text:
The Lumia 1020 will not save either Nokia or Windows Phone
Rumors of a “true PureView” Windows Phone have been circulating since the announcement of the 808 PureView. Many of us were not amused by the PureView technology used in the Lumia 920. Sure, a slower shutter speed and optical image stabilization (OIS) are great, especially for low-light performance on a camera phone. But on the heels of the 808 PureView with a 41-megapixel sensor and lossless digital zoom, the Lumia 920’s PureView was, more or less, disappointing.
But it was pretty obvious where all the PureView love would eventually end up. Nokia’s efforts on the Symbian front have slowed to a crawl, only pushing forward with a handful of Asha phones. After the Lumia 920, it was clear Windows Phone would eventually get the full PureView love.
The only remaining question was: when?
Fortunately, we now have a specific date … and a price. Nokia took the stage in New York this morning and made the Lumia 1020 officially official. In just two weeks (and one day, for those keeping count), Windows Phone enthusiasts can bask in the glory of lossless digital zoom and the combination of OIS in a single piece of hardware. In the U.S., it will be an AT&T exclusive on July 26 and will sell for $299.99 with a two-year agreement or $659.99 sans contract. And it will launch in other markets – China, Europe, and Latin America – sometime this quarter.
In a nutshell, the Lumia 1020 is exactly what every Windows Phone enthusiast has been asking for all along – a true PureView camera bolted on the back of Nokia’s top notch hardware. During the live hangout earlier today, we did note that it may have been smarter on Nokia’s part to wait for the Windows Phone 8.1 update and utilize a 1080p display and a newer, quad-core chipset from Qualcomm. No less, the Lumia 1020 is exactly what Windows Phone needs to appease the existing users.
In fact, the 41-megapixel camera alone may bring in new customers. Over the years, the camera has undeniably become one of the most important aspects in a phone to many people. I carry a second phone solely for its camera quality – and I’m not alone in that.
However, the Lumia 1020 is not going to be Windows Phone’s ticket to the top. Our own Adam Doud estimated Windows Phone might grow by no more than four percent market share due to the 1020. Brandon and I agree. Fast forward six months, and the Lumia 1020 may only be a tiny blip on the map. The Lumia 1020 is not going to drastically change anything for Windows Phone or Nokia, especially not the adoption rate, for a few different reasons.
The first of which is price. Here in the States, the Lumia 1020 will launch for $299.99 with a two-year agreement. That’s $100 more than a Galaxy S 4, HTC One, or entry level iPhone 5. While that price may be justified to tech heads like us, it’s going to take a lot of convincing to get a non-techie to pay $300 for a contracted phones when there are phones with better specifications (the HTC One and Galaxy S 4 have 1080p displays and quad-core processors) for less.
Not to mention, it’s exclusive to AT&T. With the exception of the iPhone, as far as we can tell, exclusivities have not been a glaring success for any smartphone manufacturer. The global launch of a single device (a la Galaxy S 4, iPhone 5, or HTC One) has proven to be the most lucrative move.
Off contract, the pricing of the Lumia 1020 is comparable to practically every other high-end smartphone. That could ultimately play to Nokia’s advantage practically everywhere else in the world.
Essentially, the trick is convincing people they’re buying a pocketable digital camera with lossless zoom (good luck explaining that one) with phone capabilities. But not everyone is going to need a 41-megapixel camera or lossless zoom. My sister, for example, is perfectly fine with her iPhone 5 and its camera. And my grandmother has no problem throwing her point and shoot camera in her purse if she thinks she might want to take some pictures.
While it practically sells itself to the tech world, it’s not going to be as easy to convince someone who takes a few photos and casually uses a smartphone that a 41-megapixel camera is necessary. And when you throw in the fact that it costs $100 more than what many still consider to be the best phone on the market, selling the Lumia 1020 is that much more difficult.
Finally, Windows Phone still has a stigma. It resembles Windows 8 by design. And, well, Windows 8’s market performance and reception have been … lackluster, to say the least. Those who have used both know how dramatically different the experiences are. But those who have only used Windows 8 may turn down the idea of a Windows Phone before ever giving it a chance, solely on the assumption that because they look alike, they must operate exactly the same.
It’s an unfortunate side-effect of having such a tight-knit ecosystem.
But just because the immediate effect of the Lumia 1020 might be minuscule, it’s long-term effect will likely be much more dramatic. The 1020 will ultimately build a platform for future Lumia PureView smartphones. And the second-generation Lumia with both lossless digital zoom and OIS could be a major hit.
In other words, this will not be an overnight success. The 1020 is up against some behemoths with die-hard followings. But Nokia is on the right path. And if the 1020 is as solid as it appears to be, word of mouth will spread.
Small, humble beginnings …


text:
Ottawa, Ontario – Legislation known as the “Right to Repair” bill, which would require car manufacturers to make diagnostic information, software and tools available to independent repair shops, will go to a vote in Parliament on May 13. Proponents of Bill C-273 said it protects Canadians’ right to choose where they repair their vehicles, while also preserving thousands of jobs.
The Automotive Industries Association of Canada (AIA Canada) said that while the use of electronics and computers on late-model vehicles has brought major benefits, it also threatens the competitiveness of the aftermarket for consumers, as car companies regularly withhold information, diagnostic tools and software from independent repair facilities and retail repair chains, making it impossible in many circumstances for the shops to complete repairs without sending the vehicle to a dealership. The bill will not change warranty work operations, which are largely done at dealerships.
“Passage of Bill C-273 is crucial to protecting jobs in Canada’s automotive industry,” said Marc Brazeau, president of AIA. “The automotive aftermarket employs 45 per cent of the entire automotive industry, for a total of more than 410,000 workers across Canada. Over the next few weeks, Canadian workers and business owners will be looking to Parliament to see if their segment of the industry has a future.”
AIA said that fewer choices and higher costs associated with withheld information mean many repairs will be delayed or ignored altogether, putting safety at risk and increasing the chance of poor quality emissions, along with less mobility for Canadians. For more information, visit AIA.

domain: news


text:
Shares of retailers Macy's (NYSE: M), Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ: ULTA), and Overstock.com (NASDAQ: OSTK) fell hard this week, down 18.4%, 15.5%, and 16.5% on the week, respectively, as of 1:38 p.m. ET today. None of these three stocks reported significant company-specific news this week, but bad earnings reports and outlooks from big-box retail bellwethers Walmart and Target decimated any and all retail names, these three included. This week, Walmart and Target both reported so-so revenue growth, but plummeting operating margins spooked investors.
Overstock (NASDAQ: OSTK) shareholders lost ground to a declining market this week as the stock fell 8% through Thursday trading compared to a 2% slump in the S&P 500, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence. Overstock saw a 26% decline in active customers, plunging order values, and declining order counts per customers. While each of these metrics had been elevated last year by pandemic-related shopping behavior changes, it was still jarring to see Overstock endure a 33% decrease in order volumes through late March.
Overstock.com's (OSTK) first-quarter 2022 results suffer from weakness in the home-furnishing market despite an expanding mobile clientele.


text:
Small businesses' profit margins may be increasing, according to data from financial analysis software company Sageworks, but this isn't exactly good news.
The company's latest figures show that while profit margins increased by 5.13% over this time last year, sales are down by 6.46%. This means, according to Drew White, chief financial officer of Sageworks, that a small business' success is being driven by expense containment, not revenue.
"Small businesses have to work very hard to make a profit," White says. "They have to carefully manage expenses if they want to stay in business."
Sageworks aggregates small-business industry data from the CPAs and accountants in its subscriber base. The accountants, in turn, use the benchmarking data to compare their own clients to industry peers. Financial data from more than 233,000 companies was used to compile the latest figures.According to White, businesses saved the most by cutting payroll, spending 13.87% of their profits on staffing as opposed to the 14.15% they spent last year and the 16.73% spent in 2008. "Essentially, these businesses are running short-staffed to get by," White says. Payroll isn't the only place where businesses are penny-pinching. A separate study conducted by Office Depot (ODP) shows that 38% of the businesses surveyed have compensated for the economic downturn by limiting business travel. Those cutting advertising/marketing expenditures comprised 29%, while 22% are outsourcing fewer jobs. Meanwhile, 55% of the business employees surveyed reported that they have yet to see an increase in sales. "Small-business owners are still feeling their way through the current economic conditions, particularly in their business and personal lives," Steve Odland, chairman and CEO of Office Depot said in a press release. Office Depot got the data by interviewing 1,004 employees from small- and medium-sized businesses (companies with one to 99 employees) during July. This grim reality supports earlier data collected by the National Federation of Independent Business that showed small-businesses owners today have a more negative view of the economy than they have at any point in the past four months. >To submit a news tip, send an email to: firstname.lastname@example.org.
Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.
Select the service that is right for you!COMPARE ALL SERVICES
- $2.5+ million portfolio
- Large-cap and dividend focus
- Intraday trade alerts from Cramer
- Weekly roundups
Access the tool that DOMINATES the Russell 2000 and the S&P 500.
- Buy, hold, or sell recommendations for over 4,300 stocks
- Unlimited research reports on your favorite stocks
- A custom stock screener
- Upgrade/downgrade alerts
- Diversified model portfolio of dividend stocks
- Alerts when market news affect the portfolio
- Bi-weekly updates with exact steps to take - BUY, HOLD, SELL
- Real Money + Doug Kass Plus 15 more Wall Street Pros
- Intraday commentary & news
- Ultra-actionable trading ideas
- 100+ monthly options trading ideas
- Actionable options commentary & news
- Real-time trading community
- Options TV


text:
Everything you need to know about iOS9
Unless you live under a rock you know Apple has made huge splashes this week at their annual developers conference. In this video you can get an overview level explanation of what to expect. There are going to be many upcoming changes but most notably Apple is releasing SIRI in a new way, and it’s pretty cool. SIRI is now proactive about studying you and helping you save time by assisting with different routine functions. For example, if you typically listen to music when you wake up, SIRI is going to pull up your most popular music player when you plug your headphones in. Alternatively if you listen to music in the car, SIRI will take over once it’s connected by Bluetooth and start playing your favorite songs or media with no additional input required from the user. Wow! Don’t forget that Apple Car Play as a standard “From the factory” option is going to start appearing in American cars later this year. The full release of iOS9 is coming out this fall.
Some Exciting Changes
Maps, Notes, News, and Wallet are all getting major facelifts through mobile devices including additional “hand-writing” or “sketching” functionality coming to notes which was previously unavailable. We fully expect this to be a hit with iPads in the near future. Wallet will also be able to store loyalty cards and credit cards for all of your purchasing needs. News content is supposed to be more dynamic now and allow authors to drop smart media directly into the newspaper. Imagine being able to open up a gallery or slideshow on a major event right from your tablet or phone.
Most Exciting Changes
In a move that cost Apple a lot of their street cred as an innovator, Apple is bringing the Microsoft and Samsung split screen functionality to their iOS9. With multi-touch recognition, you’ll be able to interact with your iPad in a whole new way resulting in: a bettery on-screen typing experience, the ability to use part o the screen like a laptop trackpad, and the ability to have multiple apps open at any given time.
Thoughts? Concerns? Comments? Let us know in the all-new Disqus comment section below!


