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NEW YORK -- Key Foods Stores Co-Operative here last week appeared to be moving closer to settlement talks over a discrimination lawsuit after the case became a focus of local media attention.
A source said the two sides could be preparing to settle after the plaintiffs in the 16-month-old suit produced an audiotape in which former Key Foods produce director Richard Grenard is alleged to be heard making racially derogatory comments. The tape was provided to local media, and activist Al Sharpton and his National Action Network also took up the cause of the plaintiffs by staging a press conference last week.
Key Foods, a 115-store co-op of independently owned stores, fired Grenard earlier this month after hearing the recording. The company said Grenard previously had denied a verbal allegation of discrimination by one of the plaintiffs.
Marc Rapaport, an attorney for plaintiffs Nancy Mena, Shondelle Northe and Gina Healy, said Key Foods' action was "too little, too late."
"They waited a month and a half [after the tapes were presented]," he told SN in an interview last week. "They waited until it had been on TV."
The suit, filed in New York Superior Court, also named Key Foods executive Chet Koby and Key Foods itself and seeks $45 million plus punitive damages.
"With this type of attitude at corporate headquarters, you have to be concerned about it permeating through the whole organization," said Woody Henderson, president, National Action Network, New York Chapter.
Key Foods said in its prepared statement that the remarks heard on the tape "are reprehensible and would never be condoned," and that it is committed to a discrimination-free work environment.


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Netflix supported net neutrality–the policy that all Internet traffic should be treated the same–in the U.S., but two of the company’s deals in Australia directly contradicted the principles of net neutrality. Now, Netflix admits it made a mistake and is pledging never to make that kind of deal again, saying that the move was ultimately bad for customers.
Eager to ensure limitless access for its customers, Netflix arranged a deal with Australian ISPs iiNet and Optus so that Netflix content would not count against a customer of either ISP’s data cap. Great news for those customers, right? Except that making a deal to exempt itself means Netflix is condoning the Australian ISP industry’s practice of putting data caps on anyone who doesn’t have Netflix’s financial pull. Netflix apologized to shareholders in its last quarterly report.
To put action behind its words, Netflix changed the terms of both ISP deals, essentially giving them permission to stop exempting Netflix’s videos from data caps, says Ars Technica. The ISPs are going to honor the original terms anyway—meaning they will not count Netflix content against customers’ data caps—but Netflix has pledged to avoid such deals in the future, stating in the quarterly letter that “data caps inhibit Internet innovation and are bad for consumers.”
After getting flak about the Australian data cap exemption deal when it was announced last March, hopefully Netflix will abide by the criticism it levied at Comcast when Comcast exempted its own video content, but not others’, from data caps back in 2012. “Comcast no longer applying net neutrality principles. Comcast should apply caps equally, or not at all” said Netflix CEO Reed Hastings in a Facebook post.
[via Ars Technica]

domain: news


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Retail market reform to cost United Utilities £16M in one year
United Utilities (UU) has said it expects the full cost of non-household retail market reform to amount to £16M for the financial year 2016/17.
In a trading update ahead of its full-year financial results, the water company said reported operating profit will be impacted by costs relating to non-household retail market reform and restructuring within the business. Of the total anticipated costs of market opening for the year, £8M was spent in the first half.
“To provide a more representative view of business performance, these adjusting items will be excluded from the underlying profit measures,” the company said.
UU said it anticipates that group revenue to be slightly lower than last year, reflecting the accounting impact of its Water Plus business retail joint venture, which completed on June 1, 2016. However, this will be partly offset by its allowed regulatory revenue changes.
As the company continues to invest in its asset base, it expects a small increase in group net debt at 31 March 2017 compared with the position at 30 September 2016. This principally reflects capital expenditure, payment of the 2016/17 interim dividend and payments in relation to interest and tax, and is largely offset by operational cash flows.
The update said underlying operating profit for 2016/17 is expected to be moderately higher than 2015/16. Regulatory capital investment in 2016/17, including infrastructure renewals expenditure, is expected to be around £800M this year and in line with the company’s plan.
Overall, current trading is in line with the group’s expectations for the year ending March 31, 2017. It will announce its 2016/17 full year results on May 25, 2017.
A version of this article first appeared on Utility Week.
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- schuh expects to save £62K after switching water supplier Scottish retail business schuh expects to cut its annual overheads by around £62,000 because of a change in water supplier... Read More >


