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“Forecasting of full year revenue in the current environment is difficult”
• Boomtown unites the country’s leading media companies
• New role will help bring oOh! and Adshel together under a unified strategy
ECN is forecast to contribute over $8 million of EBITDA to oOh! in CY2017
oOh!media acquired Inlink at the end of 2015 and now controls the office media space with the addition of the ECN assets
Cook has transformed oOh! from a traditional out-of-home advertising business into a new data-driven, audience-led digital media company
The team at ECN is led by co-founder and chief executive Charles Parry-Okeden
Outdoor giants APN Outdoor and oOh!media have announced their latest half-year results
In this issue: The Nova-Vodafone collaboration, ASTRA Industry nominees, Allure Media's Jason Scott, Adelaide Advertiser, WellBeing
oOh!media partners with Quantium to provide Out Of Home advertisers with an Australian first in audience-targeting capabilities.
Out-of-home revenues have soared above forecasts as demand rises for digital and static
oOh!media Limited has reported strong profit growth and margin expansion in its financial results for the 12 months ended 31 December 2015....
Lockdown Viewing: The Secrets She Keeps on 10 and 10 Play
85% of advertisers report COVID-19 has impacted ad spend
Easter Weekend Viewing: Max counts down The 1000 Greatest Songs Of All Time
The heat is on: MasterChef judges Andy, Melissa & Jock
TV ratings April 7: Will Seven’s head start help House Rules?
ACM’s Tony Kendall: Don’t ignore record regional audiences


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Sony has indicated that they expect to release a new range of televisions with integrated Freesat by the end of the year. This follows the hugely successful rival range from Panasonic, which have been on the market for many months now and have recently announced the launch of a new range themselves.
This news is reported to have been given by a Sony representative to What Satellite & Digital TV magazine at a function on Monday evening. Wotsat have said;
At a UK press event last night, a Sony representative told What Satellite that Freesat HD-ready TVs would be available by Christmas but did not disclose features or screen sizes.
This is further good news of the intent of major manufacturers to get involved with the Freesat platform. As and when we have further news we shall let you know.

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Having sold out in 2015 before making a single lineup announcement, ULTRA Beach Bali looks to up the stakes for its second annual edition, as it reveals the official dates and venue for this year’s two-day event, alongside the Official 2015 Aftermovie.
In Ultra Music Festival’s illustrious eighteen-year history, no year has been as fruitful, or as widely successful as these past 365 days. Click through to learn more!
The 5th edition of ULTRA Korea will be livestreamed from Seoul this weekend via UMFTV. Watch the video for show times.
After announcing expansion plans into Brasil earlier in the year, The World’s Most International Festival Brand, ULTRA Worldwide, has officially confirmed its final plans for their 2016 South America Tour.
Laidback Luke tries his hand at interning for the UMF TV crew!
Famed the world over for producing some of the finest house and techno experiences on the planet, RESISTANCE™ has announced its enormous lineup spanning across the five days of Destination ULTRA – Croatia Music Week. Returning to the Dalmatian coastline for its second annual outing, RESISTANCE™ will see some of the biggest names in the…
Ultra Music Festival has opened it’s Ticket Registration. Registering in advance is the only way to purchase the lowest-cost tickets when they go on sale.
CHASE & STATUS, DEADMAU5, KNIFE PARTY & RABBIT IN THE MOON JOIN AFROJACK, AVICII, AXWELL^INGROSSO & MARTIN GARRIX AS HEADLINERS With less than two months until ULTRA Korea opens the gates for its landmark fifth edition, the largest electronic music festival in Korea’s history now announces its incredible Phase Two lineup. Set to run for…
Carl Cox e Martin Garrix são os primeiros headliners confirmados no Ultra Brasil. Confira como foi o anúncio durante o live streaming do Ultra Music Festival e o pronunciamento oficial da Rio Eventos. Marque seus amigos e fique ligado nas novidades! #ULTRABRASILPosted by Ultra Brasil on Monday, March 21, 2016
On Saturday, March 19, during the eighteenth annual edition of ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL at Bayfront Park, ULTRA Worldwide – the world’s premier and most independent festival brand – announced that ULTRA Brasil will be taking place on October 14-15, 2016, at the stunning Flamengo Park in Rio de Janeiro.


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27th November 2023 – (Hong Kong) In a bid to promote low-carbon travel, Hong Kong’s Mass Transit Railway (MTR) has implemented several green initiatives over the past year. One significant development is the arrival of the MTR’s first electric bus last week, which is currently undergoing a series of tests and awaiting relevant approvals before its expected launch in the first quarter of next year. Simultaneously, the MTR is also conducting research and testing on using hydrogen fuel to power its light rail vehicles, supporting the wider adoption of innovative green transportation technologies in Hong Kong.
With a public transportation usage rate of 49.6% in Hong Kong, the MTR’s energy consumption accounts for only approximately 8.8% of the overall public transportation sector. Looking ahead, the MTR aims to introduce environmentally friendly design and low-carbon elements in all new station and residential property development projects. Six new stations, namely Tung Chung East Station, Tung Chung West Station, Tuen Ma Line’s Kwu Tung Station, Siu Ho Wan Station, Tuen Mun South Station, and A16 Station, will be built with reference to green building standards and practices.
Furthermore, the MTR has installed various types of solar power generation systems in its stations, depots, and shopping malls. The Pat Heung Depot alone has incorporated over 2,100 flexible solar panels, making it the largest single-building solar soft panel system project in Hong Kong. The MTR’s shopping malls, including Luk Yeung Galleria and Heng Fa Chuen, are also set to complete the installation of solar panels within this year. The MTR will continue to explore the feasibility of installing solar power generation systems in other stations, depots, and shopping malls.


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Booking is now open for this year’s Darlington Business Week, set to take place from Monday to Friday October 7-11.
More than fourteen free networking events, workshops and seminars, will take place at a range of venues across the town, giving local and regional businesses of all sizes the chance to meet fellow business people and find out how they can access what’s on offer to help them grow and develop their companies.
Advice on funding and business growth, exporting, training, social media and marketing, social enterprise, preventing digital and cyber fraud and scams, (including a live online hack), looking after mental health and much more, will be on offer throughout the week.
The Week will be launched on Monday October 7, 8.30am at the Teesside University National Horizons Centre, Central Park, Darlington, by Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen along with Councillor Alan Marshall, the council’s cabinet member for Economy and Regeneration and Mark Ladyman, Assistant Director, Economic Growth.
They will be talking about opportunities and developments in Darlington and the wider Tees Valley.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “From innovative start-ups to global companies, Darlington is home to some fantastic businesses, all with a wealth of experience to share.
“Whether it’s to tackle certain issues facing sectors head-on, highlighting supply chain opportunities or simply sharing success stories and experience, working together is key.
“That’s why I’d urge any and all local businesses to come along and get involved in this great week.”
Organised by Darlington Council’s business investment team, the week is supported by a wide range of organisations including Business Central, Barclays Bank, Citizen’s Advice, The Police, North East England Chamber of Commerce, Clive Owen, Darlington College, Teesside University, TEDCO and Darlington Business Club.
The popular Jobs Fair will also return on Thursday October 10, from 10am-2pm.
Councillor Alan Marshall, the council’s cabinet member for economy and regeneration, said: “This is a unique event in Darlington and probably the biggest one of its kind across the Tees Valley.
“I would encourage anyone in business to take a look at what’s on offer. It’s a brilliant chance to find out more about a range of hot topics affecting many businesses today and also a great way to network with others and find out how much support there is locally and regionally.”
To book, go to www.investindarlington.co.uk/events/ or contact the Business Investment team on 01325 406305 or email firstname.lastname@example.org