text:
“Yahoo!” may be the unofficial catchphrase of the Calgary Stampede, but don’t be surprised if you hear a few local tourism operators let it slip this summer as well.
With the 100th anniversary of the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth set to capture national and international attention in July, Calgary’s tourism industry is anticipating what it hopes will be a banner year.
“We are confident that we should see anywhere from between four and six per cent growth in tourism in 2012 overall,” said Randy Williams, president and CEO of Tourism Calgary.
The growth would be significant, because tourism-related businesses are only just starting to recover from the impact of the recent economic downturn.
In 2011, Calgary’s tourism industry grew 8.1 per cent over 2010, but that growth only served to bring the industry back to its pre-recession level. If the Stampede’s centennial does what it’s expected to for Calgary’s hotels, restaurants and tour operators, the industry will really have reason to whoop it up.
Leanne Shaw-Brotherston — vice-president of the Calgary Hotel Association — said the combination of a weaker American economy, high gas prices and a high Canadian dollar have combined to result in a poorer showing for hotels during the past few Stampedes.
“I think the real hot economies of ’07 and ’08 were probably the last time hotels would have been sold out completely for Stampede,” she said.
While there are still plenty of Stampede Week hotel rooms available, Shaw-Brotherston said operators have noticed an increase in the number of people booking early.
“We anticipate that it’s going to be a strong Stampede this year,” she said.
“We’re hoping that with all the buzz around Calgary . . . it should help us drive some numbers for us this year.”
It’s not just Stampede that tourism operators are excited about. Williams said new attractions such as the Telus Spark Science Centre, the Calgary Zoo’s Penguin Plunge exhibit and the fact Calgary has been designated a Cultural Capital of Canada for 2012 should all serve to raise the city’s profile.
While consumer confidence in the United States is still low, economies in the western Canadian provinces are humming. According to the Canadian Tourism Research Institute, 63 per cent of Albertans — the highest rate of any province — are planning a domestic vacation this summer.
“The Alberta economy is strong, so we’re thankful for that,” Williams said. “About 70 per cent of visitation to Calgary is from Albertans themselves — whether it be Medicine Hat, Lethbridge or Edmonton — so that bodes well.”
Rene Keller, travel and tour co-ordinator with Calgary-based Anderson Vacations, said her company sells a wide variety of Calgary Stampede-themed vacation packages. She said judging by the interest expressed so far from travellers as far away as New Zealand, the Stampede centennial is attracting a lot of attention.
“We’ve had a lot of interest, even before we had our rates released for the Stampede packages. I’ve noticed quite a bit of interest recently, too — the more last-minute ones,” Keller said. “Everybody wants to come for a different reason, whether it be the rodeo or the chuckwagons or just the environment of Calgary during that 10 days.”
The real wild card when it comes to summer tourism projections is weather. While international visitors often book months in advance and will make their trip regardless of the forecast, regional visitors will often postpone or cancel a weekend getaway rather than spend their time shivering in the rain. While Williams said he believes this year’s Stampede has the potential to break records, he acknowledged that may be weather dependent.
All things considered, however, Williams is feeling so good about this year that he’s already thinking about 2013.
“This is such a pivotal year for us, and there’s so much to celebrate,” Williams said. “We’re now looking to 2013 and saying, ‘What’s the platform we’ll use for next year?’ We expect 2013 to continue to grow, but we certainly won’t have the Stampede platform to leverage.”


text:
WHITEHALL, Mich. — While Muskegon County as a whole is no stranger to marijuana shops, the city of Whitehall welcomed its first when New Standard opened on Monday.
"Feels great, super excited," says Nickolas Curtis, New Standard's director of retail operations. "We're really proud to be the first cannabis provisioning center here."
And according to the staff, the demand has been high.
"A lot of people have been coming in and saying, 'oh, we're right down the street,'" says Curtis. "'We've been waiting for you guys to open up for such a long time now.'"
This is New Standard's ninth location around the state, including one in the marijuana populated Muskegon.
"About 20 minutes down the road, you have big, pretty heavy market when it comes to the cannabis industry," says Curtis. "But here it's more or less, you know, a new blooming kind of a business."
And at each location, the shops have brought employment to their cities.
"We're also going to be generating more jobs here," says Curtis. "I mean, we've already generated nine so far, we're planning on generating more."
As well as a boost to the economy, which is something the company says Whitehall city leaders are thrilled about.
"They have definitely been supportive," says Curtis. "I think it's going to be generating a good amount of tax dollars, the whole mix."
A mix that'll benefit Whitehall residents both at home and at the store.
"Whether you are a first time consumer or you're well versed, you know, we have a little bit for everybody," says Nicole Spunar, manager of the new store.
Throughout this opening week, the store will offer 20% off all cannabis products as well as an in-store drawing for a prize pack.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.


text:
On her Snapchat Story, Kardashian showed off to the world that she has two garbage cans that are either spray painted with the Louis Vuitton logo....or are just actual factual Louis Vuitton trash cans.
When you realize Kim Kardashian’s Louis Vuitton trash cans cost more than your student loans.......— Jacklyn Krol (@JacklynKrol) January 14, 2018
Kim Kardashian has two Louis Vuitton trash cans i’m trying to be that rich!!— mariah (@oh_mariaah) January 11, 2018
Keep it going, Kim K. Keep it going.


text:
This weekly roundup of reports from Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong makes an attempt to curate the business’s most vital information, together with influential initiatives, adjustments within the regulatory panorama, and enterprise blockchain integrations.
A lot like last week, China’s minor COVID flareups dominated the headlines because the nation seeks to keep away from extra severe lockdowns. Cryptocurrency managed to remain out of the information, which contemplating the regulation not too long ago, can solely be considered as a great factor.
A lot love for the layer-twos
On August 3, IOSG Ventures and Chainlink hosted the Demo Day of the Layer-Two Hackathon in Shanghai. The occasion aimed to help builders engaged on scaling options for Ethereum and was backed by main initiatives reminiscent of Polygon, Close to, The Graph, and Matter Labs. The successful workforce, which received bounties and mentorship, was a Synthetix-based asset administration challenge. The winners known as themselves ObjK and used querying expertise from The Graph to tug knowledge from Synthetix, attaining an automatic cross-pool portfolio rebalance.
Layer-twos have all the time been standard in China, notably as customers really feel much less involved about custodial dangers and decentralization. Final week, OKEx formally launched OKExChain, which is an EVM-compatible layer-two community much like what different massive exchanges have launched.
That is of curiosity as a result of OKEx’s massive userbase, which ranks second solely to Binance when sorted by quantity. Layer-two networks launched by exchanges usually lack a few of the technical strengths of the devoted layer-two networks however have an enormous benefit in entry to customers, property, initiatives and communities.
OKExChain was proof of this because it amassed over $2 billion in property within the first week. About $350 million of that’s on AMM CherrySwap, which seems to be fairly liberally primarily based on BSC’s PancakeSwap. That TVL would rank across the thirtieth largest DeFi app on all networks, across the dimension of OlympusDAO on Ethereum and BakerySwap on BSC. KSwap, one other AMM platform on OKExChain, racked up over $684 million in 24-hour commerce quantity on Thursday, which places it second behind Uniswap V3 for the busiest dApp within the business. After all, the problem can be on the purposes and community to take care of these early numbers after the beneficiant APYs have been decreased to extra sustainable numbers.
Monitoring adoption elsewhere
Regardless of declining DEX buying and selling quantity on each BSC and Huobi Eco Chain, BSC not too long ago noticed an explosion in exercise round CryptoBlades, an NFT sport that accounted for greater than thrice the transaction quantity of your entire Huobi Eco Chain on Thursday.
In the end, for chains like Huobi ECO or OKExChain to compete with different layer-two networks, they have to discover a technique to recruit distinctive app builders to their ecosystems, moderately than counting on ports or forks from different networks. As Axie Infinity has proven, any blockchain community can turn out to be loaded filled with transactions and customers if the proper software is deployed on it.
China’s personal shadowy super-coders
In response to a Chainanalysis report, greater than $2.2 billion value of cryptocurrency had been despatched from Chinese language wallets to addresses related to illicit exercise within the two-year interval between April of 2019 and this summer time.
The majority of that is associated to the notorious PlusToken ponzi scam that befell in late 2019. Since then, the variety of addresses participating in scams and criminal activity has shrunk dramatically, indicating that Chinese language clampdowns are having some impression on shopper protections.
Regulators appear to be taking satisfaction of their victories, as evidenced by an article from a Individuals’s Financial institution of China working convention final week, the place the digital foreign money crackdown was talked about in an inventory of 2021 efforts so far.
Tech giants eyeing up the NFT house
Crypto corporations aren’t the one ones feeling the wrath of Chinese language regulators nowadays. Over the previous week, hundreds of billions of dollars have been wiped from Chinese language tech shares together with on-line training, supply, and video gaming.
Tencent, which invests in a lot of main sport publishers, suffered a greater than 17% drop in inventory value this month alone. Nonetheless, that didn’t cease it from saying this week that it would release an NFT trading platform that roughly interprets as “Magic Core”. Third events can reportedly launch NFT art work on the platform, and it’s designed by simply one among a number of groups inside Tencent which can be creating NFT associated companies. As a result of China’s strict regulatory insurance policies, a lot of the NFTs launched by the main web corporations are constructed on non-public chains or consortium chain expertise. Alibaba also launched an NFT platform in late June.


