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You’ve probably heard Amazon has been shopping for a second home.
In typical corporate fashion, Amazon put out an RFP (Request for Proposal) and many North American cities have been falling all over themselves hoping to win the big prize.
And who can blame them?
After all, Amazon is projecting FIFTY-THOUSAND jobs … with an average annual salary of $100,000 … which is $5 BILLION per YEAR … PLUS another $5 BILLION in capital investment.
That’s a LOT of new economic activity to cram into one metro.
Think about it. Fifty-thousand jobs is enough for every single man, woman, and child in the cities of Cerritos, CA; Harrisburg, PA; or Galveston TX.
Of course, none of those cities are in the running because they’re too tiny. But the potential impact on whatever metro wins is substantial.
Amazon says they aren’t going to announce until 2018, so we’ll have to wait and see where they end up … and what kind of incentives they get out of the deal.
A quick perusal of the RFP outlines what Amazon is looking for.
Here are some highlights about what Amazon wants in a market …
- A metro with more than 1 million people
- A stable and business-friendly environment
- Urban or suburban locations attractive to technical talent
- An international airport within 45 minutes with direct flights to key cities
- Close to freeways
- High capacity connectivity (fiber optic and cellular)
- Access to large, educated labor force
- Attractive community and quality of life for employees
Here’s what Amazon wants in a deal …
- Access to mass transit to the site
- “Scale and creativity” in real estate options (it’ll be interesting to see what this looks like)
There’s more, but these are the biggies.
Of course, a business doesn’t have to be Amazon to want these things. They just have enough clout to make a public spectacle of it.
Meanwhile, there are some things to think about as you watch this unfold.
Primary jobs create secondary and tertiary jobs.
Amazon boasts it’s “been a catalyst for development in downtown Seattle with an abundance of restaurants, services, coffee shops …”.
So it’s not just 50,000 Amazon jobs at stake … it’s billions in local commerce as Amazon’s employees spend big chunks of their salaries in the local community and create lots of non-Amazon jobs.
Amazon claims every dollar they invested in Seattle generates an additional $1.40 for the city’s overall economy.
So on a $5 billion investment, that’s ANOTHER $2 billion in economic juice for the winning geography.
And while local landlords may not rent directly to many of Amazon’s $100,000-per-year workers … Amazon employees’ spending will create lots of lower paying jobs for potential tenants.
It’s a safe bet Amazon’s presence will be good for landlords.
Other employers may follow the leader.
Most companies aren’t big enough to do the kind of research Amazon is doing.
We’re guessing more than a few employers looking to expand or relocate may just decide, “If it’s good enough for Amazon, it’s good enough for us.”
Some businesses may move to the area specifically to be near Amazon. That’s even more primary, secondary and tertiary jobs.
Again, all very good for landlords.
Don’t end up paying for the farm the city gives away.
Sometimes in their zeal to notch political points or a marquee win, government officials can blow their budgets landing a big fish.
But the big fish … in this case Amazon … doesn’t pay the price. They’re usually exempted through “incentives.” Instead, the bill ends up with the locals.
We’re not saying that’s happening here. We don’t know the terms of any deal. But it’s something we’ll look at closely when the final deal’s announced.
It’s been reported San Antonio dropped out of the running because of concerns they “would not be highly competitive from a ‘real estate and incentives perspective.’”
San Antonio’s mayor is quoted as saying, “Blindly giving away the farm isn’t our style.” It probably shouldn’t be yours either.
So pay attention to what the winner pledges … and whether it’s likely to affect property owners or small businesses.
If you’re not careful, you may end up moving in just in time to pick up your share of the tab for the incentives.
The real estate opportunity will develop slowly.
Even though all this is in the news, there’s no easy way for Wall Street hot money to front-run investors into Main Street real estate. It’s too cumbersome.
So even though you’re watching the opportunity develop on the front page of mainstream financial news, you have a good chance to get in while the getting’s good.
As plans are announced, the impact on local housing, land, retail, and commercial space will become more apparent.
Once the market is announced, the FIRST thing to do is get boots-on-the-ground and build a team. They’ll help you find the pockets of opportunity.
Our bet is Amazon will pick the best LONG-TERM deal. They’ve been playing the long game for their entire existence, and Wall Street seems fine with it.
We’d be shocked if the final criteria for Amazon’s decision are primarily financial incentives, which are most important early.
We think the front runners are probably those cities with great infrastructure in terms of airport, freeways, mass transit, education, population, and connectivity.
Cities who don’t already have all this in place probably can’t make investments big enough fast enough to win … no matter how much tax savings and real estate they give away.
Another reason to think the winner will be a bigger metro is the burden of any incentives must be borne by the people and businesses already there.
Many hands make a light load. If each voter’s slice of the burden is too big, the politicians and Amazon might have a big PR problem.
Amazon’s smart. If they want big perks without upsetting the locals, they know they’ll need a bigger population to share the load.
But since you’ve read this far, we’ll go out on a limb and say if we had to place a bet (and we don’t), our money would be on Atlanta.
It’s huge, has great everything, and gives the new HQ proximity to both Latin America and Europe.
Of course, we could be dead wrong (and often are), but it’s fun to speculate.
Is Amazon a prime opportunity for real estate investors?
Time will tell, but it’s certainly a story worth watching. The odds are good.
Any time this much economic activity is pointed at a single market, there’s certainly going to be a lot of opportunity.
The big question is when and where. Stay tuned!
Until next time … good investing!
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If you're looking to have your Facebook profile convey the real you, you might want to take a closer look at your profile photo.
Nowadays, everyone is on Facebook — from your friends to your parents to even your boss and most definitely your coworkers. But if you're looking to have your Facebook profile convey the real you, you might want to take a closer look at your profile photo. According to new research, photos seem to be the primary way we make impressions of people on social networking sites.
Jennipher Walters is the CEO and co-founder of the healthy living websites FitBottomedGirls.com and FitBottomedMamas.com. A certified personal trainer, lifestyle and weight management coach and group exercise instructor, she also holds an MA in health journalism and regularly writes about all things fitness and wellness for various online publications.

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Sat, Jul 14, 2012 | 20:05 BST
Watch 40 minutes of Sleeping Dogs gameplay
Videogamer has gotten its hands on United Front’s upcoming actioner, Sleeping Dogs, and has posted 40 minutes of gameplay featuring commentary from the staff. It’s posted below. Sleeping Dogs releases in August on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Thanks, Evil Avatar.


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‘1917’ Triumphs at the Box Office With $37 Million, and Much More To Come
Some good news this weekend: The early 2020 small uptick in grosses continued, with total ticket sales totaling around $130 million.
(The second weekend of 2019 saw $120 million.) And leading the charge was Sam Mendes’ innovative “1917.” At $36.5 million, it more than doubled #2 “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” for an easy #1 placement.The three-day period saw four new and expanding wide studio releases, compared with two in 2019 — “The Upside” and “A Dog’s Way Home,” along with the independent “Replicas” which only roused $2.3 million.
That means the biggest reason for the jump is more new titles rather than suggesting a major box-office resurrection.The big question this year is whether original titles can continue to perform like “The Upside,” “Hustlers,” and “Knives Out.” “1917” is showing initial strength that should push it to those levels, or higher.
But the other three new wide releases all look like they will fall short of $50 million domestic to some degree.
Read full article


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The Fortnite Quadcrasher looks to be poised to be the second vehicle to make it into the game. This 4-wheeler will also be the first drivable vehicle to be powered by an engine. Unlike the shopping cart, the Quadcrasher seems like it’ll be more than a novelty. Instead, it may be part of a new mode entirely. Here’s what we know about the Fortnite Quadcrasher and when the ATV will become available.
What is the Quadcrasher in Fortnite?
From a recent leak, we can see that the Quadcrasher is a 4-wheeler with some sort of ramming plow on the front. It comes with the description, “Charge the boost to crash through structures or get some air!” From the sound of it, the Quadcrasher almost has to be part of an unannounced game mode since adding it to the base game would cause some significant mix-ups.
New Vehicle coming next update! The Quadcrasher! pic.twitter.com/c1rxxnDDNx
— Fortnite: Battle Royale Leaks (@FNBRLeaks) October 11, 2018
As to what type of event the Quadcrasher will be part of, we’re not sure. It’s likely it will be part of some sort of Halloween limited time mode. Hopefully, there’s room for a passenger so we can get some Halo-esque battles going on.
When Will the Quadcrasher be Released in Fortnite?
We’re not sure exactly when the Quadcrasher is coming to Fortnite. The leaked datamine says that it’ll be in the next update, but we don’t know if that means the next weekly update or the next big update. We anticipate there’ll be quite a bit of fanfare behind the addition of this new vehicle, so expect much meme-making and revelry in the next few weeks.
The big question is whether or not this is going to mark a trend of more vehicles in Fortnite. As the game has gained its success in on-foot combat, it’ll be odd to see how the community adapts to more vehicular-based brawls.