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U.S. Economic Ponzi Scheme Could Cause Rampant Inflation In Years Ahead
The rioting and looting currently taking place in Egypt is primarily a result of massive food inflation and shows what all major cities in the U. S. will likely look like come year 2015 due to the Federal Reserve’s zero percent interest rates and quantitative easing to infinity… Words: 1891
So saysthe National Inflation Association (http://inflation.us) in an article* reformatted and edited […] below by Lorimer Wilson, editor of www.munKNEE.com, for the sake of clarity and brevity to ensure a fast and easy read. Please note that this paragraph must be included in any article re-posting to avoid copyright infringement. Also included below are links to additional articles on those countries most at risk of getting crushed as a result of food inflation; the extent of global agricultural commodity inflation since 2003 and one providing a greater understanding of the full picture behind what has led up to the current events in Egypt. The NIA goes on to say:
Food Related Commodity Inflation Is Rampant
Food inflation in Egypt has reached 20% and citizens in that nation already spend about 40% of their monthly expenditures on food [See research Here by Nomura that puts the figure at 48.1% and list 25 countries whose governments could get crushed by food price inflation]. Americans for decades have been blessed with cheap food, spending only 13% of their expenditures on food, but this is about to change… (For more on the subject matter in this article go here to listen to a well received video by NIA.)
Over the past year, agricultural commodities as a whole, have outperformed almost every other type of asset [except] silver. [See here for a graph showing how prices in global agricultural commodity have escalated in the past year.]
Wheat… is now up to a new 30-month high of $8.63 per bushel and has doubled in price since June of last year. Algeria bought quadruple [the expected quantity]… of wheat this past week… [and] Saudi Arabia is also beginning to stockpile their inventories of wheat.
Rice futures have gained 8% during the past few days with Bangladesh plans to double rice purchases this year and Indonesia’s latest rice order was quadruple its normal allotment… Meanwhile, the U.S., which is the world’s third largest exporter of rice, is expected to cut production by 25% in 2011.
Cotton’s recent spike in price reminds us of the 2008 spike in oil. At its current price of $1.80 per pound it may have gotten a bit ahead of itself in the short-term as we could possibly see a dip to below $1.40 per pound first. [Nevertheless,] we believe cotton will ultimately rise above $3 per pound later this decade.
Many people in the mainstream media [have been] claiming that agricultural commodity prices have very little to do with prices of food in the supermarket. CNBC’s Steve Liesman, in particular, claims that “rising commodity prices won’t cause inflation”. Liesman has it backwards… Rising commodity prices are only a symptom of inflation… While gold is the best gauge of inflation and is often the best tool for predicting future money printing, agriculture is where the majority of the monetary inflation ends up going after the Fed’s newly printed money trickles down to the middle-class and poor…
Come year 2015, middle-class Americans will be spending at least 30% to 40% of their income on food, similar to Egyptians today. As NIA warned in its latest documentary ‘End of Liberty’, if you don’t have enough money to accumulate physical gold and silver, it is important to begin establishing your own food storage, and store enough food to feed you and your family for at least six months during hyperinflation. Many store shelves in Egypt are now empty after recent panic buying, with shortages of nearly all major staple items throughout the country. [See here for details of which 11 other countries could well follow the lead of Egypt in overthrowing their current governments and here for a greater understanding of what else lies behind Egypt’s problems.]
Groundwork Being Laid for Hyperinflation
[The UK Telegraph newspaper questions whether the central banks of the developed world might be creating hyperinflation, saying:
The European Central Bank (ECB) has taken a strategic gamble that the current surge in food and commodity prices is not a repeat of the inflation virus of the 1970s and will subside without the need for a monetary squeeze. Jean-Claude Trichet said the jump in eurozone inflation to 2.4pc is a ‘short-term’ effect of rising energy and commodity costs …Yet is a risky move at a time when a powerful new cycle of global growth may be under way and the whole nexus of commodities is on fire. March contracts for Brent crude oil jumped to a two-year high of $103 a barrel on Thursday, while copper broke through $10,000 a tonne and cotton reached the highest price since the US Confederacy halted exports during the Civil War in the 1860s. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said its index of global food prices had hit a fresh record in January, while Goldman Sachs’s farm index has risen 90pc since June.]
The U.S. Treasury [for its part] is getting ready to sell $72 billion in new long-term bonds next week, as the U.S. rapidly approaches its $14.29 trillion debt limit. The debt limit is now expected to be reached by April 5th and Treasury Secretary Geithner warned the U.S. will see “catastrophic damage” if it isn’t raised. With the Federal Reserve now surpassing China and Japan as the largest holder of U.S. treasuries, the real “catastrophic damage” ahead will be hyperinflation as a result of the U.S. government doing absolutely nothing to dramatically reduce spending. It is an absolute joke that Obama during his State of the Union address announced $400 billion in spending cuts over the next 10 years, but then the very next day, the Congressional Budget Office increased its 2011 budget deficit projection by $400 billion to $1.48 trillion.
Not raising the debt limit would be a good thing, as it would force Washington to live within its means. Sure, the stock market would collapse and the U.S. economy would enter into its next Great Depression, but at least it would save the U.S. dollar from losing all of its purchasing power. In fact, the standard of living for middle class Americans might actually improve if the government allowed the free market to put our economy into a depression, because goods and services would get cheaper.
The U.S. Economy is a Drug Addict Dependent on Cheap and Easy Money
The U.S. economy has become a drug addict that is dependent on cheap and easy money from the Federal Reserve… The more monetary inflation (heroin) the Federal Reserve creates in order to satisfy the (in the words of Gerald Celente) “money junkies” on Wall Street, the more middle-class and poor Americans become dependent on unemployment checks and food stamps just to survive [and] millions of American students are graduating college with hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt but no jobs.
Further Quantitative Easing May Be Coming
China and Japan recently saw their credit ratings downgraded, while the U.S. credit rating remains at “AAA”. NIA believes it would make far more sense for the world’s largest debtor nation to be downgraded instead of the world’s two largest creditor nations. The Federal Reserve’s second round of quantitative easing has yet to even reach the halfway point and the Fed already holds about $1.11 trillion in U.S. treasuries. By the time QE2 is over at the end of June, the Fed will own $1.6 trillion in U.S. treasuries, about what China and Japan own combined. Shockingly, Kansas City Fed President Thomas Hoenig is already dropping hints about QE3. According to Hoenig, the Fed may consider extending treasury purchases beyond June 30th, 2010, (the scheduled completion date for QE2) if U.S. economic data looks disappointing.
China Protecting Itself From Future Hyperinflation By Investing More in Gold
With the Fed taking over as the largest holder of U.S. treasuries, China is beginning to rapidly move away from the U.S. dollar and into gold. In just the first 10 months of 2010, China imported 209 metric tons of gold compared to 45 metric tons in all of 2009, a stunning five-fold increase. While the western world is downplaying the threat of inflation as much as possible, Asian countries understand that hyperinflation is the most devastating thing that can possibly happen to any economy. The demand for gold in Asia right now is the most intense it has ever been, as they look to tackle rising inflation before it becomes hyperinflation.
The Chinese are so smart that families are now giving each other gold bullion as gifts instead of traditional red envelopes filled with cash. China is now on track to soon surpass India as the world’s largest consumer of gold. The China Securities Regulatory Commission recently gave Beijing-based Lion Fund Management Co. approval to create a fund that will invest into foreign gold ETFs.
U.S. Looking Like a Safe Haven Instead of the Riskiest Place to Invest
U.S. stock mutual funds saw $6.7 billion in net inflows during the past two weeks, the most in any two week period since May of 2009. The rioting, looting, and civil unrest in Egypt is now making the U.S. look like the safe haven of the world, even though it should be considered the riskiest place to invest. From the Dow’s low in August until now, about $38 billion was actually removed from U.S. stock mutual funds, despite the stock market rising 20%. The Dow Jones has been rising from September until now solely due to the Federal Reserve printing around $350 billion out of thin air. When central banks print money, stock markets often act as a relief valve due to there being too much inflation going into the hands of financial institutions.
The U.S. M2 money supply has surged by an annualized rate of 16% over the past two weeks with the M2 multiplier now standing at 4.218… A return to the long-term average M2 multiplier of 10 [would require] a 192% increase in the M2 money supply and that is not even including a possible QE3 and QE4.
The U.S. Economy is a Ponzi Scheme
The U.S. economic ponzi scheme could unravel very quickly in the years ahead, with the velocity of money increasing much faster than anybody expects. As more Americans… become educated to the truth about the U.S. economy and inflation, a complete loss of confidence in the U.S. dollar could occur very suddenly.
It is important for all Americans to prepare as if hyperinflation will be here tomorrow. In Egypt… their citizens are trying to implement a regime change before it is too late. By 2015 in America, [however,] it will already be too late and the civil unrest here has the potential to be many times worse.
The above article consists of reformatted edited excerpts from the original for the sake of brevity, clarity and to ensure a fast and easy read. The author’s views and conclusions are unaltered.
Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit is given as per paragraph 2 above.
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Gen Z are feted as sustainability warriors, but data around real-world behaviour suggests that reputation is dangling by a very thin thread
When Aoife McNamara began studying fashion at the Limerick School of Art & Design, she often shopped at Zara and other high-street retailers, unaware of the impact fast fashion can have on the environment and on garment workers.
But during her third year in college, her interest in sustainable fashion was piqued by The True Cost documentary and the Wardrobe Crisis podcast, which explored the environmental damage and labour violations inherent within the global textiles industry.
“I had a natural curiosity about these issues because I am obsessed with the outdoors and being in the sea,” she says. “I began to understand the impact the industry was having on the planet and I wanted to do something to protect it.”
When the Limerick woman was just 23 and had a design internship at Marc Jacobs in New York under her belt, she set up her eponymous sustainable fashion brand, using Irish materials such as linen, wool and tweed – and even seaweed cellulose fibres – in her garments, following a made-to-order model that eliminates overproduction.
Since creating the brand in 2019, McNamara has had two pop-up stores at Kildare Village and opened her own flagship store at a quaint thatched cottage in the affluent Limerick village of Adare.
But McNamara’s label is a luxury one and most of her customers are businesswomen or women dressing for events such as the Cheltenham Festival, and many of her friends can’t afford sustainable designs.
“Gen Z is all for environmentally friendly products and wants to do better but there is also a huge disconnect because they can’t afford the clothes, which is feeding the fast-fashion industry,” she says.
From the outset, it can appear that the days of fast fashion are numbered, as Gen Z – those born in the late 1990s and early 2000s – turn to sustainable fashion, a growing number of clothing rental platforms such as Rag Revolution and Rent the Runway, and resale apps such as Depop.
Online retailers Asos and Boohoo, which thrived during lockdowns, last month reported slowing sales, with Asos issuing a profit warning and Boohoo recording the first UK sales decline in its history as Gen Z returned clothes faster than before the pandemic, normal shopping trends resumed, and as shoppers hit by soaring inflation cut back on non-essential items.
On Tuesday, Penneys unveiled new research indicating the rise of what it calls “ReGeneration Z”, saying 77pc of 18 to 24-year-olds have repaired clothes in the last 18 months – compared to just 36pc of 25 to 34-year-olds and 45pc of 35 to 44-year-olds – as their interest in sustainable
And in May, Missguided – once a Gen Z darling – went into administration and was rescued from the brink of ruin in June when Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group snapped it up for just £20m (€23.3m).
Four years ago, Missguided was Love Island’s first integrated fashion sponsor, with contestants wearing its barely-there fashions and viewers shopping straight from the Love Island app. But this summer, the ITV2 show hooked up instead with eBay and contestants are wearing pre-loved garments they choose from a shared wardrobe in the Majorcan villa.
But when it comes to fast fashion and its TikTok-hungry Gen Z audience, there is a dichotomy that is becoming increasingly pronounced: on the one hand, research shows the generation epitomised by climate campaigner Greta Thunberg is environmentally aware and socially progressive, but on the other, this demographic is also an insatiable consumer of fast fashion, one of the world’s most polluting industries.
And while some online fashion retailers are floundering, others are flourishing. Last month, Associated British Foods, the owner of Primark (which trades as Penneys in Ireland), reported that Primark sales jumped 81pc to £1.7bn over the 12 weeks to May 28 compared with the same period a year earlier, as it benefited from a rebound in shopping for nights out and for holidays.
The oft-predicted death of fast fashion has been most tested, though, by the rise of Chinese behemoth Shein, which has become the must-have app for Gen Z shoppers looking for the newest cut-price trends.
Shein has emerged from relative obscurity to become the industry leader in ultra-fast fashion, one that can churn out as many as 10,000 new products a day, all destined for more than 150 countries – including Ireland. It was valued at $100bn (€96bn) in April, and posted revenue of $15.7bn in 2021, compared with $2bn in 2018.
McNamara says: “I was at the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen recently and the big topic was how we had thought we had come so far in sustainability only to have Shein come along. You can see it’s what a lot of consumers want, and we all thought the industry was going in the other direction.”
Shein, which has no official European headquarters, is building out a senior team in Ireland and has registered a limited firm here, the Business Post reported last weekend.
The company spent €65,000 on advertising here in May alone across bus shelters and digital, according to figures sourced by GroupM from Nielsen and outdoor media contractors, but that amount likely doesn’t capture all of Shein’s digital spending in Ireland.
And when Shein opened a pop-up shop on Dublin’s Wicklow Street in May, Eddie Shanahan, one of Ireland’s leading business consultants for the fashion retail industry, having worked with Penneys and Brown Thomas, noticed there were “queues right around the block”.
Yet, just four months earlier, Public Eye, a Swiss advocacy group, discovered that a number of workers at Shein suppliers at six production sites in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, were working 75-hour weeks and often only had one day off a month, with staff under enormous pressure to finish orders.
“I have been suspicious all along about a lot of the noise coming from younger generations about sustainability because I’m not sure the volume of people against fast fashion equals the number of people not buying fast fashion,” says Shanahan, who is also chairperson of the Council of Irish Fashion Designers.
“When Shein came to Wicklow Street and people were queuing – they weren’t considering sustainability head on.
“There is a fundamental issue here and it is education.
“You can’t expect people of a certain age to wise up to the fact that their consumption matters just like everybody else’s does and that quality is the absolute key to sustainability.
“And it’s not about affordability – that young demographic has no problem spending hundreds of euro on Balenciaga trainers.
“They are the people buying the expensive streetwear.
“Their subcultures and lifestyle attitudes are being highly driven by expensive goods – Canada Goose is not cheap, Kenzo is not cheap, Balenciaga is not cheap, yet these kids are wearing them on the street.”
Fewer than one in five Irish consumers always consider sustainability when shopping online, with younger shoppers more ambivalent, research published in March by Digital Business Ireland found.
While 25pc of those aged at least 55 prioritise sustainability when purchasing goods online, just 17pc of respondents in the survey aged between 18 and 24 do so.
Donna Marshall, a professor at the UCD School of Business who specialises in supply chain management, says: “There seems to be a polarisation between youngsters.
“There are millions of young climate activists, like followers of Greta Thunberg, who are so immersed in sustainability and climate justice and are appalled by a company like Shein and have watched The True Cost documentary. Then you have this other demographic who aren’t aware of what is going on in the fashion industry and are blinkered by the fun, creative side of it all.
“Unless they are involved in certain parts of TikTok or Instagram, they never hear about this, especially if they are more influenced by influencers paid by Shein.
“But I think and hope that this activism side is loud and growing.”
Irish people consumed about 263,000 tonnes of textiles – most of which were clothing – in 2019, and 170,000 tonnes were discarded, such as through waste-to-energy plants and landfill, according to a study published last year by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Some 64,000 tonnes of textiles were dumped in household bins, and 9,000 of the 17,500 tonnes of clothing donated to charity shops were sold to the commercial textile recyclers for export overseas or recycled as rags and fibres.
But modern garments are often made of multiple fibres and are heavily embellished, which makes recycling extremely complicated.
About 40pc of the 15 million used garments from Europe, North America, Australia, and the UK that flood every week into Ghana – one of the world’s biggest net importers of used garments – are deemed worthless and dumped, a Greenpeace Germany report found in May.
Shanahan says the increase in returns of clothes purchased online is exacerbating waste mountains like those in Ghana.
“The industry has known for some time now, but has not been admitting it to themselves, that returns have been seriously out of kilter with sales,” he says.
“Now you’re seeing big hits to some retailers because the costs of refurbishing those returns is just so great that they decide to dump some of them, which is adding to the sustainability problem.
“That’ll be no surprise to anyone who sees a member of their household get a delivery of five items of clothing on a Friday, only to return four of them the following Monday.
“Now those companies are paying the price.”


