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Luxury Chalet Book nominated in World Snow Awards 2017
Following several award nominations over the last year, Luxury Chalet Book are delighted to announce we have also been nominated in the 2017 World Snow Awards in the Specialist Travel Agent category. After being nominated in the World Ski Awards for the last 3 years in the World’s Best Ski Travel Agency category, including a top 3-place finish in 2015, The Telegraph have announced that we have been shortlisted in the prestigious World Snow Awards.
Established 6 years ago, The World Snow Awards, presented by The Telegraph Ski & Snowboard Magazine, honour the very best in the world of skiing and snowboarding. The prestigious awards recognise the best brands, retailers, resorts, operators, venues and personalities in the industry. With 23 awards up for grabs, the winners are decided by a judging panel of the leading figures in the UK skiing and snowboarding industry as well as by public vote.
Entries into the Specialist Travel Agent category were shortlisted and assessed by independent experts. To choose their finalists, The Telegraph looked for organisations that have made significant contributions to snowsports over the past 12 months, as well as the most promising prospects for the season to come. Here at Luxury Chalet Book, we are honoured and delighted to stand among the best of the best in the industry – particularly with such a high volume of entrants this year.
The Telegraph will announce the winners on Thursday 26th October 2017 at the annual Ski & Snowboard Show, which will again take place at Battersea Park, London. We wish all of our fellow nominees the best of luck, and are looking forward to the big announcement with excited anticipation!


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The Western Union Company announced that it has renewed its agreement to offer Western Union Money Transfer and Money Order services through H-E-B, one of the fastest-growing privately owned retail chains in the U.S.
Together, Western Union and H-E-B have a long history of offering consumers quality financial services. H-E-B, which has more than 300 stores in Texas and Mexico, began offering Western Union services more than 25 years ago. This most recent agreement ensures that H-E-B customers will continue to have access to these value-added services at all 236 H-E-B Business Center locations. In addition, 262 H-E-B locations will offer Western Union Money Orders(SM).
“H-E-B is committed to providing exceptional customer service,” said Will Hileman, Vice President, Services, H-E-B. “Our long relationship with Western Union – a trusted brand throughout the world – is part of that commitment. We find that our customers appreciate the convenience of one-stop shopping for groceries, money orders, and money transfers to friends and family.”
“H-E-B has been an important part of the Western Union Agent network for more than 25 years,” said Christina Gold, President and CEO of The Western Union Company. “Consumers trust H-E-B to provide them with quality goods and services – including the financial services offered by Western Union. We are pleased to continue this important relationship and to providing consumers with the highest level of convenience, reliability, service and value.”
About Western Union
The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leading provider of global money transfer services. Together with its affiliates, Orlandi Valuta and Vigo, Western Union provides consumers with fast, reliable and convenient ways to send and receive money around the world, as well as send payments and purchase money orders. It operates through a network of approximately 300,000 Agent locations in over 200 countries and territories. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com.
For more than 100 years, H-E-B has been an innovative retailer. Known for its fresh food products and convenient services, H-E-B strives to provide the best customer experience and low prices. H-E-B employs more than 60,000 partners and serves customers in more than 150 communities throughout Texas and Mexico. For more information, visit the company’s Web site, www.heb.com.

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|Congressman Brady to Speak at CBP Trade Symposium|
(10/18/2012) Washington — Congressman Kevin Brady will be the keynote speaker at Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) annual trade symposium luncheon here October 30.Congressman Brady is serving his 8th term representing the Texas Eighth Congressional District. He is chair of the Trade Subcommittee of the House Ways & Means Committee and is the vice chairman of the Joint Economic Committee.CBP’s annual trade symposium will be held October 29-30 at the Renaissance DC Downtown Hotel. The theme of the symposium is Expanding 21st Century Global Partnerships.While registration for in-person attendance is sold out, as an alternative CBP is offering a live webcast of the symposium. Registration for the webcast must be made online.
Webcast Registration ) For the latest information on the symposium visit the CBP website.
Kevin Brady's Biography )


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Though not confirmed, Inside Line expects the 2014 Sedona to take its overall minivan/ crossover shape from Kia's KV7 concept car first seen at the 2011 North American International Auto Show. That backs up what we theorized last January in Detroit. Kia's VP of marketing hinted to us then that the KV7 wasn't purely a styling exercise and that could one day inspire a production vehicle. Don't, however, hold out for the concept's fantastical gullwing doors, swiveling seats, LED instrument panel or LED headlights.
"With the KV7 what we see coming eventually is materials on the vehicle that we'd like to see incorporated," Michael Sprague, Kia's marketing VP told us then. "Or getting a Kia that's Wi-Fi enabled, it's just a question of how soon."
Look for the new Sedona to bow sometime in 2013.


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Crypto Exchange Huobi Global Enables Cryptocurrency Purchases With Fiat in Latin America
Huobi Global, a crypto exchange founded in China but now registered in the Republic of Seychelles, is enabling cryptocurrencies to be purchased with fiat currency in Latin America through a partnership with the online payment solution AstroPay.
The exchange, one of the world’s largest by trading volume, now provides a new fiat on-ramp in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Uruguay, Huobi said in a statement.
“Users in these countries will then be able to purchase and trade through a variety of payment methods including credit and debit cards, bank transfers and local alternative options,” the company added, including the Brazilian government's payment system Pix and Mexico’s system of interbank electronic payments (SPEI).
In May, Huobi Global acquired the Latin American crypto exchange Bitex, which operates in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Paraguay, and plans to launch operations in Peru and other undisclosed countries in the region.
Astropay was founded in 2009 by Uruguayans Andrés Bzurovski and Sergio Fogel. It currently has offices in the U.K. and Latin America, offering more than 200 payment methods globally, the firm said in a statement.


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Last Crumb Raises $3M in Seed Funding
Cult cookie brand Last Crumb closed a $3 million funding round to support marketing and sales efforts. Dubbed “the Louis Vuitton of candy,” the Los Angeles startup is shipping its gourmet offerings in limited quantities via weekly “drops” to consumers nationwide, who must join a waitlist for the chance to purchase. a box.
Founded in 2020, Last Crumb offers a dozen staple cookies, such as The Madonna, a peanut butter cookie, and What’s Up Doc, a carrot cookie with cream cheese frosting, as well as limited editions. The brand said it tested hundreds of recipes and dozens of chocolates, flours, dried fruits, sea salts, vanillas and more to refine the formulations.
“Last year, we sold our first box of cookies and realized our vision to create the first luxury cookie brand,” said Matthew Jung, Managing Director. “We are committed to quality and experience and have found a deeply loyal and rapidly growing customer base that believes in what we do. We have found an equally committed group of investors who believe in and share our vision and have the industry knowledge to take Last Crumb to new heights.
The round was led by Electric Feel Ventures, with participation from existing investors and new investors Chetrit Ventures, David Grutman, Andrew Rosen, Seema Bansal and Sunny Chadha.


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I covered Sheridan’s peer mentor program for the Sun and was surprised at the effort being put into raising awareness about mental and physical health issues. Many people, especially busy college students, neglect their physical health and mental health does not even show up on their radar screen. The peer mentors are offering all kinds of assistance to students who want to learn how to approach eating, sleeping, drinking and sex in a safe and healthy way.
Whether we realize it or not, our health is more important than perhaps anything else in our lives, and it is encouraging to see peer mentors emphasizing it on campus. Knowledge is power and the more knowledge you acquire the better chance you have of making informed lifestyle decisions.
According to some studies one in five people suffer from a mental health issue. Unfortunately, most people who suspect they have a problem in that regard are too embarrassed to admit it or talk about it and thus don’t seek the help they need. Sheridan’s peer mentors are trying to combat taboos surrounding mental health with a new campaign called “stick it to stigma.” It’s a step in the right direction if you ask me.
A study released by Equifax Canada, a credit monitoring firm, shows that Canadians’ consumer debt “rose 3.7 per cent in the third quarter to $507.1 billion from $489 billion a year earlier.” However, the overall delinquency rate (bills more than 90 days past due) dropped to a record low of 1.13 per cent, down from 1.22 per cent from last year. Consumer debt has risen to $1.36 billion, up from $1.3 billion last year. An expert said the new statistics show that Canadians have more control over their debt this year. The study revealed that people from Quebec had the lowest delinquency rates, while people from Eastern provinces had the highest. Seniors are accumulating debt at the highest rate, but have the lowest total amount of debt of any age group, according to the study.
On Friday Oct. 18 Canadian PM Harper announced a free trade agreement with the European Union (EU) at a press conference in Brussels. It is called the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which promises to “eliminate thousands of tariffs, encourage foreign investment and promote movement of labour.” 98 percent of Canadian and EU tariffs are expected to be removed when the new agreement comes full circle. The deal won’t take affect until all 28 EU member states as well as all of Canada’s provincial governments approve the terms of the agreement. EU President Manuel Barroso said the deal would be fully implemented by 2015.
BMO Capital Markets released a report which suggests that although the price gap between Canadian and US products has narrowed, Canadians are still paying 10 percent more. That is a 4 percent drop from the price gap in May of 2012. Doug Porter, a BMO chief economist, says the gap is still above where it should be, and as a result Canadians are flocking across the border to get better deals. Porter’s random survey found that baby items cost 34 percent more in Canada, running shoes are 19 percent higher, and hardware prices are 14 percent above American ones. The report also found that Ottawa’s policy of cutting import tariffs on some items had little effect on the price gap. There is an $18 billion deficit in tourism in Canada, partly due to Canadians crossing the border to shop.
Full story here
In 2011 Canadian workers took off an average of 9.3 sick days, which cost the Canadian economy $16.6 billion, according to a report from the Conference Board of Canada. Experts say that this trend is expected to get worse as the Canadian workforce ages because older people are more susceptible to illness and other physical ailments. The report revealed some other interesting trends in absenteeism: Saskatchewan had the highest rate of abscences, followed by New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario and Alberta; women took more days off than men; public sector workers took more time off than private sector workers; and union workers were absent more than non-unionized workers. The research predictably suggests that high-stress jobs tend to have more absenteeism. Creating a better work environment will help reduce the amount of absences, experts say.
Read the full story at CBC: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/sick-days-cost-canadian-economy-16-6b-1.1864833
On September 4, 2013, Tavia Grant of The Globe and Mail detailed the World Economic Forum’s annual list of the most competitive nations in the world economy. This year Canada ranked fourteen on the list, the same place as last year. Switzerland, Singapore, Finland, Germany and the United States comprised the top five of the list. Canada is apparently doing well in education as well as in financial and labour markets, but not so well in the areas of innovation and business sophistication. According to the WEF, innovation and strong institutions are what it takes to achieve economic success in these trying times for the world economy. The economic experts say that Canada could boost its competitiveness by focusing on innovation, which would include things such as research and development and the use of advanced technology by the government.
The full article can be read here: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/economy-lab/when-it-comes-to-competitiveness-canada-cant-compete/article14106216/


