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Black Belt Adventures Announces Big Buck Photo Contest Winners | Community Spirit
Montgomery, Ala. — The winners for the Alabama Black Belt Adventures Big Buck Photo Contest have been announced.
The organization, a public-private partnership that promotes outdoor recreation and tourism in Alabama’s Black Belt, sponsored a “big buck” photo contest for deer harvested in the 23-county region.
Winners have been chosen in three categories -- youth typical (up to 12 years old), youth typical (ages 13-18) and adult typical. Photos were posted on Facebook, and three finalists were determined for each category based on the highest number of “likes” received. Sports journalists then picked the winners.
The winners were:
Youth typical (up to 12 years old): Clark Bain of Carrollton. Other finalists in this category were Lyman Thomas Ramsey and Ethan Duncan.
Youth typical (ages 13-18): Danner Butler of Mobile. Other finalists in this category were Tanner Cox and Noah Hadley.
Adult typical: Wes Cumbie of Auburn. Other finalists in this category were Michael Lightcap and Wesley Rutledge.
Each winner in the three categories will receive a $100 gift card to Bass Pro Shops.
All the finalists and entries demonstrate why hunting in Alabama's Black Belt is so popular.
“Black Belt counties make up about a third of Alabama, but they account for more than half of the total hunting and fishing dollars spent in the state,” said Pam Swanner, project director at Alabama Black Belt Adventures. “For us, deer season is a classic win-win – good for hunters, good for the Black Belt. We encourage people to spend time and money in Alabama’s prime hunting grounds.”
To learn more Alabama’s Black Belt region and to view contest photos, visit the Alabama Black Belt Adventures website at http://www.alabamablackbeltadventures.org/.
About the Alabama Black Belt Adventures:
The Alabama Black Belt Adventures is committed to promoting and enhancing outdoor recreation and tourism opportunities in the Black Belt in a manner that provides economic and ecological benefits to the region and its citizens.
Information Source: Alabama Black Belt Adventures


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Offering an e-recycling facility is a great way for a self storage facility to join the green movement. It not only is one step in the right direction for the environment but it is an easy way to generate publicity for your business. Properly disposing of e-waste – computers, TVs, keyboards, cellphones, and more – is a daunting task for many people. But self storage facilities are natural receptacles for such items and many have stepped up to offer assistance.
The latest to do so is Access Self Storage of Franklin Lakes, NJ, who began partnering with AERC, a private Pennsylvania –based recycling company, to make it easier for consumers to dispose of old electronics in a secure and environmentally-friendly manner.
“AERC appealed to us simply because Access was looking for ways to strengthen our own ‘green initiative. We are especially impressed with their ‘zero-landfill’ policy and their attention to protecting personally identifiable data,” said Tony Apgar, senior manager, Access Storage.
The average American household owns at least 24 pieces of electronic equipment, according to the Consumer Electronic Association. When old laptops, speakers and DVD players get tossed in the trash, they end up in landfills where the toxins and carcinogens built into the equipment — namely mercury and lead — leech into the soil and threaten to contaminate the environment. The potential health hazard of dumping this e-waste – desktop computers, TV sets, printers, toasters and more – is critical and it is also illegal. The Electronic Waste Recycling Act, which took effect January 1, 2009, banned the disposal of certain electronic devices and component parts as solid waste.
Since Access Storage began collecting on April 9, AERC has picked up about 15 pallets worth of recyclable electronics. The storage facility accepts items daily and occasionally has an event to promote awareness of the program. The program is open to everyone, not just Franklin Lakes residents. There is no fee to drop off recyclables.
Not only does AERC, one of 43 companies with e-recycling locations in New Jersey, recycle electronics without dumping any potentially chemically dangerous parts of it in landfills, it destroys all hard drive data per Department of Defense procedures. This means there’s little concern a person’s personal data will be compromised. Still, Apgar recommends that anyone who plans to drop off a computer at the site remove the hard drive first, just as a precaution.
“eRecycling makes sense to us and AERC makes it very easy to do. I have almost 30 years of experience with computers and technology so seeing all of these items being properly reused, repurposed or recycled is personally uplifting,” Apgar said.
Setting up a recycling center at your self storage facility gives people a reason to visit your facility, and getting them in the door and interested in your services is a big step in the right direction. Residents who live in condominiums and apartments seldom have access to recycling systems. Setting up a recycling center is of little financial impact to your business and aside from helping the environment it is a great marketing campaign.
“Greener Pastures: Considering Environmental Self-Storage.” Inside Self-Storage. June 17, 2011.
Broverman, Jennifer. “E-Recycling: What You Need to Know: Local Business Makes It Easy to Safely Discard Your Electronic Waste.” GreenPatch.com. June 21, 2011.

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Make the call to save cash
With a range of innovative options on the market, Christine Long dials up the best deals for those mobile phone users who own their own handsets.
Fed up with the bill shock that goes hand-in-hand with the arrival of your latest mobile phone charges? If you are free of a contract and happy with your handset, there are plenty of SIM-only options to help keep a lid on your mobile phone outlay.
A range of low-cost providers offer SIM-only options that include unlimited national calls, unlimited SMS and MMS in Australia, free voicemail, and a reasonable data allowance for between $29 and $40 a month.
As long as you have an unlocked handset, you just need to activate a new SIM, which may cost from $2 to $20. Or if you want to hang on to your mobile number, it can be ported across to your new provider.
Elise Davidson, a spokeswoman for the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network, says a decade ago prepaid options were seen as the poor cousin of the mobile market, offering less "value" than a 12- or 24-month contract.
"Nowadays you'd be a bit silly not to look at prepaid, because you just have the ability to save so much money," Davidson says. "It could be half of that of a traditional kind of billed service." In Australia, SIM-only options are growing in popularity now it's possible to buy a decent smartphone outright for a few hundred dollars.
The offerings are a boon for the budget-conscious, such as Brian Rodrigues (see above right) and families who want their children to have access to a mobile and are happy to kit them out with a hand-me-down handset. In addition, says Cameron Craig, director of comparison website Whistleout, they can be a good way to mark time when people are waiting for the next phone upgrade.
Since low-cost mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) amaysim launched its first SIM-only plan in Australia in 2010, the SIM-only MVNOs have attracted 350,000 subscribers, according to Whistleout.
Amaysim, Kogan Mobile, Vaya and now Aldi are among those providers offering the lowest-cost unlimited SIM-only options.
For infrequent users, there are SIM-only options with limits on calls and texts that have an even lower price and longer-lasting credit. Aldi launched a $15 pay-as-you-go option this month where credit lasts 365 days.
If you're choosing between the unlimited options, what should you weigh up?
Look at the network behind the offering and whether it is 3G or 4G. Amaysim uses the Optus network, Red Bull uses Vodafone, while Kogan uses Boost and Aldi uses Telstra. However, it is only 97 per cent of the Telstra network. An Aldi spokesperson says this means that outside the 3G coverage footprint, which covers 97 per cent of the Australian population, customers would revert to 2G coverage and speeds.
Data allowances and the way data is billed can be significant. Kogan has the largest data allowance, at six gigabytes, but it has just put a 400-megabyte daily limit on it.
Craig says rounding up to the nearest megabyte can affect how quickly the data allowance is used.
As the table shows, some players charge per megabyte while others charge in smaller increments.
Phoning friends or family overseas might influence your choice. Aldi includes $10 and Vaya $100 of international calls or texts credit in unlimited plans, whereas Kogan, Red Bull and Boost require users to buy an international option. It is worth checking how international use is billed. Vaya's international call rates are from 29¢ for 30 seconds while Aldi charges from 10¢ a minute.
Although price might be the main reason people go unlimited, amaysim chief executive Rolf Hansen says people shouldn't overlook service.
Last week Kogan attracted the ire of customers for disconnecting people it claimed were breaching its excessive use policy, which deems the unlimited options can be used for residential purposes only.
Hansen suggests factors you might want to consider include: how long it will take you to get your new SIM, can you recharge online or through a smartphone app, and whether call-centre support is important to you.
With providers operating on razor-thin profit margins, Craig says Australia is unlikely to see more price cuts, although amaysim offers temporary discounts on its website.
However, he points out that in the US, Republic Wireless has cut similar deals to less than $US20 by using wi-fi technology to power calls when the customer is at home. "We may see something like that in Australia to further disrupt the price."
Living in SIM
Brian Rodrigues is thrilled to have cut his phone bill in half by switching to a SIM-only provider. "We can be paying another bill with that money," he says.
The 52 year old from Springvale in Melbourne's south-east switched to the $39.90 amaysim unlimited option about nine months ago after it was recommended by a friend. Part of the appeal was the amount of included calls to 1300 and 1800 numbers.
Before switching, he had been paying $89 a month plus $11 for insurance on a 24-month contract with Optus.
Between the two, he tried Virgin but was put off by a series of hassles where he couldn't buy a low recharge voucher online and had to request to be put back on an unlimited plan when credit ran out.
He voted with his feet and has since encouraged his 18-year-old son, Kaizer, to do the same.