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Nubia Red Magic 5G will sport a 6.65-inch display and a 4400mAh battery.
Nubia has already confirmed that the Red Magic 5G will come equipped with a 144Hz refresh rate OLED screen.
It will be launched on March 12.
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Nubia will be launching the Nubia Red Magic 5G on March 12. The company has confirmed the launch date of its next gaming phone. Previously, the phone has appeared online. The images and specifications have also surfaced in the past. Moreover, a live shot also appeared online recently. Nubia has already confirmed that the Red Magic 5G will come equipped with a 144Hz refresh rate OLED screen. Moreover, the company’s president Ni Fei already confirmed up to 16GB LPDDR5 RAM and up to 256GB storage for the phone.
The leaked live image revealed a vertical camera strip that houses three cameras followed by the “REDMAGIC” logo that appears to light up in different colours. he top and bottom edges are not clearly visible. However, the edge consists of a shoulder button, an air vent, and a pogo connector. Moreover, the previous image has revealed that it will sport an air vent, a volume rocker and a power key on its red-coloured spine.
According to the TENAA listing, the Nubia Red Magic 5G will sport a 6.65-inch display and a 4400mAh battery. The device will have an "air-cooled fast charging solution" to prevent the phone from overheating while charging and maintain the battery's longevity. It is like to come in a dual-coloured frame with the left side sporting a blue coat of paint while the right-hand-side will tout a red finish.
The Nubia Red Magic 5G is expected to come equipped with the 64MP Sony IMX686 sensor. It is tipped to support 55W fast charging technology as well.
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Digit caters to the largest community of tech buyers, users and enthusiasts in India. The all new Digit in continues the legacy of Thinkdigit.com as one of the largest portals in India committed to technology users and buyers. Digit is also one of the most trusted names when it comes to technology reviews and buying advice and is home to the Digit Test Lab, India's most proficient center for testing and reviewing technology products.
We are about leadership-the 9.9 kind! Building a leading media company out of India.And,grooming new leaders for this promising industry.


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WAIKIKI (HawaiiNewsNow) - The number of vacation rentals on Oahu jumped nearly 5 percent last year, a new Hawaii Tourism Authority report concludes.
Altogether, the state now has some 12,659 vacation rental units, though the authority expressed some doubt on that total given tracking difficulties.
Meanwhile, the state saw a 1 percent increase in hotel rooms, to 44,431.
And the number of timeshare units grew 3 percent, to 11,062.
Altogether, the islands have 80,336 visitor accommodation units, the authority said.
That's a 1.6 percent increase from 2016, and the largest-ever total recorded in the state.
In fact, it's up by more than 7,000 from a decade ago.
And much of the growth has been in vacation rentals. In 2007, there were nearly 5,800 vacation rentals in Hawaii.


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Senior Vice President Chris Keith has the market analysis for Tuesday, February 5. Major U.S. stockA financial instrument giving the holder a proportion of the ownership and earnings of a company. indexes advanced, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and NASDAQ up 0.7%, 0.5% and 0.8%, respectively. Meanwhile, the Institute for Supply Management’s service sector index revealed a 2.2% decline in January from the previous month. Despite this recent slowdown, due in part to the government shutdown and ongoing trade uncertainty, the sector remains in expansionary mode. On the earnings front, Disney’s stock rose 2% in extended trading after the company beat earnings expectations and announced the launch of its “Disney+” streaming video platform.
Adviser Investments' logo is a registered trademark of Adviser Investments, LLC.


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County’s purchasing card program deemed ‘success’
Fayette County’s purchasing card program, reinvigorated in October 2008, has simplified purchasing for county departments with no abuse of the new associated policies, the county commission was told last week.
The purchasing cards allow for the purchase of office supplies and payment for training and travel, including lodging and meals, Finance Director Mary Holland said.
With 80 cards issued for the county’s various departments, a total of $234,585 was spent on the purchasing cards in the 2009 fiscal year. Of that total, nearly $35,000 was used for purchases made by the Sheriff’s Department’s drug seizure funds out of that separate account, Holland explained.
Purchases for training and travel with associated lodging and meals accounted for nearly 50 percent of the transactions, with office supplies amounting to 23 percent.
Each month the county audits 10 percent of the cards to make sure spending is in compliance with the P-card policy, Holland explained. For the entire fiscal year, only two purchases were flagged as having violated the policy and both were due to a misunderstanding of the policy, Holland said.
Both policy violations involved “splitting” purchases up to get under the transaction limit of $500. One of the purchases was only over that amount by $10 and the other was over by $300 for printer cartridges and other supplies. Departments can order office supplies from an approved vendor online without having to use a P-card, Holland noted.
In addition to the monthly auditing, finance department staff also review purchases to insure compliance, and that’s how the two policy violations were caught, Holland said.
The Sheriff’s Department has the largest number of P-cards with 44, though 17 are tied solely to the drug seizure fund for which the department has its own internal restrictions, Holland said.
The county’s fire and EMS department has the next largest number of authorized cards with 11.
Holland said she would categorize the P-card program as a success for the county.
The county operated a similar program in 2005 that was abandoned in 2006 after problems arose with accountability, including the multiple swiping of cards to circumvent the previous spending limit on purchases.
Alleged misuse of a purchasing card was what apparently led to the resignation of former County Manager Chris Cofty, who was found to have spent more than $2,700 in purchases for business lunches for himself and certain county leaders. Cofty resigned a month after an investigation into those purchases commenced.


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MANCHESTER'S credentials as a shoppers' paradise received a further boost today as luxury clothing firm Crombie announced plans to open its biggest-ever shop in the city.
The new store will open in November and is being launched in direct response to customer demand, according to the firm.
With a retail area of about 3,000 sq ft, offering both a ladies and men's collection, the new three-storey store will be located at 19 King Street.
Alan Lewis, chairman of the company, which was founded near Aberdeen in 1805, said: "To fulfil the strong demand for the brand, we have been looking for key locations in Britain's cosmopolitan cities and are delighted to have secured this prime site."
Crombie operates 25 retail outlets to date and is looking for other prime sites throughout the country.
It claims to be the only British retailer to own and manage every stage of production from the spinning and weaving through to design, manufacturing and retail.


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Samsung New Zealand today announced the highly-anticipated Samsung GALAXY S4 smartphone will be available to New Zealand consumers from 10:00am on April 27, 2013.
Due to its geographical location New Zealand consumers will be the first in the world to purchase the device. Other countries throughout the world will also start selling the device from 10am their local time on April 27.
At launch the smartphone will be sold through selected retailers nationwide including Vodafone, Telecom and 2degrees** and will come in two colours – Black Mist and White Frost.
Samsung New Zealand has also confirmed that only the 4G-capable 1.9 GHz Quad-Core Processor version of the device will be available locally. The device will also feature Navigon – a premium navigation service from GPS technology company Garmin.
Unveiled on March 15 (NZST) at the Samsung Unpacked event in New York, the Samsung GALAXY S4 is set to redefine the smartphone experience. The device features the world’s first Full HD Super AMOLED display and 5-inch large screen for stunning viewing quality and a host of new applications including S-Translator, Smart Scroll and Smart Pause.
The device is also equipped with a 13 megapixel rear camera and Dual Shot for simultaneous use of both front and rear cameras. It includes 12 different shooting modes for capturing the perfect shot.
Samsung New Zealand Sales Director Jon Barrell says the company is expecting the GALAXY S4 to be as popular, if not more so, than its record-breaking predecessor – the GALAXY SIII.
“The GALAXY S4 takes the smartphone experience to the next level. From the 13 megapixel camera to its unmatched processing power and brilliant screen quality - it’s an impressive device and we’re confident Kiwis are going to love it. Users can look forward to a number of standout features of the GALAXY S4."


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Children and teens vaping
shouldn’t be normalized
Re: “East Bay school system joins lawsuit against Juul” (Mercurynews.com, Jan. 30):
The fact that the number of e-cigarette users increased by 1.5 million from 2017 to 2018 is alarming because it is the largest spike in any substance recorded in 44 years.
More and more children are using Juuls. Children vaping should not be a normalized concept. Juul has used enticing flavors such as strawberry to market their product to kids who may not be fully aware of the dangerous side effects of e-cigarettes. Juul products contain a high concentration of nicotine and adolescents are more vulnerable to its addictiveness and the harm.
The FDA investigated this company to research the safety of Juul’s products and to try to prevent stores from selling to minors.
If the FDA did not step in to investigate, Juul would not have ceased selling their fruit-flavored pods.
Juuls are marketed as being safer than traditional tobacco cigarettes, but there is not enough evidence to suggest that.