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Although Samsung has not officially announced the existence of the i8520 Halo, the new Android-based smartphone has been spotted in a list of upcoming devices made publicly available at MWC.
The Halo will run Android 2.1 and has a large 3.7 inch AMOLED touchscreen display to rival the Nexus One.
It will also have an eight megapixel camera and 16GB of onboard memory with the option to add more via a microSD memory card.
All of these technical specifications, whilst impressive, pale in comparison with its killer app; an integrated pico projector.
This will make it the world's first mobile to offer users the chance to view video on a projected screen and should get tech fans everywhere excited.
Experts believe that the Halo will implement Samsung's TouchWIZ 3D interface over the top of Android, although unlike the Samsung Wave it will not be using the internally produced Bada operating system.
The Samsung i8520 Halo is pencilled in for release in the Autumn of 2010, with both the European and Asian markets getting it first.
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The Tire Industry Association (TIA) is going online with its Annual Membership Meeting, Tire Industry Honors and educational sessions that originally were planned for this fall’s Global Tire Expo (GTE)/SEMA Show.
Not only will these events now happen as Zoom events, but they will be held mostly on the same days they were scheduled had the in-person 2020 GTE/SEMA Show taken place.
“We’re excited to transition to this new platform and provide our members and the industry the opportunity to take part online in these important TIA events,” said TIA CEO Roy Littlefield. “We had more than 1,000 people pre-registered for the educational sessions alone at GTE/SEMA. I’m pleased we have found a way to allow those interested in our events to still attend them.”
Following is the schedule for TIA’s GTE/SEMA Show Zoom events. All times are EST.
Annual Membership Meeting, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 3:00 p.m., including the installation of the new TIA president and recognition of incoming and outgoing board members; and
Tire Industry Honors, Monday, Nov. 2, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m., including speeches by the incoming and outgoing TIA presidents and announcements of tire trade publication award winners and Michelin/TIA scholarship winners.
TIA’s educational Zoom sessions will include:
Tuesday, Nov. 3
A Decade of CSA, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.;
Vehicle Lifting Safety, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.; and
Successful Tire Dealers Share Their Secrets, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 4
Minimizing Risk When Servicing Truck Tires, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.; and
Correcting Ride Complaints, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
More details including registration will be provided in the coming weeks.
For more information, contact Lakisha Pindell at email@example.com.


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- Flour-milling and ingredient company Ardent Mills expanded a program to help wheat growers in seven states and one Canadian province transition to organic farming, as part of an initiative started last year.
- The company said it will have eight organic-certified milling and packaging locations, as well as an organic storage facility.
- The company's larger plan is to double the amount of acres dedicated to organic wheat by 2019.
Organic foods sales are breaking records. According to the Organic Trade Association's 2016 Organic Industry Survey, sales in the United States reached an all-time high of $39.7 billion in 2015, representing an 11% increase from the previous year. About 5% of the total food supply is now organic.
Consumer demand for these products, which are grown or raised without artificial chemicals, drives the growth of the sector. And the focus on increasing organic grain could give wheat the jolt the industry desires following the recent slump in whole wheat sales.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the demand for organic products has surpassed the domestic supply. Manufacturers wanting to take advantage of the organic trend are looking for more sources, and may even find themselves going overseas.
With organic wheat contracted in Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, Texas, Wyoming and Saskatchewan, in the last nine months Ardent Mills has been able to add organic durum, cracked wheat and spelt to its product line. The company has provided educational workshops, support services and long-term contracts to help farmers change their methods.


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'I am not affiliated with Obama': Clint Eastwood defends himself saying gritty Motor City Super Bowl ad was NOT politically slanted
- Shock as it emerges the ad was actually filmed in in New Orleans and Los Angeles
- Karl Rove says he was offended by ad that he said is an example of Obama's 'Chicago-style politics'
- Michelle Malkin decries commercial as Clint Eastwood 'fronting an auto bailout ad'
- Obama camp praises ad as something 'Eminem and Clint Eastwood can agree on'
- U.S. taxpayers lost $1.3billion in Chrysler bailout
Clint Eastwood, the star of the Super Bowl's most controversial TV ad, has denied the Chrysler spot was a booster for President Obama's re-election campaign.
The ad, which declares 'it's halftime in America,' has received mounting criticism from Republicans, who say it was a thinly-veiled nod to President Obama, who bailed out the auto industry during the recession.
The ad was subject to additional backlash today after it emerged that it wasn't even filmed in Detroit at all - but in New Orleans and Los Angeles.
Scroll down for video
'Halftime in America': Eastwood was featured in a controversial Super Bowl ad this year that was blasted as a booster for the Obama campaign
'l am certainly not politically affiliated with Mr Obama,' Eastwood told Fox News Monday.
'It was meant to be a message about just about job growth and the spirit of America. I think all politicians will agree with it.'
In a short statement to the network, the 81-year-old actor and director said he believed the ad was being 'spun' by political partisans, though that was never the intention of the clip.
The comments come as it was revealed the ad, which speaks prominently of the hardship in Detroit was not even filmed in the Motor City.
The news was reminiscent of the Jennifer Lopez controversy in November, when it was discovered that the singer was featured in a Fiat commercial set in her hometown of the Bronx, New York - but in reality, she never left Los Angeles to film her part.
Chrysler spokeswoman Dianna Gutierrez told the Weekly Standard that Mr Eastwood's tunnel scenes were actually shot at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
She added that stadium shots were done in New Orleans.
Among the goofy Super Bowl ads aimed at selling beer and Doritos, Chrysler's commercial stood out as the automaker sent the veteran actor to strike a serious chord with viewers.
A strong message: Chrysler's commercial stood out as the automaker sent out Mr Eastwood to strike a serious chord with viewers
'People are out of work and they’re hurting. And they’re all wondering what they’re going to do to make a comeback. And we’re all scared, because this isn’t a game,' The Dirty Harry star says in his trademark vocal growl. 'The people of Detroit know a little something about this. They almost lost everything. But we all pulled together, now Motor City is fighting again.'
But on Monday Karl Rove, a former political adviser for President George W. Bush, told Fox News that he was 'offended' by the advertisement.
He said: “I'm a huge fan of Clint Eastwood, I thought it was an extremely well-done ad, but it is a sign of what happens when you have Chicago-style politics, and the president of the United States and his political minions are, in essence, using our tax dollars to buy corporate advertising'.
Another Republican pundit, Michelle Malkin, took to Twitter to vent her rage, saying: 'Agh. WTH? Did I just see Clint Eastwood fronting an auto bailout ad???'
Mr Eastwood stepped into the shoes left vacant by rapper Eminem, who delivered his own Motor City unity speech for Chrysler last year.
Motor City: Mr Eastwood says in the ad that the people of Detroit know something about mounting a comeback
The ad drew praise from the Obama camp.
White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer tweeted: 'Saving the America Auto Industry: Something Eminem and Clint Eastwood can agree on'.
Last year, the Treasury Department reported that taxpayers likely lost up to $1.3billion in the Chrysler.
However, the agency touted the finding as a ‘major accomplishment,’ as the government originally predicted that the government would lose $40billion on the deal, CNN reported.
Attack: Karl Rove, left, said he was 'offended' by the ad, while Michelle Malkin took to her Twitter page, right, to call out Mr Eastwood for 'fronting an auto bailout ad'
Criticism: Despite what may be perceived as political undertones in the ad, Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne insisted the ad has 'zero political content'
Despite what may be perceived as political undertones in the ad, Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne insisted the ad has 'zero political content'.
BEFORE CLINT, THERE WAS EMINEM
Before 'Halftime in America,' Chrysler was in the Super Bowl ad business last year with a two-minute commercial starring rapper Eminem.
The ad, which was set over Eminem's anthem Lose Yourself from the film 8 Mile put him and his hometown in the national spotlight.
In 2011, Chrysler was trying to reinforce itself as a luxury brand in the year’s biggest advertising showcase.
CEO Sergio Marchionne said that the automaker purchased the ad in an effort to convince people that the company has changed.
He didn't give an exact cost but said Chrysler paid less than $9 million for the ad.
Mr Marchionne added: 'We are as apolitical as you can make us... and I sincerely hope that it doesn't get utilized as political fodder in a debate.
Mr Eastwood himself is no stranger to the political fray.
He served as an unaffiliated mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, from 1986 to 1988, and has contributed to both Republican and Democratic causes over the years.
The ad is sure to ignite tensions on the 2012 campaign trail, as Obama can hold it up as a triumph for the controversial bailouts he authorised for Chrysler and GM three years ago.
But it could come back to bite Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney, who argued in November that the bailouts in his home state of Michigan, were the 'wrong way to go'.
Mr Eastwood joined a class that included comedian Jerry Seinfeld, actor Matthew Broderick and Victoria's Secret model Adriana Lima (twice!) who took turns in various TV spots aimed at selling products ranging from cars to Doritos.
Watch video here
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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) - As city leaders look for new ways to revitalize downtown, they are now considering allowing food trucks to set up downtown.
The proposal would allow the mobile restaurants to operate from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. It would allow them to fill the bar-hopper's need for late night snacking, while not jeopardizing the business of established local restaurants.
Owner of Food Fighters Bustaurant, Jason Lafferty, says as it stands food trucks don't have a lot of options in Huntsville.
"You have to get a business permit at every location if you’re going to sell to the public," explained Lafferty. "When I went to the city they had different regulations like you have to be 50 feet from the road, you have to have a restroom available within 200 feet, there has to be written permission, and you pay for a $75 license."
Despite the hurdles, Lafferty has been able to operate the bustaurant from a few locations around Huntsville, like Straight to Ale, Blue Pants Brewery, and a Chevron off of University. But he has long desired to take advantage of the late-night downtown crowd.
Mayor Tommy Battle met with local young professionals to discuss the possibility of allowing trucks like Lafferty's downtown. While it is still in the discussion phase, city leaders seem to be on board with the idea.
If the food truck experiment is successful, the city has considered creating a food truck park, where even more mobile restaurants can gather downtown.


