence Brewing, which created the limited-edition Fudgie the Beer last year.
The Cookie Puss Milkshake IPA is brewed with vanilla ice cream and has a “full-body taste and texture,” while the Cookie O’Puss Pastry Stout is made with Carvel’s addictive chocolate crunchies and “carries heavier notes of cacao and roasted undertones.”
The newest brews will hit shelves Tuesday.
“As two born-and-bred New York brands, we couldn’t think of anything more important than coming together to launch something special during such a significant year for us,” says Scott Colwell, president of Carvel. “2019 marks Carvel’s 85th birthday, and as we look towards the future, we want to keep giving our loyal fans the opportunity to enjoy the tried-and-true Carvel treats they love, but with a new twist.”
Cookie O’Puss Pastry Stout cans will be available wherever Captain Lawrence is sold, but the Cookie Puss Milkshake IPA will only be available in New York state.


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CPGToolBox Expands Global Footprint to Eight Countries in 10 Months
Kennesaw, GA (October 12, 2017) – CPGToolBox, the only Trade Promotion Management (TPM) solution built on the Salesforce platform, implemented its Trade Planner™ platform in eight countries over the past 10 months significantly expanding its global presence within the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry. The solution provider marked its fifth anniversary this year and continues to gain traction in the international market for its ability to supports global scalability and trade fund planning in any currency and language.
In addition to a diverse customer base in the United States and Canada, CPG manufacturers in Australia, South America, and Europe rely on the CPGToolBox Trade Planner solution to manage trade spend activity more effectively. CPGToolBox provides TPM services across multiple categories and supports a client roster that includes, Bayer, Fruit of the Loom, Pfizer, popchips, Slimfast, and Vega. CPGToolBox has leveraged the innovative Salesforce infrastructure and architecture to deliver manufacturers with a true cloud-based, feature-rich TPM solution that costs 54% less than on-premise TPM solutions.
“Every development decision and functionality release made over the past five years was driven by our company’s mission: provide CPG manufacturers with an alternative to managing trade dollars on spreadsheets, and become a global player in the TPM solution space,” says Rick Pensa, President and CEO of CPGToolBox. “Today, Trade Planner is currently being utilized on four continents, and our strong pipeline has the company positioned for continued growth and global expansion.”
CPGToolBox is a North American business and ISV partner of Salesforce.com dedicated to bringing relevant sales and marketing tools to the Consumer Goods industry. The CPGToolBox Trade Planner in the cloud eliminates all related IT hardware, software, infrastructure costs and maintenance concerns. The solution can be deployed quickly and easily allowing manufacturers to be up and running within four months. For more information or to see a demo of Trade Planner, visit www.cpgtoolbox.com.


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Starbucks unveils plan to add 17,000 locations by 2030
Starbucks announced plans Wednesday to add 17,000 new locations by 2030, with the goal of bringing its global store count to 55,000.
Of these 17,000 new stores, at least 10,000 will be in the United States, while the rest will be located in countries around the world. Many of the new locations will focus on convenience by having either a drive thru service or a “pick up” option.
Additionally, CNBC reports that the coffee giant’s plans will include “limiting to 50 percent the range of beverages in its stores to a menu customized for each local market.” Furthermore, the company has set plans to reduce its store-level carbon emissions by 25 percent by 2030 and to have “half of all sold coffees come from sustainable sources”.
The announcement of this expansion comes as Starbucks expects the retail coffee market to double by 2030, giving the company additional motivation to grow.


