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Businesses who were employed to help battle fires in northern New South Wales five months ago are yet to be paid by the state’s Rural Fire Service.
- NSW Contractors and businesses who helped manage fires say they are owed about $1 million combined
- The state’s RFS have apologised, blaming payment delays on the unprecedented bushfire season
- Contractors have called the RFS’s payment systems outdated and slow
The ABC understands contractors and businesses from Walcha that provided machinery such as bulldozers to clear fire breaks, as well as fuel and food, are owed about $1 million combined.
Brian Smith, who owns a timber transport business and said he was owed almost $500,000, said has already received $315,000.
His business, which employs 70 people, helped put control lines in to protect houses and properties in the Nundle and Nowendoc fires.
He said the delay in payment had hurt his company “big time” and really “knocked us about”.
In addition to the delay, Mr Smith his company had not been able to take on other work before Christmas because it was too busy working on fires.
Other Walcha business owners say those affected are hesitant to speak out for fear of causing trouble.
But despite chasing their money for months, little has been paid out.
Some businesses have received payments but one who had not told the ABC their company was still owed hundreds of thousands of dollars.
They said bills were stacking up, causing some contractors to dip into personal bank accounts to stay afloat.
Rural vet supplies store owner Peter King said the issue had dragged on far too long and he expressed serious concerns about the community’s general wellbeing.
“They’ve had to finance it … it’s been a very stressful situation for them. To the point that people have been very concerned about their mental health as well,” he said.
“Everyone’s struggling as it is and yet the worst creditor affecting the town is the state government.”
Contractors helped manage fires in the Nundle, Stockyard Creek, Winterborne and Ebor areas, and some began in early September last year.
In a statement, the NSW RFS blamed the backlog on an unprecedented bushfire season.
“The additional capacity of work being undertaken by contractors has consequently increased considerably, as has the associated administrative tasks,” a NSW RFS spokesperson said.
“We apologise for any delays while we undertake this process and ask for patience while additional personnel have been put on to assist dealing with the backlog.
“A significant volume of payments is expected to be made in the next fortnight.”
But Mr King doubted whether progress would be made any time soon.
“Every time we get told they’re going to get paid next week, a week goes past … and still no money,” he said.
“They keep on blaming the paperwork trail because the other problem they’ve got is the system is so antiquated — they’re still using manual purchase orders to do all this.
“That can take three days to get past, it’s a very antiquated system. The whole process is very outdated.”
The State Emergency Minister’s office said to refer questions to the RFS.


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Traffic scam targets tourists
BRITISH holidaymakers visiting Spain and the Canary Islands are being targeted by fraudsters in a fake traffic offences scam.
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) today warned people to be on their guard against the con, which involves a Spanish company sending UK consumers phoney fines demanding payment for traffic offences they haven't committed.
The fines, sent by the company DRAYES (Deuda Recuadar Alguacil Y Exigir Servicios), are for €126 (£86). Despite including a payment slip there are no details of the alleged traffic violation or even the date it was supposed to have been committed. On top of the fine the letter demands additional sums for court hearing costs and an administration fee.
There is a threatening tone to the scam, with letters sent to holidaymakers warning that failure to pay will result in the Spanish authorities seeking compensation in the British courts. Recipients are also warned they face a County Court Judgement if they don't pay up by the given date.
The OFT is warning holidaymakers not to be taken in, despite the authentic look of the letters, which include a crest and reference numbers, and cite legislation that does not exist.
Penny Boys, Executive Director of the OFT, said: 'This is a very convincing scam. The content and presentation of the demand letters combined with the fact that most recipients have recently visited the destinations, makes it easy to understand how people could fall for these fraudulent claims. However anyone receiving these letters should not send any money.'
DRAYES is also operating under the names MCCREE (Medio Corte Credito Recoudado Estobar Exigir) and WHITE. The OFT is advising anyone receiving fines from companies with these names that they are fakes.
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McDonald's Corp. said sales jumped 1.9% in August, boosted by a big increase at its European restaurants.
The fast-food giant reported the sales increase at restaurants open at least 13 months compared to sales in August 2012.
The biggest gains came in Europe, with an increase of 3.3%. Sales at the chain's U.S. restaurants were up 0.2%, while those in Asia, Middle East and Africa fell 0.5%. The European jump was led by increases in the United Kingdom, France and Russia.
The Oak Brook, Ill., company has been facing intense competition from rivals Burger King and Wendy's, which have revamped their menus and increased marketing efforts. McDonald's has also attempted to adjust its menu to meet changing consumer preferences, offering items that are lower in fat such as egg white breakfast sandwiches and chicken wraps and promoting its dollar menu at a time people are being more careful about spending.
"Ensuring that each of our strategies resonates with our customers is the key to our performance, today and for the long term," said Don Thompson, McDonald's president and chief executive. "We remain confident in ... our ability to connect with customers and deliver the menu choices, value and convenience they expect from McDonald's."
McDonald's, which has more than 34,000 locations globally, is also trying to remind people of longtime favorites and has been featuring its Big Mac in TV and online ads. It also recently expanded its lineup of Quarter Pounders, saying it wanted to capitalize on the popularity of the burger.
Follow Stuart Pfeifer on Twitter


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A streaming service founded by Elon Musk's sister has raised $6.75 million, according to an Aug. 13 Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
Playa Vista-based PassionFlix Inc., a subscription streaming service that turns romance novels into amorous movies, was launched in 2016 by Tosca Musk. The announced equity financing from undisclosed investors is part of a $10 million equity offering from the company.
Money cannot buy love, but according to SEC filings PassionFlix has announced three additional financing rounds over the last two years totaling $1.1 million.
Messages left Aug. 14 with a phone number PassionFlix provided to the SEC were not immediately returned.
The company is the latest entrant in a crowded streaming market in which smaller companies are hoping to carve a particular niche.
With the slogan “Get your passion on,” PassionFlix’s niche is romance. The platform is a $5.99-per-month subscription service with a library of romantic movies and a focus on what it terms sensuous fare.
The catalog includes blasts from the past including the 1987 Kim Cattrall vehicle “Mannequin,” but also a growing collection of movies based on romance novels. Many of the originals are directed by founder Tosca Musk, who worked as a producer for outlets including Lifetime and Hallmark before launching PassionFlix.
Whether her multibillionaire sibling, Elon — founder of Tesla Inc. and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. — is investing in PassionFlix isn't clear. A report last year from the website TechCrunch stated that Kimbal Musk, who is on Tesla's board, provided PassionFlix an undisclosed amount.
Media and entertainment reporter Matthew Blake can be reached at (323)556-8332 or email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @mattpennyblake.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misspelled actress Kim Cattrall's name.
For reprint and licensing requests for this article, CLICK HERE.
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In August, U.S. companies did not hire any workers according to the Labor Department. On September 8, President Obama will give a speech to present his plan to boost hiring. It's impossible to think about these two facts without discussing politics. What bothers me is that policymakers appear to lack an understanding of why companies hire.
Republicans have expressed their desire to replace Obama with one of their own in 2012. If Yale economist Ray Fair is right, the slower U.S. GDP growth in the nine months leading up to the election, the greater the odds are that Obama will lose. In November 2010, Fair expected 3.69% GDP growth and a 56% general election win for Obama -- in April he cut that to 2.69% and 53% of the vote.
If Republicans can keep GDP growth from rising, their odds of achieving their goal of replacing Obama rise. And with GDP having grown at 0.7% in the first half of 2011, GOP efforts to focus the political discussion on deficit reduction is a big help in keeping that growth rate from reaching Fair's latest forecast.
How so? 70% of GDP growth comes from consumer spending. If the government cuts back on spending, that means less money in the pockets of people who might spend. Most notably, state and local governments are laying off workers to balance their budgets. In the last three years, 550,000 such jobs have vanished. And those former workers have less money to spend which means less economic growth.
Policymakers have several theories about what it would take to get companies to hire:
- Reduce uncertainty. The idea here is that businesses are not hiring because they are not confident about the future. If this were true, business would never hire because there is nothing certain in business -- regardless of the state of the economy. When business executives make decisions, they analyze different scenarios and guess the odds of each. Blaming the President for uncertainty may be good politics, but it's silly economic policy.
- Cut taxes. Businesses don't hire because taxes are lower. That's because taxes represent a relatively small part of the cost of hiring. And if taxes did make a difference then it would stand to reason that hiring would have been much lower under Bill Clinton's presidency when rates were higher than they were under George W. Bush when taxes were slashed. Unfortunately, the truth is quite the opposite -- under Clinton, companies hired nearly eight times more workers -- 22.2 million -- while Bush presided over the creation of 3 million jobs -- the worst performance in the last 60 years.
- Lower interest rates. There sure has been a lot of interest rate cutting. The short-term rate is near zero and has been for the last three years. Since S&P downgraded the U.S., the 10-year rate has plunged 37% from 3.15% to 1.99% -- if S&P is right that the U.S. is a riskier credit than it was two months ago, why are investors willing to lend us 10-year money at an even lower rate? The theory is that with lower rates, companies and people will borrow more money and use it to hire and spend. That is not happening though -- largely because too much borrowing caused the financial crisis and banks are not eager to cure the growth problem with the same poison that caused the crisis.
So if all these theories are wrong, what's the answer? Based on my interviews with CEOs, I've concluded the obvious -- companies hire only when not hiring means they can't satisfy customer demand. Put another way, companies hire when the profits missed from not hiring exceed the cost of adding a new worker.
Companies are not hiring now because in general, they have slack in their productive capacity. More specifically, in July 2011, their capacity utilization -- a measure that compares demand for their products to their ability to produce them -- stood at 77.5% -- short of the long-term average of 80.4%.
For example, imagine a baseball bat factory that can make 100 bats an hour -- applying the current U.S. rate of capacity utilization, that factory has orders for only about 78 an hour. Why would it need to hire more workers if it already has more than it needs to meet demand?
In short, the average U.S. company is not hiring because it does not need the extra workers to meet demand. And American companies are making record profits without hiring workers -- $1.66 trillion in 2010 with the S&P 500 expected to grow earnings 18% in 2011 and 14% more in 2012.
But these averages mask the companies that are hiring. Here are three examples -- two start-ups and one company that just went public:
- Hearsay Social. I interviewed this corporate social media management company back in June. Back then it had 30 people and said it was hiring aggressively in its marketing, sales, engineering, and recruiting functions. The reason for the hiring, according to co-founder Steve Garrity, is that “due to customer demand, we can’t answer the phones fast enough.”
- Cardlytics provides $100 to $200 in discounts for items that consumers typically buy -- inserted into their bank statements. It had 72 people when I spoke with its CEO Scott Grimes last October. He expected to end 2011 with over 100. CEO Scott Grimes explained that Cardlytics was hiring because of its expansion -- into mobile devices through its bank customers, social networks, and global markets. According to Grimes, "Tax credits never enter my mind when it comes to hiring."
- Teavana (TEA). I wrote about this company favorably before it went public last month. After reporting 36% growth in the most recent quarter on Friday, Teavana declared that it "intends to more than double its number of U.S. stores by 2015, to 500 retail locations. It announced a franchise agreement to open stores in the Middle East in 2012. And it's hiring," according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Why do companies hire? Because they can't grow without doing so. If companies are not hiring it's because their CEOs are choosing not to invest in products or services -- possibly related to mobile devices or social networks -- and new markets -- like China and India -- that are growing fast enough to demand those new employees.
Obviously not all industries and companies can do this. But expecting Washington to solve a problem that is the primary job of company CEOs may be good politics -- but terrible economics.