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The AirPod will not be re-released with a modded toothbrush function.
AppleInsider has reported that Apple's 2nd generation of the AirPods will arrive within the first half of 2019. The second coming of Apple's wireless model is set to include a health monitoring chip, and the potential of "wireless charging support," the latter has yet to be confirmed by the company itself. Back in December, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted the inclusion of "wireless charging support" to combat waning battery life, as well as a Bluetooth specification upgrade, rendering connectivity possible in a greater number of situations. Rumors of an upgrade on the product's noise cancelation and water resistance have yet to substantiate.
Early reports of an improved product haul date back to June of last year with Apple suggesting the implementation of an "over-the-ear headphone" to complement the AirPod. "Apple to have own-brand, high-end over-ear headphones with all-new design; to be as convenient as AirPods with better sound quality; shipments to begin (fourth quarter 2018) at earliest," wrote Ming-Chi Kuo, in a report that was proven false due to a relative postponement of the prototype, in conjunction with ever-changing consumer needs.
Consumers will be able to profit from the AirPod sharing a platform with the unveiling of the iPhone XS, XS Max, and its econo-sibling, the XR model. Unfortunately, the 2nd Gen AirPod will not come replete with a screwable toothbrush-head as some would have liked.https://twitter.com/_/status/773790674823049216


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On a future filled with autonomous Winnebagos.
Ep. 27 – Horace Dediu on The Disruptive Nature of Apple TV and Apple Car by The Eric Jackson Podcast
Eric spoke with Horace Dediu about how disruptive the new Apple TV will actually be, the nature of the media landscape, how Apple could draw viewers away over time, and the potential for live events and interactive apps. We also explore what would make a new car from Apple disruptive and why Apple didnt just buy Tesla.
Special guest Horace Dediu joins The Talk Show for the first time. Topics include the state of the maps industry, Apple’s functional organizational structure, what the WWDC keynote said about the state of the company today, and more.
A transcontinental journey, WWDC and listener questions.
Source: The Critical Path #153
Horace Dediu, current research fellow of the Clayton Christensen Institute and founder of Asymco.com joined us for an epic and insightful discussion focusing on few key interesting topics: (a) new market disruption theories, (B) Apple in China and the luxury market and (c) the Japanese automotive industry and how it shapes up against disruption from Tesla, Uber and Apple. In the first of the trilogy, Horace discussed the origins of Asymco.com and also why he has used Apple as the lens to understand innovation and technology disruption. We also traced back to other Apple-like companies in the past such as Sony in Asia, and look at how Apple and Pixar has displayed a different kind of “DNA” against innovative companies in the past. Last but not least, we discussed the evolution and future of Google and where it might lead them to.
Listen to it here.
Debug is a casual, conversational interview show featuring the best developers in the business about the amazing apps they make and why and how they make them. On this episode — Live from the Ull conference in Ireland Guy and Rene talk to Horace Dediu of Asymco fame about his background as a developer, his time at Nokia, and his current job-to-be-done: analyzing Apple.
Horace and Anders look at the segments of the luxury market and consider how success can be measured in Apple’s watch business.
Bob Moesta demonstrates Jobs to be Done interview technique by speaking with Horace about a car purchase.
This is very important. You should listen.
Back from the Apple Watch event, Horace gives his trip report discussing watch pricing and what we now know of how Apple intends to sell them. What cognitive illusions might come into play as people consider the watch?
Horace and Anders discuss Apple’s brand reorientation from the intellectual and analytical to the emotional and instinctual. Moore’s Law is fundamentally incompatible with luxury so new measures are necessary. What should one call this new paradigm?


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RADNOR, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The J.G. Wentworth Company TM (NYSE:JGW), the leading purchaser of structured settlement payments, annuity payments, lottery payments, and other receivables through the J.G. Wentworth and Peachtree Financial brands, today announced that VML has been named its digital agency of record and Horizon Media has been named its media agency of record, effective immediately.
The new partners are being added to accelerate the evolution of J.G. Wentworth as it leverages data and analytics to drive growth in its core business and to create a platform for future evolution as a more diversified consumer financial services company. “As a direct-to-consumer marketer, it is increasingly important to be able to evolve our digital, mobile, media and analytical capabilities, and we are thrilled to partner with VML and Horizon to drive future growth,” said Sean O’Reilly, SVP & Chief Marketing Officer at J.G. Wentworth. “As part of our partnership, we will continue to evolve our online and mobile presence, beginning today with a re-launch of the J.G. Wentworth website (www.jgwentworth.com), the first step in our digital transformation.”
As J.G. Wentworth expands its digital, data and analytical infrastructure, it has added VML, based in Kansas City, to partner on technology innovation, experience design, data infrastructure, modeling, analytics, and reporting. “During many years of working with VML, the team there has shown a consistent ability to deliver innovative and practical solutions across a variety of product categories,” said Greg Schneider, EVP & Chief Information Officer at J.G. Wentworth, “We are working together to deliver a platform that will support growth in our core business and set us up for future growth as we diversify into other financial product categories.”
Jon Cook, CEO & President of VML added, “We’re thrilled to be a strategic partner with J.G. Wentworth. We are excited about the growth opportunities that data and technology will provide, especially when we together marry the power of information with world-class user experience in the direct digital space.”
Horizon Media is the largest and fastest growing privately-held media service agency in the world. The agency’s New York office will handle media planning, activation, and analytics across channels. “We’re excited to work with the J.G. Wentworth and Peachtree Financial brands as the company continues to evolve,” said Gene Turner, EVP & Managing Partner at Horizon, “We look forward to driving growth and innovation for the company’s portfolio of brands.”
The J.G. Wentworth Company has also re-launched its corporate website, www.jgw.com.
Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release may constitute “forward-looking statements.” All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. You can identify such statements because they contain words such as “plans,” “expects,” or “does expect,” “budget,” “forecasts,” “anticipates,” or “does not anticipate,” “believes,” “intends,” and similar expressions or statements that certain actions, events or results “may,” “could,” “would,” “might,” or “will,” be taken, occur or be achieved. Any statements that refer to expectations or other characterizations of future events, circumstances or results are forward-looking statements and should not be relied upon as any guarantee of performance or results.
About the The J.G. Wentworth Company TM
The J.G. Wentworth CompanyTM focuses on key sectors, including structured settlement payment purchasing, annuity payment purchasing, lottery payment purchasing and pre-settlement funding. Through our two market-leading and highly-recognizable brands, J.G. Wentworth and Peachtree Financial Solutions, we purchase future structured settlement payment streams from our customers. For more information about The J.G. Wentworth CompanyTM, visit www.jgw.com or use the information provided below.
VML is a global marketing agency that delivers forward-thinking ideas and solutions for the world’s most influential brands, including: Coors and Coors Light, Charter Communications, Colgate-Palmolive, COBRA PUMA GOLF, Dell, Gatorade, the Kellogg Company, Kimberly-Clark, Krispy Kreme, Microsoft, NAPA AUTO PARTS, PepsiCo, Southwest Airlines, U.S. Soccer, Tennessee Tourism, Wendy’s and Xerox.
Founded in 1992 and headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, VML joined the world’s largest communications services group WPP in 2001. VML has more than 2,000 employees with principal offices in 24 locations across six continents. For more information, visit www.vml.com.
About Horizon Media, Inc.
Horizon Media, Inc. is the largest and fastest growing privately held media services agency in the world. Horizon was chosen as 2011 Independent Media Agency of the Year by Mediapost, named one of the worlds’s ten most innovated marketing and advertising companies by FastCompany in 2011, and was named 2010 U.S. Media Agency of the Year by AdAge, Adweek, Brandweek, and Mediaweek. CEO Bill Koenigsberg was recently named 4As Chairman of the Board, the first person from a media agency to hold this position in the 100-year history of the 4As. For more information, visit www.horizonmedia.com.


text: For those of you who are particularly attached to your Jetta, Passat or Beetle, you may want to get it over for an oil change and start taking particularly good care of it, because Volkswagen may not be around when it’s time to start pricing out a new one. As a result of what appears to be purposefully falsified numbers on diesel emissions tests, the much beloved automotive company is now facing a U.S. Department of Justice criminal investigation into the issue. It is unclear yet whether any individuals within the company will be held personally accountable for the embellished figures, but this seemingly intentional circumvention of legal protocol may result in Volkswagen being remembered with ambivalent nostalgia. Whether or not this turns out to be VW’s coffin nail, it has already caused a 20% plummet in stock prices, amounting to a roughly $18 billion loss for the automotive company. Financially, legally, and certainly now in reputation, too, Volkswagen stands to lose even more in this monumental fiasco.


