text:
Detox your home for free at the biannual Chemical CleanOut
Date posted: 21 August 2017
Lake Macquarie and Hunter residents can clean out their garages, garden sheds and laundry cupboards and dispose of any unwanted household chemicals at Lake Macquarie City Council’s Household Chemical CleanOut at Belmont TAFE on Saturday 2 September from 9am-3.30pm.
Council’s Manager Sustainability, Alice Howe, said Chemical CleanOut is a popular way for residents to dispose of potentially harmful household chemicals in a safe and environmentally responsible way, and this is the first time it is being held on the eastern side of the lake.
“Last year, almost 58 tonnes of potentially harmful waste was collected through two Chemical CleanOut events in Lake Macquarie,” Dr Howe said.
“Chemical CleanOut is a free service and provides residents with the opportunity to dispose of many household chemicals that are hazardous and must not be disposed of through Council’s kerbside waste collection service.
“Everyday household items such as paints and paint-related products, pesticides, motor oils, poisons, cleaning fluids and pool chemicals contain toxic substances that can be harmful to the environment, particularly when disposed of inappropriately.
“Please remember to transport household chemicals carefully. Never mix chemicals as this may produce dangerous reactions, and always keep chemicals in their original labelled containers. Only household quantities of waste will be accepted and are limited to 20kg in weight or 20L maximum container size.”
The event is funded by the NSW Environment Protection Authority and promoted by Lake Macquarie City Council. For more information and a full list of accepted items, call the Environment Line on 131 555 or visit cleanout.com.au.
When: Saturday 2 September
Where: Belmont TAFE, Gen Street, Belmont
Page last updated: 21 August 2017


text:
Washington – Auto safety regulators in the United States told the news outlets that they are in talks with top 12 car manufacturers to assist them in investigating the car crash cases that involved Tesla cars colliding with emergency vehicles in the state while on Autopilot mode.
The list involves General Motors Co, Volkswagen AG, Toyota Motor Corp, Ford Motor Co and other major automakers to whom the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration mailed letters, containing some questions as the government agency is conducting a “Comparative Analysis with other production vehicles equipped with the ability to control both steering and braking/accelerating simultaneously under some circumstances.”
The NHTSA asked for help from these automakers for help in the Tesla probe.
In August 2021, NHTSA started an investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot (driver assistance system) after the news of the car being involved in hitting emergency vehicles, circulated in the country and made the headlines of 12 car crashes overall. The investigation was done into 765,000 Tesla vehicles of the US manufactured from 2014 to 2021.
The company claims that the Autopilot system in their cars provides the drivers with a drive without using the steering wheel for long periods. Furthermore, this system helps them brake, steer and accelerate the vehicle in their line with their hands-free.
The NHTSA asked the carmakers, which they have included in the list for Tesla Probe, to list any collisions that involved the tesla car’s advanced autopilot system at “anytime during the period beginning 30 seconds immediately prior to the commencement of the crash.“
The letters sent to the car manufacturing firms involve another question, how the vehicle determines if the driver is engaged in some other activity and when to take control of the vehicle completely? The agency gave a deadline of November 3 to some car manufacturers, while for others, it is November 17.
NHTSA also wrote to automakers to present detailed “strategies for detecting and responding to the presence of first responder/law enforcement vehicles.”
On August 13, the agency sent a letter to Tesla consisting of 11 pages containing numerous questions that the company must answer before the deadline, October 22. NHTSA further revealed that it had received reports of 12 car collisions involving Tesla vehicles, injuring 17 persons and killing 1
At the beginning of this month, the agency disclosed that it is also investigating an incident that took place in New York City. The incident involved a 52-year-old man hit by a Tesla vehicle while fixing the flat tire on his car.
Why is My Car Shaking? Uncovering the Causes of Car Vibrations
As you drive down the road, you feel an unsettling vibration that seems to be
Car Vibrates When Idle and Ac is On : Car Troubleshooting 101
As you sit in your car at a stoplight with the air conditioning on, you
How to Get Keys Out of Locked Car? Unlock Your Car in Minutes
Locked out of your car and can’t find your keys? Don’t panic! We’ve all been
How to Wire a Car Stereo without a Harness – Go Harness Free
A car stereo is an essential part of any car, providing entertainment and enhancing the
How to Remove Stickers From Car – An Ultimate Guide
If you’ve ever peeled off a sticker from your car, only to be left with

domain: news


text:
Finland based start-up, HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, has announced that it has raised additional $100 million from multiple investors to scale business operations and fund the company’s growth in its second year.
This round of investment has been led by Geneva-based, Ginko Ventures via Alpha Ginko Ltd. with participation from DMJ Asia Investment Opportunity Limited and Wonderful Stars Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of FIH Mobile Ltd.
With the latest round of funding, HMD Global’s current market valuation exceeds USD 1 billion, giving it a unicorn status.
HMD Global will be making strategic investments in scaling its fast-growing business operations.
In 2018, the company plans to aggressively expand its portfolio of Nokia smartphones and double down on expanding channel reach in strategic markets while continuing to deliver innovation where it matters most to consumers.
Florian Seiche, CEO of HMD Global, said, “We are thrilled to have these investors join us in our journey to script the next chapter of Nokia phones.
It is our ambition to deliver great smartphones that delight our fans while staying true to our Finnish roots and the hallmarks that the Nokia brand has always been known for.
We aim to be among the top smartphone players globally and our success to date gives us the confidence to further continue on a growth path in 2018 and beyond.”
Set up on December 1, 2016, the company in its first year has shipped more than 70 million Nokia branded phones, scaled sales operations in over 80 countries with phone activations coming from 170 countries.
Today, Nokia phones are sold at over 250,000 retail outlets across the world and more than 600 direct trade partners are committed to this next chapter of Nokia phones globally.
In the financial year 2017, HMD Global posted a total revenue of EUR 1.8 billion ($2.13 billion) along with an operational loss of EUR 65 million (USD 77 million).
Demonstrating incredible passion, engagement, and enthusiasm for the new portfolio, the response from fans around the world to the new Nokia range of Android smartphones has been humbling. HMD is set out to capture the hearts and minds of the next generation of consumers.
Two-thirds of consumers buying a Nokia phone today are below the age of 35 years. Four out of every five consumers are recommending a Nokia smartphone to their friends and family.
Over 150,000,000 visits have been welcomed to the Nokia.com/phones website since January 2017.
Jean-Francois Baril, Ginko Ventures Managing Director and Founder, HMD Board member, “We are proud to contribute to the next phase of Nokia phones and the successful raising of this investment round. Personally, as someone who has long been associated with the Nokia brand, this journey is very exciting. From its roots in Finland, HMD Global has chosen an agile strategy that leverages global relationships and collaborations to achieve its phenomenal growth.”
Since MWC 2017, the Finnish start-up has introduced 16 new devices and global partnerships with industry heavyweights such as Google and ZEISS, in addition to its long-term strategic relationship with Nokia and FIH.
At MWC 2018, HMD Global announced that it will be the lead global partner for Google’s flagship program for Android – Android One, committing a complete portfolio of Nokia smartphones to the Android One family.
Have your say
More Technology Headlines
- Facebook is expanding its video platform while reportedly slashing news show funding
- Bereaved mother criticises Facebook over baby ads
- Huawei executive released on bail in Canada
- Instagram is bringing voice messaging to your DMs
- Kantanka says 13k orders secured from 3 African countries
- BoG assures provision of regulations to support blockchain innovations
- Facebook bans sale of community groups
- Renowned tech blogger Quick Vue reviews the HUAWEI Y9
- Samsung Nigeria tweets promo via iPhone
- IS Internet Solutions, Konnect bring satellite broadband to Ghana
- e-Crime Bureau founder honoured
- ISOC Ghana organises workshop on internet connectivity
- Facebook once considered selling user data, internal emails reveal
- Our business is changing lives; crypto dealer fights off fraud claim
- Instagram using AI to describe photos for users with visual impairments


text:
Soda Bomb, the Arizona-based bakery-meets-soda-shop is planning its debut in Las Vegas. Locations on the Strip and in the Arts District are in the offing, but those looking to check out this growing, indulgent brand will soon be able to make the trek out to Moapa Valley to check out its first Nevada location. Nevada’s first Soda Bomb will open at 150 N Moapa Valley Blvd in Overton.
“We’re a family-owned business, and this is our fifth location in three years,” owner Scott Knight, who founded Soda Bomb in partnership with Alexis Knight in 2020, told What Now on Thursday.
Opening at The Dairy in Overton, Nevada’s first Soda Bomb will offer the brand’s menu of sodas, milkshakes, and ice cream, along with baked goods like macarons and cookies. It will also feature a unique dimension: the location’s 3,000-square-foot space will include a commercial kitchen for rent, allowing local restaurant businesses to serve up a wide range of cuisines right there inside Soda Bomb.
“There will be different chefs coming in every day of the week with a breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu,” said Knight. The brand is currently working through a list of applicants to use kitchen space, which Knight says is rented out at a flat rate (as opposed to profit-sharing). “We currently have a list of fifteen that we have to cut to down to half.”
The Soda Bomb space will include lounge seating, bar seating, and dining room-style seating shared between Soda Bomb and the resident chef concepts. There will also be a game room, making Soda Bomb a great place for families and friends to hang out.