text:
APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – Downtown Appleton is losing an important piece of its charm. Hey, Daisy clothing store is closing after 16 years.
Sarah Hickey and her sister Rachel Aitken opened the boutique in De Pere in 2002. Hey, Daisy specializes in trendy, affordable clothing and accessories for women in Northeast Wisconsin. The Appleton location, the store’s second location, opened in 2005.
“I opened this store when I was 25, and I lived down here. So this store we always said was like my baby. Obviously, it’s been a really tough year for all businesses, but especially for small businesses and especially apparel businesses,” says Sarah Hickey.
Last year, the store closed down for 8 weeks in March. The owners created a website to help generate sales, but the online sales weren’t enough to keep the Appleton storefront open.
“When we first closed last March, we weren’t sure how long we would be closed, and then obviously being closed for eight weeks it just kind of took a toll on the business in general. Overall, it’s just really stressful to have multiple locations,” says Hickey.
Since the pandemic, the owners have seen a significant decrease in traffic inside the store. Downtown Appleton is normally busy with a number of different events, but with the lack of public gatherings and people choosing to shop online, the business is taking a major hit.
“Obviously, the big draw downtown is events and different things and you know different things that we see big spikes in our sales, and without having those we’re just not as busy as we’d like to be,” says Hickey.
“It’s so sad, it’s really sad. I understand it’s a hard time to keep it going. I think it’s been a staple down here. People love coming downtown and having the unique shopping experiences, so it’ll be really sad to see them go,” says longtime customer Kristin Piper.
Hey, Daisy has 3 locations: De Pere, Howard, Appleton, and one seasonal location in Door County. The Appleton location will be closing later this month. An exact date hasn’t been set. For more information on Hey, Daisy, click here.


text:
YouTube has become Google’s largest growth motor, and may be well worth $200 billion on its own.
Analysts bring to mind Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL,NASDAQ:GOOG) inventory of terminology of the company’s Google online search engine.
But the biggest growth engine of its is actually YouTube, the footage service of its.
In its most the latest quarterly article, released Oct. twenty nine, Alphabet noted five dolars billion found advertising revenue for YouTube, up 31 % originating from the first year prior.
But that’s not anything.
Its “Google, other” category includes membership earnings for ads free versions, along with a “skinny bundle” cable service called YouTube premium. The revenue is bundled up with hardware revenue, its Pixel Phone and Google Home speakers. That totals yet another $5.5 billion, up 37 % starting from a year ago.
YouTube is now about twenty % of Google’s small business, and also it is developing 3 occasions quicker compared to the remainder of the organization.
Theoretically, YouTube is easy cash. The traffic is actually plugged directly into Google’s network of cloud data facilities, of which you’ll notice 24, on each and every continent besides Africa. (Africa is still serviced using a partner network.) Most YouTube revenue is from the ad networking created for the google search.
although it is not that easy. YouTube is beneath continuous stress above precisely what it makes it possible for on as well as precisely what it takes down. Efforts to stamp down misinformation are assaulted of both the right and the left.
YouTube genres as “with me” videos, are actually big small businesses in the own properly of theirs. YouTube creators represent an enormous labor power. Different YouTube features are huge info and also represent possible anti trust difficulty. YouTube’s headquarters within San Bruno, California has more than 1,000 personnel.
Google purchased YouTube in 2006 for $1.65 billion, when it had been nothing more than a start up. When founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen had maintained the stock, it’d right now be truly worth about $10.5 billion.
In spite of this, YouTube will be the biggest bargain in the story of media.
Due to the government’s antitrust fit alongside it, centered on search and advertising , Google has an excellent incentive to obtain remunerated inside other ways for YouTube.
Besides evaluation going shopping inside YouTube videos, Google is looking to create subscription profits. The simple way is usually to drive money for turning as a result of adverts. YouTube has twenty huge number of “premium” participants, together with YouTube Music prospects. At twelve dolars monthly the premium members would be well worth about $3 billion a season.
Even bigger bucks could originated from YouTube Premium, a sixty five dolars per month bundle of cable channels with 2 million drivers on the conclusion of September. That’s about $1.6 billion. (Full disclosure: we reduce our $150-per-month cable program previous month and switched to YouTube Premium.) Over 6.5 zillion people trim cable service in the previous year. That is a major possibility market, in addition to an expanding one.
Here, too, choices on exactly what to incorporate inside the bundle get a huge difference to other businesses. Sinclair Broadcast Group (NASDAQ:SBGI) taken in a $4.2 billion loss inside the last quarter after YouTube Premium in addition to the Walt Disney’s (NYSE:DIS) Hulu dropped their regional athletics stations, many of that are branded as Fox Sports.
The Bottom line on GOOG Stock If you are purchasing GOOG inventory for progress, you’re shopping for YouTube.
YouTube is the dominant professional within free footage. Scores of millennials acquire a number of their TV through YouTube. Many people don’t pay for ads or YouTube Premium.
With innovative forms, and fresh means to earn cash similar to going shopping, YouTube has both equally a near-monopoly inside the room of its and an extended “runway” of growth ahead of it.
In fact splitting Google’s network of cloud information clinics as well as advertisement network from YouTube probably won’t impact it. The service can potentially just lease the expert services.
YouTube might be the strongest risk cable faces as it’s free. GOOG inventory is now figured at almost 7 moments product sales. With YouTube creating almost six dolars billion a quarter of earnings, and increasing faster than the main system, it’s possibly well worth $200 billion. Maybe much more.


text:
Cadbury is bringing the Midas touch to confectionery shelves this August, with the return of its Unwrap Gold on pack promotion on a range of its bestselling singles – and this year, it’s even better, with bigger prizes for consumers and a goal to drive category growth even further.
In 2012, Unwrap Gold was hugely successful, and helped Mondelēz International to its highest sales peak in two years1. This year, eight lucky consumers who find a winning bar will get their hands on an iconic Cadbury chocolate bar sculpted out of 18ct gold. The replicas, which will be presented at an exclusive Cadbury event, are valued at up to £22,000, and winners will benefit from a consultation with a specialist gold adviser on how to invest their windfall.
For those who don’t get their hands on one of the gold bars, there are plenty more chances to win, with every eighth bar containing a winning code for prizes including cinema tickets and Cadbury chocolate.
This 2013 promotion follows a highly successful six months for the category, with chocolate singles growing at 2 per cent and accelerating to 6.6 per cent growth in the last four weeks. Almost half of this growth was driven by
Mondelēz International brands, including the Cadbury Dairy Milk Taste campaign and the launch of Cadbury Dairy Milk Marvellous Creations.
The new Unwrap Gold promotional bars will feature eye-catching packaging for impactful shelf stand-out and disruptive point of sale, and will be supported by a £4 million marketing investment, including TV, outdoor, PR, experiential, in-store and digital activity.
Nina Meusburger, Senior Brand Manager at Mondelēz International says:“Mondelēz International has been a great contributor to the growth of chocolate singles and we’re eager to push that growth even further with Unwrap Gold.
“Unwrap Gold has a simple instant win mechanic, coupled with highly desirable prizes and a £4 million marketing investment, making it a hugely engaging campaign for shoppers. A Cadbury promotion of this scale can act as a signpost to the category. It can encourage consumers down the chocolate aisle, creating shopper excitement, generating all-important impulse purchases – and, crucially, driving sales uplifts for retailers.”


text:
Supply of food and beverages in trains will face goods and services tax (GST) as applicable on such items and not the concessional rate of 5% as specified by the government through a circular, Authority for Advance Rulings (AAR) said on Tuesday.
A train is a medium of transport and cannot be termed restaurant, eating joint, mess or canteen, Delhi AAR said in a decision that would impact those supplying food on trains. The ruling comes even as the industry has represented to the government and the GST Council on differential rates on same service leading to issues and potential disputes later.
Outdoor catering attracts 18% GST, while canteen services faces 5%. The levy on supply of food or beverages by facilities such as a mess or canteen was reduced to 5% in November. Subsequently, in January supplies made to Indian Railways were also put in the 5% bracket via a circular.
The circular from Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, announcing lower GST rate for food on trains, did not say whether such transactions shall be treated as supply of goods or services.
The AAR ruling came in response to an application by Deepak & Co that entered into an agreement with the Indian Railways for supply of food and beverages (packaged, cooked or at MRP) on mail and express trains.
It had also signed an agreement to open food stalls and food plazas in railway stations.
AAR has observed that supply of food and beverages directly to passengers at fixed rate on platforms did not have any element of services, and hence GST shall be charged on individual items as per their respective applicable rates, it said.
It also noted that mere heating and cooling of beverages or similar services are incidental and not eligible for any tax benefit.
“Incidental services provided with supply of goods being the dominant intention would be treated as supply of goods in GST. Hence supply on board a train would be treated at par with like goods in a retail shop from a GST rate perspective,” said MS Mani. partner at consultancy firm Deloitte India.
Harpreet Singh, partner at KPMG, said the principle laid down by the advance authority may have far reaching impact on composite supply arrangements involving serving of food at various places such as kiosks, food stalls and food trucks.
Anita Rastogi, indirect tax partner at PwC, said there was a need to ensure there is no conflict. “Considering that there have been slew of clarifications issued by the CBEC and parallelly multiple advance rulings coming out in public domain, it is pertinent that there should be no conflict among the two as far as interpretation is concerned,” she said.