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Budget hospitality startup Oyo Rooms is in advanced talks with first-year students to shop for a tremendous stake in the cloud-kitchen startup, assets informed Mint. This deal would mark India’s 0.33 most valued startup inside the online food delivery business.
These discussions come months after Oyo raised nearly $1 billion, which pushed up its valuation to $five billion. “Oyo is constructing a food team for you to help freshmen enlarge to greater towns under the Oyo brand call. The idea may be extra approximately including the detail of meals to further build the hospitality enterprise in preference to stepping into the food delivery absolutely,” a source instructed the newspaper. Oyo and first-year students have been reportedly brought collectively with the aid of their not unusual investor Lightspeed Venture Partners.
According to the record, this would be an excellent possibility for an organization like first-year students to make its mark felt within the hypercompetitive food era zone. It is brimming with agencies like Swiggy, Zomato, and Uber, which makes it hard for smaller agencies that rely upon discounts to attract clients.
One of the buyers told the newspaper that FreshMenu is only a brand selling on food aggregators like Swiggy and Zomato. Being one of the many brand’s gifts on those systems makes it hard for the business enterprise to ramp up its enterprise.
The logo has been searching out a possibility to raise the price range for months. Headed with the aid of Rashmi Daga, first-year students had reportedly initiated discussions with many buyers to raise $25-30 million. It changed into also talks with Ola for the equal, which went on to buy Foodpanda in 2017.
Oyo now has a sizeable amount of cash and a sturdy backing of SoftBank. It will try to use this money to enter into more than one verticals,” some other investor became quoted as announcing within the file. Moneycontrol couldn’t independently affirm the document.


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Roger Harris: Cut spending and tax breaks
Published 8/13/2011 at 11:00 p.m. 0 comments
For the most part, Sen. Bob Corker stuck to Republican dogma when he addressed the Knoxville Economics Forum last week.
Roger Harris: Uncollected Internet sales tax unfair
Published 7/23/2011 at 2:54 p.m. 6 comments
You may have noticed that the Internet is everywhere. We bank, watch movies and read newspapers on the Web. We use smartphones to check stock prices and school schedules.
Roger Harris: Facts show what some won't say
Published 6/19/2011 at 12:00 a.m. 12 comments
Despite the sky-is-falling attitude coming from the far right, America's top CEOs believe the economy is improving and will continue to grow this year.
Roger Harris: Reagan had the right idea
Published 5/15/2011 at 12:00 a.m. 12 comments
Speaker of the House John Boehner declared in no uncertain terms a few days ago that tax increases were off the table in the debt ceiling negotiations with the White House.
Roger Harris: Pay for top execs soars
Published 4/17/2011 at 12:00 a.m. 12 comments
A new study shows that CEO compensation at top companies in America is soaring - a painful contrast with the stagnant salaries of many rank-and-file employees across the country.
Roger Harris: Tax break issue about fairness
Published 3/20/2011 at 12:00 a.m. 21 comments
Pressure is building to end the unfair price advantage enjoyed by Amazon.com and other Internet-only retailers that don't collect sales taxes.
Roger Harris: Tennessee lender on Fed council
Published 2/6/2011 at 12:00 a.m. 0 comments
As president of Pathway Lending for the last eight years, Clint Gwin has seen firsthand how difficult it can be for Tennessee entrepreneurs to borrow the money they need to create new jobs and grow their businesses.
Roger Harris: 2011 outlook sunnier for ET economy
Published 12/26/2010 at 12:00 a.m. 4 comments
Aftershocks of the Great Recession continue to ripple through East Tennessee, but there are reasons to expect an improved regional economy in 2011.
Roger Harris: Will state keep luring new jobs?
Published 11/6/2010 at 11:00 p.m. 1 comment
Tennessee's business recruitment effort has had a good run in the last few years under the leadership of Gov. Phil Bredesen.
Harris: Focus on economics at forum
Published 10/4/2010 at 9:28 a.m. 0 comments
A panel of economists debating policy isn't the sort of thing that's going to fill Neyland Stadium with thousands of rabid fans.
Harris: Jobs picture tough, but improving
Published 9/5/2010 at 12:00 a.m. 6 comments
Labor Day will lack the usual good vibe this year for millions of jobless Americans.
Alcoa tech park starts bid for tenants
Published 9/1/2010 at 12:00 a.m. 0 comments
The backlit sign came on as planned just after sunset, the politicians kept their speeches short and Buddy's barbecue was consumed in mass quantities.
Harris: Small businesses need more support
Published 7/4/2010 at 12:00 a.m. 0 comments
In honor of the Fourth of July holiday, let's consider what it takes for small business - the real backbone of the national economy - to be truly independent.
Harris: Loan fund offers help to small businesses
Published 6/6/2010 at 12:00 a.m. 0 comments
With the ongoing credit crunch, borrowing money is hard these days, especially for startups and small businesses.
Harris: Downtown ballpark would be heaven
Published 4/18/2010 at 12:00 a.m. 16 comments
What beautiful baseball weather we've been having. Oh, man, there's nothing like shucking the office and catching a day game in a downtown ballpark. Let's play two!


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3 May 2001
US considers EU dairy product ban
By FWi staff
EU dairy products face being banned by the US in a move to prevent foot-and-mouth reaching the country.
EU officials told the Financial Times they believed the restrictions would be implemented by May 21.
But the US Department of Agriculture insists that no decision has been made.
Restrictions would primarily affect a variety of soft cheeses and casein a milk protein used in baking and other prepared foods.
If implemented, this would affect the $600m (420m) of EU exports, reports the FT.
The US is considering an EU request to limit restrictions to countries affected by foot-and-mouth.
Meanwhile, the same newspaper reports that Australia and New Zealand have called on the US to lift restrictions on their lamb imports.
The World Trade Organisation rejected an earlier US appeal against a ruling that it acted illegally in imposing the measures.
But the US sheep industry will press the US administration to keep the three-year tariff imposed in 1999 to safeguard against a serious threat from imports.
- New targets for US tariffs?, FWi, 10 February 2000
- British farmers escape US tariffs, FWi, 19 July 1999
- Financial Times 03 May 2001 page 10


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Following a period of closure due to the lockdown, TeamSport Indoor Karting, Newcastle’s premier go-karting track, is set to reopen its doors on 4th July 2020.
Thanks to new state-of-the-art, Ozone sanitisation equipment, installed at every TeamSport track, all items of clothing that racers are required to wear, including helmets, race suits and gloves, will be sanitised before being issued to each customer. They’ve bought more race wear as well, so that customers will now have freshly sanitised kit for their exclusive use for the duration of their visit. Customers are also welcome to bring their own racewear and helmet as long, as it complies to the required safety standard.
Once out on track, racers will continue to be able to enjoy the thrill of karting just as they would have before. Popular ‘Ultimate Race Experience’ sessions are a great opportunity to improve your driving skills and lower your lap time and for those who love an offer, ‘3-4-2’ sessions provide great value for those looking to get even more time on track. Some race events however, such as kids birthday party packages, will be unavailable initially, due to the current antisocial engineering situation.
To keep racers refuelled drinks and snacks (excluding hot food) will be readily available and customers will be required to pay for items with a card as a cashless payment policy is now in place throughout TeamSport venues.
Dominic Gaynor, CEO of TeamSport Indoor Karting, said:
“The whole TeamSport team are delighted to be reopening, and we’re looking forward to being able, to share the joy of go-karting again.”
“We understand that in the current climate people will be concerned about COVID-19, in regard to both their personal wellbeing and that of their family and friends, and would like to reassure customers that we have put in place a set of thorough precautionary measures to keep our customers and crew safe. Our karting experience out on track remains the same exciting experience; being in a kart, racing round corners and having a great time is what karting is all about, and we hope people will come with family and friends to experience the fun.”
All bookings made online at www.team-sport.co.uk will receive an ‘online exclusive’ 10% discount.
Photo by Photo by Liao Je Wei


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Organic Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are Hitting Shelves This Month
You can still indulge in a favorite, even if your eating habits are changing.
When reaching for a chocolatey peanut butter snack, it’s not common to also be making a natural, even organic, choice – but Reese’s latest take on the peanut butter cups has disrupted candy in a big – and oddly, more health-conscious way.
Filled with the same ratio of Reese’s chocolate and peanut butter that the line is known for, the famous candy will now be available in an organic variety. The new Organic Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups will be available nationwide this month in a 1.4-ounce pack with a suggested retail price of $1.99, in both dark and milk chocolate.
Chocolate and peanut butter are among the most timeless of candy pairings, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups have been around for nearly a century – meaning it’s only fair that the line would try to find a way to adapt to changing times and diets without sacrificing flavor.
According to a recent media briefing, chief executive officer of Hershey, Michele Gross Buck, promises additional organic spins on candy classics in the near future. “While the organic chocolate market is small, it is growing rapidly, and we are excited to bring consumers great tasting organic versions of Reese’s and Hershey’s through this targeted launch,” she was quoted in the announcement.
The new cups are certified USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project verified, and Rainforest Alliance Certified. According to a representative for the brand, all ingredients in the product are organic, except for salt. Salt, since it is a mineral, cannot be considered organic.
Fans looking for an organic snack will also be able to find organic Hershey’s milk chocolate and special dark chocolate bars in 1.55-ounce bars this month.
And for those who really don’t want to give up the classic variety, don’t worry – it’s not going anywhere! “We will still offer non-organic Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. The Organic Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are just another way to enjoy the perfect combination of peanut butter and chocolate that is Reese’s goodness,” a representative for the brand said in an email.
Sounds like the best of both worlds!


