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Yammer Inc., an enterprise social network has been acquired by Microsoft for a deal worth $1.2 billion in cash. By acquiring Yammer, Microsoft aims to offer a social networking service like Facebook to its corporate customers. Microsoft is trying to look for new avenues to make its desktop-bound products more attractive to its core corporate users and home consumers.
Currently Microsoft’s office suite of applications like MS word, excel, powerpoint as well as outlook mail are extensively used by most of the companies. The office suit accounted for almost 60 percent of Microsoft’s profit last year.
Founded in the year 2008, Yammer is a social network for corporates. Its primary objective is to empower employees to be more productive and successful by enabling them to collaborate easily, make smarter decisions faster, and self-organize into teams to take on any business challenge. Currently it has 5 million users of its private, in-company social networks. Leading organizations like Deloitte, Ford, Nationwide, 7-Eleven, Orbitz Worldwide, Rakuten, Telefonica O2 are some of its esteemed customers.


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Frontier is promising to expand FioS fiber-optic service in the California, Florida and Texas qualities recently acquired from Verizon. Speaking on the company’s recent earnings phone, Frontier said said that the organization will soon be first then enlarging FiOS in pick, unspecified obtained Verizon marketplaces in moment, and be standardizing equipment and costs http://finance.yahoo.com/news/techyacht-features-updated-verizon-fios-163000833.html.
Still another benefit of the transaction is the technology refresh that we’ll love for our FiOS marketplaces, We are presently finalizing our plans to expose this new technology in these new FiOS marketplaces the fourthquarter. While Frontier customers will not be be finding several of the progress staying Verizon FiOS customers will find (such as 1-10 Gbps speeds) Verizon has more often than not immobilized its own FiOS expansion.
The FiOS system and new Verizon costs and packages will end up the new standard for our current FiOS markets after this year, it is going to enable us to get three to six weeks of the renewed system prior to integration of the new states and use this moment to get the group comfortable using the new features, performance and businesses process needed to help the current FiOS system and then we’ll continue the precise costs and bundle building in the new marketplaces following conversion.
Along with a fresh 100 Mbps deployment in Connecticut, Frontier’s also promising to bring 25 Mbps broadband to 750,000 new households by 20 20. Today if only they can get site sales and email password resets to function.

domain: news


text: JPMorgan was busted over bitcoin fraud, raising interest on bitcoin purchases.RBC warns credit is starting to breakdown in Canada. Banks are exposed to the auto subprime market, it looks like the subprime securities crisis of 2008. Mortgage refis tumble, people are being pushed out the market by rising interest rate hikes. The trends are reversing this is the beginning of the end. The IMF reports that global trade is breaking down because of Trumps policies, but trade has been breaking down way before this. The system is breaking apart and more and more indicators show this.


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Twilio (TWLO 2.64%) was one of the hottest stocks on the market last year. Share prices for the cloud communications specialist more than tripled in 2020 as the novel coronavirus pandemic accelerated the shift toward cloud-based contact centers.
Based on its latest results and guidance, Twilio is looking like it could replicate that terrific performance in 2021. And with Twilio stock already up over 25% in less than two months this year, there's the possibility of a rerun of the 2020 rally.
The pandemic has supercharged Twilio's prospects
Twilio's results for the fourth quarter of 2020 blew past Wall Street's expectations. Revenue shot up 65% over the prior-year period to $548.1 million, way ahead of the company's guidance range of $450 million to $455 million. Twilio reported a non-GAAP net income of $0.04 per share. Analysts were expecting Twilio to deliver a loss of $0.08 per share on revenue of $454.8 million.
Twilio's full-year revenue increased 55% to $1.76 billion, which handsomely crushed the company's original guidance of 30%-31% top-line growth issued in February 2020. What's more, Twilio sprang a major surprise by delivering non-GAAP earnings of $0.23 per share for 2020. It was originally anticipating a loss between $0.20 and $0.14 per share.
The COVID-19 outbreak played a critical role in this massive growth. The number of customers signing up for Twilio's cloud-based offerings shot up remarkably as shelter-in-place orders were enforced across the globe to contain the outbreak. Twilio's solutions allowed companies to remain in touch with their customers, even when offices were closed.
Customer service associates using Twilio's services simply needed computers and access to the internet to perform their tasks, eliminating the need for physical contact centers. This was a trend that was already in motion much before the pandemic struck -- but now, the shift toward virtual call centers in the cloud has received a big shot in the arm.
A third-party report points out that 59% of contact centers across the globe allowed some sort of work-from-home before the pandemic. The lockdowns sent that number to 74.1%, a number that isn't expected to drop much. According to Twilio's estimates, only 17% of the call center capacity was cloud-enabled before COVID-19. The company expects 50% of the 15 million contact center seats to shift to the cloud by 2025.
That's not surprising, as cloud-enabled contact centers reportedly result in massive cost savings compared to physical ones, which require investments in infrastructure, office space, and other overhead. Not surprisingly, Twilio is set for another year of tremendous growth in 2021 with the increasing adoption of cloud-based contact centers.
Terrific guidance sets the stage for more upside
Twilio has guided for revenue between $526 million and $536 million for the first quarter of 2021, the midpoint of which would translate into 45.5% year-over-year growth. Though it doesn't provide full-year guidance anymore, there are a few reasons why Twilio should be able to sustain this high pace of growth in the forthcoming quarters as well.
Twilio has been scoring new customers at an impressive pace thanks to the secular growth of the cloud-based contact center market. The company finished the previous quarter with 221,000 active customer accounts, up 23.4% from the year-ago period. The active customer count for the fourth quarter included customers from Segment, a customer data platform provider that Twilio acquired during the quarter.
More importantly, Twilio's customers are spending more money on the company's offerings. This is evident from its dollar-based net expansion rate of 139% last quarter, which excludes the impact of the Segment acquisition. This metric is higher when Twilio customers boost their usage of its offerings or buy additional solutions, and it's improved consistently over the past few quarters.
The Segment acquisition could help Twilio further improve this metric by driving additional spending from existing customers, who will now have the option to purchase another service. The customer data platform market that Segment operates in is expected to clock an annual growth rate of 24.5% through 2027, according to a third-party report, so it could see strong demand from existing Twilio customers -- and Twilio can cross-sell its products and solutions to Segment customers.
As such, Twilio could continue to exceed its own expectations in the coming quarters, as it has done in the past, and remain a hot growth stock with the potential for huge gains that could rival last year's run.


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Sur La Table, purveyor of specialty kitchenware to foodies across the country, is opening its doors tomorrow at Aventura Mall. The 5,100-square-foot space will be bursting at the seams with everything from roasting pans, immersion blenders, cookbooks, and utensils.
Seattle-based Sur La Table opened its first store in 1972, selling kitchenware from France.; Today the 70+ stores sell items including a green immersion blender ($29.95), full-on Raclette party grill ($99.95) to a 3-D snowman spatula ($8.95). We expect the store to be bursting at the seams with haute couture looking for haute cuisine. Be ready to spend some cash -- the colorful treats don't come cheap.
Sur La Table
19501 Biscayne Blvd. #29, Aventura
Keep Miami New Times Free... Since we started Miami New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Miami, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Miami with no paywalls.


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Applebee’s is thriving at a level not seen in years
Applebee’s, the casual dining restaurant chain, has announced that same-store sales grew 6.2 percent in compared to 2019, the best performance since joining dine brands in 2007. Part of this growth can be attributed to virtual concept Cosmic Wings (branded by WANT). Cosmic Wings’ successes lies in its appeal to its Gen Z and millennial audiences, which makes up about 52 percent of the customer base. Cosmic Wings is available om Uber Eats and DoorDash. In April, the virtual digital brand will also be available on Grubhub.


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| India's demonetization move |
08 Nov 2016
|Earlier last week, the Indian government announced that it would be abolishing high-value Rs.500 and Rs.1000 currency notes.
The demonetization was targeted at combating rising levels of unaudited black money in circulation and to battle rising illegal funds for terror operations.
The government announced that new currency notes of Rs.2000 and Rs.500 denominations will be issued.
| Will the new move affect the Bollywood industry? |
|Reports stated that with demonetization coming into effect, India's mighty Bollywood industry could be impacted across the micro and macro levels.
Industry experts said that metros such as Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Chennai might see majority of the city's population shift to online transactions.
But smaller towns do not see people comfortable with booking tickets online, and resort to cash transactions.
| Bollywood euphoric at demonetization move |
|While the massive economic decision took many by surprise, a large chunk of Bollywood's leading stars strongly supported the decision.
Actors from Aamir Khan to Shah Rukh Khan endorsed the big move, stating that the larger picture would stand to benefit the country.
Their support comes in the wake of many Bollywood movies expected to take a backburner due to the demonetization.
| Actors laud the government's decision |
|"It (the decision of government) can affect the box-office for a weekend may be, because banks ATMs are all closed. But not after that. I hope by the time of Force 2 release, everything gets normal," said John Abraham.|
| Movie releases take a hit, revenues plunge |
|Despite the demonetization coming into effect, movies like Rock On 2, Tum Bin 2 and Force 2 stuck with their original dates, while other like 30 Minutes and Saansein postponed their release dates.
After Rock On 2 released, their earnings were hit by 30%.
Most distributors observed that people across small towns would choose to save money for necessities, rather than spend for entertainment.
| Bollywood unaffected by demonetization move |
14 Mar 2017
|Sources stated that Bollywood has emerged unscathed from the demonetization saga, garnering over Rs. 1000 crore in just four months since the move.
Despite delays and low-key releases, the industry produced at least one Rs. 100crore success every month. Sources said the trend would continue based on releases this month.
It was earlier expected that Bollywood would be one of the seriously affected industries.


