text:
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- One of Microsoft's key visionary thinkers is making his exit.
Chief software architect Ray Ozzie is retiring from the company, chief executive Steve Ballmer said Monday in an e-mail to employees. Ozzie will stick around a bit longer to manage his transition, but will soon depart, and has no further job plans at this time.
The surprise move eliminates one of Microsoft's highest profile leaders. Famed in tech circles for his role in creating Lotus Notes, Ozzie joined Microsoft as its chief technical officer in 2005, after the company acquired his collaboration software venture Groove Networks.
In 2006, Ozzie inherited the chief software architect role from the man it was created for: Bill Gates, who turned the reins over as part of his plan to relinquish day-to-day control of the software giant.
Ballmer said the company will not seek a replacement for Ozzie and will eliminate the chief software architect job.
Before he departs, Ozzie will focus his efforts on Microsoft's entertainment business. That unit has struggled for years and underwent a management shakeup earlier this year, when leader Robbie Bach left the company.
"While Ray will be onboard for a while, I'd like to thank him today for his contributions to Microsoft," Ballmer said in the memo.
As chief software architect, Ozzie was responsible for driving key elements of Microsoft's technical strategy, including its strategy for competing in the "cloud" computing arena of pervasively connected devices. His departure comes as Microsoft faces growing doubts about its positioning for the smartphone-driven for the future -- and about its leadership.
More than 5% of DACA recipients have started their own businesses since enrolling the program, according to a recent survey. More
Amazon has announced its list of 20 cities that are finalists to host its second headquarters. But who will -- and who should -- win? More
In 1998, Ntsiki Biyela won a scholarship to study wine making. Now she's about to launch her own brand. More
Amazon has announced a list of 20 cities as potential locations for its second headquarters. The winner is likely to see a significant boost to its real estate market. More


text:
Blockchain technology is known to be beneficial in many aspects of society. In recent times, several governments and private institutions have explored the use of blockchain technology. Recently, the Government of Switzerland has expressed its intentions on the exploration of blockchain technology. However, rather than creating a new set of laws to adapt to the industry, the government will simply adapt its laws to accommodate blockchain technology.
Switzerland hosts blockchain technology in its existing laws
On Friday, the Federal Council in Switzerland published a report on the provision of a legal framework for blockchain technology. The reports state that the financial rules already in place in Switzerland will be applied to new technologies such as blockchain. However, the report made it clear that some amendments must be made before the blockchain technology can be fully adopted and regulated by existing financial laws.
First of all, the council proposed to change the country's security laws. In this way, the legal certainty of cryptocurrencies will be solidified. The highest manager of the Swiss Confederation declared:
"Since the entries in the blockchain are accessible to anyone interested and can create advertisements similar to the ownership of security, it is justifiable that we have attached a similar legal effect to that."
The board also decided to separate the cryptocurrencies from the assets of the insolvent debtors when it comes to bankruptcy proceedings. As the current laws on bankruptcy and debt enforcement in Switzerland do not specifically specify whether digital resources can be segregated or not, the Council has decided that there should be legal certainty for all parties involved. This is why a corresponding change was proposed in the DEBA.
In addition, the agency has proposed that there should be a new category of authorizations for infrastructure providers within the blockchain industry. They also said they would do what they needed to make the necessary changes to the financial infrastructure law in line with the new information. However, the council still has to propose specific changes regarding the central definitions of the terms derivatives and securities within the market regulations. However, these terms are also relevant in the blockchain industry according to the council.
Money-laundering and blockchain technology
In discussing the country's anti-money laundering laws, the Council stated that the current legislation is sufficient to cover all activities related to blockchain and cryptocurrency. The executive continued:
"The common principle of our anti-money laundering law can also apply to cryptocurrencies and related assets.There is no need for a basic revision at this time."
This is not the first move the government has made in the blockchain space. In 2016, the government of Switzerland started working with its federal finance department. At that time, he declared his plans to regulate the FinTech industry. In 2017, the board consulted regulatory changes for the financial sector. This was done in an attempt to account for the innovative fintech including blockchain technology.
Bitcoin (BTC) Price today – BTC / USD
Recently, FINMA, the Financial Market Supervisory Authority in Switzerland, introduced a fintech license that had liberal requirements applicable to cryptocurrency and blockchain companies. These are just some of the moves that have been made to promote this emerging technology in Switzerland. If more countries take time to explore this technology, industry will soon reach for mass adoption.

domain: news


text:
Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Awards 2019 was held on June 3, at Brooklyn Museum, New York. The annual awards acknowledged American and International fashion designers as well as stylish personalities throughout the years in the fashion and entertainment industry. This year, Womenswear Designer of the Year and Menswear Designer of the Year went to Brandon Maxwell and Rick Owens. While Actress and Singer Jennifer Lopez received the Fashion Icon Award, one of the special awards which was presented by Fashion Designer Tom Ford.
All the guests who attended the event were stylish, but we saw several chic looks on the pink carpet. Check out the best-dressed list from CFDA Awards 2019 in the gallery.


text:
The 35 agents in this annual ranking are the leaders of the pack, working behind the scenes to build some of the world’s biggest brands, from Wimbledon to Cherokee to Pepsi.
The Perth Mint is honoring "Star Trek: The Original Series" with the release of two silver commemorative coins, under license by CBS Consumer Products.
U.K. licensing executives Anthony Temple (Rainbow Designs), Alicia Davenport (DRi) and Stephen Gould (CPLG) have organized a Miffy & Friends Charity Cycling Challenge.
Sequential Brands Group has partnered with television and online retailer HSN to offer The Franklin Mint branded collectible and memorabilia products to consumers.
Winnebago Industries has partnered with Farm and City Insurance Services to offer a wide array of insurance coverage for recreational vehicles.
The National Basketball Association has announced two new sponsorships with healthcare company Kaiser Permanente and tax services provider H&R Block.
Card.com is planning a line of specially designed prepaid MasterCards featuring the Peavey music brand.
VisitEngland is planning a new campaign starring the Aardman Animations' Shaun the Sheep to inspire Britons to take a holiday at home.
Card.com has teamed with John Wayne Enterprises to bring the John Wayne brand to a line of pre-paid MasterCards in the U.S.
Weight Watchers has launched its new line of cereals (which debuted at select retails in the U.S. in October 2014) at grocers nationwide.
Chef Jason Santos is the latest brand to join Card.com's roster of personalized debit cards in a deal brokered by C3 Entertainment, Santos' licensing agent.
The New York Times is expanding its travel program, Times Journeys, to now include 21 land-based tours that will visit more than 30 countries.
The Smithsonian has teamed up with The Great Courses to develop and produce educational seminars inspired by the group of museums.
TSBA Group, global licensing agent for energy company Shell, is exhibiting the brand’s heritage and modern aspects across two booths at Licensing Expo.
Italian art brand The Gkrs has added two new partners.
DreamWorks Animation will make its first official foray into the retail space with the launch of DreamPlace this holiday season.
NFL Players Inc. and Panini America has signed an exclusive agreement that will make Panini the sole manufacturer of NFLPA-licensed trading cards and stickers.
From fashion to music merchandising to frozen yogurt, this longtime Montreal-based apparel and accessories licensee is committed to diversification.
Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products has built a multi-category global licensing program for the final season of “Sons Of Anarchy,” which begins Sept 9.
Historic Royal Palaces, the charity that cares for the Tower of London and other site, will showcase its new gardening range from Briers at Brand Licensing Europe, Oct. 7-9.
Planeta Junior and Studio 100 International have named Spanish toy manufacturer, Famosa as the worldwide master toy partner for the Heidi brand.
©2015 ADVANSTAR COMMUNICATIONS INC. All rights reserved.


text: Yo A annulus of indie developers are selling a include of their games which includes some of the biggest unconnected games on the market. Gamers can pinpoint their own price—from 1c to $1,000—suitable a heap of games that would finished in vengeance instead of the objective circa $80 if sold separately. Anyone who buys the wrap can prevail upon heartier thither themselves as well; customers can send any amount of their purchases to two ascendant nonprofit groups. The sellathon, nicknamed the "Against Match up together" at the studios interested, is certainly epic. The games included in the consolidate are Space of Goo, Gish, Lugaru, Aquaria, and Penumbra Overture. Each of these titles has proven to be a unalloyed upon, and the end that five eremitical studios are working together to produce them dear via to gamers to go to courtesy much they disposal to away is unusual. As Jeff Rosen of Wolfire explained to Ars in a bushy-tailed approximation, the close-knit brains of community quote indie developers is mostly true in the checking of the marketing's existence.