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101 Dalmatian Street is an animated television series, which airs on International Disney Channels, will make it's US debut on Disney+ on Friday, November 15, 2019. The series was delayed by 3 days but the show will be available to stream and it will be a Disney+ Original with a new episode releasing every Friday.
101 Dalmatian Street
Set 60 years after the original film 101 Dalmatians, 101 Dalmatian Street is already popular in the UK and Europe. Disney+ will bring this animated series to American shores. There are currently plans to make Season 2 as well.
This technically isn’t available Day One — new content and new episodes are added to Disney+ on Fridays, so this show comes to Disney+ on November 15 instead of November 12 — but I’ve got …
Read more >


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Technology News Today, news announced that Huawei has surpassed Apple to become the world's second largest smartphone manufacturer, despite its poor presence in the United States. However, the Chinese company still has a performance to boast over the majority of smartphones with hardware in the world.
This was announced by the Sigmaintell Consulting company specializing in market research. According to the latter, we revealed that Huawei shipped about 25.4 million units of its smartphones with hardware on the screen in the first half of this year. The second place was in favor of Apple, which delivered 20.7 million units successfully, followed by Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi.
In general, these companies sell about 86.1 million smartphones with cut-off screens from the beginning of the year to 30 June. Huawei broadcast more than 100 million smartphones this year, which accounts for about 1 in 4 sold mobile phones.
The same source contains interesting statistics on smartphone screens. A-Si LCD displays represented 42 percent of worldwide shipments in the first half of this year, while LTPS LCD displays accounted for 36 percent of worldwide shipments. AMOLED screens accounted for 21 percent of total worldwide shipments.
This content (today's technology: Huawei was behind the shipment of most smartphones with hardware in the first half of this year) is transmitted by the search engine mail and is the source (electronic ), do not express the position of the site. Editorial policy, but the responsibility of the news and its validity is the original publisher, an electronic.


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When Tei Mukunya, Director of Azuri Health, prepared meals for her 112 year old grandmother, she had a realization.
“It wasn’t easy to find a good range of nutritious, easily digestible foods that she liked. Most flour was made from maize, and having a range of egetables and nutritious crops in flour wasn’t a possibility.
– Tei Mukunya, Director of Azuri Health
So she and her family, working with women’s groups, started making a nutri-porridge flour that contained other nutritious crops like beans and amaranth.
“My grandmother really noticed the difference, and felt much better. It showed me that nutritious food can have such a big impact on people’s lives.
With experience in marketing, she decided to shift her focus to producing and distributing nutritious flour and dried fruits for urban consumers.
“People are busy, and convenient foods are not always nutritious. Our products are aimed at those who want an affordable, healthy product, that doesn’t take much time to prepare.
Since she started her company Azuri Health in 2010, production of dried fruits, sweet potato flour, and bean porridge, has jumped from 300 kilograms to 4 tons a year today. Her products are available across Kenya – 90 percent of her market is major retail outlets, but she also supplies to smaller urban shops.
She has her sights set on exporting as well. She’s already received calls from interested buyers, and is in the process of setting up
the rigorous standards required to enter the European market.
She’s testing the first of eight solar-powered “bubble” driers to be installed in Kenya and Uganda, as part of a project supported by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, to fight malnutrition among 50,000 rural and urban consumers.
During harvest time, all too often rain can damage crops as they dry. The driers retain bean quality and commercial value, while retaining all the nutritious qualities before they are turned into a porridge flour.
The project partnership includes the Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization, supplying farmers with improved, nutritious and higher yielding bean varieties, which Azuri Health will then buy.
Farmers are excited by this prospect. Joseph Kamoing, a member of the SATEWA group – an acronym merging the names of three villages – of 500 farmers growing the improved beans, says he can earn almost double the price he is currently earning with local varieties through the new partnership.
“With these improved beans, ‘Chelalang’, we can get 7-8 bagsfor beans, compared with 2-3 bags using local bean varieties,
Usually we sell one bag for US$34but Azuri Ltd. have promised US$58. The extra income will help buy fertilizer for next season and pay school fees.
As part of the project, scientists will also study malnutrition levels, where families source food, and how much they pay for it. This will generate a deeper understanding of which nutrients are a priority for adding to the porridge and how to best price the product for target consumers.
This work is part of the project “Making Value Chains Work for Food and Nutrition Security of Vulnerable Populations in East Africa” supported by Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), and the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH).
The project is led by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), in collaboration with the University of Hohenheim (UHOH), University of Göttingen (UGOE), Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and Ugandan National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO).
- Further research is needed to investigate consumer behavior, to improve diet choices.
- Farmers can benefit from bulking their produce to sell to companies like Azuri Health, but often they are skeptical. Good examples of success like this are needed to deepen trust, and can be used in other areas to improve incomes and nutrition for consumers.


