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Skip to comments.Judge makes critical ruling in Washington Bikini Barista case
Posted on 12/06/2017 6:27:57 PM PST by markomalley
Despite its status as a blue state, a special set of entrepreneurs have figured out how to market one of Washintons iconic products: Coffee.
Perhaps inspired by the Hooters model for chicken wings, scantily clad women serve up delicious caffeinated drinks and a smile. The successful business model, however, was drawing concerns that criminal elements were attracted to bikini baristas.
In August of this year, one Washington city passed new restrictions on how much skin employees at local bikini barista stands can bare.
The ordinance requires that owners of so-called quick service food and beverage businesses ensure employees cover minimum body areas while on duty. That includes the breasts, torso and the top three inches of legs below the buttocks, the ordinance states.
Under the ordinance, the city clerks office will provide picture diagrams to help illustrate the new requirements.
The move comes amid what city officials have called a proliferation of crimes occurring at local bikini barista stands. Previously, Everett officials used the citys lewd-conduct ordinance to regulate conduct at the stands. But the ordinance provided little deterrent to bad behavior, the ordinance states.
A group of plucky baristas then sued the city, alleging violations of their rights to free expression and privacy.
The suit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, claims the citys new dress code not only violates workers rights to free speech, but discriminates against women since it essentially deprives them of work exclusively for females.
Appropriately enough, Amelia Powell chose the naughty cop costume when she dressed for work Monday at Everetts Hillbilly Hotties bikini barista stand.
Its called criminally sexy,' she laughed.
This week, a federal judge ruled in favor of the bikini baristas and is allowing them to continue to operate as the lawsuit continues through court.
Multiple news outlets report U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman on Monday extended an injunction that prevents the city from enforcing the two laws.
The injunction means the coffee stands can continue to operate while the lawsuit filed by seven baristas and the owner of a chain of coffee stands called Hillbilly Hotties makes its way through court.
Pechman wrote that the ordinances one that attempted to impose a dress code and another that redefined lewd conduct in the city are likely void for vagueness under the Fourteenth Amendment.
Pechman also found the dress code ordinance likely violated First Amendment protections of freedom of expression.
Truly, this is a hot legal development.
And dont forget that coffee is good for your health
the science is settled.
I like the one in Yakima called “Brewlesque”
NOT Guilty but I will say the line is fine when food and beverage is involved. To get a coffee from a scantily one may not be for everyone but ....
You have to pay extra for that.
Hope Anita Hill does not get served there. She has a sharp eye for that stuff.
Wow! A little bit of that will keep you UP all night.
"...you have to pay extra for that!..."
I’m old enough to remember a topless donut shop on 17th street in Ft Lauderdale. Place was busy, did not hear any complaints
I get my coffee from a middle-aged woman in a bath robe and curlers. And I had better smile and say thank you!
I’ve been to a topless donut shop but the guys weren’t very cute
But if you’ve ever been to Lauderdale, it would still beat the old ladies at Lester’s
haven’t had the pleasure. I always wanted to open a breakfast place and get wisecracking waitresses in bathrobes and curlers and with a butt sticking out of their mouths to talk to the customers they way and angry housewife might to a husband. No dessert till you eat your meat. You’re too fat for potatoes.
That’s Lester’s with a New York accent
But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. (Matthew 5:28)
Liberals want to imagine that man does not have a fallen nature, and are opposes to the restrictions it requires, while yet denouncing women being valued for their anatomy, and acting self righteous and vindictive when a man presumes that a women dressing like a prostitute invites (or would not object to) some "tactile communication."
I am not justifying the lusting or anything more, but if a women walks down the street waving $10 bills in her hand and get robbed, she might ask herself what she expected for customers of her advertising business.
The woman in the picture is pretty but if they really wanted to have fun with the city, they should make all their bikini-clad baristas where Helen Thomas and Judge Ginsburg masks.
Now that would either put the place out of business, or quadruple its business with the number of visitors who just want to see those two old broads in bikinis.
In my recent days as a demolition man, I frequently enjoyed purchasing coffee from scantily clad hotties.
Two eye openers for the price of one.
2 ladies in north sacto set up a coffee trailer in a parking lot. Had lines every morning. One day I stopped to see what the fuss was about. Loose fitting low cut tops and no bras. When they leaned out the window to hand you change and your coffee, you could see all the way to Reno.
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Yard sale will benefit PAWS on June 19
PAWS invites all to shop for a good cause at its second annual yard sale in Stoneham on June 19 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The yard sale will take place at 29 Newcomb Road in Stoneham and will have a tremendous amount of new and current donated items on sale.
The proceeds from the yard sale will support the PAWS free pet food pantry.
The pantry was established last July to assist those in need from COVID struggles or those hurting financially. PAWS also provides nine area food pantries with free pet food each month.