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After 80, Liu Zihong is finally going to ring the bell for IPO.
On the last day of 2020, Shenzhen Rouyu Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Royu Technology”) formally submitted a prospectus and plans to be listed on the Science and Technology Innovation Board. With the release of the prospectus, this unicorn began to unveil its mystery.
As the helm of Rouyu Technology, Liu Zihong is a super student. Born in Nancheng County, Jiangxi Province, Liu Zihong had excellent grades since childhood. At the age of 17, he entered the Department of Electronic Engineering of Tsinghua University as the top candidate in the geography college entrance examination; at the age of 26, he received a PhD from Stanford University. In 2012, 29-year-old Liu Zihong founded Rouyu Technology. A month ago, Liu Zihong ranked 15th in the “2020 Hurun Post-80s Rich List of Self-made Rich People” with a fortune of RMB 14.5 billion.
In just 8 years, Rouyu Technology has rapidly grown into a unicorn with a valuation of over 8 billion U.S. dollars (approximately RMB 52.2 billion), with a luxurious lineup of investors behind it. However, this may also be one of the most controversial companies in the primary market in recent years. Many investors firmly support it, and some investors hesitate. This time Royole Technology plans to raise 14.434 billion yuan. Once a successful IPO, the market value is expected to reach 100 billion yuan.
The champion of science college entrance examination, from Jiangxi county to Tsinghua University
Valuation of 50 billion in 8 years
Behind Royole Technology is an 8-year entrepreneurial journey of a super-student.
Liu Zihong, who was born in Nancheng County, Jiangxi Province, is a typical “child of someone else’s family” and has excellent academic performance since childhood. However, he is not a good student who is completely decent. He was obsessed with billiards in junior high school and couldn’t help himself. He even skipped class to play billiards.
It is such a very individual student who won the first prize of the National Mathematical Chemistry Olympiad in Physics and the first prize of Chemistry at the age of 17. Electronic Engineering.
Here is an episode. Because when I was a child, I always like to use electric blankets for sleeping in winter. Liu Zihong found that electric blankets could not automatically control the temperature, so he was thinking about how to solve this problem when he was undergraduate. In the end, he invented the “human body biological intelligent sensing and application system” that can automatically sense various biological indicators of the human body during his senior year, and won a special prize in the competition. A month later, this system developed by Liu Zihong was bought by an entrepreneur with an offer of 3 million yuan, and he also reaped the first pot of gold in his life.
After graduating from a bachelor’s degree in 2004, Liu Zihong went on to study for a master’s degree without the exam. When graduating from graduate school two years later, Liu Zihong was faced with an important choice in his life-he also received the admission letter from Cambridge University and Stanford University. In the end, Liu Zihong chose Stanford University in the United States.
It was at that time that an idea about “flexible Display technology” burst into Liu Zihong’s mind. In his opinion, 70% of human information input methods rely on vision. Why are all displays square and square? Can they be as thin as paper? So, Liu Zihong took “flexible Display” as his PhD research direction.
After graduating from his Ph.D., Liu Zihong first joined the international giant IBM. Until 2012, he felt that the time to start a business was ripe. So, he took two alumni from Tsinghua University and Stanford University to establish companies in Silicon Valley, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. “At that time, our dream was to hope that flexible electronics would be everywhere and in the universe, so our company’s name was set as’Rouyu’.” Liu Zihong once recalled.
In August 2014, Rouyu Technology officially released the first new type of flexible display after two years of “keeping a low profile”. The thickness of this product is only 0.01 mm. Once it was launched, it caused quite a sensation. The young Rouyu Technology and Liu Zihong also became famous in one fell swoop.
In mid-2018, Royole Technology announced that it had mass-produced a sixth-generation fully flexible display screen and entered the production stage. In October of the same year, Rouyu Technology officially launched the world’s first foldable flexible screen mobile phone “Rupai”. At the same time, Rouyu Technology has also become one of the fastest-growing unicorn technology startups in the world. One of the representatives of entrepreneurs.
With 200 million revenue in a year, what can you rely on to support an IPO?
Positioned as a pioneer in the global flexible technology industry, what kind of company is Rouyu Technology?
According to the data, Rouyu Technology provides a complete set of flexible products and solutions centered on flexible electronics such as fully flexible displays and fully flexible sensors through independent research and development of flexible integrated circuit technology, which are mainly used in smart mobile terminals, smart transportation, and entertainment. Media, smart home, sports fashion, office education and other industries. According to product categories, Royole’s products can be divided into fully flexible display or fully flexible sensor solution products and consumer products such as FlexPai, FlexPai 2, RoWrite Rouji, Royole Moon, and Royole X.
The most interesting thing is revenue. The prospectus shows that from 2017 to January-June 2020, Rouyu Technology achieved operating income of 65 million yuan, 110 million yuan, 227 million yuan, and 116 million yuan. Among them, Rouyu Technology used enterprise solutions as the main source of revenue from 2017 to 2019, but the proportion was decreasing year by year; and in the first half of 2020, the proportion of To C products exceeded 50% for the first time.
In terms of net profit corresponding to revenue, from 2017 to January to June 2020, the net profit of Rouyu Technology attributable to ordinary shareholders of the parent company was -359 million yuan, -802 million yuan,- 1.073 billion yuan and -961 million yuan, with a total loss of 3.195 billion yuan in three and a half years.
It is worth mentioning that Rouyu Technology clearly stated in the prospectus that the company cannot guarantee profitability in the next few years, and may also face the risk of delisting after listing. The reason is that the company will continue to invest in large-scale research and development in the next few years, and the company’s sales scale is small, and there is a certain degree of uncertainty in commercialization.
Rouyu Technology admits that the demand for flexible electronic products in the downstream industry of flexible electronic products that the company is engaged in is still in its infancy, and the company is gradually going through the critical stage from research and development to downstream customer expansion. If the core products with strong competitiveness cannot be formed in the future, Will face the risk of difficulty in sustainable operations and greater uncertainty in the future development prospects.
In fact, since the release of the world’s first folding screen mobile phone “Roupai” in October 2018, the question of whether Rouyu Technology can be mass-produced has not stopped. Of course, Liu Zihong has personally responded to these questions. On May 30 last year, Rouyu also officially opened the running flexible screen mass production line to the outside world in response to external controversies.
When talking about the doubts from the outside world, Liu Zihong once said that it is normal for a company to encounter some different opinions from the outside world in the process of innovation. “It doesn’t matter, we also understand that the most important thing for a company is to do its own thing and use the product and the market to speak.”
In addition, Liu Zihong also said that Rouyu is the only domestic company that has not adopted the traditional foreign curved surface display technology route. Only the comparison between fully flexible technologies is fair. “Flexible screens are at a rapid rise in time, and the entire industry has a lot of room for imagination, and there is still a long way to go.” In the face of doubts from the outside world, Liu Zihong “I hope everyone will be more patient.”
In terms of orders and customers, Rouyu previously announced that it had received 4 billion orders within a few months of the production line, but it has not announced the list of customers. In the prospectus submitted this time, Rouyu Technology’s customer list finally surfaced. Rouyu Technology has accumulated a number of well-known enterprise-level customers including China Mobile, China Telecom, Vertu, Airbus, Louis Vuitton, Luzhou Laojiao, Dongfang Performing Arts Group, Gree Electric, etc.
It is reported that Rouyu Technology plans to raise 14.434 billion yuan in this IPO. In other words, Rouyu Technology’s valuation has been higher than the previously rumored US$8 billion. Once successfully listed, its market value may reach 100 billion yuan.
Get angel investment with a few papers, VC/PE lineup is luxurious
Why did they vote for Rouyu?
Looking at the primary market, Rouyu Technology may be one of the most controversial unicorns in recent years.
Since its establishment, Royole Technology has gone through multiple rounds of financing, and the lineup of investors behind it can be called luxurious, including Shenzhen Venture Capital, IDG Capital, Cornerstone Capital, Alpha Wealth, CITIC Capital, Yuanzheng Investment, Fuhui Venture Capital, Jack and Fischer Investment, Knight Capital, Qianhai Fund of Funds, AMTD Group, Yuexiu Industrial Fund, Yingke Capital, etc.
Back in 2012, Royole Technology has just been established, and it has been favored by well-known angel investors Yang Xiangyang, Shenzhen Venture Capital, and Songhe Capital. The investor in charge of this project at Shenzhen Venture Capital once recalled that when he first met Liu Zihong, the entrepreneur did not have a good sample or a good team, only himself and a few academic articles published after his research at Stanford in 2006. Thesis and PhD thesis. After doing a comprehensive technical research, Shenzhen Venture Capital invested millions of RMB in Rouyu, and then in 2013 and 2015, it invested in two consecutive rounds.
At the same time, Rouyu’s too advanced technology has made many investors “unintelligible.” In December 2012, at the Shenzhen Returnee Talent Entrepreneurship Competition, Liu Zihong showed a flexible electronic ink black and white display screen. There were more than 30 investors in a house, and no one understood it. However, Songhe Capital’s founding partner Li Wei and IDG Capital’s senior partner Yang Fei were attracted by Liu Zihong’s sci-fi world. In 2013, Rouyu received round B investment from IDG Capital, Shenzhen Venture Capital, Songhe Capital, and Alpha Wealth Finance.
In 2014, after Royole Technology released its first new flexible display, it began to attract the attention of leading companies in the industry. In August 2014, Liu Zihong received the senior management team of a leading company in the industry in Shenzhen. The other party gave a $300 million acquisition contract and allowed the founding team to cash out. After more than a month of negotiations, Liu Zihong rejected the US$300 million acquisition.
This decision seemed “willful”, but it became Rouyu’s key node. Since then, Royole has started to fly all the way on the road of financing: In August 2015, CITIC Capital, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, etc. participated in Royole Technology’s C round of financing, with a total investment of 1.1 billion yuan; the C+ round launched in November 2016 Financing, the investment amount is 500 million yuan, at this time Rouyu Technology’s valuation has reached 20 billion yuan.
In September 2017, Rouyu signed a contract with China CITIC Bank, Agricultural Bank of China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Bank of China, and Ping An Bank, adding a total of USD 800 million in Series D financing. In March 2018, after Yuexiu Industrial Fund and Li Ka-shing’s Hong Kong AMTD Group strategically invested in Royole Technology to complete the E round of financing, Royole Technology’s investment institutions covered the real estate industry. In August 2018, Rouyu Technology’s E+ round of financing, China Merchants Bank and others joined, its valuation has reached 5 billion US dollars.
Rouyu Technology, which has been low-key for two years, has also been exposed to financing in 2020. On May 10, according to investment bank sources, Royole Technology has completed US$300 million in Series F financing in the fourth quarter of 2019, with a valuation of US$6 billion. Up to 8 billion U.S. dollars or even higher. However, this news has not yet been officially confirmed.
The prospectus shows that before this issuance, the top ten shareholders of Rouyu Technology are: Liu Zihong (holding 38.61%), CITIC Capital (holding 6.05%), and Wei Peng (holding 4.97%) , Shenzhen Venture Capital (holding 4.64%), Yu Xiaojun (holding 4.47%), Shenzhen Huigang (holding 4.06%), Jack and Fishcher (holding 3.79%), Shenzhen Songhe (holding 3.79%) Holding 3.60%), Tibet Xiangsheng (holding 2.53%), Yang Leyi (holding 2.17%).
Well-known angel investor Xu Xiaoping once publicly expressed regret for missing Rouyu, “Royu Technology is a project that I have really missed since I made an investment. Every time I see good news from them, I feel like a knife.”
Capital is betting on Rouyu Technology, perhaps the next era: flexible display is becoming a battleground in the panel industry. Data shows that flexible screen panels are showing an upward trend year by year. In 2018, global shipments of flexible screen panels will reach 202 million pieces, and shipments are expected to reach 570 million pieces in 2022.
In this context, the major giants compete in the field of flexible display and have formed two camps: one is the mainstream camp consisting of Samsung, BOE, and Huaxing Optoelectronics; the other camp is represented by Rouyu, focusing on new non-silicon materials. Technology.
Two months ago, Liu Zihong said in an interview with CCTV: “In fact, we have been digging holes in the dark with a flashlight.” Rouyu is following the route of’want to do it’-there is an idea, but there is no way to follow the predecessors. He can only research and develop a little bit according to his own ideas, and smash it to the end. “Now moving towards the IPO, the young 80s and his unicorn are about to usher in another “death.”
The Links: PM10CSJ060 NL4823BC37-05