text:
Cannes [France]: Actor Pooja Hegde is extremely proud to represent India at the Cannes Film festival 2022.
During the inauguration of Indian pavilion at the 75th edition of the event, Pooja said, “I’ve not come (to the Cannes Film Festival) with a brand, but I’ve come with brand India. I’ve come (here) as a representative. It’s an honour for me to be very honest to come (here) as an Indian actor celebrating Indian cinema.” Pooja is in Cannes as a part of the Indian delegation led by Union Minister Anurag Thakur.
" It's always been a dream to walk at #Cannes. I have not come with a brand, but I have come with Brand India🇮🇳.
I have come as an Indian actor celebrating Indian Cinema🎞 "
— Ramesh Bala (@rameshlaus) May 18, 2022
On Tuesday, she walked the red carpet with the likes of AR Rahman, R Madhavan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and Tamannaah Bhatia.
The festival is special this year for India as it has been chosen as the ‘Country of Honour’ at Marche Du Film. (ANI)


text:
On Tuesday night, the people of America declared Barack Obama their President for a second term, meaning fashion fans have another four years of enjoying the first lady’s invariably fantastic wardrobe.
And Michelle Obama kicked off her husband’s second term in style, joining him on stage to celebrate his win over Mitt Romney sporting a burgundy brocade Michael Kors sheath A-line dress that she topped off with a black tailored stretch shrug.
CLICK ON PHOTO FOR FULL GALLERY
More astute fashion watchers will have recognised the dress – Michelle has wowed in the designer creation twice before. She showed off the simple yet stunning design in December 2009, for a White House holiday party. And In November 2010, she chose the frock for the Medal of Honour presentation ceremony.
She shone bright in the metallic number - a more pared down option than the memorable black and red Narciso Rodriguez dress that she wore on Election Night in 2008.
There was also a noticeable difference with the couple’s children, Malia and Sasha. Taller and more gorgeous than ever, the girls managed to steal some of their mother’s fashion spotlight in cute, bright coloured skirts paired with little jumpers.
The fashion industry is likely to be delighted with Tuesday’s result. Several designers, including Marc Jacobs and Tony Burch, contributed items to Runway to Win, a fundraising scheme for Mr Obama’s re-election effort.
And in his victory speech, Mr Obama recognised not only the fashion world, but the country’s affection for his wife, telling her: "I have never loved you more, I have never been prouder to watch the rest of America fall in love with you, too, as the nation’s First Lady."
Meanwhile, Ann Romney also looked ultra glamorous as her husband conceded the election, showing off a red, three-quarter length sleeve shift dress that she accessorised with a chunky necklace and black pumps.
Tuesday night saw what was deemed by many the closest presidential race in recent US. history. The president claimed victory at 4.20am UK time as projections showed he had won the key battleground state of Ohio, which held the key to amassing the 270 electoral college votes needed to win.
Minutes after his victory was announced, the president tweeted: "We're all in this together. That's how we campaigned, and that's who we are. Thank you." He also posted a picture of himself embracing his wife Michelle with the caption "Four more years" - and the post rapidly became the most popular tweet of all time.
In his victory speech in Chicago, the 44th president said he had "never been more hopeful about America".
"We believe in a generous America, in a compassionate America, in a tolerant America," Obama said to a cheering crowd. "I return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever. Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual," he said.
"Despite all the hardship we've been through... I've never been more hopeful about our future, and I ask you to sustain that hope."
During the speech, the president thanked "the best vice president anyone could ask for", Joe Biden and dedicated some tender words to his wife and two daughters.
"I wouldn't be the man I am today without the woman who agreed to marry me 20 years ago. Let me say this publicly: Michelle, I have never loved you more. I have never been prouder to watch the rest of America fall in love with you, too, as our nation's first lady. Sasha and Malia, before our very eyes you're growing up to become two strong, smart beautiful young women, just like your mom. And I'm so proud of you guys."
Barack is set to celebrate his win with a star-studded party featuring Stevie Wonder, Mary J Blige, Ashley Judd, Melanie Griffith and Will.i.Am.


text:
A growing number of Oracle users are not happy with what theyre getting.
Why? The products cost too much. The products are suddenly springing security leaks. DBAs now have a god-awful amount of patches to install, and nobody told them they were coming or what they meant. Technical support has been outsourced and automated, meaning you cant talk to a human being unless you pay ample money for the privilege.
Those are just some of the details behind Oracle Corp.s sagging customer reputation, which is now at a 12-year low, according to a report put out earlier this month by Techtel Corp.
Techtel measured the database giant against competitors such as Microsoft Corp. and IBM by surveying about 650 U.S. businesspeople with buying influence or purchase authority for IT and communications products and services.
According to Mike Kelly, author of the report and CEO of the Emeryville, Calif., market analysis firm, those surveyed were asked to rate Oracle on product features and functions, service and support, standards and compatibility, vendor reliability and accountability, and pricing and licensing. Oracle came out “significantly lower” on all five ratings when compared with IBM, Kelly said.
The report offered tantalizing facts but no specifics behind the numbers. For example, the report found that one in four potential Oracle customers has a negative opinion of Oracle. That compares with about one in 10 potential IBM customers who has a negative opinion.
The report also found that fewer than half of IT professionals surveyed trust Oracle, compared with 80 percent who trust IBM. A large portion of those distrusting professionals work for organizations that employ more than 5,000 employees, making the lack of trust a serious threat to Oracles future revenue, the report postulated.
The researchers didnt ask why customers are losing trust and respect for Oracle, but users contacted for this story were happy to supply specifics.
Mike Wessler, a contractor for Indianapolis-based Perpetual Technologies Inc., said there are two basic veins of enterprise unhappiness with Oracle: managerial and technical. “The people who have to pay the Oracle licenses, which have never been cheap,” are unhappy with Oracle because of high costs, he said.
On the technical side, unhappiness is growing because of two convergent causes, Wessler said: new products with features that dont always work as promised, and the outsourcing of support.
“[Oracle has] a lot of new products out, with a lot of new features that dont always work as promised,” he said. “Then, when youre forced to use them, you have to go through Oracle support services. The change has been [coming about] over the past couple of years, with a lot of outsourcing to India. In many cases, its difficult to communicate effectively and to close trouble tickets effectively, and thats a frustration many people have suffered, both with the database and on the Applications Server.”
But Noel Yuhanna, an analyst at Forrester Research Inc., in Santa Clara, Calif., said Forrester hasnt come across any major complaints regarding Oracles customer support —at least not from those who can afford to pay for higher levels. “Oracle does have depth in support, and there are multiple levels,” he said. “If youre a [small to midsized business], you might not be getting the best support.”
And not all users are unhappy with support, by any means. Rich Niemiec, CEO and principal of TUSC (The Ultimate Software Consultants) and past president of the International Oracle Users Group, said support, via MetaLink, is better than ever.
“Most people who talk to me do self-support, because all the information repository is there online,” said Niemiec, in Chicago. “Since MetaLink went up, we have never had a support question. We dont have one thats not answered there.”
Yuhanna said pricing and licensing are primary—and somewhat traditional—concerns for the Oracle users he deals with. “Thats the No. 1 concern weve seen over the past two to three years,” he said.
New Patches, No Notice
But security is a newcomer to the list of Oracle customers concerns, Yuhanna said, and one that Oracle users arent necessarily used to dealing with. Oracle rolled out its first monthly patch set at the end of August. According to Craig Read, IT director at Toronto-based MTrilogix Inc. and president of the Toronto Oracle Users Group, many users were disgruntled at the lack of communication from Oracle on the patch set.
“Our user community was never informed,” he said. “We canvassed members, and 90 percent said No, we werent informed. We had to inform them that Oracle was doing [a patch set] and we had to tell them why it was a good thing.”
Where Read sees Oracle as losing ground to IBM in terms of customer loyalty is in the fact that its positioning itself as a horizontal platform, as opposed to IBMs dogged pursuit of vertical business processes.
“A lot of people want to do things specific to their business processes,” he said. “Its not cheap to do that with Oracle. The markets really fragmenting, as well, and [businesses] want something that fits their business and maps onto it.”
But this all may add up to a puddle of unhappiness, rather than the ocean that Techtel believes is threatening to drown Oracle sales. “Over 50 percent of people in the IOUG run other databases in addition to Oracle,” Niemiec said.
“In over 30 percent [of IOUG members surveyed about one and a half years ago] where Oracle isnt the primary database, over 95 percent said Oracle had superior technology. … Oracles literally at the top of their game from a technology perspective.”
Users agree that, no matter how unhappy they may be at the core, Oracles technology is solid. “I see no reason or desire to move to [IBMs] DB2,” Wessler said. “Theres simply too much invested in Oracle. A lot of projects are written for Oracle; your developers are trained in Oracle; your infrastructure and administrators are geared for Oracle.”
Oracle users growing unhappiness wont force large migrations from Oracle, users said, but it is already forcing small shifts onto, for example, open-source databases like that of MySQL AB.
“What I see happening is small projects, those that exist in maybe an Access database that needs expanding, instead of moving to Oracle, you might move to MySQL or another freeware database like that,” Wessler said.
Forresters Yuhanna concurred. “Thats a trend going on with smaller databases,” he said. “The fact is that just like Sybase [Inc.] announcing their free database on Linux for the SMB [small and midsize business] market, [the market for] open-source databases is heating up, with the penetration of open source in the entry level, which is the SMB market. Its obviously impacting all database vendors.”
But what matters is that loss of trust hurts companies in the long run, Techtels Kelly said. “What weve seen in the past, the kinds of things that make opinion go down are companies that lose touch with listening to the market,” he said. “They become whats characterized as arrogant. Theyre right, were wrong. After a while, you have a lot of customers who dont agree with what youre doing and how youre treating them.”
And in Oracles case, this loss wont be papered over by, for example, the potential acquisition of PeopleSoft Inc., Kelly said. “If people dont like Oracle, what happens to the problem of not wanting to buy from Oracle [after the company has purchased PeopleSoft]?” he said. “Its a deep problem that even acquisitions wont overcome.”
Oracle declined to comment for this article.