domain: news


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Following Fall introduction, Apple’s iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad lineup hit the refurbished store in mid-March 2013, knocking $50 off of some models. In a sign that the company could be clearing stock of refurbished iPads in anticipation of next-generation models, Apple today has again slashed prices of its iPad 4 and iPad mini refurbished devices by as much as fifteen percent, enough to net you a cool $40 saving on top-of-the-line models with 64 gigabytes of storage… Read More
Accessory maker ZAGG today announced a pair of Bluetooth-powered backlit keyboard products for Apple’s iPad mini. The ZAGGkeys Cover and Folio are both ultra-thin, pack in Bluetooth wireless connectivity and sport a patented hinge system that allows for up to 135-degree viewing angles and can reverse the device for a one-piece reading and playing mode.
As for the form factor, the Cover is just 6.3mm thick versus 6.9mm for the Folio. Both offer backlit keys in seven color options and three lighting levels and a battery that keeps them going for up to three months each of normal use… Read More
The hit-and-miss DigiTimes, a Taiwanese trade publication, Friday reported that Apple is expected to cut back on iPad mini display orders in the third quarter of 2013 as it gears up to manufacture a second-generation iPad mini.
According to the publication’s supply chain sources, AU Optronics’ (AUO) shipments of panels for the iPad mini are expected to decrease from four million units in the first quarter of 2013 to 2.5-2.8 million units in the second.
AUO is also expected to see more order cuts going into the third quarter – not due to weak demand, but because it’s facing manufacturing issues so Apple is now expected to buy its iPad mini panels mainly from rival LG Display, which is also a rumored supplier of Retina-grade screens for the second-generation iPad mini… Read More
On my quest to find a quality sleeve for my iPhone 5 and iPad mini, I stumbled upon many fakes or wannabe premium options. In fact, I have yet to find a sleeve to request for review. Thankfully, Kouros found me. A Portugal-based company priding itself on quality ingredients for its products, Kouros makes an exceptional sleeve for both iPhone 5 and mini.
All products are designed by the in house creative team through regular brainstorming, focusing on fashion trends that are practical for a technologically driven lifestyle. To that end, the company uses rigorous testing methods to ensure longevity, suitable look, and proper feel. For this review, I take a close look at the Essence for iPad mini and Prime for iPhone 5, both of which are simplistic, professional leather sleeves… Read More
While alleged iPhone 5S component leaks continue to surface, we’ve heard and seen little news lately regarding the next generation iPad mini. The highly anticipated refresh is expected to fix the most common complaint in the slate’s otherwise glowing reviews: the display.
Over the past few months, we’ve seen several reports claiming that Apple is going to be adding a Retina display to its popular 8-inch tablet this year. And we’ve got a new one today that corroborates that theory, claiming that the device is set to land in the third quarter… Read More
The credulous Bloomberg yesterday covered Pegatron’s investor conference where the contract manufacturer announced a whopping 80 percent year-over-year growth in first-quarter profits.
Pegatron also cautioned investors that second-quarter revenue may drop between 20 and 30 percent amid the broader decline in consumer electronics demand.
However, writer Tim Culpan decided the story wasn’t newsworthy enough in and of itself. And in his quest for pageviews, the reporter reckoned he better run the piece under the more Apple’s doomsday headline, “Falling iPad mini demand to push Pegatron electronics sales down.”
Well, guess what? 24 hours later, Pegatron CEO steps forward and tells the media that Culpan put those words in his mouth and completely fabricated the ‘falling iPad mini demand’ part. And there goes Bloomberg’s credibility right down the drain… Read More
In another sign of consumers postponing purchasing iPad minis in anticipation of a second-generation model, said to sport Apple’s high-resolution Retina display, contract manufacturer Pegatron has cautioned investors Wednesday to brace themselves for as much as a 30 percent revenue decline when it reports second-quarter earnings, the most since a 37 percent decline in the fourth quarter of 2011.
Although Pegatron assembles Apples’ iPhone 4S and iPad mini, the Taiwanese corporation also acts as a contract manufacturer for consumer electronics from other makers. But as Apple is one of its principal clients – and given Apple’s high-volume needs – Pegatron attributed the decline to shrinking iPad mini orders… Read More
NPD DisplaySearch is on a roll. After reporting yesterday that Apple could release two Retina-enabled iPad mini models – one in the second half of this year and another in the first quarter of 2014 with an updated processor, the display market researcher tell CNET today they think those high-resolution Retina panels for the second-generation iPad mini could go into mass-production soon, as early as June or July of this year.
If true, and assuming satisfactory yield rates, Apple should be able to ready its first Retina iPad mini for a Fall introduction, a time frame KGI Securities’ well-informed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently outlined based on his own sources… Read More
NPD DisplaySearch knows its display supply chain inside out and while they may not be the most accurate source of Apple rumors, more often than not their predictions have proved pretty accurate. In a report filed yesterday, DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim was quoted as saying that Apple is readying not one, but two Retina-capable iPad mini models, “one in the second half of this year, then one in the first quarter of 2014″… Read More
The iPad mini has been extremely successful for Apple since it launched late last year. How successful? Well according to a new report, it accounted for more than 60% of the 19.5 million tablets the company sold last quarter.
Apple’s iPad sales showed significant growth last quarter–they were nearly double what they were during the same 3-month period last year. And a lot of industry watchers have attributed the jump to the mini’s popularity… Read More
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has a very strong track record, having previously predicted a number of Apple products.
For example, he correctly assumed the MacBook Pro with Retina display would be offered alongside the existing models and called for the phasing out of the 17-inch MacBook Pro.
You’ll recall that Tim Cook during last week’s conference call advised against major hardware announcements until Fall. Be that as it may, Kuo now thinks Apple could at its upcoming five-day conference for developers refresh the MacBook notebook lineup with upgrades mostly revolving around a speedier Intel Haswell chips.
He is also expecting a new low-cost iPad mini model – the budget iPad mini, if you will – which should help the company fend off the onslaught of cheap Android tablets on the low-end… Read More
I previously reviewed a Toast iPhone skin, which remained on my iPhone 4 until last week when I shipped it to my father. It had a long life and properly adhered to my iPhone the whole time. Now, Toast has added the iPad mini to their collection and mastered their technology by creating a skin that will cover a multi-curved corner. The new Toast skins will completely cover the back of your iPad 2, 3, 4, or mini in completely natural real wood veneers.
The combination of technology and natural wood grain is quite special. I do not fancy myself a lover of woods, but the elegance of nature immediately next to one of the most beautifully designed Apple products is truly a sight. Having used the iPad mini skin for a while, I was impressed with its grip, finish, and design… Read More
Tired of fumbling around for your iPhone in the car? Why are we forced to pick up our device every time we hear a push notification? Why do we keep wasting money on suction cups and intrusive docking systems? ProClip USA does not know the answer to these questions, but it is providing a solution.
ProClip USA builds device holders for almost every make and model vehicle currently on the market. I stumbled across their website well over a year ago, but did not receive the opportunity to review a product until bumping into the team at CES in January.
Thankfully, they were kind enough to send over an iPhone 5 and iPad mini mount for my 2007 Nissan Altima. This review takes a quick look at installation and provides feedback about my experience with these two options… Read More
Tapping all that expertise and knowledge and taking a page from Microsoft’s book, logitech today announced new iPad keyboard covers which behave a lot like Microsoft’s Touch Cover and Type Cover for the Surface tablet.
These new covers are available with or without built-in keyboard, come in a range of colors and are billed as the first Bluetooth keyboard solution with keys seamlessly fused into its interior fabric.
I’ve included more information and two nice promo clips so jump past the fold to learn more about these Surface-like iPad cases… Read More
The three-inch Nomad Lightning cable made waves when it was announced back in November 2012. This handy little USB-to-Lighting accessory fits your key ring and comes to the rescue when you find yourself out and about with a dying iPhone and no charger in sight.
Originally a Kickstarter project, creators Kegan & Roberto developed the Nomad according to Apple’s strict requirements in order to earn the sought-after Lightning accessory certification. The Nomad cable is available for pre-order now, priced at $24.99 a pop (no shipments expected until June)… Read More
Here’s an interesting tidbit we found this morning: Microsoft’s Surface tablets could actually be outselling Google’s latest Nexus 10. We understand every scuffle between Google and Apple is actually a proxy for the battle between Android and iOS, so the statement by blogger Benedict Evans caught our eyes. According to Evans, the Samsung-made Nexus 10 likely sold around 1.01 million of the Google tablets by the end of March.
This compares to the 1.5 million Surface tablets Microsoft has reportedly sold – not to mention the ten million iPad mini tablets purchased in just the last two months of the fourth quarter in fiscal 2012. While the latest Nexus tablet is no threat to the iPad, the calculations suggest something more important: strong distribution and a well-defined ecosystem can overcome big-name rivals… Read More
As Apple’s manufacturing partner Foxconn recently began hiring workers for assembly of a next-gen iPhone and possibly a rumored budget iPhone, our friends over at Redmond are thought to be busy developing own branded smartwatch, smartphone and seven-inch Surface tablet. Both gadgets are viewed as direct responses to Apple’s rumored iWatch project, its wildly successful smartphone and the iPad mini tablet, respectively.
The smartwatch project is purportedly beyond the prototyping phase as Microsoft is said to have started aligning parts suppliers in Asia earlier this year, allegedly sourcing 1.5-inch screens. However, folks who apparently saw the prototypes warn it’s “unclear whether Microsoft will opt to move ahead with the watch” at this stage… Read More
In an interesting extension of its lineup of RC-controlled iOS toys, iHelicopters today launched Mini Brick Cars, an interesting do-it-yourself project that should appeal to your kids. As the name suggest, a Mini Brick Car is actually a package containing a bunch of mini bricks which allow you to create any type of vehicle that can be controlled via your iPhone, iPod or iPad using a dedicated controller app. The kit costs $59.95, including free shipping to any destination in the world… Read More
Although it sometimes seems like every teen has an iPhone, we are not quite there, according to new research. Some 48 percent of teens say they own the Apple smartphone with 62 percent expecting to buy an iPhone as their next handset.
The 48 percent of teen-owned iPhones is up from 40 percent registered during fall 2012, according to Piper Jaffray’s 25th bi-annual teen survey. Meanwhile, just over 20 percent of teens surveyed said they either own or plan to purchase a smartphone powered by Google’s Android mobile operating software… Read More
Avid, a highly regarded name among pro audio engineers, today announced a pair of mobile audio interfaces with native support for Apple’s iOS platform and the iPad. The Avid Fast Track Solo and Fast Track Duo let you record your guitar, vocals and other instruments through a high-quality mic pres and inputs and tight integration with its Pro Tools Express suite for Mac or Windows PCs. Each interface has a bus-powered USB port on it and allows for a direct iPad connection without the need for Apple’s iPad Camera Connection Kit interface… Read More


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Asian stocks swung between gains and losses after conflicting economic data from the U.S. and Europe clouded the earnings outlook for Asia’s exporters.
Samsung Electronics Co. (005930), South Korea’s biggest exporter of consumer electronics, rose 1.5 percent. BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP), Australia’s biggest mining company lost 2.3 percent as metal prices slid after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao yesterday cut the growth target for the world’s second-largest economy. Bridgestone Corp. (5108), the world’s largest tiremaker, jumped 1.5 percent after saying it will build a plant in Thailand.
The MSCI Asia Pacific Index was little changed at 126.88 as of 9:56 a.m. in Tokyo after swinging between gains and losses at least four times. The measure lost 1 percent yesterday.
SABIC unveils 'Archi-Light Concept House'
SABIC unveiled the 'Archi-Light Concept House' at the official opening ceremony of Chinaplas 2013. Archi-Light is a themed exhibition within the larger show, which focuses on environmentally friendly
KFH-Malaysia takes part in IFSB meetings
KFH-Malaysia took part in the meetings held by the Islamic Financing Services Board (IFSB) that have been hosted by the Malaysian Central Bank recently in the Malaysia capital.
NBK Capital exits Turkey hospital chain
NBK Capital, a leading bank in Kuwait, has announced the sale of its equity stake in Dunya Goz, Turkey’s largest ophthalmology hospital chain, to the founding shareholder.


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Enforcement Actions & Alerts
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced the resolution of a consumer fraud lawsuit filed against Stealth Solar LLC (Stealth) and owners Fred and Sandra Richie. Stealth Solar sold photovoltaic (“PV” or “solar”) systems and energy products. According to the lawsuit filed in 2014, Stealth obtained most of its business by making thousands of telemarketing calls that convinced customers to let Stealth employees make sales pitches at their homes.
Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced that his Office, the United States Department of Justice, the Attorneys General of 18 other states and the District of Columbia have reached a $1.375 billion settlement agreement with Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC (S&P). The settlement resolves lawsuits against S&P that alleged it misled investors leading up to the 2008 financial crisis.
On January 15, 2015, the Maricopa County Superior Court approved a Stipulated Consent Judgment obtained by Attorney General Mark Brnovich against Phoenix- based Brother’s Help Solutions (BHS) and its owner Nelson Molano. The company located at 2720 East Thomas Road Suite C259 Phoenix, AZ 85016, provides foreclosure consulting and loan modification assistance.
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office partnered with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to close a fraudulent title loan shop in Phoenix. Six people have been convicted in connection to Garcia’s and Associates LLC, including the company’s owner, who remains at large.
Attorney General Tom Horne is today kicking off the start of National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) with the launch of a new user-friendly website design to help Arizona consumers avoid falling victim to scams and deceptive business practices.
Attorney General Tom Horne today announced the award of over $600,000 to fund job training and employment search services programs for individuals impacted by foreclosure. These programs are funded by the national mortgage settlement reached with the nation’s five largest mortgage loan servicers (Ally/GMAC, Bank of America, Citi, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo).
In an ongoing effort to combat telemarketing scams, Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne announced today the recent filing of a lawsuit in Maricopa County Superior Court against several Arizona-based businesses and individuals. The defendants are alleged to have targeted mainly elderly consumers in a “work from home” business opportunity scam.
Attorney General Tom Horne is today announcing a settlement reached with Ocwen Financial Corporation of Atlanta, Georgia, and its subsidiary, Ocwen Loan Servicing. The company has agreed to a $2.1 billion dollar joint state-federal Settlement with Arizona, 48 additional states and ...
Attorney General Tom Horne today announced that another auto repair “sting” has resulted in a $28,000.00 Consent Judgment against Fletcher’s Tire and Auto Service, Inc., an Arizona corporation that owns and operates multiple auto repair locations in Arizona.
Attorney General Tom Horne is today warning Arizona consumers and small businesses to be wary of solicitations that appear to be an official notification from a government agency.