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Wine tasting, farmers market to promote reading
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
A wine tasting and farmers market will promote local businesses and Niagara Wine Trail wineries while encouraging children to read. “Raise a Glass for Reading” will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. April 25 at the Community Free Library, 86 Public Square, Holley.
‘Raise a Glass’ wine tasting event returnsThe Journal-Register
Source: wine tasting – Google News


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Walmart will soon have robots roaming the aisles in 50 stores
- Walmart is rolling out robots to 50 more stores.
- The robots go up and down the aisles, scanning for out-of-stock items, incorrect prices, and wrong or missing labels.
- Its part of Walmart's plan to make stores more efficient and easier for customers to shop.
Walmart's robot fleet is expanding.
The retailer has been testing the robots in a small number of stores in Arkansas and California. It is now expanding the program and will have robots in 50 stores by the end of January.
Walmart CFO Jeremy King told Reuters that the robots are 50% more efficient than a human doing the same task. They can also scan shelves three times more quickly and are a lot more accurate. Human employees can only scan shelves about twice a week, King said.
The robots are shaped like two-foot-tall towers on wheels and are equipped with cameras that can spot errors.
The robots are just one part of Walmart's plan to make stores more efficient and easier for customers to shop.
- Xiaomi continues to dominate Indian smartphone market despite losing market share
- Aluminum industry wants custom duty on scrap to be increased to 10% to protect domestic companies
- Bajaj Finserv, Tata Comm, Info Edge and some L&T Group companies among worst losers in the market crash
- Micromax IN Note 2 with MediaTek Helio G95 SoC, 48MP quad camera launched in India
- Micromax IN Note 2 vs Realme 9i — New budget phones compared


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The exceptional operational safety and ease of use are important criteria for the installation on Star Island, because technical support here usually is not available at short notice.
The rooftop installation consists of 2,200 panels producing approximately 650KW annually. The funds received are credited to the Jamieson utilities account and are offsetting almost 20% of the electricity bill.
Hanwha has the development capital and balance sheet that financiers look for in a partner. This is a tremendous differentiator given the current market conditions.
Women as a group are the most powerful communication vehicle in the world. When women believe in something, they spread the word faster and more effectively than any advertising can. When it comes to buying power and buying power: They rock.
Regardless of Party Affiliation, Elections Affect the Future of Cleantech
Last week the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) announced the approval of loans amounting to R9.6 Billion for 14 renewable energy projects in South Africa, with a combined capacity of 896.5MW.
As CSP Today Sevilla 2012 continues to expand, CSP Today is delighted to confirm the participation of China and Namibia as part of the international delegations representing the most lucrative emerging markets for CSP at present; at the premier International Concentrated Solar Thermal Power event th
Organic waste recycling start-up, Re-Nuble, has launched an aggressive $100,000 crowdfunding campaign to finance its mission of redefining the meaning of waste – starting with the nation's capital.
Hanwha Group, a top 10 Korean business group and Fortune Global 500 company with businesses in manufacturing, construction, finance, retail and resorts, today launched Hanwha Q.CELLS. The launch marks the completion of the acquisition of German solar company Q.CELLS, one of the worlds' largest solar cell manufacturers and a leading photovoltaics company. Mr. Charles Kim will lead Hanwha Q.CELLS as CEO, joining the company from Hanwha SolarOne. Mr. Min Su Kim will replace Mr. Charles Kim as the president of Hanwha SolarOne and joins the company from Hanwha Group. The launch of Hanwha Q.CELLS establishes Hanwha as the third largest solar manufacturer in the world. Hanwha's 2.3 GW of manufacturing capacity is distributed across Germany, Malaysia and China, a competitive advantage to supply any region in the world, free of trade sanctions.
As much as the economy may be improving, businesses still know they have to keep a tight reign on finances, but they also have more security concerns than ever before.
At the Solar Power UK 2012 exhibition in Birmingham (2nd – 4th October) the PV mounting system manufacturer Clenergy has not only exhibited but also released innovations such as the PV-ezRack Trapezoidal mounting system and the online PV Design tool PV-ezDesign. The show has also been a strong and lasting confirmation of Clenergy's successful entry in the UK PV market since 2011.
New Synergies Establish the Hanwha Group as a Top Three Global Solar Company
It is expected that the 50 electric BYD e6 will be available for its customers to use from the second quarter of 2013
Across 160 industrial and commercial sites; achieving significant reduction in CO2 emissions; 15% consumption reduction since 2005 and new objective to reduce by more than 10% by 2014
One Millionth Photovoltaic Solar Module Installed at MidAmerican Solar's Topaz Project by First Solar
Earlier this month, the one millionth solar module was installed at what is the largest solar project under construction in the world. When complete, the 550-megawattAC project will include nearly 9 million photovoltaic (PV) modules.
Records 16606 to 16620 of 27134
Solar & Wind - Featured Product
Solar FlexRack's latest solar tracker technology bundles an advanced tracker design with a full team of seasoned engineering and installation experts at your service. The next-generation solar tracker delivers a package of features that both enable increased energy yields for commercial and utility-scale solar installations, and significantly reduce project risks. That translates to smart installation cost-savings across your project budget.


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Online video is gradually becoming more mobile, per results [download page] from the most recent quarterly FreeWheel report. During the second quarter of the year, 17.5% of US rights-managed online video views occurred on a mobile phone (13.2%) or tablet (4.3%), almost double the 9.2% from Q2 2012, but still a far cry from the 81.3% of views on a PC or Mac. Mobile phones and tablets continues to present a monetization challenge, according to the report, accounting for an undersized 8.6% of online video ad views. Most of those occur on an Apple device.
In fact, during Q2, 6.2% of total online video ad views tracked occurred on an Apple device, compared to 2.4% on an Android device. In other words, iOS devices accounted for more than 70% share of mobile and tablet video ad views. And while the share of total ad views has been rising on both platforms, Apple’s growth has been more rapid (up from 2.4% in Q2 2012) than Android’s (up from 1.3%).
Looking at the full spectrum of non-desktop video ad views (not limited to just mobile phones and tablets), Apple devices still control a majority 62% share, split between iPhones (28.6%), iPads (27.3%) and iPods (5.8%). Android phones (21.8%) and tablets (2.3%) comprise about one-quarter of non-desktop video ad views, with OTT devices (such as gaming consoles and Roku) picking up the remaining 13.2% share.
Interestingly, the study results suggest that screen size and viewing behavior correlate. That is, iPad and OTT devices tend to follow more of a TV-style viewing, with roughly 45% of ad views on these devices occurring during long-form content. The corresponding percentage for PC/Macs and mobile phones is about 20%.
About the Data: The data in the report only represents video that is rights-managed: aggregate monetization data for professional content from FreeWheel’s customers, and does not reflect trends for user-generated content. Starting with this Q2 2013 report, FreeWheel is solely reporting on U.S. based data. Any variation in data between the report and prior versions is due to extraction of international data. In upcoming quarters, FreeWheel will begin reporting separately on international results.