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When we think of African aid, images of handouts often come to mind. Maybe it’s the truck that rolls into the village, and grains are scooped out of huge bags into people’s bowls, or perhaps clothing and blankets are distributed or vaccinations given. One aid organization is helping in a different way: Organics 4 Orphans empowers communities by teaching them about organic gardening, nutrition and natural medicine. This unique paradigm uses farming, along with the healing and nutritional power of plants, and has the potential to truly change the lives of Africa’s orphans—and that’s just the beginning.
Sowing Seeds of Hope
Former pastors Dale and Linda Bolton founded Organics 4 Orphans after a 2004 trip to Malawi. “In Africa (even in cities), a person will probably be seriously sick with a tropical disease—cholera, typhus, pneumonia or dysentery—at least four times a year. We were shocked to see the number of people who would come down with something and in three days be dead,” Dale tells Calmful Living.
Sadly this leaves many children orphaned. There are fifty-five million orphans in Africa, many of whom live on the streets. Others find shelter in an orphanage. Wherever they end up, nearly all are severely undernourished.
“We came home from Malawi completely impacted by the direness of the situation,” recalls Linda. “The African people really love children. They’re willing to look after them if they can supply food for them. But if they can’t, the children end up in the streets. They have no place to go. We wondered what on earth we could do to help the kids, because we really didn’t have a lot of extra income to give away.”
At the same time, Linda’s younger sister discovered Natural Vitality’s Natural Calm magnesium supplement, which helped alleviate her severe migraine headaches. Linda started taking Natural Calm to improve her sleep, fibromyalgia and bone density. The Boltons began importing Natural Vitality wholesale products and distributing them initially to some family and friends. Then Linda, a former nurse, started going to retail health stores to encourage them to carry the products. The products sold so well that the Boltons were given exclusive distribution rights for Canada.
“As we built the business, my husband asked me, ‘If this turns into a profitable business, would you be willing to give all the profits after expenses to help the extreme poor?’ I totally agreed; so that’s what we decided to do,” says Linda. After a couple of years the Boltons stepped down from pastoring.
The Organics 4 Orphans Model
The Boltons saw that the typical aid model of raising funds to buy food for orphanages only seemed to make the problem worse. Orphanages learned to depend on those donations and had little means to actively support themselves. They wanted to do something different with Organics 4 Orphans—to build an aid model that empowered the communities to help themselves too.
Dale attended an African agricultural college, Manor House Agricultural Center, which provides hands-on training in sustainable organic farming. He discovered that even the poorest communities in Africa have the ability to grow some of the best immune-building foods in the world. “After thirty-five years of visiting developing countries like those in Africa, I believe that the best solution is to teach them to grow disease-fighting food,” says Dale. “It can be done for pennies a day per person.
“We saw that many agricultural aid projects might be great at growing food but didn't know much about using food to build immunity,” he remarks. Likewise, the Boltons observed that African herbalists knew a lot about herbs but much less about nutrition. “In Africa, the Western medical system won’t work. What do you do with a billion people? The answer is that medicine has to be put back in the hands of the people.”
Since 2004, Organics 4 Orphans has built staff in seven countries and trained African locals from fifteen different countries. Those who receive training through the program, in turn, go out and teach communities how to grow organic foods sustainably. Each year the Boltons spend two to four months in Africa, striving to meet the rising demands for their program. However, “We want Africans to run the programs as much as possible,” Dale asserts.
Growing Health Organically
If nutrient-rich foods could grow in even the poorest African soils, why weren’t communities growing them already? “Farming has a very poor image in Africa for a number of reasons,” says Dale, “one being that chemical agricultural products like fertilizers and pesticides are too expensive for the average person, so many small farms have failed.” People run their small farms into the ground, after which they head to the slums. “The urban slums are growing exponentially,” he laments.
“The lie everywhere in the world is that ‘cash is king.’ Everyone focuses on foods they can grow and sell. Corn is grown everywhere in Africa—it is practically currency,” Dale adds. “The African diet is mostly corn and ugali [corn mush],” which leaves them woefully short on nutrients for proper immunity and makes them vulnerable to diabetes, he explains.
“In the beginning, we felt that growing any kind of food would be better than what we saw fed to the kids,” Dale continues. “Then we discovered that foods can vary as much as fifty times in their ability to build immunity. Later we found that there were indigenous plants in Africa that had amazing medicinal properties, and so we added them—nature’s medicine.”
Now the Organics 4 Orphans training focuses on plant varieties (the “Fabulous 50”) that grow well in African conditions and have high-nutrient profiles. “We use a nutrient-density chart developed by Dr. Joel Fuhrman to identify the overall values of different foods. Health comes from a symphony of foods,” notes Dale. “The more variety, the better.”
The Organics 4 Orphans’ list stands in contrast to the grains and tubers, like potatoes, grown in most organic farming programs in Africa, which provide calories but limited disease-fighting nutrients. “We have turned our trainers on to what we call ‘green leaf nutrition,’ where at least a quarter of the diet consists of various green leaves that are eaten either raw, cooked, or dried into a powder that is added to food.”
The vitamin and mineral most notably lacking in the African diet are vitamin A and iron. Organics 4 Orphans addresses this deficiency through a variety of vegetables high in those two nutrients. “Green leaves are generally the best to build immune function,” Dale indicates. “Moringa is one of the highest-nutrient leafy plants and grows naturally in some of the poorest areas.” For example, if a woman loses a lot of blood when delivering a baby, it can take her weeks to recover. But if she eats moringa leaves for a few days, she will recover much more quickly, he says.
The economic impacts are significant too. “Recently a woman contacted us, looking for help to feed hundreds of unsupported kids [in Zambia]. It was costing five dollars a week per child to feed them enough calories to live. Their costs were growing every week as new kids arrived, and they couldn’t keep up. One of our trainers joined the project, and within a few months they cut the cost of feeding the children by 92 percent. Today, they support over two thousand kids.”
Organic Farming for African Land
At Manor House, Dale learned biointensive agricultural practices designed to improve soil fertility and sustainability in areas where resources are scarce. The Organics 4 Orphans program takes biointensive methods and applies them to nutrient-rich crops. “Aside from green leafy plants, we teach how to grow healthier root foods like beets and sweet potatoes. We have a climbing spinach that is amazing because it doesn’t take up any space and will grow vertically on walls.”
Many communities lack water. “There has been a lot of development in rainwater harvesting, but few of the poor have the money for gutters and rain barrels,” says Dale. Instead, Organics 4 Orphans teaches gardening in 20-foot-by-5-foot beds. The aim is to build up as much organic material as possible in the beds to improve water retention. “Organic material holds seven times its weight in water,” he points out.
It is even possible, once the program is up and running in an area, for the orphanage or community to make a profit from the crops they grow. “Further into the program, we really want them to develop some income from the organic farming that they’re doing. They can actually produce enough stuff to not only keep themselves healthy but also start selling it for other seeds and essentials.”
Expanding the Wellness Connection
Organics 4 Orphans’ goal is to be in over fifty countries in the next decade, with regional centers in East, South and West Africa, Asia and Central America, including nations affected by Ebola. “In developing regions of Africa, people aren’t yet convinced that food can be medicine,” Dale says. “Here in North America, documentaries like Forks Over Knives and Fed Up have created a significant awakening about how food is linked to health.”
Dale would like to see the same concepts applied to Africa in a documentary film, “Can Food Be Their Medicine?” “We need to bring awareness to the research that exists,” he advises. “Twenty-first-century nutrition and immunity can improve, even for those with diseases like HIV.”
This year, Organics 4 Orphans will begin to tackle another critical aspect of health: access to clean drinking water. “Of the seventeen thousand children who die every day in developing countries, thousands die from bad water,” Dale states. “We are working in an area of Kenya called West Pokot, where there are two hundred villages that have no source of clean water. Their average life expectancy is at least a decade less than the rest of the country.”
Drilling water wells isn’t possible for these communities, “but simple water filters can purify even ditch water.” Organics 4 Orphans has partnered with Natural Vitality to purchase water filters for close to a hundred villages. “It will take a few months to install them and train the villages how to use the filters,” predicts Dale, “but these filters will save hundreds of lives.”
“We’ve been working with Dale and Linda for many years, and it’s very gratifying to see the fruits of their heartfelt work. Natural Vitality has been involved in organic agriculture programs, under our Calm Earth Project, since 2007,” says Ken Whitman, president of Natural Vitality. “In 2014 we funded the purchase of water filters for nearly a hundred African villages, which will be installed by Organics 4 Orphans. We can’t think of a better initiative or better people to partner with.”
“Without the financial support from the sales of a great product, we would have never been able to do what we do in so many countries,” Dale affirms.
In the next five years, Organics 4 Orphans will have the ability to take the training program anywhere in the world. “By the end of 2015, our materials will be available virtually anywhere,” reports Dale. As the program expands to new countries and new continents, Dale and Linda say that they will stick to their bottom-up approach, building grassroots solutions. “What we do has to empower people.”
To support their empowering programs, Organics 4 Orphans relies on profits from Natural Calm Canada as well as donations from individuals. To make a donation or learn more about Organics 4 Orphans, visit www.organics4orphans.org.


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Assassin’s Creed publisher Ubisoft has pulled its live advertising from X, formerly Twitter, amid the ongoing row over anti-Semitism on the platform.
Ubisoft is among other companies such as Apple, Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery that have suspended advertising on X, BBC News reported today.
In a statement to AxiosUbisoft has announced that it has disabled advertising for Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR, the recently launched spin-off of its hit series designed for virtual reality headsets.
“We have launched a campaign,” said a Ubisoft spokesperson. “We have suspended advertising on X.”
X’s own public statistics claimed that Ubisoft’s ad was viewed 10 million times on the platform before being disabled.
The companies pulled their ads after an analysis by advocacy group Media Matters for America claimed the brands’ posts were displayed alongside X-rated messages promoting Nazism and Holocaust denial.
This claim was strongly denied by X’s boss, Linda Yaccarino, and today, X launched a lawsuit against Media Matters for America, which claims it “manipulated” data.
X owner Elon Musk also denied being anti-Semitic, following criticism over his sharing of a post containing a conspiracy theory widely considered anti-Semitic which he later claimed was “actual truth”.
Musk’s decisions as owner of X have been repeatedly criticized since he acquired the social media platform last year, such as reinstating numerous accounts previously banned for hate speech.
This latest row over anti-Semitism comes amid concerns about a rise in anti-Semitism and Islamophobia globally since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza last month.
Microsoft and Sony dropped the ability to share gameplay captures directly to X from Xbox and PlayStation consoles sometime this year. The changes follow Musk’s takeover of X and the decision to charge a substantial fee for using its API.


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Posted Tue Jan 12, 2010 at 09:40 AM PST by Tom Landy
Michael Mann's hit thriller starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx is being prepped for Blu-ray release in March.
Paramount says 'Collateral' will shoot up high-definition on March 30.
Specs haven't been revealed yet, but supplements will include: Commentary by director Michael Mann; City of Night - The Making of Collateral; Special Delivery; Deleted scene with commentary; Shooting on Location: Annie's Office; Tom Cruise & Jamie Foxx rehearse; Visual FX: MTA Train; trailers; and Easter eggs.
Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is still undetermined.
You can find the latest specs for 'Collateral' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under March 30.
The latest news on all things 4K Ultra HD, blu-ray and Gear.