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Posted March 22, 2017
Pets are making their way into more households across the U.S., including Wisconsin.
The number of people owning pets in the U.S. has continued to rise since 2008 and people are spending a record amount of money on them. According to research firm Mintel, in 2016 the U.S. market for pet products and services was estimated at $67.5 billion, an increase of 4.3 percent over 2015.
“The biggest increase we have seen in sales is in dog toys and dog chew bones,” said Dawn Kobs, assistant store director-in-training at Family Fresh Market in River Falls. A very large section of the pet aisle is now dedicated to just chew bones.
Kobs also said she is surprised by the number people who buy cat litter but don’t buy cat food.
“It’s not always easy to understand what the customer wants and why, but we are happy to supply pet products to our customers,” she said.
Nationally more than 50 percent of dog owners and 38 percent of cat owners buy their pets gifts, according to the American Pet Products Association (APPA). Pet owners also want products that help keep their pet healthy and happy. A recent APPA survey estimates that 65 percent of U.S. households have a pet. That equates to almost 80 million households. In 1988, the first year the survey was conducted, only 56 percent of U.S. households owned a pet.
Since the first of the year, a local veterinary clinic also has seen a noticeable increase in the number of clients it serves — and some unusual trends.
“We are seeing more and more clients who consider their pets as children,” said Audrey Schalla-Pich, a certified veterinary technician for Kinnic Veterinary Service in River Falls.
Euromonitor International recently reported that pet owners worldwide, not just in the U.S., are increasingly treating their cats, dogs and even small mammals like members of their family.
The trend of humanizing pets continues to shape the pet product market. There is a new interest for products such as pet fitness trackers, video monitors and specialty foods — even doggy beer.
Meanwhile, UW-River Falls has seen a huge jump in interest for its new animal science companion animal program.
“There is an interesting trend among pet owners in the last few years,” said Beth Rausch, who specializes in companion animal and mixed animal practice at UWRF. She has seen an increase not only in pet ownership, but also in interest among students who want to work with animals.
The companion animal program began with a handful of students two years ago and now has over 150 students enrolled.
Last spring, UW-River Falls also initiated service dog training under the umbrella of the animal science program. Similar programs are offered at a few other major campuses across the U.S., but this is the first of its kind within the UW System, according to the UWRF website.
The service dog training program, in partnership with Coco’s Heart Dog Rescue of Hudson, provides companion animal majors with hands-on experience. The dogs with which they work may enter advanced training to help people in need, such as those suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
“Having a dog is part of getting back to what makes us human,” explained Rausch. Dogs in particular have been a huge part of human evolution and people want to have a deeper connection with them.
Rausch added that sometimes that connection might go too far with dog owners.
“The first thing we teach our students is that dogs are animals and they behave like one,” said Rausch. Problems, such as biting, are more likely to occur when people don’t treat their animals like animals.
Eighty-seven percent of pet owners think of their pet not just as an animal, but as a member of the family, according to Mintel.
Even though the number of pet owners is rising across the U.S., the city of River Falls may not be seeing the same trend. In fact, the number of people purchasing a dog licenses has been going down for the last three years in a row.
“There were 839 licenses issued in 2012 and only 700 were issued last year,” Bridget Hieb, deputy city clerk, said in an email. However, she added, “many people don’t know they need a permit to own a dog in River Falls.”
Dog licenses are issued from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays at River Falls City Hall, 222 Lewis St.


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The prolonged drought and drying up of river Molo and Rongai has negatively affected the production of flowers in Nakuru county.
The chairman of Rosette farm based in Rongai-sub-county Mr. Richard Desai said they were currently rationing flowers and only supplying to their long-term customers who have supported them for four to three years.
Desai observed that they were not selling flowers to new customers since they hardly have enough even for the regular customers due to water scarcity.
He said growing flowers required adequate and regular irrigation and any little shortage naturally reduces the production leading to loss of foreign currency.
Other flower farms in the Rongai and Molo sub-counties confirmed the serious challenges with the irrigation of their farms due to scarcity of water.
Some of the farms that depended on water managed by the Nakuru water company said the reduced and rationed supply has negatively affected their production.
Recently, the residents of Rongai held demonstrations at Kambi ya Moto over the diversion of water from river Molo and Rongai to influential people’s farms.
However, the diversions were removed the reduced water levels to small streams have not solved the water shortage, with the majority of them are forced to purchase from water boozers.
A resident of Rongai, Gilbert Kaplich said the horticulture industry was a major water consumer in the sub-county, competing for water with animals and home consumption, thus the need for increased water to reduce the escalating conflicts, especially during dry spells.
According to the 2022 Kenya National Bureau of Statistics report, the earnings from fresh-cut flowers increased by seven percent to what was recorded in the year 2021 and became the leading foreign earner beating tea exports.
Despite the water conflicts, flower farms in the county provide easily available employment, especially for women engaged in plucking and packaging.
The common flower markets such as church decorations and wedding organizers are feeling the pinch of flower shortage in the county.


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Harmons Grocer awards $15,000 in grants to local fresh-food suppliers
Jul 13, 2020 01:50PM
By Darrell Kirby
West Valley City-based Harmons Grocer has awarded grants to three area food companies that provide fresh products to the chain’s 19 Utah stores. (Darrell Kirby/City Journals)
By Darrell Kirby | [email protected]
The old saying “a rising tide lifts all boats” is especially true when it comes to local businesses helping other local businesses grow and prosper.
West Valley City-based Harmons Grocer is demonstrating that by awarding $5,000 each to three area companies that produce and provide products to the West Valley City-based supermarket chain.
Harmon’s Local Supplier Development Grant is part reward and part financial assistance for up-and-coming vendors from which the grocer purchases locally sourced and made specialty food items for its 19 Utah stores.
“We know that it is tough for local businesses to compete against ‘big business’ as they try to make their retail mark,” said Todd Jensen, Harmons’ president and CEO and vice president of sales. “We are proud to offer these products in our stores and our Local Supplier Development Grant is another way for us to show our support for helping them on their success journey.”
The funds were awarded to:
- Bitters Lab: This Salt Lake City company uses Utah-produced honey, apples, apricots, blueberries, rhubarb, and salt to make flavoring for cocktails.
- Salsa Queen: Located in West Valley City, this family-owned enterprise started by a single mother produces a variety of fresh salsas.
- Day’s Market Fresh Produce: In addition to operating a store in Provo specializing in organic items and fresh produce, Day’s distributes some of those products to Harmons.
“These locally owned businesses exemplify what it means to be a local Utah business. They create delicious products with fresh ingredients and prioritize giving back to their community,” Jensen added.
Harmons started offering Local Supplier Development grants in 2016. The grocer partners with 350 area vendors to help stock its shelves with 2,600 local products, the most of any grocery chain in the state.


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DALLAS (CBS.MW) -- Shares of Unitrode soared 30 percent Monday after Texas Instruments said it will buy the maker of chip technology in a stock swap valued at $1.2 billion.
Dallas-based Texas Instruments said the acquisition of Unitrode, which makes power management products for use in power supply control and battery management, will build up its analog catalog portfolio.
TI will issue 8.9 million shares based upon its closing price on July 23 of $139 per share, in exchange for all outstanding shares of Unitrode. This represents $38.60 for each Unitrode share. See press release.
Shares of Unitrode leaped 8 to 34 3/4, with 3.7 million shares changing hands, while Texas Instruments stock TXN, +1.50% dropped 4 to 135.
The deal is expected to close in the second-half of the year. Unitrode will become a subsidiary of Texas Instruments, reporting to its analog business and operating from Unitrode's headquarters in Merrimack, N.H.
"We're clear in our objective to grow our analog catalog business targeting the mass market," said Del Whitaker, Texas Instruments senior vice president and manager of worldwide analog and logic products.
"Unitrode brings a strong reputation in power supply control and battery management that enhances TI's leadership position and gives us critical mass in rapidly growing sectors."


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In Photos: 612 Pound-Bluefin Tuna Sold for $3 Million in Tokyo
A bluefin tuna fish was sold at an auction in Tokyo’s famed Tsukiji market for 333.6 million yen ($3 million). The fish weighs 612 pounds.
The bluefin tuna is a prized but threatened species. It was sold at a predawn auction on Saturday, 5 January, reported Associated Press.
It was bought by Kiyomura Corporation, whose owner Kiyoshi Kimura runs the Sushi Zanmai chain, the report said.
Kimora reportedly told Japanese broadcaster NHK that he did not expect the price of the tuna to be so high but “the quality of the tuna I bought is the best.”