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As fast as it can, Google is sealing up cracks in its systems that Edward J Snowden revealed the NSA had brilliantly exploited.
The company also unveiled an initiative called Android One, designed to help manufacturers build low-cost smartphones for emerging markets such as India.
As more Indians log online to seek info internet is estimated to be influencing decisions worth about USD 43 billion, search engine giant Google said.
Alibaba Group has filed for a multi-billion-dollar IPO, Chinese farmers are swapping tractors for luxury cars after making fortunes through the Internet giant.
The new wave of change was triggered by the abrupt shift of Chinese Internet users to surfing the Web via smartphones or tablets.
Google's Internet-linked eyewear -- hotly anticipated by some, feared by others, is now available to anyone in the United States with $1,500 to spare.
Google's Internet-linked eye wear, hotly anticipated by some, feared by others is now available to anyone in the United States with $1,500 to spare and a yen to become an "explorer."
The company plans to add other sales categories, charge as little as half the commission of other venues at 3.5 per cent.


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Serena Ng is a reporter for The Wall Street Journal in New York, where she covers Procter & Gamble and other consumer products and beauty companies. She previously covered American International Group and Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, and has also written about the U.S. credit markets for the paper's Money & Investing section. A native of Singapore, Serena joined the Journal in 2006.
Email her at firstname.lastname@example.org and follow her at @SerenaNgWSJ
President Obama tapped Robert McDonald, a former CEO of Procter & Gamble, to be the next secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, turning to a longtime corporate executive to fix a beleaguered department.
A system of pooling supposedly identical merchandise at Amazon's warehouses provides flexibility for faster shipping. But in some cases it has led to mix-ups between counterfeit and authentic products.
Avon reached an agreement to pay $135 million to settle a long-standing federal bribe probe, lifting a weight that had hobbled the beauty company for years. The cosmetics company also posted a wider loss as revenue fell 11%.


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David Cameron has visited DHL’s UK headquarters in Feltham in an effort to find out more about international logistics. He discussed imports and exports and too, questions from staff.Speaking about his experience, he said:
“It was great to meet people from the Feltham area and see first-hand the essential role DHL Express plays both in the local area and globally. Global export markets should be the next frontier for all fledgling enterprises producing great British products. That’s why I’m here today to understand the vital role logistics plays in facilitating international trade and to better understand the great work DHL Express has been doing to encourage UK SMEs to sell their wares to the world.”
The question and answer session was attended by around 250 staff and he was asked about the mooted high speed rail link between London and northern England as well as the EU heads of government summit in Brussels.
Also discussed was the impact of high fuel prices. Fuel costs of course have a huge impact on courier companies as their business is all about transportation. Cameron chose to emphasise the fact the nation is becoming less dependent on fossil fuels.


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The partnership will connect manufacturers of bags, pouches, labels, liners, wraps, and other flexible packaging products to leading converting technology and industrial print providers.
“The flexible packaging industry is a key market for both ICE and InPrint exhibitors and our partnership with FPA helps us create a one-stop shop for packaging professionals looking for the latest in both converting and digital print technologies,” said Melissa Magestro, EVP of Mack Brooks Exhibitions.
Packaging is a large industry with multiple segments including folding cartons, corrugated, labels, and direct-to-shape, and makes up a large part of the audience at the co-located shows. According to a 2017 Market Report from I.T. Strategies, flexible packaging was found most appealing application with the use of digital inkjet technology at 50%.
The partnership with FPA will allow attendees of both shows to cross-educate themselves on the latest in the converting industry as well as print technology for flexible packaging. The Flexible Packaging Pavilion on the show floor will feature FPA members and be a key focus area for attendees looking for flexible packaging innovations and solutions.


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Power GaN: the next wave…
After consumer, telecom/datacom and, to a lesser extent, the automotive industry will drive the next power GaN wave.
- The power GaN market is expected to be worth US$2 billion in 2027.
- Consumer, including power supplies and Class D audio amplifiers, will represent 48% of the total GaN market in 2027.
- Technology focus: 6” GaN-on-Si is still the mainstream platform.
- At the device level, Yole Intelligence witnessed the entry of new players into the market, notably RHOM, which recently introduced its EcoGaN™ portfolio with a first 150V device. Power Integrations, Navitas, Innoscience, EPC, and much more… all are part of the competitive landscape.
High volumes in the GaN market are today a reality… The market research and strategy consulting company Yole Intelligence, part of Yole Group has developed comprehensive and accurate compound semiconductor expertise, with specific investigations fully dedicated to power electronics applications. All year long, analysts deliver pertinent analyses, including technology and market reports and quarterly market monitors.
Today, Yole’s compound semiconductor team releases the annual report, Power GaN 2022. This 2022 edition details the penetration of GaN devices in different applications from the system point of view and forecasts that penetration from device to wafer level with different granularities. In addition, this report offers comprehensive analyses of market dynamics, supply chain evolution, and the latest technology trends for various applications.
Taha Ayari, Ph.D., Technology & Market Analyst, Compound Semiconductors at Yole“GaN fast chargers are growing rapidly in the handset market. Since 2020, Yole has seen an increasing number of fast chargers featuring GaN devices from several players, like Power Integrations, Navitas, and GaN Systems. Now Innoscience is also contributing to this market with high volumes.”
The consumer power supply market will be worth more than US$915.6 million by 2027, with a 52% CAGR between 2021 and 2027. For datacom/telecom, Yole expects an increase in GaN penetration in the mid-term as regulations become stricter. The interest in adopting 48V-Point-Of-Load systems in data centers to reduce power consumption and cabling volume will favor GaN for low-voltage applications. An increasing number of power suppliers are adopting GaN in their systems. Transphorm, EPC, Texas Instruments, Infineon, and GaN Systems have all announced several design wins. Therefore, the GaN market for datacom/telecom is expected to have a 69% CAGR over the forecast period, to more than US$617.8 million in 2027.
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At a lower penetration level, automotive DC-DC converters and OBCs will be part of the next wave of growth during the forecast period. There are ever more collaborations between GaN device players, who are accelerating the automotive qualification of their products, and the Tier-1 and OEMs , who are evaluating automotive GaN solutions. The GaN automotive market is expected to exceed US$227 million by 2027, with a 99% CAGR between 2021 and 2027.
In its Power GaN 2022 report, Yole’s analysts also highlight the dynamic supply chain with new entrants and significant investments.
Indeed, since the release of the 2021 report, the market research & strategy consulting company has witnessed the entry of new players into the supply chain. Notably, Rohm is offering a 150V GaN product for telecom/datacom applications. BelGaN, a new GaN foundry based in Belgium, has recently acquired onsemi’s fab. And on the fundraising front, Navitas went public through a SPAC business combination after an agreement valued at US$1.04 billion with Live Oak Acquisition Corp.
Focusing on the Chinese ecosystem, the government has supported more investments from GaN players. It is noteworthy that Innoscience, a privately owned company, is investing more than US$400 million to expand its 8-inch wafer capacity from 10k to 70k wafers per month by 2025. A domestic supply chain for GaN power is well developed, especially for the consumer market.
The transition to the 8-inch platform and the consolidation of the supply chain with more players at each level are driving lower manufacturing costs, especially at the epitaxy step, which constitutes the most significant part of a GaN device’s cost structure. In fact, one of the big questions is around the use of in-house epitaxy and outsourced epitaxy for future high volumes.
Yole invites you to follow the automotive industry and the strategies of the computing players that comprise it on yolegroup.com. Stay tuned!
- CAGR : Compound Annual Growth Rate
- OBC : On-Board Chargers
- OEM : Original Equipment Manufacturer
- SPAC : Special Purpose Acquisition Company


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The novel coronavirus epidemic has brought about challenges to the stability of the global food supply and logistics chains and added fresh risks to China's food imports. The recent blocking of the Suez Canal by a stranded container vessel is a reminder that transportation security is crucial to ensuring the security of China's food imports, and it must hold a long-term view and enhance its global food supply chain management capacity.
Grain is one of the main goods in the dry bulk transportation at sea, accounting for more than 10 percent of the total sea dry bulk transportation, behind only iron ore and coal. At present, the global grain trade mainly depends on the routes of the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean. Once these trade routes are blocked, the global grain supply chain will be disrupted thus pushing up global grain prices.
The recent canal accident has so far had a limited impact on China's grain imports. But this is because the sources of China's grain imports are mainly from the Americas, with soybean imports from Brazil, the United States and Argentina accounting for more than 90 percent of its total soybean imports. In recent years, China has been diversifying its grain imports, beginning to source grain from Russia, Ukraine, and Central Asian and African countries. High-quality wheat imports from Central Asia and Russia are mainly carried by freight trains between China and Europe, and only corn and wheat imports from Ukraine and France are shipped through the Suez Canal, but the volume from these two countries is relatively small.
Logistics and transportation are key links in the global food security chain. China should work with other countries to strengthen global logistics infrastructure and establish a multidimensional transportation network that integrates railway, sea and air routes to ensure the security of food transportation. It should cultivate multinational grain merchants, encourage domestic grain enterprises to go global to establish large-scale overseas grain production, processing, storage and transportation bases and fully participate in the reconstruction of the global grain industry, value and supply chains. On the basis of economic and trade cooperation, China should also try to establish a diversified food cooperation mechanism and promote diversification of grain import sources to reduce possible trade risks.