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Children's pirate Halloween costumes from China seized for having lead levels ELEVEN times the legal limit
Tainted threads: Two shipments of girls' pirate costumes worth $10,000 were seized for having lead levels 11 times the legal limit
Federal agents seized nearly 1,400 Chinese-made children's pirate Halloween costumes worth $10,000 because they contained 11 times the legal amount of lead.
The toxic costumes seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents were part of two shipments bound for a Seattle area distributor.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the pink buttons and trim on the little girls’ outfits contained 1,109 parts per million of lead. The legal limit is 100 part per million.
The Halloween getups, called Pink Punk Pirate, included a black dress trimmed with faux leather lacing and pink ribbons, a buccaneer's hat and waist scarf.
If children wearing the costumes were to put the buttons or trim in their mouths, they would have been exposed to the toxic substance, officials said.
Two hundred and twenty nine boxes containing the 1,371 costumes were diverted to a warehouse for testing in September, and the illegal levels of lead were confirmed this week. All of the tainted products will be destroyed.
The shipment from China was targeted for inspection because of a past violation from the manufacturer, according to CBP spokesperson Mike Milne.
Toxic trim: Buttons and other embellishments on the pirate costumes contained 1,109 parts per million of lead, while the maximum legal limit is 100 part per million
Toxic: The pink and black getups packaged in 229 boxes were en route to a Seattle area distributor
Dangerous: The Halloween getups also featured a plastic earpiece, seen here inserted into a cylinder meant to simulate a child's airway, which was a choking hazard
Investigators also said a plastic earpiece on the costume was a choking hazard, Q13Fox reported.
Inspectors all over the country will now pull any shipments of the costumes from any port where they may have been sent.
CBP seized more than 9,000 shipments of lead-contaminated products in 2011 at a total value of more than $24million.
Officials inspecting products entering the U.S. have at their disposal handheld scanners that reveal the chemical makeup of the merchandise, allowing them to detect toxic substances like lead.
High-tech gadget: Inspectors use a scanner that reveals the chemical composition of products being shipped into the U.S.
Drastic: All 1,371 tainted pirate costumes from China will be destroyed to prevent kids' exposure to lead
Lead poisoning can cause vomiting, coma or convulsions. Exposure to even low levels of lead can result in learning disabilities and make it more difficult for kids to concentrate.
Health Today reported that in May, Centers of Disease Control and Prevention lowered the threshold level for lead poisoning in children from 10 micrograms per deciliter down to five.
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MUMBAI: Global venture capital (VC) investments dipped 5.4 per cent on a quarter-on-quarter (Q-o-Q) basis from $81.4 billion in the second quarter of calendar year 2023 (Q2CY23) to $77 billion in the third quarter of calendar year 2023 (Q3CY23) as VCs remain cautious before closing deals.
The number of deals fell from 9,563 in Q2 CY23 to 7,435 in Q3 CY23, according to data from KPMG’s Venture Pulse Q3 2023 report.
On a year-on-year (Y-o-Y) basis, global venture financing has dropped 26 per cent from $105.9 billion in Q3CY22.
“VC investors continued to act cautiously, taking much longer to make deals than in recent quarters, intensifying their due diligence, business models and the paths to profitability of startups looking for investment,” the report said.
VC investments in India too have fallen by around 42 per cent on a Q-o-Q basis from $3.3 billion in Q2CY23 to $1.9 billion in Q3CY23. On a Y-o-Y basis, venture financing in the country also fell from $3.3 billion in Q3CY22.
“VCs have been quiet with new investments and were looking at portfolio consolidation in the past few quarters. However, we are seeing green shoots of deal activity and expect a strong increase in the next three to four quarters. Path to profitability and positive cash flows will continue to be key key performance indicators (KPIs),” said Nitish Poddar, Partner and National Leader, Private Equity, KPMG in India.
The report added that VC investments were slow in the country in Q3CY23 as investors shied away from making large deals.
However, some of the large deals in the country include Juniper Green Energy, which raised $300 million, followed by online quick commerce platform Zepto, which secured $200 million.
Electric scooter companies Ola saw a $140 million funding whereas Ather Energy raised $108 million via a rights issue as opposed to equity. Captain Fresh, a fish and seafood supply chain platform, raised $71 million during the quarter, the report added.
Globally, Cleantech, including electric vehicles (EVs), accounted for more than half of the largest VC deals in Q3CY23, the report said.
The report expects both energy and cleantech to remain as key areas of investment as countries witness energy transition.
Among major investments in the cleantech space apart from India’s Juniper Green Energy includes Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers such as Neta Auto, Rox Motor, and Farizon, which saw significant investment activity.
Shanghai-based Rox Motor raised $1 billion in funding, followed by Neta Auto at $969.4 million, and Hangzhou-based Farizon, which raised $600 million as part of its Series A funding.
“Artificial intelligence (AI), energy, and cleantech are expected to remain very attractive to VC investors across most jurisdictions,” the report added.
Source: Business Standard