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Free Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 DLC cancelled
Limbs are no longer going to go 'boom'
Originally, shooter Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 was supposed to feature the dismemberment of limbs in the core game, but to avoid a German ban, it was taken out in favor of offering it as free DLC at a later date.
Apparently though, this free update is no longer a thing. Speaking to Videogamer.com, City Interactive stated that the DLC was now cancelled. "I can confirm that CI Games are no longer going to be releasing the dismemberment DLC," stated the representative, without a clear reason given as to why it was exactly cancelled.
It's possible though, that given the negative initial critical response, it simply isn't worth paying to certify free content.
Limb blasting removed [Videogamer.com] Setup email comments
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The first commercial NFC service could go live in Brazil by the end of this year, Mustafa Almansur, the GSMA‘s NFC programme leader for Brazil, told RCR Wireless at an NFC event organised by the carriers’ association in São Paulo last week. The first deployment is likely to be a niche service involving a partnership between a single carrier and a single bank, Almansur added.
- Starbucks increases mobile payments to 16% of total
- Wirecard to offer white label HCE wristband
- Samsung Pay to launch at MWC?
- Schoolboys protect Macs with Touch ID
- Descartes offers ear verification for mobile devices


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HD streaming comes to Netflix, but keep it quiet
Posted by Eric Benderoff at 2:23 p.m.
Movie-rental service Netflix isn’t making a big deal about its new HD streaming service, but some of its partners are.
"It's decidedly underwhelming right now," said Steve Swasey, Netflix’s vice president of communication, of the HD streams. "We haven’t even announced the service yet."
in Blockbuster, Blu-ray, Eric Benderoff, HDTV, Netflix, Video | Permalink | Comments (3)
Date: November 24, 2008
Blockbuster launches Internet movie downloads to compete against Neflix, others
Posted by Eric Benderoff at 11:01 p.m.
Blockbuster Inc. will debut a new service Tuesday that delivers movies to your home via the Internet, as the DVD rental giant looks to expand the ways it can provide movies to customers.
in Amazon, Apple Inc., Blockbuster, broadband, Eric Benderoff, HDTV, Netflix, Video, Wi-Fi | Permalink | Comments (9)


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Your next phone might pack a whopping 256GB of onboard storage thanks to Samsung.
The Korea-based electronics maker announced on Thursday that it’s now mass producing 256GB embedded flash memory chips for smartphones and other devices. The new memory chips are smaller than a microSD card and can pack up to 256GB thanks to Samsung’s cutting-edge V-Nand technology.
Based on the Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 2.0 specification, the new memory is almost twice as fast as SATA-based solid state storage drives on PCS, Samsung says. The new memory uses two lanes of data transfer to reach speeds of up to 850 megabytes per second (MB/s).
Samsung says you’ll be able to transfer a full HD movie in about 12 seconds over a USB 3.0 cable at those speeds—assuming a 90-minute movie with an average file size around 5 gigabytes. The new memory also supports what Samsung calls “seamless ultra HD playback and multitasking functionality” on tablets and other large screen devices.
What this means is that you can watch a 4K movie and carry out less intensive tasks at the same time without the movie skipping a beat. Whether that dream meets reality, however, depends on a lot of other factors when it comes down to a specific device, such as the processor’s capabilities.
Why this matters: Packing more onboard storage on a smartphone is always a good thing, especially as we expect higher performance from our devices to do everything from send email to gaming to virtual reality. On top of that, operating systems are becoming more complex and requiring more room—so much so that a 16GB device usually reserves a massive chunk of that paltry storage for the OS.
Many smartphone makers solve the storage issue by including expandable microSD storage. Now, however, it appears at least some of that storage issue can be solved with these embedded chips. With virtual reality 360-degree cameras for smartphones—not to mention 4K video capture—starting to appear more frequently, more internal storage comes not a moment too soon.


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Over 2,200 exhibitors from 66 countries and some 50,000 trade visitors from more than 120 nations are expected at the Shipbuilding, Machinery & Marine Technology Fair (SMM) underway in Hamburg from September 4-7, 2018 to get an idea of trends and innovative technologies. The biennial fair will also feature a first Shipowners’ Forum in co-operation with TradeWinds and emphasising financial issues, a press release said Friday.
Shipbuilding under pressure
During a press conference on May 25 in the run-up to SMM, experts and representatives of the industry gave a teaser of the major themes at the fair. Commenting on the present market, Dr. Martin Stopford, the non-executive president of the maritime consultancy Clarkson Research, said: “Although some shipping segments have recovered, the mood remains subdued. “Over the last two years, shipbuilding companies have come under increasing pressure.” Less than half the tonnage would be delivered in 2018 than in the boom year 2011. The ongoing crisis has triggered strong consolidation among liner shipping companies. Stricter, international environmental regulations are adding to the pressure. Some experts believe new regulations e.g. on CO2 emissions and ballast water management tend to stimulate the business of shipbuilders and suppliers. However, this requires the right technology.
Opportunities of digital transformation
Experts expressed confidence that “digital transformation will forever change the shipping industry and pave the way to new business models”:https://www.hamburg-news.hamburg/en/port-logistics/cyber-security-tops-agenda-smm-2018/. Real-time cargo and route information, for instance, as well as data on the operation and condition of vessels and components will make supply chains far more adaptable and efficient in future. Bernd Aufderheide, CEO of Hamburg Messe- und Congress, said forward-looking topics would be pivotal at SMM. Conferences focusing on digitalisation, environment, security and defence as well as deep-sea mining and polar research would impart crucial knowledge needed to tackle present and future challenges. “We want to deliver concrete answers to the industries most pressing questions, and are looking forward to welcoming exhibitors, industry visitors and conference participants from more than 100 countries when Hamburg once again becomes the epicentre of the maritime world for four days.”
Sources and further information:


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Hi-Rez Studios has announced its single-purchase Game of the Year Edition for Tribes: Ascend will be released on February 15. Along with all the content noted yesterday, it also comes with weapon and perk DLC from all previous expansions as well as a new weapon called the Shocklance. The upcoming patch will also include six new maps and two new cosmetic skins. The GoTY Edition will run you $29.99 and existing Tribes VIPs can purchase it for $19.99. A new video is below.
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. For more information, go here.


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- 12 Jul 2019 7:56 AM
- Hungary Around the Clock
The company, which claims it has nationwide coverage, aims to generate Ft 450 million in revenue in the next 12 months.
CEO Krisztián Kupai said pre-paid cards will be available from V-Tel points in all settlements with at least 2,000 inhabitants.
With the emergence of a new service with national coverage, he said, rearrangements can be expected on the telecoms market, as the needs of smaller local communities are finally receiving special attention.
The company also plans to allow customers to buy pre-paid cards on the internet.
The basic fee is Ft 3,500, while V-Tel users can talk to one another for free.
The Ft 7,999 package includes unlimited duration for all domestic landline and mobile calls.


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News Highlights: Top Company News of the Day
German Fintech N26 Again Draws Regulatory Scrutiny
The startup bank, newly valued at $9 billion, must temporarily
limit new customer sign-ups while it improves its internal
Reddit Seeks More Individual Investors for Share Offering
'I want our users to be shareholders, and I want our
shareholders to be users,' CEO Steve Huffman said of the platform's
plans to go public, adding that market changes have improved small
investors' access to new offerings.
Rent the Runway Targets Valuation of Up to $1.5 Billion in IPO
The company's IPO would cap a comeback for the clothing-rental
Clayton Dubilier & Rice to Triple Money on $2.5 Billion Sirius Computer Sale to CDW
The private-equity firm initially invested $414 million in 2019
to acquire Sirius Computer Solutions Inc., which it agreed to sell
to CDW Group for $2.5 billion.
ViacomCBS CEO Calls Uproar Over Content Inevitable Amid Chappelle Outcry
Bob Bakish appeared at The Wall Street Journal's Tech Live
conference, discussing ViacomCBS's streaming strategy and its
posture on mergers.
Toyota, Stellantis to Build EV-Battery Factories in the U.S.
The auto makers are investing billions of dollars in U.S.
battery factories as part of a push to sell more electric
Zillow Says It Can't Buy Any More Homes This Year
The real-estate company said it was experiencing backlogs
related to renovating the homes and that it faces constraints for
Google CEO Sundar Pichai Calls for Government Action on Cybersecurity, Innovation
Sundar Pichai said the U.S. government should take a more active
role in policing cyberattacks and encouraging innovation with
policies and investments.
State Street Profit Increases 29% on More Assets, Market Gains
Assets under management climbed to $3.86 trillion, driven by
higher market prices and the flow of client money into ETFs.
Amazon Seeks to Hire 150,000 Seasonal U.S. Workers
The push to increase workforce comes as U.S. labor market
remains tight ahead of holidays.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
October 18, 2021 17:15 ET (21:15 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2021 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.


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Fans of the iPad in the UK can now pre-order their own device in preparation for shipping on May 28. The iPad was expected well before the 28th, but Apple postponed the launch in the UK after high demand in the US.
Don't Miss: iPhone 8: Everything You Need to Know
Apple has stated already that it has sold a million of the iPad devices since it launched in the US. O2 will be offering iPad data plans for £10 monthly with 1GB of data, £15 for 3GB of data, and £2 for a day with 200MB of data use. Several other plans will be offered as well.
The iPad will cost UK fans more than those in the US are paying. The iPad starts at £429 in the UK with US prices starting at the equivalent of £355. Apple claims the difference is mostly thanks to VAT.