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Lei Jun (雷军), founder and major shareholder of Xiaomi Tech (小米科技) [zh], has just joined the ranks of Chinese billionaires. Now worth an estimated $4 billion, the company was founded in 2010, and released the Xiaomi Phone – a major Chinese contendor to the iPhone – in 2011. The phone’s success in the mainland has led some to label Xiaomi “China’s Apple success story“, and to see Lei Jun as a Chinese version of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. Forbes’ Ryan Mac reports on similarities between the two tech gurus:
Lei Jun has much in common with the late Apple icon he reveres. As my colleague Simon Montlake points out in our Forbes Magazine story, Lei, just like a young Steve Jobs, is the head of growing technology company, Xiaomi. Lei also favors the simple stylings of Jobs, preferring the black shirt and jeans combo that was once standard attire for the former Apple CEO (though he was known for his black turtleneck).
And like Jobs, Lei is now a billionaire.
[…]At 43, Lei is exactly the same age that Jobs was when he reached the $1 billion mark in 1998, less than two years after rejoining Apple from NeXT. Lei is also extremely confident that Xiaomi, which was founded in 2010, can elbow its way to the top of a crowded Chinese mobile market.
A longer article in Forbes further details Xiaomi’s story and Lei’s past, highlighting Lei’s encouragement of comparisons between himself and Apple’s late retired-CEO, and suggestions that his reputation might one-day outgrow those comparisons:
Ladies and gentlemen, meet Lei Lei Jun, the jeans-and-black-shirt-wearing billionaire founder of Xiaomi, China’s hottest smartphone company. And, if you believe Lei, the next Steve Jobs.
[…]“I was annoyed in the beginning, very annoyed. But I don’t mind anymore,” he says of the comparisons. Associates say he gets a kick out of being dubbed Lei-bu-si, a pun on Qiao-bu-si, Jobs’ Chinese name.
Rather remarkably, Lei risks the wrath of Apple fans everywhere by asserting that he can succeed in China in ways that Jobs never could have matched.
Also see suggestions for the next generation of Xiaomi phone, and a report on the possible launch of a Xiaomi phone in Taiwan later this year, from Tech In Asia.


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The economy is alive and well.
All thanks to confident consumers that just gave retailers their best holiday season in seven years. U.S. holiday retail brick and mortar sales were up 4.9% year over year, as online sales soared 18.1%.
In fact, online sales continue to be a clear winner, led by Amazon.com.
Just this week, the online behemoth announced record-breaking sales for the holiday season with more than a billion items ordered worldwide.
Total retail sales this holiday season was a record $598 billion.
"Overall, this year was a big win for retail," Sarah Quinlan, senior vice president of Market Insights, as quoted by USA Today. "The strong U.S. economy was a contributing factor, but we also have to recognize that retailers who tried new strategies to engage holiday shoppers were the beneficiaries of this sales increase."
Given record low unemployment, high consumer confidence, disposable income and tax reform, consumers are spending again.
“The economy has been booming,” said Mark A. Cohen, director of retail sales at Columbia Business School, as quoted by The Washington Post. “Unemployment is at the very lowest point in eight years — even though there remain folks who are unemployed who are not being counted, and there are still folks who are underemployed. The fact is there are employment rolls [that] are high, consumer confidence seems to be remarkably high, disposable income is therefore robust and consumers seem to be once again loading their credit cards.”
Bottom line – retail sales statistics are a clear representation of consumer confidence and the continued strength of the U.S. economy. Better yet, the latest tax reform should continue to provide further momentum, and allow consumers to spend even more disposable income.
According to Apparel News:
The National Retail Federation is scheduled to release its final numbers on holiday sales in early January. But Matthew Shay, the NRF’s president and chief executive officer, predicted sales would be on the high end, or even exceed, the trade group’s initial forecast of a 3.6 percent to 4 percent rise over the 2016 holiday season. “Sales and traffic were up across the board, from online and luxury retailers to department and discount stores, from Main Street to mega stores and everything in between.”
As long as consumers remain healthy, The Cheap Investor is doing its due diligence to uncover even more winners for 2018 and beyond.
Happy New Year!!


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Over the last few months, several new Windows Phone handsets have hit retailers. And now that Windows Phone has even more mobile partners, we are beginning to see a plethora of devices trying to lure your attention. But there’s one handset that stands tall, unaffected by the dozens of other flagship devices. Yes, we’re talking about the 41 MP Nokia Lumia 1020 smartphone. If you’ve been thinking of getting that device, now could be the right time, as the 32GB variant of the phone is available for free (almost) with an AT&T contract on Amazon.
While the world-record 41 MP camera is certainly an awesome addition — it even won a Science competition recently — the phone’s other technical specifications are also top class. It sports a 4.5-inch AMOLED display, with a resolution of 768 x 1280 pixels. Powered by a Dual-core 1.5 GHz processor and coupled with 2GB of RAM, the Lumia 1020 runs Windows Phone 8, which is upgradable to the Lumia Black firmware update. The phone will soon receive the Windows Phone 8.1 update, though, you can get the developer preview version of it now as well. The 1020 carries a 2000mAh battery.
Lumia 1020 is available on Amazon in three different colors – Yellow, White, and Black. And now the phone is available for $0.01 on a contract with AT&T. Amazon (with the carrier) is offering three different plans that a user could opt for to grab the Lumia 1020. There is an individual plan, a family plan, and those who don’t want to buy the phone on a contract basis, can have the unlocked version as well. The unlocked version will cost $599 — which doesn’t sound bad either, considering the original price of the phone is $799.99. AT&T is also offering some discounts on used and refurbished Nokia Lumia 1020 handsets, which you can find more information at any of the links below.


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With the increasing usage of blockchain technology, CSE-listed blockchain stocks have become increasingly popular over the past few years. Although the sector is still in its infancy, there are a handful of companies that are making headway in the CSE space.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the three biggest blockchain companies in the CSE market in 2023. These companies are expected to benefit from the wider adoption of blockchain technology over the next few years.
The first CSE-listed blockchain stock to make the list is NexTech Solutions. NexTech Solutions is a blockchain-based software developer based in New York City. The company was founded in 2020 and has since been focusing on developing blockchain-based applications for businesses and developers.
In addition to creating new, innovative applications, NexTech also offers key services such as asset management, personal data management, and privacy solutions. The company is also investing heavily in research and development for the sake of furthering blockchain-related projects, such as its own blockchain-based alternative to bank payments.
The second CSE-listed blockchain stock is BitShares. BitShares is a blockchain-based, peer-to-peer asset trading platform that has been in development since 2014. BitShares allows users to securely trade and store digital assets without the need for the traditional banking infrastructure.
The company also offers an exchange platform that allows users to trade various digital assets quickly and securely against popular cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. BitShares’ vision is to become the leading decentralized asset exchange and to help bring blockchain-based markets into the mainstream.
The last CSE-listed stock we’re going to highlight is Blockchain Ltd. This Canadian-listed company develops and delivers blockchain-based solutions for businesses. It has partnered with some of Canada’s largest financial institutions to offer a suite of blockchain-powered tools for the secure transmission and storage of data.
Blockchain Ltd. is investing heavily in the development of solutions for the rapidly growing cryptocurrency and blockchain markets and also offers a wide range of services for businesses looking to increase their efficiency and reduce overhead costs with blockchain technology.
By 2023, these three CSE-listed blockchain stocks are expected to be leading the way in the rapidly evolving blockchain sector. They are each unique in their own way and offering services that are sure to be in high demand in the coming years. With the increased enthusiasm for CSE-listed stocks and the future of blockchain technology, they are well-positioned for success.


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Powerglove release “Ghostbusters” music video featuring R.A. Voltaire from Ravenous E.H.
October 31, 2021
A Powerglove halloween special! Bustin’ makes us feel good.
“Ghostbusters” by Powerglove is now available on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, and other digital outlets.
Receive email updates on new Powerglove tracks, events, news, and much more!


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Greenman Group, a Dublin-based property investment firm, has launched a new subsidiary that will introduce vertical farms into its network of retail centers across Germany. Its Greenman Open Fund currently has around 70 retail centers in Germany and is looking at expanding into France.
Greenman’s OPEN fund had net asset values of €612 million at the end of September. The group’s new firm, Potager Farm, will grow herbs, leafy greens, and micro veg indoors in tower structures at the retail centers which are anchored by food grocery stores.
Headquartered in Berlin, Potager Farm will sell more environmentally friendly produce year-round by reducing food miles and avoiding the use of pesticides and other chemicals.
Germany is the largest importer of fresh herbs in Europe and Greenman believes there is huge scope for the adoption of vertical farming across the country.
Johnnie Wilkinson, CEO of the Greenman Group, said: “Potager Farm is an exciting new venture, placing the Greenman Group at the forefront of a revolution in new agriculture technology. Our experience within the food retail sector has shown us that vertical farming will become an increasingly important part of the food supply chain."
Read the complete article at www.independent.ie.


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MUMBAI: Jewellers today decided to continue their pan-India strike for an indefinite period against the Budget proposal to impose 1 per cent excise duty, despite the Centre's assurance that it would look into the issue.
"We have met more than 358 associations affiliated with GJF, consisting of over 3 lakh manufacturers, retainers, artisans, among others, who have collectively decided to extend the strike indefinitely, till we get some positive announcement from the government," All India Gems and Jewellery Federation (GJF) Chairman Sreedhar G V told reporters here.
He said the excise tax guidelines, which have been drafted for the gems and jewellery industry are not practically implementable and will be detrimental to the survival of the industry.
"We urge the government to withdraw the proposal. Our protest continues till the government takes cognisance of our views and acts favourably," he added.
Jewellers have been on a strike since March 2, protesting against the proposed excise duty imposition on non-silver jewellery items made in the Budget 2016-17 as well mandatory quoting of PAN by customers for transaction of Rs 2 lakh and above.
Representatives of GJF on March 4, met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to press for their demands.
After the meeting, GJF had said the Finance Minister has assured that he will look into their grievances. But, the Federation still decided to extend the protest till today.
He further said Jaitley had expressed concern and asked for alternatives to the excise duty.
On March 3, the GJF delegation had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and gave him their representation. "The PM gave us his valuable time and heard about our plight," he added.
The industry is estimated to have incurred a business loss of Rs 10,000 crore during the six-day strike, which includes bullion, diamond and jewellery.
The size of gems and jewellery industry is estimated at around Rs 3.15 lakh crore with the potential to grow to Rs 5 lakh crore by 2018.