text:
The Food and Drugs Authority has registered and approved 10 face masks and face shields for use in Ghana.
The 10 face masks and face shields are Heritage Face Mask, Joeritz Face Shield, Lily of the Valley Face Mask, Notill Face Shield, Otech Biotech Face Mask and Pacific Face Mask. The rest are Sixteen 47 Face Shield, Sixteen 47 Face Mask, Studio AK Face Mask and the Swift Face Mask.
The Public Relations Officer and the Head of Communications of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Mr James Lartey told Graphiconline that all the 10 face masks/face shields are re-usable.
The list of registered face masks/face shields copied to Graphiconline comes a week after President Akufo-Addo advised all Ghanaians to wear face masks.
The Ministry of Health (MoH) has directed the use of face masks in all public places where it may be difficult to maintain social distancing. It has also recommended that Ghanaians use only FDA-approved masks.
List of registered face masks and face shields;


text:
Third annual Hot Cocoa Crawl through downtown Iowa City
Editor's note: A previous version of this article listed the original start time of the Hot Cocoa Crawl, the event has since been rescheduled due to weather. The article reflects the current date.
Inclimate weather has had an icy reception in Iowa City this week but — if ticket sales are any indication — that won't stop locals from being out and about this Friday.
The third annual Hot Cocoa Crawl is Jan. 31, kicking off at 5 p.m. in downtown Iowa City. The event, put on by the Iowa City Downtown District, aims to energize foot traffic to local businesses early in the year when numbers tend to be down.
"This (shop crawl) was kind of the one that sold out the fastest," said Christopher Hunter, the Director of special events with ICDD. "It has reached an insane amount of people online. It’s been kind of fun to watch how it goes."
Since its inception in 2018, the event has proved popular and this year tickets were gone weeks in advance. Those who managed to get their mitts on one of the 250 tickets before the event sold out will get a customized mug and access to the beverages served at the participating vendors.
"(Businesses) choose what they want to serve and what they want to give out," said Hunter.
Blick Art Materials, for example, is offering non-alcoholic apple cider to ticket holders. Since this is the business's first year participating, the plan is to only offer the beverage to ticket holders so as not to run out.
Some of the other participating businesses will also be selling beverages to those not participating in the event with tickets.
"We went against the grain and chose a non-hot, non-cocoa drink," director of operations at FilmScene, Emily Salmonson, told the Press-Citizen. "So we are going to be making Kir Royales for the masses."
As Salmonson described, Kir Royales consist of creme de cassis and sparkling wine, which the theater worked with Best Cases Wine to provide. Hot Cocoa Crawlers coming through FilmScene will be able to pair its Kir Royales with popcorn samples on-site.
Bread Garden Market will be serving hot cocoa and a creme-brulee marsala — what one representative described as a "caramely wine." The marsala is a drink which the venue does not normally serve and will likely not be available after the event. It will also be available to purchase for those without tickets.
A full list of the 30 participating businesses is available online. According to Hunter, the people in attendance will be nearly as varied as the businesses participating.
“It's fun to see where people come from for the event," Hunter said. "There are attendees from Cedar Rapids and Quad Cities — people come out for it."
Isaac Hamlet covers arts, entertainment and culture at the Press-Citizen. Reach him at firstname.lastname@example.org or (319)-688-4247, follow him on Twitter @IsaacHamlet


text:
Popular Post Scholar4Truth Posted February 15, 2021 Popular Post #1 Share Posted February 15, 2021 39 States in the US are seeing decreases in Coronavirus Cases by 50% https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/15/health/us-coronavirus-monday/index.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/02/14/why-coronavirus-cases-are-dropping/ This is from a combination of people taking it serious, along with vaccinations that have already been given. 9 1 Top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!Register a new account
Already have an account? Sign in here.Sign In Now


text:
Single-use plastic shopping bags are to be phased out over the next year, as the New Zealand government plans to crack down on the environmental villain.
New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern and associate environment minister Eugenie Sage made the announcement at Lyall Bay, Wellington, on Friday morning.
“Every year in New Zealand we use hundreds of millions of single-use plastic bags – a mountain of bags, many of which end up polluting our precious coastal and marine environments and cause serious harm to all kinds of marine life,” Ardern said.
“We’re phasing-out single-use plastic bags so we can better look after our environment and safeguard New Zealand’s clean, green reputation.”
The PM said there were viable alternatives for consumers and business.
Ardern said plastic was the single biggest subject school children wrote to her about, and this year 65,000 New Zealander signed a petition calling for an outright ban on bags.
Refusing to change would have meant there could be more plastic in the oceans by weight than fish by the year 2050, Ardern said.
The Government has released a consultation document to work out exactly what types of bags could be captured by the ban.
Ban will “punish consumers”: ACT
But not everyone is pleased with the planned ban.
ACT Party leader David Seymour said the ban would “punish responsible consumers and may produce worse environmental outcomes.”
“Plastic waste gets into the environment as it’s collected and transported to landfills. This isn’t the fault of Kiwis who find plastic bags easy and convenient and dispose of them responsibly.”
Seymour also took aim at the Green Party: “No Green MP has a science degree, so it’s not surprising that this policy could end up hurting the environment.”
National Party leader Simon Bridges said the plastic bag ban was “low-hanging fruit that won’t make any real difference”.
He said the Ardern-led Government had bigger problems on its hands.
“The Prime Minister should turn her attention to fixing the very real concerns around plummeting business confidence and our slowing economy .”
Bridges said New Zealanders were already reducing their plastic bag use.
“They didn’t need to be told what to do by a Government increasingly looking like it thinks it knows best.”
Long road to change
A Greenpeace petition was launched in July last year and went to Parliament in February, but in 2014, a similar petition garnered only a quarter of the number of signatures.
Ministers had hinted at action earlier this year but remained quiet over committing to definite change.
On Friday Greenpeace said the ban was “a win for people power and the first big step towards addressing marine plastic pollution”.
“This could be a major leap forward in turning the tide on ocean plastic pollution and an important first step in protecting marine life such as sea turtles and whales, from the growing plastic waste epidemic,” said Emily Hunter, Oceans Campaigner at Greenpeace.
“In growing numbers over the last decade, New Zealanders have been calling for a ban on single use plastic bags. Today marks the beginning of the end for over 2 billion single-use plastic bags that clog our communities, coasts, rubbish dumps and oceans each year.”
Hunter said the planned ban was a great first step, but more was needed.
The Packaging Forum, an industry group with a focus on recycling said a ban would set a level playing field for the retail industry, and to take an estimated 800 million bags out of circulation.
Soft Plastics Recycling Scheme manager Lyn Mayes said the primary goal of the forum was to reduce the amount of plastic packaging used.
Mayes says the Packaging Forum supports the inclusion of compostable and degradable plastics in the proposal.
“New Zealand does not yet have a standard for compostable packaging, nor does the current infrastructure take most of these products in the volumes presented, which means they will mostly end up in a landfill.
Retailers – such as Countdown, New World and most recently Mitre 10 and Z Energy – have already announced plans to phase out the bags.
New Zealand supermarkets are already removing plastic bags from checkouts, with Countdown phasing the bags out in ten stores already, with a plan to have no bags by the end of 2018.
New World announced similar plans, and a customer poll on bag charges revealed users would rather have a ban.
More than 40 countries across the world have already taken action, and Denmark has had a plastic bag levy since 1998.
In the United Kingdom levies have seen plastic bag use plummet by over 80 per cent, and using a plastic bag can even bring a jail sentence in Kenya.
Former PM Helen Clark has previously said New Zealand was well behind many countries that had already legislated against plastic bags.
Smarter on waste
Ardern said people were already changing the way they shop.
“But it’s important we take the time now to get this right so we can help all New Zealanders adjust their shopping habits.
“We need to be far smarter in the way we manage waste and this is a good start.”
The Government was determined to face up to New Zealand’s environmental challenges, she said.
“Just like climate change, we’re taking meaningful steps to reduce plastics pollution so we don’t pass this problem to future generations.”
Business Insider Emails & Alerts
Site highlights each day to your inbox.