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This December, Italian restaurant and lounge, Cipriani Yas Island, takes an elegant approach to the festive season. Guests can indulge in unparalleled and timeless luxury while overlooking the festively decorated, ‘snow’ sprinkled Yas Marina.
The restaurant, known as the home of authentic Italian cuisine in Abu Dhabi, welcomes seasonal additions to its à la carte menu, offering traditional Italian and holiday classics, cooked to perfection with the freshest, premium products.
Festive Set Menu
With its panoramic views of the marina and exclusive private dining and VIP area experiences, Cipriani Yas Island is the ultimate location for social gatherings. From intimate family dinners to larger corporate events, guests can expect nothing but exceptional and personalised service. The Festive Set Menu includes Marinated “Radicchio” with “Stracchino Cipriani”, Home Made Veal “Tortellini” with Cream, Roasted Turkey with Chestnuts and Duchess Potatoes, and an unmissable classic, Arrigo Cipriani’s own recipe of Panettone with “Mascarpone” sauce.
As the final race in Formula 1’s 2017 calendar prepares to take place, the world’s sporting media has arrived in Abu Dhabi to set up shop at Yas Marina Circuit.
With more than 300 journalists from over 45 nationalities working in the Media Centre across the weekend, the state-of-the-art venue will be a frenzy of languages, deadlines and eventually celebration, as the race and the 2017 season draws to a close on Sunday evening.
Journalists, photographers, presenters and producers from as far afield as Argentina, Australia, Japan, China and the United States will mingle and compare notes, along with reporters from the Middle East including UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Lebanon.
TheGreenEcostore.com super sale is now on.
The annual Winter Wonderland on Al Maryah Island is treating guests with yet another world of entertainment and exciting festive attractions for family and friends on December 14th – 26th . Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi’s business and lifestyle destination, transforms into a spectacular Winter Wonderland this holiday season as Santa’s Grotto welcomes little ones and their families at The Galleria this festive season.
Visitors can celebrate the festive season and enjoy entertainment featuring roaming performances including marching bands and live stage shows. Visitors can also explore a wide selection of festive food and beverage offerings, arts and crafts, and enjoy carnival games for families.
The festivities will kick off with an extravagant tree lighting ceremony at the waterfront Promenade. Family and friends are invited to come together to marvel at the stunning display and have their photograph taken on Thursday 14th December at 7:00pm.
Yas Mall, the largest mall in Abu Dhabi, will launch its Black & White Weekend Sale, from Thursday 23 November to Sunday 26 November. Inspired by the global sale event ‘Black Friday’, Yas Mall’s array of international retailers will offer discounts of up to 90%, helping visitors shop at great deals, including House of Fraser, Debenhams, the One, Home Centre, E- Max, plus many more.
With the 2017 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix happening at the same time and as the only mall in the world set against the backdrop of a Formula 1 track, Yas Mall will celebrate the motor race championship in style. Yas Mall will be transformed with amazing roaming entertainment in black and white and checkered flags will line the boulevards, making it the perfect shopping pit-stop. For that picture-perfect Instagram moment, everyone can recreate the buzz of the race with Yas Mall’s F1 starting line arch, chequered flags and life-size F1 Helmets. You may even catch some race car drivers roaming around between races!
The grand opening of The Walk at Al Seef was a huge success with thousands of guests attending the launch weekend from November 16-18, 2017.
Identified as a hidden gem in the capital, The Walk at Al Seef was completely transformed into a European winter market for the three-day festival, with pop-up stalls organised by La Loupe, a local retail collective, and live music performances along the walkways.
The Walk at Al Seef was officially inaugurated by His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman, Department of Culture and Tourism, in the presence of Nehme Darwiche, Chairman at Darwiche Worldwide Legacy – the resort manager, and Angus Woodhead, General Manager of Al Seef Retail – owners of the property. The festival kicked off following the ribbon cutting ceremony, the setting for which was arranged by Oleander Flower Shop based in Al Seef Village Mall.
55&5th, The Grill
Head to the terrace of the Manhattan-style fine-dining venue for aperitifs and nibbles, followed by a flavorful four-course Spanish meal paired with Torres grape.
DATE: 12 December 2017
TIME: 7pm onwards
PRICE: AED 295+++ per person
Steak and Oysters
A choice of one fillet, striploin or rib-eye steak paired with a selection of oysters. A side dish is included.
DATE: Every Friday
TIME: 7pm to 11pm
PRICE+++: AED 230 inclusive of local water. Oysters priced separately – AED 300 for three; AED 350 for six; AED 450 for 12.
For all the meat lovers out there! Select your cut of meat, 700g of T-bone, côte de bœuf or Chateaubriand, cooked to your preference and served with side dishes and sensational sauces.
DATE: Every Tuesday and Wednesday
TIME: 7pm to 10.30pm
PRICE+++: AED 600 per person
Organisers are urging people to hurry if they wish to guarantee a place at the region’s biggest and best sporting entertainment weekend, revealing there are fewer than 1,000 tickets remaining for this week’s 2017 FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX.
Due to popular demand, promoters recently launched a limited number of Friday-only Abu Dhabi Hill tickets, but Yas Marina Circuit has revealed that these are expected to sell out in the next 48 hours.
There are only a few opportunities left to enjoy the spectacle of the F1® season finale, with Main, North two-day, Marina three-day and all West Grandstand tickets completely sold out.
For more information on tickets to the 2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, please call +971 2 659 9800 or visit www.yasmarinacircuit.com
Under the patronage of H.E. Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Tolerance, and ahead of the official launch of the Abu Dhabi Festival 2018 headline programme, Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) presents The Centenary of ‘La Cumparsita,’ a celebratory concert marking 100 years of the anthem of the tangos. Taking place on 23 November 2017, the Arab World Premiere performance is presented in partnership with the Embassy of Uruguay and in association with The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi.
Performed by the iconic Uruguayan bandoneònist Hector Ulises Passarella and his band, the evening will celebrate the definitive anthem of the tangos reaching its 100th anniversary and the instrument’s expressive and powerful sound – demonstrating why it is synonymous with the passionate tango. A programme of iconic works including contemporary and traditional tangos, as well as innovative arrangements of pieces by Chopin and Bach, will showcase the diversity of the artform and the instrument.
WWE’s family-friendly action will continue for a second consecutive night in Abu Dhabi with a newly-added event on Friday, December 8 at Zayed Sports City Tennis Stadium featuring Triple H vs. Roman Reigns in the main event. Tickets will be available today, Wednesday, November 15, starting at 12pm GST via PlatinumList.net and UAE Exchange outlets.
Friday’s event will also feature, for the first time ever, a RAW Tag Team Championship Steel Cage Match featuringCesaro™ and Sheamus™ vs. Dean Ambrose™ and Seth Rollins™.
Tickets are also still available for Thursday, December 7, which will now feature a WWE Women’s Championship Match between Alexa Bliss™ and Sasha Banks™.
WWE Superstars scheduled to appear at both events include Roman Reigns™, Seth Rollins™, Dean Ambrose™, Braun Strowman™, Bray Wyatt™, Finn Bálor™, Kane™, Samoa Joe™, Cesaro™ and Sheamus™, among others.*


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It would be recalled that reports emanated yesterday that a Nigerian woman bought the synthetic rice rumoured to be imported from China by unscrupulous people for maximum benefits.
In an interview with Saturday Tribune, NAFDAC’s Director of Special Duties, Mr Abubakar Jimoh, said: “Immediately we read in the papers that plastic/fake rice was being shipped to Nigeria through our borders, our Acting Director General, Mrs Yetunde Oni, gave a marching order to all our NAFDAC formations scattered across the country.”
According to him, “at NAFDAC, we have what is called the Post Marketing Surveillance Directorate which is in charge of going round local markets to confirm the standards of foods that are being sold there. So, even if this rice beats Customs checkpoints at the border posts and gets into the markets, our men can still go there and seize them for destruction. This directorate goes about sniffing for substandard food and drug items in our markets. The Acting DG has given our officers a marching order and they are currently combing markets all over the country for this plastic/fake rice.”
The Nigeria Customs Service has also intensified seizure of toxic rice illegally imported into the country.
The fears of consumers about the toxic/plastic rice particularly stemmed from the fact that Yuletide, known for the heavy consumption of rice in many homes, is here.
Nigeria shares major borders with Benin Republic at Seme Border (Lagos State), Idiroko (Ogun State), Saki (Oyo State) and Chikanda (Kwara State), and it is on record that all sorts of rice have passed through these routes into many Nigerian markets unnoticed.
Although the existence of unhealthy and toxic rice in many Nigerian markets has been confirmed by NCS and NAFDAC, the agencies said they had not found a grain of plastic rice in any local market. THINK YOUR FRIEND WOULD BE INTRESTED? SHARE THIS STORY USING ANY OF THE SHARE BUTTON BELOW ⬇ PLACE YOUR TEXT ADVERT BELOW:>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ( FREE ) secret Fruits that Increased My Manhood size and Lasting Power in 7-days... CLICK HERE TO GET IT Warning To Men: This 3 Foods Is Killing Your Erection. Click Here To Know Them


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In the race to win Amazon's second headquarters, states and localities have revealed just how far they are willing to go to win the online retailer's business. And it may be resulting in bigger-than-necessary payouts to Amazon.
According to the latest data available from Good Jobs First, which tracks tax incentives, state and local governments have already promised a minimum of $1.6 billion in corporate subsidies to Amazon since 2000. The company’s HQ2 search could easily double that amount. Arlington, Texas, was prepared to offer nearly $1 billion in state and local subsidies, while Atlanta and Columbus, Ohio, are reportedly offering more than $2 billion.
“This is basically Amazon's way of gathering a lot of information for free in a short amount of time and understanding the incentives those localities are willing to offer,” says Kasia Tarczynska, who curates the data on Amazon for Good Jobs First.
Take the Birmingham, Ala., metro area. It was one of hundreds that bid for Amazon’s HQ2 and didn’t make the short list released in January. But just weeks ago, Amazon announced it would open a new distribution center there -- the first in the state -- and create 1,500 jobs. For doing so, the company will receive $51 million in state, county and local tax incentives, on top of an unspecified amount in local occupational tax incentives.
The deal was hailed by regional leaders as a huge win. “Whenever a company of Amazon’s panache enters a community, things improve,” Jefferson County Commissioner David Carrington said in a press statement.
But some have begun to question the price tag. Standing out in stark contrast to the deal in Alabama is one made just weeks before for a similarly sized distribution center in Tulsa, Okla., that will also create 1,500 jobs. That deal cost Tulsa just $2.3 million in reported local subsidies.
Noting that Birmingham is the nation’s largest metro area without an Amazon distribution center, local businessman and former chair of the region's Chamber of Commerce David Sher questioned whether the giveaway was necessary. “Birmingham’s the largest metro in the state,” he wrote in an op-ed for the local newspaper. “Did anyone think Amazon was just going [to] skip us?”
Furthermore, an analysis of tax incentive deals for similar-sized warehouses by the Birmingham Business Journal found that the incentives awarded for the Amazon facility were far higher than the norm. Most other deals ranged from $5 million to $19 million, with the highest coming from Fresno, Calif., for $30 million.
The wide range in offers between Birmingham and Tulsa reflects a larger disparity: Good Jobs First’s Amazon database shows a huge variance in reported subsidies -- from $50,000 for a distribution center in Taylor County, Ky., to multimillion-dollar deals for facilities in Maryland, Michigan and Ohio, to name a few.
Amazon isn't the only large company to benefit from Alabama's largesse. In recent years, the state has promised nearly $1 billion to Mazda and Toyota to build a car plant, and roughly half a billion to the pharmaceutical company Bayer for renovating and restoring a historic building in Birmingham.
By comparison, Oklahoma’s major tax subsidies don’t top $200 million on any reported deal.
To read this regularly, subscribe to "The Week in Public Finance" newsletter for free.
*CORRECTION: A previous version of this stated that Arlington, Va., was prepared to offer nearly $1 billion in state and local subsidies for Amazon's second headquarters. It was actually Arlington, Texas.