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One of the things about Android is that beyond the two-year mark, there are no longer guarantees that your phones will receive the latest Android updates. This is understandable as Android manufacturers would prefer to focus their resources and efforts on their newer phones, although it is a bummer for those who’d rather hold onto their phones for longer periods of time.
When it comes to Android updates, most companies would generally prefer to focus on their latest flagship smartphones, so it can be a bit worrying if you use an older handset and are wondering whether or not an update will make its way to you. Thankfully for OnePlus 5 and 5T owners, it seems that the latest Android update is now making its way to handsets.
OnePlus is now rolling out OxygenOS 5.1.6 which brings Project Treble support for the OnePlus 5 and the OnePlus 5T. The latest firmware update that’s being rolled out for these devices also includes the most recent Android security patch. It improves Bluetooth stability for phone calls as well.
OnePlus had earlier said that it would eventually bring Project Treble support to older flagships. It walked the talk when it added the feature in an open beta build for the OnePlus 5 and 5T. The company has now released a stable OxygenOS build for the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T that brings Project Treble support to these devices.
OnePlus 5T ReviewEditor's Pick
The OnePlus 5T launched in November 2017, just five months after the release of the OnePlus 5, and was initially built for the Premium market. At launch time, the OnePlus 5T was priced at $559 for the 8 GB RAM/128 GB and $499 for the 4GB RAM/64 GB (at publishing time, it is found at $460 on Amazon).
While it is a safe bet that OnePlus will update the OnePlus 6 with Android 9.0 Pie at some point in time, the same can’t be said for some of the company’s older handsets. If you do own a OnePlus One, 5, or 5T and are wondering if you will see the Android Pie update, not to worry because it looks like an unofficial port is now available.
Due to the fact that different countries have people with different needs, different priorities, and different budgets, there are reasons why some companies can thrive and why some can’t. Take for example companies such as Nokia and BlackBerry, both of whom continued to thrive in certain markets long after their popularity waned in the US.
For the most part a lot of our smartphones these days almost never last past 2 days. Granted battery life has improved since smartphones were first introduced, but if you wanted a phone that you would only need to charge once or twice a week, good luck finding that! However this is where battery optimizations come in handy.
Portrait mode on the rear-facing cameras of smartphones is becoming an increasingly common feature. This is typically achieved through hardware by having the extra lens, or in the case of certain phones like the Google Pixels, this is (very convincingly) achieved through software. However portrait mode on front-facing cameras aren’t too common yet.
OnePlus has already confirmed what it’s next flagship smartphone is going to be called and the company has also started revealing some information about the features that the OnePlus 6 is going to bring to the table. The company doesn’t seem to be in any mood to continue selling the OnePlus 5T after its new handset is released. After selling out in North America a couple of weeks ago, the […]
OnePlus is expected to launch a new flagship smartphone in the coming months and it’s clearing its OnePlus 5T stock prior to that. The OnePlus 5T is a slightly revamped version of last year’s OnePlus 5 that was released in late 2017 and while it’s the only flagship that the company is selling right now, customers in North America will not be able to purchase it. OnePlus has confirmed that […]
If one of the things you feel is missing from the OnePlus 5 and 5T handsets is HD Netflix playback, you’ll be pleased to learn that OnePlus has recently announced that both phones will be updated that will support HD playback on either phone. This is no doubt great news, but there is a rather inconvenient catch.
If you’re looking to purchase a new smartphone as a gift for your significant other this Valentine’s Day, OnePlus would really like you to consider the OnePlus 5T. The company has launched a new Lava Red OnePlus 5T just in time for Valentine’s Day. The color itself looks more pink than it does lava red but it should get the message across.
When the OnePlus 5T was released last year, it still came with Android Nougat installed on it which was a bit of a bummer as we’re sure some were expecting Android Oreo. However OnePlus later confirmed that the Oreo update would be released early 2018, and sure enough it has.
The OnePlus 5T is no slouch and according to some speed tests that we’ve seen, it has proven that it has more than what it takes to hold its own. Now it appears that OnePlus is doing their own speed test video which we have to say is hardly scientific or accurate, but it is pretty damn hilarious.
Due to the sheer amount of phones that some Android OEMs put out, sometimes you can’t really blame them for choosing to focus on their new devices when it comes to updates and new features, and with that being said, you really have to commend OnePlus on the fact that they aren’t completely neglecting some of their older phones.
OnePlus introduced its Face Unlock feature with the OnePlus 5T and many expected that the company would bring this feature to the predecessor as well. OnePlus was likely going to bundle the feature with the Oreo update for the OnePlus 5. The company’s co-founder Carl Pei confirmed last month that based on feedback from users, OnePlus had decided to bring the feature over to this handset. The OnePlus 5 Face […]
If you think that the OnePlus 5T’s camera could stand to use some improvements, then you will be pleased to learn that according to an announcement by OnePlus, they are rolling out an update for the OnePlus 5T that will introduce some camera optimizations, along with some system updates and improvements.
Recently OnePlus started to roll out the Android 8.0 Oreo update for the OnePlus 5 and for those who are using the OnePlus 5T, it looks like it could soon be your turn. In a tweet sent out by OnePlus’ Germany account, it seems that they are teasing that the open beta for Android 8.0 Oreo for the OnePlus 5T could be coming soon.
Earlier this month, OnePlus announced the OnePlus 5T Star Wars Edition, which is basically the OnePlus 5T except with some slight tweaks to its design and also some additional Star Wars content that is preloaded on the phone. However it seems like OnePlus wants to encourage customers to purchase it and have announced a rewards program.


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Welcome back everyone thanks for joining me today we are doing a weekly round up on all things cannabis, vape, and kratom. The headlines have been filled with content, some useful and some not. One of the most notable pieces of news was that Juul Labs had been ordered by the FDA to hault sales just about 2 weeks ago, I thought of you guys and I wish I had uploaded it right then and there but couldn’t. For all you Juul lovers the future looks dim for the ecigarette giant out of the bay area.
It’s rise into fame and nationwide dominance was swift but appears it’s downfall is just as fast, the FDA had noted several concerns about their products and determined that they be banned citing that the products did not show they are helping public health. As a vapor myself I immediately remembered the hundreds of people I’ve helped to stop smoking cigarettes via vaping. How is this not considered good for public health.
The news was reported on June 23rd, 2022 followed by another article and report the very next day showing that Juul had submitted an appeal and actually won by court decision. In short it means they’ll be able to continue selling their product for now. As some may know the Juul 2 was supposed to be released this year as it has done so well over seas but thats seemingly unlikely.
Next piece covers a specific fact about the cannabis industry and it’s simple. The industry is being over taxed and the burden is about to be lifted here in the state of California as law makers consider lowering the excise tax on all cannabis purchases. This is great because you can finally start saving some money, the legal weed era has left many of us with a bitter taste as we reminisce about the amazing medical era.
Also we will talk a little about the efforts of the American Kratom Association, the bill called Kratom Consumer Protection Act has been circulating around the nation thanks to the AKA and recently they tweeted their disappointment as Missouri Governor vetoed the bill eliminating any protections for adult users of the plant based solution.
So much to discuss thanks for reading, listening and watching.
#kratomnews #cannabisnews #legalcannabis #kratomprotectionact #LEGALIZEIT #420podcast #thedailydosepodcast


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From the belief that Satoshi is C.Wright, to a Former Paypal CEO claiming that crypto is a cult, this industry has had its fair share of unpopular opinions.
Remember when cryptos were deemed unusable because, unlike fiat, they were volatile? The tables are gradually turning and Turkey is the latest case. The country’s currency, the lira, has recently experienced a drastic drop in its…
Speaking with the Harvard Business Review, JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon shies away from speaking about crypto, calling new forms of payment the biggest competitive threat.
Bitcoin Cash (BCH) is positioning itself as a challenger to the likes of PayPal and VISA in payments, as it celebrates the one-year anniversary of the rebirth of Bitcoin on the original blockchain, according to bitcoin wallet service BTC.com..
The controversial activist Tommy Robinson was sent £20,000 worth of bitcoin, according to local reports, by supporters to help cover legal costs.
Несколько недель назад Dash Core объявил о найме на работу Боба Кэрролла — ветерана IT-индустрии, бывшего главного специалиста по информационным технологиям (CIO) в Apollo Group. Имея большой опыт в разработке ПО и системном проектировании, Кэрролл будет заведовать разработкой сети Dash и ее продуктов.
Co-founder of PayPal and well-known venture capitalist Peter Thiel and Jihan Wu’s Bitmain Technologies Ltd. have invested into Block.one.
In a fresh round of funding, Block.one has added to its line-up of major investors PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel and bitcoin mining giant Bitmain.
EOS developer Block.one has secured fresh investments from billionaire PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel and crypto mining hardware billionaire Jihan Wu of Bitmain.
Square Cash, a cryptocurrency-enabled trading app, is growing three times faster than PayPal’s fiat-based Venmo, trading giant Nomura has revealed. ‘More Square Cash, a cryptocurrency-enabled trading app, is growing three times faster than PayPal’s fiat-based Venmo..


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In an interview with IGN Japan at the recent Game Developers Conference India, Sony’s Head of Third Party Hector Fernandes and Star India Programme Manager Sujith Sukumaran revealed the latest developments regarding the programme. “First announced in May 2023, the Star India programme is a sister programme to the already successful Star China programme, and is designed to support Indian developers who want to launch PS5 games.
The Star India team has been demoing and taking suggestions, and is set to announce the first PS5 games between February and April 2024, according to reports.
Sujith Sukumaran explains, “With this project, we want to show the world the talent of Indian developers. We want to attract the people of India to fully support their development and showcase their games to the world. We also want to provide the developers with the skills and knowledge that Sony has cultivated around the world, as well as the experience of developing commercially successful console games”. Of the proposals received so far, adventure games were the most popular, followed by first-person and third-person shooters.