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Upcoming Tata Cars In India
By Carandbike Team
1 mins read
Published on April 2, 2017
- Tata's next launch will be Tigor subcompact sedan
- The Nexon will also launch by Diwali this year
- Tata's sports coupe Racemo will launch in early 2018
Tata Motors has already launched three new products in India till now - the Tata Hexa, Tata Tiago AMT and the most recent, Tata Tigor subcompact sedan. But if you see the company's future product plan this is just the beginning. There are at least two all-new products slated to arrive by the end of the new 2018 fiscal year along with few model updates. In fact, recently, the company signed an MoU with VW and Skoda for future products, not only in India, but also in other markets. Taking all this into consideration, here we have listed down the upcoming cars from Tata Motor for FY 2017-18.
1. Tata Tigor AMT
Tata Motors first did it with the Tiago and now it will do it again with the Tigor. Despite launching its long-awaited sub-compact sedan, or as Tata likes to call it Styleback, Tata Tigor with several best-in-class features, it still doesn't get an automated manual transmission (AMT). That is because, as was the case with the Tiago, the AMT version will arrive later this year to keep buzz around the Tigor alive.
The Tigor subcompact sedan in a way replaces the ageing Indigo eCS in Tata's lineup and has been positioned below the Tata Zest. Like in the Tiago, the AMT unit will be mated to the 1.2-litre Revotron petrol engine that makes 84 bhp and 114 Nm of peak torque. Similarly the 1.05 litre diesel motor that makes 69 bhp and 140 Nm of peak torque will continue to use the existing 5-speed manual gearbox.
Expected Price: Rs 5.5 lakh
Expected Launch: Late 2017
2. Tata Nexon
The production-ready iterant of the Tata Nexon which was first showcased in prototype form at Auto Expo 2014, was finally unveiled at this year's expo. Developed on the X1 platform, the subcompact SUV is quite the looker and should, in theory, provide some heavy competition to the Ford EcoSport, Mahindra TUV300 and the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza.
In terms of engine options, the Tata Nexon subcompact SUV was initially thought to arrive with a 1.5 litre diesel engine good for 108 bhp and 260 Nm of torque. The petrol variant is likely to feature the Zest and Bolt's 1.2 litre Revotron motor. Transmission duties will likely be performed by a 6-speed manual gearbox.
Expected Price: Rs 7 lakh - Rs 10 lakh
Expected Launch: October 2017
3. TAMO Racemo
Tata Motors surprised a whole bunch of us by taking the covers off the new Racemo sports coupe at the 87th Geneva Motor Show. The car is the first product showcased under Tata's new sub-brand TAMO. Racemo is a 2-seater sports car that sits under 4 metres in length (3835 mm) and sports a rear-mounted mid-engine. The Racemo is powered by the 1.2 litre turbocharged Revotron aluminium engine and surprisingly has a 6-Speed AMT with paddle shift. Power output is 186 bhp and it has 210 Nm of peak torque. Tata says the Racemo will do 0-100 kmph in under 6 seconds.
The car uses a special body that has Tata's MOFlex multi-material sandwich structure. Designed at the Tata Motors' Design Studio in Turin, Italy, Racemo does draw on Tata's design language that has elements like the 'Humanity Line', and 'Diamond DLO' that we have seen on recent cars from the Tata stable. The Racemo production car will be launched in the Indian market in early 2018. The car will also boast connected car features like navigation, predictive maintenance, remote monitoring and over-the-air updates using Microsoft cloud-based technologies.
Expected Launch: Early 2018
Last Updated on April 2, 2017
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The latest spy shots of the Tata Punch EV reveal the new LED DRL design on the offering, while the all-electric offering is expected to bring comprehensive upgrades.
This support initiative will run for 10 days from 8 December to 18 December for customers of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry affected from the flash floods
The manufacturer also said that it would hike the prices of its commercial vehicle range
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Air purifiers are important not just for your home but also inside your cars


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June 25, 2016 | Industry Insights, Insights, Shipping
Tianjin Explosion One Year Later: A Look at Port Safety and Dangerous Goods
As we approach the one-year mark of the massive explosions that took place at Tianjin Port in northern China last August, where 173 people were killed with hundreds more injured and more than 300 buildings destroyed, it’s critical that all those involved in the global supply chain continue to examine their operational practices and risk policies to prevent such a tragedy and loss from reoccurring. Recent reports indicate that the Tianjin incident generated property losses among insurers in Europe, the U.S., Asia and Bermuda of between $2.5 and $3.5 billion, representing the biggest insured loss of 2015. Moreover, it’s the fourth most costly man-made disaster ever in the insurance industry based on current estimates and adjusted for inflation.
What happened at Tianjin provides us with insight of how cargo packed, stored or handled incorrectly can cause widespread property damage and loss of life. At Tianjin, for example, it was found that an improperly stored chemical became too dry, ignited and set fire to nearby containers full of explosive substances. The chemical, nitrocellulose, is used in nail polish and lacquer. It was near containers of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive chemical commonly used in fertilizers. Additionally, other port-related incidents reported in the last year, including in Santos, Brazil and in Vancouver, Canada, underscore the challenges both insurers and clients face in managing risks in an era of rapid globalization, which can result in fatalities, injuries, property damage and substantial disruption to the supply chain.
One of the key takeaways from the Tianjin event is that operators need to review their safety regulations, particularly relating to the storage and handling of dangerous goods, and ensure that compliance is taking place. All such fire incidents not only cause direct devastating outcomes but also expose a high level of supply chain vulnerability, since the resulting business interruption echoes through much of the trade economy. For example, the Tianjin explosion destroyed more than 10,000 Toyota, Hyundai, and Range Rover cars and prevented the shipment of others from nearby factories. In addition, a logistics center that processed much of the port’s paperwork suffered severe damage from the explosions, causing forwarders, haulers and other logistics players to deal separately with individual terminals. This put a strain on those terminals’ capacities to handle administrative tasks, according to a report by Resilinc, a supply chain technology firm.
Moreover, regardless of whether cargo is damaged or not, typically there are significant costs in sourcing or producing replacement cargo, as well as disposal and cleanup expenditures. There is also the cost of hidden losses, such as management time and distraction, and reputational damage.
How well are ports stepping up their safety efforts in storing and handling dangerous goods at ports and adhering to regulations? According to a recent article by TT Club, one of Roanoke Trade’s partners, risk assessment surveys at ports over the last 12 to 18 months have found little adherence to segregation requirements for dangerous goods. At the international level, there are guidelines provided by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as well as national regulations that must be followed but these aren’t necessarily being adhered to in every aspect. “While matters such as location, construction and size of facilities will almost invariably be regulated, it is important that there is appropriate recognition of requirements for dangerous goods, including things like the access and egress for emergency services or the management and containment of spills,” notes the article. “Sadly, the reality in many locations would seem to be that there may not be relevant facilities available to deal effectively with emergencies and more thorough risk assessments are needed. At its most basic, this should include appropriate training and full collaboration with local emergency services.”
It’s not only important for operators to review regulation and guidance, but also to promote a comprehensive safety culture throughout their organizations. The safety of workers, third parties and the communities nearby as well as maintaining the integrity of cargo and transportation infrastructure is vital to the success of the global supply chain. “It is perhaps time that the existing IMO recommendations are reviewed and some teeth added to bring about greater adoption at national level,” the TT Club article states.
Roanoke Trade is a leader in providing insurance and risk management solutions for the transportation and logistics providers. To learn more about our insurance products and risk management strategies, please contact one of our professionals at 1-800-ROANOKE (800-762-6653).


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These days it seems like barely a month goes by that we don’t hear of an Apple Watch helping to alert users of potentially deadly medical conditions, and it’s clear that Tim Cook’s desire for Apple to leave a legacy of contributions to healthcare and bettering people’s lives is bearing fruit in the Apple Watch alone.
Ultimately, however, one of the real values in the stories of how the Apple Watch is working to alert users to serious medical conditions is letting others know how much of a difference a wearable device that is still seen by many as a mere gadget for techies and hardcore fitness enthusiasts can make a difference for a lot of other people as well.
In the latest case, a woman in Oklahoma has shared the story of how the Apple Watch alerted her son to an extremely serious medical condition that would have likely gone undetected and undiagnosed without Apple’s wearable device.
As reported by Oklahoma’s KFOR News 4, Skylar Joslin, a healthy and athletic 13-year-old teenager was having a normal day at school back in April 2018 when his brand new Apple Watch suddenly alerted him to a rapidly accelerating heart rate — over 190 beats per minute.
Skylar sent a text message to his mom, Liz, along with a screenshot of the alarmingly high heart rate, saying “Mommy, there’s something wrong. I’m not doing anything.”
Liz Joslin immediately rushed to Skylar’s middle school to pick him up, and took him to the local hospital emergency room about 14 minutes away. By the time they had arrived at the hospital, Skylar’s heart rate had reached 202 BPM, and after doctors admitted him to the hospital, he was eventually diagnosed with Supraventricular Tachycardia, or SVT, a disease that forces the heart to speed up and can weaken it over a period of time.
Heart Rate Hits 280
While Skylar was in the hospital, cardiologists reported that his heart rate peaked up to a staggering 280 BPM, requiring him to undergo a cardiac ablation — a seven-and-a-half-hour surgery that was required to fix his runaway heart rhythm.
Skylar took several months to recover from the surgery, and while he was back on the sports field not long after, he’s had to wear heart monitoring equipment and be closely monitored until he undergoes some additional procedures.
Like many of the heart-related conditions that are brought to light by the Apple Watch, what’s especially significant about this is that neither Skylar nor the Joslin family had any idea that the teen had a heart condition, and this could have gone undiagnosed and undetected for years had it not been for the Apple Watch.
The Joslin family expressed their amazement that buying their teenage son an Apple Watch had actually changed their lives, and it’s also led Skylar to share the experience with others in order to raise heart health awareness.
If I wouldn’t have gotten his Apple Watch, I don’t know that I would’ve ever known. I mean it’s unknown how long it would’ve been going on or how long it would’ve really taken.Liz Joslin
Although Apple has been routinely adding more advanced heart and other health monitoring features to its more recent Apple Watch models, you don’t need the latest model of the Apple Watch to benefit from its life-saving features. The news report doesn’t say which model of the Apple Watch Skylar was wearing, but it didn’t need to be the newest (at the time) ECG-enabled Apple Watch Series 4 — every Apple Watch back to the Series 1 and watchOS 3 can offer the ability to notify users of both abnormally high and abnormally low heart rates.