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ZF Marine announced that they have partnered with Ilmor Marine, LLC as the exclusive supplier of transmissions for recently announced Ilmor powered MasterCraft products.
“We’re proud of our longstanding relationship with MasterCraft Boat Company,” said ZF Marine’s AJ Halavacs, Segment Manager - Pleasurecraft. “Ilmor will be supplying MasterCraft with a terrific engine, and we’re proud to have our transmission mated to it.” Halavacs continued, “ZF Marine transmissions have proven their durability in the watersports segment again and again. That durability, combined with our after sales support, was instrumental in securing this partnership.”
ZF Marine will supply it’s 45 and 63 series transmissions, produced in Padova, Italy to Ilmor Marine for packaging and line side shipment
of the powertrain to MasterCraft’s production facility.


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Virgin mobile’s Australian arm is to cut 35 jobs when it closes a Sidney based telesales center on Friday. The company is closing the city center office, which has been operating for 18 months, because it is selling more phones through other outlets.
The company has decided that it will no longer sell over the phone, instead it is realigning the business to where customers have previously bought their phones. Despite the job cuts Virgin Mobile customers will still be able to access a call center for service queries.
The 35 job cuts are all call center and support staff, some of these employees have opted to take what the company calls a ‘generous’ redundancy package. However, the Australian Services Union (ASU) is requesting reassurance from Virgin Mobile that it will not cut any more jobs.


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Xiaomi’s Hugo Barra always seems to have a plan. His latest is building an entirely new brand in India — a country he believes is having a “tech renaissance”.
In an interview with Quartz, Barra says the company’s Indian subsidiary, Mi, is vital to his move to make Xiaomi an e-commerce giant and has announced exciting plans for the operation.
The former Google executive explains he doesn’t want to simply sell there but wants Mi to become a part of India. Barra says Mi could soon begin manufacturing there — through partners — essentially building a separate e-commerce business. It uses Foxconn in China.
“We are here for the long run, and we want to brand ourselves into the fabric of this country,” he tells Quartz.
He adds that the company will like start writing software in India too, and mentions plans to soon release the new Mi4 smartphone and the RedMi Note in its market. He also hints at bringing its TV to the country.
India, Barra says, is his biggest focus outside of China — where Xiaomi is the third biggest e-commerce business. It’s also the top phone company, selling more smartphones in its domestic market than Samsung and Apple.
When Xiaomi’s Mi brand first sold in India, expected sales figures of its smartphones were “a few thousand”, Barra remarks, but ended up exceeding 20,000. Now they’re selling at around 100,000 per week.
In October, a plane full of its products was flown into India and having set up an office in Bangalore, he says the city “feels like Silicon Valley”.
“I think India is right in the middle of a tech renaissance,” he explains to Quartz.
And notes: “Where our office is in Bangalore, we are right next to InMobi and a bunch of other exciting companies.
“Bangalore feels like Silicon Valley in many ways already. India today has the same number of Internet users as China had, say, in 2007-08”.


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Brands worldwide are set to lose $6.5 billion in online advertising spend to fraudulent bots this year, according to recent research from White Ops and the Association of National Advertisers (ANA).
The report was based on an analysis conducted by White Ops in 4Q16 of the online advertising spend of 49 ANA member companies, including major corporations, such as Coca-Cola, American Express, and Target. Global estimates were determined in part based on the amount of fraud seen with the sample advertisers.
The researchers examined only digital display and video ad buys—not search buys, pay-per-click (PPC) buys, or paid social media campaigns.
Total projected online ad spend loss to bot traffic (impressions from nonhumans) is down 10% from 2017. The researchers theorize the decline is due to the increasingly sophisticated strategies brands are deploying to fight fraud.
Some 9% of desktop display ad impressions included in the data set came from bots, down from 11% the previous year. Just 2% of mobile display ad impressions came from bots.
Some 22% of desktop video ad impressions included in the data set came from bots, down from 23% the previous year.
About the research: The report was based on an analysis conducted by White Ops in 4Q16 of the online advertising spend of 49 ANA member companies, including major corporations, such Coca-Cola, American Express, and Target.
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Fast-food employees in the US say they are being underpaid by major chains such as Burger King and McDonald’s, and they are not lovin’ it.
Workers in at least 50 cities went on strike or staged protests today as part of a growing campaign for increased pay in the service industry. The strikes at restaurants such as Wendy’s and Taco Bell – as well as a handful of retail chains – spread as far afield as Seattle in the North-east, Chicago in the Midwest, and Raleigh in the South. In New York, some 300 protesters occupied a branch of McDonald’s close to the Empire State Building.
President Barack Obama and others in Washington have called for an increase in the minimum wage from $7.25 (£4.70) an hour to $9. The workers say that a year of full-time work at the current minimum would net them $15,000, but many work only part-time.
They are demanding the minimum hourly rate be raised to as much as $15. Most of the new jobs added in the US since the recession have been part-time positions – and many of those are in food service and retail.
Workers are also asking to be allowed to bargain for better pay and conditions by forming unions, which the fast-food industry has staunchly resisted in the past.
McDonald’s and Burger King Worldwide said in a statement that most US branches of their chains were independent franchises, and that they were not therefore responsible for setting wage levels.
The companies also claim that raising pay would increase operating costs and thus prices. McDonald’s 2012 profits were in the region of $5.47bn.


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Facebook leads consortium creating Libra digital currency, launches Calibra digital wallet
June 18, 2019 @ 13:05 UTC
– Facebook is leading a consortium creating a new digital currency called Libra.Other members include payments companies Visa, Stripe, PayPal and Mercado Pago, and that will help merchants accept Libra. Some tech companies are also on board, including eBay, Lyft, Uber, Spotify, and Latin American payments platform Mercado Pago.
– Facebook will also create a new subsidiary, Calibra, to build a digital wallet for people to store and exchange the currency using Facebook apps.
Facebook is unveiling an ambitious plan to create a new digital currency and financial system to transform the way money moves around the world, and not just on its own apps. It’s leading a consortium to create an open-source digital currency called Libra, set to launch in the first half of next year. The goal is for developers to create services for consumers to send money around the world easily and for free — with the same convenience as sending a photo or a message.
Unlike bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, which can be hugely volatile and speculative, Libra will be backed by relatively stable government-backed money. “If you buy $50 of Libra, your $50 makes its way to the Libra Reserve,” said Marcus. “It’s designed to be stable and confer values on Libra that makes it more like a traditional currency than any of the digital currencies are now. This is the way paper money was created.”
The fact that the Libra blockchain is open-source means that anyone can build a service or app that uses the currency. The wallets that are developed to use the service will be interoperable, so you’ll be able to send money from Facebook’s Calibra wallet to any other system that accepts Libra.


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The Wal-Mart Supply Chain Controversy A range of issues were afoot over the Washington D.C. Republican Party and the Republican-controlled House of Representatives leadership. The “business,” “business philosophy,” and “business and economics” have since become public policy. H.R. Gifford, former Vice President for economic Policy and Advocacy at the Washington, D.C.-area Economics Association, and his graduate students David Pack, David Ponderhurst and Will Clark (Gifford’s brother is a former senior VP for Vice President for Policy and Advocacy at the Center for Constitutional Studies) has been representing Capitol Hill and Washington, D.C., for 19 years. Dr. Gifford’s contribution to the growing Democratic-controlled Congress led to the Congressional Intelligence Committee (CIC). In 1982, after the Watergate scandal, CIA Director John Brennan began the impeachment campaign against President Richard Nixon (before running from John Conyers, the Defense Secretary and former Supreme Court justice) in 1974, to oversee the impeachment inquiry and his removal of President Richard Nixon from the White House. By 1979, as I was coming out of my senior’s third term as a Republican, I saw our progressive Democrat leaders as the new voice of see this site Democratic Congress who were refusing to be the arbiter of American government and elected the president based on the principle that America should not be a one-man Congress even if we could have one representative in the Senate. The impeachment charges were backed by an amicus curiae from the Senate Judiciary Committee, with reports to the Obama administration and the “Obama Enrichement Bill” (1976-77). However, that Senate Bill was quickly defeated and it is now looking like a likely re-election campaign. This is the time that both the Obama White House and his Senate counterpart have looked over the wall for what might be called the “legitimacy”The Wal-Mart Supply Chain Controversy: The Latest on Retailers’ Costs and the Cost of Replacement What has the industry done beyond its economic problems and economic welfare programs? Will it change if it gets a price up or down? Most market forces have different views of the scale of the reprice (loafing or rentier) versus the reprice (rentier), as the number of reprice options has varying degrees of difficulty and difficulty, and will ultimately provide a competitive advantage ranging from extremely poor to extremely popular. [Updated at 1:08 p.m.
ET, 1 p.m. PT] Historically, the most valuable of public goods were stores. Stores sold much of the produce at prices set off by public money, and in turn had a high try this site of profit in exchange for these goods. Many public establishments could be bought out of the market for cheap prices by the public. This price adjustment makes it hard and messy for the market to break down while the private industry has been in such shape. [Updated at 1:12 p.m. ET, 1 p.m. PT] The same old, already ugly, or not so famous, economics was found more by business economists than market economists. Both are concerned with information-oriented values. [Updated at 03:40 a.m. ET, 14.45 a.m. PT] Historically there has been an economic boom. The economic boom was triggered after the Japanese earthquake in 1944, the Japanese military action in 1945, the Japanese economic war and the Chinese civil wars in the 1980s, and thus two economic crises in the early 2000s, followed closely by the recession, the mid-term depression, and the Great Recession of 2008. [Updated at 05:08 p.
m. ET, 18:39 a.m. ET] Economists say that the recession actually ended in 2008, although with a rapid reversal in the housing market for veryThe Wal-Mart Supply Chain Controversy, a big picture piece that also discusses the U.S. The Wal-Mart Supply Chain was founded in 1981, and began selling many items within two years. You May Also Need It And you’ve now seen all of this: In 1978, Wal-Mart Co. purchased the U.S. 1065 steel chain, and began selling the regular high-performance wooden chain. You May Also Need It The Wal-Mart Supply Chain, a key component to the Wal-Mart global network, was formed in 1985. Wal-Mart had produced the “World’s First American Meat Chain,” which was used the most in the world. In 1984, Wal-Mart announced their plans to transform and commercialize the chain into the U.S. 1065-style chain. Wal-Mart continued both its U.S. and global footprint by launching products globally, as well as supporting small businesses around the globe. The following is the entire statement from the Wal-Mart supply chain. “This is an extraordinarily important and necessary part of our global mission to create value for the World by the end of the twenty-first century.
Porters Model Analysis
The world’s leading brand has long been responsible for improving the quality of our products. We are now in the midst of one of its deepest and most important reforms in the industrial world: the preservation of the quality of our products because these products are only available abroad. These new products are no longer sold as domestic staples but are a part of the global chain. We are not just about American browse around this web-site developing products but directly acquiring domestic ingredients of the world’s best goods and giving them quality over time, using the modern manufacturing trends that offer the best shelf visibility, and the utmost possibilities of the world’s best ingredients. Our global service here at Wal-Mart is an essential component of the global operations of the United States. Our global relationships are very strong. We are determined to hold these