text:
Tesco is showcasing haggis from Perthshire butcher Simon Howie in premium displays at 776 stores in England and Wales for the first time in a deal worth over £670,000.
The UK's biggest supermarket expects to shift massive amounts north and south of the border with 60% of sales in England and Wales. Simon Howie says it will deliver more than 1.2 million haggis - the equivalent of 3.5 million plates of Scotland’s national dish, and topping the previous record set for sales in 2019 by 200,000.
Simon Howie said: “Since becoming the UK’s best-selling haggis brand four years ago we have continued to see double digit growth year on year. It is absolutely testament to my hard-working team and the strength of relationship that we have with all the retailers that this year is set to be a another record breaker as our haggis is put on key promotional space in supermarkets across the country in the run up to Burns Night.
"Also helping our sales is the growing popularity of our Vegetarian haggis, which is actually Vegan certified, so we’re starting to see an uptake in new customers trying our products who previously wouldn’t have been able to. We are absolutely delighted with sales so far this January and are working round the clock to deliver the 1.2 million haggis forecast for Burns.”
Simon Howie says it accounts for 53% of total haggis sales at this time of year. The brand’s Original Haggis 454g is the UK’s best-selling haggis. Sales of Simon Howie’s Vegetarian Haggis, which is Vegan certified by the Vegetarian Society, were up by 31% across the UK in 2019 and the butcher is forecasting a further increase in sales this year. Full year traditional and vegetarian haggis sales are also up 14% in 2019.
James Lamont of Tesco said: “While haggis is known as the national dish of Scotland - it’s been the case for quite some time that more haggis are sold in England than Scotland each year and that Burns Night is very much a nationally celebrated event - and not just by Scots living south of the border.
"It is a brilliant result for both Tesco and Simon Howie to be working together and offering our customers in England and Wales great value with the Original 454g Haggis on offer in stores across the south for the two weeks leading up to Burns Night. This highlights our commitment to fully support regional brands that hold national appeal.”


text:
Updated : 4 days, 17 hours ago IST
New Delhi [India], Nov 7 (ANI): Wedding season is right around the corner, which means tons of online searches for clothes, venues, make-up and more. OYO-acquired Weddingz.in released its latest 'The Weddingz Report', highlighting what Indians are searching the most.
Updated : 4 days, 21 hours ago IST
New Delhi [India] Nov 07 (ANI/Newsvoir): OYO Hotels and Homes, India and South Asia's largest and world's second-largest and fastest-growing chain of hotels, homes, living, and workspaces, today announced that OYO Wizard, India's largest hospitality paid loyalty program, has reached 5 millio
Updated : 6 days, 21 hours ago IST
Gurugram (Haryana) [India] Nov 05(ANI/BusinessWire India): OYO Hotels and Homes have always maintained the highest level of integrity, transparency and commitment to its asset owners.
Updated : 1 week ago IST
New Delhi [India] Nov 4 (ANI/BusinessWire India): Known for its highly accessible leagues that begin at Rs 1 and Rs 2, BalleBaazi.com is now adding another feature to delight fans of fantasy cricket and fantasy sports.
Updated : 1 week, 6 days ago IST
New Delhi (India), Oct 30 (ANI/NewsVoir): The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has acknowledged that OYO hotels and homes are a hotel chain and not an Online Travel Agency (OTA) while noting that the company is not in a dominant position.
Updated : 3 weeks, 6 days ago IST
New Delhi [India] Oct 16 (ANI/NewsVoir): The TiE Global Summit four will be held at Taj Palace, New Delhi, on 14 and 15 November 2019. It will also feature the 12th edition of the TiE-Lumis Entrepreneurial Excellence Awards which will take place at the same venue on the 14th evening.
Updated : 1 month ago IST
Gurugram (Haryana) [India], Oct 7 (ANI): Oyo Hotels and Homes, India's largest budget lodging startup which is backed by Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group Corp, said on Monday it plans to raise about 1.5 billion dollars (about Rs 11,666 crore) as part of a new financing round as the start
Updated : 1 month, 1 week ago IST
New Delhi [India] Oct 03 (ANI/BusinessWire India): OYO, the world's third-largest and fastest-growing chain of hotels, homes, and spaces, has partnered with Biz2Credit, a leading online financing resource for small businesses, to provide working capital and commercial real estate loans to ex
Updated : 1 month, 2 weeks ago IST
New Delhi [India], Sep 26 (ANI): Tablez, the organised retail arm of Abu Dhabi-based Lulu Group International, has teamed up with Chinese lifestyle brand Yoyoso to open its stores across multiple locations in India.
Updated : 1 month, 3 weeks ago IST
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India] Sept 16(ANI/NewsVoir): AstroYogi, India's largest astrology consulting service provider and an aggregator connecting over 7,000 astrologers with 4 million users globally, today announced that the platform is set to add 8,000 new astrologers by 2020, increasing it
Updated : 2 months, 1 week ago IST
New Delhi [India], Sept 4 (ANI): With the automobile industry facing a severe slowdown and job losses over the past few months, Maruti Suzuki has decided to shut down the passenger vehicle manufacturing operations of Gurugram plant and Manesar plant in Haryana for two days.
Updated : 2 months, 2 weeks ago IST
Tokyo [Japan], Aug 28 (ANI): Japanese automakers Toyota and Suzuki announced on Wednesday that they reached an agreement on a capital alliance.


text:
Mobile search accounts for 13% of spend but 20% of clicks
Data from Marin Software’s Online Advertising Q2 2012 report show that mobile devices accounted for 13% of search spend in June 2012, yet took a 20% share of clicks.
This tallies with data from IgnitionOne which shows that mobile search made up 14% of total search advertising spend in Q2, up slightly from 12.3% in Q1.
Similarly, Q1 stats reported by Adobe show that mobile now accounts for 8% of US search spend compared to 11% in the UK.
According to Marin’s report, mobile devices are also showing a higher CTR compared to desktops, as well as delivering lower CPC. Relative to desktop search, volumes are growing faster than budgets, resulting in less expensive clicks on mobile campaigns.
This presents a great customer acquisition opportunity for brands, yet many are failing to take advantage.


text:
Digital India is a failure. Digital economy cannot exist in India. India is too illiterate to understand the digital payment process. These were the claims made by self-proclaimed economists when India was prepping up for the digital world.
But here we are. The demonetization and its contribution have made India a global leader in the digital economy. In the last six years, millions of Jan Dhan accounts have been opened, and the people at the bottom of the pyramid are using digital payments. However, what came as an even more satisfying development is that UPI payment has breached the $1-trillion mark in transaction values for the financial year 2021-22.
UPI’s watershed moment with its record-breaking digital payments
The UPI payment system has touched a major milestone with its substantial growth over the past two years. As per the data released by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) which deals with the management of UPI payments, “UPI has recorded transaction values of Rs 83.45 lakh crore in FY22.” Notably, $1 trillion amounts to approximately Rs 75.82 lakh crore as per the current conversion rates.
It is the first time that the payments system crossed the 500-crore mark in volumes in March. As per NPCI’s data, 504 crore transactions were already done by March 29 itself.
Moreover, transactions worth Rs 8.88 lakh crore was witnessed as of March 29, which was 7.5 per cent more than February. UPI has witnessed a dramatic rise in transactions and that is mainly because of the pandemic that led to the widespread adoption of digital payments in India.
According to a Macquarie Securities report, “UPI also commands a lion’s share in the volume of total retail payments made in the country. In FY22, around 60 per cent of the volume of India’s retail payments were done through UPI.”
India is the global e-payment leader
Witnessing the current growth in UPI payments, it is being speculated that in the next 3-5 years, UPI could process a billion transactions a day. A number of initiatives and plans have been brought in to ensure the same. However, the most prominent among the e-payment is UPI’s AutoPay feature. According to industry experts, “the AutoPay feature will be crucial to increasing daily transactions on the platform.”
The NPCI has also introduced an “on-device” wallet feature for digital payment users — known as UPI Lite for the small value transactions made on UPI.
According to data released by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), earlier in December, 4.56 billion UPI transactions worth Rs 8.27 trillion were recorded. Though November witnessed a marginal dip, UPI transactions in October and likewise in December had reported record high transactions of 4.21 billion, worth Rs 7.71 trillion.
UPI has been welcomed ever since it was launched in 2016. It was frequently used especially after the Covid-19 outbreak and thus crossed 1 billion transactions for the first time in October 2019. In October 2020, another history was made when UPI processed more than 2 billion transactions for the first time. Further, it took only 10 months to become 3 billion from 2 billion transactions that vindicated the popularity of UPI among the users. Well, the journey did not stop here. The payments platform, in just 3 months, reached 4 billion transactions. And, for three consecutive months (October, November, and December) 4 billion transactions were recorded.
The success story will only continue with its recent watershed moment to create another record.