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Nvidia GeForce Now
Ever wish you could play high-end PC games on your svelte Macbook Air? Nvidia is making that a reality by providing powerhouse gaming PCs in the cloud. Announced at CES, GeForce Now is a cloud-based service that connects Macs and Windows PCs to gaming computers in the cloud and the company CEO says is only possible now that its engineers been able to overcome the traditional latency barriers. It will be available in March starting at $25 for 20 hours of on-demand gameplay.[alignreset]
Philips HealthSuite Cloud
Philips, a pioneer of IoT-connected lightbulbs, unveiled the Philips HealthSuite cloud at CES – which is their concept of a connected web of consumer health products and services. This includes devices that improve sleep, heart health, and dental health, and the uGrow app lets parents input data on their child’s feeding and sleeping patterns. This lets consumers combine their health data and use it in smarter and more meaningful ways.
Microsoft’s Connected Vehicle Platform
Microsoft wants to put the cloud in the driver’s seat with the announcement of the Microsoft Connected Vehicle Platform this week at CES. The system uses the Azure cloud to digest huge volumes of data from car sensors and will to help automakers like Renault-Nissan reach their goal of autonomous vehicles. It will also bring tools like virtual assistants and business applications into the car so you can attend meetings and write reports now that you’re not driving.[alignreset]
Elsewhere on the net…
Companies are quickly adopting cloud-based apps because of factors like pricing and flexibility – but cloud security startup Bitglass wants to add security to the mix. Bitglass adds monitoring and encryption to apps such as Google’s G Suite, Microsoft Office 365, and Box, and it just raised $45 million this week in a Series C investment round.
A California law making ransomware illegal came into effect on Jan. 1, 2017 with a maximum sentence of four years in prison.
Domain names can technically be up to 63 characters in length. The longest domain sold through Sedo in 2016 was comcomcomcomcomcomcomcomcomcomcomcomcomcomcomcomcomcomcomcom.com for a whopping $250 (just a little over $4 per letter).
Cloud operator and vendor revenues topped $148 billion over the four quarters ending in September 2016, according to a new report from Synergy Research Group. This is a 25% growth over the previous period.
In a short article, Quincy Allen, CMO of IBM Cloud, has outlined the cloud service trends for 2017. He recons that enterprises will demand from their suppliers things like public cloud with guaranteed data privacy and sovereignty, less vendor lock-in, built-in cognitive computing capabilities, and getting insights across more data sources and IoT devices. Let’s see if service providers will step up to these challenges in 2017 – the year’s still young!


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Forbes published the World’s billionaires 2017 list: Among the Ukrainians, Rinat Akhmetov, was in first place for the eighth year in a row with a fortune of $ 4.6 billion (No. 359 in the overall rating), and ranked among the world’s first thousand.
The rest of the Ukrainian billionaires were in the second thousand ratings.
So, in second place is the co-owner of "Privat" Bank Gennady Bogolyubov. His wealth was estimated at $ 1.4 billion. The third place with $ 1.2 billion was shared by two billionaires - the Head of the MHP Yuri Kosyuk and the owner of the "Finance and Credit" group Konstantin Zhevago. The fortune of the former co-owner of PrivatBank Igor Kolomoisky was estimated in Forbes at $ 1.1 billion; about the same amount belongs to the oligarch, the son-in-law of former Ukrainian President Viktor Kuchma, Viktor Pinchuk.
According to the results of the overall rating, the founder of Microsoft Bill Gates ranks first in the ranking of the world's wealthiest people for four years running. His fortune has grown to $ 86 billion over the year.
The second place in the list of the richest people in the world took the Head of the company Berkshire Hathaway Warren Buffett. His fortune increased over the year by $ 14.8 billion - up to $ 75.6 billion.
On the third line is Jeff Bezos, the founder of the online store Amazon.com with a fortune of $ 72.8 billion. Compared with the previous year, Bezos has grown rich by $ 27.6 billion, which is the largest increase in wealth among all the billionaires of the planet.


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NEW DELHI: The United States has put a spoke in India's attempts to export wheat even before the government can get its act together on the proposal to ship two million metric tonne of wheat.Washington has indicated that it will oppose the grain exports by India if they are sold below cost, as export subsidies are not permitted by the World Trade Organisation.
In a recent meeting of the agriculture committee of the WTO, the US asked India about the exports.
"The US asked us detailed questions on the minimum support price paid to procure food grain and the price at which it could be sold in the overseas market," a government official told ET.
The government has over 50 million tonne of wheat in the central pool as on June 1 against the buffer norm of 32 million tonne on July 1. Much of the grain is stored in the open, exposed to elements and is at high risk of loss.
It is keen to export some of the stock at $228 a tonne ( 12,500) against the overall cost of about $300 a tonne ( 16,500) to clear the way for the new crop as without the subsidy it will not find takers in the world market.
India may be able to defend the exports claiming that subsidies would be given only for a short period, but the US concern reflects a growing global glare on India's food export policy that the government needs to be weary of, a commerce department official told ET.
"India's flip-flop on cotton exports has already been criticised by a number of nations and discussed at length at the WTO. Now the focus is shifting to export subsidies. We need to be careful," the official said. Even in forums such as the G-20, there has been criticism of domestic policies that affect international prices of food grain.
"Although India need not fear action against it at the WTO for its proposed subsidised wheat exports as these would be withdrawn by the time a dispute is launched, we need to ensure that it does not get projected as a country that distorts world food prices," a Delhi-based trade expert told ET.
Interestingly, even the finance ministry in India is reportedly against the food ministry's proposal of selling wheat at $228 per tonne as it will add to the subsidy burden that the government is desperately trying to reduce.
However, since the export price was arrived at after a bidding process and the global prices of wheat are also ruling low, the food ministry is of the view that exports cannot happen if it is not heavily subsidised. The issue is likely to discussed at a meeting of the Union Cabinet scheduled on July 2.
The country could have got a much better price if it had exported some months earlier when global prices were higher, but the decision to export wheat is always a sensitive one because of food security issues and the government often takes long to decide.
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6 Comments on this Story
Sahil3071 days ago
Amit Sen, the reporter, of respective news has given misleading data in his report..actual figures are different from what has been shown.... Is Mr. Amit's report based on unreliable sources or an assignment completed for sake of completing the task...?
shiv3071 days ago
Is there any government organisation who govern that which crop should be produced in what quantity ... though its totally uncontrollable ... but can predict about that how much quantity is going to produce so how it would be managed ... where it would be consumed or be exported ... or everything in India is running randomly ... or " RAM BHAROSE"
sn3071 days ago
all these require real leaders. we have junks at the helm. indians who keep electing traitors and thug and junks, have to face the music. The very people who demand top class cricketers in indian cricket team do not see the need for top class leaders in indian parliament and govt. Shame on all of us.