text:
A golfing businessman has taken a shot on a new website which connects players around the world.
Paul Gibbons, owner of Leaderboard Golf and The Oxfordshire Golf Club in Thame, has teamed up with Nearest2the in website.
The site connects golfers around the world and matches them up to location so there is always an opportunity to tee off alongside like-minded golf enthusiasts.
Signed up members can invite other golfers to play a round or use the messaging system to arrange a time and a place to meet.
Mr Gibbons said: “We are very excited about working with Nearest2thePin and are pleased to offer this innovative tool to all of our members.”
Mr Gibbons has taken the world exclusive right and licence to promote the service for the next 15 years through his own online discounted golf course service, Leaderboard Tee Times.
He added: “We hope it will enhance their experience of Leaderboard Tee Times by connecting players all over the country.”
Nearest2thePin founder, Jay Pidgeon, said: “As someone who travels extensively for business, I grew tired of sitting in a hotel room when I could have been out on a course.
“Our goal with Nearest2thePin is to help golfers find other golfers, anytime, anywhere.”
You can go online and visit the website at www.nearest2thepin.com


text:
Rather than provide short-term aid, Oxfam America works with local communities to create lasting solutions to poverty by helping people address the root causes themselves.
Phoenix, AZ (PRWEB) December 11, 2012
Pinnacle Cart online store and website builder, has selected Oxfam America, an organization that helps people overcome poverty, as the beneficiary of a special holiday fundraising offer. From now until December 31, 2012, every new Pinnacle Cart customer will have a goat donated in their name to a community in need. For every three new 14 day trials created, Pinnacle Cart will donate manure to families in need through Oxfam America’s Unwrapped program (more information at http://www.oxfamamericaunwrapped.com).
Goats can feed hungry children and families with healthy milk, cheese, and yogurt. Goats also act as an additional revenue source providing families with much needed income through milk and off spring which can be sold at market.
The green gift of manure transforms waste into power - agriculture power. Organic manure increases crop yields and is cheaper, greener, and safer than chemical fertilizers.
The hope is that a little humor will go a long way in increasing awareness of a very serious issue.
Rather than provide short-term aid, Oxfam America works with local communities to create lasting solutions to poverty by helping people address the root causes themselves. While providing relief assistance can help in the short term, donations like goats and manure have longer lasting effects. With every trial or order, customers receive a free personalized gift card with an image of your charitable gift.
“As Americans we’ve been truly blessed. The holiday season is a perfect time to reflect on the things we have and look for ways we can help those less fortunate then ourselves,” states Mike Auger, President and CEO of Pinnacle Cart. “Our company has always been about helping people and businesses achieve their goals and this act of giving not only helps individuals and families with their basic needs, it continues to provide them with a viable source of income. We are honored to help Oxfam America and encourage all companies to join with us in helping this amazing organization.”
To get started, visit http://www.pinnaclecart.com.
About Pinnacle Cart
Pinnacle Cart, provides scalable ecommerce solutions for small to mid-size businesses. Through the all-in-one platform, merchants can create and manage a web store, mobile store and sell on Facebook. Built from a marketing perspective, Pinnacle Cart provides merchants with world class security, one-touch resolution support and industry leading SEO tools and marketing features. Pinnacle Cart is a top choice for businesses looking to truly be successful online. To learn more visit us at http://www.pinnaclecart.com.
About Oxfam America
Oxfam America is an international relief and development organization that creates lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice. Together with individuals and local groups in 94 countries, Oxfam saves lives, helps people overcome poverty, and fights for social justice. We are one of the 17 affiliates in the international confederation Oxfam. For more information visit http://www.oxfamamericaunwrapped.com.


text:
Bharti Airtel, India’s largest mobile operator, will restructure its businesses next month as it looks to expand beyond voice telephony, Reuters reports, citing India’s Economic Times. Bharti is tipped to expand its three divisions to nine to focus on mobile commerce, Internet, enterprise business and small and medium business.
Recommended for You
Be the first to know.
Subscribe to our newsletter today.
You'll gain exclusive access to breaking news, expert analysis, and in-depth features delivered right to your inbox.


text:
End of the cut-price wine deal: Government plans to ban supermarkets from discounting alcohol if customers bulk buy
The Government is set to outlaw the discounting of bulk deals on wine by supermarkets, as part of a review on alcohol pricing.
Critics of the review say the move will actually hit middle-class families, who buy a few bottles of wine at the weekend, rather than the often young, anti-social drinkers the plans are meant to affect.
The Government's alcohol strategy, due to be launched next week, will see an end to bulk-buy deals on booze, according to a report by the Daily Telegraph.
The Government wants to put an end to wine deals in supermarket as part of a review of alcohol pricing
Big discounts for multiple bottles of wine can be found at most, if not all main supermarkets, throughout the year.
Sainsbury's and Waitrose both currently offer a 25 per cent discount if you buy six bottles of wine.
The government is concerned this tempts shoppers into purchasing more alcohol than they planned to buy in the first place.
David Cameron is personally committed to the measures, which are to meet the growing strain on NHS resources that alcohol-related injuries and illnesses are causing.
Critics have suggested the plans will hit middle-class families buying a couple of bottles of Sauvignon Blanc at the weekend rather than young, anti-social drinkers
The issue felt by some government MPs is whether a ban on multiple wine deals will actually affect the people it is meant to reach, and instead punish millions of middle-class responsible drinkers who vote Conservative.
'People shouldn’t think this is just about yobs getting drunk in parks and kids preloading before going out — this is going to affect respectable middle-class people popping into Waitrose for a couple of bottles of sauvignon blanc at the weekend,' a government source told the Daily Telegraph.
Critics of the plans have also pointed out that if the suggested price of 40p per unit is adopted, it is unlikely to affect most wine and beers on the market.
The plans would see a bottle of wine with a 12 per cent alcohol content sell for no less than £3.60, yet supermarket Waitrose already doesn't sell wine for less than that amount, making the changes meaningless.
Mr Cameron is to meet the Home Office this week to discuss the changes, as it estimates a 40p minimum price regulation would see 50,000 fewer crimes and 900 fewer alcohol-related deaths per year by the end of the decade.
Others, including medical experts, are pushing for an even higher minimum price such as 50 per unit. Scotland has already passed legislation at that price.
The changes may face a legal challenge from drinks manufacturers and the European Commission on the grounds of breaching European free trade laws.
The proposals is unlikely to affect wine clubs, but it is unknown how retailers who specialise in bulk wine deals,such as Majestic, would be affected.
Most watched News videos
- Hammer jammed in man's helmet after London 'hijacking' incident
- Moped gang with foot-long machetes raid jewellers in Maida Vale
- Police say transgender woman who was beaten by mob is found dead
- Runner collapses and dies before finishing Cleveland Marathon
- Video shows taxi driver dump passenger on pavement after argument
- Man crashes motorcycle doing tricks to impress people in Mexico
- David Koch slams people complaining about election results
- CCTV shows woman in Cheshire stealing cash from kid's wallet
- MP Jess Phillips quarrels with anti-LGBT teaching protesters
- Footage of London Bridge 'skateboard hero' who fought terrorists
- This is the damage caused by Maida Vale jewellery moped gang
- UK entry finishes last at Eurovision for the first time since 2010


text:
By Cory Lunde, Western Growers
It’s been a tough several years for California farmers and ranchers. Four, and now perhaps five, years of drought have made it increasingly challenging, and more expensive, for the farming community to maintain business as usual. On top of decreased water deliveries that led to hundreds of thousands of acres of fallowed farmland and direct economic impacts estimated at $1.8 billion, California farmers were also repeatedly criticized in 2015 for the amount of water needed to grow the food and farm products that Californians – and the world – rely on every day.
Yet, despite the historically dry conditions and the increased scrutiny about the natural resources necessary to grow and raise our food supply, I couldn’t be more optimistic about the future of farming and ranching in the Golden State. Condemnation of California agriculture has quieted – perhaps because we are finally experiencing some much needed precipitation in some portions of the state, but also because Californians are experiencing an increased level of awareness and appreciation about the realities of water use on the farm.
Cultivate California, a public outreach program that launched in December 2015, is focused on highlighting how farmers and ranchers use water efficiently and responsibly and emphasizing the importance of providing farmers with a sustainable water supply to ensure they can continue to produce the vegetables, fruits, nuts, dairy, meat and fiber products that feed and clothe our families.
Western Growers – an organization that represents local and regional family farmers who grow fresh produce in California and other Western states – is a proud supporter of Cultivate California. We believe that sharing this information is critical to raising consumers’ understanding about the interconnectivity between farming and food, as well as the importance of innovation in farming.
This latter point is something Western Growers is championing via its new endeavor, the Center for Innovation & Technology, or CIT. The CIT is a technology incubator headquartered in Salinas, Calif., and designed to connect technology entrepreneurs with farmers and ranchers in order to develop groundbreaking, creative solutions to the biggest challenges facing agriculture. Chief among those challenges is how agriculture can respond in an era of dwindling resources.
Currently 10 startups have taken up residence at the CIT, but this is just the beginning. The CIT will support these companies as they develop their ideas, with the goal of ultimately assisting them as they build themselves into viable companies down the line. Access to the agriculture industry provided through the CIT is unprecedented in California, and tenants are already benefiting from regular face time with the farming and ranching organizations that will ultimately become their customers.
All of agriculture is being asked to do more while relying on fewer inputs. Can we use less water, apply fewer pesticides and get by with less labor, yet still grow enough – or better, grow more – to feed the nation and world? These are questions worth asking, and through the CIT and programs like Cultivate California, we think we are on the right track to finding the answers.