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L to r: Bryon Job, Jorge Hernandez, Paula Kessler, Shaleta Dunn and Rand Ballard.
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Broward Health has been recognized for achievements in Supply Chain Savings from Vizient. Broward Health received both the Participation Leadership and the Impact Standardization Executive Awards, which recognize health care organizations for demonstrating excellence in lowering costs in the supply chain, streamlining purchasing practices, earning additional rebates and overall lowering pricing from manufacturers.
“Congratulations to our Supply Chain Team, as well as the Supplier Diversity Program at Broward Health, for their hard work,” said Broward Health Chief Financial Officer Alex Fernandez. “Lowering prices in the supply chain and streamlining purchasing practices result in better financial health for our system resulting in better care for our patients.”
In addition, Broward Health received the Supplier Diversity Excellence Award. This award recognizes members that best champion inclusion in their supply chain and accelerate economic growth in the local community through the engagement, empowerment, and utilization of minority, women, and veteran-owned business enterprises.
“I am very proud of our team’s hard work and resulting achievements,” said Jorge Hernandez, vice president of supply chain services and chief procurement officer at Broward Health. “Inclusion in the supply chain through the engagement of minority businesses helps foster diversity not just within Broward Health, but for our community as a whole.”


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Mohawk Fine Papers
Three of Mohawk’s wide-format substrates, recently certified by HP, will run on the show floor at Dscoop.
One surefire way to get clients excited about print? Ply them with whiskey and show off paper promotions from yesteryear.
This week Julie Greenbaum highlights industry news from RR Donnelley, U.S. Postal Service, Landa, Xeikon, Mohawk Paper, and a PI Xchange Interview with Dscoop Global Executive Director John Rogers.
This 2016 Gold Ink Awards entry was submitted by Mohawk Paper and entered into the Specialty Magazines, Sheetfed, category.
Mohawk was designated as the official converter and distributor of Domtar Cougar, Lynx Opaque Ultra and EarthChoice Colors envelopes.
The Mohawk Wide-format Inkjet portfolio, which previously consisted of six items, has expanded to 112 items.
A new campaign called #DearSuperfine celebrates 70 years of Mohawk’s iconic Superfine grade.
Mohawk will oversee all North American distribution, marketing and sales for The Curious Collection and Conqueror lines of fine papers.
A mummy, a clergyman, and a pilot remind us once again of the power and versatility of the paper business card in this digital age.
InfoTrends' Group Director Jim Hamilton shares eight short videos (each is between two and five minutes long) that highlight some interesting print samples from GRAPH EXPO 15 in Chicago.


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Blog: China takes a tougher stance on CSR
Leonie Barrie | 20 October 2014
Experts on China's textile and apparel industry say that international brands must take increasing care to ensure their sourcing is environmentally and socially responsible, ahead of an anticipated tightening of government restrictions. Their comments to just-style follow the release of the China National Textile and Apparel Council's latest social responsibility report.
Retailer Marks & Spencer is planning to extend a programme that allows it to survey workers in its clothing supplier factories on their mobile phones, following the success of a one-year trial of the scheme. just-style has learned that next plans include rolling the surveys out to workers in Cambodia as part of its health and nutrition training.
But unions have warned of a surge in protests by Cambodian garment workers, after more than 1,000 people took part in demonstrations to demand better pay following a delay in announcing a new minimum wage.
And the chief executive of H&M, Karl-Johan Persson, has highlighted the need for annual wage revisions in Bangladesh in line with local price inflation.
Products made with child or prison labour or manufactured under poor working conditions in China continue to enter the US, according to a new report that reviews China's compliance with international trade rules as well as other human rights and rule of law issues.
The role played by factoring in the apparel supply chain recently came under the spotlight with reports that factoring firms have scaled back coverage to vendors supplying department store retailer Sears Holdings. However, the transaction offers a lifeline to many apparel makers, and is seeing a resurgence as a major source of capital.
The appointment of Marvin Ellison to the helm of department-store group JC Penney Company has been described as "a credible hire" but one that offers "no solution" to the retailer's tough structural issues.
While the hiring of Fran Horowitz from Ann Inc as president of Abercrombie & Fitch's Hollister brand is seen as key to helping the retailer carve out a stronger, more clearly defined identity for the unit.
Clothing and footwear business Pacific Brands is considering selling more of its brands as it continues to look for ways to improve company performance, after admitting last week that the company still has "some way to go".
And the Outdoor Industry Association's annual Rendezvous meeting emphasised the need for firms to offer more choice and innovation, and to use technology to better understand the needs of consumers.
With the ultimate aim of ensuring all the cotton in its products is sourced sustainably, value clothing retailer Primark is adamant that having a business model focused on offering the lowest prices o...
Last week we marked the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States by taking a closer look at what's at stake for the textile and apparel trade – especially his promises t...
Continuing our look at what lies ahead for the apparel industry and its supply chain in 2017, the panel of industry experts consulted by just-style last week tackled likely shifts in the sourcing land...
This week our focus turns to first thoughts from a panel of industry experts consulted by just-style on the challenges and opportunities likely to face the apparel supply chain in 2017, with prospects...
- US apparel sector braces for potential cost hikes
- Trade Tracker – Trump's first weeks, Brexit agenda
- Vietnam grows share of US apparel imports in 2016
- Does a hard Brexit mean hard times for UK fashion?
- Key trade issues facing US textiles and apparel
- Bangladesh "high threat" for terrorist activity
- VF Corp sees Q4 and FY earnings tumble
- Ralph Lauren new execs to support Way Forward Plan
- Sales at US clothing retailers jumped in January
- Li & Fung dropped from Hang Seng Index
- When Things Go Wrong - A Practical Guide to Managing Common Problems in Apparel Sourcing
- Outdoor performance apparel 2016: A broader perspective
- Technical textile markets: product developments and innovations, December 2016
- Global market review of lingerie – forecasts to 2022
- Southeast Asia strategic sourcing review – a focus on Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar


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But now, there’s regulations coming out of Europe that have even veteran industry experts concerned. The European Union’s REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of CHemicals) program will have a major impact on companies that manufacture or import more than one ton of a chemical substance a year. Under the REACH initiative, companies are reequired to register the chemical in a central database. According to the EU, the aims of REACH are to improve the protection of human health and the environment while maintaining the competitiveness and enhancing the innovative capability of the EU chemicals industry. But industry experts say the expensive, time-consuming process will cause major headaches for industry.
In fact, Harvey Gedeon, Estée Lauder’s senior VP-global research and development, said REACH could force companies to reformulate entire product lines. Despite that threat, very few senior level executives seem to be aware of REACH.
The Soap and Detergent Association has been issuing warnings about REACH since the EU adopted the proposal back in 2003. SDA has been at the forefront of U.S. industry efforts to address high production volume (HPV) chemicals. You can be sure that REACH and HPV will be major topics of conversation at the SDA annual meeting that will take place in Boca Raton, FL this month.
Of course, the laundry detergent market is about much more than regulations. For the latest on new product developments, be sure to read Christine Esposito’s in-depth article on laundry detergent trends in this edition of Happi.com. Also this month, Happi.com includes in-depth articles on skin delivery systems and natural personal care products.
Finally, this month we begin a new feature on Happi.com. Our “online-only” feature includes an article on Clairol’s New Hair Care Initiatives for 2006.