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Global Marketing News – 24th April 2017
Research has revealed the top tactics used by digital marketers in 2016, Facebook has revealed some of the biggest projects it has in its pipeline, and Google may be about to roll out ad blocking on its Chrome web browser.
Latest posts by Cal O'Connell (see all)
- An interactive video journey: How to expand into the Chinese market - June 29, 2021
- Facebook to decrease visibility of business posts - January 16, 2018
- Naver criticised for manipulating suggested search terms - January 9, 2018


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Digital Assets: Devere’s Nigel Green Says Bitcoin Would Be “Ultimate Safe Haven”
Bitcoin will even overtake gold in the space of a generation.
Devere Group CEO Nigel Green was speaking at an interview with MoneyFM on the occasion of the launch of new crypto indices by the Singapore Exchange.
Green has been a perma-bull on cryptocurrencies, particularly bitcoin.
In the interview, he cited bitcoin’s growing rate of adoption. Also, its limited availability, similar to gold, and its popularity with younger people, could boost the value of bitcoin in the future.
He claimed bitcoin would be the ultimate safe haven – a generation down the line. (Bitcoin.com)
A new generation
“There’s a particular generation that is more trusting in gold, but then there’s another generation coming through,” Green said.
“It has become more and more apparent that it is, as younger people are more familiar with [bitcoin] and they trust in that world than perhaps other people,” he said, referring to whether bitcoin is being accepted in the digital world.
Dollars are just promises
Green said governments were flooding the market with fiat currency and had corrupted themselves as scorecard keepers of the money in the economy.
“If you are flooding the market with extra dollars, then in fact you are devaluing [money]. The advantage of bitcoin is that there is a limited amount. Some people would rather a computer keep score, and some people would not have faith in their government and they would rather have something where there’s a limited amount.”
Only a limited amount of bitcoin can be mined.
“Do we really think we will have Singapore dollars in our pocket or will we have digital currencies? I think we accept that ultimately it will be digital currencies,” Green said.
Besides, the convenience of digital cannot be ignored.
“It’s easier,” Green observed. “You can put [crypto assets] on your telephone, [opposed] to carrying some gold or storing gold,” he concluded.
Related Story: Novogratz Prefers Bitcoin To Gold; Is Short On Stocks
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Huemanitas to lead PepsiCo’s multicultural retail, shopper marketing efforts
DENVER — PepsiCo has entered a partnership with an independent cultural marketing group that will allow the beverage company to develop relevant platforms that will target multicultural shoppers at retail.
PepsiCo has that Huemanitas will partner with PepsiCo’s general market retail and shopper marketing agency of record, TracyLocke. PepsiCo senior director of cultural branding Javier Farfan noted that with Huemanitas working alongside TracyLocke will allow PepsiCo to close the gap with "multicultural shoppers along their path-to-purchase, to fully engage multicultural audiences at retail."
The goal of the partnership is "to deliver fully integrated, culturally relevant programming for the portfolio," Huemanitas partner and creative principal Marcus Jiménez said.
Gail Brooks, Huemanitas partner and principal of insights and strategy, said that engaging a multicultural consumer must go beyond a general approach.