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John Hanke, CEO of Niantic Labs, made a stellar appearance during the Apple keynote event and announced that Pokemon Go will come to Apple Watch soon.
He started his presentation by saying, “This morning, we’re really excited to show you something new we’ve been working on. It lets you walk or run while exploring Pokemon Go, while focusing on the world around you.”
The Apple Watch app will show players the distance they’ll be required to walk in order to hatch their eggs. The app will also let players know how much experience points they will need to reach their next level, as well as provide additional information about the fitness of the players.
Players who own the Apple Watch and have the Pokemon Go app won’t have to look at their phones in order to know where the next Pokestop is and where the next Pokemon appears.
Pokemon Go has been the downloaded more than 500 million times since its launch, Hanke confirmed that players have walked more than 4.6 billion kilometers while playing the game. The Pokemon Go app for Apple Watch will definitely make the game somewhat easier to access for its players.
The Pokemon Go app for Apple Watch is scheduled to release by the end of this year.


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A kayaker has gone missing in Powys, after getting into difficulty on the River Usk. The man, who is believed to be in his thirties, was kayaking with a group in the Llangynidr area, at around 1pm this afternoon when he was reported missing. Alexandra Lodge sent this report.
More top news
A Powys town has criticised their local Boots store for not displaying Christmas lights.
An amateur fossil-hunter from Porthcawl has unearthed the skeleton of a 7ft long reptile, from a beach in the Vale of Glamorgan.
In today's Newsweek, we'll be discussing Christmas gifts - should we be buying gender-specific toys for our children?


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Posted by Press Releases | Jul 15, 2010 | Comments 0
Reston, Virginia – New Snow Globe Maker version 1.4 app updates from iPhone app developer SnowGlobeMaker restore travel memories in the face of TSA’s ban on souvenir snow globes. With the Snow Globe Maker Beach, Winter, and Spring iPhone apps, all available now from the iTunes app store, travelers can create and share souvenir snow globes featuring their travel photos.
Posted by Mary Ann Neder | Apr 07, 2010 | Comments 0
Good news to frequent fliers! The U.S. Transportation Security Administration has just revealed that those who travel with their iPad will be able to keep their device in its carry-on bag because of its small size and lack of bulky add-ons. Go to iPadmodo for more.


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Vivo Y73 was recently found listed on the Google Play console, indicating that the phone will be knocking soon. Now according to new information, this phone will knock in the Indian market soon. Along with this, its specifications have also been leaked online. In this leaks information about the design, rear camera setup and price of the phone has been found. However, the company has not yet verified this information.
Tipster Mukul Sharma has given information about this upcoming smartphone in his tweet. Also, he has written that Vivo’s new Y series smartphone will be launched in the week. However, the specifications of the phone have also been told. There is also a photo in the tweet, in which the back panel of the phone is shown. It is worth noting that the launch date of this phone of Vivo is not mentioned.
Possible Specifications of Vivo Y73
Vivo Y73 is shown on the back panel, in which three cameras are visible, in which the main camera is 64 megapixels. This phone is amoled display. This phone will come with super slim and glass finish. It will get two stylish design colors.
Expected price of Vivo Y73
The possible price of Vivo Y73 can be under 20 thousand rupees, which Mukul Sharma has claimed in his tweet. Up to 8 GB of RAM and 3 GB of Extended RAM will be available in this pon.
According to the information received from the listing of Google Play Console, this phone will get up to 8 GB of RAM and the latest Android 11 OS. The resolution of this phone is 1,080×2,400 pixels.


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Over the past few years accounting troubles and short-seller attacks have plagued a variety of Chinese companies causing a number of U.S.-listed Chinese stocks to plunge lower.
In 2011 alone, there was more than 20 Chinese companies that were delisted or halted amid allegations of accounting fraud. Because of this investors have been hesitant to invest in Chinese companies due to the lack of financial transparency.
So, is it a safe bet to invest in Chinese stocks once again? It is tough to say, but there are a couple of Chinese stocks that have the potential to move higher in the coming months.
Here are 3 small cap Chinese stocks ready to explode higher.
1. 58.com Inc. (NYSE: WUBA)
58.com an online classifieds company that has been dubbed the Craigslist of China. The company just recently went public on the New York Stock Exchange last week.
58.com has 130 million monthly users and had about 4.3 million active local merchants in its marketplace in the second quarter. The company also said its website averaged 1.9 million listings per day from 380 Chinese cities and about 39 percent of its average monthly page views came from mobile applications.
This is a low float stock that has the potential to move much higher over the coming months.
2. Zoom Technologies (NASDAQ:ZOOM)
Zoom Technologies is a China-based cell-phone manufacturing company for the Chinese market, and also engages in distribution of cell-phones in a number of countries, including for T-Mobile (subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom, DT).
The Chinese mobile market is evolving and growing 13.5% per year as cable and telecom network operators expand their video, data and voice services. Zoom has the ability to capitalize on China’s mobile telecommunications market, where the penetration rate of mobile phones is only 64%, compared to near 100% in many developed countries.
ZOOM has been in a downtrend the past few years and is currently trading at just 0.33 cents per share. Look for a reverse of trend and sharp move to the upside in the coming months.
3. Kandi Technologies (NASDAQ:KNDI)
KNDI is a maker of electric vehicles and has started to get the attention of those in the investment world as a mini Tesla Motors (TSLA). TSLA is also a maker of electric vehicles and has been a high-flyer this year, going from $30 to over the $100 mark.
KNDI is a stock that I recommended back in July to subscribers around the $4.50 mark. For subscribers who held the stock into September saw some nice gains as the stock reached over $8 per share.
KNDI has since consolidated lower to just under $7 per share and offers a nice entry point to pick up a small amount of shares.


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Gamescom cements itself as the biggest video game convention in the world, beating its previous attendance record.
We got to go hands on with PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' Xbox One build, and it didn't disappoint.
In an effort to learn from its mistakes, Microsoft is remaining tight-lipped on other projects it currently has in development.
Telltale is bringing two of its episodic adventurers to Nintendo Switch.
We went hands-on with Monolith Soft’s monstrous new Nintendo Switch RPG.
We race to the finish on the Xbox One X version of Forza Motorsport 7.
Square Enix will bring 1993’s classic to modern systems with full 3D visuals early next year.
Tomonobu Itagaki leaves his position to become a consultant for studios all over the world.
Overwatch's Mercy will no longer be able to resurrect her entire team at once — she's getting an entirely new Ultimate Ability.
We take an in-depth look at the new flying machines coming to GTA Online in the Smuggler's Run update.
Square and Ubisoft's franchises are uniting for a collaboration that will see AC-themed DLC coming to FFXV.
See how Headquarters and Divisions shakes up what we know about Call of Duty
As Gamescom 2017 opens its doors, we want you to tell us who you think is best in show.
Explore the story behind Hearthsone's mystical Tavern in this musical short that invites players into Blizzard's world.
Russian dogs, play-doh platformers and keyboard snowboarding games are the strange stars of Gamescom.
Final Fantasy XV’s director has hinted at a potential life for Noctis and friends on Nintendo’s console.
We played an hour of Tango Gameworks' next entry in the horror series, and it hit all the right notes.
We chat to Dishonored: Death of the Outsider's leads about the end of an era.
Xbox's Aaron Greenberg says he's "hopeful" about discussions with PlayStation to establish cross-network play opportunities.
The new adventure game is being developed alongside the studio's previously announced Life Is Strange sequel.
Cuphead's platforming levels are no walk in the park.
The router can automatically slow down downloads and streaming to speed up your game.
We hop into the Millenium Falcon and take on the Galactic Empire in this Gamescom 2017 Star Wars Battlefront 2 footage.
This ranged character loves using her dual crossbows.