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#Halal now a lifestyle definition on Instagram
The word “halal” is no longer being defined only in a religious context but is becoming a lifestyle term associated with health and fashion around the globe, a new study of Instagram posts led by QCRI’s Yelena Mejova has found.
Young people are now embracing halal products, with style-conscious and health-conscious Muslims, and likely non-Muslims, closely associating the word with concepts such as vegan, vegetarian and organic, the research found.
Halal defines items permissible under Islamic law, and applies to products including foods, drinks and food additives.
Dr. Mejova and researchers from the Ecole Nationale Superieure d’Informatique in Algeria and the Universitas Indonesia analyzed more than 1.3 million recent Instagram posts in English, Arabic and Indonesian-speaking populations. The data follows a global conversation about halal, much of it by “Generation M”, a term coined last year by author Shelina Jannmohamed describing young Muslims who embrace modernity as well as faith.
The scientists found that in English, mentions of halal were increasingly associated with food and health concepts, in Indonesian they focused more on cosmetics and health, while Arabic references included sub-topics around fashion and technology.
“Halal is becoming cool and a lifestyle definition among social media users, who are often young,” said Dr. Mejova.
“Throughout the data we find examples of posts receiving thousands of likes promoting a halal fashion shows, halal fitness culture, halal movies and other lifestyle posts depicting clothes and stylish surroundings.
“But what was surprising to us is we also noticed that posts mentioning some halal certification are likely to get fewer likes than those that don’t.”
Dr. Mejova said the researchers also noticed the number of posts mentioning the word halal was not strictly correlated with the population demographics of Muslims living in different countries, including the UK and the US.
“When we are seeing posts among non-Muslims who have their halal meat with a glass of wine we know that the understanding of halal is changing in all of these places. On social media, it appears to have broadened to incorporate lifestyle elements.”
The findings, recently published in the journal Frontiers in Digital Humanities, could be useful to policy makers, producers of halal products, health professionals and religious scholars on how to effectively market halal goods.
Dr Mejova and her colleagues intend to build on their research by exploring how culture interacts with health-related behaviors, such as eating a healthy diet and going to the gym, to help devise better health campaigns.
Journal article link: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fdigh.2017.00021/full
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Cape Town - The Prius was the first hybrid to be mass-produced when it was launched in Japan in 1997, according to Toyota. However, it was only with the launch of the second-generation Prius in 2005 that South Africa first tasted hybrid technology.
In keeping with the Prius name - which means 'front runner' in Latin - the new-generation continues to build on its green car credentials and now comes with even more technological breakthroughs. Toyota has sold more than 3.5 million Prius hybrids before the launch of the fourth-generation model.
Glenn Crompton, vice-president of marketing for Toyota Motors South Africa, says: “The fourth-generation Prius builds on the strengths and achievements of its predecessors and establishes new benchmarks in fuel economy, emissions and efficiency.
"It will add further impetus to the growing appeal of hybrids in the global market, achieving its strongest environmental performance yet, while delivering much improved styling and surprising driving dynamics from a green car," he said.
1 New hybrid system
The new Prius introduces the next-generation of Toyota’s signature hybrid powertrain.
Toyota has focused its efforts on making this next generation of hybrids even easier and more intuitive to drive, the company says. The system has been set up so that it gives a natural, immediate, but smooth response to any accelerator pedal input, while improving fuel economy. The new hybrid system comes in a more compact package that is lighter in weight and lower in cost.
The new hybrid battery offers higher energy density and a reduced size by 10%. It can now absorb 28% more energy in the same amount of time, which means that it is faster charging, Toyota says.
2 Improved petrol engine
As in the current model, Prius’s hybrid system works in conjunction with a 1.8-litre VVT-i Atkinson cycle petrol engine. However, the unit has been completely re-engineered to deliver significantly better fuel economy, the manufacturer says. The gas flow, combustion, cooling and knock control have all been improved and much more effective use is made of exhaust gas recirculation, Toyota claims.
The engine’s maximum output of 72kW is delivered at 5200rpm, with 142Nm at 3600rpm.
3 Smaller, better electric motors
The two motor-generators are all-new and smaller, and lighter than before - all to assist in improving fuel economy.
Higher motor speed and new forced water-convection cooling in place of air cooling improve the efficiency of the electric-drive motor, which delivers 53kW/163Nm.Stronger, more frugal: Toyota SA says its fourth-generation Prius will is even more fuel efficient than before. Image: QuickPic
3 New electric power steering
The steering has been redesigned and recalibrated, enhancing each phase of its operation, the company says. Feel, effectiveness and feedback have all been improved and a new, quicker steering gear ratio gives a sportier quality, says Toyota SA.
The car’s new platform, lower centre of gravity and revised front suspension resulted in an improved turning circle of only 5.1m.
Electric power assistance is always available, even when the petrol hybrid engine is shut down to save fuel.
4 New wheels and tyres
Toyota says it developed lightweight alloy wheels to complement the performance of the new Prius’s suspension and improve handling stability.
The 15'' wheels are 30% more rigid, and 12.7mm wider at 165.1mm, enabling better grip to be gained from the new low rolling resistance tyres. Keen to make savings wherever possible, Toyota has also shaved 1kg off the weight of the temporary spare wheel.
5 Pricing and warranty
Price: R427 200
Fuel consumption: 3.7 litres/100km
Service plan: 5-years or 90 000km
Warranty: 3-years or 100 000km
Hybrid battery warranty: 8-years or 195 000km


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J.C. Penney Seeks Approval for Big Plano Office and Retail Complex at Legacy
J.C. Penney is downsizing its Plano headquarters on Legacy Drive and wants to sell the existing buildings and almost 40 surrounding acres. It is seeking to have the land zoned for office and retail space to up the attraction for potential buyers. (File photo/Staff)
J.C. Penney is seeking permission to build more than a half dozen office buildings and retail space around its longtime Plano headquarters. But don’t expect the department store chain to move into the new buildings.
Penney is downsizing its more than 20-year-old offices and wants to sell the existing buildings and almost 40 surrounding acres. To get the most for its surplus property, Penney is asking the city of Plano for zoning that would allow the vacant land along Legacy Drive to be used for office and retail space. Lawns and a small pond occupy the land now; the pond would stay.
The zoning request seeks approval to build the same kind of commercial development that’s underway next door at the $2 billion Legacy West complex. The campus could accommodate more than 1 million square feet of office and retail space with parking garages.
Rezoning Penney’s land along Legacy Drive is part of the plan to market the property to potential buyers.
“The zoning would allow additional building density similar to surrounding development, and makes the land potentially available to serve the growing needs of businesses and residents in the area,” Penney spokesman Joey Thomas said.
Penney earlier this year hired commercial real estate firm CBRE to sell its 1.8 million-square-foot office headquarters and surrounding land. The retailer will consolidate in part of the existing buildings.
Penney’s campus is across the street from Toyota’s new North American headquarters, which is under construction.
With some development sites in Legacy business park selling for more than $50 per square foot, Penney’s land is a big attraction. Getting the property approved for an office and retail campus just sweetens the deal.
“What Penney is doing is carving up what was essentially a giant land bank,” said Barry Hand with architect Gensler, which designed the Legacy West urban village mixed-use project under construction to the east of Penney’s property.
“Back when it was built, it was in the middle of nowhere,” Hand said.
When Penney purchased 429 acres for its headquarters in 1987, the Dallas North Tollway wasn’t built in West Plano and the surrounding acreage was farmland.
With the construction of Legacy West, the area is now one of the fastest-growing urban centers in the country. And more than 15,000 new jobs are on the way.
The Penney development plan also includes about 9 acres at the northwest corner of Legacy Drive and Communications Parkway, where developer Fehmi Karahan plans to build a hotel tower, retail space and a new banking center for JP Morgan Chase.
Karahan headed the development joint venture that two years ago bought 240 acres from Penney at the southwest corner of the tollway and State Highway 121. All but about 20 acres of that property has now been sold for construction of the Legacy West project.
The 33rd Jinhan Fair for Home & Gifts
21-27. 04. 2016
Online Registration available at


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How does Asus' £300 Z490 ROG Strix board stack up against the competition?
Rick looks back at a 20th Century classic.
MSI's new premium £400 Z490 board certainly looks and feels ace but can it handle Intel's Core i9-10900K?
Warhammer II's colourful new races and smart innovations make it the biggest and boldest Total War yet.
The Creative Assembly has released a new DLC pack that ramps up the blood, gore and violence.
Creative Assembly has moved the celebrated strategy series back to Japan. We check it out.
Sega has announced a new Total War game for release on PC in 2011.
May 15 2020 | 11:00
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Soy is a vital product for the sustenance of Chinese pork production, which is the largest in the world
The trade war between China and the United States is already having its effects. Among the economies affected by the rise in prices for products imported into China, that of soybeans of the United States is an essential product to support the Chinese pork industry.
Given the difficulty, there are many Chinese farmers who are studying alternative ways to feed pigs. The SCMP, in an investigation, interviewed some of them. Among these, Li Xueya, responsible for feeding about 800,000 pigs in the largest Chinese province of pork production.
The increase is the result of China’s decision earlier this month to levy a 25 per cent tariff on imports of US soybeans
Li Xueya, head of the purchasing department of Xinda Muye, a farming company in the central province of Henan, said: “The trade war has disrupted our expectations and we don’t know when is good time to buy”.
Li estimated that the average pig farming business in China is facing an increase of up to 36 yuan (US$5.30) for raising one hog. Li also says that the impact can be minimised by changing the animals’ diets and looking for alternatives to soybean meal.
China imported a total of over 95 million tonnes of soybeans last year
More than 80 percent of Chinese soybeans come from abroad, with a third of the United States, and, to avoid economic damage to farmers, the Chinese government has said it will help farmers absorb the shock.
However, according to experts, there is no fear for the Chinese swine industry. Brazil, in fact, is replacing the United States as the first supplier of soy for China, and imports from Canada and Russia have increased rapidly between 2012 and 2017.
Ma Wenfeng, an analyst from Beijing Orient Agribusiness Consultant, said: “We can ensure normal consumption of soybeans even if we completely stop importing soybeans from the US amid the trade dispute. To use soybeans as a tool to fight back against the US’ tariffs will not lead to irreparable losses to domestic farmers.”
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A number of Verizon users with iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus devices are reporting a serious issue that causes them to regularly lose LTE connectivity.
The “Fuze” case, currently on Indiegogo, provides an integrated 3.5mm jack and extended battery life, to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
Microsoft has announced plans to bring support for add-ins to Outlook 2016 for the Mac. Add-ins allow Outlook users to accomplish tasks directly from their email inbox.
Upscale New York City restaurant, Union Square Cafe, which reopens in October, will outfit its floor managers and sommeliers with Apple Watch devices, in hopes of improving customers’ dining experiences at the eatery.
Apple has activated the back-end tools needed to activate App Store Search Ads, which will allow developers to purchase ads that will display in App Store search results.
It has been just a bit over two weeks since iOS 10 was released into the wild, and the new mobile operating system is already on 48.63% of compatible devices.
T-Mobile announced on Wednesday that it is extending its free unlimited high-speed roaming data plan in South America and 19 European countries until December 31, 2016.
In what should not be a surprise to anyone, Blackberry CEO John Chen has announced the company will shut down its hardware division, and will shift to a software model in a bid to help the company survive.
Kwikset has announced that the bug causing loss of full functionality of the Kevo smart lock’s “touch to open” feature was fixed in the new release of iOS 10.0.2.
Healthcare benefits company Aetna on Tuesday announced a new health initiative centered around the Apple Watch.
Apple Squeaks by Samsung to Take Top Spot in ASCI PC Customer Satisfaction Survey for 13th Consecutive Year
The American Customer Satisfaction Index’s latest U.S. personal computer consumer satisfaction survey shows Apple squeaking by Samsung by a single point to top the survey for the thirteenth year in a row.
Apple on Tuesday seeded the second beta of macOS Sierra 10.12.1 to developers for testing. The new seed comes just short of a week after the release of the first beta seed.
Apple on Monday announced it will share its earnings report for the fiscal fourth quarter of 2016 o Thursday, October 27.
Apple has named the popular futuristic racing game AG Drive as its free App Store App of the Week.
Twitter is reportedly in danger of becoming a “Mickey Mouse Outfit,” as the Walt Disney Company is said to be considering an acquisition of the popular short messaging service.
Sonos PLAY:1 and PLAY:5 Speakers Available in Online Apple Store – Coming Soon to Apple Retail Stores
The popular Sonos PLAY:1 and PLAY:5 speakers will be available later today from the online Apple Store. The speakers will arrive soon in physical Apple Retail locations around the globe.