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(CelebrityAccess) — Even after the e NFL Divisional Round games have ruled out a possible "home game" for Super Bowl LI, tickets for the big game still appear to be a hot commodity.
According to StubHub, ticket sales for the Super Bowl are up by 41% compared to last week, in terms of total ticket sales. Sales from Texas, who saw their contending team The Houston Texans eliminated by the New England Patriots over the weekend, and where the game will take place, continued to climb as well, up by 27% over last week, StubHub said.
Prices are similar to last year, down a little at the top end and up slightly at the bottom end of the spectrum. According to StubHub, the cheapest ticket available for the Super Bowl at the time of publication was $3,500, while seats close to the field were going for more than $19,000 each.
At this time last year, Super Bowl 50 Average Ticket Price was $5,589 and it eventually went down to $4,512. The Average Ticket Price to date for Super Bowl LI is $5,183, down nearly 8% from this time last year, StubHub said. – Staff Writers


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2012 Stock Predictions and Outlook
|Your one-stop shop for 2012 stock recommendations and market predictions. |
September crude oil futures fell 85 cents to settle at $88.91 a barrel. December gold futures fell by $16.60 at $1,590.70 an ounce. The benchmark 10-year Treasury was rising 14/32, diluting the yield to 1.482%. The greenback was gaining 0.43%, according to the dollar index. In corporate news, General Motors ( GM) shares fell 2.6% after the automaker posted profit of 90 cents a share, which topped the Wall Street target of 75 cents, though its net income took a hit from losses in Europe. Abercrombie & Fitch ( ANF) shares plunged 14.6% after the apparel retailer slashed its second-quarter outlook amid tepid demand for its higher end items. Shares of Gap ( GPS) popped by 12.8% after the clothing retailer announced Thursday that July same-store sales increased by a better-than-expected 10% and that it expects a year-over-year rise in second-quarter earnings. First Solar ( FSLR) shares surged 21.2% after the solar panel company exceeded second-quarter estimates and hiked its full-year revenue outlook the previous day. Bristol-Myers Squibb ( BMY) suspended a mid-stage study of its experimental hepatitis C drug BMS-094 due to a serious safety issue said to heart failure, according to ISI Group analyst Mark Schoenebaum. BMS-094 was the sole reason behind Bristol-Myers' $2.5 billion acquisition of Inhibitex last January. Shares tumbled 8.6%. American International Group ( AIG) is looking to buy back a large amount of its shares from the government in a push that could make the U.S. a minority shareholder by the fall and allow the insurer to fully repay its bailout sooner than expected, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the company's thinking. Shares rose 0.84% in after hours after the company reported second-quarter operatings earnings per share of $1.06, which beat 60 cents consensus of analysts polled by Bloomberg. The source of Wednesday's trading problem in about 150 stocks was traced to Knight Capital Group ( KCG), which said its market-making unit had suffered a software glitch that was interfering with its system's interaction with the New York Stock Exchange. Knight Capital said in a press statement released Thursday that it has traded out of its entire erroneous trade position, which has resulted in a realized pretax loss of about $440 million. Shares collapsed 63% on Thursday and were dipping another 19% after-hours.
-- Written by Andrea Tse in New York. >To contact the writer of this article, click here: Andrea Tse.


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Longman share:UAE New Bulb Incentive Urges Residents to Switch to LEDs
2016-05-05 Post By: LongmangroupThe United Arab Emirates (UAE) latest sustainability campaign is offering discounts of up to 25% to selected brand LED bulbs to urge local residents to switch to more energy efficient and environmental friendly lights, reported Gulf News.
The Middle East nation kicked off its latest lighting initiative ‘I LED The Way’ earlier this week, which is aimed to slashing the country’s energy consumption by 2021 on a micro-level, according to founder of the incentive Niall Watson.
The country has partnered with leading lighting companies Philips and Osram to offer local residents a 25% discount on LED lights from selected Dubai retailers from May 22 to June 5, 2016. Each light bulb will cost around AED 25 (US $6.81) and AED 60 each, reducing costs per bulb by about AED 6.25 and AED 15 respectively per bulb.
According to UAE officials, replacing traditional lights in a medium-sized villa can help residents cut AED 2, 315 in their annual bills, and on a nationwide scale help the country save AED 459 million in utility bills.
Full implementation of the existing regulation could reduce the nation’s carbon emissions by 940, 000 tonnes, equivalent to removing 165, 000 cars off the road per year, said Ida Tillisch, director-general of the Emirates Wildlife Society-WWF, which supports the initiative.
UAE implemented regulations to phase out the import and sale of inefficient lights as of July 2014.
Tillisch analyzed phase out of incandescent bulbs regulations has banned UAE consumers from purchasing inefficient light bulbs, and would completely phase out incandescent bulbs by 2020.
More about us : led stage lighting , wall washer


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As the government increases its focus on electric vehicles, major players in the automobile industry viz Tata Motors and Mahindra and Mahindra, have continued to lead the upscaling process of their products. The companies are now working to introduce electric powertrains.
In a report, Livemint quoted people familiar with the matter as stating that Tata Motors is working on an electric model of its light commercial vehicle (LCV), Tata Ace, that can carry up to 1 tonne. At the same time, Mahindra and Mahindra is also working to develop its electric powertrain for its offerings in the sub 2-tonne segment.
One of the persons revealed, “Tata Motors is developing an electric variant of the small commercial vehicle Ace and is at the development stage now. It should be in the market by late 2019 or 2020. Given the way the Union government wants to encourage the use of the EVs in commercial purposes, this is perfectly suitable for ferrying goods and passengers within city limits.”
According to the reports, the rationale behind the electric powertrains is the idea to use these for transporting goods within a city or a town. And therefore, a single charge would be enough to operate them throughout the day, unlike other electric buses and vehicles.
Further, the report said, “Tata Motors is trying to consolidate its position in the electric commercial vehicle front. It has already launched electric buses and has been testing some of them in different states. With the introduction of the electric variant of Ace, the firm will further try to cement its position. Also, in the long run, this may help them get some lost market share back from M&M in the LCV space.”
In the electric vehicles segment, Tata Motors launched its electric Tigor and Mahindra and Mahindra launched its electric passenger vehicle eVerito previously. The companies have also been supplying these vehicles to the government-run Energy Efficiency Services Ltd.
However, Tata Motors’ Ace and Mahindra and Mahindra’s Jeeto are used to move freight within cities. Therefore, it is suggested that, with electric powertrains, these vehicles can be used by fleet owners as operational cost will be much lower.
The acquisition cost is also expected to come down as reports have surfaced that under FAME II, which is expected to be launched on April 1, the government is expected to provide subsidies for the purchase of the commercial electric vehicles.
The companies are counting on this benefit to introduce their electric powertrain and expect that the electric powertrain in the LCV segment will get a lot of traction in the market. However, one of the persons quoted above stressed on the importance of pricing “since one section of the users are first-time customers and getting the vehicle financed is a problem initially”.
The competition between the majors of the automobile industry is at the peak with Mahindra and Mahindra leaving behind Tata Motors in LCV sales in the past two fiscal years. In an email query, Tata Motors told Livemint, “As you are aware, we had showcased Magic EV at the Auto Expo 2018. However, as a policy, we do not comment on future product innovations and launches.”
Also, Mahindra and Mahindra has partnered with American automotive giant Ford to jointly develop midsize and compact SUVs as well as a small electric vehicle.“Built on the Mahindra platform, the new SUV will drive engineering and commercial efficiencies and will be sold independently by both the companies as separate brands,” the companies said in a statement recently.
What’s Happening In The Electric Vehicles Space In India?
In a major boost to electric vehicles in the country, the government is reportedly planning to extend financial support of up to $1.3 Bn (INR 8,730 Cr) under the second phase of FAME India.
Scheduled to be implemented from April 1, of the total $1.3 Bn financial support under FAME II, around $851.8 Mn (INR 5,550 Cr) will be kept as demand-side incentives over the next five years. Apart from that, it will earmark over $383.6 Mn (INR 2,500 Cr) for electric buses and $153.4 Mn (INR 1,000 Cr) for four-wheelers.
Also, the government is planning to offer incentives to local battery makers, with the aim of facilitating the establishment of more manufacturing units in the country. For this, the government is also looking to forge alliances with other countries for an adequate supply of raw materials needed for lithium-ion batteries.
Furthermore, NITI Aayog has proposed the removal of all permit requirements for electric vehicles. Created to offer suggestions on clean transportation, the task force has argued that electric vehicles are largely environment-friendly and should, therefore, be promoted more actively by the government.
In a related news, Nissan has announced that it aims to sell 1 Mn electric vehicles annually, starting from 2022. The focus, as per Nissan’s spokesperson, will be on low-emissions, all-battery and gasoline-hybrid cars, instead of more expensive EV technologies such as plug-in hybrids.
With electric vehicles becoming the centre of survival and growth for automobile majors like Tata Motors and Mahindra and Mahindra, what new offerings the companies add to their existing fleet will largely depend on the government’s policies and subsidies.


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AutoZone (AZO) generates revenue by selling auto parts and accessories primarily in the US market, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Brazil. In the last three years, US auto companies (XLY), including General Motors (GM) and Ford Motor Company (F), have benefited from strong US demand for utility vehicles and trucks.
The positive trend in US auto demand has also boosted the long-term future growth potentials of US auto parts sellers, including AutoZone, Advance Auto Parts (AAP), and O’Reilly Automotive (ORLY). Now let’s take a closer look at AutoZone’s fiscal 2019 first-quarter revenue.
AutoZone’s first-quarter revenue
In the first quarter of fiscal 2019, AutoZone reported revenue of $2.64 billion, ~2.0% higher than in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. During the quarter, the company’s domestic same-store sales growth rate was 2.7%, much better than the 2.2% rate it reported in the previous quarter and the 2.3% rate it reported in the first quarter of fiscal 2018.
During AZO’s first-quarter earnings conference call, CEO Bill Rhodes stated, “We had a difficult sales comparison due to the sales favorability we experienced last year from three significant widespread hurricanes.” Rhodes added, “We are pleased with our recent performance and encouraged about our industry’s prospects for 2019 and beyond.”
In the last few quarters, AZO has been collecting data in efforts to recognize customers’ shopping patterns and provide them with a better-customized shopping experience in the future.
Mega Hub update
Mega Hub stores are AutoZone’s larger stores, which allow it to maintain an inventory of hard-to-find auto parts, giving it an edge over its competitors. The company opened two new Mega Hubs in the first quarter of fiscal 2019. With this, its total Mega Hub store count was 26 at the end of the quarter. In fiscal 2019, AutoZone plans to open ten new hubs. Of these ten, most will be Mega Hubs.
Read on to the next article, where we’ll explore how AutoZone’s key business segments performed in the first quarter of fiscal 2019.