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New operating system to deliver immersive experience for 80+ million Windows platform gamers worldwide
Microsoft Corporation has recently announced that an extended line-up of gaming titles, technologies and partner support will accompany its premier gaming platform, Windows Vista. The move will enhance the gaming capabilities for PC owners when Windows Vista is launched in the United States on January 30.
The announcement was made at the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the world's largest annual tradeshow for consumer technology. During the event, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates demonstrated the networking capabilities of Windows Vista-based games with an Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, highlighting the ability of gamers to play and communicate online across multiple gaming platforms.
Commenting on the launch, Armagan Demir, Head of Entertainment and Devices Division Middle East, Microsoft said, "The countdown has begun for a new era of gameplay, as Windows Vista will usher in a revolutionary user experience that allows more players to connect in more ways. With an increasing amount being spent on software development in the Middle East, gaming has really matured in the region during the past few years."
"When Windows Vista is introduced in the Middle East within the next few months, gamers will enjoy optimizations that will result in a vibrant and immerse gaming experience," Demir added.
Windows Vista-based 'Games For Windows' will be launched in conjunction with the new operating system and will leverage the enhanced capabilities of Microsoft DirectX 10 to bring gamers the benefits of a high graphics and sound fidelity and enriched gameplay features. Windows Vista will also cater to the casual game player, as updated versions of classic games can be downloaded or included with the system.
Microsoft Windows is the world's most popular operating system for games, delivering the widest range of titles, the most gaming hardware choices and advanced gaming technology for players of all types. The 'Games for Windows' platform offers gamers an innovative gaming experience as developments in technology have redefined conventional game features.
"With its cross-platform capabilities, Windows Vista will redefine what it means to conquer a game and share accomplishments with friends. The operating system's advanced graphics and technologically advanced features make it perfectly positioned to be the catalyst for major renovation within many sectors servicing the gaming industry," Demir concluded.
About Games for Windows
Microsoft Windows is the most popular operating system in the world for games, delivering the widest range of titles, the most gaming hardware choices, and advanced gaming technology for players of all types. With Windows as the cornerstone, the Games for Windows platform offers publishers and gamers the most enjoyable and innovative gaming experiences available on a PC. More information can be found online at www.gamesforwindows.com.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
This release is being released by Orient Planet on behalf of Microsoft's Entertainment & Devices Division.
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South Africa's first ever crowd-funded solar plant now ready to install!
We have made history! All users of The Sun Exchange have just made history by collectively financing a solar plant in South Africa. Although crowd-funding in Europe is very common, this is the first time such a solution has EVER been deployed in South Africa.
Not only that, but this was also the first time that digital currency has ever been used to finance a solar project…. In the entire world!
So that is two firsts in our inaugural project. And we are just getting going! We have a few more world firsts lined up….. watch this space!


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Amazon is rushing out a fix for a flaw in the security camera that monitors couriers delivering parcels into the homes of Key customers.
Amazon Key is the recently launched service that allows Amazon couriers to place goods inside Prime customers' homes. The service works alongside Amazon's new Cloud Cam security camera, a smart door lock and the Key app that remotely unlocks the door and displays a live video feed.
But, as Wired reports, Seattle-based security firm Rhino Security Labs has discovered a flaw in the procedure that would allow a devious courier to freeze the camera. That ability undermines the key component that gives customers peace of mind when letting a stranger into an unattended house.
The attack can be launched within Wi-Fi range, which is exactly where a hacker courier would be positioned. Using a computer, the attacker sends a volley of 'deauthorization' packets to the target Cloud Cam, which stops it from using an access point as it attempts to reauthenticate. It's a well-known technique for Wi-Fi jamming and is not specific to Cloud Cam.
Though the Amazon camera is offline, it continues to display the last frame the camera captured when it was connected, leaving the home owner unaware that the view in their app is not live.
Rhino's demo video shows a delivery man delivering a parcel as expected but then, after freezing the camera on a closed-door image, he re-enters the house. The camera doesn't capture the second entry, and the Key app doesn't log the second entry.
An Amazon spokeswoman told ZDNet sister site CNET that it currently notifies customers if Cloud Cam is offline for an "extended period".
An update coming later this week will provide users notifications if the camera goes offline during a delivery. The service will also not unlock the door if Wi-Fi is disabled and the camera is offline.
All Key couriers undergo a comprehensive background check that Amazon verifies before they can make in-home deliveries, the spokeswoman said. Additionally, Amazon links each delivery to a specific driver and checks that it is the right driver at the right address.
Rhino Security Labs' video show how an attack could take place.


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The 2018 Special Olympics USA games included a “Forza Motorsport 7” tournament, according to a press release from the Special Olympics.
The competition was held on Monday at the University of Washington, and had eight teams of two compete against each other. Each team included a partner with an intellectual disability and a partner without an intellectual disability.
Microsoft has sponsored the Special Olympics since the 2014 games, and is a proud premier sponsor for the 2018 games. Microsoft’s Phil Spencer, head of gaming, expressed the company’s excitement about the first gaming tournament of the Special Olympics.
“At Microsoft, we believe that gaming is for everyone so we’re proud to pilot the first gaming tournament at the Special Olympics USA Games this summer,” said Spencer in a press release. “Competitive video gaming is enjoyed by players around the world, and our goal with this pilot tournament is to challenge biases and breakdown barriers while providing an empowering and fun experience for all players.”
Sponsoring the Special Olympics is just one part of how Microsoft is showing the belief that gaming should be for everyone. The company is also releasing an adaptive Xbox controller later this year, intended to help players with limited mobility enjoy games. Microsoft will also participate in a job fair for Special Olympic participants and their families, as a part of the company’s efforts to practice inclusive hiring for people with disabilities.
Beth Knox, president and CEO of the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games, commented on the benefits of gaming for people with disabilities.
“Many of our athletes are avid gamers and research indicates playing video games can potentially boost cognitive and motor skills of people with intellectual disabilities,” said Knox. “We are thrilled to partner with Xbox to bring the first-ever video gaming tournament to the USA Games.”


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DisplayLink, the leading provider of USB Graphics technology, today launched its latest software driver extending USB Graphics support for Mac OSX platforms. Following strong feedback from DisplayLink MAC OSX demonstrations at CES 2013, the company today announced availability of the latest V2.0 DisplayLink Mac driver supporting up to 4 simultaneous displays over monitors and docking stations enabled by the company's award winning chips and software technology.
"We're excited to be launching the new Mac V2.0 driver," said John Cummins, Vice President Sales and Marketing, "We've experienced a growing demand from the Mac community and witnessed an increase in Mac users both in consumer and enterprise markets globally, and invested heavily to bring our Mac support forwards."
The new Mac driver is available as a software upgrade and completely backward compatible with DisplayLink's previous silicon solutions, allowing existing users to reap the productivity and connectivity benefits of USB Graphics over both USB2.0 and USB 3.0 connections.
The new DisplayLink Version 2.0 driver for Mac OSX is available for download immediately via the DisplayLink website.
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Uh oh! Kylie has only been driving for 18 days but she has already hit a bump in the road. Quite literally! The reality star was taking her new car for a spin when she had a nasty crash. Check out the pictures here.
Kylie Jenner just turned 16 on Aug. 10, and after less than three weeks of being road worthy, she caused a massive crash in Calabasas, LA. The Keeping Up with The Kardashians star caused a three car chain collision on Aug. 28, and the pictures are not pretty!
Kylie Jenner’s Car Crash
Kylie, 16, is thankfully totally fine after the crash, but her car has certainly looked in better shape.
Kylie was driving her brand new $125 thousand Mercedes SUV in Calabasas on Aug. 28, when she slammed into the back of a Toyota, which slammed into the back of a Volkswagen SUV, reports TMZ.
The Toyota suffered major damage to the back-end of the car, as it’s bumper came totally off and got stuck in the front of Kylie’s car. The Volkswagen also suffered bumper damage.
Kylie got out of her car and apologized to everyone and checked that they were OK, an eyewitness said to TMZ. After exchanging details with the other drivers, she left before the cops arrived. No one was injured and everyone was polite.
While it is shocking that Kylie got into such a bad crash so soon after getting her license, she shows how responsible she is by apologizing and taking action.
What do YOU think HollywoodLifers? Are you shocked that Kylie was in a crash?
What do YOU think HollywoodLifers? Should Kylie be removed from the streets?
WATCH: Drake Performs At Kylie Jenner’s Sweet 16
— Eleanore Hutch
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- Kylie Jenner’s Dramatic Black Nails — Get Her Look


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Sobey School News
Sobey alumni featured in Halifax Magazine
Date Published: June 9, 2021
Sobey alumni Omar Hassan (BComm'16) and Ossama Nasrallah (BComm'18; CertHRM'18) are featured in "Back to the Waterfront," a Halifax Magazine feature about popular businesses returning to Halifax as pandemic restrictions ease.
Omar and Ossama are the co-owners of Halifax Watercraft Tours & Adventures, a four-year-old business that is launching Sea Halifax, a jet ski tour of the harbour.