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Aleck Launches Next Gen Audio and Comms for Skiers and Snowboarders
October 17, 2023
The new Nunchucks deliver crystal clear music and communication, with long-lasting battery life
South Lake Tahoe, CA (October 17, 2023) /OUTDOOR SPORTSWIRE/ – Aleck is stoked to announce the launch of the all-new Aleck Nunchucks, the next generation wireless helmet audio and comms system for skiers and snowboarders. The Nunchucks represent a significant leap forward from the industry’s best-selling Aleck 006 helmet audio system, boasting enhanced audio quality, improved hardware, a sleeker design, and a robust accompanying app.
The Aleck Nunchucks are the best sounding and longest lasting helmet audio system created for skiers and snowboarders. With a doubled battery life of 18 hours, snappier Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, and USB-C charging, users get at least three days of use per charge and a super responsive experience with music playback and comms connections. The sleek new hardware design of the Nunchucks makes for easy install into nearly every helmet.
“This season, skiers and snowboarders can look forward to a massive upgrade with Nunchucks,” said Stephen Catterson, Aleck’s founder and CEO. “The Aleck 006 has long stood as the best helmet sound system available, and now, users will love the enhanced bass, smoother mid-range sound, and quick response of the new Nunchucks, as well as the fact that they can use them all weekend at the resort without having to recharge.”
The Aleck Nunchucks offer Hi-Fi audio, Party-Mode and Push-to-Talk group comms, Friend-Finder location tracking, and hands-free calls and voice assistant with glove friendly controls and IPX4 water and sweat resistance.
Key updates include:
- Doubled battery life (18 hours)
- Improved installation and ear comfort
- Bluetooth 5.2
- USB-C charging
The Aleck Nunchucks launch October 17, 2023, and will retail for $129.95 USD/$169.95 CAD for a single and $249.95 USD/$319.95 CAD for a two-pack, on Aleck.io, Amazon, and at most snow sports and outdoor retailers in North America. For more information, please visit Aleck.io.
Those who adventure have innate kinship. Aleck is a brand that believes this, loves everything outside, and passionately wants to strengthen real bonds between people when they are doing outdoor activities they love. Since launching their award-winning Aleck 006 helmet audio and communications system for skiers and snowboarders in 2019, Aleck has been driving to make outdoor sports—including snow sports, and all forms of cycling—more immersive, social, and safe. Having recently acquired leading impact detection technology company Tocsen, Aleck is also closely partnered with globally recognized sports brands including SMITH, uvex, Alpina and EKOÏ. Their purpose-built premium audio, group communication and crash sensor products are all available at Aleck.io.
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Piaggio announces a collaboration with the designer Feng Chen Wang. Creativity, innovation and sustainability give shape to an exclusive collection
Discover the latest Piaggio news as presented at EICMA
The Piaggio Medley creates a new class of Piaggio high-wheel scooters that combines the advantages of an agile and lightweight scooter with those of a larger and more powerful high-wheel bike.
Twenty years on from its launch, the latest Piaggio Beverly arrives on the scene with plenty of upgrades, but still retains the same sporty no-nonsense attitude and elegant design.
Keep yourself up to speed. Read the latest news from Piaggio World.
Technical information for professionals
Download it here
Company & management fleets


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KUALA LUMPUR (July 6): Top Glove Corp Bhd said it is temporarily halting the operations of its medical glove factories in Klang following the imposition of the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) in the district.
The world’s largest glove manufacturer added that it is awaiting clarification from the National Security Council (MKN) on the matter, but did not give further details.
Both of Klang’s sub-districts are among 34 sub-districts in Selangor — along with 14 localities in Kuala Lumpur — that have been placed under the EMCO for 14 days from July 3 to 16.
In an email reply today to The Edge, Top Glove said: “The company looks forward to safely resuming operations at the appropriate time and continuing to produce its much needed medical gloves for frontliners and healthcare workers in Malaysia and globally.
“The company continues to maintain strict adherence to the relevant rules and regulations, as well as Covid preventive standard operating procedures, and is committed to safeguarding the health and safety of its workforce and the communities in which it operates.”
Top Glove did not state the number of its factories affected by the temporary closure.
Last year, the group had shut down 28 factories in Klang from Nov 17 to Dec 14 when its foreign workers' dormitories in Meru were placed under the EMCO following an insurgence of Covid-19 cases among the workers.
At that time, Top Glove said the total production capacity of its factories in Klang accounted for up to 50% of its total capacity.
On Sunday (July 4), the Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association (MARGMA) urged the government to allow glove factories in Selangor to operate under the EMCO.
"Since the government's announcement on the imposed EMCO on the state of Selangor, global customers of our manufacturers have been calling with great concern on shortage of production and delivery of gloves to them.
"Our members are under tremendous pressure from global hospitals and healthcare workers as the pandemic has now evolved into another variant," said MARGMA president Dr Supramaniam Shanmugam in a statement.
Top Glove’s share price continued to decline today, closing one sen or 0.25% lower at RM3.94, giving the group a market capitalisation of RM32.33 billion. The counter saw 18.85 million shares traded.
Year to date, the stock has lost 36% in value from RM6.12.


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Techland is developing a AAA open-world fantasy action RPG with former CD Projekt RED staff
Techland is developing an open-world AAA action-RPG set in a fantasy setting with former CD Projekt RED staff, the company has announced.
“We are very pleased with what we have achieved with the dying light franchise so far,” Techland CEO Pawel Marchewka said in a press release. “Furthermore, our journey with Dying Light 2 Stay Human just got started as we plan to support this game for at least five years, with its scope and size matching, if not exceeding, what we provided to our community during the post-launch support of its predecessor.
Marchewka continued, “At the same time, our ambition is to introduce brand new IP that is very different from what we have been doing in recent years. We want to create an entirely next-gen experience. A new fantasy epic set in a sprawling open world, fueled by the skills and experience we’ve gained as a team over the years, infused with new ideas, passion and creativity. While we can’t share any more details about this project right now, we’re all really invested in it and can’t wait to show it off to players when the time comes.
The Fantasy RPG team staff includes:
- Karolina Stachyra – Narrative director who previously worked with CD Projekt RED on The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings and The Witcher 3: The Wild Huntas well as its downloadable content.
- Arkadiusz Borowik – Narrative lead who previously worked with CD Projekt RED on The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings and The Witcher 3: The Wild Huntas well as its downloadable content.
In the past few months alone, the team has also been joined by:
- Bartosz Ochman – Open World Director who previously worked on Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt.
- Mario Maltezos – Creative director who has already worked with companies like Ubisoft (Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time), Warner Bros. (madmax), and Microsoft.
- David McClure – Lead game designer previously associated with Arkane Studios (DEATH LOOP), Deep Silver and Playground Games.
- Kevin Quaid – Lead Animator with over eight years of experience at Guerrilla Games, working on titles such as Horizon Zero Dawn and its expansion, “The Frozen Wilds”.
- Marcin Surosz – Lead UI/UX designer with incredible skill in defining player needs, formerly at People Can Fly.
Techland is hiring now as it prepares to significantly expand the development team.


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The third-party logistics provider’s earnings per share for Q3 2016 fell short of analyst expectations, largely due to net revenue margin pressure as contractual sell rates fell faster than spot buy rates, William Blair Equity Research said.
The port terminal operator arm of the recently merged China COSCO Shipping saw net profits from continuing operations tumble 37.3 percent to $43.9 million in third quarter 2016 despite a 3.3 percent increase in revenues compared with the previous year.
The National Retail Federation, the California Trucking Association Intermodal Conference and the Harbor Trucking Association have proposed a “joint powers authority” to oversee funding of night and weekend terminal operations.
Registration takes less than 1 minute.
Geneva-based Mediterranean Shipping Co. has confirmed it is looking to buy the now insolvent South Korean shipping company’s 54 percent stake in the Southern California container terminal.
Thousands of chassis in and around the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have containers mounted on them that are either owned or leased by the now insolvent ocean carrier Hanjin Shipping.
Hanne B. Sørensen, chief executive of A.P. Møller-Maersk’s third-party logistics subsidiary, will be replaced by current Maersk Line Head of East West Trades Klaus Rud Sejling, the company said in a statement.


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AT&T said it activated 4.3 million iPhones during its first fiscal quarter, topping Verizon’s 3.2 million activations. Compared to last quarter’s 7.6 million activations, however, AT&T’s iPhone numbers are down substantially.
Despite the lower numbers compared to last quater, iPhone activations are up year over year. During Q1 2011, AT&T activated 3.6 million iPhones.
Some 21 percent of AT&T’s 4.3 million iPhone activations were new to the carrier, indicating the combo iPod and smartphone is still drawing new customers in.
Overall, AT&T activated 5.5 million smartphones during its first fiscal quarter, which means the iPhone accounted for just over 78 percent of the company’s total smartphone activations.
AT&T has consistently been the leader in U.S. iPhone activations, topping Verizon every quarter, and now Sprint, too.
Apple will be reporting its second fiscal quarter earnings after the market closes today. Be sure to check in with The Mac Observer for our live event coverage.


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Nancy Curry was named vice president of national account sales for Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. Previously, she was director of national accounts in the California division. Her appointment comes as Southern Wine and Spirits embarks on a new organizational structure for its national accounts division.
Diageo announced Lynn Walding as its new executive director, control states. Walding previously worked as the administrator at the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division. In his new position, Walding will report to Guy Smith, executive vice president, corporate relations, and Ken Lane, vice president, state government affairs, to support Diageo’s social responsibility, responsible drinking and corporate citizenship activities within the control state community. Walding also will be a part of the leadership team under Mark Hubler, president, control states.
With the release of “Sex and the City 2” last weekend, T.G.I. Friday’s announced it will offer “Sex and the City 2” inspired cocktails for a limited time. The drinks are: The Park Avenue Princess (SKYY Infusions Citrus vodka, lemon and lime mix, Sprite and topped with Cabernet Sauvignon) and Glamour Gal (SKYY Infusions Citrus vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice and lemon and lime mix). SKYY is the official sponsor of the “Sex and the City 2” movie.
Patrick J. “P.J.” Stapleton III, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board chairman, was named chairman-elect of the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association at the group’s convention on May 17. Stapleton is currently on NABCA’s Board of Directors, and in his new role he will be responsible for assisting the chairman with industry and state relations while helping with the management of board affairs.
Kristen Phillips was announced as the division marketing manager for North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia at Pernod Ricard USA. Before working at Pernod Ricard, Phillips was the Whiskey Category Manager at Beam Global Spirits & Wines.
MillerCoors hired Doreen McCarthy as its new national account sales manager. McCarthy was previously at Pepsi Cola as the regional account sales manager.