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Entain has voiced acceptance of today’s £17m UK Gambling Commission enforcement action, but noted that the regulator “found no evidence whatsoever of criminal spend within Entain’s operations.”
Earlier the UKGC confirmed that a regulatory settlement had been reached between both parties, which will see the gambling group’s online business pay £14m and its retail business account for the remaining £3m. A threat of licence revocation for “further serious breaches” was also issued.
Responding to the action, Entain has said that it “accepts that certain legacy systems and processes” supporting its operation during 2019 and 2020 fell short of adhering to social responsibility and anti-money laundering safeguards.
The regulatory settlement, the largest UKGC enforcement outcome to date, was reportedly already provided for in the group’s financial statements.
In its response, Entain outline efforts undertaken since the time frame in question regarding the penalty, including an Advanced Responsibility and Care programme and being awarded the Advanced Safer Gambling Standard by GamCare in May 2022.
“Entain has entered into the regulatory settlement with the Commission in order to bring the matter to a close and avoid further costly and protracted legal proceedings,” a company statement read.
“Entain accepts that certain legacy systems and processes supporting the operations of its British business during 2019 and 2020 were not in line with the evolving regulatory expectations of the Commission in respect to aspects of social responsibility and anti-money laundering safeguards.
“However the group also notes the Commission’s statement that it found no evidence whatsoever of criminal spend within Entain’s operations.”
The regulatory action was undertaken after a UKGC investigation discovered a number of social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures across its online and land-based businesses.
The group’s digital division made a divestment of £544,048.03 as well as a payment of 13,455,952 in lieu of a financial penalty, while its retail operation agreed to voluntarily divest itself of £212,849.86 and pay £2,787,150.14 in lieu of a financial penalty.
Furthermore, additional licence conditions will also be added in a bid to ensure an improvement plan is overseen, with a third-party audit review regarding compliance with the licence conditions and codes of practice to take place within 12 months.


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A recent Financial Times article detailed some stiff competition between South Korea's beauty industry and that of its neighbor, China.
Due to recent diplomatic differences, South Korea's beauty market has fallen behind China's $53 billion market and is now looking to regain lost ground.
According to the article, South Korean brands still maintain their "trendsetter" status, but Chinese brands are gaining ground in the mid-range to the premium segment where K-Beauty has traditionally been strong.
The article cites research from Euromonitor that predicts China's beauty market to grow to nearly $62 billion by 2020 as demand among young and affluent consumers picks up.
Chinese brands focusing on traditional Chinese medicine, including those from Shanghai Jahwa United, Shanghai Pehaolin Daily Chemical and Jala group, are now outselling Korean ones.
For more information, please visit www.ft.com


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Tech Acquires Therma Tru Plant in Fredericksburg, Va.
June 4, 2009
Twenty-five workers formerly employed by Therma Tru's Fredericksburg,
Va., facility prior to the company's closing last fall are now back
to work. Toronto-based Tru Tech Door Systems re-hired the employees
upon its acquisition of the Therma Tru plant and its equipment.
Tru Tech acquired the facility through an auctioneer to whom Therma
Tru had sold the property and plans to re-open it in July.
"It just became available and when we visited the facility,
it happened to be the right time and the right place," Tru
Tech president John Careri told USGNN.com.
The new location, Tru Tech's first in the United States, will be
known as Tru Tech Doors U.S.A. and will serve as its U.S. headquarters,
Careri says. The company currently has three manufacturing locations,
all in Canada. Careri expects the Fredericksburg plant to serve
the company's Eastern U.S. customers.
The plant will produce light-commercial steel doors primarily,
and the company plans to soon add residential entry doors as well.
In addition to the 25 former Therma Tru employees, Tru Tech plans
to have a total of 40 on staff when it officially opens the location
"When production begins in July, we plan to increase that
number," Careri added.
Therma Tru announced last October that it would be closing the
facility and transferring production of the products to other Therma
Tru locations. (CLICK
HERE for related story.)
Need more info and analysis about the issues?
HERE to subscribe to USGlass magazine.


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Some hotels, resorts in Cebu note cancellations in bookings, reservations amid coronavirus threat
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Amid the threat of entry and spread of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in the Philippines, several establishments in Cebu catering to tourists, especially Chinese nationals, have started to observe cancellations in bookings and reservations.
Carlo Suarez, president of the Hotels, Resort, and Restaurant Association of Cebu (HRRAC), said their group has already received reports from their members of decrease in bookings and reservations since the start of January.
“We don’t have the absolute figures right now but yes, we already received information and reports from our members (about booking cancellations),” Suarez told Cebu Daily News Digital in a phone interview on Thursday, January 30.
As part of the tourism industry, which is considered by experts as the ‘bread and butter’ of the province, Suarez said the threat of possible entry and spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus, simplified as 2019-nCoV, is a big challenge for tourism players like them.
HRRAC consists of around 100 members.
He added that Chinese tourists, collectively, formed their largest market.
“This is a very big impact… a big challenge for the tourism industry. For our part, Chinese tourists are our number one market,” he added.
Despite these developments, the HRRAC president added that they are optimistic that with the government’s measures being planned and implemented, the country will be able to keep the 2019-nCoV at bay.
“This is a very big challenge. However, with the government’s help especially in tightening screening measures in all airports and seaports, we hope the goal for country – as well as Cebu – to be (2019 novel) coronavirus-free – will be consistent throughout,” he said.
Aside from purchasing thermal guns to scan every persons entering hotels, resorts and other establishments, HRRAC has also advised its members to prepare an isolation room as part of their precautionary measures amid the threat of 2019-nCoV.
Suarez said several members of their group are now coming up with an isolation or holding room in case a visitor is observed to have high body temperature, or a general feeling of being unwell.
“We require all our members also to have small isolation rooms, or holding rooms in case there are guests having high fever. Once they are placed inside the isolation or holding rooms, we will be calling officials from Department of Health (DOH) for further assistance and treatment,” Suarez added.
Suarez announced earlier on Wednesday, January 29, that their group has agreed for all its members to purchase thermal guns to aid frontline staff of hotels, resorts, and restaurants in Cebu in detecting guests showing flu-like symptoms.
“We require our members to have or purchase these thermal guns. These can be bought in pharmacies or shops selling medical equipment. They would serve as precautionary measures to protect the possibly entry of the 2019 novel coronavirus. We also require them to screen all guests prior entering their establishment, regardless of nationalities,” he added./elb
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.


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Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone XI - consisting of the iPhone XIR, iPhone XI and iPhone XI Max - in September this year. While the square shaped camera bump is sure expected to grab the fancy of the iPhone lovers but it is 2020 iPhones that are expected to create a buzz with major specs upgrades. While rumours about the 2020 iPhones have been going on for long, the latest report talks about the rear camera setup of what could possibly be called iPhone 12 or iPhone XII.
According to a report by DigiTimes, Apple will add a 3D ToF (Time of Flight) sensor to the back of its 2020 iPhones or the iPhone 12. Adding a 3D ToF sensor to the rear camera of the iPhone 12 would enhance the augmented reality capabilities of the device taking forward the work started by the company in iOS 12 with its ARKit 2 and the upcoming iOS 13 with the ARKit 3.
Adding a 3D ToF sensor to the rear camera setup would allow the iPhone 12 to measure an area up to 15 feet or 4.5 metres, which is longer than what sensors on the current Android phones can measure. As per the report, Apple specifically requested its supply chain partners for VCSEL (vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser) components, which would not only improve the AR capabilities of the iPhone 12 but also allow the device to capture depth more accurately. Apple has used VCSEL components before in its iPhones - iPhone XR, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max - but they have been used in the front for features such as face recognition and Animoji.
If the report is indeed correct, this would be the first time that Apple would be using a similar technology in the back as well. But it will be a year till details about the iPhone 12 become clear. Till then all we can do is wait.
Separately, Apple is also expected to introduce 5G connectivity in its 2020 iPhones. Reports indicate that Apple could opt for Qualcomm's 5G modems as its own 5G modems won't be ready by that time. In addition to this, the tech giant is expected to ditch the LCD display panels, that it deploys in its low-cost iPhone models, to opt for an all OLED design.