text:
Prices have doubled despite the influx of vegetables as per the market demand. Most of the vegetables in the market now cost more than Rs 100 per kg. In Jestha month, the retail price was Rs 50 to 60 per kg, but now it has reached Rs 120 to 130.
The wholesale price of these vegetables in Kalimati, the main wholesale market of Kathmandu, has reached around Rs 100. According to the Kalimati Fruit and Vegetable Market Development Committee, the wholesale price of bean is Rs 110 to Rs 120 per kg and ghee is Rs 80 to Rs 90 per kg. The price doubles in the retail market.
Almost all schools in the Kathmandu Valley are currently closed due to the risk of corona. Demand for vegetables is not high as school hostels and canteens and hotels and restaurants are often closed. At present, 600 to 700 metric tonnes of vegetables are entering the market daily. However, the price is also rising.
Information Officer of Kalimati Fruit and Vegetable Market Development Committee, Binay Shrestha, said that the price of vegetables has gone up due to the rainy season. He said that the prices have gone up as the vegetables being prepared are damaged due to the rains and the produced vegetables also deteriorate during transportation. But consumers have complained that this is not the only reason for rising prices.
Consumers have complained that traders are selling vegetables at arbitrary prices due to lack of effective monitoring.
Be the first to comment on "The price of vegetables gets doubled in Kathmandu"


text:
Wed, 13 Mar 2019 15:24:19 GMT
This is just one of many questions that emerge when reading through the Future Today Institute’s 2019 Tech Trends Report. Futurist Amy Webb, the founder of the Future Today Institute (FTI), released her 12th annual Tech Trends Report during the SXSW 2019 convention. The 381 pages of the report symbolise high pace and importance of technological developments in today’s world where corporations have to stay on top of adaptation out of fear of becoming the next Polaroid or VHS business case for future generations. However, if you don’t have the time to read all of it (although it is very interesting) Amy explains a few of the trends that stand out: how privacy is dead and whether your house is smarter than you think.
Privacy is dead
Over the course of the last year, significant progress has been made within the field of facial and vocal technology. This has enabled the emergence of products like the Byton car in China which works simply on face and voice recognition, no key needed whatsoever. Likewise, patents have been sought on emotion recognition systems which could help drivers control road rage or other heightened emotions while driving to increase safety levels. This new era of emotional intelligence recognition is also reflected in SMART home technology. So a proposal for the next version of Alexa is that she should be able to recognise our behaviour and emotional state, which will then help her personalise the service offering better to the needs of the owner.
Sounds great, right? But considering the comprehensive regulations over the last couple of years in terms of data privacy (think GDPR) how are we as a society going to handle the data which is now going to be collected about our behaviour, emotions and mental state?
FTI also predicts the continued growth of technological wearables. The near future holds the potential for a wide range of 'smart' products like Smart shoes, smart belts and smart yoga pants which will detect and record your movements in order to compare it to baselines with the goal of nudging you towards walking, sitting or yoga-ing better.
However, we as consumers, individuals, parents, corporations, managers etc. need to ask ourselves: who actually owns our biometric data? And who holds the responsibility to keep it safe?
Your house is smarter than you think
After hearing about the first trend, one is prone to ask: why is this happening and where does it end? According to Amy Webb, the reason why we are seeing an increase of smarter equipment being used in everyday life is that we have grown tired of talking to people but have an increasing desire to be able to speak to machines.
A great example of this is the launch of the Amazon Basics Microwave which allows you to heat up your food using solely your voice rather than using a manual control panel. This doesn’t seem like a game-changer for the consumer, but for Amazon as a business, this changes everything. Previously their data insights were limited to pre-purchase. Now, whenever someone prepares food, Amazon has access to your demographic information, what you ate, when you ate, brand preference and more. Adding to that the layer of biometric data from the first trend, Amazon may eventually also be able to understand which mood people are in when eating certain foods and what prior behaviour makes people more prone to eat specific things.
Your home is already, at this point, generating data which your smart devices use it in real-time to complete tasks and processes for you and just generally make your life easier. But the next phase is already starting to emerge. In 2018, Amazon teamed up with LENNAR, the largest homebuilder in the US, in order to build Amazon smart homes, where everything from security, cooking, lighting, energy etc. runs on a smart service to make life easier and better for its occupants. And the best thing is if anything breaks you don’t even have to report it because all the systems will already know.
The looming question now is: where is the line between a home that is helping you and a home that is more like a prison without any privacy? Let’s take it one step further. Imagine initiatives such as Google healthcare, Google brain or Amazon health care plans. Your smartwatch has discovered that our health is at risk because you’ve gained a few extra kilos and decided that in order for you to live your best life you need to go on a diet. When you then decide you want a batch of popcorn your microwave might refuse to start (for your own good of course) or when you decide to drive to work your garage door might refuse to open forcing you to take the bike instead.
The question remains: what is the outcome of our emerging smart technology? This is how Amy Webb foresees it:
Optimistic Scenario (0% chance)
“Our devices work across platforms and are truly inter-operable. Our families intermingle with Google, Amazon and Apple easily. They help us save time and energy. We are nudged into better, healthier lifestyles. Smart homes are safe and fun!”
Neutral Scenario (30% chance)
“We continue on this path without big changes. We soon realise that we can’t change our home/office/school operating system the same way we do our mobile OS’s (even that is hard). We’re frustrated, spending more money than we want and have very little choice.”
Catastrophic Scenario (70% chance)
“We are living in either a Google, Amazon or Apple home – and so is all of your data. You don’t understand how decisions are being made about and for you. Your smart house makes decisions that you wouldn’t. Your home is a smart prison and there is no escape.”
The important thing to remember is that the above scenarios and likelihoods are based on the assumption that we don’t take action, and that means that the future isn’t predetermined for us. But it also means that we have to start deciding how much personal data gathering and smart technology we are willing to accept in our lives.
Important Adjacent Trends
A common mistake when looking through the Tech Trends Report is that you tend to only look out for the trends that seem to have an immediate effect on your business. Amy exemplifies why you should broaden your horizons and consider both trends directly related to you and those of other industries. Why should Walmart care about underground farms in Japan and China which have proven to be much more efficient than traditional farming methods? Or a trend concerning extreme weather phenomenon’s like firenadoes?
The above questions are the first indicators of a change to the global food supply chain. When you combine it with the knowledge of Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods and the launch of their new grocery store creates a plausible future outcome where food is grown from engineered seeds at indoor plant factories housed right next to said store. This means cheaper groceries as transportation costs are eliminated and there will also be no risk of extreme weather, such as firenadoes, hurting the production chain. That could then mean the end of large chain grocery stores.
However, the above is only the first layer of adjacent risks from the outlined trend. If Amazon begins to tap into the opportunity of underground farms on a big scale, then there would no longer be a need for long-distance shipping, which means an end to both traditional farms and trucking companies. But it doesn’t stop there, if there is no longer a need for import/exports of crops between nations then it could lead to Amazon accidentally reshaping global markets.
That’s why, when reading reports like these, it’s important to take a closer look at trends across all sectors. After all, considering the butterfly effect when looking at future trends may provide you with some interesting insights.
So, it is smart to not only look at what will immediately affect your business but also global trends as you never know how those will end up intertwined in the future. However, if you remember nothing else, keep this in mind: you have very little privacy as the world becomes more and more connected but now is the time to ponder how much we truly want to share.view more - Trends and InsightDEPT®, Wed, 13 Mar 2019 15:24:19 GMT


text:
A loose translation:
France Telecom CEO Didier Lombard:
Remember that at Christmas, 77% of telephones with a fixed-rate tariff that Orange sold were iPhones! It’s amazing. I cannot say why so many other mobile telephone manufacturers have fallen so far behind and have been unable to catch-up.
I am still trying to get my head around this data point. Is it an anomaly? Is France unique or is this a Christmas-only phenomenon? Other data points also showed that iPhone is phenomenally popular in France, but this is unheard of. Would broad availability in the US also lead to >50% market share of all phones sold? Could the possibility of runaway, iPod-like, Apple monopoly of the sector be contemplated? Anecdotally, I also observed a large number of iPhones while in Terminal 3 at Heathrow.