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Chris Marshall / Stuff
Co-owner Richard Klein said the sale of Taupō’s iconic tourist attraction, Huka Prawn Park, was “not a knee-jerk reaction to Covid.”
Huka Prawn Park on the banks of the Waikato River just north of Taupō is for sale.
But co-owner Richard Klein said the decision to sell the tourist attraction had been on the radar for about five years and was not “a knee-jerk reaction to Covid or go bankrupt or anything like that.”
“We are all happy and healthy, but I have just completed my 30 year term, and it is time for a change.”
He had repositioned management structures and obtained authorizations and resource leases to put the park in place for the long term, Klein said.
NINA AND RAFE DORDAY / STUFF
Nina and Rafe Dorday take us on a road trip to Taupō during school holidays.
* Fiordland tourism sector faces operator exodus in second year without international visitors
* When the shrimp fishing stands you have to adapt – co-owner of Huka Prawn Park
Founded in 1987 to farm Malaysian giant river shrimp, using geothermal water from Contact Energy’s Wairakei geothermal power station as a heat source, the company has suffered in recent years from low shrimp survival rates and failure. has not offered shrimp fishing to tourists since December 2020.
However, new blood stocks have been sought to address the issue, according to sales information.
The 12 hectare attraction in the state-owned Wairakei Tourist Park has diversified over the years to offer a range of water activities in addition to its shrimp hatchery, nursery and restaurant. seat 300 and is advertised as a going concern.
“We are also slowly approaching the shrimp problem, but it’s just going to take time, all of it is going to take time, like Covid … But it’s not a recent decision for the company – even getting ready for an appeal. deals takes a long time. You don’t just take them out of the fresh air.
Klein, a 50 percent shareholder, the other half of which is from the Toomey family of Wellington, said there had been “some interest so far” in the upcoming tender. closes on November 3.
He wouldn’t suggest value.
“Companies do their due diligence and determine what they’re willing to pay for the opportunity. It is very difficult to assess a business like this … resource authorizations obviously have a significant value, especially the large volumes of geothermal catch and discharge, obviously there is our location next to the river. It’s for an entrepreneur.
Pre-covid, the park attracted more than 75,000 customers per year, with many Chinese among the international visitors.
About 40% of traditional visitors to the park were international, Klein said, and these were only partially offset by the number of domestic visitors, although the proximity to Auckland’s people was a plus.
In October 2020, the company received a grant of $ 500,000 and a loan of $ 272,000 from the government’s Strategic Tourism Asset Protection program – one of 130 companies nationwide to receive grants. and loans – with the aim of protecting the country’s essential tourism offerings and ensuring their survival despite the disruption. caused by Covid-19.
Just as Klein said a water-themed campaign would be launching soon for the summer, the sales materials played on the potential for further diversification.
He said buyers could further develop the park as a family destination, or use the permissions and location of the resources for new opportunities – suggesting a geothermal amusement park, day spa or hot tubs at the riverbank.
The company has a long-term heat supply contract for nearly 20,000 cubic meters of geothermal hot water per day.
At the peak of its production in the mid-1990s, it was able to produce up to 30 tonnes of shrimp per year, 90% of which was eaten at the establishment’s bar-grill and the rest sold to gourmet restaurants elsewhere. in New Zealand.
Shrimp, harvested between 9 and 10 months old, cost an average of $ 30 to $ 40 per kilogram.


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Lady Gaga went and caught Kendrick Lamar in Chicago for his performance at the Pitchfork Festival, and what was widely assumed has now been made official from the leader of the “little monsters.”
“I am so excited to announce that a record I’ve been working on has now become a collaboration with Kendrick Lamar for his album,” Gaga tweeted earlier today. “Kendrick Lamar and I are dropping the record on September 6th, it’s called “PARTYNAUSEOUS.”
This isn’t the first time Lady Gaga collaborated with an Interscope rapping label mate, as she famously sung the hook on “Chillin,” when Wale was under the label. Kendrick Lamar’s debut major label album, good kid, m.A.A.d. city, hits stores on October 2nd.
MORE ON HIP-HOP WIRED!


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For Immediate Release
Utility adds new, forward-looking energy section
NEWARK, DE - Delmarva Power has refreshed the design of its Web site with a new look launched today that will make it easier for visitors to navigate and find information.
The improved design features a blue and green color palette to reflect the company's environmental focus. A new section titled "Our Energy Future" has been added to incorporate the company's plan for the future, energy-saving tips and other environmental features. Additionally, customer self-service applications have been improved, making it easier for customers to pay their bills online and access various customer service requests.
"This redesign will enable our customers to more easily transact business with us online at their own convenience," said Charles R. Dickerson, Vice President of Customer Care, Pepco Holdings Inc. "We want to make sure our customers can quickly find the information they need, whether it is to pay their bill, review energy-saving tips or get updates on outages."
Thousands of customers visit the utility company's Web site to find useful online services such as the energy-audit software tool called "My Account." This powerful software is popular with customers as it helps them understand how to use energy wisely in their homes.
To visit the Delmarva Power Web site, go to www.delmarva.com.
Delmarva Power, a public utility owned by Pepco Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: POM) provides safe and reliable energy to about 500,000 electric delivery customers in Delaware and Maryland and over 121,000 natural gas delivery customer in northern Delaware .


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Inside Maruti and Toyota's plan to completely dominate India's auto market
The Japanese carmakers have also agreed to expand the scope of their alliance in Africa and it involves using India as a manufacturing base.
Within two months of agreeing to share product portfolio, the Japanese carmakers with a significant presence in India have proposed that they also eye synergies by sharing infrastructure such as factories and dealer networks in India.
The move will enable Maruti Suzuki to tap into the under-utilised manufacturing base of Toyota in India, and the latter will produce Maruti Suzuki's models that can be sold in India through the networks of both Suzuki and Toyota.
The companies have also expanded the scope of the alliance to Africa using India as a manufacturing base. Maruti-Toyota collectively contributed almost half of the government's GST collection from the passenger vehicle market and sell about 55% of total passenger vehicles sold in India.
RC Bhargava, chairman, Maruti Suzuki said the move is a win-win. If Maruti needs capacity and Toyota has underutilized capacity, it is in the interest of both parties to utilize the same, he averred “Progress is happening at a reasonable speed. Synergies of this partnership are huge and can save millions of dollars for both the companies.
Given the demands of emission norms, development of powertrain together will be of great help and addition of markets of Africa will furt- her increase the volume potential," Bhargava added.
A joint statement on Friday said the duo has started discussing new joint projects in the fields of technological development, vehicle production and market development. Key topics will include Denso Corporation and Toyota to provide Suzuki with technological support for a compact, ultra high efficiency powertrain.
“Such (progress) represents the spirit of “Let’s do it” that I mentioned when announcing the conclusion of our memorandum of understanding on beginning concrete examinations for business partnership. Or, as I like to say, Suzuki is a company that puts into practice being The Best in Town,” said Akio Toyoda, president, Toyota Motor.
Osamu Suzuki, chairman, Suzuki Motor, said it is his hope that the new joint projects will contribute to the future success of both companies, not only in India, but world over. Suzuki alluded to benefits accruing to his company, “Now, we will receive support for the development of a compact, ultrahigh-efficiency powertrain that is vital to Suzuki, and we will focus our utmost efforts on development.”


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The Government take the growing problem of metal theft very seriously. Last week I announced legislative measures to the House that will significantly raise the penalties for rogue dealers and ban cash payments for scrap metal. These measures are part of a coherent package to tackle metal theft. We are strengthening the law, cracking down on rogue dealers and targeting the criminals who supply them, including through the funding of a £5 million national metal theft taskforce.
Last month I visited Schofield scrap metal merchants in Linthwaite in my constituency and heard that it, too, has been the victim of metal theft. What can my right hon. Friend say to reassure reputable scrap metal merchants that it will be the criminals who are punished, not the hard-working family businesses that play a key role in our economy?
Indeed, reputable scrap metal dealers play a role in our economy, and everything we are doing is intended to bear down on the rogue scrap metal dealers who receive stolen goods rather than on reputable dealers. We are working with the British Metals Recycling Association and other industry representatives to ensure that the interests of the law-abiding businesses are reflected in the work we are doing.
Does the Home Secretary believe that the police should be allowed into scrap metal dealers in order to gain a comprehensive view of what is happening in them?
We are looking at the whole issue of strengthening police enforcement, and one of the things we are doing is undertaking a number of exercises—an example has been seen in the north-east in recent weeks—where the police have strengthened their enforcement and gone into scrap metal dealers where they believe rogue dealing is taking place.