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Activision Blizzard has appointed a new chief marketing officer and chief people officer.
As reported by Variety, David Messinger (main, left) and Claudine Naughton (main, right) have been hired as CMO and CPO respectively.
Prior to joining the publishing giant Messinger served as the CEO of management consultancy firm Verum Ventus. Before this, he was co-head of the Creative Artist Agency for 15 years and had a director role at Ticketmaster.
It’s the first time the publisher will have a CMO who oversees global marketing operations across all of the company’s brands.
Before joining Activision Blizzard, Naughton previously worked for the American International Group in a variety of leadership and HR-related roles for over 20 years. Most recently she served as the company’s executive vice president and chief human resources officer.
Naughton's hire as chief people office follows her predecessor, Brian Stolz, being moved to another senior advisor role in the company.
This story was originally published on PCGamesInsider.biz.


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Supermarket food: Stefan Gates compares fruit and veg cost
Aldi has said that the new community donation points will be rolled out into stores from October. Customers will be able to find them near the packing benches in stores for customers to donate any food or household products.
The discount supermarket is asking for any food and household products, regardless of where they were purchased.
The items will be given to local good causes.
From long-life foods such as rice and pasta to toiletries like toilet paper, donations will be distributed to charities.
As well as charities, the products will also be given to food banks and community groups that are part of the surplus food donation scheme on selected days via community giving platform Neighbourly.
‘Massive help’: Aldi introduces new feature into supermarkets nationwide
Mary Dunn, Managing Director of Corporate Responsibility at Aldi UK, said: “This year, we are committed to donating more meals to those in need than ever before, and we know that our customers want to help too.
“This is why we are working with Neighbourly to extend our current donations scheme, making it easy for customers to donate food and essential supplies to those in need year-round.”
Steve Butterworth, from Neighbourly, added: “Customer donations can help make a real difference, and I’d encourage anyone who is able to get involved to do so.
“The list of most-needed items should guide customers when deciding what to donate; however anything people can contribute will be a massive help.”
Zara Tindall ‘unashamed’ of ‘comforting’ her children in public [EXPERT]
Michael Mosley: ‘Main reason’ why you should eat a low-carb breakfast [COMMENT]
Scorpio traits: Star sign ‘very in tune with their emotions’ [INSIGHT]
The most in-demand food items include coffee, cereal, fruit juice, tinned meat, pasta and cooking sauce, tea, tinned fruit and UHT milk.
Tinned tomatoes, tinned vegetables, rice, pasta biscuits, tinned desserts and soup are also in-demand.
Other items Aldi is asking for includes lentils, beans, pulses, baby food, toilet paper, toiletries, laundry powder and detergent, cleaning products, sanitary items, dish washing liquid, nappies and baby wipes and pet food.
The new initiative follows the discount supermarkets commitment to donate 10 million meals across the country in 2021, with Aldi already working to donate surplus food from stores each day.
The discount supermarket also recently donated one million meals over the school summer holidays.
In other Aldi news, it was recently announced that the supermarket was trialling a new checkout-free technology, following in the footsteps of Amazon Fresh.
It will allow customers to scan a smartphone app to enter the store, pick up groceries, and simply walk out without the need to pay at a till.
Shoppers will then be emailed a receipt and charged automatically using their chosen payment method.
The trial is currently being tested with colleagues, with plans to roll it out to members of the public.
Giles Hurley, Chief Executive Officer for Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “We are always looking to redefine what it means to be a discount retailer, and the technology involved in this trial will give us a wealth of learnings.
“We are really excited to be testing this concept that will enable customers to pick from our range of quality products, all available at unbeatable prices, then leave the store without having to pay at a till.”
The first concept store will employ approximately the same number of colleagues as a typical Aldi Local.
It follows Amazon Fresh, who opened its first till-free supermarket earlier this year.
There are now more than five branches across the UK.


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CIMIC Group today announced it has signed a share purchase agreement with SALD Investment LLC (“SALD”) for the sale of CIMIC’s investment in the Middle East.
SALD, a privately owned, UAE-based investment company, will purchase CIMIC’s 45% investment in BICC for nominal consideration. SALD is also acquiring the remaining 55% of BICC held by CIMIC’s co-shareholder, also for a nominal amount.
The sale covers all of CIMIC’s investments in the Middle East.
On completion, SALD will own all BICC’s businesses in the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The completion of the share purchase agreement is subject to satisfaction of certain conditions precedent and obtaining all necessary approvals.
While CIMIC has agreed with the purchaser to contribute a certain amount of funds into BICC, the transaction does not increase CIMIC's previously announced financial exposure to the Middle East. The financial impact of the transaction to CIMIC is already included in the one-off post-tax impact to CIMIC’s 2019 financial statements announced on 23 January 2020.
The sale is the final step of CIMIC’s decision, taken in January 2020, to exit the Middle East.


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Police arrested them last Thursday (Aug 30), ending their 15-year spree of robberies which had seen the duo make off with more than B20 million worth of stolen goods and cash.
The couple had become notorious for using their pet dog as a decoy while a knack for forging ID cards had seen them evade the law until investigators found them at a rented house on Phahonyothin 52 Rd in the capital.
Thiyata Bunrueang, 38, who accompanied her husband Aphichat, 42, to the Provincial Police Region 1, held a Shih Tzu in her arms but said it was not the one taken with them on their “shopping” trips.
“More than 50 victims have complained to police about their crimes – about 10 robberies a month on average over 15 years,” said Lt Gen Suwat Jangyodsuk, chief of Provincial Police Region 1.
It was a Shih Tzu, named Tua Lek (little one), which was the key to their rouse, according to investigators.
The couple took the pet dog with them when they went to a target shop. They pretended to be customers asking questions about products and, sometimes, placed many orders.
The dog was simply left to sniff around, run about and explore the store.
“This was to distract the attention of the shop owner,” Lt Gen Suwat said.
“When the dog caught the victim’s attention or they became busy packing goods for the couple, the suspects quickly snatched valuables and suddenly left.”
Such a trick was employed for the last time on Aug 7 when the pair, together with Tua Lek, went to an agricultural equipment store in Pathum Thani. “In just a short time, they made off with up to B400,000 in assets,” Lt Gen Suwat said.
Pathum Thani was just one province on their shopping list. Bangkok and provinces in the East and West all reported appearances of the dog holders, according to police.
“The couple has already confessed to the crimes,” said deputy national police chief Gen Chaloemkiat Siworakhan, who was present during the press conference.
Investigators found that the dog was indeed not the first method of distraction the pair had employed. In the beginning, they had used their daughter to similar effect, earning them a previous soubriquet of the ‘child-cradling thieves’.
“However, when their daughter grew up, they switched to lovely little pet dogs.
“At this stage, we will not take legal action against their daughter,” Gen Chaloemkiat said.
One victim, who asked not to be named, also presented police with evidence of how his toy balloon shop was robbed.
Footage from a security camera showed Aphichat arriving at the store with his daughter. While the child strolled around causing the seller to become unaware of his assets, the suspect snatched a purse and concealed it on his person before making a swift exit with his daughter, the victim claimed.
Many of the couple’s victims have complained about the crime spree on the Jor Sor 100 traffic radio station. However, having no clue about the couple’s whereabouts, they believed it would hard to arrest them.
Even police admitted it took a long time to nab the pair due to their adeptness at forging identity documents and changing their address.
The couple used identity cards taken from “people with faces similar to them” to acquire cars and rent houses, Lt Gen Suwat said.
Reportedly Aphichat's wife, also known as Usa Kasemmani, used the proceeds of their crimes to undergo cosmetic surgery, which further made her difficult to apprehend.
According to media reports, she also liked to show off her lavish lifestyle together with her Shih Tzu sidekick on social media.
A check on their backgrounds found Aphichat and his wife were wanted under a total of 14 arrest warrants, but investigators had failed to even come close to catching the pair until late last month.
However, on Aug 27, following a tip-off, police seized assets and documents believed to belong to the suspects. The items – 18 identity cards, 10 ATM and credit cards, 55 mobile phones, 55 brand-name bags, various types of jewellery, one pistol and two cars – were found at a luxury house in Nonthaburi’s Pak Kret district.
Police said the couple had managed to escape just minutes before officers’ arrival.
However, the investigators later gathered important clues that led them to the arrest of the two suspects at a rented house in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district on Aug 29.
The pair, who were almost assaulted by angry victims on the day they went to Provincial Police Region 1, refused to talk to the media and are currently under court custody in Pathum Thani.
Read original story here.