text:
-Statewide visitor spending reached $69 million a day in 2021
Nelson County, VA– Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) announced that travelers to Virginia spent $69 million a day in 2021, up from $48 million in 2020. Virginia’s tourism revenues also reached $25.2 billion in 2021, marking an 87% recovery to pre-pandemic spending in 2019. This spending supported 185,000 jobs, $7.1 billion in salaries and wages, and $1.8 billion in state and local taxes. 80 of Virginia’s 133 localities fully recovered to 2019 levels of spending and many grew even further.
“Tourism has seen an incredible comeback thanks to the hardworking leaders in the travel and tourism industry across Virginia,” said Rita McClenny, president and CEO of Virginia Tourism Corporation. “As travelers continue to visit communities across the state, Virginia is on pace to restore the tourism industry into the vibrant and highly performing economic engine it always has been. We look forward to an even stronger recovery in 2022.”
Tourism revenue for Nelson County reached $83 million in 2020, a nearly 28% percent increase over 2019. 2020 lodging taxes totaled $33.3 million ($29.3 million in 2019), food and beverage $17.8 million ($12 million in 2019), retail $9.1 million ($6.6 million in 2019), recreation $11.9 million ($7.3 million in 2019) and transportation $10.8 million ($9.7 million in 2019). Local tourism-supported jobs totaled 603, an increase from 583 jobs in 2019. In comparison, 2016 tourism revenues totaled $70.6 million in Nelson County.
Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Jesse Rutherford notes, “While the initial onset of the pandemic had a devastating impact on the travel industry in 2020, domestic leisure travel saw a robust return in 2021 as travelers sought outdoor experiences and drivable destinations. Nelson County is uniquely positioned geographically and is within a day’s drive from nearly half of the U.S. population, as well is a well-known destination for craft beverage and outdoor recreation lovers. As road trips boomed, Nelson County was able to reap the benefits of increased travel.”
For more information about Nelson County Economic Development and Tourism, contact the visitor center at 434-263-7015 or online at www.nelsoncounty.com


text:
Sports focused ticketing firm Mike Burton Group has appointed former Emirates Old Trafford and Lancashire Cricket executive Justin Hopwood as its chief commercial officer.
As part of the move, Hopwood (pictured) will also join the board as a director alongside chairman and founder Mike Burton and chief executive Ian Edwards.
Hopwood previously worked for Mike Burton Group from 2005 to 2015 as head of sales and marketing, successfully delivering the official supporter travel programme at the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England.
In his new role, the former Lancashire Cricket executive will work alongside Edwards to lead on the day-to-day and long-term commercial and new business strategy for the company, which specialises in sports ticketing and hospitality.
Edwards said: “We’re delighted to announce Justin’s appointment. He will bring a wealth of knowledge and understanding to the business that will complement the ambition that we have for the coming years. Justin joins following a hugely successful 2019 and will play a key role in defining and implementing the future commercial strategy and direction that we head in.”
In addition, Hopwood will assume a position on the boards of Lions Rugby Travel and England Rugby Travel, the two joint venture companies that the Mike Burton Group currently operates with The British & Irish Lions and the Rugby Football Union.
He will also be on the boards of Sports Travel and Hospitality Group (STH Group), the company’s joint venture businesses with Sodexo that deliver official ticket inclusive travel and hospitality programmes for rights holders in sport. The firms currently operates the Team GB Live with The British Olympic Association, All Blacks Tours with the New Zealand Rugby Union and ICC Travel and Tours with the International Cricket Council.
Hopwood said: “I am incredibly excited to be joining the business at this time, with the success of Rugby World Cup 2019 fresh in everyone’s minds, and everyone’s immediate attentions now on the Olympics in Japan later this year and the Lions Tour in 2021.
“The Mike Burton business is hugely ambitious in what it wants to achieve and I am thoroughly looking forward to working with some great people on the existing high profile projects, as well as looking to grow the business.”


text:
Barneys department store building in Chicago
Will you offer us a hand? Every gift, regardless of size, fuels our future.
Your critical contribution enables us to maintain our independence from shareholders or wealthy owners, allowing us to keep up reporting without bias. It means we can continue to make Jewish Business News available to everyone.
You can support us for as little as $1 via PayPal at email@example.com.
Thor Equities LLC the New York-based real estate investor signed a contract to acquire Barneys department store building on Oak street, Chicago , for $154 million. The price represents a 32 percent jump from the $117 million that the seller, New York-based Property and Building Ltd. (TASE:PTBL) subsidiary of Tel Aviv, Israel-based IDB Holding Corp. Ltd. (TASE:IDBH) , paid for the property in March 2011. According to Israeli Globes, the company bought the property for $ 122 million of which $42 million was financed from equity and $80 million was financed with a long-term loan.
Barneys New York occupies 90, 000 square feet of the building under a lease that runs through 2024. A Citigroup Inc. bank branch occupies the remaining 4, 600 square feet. The building generated $10.1 million in net operating income last year, according to a Bloomberg L.P. report on an $80 million loan encumbering the property. That would make Thor’s initial yield, or capitalization rate, on the sale about 6.6 percent.
The transaction is among the most expensive retail property sales in the downtown Chicago in recent years.
The sale price reflects the property’s fair value in Property and Building’s books, and it will not report an accounting gain or loss on the deal. Property and Building CEO Segi Eitan told Globes , “The Barneys’ deal reflects the company’s ability to locate and improve unique income-producing assets in terms of their location, timing, and quality of their tenants. The cash-on-cash yield on the company’s investment is 94%”.


text:
‘Sneaky’ drivers targeted as mobile phone camera fines kick in
Drivers caught using their mobile phones will be fined $344 and five demerit points as mobile phone detection camera penalties kick in.
The cameras have been operating for three months with only warning letters issued, but as of March 1 drivers will be fined.
More than nine million vehicles have already been scanned as the government plans to roll out a total of 45 cameras across the state by 2023.
NSW Traffic and Highway Patrol Commander Michael Corboy tells Ray Hadley they aim to change the culture around mobile phone use.
“People are actually trying to get a bit sneakier.
“People are hiding them in their laps, they won’t be able to do that with the mobile phone cameras.
“It’s more about sending the message: we’re not going to be putting up with this anymore.”
Click PLAY below to hear the full interview


text:
The International Apparel Federation (IAF) together with the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI) is hosting the 32nd IAF World Fashion Convention in Mumbai (India) on 27-28 September, 2016.
Every year the IAF organizes in different countries across the globe an even called the IAF World Fashion Convention. The main goal of each IAF Convention is to connect in a profound way the local fashion industry of the host country to the global fashion industry network. Past speakers of IAF World Fashion Conventions include top managers from Hugo Boss, H&M, Inditex, Tommy Hilfiger, Zegna and Benetton, as well as executives of the apparel associations of the Federation member-states. IAF’s membership includes associations from 50 countries representing over 150,000 companies that provide products and services to the apparel industry.
The IAF World Fashion Convention will create platform to deliberate on the wide range of strategic questions and present insights into various opportunity areas – covering the entire spectrum from manufacturing and technology to branding and retailing.
The Convention will bring together international as well as leading Indian players of the fashion sector representing brands, retailers, manufacturers, academia and suppliers to the industry. Alexander Shumsky (President of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia and Russian Fashion Council) has been invited to the event as a special guest of the IAF President Rahul Mehta; he will also be among the speakers making a presentation about the specifics of the Russian fashion industry.
It is worth noting that according to the IAF data the size of global apparel market is expected to grow from USD 1.6 trillion to USD 2 trillion by 2020. Much of this growth is expected to come from developing countries, which are emerging as new consumption centers for apparel.