"Engaging the multicultural consumer at retail requires a hyper-local strategy involving in-depth understanding of culture’s impact on shopper, retailer, and channel dynamics," Brooks said. "It’s not just about taking down national programs, but rather leveraging local market cultural intelligence to build platforms that can be scaled up and across markets as well."
PLMA consumer survey: Host of factors feeds consumer ‘buy’ decision
NEW YORK — A recent consumer survey debunked the two long-assumed scenarios surrounding the moment a shopper actually makes a shopping decision — before they’ve entered the store as part of a planned purchase or at the shelf on an impulse.
For years, the retailing industry has debated between those who argue a shopper’s mind is mostly made up before they even enter the store and those who assert the real decision what to buy comes down to a final few seconds at the shelf. In fact it is neither, according to a recent survey of U.S. consumers.
A study released Monday by the Private Label Manufacturers Association and Buxton consumer research determined that the decision-making process is influenced by a variety of factors from the kitchen table where the shopping list is created to the shelf where the product is taken. The nationwide poll of 1,170 shoppers found that shoppers tend to be engaged fully in a process for purchase decisions that starts with that list of items at home, visiting stores and walking the aisles, then considering a variety options and alternatives to their planned purchases prior to deciding what to buy at the shelves.
Among the highlights from the survey findings:
Despite changes in consumer demographics, lifestyles and store formats, two-thirds of those surveyed say they rely on a list when doing the main household shopping for their family;
Brands are not often specified;
Six-out-of-10 shoppers say they list products by brand name only occasionally, rarely or never. However, half of these shoppers admit they frequently have a brand in mind, even when they don’t list it;
Lists — and brands — are less of a factor for drug chain shoppers. Nearly two-thirds say they don’t make a list for drug store purchases, and of those that do, only 2-out-of-10 will specify a brand;
Once inside a store, shoppers become browsers and walk through the store looking for items on their list but also pay attention to special displays, promotions, product sampling and demonstrations; and
Half of all shoppers say they would buy a store brand if the national brand were not available. Only 23% say they would buy another national brand instead. A mere 14% would go to another store.
To follow up on the Buxton research and its implications for the private-label industry, PLMA will host a special seminar program on Nov. 13, in conjunction with the association’s 2011 Private Label Trade Show in Chicago.
For the full report, click here.
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Nestlé Pure Life implements Pink Pack program
STAMFORD, Conn. — In line with its partnership with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Nestlé Waters said that its Nestlé Pure Life brand is continuing its support of breast cancer awareness and research through its Pink Pack retail program.
How it works: 10 cents will be donated to BCRF for every "pink pack" of Nestlé Pure Life water produced, with a minimum donation of $350,000. Available at retailers nationwide, as well as in Canada, the special packs are marked with a symbolic pink ribbon and the BCRF logo, Nestlé Pure Life said.
"Through the Pink Pack program, Nestle Pure Life brand bottled water has become a valuable BCRF partner in our fight against breast cancer," BCRF director of marketing Robbie Finke Franklin said. "We are thrilled that a leading company such as Nestlé Waters shares our mission of finding a cure in our lifetime and we look forward to the day when this disease is eliminated."