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a Fresh hake was the food that had become the most expensive since the start of the war in Ukraine, according to price monitoring by the Protestant DECO. The price of this food has gone up by 100% – yes, you read that right.
“a Fresh hake, oranges and Carolino rice These are the products where price increases are most felt. “Between February 23, 2022, the day before the start of the war in Ukraine, and October 11 of this year, the prices of these foods practically doubled.”
a Hake stands out with an increase of 100% With the price per kilo rising from 6.03 euros to 12.03 euros, A An increase of six euros per kilo“.
In case orangeThe percentage increase reached 96%, i.e. an increase of 1.03 euros, from 1.07 euros per kilo to 2.10 euros per kilo. actually Carolina rice It rose from 1.14 euros to 2.05 euros, an increase of 91 cents, or 80%.
Top 10 foods whose prices rose the most with the war in Ukraine© Reproduction of Deco Protest website
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, a food basket consisting of 63 basic commodities has been monitored by DECO PROTES. Already increased by €36.91 (plus 20%). On October 11, it already costs 220.54 euros. On the eve of the beginning of the war it cost 183.63 euros.
Read also: European stock markets fall, taking notice of the conflict in the Middle East
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Jeff Pitts knows he's delving into a bit of hyperbole when he describes his company's purchase of Dorsey Trailers Inc., one of the nation's best known truck trailer names that had fallen on hard times in recent years.
But he still thinks it's a pretty close analogy.
"It's like buying the Coca-Cola or Pepsi brand that's been there forever and went bankrupt and you're bringing it back," said Pitts, president of Pitts Enterprises, the Pittsview, Ala., trailer manufacturer that is Russell County's second largest private employer with 210 on the payroll.
MeadWestvaco, a packaging manufacturer with a paper mill in Cottonton, hovers around 1,000 employees. Both Pitts Enterprises and MeadWestvaco are in southern Russell County.
"Dorsey is a name recognized throughout the industry," Pitts said. "You'd be hard pressed to find somebody that's in the industry or drives a tractor truck or has any association with it that wouldn't recognize the name right off and know that it's steeped in tradition."
Gene Vonderau, safety and membership director with the Alabama Trucking Association in Montgomery, said Dorsey was a manufacturing "monster" in its heyday.
"I remember, I'm guessing 10 to 15 years ago, they were one of the major producers of semi trailers in the country. I think they took up most of the city of Elba," said Vonderau, noting there still are thousands of Dorsey trailers on the nation's highways. "They were great trailers."
Pitts' purchase of Dorsey, which closed June 14, was in the works for about 10 months. Wachovia Bank in Columbus handled the financing, he said.
The sale included Dorsey Trailer's 800,000-square-foot plant in Elba, Ala., a small farming community about 125 miles southwest of Columbus near Enterprise. All trademarks came with the deal.
Dorsey was purchased out of U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Alabama in Montgomery. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Dec. 4, 2000, according to documents submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
In a separate December 2000 filing, Dorsey Trailers reported total assets of $12.2 million and liabilities of $33.2 million. For that specific month, it was bleeding red ink, posting a net loss of nearly $278,000.
The massive facility in Elba has been idle more than two years.
"That plant used to employ 1,200 people in the ’80s, around 800 people in the ’90s, and then leveraged buyouts and bad management took it out," said Pitts, who declined to disclose how much he paid for Dorsey's assets.
Still, he expects strong growth from the division over the next two to five years. Expectations are that 2,000 to 3,000 trailers per year will be manufactured in Elba over that period.
The prime focus out of the gate will be 53-foot aluminum-refrigerated trailers used to transport perishable foods, Pitts said. Retail prices through a network of dealers will range between $40,000 and $50,000. Open-top wood chip trailers also will be made in Elba.
"It's such a strong name brand," Pitts said of Dorsey. "We're not even open for business and we're several weeks behind on quotes. Our phones are being inundated for requests for pricing."
Management is already in place at the facility in Elba, Pitts said. David Dorsey, a third-generation member of the family that started the company in 1912, has been named general manager. Hiring of production workers is under way, with manufacturing expected to begin in three to four weeks. Pitts said he envisions 100 people on the payroll there within the first 12 months of production, with employment eventually rising to about 400.
"I foresee in the five- to seven-year range doubling our employment and revenues. We expect big things from this," said Pitts, giving credit to his work force and management for the growth Pitts Enterprises has experienced since being founded by his father, Andrew Pitts, in 1976. Andrew Pitts is now retired, with homes in Columbus and Highlands, N.C.
Pitts Enterprises started out primarily making log trailers. It has expanded into construction and heavy-haul trailers, such as those used to transport large bulldozers and backhoes.
Last September, the company launched a new division, Dynaweld Trailers, located in the former Morton Machine Works building off Victory Drive at 300 Jackson Ave. The facility has 40 employees, constructing heavy-haul and tag-along trailers.
Dorsey "offers us diversification. We're going to be building other lines than we're currently building," Pitts said.
The Pittsview company is affiliated with about 75 dealers in 35 states. About nine months ago, a regional sales manager in San Francisco was hired to go after business in the western U.S.
Trailer Body Builders magazine, a publication that tracks the industry, ranks Pitts Enterprises No. 22 out of 30 North American companies that manufacture products used by big-rig transporters. It reported that Pitts made 1,945 trailers in 2006, up slightly from 1,902 the year before.
If the Dorsey plant pushes that total close to 5,000 units annually, Pitts Enterprises could crack the industry's top 10 in production. Great Dane, Wabash and Utility are the top three companies in the industry by far.


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LONDON -- The downturn in Europe sharpened in February as many major brands lost sales.
Sales in Europe fell 4.1 percent for the month, compared with a year ago, according to numbers published by ACEA, the European manufacturers association in Brussels.
Adam Jonas, analyst at Morgan Stanley in London, says consumers did some "buying ahead" in November and December in anticipation of price increases in some markets.
"But legitimately, the market is weak," Jonas says.
The United Kingdom, which had been strong in 2003 and 2004, dropped 10.5 percent for the two months.
The drop came on the heels of three record years as high interest rates sapped consumer confidence.


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Hitting Rock Bottom
- On New Year's Day 1999, dairy farmers
were receiving 37.3 cents for each quart
of milk that they produced. This year, they
will be netting under 21 cents per quart.
(Remarkably, the retail price of milk has
gone up, not down. Every dairy farmer has
been betrayed by the monster they themselves
Consumers are not buying the dairy industry's
enormous milk-mustache propaganda campaign.
Fluid milk consumption is decreasing, and farmers,
in a panic, are breeding and raising more cows and
injecting their living milk machines with increased
amounts of genetically engineered bovine growth
hormones, just to keep up with and out-produce their
When demand decreases, and supplies increase...
well, you get the picture. Rock bottom prices
The dairy trade is a deteriorating industry,
and its universe is now spinning out of control.
If not for billions of dollars of un-American-like
welfare in the name of subsidies, the entire dairy
industry would become bankrupt. Every dairy farmer
in America is on this new form of American welfare,
and a once proud dairyman's dignity has been
stripped by the fact that he can no longer stand
on his own. Your tax dollars continue to bail out
those who produce pus with hormones and glue for
These days, dairy farmers complain that the
prices they are getting for milk have hit rock
bottom. They cannot get any lower, can they?
In November of 2002, farmers received $9.84
for every hundred pounds of Class III milk.
Class III milk is used for making cheese.
On Friday (January 3, 2003), the United
States Department of Agriculture will
deliver a punch to the gut of all milk
producers by announcing that December
milk sales averaged $9.75, nine cents
lower than November's unprecedented lows.
Compare that to December of 1998. Just
four years ago, dairymen were receiving
$17.34 for every 100 pounds of milk that
they pumped out of their cows. That's
$7.59 difference. A cow can produce 30,000
pounds of milk per year. A herd of 100
cows can produce 3 million pounds of milk
for a dairyman. That difference in net
income represents a loss of $228,000 to
such a dairy farmer.
Advice to dairymen: It's time to let go.
The future is in soymilk. Fortunes wait
to be made. You don't have to feed, milk,
or shovel manure from a soybean. Soymilk
is nutritious, unlike body fluids from
diseased bovines. Even Dean Foods, America's
largest dairy processor, recognizes that
their future rests in soy profits. One visit
to any American supermarket will reveal that
soymilk and soy yogurt are pushing cow's milk
products aside, and Dean Foods has captured
the major market share of soy.
Now is the time for all good dairymen to do
one of two things. Convert to soy or sell to
a real estate developer.
Your days are numbered.
America was once home to millions of dairy farms.
Today, it's just 78,000. Next year, the number
will be in the 60,000 range. Next decade, 20,000
or less. I do not expect to live to see the day that
dairy farms become extinct like dodos, but I will
live to see the day that only dumb dodos continue
to drink cow's milk. Faced with increased
scientific evidence that milk does not do the
body any good, it amazes me that any person of
sound mind would continue to touch the stuff.
Today's horror of doing business for dairy farmers
scars the psyche of third and fourth generation
children who will one day leave the farm. There is
no future in dairying, both from a financial and
moral perspective. Milk betrays the animals, who live
in slavery and die horrible deaths, and milk betrays
human consumers, whose health becomes compromised by
such use as a food.


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In a recent interview on the Paul Barron Network, Robbie Ferguson (Immutable President and co-founder), joined host Paul Barron, and Kyle Willson, to discuss how Immutable is setting the stage for the mass adoption of web3 gaming sooner than anticipated, and revolutionizing the gaming industry as we know it for the next billion mainstream players.
Web3 games require scaling and funding to go mainstream
The mass adoption of web3 gaming is a question of scalability and funding. So far, no-one has been able to do it quite like Immutable.
Immutable is solving the limitations of the Ethereum blockchain by bringing the speed and security needed to scale web3 games for mass adoption for the billions of players and game developers around the world. This means that players on the Immutable platform will be able to trade their digital assets without worrying about exorbitant fees and slow transaction times. With our powerful technology like Immutable zkEVM and Immutable X, we’re poised to solve the scalability challenge.
But what about funding?
The gaming industry has experienced a paradigm shift over the past few years with the rise of web3 gaming. In the last two years, more than $15 billion has been poured into web3 gaming related projects, more than almost any other tech category. Compared to other blockchains and ecosystems, games building on Immutable have received the most funding (close to $1 billion), which is a strong signal for Immutable’s leadership towards the mass adoption of Web3 gaming.
Immutable is building the most powerful products for mainstream players
The next billion players on web3 will need a seamless and familiar user experience. That’s why we’re building the most powerful products for gamers like Immutable Passport, a passwordless solution that simplifies the onboarding process for web3 gaming. We're building a future where players can experience the immense value of digital ownership without realizing they're playing a 'web3 game'.
With Passport, players can maintain control of their assets while signing up with their email and without a password. By incorporating Passport into games like Shardbound, Immutable is making it easier than ever for players to engage with web3 gaming without making compromises on security or ownership, and ultimately lowering the barrier to entry for new users.
This is one of the most crucial challenges to solve before we can onboard the next billion mainstream players, and Immutable’s world-class product suite and technology stack is tackling this head-on.
Immutable zkEVM will become the industry standard for game studios and developers
To achieve mass adoption, Immutable understands the importance of making the development of web3-enabled games faster, easier and less risky. This applies to both large game studios and independent developers.
As part of our game-changing partnership with Polygon, we announced Immutable zkEVM, a new EVM-compatible zk-rollup with full Immutable platform support. This technology dramatically improves transaction speeds and reduces costly gas fees, all while leveraging the battle-tested security of the Ethereum blockchain.
We envision Immutable zkEVM becoming the pinnacle of the industry tech standard for web3 gaming by streamlining decision-making for game studios and developers. What this ultimately means is that mainstream players can look forward to a new era of AAA web3-enabled games that push the boundaries of what’s possible.
Polygon's ground-breaking zero-knowledge technology, in combination with Immutable's deep gaming knowledge and product suite, is already in the process of taking web3 gaming mainstream and bringing digital ownership to the masses sooner than you think.
Immutable is leading the charge
Immutable is revolutionizing the gaming industry by bridging the gap between traditional gaming and web3. With innovative solutions like Immutable zkEVM, Immutable X, and Immutable Passport, we’re laser focused on making web3 gaming more accessible, enjoyable, and rewarding for players worldwide.
As the gaming industry continues to embrace web3 technology, Immutable’s meteoric rise is shaping the future of gaming and providing the next billion mainstream players with unparalleled opportunities to participate in this exciting new era.
To learn more about the insights shared by Robbie Ferguson, you can watch the full interview on Paul Barron Network.
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Recently it seems that every week we hear of a major website being unavailable due to a DDoS attack but what is it and why is it becoming so common?
A DDoS attack occurs when multiple systems flood the bandwidth or resources of a targeted system, usually one or more web servers. Such an attack is often the result of multiple compromised systems (for example a botnet) flooding the targeted system with traffic.
It appears that along with these attacks becoming more common, they are also becoming more serious in the sheer bandwidth that is being used. Speaking to a recent victim they saw over 80Gbps being used against their IP’s, very few providers could sustain that bandwidth. To put this into perspective in Q4 of 2013 the average DDoS attack was using an average of 2.14 Gbps.
In recent months major names have been attacked such as the BBC (reportedly over 600Gbps), Sony PlayStation network, TalkTalk, Carphone warehouse and many more but why?
It would seem that essentially the groups doing this wish to extort money from their victims, using blackmail with the threat that if they do not pay then attacks will continue. However could you trust a black mailer not to do it again after payment? This is why it is generally reported that companies do not pay, however it seems reasonable to assume that some companies do pay as these sort of attacks cost money to implement and so they must be worthwhile to the criminals?
The type of payment is the issue in these ransom situations as payment is always instructed to be made in bitcoins and so is totally untraceable (if you know what you are doing). It is also thought that money gained in this way often finds its way to support worldwide illegal activity.
You don’t have to be a large company to suffer a DDoS attack but the attackers do go to where they believe ransom money is available, however if you do become a victim of a DDoS attack and subsequent blackmail it is best to treat it as an exercise to bolster your security and potentially test your DR strategy, it is not advised to meet the demands of the cyber criminals.