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Read our 2020 Annual Report: Supporting Businesses for a Stronger, Healthier Future
Notice on CAIP Program Guidelines & Public Comment
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<----Return to our 2020 Annual Report
LaFrance Cleaners Commits to Investing in Environmental Upgrades Despite Pandemic
Youngstown (Mahoning County)
LaFrance Cleaners first heard about OAQDA and its Clean Air Resource Center through their soap vendor who spoke highly of the program. The third-generation, family-owned dry-cleaning business has served the Mahoning Valley area for 75 years and includes a central production facility, two stores and seven free pick-up and delivery routes.
“We knew we wanted to replace our old dry-cleaning equipment but wanted to wait until the right opportunity came along,” said Stephen Weiss, owner of LaFrance Cleaners. “We were excited to hear about this small business program that Ohio offered.”
During 2020, OAQDA closed on $100,000 in bond financing and provided a $20,000 grant to LaFrance Cleaners. Support from the Authority helped to replace outdated dry-cleaning equipment, which allowed the use of new, environmentally friendly solvents and eliminated the use of perchloroethyene (PERC), a chemical hazardous to human health.
“We replaced two cleaning machining with a sensing machine and a wet machine. Wet cleaning is a big trend right now because it offers more flexibility in the types of garments you can clean and it’s healthier for the environment,” said Weiss. “It cleans better than PERC, reduces odors and gives us brighter whites. I wish I had made this change a long time ago.”
The new equipment also allows LaFrance to provide a safer environment for employees while maintaining their excellent customer service. The company has been able to sustain 24 jobs.
Weiss is hopeful that more small business in Ohio will reach out to OAQDA for support.
“These are expensive changes, but it is important,” he adds. “As a small business owner, the health of our employees is vital. There are better, newer equipment options in the dry-cleaning industry that also are environmentally friendly. I am so glad we found this program.”


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If you thought we have seen the last of webOS (aside from LG TVs), think again as LG is also looking to use the operating system to power smartwatches. A software development kit for a webOS smartwatch has been teased on an LG-owned developer website (link no longer works). The company already has two Android-powered watches available on the market, including the G Watch R (pictured above), but LG could well be looking to work on its own platform.
It would be interesting to see LG load webOS on smartwatches, especially with its own line of smart televisions already running the OS. This could well be some form of insurance for the company to have multiple options available platform-wise, or we could well see webOS taking on Android and other platforms in the near future. Unfortunately, that's all we've got so far, so be sure to sound off in the comments on what you'd like to see on a webOS smartwatch.
Via: The Verge
125W charging is coming — what do you think about that?
125W charging speeds are coming soon. What's your take on this? Whether you think it's amazing or overkill, we want to hear from you!
AV1 codec: What it is and why it's so important for the future of video
In the ever-changing world of high-definition codecs and formats, AV1 is a standard that hasn’t had much of the spotlight yet, but it could be very important in the coming years. But first, let’s take a look at its history and its purpose.
Google has an interesting defense in its latest anti-trust battles
Could Google being too dominant actually be bad for its own bottom line? That's some of what a new filing from Google's legal team is saying.
With a phone as beautiful as the LG Velvet, you'll want to get a great case
It can be tough to find a great case for a new phone, especially for a phone with a unique and wonderful design like the LG Velvet. But thankfully, there are a lot of solid case choices out there and these are our favorites to keep your LG Velvet safe from when "life happens".


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Wifredo “Willy” Gort wants to lead a trade mission to one of the poorest and most isolated countries in South America, and he’s asking for permission so the Latin Chamber of Commerce — which receives tens of thousands of dollars a year from Miami — can foot the bill.
Gort, who has presided over CAMACOL’s yearly hemispheric conference for more than a decade, would fly to Paraguay with representatives from 13 South Florida businesses between Oct. 27-31, and mingle with Paraguayan dignitaries about possible trade opportunities.
Paraguay is way down the list of Miami trade partners. In 2010, according to shipping news website World Port Source, $70,049 worth of goods traveled from Paraguay through Miami’s ports, while Miami shipped out $26.9 million worth of goods to Paraguay.
The tiny landlocked nation of just under 7 million people produces clothing, raw sugar and steel.
It’s tough to tally the cost of Gort’s four-day trip. CAMACOL said his flight would cost $931.40, but it wasn’t sure how much hotel, food and registration fees would cost.
Before Gort departs, however, he must receive majority support from Miami commissioners. A vote, scheduled for Thursday, is needed because the city follows the Miami-Dade County code of ethics, which doesn’t allow elected officials to accept transportation, lodging, meals or registration fees from any contractor, vendor, service provider, bidder or proposer.
The rule, however, can be waived with a majority vote of the commission. Miami gave CAMACOL $106,450 from various economic development programs in the past year.
Gort, who has avoided CAMACOL trips in the past, wasn’t exactly sure what Miami had to offer Paraguay, or vice versa, when asked Tuesday. He said past trips to other countries have helped foster Miami’s film industry and brought merchandise to local grocery stores.
Patricia Arias, CAMACOL’s managing director, said the Latin Chamber is a staunch advocate of free trade and that the two yearly gatherings are “considered the premier event in promoting international trade in the Americas.”
She said the sheer number of people who attend the yearly conference in Miami — this year 550 people participated at the Biltmore hotel in Coral Gables — brings significant money to the city, county and the state. In June, a trade mission to Istanbul involving PortMiami Director Bill Johnson cemented a trade agreement with Turkey.
Gort’s decision to seek commission approval for the Paraguay trip comes on the heels of a pair of ethical lapses on the Miami dais the past year. Last November, Commission Chair Marc Sarnoff was reprimanded by the county’s ethics commission for not disclosing that the Miami-Dade Convention & Visitors Bureau paid for a trip to Brazil for his wife to watch the start of the Volvo Ocean Race.
Separately, Commissioner Frank Carollo is currently fighting a finding of probable cause that he used the power of his office to avoid a traffic ticket in Coconut Grove by calling the city’s police chief. That hearing hasn’t concluded.


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This summer, KCMO Entrepreneur Chris Goode made history as the first African-American to open a juice bar inside Whole Foods. Goode, owner and CEO of Ruby Jean's Juicery, opened a location in the Whole Foods store at 301 E. 51st St (off Brookside Blvd) in Kansas City, MO.
With the Whole Foods opening, Goode has three active Ruby Jean locations, plus a licensed operation in Springfield, MO. Next, he’s planning to expand into other states.
Chris first thought of the idea for his juicery after a friend introduced him to juice cleansing. He realized that it would have been beneficial for his grandmother, who died at the age of 61 from Type 2 diabetes, if she had known and understood the importance of healthy eating and drinking.
"Once I got into juicing and health I realized that 61 was just way too young and [I] started to switch my lifestyle and press my family to do the same. In 2014 I decided to put all I had into my passion and newfound purpose," Chris said in an interview with Because of Them We Can.
Chris launched his first juice bar in 2015 in an area of Kansas City that was then considered a food desert. Since they opened their doors, they have seen a steady increase in customers every month. In fact, they have been named as the top juice bar in Missouri and one of Yelp's Top 100.
The company's accomplishments reached the radar of the U.S.'s healthiest supermarket, Whole Foods, who offered Chris the opportunity to not only be a supplier in the store, but to operate a brick-and-mortar store inside one of their stores.
In addition to the Whole Foods location, Goode’s Kansas City locations include:
Ruby Jean’s Juicery
111 Main, Ste 165
Hours: M-F, 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Ruby Jean’s Kitchen & Juicery
3000 Troost Ave.
Hours: M-F 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. and
Sat., 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Ruby Jean’s menu includes smoothies, performance shakes, hand-crafted juices and acai bowls. The kitchen offers a menu of breakfast, lunch and dinner items, made of healthy and natural foods, many of them vegan and gluten free. The Whole Foods location does not have a kitchen but offers a few “healthy bites.”
With the new location, Chris hopes to inspire more people with the story about his grandmother.
“We truly feel we can empower people to live healthy by way of sharing my grandma's story. I feel there's a Ruby Jean in every family no matter who you are," he adds.
For more information about Ruby Jean's Juicery, visit www.rubyjeansjuicery.com


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Following the recent Fisher-Price incident in the news, Charlie discusses product recall and the difficult decisions that organisations face.
Bulletin / Latest
In the first bulletin of his new 'Business Continuity 2025' series, Charlie discusses what incidents might look like in 2025.
In this week's bulletin, Charlie discusses whether you should consider likelihood when conducting a risk assessment.
British retailers that are selling online to European markets face some specific supply chain and logistics issues after Brexit. This week's guest author Joe Farrell explains what these are and looks at some preparatory measures that retailers can take.
Using dark websites for crisis communication - three case studies: Norsk Hydro, Boeing and Ethiopian Air
Charlie discusses the use of dark websites for crisis communication.
Charlie looks at how the CBCI Certification Course (GPG) has changed over the last ten years.


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U2's partnership with Apple hasn't ended with the surprise release of 'Songs of Innocence' last week, the two parties have much bigger plans in store in future.
Seemingly not content with the most unconventional album release of all time, U2 and Apple have announced their collaboration on a brand new venture - and it might be even more ambitious that their free album giveaway on iTunes.
According to Time, U2 and Apple are joining forces to create a new digital music format which they say "will prove so irresistibly exciting to music fans that it will tempt them again into buying music - whole albums as well as individual tracks."
The idea behind the concept was formed to help raise money for songwriters who don't get the same revenue streams from touring that U2 do. Details are scant at the moment and the concept isn't expected to be available for at least 18 months.
But what is it, exactly? Well, according to Bono, it's "an audiovisual interactive format for music that can't be pirated, and will bring back album artwork in the most powerful way".
He explains further: "Songwriters aren't touring people. Cole Porter wouldn't have sold t-shirts. Cole Porter wasn't coming to a stadium near you."
In the same interview, Adam Clayton also referenced the reaction to 'Songs of Innocence', an album which has proved incredibly divisive among listeners.
"It's like everyone's vomiting whatever their first impression is", Clayton said.
Nonetheless, Apple maintain that the record has been accessed (either by streams or downloads) more than 38 million times.
We'll have to do this all over again soon, it seems, as U2 also confirmed that ANOTHER new album, as well as a world tour, are in the works.