text:
INTERNATIONAL - PSA Group is pressing the French government to revive sales incentives on rechargeable hybrid vehicles as it rolls out plug-in versions of its larger models to meet tightening European emissions rules, the carmaker said on Thursday. Automakers are rushing to deploy electric cars and hybrids, which combine battery power with a combustion engine, to meet EU carbon dioxide limits and avoid hefty fines.
“We’re asking for the reinstatement of incentives on plug-in hybrid vehicles,” said Laurent Fabre, a governmental affairs executive for the maker of Peugeot, Citroen and Opel vehicles.
While PSA is well placed among carmakers to meet the goals, its pure-electric program will cover only the smallest cars - leaving its brands reliant on significant sales of rechargeable hybrids across the rest of their line-ups, from compacts such as the Peugeot 308 to the DS7 Crossback premium SUV.
The collapse of fuel-efficient diesel sales has stiffened the challenge across the industry, causing CO2 emissions to begin rising again after years of improvement. While diesels produce more toxic nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulates than gasoline engines, their efficiency has been instrumental in cutting greenhouse gases.
France, by far PSA’s biggest market, currently offers a 6,000 euro subsidy on each electric car sold, but an earlier 1,000-euro plug-in hybrid incentive was scrapped last year.
Financial support for low-emissions vehicle sales will be reviewed under draft 2019 budget proposals to be presented to ministers on Sept. 24.
PSA’s French rival Renault supports the call for the rechargeable hybrid incentive to be reinstated at 2,000 euros, Fabre said, adding the measure would cost taxpayers 40 million euros – based on expected sales of 20,000 vehicles.
Plug-in hybrids, which avoid the range constraints of battery-only cars, offer the most reliable way to “kick-start the market” for electrified vehicles, Fabre said, adding the government was “attentive” to these considerations.
A Renault spokeswoman said the carmaker had no immediate comment on the matter.
Over the next two years, PSA plans to launch eight new plug-in hybrid models, starting with the DS7 Crossback, and seven smaller pure-electric models.


text:
Actress Soha Ali Khan is all set to star opposite Sunny Deol in 'Ghayal 2', which is the sequel of the latter's 1990 action drama, 'Ghayal'.
Soha chose to keep look for her D-Day minimal as she donned an off-white lehenga-choli set teamed with an orange dupatta & a traditional passa tikka adorning her head.
Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior partner Komeito will likely secure 317 of the 475 seats, giving them the super-majority.
So far, Japan's powerful bureaucracy and its rural and commercial sectors have resisted major changes, foiling earlier reform efforts.
However a sales tax rise in April snuffed out consumer spending, sending Japan into the two negative quarters of growth that make a recession.
Andy Murray proposed to girlfriend Kim Sears after nearly a decade of dating. ET Panache lists out other couples who’ve been together for years, ring or no ring.
"Japan is saddled with a huge public debt and its fiscal situation is very severe," Abe told parliament.
Abe also said he hopes that by improving the economy Japan will be able to contribute to global growth.


text:
“This matter was discussed in the GST Council meeting when it met last time. Members expressed their views on the matter and it was decided that legal opinion should be taken from AG,” Sitharaman told reporters here.
The GST Council, chaired by the Union finance minister and comprising state counterparts, had in March decided to seek views from the AG, who is the chief legal officer of the government, on the legality of market borrowing by the Council to make good the shortfall in compensation fund.
“The opinion has come…we will hold an exclusive GST Council meeting on the issue of compensation,” Sitharaman said, adding that the date of the meeting will be decided shortly.
According to sources, the Attorney General has opined that there is no obligation on the central government to pay the GST compensation shortfall to the states and GST Council has to decide on ways to make good the shortfall in compensation fund.
The payment of GST compensation to states became an issue after revenues from imposition of cess started dwindling since August 2019 and the Centre had to dive in to the excess cess amount collected during 2017-18 and 2018-19.
Under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) law, states were guaranteed to be compensated bi-monthly for any loss of revenue in the first five years of the GST implementation from July 1, 2017. The shortfall is calculated assuming a 14 per cent annual growth in GST collections by states over the base year of 2015-16.
Under the GST structure, taxes are levied under 5 per cent, 12 per cent, 18 per cent and 28 per cent slabs. On top of the highest tax slab, a cess is levied on luxury, sin and demerit goods and the proceeds from the same are used to compensate states for any revenue loss.
The Centre had released over Rs 1.65 lakh crore in 2019-20 as GST compensation. However, the amount of cess collected during the year 2019-20 was Rs 95,444 crore. The compensation payout amount was Rs 69,275 crore in 2018-19 and Rs 41,146 crore in 2017-18.


text:
Macy's Inc. said on Tuesday that consumer electronics retailer Best Buy Co. will set up outlets in 10 Macy's stores from November on a test basis.
The Best Buy shops will occupy about 300 square feet and be staffed by Best Buy employees, who will sell Samsung smartphones, tablets and smart watches and audio devices and accessories from Samsung and other brands.
The deal marks Macy's return to selling consumer electronics in its stores, Macy's President Jeff Gennette said in a statement. Macy's sells some electronics through its website.
The arrangement with Best Buy is the latest initiative by Macy's to spur growth.
Other steps have included opening off-price stores in the United States and entering a joint venture in China to sell goods on Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd's Tmall Global online marketplace.
"We will test and learn, along with Best Buy, through the holidays and into 2016 before deciding on next steps," Gennette said.
Best Buy's shares were up 2.5 percent at $37.55 in early afternoon trading. Macy's shares were up 0.8 percent at $58.85.


text:
The Implosion of Lance Armstrong's Endorsement Empire: $30M and Counting
For a slew of brands, this week marked the final straw in years of allegations and doubts swirling around cyclist Lance Armstrong and performance-enhancing-drug use.
Within minutes of Mr. Amstrong yesterday announcing he would step down as chairman of Livestrong, the foundation he created to support people with cancer, his longtime endorser Nike issued a statement saying it was finally done. The company's decision to cut ties -- given not only the scale and awareness of the brand but also its reputation for sticking by athletes in the middle of scandals -- was what prompted more sponsors to follow suit. Over the past day, they've tumbled like dominoes, one after another.
Only one major sponsor is hanging on at this point, and that 's by a thread. Luxxotica's Oakley brand said "our policy with our athletes is to support them until proven guilty by the highest governing body of sport or court of law. We are reviewing the extensive report from the USADA, as well as our relationship with Lance, and will await final decision-making by the International Cycling Union."
As many have pointed out, it's a fall from grace. In a poll of Ad Age readers, 68% said the Lance Armstrong name is damaged beyond repair for brands.
Which means it's also a huge financial blow. Mr. Armstrong's loss of support from Nike and other sponsors will cost him about $30 million in earning potential, according to one sports-marketing agent. "That would include current endorsement deals, future endorsement deals and corporate speaking," said Steve Rosner of New Jersey-based 16W Marketing.
NikeOf all the marketers with which he partnered, Nike was the most important, pumping out tons of ads and products tied to the athlete. It issued the strongest words against Mr. Amstrong, too; that 's to be expected, considering that earlier this week the brand was alleged to have been part of a coverup of Mr. Armstrong's wrongdoing.
"Due to the seemingly insurmountable evidence that Lance Armstrong participated in doping and misled Nike for more than a decade, it is with great sadness that we have terminated our contract with him. Nike does not condone the use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs in any manner." It's also changing the name of the fitness center at its Beaverton, Ore., headquarters.
AB-InBevIn 2009, Mr. Armstrong signed a three-year contract with the brewer to a spokesman for Michelob Ultra. On the heels of Nike 's decision to end its relationship, AB-InBev said it would break up with him at the end of this year. "We have decided not to renew our relationship with Lance Armstrong when our current contract expires at the end of 2012," the company said.
TrekTrek, like Nike , expressed its dismay at having to make the call that it was done with the cyclist. "Trek is disappointed by the findings and conclusions in the USADA report regarding Lance Armstrong," a statement from the bike company said. "Given the determinations of the report, Trek today is terminating our long-term relationship with Lance Armstrong."
Honey StingerThe energy-food company in which Armstrong is a part owner, is "in the process of removing Lance Armstrong's image and endorsement from our product packaging," Len Zanni, marketing director of the Steamboat Springs, Colorado-based company, said. According to an Associated Press report, an image of Armstrong's signature that was on the site's front page earlier in the day appeared to be gone late Wednesday.
24 Hour FitnessMr. Armstrong was one of a group of athletes who struck a deal to open gyms that reflected his personality and workout style, but now those locations will be scrubbed of his name. "Given the evidence surrounding Lance Armstrong's alleged actions, we have determined that our business relationship with Armstrong no longer aligns with our company's mission and values. Over the coming weeks, we plan to remove the Lance Armstrong brand from our six co-branded fitness clubs and further improve these facilities to enable and inspire our members to achieve their fitness goals."
RadioshackThe retailer was a key sponsor for Mr. Armstrong's cycling team, but now the company has stressed it's got "no current obligations" to him from an endorsement deal it signed in July 2009. Radioshack said it will keep working with Livestrong though, and that it's proud of "generating more than $16 million to date in the fight against cancer."
GiroThe bike-helmet company that marketed a line of Lance helmets similarly said it is terminating its sponsorship of Mr. Armstrong but it will continue its association with Livestrong.
FRS CoMr. Armstrong was an investor and a board member in the energy-drink company, as well as an ambassador for the brand, but he resigned yesterday. According to BevNet, Mr. Armstrong will no longer be used to help market the products.
--with Bloomberg News contributing