text:
As those who follow the Maxim model on social media know, Kara has never been shy when it comes to showing off her enviable figure to fans on Instagram, and her most recent post proves it once again. In the stunning new photo that was shared with her 1 million-plus followers, the model sizzles as she strikes a pose outside. The well-lit photo shows the brunette beauty leaning against a planter and staring directly into the camera.
The model appears to be caffeinating as she can be seen holding a cup of coffee in one hand and resting her other hand firmly on the giant black pot. Del Toro wore her long, highlighted locks down and curled, as her hair fell on her left shoulder. The Maxim beauty could also be seen rocking a beautiful application of makeup that included eyeliner, mascara, blush, highlighter, and matte pink lipstick.
Del Toro showed off her fashion sense while also flaunting plenty of cleavage for the camera. On top, the model sported a brown blazer with plaid trim around the edges. Underneath the blazer, Kara rocked a tight-fitting white tank top that she wore tucked into her jeans.The model accessorized her errand-ready look with a matching plaid belt as well as a dainty gold chain necklace and a black purse. Del Toro did not specifically mention to fans where in the world she is in the snapshot, but in recent months, Del Toro has seemed to have an incredibly busy schedule, tagging her photos in different locations around the globe.
Since the photo went live on her account a little over an hour ago, it's earned the attention of many of Kara's fans, racking up over 11,000 likes and well over 100 comments — a figure that is growing by the minute. A number of Del Toro's fans were quick to comment on the post and ask the model where she got different pieces from her outfit, while many others raved over her beauty."Good morning kara, gorgeous and beautiful, happy Monday," one fan wrote while including a series of different emoji in the body of the comment.
"Looking gorgeous as always," a second social media user commented.
"I don't think it's possible for you to get any more beautiful," another one of Del Toro's fans chimed in.
It's most likely only a matter of time before Kara shares another sizzling shot for her loyal fans.


text:
The cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is perhaps the second largest in the world and probably the largest in USA. This week they made history by becoming the first ever crypto exchange to be listed on the stock exchange as a publicly listed company. This is the event that will certainly mark the time in crypto history when it went mainstream. The first wave of the cryptocurrency era is over and as Coinbase Chief Economist Phillip Gradwell Tweeted, “For me it marks the end of the beginning for crypto”
When a child reaches teenage years, at 13, they traditionally undergo an initiation ceremony of some sort, like a Barmitzvah, signaling their entry into the early stages of adulthood. Well Bitcoin and thus cryptocurrency as a whole is in its thirteenth year and this public listing on the Nasdaq stock exchange of Coinbase is like that watershed moment.
Using the trading ticker COIN, the world’s largest crypto exchange began by trading at $328 per share, valuing the company at a massive $85.8 billion. This is huge for the crypto industry as a whole because it’s going to be just the first of the next wave of mainstream adoption of cryptocurrency. More crypto companies will enter the old school mainstream stock market upon seeing this breakthrough because anyone in finance or economics knows that cryptocurrency is where the profits lie.
Cryptocurrency is obviously the next level of not only finance but practically the internet as we know it today. The combination of these two sectors being so positively upgraded via blockchain technology means that more and more legacy companies will be eager to jump on board and invest in it. Many are now buying huge amounts of bitcoin to add to their portfolios. The cryptocurrency wave is now undeniable, except to gold bugs like Peter Schiff of course, since he has to stay loyal to his product – gold – even though we can see that bitcoin is eating away at gold’s investment stream. Millennials will rather buy bitcoin that gold today.
As the biggest institutional finance companies invest in cryptocurrency, and even governments buy bitcoin for their treasury or retirement funds, it looks like crypto is here to stay. Some national governments may try to ban it but the majority will simply regulate it and try to tax those who invest in crypto. These sort of events were not around during the previous bull market cycle of bitcoin, so this time it is indeed different. There’s no denying it. And this means that this time bitcoin’s price trajectory may act quite differently compared to the past three major bull market cycles.
The liquidity crunch is unprecedented. The supply shock or drying up of bitcoin available for sale on exchanges, will naturally push price to unknown levels. The glass ceiling will certainly be shattered in this bull run. Barring some black swan event, I foresee bitcoin climbing to unexpected heights in value, if this news and activity is anything to go by. The fundamentals have never been better for cryptocurrency as a whole.
Add to that the improvement in sentiment and confidence in crypto and you have a winning formula that will drive technical analysis forecasts. TA may still apply for short term trading but long term bullish sentiment will outweigh TA in the long term, in my opinion. Therefore in any day trading we can err on the side of bullishness this year.
Stats suggest that there is still a massive flow of fiat into cryptocurrency, via the likes of Coinbase and other leading exchanges – to the tune of $1 billion a day. As long as this trend continues, older legacy investments like metals, art collectibles and property, will lose market share while crypto gains. With the overall crypto market cap at over $2 trillion now, only half of which is bitcoin, we are entering newer heights in macrofinance globally.
I wonder who will be the next crypto company to go mainstream and publicly list shares on the stock exchange? Let us know if you have any info or insights by leaving a comment.


text:
Bland Farms Team Promotions
Article By AndNowUKnow
Bland Farms Appoints Luke McBee to Director of Operations and Allison Keen as Operations and Sales Analysts.GLENNVILLE, GA – Bland Farms is on a roll when it comes to exciting announcements as the company has once again revealed that it has appointed several key players to its operations team. Following the grower’s recent promotion of Troy Bland to CEO, Bland Farms has promoted Luke McBee to Director of Operations and Allison Keen as Operations and Sales Analyst. McBee has been with Bland Farms for over five years, and is being recognized for his dedicated service to the company. He will take over as Director of Operations as the company continues its operational expansion. In addition to McBee, Keen has joined the Bland Farms team as Operations and Sales Analyst, formally taking her position in January 2021. McBee has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting and a minor in Finance from Georgia Southern University. He is also treasurer of the Altamaha Boy’s and Girl’s Club. Keen holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing from University of Georgia and is currently completing her master’s degree in Agricultural and Environmental Education. Congratulations to all three members of the Bland Farms team as they step into their new roles!


text:
June 11, 2015
July 30, 2014
Fans of racing games have been clamoring for a new Logitech G racing wheel to play the hottest driving games on next-generation consoles. The wait is finally over with the announcement today that the Logitech G29 Driving Force Racing Wheel for Playstation 3 and Playstation 4 will be available in July, and the Logitech G920 Driving Force Racing Wheel for Xbox One and PC will be available in October.
July 18, 2013
Today we’re excited to introduce the fastest gaming mouse ever made, the Logitech® G402 Hyperion Fury™ Ultra-Fast FPS Gaming Mouse.
July 16, 2013
For our readers in the northern hemisphere it’s hot – really hot. But for our fans in the southern hemisphere
June 25, 2013
Video games sometimes get a bad rap. But that ignores a fundamental fact of gaming – playing games works on
June 24, 2013
Hey PC Gamers, With all the buzz for E3 and the console launches and DreamHack, it could have been easy
May 16, 2013
Quick quiz: What’s the worlds’ biggest digital festival? If you answered DreamHack you’re right on the money in our opinion.
May 1, 2013
Logitech G is intensely focused on delivering science that directly improves gamers’ experience. To us, science is all about questioning
April 26, 2013
Last month Logitech took our newly launched Logitech G products to The Gathering in Norway. This weekend, we were in
April 19, 2013
This week, we announced the Logitech FabricSkin Keyboard Folio and Logitech Folio, two new tablet accessories that feature fun fabrics
As many of you know, last month we announced Logitech G, unveiling eight new products and our new approach to