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The State Government says shop owners at Yewa Market must use their shops for commercial purpose or forfeit it.
The Ogun State Government has warned shop owners at Yewa International Market to use their stores for trade or risk losing it.
The State Government says it will no longer tolerate a situation where shops allotted to people are locked up or used for purposes other commerce.
The Permanent Sectary in the State Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Kosi Efuwape, gave the warning at the market. She had visited to ascertain the level of compliance with the government’s directive that the market should become fully operational from the start of September.
Mrs. Efuwape was displeased with some shop owners and motorists at the motor parks along the Owode-Idi Iroko junction, for refusing to comply with directives to move to the International market. She said the refusal contributes to traffic gridlock, adding that government will adopt stiffer measures to make them comply.
Speaking during the visit, a traditional ruler, the Olu of Owode, Mathew Akindele, underscored the need for a synergy between the State, Yewa South Local Government and other stakeholders to fast track development of Yewa market.
Another traditional ruler, the Alale of Ajilete, Dauda Adeniyi, also expressed his support for the resuscitation of the Yewa International Market.


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Blizzard is shaking things up in a big with its troubled hero shooter. Starting with Season 10, Overwatch 2 heroes will become free. Yes, all of them, including new heroes in the future. The game will also include alternative ways to earn Coins and Mythic Skins.
There’s a chance it could be a new dawn for Overwatch 2. With the launch of the maligned sequel, Blizzard made the controversial decision to lock new heroes behind a Battle Pass. Those who opted for a Premium Battle Pass gained access right away. But with the release of Season 10 in April, every player can use new heroes right out of the gate. All previously released heroes will also be available.
There doesn’t seem to be any kind of surprise catch, either. New players still need to jump through the tutorial hoops to unlock the original Overwatch roster. But once that’s complete, all 39 heroes will be ready for service.
Blizzard announces free heroes and Mythic Skin changes for Overwatch 2 Season 10
Overwatch 2 heroes going free is surprising news, to be sure, but more changes are coming to Mythic Skins. Blizzard is introducing the Mythic Shop, a place where you can progress toward Mythic Skins. You apparently don’t need to work toward unlocking everything for a skin, either. Colors and model variations are among the aspects of the skin you can earn. But if you don’t want a specific color or model type, you put that progression toward other Mythic Skins. Starting in Season 10, every Mythic Skin from past seasons will be available in the shop.
Overwatch Coins, the premium currency that longtime fans begrudgingly embraced, can now be earned in new ways with Season 10. Coins will be earned in the free and paid Battle Pass tracks, with up to 600 for the taking rather than the typical 540.
Blizzard has even more plans for the future of Overwatch 2, of course. The team plans on continuously tweaking gameplay mechanics and twisting every knob and throwing every switch to “give the game a regular heartbeat,” according to Game Director Aaron Keller. Will the announcement of free heroes and updates keep the ol’ game moving for a while longer? Only time can tell. But I know what can help.
Overwatch 2 will get more maps in Seasons 10 and 11
Blizzard is preparing to unleash a new map in Overwatch 2 Season 10. Hanaoka is a map designed specifically with the new Clash mode in mind. Both will be ready at the start of Season 10 for a limited-time trial.
Though we’re far and away from Season 11, Blizzard is teasing a new Push map. Runasapi will send players to Peru. Blizzard also announced that some maps are getting updated, and those include Dorado, Numbani, Havana, and Circuit Royale. Colosseo is getting reworked for Overwatch 2 Season 11.


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Ashkenazy loses original Barneys building
Argentic acquired Chelsea property after $49M judgment
It’s officially over for Ben Ashkenazy at Barneys.
Lender Argentic Investment Management acquired the Chelsea building that housed the original Barneys New York department store after a $49.5 million foreclosure judgment. Argentic took over from from Ashkenazy Acquisitions through a referee deed, PincusCo reported. The transfer closed two weeks ago at a price of $7 million.
The foreclosure had been a long time coming for retail powerhouse Ashkenazy. A lawsuit was filed against the shell company established by the building’s owner in September 2020, claiming Ashkenazy failed to pay back a $46.2 million loan backed by the building after the loan matured in May 2020.
Barney Pressman opened the first Barneys at the location almost a century ago, in 1923. The property at 115 Seventh Avenue changed hands several times over the decades before Ashkenazy purchased it from the Rubin Museum of Art for $57 million in 2014.
The city-designated 2022 market value of the 42,000-square-foot building is $18.8 million, according to PincusCo. The original Barneys store shuttered amid bankruptcy proceedings for the department store.
The loss of the Chelsea retail building is the latest in a string of problems for Ashkenazy. A foreclosure suit initiated earlier this month claimed Ashkenazy defaulted on a $12.3 million mortgage for the retail portion of 1400 Fifth Avenue in Harlem. A trustee for the loan’s bondholders claimed Ashkenazy stopped making monthly mortgage payments in April 2020.
The loan on the property was originated by Barclays in September 2018 before it was securitized and sold to investors. The suit is seeking $16.7 million in damages.
Ashkenazy also lost control of 690 Madison through foreclosure late last year. SL Green Realty paid transfer taxes on about $74 million, slightly under 65 percent of what Ashkenazy paid for the five-story property in 2015. SL Green held a UCC foreclosure auction of an Ashkenazy entity that owned the building in September 2021, where retail tenants include Hermès.
[PincusCo] — Holden Walter-Warner


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The luxury group Richemont recorded over the postponed fiscal year 2020/2021, which ended at the end of March, a decrease in turnover while net profit increased sharply. Jewelery houses, China and online sales strongly contributed to these results, recorded in a context marked by the coronavirus pandemic. The owner of Cartier says he has started the new year well.
“The new exercise has started well, with a tangible acceleration in all activities in April,” said the group on Friday.
If China, the engine of the growth of the luxury sector, continues to stand out, Japan and Europe are still feeling the effects of the health crisis, noted Johann Rupert, the group’s chairman, during a teleconference of balance sheet.
Throughout this closed financial year, the group’s watch and jewelry brands had to deal with the closure of their stores, particularly on the Old Continent, and the virtual absence of tourists, a very important clientele for the industry.
From April 2020 to March 2021, sales amounted to 13.1 billion euros (14.4 billion francs), down 8%. Excluding currency effects, the contraction is 5%, specifies the group in a press release.
After a 26% drop in revenues in the first half of the year, they rebounded by 30% in the 4th quarter, thanks in particular to the dynamism of the Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Buccellati, e-commerce and Middle Kingdom brands.
“The turnover of jewelry houses exceeds the level they had reached before the pandemic”, specifies the Genevan.
Better performance than its competitors in Q4
The internet revenue of the group’s brands posted triple-digit growth in fiscal year 2020/2021 while all of the group’s e-commerce activities, also including the YNAP platform, now represent 21% of revenue. Richemont’s total.
The pandemic having changed the purchasing habits of consumers, the progress of e-commerce should continue, also said management during the conference call.
In terms of profitability, net profit jumped 38% to 1.29 billion, benefiting from a unique financial effect. Operating profit (EBIT) fell 3% to 1.48 billion, while the related margin improved to 11.2% from 10.7% a year ago.
The board of directors will propose a dividend of 2 francs per share, ie double the previous year, notes the group that owns IWC. The results are above the AWP consensus.
“The performance is very solid,” summarizes Vontobel analyst Jean-Philippe Bertschy. The jewelry houses have “shone” and there is also hope for watchmaking, although sales of watches still remain below pre-crisis levels.
The results of owner Vacheron Constantin and Piaget in the 4th quarter exceeded those of their competitors, estimates Vontobel.
At 10:35 am, the Richemont share posted the best performance among the flagship stocks with an increase of 4.6% to 99 francs, flirting with its all-time high. Its reference market was almost table (-0.03%)


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Tennis is one of the most popular summer sports and finding stylish tennis gear is getting easier than ever these days. Tenniscore is the biggest activewear trend of the year and some of the leading fitness brands have already given it their seal of approval.
Girlfriend Collective is one of the world’s leading sustainable activewear brands, but they also happen to be the latest to embrace the tennis craze with their new Rocket Collection. Made with sustainable materials, this collection includes everything from matching sets to visors and sweatbands.
No activewear trend is officially in until Fabletics says so, and they can’t get enough of tenniscore this summer. Kate Hudson’s brand joined forces with Universal Tennis to launch its first tennis collection earlier this year.
Lululemon also has a tennis-inspired collection in store and they even took things up a notch by joining forces with the rising star Leylah Fernandez, the Canadian tennis player who got her big break at the US Open last year.
Ellesse’s tennis collection is as nostalgic and lavish as it gets because they partnered up with Michael Kors to make it happen. It embraces the brand’s signature orange and red color palette while paying homage to retro tennis looks of the ’70s.