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Heads up, gamers! Amazon Studios is planning to jump on the PC gaming bandwagon, and is working on an ‘ambitious new PC game project using the latest technology,” according to a job vacancy filed on Gamesutra.
The Big daddy of Internet retail has disclosed little details, but we could guess that Amazon will incorporate live streaming in a major way, considering that they acquired Twitch early last year.
The company is currently looking to fill the following vacancies: Senior Game Engineer, Lead Visual Effects Artist, Senior Graphics , Platform Engineer, Sr. Tools Engineer, Senior Game Economy Designer, Lead Technical Artist and other development positions.
“We believe that games have just scratched the surface in their power to unite players,” the job listing reads, “and will produce some of the future’s most influential voices in media and art.”
According to the report, those hired would work along side the likes insanely popluar title developers such as BioShock, Dota 2, Half Life 2, Halo, Infamous, Left for Dead, Portal, Shadow of Mordor, The Last of Us and World of Warcraft.
The Seattle-based studio has been around for just over a year now, working mostly on publishing mobile games and stuff for Amazon’s Fire TV. I’m hoping it won’t be exclusive to Amazon-branded PCs. I mean, that’s what they did with ‘Til Morning’s Light’ on Android.
People might ask what kind of a technology company Amazon is, but developing PC games is very much a logical step for Amazon to follow. After all, they’ve developing mobile games for some time now. Also, one shouldn’t forget AWS, which thousands of businesses rely upon, hosts games of the Elite Dangerous fame. Amazon, with it’s moolah, could definitely do justice to the talent involved here.


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Small business owners today don’t need to pay a receptionist to answer phones or an accountant to balance the books.
Thanks to collaboration software, video conferencing, instant messaging and mobile telecommunications, entrepreneurs can hire virtual assistants for everyday tasks. These virtual assistants could be thousands of miles away, and in some instances may not be human at all.
“Going back to when virtual assistants started in the 1980s, it was phones and fax,” said Stacy Brice, president of AssistU, which trains virtual assistants. “Fast forward all the way to today and you find that virtual assistants forget the telephone exists.”
Virtual assistants conduct a variety of business tasks including booking trips, creating power-point presentations, bookkeeping, Web design and marketing. Virtual assistants charge by the hour, affording small businesses the ability to only pay for help when it’s needed.
While the telephone is one means of communications between a virtual assistant and a small business, many use Web-based tools to communicate and collaborate efficiently. With Web- based tools a virtual assistant can share a calendar with the small business, access files and upload work without ever having to visit the business he or she is working for.
Heavy hitters like Microsoft (MSFT) to start-ups like Huddle offer online collaboration tools for small businesses and virtual assistants. Huddle.net, based in the UK, has a Web-based product that gives a business a secure workspace online for collaboration. With the software a small business and virtual assistant can manage projects, share and store files, create and edit documents online and host group discussions. Huddle is free for one workspace and costs $75 a month for 20 workspaces.
BlueTie out of Rochester, New York also provides collaboration tools -- including a calendar that can be shared, and email -- for $4.99 a month. Genbook of San Francisco, California provides an online scheduling tool, while Freshbooks of Toronto lets a business send and manage invoices online.
“Basically it’s a virtual workspace where you can keep all the stuff they do together,” said Brice of the Web-based tools.
But collaboration software isn’t the only tech tool virtual assistants have in their arsenal. Instant messaging, e-mail and video conferencing with services like Skype are also common communication tools.
“Technology nowadays is so amazing,” said Kyle Sheldon Chandler, owner of KSC Virtual Administrative Services. “I’m in Colorado and have some clients on the East Coast. It [technology] enables us to work together very smoothly.”
Conducting day-to-day tasks isn’t the only thing that can be done virtually. Small businesses can also have their phone calls managed and at the same time appear bigger than they are thanks to a service from j2 Global Communications (JCOM), the Hollywood, Calif., telecommunications company. Called eVoice, the telephone service gives a small business a phone number that can ring at multiple locations and has a built in answering service that lets you read instead of listen to voicemail. Because the business owner can choose the location the phone number is in, it could appear as if a business is in California although its owner is really at home in Georgia.
“You can have our system answer with a professional greeting, play a menu and call down to your cell phone,” said Ken Truesdale, vice president of voice services at J2. “It’s an easier way for people to balance their work life and play life.” The service costs around $30 a month for 1,000 minutes and works with any phone.
For Sandy Abrams, author of “Your Idea Inc.,” using eVoice lets her separate her Moisture Jamzz business from her writing.
With eVoice it “gives me a professional façade,” said Abrams, who didn’t want calls about her book coming into her company that makes gloves and socks filled with moisturizer. “It looks like you have more people working for you than just yourself. It makes you seem more professional.”


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Apple recently launched its new iPhone 14 smartphone lineup that features some models with last year’s hardware. While the company has significantly upgraded the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, the standard iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus offer last year’s Bionic chipset, wide notch, and a 12MP main camera.
While consumers have been sharing funny memes on the internet mocking Apple, Steve Jobs’ daughter Eve also poked fun at it for the iPhone 14 via Instagram Story. Eve Jobs shared a meme on her Instagram story mocking Apple for not making any notable changes to last year’s iPhone 13 and iPhone 14.
The meme shared by Eve shows a man holding the same shirt he is currently wearing, and the caption read – “After Apple’s announcement today I am upgrading from iPhone 13 to iPhone 14. ”
Apple’s new iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus models feature the A15 Bionic processor, plus, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max debuted the new A16 Bionic chip with a significantly upgraded camera system that embeds a 48MP main lens.
Samsung also mocked Apple
Earlier this month, the Korean tech giant trolled Apple for the iPhone 14 series via a new buckle-up video ad showcasing the innovations introduced in the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy S22 Ultra, which have 100X space. Zoom and a foldable display were included.
“Let us know when it folds” was the company’s most recent jab at Apple over the topic of innovations. While some Apple iPhone 14 models are now introducing a notch-less display, Samsung’s trolled it with the futuristic Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4.
Let us know it when it folds. 💁♀
— Samsung Mobile US (@SamsungMobileUS) September 7, 2022


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Most retailers have seen the power of online sales during the pandemic, but for those still new or uncomfortable with it, a technology investment can pay off quickly.
Scientists at the University of California-Riverside believe they are the first to find a successful treatment of the devastating citrus disease huanglongbing or greening disease.
Bell pepper prices are significantly higher than last year as the crop transitions from Mexico and desert areas to Central California.
Salad ingredients (iceberg lettuce, carrots, red cabbage) continue to be items of interest in the food safety investigation. FDA’s inspection continues at the Fresh Express production facility in Streamwood, Illinois. As of July 8, 2020, CDC is reporting a total of 509 cases across 8 states.
The USDA has released an initial list of additional commodities that have been added to the CFAP and announced other adjustments to the program based on comments received from agricultural producers and organizations and review of market data.
A&A Organic Farms in Watsonville, CA announces the addition of a new item. Organic French Beans from Guatemala are now available; with the first shipment arriving to Los Angeles on Tuesday July 7th.
The Shanley Family of Morro Bay have a passion for growing their Citriburst Finger Limes.
Hazel Technologies Inc., a developer of new USDA-funded technologies to protect quality in the produce supply chain and fight food waste, announces a successful table grape export campaign with Campos Borquez, premier 4th generation grower of Mexican fresh table grapes.
Generation Farms announced the expansion of its sales team.
The U.S. Apple Association is extremely pleased with the correction issued today by the Agriculture Department to its Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.


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Bhutan Textiles, a collective brand created by 22 textile designers, entrepreneurs, and civil society organisations, exported products worth Nu 7.8 million between 2020 and 2022.
The products were exported to the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Germany, Monaco, Italy, Switzerland, and Japan. The products were home décor textiles such as blankets, belts, cushion covers, throws, table linen, pouches, rugs, runners, fabrics, and bags.
The collection on display in Paris is promoted under the brand name Bhutan Textiles, to collectively and professional export high-value handmade textile products internationally.
The home décor textile collection was on display at the Maison & Objet Trade Fair in Paris from March 24 to 28. The Maison & Objet Trade Fair, organised by Salons Francaiset Internationaux, brings together international design, home décor, and lifestyle communities.
Executive Director of SABAH Bhutan, Kezang Dolkar Dorji said that being a beneficiary of the project helped them to feel motivated by the international recognition they received.
“The sales from our products are benefiting our operational affairs and income generation for our producers, home-based workers weaver,” she said, adding that the opportunity has come as a relief for the organisation that was severely affected by the pandemic.
The international platform, she said would help to promote and popularise the Bhutanese designers and the textile in the international market and also help motivate young designers and weavers to keep the tradition and culture alive.
The Bhutan Textiles brand was formed under the EU-Bhutan Trade Support Project funded by the European Union and implemented by the International Trade Centre in collaboration with the Agency for Promotion of Indigenous Crafts.
Chandrika Tamang, a sustainable fashion designer and an entrepreneur from CDK, said that getting the international platform promotes Bhutanese textile and creates a market for more buyers.
She said that employment in the textile industry is huge which could allow designers, weavers, and seamstresses to enter international markets.
In 2020, Bhutan exported textiles including carpets, embroidery, shawls, and scarves, among others worth Nu 1.7 million, and in 2021, exported textiles worth Nu 1.9 million, according to Bhutan Trade Statistics.