text:
Syria's youth flaunt new wealth
By an IWPR-trained reporter
Under the arcade of the fancy Four Seasons hotel in Damascus, Anas
Mashafej gazes at the windows of Aishti, an up-market clothing shop
that sells designer brands such as Armani and Roberto Cavalli.
A bright - and expensive - shirt attracts the attention of the
22-year-old college student. After some hesitation, he decides to
buy it and postpone buying other items he needs.
"The general atmosphere at college encourages wearing well-known
brands," he said. "Most students brag about their designer
Close to Aishti, in the exclusive Damascus neighborhood of Chaalan,
the streets throng with Western-style cafes and
like Segafredo and Costa, stylish shops and private banks.
The development of such areas, which are frequented by a small
emerging class of well-off Syrians, epitomizes the economic
transformation of Syria in recent years.
officials proclaimed that the country was moving
towards a more market-oriented economy by encouraging competition
and that the Syrian market was opening to foreign goods and
This change gave rise to a class of
Syrian youth, mainly the
children of rich businessmen and officials, who increasingly adopt
Azzam Jamil, 26, helps his father at his printing company. He is
part of the new wave of Syrian youth who drink filtered coffee at
trendy cafes while checking their e-mail on laptops or making travel
plans with their friends.
Jamil, who wears torn jeans and a T-shirt with an image of a skull
on it and has dyed blond hair, said, "I donít feel awkward dressing
this way. All my friends dress the same ... This is how I express
Kids like Jamil attend private universities and spend their free
time in the new malls of Damascus, using restaurants like KFC and
Hardee's as well as an array of amusement centers, modern cinema
theatres, and parking lots where they can show off their expensive
Most of the posh spots are in Kafarsousa, where real estate agents
say that homes can cost up to US$2 million. Other hot spots
reflecting the craze for modern lifestyles include spas, tennis
courts, gymnasiums and nightclubs.
Recently, a group of young rich Syrians started a club to play
American football, considered an exclusive sport in
Damascus has also witnessed in the past few years the opening of
large supermarkets that sell expensive foreign goods and exotic
Observers note that in parallel to the new islands of wealth, the
liberalization of the economy has brought with it a starker contrast
between the standards of living of the rich and the poor, in a
country that once prided itself on having social equality and a
solid welfare system.
In contrast to the new luxurious suburbs, there are more slums
around the city, said Ahmad Nokrosh, a Damascus-based economic
"Liberalization of the economy has impinged on the social reality in
the country," he said, adding that basic services provided by the
state, such as education, transport and health, are getting worse at
the expense of a flourishing private sector that caters to the
He said that even hospitals now have advanced sections reserved for
Zaher Mansour, a 24-year-old law student who makes his living
working as a waiter in the trendy Lina's cafe, said that the
preoccupations of rich young Syrians were very different from those
of the rest of Syrian youth.
"This place feels like Europe, as if you are somewhere in London or
Rome," said Mansour, who comes from a modest background, adding that
the price of a cup of coffee is almost equivalent to what he earns
in a day.
Wealthy youngsters speak about the latest fashion in clothes or new
mobile-phone models while the likes of him worry about inflation,
the increasing price of diesel, or building an additional room onto
the house to accommodate a brother who is getting married, he says.
Hand painted glasses
Syria handcrafted furniture
Bedroom furniture set
Bedroom furniture table
Bedroom furniture chest
Bedroom furniture chairs
Bedroom furniture cabinet
Bedroom furniture dresser
Bedroom chest of drawers
Bedroom furniture armchairs


text:
Equities analysts predict that Hershey Co (NYSE:HSY) will report $1.97 billion in sales for the current fiscal quarter, according to Zacks Investment Research. Four analysts have made estimates for Hershey’s earnings, with estimates ranging from $1.95 billion to $1.99 billion. Hershey also posted sales of $1.97 billion during the same quarter last year. The company is scheduled to announce its next earnings report on Friday, February 2nd.
According to Zacks, analysts expect that Hershey will report full year sales of $1.97 billion for the current year, with estimates ranging from $7.53 billion to $7.56 billion. For the next financial year, analysts anticipate that the firm will report sales of $7.65 billion per share, with estimates ranging from $7.61 billion to $7.69 billion. Zacks Investment Research’s sales averages are a mean average based on a survey of research analysts that follow Hershey.
Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $2.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.01 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 124.06% and a net margin of 9.52%. The business’s revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.29 earnings per share.
In related news, SVP D Michael Wege sold 15,517 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.18, for a total transaction of $1,678,629.06. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michele Buck sold 400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.00, for a total value of $43,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 165,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,852,076. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 34,049 shares of company stock worth $3,715,013. 0.92% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HSY. NGAM Advisors L.P. purchased a new position in Hershey during the second quarter worth about $1,082,000. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 19.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 2,123 shares of the company’s stock worth $228,000 after purchasing an additional 341 shares in the last quarter. Global X Management Co. LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 11.8% in the 2nd quarter. Global X Management Co. LLC now owns 7,651 shares of the company’s stock worth $821,000 after purchasing an additional 808 shares in the last quarter. Wetherby Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 13.5% in the 2nd quarter. Wetherby Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,220 shares of the company’s stock worth $346,000 after purchasing an additional 383 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 6.0% in the 2nd quarter. Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc. now owns 463,696 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,788,000 after purchasing an additional 26,163 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 51.32% of the company’s stock.
Shares of Hershey (NYSE:HSY) opened at $113.16 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $23,889.75, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.45, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.55. Hershey has a one year low of $98.85 and a one year high of $116.49.
Hershey announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, October 26th that authorizes the company to buyback $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.656 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 21st. This represents a $2.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.32%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 77.98%.
TRADEMARK VIOLATION WARNING: This news story was originally posted by Sports Perspectives and is the property of of Sports Perspectives. If you are viewing this news story on another website, it was copied illegally and republished in violation of US & international trademark and copyright laws. The correct version of this news story can be accessed at https://sportsperspectives.com/2017/12/14/hershey-co-hsy-expected-to-post-quarterly-sales-of-1-97-billion.html.
Hershey Company Profile
The Hershey Company is a producer of chocolate in North America. The Company’s principal product offerings include chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery products; gum and mint refreshment products; pantry items, such as baking ingredients and beverages, and snack items, such as spreads, meat snacks, bars and snack bites and mixes.
For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com
Receive News & Ratings for Hershey Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hershey and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.


text:
Over $500M invested in API companies in 2016, with 16 acquisitions
Software has infiltrated and fundamentally changed every aspect of our lives. How software is being developed though, is changing. Developers are actually building software differently— relying more on APIs and microservices.
It’s no surprise then that 2016 has been a huge year for the API industry. We exported data from TechCrunch to see how huge. Over $500 million was invested in companies where the primary business model was an API, or an application programming interface.
Over $500 million was invested in companies where the primary business model was an API, or an application programming interface.
As you can see from this infographic, there’s been some big API headlines this year. Twilio filed its IPO priced at $15/share. Stripe raised a $150 million Round D at a $9 billion valuation. But overall, in 2016, we saw three important things happen in the API space:
- Multiple API-focused companies (Twilio, SendGrid and Stripe) crossed the $1 billion threshold, proving the API economy is here to stay.
- Some bigger companies moved into using APIs for their software, showing APIs are reliable and scaleable.
- A lot of tools and aggregators have been created around APIs, giving developers more access to them.
Enterprises move from monolithic software to microservices
2016 was the year microservices really started growing. Introduced by Amazon and Netflix, microservices provide a new way for developers to create software. Rather than having one huge piece of code that does everything, enterprises are building multiple smaller microservices that each perform a small task. For example, a traditional app can be broken down into a user management microservice, a billing microservice, a file storage microservice, a notification microservice and many more.
This microservices approach introduces many benefits for software companies. Multiple, smaller pieces of code allows companies to have smaller teams manage different projects, and to reuse certain components (ex. user management) in multiple apps.
The rise of microservices across organizations lets us take the idea of reusability a step further. Some of these micro-services could exist in multiple companies. For example: most companies send emails, and many process credit card payments. Ergo, they could all use the same microservice.
This universal utility is the exact idea API companies are based on: provide one, basic functionality that many software developers can utilize in their apps. For the $9 billion Stripe, this piece of functionality was payment processing; for $2.2 billion Twilio, it was sending SMS and for >$1 billion SendGrid it was email delivery. For this new wave of companies, the API is the way to do business.
As companies move to using microservices, the choice becomes to implement software yourself or use a third party API. In many cases, the quality of those third party services and their price point make this a clear choice. As developers become more expensive, companies opt-in to using these off-the-shelf APIs. The move to microservices fueled the rapid growth of the API economy in 2016.
Larger companies make APIs publicly available to developers
APIs aren’t only the storefront of startups however. During 2016, the big cloud companies seemed to be joining the party as well. Just a month ago, Amazon introduced a host of new APIs during its Las Vegas Developer conference, Re:Invent. These new APIs let developers add smarter functionality into their apps.
Amazon isn’t the only one. This year, Google acquired API.ai (an artificial intelligince API) and Apigee (an API gateway), foraying into the API space. These acquisitions were closely followed by the launch of machine learning APIs to enable developers to sprinkle some Google wisdom into their apps.
Finally, IBM also made a big push into the API economy by promoting its’ set of machine learning, storage and communication APIs under the BlueMix and Watson platforms.
2016 was only the beginning
As more tooling and infrastructure is built around microservices and APIs, it’s clear that the software development paradigm is shifting. Rather than build everything internally, companies rely on third party APIs in their software to speed up their development process.
That being said, most of the >$400B software industry still relies on monolithic applications. Now that there are bigger players showing APIs are the way to go — more of the industry is going to shift into using them. I believe that this shift will fuel rapid expansion in the API economy, which is going to soar through 2017.