text:
(Silver Spring, MD) -- Carbonfund.org today announced its newest partner, Ribbon Nutrition, a progressive Vitamin/Supplement company created to help fund non-profit organizations in the fight against Breast Cancer. Ribbon Nutrition has taken an industry-leading position by offsetting not only its own production and operations, but also all shipping involved in delivering products to its customers.
Ribbon Nutrition has worked hard to reduce the impacts of its operations by doing things such as implementing strict reuse and recycling procedures within its office and making environmental education and outreach a priority, but it struggled to account for the emissions that were produced by producing its products and shipping them to retailers and consumers.
Carbonfund.org used its Carbonfree™ Shipping application, which was developed jointly with Carnegie Mellon University’s Green Design Institute, to calculate the impact of the shipment and delivery of products and then helped Ribbon Nutrition offset the resulting CO2. The organization has also helped Ribbon Nutrition to assess its carbon footprint within its manufacturing, production, and offices. Ribbon Nutrition bottles and shipments will carry the official Carbonfree™ logo beginning immediately.
“In addition to doing everything we can to minimize our impact on climate change, one of our goals as a company is to educate people about the profound connections between the environment and diseases such as Breast Cancer,” said Stephen Hennessy, co-founder of Ribbon Nutrition. "Nearly everything we do on this planet is connected. It’s a beautiful circle of life that needs to be protected. By partnering with Carbonfund.org we will hopefully not only demonstrate our commitment, but more than that help make people more aware of just how closely connected their health is to the health of the planet.”
“We applaud Ribbon Nutrition for their leadership on climate change,” said Eric Carlson, Carbonfund.org’s executive director. “Not only is Ribbon Nutrition taking responsibility for the carbon footprint associated with its own operations, it is also making a significant outreach effort to its customers to engage them on climate change and demonstrate how easy taking action can be.”
“We are really excited to be working with Carbonfund.org, in particular, because of their activist and visionary approach towards fighting climate change. From our first conversations with them they understood the complexity of our organization and our social and environmental goals as a company. We’re currently working with them to assess our carbon footprint within every aspect of our business--from our production, to our offices, to our shipping--and they’re making it simple for us to be the kind of globally responsible business we want to be,” said Stephen Hennessy.
Adds Jim Powers, Ribbon Nutrition co-founder, “We absolutely see this as a long-term partnership with Carbonfund.org. Even more than that, we’re inspired to tell other businesses just how important, and easy, it is for them to contribute towards a sustainable planet.”
For more information about Carbonfund.org, contact Ramsay Huntley at 240-556-1908.
For more information about Ribbon Nutrition, contact Stephen Hennessy at 404-441-6683.
Make a Difference! Participate in Carbonfund.org’s Carbonfree™ program. Pink Penguin Press, a non-profit organization, has officially partnered with Carbonfund.org to bring their Carbonfree™ program to the Natural Products Industry. To find out how your business or organization can participate, contact Summer Crosby at Pink Penguin Press at 800-647-5048.
Carbonfund.org is a national non-profit organization leading the fight against climate change. Carbonfund.org educates the public about the dangers of climate change and makes it easy and affordable for individuals, businesses and organizations to reduce their climate impact. Carbonfund.org is reducing the threat of climate change by promoting cost-effective carbon reductions and supporting renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation projects globally that reduce and offset carbon dioxide emissions. Carbonfund.org works with over 100 corporate and non-profit partners including the National Wildlife Federation, Dell, IMD, Lancôme, Ovation Travel Group and Working Assets. (http://www.carbonfund.org)
About Ribbon Nutrition
Founded in 2005 by Jim Powers and Stephen Hennessy, Ribbon Nutrition’s mission is to help fight Breast Cancer through a message of prevention, empowerment, and education. Ribbon Nutrition offers a complete selection of vitamin, mineral, digestive, herbal, and specialty supplements for the whole family. All Ribbon Nutrition products are manufactured to the strictest quality standards and feature the highest quality ingredients available. Ribbon Nutrition offers their products at health food stores nationwide as well as on-line. They donate up to 10% of the total revenue from the sale of the products and, with their Million Dollar Flip campaign, have pledged to display their products upside-down until they have raised five million dollars for their non-profit partners. Learn more at www.ribbonnutrition.com.
About Pink Penguin Press
Pink Penguin Press was not created to reduce the incidence of Breast Cancer. Or to find a cure. Pink Penguin Press was created to end Breast Cancer. Not in another lifetime. Not centuries from now. Today. And each and every day. Pink Penguin Press was created to empower YOU with the resources and knowledge to change your health, to change the world. Today. Learn more at www.pinkpenguinpress.org or call 800-647-5048.


text:
These Are The Top Fashion Brands Millennials Are Loving
Photo: Forever 21
Ever wonder what fashion brands the teens of today are obsessing over?
There’s no denying that keeping up with the trends of the millennial generation is a job within itself. But thankfully, with the help of Teen Vogue and Goldman Sachs, the duo compiled a list of brands that teenagers and young adult customers are loving. Teaming up for the third year in a row, the youth-focused publisher and Goldman Sachs’ Apparel and Accessories Global Investment Research Group conducted a survey that ranks labels based on their online and in-store impact.
And let’s just say, the results are pretty on point! Coming out on top is Forever 21, followed by H&M with a #7 spot – which pretty much sets the tone with fast fashion retailers. As far as surprises go, Louis Vuitton managed to earn a #17 spot right before Steve Madden, with the following brands taking a role in the top 50 for the first time in 2015: Adidas, Calvin Klein, Tiffany & Co., Nars and Nasty Gal.
When it comes to what these brands all have in common, we pretty much rounded the solution out to social media – which is basically the largest impact on millennials today. With the exception of a few brands, most of the labels on this list are pros at entertaining the social media mass.
Check out what other brands took a spot on the list in the gallery below.
The post These Are The Top Fashion Brands Millennials Are Loving appeared first on StyleBlazer.


text:
Your fitness tracker may soon be able to detect when you’re getting sick — before the onset of any symptoms.
Wearable tech has primarily recorded basic biometric information like number of steps taken, heart rate, and sleep. But a new Stanford study, published in PLOS Biology, reports that these common devices might soon be able to signal the onset of colds or complex health conditions, such as inflammation, type 2 diabetes, and even Lyme disease.
Researchers developed an algorithm for the devices to analyze the nearly 2 billion data measurements they collected, including heart rate, blood-oxygenation levels, and skin temperature, from 60 self-reported healthy people ranging in age 28 to 72. Measuring deviations from baselines, they noticed the changes often coincided with times participants became ill.
The results show promise for the devices to serve as personal-health dashboards and diagnostic aids.
This originally appeared as “Illness Trackers” in the June 2017 print issue of Experience Life.


text:
Original article by Karen Maley
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 30-Oct-17
Michael Corbat, the CEO of US bank Citigroup, forecasts that it will not be too long before digital payments and the like replace credit cards. Given that Citigroup is the largest issuer of credit cards in the world, it is important that it is well-positioned to be part of whatever replaces them. Asked whether he supports plans by the Trump administration to scale back some of the laws introduced in the wake of the global financial crisis, Corbat says it is the way the laws are administered that needs to change rather than the laws themselves.
CITIGROUP INCORPORATED, SALOMON BROTHERS INCORPORATED, TRAVELLERS GROUP INCORPORATED


text:
HERZOGENAURACH, Germany — Adidas AG increased its full-year forecast as brand sales benefited from the Euro 2016 soccer tournament and it pocketed a payment to end a sponsorship deal with England’s Chelsea soccer club early.
Currency-neutral sales this year will increase in the "high teens," the Herzogenaurach, Germany-based Adidas said in a statement Thursday. That compares with previous a previous forecast for roughly 15 percent growth.
Net income from continuing operations will increase 35 percent to 39 percent to €975 million ($1.1 billion) to €1 billion, compared with previous guidance for a 25 percent increase. Adidas plans to report its full second-quarter earnings on Aug. 4.
By Aaron Ricadela; editors: Nate Lanxon and Angela Cullen.


text:
Introduced back in October 2010, Skype for Android has been downloaded for more than 70 million times on Google Play to date, the company revealed today through its blog post. The application now runs on close to 1,400 Android devices, including the handsets from HTC, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, LG and others. The Skype for Android allows you to make free video calls, share media or instantly message anyone else on Skype regardless the end users having an Android smartphone or tablet, iPhone or iPad, Mac, Windows PC or any other Skype-supported device. The application is available in 16 languages so far. The company even released an infographic giving you a more better idea that how far it reached with Android application version of Skype:
I2Mag, an Internet & Design Inspiration Magazine having emphasis on empowering and inspiring people by spreading the waves of knowledge. I2Mag is an independent news source dedicated to covering start-ups, reviewing internet products, social media, digital culture and technology news.


text:
Mini is continuing to evaluate the impact of the Superleggera Vision concept. In some quarters it has gone down so well, says Mini brand head Jochen Goller, that customers have visited dealers to place orders.
The Superleggera was built to see ‘“how the public would react to a Mini stretched in a way that it had never been stretched before”, says board member Peter Schwarzenbauer, “and react to design cues that were back to basics, reduced to the max. We got an extremely positive reaction to it, although some hardcore Mini fans said 'no, that’s not a Mini'."
Schwarzenbauer reckons its rear-drive layout "is a natural," and the "simpler interior and electric drivetrain are where the brand is going direction-wise." But of the roadster concept itself "we are not sure yet – the volume is low, and how many open cars do you need in a range?"
When the model was revealed at the Villa d'Este Concours in May, it was thought the Superleggera could easily become a range-topping car for the Mini line-up. The production version of the concept would serve to replace the current Mini roadster and coupé models.