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The Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) Award Competition 2022 (www.AfricaBusinessHeroes.org), a philanthropic initiative sponsored by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Philanthropy now in its fourth edition, has announced this year’s top 10 finalists after of an intense round of commercial launch semi-finals and evaluation held on September 30 at the Kigali Convention Center.
The top 10 finalists include (in alphabetical order, by country): Mr Flavien Kouatcha Simo, Managing Partner of Save Our Agriculture Sarl (Cameroon) (https://www.SaveOurAgriculture.com) Ms Amena Elsaie, Co-Founder of Helm Consulting (Egypt) (https://www.HelmConsult.com) Ms. Nadia Gamal El Din, Founder and CEO of Rahet Bally (Egypt) (https://RahetBally.com) Mr. Amadou Daffe, CEO and Co-Founder of Gebeya Inc. (Ethiopia) (https://Gebeya.com) Mr. Prince Agbata, Co-Founder and CEO of Coliba Waste Management Services Limited (Ghana) (https://bit.ly/3Rzjrxs) Mr. Tesh Mbaabu, Co-Founder and CEO of Marketforce Technologies (Kenya) (https://Marketforce360.com) Ms Francine Munyaneza, Founder of Munyax Eco (Rwanda) (https://www.MunyaxEco.com) Ms Shona Mcdonald, Founder and CEO of Shonaquip Social Enterprise (South Africa) (https://ShonaquipSE.org.za) Ms. Elmarie Pereira, Chief Operating Officer, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer terina from Memeza Shout (PTY) Ltd (South Africa) (https://Memeza.
co.za) Mr. Elia Timotheo, Founder and CEO of East Africa Fruits Co. (Tanzania) (https://www.EAFruits.com) The result was announced at a gala dinner on October 1 before an audience of about 100 attendees.
from across the African continent, made up of current and past ABH participants, judges, investors and other key stakeholders in the African business landscape.
These top 10 finalists will take the stage at the grand finale of the competition in November 2022 for their final entry to win a share of a $1.5 million prize pool.
The first prize winner will go home with a $300,000 grant to help grow their business.
The 10 entrepreneurs were selected through multiple stages of interviews and evaluations from more than 21,000 applications in 54 African nations.
They hail from eight African countries, including Cameron, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa and Tanzania.
Its startups come from a wide variety of industries, including agriculture, consulting, energy, environmental protection, healthcare, information and communication technology (ICT), and retail.
These outstanding entrepreneurs share a common trait of having a deep commitment to creating positive impact in their communities, such as empowering disadvantaged groups, increasing access to digital trade for businesses in Africa, and leveraging technology to improve agricultural efficiency.
of small farmers.
“ABH remains steadfast in its efforts to identify, support and spotlight African entrepreneurs who are driving positive growth for their communities.
Now in the fourth year of the ABH competition, we are impressed with the growing diversity of our entrants and the impact they are having, especially in supporting the post-pandemic economic recovery.
These top 10 finalists are sources of inspiration for other entrepreneurs in Africa,” says Jason Pau, Executive Director of International Programs at the Jack Ma Foundation.
“We wish everyone the best of luck for the final launch in November.” “Entrepreneurship is a great engine for social and economic development in Africa.
The ABH Award Competition provides a platform for outstanding startups to showcase specific solutions that address problems in an impactful, competitive, sustainable and value-added way.
This year’s heroes, like in other years, continued to demonstrate the resilience, passion, imagination and traction we need in our entrepreneurs here in Africa,” says Birame Sock, Founder and CEO of Kwely Inc, one of the judges.
in the semifinal round.
Along with unveiling the top 10 finalists in this year’s competition, ABH also announced the launch of a local team in Kigali to better serve and engage its growing community of African entrepreneurs of over 100,000 members.
“As ABH enters its fourth year, we are humbled by the incredible support from African entrepreneurs and key stakeholders who have made it possible for our ABH community to reach its current scale,” says Zahra Baitie-Boateng, Director of Partnerships and Africa’s Business Heroes Award Contest programs.
“Now, with our base in Kigali, a city brimming with vitality and innovation, we are closer than ever to the African entrepreneurs we serve and better positioned to help create a cohesive local community of start-ups by leveraging our global network and our experience.
We are particularly excited to be located in Norrsken House, which is home to a vibrant ecosystem of incubators, accelerators and start-ups.
We believe that being part of Norrsken will help strengthen our efforts to collaborate with key stakeholders in the African business ecosystem.”
The ABH Prize Competition aims to identify, support and empower business talent from across Africa.
The official slogan of The “It’s African Time” competition is a bold call to action for all African entrepreneurs who are challenging the stereotypes associated with “African Time”: creating local impact and building a better, more inclusive future through their businesses.
For more information on the 2022 ABH Prize Contest Top 10 Finalists, visit the official ABH website (www.AfricaBusinessHeroes.org) Follow ABH on Twitter (https://bit.ly/3CqDNUf), LinkedIn ( https://bit.ly/3yfWkB7), Instagram (https://bit.ly/3fuWNsE) or Facebook (https://bit.ly/3fzFKFT) to join these dynamic and inspiring entrepreneurs as they prepare for the next round of evaluation and the grand finale.


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iOS 11 is now running on 59 percent of iPhones and iPads according to Apple, which has updated its developer support page with the new data.
Apple also said that, as of 4 December, another 33 percent of devices were running on iOS 10, and eight percent were running earlier versions of the operating system.
The latest version of iOS became available in late September, and in November Apple said it was running on just over half (52%) of devices, while 38 percent were still on iOS 10 (which arrived in September last year) and 10 percent on earlier versions.
Now that the iPhone is ten years old there has been a certain amount of fragmentation — iPhones older than the iPhone 5s can’t run the latest operating system, for example. This is probably a…


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The consequences of Charlotte’s Internet Bill Becoming Law in Florida
There was clearly excitement since the Charlotte’s online bill passed through the Florida senate in April. This excitement ended up being followed with celebrations whenever Governor Rick Scott finalized it into legislation on Monday the sixteenth of June, 2014.
In a statement, the governor said, “As a daddy and grandfather, you won’t ever wish to see young ones suffer. The approval of Charlotte’s online will make sure that kiddies in Florida whom suffer from seizures along with other ailments could have the medication had a need to boost their quality of life.”
The legislation makes cannabis available to patients. Moreover it protects them from being contained in the set of medication abusers.
The balance had been called after Charlotte Figi, a girl that is young Colorado whom suffered from epilepsy. After utilizing cannabis oil, her seizures reduced from about 300 per to only a few in a month week.
Not everybody is delighted in regards to the signing with this bill into legislation
Hopes are high, particularly from families whom pressed for the passage through of the Charlotte’s Online bill, Florida variation. However, after study of just what what the law states does and will not do, most are asking whether it’s enough for the present needs.
First, there are a few variations between exactly just what the legislation proposes and also the kind of treatment that is fond shop cbd oilrank of young Charlotte. What the law states offers a cannabis oil which has 0.8 per cent THC and ten percent CBD. The initial Charlotte internet contains 0.5 percent THC and 20 % CBD. This stability of CBD vs THC has left concerns as to whether or not the outcomes expected would be accomplished.
In addition, the brand new legislation makes accessibility difficult. Not everyone with a condition this is certainly curable with cannabis will probably benefit. Just those struggling with pre-selected conditions such as for instance epilepsy and cancer tumors are eligible.
What the law states additionally sets a lengthy procedure of having a prescription from a doctor.This will probably secure away many cases that are deserving.
The Charlotte’s Web bill in Florida is tough on manufacturers and companies
It isn’t just those that require the medication that will find hurdles when you look at the legislation. Those that want to provide it need certainly to meet guidelines that are tight. For Instance, you must have been in the continuing business for a time period of significantly more than 30 years. As a whole, only five nurseries are likely to operate.
You can find people who genuinely believe that this legislation had been passed away to cut back desire for a referendum in which will allow wider use use of cannabis november.
Nevertheless, the Charlotte’s online bill is just a positive step towards providing care to about 200,000 people in the continuing state who are suffering from epilepsy and other diseases.


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Today Lenovo vice CEO, Chang Cheng posted at Weibo for warming-up Lenovo Z5 smartphone, in 2018 it is the watershed of smartphones, screen has become the key of the design to replace system. He hopes on June 5, all can support Lenovo Z5 smartphone press conference. When he makes interaction with users, he confirms Lenovo Z5 will have no 3.5mm earphone jack.
According to previous report, Lenovo Z5 will be powered by Snapdragon 845 Octa core processor, up to 95% full view display screen to ratio, supporting super camera, AI dual rear camera, portrait mode, etc, and this phone supports up to 45 days standby, so it will have larger battery capacity, in addition, Lenovo Z5 will support half hour phone call even in only 0% power.
The other features of Lenovo Z5 is that it will have at least 4TB storage, in the poster, he claims that it will use particle technology, not cloud function. As for its price, how much do you expect?
Do not forget to follow us on our Facebook group and page to keep you always aware of the latest advances, News, Updates, review, and giveaway on smartphones, tablets, gadgets and more from the technology world of the future.


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Farmers in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool and Nandyal districts are facing a crisis as the price of tomatoes has crashed to just Rs 3 per kilogram in the wholesale market. Just a few days ago, tomatoes were being sold for Rs 150 to Rs 200 per kilogram. Faced with such a drastic drop in prices, farmers have resorted to dumping their tomato produce on roads and open areas.
Heavy rains have led to increased tomato production, resulting in the oversupply and subsequent price crash. This situation stands in stark contrast to July and August when some farmers in the region became millionaires due to record-high tomato prices, with one farmer earning Rs 4 crore in just 45 days.