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BMW concept shows new direction
‘Concept CS’ previews BMW’s next look; production version would target Porsche and Aston
BMW has put down a marker for Aston Martin and Porsche by taking the wraps off a huge four-door coupe GT concept car at April’s Shanghai motor show. The ‘Concept CS’ also reveals an all-new sculptured look for BMW, the company’s first big design revision since the controversial Chris Bangle-designed 7-series broke cover at the 2001 Frankfurt show.
If it reaches production, the big Beemer will not only have to take on the forthcoming Aston Rapide and Porsche Panamera, but will also have to compete with the Mercedes CLS and Maserati’s Quattroporte. BMW chairman Norbert Reithofer would not go as far as to confirm that the CS would progress beyond the concept stage, however, but he did rattle his sabre at his arch rivals. ‘There is much expansion potential at BMW,’ he said, ‘and while we will not necessarily launch all the products that people have speculated on, our competitors should not feel too safe, we still have lots in the pipeline.’
At 5.1 metres long and with a roof height of just 1.36 metres, the Concept CS is low and mean and doesn’t look like it was designed to carry much luggage. ‘We wanted to do a real sports car with four seats,’ says Adrian van Hooydonk, BMW’s design chief, ‘but I am six foot four inches and I can fit into the rear seats.’
If it enters production, the CS would most likely share its underpinnings with the 7-series. Under the bonnet of the concept, meanwhile, is BMW’s 500bhp, 5-litre V10 M5/M6 engine, but van Hooydonk says we shouldn’t read too much into that – apparently it’s the shape of the car’s front end that is more important, as it sees the return to BMW’s classic shark-nose look, with the front of the bonnet undercut by the grille. Van Hooydonk reckons that while this was a difficult look to achieve at the same time as meeting European crash-test regulations, BMW’s engineering staff have worked hard to allow his design team to hark back to the company’s styling roots.
What hasn’t continued for this new look is Chris Bangle’s gargantuan boot-line, but those who prefer a svelte derriere shouldn’t get their hopes up too much, as van Hooydonk explains: ‘There are still large parts of the world that appreciate a car like that [the Bangle 7-series]. You should know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.’
It certainly is. On the one hand, the sculpted panels of the Concept CS are a technological tour de force, and the result as a whole is almost certainly attractive, with the obvious Coke-bottle shape of the car harking back to Albrecht Graf von Goertz’s 507. On the other hand the shape also has hints of (yikes!) the mk3 Ford Cortina, while the rear wheelarches look like they’ve been cold-chiselled off a Bentley Flying Spur and the front end off BMW’s own Z8 sports car.
Van Hooydonk takes this all on the chin – as might be expected of a BMW designer – emphasising that it is proportions that matter with this car, not the details. ‘This car is to show what we can do, not what we will do,’ he says. ‘It’s not just for the happy few – ordinary BMW owners will know there is a new sense of sculpture, lightness and dynamics at BMW.’
That might be so, but why launch this car in Shanghai? Reithofer is keen to emphasise separate trends, and two of these are the rapid rise of the Far Eastern oligarch and the European environmental campaigner. While in Europe environmental concern is swinging from singling out 4x4s to those who drive large cars in general, in the Far East the demand for super- luxury cars is bigger than ever.
’Asia is our main focus at the moment,’ says Reithofer. ‘Our goal is to sell over 150,000 cars in the region by 2008.’ One has to wonder whether the Concept CS is more about that aim than it is to do with a small battle on the small playing field of Europe.


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An increasing number of stores have started accepting bitcoin cash (BCH) and a few other cryptocurrencies. This bitcoin cash adoption roundup features five vendors that recently started accepting the digital currency including a brand new cafebar dedicated to 15 cryptocurrencies. Also read: Yahoo! Japan Confirms Entrance Into the Crypto Space Coins Crypto Cafebar Japan is a […]
The post Bitcoin Cash Adoption Continues: Crypto Cafebar, Gold Vendor, Concealed-Carry Clothing appeared first on Bitcoin News.
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In what might be a concerted effort to design the most unpopular smartphone in U.S. history (aside from the N-Gage), Nokia and Microsoft may be teaming up for a Windows Phone 7 device sometime in 2011. According to Mobile-Review, a Russian tech site, Nokia and Microsoft have been talking during the past month. The two companies are exploring the possibility of a WP7 Nokia device. Stephen Elop, an ex-Microsoft employee, was appointed CEO of Nokia on Sept. 21.
An English translation of the site says that Nokia could be “creating an entire line of Windows Phone devices that may go under the name Nokia, through the sales channels for the company, and will also have the characteristic features of its products.”
Oddly, though Google’s Android operating system is free and infinitely customizable (there are rules if you want Google’s branding), Nokia has repeatedly said it has no plans to work with Android because it doesn’t give enough flexibility to manufacturers to differentiate themselves. Instead, it has continued to push Symbian v3.0 and MeeGo, an upcoming OS it has in development. We do not know anything about the deal Microsoft and Nokia are cooking, but the initial launch slate of WP7 devices had nearly identical hardware and contained no changes in OS design between devices.
Nokia has declined to comment on the rumors, but it seems doubtful that these Windows Phone 7 devices will take shape. Unless Nokia is more desperate than we think, it will likely rely on MeeGo to take its phones to the next level (and judging from the N8, Nokia needs to take it up a notch). Like many hardware companies, Nokia has a history of going it alone and designing both its hardware and software.
- Windows 10 vs. MacOS vs. Chrome OS
- The best tablets for small businesses in 2020
- In memoriam: All the best tech that died in the 2010s
- The best cheap phones for 2020
- How to mirror your smartphone or tablet on your TV


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On Thursday 9th January 2020, Seafolly retail stores across the world and Seafolly online joined with some of Australia’s biggest retailers to donate 100% of online & instore profits from the day to the Australian Red Cross Disaster relief fund. Together, we raised $780,000, we’re so grateful for all the community support & efforts of The Australian Red Cross and the firefighting services.
We thank you.
You can still make a donation in-store or online at check-out. Your donation will go to the Australian Red Cross emergency teams who support those affected at evacuation centres and recovery hubs with locating missing loved ones, providing emergency grants and 1:1 support.


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Permanent tsb today announced that it is partnering with financial technology leader FIS (NYSE:FIS) to provide permanent tsb’s Business Banking customers access to the latest payments solutions via Worldpay from FIS’ global platform. Those customers will be able to apply for payments solutions through their local permanent tsb branch or via the business banking customer relationship advisor.
Permanent tsb Group Holdings plc (“PTSB Holdings”) announces that permanent tsb plc (“permanent tsb” or the “Bank”), a wholly owned subsidiary, has entered into a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding
Permanent tsb today confirmed it is the latest Irish brand to become JAM Card friendly.
Permanent tsb, a leading provider of retail and SME banking in the Irish market, has been awarded the Guaranteed Irish symbol. The bank, with a presence in 76 locations serving over 1 million customers nationwide, has successfully achieved membership of Guaranteed Irish for its contribution to local communities across the country and commitment to Irish provenance and local employment.
Permanent tsb is proud to take on the ‘100km in 30 Days Challenge’ in support of our six Community Fund Partners


text: To keep pace with current and anticipated growth, Flexalloy Inc. last week moved to a new, $8.5 million headquarters and distribution center in Streetsboro. The 150,000-square-foot building 'doubles our capacityto bring just-in-time systems MANUFACTURINGto our customers,' said Flexalloy president Andrew K. Rayburn, who moved the nuts and bolts distribution company and its 145 local employees from a leased building in Bedford Heights. Mr. Rayburn said the move also included a $1.5 million investment in computer upgrades. Those improvements will enable Flexalloy to better manage data involved in supplying its 350 customers with the thousands of different fasteners they need to build their products. Mr. Rayburn said Flexalloy's sales are projected to be $115 million this year, up 24% from $93 million in 1996 and more than double the sales levels of the early 1990s. As a result,Flexalloy may hire as many as 30 employees by the end of this year, Mr. Rayburn said. 'Our sales by the year 2000 are projected to be $200 million, and this will all be from internal growth, not acquisi-tions,' Mr. Rayburn said. Flexalloy's prosperity is reflected in its 90-acre Streetsboro campus, which includes wooded areas and ponds. Mr. Rayburn said he plans to add a running track, a basketball court and a barbecue grill for employees. Mr. Rayburn attributes the company's growth in recent years to applying the just-in-time manufacturing philosophy to the distribution business. Mr. Rayburn said Flexalloy has gained business by assuring its manufacturing customers that they will receive fasteners at their assembly lines only when they need them. Mr. Rayburn said Flexalloy has maintained a record of 99.7% on-time deliveries of fasteners, usually within 12 hours. That track record has helped Flexalloy's customers make significant cuts in their spending on inventory and purchasing operations, according to Mr. Rayburn. The company often opens distribution centers next to customer manufacturing plant s tosimplify the just-in-time systems, Mr. Rayburn said. Flexalloy plans to open its next satellite center in Racine, Wis., to serve Case Corp., a maker of construction and agricultural equipment, when it begins production shortly of a new line of tractors. One of Flexalloy's customers, Volvo/GM Heavy Truck in Dublin, Va., has benefited from the Streetsboro company's services, said Volvo/GM purchasing manager Allen Powell. The company makes large tractor-trailers. 'They have helped us tremendously,' Mr. Powell said. 'They have allowed us to free up floor space and to expand our output without adding space. We also carry very little inventory (of fasteners) because Flexalloy ships products to us daily,' Mr. Powell said. Large-volume users of fasteners such as Volvo/GM are key to Flexalloy's strategy. 'We needed volume to justify the intense level of service that we provide,' Mr. Rayburn said. 'We can't do what we do for a $10,000-per-year order.' The need to focus on large customers in a handful of industries, such as truck and construction equipment manufacturing, meant that Flexalloy cut it ties to many small customers. The company's customer list in the last five to six years has shrunk to 350 from as many as 3,500, Mr. Rayburn said. As part of its customer service strategy, Flexalloy will manufacture difficult-to-find fasteners for its customers. Production is done in the Streetsboro plant and accounts for about 5% of Flexalloy's annual sales, Mr. Rayburn said. Flexalloy buys its fasteners from companies worldwide, although the majority are purchased from U.S. manufacturers. Local suppliers include Lake Erie Screw Corp. in Lakewood and Telefast Industries Inc. in Berea.