text:
When it comes to legal music downloads, Napster and iTunes, are the big brands. Napster, thanks to its free-sharing past is still the most recognized brand according to Ipsos’ TEMPO Digital Music Brandscape study. iTunes is no slouch, and has 57% brand share. Not sure, if Napster holds a candle to iTunes sales though. Regardless, the study shows that online digital music has finally hit a tipping point, and most services are seeing a growth, though iTunes/Apple continues to build upon its early lead.
- Four out of five (79%) downloaders recognize the Napster brand, while roughly three out of five (57%) are aware of iTunes.
- Roughly two out of five (43%) of fee-based downloaders report using iTunes, while one-quarter (26%) report Napster 2.0 usage. Rhapsody increased its business over past year, up from 8% to 13%.
- iTunes most closely positioned as enabling seamless Portable MP3 Player integration and allowing the user to take music with them.
Matt Kleinschmit, Vice President of Ipsos Insight and author of the TEMPO study. “These data indicate that while consumers remain most likely to be aware of iTunes and Napster, other fee-based services are benefiting from the mainstream growth in digital music and iPod in particular, and remain viable options for consumers seeking fee-based online music outlets moving forward.”


text:
ANN ARBOR, MICH. — QAI, Inc., a certifier of organic food in North America and a part of global public health organization NSF International, has designed a new program to recognize and incentivize farmers as they transition their land from conventional to organic growing methods.
The new protocol, QAI Certified Transitional, is a way for companies to recognize “organics in training.” Producers who want to transition to organic growing methods from conventional must do so over a three-year period. Through QAI Certified Transitional, consumers now will be able to see which products are in the process of converting to organic. Products featuring a QAI Certified Transitional mark must contain a minimum of 51% transitional content.
|Sarah Krol, global managing director for QAI|
“Food companies will be able to use the on-package QAI Certified Transitional logo to guide consumers to these products,” said Sarah Krol, global managing director, QAI, Inc. “With the QAI Certified Transitional program, farmers, processors, distributors and retailers can command a premium for products as they support the expansion of organic acreage to support consumer demand.”
Currently, only about 1% of U.S. farmland is dedicated to organic farm acreage. According to QAI, demand for organic products is strong, but transitioning of farm land to organic is costly with limited return on investment because of the three-year period to become eligible for organic certification. QAI said its new program will help lower the barriers and allow for premium pricing while supporting the conversion of more organic products.
QAI Certified Transitional may be applied throughout the supply chain to train producers how to become organic and includes several key requirements over three years, including:
• No prohibited substances. Sewage sludge, irradiation, bioengineered ingredients and other National Organic Program prohibited substances are not permitted on certified transitional land or product.
• Organic training. Producers and manufacturers are required to complete education courses to demonstrate competency in organic regulations.
• Accountability. Farms and manufacturing facilities are subject to annual inspections and may be selected for unannounced inspections and sampling.
• Due diligence. Records demonstrating compliance with the applicable elements of organic regulations must be created and maintained from the start of the program, including compliance plans, land use, soil fertility, seeds and planting stock, crop rotation, pest/disease control and any inputs or ingredients used.
• Approved labeling. Depending on percentage of transitional ingredients, products may display certain claims on packaging. Products with at least 51% transitional ingredients can display the Certified Transitional mark on packaging.
Battle Creek, Mich.-based Kellogg Co., through its Kashi brand, is the first company to use the Certified Transitional mark. The company said it will feature the mark on its Kashi Dark Cocoa Karma Shredded Wheat Biscuits cereal, which will be available at select grocers and natural food retailers nationwide in early June.
|David Denholm, c.e.o. of Kashi|
“The health of people and the health of our planet are inextricably linked,” said David Denholm, chief executive officer at Kashi. “One per cent organic acreage is just not enough — and we want to promote solutions that benefit everyone working to move organic farming forward. We believe championing farms in transition will make organic foods more accessible and support a more sustainable food system — for all of us.”
Kashi purchased the hard red winter wheat for use in the cereal from farmer Newton Russell, one of two farmers who piloted the Certified Transitional protocol. By contracting the transitional wheat at a price above the conventional market rate, Kashi said it is working to create a marketplace that recognizes the investment farmers make while transitioning to organic practices.
|Newton Russell, farmer who piloted the Certified Transitional protocol|
“I transitioned some of my farmland to organic in the past and experienced the financial burden and uncertainty firsthand,” Mr. Russell said. “Certified Transitional changes the equation and makes the decision to go organic easier.”
QAI led the development of the Certified Transitional protocol, with input from Hesco/Dakota Organic Products, agricultural suppliers, a global environmental N.G.O., organic experts, farmers, retailers, distributors and food brands. The protocol may be applied to any farmland growing any crop, and any brand using agricultural ingredients may incorporate Certified Transitional sourcing.
Mr. Denholm of Kashi expressed his excitement with the program and is urging others to get involved.
“To really reach that potential, we need more farmers, processors, and brands to get on board,” he said. “We encourage any brand that relies on agricultural ingredients to explore Certified Transitional sourcing.”Several companies have ramped up commitments to organics over the past year. General Mills, Inc., Minneapolis, in March said it is accelerating its commitment to more than double the organic acreage from which it sources ingredients. The company expects to have 250,000 acres by 2019, a year ahead of its previous goal. Cascade Milling, a division of Royal City, Wash.-based Cascade Organic Flour, L.L.C., in February said it plans to double organic wheat acreage to 5,000 irrigated acres in the Columbia Basin of central Washington by 2018. And last winter, Ardent Mills, Denver, unveiled a new organic initiative committed to helping U.S. wheat growers double organic wheat acres by 2019. As part of the initiative, Ardent said it would provide farmers with access to direct support services, workshops and long-term contracts for transitional and organic wheat bushels.


text:
It's been nearly five years since we saw GTA 5 (opens in new tab)'s debut trailer, but the video for the next big update (opens in new tab) coming to GTA Online (opens in new tab) proves Rockstar still has plenty more to add. Further Adventures in Finance and Felony looks like it will easily be the biggest and most impactful update to the multiplayer game since Heists were added early last year.
Stealing contraband from other criminals so I can buy a bigger skyscraper? Sounds good to me. My main question is how much I'll need to have a set group of players to roll with if I want to get ahead in the smuggling business. Heists definitely went better with a dedicated group but those can be hard to find when you have limited time to play. We won't have to wait too long to find out either way, since the update will arrive on Tuesday, June 7.
Seen something newsworthy? Tell us!