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Netflix has been clear that it wants to be like HBO, the company is working hard to make that happen. Netflix announced in its most recent earnings report that it has more subscription revenue than HBO, indicating it is well on its way to being more like HBO. That isn't to say that Netflix has profits on the same order as HBO though.
Netflix currently has about one-seventh as much profit as HBO rakes in. As far as subscription revenue goes, Netflix racked up $1.146 billion compared to HBO pulling in $1.141 billion. "They still kick our ass in profits and Emmys, but we are making progress," CEO Reed Hastings wrote. "HBO rocks, and we are honored to be in the same league."
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Local atelier to sell suits internationally
September 21, 2014
(Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, VA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sept. 21--Recent University of Mary Washington alums Abbas Haider and Rob Davis are turning their Fredericksburg-based atelier Aspetto Custom Clothiers into an international name in clothing.
Haider and Davis have had a busy time since graduating from UMW two years ago. They opened their first storefront in 2013, then opened a headquarters off U.S. 17 and a shop in Old Town Alexandria.
And, just this month, they've signed a contract with high-end international shopping website Gilt and will soon be selling off-the-rack merchandise around the world.
Online sales will help them get into such sought-after markets as Tokyo and Europe.
Haider, 24, was a serial entrepreneur throughout high school and college. He started his first company, an import/export firm called Ships N Ports, during his senior year of high school in Fairfax. It focused on cotton products from India and Pakistan.
He began working at Men's Wearhouse at age 16 to support his business. The job gave Haider insight into the business of men's formal attire.
Early in his UMW education he started importing suits from China in large fashion markets, but wasn't taken seriously because of his age.
He changed the focus of Aspetto, an Italian word meaning "appearance" or "looks," during his last year of college. He decided to offer customizable suits rather than pre-made ones.
Haider and Davis teamed up in an international marketing class during their senior year. It was there that they hatched the idea for Aspetto's subsidiary, American Armor Attire, which offers ballistic-wear, and fleshed out the potential of Aspetto.
There's not a typical day at Aspetto. Davis has been working on expanding their reach to the Middle East. Last week he was in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates doing fittings.
And Haider might be in their Alexandria location in the morning, before hopping a train to New York for meetings and returning that same evening for an Aspetto function.
"Aspetto is going to be a household name for quality," Haider said.
He and Davis attribute their success to being open-minded and willing to work harder than others in an industry that has remained stagnant for years.
Part of that strategy has been to diversify their company.
Beside high-end menswear, Aspetto offers its own line of ballistic wear. Aspetto bills it as America's first bullet-resistant clothing line.
That branch of the company creates tactical gear for law enforcement personnel, the military and people seeking bullet-resistant clothing.
"There's not really anyone like us in America," Davis said.
The novelty of that branch of Aspetto has garnered media attention from New York Daily News and Yahoo, to name a few.
Despite their expansions, Haider and Davis are keeping Fredericksburg as their home base. There are no other custom clothiers between Richmond and Washington, and there is a local demand for what they provide.
Lindley Estes: 540/735-1976 firstname.lastname@example.org ___ (c)2014 The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, Va.) Visit The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, Va.) at www.fredericksburg.com/flshome Distributed by MCT Information Services


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Axel-In-Charge: Waid & Samnee on "Black Widow" and the Dawn of the All-New, All-Different Era
Showing results 420-439 of 2135
"DC's Legends of Tomorrow" stars Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell will reprise their "Prison Break" roles in a 10-episode Fox miniseries.
The anime film, which marks the return of iconic villain Frieza, premiered Tuesday in 894 U.S. theaters as part of its limited North American release.
Inspired by the Elseworlds story "Gotham by Gaslight," filmmakers put Batman on the trail of a killer in Victorian London in "Ripper."
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and TT Games have unveiled the "Ghostbusters" expansion packs for their toy-to-life game.
A previously unseen 1997 story reel has surfaced from "Shrek," with the late comedian in the title role.
A new trailer for "LEGO Dimensions" introduces the 14 Adventure Worlds of the toy-to-life video game.
The publisher aims to bring a new edition of the acclaimed manga "Barefoot Gen" to libraries, schools and individual readers.
Rumors swirl following Disney's purchase of nearly 15 acres across the street from its Anaheim, California, resort.
The latest entry in Play Arts Variant Kai's Batman Timeless series certainly is appropriately elaborate.
Paving the way for "The Force Awakens," the entire "Star Wars" Saga will be released in November as commemorative Blu-ray steelbooks.
Citing a slumping Canadian dollar, the comics retailer will shutter its Ottawa store after more than 25 years in business. The Toronto location will remain open.
The Force may be with the new "Star Wars" film, but the midi-chlorians won't as J.J. Abrams says the dreaded M-word is never spoken on screen.
Hot Toys has officially revealed its Quicksilver 1/6th-scale collectible figure, which will complete the company's "Avengers: Age of Ultron" team.
Koei Tecmo prepares to make humanity's last stand with the official announcement of an "Attack on Titan" video game for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and PS Vita.
Keoi Tecmo has announced it will release a video game for an unspecified PlayStation platform based on Hajime Isayama's bestselling manga.
Thanks largely to his hefty payday from "Avengers: Age of Ultron," Robert Downey Jr. makes his third appearance atop Forbes' list of highest-paid actors.
Viz Media has announced details of the two signing sessions for the creator of "Naruto" during New York Comic Con and New York Super Week.
A new teaser for Ridley Scott’s sci-fi drama finds the "Ares 3" crew talking with a psychiatrist after spending 10 days in isolation training.
A tire shop is changing its logo to avoid a costly legal battle with DC Comics, which insists its superhero mascot too closely resembles the Man of Steel.
Forget Drake vs. Meek Mill, the greatest rap beef of our time is clearly between Stan Lee and Jim Henson.


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Smart posters and mobile marketing programmes have used more than half the NFC tags shipped to date and will account for 70% of shipments in 2016, according to a new report from ABI Research. In total, the NFC tag market will be worth US$298 million over the next five years, the forecasters predict.
- Apple marks Earth Day with Apple Pay donations
- WeChat Pay and offline mobile payments see “incredibly high” uptake in China
- Visa EMV transactions pass 1bn in the US
- Singapore banks add in-store QR code payments to mobile apps
- US Bank ties credit card points to mobile payments


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The chain of round-the-clock fitness clubs has signed a master franchise contract that could open as many as 200 locations there.
YogaFit Studio's third Twin Cities location is now open in Northeast Minneapolis.
A 24/7 yoga concept launched by the parent company of Snap Fitness is starting to grow in the Twin Cities and beyond.
Featured matchups pit Target against Toro, 3M's Post-it Note against the Minnesota State Fair, Buffalo Wild Wings against Medtronic and Caribou Coffee against Lunds/Byerly's.
We’ve taken 64 of Minnesota’s most famous and iconic brands and matched them up NCAA tourney-style to determine the best. Voting runs Oct. 1 through Oct. 30 at MSPBJ.com.
The Minneapolis-based financial planning company once catered mostly to Lutherans, but it's looking to broaden its appeal. Cue the big engines.
Three Minnesota companies rank high on the list of fastest-growing athletic clubs in the world.
Steele Fitness is working out a deal to open a club in the lower level of the downtown Minneapolis office tower.
Snap Fitness is racing into a NASCAR sponsorship, announcing a deal Thursday with Hillman Racing to put its logo on the sport's No. 40 car
Snap Fitness Inc. parent company Lift Brands will announce Tuesday that it is partnering with yoga instructor training school YogaFit Inc. to launch a new line of fitness studios.
Steele Smiley works for Snap Fitness, the buyer of his Steele Fitness brand. But after hours, Smiley is looking for deals.


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WHAT: Santa trades in his reindeer sleigh for a brand new Mercedes-Benz, as Southland Mall celebrates the arrival of Santa for this Holiday season. Shoppers are invited to watch Santa arrive at the mall’s Main Entrance in a Mercedes-Benz, as he greets shoppers and families. Immediately after his arrival, he will be walking around the mall and mingling with shoppers, concluding at the Center Court where he will begin his ‘Photos with Santa and his Magical Sleigh’ display through December 24.
WHO: Southland Mall kicks off the holiday season with the arrival of Santa, along with his Photos with Santa and his Magical Sleigh’. Santa’s new automobile ride this year is courtesy of Mercedes-Benz of Cutler Bay.
WHEN: Friday, November 22nd at 11:30 a.m.
WHERE: Santa’s arrival will take place at the mall’s Main Entrance of Southland Mall, by DSW. The ‘Photos with Santa and his Magical Sleigh’ display area is located at the mall’s Center Court at 20505 S Dixie Hwy., Miami, FL 33189.


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Walmart will roll out 360 robotic cleaners across the US that will clean its stores and collect data in the process.
The robots are powered by Brain Corp, a San Diego-based technology company that has partnered with Walmart.
The floor scrubbers use sensors that can perceive the surrounding environment. The robot maps out different routes it can follow inside the store and scans its surroundings for people and obstacles, meaning it can operate in crowded stores.
Its sensors allow the robots to collect useful analytical data, which could provide Walmart with information about peak shopping hours or “which shelves are empty”, a spokesman told NBC News.
Walmart vice president of central operations John Crecelius said: “We’re excited to work with Brain Corp in supporting our retail operations and providing our associates with a safe and reliable technology.
“BrainOS is a powerful tool in helping our associates complete repetitive tasks so they can focus on other tasks within their roles and spend more time serving customers.”