text:
Howard warns against home warranties
It sounds like a good idea, buy a home warranty that would be used to fix any appliances in your home that break. Over the years I’ve had so many complaints against these companies that I would now like to recommend against buying any of these policies.
The latest complaint came from Penny Plowman of Hamilton. She bought a total home warranty for $425 and on Aug. 17, when her air conditioner went out, she called and filed a claim.
On Aug. 19, her claim was assigned to a repair company, but no one came out. Finally, on Aug. 22, another firm came out and found she needs a new coil. The next day the warranty company denied her claim saying it was “Rust/corrosion which caused the evaporator coil to leak,” and that’s excluded in her policy.
Plogman says she was quite upset because the warranty company failed to speak with the technician and didn’t see any photos of the part. Although she called to protest the denial she says she was unable to speak with anyone in charge.
Next, she complained to the state department of consumer affairs, but the company maintained the part failed due to rust which is not covered by her policy – so the state couldn’t help.
Next, she asked for her money back and, eventually, the company agreed to send her $76.65 for the unused portion of her warranty period. The company, Choice Home Warranty, says it is, “in full compliance with its terms and conditions.”
A check of that company shows in 2015, it paid a $780,000 fine to the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs because the firm allegedly “used creative and deceptive means to deny their customer claims.” The state received more than 1,000 consumer complaints and, as part of the settlement, the firm agreed to revise its business practices.
Consumer Reports also recommends against buying such policies. It says, “We’ve seen consumers raise these issues in the past in connection with home warranties and other types of service contracts.”
It points out if a product breaks after the warranty has expired you can get an extra year of coverage if you bought it with a credit card that gives you such protection. So, its very important to always buy appliances and electronics with such a credit card.
Howard Ain appears as the Troubleshooter on WKRC-TV Local 12 News. Email him athey email@example.com.


text:
Why are professionals up against the application of the Euro 6 pollution standard, which has been present for 8 years in Morocco? In any case, the CGEM has already asked the Ministry of Transport to postpone the transition to this standard for an additional 30 months. For professionals interviewed by “Le Matin”, it is certainly a false good idea. The details.
Postponing the application of Euro 6 standards for trucks: a false good idea? In any case, this is the request made in a letter sent last July by the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM) to the Department of Transport. In its “confidential” letter, the employers request an additional period of 30 months for the transition to the Euro 6 anti-pollution standard, the application of which is planned from January 1, 2023. But obviously, this upgrade arouses anxiety transportation professionals. According to our sources, the Confederation has highlighted the difficult situation that certain personnel are experiencing in view of the consequences of the Covid crisis and the current international context. However, this standard has already been applied in Europe since 2014 and does not pose any problem on this large transport market, quite the contrary. The Euro 6 standard indeed concerns a significant reduction in the pollution emitted by buses and heavy goods vehicles. Thus, emissions of nitrogen oxides are limited to 0.4 g/kWh, those of carbon monoxide to 1.5 g/kWh, those of hydrocarbons to 0.13 g/kWh and finally that of particles to 0.01g/kWh.
But why are professionals up against the application of this standard which has already been present for 8 years in Morocco? According to our information, professionals fear the repercussion on truck prices, which are likely to increase, because this standard is more restrictive. Likewise, they reduce an impact on logistics costs and therefore an impact on inflation. They also highlight the fact that the carriers have worked less than usual over the past two years and that their situation would be difficult. But for some professionals interviewed, this reasoning does not stand up to analysis. “First of all, this standard has been known for a long time and many new trucks and coaches imported into Morocco by the major European brands already meet it. The price of these trucks is therefore already priced in by the market and this will not have a significant impact. In addition, the change in standards for new vehicles does not oblige professionals to change trucks immediately, they will only change them when a term of wear or financing arrives” explains to the “Matin” a local importer.
Even imagining that there is any increase in the price of the vehicle, it is easily fought for two reasons, our source continues. Above all, the most modern trucks have a lower fuel consumption than their elders, what we “lose” following an increase in the purchase price, we “recover” it largely by the drop in diesel consumption. Secondly, these trucks are all financed by leasing, so it suffices to increase, in the rare cases where the prices are more expensive, by two or three monthly installments to end up with the same cost price per kilometer. If a few brands, mostly Asian, are still offered on the Moroccan market for trucks with Euro 4 standards, which are still acceptable in many countries and which therefore represent a part of world production, we must then wonder about the impact of this revision of standards on the health of Moroccans. The Euro 4 standards thus allow nitrogen oxide discharges of 3.5 g/kWh (8.75 times what is authorized by the Euro 6 standard), 0.46 g/kWh of hydrocarbons (3.53 times Euro 6) and 0.02 g/kWh of particles (twice Euro 6). But health sometimes resists badly to the economy, even if it is generally estimated that road transport represents 23% of pollution in Morocco.


text:
Chinese baby formula syndicates and organised crime is fuelling a rise in shoplifting that's costing retailers $2.26BILLION a year - and YOU are picking up the bill
- Shoplifters are more daring in recent years and theft as reached a 'crisis point'
- Theft of cosmetics, meat and baby formula showed no signs of slowing down
- 'Micro gangs' who overwhelm staff members is reportedly on the rise as well
A rise in shoplifting in Australia has been linked to Chinese daigou shoppers and organised crime syndicates and it is costing retailers $2.26billion a year.
Shoplifters have become more daring in recent years and the cost of theft in-store has reached a 'crisis point' for big supermarket chains.
The daigou trade and organised gangs have been blamed for the 16 per cent increase in shoplifting since the 2018 financial year.
Experts believe people who have never shoplifted before will do so now because of the increase of self-service machines.
Scroll down for video
A rise in shoplifting in Australia has been linked to Chinese daigou shoppers and organised crime syndicates and it is costing retailers $2.26billion a year (stock picture)
A study conducted by Apus Research and two other companies analysed over 9000 Australian and New Zealand retailers and found shoplifting was on the rise.
The growing daigou trade have created a market for stolen items from supermarkets such as baby formula, food, champagne and clothing.
Retailers have begun running programs that track and trace stolen items and have found their stock for sale on e-commerce sites.
Classic shoplifting targets such as cosmetics, meat and baby formula showed no signs of slowing down but the study also found an increase in violent crime.
Reports were also uncovered of 'micro-gangs' who rush supermarkets in large numbers with the intention of overwhelming staff and stealing as much as they can.
The majority of companies involved in the study were large fashion, grocery and department retailers who have combined revenue of $95billion.
These companies reported a loss of 0.92 per cent of revenue, or $3.37billion, in the 2018 financial year and it was due to crimes such as shoplifting.
Shoplifting contributed to 57 per cent of the revenue loss with 22 per cent consisting of dishonest employee theft.
Non-crime related loss consisted of 15 per cent and 6 per cent was related to supplier fraud.
Shoplifters have become bolder in recent years and the cost of theft in-store has reached a 'crisis point' for big supermarket chains (stock image)
Dr Emmeline Taylor, the report's lead researcher, said criminals are adapting to new technologies and are finding ways around loss-prevention methods.
'Every time a retailer introduces new technology or a new system there's a backlash from criminals, which is then followed by an attempt to discover the system's vulnerabilities,' Dr Taylor told The Sydney Morning Herald.
'Shop theft is an age-old crime, and where we used to see the occasional items being taken by customers, we're now seeing things like organised gangs, and individuals doing refund fraud.
'Thieves feel that it's become easier than ever, they feel they've got complete free rein to steal with impunity.'
The daigou trade and organised gangs have been blamed for the 16 per cent increase in shoplifting since the 2018 financial year (stock image)
A Coles spokesperson said they are taking steps to reduce shoplifting in their stores.
'While the large majority of our customers do the right thing, it's not fair that a small number of people get away with doing the wrong thing. Like a number of retailers, we work with police to reduce shoplifting,' a Coles spokesperson said.
'There are also trained covert security officers in our stores nationally and they're catching hundreds of thieves every week and reporting them to police.'
A Woolworths spokesperson said the self-service checkouts are loved by customers but some people take advantage of the convenience.
'Self-serve checkouts are incredibly convenient and we know the vast majority of customers do the right thing when using them,' a Woolworths spokesperson said.
'Of course, we have a range of security measures in place for those that don't.'
Classic shoplifting targets such as cosmetics, meat and baby formula showed no signs of slowing down but the study also found an increase in violent crime (stock image)