text:
To keep up with consumer demands for seamless digital experiences, retailers need to give IT teams a better view of POS and other devices
Emergen Research recently reported that the smart-retail market size was $23.4 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach $220.3 billion by 2032. Consumer demand for an exceptional, frictionless, and personalized retail-shopping experience is driving this growth. Accordingly, retailers are looking to smart displays, digital price tags, roaming handheld devices, and other digital ways to step up their game and attract consumers.
Why the investment? A 2021 global study by Mood Media revealed that “71% of consumers throughout the world are now shopping in physical stores as often or even more often than before the pandemic.” In fact, 38% expect to shop in-person even more often now than they did before Covid-19. Indeed, your smart retail strategy must be buttoned up to remain competitive in the always-fickle retail market. Shoppers have returned in droves; embrace the opportunities!
To compete for wallet share, retailers cannot miss a beat. It’s not exaggerating to say that the in-store consumer experience can make or break a retailer. One poor review by a social-media influencer (or even an anonymous shopper) can be the tweet or TikTok that takes down an empire.
Game on! Every moment of uptime counts for every device in retail — such as point-of-sale (POS) systems, tablets and scanners in warehousing, and smart displays. Your IT team, then, is an integral stakeholder in ensuring a stellar customer experience enhanced these days by smart retail technology. Retailers across the consumer supply chain rely on their end-user devices to get products out the door and into the hands of delighted customers. Meanwhile, the IT team must quickly and efficiently work behind the scenes to power the consumer experience.
“It’s a stark reality that as retailers’ costs and competition increase and customer loyalty becomes ever more enigmatic, pressure across the business to become as operationally efficient as possible leaves no stone unturned — and that especially includes the cost and efficiency of maintaining the IT estate upon which the brand depends (e.g., end-user devices such as POS devices, kiosks, employee laptops, etc.),” explained esteemed retail analyst Andrew Busby in “Unexpected Item in License Agreement.”
IT teams are responsible for ensuring that those devices across the retail consumer supply chain are always working at the right time in the right place. While downtime is the nemesis of all sectors, in retail, it’s especially costly. In the UK, for example, “the average cost for retail downtime incidents currently sits at around £3,675 per minute.” Complete visibility of the IT estate, from the warehouse to the front of the house, is imperative to avoid such a huge financial blow.
The cost of lost revenue is not the only concern. Reputational cost can be just as damaging. We’ve all experienced deep frustration when a POS system is down. Losing a single device translates into longer lines, longer wait times, and shorter customer patience — all of which add up to a perfect storm that can damage the customer experience and customer trust when (and long after) it hits.
3 Reasons Why Complete Visibility Across Retail’s IT Assets is Imperative
What’s the solution? Real-time visibility across the IT estate — from handheld devices in warehouses to POS assets on the retail floor — enables retail-sector leaders to optimize supply chain operations, store efficiency and productivity, sales, and customer satisfaction. As retail organizations invest in digital or form their own digital development teams in-house to bring a smart retail strategy to life, it’s vital to invest in end-user digital experience tools as well. That’s because those tools can affect the uptime of endpoint devices, customer-facing interactions, employee productivity, operational uptime, the in-store digital experience, and, ultimately, brand reputation.
Here are more three eye-opening reasons why visibility across IT endpoints is so important:
- 58% of retail organizations regard in-store employee access to mobile business apps as critical.
- 71% of specialty and department stores plan to invest in mobile inventory receiving and tracking apps by 2025 — about double compared to 2022.
- An astounding 23% drop (year over year) in satisfaction with store efficiency among specialty and department stores was reported from 2021 to 2022.
Visibility to See the Hidden Issues, Smartest Fixes, Biggest Savings
“It’s not necessarily just the end-user experience that matters; retailers also benefit from the invaluable data insights from the endpoint devices,” according to Lakeside Software’s Senior Director of Product Management Matt McGuire during a recent webinar with World Wide Technology. “These data insights empower IT teams to remediate issues before they affect the consumer experience.”
Detecting and remediate end-user device issues remotely is especially critical. This is where the Lakeside SysTrack’s platform can help: Monitoring your retail technology stack SysTrack gives everyone a better view of the health of endpoint devices used across the retail consumer experience in stores. SysTrack solves key challenges most large retailers face today, including:
- Maintaining visibility into the health of devices across many locations.
- Analysis and prediction of operational failures to improve resolution time of help desk tickets.
- Avoiding the high cost of retail tech downtime
SysTrack provides detailed data on the health of POS systems, servers, desktops, and peripheral devices used in daily operations to help maintain device performance, proactively monitor system issues, and accelerate IT help desk responses. SysTrack enables IT to pinpoint the root causes of issues quickly and use automation to proactively resolve problems before they affect the end-user or consumer experience. With a global operational dashboard, IT can easily see the location of any sites experiencing issues that could lead to costly downtime.
Subscribe to the Lakeside Newsletter
Receive platform tips, release updates, news and more


text:
Shares in J Sainsbury (LON:SBRY) have gained ground in London this morning, as the grocer’s like-for-like sales in the first quarter beat analyst expectations. Today’s results mark the first quarter following the Home Retail acquisition for which the supermarket did not issue separate like-for-like sales data for Sainsbury’s and Argos.
As of 08:38 BST, Sainsbury’s share price was 0.20 percent higher at 249.40p, having jumped more than one percent earlier in the session. The shares are outperforming the broader UK market, with the benchmark FTSE 100 index having slipped into the red and currently standing 0.33 percent lower at 7,352.78 points. The group’s shares have added just under 10 percent to their value over the past year, and are up by more than one percent in the year-to-date.
Sainsbury’s announced in a statement this morning that its retail like-for-like sales, excluding fuel, had climbed 2.3 percent in the 16 weeks to July 1. Reuters reports that the number compares with analysts’ average forecast of a rise of two percent and growth of 0.3 percent in the previous quarter. Sainsbury’s grocery sales meanwhile came in three percent higher.
“We have seen strong food sales where we have invested in product innovation, such as our new Summer eating ranges,” the grocer’s chief executive Mike Coupe commented in the statement, adding that its general merchandise and clothing business, including Argos, had outperformed the market. He, however, warned that the market remained competitive.
The update comes amid reports that the UK grocer is eyeing a takeover of convenience store chain Nisa. Sainsbury’s, however, made no mention of the issue in its quarterly update.
The results come after the latest Kantar numbers recently showed that the blue-chip supermarket’s grocery sales had increased 3.1 percent in the 12 weeks ending June 18.


text:
Food Law Weekly News Roundup 2/22
Food companies contesting OSHA fines for Covid-19 violations
Food companies including Smithfield, JBS USA, and Conagra Brands have yet to pay the fines filed by OSHA in response to Covid-19 safety violations. All three companies have appealed the citations claiming they are “without merit” as OSHA had not issued guidance on how to protect workers from the virus at the time of the alleged violations. These companies won’t be required to pay the fines or fix the problems until the appeals process is complete, which could take years. The disputed fines are relatively small, averaging $13,000.
Owner of largest Black-owned McDonald’s franchise suing the chain for racist policies
Herbert Washington, a Black owner of 14 McDonald’s franchises, filed a civil rights lawsuit against the company for showing favorable treatment to white owners and denying him the opportunity to purchase restaurants in more affluent communities. By limiting Black owners to older stores in low income communities, which cost more to operate and are less profitable overall, the Black franchisees are unable to “realize the full benefit of their labors.” This is the fifth racial discrimination suit filed against McDonald’s within he past 13 months.


text:
Shares of Sears Holdings Corp. plunged to their lowest levels in almost three years Tuesday after the department store retailer announced it was closing as many as 120 stores due to miserable sales.
At 11 a.m. ET, Sears shares were down 22.2% to US$35.64 on the Nasdaq in New York, the lowest the shares have been since March 2009 in the wake of the financial crisis.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Canadian markets are closed due to the Boxing Day holiday, but shares of Sears Canada Inc. closed at $11.56 last Friday, down 2% on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Sears Holdings, based in the Chicago suburb of Hoffman Estates, Ill., announced before the market open Tuesday it planned to close between 100 and 120 Sears and Kmart stores in a bid to cut costs.[np-related]
The closures are expected to generate US$140-million to US$170-million as inventory is sold, as well as additional cash from the sale or sublease of the existing real estate.


text:
Need to Know
- Domino’s, the largest pizza company in the world based on global retail sales, reported a Q1 global sales increase of 4.4%.
- Digital sales are also growing as CFO Jeff Lawrence noted in the sales call “at least one week where we were over 80% digital” with an average coming in between 70% and 75%.
- The chain has moved to 100% contactless delivery model across the country, and enabled contactless drive-up, carry out technology available to all US stores.
- Throughout Q1, the quick-service-restaurant opened 178 gross new stores and 69 net new stores, comprising 30 net new US stores and 39 net new international stores.
- In 2019 more than half of Domon’s global retail sales came from its digital channels, including online ordering and mobile applications.
With many restaurants around the globe struggling due to the economic and social impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, Domino’s reported positive Q1 sales growth thanks in part to agility and a robust digital strategy.
In its latest financial report the largest pizza company in the world, based on global retail sales, reported gains in global sales of 4.4%. International stores saw same-store growth of 1.5% during the quarter, marking the 105th consecutive quarter of international same-store sales growth.
“In a time of unprecedented change in our industry, I am pleased to report that Domino’s is in a very strong financial position, both at the brand and franchisee levels,” said Ritch Allison, Domino’s CEO in the earnings report.
With many governments enforcing social distancing orders, Domino’s was quick to act rolling out a “100% contactless delivery model across the country,” in addition to making contactless drive-up, carry out technology available to all US stores.
While the QSR made changes to its health benefits programs, in-store procedures, delivery, and supply chain practice it is its recent digital growth that likely attributed to a large portion of the gains reported in the earnings report.
CFO Jeff Lawrence reported “For the fourth quarter, we touched 70% digital [sales] in recent weeks, and we’ve had at least one week where we were over 80% digital. So, that’s also another benefit we’re seeing is that customers are coming to that digital channel as we go into this contactless space that we’re in.”
Growing its digital channel has been a focus for the chain. Earlier this year it rolled out Pie Pass, allowing carryout customers to bypass the line and head straight to the counter for a personalized experience. In keeping up its competitors, Domino’s also improved its delivery service by launching real-time GPS tracking technology to its apps. The chain also partnered with Branch, launching an app that grants its employees instant access to earned wages.
Despite positive sales growth and a booming omnichannel experience Domino’s withdrew its two to three-year outlook, “due to the current uncertainty surrounding the global economy and the Company’s business operations considering COVID-19.”