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When did the world wake up and take notice of the automotive industry?
5 years ago General Motors (GM) filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy and no one seemed to care, today it’s a completely different story. GM recently announced one of their best quarters ever and has about $25 billion in the bank, yes that’s a “B” for billion. Now everyone is talking about the automotive industry, so much so that the press is speculating that Apple is working on an electric vehicle. The current automotive trends people are talking about are highlighted below and some of the companies involved:
– Self-driving cars (Google X)
– Electric cars (Tesla)
– Ride-sharing (Uber)
– 3D printed cars (Local Motors)
I assume the sudden interest in the car is because it’s such a large industry and when you talk about disruption this is one market that needs it. However, let’s rewind a bit.
The automotive age really kicked off with the introduction of the Ford Model T in 1908 as an affordable car for the middle class. It had 4 wheels and an internal combustion engine. You know what the car still 4 wheels and an internal combustion and that’s the problem. Yes, cars from 1908 look very different from the 2014 models but at the heart of the car is still the fossil fuel gulping internal combustion engine.
The automotive industry’s innovation for the past 10 years has been selling vehicles with more and more horsepower. I can’t for the life of me understand why you need a 400+ horsepower SUV to lug people around. I love cars, but when I speak to most normal humans they view their cars as a way to get from point a to point b. The industry really should have spent their R&D budget on engineering cars that would go further on a tank of gas/petrol instead of focusing on how fast it could drain that tank.
Self-driving cars and ride-sharing services like Uber show that people don’t want to drive. If people could afford a driver/chauffeur they would but most can’t and hence these other options are flourishing.
The aura of the electric car has been elevated 100x with Tesla in the game. Previously, electrics cars were ugly looking and something only a tree hugger could love. But, Tesla changed the game and is quickly moving towards its eventual goal of having an electric 4 door car costing around $40,000. In addition, there are many people working on the ultimate technology that would detach the car from the fossil fuel grid…solar power. Fisker Automotive which recently was bought out of bankruptcy by a Chinese company had a solar panel roof on their cars to power the accessories in the car. As solar cell technology gets more efficient it truly will allow the car to cut the cord to the fossil fuel grid.
For me the most innovative area is 3D printing, imagine you get into an accident and you take your car to the bodyshop to get it fixed. Instead of ordering the fender and having it delivered the next day, they print the rear-quarter panel overnight. Back in the day when GM launched Saturn one of the selling points of the car were the dent resistant body panels. The plastic pellets used to create the body panels were sold by GE Plastics (now called SABIC). In a country like India, all body panels should be made out of these plastic pellets since people get their doors dented and dinged almost on a daily basis. 3D printing of body panels is one thing but Local Motors recently unveiled their fully 3D printed vehicle. The implications of the open source project are far and wide, people can take the Local Motors designs and improve upon it. Who would have guessed that open source would hit the automotive industry.
It’s exciting times ahead for the automotive industry, the question is whether the big automotive companies can quickly capture these trends or continue the status quo. It’s the typical innovator’s dilemma, get with the times or get left behind.


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Volkswagen Enjoys Rise In Profits Despite Cost Cuts
Amidst the recent reveal that a number of automaker companies have suffered a decline in sales, Volkswagen, on the other hand, is experiencing a burst in their profits. The news was revealed after the German automaker had to make cost cuts.
Volkswagen Bounces Back From Emission Scandal
The surge in the German automaker’s profit was a positive surprise especially after going through a well-known cost-cutting phase. In September 2015, they went through a difficult stage when they were hit with a diesel emission scandal. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued them a notice revealing that they violated the Clean Air Act
It was found out that Volkswagen deliberately reprogrammed their diesel engines during the laboratory testing to meet the country’s standards while doing the regulatory tests. This scandal took a toll on the company, ordering them to pay a criminal fine of $2.8 billion for cheating on the government-issued emission tests. The US Trade Commission also sued Volkswagen in March 2016 for false advertising after promoting their diesel-powered vehicles to be environment-friendly.
Consumers Still Have Faith In Volkswagen
When the emission scandal took place, a number of people revealed that they still had great faith in Volkswagen despite the huge shortcomings. This was clearly shown in the recent figures where the German automaker has seen a 40% increase in the profits in the first quarter of 2017. Volkswagen was also forced to make structural changes after the said scandal, resulting in cutting costs and focusing on their profitable products and markets.
Chief executive Matthias Mueller revealed that most of their profit came from “solid earnings in Western Europe” and the favorable exchange rates added to their benefit. He said that the efficiency and productivity measures they have made had finally paid off. He added that the rise in their profits has strengthened their resolve as an automaker.
2018 Volkswagen Arteon Proves To Be A Powerful Beauty
With a new and bold design, the 2018 Volkswagen Arteon comes as the new flagship for the automaker. It has a design that veers it away from the more laid back style of the company.
Volkswagen, Fiat Chrysler May Reach an Agreement on Mergers Soon
Indications emerged last week at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show that Volkswagen and Fiat Chrysler may consider a merger soon. This became evident as Volkswagen CEO, Matthias Mueller, stated that he looks forward to having merger talks with Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne whenever the latter is ready. Both Volkswagen and Fiat Chrysler are auto rivals, but developments in the industry are forcing great auto companies to partner for consolidation purposes.
2018 Volkswagen Atlas Offers The Most Premium SUV Features On The Market
The 2018 Volkswagen Atlas is available in multiple variants and with different features.
Volkswagen Recalls Almost 300,000 Cars Due To Potentially Hazardous Faulty Fuel Pump
Volkswagen is recalling around 300,000 cars due to faulty fuel pumps that can be hazardous.
Apple Spotted Testing Autonomous Car Tech In A Lexus RX
Apple's self-driving car tech has been spotted in a Lexus vehicle outfitted with sensors driving around Silicon Valley.
Algeria Set To Produce Local Car Models to Cut Import Expenditure
Due to the fact that Algeria is spending more on importing cars than it’s realizing from crude oil, the North African country is set to cut expenditures by producing local car models. Rather than continue to import popular car models, the country is set to start producing them locally to boost national needs. This becomes more crucial since the country is facing dwindling oil revenues which could not be wasted on importing cars in the face of the country’s economic needs.
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A new magazine and richer online content are two big outcomes of the Pearl District Business Association’s new partnership with SagaCity Media, Inc. – a partnership that will benefit your business through improved marketing that better reflects the neighborhood’s urban spirit.
“As the publishers of the largest lifestyle publication in Oregon, with expertise in print and digital media, we are focused on expanding the reach of the Pearl,” said SagaCity Associate Publisher Carrie Hinton. “We can’t wait to share the Pearl District’s dynamic stories with a new group of readers and consumers.”
New Magazine Coming This Fall!
A key component of the expanded reach includes a refreshed neighborhood print publication and an e-newsletter with new content offerings. the PEARL, set to debut early this fall, will replace Explore the Pearl magazine.
“Our partnership with SagaCity is a huge win for the neighborhood and for our 200 member businesses,” said Carolyn Ciolkosz, PDBA Executive Director. “SagaCity and the shift toward online is a huge step forward for us to better connect with people who love the Pearl as much as we do.”
More news will be coming soon as well as information on advertising and other marketing opportunities with the the PEARL.
About SagaCity Media
SagaCity Media Inc. is the parent company of Portland Monthly, Seattle Met, Portland Bride & Groom, Seattle Met Bride & Groom, and dozens of other custom and editorial publications. Seattle Met and Portland Monthly are both among the top 10 biggest-selling city magazines in the nation, and are the number one-selling magazines in their respective markets, over all national and regional titles. For information about SagaCity Media, visit their website.


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One of IBM's primary motives for cutting a large enterprise deal with Apple may revolve around building a mobile and cloud developer ecosystem for cognitive computing and Watson.
Last week, IBM and Apple announced a broad enterprise pact where Big Blue would develop industry specific apps built on iOS. In addition, there were service, support and mobile device management parts of the deal. Apple gets some enterprise throughput with IBM that it couldn't achieve on its own. IBM gets a key partner in Apple and some help for its mobile efforts.
But the real win for IBM may be getting access to Apple's large developer base. Part of the IBM-Apple partnership revolves around putting "big data analytics at iOS users’ fingertips," said Apple CEO Tim Cook.
IBM's big analytics bet is its $1 billion investment to create a Watson business unit. This division would spearhead a charge into cognitive computing, or systems that learn and adapt. Healthcare is one obvious vertical for Watson, but IBM has many more industries targeted.
The problem: It's hard to build a developer base. IBM is investing in startups who are building apps for Watson, but wooing developers is tricky---especially when much mobile development time is spent on iOS and Android with Windows Phone playing a No. 3 role. Could IBM really woo mobile and cloud developers and get them to work on the Watson platform quickly?
IBM, Apple forge enterprise app pact: Watson, meet iPad
In IBM and Apple's wake, what will team Android do?
IBM courts mobile developers for Watson platform
IBM's Watson unit invests in Fluid, eyes personal shopping applications
Enter Apple. Developers for iOS make more money than Android and get better running apps overall. As a result, iOS gets the apps first with Android versions coming later. Enterprise giants go iOS first as do consumer developers.
IBM needs those developers if it's going to really make Watson a commercial powerhouse. Through its Apple partnership, IBM will certainly get a look from developers. It's unclear what IBM analytics tools will be built into iOS, but it's possible that developers may give Big Blue the Watson ecosystem lift it wants.
ZDNet's Monday Morning Opener is our opening salvo for the week in tech. As a global site, this editorial publishes on Monday at 8am AEST in Sydney, Australia, which is 6pm Eastern Time on Sunday in the US. It is written by a member of ZDNet's global editorial board, which is comprised of our lead editors across Asia, Australia, Europe, and the US.
Previously on Monday Morning Opener