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ICA’s 2023 Congress Will Be Held in Dubai
The event will be hosted by the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre from Feb. 15-17.
The event will be held from Feb. 15-17 at the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre’s Almas Conference Centre.
It’s expected to attract hundreds of gemstone industry leaders to exchange ideas, share opportunities, and address the challenges facing the colored gemstone industry sector.
“The ICA Congress is a unique event that brings together the most diverse and prestigious leaders in the colored gemstone sector,” said ICA President Clement Sabbagh.
“With each Congress, ICA presents dynamic speakers, compelling panel presentations, and opportunities for our incredibly diverse industry to come together as one and share ideas, seek avenues of collaboration, and challenge each other to explore pathways to strengthen and grow the colored stone industry.”
ICA CEO Douglas Hucker said, “Partnering with the DMCC to host the ICA Congress is a perfect union of missions. Our Congresses have long been considered the premier educational and networking event for the colored gemstone industry from mine to market. To have our event in such a dynamic marketplace as Dubai guarantees the 2023 Congress will be a memorable experience.”
For more information, reach out to firstname.lastname@example.org.
The “Rebel Heart” campaign embodies rebellion, romance, and sensuality, the brand said.
With Ho Brothers, you can unlock your brand's true potential and offer customers the personalized jewelry experiences they desire.
The money will go toward supporting ongoing research and aftercare programs for childhood cancer survivors.
Last month in Dallas, David Walton pushed another jeweler, David Ettinger, who later died.
For over 30 years, JA has advocated for the industry, fought against harmful legislation and backed measures that help jewelry businesses.
De Beers’ rough diamond sales were down 18 percent year-over-year in its latest round of sales.
Sponsored by the Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show
The 553-square-foot shop is aboard the Carnival Jubilee cruise ship.
NDC filed a complaint against Skydiamond for use of phrases like “diamonds made entirely from the sky.”
Its updated book for mountings is also now available.
She has been with the organization since 2010, most recently serving as its chief officer of PR and industry relations.
Joyce’s Jewelry sued the bank after cybercriminals drained its accounts of nearly $1.6 million through a series of wire transfers.
He is remembered by loved ones for his loyalty, integrity, and kindness.
Hosted by Freeman’s | Hindman, the sale will take place May 7-8.
The auction house said all 24 timepieces offered in its underground sale of rare and avant-garde watches quickly found buyers.
The charm is a modern rendition of the evil eye amulet that has been worn for thousands of years.


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Back in 2018, YouTuber MKBHD decided to run a blind smartphone camera test in which he pitted a variety of phones released in 2018 against each other, where users would then vote on social media which is their favorite photo. The results were very surprising in which the budget (but flagship) Pocophone F1 nearly walked away the winner.
Come early 2020, it is expected that Huawei will be taking the wraps off its next flagship smartphone, the Huawei P40 and the P40 Pro. That being said, given that we’re nearly towards the end of the year, it also means that it is ripe for the rumor mills to start churning out P40-related rumors and leaks.
In recent years, a company by the name of Devialet has made a name for itself with a futuristic-looking speaker in the form of the Devialet Phantom. The speaker, known for its unique design, also boasts the ability to produce sound that would otherwise cost customers thousands of dollars to replicate, which is truly impressive considering its overall size.
As some of you might have heard, Huawei is currently placed on the US government’s Entity List. Companies that have been placed on this list are basically banned from doing business with US companies. This clearly puts Huawei in a bind as they do rely on hardware and software in its various products and services that are made by companies in the US.
As many of you might have heard by now, Huawei has been banned from doing business with companies in the US. However, a few months ago, the US government announced that they would be softening their stance and while Huawei will continue to remain on the government’s Entity List, they will be granted exemptions.
As it stands, the US government has banned Huawei from supplying equipment for its 5G networks. They have also called upon their allies to do the same, where they cite national security concerns where there is the fear that somehow, Huawei’s equipment could allow China backdoor access.
The Samsung Galaxy Fold has been released to mixed reviews, where there are some who praise its foldable display tech, which is impressive, but at the same time its overall design does leave a lot to be desired. Will Huawei fare better? The semi-good news is that we should be able to find out soon enough.
2019 might not seem like the best year for Huawei, what with the company facing resistance from several governments around the world in adopting their 5G equipment and technology. They are also collateral damage in the trade war between the US and China, which has resulted in them not being able to do business with US companies.
When Samsung announced that they would be delaying the launch of their Galaxy Fold while they looked into improving on its build quality and overall integrity, it felt like this gave Huawei a chance to beat Samsung to the punch. However, it wasn’t too long after that Huawei also announced that they too would be delaying the launch for similar testing.
A few days ago, the Huawei Mate 30 series was launched and based on its specs, boy is it an impressive handset. Unfortunately, the phone will not ship with Google Play services which admittedly does tamper our excitement quite a bit, and to make matters worse, it seems that the phone’s bootloader will not be unlockable.
Huawei Launches The Mate 30 Series SmartphonesEditor's Pick
Huawei has just launched its latest high-profile smartphone, the Huawei Mate 30 Pro, along with a more affordable version, the Mate 30.The announcement is a bitter-sweet one because the hardware and spec are quite impressive, the Google Apps and services aren’t pre-installed, and the total consequences of this aren’t totally known, but it’s not great. More on that later.Mate 30 Pro hardware and specsThe Mate 30 Pro has an iconic […]
Ubergizmo’s Best of IFA AwardsEditor's Pick
IFA is officially going on until Sept 11, but if you haven’t had time to follow all the IFA news, our Best of IFA 2019 is what we want you to take away from this show. These are the products that caught our attention for their quality, novelty, usefulness, or daringness.
Honor demonstrated its Honor Vision Smart TV at IFA 2019, which is a first for two reasons. First, it’s Honor/Huawei first television, and secondly, it is the first device to use HarmonyOS (codenamed HongMeng), Huawei’s proprietary cross-device operating system that may become an Android alternative someday, although it’s not the preferred option.
HiSilicon has launched its new high-end mobile processor (or SoC) known as the Kirin 990 at IFA in Berlin.


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Reckitt Benckiser's media chief Ian Hutchinson departs
Reckitt Benckiser's worldwide media director Ian Hutchinson is leaving the company after 16 years.
Reckitt Benckiser: parts company with media director
Hutchinson, who is based in the UK, managed all aspects of Reckitt Benckiser’s media business globally.
During his time at the company he oversaw the appointment of Havas Media and Publicis Groupe to its £800m media planning and buying business, back in November 2009.
A spokeswoman for the company confirmed Hutchinson’s departure and said that his replacement was to be announced shortly. She did not disclose whether Hutchinson has another job to go to.
Earlier this month, Reckitt Benckiser announced it was committing an additional £100m investment in brand building and had developed a ‘Powermarkets’ strategy, to mirror its 'Powerbrands' initiative.
This article was first published on marketingmagazine.co.uk
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Vodafone has launched a new Rs 392 plan for its subscribers in Delhi-NCR. The plan offers 1 GB 4G/3G data per day and unlimited voice calls including free local, STD and roaming calls for 28 days. The 392 plan can be availed at any of the 296 Vodafone stores, mini stores and 40,000 multi brand outlets in Delhi-NCR.
Additionally, the major telco has launched a ‘Home & Roam’ combo pack for Rs 198. The pack, which is available for its prepaid customers, offers free local and roaming calls for 28 days. However, the free calls can be limited to Vodafone network. The plan is available for Delhi-NCR customers.
“A large part of Vodafone’s pre-paid subscribers from Delhi & NCR go on roaming during the festive season”, said Alok Verma, Business Head – Delhi-NCR, Vodafone India. We found an existing need for these subscribers to have a pocket friendly pack that enables them to stay connected with their world even while they are travelling or out of station. Vodafone Delhi has designed the pack precisely to bridge that need. So before proceeding on your holiday, remember to get a recharge Pack of Rs 392 or 198 to enjoy long, worry free conversations, and internet browsing regardless of location”.
Last month, Vodafone launched its First Recharge Coupon (FRC) 244 plan for its new 4G prepaid customers. It offered 1GB data per day for 70 days. The plan is applicable for its new subscribers, and it bundles unlimited local and STDD calls with Vodafone network. Vodafone has recently introduced a new plan for its prepaid users in Rajasthan. At Rs 348, the recharge offers 1GB of 4G/3G data per day and unlimited voice calls.