text:
By Salma Awwad
Ten years of an Italian icon have now come an end with car number 14,022
The last ever Lamborghini Gallardo left the production line on November 25 at the Italian carmaker's factory building at Sant’ Agata Bolognese, bringing to a conclusion one of the world's most iconic luxury car models.
The final vehicle in the popular Lamborghini super sports car range was a Gallardo LP 570-4 Spyder Performante in Rosso Mars (red) and is destined for a private collector.
With a total of 14,022 units produced, the Gallardo is not only the most-built Lamborghini; it is regarded by many as one of the most successful super sports cars and has an icon of Italian design.
The Lamborghini Gallardo first appeared in 2003 at the Geneva Motor Show and marked a start of a new era for the Italian sports car manufacturer.
In Lamborghini’s first four decades, an average of just 250 Lamborghinis was built per year. Once the Gallardo was introduced during the company's 40th anniversary, production surged to volumes of around 2,000 cars per year.
The name of the Gallardo was derived from the world of bullfighting, keeping in line with the brand’s legendary badge.
The Lamborghini Gallardo was sold in more than 45 countries across the globe, but in the year of Automobili Lamborghini’s 50th anniversary, the Gallardo success story has now come to an end with car number 14,022. Almost half of all 30,000 Lamborghinis built since the company was first founded in 1963 are Gallardos.For all the latest car news & reviews from the UAE and Gulf countries, follow us on Twitter and Linkedin, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube page, which is updated daily.


text:
Apple to Use Facial Unlock System for iOS Devices?
The Cupertino-based famous giant has applied for new patents. Apple wants to implement a new process of locking and unlocking iOS devices via facial recognition system. This facial unlock software will not only become an alternative to iPhone and iPad passwords, but also lock the gadget via movement patterns, filter out accidental movements and distinguish children and users via the camera.
Apple plans to use facial unlock system for iOS devices in order to replace its existing security system which is based on passwords. The patents can just as well keep an opened gadget secure as people unrecognized by the camera will not be able to use the smartphone or tablet computer.
About a Patent
Even though Apple has filed a patent, this idea might remain just an idea and never see the light of day. The facial recognition system might be cool and not-so-good at the same time as it requires good lighting for the camera and patience from the user.
The patent filed by the California company has one interesting thing. Apple mentiones the possibility of creating multi-user support for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch which is possible today only due to the Cydia tweak.
Even if the facial recognition is not implemented Apple could attract more customers by releasing multi-user support for iOS gadgets. This is especially critical because of the deep integration of iOS 6 and social networks, Twitter and Facebook. Users will love it if Apple let’s them to easily swap between accounts when they want to share their iOS devices.
Facial Recognition System
Are you a fan of the password recognition system? Or would you like your iPhone to use the camera in order to lock and unlock itself? Just imagine that all you have to do is look at your display and the device will unlock. However if the camera doesn’t see you, your gadget will stay locked.
You can find out more about the patent here.


text:
Facebook, which owns Instagram, said Friday that it was not responsible for a viral photo of the company’s founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg holding a fake baby.
The photo, which showed Zuckerberg holding the baby in a hospital bed, drew criticism from some social media users.
The company said it removed the image and apologized to anyone who felt they were offended.
Facebook’s parent company, Alphabet, has grown increasingly focused on social media in recent years as the company seeks to create more of a network for sharing and sharing more, particularly with advertisers.
Facebook has struggled to grow as an advertising platform, as well as its own photo-sharing service.
The baby photo was also a direct attack on the company, which has said it’s focused on user-generated content and does not want to compete with Facebook’s more established photo-sending platform.
Facebook says its algorithm analyzes the content posted to the social network, the number of people who see the photo and other factors before it is shown to users.
Zuckerberg has long said he is not responsible if the image is misused.


text:
NORTHAMPTON — The Lodge Northampton has shut down till February — laying off most of its 30 or so remaining staffers — due to COVID-19 and the continuing punishment it’s inflicting on the vacation business.
The 106-space hotel, which opened in 1927, will be silent at a time of yr when it generally would have been booked for holiday getaway get-togethers, as perfectly as throughout the generally sluggish thirty day period of January. But all individuals gatherings, as effectively as most getaway travel, fell target to the pandemic.
“COVID has taken a toll on just about every enterprise,” mentioned normal manger Jeffrey Hoess-Brooks on Monday as he supervised the hotel’s shutdown approach. “Just consider to glance at each individual angle as two in which you can reduce any expenditure during this closure time.”
When thoroughly working, the hotel has 75 to 80 staff.
The lodge, which introduced its determination to the general public on Monday, is referring potential visitors to the Fairfield Inn & Suites on Conz Street, also owned by Mansour Ghalibaf.
Hoess-Brooks claimed the prepare is to reopen in February. By then, he hopes, the coronavirus pandemic will have eased as effectively as the travel limits. Also, the 5 Colleges will be, he hopes, reopening then deliver families to the spot.
Smith School, positioned just a number of blocks away, strategies to welcome as several as 1,830 learners to campus for the spring semester which begins Feb. 15.
Lodge Northampton also has activities – weddings, banquets, and the like, — booked in 2021, Hoess-Brooks stated. Opening in February means the hotel will be ready to host these functions, lots of of which were being currently been rescheduled from pandemic-ravaged 2020 into 2021.
“It’s really challenging But we are executing this so we can come back again in February. Potent as at any time,” Hoess-Brooks claimed.
Other than the 106 visitor rooms, the hotel has two places to eat — Wiggins Tavern and the Coolidge Park Café – a banquet hall that seats as many as 200 people today. It has other smaller, functionality room as properly.
Hoess-Brooks claimed there will be some employees at the resort 24 hrs a day and seven times a week to care for the residence.
The resort is traditionally the website of the midnight ball fall on New Year’s Eve for Initial Night time Northampton. That will be a digital event this calendar year owing to the 10 p.m. state imposed COVID curfew.
The resort shut down for far more than a thirty day period in the spring, when the state to start with started out imposing shutdowns aimed at arresting the unfold of the virus, Hoess-Brooks claimed.
Nationally, 71% of resort operators mentioned in November they won’t make it an additional 6 months without the need of even more federal help specified present-day and projected journey need, and 77% of lodges report they will be pressured to lay off far more staff. That is according to a study unveiled by American Resort & Lodging Association.
“Without more governing administration guidance (i.e. second PPP financial loan, enlargement of Key Street Lending Application), almost fifty percent (47%) of respondents indicated they would be compelled to shut resorts,” the organization claimed n a information launch. “More than just one-3rd of resorts will be facing personal bankruptcy or be forced to provide by the end of 2020.”
In Northampton, mainstay Packard’s bar and cafe is closed until at April. Northampton’s Bistro Les Gras also shut down for the winter season.
Location resorts have lower back again, eliminated expert services and the developers of one new hotel, planned for the York Point out Jail web site in Springfield, pulled the plug on development designs.
Throughout the avenue from the Hotel Northampton, Silverscape Designs jewelry shop is possessing a going-out-of-business enterprise sale and continues to consider to offer its historic previous lender building.


text:
Sierra Mist has undergone some major changes in the past few months.
And fans aren’t too happy about it.
In 2010, Sierra Mist replaced high fructose corn syrup with a cane sugar-stevia blend and began marketing the soda as “natural” to stand out in the crowded marketplace. Sierra Mist Natural enjoyed a short-lived run on market shevles.
— Dix & Eaton (@DixandEaton) January 5, 2016
Then in December, Pepsi’s answer to Sprite changed its name to Mist Twst. For awhile, both Sierra Mist and Mist Twst were available in stores (spotted side by side on Consumerist) and Sierra Mist’s Facebook page now redirects to the Twst page.
But now it looks like Mist Twst is the only lemon-lime PepsiCo soda in town. And many are puzzled by the name change:
WTF are you doing? This is the stupidest name change ever, Sierra Mist. pic.twitter.com/9UXTX8I1TS
— murphy78 (@enjoy_murph) May 11, 2016
Why would you change the name of Sierra Mist to Mist Twist? What was the point? Why change something so beautiful, to something so stupid?
— Logan James Palm (@flikfan30) May 8, 2016
And while the word “natural” bears little meaning in today’s crowded marketplace, Twst has given up on even trying to be a better-for-you soda. Mist Twst’s new recipe has high fructose corn syrup and fans of the soda have taken to social media to proclaim their outrage.
Sierra Mist is now Mist Twist. It sounds even more like a stripper's name, with a twist of corn syrup instead of sugar. C'mon @pepsi
— Jaygarmeister (@Jaygarmeister) May 14, 2016
Sad that Sierra Mist has become Mist Twist replacing the sugar with high fructose corn syrup. We don't want HFCS.
— Buckeye Mom (@buckeyemomof2) April 28, 2016
FoxNews.com has reached out to Pepsi but did not hear back at the time of publication.