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, one of the more recent and interesting entries into Portland's growing circle of footwear companies, could be described with the basso profondo of a sports announcer: "
Li-Ning -- the Nike of China
It wouldn't be an altogether unfair comparison, either. In the world's most populous nation, home-grown Li-Ning has seen sales in recent years pass every competitor except for Oregon-based
But when it comes to United States consumers, Li-Ning is almost a total unknown. Its launch this week into the running-shoe market, an important strategic step for a company trying to gain a foothold here, comes with more of a whisper than a grand pronouncement.
"I would call our marketing approach 'fine-tuned' and 'targeted,'" says Paul Curran, business development manager for Li-Ning Sports USA.
The company's North American headquarters sports a payroll of 28 people in its Pearl District offices. That's a far cry from the almost 7,000 at Nike's sprawling campus near Beaverton.
The Chinese manufacturer has big aspirations, though, and a Nike-like past of its own to draw upon.
"Minimalist" running shoes
Before there was a
shoe and before
the best-selling book on barefoot running, there was the
Free arguably was the pioneer in the so-called "natural movement" running shoe category, which has grown significantly over the past two years.
That market -- which
hopes to break into with its newly released Fremont shoe -- was inspired in large part because of the FiveFingers, a piece of footwear that features form-fitting toes, a rubber outsole and a minimal mesh and leather upper. Combined with "Born to Run," the book by Christopher McDougall that extols the virtues of barefoot running, the minimalist shoe category now accounts for about 10 percent of the $5 billion annual running shoes sales in the U.S.
But when the Nike Free was introduced six years ago, it caused barely a ripple in the market.
"It didn't sell spectacularly well," says Jeff Pisciotta, director of the Nike Sport Research Lab.
"We couldn't give them away," recalled Jim Micheels, owner of Raleigh Running Outfitters in Raleigh, N.C.
Nike shoe designer Toby Hatfield began work on what became the Nike Free in 2000, consulting with then-Stanford track and field coach Vin Lananna.
Today, Nike has three models of Nike Free on the market, plus a Lunar series that employs similar principles. Lananna, meanwhile, is head track coach at the University of Oregon.
And several "minimalist" competitors have joined the pack.
These are the models on the wall at Fit Right NW at 2258 N.W. Raleigh St., where the Fremont by Li-Ning Sports USA, Inc., goes on sale Monday: Saucony ProGrid Kinvara, New Balance 801, Brooks Green Silence, Asics Gel Hyper Speed, Puma RoadRacer, Karhu Race Ride, Nike Zoom Streak XC, Nike Lunar Racer, Adidas adiZero Rocket, Mizuno Wave Musha, Puma Faas 300, and the Nike Free Run.
Several ideas based on the foot motion of the Free were kicked around in the Nike Sport Research Lab between 2000-04.
And Pisciotta said the shoe developers kind of kick themselves over one idea that never made it out the door.
"We proposed a five-toed version but backed off because we felt we needed something with better attributes."
Suffice to say, a Nike with five toes -- a concept that has been a hit for Vibram USA -- never made it to market.
Like Nike, Li-Ning has a multi-building campus at its headquarters, in Beijing. And like Nike, with co-founder Phil Knight a former middle-distance runner for the University of Oregon, Li-Ning has a onetime athlete at its core. Gymnast Li Ning won six medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics, three of them gold, and was given the honor of lighting the cauldron at the 2008 Olympic Games during the internationally televised opening ceremony.
Both companies are doing well at the moment, also. Li-Ning recorded $1.255 billion in revenue in fiscal 2009, an all-time high. Nike is on a roll and its stock is bouncing along at a record level, too.
A cavernous gap separates the two when it comes to North American sales, however. Li-Ning hopes to begin the process of closing the chasm with "The Fremont," a running shoe that will be introduced Monday.
The Fremont, named for the
, was designed inside the studio that buzzes behind the Li-Ning shop at 916 N.W. Hoyt Street.
The retail site there features the company's apparel, basketball shoes, court shoes and an array of badminton and ping pong equipment. The 7-ounce Fremont will be available for purchase for $85 at that store as well as
stores in Portland and Vancouver. In August, Champs Sports, a division of Foot Locker Inc., became the first U.S. retailer to partner with Li-Ning when it began selling basketball shoes and apparel endorsed by
For its first entrant into the U.S. running market, Li-Ning is betting on products in the growing "minimalist" shoe niche.
"Our approach," said Rick Soberanis, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Li-Ning USA, "is we want to come into the market with a product with a unique point of difference that can be easily understood by the consumer."
Analysts expect the Fremont, as well as a few other minimalist shoes Li-Ning will introduce next year, to lose money in the early going -- just like most any other new shoe that hits the market. But that doesn't matter so much to Li-Ning officials with deep pockets and a willingness to be patient as the company grows an international brand.
Li-Ning USA officials describe their entry into the running market as "a soft opening," without a lot of marketing pomp and circumstance.
They'll start with just the Fremont, and only at specialty running shops in Oregon and Washington. The next phase of the plan calls for expanding into those kinds of shops throughout the country.
"We're the new kid on the block," says Mark Thompson, performance engineer for Li-Ning USA, who helped determine the smallest details on the Fremont and other Li-Ning shoes designed in Portland.
While the Fremont weighs about 7 ounces, a typical running shoe might weigh 11 to 15 ounces. The Fremont heel height is 19 millimeters, compared to a more typical 24 millimeters, and the sole is 9 millimeters thick instead of the usual 12 millimeters. The Fremont's competitors in the minimalist category have similar dimensions.
Initially, Li-Ning USA is seeking only a sliver of a slice. In 2009, running shoe sales totaled about $5 billion in the U.S., according to the newsletter
. Of that, about 10 percent, or $500 million, was from technical running shops, the kind that Curran has been courting.
Curran, the Li-Ning USA business development manager, is charged with finding new retailers willing to sell the Fremont and, by next summer, at least three other lightweight shoes. As a competitive runner who once spent his lunch hours running on a treadmill for the benefit of an independent Portland shoe research company, he speaks fluent running lingo.
Curran wants just a few shops on board to begin, in part so that the Fremont can prove itself regionally before expanding nationally. A handful of running stores other than Fit Right are ready to offer the Fremont in other Oregon cities, Curran said, although he declined to name them. Also, he says at least one Seattle-area store will likely sell the shoe before the end of the year.
A major sales push is planned for
, an annual shoes extravaganza set for mid-November in Austin, Texas, where 200 retailers are expected to converge. And an e-tailer, the
, will offer the Li-Ning product beginning in mid-February, where it will join nearly 20 other brands.
But the ideal supplier will partner with Li-Ning for in-store demonstrations, running events and other grassroots marketing, Curran said.
in Raleigh, N.C., is that kind of shop. Owner Jim Micheels said he has spent weeks running in the Fremont.
"I've been very happy with it," said Micheels, who's owned his store in the heart of Tar Heel country for eight years. "Nice, light weight and flexible."
Not every retailer has responded as eagerly.
"We see a lot of new things that people push past us to see what we think," said owner Chet James of the
in the Greenlake neighborhood of Seattle.
"Very rarely do we see somebody walk through the door and it's nailed," James said. "In 35 years, it probably has never happened."
Yes, but what did you think of it?
"It's not there yet. It's really rough," James said, adding that it's been about five months since he saw the model.
Curran said the prototype has been improved since then and James did not have the chance to see about four other Li Ning minimalist shoes that will be offered to retailers next year.
Phone interviews with representatives with about a half dozen other stores nationwide show opinions split on the Fremont.
There are more than 750 running specialty shops nationwide and "the independent stores are more hungry for new innovations and exciting brands like Li-Ning," Curran says. "That's where I see us gaining a foothold."
To that, Christopher Svezia, a stock analyst with
, says, "I wish them luck."
Svezia isn't saying it's impossible for a newcomer like Li-Ning to break into the specialty running shoe market -- only that it's challenging.
"Everybody is vying for shelf space right now," he said.
And those include brand names already known well to American buyers.
"I don't know how many consumers know of who they are or what they represent," Svezia said of Li-Ning.
It will help that a large corporate parent is backing the nimble startup across the Pacific, says Matt Powell, an athletic shoe industry analyst for SportsOneSource.
"They have scale in China," Powell said. "They have a large research and development department and manufacturing at their fingertips."
But, Powell added, "a fledgling company starting out now -- it's very difficult to get it established."
Along the back wall of the Fit Right NW at 2258 N.W. Raleigh St., at least a dozen featherlight running shoes line a shelf.
Nike Free Run, Saucony Kinvara, New Balance 101, and Asics Gel Lite sit heel to heel, sole to sole. Starting Monday, the Fremont will wedge its way into the mix.
"This is opening a whole new category for running companies," Fit Right co-owner Robb Finegansays of the minimalist line.
Finegan said Fit Right, though it has the distinction of being the first shop to offer the Fremont, has no financial interest in the shoe or Li-Ning besides selling the shoes. He endorses the shoe, though a lifetime of running has resulted in a knees that prevented him from giving it a try.
"If it's here on the wall," Finegan says of his product offerings, customers "are going to know it's a good shoe."
But how does he know for sure?
"My wife tried it. She liked it."


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UPDATE: Fire at the Keokuk mall
Mon, 21 Feb 2011 15:19:53 GMT —
UPDATED: 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Following the fire at the River City Mall of Keokuk, the mall announced that ServiceMaster Cleaning and Restoration of Quincy and ServiceMaster of Fort Madison were named to handle restoration cleanup for the retail property.
Snow last Friday didn't hamper efforts to begin the cleanup. "ServiceMaster crews totaling more than 50 people worked late in the night on Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday;" said Dale Steinkamp, a spokesman for ServiceMaster Cleaning and Restoration. "ServiceMaster is self-contained on-site which allows us to have an on-going response to address the retail center."
The interior environment of Keokuk's shopping mall was first addressed with high volume air scrubbers on the first day of restoration.
"Restorative cleaning continues today in the common areas of the River City Mall, according to Steinkamp. We are touching every square inch of the mall's interior in order to be able to return this retail center to the people of Keokuk and the regional area that it serves."
UPDATED: 4:23 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011
The River City Mall in Keokuk is back open for business after fire heavily damaged a store inside the mall on Monday.
The cause of the fire still remains under investigation. But cleaning crews are inside getting rid of the smoke damage and the fire smell.
There is no word on whether or not Sue's Quilts & Stitches will re-open.
UPDATED: 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011
The mall was re-opened on Tuesday.
We have no new information at this time about the fire. We will bring you updates as we receive them.
UPDATED: 9:05 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011
We have a call in to the River City Mall Tuesday morning to find out if the mall will re-open.
As soon as we get that information we will pass it on to you!
UPDATED: 4:28 p.m. Monday, Feb. 21, 2011
KHQA has been unable to reach anyone in the offices at the River City Mall on Monday afternoon.
The voicemail for the mall theatre states that due to the incident at the mall they will re-open on Tuesday during normal business hours.
Although the fire department had said there was a chance for the mall to re-open, we are now assuming that the mall will be closed until Tuesday.
We will let you know if anything changes.
UPDATED: 10:40 a.m. Monday, Feb. 21, 2011
Jarod Wells spoke with an assistant chief with the Keokuk Fire Department who told him firefighters are clearing smoke from the mall.
The fire was contained to one store, Sue's Quilts and Stitches, but Assistant Fire Chief Jeff Marlin expects smoke damage through a good portion of the River City Mall.
No one was hurt during the fire.
The entire mall was evacuated.
The assistant chief also said the mall, or portions of it, may be able to re-open later Monday, but it's too early to decide.
Firefighters also have not yet been able to start their investigation into what started the fire.
UPDATED: 10:11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 21, 2011
Jarod Wells spoke with an employee at the mall who told him the fire started in a quilt store.
The fire is out, although there is smoke and water damage.
The River City Mall will be closed the rest of the day.
KHQA's Jarod Wells in on his way to Keokuk right now after we received a call from the mall manager at the River City Mall in Keokuk, Iowa.
The mall manager let us know that there is a fire at the mall and emergency responders are on site.
We will bring you more details, so check this story later and watch KHQA's News at 5, KHQA's Evening News at 6 p.m. and KHQA's Late News at 10 p.m.