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The screen at the "Old Town Theater" will go dark for good this weekend.
The iconic theater on King Street is being closed.
The building first opened back in 1914 as "The Richmond."
It was bought in 1999 by Roger Fons. He reached deals with Hollywood to bring first run movies. But a year of poor ticket sales is now leading to its closure.
Fons told the Alexandria Times sales had dropped by about 50 percent from 2010, he said.
That played a major role in his decision to sell the property. It's been bought by PMA Properties. Fons said the building will be gutted and turned into retail space.


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Google Plus Ending – Data breach – What now?
Google announced on October 8, 2018 that Google Plus will be going away. Part of the reason is there has been a data breach tied to Google Plus. Parts of Google Plus have been disappearing over the last year or two.
Cnet wrote a great article all about this. To learn more go to https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-delete-your-google-account-data-breach/


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Update on the latest in business:
Stocks fall sharply
NEW YORK (AP) — A steep drop in technology companies has sent U.S. stocks sharply lower, knocking off more than 400 points from the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
Banks and consumer-focused companies and media and communications stocks also took heavy losses.
Apple sank 4.8 percent and Amazon lost 4.5 percent. Facebook gave up 2.5 percent and JPMorgan Chase fell 1.8 percent.
Crude oil prices were headed higher, snapping a 10-day skid, after Saudi Arabia said it planned to cut its output.
Athenahealth jumped 9.6 percent after the struggling medical billing software maker received a buyout offer.
Chairman, and CEO, out at cosmetics maker Coty
NEW YORK (AP) — The top executive at the New York cosmetics maker Coty is leaving less than a week after revealing that significant supply chain problems sapped revenue during the first quarter, and its chairman has been replaced as well.
The company says that CEO Camillo Pane, who led the company for two years, resigned for family reasons.
Pierre Laubies, who last ran JDE, a beverage company, takes over immediately. He will also have a seat on the board.
Coty, whose brands include CoverGirl, Max Factor and Hugo Boss, named Peter Harf as chairman Monday, replacing Bart Becht.
The company will also add two independent directors to its board.
Stifel analyst Mark Astrachan wrote recently that Coty, in addition to near-term supply chain issues, will be wresting with underlying weakness in its consumer beauty unit for the next two to three years.
Shares of Coty Inc. tumbled 22 percent last week after reporting first-quarter earnings and they are down 57 percent this year.
Athenahealth fetches $5.7 billion cash buyout offer
UNDATED (AP) — A prominent athenahelath investor and a private equity firm will spend about $5.7 billion on the medical billing software maker and take it private.
Veritas Capital and Evergreen Coast Capital say they’ll pair athenahealth with a company Veritas bought earlier this year, Virence Health.
Athenahealth stock owners will receive $135 in cash per share, a roughly 12 percent premium over the company’s closing price on Friday.
Athenahealth, based in Watertown, Massachusetts, makes medical record, revenue cycle and care coordination products and delivers most of it through the cloud.
Athenahealth investor Elliott Management has been critical of the company and offered about $6.5 billion to take it private last spring. Evergreen Coast Capital is an Elliott affiliate that invests in technology.
Shares of athenahealth jumped in early trading.
Trump complains about allies’ spending after France trip
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fresh from a trip to France where his brand of “nationalism” drew rebuke from his hosts, President Donald Trump says “much was accomplished” in his meetings. But he’s raising a familiar complaint about American allies’ spending on defense.
Trump said on Twitter today that the U.S. pays billions “protecting other countries, and we get nothing but Trade Deficits and Losses.” He says, “It is time that these very rich countries either pay the United States for its great military protection, or protect themselves.”
Trump returned late Sunday from ceremonies marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. There, French President Emmanuel Macron rebuked Trump’s brand of politics, warning: “Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism: Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism.”
50 countries vow to fight cybercrime - US and Russia don’t
PARIS (AP) — Fifty nations and more than 150 tech companies are pledging to do more to fight criminal activity on the internet, including interference in elections and hate speech. But the United States, Russia and China are not among them.
The group of governments and companies pledge in a signed document to work together to prevent malicious activities like online censorship and the theft of trade secrets.
The declaration released today is supported by EU countries, Japan and Canada as well as tech giants Facebook, Google and Microsoft, among others.
French President Emmanuel Macron had pushed for the initiative, whose unveiling comes a day after dozens of world leaders gathered in Paris on Sunday for the centenary of the end of World War One.
EU pressures Britain as Brexit talks intensify
BRUSSELS (AP) — Britain’s European Union partners have ratcheted up political pressure on Prime Minister Theresa May amid signs that some progress is being made in Brexit negotiations.
Britain leaves the EU on March 29 — the first country ever to do so — but a deal must be sealed in the coming weeks to leave enough time for the U.K. Parliament and European Parliament to sign off. May faces increasing domestic pressure over her proposals for an agreement following the resignation of another government minister last week.
No Brexit breakthrough was announced today after talks between European affairs ministers, but the two sides are locked in technical negotiations to try to bridge the final gaps in a move laden with heavy political and economic consequences.
The main obstacle to an agreement is how to keep goods flowing smoothly across the border between EU country Ireland and Northern Ireland in the U.K.
AMAZON HQ-TWO CITIES
Amazon HQ favorites: Similar basics, different vibes
NEW YORK (AP) — The communities said to be favored to become homes to a pair of big, new East Coast bases for Amazon are both riverfront stretches of major metropolitan areas with ample transportation and space for workers.
But there are plenty of differences between New York’s Long Island City and Crystal City in northern Virginia.
Set within eyeshot of the nation’s capital, Crystal City is a thicket of 1980s-era office towers trying to plug into new economic energy after thousands of federal jobs moved elsewhere.
Rapidly growing Long Island City is an old manufacturing area already being reinvented as a hub for 21st-century industry, creativity and urbane living.
Seattle-based Amazon, which set out last year to situate one additional headquarters but now may reportedly open two, has declined to comment on its plans. But people familiar with the talks said this week that Long Island City and Crystal City have emerged as front runners for the “HQ2” project and its total of 50,000 jobs.
A look at two communities said to be at the top of Amazon’s list.
MTV-SNOWGLOBE MUSIC FESTIVAL
MTV acquires SnowGlobe Music Festival
NEW YORK (AP) — MTV is expanding its live events business in the U.S. by acquiring the SnowGlobe Music Festival.
The three-day New Year’s Eve festival takes place in South Lake Tahoe, California. This year’s lineup includes Above & Beyond, Diplo, Eric Prydz, Rezz and RL Grime headlining among more than 40 artists. SnowGlobe will also showcase extreme winter sports demonstrations.
Terms were not disclosed in today’s announcement. MTV says it’s taking the next step in “its resurgence by expanding deeper into live events.”
MTV plans to reinvent its New Year’s Eve coverage, connecting SnowGlobe with MTV’s Times Square studio in New York. The cable network also plans to expand SnowGlobe to additional dates and locations worldwide and leverage its team to launch other new events.
MTV launched MTV Studios in June.


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Shutters were pulled up and tills rang once again as retail shopping resumed in Belfast city centre after the coronavirus lockdown.
There were no snaking queues or trolley dashes on Friday morning, as customers made a cautious return to outlets that have been closed since March.
The rain did not help.
Social distancing markers and one-way signs lined the covered streetscape of the popular Victoria Square complex.
Digital billboards urged customers to wear masks – advice only a minority of patrons appeared to heed.
She had packed a flask of tea on her trip from Greenisland, Co Antrim, knowing that cafes are still prevented from opening under Covid-19 restrictions.
Mrs Tedford has not been able to buy presents for her grandchildren for 10 weeks.
“I don’t shop online,” she explained.
“I prefer to actually shop properly – I am of that generation. It’s nice to talk to the assistants and find out the latest styles and all that sort of thing.”
His doors were open once again on Friday.
“I was excited this morning and up really early,” he said.
“Unfortunately, the weather has gone against us and the town is still quite quiet, but we are here.
“We are a family-run business so we’ve been trying to keep this going and keep the lights on.”
Retail manager at the Belfast store David Maguire revealed that sales are down 85%. Most of his staff are still furloughed.
While the shop opened again to walk-in customers on Friday, eye tests are still prohibited – the mainstay of its business.
“It’s going to be a difficult time,” he said.
“But I suppose everybody is in it together, no businesses are different to any other.”
“We’re very relieved, it’s such a weight off our shoulders,” he said.
“We have the whole team in, we’re ready, the shop’s been sanitised upstairs, downstairs and everywhere you could think of and no customer should feel ill at ease coming into this shop.
“It’s been very hard. We have a staff of almost 20 and we have a lot of stock to move. It was all bought and paid for and delivered in January and February and then boom, the lights go out.
“But we still have a third of the season left and we’re optimistic.”
George Armstrong, from Carrickfergus, was on the other side of the pod screen, getting measured for a suit jacket.
“It’s as normal as they can make it,” he observed.
“It felt safe to me and I’m happy to be here.
“If we get out and help to get the retailers back on their feet, it’s going to be good for us all.”