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App Developer Magazine November 2021In this month's issue, we have an exclusive with Steam Founder Rick Ellis about developing mobile real money games, the differences in the approach of free-to-play vs real-money games, and some advice about trends to look out for in 2022. Also, be sure to check out the exclusive with Vivien F. Peaden, the tech and privacy attorney from Baker Donelson, about the risks and advantages of using offshore developers. She answers questions about intellectual property, data security requirements, privacy risks, and restrictions on cross-border data transfers. We also caught up with Mike Gadd, the COO at Kindred, and got to hear about how Netflix is moving into the mobile gaming market, and how it could turn the mobile gaming space upside down. We covered several predictions from Nigel Green including that the new metaverse masters will be cryptocurrency investors, Bitcoin will reach all-time highs soon, and other cryptocurrencies like Solana, Cardano, and Ether will continue to improve. Even more, we have updates from Bluebird Network about them hosting two Internet Exchanges, highlights from the Huawei Developer Conference, and how NFT searches on Google increased by 100 times in 12 months. Lastly don't forget to check out Fedora Linux 35, the EraCloud launch, Bitcoin ETF trading, and how getting paid in Bitcoin could become the new norm.
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How does Asus' £300 Z490 ROG Strix board stack up against the competition?
Rick looks back at a 20th Century classic.
MSI's new premium £400 Z490 board certainly looks and feels ace but can it handle Intel's Core i9-10900K?
Isn't actively working on it, though.
Chances good you're affected.
Incoherent speech light on details.
US companies taking damage.
Huawei blockade drops demand.
Trump's trade war goes up a notch.
PCIe 5.0 with knobs on.
10,000 wafers affected.
Annual spec updates promised.
Snags numerous design wins.
Allegations of Iran embargo evasion.
May beat Huawei to the punch.
Will roll out secret 'performance mode' to all.
'First commercial 7nm SoC,' it crows.
Even as 400GbE becomes official.
No word on latency compensation.
'Exciting developments', says Huang.
Bets on AI as the future of mobile.
Brilliant year for Amazon, though.
Chromecast Audio dongle, too.
Punters limited to 150Mb/s, though.
Lab-ready now, to market in 2018.
May 15 2020 | 11:00
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J.C. Penney Co. (JCP) Stock Price Down 2.8%
J.C. Penney Co. (NYSE:JCP)’s share price was down 2.8% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $9.81 and last traded at $9.81, with a volume of 5,472,557 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $10.09.
Several equities analysts have weighed in on JCP shares. Jefferies Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $10.00 target price on shares of J.C. Penney in a report on Thursday, August 18th. Vetr lowered J.C. Penney from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $10.02 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, August 15th. Miller Tabak cut their target price on J.C. Penney from $17.00 to $13.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 23rd. B. Riley restated a “buy” rating and set a $16.00 target price on shares of J.C. Penney in a report on Saturday, August 20th. Finally, Cowen and Company restated a “market perform” rating and set a $10.00 target price on shares of J.C. Penney in a report on Monday, August 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.52.
The company’s market cap is $3.02 billion. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $9.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $9.42.
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J.C. Penney (NYSE:JCP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 12th. The department store operator reported ($0.05) EPS for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of ($0.15) by $0.10. J.C. Penney had a negative net margin of 3.11% and a negative return on equity of 10.18%. The company earned $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.41) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that J.C. Penney Co. will post $0.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.
In other news, Chairman Marvin R. Ellison bought 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 25th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $9.92 per share, for a total transaction of $496,000.00. Following the purchase, the chairman now owns 2,557,317 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,368,584.64. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Parametrica Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of J.C. Penney during the second quarter valued at about $102,000. Invictus RG purchased a new stake in shares of J.C. Penney during the first quarter valued at about $103,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of J.C. Penney by 40.8% in the second quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,546 shares of the department store operator’s stock valued at $103,000 after buying an additional 3,346 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of J.C. Penney during the second quarter valued at about $115,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp purchased a new stake in shares of J.C. Penney during the second quarter valued at about $138,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.62% of the company’s stock.
About J.C. Penney
J. C. Penney Company, Inc is a holding company. The Company’s operating subsidiary is J. C. Penney Corporation, Inc (JCP). The Company’s business consists of selling merchandise and services to consumers through its department stores and its Website at jcpenney.com, which utilizes optimized applications for desktop, mobile and tablet devices.
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Tommy Bahama to Host Father’s Day Shopping Event at First Street Napa
First Street Napa, a 325,000-square-foot mixed-use development in the heart of Downtown Napa, is pleased to share details surrounding the newly-opened Tommy Bahama Father’s Day shopping event on Saturday, June 9 from 2-5pm. Visitors are welcomed to enjoy wine from Brown Estate and island inspired snacks while shopping for dad. Those who spend $175 or more, will receive a $50 award to spend on a future shopping trip. Visitors will also have the chance to enter a raffle to win a shopping spree and lunch at Compline ($275 value).
When: Saturday, June 9, 2018 from 2 – 5 p.m.
Where: Tommy Bahama (near Compline at First Street Napa)
1270 First Street
Napa, CA 94559


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(PRESS RELEASE) -- Fast-growing gaming solution provider Design Works Gaming is now live in the UK with leading operator BoyleSports
Thanks to the integration powered by Relax Gaming, BoyleSports Games’ players can enjoy access to 20 DWG titles, including fan-favorites Double Fancy 7's
, Panda Queen
and Diamonds, Sapphires & Rubies 4Play
BoyleSports Commercial Director, Steve Payne commented: “We’ve been fans of DWG for some time now, so it’s a real thrill to be able to launch a range of their titles at BoyleSports Games. The games really capture that magic of Vegas that we—and our customers—love. And knowing their values align with our commitment to safer gambling is just another reason we’re excited to work with them.
“DWG’s games are backed by innovative gameplay features and a truly authentic feel. We’ve been impressed by their team, which has helped us quickly and seamlessly integrate, and we now have a solid foundation in place for a long-lasting relationship based on world-class content.”
Design Works Gaming CEO Troy Zurawski commented: “We are very excited to go live with BoyleSports, and reach a very unique customer base that I know we will resonate with. DWG offers products that no other developer does, and that will be a huge advantage for them. It's going to be a thrill to watch this relationship continue to grow.”