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The online retailer pays more than eight billion dollars – and gets the rights to 4,000 films and 17,000 television shows.
Dhe traditional Hollywood studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) will in future belong to the online retailer Amazon.com. The transaction, which was speculated about last week, was officially announced on Wednesday.
Amazon is paying $ 8.45 billion for MGM. It is the second-costliest acquisition in the company’s history after grocery chain Whole Foods, which was bought for more than $ 13 billion in 2017. This gives Amazon access to a library of more than 4,000 films, including the “James Bond” series and classics such as “Rocky” as the crown jewel.
Lord of the rings
MGM also has some highly anticipated films in the pipeline, such as House of Gucci starring Lady Gaga. The catalog also includes 17,000 television shows such as “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “Fargo”. With the acquisition, Amazon is strengthening its Prime Video streaming service, which competes with platforms such as Netflix and Disney +.
With its film and television offering, the group is pursuing a slightly different strategy than its competitors. It is part of the customer loyalty program Prime, which was originally primarily a shipping offer that enabled subscribers to get their order delivered very quickly for an annual fee. The more than 200 million Prime subscribers are a particularly attractive clientele for the online retailer, because they buy an above-average amount from him. With the video service, the group is trying to create a further incentive to become a Prime customer.
Compared to its big rivals such as Netflix, the supply of content on Prime Video is still considered to be weak, but the company has recently increasingly tried to change this. He has recently bought a lot of money for the rights to popular films such as “The Prince from Zamunda 2” or “Borat Anschluss Moviefilm”, and he is currently having a television series based on the “Lord of the Rings” novels produced for 465 million dollars should cost a single season.
He has also spent billions on sports rights, opening up an area previously unoccupied by Netflix. The billion-dollar purchase from MGM is now another way for Amazon to expand its offering. MGM is one of the most famous Hollywood studios and was founded in 1924. But it also looks back on an eventful history and had to file for bankruptcy in 2010. The latest “James Bond” episode entitled “No Time to Die”, which has been delayed due to the Corona crisis, is due to be released this fall.


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Its first month on sale tells Ford one thing: build more.
After barely a month since going on sale, the reborn Ford Ranger is proving to be a smash hit. Ford expects to sell 1,200 examples this month alone and demand will only increase. That means there must be an adequate supply.
According to Automotive News, Ford has authorized overtime shifts at its Michigan Assembly Plant, where the mid-size Ranger is built, starting next week. The information comes directly from Ford's president of North America, Kumar Galhotra. "Based on the orders coming in, and based on the hand-raisers, we think the demand's going to be so strong, that starting in February our assembly plant will be going into massive overtime."
Ford claims that roughly 300,000 people have already indicated their intent to buy a new Ranger, hence the production crank up. Currently, only one production shift at the factory builds the Ranger and that makes sense for any new vehicle in its first month. But chances are Ford expected high Ranger demand and was just waiting to give the additional production order. That assembly plant was even converted from building small cars to body-on-frame vehicles specifically for the Ranger. In the future, it'll also likely handle the reborn Bronco, which will be based on the Ranger's platform.
With its very reasonable starting price of $25,395, the 2019 Ranger is going up against some heavy players in the mid-size truck segment, specifically the Toyota Tacoma and the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon twins.
It came as little surprise earlier this past week when Toyota previewed an updated Tacoma set to debut in Chicago in February. There's also a new segment player, the Jeep Gladiator, slated to go on sale this summer. Because full-size trucks like the F-150 are becoming bigger and bigger, the mid-size truck category that Ford figured was dead back in 2011 when it discontinued the previous generation Ranger, is now back in full swing. The proof is high Ranger demand today and Ford is taking steps to ensure everyone who wants one will get one.


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MACH 2022 is set to be the most significant gathering of manufacturers in the UK this year.
Aside from highlighting some of the most important issues facing the manufacturing industry, suc
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“Aramid Fiber (Para and Meta)” Market Insights | No of Pages123| By Appliication [Body Armor and Helmet, Aerospace Materials, Sports Materials, Ti
March 31, 2022 By Michael Kozlowski 4 Comments
Onyx Boox Nova Air Color is the latest generation e-reader and digital note taking tablet. It is employing On-Cell E INK technology, whic
Memorabilia from the first lunar landing are being auctioned off, and the prices are out of this world.
Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, is sel


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Different standards and warnings imposed on food in one state but
not in others impede commerce, confuse consumers, and increase the
cost of food without commensurate benefit, according to an
authority on food law.
Part of the reason why the French weigh less than Americans is that
their culture dictates smaller portion sizes as the appropriate
food unit, discouraging them from consuming more, according to a
Florida-based Neptune Industries is taking steps towards patent
protection and commercialization of the technology behind a
protein-based nutritional component that it says may one day prove
useful in supplying third world countries...
An Ohio-based cereal manufacturer is to face a lawsuit under
California's Proposition 65 because its cereal product contains
acrylamide, even though the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
does not require warning labels on...
The US and Mexico have concluded an agreement under which access
will be granted for US high fructose corn syrup exports to Mexico,
a move that begins to address the decade long dispute between the
Senators and prominent industry figures yesterday addressed a
Senate committee on the National Uniformity for Food Act,
expressing both support and contempt for a bill that could
standardize food safety requirements and warning labels...


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Philip Hammond, the British Chancellor, promised that the United Kingdom would “remain open to talent from around the world” after Brexit as he vowed to turn the nation into a “global magnet for tech skills.”
At the Innovate Finance Global Summit that was held today, Hammond told business leaders: “One of the biggest issues for many of you in this room will be access to skills and talent, and many understandably question what will happen as we leave the European Union.”
He added: “Let me reassure you, even as freedom of movement ends, Britain will remain open to talent from around the world.”
Hammond disclosed that PhD-level jobs will be exempt from immigration caps starting autumn this year. He also flagged new startup and innovator visas that were introduced earlier in the year.
He stated: “We will still draw talent from across the EU but from beyond it as well, making London and the UK a global magnet for tech skills.”
The two-day Innovate Finance Global Summit showcased the fintech sector of the United Kingdom both locally and internationally. It attracted international exhibitors and attendees.
Fintech is short for financial technology. It is worth an estimated £7 billion to the UK economy and spans everything from online lending to app-only banks and digital mortgages.
Hammond stated: “The UK Is now a fintech powerhouse.”
He continued: “Last year, fundraising for UK fintech reached a record £15bn, representing £1 in every £6 invested in fintech around the world.”
He noted: “While there is much to be proud of, there is no room for complacency. International competition is growing.”
Hammond announced the launch of a new organisation that is called the Fintech Alliance. According to a press release, it will run an online portal for UK fintechs to help them “open up international opportunities and build bridges.”
Hammond said that the project was part of the initiatives of the government to “make London a truly global hub for fintech.”


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Sep 7, 2021
Lipman Family Farms launches expanded compostable packaging line
Lipman Family Farms will show off its expanded line of compostable packaging products at the upcoming Southern Innovations conference and the Organic Produce Summit.
The expanded packaging line was designed for organic grape tomatoes, mini cucumbers, green beans and mini sweet peppers under Lipman’s Grown True organic line, according to a news release from the company. The packaging meets the growing consumer demand for environmentally friendly products and sourcing.
The compostable packaging is shelf-ready with a clamshell design that ensures ease in stacking and increased efficiencies in the retail space, while offering consumers a fully at-home compostable solution, according to the news release. Each pack features a QR code that outlines the step-by-step process on how to compost, making it easier than ever for consumers to reduce their environmental footprint in their own backyards.
“As the demand for organic continues to rise, we’re committed to providing consumers with the freshest produce in nature through our Grown True label here at Lipman,” Sarah Miller, general manager at Lipman Family Farms, said in the news release. “We’re excited to launch new compostable packaging for our organic line to provide consumers and retailers with a one hundred percent backyard compostable solution for a guilt-free purchasing experience.”
The Grown True line is grown exclusively in organic acreage across North America to ensure the surety of supply throughout the year.
Lipman plans to showcase its products at Southern Innovations on September 10 in Savannah, Georgia and the Organic Produce Summit on September 16 in Monterey, California to check out Lipman Family Farms’ Grown True products and take a first-hand look at the expanded compostable packaging line, according to the news release. Sales representatives will be available to provide more information on the company’s array of organic and sustainable solutions offered to meet customer needs.
To learn more about Lipman’s Grown True line, visit www.lipmanfamilyfarms.com/our-produce/growntrue.