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Two big confidence surveys this week suggest the local economy ended the year on a positive note despite recent global market turmoil.
Consumer confidence bounced back in the December quarter, completely reversing a sharp drop in the September quarter, according to the latest Westpac McDermott Miller survey.
The turnaround in consumer sentiment follows the lift in business confidence picked up in the ANZ Business Outlook survey released on Tuesday.
"The number of households who think now is a good time to make a major purchase has risen to its highest level in four years," said Westpac Senior Economist Satish Ranchhod.
"We're also seeing a growing number of households increasing their spending on entertainment and dining out."
Through the middle part of this year, there had been a notable loss of optimism in the New Zealand economy, he said.
Two big factors were helping to boost spending appetites, Ranchhod said.
The first was the fall in petrol prices since the start of October, which had put money back into the pockets of many households.
Mortgage rates had also taken a step down since the last survey, and there had been a related firming in housing markets in some parts of the country, he said.
"The recent increase in confidence has been widespread. There have been particularly large gains in Auckland and in the Gisborne/Hawke's Bay region."
Consumer confidence in New Zealand strengthened in the December 2018 quarter (up 5.6 index points from 103.5 in the September quarter) to 109.1 on the Westpac McDermott Miller Consumer Confidence Index.
All categories of consumers (with the sole exception of Waikato) were now optimistic about the outlook.
"This quarter last year, consumer confidence in New Zealand fell sharply, with Auckland metropolitan consumers, in particular, uncertain about the medium-term outlook for personal and household incomes following the 2017 election," said McDermott Miller managing director Richard Miller.
"Auckland metropolitan consumers seem more comfortable with the political environment for both Auckland and New Zealand," he said.
"Rising consumer optimism suggests spending will be stronger this Christmas than last year, particularly in the metropolitan centres"
The survey was conducted over December 1 to 11, with a sample size of 1,555. An index number over 100 indicates that optimists outnumber pessimists. The margin of error of the survey is 2.5 per cent.
On Tuesday ANZ Business Outlook, which has been notable for registering historically low levels of business confidence since the 2017 election, showed business expectations for their own outlook on the mend.
A net 24.1 per cent of firms surveyed in the survey expected general business conditions to deteriorate in the coming 12 months, versus 37.1 per cent in November.
But business views of their own activity, which is more strongly correlated with actual economic performance, rose six points to a net 13.6 per cent predicting increased activity, versus just 7.6 per cent in November.


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Geneva show goes digital to beat COVID-19 virus
While another week of lockdown forced top horology event Watches & Wonders (SIHH) to be cancelled at the weekend, an impressive digital concept took its place.
Watch enthusiasts will be thrilled with the new digital online portal launched on Saturday (25) as it means they can check out some of the exciting timepieces to be released this year, from the comfort of their own home.
The new community at www.watchesandwonders.com replaces the popular show in its 30th year, allowing 30 brands who would have showcased at the event, to enjoy the attention from enthusiasts, retailers and the press.
With years of work going into creating many of these new luxury watches, Covid-19 was not going to ruin their grand unveiling.
Replicating a live experience of being at the show, visitors can take a virtual walk around the book and experience augmented reality of the watches from brands such as Cartier.
We thought we’d share a few of our favourite new releases from the portal:
Lange & Söhne – Zeitwerk Minute Repeater
We love this new white gold and deep blue offering from A. Lange & Sohne. The 44.2mm dial is crafted from solid silver whilst the hands are made of rhodiumed gold.
But you’ll be lucky to get your hands on one of these as they are limited to just 30 pieces.
It’s the first mechanical watch where you can read and hear the time simultaneously. Black-polished steel hammers are positioned on both sides of the seconds dial.
For example, at 3.48, the gong hammer on the left strikes a low-pitched note three times, once for every elapsed hour. Four double tones would then strike for the elapsed ten-minute intervals, followed by the right-hand hammer with eight high strikes – one for each lapsed minute.
The former platinum version produced in 2015 cost £390,000. The new model will be worth around £388,000.
Cartier – Pasha de Cartier Skeleton
Back with some va-va-voom is an 80s sporty favourite, created by time-served designer Gerald Genta.
This fancy upgrade means chunkier dimensions, interchangeable watch straps and movements that are resistant to magnetism.
A striking iteration is this skeletonised version, with the flexibility of a steel sports watch.
Piaget – Altiplano Ultimate Concept
Check out the world’s slimmest watch! Piaget’s brand DNA created the original ‘Altiplano’ back in 1957 with a 2mm movement.
Bvlgari was next to step in with its Finnismo offerings but now Piaget is back with the Altiplano Ultimate Concept at 2mm for the entire watch – that’s the same width as a 50p coin – incredible.
The 41mm case and the movement are made up of 156 tiny parts and a wafer-thin crystal at 0.2mm had to be created to sit inside the watch, still allowing space for the hands to move freely on top, while wheels turn underneath.
The case is made from a new, cobalt-based alloy that is 2.3 times stronger than gold.
But the thing we absolutely love about this watch, is how customisable it is in terms of colours and finishes. Piaget claims there are 10,000 permutations.
IWC Schauffhausen – Portugieser Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon
This stunning limited edition watch, part of the new Portugieser Complications collection, is completely synchronised so doesn’t need additional adjuster pushers.
Following the basic design of IWC’s other perpetual calendars, it boasts day, date, month and year (four-digit) displays. The moon phase display is accurate to within one day’s error in 577.5 years.
The movement is calibre 51 with an amazing 7-day power reserve which you can read at the 3 o’clock counter.
Armor Gold, often found on elaborate pieces, has been used to create the wristwear and this looks perfect teamed with a blue dial and woven leather strap. According to IWC, Armor Gold is significantly harder and up to ten times more wear resistant than conventional 5N red gold.
We are still open for business online during the COVID-19 lockdown so do contact our experts with any queries today.


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All sugar beet acreage to be harvested by Michigan Sugar
Published 6:30 am, Monday, November 3, 2014
Michigan Sugar Co. has made the decision to have its growers harvest 100 percent of their sugar beet acreage.
Previously, with record-breaking yields on the horizon, the grower-owned cooperative was not sure if it could process all of the beets from this year’s crop. Due to this uncertainty, they asked growers to hold off harvesting about 5 percent of their sugar beets. Now, with 75 percent of the crop harvested, and final yields estimated at 30 tons per acre, Michigan Sugar Co. officials are confident they can handle the full delivery of approximately 4.8 million tons. The harvest should be completed within the next seven to 10 days.
Michigan Sugar is the third largest beet sugar processor in the United States. The company is a cooperative owned by nearly 1,000 sugar beet growers, employing about 700 year-round employees and an additional 1,600 seasonally. The cooperative generates over $600 million annually in direct economic activity in the local communities in which it operates.
Each year, Michigan Sugar produces nearly one billion pounds of sugar under the Pioneer and Big Chief brand names.


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Yahoo surprised even the most optimistic analysts when it grew by 191 percent and made $8.1 million profit in its second quarter.
Wall Street has seen a burst of feverish trading in Internet stock in recent weeks. But while most Internet-related shares have soared despite financial results, Yahoo set itself apart on Wednesday by posting strong numbers and showing itself to be in solid financial health.
Yahoo had turnover of $41.2 million for its second quarter, up 36 percent over the previous quarter and up 192 percent over the same period last year. After a charge of $44.1 million to cover in-process R&D related to the acquisition of ecommerce company Viaweb, Yahoo incurred a $36.0 million net loss.
Yahoo also announced that traffic on its Web site grew from on average 95 million page views a day in March to 115 million page views a day in June. The company claimed it now has 40 million regular users, 18 million of whom took the trouble of registering.
This base of 18 million registered users, up 50 percent from three months ago, will allow Yahoo to offer advertisers and online merchants new ways of targeting specific classes of users, president and chief executive Tim Koogle said.
Yahoo is currently the number one Web destination for work users, and second to AOL for home users, according to data from Mediametrix.
The usage growth was due in part to international expansion. In the quarter, Yahoo launched Chinese, Spanish and French versions of its service.
The usage numbers suggest Yahoo was not adversely affected by the termination of its agreement with Netscape. Since 1 June, competing Internet search company Excite has been Netscape?s preferred partner, in a deal valued at $70 million.
The acquisition of Viaweb will allow Yahoo to attract more online merchants to its site by offering to create, host and manage their online stores for them, said Yahoo founder Jerry Yang.
Yahoo claims that 1,270 businesses are currently selling their wares on its Web site. Yang said turnover from ecommerce were 26 percent of overall turnover in the second quarter - up from 22 percent in Q1. However, commerce revenue is still mainly from advertising bought by merchants, rather than a share in online sales transactions, Jerry Yang conceded.
Meanwhile, the number of advertisers on Yahoo rose to 1,800 from 1,600 over the quarter. However, Yang also warned that third quarter results may be affected by the seasonal weakness that the advertising market generally sees in the summer months.
Other Yahoo announcements on Wednesday included: a two for one stock split, effective on 3 August; a private placement of 1.36 million newly issued shares with Softbank, raising $250 million, to help Yahoo finance its growth; and a plan to increase brand awareness by using traditional media such as printed magazine Yahoo Internet Life and launching Yahoo-branded merchandise.
Moon's dark side is mountainous, rugged and never visible from the Earth
The groundwater basins in some areas of Tehran have been damaged irreversibly
This is the first time that any spacecraft on Mars has recorded air vibrations on the planet
Arctic sea ice is thickening at a faster rate during winter, thus slowing down long-term decline: NASA
But, the seasonal ice growth could only delay the demise of the Arctic ice cap for a few more decades