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A New York publishing company used a photo of a Tennessee church deacon without his permission, depicting him as “Earl the Black Pimp” on a book cover, he claims in court.
Charles Christian sued Kensington Publishing Corp. in federal court for violation of right to be free of publicity, false light, and invasion of privacy.
Christian, a black entrepreneur and Nashville church deacon, took part in a private photography session as a gift to his wife in April 2013, the complaint says.
He was then told by friends and family that his picture was on the cover of Donald Goines’ book “Street Players.” The book was available for purchase at a grocery store in Mount Juliet, Tenn. and a Barnes & Noble location in Hendersonville, Tenn.
“Mr. Goines’ books revolve around and focus on graphic, explicit, and pornographic aspects of prison, crime, prostitution and illegal drugs,” the complaint states. “‘Street Players’ is about a pimp named ‘Earl the Black Pimp’ who is trapped in a lifestyle of drugs, violence, and prostitution.”
The book was first published in 1973 but Kensington released a new edition in July, featuring Christian on the cover “as the violent pimp character,” the complaint says.
Christian says Kensington used his likeness and image “in a defamatory and pornographic manner” and shared marketing materials using his image “without his consent in various media in Tennessee and throughout the world,” the complaint states.
Click here for more.
SOURCE: Courthouse News Service


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Negotiations on a free trade agreement with the Philippines to be officially launched in the coming weeks
The European Union and the Philippines are expected to officially launch the negotiations for a free trade agreement in the coming weeks, a first negotiation round is expected in the first half of the year 2016. Following a thorough scoping exercise where both the EU and the Philippines discussed their ambitions and objectives, a formal exchange of proposals might already take place during the first round, the Commission assumes. As part of the Commission’s new transparency approach to trade policy, the EU proposals should also be made public in due time.
An ambitious agreement would be beneficial for the branded clothing industry as high tariffs are currently imposed on textiles and footwear on both sides – ranging from 10% to 20% for most of the products.
The EU is an important trading partner of the Philippines, with two-way trade of more than 10 billions per year (textiles and footwear amounting to nearly 300 million euros for the year 2014). An agreement with the Philippines would further strengthen the influence of the EU in the ASEAN region. The EU is currently negotiating with two ASEAN countries – Malaysia and Thailand – and has concluded talks with Singapore and Vietnam.
Member States decided to authorise the Commission to launch the negotiations on 16 November. The mandate has not (yet) been made public, however, a written statement said, that the Council encouraged the Commission to take an ambitious approach and that the Commission is authorised to negotiate in areas that fall within Member States’ competence.


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"Winterworld" writer Chuck Dixon talks "Alien Legion," replacing Bruce Wayne, catching lightning in a bottle with Bane and being a conservative writer.
Just in time for Comic-Con week, IDW shows off previews of their latest titles including "My Little Pony: Friends Forever" and the "Monster Motors" one-shot.
Tommy Lee Edwards visited CBR TV at Wondercon to talk about his Dark Horse series "Vandroid," longtime love of "Godzilla" and his cinematic future.
IDW and its creators announced new titles and highlighted creator-owned books, as well as signing "Locke & Key" artist Gabriel Rodriguez to an exclusive.
A smash hit video game, a comic book classic and a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series are the tip of IDW Publishing's June 2014 iceberg.


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The second session of the iDEA Herald Design Forum gathered creators of the world’s best-selling cars, the most creative plastic products, and top mobile phone service providers to discuss the next step for achieving commercial success in industrial design.
Moderated by Kim Young-se, CEO of Inno Design, the two-hour session included Chris Bangle, former head of design at BMW Group, Pyo Hyun-myung, president of mobile business group at KT Corp., Chung Kook-hyun, president of Samsung Art & Design Institute and industrial designer Karim Rashid.
The four shared the idea that creating a unique brand for companies has become ever more important in this fast-changing world.
Pyo said the telecommunication provider’s intensified focus on creating a brand for the company is the secret behind making KT a top five corporate brand of Korea last year.
“When KT was privatized in 2002, our design team was tiny part of our marketing team. We made it big, gave it direct communication channels with the CEO and used it as our strategic base to brand the company,” Pyo told more than 400 design experts, chief executives and students at the forum.
Pyo said unifying the company’s logo in red Korean characters and marketing “Olleh KT” in anecdotal advertisements gave the firm a passionate image.
Chris Bangle delivers a speech at Session II.
“Design was our best bet to revamp the company and the bet was a highly successful one. KT wasn’t listed as top five national brands in 2009, but we made into the list last year along with Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor Co., LG Electronics and Kia Motor Corp,” Pyo said.
Bangle and Rashid focused on introducing the audience of the creative process relevant in any industrial designs.
Bangle, arguably the most influential auto designer out of from BMW Group, said there are three phases of design process.
“Any design process should begin with a concept of ‘why,’ and knowing why you want to do this should come with a strong intuition.”
“The next two process, ‘how’ and ‘believing in the idea,’ should challenge every boundary one can see and add all the details to the creative process,” Bangle said.
Bangle, the industry lexicon for controversial yet popular car designs, is now a consultant for Samsung Electronics after 28 years as an automobile designer.
Karim Rashid, better known as the “Prince of Plastic” for his best-selling designs of plastic products, displayed some of his over 3,000 works gone world-wide famous, to make a point that design is democratic art that can be expressed in so many different ways.
“At some point design became its own culture. We use things we don’t know where it’s from, we just accept it as a part of built-in environment in this world,” Karim said.


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Eminem’s music publisher has demanded that a (Detroit) US District Court judge enforce a $2.2 million settlement with Apple.
The request – filed by the Ferndale-based Eight Mile Style – asked the court to implement a previous ruling related to a lawsuit over downloads of
Eminem’s music on iTunes.
As Robert Snell of the Detroit News points out, it remains unclear which company is responsible for paying the settlement, although the only two defendants named in the case were Apple and Aftermath Records.
“In the Detroit case, Eight Mile Style and Apple reached a settlement in early October 2009 following a brief trial,” explained Snell.
“The central issue was whether a record deal between Aftermath Records and an Eminem representative gave copyright licenses to the hip-hop artist’s musical compositions that allowed digital downloads through Apple’s iTunes store.”
It should be noted that the above-mentioned motion was filed just weeks after a (California) federal appeals court ruled that Eminem’s former production company (F.B.T.) was entitled to even more money generated by downloads of the rapper’s songs and ringtones.


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Fire Emblem Fates, which has still not seen a release in New Zealand and Australia, just recently received its release date of May 21st. And, just like in Japan and the U.S., New Zealand and Australia are also receiving a special edition of the game that releases the same day. As anyone who was even remotely involved in the Fates hype would suspect, the special edition of Fates for New Zealand and Australia sold out almost immediately, leaving many fans upset and frustrated at the small window they were available.
However, if you live in either of these two regions, luck may be on your side! On its official Facebook page, Nintendo has just announced that it will be producing a “limited-quantity second shipment” that will be supplied to retailers at the end of May, after the initial release of the game. Nintendo currently encourages fans to check their local retailers for preorder availability.
It’s interesting that Nintendo seems to be acknowledging the enthusiasm and large demand for the special edition in these regions, yet we saw virtually nothing in the U.S. Could this possibly be a sign that we’ll be seeing a restock, albeit a late one, in the US sometime soon? Fingers crossed!
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Pokemon GO Might Be Getting Gen 7 Creatures Sooner Rather Than Later
Pokemon GO devs have hugely expanded the number of playable species in the game since launch. It showcased creatures from the Johto region all the way to the franchise’s sixth generation. They officially added Gen 6 species in December of 2020.
With that said, it has been well over a year since the popular mobile game has received any significant influx in its roster. Thankfully for fans, there is new evidence that seem to hint at the sooner arrival of new Pokemon GO species.
Hardworking dataminers have determined that Gen 7 creatures are coming to the game in the near future. According to their findings, Gen 7 species for Pokemon GO, including the unique Ultra Beast Pokemon, have been “pushed.” Fans are curious to know how they are going to be incorporated into the mobile game.
This will not be the first time that Pokemon from the Alola region show up in the game. After all, Niantic did add Alolan variants of Gen 1 creatures into the game about four years ago. Considering that this is the first time that devs are adding majority of Gen 7 Pokemons, it remains unclear how the rollout is going to work. Fans are speculating that the addition will happen as part of certain special events.
At the moment, fans are just observing and comparing it to the process of how devs handled previous generations. Many players believe that devs will add a limited number of Gen 7 Pokemon to the game at the beginning and will eventually keep adding more to refresh the pool. This will expectedly keep Pokemon GO fans engaged.
The addition of Gen 7 Pokemon will make the mobile game almost caught up with the main series of games.
Are you excited for Gen 7? Let us know in the comments below.


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Mallika Dhawan joins Spotify
Moves from Twitter India
Jan 30, 2023 09:04:00 PM | Article | Campaign India Team Share -
Mallika Dhawan has joined Spotify as associate manager, enterprise marketing.
Prior to this, she handled global business and consumer marketing at Twitter India.
With over four years of experience, she has also worked with Leo Burnett India.