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Regulators in the U.S. are struggling to keep up with the rate of technology innovation sweeping financial services.
Between technology startups, traditional firms looking to use emerging products like blockchainand nontraditional companies entering finance, regulators around the world are reassessing existing frameworks and rules.
The U.S. has approached the problem without a common organizing strategy, instead relying on a patchwork of state and federal initiatives that lack a common plan, according to a new report from The Pew Charitable Trusts.
Simply put, the existing framework isn’t prepared for the modern digital finance products.
Consider SoFi, a purely digital company offering lending, wealth management and banking. At various times, it would fall into the jurisdiction of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Securities and Exchange Commission, to name a few. That’s before considering state regulators.
If a company like this also wants to partner with Apple and support mobile money transfers through Apple Pay, regulators governing consumer technology and telecommunications companies could also get involved.
Steve Boms, president of Allon Advocacy and an adviser to Envestnet on public policy, said the web of regulators makes it difficult to deliver new, innovative solutions to the market.
The fundamental issue behind the deployment of new technology in the financial services space remains consumer and adviser access to data,” Mr. Boms said.
However, he said a recent report released by U.S. Department of Treasury, which calls for a more flexible regulatory approach for fintech, is a step in the right direction.
The report outlines more than 80 recommendations for lawmakers. Some are good, some are not, said Nick Bourke, director of Pew’s consumer finance project.
He agreed with the notion that regulators need to coordinate to establish a set of goals for fintech regulation, but thinks it’s a mistake to roll back the CFPB’s rules on payday loans.
Mr. Bourke called the report “a great way to start a conversation” and an example of how regulators can work with financial institutions and technology providers to identify the impediments to innovation. He recommends the U.S. adopt policy in line with regulators in Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia, which promote innovation with a coordinated strategy focused on protecting consumers, Mr. Bourke said.
“Increasing outreach and focusing more on goals, coordinating more among themselves, and keeping consumer protection front of mind are all things the U.S. regulators should probably be doing right now,” he said, adding that the current approach exposes the industry to uncertainty and puts consumers in harm’s way.
David Lyon, founder and CEO of Oranj, said risks will decline as the industry continues educating regulators about technology, as well as capturing consumer support. This is easier said than done, he said.
The reality is that there will always be some sort of learning curve with regulators,”
Mr. Lyon said.
As technology becomes more mainstream, you will see regulators react more quickly as we saw with many innovations such as mobile banking, robo advisors, etc.,” he said. “Regardless of the pace, it is critical that the conversation continues to move forward.


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Samsung launched its VR headset in January this year. The VR headset has been one of the innovations of Samsung.Samsung's VR headsets have been a highlight, since they accessorize the latest of its high-end flagships. Samsung VR headsets are a great way of entertainment given its app-ecosystem. Samsung VR headsets work with Galaxy Smartphones. Coupled with its App ecosystem, Samsung VR headsets are a great way of entertainment.
Let's look at five interesting things about the Samsung Gear VR:
Samsung has VR headsets that Apple doesn't
Samsung has its own line of VR headsets, something that Apple doesn't. Samsung's VR headset line puts it ahead of Apple which still doesn't have its line of VR headsets.
Samsung smartphones have a huge market share
While Samsung has a huge market share when it comes to phones,it helps Samsung to have an edge with its VR headsets. While the VR headsets are compatible only with Samsung flagship gadgets, they are already becoming popular given to Samsung's large user base of its smartphones.
Samsung has a VR Store with VR Apps
Samsung has a dedicated VR store with VR apps. This helps to spend lot of time and doing activities on the VR headsets. The apps are great for entertainment.
Samsung partnered with Facebook Oculus
Samsung partnered with Facebook Oculus for its line of VR headsets. Oculus remains a leader in the VR space and Samsung naturally partnered with it.
Samsung releases new flagship every year
Samsung has new flagship phones every year. The $100 VR headset is compatible with the latest of the flagship phones including Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge. Samsung might make the VR headset compatible with most of the future headsets.


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DAF has announced the opening of its new assembly plant for battery electric trucks, which is set to start series production of the company’s latest generation of battery electric trucks, the XD and XF Electric, this summer.
The facility, commissioned at DAF’s main production site in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, covers an area of 5,000sq-m and includes two sub-assembly lines for the preparation of the battery packs and Electric Drive Module. These key components are installed onto the vehicle on the main assembly line, which is almost 150 metres long.
DAF has built the assembly plant specifically for the production of its latest generation of battery electric trucks, the XD and XF Electric, which are available in a range of configurations. Powered by PACCAR e-Motors and equipped with battery packs, these trucks can achieve a full electric range of up to 500km. With fast charging of up to 350kW, the battery packs can be charged to 80% capacity in 45 minutes.
The production of quality validation trucks is about to begin, with series production of customer vehicles planned to start in the summer. DAF expects production to increase to thousands of vehicles per year in the near future, in line with the increasing demand for fully electric trucks.
The new facility was officially opened by Micky Adriaansens, the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate, who praised DAF’s efforts in the transition to cleaner products and production methods, calling the new factory “a shining example of that ambition.” Harald Seidel, DAF Trucks’ president, stated the new assembly plant represents an important milestone on the road to an even cleaner future and that DAF’s comprehensive package includes a broad range of charging solutions, route and charging planning advice, and driver training to get the best out of the vehicles.


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Datashift is nominated again for Trends Gazellen
17 October 2023
We are proud to announce that we have been nominated for the Trends Gazellen 2024 in the province of Antwerp. For the second year in a row we are competing among the fastest growing companies in Flanders. Every year, Trends Magazine rewards the fastest growing companies in Belgium. They nominate 250 companies per province. For this, they look at hard growth figures:
- Growth in added value
- Growth in personnel
- Growth in cash flow
The 250 nominated companies are competitive, innovative and have a positive impact on the business climate. Naturally, we are proud to be one of those 250 companies. In 2023 we finished second in our category and of course we always aim to do better.
We will know the results in March 2024 and will share those results here! We created this quircky video to put our nomination in the spotlight, enjoy!


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Since Samsung's patent infringement was found to be willful in many cases, the $1.05 billion damages figure could go up. Patent law allows for up to triple damages in cases where infringement is found to be willful, although judges rarely grant that much in additional damages.
Samsung has been the number one seller of smartphones in the U.S. in the past few years, and this verdict will surely alter the balance of power. Apple's ultimate target is Google, which created the Android operating system that runs on Samsung smartphones. Steve Jobs thought Android was a rip-off of Apple products, and vowed to declare "thermonuclear war" on the competing OS, according to his biography.
Now, the world will get a chance to see just what the results of Jobs' promised nuclear attack will be. There's a danger that Samsung products could be kicked off the market following this verdict. However, the jury can't issue such an injunction; that decision will have to be made in the coming weeks by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh, who oversaw the case.
CNBC staff seen jumping off building
Merissa Ree chain smoking
Bill Griffith cowering corner
Kramer has some explaining to do with his boyfriend bow tie guy
I absolutely love to see these cretins get their just dessert


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VW has reached a tentative agreement with regulators regarding its 3.0-liter V6 diesel engines that provides for the recall of about 83,000 Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche vehicles. If the agreement is approved by a San Francisco judge, VW will also pay $225 million to an environmental remediation trust, and $25 million to the California Air Resources Board. VW said if it is unable to bring the recalled vehicles into compliance with emission regulations, it will offer to buy back or terminate the leases of these vehicles. This is separate from an earlier agreement that covered 2.0-liter diesels. “We are committed to earning back the trust of all our stakeholders and thank our customers and dealers in the United States for their patience as the process moves forward,” said Hinrich J. Woebcken, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America.
In an effort to bring supply more in line with demand, and to do some maintenance work, Ford will close its van and truck plant in Kansas City, Missouri for a week. The shutdown will occur in early January,
Light vehicle sales could set a record for all of 2016 and then cool slightly in the New Year, according to IHS Market. Consumers are “continuing to buy in an auto environment that’s still welcoming,” said Chris Hopson, manager of the company’s North American forecast. While the Federal Reserve has started to raise interest rates, he said, “We’re bumping up from historically low interest rates.”
Regulators are looking into reports that certain Ram trucks and Dodge Durango SUV’s rolled away after their owners parked them. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration probe covers Ram 1500’s from model years 2013-16 and Durangos from 2014-16 and this could potentially affect 1-million vehicles. NHTSA said it has received 43 complaints from owners regarding the roll away problem along with 25 accident reports. Fiat Chrysler said it is fully cooperating with the investigation. If you own one of the affected vehicles, it would be a good idea to engage the parking brake when you have completed your drive, NHTSA advised.