text:
Delhi-based agriculture and technology startup Paalak.in has raised an undisclosed amount of seed funding from Vishwadeep Bajaj, Harsh Kundra, Nandkumar Rane and.It allows its users to create their own bitcoin wallets and start buying or selling bitcoins by.
Abra - Mobile Bitcoin Wallet App - BTC & Cryptocurrency
ICOs Delivered At Least 3.5x More Capital To Blockchain
Bitcoin Startup Blockchain Taps $40 Million in Fresh FundingWith so many different options at the disposal of startups and entrepreneurs in the Bitcoin industry, there is no wrong way to raise funding.However, several others existed prior to Bitcoin, the same gathered large attention.Boston-based bitcoin startup Circle Internet Financial is moving closer to its goal of a world where sending money costs the same as sending e-mail — nothing.
Bitcoin startup Vaurum raises $4 million in seed fundingDubai-based bitcoin startup BitOasis has announced its first round of seed funding, in a round led by venture capital firm Wamda Capital, an investor focused on startups in the MENA (Middle-East and North Africa) region.
Bitcoin Startup SatoshiPay Nets €640k in New Funding - The
In 2012, an incubator for bitcoin-focused start-ups was founded by.Singapore-based bitcoin startup BitX has raised a round of funding from Venturra Capital, it announced today.
Cryptocurrency start-ups raising money through initialJuly 22, 2018 by Jon Southurst 0 Comment 32127 Views. Coincides With Bitcoin.The Lightning Network consists of you committing a transaction on the blockchain to move an amount of BTC to fund a.
Startup BTC is a private market platform, and its associated ecosystem, that helps invest.South African startup Centbee, a bitcoin wallet provider that makes it easy for a global consumers to acquire, hold and spend bitcoin with retailers and other.
These Entrepreneurs Are Out to Tackle Startup Funding WithPrior to Bitcoin, you had to raise money, write software, distribute your.
Bitcoin Lightning Startup Goes Beta With Twitter CEO BackingVC funding has started to pour into bitcoin startups as investors realise the amazing potential of block-chain technology to disrupt the traditional financial space.Bitcoin startups appear to be making way for a new class of innovators vying for investment capital.
The Rise of Bitcoin Startups & Crowdfunding IPO's
Bitcoin startup gets funding from big banks - MarketWatch
Blockchain Startup Got $4B Funding Without ProductThe funding round of blockchain startup. the fall of the then largest Bitcoin exchange Mt.There are numerous advantages of using bitcoins as venture capital, learn some of the advantages to consider cryptocurrency funding.UAE-based blockchain startup ArabianChain has raised AED3 million of funding in its latest funding round,.
The 25 most exciting bitcoin startups in the world
Using Bitcoin as a Currency to Fund Your Startup - VC List
Bitcoins: Blockchain-based startup fund Bitcoin Growth
# Bitcoin Startup Funding - How Much Do Bitcoins Cost Pay
Coinbase Picks up Largest Amount of Funding for Any
Wells Fargo and ICAP at the Vanguard of $18 MillionDespite a massive drop in the value of bitcoin, venture capitalists have already poured more money into the sector than they did all last year — which was a record.
Coinbase | CrunchbaseStartsup Btc Startup Btc Funding Services Limited. 10K likes.
Mumbai-Based Blockchain Startup Elemential Raises Funding
Billionaire hedge fund manager Stanley Druckermiller and former Federal Reserve governor Kevin. bitcoin (BTC.The 25 most exciting bitcoin startups. Rob. and others in the bitcoin scene in search of some of the most exciting startups.


text:
Patrick Robinson, the much-lauded vice-president of Gap global design for its adult and body categories, has left the company with immediate effect.
Pam Wallack, head of the Gap Global Creative Centre, which is based in New York and which opened earlier this year to drive global growth, will take over the day-to-day management of the design teams while a replacement for Robinson is sought.
Jennifer Giangualano, senior vice president of kids and baby design, will provide “leadership and direction” on adult design during a transition period.
Wallack said: “After spending the last three months in New York with the creative team, I’ve made the decision to make a change within our Gap Adult design team.”
Gap chairman and chief executive Glenn Murphy added: “Patrick has been a dedicated and passionate advocate for Gap brand and our customers over the last four years, and we’re grateful for his hard work, especially related to our 1969 denim.”
“Our leaders of the new Gap Global Creative Center are taking the necessary steps to compete and win around the world,” Muphy said.
Patrick joined Gap in 2007 having previously worked for the likes of Georgio Armani. Gap regularly wheeled him out for interviews with the press, and his laidback personality and quirky look made him almost a poster boy for the retailer.
His designs, while often praised by the media, have not managed to capture the imagination of shoppers though and Gap’s sales continue to be challenging.
Like-for-like sales for the first quarter at its international stores, which includes the UK, were down 6%. In Apri international comparable sales fell 1%.l