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hiddenJul 17, 2015 09:28:11 IST
European Union antitrust regulators are investigating whether one of the world's biggest chipmakers, Qualcomm, uses illegal tactics to shut out rivals, six years after slapping a record 1 billion euro ($1.09 billion) fine on Intel for a similar offence.
Qualcomm has been feeling the heat from regulators in Europe, the United States, China, Japan and South Korea in recent years in relation to its licensing model and the power of its patents in mobile networks and communications devices.
The U.S. company agreed in February to pay a fine of $975 million to end a 14-month investigation by the Chinese government into anti-competitive practices.
The European Commission said on Thursday it was launching twin probes into the San Diego-based chip designer which centre on its control of baseband components used in most of the world's smartphones, including Apple iPhones.
One investigation will look into whether Qualcomm offered financial incentives to customers for baseband chips that form the core of the latest 4G phones and tablets, on condition that they bought exclusively or almost exclusively from Qualcomm.
The second will look at whether Qualcomm engaged in "predatory pricing" by charging at less than cost with a view to forcing competitors out of the market.
The second probe was triggered by a complaint from British phone software maker Icera, which later was acquired by Nvidia Corp in a bid to enter the market for smartphone chips and compete with Qualcomm.
"We are launching these investigations because we want to be sure that high-tech suppliers can compete on the merits of their products," European Competition Commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, said in a statement.
"Many customers use electronic devices, such as a mobile phone or a tablet, and we want to ensure that they ultimately get value for money."
Qualcomm, which faces a fine of up to 10 percent of its global turnover if found guilty of breaching EU rules, said it was disappointed to hear of the new EU investigations.
"We have been cooperating and will continue to cooperate with the Commission, and we continue to believe that any concerns are without merit," it said in a statement.
The Commission is expected to seek information from Intel, Broadcom, Marvell, MediaTek, Renesas and the former ST-Ericsson joint venture as part of its investigations.
As recently as 2009, the market for mobile baseband chips was teaming with competitors, but many established names have since quit. The components are key to allowing the latest 4G phones to ship data at high speeds without sapping batteries. Texas Instruments, Broadcom, Freescale and ST-Ericsson have all exited this specific category in recent years to focus on other sectors.
Graphics chip maker Nvidia, which paid $367 million in 2011 to acquire Icera, acknowledged in May that it had failed to make inroads into the market and that it would wind down its Icera business, if it could not find a buyer. More than 500 jobs, mostly in Britain and France, could be lost.
Nvidia declined to comment on the EU investigations.
In 2009 the EU closed, without taking further action, a two-year antitrust probe into whether Qualcomm charged unreasonably high royalties for technology that was an integral part of global 3G phone standards.
Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.


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Ridiculous as it might sound, when Seeing Machines is currently 4p a share, I believe its intrinsic value is even now well over £1 a share. This is because it will continue to dominate the automotive driver monitoring niche for the next few years at least.
Anyway, here’s my thinking in a nutshell. I’ve based my valuation on auto alone as I think that is the real driver of value with SEE (excuse that pun!).
In his note on January 16th Jean-Marc Bunce, analyst at house broker Cenkos, revealed: “Seeing Machines has a far more conservative approach to announcing automotive revenue visibility that its competitors”.
In the note he pointed out details on the deals already done. I’ve outlined my thoughts on them here:
- OEM 1 [General Motors] — Supercruise will be rolled out to entire range of Cadillacs (some 350,000 cars by end 2021). Thereafter, I’d expect it to go into most of GMs 10m cars.
- OEM 2 [Mercedes] — Programme is just for its flagship S Class saloon car, equivalent to 5% of the total cars produced.
- OEM 3 [BMW] — stated minimum contract value of USS$25m. However, BMW sells 2.3m cars a year and Fovio chip will be rolled out across the entire group.
- OEM 4 [Ford] — F-150 is a phenomenal earner for Ford and last year Adam Jonas, the famous Morgan Stanley analyst, stated the franchise could be worth more than Ford itself. It has been estimated that Ford will is planning to produce around 1m a year of these in the future. I expect Ford will also roll it out across other car models in due course. Note that Ford produced 6.6m cars in 2017.
- OEM 5 [Byton] — relatively small volumes but I’d expect them to grow and other premium electric cars to put Fovio into their offerings.
By the end of this financial year I expect SEE to have announced wins with FCA, Volkswagen and Volvo with Toyota and probably Honda following shortly after.
Alternatively, you can gain a sense of the value of Seeing Machines auto business by looking at the macro picture. Assume 70% of cars have DMS by 2022, and SEE have at least 50% of that market, with estimated global car volumes of around 110m in 2022. If SEE received US$20 a car (blended average of Fovio selling at US$30 a chip and software at US$10) that would deliver revenues of approximately US$770m a year.
If Gen 2 Fovio can maintain pricing at US$30 a car, revenues would be nearer US$1.1bn a year. EVERY YEAR!
Then, were SEE to be sold for a Mobileye-type valuation of 42x revenues it would be worth a minimum of between US$32bn to US$46bn. Note that Mobileye sold for US$15.3bn.
Now discount that back for execution risk, meteor showers etc and even the meanest industry player would probably pay at least US$5bn (£3.6n) for its strategic value and future cash flows this year. That is about £1.50 a share from its current 4p.
I know some will say that is totally unrealistic. Still, the figures are there if you dig. It has happened before to shares with far less real value than SEE.
But don’t worry, I anticipate that long before 2022 Seeing Machines will be bought by a huge company that does see the potential here. In any case, when SEE announces a couple more huge OEM wins (before the end of June) the price should start to appreciate substantially.
So why hasn’t it happened already? Well, I think the market has yet to catch up with reality. But the aroma of coffee is wafting inexorably towards its nose and it will wake up very, very soon.
Colin Barnden, Lead Analyst at Semicast Research wasn’t keen to be drawn on the exact valuation of Seeing Machines but did explain: “What is clear to me is no one is following the DMS market (the big investors still believe in autonomous driving at Levels 4 and 5). This will change soon enough and CES was a big step in that direction. Certainly the car OEMs are in no doubt. I think the delays have come about from the OEMs taking longer to decide which T1/T2 to use, and then rolling DMS out much faster than had been previously thought. All will be clearer by June.”
My fears of a low-ball bidder getting SEE on the cheap have now receded substantially, given the accelerating take up of its camera-based DMS into cars. Any such bid, if publicly acknowledged, would surely just ignite a bidding war.
The writer holds stock in Seeing Machines.


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So long, Single of the Week. Hello, Free on iTunes.
Your Apple-powered smart home of the future needn't be limited to the HomeKit ecosystem, but venturing outside will bring some restrictions.
The purpose is to counter Chinese concerns about outside government surveillance.
After disclosing multiple Windows vulnerabilities over the past month, Google's Project Zero just turned its eyes towards Apple flaws.
As many others cut back, a new breed of tech company doubled down on influencing Washington.
The iPhone 6 Plus is significantly more popular in China than in the U.S., according to AppLovin.
Apple has reportedly acquired analytics platform Musicmetric
The judge will decide during a March hearing whether to approve the settlement.
Apple products infringe on Ericsson patents now the license agreement has expired, Ericsson said.
Monster claims it was fraudulently eased out from a development deal with Beats ahead of Apple's acquisition.


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Bitcoin Prices Lag Behind Tech Heavy Nasdaq Ahead of Major Earnings
Bitcoin News and Analysis
- Bitcoin prices flat while NASDAQ, S&P and DJI rise.
- BTC/USD oblivious to fundamental risks as technical levels hold.
- US tech giants prepare for the release of Q3 earnings. Stocks head higher despite rising recession fears and a slump in US consumer confidence.
As the longer-term downtrend remains constructive below the 2017 high of $19666, Bitcoin volatility has subsided, driving price action into a narrow range. With US Dollar dominance driving sentiment throughout the year, Fed rate hikes and diminishing growth forecasts have remained the primary catalyst for risk assets.
However, with major tech giants Microsoft and Alphabet expected to release Q3 earnings later today, Meta (formerly known as Facebook) will be reporting earnings tomorrow while Apple and Amazon remain on Thursday's agenda. Despite a slowdown in economic growth and a decline in US consumer confidence for the month of October, rising recession risks have done little to deter US equities.
Although resilient earnings and hopes of a slowdown in the pace of Fed tightening has buoyed gains for NASDAQ, S&P 500 and Dow Jones, Bitcoin has failed to make any major moves outside of its recent range.
Bitcoin (BTC/USD) Daily Chart
Chart prepared by Tammy Da Costa using TradingView
Provided that bears manage to drive prices below the 18000 psychological level, a retest of the June low at 17592.78 and a break of 16000 could pave the way for bearish continuation back towards 14000.
Bitcoin (BTC/USD) Four-hour Chart
Bitcoin Key Levels
|S1: 18183 (Current monthly low)||R1: 19666 (Dec 2017 high)|
|S2: 17792.1 (78.6% Fib 2020 – 2021 move)||R2: 20000 (Psych level)|
|S3: 17592.78 (June low)||R3: 22718 (September high)|
--- Written by Tammy Da Costa, Analyst for DailyFX.com
Contact and follow Tammy on Twitter: @Tams707
DailyFX provides forex news and technical analysis on the trends that influence the global currency markets.


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Software as a service provider Salesforce.com announced plans June 4 to acquire Buddy Media, a provider of a social media marketing platform, for $698 million in cash and stock, but a stock analyst warns that Salesforce faces formidable competition when Oracle unveils its cloud service offering later this week.
The Buddy Media platform allows customers to create and execute social media-based marketing campaigns that publish content, place social advertising in the right places and measure the effectiveness of those marketing programs. The Buddy Media acquisition, which is expected to close sometime in the third quarter of 2012, follows Salesforce's acquisition of a similar company, Radian6, for $326 million in March of 2011.
In a conference call announcing the deal, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said Salesforce looked at 10 different companies, but chose Buddy Media because it is the top performer in the social media marketing space.
"Buddy Media is the No. 1 provider in this area. The more time I spent with them , the clearer it was to me that we needed to buy No. 1," Benioff said.
As social media marketing gains traction, chief marketing officers (CMOs) are getting IT budgets that rival those of CIOs to spend on this new marketing approach, said Marcel LeBron, senior vice president of Salesforce's Radian6 business.
"Social has gone from this thing that CMOs are experimenting with to now being the central core of their marketing strategies," LeBron said. "The big transition is that rather than focusing on how do I get impressions and reach and eyeballs and that kind of traditional view, it's now all about engagement, about how you build relationships and connections with your customers."
But Trip Chowdry, a senior analyst at Global Equities Research, is quite bearish on the deal, writing in a research note that acquiring Buddy Media won't help Salesforce compete against Oracle, which is set to announce on June 6 its own public cloud service offering.
The fundamental challenge for Salesforce is the multitenant architecture of its database cloud service, said Chowdry. In contrast, Oracle's cloud is based on a virtual machine architecture, in which each client will have their applications running in their own VM. The virtual machine approach lets customers move their workloads back and forth between public cloud and private cloud environments as needed.
"This is not possible in a multitenant database architecture. This feature is only possible if you have a VM-based architecture," he explained. "The ability to move the data back and forth back and forth between public cloud and private cloud is a feature that large enterprises need, and they are asking for that."
This article was originally published on 06-05-2012