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A Walmart employee and a customer kept their cool and managed to save the lives of over 140 people by directing them to safety during the shooting attack in El Paso on Saturday
CNN has received word that a brave Walmart employee, and an equally brave customer who happened to be shopping there at the time, collectively ended up saving the lives of over 140 people as the shooting incident went down in El Paso.
According to Walmart employee Gilbert Serna's testimonial, as soon as the gunshots were heard, Serna yelled for everyone to follow him. Serna, who has been employed at the store for 19 years now said that he quickly led at least 100 people out through the back of the Walmart to safety before running out to the front parking lot to help others. "We were out in the open," Serna said. "I opened the shipping containers and told everyone to get in.
Walmart employee Gilbert Serna and customer Adria Gonzalez helped lead people to safety when gunshots rang out at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas https://t.co/wTAaJ7Xb8A— CNN International (@cnni) August 6, 2019
"I was scared, I'm not going to lie, but I wasn't thinking about my own safety. I was thinking about everybody else's safety," Serna told CNN on Monday. He recalled that he was casually standing near the back of the store on Saturday when he heard a "code-brown" announcement on his two-way radio. The gunshots that followed the announcement led him to believe that there indeed was an active shooter in the premises or vicinity. He immediately didn't waste time thinking or let fear paralyze him. He led the large group of customers out the back door and into Sam's Club next door where he told the anxious crowd to wait for the police.
These people are American heroes. The best of El Paso. Walmart should hire both to share their story and train staff on how to keep your cool and help others. They saved lives. Don't waste this leadership ability on a minimum wage position. Amazing demo of "love thy neighbor".— Michael Bonomo (@MichaelBonomo25) August 6, 2019
Angel hero and Employee of Walmart Cielo Vista Gilbert Serna of Mexican descent publicly recognized for his heroic acts during the shootout in the store by escorting around 100 people between customers and employees to the back and guarding them in trailers— MPaty♥ (@malumaa_9) August 5, 2019
Meanwhile, while all this was going on, the ones who couldn't make it out with Serna found themselves with another unlikely savior. Adria Gonzalez was inside the store as a customer, and when all hell broke loose, she bravely started to conduct her own rescue efforts. Gonzalez spoke to CNN saying that she immediately pulled her mother by her blouse and took her to a storage area inside Walmart when they started hearing gunshots and watching people drop to the floor bleeding. Gonzalez and her mother were shopping for their groceries and for a few school supplies they were planning to donate this week. They were walking by the meat counter when the shooting began, she recollected.
"You see this happening in the movies, but when you live it yourself, when you see a person killing, the blood everywhere," Gonzalez said. "You are in shock." As she began to scream "Let's go, let's go. Vamos, Vamos,", around 40 people followed her and her mother to the storage area near the meat counter, where they waited in silence until they could no longer hear the gunshots. That's indeed a stroke of luck. People who are caught in such situations often look for a leader or a brave figure to help them out of it. It was a lucky thing that the people decided to follow Serna and Gonzalez to safety.
~What an Incredible and heroic effort by these two wonderful American citizens! ....This sends a powerful message against homegrown terrorism that people stand together as strangers to defeat evil. Mental health is one thing but pure evil is another and these people helped save— Robert N. Washburn (@RobertNWashburn) August 6, 2019
Gonzalez recalled that the horrific memory of the incident still burns in her mind through flashes of images. She exasperatingly described the terror she saw on the faces of the people she helped into the storage room. Most of them were bloody, terrified and completely out of their senses. She also recalled the terrible sight of the 21-year-old shooter who was standing by the main entrance and spraying bullets from his massive assault rifle
It's remarkable to acknowledge that such things are a normal sight in war-torn areas and zones. But to experience all this in your own neighborhood or community, where you grew up and thought was safe and secure is another thing entirely. Let's hope that Serna, Gonzalez or anyone else never has to go through such an ordeal again.


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CLEVELAND — Motorists who take I-480 westbound to State Route 14 (Broadway Avenue) will need to find another route beginning Wednesday, March 23, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation.
Beginning at 9 a.m. Wednesday, March 23, I-480 westbound to State Route 14 will be closed for ramp widening through October 2022.
The detour will be I-480 eastbound to Warrensville Center Road to I-480 westbound to State Route 14.
I-480 westbound under Broadway Avenue will have various nightly and weekend lane restrictions beginning Wednesday, March 23, through early April.
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.


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How much does it cost to get the feds off your back?
For Google, the price was less than 1 percent of the cash in its pocket.
Google stepped up its lobbying efforts during the two-year period when the government was investigating the search giant for possible antitrust violations, spending $25 million to buy influence in Washington, Politico reports late Thursday.
That investment paid off Thursday when the Federal Trade Commission announced it was taking no action on a major part of its investigation -- that Google used its market power to demote competitors' listings in search results.
The lobbying costs were a small price to pay for Google -- to be precise, about .05 percent of the $50 billion in cash the company keeps on hand, The Next Web notes.
By comparison, Google spent nearly three times more on TV ads in the United States last year -- about $70 million -- than the company paid lobbyists during the FTC investigation.
Google’s successful lobbying effort reinforces the perception that the government is no match for the deep-pocketed corporations that it’s supposed to watch over. Last year, regulators tried repeatedly to punish Google over alleged privacy failures, but extracted penalties that amounted to little more than slaps on the wrist.
In April, the Federal Communications Commission hit Google with a $25,000 penalty for obstructing an investigation into charges the company’s Street View cars siphoned personal data of residents from nearby Wi-Fi networks.
In August, the FTC said it obtained its largest settlement ever when Google agreed to pay a $22.5 million fine over charges it bypassed privacy settings in Apple’s Safari browser to display targeted advertisements.
Yet even David Vladeck, the director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said at the time that the penalty "may not seem like a lot of money to Google." In 2011 year, Google earned $37.9 billion in revenue, nearly all of which came from advertising.
Meanwhile, the FTC appears to lack basic resources to conduct its investigations, according to a report last year in Wired. The agency's entire budget last year was $312 million, or less than 1 percent of Google's 2011 revenue.
Sweet talk, it turns out, helped get regulators on Google's side, too. The New York Times notes that executives at Microsoft, which famously faced down the federal government its own antitrust case in 1990s, "were known for their uncooperative demeanors during their tangle with the government." Google learned a lesson from that case and treated government officials nicely, the Times reports.
Google isn't the only one to step up its lobbying efforts to avoid harsh penalties from regulators. Last year, Facebook doubled the amount of money it spent on lobbying, spending about $2.6 million while the FTC investigated the social network over charges it revealed details about users' without consent.
That investment appeared to also pay off: In August, the FTC announced that, as part of a settlement, Facebook agreed to government audits of its privacy practices, but would not pay any fine.


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Posted on 01-Dec-2017
In August 2016, Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook paid a visit to a few Sub-Saharan African countries, meeting with entrepreneurs and developers, in an effort to establish stronger ties, and get a more polished idea of how the startup ecosystem works.
During his time in Nigeria, Zuckerberg met with developers at Co-Creation Hub Yaba, Lagos. More than a year later, it appears the Facebook inventor is promptly holding up his end of promise to help the medium and small-scale businesses. Earlier today, At a “Facebook For Creators” event in Lagos, the company announced the creation of NG Hub, a physical working space for start-ups and developers with a long-term aim of supporting and training fifty thousand Entrepreneurs in Nigeria.
The NG Hub, in partnership with Co-Creation Hub, will work towards empowering and supporting these small-scaled businesses into augmented reality. Which is particularly great as augmented sponsorship is useful for products that are difficult or expensive to provide to influencers, the likes of furniture or jewellery.
This collaboration will also open up a wide range of creative possibilities outside of product placement. Facebook has also promised to work with other innovation Hubs in different parts of the country for this development and growth to be richly and equally distributed. In states such as Abuja @ Ventures Platform, Kaduna @ CoLab, Jos @ Nhub, and Enugu @ Roar Hub where NG Hub will connect with more creatives.


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What’s the worst thing that could happen to an ice cream maker? Melting product. The problem kept happening to Brian Smith, owner of Ample Hills Creamery in Brooklyn, usually because an employee would forget to firmly close the freezer door. “It’s a heart-sickening moment when everything you made the day before is gone because the freezer door is open,” he says.
Fed up with more conventional means of enforcement—“We’ve yelled and screamed enough,” Smith concedes—the owner and operations manager Andy Wandzilak deployed a mobile application called Modularm that alerts them to drops in freezer temperatures. The creamery can now record historical data for health inspections and avoid the possibility that an absent-minded employee could ruin a day’s worth of treats.
For more on food technology, watch this video:
When Ample Hills Creamery first opened in 2011, its most advanced technology was an ice cream scooper. “I wanted to create a place where everyone knows your name,” Smith says. Now, with $4 million in funding, Ample Hills is slowly embracing the notion that technology can help standardize processes across its six locations.
Smith says the “cold quotient” was once one of his biggest business problems. Now it’s just the long lines.
This article is part of the Future of Work article from Fortune’s July 1, 2016 issue. Click here to see the entire package.