text:
The Galaxy S9 is set for launch on Feb. 26, a new leak courtesy of Evan Blass has revealed. Blass, on his part has claimed the dates have been leaked to him by a ‘C’ level executive engaged in a major mobile case making firm, BGR revealed. Of course the identity of the firm as well as the official is being kept under wraps.
Further, if the source is to be believed, pre-orders for the next Samsung flagship will begin from March 1. Shipping will begin from March 16, which also is the day the phone will be seen adorning store shelves worldwide.
The head of the mobile division within Samsung, DJ Koh had earlier confirmed the S8 successor would be launched during the MWC. However, no specific dates were mentioned then though it was being widely speculated the actual availability would start from March itself.
According to a C-level executive at a major casemaker, the go-to-market schedule for Galaxy S9 / S9+ is as follows:
Launch – 2/26
Pre-orders – 3/1
Ships/releases – 3/16
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 16, 2018
The launch schedule leaked online also tallies quite well with the usual Samsung practice of launching its ‘S’ series flagships during the MWC. However, the unpacked event for the same is usually held a day before the MWC actually kicks off. On that mark, the S9 launch should have been held on Feb. 25 as the event gets underway on Feb. 26. Maybe the event will be held on the 25th after all going by the usual convention though nothing can be said for surety until the press invitations roll out.
Earlier rumors had pegged the S9 launch taking place during the CES event itself. However, while that didn’t take place, Koh still did the favor of confirming the launch happening during the MWC event during end February. The phone too is believed to have been revealed to a select group behind closed door. However, photography was strictly prohibited during the unveiling which ensured the looks of the device remained a secret.
The almost incessant stream of leaks have however kept us informed of what to expect with the real thing, which again is believed to be a continuation of the S8 design theme. The internals though will be upgraded with the faster SD845 chipset while the rear too would be heavily redesigned with the twin rear cams positioned vertically along the middle.
More on this within a few weeks’ time as we await the official launch of the S9 by end-Feb.


text:
Photo by Jackie Botto form her coverage of the Vermont Cheese Summit.
Can cheese combat climate change? At this year’s Vermont Cheese Summit sustainability was the topic on everyone’s mind. Vermont cheesemakers shared how they are working to minimize carbon output, from developing new packaging solutions to composting stray curds and paper towels, they are all looking for creative solutions to our planet’s biggest problem. Read more from Food52 here.
- Alleva, a cheese shop in NYC’s Little Italy said to be America’s oldest, is in danger of closure after filing for bankruptcy.
- Old Europe Cheese of Benton Harbor, MI, has issued a voluntary recall of its brie and camembert cheeses, including the Joan of Arc and Charmant brands, because of potential listeria contamination, “which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems,” according to the FDA. Read more here.
- In the latest edition of her blog, Planet Cheese, Janet Fletcher takes a hard look at the high price of cheese with input from Mateo Kehler of Jasper Hill Farm.
- A recent study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that organic dairy farms produced 24 percent less greenhouse gas than conventional dairy farms. Food Tank puts the results in layman’s terms.
- Archeologists in Egypt discovered 2,600-year-old halloumi in pottery vessels unearthed in Giza.
- Jumping on the butter board bandwagon is gonna cost you: The price of butter is up 24.6 percent over the 12 months ending in August. Also, cheese and butter consumption is at an all-time high!
- While real cheese is the ultimate companion to wine, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a low-brow snack with your glass of merlot every once and a while. Wine Enthusiast shares its favorite wine and cheesy snack pairings. Goldfish and Prosecco, Cheez-Its and País, and Nacho Cheese Doritos and Lambrusco are a few of the inventive pairings. Read more here.
- Culture’s Digital and Social Media editor Josie Krogh recently traveled to Italy to learn about six PDO cheeses from the Emilia-Romagna and Veneto regions as a part of a program to promote cheeses made using milk from the territory of origin. Over three days her group toured four different cheesemaking operations and learned about the production methods and subtle nuances that differentiate these hard Italian cheeses from one another.
- Vermont’s Shelburne Farms has an opening for an assistant cheesemaker.
Events and Deadlines
- On Oct. 13 and Oct. 14 Greg Boehm and Julia Gross are hosting mezcal and cheese tastings at the Cabinet in New York City. The first night will focus on stinky cheeses, while the second tasting will focus on cheeses and mezcals made by women. Tickets are on sale now.
- Our next Virtual Counter Culture is a two-part series celebrating the traditional flavors of Spain. Join us on Monday, Oct. 17 & Monday, Oct. 24 at 4 p.m. EST, to learn how iconic Spanish ingredients such as saffron, pimentón, tinned mussels, raw multifloral honey, and olive oil can elevate a cheeseboard and why they should be on your store shelves. Register here.
- Registration is open for the 44th annual American Dairy Science Association (ASDA) Discover Conference, in March 2023, which represents the first regional conference collaboration between the ASDA and the American Cheese Society.
- The Comté Cheese Association has announced its 10th annual Comté Scholarship for American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professionals (ACS CCPs)! This special scholarship opportunity gives CCPs the chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip to the Comté region of France. The deadline for entries is Friday, Dec. 9. Learn more and download the entry form here.
- The Specialty Food Association’s 2023 Leadership Awards are now open for nominations.


text:
Verve Culture: Local mother-daughter duo delights in artisan gifts from other cultures
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — It’s lunchtime, and Jules Vertrees is casually pressing homemade tortillas.
“The thing about tortillas is that they’re just like pancakes,” she said. “The first one never seems to work out.”
Continuing to press the simple masa flour and water mixture into her tortilla press, her second try turns out perfectly. Meanwhile, her mother, Jacquie Lewis, whips up shrimp and vegetables for the taco filling.
Jules and Jacquie aren’t an ordinary mother-daughter duo. They’ve been working together for more than 20 years, and not just in the kitchen. Their most recent enterprise is Verve Culture, a company that specializes in artisan gifts from other cultures.
“Our products are all about experiences,” Vertrees said. “People don’t want unique gifts that mean something and that provide an experience; they want to go skydiving or eat in a new restaurant and post about it on social media rather than getting another outfit they don’t need.”
This article is from the summer issue of Steamboat Living magazine.
After studying market trends and consumer behavior, Vertrees and Lewis were encouraged to move in a new direction, away from the mass-manufactured gifts of their previous company, Australia-Steamboat Connection. When their yearlong noncompete clause ended, they started Verve Culture. The goal was to find and sell local, handmade products from countries around the world.
Mexico was their first focus.
“We love Mexico and have been going there for years,” Vertrees said. “I love the food and the vibrancy of the culture and cuisine.”
The proximity helped, too. Vertrees and Lewis flew back and forth a dozen times while doing research and product development.
“We initially had a few ideas for products like guacamole kits, glassware, tequila, but we got more ideas just from walking around and being inspired by the culture there,” she said.
After many trips and much research, they settled on three products: the aforementioned tortilla press, a molinillo (a traditional whisk for Mexican hot chocolate) and a citrus juicer.
“We saw these juicers on every market corner and in every alley,” Vertrees explained while juicing a lime for the tacos, “and I just loved them.”
Vertrees and Lewis worked for over a year with Mexican artisans to develop their product line. The juicers, normally large and industrial, were created smaller and more manageable for a typical kitchen. The tortilla presses are usually steel gray, but Verve Culture’s is a vibrant red.
“It’s important to us that everything be what we call ‘countertop worthy,’” Vertrees said. “We want the pieces to be beautiful and interesting enough to be out on your kitchen counter and to be conversation starters.”
All of their products are handmade authentically in Mexico, according to Mexican culture and tradition. They’re quick to point out the detail that goes into carving the molinillos.
“This is a craft that is passed down from generation to generation,” Lewis said. “We want to convey the people behind the products and tell the story of their culture.”
Carefully designed packaging includes the history of the item as well as personal touches. The tortilla press comes with recipes that Lewis and Vertrees wrote and tested themselves and the largest molinillo (there are three sizes) includes authentic Mexican chocolate.
When their first three products quickly got snatched up by Nordstrom, they were off and running. Now they are sold not only on their own website but also in kitchen and gourmet stores across the country, through uncommongoods.com, and locally in Steamboat at The Homesteader.
Thailand is their next focus.
“When we first got to Thailand, we went into a supermarket just to have a look around and see what was available. That’s how we get inspired,” Vertrees said.
But their sights were set on Thai chef’s knives. While researching traditional Thai swords, they realized that today, there are knives made by the same blacksmith tradition.
“They were hard to track down. They’re not on the tourist trail, so to speak,” Lewis said. “We asked a local Thai chef if she knew where they came from, and she told us it was from the Ayutthaya area north of Bangkok. So we set out on an adventure trying to find the village. We stopped and asked locals as we went from town to town.”
But that’s all part of the fun, they insist.
“We’ve made some lovely relationships,” Lewis said. “It’s truly the essence of Verve Culture to rely on local people who share their homes, knowledge and joy in helping us.”
Lewis recounts when they went to Mexico City to pack, label and ship their very first order to Nordstrom.
“There are strict timelines and guidelines so we needed to be very accurate,” she said. “We had four guys helping us, none of whom speak English, and I have absolutely no Spanish, and Jules has just a little. It was hilarious using hand signals, mime and smatterings of Spanglish and laughter. After five days of 10 hours on assembly line work, we left the facility having made our new best friends.”
In the future, Lewis and Vertrees hope to expand, including such other countries as Italy and Spain. But for now, back in the kitchen, the tacos are ready, complete with the homemade tortillas — all now perfectly pressed.
“We should be having margaritas,” Vertrees joked, “even though it’s Monday afternoon.”
It’s all part of the experience.
Support Local Journalism
Support Local Journalism
Readers around Steamboat and Routt County make the Steamboat Pilot & Today’s work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.
Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.
Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.
Start a dialogue, stay on topic and be civil.
If you don't follow the rules, your comment may be deleted.
User Legend: Moderator Trusted User
The 10 finalists in this year’s Suffolk University 10K Idea Pitch Competition came prepared with new concepts that ranged from washable yoga mats to a way of detecting Alzheimer’s disease early with a noninvasive test.