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The inside scoop on Ariel’s go-to glam comes just a few days after hairstylist Camille Friend revealed that production spent six figures for Halle’s hair transformation, in which she sported flowing ginger locs and extensions.
“I’m not guesstimating, but we probably spent at least $150,000 because we had to redo it and take it out,” Camille explained to Variety in an article published May 26. “You couldn’t use it, and we’d have to start again. It was a process.”
Plus, Halle’s own locs were more than 24 inches long at the time of filming and Camille suggested keeping them instead of putting her in a wig.
“If we take hair and wrap it around her locs, we don’t have to cut them and we don’t have to color them,” Camille shared. “We can change her color without changing her internal hair structure. Her structure and her hair are her.”
For Halle, the hairstylist’s solution was deeply meaningful.
“I’ve had my locs since I was 5, so they’re a huge part of who I am,” the actress told Ebony in a May 2023 cover story. “We need to be able to see ourselves, we need to be able to see our hair on big screens like this, so that we know that it’s beautiful and more than acceptable.”


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Chris Pratt has the Force behind him in the above video promoting the new Kinect Star Wars game for Xbox 360.
The timing also inspired Pepsi’s Brisk Iced Tea branding team to expand its recent Star Wars co-marketing push with a new promotion that gives players an Anakin Skywalker pod-racer as the new Kinect Star Wars game hits 7-Eleven stores this week, priced at $50.
Specially marked 1-liter bottles of Brisk now sport a Microsoft Tag bar code (or M-tag) that can be scanned with the Xbox 360’s Kinect motion sensor. The partnership marks the first use of M-tags for a video game promotion, and the first test of the Microsoft mobile technology by a PepsiCo brand.[more]
In the game, players use their hands and arms to manipulate an on-screen light saber, lift in-game objects and drive podracers. By reading bodily movement, Kinect endows players with Jedi Force and 3-D support to duel Darth Vader against the backdrop of Cloud City.
“We want to make you feel like you have stepped into the world of Star Wars,” commented LucasArts’ Craig Derrick to USA Today.
According to PepsiCo research, the typical Brisk buyer is 77% more likely to spend at least 20 more hours playing on a video game system weekly than the average consumer; add to that Star Wars fans and it’s a perfect fit with both brand’s target demo of urban males ages 18 to 29.
“To stay relevant with this consumer we have to stay current on what’s hot,” noted Brisk brand manager Chris Oates to USA Today. “We know gaming is a passion point … and we knew Kinect Star Wars was going to be a really big deal. It made sense because it was a fit with our consumer and it was a very innovative package design we wanted to be first to market with.”
Microsoft Tags aim to be a one-stop shop for mobile marketing. They accommodate much smaller print than other formats like QR codes and the size of Tags remain the same regardless of the URL length or message.
Unlike traditional 2D barcodes and mobile tagging, Tag enables custom tags that more fully integrate brand personality. And unlike QR codes, they offer a single reliable solution for mobile tagging across Windows Mobile, J2ME, iPhone, Blackberry and Symbian S60 phones and Android phones.
The underlying technology of Tag (High Capacity Color Barcodes, or HCCBs) is capable of overcoming limitations of cameras on mobile phones, and its advanced analytics can report how, when, and where Tags are being used as well as swap content with the click of a button.
This M-tag video game promotion builds on the Brisk-Star Wars relationship that started in January, when Brisk launched its 3D Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace mobile app, Brisksaber, which was actively teased on its Facebook page and a limited-edition drink featuring Star Wars villain Darth Maul seen here.
PepsiCo’s previous success at gaming tie-ins includes Mountain Dew and packages of Doritos that carried codes and earned players double experience points during online Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 sessions.
Pepsi has manufactured 7 million Kinect Star Wars-themed Brisk bottles with labels sporting C-3PO and R2-D2 and fans can enter to win one of 70 limited-edition Kinect Star Wars Xbox 360 consoles, special edition white Kinect sensors and C-3PO-inspired golden Xbox controllers on a co-branded website.
Microsoft, in addition to promoting M-Tags, is going all out to continue making Kinect a must-have for any gamer. Below, watch how Xbox built buzz for Kinect Star Wars by inviting celebrities and influencers to preview parties around the world:


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Photographee.eu - Fotolia
Social engineering is a non-technical method of intrusion used by cyber criminals that relies heavily on human interaction and often involves tricking people into breaking normal security procedures.
Typically, the aim is to trick people into malware-laden Email attachments or to divulge sensitive information that can be used to steal information and credentials to commit fraud.
The harvesting of account and login information is known as phishing and can happen through fake emails, phone calls, texts or social media posts.
Phishing attacks frequently involve piecing together information from various sources, such as social media and intercepted correspondence, to appear convincing and trustworthy.
The most common themes for contacting potential victims are an update to BT account details, an iTunes invoice and a tax refund.
Others themes include Tesco vouchers, Apple ID, accident injury claim, invoices, suspended bank and credit card accounts, and Sky services upgrades.
According to the government-backed GetSafeOnline campaign, cyber criminals have become increasingly sophisticated in their attacks, with more than 95,500 phishing scams reported in the 12 months up to October 2015.
Research by GetSafeOnline reveals that 26% of victims of online crime have been scammed by these types of social engineering emails or phone calls.
According to the research, 29% of reported phishing emails contained a potentially malicious link that could infect a victim’s computer with malware, 17% requested a reply and 15% requested personal information.
The research notes that although the number of emails with malicious links is decreasing, requests for money transfers are on the rise.
In response to these findings, GetSafeOnline has launched an advertising campaign to warn of the dangers of social engineering, in partnership with Barclays, NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds, Halifax, Bank of Scotland, City of London Police, anti-fraud organisation Cifas and Financial Fraud Action UK (FFAUK).
Read more about phishing
- End-users and security awareness training should not be blamed for successful phishing attacks, says security awareness expert.
- Phishing attacks are the most popular causes of data breaches in the enterprise.
- The consequences of phishing attacks could fall on the victims as enterprises start to punish employees who fall for the scam.
- Phishing attacks on mobile devices are increasing as adoption of internet-connected mobile devices and services grows.
Tony Neate, chief executive of GetSafeOnline, said social engineering is becoming ever more targeted and personal.
“What is worrying, however, is the complex nature of these scams and how they tap perfectly into feelings that make us panic,” he said. “Iif we get an email purporting to come from someone we trust, such as our bank, about something that is emotive to us all, like money, and then demand that we act urgently, it’s almost like the perfect storm.”
The newly-launched advertising campaign aims to encourage people to think twice before they act and not to let panic override common sense.
The campaign highlights the importance of having strong passwords or pass codes to secure devices, and ensuring that all software and apps are up to date.
Research shows that email is the most popular channel for phishing, accounting for 77% of all reported incidents, followed by phone calls, making up 12% of incidents.
Commander Chris Greany of the City of London Police said social engineering is increasingly being used by criminals to prey on people’s personal and financial information.
Unsolicited phone calls
“We urge everyone who receives unsolicited phone calls, texts, emails or letters to ignore them and never enter into a conversation with someone that you don’t know online or over the phone. If you are contacted in this way, it is likely that you are being targeted by a fraudster who is simply looking for ways to exploit your personal and financial details,” he said.
Greany said any suspected fraud should be reported to Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud reporting centre, by calling 0300 1232040 or by visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk.
Raj Samani, chief technology officer at Intel Security Europe, said that although the statistics are concerning, they are not surprising. Cyber criminals are becoming increasingly savvy, he said, and it is important for everyone to understand the reality of the threat.
“Recent research from Intel Security exposed price points for stolen data bought and sold in cyber criminal marketplaces,” said Samani. “It found that the average estimated price for stolen credit and debit cards is $20 to $35 in the UK.
“Brits must be wary of unexpected emails, even if they are cited as being from a brand they are familiar with. Think twice before acting. Call up your bank directly if you are concerned about anything before taking action. We have to make sure we stay one step ahead of the cyber criminals and caution is the best way forward here.”


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POULSBO - Valholl Brewing is hosting a party to celebrate the release of its special batch of “Weekend Warrior” pale ale on Tuesday from 6 to 9 p.m. The Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance will be grilling sausage and Valholl root beer will be on tap for kids. Valholl is at 18970 3rd Ave. in Poulsbo.
POULSBO — Improving local trails is now as easy as drinking local beer.
Poulsbo’s Valholl Brewing is releasing “Weekend Warrior,” a special batch of pale ale that — pint by pint — will boost the efforts of the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance’s newly-formed West Sound chapter.
The group has been leading trail work parties in South and North Kitsap, organizing group rides and advocating for better mountain bike infrastructure at Kitsap parks.
“That a small business like Valholl is getting behind us and donating money is just fantastic,” said Brian Kilpatrick, president of the EMBA’s West Sound chapter. “We’re putting into the community and they realize that.”
For every pint sold, Valholl will donate $1 to the EMBA. Valholl will tap into the first of Weekend Warrior’s seven barrels on Tuesday night. The beer will be available at Valholl’s taproom until the supply runs out.
Valholl is known for some intense — even outlandish — beers, but owner Jeff Holcomb is aiming for a crowd-pleaser this time around.
“I wanted an approachable beer everybody would enjoy,” he said.
Weekend Warrior is single-malt brewed with Northwest-grown hops.
“It’s hoppy but not crazy bitter,” he said, noting some “fruity” and “floral” hints.
Kilpatrick said the money from Weekend Warrior will help the EMBA buy tools and gravel and rent equipment for trail work. The EMBA may also use the money to host events and promote mountain biking in Kitsap.