text:
Think of the countless access control systems around the globe recording every entry and exit; the innumerable cameras silently collecting video; the point of sale systems recording billions of transactions. There is a flow of raw data constantly streaming from them all. That non-stop data collected from security systems can be converted into information, including business intelligence. That information helps businesses evaluate and optimize operations, improve marketing, meet regulations, plan business requirements, and the list goes on. The information contained in the reports such as people counts, vehicle counts, object density, occupancy, traffic flow, dwell time, activity level, and more can provide businesses with significant knowledge, adding a compelling argument for security systems’ value in a time when value and perceived return on investment (ROI) mean more than ever.
“Today’s business intelligence is the product of carefully planned strategic solutions that deliver meaningful information on multiple platforms. IP-based video surveillance solutions can work alone or integrate with other business systems such as access control, point of sale and teleconferencing on a network to deliver this intelligence,” says Bill Taylor, president, Panasonic System Networks Company of America, Secaucus, N.J.
The ability to transform more data into information is due to advancements in analytics and video management software (VMS) and is also a valuable by-product of the industry’s transition to IP-based systems. Ones and zeros become information with more ease.
“In the last decade video data started to be digitized and stored on hard drives. Once analog video images are stored on a computer they become data. That data, if organized by VMS, becomes information,” explains Steve Hunt, principal at Neohapsis, Cambridge, Mass.
“The use of computer software and networking has created tectonic shifts in the way security is done. We’ve seen more software, more computing power, more networking and more information in the past five years than we saw in the previous 20. It has been an amazing event witnessing the convergence of physical security with the technology of IT and computer software networking. That brings us to the business intelligence advantage. Once you IP-enable something you start creating a whole lot of data. If you have the right systems processes or technologies in place you’re generating a whole lot of information. That information can achieve the type of usefulness so it is actually considered intelligence,” Hunt says.
Al Shipp, chief executive officer, 3VR, San Francisco, advises keeping the value of data in mind for the future, even if it won’t be immediately used today.
“Most organizations only have a limited view of their enterprise, resulting in an inability to centrally manage or mine their video resources for information that would result in enhanced security, operational efficiency or customer service. [Keep] one simple concept in mind: Provide a solution that solves enterprise-wide physical security problems today but can also be utilized to provide actionable intelligence for their operations, marketing and merchandizing organizations to maximize the return on their video investments tomorrow,” Shipp says.
The future is bright, as the shift to IP from analog is allowing systems to capture data that wasn’t possible before.
IP is the enabler for business intelligence opportunities, says Hedgie Bartol, retail business development manager at Axis Communications Inc., Chelmsford, Mass.
“An analog device is a dumb device that captures a video image. It does one thing. Today you wouldn’t go out and buy a word processor, you would buy a PC where you can not only do word processing, but you can do spreadsheets, presentations, etc. — anything you need as soon as the requirement arises. An analog camera captures an analog image, but a network camera collects usable data instead of just a picture. And you can do so many other things with the data as the need arises,” Bartol says.
The door to new possibilities like business intelligence has been emerging for some time.
“Manufacturers have been talking about developing these technologies and using available data for years now, and the reality is beginning to catch up in a meaningful way. The marketing piece is definitely there, and the early adopters are already putting these types of systems in place. As IP-based solutions continue to gain traction and the technology continues to evolve, we will see more and more such solutions being deployed, providing more business intelligence to users,” Taylor expects.
Every network system that is installed provides another blank slate for business intelligence applications, says Paul Smith, vice president of Americas sales, DVTel Inc., Ridgefield Park, N.J.
“The world is moving to network-based systems and as more and more of these systems are deployed, that opens the opportunity to bring in these other benefits like business intelligence — much more so than analog systems ever offered. The more network systems that get deployed, the more platforms that exist for software developers to do with those platforms and create more and more applications,” he predicts.
Journey to Opportunity
After 9/11, the industry experienced tremendous influx of technologies like analytics and video management software that are part of the chain that produces business intelligence today.
“Go back to 9/11 and look at what happened to the security industry after 9/11. There was an incredible spike in demand for the highest level of technology. The industry wasn’t prepared for it — no one could have been prepared for that kind of change in business,” remembers Kevin McCaughey, vice president of security solutions, Buildings Business, Schneider Electric, Carrollton, Texas. “A lot of new technology came out of it: some effective, some less effective. Today, the less effective ones have been weeded out and we are at a point in the security industry where the technology that is available is proven technology. The software is much more mature and the opportunity to produce intelligence-based information is now there,” McCaughey says.
“There’s another gap that today’s technologies is helping close — the ROI gap,” McCaughey points out.
“We’ve closed the technology gap that emerged after 9/11, but in the process of doing that we developed the ROI gap. Customers and end users don’t know how to utilize the full system and aren’t getting the full return on investment from their systems. That is why it takes a combination of us, the manufacturers, the consultants, the end users who know their businesses best — all working with the customers to solve problems and maximize everything these systems can do,” McCaughey says.
“Analytics saw a huge increase in development after 9/11, but it also got a bad rap when the high expectations for it weren’t met. In a true security application, using an object-left-behind application to detect a bomb, a one percent failure rate is a big deal, but if you shift from a military-type application to business intelligence you have new parameters. The fail rate is very different for traffic patterns and dwell times,” observes Jackie Andersen, retail business development manager at Axis Communications.
As Smith succinctly summarizes, using analytics for business intelligence gives you some slack on accuracy because you aren’t playing with lives. But to increase accuracy, he advises companies take an approach like that of ioImage, a video analytics company acquired by DVTel, and choose to do fewer things, but do them effectively so there are no dashed expectations.
In addition to effectiveness, increased interoperability is opening more business intelligence opportunities as well and is key to transforming data into information.
“Turning the data from security systems into actual information is the key to making the solution work,” Taylor says. “System interoperability is critical; you can be certain to accomplish this with a system from a single vendor; short of that, an excellent integrator and strong partnerships between providers will create the interoperability needed to make this solution a reality,” he says.
Andersen adds, “Information is what leads to intelligence and you can combine more information when you are working with an open system. Not only that, you can combine more available solutions. We allow 800 partners around the globe to create new solutions through our AXIS Camera Application Platform, the open application platform that creates unique possibilities to meet specific end user needs by enabling download of third-party applications to Axis network cameras and encoders. That is a lot of flexibility in the solutions that can be tied to the camera.”
“Today, end users are becoming educated on the benefits of IP video surveillance beyond security, primarily by providers who are marketing their products and services with that message,” says Gadi Piran, president and chief technology officer (CTO), OnSSI, Pearl River, N.Y.
Zvika Ashani, CTO, Agent Video Intelligence (Agent Vi), Rosh Ha’ayin, Israel, says his company is seeing an increase in customer requirements for the technology.
“Previously, the main focus we saw for video analytics was event detection: alerts for security breaches, vehicles parked at the entrance to a building too long, etc. While we still see growth in that security-focused area, we are seeing an increase in customer requirements for business intelligence applications. People are seeing this technology actually works, that deployments are being successful, and that the cost of cameras, hardware, and software is going down,” Ashani shares.
The lower price point is driven by increased innovation from manufacturers and integrators are also focused on capitalizing on the technology.
“On a sales and marketing level, the relationship between security and business intelligence is growing as manufacturers and integrators see an opportunity to provide more value while increasing their own sales,” Taylor says.
Adoption is increasing because the technology is at a tipping point, Andersen comments. “Previously, there was some fear of the unknown. Now end users are asking, ‘How do I harness business intelligence?’”
Her colleague, Bartol, adds, “The iceberg is emerging and we’re starting to see what is below the surface. We are starting to get a peak at what the analytic market can really offer regarding business intelligence solutions and beyond.
So what are integrators doing?
“Many installers and contractors have matured their businesses. They have recognized that the way they can be more different is to have business discussions with customers. Those installers are not just growing business by winning more bids, but they are talking to customers about how to use the technology for greater good in the business. They are moving beyond security technology for security only and extending the investment,” McCaughey says.
That mentality benefits end users, but more importantly, it protects the relationship the integrator has with the end users, says Marc Holtenhoff, chief executive officer (CEO), Aimetis, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Holtenhoff sees integrators in danger of getting leap-frogged by end users who want the technology and will go to the company that can provide it.
“Systems integrators who are selling the technology they have always sold that are not a champion of educating themselves and their customers on the new technologies will be left behind. End users will attend trade shows and learn about the technology via multiple avenues today. If they want it and they are looking for partners, especially if they are big enough, they will leap frog the systems integrator and then the integrator is reacting and scrambling. That is where a systems integrator who has been proactively addressing the technology will be ready.”
When creating business intelligence solutions, the advantage also belongs to the integrator who focuses on solving the end users’ problem without getting caught in the technology.
Focus on what you want to know, Piran advises.
“You must first determine what it is you are looking for, then develop your criteria and analyze the information gathered,” Piran suggests.
And don’t forget the growing list of systems it can be tied to.
“Business intelligence comes in many forms depending on the application needs you are trying to solve. It’s in the way you integrate behavioral analytics, point of sale (POS), ATM, EAC, time and attendance and many more data feeds. Success is in how you correlate your various data streams to tie in the video and bring real value and actionable intelligence to the customer,” describes Rich Mellott, president, Digiop, Indianapolis.
People, process, and then technology, advises McCaughey. “Our company follows that philosophy and technology comes last by design. Looking at the jobs our customers have to do — whether that is a university, hospital, plant, etc. it gives us an opportunity to apply technology in a better way. Anyone can offer technology, but there is a higher return on investment for customers and it gives us a chance to extract more from technology when we design and choose technology to support their needs from the start. We can introduce technologies and solutions, but it is most effective if we have a conversation with the customer about what their challenges are — facility by facility, business by business.”
Retail is the vertical market that instinctively comes to mind when thinking of markets taking advantage of business intelligence from security systems — but it isn’t the only market. Hunt cautions against limiting the applications for business intelligence.
“There is something for every industry. In energy or chemical markets, I’ve seen companies start to track which employees are spending how much time in what proximity to dangerous chemicals. By tracking that information, the companies are able to meet Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) requirements. There are examples in every industry, way beyond retail, if you are willing to look for them,” Hunt says.
At Milestone Systems, Beaverton, Ore., Tim Palmquist, vice president of sales operations, agrees that for every obvious example of business intelligence, there are also companies using security system data for novel information that solves a problem for them.
“When you look at specific examples of business intelligence gained from security systems, retail is an obvious candidate, and often the one that comes to mind first. There are so many benefits that companies can get, but that is not the only market using business intelligence. Other types of less obvious trends in the marketplace include a lot of work in manufacturing. Production lines really benefit. Businesses use the information to improve training, eliminate inefficiencies, and ensure regulations are being met.
“Hospitals are using it, while in food safety we see companies monitoring hygiene, checking how procedures are followed and watching food preparation happening, ensuring everyone is clean, in the proper places, etc. We also use information to optimize the training processes for companies.
“I’ve also seen some things I never thought would want to be analyzed, but have proven to be invaluable for companies. Things like how often an escalator is being used or how long the wait time is for elevators. Different things that don’t seem super intuitive but are the right things for the company,” Palmquist lists.
Business intelligence can bring value to many verticals, says Mellott.
“Banking, schools, manufacturing, hospitals/health care and many more verticals apply: Just think about the data and information that ties to business or operational functions and if it correlates to something on a video screen or a video subject you have value to bring to the equation,” he advises.
Banking is a growing vertical.
3VR’s Nick Wooler, director of product marketing, describes a banking solution that is making video usable and searchable for clients every day.
“We enable customer to directly integrate with point-of-sale, ATM and other transaction systems. Therefore, when a bank is investigating check fraud on a specific account, it can type in the account number into the 3VR interface and find the video events from when that specific account was accessed. With this indexed footage readily available in seconds, businesses can instantly search for precise instances rather than manually reviewing hours of surveillance footage.”
Still, there’s a reason people think of retail right away when discussing business intelligence from security systems, especially video surveillance systems. There’s a natural fit between the data collected by the security systems and the information that can be extracted from it.
The retail solution from Agent Vi demonstrates how many ways you can analyze customer behavior and provide actionable insights that increase customer satisfaction, expand sales opportunities, optimize store performance, and ultimately, drive profitability. See the photo caption on page 56 for only a few of the possibilities.
An important point is that as more and more network-based systems get deployed, they become a platform for someone else’s creativity, says Smith.
“We are planting seeds today to allow ourselves and other software developers to come up with more solutions and more ways of providing business intelligence. Think about it. Apple came up with the iPhone, but how many people have written apps? It is like we are putting the iPhone out there and now countless other people from other domains — marketing, operation, business intelligence, etc. — can develop great ideas in the upcoming years using our security systems and VMS software as a base for other systems, applications, and enhancements to things like business intelligence,” says Smith.
Real growth in the business intelligence field will occur when the industry breaks out of the rut, advises Andersen.
“We tend to revert to the ‘intellectual well’ time and time again and we need to stop doing that. Instead of just getting the job done on auto pilot, we need to open our eyes to the solutions that are out there. Ask questions. We’re no longer locked into proprietary solutions and we can perform analytics on almost anything,” she says.
Bartol summarizes, “We don’t know what we don’t know sometimes. The human imagination can produce magic and provide yet undiscovered solutions.”
Video and data are a magical combination.
“Together video and data provide the customer with truly powerful tools. Business intelligence will make this industry much more viable to the overall business and transcend the security market landscape we live in today,” says Mellott.
An Integrator’s Perspective
Phil Aronson, chief executive officer of Aronson Security Group (ASG), Seattle, offers his perspective on business intelligence and how his company approaches the solution.
SDM: What does your company offer that facilitates business intelligence?
Aronson: Aronson Security Group (ASG) provides professional consulting and integration services to a global market. Our approach is unique. By integrating business process optimization into the security organization, we are able to quickly identify time and cost savings in the security organization that can then be used for innovative technologies and services that add value to the business. Our use of portal technology to capture critical documentation around organizational resilience and the security operation provides the foundation for Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) measures to be deployed. We use this same approach in capturing the critical data that we generate in designing, managing and servicing the implementation of security technology.
SDM: What trends are you seeing in business intelligence?
Aronson: More and more executives agree that they are missing a number of key factors in measuring and articulating their value. The critical challenge for them is creating a new scorecard for measuring security’s impact on the business. This is where many consultants and integrators go wrong: It is not what they are asking for that should drive you; it is what they need. Many security executives have not been driven to contribute to the business value, only to protect it. We show them how to do both.
SDM: What comments do you have in general about the value of business intelligence gleaned from security systems, and security systems’ ability to provide that data?
Aronson: The physical access control systems (PACS) lack the data aggregation and reporting tools to make business intelligence or performance visible. We believe this is a tremendous area for differentiation in the future.
Increase Video Surveillance’s Value for Facility Managers and Building Owners
Honeywell, Louisville, Ky., and integration software maker Tridium Inc., Richmond, Va., introduced a software tool that allows integrators and security dealers to more easily incorporate digital video surveillance capabilities into larger building control systems, thus increasing the value of the overall investment in a video system that would typically only be used for safety and security purposes. The new Rapid Eye™ Driver enables Tridium’s Niagara Framework to communicate with Honeywell’s line of Rapid Eye digital video recorders (DVR), used across various industries to record, store and search for video evidence.
By integrating the Rapid Eye DVR with traditional building automation technology such as environmental controls, energy management and lighting systems, the Rapid Eye Driver allows facility managers to easily integrate building events with video recordings. Managers, for example, can perform tasks such as diagnosing heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) maintenance issues or detect water leaks using video.
“Rapid Eye Driver gives integrators more flexibility to create these interconnected systems and provide more value for building owners and operators,” says Scott Harkins, general manager, Honeywell Systems.
System Monitors Security and Customers’ Experiences
Founded in 1962, Vivara is Brazil’s largest jewelry store chain, with more than 100 retail outlets throughout the country in 24 of Brazil’s 26 states. The company installed Aimetis Symphony™, an intelligent IP video management software from Aimetis, to remotely monitor its stores with video and audio in real time from a central location.
Vivara contracted with Ferraz Solutions to implement the surveillance system and provide ongoing support, including staffing in the monitoring center. Ferraz Solutions implemented several fixed and pan/tilt/zoom network cameras from Vivotek and Aimetis Symphony video management software in each store. Corporate staff in a central site can watch and observe the stores in real time, regardless of the distance (some are 2,500 miles away) to see if staff are properly trained/attending to the needs of customers and ensure that jewelry is being displayed properly. Microphones are installed separately from but integrated with the cameras that record staff/customer dialogue to enhance the analysis. This has saved Vivara from the significant costs associated with traveling thousands of miles to observe and improve the customer experience and store performance.
Moreover, Vivara will be using Symphony’s people-counting and motion-tracking/thermal zone capabilities to enhance sales. Using people counting, the store can determine how many individuals are entering and exiting the stores on certain days and at certain times of the day to plan for staffing, sale dates, etc. The motion tracking/thermal zone capabilities enable the store to determine locations within the store that customers frequent.