text:
Germany eyes 'bundled' loan payment to Greece-paper
BERLIN Nov 13 (Reuters) - Germany wants to bundle three tranches of aid to Greece into one payment of more than 44 billion euros, German newspaper Bild said on Tuesday, citing German government sources.
A German finance ministry spokeswoman, asked to comment on the Bild report, said no final decision had yet been made on next loan payments to Greece.
Bild said the payment would comprise the 31.3 billion euros dating from the second quarter that Greece hopes to receive soon to avert bankruptcy along with further tranches of 5 billion euros and 8.3 billion euros for the third and fourth quarters.
Earlier on Tuesday, Greece's international lenders clashed over how to help the stricken country bring its debts down to a sustainable level.
- Target holiday cyber breach hits 40 million payment cards |
- Housing, jobs data weaken, but overall economic picture still upbeat
- UPDATE 3-Saab wins Brazil jet deal after NSA spying sours Boeing bid
- Zuckerberg to sell Facebook shares worth about $2.3 billion |
- Special Report: Why Ukraine spurned the EU and embraced Russia


text:
The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday (April 5). Darknet Market Hydra Shut Down by US, German Law Enforcement. By PYMNT. By R Broadhurst 2022 wallstreet market darknet Cited by 5 J-CODE's Operation SaboTor targeted Wall Street, a darknet market that was then Using vendor listings and. Dark Web Markets 2022 Darknet Deepweb Market Links. Wall Street Market, another dark web marketplace, met a similar end in 2022 during a European. By R Broadhurst 2022 Cited by 5 J-CODE's Operation SaboTor targeted Wall Street, a darknet market that was then to darknet market URLs. Was ist Wall Street Market? Bei dem Online-Marktplatz handelte es sich um die weltweit zweitgrte kriminelle Handelsplattform, ber die. In a pharmacy, both pills sell for around 6, CNN reports. By B Gilbert 2022 2022-12-16. 25. 79. Wall Street Market Darknet Reddit.
Darknet Users Claim Wall Street Market Exit Scammed The. seized the dark web drug market "Wallstreet Market" and arrested its alleged. A Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (JCODE) The most recent archetyp market seizure was Wall Street Market in 2022, when the site's. If you're here, you already know of the deep web markets links, dark web May 03, 2022 German police have shut down the "Wall Street Market,". It turns out the dark web is pretty small. Wall Street Market's administrators tried to make off with 11 million in an exit scam before. Darknet Markets Links 2022 - listed World Market, Torrez Market, WallStreet market is one of my most favorite ones especially after Alphabay. By R Broadhurst 2022 Cited by 5 J-CODE's Operation SaboTor targeted Wall Street, a darknet market that was then to darknet market URLs.
Top darknet markets 2022. Wall Street Market Darknet Review. NoScript. 60. Best Darknet Marketplaces for 2022 archetyp market url A list of Darkweb market places. Darknet markets (DNMs) source all types of goods, some legal, others less so, but all purchasable with Darknet wallstreet market. 2 of the biggest Darknet markets are Agora Market and also Development Coded WallStreet Market is a Darknet Market etablished in 2022 with 2270k. WallStreet Market is a Darknet Market established in 2022 with 150k users. Wallstreet Market emerged from the idea, to provide a secure. WallStreet Market Overview: Onion Link: wallstyizjhkrvmj. If dark web urls is what. It was the largest darknet drug marketplace for 3 months. The takedown of Wall Street Market was one of the most recent shutdowns related to a major darknet market.
Unlike other successful dark-Web markets, it prohibited the sale from CyberBunker after the closure of Wall Street Market, archetyp market link in May, 2022. The world's largest darknet platform, Wall Street Market, 3(Wall Street Market). "Golden age" of dark web markets is over, says Europol, as the US claims Wall Street dark web market arrests in Europe and the US. Darknet market lists - tor market url tor2door link wallstreet market. 3 days ago Asian stock markets followed Wall Street lower on Monday amid. Note: Former darknet markets: based on analysis of 134,000 transactions and minimum Berlusconi Market, TradeRoute, Valhalla, Wallstreet, Dream Market. Link darknet market uin reddit darknet markets 2022 lwy best bible yfu black market drugs pif wall street market darknet zjg wall.
Valhalla Darknet Market
Using a random sample of 100 deep Web sites [26b] and another sample of 100 surface Web sites  we issued the domain names to a Whois search and retrieved the date the site was first established. Regularly send simulated phishing emails to employees to reinforce their security awareness training and to make sure they stay on their toes with security top of mind. This feature stores all of the site’s information on a computer that has never been on the internet, and allows the site to come back online if anything happens to it. It was formed just over 6 months ago and already has 6283 individual wallstreet market darknet products listed on the marketplace. In the event that you reside in a country where in fact the Internet is not a lot of and censored, sometimes there is absolutely no other way to talk to the exterior world. For months, an extortionist had reportedly threatened to reveal the identity of one AlphaBay administrator, and even released identifying information about him after AlphaBay's proctors sent him or her a hush-money payment. The drug dealers would package their product in stuffed animals and sell them to Dream Market customers in exchange for cryptocurrency, according to the Justice Department.
Type in the time displayed on the clock and you should get archetyp market darknet through; the challenge is that it can sometimes be difficult to read the time on the clock, so you may have to give it several tries. He also had several other usernames unknown to his superiors. VPNs aren’t technically unknown and difficult applications, these people are legal, user friendly and available for just about all to download and use. Darknet marketplaces of various types remain in operation alongside a bewildering array of alternatives.


text:
American Honda is recalling 2012 model-year Honda Pilot and Acura MDX crossovers to fix a valve that may cause fuel to leak from their gas tanks.
Read This Article
What happens when five sleep-deprived, under-caffeinated automotive journalists of varying backgrounds spend a rainy day in and out of five of the best-selling midsize sedans in America?
The Honda Civic has bested the Toyota Corolla in sales so far this year.
Honda is looking to introduce a smaller crossover to slot underneath the CR-V in its crossover lineup.