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Japan's economy slipped into recession for the first time in four-and-a-half years, putting the nation on course for its deepest post-war slump as the coronavirus crisis ravages businesses and consumers.
Monday's first-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) data underlined the broadening effect of the outbreak, with exports plunging the most since the devastating March 2011 earthquake as global lockdowns and supply chain disruptions hit shipments of Japanese goods.
Analysts warn of an even bleaker picture for the current quarter as consumption crumbled after the government in April requested citizens to stay home and businesses to close, intensifying the challenge for policymakers battling a once-in-a-century pandemic.
"It's near certainty the economy suffered an even deeper decline in the current quarter," said Yuichi Kodama, chief economist at Meiji Yasuda Research Institute. "Japan has entered a full-blown recession."
The world's third-largest economy contracted by an annualised 3.4 percent in the first quarter, preliminary official GDP data showed, less than a median market forecast for a 4.6 percent drop.
The slump came on top of an even steeper 7.3 percent decline in the October to December period, with the consecutive quarters of contraction meeting the technical definition of a recession. The last time Japan suffered a recession was in the second half of 2015.
"The fall in output in the first quarter suggests the spread of the virus had already dealt a significant blow to economic activity in March with much worse to come in [the second quarter]. A double-digit fall in GDP is in the pipeline this quarter," Tom Learmouth, Japan economist at research firm Capital Economics, said in a note sent to Al Jazeera.
The coronavirus, which first emerged in China late last year, has ravaged the global economy as many nations went into strict lockdowns to curb the outbreak that has so far killed more than 310,000 people worldwide. The pandemic has disrupted supply chains and businesses, particularly in trade-reliant nations such as Japan.
Indeed, the fallout of the virus on corporate Japan was telling with exports diving 6.0 percent in the first quarter, the biggest decline since April-June 2011.
What do you think?


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Pressed into the defensive by Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s aggressive march into Europe, two of the biggest supermarket operators in France announced a $16.6 billion combination today intended to build a stockade against Wal-Mart's ambitions.
Carrefour S.A. said it would exchange six of its shares for every share of Promodes S.A. in a deal that would create the world's second-biggest retailer after Wal-Mart. The combination would supplant Metro A.G. of Germany as Europe's largest retailer. The all-stock deal, which is subject to the approval of European Union regulators, will result in a chain with 9,000 stores in Europe, Asia and Latin America and expected sales this year of $56 billion.
Carrefour's offer values Promodes at 841.8 euros a share, or 15.9 billion euros, a 20 percent premium to its closing price of 700 euros on Friday. The announcement of the deal in Paris pushed Carrefour's shares down by as much 4.8 percent before they rebounded and closed up 0.10 euro, to 140.4 euros. Shares of Promodes jumped 129 euros, or 18.4 percent, to 829 euros. Retail stocks rose across the Continent as investors anticipated a merger wave among retailers, all unsettled by Wal-Mart's campaign. A similar surge was forecast in London for Tuesday, which had a holiday today.
In June, Wal-Mart, which had sales of close to $139 billion last year, agreed to pay $10.8 billion in cash for Asda Group P.L.C., Britain's third-largest supermarket chain, adding to two German deals -- the acquisitions of Wertkauf and of 74 Spar Handels A.G. outlets -- in 1997. The drive into Europe is propelled by acquisitions because strict zoning regulations in France, Britain and elsewhere leave little room for new stores. The maneuvers have forced European retailers to consider joining forces so they can use size to negotiate lower prices from suppliers, enhancing their ability to meet the challenge from Wal-Mart, based in Bentonville, Ark.
France had been seen by analysts as a big gap in Wal-Mart's European armor, and it was not immediately clear how it would respond to the French deal.Continue reading the main story
Analysts differed on how the combination would affect Wal-Mart's strategy. ''It only means that international retailers recognize Wal-Mart's aggressive push into Europe and are beginning to act,'' said Jeff Feiner, who follows Wal-Mart for Lehman Brothers. ''But this will not deter Wal-Mart.''
But Burt Flickinger, managing director of Reach Marketing, a consulting firm in Westport, Conn., disagreed. ''This means Carrefour will dominate the European Union, before Wal-Mart has a chance to reload and get beyond its last merger,'' he said. Although the French retailer does $100 billion less in annual sales worldwide than the American giant, Mr. Flickinger thinks that it has advantages in the global arena.
''To win the world war, Wal-Mart needs two things: fresh consumables and fashion,'' Mr. Flickinger said. Promodes, he reasons, was the jewel of the supermarket chains available for purchase. As for Carrefour, he said, it has ''much more fashion authority; it is much more on trend.'' Mr. Flickinger thinks that Wal-Mart will now have to push its domestic expansion faster to meet its internal goals for increasing revenue.
Salomon Smith Barney said in a report before the French deal today that Wal-Mart ''is one of the main triggers for consolidation in Europe.'' But, the report said, ''even with Asda in its portfolio, Wal-Mart still has some way to go; it still lacks access to France.'' In June, the family-owned French chain Auchan said it had been approached by Wal-Mart.
The chairmen of Carrefour and Promodes left little doubt that their move had been set off by the pressure for consolidation. ''Given the acceleration in alliances in the distribution business, this merger comes at the right time and is without doubt the best possible for the two partners,'' said Paul-Louis Halley, the head of Promodes.
Under the terms of the deal, Carrefour will issue 115 million new shares to Promodes stockholders. That means that between them the founding families of the two companies, along with their supporters, will have 33.5 percent of the stock and 35.8 percent of the voting rights in the new company. Under French rules, a 33 percent share of voting rights constitutes a blocking minority, theoretically immunizing the merged company against a hostile bid.
But Daniel Bernard, the chairman of Carrefour, who will be chairman and chief executive of the merged company, suggested that Europe's vulnerability to Wal-Mart was not likely to go away. ''We are still smaller than the biggest companies that are far from renouncing their intentions to become ever more powerful,'' he said at a news conference in Paris.
The two companies said no layoffs were planned among the 240,000 employees, 110,000 of whom are in France.
Even before today's announcement, Carrefour had been aggressively seeking to strengthen its position globally and domestically, overtaking Wal-Mart to become the biggest retailer in Brazil while acquiring Comptoirs Modernes S.A., which operates more than 350 supermarkets in France. Carrefour's assets include more than 1,500 large convenience stores known as hypermarkets and supermarkets in 20 countries. Promodes had also been seeking to expand, but failed in a hostile bid to take over Casino Guichard Perrachon S.A.
The new company is expected to rely on the Continent for 85 percent of its sales.
The deal puts pressure on other European retailers, notably Koninlijke Ahold in the Netherlands and Casino of France, to start consolidation moves. Ahold said today that it was considering deals in France, Britain, Italy and Spain.Continue reading the main story


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Naomi Punk On Captured Tracks
Watch the tasty video for "Burned Body"
Captured Tracks has just signed a trio from Olympia, WA, answering to the name of Naomi Punk. On 20th November, the label will reissue their first full-length, “The Feeling”, released last April on Couple Skate Records in a limited edition of 300 vinyl LPs. The New York label has now cranked up the PR machine to make sure the band's music reaches a wider audience, starting with the brilliant video for “ Burned Body”, and a free download of the same track.