text:
updated 01:45 pm EDT, Mon October 31, 2011
Foxconn reports third-quarter loss of profit
Hon Hai Precision Industry, the parent company of Foxconn and the largest contract maker of electronics, has just posted its fourth consecutive drop in profits. Foxconn manufactures multiple electronics devices for companies like Apple, Amazon, Dell, HP, Sony, and numerous others. Third-quarter net income dropped 8.6 percent to $641 million, the company revealed, which is a decrease from the $701 million in the same time period in the previous year.
Hon Hai suffered from a lethargic economic recovery that saw a low demand for computers and game consoles. The margins are expected to improve during the fourth quarter thanks to the release of the iPhone 4S and declining costs as a new factory is being set up, said Kirk Yan from Barclays Capital in Hong Kong.
Last year, Foxconn raised wages for its workers after suicides at its factories were reported, and these larger expenses also contributed to the lower profits.
Unconsolidated sales that don't reflect revenue from subsidiaries saw a non-significant change from the same time period last year, at the equivalent of $22.3 billion.
Hon Hai employs about one million workers and is moving factories more inland in China to be closer to those workers. It is also expanding its plant in Brazil. Its global shipments, meanwhile, climbed 3.2 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier. [via BusinessWeek]


text:
London, UK -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/16/2016 -- Poland-based online platform FutureNet recently announced their plans to introduce their online money making services to other countries. In their latest announcement FutureNet unveiled that they will now be entering the Asian market by spanning their reach in regions including Indonesia, China, India and Malaysia after conquering Europe. The FutureNet Club will formally launch in Asia on August 15th, 2016, after which anyone would be able to benefit from the daily income opportunity.
Speaking about what users in Asia can expect from FutureNet, the company spokesperson said: "Have fun, enjoy fantastic multimedia opportunities, meet friends and make money. Futurenet offers you an excellent platform to earn income from the Internet on a daily basis. Anyone can join our platform to capitalize on the time they spend online by making money. We have all the material you need to get started and begin earning on the FutureNet platform."
This platform claims to be a different and more superior in many ways to most other platforms. Firstly, it has been designed for people who are new to the world of online social media business. Although there is a learning curve involved, the developers of FutureNet have ensured that is easy to grasp and follow for people with little to no knowledge about the concept. The developers have also modified the system in many ways to match the needs of their Asian market, which will make it easier for the local users to adapt and grow with the system as it builds.
Some choice platform http://traficpowerline.com
The learning materials provided on the website is in the form of easy to follow video, ebooks, electronic magazines and webinar conducted by the experts. People who wish to become the part of the FutureNet Club in Asia can visit the website to register. The celebrate the launch of the FutureNet platform; registrations will be free of cost. Upon registering members will have exclusive access to learning materials, they will also be able to communicate and socialize with other members to work and grow together as a team and increase their earnings.
The company expects a favorable response by the Asian market after their success in Europe and Australia. They believe that the current situation shows great promise because people in Asia are looking for ways to earn online.
Another highly popular money making opportunity in the region is bitclubnetwork trading platform, http://jeunesseid.com.
Futurenet offers you an excellent platform to earn income from the Internet on a daily basis.
For more information, please visit: http://futurenetmalaysia.com/
Name: MD Tedy,AKp


text:
The XLRI School of Business and Human Resources has concluded its summer internship placements, with the first batch of 2016–18 comprising 361 students achieving 100 per cent placement.
Ninety-two companies participated in the summer internship placement process wherein 156 jobs were offered in the areas of consulting, finance, sales and marketing, operations, business development (BM), human resources (HR) and industrial relations (IR).
Accenture, Aditya Birla Group, Hindustan Unilever, ITC, Star India, Akzonobel, Mahindra, Mondelez, TAS, BCG, GE and P&G were among the recruiters. There were 21 first-time recruiters too.
The maximum number of offers were made by the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, followed by the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector and the conglomerates. The number of offers from the manufacturing sector was far less, while the least number of offers came from the consulting domain.
The participation of e-commerce recruiters was reduced to 50 per cent of the last year.