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Redmi India has revealed that the smartphone, which is also occasionally referred to as the POCO C65, will soon be available as the 13C. It will launch in its new market at a price point less than $100 and come in two “Starshine Design” colorways. Meanwhile, it made its way onto Geekbench through a leak that may provide an idea of the specifications associated with that price range.
Redmi has announced that the 13C, the newest “50MP AI” Android smartphone on the market, will eventually make its way to India. Included in the device’s “Starshine Design” is the primary rear camera, which is essentially a dual rear camera variant of the Xiaomi 13-series design.
Based on a new Geekbench leak involving the model number Xiaomi 2310FPCA4I, the Indian version of the 13C with a 3.5mm jack should be a 4G/LTE-only smartphone powered by the MediaTek Helio G85. This purported variation on the original 13C identifier is currently associated with the G85 (also known as “ARM MT6769V/CZ” in the benchmark), an Android 13-based operating system, and 8GB of RAM.
Redmi may have unintentionally confirmed most of those details, especially by marketing the 13C as a device with “up to 16GB and 256GB storage,” which implies that it actually has 8GB of internal memory that can be expanded. Additionally, a “large” 90Hz display shielded by Gorilla Glass will be powered by its SoC. The OEM claims that this is unusual for a device in its price range.
In light of this, Redmi says it will offer 13C units for as low as 7,999 INR—that is, in conjunction with its impending “bank deals” On December 12, 2023, all of their information will be made public, along with that of the 13C itself. It looks like the 13C 5G release will come first.


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TOUSA files for bankruptcy
Hollywood, Fla.-based home builder Technical Olympic USA (TOUSA) announced this week it has filed for bankruptcy protection.
TOUSA, which reported a more than $10 million loss in November, said it received support from more than 50 percent of its senior noteholders on a proposed plan for restructuring its equity and all its unsecured debt to include the bankruptcy filing.
The filing includes TOUSA Homes, Newmark Homes and entities that represent all their brands — Engle Homes, Newmark Homes, Fedrick, Harris Estate Homes and Trophy Homes.
“This action is necessary to reflect the realities of today’s home-building market,” said Antonio Mon, president and CEO of TOUSA. “Our core operations are solid, and our market position suggests a strong future for our company. We are focused on restructuring our balance sheet and we expect business to continue as usual.”
Citigroup Global Markets has agreed to provide the company with up to $150 million in debtor-in-possession financing.
The filing is just one part of the company’s restructuring agreement with its senior noteholders, who will receive substantially all of the common stock of the reorganized company.
At the date of the filing, TOUSA had approximately 2,500 homes in backlog. The company said it plans to continue home building uninterrupted during this process.
ProBuild names manufacturing head
ProBuild Holdings has announced the appointment of Lonnie Bernardoni as its new senior vp-manufacturing, where he will oversee the conpany’s component and millwork activities. He comes to ProBuild from Motorola, where he served as corporate vp-new product introduction.
Bernardoni’s 18-year tenure at Motorola also included stints as vp-supply China, manufacturing operations manager, plant manager and manufacturer process engineer at domestic and overseas plants.
ProBuild is the nation’s largest LBM chain, with more than 500 locations in 40 states.
Stanley Works announces strong fourth quarter
New Britain, Conn.-based Stanley Works reported fourth-quarter net earnings of $92.3 million, up 6.6 percent from $86.6 million from the same period last year. Net sales from the quarter were $1.16 billion, up 14.5 percent from $1.02 billion in last year’s fourth quarter.
For the year, the company had net earnings of $336.6 million, up 16.2 percent from $289.5 million in 2006. Net sales were $4.48 billion, up 11.6 percent from last year’s sales of $4.09 billion.
The company attributed the increase to organic growth, currency and acquisitions.
“2008 promises to be an equally, if not more, challenging year from an end-market perspective. Fortunately, we are entering the year with our portfolio in excellent shape and with the majority of our businesses exhibiting strong momentum,” said John Lundgren, chairman and CEO for the company.


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Store on Target for March 7 opening
Published 1:00 am, Wednesday, February 25, 2004
"We're really excited about being there," said
, the spokesman for Target, which bills itself as a national discount department store chain. The 123,000-square-foot Bethel store will be the seventh Target in Connecticut and will join 1,249 others in 47 states.
The advertised grand opening of the store on Stony Hill Road will be March 7, but a so-called "soft opening" will be held on March 3. A soft opening allows the new staff to adjust to their jobs before the bigger crowds are drawn in by advertisements, Thornton-Greear explained.
Store hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday.
About 260 people will be employed at the one-level store. A four-day Target job fair in January drew hundreds of people on its first day alone, but hiring is still going on, according to signs at the entrance to the store.
Two very large red and white Target signs sit on Stony Hill Road, and a winding driveway leads to the big store, which sits up hill, near I-84 and the Danbury border. Cars already regularly drive up to the store but then pull away when the drivers see the March 7 opening date.
When the store opens, shoppers will find everything from clothes to electronics to pet food to paper goods. Besides the pharmacy, there will be sporting goods, cosmetics and small appliances such as hair dryers, but no big appliances, such as washing machines, and no guns, liquor or tobacco. Food will be limited to items such as cereal, bread and snacks, and there will be a Food Avenue Restaurant where customers can sit down to eat.
But Target stores are particularly well-known for fashion, Thornton-Greear said. "We have on-trend apparel that is affordable," she said.
Though many area shoppers may be anxious for the opening of Target and the town is looking forward to the tax revenue, the big box store did create a good deal of controversy.
On one side of the store and in the back, Target abuts residential streets, such as Sky Edge Drive and Westview Drive. When the store was first proposed in the late 1990s, many residents in the area rallied against it, contending that Target was the wrong use of the former Yankee Gas site and that a an office building would be more appropriate. Among their concerns were the lights, noise and traffic that Target would generate.
In the spring of 2000 the town's Planning and Zoning Commission denied the Target application, but that decision was reversed a year later after an agreement was reached to end a lawsuit filed because of the denial. The stipulation agreement outlined several measures designed to ease some concerns, such as buffer zones and fences between the store and homes and traffic lights at the store's entrance and about a quarter mile to the west.
But some nearby residents, like Dolores Tierney and Gail Dyer , are still apprehensive.
Dyer pointed to a Target sign at the end of Sky Edge Drive she and Tierney said is misleading. Drivers, Tierney said, think her road is the entrance to Target and then turn around in driveways when they realize their mistake.
"I'm making the best of the situation," said Tierney, "but things need to be addressed."
Contact Marietta Homayonpour
or at (203) 731-3336.


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THERESA May has found a novel way of cutting costs – after the shoe-loving Prime Minister was given a discount card for the high-end retailer Russell & Bromley.
She is famous for her love of designer footwear - and wore shoes from the British firm to both of her speeches at the Conservative Party conference.
The detail was listed in register of MPs’ interests – and is valid from January 2017 to January 2018, according to the official document.
She was previously given the discount card by Russell and Bromley in 2014 and 2015, as well as one to the designer fashion firm Amanda Wakeley.
The latest version also reveals Ed Miliband was paid a lot less than Jeremy Vine when he stood in for him in Radio 2.
The former Labour leader said he was paid £2,500 for hosting the afternoon show for a week last month, while the regular presenter makes £700,000 a year from the BBC.
Iain Duncan Smith, the ex-Tory leader, who also hosted the programme for a week, is yet to declare his payment – leaving it unclear as to whether they were given the same salary.
One MP who is earning a lot of money outside of Parliament is Nadine Dorries – who registered that she will be make £13,000 a month for writing her books.
The Conservative member for Mid Bedfordshire will also receive a £50,000 advance for a new book deal.
Other notable entries on the latest register of interests, covering those registered from July 10 to July 31, include two tickets for Commons Speaker John Bercow in the Royal Box at Wimbledon - worth an estimated £8,590.
MOST READ IN POLITICS:
Another bizarre entry in the register came from Tory MP Sir Greg Knight - who was paid £620 to perform alongside other politicians in a rock band called MP4 which appeared on Dave TV's Unspun last year.
And it was revealed the Labour MP for Tooting, Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, was paid for two shifts working at her local hospital, and Damian Collins – the chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, was one of several MPs to declare hospitality to the Glastonbury music festival.


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A Dunkin’ Donuts will be coming to Trenton Avenue in Findlay in coming months.
Findlay City Planning Commission on Thursday approved a plan for an 1,828-square-foot restaurant at 416 Trenton Ave., just east of Advance Auto Parts and west of Morey Avenue.
Construction is planned to start by October, and Dunkin’ Donuts will be open by March 2019, said Paul Rubenstein, development lead for Mickey Mart, a convenience store chain.
The store will employ 35 people, he said.
Dunkin’ Donuts is making a return to Findlay. There used to be Dunkin’ Donuts stores on Tiffin and Trenton avenues.
Based in Quincy, Massachusetts, Dunkin’ Donuts has more than 8,500 locations in 41 states, and over 3,200 restaurants in 36 countries worldwide.


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Please vote 'no' on Prop. 2
Last updated 10/23/2008 at Noon
If Proposition 2 passes this November, over the next five years we are going to see eggs from other states and Mexico imported into California.
Not only is the cost of eggs going to go up, making them less affordable to low-income Californians, but our consumers are going to be purchasing imported eggs that are not produced under California’s stringent standards. This proposition does not place restrictions on how imported eggs are produced outside of the state.
If Prop. 2 passes, California’s many egg producers will be going out of business and their employees will be out of work. Ca...