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As the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Here goes the popular saying. And in the current scenario, it is the most palpable in the travel industry. Despite of being hit hard and being brought to a complete standstill by the ongoing pandemic, there are start-ups that are holding strong and raising fresh round of investments, too.
The total value of transactions of these travel startups might be lower compared to last year. However, a recent rise in the size of funding rounds had been related to businesses requiring either a lot of investment in AI and customer service. Investors are still demonstrating confidence in management team and business model in midst of unprecedented crisis in global travel. These are clear signs of market recovery as Europeans plan last-minute summer vacations and return to travelling locally.
This week we speak to two European start ups which are still going strong amid the downturn and have raised money in the last one week.
Omio strengthens position as global travel platform
Omio (formerly GoEuro), Europe’s leading multi-modal travel booking platform, announced it has secured USD 100 million in investments from existing and new investors including Temasek, Kinnevik, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, NEA and Kleiner Perkins last week. This funding has been one of Europe’s biggest travel round of 2020 till now.
The funding will allow the company to pursue its vision of unifying global transport with end to end consumer experiences. The investments will be directed at fuelling continued organic growth and opportunistic M&A activities while strengthening the company’s unique product and service offering: All transport options (including rail, bus, flights, ferries, rental cars and car sharing) diversified across 37 countries in Europe and Northern America under the Omio brand, combined with global reach through the planning engine Rome2Rio, which offers search and discovery of transport to and from more than 10 million locations worldwide.
Talking about the new development, Naren Shaam, founder and CEO of Omio, said: “We have seen a very promising recovery of our business over the past weeks, based on the unique strength of our product which includes all modes of transport across multiple markets. Especially in Germany and France, we are already above 50% of our pre-Covid-19 bookings despite marginal marketing spend. However, consumer expectations are changing and the industry will need to evolve to new standards and provide new products with a strong focus on sustainability. We will use the fresh capital to drive this change.”
Omio has already experienced a stronger bounce-back in travel bookings than expected. This has been driven by a clear change in consumer behaviour towards more ground transportation, combined with an accelerating shift towards app usage as consumers prefer to avoid kiosks and long queues. It actively supported this shift by continuing to improve and expand its services, for example through the launch of its Open Travel Index (OTI) to help travellers easily understand where they can travel to within Europe and Northern America.
The Trip Boutique to drive personalisation in travel
Swiss travel-tech company focused on AI-based personalisation of travel experiences, The Trip Boutique, closed its first financing round with high-profile investors.
“The commitment from the investors amidst challenging times for the travel industry shows that they strongly believe in our value proposition and growth potential. They are convinced that the service that we are building has an even higher relevance in the new context of tourism,” said Fernanda Barrence Mutz, CEO and co-founder of The Trip Boutique.
Founded in 2017 and with offices in Zurich (Switzerland) and Kiev (Ukraine), The Trip Boutique is a modern travel advisory platform, leveraging technology to create a better way of traveling. By innovatively combining AI with human expertise, it has built a suite of proprietary tools and a matching technology to identify the hotels, restaurants, bars, cafés, activities, attractions and experiences in a destination that best fit each client’s interests, lifestyle and tastes.
A custom-made and bookable travel itinerary is designed and delivered to each traveller, so they can enjoy the luxury of a personal travel advisory service at their fingertips, at an accessible price. The proceeds of the funding round will take the company well into 2021 and will be utilised to expand its portfolio of destinations, further develop its technology, and cultivate its growing customer base by establishing additional alliances with industry partners.


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Starbucks is the first coffee shop to charge customers a 5p levy for paper cups across all its 950 stores in Britain. The move is reportedly a bid to reduce single-use paper and plastic waste.
From 26 July, customers who bring in a reusable cup for their coffee or other hot drink will be given the standard 25p discount. Those that ask for a paper cup will not get the discount and will be charged the 5p “latte levy”.
The move comes after a successful three-month trial across selected Starbucks stores, which saw a 126% uplift in the use of reusable cups.
Martin Brok, president of Starbucks Europe, said the move was an “exciting step”. He hoped the charge would “remind customers to rethink their use of single-use plastic as it has with plastic bags”.
On 9 July, Starbucks joined the swathe of businesses pledging to cut back on plastic by announcing it will phase out plastic straws by 2020.
The coffee giant said it would eliminate plastic drinking straws, and introduce lids designed not to need straws. It will do this within two years, to combat the stress they put on marine life and the environment as a whole.
There has been increasing pressure on companies to reduce the amount of single-use plastic they use because of concerns over plastic pollution in the oceans. Items such as straws end up harming, and often killing, wildlife such as turtles, birds and fish.
McDonald’s confirmed in June that it would stop using plastic straws across all of its UK and Ireland restaurants. It will replace them with paper alternatives from September.
The fast food chain uses around 1.8 million plastic straws every day in Britain. All 1,361 restaurants will begin the roll-out of paper alternatives from September, with the process to be completed next year, it said.


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La Cocina is a recipient of an Impact Grant from Toast.org, the company’s philanthropic arm, as a part of its Pledge 1% commitment. La Cocina’s mission is to cultivate low-income food entrepreneurs as they formalize and grow their businesses. With an emphasis on supporting women from communities of color and immigrant-owned food businesses, the organization itself is as multifaceted as its members — including an incubator program, commercial kitchen, and events and retail space to support each business’ unique product. The Toast.org Spotlight Series highlights outstanding organizations dedicated to enriching the food experience for all.
La Cocina is a nonprofit working to solve problems of equity in business ownership for women, immigrants and people of color. The organization supports budding entrepreneurs through their incubator program, which provides technical training and access to resources like a commercial kitchen and retail space to help early-stage founders grow and develop thriving food businesses.
On the heels of their first in-person food event since 2020, Tacolado (a celebration of tacos and ice cream, what could be better?) we had the chance to sit down with La Cocina’s Head of Advancement, Michelle Magat Williams, to learn about the organization’s impact and what makes it so special to the San Francisco Bay area community.
Telling their stories
“Did you want to do something about La Cocina in general, or did you want to go through a few stories of our entrepreneurs?” says Michelle Magat Williams as she signs on for her interview. It’s a thoughtful question, but then she jumps right in and, as she begins to describe some of the La Cocina entrepreneurs, the right answer quickly becomes clear.
“We have so many incredible stories about who is defining our local food business community ” she continues, “like Alicia Villanueva, she’s a talented cook who started out by selling tamales door-to-door while raising three children and working. And now she has a thriving family business where anyone in the U.S. can taste her food and she advocates for the support of small business owners.”
Villanueva learned the art of tamale-making from her mother and grandmother in Sinaloa, Mexico, where she was born. After moving to the US in 2001, she began her tamale business as a way of connecting her culture with her new home, making about 500 each week to sell.
Alicia Villanueva and her team
With the support of La Cocina, Villanueva was able to learn critical new skills and grow her business, Alicia’s Tamales Los Mayas, to go way beyond door-to-door sales. She was soon able to open up a 7,000-square-foot factory, employing over 20 people directly from her community. She began receiving opportunities for partnerships with big food retailers like Whole Foods and William Sonoma and recently announced a partnership with Alaska Airlines to feature her tamales.
The company produces over 45,000 tamales a month which is impressive growth for anyone, but a particularly major accomplishment when you consider Alicia’s humble beginnings. But what Alicia has been able to do personally with this success is even sweeter.
“In 2019 Alicia was able to send her youngest daughter to college and she and her husband purchased a home after being in San Francisco for 20 years,” said Williams.
Creating “things that just didn’t exist before”
In the spirit of the business owners they support, La Cocina is, at its core, an entrepreneurial venture itself, spinning up new elements to the program based on changing needs for their entrepreneurs and community. While the cornerstone of their work is their Incubator Program, which currently has 44 entrepreneurs in the program, in the 18 years since La Cocina’s founding they’ve also created their own cookbook, live storytelling show, marketplace, events, and more.
“One of the things I’ve long been in awe of about La Cocina is how the organization creates things that just didn’t exist before,” explained Williams. “When La Cocina struggled to get entrepreneurs into food festivals, it created its own, which ran for 10 years. La Cocina created its own cookbook that featured entrepreneurs’ recipes and stories in their own words. When La Cocina struggled to get entrepreneurs’ into brick-and-mortar locations in an expensive city, we worked with dozens of partners to build the Municipal Marketplace.”
The number of “things” La Cocina does to support their community is almost dizzying, but Williams explains how this is critical to La Cocina, and their entrepreneurs’ success.
“There are a lot of barriers for BIPOC, women, and immigrant entrepreneurs wanting to enter the food industry,’” said Williams. “Our organization has evolved beyond providing an affordable kitchen space and mentoring to provide access to sales opportunities, like our catering program, which supports entrepreneurs in securing and successfully catering an event.”
Inside La Cocina's incubator kitchen
A community of support
While La Cocina offers a number of resources and the infrastructure for entrepreneurs to get their businesses off the ground, the support of that staff and community and how La Cocina supports the San Francisco community around them is what really makes the organization special.
“They are some of the most important critics, I love giving them food because they’re so honest, and their opinion really matters,” said Reyna Maldonado, co-founder of La Guerrera’s Kitchen, a La Cocina graduate and Toast customer. “Everyone that works at La Cocina has so many different skills that they bring into the organization, I really love learning from each and every one of them. They go above and beyond to dedicate time to guide and support you to build the structure you need for your business.”
Williams explains how the entire community around La Cocina — from donors like Toast.org, to the guests who visit their businesses — are critical to these entrepreneurs’ success, and the ripple effect this can have far beyond their individual businesses.
“We have a lot of people who admire the work that we do, but organizations like ours can't survive on admiration alone,” says Williams. “The communities that exist here are rich because of all the small businesses that make up those communities. When you donate or patronize businesses that are part of La Cocina, you're enabling these BIPOC, women, and immigrant entrepreneurs to create a business that are unique to their community, and that helps further economic development in our city.”
Michelle Magat Williams is Head of Advancement for La Cocina and has worked with the organization for over 14 years, volunteering for a decade before joining officially to serve in various roles from serving food at events to serving on its board.
You can learn more about La Cocina on their website, and connect with them on Instagram and LinkedIn.
This information is provided for general informational purposes only, and publication does not constitute an endorsement. Toast does not warrant the accuracy or completeness of any information, text, graphics, links, or other items contained within this content.