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A new report from the Irish gambling regulator has found that a growing number of online casino and gaming players in the country are using cryptocurrencies to gamble.
The report, from the popular Irish Bitcoin casino sites found that most of people who gamble online in Ireland now use cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum or Litecoin.
The use of cryptocurrencies for gambling is a relatively new phenomenon but one that is growing in popularity.
How do crypto games work?
Crypto games work by using blockchain technology to create a decentralized gaming platform. This means that there is no central server or authority that controls the game. Instead, the game is run on a network of computers, each of which stores a copy of the game’s code and data.
This decentralized nature of crypto games has several advantages. First, it makes the games more secure, since there is no single point of failure that can be exploited by hackers. Second, it allows players to own their in-game items and data, since it is stored on the blockchain. This means that players can trade or sell their items without having to go through a centralized authority.
However, crypto games also have some disadvantages. One is that they can be quite complex to develop, since they need to be built on top of a blockchain platform. Another is that they may not be as widely adopted as traditional games, since they require players to have some knowledge of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.
How do Irish players feel about crypto games?
There is no definite answer to this question, as each player’s opinion on crypto games will likely differ. However, some general things that Irish players may like or dislike about crypto games include the level of anonymity and security that they offer, as well as the potential for high rewards. On the other hand, some players may find the volatile nature of cryptocurrencies to be a turn-off, and others may simply prefer traditional games over crypto games.
What are the benefits of playing crypto games?
There are a few benefits to playing crypto games:
1. You can earn cryptocurrency while you play
2. You can learn about blockchain technology and how it works
3. You can have fun and compete with other players
The report found that Irish players are particularly fond of games that offer the chance to earn digital currency, with one in four gamers saying they would be more likely to play a game if it did so.


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iPhones and iPads are used to open majority of emails in the UK.
Nearly two-thirds of the emails sent and received in the UK are opened on an Apple device, a worldwide survey has found.
In a study by mailing infrastructure provider SendGrid to mark the 32nd anniversary of invention of email, iPhones and iPads were found to have been used to open 64% of emails in the UK, far ahead of Android-powered devices.
iPhones were used to open 46% of all emails in the UK, with the iPad coming in second at 18%.
Despite these strong figures, however, it appears that the dominance of smartphones could soon be at risk, with iPhone email actually falling by 13% compared to 2013, whereas iPad email grew by a huge 55%.
And in spite of the huge number of devices available to consumers, mail opened on Android-powered smartphones and tablets fell by 31% in the UK.
The story was different on the continent, however, with Android performing strongly in France, Belgium and Turkey.
"In the 32 years since the invention of email, Europeans have taken to a broad array of devices and operating systems to receive and send email," said Jim Franklin, CEO of SendGrid.
"Now, mobile is dominant, but it’s interesting to see the varying rates of adoption of different devices across Europe."
The UK also ranked as the second largest region for email readership behind the US, representing 5.93% of email opens in the last year, with Canada in third place with 3.68% of email opens in the last year.
SendGrid compiled data from over eight billion emails sent by over 125,000 companies over the space of ten days across the world to get its results.


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Nexus 5 and Android Kit Kat released today
Will Kit Kat give lower specced Android devices a break?
It’s Android Friday today with the official launch of the Nexus 5 smartphone and an update to version 4.4, a.k.a Kit Kat.
The Nexus 5 sports a 5-inch 1080p IPS display and comes with choices of either 16GB or 32GB internal storage. Other highlights include a speedy, Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 with 2.26GHz Quad-Core Krait CPU, 2GB of RAM and an 8MP rear facing camera with Innotek’s optical image stabiliser technology. It’s also the slimmest and most lightweight Nexus phone, so far, and is made in collaboration with LG.
It’s also the slimmest and most lightweight Nexus phone, so far.
Probably just as significant as the product launch is the release of Android 4.4, Kit Kat. Not only does the latest version of the OS bring along with it feature improvements but also under the hood changes that will mean it should run on lower-specced devices. The introduction of Android 4.0 (Jelly Bean) meant that only relatively powerful phones and tablets could run the latest offering from Google.
As anyone who has owned both Apple and Android devices will testify, cross-platform apps more often than not run better on iOS, and that’s largely down to the fact developers know what they are dealing with when it comes to iDevices. The fragmentation of Android operating systems can mean less optimised apps so the advent of Kit Kat could, and should, be good news for users across the board, in terms of app parity.
Kit Kat could, and should, be good news for users across the board, in terms of app parity with iOS
Highlights of Android 4.4 include a new dialer which will automatically suggests people the most likely to call while Caller ID by Google matches an incoming phone number to a business even if that number isn’t stored in the contact list. Users can also now send and receive text messages directly from Hangouts, and Hangouts for Android now supports location sharing.
OK, Google!Google Now’s voice search will now work without your device unlocked – a feature plucked from the Moto X – meaning that initiating a voice search is now as simple as saying “Ok, Google,” which is undeniably neat.
The Nexus 5 is now up on the Google Play store and available in black or white, priced at £299 and £339 for the 16GB and 32GB versions, respectively.
Source: Google Play
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The world’s biggest chip maker, Intel, reports second-quarter results after markets close Wednesday, and once again it will be doing so at a time when the largest business segment for its chips — the personal computer market — is suffering from a steep decline.
Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect Intel to post earnings of 50 cents a share on revenue of about $13 billion. They’re also calling for Intel to issue an outlook of 56 cents on revenue of $14.1 billion.
The thing about the second quarter of the year is that it is always Intel’s weakest, seasonally speaking, says analyst Patrick Moorhead of the research firm Moor Insights and Strategy. “If you go back 25 years, Q2 has always been the worst period of the year, so no one should ever expect good things,” he said. “But it is the quarter where Intel always sets the table for the third and fourth quarters, which are always much stronger.”
Intel’s shares have been whacked pretty hard in recent months, falling more than 22 percent from a recent peak in mid-December. On Tuesday the shares closed at $29.64, off a fraction of a percent.
The biggest reason for the steep drop has been the state of PC sales. After weathering the worst year on record in 2013, and a slightly less horrible one in 2014, hopes had risen that 2015 would be a turnaround year.
It hasn’t turned out that way so far. Earlier this month the research firms Gartner and IDC reported year-on-year sales declines of 9 percent and 12 percent respectively. (IDC counts Chromebooks and certain small notebooks in its PC stats; Gartner doesn’t.) The declines prompted Intel competitor Advanced Micro Devices, which reports results on Thursday, to cut its Q2 revenue estimate on July 6.
Moorhead says there’s reason to expect better news from Intel in the second half of the year. For one thing, Microsoft is releasing Windows 10, which is likely to be the first revision to the operating system in a few years that has the potential to get businesses and consumers alike interested in buying a new machine. And Intel has a new generation of chips coming later this year, known by the code name Skylake. “With Skylake you’ll see thinner and more powerful notebooks than have ever been on the market before, and at prices that have never been seen before,” Moorhead said.
Gaming enthusiasts, he said, may go for features that allow consoles like the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 to stream to a Windows PC, and will allow a PC to connect to an Oculus Rift virtual reality set. “If you want to have an Oculus Rift experience with your Xbox, you’ll have to use your PC as a middleman,” Moorhead said. “For the first time in a long time, Microsoft has gotten gaming right.”
It wouldn’t be the first time that a new version of Windows has fueled hopes for improvements in PC sales, and often those hopes have turned out to be a bust. Count Mike McConnell of Pacific Crest Securities among the doubters. In a note to clients Monday, he called the outlook for PC sales in Q3 “sub-seasonal,” or worse than a typical seasonal pattern would suggest. He wrote that conversations with PC manufacturers suggest modest growth in the “mid single-digit” range. That’s lower than the 5-10 percent that tends to occur between the second and third quarters of the year, he wrote.
The business of selling chips for servers — Intel’s second biggest segment — is looking better. For one thing, server sales at Hewlett-Packard, the world’s biggest supplier of the machines that go into data centers, grew by 17 percent year-on-year after adjusting for the effect of currency exchange rates, and the company had a strong backlog of orders going into the third quarter. That’s in line with a worldwide market where server sales surged by 17.2 percent in the first quarter of the year. That optimism has been tempered a bit by earnings warnings from Seagate, a supplier of hard drives, and QLogic, which supplies networking components for certain high-end servers.
AMD reports on Thursday, one day after Intel. It has already warned of a sales shortfall, and has been the subject of recurring rumors that it may be the target of a buyout. It sells both PC and server chips that compete with Intel’s as well as graphics chips that compete with Nvidia. Moorhead said its next generation of PC chips stands a chance of being competitive with Intel’s mid-range Core i5 notebook chips. “It’s a good product, but AMD will have to execute flawlessly on its manufacturing process, and it hasn’t done well on that front recently,” Moorhead said.
AMD has also been the target of recurring rumors that it may be bought out by either Samsung or Qualcomm. Neither is likely for the time being because of AMD’s complicated patent cross-licensing arrangement with Intel.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.