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TOKYO (TR) – Subway operator Tokyo Metro was forced to change the design of one of its official “Tetsudou Musume” mascots last week after an outcry over what some deemed as inappropriate elements, including a see-through skirt.
On October 13, Tokyo Metro released a new variation for Michika Ekino, an official mascot introduced in 2013 as a “23-year-old service manager” at the company. However, the public quickly questioned some of the design choices, including a see-through skirt, blushing cheeks and posed legs that strayed far from the original design, news site J-Cast reports (October 18).
The Ekino character has appeared at numerous Tokyo Metro events, and is popular among fans for her round eyes, slightly troubled expression and old-school drawing style that sets her apart from the glossy stylized look of mainstream anime characters.
Ekino is a so-called “railway girl,” who wear the uniforms of numerous railway operators of Japan. The new variation is in a style known as moe, a term meaning intense affection toward characters, such as girls in anime with an emphasis on purity and youthful femininity.
The revamped look was to celebrate an upcoming “National Tetsudou Musume Tour” stamp rally where fans collect stamps of railway girls starting February 11, 2017, when fans were irked by her new image.
Of particular offense to fans was, apparently, Ekino’s trademark black skirt becoming so sheer that her underwear and legs could be seen.
A widely circulated image posted by a Twitter user explains that her half-open mouth was odd when paired with the slightly troubled expression of the old design, and that her overall pose was questionable and “makes one worry if she needs to go to the bathroom.”
On October 14, Tokyo Metro bowed to mounting criticism and edited the skirt to be more conventional. The official railway girls web site shows Ekino wearing a non-sheer skirt, though her legs are still posed inward and her cheeks are flushed.
An official from Tokyo Metro’s public relations department told J-Cast that the edit was in response to “customers telling us that [the previous design] was inappropriate as a public transportation mascot.”
The previous design was a collaboration with TomyTec, an affiliate of toy giant Tomy which produces brands such as Zoids and Pokemon.
“We were told [by TomyTec] that [Ekino’s] design was based on the other ‘Tetsudou Musume’ characters,” the Tokyo Metro PR official said.
Eikino’s official profile introduces herself as a native of Bonn, Germany.
“I’m a third-culture kid that can also play the violin, but sometimes I end up using really archaic language,” Ekino’s profile says. “I can also hold my liquor pretty well.”


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The unprecedented neighborhood at Hudson Yards is quickly taking shape, generating excitement across New York City and beyond -- including many of our event managers and exhibitors. One of the most anticipated features of the historic development will be the opening of more than 100 restaurants – all across the street from the Javits Center and providing a wonderful new experience for millions of our customers.
Leading this experience will be The Shops at Hudson Yards, an eye-pleasing, seven-story space with a number of food choices approved, in part, by Per Se chef Thomas Keller. Restaurant guru David Chang will inhabit 5,000 square feet at The Shops among other big names sure to please every visitor’s taste and style.
Eater.com recently provided a breakdown of the culinary highlights at Hudson Yards – please visit their piece here for more details on all of the restaurants and food halls to come.


text: In News Use Locally Newark, November 2017 issue, in Nottinghamshire, your favorite monthly magazine is out now! November 1, 2017 No Comments Another great issue out now, with all your favourite articles, competitions and much much more, dropping through your letterbox now or pick one up from our range of outlets! Author Use Locally Related Posts January 2022 Edition out now! December 22, 2021 December 2021 edition out now! November 26, 2021 November 2021 edition out now! November 3, 2021 Comments are closed.


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I’m searching for the best penny stocks to buy for this new year. Here are four low-cost UK shares on my watchlist today.
I’m convinced that getting exposure to gold remains a good idea as inflation rockets. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, prices in the 30-odd countries that make up the bloc rose in November at their fastest pace since 1996.
The scale of inflation in developed and emerging economies is so scary that, despite the prospect of central bank rate hikes to reduce the problem, I think prices of safe-haven assets like bullion could still soar.
This is why African gold miner Centamin is on my watchlist today, though it’s not the only reason. As a long-term investor, I’m encouraged by the company’s efforts to supercharge annual production to 500,000 ounces a year. This is up from the 415,000 ounces it was targeting for 2021.
I’d buy the business despite the threat that its share price could sink if its plans to raise output encounter problems.
Investing in news publishers can be risky business as print volumes decline. But I think National World could prove a top growth stock for me to buy as online revenues take off (digital sales jumped 20% in 2021, latest financials suggested).
I’m encouraged by the quality of National World’s titles, a benefit that cannot be underplayed in this age of ‘fake news’. Papers such as The Scotsman and The Yorkshire Post have built substantial reader bases over a number of centuries. But the group is also launching new news sites (including seven last year) in major metropolitan areas to give earnings growth a shot in the arm.
A high energy UK share
I believe strong economic progress in India might supercharge shareholder returns at OPG Power Ventures. Urbanisation and industrialisation in the Asian nation is growing rapidly and, as a consequence, so is the energy that this power station operator provides.
The company’s latest update showed Indian energy consumption rose to 100.42 billion units (BU) in November. That was up from 96.88 BU and 93.94 BU in the same months in 2020 and 2019 respectively.
A word of warning however. Profits are taking a hit due to higher coal and freight prices at present. This is a problem that could resurface at a later date too.
A penny stock for XL profits
A strong outlook for advertising and marketing budgets is encouraging me to pay XLMedia close attention too. This penny stock operates news websites across the sports, gambling and personal finance arenas and sells digital marketing data to other companies. Revenues jumped 16% between January and June 2021 as industry conditions improved, latest financials showed.
I’d also buy XLMedia as its transformation plan continues through internal restructuring and accelerated acquisition activity. Its most recent acquisition in September saw it snap up gaming, retail and travel specialist BlueClaw Media for $1.8m.
I’d buy XLMedia despite the threat that ad spending — and by extension, turnover at the firm — could slump if economic conditions worsen again.


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After Apple's move to repurchase $14 billion in shares, the activist investor says it makes no sense to continue on with his buyback proposal.
Shareholders will vote in February on investor Carl Icahn's "non-binding" proposal to increase Apple's stock buyback program to $50 billion.
Virtual assistants like Siri and Google Now could be helpful in navigating privacy settings or letting users know how their data is being used by Internet services.
The retail giant will not be seeing its first established union in the United States.
The investor files a "precatory proposal" to Apple calling for shareholders to vote on the terms of its buyback program.
A report suggests Kanye West is furious someone posted a video of his proposal to Kim Kardashian. That someone is said to be YouTube founder Chad Hurley, who posted 150 seconds to his new MixBit site.
While visiting a U.K. castle, a Minneapolis man dons the augmented reality specs and gets on one knee to pop a big question.
Back in the olden days, guys just got down on one knee. Now, they need flying machines and aerial photography to get through a marriage proposal.
The company says the committee will "carefully evaluate" the proposal to see if it's a superior offer to the one delivered by Japan-based SoftBank.
Internet tax supporters, with backing from Walmart, Macy's, and Best Buy, are hoping a Senate vote will give them enough political leverage to require Americans to pay sales tax when shopping online.


text: Others are just dirt and rock to be dug through in the search for treasure. have led to a frenzy in recent times among developers to get their very own game app published for users. You start a game with someone over iMessage, and you’ll each get an alert when it’s your turn to make a move. For now, the company is already working with Chinese vendors to offer consumer-grade AR apps, including video playback, gaming and furniture placement. On September 23, 2019, Google launched its Google Play Pass games and apps subscription service in the US. It’s a store owned by the company that makes the products that are sold. Land Vehicles will spawn at every possible spawn point on the map. Overall, our top pick among Samsung’s new Android phones is the Galaxy S20 Plus, because it offers a larger display and longer endurance. Was it because it didn’t want to be a number behind the iPhone 12, which is presumably coming later this year? Signs obviously point to yes, but Samsung claims it chose the name because it wanted to signal that the S20 is the start of a new generation of phones. 5G is standard across the lineup, but a big difference creeps in for certain regions. They also have plenty of RAM and internal storage space which power users will no doubt appreciate. Qualcomm also showcased their Snapdragon X50 5G modem, Snapdragon 855 and QTM052 mmWave Antenna Module.


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GISRA instructions released
The Office of Management and Budget released instructions June 22 explaining what agencies should include in their first reports under the Government Information Security Reform Act. GISRA requires agencies to adopt security management practices, conduct reviews of the practices and report on their actions. The reports, which are due Sept. 10, will be summarized for a report to Congress.
The memo includes instructions for the reports' executive summary and questions on topics such as accounting procedures and performance measures.
New standard set for security
The Commerce Department approved the new standard for the minimum level of cryptography in federal security products, replacing a standard that had been in effect for seven years.
With the approval June 27, security products used for sensitive, unclassified information must be certified under the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Federal Information Processing Standard 140-2, Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules. The new standard goes into effect Nov. 25.
Energy Star gets a boost
President Bush said in a June 28 speech that he has a dream: "to have desktop computers all across our government with the latest [energy-saving] devices."
Bush told Energy Department em.ployees that federal offices should be equipped so that "when the computer is off or on standby, the energy supply being used is reduced by sevenfold. That's necessary. It is the right step for our federal government to set the example."
He promised to aggressively promote the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program. "The Energy Star is a great way for the federal government to enter into a partnership with consumer product producers," the president said.


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Smaller 18:9 screen and Snapdragon 835 SoC
Just a day ahead of Apple's big unveil, Xiaomi has decided to launch a plethora of new products including the flagship bezel-less Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 smartphone with 5.99-inch FHD+ screen and Snapdragon 835 SoC.
Of a "flagship dual camera" smartphone
Xiaomi has teased us about an upcoming event scheduled for September 5th, when the company will launch its new smartphone with a flagship dual camera.
Snapdragon 835 SoC and 6GB of RAM
Xiaomi's successor of the game-changing Mi Mix smartphone has been rumored for quite a while but the latest benchmark results revealed a bit more details, including the Snapdragon 835 chipset and 6GB of RAM.


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Animoca, a Hong Kong-based software and venture capital company founded in 2014, develops NFT blockchain games. The company closed a funding round in January at a value of US $5 billion led by libert city ventures with Georg.
Cofounder Yat Siu envisions the company challenging the dominance of big tech firms like Meta Animoca. He is also an investor in the NFT platform OpenSea and decentralized autonomous organization Yield Guild Games.
The state fund doesn’t invest in cryptocurrency. Bitcoin is the largest cryptocurrency backed by the US government. The US $2 trillion in digital assets has been wiped out since November.
They have been using the downturn to buy up stakes in industry players and digital tokens and plans to go to market in the future. Features: a coin-creeder, a lion, an octopus, and a bear.