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Tag results for "wearable technology"
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Houlihan’s Restaurants Inc. is seeing success with its test of a slimmed-down, dressed-up prototype — a changed spurred by a post-recession landscape “where we didn’t have any slack left in the equation,” according to Rob Ellis, chief financial officer and chief development officer of the Leawood, Kan.-based company.
The chain of nearly 100 upscale-casual restaurants tested the new building design in four markets over the past year, including a location near its home market in Overland Park, Kan. There, a newly built freestanding prototype saw a 24-percent sales increase in its most recent quarter, compared with sales a year earlier in an older unit across the street with the same customer base.
That Overland Park prototype reduced Houlihan’s square footage from 9,600 square feet to 5,600 square feet and took the box size from 290 indoor seats down to 183 seats. But the increased efficiency for building materials, utilities and interior seating helped Houlihan’s increase its cash flow in that unit by 54 percent before rent, compared to that of the older building a year earlier.
“We started down this path with the prototype for corporate development,” Ellis said. “We liked the results and think it’s something that increases the appeal for prospective franchisees.”
In Houlihan’s last rapid growth phase in the mid-2000s, the brand was maintaining an average weekly sales range between $60,000 and $65,000 needed to fuel unit expansion and maintain a good return on investment, “but there was no cushion if sales came in at $55,000 a week,” Ellis said. “We had to open every restaurant and have it perform optimally.”
The prototype restaurants have been able to generate an equal or greater annualized volume than the average unit volume for the old restaurant design, he added. One big reason is the re-engineered seating arrangements that allow for more two-tops.
“Even when we were on a wait on a busy Saturday night, our old building was more than half-empty because we had a mismatch between party sizes and available tables,” Ellis explained. “We were seating two people at four-tops, so there were a lot of unutilized seats.”
Though Houlihan’s prototype engineered much lower preopening costs and operation costs in order to maximize profitability, the brand still did not skimp on modern design elements common in upscale-casual restaurants, such as fireplaces, original artwork on the wall and an open kitchen, Ellis said.
“We shifted our investment in the building from things above the guest’s eye level to the things that are more part of the experience,” he said. “Tabletops, artwork and fabrics were where we spent the money.”
The brand also ditched the racetrack bar for a new bar against the wall, which freed up more square footage for seating in the dining room. Moving the bar also helped delineate parts of the restaurant and helped move away from a louder, more frenetic atmosphere that comes from centrally locating the bar in casual-dining restaurants, Ellis said.
“The energy levels can be different, so we like the bars separate from the dining room,” he said. “Part of our decision was to have the bar feed out onto the patio space.”
The prototypes feature about 75 seats on the patio with an outdoor fire pit, and windows between the bar and patio can be thrown open in favorable weather.
In all, investment costs for the new prototype will run between $1.4 million and $1.8 million for a conversion or remodel, and between $2.4 million and $2.7 million for a new build. Houlihan’s is looking to build between 10 and 15 locations per year between company-owned and franchised locations combined in its existing markets.
According to Nation’s Restaurant News’ Top 200 census, Houlihan’s had systemwide sales of $225.7 million for the fiscal year ended in September 2013, a decrease of about 3.7 percent from a year earlier.
The chain operates 36 company-owned restaurants and franchises another 47 Houlihan’s locations, in addition to 15 company-owned specialty restaurants like Bristol Seafood Grill and J. Gilbert’s Wood-Fired Steaks & Seafood.
Contact Mark Brandau at email@example.com.
Follow him on Twitter: @Mark_from_NRN


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Two River Deli opens near downtown Grayling to satisfy hungry customers
Dan Sanderson | Staff Writer
A new eatery has opened near downtown Grayling to provide fresh and healthy lunch and dinner options as well as products to take home.
Tim Ash and his wife, Christi Ash, opened Two River Deli, located at 203 Ionia Street in Grayling.
The name pays homage to the importance of the AuSable River and Manistee River to the area, but also refers to another business venture started by the couple.
“We have some rental properties in town, and we call that Two River Properties, so we just went off the Two River name when we opened the deli,” Tim said. “It seems fitting.”
Planning for the business started a year ago, and was prompted by Tim’s job working for a wine distribution company based out of Traverse City. He paid regular visits to Folgarelli’s Market & Wine Shop and Fieldstone Market and Deli in Traverse City.
“I said Grayling could use one of these and it started from there,” he said.
The deli serves Boar’s Head meats and cheeses, which come from a New York-based deli operation founded in 1905. The products contain no additives or preservatives.
“Once you open it, it’s pretty much good for seven days and it’s just really good, quality meat,” Tim said.
Two River Deli opened for business on Monday, May 6, and the couple has been pleased with the response to the new business on the block.
“I’m amazed at the outcome from the community and trying us out, so it’s been good – better than I expected,” Tim said.
Two River Deli has grown enough in its first month in business to have a workforce of six employees.
“I think we’re good for now,” Tim said. “We’ll have to see what the summer brings.”
The employees rotate from working the front end of the business to making sandwiches in the back.
The focus of the menu options are sandwiches, soups, and salads. The deli has also added quiche, bread pudding, and macaroni and cheese to its options.
Tim, who is a “self-professed foodie,” was exploring the option of starting a food trailer before the deli idea came to the forefront.
“I’ve always been a food guy,” he said. “I’ve been watching the Food Channel since the day it started and it’s all I watch.”
Christi has a background in working at bars, brew pubs, and restaurants to provide topnotch customer service.
“I think it was a really good fit for us,” Tim said. “I’m about quality and any product we put out is going to be really good quality.”
The couple found a prime location for the business, located next to Family Video, which is right by the start of the AuSable River Canoe Marathon and within sight of motorists traveling on the I-75 Business Loop.
“Hopefully, we’ll get some more customers,” Tim said.
Two River Deli currently offers 15 sandwiches, including four grilled cheese sandwiches and two vegetarian options. The couple is planning on adding a tuna melt to the menu.
Boar’s Head meats and cheeses are also sold by the pound for people to take home or to their cottages, cabins, and campsites.
“Once we expand our sale of the meats and cheeses out the front door, then I can expand more of what we can offer,” Tim said.
The couple had been vacationing in the community for over two decades before moving from Southgate three and a half years ago.
“I’ve had a cottage up here for 22 years, and just decided to move up here before I got too old to enjoy it,” Tim said. “I love the small town. It’s a good little town.”
Two River Deli is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
The deli offers deliver service as well as catering or pick up service for events. A discount is also offered to military, veterans, police, fire, and EMS personnel.
Fifty cents from each sandwich of the month sold goes to support the AuSable Valley Animal Shelter.
“The animal shelter is something that is very near to our hearts,” Tim said.
The hours may change depending on the season.
“It seems like our lunch crowd really does it for us,” Tim said. “We’ll see what happens when summer comes.”
Two River Deli can be reached at (989) 344-5554 or through its website at www.tworiverdeli.com and on Facebook.