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Mumabi: India’s leading Afternooner MiD DAY was awarded Silver Honours at the first ever Indian Digital Media Awards (IDMA) for the Best News Site of the Year. MiD DAY bagged the award at a glittering ceremony held in Mumbai yesterday. The high powered jury who declared mid-day.com as a winner included top honchos of the digital and media industry, to name a few, Deepti Dang of HP India, Lynn de Souza of Lintas Media Group, Alex Kuruvilla of Conde Nast India, Raj Nayak of NDTV Media, Vikram Sakhuja of GroupM, and many more.
The website mid-day.com presently has over 10 million page views and truly is an engaging and entertaining website. Like the newspaper mid-day.com too focuses on delivering news in a pictorial heavy format. The lead stories printed on the website also have audio-video files linked to them which further enhances the user experience to consume news.
Says Manajit Ghoshal, MD & CEO MiD DAY Infomedia Limited, “MiD DAY’s brand promise is to inform and entertain young professionals through the day. The internet platform today is the preferred medium of choice of these ‘Pro’s on the Go’ and we at MiD DAY understand this. Our focus has been on developing the digital medium to deliver better experience to our audiences. A win at the first ever Indian Digital Media Awards in the category of Best news site of the year is very encouraging and gives us the confidence that we are heading in the right direction.”
Adds Nirvan Biswas, Head Online, MiD DAY Infomedia, “MiD DAY strongly believes that multi-media is the future of the company. A pictorial-heavy website and audio-video files linked to key stories truly enhance the experience of consuming the news. In keeping with its high spice quotient, mid-day.com promises to just get better with time.”


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Samsung just unveiled a new special edition Galaxy S7 Edge Olympic Edition version of its flagship Android smartphone that will launch on July 18 in the U.S. The phone will be sold exclusively through Best Buy.
In the off chance you’re actually in the Olympics, you’ll be one of 12,500 participants to receive your own shiny new Galaxy S7 Edge Olympic Games Limited Edition smartphone.
“For the first time ever, the Rio 2016-inspired device incorporates an Olympic Games design embedded into the phone itself, featuring a custom colorway pattern including the five official colors of the Olympic Rings,” Samsung explained. “The colors of the Olympic Rings will also be prominent in the phone’s user interface in the home and lock screens as well as the message, dial and contact screens and notification bar. Pre-loaded Rio 2016 Olympic Games themed wallpapers and apps will also be available.”
The specs should all be the exact same as the regular edition. Samsung didn’t provide a price for the phone,. but we suspect it’ll cost the same as an unlocked Galaxy S7 Edge.


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In a closed-door meeting at a Manhattan mansion, executives outlined changes to controversial software that was implicated in two crashes.Aerospace & Defenseread more
Current and former Tesla employees working in the company's open-air "tent" factory say they felt pressure to take shortcuts to hit aggressive Model 3 production goals,...Technologyread more
Investors will watch for the release of the Reserve Bank of Australia's meeting minutes, for clues on the next monetary policy move by the central bank after it cut its cash...Asia Marketsread more
President Donald Trump and the RNC are picking up key supporters in the business community who did not back him as a candidate in 2016.2020 Electionsread more
Amazon workers in Minnesota and Germany are striking as Prime Day kicks off, in a stand against working conditions and wage practices. The action in Minnesota represents the...Retailread more
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is raising red flags ahead of Facebook's proposed cryptocurrency launch.Marketsread more
Epstein is accused of sexually exploiting dozens of underage girls from 2002 through 2005 at his New York and Florida residences. He is a former friend of Presidents Donald...Politicsread more
When you think of Prime Day, you might be thinking about deals on Instant Pots and Amazon Echo devices — not half-off dresses and designer heels. But the market for apparel...Retailread more
David Marcus, the head of Facebook's digital currency project, said the company expects Libra will drive more advertising revenue for the company.Technologyread more
Some White House officials expect the Cabinet secretary, who has known the president for years, to depart as soon as this summer.Politicsread more
"The important thing is that you shouldn't try to hit homeruns this week, because you're much more likely to end up striking out," Jim Cramer says.Mad Money with Jim Cramerread more
Too tired to go out to see a film? A movie theatre in South Korea shows that may be a bad excuse.
You can watch a movie all snuggled up on Tempur mattresses and pillows in the CJ CGV cinema located in the heart of Gangnam in Seoul, South Korea.
Pay 35 dollars and this theatre will take care of welcome drinks, cookies, a movie and comfort. That's mostly thanks to what CJ CGV says is the first global example of Tempur beds with reclining function in a movie theatre. Accessories such as coat hangers and phone chargers just make this luxurious movie-watching experience even better.
"Movie-goers in Korea are wanting more and getting more sophisticated these days so we started off with the idea of providing more than just a movie and offering more luxurious experience to our customers," says CJ CGV General Manager Kim Ji-tae.
And it's not just the movies these sophisticated cinephiles are looking to enjoy. While watching the latest blockbuster, you can get the full dining service from Cine de Chef, an upscale French -Italian restaurant located in the same building.
As you can imagine, the occupancy jumps to 99 percent on special days like Valentine's Day, Christmas and New Year's Eve, up from the average rate of 60-70 percent, according to CJ CGV.
And I had to ask: how often do the sheets get changed? CGV's PR manager Lee Seung-young says they get changed after every two movies during winters and after each movie in the hot summer months. She admits it's a lot of work.
So yes, there is a price to pay for comfort and hygiene. The ticket is 4 times more expensive than regular 2D movie tickets. Lee, who I interviewed just outside of the theatre, says, "If the price is high, then I might feel a bit of a burden. But if it's a special occasion or if you are on a date with your girlfriend, wouldn't you want to try it at least once?" He might be doing just that this holiday season with his girlfriend who was standing right next to him during the interview.
CJ CGV is not stopping with Tempur mattresses. The cinema chain says it plans to continue with such innovation of its theatres. It says it is in talks with high-end furniture brands and airplane model designers (not too sure about how people would feel about watching a movie while sitting on a plane even if it's a first-class seat).
For this cinema chain, it's about having movie-goers stay longer with them and while doing so, spending more money.
And for its customers, it's about enjoying this luxurious, expensive and yet cozy experience with someone who makes the money worth it.
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Mimecast has upgraded the QR code protections in its e-mail security offering, in response to a surge of ‘quishing’ attacks observed throughout 2023.
The Mimecast Email Security now includes deep scanning of URLs tied to QR codes to detect malicious content and block out QR code phishing (quishing) attempts.
In quishing, cyber attackers use fraudulent QR codes in e-mails to redirect unsuspecting users to malicious websites, aiming to compromise sensitive information or execute attacks.
According to Mimecast’s State of Email Security 2023 Report, 92% of South African companies have been targeted by email-based attacks, and 68% have experienced an increase in email-based threats over the same period.
Brian Pinnock, VP of sales engineering at Mimecast, says South African companies operate in one of the most advanced economies in Africa and the global South and, as such, are prime targets for cyber criminals.
"With collaboration at the heart of business operations, nearly 95% of companies agree that they need stronger protection than what comes with popular collaboration tools. The rise of QR code attacks is adding an additional layer of threat for local organisations,” he says.
Deep scanning of QR codes is now live within Mimecast Email Security. The company says more features to protect against quishing will follow.


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The Journal-World would like readers to share the dishes they look forward to eating during Fourth of July festivities. Whether it's a recipe for grandma's homemade strawberry ice cream or dad's spicy hamburgers, we would like to publish it in the Food section.
If you have a recipe to share, mail it to: The News Center, Food section, 645 N.H., Lawrence, KS 66049.
Recipes also may be sent by e-mail to email@example.com.
Please include a name and a daytime phone number where you can be reached. For more information, call staff writer Jim Baker at (785) 832-7173 or copy editor Karrey Britt at (785) 832-7190.