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Following congressional complaints about sensitive data leaks, P2P software providers are modifying their apps to make them safer for use in enterprises.
The privacy protection company will upgrade its snoop-resistant handset later this year and introduce a tablet, too. Also new: a push for business customers spooked by Sony hacks.
One of Bill Gates' all-time favorite programmers is back after pondering the hypothetical: What would people do if the phone had never been invented before the Internet came along?
Here's how Apple's new feature to field iPhone calls on the Mac will work, and why you should care.
A tool for sharing files among Facebook contacts has launched a new version built on Web standards instead of Flash. That will let it reach mobile devices in coming weeks.
New & Noteworthy: Apple financial numbers due today; Its a flat world after all; Peer-to-peer security woes; more
After several months as an alpha release, BitTorrent brings new features to its decentralized file synchronization service.
A mesh network of 500 electronics boards captures radio noise, temperature, humidity, and foot traffic at Google's developer show.
The malware scene in OS X is minimal when compared with other operating systems, but it is being developed at a snail's pace.
Google's Chrome Remote Desktop extension lets a person with one machine running Chrome control another such machine. It should help make Chromebooks easier to manage.


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New figures show mixed picture
More shoppers, but also more empty shops on high streets
The increase in the number of shops lying empty overshadowed figures showing more shoppers returning to the high street.
Footfall figures for April were 1.1% higher than a year ago, although down on the 1.7% growth in March.
The vacancy rate was 10.4%, a sharp rise from 9.7% in the previous quarter.
Footfall across the UK in April was 0.8% lower than a year ago, down from the 0.2% rise in March. This is below the three-month average of -0.3%.
Both High Streets and Shopping Centres reported a decline, falling 0.1% and 3.0% respectively.
Footfall in out-of-town locations fared the best with a 0.5% increase year-on-year, but this is the lowest figure since September 2014.
Four regions and countries reported footfall above the UK average, with the East, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Greater London all reporting positive footfall growth.
The national town centre vacancy rate was 10.2% in April 2015, down from the 10.4% rate reported in January 2015.
Mr Lonsdale (left), director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said: “Like the curate’s egg, these figures are excellent in part. Footfall in Scotland’s shopping destinations has sprouted for a third successive month.
“Indeed shopper footfall has shown positive growth in Scotland in ten of the last twelve months, outshining the rest of the UK, and at a time when the popularity of online retailing has never been greater.
“Less encouraging though is the spike in the shop vacancy rate in our town centres. Vacancies have risen for a second successive quarter, and with one in every ten retail premises now empty the vacancy rate in Scotland now lies a smidgen above that of the UK as a whole.
“The SRC wants to see further momentum injected into the government’s town centres agenda with improved accessibility, more affordable parking, and action to address the bugbear of the cost and ease of doing business.”
Diane Wehrle, retail insights director at Springboard, said: “The polarisation of shopper activity commented on last month is continuing.
“The sudden rise in the vacancy rate in Scotland is likely to be an indication of the adverse impact of the increasing number of retail leases that are expiring, offering retailers an opportunity to vacate units that are no longer in viable trading locations.
“The fact that this has impacted on Scotland’s towns and cities to a greater degree than the UK as a whole despite the growth of omni-channel shopping behaviour suggests a more challenging trading period ahead.”


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Rodenstock has announced that eyewear and lifestyle brand Porsche Design has unveiled a dedicated pop-up with China Duty Free Group (CDFG) at the Mova Mall in downtown Haikou, Hainan.
Active through October, the pop-up store builds on a long-standing alliance between the brand and CDFG and is designed to generate excitement for shoppers as they return to travel and shopping.
Taking centre stage is the limited edition Porsche Design 50Y collection, which shines a spotlight on Porsche Design’s heritage while breathing new life into the brand and its aesthetic.
“Classic styles are reborn, while new styles have been created which celebrate the past, present and future,” according to the brand.
The designs are presented on dedicated plinths, allowing customers to view the craftsmanship and materials with backlit display walls offering further exposure.
Patrick Dempsey promotes brand
Porsche Design Brand Ambassador and Hollywood Actor Patrick Dempsey is featured on the display to boost consumer engagement.
Rodenstock Director Global Retail and International Key Accounts Eyewear Lucas Gestin said: “This pop-up is a very exciting addition to our ongoing collaboration with our valued partners at China Duty Free Group.
“Over the past two years, our combined working relationship has demonstrated the value that true partnership can bring for all stakeholders in the travel retail sector and we are delighted to continue that.
“It is also the perfect way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic Porsche Design brand at a high-profile and key location in the important Hainan market. The limited edition 50Y Porsche Design Collection showcases the very best of the brand, from its incredible heritage to its cutting-edge design and materials.”
Asia & Pacific,
Asia & Pacific,


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The new tools enable mobile-based options for employees to sign into corporate applications or create self-sovereign identities, access to which they control.
Antivirus makers Sophos and Avast are warning users that installing a recent Windows update may cause their PCs to lock up or fail to boot.
Around late Friday evening, Microsoft announced a data breach that resulted from a Microsoft technical support agent’s credentials being compromised.
Apple’s 2FA iCloud system is generally very diligent about securing your account, especially when you have two devices, but it has one key flaw.
When you forget your Gmail password, and have two factor authentication (2FA) enabled, Google will SMS or call you with a six to eight digit code. You enter the code (Google calls this 2-step verification) and gain access to your account.
VPN packages from Cisco, Palo Alto, F5 and Pusle may improperly secure tokens and cookies, allowing nefarious actors an opening to invade and take control over an end user’s system.
Researchers have uncovered an invitation-only Tor-concealed marketplace where stolen credit card details are bundled with the victim's device fingerprint, meaning criminal buyers can use them to beat numerous fraud detection systems.
New tools and services will help make it easier for enterprises to manage security with Google products as well as with Amazon and in their own private clouds and applications.
Google has implemented a new method of two-factor authentication, using an Android phone as a stand-in for a hardware dongle.
Japanese automaker, Toyota, announced on Saturday that a data breach resulted in the data of 3.1 million customers being compromised. This is in fact the second data breach the company faced in the last five weeks.
The key to better security lies in adopting a differentiated human-centric approach to cybersecurity, where people—rather than IT infrastructure—become the new perimeter.


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Updated: Wednesday, August 30, 2017, 3:04 PM
Bruce Springsteen will be staying on Broadway a little longer than initially planned, organizers announced via Twitter on Wednesday.
OK, a lot longer.
The Boss has added 10 weeks of shows to his Springsteen on Broadway run, pushing the show through Feb. 3.
— Ticketmaster (@Ticketmaster) August 30, 2017
Tickets to the new shows will go on sale Sept. 7.
News of the extension came mere hours after the beginning of sales for previously announced dates. Before the extension, Springsteen on Broadway was scheduled to run Oct. 3 through Nov. 26.
Ticket sales are being handled by Ticketmaster, which requires fans to preregister for the show as part of the company’s Verified Fan program to get passes. The rollout caused confusion among fans after its launch, with Ticketmaster advising that fans “be vigilant” and not purchase tickets from secondary providers via social media.
Despite that warning, tickets for the shows have cropped up on ticket-selling websites like StubHub and Vivid Seats. Some tickets on the services, like a pair in orchestra seating for an Oct. 4 show at the Walter Kerr Theatre, are priced as high as $9,800 each. The theater has fewer than 1,000 seats.
Ticketmaster is using its Verified Fan service as a way to cut down on the success rate of ticket-buying bots that are used to buy tickets for popular shows to be resold. The service has users register their names, phone numbers, and addresses ahead of purchasing tickets, and approves customers as verified fans or adds them to a wait list. Those selected were given a code to buy tickets. Others were put on a wait list.
For the extended run of tickets, all fans previously verified in the first round will automatically be verified again. Fans who want to get in on the lottery can become verified fans until September 3 at 10 p.m. at springsteen.tmverifiedfan.com.
Springsteen on Broadway is the New Jersey native’s first string of solo shows since his Devils & Dust tour in 2005. The show will reportedly be organized as part concert, part book reading, with Springsteen performing tracks from throughout his career in between reading passages from his memoir, Born to Run.
Read full story: Bruce Springsteen adds 10 weeks of shows to Broadway run


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SEVENDUST: Chatting Live With Fans on Facebook on Thursday, June 24
Atlanta hard rock giants SEVENDUST continued their explosive spring/summer this week with the release of a Deluxe Reissue of their debut, titled Sevendust (Definitive Edition).
This Thursday, SEVENDUST is taking to their Facebook page to stream the entire bonus DVD and chat with their fans. The DVD will air at 3pm PST/6pm EST, and the band will be chatting live on Facebook immediately following the DVD broadcast.
Watch the bonus DVD from Sevendust (Definitive Edition) and chat with the band on Thursday, June 24th @ 3pm PST/6pm EST.