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News Highlights: KBR supports the global implementation of Mura Technology’s revolutionary recycling technology
Mura Technologies has introduced a world partnership with KBR, an intercontinental company of scientific, technological and engineering options, to assist the international growth of its patented technologies, Cat-HTR.
The firm describes Cat-HTR (Catalytic Hydrothermal Reactor) as an highly developed recycling process that makes use of supercritical steam (h2o with elevated temperature and strain) to convert plastics again into the chemical substances and oils from which they are built.
The supercritical steam acts like molecular scissors, cutting the longer chain hydrocarbon bonds in the plastics to develop shorter chain hydrocarbon items. Mura states these are then all set to be utilised for the creation of new, virgin-grade plastics and other elements, or can be sustainably reused in other sectors, these kinds of as in streets.
Perhaps most importantly, the company statements its technological know-how can recycle all plastic waste, like many that are thought of non-recyclable, this kind of as multilayer, adaptable plastic merchandise these kinds of as movies, pots, tubs, trays, and other packaging that it claims are at the moment incinerated or despatched to landfill.
Apparently the alternative can also lower CO2 emissions each ton of plastic processed by way of sophisticated recycling is reported to help save 1.5 tons of CO2 when compared to incineration. Mura options to operate or build 1 million tons of international plastic squander recycling capacity by 2025. The first website is beneath development in Teesside, Uk.
Mura Technologies has partnered with KBR as its exceptional licensing partner, with the aim of enabling the identification of new marketplaces for the technological innovation and delivering engineering and specialized expert services and tools to create internet sites for world-wide buyers.
Dr. Steve Mahon, CEO of Mura Technological know-how, said: “This technology is groundbreaking. We are experiencing a world wide plastic air pollution disaster, as only a minority of plastic waste can be recycled at terrific value – the rest goes to the ocean, incineration or landfill.
“In the meantime, we are extracting a lot more oil from the ground to make new plastics. We want to adjust the way the entire world thinks about plastic – not as a waste product or service, but as a important source – by utilizing our technology to produce an environmentally helpful, plastic neutral and sustainable long term.
“KBR is a natural companion for us to understand this eyesight – a world chief with the abilities to assist the licensing of our technology about the globe. This partnership will accelerate our ideas to assistance reduce plastic waste from the atmosphere. “
Go through much more: Test the most recent technological innovation information updates and details. Share this information with your buddies and family to aid us.


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September 30, 2009 5:38 PM
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Each year, Kentucky gives away more tax revenue through loopholes and incentive programs than it actually collects. Gov. Matt Bevin promised earlier this year to turn some of these "sacred cows" of Kentucky's tax code into hamburger, but that's easier said than done. Here's why.
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Deborah Morris' every-other-week column, The Fru-Gal, can help you find deals and stretch your dollars. Her column began years ago with she started answering questions about how she got so many products cheaply or free.
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Basically, all you need to do is start with this simple equation: wine + sweetener + spice + heat = mulled wine. Commence caroling.
And no, we're not talking about "eating better."
Riverside County has for years outlawed food trucks. County officials are slowly -- slowly! -- coming around.
Suzanne Goin, the chef behind the newly reopened A.O.C., has shared with us a couple of her favorite holiday cookie recipes. Here's the first batch!


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Source: AP, San Diego Union-Tribune, Forbes
A California federal jury unanimously decided in favor of San Diego Comic Convention, ruling that a rival event in Utah infringed its trademarks relating to “Comic-Con.” A team led by Pillsbury partner Callie Bjurstrom represented San Diego Comic Convention in the 10-day trial.
“San Diego Comic Convention has used the Comic-Con trademarks in connection with our comics and popular arts conventions for almost 50 years,” Pillsbury and SDCC said in a joint statement. “We have invested substantial time, talent and resources in our brand, resulting in world-wide recognition of the Comic-Con convention held annually in San Diego.”
SDCC’s suit alleged that in 2013, Dan Farr Productions began to promote the “Salt Lake Comic Con” in Utah, an event that SDCC says capitalizes on its decades of brand building, according to Law360. The San Diego event has been held annually since 1970, and SDCC holds trademarks for its logo and several permutations of the term "Comic-Con."
“From the beginning, all that we asked of the defendants was to stop using our Comic-Con trademarks. Today we obtained a verdict that will allow us to achieve this," the joint SDCC and Pillsbury statement said. "For that we are grateful.”
Forbes reports that the case could have “wide-ranging implications for the multi-billion dollar fan events industry.”
SDCC will seek a permanent injunction in the coming weeks to prevent future use of the marks. Post-trial motions are due by Jan. 8.
Pillsbury attorneys representing San Diego Comic Convention included Bjurstrom, Peter Hahn, Michelle Herrera, Lauren Wardle, Conor Civins and Kevin Fong.
San Diego Comic Convention is a non-profit educational corporation dedicated to celebrating and promoting comics and the popular arts.


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‘Woke Barbie’ Torches Mattel Profits, Company Anticipates ‘Margin Deterioration’ During Disappointing Christmas HolidayPosted: December 13, 2017
Chloe Aiello reports: Mattel anticipates “gross margin deterioration,” during what is typically the biggest shopping season of the year.
Struggling to stay afloat, Mattel released updated full year and fourth quarter guidance, anticipating a disappointing holiday season. The toy maker predicts “gross margin deterioration,” during what is typically the biggest shopping season of the year.
“The unfavorable year-over-year gross margin experienced during the first nine months of 2017 is expected to continue throughout the fourth quarter of 2017, as a result of unfavorable product mix, higher freight and logistics expense, and lower fixed cost absorption,” the company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. “In addition, continued negative trends in top line performance for the balance of the year could result in additional gross margin deterioration as a result of higher inventory write-downs and discounts offered to clear inventory.”
Mattel said it expects its fourth quarter operating income margin to be significantly lower year-over-year, and anticipates 2017 full-year gross sales will decline by the mid-to-high single digits compared to 2016.
The revised guidance hints at worsening conditions within Mattel, which has watched its margins suffer for years from cheaper imports, competition from big box retailers and the impact of technology on toys.
“Based on preliminary quarter-to-date data for the fourth quarter, Mattel currently anticipates its gross sales during the fourth quarter of 2017 will continue to be negatively impacted by key retail partners moving toward tighter inventory management and by challenges in the Toy Box and certain under performing brands,” Mattel said in the filing.
In October, Mattel announced a program to be launched in 2019, that would aim to cut annual costs by $650 million. In the updated filing, executives were not confident they could achieve these goals … (read more)


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Bad weather on the US East Coast couldn’t keep Google from announcing good news to all its millions of fans worldwide. Even though the launch event to be held at New York was cancelled, Google did finally announce three new exciting Nexus devices – two tablets and a smartphone. What’s even more exciting is that all of these devices will run on Android’s latest version, 4.2.
One of the most interesting features of Android 4.2 is the “photo sphere” that lets users take 360-degree images as well as Gesture Typing, Google’s answer to Swype for its Android devices. Even though the version number has changed, Google chooses to retain the name Jelly Bean for Android 4.2 as well, indicating that it probably doesn’t have too many changes from the previous version.
The LG Nexus 4 smartphone, as rumored, features a 4.7-inch display, an 8MP rear camera, and yes, will have Photo Sphere capabilities. The unlocked versions of the device are priced at $299 for the 8GB model and $349 for the 16GB one. With a two-year contract, this phone is available on T-Mobile for just $199 starting November 14.
The Asus Nexus 7 tablet has received an upgraded memory, but the price remains the same. The 16GB model costs $199, while the 32GB model costs $249. Also on offer is a cellular version of the 32GB Nexus 7 with 3G connectivity, available for $299 for the unlocked version.
And now, on to the most exciting device that was launched – the Samsung Nexus 10. Yes, it does have an HD screen with much higher resolution that even the iPad and one of the coolest features is that you can easily switch between multiple user profiles on the tablet. Available from November 13, the 16GB model will set you back by $399, while the 32GB model comes with a price tag of $499. This couldn’t be better timed, given that Apple just launched the iPad Mini and Microsoft brought out the Surface tablet.
Google has also announced a “scan and match” feature on Google Music, so that users don’t have to worry about manually uploading their music into the cloud. This new upgrade will be available in Europe soon, and then also be available to the US customers. And the best part about it – it’s free!


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One of the owners indicated that the most beautiful Indian cams girls and models can be viewed after signing up only."We are a subscription-based online chat portal and we have our own financial goals to pursue.
It is because of them we have been able to run and maintain such a huge web portal that is meant for Indian live webcam chatting only," said the chief web administrator.
now features a number of Indian webcam girls who hail from different Indian states such as Bengal, Punjab, Maharashtra and the likes.
The owners stressed that there are many Indian women featured on the site that are born and brought up abroad.
Nur Premium-Mitglieder können die Webcams der anderen Nutzer sehen.
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