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The Harbor Freight axle stand saga has taken another unfortunate turn. Having recalled 1.7 million Pittsburgh-branded stands earlier this year, the retailer came under the spotlight once more when one customer reported a weld failure on a replacement unit a few weeks ago. This appears to have prompted another recall, covering any stands with the part number 56373.
“I’m disappointed and embarrassed because we’ve identified a welding defect in a small number of the Pittsburgh three-ton steel jack stands that replaced the recalled jack stands,” company owner and founder Eric Smidt said in a letter posted on Facebook.
You’d be forgiven for being worried if you own any set of Pittsburgh stands, but the good news is Harbor Freight will give a cash refund or a store credit for three and six-tonne units whether they’re covered by the recalls or not.
To refresh your memory, the first of the original recalls concerned three-tonne units manufactured from December 2012 to December 2019 with the part number 61196 and any made from January to March 2020 with the number 56371. The second covered six-tonne stands built from June 2013 and November 2013 with the part number 61197.
Rather than for faulty welds, these recalls were due to a defect in the ‘pawl’, which could “disengage from the extension lifting post” if subjected to a “potential shift in weight”. This would cause the supported vehicle to drop suddenly, potentially causing serious injury or worse.
The problem was traced back to ageing tooling at the factory of Jiaxing Golden Roc Tools Co in Zhejiang, China. Only recent batches were thought to have the issue, but a wider recall was issued by the NHTSA as a precaution.
As we said in the previous two Harbor Freight axle stand stories, all of this should serve as a reminder that it’s important to have some kind of redundancy when supporting a car on axle stands.


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A whole new updated camera, the X1D II 50C, and some intriguing possibilities for bringing its legacy kit into the digital age have been announced by Hasselblad.
Not a day goes by when we don't hear of some sort of start-up trying to build a new cinema camera. But we have to admit that the Octopus Cinema Camera looks very promising indeed. It's real for a start, not just a computer render. Could we be seeing the beginning of a successful new upstart?
Red Giant’s new and appropriately named VFX Suite is a brand new suite of keying, tracking, cleanup and visual effects compositing tools, all of which can be reached from directly inside Adobe After Effects.
Smartphones have become largely homogenous in recent years, which is one of the reasons why Sony’s crazy tall Xperia 1 turns heads. It’s not just about viewing movies in 21:9, however.
Samsung used InfoComm 2019 to announce that orders will open for its giant modular microLED display The Wall (renamed The Wall Luxury) next month.
Live streaming from a camcorder is no longer complicated, as this free new update from Sony would appear to show.
For decades the idea that the wider the aspect ratio, the more cinematic a film will look. But this entire notion has been turned on its head recently with a number of big name directors coming to the conclusion that taller is better. Why is this, and what does it mean for cinema?
It doesn't matter what gear you have, the camera won't make your footage look film like, even if you use a 35mm film camera. Phil Rhodes sheds some very pointed light on the reasons why.
We see them all the time. The camera demo reel of sunsets, twinkling city lights, sun filtering through the forest, beautiful women in floaty gowns, the beach at dusk, craggy old men’s faces… But such reels tell you nothing about what the camera is like to work with.
A mobile NLE as capable as the one on your main computer? LumaFusion just got a big update.


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Shoppers are seeking sales at slashed prices. The day after Christmas is known for not only returns, but also for marked-down costs to buyers.
JENSEN BEACH, Fla. -- Terrie Welz says she's a savvy shopper.
"I always buy everything after Christmas," she said. "Wrapping paper, Christmas cards."
She said Christmas comes at the same time every year, so she buys holiday items on sale and stores them.
"I never pay the full price for anything," said Welz. "Bows, the whole nine yards."
Brian Phoenix and his wife, Heidi, say waiting to buy holiday merchandise until the day after Christmas saves them hundreds of dollars.
"We're cheap shoppers," laughed Brian.
"I know they have a bunch of sales on clothes, and they have the little dollar section - that's nice," said Heidi. "It's 50% off, so you can get stuff for 50 cents."
Brian said for them, bargain hunting has become a tradition.
"Day after Halloween, day after Thanksgiving, pretty much all the holidays. We'll probably be out on day after New Year's," he said.
Welz said after-holiday shopping is an investment of time that ends up saving a lot of money.
"Why pay full price for something when you don't have to?" she asked.


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May 5 (Reuters) – AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc (AMC.N) on Friday provided an optimistic assessment of this year’s box office recovery, after beating quarterly revenue estimates as films including the latest installment of “Ant-Man” lured moviegoers into theaters. .
Cinemas are beginning to see a rebound in foot numbers after an uneven recovery from the lowest levels of the pandemic, thanks to a steady stream of movie releases during the year.
“We couldn’t be more optimistic about the box office prospects for 2023, except to say that 2024 looks better,” CEO Adam Aron said.
Shares of the world’s largest operator of cinema chains rose 0.5% in choppy trading, after rising more than 4% before the bell. The stock, a favorite of retail investors, is up more than 45% so far this year.
Peer Cinemark Holdings Inc (CNK.N), earlier in the day, reported a 33% increase in revenue for the first quarter, driven by a stronger-than-expected performance at the box office.
AMC also noted a boost to the current quarter release of the Super Mario Bros. movie. She said she expects “The Little Mermaid,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3,” and “Spider-Man: Across “The Spider-Verse” to hit box office sales for the rest of the year.
Revenue from the world’s largest cinema chain operator rose 21.5% to $954.4 million in the first quarter, beating expectations of $948.5 million, according to Refinitiv data.
AMC has been experimenting with different packages to attract audiences, including options that allow moviegoers to choose seating options that match their viewing preferences.
“As moviegoers continue to move toward premium screens and franchises, it makes sense that as volume returns to normal, revenues at the theater level could exceed pre-pandemic levels,” said Wedbush analyst Alicia Rees.
On an adjusted basis, AMC lost 9 cents per share, compared to expectations for a loss of 16 cents.
Additional reporting by Tyachi Datta and Yamini Kalia in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D’Silva
Our standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Nvidia stock is overbought and due to fall. Just look at the graphs.
Elon Musk received compliments and feasts during his China trip
Bitcoin BTC price rises below $28K as investors look to advances in the US debt ceiling


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Donut and coffee chain Dunkin’ Donuts has ventured into a surprising project. They’ve created a state-of-the-art tiny house with a new and sustainable edge alongside two other partner companies, New Frontier Tiny Homes and Blue Marble Energy. Truly an awesome new discovery that opens the door for more sustainable energy consumption.
That’s right, coffee now has an even higher purpose. New Frontier Tiny Homes explained that “Every 170 pounds of spent coffee grounds yields about one gallon of fuel and is used in a standard biofuel generator.” Combined with the fact they’ve hopped on the tiny home trend, we might be looking at the future of housing right here.
What, How, and Why
Blue marble Energy was the one to understand how to generate power from used up coffee grinds. A biofuel blend was created, comprising of 80% oil that comes from the grinds. After that, the blend is fed into a generator that powers all 275-square-foot of the small building. Its electrical systems have been optimized especially for this unique setup.
The small downside is that the remaining 20% of biofuel is alcohol, which they need to convert the coffee grinds into fuel. But it’s still more eco-friendly than dumping used coffee grounds into landfills. But the future is closer than you think as it’s possible to rent the tiny home for only $10 a night. The tiny home was previously listed on Airbnb where tickets sold out quickly. Located in Nahant, Massachusetts, people were only allowed to book for two guests at a time.
And as for what’s inside? A fully functioning bathroom, a generous kitchen, and even a king-sized bed, pictured at the top of the image. It’s pretty “cosy” of course, but it utilizes a popular feature in today’s growing world; space-saving. Not to mention there’s a retractable outdoor ceder deck and floor-to-ceiling windows, which makes it feel more spacious.
They’ve also gone with white walls and bright accents to ensure it feels bright and airy. Dunkin’ Donuts explained how they wanted the outside of the tiny home to be the color of coffee. They certainly concocted a deep and rich mahogany brown that matches perfectly with the walnut floors inside. The charcoal accents you see in the picture above also match the slate kitchen countertops, but the whole place is elevated with high-end appliances.


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China’s economy rebounded with an 8.1% increase in GDP for 2021, notching increases in fixed asset investment (4.9%), value-added industrial output (9.6%) and retail sales (12.5%). However, fourth quarter GDP growth slowed to 4.0% year-over-year from 4.9% the previous quarter, as the economy still faces uncertainty related to the pandemic and a complicated external environment.1
Recent increased scrutiny of offshore-listed Chinese companies has continued to weigh on the stock prices of many Chinese firms traded on U.S. exchanges.
U.S. IPO activity for Chinese companies continued at a strong pace in the first half of 2021; however, new listings in the U.S. slowed during the second half of the year amid stricter policies and regulations for Chinese companies pursuing offshore IPOs.2
2021 saw an uptick in going-private transaction activity for U.S.-listed companies based in China, with 10 privatizations completed during the year and nine potential transactions announced that have yet to close. U.S.-listed Chinese companies with pending going-private proposals represented approximately USD 8.6 billion in total market capitalization as of December 31, 2021.2
1 China National Bureau of Statistics and China Ministry of Commerce
2 SEC filings, company press releases and S&P Global Market Intelligence as of December 31, 2021


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Beer Brewed In Honor Of 217-Year-Old American Elm Tree
YARMOUTH, Maine - A Maine brewery is paying tribute to a centuries-old American Elm tree named Herbie with a new pale ale named in the tree's honor.
"Herbie'' is a low-alcohol pale ale with citrus notes that will be released Thursday at the Yarmouth Farmers Market. The Portland Press Herald reports that the beer was brewed by Portland-area brewery Liquid Riot.
Herbie stood in Yarmouth from 1793 until the 110-foot tree died in 2010 at age 217.
Liquid Riot co-owner Eric Michaud says they were asked to come up with a special beer for the expanded farmers market, and thought people of all ages could connect to the story of Herbie.
The beer will be available in cans and on tap in various Yarmouth establishments and at Liquid Riot in Portland.